Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
I) Introduction
1) PGDM Students are required to carry out a summer project and submit a
Project Report as a requirement of the PGDM Program in IV Term.
2) The Project work should demonstrate the ability of the student in terms of data
collection, application of concepts learnt during the first three terms, analysis
of data, formulation of recommendations and suggestions of a viable scheme
for implementation of the recommendations.
3) The quality and content of the project rather than the company and the guide
matters during the course of placement interviews. Therefore, do not be
choosy about the company to pursue your summer project.
4) The Title / Topic of summer project is not in your hand and invariably
depends upon the company guide.
5) Company may have a specific project in their mind which they may ask you to
do. You can take help of your faculty guide and by mutual discussion the
scope of the project can be enriched.
II) Type of projects in different functional areas Marketing
Here is a short list of some of the popular projects students undertake in marketing.
Although this list is not exhaustive, it will provide some perspective on potential
projects you can undertake or explore with your employers.
• Launch of a new product
• Improvements in existing products
• Study consumer behavior
• Consumer satisfaction surveys
• Pricing
• Competitive Intelligence
• Distribution
• Logistical studies
• Sales force effectiveness
• Study export potential
• Measure Promotional Effectiveness
Human Resource Management
• Manpower planning for future
• Redesign of organization structure
• Define duties & responsibilities
• Measure managerial effectiveness
• Performance appraisal
• Develop compensation package
• Analyze staff turnover
• Measure employment satisfaction
• Study training needs of employees and design an annual calendar
• Career planning
• Stress management
• Develop entrepreneurs in the organization
Finance
• Analyze the financial health of a company
• Inter firm comparison
• Analyze the stock market performance of a company
• Raise capital – analyze alternatives
• Cost auditing
• Capital budgeting and investment appraisals
• Debt restructuring
• Forecasting
• Pricing
• Financial projections
Strategic Management
• Strategic planning, preparation of long term plans with vision and mission
statements, goals and targets
• Identify opportunities for Mergers and Acquisitions, due diligence
• Break even analysis, sensitivity analysis
• Application of different models like BCG Product portfolio matrix, Mckinsey
7S frame work, GE market attractiveness model and others
• Revival of sick industries, developing strategies for turn around
• Succession planning
III) Research process
The research process goes through the following steps. Each one is discussed in
detail separately.
• Problem formulation
• Research methodology
• Research design
• Selecting data collection techniques
• Sample design
• Data collection
• Analysis and interpretation of data
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Report writing
IV) How to start ?
These are the steps, which you can undertake :
• Prepare a proposal spelling out objectives of the study, research methodology
to be used, coverage (Geographical, Sample frame and Sample size), time
table and out of pocket costs.
• Show this to your company supervisor and obtain his approval
• Get clarification on what will be your allowances during this period on travel,
lodging and boarding and local conveyance.
• Get approval from your Internal Guide.
V) Report Writing
A report must be presented in a professional manner.
Format of Report
• Title page
• Contents page
• Certificates
• Executive summary
• Introduction
• Company and product profile
• Secondary research data / industry data
• Analysis of questionnaire and interpretation
• Conclusions
• Recommendations
• Bibliography
• Appendix
Some of the above are discussed separately where normally students are found
wanting.
Executive Summary
• 1 – 2 pages
• It should briefly define the objectives and research methodology used
• It should give a summary of the findings which you will draw from your
conclusions and recommendations
• It should not give details of information already known to the company.
• It is prepared for the benefit of senior executives who do not have time to read
the entire report
Introduction
• Objectives – can be broken down as Primary Objectives and Secondary
Objectives
• Research Methodology – whether primary research used or secondary research
• Coverage – the towns / areas covered, the people met
• Sample selection – which method of sampling has been used
• Time period – the month and days during which the research was done
• Limitations – details on the type of data which could not be collected and the
reasons thereof
• Deliverables – how this research work can be used by the company
Conclusions
• They will be based on your analysis of the secondary and primary data
• The secondary data will be used for trend analysis
• The primary data will be used to understand user requirements
• Together, you draw specific conclusions with respect to the objectives of the
research.
Recommendations
• Ensure that your recommendations fulfill the objectives
• They should be clear and specific
• For projects in strategic management and / or marketing, the recommendations
can be offered under respective headings as given below :
Strategic Statement
• Target market definition
• Product differentiation
• Pricing strategies
• Distribution strategies
• Promotion strategies
• Positioning strategies
• Sales force strategies
• Market intelligence strategies
• Market innovation strategies
• Competitive strategies
• Marketing budgeting strategies
References / Bibliography
There is a difference between these two terms. When you give a specific quote and
the page number/s from a source, it is called a 'reference'. When you give only the
source in a particular format, it is called 'bibliography'.
Bibliography
Books
Y.K. Alagh : Regional Aspects of Indian Industrialization”, university of Bombay,
1977.
Articles
Chakrabarty S. “On the Question of Home Market and Prospects of Indian Growth”,
EPW, Spl. No Aug. 1972
Reference
Anshuman, V Ravi and S. Chandrashekar (2003), “Benchmarketing IIM Bangalore
PGP
Courseculum to Global Standards”, working paper : IIM Bangalore, December
pp...........
• This will include all secondary sources which you may have used during the
study
• May include textbooks, newspapers or magazines, reports and data obtained
from government publications, web sites and any others.
• It is imperative that you acknowledge all sources of secondary information
• The references have to be given in a particular format.
• The textbooks should be given as shown – Name of the author, name of the
book, edition, name of publisher and the specific page, which you have
referred.
• Newspaper and magazines should give the date and page number
• Websites should be listed accordingly
There is a general tendency of the students to indulge in 'piracy'. Avoid it.
You can fool yourself and your institute by coping a report but you will never
learn the research methodology and also may face problem in viva voce.
Do a sincere job and you will feel immense satisfaction. A summer project is
your first professional work. It will underscore your creativity.
Appendix
This will include the following :
• Copy of the blank questionnaire
• List of contacts other than those used in consumer research
• Company product literature
• Competitors product literature
• Any other secondary reports
VI) Presentation of data
The date can be presented in any of the following forms :
• Tabular : Ensure that there is a table number, title for the table, units for the
columns and rows, reference if taken from secondary source.
• Charts : You can use pie chart and histograms. Give appropriate units. The
bar charts can be given in different forms like horizontal, vertical, mixed and
others
• Graphs : Give correct units to the X & Y axis
• Pictograph : These are typically used for population studies and shows a
caricature of persons per family and so on
• Cartogram : These are used on the backdrop of the map of the country
showing plant locations, warehouses, distributors, sales in different
territories and others
Note : This note is heavily based on a publication “How to prepare for a Summer
Project”. By Prof. Dilip M. Sarwate and material collected from Institute of
Material Management, CBD Belapur.
Remember that the contents should be given 70% importance/
The context will have 30% importance.
Remember that fatter the report is not necessarily a better report. The quality of a
report cannot be evaluated on kilogram basis !