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As discussed, I need help with Tasks 13 through 17 (See DBA Dissertation Guide V2.4). I have attached the last dissertation we worked on so you can piggy back it. The Data collected from the interviews is in the zip folder.
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Doctor of Business Administration
Liberty University
School of Business
DBA Dissertation Guide
V2.4
1971 University Boulevard
Lynchburg, VA 24515-2269
[email protected]
434-582-3000
Aug 7, 2023
Liberty University School of Business
DBA Dissertation Guide
Table of Contents
Overview …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3
The Dissertation Chair ………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
The Committee Member ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Concept Alignment in the Dissertation ……………………………………………………………………. 4
Where to Study & Sample Size ……………………………………………………………………………… 5
References & Citations …………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
Future vs. Past Tense ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 5
Submissions and Revisions ……………………………………………………………………………………. 5
Suggested Research Resources ………………………………………………………………………………. 6
Task Structure and Submissions …………………………………………………………………………….. 7
BUSI 987, Dissertation I ………………………………………………………………………………………………….10
Task 1: Bullet Point Outline & CITI Certificate ……………………………………………………… 10
Task 1: Bullet Point Outline & CITI Certificate – Admin Review …………………………….. 13
Task 2: The Problem …………………………………………………………………………………………… 15
Task 3: The Nature of the Study …………………………………………………………………………… 17
Task 4: The Conceptual / Theoretical Framework ………………………………………………….. 19
Task 5: Review of the Professional and Academic Literature Outline ……………………….. 22
Task 6: Supporting Material ………………………………………………………………………………… 24
Task 7: Section 1, Foundation of the Study ……………………………………………………………. 26
Task 7: Section 1, Foundation of the Study – Committee Review……………………………… 28
BUSI 988, Dissertation II ………………………………………………………………………………………………..29
Task 1: Bullet Point Outline ………………………………………………………………………………… 29
Task 7: Section 1, Foundation of the Study w/Literature Review ……………………………… 30
Task 7: Section 1, Foundation of the Study w/Literature Review – Admin Review…….. 31
Task 8: The Research …………………………………………………………………………………………. 32
Task 9: Participants, Population, and Sampling ……………………………………………………… 34
Task 10: Data Collection and Analysis ………………………………………………………………….. 37
Task 11: Section 2, The Project ……………………………………………………………………………. 41
Task 11: Section 2, The Project – Committee Review ……………………………………………… 43
Task 11: Section 2, The Project – Admin Review …………………………………………………… 44
Task 12: The Research Proposal, Proposal Defense, & IRB Submission …………………… 45
BUSI 989, Dissertation III ……………………………………………………………………………………………….48
Task 1: Bullet Point Outline ………………………………………………………………………………… 48
Task 12: The Research Proposal w/IRB Approval ………………………………………………….. 49
Task 12: The Research Proposal w/IRB Approval – Admin Review…………………………. 50
Task 13: Presentation of the Findings ……………………………………………………………………. 52
Task 13: Presentation of the Findings – Committee Review …………………………………….. 55
Task 13: Presentation of the Findings – Admin Review …………………………………………… 56
Task 14: Supporting Material ………………………………………………………………………………. 57
Task 15: Section 3, Application to Professional Practice …………………………………………. 59
Task 16: Draft Dissertation & Updates ………………………………………………………………….. 61
BUSI 990, Dissertation IV ……………………………………………………………………………………………….63
Task 17: Final Dissertation – Defense ……………………………………………………………………. 63
Task 17: Final Dissertation – Editing …………………………………………………………………….. 67
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Task 17: Final Dissertation – Publication……………………………………………………………….. 68
Task 17: Final Dissertation – Admin Review …………………………………………………………. 70
Document Contents …………………………………………………………………………………………………………72
Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 72
Dedication …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 72
Acknowledgments………………………………………………………………………………………………. 72
Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 72
Section 1: Foundation of the Study……………………………………………………………………….. 72
Background of the Problem …………………………………………………………………………………. 72
Problem Statement ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 73
Research Questions …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 73
Hypotheses ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 74
Purpose Statement ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 75
Research Paradigms ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 75
Design and Method …………………………………………………………………………………………….. 76
Definition of Terms…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 79
Assumptions, Limitations, Delimitations ………………………………………………………………. 79
Assumptions……………………………………………………………………………………………. 79
Limitations ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 79
Delimitations …………………………………………………………………………………………… 79
Significance of the Study …………………………………………………………………………………….. 80
Reduction of Gaps in the Literature ……………………………………………………………. 80
Implications for Biblical Integration …………………………………………………………… 80
Benefit to Business Practice and Relationship to Cognate …………………………….. 80
Summary of Significance of the Study ……………………………………………………….. 80
A Review of the Professional and Academic Literature …………………………………………… 80
Transition and Summary ……………………………………………………………………………………… 81
References ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..81
Dissertation Chair Responsibilities ……………………………………………………………………………………82
General ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 82
Weekly Progress Reports …………………………………………………………………………………….. 83
Grading Tasks ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 83
Posting Final Grades …………………………………………………………………………………………… 83
Enrolling in BUSI 990 ………………………………………………………………………………………… 84
The Field Study ………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 84
Committee Member Reviews ………………………………………………………………………………. 84
Administrative Reviews ………………………………………………………………………………………. 85
Presentations ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 86
Signatures ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 86
Committee Member Responsibilities…………………………………………………………………………………88
General ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 88
Task Reviews …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 88
Proposal Defense ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 89
Dissertation Defense …………………………………………………………………………………………… 89
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Overview
The Dissertation is the final research project for the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
program and is made up of three sections. These are The Foundation of the Study, The Project,
and the Application to Professional Practice. These three sections are developed in BUSI 987, 988,
and 989 respectively. The first two sections together make up the research proposal and are
approved by the Dissertation Chair, your Committee Member, and DBA Administration prior to
beginning the field study. Once the field study is completed, all three sections are combined to
form the Dissertation. The research is defended, and the final document is submitted to the Jerry
Falwell Library (JFL) for publication in BUSI 990. The research is intended to be original and
replication studies will not be allowed. While secondary data can be used for triangulation, the
data acquisition plan for the study will focus on primary data.
Note: The DBA Dissertation is only available to students that enrolled in the 2018-2019 AY or
earlier and have stayed in that earlier Degree Completion Plan. Students enrolling after the 20182019 AY will complete an Applied Doctoral Research Project. Students in a 2018-2019 AY or
earlier DCP that change to the ADRP or students that have an unapproved break in enrollment will
not be able to change back to the Dissertation track.
You are no longer a student – You have now completed the transition from student to doctoral
candidate. This is a significant milestone that shifts the burden from a professor in a course
teaching you things you do not know to you applying what you have already learned! Your
Dissertation Chair is here to evaluate your work and point out areas for improvement, not teach
you how to accomplish each task. You are responsible for reviewing the guidelines provided and
submitting work that is compliant with them. When you hit a roadblock or do not understand a
particular aspect of your research project you need to be able to work your way through the issue
by studying the problem, conducting further research, and determining the best solution.
Key Research Characteristics of the Dissertation:
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Focus – Cognate related business problem supported by current literature (within 5 years)
Scope – Results must be relatable (flexible designs) or generalizable (fixed designs) to the
population
Research Design – Fixed, Flexible, and Mixed Methods Designs
Proposal Defense & IRB Approval
Dissertation Defense & Publication
Dissertation Chair – Primary reviewer, primary point of contact, and mentor
Committee Member – Second reviewer
The Dissertation Chair
As you begin BUSI 987, you will be paired with a Dissertation Chair. This is an expert educator
with a terminal degree that will be your primary reviewer, a primary point of contact, and a mentor
during your entire research project. You will contact your chair via email whenever you submit a
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task for review to include tasks you submit for committee review or administrative review. Your
chair will be your first stop for any questions you have regarding your Dissertation and will be
responsible for approving the content of all your submissions. Your chair will notify your
Committee Member or DBA Administration when you have a task ready for review.
The Committee Member
You will also be paired with a committee member (reader) in BUSI 987. This is another expert
educator with a terminal degree that will be your second review for certain steps in the
development of your dissertation. In the event of conflicting views between the dissertation chair
and the committee member, the dissertation chair will have priority.
Concept Alignment in the Dissertation
The reader must be able to visualize a straight line connecting the general problem, the specific
problem, the purpose statement, the research questions, and the nature of the study.
General Problem – Overarching business problem related to the candidate’s cognate with the
existence of the problem supported by current literature (less than five years).
Specific Problem – Narrowly focused market(s) / industry (s) / region(s) being studied to provide
insight into the general problem.
Purpose Statement – To study the specific problem, thereby giving insight into the general
problem. In a flexible design, the goal is generally to explore or to understand. In a fixed design,
the goal is generally to measure, compare, or relate.
Research Questions – The broad questions that need to be answered to provide meaningful insight
into the specific problem. These are not interview questions, they are questions that guide the
overall study. In a flexible design, these questions will seek to explain or understand and will
typically include words such as how, why, and what and are exploratory in nature rather than
assumptive. In a fixed design, these questions will generally seek to describe, measure, compare,
or relate variables. In both cases, the questions should be open-ended and not solicit a yes / no
response.
Nature of the Study – The nature of the study describes the researcher’s paradigm, the research
design, and the research method(s). The researcher will need to be able to describe why the chosen
design and method(s) are the best choice for the research being conducted.
Alignment exists when:
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The specific problem is a subset of the general problem
The purpose statement describes a research goal that addresses the specific problem
The research questions address the specific problem and its consequences
The nature of the study identifies a design and method(s) that are consistent with the action
word choices in the purpose statement and the word choices in the research questions
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Where to Study & Sample Size
Selecting where to conduct your research study and how many participants will be guided by
several factors:
Fixed Design Dissertations – to provide for statistically significant results that can be generalized
to the overall population, you will need to use a sample size calculator (not gPower which is a
great post hoc test) to determine the right number. For large populations (over 5000) this is going
to be around 380 for each group within the sample based upon a Confidence Level (CL) of 95%
and a Confidence Interval (CI) of 5%. How you define the population determines what you would
like to be able to generalize your results to, which in turn determines the sample size.
Flexible Design Dissertations – to provide results that can be related to the overall population, you
will need to interview until you reach saturation, which is the point at which you are no longer
gaining new information from participants. While various authors will provide varying ranges for
this, the common ground is that saturation will be reached within 25 to 30 interviews for a group.
References & Citations
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Provide multiple primary sources to substantiate each section of the Dissertation. Limit the
use of secondary sources.
Provide a citation for each factual assertion in the Dissertation.
Use the most current references outside of seminal works.
Every citation must be linked to a reference; every reference must be used as a citation.
Remove the permalinks in the reference section for ease of reading.
75% of the references used for the literature review must be within the last 5 years.
Future vs. Past Tense
When writing Section 1 and Section 2 prior to the Field Study (BUSI 987 & 988), all writing will
be in the future tense. You will use phrases like “the researcher will”, “I will”, and “the study will
include”. You will not use past tense prior to the Field Study because an action has not been taken
yet and therefore might change. Sections 1 & 2 up to that point are your Research Proposal.
Once you have completed your Field Study in BUSI 989, you will change the document to the past
tense.
Submissions and Revisions
Each submission made will be reviewed by your Dissertation Chair, your Committee Member, or
DBA Administration. Once you have submitted a document for review and emailed your chair that
the document is ready, your chair will respond with feedback within six days. For committee
reviews, your chair will notify your committee member that your document is ready for review
once you notify him/her via email. You will receive feedback on your submission within six days
of the receipt of the email from the chair. For administrative reviews, your chair will notify DBA
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Administration that your document is ready for review once you notify him/her via email. You
will receive feedback on your submission within six business days of the receipt of the email from
the chair.
If you are asked to make changes, you will prepare a Change Matrix to document the comment
made by the reviewer, a description of the changes you have made to address the comment, and
the location of the changes within the document. Revisions submitted without a Change Matrix
will not be reviewed.
Suggested Research Resources
Creswell, J. & Poth, C. (2018). Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design (4th). Thousand Oaks, CA.
Sage Publications Inc.
Morgan, G., Leech, N., Gloeckner, G., & Barrett, K. (2013) IBM SPSS for Introductory Statistics
(6th). New York, NY. Routledge.
Robson, C. & McCartan, K. (2016). Real World Research (4th). West Sussex, UK. John Wiley &
Sons.
Yin, R. (2018). Case Study Research and Applications (6th). Thousand Oaks, CA. Sage
Publications Inc.
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Task Structure and Submissions
The Dissertation is broken up into tasks to help you move through the process efficiently. The
narrative below provides guidance on each task regarding what must be included and how to
submit the document for review. Please review each task carefully before submitting it to avoid
needless submit/review/revision cycles. Your progress through the four Dissertation courses is
determined by the completion of milestone tasks. Keep in mind that it is common for doctoral
candidates to require more than one semester to complete a section of the dissertation. This is not
a reflection on you or your abilities, rather it reflects the challenge posed by doctoral level research.
To receive a passing grade, the Doctoral Candidate must successfully complete:
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BUSI 987 – Through Task 7: Section 1, Foundation of the Study
BUSI 988 – Through Task 12: The Research Proposal & Defense
BUSI 989 – Through Task 16: Draft Dissertation & Updates
BUSI 990 – Through Task 17: Final Dissertation – Publication
What are the deadlines for submitting work? Specific submission deadlines are not set for each
task or element of the research project, but they must be submitted in order with each one being
approved before moving to the next one. While you can work ahead, you should do so with the
understanding that any required edits on a task might require you to update a later task. If you do
decide to work ahead, do not post future tasks until the current task is approved. Each week you
will be required to submit a Weekly Progress Report describing your progress during the preceding
week, any roadblocks you are facing, and your plan for the coming week.
What if I finish early? If you are able to successfully complete all tasks required to receive a
passing grade in a course before the end of the semester, you can continue to work starting on the
tasks for the next course by posting your work in the Optional Tasks folder. When you begin the
next semester, you will simply submit the baseline tasks and your most recent approved task and
continue from that point.
What if I am repeating a course? If you are repeating a course, you will post the baseline tasks
and your most recently approved task from the previous semester and notify your Dissertation
Chair. You can then proceed to the next task.
Your Dissertation Chair will review each individual task and provide you with feedback so you
can make appropriate revisions. You will continue to revise each task and resubmit it for review
along with a Change Matrix until your Dissertation Chair approves the submission.
Tasks in the Dissertation:
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Task 1: Bullet Point Outline
Task 2: The Problem
Task 3: The Nature of the Study
Task 4: The Research Framework
Task 5: Review of the Professional and Academic Literature
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Task 6: Supporting Material
Task 7: Section 1, Foundation of the Study
Task 7: Section 1, Foundation of the Study w/Literature Review
Task 8: The Research
Task 9: Participants, Population, and Sampling
Task 10: Data Collection and Analysis
Task 11: Section 2, The Project
Task 12: The Research Proposal & Defense
Task 12: The Research Proposal w/IRB Approval
Task 13: Presentation of the Findings
Task 14: Supporting Material
Task 15: Section 3, Application to Professional Practice
Task 16: Draft Dissertation & Updates
Task 17: Final Dissertation – Defense
Task 17: Final Dissertation – Editing
Task 17: Final Dissertation – Publication
In addition to the reviews provided by your Dissertation Chair, three tasks require a committee
review and approval before proceeding. Your chair will be responsible for informing the
committee member that the task is ready for review. You will continue to revise each task and
resubmit it for review along with a Change Matrix until the committee member and your
dissertation chair approve the submission.
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BUSI 987 – Task 7: Section 1, Foundation of the Study – Committee Review
BUSI 988 – Task 11: Section 2, The Project – Committee Review
BUSI 989 – Task 13: Presentation of the Findings – Committee Review
Finally, six tasks require administrative approval before proceeding. Your chair will be responsible
for informing the DBA Administration that the task is ready for review. You will continue to revise
each task and resubmit it for review along with a Change Matrix, and DBA Admin Approval Page
until the DBA Administrative team approves the submission.
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BUSI 987 – Task 1: Bullet Point Outline – Admin Review
BUSI 988 – Task 7: Section 1, Foundation of the Study w/Literature Review – Admin
Review
BUSI 988 – Task 11: Section 2, The Project – Admin Review
BUSI 989 – Task 12: The Research Proposal w/IRB Approval – Admin Review
BUSI 989 – Task 13: Presentation of the Findings – Admin Review
BUSI 990 – Task 17: Final Dissertation – Admin Review
Admin Reviews will be completed within six business days of notification by the Research
Chair. Business days are Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm Eastern, not including holidays.
Once Admin Reviews are completed, your DBA Admin Approval Page will be returned to you
with a signature. This page must be maintained, and the current version will be submitted with
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each Task you submit for Admin Review. Once you submit Task 17, this page should include the
signature from each previous Task.
As you can see, the structure of these courses provides a pathway for the successful development
of the Dissertation while providing an effective review and approval process.
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BUSI 987, Dissertation I
Task 1: Bullet Point Outline & CITI Certificate
Bullet Point Outline:
Your submission will include the following:
Title Block
• Last Name, First Name
• Cognate
• Research Paradigm
• Research Design (Fixed, Flexible, Mixed Methods)
• Research Method
• Proposed Topic
The body of the document will include:
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The Problem
o General Problem Sentence
o Supporting Reference Sentence with Current Citation 1 (< 5 years)
o Supporting Reference Sentence with Current Citation 2 (< 5 years)
o Supporting Reference Sentence with Current Citation 3 (< 5 years)
o Supporting Reference Sentence with Current Citation 4 (< 5 years, optional bridge
supporting references sentence, see problem statement white paper)
o Specific Problem Sentence
Cognate
Research Questions
o 3 to 4 Questions that will guide the study – label as RQ1, RQ2, RQ2a, etc.
Nature of the Study
o The Researcher’s Paradigm (i.e. Positivist, Post-Positivist, etc.) - Describe your
research paradigm and why it is your paradigm and how your paradigm might
influence the research study.
o Research Design (Fixed, Flexible, Mixed Methods) - Describe why your chosen
design is appropriate for your proposed study.
o Research Method - Describe why your chosen method(s) is appropriate for your
proposed study.
Conceptual / Theoretical Framework – Use sub-points as appropriate
o Concepts – The concepts (i.e. higher productivity is related to higher job
satisfaction) that are related to your research study and are found in the literature.
Use a separate sub-point for each concept. Lead with a descriptor (short name for
the concept), and then one to two sentences that describe how the concept is related
to the specific problem. More appropriate for flexible design studies.
o Theories – The formal theories (i.e. Maslow’s Motivational Theory,
Transformational Leadership Theory, etc.) that are related to your research study
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and are found in the literature. Use a separate sub-point for each theory. Lead with
the formal name of the theory and then one to two sentences that describe how the
theory is related to the specific problem. More appropriate for fixed design studies.
o Actors – The people groups (i.e. leaders, followers, accountants, etc.) or
organizations that are related to your research study. Lead with a descriptor and
then one to two sentences that describe how the actor is related to the specific
problem.
o Constructs & Variables – The constructs and variables found in your research study
(i.e. profit, leadership style, intrinsic motivation, etc.). Lead with a descriptor and
then one to two sentences that describe how each construct or variable is related to
the specific problem. Include the type for each variable (independent, dependent,
mitigating). Constructs are more appropriate for flexible design studies while
variables are more appropriate for fixed design studies.
References – Include a reference section for citations supporting all factual assertions.
Use the approved concept paper from BUSI 885 and the White Paper on writing problem
statements and research questions to help with this assignment. This must be an outline rather than
a narrative as the goal of the assignment is to focus your research. The Dissertation Chair should
have a solid understanding of what you intend to study and how you intend to study it after reading
this document.
Completing CITI Training
Locate the IRB page on the Liberty University website, follow the instructions titled: To begin
taking CITI courses. You will choose the course for Social & Behavioral Researchers. After you
have successfully completed the training, download your certificate, and save it as a pdf file.
Submitting your Documents:
Your CITI training certificate will be submitted as a pdf document with the following title format:
Lastname_CITI Certificate_DDMMYYY.pdf
Your bullet point outline document will be submitted as an MS-Word .docx with the following title format:
Lastname_Bullet Point Outline_DDMMMYYYY.docx
Send an email to your Dissertation Chair indicating that the submission was made. Include the following
in your email:
Last Name, First Name
Task 1 Submitted
Course and Section (i.e. BUSI 987-A01)
Your chair will provide comments in Canvas within six days of receiving your email.
Once your document is reviewed by your chair, any comments received will be collected by you in a Change
Matrix document. As the comments are addressed, a brief description of the changes made will be added
to the Change Matrix document for review by the chair. Once you have made the necessary revisions,
resubmit the document using the same format described above along with the Change Matrix.
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Send an email to your Dissertation Chair indicating that the resubmission was made. Include the following
in your email:
Last Name, First Name
Task 1 Resubmitted
Course and Section (i.e. BUSI 987-A01)
Your chair will provide comments in Canvas within six days of receiving your email.
Your Dissertation Chair will post a ‘1’ in Canvas once the document is approved. That will be your signal
to submit the next task.
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Task 1: Bullet Point Outline & CITI Certificate - Admin Review
Follow the instructions from the previous assignment.
Your CITI training certificate will be submitted as a pdf document with the following title format:
Lastname_CITI Certificate_DDMMYYY.pdf
Your document will be submitted as an MS-Word .docx with the following title format:
Lastname_Bullet Point Outline_Admin Review_DDMMMYYYY.docx
You will also submit the DBA Admin Approval Page as a pdf document with the following title
format: Lastname_Admin Approval Page_DDMMMYYYY
