MBA Thesis The number of ECTS credit points for a Project Paper is thirty (30) and the length of the project ((20,000)) words as the attached link: drive.google.com/drive/folders/18J-MCB4MGUUiljZ9Oz
7 | Page
DBA Thesis
INTRODUCTION
Thesis
This is a compulsory module in the DBA degree program where candidates are expected to submit a thesis based on supervised work on a topic in the candidates’ area of study and approved by the School. The number of ECTS credit points and the length of the project paper consists of minimum 25000 words
The thesis is the most important element of a research degree. It is a test of the student’s ability to undertake and complete a sustained independent research and analysis, and to write up that research in a coherent form according to the rules and conventions of the academic community.
A thesis should be adequate in its methodology, in its analysis and in its argument, and adequately demonstrate its author’s familiarity with the relevant literature. A thesis should also be written in correct, coherent language, in an appropriate style, correctly following the conventions of citation and it should have a logical and visible structure and development that should assist the reader’s understanding of the argument being presented.
Guidelines for academic writings in general
The Nature of Academic Writings
The following discussion on the nature of university essays is adapted from Clanchy and Ballard (1981 pp.4-11) who state that at university level it is expected that your essay will be:
clearly focused on the set topic and will deal fully with its central concerns
the result of wide and critical thinking
a reasoned argument
competently presented
Understanding the nature of university essays, and what makes a piece of work scholarly, is essential knowledge for students. But you are also required to put your understanding into practice. The above four points can be discussed further in a more practical way.
You will be expected to demonstrate the relevance of your essay to the set topic by:
recognizing the assumptions and implications underlying the actual working of the topic and taking account of them in the course of your essay;
handling the topic and its key terms within the limits of the course and discipline being studied;
focusing consistently on the key ideas and terms throughout your essay;
covering all the parts of the set topic; some topics will include a number of sub-topics or sub-questions related to the main theme.
You will be expected to demonstrate wide and critical use of written resources by:
reading with a questioning mind - not accepting that something is true simply because it is published and not expecting that there is any single correct answer to complex questions;
reading in order to understand both the meaning of each individual sentence and its relationship to the developing structure of the argument;
evaluating continuously what you are reading by testing the opinions and judgments of the writer against the evidence she/he provides and against the opinions and judgments of other writers (and maybe against your own experience) and then by deciding whether this material is relevant to the purpose of your essay.
You will be expected to demonstrate your ability to present a reasoned argument by:
selecting only points which are directly relevant to your topic and your argument, discarding those which may have seemed relevant when your ideas were still developing;
structuring the material so that the main ideas are presented logically and coherently, i.e. each idea must fit reasonably with that which precedes it and that which follows, and the ideas taken together must lead consistently to your overall conclusion;
ensuring that each section of your argument is internally consistent, with the evidence, examples, and quotations clearly supporting or extending the central idea being developed;
taking into account alternative points of view or interpretations of the materials you have used.
You will be expected to demonstrate competent presentation skills by:
adopting a tone and style which are appropriate to academic writing in general and to the special demands of the discipline in which you are working;
using the necessary specialist terminology accurately;
using the correct format for quotations;
following the form of referencing and bibliographic citation which is standard for the discipline;
presenting graphic and numerical data accurately and economically;
editing your essay carefully for error in grammar, spelling and punctuation and for precision in choice of words and expression of ideas.
Using references and avoiding plagiarism
It is usual to read widely when preparing university essays. Be aware that you need to identify the source of every quotation you use and create a list of references at the end of your essay. Failure to do this is regarded as plagiarism.
Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, failure to indicate the source with quotation marks or footnotes where appropriate if any of the following are reproduced in the work submitted by a student:
A phrase, written or musical.
A graphic element.
A proof.
Specific language.
An idea derived from the work, published or unpublished, of another person.
Murdoch University’s "How to Cite References" provides one such detailed guidance on referencing conventions: http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/guides/cite.html
NB: if a supervisor suspects plagiarism, he/she should take the necessary
1. THESIS PROPOSAL/SYNOPSIS
A candidate is required to submit in writing the title and the synopsis (not exceeding 1000 words) of his Thesis for approval. The synopsis must describe the issue, research problems, and significance of the study, methods and procedures to be used in carrying out the research.
What is a Synopsis?
A synopsis is a brief description or summary of the substance of the research and the literature the students expect to use. Synopses will typically be consist of:
Title of Project
List of Contents
Case (Problem background description)
Problem Statement
Methodology and theory
Timetable
The main purpose of synopses is to form the basis for initial guidance by the supervisor. Do not be nervous to write anything that later has to be dropped or changed.
2. Structure of a THESIS:
2.1 Parts of the thesis should be ordered as follows:
Title page Required
Copyright notice (if required by department)
Abstract or executive summary (as required by department)
Acknowledgements or dedications Optional
Table of contents Required
List of Figures, Tables or Illustrations Where required
List of Abbreviations Where required
Body of the thesis Required
Appendices Where required
Glossary Where required
Bibliography/Reference list Required
- 2.2 Layout and Appearance
The thesis should be computer printed on A4 papers in Times New Roman, or Arial 12pt.
The thesis may be printed double-sided or single-sided.
Double-spacing will be used in the abstract and text of the thesis.
Single spacing will be used in long tables, quotations, footnotes, and bibliographical entries.
Paragraphs should be indented, or an empty line left between paragraphs, depending on departmental requirements.
Margins should be one inch or 2.5 cm on all sides.
Page size should be set to A4, not letter.
Pages should be numbered at the bottom in the centre, using Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3) starting with the first page of the thesis
Chapters should start on a new page, but sections and subsections should not.
- 2.3 Structure of initial parts
- 2.3.1 Title page
The title page should have the following information in the same order:
The title of the thesis
The candidate’s name
The name of the university
The supervisors’ names
The place of submission (country name)
The year of submission
- 2.3.2 Abstract/ Executive Summary
The abstract should be minimum 150 words and maximum 250 words. Abstract should normally include the following information: (1) a statement of the problem the research sets out to study; (2) the methodology used; (3) the major findings.
- 2.3.3 Table of Contents
The thesis must have a table of contents page listing chapter headings, section headings and sub-headings, Appendices and references as well as their corresponding page number. The ‘Table of Contents’ feature of Microsoft Word or other word-processing software should be used to create a table of contents and this should be done after final editing so that pages referred to in the table of contents are correctly numbered
- 2.3.4 List of Figures, Tables or Illustrations
A separate list of figures, tables, or illustrations should be included on a separate page following the table of contents.
- 2.4 Structure of final parts
- 2.4.1 Appendices
- 2.4 Structure of final parts
Appendices may be needed for reports, maps, diagrams, interview questionnaires, or any similar data that are not contained in the body of the thesis. These should be provided after the conclusion.
- 2.4.2 Bibliography/Reference List
A list of the sources used in the thesis must be supplied using one of the electronic referencing tools like “Endnote” or “Refworks” and you can find then in the following links:
Endnote: http://www.endnote.com/endemo.asp
Refworks: http://www.refworks.com/individual/index.html
- 2.5 Body of the thesis
Chapter 1: Purpose and Significance of the research
In the first chapter, clearly state what the purpose of the research is and explain its significance. The significance is addressed by how the research adds to the theoretical body of knowledge in the field and the research’s practical significance for researchers in the field being examined. Without a clear purpose and strong theoretical grounding, the thesis is fundamentally flawed.
Chapter 2: Review of the Literature
The literature review should describe and analyze the previous research on the topic, but it should not be just stating what other researchers have found, it should discuss and analyze the body of knowledge with the objective of determining what is known and what is not known about the topic. This determination leads to your research questions and hypotheses.
Chapter 3: Methodology
This chapter describes the data gathering method you used in your research and how you analyzed your data. You should begin by describing the method you chose and why this method was the most appropriate and you should cite reference literature about the method description and its appropriateness to your research topic.
Next, you should detail every step of the data gathering and analysis process. This includes description of research design and description of your population and selection method of your population and the method of data analysis used in your research.
Chapter 4: Findings
This chapter addresses the results from your data analysis only not the implications of your findings. You should begin by outlining any descriptive or exploratory analyses that were conducted. Then you should state the results of the tests of hypotheses by using Tables or figures to illustrate and summarize all numerical information.
For qualitative research if you have conducted focus groups or interviews, it is often appropriate to provide a brief descriptive of the participants’ profile first. Direct quotation and paraphrasing of data from focus groups, interviews, or historical artifacts then are used to support the data.
Chapter 5: Discussion
The purpose of this chapter is to discuss what your findings mean in relation to the theoretical body of knowledge on the topic and your profession. Begin by discussing your findings in relation to the theoretical framework introduced in the literature review. This chapter also should address what your findings mean for professionals in the field being examined.
Submission of Thesis
For graduation purposes, the thesis must be submitted four weeks before the date of the defense of the thesis. Candidates who have submitted their Thesis after the stipulated deadline may not be able to graduate in that particular year even though they have fulfilled all other coursework requirements.
Copyright Rules and Responsibility
Students are strongly recommended to read and fully understand international laws of copyrights to avoid any legal liabilities
The FULL responsibility for the authenticity and compliance of the thesis to the international “Intellectual Property Rights” Laws is the SOLE responsibility of the student
You may find useful free information on the world wide web as : http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/copyright/ but this is no substitute to legal advice if needed
MGM900 Final Project Page 7 of 7
