Joan Lofgren, Program Director BACHELOR’S THESIS 2017-2018 INFO SESSION 2 Joan Lofgren, Program Director AALTO UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS Mikkeli Campus BScBA Degree Program October 11, 2017 Oct. 11, 2017

Agenda Purposes of the thesis & requirements Selecting a topic Key elements of the process Thesis grading rubric Academic Integrity Other issues Next sessions/key dates Oct. 11, 2017

1. Purposes of the thesis—to: Gain experience in academic research Plan and implement a research project Understand and apply theoretical approaches Strengthen academic writing skills Gain transferrable skills Experience working independently Analytic skills – problem-solving Field work, eg contacting companies Oct. 11, 2017

Essential Requirements Basic standards – the thesis must be written in: the field of international business English formal academic style Academic standards – it must: rely on academic literature have a theoretical foundation Oct. 11, 2017

Essential Requirements (cont.) Management of the thesis project—you are expected to: meet all deadlines (time management) maintain communication with your supervisor participate actively in the thesis meetings and workshops Personal ethical standards – it must: be your own work (no plagiarism) give appropriate credit for the work of other scholars Oct. 11, 2017

The research hourglass Source: http://www. socialresearchmethods Oct. 11, 2017

2. Selecting the Thesis Topic Current knowledge Where are you on the research hourglass at present? Are you familiar with the vocabulary/terminology around this topic? What will you need to do to specify the topic? Pairwork activity: One person talks about his/her topic for one minute, then the other person in the pair does the same. What did you learn in this exercise? Oct. 11, 2017

2. Motivation & interest/s Personal interest Develop your current expertise Potential professional interest Interests of key stakeholders Individual activity: in 2-3 minutes, write down a few ideas on your personal motivation in the thesis process Oct. 11, 2017

3. Resources Time – manageable in this time frame? Financial – need to do field work? Languages – enough sources available in the ones you read? Do a quick search. Overall: a suitable topic for you, now? Oct. 11, 2017

In IB terms Current knowledge – what you know Internal capabilities of the firm – you! Firm-specific advantages, networks Core competences Motivation & interest/s – what you care about Internal versus external motivation, ie your interest in the project Your interests related to the project The interests of stakeholders related to your project Resources – what you can mobilize Resource view of the firm + networked view Who is standing behind you, beside you. . . “using” your social capital network in the best possible way. Oct. 11, 2017

Research comfort zone Find a balance. . . Creativity versus pragmatism Ambition versus feasibility Stepping out of comfort zone vs. personal resources needed for the research Individual/Pair work task: Draw your research comfort zone/s in concentric circles Where you are today? List 1-3 things that you could do in the thesis process that are outside the zone. Discuss your diagram with a neighbor. Oct. 11, 2017

Healthy panic Deadline for Indication of Interest Area form: October 26, 2017 Have your panic attack now, and start talking with friends, family, program director Oct. 11, 2017

3. Key parts of the process Research plan – road map Thesis outline – evolves with your research Draft reference list – signposting where you are Literature review – key in undergrad research Methodology – driven by research questions Interpreting findings – humility and hedging Oct. 11, 2017

3a.Research Plan: The First Step Interest and relationship to thesis topic -- cf motivation/resources Research problem – trend, puzzle, something to follow up on Research question(s) – avoid either/or questions Research objectives – how you will address the questions Significance of the research – why should we care? Methodology – desk or field research? Literature to be used – diagnostic tool Critique of a journal article related to your topic – rusty skills? Action plan – use a Gantt chart! (see next slide) Deadline for first draft of Research Plan: December 1, 2017 Oct. 11, 2017

Sample Gantt Chart Source: http://slideplayer.com/slide/7687098/ Oct. 11, 2017

3b. Thesis Outline Helps identify the flow of the thesis and indicates the direction and detail of the thesis to the supervisor. Should be updated constantly to match your actual research Use this thesis outline to develop the table of contents of the thesis. The electronic form “model outline” is available on Into. Deadline for first draft of your thesis outline: Dec. 14, 2017 Oct. 11, 2017

3c. Reference List Purposes include: Digging deeper into the literature on your topic Diagnosing any problems with your literature review Serving as a checklist for next steps in lit review work. Deadline for draft reference list: January 10, 2018 Oct. 11, 2017

3d. Purposes of the Literature Review—to: Assess the situation Chart what is already known about the topic. Identify possible gaps in the current research. Facilitate problem definition Immerse yourself in the subject Become proficient in the language of this field. Transferrable skill for later studies/working life. Develop your own framework for analysis Conceptual frameworks developed by others Adapt? Develop a new one of your own? Oct. 11, 2017

Keep in mind re: the literature review What it is. . .a survey of scholarly books, articles and other sources relevant to a particular issue, area of research, theory or methodology What it is not. . . a list of article summaries (he said this, she said that, they said another thing) – you structure the discussion, the themes, the headings. More discussion of the lit review coming on Nov. 16. Deadline for first draft of Literature Review: February 2, 2017 Oct. 11, 2017

3e. Common methods used Case studies Survey Semi-structured interviews Questionnaire (using eg Webropol, SurveyMonkey) Structured/standardized—directly administered/online Closed vs. open-ended questions Questions must be approved by supervisor before administering Semi-structured interviews Experts – for background Small set for rich description, some generalization if clear pattern emerges Content analysis Oct. 11, 2017

3f. Interpreting findings Common pitfall: over-generalizing based on your findings Learn to use hedging language Listen to your supervisor if they alert you to problems in the interpretation. Your interpretation will be determined in part by your methods. Oct. 11, 2017

4. Thesis Grading Rubric Used by all supervisors, at least to grade the final draft of the thesis and final version. Shows areas for improvement. Grade of 0 in one attribute results in failing grade for the thesis (at final stage). Different aspects are weighted differently. Project management is included, ie whether you meet deadlines, participation in info sessions and workshops. The rubric is available on Into: https://into.aalto.fi/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=2883729 Oct. 11, 2017

5. Academic Integrity Academic Integrity is a core value in any university. Dishonest academic work of any kind strictly forbidden and is subject to severe disciplinary action. Each student has the final responsibility for her/his learning and for knowing what is permitted and what is not permitted. The Academic Integrity Confirmation form you signed in your first year of studies is still in force. See the Program’s Citation and Referencing Guide: The Harvard System for more details on plagiarism: https://into.aalto.fi/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=2883729 Oct. 11, 2017

Turnitin We will use Turnitin as a writing support tool, and to check for plagiarism in the thesis process. A high similarity percentage doesn’t automatically mean plagiarism has occurred – it could mean there is too much direct citation, not enough paraphrasing. Keep in mind that resubmitting work in Turnitin can take 24 hours! More information on Turnitin will be provided in a later info session (Nov. 29, 2017). Oct. 11, 2017

6. Other issues Role of the thesis supervisor Meets with students to discuss their work, mainly individually but also as a group if the supervisor so wishes. Academic expert and mentor Provides advice on literature and methodology Provides feedback on work submitted Evaluator of thesis Reads and evaluates thesis Submits thesis grade Oct. 11, 2017

Keep in mind. . . Your thesis supervisor has commitments at home, he/she is not available in the same way as professors are during a 3-week module. Don’t expect instant answers to your questions, so ask questions early enough to resolve them without pressuring your supervisor. Example—what not to do: You’ve set up an interview and only send the interview questions to your supervisor for review the day before. . . Oct. 11, 2017

Initiative, taking opportunities Your performance matters! Non-starters must drop out of the process. Performance review by supervisor late Feb. Overall performance affects grade Information Specialist Jaana Santala available for info retrieval sessions. All relevant documents on Into (open intranet) Oct. 11, 2017

Contacting the staff Talk to Mari Syväoja about any concerns questions about the process in general, with your supervisor about thesis-specific issues. If you have academic concerns not addressed in these ways (eg your thesis topic), contact me. If you later consider dropping out of the thesis process, think again – weigh the consequences of postponing versus the marginal potential gain from finishing the thesis later. Contact Mari or me if you are considering dropping out! Oct. 11, 2017

7. Next sessions Info Session 3: Tues., October 17, 16.00-18.00 Part I: Info retrieval (Jaana Santala) Part II: Open-ended Q&A on topic selection Note: devices allowed Info Session 4: Thurs., Nov. 2, 12.00-13.00 Thesis groups and topics announced Info Session 5: Thurs., Nov. 16, 16.00-18.00 Literature Review Info Session 6: Wed. Nov. 29, 12.00-13.00 Oct. 11, 2017

Key Dates Full Draft of Thesis: March 15, 2018 Final thesis: April 9, 2018 Thesis Presentation and Proficiency Test April 13, 2018 Oct. 11, 2017

Good luck! Joan.Lofgren@aalto.fi Oct. 11, 2017