Department of Research and Development

Research and Development Activities

The research strategy of the Faculty for Commercial and Business Sciences is to include development and applicable research in its programme. Research activities are directly connected to the study process and apply to student work on undergraduate and postgraduate levels, as well as to the work of our teaching staff, researchers and business partners.

The Department of Research and Development forms the institutional framework for the research work of the FCBS associates. This includes all members of the teaching staff, as well as external associates, experts in economics and experts from other institutions who are all welcome to join our research teams and enter in our register of researchers. Our aim is to connect our associates and help them focus on research work within the FCBS. The development rate of the research field will depend on the requirements and available funds. Research work is an indispensable task, obligation and responsibility for every individual whose goal is to enjoy an academic career; it is a realisation of the principles of life-long learning and knowledge management. It is important to assist, encourage and connect experts performing research work, as well as to achieve an increase in the current number of research titles and habilitations. Results of the work carried out by the Department of Research and Development will also be apparent in the number of articles published by the FCBS associates in scientific and professional journals, in active participation at international science conferences, in the number of research projects awarded from tenders and in the economy. Indirect results will also be apparent from company responses to the quality of bachelor and master’s theses written by our graduates in work organisations, under the guidance of their mentors.

Research and development work is an important part of the study programme. Students acquire methodological and professional qualifications for research work. The majority of undergraduate students at the FCBS are part-time students, already employed at work organisations in various fields. It is our policy for these students to write their bachelor theses on the subject of an existing problem within their organisation, with the consent of their management. In this way, students are encouraged to take part in applicable development research at work organisations during their undergraduate studies and even more so during their postgraduate studies.

The FCBS strategy is to develop predominantly applicable research work. Applicable research enables direct participation from students and teaching staff employed at business and other organisations. Students begin to acquire practical experience. During work experience, full-time students learn about working procedures and other practices within an organisation. They find a subject for their bachelor thesis that will also benefit the organisation. Part-time students are already familiar with the practices of the organisations where they are employed. Those part-time students whose studies are paid for by their employers are usually obliged to write a bachelor thesis compatible with the organisation's programme. These contributions are small but relevant. Students solve the smaller problems of an organisation, which aids management in keeping track of what occurs within the company. This makes management more sensitive to the issues in question, as well as making them more open to offering help with research. The Faculty strategy is based on the belief that the usefulness of research work should be proven to those who finance it.

The implementation of master’s study programmes will ensure a considerable increase in the qualifications of students to solve practical organisational problems. Students carry out research under the guidance of experienced mentors who are familiar with existing problems of organisations. In this way, students acquire qualifications for solving more demanding problems in their future place of employment, while also learning to trust professional and research approaches to solving practical problems.