Asia-Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi

Winter Project Directives & Guidelines

PGDM Batch 2013-2015 GEN/MKT/IB/BFS
Total Marks: 200 (100 Internal + 100 Final Project Presentation)
Total Hours: 240hrs out of which 30 hours guidance by the respective faculty supervisor.
Objective
The core objective of this winter project is to increase awareness and application of the
concepts learnt in classroom setting. It will also stimulate eagerness of the student to know
more about contemporary and current practices within industry / corporate / company /
organization in a structured way with respect to their functional area (s). The outcome will be a
pragmatic learning on their specializations, which should emerge with a research project report.
The report should be substantiated through a validation of primary data in all cases (except case
studies and few finance based research projects) and secondary information in some cases or a
comprehensive case study on any one organization / industry / corporate / company / any other
agency / enterprise / firm related to their functional areas and / or specialization. Thus, students
will gain adequate practical exposure on their specialized areas and hands on experience in
designing, conducting & evaluating research projects and or writing case study. Moreover, it
also provides a platform for understanding research documentation perspectives and professional
report writing.

Procedure
After going through the topics, the research guide shall be allocated to them. The project will
commence from 03rd November, 2014 and interim / mid-term evaluation reports have to be
submitted to their respective faculty supervisors as per the date (s) specified in the policy /
guidelines. Students are required to make presentation before the panel (to be constituted by
faculty supervisor) to evaluate and judge the quality of work and effort made by them. The
marks and corresponding grade points are awarded in the Term-6.

Winter Project Mandate

1. How to choose a title?
Title could be obtained / generated through thorough surfing of available online resources
(EBSCO/EMERALD/CABELLS etc.) and other secondary data sources. This will assist students
to find out the current topic of interest in accordance with their area of specialization under
PGDM Programme. Once, title is finalized under a topic, student needs to submit a synopsis of
proposed study / case study in consultation with his / her faculty supervisor on or before to the
faculty supervisor. (No conceptual study is entertained)
Evaluation Guidelines - Winter Project
All the students have to submit the interim / mid-term winter project report and final project
report respectively for wider clarity and sequential learning process.

Interim / Mid-Term Evaluation

All the students need to submit the interim project report, which comprise of an abstract, short
introduction, need & relevance, objectives, literature review (interim review), method of study,
progress summary (in case it contain any interim results, completed phase / stage of work and
status of ongoing project study) for evaluation and approval of faculty supervisors as per the
policy / guidelines. (Not more than 2000 words)

Internal Examiners (Faculty Supervisor (interim / mid-term evaluation)) and External

Examiners (One nomination (Professionals / Faculties from Corporate / Industry / Organization
/ Company and / or Academia) by Faculty Supervisors and One nominated by Winter Project
Coordinator related to the Area of Students Specialization.
General Guidelines for Student - Winter Project
a) Prepare the synopsis (as per the policy / guidelines) on the basis of opted topic in accordance
with his / her specialization and submit to faculty supervisor for his / her approval.
b) Submit an action plan with Phase-wise Vs Time Frame from commencing till ending of the
Winter Project (including interim / mid-term and end-term submission).

c) Expedite the company / corporate / organization / industry / any other appropriate agency /
concern / firm / enterprise and work out the viability of carrying out the project with consultation
and assistance of faculty research supervisor.
d) Time table for the company visit and meeting the faculty supervisor on weekly basis and
update his / her winter project activities & progress (On Going).
e) Difficulties (including leave formalities) pertaining to winter project to be addressed
immediately to their concerned faculty supervisor for his / her approval.
f) Adhere to the guidelines and directives as defined for Winter Project and Report Submission
(Interim / Mid-Term and End-Term).
g) He / She has to carry a research publication (joint publication (student and faculty supervisor))
in management / related conference / seminar / journal using winter project research study (in
part / full) as per the directions of faculty supervisor.
h) No Winter Project to be duplicated in terms of efforts / identical in approach. For instance,
same project title and research approach is not permitted.
i) He / She has to maintain a formal attire in visiting company / corporate / organization /
industry / any other agency or enterprise.
j) He / She has to be on time towards submission of interim / mid-term report and end-term for
submission and evaluation in accordance with the date (s).
k) He / She must ensure the discipline and conduct.
l) He / She must submit the draft winter project report for correction and amendments to Faculty
Supervisor.
m) He / She should submit 3 hard bound copies and soft copy (One CD containing WIP) of
their final winter project report to their Faculty Supervisor.
n) No extension of date (s) with regard to submission / evaluation is entertained.
o) A good project report could range from 80-100 pages.

Final Project Report Submission Guidelines

The final draft of winter project should be submitted to the faculty supervisor for correction,
amendment and revision. The main project report must follow the guidelines / directives as

indicated in this policy / guidelines handout and has to be submitted on time. (Not more than 120
pages (excluding annexures))
Preparation Directives / Formatting Guidelines of Winter Project (WIP) Report
1. Page Layout (A4, Right 1, Left 1.25, Top 1 and Bottom 1 (Justified)), Text Body Font
Size 12 (Chapter 1 to Chapter 6)
2. Font Name: Times New Roman (Throughout the Report (Chapter 1 to Chapter 6))
3. Font Size 12 to be followed in text body (Chapter 1 to Chapter 6)
4. Captions Font Size: 14 (Bold) (Inside the Text Body (Chapter 1 to Chapter 6))
5. Sub-Captions Font Size: 12 (Bold) (Inside the Text Body (Chapter 1 to Chapter 6))
6. Italicize the Important Sentences / Text / Word (s) (Inside the Text Body (Chapter 1 to
Chapter 6))
7. Line Spacing 1.5 (Text Body of the Report (Chapter 1 to Chapter 6) (except Content Page)
8. Page numbering should be from Chapter 1 Chapter 6 (including references, bibliography and
webliography; numbering must exclude annexures).
9. Chapter 1 Chapter 6 have to be numbered and indicated properly in the Content Page.
10. Indicate the appropriate numbers for List of Tables and List of Figures.

SPECIAL EMPHASIS ON FORMATTING AND SUBMISSION:

a) 3 hard bound copies and soft copy
b) Good report is between 60-100 pages. Line Spacing 1.5

All the texts in the title / cover page to be centered and bold as indicated below:
Winter Project Report (Font Size 20)

On (Font Size 14)

TITLE(Role of Executives in HR Department in Successful Implementation of Accreditation

Standards )(Font Size 20)

Submitted (Font Size 14)

By (Font Size 16)
(Student Name) (Font Size 20)
(Roll No) (Font Size 18)
To (Font Size 14)
Faculty Supervisors Name (Font Size 20)
In (Font Size 14)
Partial Fulfillment & Requirements of PGDM Programme (Font Size 16)
IN

(Name of the specialization) (Font Size 16)

Asia-Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi (Font Size 20)

January, 2015 (Font Size 20)
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Certificate Page (duly signed as per the faculty supervisor guidelines)

Date: .............
CERTIFICATE (Font Size 18)
This is to certify Mr. / Ms.
has undergone the winter project
under my supervision and guidance from ( ...................... to ..................). This is a original
winter project report to the best of my knowledge carried out by him / her in partial fulfillment
and requirements of PGDM Programme at Asia-Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi.

Sincerely,

(Name of the Faculty)

(Coordinator/ Co-Coordinator)
(Winter Project)

Declaration Page (Student)

Date: ......................
DECLARATION (Font Size 18)
I do hereby declare that I have completed the winter project titled
from (....................to ...................). The project report submitted is my original work carried
out under the supervision and guidance of Prof.
in partial fulfillment and
requirements of PGDM Programme at Asia-Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi. It has
not been submitted elsewhere for award of any degree / diploma.

Truly Yours,

(Name of the Student)

Roll No.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (Font Size 18) Separate Page

It should contain the different people who have been instrumental to complete winter project
The acknowledgement must be within one page and contain the signature of the student to the
bottom right hand side.
(Name of the Student)

DEDICATION (Font Size 18) Separate Page

ABSTRACT (Font Size 18) - Separate Page

Abstract must contain the title of the Winter Project (Font Size 16) at the Top (Italicize the entire
content / text body of abstract)
Abstract should be a write-up containing the genesis of the past work, present trends and future
prospects. In addition to that, it must contain the focus of current winter project research of the
student in support of present trends and future prospects (Maximum One Page)

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TABLE OF CONTENTS (Font Size 18)

S. No. (Font Size 12)

Particulars

CERTIFICATE (Font Size 12)

DECLARATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (limited to two pages)
DEDICATION (limited to two pages)
ABSTRACT
(limited to 350 words)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LIST OF TABLES
LIST OF FIGURES
1.
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION (Font Size 12)
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Need & Relevance of the Study
1.3 Objective of the Study
1.4 Organisation of Research Project
2.
3.

Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY
3.1 Method of Study
3.2 Problem / Research Statement
3.3 Company / Corporate Profile
3.4 Sampling (Not Applicable to Case Studies /
Secondary Data Oriented Research)
3.4.1 Sample Size
3.4.2 Sampling Procedure
3.5 Tools for Data Collection
3.5.1 Primary Sources
3.5.2 Secondary Sources
3.6 Variables Classification
3.6.1 Independent Variables
3.6.2 Dependent Variables
3.7 Hypothesis
3.7.1 Alternative Hypothesis
3.7.2 Null Hypothesis
3.8 Statistical Tools & Techniques

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Page
Page No.

i
ii
iii
iv
v
vi
vii
viii

4.

5.

6.

Chapter 4 Results & Discussions

4.1 Results
4.2 Discussions
Chapter Limitations & Implications
5.1 Limitations of the Study
5.2 Implications of the Study
Chapter 6 Summary & Conclusions
6.1 Summary of Findings
6.2 Conclusions
References
Appendices

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List of Tables (Font Size 14)

S.NO
1.
2.
3.

TABLE (Font Size 12)

PAGE

Children's Profile
Parents and Demographic Factors
Age By Level of Understanding

13

List of Figures(Font Size 14)

S.NO
1.
2.

FIGURE (Font Size 12)

PAGE

Gross Income for Television and Radio Stations

The Effects of Advertising to Children

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Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION(Font Size 14)

1.1

15

Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW(Font Size 14)

2.1

16

Chapter 3 METHODOLOGY(Font Size 14)

3.1

17

Chapter 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS (Font Size 14)

4.1

18

Chapter 5 LIMITATIONS & IMPLICATIONS (Font Size 14)

5.1

19

Chapter 6 SUMMARY & CONCLUSIONS (Font Size 14)

6.1

20

REFERENCES (Font Size 14)

1.
2.

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LIST OF ANNEXURES (Font Size 14)

I. Sample of Questionnaire to Parents
II. Questionnaire

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Annexure- I : Sample of Questionnaire to Parents (Font Size 14)

Table 1: Age by the influence of children advertising on buying an advertised product

Table 2: Hoyt Reliability Coefficients

Concept
Coefficient

Reliability

Computer

.56

Punched Cards

.80

Statistics

.71

Desk Calculator

.34

SOURCE: Cyril Hoyt, "Test Reliability Estimated by Analysis of Variance", Psychometrika 60 (Apr
1997): 153- 200

Figure 1: The Effects of Advertising on Children

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Annexure - II: Questionnaire (Font Size 14)

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Content Guidelines
1. Introduction (5 pages max)
A) It must contain starting caption Introduction under which Genesis of the study (Past Work &
Past Trends), Present (current work & current trends) and Future Prospects (scope of the research
study) are indicated with paragraph / paragraphs. Not more than 250 words
(b)Need & Relevance of the Study (It is basically a full / half a page paragraph containing
statements based on Past literature / Studies and Present Trends). Not more than 150 Words
(c) Objectives (Primary and Secondary Objectives / Core and Allied Objectives). The study
should not exceed 4 objectives. Not more than 100 words
(d) Organisation of Research Project: One paragraph explaining the sequence of chapters. Not
more than 100 words
2. Literature Review(10 pages max)
Literature review covers all the literatures pertinent to the present research study. In some cases
where there is a deficit / lack of literature, related reviews have to be indicated. The student can
use appropriate captions and group the literatures on variables as well for enough clarity.

APIM Resources that you can use:

http://search.ebscohost.com/ Use your login and password to access Journals and articles for
literature review

3. Methodology (Maximum of 10 pages)

Problem / Research Statement
Problem statement is based on the need and relevance of the study. Generally, a problem
statement usually refers to the title of research (in a text clause) study opted in Winter Project.
Company / Corporate / Organizational Profile (if any) Maximum Two Pages
Sample: Sample in general, refers to primary data (number of respondents) responses taken to
conduct the proposed research study. However, for secondary data based study samples are not
usually required. However, authentication of results should be reliable and needs to be justified
in accordance with the proposed research study. This is applied to empirical studies. However
students opting for case study have to justify and adopt case writing method in consultation with
their faculty supervisor. (This is excluded in Case Studies and Secondary Data Related
Research Studies)
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Tools for Data Collection

Primary Data: Usually from samples (respondents) through a questionnaire / interview schedule
depending upon the nature of the study.
Secondary Data: It refers to secondary source of information such as, reports (including annual
reports / bulletins), dissertation, thesis, compendiums, proceedings in conferences, manuals,
books, monographs, articles, journal papers, manuscripts, book chapters, editorial volumes,
magazines, web sources, news paper articles, etc.
Variable Classification
Independent Variable (s)
- Background Variables (age, education, income, height etc.)
Dependent Variable (s)
- Test Variables (attitude, perception, performance, practice etc.)
(Applicable only to empirical studies)
Hypothesis
Hypothesis is an assumptive statement to signify the results of present study through a statement.
A Study can have a maximum of four hypotheses and hypothesis is drawn on the basis of
objectives of the study. The hypothesis usually to be rejected is referred as null hypothesis.
Students have to pay utmost attention in drawing hypothesis in their research study.
Statistical Tools & Techniques: It refers to the statistical tests, which have to be carried out as
per the requirements of the study in consultation with faculty supervisor. It is recommended that
both parametric and non-parametric analysis (not applicable to Case Studies) have to be included
in any winter project report. The statistical analysis adopted in the study needs to be justified
with regard to statistical testing (type of statistical tests and analysis using EXCEL / Statistical
Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) whichever compatible or appropriate (based on the study
and recommendation of faculty supervisor)) part (reliability, validity and type of analyses) that
has been used and its relevance in the present study.
4. Results & Discussion (Should not exceed 30 Pages (including tables & figures)
Results of the analysis should be indicated table-wise with appropriate titles, for example:
Table-1
Distribution of Respondents According to Age
Table-5
Performance Analysis Using Corporate HR Practices
Table-7
Financial Performance Ratio Analysis
Result representation in figure (s) are entertained
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Figure 1
Bar Chart Distribution of Financial Performance
Figure 2
Pie-Chart Representation of Investors Behaviour
For figure (s) which are secondary in nature it has to contain a source and called in the references
/ webliography (website information of the source)
All the results represented under table (s) / figures in support of table (s) have to be interpreted
accordingly and discussed under discussions in accordance with appropriate literature citations.
Discussion without calling (citing) literature is not entertained.
5. Limitations & Implications
Limitations must be specific, for instance, gaps / bottlenecks faced in the winter project study
and time constraints (if any). Implications should comprise of suggestive measures for future
researchers, policy measures, inclusions of result based suggestions, etc. It should be in pointwise / paragraph of not more than 200 words.
6. Summary & Conclusions
It includes the summary of results (major findings & observations). Conclusions are drawn out of
these major findings in the present winter project study. It should be one / two paragraph (s) not
exceeding 250 words.
References
It resources that were consulted for the research study but not cited in the text as well as an
annotated description of each one. References may be organized chronologically, or by subject,
rather than alphabetically. This includes supplementary reading material, text sources etc. You
shall refer and follow American Psychological Association (APA) Style (www.apastyle.org)
for formatting references / bibliography. A reference list consists of all sources cited in the text
of a paper, listed alphabetically by authors surname. References should be listed alphabetically
(author-wise). For more than, three authors in a reference, you shall use et. al.
Mukesh, J., Varun, S., Rathore, M., Raman, S., & Kishan, N. (2012). Perspectives of HR Policies
Corporate Strategy Formulation, Journal of Human Resources Development, Vol. 1, No: 3.
Mukesh, et. al. (2012). Perspectives of HR Policies Corporate Strategy Formulation, Journal of
Human Resources Development, Vol. 1, No: 3.

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References from Journal

Vishnuvardhan, M. R., & Jain, L. K. (2004). Micro-Pension Prospects amongst ageing
population in unorganized sector. Journal of Financial Management Research, Vol. 3, No: 4,
215-222.
References from Book
Robbins, S. (2012). Organizational Behaviour (Ed. 8), Boston: Pearson Publishers.
References from Edited Book
Richard, S & Tony, L. (2004). Psychological Dispositions of Migrant Workers. In K. L. Peter &
S. Hannah (Eds.) Psychological Perspectives of Unorganized Sector (pp.145-153).
References from Online Sources
Books
Sharon, D. (1997). Research and Documentation in the electronic age. Boston: Bedford Books,
Retrieved November 7, 2008 from
http://www.bedfordbooks.com/index.html
Editorial Volumes
Morse, S. S. (1995). Factors in the emergence of infectious diseases. Emerging Infectious
Diseases, 1 (1). Retrieved on October 1998 from http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/EID/eid.htm
Journals
Smith, E. E. (2001). Internet Term Paper Mills: The Case for Mandatory Expulsion
(Electronic Version), Journal of Crime and Punishment, 6, 123-139.
Newspaper / Magazine Article
Golemann, D. (1991, October 24). Battle of Insurers vs. Therapists: Cost Control Pitted Against
Proper Care. New York Times, pp. D1, D9.
Newspaper / Magazine Article Online
Markoff, J. (1996, June 5). Voluntary Articles Proposed to help insure privacy for internet users.
New
York
Times.
Retrieved
April
1,
1996
from
http://nytimes.com/library/cyber/week/yo5dat.html
Conference Paper (Published)
Kuroda, S. Y. (1988). Whether we agree or not: A Comparative Syntax of English and Japanese.
In W. J. Poser (Ed.), Papers from the 2nd International Conference on Japanese Syntax (pp. 101110). Stanford, CA: CSLI.

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Dissertation / Thesis (Published)

Downey, D. B. (1992). Family Structure, Parental Sources, and Educational Outcomes. PhD
Thesis, Department of Sociology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN.
Source of References (including thesis, newspaper, books, journals, editorial volumes,
conference proceedings, magazines, compendiums, etc.) which are not published are not to be
cited and included in the Winter Project.
Webliography
Student needs to specify the appropriate web sources (in alphabetical order), which has been
referred and cited in their present study. Some useful websites are indicated below:
The most basic entry for a website consists of the author name(s), page title, website title,
date accessed, and the web address.
Last Name, First Name. "Page Title." Website Title. Retrieved Date Accessed, from Web
Address
Smith, J. (2009, January 21). Obama inaugurated as President. CNN.com. Retrieved February 1,
2009, from http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/01/21/obama_inaugurated/index.html
For a page with two or more authors, separate them by comma, and use an ampersand
before the last author's name. If more than six authors are cited, abbreviate the seventh
author and any others that follow with "et al."
Smith, J., & Doe, J. (2009, January 21). Obama inaugurated as President. CNN.com. Retrieved
February 1, 2009, from http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/01/21/obama_inaugurated/index.html
If an organization is the author, include the organization name, as normal, in place of the
author names. If no author is available, begin the citation with the page title.
Obama inaugurated as President. (2009, January 21). CNN.com. Retrieved February 1, 2009,
from http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/01/21/obama_inaugurated/index.html
After the author names are listed, include in parentheses the publication date. List the
year first, followed by a comma, and then the month and day. Place a period outside of
the parentheses. In some cases, a specific date might not be available, and the date
published may only be specific to a month or even year. Provide whatever date
information is available.
Smith, J. (2009, January). Obama inaugurated as President. CNN.com. Retrieved February 1,
2009, from http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/01/21/obama_inaugurated/index.html

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 If there is no publication date available, substitute the abbreviation "n.d." instead.

Smith, J. (n.d.). Obama inaugurated as President. CNN.com. Retrieved February 1, 2009, from
http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/01/21/obama_inaugurated/index.html
Writing web sources in the following formats are incorrect
http://www.apastyle.org
http://www.cabells.com
http://www.ebsco.com
http://www.emeraldinsight.com
Annexure (s)
Sources, Photographs, Questionnaire / Interview Schedule, Specific Tables, Specific Diagrams,
Maps, Charts, Tables, etc. (Number the Annexure and refer them (specify) for example
Annexure I) at the appropriate places within the main body (Introduction till Conclusions) of
the report. Annexure (s) should not contain page numbers but include caption numbering
(Annexure I, Annexure II etc.)

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