MSc International Business Research Dissertation Guidelines | Birmingham

Research Dissertation Guidelines - MSc International Business

1. INTRODUCTION

The research dissertation is often viewed as the highlight of a Master’s programme since it provides the student with a chance to undertake self-directed research on a subject of their choice in considerable depth. However, it is also a demanding aspect of the programme and will require intensive and independent study on the part of the Masters student. The Research Dissertation will count for ONE THIRD (60 credits) of the total credits (180) for your degree, and will be 14,000 words in length. Please take time to read and understand the contents of this guide as it contains important advice.

2. MODULE DESCRIPTION

The MSc International Business dissertation module is designed to enable students to undertake their own in-depth research and ‘pathway to practice’ study in a subject of interest related to their degree programme. The dissertation involves completing: (1) a traditional academic component, which might include an abstract, introduction, literature review (or a systematic literature review), research design and methodology, as well as presentation of (qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods) research findings, a discussion and conclusion, along with; (2) a sector based policy or strategy document, and/ or an applied case review with 4-5 recommendations for international business practice. In addition, students may be encouraged to consider ways in which their dissertation can be presented for public dissemination of findings, for example, by presenting their work visually and/or audio-visually in an accessible manner for a (non-academic) international business audience.

3. LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of the module students should be able to:

• Undertake a substantial piece of independent research intended to inform practice.
• Challenge the literature, identifying an appropriate research design and methodology, analysing data, collating evidence, and considering the implications of their research for international business practice.
• Lead, plan, project manage and organise a major research project.
• Effectively communicate research findings.
• Identify and critically evaluate the research project’s practice-based implications.

Assessment is undertaken by your supervisor, an internal moderator, and may also be reviewed and moderated by the External Examiner. An examination by viva may also be required. To be considered for the degree award, you must obtain at least 50% in the overall Research Dissertation module.

Students failing to achieve this will have one opportunity to improve and resubmit their dissertation, with the mark capped at 50%. Students failing to meet the required standard in their resubmission will be considered for the award of a Postgraduate Diploma.

Students aiming for a Merit degree classification must achieve a minimum of 55% in their dissertation. Students aiming for a Distinction degree classification must achieve a minimum of 65% in their dissertation.

4.WHAT IS A DISSERTATION?

A dissertation is a piece of work that demonstrates your scholarship in the field of Management. Scholars have identified various qualities that should be exhibited including (Cassell, 2000; Jankowicz, 1991; Raimond (1993) cited in Riley et. al., 2000):

• Careful and accurate use of evidence
• Thoroughness in the coverage of subject matter
• Shows understanding and critical and analytical thinking
• Clearly defined objectives
• Evidence of originality
• A sound methodology and good quality evidence/data
• Balance in reporting data and evidence
• Care in the identification and attribution of sources

These are key issues that should remain uppermost in your mind as you work on your dissertation. This is a piece of scholarly, academic work. The dissertation process is valuable for a number of reasons:

1.The dissertation is an opportunity to integrate the knowledge that you have acquired through studying various modules throughout the programme and for the student to explore in detail an area of interest.

2.The dissertation process will help develop key personal skills that will be of value to employers such as information gathering, project management, time management, data analysis and report writing

3.The dissertation may be of direct value in securing future employment. High quality dissertation research in a commercially relevant or contemporary field can provide a head start in interviews for positions in certain sectors. So, when developing your ideas for a possible dissertation topic, it is always worth considering how it might improve your chances of securing a position with a particular organisation

4.In addition, the dissertation process may prompt you to consider pursuing a higher degree by research. There will be opportunities at Birmingham and at other universities to pursue MPhil or PhD degrees, and you will find your training and research experiences on the MSc very useful preparation.

5.CHOICE OF DISSERTATION TOPIC

When considering a topic for your dissertation you should consider how it would help develop your knowledge, understanding and skills. You should consider how it might enhance your employment prospects or your preparation for a higher degree such as a PhD. You should also, of course, choose a topic that you will enjoy – because, after all, you are going to be working on it for a long time.

Ideas for research topics can come from a variety of sources. Some students in the past have pursued topics linked to a member of staff’s specialist research interest. Others have pursued a topic that has been prompted by a current issue they have spotted in the press. Others have chosen to explore a topic in a specialist area that links directly to a company for whom they wish to work.

In coming to the final dissertation topic decision, you should consider some important factors;

1.Is the information you need to complete your dissertation available?
2.Can you get hold of the information and on time?
3.Some research methods can be costly (postage, travel expenses for interviews etc.). Can you afford to carry them out?
4.Is the research topic you have chosen realistic and manageable within the time frame of the MSc programme?

Students must complete the research proposal assignment. This assignment will be used to match you with a supervisor for your project. You will also receive feedback on your proposal which you can use to guide and refine your actual dissertation.

7.DEADLINES AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE DISSERTATION

1.You will need to complete the research proposal assignment that is due 6th May 2025.

2.You will need to upload a copy of the Ethics form which can be found here: Ethics Form - Thursday, 17th July 2025 (no data gathering to commence before the Ethics Form is approved) by 12:00 noon Thursday 17th July 2025

3.Dissertation Supervisor meeting Schedule (suggested)

Meeting 1: to take place by 30 June 2025
Meeting 2: to take place by 17 July 2025
Meeting 3: to take place by 31 July 2025
Meeting 4: to take place by 15 August 2025
Meeting 5: to take place by 29 August 2025

4.Final Dissertation: Canvas Submission by 12:00 noon (UK Time) on Wednesday 10th September 2025. There will be specific submission requirements that we will confirm in due course.

8.THE STRUCTURE OF YOUR DISSERTATION

The dissertation consists of two elements:
Part A – 12000 academic component (60%) and;
Part B - 2000 word policy, strategy and/or applied practice document (20%). Dissertations will (normally) include the following sections:

Part A

Title Page

This should include the university crest and name, title of your dissertation, your name, supervisor’s name, programme and academic year of study, registration (student ID) number, and the following statement: ‘Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the degree of MSc in [programme title] (2024-2025).”

Abstract

The abstract should contain a brief description of the aims and objectives of the research and a short summary of the research approach and main findings. The abstract should be between 250- 300 words (which do not contribute to the final word count).

Contents

A list of the chapters and sections with page numbers should be included. Lists of tables and figures should be provided separately.

Acknowledgements (optional)

Acknowledgements recognise any individuals or companies who have provided helpful ideas, data or resources. Acknowledging your parents support is a nice touch.

Introduction

The introduction should ‘set the scene’ and context for your research. It should clearly identify the research topic, the research objectives, and include a statement of the overall aim of the dissertation.

Literature Review

Throughout the programme you will have been encouraged to take a critical approach when reading literature. This approach should also be followed in your literature review. In addition to describing theories and reporting the findings contained in journal articles, book chapters etc., you should aim to be critically evaluating the information.

• The critical evaluation may provide a rationale for your own study. The literature review should be structured logically regarding the key themes and contributions with which you are engaging.
• Some issues have received a great deal of attention from researchers whereas others have received far less, perhaps because the research origins are relatively recent or because they have simply been neglected. The number of research studies available to you therefore will depend on your research topic.
• Where there are a large number of studies available to you, it is rarely necessary or desirable to review every single contribution to the literature. You should focus on those contributions which have been most influential or revealing and those that are most relevant to your own research.

Research Methods

You should provide a detailed description of, and justification for, the research methods used in your study. This section should include sufficient information for the examiner to make an informed judgement about the appropriateness of your research design, its strengths and its limitations. Please bear in mind that you will not be expected to have developed a ‘perfect’ research design. The most important thing is that you reveal the steps you have taken in arriving at your findings. This section should include;

• A justification of the research design (i.e., why it should be considered appropriate, and perhaps more appropriate than alternative approaches)
• A description of the methods, how they have been used and justification of the choices;
• A description of the sampling strategy
• A consideration of any ethical implications of the research design throughout (e.g., can individuals be identified and, if so, should this be considered a matter for concern?)

If you have conducted a survey, you should provide information about the following;

• The survey approach (e.g., postal survey, telephone survey, interviews)
• Questionnaire design
• Sampling strategy
• How your data have been analysed

If you have taken a case study approach, you should provide information about the following;

• How the cases were identified
• How access was negotiated
• The extent of access and any resulting implications for the study
• What sort of information you collected and how it was collected
• How your data have been analysed

If you have drawn on secondary data, you should discuss;

• The nature of the information
• The reliability of the source (s)
• The manner in which concepts have been operationalised
• Measurement issues
• The strengths and limitations of the data

The above lists should not be regarded as exhaustive. Additional information should be provided, as required. This section should also include relevant references in order to justify your approach.

Findings

This section will include a presentation of your research findings, which will depend on your research approach. Where necessary, you should include tables and figures. The information in the tables and figures should be explained in the main text. All tables and figures should be numbered and given full explanatory titles. Tables containing less important information
can be include in the appendices and should be referred to in the dissertation. If your approach has been mainly qualitative, you may include fewer tables and figures, although this will depend on how your data have been analysed.

Discussion

Your discussion should not simply repeat or summarise your research findings. Its contents are dependent on the research objectives. Your discussion should identify how your study has contributed to academic theory and knowledge, i.e., have your findings confirmed or contradicted previous findings?

Conclusions and Recommendations

You should highlight the main conclusions of your research, as well as limitations and areas for future research.

References

A reference list containing all the works included in the dissertation should be included. Make sure your references come from reliable sources. It is absolutely essential that you fully acknowledge all sources you have used to help develop your arguments, your evidence and reach conclusions in your research.

1. Examiners will check references for format and accuracy, so you must ensure that your details are correct and presented appropriately. If you wish to familiarise yourself with academic referencing styles you should look at academic journals for further examples in print. Use the Harvard referencing system and check with the library if you are not sure how to do this correctly. You can find information/resources by following this link Library Services (birmingham.ac.uk)

Appendices

These should be used for documents, data or additional explanations that provide further necessary information but are too lengthy to include in the main body of the dissertation, e.g., the final questionnaire. The appendices must be referred to in the text.

PART B

The findings from your dissertation will have implications to the ‘real world’. This section should be used to consider the implications of your findings for managers and policy makers. In essence, this section should be used to outline and discuss what the findings of your research mean for practitioners, i.e. those ‘doing’ or facilitating international business.

9. AVOIDING PLAGIARISM

The University statement on plagiarism is as follows: -

‘Plagiarism is a form of cheating in which the student tries to pass off someone else’s work as his or her own. When it occurs, it is usually found in dissertations, theses or assessed essays. Typically, substantial passages are ‘lifted’ verbatim from a particular source without proper attribution having been made. To avoid suspicion of plagiarism, students should make appropriate use of references and footnotes. If you are in any doubt as to what this requirement entails, you should consult your tutor or another relevant member of the academic staff. The University takes a very serious view of this particular kind of dishonesty and Boards of Examiners have discretion to adjust marks and results to reflect the amount of the plagiarism. Where the extent of the alleged dishonesty is such that punishment over and above the disallowance of work is called for, the matter is reported to the Pro Vice-Chancellor’s Investigating Committee for Examination Irregularities.’

The University views plagiarism as a very serious offence. An attempt to present the work of someone else as your own may lead to your dissertation being awarded a mark of zero. Quotations should be used sparingly. If quotations are included, they must be placed in quotation marks and explicitly and fully referenced. Page numbers must be given. You may be penalised very severely if examiners find that you have included a section of a book, an article or a paper without appropriate referencing. If in doubt, please seek the advice of your supervisor.

When you submit your dissertation, you will be asked to sign a declaration stating that your dissertation is your own work and that, where the work of others has been used, you have included appropriate referencing (plagiarism declaration form).

Remember, supervisors and examiners are experts in the field and are familiar with a broad range of material. They are likely to recognise sourced material when they read it.

The difference in style between one writer and another is usually very obvious. Therefore, students are urged to take great care over the referencing of the material they use in their work to avoid suspicion of plagiarism.

10.SUBMISSION OF FINAL DISSERTATION

You must submit your dissertation via canvas 12:00 noon Wednesday 10th September 2025. (bound hard copies will not be accepted). Specific instructions will be provided in due course.

Before submission you should carefully consider the following points in order to maximise the quality of your dissertation:

Presentation

1.We expect a very high quality of presentation. This goes beyond structure and quality of typing and printing to also include the way in which you present data, charts, diagrams and illustrations. The quality of your English is also extremely important. You should allow ample time to correct your English before submission. Those students for whom English is a second language and who are experiencing difficulties with their written English can contact the English for International Students Unit for help and advice. A link to their web page can be found here: Academic English at the BIA (birmingham.ac.uk)

Word Limit

Your dissertation (Part A) should contain 12,000 words not including the title page, table of contents, list of tables, list of figures, appendices, reference list or abstract. Part B should contain 2,000 words not including the title page, tables, appendices, reference list etc. Note that the references in the main body of the text (i.e., in-text citations) are included in the word limit. Any dissertation exceeding this length may be penalised by deducting 5 marks for every thousand words in excess of the limit.

Layout

The dissertation should be typed using the Arial font in size 12 and double-spaced on A4 paper, with 1 inch margins. It should have an abstract and a table of contents, but no index. It must follow the Harvard referencing system. Footnotes (if any) should be kept to a minimum and be placed at the bottom of the relevant page. Pages should be numbered.

Dissertation Cover Sheet

Specific instructions on how to submit this will be provided in due course.

Title Page

The title page should be laid out as follows: -

Title of Dissertation Name of author Name of supervisor
Programme and academic year of study Your Student ID number
‘Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the degree of MSc in [programme title] (academic year)