Dissertation Topics for an MBA in Finance

Well-researched dissertation topics can help you obtain your MBA in finance.

Obtaining a Master in Business Administration (MBA) degree is no small feat. An MBA in finance is even more important for individuals looking to excel in that sector of the business world. Dissertations are key to being awarded this degree. They explore a particular interest in the field of finance and allow students to demonstrate their research and communication skills.

Banks and the Legal Environment

The largest worldwide source of external finance suppliers is the aggregated banking community. Bank-related financial contracts, like loans, are highly dependent on the legal environment they are part of. Consider writing a dissertation on the relationship between laws and banking operations, focusing specifically on financial contracts. Compare foreign banks to domestic banks and also look to see if foreign legal environments affect foreign locations of domestic banks in ways that the domestic legal environment does not affect banks in their host country.

Trader Intuition

A dissertation on the link between genetics, psychology and finance is one idea that incorporates an interdisciplinary mode of study. There are a number of specific topics bred from this mix. For instance, a dissertation discussing the link between Theory of the Mind, or the capacity of the human mind to discern malicious intent, and "trader intuition" can be evaluated from a theoretical standpoint. It should be based on experimental evidence and give evidence for or against the idea from financial, psychological and neurological sources.

Politics and Privatization

There are a number of factors that influence the decision to privatize a government-owned firm. Discus these factors, be they political, financial or otherwise. If you are covering the political aspects of privatization, look into the party in power and the state the business is located and draw conclusions based on decisions to privatize and the state part association. Note how businesses profit or falter financially after political-based privatization decisions, and both general and specific conclusions based on case studies pooled from across the country.

Mergers & Acquisitions

A 2007 article published in The Journal of Finance stated that in a sample of Italian credit borrowers and banks, mergers and acquisitions negatively affected credit for a period of three years. In a dissertation paper, explore the relationship between mergers, acquisitions and the credit banks give out. Look at case studies of banks in different regions of the world to find similarities and differences in the global banking community. Determine how well banks are able to compensate for any damaged credits as a result of mergers and acquisitions. Also, determine how the casual and experienced borrower is effected by the same.

References

• "The Journal of Finance"; How Laws and Institutions Shape Financial Contracts: The Case of Bank Loans; Jun Qian and Philip E. Strahan; December 2007
• "The Journal of Finance"; Exploring the Nature of "Trader Intuition"; Antoine J. Bruguier; October 2010
• "The Journal of Finance"; The Decision to Privatize: Finance and Politics; Nandina Gupta, et al.; February 2011
• "The Journal of Finance"; Winners or Losers? The Effects of Banking Consolidation on Corporate Borrowers; Emilia Bonnaccorsi di Patti; April 2007