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Dissertation Research Proposal Guidelines

Title of Dissertation
The working title should clearly reflect the nature of the work to be carried out and should be as concise as possible.

Make sure that topic of your dissertation must reflect the course for which you are registered. In the process of selecting a topic check that:
• You have access to the necessary resources to carry out the work.
• You have made a realistic assessment of the amount of time that the research work will take and set yourself a realistic schedule. You have nearly three months to complete your GCM MBA Dissertation project.
• You have genuine interest in pursuing the work

Aims of Dissertation
A clear statement of the aims of the work is crucial and could take a number of forms. An appropriate format could be to express these in form of small number of statements (3-5) to answer the questions that the research will seek to answer. Whatever format adopted, it is essential that the aims focus on issues and problems, which have some originality and can be investigated in the time available.

Research Hypothesis(es)
Your research hypothesis(es) serves many key functions such as it guides the direction of the study; identifies facts that are relevant; suggests which form of research design is appropriate; and provides a framework for organizing the conclusions that result. Accordingly you need to generate adequate hypothesis(es) for your proposed research which you can properly test during your research. You need to make it sure that your hypothesis must be adequate for its purpose, must be testable and must be better than its rivals.
Literature Review
The proposal must show how the proposed work will build on existing areas of knowledge. A detailed exposition is not expected but it must be evident that a research context has been established through an examination of relevant literature. Depending on the focus of the work, the context may be subject based (what has been done before), problem based how the problem has bee approached previously), or methodology based (what methods have been applied in this kind of study before). The critical review of exiting literature must show some awareness of the current state of knowledge on the subject, its limitations, and how the proposed research aims add to add what is known. You can use the extensive on-line journals & magazines database accessible to you by EBESCO. In addition, GCM library is equipped with number of business reference books which you can make use off.

Research Methodology
There must be an indication of what approach(es) will be used to address the questions posed by research. A brief description of research methodology components (research design, research approach, research instruments, sample design decisions, data analysis techniques etc.) is required and the student must demonstrate why the proposed method was chosen. Research methodology is a key component of your research proposal and it sets the roadmap of your dissertation project.

Plan of Work
Details plans are not required, but it must be evident that the student has given some thought to the timescale of the proposed research and that the intended schedules are realistic. There should be clear link to the methodology section and evidence that all phases of the work have been considered, including writing up of dissertation report. Please be aware that you have approximately three months to complete your research project.

Resources Required
Students are required to indicate the availability of resource material (books, reference texts, journals/ periodicals, computer / internet facilities) and other requirements essential to complete the research study in Malta.

Bibliography
A list of all work cited in the proposal should be included. The bibliography should have a consistent style and follow a recognized convention. You are required to identify relevant researches done in your chosen field and provide details of them in your work as per established referencing / bibliographic conventions. Students need to follow the Harvard style.

Form of Presentation
A wide range of presentation methods may be adopted but for the most students it is expected that the ‘standard’ thesis format will be most appropriate form of presentation. Any variation from this style (videos, tapes, computer disks etc.) must be justified and shown to be consistent with the aims and content of the work.

NOTE: The approximate length of dissertation research proposal is 1,000 words.