Analysing Careers 16BSC080 A guide to writing an assignment supported by research Christine Coupland - [email protected] Sarah Barnard – [email protected] 1. Read the notes given in the lectures. 2. Write an abstract (150 words) as soon as possible. This is only your first attempt, and it will no doubt change perhaps radically by the time you finish the assignment, but it will help you to think carefully about what you are doing, and what you hope to achieve. Think carefully about whether you can achieve these aims in the time available above all be realistic in what you set out to achieve. 3. Out of the abstract write out your aims, research questions the basic issues you are examining. For example; ‘The aim of the assignment is to consider to what extent graduates who enter a traditional training scheme have long term expectations of employment with their first organization. In order to address this issue literature has been examined surrounding the treatment and experiences of graduates and how this has changed in recent times. In addition, more contemporary questions regarding the ‘new deal’ career for graduates have been considered. I propose that, contrary to the recent literature, graduates on traditional training schemes look forward to career prospects in one organization in return for their loyalty. This view may, however, change over time due in part to unmet expectations around what is regarded as ‘appropriate’ career success. In order to illustrate my argument I have drawn on material from an interview with a graduate who has been on a traditional graduate training scheme and has worked for 12 years in the Banking Sector.’ 4. From the research questions, write a short statement of your proposed methodology how you’re actually going to do the fieldwork as soon as you can. (see example from lecture handouts) 5. Think about the overall structure of the assignment. You can of course structure your assignment as you wish but the following is a good framework if you're not quite sure how to start. Apart from the abstract, you can think of the following as separate sections. • Abstract (150 words) • Introduction and statement of issues; Explanation of chosen population (participant), organization and context (if applicable) • Literature review - What bodies of literature can inform your research? What have people already said about the issue? • Methodology What methods have you used? Semi-structured interviews Recorded verbatim on hand held device, so they can be listended to repeatedly How exactly did you do the research? • Analysis and Discussion of fieldwork and theory - What did you find? ‘complex findings, not straightforward support or challenge for the arguments in the literature’ How did you analyse the data? ‘I looked for themes in the participant’s data’ What are the inferences of your findings? How do your findings relate to the literature you discussed in the literature review? What ‘new’ (if any) advance have you made? • Conclusions, Reflections and Limitations - What were the limitations of your study? What conclusions may be drawn? References Use your own words – be aware of the problems of plagiarism. When you cite someone’s work you must add their name and date of publication in the text and in full at the end of the document. 6. Each section should be well structured. • The overall assignment • Each section • Each paragraph avoid overlong paragraphs • Each sentence 7. Avoid subjectivity, such as “I think that...”, “I believe that…” But you can say ‘I suggest’ or ‘I propose’ or ‘it can be argued’. 8. Remember that at least one, possibly two (if your dissertation goes to an External Examiner) of the readers will be approaching your work 'cold'. The better it is written and structured, the easier it will be to read, and the more they will like you! 9. The Introduction should be concise and state the issues you are examining. It should set out your aims, why you consider the issues worth investigating, and how you propose to look at them. By the end of this section the reader should be clear about the purposes and objectives of your assignment. 10. Be concise: this is context setting, and needs to be enough to allow the reader to follow the rest of the essay, not a full explanation and description of the organization. If extra material is necessary, use an Appendix. 11. The Literature Review should cover the major areas of theory you are using in the assignment. Set these out at the start of the section and explain why you have chosen them. Avoid extensive quoting and description of what people have said. Your objective is to show 'critical understanding' and the ability to critique concepts. You should be able to relate the thinking of different theorists, and to show the relevance to your work. This section should conclude with a summary of the major issues you have drawn from the literature search, how have they enriched your understanding of your research questions, or suggested ways of examining them. 12. The Analysis and Discussion should look at the interplay between theory and evidence. • What has the fieldwork (primary interview material) told you? • How has the literature proved helpful? • What does your fieldwork say about the literature? 13. The Conclusions should include a summary of the work you have done, discussion of its limitations, and suggestions or implications for future research. You should check back to the purposes and objectives you set out in the Introduction, and satisfy yourself that you have fully met them. 14. References must be provided in full at the end of the essay (before the Appendix) For example, in the text: ‘It has been argued that being socialized into ways of speaking in a workplace is a form of institutionalised silencing (Brown and Coupland, 2005).’ …and in the references section at the end of your assignment: Brown, A.D. and Coupland, C. (2005) ‘Sounds of silence: Graduate trainees and the construction of silence’, Organization Studies, 26 (7), 1049-1070. If in doubt – cite and reference. We will be looking for citations as evidence of wider reading of the topic. For more examples of referencing look at the academic articles provided in the lectures. 15. Be prepared for moments of crisis, when suddenly nothing makes sense, or the task seems overwhelming, or the literature seems to be leading you nowhere (or everywhere at once), or the fieldwork is going all over the place. Many people face these, and usually get over them! 16. Plan ahead, and keep thinking and writing. Last minute writing can be catastrophic. 17. Prepare a timetable now and try to stick to it. GOOD LUCK!