Research Project Guidelines

By Dr. Arunesh Garg

Reporting Schedule & Marks Distribution

Activities Topic & Objective finalization Introduction (Chapter I) Review of Literature (Chapter II) Research Methodology (Chapter III) Data Collection completion Dates Jan. 20, 2014 Jan. 27, 2014 Feb. 3, 2014 Marks 10 10 10 10 10 20 30 100

Feb. 10, 2014

Mar. 7, 2014 Mar. 24, 2014 Apr. 11, 2014

(Questionnaire Finalisation-Feb. 14, 2014)

Rough Draft submission Final Report submission Total

Front Pages & Page Numbering

The top of the report must have the title page (Annexure 'A, slide # 4) The second page is Acknowledgement page (Annexure 'B, slide # 5) . The third page is Certificate of Originality by student (Annexure 'C, slide # 6) The fourth page is Certificate of Originality by faculty guide (AnnexureD,slide# 7) The next page following Certificate of Originality by faculty guide page is the List of Contents page The page following the List of Contents is the List of Illustrations All the above mentioned pages must be numbered in Roman numbering, viz. (i), (ii), etc. from Acknowledgement page to List of Contents page. First page of Chapter I (Introduction) to last page of Chapter V (Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations) should be numbered in Anglo- Saxon (English) numbers, viz. 1, 2, 3, etc. All the pages of Bibliography must be numbered in Roman numbering, viz. (i), (ii), etc.

TITLE OF FINAL RESEARCH PROJECT (upper case bold, minimum 18 point of Times New Roman/ Arial)
Research Project Report Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for Master of Business Administration (MBA) (sentence case bold, 16 point of Times New Roman/ Arial) By Name of Student Roll No. of the Student Batch of 2012-14 (sentence case bold, 14 point of Times New Roman/ Arial) GIAN JYOTI INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT & TECHNOLOGY PHASE-II, MOHALI

Annexure- A

April, 2014 (upper case bold, 12 point of Times New Roman/ Arial)

Annexure- B

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It is not necessary to acknowledge members of staff unless you wish to do so. However, assistance from individuals and organisations outside the Institute should be acknowledged

Student Name . Signature Date ..

Annexure -C

CERTIFICATE (by student)

It is certified that the research project entitled ________________________ submitted to Gian Jyoti Institute of Management & Technology, Mohali for the degree of Master of Business Administration, is entirely my own and all ideas and references have been duly acknowledged. Dated: Signature of student (Student Name)

Annexure-D

CERTIFICATE (by faculty guide)

This is to certify that the research project report entitled ___________________ being submitted by ____________to the Gian Jyoti Institute of Management & Technology, Mohali for the award of Master of Business Administration, is a bonafide piece of research work carried out by him/her under my supervision and guidance. To the best of my knowledge, this project report has not been submitted in part or in full to any other university or institution for the award of any degree or diploma. The project is fit to be considered for the award of M.B.A. Degree.
Sign of faculty guide

Dated:

(Name of faculty guide)

Designation Gian Jyoti Institute of Management & Technology Mohali

RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT PRESENTATION

1. Length

Maximum of 10,000-15,000 words (1.5 spacing) A4 pages of text excluding front pages before Chapter I. 2. Title Page (Annexure A) 3. Acknowledgements (Annexure B) 4. Certificate of Originality by student (Annexure C) 5. Certificate of Originality by faculty guide (Annexure D)

RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT PRESENTATION

6. List of Contents All sections of the project report should list in sequence, with page numbers. Use a section numbering system viz. Chapter 1 Introduction 24 1.1 An Analysis of Major competitors 24 1.1.1 List of Major Competitors 26 7. List of Illustrations The list of tables and figures (diagrams, graphics, and illustrations) should follow the list of contents, and tables and figures in each chapter should have their own respective numbering sequence 1.1 Market Share 21 2.3 Demographic Details 40

RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT PRESENTATION

8. Introduction (Chapter I) The chapter Introduction should give an introduction of the academic concept/ industry related to your major project. Topic introduction and definition, evolution, historical background, growth and current scenario, market/ financial position, etc. should be detailed. Students should discuss the product, industry, concept, theory, concept, techniques or issues, etc. on which the study is based. The chapter should conclude by giving Need of the Study highlighting rationale and usefulness for each of the objectives covered, and clear and concise statement of objectives concerning the study. 9. Review of Literature (Chapter II) At least 10-15 reviews should be mentioned by the students. They need to go through the journals in the library for literature related to the topic of the study. The reviews gathered should be arranged in chronological order with the latest review being mentioned at the end. An example of review is given in next slide # 11. 10. Research Methodology (Chapter III) : Research Methodology should cover : For primary study: Hypothesis (if any), Research Design, Sample and Sampling Design (Universe, Population, Sampling Unit, Sample Size, Sampling Technique), Data Collection (Research Instrument, Data Collection Method), Data Analysis and Limitations of the Study For secondary study, some of the items from those mentioned above may be skipped in discussion with your faculty guide.

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Review of Literature Example

Levitt (1981) has stated that all products, whether services or goods, possess a

certain amount of intangibility. Goods can be seen, but often cannot be tried out before they are bought. The author has emphasized that understanding the degree of a product's intangibility can affect both sales and post-sales follow-up strategies. While services are less able to be tested in advance than goods, the intangible factors in both types of products are important for convincing prospective customers to buy. Services like transportation are nearly entirely intangible. The author remarks that sellers of services face special problems in making customers aware of the benefits they are receiving. Intangible products are highly people-intensive in their production and delivery methods leading to enormous quality control problem. Unique to intangible products is the fact that the customer is seldom aware of being served well. It is important to regularly remind and show the customer what they are getting. Managers need to tangibilize the intangible promises.
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RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT PRESENTATION

11. Analysis and Discussion (Chapter IV) This will carry presentation and analysis of the salient information that has been gathered pertaining to the research project. This section will vary considerably in both length and content depending on the nature of the topic. 12. Summary, Conclusions and Recommendations (Chapter V) This section should include summery, conclusions and recommendations by students on the basis of findings with respect to the research project.

Citation in the Text The Harvard style of referencing should be used for citation in the text, using the form :
India will be developed country by 2020 (Sharma, 1997, p.7). or Sharma (1994, p.23 ) claimed that India will be developed country by 2020 or Sharma and Dixit (1994, pp. 23-25) claimed that India will be developed country by 2020. or Sharma et al. (1994) claimed that India will be developed country by 2020. If you are referring to any website URL address should be mentioned in the text. An example of citation is given in the next slide # 13
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How to Cite- Example

Marketing is the art of attracting and retaining customers. It is defined as a societal process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating, offering, and freely exchanging products and services of value with others. From a managerial point of view, it has often been described as the art of selling (Kotler and Keller, 2005, p. 6). Marketing is not a function; it is a way of doing business. Marketing should not be left only to the marketing department. It has to be all pervasive and part of every individuals job description in the organisation (Drucker, 1954).

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RESEARCH PROJECT REPORT PRESENTATION

13. Bibliography References should be set out alphabetically, by author's family name. Books: Sharma, Satish (2000), General Insurance, 1st ed. Mumbai: Insurance Institute of India, 23-27. Articles in Journals Belk, Russel W. (1988), Possessions and the Extended Self, Journal of Consumer Research, 15(2), September, 139-168. Clow, Kenneth E., Karen E. James, Kristine E. Kranenburg and Christine T. Berry (2006), The Relationship of the Visual Element of an Advertisement to Service Quality Expectations and Source Credibility, Journal of Services Marketing, 20(6), p. 404. Articles in Magazines Sharma, Shakti and Manoj Dixit (2002), The Way Forward, Business India, February 1-15, 6769. Article from website Bhat, Ramesh and Elan Benjamin Reuben (2002), Management of Claims and Reimbursements: The Case of Mediclaim Insurance Policy, Vikalpa: The Journal for Decision Makers, 27(4), October-December, viewed 30 Januaray 2012, <http://eqi.org/mgtpaper.htm>.

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RESERCH PROJECT REPORT PRESENTATION

14. Appendices These are to be used sparingly. Separate appendices are to be used for different sets of detailed information that would not be appropriate to include in the main text of the project report like: Questionnaire Used Details of population sampled List of organizations sampled Relevant extracts from standard tables (with acknowledgement of source) Appendixes MUST NOT include brochures, pamphlets, etc. obtained from organisations. The only unlikely exception would be where you are investigating specifically the design of the brochures themselves. Similarly, extracts from other articles, etc. must not be reproduced.

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GENERAL GUIDELINES ON PRESENTATION & SUBMISSION OF REPORT

Pagination

All pages should be numbered consecutively throughout the report. Page numbers start with Introduction chapter as page one and should be at the bottom center of the page.
Font (Times new roman or Arial style should be used throughout the report) Chapter No.: Bold, 16 point left aligned, sentence case Headings (Acknowledgement, Executive summary, etc.) and Chapter Name:

Bold, 16 point centre aligned, upper case Section Heading: Bold, 14 point left aligned, sentence case Table Heading: Bold, 12 point left aligned, sentence case Text: Regular, 12 point justified, sentence case
Line spacing- 1.5 everywhere except for bibliography where single spacing has to be followed. Leave 3 line spacing between paragraphs. In case of bibliography 1 line spacing to be followed in between 2 references.
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GENERAL GUIDELINES ON PRESENTATION & SUBMISSION OF REPORT

Typographical details, binding, cover & submission
Paper- A-4 type paper should be used. Type Project reports should be in MS Word format and print copies must be

produced by laser printer or inkjet printer Layout The margins at right hand, top and bottom should be 1 inch. The margin at left hand (binding edge) should be 1.5 without any gutter. Typing should be on one side of the paper only Binding Two hard bound copies Submission - Two hard bound copies of the final research project report with a CD containing the project report have to be submitted.

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