THE MBA RESEARCH PROJECT

GUIDELINES

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THE RESEARCH PROJECT GUIDELINES

Contents
1

Identification of a Suitable Topic

1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
1.5
1.6
1.7

Introduction
Objectives
Requirements
Selecting a topic
Past projects
Organisational support
Academic approval

Carrying Out Your Dissertation

2.1
2.2
2.3

Academic support during your research

Timescale

Lay
out
of
fina
l
rep
ort

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2.4
2.5
2.6
2.7

Submission date
Submission instructions
Confidential dissertations
Assessment

Appendices
1
2

University general criteria for assessing projects

Ethical review guidelines

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Identification of a Suitable Topic

1.1

Introduction

The Project represents the culmination of your studies. It is an opportunity for you to research
something of interest and importance to you and/or your organisation. You should also
develop a state of the art expertise in your chosen area.
This document lays out the requirements of the Project and the process to be followed. (Your
study of research methods is also important for developing the background to the research
process.) In addition to these guidelines, the web page at
http://woodm.myweb.port.ac.uk/projects has a number of links that should be helpful.
1.2

Objective of the dissertation

The objectives of the dissertation are to develop the ability to investigate specific issues
relevant to your degree and to communicate findings in an appropriate manner.
1.3

Requirements

The overall requirement is that the design, execution and reporting of the investigation must
be of an appropriate standard for a Masters degree.
To achieve this, the report must include sections on (a) the background and aims, (b) a
literature review, (c) the research methods adopted, (d) the analysis of the data/research
problem, and (e) conclusions and recommendations:
a

the aims of the investigation should be

relevant to the practice of management at a strategic level,
clearly specified, and
should present an appropriate level of challenge.
The background should also be explained to provide motivation for the research.

the investigation should review, critically evaluate and draw on relevant previous
empirical and theoretical research;

the investigation should use appropriate research methods (normally involving the
collection and analysis of empirical data), which should be discussed and justified;

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these methods should be used to provide a clear and critical analysis which meets the
research aims;

the results, conclusions and recommendations put forward should be supported by

appropriate evidence and arguments;

The report should be clearly written and presented in an acceptable format (see Section 2.3
below). The number of words in the project (including textboxes, footnotes and endnotes, but
excluding appendices, abstract, references and the list of contents) must be stated somewhere
in the beginning of the project, and must not exceed 8 000 if you submitted your project
proposal after August 2012, and 12 000 if you submitted your proposal before August 2012.
These are maximum lengths which should not be exceeded. It is worth remembering that 8000
words is the length of a substantial journal article, not a book.
It is also essential that the ethical checklist in Appendix 2 (or an online version) should be
completed, signed, dated and submitted with the project as an appendix (otherwise the
project cannot be awarded a pass mark).
1.4

Selecting a topic

You should have studied research methods before starting your project, because this provides
essential guidance for good practice in research and will provide initial ideas for possible
topics.
To select an area of study, the following questions may be of use:
-

Where do I want to be in five years?

What skills and knowledge do I additionally need to get there?

What problem areas are there in my job or company that I would like to see tackled?

What aspects of the course would I like to pursue further in their practical application
to my present or future circumstances?

What organisational problems do my MD or other contacts see as being important to

investigate and solve?

What practical outcome would I like to see achieved as the result of spending

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considerable time on a study and investigation?

-

Is the proposed project feasible? Am I likely to be able to get access to the required
information?

1.5

Past project reports

There should be some examples of past project reports in the library, and in Victory or
Moodle.
1.6

Organisational support

If appropriate, provisional acceptance of the topic should be obtained from the organisation
from which you plan to collect the majority of the data, before a formal proposal is submitted
to the University.
If appropriate, we recommend a supportive organisational mentor should also be involved who
will be willing to discuss ideas from the organisations viewpoint and who will be able to
provide contacts and obtain permission for data to be collected. Whenever possible this
person should write a brief statement on the usefulness of the project to the organisation,
which could be included in the final report as an appendix.
1.7

Academic approval of topic proposed

We will normally treat the project plan assignment as a project proposal. If your proposal is
considered acceptable (and most are) it will be passed on to an appropriate academic
supervisor (see 2.1 below).

Carrying Out Your Research Project

2.1

Academic support

An academic supervisor will be appointed to supervise your project.

It is your responsibility to make contact with your supervisor, to arrange a regular series of
tutorials and to make sure you are making satisfactory progress. It is not the supervisors role
to check you are carrying out the work to the agreed timetable. (The development of the
ability to work independently, and to arrange your own schedule of work, is an important part
of the Research Project process.)

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Supervisors will try to respond to requests promptly - normally within ten days. Holidays, and
periods away on business, may interfere with this: supervisors should let students know of any
periods of ten days or more when they will not be available. It is a good idea to discuss the
scheduling of your project with your supervisor at an early date so that any problems can be
resolved.
You should also note that you cannot normally expect your supervisor to comment in detail on
revisions that you make in response to your supervisors comments. (Obviously if your
supervisor had to comment on every change, the job might never be finished!)
You should make sure you communicate with your supervisor to:
1

Discuss scope and obtain advice on background reading.

Discuss the literature review and how this links with your research.

Discuss your research design and methods. It is very important to check with your
supervisor before starting to collect empirical data (eg sending out questionnaires or
arranging interviews), and to check that your supervisor considers that your project
satisfies the appropriate ethical guidelines (see Appendix 2).

Discuss your analysis, conclusions and recommendations.

Review the final report. Obviously, you will need to allow time for your supervisor to
read the final draft and for you to respond to suggestions you should check with
your supervisor how long this is likely to take.

Your supervisor may also offer comments and feedback on your work at appropriate points
during the project (eg looking at draft chapters). You should note, however, that a supervisors
role is not to provide a detailed check of your work, nor is it to correct your use of English or
your spelling. The supervisors role is to provide general guidance and advice on the content
and process of your research project.

2.2

Timescale of dissertation

From past experience, on average, dissertations may take 9 months to complete by part-time

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students:
1 month
2 months

3 months
2 months
1 month

clarify aims and methods

background reading (a typical project is likely to have 30-50
books and articles in the reference list, although some projects
awarded a distinction have more than this.)
data collection
analysis, recommendations and report writing
revisions

The final 3 months include supplying a full draft copy to your supervisor four weeks before
submission, to allow for comments, feedback and any revisions/improvements.
Full-time students would obviously be expected to make much faster progress.
2.3

Layout of final report

The first page of the final report should follow this pattern:
PORTSMOUTH BUSINESS SCHOOL
MBA
Title:
Author:
Tutor:
Year of submission:
Signed statement of originality: This project is submitted in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the degree of . I, the undersigned, declare that this project report
is my own original work. Where I have taken ideas and or wording from another
source, this is explicitly referenced in the text.
Signed.................................................
Permission for inter-library loan: I give permission that this report may be
photocopied and made available for inter-library loan for the purpose of research.
Signed ...........................................................

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[Note: These statements must be signed and dated. Omit the second if your
project is confidential.]
The next page should contain an abstract (summary) of the project. This should be no more
than 500 words and should fit on a single sheet. The project title, your name, and the date
should appear at the top of the abstract.
The rest of the report must use double line spacing or 1.5 line spacing. (The abstract will
probably need to use single line spacing to fit it onto a single page.) The report must be typed
or printed on one side or both sides of A4 paper with wide margins (at least 3 cm on the left
hand side to allow for binding), preferably using Times New Roman typeface size 12 pt.. Any
system of numbering chapters, sections, figures, tables and appendices may be used, provided
it is clear and consistent. The pages should be numbered.
It is essential when incorporating another persons ideas in your project that full credit is given
to them by proper referencing. Failure to do so is known as plagiarism and is treated
extremely seriously by University regulations It may result in you being immediately excluded
(expelled) from the course (see university regulations in Course office). References should
follow one of the standard styles: we recommend you use the Harvard system (there are
booklets available on this from the library).
2.4

Submission date

You will be given a deadline for submitting your project. This is likely to be in the middle of
December for full-time students, and the end of March or the beginning of April for part-time
students.

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2.5

Submission instructions

Two bound copies of the dissertation must be submitted to the Course Administrator. You
must also submit an electronic copy as a single Microsoft Word file on a CD or DVD. (Please
put your name on the CD. If possible, you should include the appendices on the CD or DVD,
but this is not essential.)
2.6

Confidential dissertations

The purpose of universities is to share knowledge, and copies of non-confidential dissertations

will normally be placed in the library. However, on some occasions it may be necessary to
make dissertations confidential. Where it is necessary to include confidential material in the
submitted project, the report and its abstract/summary, and the CD or DVD should be clearly
marked CONFIDENTIAL (and obviously the Permission for inter-library loan should not be
given). In this case, a copy will not be put in the library, all hard copies will be returned to the
student, and the electronic copy will not be made available to anyone except the marker and
the second marker.
2.7

Assessment

The dissertation will be assessed internally by the academic supervisor and independently by
another Portsmouth academic. Each will assess the dissertation without consulting the other.
The two assessors will then agree a final mark, and a critique to be returned to the student. It
may then be given to an external examiner as the final part of the assessment process. (This
means, of course, that while your supervisor may be able to give you an opinion on the
approximate mark you will get, he/she is not in a position to give a definite prediction.)
The assessment criteria are as listed under Requirements in section 1.3 above. To achieve a
pass, a project must satisfy all these criteria. To achieve a distinction, a project must
demonstrate a high standard of analysis based on appropriate empirical data, and a thorough
and critical review of the relevant literature (see also the general assessment criteria for
projects in the appendix and the marking guidelines at
http://woodm.myweb.port.ac.uk/projects/ProjMarkGuide.doc ).
For obvious reasons, your project will not be marked anonymously and you should put your
name on it.

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Appendix 1: Portsmouth University Assessment Criteria

General criteria applicable to essays, reports and aspects of projects and dissertations
80+

70-79

60-69

50-59

40-49

30-39
0-29

Level M
As below plus:
Excellent work - able to express an original reasoned argument in a lucid manner
by reviewing & critiquing a wide range of material. Original, critical thinking
based on outstanding insight, knowledge & understanding of material. Material
contributes to current understanding & is of potentially publishable quality in
terms of presentation and content
Wide reaching research showing breadth & depth of sources
As below plus:
Clear, balanced coherent critical & rigorous analysis of the subject matter.
Detailed understanding of knowledge & theory expressed with clarity
Extensive use of relevant & current literature to view topic in perspective,
analyse context & develop new explanations and theories
As below plus:
Detailed review and grasp of pertinent issues & a critical contextual overview of
the literature. Thorough knowledge of theory and methods & uses this to
underpin arguments and conclusions
Confidence in understanding and using literature
Demonstrates grasp of key concepts & an ability to develop & support an
argument in a predominately descriptive way with valid conclusions draw from
the research
Familiarity with key literature which is cited and presented according to
convention
Logical & clear structure, well organised with good use of language and
supporting material
FAIL Some knowledge of relevant concepts & literature but significant gaps in
understanding and/or knowledge. Little attempt at evaluation, conclusions vague,
ambiguous & not based on researched material. Limited or inappropriate research.
Deficits in length, structure, presentation &/or prose

Note these are general guidelines for essay, reports, projects & dissertations - the emphasis
given to various aspects eg the importance of research may vary depending upon the nature of
the work & should be explained to students in assessment specific criteria.

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Appendix 2: STUDENT DISSERTATION ETHICAL REVIEW CHECKLIST

(There should be more information, and an up-to-date electronic version of this document, at
http://www.port.ac.uk/departments/faculties/portsmouthbusinessschool/research/pbsethics/)

This checklist should be completed by the student and passed to the supervisor prior to a review of the possible
ethical implications of the proposed dissertation or project. No primary data collection should be undertaken
before the supervisor has approved the plan.
If, following review of this checklist, amendments to the proposals are agreed to be necessary, the student
should provide the supervisor with an amended version for endorsement.
The final signed and dated version of this checklist must be in the dissertation as an appendix.
Failure to provide a signed and dated checklist on hand-in will result in the referral of the dissertation.
1.

What are the objectives of the dissertation or research project?

2.
Does the research involve NHS patients or staff? If so, it is likely that full ethical review must be
obtained from the NHS process before the research can start.

3.

Is primary data to be collected? If not, please go to Q14.

4.

What are the objectives of the primary research?

5.

What is/are the survey population(s)?

6.

How big is the sample for each of the target groups and how was this target arrived at?

7.

How will respondents be selected and recruited?

8.
What steps are proposed to ensure that the requirements of informed consent will be met for those
taking part in the research? If an Information Sheet for participants is to be used, please attach it to this form.
If not, please explain how you will be able to demonstrate that informed consent has been gained from
participants.

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9.

How will data be collected from each of the target groups?

10.

How will data be stored and what will happen to the data at the end of the research?

11.

How will confidentiality be assured for respondents?

12.

What steps are proposed to safeguard the anonymity of the respondents?

13.
Are there any risks (physical or other, including reputational) to respondents that may result from
taking part in this research? If so, please specify and state what measures are proposed to deal with these risks.

14.
Are there any risks (physical or other, including reputational) to the researcher or to the University
that may result from conducting this research? If so, please specify and state what measures are proposed to
manage these risks.

15.
Will the proposed research involve any of the following (please ring yes or no; consult your
supervisor if you are unsure):
Vulnerable groups (e.g. children)?
YES/ NO
Particularly sensitive topics?
YES/ NO
Access to respondents via gatekeepers?
YES/ NO
Use of deception?
YES/ NO
Access to confidential personal data?
YES/ NO
Psychological stress, anxiety etc?
YES/ NO
Intrusive interventions?
YES/ NO
16.

Are there any other ethical issues that may arise from the proposed research?

Name (student):

Name (supervisor):

Signed (student):

Signed (supervisor):

Date:

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Date:

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