MSc Dissertation Guidelines

2010-2011

Produced by the Graduate Programmes Office Revised January 2011

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MSc PROGRAMMES DISSERTATION GUIDELINES

CONTENTS

1. Introduction and Objectives 3 2. Empirical Research 3 3. Working with the Supervisor 4 4. The Research Process and Conducting the Fieldwork 5 5. A Professional Approach 6 6. Ethical Issues in Postgraduate Research 6 7. Dissertation Policy 7

8. Marking 9 9. Dissertation Proposal 9 APPENDIX A: Notes for guidance on the preparation and 11

submission of the Masters dissertation APPENDIX B: Dissertation Registration Form 24 APPENDIX C: Dissertation Marking Form 25 APPENDIX D Student Learning Agreement 27 APPENDIX E: Timetable 30 APPENDIX F Template for Proposal 31 APPENDIX G Ethics Checklist 39

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MSc PROGRAMMES

DISSERTATION GUIDELINES

1. INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The MSc dissertation is a substantial piece of research. The maximum length of the dissertation should be 22,000 words. The objectives of the dissertation are to:

enable students to apply the knowledge and experience gained in the taught component of their MSc Programme to a topic or dissertation within their subject area.

provide awareness and understanding of different approaches to management research and experience of dealing with practical issues in conducting a major research dissertation

According to University requirements, the dissertation must “constitute an ordered critical exposition of knowledge in an approved field; affording evidence of reasoning power and knowledge of relevant literature”. The process of completing the dissertation is essentially student orientated and it should provide a degree of independence in learning such that students set their own agendas and objectives and acquire useful skills as well as enhancing their

knowledge of the subject material. A learning objective is associated with

managing the research process as well as the finished product. Poor time management or project planning skills; a failure to comprehend what can reasonably be achieved in the time available or inability to deal with normal or routine data collection issues, will result in reduced grades. Moreover, evidence of these will cause any subsequent application for extenuating circumstances or an extension to be rejected. As a result of undertaking the dissertation students should be able to: Prepare a well thought out research proposal taking into account the constraints

of time and resources Design a research methodology taking into account the nature of the topic under

investigation and relevant literature Conduct empirical research in the field with either companies, organisations or

individual consumers Analyse quantitative and/or qualitative data and make decisions about its

usefulness and accuracy as well as assessing the implications of the findings for the particular theoretical domain of the dissertation topic

Manage and own the research process recognising that the proposed research must be achievable in the time available.

2. EMPIRICAL RESEARCH (See also ETHICAL ISSUES IN POSTGRADUATE

RESEARCH) Whilst it may be desirable to conduct empirical research (i.e. primary research data) for your dissertation it may be that secondary research is more appropriate for your

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chosen research area. The discussion as to whether empirical research is appropriate and what form this might take should form part of your initial meetings with your supervisor. If empirical research is appropriate, primary data collection may be in the form of: i) interviews with key informants in an organisation ii) focus groups iii) interviews with executives/employees from several organisations iv) participant observation in a particular company or organisation v) a questionnaire survey of relevant people either within one organisation or

several organisations vi) a questionnaire survey of consumers/individual householders If secondary research is thought more appropriate this would include an analysis of relevant archival data and the methodology used may include the collection of both qualitative and quantitative data.

3. WORKING WITH THE SUPERVISOR Regular contact with the supervisor throughout the dissertation is essential. It is the student‟s responsibility to establish and maintain regular contact with his/her supervisor and to report progress with the dissertation. The School will not make any allowance for those students who fail to keep in regular contact with their supervisor or who fail to meet agreed deadlines for sending work to Supervisors. The role of the supervisor is analogous to a sports coach: whilst the dissertation is the student‟s own work, the supervisor can coach and offer advice in order to try to improve the student‟s performance; they can advise on the process and monitor a student‟s progress. It is therefore in the students‟ own interests to work closely with supervisors at all stages of the dissertation, from design through to writing the report. Remember to allow sufficient time at the end of the process to revise drafts in the light of the supervisor's comments. This is particularly important in the August period when most staff go on vacation. Given the role of the supervisor as sports coach your allocated supervisor does not necessarily need to be an expert in the subject area you will be researching. If you require subject specific advice with the support of your supervisor you can approach a member of the relevant subject group at the School. Research interests of permanent staff can be found via the School of Management website. Select „Research‟ and the relevant subject area. For individual contact details select „People‟, and then select „Academic staff- alphabetical‟. If you experience any difficulty in obtaining subject specific help please contact your Director of Study or Course Tutor who will be able to advise. Both Supervisors and students work in different ways and students and staff may therefore find it useful to clarify expectations at the start of the process. Furthermore

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supervisors may need to be absent from the School of Management at times for work or holiday reasons therefore meeting dates should be planned well in advance. A Student Learning Agreement (Appendix D), must be completed with your supervisor at the onset of your dissertation and a signed copy be retained by each. The original should then be returned to the Graduate Programmes Office. Supervisors are not allowed to give students an indication of the mark the dissertation is likely to receive and attempts to unduly influence the supervisor in this area may result in disciplinary action. It is not possible for supervisors to say that the dissertation will be given a pass, merit or distinction as any comment (whether spoken or written) would merely be their opinion and cannot be taken as a guarantee of the outcome of the entire marking process. The grade that they feel the dissertation is worth may be changed as a result of second marking, or following review by a third marker.

4 THE RESEARCH PROCESS AND CONDUCTING THE FIELDWORK It is important that students follow a systematic research process. For example, having decided on the research topic, the main stages of the research process are as follows: i) LITERATURE REVIEW:

This can be quite a lengthy task and students should begin working on it as soon as your supervisor is allocated. Conducting the literature review is an important part of the research process and one that should be done quite early on. It is essential to know what work has been done previously in the topic area and also to aid the development of the theoretical/conceptual framework for the study. Based on the literature review students should develop a framework or model which incorporates the particular issues or concepts to be investigated and defines the boundaries of the study.

ii) RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Having completed the literature review and development of the research framework/model, the next stage is to develop the research methodology. The design of research instruments, if appropriate, obtaining samples, arranging interviews etc are all important tasks which require a considerable amount of time and attention to detail.

Students should not undertake the fieldwork stage (i.e. interviews,

administering surveys etc) until all the preliminary tasks (i.e. stages i)

and ii) have been undertaken very thoroughly and to the satisfaction of

the student’s supervisor. iii) FIELDWORK:

This stage involves the actual collection of empirical data where appropriate e.g. conducting interviews or focus groups or administering a survey. It may be that some students will wish to go abroad or to other parts of the UK in order to conduct the fieldwork. Students will not be permitted to conduct

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fieldwork until they have finished the literature review, and agreed the

research model, methodology and research instrument with their supervisor. iv) ANALYSIS AND WRITING UP:

After data collection the final stages involve analysing the data and writing up the results and conclusions. While it is recognised that return to the School of Management after fieldwork may not be possible due to travel costs, you are advised to consider doing your analysis and final writing up at the School of Management where all University facilities and support are available. Students who choose to work elsewhere do so at their own risk.

Students are advised to develop a detailed time plan taking into account all of the above research stages. This should be discussed with the supervisor.

5. A PROFESSIONAL APPROACH Students who undertake their dissertation based on a company whether sourced by the School or independently should be aware of the behaviour that is expected and always portray a positive image of themselves and, by association, the School of Management.

1. Dress appropriately; find out what the company dress code is, consider your

appearance when meeting customers/suppliers etc.

2. Be punctual; arriving late is rude and indicates a lack of courtesy.

3. Take the lead; it is your responsibility to arrange meetings with your

company data source - plan them in advance and do not miss them without a

very good reason. If you are unable to attend a meeting, it is only polite and

professional to let the company know in advance and not at the last minute.

4. Use professional language; ensure any written communication with the

company especially emails are written in full (not text language) and that you

spell and grammar check them.

5. Seek agreement and clarity from the outset; in your initial meetings agree

deliverables/outputs and the time frames; if they change, advise the company

and your supervisor.

6. Please keep the company informed; of your progress.

Be professional; the company may wish to see a copy of your dissertation prior to submission – they may want to advise if you have made any factual errors etc.

It is important to note that much of the above detailed behaviour is also

appropriate when communicating with the academic who is your Supervisor.

6 ETHICAL ISSUES IN POSTGRADUATE RESEARCH

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The University of Bradford has a responsibility to ensure that the research it supports conforms to the law and is carried out in accordance with current best practices. This applies to all MSc and MBA dissertation related research activities involving human participation and/or human data whether undertaken entirely at the School of Management or in collaboration with individuals or organisations in the UK or abroad.

6.1 Process The lead in this will be taken by your Supervisor. Following the development of the proposal, your Supervisor must consider whether the proposed use of the data and its method of collection complies with the principles and standards outlined in the School‟s code of practice. See also Guidance published by the University‟s Committee for Ethics in Research (UCER). http://www.brad.ac.uk/gateway/index.php Where, in the judgement of your Supervisor, the proposed use of the data and its method of collection complies with the School of Management‟s code of practice, the your Supervisor and you will sign and date the Ethics CHECKLIST (See Appendix G) indicating compliance. No further action is required.

Where the proposed use of the data and its method of collection are thought to infringe the School‟s code of practice, your Supervisor must sign and date the CHECKLIST and forward the document with a copy of the proposal (outlining the data to be collected, the proposed collection method and how the data will be used) to the UCER. The UCER will advise on whether full ethics approval will be required. In the event that no alternative data source and collection method exists and full ethics approval is required, the University‟s Ethics Application Form must be completed and forwarded to the UCER by your Supervisor.

Note: it is the responsibility of your Supervisor to advise you on the possible implications seeking approval from the UCER might have on completion. On receipt of recommendations from the UCER the supervisor must ensure any

actions necessary to effect compliance are implemented.

In all cases, a completed copy of the Ethics CHECKLIST and, where appropriate,

recommendations from the UCER must be submitted to the Graduate Programmes

office.

Note: The School will not mark your dissertation until such time as the Ethics

approval procedure is completed. Failure to do this therefore will affect

your programme completion.

7. DISSERTATION SUBMISSION Confirmation of University requirements re presentation style and binding etc, are

contained in appendix A, “Notes for Guidance on the Preparation and

Submission of the Masters Dissertation”.

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Students must submit one spiral bound hard copy and a CD ROM of the dissertation to be received in the Graduate Programmes Office no later than 2 pm on

Wednesday 17 August 2011 Electronic only submissions will not be accepted. Students sending dissertations from abroad must ensure it is posted in sufficient time for it to be received in the Graduate Programmes Office by the deadline. Postal address: Graduate Programmes Office University of Bradford School of Management Emm Lane Bradford BD9 4JL United Kingdom The copying and binding of the Dissertation may be done through any print-shop but the finished dissertation must be received by the Graduate Programmes office by the submission deadline. Please therefore ensure that you allow sufficient time for this. Check with the print shop you intend to use for their deadlines and bear in mind that students across the University will be preparing dissertations around the same time and it may take longer than usual for printing and binding to be completed. The University CopyZone is situated in the Richmond building atrium and is open from 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday. Dissertations for binding can be submitted in person or electronically. Please see the Guidance at the link below. http://www.inprintdesign.com/copyzone/thesis.html Students choosing to make their own arrangements for copying/binding should hand one copy of the bound report and a CD Rom in RTF format to the Graduate office at the School of Management to meet the University deadline. Please ensure the CD Rom is clearly labelled with your details. Due to the tight timescales involved in processing dissertation results in time for the graduation ceremony in December we are unable to guarantee that dissertations submitted after the original submission deadline (even with an agreed extension) will be processed in time to allow a December graduation. Four weeks is the usual minimum time needed for marking. Students who are in debt to the University at the point of dissertation submission will have their projects „held back‟ from being marked in accordance with University policy until such time as the debt has been cleared. Dissertations will then be sent for marking but, as above, we cannot guarantee a December graduation. Students are allowed two attempts to successfully complete the Dissertation. A grade of C as a minimum is required. The dissertation is the only element of the MSc where it is not possible to condone a grade of D.

7.1 Re-submission

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Students should note that if you fail your dissertation at the first attempt, further supervision is limited to an initial discussion with your supervisor to discuss feedback from the first and second markers and advise as to what remedial work is required; any further support is as deemed necessary by the supervisor and will not normally replicate the supervision enjoyed at first attempt. A further „Learning Agreement‟ should be completed for re-submission. This should detail all actions to be undertaken and should be signed by both the supervisor and student. It is then the student‟s responsibility to ensure the actions are carried out. The School will sponsor a visa extension to the Dissertation submission point (March) for any student in the UK on a Tier 4 Student visa. However if you are unable to submit in March for whatever reason the School will not continue to sponsor your stay in the UK and you must leave and complete the dissertation from home.

7.2 Deferred Submission If a student has 40 or more credits of supplementary assessment to redeem at the end of their taught programme, the Examination board in June will usually recommend that the student stops work on the dissertation to enable them to concentrate on making good their supplementary assessment. In such cases submission of the dissertation is deferred until the following March and graduation, if successful, will take place in July. Students may, if they wish, ignore the Board‟s advice in this area and continue work on their dissertation at the same time as studying for supplementary assessment. In such cases the student continues at their own risk and the School will approve neither an extension nor mitigation on the grounds of the workload being undertaken or the stresses this will cause. Experience has shown that students who continue in these circumstances are likely to fail some aspect of their supplementary assessment and as a result fail the MSc overall – we would advise that a delayed graduation is preferable to no graduation at all. Students who defer submission of their dissertation to the following March (either due to extenuating circumstances or due to the number of resits they need to do) will have any student visa extended to the following March only. If the March submission is a fail then the student will have one further opportunity to successfully complete the dissertation BUT will have to leave the UK at the end of their current visa period and complete the dissertation from home. Students who miss the deadline and who do not have a previously agreed extension will be recorded as having failed to submit and will have any dissertation marked as a supplementary; and therefore final, attempt.

8 MARKING ARRANGEMENTS

The dissertation will be marked by two members of staff. In the majority of cases the first marker will be your supervisor and the second marker will be a member of staff from the appropriate subject group. The final grade awarded will be the grade agreed by both markers. In the event of an unresolved disagreement between first and second markers a third marker; usually the Head of the relevant subject group or their nominee, will be employed. The decision of the third marker is final and non-negotiable.

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9 DISSERTATION PROPOSAL A key element in ensuring that the dissertation runs smoothly is effective planning. Before the dissertation starts, an outline needs to be developed, the methodology and data sources defined, the dissertation mapped out with chapter headings and sub-headings, and a work programme specified with timetable. Where appropriate, questionnaires/surveys may need to be developed and distributed in advance so that data is available for analysis during the project. Also, interview schedules may need to be arranged in advance to ensure that key personnel are available. For company-based research the work plan needs to be discussed and agreed with the company as well as with the supervisor. This „plan‟ is known as the dissertation proposal. The deadline for submitting the dissertation proposal is 2 pm on Wednesday 13 April 2011. A copy should be submitted to the Graduate Programmes office. The submission deadline for students on the MSc Finance programme may vary please check with Dr Khelifa Mazouz. A discussion and review of this proposal will then form the basis of the students‟ first meeting with the supervisor. Revisions at this point may be required and an amended proposal written. A copy of the final, agreed proposal should be submitted with the dissertation as Appendix A. An element of the dissertation grade will be given for the proposal as contained within the dissertation. Dissertations submitted without the proposal as an Appendix will lose this element of the final dissertation grade. A dissertation proposal should contain the following elements:

The title.

An outline of the scope and rationale of the dissertation.

A description of the methodology and data sources to be used.

An indication of which aspects of the MSc syllabus will be used in the dissertation including any special theories/models.

Proposed chapter headings and sub-headings for the dissertation.

A work programme with timetable

An initial list of references to be utilised.

An example of a dissertation proposal is attached as Appendix F,

In the Outline and rationale, you need to give the background to the proposed study. This might be (but is not limited to) a personal discussion of why you are interested in this area, data and/or information from trade journals,/magazines/newspapers/news media, secondary research reports on the area you are studying, internet sources and so on. The purpose of this section is to show why your area of study is valuable or interesting and to give some background on the context of your study

The literature review looks at the peer reviewed academic literature (books and journal articles) on your area of study. This is the place you begin to look at the academic conversations about your area of interest, identify the key writers and the main arguments and suggest a possible contribution that your research might make. There is no clear cut answer to the question “how many sources do I need?” the

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answer is enough to show an appreciation of the area you are studying and the main academic discussions taking place.

Research questions your questions must clearly tackle the engagement with the literature that you have claimed. A research question follows on from the background and literature review and is turning an interest stimulated through those sections into a question (or series of questions) questions should have a question mark at the end!! Try not to write too many questions, 3 should be the maximum, 1 is acceptable as long as it clearly tackles the engagement with the literature.

Methodology

Sampling population – identify the group (or set of things) that you will be making your knowledge claims about, your population. You need to identify this group (who/what are they and why are they interesting), consider issues of access (a realistic outline of how you are going to get to them/it) and why you have excluded other groups (who/what you will not be studying and why).

Sampling procedure and size –You need to explain the procedure you will use or have used to select your sample, the size and makeup of the sample (including a discussion of saturation for qualitative study) and a justification of your choices – why have you chosen to use your sample selection procedure?

Methodology – Philosophy – here you will discuss your particular philosophy, and give a justification of why it is appropriate to answer your research question (e.g. phenomenology, causal research)

Methodology – Design – here you explain how you will collect your data, your method (e.g. focus groups, techniques, questionnaire, experiment). Again you must justify your choices, why are they the most useful ones to answer your research question?

Methodology – proposed data analysis – here you explain how you will analyse your data, once collected. This should be appropriate to the methodology, methods chosen and your question.

Methodology – limitations – here you show that you understand the limitations of your proposed research. You need to discuss the limitations of your philosophy and design All of these sections need to make sense when looked at as a whole. For example, if you claim you are doing phenomenology in your philosophy section, then in your design section you outline that you will be using questionnaires for the main part of your data collection and analyzing them using SPSS, this does not make sense.

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APPENDIX A

UNIVERSITY OF BRADFORD SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT NOTES FOR GUIDANCE ON THE PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

OF THE MASTERS DISSERTATION

CONTENTS Page

1 DIVISIONS OF THE DISSERTATION

1.1 Confidentiality Statement 9

1.2 Abstract and Keywords 9

1.3 Title Page 9

1.4 Preface 10

1.5 Statement of Authenticity 10

1.6 Dedication 10

1.7 Table of Contents 10

1.8 Lists of Tables, Figures and Other Materials 10

1.9 Body of the Text 11

1.10 Appendices 11

1.11 Bibliography 11

2 PREPARATION OF THE DISSERTATION

2.1 Word Length 12

2.2 Margins and Spacing 12

2.3 Binding 12

2.4 Electronic Submission 13

3 BIBLIOGRAPHICAL MATTERS

3.1 Bibliographical references 14

APPENDIX I Specimen Layout for the Spine and Front Cover 15

APPENDIX II Statement of Authenticity and Word Count 16

APPENDIX III Layout of Title Page of the dissertation 17

APPENDIX IV Abstract 18

APPENDIX V Layout of Table of Contents 20

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SECTION 1

DIVISIONS OF THE DISSERTATION The Dissertation includes the following materials and sections, in the sequence indicated:

Confidentiality Statement (if any) & Statement of authenticity

Abstract and Keywords

Title Page

Preface

Dedication (if any)

Table of Contents

List of Tables (if any)

List of Figures (if any)

List of (other types of materials: maps, photographs, etc.)

Body of Text

Appendix or Appendices (this should include the Dissertation proposal)

Bibliography 1.1 Confidentiality Statement Sometimes, the nature of a dissertation necessitates the student having access to

sensitive information about a company's business. The company may require the student to keep such information confidential, and occasionally may ask the student to sign a formal confidentiality agreement.

If the dissertation report contains confidential information the company may ask the

University to keep the report confidential. Any such request should be sent in

writing by the company to the Programme Manager in the Graduate

Programmes Office. After marking, confidential reports are kept under restricted access for 2 years instead of being placed in the library. If access needs to be restricted for a longer period application must be made again in writing by the company at the end of this time.

Similarly, if a student is employed by a company to do research, he/she does on behalf of the company and this should be declared to other parties. It is not acceptable practice to use 'MSc student' as a cover to obtain competitor information.

1.2 Abstract and Keywords This page should be headed by your name and the title of the dissertation, followed by

an abstract that must not exceed 250 words, and up to ten keywords (or phrases) which pin-point the subject matter. The abstract should detail the content and key findings of the dissertation in such a way that its aim, approach and outcome(s) are clearly identifiable to the reader.

1.3 Title Page

The title page should conform to the appropriate format as specified in Appendix III. 1.4 Preface The preface is used primarily to mention matters of background necessary for an

understanding of the subject that do not logically fit into the text. Items such as the following may also be mentioned here unless they are more extensively considered in the body of the dissertation: reason for the selection of the subject and its limitation,

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explanation as to how the dissertation relates to practical matters in the field in which it is written, the nature and scope of the investigation undertaken, difficulties encountered, etc. It is customary to include a brief expression of the author's appreciation of help and guidance received in the research. The preface is not the same as an introduction, which is properly a part of the main body of the dissertation.

1.5 Statement of Authenticity and Word Count Students should include a statement confirming that the dissertation is their own work.

This should be worded as follows: “I certify that this dissertation is all my own work”. This statement may be included on the same page as the preface, should space allow. Students should also include a word count on this page. The word count should exclude bibliographies, diagrams and tables, footnotes, tables of contents and appendices of data. Please see appendix II.

1.6 Dedication

Dissertations do not usually carry a dedication but may do so if the author feels there is a strong need for one.

1.7 Table of Contents

The table of contents contains the headings and subheadings of the chapters and sections of the dissertation, with the numbers of the pages on which these chapters and sections begin.

The abstract and title page are not entered in the table of contents and therefore the first item to be listed is the preface.

The minimum content of the table of contents should be the preface, each chapter or main division title, each appendix and the bibliography. All headings should correspond exactly in wording, arrangement, punctuation, and capitalization with the headings as they appear in the body of the dissertation.

A main heading or chapter title is given entirely in capitals and begins at the left-hand margin of the page. A main subhead is indented three spaces from the initial letter of the heading under which it falls and is typed in upper and lower case. If used, a subordinate subhead is indented three spaces from the initial letter of the main subhead under which it falls. Chapters, sections of chapters and subsections, etc, are numbered using Arabic numerals in a decimal sequence. Thus the third subsection of the second section of chapter three is numbered as Section 3.2.3.

The number of the page on which the division begins in the text of the dissertation is given in the table of contents in Arabic numerals flush with the right-hand margin of the page. Double spacing is used except for over-run lines, which are single-spaced. For an example of the layout see Appendix II.

1.8 Lists of Tables, Figures and Other Materials If the dissertation contains charts, figures, maps, tables, photographs, or other types of

material, each series of these should be listed separately in an appropriate list on the page or pages immediately following the table of contents. Each such list should appear on a separate page. In format, such lists should follow the general style of the table of contents.

The number of the item is given at the left-hand margin of the page under the

appropriate column headings entitled, “Charts”, “Figures”, “Maps”, “Tables”, or “Photographs”. After an interval of three spaces, the number is followed by the title of

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the item, given exactly as it appears in the text of the dissertation. The number of the page on which the item appears in the body of the dissertation is given flush with the right-hand margin of the page. Tables, figures, etc. should be numbered according to their chapter and position in the chapter. Thus Figure 2.10 is the tenth figure in Chapter Two.

1.9 Body of the Text The dissertation proper begins with the first page of the first chapter or section. Each

chapter or section should represent an important division of the dissertation. Special care should be given to dividing the text into paragraphs and the use of subheadings to help the reader. Each new chapter should begin on a new page.

The chapters are identified by Arabic numerals and the subsections numbered as specified in sections 1.5 and 1.6. Each chapter should have a title identifying the subject contained therein and it should begin on a new page.

1.10 Appendices

The principal purpose of an appendix is to keep the text of the dissertation from being interrupted or cluttered with supplementary, minor and illustrative materials. The text of pertinent documents, tables that present extensive data, or date of minor or ancillary importance, the text of legal decisions or laws, very lengthy quotations, excerpts from diaries, transcripts or minutes, forms of documents, copies of sample questionnaires, and the like, may be included as appendices if they are pertinent to the subject matter of the dissertation and they cannot appropriately be incorporated into the body of the text.

Appendices should appear immediately following the body of the text. Each appendix

should start on a separate page. The appendix pages should continue the regular pagination of the dissertation. Appendix A should be a copy of the dissertation proposal as submitted to the supervisor. Other appendices should then follow in the order that they are referred to in the text of the dissertation. Whenever possible and appropriate, the source of material in the appendix should be given.

1.11 Bibliography

The bibliography should generally contain only the works consulted and found relevant and thus cited by the author in the management dissertation. The inclusion of an irrelevant item is as much a defect as the exclusion of a relevant one. Each item should be a full reference in the standard order specified in the effective learning services booklet “References and Bibliographies”

http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/management/external/els/pdf/refandbib.pdf

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SECTION 2

PREPARATION OF THE DISSERTATION The candidate is required to submit one spiral bound copy of the dissertation and a CD –Rom. The University retains these after the degree has been awarded, the CD-Rom being lodged with the University Library and the bound copy with the Postgraduate Office. Students must ensure that the pages of their dissertation will not easily become loose. The dissertation must be produced using a word processor on one side only of A4 paper of good quality and conform to the guidelines detailed below. 2.1 Word Length

The MAXMIUM permitted length is 22,000 words. The limit excludes bibliographies, diagrams and tables, footnotes, tables of contents and appendices of data. Please ensure your dissertation does not exceed 22,000 words in length. According to University regulations, assessed work which exceeds a specified maximum permitted length will be subject to a penalty deduction of marks equivalent to the percentage of additional words over the limit. Harsh penalties will be applied to work that is significantly over-length.

2.2 Margins Font and Spacing

Margin widths are as follows: Left at least 4.0cm, right 2cm, and top and bottom 2.5cm. The right-hand margin should be kept as even as possible. Folded tables, graphs, illustrations, maps, and similar inserts should be within the margins indicated, otherwise, they run the risk of being cut during the binding and trimming process. It is required that the body of the dissertation should be one and a half line spaced, with quotations in single line spacing, indented. 12pt Times New Roman must be used as the font for all of the text throughout the dissertation. The pages of the dissertation must be numbered.

2.3 Binding The copying and binding of the Management Dissertation can be done by any printer

but the dissertation must be bound using a spiral device so pages are secure. The University CopyZone is able to print and bind dissertations should you wish to use their services. Their address is:

CopyZone The Atrium University of Bradford Richmond Road

Bradford BD7 1DP

http://www.inprintdesign.com/copyzone/thesis.html

CopyZone will be busy mid/late August so please check with them when they

need to receive your work by in order to have it copied and bound by the 17

August. School of Management MSc Dissertations must be spiral bound with a transparent front

and back cover. A second card cover sheet should be included beneath the transparent cover indicating the dissertation title, the name of the degree for which it is

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submitted, the full, official name and UB number of the student/author and the year of submission.

2.4 Electronic Submission

1 Dissertations should be submitted as one or more word files. Appendices in other

formats when Microsoft word is not suitable will be accepted. 2 Dissertations must be submitted as text, where applicable, and not scanned in. 3 The physical medium of submission must be on CD Rom.

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SECTION 3

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL MATTERS 3.1 Bibliographical References The bibliography should generally contain only the works consulted and found relevant

and thus cited by the author in the management dissertation. The inclusion of an irrelevant item is as much a defect as the exclusion of a relevant one. Each item should be a full reference in the standard order specified in the effective learning services booklet “References and Bibliographies”

http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/management/external/els/pdf/refandbib.pdf

Cases of suspected plagiarism will be referred to the University Registrar and if proven may result in a fail at the first attempt or, in serious cases, expulsion from the University without an award. Please see the link below for advice on Harvard Referencing http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/management/external/els/pdf/refandbib.pdf

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APPENDIX I

(SPECIMEN LAYOUT FOR THE FRONT COVER)

DRIVING FORCES AND PROBLEMS FOR INVESTORS IN BULGARIA

JOHN RICHARD SUTCLIFFE

10234567

MSc DISSERTATION

2011

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APPENDIX II

(STATEMENT OF AUTHENTICITY AND WORD COUNT)

STATEMENT OF AUTHENTICITY

I have read the University Regulations relating to plagiarism and certify that this dissertation is all my own work and does not contain any

unacknowledged work from any other sources.

WORD COUNT: 21,778

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APPENDIX III

(LAYOUT OF TITLE PAGE OF DISSERTATION)

DRIVING FORCES AND PROBLEMS FOR INVESTORS IN BULGARIA:

THE CASE OF GREEK ENTERPRISES

by

JOHN RICHARD SUTCLIFFE

10234567

2011

Dissertation submitted to the Bradford University School of Management in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MSc in International Business and

Management**

** Degree title – amend as required

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APPENDIX IV

(ABSTRACT)

10234567

DRIVING FORCES AND PROBLEMS FOR INVESTORS IN BULGARIA:

THE CASE OF GREEK ENTERPRISES

Keywords: Greece, Bulgaria, FDI, Driving forces, pull/push factors, problems, location advantages.

Abstract

The 1990s was the decade during which a large number of Greek firms expanded their

operations to the other Balkan countries. One of the major host countries of these Greek

investments was Bulgaria, which had been under the communist regime since World War II.

After the end of communism, Bulgaria attempted to attract foreign direct investments in order

to contribute to the development of the country. Therefore, a substantial number of foreign

investors is operating nowadays in the country, although their invested capital is very low in

comparison with other CEE countries.

The current research focuses on Greek direct investments in Bulgaria and attempts to

investigate the major driving forces for which Greek firms engage in investments in this

country. Moreover, the various problems that they face are analysed. For the accomplishment

of this study, a primary research was made, based primarily on questionnaires and secondarily

on semi-structured interviews.

The main finding of the study is that location advantages of Bulgaria represent the major

motive for Greek firms, while push factors are practically inexistent. In particular, there are

several market and labour forces varying mainly according to sector and, to a lesser degree,

according to firms‟ size.

As far as problems are concerned, the main conclusion is that low purchasing power is the

most severe problem, but especially in the retailing sector. There are several other problems

also, such as double taxation, corruption and so on. Here, variations are moderate and depend

on size and year of entry.

Finally, given the advantages the problems of Bulgaria as a host country, Greek investors‟

stress that they are partially satisfied with their operations and many of them are willing to

23

expand their existing investments in Bulgaria. However, most of them intend to increase

operations, not only in Bulgaria, but also in the whole of the Balkan Peninsula.

24

APPENDIX V

(LAYOUT OF TABLE OF CONTENTS)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page PREFACE ii 1 TITLE OF FIRST CHAPTER 1

1.1 Title of First Major Subheading 1 1.2 Title of Second Major Subheading 7 1.3 Title of Third Major Subheading 8

1.3.1 Title of First Subsidiary Subheading 10 1.3.2 Title of Second Subsidiary Subheading 23

1.4 Title of Fourth Major Subheading 23

2 TITLE OF SECOND CHAPTER 31

2.1 Title of First Major Subheading 31 2.2 Title of Second Major Subheading 43

3 TITLE OF FINAL CHAPTER 46

3.1 Title of First Major Subheading 46 3.2 Title of Second Major Subheading 55 3.3 Title of Third Major Subheading 62

25

APPENDIX B

To enter your details, click in the relevant box in the top left corner with your mouse and type. This form MUST BE TYPED.

Family Name/Surname First Name

UB Number

PROGRAMME Click in the box to indicate the programme you are following:

MSc Management MSc International Business and Mgt MSc Marketing and Mgt. MSc Finance, Accounting and Mgt MSc Human Resource Mgt. MSc Finance

DISSERTATION TITLE (This does not need to be the definitive final title but you must indicate clearly the specific area you

intend to research so an appropriate supervisor can be allocated).

DISSERTATION SYNOPSIS (Please provide a 250 word outline of your Dissertation to help Subject Group Heads allocate a

supervisor. PLEASE NOTE THAT STUDENTS WHO SUBMIT VAGUE OR POORLY CONSIDERED DISSERTATION TOPIC DETAILS WILL HAVE THEIR REGISTRATION FORMS RETURNED FOR REVISION AND A SUPERVISOR WILL NOT BE ALLOCATED UNTIL AFTER THE SUBMISSION OF THE DISSERTATION PROPOSAL)

Please return this form to the Graduate Programmes Office by 12 noon 16 February 2011. You will be notified of your supervisor at the beginning of April 2011.

. You may email this form to Jessica Stacey in the Graduate Programmes Office.

____________________________________________________________________________________ Office Use Only

Supervisor Date Received

MSc DISSERTATION

REGISTRATION FORM 2010-2011

26

APPENDIX C

BRADFORD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT

MSc DISSERTATION - MARKING SCHEME 2010-2011

STUDY HOURS: 60 Credits - 600 hours reading, fieldwork, analysis and writing

UB NUMBER:

A = Distinction B = Merit C = Pass D = Marginal Fail E = Bad Fail

Grade Awarded (1st marker)

Grade Awarded (2

nd marker)

Insert tick if in agreement with 1st

marker

Final agreed

Grade

Final module Grade: (To be determined by examiners)

First marker: Signature: ........................................... Date: ................

Second marker: Signature: ........................................... Date: ................

Dissertation Proposal: (Evidence of thorough preparation, work programme well thought out, comprehensive outline, proposal submitted

on time.) 1st marker’s

comments:

2nd

marker’s

comments:

Background investigation: (Identification of topic, definition of research question and objectives, adequacy of literature review,

appropriate use of references and other sources etc)

1st marker’s

comments:

2nd

marker’s

comments:

Methodology, fieldwork, reasoning and analysis: (Soundness of methodology, quality of fieldwork (where appropriate),

effective use of material, drawing of inferences and implications, adequacy of conclusions, etc) 1st marker’s

comments::

2nd

marker’s

comments:

Organisation and presentation of material: (Logical and consistent structuring, continuity and adequate links between chapter,

use of graphical and other presentation tools, clarity of expositions etc)

1st marker’s

comments:

2nd

marker’s

comments:

27

APPENDIX D

DISSERTATION STUDENT LEARNING AGREEMENT

The time allocation for the supervision of the dissertation is 18 hours in total. This SLA is intended to assist the Student and Supervisor to manage this time effectively.

1. STUDENT DETAILS

Surname

: Forename:

UB Number:

Programme of Study:

2. DISSERTATION DETAILS

Working Title:

Working Brief:

3. STUDENT CONTACT DETAILS

Agreed Primary mode of contact: Email: Telephone:

Email address:

Telephone number:

4. UNDERTAKING RESEARCH OVERSEAS

Where will the Student be undertaking their research?

Bradford

UK

Elsewhere

Please state

N.B If the student will be writing up ENTIRELY outside the UK please inform the Graduate programmes manager as this

will affect the terms of their student visa.

5. SCHEDULE OF SUPERVISION

Planned communications Suggested Time

Agreed Time

Feedback on Proposal Up to 2 hrs

28

Implementation (Research; Literature review) Agreed Timeframe: Up to 4 hrs

Submission of Introduction and Ist Chapter Agreed Timeframe: Up to 3 hrs

Collation, analysis and interpretation of data

Agreed Submission Date: Up to 3 hrs

Feedback on final draft

Agreed Submission Date: Up to 4 hrs

Assessment Up to 2 hrs NB Company based dissertations have an additional 6 hrs allocated for liaison with Company sponsor/contact

6. SPECIFIC DATES OR PERIODS WHEN SUPERVISOR IS UNAVAILABLE

7. SPECIFIC DATES OR PERIODS WHEN STUDENT IS UNAVAILABLE

8. PROGRESS REPORTS

As a consequence of changes made by the UK Border Agency to the rules governing Student Visas we are required to report on student engagement during the research process. To this end a series of FOUR progress reports of not more than 1000 words should be submitted by the student on prescribed dates. One copy should be emailed to the Supervisor and one copy should be emailed to the Graduate Programmes office. The Supervisor may choose to specify to the student the specific progress that should be reported on at each deadline. IF A STUDENT FAILS TO SUBMIT A PROGRESS REPORT ON THE PRESCRIBED DATE THE GRADUATE PROGRAMMES TEAM WILL INVESTIGATE AND IF CONTINUED INTERACTION WITH THE PROGRAMME CANNOT BE EVIDENCED THEN THE SCHOOL WILL CEASE SPONSORSHIP OF THE STUDENT'S VISA.

Progress report 1 Specific agreed action Deadline Rec'd

01-May-11

Progress report 2 Specific agreed action Agreed

Date Rec'd

01-Jun-11

Progress report 3 Specific agreed action Agreed

Date Rec'd

01-Jul-11

29

Progress report 4 Specific agreed action Agreed

Date Rec'd

01-Aug-11

9. STUDENTS UNDERTAKING COMPANY BASED PROJECTS (Either sourced independantly or by the School)

Company Name:

Company Address:

Nature of Business:

Contact Name:

Contact Details:

If the Company is not in the UK please indicate the number of weeks in total spent overseas on research (this should not exceed 10 weeks)

10. SIGNATURE

We, the undersigned, agree to the provisions outlined in this SLA.

Student:

Date:

Supervisor: Date:

The Student and Supervisor should each retain a copy of this Agreement whilst the Original version should be handed in to the Graduate Programmes Office for retention on the Student's

file.

30

APPENDIX E

STAGE & STAGE TASKS

TO BE COMPLETED BY:

COMMENTS/OTHER ACTIVITY

Students establish a general field of interest; undertake preliminary reading; decide on subject area & register subject area interest

16 February 2011

The School will find and allocate Supervisors in a relatively short period of time (see column below).

For this reason, students must register their subject area interest by the date shown.

Students undertake additional reading; investigate appropriate methodology; narrow ideas to a workable topic and give it a title. Prepare the dissertation proposal.

Students must submit their

Dissertation Proposal by 2 pm

Wednesday 13 April 2011

School allocates a Supervisor (to those students who complete a registration form by the 16 Feb deadline)

April 2011

Feedback on Dissertation Proposal to students from Supervisors

End May/Early June 2011

Preparation trial/pilot, literature review, period of information gathering „tools‟, e.g. questionnaires; discuss with Supervisor

You should be completing

this stage by

End of June 2011

There will be regular „Writing Clinics‟ Students will be advised by e-mail from the effective learning service

Collation, analysis and interpretation of data

You should be completing

this stage by early July 2011

There will be a regular „Writing Clinics‟ Students will be advised by e-mail from the effective learning service

MSc Dissertation: planning/timetable

31

Write first draft.

Important: students should be discussing their drafts with their Supervisors during this period

You should be working on

your first draft during July

2011

(Note: Supervisors may take

leave here; ensure you take

this into consideration)

Workshop for students on Project/Dissertation report writing

Students will be advised by e-mail from the effective learning service

Revision and improvement of Dissertation. This stage builds on the discussions with Supervisors regarding first drafts in June and July.

By early August 2011

Students should understand that it can be difficult to contact supervisors in August. For that reason, students should be at the

revision stage – and not the first

draft stage.

YOUR DISSERTATION SHOULD ARRIVE AT THE PROGRAMME OFFICE NO LATER THAN 2 PM ON

WEDNESDAY 17 AUGUST 2011

32

APPENDIX F

EXAMPLE PROJECT PROPOSAL

TITLE:

ENTRY MODE COMBINATION AND SWITCHING IN FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT: NATURE, DRIVERS AND BARRIERS

1 Scope/Rationale of Project

The choice of entry and operating mode and management represent critical components of international business activity (Erramilli and Raw, 1990; Barkema et al. 1996). In particular, it is recognised that mode choice has profound implications for company strategy, operations and performance (Kimand Hwang, 1992; Brouthers et al. 2003). Accordingly, over several decades, theinternational business literature has afforded much research to the determinants of entry mode choice (Anderson and Gatignon, 1986; Root, 1987;Kim and Hwang, 1992; Meyer, 2001). However, much of the literature treats the entry mode as a single and static decision (Madholk, 1997) – where the company enters and sustains market presence via one method (i.e acquisition or joint venture). It is very common, however, for companies to have a combination of entry and operation modes when penetrating foreign markets (Welch et al.2007). For example, the French retailer Carrefour uses franchising and wholly owned stores simultaneously when building its initial store network in domestic and foreign retail markets (Burt, 1986; Carrefour Annual Report 2009). Yet, companies also plan and/or are forced to switch (change) operating modes, particularly in the initial phase of investment (Welch et al. 2007). Due to complexity and volatility of international markets and the difficulties associated with managing partners, companies often exit or closing down existing modes of operation and enter new arrangements. However, few empirical studies have sought to understand in any depth why companies switch operating modes in this initial phase of investment and the outcomes of the switching process. Consequently, the purpose of this project is to explore the drivers and some outcomes of mode combination and switching in the immediate phase of foreign direct investment. To achieve this, the study will be guided by the following research objective and questions:

Research objective and research questions: To explore the drivers of mode combination and switching in the immediate phase of foreign direct investment. RQ1: To identify the nature and key reasons for mode combination in foreign direct investment. RQ2: To explore the reasons for mode switching in foreign direct investment. RQ3: To examine the barriers to mode switching in foreign direct investment. See notes 1 and 2.

2 Methodology

Case study method

33

The study adopts a qualitative case study methodology. The case study is useful for this study, because it “allows an investigation to retain the holistic and meaningful characteristics of real life events” (Yin, 1993, p.3), such as the processes and outcomes of mode choice over a specific phase of time. Thus, the case method will allow the researcher to delve deeply into the organisational and market context of a company‟s international operations and reveal opaque events unfolding over the initial investment phase, such as why modes were chosen, the triggering events/causes and the barriers (if any) to mode change? Moreover, and related, the study concerns the actions of senior corporate decision makers. Therefore, the research questions inherently focus on the relationship between management and mode setting. Therefore, deductive theory-testing research methods such as surveys may not sufficiently capture the intricacy of an organisational setting of this kind (Parkhe, 1993). Qualitative case studies can possibly capture the intricacies and processes of entry/operating mode decision making. See note 3. Case design: single or multiple? The study will adopt a multiple case design. The aim of this study is not to test theory, nor to seek understanding of an identified extreme or unique case. Rather, to generate understanding into all the possible motivations and conditions surrounding mode combination and switching behaviour. As such, this study adopts a multiple case design. Multiple case designs allow case comparisons and are often considered more compelling than other singular designs. This enhances validity and reliability (Miles and Huberman, 1994). See note 4. Case sampling: size and selection criteria The contemporary view for case size is that four to six cases form a reasonable minimum and that ten to fifteen cases constitute an absolute maximum (Perry, 1998, p.793). Indeed, the logic is that when a researcher has too many cases, he risks losing the focus and the „in-depth view” of the case. Nevertheless, the researcher will follow Eisenhardt‟s (1989) argument that between “four and nine cases often works well” (p.545), while also considering the limited resource of time available to the researcher. Hence, at this stage, four cases will be selected for this research. The sampling strategy – “purposive sampling” (Patton, 1990) primarily selects the cases for this study. Each case selected satisfies the research purpose and questions: constituting “information rich cases”, worthy of in-depth study (Patton, 1990; Perry, 1998). To achieve “information rich cases”, the following selection criteria will be used: i) *Large companies which have entered foreign markets through foreign direct investment. ii) Large companies which have utilised more than one operating mode within a period of 12 months. iii) Large companies which have switched (at least) one operating mode within a period of 12 months. v) **Large companies from different national origins and different industrial sectors.

*It is suspected that large and high profile companies provide easier access to data in this area of investigation. These companies have a high profile and are usually well analysed in the media and research community. Considering the limitations of time and

34

finance, this is an important consideration. **The objective of the research is to gain a thorough understanding of all the potential reasons and conditions behind mode combination and mode switching. Thus, the fourth criterion is instrumental for this aim as it enables consideration of the effects of national culture and industry sector on mode decision-making. Therefore, the research will aim for four cases across different national markets and industrial sectors. It must be stressed, however, that due to limited resources of time and finance, typically associated with student research, this study will also use the emergent sampling strategy of “convenience sampling” (Patton, 1990). For example, it may not be possible to achieve four cases that „fit‟ the research questions from different cultural and industrial backgrounds. In a similar vein, if may not be possible to find case incidences of mode switching within a phase of 12 months. If so, this time period will be extended to 24 months thereby constituting the phase of initial investment. Flexibility is preserved through this convenience sampling strategy. See note 5.

3 Data collection

Data collection is often a multiple method activity (Pettigrew, 1985). This research study will draw on a number of data collection methods. Indeed for Yin (1989), this is a specific requirement for case study research. The logic is that if one method fails to capture sufficient insight, another method may be able to fill the gaps. In-depth interview with corporate decision-makers is probably the most relevant and possibly richest form of data collection for this study. However, due to the resource constraints of time, expertise and finance accessing corporate informants will be avoided. Instead, the researcher will draw upon a pool of secondary data - corporate reports, market research reports and press material to answer the research questions. In particular, press material from leading national newspapers (Wall-Street Journal, Financial Times), local presses and business magazines will constitute a rich form of data for this study. Much of this material can be sourced from the Lexis-Nexus newspaper database. The incidents and decisions concerning mode combination and switching can involve simultaneously different sites and/or different levels of context (Pettigrew, 1990). These multiple levels of contexts and sites can be accessed with research reports or archival press material. For example, a series of newspaper clippings can involve a trail of information related to the company, the foreign market, the mode decision/change and actors involved with the company. When moulded together, this can establish a much richer and explanatory account of why the decision was enacted. Related, the fact that mode combination and mode switching usually involves another actor (i.e partner organisation) provides an additional vantage point for data collection, thereby widening scope for data collection. As mentioned above, an important factor motivating data collection is triangulation. The basic tenant of triangulation is that the weakness of a single generation source is compensated by the counter balancing strength of another method/source (Jick, 1979). Therefore, the researcher will aim to establish a chain of evidence by utilising multiple secondary data sources thereby enhancing validity and reliability. See note 6.

4 Data analysis

Following Miles and Huberman (1994), the data analysis consisted of three stages. First, the secondary data was manually reduced and coded. To reduce the data, a

35

scheme of codes was developed to assign themes and statements on four core areas: (1) the nature of mode combination, (2) why companies used a combination of entry modes, (3) reasons for switching and (4) barriers to switching. These codes were partly based on themes that we were searching for before commencing the research and partly on themes which emerged in the press material. These were constructed to isolate statements (from press material for example) about mode combination and switching. Second, once the data were reduced and coded, case summaries were constructed. This provided a rich familiarity with each case, which, in turn, accelerated cross case comparison (Eisenhardt, 1989). The third stage was a cross-case comparative analysis, identifying common explanations and patterns within the studied cases, noting similarities and differences (Eisenhardt, 1989).

5 Limitations:

As with all research, several potential limitations exist. First, it is arguable that research of this nature requires direct interviewing with corporate decision makers. However, due to the constraints of time and finance, this is simply not possible. The researcher will aim to compensate for this by careful sampling and rigorous secondary data collection. Secondly, complications of context and temporal dynamics could suggest that the findings from some cases are the result of context specificity and historical background. Therefore, this may make it difficult to compare with other empirical findings. Third, the research reported here draws on a very small sample. Nevertheless, four cases are recognised as a rigorous sample size for qualitative research designs (Eisenhardt, 1989; Perry et al, 2001). It must be emphasised, however, that the evaluative criterion is the quality of the cases, rather than the number of them (Matthyssens and Pauwels, 2000). See note 7.

6 Conclusion

This research proposal outlines the purpose of this research study, the key methods to implement the study and some potential limitations. The research aims to investigate the nature, drivers and barriers associated with mode combination and mode switching behaviour in foreign direct investment. The study will adopt a multiple case study approach and will utilise a number of secondary data sources. Several limitations of the study have been highlighted.

Proposed Chapter Headings and Sub-Headings

1. Introduction

2. Literature Review

3. Methodology

4. Findings/analysis: case analysis and cross-case analysis

5. Discussion and conclusion

Appendices and Bibliography

Work Programme Gant chart scheduling chapters and key activities.

36

Notes to research proposal example: 1: It is important that the opening paragraph succulently summarises the research idea: what the topic is and why it is important to investigate. It is imperative that you quickly establish a research gap (an absence or limited research studies within this area in the relevant academic literature). Yet, you must convey that this worthy of investigation, that this is an important and interesting topic. For example, one method shown here; is to identify contemporary practice of the phenomenon and highlight the importance of the topic to various publics (organisations, government, consumers etc). I have focused on organisations in this example. The whole point of a thesis is that you are attempting to contribute to a „conversation‟, a body of knowledge. Before you can do that you must coherently show the current conversation and why it needs your extension. It is therefore imperative you find a „research gap‟. However, always remember, that what remains important (if not more), is that the research is achievable. For this reason, each research question has to be scrutinised on the basis – can each question be answered? Will I have the resources/information to answer these questions? So consider the research gap and the viability of the project at the same time. It is advisable not to attempt to construct the rest of the research design until you are very familiar with the research objectives and questions. Take your time in understanding the basis of the research and become intimate (as far as you can) with the research setting and questions. The research questions will guide you on how you will conduct the study. This is the blue-print of your thesis. In a good research proposal, the research questions are „threaded‟ throughout the key areas – everything should revolve around the research questions. The purpose of a proposal is to explain and justify your proposed study to an audience of non-experts on your topic. In summary, the proposal is an argument for your study. It needs to explain the logic behind the proposed research, rather than simply describe or summarize the study, and to do so in a way that non-specialists will understand. 2. Research questions seek to operationalise the research objective. Your research objective and questions should correspond to the reasoning advanced in the opening background section. Avoid introducing new content related terms and concepts in your research questions. Ensure that your research questions are different but are connected to the overall research objective. It is typical to have no more than three research questions. Any more than this, you will risk your focus and burden yourself with too much work. 3. The whole point of this section is to explain why you adopted your specific methodology and the benefits of this methodology to your research questions. Avoid presenting a generalised pros and cons of qualitative versus quantitative. This is a weak justification for your methodology. If you offer advantages of your methodology, ensure you connect these to your research. To do this effectively, you need to understand your research setting: the characteristics of the research and the nature of the methodology.

37

For example, there is a high degree of complexity surrounding this decision-making area as it involves multiple contexts/actors and therefore multiple stimuli and outcomes. Case study research can manage this complexity. 4. Again, this aspect of case design is connected to the broad role of the research and the specific research objective. This research is not testing theory or confirming established hypothesis – but generating new data and insight. It is always good practice to associate aspects of your research design to quality indicators such as reliability, rigour and validity. As illustrated in this section. However, you can have a separate „quality section‟ if you wish. 5. This outlines your sampling strategy. How many companies you have selected for your research and how you have selected them. Again, this needs to be strongly determined by your research objective. Selection criteria: this is the characteristics that will needed to be reflected in the sample population to address your research questions. You will notice that resource constraints play a role as well, and possibly, your skill sets. For qualitative research, there are a wide range of sampling approaches. There is Miles and Huberman (1994), Patton (1990, 2001), Kuzel (1999) and Glaser and Strauss (1967) - provide brief descriptions of different sampling strategies. I have used Patton (1990) here. Please keep in mind that a strong research design and analytical approach will incorporate more than one sampling strategy. As illustrated in this example. Moreover, you may want to include an iterative sampling approach whereby you moves back and forth (iterating) between sampling and analysing data so that your preliminary analytical findings shape subsequent sampling choices. 6. This is a very important section. The nature of the research questions will determine your information needs and where this information can be sourced. As illustrated here, your resource constraints will further influence what data collection methods you use. 7. Do not be afraid to highlight the potential limitations of your research. Indeed, an accurate and honest appraisal of the research shortcomings and limitations is a hallmark feature of good research. No research is infallible. It is an opportunity to defend your research. You will see that after most of the limitations, I have highlighted how this may be rectified or defended. This reinforces the logic behind the research.

38

Example Gant Chart

Activity – week commencing

April May June July August

5 12 19 26 3 10 17 24 31 7 14 21 28 5 12 19 26 2 9 16 23 30

Prepare proposal

SuperStore Induction

Submit proposal

Review literature

Store interviews

Survey performance measures

Survey resumed goods

Survey customer complaints

Analyse data

Construct balanced scorecard

Test hypothesis

Meetings with sponsor

Meetings with supervisor

Write project

Complete first draft

Revisions

Submit for copying/binding

Submit for marking

Presentation to SuperStore

39

APPENDIX G

Ethics Checklist

APPLICANT’S ETHICS CHECKLIST

This checklist is designed to help you to decide whether or not ethics approval is

required and, if required, to decide on the appropriate ethics review procedure – please

read guidance on page 5 before you complete the form

Who should use the checklist? A checklist should be completed for all research projects by the Principal Investigator [PI] or the Principal Supervisor [PS] in the case of a supervised student research project. Guidance on the 2 different ethics review procedures that together make up the University‟s Ethics Review System (i.e. „University‟ and „NHS‟) is available at http://www.bradford.ac.uk/rkts/researchsupp.php?content=UniversityorNHSApproval

*************************************************************************************

Project Title: ………………………………………………………………………………………………

Name of Principal Supervisor: …………………………………………...

Name of Student (if applicable): ……………………………………………. ……… ……………….

Summary of Project (max 150 words):

40

The following 5 questions should be answered in order ‘Yes’ or ‘No’:

Q1

Is the proposed project a research project? i.e. will it constitute an „investigation undertaken in order to gain knowledge and understanding‟? (this includes work of educational value designed to improve understanding of the research process) A more detailed definition is available at: www.brad.ac.uk/gateway/research/RSU/Ethics/ResearchAuditOrServiceEvaluation.pdf If you answer „Yes‟ to Q1 ethical approval may be required, move to Q2. If you answer „No‟ to Q1 then a research ethics review is not required.

Note: there may be occasions where a project is not defined as research but still raises ethical issues – please submit for review.

YES/NO

Q2

Will the research project involve the NHS? See guidelines at: www.bradford.ac.uk/gateway/research/RSU/UniversityorNHSApproval.php If you answer „No‟ to Q2 move on to Q3 If you answer „Yes‟ to Q2 ethical approval will be required by NHS Research Ethics Committee (REC)

YES/NO

Q3

Will the research project involve any of the following in the UK: Testing a medicinal product Investigating a medical device Taking samples of human biological material (e.g. blood, tissue) Prisoners or others in custodial care (e.g. young offenders) as participants Adults with mental incapacity as participants Other vulnerable groups (e.g. vulnerable children) as participants

If you answer ‘Yes’ to Q3 ethical approval will usually be required by NHS Research Ethics

Committee (REC) or where the project includes participants which need approval under the Mental

Capacity Act approval will be required by a Social Care REC.

See information specific to research in Social Care at: www.brad.ac.uk/gateway/research/RSU/Ethics/NHSandSocialCare.pdf

If you answer „No‟ to Q3 move on to Q4

YES/NO

Q4

Will the research project involve human participants and/or human data (but not

accessed through the NHS)?

If you answer „Yes‟ to Q4 University ethical approval is required unless data/participation is uncontentious (see guidance overleaf) If you answer „No‟ to Q4 move on to Q5

Please give brief explanation below of type of data/participation in cases which you

consider to be uncontentious (see guidance on page 5):

YES/NO

41

Q5

Will the research project involve human tissue (but not requiring NHS approval – see

Q3)?

If you answer „Yes‟ to Q5 University ethical approval is required If you require advice on human biological material please contact Human Tissue Act (HTA) Designated Individual: Professor Diana Anderson on ext 3569 or email: d.anderson1@bradford.ac.uk)

YES/NO

If you answer ‘No’ to Q5 and have answered ‘No’ to Q2, Q3 and Q4 ethical approval is not required.

PLEASE COMPLETE/SIGN ONE OF THE BOXES BELOW:

I confirm that there are no ethical issues requiring further consideration.

(Any subsequent changes to the nature of the project will require a review of the ethical considerations)

Name (Principal Supervisor):

Signature: Date:

Name (Student):

Signature: Date:

I confirm that there are ethical issues requiring further consideration and will refer the proposal to the

appropriate Research Ethics Panel.

Name (Principal Investigator/Principal Supervisor):

Signature: Date:

42

Ethical Scrutiny by a University Research Ethics Panel is NOT required if:

The project is NOT a research project.

The research project will only involve unlinked or aggregated human data which was collected and which was, at the time, subject to relevant research ethics panel approval. However, where this is the case the researcher should at least confirm this in an email to the Research Support Unit‟s Ethics Administrator so that the Ethics Administrator has a record and can inform the Chair of the appropriate Research Ethics Panel that the researcher plans to go ahead without ethics approval. The email should confirm that the research project does not require ethics approval because it only involves unlinked or aggregated data, which when originally obtained from people was obtained in accordance with the protocol as approved at the time by an appropriate research ethics panel. The email should also briefly explain how the researcher now plans to use the unlinked or aggregated data.

The research is Public Domain Data: The Economic and Social Research Council‟s (ESRC) Research Ethics Framework states

that ethics approval may not be required for data sets that exist in the public domain (e.g. datasets that are available from the Office for National Statistics or from the ESRC‟s Data Archive) so long as the appropriate permissions from individuals have already been obtained (i.e. informed consent) and where it is not possible to identify the individuals from the information provided. It must be remembered that public domain data is still covered by the laws of copyright.

The research involves Simple Uncontentious Questionnaires: If a research project‟s only involvement with human subjects is a simple brief questionnaire with uncontroversial content it may not require ethical approval. It is the Principal Investigator or Principal Supervisor‟s responsibility to decide whether a project comes under this category and must indicate this on the form and attach the document for information.

Guidance on supervisor and principal investigator sign off of uncontentious research Audit and service evaluation are usually uncontentious, and guidance on how to differentiate between research, audit and service evaluation is given at: http://www.brad.ac.uk/gateway/research/RSU/Ethics/ResearchAuditOrServiceEvaluation.pdf Even where a project is clearly research, as a supervisor or principal investigator, you can sign off simple, ethically uncontentious projects as not needing further ethical scrutiny. To do this, you should consider the level of risk to participants and researchers, the level of effort required by participants, the level of intrusion into participants‟ lives and the level of sensitivity of both the general subject matter and the information requested of participants. Basically, the lower these levels, the more likely the research is to be uncontentious and the more confident you should feel about signing off. The following examples may help. These studies can almost always be signed off by the supervisor or principal investigator:

Brief questionnaires asking opinions about matters which are clearly not sensitive (attitudes to a product, beliefs about the usefulness of a course).

Brief interviews about such topic.

Observational studies about everyday behaviour in public places which involve no risk to subjects or the researcher.

But the following studies almost always need further scrutiny by a University Ethics Panel:

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Long questionnaires (these require considerable potential inconvenience to subjects).

Long interviews

Any questionnaires which ask subjects about intimate behaviours or issue likely to cause distress or would in other ways normally be regarded as contentious or sensitive (e.g. illegal activities, attitudes to abortion, capital punishment, immigration, euthanasia).

Any interviews which examine these matters.

Observational studies which involve intimate behaviours, behaviours which are not normally public or which might normally be considered contentious or sensitive (Activities of ethics committees, appointment committees, etc; professional consultations).

Naturally, this list is for illustration only, and should not be considered in any way exhaustive, permissive or prescriptive. For example, there are many categories of research not mentioned here which would definitely require ethics approval (e.g. treatment research). Rather the list demonstrates the issue of proportionality. Thus, even though the method may be the same for activities requiring and not requiring further scrutiny, the content in some way distinguishes between the two categories. At the same time, there is obviously some middle ground. Are ethics committees not public? Is what is discussed so sensitive that the proposal needs further scrutiny? What about asking people about their views on the actions of senior members of staff in their organisation? Probably, it is in these middle ground areas that further advice should be sought from a Panel Chair about whether the project can be signed off by the supervisor or principal investigator alone. Given that, in so doing, the supervisor or PI is attesting to the ethical probity of the study, it is usually best to err on the side of caution where there is uncertainty. Panel chairs are very happy to advise.

(Dr Martin Brinkworth, Chair, Biomedical, Natural and Physical Sciences Research Ethics Panel, m.h.brinkworth@bradford.ac.uk, ext. 3584

Andy Scally, Chair, Humanities, Social and Health Sciences Research Ethics Panel, a.j.scally@bradford.ac.uk, ext. 6431)