Dissertation Guidelines

The MBA Program (The Class of 2010)

DISSERTATION DETAILS Reports Submission of title and synopsis 1st Interim Report 2nd Interim Report Final Report Date of Submission Marks involved

3/5/2012 15/5/2012 30/5/2012 15/6/2012

20 marks 50 marks 30 marks 100 marks

IF YOU DO NOT SUBMIT THE REPORTS ON TIME.YOU WILL NOT GET ANY MARKS FOR THE SAME.

Management Thesis/ Dissertation Guidelines Dissertation/Management Thesis is a part of the MBA Program. The objective of a Management Thesis is to train the student in designing and implementing a research project in respect of a business problem. A Management Thesis is the culmination of training provided to the student on practical applicability of the theoretical concepts learned by them. The evaluation of Management Thesis is done in three stages: Title and Synopsis Approval, Interim Evaluation and Final Evaluation. 1. Title and Synopsis a. Title: The title should be concise and precise. It should describe the focus area of the study carried out, and should clearly identify the industry and function under study. The title should bring out the scope of the study clearly and should not be ambiguous. A good title is useful as a communication tool for attracting attention of prospective employers and hence should be drafted carefully. b. Synopsis: The proposed topic or the central question or the overall goal of the project/research should be specified. The main problems should be addressed explicitly and stated clearly in the first few paragraphs. For example, the main goal is to evaluate a program, to develop knowledge about a particular area, or perform a needs-analysis. Synopsis may include a brief note about why the need for the project arose, its importance to the organization and when and why did the problem occur. Is the problem already solved? What is to be done then? An outline of the intended approach, information sources and the expected results should be sketched under this heading. c. Objectives: The expected outcome from the project or the possible value addition to the company should be stated under this heading. d. e. Limitations: Limitations of the study should be mentioned. Methodology: It should provide information on the possible strategies and the analytical tools to be employed. The intended sources of data or information should be stated under this heading. It should also include how the data will be collected, analyzed and presented. f. g. 2. Schedule: It shall include various components/stages of the project and the expected time frame to complete the project. Reference: The books and websites referred to should be listed in alphabetical order.

Interim Evaluation(Interim Report 1 & 2) a. Report The progress on the project/research work leading to Management Thesis shall be evaluated at this stage. The objective of this evaluation is to assess the progress at the end of this period, and to ensure that the student is able to proceed with the final thesis preparation. The interim thesis should outline the structure of the final thesis and include whatever details are available at that time. This thesis should follow a pattern of development. i. ii. Title Page: The Interim thesis should have a title page Summary of the progress till date: The student should include a summary that describes

the project; the student should mention the progress he has made in the project. iii. Introduction: This section should specify the purpose and nature of the project/research in the beginning, the achievements planned for, and also a brief overview of the research planned. iv. Body of thesis (should contain detailed progress of the project/research): This should be the main report describing the project/research work undertaken by the student till date and how that work benefits the company etc. v. References: All references in the bibliography should contain sufficient information to locate them and references to Web pages should include at least the URL and the title of the page. The books and Web sites referred to should be enlisted in an alphabetical order. Final Evaluation b. Report The project/research work leading to Management Thesis shall be evaluated at this stage. The objective of this evaluation is to assess the progress and the results on the research and the conclusion derived by the student. The thesis should be written based on the guidelines provided. c. Presentation Final Thesis presentation should be planned for about 30-45 minutes. The Management Thesis will be evaluated both for the quality of the thesis and oral presentation. GUIDELINES FOR WRITING A MANAGEMENT THESIS A Management Thesis Report is a written presentation of the work done by you on a given project/research. It is important to bear in mind that even though the Management Thesis report is submitted only at the end of any given period, in reality it is a culmination of your continuous efforts. Writing a Project/Research Report: The Management Thesis requires submission of the project report to the university. Care should be taken to ensure that the quality of the report is of a high standard. General guidelines on writing a project/research report are described below. In a generalized sense, an ideal project/research report should cover the following aspects: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Cover Title Page Table of Contents Acknowledgements List of Tables & Illustrations Abbreviations

7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

Abstract /Summary Introduction- Objectives & Limitations Research Design/ Methodology Review of literature Empirical Analysis Findings and suggestions Conclusions and/or Recommendations Appendices References Glossary

1.

Cover: This is the first page of the report. It should contain the title of the report, name(s), of the author(s), name of the organization and the date on which it is submitted. The format of this page is given below and should be adhered to. A Thesis ON (Title of the Project in CAPITAL LETTERS)

By (The name of the Student)

2.

Title Page: This page may contain the following information: a) Title of the report (an indication of the subject matter) b) Name of the author, module & course c) Contract, project or job number (if any)

Contract: A THESIS ON (Title of the Project in CAPITAL LETTERS)

By (The name of the Student) (Course)

A report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements of THE MBA PROGRAM (The Class of 2010) NSB LC-2156 Copies marked list:

3.

Table of Contents: The main function of this section is to give the reader an overall view of the report. The main divisions as well as the subdivisions should be listed in sequence with the page numbers they are on. It helps the reader locate a particular topic or sub-topic easily. The charts, diagrams and tables included in the report should be listed separately under the title List of Tables & Illustrations with the page numbers. While preparing the table of contents, you have to bear in mind the following points: Leave a one inch margin to the left, to the right, on the top and at the bottom. Write the phrase Table of Contents on the top center in CAPITALS. Write the number of the item to indicate the sequence of items. After the number, leave three or four spaces and then type the first heading. Indent second-order headings by three or four spaces. Leave two spaces between the main headings and one space between the sub-headings.

An example of a Table of Contents is given below. Please note that till Summary the pages are numbered in lower case Roman numerals. From Introduction onwards Arabic numerals should be used. TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.

2.

3.

Acknowledgments...........................................ii List of Tables..............iii List of Illustrations.........iv Summary..........................................................v Introduction ....................................................1 1.1 Objectives and Limitations.......................1 1.2 Methodology..............................................2 1.3 Findings and conclusions..........................3 Industry Profile...............................................5 2.1 ...................................................................... 2.2 ...................................................................... .........................................................................10 3.1 ...................................................................... 3.2 ......................................................................

4.

Acknowledgements: Proper acknowledgement of any help received must be placed on record. There may be a number of persons who might have helped you during the course of the project/research. Customarily, thanks are due to the following persons in the given order: a.Head of the Organization b. Faculty Supervisor c. Others

5. 6.

List of Tables & Illustrations: A detailed list of the charts or diagrams or illustrations that would be incorporated in the report should be given along with the page numbers. Abbreviations: The abbreviations should be listed in an alphabetical order with the respective expanded forms. e.g.: PAQ - Position Analysis Questionnaire

7.

Abstract or Summary: Summary is the essence of the entire report. The objective of the summary is to provide an overview of the content. A summary should be independent and should stand alone. It is advisable to write it after the report has been written.

8.

Introduction Objectives and Limitations: Introduction should provide the context and scope of the report. It should include the objectives, specifying its limitations, methods of enquiry and collecting data, and main finding / conclusion. This serves as a background to the subject of the report that subsequently follows. The reader should be able to get a fair idea about the project/research.

9.

Research Design/Methodology: This section brings out how the enquiry was carried out, interviews were carried out or if any questionnaires were given. It also looks at how the respondents of the interview were chosen. The data should be presented in an organized and logically sequenced method. Usually it has several sections grouped under different headings and sub-headings. The analysis of the data and description of the activities leading to certain conclusions are contained in this section.

10. 11. 12.

Review of the literature: Detailed view of related work done in the past by others. Empirical Analysis: For developing and using analytical skills, the intern should arrive at some findings/inferences. Findings and suggestions: Once the findings are finalized by a research/intern, suggestions should be

made for the betterment of enterprise. The results should be presented as simply as possible. There are a number of ways: Tables Graphs Pie charts Bar charts Diagrams 13. Conclusions and/or Recommendations: The conclusions and/or recommendations are the most important part of the project/research that is of interest to the reader. These are to be substantiated by the study done during the project period through the analysis and interpretation of the data gathered. It would be helpful to the reader if alternatives, other than the stated conclusions and/or recommendations, are projected. 14. Appendices: The contents of an appendix are essentially those which support or elaborate the matter in the main report. The matter which is not essential to the main findings but related to the main report is generally presented in the appendix. The report should not depend on this. Given below are items, which normally form part of the appendix: (a) flow charts, (b) the questionnaire, (c) computations, (d) glossary of terms etc. 15. References: In this section, all the references should be given in an alphabetical order by the authors last name or, when the author is unknown, by the title of the reference. For instance: Ages, Warren K., Philip H. Ault, and Edwin Emery. Perspectives on Mass Communication, 2nd ed. New York: Harper & Row, 1992 (for books). Time to Call in the Bess Business Week, July 27 1999, 32-36. (for periodicals). www.projects.incindia.org (for Websites). 16. Glossary: A glossary is an explanation of the technical words used in the report. If the number of such words is small, they are generally explained in the footnotes.

EVALUATION OF THE MANAGEMENT THESIS FINAL REPORT Sl No 1. Description Research objectives: Clear definition of research objectives, tasks or hypothesis. narration of task involved and setting realistic goal for concrete results. Precise

2.

Quality of thesis: Structure, formatting, presentation, use of correct spellings & grammar, quality of language, flow of thoughts, logical sequence, effectiveness in deriving the recommendations/findings, Content: a) Research Design & Methodology: Clarity in designing the research project, formulation of hypothesis, selection of suitable methodology. b) Data collection, tabulation, analysis and interpretation: Collection of relevant data, accuracy of facts, tabulation of data in an appropriate manner, analysis of data and interpretation for decision making. c) Findings & Suggestions: Objectivity, testing of hypothesis, Findings of the research, logical conclusions, implications for implementation, suggestions derived from the study, areas of further research. d) Originality: Independent thought processes, original contribution, identifying and presenting learning outcomes.

3.

4.

Planning & Implementation: Efficient planning and implementation of research processes, effective time management, usefulness of data vis--vis objectives of research Literature review and bibliography: Extensive review of literature such as books, journals, articles on net, cross reference to other research works, etc. and presenting the reference material in a systematic and standardized format.

5.