The seminar allows PhD students to present their research, receive valuable feedback, and discuss their progress as well as theoretical/methodological challenges in their dissertation projects. Topic-wise, the seminar addresses (but is not limited to) research questions at the intersections of international business and international entrepreneurship.

The seminar runs over three days, with approx. 15 participants and the accompanying faculty members. Participants are divided into three groups of equal size. Over the three days, the groups rotate through three roles — Presenter, Discussant, and Synthesizer — so that each participant presents exactly once and, on the other two days, takes on active, clearly defined roles. All faculty members are present throughout each day and give continuous feedback.

Upon completion of the seminar, participants:
•    can position their dissertation/research projects within relevant topical areas and scholarly debates in the field;
•    can explain and defend theoretical and methodological choices in their dissertation/research projects;
•    can identify implications of scholarly feedback and define appropriate next steps in their dissertation/research projects;
•    can present research projects, paper ideas, or research questions clearly and professionally to a scientific audience;
•    can critically evaluate others’ research and provide constructive, well-founded scholarly feedback;
•    can synthesize insights across different research projects and identify recurring themes, patterns, and challenges.

As the seminar relies on active participation and the rotation through the three roles of Presenter, Discussant, and Synthesizer, attendance on all three seminar days is mandatory. Each participant is expected to fulfill their assigned role and to contribute actively to the discussion and feedback throughout the seminar.

The seminar requests participants to take on different roles:

•    Presenter: present the status of their dissertation or a current challenge in their work (approx. 30 min including discussion).
•    Discussant (assigned 1:1 to a Presenter): prepare in-depth questions in advance and open the feedback round immediately after the respective presentation.
•    Synthesizer: at the end of the day, summarize the key themes and patterns across all five presentations (10–15 min short input, followed by additional input from faculty).

Over the three days, each participant takes on every role exactly once. All faculty members are present throughout each seminar day and give feedback on every presentation.

The overall seminar grade is based on three individual assessments:
1.    Research presentation and discussion (presenter role) (40%)
2.    Quality of the discussion (discussant role) (30%)
3.    Quality of the synthesis (synthesizer role) (30%)

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E-Mail:
•    Univ.-Prof. Dr. Florian B. Zapkau: florian.zapkau@wu.ac.at

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