BUDAPEST BUSINESS SCHOOL

FACULTY OF INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT

AND BUSINESS

GUIDELINES ON THESIS PREPARATION

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMMES

2020/2021 Academic year

1. Thesis /Diploma work

Students finishing their studies shall prepare a degree thesis/diploma work with the aim of
proving the acquisition of both skills and competences required in the qualification
requirements of the training programme that they have attended as well as familiarity with
specialized literature. The student shall write the thesis independently and shall defend it in
front of the Final Examination Board. Preparation of a thesis shall be performed under the
guidance and supervision of at least one adviser, and at most two (internal and external)
thesis advisers.

Students completing their studies in a foreign language have to write their theses and
complete their final examinations in the language of their studies. Students who complete
their studies in Hungarian but have a specialization in a foreign language may choose to
write their theses and take their final examinations in Hungarian, or in the language of their
specialization. The thesis and the final examination have to be completed in one selected
language.

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2. Selection of a topic

Students’ thesis topics shall bear close relation to the material acquired in the given training
programme, therefore individual departments regularly announce a range of topics related to
subjects taught and course material from among which students may choose. A semester-
long internship or work experience may contribute to the successful completion of a thesis; it
may be, however, built on a National Scientific Students’ Associations Conference (OTDK)
paper, or a scientific project if substantially upgraded.
Assigned topics of degree theses shall be displayed both on the notice boards of individual
institutions/departments and under ’Documents’ of each organizational unit on the Faculty
home page.
The student shall consult his or her internal adviser about his or her topic selection. Topic
selection will be arranged from 2020/21 through the Neptun-system, during the in the academic
calendar prescribed period.

3. Preparation of Research Concept or Thesis Statement

The student shall prepare a research concept which contains the main points of the degree
thesis. The document comprising the concept shall be 2 to 4 pages long, and shall be
submitted to the internal adviser in the first supervisory meeting.

Proposal: submitted 1st supervisory meeting, 2-4 pages long

It’s also nice to submit a 2-page proposal to the professor I want to work with

Research Concept shall include the following items:

 Name of student (training programme, mode of study, specialization (if any)).

 Name and position of internal thesis adviser.
 Thesis and research objectives: this part should include reasons behind the selection of
the given topic (topicality, relevance, significance, and practical utility), and aims of
research (drawn up in the form of questions), hypotheses (if any), and the scope of
research.
 Bibliography, familiarity with literature on the subject – a short overview of literature on
the subject and a list of relevant sources pertaining to the research topic.
 Connection with previous studies or activities of the thesis writer (i.e. the subject or
course unit that raised awareness about or aroused interest in the research topic,
whether the student wrote an assignment or National Scientific Students’ Associations
Conference (TDK) paper on the given topic or it is in connection with her/his work in
case of part-time students).
 A short overview of data collection and of primary and/or secondary research
techniques to be applied.

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  An introduction of a research plan and a schedule.

Upon formulation of a research concept the following shall be borne in mind:

 The part of paper in which the concept itself is outlined shall be proportionate with the
research conducted. In case of a degree thesis, a 2-4 page document on the concept
shall be normally required, which calls for a concise and relevant summary.
 Priority should be given to the introduction of key issues, tasks and facts. Upon framing
the concept itself, focus shall be on logical connections as well as research objectives
and the methods of accomplishing them.
 The concept shall be introduced in a proportionate manner (e.g. in listing
references). It is not the aim to include it in the thesis text without any change.
Instead, it should deal with individual issues corresponding to their significance.
 The research concept is for both students themselves and thesis advisers as well. It is
important for a thesis adviser to clearly understand what the student would exactly like
to do research into and what reasons and purposes there are behind. Generalities
should be avoided; rather specific, exact, explicit and factual issues should be focused
on.

4. Thesis advisers and rules pertaining to supervisory meetings

The concept submitted shall be scrutinized by the management of the department and an
internal thesis adviser. The internal thesis adviser should be a member of teaching staff in an
institutional department. However, heads of departments may, if they feel it appropriate,
invite external experts or specialists participating in instruction to function as internal
advisers.

An external thesis adviser shall be selected by students themselves from among experts
knowledgeable about the subject of the thesis. Students may ask heads of specializations for
help in selection processes.

Internal and external thesis advisers shall evaluate the research concept and may recommend
the inclusion of additional ideas or even that the topic be changed. Departments shall
provide students with an opportunity to attend supervisory meetings. Dates for supervisory
meetings of internal thesis advisers shall be set by individual departments.
Similarly, additional terms and regulations (e.g. the frequency of supervisory meetings) shall
be specified by those departments.

Failure by a student to participate in supervisory meetings and non-compliance with other

requirements may lead to the thesis adviser’s refusal to accept and assess the degree thesis.

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5. Terms of submission of thesis

The thesis can be submitted by those students who have finished their studies, that is, have
obtained their pre-degree certificate stating that all course-units have been completed, and
have received this certificate by the deadline specified in the work schedule of the semester
that they wish to submit their thesis in.

If, for any reason, the defence of a thesis (final examination) dos not take place, students may
defend their submitted and approved thesis not later than the second semester following the
semester of submission, but in this case registration for the final examination will be required
again.

6. Submission of thesis

Thesis have to be uploaded in an electronic copy to the designated university network

(Moodle >>>), which will be archived by the member of the library according their
regulations. Details concerning submission can be found on the BBS website.
After uploading or after a new upload and editing the existing version (if you attach a new
thesis file instead of the old one) the plagiarism check will run.

The School strictly penalises the student for plagiarism; with this statement the student bears
legal consequences if he or she breaks these rules and by this destroys the reputation of the
School.

6.1. Deadline for submission/uploading of thesis

All relevant deadlines are available in the work schedule of the semester.

6.2. Late Submission of Theses

In case of a late submission of a thesis, the student shall be liable for a special procedure fee
set in the FEGRARS, the delay, however, may not be longer than five working days. A late
submission not longer than five working days shall not be separately applied for, and a
special procedure fee has to be paid by the student through the Neptun system.
Late submissions beyond the 5 business days defined above are only possible with a 3,500
Ft / day default fee. The fee has to be paid by the student through the Neptun system.

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Those students who do not submit their theses by the deadline may only take their exam in
the next final exam period for which they shall apply again in the next period set in the
school’s agenda.
A special procedure fee is charged for those students who have already finished their studies,
by the Student Services Center. These students should contact the office at hszo.kkk@uni-
bge.hu with their requests regarding this fee.

7. „Confidential” Thesis (Article 69 (9) HKR)

The classification of a thesis as ‘confidential’ may only be granted on the basis of a written
request of the business organization or institution concerned. Reasons for requesting
‘confidential’ classification are to be revealed in the request, which is also submittable
electronically. A late submissions up to five working days do not need to be separately
applied for, but a special procedure fee has to be paid by the student through the Neptun
system. Submission after five working days is only possible if the student pays a penalty of
3500 HUF / day. The request for confidentiality can be submitted electronically (detaillles
here >>>) permission must be uploaded into Moodle (by printing the decision from the
Neptun system in pdf-format).

The Deputy Dean for Education shall make a decision about the request within 15 days.
In case of permission for classification as ‘confidential’, the term ‘Confidential’ shall be
necessarily indicated both on front-page and inside cover-page. Third parties can have
access to a thesis designated as confidential only for the purpose of the assessment and the
final exam. Confidentiality is regulated under Paragraph 9 of Section 69 of the AER.

8. External and Internal Advisers

Internal and external advisors will have access to the thesis through Moodle electronically
and their assessments will only be written electronically.
If the student does not choose an external opponent, an external assessor will be appointed
for the assessment by the training programme director.

9. Acceptance of and Check on Theses (Article 69 (10) (11) (12) of HKR)

Acceptance of thesis is a condition for allowing the student to take the final examination.
The thesis is evaluated by two assessors who will be invited by the training programme
director or head of the specialization. One of the advisers (internal) is the supervisor of the
thesis. The thesis is evaluated by the assessors by awarding a grade and a written assessment.
If external assessment is not received before the deadline set, or if one of the two assessors

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qualifies it as a ’fail’, or if between the two assessments there is a difference of more than two
grades, a third individual shall also be involved in the assessment process. A third assessor is
invited for the assessment by the training programme director or head of specialization. If
none of the advisors have accepted the thesis or if the external assessor qualifies it as a fail,
the student can not be admitted to the final exam, the student shall write a new thesis, if the
evaluation of the thesis or the mark given for its defence are insufficient to pass.

The student may inspect the accepted thesis assessments continuously, but should do so at
least 5 days prior to the commencement of the final examination in NEPTUN/Moodle in order
to prepare for their defence. Under Paragraph 13 of Section (69) of the AER “The responsible
department shall send the student the assessment of thesis - at least 5 days - prior to the
final examination”. Students can download the assessments of their thesis before the final
exam, and the questions they will receive during the exam.

10. Formal requirements for a thesis

10.1. Thesis Structure

The Title Page is followed by a Table of Contents, List of Tables, and List of Figures. The body
of the text is from the first page of Introduction to the last page of Conclusion. The body is
followed by a List of References and Appendices:
i. Inside Cover
ii. Table of Contents
iii. List of Tables iv. List of Figures
v. Introduction
vi. Chapters
vii. Conclusion
viii. List of References
ix. Appendices

Headings of chapters and subchapters in the Table of Contents and in the paper shall be
identical, and exact page numbers shall be included in the Table of Contents.

10.2. . Requirements on paper size and binding

The thesis shall be written on a computer using a word processor, and shall be printed out on
one side of paper of A/4 size. It shall be prepared in two bound copies. Spiral binding is
allowed to be used as the student’s copy.

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A printed and an electronic version of the thesis shall be submitted, and the contents of both
should be identical. Studens will be handed back the printed copy after the final examination.
The electronic version should be uploaded to the servers appointed by the university, after
which they will be archived according to the regulations of the member libraries. HKR 69.§ (8).

10.3. Requirements on various aspects of layout

Front cover: with the title in the middle that reads:

THESIS

Student’s name at the bottom right-

hand corner with the year of
submission under the student’s
name.

Inside cover:

BUDAPEST BUSINESS SCHOOL

FACULTY OF INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND

BUSINESS …………. TRAINING PROGRAMME

Mode of study ………………..

………… specialization (if any)

TITLE

(Text is justified, typed in capital letters; 14-point font size)

The text in the lower left corner:

Internal adviser: ………………

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Text in the bottom right-hand corner reads:

By (student’s name)

Text at the inside bottom centre reads:

Budapest, date (year)

If a thesis contains confidential information, the word “CONFIDENTIAL” shall be typed in the
top right-hand corner of the front and inside covers. The classification of a thesis as
‘confidential’ may only be granted on the basis of a written request of the business
organization or institution concerned – the request procedure for permission is set forth in
point 7 of this document.

The Table of Contents should follow immediately Inside Cover on page 3.

The thesis shall be written with one and a half spacing used between the lines, text font-size
shall be 12-point, and recommended font is Times New Roman font-size 12 or Calibri (light)
font-size 11 or Franklin Gothic font-size 11 or Segoe Ui Semilight font-size 11. A page should
include a total of 32 to 36 lines. Expected full length of the body of the thesis text should be
between 35 to 50 pages, or 80-100 000 characters excluding spaces, ±10% (exclusive of a
Table of Contents, List of Tables, List of Figures, List of References, and Annexes /Appendices).

Margins must be 25 mm (2,5 cm) on both sides.

The paper should be divided in a decimal system in accordance with the Table of Contents.
Individual chapter titles shall be written in CAPITAL LETTERS in bold, while section titles shall
be written in bold small letters.

Appendices may be attached to the paper, which will follow the list of references. Appendices
may consist of tables, figures and other illustrative documents that support the main idea of
the thesis, but do not form an integral part of it.

10.4. Rules Pertaining to References, Note Numbering and Footnotes

In a thesis when referring to the bibliography and presenting tables, figures and graphs and
making the list of references the following rules shall apply.

In order to prove and support the key notes of the thesis and to present activities and
achievements of former experts, the author of a thesis will inevitably need to use citations.
The student may choose between two ways of referencing: between the author-date style or
footnote style. The chosen style shall be consistently applied throughout the thesis.

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The author-date style, which is a more widespread reference style in the literature on
economic and social sciences, will be presented in the following examples.

The application of author-date style in-text referencing (in the sentence or at the end of the
sentence): author surname(s) followed by the year of publication of the source that you are
citing in parentheses. Example: (Kiss, 2008). The other data of the work cited can be found in
the List of References at the end of the thesis.

The reference is placed either at the end of the sentence or paragraph containing the text
cited or immediately after the quotation marks (inverted commas) being cited in case of
direct quotation.

Only the surname should be used in the citations! Given names will by applyed only in the
List of References, taking care to separate it with a comma from the surname in the case of
non-Hungarian authors. For example: referencing: (Kissinger, 2015), felhasznált
irodalom/literature used: Kissinger, Henry (2015): Világrend. Budapest, Antall József
Tudásközpont

In case of on-line sources, clear references should be applyed, the author, the title, the exact
URL, the date of the last download must be indicated citating the used literature! The citation
will contain in this case also only family name of the author or if not available, the corporate
author and never the total of the URL (see later!).

Examples: Citation
Quotation
„A televízió a legjobb hírforrás!” (Kiss, 2010)

Paraphrasing:
Az internetet egyre nagyobb arányban használják online vásárlásra, csak az e-mailezés, a
közösségi hálózatok használata és a hírek olvasása előzi meg a világhálón bonyolított
vásárlást (MMOnline, 2013).

Formal requirements for the used literature at the end of the thesis:
Books:
Buda Béla (1999): Az emberi kommunikáció. Libri Kiadó, Budapest
Journal articles:
Buda Béla (1998): Az emberi kommunikáció. Pedagógiai Szemle 5. évf. 10. szám p. 15-29.
(the numbering of the year can be omitted because not every journal has it.) Study:
Buda Béla (1997): Kommunikál a város. In: Buda Béla (szerk.): A kommunikáció törvényei.
Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, p. 120-145.

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Online sources:
- there is an author:
Buda Béla (2013): Kommunikálok. Source: www.bbonline.hu/bb_kommunikalok
Downloaded:2013.09.21.
- there is no author: MMOnline.hu (2013): Így költünk a neten. Source:
http://www.mmonline.hu/cikk/igy_koltunk_a_neten_1 Downloaded:21.09.2013..
- Journal articles digitized: Majoros Pál (2008): Az átalakuló magyar külgazdasági stratégia új
elemei. EU Working Papers 11. évf. 1. szám p. 3-20.Source:
http://epa.oszk.hu/00000/00026/00038/pdf/euwp_EPA00026_2008_01_003-020.pdf
Downloaded: 02.03.2017.

If the surname of the author is not given, the so-called corporate author is cited. The
corporate author is always a proper name and this can be of two kinds: it can be the name of
an organization (e.g. WTO, MTI) or that of a publication where the work was published, e.g.
(Világgazdaság, HVG.hu). In daily papers it is frequent that there is no named author, only:
’from our collegaue” or „MTI selection” can be found. In the former case the corporate author
is the title of the daily paper: (Világgazdaság, 2012), in the latter case it is the name of the
organization ((MTI, 2012).
The corporate author is only given if there is no named author.

If more than one piece of work by the same author published in the same year is referred to,
those pieces of work should be differentiated by adding suffixes (a, b, c, etc.) to the year (Kiss,
2008a) and (Kiss, 2008b),
Suffixes are also included in the List of References using the same format at the end of the
thesis.
Kiss Csaba (2008a): Cegléd városi televíziójának tíz éve. Marketing 54. évf. 10. szám p. 12-68.
Kiss Csaba (2008b): A Ceglédi Városi Televízió. Cegléd, Helyi Kiadó

In case of a reference to a piece of work written by several authors, only the first author’s
surname is indicated, the other authors are referred as et al.(the meaning of the abbreviation
is and others.),
i.e. (Kiss et al., 2010). If there is an author with the same year of publication and with the same
surname, but with different first names, the initial of the first name is used: (Kiss, I., 2010) and
(Kiss, P., 2010). If the initials of the first names are the same, the first name is given in full:
(Kiss, István, 2010) és (Kiss, Irén, 2010).
Ranks and titles are not given, e.g. in case of „Dr. Kiss Pál: A magyar gazdaság”, the academic
title of ’Dr.’ is omitted. Abbreviations for junior, senior, CsC, and other abreviations are not
given.

When presenting a company, the following types can also be found:

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1. presentation. The presentation has an author (even a corporate author) or presenter,
title, and was given at a certain time (if the place is also known, it also has to be
indicated). If it was found on the Internet, the URL and the date of downloading are
also indicated. Venczel Márk (2008): Legyünk sikeresek a CRM-vel! Prezentáció. Robert
Bosch Gmbh, 2008. www.cebc.hu/ppt/crm/Venczel_Mark.ppt Downloaded: 2 March
2017.
2. annual report, account, and regulations. There is an author (even a corporate author),
title, place of publication, and the name of the publishing house indicated. MOL Nyrt.
(2016): MOL Magyar Olaj- és Gázipari Nyilvánosan Működő Részvénytársaság Éves
beszámoló
2015. december 31. Budapest, MOL Nyrt.
https://molgroup.info/images/molgroup/pdf/befektetoi_kapcsolatok/penzugyi_jelentese
k/eves_jelentesek/MOL_Nyrt_Anyavallalati_Eves_Jelentes_2015.pdf Downloaded: 2. March
2017 . Robert Bosch Kft. (2017): Raktárvédelmi szabályzat. Hatvan, Robert Bosch Kft
3. product information catalogues. Compulsory data are: manufacturer (author): title,
place of publication, name of the publishing house, date of publication MUREXIN
Korlátolt
Felelősségű Társaság (1977): Betonol csemperagasztási rendszer. Budapest: MUREXIN Kft.
4. interview. Compulsory data are: interviewees, interviewer, the length and place of the
interview. Iain Lindsay – Kovács Tamás (2017): Interjú Iain Lindsay nagykövettel.
Budapest, 2017. február 1

Using an author-date style referencing does not mean, that explanatory footnotes cannot be
used. The two are not connected to each other, so you can write an explanation or addition
at the bottom of the page.
More detailed instructions on the usage of references and literature can be found on theBGE
KKK Library web-site!

10.5. Tables, Figures and Graphs

Tables shall be prepared in accordance with statistical requirements, i.e. tables shall have a
name (title), with a number as well as measurement units used. Sources of the data should be
clearly indicated under the table/graph (e.g. Table 3). Similarly, figures and graphs should also
be numbered. Graphs should be displayed with precision and clearly numbered.

Sources can be indicated as follows:

1. Clearly citated, for example, Source: KSH, 2010
2. Citated and adopted for example, Source: self edited Varga-Veld (2010)
3. In case of primary research edited from data collected byself, for example Source: self edited

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Costs of harmful effects of smoking on health, incomes forgone and incomes from tobacco
industry in Hungary between 1995 and 2010

Table 1

Currency: HUF billion

Source: (Varga-Veld[2010]); graph figures researched by the author of thesis

Eltérés (Differences)

Évek (Years)

Table 2

Estimated effects of the cohesion fund in Hungary between 2007 and 2013 (% surplus)

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Comprehensive, larger tables should be included in the Annexes.

10.6. Orthography

Orthography, style and the above formal requirements are among the criteria applied in the
assessment of a thesis. Concerning orthography students have to follow rules summarised in
„Rules of the Hungarian orthography”.

10.7. The defence of the thesis at the final exam, presentation

The defence of a thesis is commenced with an introduction of and presentation o n the thesis.
The student shall decide both on the composition and content of the presentation. When
preparing presentation material, the student should not lose sight of the fact that the time
available for presentation 10 minutes.
The thesis shall be briefly presented, and critical comments need to be responded to, i.e. the
student shall defend his/her statements. The aim of presentation is to successfully focus the
interest of the Final Examination Board on the thesis topic and its author. The student is
allowed to have a copy of the thesis, reviews /assessment, and notes prepared for
presentation during the defence of the thesis.

The Recommended Structure of Presentation

After an introduction, the student should give a brief summary of their talk. It is expedient to
present the structure of the paper, mention reasons for their choice of topic, and research
objectives; they should also present research questions, and introduce research methodology.
The student should highlight and analyse the most important findings of his or her thesis.
They should by all means be responsive to criticism in reviews. Inclusion in presentation of
answers to thesis-related questions will be appreciated by the Board.
The presentation should not be confined to an oral introduction. Instead, the student should
try to apply some technical equipment. A visual presentation in itself suggests preparedness,
making it possible to introduce relevant tables, figures and logical connections. If figures
contain texts, they should be concise. Definitions and visual presentations of long quotations
should not be applied.

Manner of Presentation
There are several presentation techniques and different pieces of software (PowerPoint, Prezi)
that may be adopted in final examinations. With the help of illustrative material, the
researched topic and findings can be more clearly introduced.
It is highly recommended for students to compose and edit the text of his or her talk to
slides. An oral presentation should always be linked to the slides displayed

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Budapest, 2020 October 15.

Dr. Majoros Pál

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