BMG847 MSc International Business Dissertation L7 Module Handbook Semester 1/2/3 2024- 25

BMG847 Rationale

Students who have successfully completed the 8 taught modules of Semesters 1 & 2 (120 credits) can elect to complete the remaining 60 credits of the MSc International Business programme via either the Dissertation or the Applied Research Project options.

The Dissertation provides an option to students seeking to focus on the more traditional academic pathway through a Master's study programme or as a gateway to a PhD programme, for example. It brings together all relevant aspects of the course in research on an International Business issue or problem. International Business is an applied field and thus raises substantive questions of importance beyond the world of academia. Thus, this individual Dissertation will show evidence of both conceptual and empirical rigour.

BMG847 Aim

The aim of the module is to allow those students who are pursuing the Masters degree to have a further opportunity to develop their chosen specialism by preparing and presenting a research based Dissertation. The final submission will be not more than 12,000 words. The Dissertation will build on previous studies and will fuse them into a major piece of research related to an international business issue/s.

Learning Outcomes of BMG847

Successful students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of different research strategies and approaches.
2. Demonstrate knowledge and development of a critical literature review on an international business and topic.
3. Apply research skills to carry out empirical research on an international business subject, including collecting, analysing and interpreting data.
4.  Develop writing skills and be able to present an independently reasoned and logical argument in written communication.

BMG847 Content

On completion of the Dissertation module, students will have identified topics within the international business domain that are of particular interest to them. The development of their research proposal document is a key component of this process, as are ongoing discussions with academic staff, the modules studied prior to their Dissertation and the research expertise available within the Department.

By the end of semester two/year two, students will therefore have prepared and have had approved a Research Proposal Document and will each be allocated a suitable academic supervisor who will provide them with specialist guidance, advice, and editorial comment.

Key tasks of the supervision will be to ensure that the proposed research is theoretically and methodologically sound and that the student can complete it within the timescale available. Typically, the thesis will contain a rationale for the chosen subject of study, a review of the relevant literature, research methodology, findings and analysis and conclusions and recommendations.

Learning And Teaching Methods

Learning will be through a mixture of workshops and individual supervision:

At the very beginning of the dissertation the students will be assigned a supervisor and will be put into small groups of 10. The members of each group will all have a common supervisor who will be responsible for the group.

Workshops: Each group will be scheduled to attend online group workshops with each workshop lasting 1 hour (apart from the workshop on week 1 which is double and should last for two hours). These workshops intend to deliver a planned programme on the requirements and structure of the dissertation and consolidate student learning and its articulation in draft chapters. During these group workshop, the students will also be given the opportunity to discuss queries and aspects of their dissertation and receive feedback from the supervisor. These online workshops are compulsory and attendance will be recorded.

Supervision: The main method will be directed independent study and research, via the academic supervisors appointed to each student. It is anticipated that students will receive around 4 sessions of directed supervision via a range of methods including online and face-to-face meetings. This may involve Teams / WebEx for DL students, telephone and email correspondence. During supervision sessions, the students will be able to ask questions and discuss their topic, direction, intention, drafts and outcomes of their research with their supervisor independently from all other members of the group. Students are expected to submit their draft dissertation chapters for review and formative feedback during the online 1-2-1 supervisory sessions. Supervision sessions are compulsory and attendance will be recorded.

BBL Support Area: A dedicated dissertation support area has been created via the module's BBL area. Students are expected to participate in all online activities, using this forum to exchange ideas and build knowledge in order to support the development of their dissertation and produce rigorous empirical or applied international and applied business research.

The dissertation will be scheduled as follows:

The RESIT will include supervision only and will be scheduled as follows:

BMG847 Assessment And Feedback

Dissertation [100%]

Final assessment of the completed Dissertation submission will be made by two internal assessors using predetermined evaluation criteria. A standardised and well-established marking criteria utilising a marking proforma will be used for all Dissertations. All Dissertations will be presented to the External Examiner for review.

Word count should be no more than 12,000 words.

The Dissertation must be submitted through the UK Turnitin link in Blackboard (instructions will be given in Blackboard).
Written feedback will be provided within three weeks of the submission date of the Dissertation after it has been first and second marked.
Formative assessment feedback is an integral part of the dissertation process. Supervisors and students meet regularly on a one-to-one basis at various stages of the research process, to monitor and discuss progress and where guidance and feedback is provided.

Coursework:    100%
Examination:    None

The pass mark for the dissertation is 50%.

Summary Description

The Master's Dissertation enables students to carry out research on a chosen topic within the domain of international business. Academic supervisors are allocated who provide advice and guidance to students throughout this process. On successful completion of their 12,000 word Dissertation students will be awarded their MSc in International Business.