MCom Thesis

Subject to approval of the Head of Department

Assessment

Dissertation Guidelines
The indicative length of the thesis should be between 60-80 pages (12pt font, 1½ spaced, Times New Roman, at least 1 inch margins all around), excluding references. This page limit also excludes appendices, which should be used judiciously. You may wish to include (if appropriate) a copy of your survey, material you used in your experimental design, interview schedule, or raw data output in your appendices. You should not include any new material that is central to the discussion in your dissertation (i.e. don't use your appendices to introduce any new information that should have gone in the main body of your text).

Timeline
The following dates have been given as a recommended timeline for students undertaking MGMT or MKTG694.  The Thesis is primarily self-directed, but these deadlines will give you an understanding of our expectations of you.  If you feel you are falling behind at any point, please see the Course Coordinator, Sarah Wright, or your supervisor.  It is easier for us to fix things when we have more time. MGMT and MKTG694 work closely with MGMT and MKTG620 to ensure that you have a strong understanding of the research process and how best to complete your thesis in a timely manner.  Achieving deadlines in both papers will ensure you have the best chance at being stress free!

The submission date for all theses will be communicated to students when they enrol in their thesis; however, as an indication, S2 students should submit their thesis by February the following year.  N.B. Submitting on this date DOES NOT guarantee students will be able to graduate in the Autumn graduation ceremony.  Students wishing to graduate in the Autumn ceremony should submit earlier than this date.  Please discuss options with the program co-ordinator.

The following timetable is an indication only and goals and deadlines should be discussed with supervisors.

April Students should all have a tentative supervisor/s in mind.  Approach supervisors with your research idea and how best to develop it further, with their guidance.
May MGMT/MKTG620 Research proposal presentations.  Invite your potential supervisor to listen to your presentation and offer feedback.
June MGMT/MKTG620 Research proposals due.  This will be the basis for your MGMT/MKTG694 dissertation.  If done well, MGMT/MKTG680 is much easier to complete.
01/08 Based on the feedback on your proposal and guidance from your supervisor/s, you should start to alter your research topic in to its final form and submit a Human Ethics Proposal – any later than this date will slow your progress.
31/08 Ethics approval should be finalised by University of Canterbury’s Human Ethics Committee.  Anyone not meeting this deadline for ethics approval will need to put extra effort into completing their dissertation on time. Application forms for Human Ethics Approval can be found here.
01/10 to 01/12 Data should be collected and analysed.  Qualitative projects should begin collecting data as early as possible, as analysis takes longer.  Quantitative projects should put extra effort into creating an adequate measurement tool to ensure any data collected is not flawed.  Discuss these issues with your supervisor/s.
02/12 to 31/01 Start preparing your draft thesis.  This is an opportunity to integrate relevant literature into your findings and start looking to expand upon your discussion to include relevant contributions to theory and practice.
01/02 Have a draft ready for your supervisor to read.  Discuss possible examiners and submission dates.
01/02 to 21/02 Based on the feedback from your supervisor, make minor changes to your thesis.  Complete it early and SAVE OFTEN.  All theses need to be submitted to the Postgraduate Office Carefully read all the procedures for submitting a MCom Thesis.

Holding of Copies of Assessment
For quality assurance purposes the School is required to hold on record a number of assignments/tests as examples of differing standards of work for up to five years.  All work will be held in an electronic form on a secure server and will be anonymised.   If you have any objections to the School holding your assignment/test for this purpose then email the course coordinator to ensure your work is not used.

Notes

Departmental Academic Policies for the MCom Programme If you want a hard copy of this document, please ask the course co-ordinator. The Department assumes that you have read this document.

You should also read the General Course and Examination Regulations

Dishonest Practice
The University of Canterbury considers cheating and plagiarism to be serious acts of dishonesty.  All assessed work must be your own individual work unless specifically stated otherwise in the assessment guidelines. Material quoted from any other source must be clearly acknowledged. You must not copy the work of another person (student or published work) in any assessment including examinations, tests and assignments. Any person, who is found to have copied someone else's work, or to have allowed their work to be copied, will receive a fail grade for that piece of assessment and may face disciplinary action which may lead to a fine, community service or exclusion from the university.

IMPORTANT: Where there are concerns regarding the authorship of written course work, a student can be required to provide a formal, oral explanation of the content of their work.

Indicative Fees

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.