For decades, researchers and practitioners have debated whether it is better to make the first offer in a negotiation or to wait. A new meta-study now provides a comprehensive and clear answer. The researchers analyzed 90 studies with a total of 374 experiments and more than 16,000 participants. Their conclusion: Those who make the first offer and come well prepared generally achieve better outcomes.
Jörg Rocholl, president of ESMT Berlin, has been appointed as a nonpartisan expert to the newly established Pension Commission of the Federal Republic of Germany. The federal cabinet formally constituted the commission on Wednesday, December 17, 2025.
Jörg Rocholl, president of ESMT Berlin, has been confirmed as the chair of the steering committee of the Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM) for a second term. The vote took place during the virtual 28th GNAM Deans and Directors meeting. His renewed mandate highlights the continued strategic role that ESMT plays within this global alliance of leading business schools.
New research shows that using smaller, fractional doses of vaccines can significantly reduce infections during epidemics, especially when vaccine supply, delivery, or administration capacity is limited. The study provides the first analytical framework for determining when and how many vaccine doses should be fractionated to most effectively reduce infections and maximize public health impact.
New research finds that specialist firms can increase their profitability by sharing data with large technology competitors. The study shows that such data sharing can transform rivals into cooperative partners and strategically soften competition.
INNOVA Europe, the student competition founded by EDHEC Business School, ESMT Berlin, and POLIMI Graduate School of Management, has published the first European Responsible Startup Practice Barometer. The study surveyed 433 startups from 13 European countries between January and April 2025 to assess how young companies integrate responsible practices into their operations and what prevents them from doing more.
The DEEP – Institute for Deep Tech Innovation at ESMT Berlin is expanding the German offering of Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) with a new Defence Stream. Each year, the stream will support up to 25 science-based startups developing and commercializing dual-use technologies.
Handelsblatt has named ESMT Berlin among Germany’s best employers in 2025, highlighting in particular the working environment, career development opportunities, family friendliness and leadership culture.
A new study by ESMT Berlin and Yale School of Management finds that patents in fuzzy, overlapping categories are significantly more likely to trigger breakthrough innovations and create lasting economic value than those in sharply defined categories.
ESMT Berlin, Mannheim Business School, and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management have joined forces to bring greater international attention to Germany as a destination for science and education. Germany stands for stability, democracy, and intellectual openness, especially in contrast to the changing political and social conditions in other parts of the world. Against this backdrop, the three institutions aim to speak with a unified voice and purposefully strengthen international interest in studying, researching, and exchanging ideas in Germany.
Firms in the Gulf region are increasingly expected to align with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards. Yet the link between ESG performance and financial outcomes remains ambiguous. A new study examines whether publicly listed companies in GCC member states that achieve high ESG ratings also deliver superior financial performance.
The Sustainable Business Roundtable (SBRT), founded by ESMT Berlin in 2011, will convene for the 30th time this fall. This milestone reflects the growing demand for cross-industry collaboration on sustainability. At the next meeting, the SBRT will welcome three new members: RWE, osapiens, and Marcatus QED. Their participation broadens the scope of the roundtable to include energy and compliance solutions, as well as sustainable supply chains.
Steve Jobs berated his teams. Jack Welch laid off a quarter of his workforce. Still, both are seen as visionary leaders and continue to serve as role models for many. A recent study takes a closer look at the logic and conditions of such leadership approaches. It shows that such radical leadership styles only work under specific circumstances and in some cases do more harm than good.
The endowed chair was established through the support of TEAM GLOBAL, the technology holding founded by Berlin-based entrepreneur Lukasz Gadowski. With the appointment of Henry Sauermann, an internationally renowned scholar takes on a key role at the intersection of technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
After comprehensive restoration, the listed fountain in the garden of the former State Council building of the GDR on the ESMT Berlin campus was reopened on September 14, 2025, coinciding with the European Heritage Days. The restoration returned a central element the spacious garden to its original form and function.
