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Dissertationguide2020-2021.docFACULTY OF BUSINESS AND HUMANITIES
Department of Business
B.B.S. HONOURS DEGREE IN BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
STUDENT GUIDELINES
FOR RESEARCH DISSERTATIONS
2020/2021
Contents
1.
2.
3.
Introduction.........................................................................................................4
Key Dates for Dissertations 2020/2021............................................................5
The Dissertation Process ...................................................................................6
3.1 The Role of Supervision .....................................................................................6
3.1.1
3.1.2
3.1.3
3.1.4
3.1.5
Approval of research topic ..............................................................................6
Continuing direction ........................................................................................7
Meeting your supervisor and student progress ...............................................7
Supervision in the later stages........................................................................7
Assessment of dissertation .............................................................................8
3.2 Logbooks............................................................................................................8
4.
Dissertation Syllabus..........................................................................................9
4.1 Introduction.........................................................................................................9
4.2 Relevance for the Management Student ............................................................9
4.3 Aim of the Dissertation .......................................................................................9
4.4 Learning Outcomes of the Dissertation ..............................................................9
4.5 Subject Matter ..................................................................................................10
4.6 Prerequisites and Guidance .............................................................................11
4.7 Assessment ......................................................................................................11
5.
Recommended Reading ...................................................................................12
2
6.
7.
Other Resources ..............................................................................................12
Guidelines and Regulations on Research Dissertations for Students..............13
7.1 Originality .........................................................................................................13
7.2 Length ..............................................................................................................13
7.3 Submission .......................................................................................................13
7.4 Oral Examination ..............................................................................................14
7.5 Presentation and Title Page .............................................................................14
7.6 Printing and Typing ..........................................................................................17
7.7 Pagination ........................................................................................................17
7.8 Declaration .......................................................................................................17
7.9 Acknowledgements ..........................................................................................20
7.10
7.11
7.12
7.13
7.14
7.15
7.16
7.17
Table of Contents..........................................................................................20
Abstract .........................................................................................................20
Bibliography ..................................................................................................20
Referencing...................................................................................................20
Appendices ...................................................................................................21
Headings and SubHeadings ........................................................................21
Subheadings ................................................................................................21
Subsections .................................................................................................21
3
1.
Introduction
The research dissertation is one of the key components of the final year of the degree
and one of the unique characteristics of the course. Essentially, it acts as a capstone,
allowing the student to apply in an integrated fashion the theories, ideas, skills and
techniques that have been approached throughout the time on the course. Most
importantly, it allows the student to choose the subject area, approach and
methodology to a particular management / human resource management issue and to
bring it to fruition as their own selfmanaged work. The dissertation can approach an
area of personal academic or career interest and can serve as a useful springboard to
future career aspirations.
The importance of the dissertation is evidenced by the substantial time and resource
committed by the School of Business and Humanities to the supervision of the
students.
Below you will find a list of the key dates relating to the dissertation, and this is followed
by detailed guidelines for students, including the revised Style Guide. Make sure that
you are familiar with these regulations and guidelines and that you meet with your
supervisor to commence your dissertation.
4
2.
Key Dates for Dissertations 2020/2021
Date
Friday, 9th October 2020
Details
Submission of dissertation proposal.
Week beginning the 19th October 2020
Feedback on dissertation proposals and allocation of supervisors
Thursday, 10th December 2020
Submission of Literature Review (Draft)
Friday, 19th March 2021
Submission of completed dissertation to
School of Business and Humanities
Office. (This is worth 100%)
5
3.
The Dissertation Process
The dissertation is your own work, from the selection of a topic to the analysis of a
particular problem through to the completion of the finished work. It is crucial that you
incorporate your reading, research and progress into your weekly college activity. You
should dedicate the dissertation hours scheduled on your timetable to working on your
thesis. You are the driver of this subject and you take full responsibility for any choices
made regarding your topic, methodology, time management, submission etc. In
addition, it is crucial that you utilise the supervision provided by the college to help you
during the process.
3.1
The Role of Supervision
Based on your proposal, you will be allocated an academic supervisor at the beginning
of the year. It is your responsibility to meet your supervisor immediately and to agree a
weekly meeting time. The supervisor is there to guide and assist you in your
dissertation throughout the year. You must be proactive in utilising this supervision,
bringing drafts of work in progress, ideas and action plans to the meetings. Your
supervisor is not there to provide a topic, gather material or design methodologies; this
is your responsibility. Essentially, the supervisor acts as a sounding board for YOUR
ideas. The following points should also be noted.
3.1.1 Approval of research topic
On submission of dissertation topics in the first semester students obtain a broad
approval for the scope of their proposed work from the course committee. This
approval indicates that the topic area selected by the student provides scope for an
appropriate piece of research. However, at the very early stage through detailed
discussion with you, the student, the supervisor will provide advice as far as is
reasonable that the project is feasible. In particular, you should consider your topic in
terms of whether it provides an opportunity to conduct research that will draw on a body
6
of literature, establishing a relevant contextual framework and provide the opportunity
to engage in research.
3.1.2 Continuing direction
On an ongoing basis the supervisor acts as an academic soundboard for the student’s
ideas, ensures the overall project is advancing and provides feedback and appropriate
direction to achieve this advance. In particular, at the early stages, the supervisor will
provide comment on draft material to ensure that
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
the student is using the correct academic style and approach
there exists evidence of rigour, breadth and depth
there is relevance and appropriate referencing
the overall structure of the work is appropriate.
3.1.3 Meeting your supervisor and student progress
Students must meet their supervisor at weekly intervals and at a regular time. In the
event of failure by the student to meet regularly, or in the event of persistent poor
progress due to failure to meet the supervisor or for any other reason, the matter will be
brought to the attention of their class tutor or programme director.
3.1.4 Supervision in the later stages
Prior to initiating fieldwork or equivalent investigation, students will have completed a
substantial nearfinal draft of the Literature Review. Before embarking on the research,
supervisors and students should have discussed in reasonable detail the research
instrument and other aspects of the methodology. Students must clear with their
7
supervisors whether their research methods and questions are appropriate and
ethical before carrying out any fieldwork. In addition, the framework of analysis and
techniques to be used in analysis should be discussed and agreed.
After the commencement of the research, the supervisor should adopt a more
generalised supervisory role with less detailed comment on draft material. At this
stage, it is not appropriate to engage in very detailed comment on final drafts.
The implementation and analysis of the research and the synthesis and
completion of the dissertation is the students’ sole responsibility.
3.1.5 Assessment of dissertation
The mark awarded is significantly determined by the quality of the analysis and the
integration of the research comment with the literature review and the industry/context.
In addition, the mark awarded is a matter in the first instance for agreement between
the supervisor and the assigned second reader and this mark is to be subsequently
ratified by the examination board. Consequently, it is not appropriate for the supervisor
to give any indication to a student, indirectly or directly, as to a potential mark.
Assignment of readers is a matter for the Programme Director, and such assignment is not
an appropriate topic of discussion by supervisors with students.
3.2
Logbooks
To assist your progress you are required to keep a logbook of all meetings with your
supervisor. You must prepare minutes including action points for the next meeting for
each of the meetings and include these in the logbook. The logbook ensures
a) A professional approach by the student in relation to their knowledge of the
progress of the work.
b) That a set of progress targets is continually put in place to ensure the research
is advanced.
c) A mechanism is in place to identify students who are not advancing
satisfactorily.
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4.
4.1
Dissertation Syllabus
Introduction
A dissertation of approximately 10,000 - 12,000 words is an integral part of the Degree
Course. It involves a literature review on a particular topic and appropriate research as
well as the presentation and analysis of the findings from that research.
4.2
Relevance for the Management Student
The dissertation challenges the management student to apply concepts, theories and
analytical techniques gained throughout the degree course to the elucidation and
resolution of a particular management or human resource management problem or
issue.
4.3
Aim of the Dissertation
The aim of the dissertation is to enable the student to undertake a learning ‘journey’
which is largely selfdirected and selfmotivated, and which is substantially different to
the pedagogy encountered to date. It allows the student the opportunity to integrate
the various dimensions and domains of knowledge acquired thus far, and so becomes
a capstone subject. It also offers the student the chance to concentrate on and
specialise in a subject discipline and/or sectoral field of management / human resource
management, which may subsequently become a focus of career aspiration. The skills
acquired as part of the dissertation process provide a significant indicator for future
employers of your ability to apply your knowledge skills and abilities to a specific
management problem. It is also an indicator of your ability to work independently on a
finite project. Moreover, the dissertation is one of the key criteria for the entry to a
Masters programme in any discipline.
4.4
Learning Outcomes of the Dissertation
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Learners will be able upon completion of the dissertation have:
·
Engaged in a ‘journey of exploration’ of a management / human resource
management related issue;
Selected and developed a specific dissertation topic;
Formulated research objectives and/or hypotheses;
Written a focused and critical review of appropriate academic literature;
Reviewed an appropriate industry sector or other relevant contextual issues;
Undertaken primary research;
Considered research findings in the context of the existing literature;
Held regular meetings with a nominated supervisor.
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
4.5
Subject Matter
The design of a study begins with the selection of a topic and a research paradigm.
The paradigm advances assumptions about the market, how scientific enquiry should
be conducted, and what constitutes legitimate problems, solutions, and criteria of
“proof”. As such, paradigms encompass both theory and methods. The student will
make decisions about qualitative and quantitative approaches to the study. These
choices must be justified. Qualitative research is designed to be consistent with the
assumptions of a qualitative paradigm; this research is defined as an enquiry process
of understanding a management problem, based on building a complex, holistic picture,
formed with words, reporting detailed views of informants, and conducted in a natural
setting. Quantitative research, consistent with the quantitative paradigm, is an enquiry
into a management problem, based on testing a theory composed of variables,
measured with numbers, and analysed with statistical procedures, in order to determine
whether the predictive generalisations of the theory hold true.
The subject matter of the dissertation includes:
10
·
·
·
·
·
·
·
A statement of the management problem.
A review of relevant academic management literature.
A qualitative or quantitative paradigm.
Data collection.
Data analysis.
Conclusions to the study.
Recommendations
4.6
Prerequisites and Guidance
Early in the first semester following completion of the dissertation proposal students are
assigned a supervisor to oversee their work on the dissertation (see information on
supervision above). In addition, a mandatory course on research methods throughout
the third year complements the individual supervision. The dissertation report is
completed and submitted by the end of the second semester in the 4th year (see key
dates).
4.7
Assessment
The dissertation will be assessed under the following broad headings (the percentages
shown are merely indicative):
Introduction, Statement of Problem
Literature Review
Research Methods
Data Analysis (Results)
Discussion
Conclusions and Recommendations
Bibliography, Referencing, Structure, Writing Style
Total
5%
20%
15%
15%
25%
10%
10%
100%
Positive assessment also requires a satisfactory relationship with the supervisor.
11
5.
Recommended Reading
Blaikie, N. (2007). Approaches to Social Enquiry (2nd ed.). Cambridge: Polity Press.
Bryman, A., & Bell, E. (2007). Business Research Methods (2nd ed.). Oxford: Oxford
University Press.
Creswell, J. W. (2007). Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design (Second ed.). London:
Sage.
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research Design (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE
Publications.
Denzin, N. K., & Lincoln, Y. S. (Eds.). (2005). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative
Research (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded source
book (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Patton, M. Q. (2001). Qualitative evaluation and research methods (3rd ed.). Thousand
Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications.
Silverman, D. (2005). Doing Qualitative Research (Second ed.). London: Sage.
Stake, R. E. (1995). The art of case study research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
Publications.
Yin, R. (2009). Case study research: Design and methods (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks,
CA: SAGE Publications.
6.
Other Resources
The blackboard site for this course furnishes a variety of sources on proposal and
dissertation writing, using word to format a dissertation, referencing, business news,
etc. In addition, the library provides a portal to a host of other resources from books to
access to online databases.
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7.
7.1
Guidelines and Regulations on Research Dissertations for
Students
Originality
The dissertation must be
·
·
based on the candidate’s own work
not have previously formed a part or whole of a submission for a degree or any
other qualification at IT CARLOW or any other academic institution or
qualifications awarding body.
7.2
Length
While there will be some variation dissertations should be in the region of 10,00012,000 words.
7.3
Submission
A soft copy of your dissertation must be submitted to Turnitin before 5pm on the prescribed submission date.
Students must also be prepared to submit a copy of all articles, newspaper cuttings
etc., referred to in the dissertation in conjunction with questionnaires or any other
information gathering instruments. These copies may be submitted to the supervisor
on request with the name of the supervisor and the student’s own name, clearly
marked, on the covering material of the package.
13
Upon request, copies of articles, referenced in the work, must be submitted in a
separate bundle from other material, and arranged in alphabetical order as per
composite Bibliography if requested.
7.4
Oral Examination
Students may be asked to attend for oral examination on their dissertation. If this is
required, it will be held, in the third term. Students must bring a copy of their
dissertation, original primary research (questionnaires, transcripts of interviews etc)
and any other relevant material to this examination. Students in question will be given
one weeks notice by email. Students must bring a copy of their dissertation, original
primary research (questionnaires, transcripts of interviews etc) and any other relevant
material to this examination.
7.5
Presentation and Title Page
The softbound copies should be bound with a black back cover and clear front cover.
The cover page should contain the following information
·
·
·
·
·
·
the title of the dissertation and subtitles if any (15 words maximum)
the initials and name of the candidate
the award for which the dissertation is submitted
the name of the Institute, the Supervisor and the month and year of submission
the year of submission
the course & code
14
Please see the example of a cover page below
15
An Examination of the Concept of … within
Organisations
Dissertation submitted in part fulfilment of the requirement for the
degree of Bachelor of Business
Author:
Supervisor:
Course:
Code:
Josephine A. Soap
Ralf Burbach
Bachelor of Business (Honours) in Management
CW908
Year of Submission: April 2018
Institution:
Institute of Technology Carlow
16
7.6
Printing and Typing
The dissertation shall be printed in black, on one side only of good quality white A4
paper, 80 gram, one and a half spaces, with a left hand margin at the binding edge of
not less than 40mm and all other margins not less than 20mm. The use of colour
should be restricted to graphs and diagrams and only used if it provides greater clarity.
Text should be justified. Line spacing must be 1.5. Use Arial or Times New Roman
font size 12 throughout (expect major headings). Paragraph spacing should be set to 6
point before and after text.
7.7
Pagination
Pages must be numbered consecutively throughout the text, including those pages
incorporating photographs or diagrams, which are included as whole pages. Page
numbering should commence on the title page of Chapter 1. If a title page is used for
Chapters, pagination commences on the title page of Chapter 1.
Photographs and/or diagrams must be appropriately indexed and accompanied by an
explanatory legend. Students should carefully consider whether such supportive
material would be better placed in the appendix.
7.8
Declaration
The dissertation shall have a page containing the following declaration, signed by the
candidate bound into the dissertation immediately following the title page:
17
Work submitted for assessment, which does not include this
declaration, will not be assessed.
DECLARATION
*I declare that all material in this submission e.g. thesis/essay/project/assignment is
entirely my/our own work except where duly acknowledged.
*I have cited the sources of all quotations, paraphrases, summaries of information,
tables, diagrams or other material; including software and other electronic media in
which intellectual property rights may reside.
*I have provided a complete bibliography of all works and sources used in the
preparation of this submission.
*I understand that failure to comply with the Institute’s regulations governing plagiarism
constitutes a serious offence.
18
Student Name: (Printed) ____________________________________________
Student Number(s):
____________________________________________
Signature(s):
____________________________________________
Date:
____________________________________________
Please note:
a)
b)
* Individual declaration is required by each student for joint projects.
Where projects are submitted electronically, students are required to type their name under
signature.
The Institute regulations on plagiarism are set out in Section 10 of Examination and
Assessment Regulations published each year in the Student Handbook.
c)
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7.9
Acknowledgements
Any acknowledgement of supervisors, industry partners etc. should appear on a page
immediately following the Declaration page.
7.10 Table of Contents
The dissertation shall have a paginated Table of Contents following the
Acknowledgements. This shall be followed by a separate page listing and index of
figures and tables, with their appropriate headings and the corresponding page
numbers.
7.11 Abstract
The dissertation should include an abstract of not more than 300 words. This should
follow the table of contents in the dissertation. The abstract should be typed in single
spacing and should indicate the author and title of the dissertation in the form of a
heading. The abstract gives a concise summary of the contents of the dissertation
including the findings.
7.12 Bibliography
The Bibliography shall appear at the end of the completed work and contain all sources
referenced in the work. These should be listed alphabetically using the Harvard
System, which is outlined in the Course Style Guide.
7.13 Referencing
The sole accepted method of referencing is the Harvard System, which is outlined in
the revised Course Style Guide.
20
7.14 Appendices
Appendices should be named alphabetically, and each appendix paginated
consecutively but separately from the main text and from each other. Material included
in the appendices does not form part of the 10,000 – 12,000 word count.
7.15 Headings and SubHeadings
Chapter or section headings should be in capitals, plain text, centred, numbered and
separated from the body of the text thus:
CHAPTER 1: STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT
The essence of strategic management is …
7.16 Subheadings
Subheadings within a chapter should be lower case, bold text, left aligned, and
separated from the body of the text as follows:
1.1
The Role of Strategic Management in the Organisation
An organisation’s strategy must be aligned with the firm’s mission and values. It is
instrumental in achieving the organisation’s core objectives. …
7.17 Subsections
These headings are used to indicate further subsections. These headings should be
in lower case, left aligned, bold text and should be contained within the body of the text
as follows:
21
1.1.1 Models of Strategic Management
A number of models of strategic management exist …
22
