Research Project Outline

A master’s thesis is an original scholarly research project that is narrowly focused on an abstract topic or theoretical argument linked to a real-world problem in business and addressing a gap in understanding of a business situation.
Thesis students will respond to a debate in the management or economic literature and will bring new evidence or arguments to bear upon the topic. The thesis topic is a scholarly issue anchored in or linked to an academic strand of literature and originating from the discussion in the seminar with the advisor. The student must show familiarity with previous work in the field. The thesis typically conceptualizes the research issue, offers a higher degree of abstraction by presenting a model or theoretical argument that is or can be generalized from the particular research object or location. It does not need to address a practical business problem but is applied to a for-profit or non-profit business context or governmental regulation of a business or industry. The written thesis follows the traditional structure of academic inquiry, comprising various chapters in which a research gap in literature identified, clear and comparatively narrow research objectives are set, a review of previous literature is provided, a scholarly methodology applied, empirical results are presented and critically discussed and consequences for business and governments are derived.
A master thesis is especially but not exclusively recommended for students who are interested in pursuing further research, for instance in a doctoral program or as a researcher in a public agency. As a rule of thumb, a master’s thesis should be publishable or form the empirical basis for an article in a scientific journal.

GSM Masters Thesis Rubric & Guidelines

The independent report is a scholarly research project in which a novel or broad subject is explored in a rather descriptive approach. An independent report can be primarily a bibliographic essay, an exhaustive survey of literature on a broad topic and a descriptive assessment of primary or secondary data.
It offers an opportunity to pursue a more practical research objective that lacks a theoretical foundation or generalizable conceptualization and instead is more location-specific, for or instance industry- or country-specific than a thesis. The topic must be timely and of high current relevance for an industry or policy maker. Compared to the thesis it is more exploratory or evaluative than causal and confirmatory. The independent report allows for a more flexible structure and inquiry. It might connect ideas and fields in a novel way and consist of descriptive primary or secondary data. One strength of an independent report is that it allows for a broader or more detailed assessment of previous research including grey and non-scholarly literature or secondary data. It may predominantly consist of a critical assessment of literature or a meta study that identifies and appraises previous research and qualitative and qualitative evidence about a novel research question. An independent report should eventually come up with practical recommendations but also show a pathway to the identification of a model or theoretical applicability of the topic.

GSM Independent Final Report Rubric & Guidelines

Students are able to choose an internship as the basis for their final project. The internship-based case follows an empirical inquiry that investigates a phenomenon within its real-life context. That is, the internship-based case project must be academic and related to concepts students have worked with in the courses but the discussion of the project results will be drawn primarily on the company-specific insights and practical learning experiences from the internship. The difference to the above thesis and report option is the degree of specificity of the research; the internship-based case is basically an application of concepts or theory in real life at a particular company. It follows an in-depth approach and can incorporate different issues in a company in order to demonstrate the complexity and interrelatedness of a subject. The internship report must be written as a case study of the company in which the internship has been conducted. The report does not need to follow the formal structure of a thesis but need to relate each part into an organized account. The account can be primarily illustrative in its content and does not need to be generalizable for other contexts. It may include statistics about the industry, the market and competitors of the company and it may present quantitative primary data such as surveys. Students are required to critically assess the issues raised in the company and provide practical recommendations.
Students are recommended to follow the guidelines provided in the document below when writing their Research Project.

GSM Internship based Case Study Rubric & Guidelines

A Business Plan is an original proposal for a business startup from the point of launch to an initial public offering, or for an existing business regarding its expansion, new product launches, reorganization of internal operations, etc. over the next five years, and including the objectives and the core strategy of the business and a roadmap for implementation. It must define the mission of the business, introduce the management team, and cover opportunities arising from the industry environment, product/service development, market analysis, marketing strategy, financial projections, and human resource and operational aspects of the proposed business. As regards these elements, the plan is expected to outline key decision points and performance indicators, and any potential pitfalls and responses thereto. Consideration of environmental, social, and governance issues surrounding the business is also essential. It must be cohesive and detailed enough, so that it could readily be used as a basis for implementation and attracting support from internal and external parties, such as banks, governments, and venture capitalists.

GSM Business Plan Rubric & Guidelines

All students need to conduct research under the direction of a faculty advisor and prepare an extended written report that follows formal standards of research. All research projects must be based on real data, be accurate and clear and include completely all sources of quotations, citations and the use of other materials. There are three types of Research Projects: Master Thesis, Independent Final Report and Internship-based Case Study. These research project types epitomize distinct research purposes, use different methods and must satisfy formal requirements. The alternative research projects offer the opportunity for students to pursue a variety of research topics and methods of inquiry. They allow students to conduct academic research as well as to respond to recent developments in corporate or market behavior and the international economy without narrow formal restrictions. All research projects must abide to principles and standards of research at universities. The three research project types differ in their degree of abstraction, generalization and practical applicability, though all require at least 200 self-study hours to complete outside of the Seminar attendance.

Students are recommended to follow the guidelines provided in the document below when writing their Research Project.
Guidelines for the Format of the Research Projects

Past Research Projects

A master’s thesis is an original scholarly research project that is narrowly focused on an abstract topic or theoretical argument linked to a real world problem in business and addressing a gap in understanding of a business situation.
Thesis students will respond to a debate in the management or economic literature and will bring new evidence or arguments to bear upon the topic. The thesis topic is a scholarly issue anchored in or linked to an academic strand of literature and originating from the discussion in the seminar with the advisor. The student must show familiarity with previous work in the field. The thesis typically conceptualizes the research issue, offers a higher degree of abstraction by presenting a model or theoretical argument that is or can be generalized from the particular research object or location. It does not need to address a practical business problem but is applied to a for-profit or non-profit business context or governmental regulation of a business or industry. The written thesis follows the traditional structure of academic inquiry, comprising various chapters in which a research gap in literature identified, clear and comparatively narrow research objectives are set, a review of previous literature is provided, a scholarly methodology applied, empirical results are presented and critically discussed and consequences for business and governments are derived.
A master thesis is especially but not exclusively recommended for students who are interested in pursuing further research, for instance in a doctoral program or as a researcher in a public agency. As a rule of thumb, a master’s thesis should be publishable or form the empirical basis for an article in a scientific journal.

• GSM Master’s Thesis Evaluation Rubrics (For 2020 Fall/ 2021 Spring enrollment students)
• GSM Master’s Thesis Evaluation Rubrics (For 2021 Fall/ 2022 Spring enrollment students)

The independent report is a scholarly research project in which a novel or broad subject is explored in a rather descriptive approach. An independent report can be primarily a bibliographic essay, an exhaustive survey of literature on a broad topic and a descriptive assessment of primary or secondary data.
It offers an opportunity to pursue a more practical research objective that lacks a theoretical foundation or generalizable conceptualization and instead is more location-specific, for or instance industry- or country-specific than a thesis. The topic must be timely and of high current relevance for an industry or policy maker. Compared to the thesis it is more exploratory or evaluative than causal and confirmatory. The independent report allows for a more flexible structure and inquiry. It might connect ideas and fields in a novel way and consist of descriptive primary or secondary data. One strength of an independent report is that it allows for a broader or more detailed assessment of previous research including grey and non-scholarly literature or secondary data. It may predominantly consist of a critical assessment of literature or a meta study that identifies and appraises previous research and qualitative and qualitative evidence about a novel research question. An independent report should eventually come up with practical recommendations but also show a pathway to the identification of a model or theoretical applicability of the topic.

GSM Independent Final Report Evaluation Rubrics

Students are able to choose an internship as the basis for their final project. The internship-based case follows an empirical inquiry that investigates a phenomenon within its real-life context. That is, the internship-based case project must be academic and related to concepts students have worked with in the courses but the discussion of the project results will be drawn primarily on the company-specific insights and practical learning experiences from the internship. The difference to the above thesis and report option is the degree of specificity of the research; the internship-based case is basically an application of concepts or theory in real life at a particular company. It follows an in-depth approach and can incorporate different issues in a company in order to demonstrate the complexity and interrelatedness of a subject. The internship report must be written as a case study of the company in which the internship has been conducted. The report does not need to follow the formal structure of a thesis but need to relate each part into an organized account. The account can be primarily illustrative in its content and does not need to be generalizable for other contexts. It may include statistics about the industry, the market and competitors of the company and it may present quantitative primary data such as surveys. Students are required to critically assess the issues raised in the company and provide practical recommendations.

GSM Internship-based Case Study Evaluation Rubrics