Business Administration PhD Students of Our University Participated in an International Winter School in Bielefeld

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An International Winter School program was organized for the Business Administration PhD students of our University in cooperation with Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences (Hochschule Bielefeld – HSBI) and Bielefeld University between 01–05 December 2025 in Bielefeld, Germany. Supported by DAAD, the program aimed to enhance the methodological competencies of our PhD students, expand their international academic networks, and provide them with experience in industrial doctoral processes.

The first day of the program began with opening and welcome speeches delivered by Prof. Dr. Peter Hartel, Vice Dean, and Prof. Dr. Anant Patel, Vice Rector for Research, at HSBI. This was followed by an introductory session on the objectives and structure of the Winter School delivered by our Business Administration PhD Program Coordinator, Prof. Dr. Rıza Öztürk, and Prof. Dr. Hermann Jahnke. Later in the day, a doctoral colloquium was held, starting with an opening presentation by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Semih Emre Çekin from the Department of Economics, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences of our University, after which HSBI PhD students presented their ongoing research projects.

The second day of the program focused on university–industry collaboration and industrial PhD processes. Within this scope, our PhD students paid a technical visit to Nobilia, one of Europe’s leading kitchen manufacturers. During the visit, students gained insights into industrial doctoral practices within the company and the practical implications of academic research. The visit concluded with a factory tour and a mutual evaluation session.

The third day was devoted to quantitative and qualitative research methods. In the training session delivered by Dr. Hüseyin Doluca from the University of Augsburg, widely used methodologies such as PLS-SEM and CB-SEM were discussed, along with the conditions under which these methods should be preferred, and issues related to methodological validity and reliability. In the applied sessions, analyses were conducted on sample datasets using software such as SPSS, R, and NVivo.

The fourth day of the program continued at Bielefeld University. Morning sessions addressed literature review strategies, effective management of research processes, the use of BASE and Google Scholar, as well as publication processes and journal selection. In the afternoon, the BiGSEM (Bielefeld Graduate School of Economics and Management) doctoral colloquium was held, where the Head of the Department of Business Administration PhD Program, Prof. Dr. Ela Sibel Bayrak Meydanoğlu, delivered the opening presentation. This was followed by research presentations by PhD students from Bielefeld University.

The fifth and final day of the program began at HSBI with an Academic Writing and PhD Coaching session conducted by Dr. Nilgün Dağlar-Sezer. This session focused on planning and structuring the dissertation, common challenges in academic writing, techniques for developing effective research questions, and maintaining work–life balance during the PhD process. The Winter School concluded with a panel discussion and closing ceremony, featuring contributions from Prof. Dr. Hermann Jahnke, Prof. Dr. Rıza Öztürk, Prof. Dr. Rainer Lenz, Prof. Dr. Vivian Carstensen, Prof. Dr. Andreas Uphaus, and Dr. habil. Ulrich Tamm, during which the academics shared their own doctoral experiences and offered recommendations for the PhD journey.

The International Doctoral Winter School, organized for the first time this year and successfully completed, once again demonstrated our University’s strong commitment to international academic collaboration and its tangible contribution to the academic development of Business Administration PhD students. The interdisciplinary and international nature of the program fostered sustainable academic interaction among doctoral students and academics from diverse academic cultures. In line with the positive feedback received, it is planned that the Winter School will continue to be organized regularly in the coming years and will serve as a foundation for new and deepening academic collaborations, particularly with our partner university HSBI. In this respect, the program represents not only an educational activity but also a lasting international platform that contributes to the development of long-term strategic academic partnerships.