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Sample timeline
One month before defence
A draft research proposal cleared by your mentor
Two weeks before defence
A finalized research proposal
A set of draft presentation slides cleared by your mentor
One week before defence
A set of finalized presentation slides
Defence
DBA learning partner
DBA dissertation committee
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Research proposal
First four chapters of your DBA dissertation
Introduction
Literature review
Research framework
Research methodology
Around 60 to 80 pages
A4, double spacing, 12 font
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Presentation slides
Introduction
Literature review
Research framework
Research methodology
Between 10 to 20 slides
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Dissertation committee
Chairman
Programme Director/Deputy Programme Director
The official decision maker
To control the presentation
Members
Your mentor
Secretary – to line up chairman and member, date, time and
venue
Usually remains silent throughout the defence
One faculty in other CB departments
Usually your mentor’s good friend
To support your mentor
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Why presentation?
Dissertation committee to
ascertain that the proposal is written by you
understand your proposal before/without detailed
reading
suggest useful/useless improvements
approve the research proposal
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Proposal presentation
– standard rundown
Introduction 10 min
Literature review 10 min
Research framework 10 min
Research methodology 10 min
Q & A 20 min
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Cohort 2010
Mode: Sem A, year 3 to Sem B, year 3
Earliest: Sem B, year 2
Latest: Sem A, year 4
Good timing
Sem A: Oct, Nov
Sem B: late Feb, Mar, early Apr
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Outline
Standard proposal defence procedure
Assessment criteria of research proposal
Sound practices and common issues
Residential workshop II as a rehearsal
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Assessment criteria (1)
Q1. Problem statement
The proposal has an explicit problem statement.
Q2. Problem significance
The proposal clearly shows why the stated problem is
significant for either the learning partner’s company or
industry
Q3. Research objectives
The research objectives are clearly stated and linked
directly to the problem statement, i.e. if the research
objectives are met, the problem will be solved.
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Assessment criteria (2)
Q4. Research questions
The research questions are stated in such a manner that if answers to
research questions are found, the research would have met its’
objectives (Q2) and solved the problem (Q3).
Q5. Literature review
The research proposal clearly and explicitly justifies the choice of
literature reviewed in the context of the stated research questions. For
each items or set of literature reviewed, the proposal clearly shows as
to how the literature is relevant to the research questions and how it
helps answer some of all of the research questions.
Q6. Research framework
The construction of the research framework clearly shows as to how
the reviewed literature contributed to the construction of the research
framework. It clearly shows as to which concepts and the
relationships between the concepts came from which literature.
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Assessment criteria (3)
Q7. Concepts and variables
The proposal has clearly identified and defined the concepts of
interest in the research framework. The proposal has identified and
defined the variables that will be used for observing these concepts
and clearly defined these variables and their scales.
Q8. Research methodology
The candidate has justified his choice or research methodology in the
light of his research questions and objectives. The candidate has
clearly stated the research stance (positivist, interpretive or pragmatic)
and his research method (case studies, interviews, surveys, etc.)
sources of data and data collection methods.
Q9. Overall impression
The proposed research is likely to lead to a successful DBA
dissertation (i.e. meeting the criteria for the DBA dissertation).
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Outline
Standard proposal defence procedure
Assessment criteria of research proposal
Sound practices and common issues
Residential workshop II as a rehearsal
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Sound practices
Start your preparation today
Aim to meet the minimum standards only
Focus on academic rigors instead of technical details
More charts, colours, tables and comparisons
Improve your proposal and presentation in
accordance with the check lists
More sharing from senior learning partners and/or
graduates
Use sharing sessions as rehearsals
Structure sharing sessions as formal presentations
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Common issues
Great research vision
Self-rejection on your own proposal
Rely on your mentor
Proposal more than 100 pages
Presentation slides more than 20
Argue with professors during presentation
A perfect presentation
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Alternative presentation rundown
Highlights
Introduction 12 min
Literature review 3 min
Research framework 6 min
Research methodology 3 min
Supplementary details 16 min
Industrial initiatives
Q & A 20 min
Prepare a list of questions for your mentor
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Outline
Standard proposal defence procedure
Assessment criteria of research proposal
Sound practices and common issues
Residential workshop II as a rehearsal
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Residential Workshop II
Mock proposal defence
15 learning partner divided into 3 groups x 5
Defender
One learning partners
Chairman
One professor
Members
Other 3 learning partners
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Comments to my presentation during
Residential Workshop II
Have you talked to your mentor about your
proposal?
What a hell is that?
So what?
I am totally lost.
It doesn’t make any sense.
Boring and stupid.
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Your role as a member
Focus on academic rigors instead of technical details
Ask critical and constructive questions in accordance
with the check lists
Observe
how other learning partners are challenged
mistakes made by other learning partners
Use observations to improve your proposal
presentation
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Q & A
http://sites.google.com/site/quanrisk
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Progress of cohort 2010
as at September 2014
Total 23
Graduated in 2013 2
Graduated in 2014 5
In progress 11
