Swiss School of Business Research Nüschelerstrasse 31, 8001, Zurich, Switzerland [email protected]
Swiss School of Business Research
Bachelor Thesis Guidelines
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................2
2. THE PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE BACHELOR’S THESIS ...............................4
3. THE PROCESS OF WRITING A THESIS AND A WRITING STYLE ..................................5
4. RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT ...............................................................................6
5. THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL ..............................................................................................7
6. WRITING THE BACHELOR THESIS ................................................................................
6.1 The Title Page ................................................................................................................... 8
6.2 Abstract ............................................................................................................................ 8
6.3 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................... 9
6.4 Contents Page ................................................................................................................... 9
6.5 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 9
6.6 Literature Review ............................................................................................................ 10
6.7 Research Methodology .................................................................................................... 11
6.8 Data Analysis And Findings ............................................................................................ 11
6. 1o Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 13
6. 11 References ..................................................................................................................... 14
6.12 Appendices .................................................................................................................... 14
7. CITATIONS AND REFERENCES
Swiss School of Business Research Nüschelerstrasse 31, 8001, Zurich, Switzerland [email protected]
1. Introduction
The program of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) at Swiss School of Business
Research has practical orientation. To complete the requirements of the BBA program
students are expected to deliver a thesis which should reflect the knowledge obtained
during the entire program. Along with solving a practical problem, the ...
Ecosystem Interactions Class Discussion Presentation in Blue Green Lined Styl...
Swiss School of Business Research
1. Swiss School of Business Research
Nüschelerstrasse 31, 8001, Zurich, Switzerland
[email protected]
Swiss School of Business Research
Bachelor Thesis Guidelines
Table of Contents
1. INTRODUCTION
...............................................................................................
..................2
2. THE PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES OF THE BACHELOR’S
THESIS ...............................4
3. THE PROCESS OF WRITING A THESIS AND A WRITING
STYLE ..................................5
4. RESPONSIBILITY OF THE STUDENT
...............................................................................6
5. THE RESEARCH PROPOSAL
..............................................................................................
7
6. WRITING THE BACHELOR THESIS
2. ................................................................................
6.1 The Title Page
...............................................................................................
.................... 8
6.2 Abstract
...............................................................................................
............................. 8
6.3 Acknowledgements
...............................................................................................
........... 9
6.4 Contents Page
...............................................................................................
.................... 9
6.5 Introduction
...............................................................................................
...................... 9
6.6 Literature Review
...............................................................................................
............. 10
6.7 Research Methodology
...............................................................................................
..... 11
6.8 Data Analysis And Findings
............................................................................................
11
6. 1o Conclusions
...............................................................................................
3. .................... 13
6. 11 References
...............................................................................................
...................... 14
6.12 Appendices
...............................................................................................
..................... 14
7. CITATIONS AND REFERENCES
Swiss School of Business Research
Nüschelerstrasse 31, 8001, Zurich, Switzerland
[email protected]
1. Introduction
The program of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) at
Swiss School of Business
Research has practical orientation. To complete the
requirements of the BBA program
students are expected to deliver a thesis which should reflect
the knowledge obtained
during the entire program. Along with solving a practical
problem, the thesis should also
serve as the bridge between a theory and the practice.
The purpose of the Bachelor’s thesis is to develop the basic
skills of academic research by
learning how to organize work, obtain information, and work
independently. The
students should demonstrate their proficiency in identifying an
appropriate area or
suitable topic to research: setting research objectives; locating,
4. organizing and critically
analysing the relevant primary and secondary data sources;
reviewing the literature in
the field of study; devising an appropriate research
methodology; drawing conclusions;
and if appropriate, making relevant recommendations and
indications of areas for
further research.
At the initial stage of thesis writing, every student must
determine the research problem
based on which he/she should define and justify the research
topic. The range of suitable
topics which relate to the subject area of the Bachelor’s degree
will be approved by the
instructor of the Research Methods course. It is important to
remember that the most
successful theses are those which are specific and narrowly
focused.
The thesis process will require the student to work rationally
and systematically, gather
and use information from diverse sources, combine and apply
the knowledge and skills
acquired during his/her studies, use applicable methods, make
rational decisions, use
creative problem solving and show his/her skills in good written
and oral presentation.
Where the subject is based around a business or an applicable
situation,
recommendations for action may also be required. After
completing the Bachelor’s
thesis, the students will be familiar with the methods and tools
of academic information
retrieval and they will be able to critically evaluate the
reliability and significance of
published information.
This document is intended to guide students through the process
5. of writing the
Bachelor’s thesis. It can only offer suggestions; there is nothing
that can be said which
will guarantee the production of a successful piece of completed
work, but these are the
suggestions which, through time, have been found to be both
practical and effective.
Students should read this guide before starting the thesis and
consult it as necessary
throughout the process.
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2. The Purpose and Objectives of the Bachelor’s Thesis
The aims of the Bachelor’s thesis are to:
• Combine information from different phases of education;
• Provide an opportunity to study a particular topic in depth;
• Show evidence of independent investigation;
• Put into practice relevant theories and suggest alternatives;
• Enable interaction with practitioners (where appropriate to the
chosen topic);
After completion of the Bachelor’s thesis students should be
6. able to:
Understand the relationships between the theoretical concepts
taught in class and
their application in specific situations;
Show evidence of a critical and holistic knowledge and have a
deeper understanding
of their chosen subject area;
Conduct substantive argumentation, utilizing personal views
that are based on
critical analysis of works from various fields of knowledge, and
can create synthetic
summaries on their basis;
Formulate, justify and operationalize the research questions;
Understand the methodological approaches for primary and
secondary data analysis;
Communicate data and conclusions from research
understandably, using adequate
indicators, tables, and graphs;
Understand ethical standards for scientific research, uses them,
following principles
of scientific integrity.
Understand the process and decisions to be made in managing
a project within strict
deadlines.
3. The Process of Writing a Thesis and a Writing Style
The process of thesis writing starts with the choice of the
research topic. The topic for
thesis can be found in any subject area of the field but the
student should provide solid
arguments concerning the choice of the research topic. There
are several aspects which
should be taken into consideration:
Student’s personal interest in the topic;
7. Student’s own resources (knowledge, skills and time
available);
The availability of source material and data;
The general social interest of the topic;
The importance of the topic for the student’s future
professional career.
For students writing their first thesis, narrowing down the
research topic is often
difficult, and it sometimes happens that even after the work is
finished, it is still, to some
extent, unclear what the purpose of the study actually is. The
most common problem is a
too broadly defined topic. One should note that a broadly
defined topic does not equate
to a comprehensive knowledge of the subject matter. Rather, it
is proof of inability to
discern the essential from the unessential. Ability to define the
research topic so that the
thesis offers a solution to a precisely specified research problem
is one of the most
important skills you can have as a thesis writer.
The Bachelor’ Thesis should be intelligible to a well -informed
reader and capable of
being understood in all substantive aspects without need for
further commentary. The
thesis needs to demonstrate knowledge and understanding at the
undergraduate level
and should also reach a level of scope and depth beyond that
taught in class. All works
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must be presented in an appropriate academic style and format
to ensure that the precise
aims of the thesis are met.
Academic writing tends to be neutral and objectivity is the goal,
so the passive voice or
the third person are typically used. The first person plural is the
correct choice if you
want to emphasize the choices that you, as a researcher, have
made. Notice that
academic texts use the pronoun “we” even if the talk is about
one person only. The tense
is normally the present also when referring to earlier research.
It is also vital to note that
the academic style does not just refer to the clarity of
expression, grammar, use of
citation and referencing but relates to a clearly structured
approach, to the justification
and validation of facts, theories and opinions presented to form
a precise argument.
4. Responsibility of the Student
To write the thesis in a high standard of English, using
appropriate academic terms,
citations and referencing conventions. It is the responsibility of
the student to ensure
that this condition is met;
Research the relevant literature and incorporate the latest
facts, best practice,
9. theories and/or models related to the topic;
To make an original contribution into the thesis which would
reflect the student’s
understanding of the subject and research capabilities;
Accurately reference the sources in full;
Provide traceability for conclusions reached; the solutions
proposed shall be based on
ascertainable facts and reasoning;
If during the preparation of the thesis, its focus and direction
changes substantially
from that outlined in your Research Proposal Form, then the
students should
immediately discuss this with the Academic Coordinator.
Students should remember that writing a Bachelor’s Thesis is an
autonomous work
where the students must show the skills they have learnt during
the program.
5. The Research Proposal
The research proposal which is prepared in conjunction to the
“Research Methods in
International Business” course is an important working
document. By the completion of
the undergraduate program, the research proposal should be
transformed into the
Bachelor Thesis. Students will see that the main sections of the
proposal replicate the
structure of the whole thesis.
Used correctly, the proposal will become your road map through
the thesis preparation
process. Because of a wide variety of circumstances, the focus
of the student’s research
10. may change. If this happens, students should change their
proposal document and wait
to receive confirmation of this change from the Dean’s Office.
The research proposal shows that you have thought through
what the main research
objectives are, identified the main sources of primary and
secondary data and have given
consideration as to the research methodology. The Proposal
generally provides a
“detailed skeleton” of the whole thesis; the details are added
when the literature review is
completed, and the primary research has been undertaken.
Structure of the Research Proposal
(a) A Working Title
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The title can and probably will change, but using precise
wording, even at this early
stage, will help to keep your research project properly focused.
b) An Introduction to the Topic
This will include a brief description of the topic, the aim,
research objectives and
research questions to be addressed. Students will find that
moving from research aim to
research objectives, to research questions is quite a difficult
task. This, however, will
provide a clear focus and direction for the research and help
11. students structure both the
research proposal and the final research project.
The aim of the research provides a description of what you want
to achieve from carrying
out this research.
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The objectives of the research outline particular issues that you
need to address in order
to achieve the aim. They are more specific than the aim, in that
they outline the
particular dimensions of your research topic, which are relevant
to the overall aim of
your research.
The research questions are more specific than your research
objectives and specify the
various insights/information that need to be collected in order
to achieve the objectives.
Keep in mind that the research question often starts with a Why,
How, or What.
c) A Preliminary Literature Review which indicates:
(i) that students have studied the work of the major authors in
the research field;
(ii) that students are familiar with the major themes relevant to
that subject area;
(iii) what further investigations students intend to pursue as a
part of the research
project.
12. Students should remember that they are reviewing the literature
in order to develop
sharper, more insightful and focused research questions about
the topic. Therefore, the
literature review should lead to and justify your research
objectives and questions.
d) The Detailed Research Methodology which students intend to
employ discusses
what methods are going to be used in order to address the
research the objectives of the
final project. Students need to justify why the chosen methods
were selected amongst the
many alternative ones, given its specific objectives, and
constraints students may face in
terms of access, time, etc. Referencing general advantages and
disadvantages of various
methods and techniques without specifying their relevance to
the student’s decision is
unacceptable. Don’t forget to relate the methods selected back
to the needs of the
research questions.
The Research Proposal, as well as its title, will be approved by
the instructor teaching the
“Research Methods in International Business” course. In
addition to this, students
should be aware that the only chance to receive consultation and
advice on the subject of
the bachelor thesis, methods used, sample, etc. is during the
“Research Methods in
International Business” course. At the same time, it is important
to note that the
instructor of this course should not be perceived as a thesis
supervisor/advisor since this
does not lie within the range of his/her responsibilities.
13. The research proposal should contain 3000-4000 words
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6. Writing the Bachelor Thesis
Word Count: 10,000 to 12,000 words (not including abstract,
appendices and
references);
Font: Times New Roman 12.
Paper Size: A4
Margin Settings: Top 2.54cm, Bottom 2.54cm, Left 3.17cm,
Right 3.17cm
Line Spacing: Single. Double between paragraphs.
Page Numbering: For the sections such as Acknowledgements,
Contents and others
which precede the Main Text, the page numbering format is i)
ii) iii) … and so on. For the
Main Text, the page format is numerical (1, 2, 3, etc.) with
centre alignment.
Deadline: Each academic year there are three months for Thesis
Presentations: in
June, October and January. The student will be informed about
the specific date by the
Dean’s Office.
Submission: The thesis should be submitted at least 7 days
before the final
presentation. Each student should submit three printed copies
14. and one soft copy via e-
mail.
You may also need to supply evidence of how you have arrived
at your findings.
Therefore, the student should retain the copies of all their
fieldwork and analysis in a
separate folder (including interviews, surveys and
transcriptions). These should be
provided to the members of committee during final presentation
as the evidence of the
original work.
Along with the thesis, a student should submit:
i i) A declaration that the work is entirely their own and
complies with the school’s
regulations on plagiarism;
ii ii) A statement of the word count
6.1 The Title Page
The title page should adopt the format shown in the template
which will be sent by an e-
mail one month prior to thesis defence.
6.2 Abstract
The thesis should contain an abstract written in 350 words or
less. A good abstract is
difficult to write and it can only be completed after the thesis
has been written. It
represents a brief summary of the research results. The abstract
must be transparent,
clear, avoiding descriptions and details stated in the core text of
the work. By
summarizing the results of the research, it allows other people
to get an idea of what was
accomplished without having to read through the entire thesis.
15. Other scholars can read
an abstract to decide if looking at the full work will be
worthwhile.
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Hints as to what to include in your abstract:
Aim and objectives: What are the main themes, ideas or areas
of theory being
investigated?
Boundaries: What is the context and background of the thesis?
In what areas of
theory or business practice should the reader concentrate their
attention?
Methodology: What was/were the main method(s) employed to
generate the results?
Results: What were the main findings?
Conclusions: What are the main conclusions that the student
arrived at when
reviewing the entire thesis?
Recommendations: (if appropriate) What solutions does the
student offer in answer
to the problems posed in the research objectives?
6.3 Acknowledgements
This is where the student should thank everyone who has helped
him/her during the
writing of the thesis. It is usual to mention mentors, professors,
colleagues and/or
business professionals. More personal comments about the
16. family and friends should be
kept to a minimum.
6.4 Contents Page
The contents page should list the chapter headings, appendices,
references and the pages
on which they can be found. Separate pages should be given for
lists of figures, tables
and abbreviations. The student will find it easier to create these
if they know how to
generate these lists using the indexing and style functions
within Microsoft Word.
6.5 Introduction
The purpose of this chapter is to lead the readers to the theme of
the thesis and arouse
their interest in the topic. The Introduction should outline the
background to the
research study and address the following areas:
Description, background and significance of the research
topic;
Purpose of and motivation for the study;
Research problem and research questions;
Relationship with the value added to the previous research (a
literature gap);
A brief description of the methods and tools used in the study;
Practical implications of the results – how and by whom the
results of the research
can be used.
In addition to this, the final section of the Introduction should
tell the reader what topics
are going to be discussed in each of the chapters and how the
chapters are related to each
other. In this way, the student provides the reader with a “road
17. map” of the work. Thus,
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at a glance, the reader can see (1) where they are starting from,
(2) the context in which
the journey is taking place, (3) where they are going to end up,
and (4) the route which
they will take to reach their final destination. Such a “map” will
enable the reader to
navigate their way through the work with ease and appreciate
the work the student has
completed. This chapter may be between 1000 to 1500 words.
The student should write their research project with the idea in
mind that the intended
reader and reviewer has some shared understanding of the area
being investigated.
Underpinning concepts and arguments still need to be included,
otherwise the depth of
research will be compromised. In this way, the student will not
be tempted to make too
many implicit assumptions, i.e. by making the erroneous
assumptions that the reader
has the same degree of knowledge about the matters in question
or can follow, exactly,
the thought processes without clearly defining them. It should
be a document which is
“self-contained” and does not need any additional explanation,
interpretation, or
18. reference to other documents in order that it may be fully
understood.
6.6 Literature Review
The literature review part can contain several chapters and its
structure and contents are
determined by the chosen topic and research orientation.
Typically, the following issues
are addressed:
Definition of key terms and concepts;
Description of the central theoretical frameworks and research
approaches related to
the chosen topic;
Definition of the theoretical and conceptual framework of the
thesis;
Critical review of previous empirical studies (different
viewpoints, methodological
approaches, most important results, differences of opinion,
contradictions and
shortcomings);
Positioning of the thesis in relation to the research field;
Definition of the research strategy (in qualitative research) or
the hypotheses to be
tested (in quantitative research).
The literature review is presented in the form of a précis, a
classification, a comparison,
and a critical analysis of that material which is relevant to a full
understanding of the
research study. Such published material may be drawn from all,
or a combination of,
textbooks, journal articles, conference papers, reports, case
studies, the Internet,
magazine features or newspaper articles. It should be
remembered; the most important
19. source of academic literature are journal articles and students
should ensure that they
are familiar with the most recent publications in journals
relevant to the subject area.
Remember that a literature review should lead and justify the
research
objectives and questions identified in the thesis. Moreover, the
literature
review should not just be a catalogue of authors, frameworks
and ideas but
should attempt to introduce a critical evaluation of the work of
those
authors. The literature review will be around 2,500 to 3,000
words.
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6.7 Research Methodology
The student should begin the Research Methodology chapter by
restating the research
objectives of the project. This will enable the reader to make an
assessment as to the
validity of the chosen research methodology. This chapter
provides the student an
opportunity to justify to the reader the process by which the
research questions, which
were derived by an analysis of the relevant literature, were
answered. The main points to
be covered in the Methodology part are as follows:
Where was the research conducted?
20. Who were the subjects (how many, gender, age, other
categories)? How were they
selected?
What research techniques were employed to collect the data
(recorded interview,
questionnaires, observations, experiments) and why?
Which tools were used to analyse the data?
The chapter on research methodology must painstakingly argue
for and justify each
decision that is taken when arriving at the way in which the
research is to be organized.
Every time that the student, the researcher, has to make a choice
from several options,
the student must state what each of these are, why the choice
was made, and why the
student rejected those not used.
The conclusion of this chapter should provide a summary of the
main points that have
been covered. The summary should direct the reader as to how
the contents of this
chapter link to the content of the next chapter, the student’s
findings. This chapter will
be between 1,000 and 1,500 words.
6.8 Data Analysis and Findings
This is the core part of the Bachelor thesis because students
have to use the data from
their own research as evidence or examples to defend / confi rm
their assumptions and to
try to answer specific research question(s) stated at the
beginning of their project.
Depending upon the subject area, this can be in the form of
detailed quantitative models,
hypothesis testing to some basic analysis using basic descriptive
21. statistics or qualitative
techniques dealing with structured content analysis, textual
analysis, or case study
descriptions.
Stages of analysis and interpretation of findings
Data Analysis. This section should focus on the information
gathered in relation to
how it was gathered, where, and by whom. This involves
reviewing the information,
identifying links, patterns, and common themes, arranging the
facts in order, and
presenting them as they are, without adding any comments on
their significance. The
order in which the results are presented may be chronological,
following the order in
which the facts were obtained; or hierarchical, in order of their
relative importance to the
heart of the investigation.
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It is important to note that not all works may contain
quantitative data analysis. In many
situations, students will have made extensive use of qualitative
research techniques such
as focus groups and/or in-depth unstructured interviews. While
quantitative data lends
itself to graphs, tables and so on, qualitative data and the way it
22. is presented, pose
particular challenges for students. The student’s objective
should be based on the belief
that the data must be presented in such a manner as to make it
easy for the reader to
follow the logic of the analysis. For the analysis of the results
obtained through focus
groups or in-depth interviews, the students should employ
coding in order to interpret
the findings correctly. Whatever form of data analysis has been
undertaken, it must be
accomplished with care and attention to detail.
The analysis of qualitative data should be based on the research
questions and issues
that you explored during your fieldwork. For instance, the
student may have addressed
six or seven critical questions in a series of interviews. Each of
these questions should be
examined separately, rather than describing each focus group in
turn. This provides a
degree of logical flow and development to the analysis. In
addition, it is advisable to
focus on the points of agreement and disagreement that emerged
during the interviews.
This should be supported with relevant quotations from the
transcripts of the interviews.
The student should avoid lengthy quotations, unless they are of
critical importance.
However, short excerpts enrich the reader’s understanding of
the issues and provide the
student with the opportunity to shed clearer insight on the topic.
Many students make the mistake of providing a very superficial,
descriptive analysis of
qualitative data. This does not allow the student to demonstrate
23. that the research he/she
has undertook was of a substantive nature. Tables, figures (pies,
charts, histograms, etc.)
should also be included that reflect the respondent’s overall
attitudes, perceptions and
views about the themes. In addition to this, sufficient detail
should be included in the
analysis to enable the reader to see the investigative steps the
student has followed, how
the methodological decisions were made and why. It should be
remembered that the
facts have to be presented clearly, coherently, and full y before
they can be interpreted. A
very important feature of the data analysis is the checking and
crosschecking of
information in order to establish the quality or trustworthiness
of the findings.
NOTE: The student is not required to include all the transcripts
of interviews, surveys
or data sheets in this chapter. Only summarized data should be
included in the main
body of the research project. Appendixes should be restricted to
no more than 25
pages. Students should keep the additional information in a
folder for use by the
committee if needed.
Interpretation. The second stage is to determine what the results
mean and how
significant they are in the specific context to which they belong.
This section is aimed to
develop analytical and critical thinking based on primary data
and its analysis with the
reference to theoretical arguments grounded in the literature
review. The student should
24. try to highlight where there are major differences and
similarities from the literature or
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between different groups. The following are some of the
questions to answer when
interpreting the study results:
What do the results mean?
Why did the results turn out the way they did?
What are possible explanations of the results?
Have all the why questions been answered? Do some of them
require further
investigation?
Judgement. The analysis of data and interpretation of results
ultimately lead to
judging the findings as positive or negative or both, and stating
the reasons why. The
values of other stakeholders are brought to bear on the study
findings. For example, the
findings may show what is good, bad, desirable, or undesirable
for the implementation of
the research results. The question to be answered here is: What
is the significance of the
findings to the various stakeholders in a particular setting?
While interpreting and providing a judgment about the results it
is important to strike a
25. fair balance between the positive and negative aspects of the
findings. For example,
positive findings should be emphasized without brushing over
negative ones. Similarly,
negative findings should not only be listed, but discussed in a
way that explores possible
practical solutions or feasible remedies.
Recommendations. The fourth stage is to draw some
recommendations for action to
be taken on the basis of the analysis, interpretation, and
judgement of study findings.
The Recommendations section should normally address the
following questions:
What are the implications of the findings, based on the
analysis, interpretation, and
judgements? What are the implications:
What should be done by different stakeholders in order to
implement the results?
The more the different concerned parties or stakeholders are
involved in the
interpretation and judgement of the study results, the easier it
will be for you to reflect
their interests in the recommendations. Practical and feasible
suggestions should be
clearly included in the recommendations.
The length of this chapter is typically between 3,000-5,000
words.
6. 1o Conclusions
In the conclusion, the student should bring together all parts of
26. the thesis by
demonstrating how the initial research plan has been addressed
in such a way that the
conclusions may be formed from the evidence obtained in the
research process. No new
material or quotations should be added here. The conclusions
should make a statement
on the extent to which each of the aims and objectives have
been met. The students
should bring back their research questions and state clearly the
understanding of those
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questions. Be careful not to make claims that are not
substantiated from the evidence
presented in earlier chapters.
If the student is undertaking a company project based around a
business issue, he/she
should not confuse recommendations for the company with
conclusions. The
conclusions address the wider understanding of the issue that
has been studied. In
addition, the student should include a short sub-section on any
suggestions for further
research for colleagues who might wish to undertake research in
this area in the future.
There should also be a short statement of the limitations of the
research. Often as a
single case study or limited range of companies the students
27. cannot really claim that
his/her research holds true for all companies. However, by
adopting a rigorous approach
to the student’s literature review and methods which have
validity and can be repeated,
the student can make a reasonable but limited claim that their
conclusions should be
taken seriously. The length of the conclusion chapter should be
1,000-1,500 words.
6. 11 References
All references used in writing the thesis (whether direct
quotations or paraphrasing)
should be included in a reference list/bibliography, compiled in
alphabetical order by
author. Good literature sources are the following:
Peer-reviewed journals and academic writings
Professional / scientific books
Professional / industrial magazines
Conference publications
The APA style for listing references should be used.
6.12 Appendices
Appendices may be used to provide relevant supporting
evidence for reference but
should only be used if necessary. Students may wish to include
in appendices, evidence
28. which confirms the originality of their work or illustrates points
of principle set out in
the main text, questionnaires, and interview guidelines. Only
subsidiary material should
be included in appendices. Students should not assume that
Appendices will be read by
Examiners in detail.
Swiss School of Business Research
Nüschelerstrasse 31, 8001, Zurich, Switzerland
[email protected]
7. Citations and References
It is important that the student has made the correct citations
and references. The
student must always cite the source of his/her material;
inadequate citation could leave
the student open to the suspicion of plagiarism.
Within text citation
This is where any formal mention that the student makes in
his/her thesis to something
written by someone else. Every citation must be supported by a
reference which supplies
the details which will enable the reader to follow up that
citation. The school employs the
APA style of referencing. If the student refers to the work of an
author in-text, then it
should be cited as, for example,
Smith (1997) states that the shoe size of an individual is a
function of three criteria.
29. or
Shoe size has been demonstrated to be a function of three
criteria (Smith 1997).
Perhaps more than one author has made a broadly similar point
and the student wants
to include them all. In such a case the citation should appear as
follows:
'Logistics research is always important in new product
development’ (Freeman 1997;
Hardy 1989; Willis 1999).
If the student quotes directly from an author's work, he/she
should include the page
number from which the quotation is taken, e.g. (Smith 1997, p
4.)
End of text referencing
The list of references is placed at the end of the thesis (in
alphabetical order of first
author’s surname), as follows:
For a journal: Smith, S. (1997) “The Effects of Shoe Size on
Consumer Behaviour”,
Journal of International Shoe Manufacturers, Vol. 34, No. 45,
pp 23-45.
For a textbook: Smith, S. (1997) Strategy, Marketing and
Consumers, Paisley, Academic
Free Press, 7th edition.
If the student is only referring to a small portion of a large text,
then he/she must specify
which parts are relevant by adding either the chapters, “chapters
4 and 6”, to which the
reference is made, or the appropriate pages (Smith 1997, pp
126-341).
Please consult the APA guidelines for referencing.