A note on academic writing style for MBA dissertation reports: for MBA students

A note on academic writing style for MBA dissertation reports: for MBA students

Please describe 3 "should do" and 3 "should not do" practice in the "academic writing style" in the context of writing an MBA dissertation report.

In an MBA dissertation, academic writing should be formal, clear, objective, and logically structured. Three good practices and three bad practices are below.

3 should do

·        Use formal, concise, and clear language so your argument is easy to follow.

·        Build a logical flow across chapters and paragraphs, with each section connected to the next.

·        Support claims with credible sources, careful analysis, and proper citation throughout the dissertation.

3 should not do

·        Do not use casual language, emotional wording, or a conversational tone in the main report.

·        Do not add irrelevant filler, overly long explanations, or jargon that makes the writing hard to understand.

·        Do not ignore formatting, proofreading, or citation rules, because that weakens credibility and can lead to penalties.

 

How does the choice of research philosophy (notably, positivism, interpretivism, pragmatism, and critical realism) affect the writing style of the MBA dissertation report? Could you provide a few illustrative example with reference to the MBA research theme of "to evaluate the impacts of the talent management programme of ABC Firm in Hong Kong on its innovation capability".

The research philosophy you choose changes not only your methodology, but also the voice, structure, and argument style of the MBA dissertation report. For your topic on ABC Firm’s talent management programme and innovation capability in Hong Kong, the philosophy shapes whether you write like a measurement-driven analyst, an interpreter of meaning, a problem-solver, or a theorist examining underlying structures.

Positivism

Positivist writing is usually impersonal, tightly structured, and evidence-heavy, because it aims to present the study as objective and measurable. You would typically write in a formal tone, use variables and hypotheses, and report findings in terms of statistical relationships, significance, and effect size.

For your topic, a positivist example would be: “This study tests whether the talent management programme has a statistically significant positive effect on innovation capability among ABC Firm employees in Hong Kong”. Another sentence might be: “The results indicate that talent development practices are positively associated with innovation capability, supporting Hypothesis 1”.

Interpretivism

Interpretivist writing is more descriptive, reflective, and context-rich, because it seeks to understand meanings, experiences, and perceptions. The report often uses richer narrative, careful explanation of context, and explicit attention to how participants interpret the talent management programme.

For your topic, an interpretivist example would be: “This study explores how ABC Firm employees in Hong Kong experience the talent management programme and how they believe it shapes their ability to generate and implement new ideas”. A second example is: “Interview accounts suggest that employees view mentoring, development opportunities, and recognition as important signals that encourage experimentation and collaboration”.

Pragmatism

Pragmatist writing is practical and problem-focused, so it often blends quantitative and qualitative styles when that helps answer the business question. The tone is usually clear and managerial, with emphasis on what works, what the evidence shows, and what ABC Firm should do next.

For your topic, a pragmatist example would be: “To evaluate the programme’s impact, this dissertation combines survey results on innovation capability with interview evidence explaining why certain talent practices appear more effective than others”. Another example is: “The mixed findings suggest that while the programme improves capability scores, employees still need stronger cross-functional support before innovative behaviours become routine”.

Critical Realism

Critical realist writing is analytical and layered, because it distinguishes between observable outcomes and the deeper mechanisms producing them. In a dissertation, this style often asks not only whether the programme works, but also what hidden organisational conditions, power relations, or capability structures enable or block innovation.

For your topic, a critical realist example would be: “Although the talent management programme appears to improve innovation capability, its effect may depend on deeper organisational mechanisms such as managerial support, internal power distribution, and access to developmental opportunities”. Another example is: “The dissertation therefore examines both the visible outcomes of talent development and the underlying structures that shape whether employees can transform learning into innovation”.

Writing shift by philosophy

Philosophy	Typical writing style	Example emphasis for your topic
Positivism	Formal, detached, structured, hypothesis-driven	Measurable impact of the programme on innovation capability
Interpretivism	Descriptive, reflective, context-sensitive	Employee meanings and lived experience of the programme
Pragmatism	Practical, balanced, mixed-method, decision-oriented	What works best for ABC Firm and why
Critical realism	Analytical, layered, mechanism-focused	Hidden conditions and structures behind the programme’s effects

Practical dissertation wording

A useful rule is that your philosophy should match the way you write your research aim, questions, literature review, and findings. If you choose positivism, your language should sound more like testing and measuring; if you choose interpretivism, it should sound more like exploring and understanding. If you choose pragmatism, the report can comfortably switch between statistical reporting and managerial interpretation, while critical realism encourages explanation of both outcomes and underlying mechanisms.

A collection of blog notes on using chatgpt for research purpose.