Training and development: Its Impact on employee motivation and organisational performance and how to ensure that its effective.
BSM313
Dissertation Handbook
Note this guide is ONLY for those students who have NOT completed the
separate module in Research Methods. (BSM577)
Sarah Harper
PG Dissertation Coordinator
The Robert Gordon University
Aberdeen Business School
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
This dissertation guidance has benefited from the input of a number of academics. Thank you.
Module Descriptor.
A copy of this can be found on Moodle.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 General
The dissertation is the largest single piece of work that you will undertake on your postgraduate course and it provides the greatest test of your ability to achieve Masters level status. Therefore, this work marks the final stage of your intellectual development as a postgraduate student. Indeed, the process in which you are about to embark, provides you with a challenge in applying: knowledge, skills, experience, wisdom and a variety of other analytical techniques, which you will have acquired throughout your period of study. This Master?s stage therefore allows you the freedom to employ these attributes in an independent piece of work.
Completing a dissertation requires the collection, analysis, interpretation and presentation of information and observations. It is an orderly intellectual and practical exercise for which there are common criteria for evaluation. Students are therefore advised to proceed according to an intellectual and practical plan in a systematic manner.
Remember a dissertation is NOT a ?big essay.? it is a different kind of work, more elaborate and systematic. If you think of your dissertation as an essay, it will almost certainly be well below what you are capable of producing.
Many students find that the most difficult part about their dissertation is getting started. This guidance will help you produce your dissertation by developing a clear understanding of expectations from the outset. It provides information on the style of presentation; an expected generic structure; an explanation of the assessment criteria; and some examples of good practice. In addition to this guidance, you will also be able to:
? obtain advice from your dissertation tutor (this is likely to be more specific about the actual content and logic of your own dissertation);
? seek general guidance from the dissertation co-ordinator;
? consult relevant business research textbooks; and possibly more importantly research journals
Clearly the base materials for writing up will be your own notes, records and analysis of your research data. You will also find it helpful to refer to your proposal (and the feedback that you received on it). It is always good practice to remind yourself about what you set out to achieve. The various sections in the proposal can be used to develop the introduction to the corresponding chapters in your dissertation. This relationship will be explained in more detail later in this guidance.
It is critical to note that the dissertation is produced for the purposes of an academic audience. In assessing your work we are trying to determine if:
? you are competent in conducting business related research;
? your research methods, findings and analysis are credible and justifiable;
? you can demonstrate the use and understanding of higher level cognitive skills through the analysis and synthesis of your research findings;
? you can communicate your research appropriately so that others can have confidence in your work;
? you have considered and justified any practical implications for change given the context of your investigation.
Essential ingredients of a dissertation, as distinct from a client or consultancy report, will be academic underpinning through a critical review of the literature and a rigorous discussion of research methodology and design. If this academic underpinning and critical evaluation is lacking in rigour then this will have a detrimental impact on your grade and could result in failure.
1.2 Purpose of the Handbook
Since the dissertation process is a challenging exercise, this handbook has been produced to help provide you with some of the basic information on key issues associated with the approaches you should consider in terms of: – carrying out the study and writing the completed dissertation.
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