This course aims to introduce students to the fundamentals of academic work in the context of current issues in global business, ESG and sustainability. In line with C1 (The Fundamentals of Responsibility and Sustainability in Global Business), students will engage with various current research themes and approaches conducted within the institute.

The course is applied in nature, enabling students to engage in empirical research on ESG topics. Students will be trained and coached in how to identify and develop a research question, how to design a research project, how to collect relevant data, and how to analyze and present findings. Students will also learn how to engage with other’s research, question, and provide constructive feedback on empirical work.

Thereby, the seminar will enable students to understand, evaluate and write academic papers on ESG and sustainability topics and serves as preparation for the bachelor theses and respective proposal, the thesis proposal is a deliverable/assessed element of the course.

Focus: In this course, students will have the opportunity to engage in topics related to implications of environmental disruptions on individuals in the workplace within this course:

• The meaning of environmental disruptions for individuals in the workplace
• Implications of environmental disruptions on human resource management
• Varying perceptions and reactions to environmental disruptions across cultures and national contexts

Within this course, students will collect and analyze corporate and/or individual-level data, evaluate and understand the complex interplay between environmental disruptions and related individual reactions, and create recommendations based on real-world data.

In this course, students will learn

• to present their research question
• to complete a review and to critically engage with scientific literature
• to develop a suitable research design
• to present and defend a research project
• to present and draft their research proposal and conference poster

After completing this course students will have

• gained insights into current issues global business, ESG and sustainability
• learned how to come up and design an academic research project
• critically engaged with scientific standards such as citation and data privacy
• strengthened the ability to critically assess research projects in the context of global business, ESG and sustainability
• organize themselves in teams and convince their audience about ideas in a professional way, based on in-depth research and through solid presentation skills

Attendance of all scheduled sessions and meetings is a firm requirement for this course as much of the learning outcomes stem from the discussions during class and through interactions with peers. The attendance requirement is met if students are present for at least 80% of the scheduled sessions. Students who fail to meet the attendance requirement are de-registered from the course. Missing sessions will affect class participation credits and may also affect other graded components.

This course presents an overview of the key concepts surrounding academic work. Central aspects of academic work are taught and discussed with the students during the seminar. The course format is primarily interactive. Various methods (discussions, presentations, work assignments) are used to deepen the course content. In groups, students will develop an academic conference poster over the course of the seminar.  Peers and faculty will provide constructive feedback on the project and its progress. Moreover, every student has their individual bachelor thesis proposals related to their group project, building insights generated in this course.

Students' grades will be determined as follows:

65% team grade:

• 35% group presentations
• 30% poster development

35% individual grade:

• 20% thesis proposal

15% peer assessment

An obligatory entry process constitutes the beginning of the RSGB Specialization and this course. Please note that you will not be able to participate in this course if you do not pass the entry procedure and are accepted as student of the RSGB Specialization. 

Upon being assessed as "successfully participated" (refer to LPIS/grades), students become eligible to register for this course within the stipulated registration period. Failure to register for this course within this timeframe will lead to forfeiture of eligibility and loss of the spot in the RSGB Specialization. Admission in subsequent semesters necessitates undergoing the entire entry process anew.

Should available slots remain in the RSGB Specialization after the registration period concludes, students will be considered in accordance with their entry-procedure rank order. They will be notified via email and invited to register for this course.

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AI-based software and tools of all kinds (e.g., ChatGPT, Bard, Grammarly, Copilot, etc.) may be used but only with proper documentation and transparency. This course does focus on how to use AI in research. In case of undue AI usage, an audit interview with the student will be scheduled. Follow-up consequences will be determined afterwards. Official WU guidelines apply.