Module Number: BMP6001

Module Name: Dissertation

Year/Trimester: 2021-22/Semester 1 & 2
Module Tutor/s: Sahar Ata/Rexon Nting/ Honor Pacey

Assessment Number 2
Assessment Type (and Dissertation – 70%
weighting) (8,000 words)
Assessment Name Dissertation
Assessment Submission Saturday 11 December 2021 at 23:59
Date

Learning Outcomes Assessed:

LO1: Identify an appropriate research topic and formulate appropriate objectives
LO3: Produce a critical literature review and research methodology
LO4: Undertake primary research and critically appraise the results
LO5: Synthesise research findings and make informed judgements in the light of
these

Assessment Brief:
This assessment satisfies the learning outcomes as specified in module guide.

Specific Assessment Criteria

85%+: Your dissertation will be of exceptional quality where you demonstrate
exceptional knowledge and understanding of academic models and concepts
relating to your chosen academic subject area and excellent research skills and
abilities. The analysis of relevant models and concepts will be of exceptional quality.
The dissertation structure, its presentation, your written English and your referencing
will all be of a very high standard indeed.

70% - 84%: Your dissertation will be of excellent quality where you demonstrate
excellent knowledge and understanding of academic models and concepts relating
to your chosen academic subject area and excellent research skills and abilities. The
analysis of relevant models and concepts will be of excellent quality. The dissertation
structure, its presentation, your written English and your referencing will all be of a
very high standard indeed.

60% - 69%: Your dissertation will be of very good quality where you demonstrate a
very good knowledge and understanding of academic models and concepts relating
to your chosen academic subject areaand excellent research skills and abilities. The
analysis of relevant models and concepts will be of very good quality. The
dissertation structure, its presentation, your written English and your referencing will

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all be of a very good standard. The academic content, the quality of discussion,
referencing, and other elements will be likely to require some or limited development.

50 – 59%: Your dissertation will be of good quality where you demonstrate a good
knowledge and understanding of academic models and concepts relating to your
chosen academic subject area and good research skills and abilities. The analysis of
relevant models and concepts will be of good quality. The dissertation structure, its
presentation, your written English and your referencing will all be of a good standard.
The academic content, the quality of discussion, referencing, and other elements will
be likely to require some development.

40% - 49%: Your dissertation will demonstrate a satisfactory awareness of academic

models and concepts relating to academic models and concepts relating to your
chosen academic subject area and satisfactory research skills and abilities. There
will be some omissions of expected content and the analysis of relevant models and
concepts is likely to be cursory. There will probably be significant problems with any
combination of the dissertation structure, its presentation, your written English and
your referencing. The academic content, the quality of discussion, referencing, and
other elements will be likely to require extensive development.

Borderline Fail 35-40%: Your dissertation will demonstrate limited awareness of

academic models and concepts relating to your chosen academic subject area and a
deficit of research skills and abilities. You are likely to offer limited analysis of
relevant models and concepts and there will probably be significant omissions of
expected content. In addition, there will probably be very significant problems with
any combination of the dissertation structure, its presentation, your written English
and your referencing. The academic content, the quality of discussion, referencing,
and other elements will be likely to require very extensive development. Only the
most obvious issues are addressed at a superficial level and in unchallenging terms.

Fail ≤34%: Your dissertation will demonstrate a lack of basic knowledge of either
theory or research practice for this level, with little or no evidence of understanding
or research skills. Arguments are likely to be severely limited and the work will lack
clarity with sparse conclusions.

Dissertation Presentation Guidelines

The following guidelines should be used in preparing your written document in order
that all dissertations conform to a similar style and structure.

Technical Specification
 The dissertation should be typed on A4 white paper, be double spaced, and on one
side of the paper only.
 All pages should be numbered at the centre of the bottom of the page.
 Photographs and other illustrative material should be scanned – adhesive tape etc.
is unacceptable.

Binding
The dissertation may be bound using either:
 Plastic spiral spine;
 Staple and tape;

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 Hardbound.

Length
The dissertation should be 8,000 words in length (excluding cover page, contents
page, tables, figures, reference list and appendices).

Word Count. You are expected to revise and edit your dissertation to remain within
+/- 10% of the allocated word limit for that piece of work. In order to ensure that word
counts can easily be checked you should include:

A note of the word count, as performed by your word processing package, should be
included in the dissertation. A deduction is made for all tables, figures, appendices
and bibliography, which DO NOT count towards the overall word limit.

It is likely to be an exceptional piece of work that covers the dissertation

requirements fully in much less than the set word count less 10%.

Structure of the Dissertation

The dissertation should follow the structure below:

 Title page
 Abstract
 Acknowledgements
 Glossary
 Contents page
 List of tables
 List of figures
 List of appendices
 Introduction
 Literature Review
 Methodology
 Findings and Analysis
 Conclusions and Recommendations
 Bibliography
 Word count
 Appendices

Title Page
This should be presented in the following manner:

THE UNIVERSITY OF BOLTON

BSc (Hons) Business Management

DISSERTATION TITLE

STUDENT’S NAME

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 STUDENT’S NUMBER

BAM6001 DISSERTATION

To be submitted to the
June 2019 Examination Board

Supervisor: NAME

The front page should create an accurate impression of the content of the dissertation.
The dissertation title should communicate concisely the main thrust of the work. It can
be followed by a longer clarification of the area investigated. For example, the title may
be:

MOTIVATING EMPLOYEES
A Case Study of job satisfaction in Bank X in Bolton

Abstract
This is a summary of about 250-500 words which describes the issue under
investigation and the aims of the study. It should also briefly identify the main
conclusions and recommendations. It should be no longer than one page.

Acknowledgements
This is a brief summary of the people and organisations you may wish to thank.

Glossary
Explain any key terms employed.

Contents Page
This should show the reader how the report is structured and how the author has
developed their approach to the problem. The contents page should be presented in
the following manner:

CONTENTS
CHAPTER Page

Abstract i
Acknowledgement ii
Glossary iii
List of Figures
List of Tables where applicable iv
List of Appendices

1 INTRODUCTION 1

2 LITERATURE REVIEW3

3 METHODOLOGY 13

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 4FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS 20

5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 35

BIBLIOGRAPHY 40

WORD COUNT 45

APPENDICES 46

List of Tables, Figures and Appendices

It is likely throughout the dissertation that you will want to use tables or diagrams to
present information. If these are directly related to your arguments it is better to
include them in the main body, rather than the appendices. In such cases, it is
conventional to provide a special "contents page" – List of Figures/List of Tables –
which identify clearly where tables and figures are located.

List of Tables
Page
Table 1. Motivational factors for employees 38
Table 2. Motivational factors for managers 40

Moreover, when you have more than one Appendix, you should include a special
"contents page" listing all the Appendices.

Introduction
The introduction should set the context and tone for the rest of the dissertation. You
should outline the reasons giving rise to the problem or issue to be identified. It should
give a broad introduction to the topic under review and the issues raised. The main
point is to set clear objective(s) that you are seeking to achieve by the end of the
dissertation report, which should be relatively concise and precise.

Literature Review
The review should examine the relevant literature and develop a conceptual and
theoretical framework, based on models and theories, which will be used to analyse
the topic under investigation. It should also involve a synthesis and a critical
evaluation of current knowledge and background material on the topic being
explored. Information from textbooks, academic and industry journals, newspapers
and organisational documentation should be discussed, compared and contrasted in
a structured and critical manner. Write selectively and focus on what is directly
related to your topic. The review may consist of a number of sections or subsections.

Methodology
This section should provide a critical discussion of the research methods and
approaches considered and your rationale for the research design developed. The
issue of triangulation and validity in the research design need to be covered in detail
together with a critical discussion and evaluation of the design framework. Any

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limitations in the research design that emerged from the investigation should be
acknowledged. The methodology should provide sufficient detail to allow your
supervisor to assess the reliability and validity of your methods.

Findings and Analysis

In this section the results of your primary research should be presented and
analysed, in a clear and concise manner. You will need to determine the key
elements of your study and structure your results accordingly (it is not appropriate to
simply list responses to questionnaires/interviews in question order). Your analysis
and evaluation of data should be clearly linked to and supported by the academic
concepts discussed in your literature review. This section may include tables
(numerical information), figures (qualitative responses, graphs, charts) and
photographs to illustrate points.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Your conclusions should naturally flow from your discussion and analysis of your
findings. The conclusions should include a summary of your main findings which can
be brought to bear on the defined objectives of the study. You should also include a
discussion about the alternative courses of action available and their feasibility,
desirability and acceptability to the organisation. Your conclusions need to be
referenced back to your Literature Review and Findings and Analysis. The
recommendations should emerge from the conclusions and should be feasible and
practical: where costs are likely to be incurred, there needs to be a justification of the
likely benefits. In addition, you need to consider and identify the possible human,
political and managerial implications of any recommendations. This section should
not introduce new material.

Bibliography
References must be Harvard style. Guidance is available at
http://www.bolton.ac.uk/bissto/Finding-Information/Referencing/Home.aspx

Word count
This is a word-processed count of all words from the Introduction to the
Recommendations (excluding tables, figures).

Appendices
In your appendices you should include:
 A blank copy of your Questionnaire or Interview Questions
 A small sample of completed Questionnaires (up to 5)
 Tables of raw data
 Additional information which provides support to the discussion in the main
body of the Dissertation Report
 Print out of first page of your TurnitinUK receipt.

Appendices should be numbered and given titles, which indicate their content and be
clearly referenced in the main body of the Report.

NOTE: You must keep all of your research materials (questionnaires etc). They may
be requested by your supervisor, moderator and/or external examiner.

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NOTE: Where information contained in a report is considered to be confidential to
your employer, arrangements can be made to restrict access to a dissertation.

Ethical Procedures
You are required to complete and submit an Ethics Checklist form as part of the
workshop tasks to demonstrate that you have considered ethical implications of your
research. Form RE1 - Research Ethics Checklist can be found at
http://www.bolton.ac.uk/Students/PoliciesProceduresRegulations/AllStudents/
ResearchEthics/Home.aspx

NOTE: Your project may need to be considered by the Ethics Committee before its
approval, depending on the nature of your research.

Submission of the Dissertation

The submission deadline for your Dissertation Report (70% of the module mark) is
WEEK 10 of your second semester of the Dissertation module.

A hard copy of your dissertation with a white general cover sheet, should be
submitted to your supervisor.

An electronic copy of the dissertation has to be submitted via “Turn-it-in”.

NOTE: Submission of the Dissertation may be done on or before the published
submission date. Dissertations not available at this time will be considered late,
unless an extension has been previously agreed.

Working with your Supervisor

Allocation of supervisors
You will be allocated a Dissertation Supervisor after the Dissertation Workshops have finished.
The Supervisor will be responsible for guiding you through the dissertation module. To
maximise your chances of gaining a good grade, it is important that you make an appointment
with your supervisor as soon as is practical. It is the student’s responsibility to contact his
or her supervisor.

The role of dissertation supervisors

Your dissertation supervisor is an important resource who can give you advice on how to
organise, conduct and produce your dissertation. The responsibilities of the dissertation
supervisor are as follows:

 To agree proposed dissertation title

Your dissertation supervisor must approve your dissertation title. Any change in the
title and/or subject matter of your dissertation must be agreed in writing by your supervisor.

 To provide advice, support and guidance throughout the dissertation

Your supervisor cannot do the work for you, but can help you to define:
o The overall objective of the research in broad terms
o The specific dissertation objectives – what you want to look at in detail
o The proposed approach, theoretical framework, conceptual models,
methodologies
o An estimate of the resources required and time available, plus interim deadlines
o Contingency plans; Ethical considerations

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In summary, your supervisor can help considerably by acting as a sounding board for your
ideas and plans. Your supervisor can indicate lines of thought that you may not have
considered, or ask questions which will force you to explain and justify your ideas and
directions.

 To assess your dissertation

Your dissertation supervisor will be the first assessor of your dissertation. A sample of all of
the students’ dissertations is internally and externally moderated.

Key Stage Progress Meetings

Purpose
Although the dissertation has been built around the concept of independent learning this does
not mean that the student will be given total responsibility for controlling the time line for the
production of the dissertation. As part of the assessed workshops programme you will agree a
series of meetings designed to monitor and support your progress.

You must consult your supervisor at regular agreed intervals. You must make an appointment
with your supervisor to discuss each piece of draft work that you submit. The appointment
should be made at the time that you submit each draft.

Drafts
Drafts of the dissertation should be submitted to the dissertation supervisor, subject to prior
arrangement. Failure to submit draft work at the stated times is likely to have a significant
impact on your final grade for the dissertation.

Failure to meet with your supervisor could lead to failure of the module. It is your responsibility
to contact your dissertation supervisor to arrange meetings to discuss your progress. The
importance of these key stage progress meetings cannot be over-emphasised, and are
designed to act as deadlines to motivate you to achieve particular stages of the dissertation,
and obtain feedback from your supervisor.

Feedback

Formal summative feedback is provided on the standard feedback form below after your
submission. Because of its length and complexity dissertation coursework in this module is not
usually marked on Grade mark. However, during your supervision you can expect to receive
significant and frequent formative feedback.

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