How to find a thesis topic?
Idea for the broader topic comes
from, for example,
•previous courses
•previous literature (research gap in the
literature)
•topical issues advertised in business
magazines and news
•Practical work experience or course
assignments
•Commissioned by a firm (but beware thesis
is a scientific piece of work!)
Most importantly, consider your
interests!
Use Business Source Complete
(EBSCO) or Scopus, or Web of Science to find previous research articles about
the topic related to your interest(s). Google scholar can be helpful, but
google scholar also shows you many bad quality scientific work (beware!)
Read Financial Times, Business Week
or other magazines (including Finnish magazines) to come up with the idea.
Talk to other seminar leaders
before choosing one seminar leader
Choose your topic as soon as
possible to graduate faster!
Some
more hints on the topic
üConsider the scope: Do not have a
very broad topic that you cannot scientifically study! Do not have a very
narrow topic where the answer will be obvious!
üConsider whether you can study the
issue scientifically and within the time frame of a master thesis:
üCan
you find some theory or framework to support your study?
üCan
you study the topic in a scientific way, with the time and resources
limitations?
üFor
qualitative thesis: - will 10-12 interviews of max. 1 hour be enough?
üFor
quantitative study: - look at the databases we have access to, think whether
you can have all the variables, when hand collecting data think about the time
you will need
üDo not create a consulting report
that is not scientific enough?
üQualitative study: What could be
your case company / case companies?
Think about access & confidentiality of data. As a researcher you
need to think independently rather than confirming your sponsors!
üQuantitative study: look at the
existing literature to find models and variables!
Journals to start looking:
Journals:
qualitative thesis
Scientific
journals in accounting:
1. Management Accounting Research
(UK), 2. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 3. The European Accounting
Review, 4. Journal of Management Accounting Research (US), 5. Accounting, Auditing and Accountability
Journal,
6. Qualitative Research in
Accounting and Management, 7. Critical Perspectives on Accounting, 8. British Accounting Review 9. Accounting Forum 10. Financial
Accountability and Management 11. Journal of Accounting and Organizational
change 12. Qualitative Research in Accounting
and Management etc.
Other
interesting scientific journals:
1. Academy of Management Review, 2. Academy of
Management Journal, 3.Strategic Management Journal, 4. Organization Studies, 5.
Journal of Management Studies, 6.
Journal of International Business Studies, 7. Administrative Sciences
Quarterly, 7. Long Range Planning, 8. Journal of business ethics, 9. Journal of
Management 9. Academy of Management
Annals, 10. British Journal of Management 11. Organization Studies 12. Human
Relations etc.
More
”managerial” journals:
1. Harvard Business Review, 2.
California Management Review etc.
Magazines
1. Financial Times, 2. Business
Week, 3. Science, 4. Nature, 5. Finnish magazines etc.
Use
ABS Journal Guide Ranking and look for ABS4*, ABS4, and ABS3 journals in
Accounting and Ethics-CSR-and-Management
ABS
journal list: https://charteredabs.org/academic-journal-guide-2018/
Journals:
quantitative thesis
•Journal
of Accounting Research
•Contemporary
Accounting Research
•The
Accounting Review
•Journal
of Accounting and Economics
•Accounting,
Organizations and Society
•Review
of Accounting Studies
•Auditing: A journal of theory and
practice
•European Accounting Review
•International Journal of Accounting
•Accounting and Business Research
•Behavioral Research in Accounting
•Abacus
•Accounting Horizons
•Journal of Financial Economics
•Journal of Finance
•Review of Financial Studies
•Review of Finance
•Management Science
•Journal of Corporate Finance
•Journal of Financial and
Quantitative Analysis
•Corporate Governance: An
International Review
•Journal of Banking and Finance
Use ABS Journal Guide Ranking and look for ABS4*, ABS4, and ABS3 journals in Accounting, Economics and Finance
ABS
journal list: https://charteredabs.org/academic-journal-guide-2018/