POST-GRADUATE MODULAR SCHEME

MKTM021 MARKETING DISSERTATION

STUDENT GUID

英國dissertation網Revised by:David Alcock June, 2010Kathleen Mortimer Nov 2010\

CONTENTS Page No.

1INTRODUCTION: ESSENTIAL INFORMATION AT A GLANCE

1.1 What is a Dissertation? 1\

1.2 Standards of work expected 1
Intended Learning Outcomes 1
Marking criteria 2

1.3 The Supervision Process 2
Shared responsibilities 2
Preparing your dissertation proposal 2
Making use of NILE 3
Minimum contact schedule 3
Maintaining a record 3
The supervision cut-off deadline 3

1.4 Avoid being accused of cheating! 3
Using the Harvard Style of referencing 3
Guide to plagiarism 3
Testing your work for plagiarism online 3

1.5 Ensuring Ethical Conduct 4
Ethical guidelines 4
Ethics forms 4

1.6 Presentation and Submission 4
Timing (final supervision and reading of drafts) 4
Writing and printing style, format and binding 4
Submitting an electronic copy 4

2 WORKING WITH THE LITERATURE 5

2.1 What is the literature? 5
2.2 What is academic literature used for? 6
2.3 Doing a literature review 7
2.3.1 What a literature review is not! 7
2.3.2 What makes a good literature review? 8
2.4 Literature sources 9
2.4.1 The internet 9
2.4.2 Using hard copy journals 10
2.5 Literature searching 11
2.5.1 Examples 11
2.5.2 Searching databases – top tips 12

3 TYPES OF DISSERTATION 14

3.1 Empirical dissertations using secondary data 14
3.2 Empirical dissertations using primary data 16
3.2.1 Collecting data with a questionnaire 16
3.2.2 Interviews 16
3.2.3 Combinations of questionnaire and interviews 17
3.2.4 Observation 17
3.2.5 Case studies 17
3.3 Conceptual (Theoretical) dissertations 18
3.3.1 ‘Cause and effect’ dissertations 18
3.3.2 The ‘What is?’ dissertation 20

4 BUILDING YOUR DISSERTATION 21

4.1 Assessment of the dissertation 21
4.2 Dissertation structure 22
4.2.1 Contents 22
4.2.2 Presentation hints 22
4.3 Dissertation presentation – things to avoid 25
4.4 Submitting your dissertation 26
APPENDICES

One: Glossary of Key terms 28
Two: Recommended Reading 29
Three: Marketing Postgraduate Grading Criteria 30
Four: Dissertation proposal – guidance notes 31
Five: Minimum Meeting/Tutorial Sessions 39
Six: Guidance for Ethics in Academic Research 40
Seven: Northampton Business School Ethics Forms 43
Eight: Style, Format and Binding Requirements 46
Nine: Dissertation Cover Sheet 47

1 INTRODUCTION: Essential Information at a Glance

1.1 WHAT IS A DISSERTATION?

On post graduate courses we are looking for a piece of research on a particular topic of around 15,000 words. Although you have a dissertation supervisor, you are expected to define the topic, do the research involved and write it up. Your supervisor is only a guide – s/he will not tell you precisely what to do. The dissertation is your chance to show mastery of a subject and to show that you understand the fundamental academic principles of conducting independent work and showing critical analytical skills.#p#分頁標題#e#

There are three main dissertation types, or strategies

• 英國留學生dissertationEmpirical – based on primary (and also secondary data)
• Empirical – based on secondary data only
• Conceptual (no primary or secondary data involved).

These three types of dissertation will be explained in this guide in section 3.

Please note: if there is any word used in this guide you may find it explained in the glossary of key terms (appendix one).

Further information is available from some of the recommended readings for the module (appendix two)

1.2 STANDARD OF WORK EXPECTED

Intended Learning Outcomes.

You must make sure that you use your dissertation to demonstrate your knowledge and ability in each of the intended learning outcomes of the module.

On successful completion of a dissertation, students will be able to demonstrate:

Knowledge and understanding

Contextualise their research topic in the literature.
Select appropriate methods of data collection and analysis.
Synthesise theory and practice in their chosen field.

Skills

Locate and review the literature.
Select appropriate methods of data collection
Apply appropriate methods of data analysis.
Produce a substantial narrative consistent with the conventions in their chosen field of study.

Marking criteria. Make sure that you are aware of how your dissertation is going to be graded. A copy of the grading criteria template we use is provided as appendix three to this document.

1.3 THE SUPERVISION PROCESS

Shared Responsibilities
To help you achieve your potential during the dissertation module, you will be given a supervisor. Your supervisor will act as your guide throughout the dissertation process but it is your responsibility to complete the dissertation on time and to carry out the research independently. The dissertation requires an ability to undertake independent learning and is not comparable to the production of assignments or coursework. It is essential that you meet with your supervisor regularly during the module and it is your responsibility to:

a) arrange meetings with your supervisor
b) prepare draft sections or other discussion documents for the meetings in advance of supervisory meetings
c) consider and act upon the advice that you are given and meet the targets that you agree upon
d) submit on time.
e) Complete the NBS Ethics Form (see next section) and comply with ethical procedures regarding the research.

Preparing your dissertation proposal
One of the early tasks you will want to complete is the preparation of a dissertation proposal. The proposal helps to focus your ideas and also provides some detailed information for your supervisor so that s/he understands what you are going to be researching. Some detailed guidance notes are available in this document as appendix four.#p#分頁標題#e#

Making use of NILE.
Almost all the information you need to complete your dissertation is available on the module’s NILE site (Northampton Integrated Learning Environment; the University online support resource). Make sure that you have enrolled onto it. It is listed under NILE Marketing Courses as MKTM021 PG Marketing Dissertation.

Minimum contact schedule with your supervisor.
We recommend that you have some communication with your supervisor at a minimum of five times during the dissertation process. A typical schedule of meetings is given in the appendix five.

Maintaining a record.
You are required to maintain a record of the main meetings you have with your supervisor.

The supervision cut-off deadline.
It is inappropriate for you to ask your supervisor to read final drafts very close to your submission date. We therefore ask you not to submit any work to your supervisor within one month of your submission date. This will allow you some time to respond to any last minute advise your supervisor may give you.

1.4 AVOID BEING ACCUSED OF CHEATING!

Using the Harvard Style of referencing .
Your dissertation is an academic item of work. Amongst other things this means that your work must be fully referenced using the Harvard style of referencing. Guidance on how to use the Harvard referencing style can be found in this document, on the module’s NILE site and on the University web site.

Guide to plagiarism.
One of the easiest way to fail your dissertation is to plagiarise. Please make sure you don’t. Detailed information on avoiding plagiarism can be found in this document, on the module’s NILE site and on the University web site. Also, see the item below about tesing your work for plagiarism online.

Test your work for plagiarism online.
The module’s NIE site has the facility for you to be able to test your work for plagiarism. When you are logged into the NILE site for this module click on the link called “Test for Plagiarism”. Submit your work and await a report detailing where you may be suspected of plagiarism. Please note that you are also required to submit an electronic copy of your final work when it is ready (details below in section 1.6 under Presentation and Submission).
1.5 ENSURING ETHICAL CONDUCT AND COMPLIANCE

Ethical guidelines.
The University requires all dissertation students to abide by its’ ethics policy. Please read the guidance notes (provided as appendix six) in conjunction with the ethics form. If you have any questions about this, please discuss with your supervisor.

Ethics forms.
In order to comply with the University Ethics Policy you are required to complete and submit a form to your supervisor before you start to collect any data. If your research presents any ethical issues, you must also devise and agree a strategy to address these issues. This strategy must be submitted to your supervisor along with the ethics form. Your supervisor must approve your strategy before you can collect any data. A copy of the form and strategy (if needed) must also be submitted as an appendix to your dissertation. The form is provided here as appendix seven and is available in Word document format on the PG Marketing Dissertation NILE site.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

1.6 PRESENTATION AND SUBMISSION OF YOUR DISSERTTION

The timing of your submission, and deadlines.
It is inappropriate for you to ask your supervisor to read final drafts very close to your submission date. We therefore ask you not to submit any work to your supervisor within one month of your submission date. This will allow you some time to respond to any last minute advice your supervisor may give you.

Writing and printing style, format and binding.
You are required to follow and comply with the style and format specifications as presented in this document (appendix eight). You are required to submit two, professionally bound copies of your dissertation to the Student Assessment Office by your submission deadline. Both the printing and the binding of your dissertation must conform with the Postgraduate guidelines provided in the appendix eight. You are required to complete a dissertation cover sheet for one of the hard bound copies (provided as appendix nine and also available as a Word document on the module’s NILE site.

Submitting an electronic copy.
In addition to submitting two professionally bound copies to the Student Assessment Office you are required to submit an electronic copy via the module’s NILE site. When you are logged into the NILE site click on “Submit Electronic Copy” and follow the instructions. Please note that you can only make this final electronic submission once and you will not be able to see the plagiarism report following your final submission. If you wish to see a plagiarism report you should submit your work, prior to the deadline, using the “Test for Plagiarism” button on the module’s NILE site.

2. WORKING WITH THE LITERATURE

Too many students fail to grasp what a literature review requires. There are a number of texts devoted to the writing of a literature review and these can be helpful. Some of these are listed in the Bibliography. If you want to read a good review of literature in your subject area, consult the best journal in your field and read the reviews of literature in any of the articles printed in a recent volume. Sometimes you can find a comprehensive review of the literature in a given field which constitutes a journal article in itself.

2. 1 WHAT IS”THE LITERATURE”?

The ‘literature’ is the collective writing about a subject. The main sources are academic journals followed by research textbooks, teaching textbooks and then journals for practising managers.

Each academic field like marketing, organisational behaviour and operations management has its own dedicated literature. Although not obvious when you quickly look at it, the body of literature contains the way thinking in a field has developed since it began. The literature therefore contains the way theory and practices have evolved in a particular discipline. Many management journals have been in print for 30 to 40 years and these are used by current academic researchers to base their work upon. This is the main source of material which you need to drawn on in writing your literature review. It is no longer enough to refer to text books when writing your literature review at Masters Level. You need to show that you have a grasp of current research as well as your understanding of the “classical” theories in your chosen subject.#p#分頁標題#e#

There are other sources of literature but these are to be used with caution. For example, practitioner literature - so called because it is written for people who practice management, eg. the factory supervisors, the directors, the hospital managers among others. Examples that you will be familiar with include the Financial Times and the Economist which contain very useful articles – at the practitioner and journalistic level. Practitioner literature is good to help students define an important and topical research area. It is good at giving summaries of current thinking about problems and issues, such as,

• the effects of a single currency on business, or,

• Current issues in the health service.

The problem with practitioner literature is that it is largely journalism - very often pure opinion - and as academics we must be very careful how we handle it. The key difference between academic and practitioner literature is that academic literature attempts to understand things through interpreting research results as a way of pushing forward knowledge.

The literature is contained in the journals section of academic libraries, although not all of it. Although some libraries are bigger than others, few university libraries contain more than a small fraction of the academic literature available. You can search it through databases like Emerald and these are excellent short-cuts. But you then need to follow-up to get the full text either by referring to the actual journal or getting the article via inter-library loan. Do not rely solely on electronic sources. If you cannot find journal articles in the library you can request copies of these (free of charge) through the Inter Library Loan service. This also applies to books. Consult your librarian.

Generally, there is far more literature than students think there is. A big problem is that they just don't look hard enough or if they try then the search strategies used are often very ineffective leading to thousands of hits or no hits.

 

2.2 WHAT IS ACADEMIC LITERATURE USED FOR?

When you come up with a topic to study you must see what the literature already says about it. Never, ever, should you think that there is nothing written about the topic you have picked. If you ever do think this then you have simply not defined what you are doing clearly enough to be able to find it in the literature. This is a difficult phase but you just have to keep searching and thinking about your area of interest until you find relevant material. The biggest problem is that students usually see only the practical side of what they are doing, and cannot make a connection to the relevant theory that underpins it. Often there is a more generalised literature and the student is trying to find something on a very specific topic. This is not a problem but an advantage! It is then possible to point out that there is little written on a particular topic about that specific industry or occupation but that a wider and more general literature on the topic exists and that the dissertation will begin to fill this seeming “gap”.#p#分頁標題#e#

The Lottery and Charities

Take a 'for instance'. A student wanted to look at the effect of the national lottery on charities. Fine - but when they searched for this topic all they found was a few newspaper articles giving opinion, sometimes backed up with a few figures, on how the lottery seemed to be denting charity donations.

So where's the problem? The problem was that the student had not identified the underlying theoretical problem which was about the psychology of giving. Once this had been identified, she was able to see what it said, and make connections to the practical problem of the lottery and charities. This led to explanations for the apparent phenomenon of lower donations.

Hence a little pathway/model emerges:

• isolate a practical problem

• find the related underlying theory

• link the general theory to the problem

• Make conclusions about the problem having applied theory to it.

 

2.3 DOING A LITERATURE REVIEW

2.3.1 What a literature review is not!

A Collection of Extracts

Some students just find material that appears related to their topic and submit a simple listing of extracts. While you should extract material in the first place you have to do much more than simply string it together. Similarly, students précis a set of articles on a topic. One student took about 6 articles on competitive advantage from the same book and produced a 1 page précis of each one. This is also worthless!

A large summary

Another fault is to present a large summary of a topic. One student wrote 4000 words that summarise all the main marketing concepts and principles. This too is pointless. One Masters dissertation on selection testing contained a 15,000 word summary of just about everything connected with employee testing - unfortunately the whole dissertation was supposed to be about 12,000 words.
There is no point whatsoever in just listing and/or summarising what your tutor already knows or can easily read in a textbook. The key word here is REVIEW, not summary, not listing, but REVIEW. There is no point in just writing everything you know about the topic. You need to explore key themes in the literature which are relevant to the particular topic. It is important that you demonstrate your understanding of these themes and that you have covered the work of the main authors in your chosen field.

A review means that you evaluate the literature. In the first place you have to identify it and make extracts from what you think are relevant articles or books - but don't simply hand them in. This is just an initial stage in how you evaluate the literature. When you have made notes on what you think is relevant you can begin to draft a more complete version but this is still not ready to be read by your supervisor. Read through what you have written and try to organise it into themes before you show it to your supervisor. You cannot expect your supervisor to give you guidance until you have begun to understand the literature you have chosen and you demonstrate this understanding by writing a first draft which you have begun to develop beyond just a description. We want your synthesis of the topic and your evaluation of the literature itself. (This applies to assignments and to dissertations). You can see examples of how to review literature in articles written in good journals. By ‘good’ we mean journals which are subject to peer review and the library/your supervisor can help you identify them.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

2.3.2 What makes a good literature review?

Teleworking Example

A student decided to do her dissertation on an aspect of teleworking, i.e. working at home with IT links to an organisation. She did not have a specific research question to start with - just a general interest. First, she found some reports by IT companies about Teleworking. Having looked at these she felt that the companies' research had been biased, and, while interesting, one could not put too much faith in what they were claiming about the pros and cons of teleworking.

She then used the academic literature and found that one of the apparent problems of teleworking was that it led to feelings of employee isolation. She noted though that the studies were a few years old and had been done when TW first appeared. Given that teleworking is on the increase it raised the question - how do Teleworkers cope with isolation? Indeed, is it still a problem? Herein was the research - to interview teleworkers about how they cope with isolation.

Having completed the interviews, the student compared the findings with the literature and point out the differences and similarities that she observed. Perfect!

2.4 LITERATURE SOURCES

2.4.1 The Internet

The library subscribes to many databases available on the internet that contain the full text of academic and trade journals. If you have not done so already, get a password for the Net via IT Reception. Also get a copy of the passwords needed for each database from the enquiry desk in the library.

When you log-on to the Net at University of Northampton you will go to the home page and through this you can access the full-text of some leading management journal articles, e.g. Human Relations and Academy of Management Journal. Copies of articles can be downloaded or printed.

After logging-on, go down through the following choices to get to the journals available as full text or as abstracts (e.g. Emerald):

Learning Resources

Journals & Indexes

ABI
Emerald
Epsyche (Org behaviour and marketing)
European Business Browser
Index to Theses
Infotrac (Health)
LEXIS
PsycInfo (Org behaviour)
ZETOC (conference papers)
Web of Science

 

Other sources of information can be located through other web sites in particular through their links to other sites. On the University of Northampton’s website check-out Learning Resources, then Subject Resources then Business, HRM, Economics or Marketing to get links.

Databases containing abstracts, rather than full text, should always be used but beware of two common outcomes:

• you appear not to find anything on your topic; or

• you find thousands of references to your topic.

In either case, the cause most likely lies in your search strategy rather than the presence or absence of articles in the database.#p#分頁標題#e#

For a specific site on Research Methods, see

http://www.trochim.human.cornell.edu/kb/kbhome.html

 

 

2.4.2 Using Hard Copy Journals

The internet should alert you to some good articles that cover your topic. If any of these journals are held at the University of Northampton, then a manual search through the contents pages of past issues will often turn-up articles on the same topic.

Don't forget – electronic databases do not contain everything ever written about management. In fact, they only contain a fraction of the literature available. If you cannot find what you want then it could mean that the topic is contained in the database but that your search strategy was ineffective. Remember also that management research was conducted and published long before computer databases came along - and there has not been much back-dating of databases to include this earlier material. You should have a look at printed abstracts to access this earlier literature, in particular, Psychological Abstracts, and, Sociological Abstracts

Other very useful sources include printed reviews of subjects such as the International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology.
 

2.5 LITERATURE SEARCHING

These examples are designed to help you understand the value of computerised databases in literature searching.

2.5.1 Examples

Example 1

Outline a topic that you might pursue for a dissertation. In doing so, generate the key words and phrases that could be used to describe the topic. For instance, a student wanted to explore whether management training actually has any impact on the performance of trainees. All sorts of search terms come to mind, one group concerns training and the other group concerns measuring training effectiveness. So, a search strategy could be:

(Management development) or training

And

(Evaluation or effectiveness or assessment)

This search actually produced too many hits because 'assessment' occurs too often in the wrong context for this search. By dropping 'assessment' from the search strategy a manageable number of hits was obtained. Even these contained a lot of irrelevant material, but it is easy to go through the smaller set and mark (for printing or downloading) the few hits that were highly relevant.
Most databases will give each search a number, e.g. the first might be #1 or S1. These sets, as they are called, can also be combined, e.g.

'Management Development' = S1 = 987 hits
'Training' = S2 = 1546 hits
'Effectiveness' = S3 = 6398 hits
'Evaluation' = S4 = 9843 hits

Then the search set numbers can be entered, e.g.

(S1 or S2) and (S3 or S4) = 65 hits

Some databases use #1 rather than S1 to denote search set 1 but they are combined in the same way, e.g.

(#1 or #2 or #3) and (#5)

Example 2

Suppose you want to locate literature that critiques the concept of total quality management. At first, this seems easy because TQM is a clearly defined topic and can be searched...#p#分頁標題#e#

#1 TQM
#2 (total and quality and management)

This leads to thousands of hits in some databases and it is impractical to read all of them to find the critical literature. This was solved by combining sets 1 and 2 above with other search sets that contained relevant words that might appear in the title or abstract, e.g.

#3 (criticism or critique or evaluation or pitfalls or limitations)

Search results were then combined to give a smaller number of citations most of which were relevant to the study,

(#1 or #2) and #3

Example 3

To locate some literature on empirical evidence for the marketing mix proved tricky. At first it seemed easy because the marketing mix is such a well-defined concept but, once more, thousands of citations were found. We overcame this by combining the marketing mix set with a set containing words that try to capture the sorts of studies that we are looking for.

#1 (marketing and mix)
#2 (empirical or research)
#3 #1 and #2

This reduced the search to a much smaller set of articles that excluded a vast majority of citations in which the marketing mix was a minor aspect.

2.5.2 Searching databases - Top Tips

1. Do not simply enter a search phrase (a string) like 'total quality management' and accept whatever shows up. Most databases are not capable of looking for a string of adjacent words unless they are being searched for in a particular field of the record. Most however will appear to look for the search string and then tell you that there are no hits.

 

Searching for individual words and combining them usually works, e.g.

#1 (total and quality and management)

But, check the structure of the database that you are using as most have 'fields' that index words and phrases from particular parts of the record and you might be able to search that field as a string, e.g. in a keyword field

#2 KW=total quality management

2. If you find large numbers of records then try limiting your search to:

• your key words appearing in the title only; or,

• a short date range, e.g. 1998-2001.

Most databases allow limiting in one way or another and, if you find some relevant recent papers, then they should contain references to important earlier papers.

3. Many databases contain very large numbers of 'popular' journals and magazines. A few of these, e.g. The Economist or People Management, provide good background analysis of issues but most of them are just clutter to serious academic researchers.

You can often limit a search by excluding certain journal names that keep occurring in your initial search results, e.g.

(performance improvement) not (JN=marriage guidance weekly)

4. Always remember that many words and phrases have two or more contexts. For example, 'networks' will occur in an organisational context and in an information technology context. You can often exclude one context, e.g.#p#分頁標題#e#

#1 (information and technology)
#2 networks
#3 #2 not #1

3. TYPES OF DISSERTATION

Earlier I said that there are three broad types of dissertation; conceptual, empirical (primary and/or secondary) and empirical (secondary). Let's now have a look at how they differ.

3.1 EMPIRICAL DISSERTATIONS USING SECONDARY DATA

Secondary data are data that have already been collected and, maybe, published. Examples include financial and economic statistics, labour force statistics and news reports of company activities. It can also include data collected by a company you are studying about what goes on in that company, for example, data on labour turnover. Secondary research offers many advantages to students, including:

• there is the potential to do some really high quality research

• there are no dangers from low questionnaire response rates or limited access to research respondents

• the only limit is your ability to find and process the data needed

• it can also be used as an addition to primary data which you collect yourself or to support that data as part of evidence gathered as a case study.

Basing a dissertation solely on secondary data is perfectly acceptable as an approach to take but it depends on the kinds of questions you are asking whether or not it is a suitable one for you.

The effects of bad publicity on corporate performance

This ‘cause and effect’ dissertation would use secondary data rather than just rely upon the literature. A possible structure would be:

• literature review to show examples of how organisations get poor publicity leading to the development of several research questions

• consideration of the alternative ways of researching the topic, justifying the advantages of using secondary data, justification for picking, say, three examples of organisations to study

• review the adverse publicity affecting the organisations and summarise key financial data for the periods before, during and after the crises (Rail track and Thames Valley University were chosen in this case)

• interpret the results in light of the literature

• Conclusions.

Here, the literature review is one part of the whole dissertation that fits at the beginning and is revisited at the end.
Jilted Mergers

A student wanted to research the reasons why some mergers between companies do not work out well. There are problems with doing this using primary data:

• it is difficult to get access to companies at the level needed to get reliable data

• the data needed are sensitive

Faced with these difficulties, the student became interested in the reasons why some companies get close to merging but then call the merger off at the last minute. This enabled a good secondary approach that obtained news reports of a large sample of ‘jilted’ mergers that were analysed to find the different reasons why companies can get very close to merging but then pull-out. The basic dissertation structure was:#p#分頁標題#e#

• review the reasons for merger and acquisition activity

• review the problems of managing successful mergers

• develop research questions around proposed mergers that are called-off

• create a sample of called-off mergers using, say, electronic versions of the Financial Times

• analyse reasons for calling-off mergers

• compare the data with theory and draw out implications for strategic managers

Both of the above examples are basically ‘explorer’ type dissertations in that they explore some phenomena using secondary data. Related information on the merger theme could be collected on:

• the reasons why acquisitions happen;
• the types and sizes or organisations involved;
• the business sectors involved;
• the costs of the takeovers and how companies are valued.

Exploratory dissertations combine a bit of the, 'What is..?' type with some data. They are basically asking an open question but using secondary data to fuel the argument.

3.2 EMPIRICAL DISSERTATIONS USING PRIMARY (and secondary) DATA

This is the commonest form of post graduate dissertation as many degrees stipulate that students must collect primary data. Students should refer to texts on research methods for the details of the many methods of data collection and analysis that exist. Here are some examples of dissertations that show the variety of options available.

3.2.1 Collecting data with a questionnaire

A university was faced with high drop-out rates on the first year of its courses. The researcher, whose job involved, meeting students who were withdrawing, designed a questionnaire to capture the reasons why students were withdrawing. A large sample was collected (about 300) and the reasons for withdrawal were analysed and compared to previous work on this problem.

A factory manager was concerned that a new pay scheme introduced for factory workers had not raised productivity and motivation as planned. So, a questionnaire was designed to obtain the workers’ attitudes towards the pay scheme and to understand the barriers to productivity increases.

A student wanted to explore the effects of the millennium bug on small firms and the attitudes of managers towards the preparation they had undertaken. She sent a questionnaire to a sample of firms in January 2000 while the bug and its potential problems were fresh in their minds. This is a good example of an interesting and very timely piece of research.

3.2.2 Interviews

A retailer experienced problems with absenteeism of shop-floor staff. The researcher interviewed two groups of employees representing persistent absentees and regular attenders to understand their attitudes to absenteeism.

A student interested in the notion of professionalism conducted about 15 interviews in the legal profession. Interviews were based around getting the views of people about the meaning of professionalism in legal services.#p#分頁標題#e#

A student was interested in the notion of ‘extra-ordinary’ management and the factors that enable it to happen. He conducted a set of interviews in a particular sector to help him understand what extra-ordinary management meant.

A manager in a charity wanted to explore how charitable organisations developed their strategies and to see how relevant classical models of strategic management, developed for profit-seeking firms, are to not-for-profit organisations. She undertook a series of interviews to explore this question.

3.2.3 Combinations of Questionnaires and Interviews

Research can combine data collection methods if necessary, perhaps to look at different aspects of a research problem. One student who worked in a retail chain wanted to understand the amount of fit between the expectations that shop-floor staff had of their jobs and the expectations that managers had of shop-floor staff. She interviewed managers to help understand their expectations, and then designed a questionnaire that allowed her to measure the views of shop-floor staff towards the managers’ expectations.

A student wanted to understand how the concept of service quality differed across service sectors and to see how relevant the SERVQUAL model is to information services in particular. She conducted a detailed review of SERVQUAL from literature sources, interviewed managers to get a feeling for service quality in IS, and used a questionnaire to measure how accurately SERVQUAL reflected quality in the sector.

3.2.4 Observation
Students who are in work or on a work placement often have the opportunity to add observation to their range of methods. Where observers are part of the situation (as in a work setting) this is referred to as participant observation and this is a recognised research method, although it has its problems (see for example Flick, 2002). Observations can be added to interview and questionnaire data and used to support findings from other sources.

3.2.5 Research Design - Case Studies or Surveys
The design of your research refers to the overall place you have for collecting and analysing data. The importance of correct design is that it will enable you to answer your question in a meaningful way. Two of the most common designs are the Case Study and the Survey. Case studies are an approach to research that involves the detailed study of a small number of organisations or a single organisation. During a case study you may use several of the methods of data collection, for example interviews, observation, questionnaires, documents etc. Some research questions call for detailed study of a few organisations or groups. One student wanted to understand the factors that help create successful IS/IT projects in local government. He found three examples of successful projects in different councils and, using interviews and documents, wrote-up case studies of why each had been successful. From the cases he was able to identify some of the common factors that explain successful projects.#p#分頁標題#e#
3.3 CONCEPTUAL (THEORETICAL) DISSERTATIONS

Conceptual dissertations rely only on the literature and the writer's creative ability. They are not a popular choice for post-graduate students but sometimes used for practical reasons, among undergraduates. They contain no fresh data, not even secondary data, they are very hard to undertake and should not be undertaken lightly. Basically, they involve:

• selecting a broad topic for investigation;

• finding and reading literature on the topic;

• using the literature to define an interesting area within the topic;

• using the literature further to explore this small, interesting field that you have isolated;

• reaching conclusions about the narrow area that are logically derived from what the literature is saying.

I see two types of conceptual dissertation:

• 'Cause and Effect' dissertations;

• 'What is?' dissertations.

3.3.1 Cause and Effect dissertations

The effect of Education Acts on the marketing of schools

Cause and effect dissertations are so-called because they look at the effect or impact of one thing upon another, for example, the impact of recent Education Acts on marketing by schools. How do you write a dissertation on this without simply summarising marketing and the Education Acts? Easy !

First - split the area down into chunks.

1. Summarise the Acts but draw out the implications for the management of schools.

2. Summarise macro and micro trends in education e.g. numbers of pupils, numbers of schools. Paint a picture of school education in the UK drawing out the big issues. Combining 1 & 2 should lead to a statement of problems facing school managers.

3. Then look at marketing theory, with a special emphasis on how classic theory is unhelpful when it comes to services like schools, and, specific studies on education marketing.
By combining 1, 2 and 3 some good ideas can be developed about the most relevant marketing strategies that schools could usefully adopt and the limitations of conventional marketing theory to organisations and sectors like this.

The magic words, synthesis and evaluation suddenly become a bit easier to achieve.

Cashless society and organisations

Another student, who worked for a bank, wanted to research how a ‘cashless’ society would affect business operations. First - get an angle. We agreed that a good angle would be the impact of a cashless society on organisations. A structure for the dissertation might be:

• Introduction outlining recent press stories about a cashless society and the changes it will bring - this is used to justify the research.

• Brief history of the origins of money (setting the scene)

• Summarise the amount of money in circulation and the forms it takes

• Recent developments in 'plastic' money

• Recent technological development that make a cashless society a real prospect#p#分頁標題#e#

• Consideration of the effects of plastic money on different sectors

-Banks and Financial Services Organisations
-Multi national companies
-Small and medium enterprises

• Conclusions.

The effects of technology on workplace stress

 

One structure for this topic would be:

• brief outline of why this is an important topic, e.g. figures on stress related illnesses, working days lost, effects of stress on personal relations.

• origins of stress as a concept

• definitions and types of stress, e.g. psychological and physiological explanations

• how stress is measured

• causes of stress

• outcomes of stress

• definition of technology for the purpose of the dissertation

• linking technology and stress

• conclusions

3.3.2. The 'What is?' dissertation

This type differs from research that examines cause and effect relationships by asking simple questions like

-What is trust?

-What is motivation?

To do this type, a student has to get literature on the topic and reappraise it from a particular angle. A good angle to take is simply that the human resources climate in organisations is much different now to what is was when much of the theory about organisations and people was developed. Using knowledge of a sector, students can do some good work evaluating what the textbooks say about a topic in light on the way society is today. One real example is the meaning of ‘professionalism’. A student might:

• review the literature on the professions and their roles in society

• show why professionalism is important for organisations, i.e., consequences of low professionalism and the outcomes of high professionalism

• review the way professionalism has typically been conceptualised

• determine the key characteristics of today's business climate and link them to the classic views of professionalism

• consider how the concept has changed due to changes in business organisation

• draw out implications for organisations that need to maintain high levels of professionalism among their workforce.

Both Cause and Effect and What is... dissertations are effectively giant literature reviews.

Theoretical dissertations at post graduate level are usually only permitted in Northampton Business School, for students who encounter particular difficulties during their studies.

Note: a conceptual (theoretical) dissertation is not the same as a literature review. A literature review could be, for instance, a review of organisational culture showing typologies of culture, origins of cultures and the affects of cultures on employees and organisations. This is not acceptable in dissertations without a strong critical element running through the narrative. A critical element could come from a sustained attack on the research methods used in culture research.#p#分頁標題#e#

 

 

4. BUILDING YOUR DISSERTATION

4.1 ASSESSMENT OF THE DISSERTATION

The normal word length for a dissertation (excluding appendices and references) is around 15,000 words. Students who pursue a wholly qualitative survey may need to exceed this amount and students who pursue a largely quantitative survey may require slightly less. Dissertations, excluding appendices and references, should not exceed 16,000 words.

As each dissertation is unique, there is considerable flexibility in the marking scheme that is applied. However, the following factors will be assessed.

The study is justified in terms of management theory and practice.

Logical and feasible research aims are developed.

The research method(s) used are appropriate to the research question.

The dissertation contains evidence of significant critical analysis.

The narrative is logical and developmental.

Theory and practice are informed by the research.

The dissertation structure follows the conventions of a particular field of management.

The presentation of text and data reflect masters level scholarship.

Dissertations that are purely conceptual will be assessed more rigorously on the extent of the literature review and the student's engagement with relevant theory.

All dissertations will be assessed by two tutors, one of whom will be the supervisor.

 

 

4.2 DISSERTATION STRUCTURE

4.2.1 Contents

Structures vary according to the exact nature of the research undertaken. For a dissertation on a taught degree, 5 to 7 sections should be enough and typical pattern is shown below in order of occurrence.

Title page

Abstract or summary (PLEASE NOTE THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS AN “Executive Summary” which is only suited to Management Reports.

(1 page showing what you did, how you did it and saying what you found out. This is written on completion of the dissertation).

Contents pages (to include the following)

Contents
Appendices
List of tables
List of figures

Acknowledgements (1 page)

 

Section 1. Introduction

An introduction to the topic, explaining what the study is about, why the study is important, indicating some of the theoretical underpinning which is to be employed and showing how the dissertation is structured. You may wish to delineate your aims in carrying out the research here (briefly).

Section 2: Literature Review

This is where current and past theory on the topic is discussed. This should demonstrate your awareness of the main issues and authors in your chosen field and your understanding of what has already been said on the topic.

Section 3: Research Design and Methodology

Comment on your research design. Explain your choice of methodology; justify the methods of data collection and analysis used. Give details of how the research was conducted. Point out the main limitations of the research method(s) in light of the aims and objectives.#p#分頁標題#e#

Section 4: Results/Findings

This section contains the results of your research which might be; tables of quantitative data, mini-cases of organisations or summaries of interviews. Concentrate on presenting your data here; resist the temptation to begin interpreting the implications of the data until the next section. Make sure that the way results are presented clearly links to and inform the research questions or hypotheses being examined.

Section 5: Discussion of results

Discuss and interpret the results. Relate your findings to the literature review. Make sure that your discussion links clearly to your research questions or hypotheses. If your research has been highly qualitative, it may be necessary to combine the presentation of results and a discussion of them into one section.

Section 6: Conclusions

Conclusions may be presented in a section at the end of the discussion or in a separate section. Make sure that you give conclusions that connect to the aims and objectives of the research. Do not simply repeat results or parts of your discussion here – think through what your results mean for theory and or the practice of management.

Recommendations can be given if the research was based around an organisational problem but often they are not necessary – check with your supervisor. If you do make recommendations, make sure they are connected to your conclusions and that they are fairly specific. Do not make sweeping recommendations that could apply to most organisations most of the time.

Consider the implications for future research. What might you suggest to a researcher who wanted to follow-up your study? Perhaps you can suggest some specific areas for research that have become clear to you now that you have finished.

A good topic to close your dissertation with involves your reflections on the learning process that you have just undertaken. What have you learned about management or about yourself as a researcher? Do you see the topic any differently now that you have spent months trying to understand it? Are you are aware now of limitations in your research design that you were not aware of when you wrote the Research Design/Methodology section? If so, then what are they?

Appendices

Use numbered appendices to contain material that would have clogged-up the main sections but only include material that truly adds to the dissertation. Do not include any old papers just because it took you a long time to find them! Appendices might include some very detailed results or descriptions of organisational processes. They can also include questionnaires and examples of interview transcriptions. It is not necessary to include all the data you have collected (by whatever means).

References

References are placed last in a dissertation and the Harvard referencing system should be used. The references must include all references cited in the narrative and they should not contain any references that are not cited.#p#分頁標題#e#

A bibliography is different to references, being a list of sources that you used but did not cite.

4.2.2 Presentation Hints

Do not simply call your sections, for instance, ‘Section 2: Literature Review’. Give each section a meaningful title like, ‘Section 2: Theories of Competitive Advantage’.

Sections should be substantial. Do not have sections that are only 2 or 3 pages long. Sections should have an introduction (about half a page long) and a summary at the end of each one (also about half to one page).

Sections should build upon each other. To help readers understand your work, group your main ideas together in the introductory section(s) and again when you are presenting and discussing results.

Section numbering (as used in this guide) is not essential. You may wish to use a more free flowing narrative without numbering paragraphs and to differentiate between sections by using headings. If you do use section numbering, use a clear hierarchical system to group your ideas, such as,

1.1 UPPER CASE BOLD
1.1.1 Lower case bold
1.1.1.1 Lower case underlined

That is, do not raise issues or ideas unless you then discuss them.

Poor spelling and grammar annoy examiners and will be penalised in marking. Unless you are sure of your spelling and grammar, get a critical friend to proof read your draft.

Do not simply copy models from textbooks into your dissertation without applying them to the sector or topic that you are researching. There simply isn’t any point.

4.3 DISSERTATION PRESENTATION - THINGS TO AVOID

All dissertations will be marked carefully against the marking scheme. However, it is useful to know some of the things that do not endear students to their examiners.

1. Failure to articulate the purpose of the research and to explain why the research was important and necessary.

2. A short and incomplete literature review and/or a review that is disjointed and clumsily put together. A review that lacks critical analysis and is merely descriptive will not gain high marks.

3. Poor description of the research methods and lack of justification for the methods used.

4. Poor presentation of results. This affects both qualitative and quantitative research and students must remember that their findings and conclusions are only as strong as the results that are presented.

5. Lack of attention to spelling and grammar. If a student has not bothered to correct simple mistakes then the supervisor may well come to doubt the reliability of the results 怎么寫Dissertation
and conclusions drawn from them. The cumulative effect on the examiner of consistent bad presentation can be very damaging.
6. Inconsistent, inadequate or incorrect referencing - if a student cannot handle references properly then this strongly suggests that their command of academic literature is scant at best. The list of references must contain all the references used in the dissertation. Likewise, the list of references must not contain references that are not cited in the dissertation.#p#分頁標題#e#

7. It is important for students to show a command of their dissertation subjects and this is easily lost if insufficient use is made of referencing, quotations and footnotes, which, in the right combination, allow the scholarly presentation of ideas. In the wrong hands, they can give the impression that large pieces of work have been imported and ‘rearranged’ from elsewhere. Please see the guidelines on plagiarism. This is taken extremely seriously and if plagiarism is detected it may mean that your dissertation will fail.

4.4 SUBMITTING YOUR DISSERTATION
(For a summary of requirements see appendix eight).

Two copies of the dissertation must be submitted on or before the deadline. Students who are unable to meet the deadline must apply for an extension from the course leader in advance of the deadline expiring. Extensions will only be granted when there are convincing mitigating circumstances such as illness. Pressure of work is not an acceptable mitigating circumstance.

So that your dissertation conforms to certain scholarly traditions and principles there are some important aspects of formatting that must be adhered to.

 

The following requirements apply.

1. Dissertations must be word processed on A4 paper with only one side of the paper used.

2. Referencing must conform to the Harvard system.

3. Ample margins must be allowed for. We suggest a left margin of 35 mm; right, top and bottom margins, 25 mm. (The wider left margin is needed to ensure the left edge of the text is not masked by the binding).

4. Line spacing of 1.5 should be used.

5. Page numbering must be consecutive.

6. Two printed and professionally bound copies of the dissertation must be submitted.

7. In addition to submitting two professionally bound copies (as explained in 6 above) you are required to submit one electronic version via ‘turnitin’ on the module’s NILE site

8. The title page should include the full title of the dissertation, the degree for which it is submitted, the year of submission, the author's name.

The recommended colour for hard binding is red (burgundy) with gold writing on the cover.

The spine of the hard bound copy should state name, course and year in the following style, i.e.

A. Smith MA Marketing 2008
Students may wish to include the title and author on the outside front cover also but this is not a requirement of the College.

For a summary of style, formatting and professional binding requirements see appendix eight.

APPENDIX ONE: GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS

During your background reading, look for the following terms and make sure you appreciate what they mean.

Causal relationships, causality
Conceptualisation
Construct Validity
Correlation
Cross-sectional research

Empirical
Epistemology
Error (sampling error, measurement error)
Ethnography#p#分頁標題#e#

Falsification (The principle of)
Generalisability
Hypothesis

Interpretative research
Longitudinal research
Method variance
Pilot study
Positivism

Primary data
Qualitative research
Quantitative research
Reliability

Scaling
Secondary data
Theory
Triangulation
Validity (construct, internal, external)
Variables (independent, dependent)

APPENDIX TWO: RECOMMENDED READING

There is plenty of material concerning general management research in the University of Northampton’s library. Since management is a social science and since much research is about behaviour in organisations, it is worth looking under social science research, psychology research methods, and statistics. Your particular interests will be the best guide to the right literature to use but some of following should be useful to you.

Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2003) Business Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Flick, U. (2002) An Introduction to Qualitative Research. Sage:London.

Saunders, M., Lewis, P. and Thornhill. A.(2009) Research Methods for Business Students. 5th Edition Prentice Hall.

Fisher, C. (2007), Researching and writing a dissertation: A essential guide to business students, 3rd edition, Prentice Hall

Swailes, S. (2001). Management Research: Introducing Principles, Concepts and Methods. University College Northampton.

Gill, J. & Johnson, P. (2010) Research Methods for Managers, 4th edition, Sage..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

APPENDIX THREE: PG DISSERTATION GRADING CRITERIA

Student Name:
Student Number:
Dissertation Title:

FIRST MARKER
Name: Grade
% Final Grade

%
Second Marker
Name: Grade
%
Grade Comments
The study is justified in terms of theory/practice


The literature review is thorough, critical & applied


The research aims & objectives are clear, appropriate and justified


Research Method(s) are justified & discussed from a philosophical standpoint


Presentation of results is appropriate, organised & informative

Critical Analysis and discussion of findings is provided


The student demonstrates knowledge of the theory base
Y / N
Logical structure/narrative

Y / N
The overall quality reflects Masters level

Y / N
Overall the student engaged well with the research process
Y / N
 

Additional comments on reverse:
APPENDIX FOUR: DISSERTATION PROPOSAL-GUIDANCE NOTES

As part of your Research Methods Training you will have been asked to produce a Research proposal. If you have done this and intend to base your dissertation on it (however loosely) then please give that to your supervisor as a way of introducing them to your topic. If you have not prepared such a proposal then a general pro-forma for completing a dissertation proposal is given below. This is NOT assessed and is NOT compulsory but please check with your tutor about what they would like you to prepare in advance of your first meeting.#p#分頁標題#e#

Proposal submitted by : Date:

1. What is the general area that you are interested in?
2. What is your 'working' project title? (This is likely to change as the dissertation evolves but you should be able to define a working title for the present).
3. What are the aims and objectives of the Dissertation?

4. What specific research questions or hypotheses do you intend to examine

5. List the names of any organisations from which you will seek collaboration and/or co-operation.

6. Specify the sources of primary and secondary data and the sampling frame for gathering the data and information that you intend to use. (These may be documentary sources such as economic & financial data and/or a particular group of people that you intend to sample).

7.. Summarise the research methods that you will use to gather data and information from the sources in 6.
8. Summarise the methods that you will use to analyse data and information.
9. Review and summarise the main bodies of theory that underpin your dissertation. (This review must include citations to research literature - passing reference to 'motivation' or 'business planning' will not do).

(Continue on another sheet if necessary)

10 Identify any limitations, pre-requisites, ethical issues or risks involved in undertaking this dissertation. (Is there anything you are depending on that could go wrong and jeopardise the whole thing?)
11. What alternative methods of primary data collection have you considered and discounted?

Dissertation Proposal - Worked Example
1. What is the general area that you are interested in ?
The main area will look at the way public sector employees achieve job satisfaction and dissatisfaction. The sector continues to experience extensive central government 'interference' and often attracts adverse publicity - this study will look at how these main effects influence the job related attitudes of staff.

2. What is your working project title? (This is likely to change as the dissertation evolves but you should be able to define your working title for the present).
Job satisfaction in a local government organisation.
3. What are the aims and objectives of the Dissertation?

To:

-examine the current level of job satisfaction in a local government organisation (LGO) ;

-explore employees' explanations of the causes of high and low job satisfaction within themselves and within the LGO;

-identify the correlates of job satisfaction, in particular the links between workplace change and satisfaction levels and make recommendations to the organisation.
This work aims to provide a deep understanding of satisfaction in the LGO concerned and as such provide useful information to managers in the LGO. Findings will be compared to the extensive literature on job satisfaction.
4. What specific research questions or hypotheses do you intend to examine?
1. What factors are causally linked to job satisfaction in a LGO?#p#分頁標題#e#

2. What are the implications for management?

5. Specify any organisations from which you will seek collaboration and/or co-operation.

I intend to carry out this work in Midshire County Council with whom I have good contacts. If this co-operation does not materialise then I would revert to a postal survey of different LGOs.
6. Specify the sources of primary and secondary data and the sampling frame for gathering the data and information that you intend to use. (These may be documentary sources such as economic & financial data and/or a particular group of people). Justify why you have selected these sources of information.
I intend to negotiate access to a sample of employees in the LGO so that I can conduct a series of interviews. This sample will take account of job grade, sex and other key variables but its exact make-up cannot be specified any further at this stage. I aim to carry out about 10-12 interviews.
If a small sample group in one LGO can be obtained then this will act as a 'case study' and will help to eliminate the differences in causes of satisfaction that might arise if 10-12 people were interviewed from say 10-12 different organisations. This approach to interviewing small groups is supported by Torvill and Dean (1983).
7. Summarise the research methods that you will use to gather data and information. (Consider your sampling frame
I propose to use open-ended, exploratory interviews in order to obtain employees' views of the influences upon their own satisfaction and that of others. This method will allow me to follow-up interview responses when promising lines of enquiry occur.
To get another bearing on the topic I plan to send a questionnaire to a larger sample in the same LGO. The questionnaire will contain known influences on job satisfaction (e.g. Herzberg) and employees will be asked to assess the importance of the different influences. I need to confirm the response formats for the main part of the questionnaire but it will probably be either mainly Likert scales or a respondent ranking of pre-stated variables.
8. Summarise the methods that you will use to analyse data and information.

I intend to use QR-NUDIST to analyse interview transcripts and to identify the themes within the data. The questionnaire will be analysed using simple correlational analysis.
9. Review and summarise the main bodies of theory that underpin your dissertation. (This review must include citations to research literature - passing reference to 'motivation', 'culture' or 'business planning' will not do).
Job satisfaction is one of the most widely studied topics in the history of management research. The classic studies of job satisfaction include Herzberg (1956), Locke (1976) and they have been comprehensively summarised by Griffin and Bateman (1986). Despite this, low satisfaction and morale are commonly reported in the press and the literature (Adams, 1992; Batty and Campbell, 1995; Fowler and Owen, 1987; Shearer, Lee and Campbell, 1990) .#p#分頁標題#e#
Given that the public sector has experienced so much change in the last few years, and continues to undergo change, more research in the area is needed as the links between change and satisfaction are not as well understood. Local government is a well researched sector overall but there has not been much reported on the links between change and satisfaction (Keen and Scase, 1994).

This project therefore will revisit some classic theories of satisfaction, for example, Herzberg, and see to what extent his hygiene factors are still important correlates of satisfaction relative to other variables that have been introduced into the workplace more recently.

10. Identify any limitations, pre-requisites or risks involved in undertaking this dissertation. (Is there anything you are depending on that could go wrong and jeopardise the whole thing?)

I am depending upon Midshires to co-operate in order to carry out enough interviews. Even if this is not possible though, I will be able to construct a questionnaire from the literature and send it to a sample of HR managers in LGOs. These can easily be identified from directories like the Municipal Yearbook.

11. What alternative methods of primary data collection have you considered by rejected?

This particular study requires direct access to public sector employees and ideally through some sort of interview technique. It would be possible to use a structured technique such as repertory grid to examine how people see job satisfaction in others but my concern is to focus on how individuals see the factors that influence their own job satisfaction. A questionnaire could be used for the whole survey but I intend to use that as a supplement rather than as the main source of data collection because of the intensely personal nature of the subject being researched.
APPENDIX FIVE: MINIMUM CONTACT WITH SUPERVISOR

Meeting 1
“Research intent”
Discussion of initial ideas and potential research questions.
At the end of this meeting, you should have:
a) an agreed timetable for the research
b) a date for your next meeting
b) a clear idea of areas to examine in your literature review
c) possible research questions
d) an understanding of the research process

Meeting 2
“Draft literature review”
Discussion of a draft version of your literature review.
At the end of this meeting you should have:
a) a firm research question
b) preliminary ideas about possible research methods
c) a clear idea of the structure of your dissertation
d) a clear idea of how to structure your literature review and areas for development

Meeting 3
“Research methods”
Discussion of research methods for your study.
At the end of this meeting you should have:
a) a clear research question and objectives
b) a clear idea about the research methods that will be used for your study#p#分頁標題#e#
c) a clear understanding of how to structure your research methodology chapter

Meeting 4
“Data collection”
Review and discussion of the data you have collected, including how to interpret and present it.
At the end of this meeting you should have:
a) a clear idea of how to interpret your data
b) a clear idea of how to present your data
c) a contingency plan for collecting additional data
Meeting 5
“Interpretation & writing up”

Discussion of your findings, and of the writing up of the dissertation.
At the end of this meeting you should have:
a) discussed your findings with your supervisor
b) considered new areas of literature to include
c) discussed the implications of your findings
d) reflected on your learning during your dissertation
e) a clear idea of how to present your dissertation, including the formal requirements and submission dateAPPENDIX SIX: GUIDANCE FOR ETHICS IN ACADEMIC RESERACH

Researcher's Responsibility for Ethics
Researchers are legally responsible for their research and research may have to be modified or even discontinued in the light of ethical considerations and may put a research degree award in jeopardy. It is therefore essential that those ethical issues be addressed before and during research.
Key Ethical Considerations
• The rights, safety and well-being of participants must be the primary consideration in any research study
• Value of the Research to society/learning should be assessed
• Potential benefits and harm of the research to the participant and those connected with the research must be evaluated
• Informed consent must be obtained
• Confidentiality must be maintained
Rights, Safety and Wellbeing
• This is the paramount concern and the one by which the researcher, the supervisor and the institution are judged
Value of Research
• This is a controversial consideration
• Some consider it irrelevant as compared with the rights safety and well being
• However the paramount consideration may be fulfilled but the research is of no value - should it go ahead?
Benefit and Harm
• A risk assessment must be carried out
• Not enough to mitigate risks there must be a strategy to deal with them
• Certain matter must be addressed e.g. age of participants
Informed Consent
• This will depend on the circumstances
• May require signature of participant and witness signature
• Witness role:
• signature is subject's and that he or she did in fact give consent
• process of information giving is appropriate
Confidentiality
• Confidential nature of information
• Confidentiality of participants
• Anonymous?
• Security
Ethics Checklist#p#分頁標題#e#
Here is a list of questions that should be addressed when drafting the ethics section of the proposal. Some of these will appear on the School forms.
1. Does the research involve ethical issues? Must set down a strategy - Is there a code?
2. Who are the subjects? Age, status etc…
3. Does the research involve any of the matters that must be referred to the Research Ethics Committee?
4. Where is the research being carried out? Will persons other than the researcher be involved in interviewing?
5. Will incentives be offered to interviewers (attach any contract) or participants to take part?
6. Does the research involve invasive techniques (e.g. taking of blood)?
7. Does the research involve asking subjects to undertake tasks that they would not normally undertake?
8. Might the research uncover matters that are of wider concern? (e.g. participant's involvement in criminal offences, illness or condition in respect of which the participant may not have been aware)
9. Are there any health and safety matters? Has a risk assessment been carried out in relation to the participants and the researchers?
10. Does the research involve any activity that might be described as ‘invasion of privacy'?
11. If you have answered Yes to Questions 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10 what strategy will be developed to address these issues?
12. How are the subjects being recruited?
13. What information will be provided to enable informed consent and the right to withdraw?
14. Will non-anonymised data be collected?
15. If yes, how is confidentiality to be maintained, how will the data be stored (Note the Data Protection Act) and destroyed?
16. How long will information be kept?
University of Northampton Ethics Code
The University of Northampton has an ethics code which is divided into three parts:
• Part A Policy Principles
• Part B Procedures
• Part C Codes of Practice
Part A Policy Principles
• General Responsibilities
• Informed consent
• Deceptive and Covert Research
• Confidentiality and Anonymity
The University of Northampton Requirements
Mandatory Action
Whenever and as soon as ethical issues arise:
• Must set out a strategy
• Must comply with the principles
• Must comply with the relevant codes of practice
• Must refer to a school's ethics panel
• Must in all cases of doubt, conflict of interest and section 6 refer the issues to the Ethics Committee
Advisory Action
A researcher and, where appropriate, a supervisor may at any time refer a matter to the Research Ethics Committee through its Secretary. Early reference is recommended (I.e. before submission to the Research Degrees Board/Research Degrees Committee as either may refer later)
Reference to the Research Ethics Committee
Considers as an 'outsider' and asks:#p#分頁標題#e#
• Have the ethical issues been considered?
• Have the relevant ethical standards of practice for the area of research been applied?
• Are the participants in research are protected from harm?
• Would the reasonable person with the skill and knowledge of the researcher and supervisor be satisfied that the proposal is 'ethical'?
• Remember the Committee only has the evidence of the proposal.

APPENDIX SEVEN: NBS ETHICS FORM
(Available as a Word document on the MKTM021 NILE site)

 

This document is to be used by all NBS students or staff undertaking research. Students must submit this form with their research proposal as instructed by their lecturers. Staff needing approval for staff research need to submit it to Dr Simon Denny, Associate Dean: Research and Knowledge Transfer. Completed forms must be filed with the relevant student/staff records.

1. Project title:

2. Course of study:

3. Student number
Or if staff, name:
? I have read and agree to adhere to the NBS Research Ethics Procedure and the Guidance on Ethics for Researchers

4. Supervisors’ names:

5. Use of human participants: Tick one of the following:
? I am using human participants.
? I am using archival data where individuals are identifiable
? I am not using human participants or data where individuals are identifiable and therefore do not need to complete the remainder of this form.

6. Participants: Tick the box which most accurately describes your sample:
? Children under 16 years
? 16-18 year olds
? Adults over 65 years old
? Members of the public (general)
? Members of the public (specific such as teachers, students etc, – describe here: ………………….)
? Members of vulnerable groups (frail elderly, recently bereaved, members of support groups – describe here :……………..……...)
? Other. If other, describe your sample here:

 

7. Issues for concern: Tick below any issue that relates to this research.

? Involves participants undertaking tasks they would not normally undertake
? Involves any activity that might be described as an ‘invasion of privacy’
? Involves deception
? Involves a topic that would be considered ‘sensitive’
? Involves the collection of data that is not anonymised (contains identifying information such as name and address)
? Other. If other, describe here:

 

8. Methodology: Tick the appropriate box. Full details of what you will do and where it will happen, should be provided in the accompanying Proposal.
? Questionnaires
? Interviews
? Experiments
? Observations
? Archival
? Other. If other, state here:#p#分頁標題#e#

 

9. Recruitment Process. Tick the process that best describes how you plan to recruit participants. Full details of how you will recruit and where it will happen, should be provided in the accompanying Proposal.

? Via poster in a public place such as a library or community centre
? ‘Packs’ will be provided to named person in an organisation/group to be distributed on my behalf
? Asking personal contacts to pass my information packs to their contacts
? Will be asking friends/family
? Cold calling
? Other. If other, state here:

 

10. Recruitment material. Tick all the recruitment material you will be using. They must not be used until seen and approved by your supervisor.
? Recruitment poster
? Recruitment letter to named person in an organisation/group who will be distributing ‘Packs’ on your behalf
? Recruitment letter to potential participants
? Participant Information Sheet
? Consent form
? Other. If other, state here:

 

11. Risk assessment: Some projects will require risk assessment for participants and/or researchers. In other words, there is a possibility that participants and/or researchers will get hurt collecting data. If so, a risk assessment must be conducted. Tick the appropriate box below concerning your need for risk assessment.
? There is no risk of injury to participants and/or researchers, so no risk assessment will be conducted.
? There is a potential of injury to participants and/or researchers, so risk assessment has been (or will be) conducted.

 

Part B To be completed by staff:
Comments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Date considered by Ethics Committee

Proposal to be returned to Ethics Committee Yes [ ] No [ ]

Signed on behalf of Ethics Committee

Tick which of the following needs to be developed. Supervisor to sign off once satisfied
Is needed Final copy seen and approved by supervisor
Recruitment poster
Recruitment letter to individuals
Recruitment letter to organisation
Participant Information Sheet
Consent form
Other:
APPENDIX EIGHT: STYLE, FORMAT & BINDING REQUIREMENTS

The thesis must be accompanied by a statement, signed by the candidate, certifying that it is the result of work mainly done during the period of registration, and that in the case of conjoint work a substantial part of the thesis is the original work of the candidate. A form is available as appendix nine and also available separately as w Word document on the module’s NILE site.

Dissertations must be typed or word processed and be submitted electronically wherever possible. Your electronic submission must comply with any current university policy concerning electronic submissions. You will ensure compliance by submitting your electronic version by using the ‘Turnitin’ facility on the NILE site of this module.#p#分頁標題#e#

Your printed and bound copies should comply with the following:

Colour of cover Standard burgundy with gold writing on cover.

Page size A4 (210 X 297 mm)
Page layout one side of paper only to be used
Spacing One-and-a-half
Inner margin 35 mm minimum
Head, foot and outer margins 15 mm minimum
Explanatory footnotes to stand at the foot of relevant pages
Bibliography to follow text and any appendices
Title page To include, as well as the full title of the thesis, the degree for which the work is submitted, the year of submission and the candidate’s name.

PLEASE NOTE:

You are required to submit 2 printed and professionally bound copies plus 1 electronic copy. You are required to submit the electronic copy via ‘turnitin’ on this module’s NILE site.

APPENDIX NINE: DISSERTATION SUBMISSION COVER SHEET
(Available as a Word document on the MKTM021 NILE site)

Postgraduate Marketing 怎么寫Dissertation
Student Declaration

Student name

Student number

I confirm that the work presented here is all my own, and that I have referenced my sources appropriately.I confirm that this work has not been submitted for any other assessment, either at The University of Northampton or elsewhere.I understand that this work may be checked for plagiarism using The University of Northampton’s plagiarism detection software.I agree that this work may be made available to other students for reference purposes, either in hard copy or electronically via The University of Northampton’s virtual learning environment (NILE).

Student signature _________________________