Dissertation Skills for Business and Management – Management Assignment Help

Assignment Task

Task
The dissertation is a compulsory 20-credit module for all final-year undergraduates in the School. The dissertation is your chance to study a topic that interests you, which normally will be related to your programme of studies, to enable you to apply your increasing academic knowledge and skills, to use your initiative in the collection and presentation of material, and to demonstrate your ability to work on your own. You may present this work either as a systematic literature review/long essay, or you may decide that you want to conduct some original empirical research. Either of these is acceptable, however your approach must be justified and if you choose to do primary research you must show that the methodology you choose is appropriate to your research question. This module is student-centred and you are required to work under your own initiative. However, each student is assigned an academic supervisor who will support and guide you in this process. The allocation of supervisors is done by the School but it is based on your choices about: · the research areas in which you would prefer your supervisor to be; · wherever possible on the specific topic you would prefer to study. Students have to provide two potential choices for their dissertation topic. Supervisors are then matched to students’ dissertation topic choices based upon suitable competence in field and method.

Allocation of dissertation supervisor and first meeting – The allocation of your dissertation supervisor occurs early in your final year. This is to give you the opportunity to have first meetings and/or telephone/Skype/Zoom/MS Teams, discussion with your supervisor and carry out some preliminary work around your literature review. There is an expectation that the first two meetings will take place by end of August 2021. The dissertation is a very demanding module and it is highly recommended to take advantage of the opportunity to begin your background research and literature review during and after the first dissertation block.

In Dissertation Skills for Business and Management Students, Cassell (2000) summarised the following characteristics of a dissertation:

•An independent piece of work. Unlike most of your other coursework, a dissertation is truly independent. No-one else will be working on the same title. It is an ideal opportunity to demonstrate your intellectual ability.

•Shows detailed knowledge and understanding. You will spend around 5 months intensively working on your dissertation (August to January). This means we expect you to investigate the topic in considerable depth. You will need to demonstrate a thorough knowledge of relevant literature, both academic and professional, as well as theoretical concepts, and analyse the information you collect. 

•Requires effective organisation and planning. Your dissertation will require the completion of many activities within a specific period of time. Although your supervisor will oversee certain deadlines, the time management will be your responsibility – it is recommended that you follow the timeline indicated above. There is a final submission deadline that must be adhered to. Not all the information will be in the library or necessarily easy to find. You might have to allow for the need to send off for information, possibly organise interviews and undertake surveys depending upon the nature of the dissertation you undertake. Such activities require advanced planning and effective organisation. Five months may sound a long time, but given your other responsibilities it will soon pass. One of the major reasons for dissertation failure is poor time management. This is why, we are also giving you the opportunity to discuss your ideas with your supervisor during the summer.

•Shows critical and analytical thinking. A dissertation is not a ‘description’ of what you have found in your research. The emphasis must be on analysis and evaluation. You must challenge and question ideas you find in the literature, defend your choice of methodology (if you choose to conduct empirical work), analyse data, provide evidence for your arguments, relate theory to practice, and consider the implications of what you find. What new light are you throwing upon this subject? The conclusions and recommendations should include a critique of your own research. There will always be limitations to any piece of research, but the conclusions you reach should be supported by the evidence you have collected. 

•Illustrates the context of existing knowledge. You will be required to demonstrate how your research relates to existing literature. What has been said before on this subject? Do authors agree/disagree on the issues? Where does your research fill a gap in existing knowledge? Your literature review must include a critique of relevant work by other researchers. 

•Has a high standard of communication and presentation. This includes a logical structure, a high standard of English and adherence to the specific guidelines on formatting. Your supervisor will advise you, but a professional presentation is a vital part of the dissertation process. 

•Has an academic approach. Your dissertation is a formal academic and scholarly document and must adhere to accepted academic format and style. This includes full referencing of all sources in a recognised style, and you must examine your topic in a detached and objective manner.