What is an MBA thesis?

An MBA thesis is different from an MBA business project and an MBA dissertation in
that whilst the business project specifically addresses a problem or issue facing a business and analyses the problem and a dissertation could be a business plan or a long analysis of a subject.

A thesis is where you declare something that you believe and how you intend to prove it and then you describe the process by which you prove it, carry out the process and report on the results and give your conclusions. You have to do a lot of research on the subject first in order to identify the key questions you wish to answer, and then you will develop a preliminary, working or tentative thesis which you can refine until the evidence leads somewhere you are certain.

A good thesis has certain attributes: It should be contestable, with an arguable point proposed which can be disagreed with reasonably. It should even be provocative, taking a stand to justify the discussion you present. The subject of the assigned project must be adequately covered. The thesis must be must also be focused and specific. You must prove a point without discussing everything you can about the subject. So, instead of risk you would think about “measuring reputational risk in the banking industry”. Also, the thesis needs to assert your own conclusion clearly based upon the evidence. You can change your thesis if the evidence leads you to a different conclusion.

Your thesis must also include a map for the reader to guide them through your work. It must anticipate and refute the counter-arguments. Vague language such as “it seems” shouldn’t be used and the first person should be avoided – so don’t use language like “I believe”. Most of all it should pass the “Who cares” and “So what” tests – so your most honest friend mustn’t say “everyone knows that” when they hear about it – saying “pay can motivate people at work” would be an example.

You will know that your thesis is solid if when you tell a reasonable reader they immediately say “why” or “how” and don’t respond with “duh!” or “Gee no kidding!” Your thesis shouldn’t include general phrasing or sweeping words like “none”, “all” or “every”. The reader should be lead to the topic sentences and the subtopics have to prove the thesis. The thesis must be adequately developed during the length of project or paper required.

The reason to choose an MBA thesis instead of a dissertation or the business research project is that you can really examine an area you are interested in and if the thesis is good enough then it can be a really exciting calling card for you on your career search.