Table of contents for an MBA dissertation project that is equally consulting and academic oriented

Table of contents for an MBA dissertation project that is equally consulting and academic oriented (informed by perplexity.ai) [re: the agile literature review approach]

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapters 5 and 6

Chapter 7

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Some additional advice on the table of contents (information from perplexity.ai)

My question: "Regarding the suggested templates on the dissertation report chapters for an MBA dissertation project that is equally consulting and academic oriented, could you suggest 3 areas in the chapter templates, which can be mildly simplified as the part-time MBA students are mostly busy and intellectually not that skillful."

The reply: "Part-time MBA students benefit from streamlined templates that reduce cognitive load while preserving dual orientation rigor. Here are 3 targeted simplification areas across the chapter templates:

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1. Consolidate Dual-Track Visuals (Chapters 2, 4, 5)

Simplification: Replace separate academic/practitioner diagrams (e.g., dual mind maps, separate tracks) with single integrated matrices using 2 columns instead of 4-6.

Example (revised Table 2.1/4.1):

 

Research Objective	Academic Finding	Practitioner Insight	Bridged Takeaway
Trust mediation	β=0.42 (survey)	"Regulatory silos" (8/12)	Stratified blocker

 Impact: Cuts visual creation time by 60%; one diagram serves Chapter 2→4→5 continuity. Drop optional figures (2.2, 4.2).

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2. Standardize 3-Tier Recommendations (Chapter 6)

Simplification: Fix exactly 3 recommendations (short/medium/long-term) in Table 6.1 with mandatory 5-column template—no brainstorming overload.

Revised Table 6.1 Template (pre-populate structure):

 

#	Action	Timeline	Evidence	KPI
1	Trust workshops	0-6 mo	Interviews	+20% score
2	Protocol revision	6-18 mo	Survey+docs	Compliance %
3	Restructuring	18+ mo	Frameworks	Retention rate

 

Impact: Busy practitioners deliver consulting output without "what to recommend" anxiety; examiners see systematic thinking.

3. Template-ize Philosophy/Bridging Narrative (Chapters 1, 3, 7)

Simplification: Use 3 fixed sentences repeated/adapted across chapters for critical realism/pragmatism justification and bridging metaphors.

Standard Paragraph (rotate wording):

"This [chapter/project] adopts critical realism to bridge academic mechanisms (research issue-focused framework) with practitioner events (management concerns-focused), using the Polaris Duo-Compass for concepts and Stratified Prism Lens for frameworks. This stratified approach operationalizes mixed methods for the unified theme of [resilience amid HK banking downsizing], delivering theory refinement alongside actionable diagnostics suitable for part-time MBA scope."

Impact: Eliminates philosophy writing (common pain point); consistent signposting reassures examiners of coherence without skill demands.

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Overall Word Count Reduction: ~25% across templates; students focus energy on data collection/analysis rather than structural invention. Retains consulting-academic balance for high marks."