UNISA - need help with thesis topic ASAP!!

Hello!

I would like to apply to UNISA, ASAP, and I have everything ready to go here but a decent thesis topic! I will be enrolling in their DCom - Business Management program as it looks just right for me. I have a B.A. in Management Economics, a General MBA, an Eng. degree and a bunch of other Cert.'s etc.

Getting in isn't the problem, I just can't think of a topic in the business finance, economics, stock market area that would be forward thinking enough to require an original thesis. I have purchased several books relating to writing the thesis but I have yet to find anything on the Net that would inspire me to generate a thesis. I'm very excited to begin the process.

If anyone can help I would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks,
Morgan

 

Well, if I were working on a degree such as yours, I would write one comparing the states of the economy and stock market in relation to Democratic and Republican presidents. This could include national and international commerce and trade surpluses and deficits. Just a thought.

 

How about looking at the transaction costs of the "Trade through rule" on US equity markets.

OR

How about looking at the economic effects of the recently proposed acquisition of the NYSE by ARCA. There are a couple other mergers/acquisitions in US ECN/Stocks exchanges.

OR

Maybe you can look at Entreprenuerial attitudes for online degrees in the US. You could certainly get some advice on that here.

 

Jimmy C and Tmart, thanks for your input, I copied all four ideas to my short list and I'll be doing some pre-emptive research on these topics to see where there might be a fit.

Jimmy C, you would be getting an impartial paper with your suggestion as I'm Canadian! I follow US politics closely so this might prove to be an interesting topic, thanks!

Tmart, the NYSE/ARCA deal is so new there might be a problem coming up with a great deal of material on that one. I'm following that transaction though and will see if there is enough existing material available otherwise I might be leading the pack on this choice! When I said forward thinking you jumped out of the box in a hurry, good choice!

I like all three of your suggestions and might gave some thought to your last one as I am partial to online/DL education, hope I'm not too biased on this topic!

Thanks again for your help,
MP

 

The primary reason that you're being asked for a thesis topic at this stage is to try to insure that there is someone on the departments staff who knows enough about that general area that they can support your research. If you choose a topic that they can not support then you might not be accepted despite being otherwise well-qualified. By coming up with a thesis topic you are, at least to some extent, choosing your doctoral advisor (or do they call him/her a "promoter?") If you do not already have a topic in mind then I think that the best way to develop an idea is to go to the faculty listing and read up on the research interests of the existing instructors. One of them will be your advisor anyway so you may as well choose a topic that you know will play into their current research interests. You can google the entire staff and see if they've presented recently at seminars, etc. You look at their recent publications as well. Here's a link that might come in handy:
http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/ssrg/africa/theses.html
Good luck,
Jack

 

Hi Jack,

Thanks for the reference source, I'll be days going thru all of the information available there! I've been following degreeinfo for over a year now and this time I needed some help and posters like you have come thru! I will follow your advice and do some background checking on each of the departmental staff to see where there might be a "fit".

I really appreciate everyone's help with this issue as I'm certain others out there find it difficult sometimes trying to locate/create a suitable topic for their papers too.

MP

 

Topic: Naked shorting!

It's getting a lot of interest lately, and the name is just screaming to be be turned into a bad pun in a thesis title.

 

Just be absolutely certain you pick a topic you love without doubt. I'm only on chapter 5 of 12, and let me tell you, even after being involved in the study of language since about age 12, I have called my dissertation everything from "the Beast" to "the damnable thing".

This is to say -- try to avoid picking a topic that pleases the eyes and ears of others unless it also pleases you. Because at 2 in the morning, over bleary eyes and a sore ass and slipping fingers, even if your topic is as lovely to you as Helen of Troy -- it will take on the appearance of a nasty hag.

Of course I freely admit that I may be speaking only from personal recent experience (last night, my dissertation looked a little something like this:

http://www.tariqart.com/Images/illustration/BEAST%20finished%20%20.jpg

Except not quite so pretty.)

Follow your bliss if you can find your bliss!

 

Re: Re: UNISA - need help with thesis topic ASAP!!

Just out of curiosity, Jimmy, what do you think you would find? Got any stats to back you up on your theory? What, if anything, would be the cause-and-effect relationship?

 

Or you could do something on government encouragement of entrepreneurship in economically disadvantaged areas.

 

Just out of curiosity, I'm not too familiar with South African degree nomenclatures, but would the DCom be more akin to a PhD in Business (highly theoretical dissertation) or a DBA or DM (more applied dissertation)? In other words, could you use your DCom to explore a real-world business opportumity or economic development scheme of some sort?

 

Thanks again for everyone's reply, Jack Tracey has me completely tied up in Websites to visit and download information from, everyone knows that one reference leads to yet another one and I'm getting some good ideas today!

As for "naked shorting" I would give anything to think of a smart comeback for that one!

I read DR Bear's book the other day and he does mention the differences in post nominal letters and the interpretation of them in North America, I'll convert the title of DCom to something that more people can reckonize down the road.

QTJ - I'm really excited about this leg of my educational journey so I don't think I'll be lacking motivation over the near-term, there is always that halfway point where you begin to doubt yourself but I'm doing this degree for me and right now I love reading and the intellectual pursuit of higher levels of research!

Thanks again, any additional information is always welcome!

MP

 

The halfway point is a killer. Fortunately, I haven't reached it yet. ;-)

 

Quinn,

I was impatient to obtain my masters but this one I'm going to enjoy! I decided on a thesis topic and I have drafted a questionnaire to be submitted for field testing tomorrow! I can't wait to see how much of a response I can get, I need a big enough sample size to qualify for the research.

The topic is about "online trading", I don't no if I can leave a URL-link to the questionnaire on this site. Perhaps I will try it here tomorrow and see if it gets bumped!

Take care,
MP

 

Cool! What aspect of online trading will your dissertation deal with? Yes, it is possible to post a www address to Degreeinfo.

 

Hi Ted,

Here is the link to my questionnaire, I'm experimenting with it right now and didn't want to violate any Website rules by posting it in this forum. I'm looking for those traders who make use of ECN electronic trading systems for real-time market access. I have been an ECN trader for 2 years and thought it was time to explore the growth in this industry. Let me know what you think!

MP

[ http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=252660&_respondentID=1946526 ]http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=252660&_respondentID=1946526

 

Democrat and Republican Stock Market

Scotch this topic. It has already been done in a papewr. Saw the guys on TV a few years back during the Bush-Gore campaigns....

 

Purchase Motivations (consumer bevahiour)

I kicked around a paper comparing what motivates purchase decisions online as opposed to in person in a store.

 

Re: Purchase Motivations (consumer bevahiour)

Did you get very far with it?

I ask because I was just thinking that my supermarket shopping behaviour is exactly the same as my normal shopping except for loading up on the heavy stuff (I have a huge supermarket order open in another browser window) like mineral water and washing powder because somebody else has got to do all the grunt work of lugging them home.

My book shopping behaviour is another matter entirely. Getting out of Blackwells without spending a hundred quid is extremely difficult, whereas with Amazon the problem is managing to spend enough to qualify for free delivery!

Angela

 

Angela, you are so funny! I just bought 3 books to make the minimum requirement for free delivery too! They are coming from three different locations so it will be fun to see when I get them. I need to do some reading up on how to write my thesis for the ole PhD.

Take care,
MP