Introduction

MKT619: Final Project (Marketing)

Course Selection

MKT619 is offered to the students of MBA (Marketing) who are currently doing job in
an organization and cannot spare time for doing an internship. As a proof of their current
employment status the students will be required to submit their "Job Confirmation Letter"
(JCL) in original obtained from their current employer. The students are required to work
on final Project/Dissertation in steps according to the instructions/guidelines provided on
VULMS of this course and appear for presentation & viva-voce thereafter.

Objectives:

To enhance the analytical skills of the students by enabling them to address the real life
issues and suggest solutions in the light of theoretical knowledge of their relevant area of
specialization and experience.

To provide an opportunity to the students to explore new researchable avenues in their

relevant area of specialization and conduct of research on the selected problem, thus
suggesting solutions thereafter.

Project/Dissertation
The working on the final Project/Dissertation has been divided into steps/stages as given
below. A submission at every step/stage is compulsory.

1. Proposal

The proposal for project/dissertation is required to be prepared according to the format

uploaded on VULMS of the course. The students are expected to come up with a
researchable topic of their interest which must be relevant to their area of specialization.
This proposal will be evaluated and the validity will be determined by the Instructor. A
valid proposal is essential (compulsory) to proceed for final project/dissertation. The
students who fail to have a final proposal approved by the Instructor will NOT be
allowed to work on the final project/dissertation.

2. Final Project/Dissertation
After the proposal is approved by the Instructor (valid proposal) a student is allowed to
work on the final project/dissertation in the light of the instructor's comments given in the
evaluated proposal as well as guidelines and formats uploaded on VULMS of the course.
Job Confirmation Letter

It is a letter to be issued, duly signed and stamped by your current employer, stating that
you are currently on job in the organization. The Job Confirmation Letter must include
the following information:

Ø It must be on original letter head of the organization

Ø The issuance date of the letter must be mentioned

Ø Your date of joining the organization

Ø Your current designation in the organization

Ø Name and designation of the person issuing the letter (employer/person authorized)

Ø Signed and stamped by the person issuing the letter (employer/person authorized)

Reference letter for Research Work

The Reference Letter for Research Work will be issued to the students (if requested) in
response to provision of the following information:

a. Name and designation of the contact person / addressee

b. Name of the department and organization

c. Complete address of the organization

d. Telephone (contact) numbers of the person/organization

e. Your own complete postal address (where you want to receive the letter)

f. Your own contact numbers including cell number

Presentation & Viva Voce

Only those students will be called for presentation & viva voce who will be declared pass
in the written work (final proposal as well as final project/dissertation). Call for
presentation & viva voce will be sent at the students' VU e-mail IDs. It will include date,
time and venue of presentation & viva voce.

Sequence of Submissions/Activities

A student will pass the course if he/she performs satisfactorily in all the below mentioned
sections, otherwise will be considered as Fail.

Submissions/Activity Stages
Who will go to next activity

Job Confirmation Letter

Those students whose Job Confirmation Letters are received as well as accepted by the
Documents Evaluation Committee will be allowed to proceed for remaining activities of
the course. Such students may have a chance to be called for presentation & viva voce
provided they successfully complete and pass all the rest of activities.

Proposal for project/dissertation

Those students who will have a valid proposal i.e. approved by the instructor will be
allowed to proceed for final project/dissertation.

Final project/dissertation
Those students who will be declared pass in the project/dissertation will be called for
presentation & viva voce.

Presentation & viva voce

Those students who will be able to defend the written work by presenting effectively and
answering the questions asked by the panel satisfactorily will be declared pass in the
whole course.

Whole course
It is compulsory for the students to pass all the above stages in order to be declared pass
in the whole course.
.

Rules and Regulations

MKT619: Final Project-Marketing

General Rules

1. The students, who are presently on job and cannot spare time for doing the internship,
can get exemption from internship by submitting their Job Confirmation Letter (JCL).

2. Upon the acceptance of ‘Job Confirmation Letter’ by the Documents Evaluation

Committee, exemption will be granted from Internship and Internship Report. The
students still need to fulfill all the requirements of the course by submitting
project/dissertation (instead of internship report) and appearing in presentation & viva
voce.

3. Once enrolled in the course “MKT619-Final Project-Marketing”, a student shall NOT

be allowed to change/switch the course within the same semester after six (6) weeks from
the commencement date of the semester. However, a student may drop the course at any
time within the semester BUT before the due date for the submission of final
project/dissertation.

4. The student must select a topic for project/dissertation according to his/her area of
specialization.

5. The student CANNOT select the same organization for his/her project/dissertation
in which he/she is presently working. However, he/she can select a group of
organizations operating in the same business sector.

Rules for issuance of “Reference Letter for Research Work”

1. Reference letter for Research Work shall be issued to a student if he/she has a
minimum CGPA of 2.00 and has earned 45 credit hours prior to enrolling the Final
Project course.

2. In certain cases, organizations may require “Reference letter for Research Work”
issued by the University to allow and facilitate the students. “Reference letter for
Research Work” can be requested by sending e-mail to concerned Course Instructor at
mkt619@vu.edu.pk . Students must provide the following details in their e-mail request:

a. Name and designation of the contact person / addressee

b. Name of the department and organization

c. Complete address of the organization

d. Telephone (contact) numbers of the person/organization

e. Your own complete postal address (where you want to receive the letter)

f. Your own contact numbers including cell number

3. “Reference letter for Research Work” will be sent to overseas students in PDF
printable format at their VU e-mail IDs.

Rules for Submission of “Job Confirmation Letter”

1. As soon as a student enrolls the course ‘Final Project’, he/she must submit the
original “Job Confirmation Letter” but not later than the due date published on VULMS
in the semester calendar.

2. In case a student fails to submit the original “Job Confirmation Letter”, he/she shall
NOT be called for presentation & viva voce and shall be declared as “F (Absent)” in the
semester.

3. No credit shall be given to the student for providing “Job Confirmation Letter”. The
original documents submitted by the student will be returned, if requested, upon
successful completion of the course. The University will keep the documents for one
year from the commencement date of semester in which the course has been enrolled.

4. An overseas student is required to ensure that his/her employer/authorized person

sends the scanned copy of his/her “Job Confirmation Letter” within due date
directly to the Course Instructor through his/her (employer's/authorized person's)
official e-mail account.

Rules for Submission of Written Work “Proposals & final Project/Dissertation”

1. Students are required to submit their written work (Proposals & Final
Project/Dissertation) by uploading it on VULMS of the course or by any other manner
defined by the course instructor as a special case.
2. Any submission made via email using other than VU email address shall NOT be
accepted/entertained.

3. Submissions made after due date shall NOT be considered/entertained.

Rules for Plagiarized/Copied & Non-Referenced Material

1. The student shall be declared fail and strictly dealt with if copied and non-referenced
work/material i.e. taken from any secondary source (web sites, journals, books, articles,
other students etc.) is found in thee written work, even if it is found at any instance.

2. The students themselves are responsible for the security of their written work from
being copied/misused by other students. In such cases both the students will be
penalized, as per University's standard policy.

3. Virtual University reserves the right to cancel the degree of any student involved in
plagiarism, even if it is found at any instance.

ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY

Virtual University has Zero Tolerance Policy for plagiarized work. Such cases are dealt
very strictly as per HEC rules.

Submission of any fake/forge document is a crime which shall NOT be excused in any
case.

Rules for Pass and Fail

Those students who will have a valid proposal i.e. approved by the Instructor will be
allowed to proceed for final project/dissertation. Valid proposal is a must to continue for
the submission of final project/dissertation. Final project/dissertation shall NOT be
entertained unless a student submits a valid proposal.

Those students may pass the written work who will (i) adhere to the format of both
proposal & final project/dissertation (ii) follow the instructions/guidelines provided by
the Instructor as well as those uploaded on VULMS of the course, (iii) justify the
requirements of project's/dissertation's topic and objectives.
Those students who will be declared pass in the written work (final proposal &
project/dissertation) will be called for presentation & viva voce.
Those students who will be able to defend the written work by presenting effectively and
answering the questions asked by the panel satisfactorily will be declared pass in the
whole course.
If a student does NOT pass the written work, he/she shall NOT be called for presentation
& viva voce. Such students will be declared Fail (F) in the course, thus will be required to
re-enroll the course in next semester.
A student MUST pass all the phases/segments of the course i.e. (a) "written work as a
whole (proposal & final project/dissertation” (b) “presentation & viva voce” separately
as well as collectively in order to pass the course as a whole.
If a student remains absent (without prior intimation) in the presentation & viva voce,
his/her result shall be declared as F (Absent) soon after the expiry of the date given to
appear for the presentation & viva voce.
Re-checking of written work shall NOT be done in any case.

Rules for Misleading, Misstating, Concealing Facts and Submitting Forge/Fake

Documents

1. The “Documents Evaluation Committee” reserves the right to evaluate any or all of
the documents submitted by the student by using all possible means and ways to
determine the authenticity/genuineness and correctness of the documents.

2. If a student enrolls the course of ‘Final Project/dissertation’ by concealing the facts

then the student will be dropped from the course and case may be forwarded to the
“University Committee on Unfair Means”. The decision of the committee shall be
considered as final.

3. If the document such as “Job Confirmation Letter (JCL)” submitted by the student are
found fake/forge by the “Documents Evaluation Committee”, the decision of the
committee shall be considered as final.

Note: In both the cases mentioned above, the student will be given a chance to defend
his/her position.

4. The student may be declared ineligible to continue the same course in the current
semester by the “Documents Evaluation Committee” and may be asked to re-enroll the
appropriate course in next semester due to reasons mentioned below:

a. Job Confirmation Letter rejected and/or proven fake/forge

b. Any other reason (s) determined by the committee

Rules for Presentation & Viva Voce:

1. The schedule for presentation and viva voce will be communicated to the students
only via e-mail by the Course Instructor. The students must remain vigilant and check
their e-mails regularly.

2. Presentation & viva voce shall be scheduled for every student only once in a semester.
Students' requests for re-scheduling the presentation & viva voce shall NOT be
entertained.

3. Students MUST confirm their presence/absence for the scheduled date of

presentation & viva voce via return e-mail to the Course Instructor at least 24
HOURS prior to the given date.

Rules for Re-enrollment of Course in Next Semester:

If a student who has successfully passed the written work but fails to appear for the
“presentation & viva voce” then he/she will be declared F (Absent) in the course in
current semester. He/she will be required to re-enroll the course in next semester;
subsequently he/she will have to fulfill all the requirements of the course according to the
semester calendar. He/she will be expected to submit revised/improved written work
according to the requirements in the enrolled semester. However, if he/she does not
intend to revise/improve the written work (project/dissertation) submitted in the previous
semester then he/she will be required to upload the same marked evaluated file of
project/dissertation against the relevant assignment. In any case, he/she will be required
to follow the current semester’s calendar of the respective course.

Instructions and Guidelines

MKT619: Final Project-Marketing

Instructions for Project/Dissertation Writing

You are required to strictly follow these guidelines for report writing:

§ Before starting a project/dissertation, move to the VULMS of the course and review
the semester calendar so that you will be aware of the due dates of various submissions
and can divide your time for project/dissertation accordingly.

§ Always keep a margin of time for uploading any file so that in case of any
inconvenience or mishap, you have enough time for submitting the document.

§ Review the VULMS of the course thoroughly so that you can get all the relevant
information provided to you for completing the final project/dissertation.

§ Presenting a document in a proper format can help secure good marks. Formatting
guidelines are also uploaded on VULMS so that you can present every document in
proper format. Upload your document in Microsoft Word format (Any version except MS
Word 2007). Don’t convert your document in PDF or in any other format.

§ You are required to upload every submission on VULMS of the course. The
documents received through e-mail will NOT be entertained.

§ Select a topic for your project/dissertation which is relevant to your area of

specialization and interest so that you can easily work on it.

§ A list of topics (on which work has already been submitted by students in previous
semesters) is uploaded on VULMS for guidance purpose only. If you select any topic
from the list provided, the context of your study must differ from the submitted one.
Copying is strictly prohibited and will be completely rejected thus the result will be
declared as Fail.

§ The following points must be kept in mind while writing the proposal for
project/dissertation:

Ø Title of the project/dissertation should be clear and there should be no ambiguity in

it.

Ø Describe the topic of project/dissertation in such a way that it clearly outlines the
whole project/dissertation.

Ø Selection of an appropriate topic is vital for making a good project/dissertation. You

can identify a worthwhile problem or question which needs to be explored.

Ø Objectives of the project/dissertation should be specific and well defined.

Ø The proposal for the project/dissertation should be according to the specified format
uploaded on VULMS of the course.
§ You will first be required to submit your proposal for project/dissertation which
will be evaluated by the concerned Course Instructor to determine validity of the proposal
and will be uploaded thereafter.

§ You may be required to make corrections and improvements (IF needed/ IF proposal
is not approved at first stage) in your proposal as recommended by the Course Instructor
and submit your proposal again which will be evaluated for determining the validity of
the proposal.

§ After approval of the proposal for project/dissertation, you will be required to start
working on your final project/dissertation in the light of Course Instructor's comments in
the approved/valid proposal.

Please consider the following points while writing the final project/dissertation:

Ø Make your final project/dissertation according to the proposal approved by the

concerned Instructor.

Ø Use active voice and short sentences in your final project/dissertation. Avoid
sentences in passive voice.

Ø There should be consistency, conciseness and clarity in the written work.

§ Always remember that a project/dissertation is a formal document in which every

item must be in the appropriate place; repetition of material in different places should be
eliminated.

§ You must review your project/dissertation before submitting it. It is a good

practice to ask anyone else to read your project/dissertation at least once. It will help in
highlighting the mistakes in your project/dissertation you might have ignored.

§ Do not skip any part mentioned in the formats uploaded on VULMS as every part
is important.

§ After making the final project/dissertation, make sure that it is according to the
format uploaded on VULMS. The final project/dissertation has NO FIXED word limit.
The number of words/pages required for project/dissertation solely depends on the topic
and objectives. You are advised to write as much as sufficiently justifies and validates the
project/dissertation requirements (topic, objectives etc.). However a fine quality
project/dissertation document may comprise of at least 8,000 to 10,000 words.

§ Provide only relevant data in the final project/dissertation. Keep in mind that not
only quantity but also quality does matter.
§ Try to make your document as much appealing as possible. The more finely
compiled your document will be, the more will be the chances of securing good marks.

General Guidelines for Project/Dissertation

The following guidelines are formulated to help you throughout the journey of making
your final project/dissertation for your MBA degree:

You are required to be more vigilant and active once you select this course. Regularly
check your mails and keep in contact with your Course Instructor via email and/or MDB.
Read the announcements to keep you abreast with the latest updates.

In the beginning of your course, you should start reading the literature available related to
your field of specialization. This will make you understand various researches done in the
area in which you are specializing. The study of additional literature will enhance your
interest in the field and will make it easier for you to select a topic of your interest to
work on.

Take a print of the provided Semester Calendar and display it in your study room so that
you will be able to manage your time and submit your written work according to the due
dates.

Always keep a backup of your written work in a floppy/CD/USB etc., so that if the
original file gets corrupted or your hard drive encounters any problem your work does not
get lost completely.
The Semester Calendar is designed keeping in view your activities in a semester. Divide
all the activities required for the completion of your final project/dissertation and set your
own targets which must fall within the due dates mentioned in the semester calendar. It
will help you complete your project/dissertation within due dates and will not cause any
extra burden. Be realistic about the time that you allocate to your work.

Proper time management is of utmost importance in this course. Any delay in the
submission can cost you an extra semester and wastage of time.

You must have a strong and in-depth knowledge of your area of specialization, so that
you may be able to produce quality work by using your knowledge related to your area of
specialization.

You can divide the process of making a project/dissertation into the following activities:

o Activity 1: Topic selection

o Activity 2: Proposal preparation

o Activity 3: Plan your project/dissertation (you can make general plan for your own
convenience regarding the proceeding of the project/dissertation)

o Activity 4: Data Collection, Data Processing and Data Analysis

o Activity 5: Project/Dissertation Writing

o Activity 6: Project/Dissertation Review

Be careful while selecting topic of your project/dissertation. Students who select

appropriate topic can complete their project/dissertation more conveniently and
accurately.
While selecting the topic, make sure that you can easily gather/collect all the relevant
data that is required for your project/dissertation.

The concluding section of the project/dissertation must summarize what you have done
and the conclusions you have drawn. Conclusions must be based on the proceedings,
facts and findings.

Recommendations for further work are important as a matter of fact; therefore, you will
be expected to make suggestions of how your work can be improved further to explore
areas that still deserve investigation.

The assessors/evaluators always want to know whether the project/dissertation objectives

have been achieved and the research work has contributed to the existing knowledge on
the selected topic. This is considered to be the most important criteria for evaluating the
worth of written work.

Formatting Guidelines for Project/Dissertation Writing

1. Every page in the final project/dissertation should have a page number, except
Title page and Dedication. For the prefatory sheets use small Roman Numerals (i, ii,
iii….); for the body and annexure use Arabic Numerals (1, 2, 3….) according to the
following guidelines:
i. Prefatory parts page numbers are centered and placed ½ inch below the imaginary line
that frames the bottom of the typewritten material. Count and number the prefatory
pages as shown below:

 Title page Count (i) but do not insert page number

 Dedication Count (ii) but do not insert page number

 Acknowledgement Count and number

 Preface Count and number

 Table of Contents Count and number

ii. Body and annexure page numbers are usually placed near the bottom-right corner of
the page, aligned with the right margin and ½ inch (or a double space) below the bottom
imaginary line that frames the typewritten material.
2. Page Borders: Only on Top and Bottom
3. Word Limit: NO FIXED word limit. Suggestive Word Limit( 8,000 to 10,000
words)

4. Font Size: 12 pt.

5. Font Style: Times New Roman

6. Font Color: Black

7. Line Spacing: One & a half (1.5)

8. Headings and Sub headings: Bold and /or Underline

9. Margin:

Left 1.50"

Right 1.00"

Bottom 1.00"

Top 1.00"

General Guidelines for Formatting a Document

Follow these guidelines for the formatting of your document:

1. Table of contents

Give all the headings of your document by using “heading styles”.

The path is

Format >>>> styles and formatting

You can choose “heading 1” for the main headings; “heading 2”, “heading 3 and so on”
for the subheadings.

You can modify the heading style, as you move the cursor over the heading style, a
downward bar will appear by clicking at the right side of the heading style and then
modify it according to your requirement.
Click your mouse on the page where you want to make your table of contents. Then go
to

Insert >>>> Reference >>>> Index and Tables >>>> Table of Contents

A table of contents will automatically appear.

2. Alignment

Alignment means arrangement or positioning of your written material in a straight line or

parallel lines. You can change the alignment of your whole document, a single page, a
single paragraph by going to page setup:

File >>>> Page Setup >>>> Layout

The options for alignment are also available on the toolbar of the document.

3. Margins

The space around the printed or written material on a page is called a margin. You can set
the upper, lower, left and right margins of your document by using the Page Setup:

File >>>> Page setup >>>> Margins

You can also set margins by using rulers appeared on the upper and left side of the
document. If these rulers are not appearing on the document, go to 'View' on the tool bar
and check the 'Ruler'.

4. Line spacing

The space from the bottom of one line of text to the bottom of the next line is called line
spacing. You can set line spacing of the documents from single to double or 1.5 before
you start typing.

On the Formatting toolbar, point to Line Spacing, and then click on the desired line
spacing. (Toolbar: A bar with buttons and options that you use to carry out commands.
To display a toolbar, press Alt + Shift+F10).
5. Numbers and bullets

Select the text on that you want to number or apply bullets.

Go to

Format >>>> Bullets and Numbers

On this sub window, different tags will appear like bullets or numbers. Select the tag that
is most appropriate to you.

6. Font and character spacing

For font style, font size and character spacing go to

Format >>>> Font

You can also change the font size and font style by using options available on formatting
toolbar.

7. Header and footer

You can insert header and footer on your document by

View >>>> Header and Footer

8. Page numbers

The path for insertion of page numbers is

Insert >>>> Page numbers

If you are using header and footer on your page then you can also insert page numbers by
using the tool bar opened with footer. Usually, the page numbers are not inserted on the
title page. For this purpose, go to:

Insert >>>> Page numbers and then uncheck the box “show number on first page”.
9. Justify the Text

You can justify your text so that right margin is in straight vertical line and extra spaces
within a line are justified accordingly. For this purpose:

Click 'Justify' before you start typing. However, if you want to justify the text that has
already been typed, select the relevant text and then click 'Justify'.

10. To give PAGE NUMBERS in Roman Numerals and Arabic Numerals in the same
document

You will have to create two Sections; one for the prefatory parts and second for text parts
to insert numbers.

Follow these steps:

Move to the last page of prefatory parts, on that page, your cursor should be in the end of
page. Then on the tool bar, click at

Insert >>>> Break >>>> Section Break Types >>>> Next Page

(Now you have created two sections of the document successfully)

Go to

Page Numbers >>>> Format >>>> select Roman Numerals and select Start at (i) (This
will give Roman page numbers to the selected prefatory parts)

Now for the second section i.e. text parts go to the first page of text parts. Your cursor
should be at the top of first page of text parts.

Go to

Page Numbers >>>> Format >>>> Select Arabic Numerals and Start at (1).

You can use same sections to omit page numbers at the title page and start giving
numbers from the next page.