THESIS GUIDELINES

Academic Batch | 2011-13 | 201013

Department of Thesis
*************************************** Level 0, IIPM International Campus, Satbari, Mehrauli-Chattarpur Road , Delhi , India Phone: 91.11.30168408 email: thesis@iipm.edu; web: www.iipm.edu, ************************************** *

Why Thesis ?
1 2 3 4

Fulfills requirement of getting Degree / Diploma Provides an opportunity to explore a topic in depth Encourages a rigorous, logical and systematic approach to problem-solving Career development

General Information
As a student of 2/3 years full-time programme in Planning and Entrepreneurship, you are required to submit a final thesis in order to be awarded a degree or diploma. The thesis should be prepared in accordance with the instructions of these guidelines.

Thesis Procedure

Thesis Procedure

Thesis Procedure

contd

STEP 3: Get your Thesis Topic and Synopsis of your research proposal finalized in consultation with your Supervising External Guide.
In 4 weeks from the date of allotment of your Thesis ID, you are required to finalize your Thesis Topic in consultation with your External Guide and write your research proposal in the form of a Synopsis in the required format (see Annexure B). Please note that the finalization of Thesis Topic and development of Synopsis should be done under the guidance of your Supervising External Guide and emailed back to your thesis coordinator, marking a carbon copy (cc) to your Supervising External Guide. Your Thesis Topic will be archived only after verifying and validating your Annexure B; this also includes confirming the credentials of your Supervising External Guide. Please provide your thesis co-ordinator with exhaustive details of your proposed Supervising External Guide as required in Annexure B.

STEP 4: Get an Interim Evaluation of your Thesis done by your Supervising External Guide.
You are required to meet your Supervising Guide at least 4 times during the process of writing your Thesis and you have to get your Interim Response Sheets filled (see Annexure C) and signed by your Supervising Guide after every meeting. It is mandatory that every Interim Response Sheet should be submitted along with a video recording that documents the minutes of the meeting that the candidate has held with the External Guide. Additionally, the student is expected to undertake at least two interviews with industry/subject experts during the course of thesis completion. These interviews too should be video recorded, and

the respective recordings, along with a typed transcript of the recording, should be submitted during the final submission of the completed thesis.

Thesis Procedure contd

STEP 5: Get your Thesis Submitted before the duedate and Appear for a Written Viva.
You are required to submit your Thesis in 1 Hardbound-Copy plus 2 Soft-Copies and over email in the required format (see Annexure D). Your Thesis will be accepted for submission only after a written confirmation from your Supervising External Guide mentioning his/her approval for submitting your Thesis in the required format (see Annexure E). At the time of submission you have to give a written viva to process your thesis for evaluation. You should obtain a thesis submission receipt from your thesis co-ordinator at the time of submitting your thesis. Failure to obtain a submission receipt can result in future cancellation of the thesis.

STEP 6: Get through your Final Step

Your Thesis Evaluation will take one month from the date of submission. You have to appear for a verbal viva as a part of your evaluation process. Your verbal viva will happen either Face-to-Face or through a web cam. You will be informed about your date of viva around a week in advance.

Thesis Objectives
Your Thesis should demonstrate that you are able to address complex problems/issues, which demand the integration of empirical data, theory and rigorous methods. A Thesis is a formal document to prove that an original contribution has been done to enhance the knowledge. The thesis may be based on Primary & Secondary data, but should not be just a research work. Research is simply gathering of information needed to answer questions that can be of help in solving a problem. In thesis, you identify a problem or question that has not been answered before and to find answers to those question or to solve those problems, you conduct this study. The thesis must: 1 Be based on a clearly formulated research question; 2 Have specific objectives; 3 Be based on relevant and clearly-described materials and methods; 4 Present clear findings; 5 Present a balanced and critical discussion of material, methods and findings, which is relevant literature within the field of study ; 6 Fulfil the formal requirements for a commercially viable presentation and include a front page, an abstract, a table of contents, references, etc.

Thesis Objectives

contd...

On completion of the thesis, the student should be able to:

1 Transform a managerial issue into a research question, identify the nature of the problem, as well as the process needed to solve it; 2 Choose appropriate research methods; 3 Collect necessary data/information and critically analyse, review and interpret ones own research and the relevant literature; 4 Draw conclusions as to the nature of the problem and how to solve it; 5 Present well-argued and referenced recommendations as to future practice(s) in the given field; 6 Manage and plan the thesis writing process within the given timeframe; 7 Where relevant, include feedback and practical policy implications for local authorities (if research is based on local data) to contribute to improvements at the local level; 8 Give a short write-up, highlighting aims, main findings, conclusion and possible recommendations as well as discussing critical questions and remarks regarding the findings and conclusions; 9 Provide critical and constructive feedback to fellow students on their thesis.

Thesis Deadlines
Thesis Topic Approval: Synopsis Submission: Interim Evaluation: Final Submission: 3 weeks from the Project completion of Semester 6 weeks from the approval of Thesis Topic 6 weeks from the Thesis submission of Synopsis 2 weeks from Interim Evaluation of Thesis

Dates : Delhi Center rd Thesis Topic Approval: 03 June 2013 onwards Synopsis Submission: 15th July2013

Interim Evaluation: 26th Aug2013 Final Submission:

09th Sept2013

Thesis Supervision
Identification of supervising guide
According to the institutes regulations, your thesis should be carried out under the supervision of an external guide of your choice and approved by the institute. The external guide can be from an academic background working with any institute as an assistant professor, associate professor, a professor or they can be a specialists working and from the industry. The thesis coordinator approves and archives the thesis topic and the chosen supervising guide. This process takes 2 weeks from the date of receiving the request over email from the student with the details of his proposed research area of interest. 8 weeks are allocated for thesis supervision work, during this period you are expected to meet your supervisor at least 4 times. The supervision includes all tasks carried out by the supervisor in relation to the thesis: finalization of the thesis topic, developing the synopsis, reading of drafts, preparation for meetings, interim evaluation, etc.

Thesis Supervision
Roles and responsibilities

contd...

To ensure that the working relationship between you and your supervisor is as productive and rewarding as possible, we have set down guiding principles for your respective roles and responsibilities.

The supervising guide will:

Guide the student in formulating clear, relevant, commercially viable, challenging, ethical and achievable research objectives; 2 Guide the student in finalizing the thesis topic. The title of the thesis should be precise, argumentative and specific. It should not be an announcement. It should be a single sentence, able to reflect the key idea(s) and structure of the thesis; 3 Supervise the students preparation of the synopsis in the required format; 4 Guide the student in using relevant and up-to-date academic/other literature within the chosen area of study; 5 Advise the student in the choice of research methods, authenticity of any published information (secondary data used should be of last 2-3 years, not older than that), any ethical clearance and data size etc.; 6 Advise the student in making a realistic fieldwork schedule, primary research should be included to support your study; 7 Review and conduct interim evaluation and approve or improve the draft; 8 Provide timely feedback to the thesis coordinator and assist students in completing thesis in the desired format and on time.
1

Thesis Supervision
The student will:

contd...

1 Decide on a thesis topic from the proposed research area of study in consultation with his/her assigned supervisor; 2 Participate in formulating the research objectives in consultation with his/her assigned supervisor; 3 Prepare and submit a thesis synopsis in consultation with his/her assigned supervisor; 4 If undertaking primary research, identify and discuss with the supervisor any ethical issues and secure ethical approval; 5 Produce work in accordance with a schedule agreed upon with the supervisor at the start of the process; 6 Ensure that material is presented in sufficient time to allow the supervisors comments, discussion and alterations, before proceeding to the next stage; 7 Write your thesis and submit interim response sheet for interim evaluation in time and get an approval from your supervisor for final submission; 8 Adhere to the deadlines strictly.

Written agreement on supervision

Before supervision starts, you will receive an approval mail from thesis coordinator mentioning your Thesis ID, Approved Research Area and your approved supervisor, outlining the terms and conditions for supervision. On the basis of this approval mail your supervisor and yourself will finalize the thesis topic and develop a synopsis in the required format. The synopsis will be a written document defining the different phases and deadlines in your thesis process. This should be signed by both you and submitted to the thesis coordinator.

Annex A: Research Area Approval Format Name: Phone Number: Email Address: Course to which admitted Month & year of admission Place of study (IIPM CENTER ) Thesis Area Opted: Specialization Area: IIPM ISBE A/B ICHE

Summer training details: Topic ----------------------------------------------------------------------Company name: ----------------------------------------------------------------------Area of specialization

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Summary on internship --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Kinds/ Area of projects done in project trisemester Kinds Scores

Your favorite subjects you have taken interest while pursuing in IIPM -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mention some notable internal assignments closely or distantly related to support your research interest area ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Annex A

Job Mention how the chosen research area is related to your current career or helpful for your career path. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Are you currently working? If yes, mention the following:
Name of company Location Job Role

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Or else, if you have joined your family business, mention the following:
Industry

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nature of business

Or else, if you are in an entrepreneurial drive, mention the following:

Industry

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nature of business

Market Research Scores in market research related papers - Research methodology and Marketing Research --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Have you used any statistical tools: T TEST F TEST Z Test CHI SQUARE TEST ANOVA Pearsons Correlation & Bivariate Regression Others T will be helpful for your career path. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Annex A

Do you have knowledge about complex analytical methods. Tick any

Do you have knowledge about complex analytical methods. Tick any

Thesis Research Area

Thesis Research Area

Suggestive List
contd...

Finance
Financial Accounting Management/Cost Accounting Taxation Direct / Indirect Corporate Finance Financial Planning Financial Risk Management Portfolio Management Financial Modelling Strategic Finance Business Valuations Mergers & Acquisitions Derivatives FOREX Capital / Financial Markets Working Capital Management Corporate Banking General Life Insurance International Finance Wealth Management Investment Banking Corporate Governance Financial Regulations Hedge Funds Islamic Banking Microfinance Equity Analysis Venture Capital & Private Equity

Operations
Supply Chain Management Process Design & Implementation Distribution & Logistics Operations Research Marketing & Operations Interface Quality Management & Control Planning & Control in Manufacturing Industries Planning & Control in Service Industries Warehousing

Service Operations Operations Strategy

Technology & Operations Management / e-SCM Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)

Thesis Research Area

Suggestive List
contd...

Strategy
Business Strategy Operations Strategy Innovation & Strategy Competitive Strategic Management Mergers & Acquisitions Business process Reengineering Business Restructuring Leadership Skills and Strategic Strategic Investment Decisions Corporate Entrepreneurship
Management

Strategic Management of New Firm Entrepreneurship & Strategic Intuition Strategy Management Models

Information Technology
Knowledge Management Enterprise Resource Planning Search Engine Optimisation Social Networks & Business Strategy Technology & Competitiveness Technology in Marketing Technology in HR Technology in Finance Technology in Operations Technology & Outsourcing Innovation & Strategy

Thesis Synopsis
A synopsis is a brief outline of your proposed thesis. As a first draft, the synopsis will help you clarify and structure your ideas. The synopsis further helps you develop your thesis research proposal in detail. You will develop your synopsis in collaboration with your supervising guide. The required length of the synopsis is 3-4 pages (1 page = approximately 2400 characters without spaces, font size 12 pt. line space 1.5, margins 2.5 on all sides, A4 paper).

Annex B : THESIS SYNOPSIS FORMAT

Name: Phone Number: Email address: Course to which admitted Month & year of admission Place of study

IIPM

ISBE A/B

ICHE

(IIPM CENTER )

Thesis Id Allotted

Thesis Topic:

Specialization Area: Introduction:

Annex B

Research Objectives: a. b. c. d. Research methodology: Secondary data Primary dataTool used Sampling method Sample size Target Audience Limitations of the study:

Books referred: Anne xB

Justification of choosing the topic:

DETAILS OF THE GUIDE Name of the Guide: Phone No: Email Address: Designation : Name of the organization : Attach the visiting card : Attach the acceptance letter:

*Use additional pages if required.

Annex

To be filled by the thesis data management team:

Thesis ID generated Name of the student Phone No. Batch IIPM Center Thesis topic Specialization area Name of the guide Phone No. Email

Annex C: Thesis Response sheet Response sheet number: Thesis Id: Thesis Topic: Date: Details of the student (Name ,Batch ,Alumni Id ,Phone No and Email Id )

Thesis synopsis
response sheet )

(Attach thesis synopsis [ if response sheets are emailed] with every

Date when the guide was consulted: _______________________________ Progress of the work :
(Students are required to give a gist of the literature review, data collection, analysis and recommendations etc... (use a separate sheet if required).

Comments from the Supervising guide:

( To be filled only by the supervising guide)

Signature of the Supervising guide: Signature of the Student:

Note: -Whenever a student emails his/her response sheet, he/she has to send all the previous response sheets

too. Response sheets should be emailed to the thesis coordinator. Signature of the guide is not mandatory if the student send through email.

Annex D: Final Thesis Format

The Manuscript consists of three main parts 1 The Preliminaries 2 3
The Content or the text The References

The Preliminaries
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Title Page Abstract Certificate of Originality Thesis Topic approval letter sent over email Acknowledgments Table of Contents List of Figures & Tables Synopsis

Note : Preliminary pages Numbering should be in lower case Roman numerals; Centered at the bottom of the page; Numbers at least inch from bottom edge Acknowledgments: Title Page Table of 1 It should 1 Institute logo ,Name and place; generally Contents: include 2 Name of the Title ,Student and acknowledgmen 1 Lists all Guide ; Batch and Alumni No t of assistance sections 3 It should contain all capital received from with letters ; Counted, but not various persons. page numbered ; numbers; 2 Center the Abstract Double heading space 1 This should include the between ACKNOWLEDG entries; problem under MENTS Single space investigation; the methodolo within research gy entries List of theoretical orientation; the Figures: and expected 1 Required comes and implications of the if figures research appear in thesis 1 Not to exceed 350 words 2 Non-text Certificate of Originality items; 2 It should include original signature Numbere d of the Guide. consecuti 3 It indicates that the guide has vely approved the thesis as a complete througho and final work requiring no further ut alterations. This signatory format List of is completely different from the Tables: format when submitted at the time of synopsis.

Required if tables appear in the thesis 2 Tables should be numbered consecutively throughout. Synopsis: 1 Original synopsis (without any alternations) should be attached. 1

Annex D: Final Thesis Format

Report on the primary data collected using the The Manuscript research methods and consists of three main techniques . parts Recommendations: 1 The Preliminaries It should be based on resolving the Research 2 The Content or the text problem. A thesis is written from a 3 The References consultants perspective. The Content or Conclusions & Implications: the Text It should include how 1 Introduction the data collected and 2 Research the literature reviewed, objectives &together contribute to answering the research Methodology 3 Literature Review questions and resolving 4 Primary Findingsthe research problem. & Analysis 5 Recommendation s 6 Conclusions & Implications NOTE: Page Numbering should be in Arabic numerals; Upper, righthand corner; At least inch from edge Introduction: Introduction of topic. Literature Review : Relevant literature to establish a sound base for the proposed research Research objectives & Methodology : Explanation of what is the research objectives and the methods used to achieve the specified objectives. Primary findings & analysis:

Research Methodology: It Should cover the following details: 1 Method used 2 Tool used 3 Target Audience 4 Sample size 5 Sampling method used 6 Research Area Considerations: 1 It must be appropriate to the objective of your study 2 Triangulation Method is mostly used at master level thesis (Triangulation refers to the use of more than one approach to the investigation of a research question) 3 Justifications regarding specific methods chosen or used
Data collection methods: Qualitative marketing research Generally used for exploratory purposes small number of respondents; not generalizable to the whole population; statistical significance and confidence not calculated. Examples

include focus groups, depth interviews and projective techniques. Quantitative marketing research Generally used to draw conclusions tests a specific hypothesis; uses random sampling techniques so as to infer from the sample to the population; involves a large number of respondents. Examples include surveys and questionnaires.

Annex D: Final Thesis Format

Thesis in Hard & The Soft-Copy Manuscri along pt with consists audio of three visual or electronic main material parts 1 The Spacing Preli mina ries 2 3
The Conten t or the text The Refere nces

The Refere nces

The Layout Requir ement s

1 Spa cing 2 Font 3 Hea der and Footer 4 Mar gins 5 Pap er 6 Ove rall Appeara nce 7 Sub mission of Final

Bibliogra phy 1 It should include all works which are referred to in the thesis. 2 May be placed at the end of the main text. 3 Use any standard manual. If one is not using a style manual, single space within each entry and double space between the entries. Appendi ces 1 Incl usions: Articles, Questionn aire format,

Old forms or reports, Sample filled questionn aires with Business cards attached. 2 Tran scriptions of audio speech recordings should be included in the text of the thesis. 3 Excl usions: Case study, Power point slides Respons e Sheets All thesis should contain all the Response Sheets in the prescribed format

o 1.5 Inch n space t or Doubl i s e space throu a ghout c c Exce e ption p s: t Title a page b and l appro e val page, ; Table U of conte s nts, e Capti t ons, h table e or figure headi s ngs, a Exten m sive e quota tions, f Footn o otes n t or endno tes, t Entrie h s in r refere o nce u sectio g h n, Appe o ndice u s. t ; Font U A s n e y f s o t n a t n d s a i r z d e f

1 2 E x c e p t i o n s : C a p t i o n s ( n o t s m a l l e r t h a n 9 p o i n t ) , H e a d i n g s ( n

o t l a r g e r t h a n 2 0 p o i n t )

Header and Footer The Header should include the Institutes Logo with Name (extreme left) The footer should include the Students Batch (Extreme left) and Thesis Id Number (Extreme Right) Margins P a g e s m u s t h a v e a t l e a s

t 1 . 5 i n c h l e f t m a r g i n ; 1 i n c h t o p , b o t t o m , a n d r i g h t m a r g i n s E x c e p t i o n s : p g n o s m

u s t h a v e a t l e a s t i n c h c l e a r a n c e f r o m e a c h e d g e Ove rall App eara nce

All corre ction s shoul d be mad e befor e final copy is print ed

dwrit Student ten Name, Alumni addit No, Batch, ions Thesis or Supervising corre Guide. ction s, Lines , dots or shad ing from past eups . Fina l thes is sub miss ion : Har d cop y& Soft Cop y
Portr ait forma t; One side only; Every conte nt of the thesis shoul d be in New Page

Una cce pta ble: Over strik es or cros souts ,Han

Thes is Front Page shou ld inclu de follo wing Instit ute Logo , Nam e and Plac e, Thes is Title,

Annex E: Thesis Submission Acceptance Format

STUDENT INFORMATION : ( To be filled in capital letters) Student Name: Thesis Id: Phone No.: Email address: Title : Sp. Area : ( M), (HR), (F)

As THESIS MENTOR for the student named above, I certify by signing below that I have read this students final thesis draft, have approved changes required by me, and

recommend the Thesis for acceptance.

Supervision Guides Name : Sign : Date :

Annex F: THESIS EVALUATION FORMAT

Details to be filled by the student
Name of the Student: _____ _____________________ Thesis Id No :_______________________________ E Mail ID: ____________________________ Phone No: __________________ Date of viva_____________ Title of the Thesis:

___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________
Details to be filled by the Thesis Evaluator 1. Research objective /problem definition : Weightage: 05 Marks_______________

___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Research methodology /Description: Weightage: 05 Marks _______________

___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Research results /analysis/technical presentation: Marks________________ Weightage: 25

___________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ __ 4. Achievement of aims / research objectives: Weightage: 10 Marks_________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Originality /Value addition: _______________ (Video transcripts) Weightage: 10 Marks

___________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Quality of recommendations & Weightag Ma _____________ conclusion: e: 15 rks __ _________________________________________________________________________________________ _ ________________________________________________________________________________________ _ Weightag Ma _____________ 7. Relevance of the Literature used: e: 10 rks _ _________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

8. Structure and presentation of the thesis: Weightage: 05 Marks ________________ Use of Language : (Writing style, Grammar, Punctuation, Spelling and Communicativeness) Layout requirements : (Conformity with instructions)

9. Assessment of handwritten summary of thesis work: Weightage: 10 Marks____________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ 10. Assessment of Process *: Weightage: 05 Marks ___________ (Independency shown by student, Pace of work and Response sheets follow-up) _________________________________________________________________________________________ 11. Deductions (if any) for non compliance *: Marks ____________ To be filled in by the thesis coordinators of respective centers. Deduction for non compliance includes late submission of synopsis, Guides signature missing on the final thesis, topic approval letter missing, non submission of response sheets on time etc. Thesis coordinator: ______________________ _____________ Viva Voce Checklist Is the student clear about the Research Objective/Hypothesis/Problem? Is the candidate able to justify the Research Design? Yes / No Is the student fully aware of the new developments in the Research area Do the research objectives and research analysis correlate each other Are the References and Research Authentic? Yes / No
Yes / No Yes / No Yes / No

Center:

How do you rate the Viva on the scale of 1to 5? (Where 1 is Excellent and 5 is worst) ---------Any other comments: __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Name of the examiner: ______________________________ Signature : ___________________________ Date of evaluation : ______________________________

Overall Percentage of marks (Total marks 100): -----------------

Thesis Viva-Voce Evaluation

Purpose of the Viva Voce examination
To examine whether value addition to the existing knowledge was generated To establish that the research has been carried out independently and genuinely by the candidate To determine the candidates understanding of the literature used in the thesis To examine the conceptual and logical approach and research techniques used in the thesis. To allow the candidate to defend the originality of the thesis

Thesis Plagiarism
Plagiarism is the presentation of another persons work as your own. Plagiarism can occur at all academic levels, ranging from students who copy a short passage from another source and paste it into their own essay without indicating its source, to supervising guide failing to acknowledge the real source of an idea or insight in their own work. Plagiarism is a serious academic and criminal offence . If detected in the thesis, it typically results in disqualification. In other words, your thesis will fail and you will not be awarded the degree/diploma and there will be no second chances given. An academic learning process requires you to work with other peoples ideas. However, your use of these ideas must be properly acknowledged. It is your responsibility to ensure that the work you submit does not involve a deliberated attempt to deceive the evaluator into believing that a borrowed or copied idea or passage is your own. All quotations from other sources, whether published or unpublished, must be properly acknowledged. This includes academic sources as

well as non-published work obtained from other students. Students are advised that plagiarism software detection programs will be used to check all thesis submitted and no exceptions will be made for students caught plagiarizing.]