Negative or Positive ESG Screening?- An Empirical Study on The Performance of Different ESG Investing Strategies (will finalise after discussing with the writer)

Task
Produce a 6,000-word dissertation that demonstrates familiarity with relevant literature and analyses original data collected by the student. The dissertation is grounded in academic concepts.

Research Topic:
Negative or Positive ESG Screening?- An Empirical Study on The Performance of Different ESG Investing Strategies
Or
The Integration of ESG Data into Impact Valuation and Risk Management- A Study on The Private Equity Sector
Formatting
• Text size 12
• Arial or Times New Roman font
• The main body of text should be justified
• Double spaced
• Page numbers should appear in the bottom right of every page
• Wide margins (e.g. a minimum of 2.54 cm)
• Your student candidate number and the title of the dissertation should be
present at the top of every page
• The Harvard style of referencing should be adhered to
Word Count
 All students should adhere to the stated word limit of 6000 words.
 Please do NOT include the abstract, table of contents, references, or appendices in the word count. The 6000 words refers to everything in the main body of the dissertation/capstone project. And finally, please keep the abstract short, around 100- 200 words is enough.
 Assignments have word limits to ensure that all students face the same constraints on how much detail to go into. The Department has a 10% margin on the word limit before penalties are considered. The level of the penalty will be agreed with the external examiner. There is no penalty for writing fewer words than the word limit but the expectations for the assignment are based on students using the full word limit (i.e. a significantly shorter piece is unlikely to achieve the expected level of performance).
 The word count should be recorded on the coversheet. Please ensure that this is accurate as the word count will be verified and penalties may apply for students who record an incorrect word count (e.g. stating 6000 words when you have actually written 7000).
Document Structure
This is not a formula – it is just a rough guide for those who need it. Please do not be constrained by this; feel free to deviate as needed for your own project. The section word counts are VERY approximate and will vary greatly for different projects.
The Front Part (approx. 2500 words): Problem Definition, Literature Review
This will probably take the longest to write because you need to convince the reader that (1) the problem you are addressing is important, (2) it has not been addressed before, and (3) your hypotheses/propositions are grounded in existing theory and research. This section should be preceded by an abstract (for dissertations) or executive summary (for capstones).
There should be citations in nearly every sentence of this section, because you are building an argument. You will, of course, end up citing the same article multiple times, so you will probably end up with anywhere from 25 to 40 references in the bibliography. Dissertations should rely primarily on academic articles, but can also include some books, consulting reports, and publicly available data. A capstone does not require as many academic sources (though some should be included); the focus here is on reliable sources such as industry experts. Please avoid citing blogs or other sources whose validity could be questioned.
The Middle Part (approx. 1500 words): Methodology, Data, Analysis, Results
This is where you present your methodology, data, and results. Therefore, you rarely see citations in this section. Discuss your hypotheses/propositions one by one, with the analysis that supports each one. With interview data, you can include some short quotes and, to save word count, direct the reader to the appendix with a full selection of quotes. (Ask your supervisor if they want you to attach transcripts of all interviews. Some perceive it as a waste of paper and would rather see quotes organized by themes or propositions.)
The Back Part (approx. 2000 words): Discussion, Conclusion
In empirical journal articles, this section is usually called the “Discussion”. Whereas the results section is a fairly mechanical presentation of the analyses and results, this section is where you pull it all together. If your hypotheses were supported, then you “close the loop”, referring back to your initial discussion of the problem, and draw conclusions and implications based on what you found. In this case, you might not need 2000 words for this section (and you will have very few citations) as you might not have that much more to say on top of what you said in the front part. If that is the case, then you could spend more time on the middle section, going deeper into the results.
On the other hand, if your hypotheses were not supported, then you will need to bring in some new literature to explain why they were not supported. It is fine if none of your hypotheses were supported, or if the data suggest that your business idea is not viable after all. The key lies in how you explain it. If you can explain the null results in an intelligent and coherent way and convince the reader that the null results are nonetheless an important contribution, then you will get a good grade.
You should also include a Limitations section because all research has limitations. This demonstrates that you understand what good research looks like. In addition, dissertations should discuss practical implications and (if relevant) suggestions for future research, while capstones should discuss implementation and next steps. And of course, finish with a nice concluding paragraph.

See below for the assessment scheme
Clarity of the central focus and theme
An adequate range of literature is used on the problem
Is the research question interesting and does it make a contribution to the literature?
Critical analysis of most significant contributions of this research to the literature – covering books, journals and recent research.
Adequate standards of data collection and analysis
Comprehensive analysis and interpretation of findings.
Appropriate conclusions in light of empirical work.
Properly addresses limitations and opportunities for further research.
Professional presentation of materials, including clear referencing.
Evidence of personal learning.
Assessment Criteria:
Students’ demonstrated skills in critical thinking and writing, conducting original research, and drawing conclusions from that research.
1. PROBLEM DEFINITION
The project addresses a problem that is clearly defined, interesting, and important.
• Dissertation: the research question should make a clear contribution to our knowledge
on the topic. Clearly define the research question and present a solid argument for why
this question is interesting and important to study.
• Capstone: the business idea should be new, interesting, and viable (i.e., it should appear
viable at the start of the project). The value proposition should be clearly defined: it should be clear how your idea will address an unmet need and who the end-user will be.
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
The report includes a review of the relevant literature. The lit review should summarise and critically evaluate the most relevant theories, frameworks, and empirical research, in the context of the problem to be addressed. Hypotheses will be developed before collecting quantitative data. Qualitative dissertation will require a more inductive approach.
• Dissertation: Use this section to develop the hypotheses to be tested (or to develop the
themes in qualitative research). Hypotheses are the possible answers to your research question. This should not be a review of all literature on the topic but rather a review of literature relevant to your research question and hypotheses. This section should rely primarily on academic articles, but can also include some books, consulting reports, and publicly available data.
• Capstone: Use this section to argue for the strength of your business idea, including a discussion of your competitive positioning, business model, and marketing strategy. It is fine to propose a business idea to be implemented within an organisation such as a new knowledge management system. In this case, your ‘market’ and ‘competition’ would be defined internally. Use evidence from reliable sources to support your arguments, e.g. secondary data on markets, consumer behaviour patterns, etc. This might include academic sources but does not have to.
This is also where you make the case for the primary data that you will be collecting. For example, if you plan to do a consumer survey, what are the key hypotheses you have about your potential consumers and their preferences and behaviours? (e.g., they care about the environment, they do most of their shopping online) You should have some basis for these hypotheses (e.g., consumer behaviour research). Use these hypotheses to determine the questions for your survey or interviews/focus groups.
3. METHODOLOGY and DATA
The methodology and data are appropriate and well justified. The data may be any combination of qualitative (interviews, focus groups) and quantitative (questionnaires, opinion surveys), primary and secondary. Pay attention to the quality of data; for example, avoid convenience samples, use scales and survey questions from published research (where possible), and use secondary data from reliable sources. The interview or survey questions should be driven by the literature review and hypotheses/themes. This is true of both the dissertation and capstone (see item 2 for a description of hypotheses in a capstone).
How much data? A rough guide: for surveys, 100 usable responses (therefore, you will need to collect more than 100); for interviews, 15-20 interviews around 45 minutes or more each. However, this is only a rough guideline. You might need more or less data depending on your project – discuss with your supervisor.
4. ANALYSIS and RESULTS
The analysis is valid; the findings are interpreted thoroughly and thoughtfully. Examine each hypothesis systematically. Use the appropriate statistical techniques to analyse quantitative data (e.g., surveys). With qualitative data (e.g., interviews) search for patterns and themes; statistical software is not required. Interpret the results critically and convincingly, while also considering alternative interpretations where appropriate.
5. DISCUSSION and CONCLUSION
The argument is convincing and the conclusions follow from the evidence and analysis. Create a compelling story and convincing argument by drawing clear connections between the problem, the hypotheses/themes, the analyses, and the conclusions.
• Dissertation: conclusions should be generalizable beyond the data collected and
therefore contribute to general knowledge. Also discuss practical implications of your
findings and limitations of the research.
• Capstone: conclusions should include next steps as well as “lessons learned” that go
beyond this project, e.g., lessons for your next business idea, or lessons for others wanting to try this same idea. Also discuss limitations of the research.
6. APPENDICES
The appropriate supplementary information is provided.
• Dissertation: copy of interview questions and/or survey, tables and graphs from analysis
of survey data, data from interviews (quotations organised by themes)
• Capstone: all of the above AND financial details including key metrics, capital
requirements, and projections. The purpose of this is to force you to think through this important aspect of your business idea. We will not be able to perform a proper due diligence of your numbers, but we will expect you to have given this reasonable thought. Optional: information that brings the idea to life (e.g., draft brochure, key personnel).
7. PRESENTATION OF MATERIALS
The report is well structured and presented in a professional manner. This includes clearly defined sections, correct referencing (“Harvard” style), a complete and correctly formatted bibliography, and the avoidance of any typographical, spelling, or formatting errors. These “hygiene factors” are important and will impact the final mark.
• Dissertation: should include an abstract (max. 200 words) that summarises the aims of
the research and the findings. This is not included in the word count.
• Capstone: should include an executive summary (max. 2 pages) that summarises the
opportunity, business model, market, and financial projections. This is not included in the word count.
Desired Characteristics (Please aim at obtaining Distinction)
A truly exceptional answer to the question that includes the below, plus one or more of the following:
• Impressive originality;
• A meaningful theoretical contribution;
• Exceptional argumentation and writing.
An outstanding answer to the question that includes the below, plus one or more of the following:
• An original or unexpected argument;
• Synthesis across different areas of the field;
• Superior argumentation and writing.
An excellent answer to the question that includes the below, plus one or more of the following:
• Excellent marshalling of evidence;
• Excellent use of appropriate theories and / or empirical research;
• A sophisticated understanding and broad knowledge of the literature;
• No factual errors or theoretical inconsistencies.