Research

The list below follows a research-first structure for an academic job-market website: peer-reviewed journal articles, peer-reviewed conference proceedings, work under review and working papers, book chapters, and monographs.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

VHB A+

Isaak, A., Istipliler, B., Bort, S., & Woywode, M. (forthcoming). Regulation, corruption and decentralized autonomous organizations: Insights from Bitcoin trading and platform founding between 2011 and 2023. Organization Science.

VHB B

Lobo, R., Pigatto, M., Denes, D., & Isaak, A. (n.d.). The role of intermediaries in sociotechnical transitions: A systematic framework towards sustainability management. Business Strategy and the Environment, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.4237

Dinh, J., Yahyaoui, Y., & Isaak, A. (2024). Investing for good – uncovering crowd investors’ motivations to participate in sustainability-oriented crowdlending. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 207, Article 123584, 1–15.

Dinh, J., Wehner, M., & Isaak, A. (2024). Sustainability-oriented crowdfunding: An integrative literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 446, Article 141579.

Theissen, M., Lutz, E., & Isaak, A. (2024). Family corporate venture capital: Syndicated investments from the perspective of socioemotional wealth and information asymmetry. Journal of Small Business Management (ToFE Special Issue), 1–38.

Ahrens, J.-P., Istipliler, B., Bort, S., & Isaak, A. (2023). How successor pre-succession firm experience affects post-succession performance in family firms. Journal of Business Research, 167, Article 114179.

Neuhaus, J., Bostandzic, D., & Isaak, A. (2021). Million dollar personality: A systematic literature review of personality in crowdfunding. Management Review Quarterly, 72, 309–345.

Schwieren, C., Iida, Y., & Isaak, A. (2022). Reaching agreement on contribution behavior in different cultures – a public goods game with representatives in Japan and Germany. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 99, Article 101894.

VHB C

Neuhaus, J., Bostandzic, D., & Isaak, A. (2024). When personality pays: Observer rating of personality and financial success of equity crowdfunded startups. Venture Capital, 26(1), 1–31.

Peer-Reviewed Journals Not Listed in VHB

Gruba, M., Denes, D., Lobo, R., & Isaak, A. (2022). Circular economy initiatives: Strategic implications, resource management, and entrepreneurial innovation in a Brazilian craft beer ecosystem during the COVID era. Sustainability, 14(19).

Peer-Reviewed Conference Proceedings

Zaggl, M., Steininger, D., & Isaak, A. (2025). Motivation by status vs reputation for voluntary contributions in online knowledge exchange communities. In Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2025).

Koster, S., & Isaak, A. (2023). Giving neurotic entrepreneurs money to save the world? An analysis of U.S. equity crowdfunding projects. In Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2023).

Bort, S., Woywode, M., & Isaak, A. (2021). Institutional legitimacy and new market emergence: The case of Bitcoin trading. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2021).

Neuhaus, J., Bostandzic, D., & Isaak, A. (2021). Implicit personality and Big Five traits in equity crowdfunding. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2021).

von Selasinsky, C., & Isaak, A. (2020). It’s all in the (sub-)title? Expanding signal evaluation in crowdfunding research. In Proceedings of the European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2020), Research-in-Progress Papers (Paper 56).

Ahrens, J.-P., Istipliler, B., Steininger, D., & Isaak, A. (2019). The Star Citizen phenomenon and the “ultimate dream management technique” in crowdfunding. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS 2019).

Work Under Review / In Revision

Koziol, K., Bort, S., & Isaak, A. (under review). Investment risk disclosure: How platforms’ campaign ratings impact investors in equity crowdfunding. Submitted to Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice.

Ibrahimli, U., & Isaak, A. (under review). When technology meets purpose: Artificial intelligence, sustainability and startup funding in Europe. Submitted to HICCS Proceedings.

Göttel, V., Fahrenhorst, H., & Isaak, A. (revise and resubmit). Relationship marketing in the context of young enterprises: A systematic literature review and avenues for future research. Schmalenbach Journal of Business Research.

Working Papers Near Submission

Sperber, S., & Isaak, A. (working paper). Illegal entrepreneurship and scalability. Accepted for the 2025 Babson Entrepreneurship Research Conference and a Research Policy special issue workshop.

Neuhaus, J., Bostandzic, D., & Isaak, A. (working paper). In the eye of the beholder: Personality signals and equity crowdfunding success. Best Paper Proceedings, Academy of Management.

Ahrens, J.-P., Istipliler, B., Steininger, D., Rottler, M., & Isaak, A. (working paper). Star Citizen: A social exchange theory perspective based on mixed methods.

Meyer, A., Weißenberger, B. E., & Isaak, A. (working paper). Re-examining control systems and pathways for transformational management by integrating sustainability into corporate investment decisions.

Steininger, D., Veit, D., Woywode, M., & Isaak, A. (working paper). Detecting deception in crowdfunding.

Projects in Preparation

Townsend, D., Rady, J., & Isaak, A. (project in preparation). Sustainability and AI startups in Europe.

Lobo, R., & Isaak, A. (project in preparation). Technology forecasting and corporate strategy.

Lobo, R., & Isaak, A. (project in preparation). A case study on socio-cultural transitions and digital transformation in the Brazilian sustainable cosmetics industry.

Book Chapters (Peer-Reviewed)

Isaak, A., & Sauer, S. (forthcoming). Smart disclosure: How AI is reshaping sustainability reporting. In W. L. Filho (Ed.), AI and the green transition: European perspectives on sustainable innovation (World Sustainability Series). Springer Nature.

Volkmann, C., & Isaak, A. (forthcoming). Sustainable entrepreneurship. In E. Stam (Ed.), Handbook on sustainability management. Wiley.

Isaak, A. (forthcoming). Popular creativity techniques in innovation management. In B. Trusko & H. Croce (Eds.), Global innovation science handbook. McGraw Hill.

Koster, S., Isaak, A., & Lutz, E. (2026). The role of gender and sustainability in equity crowdfunding through the lens of social role theory. In D. Cumming, H. Hoque, & E. Kashefi-Pour (Eds.), Raising finance: From traditional to new forms of entrepreneurial finance. World Scientific Europe Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1142/9781800617032_0010

Isaak, A. (2025). Personality in crowdfunding. In D. Cumming & B. Hammer (Eds.), The Palgrave encyclopedia of private equity. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38738-9_215-1

Isaak, A., Bort, S., & Woywode, M. (2021). The geoeconomics of cryptocurrencies. In M. Munoz & M. Frenkel (Eds.), Economics of cryptocurrencies. Routledge, Abingdon, UK. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429200427-15

Isaak, A. (2020). A resource-based perspective on refugee startup consulting: Lessons from German-speaking Europe. In M. L. Massimiliano, H. M., & M. L. (Eds.), The Entrepreneurship SIG at the European Academy of Management: New horizons with strong traditions (Vol. II). Information Age Publishing, Charlotte, NC. https://hdl.handle.net/10419/330216

Leicht, R., Berwing, S., & Isaak, A. (2019). How precarious is migrant self-employment in Germany? An analysis of national microcensus data. In W. C. & J. Schippers (Eds.), Self-employment as precarious work: A European perspective. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781788115032.00018

Isaak, A., & Liu, Y. (2016). Effectuation spectra in Chinese high-tech entrepreneurship: Domain-specific logic orientations and cross-border M&A. In S. Tarba & Y. Weber (Eds.), M&A on technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and competitive strategy (pp. 51–88). Emerald Publishing, Bingley, UK. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-067X20160000015006

Isaak, A., Isaak, R., & Zybura, J. (2016). Replicating Silicon Valley: Talent and techno-management in a culture of serendipity. In Y. Liu (Ed.), Entrepreneur and talent management from a global perspective – global returnees. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781783479139.00022

Monographs

Isaak, A. (2019). Essays on trust in online peer-to-peer markets [Cumulative dissertation, University of Mannheim]. https://madoc.bib.uni-mannheim.de/46907/

Erlen, B., & Isaak, A. (2014). Business Ratios (BWL Kennzahlen). Wiley, Weinheim, Germany & New York, USA.

Selected Recent Conference Presentations

2026 Academy of Management Conference, Pennsylvania — Technology Forecasting and Corporate Strategy (poster session accepted)
2026 Nordic Conference on Small Business Research, Bodø — Technology Forecasting as a Strategic Tool: Implications for Readiness, Adoption and Sustainable Resource Management
2025 ZEW CODE, Mannheim — Measuring Sustainable Impact with AI
2025 Open User Innovation Conference, Lisbon — Measuring Sustainable Impact with AI
2025 Babson Entrepreneurship Research Conference — Can Illegal Entrepreneurship Contribute to Fairness? The Case of the Shadow Library Sci-Hub on the Distribution of Scientific Knowledge
2025 Academy of Management Conference — Investment Risk Disclosure: How Platforms’ (AI-based) Campaign Ratings Impact Investors in Equity Crowdfunding
2025 ECIS — Status and Reputation as Motivation in Online Knowledge Exchange Communities