Reference no: EM133095449 , Length: word count:12000

International Management Dissertation

ASSESSMENT

The summative assessment for the module is a 12,000--15,000 word dissertation, from conception through literature review, research planning, data collection, analysis and write-up.

In order to help establish clear direction for the research project and to provide formative support for that direction, the student should follow the feedback to their research proposal. The proposal enhances the potential for the student to receive clear guidance on the planned research.

AIM, OUTCOMES AND BENEFITS OF COMPLETING A DISSERTATION

The purpose of the dissertation module is to provide you with an opportunity to explore, in depth, an area of study which is of interest and relevant to your career path. The dissertation will involve demonstration of your ability to conceptualise, research, analyse and evaluate an issue in a business-related area. This general outcome can be implemented through application of knowledge gained throughout the MSc programme.

In an original research, that meets high academic quality standards and addresses a defined management or organization problem. The theoretical leaps and findings from the study should potentially help to extend our understanding of a particular managerial issue or its implication on successful organizing in the international context.
It is expected in a postgraduate dissertation that you will:
Display clarity in your topic definition
Provide a carefully argued case for the methods and techniques employed
Show appropriate intellectual rigour (especially in the application of concepts and relevant theory or applied analysis to solve problems)
Demonstrate sensitivity to the organisational context within which any change recommendations made.

On successful completion of the dissertation module you should be able to:
Apply the knowledge, critical thinking, and problem solving skills and techniques that have been acquired during the preceding studies to an area of personal interest;
Acquire sufficient familiarity with the research or applied problem-solving process to be able to conduct further business research investigations competently;
Manage the research process over a prolonged period of time (i.e. demonstrate practical project management and organisational skills);
Culminate the research exercise with a written dissertation to a satisfactory standard;
Demonstrate independent learning development.

Step 1: Identifying a Broad Area of Study
Considering the following avenues can identify possible areas to research:
• Issues that were raised in taught modules that were particularly interesting to you;
• Problems identified in prior work experiences
• Research interests to support your own business
• Topical issues that have appeared in the business/management media;
• Directions and future research opportunities outlined at the end of articles in top ranked journal.
• Conversations with others e.g. fellow students, alumni, academic staff, friends, business people.
Remember, at the time that you are identifying your topic, it is likely that you will not have covered all the taught modules (core and electives). It is advisable to spend some time considering issues that will be addressed by these modules. You can talk to the relevant lecturers, consult course outlines and examine recent scholarly journals for possible ideas.

Step 2: Develop several possible research topics within chosen area
It is almost certain that your first few proposals or discussions with the module leader are unlikely to be acceptable. You may not be able to get access to data. You may suggest topics that are too wide or too narrow. The topic may have been written about so much that there is no scope for originality. For these and similar reasons you may suggest new topics only to find that they are not feasible. Do not give up! Each suggested topic should help you to recognise the characteristics of suitable ones and unsuitable ones.
Because the module leader or the potential supervisor may reject several of your initial proposals, it is a good idea to draw up three or four topics within the broad area of interest.

Step 3: Draw up a research outline

Write up a research outline. This outline will help to focus your thinking and encourages you to explore:
• The problem, issue, or question you want to address
• Its importance
• An understanding of prior research
• Your broad research approach
• Potential outcomes (what you feel you will achieve as a result of conducting the research).
If you cannot articulate what the underlying question that you are trying to address then you have not really got a research topic. A student, who says, "I want to investigate strategic planning in the brewing industry" has got a broad area of research but not a topic. Strategic planning is too broad an area as no question/dilemma/problem has been posed. Taking a broad area means that you are likely to end up with a descriptive piece of work that does not permit you to demonstrate that you have achieved the desired learning outcomes. Strategic planning offers the possibility of a wide range of research topics, each of which could explore different aspects. Start by trying to identify a few good topics, select the most promising, and keep modifying these until one which meets all the essential criteria (see step 4) is found.
Do not pick on one topic alone: your initial ideas are almost certain to have drawbacks and you will have no alternatives in mind.

Step 4: Assess each research outline
You can avoid many of the typical problems which students find in undertaking research if you ask - and answer honestly and critically - a set of questions designed to eliminate topics which have little chance of success.
a. Have I really got a research question?
This is the first area that any tutor will explore with you. You should avoid wasting their time by working through stages 1-3 before seeing them.
b. Am I really interested in this topic/case?
You will be working on one topic for up to 9 months and you will you will be expected to put in 400 hours study time. You will probably read about the topic in a number of textbooks and journal articles. You will write your chapters, edit and re-edit it two or three times over, until it is of a suitable standard. You will finish up dreaming about your research. In fact, for many students it becomes a way of life!
c. Now think, are you really so interested in the topic that you can put up with all that?
Will the findings be useful - to me in my career prospects? - To potential employers? - And to management education?
If you have particular career objectives in mind, it is useful to select a topic or a case that can help you to realise these objectives. Students often use their dissertations as substantial evidence of their expertise and competence in their chosen area of research. Remember: when you go for interview, you have the chance to introduce your research then you should know more about the topic than most.
d. Many dissertations produce findings that can be helpful to management as a whole. Interesting findings - with due consideration to confidentiality - can be disseminated via conferences, publications and via staff teaching on future courses.

4. What sources of information will I need? Will I be able to get the required information?

Many students fail to appreciate the difficulties in gaining information. In certain cases students have embarked on an investigation and conducted their literature search but have then found that they cannot get the facts they need to make their research original. Questionnaire response rates are often low: 20% is probably typical. Companies will rarely give commercially sensitive information, and in many cases may not have suitable records to allow them to give the required information.

Literature review
Having set the scene in your introduction you will need to demonstrate your familiarity with relevant literature and that you have based your dissertation on sound theory. In most, if not all, investigations there will be a wealth of prior research. Do not ignore this earlier work as you may spend a lot of time "re-inventing the wheel". You are expected to conduct a critical review of the literature. This means not accepting concepts, ideas and frameworks at face value. You should determine the relevance and applicability of the earlier work to your area of research and identify richer questions. Do not include work that is not relevant, as this will detract from your arguments. You may find previous research that is relevant but not applicable. For example you may be conducting research on, say, total quality management (TQM) in small businesses. Prior work conducted on TQM in large businesses may be relevant but it is not necessarily applicable. In this instance you would be expected to discuss the issues that the prior findings raises for your own research by examining the conditions and assumptions that applied in the large company research. You may well find that cited authors have conflicting views and explanations for phenomena. It is your task to discuss why these views may differ and to note the implications for your own work. This means that you need to be analytical (i.e. attempt to identify cause and effect) rather than simply state that author A says "X" and author B says "Y". You will find further guidance on the various forms of critical evaluation in Appendix 2.

The literature review should culminate in the presentation of a conceptual framework or model that will guide the conduct of your own research. The conceptual model may be a single model or be derived as an adaptation or hybrid of a number of models (partially this will depend on the complexity of the problem being investigated). You should note that if no conceptual framework is produced (except when conducting exploratory research) then you will seriously jeopardise your marks. A conceptual framework should help you to:
communicate the (hypothesised) interrelationship between factors involved in your research;
demonstrate that you have a set of questions that you will investigate to achieve your aim and objectives;
avoid "black-holes" where key aspects are ignored;
form the basis for developing your own research design as it will determine the nature of the data that you will need to collect and analyse to answer the identified questions; and
Provide a summary of the key issues arising from your literature review.

Research Methodology
Demonstrate your familiarity with the principles of business research (including the two main research paradigms) and justify the research design that you have adopted. You should be able to make a clear linkage between your aim and objectives, your conceptual framework and your research methods.

You should also deal with practical issues such as the amount of resources and time required conducting research using particular methods and how triangulation may help to overcome the limitations of relying on one research method. Given the time constraint on your work, sampling method and the actual choice and representativeness of your sample will be an important facet to explain. The discussion should cover how you propose to collect and analyse your data.

Discussion
Some students prefer to include this dimension of writing up their research within the Findings chapter. There is a need to consider the purpose of the discussion before deciding whether to merge the chapters. The discussion should cover the following:
a self-critical review as to whether the research questions have been addressed;
a critical appraisal of the research design and any limitations that this may have placed on the validity and reliability of the findings and what actions had been taken to reduce the impact of bias (remember: it can be valuable to consider reasons for non-response);
a consideration of how the findings of this research relate to earlier work;
implications of the research/conclusions and including practical considerations of any proposed implementation;
suggested improvements to the research design including additional questions raised and recommendations for further research.

All of the above aspects involve "standing back" from the findings to take a wider and more critical view. In most instances this perspective is most readily obtained by separating the findings and discussion as suggested here. It will be observed that this chapter will contain much of the material on conclusions and recommendations that will be summarised in the final chapter.

Attachment:- Dissertation_Module.rar