B) An Introduction to the Topic

This will include a brief description of the topic, the aim, research objectives and research questions to be addressed

You will find that moving from research aim to research objectives, to research questions is quite a difficult task. This, however, will provide a clear focus to your research and help you structure both this research proposal and the final dissertation.

The aim of the research provides a description of what you want to achieve from carrying out this research.

The objectives of the research outline the particular issues that you need to address in order to achieve the aim above. They are more specific than the aim, in that they outline the particular dimensions of your research topic, which are relevant to the overall aim of your research.

The research questions are more specific than your research objectives and specify the various insights/information that need to be collected in order to achieve the objectives. Keep in mind that the research question often starts with a Why, How, or What.

(c) A Preliminary Literature Reviewwhich indicates: (i) that you have studied the work of the major authors in your research field (ii) that you are familiar with the major themes relevant to that subject area (iii) what further investigations you intend to pursue as part of this dissertation. You should bear in mind that you are reviewing the literature in order to develop sharper, more insightful and focused research questions about your topic. Therefore, your literature review should lead to and justify your research objectives and questions.

(d) The Detailed Research Methodologywhich you intend to employ. The methodology section should discuss what methods you are going to use in order to address the research objectives of your dissertation. You need to justify why the chosen methods were selected as the most appropriate for your research, amongst the many alternative ones, given its specific objectives, and constraints you may face in terms of access, time and so on. Reference to general advantages and disadvantages of various methods and techniques without specifying their relevance to your choice decision is unacceptable. Remember to relate the methods back to the needs of your research question.

(e) Timetabledetailing how you anticipate completing the dissertation by the submission date and, if a company-based project, the means of liaising with the company to ensure the specific objectives are achieved.

Writing the Dissertation

· Deadlines: There is no single start date for you to begin your dissertation as you will be preparing the early ideas and initial reviews in the course of Semester 2. You will be given a specific date to submit which cannot be changed. The Programme Director will provide you with the deadline date allocated to your programme.

3.2.1. Title Page:

The opening page including all the relevant information about the thesis.

Abstract

The dissertation should contain an abstract of up to 350 words. A good abstract is difficult to write and can only be completed after the full dissertation has been written. It represents a brief summary of the results of the dissertation research. By summarising the results of the research, it allows other people to get an idea of what was accomplished without having to read through the whole dissertation. The abstract should provide sufficient information about the results of the research that reading the full dissertation is not necessary, although your markers will read the full dissertation.

• Hints as to what to include in your abstract:

· Aim and objectives:What are the main themes, ideas or areas of theory being investigated?

· Boundaries:What is the context and background to this dissertation? In what areas of theory or business practice should the reader concentrate their attention?

· Methodology:What was/were the main method(s) employed to generate the results?

· Results:What were your main findings?

· Conclusions:What are the main conclusions that you arrive at when viewing the entire dissertation?

· Recommendations:(if appropriate) What solutions do you offer in answer to the problems posed in the research objectives?

3.2.3. Contents Page:

The contents page should list the chapter headings, appendices, references and the pages on which they can be found. Separate listing should be given for lists of figures, tables and abbreviations.

Introduction.

The dissertation should be divided into chapters and sections appropriate to the topic and type of dissertation chosen. You should discuss the overall structure of your dissertation with your academic supervisor.

The Introduction to the dissertation should set out the background to the research study and address the following areas:

Date: 2016-01-05; view: 1319