SBM ONLINE: On 24th of July, 2018, The School of Business Management (SBM) has organized the 3rd SBM PG Talk Series which took place in Melaka meeting room, SBM. The talk titled “Deciding Your Structure: What a PhD Thesis Structure Should be?” was delivered by Prof. Dr. Sany Sanuri Mohd Mokhtar, Senior Professor of SBM. The session was attended by more than 40 staff members and postgraduate students from the various schools in UUM.
Prof. Dr. Sany Sanuri, started the session by acknowledging various research backgrounds of the audiences. He clarified that there is a structured thesis guideline given by the colleges/schools to the PG students, which they must adhere in order to complete their research thesis. He also emphasized that being a philosopher, we must know and give emphasis to the philosophy of our research, i.e. Ontology, Epistemology and Methodology. Prof Sany further stressed that problem statement is the heart of the research, nevertheless, researchers must make sure their problem statement must be structured, concise, specific and synthesize with the gaps.
He also expressed that among other matters, researchers must also prioritize the underpinning theory in the literature review and that, they may test more than one theory in their research model. Additionally, attention should also be given to the evolution of the concept/phenomenon in the literature review. When talking about instruments, researchers, according to Prof Sany, must carefully decide on the most appropriate instrument before selecting the most relevant analysis technique. Prof Sany also pointed out that the “discussion, recommendation and conclusion” chapter must be able to reflect the introduction chapter.
The session undeniably was very interactive as the speaker received various questions from the PG students, especially from those who are confronting issues and challenges in their thesis writing process. The PG students greatly benefitted from the discussion where participants have expressed their gratitude towards SBM management and Prof. Dr. Sany Sanuri Mohd Mokhtar for sharing his extensive knowledge, experience and ideas.