qc dissertation schedule june 2014-1

8/11/2019 QC Dissertation Schedule June 2014-1

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The Dissertation 2014-15

An Introduction and Schedule

of Activities in the Easter Term 2014

Introduction

All students on undergraduate programmes will undertake a doubledissertation module in their final year. As previously announced, a programmeof sessions has been designed to give you an early introduction to the moduleand offer you advice and help you to identify your dissertation topic. We hope

that this programme will be beneficial.Details of the provisional schedule are included below, but all students shouldnote these important points:

Attendance at the sessions, as indicated below, is compulsory. Aregister will be taken. Please check the schedule carefully and putthe sessions you are expected to attend in your diary.

Some sessions are be directed towards students on individualprogrammes. These more focussed sessions are compulsory forstudents on the relevant programmes as indicated below.

Staff will be particularly busy around the examination period. To make

it easier for you to find appropriate times to discuss your proposeddissertation we plan to post a number of time slots on the GeneralInformation site on DUO. Naturally, you are welcome to consult staffother than this at their discretion.

All students mustsubmit their completed dissertation form by Friday27 June 2014. This should be placed in the post box outside theundergraduate office. More details on the process are given below.


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Schedule for Monday 2 June

Time Event Attendance Staff Room

09.3011.00 Dissertation Introductory LectureAccounting and FinanceAccounting and ManagementBusiness Finance

Dr Toby Watson D003

11.0012.30 Dissertation Introductory LectureBusinessBusiness and ManagementMarketing

Dr Toby Watson D003

14.0015.30

Types of finance dissertation includingintroduction to finance data sources(Bloomberg, Datastream, WRDS andThomson One Banker)

Accounting and FinanceAccounting and ManagementBusiness Finance

Dr Toby WatsonMr Michael Lucey

D003

15.3016.30Business and Management: Where doideas come from?

BusinessBusiness and ManagementAccounting and Management

Dr Philip Warwick D003

16.3017.30 Masters in BusinessYear 3 and Year 4 ALL MBus studentsDr Philip WarwickProf Tom Redman

D003

Denotes compulsory session for students on the programme.Denotes optional session for students on the programme based on interests.


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Schedule for Tuesday 3 June


10.00-11.00Introduction to Marketingdissertations

MarketingStudents interested in pursuing a Marketingtopic

Ms Jonquil Hinson D003


13.00-15.00

Introduction to Accounting

dissertations

Accounting and Finance

Accounting and Management

Dr Riham Rizk

Ms Francine LeSaint D003

Schedule for Thursday 5 June


09.30-13.00Session on areas such as literaturereviews, writing tips and producingeffective conclusions.

Accounting and FinanceAccounting and ManagementBusiness FinanceBusinessBusiness and ManagementMarketing

English LanguageCentre

D003

Dates and times around this period where you can see members of staff for consultation on individual topic areas will beposted on the General Information site on DUO. You may consult other members of staff at their discretion but mustrecognise that the exam period is a particularly busy time.


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Topic Selection

Requirements

Students are required to register their provisional dissertation topicarea, using the form at the end of this document no later than Friday27 June 2014.

This is a mandatory academic commitment. Non-submission of topicarea will be noted on your student record and may delay allocation ofa supervisor.

Overall topic area

Your choice of topic area should be appropriate and relevant to yourspecific degree.For example, this means that if you are on the Business and

Management programme it is considered inappropriate for you to undertakean empirical finance dissertation. Similarly, if you are on the Business Financeor Accounting and Finance programmes, it would generally be consideredinappropriate for you to undertake a pure business or marketing topic.

Please consult academic staff for advice. Any dispute about the acceptabilityof a topic area should be referred to the Module Leader.

Further guidance

The only constraints on the choice of topic are that your chosen topic is withina recognised field of Business Finance/Accounting/Business and

Management/Marketing and that there is a member of staff who can act assupervisor. Selecting a mainstream or adventurous topic choice is neitheran advantage nor a disadvantage.

It is strongly recommended that you speak with your lecturers and tutorsabout your likely subject area so that you can be given appropriate advice andpossibly some preliminary reading. You should then be able to establish adissertationtopic. Lecturers and tutors can provide advice on the suitability ofthe topic chosen and provide guidance about the provisional topic, which youwill record on your dissertation form. This form does not need to be signed bya member of staff but if a member of staff discusses you ideas with you s/hemay choose to make notes, sign this and, if appropriate, indicate an interest insupervision.

You will be allocated a supervisor by the Module Leader, no later than thebeginning of your final year. This process is likely to be delayed if you do notsubmit your provisional topic area by 27 June 2014. It is not, however,possible to guarantee your choice of supervisor.

You are encouraged to select a topic of your own choice and interest.However, if you encounter difficulties in making this choice, you can discussvarious topics of interest with a member of staff. S/he will advise on thepotential, the feasibility and potential problems of your choice; however, the

precise choice of topic is your responsibility. If you wish to consult with amember of staff you should not leave this to the last minute (you were also


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advised to reflect on dissertation topics at the start of your second year).Academic staff are unlikely to be able to meet at short notice, especially in thebusy period around examinations. To assist you, a number of members ofacademic staff will post times on DUO specifically to consult over dissertationtopics.

Examples of past dissertation titles have been posted on the GeneralInformation site on DUO. It is important not to make the subject too wide, andespecially important to have a specific question in mind although at thisstage we are only asking for a topic from you. The dissertation is, in effect, aset of essays on a given topic forming a coherent piece of work. It is thereforeimportant to choose a subject that can be adequately treated within thiscompass. Dissertations can easily get out of hand within the length and timeavailable. The lectures and discussion with staff members should help youmake an appropriate choice of dissertation topic.

Questions and Answers

When should I talk to a member of staff?

Talking to a member of staff is not compulsory but is strongly recommended.In any case, you were asked to reflect on possible dissertation topics at thestart of your second year and talk to tutors. If you do wish to talk to a memberof staff you must not leave this until the last minute. Staff are unlikely to beable to see you at short notice in the examination period. It may also be thatyour topic is unsuitable, and the member of staff asks you to rethink. Timeswhere staff will be available will be posted on DUO.

I am away for the dissertation lectures. What should I do?

As above, the dissertation sessions are an academic commitment. You mustattend them. All students are expected to be resident during term time, unlessgiven formal permission to be out of residence by the University. In any case,it is in your own interest to ensure you attend the sessions. Students wereadvised at the very start of level 2 that dissertation induction would take placeafter exams.

Can I change my dissertation topic?

You can change your topic with supervisory approval at the start of theforthcoming Michaelmas term. After an initial grace period, major changesmust be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Understandably,after conducting wider reading, a small number of students will want tochange topic at the start of the year. However, you should not plan onchanging topics. It is vital that you think carefully about your topic area nowand this will allow you to do preparatory work over the summer.

Why do I have to register a topic before the summer?

The dissertation forms a third of your final-year studies. We thereforeanticipate students will want to start reading around their topics and getoutline guidance as early as possible. Doing this will also allow you to makethe most of the structured supervision programme next year right from the


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start of the year. We also want to make sure that your supervisor is allocatedby the start of the Michaelmas term so that you can meet him/her as soon aspossible.

Can I just put down finance, Business or Marketing as a topic?

No, you need to be a more specific. We do not expect a full provisional title unless you wish to give one on the form but we want a more specific topicarea for example Behavioural Finance or Operations management. Werealise students may want to make changes as they read more over thesummer, but it is in your own interest to start focussing your thoughts as earlyas you can as you begin to read and research.

Can I have Dr X as my supervisor?

We cannot guarantee to allocate you a particular supervisor. Academic staffmay, however, express that a topic is of personal interest, and thus they may

be willing to supervise it. However, this is an indication only. All staff willprovide you with highly professional support and guidance throughout thedissertation process.

Can I get a supervisor from the Business and Managementdepartment when I am on the Accounting and Financeprogramme?

Students are asked to select a topic appropriate and relevant to theirprogramme of study. You will be allocated a supervisor based on your degreeprogramme. Therefore, students on the Accounting and Finance programmewill typically have a supervisor from the Accounting, Economics and Financedepartment, whereas students on the Business programme will have asupervisor drawn from the Business and Management or Marketingdepartments.

Can I get a supervisor from the Marketing department when I amon the Accounting and Finance programme?

As previous.

If I change my topic will I get a new supervisor?

No. It is important that you devote time to thinking about your topic before the

summer vacation rather than just submitting a form solely to meet thedeadline.

When do I meet my supervisor?

The module leader will allocate your supervisor at the start of the Michaelmasterm (in early October). You will then meet your supervisor in the initial fewweeks of term. In total, you will have six formal meetings throughout the year.For each meeting, you will have the opportunity to ask questions and discussissues that will help to shape your research. Your supervisor will also read adraft chapter of your dissertation in the Epiphany term and give feedback and

suggestions for improvement.


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The module handbook has more details on the supervision process, and youcan see what is required for each meeting. The 2012-13 handbook is onDUO, although this may be subject to change before the start of the 2013-14academic year.

I am on placement who should I talk to about my dissertationtopic?

The module leader is happy to talk to students on placement about thedissertation and you should therefore get in touch with him. You may alsoapproach other members of staff to discuss aspects of topics that you areinterested in.

I cant get in touch with Dr Y and want to talk to her about myproposed topic. What should I do?

Academic staff will be particularly busy around the examination period. You

must therefore plan ahead and not expect a reply or meeting with a memberof staff at the very last minute before submitting the form.

What happens if I dont submit a title form by 27 June?

This will be recorded as a missed academic commitment. More importantly,students who have not reflected on their dissertation topic (or discussed thiswith a member of staff) may be seriously disadvantaging themselves. If thereis a legitimate reason for not submitting a title form, normally serious illness orother serious adverse circumstances, you should contact the module leader todiscuss this. However, you must do this at the time and not wait until later inthe summer or the start of next year to say that you were ill. Please note thatwhere adverse circumstances exist you may be asked to submit supportingdocumentation.

What can I usefully do over the summer?

You can engage in reading around your topic, building up familiarity with theacademic literature and making notes. If you are conductingqualitative/quantitative research then you can start to think about how you willgo about this. Note, though, that you may prefer to seek guidance from yoursupervisor in the autumn before conducting questionnaire surveys etc. If youdo anything like this over the summer you need to discuss research ethics

requirements beforehand.If you are undertaking an empirical finance dissertation this is a good time toensure that the data you need is available and to start to download this (butbe aware of the caveats mentioned in the dissertation lectures). Really, beforesubmitting a provisional topic, you should have thought about whether data isavailablebut the summer is a good time to make absolutely certain.

At the very least, you need to confirm whether you dissertation ismanageable, i.e. whether it appears to be feasible given the time constraintsand any resource limitations (e.g. data availability and availability of literature).


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Dissertation Form

This form mustbe submitted to the post box outside the undergraduate office byFriday 27 June 2014.

Use capital letters or fill out on computer

Surname(family name):

Forename(first name):

Programme

Accounting and Finance

Accounting and Management

Business Finance

Business

Business and Management

Marketing

Proposed broad topicarea

e.g. BehaviouralFinance or CorporateGovernance see DUOfor more examples

More detail (optionalbut encouraged)

e.g. give a full provisionaltitle any other informationcontinue overleaf ifneeded

Student signature:

Date:

OPTIONAL Academic staff may express that a topic is of personal interest here but a staffsignature is not needed to submit the form. This does not guarantee a particular supervisor.

This topic is of personal interest to staff member: ..

Staff signature:.. Date:

Any notes from staff member to be recorded overleaf.

qc dissertation schedule june 2014-1

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