John Sulston Business School

Master of Business Administration Office

Thesis Manual
 Table of Contents

MBA Thesis ............................................................................................................ 4

Part I: Thesis Content Recommendations ............................................................... 5
Cover Page .......................................................................................................... 5
Abstract ............................................................................................................... 5
Introduction ......................................................................................................... 5
Literature Review. ................................................................................................6
Research Question(s) ........................................................................................... 8
Research Methodology ........................................................................................ 9
Results ................................................................................................................. 10
Discussion ........................................................................................................... 10
Limitations ........................................................................................................... 10
Recommendations ................................................................................................ 10
Conclusion ............................................................................................................ 11
Part II: Thesis Formatting Style Requirements ......................................................... 12
Paper ..................................................................................................................... 12
Font ...................................................................................................................... 12
Spacing .................................................................................................................. 12
Margins ................................................................................................................. 12
Headings ................................................................................................................ 13
Page Numbers ........................................................................................................ 13
Language ................................................................................................................ 14
Parts and Sequence of the Manuscript ................................................................... 15
Cover Page ............................................................................................................. 15
Dedication .............................................................................................................. 16
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ 16
Abstract .................................................................................................................. 16
Table of Contents .............................................................................................. 16
List of Tables and Figures..................................................................................17

2
 List of Abbreviations ......................................................................................... 17
The Text ............................................................................................................. 17
Tables and Figures ............................................................................................. 17
Placement of Tables and Figures ....................................................................... 18
References ......................................................................................................... 19
Appendix ........................................................................................................... 20
Use of Copyrighted Material............................................................................. 20
Academic Integrity............................................................................................20
Part III: Thesis Registration and Graduation Procedures .................................................. 21
Thesis Registration........................................................................................................21
Writing of the Thesis..................................................................................................... 21
Submission of the Thesis .............................................................................................. 22
Thesis Defense .............................................................................................................. 22
Graduation.....................................................................................................................22
Appendix ........................................................................................................................... 23

3
MBA Thesis

1. The thesis is the culminating activity in the MBA program. As such, the thesis
should only be started after the student has completed all courses successfully.
Through the thesis, the student should demonstrate that he/she is able to conduct a
scientific investigation of business question/problem. The thesis need not
contribute new knowledge or insights; however it must be coherent and well
organized.
2. The amount of time exerted in the thesis project should not exceed a total of 120-
160 hours, while the document itself may range from 50 to 100 pages.
3. Although pure or fundamental research is accepted, students are encouraged to
work on applied research that solves a business problem. More specifically, we
recommend that the student use a scientific research methodology to
systematically investigate and solve a business problem in his or her workplace.
As such, many research methodologies including case studies are welcomed.
4. The criteria used to evaluate the thesis are:
a. Clear and precise research question(s).
b. A literature review that covers some of basic and state of the art relevant
literature.
c. A methodology section that discusses sampling, instruments and
procedures.
d. Use of proper scientific analysis methods.
e. Conclusions based on findings.
f. The document must be formatted according to the guidelines provided in
the thesis preparation manual.
g. Document free of language error.

This document is composed of four parts. The first part provides some recommendations
related to the content and language of the thesis. The second identifies the required
formatting style of the thesis document. The third explains the thesis registration and
graduation procedure. The last part (the appendix) contains all the necessary forms.

4
 Part I: Thesis Content Recommendations
Cover Page
Contains short (not more than 15 words), descriptive title of the proposed thesis and
author, institution, thesis supervisor and date of delivery. Abbreviated terms should be
spelled out. Examples of good titles:
The Relationship Between Perceived Organizational Justice and Job
Satisfaction in United Kingdom
The Implementation of the 5S Methodology in an American Cement
Manufacturer

Abstract
The purpose of this section is to provide a brief and comprehensive summary of the
study. It should be accurate (do not include information here that is not in the body of the
manuscript), self-contained (spell out abbreviations), concise (250 word maximum), and
specific. Do not cite references in the abstract. Use active rather than passive voice (but
without personal pronouns). Use past tense for procedures and present tense for results. It
is a good idea to write this section last. Specifically, the abstract should answer the
following questions:
1. What is the purpose of the study?
2. What methodology was used?
3. What are the findings?
4. What is the value of the study?

Introduction
The main purpose of this section is to introduce your thesis to the reader. This section
should contain a minimum of five paragraphs:
1. A general introduction identifying the topic of the thesis. Be sure to include a
hook early in the introduction to motivate your reader to read your thesis.
2. A brief reflection on the most relevant and recent literature. Avoid an exhaustive
review (save this for the literature review section).

5
 3. The importance of the study. Explains why the topic is timely (why should we
study it now?). For example:
The recent corruption scandals in Paris indicate the need to study the
implementation of the principles of corporate governance in governmental
organizations.
Explain why the topic is important. Importance is shown by referring to
the problems resulting from not solving the problem and/or investments
companies make in the problem area. For example:
Several studies have shown the ERP project failures can be extremely
costly to organizations (David, 2007). In the past decade, US organization
have spent more than ….
4. What are the objectives and the overall approach of the study? For example: The
purpose of this study is to examine the effect of X on Y using…
5. Organization of the sections. Discuss the organization of the thesis. For example:
This thesis is divided into four parts. In part one I will review the literature
covering the relationship between brand management and customer loyalty.
In part two….

Literature Review
In this section you are required to summarize, synthesize and critique the research
(sources) that have been published on the topic. In other words, you report and comment
on the work of others. There is no minimum or maximum number of sources that should
be used. However, if you are writing about a well researched topic such as human
motivation or leadership, your supervisor will expect you to cover many sources.
Although you may use many types of sources (books, journals, internet websites,
magazines, newspapers ... etc), most of your sources should be from quality academic
and professional journals.
A literature review must:
1. be organized around and related directly to the thesis or research question you are
developing.
2. provide a summary of what is and is not known

6
 3. identify areas of controversy in the literature
4. Identify areas that need further research
Start your literature review with basic definitions. Organize your lit review around ideas
not sources. In other words, the literature review section is not a summary of one
publication after another. It is a sign of poor writing to see every section start or end with
a single source. It is also a sign of poor quality to see one or two sources used as the only
references for a complete page. Below is an example of a bad literature review: Russo
and Giovanni (2000) stated that newspaper advertisements enables employers to gather
a larger and more diversified pool of applicants and could thus ensure higher gains from
the recruitment search. In that matter, research pointed out that newspaper
advertisements are expensive. However, advertisements can attract many applicants; that
is particularly if the job advertised for is of a junior level and the recruiters are seeking a
large number of applicants.
Dessler, Griffiths, Lloyd-Walker, and Williams’s (1999) concept of AIDA (attract,
interest, desire, action) was used to guide several studies on job advertisements.
According to them advertisements that include variables to enhance the physical
features of the advertisement are positively related to the quantity of the pool of
applicants. They also stated that the recruitment advertisements are more
attractive to job applicants when they have a sufficient amount of white space.
Blackman and Anna (2006) stated that recruitment advertisements do more than
just promote vacant positions. In addition, the advantages of successful
personorganization fit include increased job satisfaction, organizational
commitment, feelings of work group cohesion, organizational tenure, individual
performance and decreased turnover and intentions to quit.
Below is an example of integrated literature review:
Organizational theorists have defined organizational effectiveness (OE) in
various ways. OE has been described in terms of objectives (Georgopolous &
Tannenbaum,1957), goals (Etzioni,1960), efficiency (Katz and Kahn,1966), and
resources acquisition (Yuchtman,1977). As Coulter (2007) has remarked, there is
very limited consensus on how to conceptualize and measure OE. Researchers

7
 are now moving away from a single model and are taking a contingency
perspective (Cameron, 1966; Wernerfelt, 2005). However, they are still limiting
themselves to examining the impact of dominant constituencies instead of taking a
broader more dynamic approach.
There are two general strategies for organizing your literature review:
1. If you wish to follow or trace the development of a concept or theory across time,
it may be a good idea to present the material in chronological order. In this
strategy you present the early literature first and than you keep writing until you
reach the most recent or latest publication on this topic. For example, if I wanted
to organize a literature review on human motivation using the chronological
strategy, I would first present the early theories such as the work of Maslow and
Herzberg in the 1950s, move on to the work of McClelland and Adam in the
1960s and then keep moving in time until I present the latest theories.
2. To present the material according to its relation with a theme, topic or issue.
Using this strategy to organize a literature review on human motivation, I would
present the material under the heading of need based theories and process based
theories.
Irrespective of the strategy you use, you want to write your literature review so that you
move from broad to more specific issues.

Research Question(s)
In this section you should state the research question. For example:
The purpose of this study is to understand why engineers are leaving the
company. The research questions are:
1. How do engineers perceive the promotional opportunities
in the company?
2. How satisfied are engineers with their current pay levels?
Some studies may involve hypothesis testing and as such you should list
them. A hypothesis is a statement that indicates what you as a researcher
expect the data to show.
Examples of a hypothesis:

8
 H1: Male engineers will perceive more promotional opportunities than
female engineers.
H2: There is a negative relationship between age and perceptions of
promotional opportunities.

Research Methodology
This section contains an overall description of the approach, materials, and procedures of
your study. It should contain the following subsections:
Sample: in this subsection of your methodology you will define you population, sampling
design and sample size. Sampling design is the process that you will use to select your
sample. The most common form of sampling design is convenience sampling. This is
where you collect data from sources that are convenient or easy for you to contact.
Outside of your company, the most convenient source for you may be your own
colleagues in the MBA program. With regards to sample size, it may be sufficient to
gather data from 50 participants. Although qualitative studies (ex., case studies) do not
use large sample, if you are using these methods you should also discuss how and why
you selected your subjects including case.
Instrument: in this section you will identify and describe the data collection tools that you
are going to use. Data collection methods include interviews, surveys and observation. A
study may contain more than one data collection method. If you will be using interviews
you will need to discuss their type (structured vs unstructured), format (face to face vs
telephone or email) and the interview questions. If you are using a survey you will need
to identify the source of the survey (who developed it) and its reliability and validity data
(as reported in previous studies). You also need to discuss if you will translate the survey
to Arabic.
Procedures: in this section you need to explain the steps that you will follow to collect the
data. For example, if you are going to send a survey to employees within a department,
how will you get access to these employees and how will you send and receive the
survey. If you are using qualitative methods, you need to explain how you will receive
access to the data.

9
Results
In this chapter, you present the results or findings of your study. It is customary to start
this chapter, by reporting the descriptive statistics of your sample and their responses
(mean age, male-female percentage, average responses). After this is done, the researcher
should report the more advanced inferential statistics that are necessary to test any
hypothesis that may have been advanced. Example of statistical methods include
correlation analysis, regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The researcher
should clearly identify which hypotheses (if any) are supported and which are rejected.
Do not interpret the results in this section; save your ideas for the following section.
If you are using qualitative methods, you also need to present here the facts discovered.

Discussion
Start this section by summarizing the results or findings of the study. Then begin to
discuss your findings in light of the research question(s) and the current literatures on the
topic. You should clearly state what the answer/solution is to the research question or
problem. Great care should be made in inferring the answer only from the results of the
study and not from any other source. You should also discuss if the results agree or differ
from the literature. Do they add to our knowledge on the topic or do they only confirm
what we already know.

Limitations
No study is perfect or ideal. In this chapter, the researcher should identify what he/she
believes are the main weakness of the study. If using quantitative analysis, common
examples of limitation include small samples, non-probability samples which do not
allow for generalization, and/or low instrument reliability or validity. This part usually
ranges from one to two pages. If using qualitative methods, examples of limitations may
include limited access to records or individuals.

Recommendations
In this chapter, you should identify the recommendations or suggestions that you would
like to provide to your organization or to other organizations as a result of your study.

10
This is a critical part of your work as it involves distilling your study in a few learned
lessons. Examples of recommendations include:
1. To enhance employee job satisfaction, the company should depend
more on internal than external recruitment.
2. The company should explain the promotion process more clearly
to the employees.
This section should also identify the researcher's suggestions regarding any future
research efforts on the topic.

Conclusion
Start the conclusion by identifying the purpose of your study. Then summarize your most
important contributions. You should not present any material or data that has not been
presented in other sections.

11
 Part II: Thesis Formatting Style Requirements
While the previous section focused on content issues, this section of the manual provides
guidance on the style of the thesis.

Paper
The final five manuscript copies submitted to The MBA office by direct contact (Camp
students) or through John Sulston Agents (International Students) must use white, A4
size paper. All parts (including the appendix) must meet these limits.

Font
The required font for all parts of the manuscript is “Times New Roman” in size 12-point.
Only black color should be used throughout the thesis.

Spacing
All standard manuscript spacing must equal 1.5. Use a standard indention for the first line
of all paragraphs (5 – 8 spaces). Text within a section must be continuous. Do not add
extra space between paragraphs. Tables and figures should appear near the first mention
but not necessarily directly after it. When short tables or figures are included on the same
page as text, leave one single-spaced blank line before and after the figure or table. Do
not include a table on the same page as text unless the table is short enough to be
complete on that page.

Margins
Top, right, and bottom margins must be at least 1 inch. The left margin must be at least
1.5 inches. These limits are necessary for binding and must be consistently observed
throughout the manuscript.

12
 Headings
You can use up to four heading levels, as follow:
Level Format

1 Centered, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Headings

2 Left-aligned, Boldface, Uppercase and LowercaseHeading
3 Indented, boldface, lowercase heading with a period.
4 Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase heading with a period.
For example:
1. Research Methodology (Level 1)
3.1 Site of Study (Level 2)
3.1.1 Supervisors. (Level 3)
1.1.1.1 Subordinates. (Level 4)

Page Numbers
Page numbers must be placed at center bottom of the page. In this position, the page
number will be halfway between the bottom of the paper and the last line of type. Every
page in the manuscript must be numbered. However, for reasons of appearance; the title
page must not be numbered. Due to this consideration, the first page number to appear on
the manuscript will be the lower case Roman numeral „ii‟ on the first preliminary page
that follows the title page. All preliminary pages are given lower case Roman numerals
(ii, iii, iv, v). numbers format (1,2,3,4,5) must be used to number the text through the
references or appendixes (the final element of the manuscript). The first page of text must
be numbered “1” (i.e., introduction). The remaining pages will be numbered sequentially.
See the below table:

Sequence Pagination
Cover page Low case Roman numerals/count/don't print
Dedication (optional) Low case Roman numerals/count/ print
Acknowledgement (optional) Low case Roman numerals/count/print
Abstract Low case Roman numerals/count/print

13
Table of Contents Low case Roman numerals/count/print
List of Tables and Figures (if needed) Low case Roman numerals/count/print
List of Abbreviations (if needed) Low case Roman numerals/count/print
Body of Thesis numbers starting with 1
References numbers
Arabic translation of abstract numbers
Appendix (optional) numbers

Language
Your thesis must be well written. This means that it should not contain any syntax errors
or typological errors. We strongly recommend that you use the services of a professional
English language editor to improve the quality of your manuscript. In general observe the
following:
1. Use short and complete sentences. In many cases, a good sentence should not be
more than two lines long. The normal sentence structure should be: subject, verb,
and object.
2. The first sentence of the paragraph must be impendent (is not explained by
another sentences in another paragraph). For example do not start a paragraph
with: “Those definitions are provided…”.
3. Never use slang and avoid technical jargon.
4. Never use the royal “we” in referring to yourself.
5. Never use sexist language such as “chairman”; use instead “chairperson”.
6. Use the active rather than the passive voice. For example do not write: “It is
assumed that …”. Instead write: “The researcher assumed that…”.

7. Avoid using „empty words‟ which serve no purpose or add any value. For
example, “In the Nielson (2001) study…”. Another example: “The main key idea
in this study is…”.
8. Ensure that subject and verb agree in number (singular versus plural).

14
 9. Write in the introduction and literature review sections using the past tense and
use the past or present tense when writing the results and discussion sections.
10. A paragraph should be composed of more than one sentence.

Parts and Sequence of the Manuscript

The manuscript must be arranged in the following sequence:
1. Cover page
2. Approval form
3. Declaration form
4. Dedication (optional)
5. Acknowledgements (optional)
6. Abstract
7. Table of Contents
8. List of Tables and Figures (if needed)
9. List of Abbreviations (if needed)
10. Body of Thesis (divided into sections)
11. References
12. Appendix (optional)

Cover Page
This page should contain the title of the thesis, name of the student (exactly as it appears
in the student's official Passport), supervisor's name and date of awarding of degree. The
statement “A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Master of Business Administration” should be inserted between the title and student's
name. The logo of John Sulston Business School should be shown in the top left corner
of the page (see thesis template).

15
Approval Form
This form (see appendix) is signed and dated by all of the members of the thesis defense
committee.

Declaration Form
This form (see appendix) must be signed and dated by the student.

Dedication
This page is optional. If included, the dedication page should be brief. It must be
centered, left to right, and top to bottom, on the page.

Acknowledgements
This page is optional. On this page a student might thank those who have helped
in the process of obtaining the graduate degree.

Abstract
Every thesis must include an abstract. The abstract should be a single paragraph and the
first line should not be indented. The abstract should not exceed 250 words. The next
section (i.e., introduction) begins on a new page.

Table of Contents
The Table of Contents may vary in amount of information included. Title pages and
preliminary pages (any assigned Roman numerals) are not included in the Table of
Contents. The first entry in the Table of Contents should be the section of the manuscript
assigned number “1.” Section titles should be listed in the Table of Contents exactly as
they appear in the text. A page number should be supplied for each item listed.
The Table of Contents must include section titles, references and any appendices.
Generally, it is not necessary to include subheadings in the Table of Contents. However,
if they must be listed, a logical system of indentation should be followed. Consistency
must be preserved. If a particular level is included at any point in the Table of Contents,
all headings of that level must be included.

16
List of Tables and Figures
Unless there are five or more tables within the manuscript, this list should not be
included. Any tables appearing in the appendix must be included in this list. The title of
each table should be unique, and all titles must be entered in the list exactly as they
appear in the manuscript. A page number should be supplied for each table listed.

List of Abbreviations
Unless there are five or more abbreviations, this list should not be included. the list
should provide the abbreviation and the full name.

The Text
This part of the manuscript includes the main body of the thesis, the references, and the
appendix or appendices (optional). The body of the paper must be divided into sections.
Sections must be numbered consecutively. Each section must begin on a new page. An
“Introduction” must be the first numbered section. In case of subsections within a section,
the same numbering system must be followed to indicate level. Subdivisions should not
begin on a new page unless there is insufficient space on the preceding page for the
complete heading and at least two lines of text. First and second level subheadings must
be preceded by an extra line of space.

Tables and Figures

1. Tables and figures must be numbered consecutively. There are two acceptable
methods of numbering tables in a thesis or dissertation. Tables may be numbered
consecutively throughout the entire manuscript (a complete sequence that
includes all tables, those in the text and in the appendices). Consistency and
accuracy are vital. Tables must not be subdivided. Each table must have a
separate numeric designation.
2. Tables and figures should be inserted near their first mention in the text or as a
logical group within the chapter (see Placement of Tables and Figures).

17
 3. All table and figures titles must be typed single-spaced above the table using
consistent capitalization.

4. Tables and figures must be flawless and fully legible. They must be of
professional quality.
5. All tables and figures must meet margin and font requirements.

Placement of Tables and Figures

1. Most tables and figures should be assigned a page separate from the text.
2. Because tables and figures are secondary to the text, the text dictates where the
tables or figures should be placed. If assigned a separate page, a table or figure
should immediately follow the page on which it is first mentioned. When more
than one table or figure is introduced on a page of text, each follows in the order
mentioned.
3. A table or figure less than one-half page in length may be incorporated within the
text.
4. If tables and figures are incorporated into the text, they must be placed on either
the top or the bottom of the page. If mentioned on the upper part of a page of text,
the table or figure should be placed on the bottom portion of that page. If
mentioned on the bottom part, the table or figure should be placed on the top of
the following page. Please note: All pages must be filled with text and in no case
should a page be left significantly short because of the mention of a table or
figure.
5. If a table or figure is presented horizontally on a page (landscape orientation), the
margin at the binding edge must still be 1.5” and the all other margins 1”. The
placement of the page number should be consistent with the rest of the
manuscript. In this case, the title and caption should be presented horizontally
with the table or figure.
6. When all tables and/or figures are presented in an appendix, this fact is stated in a
footnote in the body of the text at the first mention of a table or figure. It is not
necessary to repeat this footnote thereafter. When only some of the tables and

18
 figures are presented in an appendix, their location must be clearly indicated
whenever the items are mentioned in the text , unless the numbering scheme
makes the location obvious.

Citations and References

The List of References is a vital part of every thesis. Failure to document references in a
consistent and acceptable style is a sign of poor scholarship.
1. Cite all ideas, concepts, text, data that are not your own. In-text citations should
follow the American Psychological Association (APA) style.
2. All references cited in the text must be listed in the references.
3. You are required to use the American Psychological Association (APA)
referencing style (see examples below).
Reference from a journal:
Crick, N. R., & Dodge, K. A. (1994). A review and reformulation of social
informationprocessing mechanisms in children's social adjustment. Psychological
Bulletin, 115, 74-101.
Reference from a book:
Cole, G. A., & Kelly, P. (2011). Management: Theory and practice. Washington, D.C.:
Cengage.
Reference from a chapter within a book:
Denham, S., Neal, K., Wilson, B., Pickering, S., & Boyatzis, C. (2005). Emotional
development and forgiveness in children: Emerging evidence. In E. Worthington,
Jr. (Ed.), Handbook of Forgiveness (pp. 127–142). New York: Routledge.
Reference from an institutional source:
Kaufman, P., Chen, X., Choy, S. P., Ruddy, S. A., Miller, A. K., Chandler, K. A.(1999).
Indicators of school crime and safety. Washington, DC: US Departments of
Education and Justice.
Reference from a source in a language other than English:
Yang, X (1999). The comedy of Lao Fu Ye (in Chinese), Da Zhong Press, Beijing.
Reference from the internet:
Caygill, R. (2009). Science: Trends in year 5 science achievement 1994 to 2006.

19
 Retrieved on October 23rd, 2010 from:
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/ data/assets/pdf_file/0015/34413/914_TIM
SS-06_Science2.pdf

Appendix
The appendices include material inappropriate to the body of the main text. Original data
and supplementary materials are usually placed in the appendix.

Use of Copyrighted Material

Students are required to obtain permission from the author or publishers to quote
extensively from copyrighted material. Such permission is usually granted on condition
that acknowledgment is made. If payment is required, this is the student's responsibility.
Permission for the use of all such materials must be obtained before the thesis or
dissertation is submitted to the MBA office.

Academic Integrity
Being a high quality Business School with a mission to achieve excellence in both
teaching and research, as well as fostering an excellent and self-contained intellectual
atmosphere of work and study, John Sulston Business School strongly discourages and
resists any form of violation of its academic integrity policy. Any form of cheating,
plagiarism, falsification, impersonation, evidence concealment, or fabrication of results
is some of many violations strongly resisted and opposed by John Sulston Business
School.

20
 Part III: Thesis Registration and Graduation Procedures

Thesis Registration
1. The student should send an email to the MBA Director declaring his/her
intentions to register for the thesis.
2. Student initiates work on the thesis proposal with the supervisor. It is highly
recommended that this phase does not take more than one month.
3. Once the supervisor approves the proposal, he/she will sign the front cover and
the Thesis Proposal Approval Form (see appendix). The student should submit
three copies of this proposal and the form to the MBA office.
4. The student should officially register for the thesis once the MBA office approves
the proposal. To register you should complete the Registration Form; pick up the
Payment form from finance and then pay the thesis fees ( 450 sterling Pound for
UK students, 500 sterling Pound for International Students )

Writing of the Thesis

1. Work on the thesis must conform to the approved proposal. From the date of the
proposal approval, the student will have a maximum of 12 months to complete the
thesis. A student can request from the MBA Office a onetime extension of up to
three months using the Thesis Extension Form (see appendix). If the student fails
to submit his/her work within the time frame, he/she will receive a grade of F and
have to re-register for the thesis.
2. The thesis supervisor is required to provide the MBA Office with a monthly
progress and evaluation report.

21
Submission of the Thesis
When the thesis is completed, the supervisor fills in a Thesis Completion form (see
appendix) and sends it to the MBA Office. On the other hand; the student submits 5
copies of the final draft to the MBA office.

Thesis Defense
1. Once the Supervisor approves the thesis, the MBA Office will form the defense
committee. The committee is composed of the thesis supervisor (and co
supervisor if applicable), external and internal examiners.

2. During the defense session, the student will be given 15-20 minutes to present the
thesis. This will be followed by questions from the defense committee. After the
committee has finished examining the student, the committee will meet in private
to evaluate and grade the performance of the student on the thesis and the defense.

3. If the committee approves the thesis but requires corrections, the student will have
up to two months from the date of defense to complete the corrections; otherwise
the student will receive a grade of F.

4. The thesis supervisor is responsible for following up on the corrections and

reporting its completion to the MBA Office. The student also submits five final
copies to the MBA office.

Graduation
Once the MBA Office is satisfied that all requirements have been fulfilled it will confer
the degree on the student. If all grade reports are received, the candidate will receive the
E-Certificate (by Mail) until he receive it in person during the graduation ceremony (6-8
Months after completion.

22
Appendix

23
 John Sulston Business School

Thesis Title

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Masters of Business Administration

By

Enter your Name here

Supervised by

Enter your main supervisor name here

Enter your co-supervisor name here (if any)

Enter Date of awarding degree here like April, 2009

24
 Approval

This thesis has been approved in partial fulfillment for the degree of Master of Business
Administration by John Sulston Business School on……………….. (DD/MM/YYYY)

Name of the supervisor:

Position: Signature and date
Institution:

Name of Internal Examiner:

Position: Signature and date
Institution:

Name of External Examiner:

Position: Signature and date
Institution:

25
 Declaration

This is to certify that:

1. The thesis comprises only my original work towards the MBA degree and
2. Due acknowledgment has been made in the text to all other material used.

Student's Signature

26
 MBA Thesis Examiner Grading Form

Student name: Student ID:

Examiner name:
Thesis title:

Examiner's view point with respect to the following (attach additional paper if necessary):
1. Student's research abilities:

2. The adopted methodology:

3. The conformity of thesis conclusion to the stated objectives:

4. The significance of the practical and professional implications of the thesis:

Examiner's decision:
a. *Grade percentage (see scale below):
b. Corrections to be finalized within two months (attach additional paper if necessary):

Examiner's signature: Date:

* Grading scale:
Grade Percentage Scale Grade Percentage Scale
A+ 95-100 % C+ 70-74

A 90-94 C 65-69

A- 85-89 C- 60-64

B+ 80-84 F 60>
B 75-79

27
 MBA Thesis Defense Committee Grading Form

1. Student Name: Student ID:

2. Thesis Title:

3. Examiner's Grades*
a. Name of Internal Examiner:
Grade percentage given:

b. Name of External Examiner:

Grade percentage given:

c. Name of Supervisor:
Grade percentage given:

4. Collective decision of the defense committee:

a. Grade (average of the three grades)*:
b. Corrections to be finalized within two months (attach additional paper if
necessary):

5. Committee signature and date:

1. 2. 3.
* Grading scale:
Grade Percentage Scale Grade Percentage Scale
A+ 95-100 % C+ 70-74

A 90-94 C 65-69

A- 85-89 C- 60-64

B+ 80-84 F 60>
B 75-79

28
29