A note on writing the MBA dissertation chapter on “research methodology”

 A note on writing the MBA dissertation chapter on “research methodology”

 

I am a part-time MBA student currently doing my dissertation project. I have a question how to describe the overall research methodology of my dissertation report. Am I correct to say that the research methodology description comprises the following elements: research objectives, research philosophy to use, research approaches to use, research methods to use (both primary and secondary ones), and these elements should constitute a coherent research methodology thinking? A related question is how much content (notably on the relative proportion on each element) should be employed in the research methodology description?

Yes, your instinct is broadly correct: an MBA‑level dissertation research methodology should describe a coherent argument about how you will answer your research objectives, and that argument usually weaves together the following core elements:

·        Research objectives (or questions)

·        Research philosophy (e.g., positivism, interpretivism, pragmatism)

·        Research approach (deductive vs. inductive, qualitative vs. quantitative vs. mixed methods)

·        Research design / strategy (case study, survey, experiment, grounded theory, etc.)

·        Methods of data collection and analysis (primary vs. secondary methods, e.g., interviews, surveys, archival data, financial statement analysis)

·        Sampling / case‑selection (who or what you study and why)

·        Validity, reliability / trustworthiness, and limitations

·        Ethical considerations

These should be presented as a logically connected “chain of reasoning”: why your chosen philosophy fits your research question, how that leads to your approach, how that in turn shapes your design and methods, and how you safeguard quality and ethics.

 

How to frame “coherent research methodology thinking”

You can say something like this in your methodology chapter:

“This dissertation adopts a coherent research methodology in which the research objectives, underpinned by an interpretivist/positivist/pragmatic philosophy, lead to a qualitative/quantitative/mixed‑methods approach, operationalized through a case‑study/survey design, primary interviews and secondary financial data, chosen because they best allow exploration/ testing of…[your topic].”

Key is to justify choices, not just list them. For each element, briefly explain:

·        Why this philosophy suits your topic.

·        Why this approach (inductive/deductive) fits your objectives.

·        Why this design (e.g., case study of selected Singapore REITs) is appropriate.

·        Why these specific methods (e.g., semi‑structured interviews, regression analysis of NAV‑yield data) are suitable.

·        How your sampling strategy and analysis techniques help achieve validity or credibility.

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Suggested relative content “proportion” (for an MBA dissertation)

There is no rigid formula, but as a rule‑of‑thumb in a standard MBA dissertation (around 10,000–15,000 words), the methodology chapter usually sits around 10–15% of total word count, i.e., roughly 1,000–2,000 words. Within that, a typical proportion is:

·        Research objectives / questions

·        Context sentence + 1 short paragraph (≈5–10% of the chapter).

·        Focus: how they drive the methodological choices, not re‑listing the whole proposal.

·        Research philosophy

·        1–2 short, well‑justified paragraphs (≈10–15%).

·        Name the stance (e.g., positivist/pragmatic) and link it explicitly to your data type and objectives.

·        Research approach & design

·        1–2 substantial paragraphs (≈20–25%).

·        Deductive vs. inductive; qualitative vs. quantitative; case study, survey, mixed methods – with clear rationale.

·        Methods of data collection (primary and secondary)

·        2–3 main paragraphs (≈25–30%).

·        Who you interviewed/surveyed, how you selected them, how you administered questionnaires, what secondary sources you use (e.g., annual reports, databases), and why those sources are credible and relevant.

·        Data analysis techniques

·        1–2 paragraphs (≈10–15%).

·        Thematic analysis for interviews, coding strategy, regression / descriptive statistics, ratio analysis, etc., including any software (e.g., Excel, SPSS, NVivo).

·        Sampling and access

·        1 short section (≈5–10%).

·        Who your sample is, how you gained access, and how representative/unique it is.

·        Validity, reliability, limitations, and ethics

·        1–2 paragraphs as a combined subsection (≈10–15%).

·        Triangulation, member checking, bias checks, limitations (e.g., single‑country REITs, limited firm size range), and how ethical approvals/consent were handled.