This course is designed to give first year PhD Students an aid for their academic endeavour. Just like in Research Design, the focus lies on methodological competences (see section 1.2). At the same time, however, this course also aims at techniques rather than design strategies. The objective is to provide core compentences on how to craft a scientific text properly. Due to the concept of peer-monitoring applied in this course also social competencies will be trained.

During the first year students will be working on their academic writing style, they will be made familiar with normative writing styles and ways to publish tackling various kinds of genres, and they will help and learn from each other through peer-monitoring activities. As a base sample texts will be used and the texts students will be producing will be worked on. The course is built on four pillars:

• Text Coaching:

How to write academically: spelling, grammar, academic vocabulary, numbers, abbreviations, tables, figures, etc.

• Knowledge Management:

Working with databases, literature management softwares, etc.

• Publishing:

How to write and publish various genres: abstracts, research papers, articles, data commentaries, reviews, project proposals, formatting, etc.

• Peer-Mentoring:

Giving and receiving feed-back, presenting and reviewing, considering peer-feedback, joint writing activities, etc.

During the course, students will maintain a blog which they will be feeding with weekly entries about their research activities and they will comment on two other PhD Students' blogs. This way, they will structure their thoughts and ideas and it will stimulate transparency and exchange about what they individually and what peer-students are working on. This will help learning how to give and receive feed-back, and it will be monitored by supervisors helping in giving individualised feed-back.

At the end of the course students will hand in a portfolio containing all the texts they have written and the blog entries and comments they will have made.

During the course, plenary speakers will be invited from various fields organising a workshop with students on particular issues of academic writing in genre-specific areas.

Workshops, one-on-one and think-pair-share sessions, individual and guided e-learning.

Students will be acquainted with principles of academic writing, normative writing, publishing, and peer-mentoring.

By the end of the course they will be able to make use of academic vocabulary, they will be able to discuss texts, tables, charts, and figures, they will be and they will be sensitised about their personal and academic command of the English language.

They will be familiar with reference management systems, working with databases, formatting written texts, and academic values.

They will know principles of certain academic genres, like abstracts, research papers, articles, data commentaries, reviews, project proposals, etc.

They will be able to give and consider peer-feed-back, present and review, and they will be able to carry out joint writing activities, etc.

• Bailey, S. (2006) Academic Writing. A Handbook for International Students, Lond, New York: Routledge.
• Huff, Anne (1998) Writing for Scholarly Publication, London (et al.): Sage.
• McCarthy, M., O'Dell, F. (2008) Academic Vocabulary in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Swales, J., Feak C. (2004) Academic Writing for Graduate Students, University of Michigan Press.
• Turabian, K.L. ( 2007) A Manual for Writers of Research. Papers, Theses, and Dissertations. Chicago, London: Chicago University Press.

Assessment modalities split up into the tree parts "Text Discussion" (1), "Participation in Discussions" (2), "Regular Blog Updates" (3).

The parts are specified as follows:

1. Text Discussion

• Each participant engages actively into a 45-minute-text-discussion-phase about a text of a fellow student.
• Each participant delivers a text to be discussed jointly.

2. Each participant must at least take part into the discussion of five texts.

3. Each participant must blog once a week and deliver at least two peer-feedbacks on other fellow students' blogs once a week.

Just as the doctoral consortium, the summer school serves multiple purposes in the educational programme of the students (see section 1.2): Whereas the doctoral consortium aims at presenting the own work in an international frame, the summer school intends to deepen methodological skills in a specific field of choice relevant to the PhD theses of the students. In addition, working together with professors and PhD-students from abroad also contributes to social and communicative skills of the students in an international and intercultural environment.

Doctorate entrepreneurship and management students participating in an international Ph.D. summer school study contemporary issues in research design and/or methodology.

The primary objective of the summer school is to get further insights into the research methods applied by the PhD students and to discuss evolving questions with other young scientists and leading experts in the field.

The students will be assessed in this module through:

• competitive selection process of the summer school
• specific mechanisms of the summer school

Module availability:
On application at an internationally renown summer school, such as organised e. g. by the Swiss National Science Foundation or Essex Summer School in Social Science Data Analysis and Collection.

This module serves manifold competences (see section 1.2): As a doctoral consortium it aims at deepening both, methodological and professional research skills of the students. In addition, it is designed to foster the international profile of their work.

Students' participating in a doctoral consortium, therein share both the main contents of and progress in their own researches. Moreover, they benefit from listening to the other students' experiences and results and receive valuable feedback of the supervisors, consortium chairs and student participants.

The primary objective of the doctoral consortium is to present and defend the PhD students' research in a competitive and international scientific environment.

The students will be assessed in this module through:

• Competitive Selection Process of the doctoral consortium
• Research paper submitted to the doctoral consortium
• Assessment by the Professors discussing the proposal at the doctoral consortium

Module availability:
On application at an internationally renown doctoral consortium.

This module aims at fostering professional competences (see chapter 1.2). In particular, an overview on theories of the firm is given in order to provide students with a profound background for better understanding the various current topics of their discipline.

The set of theories dealt with in the course will continuously be reviewed and adapted. So far, the following theories of the firm are considered to be particularly relevant for all three doctoral programs currently being offered by the graduate school:

• Introduction to the Theory of the Firm (Prof. Dr. Stefan Güldenberg)
• New Institutional Economics and Agency Theory (Prof. Dr. Marco Menicetti)
• Property Rights and Contractual Theory (Prof. Dr. Martin Wenz)
• A Behavioral Theory of the Firm (Prof. Dr. Antoinette Weibel)
• Resource-based and Knowledge-based Theory of the Firm: (Prof. Dr. Stefan Güldenberg)
• The Organizational Information Processing Theory (Prof. Dr. Jan vom Brocke)

Lecture; self-study; presentation and paper by students

• Basic understanding of the fundamental research questions connecting to the existence and boundaries of organizations
• Basic understanding of the different approaches which try to explain the existence and boundaries of organizations from various perspectives
• Basic understanding of the underlying assumptions of these approaches

Students will be able to:

• gain an overview about various theories of the firm and their history
• critically review and discuss different theories of the firm
• apply theories of the firm as guiding theoretical framework to own thesis topic and research questions

Buckley, P.J.; Michie, J. (eds.) (1996): Firms, Organizations and Contracts: A Reader in Industrial Organization, Oxford/New York Oxford Management Readers

The students will bef assessed in this module through:

• paper (5000 - 7000 words)
• Presentation of paper

This module aims at supporting methodological competences of knowledge discovery and creation (see chapter 1.2). In particular, students will be given an overview of different research strategies and research methods to broaden their expertise and to assist them composing their own tailored research design.

The subjects covered include:

• Research Design (Dr. Sascha Kraus)
• Analytical and Experimental Evaluation of Research (Prof. Dr. Günther Schmidt)
• Survey Research (Prof. Dr. Antoinette Weibel)
• Qualitative Methods (Dr. Susanne Durst)
• Case Study and Action Research (Prof. Dr. Stefan Güldenberg)
• Mixed Methods Approach (Prof. Dr. Christian Marxt)
• Design Science Research (Prof. Dr. Jan vom Brocke)
• Econometrics: (Prof. Dr. Marco Menichetti)
• Theory Building (Dr. Stefan Seidel)
• Literature Review (Prof. Dr. Jan vom Brocke)

self-study; presentation and paper by students

• Basics in research design, hypotheses and their verification, the role of theory and the concept of causality.
• Basics in quantitative and qualitative methodology and mixed focuses.
• Basics in observational and experimental methodology.

Students will be able to:

• gain an overview about currently used empirical methods
• review and qualify empirical articles from a diversity of fields
• choose the right design for their thesis

A full reader will be distributed via the forum. The following book covers most of the subjects in the course as an overview:
J. Bortz and N. Döring (2006). Forschungsmethoden und Evalua-tion für Human- und Sozialwissenschaftler (4. Auflage). Berlin: Springer

The students will be assessed in this module through:

• paper (2500 words)
• presentation of paper

The primary objective of the doctoral consortium or the International Conference Participation is to present and defend the PhD students' research in a competitive and international scientific environment.
Since successful applications are invited to be discussed by a selective academic committee this module also serves to further develop the communicative and social competences of the students.
Students' participating in this module arranged in the context of an internationally well-regarded doctoral consortium or a conference in International Financial Services receive receive critical comments and feedback on their research project by experienced faculty members and student participants. Moreover, they benefit from listening to the other students' experiences and results.

Preparation of paper and presentation

This module helps to enable the student

• to further intensify the existing knowledge and methodology needed for the dissertation project.
• to independently develop a research concept for specific research questions.
• to develop, analyze and synthesize new complex ideas,
• to develop a social, scientific and/or cultural progress for an academic or non-academic environment.
• to discuss methodological issues with colleagues working in the same area and also with laymen.

Students will be able to:

• Have an advanced and intensified overview on specific topics needed for the dissertation project.
• Develop their own research project.
• Apply the methodological structures of these specific topics for their dissertation project.
• Present, discuss and defend their research results to academics and make it understandable for laymen.

• specific articles related to the dissertation topic

The students will be assessed in this module through:

• competitive selection process

Module availability:
On application at an internationally renown doctoral consortium or conference on International Financial Services.

Just as the doctoral consortium, the summer school serves multiple purposes in the educational programme of the students (see section 1.2): Whereas the doctoral consortium aims at presenting the own work in an international frame, the summer school intends to deepen methodological skills in a specific field of choice relevant to the PhD theses of the students. In addition, working together with professors and PhD-students from abroad also contributes to social and communicative skills of the students in an international and intercultural environment.

Doctorate information systems students participating in an international Ph.D. summer school study contemporary issues in information systems research design and/or methodology.

Students will be assisted by lecturers of the Institute of Information Sysetms at the University of Liechtenstein in preparing their proposal and application for the summer school. Accepted students will take part in the summer school. Also a reflection of the lessons learned at the summer school together with the lecturers at Liechtensetin is part of the module.

The primary objective of the summer school is to get further insights into the research methods applied by the PhD students and to discuss evolving questions with other young scientists.

The students will be assessed in this module through:

• competitive selection process of the summer school
• specific mechanisms of the summer school

Module availability:
On application at an internationally renown summer school, such as organised e. g. by the European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS).

This module serves manifold competences (see section 1.2): As a doctoral consortium it aims at deepening both, methodological and professional research skills of the students. In addition, it is designed to foster the international profile of their work.

By means of submitting their work to an internationally reknown doctoral consortium the students learn how to position themselves in a highly competitive environment.

Since successful applications are invited to be discussed by a selective academic committee the doctoral consortium also serves to further develop the communicative and social competences of the students.

Students' participating in a doctoral consortium arranged in the context of an internationally well-regarded information systems conference, therein share both the main contents of and progress in their own researches. Moreover, they benefit from listening to the other students' experiences and results and receive valuable feedback of the consortium chairs and student participants.

Students will be assisted by lecturers of the Institute of Information Sysetms at the University of Liechtenstein in preparing their proposal and application for the coctoral consortium. Accepted students will take part in the consortium. Also a reflection of the lessons learned at the consortium together with the lecturers at Liechtensetin is part of the module.

The primary objective of the doctoral consortium is to present and defend the PhD students' research in a competitive and international scientific environment.
Research Design, Theories of the Firm, Research Methods in Information and Process Management Science

The students will be assessed in this module through:

• Competitive Selection Process of the docotral consortium
• Research paper submitted to the doctoral consortium
• Assessment by the Professors discussing the proposal at the doctoral consortium

Module availability:
On application at an internationally renown doctoral consortium, e. g. at ICIS, International Conference on Information Systms; ECIS, European Conference on Information Systems; AMCIS, American Conference on Information Systems or ACIS, Australatian Confernece on Information Systems.

In the preliminary study, the dissertation project in the form of a research plan as well as the methodical approach are to be described (see Definition / Einreichung).

In the colloquium on the preliminary study the doctoral students present their dissertation project and justify their approach.

The advisor and the co-advisor make a decision about accepting the preliminary study and recommend a grade assignment.

The preliminary study and the colloquium on the preliminary study are passed if the grade assignment is at least a 4.0.

Besides a more in-depth knowledge in epistemology doctoral students in entrepeneurship and management research require an applicable base of research methods and tools. The course will cover the following topics:

• Epistemology in entrepreneurship and management research
• Research design and the use of theory
• Research questions and hypotheses
• Quantitative methods
• Qualitative mehods
• Mixed method procedures
• Transdisciplinary research
• Research projects with industrial partners

Participant centered learning approach consisting of cases, best practices, self-study, presentation as well as paper by students

The students will be able to

• clearly understand and communicate the epistemological underpinning of their research work
• differentiate between different schools of thought
• design research processes corresponding to their research questions
• select suitable qualitative and quantitative research methods
• evaluate their own research with respect to validity, reliability and generalisability

Selected Required Readings (a full reader will be handed out):

• J. W. Cresswell (2009). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Method Approaches. Thousand Oaks, California, Sage Publications Inc. (preferably the whole book)
• P. Johnson and J. Duberley (2000). Understanding Management Reserach. London, SAGE Publications. Chapter 1+8
• H. Ulrich (2001). Die Betriebswirtschaftslehre als anwen-dungsorientierte Sozialwissenschaft. Gesammelte Schriften. H. Ulrich. Bern, Verlag Paul Haupt. 5: 17-51.
• J. Bortz and G. A. Lienert (2008). Kurzgefasste Statistik für die klinische Forschung: Leitfaden für die verteilungsfreie Analyse kleiner Stichproben. Heidelberg, Springer. Chapter 1.
• K. M. Eisenhardt and M. E. Graebner (2007). "Theory Building from Cases: Opportunities and Challenges." Academy of Management Journal 50(1): 25-32.
• A. F. Chalmers (1999). What is this thing called science?: an assessment of the nature and status of science and its methods. St. Lucia, University of Queensland Press. Selected chapters.
• M. Easterby-Smith, R. Thorpe, et al. (2008). Management Research: Theory and Practice. London, Sage Publications ltd.

Additional / suggested reading:

• J. Strübing (2004). Grounded Theory: Zur sozialtheoreti-schen und epistemologischen Fundierung des Verfahrens der empirisch begründeten Theoriebildung. Wiesbaden, VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. Chapter 1.
• P. Feyerabend (1986). Wider den Methodenzwang. Frankfurt am Main, Suhrkamp Verlag.

The students will be assessed in this module through:

• Presentation

For all organizational details please get in touch with Claudia Brunner (claudia.brunner@hochschule.li).