My Full-time MBA dissertation experience

Full-time MBA participant Sofia Wen shares her experience with the programme's capstone module, reflecting on how she chose the topic for her dissertation, as well as giving advice for others starting or considering a dissertation.

The dissertation writing process is a valuable experience that integrates knowledge learned throughout my academic career. It requires not only professional experience but also research and investigative skills, as well as communication abilities. By choosing to complete a dissertation during my Full-time MBA at Warwick Business School (WBS), I hope to further integrate professional knowledge with social practice, promote personal progress and development, and realise my career aspirations.

Selecting the topic

The dissertation topic I have chosen is "Strategic Entrepreneurship and Non-Financial Performance: A Case Study of Dangote Cement." This is based on my learning experience, past work experience, and understanding of the field. On one hand, my modules have covered strategic entrepreneurship, laying a knowledge foundation for me. Secondly, I have had work and life experience in Nigeria, which greatly supports my research. Dangote Cement, a leader in the African cement industry, has universal enlightening significance for its strategic research.

Dissertation and career goals

The main theme of the dissertation is closely connected to my future career goals. By studying the relationship between strategic entrepreneurship and non-financial performance, I can consolidate what I have learned about strategic management and corporate performance, which will benefit my future career and my further education. It can also provide effective guidance for corporate managers in the future to optimise corporate strategy. In addition, this research can also provide some feasible references for companies on how to balance financial goals with broader social and environmental goals.

Experience with dissertation writing

I have invested a lot of time in my writing process. Firstly, in the topic selection stage, I have searched for relevant literature. In addition to the search engines provided by the school library, I also used some external resources, such as ResearchGate and ScienceDirect for literature search. I  used keyword search methods to search for literature in a distributed manner. After that, it was necessary to screen and read the relevant literature. I usually read its abstract, methodology and conclusion  to determine whether it was consistent with my research. After categorising the literature, I chose key relevant literature for intensive reading to determine my research direction and research GAP. After, I synthesised my knowledge and the collected materials to finalise the topic, which mainly includes research objectives, research questions, and research methods. During this process, I needed to communicate with professors by email to ensure that my research direction did not deviate. After these issues were determined, I started collecting materials: mainly conducting surveys and interviews.

After all these steps are completed, I will start writing formally. This process is a research iteration from theory to practice, and then from practice to theory, which is also an important accumulation process for me.

Support

During the process of writing my dissertation, I was fortunate to receive guidance from my professors, classmates, and other scholars in the school. They provided targeted guidance for my research to align with my career development planning. Their help ensured my research gradually got on the right track and was rigorous.

Advice for prospective MBA applicants

For those considering writing a dissertation as part of the MBA programme, I have the following suggestions:

1. Clarify the purpose: Be clear about why you want to write a thesis and whether it is consistent with your career goals and what impact it will have on your career development.

2. Topic selection: Combine your own interests and choose topics related to the research field or career development plan.

3. Time management: Develop a reasonable and efficient timetable in advance and allocate sufficient time for research and writing.

4. Seek feedback: Actively seek feedback from peers, scholars, and professionals to further refine your research.

5. Make full use of resources: Make full use of the resources provided by the school, including the library, academic advisors, and CareersPlus.

The dissertation writing has been an important part of my MBA experience . I can make a  contribution to society and academic research in a meaningful way with the accumulated academic knowledge and research experience, and the dissertation writing has also further improved my comprehensive ability and pointed out the direction of my future career and academic development.

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