MBA FIELD STUDY GUIDELINES

Transcription

1 MBA FIELD STUDY GUIDELINES BE WORTH MORE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT University of the Free State

2 Guidelines Introduction: The field study is written under the guidance of a supervisor and must provide evidence that: The student is capable of doing independent scientific research The student is able to apply the analytical skills and knowledge obtained during the MBA programme The student has gained fresh insight into the chosen field of study The student is able to use all of the above as an aid to creative problem solving and management decision-making General: 1. Registration for the field study (GNR791) is conditional on the following two prerequisites: Successful completion of the writing workshop(s) for MBA students A pass mark for Business Research Methods (MBA711/721) or an equivalent course in applied research methods 2. Students have to complete their field study within two consecutive years after registering for the first time for the MBA field study (GNR791). 3. The outline of responsibilities in the timeline applies to all MBA students. 4. For students commencing with their MBA studies during the July intake it is advisable to start with their field study during the fourth semester of their studies, otherwise it may happen that students have to pay registration fees twice.

3 5. Should a student fail to complete the two oral presentations in March and September, he/she will have to postpone his/her presentation to the next academic year. The implication of any such postponement is an extension of the field study and of the completion of his/her MBA studies. 6. Should a student fail to complete his/her field study within one academic year, he/she will have to register again for the field study in the following academic year. Apart from postponing his/her studies, such situation implies an additional financial obligation, because the student will have to pay study fees for the module, including, if applicable, registration fees. 7. Technical and language editing of a field study is compulsory. Editing is the responsibility of the student. If a supervisor is not satisfied with the editing of a field study, he/she may postpone the final submission of the field study. 8. Two temporarily bounded copies of the field study must be submitted for assessment purposes according to the rules and regulations of the School of Management. 9. Submission of field studies for assessment purposes will only take place in November of each year no exceptions will be made. 10. It remains the responsibility of the student to contact the supervisor and to arrange appointments with the supervisor. 11. All interim submissions must be typed. No hand written submissions will be accepted.

4 MBA FIELD STUDY: TIMELINE TASK/OUTCOME RESPONSIBILITY TIME FRAME 1. Define research topic in broad terms 2. Allocation of students to supervisors 3. Submit draft research proposal (10 pages) to supervisor 4. Revise and resubmit research proposal to supervisor 5. Revise research proposal 6. Finalisation of research topic 7. Presentation of final research proposal 8. Conduct required primary research 9. Write up the field study 10. Submit full draft of field study to supervisor Student: Submit research topic to MBA office MBA office: Notify MBA students of name and contact details of supervisors Student: Write draft research proposal Student: revise title and research proposal Student: Submit revised title and research proposal to supervisor; at least one face-to-face meeting with supervisor Supervisor: Approve title and confirm student's readiness for 1 st oral presentation with MBA office MBA office: Arrange sessions for oral presentations and confirm schedule with students Panel of supervisors: Attend and evaluate oral presentations Student: Present research proposal (15 min) Student: Conduct research, i.e. instrument design and piloting, data collection and analysis Student: Submit drafts of field study to supervisor; at least two face-toface meetings with supervisor Student: Submit full draft of field study to supervisor and confirm End September Mid October End January Mid February February March End February March March July July August Mid August

5 11. Identification of moderators 12. Presentation of preliminary findings 13. Revise field study 14. Submit completed field study to supervisor 15. Submit completed field study for assessment purposes 16. Revise field study 17. Submit final copies of completed field study student s readiness for 2 nd oral presentation with MBA office Supervisor: Provide names and contact details of internal and external moderator to MBA office MBA office: Arrange sessions for oral presentations and confirm schedule with students Panel of supervisors: Attend and evaluation oral presentations Student: Present preliminary findings (15-20 min) Student: Revise field study based on comments on earlier draft and on 2 nd oral presentation Student: Submit electronic copy of completed field study to supervisor for approval to submit field study for assessment purposes Supervisor: Indicate final corrections, approve field study and provide letter of approval to MBA office Student: Submit two temporarily bounded copies of field study to the MBA office Supervisor: Complete assessment report and finalise mark for field study MBA office: Send copy of field study and assessor s report to moderator(s) together with documentation for completion by moderator(s) MBA office: Provide copy of moderators reports to supervisor Supervisor: Communicate required corrections to student Student: Make the required corrections to the field study Student: Submit two PDF versions on CD and one properly bounded hard copy of the final field study to the MBA Office End August September September November 15 November End November January End February

6 Assessment: The final mark for the field study is comprised as follows: Presentation 1 (research proposal): 10% Presentation 2 (preliminary findings): 15% Final submission (completed field study): 75% The rubrics used for assessment purposes during the 1 st and 2 nd oral presentations will be circulated to registered students prior to the actual presentation dates. Following each presentation session, assessment marks will be circulated to students and their supervisors, this to guide further revision of the field study. In addition, the rubric used for the assessment of the final field study will be circulated to registered students during August. Oral Presentations: Please note that prior to the actual presentations of the students, supervisors have to approve and confirm with the MBA office student s readiness. This is to ensure that students do not arrive at these presentations without having made contact with their supervisors and/or without having consulted their supervisors as to the content of their presentations. It is of utmost importance to stay in contact with the supervisor on a continuous basis. Every student should stick to the suggested timeline for submitting interim outputs such as the research proposal and preliminary research findings. Students have to address the following in each presentation: Presentation 1 (March): Research proposal Introduction/background Literature review

7 Problem statement Aim and objectives Methodology Outline and timeline References Presentation 2 (September): Preliminary research findings Brief overview of problem statement, aim and objectives Summary of research methodology Discussion of preliminary research results Limitations of the study Preliminary conclusions and recommendations References During each presentation, students will have minutes only to make their presentation, followed by minutes for questions and comments from the panel of lecturers/supervisors present at the presentation session. In case a student s progress with the field study is clearly unsatisfactorily during either presentation, it will be the panel s prerogative, following consultation, to extend the duration of the particular student s field study. Final submission: Prior to the submission of field studies for assessment purposes, the supervisor must submit a formal letter of approval to the MBA office (refer timeline). No submissions will be accepted by the MBA office without such pre-approval by the supervisor no exceptions will be made. In addition, the following requirements should be adhered to in preparing the final submission of the field study:

8 1. The title page of the field study must contain the following information: Complete title of the field study Full names and surname of the student Date of submission Name(s) of the relevant supervisor(s) Statement: Field study submitted to the School of Management in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Magister in Business Administration at the University of the Free State. 2. The following written and signed statement must be included on the second page of the field study: I declare that the field study hereby submitted for the Magister in Business Administration at the School of Management, University of the Free State, is my own independent work and that I have not previously submitted this work, either as a whole or in part, for a qualification at another university or at another faculty at this university. I also hereby cede copyright of this work to the University of the Free State. 3. The length of the field study, excluding the title page, table of contents, list of references and appendices, should be at least 60 pages (one and a half line spacing and Arial font, size 12). Should a student fail to comply with the above requirements the final submission of the field study will not be accepted by the MBA office no exceptions will be made. Recommended reading: Levin, P Excellent dissertations. London: Open University Press.

9 Mouton, J How to succeed in your Master s and Doctoral studies: A South African guide and resource book. Pretoria: Van Schaik. Should you need more information contact: Mrs. E. van Rooyen MBA Office School of Management Room 365 Flippie Groenewoud Building University of the Free State Tel: vrooyene.ekw@ufs.ac.za