THESIS GUIDELINES

PGP/SS /10-12/IIPM/ISBE A
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What 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.

Why Thesis ?
Fulfills requirement of getting

Degree /Diploma
Provides

an opportunity explore a topic in depth

to

Encourages a rigorous, logical

and systematic approach to problem-solving

Career development

Thesis 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 Guide (Internal and External ) regarding the proposed topic Submission of Thesis synopsis in hard copy to Internal Guide

Approval of thesis synopsis by allotment of Alumni Number sent through email

Submission of Response Sheets Submission of Final Thesis (It should be between 10000 to 30000 words )

Appearing for the Viva Voce ( The candidate needs to carry a handwritten

write-up on the summary of your thesis of at least 5-10 pgs)

Note 1 : The Topic has to be chosen in that field where the student has been specialized Note 2 : There would be marks deduction or rejection of thesis for Non compliance of thesis rules Note 3 : Student General Identification Number is different from Thesis Alumni Identification Number
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Thesis Synopsis

Details of the student [Name (as per IIPM records), Batch ,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 objective

Introduction to the Area of research (In brief )

Scope of the thesis work

Synopsis format Continues in next file

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Thesis 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 with companys attestation or External guides signature attached with business card.

Thesis 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. (For Eg :Hr Topics Sr corporate Hr personnel)

A Guide is expected to counsel the students with respect to his thesis work but not to solve the problems.

Selection of Thesis Topic

Current

Commercially viable
Challenging Available

Thesis 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.

Sample Approved HR Topics

Performance appraisal system at HCL Technologies Attrition analysis and benchmarking retention strategies at Bharti Tele

ventures Improving manpower utilization through effective manpower planning: A study of the Taj Group of Hotels, Chennai Employee Engagement - A Study in Relation to TDI Recruitment Practices at YKK India 'An Empirical Study on T&D Practices at Convergys 'Assessing Training Needs - A Case of Kaiser Impex (Construction Wing) 'Motivational Practices at ESS NEE Management Consultants 'Employee Feedback Survey : A Case of SOS Children's Villages of India 'Team Building as an Organization Development Intervention : A Case of Havells 'Employee Moral and Job Satisfaction : A Case of Reliance Communications
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Sample Approved Finance Topics

Credit appraisal process of home finance companies in India Economic Determinants of Security analysis Econometric valuation of CAPM model Working capital management at Jubilant Organosys Ltd Private banking model - ICICI bank Study of Arbitrage trends in futures market Impact of intangible assets on the market value of Infosys Significance of CSR reporting in Annual reports Value creation by using acquisition growth strategies Human asset valuation in the IT sector Fundamental study of Zinc in the global scenario Credit risk analysis in SME banking (ICICI BANK) Operational activities and capital enhancement of Oil India Warehousing and logistics issues in commodity market Direct and indirect benefits of agriculture futures for farmers

Sample Approved Marketing Topics

An empirical study to enhance the market share of Airtel in Delhi & NCR An empirical study of consumer behavior in the Hair color industry An Empirical Study of Marketing Strategies of Vodafone A Study on the Sales and Distribution Strategies of AVIVA Life Insurance A Study on Market Perception of ICICI Prudential 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 Customer Satisfaction - A Study of Select Private Hospitals in Delhi Strategies to increase the Market Share of Mother Dairy Ice Cream Market Mapping of Havells Fan Division An Empirical study to determine strategies for Coca Cola to increase market share in Muzaffarpur An empirical study of the distribution network of Coca Cola in South Delhi Dealer evaluation for Anchor Industries Sales Promotion Schemes - A Study in Relation to Consumer Electronics
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FORMAT OF A THESIS
The Manuscript consists of three main parts
The Preliminaries The Content or the text The References

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The 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 inch from bottom edge
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The 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. 15

The Preliminaries
Acknowledgments: - It should generally include acknowledgment of assistance received 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 from various

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A 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 inch from

edge

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A 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 .

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A 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.

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Research 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 Combined methodology is appreciated Justifications regarding specific methods chosen or used

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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.

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References
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 6 Response Sheets in the prescribed format

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Layout Requirements
Spacing Font Header and Footer Margins Paper Overall appearance Printing the final copy

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Layout 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 )
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Layout Requirements
Margins

Pages must have at least:1.5 inch left margin ; 1 inch top, bottom, and right margins Exceptions: pg nos must have at least 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
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Thesis Deadlines
Submitted to Internal Guide
Submission of Thesis synopsis in

Submitted to Internal Guide

Submission of Final Thesis Soft copy ( Due date: On or before ( Due Date: 31st July 2012 ) 30th Oct 2012) Two Hard copy + One soft copy Marketing, HR and Finance To abhik.mukherjee@iipm.edu (CD)) CC jaspreet.ahluwalia@iipm.edu (Thesis Viva : 1st Week of August Submission of at least six response 2012) sheets before submission of final Submission of Redo Final Thesis thesis (Every time the guide is (Due Date: 31st December ) consulted ) Note : Delay in submission of final thesis or redo thesis will Note :Delay in synopsis submission disqualify the student for will attract penalty of 5 marks per week from the last due date) convocation.

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Thesis 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
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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

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Check 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. The student should use Thesis Alumni Identification Number but not the Student General

Identification Number

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Check 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 with companys attestation or External guides signature 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
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Best of Luck !

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