Lecture note on “making recommendations” in an MBA dissertation report

Lecture note on “making recommendations” in an MBA dissertation report

 

In the context of doing my par-time four-month MBA dissertation project, I have a query about formulating recommendations in Chapter 6 (conclusions and recommendations) dissertation report, which is: how to formulate recommendations that are clearly supported by the dissertation report findings; that the recommendations are implementable; and that the recommendations are endorsed by the readers (e.g. managers in particular sector or managers for a particular client organization) as practical, useful, holistic and strategic. I feel that recommendations could not solely rely on the dissertation researching findings (e.g. Chapter 5 [discussions of findings]).

 

Yes — your instinct is right. In a strong MBA Chapter 6, recommendations should be grounded in findings, but not mechanically copied from Chapter 5; they should translate findings into managerial action, using judgment, theory, feasibility, and context.warwick.ac+1

Core principle

A useful way to think about it is:

• Chapter 5 answers: “What did the study find, and what does it mean?”
• Chapter 6 answers: “Given those meanings, what should managers do next, and why is that the best practical response?”

So recommendations are not just a repeat of findings; they are an evidence-informed decision proposal built from findings plus interpretation, literature, constraints, and managerial priorities.gradcoach+1

How to formulate them

Use a chain like this for each recommendation:

1.    Finding: state the key result briefly.

2.    Implication: explain the business problem/opportunity revealed.

3.    Recommendation: specify the action, owner, and scope.

4.    Justification: show why this is the best response, using evidence and relevant literature.

5.    Feasibility: mention resources, timeline, risks, or dependencies.

6.    Expected outcome: state what improvement should result.

This structure keeps the recommendation clearly linked to the report while making it managerial and actionable.premierdissertations+2

What makes it credible

To make recommendations implementable and more likely to be accepted by managers, they should be:

• Specific: say exactly what should be done.
• Prioritized: focus on the highest-impact actions first.
• Feasible: fit the organization’s resources, capability, and time.
• Strategic: connect to business goals, not just operational fixes.
• Context-sensitive: reflect the client organization or sector conditions.
• Measurable: include success indicators or outcomes where possible.

If a recommendation is theoretically attractive but unrealistic, it weakens Chapter 6. Better to offer a narrower, realistic action than a grand but unworkable one.gallowayresearch+1

How to go beyond Chapter 5

You are also correct that recommendations should not rely solely on the findings section. A strong Chapter 6 usually also draws on:

• Literature: to support why the recommendation makes sense beyond your sample.
• Theory: to explain the logic of the proposed action.
• Managerial judgment: to adapt the recommendation to real-world constraints.
• Assumptions and limitations: to signal where the recommendation is context-bound.
• Implementation considerations: resources, sequencing, risks, and accountability.

That combination makes the chapter feel practical, holistic, and strategic rather than merely descriptive.warwick.ac+2

Simple writing formula

You can use a sentence pattern like:

“Because the study found X, which suggests Y, the organization should do Z by [who/when], in order to achieve [outcome], subject to [constraint].”

Example:

“Because the study found that service inconsistency reduced customer trust, the firm should introduce a standardized frontline service checklist and monthly quality review, led by the operations manager, to improve service reliability within three months.”

That style is concise, evidence-linked, and implementable.

** a collection of lecture notes on research methods