BATCH :

COURSE : ISBE B
GUIDELINES FOR

PROJECT THESIS
(STEPS INVOLVED)

INTRODUCTION
Now that you have completed your classroom studies, the Institute would like to train you further towards becoming an efficient and effective manager. Thus now you would be required to demonstrate your ability and potential to do independent thinking and understand a real life managerial issue in your chosen functional area of management, viz, Finance, HRM, Marketing, Marcom & IT. Moreover, you are expected to suggest solution to this kind of problem or at least report the existing solution. How do you go about accomplishing this task? Well, the guidelines follow for your perusal and usage.

OBJECTIVE
To help you develop ability to apply multidisciplinary concepts, tools, and techniques to focus on organizational problems and arrive at/report solutions. The aim is essentially to test your ability to apply your knowledge and skills after having studied management oriented subjects for 4 semesters, to a real life situation.

TYPES OF PROJECT
Comprehensive case study: It covers single organization/ multifunctional

area problem formulation, analysis, and recommendation.

Interorganisational study: It aims at inter firm/ comparison/ validation of theory/survey of management practices. Field study: Empirical study pertaining to functional areas.

PROJECT FORMULATION
You are required to prepare synopsis in the format provided.

LENGTH OF THE REPORT

Normally your report should contain 15000 - 20,000 words, i.e. roughly 4550 typewritten sheets. You will have to justify a shorter or a lengthier submission which in any case cannot go beyond a 5% variation.

SEQUENCE OF EVENTS
1. Think of a topic you want to prepare a project report on

2. Submission of Thesis synopsis ( Max 2 pages) in hard copy in library for approval.
3. Approval of thesis synopsis by allotment of Registration Number sent through email. 4. Do your own research. The research will essentially involve collection, collation, and analysis of primary & secondary information. A report based purely on secondary data will not be accepted. 5. Submission of Final Project Thesis.

STRUCTURE OF THE REPORT

THE PRELIMINARIES

Title Page Abstract Thesis Topic approval letter sent over email Synopsis Acknowledgments Table of Contents List of Figures & Tables

GENERAL PROJECT THESIS CONTENT 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Introduction Research objectives & Methodology Body of the report : Literature Review, Findings & Analysis Conclusions & Recommendations Bibliography Appendices
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1. Title Page:
It will have the following information: Title of the report (On top) Submitted by: Name of the student, class, roll number, batch (In the middle) Submitted to: Name of the institution, month and year of submission (At the bottom)

2. Executive Summary/Abstract
This is a summary of the completed paper, from introduction to conclusion, in about 300 words. Broadly, it defines the concepts studied, states the purpose of the study, describes its scope and analytical tools used to arrive at the conclusions, and then states key findings. This section is written AFTER you have written your complete report. One example of the executive summary: CRM is a philosophy that directs the organization to build its processes around its customers needs. The call centre (CC) is a CRM-embedded automation that builds long term, strategic relationship with its customers. It assures high volume performance for organizations, and fast, consistent service for their customers. Banks and other financial service providers can benefit most because they deal in information and funds that are electronically transacted. The CC is a technology cum attitude driven alternative to existing channels of the providers. American providers have put up a sterling performance in cc for their Indian counterparts. Indian organization have just made an entry, but awareness and interest in the gains in its business applications are steadily increasing. The cc is a strategic investment, and therefore must be driven by top management. However, process changes, technology integration and absorption, and regular cultural training are vital for success of the investment.

3. Acknowledgement
Here you will talk about your report (in not more than 100-150 words) and acknowledge the contribution of various sources (teachers, professionals from the organization, friends, libraries, etc.) who helped you in completing the report.

4. Table of Contents
Here titles of chapters along with their corresponding page numbers are mentioned.

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5. Introduction
You will introduce the subject matter of your project here in 1-2 pages. This must describe the topic and the problem. The first thing is your problem statement. Emphasize the problem area and its related effects. State the main objective of your exercise here.
One example of the way Introduction is written is given below:

Depreciation is a method of spreading the cost of a fixed asset over its economic life. The economic life of a fixed asset is greater than the accountancy periods across which financial statements are made and presented to stakeholders. Depreciation therefore allocates the cost of the asset to the accounting periods benefitting its use. Companies adopt different methods of depreciation, and may change these methods from time to time. Consequently, readers arrive at different conclusions, when they read the financial statements.. (Note: This is an abridged from only of Introduction and is in regular font size of 12 Times New Roman)

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6. Methodology
You have to begin with by doing desk based (secondary sources centered) research. Then you have to administer questionnaire / conduct interviews to collect primary data/ responses. If you had chosen either of them, give your justification for doing so, this section is written in past tense. You have to describe new process used, if any.

To illustrate The sample was drawn from Business Todays list of 500 largest companies (Sep 22 October 6,2011). Out of these, only the largest 200 in terms of size of assets were covered, provided they were at least 20 years old, as on 31 March 2009. Data was collected through a structured questionnaire sent to the CEO/CFO/ Director (Finance) in these companies. The data was analysed using factor analysis

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7. Body of the report

Here you will write the main body of your report (20-25 pages). In this section you provide all the details including your findings with particular reference to the problem areas. Undertake and report statistical analysis here. Emphasize areas of conformance /divergence from concepts, assumptions and practices.

For example, the following form part of the main text of 2 different reports: 81% of the respondents listed five factors to be of crucial importance (see Table 3 below) This identified 11 key areas which organizations must build for competing successfully in the global market. These are indicated in Table 6 below.

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8. Conclusion
In this section you will highlight the main points of your project report and draw your own conclusion. You may even make suggestions. Consolidate your findings. Do make recommendations towards a better system. Critically analyse your report. Also report limitations like size and quality sample, etc.
One report, for example, concluded: Although Deming emphasized the need to adopt an employee centric approach to implement TQM, the study showed that the companies in our study implemented TQM successfully without undue dependence on their people. This contradicted the popular view that TQM is effective only if all the people in the organization participated in the exercise. The study was limited to one large metropolis, and respondents were wihin a narrow age group of 35-45. A broader sample is recommended for better results.

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9. Tables and figures

Any detailed facts and figures which do not form the part of the main text can be

included here. (These pages are in addition to 30-35 page report)

Remember, these statistics are the ones which have NOT been already incorporated at different places in the main body of the Essay

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10. Bibliography
You will quote here all the books, articles and web based sources. Without this listing your report will be rejected immediately. It is of utmost importance that you document all your primary sources and the secondary references while you are researching for your report. DO NOT wait till the stage of writing since you would not be able to retrieve these sources at that stage. A minimum of 10 references must be provided, the use of which in your report will be cross checked by the evaluator. Any fraudulent mention (meaning, no actual use of the quoted reference for writing the report) will summarily invite an instant rejection of the report.

You have to follow the following style: Books: Bowersox, Donald J. (2008): Logistics Management. Tata McGraw Hill, New Delhi Journals and other articles: Schemenner, R. W (1999): Company information and Share Prices Movement Journal of Finance & Economics, Vol. 21, No. 1, PP 83-104 Online Resources: Measuring Marketing at Retail in Chain Drugsstores. http://www.popai.com (accessed on September 10, 2011) Reporting of references any other way will invite penalty 16

You have to compulsorily follow the following format:

SYNOPTIC VIEW OF WHAT TO INCLUDE WHERE
ABSTRACT Definitions of concepts to be studied Purpose of study Scope of study Analytical tools used within Key Findings INTRODUCTION Description of topic, problem, and objective of study MEHODOLOGY Use of secondary and primary data: Their description Analytical tools employed, in detail MAIN TEXT Details of your project Findings Areas of conformance/divergence CONCLUSION Consolidated findings Recommendations towards a better system/ process REFERENCES Separate listing of books / journals/sounds/web based sources (Follow alphabetical order) 17

REPORT WRITING: DETAILED GUIDELINES REPORT WRITING: TITLE PAGE

The Title Page Allows the reader to easily identify the context /coverage of the report Has details of: - Title of the report - Your name and identity (registration number, batch, etc.) - To whom it is addressed, including the course it is submitted for - Date of submission Is visible even before opening the report

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REPORT WRITING: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Allows reader to get an overview of the report before focusing on the details Gives a summary of the whole report and not the introduction or recommendations alone Focuses on FINDINGS and NOT on STRUCTURE of the report Includes a brief statement of the original problem and the main argument or evidence that have led you to your conclusions Is only one page long Is best written after you have finished writing the main body of the report Is placed even before the contents page

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REPORT WRITING: CONTENTS LIST

Shows major and minor section headings Gives the page on which each section starts Also gives titles of any attached appendices

REPORT WRITING: INTRODUCTION

Is written to orient the reader to the subject of the report Is not merely paraphrasing of the title; goes beyond Addresses the following questions: - Why is the topic important? - What is the purpose of the report? - What is the main argument contained? - On what evidence is the main argument based? - How is the argument structured? - What are the implications of the argument?

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REPORT WRITING: MAIN BODY

Usually contains a number of major and minor sections Aims to develop arguments, based on evidence that build up to your eventual conclusions Incorporates diagrams/tables/figures to support and clarify the text Refers to more detailed analysis which is in the appendices at the appropriate point in the main body

REPORT WRITING: CONCLUSIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS

Should follow on naturally from the arguments raised in the main body Should contain no surprises or new material Recommendations deal with the implementation of the conclusions Recommendations are action oriented Recommendations are given in order of priority Recommendations have to be in consistency with the prevailing conditions of the environment and the organization.
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REPORT WRITING: APPENDICES

Contain detailed evidence for those readers who want further details, or for those wanting more information before they are convinced of your arguments. Are referred through letter (A,B,C.) and not numbers (1,2,3..)

REPORT WRITING: REFERENCES

List of all secondary data used, but NOT primary sources It also includes nowadays the web based sources

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ILLUSTRATIVE LIST OF TOPICS (IMP: You are entirely free to select any other topic )

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Finance
Foreign exchange rate fluctuations and Indian textile exports Leasing finance and its influence on automobile sector Industrial sickness in engineering industry: causes and remedies Electronic fund transfer: opportunities, applications, and challenges Credit rating agencies in India: case study of CRISIL Funding options of corporate sector-a comparative analysis Merchant banking in India: A case study Financial risk reduction in international trade Venture capital and its scope in India. The GAAP and its application in India.

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HRM
Computerisation and its effect on employees morale: Case study of SBI Compensation trends for middle management during 2011 Job satisfaction in an organization: case study of Infosys Stress and its causes in workplace Organisational restructuring strategies and actions: case study of Marico Role of TQM in HRD Performance appraisal and management in entertainment industry Indian managers and their skill development in new business environment Motivating sales executives: Experience of HUL Reward system and its impact on productivity improvement: A case study of TCS

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Marketing
Brand awareness and purchase behaviour for branded biscuits Marketing strategy of fast food chains : study of McDonald's Aftershave lotion: The scope for a new entrant Hero Motocorp: Competition ahead Buying process of a prospective buyer of Car in A segment Study of adoption of fashion among college going youth in Delhi Advertising on internet by booksellers: Issues and future Media planning and advertising effectiveness India's foreign trade in textile and clothing: segments and potential, 2012 Vendor selection factors: case study of Escorts

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Project Thesis Deadlines

Submission of synopsis in Hard copy :
By 15th March 2012 Submission of Final Thesis :

By 15th May 2012 One Hard copy + One soft copy)