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Thesis Guidelinesi

MA in Cross-cultural and Sustainable Business Management


Description
The MCB thesis is a scholarly research paper of minimum 12,000 words. It should present an
original argument, business case or business plan that is carefully documented from primary
and/or secondary sources. The thesis must have a substantial research component and a focus
that falls within the scope of cross-cultural/sustainable business management. It must be
written under the guidance of an advisor who is knowledgeable in this area of study. As the
final element in the masters degree, the thesis gives you an opportunity to demonstrate
expertise in the chosen research area. MCB thesis should present and investigate a hypothesis
or a research question. Alternatively, you can construct a business plan to address a current
socio-economic, environmental or cultural issue. Whatever topic you select needs to spatially
relevant and address a particular audience of interest.

Word Length: Minimum 12,000 words.


Credits: 4

Process

Choose a topic
o Conduct preliminary research at this stage to understand what the current issues
are, and the availability and accessibility of required data and existing research.
o Talk to your professors about the topics to help narrow down your scope.
o Familiarize with the experts in the area you are researching (select 3 to 5
authorities on the topic)
Create an abstract and working bibliography to take to prospective advisors
Choose advisor
Register your advisor & Thesis Proposal (see forms and documents)
Complete your literature review
OPTIONAL: Create a thesis plan: Before diving into researching and writing your thesis, it
is recommended to create a plan that articulates your thesis topic and proposed
methodology (8-10 pages).
o Proposed Topic
o Central Questions
o Core Arguments
o Research Methodology
o Structural Outline
o Requested Readers
o Working Bibliography
o Sources to follow up on
Structure and conduct your research
Write, write, write
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Get reviewed friends, colleagues, experts


Submit first draft to advisor
Get feedback, make revisions
Submit final draft for approval
Submit thesis to the university

Proposed timetable for MCB Thesis


Sept-Dec
Begin thinking about your thesis topic and talking to people
Jan-Feb
Begin research; prepare abstract and project proposal
March-April
Meet with prospective advisor
April-May
Submit project proposal and signed document of thesis advisor
agreeing to be your advisor (this form needs to also be signed by
the program director)
June
Give first draft to advisor
July
Give revised, final version to advisor
July-Aug
Submit final version and the approval form to the program
director
July-Aug
Submit final clean copy, signed by advisor to AUP library.
Things to consider when selecting your thesis topic:
Revised from http://custompapers.com/essays-articles/mba-thesis/
Choose a research topic that is of interest to you: Successful completion of the thesis
will take an incredible amount of dedication, time and hard work. Therefore, don't you
think it would be a good idea to choose a topic that you are at least somewhat
interested in? The beauty of the MCB thesis is that you get to choose your own ideas
about a particular subject, and choose exactly how you are going to prove to the world
just how right your ideas are! When you think about it, this is actually pretty exciting. So
when you choose your subject, pick something that interests you and it won't seem
quite so much like work.
Choose a topic on which there is plenty of information available: Just as it is important
to choose a topic you are interested it, it is also important that you choose a topic that
has plenty of readily available information for you. Of course, the MCB thesis definitely
not just a regurgitation of facts and figures, but it is very important that there be
available research so that you can draw viable conclusions from them.
Be both creative and thorough when performing research: As you have probably
realized by now, successful completion of an MCB Thesis requires an incredible amount
of research to compile enough relevant data to support your basic argument. When it
comes to gathering information, do not limit yourself to only the most mundane, classic
methods of data compilation. Today's technological age allows for compilation of data in
more ways than ever before. Simply put your mind to it and be creative with the ways
you collect data.

Integrate knowledge between subsections as much as possible: A highly successful


university professor that has reviewed countless potential theses over is career once
told me that the trick to a successful MCB thesis is to integrate the knowledge between
subsection as often, and as thoroughly, as possible. The mark of a good thesis is one
that uses knowledge to build upon knowledge, to build upon even more knowledge!
Integrate, integrate, integrate!
Recheck each and every fact and detail twice! As stated before, the MCB Thesis will be
one of the most important, if not the most important, productions of your entire
academic career. As such, it is vitally important that you check and re-check each and
every fact, detail, or number. The structure of the thesis is such that just a tiny amount
of faulty data can ruin the entire thesis. Remember to be thorough with your
proofreading and fact checking! The path to a successful MCB Thesis is a long, difficult
road - be prepared to put in the work!

Working with your thesis advisor:


When selecting an advisor, you will want to find a faculty member you can get along with and is
responsive. The person does not need to be an expert in the field of research you are
conducting, but have familiarity with the topic. Their role is to help you to refine your thesis
topic and define the research process, not be a source for the research itself. Your thesis
advisor MUST be an AUP faculty member (traveling professors ok) with a PhD.
After doing the initial research on your topic, prepare a 1-2 paragraph abstract, a preliminary
bibliography (approximately ten to fifteen books or journal articles), and a brief outline before
approaching a possible advisor. These will help you to convince your future advisor of the value
and interest of your project. Once a faculty member has agreed to advise you, discuss your
anticipated graduation date and agree on a timetable for meetings and submission of drafts. It
is your responsibility to keep your advisor apprised of your progress. Inform the program
director about your agreements, deadlines and progress.
After you have refined your topic and your advisor has approved it, complete the Thesis
Proposal form (found at the Registrars office) have your advisor sign it, seek the program
directors validation and submit it to the Registrars office. This form must be submitted by the
thesis due date for the semester before the one in which you intend to graduate.
In most cases, students and advisors need to meet three or four times: initially, to finalize a
topic, and to review the first or second draft. Keep in mind that your advisor must have enough
time to read and evaluate your work before returning it to you with comments, and that you
must have time to incorporate those comments. Dont expect your advisor to return your thesis
in a day or two, whether it is an early draft or the final copy. It is appropriate to ask your advisor
when you can expect comments, but not to pressure her or him to respond quickly. You should
also be prepared for the possibility that your advisor will request substantial changes in the
thesis. Do not expect that your draft will require only minor corrections, or that the proposed
final version you submit will necessarily be approved without further changes. It is your

responsibility to see that the final copy is free from spelling and grammatical errors; your
advisor is not responsible for line-by-line editing.
Recommendations for research methodology
Suggested Texts: George and Bennett (2005) Case Studies and Theory Development in the
Social Sciences. Boston: MIT Press. (Available at Science Po Library)
While much information can be found online, thesis level research calls for more indepth
consultation including professionals, academic journals, books, surveys, focus groups, etc.
For an MBA or MCB thesis, the use of grounded theory, on its own, would probably prove
inadequate to justify the award of a pass towards a degree. The sufficiency of one case study,
or the need for two or more with a view to a comparison is also unresolved. The practical
answer probably lies in the extent to which previously unavailable, pertinent information can
be published in its right contextual form. Replication, if undertaken, would be with a view to
validation of specific observations rather than for extension of the findings to other settings.
Within the context of a competitive economy, it is unlikely that confidential commercial
information would be made available for a case study, let alone released for publication. This
would also be true where there is the prospect of litigation through disclosure of some
contravention (e.g. tax evasion), defamation, or breach of some aspect of confidentiality
relating to individuals. Disguising identities is often not advisable in academic work, not only
because some of the contextual issues may get lost but also because it reduces significantly the
opportunities for independent verification and replication. Concerns about grounded
approaches, replication and the disclosure of identities are probably (pure speculation by the
authors) among the causes precluding work from being undertaken or published, which would
otherwise be found of high quality and relevance to informing management education.
The following is an extract from a set of guidelines that were issued to students in the abovereferred institution, shown purely for illustrative purposes:
A little theory: An important decision for your dissertation is the determination of sample size.
A very small sample (which will probably require you to use non parametric statistics) might be
a freak and thus lead you to conclusions that, although true of the sample, do not represent the
situation for much of your population. It does, however, have the advantage of low cost and
speed. A large sample might allow you to measure a broader range of instances and thus get a
better understanding of what is happening in your population (representativeness) but it does
cost more to approach and takes much longer to gather the information and possibly carry out
the analysis. Sample size and research design are interdependent. The design influences both
the sample size and sampling approach and, conversely, the realities of the sample that can be
approached within the time, cost and other constraints determine which design ought to be
chosen. Remember that the theoretical ideal might not be feasible and that, like with most
decisions in management, you have to balance pragmatism with idealism. In research, you have
to demonstrate that you are aware of the implications of your decisions and to draw the
important ones to the attention of your reader. Thus, there is no perfect way for determining
sample size in business research, nor an ideal method for its selection; you should, however, be
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aware of the advantages and drawbacks of the choice that you are making. The guidelines
below serve as a first start; it is imperative that you pay attention to the comments of your
supervisor who would be able to help you balance the various considerations. Here are the
views of the present writer:
Case studies: carry out at least two so that you have the opportunity to compare findings.
Remember, however, that in practice case studies are very difficult to carry out properly in
commercial areas due to at least two factors: first, the information needed is often not
available, either because it is not recorded or some of the records are inaccessible; second, the
information might be considered confidential. It is a common request from companies
providing the information to dilute or remove certain data or identities. Managers are
concerned about competitors getting hold of key information and about the possibility of legal
and other implications. Sometimes companies consider it too costly to allow access to their
premises and try to issue researchers with published material; this is most unlikely to help with
a case study. Small scale studies of companies: if you are comparing two groups of companies,
say in two different industrial sectors or sizes or styles of ownership, try to obtain information
from at least 15-20 from each group; 25-30 would be safer. If you are comparing three different
groups of subjects (e.g. companies) try to obtain information from at least 10-15 in each group.
Medium scale studies: if you are approaching individual consumers or looking at the records of
staff in a personnel department (with a view to contacting individuals), aim for at least 20 in
each group if you have three groups, or, if you have two groups, aim for at least 25-30 in each
group.
Larger scale studies are usually in the form of a survey, where you would be expected to aim for
at least 75-100 observations. Examples of these would include consumer research or looking at
employee records. Remember, the guidance is: the more questions you need to ask, the smaller
the size of the sample that you will be able to manage; the smaller the number of questions to
ask, the greater the possibility of taking a large sample. Ask all the questions that are required
for your hypothesis but do make sure that you do not ask superfluous questions and thus
collect unnecessary data and at the same time take your respondents valuable time! Although
it is not necessary to select a sample much larger than shown in these guidelines, you should be
careful not to go below either, otherwise you might encounter several other problems. Two
standard textbooks on research methodology are Ghauri et al, 1995; Rudestam & Newton,
1992; Steagall & Hale, 1994.
Adapted from:
http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/assets/bmaf/documents/publications/IJME/Vol1no2/Kangis_Pur
pose_of_MBA_Dissert.pdf

Thesis Structure

Title: short (length is 10-12 words); reflective of the content, problem, and the main
variables to be studied; free of value judgment
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Abstract: brief (length is up to 300 words), comprehensive summary of the contents of


the manuscript or synthesis of the study which includes the objectives, methodology,
highlights of the results, conclusions, and recommendations. Include 5 keywords or key
phrases below your abstract for indexing and cataloging purposes.
For additional requirements of your thesis structure, please refer to AUP Library
requirements at http://library.aup.fr/research/AUP_Thesis_Standards.pdf

Body of your Thesis should have a minimum of 12,000 words (excluding ancillary data and
footnotes).
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION gives the background of the project and the rationale for conducting
the study
a. Background of the Study
i. Platform for the significance of the study
ii. Identify information gap
iii. May cite at most five authorities
b. Statement of the Problem
i. identifies the research gaps
ii. justifies the conduct of the study
iii. states the questions that the study hopes to answer
iv. serves as a guide in formulating the specific objectives
c. Objectives of the Study
i. states the general and specific objectives
ii. should be consistent with the problem
iii. should be clearly stated and logically presented
d. Hypotheses of the Study
i. states the researchers expectations concerning the relationships
between the variables in the research problem
e. Significance of the Study
i. points out the vital contribution of the results of the study and who will
benefit from it.
f. Scope and Limitations of the Study
i. sets the delimitations and establishes the boundaries of the study
(delimits the study in terms of size and area of coverage)
ii. states what the study will not cover or will not do
iii. identifies the weaknesses and constraints which may affect the results of
the study
g. Definition of Terms
i. includes conceptual and/or operational definitions
ii. hanging indention and alphabetically arranged
II.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
a. consists of both the research and conceptual literatures but more on the former
(at least 60 %)
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III.

IV.

V.

b. subsections can be included, which are based on objectives. All subtopics must
be italicized and boldly written.
c. references must be properly cited in all paragraphs using author/year format.
(Please see APA for the detailed format).
d. rules on paragraphing must be strictly followed. A paragraph should have at least
two sentences. It should not be too long.
e. should consist of at least 10 pages
THEORETICAL /CONCEPTUAL/OPERATIONAL FRAMEWORK
a. discusses the theories linking the topic to the available body of knowledge
b. presents relationships between different specific constructs the researcher
wants to study
c. specifies the relationships between and among variables
d. may consist of a combination of mathematical, graphical, and/or diagrammatical
presentations
METHODOLOGY
a. describes how the study was conducted
i. Research Design: specifies whether descriptive, causal/explanatory,
correlational, comparative, exploratory, evaluative or combination of two
or more designs
ii. Sources of Data: specifies the sources of primary and/or secondary data
iii. Method of Data Collection/Data Collection Procedure: indicates the
sampling procedures (if primary data) and the data collection methods
such as survey, questionnaire, and others
iv. Analytical Procedures/Methods of Analysis:
1. indicates the most appropriate statistical tools used in analyzing
both quantitative and qualitative data mathematical expressions
must be italicized and numbered accordingly all models/equations
must be properly numbered
2. all major/key variables must be properly measured/categorized
indicating their specific units of measure. The sources of formulas
must be indicated in the text.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
a. summarizes the data collected and the statistical results in sufficient detail to
justify conclusions
b. uses tables and graphs to supplement the text
c. all figures must be numbered consecutively with their labels written below the
figures
d. the allowable font sizes for the figures are 10-14. All figures must be placed
immediately after the page where a particular figure number is mentioned. All
figures must be well explained in the text and all figure numbers must be
mentioned properly in the text.
e. includes information about the obtained magnitude or value of the test statistic,
degree of freedom, probability, and the direction of the effect
f. evaluates/interprets the implications of the original hypothesis
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g. emphasizes any theoretical consequences of the results and compares results


with the work of others)
h. subtopics and their sequencing must follow the specific objectives of the study
i. mostly in the past tense; some are in the present tense
VI. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
a. Summary
b. Conclusions
c. Recommendations
VII. REFERENCES
a. should be alphabetically arranged
b. all the references cited in the text must be included in this section
VIII. APPENDIXES
a. may include verbatim instructions to participants; original scales or
questionnaires, and raw data; statistical calculations; and instrument used.
CV (Optional)
ASSESSMENT OF THESIS
Examination of the thesis will be carried out by the supervisor and program director, based on
the following criteria:
1. Objectives/Research Questions
Are these clear and focused?
Are they relevant to management research/practice?
Have they been achieved?
2. Research Design
Is it appropriate to the question?
Is there a rationale behind the design?
Does it address the issues of validity, reliability and generalizability?
3. Literature Review
Is it relevant?
Are all major sources referenced?
Is there evidence of critical thinking?
4. Data Collection & Analysis
Is there appropriate use of primary/secondary data?
Is the data relevant to the research questions?
How good is the quality of analysis?
5. Conclusions and Recommendations
Are the conclusions persuasive?
Are they supported by the data?
6. Internal Consistency and Logic
Is there continuity between various sections?
Is there logic in the argument?
Is there a beginning (introduction), middle (analysis) and end (conclusion)?
7. Style and Presentation
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Style and use of language, tables, figures, etc.


Length of project
8. Integration of Academic Knowledge
Does it demonstrate originality/initiative in linking academic knowledge with
practical problems?
Is there evidence of the dissertation being a learning process?
The marking profile follows the criteria listed above.
Taken from http://www.cima.ac.cy/index.php?link=mbathesis.php
DEFENDING YOUR THESIS
While some masters programs at AUP require a defense for thesis completion, MCB does not.
You have the option to present your thesis to your peers, the program and advisor, however
this is not mandatory.
FORMS AND DOCUMENTS
Most information regarding your thesis can be found at the Registrars office or on my.aup.edu
> Academics > Registrars Office > Academic Forms or at the library.
Thesis Registration Form:
Thesis Advisor Submission Form:
Thesis Defense Form: This form is what will be completed and submitted to the university upon
defense and approval of your thesis.
Thesis/Research Project Extension: If you need to extend your thesis to the next semester, you
need to complete this form.
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We would like to thank Barbara Toorens (MCB 11) for compiling and writing the first draft of this guideline

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