Dissertation Supervisors

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Organisational Behaviour. This course is not available as an outside option.

This course contains two parts: (a) Research Methods for OB and (b) Engaged Self and Scholarship workshops.

Research Methods for OB: is designed to guide and support students through the process of developing an empirical dissertation. MT sessions will focus on helping students understand the expectations, identify a research question, and become familiar with the process of conducting a piece of independent research. LT sessions will focus on specific methods in particular using SPSS software. A goal of this course is to help students develop strong research and analytical skills; an important part of this skill set includes familiarity with the widely used SPSS software.

Engaged Self and Scholarship (ES&S) provides a forum for students to address the research-practice divide and develop skills to bridge that divide. It will help students develop their professional skills and professional identity. Topics include: managing the consultant-client relationship, making research relevant to practice, developing your brand, presentation skills, and time management.

Because this course is designed to build students' skill, sessions are highly interactive, with an emphasis on discussion, self-reflection, and exercises. Therefore, course readings are few and will be supplemented with practical assignments such as preparing a draft CV or reflecting on a discussion question and preparing a short written answer for the following session.

10 hours of lectures in the MT. 14 hours of lectures in the LT.

One day workshop at induction

Students will be expected to produce 1 essay in the LT.

The essay will be 1,500 words and will act as a literature review for the dissertation proposal.

Drucker, P.F. (1999) Managing Oneself. Harvard Business Review. Rynes, S.L., Giluk, T.L., & Brown, K.G. (2007) The very separate worlds of academic and practitioner periodicals in human resource management: Implications for evidence-based management. Academy of Management Journal, 50(5), 987-1008. Iyengar, S. S., Wells, R. E., & Schwartz, B. (2006). Doing Better but Feeling Worse: Looking for the 'Best' Job Undermines Satisfaction. Psychological Science, 17(2), 143-150. Gabarro & Kotter: "Managing Your Boss," Harvard Business Review, January 2005.

Dissertation (90%, 10000 words) post-summer term.
Research proposal (10%) in the LT.

The final grade in this course will be based on two elements: 1. A 2,000-word research proposal (10%) due Week 5 of Lent Term. 2. A 10,000-word dissertation (90%) due on 31st August.