The document provides guidance on selecting a dissertation topic and defending a dissertation proposal. It discusses considering how much you enjoy the topic, whether the topic is relevant to important unanswered questions, and ensuring the topic is on the leading edge of research methods. The document also advises taking time to explore different topics while not delaying too long, and positioning the topic at the frontier of knowledge. Finally, it states the goal of defending the proposal is to obtain feedback, and outlines steps like choosing knowledgeable committee members and preparing the defense to maximize feedback.

1. “Getting started: selection of a topic,
defending proposal”
Felipe Csaszar
Strategy Department
Stephen M. Ross School of Business
University of Michigan
BPS Managing Your Dissertation Workshop
August 13, 2011

2. Disclaimer
• N = 1 sample
– What happened to me
– What I have heard form others
– What I theorize
– … Think of this as a point to start a conversation

3. Selecting a topic
Defending the proposal

4. Choosing a thesis topic is important
• You’ll be working on this for years
• Will affect your identity
– People will associate you with this topic
• People will make decisions about you based on
your topic

5. Some fit considerations
• How much you like the topic
– Enthusiasm
You
Love
• How much the world likes your
Master topic
– Tricky. Not necessarily today, but
Topic tomorrow
– Solving the trickiness: how it relates
to the big, important, unanswered
Likes Understood questions in the field
World Methods
• How much value you can add to
the topic
– Match with experience, skills,
methods

6. Some positioning considerations:
Your thesis and the knowledge frontier
• A PhD is about creating knowledge
• If you are not in the frontier you’ll get no “customers”
• Are you in the frontier?
– Dominated positions
Relevance of
don’t score points
question
• Can you move the
frontier?
• Can you achieve both
Leading edge dimensions at the
method same time?

7. Some “flexibility vs. commitment”
considerations
• Solving the fit and positioning problems is difficult
– Take your time (but not too much)
– Use your time:
• Try different things, talk to different people, read broadly, take many
courses, engage in deep conversations with you and others
Cost of not Cost not having enough time to
exploring enough develop a state-of-the-art project
(omission error) (commission error)
Cost
Optimal time
Year 1 Time Year 4/5

8. Selecting a topic
Defending the proposal

9. What’s the goal of
“defending the proposal”
• Disclaimer:
– At Wharton this happens quite late, many times when
one is already in the job market
• Original goal:
– Quality control: another screening method, for the
PhD program to make sure you are doing something
sensible
• Current goal:
– You choose it
– My proposal: it is all about feedback

10. Maximizing feedback during the
“proposal defense process”
Choose members
Keep them Tell them where
that know about
updated they can help
your subject
1’
10’
Beta test (with Give committee
Prepare the
30’ many subjects) + members time to
defense
Improve read
1:30’
Book
Meet with
Defend the Gather their
committee Improve
proposal feedback
members