Dissertation Orientation JulyDec 08 Batch

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Dissertation Orientation(July-Dec 08 Batch)

• Dissertation
• What does it mean??

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Dissertation Definition

• dissertation (dis'?r-ta'sh?n) n.
• A lengthy, formal treatise, especially one
  written by a candidate for the doctoral degree at
  a university a thesis.
• FROM http//www.answers.com/topic/dissertation

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Other Definitions

• A PhD dissertation is a lengthy, formal document
  that argues in defense of a particular thesis.
  (So many people use the term thesis'' to refer
  to the document that a current dictionary now
  includes it as the third meaning of thesis'').
  
• Two important adjectives used to describe a
  dissertation are original'' and
  substantial.'' The research performed to
  support a thesis must be both, and the
  dissertation must show it to be so. In
  particular, a dissertation highlights original
  contributions.
• Ref http//www.cs.purdue.edu/homes/dec/essay.diss
  ertation.html

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Definition of Thesis/Dissertation

• an unproved statement put forward as a premise
  in an argument
• dissertation a treatise advancing a new point of
  view resulting from research usually a
  requirement for an advanced academic degree
  http//wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?o2o01
  o7o5o11o6o4o3sdissertation

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The UOW Dissertation Process - I

• The Dissertation period is for six months Jan
  to June OR July to December.
• Before the end of the Dissertation Period, a
  student is expected to present his/her
  Dissertation Document, and make a presentation
  defending his/her Dissertation findings to a
  Panel of Judges over Interwise.
• Te Faculty Guides for Dissertation are Prof
  Victor Soares ( Marketing), Prof Deepak Ukidave
  (Finance) and Prof Angelo DSouza (HR) (MIS).

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The UOW Dissertation Process - II

• Students of the Dissertation are expected to
  show a high level of independence, proactivity,
  responsibility for outcomes and maturity.
• While each student is expected to complete
  his/her Dissertation on his/her own, there will
  be opportunities of sharing their ideas with
  other students of the batch, as well as students
  from other Functional Areas.
• There will be one general Interwise session for
  each functional area organized by the Faculty
  Guide, once in 6 weeks. There will also be two
  sessions for the entire Group (all functional
  areas) which will be set up by the Dissertation
  Supervisor over the Dissertation period (Please
  refer to the Dissertation Interaction schedule).
• Faculty Guides can be contacted over e-mail
  (most common) or Mobile Text Messages, or
  Messenger services (MSN, Yahoo, Skype etc) or
  over the phone. The contact details of the
  Faculty will be available on Blackboard to enable
  you to contact them.

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UOW Dissertation Process-III

• For documentation purposes, all submissions MUST
  be posted on BB.
• The Faculty Guide will return the draft documents
  you send him/her by putting remarks on the same
  and dropping them into Digital Drop box.
• Use of Digital Drop box is an essential
  documentation process as required by the
  University of Wales.

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Your Dissertation Guide

• Right through the Dissertation Process, you will
  have a Dissertation Guide, who will be available
  to you for any guidance. However, the purpose of
  the dissertation would be defeated, if you expect
  the Guide to spoon feed you.
• You are the Captain of your own ship during
  Dissertation and your Faculty Guide is your
  advisor. Your relationship with your Faculty
  Guide will be equivalent to CEO to external
  Consultant.
• One of the objectives of the Dissertation
  Process is to give you the confidence of
  independently conducting a Research Process, and
  enhancing your ability to transfer the knowledge
  you gained right through your MBA course to
  practical situations.
• Even though your Dissertation is in a particular
  field (Finance, Marketing, MIS or HR), you are
  expected to bring out the linkage of your
  dissertation to all the functional areas
  seamlessly. This is evidence that you truly are
  able to take a 360 degree perspective of any body
  of knowledge or any Problem. Your evaluation will
  carry a weightage for your ability to link your
  Diserttion to other functional areas.

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Interaction with your Guide

• Your Guide plays a role of Guide, Mentor and
  Friend. It is therefore essential that you
  develop a very close relationship with him/her.
• Seek advice at every stage, and ensure that you
  proceed to the next Milestone , only after you
  get the approval of the successful completion of
  the previous Milestone by our Guide. Each
  milestone is expected to go through several
  revisions before it is firmed up.
• Send the guide drafts/mails etc. on a regular
  basis. Remember that your weekly report MUST be
  posted on BB every Friday. You should use the
  following naming convention for any documents you
  send
• YourFirstName_MilestoneNo/Name_Version_date
  e.g. Mohammed_Milestone1ProblemStatement_Version3_
  date. OR Kashyap_WeeklyReport3_date. Remember
  that the Guide is receiving documents from other
  students who he/she is guiding, and needs to know
  your name. The version number enables him/her to
  file your documents in the correct sequence, with
  all documents of the Milestone filed together.

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Your Attitude toward Dissertation

• One of the important aspects of dissertation is
  the fact that YOU ARE IN CONTROL OF THE OUTCOMES.
• In the courses of the MBA program, the
  Instructor was at the helm, and you followed the
  path of progress that he laid down.
• In the dissertation Process YOU are to determine
  your progress path the Guide is available to
  help, only if you need it. You therefore need to
  be proactive and use effective Time Management to
  ensure that you devote enough time for the
  successful completion of your dissertation.
• Past experience shows that you need at least 21
  to 27 hours per week devoted exclusively to your
  Dissertation Process, to give yourself a fair
  chance of doing a perfect dissertation.
• Get a mind set of doing the Best Dissertation
  ever, and you will be able to achieve your aim.
  Read the Guidelines to Students and the
  Dissertation Handbook so you are completely
  familiar with the procedures and processes, and
  do not miss out on any of the schedules expected
  to be kept by you.

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The Dissertation Roadmap

• The Dissertation always begins with a Hypothesis
  or a Problem Statement.
• The Hypothesis should be Unique, and Valuable
  it should contribute to the General Body of
  Knowledge in the Field.
• The Problem Statement should be specific to a
  Company or Industry or Country or Community,
  solution to which would be strategically valuable
  to the Company/Industry/Country/Community.

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Milestones

• The Dissertation Process is usually divided into
  Phases, completion of which are considered
  Milestones.
• It is essential to complete each Milestone,
  before starting work on the next Milestone.
• Every Milestone is dependent on the completion
  of the preceding Milestone. Any changes would
  have a cascading effect.

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UOW Dissertation Milestones

• 1. Hypothesis/Problem Selection based on
  extensive Literature Research.
• 2. Aim, Objectives and Scope of Project
• 3. Research Plan - Methodology and Schedule
• 4. Actual Research Activity/Data Collection
• 5. Analysis of Data/Information
• 6. Conclusions and Recommendations
• 7. First Draft of Final Report (Chapter VI of the
  THiNC MBA Dissertation Manual)
• 8. Review and Reinforcement of Findings
• 9. Finishing Touches before Submission and
  Presentation
• 10. Final Submission of Report and Presentation

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Literature Review

• Extensive Literature Review is the secret to
  the development and completion of a successful
  Dissertation. This is the rock foundation of any
  successful Dissertation.
• Literature Review, gives you a foundation on the
  topics/knowledge in the field in which you are
  doing your Dissertation. It makes you an expert
  on the topic you are researching.
• It ensures that you are not working on a thesis
  which has already been covered by someone else
  viz. ensures that your work is unique.
• It is the takeoff point for formulating the
  Theses or Problem statement. Improper research at
  this stage, could result in your having to change
  your problem, and start your Dissertation from a
  scratch!!
• Literature review continues right through the
  Dissertation Process and as you go deeper into
  the topic, you will need further research and
  review.
• Remember to make a note of referencing details
  required while doing your Literature
  Research/Review. This will enable you to
  reference all sources correctly as per the
  Harvard Referencing System, and avoid the pitfall
  of unintentional Plagiarism.

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Literature Review - Guidelines

• Does the literature review areas demonstrate a
  clear relationship with the study topic?
• Is the review semi-critical in its approach?
  (reinforcing the research mindset of going
  deeper and seeing other perspectives)
• Does the literature review establish a relevant
  conceptual framework for the primary research?
  (does it help you to give a focussed, clear and
  unique problem area to concentrate on)

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Recommended Readings for Dissertation

• 1. Proposals That Work A Guide for Planning
  Dissertations and Grant Proposals (Locke,
  Spirduso and Silverman, 2000)
• 2. Guide to the Successful Thesis and
  Dissertation A Handbook for Students and Faculty
  (Mauch and Birch, 1998)
• 3. Writing the Doctoral Dissertation A
  Systematic Approach (Davis and Parker, 1997)
• 4. The Thesis Writer's Handbook (Miller and
  Taylor, 1987)
• 5. The Craft of Research (Booth, Colomb and
  Williams, 1995)
• 6. Research Design Qualitative, Quantitative,
  and Mixed Methods Approaches (Creswell, 2003)
• 7. Handbook in Research and Evaluation (Isaac and
  Michael, 1997)
• 8. Methods of Educational and Social Science
  Research .
• Acknowledgement List compiled by Prof. Bob
  Cartelli.
• (Do not forget your very own Business Research
  Methods by Zikmund)

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Dissertation Roadmap Milestone 1

• This is the most important phase of the
  Dissertation Process, and needs a lot of
  Literature Research, consultations, personal
  likes and organizational approval in case of a
  Dissertation to solve a problem of a Company.
• This wording of the Thesis or the Problem
  statement should be very specific, concise (2/3
  lines at the outmost) and clear.
• Students have often gone through anywhere from 7
  to 15 revisions of this statement, before firming
  it up and proceeding to the next Milestone, which
  indicates the importance of this statement.
• Past Dissertation Students have recommended that
  students should have their focus on the
  dissertation and the topic of the Thesis from the
  time they join the MBA program, as it requires a
  lot of deep thought and research so the right
  time for you to think much deeper about it is
  RIGHT NOW !!

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Dissertation Roadmap Milestone 1(Questions to
ask)

• Is the topic area appropriate?
• Is the focus/scope of the topic appropriate?
• Is the context adequately described/explained?
• Is the rationale for study established?
• Is the statement concise, specific and clear?

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Dissertation Roadmap Milestone 2

• The Aim and Objectives of the Dissertation are
  clearly defined at this stage.
• The Aim of the Dissertation is derived directly
  from the Thesis/problem statement.
• The Objectives show specifically how you will
  achieve the Aim and broadly define the route you
  are going to take to develop a defense of the
  Thesis or a solution to the Problem.

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Dissertation Roadmap Milestone 2(Typical Aim
Objectives description)

• Typical Aims are
• - To evaluate existing
• - To determine the benefits.
• The Aim must be of a strategic nature, e.g.
  Strategic Advantage / Competitive Advantage.
• Key phrases to use in the Objectives are
• To evaluate criteria / levels ..
• To identify review / information .
• To evaluate / review literature / frameworks
• To Interview

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Dissertation Roadmap Milestone 1(Typical
Objectives)

• To conclude
• To explore
• To develop
• To discuss findings
• To evaluate effectiveness
• To examine the effectiveness
• To determine key

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Dissertation Roadmap Milestone 3(Methodology
and Schedule)

• This is where you specify how you plan to
  achieve each of the Objectives, through Research.
• You decide on the methodology of research here
  you use all the knowledge you gained in your
  Research Methods course.
• In the past students have gone into Exploratory
  Research, Experience Surveys, before getting down
  to the actual Research. Students have collected
  secondary and Primary data, used Experimental,
  Model Building and other forms of obtaining
  information, besides the usual open ended and
  close ended questionnaires, personal interviews,
  telephonic interviews etc.
• You will need to define your Population whose
  opinions you wish to research, the selection of
  the sample, and the sample size, and the medium
  of collecting the information (Open-ended
  Personal Interviews, Questionnaires, Internet
  (surveymonkey.com) etc.
• Here you also need to specify your Data
  Collection Plan including the chronological
  order of events and the time frame for each.

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Dissertation Roadmap Milestone 3(Questions you
ask yourself)

• Is the type of data to be collected explained
  and justified?
• Is the means of data collection established?
• Is sufficient information provided on the
  intended data collection process, including
  difficulties, and the position/role of the
  researcher in relation to the issue/situation?

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Dissertation Roadmap Milestone 3(Proactively
plan analysis outcomes)

• At this stage, when you are planning the
  collection of Data, you should have a clear idea
  of how you will analyze it, and what conclusions
  you expect to draw from the data.
• It is recommended that you build dummy analysis
  tables, to get a clearer idea about how you will
  analyze the data. These Dummy tables, prompt you
  to make the data you collect more meaningful for
  analysis, by ensuring that all the information in
  the data cells of the table is included in your
  questionnaires.
• The accuracy and detail of the Data Collection
  Plan will determine the effectiveness of your
  Data collection, and hence paying attention to
  the minutest detail of data collection, will pay
  dividends in making the actual collection of data
  much easier. The pitfall here is to presume that
  you can get the best questionnaires at the first
  sitting. It takes many sittings/improvements
  after consultations/testing of the questionnaires
  to come to a final questionnaire.

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Dissertation Roadmap Milestone 4(Research
Activity/Data Collection)

• This is the actual field work and Web research
  that you will be doing.
• Remember that you need to make allowances for
  not being given appointments, or interviewees
  canceling appointments. It is therefore essential
  that you keep in mind the help you need from
  persons, when you plan out your first Milestone.
• This is where Time Management comes more into
  focus than ever, and adaptability, flexibility
  and determination so as to pursue and obtain the
  information you require is needed.
• Your personal skills of interpersonal relations,
  experience of body language, having insights to
  read between the lines and general knowledge on
  the subject matter will come into play.
• Based on your experience, you might wish to
  increse the scope of the information being
  collected or the population being interviewed at
  this stage, and you will have to change it on the
  fly!

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Dissertation Roadmap Milestone 5(Analysis of
Data/Information collected)

• It is here that you will use all the latent
  knowledge you have gained right through your MBA
  Program.
• You need to look at the Data from a 360 degree
  perspective, and look for hidden meaning and
  trends in the same.
• Very often, at this stage, as you delve deeper
  into the nuances of the Thesis/Problem, you will
  find that for a marginal effort of collecting a
  little more information, the outcomes could be
  much more valuable .
• Students who have done Exploratory and
  Experience Surveys have found it useful to go
  back to the interviewees with the basic findings
  and have them critically comment on the outcomes
  and the meanings derived from the Analysis.

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Dissertation Roadmap Milestone 6(Conclusions
and Recommendations)

• This is the phase when you use your skills of
  critical analysis and creative skills to derive
  conclusions from the Analysis.
• As mentioned earlier, have some person who is an
  authority in the field, to critically evaluate
  your analysis and conclusions.
• Study the practicability and feasibility of your
  recommendations from various perspectives. This
  is where the major questioning will come from
  during the defense of your Dissertation.

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Dissertation Roadmap Milestone 7(Report
Writing)

• This is the stage when you put everything
  together.
• Your Written Communication skills (which your
  instructors have been grooming right through your
  MBA) will stand you in good stead at this stage.
• Always put your thoughts and findings down in
  clear crisp English, free from spelling,
  grammatical and punctuation errors.
• Copy read your report sentence by sentence, and
  then check out the overall sequence of thoughts
  and continuity of arguments the Table of
  Contents helps you to ensure that everything you
  write is in the correct sequence.
• The remaining Milestones are to improve on this
  document, and to help you express orally (again,
  something that your instructors have been
  grooming during your iClasses and iMeetings right
  through your MBA Program) what you have put down
  in writing.
• Make dummy presentations, with a power point to
  your friends and relatives, and perfect your pet
  phrases and voice control for the final
  presentation. Time yourself, so that you do not
  have to rush or find yourself with nothing to say
  , even there is time available, during the actual
  defense.

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The overall Process Map
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Thank You for your Participation !!

• Question Time !
• Feel free to contact us at
• victorjsoares_at_yahoo.com
• deepaku11_at_yahoo.com
• angelo.dsouza_at_gmail.com