Information and guidelines for writing Masters’ theses in
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- Welcome to the course Masters’ Theses, 10/20 p
- Criteria for assessing Masters’ theses
- 5 Account of empirical evidence and analysis
- 6 Conclusions and contributions to knowledge
- 8 Presentation, organization, readability and formal aspects of the thesis
- 10 Opposing another thesis
- 11 The overall impression and the defence of the thesis
- The opposition and the role of the opponents at the final seminar
- The ethics ideal
- The relevance ideal
- The quality ideal
- One of the most frequently asked questions about the opposition
- Some main points for a “normal” opposition
- Selected references to the literature on methods
- Approach to method – what attitude should be taken towards science, knowledge, and the like
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LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY Department of Management and Engineering Business Administration
LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY Department of Management and Engineering Business Administration Contents Welcome to the course Masters’ Theses, 10/20 p 3 Introduction 4 Criteria for assessing Masters’ theses 5 The opposition and the role of the opponents at the final seminar 7 As regards the design of the opposition 7 The ethics ideal 7 The accessibility ideal 7 The relevance ideal 7 The quality ideal 7 One of the most frequently asked questions about the opposition 8 Some main points for a “normal” opposition 9 Selected references to the literature on methods 10 Approach to method – what attitude should be taken towards science, knowledge, and the like? 10
LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY Department of Management and Engineering Business Administration Welcome to the course Masters’ Theses, 10/20 pDear studentYou are welcome to the course Masters’ Theses, 10/20 p, for a Master of Science degree in Business Administration and Economics. This is the final course of the general Business Administration and Economics Programme 160 p, and the International Business Programme 180 p as well as of the single-subject course D-essay 10 p. The aim of the course is to give you an opportunity to use the knowledge that you have acquired in the courses you have attended. The Master’s thesis is important for the Business Administration and Economics students at Linköping University. We have proved that by introducing the Master of Science degree at an early stage, and we aim high. Accordingly, our demands on the quality of the theses is exacting as the theses carry great weight with all of us. Our aims and demands can be summarized as follows.
We look upon the theses as an example of co-operation between business and Linköping University where the students form an important link. We also know that Masters’ Theses gives the students an extraordinary opportunity to learn and to show what they have learnt. In preparing yourself you should, at an early stage, borrow or provide yourself with a copy of a thesis to see what layout, organization and contents may be like. Good luck! LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY Department of Management and Engineering Business Administration IntroductionThe course is based on a scientific, theoretical part and a project part that includes planning, designing, carrying out and reporting a project. The introductory part of the course consists of lectures with reference to theoretical and methodological issues. As to the rest, the course is characterized by a great degree of independence at all stages. The participants work in groups of two people, where the main responsibility for driving the project forward lies within each group. The course literature is all the reading you have done in earlier courses, and the “pure literature on methods” that you will be referred to during this course. In certain cases, this means that it will be necessary for you to go back to earlier courses and repeat such sections as may contribute substantial knowledge to the project. In other cases, it may also mean that you will be obliged to thoroughly study new, complementary literature in order to acquire in-depth knowledge of a certain theoretical field. Project. It is up to the group to write a proposal for a final project. Please note that the supervisor must approve the proposal before it can be used as a subject for a Master’s thesis. The groups are themselves responsible for the contacts with firms, organizations, etc that will be necessary for the design and implementation of the project. Examination. The project work is continuously assessed at supervisors’ sessions and at working seminars. The final examination takes place at a final seminar. Cost. All production, printing and distribution costs are borne by the groups. Course co-ordinator. Peter Gustavsson, PhD (Economics), (PG), Linköping University. Telephone 013-28 16 18 (office), e-mail: peter.gustavsson@liu.se LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY Department of Management and Engineering Business Administration Criteria for assessing Masters’ theses1 Dealing with the problemAnalysis and definition of the problem? Relevance. Establishing the problem theoretically and empirically? Creativity and originality in selecting the problem? Satisfactory formulation of the aim? Has the aim been achieved?
Exploiting available theory and literature? Reasons for selection of and account of frame of reference? Breadth and depth of the chosen theory? To what extent have the theories been dealt with independently?
3 Scientific approachHow well have the writers tried to articulate a scientific approach of their own? How well is this approach established in the literature in this field? In what respect is the writers’ work characterized by (an insight into) a scientific approach? How consistent have they been in this approach? 4 MethodThe relevance of choice of method in relation to approach, theory and problem? Reasons for choice of method? Description of models, methods and measuring instruments with an account of the reasons for choosing them, where appropriate? How well is the carrying out of the study described? Use, collection, account and critical review of empirical data, where appropriate? Does the concluding discussion give evidence of the limitations of the choice of method? To what extent have the writers taken a self-critical attitude?
Have the writers conveyed the bases of their analysis? Does the analysis give the impression of credibility? How well is the result related to problem and aim? Does the result indicate insight and learning? Does the character of the results agree with the scientific approach? LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY Department of Management and Engineering Business Administration
How well is the result supported by the writing and work previous to conclusions? What have the writers and we learnt from the work? Is the aim achieved? 7 Originality, independence, creativity and maturityBoth the report and the process are considered here. The maturity aspect also includes the writers’ own learning process in writing the thesis. 8 Presentation, organization, readability and formal aspects of the thesisIt goes without saying that we expect that the theses will be correct from a formal point of view since the writers have written at least one essay previously. Particularly important is the attention paid to the treatment and presentation or references and sources. (We will of course tolerate a few spelling mistakes even in a “formally correct” thesis.) 9 Whether the writers have succeeded in meeting the deadline for performing tasks set Planning one’s own limited time resources is a learning component of thesis work. Compared with the 10-point essays, it should be easier to meet the deadline for an essay allotted twenty weeks’ preparation. 10 Opposing another thesisThe quality of the opposition, that is, were interesting as well as relevant questions raised during the opposition? Was the time planned so that the issues considered the most important were prioritized and discussed at the seminar? Were the opposition capable of engaging all seminar members in the discussion, that is, did the opponents invite the members to take an active part in the discussion? Did the opposition succeed in conveying their opinion of the thesis under discussion and in giving a final verdict on that occasion? 11 The overall impression and the defence of the thesisThe overall impression is what we often call the red thread: Can the thesis be regarded as a whole round a problem? A good defence and a poor defence may “tip the scale” in borderline assessment cases. LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY Department of Management and Engineering Business Administration
The opposition and the role of the opponents at the final seminarAs regards the design of the oppositionQuestions are frequently asked about the opposition, for example, how it should be designed and if it is to be handed in beforehand, etc. The point of departure is that the opposition should be written and handed in one day in advance to the writers and the supervisor and co-examiner. An advantage could be gained by supplementing the opposition with the opponents’ own ideas of how well the writers have dealt with the questions taken up above under “Criteria for assessing Masters’ theses”. Besides, it could be a good thing for the opponents to bring up for discussion: The ethics ideal
The accessibility ideal
The relevance ideal
The quality ideal
LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY Department of Management and Engineering Business Administration One of the most frequently asked questions about the oppositionis who is to present the thesis. The answer is that it is the opponents who present it and the time allotted is 15 minutes at the maximum. The seminar is usually opened by the seminar leader (that is, the co-examiner) asking the writers if they have anything they want to say before the floor is given to the opponents (if that is the case, what is communicated should be information on matters that can clarify the contents of the report). The opponents begin by presenting how they have planned to organize the opposition and after that they go on to present the contents of the report. Here the opponents should avoid the “page-by-page” variant, as there is a risk that important and unimportant matters will be mixed and that the opponents, if pressed for time, will not find the time to deal with important questions. Consequently, the opponents should develop an order of precedence and start with the points they consider the most important and then proceed to the questions they want to discuss, following the order of precedence. The opponents finish by giving their opinion on the report. How should the opponents prepare themselves? Do they have to use transparencies, etc? The answer is that this is ultimately a question of how seriously the opponents take their roles and how important it is for them to receive a good assessment for this item in the seminar activities. On one hand, everybody is judged on the quality of their own report, how well it is defended, and so on. On the other, they are appraised by how successful they are in opposing another report. To be considered The opposition forms an important part of the course. It examines the seminar assignments that are submitted for the examination of the course. In this context, as well as in all other contexts where there may be reasons for examining documents, the presentation of the opposition and the opposition itself form an integral part of the assessment of a report or an investigation. The purpose of the opposition is that the opponents should critically review the report with the explicit aim of judging its merits as well as demerits. LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY Department of Management and Engineering Business Administration
Some main points for a “normal” opposition
The purpose of discussing the reports in connection with the final seminar is that we should learn something from each report. Accordingly, it is important that we focus the discussion on what is special and unique in the report, how different problems researched into have been dealt with – and whether they could have been handled otherwise. In conclusion – some truths that cannot be repeated too often.
LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY Department of Management and Engineering Business Administration Selected references to the literature on methodsBelow is a small selection from the literature on methods, which is divided under two headings. The first deals mainly with an approach to the research assignment. The second is more of a handbook character. See the references as an optional tool. You may already have found or received advice on method literature that you consider to be good. Otherwise, a tip is to choose one or two books on method under each heading. Remember that it is your interpretation of the problem dealt with in the thesis which is of importance to your choice of method. And do not forget – a critical approach to both the literature on method and other literature! Approach to method – what attitude should be taken towards science, knowledge, and the like?
LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY Department of Management and Engineering Business Administration
Method
LINKÖPING UNIVERSITY Department of Management and Engineering Business Administration
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