Dissertation Awareness Day

David Edmundson-Bird & Michelle Gledhill (Dissertation Leader)

MMU Business School

Dissertation Awareness DayAgenda

– For MSc DMC & MSc IR– Introductions– Purpose of the day– Agenda– Some individual discussions on ideas– Finish “when we finish”• At the end of DPP discussion day 2 (Saturday), there will

be a chance to talk to David and Michelle from 16:00 – 18:00

Agenda

• Timetabling of Events• The Role of the Supervisor• The Project Process• Areas of Concern• Individual Project Issues

Timetabling of the elements• Submission of a “rough subject area” during DPP

– Allows us to allot a supervisor– You must hand this in with your DPP submission at the end of July

• Dissertation training Day 1 with Ruth and team in September• Your first “supervision experience”• Dissertation training Day 2 with Ruth and team in October• Proposal submission beginning of November

– To the usual @mmu address• Proposal return beginning of December• Subsequent “supervision experiences”• Your first full draft• The final submission beginning of April• Results notification late June• Graduation

The Role of the Supervisor

• You drive the process• The Coach/The Caddy/The Non-Specialist

Generalist/The Expert in Research• Negotiation• Drafts• Time management• Dealing with the process via telephone and

email, Skype and visits

The Project Process• Proposal– Study area– Context– The proposed objectives and outcomes of the work– The beginnings of the philosophical basis behind research– Broad underpinning literature in the “technical” area– Broad academic, theoretical and commercial

underpinnings of consultancy– Proposed methodology for consulting intervention or

empirical study

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Types of Project

• The Classic Empirical Study• The Consultancy Intervention• The Action-Learning Programme (very rare,

linked to Consultancy)• The Classic “Data Collection” Exercise

The Project Process• The project layout

– Study area– Context– The agreed objectives and outcomes of the work– Philosophical basis behind research– Underpinning literature in the “technical” area– Academic, theoretical and commercial underpinnings of consultancy or

empiricism– Methodology for consulting intervention or empirical study– The reporting of results– The interpretation of results– Comparison with theory and expected outcomes– Development of recommendations for the victims/beneficiaries of your

study– Critique of the approach used and recommendations for future study

Areas of Concern and Question• Defining the study area• Agreeing objectives and outcomes of the work• What’s the difference between an objective and an outcome?• Understanding the philosophical basis behind research• Knowing yourself and where you stand• Developing a critical approach to literature

– And encountering academic literature• The development of a reporting style• Being critical of what you discover• Drawing links between literature and results• Reproducibility

Individual proposal discussion

• Quick statement of ideas• Quick statement of research philosophy• Quick statement of objectives and outcomes• Discussion of commercial and technical issues raised

by project• From a commercial perspective• From other students’ perspective• From Course Director’s perspective• AOB