Data analysis is an important aspect of a master’s or PhD dissertation. It is the analysis of the data that allows you to answer all your research questions. Conducting a good analysis is important, but only a few know how to do it for their management science dissertation. Management is a field that mostly contains qualitative data, and doing the analysis of qualitative data is a very hectic process. It takes time to take all the steps and analyse the data.
Do you know what those steps are? Well, you do not need to answer. Your presence on this blog tells it all. There is no need to worry. In today’s article, we are going to discuss the top 7 tips for conducting data analysis for a management science dissertation. However, before moving on to the tips, let’s describe their importance.
Why is analysing the data for a dissertation important?
Many students ask a question about the importance of data analysis. They inquire why they should analyse the data. Well, in management and business studies, data is everything. Data is the most valuable commodity in businesses all around the world. This is just one reason for the importance of data analysis. Some other reasons are as follows:
- Perfectly conducted data analysis for a management science dissertation helps to explore all the hidden patterns and themes.
- Data analysis allows the researcher to answer all the research questions formulated at the start of the research process.
- Lastly, data analysis helps in making informed decisions about the research problem under investigation.
7 steps to conduct an effective data analysis
Conducting data analysis is undoubtedly essential when working on a dissertation, especially a management science dissertation. As the researcher, you must not miss large chunks of information, patterns, or themes hidden in your data, which can guide you to solve the problem. For this, you need to know the steps involved in the data analysis process. Thus, a brief description of all 7 steps is as follows:
Take a look at the research questions
First, you need to take a look at your research questions. This is necessary to know to remind yourself of the goal of data analysis. As the goal of a data analysis process is to answer the set research questions at the start, you must know what they are. It is because after coming this far in your management dissertation, you must have forgotten them. As the researcher, you may have forgotten why you are going to analyse the data. So, go through the questions.
Set realistic goals
The next step in conducting data analysis is to set realistic goals for your analysis. Pen down what you want to achieve through the analysis of the collected data. If you want to solve a particular problem related to management science, then set that problem as your goal. Having a goal keeps you motivated all the time and pushes you to work on the analysis with a rigorous approach and mindset. Thus, define the goals.
Take a look at the data
Step no.3 is about having a thorough look at your research data. It is necessary to familiarise yourself with the data you have. By doing this, you get an initial idea of what type of data you have and how you can analyse it. For example, if your data is qualitative, then you need to think about qualitative data analysis techniques. Thus, it is necessary to go through the data prior to the analysis.
Clean the collected data
Once you have gone through the data, you may have realised that there are some errors and omissions in the data. If you have felt so, then get rid of those errors from your management science dissertation data. It means identifying all the outliers, missing values, and bugs in the data and eliminating them. Thus, go through the data and clean it well by rooting out all the missing values and adding appropriate values.
Select the analysis method
The 5th step in the data analysis is to choose an analysis method. An analysis method tells how you need to approach the data and analyse it. The selection of the analysis methods depends mainly on the data type. If the data is quantitative, you choose from available quantitative analysis methods. However, if the data of the management science dissertation is qualitative, you choose from available qualitative methods. Whatever the case, make sure that you make the right choice.
Analyse the data
The last step in the data analysis process is the analysis itself. Once you have selected the right analysis method, then do the analysis. However, before analysing the data, make sure that you know all the dos and don’ts of the chosen method. Knowing the procedure of chosen data analysis method helps to analyse the data better. If you do not know the procedure, contact Affordable Dissertation Service in the UK and ask it to help you understand it. Its writers will convey the necessary things and can even analyse your data on your behalf.
Share the analysis results
After the analysis, the only thing now remains is the sharing of the results in your management science dissertation. The analysis of the results mainly comes in the 5th chapter of the dissertation. As the researcher, make sure to add some presentational devices to your dissertation’s analysis chapter. The presentational devices are graphs, charts, figures, and tables. The addition of these things makes the analysis look organised and also explains things in a very well manner.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, data analysis is the backbone of a dissertation. Whether it is a management science dissertation or an engineering thesis, you need to conduct good data analysis. It is the key to the answers to your research questions. In this guidepost, we have discussed the top 7 steps involved in the data analysis process. Following these steps is a must for every researcher if he wants to answer all the questions. Thus, follow all the steps and analyse the data accordingly.
