Dissertation Proposal Form This form must be approved for a candidate to register for the dissertation. It is the student’s responsibility to find a Faculty Promoter with whom to complete this form. It is also incumbent upon the student to make sure that all academic and administrative criteria have been met. The form must be completed, signed by the respective parties, and submitted to the Dissertation Coordinator for approval. Please type on this form. Handwritten forms will not be accepted. Section A: Registration Information Name: Dorsan Paul Masure Email: [email protected] Program (DBA; MBA, BBA): BBA Specialization: Bachelor of Arts in Digital Business, Design & Innovation. Promoter: Luis Diaz Proposed Dissertation Defense Cohort (Choose One) ☒January 2021 ☐May 2021 ☐ June 2021 ☐September 2021 Section B: Dissertation Outline Type below each topic I. Proposed Dissertation Title: The title (tentative) should be precise to allow the reader to comprehend the subject matter of the work. · Ocean endangered: how businesses can promote the conservation of endangered marine species while creating value. II. Research Question or Hypothesis: State clearly what your research interest is. Define your research question/hypothesis and the main objectives of your research (100 words). In what ways can a business benefit from new opportunities while saving the marine life? III. Review of Literature/Background: Make a synthesis of the contributions made in your research field by accredited scholars. Describe how your intended research will complement and expand on the current literature, and what contributions you intend to make to the existing knowledge (500 words). Note: Should you opt for a Business Plan, then provide a full analysis of the business conditions. Marine life is increasingly becoming endangered by the growing world population, climate change, industrialization, and other human activities. Climate change is among the direst threats to marine life and other forms of life on earth. The gradually rising global temperatures, ocean acidification, and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide are causing adverse effects on marine life such as the dissolving of shells and skeletons, coral bleaching, and loss of breeding grounds. Marine species are more endangered today than ever before. According to World Wildlife Fund, plastic waste kills about 100 million marine animals each year, with 100,000 marine animals dying from getting entangled in plastic every year. Approximately 2,270 snails and whale species are listed as endangered globally. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) projects that half of the global marine species may become extinct if necessary effective solutions are not put in place to eradicate threats facing marine life. Human activities, particularly industrialization, play a major role in the increased ocean pollution. According to Food and Agriculture Organization, ...

1. Dissertation Proposal Form
This form must be approved for a candidate to register for the
dissertation. It is the student’s responsibility to find a Faculty
Promoter with whom to complete this form. It is also incumbent
upon the student to make sure that all academic and
administrative criteria have been met. The form must be
completed, signed by the respective parties, and submitted to
the Dissertation Coordinator for approval. Please type on this
form. Handwritten forms will not be accepted.
Section A: Registration Information
Name: Dorsan Paul Masure
Email: [email protected]
Program (DBA; MBA, BBA): BBA
Specialization: Bachelor of Arts in Digital Business, Design &
Innovation.
Promoter: Luis Diaz
Proposed Dissertation Defense Cohort (Choose One)
☒January 2021 ☐May 2021 ☐ June 2021
☐September 2021
Section B: Dissertation Outline
Type below each topic
I. Proposed Dissertation Title: The title (tentative) should be
precise to allow the reader to comprehend the subject matter of
the work.
· Ocean endangered: how businesses can promote the

2. conservation of endangered marine species while creating value.
II. Research Question or Hypothesis: State clearly what your
research interest is. Define your research question/hypothesis
and the main objectives of your research (100 words).
In what ways can a business benefit from new opportunities
while saving the marine life?
III. Review of Literature/Background: Make a synthesis of the
contributions made in your research field by accredited
scholars. Describe how your intended research will complement
and expand on the current literature, and what contributions you
intend to make to the existing knowledge (500 words).
Note: Should you opt for a Business Plan, then provide a full
analysis of the business conditions.
Marine life is increasingly becoming endangered by the growing
world population, climate change, industrialization, and other
human activities. Climate change is among the direst threats to
marine life and other forms of life on earth. The gradually
rising global temperatures, ocean acidification, and increasing
atmospheric carbon dioxide are causing adverse effects on
marine life such as the dissolving of shells and skeletons, coral
bleaching, and loss of breeding grounds. Marine species are
more endangered today than ever before. According to World
Wildlife Fund, plastic waste kills about 100 million marine
animals each year, with 100,000 marine animals dying from
getting entangled in plastic every year. Approximately 2,270
snails and whale species are listed as endangered globally. The
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization (UNESCO) projects that half of the global marine
species may become extinct if necessary effective solutions are
not put in place to eradicate threats facing marine life. Human
activities, particularly industrialization, play a major role in the
increased ocean pollution. According to Food and Agriculture
Organization, land-based sources, including untreated sewage,
agricultural run-off, discharge of nutrients, and pesticides,
account for about 80% of marine pollution globally. Food and

3. Agriculture Organization states that about 8 million tons of
plastic are released into oceans each year. Businesses have a
vital role in protecting and conserving endangered ocean
species and marine animals. Out of the 380 million tons of
plastic produced every year, only 8.7 per cent was recycled in
2019 (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2021).
Recycling is an effective strategy for businesses to reduce the
amount of plastics, metals, fibre and other materials that pollute
oceans. Recycling can also save businesses a significant amount
of money ; a well-designed planned and implemented recycling
program can generate thousands of euros in savings per person
annually. The new research will build on the literature provided
above and explore other ways businesses can save marine life
while also creating business value in the process. This research
will recommend new strategies for big and small businesses to
improve waste management, adopt more sustainable business
practices, and collaborate with the rest of the world in
addressing the various threats endangering marine life.
Moreover, recycling facilities in the U.S generated $7 billion in
total revenue in 2019 (National Conference of State
Legislatures, 2020). Additionally, recycling can benefit
companies by cutting down the amount of energy used. The
National Institutes of Health (NIH) reveals that recycled steel
can save up to 60% production energy, while recycled plastics
and glass can save 70% and 40% production energy,
respectively. The other benefits of recycling include an
improved brand image, which enables a business to attract more
customers and a talented workforce. The strategy through
which businesses can save marine life is shifting away from
plastic packaging to more eco-friendly alternatives. Packaging
waste accounts for approximately 40% of all solid waste in
waste streams. Some of the eco-friendly packaging alternatives
that businesses should adopt include organic fabrics, seaweed
and mushroom packaging, recyclable and reusable materials and
biodegradable packaging. In so doing, this research will make a
valuable addition to the existing knowledge about the subject.

4. IV. Research Methodology: Clearly indicate the methods and
techniques which you are planning to use to gather information
and investigate the identified problem.
The choice of a research methodology is vital in a research
because it helps formulate the path to be followed in conducting
the study, interpretation of results, and reporting the findings.
Additionally, research methodology enables researchers to
choose the appropriate literature, develop research questions
and create an appropriate study design. To gather information
and data for this research project, both primary and secondary
research will be conducted.
Primary Research
To understand the role of businesses in the protection and
conservation of endangered marine species, a telephonic and
online surveys will be conducted. The primary research for this
study will involve collecting data using standardized
questionnaires. Each respondent will be asked to fill a
structured questionnaire in order to determine ways in which
businesses can contribute in the protection of marine life.
Standardized questionnaires will be designed to collect primary
data from experts in the subject matter including researchers,
professors, policy makers, and business leaders. A standardized
questionnaire involves asking precisely the same questions to
all participants in an identical formats, and recording the
responses in a uniform manner (Roopa and Rani, 2012). A
questionnaire that clearly reflects the role of businesses in the
protection and conservation of endangered ocean species and
marine animals. A pilot study will be conducted before the
actual full-scale study is performed. A pilot study enables
researchers to determine whether the project is feasible, and to
establish whether proposed methods and instruments are
appropriate for the study.
Secondary Research
In secondary research, systematic literature review will be
employed. Systematic literature review as an approach to

5. research that uses repeatable analytical methods to collect data
for analysis. Essentially, a systematic literature review involves
identification, selection and critical appraisal research aimed at
answering a clearly formulated question. The central question
this research seeks to answer is how businesses can promote the
conservation of endangered marine species while also creating
value for the business. The primary aim of this systematic
literature review will be to identify all empirical evidence that
answers this particular research question. This will be a
comprehensive, transparent search that will be conducted over
multiple databases. This systematic literature review will focus
on exploring and analyzing some of the opportunities businesses
can exploit to conserve endangered marine species while also
creating value for the business.
The first step will be inclusion/exclusion criteria. A systematic
scoping review will be conducted to eliminate unreliable low -
quality sources of data. To obtain the highest level of evidence
to investigate and answer the research question, peer-reviewed
journal articles and reputed websites will be used. Peer-
reviewed articles are authored by experts in a particular field or
discipline, and reputable journals publish them. Marine life and
threats facing marine species is one of the extensively
researched topics by scientists, academic institutions,
government institutions and other stakeholders. This research
will narrow down to peer-reviewed up-to-date sources of
information authored by reputable professionals, organizations
and agencies. The next step is conducting a search, extraction of
data and analysis of relevant studies. A meta-analysis will be
employed to summarize the results from the chosen studies
statistically. A meta-analysis will be used to improve the
quality of the results and conclusions.
V. Selected Bibliography: Please indicate a representative list
of the main bibliographical sources you intend to utilize for
your dissertation (no more than 20). Please provide full
citations.

6. Cronin, T. and Hof, C., 2021. Plastic in our oceans is killing
marine mammals. [online] Wwf.org.au. Available at:
<https://www.wwf.org.au/news/blogs/plastic-in-our-oceans-is-
killing-marine-mammals#gs.9vg0oq> [Accessed 1 September
2021].
Unesco.org. 2021. Facts and figures on marine biodiversity |
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization. [online] Available at:
<http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/ioc-
oceans/focus-areas/rio-20-ocean/blueprint-for-the-future-we-
want/marine-biodiversity/facts-and-figures-on-marine-
biodiversity> [Accessed 1 September 2021].
Greenpeace USA. 2021. Oceans. [online] Available at:
<https://www.greenpeace.org/usa/campaigns/oceans/>
[Accessed 1 September 2021].Oceana. 2021. 10 Ways You Can
Help Save the Oceans. [online] Available at:
<https://oceana.org/living-blue/10-ways-you-can-help-save-
oceans> [Accessed 1 September 2021].
Kelly, J., Sadeghieh, T., & Adeli, K. (2014). Peer review in
scientific publications: benefits, critiques, & a survival guide.
Carney Almroth, B., & Eggert, H. (2019). Marine plastic
pollution: sources, impacts, and policy issues. Review of
environmental economics and policy
Broderick, A. C. (2015). Grand challenges in marine
conservation and sustainable use. Frontiers in Marine Science,
2, 11.
VI. Research and Writing Timeline: Indicate your expected
research timetable: starting date, research time, data analysis
time, writing time, editing time, date of first draft submission,
expected defense time. You may use a Gantt chart.

7. The starting date has already begun. I am now doing a research
time in order to accumulate my knowledge on the subject. I
already start to identify, select an safe useful information as
well as the sources where I can fin them.
VII. Ethics: How does your research relate to the ethical aspects
of your subject matter?
Saving the ocean’s life is definitely ethically correct.
It is important to adhere to the highest levels of ethical
standards when conducting research. Research ethics issues will
be considered and handled appropriately in accordance with the
institution’s guidelines and procedures. One of the ethical
issues relevant to this particular subject matter is respect for
intellectual property, particularly plagiarism. Given that this
research project will involve consulting other authors’ work and
data from various agencies and organizations, the risk of
plagiarism will be high.
VIII. Signature of Student:
Signature Date: August 27, 2021
The grade for the entire dissertation project is a composite

8. grade allocated by the defense panel and takes three areas into
consideration:
· Form (20%): the structural organization of the Dissertation
document (grammar and vocabulary; writing and reporting;
technology; style)
· Content (60%): the academic accuracy and value of the project
(executive summary; research question & objectives;
background; main body; conclusions)
· Defense (20%): the manner and methods used (visuals;
content; questions & answers)