MANG6563 Session 1
MSc in Digital Strategy and Information
Systems (DSIS)
Christophe Mues, PK Senyo
7th March 2023
Note: all information provided here is subject to
change – please regularly check university email
and Blackboard announcements for any updates.
MANG6563 Session 1: Introduction and
Research Proposal
• Overview of the supervision process
• Overview of the dissertation timeline
• Overview of the dissertation structure
• Identifying a good research topic
• Available resources
• Next steps and initial proposal
2
SUPERVISION PROCESS
A brief overview
3
4What do supervisors do?
• The University follows the process supervision approach.
• Process supervision means that your supervisor…
– only provides guidance on the dissertation process.
– may advise on: ERGO process; suitability of title and scope;
suitability of methodology and research instruments;
appropriate dissertation structure.
– will be prepared to offer formative feedback on your
proposal, and one to two draft chapters, provided they are
submitted in a timely fashion.
What do supervisors not do?
• Process supervision also means that your supervisor…
– is not expected to provide expert knowledge relating to the
subject of the dissertation.
– cannot proofread chapters.
– cannot make decisions for you.
5
6What are your responsibilities?
• Manage your own time
– Make sure you allocate enough time for each part of the
dissertation.
• Manage your tasks
– You may find it helpful to begin the literature review early.
– Make sure you have enough time to write.
• Plan ahead
– Take into account your supervisor's availability.
– Feedback cannot be given after supervision ends.
DISSERTATION TIMELINE
A brief overview
7
8Dissertation timeline: initial stages
• Starting this week, we will have five sessions on various aspects
of the dissertation, to help you prepare for the work.
• We will be using the MANG6563 Blackboard site to keep you
notified of any dissertation-related news – it is your responsibility
to regularly check Blackboard announcements and email!
• We will ask you to write down a short initial proposal for your
research and send that to us sometime over the Easter break.
• In May, we then plan to notify you of your allocated supervisor.
• Next, contact your supervisor to arrange a first meeting (taking
into account their availability and how they want to organise the
process – e.g. some might arrange to see you in a group first).
9Dissertation timeline: fine-tune proposal
• Judging your progress at that stage, your supervisor may then
suggest you start work on a more detailed research proposal.
– The proposal might go through a number of iterations to help
you pin down exactly what you intend to do.
• Submit full proposal to your supervisor by an agreed date.
– Note: the dissertation handbook will contain suggested dates
by which to complete certain steps or have progress meetings
with your supervisor – meant as guidance only.
• Often, the next step is to work through the details of your research
design and put together a first draft of any research instrument
you intend to use (e.g. interview protocol or questionnaire).
10
Dissertation timeline: ERGO
• You must get ethics approval before commencing data
collection, using an online system called ‘ERGO’*, e.g.,
– if your research involves collecting data, e.g. from/about
human participants (e.g. through interviews, surveys, etc.).
– if your research involves secondary or public data.
– Note: this applies to the vast majority of DSIS dissertations!
• Your ERGO submission should include important research
design details such as your research instrument and any relevant
forms (consent, participation information, etc.).
*ERGO can be accessed at https://ergo2.soton.ac.uk
ERGO home page
11
*ERGO can be accessed at https://ergo2.soton.ac.uk
ERGO list of templates
12
*ERGO can be accessed at https://ergo2.soton.ac.uk
Dissertation timeline: ERGO (cont'd)
• Even if what you do seems perfectly ethical, …
– failure to follow the ERGO process can have extremely
serious repercussions (e.g. failed degree).
– So, please make yourself familiar with ERGO and make
absolutely sure you comply!
• Instructions on how/what to submit will be made available in the
dissertation handbook, but you need to discuss this with your
supervisor as well.
13
*ERGO can be accessed at https://ergo2.soton.ac.uk
Dissertation timeline: ERGO (cont'd)
• After submission, your supervisor will do a quick check and,
if ok, let it pass through to the ethics reviewing team.
• The ERGO team will either approve or ask for changes.
• IMPORTANT: Take into account that this decision may take time
up to 2-3 weeks, starting from submission to approval.
– You cannot collect data before ERGO approval!
14
*ERGO can be accessed at https://ergo2.soton.ac.uk
15
Dissertation timeline: further deadlines
• Supervision normally ends 31st July.
– To make the most of your supervision period, you may want
to have submitted and received feedback on one or two draft
chapters by then (e.g. introduction and literature review).
• It is then up to you to analyse any data you collect and write up
your findings and discussion.
• Submission deadline (full-time students): will normally be set
to a day around mid September – this is to be confirmed in
the dissertation handbook and on Blackboard.
Dissertation timeline: marking
• Your work will then be marked by two examiners (process of
double marking).
• You will be able to find indicative assessment criteria in the
dissertation booklet.
• Mark normally available second half of December 2023
– If you meet all criteria, your MSc degree may be awarded
after our December exam boards.
16
DISSERTATION
STRUCTURE
A brief overview
17
18
Dissertation text
• The dissertation handbook will contain detailed guidelines and
advice, an example dissertation structure, standard pages for you
to include, instructions on formatting, etc.
• Word count: 15,000 words
Introduction
• Problem context &
importance
• Your research
aim(s)/objective(s)
• Research question(s)
• Chapter organisation
Literature Review
• Synthesise and discuss
relevant research
• Identify a/some gap(s)
in understanding
• Research hypotheses
(quant. only)
Methodology
• Research philosophy
• Research methods
• Data collection and
data analysis:
how/why?
Results and
Analysis
• Present analysis/
findings
• Explain results
Discussion
• Implications
• Revisit research
questions and/or
hypotheses
• Generate new
insights and link to
previous studies
A typical dissertation structure
Conclusion
• Summarise key
points and their
implications
• Limitations/
personal reflection
• Further research?
DISSERTATION TOPIC
Choosing a good research topic
20
Choosing a dissertation topic
• A wide range of topics related to information systems or digital
technologies (broadly defined) may be eligible.
– When in any doubt, discuss suitability with us or another
member of staff from the DSIS teaching group – and of
course later on your dissertation supervisor (once assigned).
• Any topics you have in mind thus far?
21
Refining a topic: key questions to consider
• What is (are) my “research question(s)”?
– What do you want to answer/solve in your dissertation?
• What I want to do in order to answer the research question?
– “Research objectives”
22
Refining a topic: key questions to consider
• Which methods are appropriate to answer the research
question?
– Qualitative (e.g. interviews)
– Quantitative (e.g. survey)
– Mixed method (both qualitative and quantitative), but this
may be unrealistic given the time constraints
– Secondary data (e.g. using already published data sets)
– Literature review based dissertation
– Any other method (e.g. design science, experiments, etc.)
• What data would I need and can I get access to it?
23
Refining a topic: key questions to consider
• Which particular group/organisations will I be studying?
– Research site (e.g. company) and/or
– Sample (i.e. people)
• Will I have the permission to study (at) the research site/sample?
– It can be part of organisation, society, or an online site.
24
25
Note: online vs face-to-face
• Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have increasingly adopted
digital tools during the dissertation process.
– Supervision may be done (partially) online.
– Data collection may be done using online methods.
Sample dissertation areas
• Applications of information systems and digital technology
(e.g. adoption challenges, impact, etc.)
• Examining ubiquitous IS (e.g. wearables, VR, smart devices)
• Design aspects of technology (e.g. UI, aesthetics, experience, etc.)
• Cultural, ethical, or social aspects of IS (e.g. the dark side of
technology, social good)
• Impact of digital business and services (e.g., mobile, apps,
Blockchain, crypto currencies)
• Government policy and IS (e.g. e-government)
• Data management practices in organisations
26
Sample dissertation areas (cont'd)
• IS in other business/management disciplines (e.g. shared
economy, mobile banking, etc.)
• Remote working using digital technologies
• Digital design and solutions to manage work in disaster areas
• IT for social good, dealing with the pandemic, etc.
– Social networking in crisis situations like pandemics
– Implications of social distancing
– Digital wellbeing and self-isolation
27
AVAILABLE RESOURCES
Where to find help and more information
28
29
Sources of information
• Dissertation handbook – to be posted on Blackboard (you
will be notified as soon as it is available)
• MANG6563 Blackboard site – will provide (links to) further
resources (including a small sample of past dissertations)
• Library
• Academic Skills Hub
• Dissertation conference/workshops run by the School
NEXT STEPS
What to do now and an overview of the remaining sessions
30
An overview of upcoming sessions
• Session 2: Research Design
– How to formulate research questions, develop research
objectives, and types of conducting research. We will also
explain how to choose the best approach to your dissertation
research design and develop it.
• Session 3: Literature Review
– How to conduct a literature review, the significance of
theoretical foundations, and perform searches on databases
like Scopus, Web of Science, etc.
(Easter break: initial proposal)
31
An overview of upcoming sessions
• Session 4: Qualitative Methods
– An overview of a range of qualitative methods (such as
interviews and cases study) and analysis techniques (such as
thematic analysis, discourse analysis, and qualitative coding).
• Session 5: Quantitative Methods
– An overview of a range of quantitative methods (such as
surveys and experiments) and quantitative data analysis
techniques.
32
33
First things first: what now?
• Start identifying a potential topic interest – three angles:
– What contemporary topic area interests you?
– Identify relevant work in academic journal papers!
– Can you obtain (new) data yourself? Feasible?
• Try to narrow it down to a tentative title.
• Identify the research question(s) you intend to address
(e.g. how/why do (…)?, what are the factors that (…)?, etc.).
• Think about your data collection method (where applicable).
Next: your initial proposal
• During the Easter break, aim to develop a short draft research
proposal, with the following information (one paragraph each):
– Introduction (briefly introduce the topic area and justify why it
is important)
– Research problem (identify knowledge gap, i.e. limitations in
existing research, and problem you seek to address)
– Research question(s) (articulate the main research
question(s) you wish to explore relating to this topic)
– Research objective(s) (state what do you want to achieve by
answering your research question(s))
– Research method (identify which method, e.g. survey,
interviews, etc., you intend to use to achieve your objectives;
you are advised to stick to a single method)
34
MANG6563 Session 1: Summary
In this first introductory session, we took you through…
• the supervision process
• the dissertation timeline (and ERGO!)
• a typical dissertation structure
• the process of identifying a good research topic
• available resources
• next steps and initial proposal
35
Question time!
• Any questions so far?
36