Title: THESIS GUIDELINES
1 2What is a Thesis ?
- A Thesis is a formal document to prove that an
original contribution to Human knowledge has been
done . -
- Two important things
- Identify a worthwhile problem or question which
has not been previously answered - Solve the problem or answer the question
- Research is simply gathering the
information you need to answer a question and
thereby help you solve a problem.
3Why Thesis ?
- 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
4Thesis Procedure
- Select a Area /domain and narrow it down to a
topic - Write a topic proposal and Scope of work
-
- Choose an External Guide
- Talk to External Guide and also concerned
thesis faculty regarding the proposed topic -
- Submission of Thesis synopsis ( Max 3 pages) to
Internal Guide in hard copy with the External
guide letter -
- Approval of thesis synopsis by allotment of
Registration Number sent through email - Submission of Response Sheets to Internal Guide
- Submission of Final Thesis (It should be
between 10000 to 30000 words ) - Appearing for Oral and Written Viva Voce ( The
candidate needs to handwrite at least 1200 to
1500 words on the summary of thesis at the time
of viva) - Note 1 The candidate has to compulsorily
select the research topic on the specialization
he/she studied.
5Thesis Synopsis
- Details of the student
- Name (as per IIPM records), Batch , Centre
of study, Section , specialization ,Phone No and
Email Id - Desired Area student intends to do Research
- (Eg Advertising ,branding , Performance
appraisal ,Industrial relations ,Recruitment ,
corporate finance , Capital Markets, Personal
finance etc.) - Title of the thesis
- Problem definition /hypothesis /Research
objectives - Introduction to the Area of research (In brief )
- Scope of the thesis work
Synopsis format Continues in next file
6Thesis Synopsis
- Research Methodology
- Justification for choosing a particular research
proposal - Summer Training Topic ( In Brief )
- Details of the External guide
- (Name of the Guide ,Qualification and
Designation ) - Approval letter from External guide
- ( Signatory note from guide stating that
he/she would guide you ) - Note The Approval letter should be
either in the form of External guides
signature in the companys letter head or email
print out from his /her official email Id or
External guides signature letter with
companys attestation or External guides
signature letter attached with business card.
7Thesis Guide
- Internal Guide is the Thesis In charge of IIPM
(Dept of Projects) - Student should have at least one External Guide
-
- A student can choose more than one person as
his/her External Guide - (External Guide has to be necessarily from
the industry .Institute reserves the right to
approve or reject the guide as suggested by the
student) - It is advisable to choose one of his/her Guide
who is well versed in the area (technical in
nature ) one has chosen. If the student has
chosen a company specific research area, then
the external guide has to be necessarily from
that company who is well versed in the area. - A Guide is expected to counsel the students with
respect to his thesis work but not to solve the
problems. -
8Selection of Thesis Topic
- Current
- Commercially viable
- Challenging
- Available
- Note The candidate has to compulsorily select
the research topic on the specialization he/she
studied.
9Sources of Research Areas/Topics
- Magazines / Journals /Essay Papers
- 4 Ps , Human Factor, Business and Economy ,
Strategic factor , Business world , Outlook
Money, ICFAI journals on subjects like applied
finance, derivatives, MA, case study, marketing,
branding, advertising etc. - Websites
- www.bnet.com www.questia.com/search
www.emarketingpapers.com www.marketingprofs.com/ - www.research-finance.com www.nera.com
www.planningcommission.gov.in/ commerce.nic.in/
www.mca.gov.in finmin.nic.in
www.powermin.nic.in www.coal.nic.in
mines.nic.in steel.nic.in msme.gov.in
dpe.nic.in dhi.nic.in civilaviation.nic.in
agricoop.nic.in tourism.gov.in texmin.nic.in
www.wrmin.nic.in envfor.nic.in morth.nic.in
www.education.nic.in www.ohfw.nic.in
www.mit.gov.in chemicals.nic.in
www.fcamin.nic.in www.urbanindia.nic.in
www.indianrailways.gov.in mofpi.nic.in
mhupa.gov.in mdoner.gov.in rural.nic.in
petroleum.nic.in/ www.mit.gov.in
www.mnre.gov.in yas.nic.in www.dst.gov.in
www.indiaculture.nic.in mod.nic.in
www.mospi.gov.in www.sebi.gov.in
www.bseindia.com www.nseindia.com
www.rbi.org.in www.irda.gov.in pfrda.org.in
www.fmc.gov.in/ www.mcxindia.com www.ncdex.com
www.un.org.in www.un.org/en/ - (Highly recommended for Finance and
Economics topics) - www.mckinsey.com/mgi/rp/ , www.bcg.com/ ,
www.booz.com , EY.com www.grantthornton.com
PwC.com Deloitte.com/global KPMG.com
www.atkearney.com Accenture.com
www.everestgrp.com/ www.oliverwyman.com
www.bearingpointconsulting.com www.sdggroup.com
www.wspgroup.com - www.gartner.com www.datamonitor.com
en-us.nielsen.com www.forrester.com/rb/research
www.abiresearch.com www.infotech.com
www.yankeegroup.com www.informa.com/
www.tecnovaglobal.com/ www.idc.com/
www.synovate.com www.imshealth.com
www.kantar.com www.gfk.com www.arbitron.com
www.ipsos.com www.westat.com
www.symphonyiri.com WatsonWyatt.com
www.ami-communities.eu/wiki/List_of_research_topic
s
10Research Related Books
- Business Research Methods by Cooper D
- Research Methodology Methods And Techniques by
C. R. Kothari - Introduction To Biostatistics And Research
Methods-- by Rao P. S. S. Sundar - Social Research Methods, by Alan Bryman
- Management Research Methodology Integration Of
Principles, Methods And Techniques - by K. N. Krishnaswamy, Appa Iyer
Sivakumar, M. Mathirajan - Business Research Methods.by . William G.
Zikmund-oklahoma State University, William G.
Zikmund - Basic Econometrics by Damodar N. Gujarati
- Econometric Analysis by William H. Greene
- Statistical Methods For Practice And Research A
Guide To Data Analysis Using SPSS - by Ajai Singh Gaur, Sanjay Singh Gaur
- Marketing Research Concepts And Cases, (Special
Indian Edition) by Cooper Donald Et. Al - Marketing Research Text And Cases
Nargundkar, Rajendra - Business To Business Market Research
(Understanding And Measuring Business Markets) - by Ruth Mcneil
- International Marketing Research by Kumar V.
- Marketing Research Methodological Foundations,
by Churchill, Lacobucci - Equity Research And Valuation by Dun, Bradstreet
11Thesis Title
- It should be precise.
- It should be argumentative.
- It should be an indication of the structure of
the thesis. - It should not be an announcement.
- It should reflect the key idea (s) of your
project. - Try and use only single sentence for the Title.
- It should be specific.
12Sample Approved HR Topics
- Performance appraisal system at MN Ltd
- Attrition analysis and benchmarking retention
strategies at PQR Ltd - An Empirical Study on TD Practices at LPK Co
ltd - Motivational Practices at MN Co Ltd
- Conflict Management issues at XYZ Co.
- Team Building as an Organization Development
Intervention A Case of Havells - 'Employee Morale and Job Satisfaction A Case of
XYZ Co - Work life Balance Study in IT industry Case of
XYZ Co - Behavioral Training Practices for the middle
level management Case of XYZ Co. - Assessment of 360 Degree Performance Appraisal
at XYZ Co
13Sample Approved HR Topics
- Talent Acquisition And Onboarding In IT
Industry A case of XYZ Co - Collective Bargaining Agreements with respect to
XYZ company. - Induction Training Program study At ABC Ltd.
- Reward Recognition System At PL Ltd.
- Leadership Traits study at PQ Ltd.
- Change Management in Mergers and Acquisitions
Study of the X-Y - Merger/ Acquisition
- Validating Competency Mapping For Attaining The
Best Quality Circle Practices Case of XYZ Co - Improving manpower utilization through effective
manpower planning A study of ABC Co - Employee Engagement - A Study in Relation to XY
Ltd. - Recruitment and selection Practices at YK Ltd.
- A study on Succession Planning in XYZ Co.
14Sample Approved Finance/Economics Topics
- Economic Determinants Of Security Analysis
- Econometric Valuation Of CAPM Model
- Working Capital Management At PQR Ltd
- Private Banking Model - ICICI Bank
- Study Of Arbitrage Trends In Futures Market
- Impact Of Intangible Assets On The Market Value
Of XYZ Co - Significance Of CSR Reporting In Annual Reports
- Value Creation By Using Acquisition Growth
Strategies - Operational Activities And Capital Enhancement Of
ABC company - Warehousing And Logistics Issues In Commodity
Market Case of Z commodity - Direct And Indirect Benefits Of Agriculture
Futures For Farmers - Identification Of Cost Reduction Opportunities In
XYZ Co. - The relationship of money supply in M-2 and
trading volume by index (any index such as Nifty
etc.) - The impact of government policies on freight
forwarding industry (country name) - Problems faced by small medium enterprise to be
internationalize - The impact of macro-economic factors on stock
market index of (country name) - Impact of interest rate, inflation rate and
exchange on index performance (any index such as
Nifty index etc.) - Micro finance in Islamic economy
- Capital mobility in Islamic economic system
15Sample Approved Finance/Economics Topics
- Human Asset Valuation In The XYZ Sector
- Fundamental Study Of Zinc In The Global Scenario
- Credit Risk Analysis In SME Banking (XYZ BANK)
- To study the relationship between price earnings
ratio and return on investment ( Industry
specific study or any other methodology find
suitable ) - A test of price earnings ratio to predict future
growths ( Industry specific study or any other
methodology ) - Factors affect on the dividend payout ratio (
Industry specific study) - To study relationship between price earnings
ratio and growth ( Industry specific study or any
other methodology find suitable ) - Relationship between market factors and stock
returns of ( Industry specific study or any other
methodology find suitable ) - To investigate the association between dividend
change and companys earnings ( Industry specific
study or any other methodology find suitable ) - Determinants of capital structure ( Industry
specific study or any other methodology find
suitable ) - Fund size and indicator of performance
measurement for fixed income mutual fund (or any
other kind of mutual fund for the study) - Factors that lead to investment in mutual funds
( specific type of MF) - Factors affecting trade volume the study of Asian
development economics - Structure and performance of economy in (country
name) comparative study between current
government and former government.
16Sample Approved Finance/Economics Topics
- Weekend effect on stock relation evidence from
index (any index such as Nifty etc.) - Effects of holidays on stock return evidence
index (any index such as Nifty etc.) - Performance study of Islamic bank and
conventional bank in a selected country - Comparison between sales price, debt-equity and
book market value of equity in analyzing stock
returns - Relationship between cash flow and investment
spending in XYZ industry - Development or establishment of issues of Islamic
banking in particular country or region - Islamic finance system and economical growth
- Impact of dividend on investment decision
- Relationship between Assets and Liabilities in
balance sheet - Impact of fiscal policy on economy of (country
name) - Determinants of bond market capitalization in
(country name) - Relationship between CPI and bond price
- Islamic Banks performance in industrial lending
- Development of SME in Islamic based economies
- The relationship between corporate strategy and
capital structure - Assessing the profitability determinants of
Islamic banking in (country name) - Public Private Partnership A Model
- Funding Development in India Official
Development Aid from a donor - country/ organization
17Sample Approved Marketing Topics
- An empirical study to enhance the market share of
ABC Co in Delhi NCR - An empirical study of consumer behavior in the
Hair color industry - An Empirical Study of Marketing Strategies of VR
Co - A Study on the Sales and Distribution Strategies
of ABC Co Life Insurance - A Study on Market Perception of XYZ Co and Market
Penetration in Delhi and NCR - Effectiveness of Advertising Strategies - A Case
of Indian Soft Drink - Role of Advertisement in the Purchase Behavior of
Women - Strategies to increase the Market Share of XZ Co
in Ice Cream segment - Market Mapping of HQ Co Fan Division
- Quantifying bullwhip effects and reducing its
impact - Automated supply chain frame work model for
mid-sized XYZ Industry - Study of factors affecting the decision making of
outsourcing in XYZ Industry
18Sample Approved Marketing Topics
- Strategic Analysis study with respect to SQ
Energy (Wind-power Market) - Factors Affecting Sale Of SM Brand Mustard Oil In
Agra Region - Impact Of Sales Promotion On Customer Retention
Case of XYZ Co - Brand Loyalty Of Teenagers (Industry Apparel)
- Preference Of Youth Towards Foreign Brand And
Indian Brand Industry - Textile - Implementation Of Six-sigma (S) Technique In Fast
Food Service Industry - Leads Generation In Sync With Sales Force Survey
Of XY Ltd. - Study Of The Brand Positioning Of PQ Ltd
- Competitive Intelligence Study Of Bisleri In
Mineral Water Market - Marketing Of Software Through Search Engine
Optimization - Market Research On The Perception Of Youth Toward
The Counterfeit And Fake Products in XYZ
Segment/Category - Governance Issues in Development Sector A study
of XYZ NGO - CSR Activities in India The Case of Y Corporate
- Strategic Issues in Policy Aligning Corporate
Governance (or CSR) with Profit - Aligning Business Strategy with CSR Study of a
corporate CSR department - Rural Markets in India Financial Products by an
insurance company - Effects Of Changing Government Policy on
Business A Construction Company
19Sample Approved Marketing Topics
- Export Marketing Strategies Of Leather Footwear
And Footwear Components In UK And Germany Case
of XYZ Co - RH Co (Branding) Position In The Switchgear
Segment. - Export Potential Of Handicraft Items To EU
Countries - The Indigenous Product Placement And Strategic
Analysis Of Dealer Perception Of SV Co Air
Conditioners - Scope Feasibility Of Supply Of Cotton To
Various Spinners In Punjab - An empirical study of the distribution network of
XY Cola in South Delhi - Dealer evaluation study for ABC Industries
- Sales Promotion Schemes - A Study in Relation to
Consumer Electronics of XZ Co - Assessment Of Demand User Preference For
Surgical Medical Equipments Implants For
Neuro-spine, Endoscopy Orthopedic Segment At
XYZ Ltd - Study Of The Retail Operations Of RT Co Dairy
Fruits And Vegetable Unit, And Suggesting
Improvements In Light Of Emerging Competitions
20FORMAT OF THESIS
- The Manuscript consists of three main parts
- The Preliminaries
- The Content or the text
- The References
21The Preliminaries
- 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 ½ inch from bottom edge
22The Preliminaries
- Title Page
-
- - Institute logo ,Name and place
- - Name of the Title ,Student and Guide
Batch and Alumni No - - It should contain all capital letters
Counted, but not numbered - Abstract
- - This should include the problem under
investigation the research methodology and
theoretical orientation and the expected out
comes and implications of the research - - Not to exceed 350 words
- Certificate of Originality
- - It should include original signature of
the Guide . It indicates that the guide has
approved the thesis as a complete and final work
requiring no further alterations. This signatory
format is completely different from the format
when submitted at the time of synopsis. -
- Note The Certificate of Originality should be
either in the form of External guides
signature in the companys letter head or email
print out from his /her official email Id or
External guides signature with companys
attestation or External guides signature
attached with business card. -
23The Preliminaries
- Acknowledgments
- - It should generally include
acknowledgment of assistance received from
various persons . - - Center the heading ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- Table of Contents
-
- - Lists all sections with page numbers Double
space between entries Single space within
entries - List of Figures
-
- - Required if figures appear in thesis
- - Non-text items Numbered consecutively
throughout - List of Tables
- - Required if tables appear in the thesis
- - Tables should be numbered consecutively
throughout.
24A General Thesis Content
- Introduction
- Research objectives Methodology
- Literature Review
- Primary Findings Analysis
- Recommendations
- Conclusions Implications
- NOTE Page Numbering should be in Arabic
numerals Upper, right-hand corner At least ½
inch from edge
25A General Thesis Content
- 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
- Report on the primary data collected using
the research methods and techniques .
26A General Thesis Content
- Recommendations
- It should be based on resolving the Research
problem. A thesis is written from a consultants
perspective. - Conclusions Implications
- It should include how the data collected
and the literature reviewed, together contribute
to answering the research questions and resolving
the research problem.
27Research Methodology
- It Should cover the following details
- Method used
- Tool used
- Target Audience
- Sample size
- Sampling method used
- Research Area
-
- Considerations
- It must be appropriate to the objective of your
study - 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 ) - Justifications regarding specific methods chosen
or used
28Data 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.
29References
- Bibliography
- - It should include all works which are referred
to in the thesis . - - May be placed at the end of the main text .
- - Use any standard manual .If one is not using
a style manual, single space within each entry
and double space between the entries. - Appendices
- - Inclusions Articles , Questionnaire
format ,Old forms or reports, Sample filled
questionnaires with Business cards attached - - Exclusions Case study, Power point
slides - Response Sheets
- - All thesis should contain all the Response
Sheets in the prescribed format
30Layout Requirements
- Spacing
- Font
- Header and Footer
- Margins
- Paper
- Overall appearance
- Printing the final copy
31Layout Requirements
- Spacing
- 1.5 Inch space or Double space throughout
- Exceptions Title page and approval page,
Table of contents, Captions, table or figure
headings, Extensive quotations, Footnotes or
endnotes, Entries in reference section,
Appendices. - Font
- Any standard font is acceptable Use the
same font throughout Use font size 12 - Exceptions Captions (not smaller than 9
point), Headings (not larger than 20 point) - 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 Alumni Id
Number ( Extreme Right )
32Layout Requirements
- Margins
- Pages must have at least1.5 inch left
margin 1 inch top, bottom, and right margins - Exceptions pg nos must have at least ½
inch clearance from each edge - Paper
- 8.5 X 11 inches (A-4 Size) , White bond,25
(or higher) cotton content. - Overall Appearance
- All corrections should be made before final
copy is printed - Unacceptable Overstrikes or cross-outs
,Handwritten additions or corrections, Lines,
dots or shading from paste-ups . - Printing the Final Copy
- Print must be sharp and of uniform
darkness One side only . - Every content of the thesis should be in
New Page - Cover should include following Bounded
form (Black color) stating Institute Logo ,Name
and Place Thesis Title Student Name ,Alumni No,
Batch Thesis Guide Title and Alumni No (
cover Side ) Capital letters in Golden color
Portrait format -
33Thesis Deadlines
- Submitted to Internal Guide
- Submission of Thesis synopsis in Hard copy ( Due
date As decided by the respective IIPM branch) - Submission of at least four response sheets
before submission of final thesis (Every time
the guide is consulted ) -
- Note Delay in synopsis submission will
attract penalty of 5 marks per week from the
last due date)
- Submitted to Internal Guide
- Submission of Final Thesis
- ( Due Date As decided by the respective
IIPM branch ) - One Hard copy One soft copy)
- Submission of Redo Final Thesis
- (Due Date Within 30 days from the date of
rejection ) - Note Delay in submission of final thesis and
redo thesis will attract penalty and also
disqualify the student for convocation.
34Thesis work follow up Response Sheets
-
- Response sheet - format submission
- Details of the student Name (as per IIPM
records) ,Batch, Section, Alumni Id ,Phone No
and Email Id ) - Thesis synopsis ( Attached with the response
sheet every time ) -
- Progress of the work (should be sent as separate
attachment ) Students are supposed to send
actual work content ( like preparation of the
questionnaire , data collection , analysis done
etc. which is generally considered as the main
area of the thesis ) - Note - Whenever a student sends his/her
response sheet, he/she has to send all - the previous response sheets
along with the thesis synopsis . - - Response sheets can be sent
through Email or can be given in person . - - All response sheets need to be
appended to the report -
- - The Institute reserves the right
to reject any thesis for which response sheets
have not been received -
35Purpose 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
36Thesis Evaluation Parameters
- Research objective/ problem definition / Scope of
thesis - Research methodology / Description used
- Research results//analysis
- Achievement of aims / research objectives
- Originality //Value addition
- Quality of recommendations conclusion
- Relevance of the Literature used
- Structure and technical presentation of the
thesis - ( Writing style , Grammar, Punctuation
,Spelling ,communicativeness and Layout
requirements ) - Assessment of Process
- (Independency shown by the student ,
Pace of work and Response sheet follow-ups)
37Check list -1
- Ensure that the set research objective /problem
has been achieved/solved. - Ensure that your thesis extends the understanding
of a subject and makes an additional
contribution to Human knowledge. - Ensure that the data collected has been properly
analyzed . - Ideally a thesis is a combination of secondary as
well as primary data. However the requirements
may vary depending on the topic chosen - Ensure that the writing style should remain same
throughout the thesis report. Plagiarism would
lead to rejection of thesis. - Ensure that preliminary requirements (Thesis
topic approval mail, Guide signatory page and
synopsis) have been met. - Students must always use the thesis title as
approved and sent to them by email - Ensure that the structural requirements have been
met. - Ensure that grammar, punctuation marks etc have
been met.
38Check list -2
- The Final Thesis report should be between 10000
to 30000 words - The format for the Approval letter is different
from the certificate of originality which has
to be arranged from the external guide. - The approval letter / Certificate of Originality
should be either in the form of External
guides signature in the companys letter head
or email print out from his /her official email
Id or External guides signature letter with
companys attestation or External guides
signature letter attached with business card - Ensure that Appendices include Articles ,News
papers cuttings , Questionnaire format ,Old
forms or reports, Sample filled questionnaires
with Business cards attached. - Ensure that Paper used in the thesis should of
8.5 X 11 inches (A-4 Size) , White bond,25 (or
higher) cotton content - Ensure all data , tables and graphs should be
in the color format - Final Thesis should be submitted in the form of
a single Hard copy along with a soft copy - There would be marks deduction or rejection of
thesis for Non compliance of thesis rules
39Contact
- Ramakar Jha ( Head - Department of Projects)
- (ramakar.jha_at_iipm.edu )
- Dipti sharma ( Thesis queries related to Human
Resource and Marketing Area ) - (dipti.sharma_at_iipm.edu
-
- Vijay Kumar Boddu ( Thesis queries related to
Finance ,Operations and Marketing Area ) - (boddu.vijay_at_iipm.edu 011-42789878 )
- Rachna Singh (Thesis queries related to Human
Resource and Marketing Area) - Swarup ( Thesis queries related to Finance
,Operations and Marketing Area ) - Rajiv Kumar ( Thesis Registration ID and Thesis
Result status enquires )
40Best of Luck !