IMBA Activation Phase

General Information, Formal Requirements, Guidelines and FAQ on the Activation Phase for the Impact MBA

General Information

Activation Process Overview 🚀 - Watch Video

Introduction

In the Activation phase of the Impact MBA, you circle back to your personal mission statement and translate your knowledge to your very own real-world application. You either focus on your own leadership journey, work on a transformation project in collaboration with your company, conduct an independent research project focused on creating impact, or work on your own business idea. The project report will be your “Master Thesis”.

Please keep the following general conditions in mind when designing your activation challenge aka Master Thesis:

• Your challenge should include elements related to the focus of your program specialization (e.g. ESG Management) and in general to the overall areas of sustainability, innovation and leadership.
• Look back to your personal mission statement that you created at the start of the program and revised during your journey at ToU – how can you relate the challenge to your personal mission?
• The activation project should be completed within the timeframe of 12 weeks.
• Make sure that you have access to the company, people, and/or data, and if necessary, their permission to conduct the research that you need, to complete the challenge (e.g. interviews).

Objectives of the Thesis

The primary objectives of this thesis are to:

• Apply the knowledge and skills you have developed during your MBA studies to a specific management issue.
• Provide an opportunity to study a topic that is of both personal interest and professional relevance in a detailed and thorough manner.
• Expose you to the principles and processes of academic inquiry and business research, enhancing your ability to conduct rigorous investigations.
• Demonstrate your ability to think conceptually and develop structured, rational arguments that contribute to the field of sustainability management.

Activation Labs

You have 3 different labs to choose from for your Activation phase, depending on the overall character of your intended project:

• Transformation Lab

  In the Transformation Lab, you will either design a new science-based solution for an organization or implement and evaluate a solution that you may have developed in previous challenges. This could e.g. be designing a regenerative business model, conceptualizing a change management process, or evaluating the impact of a human-centered leadership approach.

• Entrepreneurship Lab

  In this Lab, you will create your own venture. It involves systematic testing of ideas and market assumptions, complemented by a presentation. You will learn about political and legal frameworks relevant to entrepreneurs, setting up a business entity, and handling legal documents like term sheets, founders’ agreements, and trademark laws.

• Research and Impact Lab

  This Lab empowers you to undertake a research project on a topic of your choice. You will learn how to conduct thorough research, manage data, and utilize technology to solve real-world problems. The thesis, complemented by a presentation, involves applying theory and research methods to real-world scenarios.

Irrespective of the Lab you’ve chosen, your activation challenge will be supervised by one of our academic staff, depending on the topic and your specialization. Please check out their research profiles and topic areas before choosing a supervisor for your activation project:

List of Academic Supervisors at Tomorrow University (check out their profiles here):

• Prof. Dr. Sami Asad
• Prof. Dr. Jonathan Costa
• Dr. Thomas Funke
• Prof. Dr. Maren Kropfeld
• Prof. Dr. Maximilian Lude
• Prof. Dr. Thomas Maidorfer
• Prof. Dr. Nellie Marangou (on maternity leave March-October 2025)

Once you have looked through the document outlining thesis supervisors, please fill out the form below, highlighting which supervisor you would like to work with including your thesis proposal.

👉🏼 Thesis Supervisor and Proposal Request Form

The Academic Team will review the requests every Wednesday and match you with the best fit for your topic.

Timeline

Once you've started Activation, you officially have 5 months to complete your Thesis, i.e. until you have successfully delivered your presentation to your supervisor. Below, please find two timelines, one "ideal-type" timeline for a completion of Activation within 3 months, and a maximum timeline for completion of Activation within 5 months:

👉🏼 As a rule, the Master’s thesis is completed in the last semester of the standard period of study and takes no longer than five months (= maximum time period)

👉🏼  If an extension of the processing period is necessary to ensure equal examination conditions or for other reasons for which the student is not responsible (illness, force majeure), the processing period may be extended by a maximum of six weeks.

👉🏼  The assessment period for the Master’s thesis should not exceed seven weeks. Exceptions are cases in which a third-party assessment is required. This extends the assessment period by three weeks.

Check Out the 📑 MBA Study & Exam Regulations §23 & §24

Formal Requirements

Your activation project report is a 50-page, hands-on, action-oriented management thesis. This document outlines standard practices in academic writing and should facilitate your work. If you decide to deviate from the standards outlined, for example, using different citation formats (e.g., APA instead of Harvard) or numbering schemes, this is fine, as long as it is consistent across the entire document.

⚠️ There is one chapter in the guide that you have to adhere to without exception: “Guidelines on Plagiarism and the Resulting Legal Consequences”.

Form of your Written Thesis

Page Limit

Please bear in mind that there is a page limit of 50 pages (+/- 10%) and the appendix (max. 10 pages, for supplementary material such as graphs, and charts). This acts as a guide and you should discuss with your supervisor the equivalent work in other formats, including pitch decks, prototypes, and/or presentations.

Linguistic Form

Your report has to be error-free regarding punctuation and orthography. It should be written in British or American English (consistency!). Choose objective formulations and pay attention to comprehensibility.

Style Guide

• All margins (left, right, top and bottom) must be 1 inch (2.54 cm), including your tables and figures.
• 1.5x line space.
• Fonts type & size:
  • Main Body—12 pt. Times or the closest comparable font available
  • Equations—12 pt. Times or the closest comparable font available
  • Footnotes—10 pt. Times or the closest comparable font available
• Tables, graphs & figures: text accompanying graphs, figures and tables should be no smaller than 8 pt.
• Headings: use no more than three levels of headings similar in format to APA.
  Headings structure a text and demonstrate the importance of individual sections. Different levels of structure must be indicated by different heading levels. Paragraphs that are of equal importance receive headings of the same level. When framing a structure, different levels of heading can be used:  1. Heading (1. Level) 16pt, bold  1.1 Heading (2. Level) 14pt, bold  1.1.1 Heading (3. Level) 12pt, bold  1.1.1.1 Heading (4. Level) 12pt, italics  No full-stop is placed at the end of a heading. There is no other text in the line of the heading. This is continued with spacing (one or two lines) in the next line.
  The continuous text is composed using a common proportional font such as Arial, Times, Calibri or Verdana. 11 pt (Arial) or 12 pt (Times, Calibri and Verdana) are suitable as font sizes. The line spacing must be set at 1.5 lines. It should be noted that once technicalities have been chosen then they must be used in a uniform manner throughout. Headings should be written with only the first letter capitalized (with the exception of names), i.e 1.1 Amphibian responses to sustainable forestry in a Malaysian timber reserve.

• Diagrams and Charts Charts are used to give a compact overview of material (mainly numerical but, to a certain extent, information such as e.g. parts of a questionnaire). Indeed, each chart is a component of the paper and should, however, be understandable on its own terms. For this reason, all abbreviations (apart from the usual statistical abbreviations) must be explained and the unit of measurement stated. The presentation of all charts should be uniform, especially in relation to idioms, the structural format and similar letterings. When it comes to charts and diagrams, please take into consideration:
  1. Each chart and diagram must be interpreted in the text. Interpreting means: presenting the core information and highlighting contexts. It is wrong to describe a chart with its figures in the text.
  2. Wherever a chart or diagram is interpreted in the text, then it must be clearly referred to, while…
  3. …every chart and diagram must be understandable on its own terms.
  4. Longer charts or charts whose content is not necessarily contained in the text (the chart fills up an entire page for example but two values are only entered in the text), can be placed in the appendix.
  5. Diagrams are not charts (and vice-versa).
  6. Every type of non-textual presentation of material that does not occur in chart form is summarized under the concept of the diagram. Diagrams contain photographs, graphs, diagrams, and schemata amongst others.
  7. Each chart has a succinct but convincing heading/subtitle and, if applicable, reference to the source.

Citations, References, and Bibliography

We recommend citing relevant sources in the continuous text according to the Harvard style, i.e. (author(s), year, page(s)). This is more practical than Footnotes as often used in German-speaking countries. Once a certain citation method has been chosen, it must be used in a uniform manner throughout. Your Bibliography at the end of your report should also be formatted using the same referencing style.

Please find a detailed Citing and Referencing Guide for Harvard Style incl. Guidelines for your Bibliography here:

https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/administration-and-support-services/library/public/IMPP10649-Harvard-Guide-230822-WEB.pdf

For more examples, please refer to the Harvard Style Referencing Guide by the ETH Zürich.

Bibliography

The bibliography at the end of the paper contains the necessary information for the reader so that he/she can find the sources cited in the paper. Only those sources that are referred to in the text can be included in the bibliography. Each source reference in the text must be listed in the bibliography; vice-versa, each reference in the bibliography must be included in the text. Therefore, one must examine carefully whether each reference is presented in both places and that the source reference in the text accords with its presentation in the bibliography. Data from the bibliography must be cited by means of a uniform method of citation and in alphabetical order. If you are using referencing software, the bibliography is generated according to the style you selected on a mouse click.

Referencing Software

If you use a lot of external sources, to facilitate the writing process and the finalization regarding referencing/bibliography, it is highly recommended to use relevant software (e.g., EndnoteWeb, Citavi, Mendeley). It is not so important which of these tools you use, but that you use them wisely and consistently. It is suggested to already start using it from the beginning of the literature search process, as you can connect it with digital libraries, import relevant references, add digital copies of the paper etc. so that administering all your resources and finalizing your document will be much easier and smoother. Please review your sources and bibliography nevertheless! The technology is not flawless!

Mendeley for example offers guidelines and automatic formatting for Harvard style, cf. here.

Structure of your Thesis

The rough content of your thesis (depending on your topic) should include:

• Title Page

• [optional] Note of confidentiality

• Abstract Outlining briefly the problem statement, research question, chosen method(s), key findings, and further research of your project

• Executive Summary What are the key findings and practical recommendations for your organization? What would your C-level like to know? Focus on the practical take-aways!

• Table of Contents

• List of Figures & Tables

• Introduction & Research Interest What is the topic you are working on and why did you decide to address this topic? How does this relate to your personal mission statement and your MBA program? Which previous research has been done on this topic and what is the current status and open questions to be addressed? How does your project contribute to this discourse?

• Literature Review

• Research Question (& if applicable, Research Hypotheses)

  What are the key questions and issues you want to answer during your challenge? Which hypothesis will you test or work on? A good research question… [adopted from UC Merced Library, 2023]

  Criteria	Implications
  1. is not easily answered with a simple yes or no	It has substance and requires explanation. The findings can be interpreted and discussed controversially.
  2. has an underlying problem with social significance	It has a relevance to someone other than you and there is some academic research or discourse on the matter on which you can build.
  3. poses a genuine question and aims for neutrality	It avoids loaded language or suggesting a pre-determined answer.
  4. can be answered with reliable evidence	It can be answered by a re-producable method and others have been working on this discourse.
  5. has appropriate scope	It is neither too narrow nor too broad.

  You can find more guidance on how to define a good research question here or here. This overarching research question may then be broken down into several subquestions, sub-issues or hypothesis you want to test.

• Research Methodology and Methods How did you approach this question, which method did you apply, which research did you conduct, and which evidence did you collect and why did you do it this way? You should describe your method as precise as possible so that it could be reproduced by other researchers to validate your findings.

• Data Analysis, Results, and Findings What did you find out? Present your findings or results as objectively as possible. Assume a neutral position and describe your findings.

• Discussion, Implications, and Recommendations What are the implications of your findings? How can they be interpreted? How do they fit into the discourse (cf. point 1) and what contribution to you make to research and practice?

• Conclusions and Limitations What are the main take-aways from your research? What might be limitations and possible further areas to explore? What are your next steps?

• List of References

• Appendices

  Appendices contain material that is too large for inclusion in the text or would interrupt the flow of the presentation if it were to be cited in detail such as pitch decks, prototypes, research tools (such as structure interview guides or questionnaires) and the like.

• Affidavit

  To be included on a separate page of your thesis, signed with place, date and your signature:

  I hereby guarantee that this thesis was written by my own and that I received no further aid from third parties. Furthermore, I declare that neither this work nor parts of it have been submitted by myself or others as proof of performance yet. All intellectual property of others is clearly cited as such. All secondary literature and other sources are certified and listed in the bibliography. The same applies for graphic illustrations, pictures and all internet sources. I agree that my work may be electronically saved and sent anonymized to be checked for plagiarism. I am aware that this thesis cannot be graded if this declaration is not signed.

  Place, Date Signature

Evaluation Criteria

The key deliverables of your activation project are your thesis and the defense (aka presentation). These will be evaluated by two examiners.

Should one examiner deem your activation project insufficient to pass, a third examiner will be consulted. Should both examiners deem your project insufficient to pass, you fail. If you should fail one or both of the two deliverables (Thesis and/or Defense), you have two more attempts to pass. You may not resubmit your thesis to improve your grade (sorry!).

1. Written Thesis (80% of final grade)

🎯 Assessment Criteria: s. here

Relevance	Formulate a relevant and precise topic
Academic Relevance	Ensure the proposal aligns with academic standards
Methodological Appropriateness	Apply appropriate research methods
Consistency	Maintain coherence and logical argumentation
Citation Accuracy	Cite sources accurately and use relevant literature
Formality	Follow formal academic writing standards

2. Live Defense & Slide Deck (20% of final grade)

🎯 Assessment Criteria: s. here

Clarity	Use clear and concise language in speaking
Effectiveness	Use visual aids to explain data
Engagement	Design visually appealing content

Submission

Your activation project, including both your thesis report and your defense presentation slide deck will be uploaded through our app. Please keep in mind that only files in PDF format can be submitted. For additional media, e.g. videos, please provide a link for download. The final version will be scanned by state-of-the-art plagiarism software.

Roles & Responsibilities

Your Responsibilities

As a learner in the Activation Project, you are responsible for managing and driving your research from start to finish. Your key responsibilities include:

• Choose your Supervisor: based on your general topic area, choose a supervisor, who can expertly support you in your project. You will agree upon the details of supervision, such as meetings, feedback cycles, etc. with your supervisor individually.
• Identifying the Research Topic: Dive into your area of interest and formulate a clear research questions that you want to explore in your activation project.
• Developing the Project: Write your thesis according to academic research standards, ensuring it includes a thorough literature review, methodology, data analysis, and conclusions.
• Meeting Deadlines: Agree on meetings, important milestones, and deadlines with your supervisor. Stay on track with the project timeline.
• Incorporating Feedback: Actively seek and incorporate feedback from your supervisor, refining your work to meet academic and practical standards.

Your Supervisor’s Responsibilities

Your supervisor acts as a mentor throughout the Activation Project, offering guidance and support to help you succeed. Their key responsibilities include:

• Providing Constructive Feedback: Offer feedback on your thesis proposal, final thesis draft, and overall project progress, helping you refine your work.
• Supporting Your Research: Assist with identifying relevant literature, clarifying your research focus, and providing advice on methodology and data analysis.
• Answering Questions: Be available to answer your questions and provide advice on overcoming challenges.
• Evaluating Your Work: Assess your thesis and other deliverables, ensuring they meet academic standards and provide valuable insights into sustainability practices.

What Your Supervisor is NOT Responsible For (aka we’re just humans)

1. Writing Your Thesis: Sorry, but your supervisor won’t be ghostwriting your thesis (and ChatGPT won’t either). They’ll guide you, but the words are all yours! This includes coming up with a research question, finding relevant literature, or defining your research method – we will guide you, but we will not give you all the answers. It’s yourchallenge!
2. Proof-Reading your Thesis: Please respect that in order to treat everyone with the same amount of attention and supervision, your supervisor will not be able to read drafts of your thesis. If you have specific questions on structure or content, please address them during your check-ins.
3. Mind-Reading: As much as they wish they could, your supervisor can’t read your mind. If you have questions or concerns, speak up and make clear, what exactly you need from your supervisor to move forward. Don’t just state the problem, but propose a solution that you can discuss.
4. Answering Slack Messages within 24h: Believe it or not, academics need sleep, off-screen time and holidays, too. As much as we love helping you, we’re not a 24/7 hotline. Use the agreed check-ins and the community for support and be thoughtful and concise in your questions—quality over quantity!
6. Performing Miracles: While your supervisor is a wealth of knowledge, they can’t magically fix everything at the last minute. Please plan ahead and don’t push your questions to last minute. Start early and stay on track!

Plagiarism & AI Guidelines

Following the idea of good academic practice, please carefully review the following guidelines on plagiarism and use of AI, Open Source and Academic Integrity below. These guidelines apply to all programs at Tomorrow University:

FAQ

• Can I start my Activation project outside of the allocated Activation Phase of my Intake schedule?

  If your program director and supervisor agree to this, yes. Please approach your program director, if you should want to start your project earlier/later than the time in your schedule.

• How do I choose a project topic?

  Your topic should relate to your MBA specialization (sustainability, innovation, and leadership) and personal mission statement. Consider what you’re passionate about and what aligns with your career goals. Also make sure you have access to necessary resources, permissions, data and relevant individuals (customers, stakeholders etc) for your research.

• I don’t know what to choose for my topic?

  If you can’t think of a project which aligns with the MBA areas and your own mission that’s ok. Our supervisors have a variety of potential project ideas which you could implement. Review our list of Thesis supervisors and their potential thesis topics then reach out to them if there’s a particular topic you think interests you.

• How do I know which supervisor to choose?

  Good news – you do not have to choose! We will find the perfect match for your once you've submitted the following form: 👉🏼 Thesis Supervisor and Proposal Request Form

• Can I write the thesis with a partner from the industry?

  Of course! We encourage you to identify a real-world question to work on during your thesis. You will be responsible for aligning the expectations set by your industry partner and the requirements set out by your academic supervisor.

• What are the key components of the thesis?

  cf. section "Structure of Your Thesis" above

• What are the formatting requirements for the thesis?

  cf. section "Structure of Your Thesis" above

• Are there any specific guidelines for citing sources?

  cf. section "Citations, References, and Bibliography" above

• What is the maximum page limit for the thesis?

  cf. section "Structure of Your Thesis" above

  The main report should be 50 pages (+/- 10%), with an additional appendix of up to 10 pages for supplementary material. If a thesis exceeds this page limit (and 10% buffer), it will be graded as not yet achieved and returned without feedback.

• I’m really struggling to stay within the page limit, what should I do?

  The supplementary material is a great place to put any information which is not essential to the thesis but helps provide context (interview questions, data etc). Additionally, consider the format of your work: for prototypes, use a video or a direct link to the prototype, for displaying data use graphs and figures in the supplementary material which you cite in the main text. While 50 pages is not a lot, remember to try and condense your writing down to its core elements: what is the most important thing you are trying to say? and how can you convey this clearly, in detail, and above all, succinctly. Brevity is the heart and soul of scientific writing!

• What should I include in the management summary?

  The management summary is effectively a one page overview of your thesis to be provided to your business. This summary, should focus on the practical application of your research. Here, you should highlight key findings, practical recommendations, and the impact of your research. It should be persuasive and engaging to stakeholders.

• How do I submit my thesis and defense presentation?

  Upload both your thesis report and defense presentation slide deck in PDF format via the app. For additional media like videos, provide a download link. The final submission will be checked for plagiarism.

• What is a thesis defense?

  A thesis defense is a live presentation session where you will present your thesis project to your supervisor, ToU staff (primarily other thesis supervisors) and peers. After the presentation, the audience will ask you questions on the content of your thesis project, allowing you to “defend” it’s contents.

• How will my defense be graded?

  Your thesis defense will be graded based on how well you articulate your research project and well you address questions related to the project. Your supervisor will provide you with feedback in the live session and document this feedback within the app. The written thesis accounts for 80% of your final grade, the presentation for 20%. Please remember that presenting and defending your thesis project is mandatory. For the evaluation criteria, cf. section "Elevation Criteria" above

• What if I can’t attend the thesis defense date?

  If you’re unavailable on your cohort’s scheduled defense date please notify your supervisor as soon as possible. They will then organize a one-on-one defense session with you.

• Who will evaluate the thesis?

  Your thesis will be evaluated by two academic supervisors from ToU.

• What if I fail at the first attempt?

  The Master's thesis can be repeated twice if you fail in one (or all) parts. But you cannot resubmit to get a better grade if you have passed.

• Can I resubmit the thesis to improve my grade?

  The Master's thesis can be repeated twice if you fail in one (or all) parts. But you cannot resubmit to get a better grade if you have passed.

• Does ToU provide licenses for software such as SPSS, MAXQDA or the like?

  Unfortunately, not yet. If you need to use this software, please consider making use of the free trial versions available (usually 1-2 weeks).

• What if I need additional help?

  Use the scheduled meetings with your supervisor and the support from the community. Plan ahead and manage your time effectively to avoid last-minute issues.

  Feel free to reach out to your program director if you have any further questions or need clarification on any point!