Thesis Writing in Business Administration

UMEÅ SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS

LATEST CHANGE: 2012-01-09

Umeå University

Thesis writing in Business Administration
Thesis work is often perceived as fun, rewarding and challenging; you get to choose the topic and immerse yourself in your own area of interest. However, you will also face large demands on independence and analytical ability. If you write on commission, you can also experience the fulfillment that the knowledge you develop will benefit others. The work is very different from other courses; you will be trained to plan and carry out a project during a limited period of time. This text is a general introduction to thesis writing in Business Administration at Umeå School of Business. You should be able to use the table of contents to quickly find the information you are looking for. Although the text covers many different issues, it does not cover all possible issues; rather it constitutes a common ground for the variety of theses written at Umeå School of Business and Economics. In many areas, such as references, you can find additional instructions on the Internet and in various books. The instructions provided in this manual are primarily focused on thesis work, but the formal requirements, reference system, etc. are applicable to all written assignments and project works in Business Administration. Good luck with your thesis!

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INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Basic Rules for Thesis Writing .................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Required activities in the thesis course ....................................................................................... 1 SUPERVISION AND SUPERVISORS ...................................................................................................... 2 2.1 The Role of the Supervisor .......................................................................................................... 2 2.2 The Supervision Process.............................................................................................................. 3 2.3 Work-in progress seminars.......................................................................................................... 4 2.4 Writing on Commission ............................................................................................................... 4 2.5 Ethical Guidelines for Thesis Work ............................................................................................. 5 THESIS TYPES AND SYLLABUSES ...................................................................................................... 6 DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES BETWEEN THESIS TYPES ............................................................... 7 THE FINAL THESIS SEMINAR ............................................................................................................10 5.1 Before the Thesis Seminar ..........................................................................................................10 5.2 After the Thesis Seminar .............................................................................................................11 OPPOSITION .....................................................................................................................................11 6.1 Principles for Opposition/Critical Examination ........................................................................12 6.2 Course Requirements: One Main Opposition.............................................................................14 6.3 Course Requirements: 2 or 3 Side-oppositions ..........................................................................15 6.4 Opposition – Examples of Questions ..........................................................................................16 GRADING .........................................................................................................................................19 7.1 Marking Criteria ........................................................................................................................19 7.2 Grades ........................................................................................................................................20

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7.3 The Grading Committee .............................................................................................................20 7.4 Summary: Key Steps In Thesis Grading and Reporting of Results .............................................21 8 COURSE EVALUATION......................................................................................................................22 9 THE THESIS STRUCTURE - DISPOSITION (OR CHAPTER LAYOUT) .....................................................22 9.1 Introductory Layout ....................................................................................................................22 9.2 The Main Body of the Thesis ......................................................................................................22 9.3 Writing a Purely Theoretical Thesis ...........................................................................................26 9.4 Literature Search ........................................................................................................................26 10 LANGUAGE AND FORMAL REQUIREMENTS .......................................................................................27 10.1 Language ...............................................................................................................................27 10.2 Headings ................................................................................................................................28 10.3 Layout, Font, etcetera ............................................................................................................28 10.4 Page numbers ........................................................................................................................29 10.5 Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................29 10.6 Figures ...................................................................................................................................29 10.7 Tables ....................................................................................................................................30 10.8 Printing/copying ....................................................................................................................30 11 REFERENCING ..................................................................................................................................30 12 REFERENCE SYSTEMS ......................................................................................................................31 12.1 References in the Text – Basic Principles ..............................................................................32 12.2 References in the Text – More than One Author....................................................................32 12.3 References in the Text – Same Author, Different References.................................................33 12.4 References in the Text – Different Authors, Same Name .......................................................33 12.5 References in the Text – Missing Author ...............................................................................33 12.6 References in the Text – Secondary References .....................................................................34 12.7 References in the Text – Web Pages ......................................................................................34 12.8 References in the Text – Oral Sources and E-mail Communication ......................................35 12.9 References in the Text – Laws and Regulations.....................................................................35 12.10 References in the Text – Speeches, Lectures, Letters .............................................................35 12.11 References in the Text – A Note on Electronic Sources .........................................................36 12.12 References in the Text – Sources Not Mentioned ...................................................................36 13 REFERENCE LIST ..............................................................................................................................36 13.1 Article in Scientific Journal (printed) ....................................................................................36 13.2 Article in Scientific Journal (electronic)................................................................................37 13.3 Bok .........................................................................................................................................37 13.4 Chapter in Edited Book .........................................................................................................37 13.5 Edited Book ...........................................................................................................................38 13.6 E-books ..................................................................................................................................38 13.7 Dissertations and Theses .......................................................................................................38 13.8 Conference Papers ................................................................................................................38 13.9 Newspaper Article (Printed and Electronic) .........................................................................39 13.10 Annual Reports (Printed and Electronic) ..............................................................................39 13.11 E-mail Communication ..........................................................................................................39 13.12 Interviews and Other Personal Communication ....................................................................39 13.13 Speeches, Lectures, etcetera ..................................................................................................40 13.14 Laws .......................................................................................................................................40 13.15 Brochures ..............................................................................................................................40 13.16 Web Pages .............................................................................................................................40 13.17 Films, etcetera .......................................................................................................................41 13.18 Pictures, Photographs ...........................................................................................................41 13.19 Using Images from Other Sources .........................................................................................41 APPENDIX 1 – LITERATURE SUGGESTIONS ................................................................................................42 APPENDIX 2 - THE REFERENCE LIST ..........................................................................................................46

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1.1

Introduction
Basic Rules for Thesis Writing

This manual applies to thesis writing in Business Administration at Umeå School of Business and Economics. There is a variety of theses on different levels and scope (for an overview, see table 1 below). For 30 hp theses, the thesis work begins at the start of the semester and is then continued on full time during the whole semester. Also for the 15 hp theses the thesis work should begin early in the semester in order to increase the likelihood that it is completed on time. If you have registered to write your thesis during the second part of the semester, you will in the beginning of the semester team up with a fellow student and be assigned with a supervisor. You should also choose your topic and have the first meetings with your supervisor. Once the formal thesis writing period begins, you should have come so far that you immediately can start working very handson and efficiently with your thesis. Please note that all thesis courses are campus courses so that you are expected to be able to collaborate with a partner in Umeå and participate in supervision meeting and seminars at campus. Some formal rules  Theses at the Bachelor's level are linked to each individual supervisor and his/her thesis group. Supervisors are assigned at the beginning of each semester and the supervisors contacts the students for a first supervision meeting. The notification is usually sent via e-mail (to your @student.umu.se address). In case of questions regarding this, please contact the thesis coordinator.  Theses in Business Administration at Umeå School of Business and Economics are normally co-written by 2 authors. It is not possible for two co-authors to write one and the same thesis on differing levels. For example, a student can only coauthor a Bachelor thesis with another student writing at the Bachelor's level.  Students following a Master's degree program are to write their thesis within the program’s area of knowledge to be able to make a relevant scientific contribution.  Theses must be complete in order to be presented and defended at the final thesis seminar, which in turn may only take place during semester time. If authors are unable to complete, present, and defend their thesis within the designated semester, the seminar is postponed to the next semester.

1.2

Required activities in the thesis course

The most extensive assignment to pass the thesis course is, obviously, writing the actual thesis. It requires your full attention during the assigned time period, and as mentioned above, we strongly recommend that you begin your preparations beforehand, for instance elaborating upon a possible thesis topic, in order to be well-prepared when the course begins. Furthermore, there are a number of other activities that you must also plan to execute during the semester. They are clearly described in the thesis syllabus and you will find further information about each activity in this manual. Below is an overview of all required activities to be performed during the thesis period.

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Table 1. Overview of required activities to pass the thesis course.
Bachelor’s thesis, 15 ECTS Thesis + defense. Graded by the grading committee Sideoppositions + seminars Graded by seminar leader Main opposition Graded by seminar leader Work-inprogress seminars Graded by supervisor Required. Normally in pairs Magister/1st Year Master’s thesis, 15 ECTS Required Normally in pairs Degree Project, 30 ECTS Required Normally in pairs 2nd year Master’s thesis, 15 ECTS Required Normally in pairs 2nd year Master’s thesis, 30 ECTS Required Normally in pairs

Three Individual assignment

Two Individual assignment

Two Individual assignment

Two Individual assignment

Two Individual assignment

Required. Written part: individual assignment. Oral part: could be in pairs. -

Required. Written part: individual assignment. Oral part: could be in pairs. -

Required. Written part: individual assignment. Oral part: could be in pairs. Three. Individual/ in pairs

Required. Written part: individual assignment. Oral part: could be in pairs. -

Required. Written part: individual assignment. Oral part: could be in pairs. Three. Individual/ in pairs

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Supervision and Supervisors

At the beginning of each semester (or, for 30 hp theses, at the end of the previous semester), the thesis coordinator for Business Administration at Umeå School of Business and Economics will call to information meetings regarding thesis writing. Information on date and time for these meetings and for course registration will be posted on USBE thesis website. During the first weeks of the semester, the thesis coordinator will assign supervisors to each thesis (30 hp theses are firstly attended to). Accordingly, students and supervisors cannot make their own agreements on supervision.

2.1

The Role of the Supervisor

The role of the supervisor is to be a discussion partner; he or she should ask the (critical) questions and point to problems, rather than clarify exactly how to improve your text in large and small. The supervisor tries to coach you and your co-author to be sufficiently ambitious and / or to focus the aspirations so that thesis project is realistic and feasible. The mentor will provide advice, but will also make sure you are working independently. Above all, the supervisor is a ‘sounding board’ against which you can test your ideas. As for the grade, the supervisor is not responsible for leading the paper to VG (pass with distinction); rather, this grade is achieved by your independent work and your ability to

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use the supervisor’s comments to develop your thesis. Further, the supervisor is not responsible for proofreading the thesis. If you choose to write the paper on commission, the supervisor's role is to discuss how the scientific requirements for the thesis can be reconciled with the commission. The supervisor's task is, however, mainly to help with the report's academic standards, not the commissioned task as such. (More information on writing on commissions can be found at the home page and in Section 2.4). A good advice: before any meeting with your supervisor - plan what it is you want to discuss and what you want answered. This may involve the presentation of the theory chapter, how to design a questionnaire, etcetera. You will gain the most from the supervision/ tutorial if you can tell the supervisor how you, for example, plan to make your selection, and then asks the supervisor for feedback on your suggestion. It is not recommendable to start by asking the supervisor "how should we make our sample" or "what should our research question be", because with such questions, you are not giving any input into the process.

2.2

The Supervision Process

Each supervisor holds an introductory meeting where the supervisor and the thesis writers jointly draw up guidelines for their cooperation. For example, the supervisor clarifies the options available for coaching at different times and how to book a meeting with your supervisor. Comprehensive planning for the rest of the semester is typically made at this or the next meeting. To this meeting you should bring any prior theses (e.g. a Bachelor thesis) that you may have written. Depending on the type of thesis you are writing, different requirements applies for your supervision. A minimum requirement for all types of thesis is that students and tutors meet to discuss the drafts of various parts of the thesis on at least three occasions. The syllabus for 30hp Master’s Thesis and the Project Degree sets additional requirements about participation in in-progress seminars (see the respective syllabus and section 2.3 in this manual). Normally supervision meetings are booked in advance and the supervisor has no obligation to be available for drop-in visits. Sometimes the supervision meeting is connected to a draft of a chapter or a questionnaire, etcetera. This draft should then be delivered to the supervisor on an agreed upon time and date well before the tutorial. Normally, the draft is provided in hard copy form outside the supervisor’s office. In case of problems in the thesis work or with supervision, the student should first contact the supervisor, thereafter the thesis coordinator or the director of studies. Students are only guaranteed supervision during the semester when they are (first-time) registered on the thesis course. Supervision is only provided during the semesters (i.e. not during summer). In case you have registered on the course but realize that you will not

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write your thesis this semester, you must immediately notify your supervisor and study counselor. Please note that the thesis course is a campus course, i.e. you are expected to meet with the supervisor in person on regular occasions.

2.3

Work-in progress seminars

During the 30 ECTS Degree Project or the 30 ECTS Master’s Thesis (2 nd year), three work-in progress seminars (WIP seminars) are held which are obligatory for the student to participate in. The seminars are scheduled by the respective supervisor, who also provides specific instructions for each seminar. The intention with the WIP seminars is to support the thesis writing process. You must fulfill this assignment in order to pass the course. Also in other types of thesis supervision, the supervisor may call her/his thesis students to seminars for joint discussions during the writing process. This is an important opportunity to receive valuable feedback on your own work and practice how to scrutinize the work of others, which you should make the best use of.

2.4

Writing on Commission

Writing on commission can be a stimulating process. It can feel particularly worthwhile conducting a study for one’s thesis that has a clearly practical application/contribution. It also makes the process of choosing a field of research that much easier, providing at the same time a contact/contacts with the business world (which may be of use when entering the labor market). At the same time, it is worth noting that writing a thesis on commission can involve considerably more work than otherwise. Also, it is rare that a commissions’ stated problem can be “transferred” directly into an academic research question. Rather, the student/s themselves must, more often than not, further define, delimit and formulate an acceptable academic research question (that is clearly linked to theory, delimited and that is reasonable to carry out) within/based on the commission. To fulfill the demands of the syllabus, a commissioned thesis cannot be too controlled and detailed; you as the author must be allowed to make independent choices. For example, a commissioned assignment is too controlled if it contains specifications of exactly what questions to ask, who to ask, when and how. It is also worth noting that students writing a thesis on commission should find out from the very start what resources (time, money, etc.) the client company/organization is willing to make available, and what the client expects in return (e.g. format for the report, presentation of results to the company, etc.). Be clear with the commissioner exactly how much it is reasonable to expect that you can do within the frame of a thesis. In particular, you should be clear on when you will be performing the data collection, to make sure that

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the commissioning organization can provide information and/or participate in the study on those particular dates/weeks Another important question is who will own the data that you gather, and who will be using it upon the completion of the study. This issue has consequences for how you present the project/thesis to potential respondents and others; and it is important that you can give them appropriate and fair information about how data will be used and for what purpose the study is being made. Sometimes, the company or organization that has issued the commission may require of you to sign an agreement on secrecy in order for you to gain access to company data. If so, please study the contract carefully in order to make sure that your thesis work could proceed satisfyingly. Please note that any such agreement only concerns you and the company and should not involve the University or your supervisor, but we recommend that you consult with your supervisor before signing such a contract. It is important that the company understands that once the thesis has been defended on the final thesis seminar, it becomes a publicly available document – there are very few, in practice no, possibilities to classify a thesis as secret. On the other hand, facts like company name and other information may be made anonymous or altered to protect company secrets or individual integrity. Your supervisor must, however, always be allowed full access to all raw data that you utilize in your thesis. On the thesis home page, you find information about current assignments from companies and links to other sites where you can find external assignments. There is also an information folder aiming at both students and commissioner that you could present to the company.

2.5

Ethical Guidelines for Thesis Work

In your thesis work, existing ethical guidelines for social science research must be adhered to. Some of the general ethical principles are: Anyone who participates in a study (e.g. respondents in interviews) must be given enough information to give so called ”informed consent” about their participation; studies should be carried out and reported in such a manner that participants do not experience inconvenience because of their participation; promises of anonymity and confidentiality must be maintained. Guidelines on the use of data in accordance with such rules and regulations such as the Swedish Data Act (Datalagen) must be respected; the researcher may not act deceptively in data collection and data reporting; information about the starting points for research and possible commercial or other interests must be disclosed. Although these rules may seem obvious to many, borderline cases do occur, and to the extent you are unsure about what is appropriate, you should discuss the matter with your supervisor.

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Information on ethical guidelines can be found in most method books. For in-depth information on ethical guidelines, we refer to the Research Council's website, www.vr.se, and their section on ethics. Furthermore, an essay is an independent project. This means that it is you and your thesis partners that must carry out the work and write the text. Both authors are equally responsible for all parts of the text, and the work should be equally divided between the authors. On the thesis web page, you find detailed instructions about the requirements for independent text processing in academic texts (such as theses). There are also links to Umeå Business School and Umeå University's policies on plagiarism and attempt to mislead. All theses are to be submitted to Urkund before the thesis seminar (to the supervisor’s Urkund address). In chapter 12 you also find information on how to cite different types of texts. Another important concern is the fact that the thesis, after the final seminar and approval, will become a public document and that it will be publicly available on the internet. It is therefore very important that you as thesis author reflect upon which information that should be included in the thesis and if it might be appropriate to anonymize companies / respondents (but of course your supervisors and your main opponents must be informed of which organization/s you have studied). At a bare minimum, respondents should been informed that the material will be available to the public so they know what they agree to when they participate in the study. Concerning anonymity, it is important to distinguish between on the one hand, a situation where fictional names are used, but where it still is possible for people who have insights into a specific company or industry to understand which the studied company is or even exactly which individuals that have been interviewed, and on the other hand, complete anonymity. It is also recommended that you are informed about the rules that apply for research according to the Swedish Personal Data Act (Personuppgiftslagen, PUL, SFS 1998: 204). See e.g. the home page of the Swedish Data Inspection Board for further information.

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Thesis Types and Syllabuses

Thesis writing is an important part of a university education because it trains and tests your ability to run and complete an independent project during a limited time. You are trained to select a topic, design a study and draw conclusions. Theses differ from other papers that you write at university in terms of the time allotted to the work, the demands on depth, breadth, and quality as well as independent work. There are different types of theses, and which thesis you write depends on the type of program and the type of courses you read and on which type of degree you are pursuing. At Umeå School of Business and Economics, we currently have the following theses within Business Administration:

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On basic level: Bachelor’s thesis, 15 hp (for a Bachelor’s degree) On advanced level – at the end of in total four years of study  Magister thesis, 15 hp (for a Magister degree)  Degree Project, 30 hp (for a “Civilekonom Degree”1) On advanced level – at the end of 2 year Master’s program:  Master’s thesis in Business Administration (2nd year), 15 hp  Master’s thesis in Business Administration (2nd year), 30 hp Possible combinations of theses and degrees:  Degree Project 30hp + 15hp Master’s thesis (2nd year) = “Civilekonom degree”2 + Master’s degree 120 hp.  15hp Bachelor’s thesis + 15hp Magister thesis (first year) = Bachelor degree + Master’s degree 60 hp.  15hp Bachelor’s thesis + 30hp Master’s thesis (2nd year) = Bachelor degree + Master’s degree 120 hp.  15hp Bachelor’s thesis + 15hp Magister thesis (first year) + 15hp Master’s thesis (2nd year) = Bachelor degree + Master’s degree 60 hp + Master’s degree 120 hp. The above theses are written at different levels and with different time frames (15 or 30hp); hence the requirements also differ. It is important that you read the syllabus and the learning outcomes for the particular thesis you are writing (you will find links to all syllabuses on the thesis web page. See also the comparisons of theses in chapter 4 and description of generic marking criteria in chapter 7.

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Differences and Similarities between Thesis Types

Table 1 contrasts key differences and similarities between different theses. The demands on scientific contribution and the observation of scientific practices increase as we move to the right in Table 1. On the Bachelor’s level, the demand to develop new knowledge is relatively low, and there are fewer restrictions on your choice of topic. However, we strongly recommend that even on the Bachelor’s level you choose a topic relatively close to your field of specialization. On the Magister and in particular the Master’s level, it is crucial to pick a topic within the confines of your particular program in order to fulfill the demands on scientific contributions. Overall, the demands on a Master's thesis are naturally higher than those for a Bachelor's thesis.

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NB! The Degree Project work for a Civilekonomen degree can be translated into a 15hp Bachelor’s thesis + a 15hp Magister thesis; but the reverse, that is to receive a Civilekonomen degree by converting a 15hp Bachelor’s thesis + 15hp Magister thesis into a 30hp degree project work, is not possible. 2 In English: M.Sc. in Business and Economics

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Table 2. Overview of differences and similarities in the requirements for different types of theses.
Bachelor’s thesis15hp Formulation of research question and purpose. May be primarily practically motivated and focus on problem solving (for a particular organization). However, even a thesis targeting a practical problem must contain an academically acceptable research question. It is acceptable to include some course literature and introductory literature on the topic. The main part of the theoretical frame of reference should however be comprised of scientific journal articles and research based books. Magister thesis 15hp The research question/ purpose should primarily focus on knowledge development. It should preferably also be practically motivated. Degree Project 30hp The research question/ purpose should focus on both practical problem solving and knowledge development. Master’s thesis, second year, 15hp The author should identify, define and motivate a research gap (either in theory, in the application of theoretical models on a new empirical area, or methodologically). Master’s thesis, second year, 30hp The author should identify, define and motivate a research gap (either in theory, in the application of theoretical models on a new empirical area, or methodologically). The study must give a scientific contribution. The main sources in the theoretical frame of reference should have a clear research focus. The literature review should be thorough and the choice of literature should indicate a good insight into the field. Very strong emphasis is placed on the student’s ability to process and evaluate theories. A very strong demand on designing the study to provide a contribution to prior literature. It is required that the student can position the results relative existing literature and explain the contribution (i.e. ‘contextualizing the study).

Literature choices. For all types of theses, the students must independently search relevant literature and position their theoretical framework relative established research on the chosen topic.

The main sources in the theoretical frame of reference should be scientific journal articles, doctoral dissertations and books based on research. The student’s ability to independently process theories is important.

The main sources in the theoretical frame of reference should be scientific journal articles, doctoral dissertations and books based on research. The student’s ability to independently process theories is important.

The main sources in the theoretical frame of reference should be scientific journal articles, doctoral dissertations and books based on research. The choice of literature should indicate a good insight into the field. The student’s ability to process and evaluate theories is important. A very strong demand on designing the study to provide a contribution to prior literature. It is required that the student can position the results relative existing literature and explain the contribution (i.e. ‘contextualizing the study).

Use of theory / Scientific ambition & approach

It is accepted that the theoretical frame of reference primarily is used to solve a practical problem. E.g. using the GAP-model of service quality to explain a company’s interaction with its customers.

The conclusions must have theoretical implications. E.g. by testing or developing theories or generating new ones. An example is studying a number of firms to develop the GAP-models and reach more general conclusions.

The conclusions should have certain theoretical implications (see magisteruppsats).

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Choice of method and methodological discussions. For all types of theses, the methodological discussion must be tied to the specific thesis.

The methodological discussion must be relevant based on the research question. The demand on generalizability/transferability can be reduced

The demands on methodological awareness increases (also concerning epistemology and ontology). Relatively large demands are place on the argumentation for methodological choices and on a stringent and scientifically acceptable study and analysis. The demand on generalisability/transferability is strengthened.

The methodological discussions should have a very clear connection to the problem area and show methodological maturity. Strong demands on a stringent and scientific empirical study and analysis. The demand on generalizability/ transfer-ability is strengthened. .

Presentation of results and analysis Here, the theoretical framework is combined with the empirical results in a systematic, trustworthy and independent way.

A more descriptive result presentation and analysis is accepted.

The presentation of results, the analysis and the conclusions should provide knowledge that to some extent can be considered scientifically accepted.

An extensive (i.e. solid) empirical material is required. Presentation of results, analysis and conclusions should provide knowledge that to some extent can be considered scientifically accepted. The thesis should result in an empirical and theoretical contribution. Practical recommendations are required.

The methodological (and theoretical) choices should show a good understanding of the study and the field’s ontological and epistemological underpinnings. The methodological discussions should be very clearly connected to the problem area, show methodological maturity and be in accordance with the remainder of the thesis. Strong emphasis on generalizability/ transferability. Presentation of results, analysis and conclusions should provide scientifically generated knowledge. High demands on independent treatment of data, on systematic analysis of theory as well as data, and ability to lift the level of abstraction in the analysis.

Other.

Number of pages

40-60

40-60

50-80

50-70

The methodological (and theoretical) choices should show a good understanding of the study and the field’ ontological and epistemological underpinnings. The methodological discussions should be very clearly connected to the problem area, show methodological maturity and be in accordance with the remainder of the thesis. Strong emphasis on generalizability/ transferability. An extensive (solid) empirical material is required. Presentation of results, analysis and conclusions should provide scientifically generated knowledge. High demands on independent treatment of data, on systematic analysis of theory as well as data, and ability to lift the level of abstraction in the analysis. The main differences compared with the 15hp Master’s thesis are increased demands in depth and breadth. 70-100

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5

The Final Thesis Seminar

The thesis work ends with a two-hour final thesis seminar where the authors defend their thesis. If the thesis has been authored in English, the students and their opponents must be prepared to hold the seminar in English. Only when all participants (including sideopponents) speak Swedish, it is possible to hold the seminar in Swedish; however such a decision cannot be made in advance as it would exclude English speaking sideopponents. Students studying the International Business Program must always write the thesis in English and hold the seminar in English, as the program is given entirely in English.

5.1

Before the Thesis Seminar

Each author is responsible for recruiting main-opponent/s for the thesis seminar, normally from outside the author/s thesis group (that is, do not exchange theses with students supervised by the same supervisor if you have met on seminars during the thesis semester). You are able to advertise for a main opponent at our thesis website. Do not forget to firstly check whether there is already a suitable web-ad posted! We recommend that you organize the exchange of theses and main opponents as a constellation of three theses; so that A critiques B's thesis, B critiques C's thesis and C critiques A's thesis. A key advantage of such a system is that the set up will function even if one of the three theses involved is not completed on time. When opponents have been recruited and the thesis is in its final stages of completion, the seminar needs to be scheduled with the supervisor and the opponents. As supervisors usually have both other responsibilities and other theses to supervise, it is a good idea to have a number of alternative dates and times. (In case the supervisor is unable to attend the seminar, the School will arrange with another supervisor to lead the seminar.) Sometimes a preliminary date may be set as a guideline for work on the thesis. When date and time for the seminar has been finally agreed upon, the authors will book a room for the seminar. At the thesis seminar, the authors, supervisor, main opponent/s and side-opponents will participate. The thesis is held accessible to side-opponents access via the thesis website3. 10 days (weekends included) before the thesis seminar, the thesis should be made available for side-opponents via uploading on the designated web page no later than 15.00. (During the last two weeks on the spring semester, the time is reduced to 7 days.) You will also state name of the supervisor and main opponents as well as date, time and place for the seminar. When the thesis has been uploaded to side-opponents, Studentexpeditionen will announce the seminar on a blue Seminar Notice at the thesis notice board. Printed copies should at the same time be handed in to the main opponents
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Please note that it is not your responsibility to “find” side-opponents! It is they who choose your thesis, if they wish. The seminar could, in principle, be executed without side-opponents.

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and the supervisor). The seminar version of the thesis should also be submitted electronically to Urkund (to the supervisor’s Urkund address). For Bachelor’s theses up to 7 side-opponents may register for a specific thesis. For Magister and Master’s theses and Degree Project work, up to 5 side-opponents may register for a specific thesis. Further, 2 copies should be handed in to the supervisors (one of these copies is intended for the grading committee, see section 7.3), and finally one copy to each main opponent. Authors are responsible for printing the required number of their thesis. If you choose the University service office Print and Media (in “Förvaltningshuset”) for printing, it is advisable to book in good time. Whatever print alternative is decided upon, do not miss the 10-day or 7-day (see above) distribution rule. (See also information on Printing and Archiving at the home page).

5.2

After the Thesis Seminar

After the thesis seminar, revisions to both content and form may be assigned. Any complementary work needs to be approved by the supervisor. This approval is included in the comments given by the supervisor to the grading committee. Complementary work should be completed and handed in to the supervisor at the latest four weeks after the need for revisions was announced. Time outside the official semesters is not included in these four weeks. The supervisor will than hand over the thesis to the grading committee for assessment (you can read more about this procedure in section 7.4). The thesis is then graded by the grading committee, and the grade is announced by an email to the authors’ @student.umu.se- e-mail addresses. Thereafter, the thesis should be published as a pdf-file in DiVA (UB’s database for scholarly work). For details, see “Printing and Archiving” on the home page. A printed archive copy of the thesis should also be handed in to Studentexpeditionen. When this has been achieved, the grade can be reported into the reporting system Ladok. However, the complete grade on the thesis course can only be reported in Ladok when not only the author’s thesis, but also his/her main opposition and side-oppositions as well as potential compulsory work-in-progress seminar have been reported with the grade pass (see the applicable syllabus for details about the compulsory parts in for your particular type of thesis).

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Opposition

The opposition on a thesis comprises the critiquing of and reflections about the thesis as a whole and in parts, by one or two main discussants/opponents (fellow students). This critical examination is an important part of the process of assessing and evaluating the value and contribution of scientific or scholastic work. A thesis seminar is therefore a forum for this critical examination, but is also an important opportunity for further 11

learning by and feedback to the authors. The critical examination that takes place in the thesis seminar, which comprises a scientific dialogue, is also intended to increase understanding of the thesis by the seminar participants and also to provide suggestions for improvements.

6.1

Principles for Opposition/Critical Examination

A critical examination of a thesis can be organized in many different ways, and there are many guidelines in the relevant literature which basically say the same thing. However, no guideline can replace an understanding of the work that is reported in the thesis under examination, and therefore no guide can give an exact recipe for a specific opposition. The content of such an examination depends on the research question and the actual form of the thesis to be examined. Despite this, it is possible to give some general pointers for how to approach an opposition. The written and oral examination of the thesis should be well proportioned in terms of time and text, and should cover both strengths and weaknesses of the thesis in its entirety and in its parts. A critical examination contains an overall assessment of the entire text, based on points of view/departure that are well-argued. A well-run and carried out opposition gives both positive and negative appraisal of the work, and is best organized in the form of a dialogue between the opponent and the author. A constructive dialogue can allow the opponent to ask questions or highlight issues that may require further description or elaboration in the text, or that may need further developing or rethinking. Initiating and maintaining a dialogue means that the authors who are defending their thesis must be given the opportunity to respond to the questions and issues raised; not just in terms of time but also in terms of openness to listen to such responses. The opponent should lay up a well thought-through and well-motivated line of argument to support such issues and questions, arguing for his/her point of view in a constructive manner, and thereby highlighting the effects and consequences of choices made in the thesis relative to the study’s research question and objectives. The opponent should be prepared to suggest improvements and discuss both alternative interpretations and the fruitfulness of the chosen approach. Serious criticism should never be subverted, but should be presented and discussed in a factual manner. Further, the opponent is responsible for ensuring that the thesis receives a good opposition, whatever the quality of the thesis (even those that are very good or very bad!), as discussion of alternative approaches and interpretations of findings are always relevant and useful. Critique that is central to the quality of the thesis should be separate from that which is of less importance. The opponent should as far as possible, keep the whole of the thesis in mind even when dealing with parts of the text – which means that the opponent should always link the critique of the part back to the effects the issue in question has on the 12

whole content of the thesis. For example, when discussing the research question chosen the discussion can be linked to follow-on effects, such as consequences for the choices made later in the thesis, and what these may mean for the relevance of the findings. When discussing the method, for example, this can be related to consequences in terms of data presented, findings and back to the stated research objectives and question. An opposition should highlight the fundamental issues and show how the choices that are made affect the whole. It may be appropriate for example to follow one train of thought or comment at a time, and to develop the effects and consequences of that train of thought or comment throughout the different following sections of the thesis. This ‘thematic’ opposition means of course that an opposition organized in this way does not involve a strictly chronological chapter-by-chapter assessment, and may be a form for a fruitful dialogue to arise. It follows from the above that a critical examination is not a page-by-page assessment, mixing major and minor issues. Such an approach does not bring clarity to a thesis, but rather hide the main points, and result in an overemphasis on trivialities. The resulting impression may be that the opponent has not really understood what the important issues are. Further, page-by-page opposition almost always leads to lack of time or scope in the thesis seminar, so that the concluding parts of the thesis, such as the analysis and findings are subject only to superficial treatment. There are rarely any “right” or “wrong” choices in a thesis. Rather the value of the choices made have to be seen in the light of the arguments made for each choice. This means that a well-discussed and well-motivated line of argument supporting each methodological choice made in the thesis needs to be present in the text. Lack thereof should be paid attention to and discussed by the opponent. Similarly, each individual section of the thesis should build logically on and from previous sections, and if this is not so, then the opponent should comment on this (it should be mentioned that what is logical in one situation may not necessary be logical for another – look for the line of argument supporting such choices). However, there are factual errors that may occur, such as when the author states that a random selection of interviewees has been made when in fact the author has interviewed those individuals who happened to be in the room at the time of interview, or that the author states that the study is inductive but that it is in fact testing whether a theory is correct, or that the authors have made gross errors of calculation that affect the results of the study, and so on. The main opponent/s are responsible for checking how sources of references 4 have been used in the thesis. If plagiarism or any other unclear issues arise or are suspected, this has to be made known. Format and language are to be commented from an overall point of view, rather than continually during the opposition. Detailed comments on language and format are to be given to the author/s and supervisor on a separate list.

4

As a general rule, the main theoretical/ literature sources should be such that it is possible for the opponents, the supervisors, the grading committee and others to identify and check the use of these sources.

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6.2

Course Requirements: One Main Opposition

Every thesis author must act a main opponent (Sv: ‘huvudopponent’) of one other thesis at the same level, at some point time of the process of writing his/her own thesis (e.g. one main opposition of another C-level thesis if the student is writing his/her own C level thesis, or one main opposition of another 30 hp Master’s thesis if the student is writing his/her own 30 hp Master’s thesis). On top of this requirement, the student must also conduct a number of side-oppositions (Sv: ‘sido-opponent’) – see below. The main opposition consists of both an oral examination at the thesis seminar and a written text that is submitted to the seminar leader. It is important to conduct the critical scrutiny with regard to the specific learning outcomes in the course syllabus related to the thesis you are examining! The oral part of the main opposition can be carried out by a single opponent or by a pair of opponents. The main opponent is expected to lead the thesis seminar from beginning to end, whilst side-opponents are expected to complement the main opposition with their active participation. A main opposition should cover the different sections of the work, and it is the main opponent’s responsibility to dispose of the time available in such a manner that there is enough time to highlight/examine every part. It is also the responsibility of the main opponent to ensure that both strengths and weaknesses are discussed. The supervisor is primarily to be seen as a resource/support in relevant discussions arising in the seminar, rather than as the leader of the seminar itself. The written main opposition is an individual assignment, resulting in a memo of 5-6 pages to be handed in to the seminar leader in the beginning of the seminar. The written part of the main opposition is intended to ensure that the opposition is well prepared and to provide a good foundation for grading the opposition (fail/pass). Further, in case two students are doing the opposition together, the individual written part will ensure that both opponents are well prepared and equally contributing to the seminar discussion. The thesis seminar and the main opposition – crucial phases: The seminar begins with the authors being given the chance to address any errors and/or adjustments to the text. Thereafter, the main opponent/s presents how he/she has planned the seminar. The main opponent should then continue with a short presentation of the contents of the thesis to be examined, in order to bring to light any potential misunderstandings and to establish a common ground between author and opponent concerning the core of the work reported in the thesis. The formal opposition of the thesis then follows. At the conclusion of the thesis seminar, the main opponent hands over to the supervisor for his or her comments and assessments of the thesis and seminar. The main opposition is graded with either a Pass or Fail. The grade is individual and based upon both written and oral performance. Therefore, the grade cannot be delivered at the seminar; instead, the seminar leader will give you feedback on your oral performance. As soon as possible after the seminar, the supervisor will read your memo and set the grade; however it might take a couple of days since the supervisor could be fully booked with thesis seminars. S/he will report the grade to Studentexpeditionen who 14

then registers the grade. You are advised to check your grade via “Portalen” rather than contacting the seminar leader or Studentexpeditionen. Should the main opposition be graded as fail, a new main opposition on a different thesis has to be undertaken.

6.3

Course Requirements: 2 or 3 Side-oppositions

Apart from conducting a main opposition, every student writing a thesis has to individually complete side-oppositions of other theses and attend and participate in the related thesis seminars.   Every student writing a Bachelor’s thesis will write 3 side-opposition papers and actively participate in these thesis seminars. Every student writing a Magister thesis, a 15hp or 30hp Master’s thesis, or a 30hp Degree Project will write 2 side-oppositions and actively participate in these thesis seminars.

The side-oppositions must be performed on thesis of the same level and type as the thesis you are writing. However, in case of shortage of theses on your level, you could do your side-opposition on a thesis on the level above.5 Please note that during the semester, there are generally very few theses available for side-opponents, which does not mean that there is a shortage! Instead you must await the last day for publication of theses during the semester before choosing a thesis on the level above. (If you pick a thesis on the level above, please indicate this on the memo.) In case you have questions or concerns about this you should contact the thesis coordinator. Please note that side-oppositions are individual assignments. 6.3.1 Routines for Side-oppositions a) Check regularly the Thesis Notice Board outside the Student Office for notices on coming thesis seminars (blue Notice, posted 10 days prior to the seminar, or 7 days during the last two weeks of the spring semester). Alternatively, check the thesis home page under the heading side-oppositions for upcoming thesis seminars. b) Download a copy of the thesis from the thesis home page. It is not possible to ‘book’ in advance a thesis for side-opposition. It’s a “first come, first served” system. c) Write up your comments regarding the thesis, and hand in the written opposition in 1 hard copy to Studentexpeditionen no later than the date and time stated at the Thesis Seminar Notice. Normally, submission of side-oppositions via e-mail is not accepted. On the title page of the written side-opposition, please include the following information:
5

For example, a student writing a Bachelor thesis may in case of a shortage of other Bachelor theses to make side-oppositions on, instead choose a 1st year Master’s thesis. .

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  

Name and civil registration number Title of the thesis to be examined and the name of the supervisor Side-opposition no: ______ (Insert the level and number. E.g. Bachelor’s 3, or, Magister 2, Degree Project 1, and so on.

In addition to the side-opposition, active participation is required at the thesis seminar. Absence from the seminar will result in fail regardless of the causes for the absence. Written side-oppositions are graded either as Pass or Fail. Grading is based on both the formal criteria such as length and quality of the written opposition, and on participation during the seminar. Should the side-opposition be graded as a Fail, a new side-opposition on a different thesis has to be undertaken. (It is not possible to revise a failed sideopposition.) Grading of side-oppositions is announced at the thesis seminar. A short written feedback is given on the first page of the written side-opposition which is returned to the student at the seminar. The rest of the written side-opposition is delivered to the authors. However, if the side-opposition receives the grade fail, the entire side-opposition is given back to the side opponent (and not to the thesis authors). 6.3.2 Requirements on Side-oppositions A side-opposition should comprise 4-5 pages which constructively examine the contents of the thesis in accordance with the general criteria laid down for writing and examining theses (see above). Any direct re-presentation of the text of the thesis cannot be counted towards the 4-5 page scope of the side-opposition, nor can discussion regarding the layout of the opposition itself, etcetera. Further, the written side-opposition should not be ‘fluffed out’ by an overdriven use of titles. The layout and font should correspond to the instructions for theses (see section 10.3 in this manual). It is important for the student to note that the quality of discussion to be found in the sideopposition should not be different from that of a main opposition, even though the limited scope in terms of number of pages may probably limit the number of issues that can be taken up. The use of examples and concrete suggestions for improvement are important elements of a good side-opposition. Further, your overall assessment of the thesis must be clearly stated. An assumption is that there should be a progression in quality in your sideoppositions. That is, your second or third side-oppositions should be of a higher quality than the first.

6.4

Opposition – Examples of Questions

As mentioned previously, there are many ways to plan an opposition. The question or issue raised are intended to act as a source of inspiration for what questions it is useful to ask oneself when examining a thesis – they are not meant to dictate how to lay up the opposition. It is also worth keeping in mind the assessment criteria used by the supervisor in evaluating the thesis. 16

Problem background, problematization, research question and purpose  Is the topic relevant? For a thesis in business administration on the particular level? Which other sectors within and outside of business administration are affected by or related to the topic? Why is it interesting and/or important to write about this topic? What has the scientific and practical development within the area been like? What is expected to happen in the future?  Is the research question clearly introduced, motivated and formulated? Do you understand the general idea of the thesis? Why is it a problem? For whom? Where – in which country, which type of organization, for which group of people? Is the research question possible to answer? What type of knowledge can result from answering the research question? Are the scientific value and the practical value of the study clearly stated? What are the links to previous research? Is the research question well anchored in previous research? Have relevant concepts (such as concepts appearing in the research question or the purpose) been properly introduced and defined?  What is the relation between research question and purpose (and possible delimitations)? Are the research question and/or the purpose to broad or to narrow? Is there a connection between the research question and the purpose? Is the purpose wider than the research question?  What is the link between the research question and the purpose and the actual work in subsequent chapters of the thesis? Methodological points of departure  Is there a reasonable connection and compatibility between research question, purpose, epistemology and scientific approach? Are the different methodological choices clearly stated and argued for? Are the authors clear on their epistemology and ontology? Do the authors display in-depth methodological understanding?  Are the research design and the chosen methods appropriate for answering the research question? Have the authors provided clear and relevant arguments for their choice of study objects (e.g. respondent selection)? For the choice of data collection methods? For the choice of method for analysis?  Is the conduction of the study clearly described and argued for? Do the authors show a reasonable understanding for flaws in their work and how they have attempted to overcome different shortcomings? Theoretical frame of reference  Are the chosen theories relevant – possible to use in this particular study? Are there other and more appropriate theories/literature? Are there theories of importance for the thesis that are missing/have been excluded? Have the authors done a thorough and systematic literature search? Is there an adequate scientific level of chosen theoretical sources? Have the authors understood and adequately used the theories? Is the place given to discuss a certain theory relevant given its overall role in the overall thesis? Do the authors clearly argue and take a stand in the theoretical chapter?

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Presentation of results  Is the presentation of results reasonable and does it fit logically with the research question? Have data been appropriately gathered, e.g. has the questionnaire been developed based on relevant theoretical concepts? Has the operationalization of the theoretical concepts been successful? Is the presentation of results in accordance with the method of data collection? For example, have case studies been appropriately described? Have interviews been handled and described in an appropriate manner? If statistical methods have been used, have the proper procedures for different tests been observed? Does data allow for the tests made? (E.g. issues of the scales used). Does the results section prepare for the analysis in a fruitful manner? Is the presentation of results systematic and easy to understand and follow? Is it possible to assess/evaluated the instruments of data collection (e.g. questionnaires, interview guide, schema, observation plan, analysis tools)? Analysis  Is the analysis reasonable and logical based on the research question? Is it consistent with epistemological claims and is it reasonable based on method, theory and scientific approach (e.g. deduction and hypothesis testing)? Are factors strengthening as well as weakening the interpretations included? Is there a clear connection to theory in the analysis? Are the authors successful in analytically raising the level of abstraction in the analysis to avoid it merely repeating the results section? Credibility in conclusions and recommendations  Has the research question been answered? And is the purpose fulfilled? Are conclusions and recommendations clearly related to the research question? And anchored in the data presented? And are they reasonable? Is the contribution of the study, theoretically and practically, made clear? Overall impression, stringency and argumentation  Is the disposition of the thesis stringent? How have the authors succeeded in connection the different parts of the thesis? Is there a logical structure? Have some parts (e.g. chapters or specific cases or theories) received too much/little space? What contribution does the thesis as a whole provide?  Are the language and the argumentation clear throughout the thesis? Is the title of the thesis, well-formulated, interesting and relevant to the content? Is the summary succinct, and does it cover the essentials of the entire text? Are the concepts used clearly defined and expressed in scholastic and precise terminology?  Are figures, tables, references and the reference list used in an adequate and informative manner and are formal requirements observed? Is the referencing system complete, consequential, and follow the conventions? Quality criteria/truth criteria:  When performing a critical examination (opposition) on another thesis, it is always useful to consider if the study meets the quality criteria which can be 18



applied on a certain type of study. For quantitative research, you can therefore evaluate the validity, reliability and generalizability of the study. For qualitative research, different quality criteria exist. A specific trait of qualitative methods is the difficulty to exactly replicate the studies, and thus other criteria than validity, reliability and generalizability should be considered. Some examples of possible criteria are: credibility (including intersubjectivity), transferability, dependability, confirmability, and authenticity. The specific criteria chosen will depend on what type of qualitative study that has been performed.

7
7.1

Grading
Marking Criteria

Each thesis will be graded departing from the expected learning outcomes in the course syllabus. There are however a number of generic marking criteria that are utilized for grading of all our theses:           Problematization, and the problem statement’s relevance, originality, degree of difficulty Connection to theory and prior studies. The relevance of the chosen theoretical frame of reference. The quality of the theoretical arguments Awareness and relevance in the methodological discussion Awareness and relevance in the conduction of the study Data quality and quality in data presentation Quality of the analysis. Congruence with problem, purpose, research approach, theory and data. Ability to “theorize” on a level above the data Trustworthiness in conclusions and recommendations. Logic and communicative precision. The balance between parts/whole, content/scope The authors’ critical ability Overall impression

A reasonable language and fulfillment of formal requirements are necessary to receive the grade pass. Unless the language is reasonable, the content will not be communicated in an acceptable manner. Proof reading may under certain circumstances be required for a pass grade. It should be noted that the quality of the author’s argumentation and the stringency of the work will affect the overall grading of the thesis as well as the grading of its different parts. For example, a thesis which is very ambitious in all separate parts, but which lacks a coherent whole is not likely to receive the grade pass with distinction. In the reverse, a thesis with a coherent whole but with less developed chapters is also not likely to receive the grade pass with distinction.

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7.2

Grades

A thesis can receive the grades U (fail), G (pass) or VG (pass with distinction). Sometimes, encompassing revision may be needed before pass, and if a thesis is very far from fulfilling the basic requirements, the grade will be fail. However, very small amendments, in particular regarding language and formal requirements does not preclude a thesis from gaining the grade pass with distinction. It is not possible to improve the grade of a thesis from pass to pass with distinction by making additional revisions after the seminar. Further, it is not possible to get a “preview” grade before the seminar. Our experience is that many students have high ambitions for their theses and put in much effort and commitment. To this background, it is important to emphasize that the pass grade signifies a satisfying thesis quality. In order to receive a pass with distinction, the thesis must score well above medium standard on the several of the important marking criteria stated above.

7.3

The Grading Committee

All theses in Business Administration are graded by a grading committee. This committee has been formed to fulfill the demand that supervisor and opponent cannot be the same person. Further, the grading committee ensures that all theses are graded in a uniform manner. The grading committee is headed by the thesis coordinator, whom you should contact in case of questions or concerns. The committee consists of a group of experienced supervisors representing different sub-disciplines within Business Administration. When necessary, the committee may call upon additional theoretical and/or methodological expertise. It is the version of the thesis that was presented at the thesis seminar that is graded. (That is, not the revised archive copy.) However, revisions must have been handed in and approved by the supervisor for the thesis to be put before the grading committee. As input into the grading process, the committee has a written statement from the supervisor. This statement briefly summarizes the key strengths and weaknesses of the thesis and provides information about revisions made. The supervisor statement is internal work material only available to the grading committee. Each thesis which is received by the grading committee is registered and numbered. The theses are graded in the order they were received. Each thesis is read and evaluated by a committee member. At a committee meeting, the reader presents the thesis to the other committee members, and suggests a grade. Following a discussion, the grade is set. If there are unclarities/uncertainties about which grade to set, the grading may be postponed. In the interim, the thesis is re-read by other committee members.

20

The grading committee meets on a smaller number of occasions during and at the end of the semester (approximately on four different occasions). The dates for these meetings are presented on the thesis web page. In order for the thesis to be treated at a committee meeting, the supervisor must have handed the thesis to the committee at least one week before the meeting. NB! If a thesis does not fulfill the grading criteria, it may award additional revisions for a pass grade. If this occurs, the thesis authors will be informed via e-mail.

7.4

Summary: Key Steps In Thesis Grading and Reporting of Results

1. The thesis seminar is held. 2. The supervisor decidedness on whether a revision is needed. a. In case of revisions, these must be completed and returned to the supervisor within four weeks (during semester time). b. The revisions are controlled and approved by the supervisor. 3. The supervisor delivers the seminar version of the thesis plus the thesis statement to the grading committee, either directly after the seminar, or, in case of revisions, when the revisions have been completed. Deadline: one week before the next committee meeting. 4. The committee grades the thesis and reports the results. a. In case the grading committee issues a revision assignment, it will be presented to the supervisor for further distribution to the students. The assignment should be completed within four weeks (as above) and handed in to the supervisor. b. If the supervisor considers that the revisions have been satisfyingly completed, s/he will pass on the revised thesis to the grading committee. c. The grading committee will assess the thesis and report on the result. 5. Studentexpeditionen sends an e-mail to the authors with the grade (to the @student.umu.se-address). The mail also includes information about electronic publication and archive copies. 6. The student electronically registers the thesis in the DIVA-database (Studentexpeditionen will be automatically notified by the library when it has been registered). A printed archive copy of the thesis should also be handed in to Studentexpeditionen. 7. When the side-oppositions, the main opposition and other compulsory seminars have been completed with a pass grade, the entire thesis course can be reported as completed in LADOK. That is, while you will receive the grade on the thesis when it has been graded, it will not be formally reported until all parts of the thesis course are finalized.

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8

Course Evaluation

1-2 weeks after the end of the thesis course, a course evaluation will be sent to your student-email address. Please help us by filling it out! We want your answers even if you have not completed the thesis work or if you have interrupted the work.

9

The Thesis Structure - Disposition (or Chapter Layout)

A thesis (and other larger scale essays) consists of a number of different sections. Which section appears in which order is determined by the direction and scale of the individual thesis, as well as the methodological and theoretical choices made by the authors. It is recommended that students take the opportunity to look for inspiration at earlier theses presented and defended at Umeå School of Business and Economics within the particular field of study. While previous theses may provide some guidance and inspiration as to layout and other choices, it should not be assumed that previous theses provide the “right” way of setting up the work on the thesis. It is for example important to realize that imitation of previous theses can result in the “errors” being transmitted from thesis to thesis. The instructions in this manual should always be followed.

9.1

Introductory Layout

The title page: A thesis always begins with a title page which clearly states at which university, department, and within which course and degree program, the thesis is presented and defended. Further, the title page should contain the names of the authors, the name of the supervisor, the semester when the thesis seminar is held, and of course the title of the thesis. The title of the thesis should reflect the content of the thesis, and can consist of both a main title and a subtitle. Summary: The summary of the thesis is placed next. It is important that the summary represents the entire content of the thesis and its findings, and that it can be read independently from the main body of the thesis. The summary should comprise between 350 and 400 words (i.e. one page). (In addition to the summary, you will later fill out an abstract when publishing the thesis in the DiVA database). Table of contents: It is recommended that you use the templates in word-processing program to create the table of contents. The table of contents should be followed by a list of any appendix, and sometimes even figure and table lists.

9.2

The Main Body of the Thesis

Chapters that cover the background of the thesis, the research question and objectives, the methodological issues involved in resolving the research question, the empirical material, theoretical issues, analyses, and conclusions/findings, together with any relevant recommendations and or concluding discussion should be included in a suitable order and scope, which in turn is dependent on the focus of the research question. Issues of chapter suitability in both order and scope may change and develop during the course of the work 22

on the thesis. Chapter structure and order differs dependent on the research question at the heart of the thesis, but it is important that both structure and order should reflect and communicate the content of the thesis in a clear and pedagogical manner. Each chapter should be well structured and argued. The purpose of the Introductory Chapter is to introduce the reader to the empirical/ practical and theoretical background of the chosen research problem, where the gaps in understanding that are at the focus of the thesis are clearly outlined and delimited, resulting in a statement of the chosen research question and objectives to be achieved by the thesis. The background to the research in focus must therefore be well described and lead naturally to the identification of the chosen research question. A research question can address a practical issue that need to be resolved or address gaps in current knowledge. The process of identifying a suitable research question normally results in a statement to be proved, or a question or paradox to be answered through the study. The research question may therefore be both theoretical and/or practical by nature, as any academic study has greater impact and quality by being motivated from both a practical and theoretical perspective (check the requirements for different types of theses!). The chosen research question is usually followed by a statement of the objective of the study, which includes what is to be achieved, what is to be described, explained, predicted, understood, etc. The core of the introductory chapter includes all of the above, but the line of argument in any such chapter varies, such that the chapter may begin with the reasons for the chosen field of theory. The background to the research question should be used by the authors to clarify the topicality of the subject of research, and to briefly highlight previous research into the issue, clarifying both the general findings of previous research and what remains to be found out. Such a brief presentation is elaborated on the in chapter/s that further discusses the chosen field/s of theory. Some theses include in the introductory chapter a section on relevant concepts. The motivation behind this choice should lie in whether or not it is necessary for the reader to have the concepts explained here to better understand what follows in the text, rather than the relevant concepts being explained later in for example the theory chapter/s. Many theses close their introductory chapter with an outline of the disposition of the manuscript (a short paragraph on each chapter that follows describing the general content and purpose of the chapter). A disposition is not necessarily needed, particularly in shorter theses or essays. Including such a section is only motivated if it in a significant manner allows the reader to better follow the content of the thesis, and the section should not be simply a repetition of the table of contents. The purpose of the Method Chapter/s is to present and motivate the choice of method of collecting and analyzing suitable data, from both a theoretical and practical point of view, compared to the relative advantages and disadvantages of other alternative methods that may be more or less appropriate to the context of the study. Clarifying the above in the thesis is necessary to allow the reader to be able to critically review and understand the relative suitability of the methodological choices the authors have made along the way, as 23

well as to replicate the study. To do this, such choices must be put in an academic/ scholastic context (including how the authors view the nature of the world and how/whether knowledge of the nature of the world can be studied and understood, etc.), and be clearly linked to accepted praxis (through relevant references to other working the field. Sometimes, the methodological section of a thesis is split up into two or more chapters. In such cases, the first method chapter deals with the basic points of departure in scientific method - the underlying scientific approach of the study; the point being to allow the reader to understand the underlying assumptions of how the authors intend to practical access the data in question, particularly in the light of the theory chapter to follow. The second method chapter presents and motivates the practical course of action in gathering and analyzing the data. Such a practically oriented method chapter is placed naturally after the theory chapter/s. It is of course quite possible to treat both the scientific theory aspects and the practical course of action in one and the same chapter, but the choice of number and order of chapters dealing with methodological issues is determined by the particular demands of the individual thesis. Regardless of the number and order of the chapters, it is important that content in each chapter and between each chapter is sorted presented in a logical manner - underlying, general issues are presented first, leading logically to the key issues involved. The 'funnel' metaphor is particularly relevant. Note that only relevant ontological (the nature of the world) and epistemological (the nature of knowledge) issues are included in the manuscript, and relevance is dependent on the thesis at hand. Such methodological sections of the text should not be simply a textbook repetition of the usual streams of knowledge within scientific methodology. (A rule of thumb is that if the methodological discussions are so general that they could fit in almost any study; they are too general for your thesis). Further, the choice of scientific approach (hypothesis testing, theory generation, etcetera) should be discussed, as should the choice of research design (case studies, survey, longitudinal?), choice of method, literature search and a scrutiny of the chosen literature. If not previous dealt with in a particular method chapter, the chapters dealing with the collection and analysis of data should include a discussion and motivation of the methodological choices and chosen data collection techniques involved, including the choices concerned in the setting up of the investigation as well as the construction of the instrument used for collecting data (i.e. what choices were involved and what reasons guided the construction of the questionnaire, construction of experiment, design of the observation, the interview guide, and so on). A discussion and motivation of the chosen selection of units of investigation (and this selection occurs on many levels) is central. This selection is sometimes discussed before, and sometimes after, the choice of data collection techniques is made and the investigations instrument is designed, depending on the layout of the study and on the line of argument presented and driven in the text. Missing responses to both the overall data collection and to particular questions needs to be analyzed and discussed based on 24

the effect that this may have on the values of the results otherwise gained. Issues of access to the data that the study aims to analyze must therefore be addressed. Issues concerning how the data is treated and analyzed must also be discussed and motivated. A critique of sources of the data accessed should also be included, as should a discussion on the achieved quality and worth of the study's findings. The theoretical frame of reference consists of a presentation of previous academic studies and theories within the subject. The presentation must move the study forward in terms of critical appraisal and relevance to the study at hand, and not be simply a general presentation of existing knowledge. The layout of the chapter depends amongst other factors on the study's approach and on the research area chosen. If the study aims to test a hypothesis, for example, the chapter should lead naturally to a number of relevant hypotheses, of which the chosen hypothesis is described and motivated. If the study aims at generating theory instead, a theoretical perspective needs to be drawn up. In other types of study, the theory chapter simply presents the theories from which the empirical findings are going to be comparatively analyzed. In these cases, it is important that the authors' own position on and interpretations of relevant previous studies in the chosen field are clarified in the text. Current theory and previous studies should be evaluated based on their contribution to the study at hand. A common “myth” is that one should not drive a line of argument in the theory chapter, which instead should just present other researchers theories. This myth is a fallacy! The theory chapter should contain a well though-through line of argument rising out of previous studies and theories linked to the study at hand. It is worth noting that “A line of argument” does not mean gratuitous or arbitrary thought, i.e. thinking that is without ground. The chapter/s concerning the empirical descriptions/the results section of the study may have many different forms, depending on the type of empirical data accessed. Such chapter/s should be designed to lead easily to the points that the author wishes to make, and that are best aligned with the methodological choices discussed earlier in the thesis. It is important that it is easy for the reader to follow the line of argument, and the presentation of the descriptions, so that these both are clear and awaken interest. A creative and pedagogical design of the chapter/s will increase both the readability and quality of the work. Not all data gathered need necessarily be included in the empirical chapters, rather only the data that comprises the basis on which analysis and findings must be included. It must also be made clear in the text where the information comes from. Quotations may be used to enliven the text, but use sparingly and only if the quotation adds something (rather than repeats something already in the text). Both in studies using qualitative and quantitative data, table s may be used to summarize and highlight key points. The design of the analysis chapter/s should be formed such that the objectives of the study are realized in the best way. The analysis must be described in a systematic manner so that the reader is easily able to follow the way that the study uses the theoretical frame of reference to advance and support the analysis of the data (this requires a clear 25

reference to which theories or parts thereof that are used). Depending on the objectives of the study, an analysis can aim to verify or uncover causal connections between different factors, to identify different patterns and generate theory, and so on. To the degree that the study only aims to describe an empirical phenomenon, different interpretations can be compared, and if the study aims to provide concrete suggestions for practical solutions, different alternatives should be compared and evaluated based on the key factors involved and on the potentials of each alternative. The concluding chapter/s should revisit and re-establish the research question and objectives at the heart of the study, and develop and build on the analysis of the data collected. Issues such as whether or not the objectives of the study have been achieved, which the most important/valuable/interesting findings are, and what the study's contribution to new knowledge has been, should be presented and discussed. (The latter is particularly important for theses above the Bachelor’s level). It is of course crucial that the study's findings or results are clearly presented, and, depending on the objectives of the study, the concluding chapter/s may include a more general discussion of the findings. Sometimes, it may be appropriate to include more specific recommendations to organizations or companies studied, but it is important that these recommendations are discussed separate to the findings of the study. It is also appropriate to include discussions on the contribution of the study for further research, providing suggestions on for example, complementary empirical, theoretical and/or methodological issues that have been highlighted during the course of the study. It is sometimes appropriate to evaluate the validity and reasonability (or other relevant criteria of quality or truthfulness) of the study in the final chapter rather than in the method chapter/s, as the reader may be in a better situation to assess the quality of the work at this point in the text than earlier.

9.3

Writing a Purely Theoretical Thesis

Two types of thesis are allowed at the Master's or "D" levels. The most common type of study presented in a thesis in Business Administration is empirical. The other, by far less common, type of thesis focuses on theoretical research, also termed a literature review. A purely theoretical thesis usually comprises a review of existing theory and research within a particular field, leading for example to an analysis of the development and trends in use or focus in previous studies that have been based on the literature chosen and highlighting gaps in use/and or knowledge. A theory-base contribution is thereby achieved by the thesis. A more particular type of thesis involves "meta-analysis". Both the Degree Project and a Bachelor’s thesis presume the collection of empirical data. Studies based on secondary data are considered are of course considered as empirical studies.

9.4

Literature Search

Literature is searched individually, based on what is required for the thesis topic. 26

Thesis work involves a problem that should be treated in a scientific way, by taking into account and building on previous research efforts. A large body of literature is available, and you need to read and relate to appropriate literature to support your own reflections and your different choices during the research process as well as to clarify your contribution relative existing literature. With regard to method: to deepen your practice in the literature that deals with the method you use in the same way as you select literature for the theoretical sections. It is normally not enough to build your literature review / your theoretical frame of reference on course literature. You have to seek much deeper for sources that are relevant to your specific topic. You need to search literature both for the theoretical chapter and for your method. When it comes to method: focus on the methods that you do use, and chose literature as carefully as you do for the theoretical chapter/s. Annex 1 provides various tips on methodological literature. Scientific articles in databases are easily accessible. For a selection of databases, see e.g. http://www.ub.umu.se/infosok/databaser.htm. Use keywords and combinations of keywords in a systematic way. One tip is to use the scientific articles which contain previous studies in support of the methodological reasoning (and not just in theory chapter). For example, the operationalization of theoretical concepts can be supported by previous studies. There are also journals and articles that deal exclusively with methodological issues.

10

Language and formal requirements

In this section, the formal requirements for theses presented in Business Administration at Umeå School of Business and Economics are outlined. Relatively uniform formal requirements simplify the communication and the comparison between theses, e.g. concerning length.

10.1

Language

As already mentioned, a clear and appropriate language is a precondition for a pass grade on your thesis. We assume that any language issues that remain at the final seminar are corrected before the archive copies are sent to DIVA and Studentexpeditionen. The language is the medium through which the thesis is presented; a good use of language will inevitably better represent the content of the thesis and its nuances than a bad use of language will. Therefore, it is worth spending time on how you write as well as what you write! A scientific language often contains specific jargon and concepts, such as isomorphism, cognitive dissonance, etcetera. If such concepts are part of your theoretical frame of reference, they will contribute to the precision of your writing. Beyond key concepts, you 27

should avoid overly complex words. You should always strive to write as simple and clear as possible, while maintaining a scientific language. Spoken language, slang or “chat language” is not acceptable. A few tips for a clearer and easy to read text are:  Think about the aim with each paragraph and how to make this aim clear to the reader. If you are unsure of the key message of a paragraph, the reader will be as well.  Avoid redundant words: ”There were in total 1241 persons at the symposium” – ”1241 persons were at the symposium” is sufficient. ”The group was small in size” –”The group was small” is sufficient.  Avoid non-descript phrases: ”To conclude, it could be stated that” can be replaced by ”In conclusion”.  Avoid repeating the same word too many times in one and the same paragraph.  Mix longer and shorter sentences for a good rhythm, but avoid overly long sentences.  Always use the spelling check, even when you ”only” are submitting drafts for supervision. In order to get a really good text, you may have to rewrite it several times. It can be useful to exchange proof reading services with a friend. Your supervisor is likely to comment on your language in a more general level, but s/he has no possibility to provide detailed comments or function as a proof-reader. In case the language has frequent grammatical deficiencies, it is absolutely necessary to have the whole theses proof-red by somebody with high competence, for instance professional services. Furthermore, Umeå University Library offers assistance to students in academic writing through the Academic Resource Centre. The Centre provides both one-on-on writing tutorials and lectures, which are announced on the thesis website.

10.2

Headings

Each chapter is build up by different sections, divided by subheadings and paragraphs. We recommend that you do not use more than three heading levels: 1, 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.2. Third level headings, e.g. 5.4.1, are only used if there is a heading/section labeled 5.4.2. Otherwise 5.4 without subheadings is sufficient.

10.3

Layout, Font, etcetera

Page format: A4 Font: The thesis must be written in 12 pt. Times New Roman. Line spacing: single. Margins: top and bottom margins- 2,5 cm. Left and right margins - 3 cm. 28

Footnotes: 10pt, simple line spacing. Headings –font of your choice. Paragraphs: a new paragraph is formed by inserting a blank row between two paragraphs. No indentation.

10.4

Page numbers

The summary and the table of contents are numbered with Roman numerals (if numbered at all). If the front page is included in these numbers, the number should not be visible. From the first page of the introduction chapter and onwards, Arabic numerals are used, and the first page of the introduction is number 1. (For an example, see the page numbers of this document). Potential appendixes are not included in the consecutive numbering of pages. For numbering of appendixes, see Appendix 1 in this document.

10.5

Table of Contents

The table of contents can include up to three levels of headings. The summary and the table of contents are not listed in the table of contents. Appendixes are listed after the table of contents according to the principle: Appendix 1: Interview guide. Appendix 2: Introduction letter to respondents. The table of contents is sometimes followed by a list of tables and a list of figures. A list of tables or figures presented the items in numerical order, followed by title and page number: Figure 1. The Service Development Process. Figure 2. SERVQUAL Model. 12 16

A list with abbreviations is sometimes used after the table of contents, in particular if many unusual abbreviations are used.

10.6

Figures

Figures are used to denote graphs, pictures, photographs, diagrams and the like. Each figure must be numbered and have a caption (title). Figures are numbered consecutively throughout the thesis with Arabic numerals (that is, chapters are not included in the figure number).

29

The caption is placed under the figure. It begins with Figure 1 (or the appropriate number), and is followed by the title/text. Example: Figure 4. Overview of the analysis process. Sometimes the figure title is followed by an explanation, and if the figure is based on data from another source, this must clearly be stated. The source is then included in the reference list. Example: Figure 4. Interest in entrepreneurship based on gender:  – men, ● – women. Source: SCB, Entrepreneurship monitor6, 2005.

10.7

Tables

Tables make it possible to present vast amounts of data in a systematic and easily accessible manner. Tables should always be designed with readability as a guiding star. If a table is very large (perhaps comprising several pages), it can be placed in an appendix rather than in the text. Each table should be numbered (Arabic numerals) and receive a title that captures the content of the table. The caption is placed above the table.

10.8

Printing/copying

You may choose to have your thesis printed or photocopy it yourselves (see section 5.1). In either case, we recommend that you use double-sided print but always place the summary, table of contents, possible acknowledgements, first chapter and reference list on a right-hand page.

11

Referencing

Why should you reference? There are many reasons, but two stand out: 1. Acknowledge the contributions of others. 2. Support and render creditability to your own arguments. In general, claims about how a situation is always supported by references unless they can be considered public knowledge. To state that "H & M is a company with extensive international operations" must be considered to be generally accepted. But if you contrast your opinion about strategy or the corporate culture at H & M developed, you should specify a source, since the claim was based on an interpretation of developments in H & M and a more specific knowledge of the business.

6

Fictive source.

30

There are several basic ways to refer to contents from another source: Summarize. The main point of more extensive data, perhaps a whole chapter, is summarized in considerably less space, maybe a paragraph. The summary should reflect the message of the original source, while the summary is made in your own words. A reference to the original source is necessary, if applicable with page number/s. Quote. If a few lines, sentences or string of words are reproduced exactly (word by word) from the original source, it is a quotation. These words must then be surrounded by quotation marks. The reference must specify which page of the original source that the quote comes from. In addition, the quotation should not be taken out of context so that the original meaning distorted. The general rule is that you should treat others’ ideas in an independent fashion and rephrase their words. You can thus only use a limited amount of quotes in your text. Paraphrase. To paraphrase is to reformulate ideas / content from another source in your own words, without summarizing (reducing the original content). To properly paraphrase, it is not enough to just emit a few words from the original author and thus shorten the original text. A reference to the original source is necessary, if applicable with page number/s. These need to treat sources and references correctly apply to all written material you had in for assessment/opposition, and it makes no difference if you write 1or 100 pages. In conclusion, the thesis work places great demands on your ability to independently process texts. This means that you must put referenced material into your own words. This procedure avoids plagiarism, but the ability to relate to other texts using your own words is also a sign of quality. On the thesis web page, you find a number of relevant links on how to avoid plagiarism, paraphrase, and more. Umeå School of Business and Economics is required to report cases of plagiarism where there is a founded suspicion of deceptive behavior to the Umeå university disciplinary committee. The disciplinary committee may decide on temporary suspension from university studies. Umeå School of Business and Economics uses a particular database, URKUND, (also see URKUND user manuals) to control for plagiarism in theses and other texts.

12

Reference Systems

Reference systems are important to facilitate the scrutiny of you text and the identification of your sources. There are three major reference systems:    The Harvard system (a.k.a. the ”author-date” system) The Oxford system (the footnote system) The Vancouver system (sequential numbering) 31

Each system has given rise to a number of different ’schools’. One of the more established schools is the American Psychological Associations (APA) system, which builds on the Harvard system. At Umeå School of Business and Economics, one single reference system should be used on all undergraduate courses and in all theses in Business Administration, namely the Harvard system. We build on the APA recommendations with some differences; one particularly important addition is that we demand that you always add page numbers in your running references. If you choose to utilize a software package such as Endnote Web to manage your references, you will need to make the appropriate adjustments to fulfill the requirements stated below.

12.1

References in the Text – Basic Principles

Principle 1: All sources include the same information: the author’s last name + publication date (year). Further on in the text we discuss how to reference when a source lacks author. Example: ”A disadvantage with surveys is the inability to ask follow-up questions” (Gilbert, 2009, p. 17)”. Principle 2: Page numbers should be included in each reference, not only in connection to direct quotes, in tables and figures. An exception from this principle applies when you intend to reference an entire book/article/source. Example; ”Among the relatively few researchers that study ecopreneurship are Schaper (2002) and Schaltegger (2002)”. Here, the argumentation refers to the works as such, and it is impossible to list a specific reference. In the example above, the name of the author is part of the text, but another option is to place both author name and year of publication in parenthesis: ”There are relatively few researchers that study ecopreneurship (Schaper, 2002; Schaltegger, 2002)”. The above example also indicates that if there are two or more references in the same parenthesis, they are separated by a semi colon.

12.2

References in the Text – More than One Author

If there are two authors you write: ”A disadvantage with surveys is the inability to ask follow up questions (Gilbert & Carter, 2009, p. 17)”.

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If there are three or more authors, you write: ”An advantage with surveys is the possibility to reach many respondents (Smith et al., 2003, p. 50)”. 7 In the reference list, all authors must be listed. .

12.3

References in the Text – Same Author, Different References

Same author, two different years: List the sources in order of publication: ”The authors have in several articles discussed the phenomenon of co-opetition (Bengtsson & Kock, 2000, 2001)” Same author, same year: Add letters to the publication year to separate the sources. These letters must be used each time the reference is cited in the text and also in the list of references. Example: ”The authors have in several articles discussed the phenomenon of co-opetition (Bengtsson & Kock, 2000a, 2000b)”.

12.4

References in the Text – Different Authors, Same Name

If you use several sources with the same author name and publication year, you can add the first letter of the first names in the references to separate the sources: ”Several studies have shown a relationship between strong brands and a cohesive corporate culture (L. Nilsson, 2008, p. 14; D. Nilsson, 2008, p. 244).

12.5

References in the Text – Missing Author

Sometimes a text lacks an (explicit) author. Usually, an organization, such as a company or an NGO is considered to be the author. Example: ”In the so called Brundtland report, the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, 1987) emphasized the need to balance economic, ecological, and social sustainability.” In this example, the WCED is the organization behind the text. Names of companies, authorities, or other organizations are usually spelled out in their entirety each time they are cited. An exception is when there is an established abbreviation or acronym. In the first reference, this acronym is added in a parenthesis following the complete name. Thereafter, the acronym is used instead of the complete name: The first reference: ”In a report from Statistiska Centralbyrån (SCB, 2009, p. 87) it is evident that…” or ” In a recent report from Statistiska Centralbyrån (Statistiska Centralbyrån [SCB], 2009, p. 87) it is evident that…”

7

As for references with three to five authors, reference management systems such as Endnote Web will automatically list all authors the first time the reference is utilized; thereafter, only the first author’s name followed by “et al.” will be specified. This procedure will also be accepted by the School.

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In subsequent references only (SCB, 2009, p. x) are used.

12.6

References in the Text – Secondary References

What do you do when you want to reference a scientific article which you read about in another source, such as a book? So called secondary references should be avoided as far as possible for quality reasons. If you cite a source second hand, you run a rather large risk of distorting its original meaning. In most instances, access to the original source is relatively easy via Internet, databases or libraries, and hence the original source should be used. In some rare instance, it may however be reasonable to use secondary references, e.g. if the original source is not available to a reasonable cost, or if the original is written in a language you do not speak. If you must use a secondary reference, you write for example: ”In a study made by Lundberg (1999, cited in Martinsson 2002, p. 23), it was shown how the profitability in small companies increased when…...”. (In the reference list you add Martinsson, definitely not Lundberg, because you have only read Martinsson’s interpretation of Lundberg).

12.7

References in the Text – Web Pages

The basic principle for citing web pages is to as far as possible name an author to the information you cite, or at least name the organization behind the page as the author. Example with author: ”The company has decided on significant investments in the Malmö factory (Widén, 2009)”. Where you have found Widén’s information, on a home page, is not visible in the text, but only in the reference list. (In the same way as you will not receive any information about the publisher of a book until you read the reference list). Example with company as author: ”The sales of truck increased with 18 percent during the second quarter (Volvo, 2001)”. From the examples it is obvious that you should not list the entire web address directly in the text. Sometimes you may however discuss a particular web page and intend to recommend this page, rather than citing specific information on that particular page. Then you write: ”Official statistics are publicly available at the home page of Statistics Sweden (www.scb.se/)”. Because you are not referring to specific information on this page, you should not include it in the reference list.

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12.8

References in the Text – Oral Sources and E-mail Communication

Different types of oral sources and personal communication is references in the same way. Regarding e-mail communication it is particularly important to consider whether it is ethically reasonable and relevant to publish the material, and preferably do so with the expressed agreement of the source. Further, it should be made certain that the person cited as author of the e-mail really is the author. According to APA’s recommendations, you should in the text: A. Andersson (personal communication, September 1, 2009), or (A. Andersson, personal communication, September 1, 2009). (In the result’s chapter in a thesis there may be reasons to deviate from the above to facilitate the text flow/the narrative or due to anonymization. This may for example mean that you write: ”Bertilsson described how the company’s turnover increased with 22 percent after the product launch …”. Such a technique presumes that it is clear by introductions to the empirical chapter who this Bertilsson is.)

12.9

References in the Text – Laws and Regulations

When dealing with legal texts, you should refer to legislation when you discuss the content of the rules and to commentary legal literature when you interpret the rules. Unnecessarily long quotations and descriptions of legislation should be avoided. Regarding Swedish laws and regulations, they are published in ”Svensk författningssamling”, SFS. Each law is given a number first based on the year, and second based on the consecutive number of laws passed during this year. In references, the full number is used. Example: ”According to the Law on Annual Reporting (Årsredovisningslagen) (SFS 1995:1554)…”.

12.10 References in the Text – Speeches, Lectures, Letters
Examples of unpublished sources are most speeches, lectures, internal corporate documents, and similar sources. As far as possible, these sources are also cited in the text according to the principle of last name (alternatively organization) and year. However, you should note that normally, lecture notes and lectures are not considered suitable sources in the theoretical frame of reference in a thesis. Possible exceptions include if the information presented can be deemed unique in the sense that it has no equivalent in the literature (which rarely is the case).

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12.11 References in the Text – A Note on Electronic Sources
As already mentioned, electronic sources should as far as possible be references in the same way as other sources (author, year). It is customary and prudent to save a copy of the electronic sources that you are using; e.g. reports that you download, e-mail communication, and so on. The reason is of course that material posted on line easily can be removed or changed during the course of your work (or after).

12.12 References in the Text – Sources Not Mentioned
There are most likely many different examples of sources not discussed here. When you encounter and cite such texts, you should try to find suitable role models for referencing in method books etcetera, and if necessary adjust the advice given to the requirements presented here.

13

Reference List8

The basic principles for a reference list are:  All references used in the thesis text should be included in the reference list.  The list includes all types of sources, printed as well as electronic.  The list only includes source that were referenced in the text, and only sources the authors have read.  The references are ordered alphabetically based on the first author’s last name. It should be a single list (i.e. without subheadings).

13.1

Article in Scientific Journal (printed)

Last name, initial/s9 (year). Title of the article. Name of the journal, vol. no., (issue no), pages. Ping, R.A. (2004). On assuring valid measures for theoretical models using survey data. Journal of Business Research, 57 (2), 125-141. Two authors: Kim, H., & Bearman, P.S. (1997). The structure and dynamics of movement participation. American Sociological Review, 62, 70-93. Three to five authors. List all last names with’&’ between the two last names: Schoorman, F.D., Bazerman, M.H., & Atkin, R.S. (1981). Interlocking directorates: A strategy for reducing environmental uncertainty. Academy of Management Review, 6 (2), 243-251.

8 9

Note that some of the examples used in this section are fictional. You can choose to write the complete first name, but then you must be consistent and do so for all sources in your reference list.

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Six or more authors; the first six author names are listed, but names beyond are just noted as ”et al.” Adler, F., Cook, G., Adams, P.H., Gardner, D.J., Loomis, M.V., Vernon, S. & et al. (1999). Environmental management in growth industries. Business Management, 9 (2), 44-61.

13.2

Article in Scientific Journal (electronic)

For electronically published scientific journals, the same principles apply as for printed articles. However, if the article only is available electronically, the address should be added to the reference. For complete instructions, we recommend: American Psychological Association (2007). APA style guide to electronic references. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. So called DOI:s are used to facilitate the identification of electronically published scientific articles. DOI is an abbreviation of “digital object identifier”, and denotes a number with a permanent link to a document on the Internet. When a scientific article is published, it receives a DOI by the publisher. Responsible for the DOI is the International DOI Foundation. You can read more about this system at http://www.doi.org/. Scientific article [electronic] with DOI Lankoski, L. (2009). Cost and revenue impacts of corporate responsibility: Comparisons across sustainability dimensions and product chain stages. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 25(1), 57-67. doi:10.1016/j.scaman.2008.10.002. Accepted but not yet published scientific article Holvino, E. & Kamp, A. (2009). Diversity management: Are we moving in the right direction? Reflections from both sides of the North Atlantic. Scandinavian Journal of Management (in press). doi:10.1016/j.scaman.2009.09.005.

13.3

Bok

Last name, initial/s (year). Title of the book. Edition. Place of publication: publisher. Example: Cooper, W. (2008). Market analysis. 2nd edition. Malmö: Liber.

13.4

Chapter in Edited Book

Author’s last name, initial/s (year). Chapter Title followed by In: Initials and last names of the editor/s, ed/s. Title of the Book. Edition. Place of publication: publisher. Page numbers.

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Walsh, T., & Conrad, W.B. (2009). Ethical dilemmas in outsourcing to third world countries. In K.W. Moore, ed. Business Ethics: Collected Essays. 2nd edition. London: Academic Publishers. pp. 204-231.

13.5

Edited Book

Editor’s last name, initial/s, ed/s. (year). Book Title. Edition. Place of publication: publisher. Moore, K.W., ed. (2009). Business Ethics: Collected Essays. 2nd edition. London: Academic Publishers.

13.6

E-books

Author’s last name, initial/s (year),. [type of medium] Place of publication: publisher. Available via: URL alternatively Title of book web page. [retrieval date] Blackburn, W. (2007). The Sustainability Handbook. [e-book.] London: Earthscan Publications. Available via: Umeå University Library/Databases/Ebrary http://site.ebrary.com/lib/umeaub/home.action [Retrieved: October 25th, 2009]

13.7

Dissertations and Theses

Author’s last name, initial/s (year). Title of dissertation/thesis. Level. Place of University: Name of University. Example: Wenisch, S. (2004). The Diffusion of a Balanced Scorecard in a Divisionalized Firm. Adoption and Implementation in a Practical Context. Doctoral dissertation. Umeå10: Umeå University.

13.8

Conference Papers

Author’s last name, initial/s (year). Title of conference paper. In: editor (if an editor exists) or organization behind the conference, Title of the conference. Place, date. Place of publication: publisher (if there is a publisher). The example below lack both editor and place of publication. Jouison, E. (2007). Action research: a missing method in the field of entrepreneurship. In: ICSB 2007 World Conference. Turku, June 13-14. If the conference paper was downloaded electronically, the same details that are added below for news papers should be included (web address, retrieval date).
10

When the place of the university also can be derived from the name of the university, the place could be excluded as a separate item in the reference.

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13.9

Newspaper Article (Printed and Electronic)

Printed: author’s last name, initial/s (year). Title of article. Name of newspaper, day and month, page number. Carlgren, A. & Erlandsson, E. (2007). Klimatmärkt mat smart val. Svenska Dagbladet, Augusti 8, Sektion: Brännpunkt, p. 5. Electronic: author’s last name, initial/s (year). Title of acticle. Name of newspaper, [type of medium] day and month. Available via: URL-address. [Retrieved: date] Carlgren, A. & Erlandsson, E. (2007). Klimatmärkt mat smart val. Svenska Dagbladet, [Online] Augusti 8. Available via: http://www.svd.se/opinion/brannpunkt/artikel_243953.svd [Retrieved: October 24, 2009]

13.10 Annual Reports (Printed and Electronic)
Printed: Company (year). Title of Annual Report. Publisher/place of publication: company. Electronic: Company (year). Title of Annual Report. [type of medium]. Available via: web address [Retrieved: date] Arla Foods AB (2009). Annual report 2007. [electronic]. Available via: http://www.arlafoods.se/upload/arla%20dk/group/publications/se_annual%20reports/ se_2007.pdf [Retrieved: October 26, 2009]

13.11 E-mail Communication
E-mail communication is treated in the same way as personal communication (see below).

13.12 Interviews and Other Personal Communication
There are certain reference systems, such as APA, which recommends that personal communication is not included in the reference list (as it cannot be retrieved). We however recommend that a special heading ”Personal communication” is listed at the end of the reference list.

39

Last name, initial/s (year). Label of talk/communication. [type of medium] (personal communication, complete date). Example: Pettersson, W.T. (2007). Discussion about upcoming advertisement campaign. [phone call] (personal communication, May 12, 2007) Example: Schilling, L. (2009). RE: Interview request [e-mail] (personal communication, September 9, 2009) Example: Marklund, A.G. (2009). Interview about the development of the printing industry during the 2000s. [interview] (personal communication, January 26, 2009)

13.13 Speeches, Lectures, etcetera
Last name, initial/s (year). Title of speech/lecture. Place and occasion, organization, city, country. Complete date. Boman, P. (2009). A complex world demands simple rules. EFMD Undergraduate Conference on Management Education, Umeå School of Business, Umeå, Sweden. 2009-09-21.

13.14 Laws
This information applies to Swedish legislation. SFS Number of law. Name of law. Place: Department. SFS 1995:1554. Årsredovisningslagen. Stockholm: Justitiedepartementet (Department of Justice)

13.15 Brochures
Author/organization (year). Title of brochure. [Brochure]. Place: organization. Swedish Tax Agency. (2009). Skatteregler för aktie- och handelsbolag. Taxeringsår 2009. SKV 294 utgåva 7. [Brochure]. Stockholm: the Swedish Tax Agency.

13.16 Web Pages
References to web page /document with author. Author’s last name, Initial/s, (year). Title of page/document. Webpage/site [Retrieved: date].

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Cooper, M. (2004) Wool knitting. M. Cooper’s personal [Retrieved 2004-10-24]

home

page

If there is no author, cite the organization behind the page as a course, if this can be considered appropriate. Otherwise, you may list “unknown” as author. It is however very rarely motivated to use sources where the author is unknown in scholarly work. Umeå School of Business (2006, May) USBE research in Entrepreneurship. USBE web site [Retrieved 2007-0928].

13.17 Films, etcetera
Title of the film. Year of distribution. [type of medium] Director. Country: studio. Bananas (2009). [film] Directed by Fredrik Gertten. Sweden: WG Film AB.

13.18 Pictures, Photographs
Photographer (alt. artist), (year). Title. [type of medium] (information about collection or similar). Van Gogh, V. (1885). Autumn Landscape. [painting] (Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, England).

13.19 Using Images from Other Sources
It is not allowed to use copyrighted figures and images with out permission. In such cases you should send a request to use the figure. If permission is granted, this should be clearly stated after the source has been given. A standard phrase is: reprinted with permission or reprinted by permission.

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Appendix 1 – Literature Suggestions
To find basic methodological books, use search words such as business research methods, social science methods, research methods, and so on. If you use quantitative surveys, you should of course search for literature specializing in surveys, if you use observations you should use literature specializing on observations, and so on. The list below instead contains some examples of often older and classic literature on methods. The books are likely to exist in different editions. Overarching Issues Berger, P. & Luckmann, T. (1966). The social construction of reality. Penguin Books. Burr, V. (1995). An Introduction to Social Constructionism. London: Routledge. Burrell,G. & Morgan, G. (1987). Sociological Paradigms and Organisational Analysis. Gower: Aldershot. Caláis, M. & Smirchich, L. (1999). Past Postmodernism? Reflections and Tentative Directions. Academy of Management Review, 24 (4), 649-671. Chalmers, A. F. (1982). What is This Thing Called Science? Philadelphia: Open University Press. Drazin, R., Glynn, M.A., & Kazanjian, R.K. (1999). Multilevel theorizing about creativity in organizations: a sensemaking perspective. Academy of Management Review, 24(2), 286-307. Giddens, A. (1976) New Rules of Sociological Method: A Positive Critique of Interpretive Sociologies. New York: Basic Books, Inc., Publishers. Harding, S. (1991). Whose science? Whose knowledge? Thinking about women's lives. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Jick, T.D. (1979). Mixing qualitative and quantitative methods: Triangulation in action Administrative Science Quarterly, 24, 602-611. Ketokivi, M. & Mantere, S. (2010) Two strategies for inductive reasoning in organizational research. Academy of Management Review, 35(2), 315–333. Kuhn, T.S. (1970). The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Morgeson, F.P. and Hofmann, D.A., (1999). The Structure and Function of Collective Constructs: Implications for Multilevel Research and Theory Development. Academy of Management Review, 24(2), 249-265. Siggelkow, N. (2007). Persuasion with case studies. Academy of Management Journal, 50: 20-24. Webb, E.J., Campbell, D.T., Schwartz, R.D. & Sechres, L. (1999). Unobtrusive Measures. London: Sage. Qualitative Approaches Alvesson, M. (2003) Beyond neopositivists, romantics, and localists: A reflective approach to interviews in organizational research. Academy of Management Journal, 28(1), 13-33.

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Alvesson, M. & Sköldberg, K. (2000) Reflexive Methodology: New Vistas for Qualitative Research. London, UK: Sage Publications. Czarniawska, B. (1999). Writing Management. Organization Theory as a Literary Genre. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Czarniawska, B. (2004) Narratives in Social Science Research. London, UK: Sage Publications. Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y.S. (red.) (1994). Handbook of qualitative research. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Eisenhardt, K.M. & Graebner, M.E., (2007). Theory building from case studies: Opportunities and challenges. Academy of Management Journal, 50(1), 25-32. Glaser, B.G. & Strauss, A.L. (1967). The Discovery of Grounded Theory. New York: Aldine de Gruyter. Gummesson, E. (1988). Qualitative Methods in Management Research. Lund: Studentlitteratur. Lincoln, Y.S. & Guba, E.G. (1985). Naturalistic Inquiry. Sage. Kvale, S. (1997). InterViews. An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Merriam, S.B. (1988). Case study research in education: A qualititative approach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Miles, M.B. & Huberman, A.M. (1994) An expanded sourcebook: Qualitative Data Analysis (Second Edition). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications Inc. Riessman, C. (1993) Narrative Analysis. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications. Riessman, C. (2008) Narrative Methods for the Human Sciences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Rosen, M. (1991). Coming to Terms with the Field: Understanding and Doing Organizational Ethnography. Journal of Management Studies, 28 (1), 1-24. Strauss, A.L. (1987). Qualitative Analysis for Social Scientists. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Silverman, D. (red.) (1997). Qualitative Research. Theory, Method and Practice. London: Sage. Spradley, J.P. (1979). The Ethnographic Interview. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. Spradley, J.P. (1980). Participant observation. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston. Suddaby, R. (2006). From The Editors: What Grounded Theory is Not. Academy of Management Journal, 49(4), 633–642. Van Maanen, J. (1988). Tales of the field - On writing ethnography. Chicago: The University of Chi-cago Press. Weick, K.E. (1999). Theory Construction as Disciplined Reflexivity: Tradeoffs in the 90s. Academy of Management Review, 24(4), 797-106. Weick, K.E. (1989). Theory construction as disciplined imagination. Academy of Management Review, 14, 532-550. Weick, K.E. (1995). What theory is not, theorizing is. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(3), 385-390. Yin, R. K. (1994). Case study research. Design and method. (rev. version av 1984 års upplaga). Applied Social Research Methods Series Volume 5. Thousands Oaks: Sage.

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See also articles from Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal. Quantitative Approaches Bearden, W.O. & Netemeyer, R.G. (1999). Handbook of marketing scales : multi-item measures for marketing and consumer behavior research. 2:a uppl. Thousand Oaks, Calif.; Sage. Bryman, A. & Cramer, D. (2008) Quantitative Data Analysis With Spss 14, 15 And 16. A Guide for Social Scientists. London; Taylor & Francis Ltd. Campbell, J.Y., Lo, A.W., MacKinlay, A.C. (1997). The Econometrics of Financial Markets. Princeton: Princeton University Press. (Comment: comprehensive book on econometrics within finance). Greene, W.H. (2011). Econometric Analysis (7th Edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall. (Comment: a core book for any sort of advanced quantitative analysis). Hair, J.F., Andersson, R.E., Tatham, R.L. & Black, W.C. (1998). Multivariate Data Analysis. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Hoyle, R.H. (red.) (1999). Statistical Strategies for Small Sample Research. London: Sage Publications. Kaplan, D. (2000). "Structural Equation Modeling. Foundations and Extensions". Advanced Quantitative Techniques in the Social Sciences series, Volume 10. London: Sage. Long, S.J. (1997). Regression Models for Categorical and Limited Dependent Variables, Advanced quantitative techniques series, no. 7. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. (Comment: Essential reading for advanced quantitative research in e.g. marketing or management). Ping, Robert A. (2004). On assuring valid measures for theoretical models using survey data. Journal of Business Research, 57(2), 125-141. Ryan, B., Scapens, R. & Theobald M. (2002). Research Metod & Methodology in Finance & Accounting, 2:a uppl. London: Thomson. Summers, G.F. (red.) (1977). Attitude measurement. London: Kershaw. Process and Longitudinal Studies Huber, G.P. & Van de Ven, A.H.(red.) (1995). Longitudinal Field Research Methods. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Langley, A. (1999). Strategies for Theorizing from Process Data. Academy of Management Review, 24(4), 691-713. Pentland, Brian T. (1999). Building Process Theory with Narrative: From Description to Explanation. Academy of Management Review, 24(4), 711-724, 1999. Pettigrew, A. M. (1990). Longitudinal Field Research on Change: Theory and Practice. Organisation Science, 1(3), 267-292. Pettigrew, A.M. (1997) What is processual analysis? Scandinavian Journal of Management, 13(4), 337-348. Action Research Argyris, C., Putnam, R. & MacLain Smith, D. (1985). Action Science: Concepts, Methods and Skills for Research Intervention. San Francisco, Ca: Jossey-Bass Publishers. 44

Schön, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner. New York: Basic Books. Whyte, W.F. (1991). Participatory action research. Newbury Park: Sage. Formal Issues American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. (se även senare upplagor!) American Psychological Association (2007). APA style guide to electronic references. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Day, R.A. (1989). How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper. Cambridge. Cambridge University Press. Literature Searches and Reviews Hart, C. (2001). Doing a Literature Search. London: Sage. Hart, C. (1998). Doing a literature review: releasing the social science research imagination. London: Sage.

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Appendix 2 - The Reference List
The instructions below summarize and supplement chapter 13 Reference list in the thesis manual. Overall instructions for compiling a reference list     All references used in the thesis text should be included in the reference list. The list includes all types of sources, printed as well as electronic. The list only includes source that were referenced in the text, and only sources the authors have read. The references are ordered alphabetically based on the first author’s last name. It should be a single list (i.e. without subheadings).

Basic principle for references to printed journal articles Last name, initial/s11 (year). Title of the article, Name of the journal, vol. no., (issue no), pages. For examples, see the thesis manual, section 13.1. Basic principle for references to electronic journal articles For electronically published scientific journals, the same principles apply as for printed articles. However, if the article only is available electronically, the address should be added to the reference. Last name, initial/s (year). Title of the article, Name of the journal, vol. no., (issue no), pages. doi reference12. For examples and further information about DOI, see the thesis manual, section 13.2. Basic principle for reference to books Last name, initial/s (year). Title of the book. Edition. Place of publication: publisher. For examples, see the thesis manual, section 13.3. Basic principle for references to book chapters in edited books

11

You can choose to write the complete first name instead of initials, but then you must be consistent and do so for all sources in your reference list. 12 So called DOI:s are used to facilitate the identification of electronically published scientific articles. DOI is an abbreviation of “digital object identifier”, and denotes a number with a permanent link to a document on the Internet. When a scientific article is published, it receives a DOI by the publisher.

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Author’s last name, initial/s (year). Chapter Title. In: Initial/s and last name/s of the editor/s, ed/s. Title of the Book. Edition. Place of publication: publisher. pp. xx-xx. For examples, see the thesis manual, section 13.4. Basic principle for references to an edited book Editor’s last name/s, initial/s, ed. (year). Book Title. Edition. Place of publication: publisher. For examples, see the thesis manual, section 13.5. Basic principle for references to E-books Author’s last name, initial/s (year), Title of book. [type of medium] Place of publication: publisher. Available via: URL alternatively web page. [Retrieved: date] For examples, see the thesis manual, section 13.6. Basic principle for references to dissertations and theses Author’s last name, initial/s (year). Title of dissertation/thesis. Level. Place of University: Name of University. For examples, see the thesis manual, section 13.7. Basic principle for references to conference papers Author’s last name, initial/s (year). Title of conference paper. In: editor (if an editor exists) or organization behind the conference, Title of the conference. Place, date. Place of publication: publisher (if there is a publisher). For examples, see the thesis manual, section 13.8. If the conference paper was downloaded electronically, the same details that are added below for newspapers should be included (web address, retrieval date). Basic principle for references to newspaper article (printed and electronic) Printed newspaper articles: Author’s last name, initial/s (year). Title of article. Name of newspaper, day and month, page number. Electronic newspaper articles: Author’s last name, initial/s (year). Title of article. Name of newspaper, [type of medium] day and month. Avialable via: URL-address. [Retrieved: date] 47

For examples, see the thesis manual, section 13.9. Basic principle for references to annual reports (printed and electronic) Printed Annual Report: Company (year). Title of Annual Report. Publisher/place of publication: company. Electronic Annual Report: Company (year). Title of Annual Report. [type of medium]. Available via: web address [Retrieved: date]. For examples, see the thesis manual, section 13.10. Basic principle for reference to (Swedish) laws SFS Number of law. Name of law. Place: Department. For examples, see the thesis manual, section 13.14. Basic principle for references to brochures Author/organization (year). Title of brochure. [Brochure]. Place: organization. For examples, see the thesis manual, section 13.15. Basic principle for references to web pages Author’s last name (or: Publishing organization), Initial/s, (year). Title of page/document. Webpage/site [Retrieved: date] For examples and further directives, see the thesis manual, section 13.16. Basic principle for references to personal communication There are certain reference systems, such as APA, which recommends that personal communication is not included in the reference list (as it cannot be retrieved). We however recommend that a special heading ”Personal communication” is listed after the reference list. Here you may place interviews, speeches and e-mail communication (provided that the respondents could be referred to by name so that they are not anonymous in the thesis; in either case, the empirical sources must of course also be discussed in the methodology).

48

E-mail communication, interviews, etc. Last name, initial/s (year). Label of talk/communication. [type of medium] (personal communication, complete date). Speeches, lectures, etc. Last name, initial/s (year). Title of speech/lecture. Place and occasion, organization, city, country. Complete date. For examples, see the thesis manual, sections 13.11-13.

Example on reference list in a thesis:

Reference list
Brock, D.M., Powell, M.J. & Hinings, C.R., eds. (1999). Restructuring the professional organization. Accounting, health care and law. [e-book] London: Routledge. Available via: Umeå University Library/Databases/Ebrary http://site.ebrary.com/lib/umeaub/home.action [Retrieved: September 6, 2010]. IKEA (2011). Om IKEA koncernen. IKEA official website [Retrieved: May 17, 2011]. Jouison, E. (2007). Action research: a missing method in the field of entrepreneurship. In: ICSB 2007 World Conference. Turku, June 13-14. Ketokivi, M. & Mantere, S. (2010). Two strategies for inductive reasoning in organizational research. Academy of Management Review, 35(2), 315–333 Lankoski, L. (2009). Cost and revenue impacts of corporate responsibility: Comparisons across sustainability dimensions and product chain stages. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 25(1), 57-67. doi:10.1016/j.scaman.2008.10.002. Schoorman, F.D., Bazerman, M.H., & Atkin, R.S. (1981). Interlocking directorates: A strategy for reducing environmental uncertainty. Academy of Management Review, 6 (2), 243-251. Spradley, J.P. (1979). The Ethnographic Interview. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc. Tyler, T. (2001). Cooperation in organizations: A social identity perspective. In M.A. Hogg & D.J. Terry, eds. Social identity processes in organizational contexts. Philadelphia, PA: Psychology Press. pp. 149-165.

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Vanyushyn, V. (2011). Innovative behaviour in small firms. Essays on small firms’ internationalisation and use of online channels. Doctoral dissertation. Umeå University. Åkesson, N. (2011). Skuldberg sänke för Sverige. Dagens Industri, [online] 17 maj. Available via: http://di.se/Default.aspx?lop=21&refresh=1&pid=3866&epslanguage=sv [Retrieved: May 17, 2011]

Personal communication13
Brandt, L. (2010). Discussion about international development. [telephone conversation] (personal communication, May 12, 2010) Marklund, A.G. (2009). Interview about the development of the printing industry during the 2000s. [interview] (personal communication, January 26, 2009)

13

A list of personal communication references is only relevant if the respondents could be referred to by their personal name in the thesis.

50