Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
(MBA)
Programme
Contents
1. What is a Project Synopsis?
1.1. Title of the project
1.2. Introduction
1.3. Objectives
1.4. Problem statement
1.5. Research methodology
1.6. References
1.7. Expected contribution from the study
1.8. Limitations, scope for future research
2. Dos & Donts for preparing project synopsis
3. Some reasons for rejection of project synopsis
4. Sample project topics for MBA
5. EduNxt access procedure (for project synopsis submission)
6. Annexures
I.
II.
1.1.
The primary function of a title is to provide a clear heading for the project. Title of synopsis
should focus on the research area and the place or the company name. A good title for a
research is typically around 10 to 12 words long.
In order to decide on the title, you should first choose a topic. To choose the project topic:
A.
Write down the specialisation you have chosen in your MBA programme. For example,
Operations Management.
B.
Next, list some of your favourite topics under this specialisation. You can choose any
topic under the eight subject/courses under this specialisation. For example, let us say
you have listed
i.
Inventory Management
ii.
Quality management
iii.
Supply chain management
Among the above, chose one topic that you think you can conduct research on. Let us
say you finalise Inventory management.
C.
D.
Now the topic inventory management is broad in scope because it leaves certain
questions unanswered like what exactly will you research in this topic and where you will
conduct/undertake the research? For example, are you interested in finding whether a
certain manufacturing organisation has an efficient inventory management system in
place?
Next, read a few research papers or projects (Literature Review) to find the kind of
research that has been conducted in your area of interest and note down the gaps in the
research conducted or future research suggested in this area.
For example, you may read on Inventory Management techniques followed by e-tailing
companies in other parts of the world and find that such a study has not been conducted
in India. So you may decide to conduct a study on Inventory Management techniques
followed by e-tailing companies in India.
Other topics that you may shortlist could be Inventory Control System at Toyota Ltd.,
Sriperumbudur, or Effective inventory control techniques for manufacturing
automobiles. These project topics tell us exactly what type of project you wish to
undertake. Please ensure that the topic you have chosen has not already been worked
on. You will be able to know this through Literature Review.
E.
Finalise the project topic by finding which of the projects is the most doable. Ask yourself
these questions: Can you complete the project within the time stipulated by us? Where
will you conduct the research? What sort of data will you need for the project? Can you
find the data to complete the project? Do you have the necessary tools for analysing the
data?
For example, you might feel that topic Effective inventory control techniques for
manufacturing automobiles is the most doable as you have some contacts in some
automobile manufacturing companies. You may feel that you can gather the information
on the inventory practices the companies follow. You may think of collecting data on the
inventory controls that the manufacturers of automobiles use-how they categorise it, how
much do they spend on storing them, etc. To analyse the data, you may use software
tools like excel or SPSS.
Once all of these questions are answered, you may finalize on a project title.
Tip 2: Dont choose an interrogative title: The title should not be in a question form. It
should be a simple statement.
Example of incorrect title:
What is the cash flow analysis of XYZ Company with respect to ABC
Company?
Example of a correct title
Comparative study of cash flow analysis between XYZ Company and ABC
Company
Tip 3: Dont use negative in titles: The title should not contain a negative statement
about any product, brand, company or entity.
Examples of incorrect title:
1.2.
A.
B.
C.
D.
1.3.
Introduction
Give the background of the problem. To give the background,
i.
Give brief overview of topic. You may write an introduction that includes why
you wish to undertake this project. You may also include brief Literature review.
ii.
Explain the current situation in which the issues/gaps/practices/alternatives
exist.
Define the problem in one or two sentences by stating the main focus area of your project.
Mention the need for the study/ purpose of the study why are you conducting this study?
What is its importance what are the perceived benefits of researching this problem?
This section may be covered in 50-100 words.
Objectives
The next step is to list down objectives. Your SLM MB0050, Research Methodology mentions
that, the problem statement has to be broken down into tasks or objectives that need to be
met in order to answer the research question objectives. Also it mentions This section makes
active use of verbs such as to find out, to determine, to establish, and to measure so as
to spell out the objectives of the study. In certain cases, the main objectives of the study might
need to be broken down into sub-objectives which clearly state the tasks to be accomplished.
(Refer page 31, unit 2, section 2.4 Problem Identification, MB0050 Research Methodology,
You may list the hypotheses of the study if they are part of your study (refer unit 2, section 2.6
Formulating the Research Hypotheses of MB0050 SLM).
To identify
To establish
To describe
To determine
To estimate
To develop
To compare
To analyse
To collect
Lets say the project title is, A study on the influence of social media marketing on
perception of consumers.
Example of incorrect objectives:
To identify examples of brands that have effectively used social media to attract
consumer perceptions
To study the social media usage pattern among various age groups
To measure the effect of social media on the consumer perceptions and attitudes
towards brand
Problem Statement:
Your SLM of subject code MB0050 mentions that A research problem can be defined as a
gap or uncertainty in the decision makers existing body of knowledge which inhibits efficient
decision making (Unit 2, section 2.2 Defining the Research Problem).
So a problem statement is a short description of the issues/gaps/practices/alternatives you
want to investigate in your study in order to find a solution to it. In simple terms, a problem
statement should focus on the problems faced by the company where the research project is
to be carried out.
Lets say the project title is, A study on the influence of social media marketing on
perception of consumers
Example of incorrect problem statement:
To find out the various factors that influence the consumers to use the social media
for various purchases and also to elucidate the role of social media applications as a
marketing communications tool in todays corporate world, social media is an internetfacilitated and consumer driven movement of networks, content and knowledge.
Example of correct problem statement:
Does social media marketing influence the attitude and buying behaviour of
consumers?
1.5.
Research methodology:
B.
Consider all the objectives of the study and decide on research design you will useexploratory or descriptive. Write which research design you will use. For more details
refer unit 3 of your MB0050, Research methodology SLM.
Next, decide what type of data you will need to realise every objective of your study.
i.
Mention if you will collect primary and/or secondary data, and if it is qualitative
or quantitative in nature.
ii.
Mention how you will collect the data (the sources of data). For example,
primary data for a study may be collected through observations and
questionnaire. If you are using secondary data, mention if the sources are
external or internal and their type. Ex: Industry reports or annual report of the
company.
iii.
In case of primary data, mention who the respondents are, for your study. For
example, mention whether you will be surveying managerial level employees
or shop floor employees. Mention the sampling technique and sample size.
(Refer unit 7 Sampling for more details).
For more details on primary and secondary data, refer unit 4 of your MB0050, Research
Methodology SLM (Book id: B1700). To design a questionnaire, refer unit 5 and 6 of your
MB0050, Research methodology SLM.
C.
Next, decide how you will analyse the data to come up with findings of your study which
are aligned to the stated objectives. Mention if you will use descriptive statistics or gap
analysis, why analysis, cause and effect analysis, ratio analysis, common size
statements, factor analysis, etc. Mention the sampling size if applicable.
To write the research methodology you should be familiar with the following terms
A.
B.
Sampling Frame: Sampling frame comprises all the elements of a population with
proper identification that is available to us for selection at any stage of sampling (For
more details, refer unit 7 of MB0050, Research Methodology SLM, Book id B1700). For
example, in the above case, sampling frame will be all the employees having professional
qualification in XYZ Company.
C.
Sampling Unit: Every single unit or object inside the sampling frame is regarded as
sampling unit. For example, each employee of sampling frame will be a sampling unit.
D.
ii.
The variability of the population: The higher the variability measured by the
population standard deviation, the larger the size of the sample. If the standard
deviation of the population is unknown, a researcher may use the estimates of
the standard deviation from previous studies. Alternatively, the estimates of the
population standard deviation can be computed from the sample data.
The confidence attached to the estimate: It is a matter of judgement, as to how
much confidence you want to attach to your estimate. Assuming a normal
distribution, the higher the confidence the researcher wants for the estimate,
larger will be the sample size. This is because the value of the standard normal
ordinate Z will vary accordingly. For a 90 per cent confidence, the value of Z
iii.
would be 1.645 and for a 95 per cent confidence, the corresponding Z value
would be 1.96 and so on.
The allowable error or margin of error: How accurate do we want our estimate
to be is again a matter of judgement of the researcher. It will of course depend
upon the objectives of the study and the consequence resulting from the higher
inaccuracy. If you seek greater precision, the resulting sample size would be
large.
Refer unit 7, section 7.4 of the Research Methodology (MB0050) SLM, Book id B1700
for more details.
E.
F.
Inclusion and Exclusion criteria: Inclusion criteria states the variables which will be
covered during the study. Exclusion criteria states the variables which would not be
covered in the study. For example, in a study of market characteristics of a popular brand,
the inclusion variables can be the characteristics of brand, competitors study and
consumer preferences. The exclusion variable would be industry scenario, dealers
preferences etc.
Inclusion and exclusion criteria are applicable to sampling technique as well. An example
of exclusion criterion is: Smokers would be excluded from the study. An example for
inclusion criterion is: Only alcoholics whove been in the habit for two years will be
included in the study.
G. Data Collection method: There can be two methods which can be used for data
collection viz., primary data collection method and secondary data collection method.
For example, in the above case, primary data collection techniques like survey
methodology or observational technique can be used for collecting information from the
employees.
For more details refer unit 4 of MB0050, Research methodology SLM (Book id: B1700).
H.
Method adopted for analysis: Here the statistical techniques which are expected to be
used in the research project are specified. For example, chi-square test, t-test, z-test.
For more details, refer units 9-12 of MB0050, Research methodology SLM (Book id:
B1700).
I.
Time period: Mention the time frame that the work covers.
1.6.
1.7.
1.8.
2.2.
2.3.
Dos
In the questionnaire used to gather primary data for your research, each question of
the questionnaire should be linked with one or more objectives. Every objective should
have at least one question linked to it.
Use SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely) project objectives.
Select an appropriate topic and title related to your specialization.
Donts
Dont use past tense except under literature review.
Do not list more than 5 objectives.
Other points to remember
Refer to Suggested project topics for MBA but not limited to to get an idea of areas
to work.
Ensure that you do not submit plagiarised content for synopsis approval.
Choose a Guide who has at least 2 years of teaching and/or industrial experience and
has a requisite degree in the area of your specialization.
Get your Guide registered by uploading his credentials on http://edunxt.smude.edu.in/
Get your synopsis validated by your Guide and upload the same on the portal.
http://edunxt.smude.edu.in/.
Not more than one student is permitted to work on the same Project.
Students should start the project work ONLY after receiving the approval of Synopsis
and Guide from the University.
All Correspondence regarding projects should be addressed to
projects.mba@smudde.edu.in (please mark subject as MBA Project -Request
for).
Project Topics
PROJECT TOPICS FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
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Strategies for increasing the occupancy rate of Taj West End Hotel,
Bangalore
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The impact of the recent global economic slump on the Indian capital
market
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A study on medical representatives triumphs and trialsrecommendation to improve liaison of medical reps and doctors
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A.
B.
Study of Retail asset products such as loans, overdrafts in
branches
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Ratio analysis (comparative study) of SBI & ICICI bank (any two
banks)
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159.
(i) Read the Guidelines carefully before filling the online form.
(ii) Select the checkbox (I have read the instructions mentioned above) and click on Confirm
and Continue button.
Students detail will appear (like name, roll number, name of the program, etc)
Enter the Title of the project
Enter Objectives
Enter Problem statement
v.
vi.
Step 5: In the next screen you will have to enter the Guide details:
If you are selecting the registered guide, then select Existing Guide and then
mention the Guide Registration Number and Mobile Phone Number and Click
on Validate Guide Number as shown below.
i.
The guide details will appear on the screen. Click on Save button.
ii.
If you are selecting a new guide, then select New Guide and fill the Guide
Details and Click on Save.
Step 6: Once you click on Save, a message will be displayed as shown below:
Step 7: Next, Click on Print Button. A new screen which displays the synopsis will appear.
Step 8: Next:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
i.
ii.
iii.
Upload the Synopsis Form (which was printed, signed and scanned) by clicking the
first Browse button
Next, if the guide is new guide, upload the Scanned copy of Guide Qualification
and Experience Certificates by clicking the second Browse button as shown in the
above screenshot.
Next, Click on the Submit Button as shown below.
Step 11: Once the submit button is clicked, you will get a message stating that the synopsis
is successfully submitted for approval.
Step 12:
i.
ii.
Once submitted, Project steering Committee will review your Synopsis submission and
Guide Registration. You will get the status update in your mail box and EduNxt login.
If your synopsis is accepted by Project steering committee, you will get the approved
mail and you can start your project work.
Step 13: If your synopsis is rejected by project steering committee, you will be requested to
resubmit your synopsis again. Then click on resubmit project synopsis to re-submit the
modified synopsis.
ANNEXURE I
II.
Student Details:
1. Name of the program
3. Roll Number
Project Details
7. Problem Statement
8. Methodology to be used
III.
Guide Details:
9. Name of Proposed Guide
12. Affiliation
13. Qualification
17. E-mail ID
(Note: A Guide needs to get registered with the University if he/ she is guiding a SMUDE project for
the first time. Guide Registration form can be downloaded from the University Website)
DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this project synopsis is an original work carried by me and has not
been/will not be submitted to any other University for fulfilment of any course of study.
Place:
Date:
(Signature of the Student)
(*Filled in Application forms to be signed by both student and the Guide. Forms must be scanned in either .pdf /
.doc format and submitted through the EduNxt students Login. For uploading, please refer section 5 of this
document)
ANNEXURE II
PROJECT GUIDE REGISTRATION FORM
(To be submitted to the project steering committee)
1. Name
2. Date of Birth
3. Present Employer
4. Designation
5. Contact Details
i) Residential Address :
iii) All communications to be sent to: Residential/ Office address (tick any one)
iv) Contact No.
v) E-mail id
SNo
Name
of Specialization
the Degree
Year of Institution/
Passing University
7. Area of Specialization/Interest
Class
Obtained
Designation
From
To
I hereby declare that the information provided by me is true. I agree with the
rules and regulations given by the University.
Signature
___________________________________________________________________
FOR OFFICE USE
Following details have been verified
Yes
No
1) Qualification
2) Experience
3) Approved for Department / Specialization
Signature
(Faculty in-charge)
Signature
(Chairman-Project Steering Committee)
(Note: Filled in Registration forms must be scanned in either .pdf / .doc format and submitted
along with credentials (Scanned Degree Certificates and Experience Certificates) on the
EduNxt portal-http://edunxt.smude.edu.in.)