Sealing the gaps: enhancing quality control in business school dissertations
Quality Assurance in Education
ISSN: 0968-4883
Article publication date: 15 May 2023
Issue publication date: 20 June 2023
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to identify and address significant quality gaps present in business school dissertations in India. Dissertations, an integral and a special component of the overall business school learning process, acquaint students with the practical business world.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors benchmarked the dissertation processes of business schools in India against those of reputed business schools in Germany, France, Sweden and Australia. Using a survey questionnaire, the authors checked whether business schools in India followed international processes and, if not, what could be done to adopt such processes. A sample of 367 business schools was studied to obtain reasonable evidence.
Findings
There were major quality issues in the dissertation process across business schools in India. Serious groundwork preparation issues were identified, such as an absence of research proposals. Most business schools also reported that there were no rubrics for dissertation evaluation, resulting in high subjectivity in the evaluation process. Supervisor interactions and control over the progress of the dissertation were also found to be very weak. As a result, the authors conclude that dissertations from business schools in India have major gaps in quality.
Originality/value
This is a novel study that examines the quality assurance of business school dissertations. It highlights major quality concerns surrounding the business school dissertation process and suggests measures to address quality issues. The study’s implications apply to business schools in all developing countries and not just India.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the editor for his valuable support in improving the manuscript.
Data availability statement: The data set used for the research has been deposited with a repository and can be accessed at www.openicpsr.org/openicpsr/project/183562/version/V3/view.
Funding statement: No external funding was obtained for the purpose of this research.
Conflict of interest disclosure: We declare that there is no conflict of interest or competing interest of any sort with any individual or organization.
Ethics approval statement: Not applicable.
Patient consent statement: Not applicable.
Permission to reproduce material from other sources: Not applicable.
Clinical trial registration: Not applicable.
Author entitled to check and approve the proof: Dr Shirish S Raibagkar.
Citation
Kumar, A., Gawande, A., Agarwal, A., Kale, S., Brar, V. and Raibagkar, S. (2023), "Sealing the gaps: enhancing quality control in business school dissertations", Quality Assurance in Education, Vol. 31 No. 3, pp. 469-484. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-12-2022-0207
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited