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Choosing The Right Topic For A Management Dissertation


Choosing a topic for a dissertation can be overwhelming. Ensuring it is the right one for you can be even tougher. Otherwise, it can be a chore to write. Here are some helpful pointers to keep in mind while deciding what you want to write.

  1. Finding a Topic
    • Having an interest in what you write about is critial. Think back to the undergraduate and graduate courses you did well in. You likely had an interest in these. How can you relate these courses to the management field? Also, be sure to visit Topics Base - they always have something good to offer!
    • Speak with your supervisor for ideas and explore their research interests to see if they match yours.
    • Speak with other students about what they are doing.
    • Read past dissertations and research. Pay attention to the concluding remarks as they will often direct the reader to areas that need further research and exploration.
    • Do some field work and speak with people within management to find out what they like and what they would like to see improved in their areas of expertise. Bingo, a potential topic.
    • Do a web search and see what you come up with.

    Following the above pointers will help you develop some broad topic areas.

  2. Examples of Broad Management Topics
    • Environmental Management
    • Ecological Management
    • Human Resources Management
    • Business Management
    • Technology Management
    • Cultural Management
    • Financial Management
    • Investment and Risk Management
    • Hotel Management
    • Restaurant Management
    • Warehouse Management Systems

    Now, you want to narrow down your broad topic into a specific thesis statement.

  3. How to Narrow Down a Topic
    • Narrow your topic to a cultural, sociological, historical, or geographical context.
    • Brainstorm subject areas within your broad topic
    • Example of narrowing down a subject area:

A student read some of the literature related to warehouse management. She discovered that one of the current hot topics was how to improve warehouse efficiency so that profits increased for companies. One of the methods studied was how to eliminate bottlenecks while moving out inventory quickly. She was able to narrow down her dissertation to comparing different software products for eliminating bottlenecks.

Management is a huge field. This has both pros and cons. While it is easy to get lost in the diversity of subjects, it is also easy to find something you have an interest in.

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