Ms M.Sc. Marlene Fröhlich

External doctoral researcher

Position Description

Marlene is an external doctoral researcher at the Chair of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Research under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Julia de Groote. Her doctoral project is conducted in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Birgit Felden at the EMF Institute, HWR Berlin, and is supported by the EQUA Foundation.

Her dissertation examines how family businesses strategically navigate sustainability transformation while maintaining economic performance.

Key research focuses:

• Determinants of successful sustainability transformation in family firms
• The interdependencies and synergies between sustainability and digitalization ("twin transformation")
• Structural and organizational levers for embedding sustainability practices within family firms
• The conditions under which sustainability can become a source of competitive advantage

Marlene's research builds on insights from family business research, sustainability management, and innovation studies.