Thesis Proposal Entrepreneurship

Course Objective

Upon having successfully passed this course, the student will have
attained:
1. the ability to set up and execute scientific research, consisting of
the following (exit qualifications 1 and 6):
a. Review the literature and identify an interesting gap
b. Formulate a research question
c. Write a literature review
d. Elaborate a focused research plan
2. the ability to reflect on research of others, both individually and
in a team. (exit qualification 2)
3. the attitude of an independent and critical academic, who is able to
bridge boundaries between concepts and methods and is able to reflect on
his/her own learning process. (exit qualification 6)

Course Content

This course prepares students for their master thesis project. Building
on the knowledge acquired in the previous periods, this course guides
the student to develop a research proposal for the Master’s thesis. The
course specifically deals with:
- developing research questions
- literature review and literature gap
- writing the research proposal for the Master’s thesis

Additional Information Teaching Methods

The basic structure of the course consists of seven assignments, as
separate steps in the development of the master thesis proposal. The
development of these assignments is guided through plenary lectures
and targeted tutorials.

Method of Assessment

The assessment consists of the evaluation of your proposal by your
supervisor (pass or fail)

Literature

Mandatory literature:
- Saunders, M., & Lewis, P. (2017). Doing research in business &
management: An essential guide to planning your project. Pearson
Education. ISBN 9781292133522
- Davidsson, P. (2016). Researching Entrepreneurship. New York:
Springer. (Digital edition available in the VU University library:
http://elibrary.vu.nl/VU_V1:VRIJE_LMS(NL-Pica)316100692). Chapters 4, 5,
6, 9.
- Edmondson, A. C., & McManus, S. E. (2007). Methodological fit in
management field research. Academy of Management Review, 32(4),
1155–1179.
- Van Burg, E., Cornelissen, J., Stam, W., & Jack, S. (2021). Advancing
qualitative entrepreneurship research: Leveraging methodological
plurality for achieving scholarly impact. Entrepreneurship Theory and
Practice, 1042258720943051. https://doi.org/10.1177/1042258720943051

Publishing in AMJ series:
- Colquitt, J. A., & George, G. (2011). Publishing in AMJ—Part 1: Topic
choice. Academy of Management Journal, 54(3), 432–435.
- Bono, J. E., & McNamara, G. (2011). Publishing in AMJ- Part 2:
Research design. Academy of Management Journal, 54(3), 657–660
- Sparrowe, R. T., & Mayer, K. J. (2011). Publishing in AMJ—Part 4:
Grounding hypotheses, 54(6), 1098–1102.

Recommended background knowledge

See programme entry requirements (www.uva.nl/msc-entrepreneurship).
The knowledge and ability to recognize, utilize, and combine multiple
theoretical perspectives towards entrepreneurship, as well as a profound
academic knowledge of the background, nature, and central concepts
within the entrepreneurship research domain. An academic intellectual
working standard (including experience in academic writing), and a sound
knowledge of research methodology, in combination with sufficient
analytical and statistical skills and knowledge.
Specific required prior knowledge is thorough knowledge of the following
textbooks (or similar):
• Blumberg, B., Cooper, D.R., & Schindler, P.S. (2014 or other
editions). Business
Research Methods (4th European ed.). London: McGrawHill.