Writing a Dissertation on Martial Arts Businesses, Need Peer-Reviewed Texts

**Benny Blanco** · Posted On: 1/31/2012 1:32am

I'm doing a Masters Degree in Corporate Governance and Ethics and having been a keen martial artist for over a decade I felt that the topic of commercially run martial arts schools (and their frequent descent into McDojoism) would be an interesting topic for my dissertation.

Whilst there is no shortage of anecdotal evidence on the site, I would love to know if anyone knows of any peer-reviewed articles/studies/books on the subject?

I have already found some peer-reviewed stuff on Diploma Mills which I think will be a helpful point of comparison: much of the MA world is a little confusing to laypeople, but the struggle to run a teaching enterprise which maintains standards and treats students fairly whilst remaining profitable is by no means new to a professional academic.

Any thoughts?

**Rivington** · Posted On: 1/31/2012 2:21am

This is not the proper forum.

Also, do your own homework. Don't they have JSTOR in England?

**Benny Blanco** · Posted On: 1/31/2012 12:41pm

Originally Posted by Rivington

This is not the proper forum.

Also, do your own homework. Don't they have JSTOR in England?

In the order in which you raised these points:

Really? Which would be more suitable?

Keep your hair on, I'm just trying to get some suggestions, I have already done some extensive research: so far I have articles out the wazoo but nothing peer-reviewed on Martial Arts businesses.

I think so, my university's just **** about creating and circulating the necessary logins for this stuff. I saw some items which would be interesting but which are behind paywalls.

**slamdunc** · Posted On: 1/31/2012 4:39pm

Originally Posted by Benny Blanco

I'm just trying to get some suggestions.

That's the way I took it, cause if you want an enterprising lad such as myself to write it, it will cost you. You may also check into the businesses that fund / finance martial arts schools; some provide a business model (high potential for McDojo there).

**Rivington** · Posted On: 1/31/2012 5:09pm

Originally Posted by Benny Blanco

In the order in which you raised these points:

Really? Which would be more suitable?

This subforum is for serious investigations of consumer fraud, not homework. Take your chances in the subforum labeled Your Martial Art Sucks, which is the catch-all.

so far I have articles out the wazoo but nothing peer-reviewed on Martial Arts businesses.

Yes yes, I know peer-review is a very important thing for reviews of the literature. What makes you think there are any peer-reviewed articles about martial arts schools in the first place? Sorry son, you might have to *gasp* *choke* commit some real original research. Maybe even do burn some shoeleather.

I think so, my university's just **** about creating and circulating the necessary logins for this stuff. I saw some items which would be interesting but which are behind paywalls.

So, pay.

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 1/31/2012 6:13pm

Originally Posted by Rivington

So, pay.

That.

Here's some basic math for the OP:

JSTOR + Tentative Plagiarism = College Degree.

**Permalost** · Posted On: 1/31/2012 6:47pm

Originally Posted by Hiro Protagonist

JSTOR + Tentative Plagiarism = College Degree.

"That's not true!" (Webber 1992:12-18)

**Benny Blanco** · Posted On: 1/31/2012 7:23pm

Originally Posted by slamdunc

That's the way I took it, cause if you want an enterprising lad such as myself to write it, it will cost you. You may also check into the businesses that fund / finance martial arts schools; some provide a business model (high potential for McDojo there).

Yeah, I'm OK on the writing part thanks. Rivington is not the only one here who makes money as a freelance writer.

Originally Posted by Rivington

This subforum is for serious investigations of consumer fraud, not homework. Take your chances in the subforum labeled Your Martial Art Sucks, which is the catch-all.

Yes yes, I know peer-review is a very important thing for reviews of the literature. What makes you think there are any peer-reviewed articles about martial arts schools in the first place? Sorry son, you might have to *gasp* *choke* commit some real original research. Maybe even do burn some shoeleather.

So, pay.

I was under the impression that YMAS was a general forum and given the topic I'm researching, serious investigation of consumer fraud seems about right: that is a focus.

I do have a plan to include original research and legwork (in terms of broad surveys and in-depth interviews of selected schools) but was just interested in whether anyone has run across any academic books for my literature review.

Otherwise I'm stuck with web articles and books like "Herding the Moo" which is reasonably funny and informative, but hardly a scholarly treatise.

Paying £23 (over $30) per article for material that I'm not even sure will be relevant sounds like an expensive way to do this.

**Hiro Protagonist** · Posted On: 1/31/2012 7:31pm

Originally Posted by Benny Blanco

Paying £23 (over $30) per article for material that I'm not even sure will be relevant sounds like an expensive way to do this.

That's why you do the general research FIRST, and only buy that stuff when you're already writing, and actually knowing the precise direction you want to take.

Buying stuff in advance just to skim through it is a bad investment, usually.

...And if there is no freely accessible info for your paper to begin with,
reconsider the choice of your subject. Investigating in a new environment can be very rewarding, but also a loss of time and an overall failure. Rule of thumb: The more material publicly available on a topic, the more likely it is you will write a well-founded work that gets a good grade.

**It is Fake** · Posted On: 1/31/2012 7:38pm

Originally Posted by Benny Blanco

Yeah, I'm OK on the writing part thanks. Rivington is not the only one here who makes money as a freelance writer.

I was under the impression that YMAS was a general forum and given the topic I'm researching, serious investigation of consumer fraud seems about right: that is a focus.

I do have a plan to include original research and legwork (in terms of broad surveys and in-depth interviews of selected schools) but was just interested in whether anyone has run across any academic books for my literature review.

Otherwise I'm stuck with web articles and books like "Herding the Moo" which is reasonably funny and informative, but hardly a scholarly treatise.

Paying £23 (over $30) per article for material that I'm not even sure will be relevant sounds like an expensive way to do this.

As someone who has paid twice as much for books I will never use again, I LOL at your complaint.

If you are serious you pay the money and download as many articles as you can. Then you save things that interest you, but may not be for your degree. Etc. Etc. Etc.

No, writing a paper doesn't constitute an Investigation into fraudulent behavior of an entity or a person.