Latest topics dealt with at HHL were e.g.

moral risk management, communicative leadership

ethics, employee involvement in open innovation, current conceptual and empirical issues in
group reporting under IFRS, service productivity, sustainability in supply chain networks or the
perception of family firm brands.
5. Instructions for preparing a research proposal
Applications for the right to pursue postgraduate studies must be accompanied by a research proposal not exceeding
20,000 characters, including spaces. When applying for this right, the primary purpose of the research proposal is to
define the research problem and propose a solution. You should contact supervisors with your preliminary research
proposal and specify it based on their comments. As both the research problem and the proposed solution are likely
to be narrowed down and adjusted in the course of your research, you should update your research proposal
regularly.

Basic structure of the research proposal

1. Introduction
Why is the research necessary? What is the intended audience? How is the research linked to research at your
department/institute? Will the dissertation be a monograph or an article-based dissertation? If your dissertation is
partly based on previous research, please indicate it here.

2. Theoretical framework
Describe the perspective adopted to examine the topic. What are the key concepts?

3. Research questions
Outline in as much detail as possible the current scientific debate to which your dissertation relates and its
contribution to this debate: what is the primary research question and its sub-questions?

4. The research process: material, methods and research subjects

Outline the stages of the research process: decide which material or sources you will use and which methods you will
employ to collect and analyse the material.

5. Expected results
Describe your expected results and their presumed scientific and social relevance. What new knowledge will the
research generate? How can the results be put to use? You can also create a tentative table of contents for your
dissertation.
6. Ethical issues
What kinds of ethical issues does the research involve (from the perspective of research subjects, the collection and
handling of research material, or results)?
7. Timetable
Propose as realistic a timetable as possible. The purpose of the timetable is not only to convince the officials deciding
on your postgraduate application, but also to help you to carry out your research. The objective is to complete the
doctorate in four years of full-time work. Take this into account when planning the scope of your research. If you have
not completed your dissertation in six years, you must submit an updated research proposal and study plan to your
supervisors for approval. Otherwise your right to register will be blocked. The timetable should be created in the form
of a timeline, which makes it easier to see your workload at a glance.

8. Funding
The timetable and funding go hand in hand. If you intend to work on your dissertation on a part-time basis, your
timetable should reflect this. If you intend to apply for grants for your dissertation work, please read the information
provided on the Aurora database. Specifically, the research funding bulletin, published four times a year, offers a
wealth of information.

9. Publishing plan
In which series or with which publisher do you intend to publish your dissertation? If you are preparing an article-
based dissertation, specify the journals to which you intend to submit articles and define the timetable.
10. Career plan
What would you like to do after your Ph.D.-degree?
11. References