Dissertation Guide
Institute for International Management & Entrepreneurship
Updated: January 2025
1. Introduction
An MSc dissertation is an extended, written piece of work undertaken in the spring and summer of the programme. Contributing one third of the overall mark, the dissertation is an important component of the MSc. It is also significant for the following reasons:
1. Demonstrates knowledge and skills developed during the modules
2. Provides opportunity for independent work
3. Provides opportunity to synthesize diverse subject areas studied earlier in the year
4. Provides experience of the research process (particularly of formulating problems, gathering and analysing data, and presenting results and conclusions)
A successful dissertation requires strong motivation and planning, and a capacity for independent work.
The module Handbook distinguishes two routes for dissertations: a “standard route” and an “collaborative dissertation.” The latter refers to dissertations where a student works on a research question that has been developed by an external organisation, either one sourced by the Future Space Team or they have personally sourced. This can happen while the student is placed inside the organisation (internship-based) or remotely (project-based).
In all cases – including the standard route and the collaborative route – a dissertation is expected to meet the following aims and objectives:
1. Draw attention to a novel research topic – define a gap through a critical examination of the existing academic literature
2. Develop an analytical framework (theory) based on the academic literature
3. Collect empirical data (normally primary data) for analysis – to test or develop theory
4. Relate your specific findings (based on bringing data to bear on theory) to more general theoretical concerns, drawing conclusions through reasoned argument
2. Dissertation Types
The following dissertation types apply to all dissertations whether they are on the standard route or the collaborative route.
We use the “interpretive model” of social science presented in Ragin and Amoroso’s Constructing Social Research. According to this model, the sharp separation of social research into either deductive (quantitative hypothesis testing) or inductive (qualitative theory building) approaches is an unhelpful oversimplification. In fact, all forms of social research involve retroduction: the interplay of deduction (theory) and induction (evidence) to produce findings.
Research questions are always developed based on a literature review, meaning that both theory and evidence enter into the specification of the question. For example, quantitative hypothesis testing is often said to be a purely deductive approach, but in practice it typically involves using evidence from previous studies as part of the basis for developing hypotheses (induction). Likewise, qualitative research is often said to be purely inductive, but it nearly always involves using existing theory to inform questions and construct an analytical framework (deduction). That being said, hypothesis testing does generally place more emphasis on deduction (empirically testing hypotheses that have been deduced from the literature), while qualitative research generally does have a strong element of induction (using empirical data to develop and revise theory).
A Literature Review is a survey of the theoretical claims and empirical findings of other researchers on the topic. Apart from reviewing existing knowledge, it also points to unanswered questions from previous studies. Expected to be critical in nature, it concludes with an indication of what the present study purports to add to extant literature. The literature review is not merely a summary of previous studies, but needs to (a) find a gap, puzzle, contradiction, or disagreement in the extant literature, and (b) develop an analytical framework.
The analytical framework is a systematic, detailed, theoretical sketch that aids the examination of the phenomenon under consideration. As explained in Ragin and Amoroso’s Constructing Social Research, there are two general types of analytical frameworks. Fixed analytical frames are generally used for quantitative studies and typically consist of a set of hypotheses to be tested against the data. In this approach, the analytical frame. is normally finalized before data analysis begins.
By contrast, flexible or fluid frames are generally used for qualitative (and comparative) research. The frame initially directs researcher to focus on specific factors. It is a sketch of the theory the paper will use, focusing on key concepts, and attempting to motivate these based on existing theory and literature. It is flexible or fluid because the frame. is continually refined through inductive analysis of the data. The flexible or fluid frame is finalized only after the empirical analysis is complete. Even though you inductively develop it during your data analysis, the final frame. is to be written independently of your data, based on existing theory and literature, without discussing your data. That is left for the Findings and the Discussion/Conclusion.
Dissertations must engage theory and should generally include a strong empirical element. There are five general types of dissertations.
1) Statistical analysis using secondary data
This type of study generally develops a set of hypotheses to be tested with a statistical model, and can be analysed both descriptively and statistically – typically with a regression model. Data sources include official statistics (e.g. UK Office of National Statistics, US Census), other statistical databases collected international organizations (e.g. OECD, World Bank) and proprietary databases (e.g. FAME – Financial Analysis Made Easy; IBISWorld; Mintel; Nexis UK; Statista). The emphasis of this type of study is generally, though not exclusively, on deductive hypothesis testing.
2) Case study using in-depth interviews or participant observation
This type of study generates new data to inductively develop theory, although, again, analysis will typically also involve deductive use of theory to help interpret data. It is generally based on a case study of one or a few companies. The most common data collection method for MSc dissertation case studies is to conduct in-depth interviews, i.e. to use a “semi-structured interview instrument” to elicit detailed responses from subjects. The focus is on finding subjects’ views, concerns and ways of understanding their social context.
Another possible method for the MSc dissertation is participant observation, i.e. direct involvement in the regular activities of a subject population (e.g. working in a company). In this case the student would be expected to document his/her experiences by collecting data and notes in the form of diaries or other approaches to data recording.
As will be explained in the Dissertation module, because the goal of case study research is not to generalize to a population but to undertake holistic analysis of a case, it is fine to study any organisation you can get access to – to use a convenience sample – so long as it is a case of what you want to study. We will explain in the Dissertation module how such research can be the basis for social science research that seeks to develop findings of general interest.
3) A study using secondary data or texts
This type of study may be more deductive or inductive, depending on the questions and orientation of the researcher. There are generally two types of data used for this type of dissertation:
a) Case study drawing on secondary data (company reports, government reports, newspaper articles, websites, official statistics, previously published data in academic studies, etc.). For the MSc dissertation, a typical case study using secondary data would be a national-level comparison of two or more countries; or two or more companies from different countries. This type of dissertation is riskier than types 1) and 2) because, when a novel statistical model is not developed or no primary data are collected, the burden of making a novel contribution is higher. In order to do so, a case study using secondary data will typically have to compile a set of secondary material in a way that shines new light on a case.
b) Content or Text analysis focusing on company documents or samples of social media content (tweets, Facebook posts, Instagram posts/comments, etc). Such texts are considered primary data as they have not previously been collected for research and therefore need to be identified, sampled and assembled by the researcher. The researcher will have to rigorously, systematically and critically analyse these texts in order to produce a novel and insightful contribution to academic debate. Appropriate methods of analysis can be discussed with your supervisor.
4) Experiments
We do not have strong expertise with experimental methods in the Institute. However, if a student is interested in doing an experiment and can find a supervisor willing to supervise an experiment, then it can be done. Experiments are typically deductive in orientation.
5) Original surveys
Original surveys are not allowed in most cases. In general, the goal of surveys is to provide data that allows generalisation from a sample to a population. In order for such generalization to be possible, it is necessary to have a random (probability) sample. However, doing so requires a known population (a sampling frame) and the assigning of equal probabilities of being picked to all members of the population. Since this is in most cases impractical to do in the space of this MSc, surveys are generally not allowed. Similarly, surveying people on social media, for instance, is generally not allowed because it will generate a biased sample.
Where the use of non-probability sample surveys is common in the literature reviewed (particularly for marketing dissertations) a supervisor may allow the use of a survey questionnaire. Or where the goal is not to generalize to a larger population, but for example to sample an entire workforce in a single company or to do a marketing study, a survey may be allowed. But even in these cases, it is very difficult to construct a valid and reliable survey instrument (questionnaire). Doing so requires developing questions grounded in the literature, motivated by theoretical hypotheses and designed to be tested with a statistical regression model. A supervisor will allow a student to do a survey only if they think the student is capable of developing a valid and reliable questionnaire.
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In general, you must decide early in the process which general type of dissertation you will do. It is vital to define a project that is manageable in the time available. A purely descriptive account, without much theoretical framework or discussion, or a routine analysis with no novelty in either application or conceptualization, is not acceptable.
As a social-science based programme, the MSc requires you to produce an academic piece of work. Purely practitioner-orientated, ‘problem-solving’ pieces are not acceptable (e.g. a report answering a specific practical question, such as ‘how to improve company X’s competitive strategy?’).
3. The Academic Literature
The dissertation needs to be grounded in the academic literature. This includes scholarly journals and books from academic presses (Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, Princeton, Routledge, Palgrave, etc.).
Academic journals are one of the most important means of publishing and disseminating the results of academic research and scholarship. A list of major journals you might use is below. This list is not exhaustive and you may use journals not listed here. Your supervisor can advise you on additional journals and whether a given journal you have found is appropriate.
General Management
Academy of Management Review
Academy of Management Journal
Administrative Science Quarterly
Journal of Management
Journal of Management Studies
Harvard Business Review
British Journal of Management
Human Resource Management and Employment Studies
Human Resource Management
Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society
British Journal of Industrial Relations
Work, Employment and Society
Industrial and Labor Relations Review
International Journal of Human Resource Management
Work and Occupations
Gender, Work & Organization
Entrepreneurship
Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal
Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice
Journal of Business Venturing
Entrepreneurship and Regional Development
Innovation
Research Policy
Journal of Product Innovation Management
R&D Management
Technovation
International Business and Area Studies
Journal of International Business Studies
Journal of Common Market Studies
Journal of World Business
International Business Review
Management International Review
Asia Pacific Business Review
Journal of International Management
Global Strategy Journal
Organization Studies
Organization Science
Organization Studies
Leadership Quarterly
Human Relations
Social Sciences
American Journal of Sociology
American Sociological Review
Annual Review of Sociology
Socio-Economic Review
British Journal of Sociology
World Development
Economy and Society
Industrial and Corporate Change
Review of International Political Economy
Economics
Journal of Political Economy
American Economic Review
Quarterly Journal of Economics
Journal of Economic Literature
Cambridge Journal of Economics
Journal of Institutional Economics
4. The dissertation supervision process
The dissertation you write as part of your Master’s programme is a major piece of independent research. Your dissertation supervisor is there to guide you in this process and help you get it right. However, he or she can only do this effectively if you take your dissertation seriously from the beginning and engage in the research and supervision process fully.
Each student is allowed five meetings with his or her supervisor. These should normally consist of the following:
• The first meeting happens before the proposal is due, and is to help you shape your ideas and prepare to submit your proposal;
• The second meeting happens after the proposal has been submitted and marked, and will help you identify focus areas for development;
• The third meeting will be to discuss your literature review and theoretical framework;
• The fourth will focus on your methodological approach and research instrument;
o You must discuss your specific method with your supervisor (which type of regression model you will use; how you will conduct interviews) before you begin collecting data;
o You must get approval for your research instrument (questionnaire or interview guide) from your supervisor before you begin collecting data; failure to get my approval is grounds for failing the dissertation
• The final meeting will review progress with data collection, your plan for analysis, and any other outstanding issues.
Each meeting can last up to 60 minutes but will normally be around 30 minutes in duration. Outside of the formal meetings, your supervisor will be available for shorter discussions (or email exchanges) at other times if particular problems or questions arise.
Supervisors will provide feedback on one complete written chapter of your dissertation (maximum 3,000 words), which should be decided in discussion with them.