pmba: mt briefing
TRANSCRIPT
PMBA:MT Briefing
Purpose
Topic choice
Process und schedule
Master Thesis concept
Mater Thesis structure
Formal requirements
What makes an excellent Master Thesis?
Questions
Overview
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Important part of your PMBA program
A specific and relevant practical problem
Meaningful research question
Deepen your knowledge in a specific topic
Answering the research question with
knowledge you have acquired in the program
theories from literature
empirical
Purpose
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The topic corresponds to your own interests and is of practical relevance
The sources that are used are easy to locate and access
Access to companies/cases, literature
The methodical requirements of the Master Thesis correspond to your area of experience
Recommendation: Case studies and expert interviews
The subject of the Master Thesis is within the supervisor’s area of expertise
Topic Choice
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Analysis of Project Alliance structure: Reflection on Strategic Railway Alliance in the UK
Design and Implementation of Training and Development Programs: The case of an European Banking Group
Project Management of Government Projects: Analysis based on the Bulgarian case “Operational Programme Environment 2007-2013“
Success Factors of Global Client Projects: The case of a Management Consulting Firm
Examples
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Search for a topic (from now on)
Contact the Academic Director
For a quick idea check
Discuss potential supervisor with Academic Director
Literature search
Prepare a first draft of the MT proposal
Contact Supervisor
Discuss MT proposal and deepen it into a concept
Individual agreement with supervisor on process
Process and schedule I
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Formal submission of application form via Moodle (by end of January 2021)
The application form includesName of the author (and, if applicable, name of the co-author)Working title of the Master Thesis Presentation of the problem and aims of the Master Thesis Preliminary schedule (milestones)
Needs signature of supervisor
Work on the Master Thesis
Contact with supervisor according to individual agreement
Submission of the Master Thesis (by June 30, 2021)
Use required forms, see MT guidelines
Process and schedule II
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Rational, motivation
Main definitions
Objectives
Research question(s)
Research process and methods
Expected results
First draft of a list of content
Literature list
Typical Structure: MT Concept
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Introduction
Rational, motivation
Objectives
Research question, research propositions
Research process and methods
Overview chapters
Literature chapters
Model/research propositions
Critical summary of the literature
Your model/research propositions
Empirical part
For example cases studies, interviews…
Comparison of cases
Discussion of findings (relates your empirical findings back to the literature)
Conclusions
Recommendations for practice
Bibliography
Appendix
Typical Structure: Master Thesis
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Proper literature
o A practical report is not enough (academic paper)
o Apply relevant literature
o Theory provides the basis for the empirical part
o References and literature
o Books and book chapters, but also academic journals (access through library)
o Typical PM Journals:
o International Journal of Project Management, Project Management Journal
Use of templates
o Templates for Cover Page and Affidavit are mandatory
o Templates in electronic form are available on Moodle
Formal Requirements I
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Blocking of the Master Thesis
o In exceptional and well-founded cases for a max. duration of five years
o Use specific form
Language and scope
o In English
o Take care of proofreading and English language check, plan time for it
o About 60 pages
o Exceeding of more than 15% needs approval by the supervisor
Formal Requirements II
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Plagiarism: Conscious improper incorporation of extraneous intellectual property by
o missing or incorrect citation of external ideas
o copying the Master Thesis (or parts of it) from the internet
o incorporating citations or translations from foreign-language texts without naming the sources
o using a “ghost writer”
• Contradiction to academic standards
• Violation of copyright
Formal Requirements III
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What is referencing?
Referencing is a system used in the academic community to indicate where ideas, theories, quotes, facts and any other evidence and information used to undertake an assignment, can be found.
Why do I need to reference my work?
To avoid plagiarism
Referencing your work correctly ensures that you give appropriate credit to the sources and authors that you have used in the Master’s Thesis.
Referencing the sources that you have used demonstrates that you have undertaken wide-ranging research in order to create your work.
Referencing your work enables the reader to consult for themselves the same materials that you used.
What do I need to reference?
All the information that you have used will need to be acknowledged.
Make a note of all the details of the sources that you use.
References: Overview
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Different formats exist
Most important is the consistency! You need to stick to the same style throughout your Master Thesis
In the text:
Direct quote: “Quote“ (Huemann et al. 2010, page 33)
Indirect quote: Huemann (2013) argues….
Further information an examples on the Harvard style
http://libguides.staffs.ac.uk/ld.php?content_id=9572296
References
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Identifying an interesting and timely problem,
Defining it clearly and stating its (practical) relevance
Research question(s)
Be clear and transparent on the research process and methods
Eg number of interviews, how the interview partners were selected, why are these the right ones, how was the interview documented, how was it analyzed?
The author utilizes theory to discuss a practical problem The results are clear and evident and are discussed accurately.
The Master Thesis is completely rounded
Clear structure, including introduction and summaries per chapter
Clear golden string through out the text
No superfluous tangents, but clear and thorough argumentation.
What makes a good MT?
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Covid 19 context
Managing urgent topics: Get things done
Managing crisis in projects
Managing crisis with projects
Creating the future with projects
Possibility to join current research topics (Project Management Group)
Project careers
Incentives in project work
Resilience
Project crisis management
Rethink project success
Stakeholder engagement
Some current hot topics
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Field Trip 2021
Finland
7 –14 August, 2021
Around 675,000 inhabitants
One of the mostlivable citites in theworld
Canada’s main business hub for trade with Asia and the Pacific Rim
Vancouver
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Tentative Schedule
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was founded in 1965, around 24,000 active students
SFU is Canada's most community-engaged research university, with three thriving urban campuses
Simon Fraser Universityhttps://www.sfu.ca/
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