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GRADUATE BUSINESS SCHOOL

MSc/MBA in International Business Management
MSc in Accounting and Finance






Dissertation Handbook


2011

Update August 2011 by Justin F. Keogan
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Table of Contents
1. Introduction........................................................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 Aims and Learning Outcomes of the Dissertation ........................................................................................... 3
1.2 The Process of Doing a Dissertation ............................................................................................................... 4
2 The Support Environment ...................................................................................................................................... 7
2.1 S ........................................................................................................................... 7
2.2 S ............................................................................................................................... 7
2.3 Storage of Records ......................................................................................................................................... 8
2.4 Research timetable ........................................................................................................................................ 9
3 Structure of the Dissertation................................................................................................................................ 10
3.1 Writing Style ................................................................................................................................................ 10
3.2 Introduction to the dissertation ................................................................................................................... 11
3.3 Literature Review ......................................................................................................................................... 11
3.4 Research Strategy and Design (Methodology) .............................................................................................. 13
3.5 Findings and Discussion................................................................................................................................ 15
3.6 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................................. 17
4 Style Guide and Technical Specifications .............................................................................................................. 18
4.1 Order of sections.......................................................................................................................................... 18
4.2 Preliminary pages: ....................................................................................................................................... 19
4.3 The Main Body ............................................................................................................................................. 20
4.4 References and Bibliography ........................................................................................................................ 21
4.5 Appendices .................................................................................................................................................. 21
4.6 Technical Specifications for the Dissertation ................................................................................................ 21
5 Oral Presentation or Viva Voce ............................................................................................................................ 25
5.1 General Guidelines ....................................................................................................................................... 25
5.2 What to bring ............................................................................................................................................... 26
5.3 Questions ..................................................................................................................................................... 26
5.4 When Answering questions .......................................................................................................................... 27
6 Appendices .......................................................................................................................................................... 28
6.1 Appendix A: Details of marking scheme Dissertation ................................................................................. 28
6.2 Appendix B: Sample pages ........................................................................................................................... 31
6.3 Appendix C: Sample MSc Dissertation Submission Cover Sheet .................................................................... 33
6.4 Appendix D: Guidelines on citation & referencing using the Harvard System ............................................... 34
6.5 Appendix E Critical Reading and Writing Templates................................................................................... 36
6.6 Appendix F Short descriptions of research for participants ........................................................................ 39
6.7 Appendix G - Developing A Logical Argument Throughout A Dissertation .................................................... 42
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1. Introduction
All MSc/MBA students are required to successfully complete a research dissertation as part of their course.
1 one-third of all credits awarded for
the degree. Your Research Proposal prepared for the Business Research Methods module will have
significantly prepared you for your research work. Thus, at the point of beginning your dissertation you
should have a well-developed research proposal and have been assigned a supervisor.

1.1 Aims and Learning Outcomes of the Dissertation
Your MSc/MBA research dissertation involves an in-depth study of a specialised area or issue central to
international business management. Drawing on substantial relevant research, literature, concepts and
techniques, you will need to combine management theory and practice. Through your research proposal,
you have already devised the research question or objective, identified some of the relevant literature and
aspects of the research design. You must now critically review more extensively the relevant literature,
refine and develop your research strategy and methods of data collection and analysis as you will
operationalise it, and write up and present your dissertation. You will be supported by your supervisor, who
will monitor and review your progress throughout the research process.
The process of completing the dissertation aims to:
x Provide you with an opportunity to apply business management skills and knowledge to a professional
level research project.
x Allow you to make a contribution to your chosen field of enquiry.
x Provide you with an opportunity to develop substantive research questions, source relevant
information, and sharpen your analytical and critical thinking processes through a systematic approach
to problem identification and problem solving.
x Develop an understanding of the limitations and contributions of your study and suggest areas for
further research in the area.
x Advance your oral and written presentation and communication skills.
Through completing the dissertation you will:
x Inter-relate theory and practice in the formulation of an original and pertinent research
question/objective, perhaps by testing a hypothesis for more quantitative type studies.
x Devise and investigate an original and complex problem in the field of international business
management, and in doing so, will draw on an extensive and deep knowledge of primary and secondary
sources of information.
x Critically evaluate and interpret relevant literature and data from previous research.
x Display a critical awareness and conceptual understanding of current relevant issues in your chosen
field.
x Successfully apply appropriate research techniques, research strategies and practical research skills in
the investigation of your chosen topic and analysis of your data.
x Analyse and interpret your data, draw conclusions and understand the implications of your findings.
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x Appraise your results with reference to the relevant literature and data from previous research as
outlined in the literature review.
x Devise, direct and produce your dissertation to agreed deadlines.
x Act autonomously in tackling any problems experienced during the research process, and in sourcing,
planning and implementing appropriate solutions.
x Interpret and communicate the results of your research clearly, concisely and professionally to
colleagues and peers, and present your research in a form suitable for publication.
It is worth pointing out that these learning outcomes form the assessment criteria for the dissertation. So,
to complete your dissertation successfully, you must demonstrate that you have achieved these learning
outcomes through your dissertation and its presentation. For an outlined of the marking scheme, see
Appendix A.

1.2 The Process of Doing a Dissertation
In practice doing a dissertation is not a sequential process in which the completion of one stage leads neatly
to the next. There are often false starts and returns to earlier stages of the project to reconsider the focus
and the aims. Many of the stages of doing a project will be pursued in parallel. While you are reading for the
literature review you may also be setting up contacts for interviews or drafting a questionnaire. However,
there is a basic logic to the process as illustrated in Figure 1.
On completion of the BRM module, you will have chosen a topic and gone some way towards designing the
process involving the following steps;
x Identified a topic
x Drafted research objectives/questions
x Identified and review some of the relevant literature
x Planned to a limited extent the research strategy and some of the methods to be used for data
collection.
You now need to write a fully developed critical literature review, which involves;
x Searching the literature
x Summarising and prcising the literature
x Evaluating key concepts and theories
x Evaluating previous empirical research in the topic area
At the end of the literature review, you should also develop a conceptual framework that covers the key
concepts, models, frameworks and/or theories that will help inform your data collection and analysis.
Before collecting and analyzing the data for the research, you need to develop a detailed plan (in your
research design chapter) for collecting and analyzing the data. This should cover;
x Choosing and designing research methods
x Collecting the data
x Analysing, sorting and classifying the material
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When you have collected the data according to your research design, you will need to interpret the data in a
way that displays honesty of argument and language and enables the drawing of safe conclusions. In
framing and writing up your findings, you need to ensure that your arguments are valid and well supported
in the analysis of the data.
Some references that should help with the process include:

Biggam, J., 2008. ^D. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Collis, J. and Hussey, R., 2003. Business Research. 2
nd
Ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.
Denzin, N. K. And Lincoln, Y. S. (eds), 1994. Handbook of Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Gill, J. and Johnson, P., 2010. Research Methods for Managers. 4
th
Ed. London: Sage.
Levin, P., 2005. Excellent Dissertations. Maidenhead: Open University Press.
Miles, M.B. and Huberman, A. M., 1994. Qualitative Data Analysis. Thousand Oaks: Sage
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., and Thornhill, A., 2003. Research Methods for Business Students, 3
rd
Ed. Harlow:
Pearson Education.
Wallace, M. and Wray, A., 2006. Critical Readings and Writing for Postgraduates. London: Sage.
Zikmund, W. G., 2003. Business Research Methods, 7
th
Ed. Mason (OH): Thomson-Southern Western.


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Figure 1 Structure of the Dissertation Process



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2 The Support Environment

2.1 ^
Supervision is provided by experienced members of academic staff, both within Griffith and some from
outside the college, and people in industry that are familiar with the research process. ?
role is to advise you on aspects of your research projects and on any mat C
S MS/MBA dissertation.
The principal duties of your dissertation supervisor are to:
x Advise you on the development of an achievable research plan / timetable of work.
x Advise you on any completion and submission deadlines.
x Provide guidance on your chosen field of study with reference to appropriate literature and
research methodology. The supervisor will suggest, advise, debate but will not tell the student
what to do.
x Review your written work and provide timely feedback on draft chapters.
x Monitor and record your progress.
x Ensure academic rigor in your work.
x Advise you on the appropriate standards for your submitted work.
x Liaise with other members of staff, as appropriate and required.
x Mark your dissertation and formal presentation, and attend the Examination Board at which the
results are considered
x It is the responsibility of the student to get spelling, grammar, and referencing correct not the
supervisor.
These duties are borne out through a series of supervisory meetings and email/phone feedback on your
written work up to a maximum of 20 hrs during the agreed research period. Meetings with your supervisor
are generally scheduled on a needs-basis according to development and progress of your research, which in
turn depends on the nature of your project and the phase of the research. Supervision is an interactive and
reciprocal process involving an ongoing information exchange between you and your supervisor.

2.2 ^esponsibilities
Your main responsibilities during the completion of the dissertation are:
x To agree a timetable of work with your supervisor, and to work within the agreed timetable, including
the submission of draft chapters, to ensure the completion of your dissertation within the required
timeframe.
x To monitor and regularly review your own progress to minimise any deviation from the planned
timetable (and to inform your supervisor of any issues arising that may affect your ability to complete
your work to the agreed timetable).
x To maintain regular contact with your supervisor throughout the process of your research.
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x To submit the required number of copies of the dissertation in the required format by the agreed
deadline.
Please note the Graduate Business School reserves the right:
x Not to grant an extension due to computer systems that crash
x Not to grant an extension if you have failed to maintain regular contact with your supervisor without
good reason, which must be evidenced by a medical certificate or any other satisfactory documentation
x Not to grant an award if you fail to submit your dissertation

2.3 Storage of Records
All documents, records and files relating to your research must be retained by the student from the start of
the BRM module until the formal notification of the awarding of the Masters Degree. This includes all hard
and soft copies of notes, drafts, copied articles, data collected, analysis, statistical files, correspondence,
memos, supervisor meeting notes, etc. It is suggested that you keep these in some logical order. It is highly
likely that you will be required to submit for review all of this documentation at some stage during the
process or after submission of the dissertation, or by the external examiner at exam board time. Material in
soft copy must be submitted on CD. It is advisable to backup all files on a regular basis during the research
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papers when requested by the University to do so constitutes academic misconduct. If it is not possible to
establish, by inspection of the working papers, the sources of material in the dissertation, the award of the
degree will be delayed until the matter is resolved. Working papers include the following:
Handwritten notes (e.g. research diary or notebook)
Photocopies of articles, book chapters, other documentation; copies of web pages or electronic
documents, white papers, etc
All correspondence (letters, emails) with companies and individuals including your supervisor
Drafts of chapters
Earlier drafts of questionnaires
Completed pilot questionnaires
All completed final questionnaires, etc.
Audio tapes of interviews, if used, and their transcriptions
Analyses of data and other calculations.

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2.4 Research timetable
The following is an example of a timetable of work. This outlines the critical stages of the research, data
analysis and writing-up process and aims to complete the required work within the timeframe of
approximately 16 weeks.
Weeks: Student work: Submission to supervisor for review:
1 Refine and develop research
objective and questions
Forward proposal to supervisor

2 Literature Review Submit: A set of references & bibliography from as many sources as possible
identifying the major themes of the dissertation and identifying key references
for each theme
3

Literature Review Submit: Literature Review and conceptual framework
4

Research Design
5

Research Design Submit: Draft Research with detailed account of methods of data collection
and analysis
6

Data Collection
7

Data Collection Forward some of the transcribed interviews or other data to supervisor for
review
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Data Collection
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Data Collection
Data Analysis

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Data Analysis
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Draft findings and discussion (within
context of literature

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Draft findings and discussion Submit: Draft Findings and Discussion Chapter
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Draft Introduction and conclusion
chapters
Submit: Draft Introduction and Conclusion chapters
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Revise all work so far
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Supplementary Sections Submit: Full dissertation for final overview
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Final Tidying Up/Layout/Formatting Submit: Completed Dissertation

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3 Structure of the Dissertation
This section provides a structure (chapter outline) for a typical dissertation and also reflects the research
activity that results in the production of each stage (or chapter) of the dissertation.
The following is a useful model and indicator of word count for each section:
x Introduction and Objectives - typically less than 1,500 words
x Critical literature review approximately 5,000 words
x Conceptual Framework typically part of the literature it may be somewhere between 500-
1,000 words
x Research Methodology and Methods approximately 2,000 2,500 words
x Presentation and Analysis of Findings approximately 5,000 words
x Conclusions and Recommendations - typically somewhere between 1,000 and 2,000 words
Before providing an outline of the content of each chapter and stage of the dissertation, it is worth
providing a note on the writing style to be used in the dissertation.

3.1 Writing Style
A simple guide is to use the present tense when referring to previously published work and the past tense
when referring to your present results. In the dissertation, you will normally go back and forth between the
present and past tenses. Most of the abstract should be in the past tense because you described what you
did and what you found. On the other hand, most of the Introduction, Literature Review, and Discussion
should be in the present tense because these sections usually refer to previously published works.
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x If the approach is broadly of an interpretativist, phenomenological, social constructivist/ism,
qualitative nature, then it is suggested that the dissertation is written in the first person. This does
not give you licence to write "my opinion", etc and you should substantiate any observations, etc
and make clear your interpretation from material derived from the literature or your data.
x If the approach is broadly of a positivist, realist or quantitative (and by this we mean not one that
just uses numbers but, one that seeks statistical reliability), I suggest that you write in the third
person. However, if the research is of a positivist / quantitative nature, then there should be very
little need for reference to the writer of the dissertation and little to no room for "interpretation" or
"opinion".
In your dissertation, you should at all times endeavour to ensure a coherency and well-ordered structure
where it is possible for the reader to identify a chain of logic and argument that can be easily followed. It is
often a good idea to signpost this development by frequent summaries of how the argument has developed
and it is going to be developed in the rest of the dissertation; this is especially important to the introduction
and conclusion paragraphs of each chapter. A framework to help in ensuring a logic throughout the
dissertation is presented in Appendix G.

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3.2 Introduction to the dissertation
The dissertation begins with a short introduction. The purpose of the introduction is to provide the reader
with sufficient background information to understand the purpose of your research, why you are doing it
and what significance it has. It should contain the nature and scope of the problem investigated and the
objective(s) and justification for the research. It should also describe the layout of the rest of the
dissertation. The introduction can also be used to define any specialised terms and concepts used in the
dissertation. This can also be done in the literature review. The following is a typical structure of an
introductory chapter:
x the purpose of the study
x a brief overall description of the context
x the significance of and justification for the study
x the research question or objective that guides the study - identify and discuss the research
questions that you will address in the study. If you are adopting a more positivist or quantitative
approach you might frame your research question as a hypothesis. A hypothesis is a speculation
about an association between two or more variables. It is important that the hypothesis can be
tested by research to see whether it can be disproved. This is usually done through using
statistically significant analysis of data
x an overview of the structure of the rest of the dissertation.

3.3 Literature Review
A dissertation should include a chapter in which the literature relevant to the topic is reviewed. It should be
a critical literature review. The purpose of which is to remove the need to rediscover knowledge that has
already been reported. The literature review helps you to build upon the work that has already been done
in the field you are researching thus enabling you to base your research in the context of what has been
done and standing on the shoulders of giants adding validity to your work. To ensure that things have not
been missed in the search it is important to show that you have searched the literature thoroughly and have
identified most of the material that could be useful if the research. However, having found material in the
literature does not mean that it is fit or useful. It is necessary to subject the key materials you are going to
use to a critical examination to make sure they are strong enough to sustain the use you are going to put
them to in the dissertation.
The first task in doing literature review is to find the literature. You need a mixture of materials, but the
precise combinations will vary from topic to topic. The major sources are:
x Books basic textbooks can often provide the basics of the topic of your research and can often
provide indications of further sources. Edited handbooks (such as the Oxford or Edward Elgar
series) are a very useful source of findings the most important theoretical and empirical
developments in the relevance discipline.
x Journals peer review journal articles such as those found on EBSCO and Emerald
x The Internet though be careful of the provenance of the website (who is behind it can they
be regarded as legitimate and trustworthy)
x Dissertations looking at previous dissertations can be useful, especially in terms of identifying
sources, but be careful; not all dissertations will be of high quality.
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Some students find it difficult to draft the literature and one of the best suggestions to help is to l ook at
previous dissertations or to observe the style used in many journal articles to get an idea of how to write
your own.
In describing the literature, the following step by step process is a guide to how this maybe accomplished:
(i) Preparing a map showing the location of all the appropriate literatures. In most cases the
literature search identifies a lot of material probably more than can be sensibly dealt with in
an MSc/MBA Dissertation. So a good step in conducting a literature review is to map out and
identify the key works and material in the literature. This also shows the person who marks
your dissertation that you are aware of the breadth of literature relating to your topic.
(ii) provide an overview of the chosen literature and a justification for which literature you are
going to concentrate on along with a justification for the shortlist of theories, concepts, etc that
you have chosen or use in your project
(iii) Provide a critical account of the chosen concepts, theories or arguments. A critique is an
evaluation of the strength of the arguments proposed in the journal articles or books you have
chosen for your literature review.
In conducting the literature review, you need to be very discriminating and selective so as to ensure that
you only include the pertinent literature linked to your research and avoid padding.
The Literature Review serves to tie together two things: what others have done and what you plan to do.
The review is supposed to lead somewhere, namely to your own proposed research project and its
justification. With this in mind, you need to critique the relevant literature what does the literature say
about your research question? How does it indicate the gap which you are attempting to fill by
investigating your question? Your critique should be organised by subject the organisation depends on
the field and the nature and quantity of literature available and should conclude with a summary which
brings the reader clearly to your research question.
Critical theory (or radical critique) makes fundamental criticisms of management and business and is
another form of evaluation of theories and arguments. It often makes a moral stance and identifies that
ways in which business and management can reinforce tendencies in society to exploit and discriminate
against sections of the population. 1 M
obligatory. This approach is more often associated with topics related to CSR, HR, environmentalism,
gender studies and qualitative economics.
The most important thing you can do to help you be more critical in your reading and writing is to use the
Critical Reading and Writing template in Appendix for a couple of the articles you use. This should help
develop you sense of critique for the rest of what you read. No matter what you are reading, always have
the five central questions in your mind:
1. Why am I reading this, what is my review question?
2. What is the author trying to do?
3. What is the author saying that is relevant to what I want to find out?
4. What evidence does the author use to support their point?
5. What use can I make of this article in my work?

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3.3 Conceptual frameworks and Theories
The conceptual framework is what links the literature you have read, how you will address your research
questions and discuss your findings when you have analyzed your data.
The purpose of
existing theory and empirical research. The conceptual framework also gives shape and structure to your
research. Firstly, it clarifies the concepts that you will use to describe the subject of research. Secondly, it
provides a description of the relationships between the concepts being used. And finally, it helps in
explaining the patterns and connections that you have found in your research material (theory application)
or identify gaps when the theory is not sufficiently robust enough to explain what you discovered in your
data analysis (theory testing or theory development). Sometime a conceptual framework can be an outline
showing, for example, the various elements of a process, such as managing skills in an organisation, and
how each stage of the process is interrelated to or perhaps dependent on each other such as how those
skills are tied to the competitive advantage of the organisation.

3.4 Research Strategy and Design (Methodology)
This section both justifies and explains the methodological approach you have taken in conducting your
research. It deals with how to find things out by research rather than discovering things by reading the
literature. Essentially, your methodology section will describe:
1. your justification for your chosen methodology;
2. the design of the specific application of that methodology;
3. how you tested this design and made any required changes;
4. how you applied your final methodological design to conduct your research including the kind of
questions you used in interviews, the organisation of questions in your survey, etc.;
5. the justification for the approach you adopted in the analysis of your data;
6. any materials employed by you in this whole process (surveys, etc. should be contained in the
appendices of your dissertation).
If you used any materials (questionnaires etc.), you need to include any details of exact technical
specifications, quantities and sources. The methods you employed in your research should be described in
chronological order (although related methods should be described together). Remember, the
M refers to all methods and materials used for the collection of data, any
experiments, right through to the subsequent analysis of the data including the type of statistics for
quantitative research or themes used in the analysis of qualitative research. These should be closely related
the conceptual framework thus providing a clear link between the literature review and your data.
Any potential ethical issues should also be dealt with in the research design chapter. Most business related
research involves human participants and every human being is entitled to their dignity. This puts a moral
obligation on researchers to respect the dignity of their respondents and anyone affect by their research. In
addition, it is important that you do not jeopardise future access for other researchers and therefore have
to ensure that when your research is complete, no harm has been done or prejudicial feeling created.
Human participants must be made fully aware of the potential risks of the research, how the project will be
conducted and how the results will be used, prior to their involvement in that research.
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All Researchers must ensure the work undertaken is consistent with the agreements and terms and
conditions defined by the College. Failure to adhere to these guidelines could be considered as professional
misconduct.
From a more academic perspective, research requires a commitment to the careful, reflective process of
discovery and interpretation. All research results should be checked before submission. Despite the various
pressures and deadlines imposed, Researchers should not lose sight of the need to question the findings of
their research.
The content of the research design chapter should reflect the various elements of the research onion as
covered in Business Research Methods (Figure 2) with a detailed account of the research strategy and other
influences such as case study strategy, survey strategy, etc:

Figure 2 The Research Onion


You should work out the kind of data you need access to early on in the process and try to arrange access,
with advice from your supervisor, as soon as possible. There are a number of points that should help you in
obtaining and managing access:
x You need to set aside sufficient time to arrange access
x You may use your personal network in some limited instances but be careful that the type or
respondent you are selecting meets the criteria you should have established prior to data collection
x Direct approach to an organisation letter re research from College / supervisor spend time
identifying the right person
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x Maintain politeness, professionalism and proper procedure at all times as this will help you
establish credibility
x Always provide a clear account of your requirements when requesting access
x Even where you have informal contact, it is proper procedure to follow this with an introductory
letter to outline and confirm your requirements
x Outlining the purpose of your research and demonstrating clarity of thought should help establish
credibility and assist the goal of gaining access
x A request for access will need to consider and address any organisational concerns relating to the
amount of time and resources that would be involved on the part of the organisation, sensitivity
about the topic and confidentiality and anonymity
x C
x Pay particular attention to language so that it is appropriate for the person receiving it without any
hint of being patronising, threatening or boring
x Be prepared to attend a meeting to present and discuss your request for access
If you conduct your research in an organisation, it may necessary to have a consent form for participants.
In order to gain access to people or organisations, it is often useful to give them an idea of what your
research is about. This can be done by providing a short description of the research to them. Examples of
short descriptions are included in Appendix F.

3.5 Findings and Discussion
This section presents the data gathered, the analysis undertaken and the information obtained from it. The
findings and discussion chapter is usually structured in a way that reflects the structure of the literature
review or the conceptual framework. For some dissertations the findings and discussion chapters are
divided and presented as two separate chapter. Most commonly, in qualitative studies, the discussion of
findings appear in the same chapter as the findings. In quantitative studies, some students chose to have a
separate chapter for the discussion of findings, depending on the extent of findings they have. It is common
in quantitative studies to have a separate chapter for findings and discussions as there is a very clear
delineation between the representation of statistical data and its representation and what it means in terms
if the research questions. This is not the case in many qualitative studies as the findings and their
implications are often not that easy to separate in practice.
Begin your results section with a general statement that means something to the reader. Then, as
necessary, support this statement with appropriate figures and/or tables. The narrative portion of the
section should stand on its own tables, charts and other illustrations should only verify or elaborate points
made in the text. Tell the results in words, augmented with as few numbers as possible, and refer the
reader to the more detailed presentation in your tables and figures. If you choose to present your results by
1 P
the trend, range of values and other interesting aspects. u ures and
decide what they mean.
Findings in qualitative research are usually dominated by respondent views/voices to interview questions
and r . Findings in quantitative research are usually a statistical
summary of questionnaire data accompanied by pictorial representation of statistics.
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The findings and discussion chapter focuses on the processes and skills of interpreting your research
findings and of drawing conclusions from your interpretations that are sensible and practicable.
Interpretation in this chapter means deciding how robust and helpful your research findings are and the
extent you might reply on them when exercising your judgment. l
It can represent a loss of confidence after the buzz of certainty
that comes with having completed the research phase of your project. It should be a stage in which you
question everything before finally coming to a final statement of your interpretation and conclusions in the
You should include in your discussion of findings concepts of
validity, reliability, generalisability, certainty and/or trustworthiness.
Your results need to be compared and interpreted with those in previously published works. The
implications of your results as well as possible practical applications must be discussed and appropriate
conclusions drawn. Your conclusions should state the deduction from the findings and present the
significance of the study, and how the situation described in the beginning of the dissertation has changed
because of your research. In other words, your conclusions must address the research question posed by
you at the beginning of your dissertation. At this point, and with reference to your conclusions, you must
make recommendations for future work/research in the area.
Even when you have made sense of your research material and this has helped you to understand the
managerial or organizational issue you are studying, the conclusions to be drawn and the recommendations
you need to make may not be obvious. Making your conclusions and recommendations calls for a different
type of thinking. Your analysis of the research material will not help you synthesise a response. It is in this
chapter of your dissertation that you should give your judgment, and possibly your recommendations,
about the research question (this may also appear in the conclusion chapter of the dissertation).
Conclusions of your discussion of findings are not the same as your research finding or research analysis.
Conclusions of your discussions are your interpretations of the findings. You may wish to separate out your
conclusions into the following types:

a) research conclusions - These summarise your understanding of the processes and dynamics of the
subject you have researched. They provide the explanations that answer your research questions.
b) strategic conclusions - These summaries your judgments about what actions should be taken, about
what, if anything, should be done in response to your research questions. The strategic conclusions
should be based on the new understanding that the research conclusions provide. The research
conclusions may provide a context for answering the strategic questions but it is your judgment, your
ability to decide options and actions that are critical at this stage.
c) Recommendations - There are the practical steps that need to be taken to implement the strategic
conclusions. 8 M
Whether or not they are needed will depend upon the aims and topics of the dissertation. Some
dissertations are directed addressed to problems and issues, others are not. Only in the former case
would recommendations be necessary.
Some students ask what is the difference between analysis and conclusions in a dissertation. Analysis is a
synthesis of the data gathered and relating it to the literature. Conclusions are a synthesis of the whole
research process in answering the research question. Therefore conclusions (be they at the end of the
discussion chapter or in the conclusion chapter itself) will relate back to chapter 1 and illustrate clearly how
your aims and objectives have been met.

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3.6 Conclusions
The conclusion chapter in the vast majority of dissertations will include:
x a summary of the main findings and their implications for the research questions (discussed in the
previous chapter) in bullet point form.
x a summary of the differences (if relevant or significant) between the findings and the literature
(discussed in the previous chapter) in bullet point form.
x Any recommendations practical and/or academic.
x Limitations and contributions of the research (somewhat based on the discussion of the strength of
the research design implemented in the study).
x Suggestions for further research in the area. It may be that your research provides a platform that
explored an issue in a particular context but that it needs further research. No research in the social
sciences, be it undergraduate dissertation or PhD thesis, provide an absolute conclusive and
infallible conclusion.
As for the very last paragraph of the dissertation, it can be anodyne and recap the structure of the chapter
or it can be imaginative and include a few lines of reflection by the student on their learning having
completed the dissertation.

18

4 Style Guide and Technical Specifications
This section details th M It follows the more
formal outline of the dissertation developed in the previous section and covers formal structure and
formatting.

4.1 Order of sections
When putting together your written dissertation, you should follow a particular format this is a typical
format adopted for postgraduate dissertations and essentially represents a logical sequence of sections:

a) Preliminary pages:
Title Page
Candidate Declaration
Acknowledgements
Dedication (optional)
Table of Contents
Lists of Tables
List of Figures
List of abbreviations
Abstract

b) Main body of work for many theses this is as follows:
Introduction and Objectives
Critical Literature Review
Conceptual Framework (may be the final part of the literature review)
Research strategy (including the philosophical paradigm that influences the research) and methods
Presentation and Analysis of Findings (this may be divided into two chapters with quantitative
studies sometimes having a separate findings chapter displays statistics and graphs)
Conclusions & Recommendations

c) References, Bibliography and Appendices
References and Bibliography
Appendices (if any)

19

4.2 Preliminary pages:
Title Page
This page contains the title of your dissertation, your name, a statement regarding the qualification for
which the dissertation is submitted, the institution to which the dissertation is submitted, and the year of
submission (see Appendix B for a sample Title Page).

Your dissertation title should contain the fewest possible words that adequately describe your research.
A

The Title Page should be laid out to show the following information (see Appendix B):
Full title of the dissertation centered in the top third of the page.
Degree, subject and the institution centered in the middle third of the page.
Your name and the year centered in the lower third of the page.
Candidate Declaration
This is a declaration signed by you (the candidate) that claims the work as your own (see sample Candidate
Declaration page in Appendix B). This is also signed by your supervisor.

Acknowledgements & Dedication
The purpose of the Acknowledgements section is to recognise and express thanks to those people (including
institutions) from whom you have received guidance and assistance during the research and writing-up
process. Acknowledgements should be expressed simply and tactfully. You may also dedicate your work to
person/persons, if you choose.

Table of Contents
The Table of Contents lists in sequence, with the corresponding beginning page numbers, the titles of all
relevant parts of the dissertation. These include the titles of chapters, sections and subsections as
appropriate, references or literature cited and appendices, together with the titles of the preliminary pages.

List of Tables
This lists the exact titles or captions of all tables in the text in the order that they appear in the dissertation
and the beginning page for each. The tables should be numbered in sequence, using Arabic numerals (1, 3.4
etc.).

List of Figures
This is a listing of all tables and any illustrative materials (including figures, graphs, maps, photographs,
images etc.) in the order they appear in the dissertation, and with page numbers. All figures should be
numbered in sequence, using Arabic numerals (1, 3.4 etc.).

20

List of Abbreviations
This is a list of commonly used abbreviations in the dissertation (if any) so that the reader can reference
them easily.

Abstract
The abstract is a short, stand-alone statement that explains the essential information about your research.
Points to remember when writing your abstract:
The purpose of your abstract is to provide the reader with a snapshot of what information the
project contains abstracts are frequently published in journals or online databases without the
rest of the project and should therefore exist as a stand-alone statement which clearly describes all
the essential information.
The basic elements which should appear in the abstract are the objective, methods, results, and
conclusions.
u
detailed description of methods you used.
The abstract should be concise and clear, use direct wording and avoid the use of specialised terms
write for an audience who are not specialists in your chosen subject.
1 l
shown
From a formal perspective, abstracts are usually written in the third person, but it is acceptable to
write in the first person. Abstracts are written in the past tense (see 5.17 below).
Abstracts should be no longer that 350 words this word limit is strictly adhered to both in
academia and publishing.
Abstracts should be single-spaced (not 1.5 spaced as in the rest of the dissertation see 6.1 below).
The abstract should be the last part of the dissertation that you write as you will need to summarise
u
-up.

First, highlight the objective and the conclusions as detailed in your Introduction and Discussion &
Recommendations chapters. Next, select the key information in your methodology and highlight your main
results. Compile this information into one paragraph and delete any unnecessary words, phrases and
8 l 1
presenting new information your findings first. Finally, read over it and check it against the above list of
bullet points. A last piece of advice is to put it aside for a few days, and read it again to see if you are still
satisfied with how it reads. For reference purposes, it would also be helpful to look at published abstracts in
online databases and journals.

4.3 The Main Body
The previous section, section 3, provides a detailed account of the content of the main body of the
dissertation.
21


4.4 References and Bibliography
All references cited in the preceding sections of the dissertation have to be listed. As covered in BRM, the
college requires that the Harvard Citation and Referencing Style be used. Your references it should be
complete, accurate and consistent so that any reader could easily locate the materials. You have already
received coaching in citation and correct referencing using the Harvard Style and in the use of Zotero to
help in the process of managing your references. A brief outline of the Harvard system in included in
Appendix D of this Handbook.

4.5 Appendices
Appendices include material which apply to the dissertation as a whole or to a particular chapter, e.g.
questionnaires, data sheets, etc. Their function is to keep the main body of text in the dissertation
uncluttered, and reference to them should be made at the appropriate place in the text. Raw data on which
the research is based should be included in the appendices. Where material is extensive, a CD-ROM may be
used in this case these materials should be included with the dissertation when you submit it. Each
appendix should be identified using a letter of the alphabet or an upper case Roman numeral.

4.6 Technical Specifications for the Dissertation

Paper
The paper used in the final Hard bound copy of the dissertation should be good quality, white, A4 size.
Normally, standard paper of 80gsm weight is used.

Pagination & numbering
x All preliminary pages, beginning with the Title Page, should have page numbers in lower case Roman
numerals (I; ii; iii etc.).
x The main text of the dissertation and the References section should have page numbers in Arabic
numerals (1, 2, 3 etc.).
x Page numbering ends at the Appendices where the pages are numbered differently showing Appendix
letter/number and the page number e.g. page 10 in Appendix A would be A10 etc.
x Page numbers (whether in the preliminaries, main text, references or appendices) should be located in
a consistent position throughout the dissertation.
x Ensure that page numbers, headers and footers are away from the edge.

Print
Your dissertation should be produced by word processor, MSWord or similar. Pages must only be printed
on one side using back ink.

Spacing
The text must 1.5 line spaced, except for the following which should be single spaced:
22

- Abstract
- Footnotes
- Quotations longer than three lines
- References
- Tables
- Appendices, such as questionnaires, letters etc.

Margins
Your page margins should be set out as follows: 4cm left margin to allow for binding; 2cm margin on the
outer side and 2.5cm top and bottom margins.

Font size
Font size should be neither too large nor too small. A size of 10 12 point is recommended depending on
the font used.

Figures
Illustrations, figures, photographs, maps, graphs etc. should be numbered in Arabic numerals. Text
references are to be made in brackets and should precede the figure. Where they are your own work, the
source of any maps, tables, photographs, etc. should be appropriately acknowledged and referenced
correctly.

Length
Dissertations should be approximately 15,000 words long but should definitely not exceed 25,000 words. If
a dissertation extends beyond 15,000 words, the grading process will reflect whether the dissertation could
have been more prudently edited in order to cover the necessary content in a shorter word count.
Appendices and quotations are not included in the word count.

Binding specifications for post viva hard copies
The dissertation must be hard bound, and cased in ROYAL BLUE cloth or buckram.
The sheets should be glued or thread sewn. They must not be stapled. Loose-leaf folders, ring
binders and plastic spiral binding will not be accepted.
Lettering on the cover should be in gold and in appropriate font size (font size is usually in 16 font
but will depend on the width of the spine consult your binder for advice).
1
running from top to bottom, the year of the completion of the dissertation, and the approved
abbreviation for your award title for example as follows:


Mary B. Murphy 2007 MSc Intl. Bus. Mngt.

23


The front cover must not contain any lettering, printing or decoration of any kind.

For pre-viva soft-bound copies
As this is your personal copy, you can choose any colour / lettering etc.

Adding materials to the bound dissertation:
x If you are including additional materials such as large tables, charts, maps etc., they should be folded
into the dissertation so that they are well back from the fore edge and top. Ensure that fold-outs and
diagrams produced have reasonable margins and are away from the edge.
x If attaching any kind of figure to the dissertation e.g. such as a photograph, it must be securely glued or
dry-mounted to heavier paper (a weight of 130 gsm is recommended) leaving the correct margin for
binding on the inner side. Double-sided adhesive tape and rubber-based adhesives should be avoided as
they are not permanent.
x If including a CDROM, audio or video-tape or any other kind of bulky material, such items should be
included using a built up pocket at the back of the bound dissertation or can be boxed as a separate
item and submitted with the bound dissertation (speak to your binding company for advice).
x If submitting a separate item with your bound dissertation, you must submit a copy of the item for
every copy of the dissertation submitted.

Number of copies
At the pre-viva stage, three copies of the dissertation should be submitted. Two copies for the examination
process and a third copy, personal copy. The dissertation should also be submitted on a CDROM.

Cost of Preparation
The cost of the preparation of a dissertation for presentation is borne by the student.

Submitting your dissertation
Once you have completed your dissertation and it has been agreed by your supervisor, you must submit
your work to the School for marking. You will be informed by the faculty of the formal submission dates
and requirements. Of course, you may submit your work prior to this date, if agreed with your supervisor.
The required number of copies:
i. One soft copy on a CD-ROM and submission through Moodle/Turnitin.com
ii. 2 soft-bound copies
iii. 1 additional copy (your personal copy which will be returned to you)

24

Your dissertation must be accompanied by two completed Dissertation Submission Cover Sheets signed by
both yourself and your supervisor. Dissertation Submission Cover Sheets (see Appendix C) are available
from Moodle.

One copy of the Dissertation Submission Cover Sheet will be signed, date-stamped and returned to you as a
receipt for your work. It is recommended that you keep this safe for future reference. Your personal copy
of your dissertation will also be returned to you.
25

5 Oral Presentation or Viva Voce
Following submission of the dissertation, all students will be required to give a 20-minute oral presentation
(viva) of their work to their supervisor, Faculty and School staff and students. The exact schedule for the
viva will be issued at a later date.
Please note that a 20-minute time limit will be strictly observed; don't exceed the allotted time.
Please allow time for questions and answers within the 30-minute timeframe after the
presentation.
Please arrive in good time for your presentation.
This is a formal presentation and students are required to dress appropriately.

This is a process where after you have presented a brief outline of your research, a number of examiners
ask questions to see how well you can defend your work. It is a vital part of the process and many
provisional grades are revised significantly based on the viva voce performance. It is very important that
you prepare for it. The intent of this presentation is to defend your dissertation and as such you should
briefly review the work you have done but note please spend most of the time defending your conclusions
& recommendations.
You will have had the experience of delivering presentations throughout the duration of the course.
too nervous! Remember, this is
your work and you know more about it than anyone your job in the presentation is to help your audience
understand what you have done, why you have done it and what you have found. The more relaxed you
are, and the more clearly you present your work, giving the audience an opportunity to ask you questions,
the better your presentation will be.

5.1 General Guidelines
Present your information in the most logical and appropriate sequence - remember the flow chart
illustrated in section one. Include the information necessary to provide the context for your
research, to make the main points of your dissertation, and your conclusions and recommendations
In short: cover what
, one it, and what you found. Bear in mind that the majority of the
audience will have read your dissertation.
Use visual presentation tool(s) (PowerPoint, overheads), and use them effectively. Present your
visual information clearly and concisely, using titles for each key theme.
Don't be tempted to read from your visual tool(s). Keep good eye contact with your audience. Use

when you are speaking!
When preparing your presentation (viva), an idea is to present to a friend / someone who is
unfamiliar with your research and ask them to ask you questions this will help you prepare for the
most obvious questions that your audience might ask.
Have your presentation and any handouts proof-read for spelling mistakes or grammatical errors.
You do not want to give any reason for creating a less than 100% positive impression
26

Dress professionally and use a professional demeanor. Assume a relatively formal manner
addressing people by their proper title, letting them know you are taking the viva seriously.
Preparation, planning and practice, practice, practice are the keys to successful presentations.

5.2 What to bring
A copy of your thesis use Yellow post-it notes for chapter beginnings, tables, important points, etc.
Presentation make sure the technology is working; arrange to test the technology beforehand to
ensure everything is working an hour beforehand
Have a copy of your handouts for each of the examiners (about three copies)
Pen and paper to help you remember any questions / answers / pointers
Notes of the main points of your dissertation one page
Water/something to drink

5.3 Questions
The following are some questions to help in preparation:
In one sentence, what is your thesis about?
Summarise your key findings.
Who are the main contributors (literature and research) in the field of workplace diversity?
What are the main contributions from your research?
What's original about your work?
How did your research questions emerge / what led you to research this topic?
What are the motivations for your research?
Why is the problem you have tackled worth tackling?
How does your work differ from previous research?
What are the main weaknesses of your work?
How have you provided for bias in your research?
What is the relevance of your contributions? to other researchers? to industry?
How do you arrive at your conceptual framework?
Why would others be interested in your conclusions?
Why did you choose the research strategy that you did?
Why did you use interviews / a questionnaire / observation?
Can you explain to me simply, how did you arrive at your conceptual framework?
Why did you use the statistics you used? What do they tell you?
Looking back, what might you have done differently?
27

What have you learned from the process of doing your MSc?
Has your view of your research topic changed during the course of the research?

5.4 When Answering questions
Answers should flow out from you without a lot of prompting indicating that you know your stuff
Bear in mind that the examiners will have read your dissertation
Make sure to listen to the questions and take your time answering them
Try to be as confident in your answers as possible point out strengths, recognise limitations but go
back to the strengths REMEMBER that part of this exercise is to challenge your confidence in your
work
If you don't understand the question, ask for clarification. Paraphrase the question in your own
words and say, "is this what you mean?" State your assumptions
Treat vague questions as invitations to tell the examiners that you know your area
Try to link the question to the questions you have anticipated and their prepared answers
If you think the question is irrelevant, explain why you think it is irrelevant (it may be that the
examiners may not know the methods used for example)

If you really can't answer a question:
Be honest
If you have any idea at all, say it
S l l
If it's about literature you haven't come across, thank the questioner and ask for a reference

You will most likely be given a chance to sum up at the end of the questions and this is when you can make
would like to make.

Good luck!


28

6 Appendices
6.1 Appendix A: Details of marking scheme Dissertation
1

Criteria
Descriptors
Abstract
350 word
summary of
research
Introduction
Definition of
research issue
& study outline.
Rationale for
study & clarity
of statement of
the purposes
and methods
used
Literature
Review
Usefulness of
appropriate
literature &
references to
provide the
context & develop
a framework for
the investigation,
the analysis, &
the discussion of
the findings
Methodology
Appropriateness of
the topic and
methods used. The
rigor and extent to
which they have
been implemented.
Results
Competence of
analysis and
critical
evaluation of
assessment of
findings.
Discussion &
Recommendations
Quality of conclusions and
recommendations.
Presentation of
Dissertation
Presentation,
including layout
and structuring of
material
(conformity to
conventional
format of a work
of scholarship, or
report of practice),
neatness, style
and clarity. Plus
Viva performance.
Criteria
weighting
To total 100
5 10 20 20 20 15 10
A (80-100) Excellent
summary of the
project, very
clear and
concise.
An outstanding
introduction
and rationale
for the project
An outstanding,
detailed and
carefully
supported critical
analysis and
evaluation of the
problem domain.
Provides
excpetional
sources as well
as a very wide
range of surces
Exceptionally well
organisd and
managed project
demonstrating
planning and
control. Good
choice of research .
Approach
supported by
arguments for
adoption as well as
limitations
Extensive
knowledge and
understanding
of the issues
and their
application to
the project
Work of considerable quality,
demonstrating extensive
knowledge of current work and
best practice in the field,
meticulous analysis,
persuasive argument(s) and
expert skill. Exceptional ability
to relate theoretical knowledge
to the project.
Recommendations are very
practicable.
Exceptionally well
structured and
presented,
conforming to
requirements. Of
sufficient standard
to be loaned to
outsiders. Very
capable of
answering
questions in viva
situation and
entering into
discussion about
the dissertation
29

B+ ( 70-79 ) Very good
summary of the
project, clear
and concise.
A very good
structured
introduction
and rationale
for the project
A well critical
analysis and
evaluation of the
problem domain.
Provides
demonstration of
relevent research
sources as well
as a wide range
of sources
Project organised
and managed
effectively. Good
choice of research
approach.
Very good
knowledge and
understanding
of the issues
and their
application to
the project
Work of very good quality,
demonstrating a very good
knowledge of current work and
best practice in the field, with
evidence of a depth of analysis
and breath of viewpoint
reaching conclusions of critical
and perceptive insight. Good
ability to relate theoretical
knowledge to the project. Most
of the recommendations are
very practicable.
Very well
structured and
presented,
conforming to
requirements. Of
sufficient standard
to be loaned to
outsiders. Very
capable of
answering
questions at viva
and entering into
discussion about
the dissertation
B ( 60-69 ) Good summary
of the project,
clear and
concise.
A good
structured
introduction
and rationale
for the project
A very good
supported critical
analysis and
evaluation of the
problem domain.
Provides
demonstration of
relevent research
sources as well
as a good range
of sources.
Project organised
and managed
effectively.
Appropriate choice
of research
approach.
Good
knowledge and
understanding
of the issues
and their
application to
the project
Work of good quality,
demonstrating a good
knowledge of current work and
best practice in the field, with
evidence of a reasonable
depth of analysis and
reasonable breath of viewpoint
reaching conclusions of good
and perceptive insight. Good
ability to relate theoretical
knowledge to the project.
Many of the recommendations
are very practicable.
Well structured
and presented,
conforming to
requirements. Of
sufficient standard
to be loaned to
outsiders.
Capable of
answering
questions and
discussing
aspects of the
dissertation
C+ ( 55-59 ) Adequate
summary of the
project,
somewhat
clear and
concise.
An adequate
structured
introduction
and rationale
for the project
A good supported
critical analysis
and evaluation of
the problem
domain. Provides
demonstration of
relevent research
sources as well
as a good range
of sources.
Project organisation
and management of
reasonable quality.
Choice of research
methodolgy
adequate.
Adequate
knowledge and
understanding
of the issues
and their
application to
the project
Work of very adequate quality,
demonstrating adequate
knowledge of current work and
best practice in the field, with
evidence of a depth of analysis
and breath of viewpoint
reaching adequate
conclusions.Theoretical
principles are underdeveloped.
Many of the recommendations
are somewhat practicable.
Reasonably
structured and
presented,
conforming to
requirements.
Document could
be loaned.
Readable and
clear for the most
part. Reasonably
capable of
answering
questions
30

C ( 50-54 ) Barely
adequate
summary of the
project,
somewhat
clear and
concise.
A somewhat
adequate
structured
introduction
and rationale
for the project
A supported
critical analysis
and evaluation of
the problem
domain. Provides
demonstration of
some relevent
research sources
as well as a
reasonable range
of sources.
Project organisation
and management of
adequate quality.
Choice of research
methodolgy
adequate.
Barely
adequate
knowledge and
understanding
of the issues
and their
application to
the project
Work of adequate quality,
demonstrating adequate
knowledge of current work and
best practice in the field, with
evidence of some depth of
analysis and breath of
viewpoint reaching adequate
conclusions.Theoretical
principles are underdeveloped.
Many of the recommendations
are somewhat practicable.
Somewhat
reasonably
structured and
presented,
generally
conforming to
requirements.
Document could
be loaned to
certain parties.
Readable and
clear for the most
part. Reasonably
capable of
answering
questions
D ( 45-49 ) Poor
understanding
of the project,
unclear and not
concise.
A barely
adequate
structured
introduction
and rationale
for the project
Barely adequate
account of the
problem domain.
Minimal use of
sources
Project organisation
and management
not well handled.
Choice of approach
not appectable.
Poor knowledge
and
understanding
of the issues
and their
application to
the project
Work shows evidence of
inadequate knowledge, breath
and understanding of the
current field and of best
practice. Essential concepts
are not adequately
understood. Difficulty relating
theoretical principles to the
project. Recommendations are
not really adequate and/or
practical.
Merely adequate
document. Could
not be loaned to
outsiders. Difficult
to read and
somewhat
unclear. Not very
capable of
answering
questions.
F ( 0-44 ) Evidence of
very poor
understanding
of the project.
A very poor
structured
introduction
and rationale
for the project
Poor definition of
the problem
domain. Poor
range of sources.
Evidence of very
poor organisation.
Poor selection of
methodology
Evidence of
very poor
knowledge and
understanding
of the issues
and their
application to
the project
Evidence of very poor
organisation. Poor selection of
methodolgy.
Very poor
document.
Evidence of
carelessness in
structure,
substance and
format. Could not
be loaned. Not
really very
capable of
answering
questions.


31

6.2 Appendix B: Sample pages
Title Page
Your Title Page should follow the following format:




[Your Dissertation Title]






Research dissertation presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of
MSc in International Business Management (HETAC & NTU)


Graduate Business School
Griffith College Dublin




[Your full name]


[Year]
32

Candidate Declaration page:
Your Candidate Declaration page should follow the following format:

Candidate Declaration

Candidate Name (please print): _____________________________

I certify that the dissertation entitled: ______________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

submitted for the degree of: ____________________________________

is the result of my own work and that where reference is made to the work of others, due acknowledgment
is given.

Candidate signature: ____________________________

Date: ____________________________


Supervisor Name (please print): ____________________________

Supervisor signature: ____________________________

Date: _____________________________


33

6.3 Appendix C: Sample MSc Dissertation Submission Cover Sheet
When submitting your dissertation, you must submit TWO signed and completed copies of the Dissertation
Submission Cover Sheet. One will be returned to you as a receipt. The Dissertations Submission Cover
Sheets are available from the Faculty Office and the Student Intranet.




Graduate Business School
MSc Dissertation Submission Cover Sheet
Student name:
Student number:
Study mode: Full-time Part-time
Dissertation title:


^
^
Plagiarism disclaimer:
I understand that plagiarism is a serious offence and have read and understood the college policy on plagiarism. I also understand that I may receive a
mark of zero if I have not identified and properly attributed sources which have been used, referred to, or have in any way influenced the preparation of
this dissertation, or if I have knowingly allowed others to plagiarise my work in this way.

I hereby certify that this dissertation is my own work, based on my personal study and/or research, and that I have acknowledged all material and sources
used in its preparation. I also certify that the dissertation has not previously been submitted for assessment and that I have not copied in part or whole or
otherwise plagiarised the work of anyone else, including other students.
Signature of student: Date:

Note to MSc students: You MUST submit TWO SOFT-BOUND COPIES + ONE SOFT-BOUND PERSONAL COPY, A COPY ON CD ROM and
submit the dissertation through Moodle/turnitin.com. Your personal copy will be returned to you along with a receipt of your work.
You MUST retain the receipt issued to you as proof of submission. On successful completion of the viva, you will have to submit a
HARDBOUND copy of the dissertation.


34

6.4 Appendix D: Guidelines on citation & referencing using the Harvard System
When you are referring or citing to a piece of work within the body of the text, there is one simple rule you only
1
normally also include the page reference. However, author and year is the key.

B
o
o
k
s

B
o
o
k

C
h
a
p
t
e
r
s

J
o
u
r
n
a
l
s

E
l
e
c
t
r
o
n
i
c

j
o
u
r
n
a
l
s

I
n
t
e
r
n
e
t

s
i
t
e
s

N
e
w
s
p
a
p
e
r
s

if there is not author)

1 1 1 1 1 1
Year

2 2 2 2 2 2
Title of article / chapter

3 3 3 3
Editor(s) of Book (IN:)

4
Title of book, journal, webpage, etc (italics)

3 5 4 4 3 4
Edition (if not the first edition)

4 6
City of publication

5 7
Publisher:

6 8
Volume and Issue number
just
5 5
Name of collection (italics)

6
Day and month

5
Pages

9 6 6
[Online]

7
Available at: URL

8 4
(Accessed: Date)

9 5
Remember:
Put your references in alphabetical order
If citing two different publications by an author published in the same year, label them a, b, c, etc after the
date.
Distinguished between:
o References directly quoted or paraphrased in the body of the text
o Bibliography what you have generally read but is not referred to in any way in the text. Do NOT
repeat references in your bibliography.
Examples of citations and reference list:

WITHIN TEXT REFERENCE LIST

BOOK P he

The most appropriate way to
reference (Harvey 2001) is to keep it
simple
HARVEY, J., 2001. Referencing made easy. 3rd Ed. Newcastle:
Sweet Publications.
BOOK CHAPTER Clarkson (2006) states this is the most
appropriate way to reference

The most appropriate way to
reference (Clarkson 2006) is to keep it
simple
CLARKSON, G., 2006. How to Cite and Reference IN: M.
Garvey (ed). Academic Practice for University Students.
London: Sage, pp.34-46.
JOURNAL Boyd & Coulson (2003: 35) state this is


The most appropriate way to
reference (Boyd & Coulson 2003) is to
keep it simple
BOYD, K. & COULSON, A., 2003. How to Reference,
Referencing for Beginners. 13(3) pp.25-33.
ELECTRONIC
JOURNAL
Young (2000) states this is the most
appropriate way to reference
The most appropriate way to
reference (Young 2000) is to keep it
simple
YOUNG, T., 2000. Know your references. The Art of
Referencing, 45 (3), Emerald [Online] Available at:
http://emerald/references.org (Accessed: 17 April 2006).
INTERNET SITE BBC ([online] 2000) states this is the
most appropriate way to reference
The most appropriate way to
reference (BBC [online], 2003) is to
keep it simple
BBC, 2003. Referencing for university students. London: BBC.
Available at: http://www.bbb.co/referencing. (Accessed: 17
April 2006).
NEWSPAPERS Shell (2002a) states this is the most
appropriate way to reference
The most appropriate way to
reference (Shell 2002a) is to keep it
simple
SHELL, I., 2002a. Can university students ever learn to
reference? The Evening Standard, 17 April, p.2.
SECONDARY
REFERENCE
Harvey (2001 cited in Shell 2002a) this
is the most appropriate way to
reference
This is the most appropriate way to
reference (Harvey 2001 cited in Shell
2002a)
SHELL, I., 2002a. Can university students ever learn to
reference? The Evening Standard, 17 April, p.2.
1 ublished in the same year
Note either example (1) or (2) is acceptable for secondary referencing

6.5 Appendix E Critical Reading and Writing Templates
Text:



1. What review question am I asking of this text?
(e.g. what is my research question? why select this text? does the Critical Analysis of
this text fit into my investigation with a wider focus? what is my constructive
purpose in undertaking a Critical Analysis of this text?)


2. What type of literature is this?
(e.g. theoretical, research, practice, policy? are there links with other types of
literature?)


3. What is being claimed?
a) What are the main kinds of knowledge claim that the authors are making? (e.g.
theoretical knowledge, research knowledge, practice knowledge?)


b) What is the content of the main claims to knowledge and of the overall argument?
(e.g. what, in a sentence, is being argued? what are the three to five most significant
claims that encompass much of the detail? are there key prescriptions for improving
policy or practice?)


c) With what degree of certainty do the authors make their claims? (e.g. do they
indicate tentativeness? qualify their claims by acknowledging limitations of their
-evidence? acknowledge that the situation
may have changed since data collection?)


d) P to what range of phenomena are they
claimed to apply? (e.g. the specific context from which the claims were derived?
other similar contexts? a national system? a culture? universal? implicit?
unspecified?)

37


4. To what extent is there backing for claims?
a) How transparent is it what, if any, sources are used to back the claims? (e.g. is there
any statement of the basis for assertions? are sources unspecified?)


b) What, if any, range of sources is used to back the claims? (e.g. first hand experience?

knowledge or research? literature about reviews of practice knowledge or research?
literature about ot


c) l
evidence? (e.g. is the range of sources adequate? are there methodological
limitations or flaws in the methods employed? do they include cross-checking or

the claims being made? is there an adequately detailed account of data collection
and analysis? is a summary given of all data reported?)


d) Are sources of backing for claims consistent with degree of certainty and the degree
of generalization? (e.g. is there sufficient evidence to support claims made with a
high degree of certainty? is there sufficient evidence from other contexts to support
claims entailing extensive generalization?)


5. How adequate is any theoretical orientation to back claims?
a) How explicit are the authors about any theoretical orientation or conceptual
framework? (e.g. is there a conceptual framework guiding data collection? is a
conceptual framework selected after data collection to guide analysis? is there a
largely implicit theoretical orientation?)


b) What assumptions does any explicit or implicit theoretical orientation make that
tive focus attention on some
aspects and under-emphasize others? if more than one perspective is used, how
coherently do the different perspectives relate to each other?)

38


c) What are the key concepts underpinning any explicit or implicit theoretical
orientation? (e.g. are they listed? are they stipulatively defined? are concepts
mutually compatible? is use of concepts consistent? is the use of concepts



6. To what extent are claims supported or challeng
a) u

-evidence?)


b) If
it? (e.g. as for 5c)


c) l
so, how robust is it? (e.g. is there relevant research or practice literature? check any
as for 5c)


7. What is my summary evaluation of the text in relation to my review question or
issue?
a) P


b) How, if at all, could the authors have provided stronger backing for their claims?




39
6.6 Appendix F Short descriptions of research for participants
An exploration of the effects of online communications on brand value
in the consumer goods industry
Sean Mills
Research Overview
This study relates to the impact of online communications on brand value. In the context of
increasing usage of online communications, business professionals and academics have being trying
to develop an understanding of how best to manage online communications and their impact on
brand value. Research on online communications has primarily focused on individual reactions to
various marketing practices and communications. At the same time, research on brand value has
generated considerable discussion in terms of defining what exactly brand value is and how to
determine or evaluate it. Despite the large body of research to draw upon, there is still no universally
accepted definition of brand value nor how online communications should be managed to have a
positive impact on it. Furthermore, there are gaps in the research which explore or analyze the
relationship between the two concepts.
The aim of this study is to identify the key factors of online communications that influence brand
value. Additionally, this study seeks to explore and identify the principal elements of best practice in
managing and responding to online communications in order to generate a positive impact on brand
value. In order to limit the scope of the study, I will focus primarily on consumer goods.
Panel Member Contribution
Dat L
to those who have experience and knowledge of the areas of marketing, branding and advertising. As
such an expert, you are requested to participate in the study. The study is composed of three stages.
Not all members will be required to participate in each stage. The stages are outlined below:
1. Interview with a representative sample of the panel will be conducted. The interviews will be
phone based and last approximately 30-45 minutes. The interviews will revolve around the
following three questions;
a) What is your understanding of brand value?
b) What factors of online communications effect brand value?
c) What practices can be implemented to increase brand value?
2. A short survey will be derived from the interviews in Stage 1. This will contain between 5-10
statements related to practices where panel members will asked to rate the statements along the
following dimensions;
a) Appropriateness: The degree to which the practice mentioned in the statement contributes to
brand value.
b) Feasibility: The degree to which the practice is possible or practical for companies to undertake.
c) Acceptability: The degree to which the practice would be acceptable among both internal and
external stakeholders of the company or brand.
It will also be possible to explain or justify responses if the panel member should wish to do so.
3. Panel members, that do not fall within certain measures of central tendency, may be asked to
provide a short reasoning for their answers. This can be done via a short phone interview or
email.
While it is desirable that members of the panel be know in the study in order to legitimize the
findings, it will not be possible to identity i
I would like to take this opportunity in advance to thank you for your time and look forward to your
contribution. A short report will be made available to respondents in thanks for their contribution.


40
Exploring perceptions of public and private sector employee performance:
the case of France and Ireland

Lna Gurin


General Overview of Research
Performance improvement in the public sector has been a concern in many countries
around the world over the last 30 years. Over the last 20 years, many of the reforms
in Ireland have attempted to modernise the public service in order to improve
service delivery, efficiency and performance. However, despite of some considerable
improvements, the popular classic stereotype of public sector employees performing
to a lesser extent than their private sector counterparts still prevails. In addition,
there is a perception that their productivity and efficiency are not really encouraged.
Previous research has analyzed the measurement of performance, effectiveness and
efficiency within public and private sectors, as well as the factors influencing
performance within those sectors. While findings contradict the classic clich about
under performing public sector employees, the literature states that it is hard to
objectively compare public and private sector performance and productivity.

This study seeks to compare factors that are seen to influence performance and
productivity in private and public sectors. While the study is set within the context
of the international literature, it will focus on the cases of France and Ireland. As
already stated, it is particularly problematic to objectively compare public and
private sector performance and productivity. Therefore, in order to understand
some of the barriers and facilitators to effectiveness and productivity, the study will
focus on the experience of people who have worked in both private and public
sectors and use this lens or distinctive insight in an attempt to understand some of
the comparative issues related to performance in each sector.

Indication of the questions for respondents:

- What is your background, current functions, etc.?
- How is performance evaluated in your organisation / for your position?
- How was performance evaluated when you were working in the private
sector? In the public sector? Are you aware of any performance indicators in
your function?
- What motivates / facilitates / prohibits you to be productive / effective in your
job?
- In which sector, public or private do you think you worked harder? Why?
- How would you describe your work environment?
- Are you satisfied with your job? What does satisfy you in your job?
- What job aspects do you value most?

41

Dear _______,

I am writing to request your cooperation with an exploratory study I am undertaking as part
of my Masters in Science (MSc) in International Business Management in Griffith College
Dublin. I am conducting research on the issue of work life balance in family owned
businesses in Ireland. Joan Mulvihill Senior Manager of Family Business Services at BDO
Simpson Xavier has provided me with your contact details.

The title of my research is, Work Life Balance Bad for Business? The objective of my research
is to explore the reality of work life balance in family owned businesses in Ireland. I would
like to interview you in relation to this issue at a location that is convenient for you. An
interview should take approximately half an hour to forty minutes.

The interviews are strictly for the purposes of the study and the contents of the interview or
any information revealed during the interview will be treated in strictest confidence. Also,
use of the information obtained in the interview will be such that your company or any of
the persons interviewed will not be individually identifiable.

If you have any questions about the interview, or about being in this study, you may contact
me at simon.ohare@student.gcd.ie or by mobile (086 3775482). The Graduate Business
School at Griffith College Dublin has approved my project and can also answer any questions
you might have about privacy. In relation to this, you can contact Geraldine McGing at
geraldine.mcging@gcd.ie or 01 4163377.

Yours faithfully,

S CP

42
6.7 Appendix G - Developing A Logical Argument Throughout A Dissertation
Presentation of Findings
Chapter 4: Presentation of Findings
How do the findings for each data collection instrument item contribute to answering a
research question related to the substantive aim?

What findings are / will be given for the items relating to each research question in turn?


Focusing the discussion of the findings
Chapter 5: Discussion of Findings
How does the discussion show how the answers the findings give to the research questions
contribute to achieving the substantive aim?

Are the implications explored of these answers to the research questions for the literature
on the substantive topic that has been reviewed?

Does the discussion consider how the strengths and limitations of the theoretical framework
affected the findings?

Does the discussion examine how the strengths and limitations of the data collection
methods affected the findings?


Drawing conclusions
Chapter 6: Conclusions and recommendations
Is a conclusion drawn about the extent to which the research questions were answered and
the substantive aim achieved?

Is a conclusion drawn about the extent to which the theoretical aim was achieved through
employing the theoretical framework to guide the investigation of the substantive topic?

Is a conclusion drawn about the extent to which the methodological aim was achieved
through the research design and about any ways in which the research design might have
been improved?

43

Is a conclusion drawn about how the findings from the specific context investigated in the
research contribute to answering the broader central question addressed in the
dissertation?

Are any recommendations for different audiences supported by reference to the evidence of
findings and, if appropriate, literature reviewed?


Signposting throughout the dissertation to highlight the logic of the overall argument
developed
All chapters, reference list
Is it stated at the end of the introductory chapter how the argument to answer the central
question will be developed in the remaining chapters?

Is there an introduction to each of the other chapters indicating what will be covered in each
section?

Is there a statement at the end of each of the other chapters except the conclusion
indicating how the logic of the overall argument will be taken forward in the next chapter?

Are all references to literature in the text accurately listed in author alphabetical order in the
reference list so that readers may, in principle, find these references?

Are all appendices clearly labelled so that their contribution to the development of the
overall argument is clear?