Утверждено. Методические указания к написанию выпускной квалификационной работы

Thesis Manual

Методические указания к написанию выпускной квалификационной работы

Утверждено

на заседании Совета факультета МШБ,
протокол №4 от 14. 12. 2011.
Председатель Совета факультета МШБ

________________ Н. В. Пономарева

Москва 2012

Составители: Ад Ван Бремен, О.В.Сагинова, И.И. Скоробогатых, Л.Б.Филиппова

Thesis Manual: Методические указания к написанию выпускной квалификационной работы/ Сост.: Ад Ван Бремен, О.В. Сагинова, И.И. Скоробогатых, Л.Б. Филиппова; М. Рос. Экон. Универ., 2012. – 32 с.

Содержат пояснения к написанию выпускной квалификационной работы.

Для студентов 4-го курса факультета «Международная Школа Бизнеса».

Table of contents:

Table of contents: 3

1. Final assignment requirements 5

1.1. What is a thesis 5

1.2. Thesis preparation schedule 7

1.3. Responsibilities of the student 7

1.4. Responsibilities of a thesis supervisor 8

1.5. Responsibilities of the English section_ 8

1.6. Assessment 8

2. Planning process. 10

2.1. Main stages of thesis project: 10

2.2. Using Gantt bar chart to put the plan on paper 10

2.3. Research_ 11

2.4. Desk research_ 11

2.5. Field research_ 11

3. Initial steps of the thesis writing process 12

3.1. Topic Selection_ 12

3.2. Preliminary/Exploratory Research_ 12

3.3. Hypothesis 12

3.4. Thesis Statement 13

3.5 Thesis statement practice. 14

4. Topic sentences and outline 16

4.1. Topic sentences 16

4.1.1.Unity 16

4.1.2. Coherence 16

4.2. General rules of developing an outline 16

4.3. The First Draft 17

4.4. The document 17

4.4.1 Title Page 17

4.4.2. Abstract 18

4.4.3 Table of contents 18

4.4.4 Preface/Acknowledgements 18

5. Body, introduction, conclusion_ 18

5.1. Introduction and Methodology_ 18

5.2. Main body/text 19

5.3. Use of illustrations 19

5.4. Lists/enumerations 20

5.5. Transitions 20

5.6. Conclusions and Recommendations 21

5.7. Back Matter 21

5.7.1. Endnotes 21

5.7.2. Bibliography 22

5.7 3. Appendix/appendices 22

6. REVISION_ 22

6.1. Revision checklists 23

6.1.1. The whole report 23

6.1.2. Chapters and paragraphs 23

6.1.3. Sentences and words 23

6.1.4. Editing _ 24

7. PLAGIARISM_ 24

APPENDIX I 25

APPENDIX II. 28

1. Final assignment requirements

1.1. What is a graduation assignment

In the IBS course an individual, extended study is required of all students. It gives them the opportunity not only to show qualities of reflection and understanding, but also to apply much of the knowledge and experience accumulated over the years of study.

For you, this study, the graduation assignment, will be an exploration of an international, business-related problem or topic. Such "problems" are often presented by the employer for the employee to investigate. In the case of the graduation assignment they may arise from your own academic interests or from something you have come across in the course of your placement.

To explore a topic you may have to do a lot of reading, conduct a survey, interview people, collect financial data, visit places, make tape-recordings, try out new ideas, etc. The list of ways to prepare yourself to write the graduation assignment is almost endless.

During this exploration you will generate a lot of material, much of it in the form of notes, which will be the basis of your graduation assignment. The graduation assignment should tell us what you have done, why you have done it, what conclusions you have come to, and very often recommendations for future action.

The graduation assignment counts significantly towards your graduation. It is therefore worth planning and beginning it in good time. You are expected to write between 17,000 and 19,000 words, which is quite a task when you have never been required to write anything of that length before.

This manual is designed for Bachelor degree students and will guide you through a programme of supervised study, which will enable you to present a satisfactory graduation assignment by the due date. It first gives a timetable for preparation and completion of the graduation assignment and explains the nature and purpose of supervision. Secondly, it offers you a step-by-step approach to the graduation assignment writing process. Thirdly, it gives you instructions on the written presentation of your findings. And finally, it presents a number of exercises for you to be able to train language knowledge and skills necessary for successful business and academic report writing.

On the whole, the requirements to the Bachelor graduation assignment are summarised in the table that follows:

Requirements to the Bachelor graduation assignment

	Bachelor GE
Font Interval Volume	Times New Roman 12 1,5 60-65 pages (Engl) without appendices
Format	ü Title page ü Abstract ü Table of contents ü Introduction leading to the thesis statement ü Methodology ü Body ü Conclusions and recommendations ü End-notes ü Bibliography ü Appendices
Theory and practice correlation	Case analysis and solution of an authentic company problem with application of profound theoretical analysis on the basis of desk (literature review) and field research. Providing sufficient evidence of the effectiveness of the recommended solution:   Marketing/finance analysis of the company’s competitiveness on the market; its goals, strategy and tactics.   Identifying the bottle-necks in the company’s economic activities and formulating the problem;   Profound theoretical elaboration of the problem on the basis of the comparative analysis of various concepts, models, methods, features of the Russian and international experience in the company’s economic activities. Defining statistical patterns. Qualitative and quantitative description of the problem. Compiling classifications.   Active use of contemporary marketing/finance instruments to solve the identified problem.   Assessment of economic efficiency and effectiveness of the recommended solution.
Calculations	Compulsory calculation part with the analysis and processing of statistical data. Defining trends and patterns; describing the reasons that stand behind them.
Conclusion	Conclusions and recommendations on the solution of the identified problem

1.2. Graduation assignment preparation schedule for Bachelor degree students

Activity	Things to be done	Deadline
Topic approval	A student presents a draft topic to the graduation assignment coordinator for approval	20 January
Appointing graduation assignment supervisor and formulating a graduation assignment topic		25 January
Thesis statement approval	Basing on the topic approved a student formulates a hypothesis and presents it to his/her graduation assignment supervisor	8 February
Draft outline	On the basis of the hypothesis a student develops a draft outline and presents it to the graduation assignment supervisor	15 February
Research schedule	A student presents his/her schedule of research as a Gantt bar chart	15 February
30% consultation	A student presents his/her final thesis statement and outline and discusses major results and problems of the research	10 March
60% consultation	A student presents his/her research chapter to the supervisor.	10 April
First draft	The student presents his/her first draft to the supervisor*	10 May
Final variant	The students presents 2 copies of his/her graduation assignment to the dean’s office	1 June

* it is very important to meet this deadline, because a student will have to submit his/her research chapter for the final English language examinations by June 1, so he/she needs time to get some comments on this chapter from the supervisor and make the necessary corrections.

1.3. Responsibilities of the student

You are responsible for initiating all contacts with your supervisor, and for sticking to the graduation assignment timetable. You must have your first meeting to discuss your Graduation assignment Statement with your supervisor before classes of the last semester start.

It is up to you to ask for help. If you ever feel on your own in this respect, it is usually because you have not really paid enough attention to getting help and advice in good time. It is your responsibility to propose meetings.

1.4. Responsibilities of a graduation assignment supervisor

The supervisor will be assigned to students by the Head of the Department, on the basis of the approved Graduation assignment Topic, and will be the one whom students consult on all matters having to do with their theses. The tasks of the supervisor are:

1. To guide and counsel the student and to ensure that the student is fully conversant with the requirements for writing and defending a graduation assignment

2. To monitor the student's progress and ensure that the work pro­ceeds at a steady and satisfactory pace so that deadlines can be met

3. To keep records of progress on the "Meeting Record" form

4. To offer such assistance and advice as may be necessary to enable the student to choose an acceptable Topic, make a Graduation assignment Statement, draw up a Graduation assignment Design, carry out adequate research, analyse it and draw conclusions

5. To pass the relevant material to the English Section

6. To review draft texts in a reasonable time and make suggestions for improvement (but not rewrite them for the student)

7. To guide the student in the final drafting of the graduation assignment, and to check if all the conditi­ons are met for a sufficient mark

8. To act as the first examiner for the graduation assignment and the defence

1.5. Responsibilities of the English section

The English section has the following advisory tasks:

1. To act as a sounding board for supervisors, giving a second opinion on your Graduation assignment Statement and the outlined structure of your graduation assignment;

2. To give guidance on your use of English, and support in indicating the kind of language errors you are making in e.g. grammatical construction, use of vocabulary, spelling.

The task of the English Section is not to correct or rewrite your work for you.

In order to guarantee that language guidance can be given with sufficient time for correction on your part, be sure to meet the deadlines given above. If you fail to do so, the English Section has the right to refuse guidance.

1.6. Assessment

The written document will be assessed by two examiners: the supervisor and a second examiner, who represents an organisation different from your core educational institution. If it is sufficient, you will be permitted to defend your graduation assignment in an oral examination conducted by an examination board

The final grade for the graduation assignment will be the grade for the written document (70%), the grade for the oral defence (20%) and the grade for the process of work (10%).

Written document (for more details see chapters 4 and 5)

The total score of 70 points for the written document is split among the following areas:

Contents (40 points):

1. The title reflects the contents of the graduation assignment (5 points);

2. The graduation assignment represents a real business case identifying a problem and offering a solution (5 points);

3. The graduation assignment statement clearly communicates the focus and purpose of the graduation assignment – the problem and the solution (5 points);

4. The introduction leads into the thesis statement and the rest of the graduation assignment (5 points);

5. The thesis statement is supported by the main ideas of the subchapters and paragraphs (5 points);

6. Methodology of the research matches the purpose of the graduation assignment (5 points);

7. All the material promised by the thesis statement has been covered (5 points);

8. Conclusions and recommendations are of realistic, applied character (5 points).

Structure (15 points):

1. The graduation assignment has a logical structure (3 points)

2. The transitions between the subchapters and paragraphs are clear (3 points)

3. Subchapters and paragraphs in a chapter cover separate but related ideas (3 points)

4. The length of each subchapter and paragraph is in proportion to the whole graduation assignment and the length of the other subchapters and paragraphs (3 points)

5. There is a sufficient balance between field and desk research (3 points)

Document (15 points):

1. All the layout items are included (9 points):

· Front matter (cover; title page; table of contents; preface/acknowledgements) – 3 points

· Body (Introduction and Methodology; Text; Conclusions and Recommendations) – 3 points

· Back matter (Endnotes; Bibliography; Appendices) – 3 points

2. The volume of the text without appendices is 17,000 – 19, 000 words (about 60-65 pages) – 4 points;

3. The font is Times New Roman # 12 – 1 point

4. The interval between the lines is 1.5 – 1 point.

The purpose of the oral examination is to probe for weaknesses in the Topic choice, research, analysis and conclusions, to test the extent to which you can justify the graduation assignment and to test your ability to defend.

Presentation is assessed by the examination board out of the total score of 20 points along the following lines:

Presentation proper (10 points):

1. The time limit of 10 minutes is not violated – 2 points

2. Presentation skills (body language, confidence, emphasise) are employed – 2 points

3. The structure of the presentation is clear and covers the following areas (3 points)

· Introduction with the thesis statement (problem and solution)

· Methodology employed in the research

· Main findings

· Conclusions and recommendations

4. Usage of technical aids or handouts is justified and up to the point – 3 points

Questioning session (10 points):

1. Presentation skills (body language, confidence, emphasise) are employed – 2 points
2. Expertise in the topic (background knowledge, relevant theoretical and practical knowledge) is sufficient – 4 points;
3. Reasoning skills and ability to defend is sufficient – 4 points.

Process of work (10 points)

1. All the deadlines of the timetable have been met – 5 points;
2. Recommendations of the supervisor have been taken into account and implemented – 5 points.

2. Planning process.

2.1. Main stages of graduation assignment project:

· choosing a topic

· selecting a problem within the topic

· formulating a hypothesis

· checking the hypothesis for feasibility

· can I find the necessary information

· can I conduct an independent research

· is there a target audience

· what specific point do I want to make

· formulating a thesis statement

· developing an outline

· developing a research plan and conducting a research

· conducting secondary research and review of literature

· conducting primary research and processing its findings

· preparing questionnaires

· conducting interviews

· processing findings

· writing the final paper

· writing research chapter

· writing methodology chapter

· writing conclusions and recommendations

· writing introduction

· editing and checking

2.2. Using Gantt bar chart to put the plan on paper

Both your supervisor and yourself will need a schedule of your work. It will help you monitor the process, take care of all the stages of the work and make sure you are meeting the deadlines. A useful way of this planning presentation is using Gantt bar chart.

First you have to list all the activities you need to carry out, then you decide on the time period each activity will take, check the deadlines and sequence of activities. A sample of such a bar chart is given below.

Activities

JAN

FEB

MAR

APR

MAY

Formulating a thesis statement

x

x

x

Developing an outline

x

x

x

Developing a research plan

x

x

x

Conducting a research

x

x

x

x

x

x

preparing questionnaires

x

x

conducting interviews

x

x

x

processing results

x

x

x

x

Writing the final paper

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

Editing and checking

x

x

x

x

x

2.3. Research

Graduation assignment research means initiating a study of a problem, planning and organizing the work in a systematic, consistent and clear manner. Your research should include Desk (or Secondary) and Field (or Primary) research. The precise balance between the two will depend on your choice of subject. However, you should remember that the graduation assignment is more than just a review of the available literature, and that the extent of your independent primary research will be taken into account in the final assessment.

2.4. Desk research

will provide a vast source of information related to your problem. Your supervisor will advise you on the minimum number of sources you should study and quote. You should be selective, organized and critical in your selection of material.

Using someone else’s exact words without quotation and appropriate credit, using someone else’s original ideas without acknowledgment is known as plagiarism.

In doing your literature survey you will need to read, make notes of important facts and ideas, copy out important passages for exact reference. If you are not careful, you will be tempted to literally reproduce or paraphrase the words and ideas of the sources you studied and present them as your own. If you do this, intentionally or unintentionally, you have plagiarized, which is a very serious offence and is likely to lead to an insufficiency for your assignment.

An important safeguard against plagiarism is careful note taking:

· keep careful records of whatever sources you are using (author, title, publisher, year)

· read several sources on every aspect, do not accept first as absolute truth

2.5. Field research

As you are concerned with a specific and unique problem, you need to carry out research that will lead you to collection of original data and information never published before.

You will have to explain and describe the methods and research procedures you used in the Methodology chapter.

Use the same tips for keeping careful records of your findings, always refer to the source of information.

3. Initial steps of the graduation assignment writing process

· Brainstorm to select Topic

· Carry out preliminary research

· Produce initial hypothesis

· Research further to produce draft Thesis Statement

· Research further to produce final Thesis Statement

· Produce Outline

· Write the first draft

3.1. Topic Selection

You decide upon a Graduation assignment Topic based on an aspect of international business that both interests you and has potential depth (i.e. will allow you to do original research and not merely describe or restate existing information).

Brainstorm to discover a Topic that interests you. Once you have chosen a broad area, you should read around the subject and ask advice from people with knowledge of the subject. This will enable you to narrow down to a manageable Topic.

e.g. Marketing ® test markets, price cuts, growth trends, etc. for specific products

You should now be able to answer the question: “What do I want to write about?”

e.g. I want to write something about Marketing and the environment.

3.2. Preliminary/Exploratory Research

1. You decide whether your Topic is actually achievable.

2. You clearly identify the objective of the graduation assignment.

Acclimatize yourself with the environment of the Topic. Find out if there are enough sources of information available to you. Are there sufficient secondary or desk research sources? Is there a sufficient need for your own primary or field research? Where might you begin with your research? What would this involve? (See 3.5 on Research)

Gather basic topic information. This will allow you to be more specific about what you want to say in your graduation assignment. The writer’s objective is rarely simply to explain something. It is more often to persuade the reader to form or change his/her attitude towards the Topic.

You should now be able to answer the question:

“What specific point do I want to make in a graduation assignment on this Topic?”

e.g. I want to show that consumers’ concern for the environment is an important aspect of Marketing these days. I want to show that this is still not sufficiently recognised by many companies.

3.3. Hypothesis

You produce a tentative, preliminary statement, which will eventually be refined into a Thesis Statement. It will further guide your exploratory research and your assembly of a working bibliography.

A hypothesis is not a topic reworded as a question. Rather, it is a statement that contains a tentative conclusion and therefore suggests a specific direction for your research.

As you move through the research process, your hypothesis may change considerably. A line of research may lead to a dead end or cause you to branch out in a new direction. But whether or not you make (major) adjustments to your hypothesis, it should grow increasingly precise and concrete, eventually leading you to a Thesis Statement that your research can support.

e.g. You hand in the following hypothesis to your supervisor:

Companies need to use greener marketing strategies.

Your supervisor agrees that you have an interesting Topic and objective. But your hypothesis is extremely broad in its scope and also a rather obvious statement. You should be much more specific in order to focus your area of research more precisely. You should also be more assertive / opinionative / provocative in the statement that you are making. After looking more closely at the available material, you make the following revised hypothesis, which may now be considered a draft Thesis Statement.

e.g. Multinational production companies in Russia fail to respond in their marketing efforts to their consumers’ growing concern for the environment.

Your hypothesis should be debatable, not simply a restatement of existing information. You are aiming to locate data to support this hypothesis, consider a variety of opinions, and then draw your conclusions and/or make your recommendations based on the information you have gathered.

3.4. Thesis Statement

From your original hypothesis, you produce a Thesis Statement, telling the reader both the Topic of your graduation assignment and the assertion you wish to make about it. Any graduation assignment must fulfil the promise of its Thesis Statement, which must serve as a unifying thread throughout it. Your goal is to draft the Thesis Statement carefully so that it delivers precisely the message you intend. The Thesis Statement should aim to inform and persuade.

An effective Thesis Statement must meet five main criteria.

It must make an assertion, consisting of the subject and a comment you want to make about that subject. The comment is a viewpoint on the subject that will later be supported and substantiated in the rest of the graduation assignment.

e.g. An analysis of environmental marketing in the German detergent industry.

becomes: The German detergent industry needs a new marketing policy in order to satisfy the environmental concerns of consumers.

There must be a single subject-comment relationship. The statement should not take you in too many directions at once.

e.g. The Dutch agriculture and livestock industry must develop more environmentally friendly methods of production and reduce transportation costs in order to maintain its current export position.

becomes: The Dutch agriculture and livestock industry must develop more environmentally friendly methods of production in order to maintain its current export position.

It should be limited in scope, to allow a full discussion of the issues within the restrictions set (10,000 to 15,000 words).

e.g. Dutch companies fail to respond to their consumers’ growing concern for the environment.

becomes: Multinational production companies in the Netherlands fail to respond in their marketing efforts to their consumers’ growing concern for the environment.

It should be precise, avoiding vague or abstract terms.

e.g. The use of direct mail will be good for the future of Insurance Company X.

becomes: The use of direct mail in the marketing of insurance will help Company X to offer additional products to their current and future customers.

It should accurately guide the graduation assignment. In terms of structure, it offers a basic framework. (See also 3.6 on Outlines)

A Thesis Statement is not:

· an announcement (“This graduation assignment will discuss...”);

· a mere statement of fact or definition (“Multinationals play an important role in international business”);

· a title (“The problems faced by Company X after privatisation.”);

· or an open question (“What can Company X do to increase its efficiency?”).

An open question, such as in the fourth example, may prove useful in the initial brainstorming and preliminary research stages, but must always be rephrased once sufficient information is available, to make a Thesis Statement.

e.g. Company X needs to increase its efficiency by setting up business units.

As you draft a Thesis Statement, be sure that the information gathered during the research process offers effective support. If not, you will need to revise the Thesis Statement or conduct further research, or both.

3.5 Thesis statement practice.