Summer Internship and Master Thesis Research 2020

Guidelines
Introduction

The summer internship and research project program of CMS Business School is a necessary
condition to be fulfilled for the award of the MBA degree. The internship and research program
is an eight-to-ten weeks’ program which provides an opportunity for the student to apply
classroom learning and practice in an industry environment in a comprehensive manner. The
master thesis research builds diagnosing, collecting data, analyzing, interpreting and problem
solving skills.

The following guidelines need to be adhered for completing the requirement of internship and
research program 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Expectations

• The onus of finding an internship lies with the student, with the Placements Office of
CMS Business School playing an active support role.
• The student should actively look for internships of their own.
• The student is also expected to actively participate in the recruitment process of
internship offers brought by the CMS B-School Placement office.
• The student is expected to work with a company as an intern, undertake projects,
perform activities identified by the company and assist the organization in its functions.
In the current situation, it is preferred if the student finds an internship that offers work
from home options. If the internship is requires the student to travel, they should
ensure that the safety norms announced by the government authorities are strictly
followed.
• The student of CMS Business School is expected to function as a thoroughbred
professional and comply with the policies, rules and procedures of the organization.
• As a worst case scenario, if the student is unable to get an internship, they would have
to undertake a live project during the 3rd semester. This project would be in addition to
the research that needs to be conducted. (Please note that an internship certificate
from a company provides students with a considerable advantage during final
placements, and it is highly recommended that each student tries their best to complete
an internship project with a company rather than wait for a live project).
• In addition to the internship (or faculty assigned project), it is mandatory for every
student to do a research project. The research is expected to be carried out in a problem
area in their chosen discipline i.e. Finance / Marketing / Human Resource/ Operations /
Logistics & Supply Chain Management / Analytics / Entrepreneurship / Business
Analytics.
• The student is required to submit two separate reports as the outcome of the program:
a) Report on Internship / Live project), and b) Research Report. A viva process is
conducted for the SIP and Research components of the program separately after the
submission of the reports.

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Important Dates:

• Completion of Internship: Due to the unforeseen circumstances, students have been

given flexibility with regards to the duration of the Internship. However, all the tasks
assigned as a part of the internship should be completed on or before 31 st July 2020.
• Research Topic : The student should discuss and get approval from their faculty mentors
on the research topic by 15th May 2020.
• Project Topic : This is applicable ONLY for students who are unable to acquire an
internship with a company. The student in consultation with the faculty mentor should
get a live project by the 16th of August.
• The date of submission of reports and the viva dates would be announced subsequent
to commencement of 3rd Semester classes.

Project Proposal

The project proposal is the first stage of evaluation. It must cover the following aspects:

1. Project Title: The exact title of the research project.

2. Abstract: a statement of about 100 - 200 words describing what project is about.

3. Objective: stating what the project will accomplish and the value –addition to the
company.

4. Statement of the problem.

5. Proposed methodology

6. Schedule: a time frame indicating the proposed steps and the expected date of
completion.

7. References: initial list of bibliographic materials that would be used to complete the
project.

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Chapterization Scheme: SIP Report & Research Report

A. SIP Report (Report on Live Project where applicable)

Executive Summary

Chapter 1 Introduction and Industry Overview

1.1 Industry overview
1.2 Global scenario
1.3 Indian scenario
1.4 Industry structure
1.5 Industry outlook

Chapter 2 Company Overview

2.1 Company Overview
2.2 Financial Performance
2.3 Products
2.4 SWOT Analysis
2.5 Overview of different departments
2.6 Future outlook

Chapter 3 SIP Project Profile / Live Project Objectives

3.1 Purpose of the Study
3.2 Statement of the Problem
3.3 Objectives and Scope
3.4 Work done in the company
3.5 Methodology
3.6 Data Collection, Interpretation and Analysis

Chapter 4 Key Learnings and Recommendations

4.1 Observations
4.2 Expectations and Achievements
4.3 Learning Outcome
4.4 Recommendations
4.5 Findings and Conclusions

• The size of the SIP Project report should be at least 60 pages excluding annexure. You
are expected to add suitable annexures.
• The report should be computer printed out in Time New Roman font - size 12 & Line
Spacing 1.5. The report has to be hard bound. Two copies of the report have to be
made, of which one copy has to be submitted to CMS Business School.

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B. Research Report

Abstract

Chapter 1 Introduction and Review of Literature

1.1. Rationale for the Study and Motivation
1.2. Statement of the Research Problem
1.3. Review of Literature
1.4. Identification of Research Gaps

Chapter 2 Research Methodology

2.1 Scope of the Study
2.2 Research Objectives
2.3 Framing of Research Hypotheses
2.4 Research Design
2.5 Methods for Data Collection & Variables of the study

Chapter 3 Data Analysis and Interpretation

3.1 Techniques for Data Analysis
3.2 Hypotheses Testing and Methods
3.3 Data Interpretation

Chapter 4 Findings and Recommendations

4.1 Research Outcome and Findings
4.2 Recommendations
4.3 Limitations of the Study
4.4 Conclusions
4.5 Scope for Future Research

• The size of the report should be at least 60 pages excluding annexure. You are expected
to add suitable annexures.
• The report should be computer printed out in Time New Roman font - size 12 & Line
Spacing 1.5. The report has to be hard bound. Two copies of the report have to be
made, of which one copy has to be submitted to CMS Business School.
• Last date of submission of Final Research report is 05th October, 2020.

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The Recommended Scheme of the Final Report (SIP and Research) is as under:

A. SIP Report

1. Cover Page
2. Title page
3. Company Certificate (SIP Report)
4. Mentor Certificate
5. Declaration
6. Acknowledgements
7. Executive Summary (SIP Report)
8. Table of Contents
9. List of illustrations and figures
10. Chapters 1-4 of the SIP Report
11. References
12. Appendices
13. Glossary (if necessary)

B. Research Report
1. Cover Page
2. Title page
3. Mentor Certificate
4. Declaration
5. Acknowledgements
6. Abstract
7. Table of Contents
8. List of illustrations and figures
9. Chapters 1-4 of the Research Report
10. References
11. Appendices
12. Glossary (if necessary)