Discussion and analysis of accounting programs
dissertation题目：老师推荐
dissertation语种：英文
您的研究方向：会计
是否有数据处理要求：否
您的国家：英国
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要求字数：15000字以内
dissertation用途：硕士毕业dissertation Master Degree
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补充要求和说明：所有dissertation要求都在附件里
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The University of Southampton School of Management 留学生dissertation网 [email protected] (1455780998)
Contents
1 Objectives of the dissertation
2 Assessment criteria
3 Planning your work
4 Supervision
5 Choosing a topic
6 Structuring your dissertation
7 Presentation
8 Submission of the dissertation
9 Results
10 Recommended reading
Appendix One – Key Dates
Appendix Two – Dissertation Schedule Template
Appendix Three – Ethical Guidelines for Research
Appendix Four – Research Proposal Form
Appendix Five – Ethics form
Appendix Six - Risk Evaluation Form
Appendix E – Dissertation Title Page
1 Objectives of the dissertation
The dissertation involves an extended, independent investigation of a topic of your own choosing and the preparation of a 15,000 word dissertation describing your work.
Preparation of a dissertation requires you to:
• Identify a suitable topic for study;
• Design and undertake an appropriate investigation strategy;
• Identify and access useful sources of information;
• Plan and manage an appropriate schedule of work;
• Liaise with your supervisor;
• Write a well presented dissertation.
Essentially, the dissertation is a test of your ability to create, on your own initiative, a text which demonstrates a Masters level understanding of a particular management issue. You will be assigned a supervisor to advise you on how to approach the dissertation work, but it is your responsibility to manage and undertake the necessary work.
2 Assessment criteria
Dissertations will be assessed according to the general characteristics set out in Section 5.2 of your programme handbook in the section, Standards Expected.. Additionally, given the extended nature of the dissertation, you will have to demonstrate the skills also listed in Section 3.3 of your programme handbook, in the section Study Skills. For the dissertation in particular, Section 6.2 provide the overall assessment criteria, which indicate you need to#p#分页标题#e#
• State clear objectives for your study and ensure that the dissertation addresses these objectives. In other words, explain what you're going to do, why, and then make sure you do it!
• Present a clear, logical, and coherent line of argument throughout your dissertation.
• Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of your chosen topic and related conceptual literature, making appropriate reference to relevant sources of literature.
• Draw on concepts/techniques/frameworks from your previous studies.
• Ensure that your own ideas and analysis are a prominent part of your dissertation.
• Provide in depth, critical reflection in your analysis and discussion of results.
• Draw appropriate conclusions, related to objectives, credible and with clear implications to academia, practitioners or government policy.
• Avoid superficial, simplistic analysis.
In addition to the quality of content, assessment will also be affected by the quality of presentation (see Section 7 for points about presentation). Weakness in presentation can result in a reduced mark, even where the quality of the content is good.
3 Planning your work
Give yourself as much time as possible to complete your dissertation by starting early. It is rare for you to have a clear focus at the outset of your research, and you may find this is a major impediment to getting started. You have limited time to complete the work so the false starts must be dealt with very quickly. The sooner you begin the better.
It is very important that you plan your schedule of work for the dissertation to ensure that your time is managed efficiently and effectively, and that adequate time is allowed for the different activities needed to complete and submit your dissertation. In devising a project plan, work backwards from submission, identifying all constraints, and be realistic about the time needed for different tasks. Use the template in Appendix Two to plan your project. Build in some contingency time to allow for those unforeseen disasters that always seem to strike! Allow too for holidays, business travel, job interviews (both yours and your supervisors!).
Research Proposal.
You must produce a dissertation proposal (approx 1000 words) which indicates what the research is about and how it is to be undertaken.
Once it has been reviewed, it will become the focus and guide for your research.
The main items to include in your research proposal are (Easterby-Smith et al, 2001):
• a topic, its background and a justification for its choice;
• a question for the focus of the study and the main questions to be investigated;
• an explanation of how your study relates to, builds on, or differs from, previous work in the field; #p#分页标题#e#
• a description of how and what data will be collected, plus the means of collection;
• an explanation of how data will be analysed and interpreted and how this will relate back to the initial questions posed;
• comments on the practical value of the study (a brief description of the value of your work to either yourself, managers, business or the wider academic community), and any problems that may be relevant to its conduct;
• a plan outlining your proposed timescale.
The proposal is the first opportunity for you to receive formal formative feedback. It deserves careful attention. Be particularly careful to think through what area of underpinning theory will inform your study; without this bedrock the work may become merely descriptive.
As any delay in the submission of your proposal will delay completion of the work, at the outset it might be better to investigate two or three potential topics concurrently. If one or two turn out to be impractical for some reason you will not then have the dispiriting experience of having to go back to the beginning of the process.
4 Supervision
Each student proceeding to the dissertation will be assigned a supervisor. It is important that you are proactive in this relationship and ensure that you are getting what you need from it.
You will be allocated a supervisor by your Programme Director. The role of your supervisor is to:
• advise on the suitability of the title and scope of your dissertation
• advise on an appropriate dissertation structure
• advise on the suitability of your methodology
• advise you on your work timetable
• provide formative feedback on your proposal and two chapters of your dissertation, providing these are submitted by specified dates.
Supervisors will not normally provide specific advice or guidance on pertinent sources of information or literature for your particular topic. This is your responsibility.
The time available for supervision will not normally exceed six hours in total. You should not expect your supervisor to be available for frequent and lengthy guidance. Your relationship with your supervisor throughout the production of your dissertation is likely to be an important one. The relationship will vary from individual to individual, depending on factors such as the level of support needed.
Some supervisors might have very clear requirements as to their expectations of the working relationship between you, or alternatively they may take a highly flexible approach. Remember your supervisor will have other supervisees to see, other modules to teach, other research responsibilities and other administrative duties to undertake. You must be flexible in accommodating your supervisor’s other work responsibilities. Do not expect your supervisor to be on hand just whenever you wish to see them; –
communication and mutual respect is the key factor in this relationship -accept that you may have to wait several days before they can see you. #p#分页标题#e#
Try to make a positive start with your supervisor and then do all you can to maintain this good working relationship. To get the most from supervision sessions:
• Don't book your first appointment with your supervisor without having done some preliminary thinking and research. It's not really reasonable to expect your supervisor to present you with an idea or topic; the choice is yours, although they will advise you on the suitability of your suggestions.
• Be flexible about the ways in which you communicate with your supervisor; be prepared to use a combination of face-to-face meetings, e-mail and phone. Don’t bombard them with un-necessary communications, but don’t be afraid to get in touch with them if you really do need guidance. Remember that you are undertaking an independent study and most of your questions can be answered by yourself if you make use of the learning resources and reference materials available.
• At your first meeting agree some realistic dates by which you will have made specific and measurable progress on your project. You can then arrange subsequent meetings around this. Regular meetings are probably most useful in the early stages.
• When you next see your supervisor, make sure you have done (or mainly done!) what you said you would do at the previous meeting. If your progress has been slow for some reason, ask for a postponement until another convenient date. Don’t get into the habit of postponing though, as this may indicate that you are not on top of your project. It is not the supervisor’s responsibility to chase you; you drive the dissertation, not your supervisor.
• Take your supervisor's formative feedback very seriously and evaluate how you can use it. Don't feel compelled to incorporate everything he or she says into the finished project – the final decision is yours.
The content and presentation of the dissertation are your responsibility. The supervisor is not a proof reader so the impression created by the final product is down to you.
5 Choosing a topic and dissertation title
Choosing a suitable topic and then deciding on a more specific title for your dissertation can be a bit daunting, especially if you have not written a dissertation before. The topic selected should investigate a strategic or operational issues of managerial interest to one or more organisations, although largely theoretical dissertations are not excluded. In general, more successful dissertations are those that attempt an in-depth study of a focused topic, rather than attempt a wide-ranging study which can lack depth.
Generally, you are encouraged to undertake an applied dissertation based on a particular organisation context or related to a generic ‘management’ issue. (‘Management’ being broadly defined to include Management, Accounting, Finance, Management Sciences, Entrepreneurship, Marketing and Organisational Behaviour). Your project should be clearly relevant to some aspect of your studies, but it might also be relevant to your career plans. This can be very advantageous in enhancing your employability. Many employers regard the dissertation as a strong statement of your potential employability and independence.#p#分页标题#e#
Your chosen topic must be of a nature that enables you to investigate independently and explore concepts, theories and issues in depth and produce a rigorous dissertation at masters level. Dissertations that comprise purely descriptive material are not acceptable.
The best approach is to first identify a topic you are interested in, then think about possible titles for your dissertation within this topic. Think about particular modules you have studied, or particular assignments you have completed and which you found enjoyable, or particular strengths you feel you have. These will help you focus upon an idea or area that you would like to explore. Think about whether particular things you have learnt in one subject area or module that appear to have parallels with issues in other areas, and which you might fruitfully compare and contrast, perhaps in an interdisciplinary way. In undertaking this preliminary research, there's often no substitute for a few hours in the library, skim reading a range of materials. A book title or journal article that looks promising in a literature search might not have anything relevant to your tightly focused topic. By contrast, a book whose title may not look initially promising might contain chapters or sections that are relevant and helpful. The only way to find out is to read.
Approach your ideas with a balance of enthusiasm and realism. There is little point in becoming overexcited about an idea that you subsequently find has been either researched too extensively already, or which is clearly going to be unmanageable within the time you have without major revisions. Keep an open mind and be willing to refine your ideas, especially at the point when you seek initial feedback on your ideas from your prospective supervisor.
Whatever your topic, it needs to relate to the subject matter of your masters programme. Topics covered in individual modules in your programme are useful starting point. Once you have identified a topic area, you need to identify a title for your dissertation related to a problem, issue, or particular aspect of the topic area. A good title is short, reasonably specific, and one that conveys an objective. For example, the title ‘Risks and contracts’ is too broad and lacks focus. A better title is: ‘Effective allocation of risk in a construction contract”. This title is more focused both in terms of scope and direction. Your final dissertation title may evolve through the period of writing your dissertation and may be the final item you decide, but it is important to have a working title which you use to focus your work and which you modify as your ideas develop.
A parallel consideration is what kind of dissertation work you want to undertake. At one extreme a dissertation could be wholly literature based, critically synthesising current knowledge and research on a specific topic, and developing concepts. At the other extreme, the dissertation could be based largely on an application of a technique in a particular organisation context. In between is a dissertation that reviews relevant literature and also undertakes empirical work (e.g. survey, questionnaire, case-study) followed by analysis and discussion related back to the literature.#p#分页标题#e#
It is important to investigate the feasibility of possible topics (and titles) at an early stage. This helps to ensure that a study is appropriate for a dissertation and achievable in the time available. If your dissertation is to be based on investigations within a single organisation, an important consideration is to avoid over-emphasising company requirements at the expense of what is required in a good dissertation. For example, a company might want a set of customer data or insurance claims analysed in detail to guide future decision-making, but such data-‘crunching’ would have little value for a dissertation unless it were used as a basis for examining a set of hypotheses or used to add context to discussion of generic conceptual issues.
Dissertations can take a number of forms, for example:
• An in-depth critical review of an area of literature;
• Development of a technique or issues;
• Empirical work involving quantitative or qualitative analysis of collected data;
• A survey of business practice in a particular context;
• A case-study of a particular firm or industry;
• Study of a particular problem in an organisation or industry.
Each of these types of dissertation requires a slightly different approach and advice should be sought from your supervisor on the most appropriate way to proceed in particular cases.
6 Structuring your dissertation
A key feature of any dissertation is the way in which it is structured or organised. Structure is important because it dictates the topics discussed and the order in which they are discussed. A good structure can considerably enhance the finished quality of a dissertation; a poor structure usually means a poor dissertation regardless of the quantity and quality of the work that went into writing it. Characteristics of good dissertation structure include:
• The order of discussion is natural and logical to any reader.
• The order and nature of discussion are readily apparent from the contents page which shows chapter titles and major sub-headings that are clearly differentiated.
• Headings and sub-headings are informative, and reflect accurately and concisely the discussion they precede.
• Discussion and analysis develops progressively through the dissertation. In many cases a "hierarchical" structure is appropriate, with early chapters giving a general overview and later chapters giving a more detailed discussion of specific topics.
• Repetition of points is minimal. The existence of repetition is invariably a sign of poor structure.
The introduction chapter
All dissertations should have an effective introduction whatever form the dissertation work takes (literature review, empirical investigation, an application, etc). An introduction could usefully include the following:
• A brief explanation of the nature and significance of the dissertation topic, and the problems or issues implicit in the dissertation title. Some contextual statistics/general information may be useful here.#p#分页标题#e#
• What your interest/motivation for working on this topic is (for example, relevant previous work experience, or personal links with a company or issue).
• The objectives of your dissertation.
• An outline of the approach/methodology you have adopted.
• An overview of the line of argument your dissertation will follow (not simply a list of what each chapter contains).
The main body of your dissertation
The structure of your dissertation is likely to vary depending on whether your dissertation is primarily (a) literature based, (b) empirical research, (c) an application. Type (b) dissertations also involve type (a) work, and type (c) dissertations involve both type (a) and type (b) work.
Type (a) Literature based (concept clarification and development)
Dissertations are expected to involve some personal contribution by the student. In empirically based dissertations this presents no difficulty, but where reviews of the literature are involved the need for significant personal contribution is easily forgotten. When reviewing literature, or indeed whenever referring to literature, do not use material uncritically. Always be critical of what you read. Always try to comment on the relevance, value, shortcomings or advantages (as appropriate) of cited references. Unless you attempt some individual assessment of cited literature, your efforts at citing the literature will attract minimal marks.
A dissertation based entirely on a review of literature is not an easy option. It generally requires in-depth study of a particular body of literature, intelligent summarising of key aspects, critical reflection on research, and an attempt at synthesis and concept development in the chosen area. The nature of chapters will be highly dependent on the subject being studied. However, it is usually best to use chapter headings which reflect aspects of the selected topic rather than the source of the literature (eg text books, papers, empirical work, theoretical studies, websites, etc).
In general, introductory material covered in your degree programme modules should be summarised only briefly to allow attention to be focused on more advance/deeper treatment of the topic (see also notes on presentation later).
Type (b) Empirical research (investigations)
Empirical research usually involves some form of systematic data collection, subsequent analysis, followed by discussion of findings and how this relates to the literature.
Dissertations involving the collection and/or processing of data require careful planning given the time available, to: (a) identify data required; (b) check on the availability of data; (c) obtain data; (d) analyze data.
Do not be too ambitious in what you hope to achieve. Such dissertations are often very interesting and very successful, but problems in respect of (a), (b), (c) or (d) can easily restrict the scope of project work. Supervisors are aware of these potential difficulties and will advise you.#p#分页标题#e#
Data can take many forms. It may be data that you originate yourself through interviews, questionnaires, focus groups or direct observation of live processes. Case studies or other dissertations involving contact and interviews with organisation managers require careful preparation. Consult with your supervisor at an early stage about contacting organisations or requesting information from organisation representatives. To get the most out of interviews or surveys it is essential that you discuss with your supervisor the questions you propose to ask interviewees or the contents of questionnaires you propose to use.
A particular question which must be considered early in this type of dissertation is ‘Who are you going to ask?’ A dissertation on the marketing strategy of say a major retail chain maybe interesting, but unless you have access to key managers in the organisation, you are unlikely to be able to speak to people who have the answers. Also you will need to consider why people should give their time to answer your questions and whether they are prepared to give you information in terms of commercial security.
Alternatively, you may want to make use of data compiled by other people, such as company accounts, data sets, reports, or published surveys. In the latter case you will usually be extracting specifically selected data items for your work.
In particular, students undertaking research in the financial markets may find it helpful to access Datastream. Datastream delivers a comprehensive range of data and functionality for investment research and analysis. Datastream services cover two key areas; first is historical content, on securities, companies, markets and economies globally. It is also possible to analyse, manipulate and display the data. Datastream also contains Global Market Indices consisting of sector, national, regional and worldwide indices. This set of indices enables single sector-to-sector and stock-to-market comparisons. Datastream is available on Level 3 of the Hartley Library; it must be booked at the Reception Desk on Level 2 and can be booked for 2 hours at a time.
If your dissertation requires you to analyse numerical (quantitative) data then you will need to learn how to handle statistics. Microsoft Excel is a good choice for simple analyses, but in some cases you will need to use a more sophisticated program such as Minitab or SPSS, all of which are freely available on the University network. You will need to use the help files, books and websites and advice from your supervisor and fellow students to learn to use these programs, unless you are already familiar with their operation.
In terms of qualitative data, analysis needs to be no less thorough than for quantitative data and although there are computer programmes to assist in this analysis (NVivo) it is usually quicker to do this manually. However rigour is still needed and data analysis can take far longer than statistical techniques. For example interviews will need transcribing and the transcripts coded using criteria for analysis you have devised and then relevant quotes extracted to form the basis of your discussion.#p#分页标题#e#
Whatever, the source of your data, you will need to explain and justify, thoroughly and in detail, exactly what specifically selected data has been extracted, why that data is required, and how that data has been extracted. You should treat data extracted from published sources in the same way as data you might have originated yourself for the purposes of presentation, analysis, and critical evaluation.
Irrespective of the formal tests applied to data collected, it is extremely important that the quality of the data under consideration is assessed, and that this is recognised in the dissertation itself. This is good practice, as it draws attention to any weaknesses in the analysis, and alerts the reader to the possible uncertainties which underlie the conclusions. In addition, identifying the weaknesses in the analysis provides useful indicators for future research. The final conclusions may be used as a basis for specific actions in an organisation, consequently it is only fair that organisational decision-makers should be made familiar with any inherent limitations of the work, and hence the possible risks of acting on the research results.
A useful chapter structure for dissertations based on empirical research is:
1 Introduction - including objectives of your research (as outlined above).
2 Literature review - clarify relevant concepts, extent of current understanding, and outstanding problems/issues by discussing prior research (mainly academic). In reviewing the literature that underpins and influences your empirical research, do not simply write a number of summaries of other people’s work, but identify the general themes, or differences between writers, in the explanations advanced. Make sure you evaluate the relevance, reliability and validity of your citations. The work of others will not help or support your work and analysis unless their research is relevant, reliable and valid. Most importantly, make sure that you relate that consideration of themes to what you are doing. State in your chapter/section the relevance of the work you are commenting on, or to which you are referring, to your own work. If you cannot identify the relevance it probably is not relevant.
3 Methodology - given the literature review, rationale for the research and its objectives; a description of the methodology adopted (why?, What?, when?, how?, who is involved?). For example in respect of questionnaires or interviews:
• explain your reasons for choosing this methodology rather than some other approach, including the pros and cons of the approach you adopt
• explain the rationale for the questions asked, relating this to your literature review, and giving reasons for the questionnaire structure adopted (multiple choice, Likert scales etc). Provide a complete list of questions either in the text or in an Appendix.
• explain who was involved, how and why they were selected,
4 Results and analysis - present results in as complete, clear and helpful way as possible, analyse results in a useful way, critical commentary on the quality of responses and the reliability/limitations of findings.#p#分页标题#e#
5 Discussion of implications - relate your findings back to the literature review, discuss similarities and differences. Explain the implications of your findings for managers and decision makers.
6 Conclusion (see below)
Type (c) Applications (Action Research)
Applications involve making use concepts/techniques/frameworks to propose or demonstrate ways of improving the performance of some organisation activity. Generally application orientated dissertations involve a case-study drawing on a live organisation context or a detailed, literature based case-study. Such dissertations rely less on a comprehensive review of a body of literature, and more on identifying and applying pertinent concept/techniques/frameworks from the literature. The quality of such dissertations then depends on:
• how effectively the problem/issue has been explored,
• the appropriateness of concepts/techniques/frameworks selected,
• the use made of these concepts/techniques/frameworks, and
• the discussion of limitations of your analysis and conclusions and further development of concepts/techniques/frameworks.
Dissertations of this kind offer great opportunities for originality and creative thinking. They can often involve elements of both type (a) and (b) dissertations, that is, some reference to relevant literature and the collection of empirical data.
A useful chapter structure for such dissertations is:
1. Introduction (see above)
2. A general conceptual discussion of problems/issues, scope of relevant literature (see above).
3. A suitably detailed description of the problem/issue context (eg key organisation features).
4. The specific problem/issue context examined in detail. Critical commentary on underlying causes of existing problems and the nature of issues that management are, or should be, concerned about.
5. Application of concepts/techniques/frameworks to address, clarify, and improve the current situation.
6. Discussion of difficulties in making future changes, the possibility of recurring issues, or further, new issues.
7. Conclusions (see below).
Note that titles for chapters other than the Introduction and Conclusions chapters will depend on the specific topic and context, and you may want to add additional chapters to improve the structure where the topic warrants this. The guiding principle should be to use chapters and titles that are helpful and informative.
The ‘Conclusions’ chapter
All dissertations need a useful, conclusion chapter that adds value, rather than merely summarises previous chapters. A perfunctory, single page summary of the dissertation inserted at the end of your dissertation will serve little purpose, and create a poor impression! Useful points to cover in the Conclusions chapter are:
• A brief summary of key points made in the dissertation.#p#分页标题#e#
• A ‘so what?’ section which discusses the implications of the dissertation for: (a) a given organisation context, (b) organisations in general, and (c) concept/theory/technique development. There may also be implications for Government policy.
• Limitations of the scope, quality, and validity of the analysis undertaken in the dissertation.
• Suggestions for further work.
• Personal reflections on the difficulties in designing and carrying out your empirical work (if any), and in writing the dissertation. Personal lessons learnt.
7 Presentation
Good presentation is important because it ensures that all your hard work is efficiently and effectively communicated to the reader. It implies neatly set out work; a well organised, clear and logical structure; and clear, understandable analysis. In particular, it is important to ensure that you:
• Write good, clear, grammatically correct English without spelling mistakes. Students are reminded of the English Language support available (see details at http://www.soton.ac.uk/cls/english/support.html)
• Make use of chapters, helpful headings, and subheadings to structure your work clearly. Numbering chapters is a good idea, and numbering sections within each chapter can be helpful. Don’t forget page numbering throughout.
• Format pages, headings and paragraphs to make the text easy to read.
• Clearly cite ALL sources of information and list FULL details of ALL cited sources in a list of references.
• Logically order material across and within individual chapters.
Weakness in above areas will result in loss of marks, and significant weakness in these areas may result in your dissertation being failed.
Avoiding breaches of academic integrity
By now you should be very familiar with the requirement for academic integrity in all the work you do. As you should be aware, academic integrity and how to avoid plagiarism are explained in your Programme handbook. Given the nature of the dissertation, it is particularly important that you are careful to avoid plagiarism in your dissertation. In previous years students have received significantly reduced marks (in some cases zero) as a result of plagiarism, with consequent significant implications for achieving their qualification overall.
Plagiarism is the copying or paraphrasing, without acknowledgement from published or private (ie unpublished) material attributable to, or which is the intellectual property of, another, including the work of other students.
Acknowledge when you are using the ideas and arguments of others, as well as their words. You plagiarise if you do not provide citations for all direct quotations and paraphrases, for borrowed ideas, and for facts that do not belong to general knowledge. When you write a quotation in your notes, make sure that it has quotation marks around it, even if it is a short one. When you paraphrase in your notes, do not copy words and phrases in your paraphrase thinking that you will improve it later; you will forget. Separate your ideas from those of others as you take notes. #p#分页标题#e#
‘Cutting and pasting’
The single most common cause of plagiarism is ‘cutting and pasting’ material from published sources, typically from the internet. Cutting and pasting of textual material is poor practice and is best avoided altogether, even if you cite material properly and put everything in quotations. The presence of large amounts of cut and pasted material in a dissertation usually demonstrates lack of understanding, lack of originality, lack of effort and/or rushed, last minute efforts to complete the dissertation. Cutting and pasting of illustrations and diagrams is more acceptable in moderation, and providing there is full citation of the source.
Use of quotations
In general, it is usually better to paraphrase, or summarise concisely, important key points from the literature, rather than rely on numerous direct quotations from various sources. Direct quotations are best used sparingly for particularly well worded or significant observations. The exception is where you are discussing the findings from interviews you have conducted, when it can be useful to illustrate issues or arguments with carefully selected quotes from interviewees.
Keep the following points in mind when using material from other sources:
• Select material intelligently. Use direct quotations only when the author’s wording is necessary or particularly effective. Quotations should give weight to your argument. In general, do not select quotations that only repeat points you have already made. Quotations that make general, broad statements are usually pointless.
• Be sure to integrate all ideas from other sources into your own discussion. Introduce direct quotations with your own words. After quoting, explain the significance of quotations.
• If you are using material cited by an author and you do not have the original source, introduce the quotation with a phrase such as "as is quoted in…"
Just as it is important to indicate where you are making use of other people's work in your dissertation, it is also important to indicate clearly your own contributions. If you are developing arguments of your own or drawing inferences from published material, make it clear that this is your own work. Otherwise you may not get credit for this and it may appear that you have simply failed to properly cite someone else’s ideas! If you are reinterpreting or building on someone else's work explain what you are doing and why it is desirable, perhaps including some criticisms of the source arguments. For example, you may wish to modify a framework or diagram drawn from the literature as part of your analysis/discussion. In such cases you might cite the original source using the citation ‘(adapted from X, year)’, and then explain how and why you have modified the source material.
Most students do not set out to plagiarise the work of others. You can prevent this happening by being more organised when you gather relevant information for your work and by learning how to cite references properly.#p#分页标题#e#
References
It is essential that you indicate clearly throughout your dissertation the source of any material you use, be it papers, textbooks, websites, interviews, newspapers, questionnaires, etc. This applies to all text, diagrams, data, tables, and appendices in your dissertation. This is best done by citing sources using the Harvard system: for example “Watts (2003) suggests that..”, or “the key arguments are made by Brown (2002: page23)”. Do not use a number based referencing system; such systems are difficult to update correctly when reorganising material, and are not the most helpful format for readers of your dissertation.
List full details of every source in a single list of references at the end of your dissertation, and check carefully that you have done this before submitting your dissertation. References should be listed in alphabetical order of authors. Do not make separate lists for books, journal articles, newspapers, websites etc! A bibliography, which comprises a list of related reading or sources not actually cited in your dissertation, is not normally appropriate in a dissertation, but a complete list of references is absolutely essential.
Footnotes may look professional, but are not usually very helpful and are best avoided.
Length of the dissertation
Dissertations should not normally exceed 15,000 words. This is about 45 typed pages using Arial size 12 font type and 1.5 line spacing. You are likely to be penalised for significantly exceeding the above limit, and in any case there is no merit in making the dissertation longer than it should be. The length should be commensurate with presenting a systematic, readable, but concise account of the work done. Superfluous material and verbiage will attract minimal marks whatever the length of the project.
Conversely, it is not advisable to submit a dissertation which is significantly shorter than 15,000 words, as you risk not including enough quality material in your dissertation to achieve a pass.
Appendices and the use of background/basic material
Appendices are not normally counted in the word limit and can be a useful way of including background material or supporting evidence.
Appendices are not included in the word limit, but they are not a dumping ground for material that you are uncertain how to use. Appendices should contain detailed quantitative, statistical and/or qualitative data which might be important for further reference, but is not directly related to the main thrust of your argument. You might well include a copy of your questionnaire or interview protocol here, if it has not been included in the main body of the text. The attention of the reader should be drawn to the content of the appendices at the relevant parts of the dissertation. Statistical and other analysis of direct relevance to the written text must be included in the main body of the dissertation, possibly as graphs or histograms.
Page layout
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All dissertations reports must be in Arial size 12 font typescript at 1.5 line spacing, using both sides of the paper. Double spacing may be used at a candidate's discretion for parts involving formulae. The paper should be A4 size (210 x 297 mm) of Bond quality. Exemption from the use of this size paper can only be granted by the School in cases where the subject matter of the project renders the A4 size unsuitable.
Sufficient margins should be made on both edges to enable a binder to guillotine the pages if necessary - the left-hand margin being not less than 38 mm (1.5").
Pages should be numbered consecutively. Tables and diagrams must be numbered serially in type-script. Pencilled diagrams and page numbers are not acceptable.
Any diagrams, tables, or exhibits on oversize sheets should be folded so that they are least 7 mm (0.25") from the right-hand edge of the text sheets.
Large diagrams, pamphlets etc., unsuitable for binding in the text, may be accommodated in a pocket in the back cover of the dissertation.
Dissertation Format
The dissertation should be put together in the following order:
1. Title page (see Appendix 6 for required format)
2. Abstract (Max. 300 words)
3. Acknowledgements page
4. Contents page. This should be a list, chapter by chapter, of the contents of the dissertation including Appendices and References, followed by a list of illustrations, figure by figure. Each listed item should have a page reference number in the dissertation.
5. The body of the report (pages numbered).
6. References. A single list of ALL sources used in your dissertation.
7. Any appendices, designated I, II, III and pages numbered I1, I2, ... II1, II2 etc.
8. A signed statement handed in with your dissertation worded as follows:
I declare that this dissertation is my own work, and that where material is obtained from published or unpublished works, this has been fully acknowledged in the references.
Binding
Dissertations must be hard bound, that is like a hardback book. Among binders who will undertake binding to this specification is the library bindery.
Illustrations and photographs should be mounted on good quality paper the same size as the text sheet; this eliminates the necessity for guards in binding and thus reduces binding cost.
Folded material should be avoided if possible as this greatly increases the cost of binding, as does the provision of a pocket, but the latter may be cheaper if all difficult material is gathered into it, suitably numbered and indexed.
8 Submitting your dissertation
You must present TWO printed copies (illustrations and photographs can be copied) and an electronic version of your dissertation should be submitted to Turnitin via Blackboard. Each printed copy must be presented in a bound form, using standard University of Southampton hard covers. All copies, including the electronic version will be retained by the University/School of Management. If you wish to retain a copy for your own use you must arrange printing and binding independently.#p#分页标题#e#
When submitting your dissertation you MUST complete a Declaration of Authorship and Academic Integrity form. [You may also be asked to complete an exit questionnaire at this point].
A reminder – the bindery service becomes extremely busy as the deadline for submission approaches. It is your responsibility to ensure that your dissertation is completed, bound and submitted by the due date. Delay in bindery is NOT a valid or accepted reason for late submission.
Late submissions will be penalised in accordance with the standard University of Southampton and School of Management Assessment Regulations that apply to your programme.
Late Submission
Requests for deferred submissions should be accompanied by supporting written evidence, such as medical notes where appropriate, and MUST be submitted through personal tutors following the standard procedures. All such requests are considered ONLY at the Special Circumstances Examination Board, which does not meet until well after the formal submission date.
If you only require a short extension to complete your dissertation (1-2 weeks), you should complete an extension request form (available from School of Management Reception). The form should be signed by both your personal tutor and dissertation supervisor before being forwarded to the Director of PG Education for approval.
Students who submit their dissertation after the specified submission date may not be able to graduate in the same year
9 Results
Your dissertation will be marked by two internal examiners, one of whom is normally your supervisor. The criteria used to assess your dissertation are explained in Section 2 above.
10 Recommended reading
Baker M J (2003) Business and Management Research Westburn Publishers Ltd, Helensburgh, Scotland ISBN 0-946433-02-X
Saunders M, Lewis P and Thornhill A (2006) Research Methods for Business Studies (4rd ed.) Pearson Education Ltd, Harlow, UK ISBN 0-273-3701487
Easterby-Smith M, Thorpe R and Lowe A (2001) Management Research: An Introduction Sage Publications, London, UK ISBN 0-7619-7285-4 Fraley R C (2004) How to Conduct Behavioural Research Over the Internet Guilford Press, New York, USA ISBN 1-57230-997-0
Appendix One – Key Dates MSc Dissertation – 2009/10
Key Date/Time Key Event
Early March Choose area of interest
March-April Read around topic in depth
23/04/10 Submit a tentative title and your initial literature review to your Programme Director (2000 words)
3/05/10 Supervisor allocated
21/05/10 Full research proposal including risk and ethics review forms to supervisors.
17/09/10 Final hand submission
Many dissertation proposals are weak on detail and fail to give a clear outline of what you will actually do, making the risk and ethics assessments relatively meaningless.
In order to address these problems, and to encourage you to make an early start on your dissertation, you will be asked to do background reading around your topic area before finalising your dissertation proposal. Evidence of this reading will be a draft literature review of some 2000 words which will form the basis of discussion with your supervisor prior to producing your final dissertation proposal and attendant ethics and risk assessment forms. You will also be encouraged to improve your literature review as part of your submission of your formal proposal.#p#分页标题#e#
Note: Supervisors are not required to act upon materials and forms submitted after the above-mentioned deadlines.
Note: You should not start primary research before approval of the risk and ethics forms (approx. 4 weeks from submission of proposal)
APPENDIX Two Dissertation Schedule Template
Use this schedule template to help you to plan your dissertation writing process.
You may find the following tips helpful:
• It is best to start with the submission date and work backwards.
• Plan to submit your dissertation at least two weeks before the final deadline to give you some protection against delays caused by unexpected problems.
• Include in the schedule any other major commitments you may have during the dissertation writing period (e.g. examination revision).
• Once you have drafted your schedule, think about when would be the best times for you to meet with your supervisor, agree the dates with your supervisor and insert them into the schedule.
Stage of the dissertation writing process Number of days/ weeks needed Start date End date
STAGE ONE: Reading and research
a) Seek to identify an original, manageable topic
b) Reading & research into chosen topic
STAGE TWO: The detailed plan
a) Construct a detailed plan of the dissertation
STAGE THREE: Initial writing
a) Draft the various sections of the dissertation
b) Undertake additional research where necessary
STAGE FOUR: The first draft
a) Compile and collate sections into first draft of dissertation
b) Check the flow of the dissertation
c) Check the length of the dissertation
d) Undertake any additional editing and research
STAGE FIVE: Final draft
a) Check for errors
b) Prepare for submission
c) Final proof-read (by a friend or yourself) and final editing
d) Compile bibliography
e) Get the dissertation bound
f) Submit your dissertation
Appendix Three – Ethical Guidelines for Research
The ethical guidelines produced below are based on the belief that all research should be conducted within an ethic of respect for persons, respect for knowledge, respect for the quality of research, and respect for justice and within the law. It is recognised that there may be times when the principles conflict and where, for instance, a respect for justice may be at odds with the law as currently constituted. In such a situation, the researcher will need to exercise professional ethical judgment paying due regard to the tenor of the guidelines and their personal conscience. The guidelines aim to provide a justifiable balance between respect for individuals’ privacy in the conduct of research and the responsibility for public reporting and advancing public knowledge. It is important to stress that these are broad guidelines of principle. In any one research study, participants will have to establish precise ethical principles of procedure taking the specific context into account. #p#分页标题#e#
The guidelines also incorporate ethical issues noted in the ESRC Guidelines for Postgraduate Research where these are considered to be relevant. The University of Southampton Research Ethics Policy can be found at: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/ris/usefulinfo/policies/ethics.html
Responsibility to the research profession
1 Researchers should avoid fabrication, falsification or misrepresentation of evidence, data and findings.
2 Researchers should report research conceptions, procedures, results, and analyses accurately and in sufficient detail to allow other researchers to understand and interpret them.
3 Researchers should aim to report their findings to all relevant stakeholders and so refrain from keeping secret or selectively communicating their findings consistent with the principle of maintaining confidentiality and respect for the law. There may be cases where full disclosure would render potential harm to participants.
In such cases the rights of the participants shall be paramount over the furtherance of public knowledge.
4. Researchers should aim to conduct their professional lives in such a way that they do not jeopardise future research, the public standing of the field, or the publication of results.
Responsibility to the participants
1 Participants in a research study have the right to be informed about the aims and purposes of the research, likely publication of findings in the context in which they will be reported and of potential consequences for participants, and to give their informed consent before participating in the research.
2 Honesty and openness should characterise the relationship between researchers, participants and institutional representatives.
3 In research involving children and students up to school leaving age informed consent should be obtained from the children and students themselves and the parents should be informed. Where it is deemed difficult to ensure genuine informed consent from children informed consent should be obtained from parents. The school, through the head and Board of Governors, should be informed of the focus and potential audience for the research and agree to its conduct in the school.
4 Researchers have a responsibility to be mindful of cultural, religious, gender and other significant differences within the research population in the planning, conducting and reporting of their research,
5 Participants do not abdicate their rights by consenting to participate in a research project. They have the right to withdraw from the research at any time.
Responsibility to the public
1 Researchers should communicate their findings and the practical significance of their research in clear, straightforward and appropriate language to relevant research populations, institutional representatives and other agreed stakeholders. #p#分页标题#e#
2 Informants and participants have a right to remain anonymous. This right should be respected when no clear understanding to the contrary has been reached. Researchers are responsible for instituting appropriate procedures to protect the confidentiality of both participants and data. However, participants should also be made aware that in certain situations anonymity cannot be achieved. In such cases clearance should be sought for identifiable comment. This principle refers to institutions as well as to individuals.
Relationship with funding agencies
1 The data and results of a research study belong to the researchers who designed and conducted the study unless alternative contractual arrangements have been made with respect to either the data or the results or both.
2 Researchers should remain free to interpret and publish their findings without censorship or approval from individuals or organisations, including sponsors, funding agencies, participants, colleagues, supervisors or administrators. This understanding should be conveyed to participants as part of the responsibility to secure informed consent. This does not mean however that researchers should not try to ensure that agreements on publication are reached.
3 Researchers should not agree to conduct research that conflicts with academic freedom, nor should they accede to undue or questionable influence by government or other funding agencies.
4 The aims and sponsorship of the research should be made explicit by the researcher. Sponsors or funders have the right to have disclaimers included in research reports to differentiate their sponsorship from the conclusions of the research. In the event of the sponsor misrepresenting the findings of the research, researchers have the right to remove their names from publication of the report.
5 Researchers should fulfil their responsibilities to agencies funding research, which are entitled to an account of the use of their funds, and to a report of the procedures, findings and implications of the funded research.
6 The host institution should appoint staff in the light of its routine practices and according to its normal criteria. The funding agency may have an advisory role in this respect, but should not have control over appointments.
7 The funding agency should respect the right of the researcher(s) to keep his or her sources of data confidential.
8 In the event of a dispute between the funding agency and researcher(s) over the conduct of the research, or threatened termination of contract, the terms of the dispute and/or grounds for termination should be made explicit by the funding agency or researcher and be open to scrutiny by the advisory group. If either party feels that grounds for termination are unreasonable then there should be recourse to arbitration by a body or individual acceptably to both parties.
Publication
1. The right to publish is essential to the long-term viability of any research activity, to the credibility of the researcher, of the funding agency in seeking to use research findings and in the interests of an open society. The methodological principle of maximising the dissemination of information to all interested parties is an integral part of a research strategy aimed at testing on a continuous basis the relevance, accuracy and comprehensiveness of findings as they emerge within the process of inquiry. #p#分页标题#e#
2. Researcher(s) have a duty to report both to the funding agency and to the wider public, including educational practitioners and other interested parties. The right to publish is therefore entailed by this duty to report. Researchers conducting sponsored research should retain the right to publish the findings under their own names. Authorship carries with it the responsibility to report accurately and fairly.
3. The conditions under which the right to publish might be legitimately restricted are:
(a) general legislation (e.g. in the area of libel or race relations);
(b) undertakings given to participants concerning confidentiality and generally not to cause unnecessary harm to those affected by the research findings;
(c) failure to report findings in a manner consistent with the values of inquiry i.e. to report findings honestly, accurately, comprehensively, in context, and without undue sensationalisation.
4. Plagiarism clearly should be avoided. Authors are obliged to cite sources of information or ideas drawn from elsewhere.
A List of Ethical Guidelines consulted
From Professional Associations:
The British Educational Research Association;
The American Educational Research Association;
The Social Research Association;
The British Sociological Association;
The American Evaluation Society;
Canadian Social Research Association
Universities Ethical Guidelines including:
Memorial University of Newfoundland (1982), Canada
University of Colarado at Boudler (non-dated), USA
McGill University, Canada
University of Southampton, UK
Other Regulatory Bodies including:
OPRR Reports: Protection of Human Subjects, Code of Federal Regulations, Title 45 Public Welfare (1983) Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health Office for Protection from Research Risks.
International Ethical Guidelines for Biomedical Research Involving Human Subject, Prepared by the Council for International Organisations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), Geneva, 1993.
World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki (1989)
Good Clinical (Research Practice) (1991) The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, Whitehall London
Good Clinical (Research) Practice
Texts on Ethics
• Burgess, R. (ed) (1988) Ethics in Social and Educational Research, Lewes: Falmer Press House, E. R. (1993) Professional Evaluation: Social Impact and Political Consequences, London: Sage Publications
• Simons, H. (1991) ‘Principles and Procedures for an Independent External Evaluation’, in Adelman, C. The Politics and Ethics of Evaluation, London: Croom Helm #p#分页标题#e#
• Soltis, Jones, F. (1989) `The Ethics of Qualitative Research’, Qualitative Studies in Education, . 2(2), 123-130
Appendix Four – Research Proposal Form
The University of Southampton School of Management
MSc Dissertation – Research Proposal and Risk Assessment 2009/10
Complete and return this form, together with ONE written copy of your research proposal (see page 3), an Ethics form (appendix five) and where appropriate a Risk assessment form (appendix six) to your supervisor by the 21/05/10
NAME (in full): ............................................................... Student No.: …......................... Programme: ................................................................................................................... Proposed Dissertation Title: …………………………………………………………………………... Supervisor Comments
Forms attached:
Ethics form Risk Assessment form (if appropriate)
Student Signature: Date: Supervisor Signature: Date:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………
Print names below
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Appendix Five
Summary of key ethical guidelines for research in the School of Management
Researchers should inform participants about the aims of the research, likely publication of findings in the context in which they will be reported and of potential consequences for participants. Participants should provide informed consent, before participating in the research, and be made aware that they are free to withdraw at any time. #p#分页标题#e#
Researchers should respect their participant’s confidentiality. Researchers should protect the information that could identify individual participants, and ensure security of their data. For example, researchers are advised to use pseudonyms for participants, store data securely, and dispose of confidential data carefully (for example, shredding).
Researchers should communicate their findings and the practical significance of their research in clear, appropriate language to relevant research populations and other agreed stakeholders. Researchers should avoid fabrication, falsification or misrepresentation of evidence, data and findings. Plagiarism should be avoided. Authors are obliged to cite sources of information or ideas drawn from elsewhere.
The complete ethical guidelines are provided on Man-Net and all students/staff doing research should be aware of them.
University of Southampton School of Management: Ethics Review Checklist (Student)
This ethics checklist must be completed by the student before commencing work on the dissertation, and handed into School of Management Reception.
Please Tick () one: Undergraduate Postgraduate (Taught) MPhil/PhD
Degree programme/Certificate: …………………………………………………………………………….
Your Name: ID number:
Univ Soton Email:
Supervisor:
Dissertation Title:
Expected start date and duration:
Funder (if applicable):
Part 1
Does your research involve any of the following? YES NO
1. Interviews
2. Questionnaires/Surveys (a draft of the questionnaire/survey must be attached to this form)
3. Analysis of personal or corporate details (e.g. bank records, personnel or admin records, test results etc.) that are not already in the public domain (e.g. published in a book)
4. Participant observations
If you have answered ‘NO’ to all of the above then your research does not need any further ethical consideration. Please sign and date on page 2, see your supervisor for their approval and signature and then hand this form into the School of Management Reception.
If you answered ‘YES’ to any question then please continue on to Parts 2-4 below.
Part 2 YES NO
1. Does the study involve participants who are particularly vulnerable or unable to give informed consent? (eg children, adults with special difficulties etc)
2. Will the study require the co-operation of an advocate for initial access to the groups or individuals? (eg children, people with disabilities, adults with a dementia etc) #p#分页标题#e#
3. Could the research induce psychological stress or anxiety, cause harm or have negative consequences for the participants (beyond the risks encountered in their normal lifestyles)?
4. Will deception of participants be necessary during the study? (eg covert objectives or observation of people)?
5. Will the study involve discussion of topics which the participants would find sensitive (eg sexual activity, drug use)?
6. Will financial inducements (other than reasonable expenses or compensation for time) be offered to participants?
7. Are there problems with participants' right to remain anonymous, or to have the information they give not identifiable as theirs?
8. Is there any way the participants might be unaware of their right to freely withdraw from the study at any time?
9. Will the study involve recruitment of patients or staff through the NHS?
10. Does the study involve any sort of confidential data that may need to be destroyed at the end of the study?
Please indicate the anticipated number of study participants Adults: Minors:
(under 18)
Part 3 For each item answered ’YES’ in Part Two, please give a summary of the issue and action to be taken to address it.
Please continue on a separate sheet if necessary
Part 4 If you answered yes to question 3 in Part 1in respect of corporate information, has approval been received from the organisation for the use of their name, data or access to employees? YES/NO
If yes, please attach evidence, such as a letter from the company, and indicate below the nature of the evidence.
If no, explain how confidentiality issues will be addressed.
Signatures: This Section must be completed
Signed (Student) ………………………………………. Date: …………………………
Signed (Supervisor)…………………………………….. Date: …………………………..
Please hand this form into the Management Reception. Incomplete forms will be returned.#p#分页标题#e#
For office use only:
Formed received by: Date:…………………………
To be completed by the designated member of the School Ethics Committee:
• Appropriate action taken to maintain ethical standards – no further action necessary
• The issues require the guidance of the School’s Ethics Committee
COMMENTS:
Signed: …………………………………………….. Date: …………………………
Notified to School Ethics Committee : ……………… Date:………………………….
Notified to Research Governance Office: ………………. Date:……………………........
Appendix Six
University of Southampton School of Management Risk Review
This risk review must be completed by the student and handed in with the Research Proposal Checklist before undertaking primary research for the dissertation.
This ethics checklist must be completed by the student before commencing work on the dissertation, and handed into School of Management Reception.
Please Tick () one:
Undergraduate Postgraduate (Taught) MPhil/PhD
Degree programme/Certificate: …………………………………………………………………
Your Name: ID number:
Univ of Soton Email:
Supervisor:
Dissertation Title:
Expected start date and duration:#p#分页标题#e#
Part 1: Who does your research involve?
Does your research involve any of the following? YES NO
(Please tick below)
1. Interviews/ Focus Groups
2. Questionnaires/Surveys
3. Physical Observation/ Factory Visits
If you have answered ‘NO’ to all of the above then your research does not need any further risk assessment. Sign the declaration at the end of the form and hand in to the School of Management Reception.
If you answered ‘YES’ to any question then please continue on the next page
Part 2: Description of the intended empirical research:
Population to be targeted:
Nature of survey method (e.g. questionnaire etc):
Method of data collection (please tick all relevant boxes)
Face-to-face
Telephone
Post
Location, including full postal address(es) and telephone numbers. (List on a separate sheet if necessary)
Time of day that research will be taking place:
Part 3a: Risk Assessment: Travel
Risk/Hazard
(Please add any further risks/hazards to which you might be exposed through travel in the spare rows below) (Tick one box in each row below) Assessment of Risk (tick one box below in each row) If Medium or high, what can you do to reduce the risks? (append details on a separate sheet as necessary)
Low Medium High
Travelling within the UK
Yes
No
Travelling outside the UK but to home country
Yes
No
Travelling outside the UK but not to home country Yes
No
Mode of Travel to reach address(es) listed above:
You must notify either a friend, housemate or your supervisor of your actual date and time of travel. Ensure that you let them know the exact address where you have gone to and let them know when you have returned
Part 3b: Risk assessment: Empirical Research
Risk/Hazard
(Please add any further risks/hazards to which you might be exposed in the spare rows below) Assessment of Risk (tick one box below) If Medium or high, what can you do to reduce the risks?
Low Medium High
The location of your research:
Street
Office
Factory
Other (please describe)
(Tick one box below)
If you have ticked ‘Factory’, give details of what is manufactured there:
If you have ticked ‘Office’ or ‘Factory’, please obtain a copy of their Health & Safety Policy, as applicable for visitors and attach to this assessment Risk Assessment attached #p#分页标题#e#
Time of research if outside standard office hours: Start time:
__________
End time:
__________
(Continue on separate sheet if necessary)
Part 4: Comments by Supervisor
Comments by Supervisor:
Part 5: Signatures: This Section must be completed
Signed:
_________________________________________________(Student) _________________ (Date)
_________________________________________________(Supervisor) _________________ (Date)
Please hand this form into School of Management Reception. Incomplete forms will be returned.
For office use only:
Formed received by: Date:
To be completed by the designated member of the School Health & Safety Committee:
• Appropriate action taken to assess and control risks associated with the research – no further action necessary
• The issues require the guidance of the School’s Health & Safety Committee
COMMENTS:
signed: …………………………………………………….. Date: …………………………
Notified to School Health & Safety Committee: …………………………… (Date)#p#分页标题#e#
Appendix Seven – Example Title Page
The University of Southampton
2009/10
Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences
School of Management
MSc Dissertation
(Title)
(Your student registration number)
Presented for MSc. (your degree programme)
This project is entirely the original work of student registration number xxxxxxxxx. Where material is obtained from published or unpublished works, this has been fully acknowledged by citation in the main text and inclusion in the list of references.
Word Count: xxxxx words
