BACHELOR’S THESIS 2015-2016

INFO SESSION 2

Joan Lofgren, Program Director

AALTO UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESSMikkeli Campus

BScBA Degree Program14 October 2015

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Agenda

1. Purposes of the thesis & requirements2. Selecting a topic3. Key elements of the process, esp.:

a. Research plan b. Thesis outlinec. Literature review & conceptual frameworkd. Methods

4. Thesis grading rubric5. Academic Integrity6. Other issues7. Pair activity8. Follow-up Q&A info-session Oct. 21

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1. Purposes of the thesis—to:

• Gain experience in academic research– Plan and implement a research project– Understand and apply theoretical approaches– Strengthen academic writing skills

• Strengthen skills generally– Need to work independently – Develop skills needed for

• Further study• Working life

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Essential Requirements• Basic standards – the thesis must be

written in:– the field of international business– English– formal academic style

• Academic standards – it must:– rely on academic literature– have a theoretical foundation (lit review-

conceptual framework)

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Essential Requirements (cont.)• Management of the thesis project—you are

expected to:– meet all deadlines (time management)– maintain communication with your

supervisor– participate actively in the thesis meetings

and workshops• Personal ethical standards – it must:

– be your own work (no plagiarism)– give appropriate credit for the work of other

scholars

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2. Selecting the Thesis Topic• Motivation

– Personal interest – Potential professional interest– Opportunity to develop your expertise

• Be creative and innovative – think big, then be pragmatic• Resources

– Time – manageable in this time frame?– Financial – need to do field work?– Languages – enough sources available in the ones

you read? Do a quick search.– Overall: a suitable topic for you, now?– Indication of Interest Area for Thesis Form

Deadline: October 26, 2015

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3. Key elements of the process• Research plan• Thesis outline• Literature review/conceptual framework• Methodology – what type of data is

needed/appropriate to the topic?– Primary data v. secondary data– Qualitative v. quantitative

• Compiling/interpreting the results– To what extent can you generalize the results?– Are the results more to inform future research?– Or both?

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Note on information retrieval

• Information Specialist Jaana Santala is available to meet with you to advise you in searching for academic sources.

• Book a meeting time with her by writing to:– Jaana.Santala@aalto.fi

• Theses from past years are also available for you to browse through.

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3a.Research Plan: The First Step• Tentative working title of the thesis• Interest and relationship to thesis topic• Research problem• Research question(s)• Research objectives• Significance of the research (and/or its relevance)• Methodology—secondary/desk research or primary data you gather

yourself (eg interviews, survey, etc.)• Literature to be used (list of sources)• Critique of a journal article related to your topic• Action plan (be specific)• Note: Those of you taking Research Methods this fall will have an

assignment related to the Research Plan.• First draft of Research Plan, Deadline: December 8, 2015

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3b. Thesis Outline• Helps identify the flow of the thesis and indicates the

direction and detail of the thesis to the supervisor. • Should be updated constantly to match your actual

research• Use this thesis outline to develop the table of contents of

the thesis.• The electronic form “model outline” is available on Into. • Included in the research methods course.• Send the first draft of your thesis outline by email to

your thesis supervisor by Dec. 21, 2015.

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3c. Purposes of the Literature Review—to:

• chart what is already known about the topic

• identify possible gaps in the current research

• facilitate problem definition

• provide ideas about different variables (factors)

• learn about different theoretical and methodological approaches to your topic

• help you develop framework for analysis

• suggest additional research questions

• help you interpret your findings

• note: the lit review evolves as your research evolves

• First draft of Literature Review, Deadline: January 25, 2016

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Keep in mind re: the literature review

What it is:

a survey of scholarly books, articles and other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, theory or methodology

What it is not:

A list of article summaries (he said this, she said that, they said another thing) – you structure the discussion, the themes, the headings.

Let’s look at some literature reviews in Mikkeli theses. . .

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What kinds of works?

• There are norms in academia for what is considered acceptable

• General categories include:– books (incl. monographs, chapters in anthologies)– journal articles– theses and dissertations – government documents– unpublished manuscripts, working papers, conference

proceedings (cutting-edge research by top scholars)

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Which sources to avoid?

• Textbooks are usually not acceptable• They are for teaching purposes, not research. If a concept is mentioned

in a textbook you can be sure it is based on an important original work.

• Wikipedia and other open-source texts– Their authoritativeness is in doubt due to many authors and lack of

information on their methodology. Use it in browsing perhaps, never in the final thesis! A means to an end, not a quotable source!

• Newspaper articles and magazines– Unless a news item or opinion piece on a contemporary topic adds

something to the scholarly debate, which is not very common.

– Newspaper articles have a certain angle, are time-bound, and have not been peer-reviewed.

– So if you use them, think carefully about why it’s justified.

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Peer Review• Why is it so important?• It keeps the authors on their toes,

checking that their arguments are valid, that their methodology is sound.

• Can limit the discussion in a field, but is still a well-accepted practice.

• Be sure to include plenty of peer-reviewed sources (usually journal articles, but also books from reliable publishing houses).

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Checklist for analysis

• Is the author addressing a scholarly audience? • Does the author review the relevant literature? • Is the main argument based on data the author has

gathered, or on secondary sources? • How recent is the work? • How significant is the journal in your field?• Does the author have a particular theoretical viewpoint?

(How controversial is it?)• Does the author write from an objective viewpoint, and

are his/her views based on facts rather than opinions?

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Linking others’ research to your thesis

• Where do I place myself in the debate?• Here is where your “voice” comes into the lit

review – it is more personal without being unprofessional.

• Styles vary in this regard—US style uses first person more, European not as much.

• It is not about saying “I think this is &%!#, just because . . .” but engaging yourself in the debates.

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Your argument

• You’ll outline your full argument in the findings.

• However, your lit review chapter does set the tone, and provides the basis for your own argument.

• For some theses that do not include primary sources (eg conceptual theses), this becomes even more important.

• It is acceptable to use secondary empirical research (ie someone else carried out a survey), but then you must work with that material and develop your own argument about it and other research.

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Conceptual Framework

• A conceptual framework• reflects existing research and its relevance for your topic;

• provides clear links between the existing literature and your research questions;

• identifies gaps—in the research that you are trying to fill;

• shows how you have adapted or improved or extended an existing framework;

• presents the key ideas or constructs in your approach and their relationship; and

• is usually expressed in a schematic diagram or table.

• Check the web resource linked in the thesis instructions. • See examples from recent theses in the library.

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3d. Common methods used • Case studies • Survey

– Questionnaire (using eg Webropol, SurveyMonkey)– Structured/standardized—directly administered/online– Closed vs. open-ended questions– Questions must be approved by supervisor before

administering• Semi-structured interviews

– Experts – for background– Small set for rich description, some generalization if

clear pattern emerges• Content analysis

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4. Thesis Grading Rubric• Used by all supervisors, at least to grade the

final draft of the thesis and final version.• Shows areas for improvement.• Grade of 0 in one attribute results in failing

grade for the thesis (at final stage).• Different aspects are weighted differently.• Project management is included, ie whether you

meet deadlines, participation in info sessions and workshops.

• The rubric is available on Into:https://into.aalto.fi/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=2883729

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5. Academic Integrity

• Academic Integrity is a core value in any university.• Dishonest academic work of any kind strictly forbidden and is

subject to severe disciplinary action.• Each student has the final responsibility for her/his learning

and for knowing what is permitted and what is not permitted.

• The Academic Integrity Confirmation form you signed in your first year of studies is still in force.

• See the Program’s Citation and Referencing Guide: The Harvard System for more details on plagiarism:

• https://into.aalto.fi/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=2883729

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Turnitin• We will use Turnitin as a writing support tool, and to

check for plagiarism in the thesis process. • A high similarity percentage doesn’t automatically mean

plagiarism has occurred – it could mean there is too much direct citation, not enough paraphrasing.

• Keep in mind that resubmitting work in Turnitin can take 24 hours!

• More information on Turnitin will be provided in a later info session (Jan. 19, 2016).

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6. Other issuesRole of the thesis supervisor

• Meets with students to discuss their work, mainly individually but also as a group if the supervisor so wishes.

• Academic expert and mentor– Provides advice on literature and methodology– Provides feedback on work submitted

• Evaluator of thesis– Reads and evaluates thesis– Submits thesis grade

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Keep in mind. . .

• Your thesis supervisor has commitments at home, he/she is not available in the same way as professors are during a 3-week module.

• Don’t expect instant answers to your questions, so ask questions early enough to resolve them without pressuring your supervisor.

• Example—what not to do: You’ve set up an interview and only send the interview questions to your supervisor for review the day before. . .

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Keep in mind (cont.)• Sophia Butt’s writing workshops 1 and 2,

Nov. 23-25, 2015 and Jan. 11-15, 2016.

• Your performance matters!– Non-starters must drop out of the process.

– Performance review by supervisor mid-Feb.

– Overall performance affects grade

• Ask Information Specialist Jaana Santala for help when doing research.

• All relevant documents on Into (open intranet)

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Keep in mind (cont.)• Talk to Mari Syväoja about any concerns

questions about the process in general, with your supervisor about thesis-specific issues.

• If you have academic concerns not addressed in these ways (eg your thesis topic), contact me.

• If you later consider dropping out of the thesis process, think again – weigh the consequences of postponing versus the marginal potential gain from finishing the thesis later.

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7. Short pair activity

• Work with someone sitting next to you or near you.

• You will each talk about your thesis topic or interest for one minute – I will call out start and stop for each round.

• After each round, you will ask the other student three questions about what they have just said.

• Have fun!

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8. Next session: Q&A etc.

• When: Wednesday, Oct. 21, 16.00-18.00• Part I: General discussion, see topics below

• Part II: Open-ended Q&A

• Where: Auditorium

• Possible topics to be addressed: • Information retrieval• Choosing a topic & keeping the topic manageable• Literature review, eg showing more examples• Methodology• Company projects• Others?

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Key Dates

Full Draft of Thesis: March 18, 2016(Note: no additional drafts after this, only final thesis)

Final thesis: April 4, 2016

Thesis Presentation and Proficiency TestApril 8, 2016

(Note: mandatory attendance to get the credits; submit two hard copies of the final thesis by noon on April 8.)

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Good luck!

Joan.Lofgren@aalto.fi

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