CHAROTAR UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (CHARUSAT)

FACULTY OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES (FMS)

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INDUKAKA IPCOWALA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT (I IM)
MBA and PGDM Programme
MB805.2 Comprehensive Project
CHECK LIST FOR RESEARCH JOURNAL FILE
Sr. No. Particulars Status Annexure
1 CP Syllabus Attached/Pending
Executive Summary Industry Analysis
2 Attached/Pending
(From Bounded Report)
Literature Review
Summary of LR
Research Gap
Variables
o Dependent and
Independent in form of a
Model
o Operational and
Conceptual Definitions of
3 Variables Attached/Pending
o Final Selection of
Variables (Justification for
Framing of Questionnaire)
Review of each article approved
by CP Guide (Minimum 10
reviews)
Articles for Literature Review
Articles must be approved by CP
Guide
Objectives
To be linked with gap identified
4
after literature review.
2-3 relevant objectives.
Hypothesis
5 Hypothesis must be in line with
the objectives
Research Proposal
Final/ Approved Research
Proposal Attached/Pending
6
Draft-3 Attached/Pending
Draft-2 Attached/Pending
Draft-1
Questionnaire
Final/ Approved Questionnaire

7 Part I : Questions related
to objectives

Part II: Demographic

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 Profile
Draft-3 Attached/Pending
Draft-2 Attached/Pending
Draft-1 Attached/Pending
Coding
Questionnaire Coding
8 Attached/Pending
(Abbreviations of Variables)
Coding Sheet
Pilot Study
Modified Questionnaire
9 Original Reports Attached/Pending
o Dropped Variables
o Reliability Statistics
Analysis
Final Analysis (With
Interpretation)
o Draft-2 Attached/Pending/In
o Draft-1 Process
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Formatted Reports of Data
Analysis Output
Original Reports Generated
Through Software Such as
SPSS/SYSTAT/MS EXCEL
Findings and Conclusions
Findings In line with the
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objectives and hypothesis
Question wise finding
Limitation of the study
Limitation of the study must be
12 revealed.
It will serve as the basis for further
research.
Bibliography
13 APA style referencing must be
followed.
Annexures
14 Questionnaire
Report(s) if any
15 Draft Research Paper Attached/Pending

NOTE:
Please file the documents of Master File in BOX File with hard cover
Both the files (Master and Working) should be in professional form.

Attach labels/sticky notes to all the documents, number them accordingly and provide
reference as Annexure No. in the Checklist.

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 1. CP Syllabus
MB805.2: COMPREHENSIVE PROJECT (CP) (PRACTICAL)
YEAR 2, SEMESTER 4
I. Number of Credits : 4
II. Course Objectives
The primary objective of the course is to enable the students to investigate in detail a
topic relating to one of their areas / streams of specialisation, and in the process, develop
a comprehensive understanding of the area/stream.
III. Pedagogy
For this course, each student will choose his/her faculty guide in the area/stream and
work on the issue jointly with the faculty. The students will work on their projects
individually and not in pairs or teams. The institute may appoint a faculty guide in case a
student is not able to choose a guide, or if a faculty member is chosen as a guide by too
many students to allow him to do justice to the students by way of guidance. As a rule, no
faculty member may be permitted to guide more than five students. A faculty co-guide
may also be appointed for every/any student.
The investigation will be in the nature of a research through:
i. Study of secondary data from books, journal and magazine articles, newspaper
articles, websites, electronic and physical databases, etc;
ii. Primary data collection through interviews, discussions, and other research
instruments. Students are encouraged to pursue the research in the
organisation where they had undergone their summer internship.
The outcome of the research will be a comprehensive report which would contain, among
others, the following:
Area of research chosen, with reason
Literature Review
Problem Definition
Research Method
Data Collection and Analysis
Conclusions and Recommendations, if any.
Limitations of the study and lead for further work
The detailed format of the report will be circulated to the students at the beginning of the
third semester by the faculty guide.
IV. Internal Evaluation
The students performance in the course will be evaluated on a continuous basis through
the faculty guide on the basis of the regularity and quality of work by the student under
his/her guidance. The internal evaluation will be for 30% of the course.
V. External Evaluation
The University examination will be based on oral presentation, review of students
reports and a viva-voce and will carry 70% marks for the course evaluation.
VI. Learning Outcomes
At the end of the course, the students should have developed a comprehensive
understanding of the chosen area of specialisation and the major issues in the area.

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 2. Executive Summary: Industry Analysis

An executive summary is a much shorter, standalone document that is designed to attract you to
want to read the entire paper. While an abstract can be many pages in length, an executive
summary should be no more than one page.

Finish the industry analysis study and paper. Refer to it as you are writing the
executive summary.
Step -1

State the purpose of the summary.

E.g.: "The objective of this report is to describe our study of the bicycle
Step -2 industry and analyze its results with respect to opportunities for investment.

List the results of the study. Keep your comments to one or two short
paragraphs, remembering that you are trying to entice people to read the study
Step -3 or at least the abstract.

Summarize the recommendations as briefly as possible. A bulleted list or short

paragraph should be sufficient. Executive summary is not intended to replace the
Step - 4 abstract or the report.

Example of Executive Summary of Bicycle Industry Analysis: (For Reference Only)

Breakaway Bicycle Company designs and builds custom bicycle frames to the exact
specifications of the finest road and mountain bike racing professionals in the world. Breakaway
has earned this right because its founder and master builder, Mike Giro, hand crafts road and
mountain frames that satisfy the one common specification of all competitive cyclists it helps
them to win races. Since 1990, Breakaway has designed and built bike frames for racing
professionals and those biking enthusiasts who take their riding seriously and want to own the
best equipment. As more and more of the population gain an interest in competitive cycling, the
demand for custom built bicycles has also increased. Many individuals, particularly those
interested in mountain biking, have found that there is a tremendous interest in competitive
mountain biking which include grueling cross-country races and gravity-defying events such as
the in your face downhill racing. Based on marketing projections, this interest increased
following the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta where mountain bike racing made its debut as
an Olympic medal event. To meet the expected demand for custom built bike frames that can
handle this type of riding, as well as road racing, Breakaway is seeking the financing necessary
to add new workstations and hire additional designer-builders. The cost to purchase and install
the additional workstations is $60,000. The additional salary expense is projected to increase
labor expenses by $6,250 per month. If this investment is made, though, marketing projections
and written commitments from several mountain bike racing teams in the U. S. and Europe
reflect a 25 percent increase in bike frame sales. This increase translates into sales revenue of
$1,390,800 for 2000 and $1,619,600 for 2001.

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3. Literature Review
A literature review is an account of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars
and researchers. A literature review is an objective, critical summary of published research
literature relevant to a topic under consideration for research. Its purpose is to create
familiarity with current thinking and research on a particular topic, and may justify future
research into a previously overlooked or understudied area.

The purpose of a review is to analyze critically a segment of a published body of knowledge

through summary, classification, and comparison of prior research studies, reviews of
literature, and theoretical articles.

A typical literature review consists of the following components:

Introduction:
A concise definition of a topic under consideration (this may be a descriptive or argumentative
thesis, or proposal), as well as the scope of the related literature being investigated. (Example: If
the topic under consideration is womens attitude towards fairness cream, the scope of the
review may be limited to published or unpublished works, works in English, works from a
particular location, time period, or conflict, etc.)
The introduction should also note intentional exclusions. (Example: This review will not
explore the attitude of adolescent girls.)
Another purpose of the introduction is to state the general findings of the review (what do most
of the sources conclude), and comment on the availability of sources in the subject area.

Main Body:
There are a number of ways to organize the evaluation of the sources. Chronological and
thematic approaches are each useful examples. Each work should be critically summarized and
evaluated for its premise, methodology, and conclusion. It is as important to address
inconsistencies, omissions, and errors, as it is to identify accuracy, depth, and relevance. Use
logical connections and transitions to connect sources.

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 Summary of Literature Review:
The conclusion summarizes the key findings of the review in general terms. Notable
commonalities between works, whether favorable or not, may be included here. This section is
the reviewers opportunity to justify a research proposal. Therefore, the idea should be clearly re-
stated and supported according to the findings of the review.
Format for Literature Review
Step: 1 (Starting with LR) (How to Read Literature)
Particular Detail Remarks
Article Name --
As per APA
Article Reference Style of
(Author (s), Year, Published Journal Detail)
Referencing
Abstract --
Keywords/JEL Code
Methodology Used
Objectives
Detailed Research Methodology
Finding/ Key Issues Derived from the
Research Paper
For framing
Variables Identified
Questionnaire
Relevance of the Research Paper for Most Moderately Not Not At All
Relevant
his/her CP Relevant Relevant Relevant Relevant

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 Step: 2 (Writing LR) (Elements of LR)
Author Year Area of Sample Sample Sample Data Geographic Variable
(s) Research Frame Unit Size Collection Region of
Details Tool Research
(City/Village/
State/Country)

Step: 3 (Presenting LR) (Content Analysis)

Sr. Author Year Sample City/Country Variables Statistical Major
No.: (Chronological Size /Measurement Methods Findings
Order) Used

Research Gap:
Research gap is a research question or problem which has not been answered appropriately or at
all in a given field of study. Research gap is actually what makes a research paper publishable.

What research
had been What students
GAP Identification
already done by will do in order
various authors to bridge the
in past (based research gap?
on LR)

Example:
From the above literature review, researcher was not able to find a research in the settings of
Gujarat. Further, the studies had focused only on effect of demographic factors on the purchasing
behaviour in Shopping Malls. The present study will focus on lifestyle and behavioral aspects in
determining the purchase behaviour.

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4. Objectives of Research
Research objective(s) breaks the problem into small parts. Research objectives are derived from
the GAP identified in literature. The variables identified after literature review are the base for
formulating research objectives.

Example of objectives:
1. To study the effect of lifestyle on the purchasing behaviour of mall shoppers.
2. To segment the mall shoppers on the basis of their behaviour exhibited in mall shopping.

5. Hypothesis
A hypothesis is a falsifiable statement that makes a prediction derived from the research question
that suggests a relationship between variables (identified from literature review). In other words,
it is a statement that can be disproven. A single research question may generate several
hypotheses. The refinement of a research question into a hypothesis typically includes clarifying
exactly what some of the concepts in the proposition and question mean.
There are two types of hypothesis: Null (H0) and Alternate (H1)

Example of Hypothesis:
H0: There is no significant relationship between lifestyle of mall shoppers and items purchased
from malls.
H1: There is significant relationship between lifestyle of mall shoppers and items purchased from
malls.
Note: Hypothesis must be testable. It must be possible to reject or accept the hypothesis by
performing statistical tests.

6. Research Proposal
The main purpose of a research proposal is to show that the problem researcher propose to
investigate is significant enough to warrant the investigation, the method researcher plan to use is
suitable and feasible, and the results are likely to prove fruitful and will make an original
contribution.
7. Questionnaire
Questionnaire is a tool to collect data for further analysis. Questionnaire is bifurcated in two
parts: Part one deals with questions related to study and Part two deals with demographic profile
of respondents (sample).
Questions related to study are very specific and will form the main part of finding and analysis of
study.
Demographic questions include age, gender, income, occupation, education of respondents.

8. Coding
A systematic way in which to condense extensive data sets into smaller analyzable units through
the creation of categories and concepts derived from the data. Codes allow the researcher to
reduce large quantities of information into a form than can be more easily handled, especially by
computer programs. Not all data need to be coded. For example, the accident rates for the fifty
states would not be coded, but each state could be assigned a number (1 through 50) instead of
using the state name.

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 Example:
In questionnaire, suppose one question is as follow:
Gender: Male Female
While entering the data into statistical package, it is coded as 1 = Male and 2 = Female.

Tips on Coding
Coding Education
On the scale of attitude Cities where respondent live
Qualification
1 = Strongly Disagree 1 = Ahmedabad 1 = Less than metric
2 = Disagree 2 = Baroda 2 = Metric
3 = Neutral 3 = Anand 3 = Graduate
4 = Agree 4 = Nadiad 4 = Post Graduate
5 = Strongly Agree 5 = Diploma

Be consistent with the use of codes:

Codes should be consistent in all questions for example Yes=1, No=2, Dont know=3. This is
particularly important when using scales for example if 1= Highly Dissatisfied & 5 = Highly
Satisfied

13. Referencing (APA Style)

Particular Format Example Remarks
Capitalize the first letter of the
first word of the title and any
Author, A.A.. (Year of
Finney, J. (1970). Time and subtitles, as well as the first letter
Citing a book Publication). Title of work.
again. New York, NY: Simon and of any proper nouns.
in print Publisher City , State:
Schuster. The full title of the book,
Publisher.
including any subtitles, should
be stated and italicized.
Author, A.A.. (Year, month
Citing a Tumulty, K. (2006, April). If you cannot locate an issue
of Publication). Article title.
magazine Should they stay or should they number, simply dont include it
Magazine Title,
article in print go? Time, 167(15), 3-40. in the citation.
Volume(Issue), pp.-pp.
Precede page numbers for
newspaper articles with p. (for a
single page) or pp. (for multiple
Author, A.A.. (Year, Month Rosenberg, G. (1997, March 31).
Citing a pages).
Date of Publication). Article Electronic discovery proves an
newspaper If an article appears on
title. Magazine Title, pp. xx- effective legal weapon. The New
article in print discontinuous pages, give all
xx. York Times, p. D5.
page numbers, and separate the
numbers with a comma (e.g., pp.
B1, B3, B5-B7).
Simmons, B. (2015, January 9).
Citing a
Author, A.A.. (Year, Month The tale of two Flaccos.
general website
Date of Publication). Article Retrieved from ---
article with an
title. Retrieved from URL http://grantland.com/the-
author
triangle/the-tale-of-two-flaccos/
Nevin, A. (1990). The changing
of teacher education special APA does NOT require you to
Author, A.A.. (Publication education. Teacher Education and include the date of
Citing a journal
Year). Article title. Periodical Special Education: The Journal of access/retrieval date or database
article in print
Title, Volume(Issue), pp.-pp. the Teacher Education Division information for electronic
of the Council for Exceptional sources.
Children, 13(3-4), 147-148.
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 Research Project Formatting Guidelines
Particular Details
Format Article files should be provided in Microsoft Word and PDF files.
Use Times New Roman 12-point font, double spaced, 1-inch (2.5
cm) margin all around, and 8.5 A- 11 page setting.
Number all pages of the paper.
Article Length Full papers (Presentation Papers) must be fewer than 10,000 words
inclusive of all materials, including appendices and references.
Biographies and References can be single spaced.
Acknowledgements Figures, graphs, tables, appendices and references should follow the
APA Style of referencing
Structured Structured abstract in their submission, set out under 4-7 sub-
Abstract headings
o Purpose
o Design/methodology/approach
o Findings
o Research limitations/implications
o Practical implications
o Social implications (if applicable)
o Originality/value (mandatory)
Maximum is 250 words in total (including keywords and article
classification.
Use of personal pronouns within the structured abstract and body of
the paper is strictly avoided (e.g. "this paper investigates..." is
correct, "I investigate..." is incorrect)
Keywords Students should provide appropriate and short keywords that
encapsulate the principal topics of the paper
Figures You may include Figures (charts, diagrams, line drawings, web
pages/screenshots, and photographic images)
All Figures should be of high quality, legible and numbered
consecutively with Arabic numerals. Graphics may be supplied in
colour to facilitate their appearance on the online database.
Figures created in MS Word, MS PowerPoint, MS Excel, Illustrator
should be supplied in their native formats. Electronic figures created
in other applications should be copied from the origination software
and pasted into a blank MS Word document or saved and imported
into an MS Word document or alternatively create a .pdf file from
the origination software.
To prepare web pages/screenshots simultaneously press the "Alt"
and "Print screen" keys on the keyboard, open a blank Microsoft
Word document and simultaneously press "Ctrl" and "V" to paste the
image. (Capture all the contents/windows on the computer screen to
paste into MS Word, by simultaneously pressing "Ctrl" and "Print
screen".)
Tables Mention Table title and source(if applicable)
Table 1.1 Source of Drinking Water in ABC Taluka

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 Source:

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