In their Master’s Thesis, students use scientific methods and work in accordance with standards of scientific writing. The master's thesis is typically related to one of the four subject areas that constitute the core of the curriculum (i.e., Business Process Management, Data and Application Security, Data Science, and Digital Innovation).

• The thesis is assessed by a faculty member from the Institute of Information Systems (professor, assistant professor, visiting professor or senior lecturer).
• The thesis is presented and defended in an oral examination. The examination committee is composed of the Academic Director, another faculty member, and an external expert appointed by the Vice-Rector for Teaching.
• The time for producing the completed thesis is defined on the thesis proposal (“exposé”) and may not exceed 22 weeks.

• After successful submission of the master's thesis, students will have demonstrated their ability to plan, execute and manage research projects autonomously.

• Exposé: The seminar paper that is developed in the Research Seminar module serves as an exposé for the master’s thesis if the student has passed the Research Seminar module and if the student has not submitted another exposé signed by the supervisor to the study administration (master.information-systems@uni.li) by 01 February (summer semester) or 01 July (winter semester).
• Regulations and forms: Students must adhere to the Guidelines for Writing Academic Papers in Economics and are asked to use the university’s official Template for writing their master’s theses. In addition, students must carefully review the Study and Assessment Regulations and Master Thesis Assessment Criteria. All documents are available on the university’s intranet (“Regulations and Forms”).
• Submission: The completed master’s thesis must be submitted to the central service desk by 30 June (summer semester) or 30 November (winter semester). (Students should check the opening times of the central service desk, especially during the summer months.) If either of these dates falls on a weekend or a public holiday, the deadline is automatically extended to the next workday. The submission must include: (1) two signed copies in adhesive binding and (2) two signed copies in spiral binding. In addition, students must upload their completed theses as pdf documents to Moodle.
• Presentation and defence: The master’s thesis must have been evaluated with a grade of 3.8 or higher to attend the Presentation and Defence course. A detailed schedule will be announced via Moodle and/or via e-mail. Students have 12-15 minutes to present their theses, another 15 minutes is for discussion. Apart from subject knowledge, grading criteria are presentation structure (information flow, line of argument etc.), design (formatting, figures, animations etc.), mechanics (grammar, typos, c itation etc.), appearance (eye contact, gestures etc.), and elocution (language, clarity, rhetoric etc.).

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 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.

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.

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. 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 three pillars:

• 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.

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, 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.

• identify exemplary A-journal papers of your field
• provide own texts for review
• prepare and present reviews
• participate in text discussions
• prepare and present learning input

Management Information Systems focuses on large-scale application software packages that support end-to-end processes, information and document flow, reporting, and data analytics in organizational settings. The course covers eight primary topics:

• Enterprise applications
• E-business
• Managing knowledge
• Enhancing decision-making
• Building management information systems (MIS)
• Managing projects and global systems
• MIS-related integration, transformation, innovation, and change
• Case studies on current MIS topics

• The course involves interactive lectures with exercises to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical design and analysis skills.The e-learning platform Moodle is used throughout the course to disseminate course material and for information and discussion.Case studies are used to discuss the course contents and to train students in using the methods covered.

After successful completion of the course, students will:

• understand the fundamental concepts and definitions in the area of enterprise systems and know application systems like ERP, CRM, and SCM systems
• understand the role of management information systems in achieving sustainable competitive advantage and integrating processes along the value chain
• be able to assess the applicability of software solutions in various business scenarios using comprehensive evaluation schemes
• be able to identify the business problems that typically emerge in enterprise systems design and use

Written exam (90min)

The course Intrusion Detection and Mitigation covers the essential techniques for detection and mitigation of attacks against information systems. The course covers twelve primary topics:

• Taxonomy of Intrusion-detection methods
• Implementation of intrusion detection systems
• Malware functionality and operation
• Static and dynamic malware analysis
• Malware detection and classification
• Security incident response

• The module involves interactive lectures with exercises to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical design and analysis skills.
• The e-learning platform Moodle is used throughout the course to disseminate course material and for information and discussion.
• Homework and programming assignments are used to support the acquisition of practical skills.

After successful completion of the course, students will:

• understand the key techniques deployed in complex attacks against information systems
• understand the methods used in detection of various kinds of attacks
• know the main types of modern malware
• understand the methods used for malware analysis
• be able to apply detection methods on exemplary attack data
• be able to analyse exemplary malware data

Written exam (60min)

In the Innovation Lab seminar, students work in small groups to solve practical IT problems in cooperation with multiple regional companies. Representatives of these companies regularly provide students with feedback at the university and take part in networking events. The seminar thus also supports dialogue between regional industry and the university, helping students to interact with world-renowned companies right from the start of their studies. Students learn to work independently, to work in a team, to take responsibility, and to present project results effectively. In addition to creative thinking, the use of skills related to problem-solving, organizing and planning, communication, and project management is encouraged. Course topics change from semester to semester.

• The course involves interactive seminars with workshops and regular presentations.
• The faculty and a jury of representatives from regional companies evaluate the students' solutions in terms of their innovativeness and usefulness and provide them with feedback and advice.
• The e-learning platform Moodle is used throughout the course to disseminate course material and for information and discussion.

After successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• work in a team to solve contemporary IT problems
• plan and organize IT projects under time pressure in a competitive environment
• use creativity techniques and problem-solving tools to work on the IT projects
• think creatively to create innovative business and IT solutions
• look at IT problems from multiple perspectives and develop alternative solutions
• deliver professional presentations to a demanding audience

Seminar paper, presentations, project results; attendance is mandatory (80%)

Information Systems Modelling focuses on systems analysis and design. In particular, the course covers methods of and approaches to modelling information systems in organisations. The course covers five primary topics:

• Introduction to object-oriented systems
• Project planning and initiation
• Requirements analysis (i.e. requirements gathering and structuring)
• Information systems modelling (i.e. UML modelling languages)
• Information systems documentation

• The course involves interactive lectures with exercises to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical design and analysis skills.
• The e-learning platform Moodle is used throughout the course to disseminate course material and for information and discussion.
• Case studies are used to show how the course contents are related.

After successful completion of the course, students will

• know how information systems can be modelled
• know and apply basic methods of systems modelling and design (i.e. UML modelling languages)
• use systems-modelling methods to analyse, design, and implement information systems

Written exam (60min)

Internationalization Strategies

• Theoretischen Grundlagen der Internationalisierung und des Wissenschaftsfelds International Management.
• Internationale Expansionsstrategien (Motive, Marktwahl und Markteintritt) von Unternehmen unterschiedlicher Grösse und unterschiedlicher Konfiguration.
• Praxisfalle internationaler Konzerne und KMUs aus der Region.
• Internationalisierung von Start-Ups.

Negotiation Techniques

• Verhandlungstaktiken.
• Sachgerechtes Verhandeln.
• Neutrale Beurteilungskriterien.
• Optionen zum beiderseitigen Vorteil.
• Beste Alternative.
• Die Rolle der Macht beim Verhandeln.
• Internationale Verhandlungsstrategien.
• Besonderheiten des Verhandelns im interkulturellen Kontext.

Entrepreneurial Marketing & Sales

• Zentrale Ansatze, Theorien und Modelle, sowie die Hauptgebiete und Grenzen des Entrepreneurial Marketing.
• Typische Aufgaben und Instrumente des Markteintritts.
• Kernfragen der Markteintrittsstrategie.
• Timing von Markteintritten und unterschiedliche Timing-Zeitpunkte in bestimmten Marktsituationen.
• Verkaufs- und Vertriebsstrategien.
• Vertriebsprozess und -systeme.

Business Planning

• Bedeutung, Einsatzbereich und Spezifika des Business Plannings.
• Prozess und Vorgehen beim Erstellen eines Businessplan.
• Ziele des Business Plannings.
• Aufbau und Struktur eines Businessplan.
• Informationsgrundlagen des Business Plannings.
• Zentrale Anforderungen an ein Businessplan.

o Marktstrategie und Umsetzung in ein Marketingkonzept.
o Herausforderungen der Finanzierung (Finanzierungsphasen, Finanzierungsquellen, Finanzierungsprozesse und Instrumente).

• Beziehungsmanagement (Erfolgsfaktoren, Konzepte, Umsetzung).
• Implementierung und Kontrolle.

Produkt und Prototyp

• Veranschaulichung von Methoden und Instrumenten um ein Produktdesign zu erstellen.
• Entwicklung, Testung und Einholung von Kundenfeedback zum Prototyp bzw. Produkt.

Pitchdeck/Pitching & Story Telling

• Gliederung, Gestaltung und inhaltliche Ausarbeitung eines Pitchdecks.
• Vertiefung von Rhetorik- und Präsentationskompetenzen.

Erfolgreicher Abschluss des Moduls "Startup Lab 1"

Information Systems Development provides an introduction to programming including web frameworks that can be used in online environments such as e-commerce platforms or blog systems. The course covers six primary topics:

• Introduction to scripting / programming
• Software / programme development
• Web technologies and web development
• Web applications and their frameworks
• Programming using existing frameworks
• Project: Web platform

• The course involves interactive lectures with exercises to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical design and analysis skills.
• The e-learning platform Moodle is used throughout the course to disseminate course material and for information and discussion.
• Case studies are used to discuss the course contents and to train students in using the methods covered.

After successful completion of the course, students will

• memorize programming concepts and web technologies for information systems development
• develop introductory software programs (or scripts)
• assess the advantages and disadvantages of various web frameworks
• produce an online platform (e.g., website, shop, blog) using an existing web application framework

Presentations, project results; attendance is mandatory (80%)