Thesis Supervision

Our Institute welcomes all interested students on both Bachelor and Master level to pursue their thesis with us. 

There are currently two forms of writing a thesis: Bachelor students have the opportunity to join a thesis group, where the group is centered around a broad topic, and students can choose a specific area within this field in accordance with their interest. The group meets in person on a regular basis, where students get input from our team and from each other, while also receiving feedback on their progress. 

The start of the next such group will be announced in the Bachelor Thesis Group subpage.

If the topic of the upcoming thesis group does not match your interests, or you have time arrangement issues, there is a possibility for individual supervision. Submit your thesis proposal form in the respective submenu, or contact us at rsgb.sbwl@wu.ac.at and we will connect you with the most suitable supervisor. 

Bachelor and Master Thesis

Prerequisites

Students have the opportunity to suggest thesis topics they are particularly interested in. However, proposed topics must be research-oriented rather than consulting- or practice-focused and must match one or several of the broadly defined core research areas.  These are currently:

Responsible Global Business

• System level impacts of responsible global business

• Multinational enterprises (MNEs) as a force for good

• Global-local tensions in CSR and sustainability

• CSR engagement in emerging markets

Macro-Level Drivers of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability

• Grand societal challenges and sustainable innovation

• Influence of institutional and cultural context on CSR engagement

• Geopolitics and MNE activity

• Global terrorism: Implications for international business

Sustainable HRM and Responsible Leadership

• Sustainable human resource management

• Purpose-driven leadership

• Enhancing employee resilience and wellbeing

• New forms of work organization

Ethical Issues and ESG Risks Facing MNEs

• International business and human rights

• Bribery and corruption

• Diversity, equity & inclusion

• New forms of global governance

Managing in the Digital Age and in Times of Disruption

• Impact of Industry 4.0 on global governance and management

• Creating cultures and managing people for digital transformation

• Leading and decision-making in a VUCA world

• Building resilient organizations

NB: These are broadly defined thematic areas and examples of specific research topics. Students are encouraged to focus on aspects they are interested in and to establish the linkages to the core research areas. Proposed topics outside these areas of expertise cannot be supervised and will be rejected, unless they have been agreed by RSGB-I faculty members.

Both bachelor and master students need to possess good academic writing skills as well as the required research abilities matching their intended thesis projects (e.g., sound basics in data collection/multiple regression/multi-level analyses, etc. for quantitative work; sound basics in content analyses/grounded theory/ethnographic methodologies, etc. for qualitative work; etc.).

Thesis Proposal

Students confident about the above prerequisites are invited to submit a thesis proposal that aligns with the RSGB-I research expertise.

Thesis proposals must be submitted via thesis supervision form by the above submission deadlines, be written in good academic English, include supporting in-text references, should be sufficiently specific, well-structured, approximately three to five pages in length, and need to include the following elements:

• A working title

• Student name, ID, contact information

• A brief general description of the proposed topic

• The research gap to be addressed

• Research question(s)

• Research objective(s)

• Intended method(s)

• A statement how the proposed topic ties in with the RSGB-I’s core research areas

• Intended time line of the thesis project

• Complete reference list

Thesis proposals are evaluated by the end of the month. Students will be informed about acceptance or rejection. Incomplete proposals will not be considered for review and are desk-rejected. Thesis proposals are assessed based on their quality and the extent to which the RSGB-I faculty have the expertise and capacities to supervise the proposed topics.