Dissertation MSc

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Dissertation MSc

• Dr C Rodgers
• Adapted from
• Project Guide MSc BAM M. Woods.
• Dissertation handbook S Gilmore.

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Your dissertation

• The Project represents the culmination of your
  studies.
• It is an opportunity for you to research
  something of interest and importance to you
  and/or your organisation.
• You should also develop a state of the art
  expertise in your chosen area.

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Requirements

• The overall requirement is that the design,
  execution and reporting of the investigation must
  be of an appropriate standard for a Masters
  degree.
• To achieve this, the report must include sections
  on (a) the background and aims, (b) a literature
  review, (c) the research methods adopted, (d) the
  analysis of the data/research problem, and (e)
  conclusions and recommendations

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1. Some early considerations

• The research and writing of a dissertation is one
  of the highlights of your university career.
• A demand placed upon dissertation students to
  engage in empirical research in an organizational
  setting.
• Applied Business Research - extremely helpful in
  terms of assisting you formulate ideas and
  engaging in the initial stages of your project.
• It is very important that you are able to engage
  in the primary research required here and can
  critically analyse the methodologies open to you.

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Finding a topic

• Choosing a topic can be either one of the hardest
  aspects of the dissertation or one you find to be
  relatively easy.
• If you choose to study a topic that interests
  you, then you are likely to be enthusiastic and
  well motivated
• Consider orienting your research to a subject
  area in your degree you have found interesting.
• Alternatively think about focusing on an
  organizational sector you would like to work in

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To select an area of study, the following
questions may be of use

• Where do I want to be in five years?
•  
• What skills and knowledge do I additionally need
  to get there?
•  
• What problem areas are there in my job or company
  that I would like to see tackled?
•  
• What aspects of the course would I like to pursue
  further?
• What organisational problems do my MD or other
  contacts see as being important to investigate
  and solve?
• What practical outcome would I like to see
  achieved as the result of spending considerable
  time on a study and investigation?
• Is the proposed project feasible? Am I likely to
  be able to get access to the required
  information?

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Finding a topic

• The proposed dissertation must be analytical
  rather than purely descriptive or narrative.
• It must use the literature - particularly in the
  analysis of the material that you have obtained.

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Primary data collection approval and research
ethics

• Ethical review checklist
• you need to consider the importance of ethical
  behaviour when engaging in primary research and
  in your relationships with your research
  respondents and the organization itself.
• This means that you must always gain the approval
  of your supervisor before you embark on your data
  collection.

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Access Permission

• You MUST secure the consent of your subject
  organization before you proceed any further. Some
  organizations are very open to researcher
  scrutiny but others are reluctant to submit their
  activities, staff and processes to such scrutiny.
  
• whilst a particular line manager might give
  consent for your project and be happy to allow
  you to engage in primary research, you need to
  check that your manager has this authority

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Misconduct in research

• Plagiarism
• is a serious offence against the Universitys
  regulations and will lead to grave consequences
  which can include the expulsion from the
  University without a degree being awarded.
• The most common forms of plagiarism are
• - direct copying of textural material
• - the use of other peoples data without
  acknowledgement
• - the use of ideas from other researchers without
  adequate attribution

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Allocating a supervisor

• Once the dissertation proposal forms are in, the
  dissertation coordinator will discuss
  titles/subject areas with relevant academic
  subject group leaders.
• A supervisor will be allocated to you based on
  the best match between staff expertise and your
  topic.
• This process will occur as soon as your proposals
  have been submitted via the Applied Business
  Research Unit.

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Your supervisors role and the supervision process

• It is absolutely vital that you make and maintain
  contact with your supervisor once she/he has been
  allocated to supervise your dissertation.
• Most students have fairly broad ideas about their
  chosen topic and the initial discussions with
  your supervisor will help you focus your ideas
  into a "manageable dissertation".

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Your supervisors role and the supervision process

• It is your responsibility to write the actual
  dissertation and to conduct the necessary
  research.
• Your supervisors role is essentially supportive
  and strictly advisory.
• You can also turn to your supervisor for help
  with suggestions should your research run into
  problems.
• It is not your supervisors duty to chase the
  progress of your research.
• Your supervisor is your first marker!

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The preparation and presentation of
dissertations

• The report should be clearly written and
  presented in an acceptable format
• The number of words in the project (including
  textboxes, footnotes and endnotes, but excluding
  appendices, abstract, references and the list of
  contents) must be stated somewhere in the
  beginning of the project, and must not exceed
  12,000.
• It is also essential that the ethical checklist
  in Appendix 2 should be completed, signed, dated
  and submitted with the as an appendix (otherwise
  the project cannot be awarded a pass mark).
• Penalties can be applied if the length of the
  main text exceeds by more than 10 of the
  prescribed word limit of 12.000 words.

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The preparation and presentation of
dissertations Submission

• Two bound copies of the dissertation must be
  submitted to the Course Administrator.
• You must also submit an electronic copy as a
  single Microsoft Word file on a CD. (Please put
  your name on the CD. If possible, you should
  include the appendices on the CD, but this is not
  essential.)
• The dissertation should be printed on good
  quality A4 paper and be contained in an
  acceptable cover.

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Presentation of dissertations The first page of
the final report

• PORTSMOUTH BUSINESS SCHOOL
• TITLE OF DEGREE
• Title
• Author
• Tutor
• Year of submission
• Signed statement of originality This project is
  submitted in partial fulfilment of the
  requirements for the degree of . I, the
  undersigned, declare that this project report is
  my own original work. Where I have taken ideas
  and or wording from another source, this is
  explicitly referenced in the text.
• Signed............................................
  .....
• Permission for inter-library loan I give
  permission that this report may be photocopied
  and made available for inter-library loan for the
  purpose of research.
•  
• Signed ..........................................
  .................
•  
• Note These statements must be signed and dated.
  Omit the second if your project is confidential.
•  

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The preparation and presentation of
dissertations Format

•  Introduction
• Literature review
• Methodology
• Data
• Analysis
• Conclusions
• Recommendations

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Assessment guidelines

• The importance of the research element of the
  dissertation is reflected in the assessment
  criteria that are used when they are marked.
• In accordance with the assessment regulations of
  the university, the completed dissertation will
  be marked by 2 members of academic staff, one of
  whom will be your supervisor.

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Getting a good mark

• in order to achieve a high mark, you have to meet
  a demanding set of criteria! These include
• a clear rationale for your research as
  demonstrated in focused and well-defined research
  questions.
• a very good case for your chosen methodology
• a well-structured and analytical literature
  review.
• the collection of sufficient and meaningful data,
  which are appropriately and rigorously analysed.
• relevant conclusions as well as achievable
  recommendations (where appropriate).

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Key dates for 2008/2009

• Preliminary indication of topic March 09
• Proposals due early May 09
• Supervisor Allocated May/June 09
• Submission date December 1st, 09
• Hand in to Lauren!
• Marks ratified by Unit Board March 2010

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Finally

• Good luck!
• Enjoy this experience it rewards hard work,
  imagination and serious endeavour!
• Remember that your supervisor is here to help you
  so get in contact and stay in contact with them
  throughout the year use their experience,
  expertise and ideas to help you in developing
  your own.