Friedrich Gennheimer Prize

Bachelor's thesis: "Sustainability transformation: end consumer analysis of reusable wine in the food retail trade"

Wine Campus Neustadt
Degree course: Viticulture and Enology
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Marc Dressler, Wine Campus Neustadt
Co-supervisor: Prof. Dr. Dominik Durner, Wine Campus Neustadt

Samantha Schäfer combines science, winemaking practice and sales experience. Through her training in viticulture and Enology as well as practical stations in several wineries in Germany and Austria, she has developed a holistic understanding of how sustainability can be lived and communicated in the company - from the vineyard to the consumer. She discovered her passion for agriculture and nature at the age of 14 as a vendor at the weekly market in her home town of Mosbach. Even after graduating from high school, she remained open to different paths, starting with an au pair year in the USA. These paths ultimately led her back to agriculture and nature. With a love of the holistic process from production to sales, she has been a partner at the Delusional Wine micro-winery in Croatia since the 2024 harvest.

Her bachelor's thesis focused on the introduction of a reusable system for wine bottles in food retail and analyzed reactions and the willingness of end consumers to purchase them. The thesis showed that sustainability is a key issue and that consumers are very willing to buy wine in returnable bottles. The prize means a lot to her: the bachelor's thesis was a project close to her heart, which arose from personal motivation. The prize has raised awareness of this topic even more, and attention to it should continue to grow in the future - just as she has initiated through her research.

Looking ahead, she wants to continue to promote sustainability, biodiversity and various packaging and distribution concepts in viticulture. The aim is to combine environmental friendliness with economic efficiency and to use the micro-winery to show how progress can be achieved at a manageable cost.

Abstract Samantha Schäfer

Bachelor's thesis: "Stock market dynamics and political information"

Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society
Faculty I - Management, Controlling, Healthcare
Degree program: International Business Administration with a focus on management

First reviewer: Prof. Dr. Nikolas Wölfing
Second reviewer: Prof. Dr. Axel Kihm

Noah Laufer grew up in Bad Dürrheim on the edge of the Black Forest. He developed an enthusiasm for numbers at an early age, which increasingly deepened into an interest in economics and financial markets during his school years and in his A-levels. To give this interest a scientific foundation, he began studying business administration at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society. There he discovered his fascination for data-based analyses and empirical research in particular.

As part of his bachelor's thesis, he investigated how political connections between companies can be made visible using capital market data. To this end, he developed a model in R that analyzed the reactions of various companies to the US presidential election in 2024 and showed that politically closely connected companies often achieve significantly positive abnormal returns.

His studies and this research experience encouraged him to further explore the intersection between financial markets, corporate strategy and politics and to develop a deep understanding of how markets react to political stimuli.

Abstract Noah Laufer

Bachelor's thesis: "Sustainability in development cooperation: A comparison of development projects in Cambodia by Japan and the People's Republic of China"

Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society
Faculty II - Marketing and Human Resource Management
Degree program: International Business Management East Asia (Japan focus)

First reviewer: Prof. Dr. Barbara Darimont
Second reviewer: Prof. Dr. Dai Yi

Nature conservation has been close to Nina Elva Laut's heart since she was a child. From an early age, she regularly took part in events organized by the Nature Conservation Association in her home town of Lampertheim, particularly in the field of amphibian conservation. As a country with breathtaking nature, she has also been fascinated by Japan since her youth: immediately after graduating from high school, she traveled to Japan for a year of work and travel, where she worked in a sustainable oyster fishery that used traditional methods to raise and catch oysters, among other things.

She then began her studies at the East Asia Institute of the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society. A year abroad at Sophia University in Tokyo deepened her engagement with the issues of environmental and climate protection, and trips to rural regions made her immediately aware of the consequences of climate change: rural exodus on the Shikoku coast as a result of increasingly strong typhoons, destroyed and abandoned houses - a shock that shaped her awareness that it could be difficult to lead a good life in many places in the future due to the effects of climate change. This sparked her interest in Japan's climate and environmental protection strategies.

During her studies in Tokyo, Nina Elva Laut also focused intensively on the question of how sustainable technological progress is compared to traditional ways of life. These considerations led to a critical examination of the concept of development and ultimately to the idea of investigating the environmental and climate impact of development projects.

In her Bachelor's thesis, she therefore dealt with the question of how development cooperation affects the environment and climate. Based on an existing study, Nina Elva Laut developed a methodological approach to investigate the impact of development projects in the two major donor countries Japan and China. The focus was on the ecological consequences, in particular the proximity to nature reserves, the occurrence of endangered species and the importance of CO₂ storage at the project sites. Cambodia was chosen as the study location, as both countries are investing heavily in infrastructure projects here and at the same time have an exceptionally high density of nature reserves. The results showed that both countries financed projects with significant negative environmental impacts in Cambodia over a period of ten years. Although the Japanese guidelines were stricter, the differences to the Chinese projects were smaller than expected. Particularly alarming was the finding that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and national environmental guidelines have so far failed to bring about a long-term reduction in the impact of development projects.

The work shows how serious the ecological consequences of infrastructure projects can be without sufficient nature and climate protection and how urgently more effective strategies are needed in development cooperation to promote sustainable development.

Abstract Nina Elva Laut

Master's thesis: "CO2 reduction management in the chemical industry: analysis and conceptual design of a target system for the operationalization of strategic goals" in cooperation with BASF SE

Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society
Faculty III - Services and Consulting
Degree program: MBA Digital Finance, Strategy & Accounting

First reviewer: Prof. Dr. Gösta Jamin
Second reviewer: Prof. Dr. Stefanie Hehn-Ginsbach
Supervisors in the company: Janine Möller and Dr. Guido Harms

Jessica Krauß grew up in Schifferstadt. She became aware of the nearby chemical company BASF in Ludwigshafen at an early age. She completed a student internship there in the 9th grade and was determined to gain a foothold in the company after graduating from high school. She persistently pursued this goal and began a dual study program in International Business Administration at BASF, which gave her a wide range of insights into business administration, including a four-month practical phase in Hong Kong.

In her Bachelor's thesis, Jessica dealt with corporate management - at that time in the field of global supply chain management. Her interest in these topics led her to operational controlling in the Industrial Petrochemicals division, where she gained several years of valuable experience. During the challenges of the corona pandemic, she decided to start the MBA program Digital Finance, Strategy & Accounting at the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society in order to further deepen her professional and interdisciplinary skills. For her Master's thesis, it was important to Jessica to shed light on a highly relevant topic for BASF in order to create added value for the company with the results. She came across the topic of sustainability controlling and so, as part of her Master's thesis, she dealt intensively with the reduction control of CO2 emissions in the chemical industry.

The positive response led to her working in sustainability controlling today. In this role, she can apply her knowledge of corporate management in a targeted manner and contribute to the development of sustainable strategies. Jessica is convinced that sustainable practices are not only important for companies to assume social responsibility, but also to remain competitive in the long term.

Abstract Jessica Krauß

Master's thesis: "The influence of different summer plantings on drought stress and the grape and must quality of the Pinot Noir grape variety"

Wine Campus Neustadt
Degree program: Dual German-French degree program in Viticulture and Enology

First reviewer: Prof. Dr. Jochen Bogs, Bingen Technical University of Applied Sciences
Second reviewer: Sebastian Hörsch, Rural Area Service Center (DLR) Rhenish Palatinate, Institute of Viticulture and Oenology
In cooperation with: Jülg Winery, Schweigen-Rechtenbach

Growing up near Germany's northernmost quality wine-growing region, the vineyards in Leonie Wagner's childhood and youth were primarily a local recreation area for her. It was only later that Leonie Wagner's love of nature led her to develop a deeper interest in viticulture and wine. After leaving school, Leonie Wagner studied biology in her home town of Leipzig. During her studies, she discovered the beauty of botany and became increasingly enthusiastic about nature conservation. In her bachelor's thesis, Wagner investigated special plant characteristics of herbaceous plants and their ability to adapt to climatic influences, which she observed in the botanical garden at Leipzig University. After successfully completing her bachelor's degree, she spent a year in New Zealand, where Wagner began working in viticulture by chance. She enjoyed the work and fulfilled her desire to work close to nature. Back in Germany, she decided to study for a Master's degree in Viticulture and Oenology at the Wine Campus Neustadt. She was attracted to the course not only by the possibility of specializing in nature conservation and sustainability in viticulture, but also by the opportunity to spend time abroad in France. For her Master's thesis, Wagner carried out research into summer greening at a vineyard on the German-French border. The aim of the work was to examine the influence of summer greening from both a viticultural and an economic perspective. The aim was to compare both effective nature conservation and the practicability of various summer greening methods and thus test alternatives to standard practice. Wagner particularly enjoyed this application-oriented type of investigation under real conditions. She hopes that winegrowers will be able to benefit from the results in the future.

Abstract Leonie Wagner

Master's thesis: Development of an interactive workshop format for sustainability development in the wine industry based on a multi-case analysis

The Friedrich Gennheimer Prize was awarded for the first time in October 2023. This year's prize was awarded to works that dealt with the sustainable transformation of our economy . The transformation of the entire economy towards greater sustainability is central to meeting the challenges of climate change and making an overall contribution to a "liveable" future. Ecological sustainability in particular is often at the center of companies' activities, but it also presents them with major challenges. The Friedrich Gennheimer Prize for Marketing 2023 was awarded to Pauline Baumberger-Brand, MBA Wine, Sustainability & Sales.

Baumberger-Brand works at her parents' winery in Mandel on the Nahe. Her main focus at the company is on marketing and sales of the wines. She has also achieved great success, including internationally, with her Glow Glow natural wines since 2021. She says of her studies at the Wine Campus: "The MBA program combines all the areas in which I want to expand and deepen my knowledge: Wine, sustainability and sales. The program at the Wine Campus Neustadt builds on my current knowledge, shows me new perspectives and teaches me strategic thinking and methods that enable me to rethink situations in the family business, check for sustainability and make well-founded decisions."

Abstract Baumberger-Brand

Master's thesis: Possibilities of mash fermentation for white wines from new robust grape varieties (PIWIs)

The Friedrich Gennheimer Prize was awarded for the first time in October 2023. This year's prize was awarded for work that dealt with the sustainable transformation of our economy . The transformation of the entire economy towards greater sustainability is central to meeting the challenges of climate change and making an overall contribution to a "liveable" future. Ecological sustainability in particular is often at the center of companies' activities, but it also presents them with major challenges. The Friedrich Gennheimer Prize for Viticulture, Enology and Wine Marketing 2023 was awarded to Martin Ladach from the German-French Master's degree program in Viticulture & Enology.

He says the following about studying at the Wine Campus: "The numerous advantages and career prospects of a cross-border, intercultural course of study in the domain of viticulture led me to enrol on the FAVO Master's degree program."

Abstract Ladach

Profile Ladach