Dissertation Proposal
Degree Programme: Sociology
Title of Proposal: Revolutionising the Economy: Labour Process Theory and the Gig-economy.
Research Question: Has the gig-economy redefined our perception of labour?
Aims and Objectives: The aim of my dissertation is to provide the reader with an analysis of this new so-called ‘gig’ economy and its workers’ position by contextualizing it using Labour Process theory and explore how it may have changed our traditional notion of labour. The objectives of the paper are; to understand what a gig-economy entails, to compare the traditional economy to the gig-economy, to sociologically theories this new economy and to understand the employment position of its workers.
Research context: The relevant field of study for this paper is economic sociology. This branch of sociology studies the different social economic phenomena as well as its causes and effects. Key themes involve the social consequences of economic relations, social interactions facilitated by them and the potential social meanings we give them. For the purpose of this paper, I will focus on concepts such as the labour market, economic activity and individuals’ employment status. I will aim to elaborate on existing research by introducing sociological works into this particular area and ultimately, expand the traditional perceptions that we hold of the economy and its contributors.
Methodology: N/A (non-empirical dissertation)
| · Notion about the gig economy is looking at the role labour plays in this form of work and this has broader implications
· Gig workers are in fact experiencing an age-old type of work – self-employed subcontracting, often on a fixed price for the job.
·Examining how Labour Process theory can explain this type of work (particularly as gig work is not seen to be skilled) |
| -The role of alternative workers in organisations
-Changing nature of organisations per se – the move from fixed assets to flexible ones -Issue of the fundamental makeup of employment types in society – the move from physical production to a service-based economy.
· All of these have implications for the nature of work & work identity.
· Highlight employment rights/legality of gig work (set this into the areas above as they are linked) |
|
Sources: · https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0018726718790002 · Mapping themes in the study of new work practices (Jeremy Aroles) · Kalleberg, A. L. (2018) Precarious Lives : Job Insecurity And Well-Being In Rich Democracies. Oxford : Polity Press. · This article sets out the experiences of gig economy workers: · Petriglieri, G., Ashford, S. J., Wrzesniewski, A. (2019) ‘AGONY AND ECSTASY IN THE GIG ECONOMY : CULTIVATING HOLDING ENVIRONMENTS FOR PRECARIOUS AND PERSONALIZED WORK IDENTITIES’, Administrative Science Quarterly, 64 (1):124-170 |
Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete an independent study module will be able to:
- Carry out an extensive literature search relevant to a research project.
- Demonstrate an ability to critically review theory development and/or data collection methods.
- Produce a clear and well-structured piece of writing.
- Show awareness of ethical implications of research.
- Work in a self-directed and independent way.
- Design, carry out and write up a research project that involves fieldwork and primary data collection or is theory-based)
Presentation of work
Students should note that presentation is taken into account in the assessment. The following points must be observed:
- Good punctuation and grammar (i.e. correct spelling) use your computer’s spellchecker, proof-read it yourself and ask a friend to proof-read.
- Word count must be kept to 8000 words (excluding References and Appendix)
- Standard font of point 12.
- The left margin should be a minimum of 3.5cm and margins should be left-justified
- Texts should normally be double-spaced except for quotations which should be single-spaced and indented. Items in appendices need not be double-spaced.
- Pages should be numbered consecutively.
- Referencing should be consistent and conform to Harvard APA requirements
Dissertation Structure (8,000 words)
- Introduction (brief – perhaps 500 words)
Should include:
- The field of study (i.e. the topic and scope of the dissertation, including why it is an important/current topic)
- The research question, research aims and objectives
- Summary of the contents and main arguments in the dissertation to help orientate the reader.
- Literature Review (1500-ish words)
- Discuss and critique previous research conducted on the field of study, including anything that you consider to be relevant to the research question and to its investigation.
NB Be aware that in the discussion section of your study you will necessarily relate your findings to those central studies that you have highlighted in your literature review.
- Methodology and Methods (1500-ish words)
- Outline the key research questions (and/or hypotheses)
- Outline the methodological approach (qualitative/quantitative etc) and why
- Outline the key research methods employed and why they were the most appropriate methods to select, and what difficulties they presented (and how you overcame them)
- Explain how ethical issues were encountered and resolved
- Your explanation of the processes you undertook needs to be in sufficient detail to enable replication.
The Methods chapter must draw on research methods literature and referenced as appropriate. You should try and read some methodology chapters in books on your topic or a similar topic of research for comparison.
- Analysis / Findings (2000-ish words)
- Present the main findings
- Discuss how findings relate to the literature discussed in the literature review and key findings of similar studies
- In this chapter thematic organisation (based on the research questions and/or themes that emerged from the data) is the best approach.
- Sub-headings should be used to structure the analysis and make it more accessible to the reader.
- Ensure that your findings are analysed, rather than merely described – what does this finding mean, or imply, or say about the topic beyond the immediate?
- Discussion (2000-ish words)
- Briefly summarise your key findings
- Relate the findings to the theoretical/policy discussion presented in your literature review.
- Assess whether and how well you were able to answer your research question and/or accept/reject your hypotheses.
- Explain the strengths and weaknesses of your data relative to your research question/hypothesis.
- Evaluate any difficulties you encountered in collecting and analysing data, together with an assessment of how this affected your plan of research.
- Discuss the implications of your findings – for researchers, for policymakers, for practitioners
You should NOT introduce any new literature at this stage
- Conclusions (brief – perhaps 500 words)
Read through the whole dissertation several times before you start this part – this will clarify your key findings and help you to indentify the most interesting/relevant arguments. Ask yourself: What do I want to highlight about this whole study? What is the red thread that binds it all together?
- Provide a brief overall assessment/summary of your findings:
- What do we know now that we did not know before?
- How successful were you in achieving your aims? (i.e. the strengths and limitations of your work)
- Does your work generalise or specify, contradict or confirm what has been written before? How should future researchers develop your work?
Overall Structure
- Title page – which should include your name and student number; title of dissertation/project, dept and university, and the degree course (see example, below)
(ii) Abstract – should specify the title, aims and objectives of the dissertation, the methods employed in the research and the results achieved or conclusions arrived at. It should be no more than 200-300 words. In other words, this is a synopsis which outlines:
-
- The context of the research
- What the research is about
- The method(s) used
- The research findings
(iii) Acknowledgements – You can use this section to thank people or institutions that have helped you
(iii) Table of contents – List all constituent sections of the dissertation and their page numbers, including Appendix (see this Module Handbook for example)
(iv) List of tables, images and/or figures (where necessary) – List all tables, images and figures, along with an identifying number and the page number they appear on in your dissertation.
(v) Chapters
This should include the following:
An introduction: introduce the dissertation’s purpose, methods and central aims. Include brief paragraphs on what each chapter will be about as a way of showing the overall coherence of the dissertation. The introduction should not detail conclusions. It should prepare the reader for what is to come.
The main chapters, clearly separated and labelled (with titles). You may also want to use sub-headings within each chapter.
A conclusion: here you summarize your main findings. You should make sure that no new arguments appear in this section. Your constituent chapters should contain a clear line of argument that you simply condense in your conclusion. In this concluding section you should also suggest any weaknesses in your own work and suggestions for further research in you chosen area. It pays to be humble in this section. You should not make excessive claims for you work.
(vi) Appendices (where necessary)
Appendices contain items such as template of questionnaire or interview schedule; Access letters sent or received; Ethics Form; Other data that is large enough to disrupt the flow of discussion in the main text may also be appended. It is not essential to include all these elements and is at your discretion in discussion with your supervisor.
You should separate appendices depending upon the information that they contain: avoid using appendices as a dumping ground for extraneous material (do not include raw data in your appendices). The general rule of thumb for including items in appendices is whether the appendices will assist the reader. Appendices should be numbered and are placed at the end of the work.
vii) References
Any mention of a particular text (or author) should be accompanied by a reference at an appropriate point. Such references should include author and date. When referencing, it is important that students cite the source of the material used in writing their dissertation. The key rule in referencing is to state precisely the sources of all material which has been used. The standard format for referencing is the Harvard APA system. Failure to include references may result in plagiarism. The University policy on plagiarism can be found in your course handbook.
