040192 SE Bachelorseminar (inkl. Bachelorarbeit) (2023W)

The Bachelor Seminar is designed to provide students with the necessary knowledge and skills to conduct independent research and write a high-quality bachelor's thesis in the field of marketing. Through this seminar, students will learn various research methodologies, explore current marketing trends and issues, develop critical thinking and analytical skills, and refine their academic writing abilities. The course will also emphasize effective project management, time management, and presentation skills.

The core of this seminar encompasses the administration and completion of a Bachelor Paper. The Bachelor Paper involves both a theoretical and an empirical part; the theoretical part consists of a thorough literature review on a particular topic within a specific research area in marketing, whereas the empirical part includes the collection and analysis of data – using either a quantitative or qualitative approach – in order to draw meaningful academic and managerial conclusions.

Course Structure
The course includes a combination of lectures, presentations, and group work. Students will be assigned into groups of two and will work toward a specific group project (i.e., Bachelor Paper) in accordance with the guidelines set by the course instructor.

The seminar is composed of two main parts – a theoretical and a practical part.

The theoretical part (Sessions 1 & 2) includes lectures on scientific research, research methods, and selected topics in marketing. Following these sessions, the groups will decide on a particular topic for their Bachelor Paper.

The practical part (Sessions 3-7) focuses on the concrete development of the Bachelor Paper and students’ progress with the thesis (i.e., group presentations, problem-solving, customized feed-back). In this part, each group will deliver a class presentation on the chosen topic of the Bachelor Paper (more details will be given in class).

Note: Each group member must present. Group members who are absent or are not presenting, without prior confirmation from the course instructor, will be graded with zero points.

Groups are expected to integrate the feedback from the presentation blocks and workshops in their final Bachelor Paper. Students will have to (a) conduct a literature review that specifies the theoretical background of their paper, (b) propose specific research questions to be investigated, (c) apply quantitative/qualitative research approaches to address these questions, and (d) interpret the findings by drawing meaningful theoretical and managerial conclusions.