#Management Dissertation Topics Help

[eviturner]

Search for MBA Dissertation Topics in Business Management

Discover interesting Business Management dissertation topics, including International Business, Finance Operations, Management, Accounting, Entrepreneurship, and International Business. These topics will inspire your research and help you excel in your studies.

[freyaandersson]

MBA Dissertation Topics In Business Management

Selecting a dissertation topic for an MBA in Business Management is crucial for students and can be highly rewarding. Topics like the impact of leadership styles on organizational performance, digital transformation in traditional businesses, and corporate social responsibility and its effect on brand loyalty offer students valuable insights into current business trends and practical research opportunities. These topics help students analyze key business principles and their real-world applications.

[emilywatson-01]

Discover MBA Dissertation Topics In Business Management

Check out MBA Dissertation Topics in Business Management to Start Your Research. You can study different things like how companies plan their strategies, how people behave in organizations, marketing plans, finance, and more. Find chances to solve real problems and come up with new ideas. There are many topics to choose from, so pick one that matches what you're interested in and what you want to do in your career.

[mariasont]

hiii, more bimbo!assistant!reader calling hotch, daddy, pleaseeeee😁🫶🏻💖😇

ilyyy!! <3

Bought & Paid For - A.H

summary: you push hotch's buttons just to see how far you can take it, and today, you finally find out pairings: aaron hotchner x bimbo!assistant!reader warnings: suggestive content, reader calling hotch daddy, hotch blatantly staring at r's ass, established relationship, slight brat taming undertones perhaps? wc: 0.6k

You’re talking about almond milk.

Or, at least, you were talking about almond milk — now you’re on some tangent about how store-brand oat milk is never as creamy as the one from that overpriced cafe near your apartment. He has no idea how you got here. He’s not even sure you know.

Your face is full of conviction — deeply invested in a topic that no rational person should have these many feelings about. It’s… impressive. Baffling, but impressive.

Hotch should be paying better attention, filing this long-winded dairy dissertation for the next time you inevitably guilt him into fetching your morning sugar bomb like some kind of begrudging personal assistant.

He’s not oblivious to the irony.

Instead, he’s watching you slide into the passenger seat, and instead, he’s having a private moment of reflection about how you absolutely cannot wear those jeans in public. 

Because they were almost pornographic.

Because they make it very, very clear what’s beneath them which makes it very impossible to think about anything else.

Because they make him look stupid.

He had told you. Repeatedly. Jeans should not cost that much. They were jeans — denim, mass-produced, entirely unnecessary at that price point. You could buy three pairs for half the cost, and no one would know the difference. 

He looked you in the eye and declared, with absolute authority, that he would not enable this behavior.

And then you pouted. And he pulled out his wallet like an absolute disgrace to his own principles.

He was actively experiencing the consequences of his own actions in real time.

Because you’re wearing them to go grocery shopping now and he’s going to spend the next hour fighting the very real, very primal urge to knock out every man who so much as glances at what he paid for.

He hands you your purse once you’re settled, barely paying attention, already running through the mental checklist of things that need to be done before he can call this errand over.

And then you flash him a quick, unassuming smile. “Thanks, daddy.”

His fingers still on the door handle, entire body seizing, breath catching mid-inhale as his brain tries — and fails — to process whether he actually heard you correctly.

His pulse goes from stable to needing immediate medical attention in a matter of seconds.

He straightens like someone just pulled a gun on him, adjusting his watch even though it does not need adjusting. Forces himself to level you with the most unaffected look he can manage. 

“Sweetheart, that’s not appropriate.”

You blink up at him, all wide-eyed innocence that he knows is fake. “Why?”

His fingers drum once against the car before curling into metal, grip bordering on savage, white-knuckled tension bleeding into every line of his body, the only outlet for something too risky to be voiced.

It doesn’t help that you look exceedingly gorgeous in daylight. That the sun — a merciless accomplice in your destruction of him — has taken it upon itself to illuminate every detail.

That you decided today was the day to try a new blush. That you had stood in front of him this morning, asking if it made you look pretty like you didn’t already know how impassioned he felt about that answer.

Like you weren’t a loaded weapon wrapped in silk and perfume, soft where you should be sharp, lethal in ways that have nothing to do with intent.

And now, here you are, stacking problems on top of problems, and he has to somehow be the one to keep himself in check.

He exhales sharply, glancing away for a second — a brief, necessary reprieve — before settling his gaze back on you. “Because you know exactly what you’re doing, and I strongly suggest you stop.”

You bat your lashes. “I really don’t know what you mean, daddy.”

He doesn’t think — there’s no room for thought, no time between your words and his reaction. One second, you’re in the passenger seat, smirking, and the next, you’re hauled up and over his shoulder, one arm locked around your waist, and the other gripping your ass, fingers digging into the denim that started this whole damn mess.

You squirm, thrashing in the most unconvincing, unserious way imaginable, laughter spilling from your lips in delighted, unrepentant little bursts, and he knows it down to his very core that you are enjoying this far more than you should. 

And despite his better judgment, so is he.

“Hey! The groceries —,”

“Groceries can wait.”

Hotch doesn’t even pretend this trip is still happening. The moment the words left your mouth, the destination changed, the entire purpose of this errand replaced by something far more immediate and deserved.

So he spins on his heel and carries you straight back to the house with the ease of a man handling something he fully intends to deal with. 

Because this is about balance, about the fundamental laws of action and reaction, about the way you tip the scales just to see what it takes to tip them back. 

And because, if nothing else, you’ll think twice before calling him that again.

💌 masterlist taglist has been disbanned! if you want to get updates about my writings follow and turn notifications on for my account strictly for reblogging my works! @mariasreblogs

[eponymous-rose]

It's another busy week, so I'm gonna do one of these again because it genuinely helps me keep track. Today in a nutshell!

Worked on some e-mails over breakfast - mostly coordinating for dinner tonight (I 100% did not forget to make the reservation, I promise, I just uhhhhhhhhhhh definitely didn't forget, that's for sure, and thank goodness for no particular reason that they happened to have one table left at 6PM), happily agreeing to write some reference letters for my PhD student's postdoc applications, rescheduling some meetings, setting new meetings, meetings meetings meetings. Oh, and booking tables for a couple of card shows this month! Off to work!

I get in a little later than I'd like and rush downstairs to the lounge to make my mug of tea pre-class, where I run into a student who just defended his PhD last week. I'm on his reading committee, so we agree to set up a time to go over my (honestly quite minor) comments on his dissertation. I also run into our incredible facilities guy, who follows up on some technical issues my students ran into over the weekend, hopefully resolved - I have five groups of three undergraduate students running their own weather stations all across the metro area of our city!

No time to enjoy the tea, so I leave it to steep a hilariously long time and rush back downstairs to teach my class! This year's students are truly exceptional - apparently over the weekend they all discovered that the Mac version of the data collection software for their weather stations is no longer supported, and they all independently coordinated to get PCs into the hands of all 5 groups. Let me tell you, when you're expecting to have to spend the first 20 minutes of the class troubleshooting and are instead greeted by a quiet, expectant two rows of faces, it's a great feeling.

Today's lecture is a topic I'm really passionate about - teaching students the "why" behind a lot of the statistical methods they've learned in the past (these are college seniors) and working on building a pipeline for exploratory data analysis. This isn't explicitly part of the syllabus, but my gosh, the quality of the final reports has improved sharply once I introduced these lectures. The students participated a bunch and happily launched into think-pair-share groups without my having to coordinate them. This is my sixth time teaching this class, and these students are far and away the best I've encountered. I am also very, very bad with names (and have a lot of anxiety about calling someone by the wrong name) but managed to successfully use an example in class in which I rattled off four students' names in a row, no effort needed. Phew.

As a side note, this has always been far and away my least-favorite class to teach, and this was the year I was gonna change that - I brought it to a curriculum development workshop last year and even presented on it at an education conference last week. But... dang, having strong students truly makes it effortless to enjoy teaching this class.

Back to my office, which smells like the double-spiced chai that has been steeping so long it's probably quadruple-spiced by now. Delicious. I have an hour until my next commitment, so I try to get ahead on grading the homework assignment my students handed in on Friday (all 15 of them handed it in on time!!!!). I also realize that this is my last block of free time until dinner, so I run downstairs to heat up my soup for lunch.

After getting through four of the assignments, it's time for a weather briefing (we have a team for a national forecasting competition), which means it's mostly just time for technical difficulties, but we make it through in the end and wrap up a bit early - back to grading! Students are doing great on this assignment overall, which is gratifying, but I make a note of a topic some of them are struggling on so I can mention it during Wednesday's class.

Weekly hour-long meeting with one of my Master's students! He talked about how he's taking a course on pedagogy to help with his work as a teaching assistant this quarter (!!) and he's been working through my first round of revisions of his very first first-author scientific journal article and had a few clarifying questions. I recommended some off-the-wall papers in the communications literature that I think would dovetail well with some of the discussion in his paper, and he was really jazzed to get to explore those. We also decided to get him set up with a million core-hours on a supercomputer so he can start on the next phase of his research - he promised to have the paper ready for the next set of revisions by the end of the week, so while I'm working on that, he can get familiar with the new system. I am also reminded that I really need to come up with some more substantial funding for him - currently he's working on a fellowship, but that runs out after three years.

After he heads out (a few minutes early, more grading time!) I get an e-mail from a scientist in Switzerland - she and I are working on getting her out here for a two-year postdoc job studying lightning with me. She's made revisions on her application for funding, so that's another thing for me to read over this week. I'm also reminded that I have to get back to an Italian grad student who wants to come visit my group for a year. Still figuring out the logistics on that one...

I also need to get back to a forestry service colleague of mine about getting the university my share of the funds for our fast-approaching field work using brand-new radar tech to study wildfire smoke plumes. I really, really need to get back to him this week - I think we're planning on flying out in April to start.

ALSO also this week, I have some pretty intense revisions of my own to deal with - I've been given this opportunity to write a huge review article, and I finally got it done back in December... only to learn that they want it to be about half that length. I'm going to take a swing at carving 5,000 words out of that behemoth.

AND a colleague and I are working on a resubmission of a grant to study thunderstorms in really unusual places, and I promised her I'd have a complete draft for her to read by the 7th. Phew. Good thing my week is only front-loaded with meetings.

Whoops, no more time to grade/read e-mails and schedule in my head. We have someone here today interviewing for a job on our faculty, and I'm one of the search committee members! Better dash downstairs to catch the candidate's talk. We have five two-day interviews planned for the next four weeks. Ouch.

Awesome talk by the candidate (we're very lucky to be spoiled for choice even in our very specialized field - we've whittled 86 qualified candidates down to five), and I launch straight from that into a student's PhD entrance exam. At this stage I should mention how much I genuinely loathe our PhD entrance exam, which is a pedagogical and logistical nightmare all around. This was a very popular opinion, which is why we as the faculty voted unanimously to completely change the process last year. Why are there students still taking this horrible exam???? Fuck if I know, man. At this point, it's voluntary to opt into it, and I am baffled and deeply frustrated at how many faculty members apparently encouraged their students to take it. Anyway, the student does a great job and we muddle through somehow, and now it's back up to my office to do some cramming on small-talk topics before a colleague and I host the faculty candidate for dinner!

A delightful dinner all around - my colleague is someone I was initially intimidated by (she's a giant in the field) but with whom I have since bonded, so we had some fun banter in the car and I think it helped the job candidate relax a little. We had some fun big-picture talk (and some less-fun big picture talk about news that dropped as we were eating) but mostly just talked about how much we love this part of the world. Good food, drink, and conversation. On the car ride home, I managed to troubleshoot a problem my undergrad research assistant was having with getting access to the supercomputer he needs for his project. Phew.

That's a long day, but good stuff all around!

[batneko]

It's been almost a year since I wrote up this Role Swap AU, and we've had a couple significant character reveals since then so I think it's time to add to it.

Melinda takes the Yuri role, obviously. She's overly devoted and clingy with her sweet baby boy Damian (who is thirty years old), and though she likes the idea of him getting married in theory, no woman is ever going to be good enough for her tiny little baby (who is 6'2"). And unfortunately even with a cover identity as smooth as Anya's, she is a widow with a young son and from a lower social class than the Desmonds. She never stood a chance.

Publicly Melinda is "retired" from the social scene, but she maintains a broad range of contacts and is still popular enough that she could show up at any event and be welcomed. She is also not retired from anything in fact, and still works for the SSS in an administrative role.

Loid eventually manages to get her to warm up to him, as a nice young man if not as a grandson. Anya continues to never stand a chance, but at least Melinda is too classy to try and ruin her social life.

When Damian takes in the Briar siblings, they allow Melinda to think it was his own idea instead of a family agreement, which makes her more accepting. This isn't more "fake" grandchildren, this is her son being the generous caring man she knows he is!

She takes to Yor the fastest since she never had a little girl to raise before! (Yor is 14.) It helps that Yor isn't weirdly intelligent for her age like her sons and Loid and even Yuri are. She's a normal teenager surrounded by geniuses, which brings out Melinda's protective side. (Yor is still the LAST character in need of protection in the entire series.)

Though Melinda's security clearance is high enough that she knows Garden exists, she has no idea her own son is part of it, and she would be furious if she found out.

Demetrius is, and stay with me on this one, replacing the Authens. He's a former scholar whose declining mental health (PTSD) means he can't work anymore, and ends up moving in next door to the Forgers (Melinda arranged it) and helping Loid with his studies (Loid works better with someone who is blunt and straightforward).

For the last few years Demetrius was living in the Desmond family's old country house, but his condition has improved enough that he can handle other people, albeit in small doses. During the war Demetrius worked in weapons, especially bombs, and his triggers now are mostly to do with the sky and wide spaces. So the city is better for him, even though he rarely leaves his apartment except for doctor's appointments.

The public believes that Demetrius took to the countryside to write a dissertation, and since he was never very social to begin with people eventually forgot about him. His name only comes up when people are lamenting how disappointing the Desmond sons turned out to be. A reclusive bookworm and a middle manager.

Damian was never close to him either, though he did dutifully visit him twice a year while he was "convalescing." They usually didn't speak at all during these visits. Demetrius is more communicative now but he doesn't have anything to say most of the time. Damian feels awkward around him until they get to the topic of Loid's schooling and both agree, firmly, that children should be allowed to be children.

Interestingly, Demetrius's paranoia means that he correctly deduces that both Anya and Loid are a lot smarter and more calculating than they're letting on, but because he knows he's paranoid he dismisses his own observations most of the time.

Eventually he will be the second person that Loid tells about his powers.

[dappled-sunlight-dap]

I GOT MY DISSERTATION BACK AND IT'S A 70!! THAT'S A FIRST-CLASS GRADE! GOD I'M SO HAPPY I PUT SO MUCH BLOOD, SWEAT AND TEARS INTO A TOPIC THAT WAS REALLY FUCKING HARD AND IT. PAID. OFF!!! ALL OF MY EFFORT BORE FRUIT AND I'M ON TOP OF THE FUCKING WORLD RIGHT NOW! ALL OF THE MIND-MELTING READING ON THE NATURE OF A DEITY, ALL OF THE HOURS SITTING AT THAT TABLE WRITING EVERY DAY, ALL OF THE SCAVENGER HUNTING FOR RELEVANT BOOKS ON AN OBSCURE TOPIC IN THE LIBRARY - THIS WAS WORTH EVERY SINGLE MINUTE, EVEN WHEN IT STARTED TO SUCK OUT MY GODDAMN SOUL! WE'RE GONNA EAT DOMINO'S PIZZA TO CELEBRATE AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO THE CINEMA (THAT WAS ALREADY BOOKED, WASN'T EXPECTING MY MARK TO APPEAR TODAY) AND I'M GONNA SEE HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON WITH MY DAD!

Whoo, calming down now... I'm just so damn happy about this. I can't count how many hours I spent reading and writing. There's a reason we were advised to pick a topic we like - after a while, especially close to the end, it becomes tedious and mind-numbing and it feels like it'll never end. I'm glad I followed that advice, because I thoroughly enjoyed my subject and STILL felt worn down and bored during the final 2000-word stretch. At times, it felt like I'd never get there. It felt impossible. But I pushed through and came out on the other side.

The fact that we're seeing HTTYD today is pure coincidence, I had no idea when I'd see my grade and it just happened to be the same day. Somehow, it just seems thematically appropriate. I remember seeing the original film in the cinema 15 years ago, as a kid who was trying to find their way in the world and experiencing struggles at school and at home, feeling quite lost and hating myself (my autism was undiagnosed at the time, so I hadn't received the help I'd get later and felt that there was something fundamentally wrong with me, but I couldn't figure out why). I came out of that cinema changed forever, utterly fascinated by dragons, which later expanded to a special interest in all things mythological. I was already an avid writer, but the things I wrote about were definitely flavoured by this - I later wrote 7 books between the ages of 10 and 13 (ranging from 20k to 70k words, never published), all of which featured dragons in some capacity. Dragons also continue to appear in all of my longfics to this day, and even my Tumblr profile pic is a dragon!

Now, 15 years later, I'm going back to see HTTYD again. I'm an adult finding their way in the world, just discovering a niche industry I fit perfectly into, like I was made for it. I'm about to graduate with an Ancient History degree (still waiting on an exam and assignment mark, but I have faith in myself). I've found a volunteer job in my chosen field and am searching for a paid one. I just got my dissertation back with a fantastic grade. I've known about and been managing my autism for almost ten years, learning to regulate myself and harness the skillset that came with it. School and home troubles are far in the past, and those involved are no longer in my life. I have friends who support and encourage me to be who I want to be. I know who I am. Nothing was ever wrong with me. I'm proud of who I am, and I can proudly say I love myself and have never been happier than I have in these past six months. It all came full circle. A sad, lost child went to see a film that changed them forever. Now, an adult who is finding their place in the world is going to see it again, having come out on the other side of multiple struggles and become stronger. If I could go back in time and talk to my younger self, Lil Dap would be stoked to know they have a bright future ahead of them - that they're going to make it, no matter how hopeless life feels for them.

Wow, that all got a little deep there. Today is just a huge day for me. It feels like my whole life has built up to this moment, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

EDIT: Literally the second I posted this, I got one of my remaining marks back - another 70! Now I'm waiting on only one more mark to confirm I'll be graduating!

[irrevocablecondition]

hi robyn! did you ever apply to oxbridge for uni and did you get an interview? any advice on that as it’s application season and i’m terrified x

HELLO oh god rough time of year init this brought back memories. giggling over the fact your first thought was a marauders tiktoker 😭 putting this under the cut because it's long but hi yes, cambridge offer holder here

i think my firsttt piece of advice is knowing whether it's truly for you or not! i spent my entire academic career doing courses for them and getting my name known there only to get in and go :/ i don't think this is for me actually. it was more just the expectation, yk? so literally a weekkkk before move in i asked my current uni if they'd still take me and just kept cambridge open as a phd option

that's my first bit of advice! oxbridge isn't the be all and end all <3

the actual application? unique. i know personal statements are different now but i used a different version for cambridge than i did elsewhere that was more,,, academic? more focused on what areas of my subject i enjoy and everything that i'd done with cambridge previously -> the more unique the better tbh, i waffled about the introduction of the printing press (literature degree)

you're also gonna want to put things in that, if you do get to the interview, you can expand upon a lot. AND subject ties! i applied for literature and included other subjects in tandem which they really like

interviews ! they're really not as scary as people suggested actually! i did an entry exam and three interviews, all of them were fine but they do ask the famous questions 😭 i got asked what kitchen utensil i'm most like so yk,,, that's not a myth at all LMAO. they mostly just ask about your personal statement BUT then move onto like "what do you think about this other random book/what about this other topic?"

OH ALSO !! idk if this is degree based or a universal thing but my first interview had a mini test where they gave me an extract of old english and i had ten minutes to translate it.

really unlike other unis your academics are the forefront obviously: they want proof that you care about this subject, proof of what about it you like, and examples of things you've done outside of your classes to facilitate your learning (i.e i did summer schools, dissertation courses, young magistrates, competitions etc etc blah blah blah they love that stuff)

also !! colleges !! there's not too much pressure on what college you choose because if that one doesn't take you but they see potential in you, they'll chuck you into the pool for others to take. i initially didn't get in because the college i chose had a lower deprived quota :/ so they didnt need another poor kid lols but i got into the pool and got KINGS?! which is like,,, i didn't apply there because of how elite it is

so colleges aren't the be all and end all either !! choose what one feels right for you, but don't lose hope if that one rejects you.

idk if any of this was helpful actually it's just the three big things you're told when you apply anyway oopsie but,, that's it really. they really are just like other unis but with a pretty label and prestige.

so my main advice is that,,, (1) it's meant to be difficult ! and if you get further in your application, don't worry if you don't know things. in the interviews they ask you obscure and random questions not because they want to catch you out, but they want to see your thought process !

and (2) it's difficult. it's elite and they get so many applicants, a rejection doesn't define you. which sounds like i dont believe in you LOL but i do !! even getting to this point is so so so impressive and i hope it all goes well !! but if it doesn't? the world keeps spinning and you're no less brilliant without oxbridge

anywayz ! dms are open if you want to yap or need help with anything !! i'm no expert but i've had the post-application sobs and the general AHHHHHH i suck moments and still somehow managed to pull it off

[alatuswind]

Hey!

My group and I are currently completing our dissertation for our undergraduate psychology degree. Our study is based on empathy, sexism, emotional intelligence and family functioning. If anybody can take some minutes to complete our study it would be highly appreciated. Must be aged 18 - 29 to participate in this study.

All questions are related to the topics listed above, therefore will include triggering themes including sexual harassment. Please read the introductory pages carefully before continuing. Within the debrief you will find help links and how to withdraw if you are effected by the content.

Survey link:

Thank you!

Your help will be important to write my 3rd year dissertation. Hope you enjoyed the gift ♡

[kxowledge]

What makes a good review, in your opinion? And, related to your earlier post... whose reviews are you reading as inspiration/motivation? Do you have favourite literary magazine or essay collections with this type of writing? Thank you :)

probably not clear from the context, but I was talking about my diss, which is a literature review in the field of strategy and management so this is v specific (and i'd wager not what you intended? but i might be wrong, so here's my answer anyway)

what makes a good review is (1) interesting topic in actual need of a lit review* (2) comprehensive sample selection (3) new insight being generated (i.e. making a conceptual contribution + bringing attention to a different way of looking at things) and tangible new avenues of research proposed (i.e. including possible research questions and methodology). essentially, something that will reinvigorate the field by generating new interest & act as a reference for getting a good overview of it

I do have resources! again v specific to my field (so for example, these would not apply for lit reviews in the field of medicine which are v v different)

this article on integrative reviews (that's what I'm doing specifically, as opposed to a systematic review) these two articles on sample selection (1 + 2) this CBS course has a good reading list

++ for finding exemplars: International Journal of Management Reviews (IJMR) & AOM Annals are *chef's kiss*

* as a PhD student (in Europe at least), it's normal to have as part of the final dissertation one paper that's a lit review. this is great and it shows you know what you're talking about AND it serves the purpose of allowing you to learn about the topic itself. however, it doesn't mean that there is a need for a lit review outside of your diss/to be published. so for example, I fully expect to do a lit review at the beginning of my PhD but the point is that it will be helpful for me, I don't expect it to be helpful for others (i.e. it will not bring new contributions most likely

[fairfieldthinkspace]

The Dolan Difference: First Executive DBA Cohort Leads the Way with Groundbreaking Research 

In today’s fast-paced business environment, professionals need a program that combines real-world challenges with strategic decision-making skills. Fairfield Dolan’s Executive Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) program is a game-changer for senior-level professionals eager to elevate their careers. The first cohort is already immersed in cutting-edge research across various business disciplines, including analytics, marketing, and finance.

The Dolan Executive DBA program stands out by allowing students to balance research with professional responsibilities. Over three years, students complete a chapter of their dissertation with each course, culminating in a comprehensive defense. This hands-on approach integrates theory with practical applications, preparing students for success in both academia and their careers.

What truly sets the program apart is its faculty. Each student is paired with an advisor who specializes in the student’s research area, providing personalized guidance throughout the program. These experts help students refine their research to make meaningful contributions to their fields.

The first cohort’s innovative research topics highlight the diverse perspectives shaping the future of business. Topics include:

Ronald Elowitz: Innovation Ecologies and Sustainable Practices (Advisor: Carl Scheraga, PhD)

Glenn Heller: The Impact of Gene Therapies on the Insurance Industry (Advisor: William Vasquez Mazariegos, PhD)

Rosemarie McLaughlin: The Impact of a 1% Excise Tax on Share Repurchases (Advisor: Steven Kozlowski, PhD)

Emily Ott: Gen Z Motivation and Millennials as Managers (Advisor: Mousumi Bose-Godbole, PhD)

Shilpa Rosenberry: The Impact of Post-Covid Remote Working Policies on Working Moms (Advisor: Yifeng Fan, PhD)

Deborah Stewart-VanOrden: Eliminating Waste in Government Defense Contracting (Advisor: James He, PhD)

Greg Tanner: The Influence of Board Composition and ‘Prestige’ on Company Performance (Advisor: Michael McDonald, PhD)

As these students continue their dissertations, their groundbreaking insights will underscore how the Dolan Executive DBA program is driving innovation and shaping the future of business leadership.

[penandpaper-love]

Hi, do you ever get negative feedback or suggestions for big(ger) changes on your dissertation? How do you handle that kind of feedback emotionally? (i.e., exhaustion, discouragement, sadness, etc.)

Hi, I'm very close to finishing the whole process so right now it's minor changes. Still a lot of work though. My supervisor also adds optional suggestions of things I could add but I already told him that I probably won't. My final grade isn't that important for me as I don't "need" the dissertation for anything. It was mostly out of interest in the topic. I have so many things on my plate right now, I just want to finish.

However, in the beginning there was a subchapter which I showed my supervisor twice and I always got the feedback that it was not very convincing yet. In the end I simply decided to delete it and it was the best decision ever. I think I could have turned it around but it would have been so much work. It wasn't necessary and I just held onto it for quite some time because I had already put in the work. So yeah, that was frustrating at some point. I took some weeks off of writing and afterwards I could do it haha

My tip is to distract yourself when you get too frustrated. Take a longer break and do things you enjoy. When you get too irritated and emotional it's so much harder to be productive. I am convinced that often taking a break is the best thing you can do to increase your productivity. Still, I think overcoming or managing your internal struggles/frustration and keeping up the motivation over such a long period is part of the process.

Hope this helped! Good luck with your project (I suppose you are also writing something?)!

[saviourkingslut]

Hi! I saw that you mentionned scrivener in your latest post and I've been meaning to try it. Is it good? I'm a one-doc-per-chapter kind of person so I wonder if it would work for me.

hi, sorry for the somewhat late reply, i wanted to include some screenshots to make my explanation a little clearer but didn't have the energy to sit down for it properly before now. if you're a one-doc-per-chapter writer i definitely think you should consider it! scrivener's most important feature, i think, is that it gives you:

the opportunity to split up your writing any way you want, whether per chapter, per scene, or even per paragraph...

...but all your writing is always within immediate reach, and you can restructure it whichever way you want.

to make that a little clearer, i've included a picture from my own work. scrivener is mostly geared towards creative writing, but i use it for my dissertation and that works very well too. this is the general interface, where you can see i've been writing an introduction:

scrivener's most important feature, to me, is its 'binder', which is this bit:

at the top, you'll see 'draft' - this is the entirety of the project you're working on. in this case, that's my dissertation. underneath, you see a little book, called 'introduction' - that's a main part of the draft. and underneath that, you can see a couple of folders and documents. that's all the different parts of my introduction. you can create as many folders and put as many different documents in those folders as you want. what i find incredible about this, is that i have an overview of all my topics, and that i can switch between all my different topics without having to open different documents OR put all my shit in one big document, which always makes me lose my way completely. and if i feel like restructuring my text? well, i can go to the binder, and drag the texts to another spot there.

since you like to work by chapter, you could just structure your binder like that in a way that works for you, but you'd still have access to all your other work if there's ever a moment when you need to refer back to it. or if you're working on multiple chapters at the same time, you can just switch between them.

something else that has helped me a lot is the 'research' part of the binder:

the 'research' part is meant for you as a writer to put down all your resources - your pdfs, your images, whatever you're using as reference while you're writing. now, because im writing an academic text and need more references than the average (fan)fiction writer, im using zotero as a reference manager. instead, im using the reserach folder to store my writing plans so i can reference and update them there. you see that 'reorganisation' folder there: it's also where i store my texts when i notice that the current structure is not working at all and i need to start over - but in such cases i don't need to write all the text itself from scratch again. this way i can keep everything within easy reach and copy-paste in the same document (you can split your screen within the program, and work in two documents at once).

what's also great are the tools. in programs like word or google docs you'll find some of these, but not all. as you can see, the first symbol leads to a sidebar where you can put a synopsis for the specific text you're working on, and it lets you add notes. the second one lets you add bookmarks to your text, like texts or references you want within reach immediately. the third one lets you add specific metadata or tags. the fourth lets you make snapshots; scrivener saves all your work immediately, but if you're about to make a big change, you can create a snapshot and roll back to that if it's not working out after all. finally, there's the comments, which speak for itself. all the way down the bar you'll also see that you can label texts ('no label' here, there's a colour system) and note what part of the writing progress this part of the text is at.

what i personally like very much is the bar at the top that now says 'opening 2.0'. you can see a light blue bar at the bottom of it: that indicates my writing progress. you can set a writing goal in number of words for your project. for my entire 'introduction', that's 8000 words, and as you can see im nearly there. if you hover over the 'opening 2.0' bar, it'll shift to show you the number of words you've written AND the number of words you've written in that specific writing session like so: 7300/8000 | 345. what i like is that it counts the actual words written - if i've deleted a sentence, my count goes down again. that's useful for me because i tend to think 'oh i've written so much today' while all i've been doing is tiny edits for 2 hours, but not actually put down more words.

there's MUCH more that scrivener offers, but i can't explain it all here. they offer a free trial for 30 days, and it comes with a practice document that explains all the features to you by making you work in the program. id recommend giving that a try if you're interested! the program is expensive (it cost me 70 euros) but it's absolutely been worth it for me. i used to have long-ass documents with half-finished paragraphs and snippets of thoughts and sentences all over, and this has helped me structure my texts more easily while also not cluttering my workspace with loose thoughts and ideas because i have more places to put them now.

[thatfrenchacademic]

do you have any advice for someone going into writing their bachelor's thesis? I'm having trouble pinning down a topic that seems manageable.

Hello!

This will be highly field dependent, so my advice will be most relevant for social sciences and humanities - anyone from STEM, fell free to chip in as well!

Let's see, if a student came in at office hours and asked me this, I would probably break it down like this :

Get familiar with the expectations

A thesis the first big, semi-independent work you will have to conduct, so it's uncharted territory. Get rid of the anxiety by looking again, and again, and again, at any guidelines set by your course director, school, college. How long is it supposed to be ? Is there a set structure ? Is there a first draft due before the final draft ?

Look at dissertation from previous years! Ideally, find at least 3 so you can have an idea of how diverse the work can be.

2. Talk to your supervisor

And don't bullshit your way into impressing them. If you are absolutely lost - tell them. If you already have an idea - tell them. If you hesitate before three topics - tell them. That first meeting is where you lay down all the ground work. In all likelihood your supervisor barely knows you, so give them something to work with !They want you to do well!

3. Start broad, then narrow it down, narrow it down, narrow it down

"Pinning down a topic" is an iterative process, but the good part is that it's also an introspective one, in my opinion. It's the art of peeling back layers to figure out what, EXACTLY, is it that you want to know.

For example: let's say you want to broadly talk about accessibility in higher education. Ok, great ! But what exactly, is it that makes it interesting to you ? Have a sit down with yourself. Are you wondering how higher education defines disability ? Or is it about how disability impacts entrance into higher education ? Or specifically access to teaching resources ? It could be about the architecture and physical design of campus spaces, or it could be about the lived experience of disabled students ?

Some of these you will not be that interested in, some of them you are interested in but not in an "academic" sense, ... so you can start to narrow it down. Some you may already have a vague answer in your mind, so then you play the three year old toddler with your self, by asking "but why", "but why" until you feel like you have reached the real crux of the issue.

Throughout this process, you can 1) take peaks are the relevant literature to help you move the thought process along and 2) talk with your supervisor so they can steer you in a productive direction.

Because...

4. You are looking for a Good Bachelors Dissertation Now (TM).

Broadly this is what you want to keep in mind :

A good bachelors dissertation for you, with this supervisor is not a good PhD dissertation, not a dissertation that would be great with another supervisor, not a dissertation that doesn't fit your degree... It is good in its context, and that context is :

you + your supervisor + now

Don't feel disappointed or frustrated if you are steered in a slightly different direction - it may be one where your supervisor can actually help you better. Or if you are asked to downscale or scope down: better a narrower dissertation where all is properly covered than a too ambitious one that you will not able to carry out properly give the limits of the format.

Hope that helps!

[vtellswhat]

Thesis Writing Process

The 5-Step Process for Writing a Thesis: A Super Comprehensive Guide

Writing a thesis is a glorious academic moment in which perhaps the cumulative outcome of four years of study and research is being produced. While intimidating as a thought, however, it breaks down into pragmatic steps that ensure clarity and efficiency, and a polished final product. This blog publishes a comprehensive guide on a 5-step process to guide you through your thesis journey.

Step 1: Select and Refine Your Research Topic One first step in writing a dissertation is to select a topic of interest to you, relevant to your academic interest, career objectives, and the study area. Write down general ideas that interest you as well as are applicable to your field of study. Begin preliminary research into your selected ideas.

Narrow the Focus: A narrow, well-defined research question is easier to manage and is more meaningful than an open-ended one. It can be related that a broad topic like "Climate Change" is better narrowed down to be, "The Effects of Renewable Policies towards Reducing Carbon Emissions in Urban Areas."

Step 2: Do a Thorough Research

Having a topic in mind, proceed with research. Research is essentially collecting and synthesizing information that will lead to an excellent grounding for your thesis.

Primary vs. Secondary Sources: Mix primary sources, like experiments, surveys, or interviews, with secondary ones, like journal articles, books, or reports.

Take Notes: Use Zotero or End with the collection of references and systematic notes.

Critical Evaluation: Examine your sources critically to determine if they relate to and support your thesis question and are appropriate to your topic. Maintain a journal of interesting ideas, major findings, and citations as you conduct research. This will facilitate the writing process later on. --- ### Step 3: Thoroughly Give It a Good Framework A good thesis is also well-structured. Before you begin writing, draft a rough outline of your work to ensure it will be orderly.

Introduction: State your research question, objectives and the reasons why your study holds its importance. \

Literature Review: Summarize and critique previous studies to pinpoint what is unique in your study. \

Methodology: Discuss the methods and tools that you used to carry on your research. \

Results and Discussion: Present your findings, analyze them and relate to your research question. Conclusion: Summarize major findings and say what they imply, and indicate future avenues for research.

This road-map achieves proper flow and coherence for both the writer and the reader.

Core Sections First: Prepare methodology, results and discussion first because such parts are often the core sections of your thesis.

Be Clear; Be Concise: Avoid using jargons unless unavoidable and define technical terms to reach more audiences.

Get Feedback: Share drafts with your advisor or peers in order to get constructive feedback.

Edit Ruthlessly: Review for clarity, grammar, and coherence. Tools like Grammarly and Hemingway Editor can help polish your writing.

Set daily or weekly writing goals to maintain steady progress.

Step 5: Finalize and Defend

Prepare your thesis for submission and defense.

Formatting and Citation: Format according to your institution's guidelines on the formatting, citation, and referencing. Double-check everything for consistency.

Proofread: Read through the document at least three or four times for spotting typos, inconsistencies in formatting, or other mistakes. You might consider hiring a professional proofreader to help you out.

Practice Presentation and Q&A: Rehearse your presentation a number of times. Think about questions that may be presented to you by the panel. Be prepared to back up your statements with evidence and speak assertively regarding the research.

The day you defend your dissertation is the day to celebrate all the hard work and achievement made until then. . Conclusion Writing a thesis is quite demanding but highly rewarding for it tests your critical thinking abilities, researching, and the skill to write. If you break down these steps to the choosing of the topic, research, structuring, writing, and finalizing, you'll be in a better position in handling the entire process. Remember that persistence and careful planning will get a thesis written that will not only demonstrate one's knowledge of the subject matter but also contribute to the field.

In fact, it takes a lot of courage to move on with this project, and these steps shall take you to it!

Need expert guidance for your PhD, Master’s thesis, or research writing journey? Click the link below to access resources and support tailored to help you excel every step of the way. Unlock your full research potential today!

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[kaiserin-erzsebet]

Maybe this is a very niche PhD student feeling, but does anyone else feel protective of their dissertation topic?

In the sense that I have a strong idea of what I am going to write on, and other scholars writing on it fills me with the most absurd mix of emotions. I will be very glad to have research in areas I'm not planning to cover, and being able to read what other people write (good or bad) is helpful in triangulating my own argument.

But if someone manages to write something close to what I intend to write and publishes it in the four remaining years before the dissertation is done, forcing me to radically change for the sake of making a new argument, I will be inconsolable.