Master's theses defense of the "Management and Analytics for Business" programme: impressions of graduates and experts

The master’s theses defense of students studying at the "Management and Analytics for Business" program (transformed into postgraduate program Data analytics for Business and Economics from the 2023/2024 academic year ) took place on June 8-9, 2023. Ever in the history of masters since 2018, that was the first time when students presented their theses on-campus, without online platforms.

During the defense, 17 projects on the most relevant topics of business and management were presented. The state examination commission was attended by representatives of leading companies, such as LLC Lenta, LLC Gazpromneft-Digital Solutions, JSC BIOCAD, LLC Novartis Pharma, Application "Wallet". The students successfully demonstrated their knowledge, abilities and practical skills in data analysis, as well as answered the questions and comments of the committee members.

We asked both students and experts about the recent theses defense.

Students:

Kristina Lapteva, 2nd year student of the Master's program “Management and Analytics for Business".

“It was disturbing for me to present the results of our thesis paper before the commission, because there was a fear of forgetting to say something important about the practical application of our results. Nevertheless, my colleagues and I were confident in the usefulness of the obtained results due to the fact that during the last two years of studying at “Management and Analytics for Business” we constantly delved into various ways of analyzing big data. Especially in the preparation of our dissertation, the knowledge gained on the track “Customer analytics” helped us, since our research was about predicting customer satisfaction in the hotel business. The defense process itself went well, the members of the commission were able to organize a friendly atmosphere in which any student felt calm.”

Valeria Shvetsova, 2nd year student of the Master's program “Management and Analytics for Business".

“I was confident in our success, as my colleagues and I carefully prepared for the defense. If we talk about the educational process in general, then, of course, it is a pity that some of the disciplines had to be taken remotely because of the pandemic. But despite this, my groupmates and I still had the opportunity to communicate and exchange experience and knowledge. In general, I do not regret my choice of a master's program, as I have acquired the necessary knowledge for practice, which I already apply in the professional field.”

Polina Ilenkova, 2nd year student of the Master's program “Management and Analytics for Business".

“HSE is a modern and cool university that provides students with all the necessary opportunities, knowledge and skills for a successful career. You become a self-confident specialist after graduation, because the university gave you knowledge not only for "study", but also for "life". The defense of the thesis paper was organized at the highest level, with the participation of competent experts. That allowed us to be sure of an objective assessment of the work and interest of the commission.”

Oikanyeng Botho Nnabu (international student), 2nd year student of the Master's program “Management and Analytics for Business".

“After having gone through online studying for the past 2 years, I was quite nervous to stand in front of a panel and defend our paper in person. However, my team and I did a good job preparing which gave us confidence to present our thoughts and results. I valued the panel's representation of a variety of viewpoints. Each member brought their own special set of experiences and expertise, which widened the discussion's focus and yielded insightful information.Their comments and criticism indicated areas where we may improve our arguments. Their thought-provoking questions pushed my team and I to think critically and confidently defend our research. More than anything, I am thankful for the opportunity we were given to participate in intellectual discussions with such an esteemed and educated group of people.”

 

Experts:

Valery Rusanov, LLC Lenta, Director of Commercial Efficiency

“I thank all the students for their excellent graduation papers. This year, all the works solve the current challenges in society, the economy and business. I am sure that program graduates with such high-quality knowledge and competencies will quickly find their jobs and prove themselves ideally in the working environment. On behalf of Lenta, we will also be glad to see the best graduates with us and are ready to consider our open positions.”

Alexander P. Timakov , LLC "Contactless", team leader of the team of data analysts, Application "Wallet".

“Year after year I found myself fascinated by the quality of SEM's students' Master Theses. Their works happen to be thoroughly researched and novel as well as of notable implementation complexity (statistical methods, analytics tools, frameworks and software)”.

Maria S. Plahotnik, EdD, Head, Associate Professor of the Department of Management of the Faculty of St. Petersburg School of Economics and Management

“It was the first time when I participated in the state examination commission of this program and I was pleasantly surprised by the external members of the commission. They are very professional and knowledgeable colleagues. Such a high level of comments from representatives of business is certainly an advantage of the program. “

Evgeny A. Antipov, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor of the Department of Management of the Faculty of St. Petersburg School of Economics and Management

Elena B. Pokryshevskaya, PhD in Economics, Associate Professor of the Department of Management of the Faculty of St. Petersburg School of Economics and Management

“It is a great pleasure for us that the invitation to become members of the state examination commission at our program is consistently accepted by a unique composition of top-class professionals from leading firms. They are incredibly educated and sensitive people who, despite their vast practical experience, show sincere interest in the work of our students, always try to delve into the topic of research, learn something potentially useful for themselves and their companies, share valuable recommendations with graduates.“

Alexander E. Amosov, JSC BIOCAD, Director of the Department of Organizational Transformation

“The master thesis defenses were at a great level, I was impressed by the students' technical skills. Several papers had definitely practical value for business, I hope that their number will only grow in the future.”

Alexey Poperlyukov, CEO, LLC Gazpromneft-Digital Solutions

In an ever-changing world caused by the development of technologies, the emergence of new economic models, the multidirectional movement of consumer markets and the birth of new management practices, it is very important to be able to interact as widely as possible with representatives of different cultures and schools. The HSE approach aimed at such cross–cultural interaction enriches all participants in the process with new knowledge - through the exchange of ideas, experience and insights into the works of students. The variety and quality of the theses were impressive. Most students demonstrated excellent knowledge and the ability to apply them to specific tasks. It can be seen that some students sincerely believe in the subject under study and plan to work out the hypotheses embedded in the theses in the future. Many students were able to combine their professional knowledge with an understanding of the specific needs of various industries, as well as good communication skills, which is extremely important now. I have noted several works for myself, the practical applicability of which is relevant and interesting. I think that they could well find a worthy continuation and implementation. Nevertheless, some of the students approached the task formally, taking a trending topic in which much, if not everything, was done before them by early followers of the trend and technology. Naturally, there may be questions about the value and uniqueness of the work carried out, as well as the usefulness of the material as a whole. As a recommendation, I would suggest in the future a more focused and selective approach to the formation of thesis topics, since the product begins with a hypothesis that needs to be worked out and viewed from different angles, and it is the dissertation that allows this to be done.

Natalia V. Volkova, PhD in Social Psychology, Associate Professor of the Department of Management of the Faculty of St. Petersburg School of Economics and Management, Academic supervisor of the program “Management and analytics for business”

The thesis defense is traditionally the most astonishing moment in the education process with episodes of success, passion and joy. Despite this enrolment being recruited in pandemics and most classes being online, all students demonstrated a great level of expertise in data analytics and high proficiency in face-to-face presentation. I wish students every success in all their endeavors. I would like to express my gratitude to Prof. Angel Barajas who was the creator of this program and set launch strong.