Just as the doctoral consortium, the summer school serves multiple purposes in the educational programme of the students: 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 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 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, 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.

Assessment modalities split up into the three 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.

Research Methods in International Financial Services can be very different, depending on the specific research area of Banking, Finance and Taxation. This module description is developed for a student with a need for advanced methods in econometrics. For students with different needs appropriate courses will be choosen and credited.

• Principles of Estimation and Testing
• Limited Dependent Variable Methods
• Longitudinal Data Models
• Stationary Time Series Models
• Stochastic Trends and Co-Integration

Lecture and self-study; presentation and paper by students is possible.

The module "Research Methods in International Financial Services " aims at deepening the students' competences regarding knowledge in their research design.

• This course should help - based on research methods offered on the master's level - to apply advanced econometric research methods, currently used by the research community.
• This course helps the student to independently develop a research concept for specific research questions.
• This course helps students to discuss methodological issues with colleagues working in the same area.

Students will be able to:

• Have an advanced overview of econometric principles for cross-sectional, panel, and time-series data sets.
• Apply econometric techniques in the area of microeconomics, macroeconomics and finance.

The students will be assessed in this module through:

• Written exam or presentation and paper (about 4000 - 5000 words)

The module "Research Methods in Information and Process Management Science" aims at deepening the students' skills in research design. It focuses on pivotal issues of conducting and structuring research activities as part of information and process management research.

Subjects dealt with in the model comprise (but are not limited to):

• Introduction into design science
• Design science vs. behavioural science
• Rigour vs. relevance
• Design science in information systems research
• The design science research process
• Reviewing the literature
• Design science examples
• Design science challenges
• Theorizing in design science
• Publishing design science

• Lecture
• Self-study
• Presentation by students

Students successfully participating in the module will

• know how to explain the design science approach as related to 'traditional' approaches in research,
• be able to differentiate between major constructs and issues in information systems research, such as relevance, rigour, truth, and utility,
• know about the major contributions on design science published in information systems research,
• be able to structure the design science research process,
• be capable of conducting rigorous literature reviews as part of design science research,
• know about major evaluation methods,
• be aware of the role of theories in design science research, and
• know the major information systems outlets for publishing design science research.

The students will be assessed in this module through:

• Presentations
• Discussions

Besides a more in-depth knowledge in epistemology doctoral students in entrepreneurship 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 methods
• 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

The students will be assessed in this module through:

• Paper; ready to be submitted to a scientific conference (e.g. AOM) or journal (min. 5000 words)

For all organizational details please get in touch with Zorica Zagorac (zorica.zagorac@uni.li).

Doctoral students in Architecture and Planning require in-depth knowledge in epistemology and ontology as well as an applicable base of research methods and design methodical tools. The individually tutored, recherche based investigative project will complement the module Research Design, and be tailored to the needs of the individual students and cover a selection of the following and other related topics:

• Theories of design in architecture and urban planning
• Form values in history
• Normative approaches to the theory of spatial quality
• Research design and the use of theory in architecture and planning
• Inquiry by design
• Interdisciplinary research in design and planning
• Research projects with industrial and government partners in he built environment
• Action research in planning and environmental studies
• Project design / design project

Participant centered learning approach consisting of inquiry into the literature, cases and best practices in a structured process of self-study, concluded by a presentation as well as a paper submission.

The students will be able to

• understand and be conversant in the ontological and epistemological foundations of their research work
• differentiate between different schools of thought
• design research procedures according to valid research questions
• select, develop and apply suitable qualitative and quantitative research methods
• evaluate their own research with respect to the ability to validate assumptions and hypotheses
• be successfully examined by a group of academics in a presentation and paper submission at the end of the tutorial recherche

The students will be assessed in this module through:

• Paper
• Presentation

A personalised working-schedule and tutorial times for participants will be agreed in due time.

The following conditions need to be met prior to registering for the module exam:

• successful completion of all first year full-time programme modules
• successful completion of second year full-time programme modules (without professional experience modules) amounting to at least 35 credit points

Additionallly:
For students who started their studies in 2008:

• succesful completion of the module "Communication in English for Business"

or, alternatively,

• BEC II certificate

For students starting their studies in 2009:

• succesful completion of the module "Communication in English for Business"

Exception for the academic year 2009/2010:
For students starting their studies before WS 2008/2009 no formal prerequisites.

This module helps the student to further broaden and intensify his knowledge and methodological skills needed for his dissertation.
This module could focus on Banking, Finance or Taxation.

Lecture or seminar or self-study, possibly combined with preparation and presentation of a paper.

Based on lectures offered on the master's level, 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 the scientific and/or cultural progress for an academic or non-academic environment.

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.

The students will be assessed in this module through:

• competitive selection process of the research seminar
• specific mechanisms of the research seminar

Module availability:
On application at an internationally renown PhD program, such as organised e. g. by London School of Economics, University of Constance, Zürich, St. Gallen, Innsbruck.

This module serves manifold competences: 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 Systems at the University of Liechtenstein in preparing their proposal and application for the doctoral 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.

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 Systems; ECIS, European Conference on Information Systems; AMCIS, American Conference on Information Systems or ACIS, Australasian Conference on Information Systems.

This module serves manifold competences: 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.