Masters Dissertation

GavH

Doing an MBA through distance learning and just wondering if anyone out there has themselves completed a Masters degree. If so, how did you go about settling on a specific topic for your dissertation and then refining the scope of work?

GiantMike

I had a lot of trouble getting a topic for my Aerospace Systems Masters. When I did, I wrote twice as many words as I set out to and it became a bit of a chore rather than something I enjoyed. The best dissertations I read had a simple topic and a limited scope. It's a hoop-jumping exercise and is unlikely to change the world so make sure it's achievable and fun.

Your tutor(s) should be able to help and you can find completed dissertations in academic libraries. It's easy to spot the good from the bad and the ones that were written properly from those that were thrown together in the week before the deadline!

Does your MBA have a specialism?

GavH

Mike, thanks, that's useful. Course has no specialism, although the Uni seems to be strong on Strategic andOrganisational Changeof which i have some experience. I'm currently in the army and so considering doing something that would prove my knowledge in a field that I aim to get into once I leave the army, so Project Management, Consulting or Finance are all areas I'd perhaps like to consider in the future. A few people have already mentioned the need to do something that flicks my switch and not try to reinvent the wheel or suddenly introduce new theories or concepts so I'm aiming to apply the 'Keep it simple' mantra as much as possible!

mr_goo

Good luck Gav. Cannot help re your MA, however word of advice when looking in the private sector for work. Avoid if you can working within the construction industry. It's on its ar5e and not likely to get any better. Also do not go into any sales function role, especially 'field sales'. The days of on the road representation are coming to an end, not soon but certainly within 5-10 yrs.
I have the contact details of a careers councillor if you wish. It was offered as part of my recent redundancy process. I thought it would be waste of time, yet it has proved to be enlightening, and now leads me to a new career path in the medium to long term.

GavH

Thanks Mr G, the offer and advice is very much appreciated although hopefully won't be necessary as I don't intend to leave the army for at least another two years (until I've secured a basic but immediate pension). Good luck with the new challenges that lie ahead!

Pross

It can be tempting to go for something you have strong opinions about and which you know a lot about but I think with hindsight this can be counter-productive as it skews your discussion points. I did this and then spent the time trying to balance my paper! Aim for a subject you know a bit about already and want to learn more about whilst having no pre-conceived opinions as this can make the research more enjoyable and rewarding. Within reason you are probably going to do this to some extent in any case as you tend to choose a course on that basis but I suspect an MBA is a bit more open ended than many Masters courses.

Monty Dog

The key to a good MBA dissertation is your research methodology and quality data / results which prove your hypothesis - I know people who have spent literally years trying to find quality respondees - think hard about the subject and where you're going to get that data, particularly if you don't work within that industry. Likewise, if you're thinking of targeting a particular industry or sector when you finish - it's a great way to learn about your industry and a good piece of quality research may help open a few doors.

DrKJM

Monty Dog wrote:

The key to a good MBA dissertation is your research methodology and quality data / results which prove your hypothesis - I know people who have spent literally years trying to find quality respondees - think hard about the subject and where you're going to get that data, particularly if you don't work within that industry. Likewise, if you're thinking of targeting a particular industry or sector when you finish - it's a great way to learn about your industry and a good piece of quality research may help open a few doors.

This is sound advice. I came to my MBA from a science background where research results were somewhat in my control. If you can work in a field where you can persuade people to respond to surveys, or where you can access the data some other way, you might make life easier for yourself.

pinno

Not done a Masters, so I cannot claim to have reached those heights. For my degree level dissertation, I opted to use surveys as a base. It was fraught with problems. Is the control group big enough ? Can you get enough people to respond ? etc Then I met a research student doing an MA in International HRM. I had to go backwards as she questioned the validity (quite rightly) of the survey questions.
She had identical problems, but on a much more critical scale. Some surveys were coming back incomplete. If she elected to meet people in person, it took hours just for one survey. Her life was spent doing 18hrs a day for the run up to completion, most of it spent trying to collate the information. I helped her and it was murder for me!.
So many complications - the wording, the cross section - gender/race/age, translation (Dutch=English) and the interpretation of the questions. Out of 140 survey/questionnaires, only 73 were valid and that was a very questionable group in terms of validity. It was a struggle as the panel had decided that 120 was the bare minimum and surveys went back and forward. She spent her entire existence (seemingly) chasing them up.
Had she got help to compile the survey in the first instance before they went out, it would have made a huge difference but even then, they are very problematic. I think surveys quadruple the work.
Good luck.

GiantMike

GavH wrote:

Mike, thanks, that's useful. Course has no specialism, although the Uni seems to be strong on Strategic andOrganisational Changeof which i have some experience. I'm currently in the army and so considering doing something that would prove my knowledge in a field that I aim to get into once I leave the army, so Project Management, Consulting or Finance are all areas I'd perhaps like to consider in the future. A few people have already mentioned the need to do something that flicks my switch and not try to reinvent the wheel or suddenly introduce new theories or concepts so I'm aiming to apply the 'Keep it simple' mantra as much as possible!

Maybe something based around the Army and the impact/rationale/effects of SDSR? Impact of the shift towards more reservists? Being 'on the inside' you may get access to some good information, particulatly from the Chain of Command's perspective.

Are you speaking to the Defence Academy at Shrivenham? They may have some good contacts or give you some good gen.

GavH

Thanks guys, some good points I hadn't thought of and some others I had, but I wasn't certain of their validity; the fact you concur aids my confidence!

Mike, My first Strategic Change assignment was on SDSR so it's already crossed my mind to see if I can take it further forward to the dissertation. as for the Def Ac, I go there in Sept for a residential course so I suppose that would be quite a useful place to be if I tie my dissertation to a military theme! The deconfliction between the MBA and the course starting on Sept is going to be a significant challenge, hence why I'm thinking that far ahead already.

Spender

I did mine on management of change in SMEs. The key to it is to get a good plan together working back from the submission date and stick to the plan. Treat it as a project. Work closely with your tutor who, if you are lucky will guide you.

Good luck.

BigDarbs

Whatever you choose, make sure you have a strong interest or opinion on the subject as it becomes a big part of your life.

It doesn't matter what your current opinion on the particular subject is at the moment, as the dissertation will be to argue and challenge that anyway.

I picked a subject that I had a bee in my bonnet about! As a result I quite enjoyed researching, discussing and getting other peoples views on the way things were. It got me a distinction so I must have done something right!

BigDarbs

Oh, and one more thing... www.surveymonkey.com is your friend! This was a major help in gaining information, the analysis tools are fantastic. Pay the monthly subscription while your survey is running, then cancel it when you have finished. I think it cost about £18 for the month, but it saved days of work on collation and analysing results.

tx14

Avoid designing surveys yourself. If you must, get someone with knowledge in statistics and experiment design to help you, any statistician will do. Had not done a masters degree, but I do have a Bsc in maths, I know how difficult it actually is to plan a survey/experiment, there are so many things to wrong.

GavH

Thanks guys, all very helpful, particularly the link to Surveymonkey!