IfM Bonn News

Companies that are affected by a crisis are not only more innovative, their innovations also contribute significantly to the improvement of the company's economic situation.

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Approximately 15,000 industrial companies are already active in the security and defence sector, according to the latest survey by IfM Bonn: four out of ten companies are considering this fort he future.

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Bureaucracy is fundamentally important. It ensures that highly complex economies can function effectively. It also provides businesses with legal certainty and planning security.

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In contrast to the past, it is no longer considered a taboo if family members have no interest in taking over the family business. The sale of the family business is instead regarded as an important business decision,” reported Prof. Dr Isabell Stamm.

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Nachdem sich hierzulande sowohl Umsatz und Gewinn zum Ende 2025 in den kleinen und mittleren Unternehmen (KMU) leicht verbessert hatten, trübte sich ihre wirtschaftliche Situation in Deutschland – aber auch im EU-Raum – nicht zuletzt aufgrund des Krieges im Nahen Osten im ersten Quartal 2026 wieder …

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Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter talked about the challenges and opportunities facing Mittelstand enterprises at the German Metal Industry Association’s annual conference in Berlin in early May.

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Children of self-employed parents tend to be more open to becoming self-employed later in life than children of parents in salaried employment.

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"The Mittelstand is currently facing a wide range of challenges – from skill shortages and bureaucratic burdens to geopolitical change. But we also know that the Mittelstand businesses are highly adaptable and repeatedly develop innovative solutions. Necessary are appropriate framework conditions …

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Since the beginning of May, Dr Theo Bolin Simon is a visiting scholar at the IfM Bonn, amongst other institutions. Mainly, he leads the research division at the Global Ethic Institute in Tübingen on an interim basis and works at the University of Siegen in the Chair of Contextual Economics and …

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Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Friederike Welter takes 19th place in the current Research.com ranking of the TOP 100 researchers in the field of "Business and Management" in Germany.

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Artificial intelligence has taken hold in small and medium-sized enterprises. Around one in four SMEs in Germany was using AI processes in 2025. In 2024 it was only one in five companies.

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What career opportunities exist in a research institute? How does someone become a researcher? How does the public relations department communicate research findings to the public?

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Does ethics play a role in economics? How important should it be, especially when it comes to advising policymakers?

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Although the Chinese government has repeatedly used access to raw materials and intermediate goods as a political lever in recent years, many companies continue to rely on supplies from China. As a result, the value of goods imported from China, after a temporary decline, rose significantly again in …

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Although the number of business insolvencies rose by 10.3% last year to over 24,000 companies, the number of business closures remains significantly higher (2025: 270,000 companies).

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