Busi­ness Pro­ject

Course content

CBS's overarching goal is to transform society through business, and this course contributes to that mission by diagnosing and addressing real business issues through research. Specifically, in the course, students advance their ability to leverage academic research to generate insights for business practice. Under the guidance of a supervisor and drawing on various resources such as video lectures, students identify a concrete problem related to strategy, organization, or leadership and ground it in relevant SOL theories and concepts. They then craft a research plan that operationalizes these theoretical elements, collect and analyze empirical data using appropriate data-analysis techniques, and derive evidence-based recommendations to address the problem. Finally, they produce a coherent written report that outlines the problem and related question, reviews the relevant literature, outlines the research plan, presents the findings, and articulates actionable recommendations for organizational practice based on research and scholarship.

The course provides students with experience in conducting empirical research that can support their Master's thesis efforts in the second year. More broadly, the course reflects the pedagogical goals and quality criteria for research-based education at CBS by ensuring systematic contact between students and relevant research environments. Specifically, it develops students' skills to produce research-based insights, thereby strengthening their capacity for independent inquiry and analytical reflection. It also aligns with the Nordic Nine framework by fostering students' ability to address complex problems (N3, N5) through collaborative work (N6, N8) and by connecting academic theories with empirical data, characteristic of the SOL programme's holistic approach (N1, N2).

The skills developed in the course are highly transferable to practice, as diagnosing and addressing problems constitutes a core capability for contemporary knowledge workers. Moreover, the ability to synthesize diverse perspectives and data and assess them through reflective inquiry is one of the key markers of expertise in an era of increasing automation and AI.