MSc dissertation guidelines - mie.cdl.unimi.itmie.cdl.unimi.it/sites/lb75/files/2019-12/Dissertation Guidelines_MIE.… · MSc dissertation guidelines Handbook for MIE students. Index

MSc dissertation guidelinesHandbook for MIE students

Index

1. Getting started

2. Timeline3. Dissertation typologies4. Topic selection5. Feasibility assessment6. Theory and literature review7. Research design8. Discussion and conclusion

9. Structure of the manuscript10. The Advisor11. Final defence

12. Assessment13. Format

2

1. Getting started (1/2)

§ The thesis must be an original work of the candidate andmust address a specific relevant topic in relation to thecontents addressed during the program

§ The University condemns all forms of plagiarism, bothintentional or negligent. "Plagiarism" is defined as thepartial or total attribution to oneself or others, of texts,ideas, theses, researches, projects, inventions, literaryor artistic works, or discoveries of others, whatever thelanguage or means adopted (art. 34, Codes of Ethics).

§ All dissertations will be checked for plagiarism via theInternet-based plagiarism detection service Turnitin

3

1. Getting started (2/2)

§ The thesis is formally assigned by the thesis advisor (relatore),who will supervise the progress of the work

§ MIE thesis must be written and defended in English

§ Workload- 70 pages (around 25.000 words)- Approximately 4-5 months of full time job, depending on

types

Dissertation types:§ Research dissertation, based on a research project§ Standard dissertation, mostly descriptive§ Practical dissertation, critically based on work placement,

business start-up or consulting project

4

2. TimelineASSIGNMENTThe topic is either proposed by the student or suggested by the Advisor (i.e., call for thesis). The thesis is formally assigned by the Advisor (relatore)

THESIS DEVELOPMENTStudents work on literature review, data collection, analysis and writing. Advisors comment on the progress of the work, by giving feedbacks

SUBMISSIONStudents submit the thesis following the formal procedures and in accordance with the graduation calendar:- Students are in charge of monitoring of and compliance with deadlines and

formal procedures

DEFENSEStudents must defend their thesis in front of the assigned panel:- Students have to be prepared to discuss their thesis, answering questions and

comment on the issues raised by the panel

5

3. Dissertation typologies (1/3)OPTION A: RESEARCH DISSERTATION

§ It’s based on a research project aimed at producing scientific knowledge and/or methodologies, by advancing theory in a given field

§ It can apply qualitative or quantitative methodologies

§ It can be deductive or inductive

§ The manuscript must include: #1 Introduction; #2 In-depth literature review; #3 research question starting from a research gap; #4 Research methodology; #4 Analysis and discussion of data; #5 Conclusions and contributions

§ 0 to 8 points assigned based on the overall quality and originality of the project

6

3. Dissertation typologies (2/3)OPTION B: STANDARD DISSERTATION

§ It’s based on the description of an empirical phenomenon, relevant in relation to the Study Program:- Case studies- Industry analysis- Review of literature on a given argument- Data collection and descriptive analyses

§ In any case, the manuscript must include: #1 Introduction to the topic (relevance); #2 Review of recent literature; #3 Data description; #4 Findings; #5 Discussion and contribution

§ 0 to 5 points assigned based on the overall quality of the project

7

3. Dissertation typologies (3/3)OPTION C: PRACTICAL DISSERTATION

§ It is the report you provide on a valuable practical experience and hands-on application in real industry and entrepreneurial situations- Extra-curricular work placement- Business start-up: startup business development- Consulting project: project undertaken for a real client

§ The experience should be 4 months FTE minimum§ You are required to secure the above possibilities by yourself,

which should be checked for suitability by the advisor§ In the report the experience should be related to a relevant

issue in the academic literature§ And should provide new insights for

managerial/entrepreneurial/consulting practice§ 0 to 5 points assigned based on the overall quality of the

project and relevance for practice

8

4. Topic selection

§ Be inspired by insights coming from courses you attend/ed, managerial and/or academic reviews, conferences, web resources (e.g., blogs, specialized websites), contacts with companies

- Start reading papers or articles and/or reflecting on thechallenges and problems faced during internships or othercompany-related experiences you have had;

- Be creative (try to generate ideas and select your bestoptions based on feasibility and/or originality).

9

5. Feasibility assessment

The feasibility of your thesis project has to be assessed. Whatdoes it take to answer to it? What are the potential risks? Forexample:

§ If you plan to analyse empirical data, are they available? Is there adataset already there? How long does it take to collect data? Is thesample large enough to make robust statistical analysis? Do you havethe needed skills to perform the analysis you want to develop? Whoowns data you would like to collect?

§ If you plan to have interviews or cases, how many informants do youhave to involve to reach solid conclusions? Is it feasible to reachthem? Do you have links with companies? Are you aware of themethodology you want to apply?

10

The quality of your work depends on the quality of your «sources» for ideas, inspiring analyses, theories. Here is a list of Management journals that could be useful to set the basis of your thesis and guide your work (for literature review, methodologies and the structure of the research project)

ACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT JOURNALACADEMY OF MANAGEMENT REVIEWADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCE QUARTERLYMANAGEMENT SCIENCEORGANIZATION SCIENCESTRATEGIC MANAGEMENT JOURNALENTREPRENEURSHIP THEORY AND PRACTICEINDUSTRIAL AND CORPORATE CHANGEINFORMATION SYSTEMS RESEARCHINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT REVIEWSJOURNAL OF BUSINESSJOURNAL OF BUSINESS VENTURINGRESEARCH POLICY

JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENTJOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIESJOURNAL OF ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIORJOURNAL OF PRODUCT INNOVATION MANAGEMENTORGANIZATION STUDIESSTRATEGIC ENTREPRENEURSHIP JOURNALSTRATEGIC ORGANISATIONBRITISH JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENTJOURNAL OF BUSINESS ETHICSCORPORATE GOVERNANCE: AN INTERNATIONAL REVIEWFAMILY BUSINESS REVIEWEUROPEAN MANAGEMENT REVIEWJOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES

6. Theory and literature review (1/2)

11

§ A starting point could be Google scholar- Access from within campus – direct via google scholar

§ Academic journals are then available from the Databases section of UNIMI Library Website.- Access from outside campus

§ Lexis-Nexis for company reports and news

§ To gauge the quality of journals:- FT50

- ABS ranking 2018

6. Theory and literature review (2/2)

12

a. Comprehensive textbook

b. Qualitative research• Single/multiple case study• Interviews• Software - Nvivo

c. Quantitative research – quantitative methods MII/MIE• Databases

• ORBIS• ORBIS IP - DEMM• ORBIS Bank Focus• Zephyr• Atoka – DEMM

• Survey design• Software for statistical analysis

• Quantitative data analysis• Stata• SPSS• R – free, versatile but mostly for statisticians

7. Research design

13

8. Discussion and conclusion

§ Even though discussion and conclusion are the last step inthe thesis work, it is important to ask yourself about thepotential contributions of your study from the verybeginning: What do I expect to find out?

§ Try not to be trivial or too generic. It represents a furthertest of the validity of your research question. Ask yourselfabout the usefulness of your findings for further theorybuilding, managerial practice or policy makers.

14

9. Structure of the manuscript1. Introduction (relevance of the topic, overview of the research

questions, expected contributions, structure of the thesis)2. Literature review on the topic3. Hypotheses development (if applicable)4. Research design

- Detailed objectives- Research method and empirical setting - Data collection (sample; interviews; case study, etc.)

5. Analysis and discussion (specific results based on the methodology used; contribution to literature; theory building)

6. Theoretical, managerial and policy implications7. Limits and generalizability8. Conclusions

This structure is subject to changes based on the specific research approach, typology of the thesis, and/or the Adivisors’ suggestions

15

10. The Advisor§ How to find an Advisor:

- Try to start soon (waiting until the end of lectures, internships, and than rushingwhen close to the end is not productive)

- Important!!!! The best way to introduce yourself to Professors is during office hours,with concrete ideas, drafts of projects, or research designs.

§ Your relation with the Advisor- The Advisor is expected to be a facilitator in highlighting mistakes in the general

framework and methodology, with a role of control rather than mentor;- You have to be autonomous in working on your project;

§ Don’t expect your Advisor to:- Define the research question (yet, s/he can involve you in a research project);- Provide you with a list of references (yet, s/he can give you guidance on how to get

started);- Structure your thesis;- Proofread or check orthography;- Create links to companies or provide you with databases.

16

11. Final defence (1/2)

§ Students must defend the thesis in front of anassessment panel. The final defence is part of theevaluation and has a very relevant role.

§ The defence lasts about 12-15 minutes;§ The following points have to be covered:

- Objective of the thesis (context or research question orexperience);

- Methodology (interviews/statistical analysis/whatever…);- Key results;- Contributions and implications.

17

12. Evaluation (1/2)STANDARD AND PRACTICAL DISSERTATION

Points Level Evaluation

0-1 Sufficient Purpose and objectives are clearly stated and of some relevance. There is basic coverage of relevant literature, methodology is reasonably explained with some attempt to use evidence to reach appropriate conclusions.

2-3 Fairly good Well stated purpose, good coverage of prior research, clear and relevant methodological approach, some critical evaluation of results

4-5 Good Objectives are innovative and very clearly stated, comprehensive and inclusive literature, very relevant methodological approach and good critical evaluation of results

18

12. Evaluation (2/2)RESEARCH DISSERTATION

Points Level Evaluation

0-1 Sufficient Purpose and objectives are clearly stated and of some relevance. There is basic coverage of relevant literature, methodology is reasonably explained with some attempt to use evidence to reach appropriate conclusions.

2-4 Fairly good Well stated purpose, good coverage of prior research, clear and relevant methodological approach, some critical evaluation of results

5-7 Good Objectives are innovative and very clearly stated, comprehensive and inclusive literature, very relevant methodological approach and good critical evaluation of results

8 Excellent Exceptionally well stated purpose, creative and critical engagement with prior research. Rigorous theoretical understanding of the chosen methodological approach and sophisticated critical discussion of results

19

13. Format

§ Manuscripts must be in Times New Roman or Arial size 12 font typescript at 1.5 line spacing, using both sides of the paper.

§ The paper should be A4 size (210 x 297 mm)

§ 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 typescript.

20

13. Format

§ Literature should be cited to back up statements and show rootedness in theory

§ A citation is an abbreviated indication of the source(s) you have used in text. Use the author(s)' or editor(s)' family name and date of publication

Examples of citing in textOne Author/Editor: (Stevens, 2013)

Two Authors/Editors: (Banerjee and Watson, 2011)

Three Authors/Editors: (Smith, Jones and Thomas, 2015)

Four or more Authors/Editors: Cite the first name listed in the source followedby et al. For example, This was proved by Dym et al. (2009)...

21

13. Format

§ A reference gives the full details of the brief citation you have referred to in the text and is shown at the end of your manuscript (bibliography). A reference will include authors,

titles, editions, publisher details or journal details.

§ Please, follow Harvard referencing

§ Also consider to use Mendeley (available to Unimi students): http://www.sba.unimi.it/en/tools/10552.html

22

13. Format: Examples

Book Referencing Example:Mitchell, J.A. and Thomson, M. (2017) A guide to citation.3rd edn. London: London Publishings.

Edited Book Example:William, S.T. (eds.) (2015) Referencing: a guide to citation rules. New York: My Publisher

Chapter in an Edited Book Example:Troy B.N. (2015) ‘Harvard citation rules’ in Williams, S.T. (ed.) A guide to citation rules. New York: NY Publishers, pp. 34-89.

Journal Article ExampleMitchell, J.A. ‘How citation changed the research world’, The Mendeley, 62(9), p70-81.

Newspaper Article Example:Mitchell, J.A. (2017) ‘Changes to citation formats shake the research world’, The MendeleyTelegraph (Weekend edition), 6 July, pp.9-12.

Website Example:Mitchell, J.A. (2017) How and when to reference [Online]. Availableat: https://www.howandwhentoreference.com/ (Accessed: 27 May 2017)

23

Resources

• Training from Library services

• Relevant for MSc dissertation

24