GUIDETO TRAINEESHIP, THESIS

PREPARATION AND FINAL EXAM

for Students Studying in Programmes under the Bologna System

Budapest, 2010

BUDAPEST BUSINESS SCHOOLFACULTY OF FINANCE AND ACCOUNTANCY

Table of Contents

Table of Contents......................................................................................................................2Preface........................................................................................................................................31.Traineeship.............................................................................................................................42.Preparation of the Thesis......................................................................................................4

1.Thesis Topic Outline............................................................................................................52.Structure of the Thesis.........................................................................................................63.Critical Tone........................................................................................................................7

3.Requirements for Thesis Format..........................................................................................81.Formal Structure of the Thesis.............................................................................................82.Length of the Thesis.............................................................................................................93.Page Format and Layout......................................................................................................94.Coherence.............................................................................................................................95.Numbering...........................................................................................................................96.Use of Specialised Literature, References.........................................................................107.Figures and Pictures...........................................................................................................128.Bibliography.......................................................................................................................139.Footnote.............................................................................................................................1410.A Few Minor Hints on Format.........................................................................................14

4.Procedural Requirements for Thesis Preparation............................................................145.Criteria for Thesis Assessment...........................................................................................16

5.1. Recency of the Chosen Topic and the Applied Method................................................165.2. Theoretical Grounding of the Thesis..............................................................................165.3. Practical Value of the Solution......................................................................................165.4. Critical Tone of the Thesis.............................................................................................165.5. Structure, Style and Appearance of the Thesis..............................................................17

6.Regulations for the Final Exam..........................................................................................17Appendices...............................................................................................................................20Appendix 1: Sample Outer Title Page...................................................................................21Appendix 2: Sample Declaration...........................................................................................22Appendix 3: Sample Inner Title Page...................................................................................23Appendix 4: Acknowledgement of Receipt by the Library.................................................24Appendix 5: Application for Classifying the Thesis as Confidential..................................25Appendix 6: Thesis Topic Outline.........................................................................................26Appendix 7: Summary of the Thesis.....................................................................................30Appendix 8: Thesis Review....................................................................................................31Appendix 9: Proposal for Questions......................................................................................33Appendix 10: Consultation Sheet..........................................................................................34Appendix 11: Application for Thesis Topic Admission.......................................................35Appendix 12: Application for Acceptance of the Thesis.....................................................36

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Preface

Dear Graduating Student

As you are nearing the completion of your college studies, we would like to give you a little help with completing the most important tasks of the coming semester – traineeship, thesis preparation and final exam – which seemed so far away at the time of registration.

The present guide contains the following:

Practical information on the traineeship, Information required for thesis preparation and preparations for the final exam, All the necessary documents related to the traineeship and thesis.

Please read this guide carefully. If, during your work, any questions should arise to which you cannot find clear answers herein, please turn to your consultant or the colleagues at the Student Centre, who will be pleased to help you.

We wish you success in writing the thesis!

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1. Traineeship

In the BA programmes of Finance and Accountancy as well as Business Economics and Management the students must complete a six-month traineeship as a conclusion of their studies.

Considering the specific features of the courses, the completion of traineeship is slightly different for full-time and for distance-learning students.

Regulations for full-time students:

A student can only participate in traineeship if he/she has completed the 180 credits and has fulfilled his/her exam obligations in all the courses.

Before the six-month traineeship a student whose fulfilment of a comprehensive exam is missing for the fulfilment of course requirements can pass this exam in the form of an exam course during the registration week in September and February respectively. Before the six-month traineeship a student entitled to register for a course in the form of a special course can fulfil this on the basis of his/her request in the form of an exam course during the same registration week. If the exam(s) has/have been passed successfully, the traineeship can be completed within the same semester.

The start and end dates of traineeship are contained in the schedule, deviation from which is only possible with special permission.

The student is obliged to report the place of traineeship to the Student Centre according to the schedule.

The completion of the credits required for participation in traineeship is confirmed by the Studies and Administration Office on the Data Sheet for Reporting the Place of Traineeship.Traineeship spent abroad can be arranged on an individual basis, assisted by the Student Centre.The data sheet and the evaluation sheet of traineeship in English and German can also be obtained from there. The scheduled deadlines are obligatory for traineeship spent abroad as well.

Based on the Traineeship Evaluation Sheet the operative consultant verifies the completion of traineeship in the student's registration book.

For distance-learning students a separate information guide on the completion of traineeship is issued by the Distance Learning Centre, which is also accessible on the faculty's website.

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2. Preparation of the Thesis

Nearing the completion of your college studies you have reached an important milestone: you have to prepare your thesis. In a lot of students' lives this is the first significant scholarly paper; therefore, it is worth planning and then executing this piece of work carefully.

As you know, the student prepares the thesis with the assistance and under the guidance of the internal and external consultants. As regards the essential expectations, of course the theses prepared at the college – and at other higher education institutions – are the same. This is the reason why it is necessary for the student to get some practical directions on certain issues in the initial stage of thesis preparation. This guide aims to give some help by providing clear guidance for you, as the student preparing a thesis, concerning some aspects of both the content and the format. It should be noted, however, that the internal consultants may have specific expectations not included in this guide. Therefore, we suggest you should see your consultant prior to starting to write the thesis.

A thesis is a paper concerning economic issues through which the student proves his/her proficiency in the theoretical knowledge of the special fields of finance, accountancy and information technology, beyond the curriculum also in domestic and international technical literature. He/she demonstrates the capability of using the acquired knowledge in practice, moreover of performing independent economic work.

Only an original piece of work can be accepted as a thesis.

In conformity with the above, it must appear from the thesis that the student:

1. has with proper thoroughness acquired the knowledge required for the writing of the thesis during his/her college studies,

2. is well informed in the relevant technical literature and is able to adequately apply those read there,

3. is familiar with the research methods associated with the profession, can choose and apply the appropriate one(s),

4. has the required capability to explain a particular problem within his/her profession approaching it theoretically and practically, to form an independent opinion and to propose a solution,

5. meets the stylistic requirements on the thesis; has acquired the terminology associated with the profession and its area of science, and can apply it correctly.

1. Thesis Topic Outline

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Within the scope of the thesis the student deals with the topic approved by his/her appointed college consultant. The thesis topic can be

determined by the economic organisation where the student spends his/her traineeship,

selected by the student from those recommended by the departments, or

chosen by the student himself/herself in agreement with the consultant appointed at the economic organisation.

Only a topic whose elaboration requires the candidate to coherently apply the knowledge acquired at the college and the practical experiences obtained at the economic organisation can be accepted as a thesis topic.

The student must typically choose a thesis topic corresponding to his/her specialisation.

Should he/she have appropriate reasons – e.g. he/she cannot prepare a thesis corresponding to his/her specialisation at the place of traineeship, or he/she would like to utilise the findings of some preliminary research verified by a prize winning paper at TDK (Conference of Students' Scientific Workshops) etc. – he/she may apply for deviation from the topic.

In case of choosing a topic not corresponding to his/her specialisation, the student must apply for permission from the department in charge of his/her specialisation (the head of the department or the colleague assigned by him/her). Simultaneously, he/she must also obtain the declaration of acceptance from the department corresponding to his/her topic.

To simplify the process, a form is available which the student can submit stating the reasons for the request. If permission is granted, the student must attach the approved request bearing the signature of the person entitled to grant permission for the topic outline (see appendices).

The final detailed thesis topic outline, which is a description of the chapters and sub-chapters in a table of contents of 1-2 pages, must be submitted at the Student Centre by the date specified in the schedule for traineeship and final exam, in duplicate, filled in digitally and signed by the company's consultant (the schedule for the current school-year can be found on the faculty's website, under the link for the Student Centre).

The department overseeing the thesis is appointed by a committee set up for this purpose at the college. The head of the responsible department appoints the internal (departmental) consultant for the thesis and for the student.

The approval of the thesis topic plan is verified by the appointed internal consultant with his/her signature. After the submission of the detailed

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topic outline the student receives one copy of the topic outline signed by the internal consultant by the deadline specified in the schedule, and in this way the student is informed which teacher at which department he/she is going to write the thesis with.

2. Structure of the Thesis

The general layout of the thesis to be submitted is as follows:Table of Contents

The table of contents contains the titles of the chapters, sub-chapters or perhaps further divisions in the thesis together with page numbers. Its size should preferably not exceed one page, the clearest possible form and structure should be used.The use of Word's automatic table of contents is recommended, which makes amendments easier.The table of contents need not be furnished with chapter numbers.

1.) IntroductionIn the introduction the student briefly introduces the chosen topic (the proposal of the topic), his/her engagement with the topic, explains why the topic to be presented has aroused his/her interest. The length of the introduction is 1-2 pages, and as for its style it is not only an opportunity but rather a requirement to be of a personal nature: it is here that the student has the best opportunity to make the reader truly interested in getting to know the subsequent objective content. At the higher education institutions even in one final exam session there may be numerous theses prepared on one particular topic, so with the personal touch the student can at the same time distinguish his/her thesis from the others on the same topic.

2.) …3.) …4.) …5.) …6.) …

Items 2.)-6.) cover the content part of the thesis, its elaboration is done within the frame of the approved individual topic outline, with consideration to the content and proportions included therein, under the internal (departmental) and external (company's) consultant's direction.

7.) SummaryThe summary, as its title also shows, includes the summing up of the contents of the thesis. This is not the place for the student's critical remarks or suggestions, they should either

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appear continuously in the discussion chapters of the thesis or in a separate chapter. (Which of the latter two solutions the student chooses certainly depends on the nature of the subject elaborated as well as the student's and the consultant's disposition; this is an issue worth clarifying between the student and his/her consultant at the beginning of the elaboration.) The summary is a synopsis, in a way a short repetition of issues already presented, of the conclusions drawn and the suggestions stated earlier.Usually its length is roughly 10% of the accomplished work, i.e. about 5-6 pages for a thesis of 60 pages.

8.) References/BibliographyInformation on bibliography will be supplied later on in detail.

9.) List of Figures and PicturesIf there are a lot of figures and pictures appearing in the thesis, and to find them easier the student and/or the consultant deems it necessary, such a section can be inserted; it is to be emphasised, however, that this is not compulsorily.

10.) AppendicesIf the student enriches his/her thesis with a large number of appendices (not without a particular purpose), then a separate table of contents may become necessary within the appendices. This, however, also means that the contents of the appendices, if they are required, should as far as possible not be included in the table of contents at the beginning of the thesis presenting the structure of the topic, but rather the student should provide them independently.

3. Critical Tone

As it has already been mentioned in the description of the structure of contents above, the student's critical remarks and suggestions should appear in the thesis. The place for them, however, is not in the summary chapter of the thesis.

The student can essentially choose between two options: He/she evaluates the facts learnt on a continuous basis during the

elaboration of the topic, reveals and presents the divergence from what he/she considers to be the optimum solution where it is possible, and then proposes a resolution to fill the gap between the practice and the optimum solution. In this case the student's individual way of seeing things can be traced throughout the thesis, his/her preparedness acquired in the subject is easy to discern and evaluate.

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The other possibility is that the student demonstrates the acquired practical knowledge of the subject in a significant part of the thesis, then so to say pointedly in a separate chapter expresses his/her own opinion and critical remarks, and then formulates his/her suggestions on the subject.

Either solution is possible; they do not differ from each other in value. Which solution the student chooses depends on the topic to be elaborated (e.g. in the presentation of a company's management there is probably no point in criticising the size of the tangible assets in itself, whereas in the presentation of a municipality's local taxation we can already discover inconsistency within a single decree, which is worth pointing out).

3. Requirements for Thesis Format

While preparing the thesis the student should aim at accomplishing a piece of work that presents a properly ordered and clear picture in its appearance as well. The essential expectations for that are described below.

1. Formal Structure of the Thesis

1.1. The hard outer title sheet/coverThe thesis must be submitted in one copy, in black leather binding. The black leather binding must bear the inscriptions shown in Appendix 1 in gold letters.

1.2. The blank white cover sheet

1.3. The inner title sheetThe inner title sheet must bear the items stipulated in Appendix 3.

1.4. Declaration of the originality of the thesisIts content is shown in Appendix 2.

1.5. Table of contents (the first numbered page)1.6. Introduction1.7. Exposition of the content of the thesis topic1.8. Summary

The content and format requirements for sections 1.5-1.8 of the thesis were already mentioned above.

1.9. Final notes (final notes are obviously to be omitted if footnotes are applied)

1.10. References/BibliographyThe relevant requirements are to be presented later on in detail.

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1.11. List of figures and pictures (as far as applicable)1.12. Appendices1.13. List of appendices (only if really needed)1.14. The blank white closing sheet

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2. Length of the Thesis

The expected length of the thesis is 50-60 pages. This means the main text of the thesis, and does not contain the appendices. The tables, figures and pictures included in the main text are also to be included though. The introduction and the summary are also to be included in the main text.

3. Page Format and Layout

The thesis must be written in Times New Roman font and 1.5 line spacing. Page margins in all directions are 2.5 cm, with 1 cm more to be left on the left side for binding, i.e. the left margin is altogether 3.5 cm wide.The completed thesis has to be printed page by page – and then to be bound – with only one page printed on one sheet, double-sided printing is not allowed.

4. Coherence

While preparing the thesis the student should aim at accomplishing a piece of work that presents an orderly picture in its appearance as well. A tool for that is the appropriate division, which also reveals a lot as to the contents of the thesis at the same time.After the presentation of an individual sequence of thoughts the student is expected to continue the thesis in a new paragraph, and if a larger section is closed, then he/she can even apply an empty line to show that a new idea will follow.Undivided text running over several pages is not advantageous in respect of either the format or the perception and understanding of the contents of the thesis.

5. Numbering

In chapter numbering you should follow the decimal system with Arabic numerals. Chapters can of course be subdivided into sub-chapters, and within those into smaller sections, decimal numbering should also be maintained there. The style of headings can of course follow the hierarchy within chapters. For example:

3. INTER-MUNICIPAL COOPERATION POSSIBILITIES…

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3.3. Municipal Associations…3.3.4. Multi-purpose Micro-regional Municipal Association

In numbering the figures and pictures you should also follow the decimal system. If there is a large number of figures and pictures in the thesis, instead of consecutive numbering throughout the thesis you can also apply sequential numbering within each chapter, i.e. a numbering closely following that of the thesis chapter. Experience proves, however, that this is not justified with many theses.

6. Use of Specialised Literature, References

The students are expected to elaborate the available Hungarian and foreign sources of specialised literature required for a thorough and deep understanding of the particular topic during the writing of their theses. This also means that, original and unique as it is, a thesis without the use of specialised literature and the study of sources is unsatisfactory or in an extreme case unacceptable. There is no general rule for the amount of sources to be used, it also depends on the topic to be introduced in the thesis, but the use of word for word quotations in excess of 30% of the length of the thesis in pages may already be atypical .Consequently, it is not a problem if the writer of the thesis uses sources of special literature, moreover, as mentioned above, this is actually a basic requirement; there is a problem if the student makes no proper references to the sources used.The basic ways of making a reference are as follows:

a) Quoting Content (Paraphrasing)Quoting content means that you make judgements in your thesis by using one or more sources of special literature and practically summarising them. In this case the reference is made after closing the sphere of thought, in brackets identifying the author(s) of the work(s) used (surname written in full, then after a comma the initials of the first name(s)) in small capitals, and the publication year of the source used.For example:As also mentioned by certain authors, the IMF aid programs and intervention in itself is not always an appropriate and sufficient means to deal with a country's insolvency. (STIGLITZ, J. E. 2003)

b) Quoting Word for WordWhen quoting word for word, you consider certain longer or shorter thoughts in a source of special literature used so important and valuable that you actually repeat them unchanged in the thesis. Since another author's thought is used word for word, here the passage quoted has to be put within quotation marks. Here again the reference is made after closing the sphere of thought, in

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brackets identifying the author(s) of the work(s) used in small capitals and the year of publication. In such a case, however, you should also indicate on which page of the quoted work the repeated passage can be found after the p. marking.For example:“The problem was that many of these policies became ends in themselves, rather than means to more equitable and sustainable growth. In doing so these policies were pushed too far, too fast, and to the exclusion of other policies that were needed.” (STIGLITZ, J. E. 2003, p. 69)

c) Sources from the InternetIn the case of sources from the Internet the rules for referencing are essentially the same as those for the use of other sources of special literature, instead of the author and the year of publication, in this case the website address of the work used should be indicated, whether it is paraphrasing or word for word quotation.For example:

The set of monetary policy instruments in itself is not always the appropriate tool to deal with the problems of the economy. (www.mnb.hu)

“In economic theory and in the international practice of central banks it is widely agreed that the instruments of monetary policy are not able to have sustained influence on the rate of economic growth and employment.” (www.mnb.hu)

d) Reference to LawsThe general rules for referencing are also applicable when quoting laws. On the first occasion it is worth writing out the full title of the law, perhaps as a footnote, later on it is enough to indicate the number and year of publication. It is a peculiarity of the Hungarian language that if it is considered necessary to quote the full title of a law in the middle of a sentence, then it should be done in the following form, partly breaking the word order:As it is also stated by the VAT Act CXXVII of 2007 …(Because the commonly used form makes no sense: As it is also stated Act CXXVII of 2007 on Value Added Tax by …)If specific sections are quoted from a law, this also needs to be indicated.

e) Figures and PicturesReferencing is particularly important in the case of figures and pictures because they could have been incorporated in the thesis in two ways: you either used them ready-made without changes, or constructed them yourself.

If the figure or picture was used ready-made, the reference here should be quoted under the figure/picture, with the indication of the source in one of the above ways.For example:

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Source: LOSONCZI, CS.-MAGYAR, G. 1995, p. 299 If the figure/table is constructed by you, then this should be

mentioned as a source, possibly indicating what it was based on.For example:Source: my own construction (with the use of data from Municipality Reports in 2003-2006)

If you are quoting several works published by the same author in the same year, they should be differentiated by adding a lower case letter a, b, c, etc. with no space after the year for each item, and this order should also be followed in the bibliography.

If you are quoting from a work written by several authors, if the identification is possible, it is enough to name the author of the quoted portion, in which case referencing is done in the usual way: (KIRÁLY, J. 1998); in the bibliography, however, you should indicate that the quotation is from one author of a work written by several authors:KIRÁLY, J.: Bevezetés az eszköz-forrás menedzsmentbe (in: LIGETI, S., SULYOK-PAP, M. (ed.): Banküzemtan (Tanszék Kft., Budapest 1998))orKIRÁLY, J.: Bevezetés az eszköz-forrás menedzsmentbe (in: BAKA, BOROS … et al.: Banküzemtan (Tanszék Kft., Budapest 1998))

If the author of the quoted part cannot be identified exactly, then the proper way to refer to the editor of the volume is by indicating this in brackets after the name (e.g.: (GROSZ, A.-RECHNITZER, J. (ed.), 2005), which should also appear in the bibliography like this:GROSZ, A. – RECHNITZER, J. (ed.): Régiók és nagyvárosok innovációs potenciálja Magyarországon (MTA RKK, Pécs-Győr 2005)

We have introduced you to the basics of the rules of the Harvard system above. If you want to get familiar with the system in detail, or if you are looking for standard solutions of quoting in cases not included herein, more information can be found in the following publication:

Referenciák (hivatkozások): A Harvard módszer (Referencing: The Harvard System (Ineson, 2003) The English version was compiled by: Elizabeth M. Ineson, edited and translated into Hungarian: Bártfai Endre)(BGF KVIFK, Budapest 2006)

7. Figures and Pictures

To enable better understanding of the ideas introduced or presented in the main text, you can enrich and illustrate your thesis with figures and pictures. Consequently, the figures and pictures are not used as ends without purpose, but they should support the message of the main text.

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No actual limit is set for the number of figures and pictures; nevertheless, it is clearly unacceptable if just figures and pictures follow each other for pages on end. It is the student – requesting the consultant's opinion as necessary – who should find a healthy balance between the text and the figures and pictures.As already mentioned above, in numbering the figures and pictures you should also follow the decimal system. If there is a large number of figures and pictures in the thesis, instead of consecutive numbering throughout the thesis you can also apply sequential numbering within each chapter, i.e. a numbering closely following that of the thesis chapter. Experience proves, however, that this is not justified with many theses.In addition to numbering, the figures and pictures must also be furnished with titles.For details on the way of referencing figures and pictures see the relevant item.With all this in mind, an example of a figure or picture appearing in a thesis can be as follows:

Figure 5Legal Status of the Euro, 2007

Source: www.wikipedia.hu

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8. Bibliography

In the bibliography you should indicate each source of scientific literature used in the preparation of the thesis for which there is neither reference to content nor word for word quotation in the main text of the thesis, but refers to the information upon which you relied during the preparation of the thesis. Therefore, the college course materials and lecture notes, compulsory and recommended literature acquired during your studies and relevant to the elaboration of the topic can be listed there.It can be mentioned as practical advice that it is worth dividing the used sources of special literature into three groups:

a) Books and JournalsThe sources of special literature used in the preparation of the thesis should be listed in alphabetical order by the author's surname, indicating the year of appearance after the title of the work, the publisher's name and the place and date of publication and, if available, the edition. In drawing up the bibliography you need not include the page numbers for the directly quoted works either. With consideration to the examples given earlier, a sample bibliography could look like this:

GROSZ, A. – RECHNITZER, J. (ed.): Régiók és nagyvárosok innovációs potenciálja Magyarországon (MTA RKK, Pécs-Győr 2005)KIRÁLY, J.: Bevezetés az eszköz-forrás menedzsmentbe (in: BAKA, BOROS … et al.: Banküzemtan (Tanszék Kft., Budapest 1998))LOSONCZI, CS. – MAGYAR, G.: Pénzügyek a gazdaságban (Juvent Kiadó, Budapest 1995, third edition)STIGLITZ, J. E.: A globalizáció és visszásságai (Napvilág Kiadó, Budapest 2003)VÁRHEGYI, É.: Bankvilág Magyarországon (Helikon Kiadó, Budapest 2002)

The alphabetical order properly identifies the author and the work, there is no need for numbering.

b) Internet SourcesThe using of internet sources alone can hardly be called sufficient; however, they are suitable for supplementing the information obtained from books and journals, so their application is permitted. Compared to the paper-based scientific literature, an advantage of the Internet is namely its freshness and flexibility, whereas its disadvantage for the same reason is that the sources obtained from there may be difficult to identify later on. Therefore, not only should the complete link (i.e. the web address) be stated in the

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bibliography but also the date of access. So, even if the used content happens to disappear from the website later on, the student as an author is protected against a possible accusation of the unauthorised use of the content.

For example:commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Euro_map_2007_hu.png, accessed: 20 October 2008www.mnb.hu/Engine.aspx?page=mnbhu_monetarispolitika&ContentID=7148, accessed: 20 October 2008

c) LawsIrrespective of whether you mentioned the full title of the cited act in-text or in the footnote, you must do so in the bibliography. The laws should already be listed in the bibliography sorted by publication date and then by their serial numbers.Act CVII of 2004 on multi-purpose micro-regional association of

municipalitiesAct CXXVII of 2007 on Value Added Tax

9. Footnote

In line with the above, the footnote is not designed to denote the references to literature. It is still worthwhile using it since in a case when you are using an expression in the thesis which you would not like to explain in the main text because this would block your train of thought. As you presume that not every reader is familiar with its precise meaning, the footnote is the right tool for you as the author to clarify this rather than in the main text.

10. A Few Minor Hints on Format

In scholarly works – and a thesis is usually the first such kind of work in a student's life – with numerals, unless they are of special significance and have unique additional meaning, the usual practice is to write them out in letters between one and ten.

You can nicely frame the completed thesis visually if you insert a solid line in the header on each page.

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4. Procedural Requirements for Thesis Preparation

Completed in accordance with the approved topic outline, the thesis should be submitted in one copy to the department in charge of the topic by the deadline specified in the schedule for traineeships. Prior to submission, the electronic version of the thesis (one .zip or .doc file) should be uploaded to a computer of the library appointed for this purpose. The uploading is checked and certified by the library in the form provided in Appendix 4. The department in charge can only accept the thesis upon the presentation of this certificate. Any thesis declared confidential does not have to be uploaded in electronic form in the library.

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Please notethat the deadline for submission cannot be modified even on

payment of an extra procedural fee!

The following documents should be submitted to the department along with the thesis:

The student's copy of the Final Thesis Topic Outline signed (Appendix 6)

Summary in duplicate (Appendix 7) Consultation Sheet duly completed (Appendix 10) The external consultant's Thesis Review in triplicate, in a sealed

envelope (Appendix 8) The external consultant's proposal (one copy) in a sealed

envelope (Appendix 9)

During the preparation of the thesis the student must take at least three consultation opportunities at the department in charge of the thesis.

Consultation can take place in the form of a personal meeting or by phone or by email.

The verification of consultation is recorded by the consultant on the student's Consultation Sheet (Appendix 10) with an indication of the time and purpose of consultation. The Consultation Sheet is stored by the department in charge of the thesis. It should be placed at the student's disposal and attached to the thesis upon its completion.

The thesis is reviewed by a tutor (internal consultant) appointed by the head of the institutional department (head of department section). If necessary, the head of institutional department (the head of department section) can appoint more than one tutor to review the thesis.The reviewers give a written assessment of the thesis according to specific criteria (the assessment criteria are presented in Chapter 5) on the one hand, and rate it with a proposed grade on a scale of 1-5, on the other hand. The written assessment of the thesis given by the reviewers should be communicated to the candidate at least 6 days prior to the start of the final exams.

The author of any thesis not accepted by the department is informed thereof by the department clerk based on the head of department's decision 10 days prior to the start of the final exams at the latest.

The grade of a thesis accepted by the department is determined by the consultant in charge of the topic (based on proposals by the external and the internal operative consultants), and admission to the final exam is proposed by the head of department.

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The student should register for the final exam in the NEPTUN system.

The economic organisation facilitating the traineeship may request the thesis to be classified as confidential. The electronic version of a confidential thesis does not have to be uploaded to the library's computer. The confidential thesis is not returned to the student, the printed copy is filed in the archives in compliance with the regulations for the management of confidential documents. To have a thesis classified as confidential, the form presented in Appendix 5 should be used.

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5. Criteria for Thesis Assessment

5.1. Recency of the Chosen Topic and the Applied MethodIt is important that the student should undertake to elaborate a topic significant from a theoretical or practical point of view. The assessment takes into consideration how up-to-date the chosen topic is in the current economic situation.In addition to elaborating special literature, the thesis is based on independent data collection. It is important that data collection should be purposeful and the student should check the data. During data collection it is advisable to record all the data referring to the investigated topic but proper selection during elaboration is also important. It is essential that the thesis should contain comparative data as well.The proper choice and rational application of the processing method is a significant criterion. The assessment takes into consideration whether the student has applied the methods appropriate to the topic, whether the applied method is not one having an end in itself and whether the candidate has employed the use of computer technology.It is not enough to state the results arithmetically, they should be interpreted and evaluated. For an indicator it is not enough e.g. to demonstrate the change in its value, it is the investigation of the reason for the change and the investigation of its possible consequences that makes the thesis analytical and not merely fact-giving.

5.2. Theoretical Grounding of the ThesisIn the assessment of sound literary foundations, a due consideration is how much the used special literature serves the thorough elaboration of the topic, and how much the student has relied on the domestic and, if justified or necessary, the international literary results. It is increasingly an expectation from the student that in the preparation of his/her thesis he/she should also use at least one foreign source – not from the Internet.

5.3. Practical Value of the SolutionIn the assessment of the practical value of the solution it is considered how realistic an evaluation or interpretation the student gives to the stated results and how original and well-founded his/her deductions are. Considerations through weighing up, where the findings are not just conveyed but the advantages and disadvantages are also demonstrated in parallel, increase the value of the thesis. The value of the thesis is also enhanced if its deductions are noteworthy and its suggestions are feasible.

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5.4. Critical Tone of the ThesisThe student is expected to disclose his/her own opinion, standpoint and its justification in the thesis. It is a positive feature if the student brings up alternative solutions and evaluates them.The contrast between theory and practice is also assessed. It is considered proper if the student compares the results achieved through independent work with the literary data and if he/she compares the different standpoints in scientific literature and evaluates them critically.

5.5. Structure, Style and Appearance of the ThesisAn important criterion in the assessment of the structure is whether the thesis is properly divided, the individual chapters are well based on each other, and the thesis constitutes an integral whole.In the assessment of the style the professional, distinct, concise and high-quality Hungarian wording is a basic requirement.In the assessment of the external appearance the impression, the neatness of the thesis as a whole, the placing, drawing and orderliness of the tables, charts and figures are relevant criteria.

6. Regulations for the Final Exam

A condition of admitting a student to the final exam is the existence of the final certificate and the acceptance of the thesis. Accordingly, a student whose thesis has not been accepted, cannot take the comprehensive state examination.

The students defend their theses completed, reviewed by the external (the company's) and the internal (departmental) consultants and deemed admissible to the final exam in front of a board within the framework of the final exam. In training programmes under the Bologna system the final exam consists of two parts:

Oral comprehensive exam based on the drawing of exam questions

Defence of Thesis

Comprehensive Exam

The heads of the competent departments responsible for the specialisations /hereinafter competent departments/ make a proposal for the composition of the comprehensive examination boards: the chairman and the members, which is forwarded to the Dean, the Vice Dean, the Head of the Dean's Office /DO/, and for information purposes to the Heads of Departments. The request for the board members is issued by the Dean. The minute-taker for the examination board is appointed by the Head of the DO.

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The competent departments set the dates of the exams, which are announced through the NEPTUN system. The students register for the announced dates. The allocation of rooms is compiled by the DO based on the announced dates.

The competent departments review the submitted theses and decide whether the thesis is acceptable or not. The deadline for this qualification and for the finishing of the review is stipulated in the schedule of the current school year.

The competent departments notify the students whose theses have not been accepted, and therefore cannot sit their final exam nor participate in the comprehensive exam. The notification is provided through the NEPTUN system and by letter.

The competent departments hand over the list of reviews and the list of the authors of the accepted and unaccepted theses to the Head of the DO.

The competent departments sort the received reviews and the letters containing the rejections according to examination boards, and then prior to the exam hand them over to the minute-taker of the board.

To facilitate the organisation of the comprehensive exam, the competent departments compile sets of examination questions to be drawn on the basis of the ranges of subjects made available to the students, through which the oral exam will be performed.

The performance of the students having taken the comprehensive exam is evaluated and graded by the board in a closed meeting after the finishing of the exams. Simultaneous with the announcing of the grades, the chairman of the board hands over the thesis review to the candidate.

Only the candidates having successfully passed the comprehensive exam can take the thesis defence exam.

Thesis Defence

The thesis can be defended after the successful passing of an oral comprehensive exam based on the drawing of a question. The defence is arranged after the oral exam, i.e. not at the same time, normally in front of a representative board.

The final examination board evaluates the thesis considering the written grade based on the consultants' opinions and the oral defence, and establishes the final thesis grade.

An important aspect of the oral thesis defence is to assess how much the candidates are able to give a talk on a particular professional topic,

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deliver an independent presentation and how they can answer questions not known in advance; therefore the defence takes place within the framework of a presentation. The presentation file should be prepared using Microsoft Power Point. If other applications are also required for the presentation, a couple of days before the final exam please inquire if they will be available at the time of the defence.

In creating the presentation you should take the following into consideration:

not more than 15 minutes is available for each student, this time frame should also include time for questions and answers;

each slide in the presentation should be prepared so that it is not overcrowded, should not include quotations of several lines from the thesis and should allow easy and quick comprehension;

the number of slides should not exceed 10, since otherwise you cannot keep to the time limit;

in addition to the colour of the chosen background you should also pay attention to the colour, size and placing of the font and figures – the chosen style should attract attention yet be restrained. It also applies here that, on the one hand, less is sometimes more and, on the other hand, the presentation is in a way the personal 'selling' of the ideas introduced in the thesis and, therefore, it should not be colourless either. It is the student who has to find the right balance.

The student can ask for his/her college consultant's help with the preparation of the presentation. Certain departments and certain internal (departmental) consultants provide an opportunity to the students preparing their theses to give their finished presentations within the frame of a so called internal or mock thesis defence as a means of simulating the live situation before the final exam. This opportunity is not compulsory; however, it can help the student in his/her successful preparation and high-quality thesis presentation.

The students are notified in writing of the time and date of the thesis defence. The students defending their theses have one hour available prior to the announced starting time to upload their presentation to the computer in the room appointed for the defence. The college staff will help with the uploading; the data carrier should be a device with a USB port (e.g. a pen drive).

There is no preparation time available to the student for the giving of the presentation. During the presentation any one of the board members participating in the defence can ask anything in connection with the topic.For the defence the student should also bring the presentation in at least five printed copies, and then hand them over to the members of the examination board. The members of the examination board can ask questions appropriately and especially in a way understandable to the

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candidates if they have the complete material in their hands, can turn the pages forward, and can assess the content of the presentation in advance.

It is recommended that you should think over and practise your presentation. You should also be prepared for questions interrupting your presentation now and then. You should resume your presentation after giving the answer. Simple though it may seem, giving the presentation is a complex event. You have to concentrate on both the content and the delivery. The delivery involves clear, distinct and understandable speech as well as your appearance which, in addition to your clothes, means just as significantly your posture, gestures, etc. For that very reason it is important that you should not give the presentation within the final exam for the first time but preferably after obtaining some experience in delivering a speech.

It is recommended that before the exam you should read your thesis again and interpret the received reviews. From the reviews it for the most part clearly appears which areas of your thesis were done successfully and which were done less successfully. During the defence the examining teacher can ask about the poorer parts, allowing the candidate to correct the mistake or deficiency, explain, discuss, defend or debate the part not sufficiently depicted.

Failed Final Exam

In case of failing the final exam the candidate can retake it on two occasions. The retake final exam can be done in the next final exam session at the earliest.

In case of retaking a failed final exam (whether the comprehensive or the defence), the student can only resubmit a previously accepted thesis subject to the written permission of the head of specialisation/department.

In the case of a final exam taken after two failed retake exams, and from the 3rd semester as of the first attempted final exam, the complete final exam must be repeated, i.e. the comprehensive exam and the defence, a new thesis must be prepared (unless permission is granted by the head of specialisation/department to defend the previously accepted thesis).

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Appendices

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Appendix 1: Sample Outer Title Page

BUDAPEST BUSINESS SCHOOLFACULTY OF FINANCE AND ACCOUNTANCY

THESIS

”Name”“Course”“Major”“Specialisation”

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“Year”

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Appendix 2: Sample Declaration

DECLARATION

I, the undersigned …………………………………………., being fully aware of my legal liability hereby declare that the facts and data included in my thesis agree with reality, and what is written therein is the result of my own independent work.I applied the data used in my thesis considering the legal protection of copyright.No portion of this thesis has been earlier submitted to obtain a degree for any other training at any educational institution.

Budapest, ……………………………… 20.....

_________________________Student's signature

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Appendix 3: Sample Inner Title Page

BUDAPEST BUSINESS SCHOOLFACULTY OF FINANCE AND ACCOUNTANCY

”Title of the Thesis”

Internal Consultant: “Name”

External Consultant: “Name”

“Name”“Course”“Major”“Specialisation”

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“Year”

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Appendix 4: Acknowledgement of Receipt by the Library

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF RECEIPT BY THE LIBRARY

Student's name:Student's NEPTUN code:Major/Specialisation, group No:

I declare that the electronic document uploaded fully corresponds to my thesis submitted in writing.

Student's signature

I acknowledge the uploading of the thesis in electronic form:

Budapest, ……………………….. 20.....

Library representative

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Appendix 5: Application for Classifying the Thesis as Confidential

APPLICATION FOR CONFIDENTIALITY

Student's data:

Name:NEPTUN code:Major/Specialisation:Address:College consultant/ Department

I, the undersigned employer's representative, request the above-named student's thesis entitled

to be classified as confidential.

Place of traineeship/thesis preparation:

Company name:Address:Name and position of employer's representative

Date: ............................................ .…........................................... 20.....

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L.S.

.......…..........................................Signature of Employer's Representative

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Appendix 6: Thesis Topic Outline

THESIS TOPIC OUTLINE (detailed)(to be filled in with the use of text editor in duplicate, 4 pages)

Student's name:NEPTUN code:Course, Major/Specialisation,Year/Group No:Postal address:Phone (Mobile):e-mail address:

Title of the thesis:

Place of thesis preparation:Company name:Company address:Company consultantName, position:Contact information:

I undertake to perform the consultant's duties in relation to the above topic and comment on the prepared thesis in writing by the deadline.

Budapest, ….. (day) ...................... (month) ........ 20..... (year)

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........................................………Consultant

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Detailed outline of the thesis:

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I accept/do not accept the topic outline.

Budapest, ….. (day) ........................... (month) ........ 20..... (year)

.........................................................Operative Consultant

Contact information:FFA: 469-6600/ extensionMobile:e-mail address:Room No:Consulting hours:

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I recommend the thesis for acceptance:

Topic Supervising Consultant

Assessment by the internal (departmental) consultant: ..............................………….

Assessment by the external (company) consultant: ..............................………….

Final grade of the thesis: ..............................………….

CAN BE ADMITTED TO STATE EXAM

Budapest, …... (day) .............................. (month) ......... 20..... (year)

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Head of Academic Department

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Appendix 7: Summary of the Thesis

SUMMARY(to be submitted in duplicate)

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________Title of the thesis

_____________________________________Student's name

Course/Group/Major/Specialisation

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Appendix 8: Thesis Review

THESIS REVIEW(by the external consultant, to be submitted in triplicate)

…………………………………Candidate

…………………………………………………….Major, Specialisation

…………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………

title of the thesis

1. Recency of the chosen topic and the applied method

2. Theoretical grounding of the thesis

3. Practical value of the solution

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4. Critical tone of the thesis

5. Structure, style and appearance of the thesis

6. Further comments

I recommend the thesis for acceptance1

I do not recommend the thesis for acceptance

Date: ………………………….. (day) …………….. (month) ……. 20..... (year)

Consultant's nameSignature

1 Underline as applicable

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Appendix 9: Proposal for Questions

PROPOSAL(by the external consultant, to be submitted in one copy)

…………………………………Candidate's name

Questions to be answered during the thesis defence

Assessment of the thesis:

with a number: …..

with letters: ……………….

Date: …………………… (day) ………… (month) …… 20..... (year)

……………………………….External Consultant's signature

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Appendix 10: Consultation SheetBudapest Business SchoolFaculty of Finance and Accountancy…………………………….. Department

FINAL EXAM THESIS CONSULTATION SHEET

Student's name:Place and date of birth:NEPTUN code:Major: Specialisation:Consultant's name: Position:

Title of final thesis:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Verification of departmental consultations

Date of consultati

on

Theme of consultation Signature of departmental

consultant

The final thesis can be submitted.

Budapest, ………………………. 20.....………………………….....

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Signature of Departmental Consultant

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Appendix 11: Application for Thesis Topic Admission

APPLICATION FOR THESIS TOPIC ADMISSION

Student's name:NEPTUN code: Course:Major: Specialisation:

To: Head of Specialisation

Dear Sir or Madam

You are kindly requested to give me permission to write my thesis on a topic different

from those specified for my specialisation.

Reason:

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………………

Budapest, ………………………. 20.....

………………………….....signature of Head of Specialisation

……………………………………….. Department

To: Head of Department

Dear Sir or Madam

You are kindly requested to give me permission to write my thesis on a topic recommended by your department.

Chosen topic:……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Budapest, ………………………. 20.....

Permission granted Permission rejected

………………………….....signature of Head of Department

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Appendix 12: Application for Acceptance of the Thesis

APPLICATION FOR ACCEPTANCE OF THE THESIS

Student's name:NEPTUN code: Course:Major: Specialisation:

……………………………………….. Department

To: Head of Department

Dear Sir or Madam

You are kindly requested to give me permission to resubmit my thesis entitled

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..

(my college consultant: ………………………………………) written and accepted in

the ………………….. semester of the 20…./20…. school year and again in the

………………….. semester of the 20…./20…. school year unchanged.*

Budapest, ………………………. 20.....………………………….....

Student's signatureCollege consultant's suggestion:

I recommend I do not recommend

the resubmission of the thesis.

Budapest, ………………………. 20.....………………………….....

signature of College Consultant

For the submission of the thesis unchanged

permission if granted. permission is rejected.

………………………….....signature of Head of Department

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