GUIDELINES FOR

PROJECT WORK

GM100

ALL INDIA MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION

CENTRE FOR MANAGEMENT EDUCATION
Table of Contents
Chapter I ................................................
Introduction .......................................3

Chapter 2 .................................................
Selecting a Topic and Writing the
Dissertation Proposal (Synopsis) ......5

Chapter 3 .................................................
Research Design and Methodology 13

Chapter 4 .................................................
Structuring and Writing the Project Report 23

Chapter 5
Introduction (PGDITM) ..................47
 Section – I

Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION
Projects Work is the best way to practice what you have learnt. The purpose of including Project report in the Post Graduate
Diploma Programmes is to provide you an opportunity to investigate a problem applying management concepts in a
scientific manner. It enables you to apply your conceptual knowledge in a practical situation and to learn the art of
conducting a study in a systematic way and presenting its findings in its coherent report. As managers, you are constantly
seeking information to base your decisions. How well you collect, synthesize and make the idea meaningful, is what you
learn through this process.

THE MEANING OF RESEARCH

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines research as ‘careful search or inquiry; endeavor to discover new or collate old facts
etc. by scientific, study of a subject; course of critical investigation’. From this we can conclude that the work ‘research’
may be used interchangeably with ‘inquiry’, ‘study’ or ‘investigation’ And yet something more is implied: the inquiry, study
or investigation must be conducted in a careful, scientific and/or critical manner.

In addition to a specific method of inquiry, a research project has to have an aim or objective. In general terms, the aim of
all research is to expand knowledge. But we do not simply want a list of facts. A good piece of research will focus on certain
aspects of a topic. It will seek to answer specific questions, solve a particular problem or test a hypothesis. The issue(s) to
be addressed must be clearly stated at the outset in the objective(s) research.

Therefore, we may say that a Project is a scientific and systematic study of a real issue or a problem intended to resolve the
problem with application of management concepts and skills. The study can deal with a small or a big issue in a division or
an organisation. The problem can be from any discipline of management. It can even be a case study where a problem has
been dealt with through the process marketing. The essential requirement of a project is that it should entail scientific
collection, analysis and interpretation of data leading to valid conclusions.

RATIONALE FOR CONDUCTING A DISSERTATION

The rationale for including a dissertation as a major component of the PGDM/PGDITM/other Professional Diploma courses
of AIMA-CME is that it provides for the development of intellectual skills of a kind that are not fully facilitated on the other
components of the acadmic course.

The aims and objectives for conducting a dissertation are therefore:

1. To provide the opportunity for students to undertake an independent piece of work of a demanding nature.

2. To enable students to investigate, in depth, a subject in which they have a particular interest and is of their own
selection.

3. To provide students with an opportunity to stretch their intellectual and technical skills.

4. To encourage the students to develop new forms of analysis, conclusions and policies which may make an original
contribution to the knowledge in the field of study concerned.

5. To encourage both clarity and depth of thought in that the project involves analysis of a problem in depth and the
development of a logical sequence of ideas.

6. To provide students with an opportunity of learning how to acquire detailed information on a particular issue. It will
involve them in using primary sources of data such as census, and it will involve the collection of new data through
interviews, surveys and archival research.
7. To require the proper use, presentation and communication of data.
 Chapter 2

SELECTING A TOPIC AND WRITING THE DISSERTATION

PROPOSAL (SYNOPSIS)

The first step of the research process involves selecting a research topic and writing your dissertation proposal. This means
that you need to do a great deal of reading and clear thinking to identify the problem and your area of interest. This chapter
deals with choosing a topic for research and gives guidance on writing your dissertation proposal or synopsis.

CHOOSING THE TOPIC

When embarking upon research as part of management study programme, it is important that particular attention is paid to
the choice of subject or topic of the research. The choice of topic usually comes from your interest in and value of a particular
subject. This interest and value will eventually be developed into a series of questions which you are keen to find answers
to. If you are finding difficulty in choosing a researchable topic, you can consider the following:

1. Consult the library catalogue and inquire about these and dissertations, articles in a academic journals, reports, books
and the like.

2. Talk about problems and possible topics with your colleagues and/or with your lecturers who are experts in the field.

3. Arrange an informal interview with professionals in the industry and discuss what you should emphasis and what are
the possible practical outcomes.

There are a number of criteria that need to be considered when deciding on your research topic. These are summarised
below:

1. A dissertation topic should be realistic: You need to identify a problem (supported by published materials),
investigate the causes and possible solution. You might wish to investigate a problem on site, for example the causes
of variation orders and its effect on the project outcome, or the problem of materials management on site. Alternately,
the research subject might cover an office procedure or the appraisal of a particular system. Here, you will be
investigating what should be done and what is actually done.

2. Your topic should be specific and narrow: For example, if you are conducting a detailed case study, do not
investigate all the factors that may influence site productivity as a topic, but rather the influence of financial incentives
on productivity. You might be tempted to study job satisfaction in the building industry, but this again is too broad. A
better way is to narrow it down and investigate job satisfaction of operative who are working for small-size firms.

3. Your topic should show individuality, i.e. your personal contribution to the study: What is new about your
investigation? This can take the form of case studies, a series of interviews, postal questionnaires or analysing archival
data.
4. Accessibility of information: Your topic should be in an area where you have access to the necessary data for the
successfull completion of the dissertation.

5. Personal ability: The subject and extent of the research should be within your intellectual and physical resource
ability.

6. Personal interest: You should be interested in the subject of research.

THE DISSERTATION PROPOSAL OR SYNOPSIS

After deciding on a topic for research, you dissertation proposal should contain the following:

1. Working title

2. Purpose

3. Aim

4. Objectives

5. Hypothesis (or key questions)

6. Outline methodology

7. Proposed contents

8. Work plan

The extent and degree of detail for your proposal should ideally take the following into account:
Working Title

Working title is a short line that gives your research a direction and the
title might slightly change at the final stages of research. The title should
give your research and identity/name which reflects the focal point and
area of the research. It should therefore be clear and to the point. There are
a number of questions to be borne in mind when selecting a final title. These are:

1. Does the title identify precisely what is being studied.

2. Is the title clear and concise and at the same time sufficiently descriptive to allow for rapid categorisation?

3. Has the title been stripped of superfluous words and redundancy? Phrase such as ‘A contribution to……’ Or ‘Towards
a theory of ….’ Are nothing more than padding.

4. Are the key nouns correctly chosen and in the proper order?

Flow Chart of the Research Design

Problem definition

Hypothesis generation

Decisions on the type (s) of study appropriate to

the problem

Development of an analysis plan

Data collection

Performance of the Analysis

Drawing conclusions and recommendations

Purpose of the research (or rationale for the study)

This should be a one-page discussion which sets out (with supporting data fully referenced) the problem and the reason for
the proposed study, highlighting the issues to be investigated.

Aim

Ideally a one-sentence aim should be provided, highlighting your ultimate goal.

Objectives

Ideally between three and five single sentence objective should be developed. Objectives are the breakdown of your aim
(sub-aims) which focuses on finding out or establishing certain issues while achieving your aim. The objectives will pose a
number of questions which will form your research questionnaire later in the research process.

Key Question / Research Question

Key questions on Research Questions are refined statements of the specific components of the problem. Although the
components of the problem define the problem in specific terms, further details may be needed to develop an approach.
Each component of the problem may have to be broken down in sub components or research questions.

Components of Research
Problem

Objective / Theoretical
Framework

Research Questions

Hypothesis
 If your research is designed to develop a theoretical framework (as in the case of qualitative research or problem-
solving approach), then a number of key question need to be formulated which should state the position for the
argument of investigation.

Hypothesis (or key questions)

If your research is designed to test/validate a hypothesis or conceptual theory, then a one-sentence hypothesis needs to be
established which should clearly and specifically state the position for the argument or investigation. A hypothesis is a
tentative proposition which is a subject of verification through your investigation. Your conclusion will either support or
reject your proposed hypothesis, or support part and reject others. Your hypothesis should also be sharp and specific.

If your research is designed to develop a theoretical framework (as in the case of qualitative research or problem-solving
approach), then a number of ‘key questions’ need to be formulated which should state the position for the argument or
investigation.

Research Methodology

A research design is a framework or blueprint for conducting the marketing research project. It details the procedures
necessary for obtaining the information needed to solve marketing research problem. A research design lays the foundation
for conducting the project. Following are the components of research design.

Research Design

Exploratory Conclusive
Research Design Research Design

Description Causal
Research Research
2. Specify data collection & methodology
Data Collection

Primary Secondary

Questionnaire Interview Govt. Service Journal/Books/Internet

3. Specify the measurement or scaling procedure.
4. Specify sampling technique and sample size e.g.
Sampling Unit - Consumer/Retailers/Corporate Executives
Sampling Size - 200 Consumers/50 Retailers/50 Corporates
Sampling Type - Convenience Sampling
5. Construct Questionnaire
6. Plan of Data Analysis

Examples
- Factor analysis
- Conjoint analysis
- Regression analysis

Proposed Contents

This stage involves writing up the contents of the dissertation and should cover the chapter proposed.

Work Plan

This should be a simple work plan or time table – a bar chart of activities over the weeks of study is often helpful – indicating
what you intend to do and when.

Selecting your dissertation topic is an important task. Therefore, you should allow a reasonable amount of time in which to
develop your proposal. The first step is to identify areas which have potential and seem interesting to you. Consult your
library and read articles, books, dissertations etc. which are related to your area of interest. The three most important parts
of your proposal are purpose of study, objectives and methodology. Finally, discuss your initial proposal with your
supervisor and make amendments, if required.

SAMPLE PROJECT SYNOPSIS

Working title

An Evaluation of the Total Quality Management System: A Case Study.

Purpose

The problem of quality management and its associated costs has been of great concern to most industries since the early
1960s. As a result, some large construction contractors have pursued and implemented innovative quality management
techniques such as quality assurance (QA) and total quality management (TQM). Oakland (1990) defined TQM as a way
of business as a whole. It applies just as much to service industries as it does to manufacturing. It involves whole companies
getting organised in every department, every activity and every person at every level.
Once management acknowledges that there is a problem, it can take the second step to develop a clear understanding of
underlying principles and elements of TQM such as training (Imai et al., 1986), team work (Aubrey et al., 1988), supplier
involvement, customer services and its implementation which is considered by Juran (1988) as the primary quality
management tool.

According to Boardman and Croxson (1994), several senior TQM representatives from various client and contracting
organisations forming the European Construction Institute TQM Task Force, were discussing this very topic of measuring
where their companies were on the TQM journey and it became manifestly obvious there were various methods for the
measurement of TQM. The preliminary literature review, revealed that Boardman’s measurement chart is simple but
comprehensive and can be used to give a visual representation of the organisation’s current position in a TQM programme.

Based on such a background, this research will be using the matrix

model developed by the Trafalgar House Quality Management Services organisation as the tool to identify the specific
problems within the author’s organisation and to make recommendations, if appropriate, for improving the quality.

Aim

To analyse the present quality system in the organisation and to make proposals for possible future action to the introduction
of a total quality management system.

Objectives:

1. To review the concept and principle of TQM.

2. To assess the advantage of the TQM systems.

3. To measure the efficiency of the current quality management system in the author’s organisation and to identify any
present problems within the system.

4. If appropriate, to design and recommend a new TQM system for the organisation.

5. To evaluate the proposed TQM.

Key Questions

1. What are the reasons that drive the construction industry towards accreditation of standard quality assurance?

2. Does accreditation of QA assure the customer to an optimum standard of services?

3. What are the difference, between quality assurance and total quality management?

Hypothesis

• Quality accreditation assures optimum standard

Methodology

Stage 1: Literature research.

A comprehensive review of the relevant literature including a computer assisted search will be undertaken in order to
develop an understanding of previous work in the field of TQM.
Stage 2: Exploratory interviews

This stage will explore the matrix designed by the Trafalgar House Quality Management Services House. The exploration
will be achieved through unstructured interviews with five companies that are known to have implemented a TQM system.

Stage 3: Case Study

The author will then use his own organisation as a case to study the possible implementation of a systematic TQM.
Interviews with employees will take place to score the levels of quality effectiveness.

State 4: Evaluation of the organisation’s present TQM system.

This stage will bring together and review the information collected in the previous stages in which the present TQM system
has to be studied.

Stage 5: Writing up

This stage involves writing up the content of the dissertation and should cover their chapters proposed in the following
section.

Proposed contents of dissertation

Chapter 1 – Introduction

Chapter 2 – Total quality management – the concept

Chapter 3 – Implementation of TQM

Chapter 4 – Designing the case study and research methodology

Chapter 5 – Analysing and evaluating the case study evidence

Chapter 6 – Conclusions and further studies

Chapter 7 – References

EVALUATION OF PROJECT SYNOPSIS

Once you have selected a suitable topic, define the problem and outline the manner in which the project study is to be
conducted. The next step is prepare the Project Synopsis and send to Manager – Evaluation, AIMA – CME for approval
before starting your work on the project. The cover page of the Project Synopsis should carry the following informations:

1. Name

2. Registration Number

3. Name of the Programme

4. Address for correspondence.

5. Title of the Project

6. Name of the Project guide, Designation and address. (One page CV of Project Guide must be attached).
The synopsis will be scrutinised by the concern faculty member/outside expert to ensure that it follows the guidelines. The
evaluated copy of Project Synopsis will be sent back to you with proper comment/ approval. Incase there is a need for
modification or if the synopsis is rejected, you are required to re-submit the synopsis for approval. If you are planning to
collect the data through a questionnaire, then the questionnaire should also accompany the synopsis.
 Chapter 3

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

Once you have determined the purpose of your study and have conducted a through literature search, you should be ready
to design your research in detail. Research design is an action plan for getting from ‘here’ to ‘there’, where here may be
defined as the initial set of questions to be answered and there is some set of conclusion (answers) about these questions.

RESEARCH PROBLEM DEFINED

A research problem is some difficulty either of a theoretical or practical nature which a individual or organisation faces and
wishes to obtain a solution for the same. A research problem must contain the following.

a) An individual or an organisation which has the problem

b) They must occupy some environment/ condition to which the difficulty pertains.

c) Some objectives / goal to be attained

d) Some alternative course of action through which these objectives can be attained.

e) Research must have some doubts regarding the selection of possible alternative.

NECESSITY OF DEFINING A RESEARCH PROBLEM

A proper definition of research problem will enable the researcher to be on the right track, whereas an ill-defined problem
may create hurdles. It is only on careful detailing of the research problem that we can work out research design and can
smoothly carry on all the consequential steps involved while doing research.

FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED WHILE DEFINING A RESEARCH PROBLEM

While selecting the research problem, the following considerations should be borne in mind,

a) Economic Considerations: Research design efforts cost money. The value of the anticipated results must be
commensurate with the efforts put in.

Short research problems which can yield appreciable dividends quickly and are to be preferred to long term research
problems whose benefits may be difficult to forsee.

b) Technical Considerations: It should be ensured that adequate technical knowledge is available with which to carry
out the research. Whereas large problem throws up a number of subjects which are independent of each other, it is
better to have a small individual research problems instituted on each subject.

c) Human Consideration: Where resistance to change or reaction is likely to be great, people’s participation and
involvement must be ensured.
d) Environmental Consideration: Controversial subjects should not be chosen for research. The selection of problem
must be preceded by a preliminary study.

The problem being investigated should not be vague, or too general. The subject of research should be familiar and
feasible.

APPROACHES TO DATA COLLECTION

The approach to be adopted for conducting the research, depends on the nature of the investigation and the type of data and
information that are required and available. Data in the plural sense, implies a set of numerical figures usually obtained by
measurement or counting. Data refers to numerical description of quantitative aspects of things.

Primary Data

These data are collected first time as original data. The data is recorded as observed or encountered. Essentially they are
raw material. They may be combined, totalled but they have not extensively been statistically processed. For example, data
obtained in a population census by the office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs
is primary data.

Secondary Data

This is also known as published data, data which are not originally collected but rather obtained from published sources and
satistically processed are known as secondary data. For example, data published by Reserve Bank of India, Ministry of
Economic Affairs, Commerce Ministry as well as international bodies such as World Bank., Asian Development Bank,
International Labour Organisation etc.

Sources of Secondary Data

Following are the main sources of secondary data.

i. Official Publications: Publications of the Central and State Governments, Government of Foreign Countries or
International Bodies etc.

ii. Semi Official Publications: Publications of the Semi Government bodies, e.g. Municipal/District Board, Corporation
etc.

iii. Publications relating to Trade: Publications of the trade associations, chamber of commerce, banks cooperative
societies, stock exchange, trade unions etc.

iv. Journal/Newspapers etc.: Some newspapers/Journals collect and publish their own data, e.g. Indian Journal of
Economics, Economist, Economic Times, Far Eastern Review etc.

v. Data Collected by Trade Bodies/Industry Associations: For example, data available with FICCI, Export, Promotion
Councils, etc.

vi. Unpublished Data: Data may be obtained from several companies, organisations, universities etc. working in the
same areas, and who have done very good work. For example, Data on Energy Conservation by Tata Energy Research
Institute(TERI) can be utilized by private and public sector companies active in this area.

METHODS OF DATA COLLECTION

The following methods of data collection are generally used.

i) Observation method

ii) Personal Interview

iii) Forms, schedules or questionnaire method

iv) Documented sources of data

v) Case study method

Observation Method

This is the most commonly used method of data collection specially in studies relating to behavioural sciences. Accurate
watching and noting of phenomenon as they occur in nature with regard to cause and effect or mutual relation is called
observation method of data collection

Characteristics of Observation Method

These are as follows:

i. Direct Method: In observation method data is collected through direct contact with phenomenon under study. In this
method sensory organs particularly eye, ear, voice are used.

ii. Requires In-depth study: In this method, the observer goes to the field and makes the study of the phenomenon in a
in-depth fashion to acquire data.

iii. Collection follows Observation: In this method, the investigator first of all observes the things and then collects the
dala.

iv. Relationship between the cause and effect: Observation method lead to development of relationship between the
cause and effect of the events.

v. Scientific method for collecting dependable data: This is the most scientific method for collection of dependable
data. Observations are planned and recorded systematically. There should be checks and balances on this methodology.

vi. Selective and Purposeful Collection: The observations are made with definite purpose. Collection of materials is
done according to a particular purpose.

Interview Method

Under this method of collecting data, there is a face to face contact with
the persons from whom the information is to be obtained (known as informants). The interviewer asks them questions
pertaining to the survey and collects
the desired information. Thus, if a person wants to collect data about
the working conditions of the workers of Hindustan Lever Ltd., Bombay,
he would go to the works at Bombay, contact the workers and obtain
the information. The informations obtained are first hand or original in
character.
Characteristics of Interview Method

The following are the main characteristics of interview method.

a) It is close contact or interaction including dialogue between two or more persons.

b) There is a definite object of interview, such as knowing the ideas and views of others.

c) This is the most suitable method of data collection for business and economics problems.

Questionnaire Method

Under this method, a list of questions pertaining to the survey (known as questionnaire) is prepared and sent to the various
informats by post. Questionnaire contains the questions and provides the space for answers. A request is made to
respondents through a covering letter to fill up the questionnaire and send it back within a specified time.

Types of Questionnaire

The questionnaire may be of following types:

a) Structured Questionnaire: Structured questionnaire are those in which a question is presented to the respondents
with fixed response categories.

b) Un-structured Questionnaire: Here, every question is not presented to the respondent in the same wording and does
not have fixed responses. Respondents are free to answer the question the way they like.

Procedure of Organisation of Research through Questionnaire

The questionnaire method is frequently used in gathering the data. It is used to collect data from a large, diverse, and widely
scattered group of people. The following steps are taken in organisation of research through questionnaire method.

Types of Questions Encountered in Devising A Questionnaire

1. Dichotomous Questions: When reply to a question is in the form of one out of the two alternative given, one answer
being given in negative and other positive, it is called a dichotomous question. But negative and positive answers,
combined together form the whole range of answers given. Below is an example of this type of questions:

Whether respondent has completed school education. Yes/No.

2. Multiple Choice Questions: In these questions, a large number of alternative answers are given. These alternatives
are quite comprehensive and the respondent has to select one of them.

3. Leading questions: These are suggestive questions. They are also known as ‘attractive questions’. In these types of
questions, the reply is suggested in a particular direction. The reply to these questions is not necessarily in ‘yes’ or
‘no’.

Leading questions, as far as possible should be avoided. In case, they are not avoided, they can themselves suggest an
answer.

4. Ambiguous questions should not be included in questionnaire.

5. Ranking Item questions: The multiple questions contain a number of alternatives in the form of replies and the
ranking type questions are so designed as to record the preference of the respondent. In multiple choice, there is one
 answer, but in ranking item questions there may be several preference arranged item wise. The respondent may
indicate several preference.

Steps Involved in using the Questionnaire Method

i. Scientific framing of questions.

ii. Compiling names and addresses of responents.

iii. Pre-testing of the questionnaire to judge its suitability and utility.

iv. Despatch of questionnaire to all the respondents.

v. A code or serial number is given to each case.

vi. Receipt of questionnaire from the respondents should be recorded datewise.

vii. Proper follow up for receiving of adequate response.

viii. If proper response is not coming even after third reminder change the names of respondents and follow the above
procedure.

Construction of Questionnaire

The questionnaire should be developed in a scientific manner. While designing the questionnaire, the language and the
wordings of the questions should be kept interesting enough for the respondents to give replies. It has to be kept in mind
that in questionnaire method, the respondent gives reply from a distance. Therefore, psychology of respondents should be
kept in mind and the questionnaire should be framed to encourage them to give correct answers.

Steps in Construction of Questionnaire

Following are the steps to be followed.

1. Determination of Intellectual level of the respondent: While designing the questionnaire the intellectual level of
the respondent has to be kept in view. The question should suit the intellectual level of those for whom it is meant.

2. Defining the depth of the questionnaire: The questionnaire, should enable in depth research. It means that the
question contained therein should cover all the aspects of the research problem. It means that the research area should
be perfectly understood and the questions should be selected accordingly. If the area is not properly defined the
questionnaire shall not be framed properly. There is every likelihood of certain aspects being left out.

3. Determination of utility of questionnaire: The final step that researcher of framer of the questionnaire should take
to is to make the questionnaire utilitarian. It means that he should frame such questions which while being useful for
the purposed research are also of interest to the respondents. In such a case the study shall be complete and its objective
shall be achieved.

Case Study Method

Case study method may be defined as small inclusive and intensive study of an individual in which investigator brings to
bear all his skills and methods or as a systematic gathering of enough information about a person to permit one to understand
how he or she functions as unit of society. The case study is a form of qualitative analysis involving a very careful and
complete observation of a person, situation or institution.

Case study is a method of exploring and analysing business aspects of an industrial unit, even entire industry.

Characteristic of a case study: The important characteristic of case study method are as under:

i) Study of a unit: The case study method studies a subject matter which forms a cohesive, whole and may be treated as
a unit. The unit can be individual, a family, an institution.

ii) Intensive or In-Depth study: Case study attempts a deep and detailed study of the unit. It is a method of study in
depth rather than breadth. It places more emphasis on the full analysis of a limited number of events or conditions and
their inter-relations.

iii) Knowledge of behaviour patterns: The case study method deals with both what and why of the subject. It tries to
describe the complex behavioural pattern of a unit and having done this, tries to discover the factor which will
rationally account for them. In brief, case study method aims at description as well as explanation of the unit it studies.
It also explains the place and role of a unit in its surrounding social milieu.

iv) The study of the whole unit: The case study method tries to perceive the unitary forces of the subject matter and
organises it into an integral whole.

DOCUMENTED SOURCES OF DATA

Documents are a very important, dependable and valuable source of information. A document is nothing but a written record
that contains important information about a problem or aspect of study. It may be a report, a diary, letter, history, official
and non-official records, proceedings of the legislature, committees, societies, surveys, journals, periodicals, speeches etc.

Types of Document: Strictly speaking it is very difficult to classify the documents. All the documents have different types
and traits and elements in them. For the convenience of the study they have been classified under the following two heads:

I. Personal documents

II. Public documents

Personal documents

These documents are recorded by the individuals. An individual may record his views and thought about various problems.
He may do so because of his personal interest in those problems and without knowing that these documents at a latter date
may form it a subject or source of study.

Types of personal documents: Personal documents may be categorised under the following heads for the convenience of
the study:

i) Life history

ii) Letters

iii) Memoires
In the area of business research these personal documents are of not of much use except in case these pertain to business
leaders. Even in such a case they have limited use.

Public Documents

Public documents may be divided into the following two categories:

i) Unpublished records: Such records, although they deal with the matters of public interest, are not available to people
in published form. It means that everybody cannot have access to them. Proceedings of the meetings, noting on the
files and memoranda etc…, form the category of unpublished records. It is said that these records are very reliable.
Since there is no fear of their being made public, the writers give out their views clearly.

ii) Published records: These records are available to people for investigation and perusal. Survey reports, report of
enquiries and such other documents fall under this category.

The data contained in these documents are considered by some people as quite reliable because the collecting agency knows
that it shall be difficult to test while others are of the view that if the data are to be published, the collecting or publishing
agency does some window-dressing as a result of which the accuracy is sometimes doubtful.
Most of the information that is now available to people and researchers in regard to business environment, are to be found
in the form of reports. The reports published by government are considered as more dependable. On the other hand some
people think that the reports that are published by certain private individuals and agencies are more dependable and reliable.

Chapter 4

STRUCTURING AND WRITING THE PROJECT REPORT

ORDER OF CONTENTS

The content of the whole dissertation includes essential preliminary information and relevant support material in addition
to the main body of the text. The order of presentation of the contents is prescribed.

1. Title page

2. List of contents

3. List of Tables

4. List of Figures

5. Acknowledgements

6. Preface

7. Text (Main body of Dissertation)

8. Appendices

9. Bibliography

Title Page

The information to be given on the Title Page is normally rigidly prescribed by the degree awarding body. Typically, the
required information consists of:

i) the full title of the dissertation.

ii) the full name of the author and, if desired, any qualification or distinctions (which should be included in an abbreviated
form).

iii) the qualification for which the dissertation in being submitted as part of a statement that it is submitted in partial
fulfilment of the requirements of the award.

iv) the degree awarding body.

v) the name of the institution in which the research is registered on dissertation to be submitted.

vi) the month and year of submission.

The layout of the title page is centred between the prescribed margin. The vertical centre line is approximately 110mm from
left-hand edge of the page. An example of a title page is shown in Figure 4.1

List of Contents

In preparing the list of contents exceptional care should be taken. The contents sheet is a map to the various section of the
report. The list of contents should cover all the essential parts of the report and yet be concise and easy to understand.

The heading CONTENTS in capital letters appears at the top. The list of contents presents the heading of the chapters and
any subheadings exactly as they appear in the text. An example of the list of contents is shown in Figure 4.2.

List of Tables and Figures

After the list of contents, list of tables and figures are provided. Each list start with separate page. The heading for these
lists maybe all in capital letters – LIST OF TABLES, LIST OF FIGURES.

Table and Figures are numbered as 1.1, 2.1, 3.2, 4.1. The first number refers to the chapter number and the second one to
the serial order of the table or figure within the chapter.

Acknowledgement

It is customary to acknowledge any assistance or support that has been given during the research. Generally if the
acknowledgement section is short it is merged with the preface. If it is rather long, a separate section is created. The purpose
of acknowledgement is to recognise the contributions and help of individuals other than the researcher in the conduct of
research. An example of Acknowledgement is shown in Figure 4.3.

Preface
The prefae is written by the author to indicate the genesis of the research project, its importance and need and the focus of
the research findings for the intended audience.
 A PROJECT REPORT ON (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 17)

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

FOR QUALITY(TIMES ROMAN, FONT 24)

A CASE STUDY OF (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 16)

CONTROLS & SWITCHGEAR COMPANY LTD.
222, OKHLA INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, NEW DELHI-1100020 (TIMES ROMAN,
FONT 16)

SUBMITTED TO (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 16)

ALL INDIA MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 18)
CENTRE FOR MANAGEMENT EDUCATION (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 15)
MANAGEMENT HOUSE, 14 INSTITUTIONAL AREA, (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 12)
LODHI ROAD, NEW DELHI-110003 (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 12)

JANUARY 1998 (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 15)

By (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 15)

RAJ KUMAR SINGH (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 15)
REGISTRATION NO. 109610560 (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 11)

Guided By (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 14)

MR. M. CHANDRA SEKHAR (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 14)
CORPORATE TRAINER (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 14)
For the partial fulfilment of (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 12)

Post Graduate Diploma in Management (TIMES ROMAN, FONT 13)

Figure 4.1: Example of Title Page(TIMES ROMAN, FONT 9)

CONTENTS
Chapter Page No.

1. INTRODUCTION 1

1.1 India’s Export Scene

1.2 Globalization of India’s Exports

1.3 Concept & Stages of Convertibility

1.4 Likely Impact of Convertibility on Exports.

2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 17

2.1 Statement of Problem

2.2 Justification of Study

2.3 Objective of Study

2.4 Research Design

2.5 Sources of Data

2.6 Analysis and Presentation

2.7 Limitations of study

3. PROFILE OF BUILDERS HARDWARE INDUSTRY 22

3.1 Introduction and Growth

3.2 Present Scenario

3.3 Products Offered

3.4 World Market for Builders Hardware

4. Case Study of Builders Hardware Unit 33

4.1 History

4.2 Export Markets

4.3 Liberalization and Likely Impact of Convertibility on X-International’s Export

5. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTIONS 49

Figure 4.2: Example of List of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I have had considerable help and support in making this project report a
reality.

First and foremost, a gratitude goes to Ms. Anupam Srivastava, Programme Manager & faculty member – AIMA-CME,
who provided me all the guidanceand support in realizing the dissertation.

I am specially indebted to Mr. M. Chandra Sekhar, a Corporate Guru, my Guide, who gave me an opportunity to get exposed
to the wonderful world of TQM and ISO 9000 Quality Assurance System.

I must thank the employees of the C&SG Co. Ltd., particularly Egr. S.B. Mishra, for his support and valuable contribution
in providing the required data.

Thanks are also due to the staffs of AIMA-CME Library and Information Centre.

My friends, Mr. Rajeeb Biswas (MBA) & Mr. Shantanu Nath (MCA) provided extremely useful comments, suggestions
and input during drafting and world-processing of the report.

-Raj Kumar Singh,

New Delhi-110003

January, 1998
Figure 4.3: Example of Acknowledgement

STRUCTURING AND WRITING THE PROJECT REPORT

ORDER OF CONTENTS

The content of the whole dissertation includes essential preliminary information and relevant support material in addition
to the main body of the text. The order of presentation of the contents is prescribed.

1. Title page

2. List of contents

3. List of Tables

4. List of Figures

5. Acknowledgements

6. Preface

7. Text (Main body of Dissertation)

8. Appendices

9. Bibliography

Title Page

The information to be given on the Title Page is normally rigidly prescribed by the degree awarding body. Typically, the
required information consists of:

i) the full title of the dissertation.

ii) the full name of the author and, if desired, any qualification or distinctions (which should be included in an abbreviated
form).

iii) the qualification for which the dissertation in being submitted as part of a statement that it is submitted in partial
fulfilment of the requirements of the award.

iv) the degree awarding body.

v) the name of the institution in which the research is registered on dissertation to be submitted.

vi) the month and year of submission.

The layout of the title page is centred between the prescribed margin. The vertical centre line is approximately 110mm from
left-hand edge of the page. An example of a title page is shown in Figure 4.1

List of Contents

In preparing the list of contents exceptional care should be taken. The contents sheet is a map to the various section of the
report. The list of contents should cover all the essential parts of the report and yet be concise and easy to understand.

The heading CONTENTS in capital letters appears at the top. The list of contents presents the heading of the chapters and
any subheadings exactly as they appear in the text. An example of the list of contents is shown in Figure 4.2.

List of Tables and Figures

After the list of contents, list of tables and figures are provided. Each list start with separate page. The heading for these
lists maybe all in capital letters – LIST OF TABLES, LIST OF FIGURES.

Table and Figures are numbered as 1.1, 2.1, 3.2, 4.1. The first number refers to the chapter number and the second one to
the serial order of the table or figure within the chapter.

Acknowledgement

It is customary to acknowledge any assistance or support that has been given during the research. Generally if the
acknowledgement section is short it is merged with the preface. If it is rather long, a separate section is created. The purpose
of acknowledgement is to recognise the contributions and help of individuals other than the researcher in the conduct of
research. An example of Acknowledgement is shown in Figure 4.3.

Preface

The prefae is written by the author to indicate the genesis of the research project, its importance and need and the focus of
the research findings for the intended audience.

MAIN BODY OF THE DISSERTATION

The order of some of the contents of the text or main body of the dissertation is firmly established while others depend upon
the individual nature of a study. A general guide to the order of presentation of material may be seen as following a logical
sequence:

1. Introduction

2. Method of approach

3. Presentation and analysis of evidence

4. Summary and conclusions

How this structure is developed in terms of chapters depends on the nature of the research. However, in general, the flow
of the dissertation would be expected to incorporate the following elements.

Introduction

A description and explanation of the purposes and scope of the study and the circumstances that led to its formulation.
Restrict to 10 pages approximately. It should have relevant data about important markets, market sizes, characteristics for
atleast 3 years. It should also have data on potential and projections for the segment being studied as well as industry as a
whole.

Aims of the investigation

A description of the rationale within which the research questions are to be pursued. The general aims and precise objectives
of the research are defined. This section includes a statement of the hypothesis to be examined in the research as well as the
assumptions.

The Context of the investigation

A survey, usually historical detail of the research and the development of ideas to which the present-research contributes.
This section normally includes the main survey and critical appraisal of the literature relating to the research topic.

Research Design

This section describes the means and methods by which research was persued in practice, including organisation and
admistration of the date-gathering strategies. The resulting data or evidence are presented and analysed in relation to the
hypothesis or research questions.

Conclusions

The meaning and significance of the analysis of the evidence in relation to the research questions is described and
conclusions clearly presented. Student should very clearly highlight what benefit did organization got by his/her research
and how he/she was benefited by it. This can come under `Presentation and Analysis’ of evidence or `Summary and
Conclusions’.

(Most of the students are not clearly mentioning this) otherwise it looks like a mere study not a research.

Writing the introduction chapter

This chapter introduces the reader to the area being investigated. It basically includes most of the proposal contents. After
reading the introduction, the reader should known why you decided to do the research and how you decided to go about it.
In general the introduction chapter may be composed of four sections, these are:

1. The first section starts with a description of past research which is relevant to the problem. This section may be entitled
‘Nature of the problem’, ‘Scope of the research’, Rationale for the research’, ‘Background to the problem’ and the
like. Here, an exhaustive review of past research is not necessary, rather you want to describe only the research and/or
theoretical issues that are clearly related to your study. You should state explicitly how this previous work is logically
connected to your problem. This tells the reader why your research was conducted.

2. The second section of the introduction tells the reader what your aim is, what objectives are to be achieved and what
hypothesis (or key questions) are being examined. This part may be entitled ‘Research goals’.

3. The third section should describe the method you used to achieve your aim and objectives. This part may be entitled
‘Outline methodology of the research’.

4. The final part of the introduction tells the reader about the chapters of the dissertation. This part may be entitle
‘Dissertation contents’.

Writing the chapter on research design and methodology

This chapter needs to be inserted after the Introduction. It may also be entitled ‘Procedure of data gathering’, ‘Research
design and methodology’ or the like. In this chapter, you need to explain how the problem was investigated and describe
the tool that you used to make the investigation, i.e., your questionnaire or the data collection format. You also need to
describe the characteristics of your research sample and method of analysis.

This chapter should clearly specify the chosen sampling technique and sample size. It should also give the rationale for the
same. It should be given under a sub-heading “sampling plan”.

I suggest that this chapter may include the following sections.

Section 1: statement of research aim

This should be a repeat of your stated aim to remind the reader as to what you intend to investigate.

Section 2: rationale of the research questionnaire

In this section you need to rationalise your questionnaire by stating why have you asked the questions you did. Remember,
you questionnaire consists of, say, three to five section headings and each heading contains a number of questions which
are related to your research objectives. Your task, therefore, is to refer to the questionnaire which is usually inserted in the
Appendix and discuss each section individually. For instance, what did you intend to obtain from the respondent? Which
objective would you achieve by asking that group questions? Has there been a similar type of questions asked by fellow
researchers? If so, refer briefly to their questionnaire or to their work.
Writing the chapter on analysis of the results
This chapter is the core part of your dissertation and will consist of the research findings expressed by texts, figures, tables,
charts, graphs and the like. It is absolutely important to present your results clearly. For this matter the following structure
for this chapter is suggested.

Section 1: analysis of the results, part 1 (the descriptive method)

This part of the dissertation will consist of questions, answers, tables, figures or charts and comments. When writing the
results sections, it is best to refer back to your questionnaire. The order in which your results are presented should correspond
to the order of your questionnaire. In general, the analysis of the results for the descriptive method can be presented
following the format below:

1. The question: Here, you state the question as was asked in the questionnaire.

2. The results/finding: Here, you present the analysis of the results in the form of table, bar chart, pie chart or a graph.

3. Comments/interpreation: After analysis the question and presenting the results in a table, chart or other form, you
need to go beyond this
step and interpret the results of your study. For instance, what do
they mean to you? Are your results similar or dissimilar to the
results of previous studies? If your results were different, why were
they different? Did you use different subjects or use different
techniques?

Section 2: Analysis of the results part -2 (statistical test)

If you applied inferential statistical tests, this part of the dissertation will then consist of hypothesis testing, tables of
correlation or association and interpretation of the result.

Writing the conclusion chapter

The conclusion chapter is the end product of your investigation and should not be confused with the results chapter or a
summary. It should be tied very closely with your introduction chapter. Before writing the conclusion chapter, you need to
read you research aim, objectives and hypothesis (or key questions), and start to conclude what you investigated within the
broader context of your proposal. Start reading the whole dissertation thoroughly and make a note of key issues of findings.
The contents of the conclusion chapter should include the following:

1. The dissertation aim.

2. Comments on the research objectives. Here take each objective in

turn and conclude what you have achieved in each objective. Are
your conclusions similar dissimilar to previous writers in the subject
area.

3. Comments on the research hypothesis or the research questions (which ever is applicable). Here state whether your
investigation proved or disproved your research hypothesis.

4. Personal recommendation (practical) as to what should and should not be done. Perhaps a development of conceptual
model of a framework can be inserted in this part of the conclusion chapter.
5. Limitations of your research. Here state what were the difficulties that you faced throughout the research process
which hindered you from achieving impart of your objectives.

6. Further research-mention the areas that need further investigation.

APPENDICES

The Appendices section of the dissertation might be thought of as being mainly the repository for the working tools of the
investigation and for information that supports the study while not being directly a part of it.

Company history analysis can become a part of a annexure, before bibliography. The main body should concentrate only
on research topic.

Each dissertation topic requires different kinds of support material and discretion must be exercised as to the amount of
material presented in the appendices. Typical appendices include:

a) Data collecting introductions used during the investigation, such as tests, questionnaires, observation and interview
schedules.

b) Examples showing how the instruments have been used such as complete interview schedule, should be included of
their inclusion helps the reader to understand the work method.

c) It is normally necessary for computer software developed as part of the research to be submitted as part of the
dissertation and this would be included as an appendix.

d) Some dissertations employ a wide range of technical terms with – specialised meanings / applications within the
context of the research. A glossary of technical terms used in dissertation, therefore, should be included appropriately
as an appendix. An example of glossary is shown in figure 4.5.

Appendices are numbered sequentially with upper case roman numerals (e.g. I, II, III. IV). Each appendix showed have a
heading that states precisely and concisely what the appendix contains.

APPENDIX – I
Interview Schedule
APPENDIX – II
Factor Analysis And Other Derived Variables
APPENDIX – III
An Example of Constructing Theoretical Model

Deficiency. Also called non-conformance; not fulfilling or satisfying an ISO standard requirement.

EC. Acronym for European Community; consists of: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,
Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom.

EFTA. Acronym for European Free Trade Association; consists of: Austria, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.

EN 45000 standards. European Norm certification standards that accreditors, registrars and laboratories must comply with.

EOTC. Acronym for European Organization for Testing and Certification; promotes mutual recognition for testing and certification.

Global certification. Acceptance of testing and certification results among countries so there is a single, transparent global trade environment.

Harmonization. Term used for standardization in order to create national, regional and international product compatibility and transparency.

IEC. Acronym for International Electrotechnical Committee; IEC is electrical equivalent of ISO.

Inspection. Method for evaluating conformity (to requirements) by testing, measuring or observing.
ISO. Acronym for International Organisation of Standardization; consists of ninety-one national signatories; ANSI is U.S representative.

ISO 9000. Formal standard title and application scope is “Quality Management and Quality Assurance Standards: Guidelines for Selection and Use”.

ISO 9001. Formal standard title and application scope is “Quality Systems: Model for Quality Assurance in Design/Development, Production,
Installation, and Servicing”.

ISO 9002. Formal standard title and application scope is “Quality Systems: Model for Quality Assurance in Final Inspection and Test”.

ISO 9003. Formal standard title and application scope is “Quality Systems: Model for Quality Assurance in Products and Installation.”

ISO 9004. Formal standard title and application scope is “Quality Management and Quality System Elements—Guidelines”.

ISO registrars. Bodies recognized, approved, or certified to conduct ISO quality system audits and to maintain lists of approved suppliers.

Laboratory accreditation. Formal recognition and approval of a testing laboratory to conduct specific tests.

Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award (MBNQA). U.S. national quality award, administered by NIST and ASQC.

Firue 4.5: Example of Glossary

BIBLIOGRAPHY

The bibliography includes text and all other sources that have been referred to in the body of the dissertation. The
bibliography is the final section of dissertation and is located after the appendices.

In order to identify a particular text clearly and accurately, it is necessary to have certain minimal reference information.
This information primary consist of:

the name of author

the year of publication

the title of publication

the place of publication

the name of publication

1. Bibliographical references for books:

Hall, L. (1979), Business Administration (3rd Edit). Estover, Ply mouth, New York: Collier Macmillan.

Guleck, W.F and Jawch, L. R, Business Policy and Strategic Management. McGraw Hill, 1984.

2. Bibliographical references to collected works

Weinshall, T.D. (Ed). 1977. Culture and Management Harmonds-worth: Penguin 107-130.
 Takeuchi, H and Michale E. Porter “Three Roles of International Marketing in Global Strategy” in Competition in
Global Industries, ed. Micwall Porter (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1986): 113.

3. Bibliographical references for article in periodicals

Ted Levitt, “The Globalisation of Markets”, Harvard Business Review (may- June 1983): 92-192.

Fred Gluck, “A Fresh Look at Strategic management”, Journal of Business Strategy (Fall 1985): 23.

4. Bibliographical references for non-print media.

Reference to national transmitted or available electronically, such as computer programmes, CD-ROM, the Internet
and E-mail, follow the same format as print-based materials but with minor variations. In all cases, specific identifiers
should be included in the sequence to show access routes.

Computer Programmes

Data Mate Survery Software (1995) Worcester : Simple surveys.

CD -ROM

Mac Rai s (1995) Introduction to Research Design and Statistics

(CD – ROM). Leicester: British Psychological Society.

Internet

Greenwash Jed Greer & Uenny Bruno. Third World Network: TNCs in
recent years

http: /www. Southbond.company.my / Souths / twn / title / gree –cn.Ltm –

Size 24 – 30 March – ’97 – English –

E-mail

Worden.S. (1996), Networking in art and design (summary).

Design – Research@mailbase.ac.uk (24 July 1996).

Audio tape

Diwan, Parag (1997), Total Quality Management (Audio Cassette), AIMA

– Excel Book.

The Final Words...

The result provided the guidelines that simplify the writing and organising of the dissertation material. It illustrated the logic
of structuring the dissertation. In general, a dissertation is composed of three main parts. Part one covers the introduction
chapter. Part two covers the research design. Part three covers analysis of the results and conclusions. The main points to
remember are:

1. The introduction chapter should state the problem, purpose of study, aim, objectives, hypothesis and contents of the
dissertation.
2. The literature chapters should be divided into sections with specific themes. All questions must be acknowledged. At
the end of each chapter, you need to appraise (critically or otherwise) the material that you included.

3. The research design chapter should give the technique that you used to gather the information, the rationale to then
questionnaire, the source of data, characteristic of the sample, the method of analysis and /or format for presenting the
findings.

4. The results chapter should clearly state the issues under investigation, the findings, and comments or interpretation of
the results.

5. The conclusion chapter should comment on the objectives and hypothesis (s) that are stated in the introduction chapter.

6. The references/bibliography should follow a uniform system.

7. Other mechanics of presenting a dissertation, such as length and page formatting should be followed in accordance
with the rules and regulations set by your institution.

8. Depending upon the problem and data a project report should be covered between 80-100 typed pages (double space).
Each page must be typed only one side, leaving a wide margin.
 IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS

You are required to:

Send ONE copy of the Synopsis for approval before starting on your project.

Two copies of Project, one should be asked for and student should be advised to retain a copy of Project for his/her
reference as the evaluated Project will not be send back to the student.

The copy of the approved synopsis and the Performa given on page 5 is to be bound with the first copy of the report.

⚫ It normally takes CME 6 to 8 weeks to arrange evaluation

⚫ Total Project Report should normally be between 75-100 pages, A4 size bond paper, Font Size 11 or 12 point Times
Roman. Larger Size for headings and chapter titles. These should be in bold assignments, 1 and half line spacing
should be used for the body of the report, Margins: 4.0 cms on LHS and 2.5 cm on top, right and bottom sides. All
figures / diagrams/graphs and charts should be labeled and numbered and be referred to in the text. Before final
printing exhaustive proof reading should be done particularly for spelling mistakes and grammatical mistakes. Report
should be written in the present tense. Appendices should come after glossary and bibliography

EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR PROJECT REPORT

Max. Marks
A. Written Report (100)
Clarity of Subject title 10
Clarity objectives, scope and coverage of the study
Design of the study and Methodology:
Review of earlier work/literature available of the subject, 20
data collection, primary, secondary questionnaire used
where applicable:
Analysis and Interpretations of data :
Data processing techniques (manual/computer): quantitative 20
OR other tools made use of.
Innovative techniques/approach to problem solving 10
Finding of Research study; recommendations, suggestions, 15
policy issues
Report writing and presentation: language, composition and 15
chapter Scheme
Usefulness of the study: applicability in business/industry, in 10
decision making system development.

Covering letter with Project Synopsis must carry the following

informations:
i) Name
ii) Address for correspondence
iii) Registration No.
 iv) Name of Project Guide
v) Designation and Address of Project Guide
vi) Title of the Project

Covering letter with Project Report

i) Name
ii) Registration number
iii) Permanent Address
iv) Designation and Office Address

v) Name, Designation and Address of Head Personnel Manager of your Organisation.

 “PROJECT REPORT SYNOPSIS”

Name : Raj kumar Singh

Registration Number : 109610560. (PGDM)

Address for Correspondence : C/o- Mr. Sukhbir Singh

F - 29, Bersarai, Hauzkhas,
New Delhi – 110 016

Name of Project Guide : Mr. M. Chandra Sekhar

Designation & Address : President,

Achievement Labs. (Management

Consultancy)

F – 21 A, Sec – 27, NOIDA

Phone Nos. 91 – 541, 91 – 533678,

Fax – 91 – 556611

Title of the project : “Training & Development for Quality”

—A Case Study of

M/s – CONTROLS & SWITCHGEAR CO. LTD.

222, Okhla Industrial Estate,

New Delhi – 110 020

Statement about the problem:

Fierce new international competition, astounding new technologies and deep shifts in the nature of the work force, all
bring unprecedented challenges to those charged with improving work force competence and productivity.

1. Why is the particular topic chosen?

The liberalisation and globalisation of Indian economy during the last six years (1991-1997) have changed the overall
business scenario in our country. Indian industries are experiencing unprecedented changes in economical
governmental, organisation, Societal and Attitudinal areas. They now not just have to survive the cut throat competition
with the rival national companies but also have to compete with a multitude of multinational companies (MNCs) doing
business aggressively in the country. This has resulted in unprecedented competition in the market to the benefit of
the customer.
 The characteristic of market has become that of the buyers market. Today’s buyer is a very discerning personality,
who demands better products at lower price. To make this happen providers of products and services must improve
quality of their human resources along with improvement in the quality of various other resources and technology,
because the more trained and qualified manpower, the better the
quality output emerges. Thus training and development of human
resources is very important as it directly affects the performance quality of the organisation. Within most formulation
of HRM itself, training
and employee development represent the vital if not the pivotal
components.

Precisely rapid extension in the frontiers of knowledge, the continuing need for developing high quality manpower
and the fear of managerial obsolescence, have necessitated more frequent and strategically
planned identification and implementation of training and development programmes. Hence topic chosen is very
relevant in the present corporate scenario and has emerged form my area of interest.

2. What contribution would the project make?

Since the project intends to focus on the activities performed in the different phases of training and finally critically
analyses the whole system of training and development, hence the contribution made by it would be of the following
nature:

i) It would provide information to the management of the concerned organisation for day-to-day decision making.

ii) It could be used for knowledge, problem solving, explanation oriented studies, identification of potential areas of
training and in designing and implementation of training programme more effectively in future.

iii) It would motivate everyone involved in HRD to take a longer term view of training by suggesting that expenses on
training programmes should not be viewed as short term cost but as a long time “investment”.

iv) This understanding would make the top management more committed to training and development of employees.

v) It would act as a triggering mechanism for the progression of other HRM policies that are aimed recruiting, retaining
and rewarding employees who are recognised as the qualitative difference between organisations.

vi) It would be helpful in linking HRM with the total strategy of the organisation comprising marketing, product
engineering, manufacturing system engineering and business systems.

vii) It could be used in developing and executing the competitive achievement plans (CAPS) which every business unit is
required to have.

viii) It would the effort to keep cost down in many areas e.g. Production. It could also be used in increasing productivity
and quality of work.

ix) It is said that the single biggest block in the implementation of any
training activity in an organisation is reluctance of managers to release their subordinates for training programmes.
The project report would improve the attitude of managers towards training and development programmes.

Objectives and Scope of Study:

1. Objectives : At the end of the project I would be able to:

i) understand the training and development policies of M/S CONTROLS & SWITCHGEAR CO. LTD.

ii) experience the training need identification process for all categories of employees.

iii) Develop understanding of designing of the training moods of various kinds.

iv) Gain an experience in the issues involved in conduction of training.

v) Know and evaluate the effectiveness of training programmes.

vi) To suggest steps to make the existing training policy more effective/to evolve a training strategy for the
organisation.

2. Scope : The study covers managers’, supervisors’ and workers’ training in the aspects of technical cum managerial
and behavioural interventions.

Methodology

i. Study of records

ii. Observations

iii. Interviews

iv. Questionnaire

v. Discussions, Consulting Group and Experiential

vi. Statistical techniques to analyse and represent the collected data.

Chapter Scheme:

Table of Contents

Preface

Acknowledgement

Chapter 1 : Introduction of the problem

Chapter 2 : Theoretical Perspectives

Chapter 3 : Methodology and Presentation of data

Chapter 4 : Basic Phases in Training & Development

 4.1 Identification of Training Needs & Specifying
Objectives

4.2 Designing & Implementation of Training

Programme

4.3 Evaluation of Training Programme

Chapter 5 : Summary & Conclusion

Appendices

Annexure

References

Bibliography
 SECTION - II
(Only for PGDITM Students)

A GUIDE TO DESIGNING LIVE INFORMATION

TECHNOLOGY APPLIATION PROJECT
 Chapter 5

INTRODUCTION

This section presents additional material for PGDITM students to help them to develop Information Technology
Application Project.

Information Technology finds applications in virtually every field. The types of uses information technology are put to
increase every day as computer and communications hardware and software becomes more powerful, more sophisticated
and less expensive. What started off as a large calculator is now used in areas as diverse as cartoon films and space
applications. Computers are being used for commercial as well as engineering applications, and for simple as well as
complex applications. Telecommunication is combined with computers to build globally integrated organisations.

In this section we are going to discuss some of the area where information technology find application in a business
environment. The areas which we are going to discuss are not the only ones, there are many more areas which one can
visualise. Apart from listing the areas for information technology applications, we are also going to discuss the steps to be
followed in information technology application.

BASIC STEPS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IMPLEMENTATION

Broadly the total Information Technology implementation process can be divided into six phases:

1. Selection and identification of the project.

2. Making a cost-benefit analysis and conducting a feasibility study of the project.

3. Defining precisely what the problem is.

4. Designing the system.

5. Implementing the system including updating and maintaining the system.

6. Evaluation of the working efficiency of the system.

Let us briefly describe these phases.

Phase 1: Selection and identification of the project

There are several ways in which a particular project can be selected:

(i) The most important reason for selection of the project is an organisational requirement.

(ii) Often request comes from departmental heads within the organisation. For example, the Marketing Manager feels that
it would be a good idea to obtain product-wise, area-wise, salesman-wise, sales and profitability statements. Though
by themselves these requests are justified, one would perhaps like to think of the effect that a new system would have
on the whole organisation. It might mean perhaps a complete restructuring of codes to generate this information. The
 cost and benefits would then have to be compared and may be the ultimate decision might be to modify the request
and adjust it to suit the present availability of information.

(iii) The necessity to integrate or link the other existing systems, might lead to a selection of a new project.

(iv) Similarly, when one have completed a system study for a particular area, one may find considerable potential in another
area which would be worth for an investigation.

(v) Sometimes ideas come from outside sources like – seminars, journals, newspapers etc.

There could perhaps be several other reasons or ways and means as to how a project comes to be selected. However, some
broad criteria should be evolved for project selection. Some of these are:

(i) A cost-benefit analysis will reveal how much benefit one can obtain from the study. If the benefit is not comparable
with the labour, time and expenditure involved, it is best to postpone the project. Priority of studies should be based
on their benefits.

(ii) “Do we have the capability of doing the job?” In many cases, the technical know-how may just not be available with
the Systems department.

(iii) Development of Integrated system can be the important criterion, since the particular system under study cannot be
completed without a parallel implementation of the related system.

(iv) Finally, there might be a critical corporate need for a specific information to be generated. The project might easily
get rejected by cost benefit analysis, but such considerations become of secondary importance. The benefits in this
case may be abstract and difficult to define.

Phase 2: Cost-benefit analysis and feasibility study

Cost-benefit analysis has three portions:

(i) Costs

This would include cost of the machine, manpower and all the overheads involved in development of the system. These
costs are not one time costs. They are spread over the period from system study phase to system implementation phase.

(ii) Benefits

This would include all tangible and intangible benefits because of improvements in the procedures etc.

(iii) Return on Investment

When the cost-benefit analysis has been completed, it is possible to decide whether a project is worthwhile for the
organisation to undertake. There can be two criteria to decide whether it is worthwhile – one is purely financial and this can
be measured in terms of return on investment; and the other might be purely non-financial, which would be a subjective
proposition.

The feasibility study should, therefore clearly show if the system will meet the objectives and, if so, at what cost and at what
return on investment. To summarise –

(i) The important characteristics of the system should be identified.

(ii) The inputs and outputs and the important resources of time should be determined.

(iii) The numerous varieties and volume of information to be generated and the data from which such information is to be
generated should be determined.

(iv) Find out if there are alternative ways of giving the user what he wants.

(v) Calculate estimates of costs for each alternative. Similarly, calculate financial benefits of each alternative.

(vi) Make out a feasibility report from the above data to enable management to take a decision.

Phase 3: Defining the System

Once the feasibility study indicates that it is worthwhile to have the system, it is necessary to define the system and
examining each and every element of it in a thorough manner. One of the fundamental pre-requisites for this is a great
amount of team work between the systems department and the user department and an open, frank, and intelligent approach
to analyse problems. Defining the project is not often an easy business. What appears on the surface might only be a
symptom, the problem might be altogether something else. The analyst must, therefore, record all the facts available asking
the six famous questions.

(i) What is being achieved? What is the process?

(ii) Why is it necessary?

(iii) How is it done?

(iv) Where is the work done?

(v) Who does it?

(vi) When is it being done?

Analyst must probe into the problem in depth instead of being merely satisfied with the superficial facts of the problem. As
in any management situation, it is best to start by defining objectives i.e. what are the various goals which the system seeks
to achieve? There will be the main objectives and sub-objectives of the system. The sub-system objectives must be consistent
with the main system objectives and also with the overall goals of the p73 information system. Once an objective is defined,
it is possible to list out all the data elements required to get the necessary output from the system.

Once the data elements are known, one can find out how they can be introduced into the system. Once can easily find-out
the relationships between the elements.

Phase 4: Designing the system

The most important part of system implementation is designing the system. The various elements of the system would
include:

Flow of information

Data files

Output layouts
 Methods and Procedures

Forms

Specifications of the programmes, etc.

The broad pattern of information flow would have been established, when the system was defined in previous phase. Once
the information flow is defined, one can make a system flow chart showing:

the inputs

files

processing stages

error checks

outputs, etc.

One of the factors to be noted is the frequency of output reports, the retention period of files, etc. One must use the system
designing tools like – flowcharting, decision tables etc.

An important methodology to be followed is to divide a system into elements. The logic is that it is far easier to handle an
element or a sub-division of a problem than the problem as a whole. This is also called the modular approach. The advantages
of such an approach are:

- The entire problem can be divided in terms of complexity and in terms of human skills required to undertake the tasks.
This makes for better human resource utilisation.

- It makes for easier documentation because one is dealing with one specific subject at a time.

- It becomes easier when any modification is called for.

- One of the main advantages with a modular system is in regard to integration with other systems.

- The designing of modular system is comparatively easy.

- A general purpose module can be tailored to suit a number of different purposes within a given range.

The task of designing a system calls for a great amount of innovation and creativity to get the maximum advantage. One of
the main aspects which should be kept in mind is that the design should be flexible for the user. This means that the analyst
should not have to be bothered about designing a special retrieval run out, every time such a need arises. The emphasis here
is on creativity. Creativity is just a matter of thinking in new ways as opposed to following the beaten track.

To enable an Analyst to design a good system, the following may be done:

- Other systems which are used in similar situations should be examined in details to find out if useful ideas can be
borrowed. It is very rarely that we get a problem which is altogether unique. Similar problems always exist and if one
can benefit by the experience of others, such an opportunity should never be missed. However, if we have an idea each
and exchanged them, each of us would be left with two ideas. One of the permanent preoccupations of an analyst
should be to generate and exchange ideas.
- Brainstorming is a very potent technique for idea creation.

- Various available techniques should be used like – decision tables, statistical techniques, simulation etc.

- Enough time should be devoted to the design phase.

The end project of the Design Phase will be a document having the following:

(i) Narration of the functions of the system.

(ii) A Procedure flow chart indicating the major manual and computer operations of the system.

(iii) The inter-relationships between inputs, outputs and files.

(iv) The linkages between programmes.

(v) Flow charts giving in detail the interaction of input, output and files.

(vi) The specifications of the programmes.

(vii) The specification of files.

In addition, one may have to prepare a revised estimates of the costs of the programmes as the details would have become
clearer more than earlier.

Based on the specifications, the programmer writes the programmes and validates them. Meanwhile the systems analyst
develops the test data with the help of the user department. The system is then tested first with the test data and later with
the actual data.

Phase 5: Implementation of New System

When the system is designed properly, it is essential that the system is implemented properly to obtain the intended
objectives. The implementation phase is the point at which many well designed systems are failed. Hence the need for
giving it considerable importance and attention. The system analyst has an important role in regard to the implementation
of the system. The procedure that should be followed is as follows:

(i) It is necessary to plan the entire system fully and exercise strict control to ensure that performance is according to
plan. As one progresses with the implementation, one may find all kinds of unexpected problems cropping up, and,
therefore, a flexible planning and control system should be applied.

(ii) It would be very important to assign tasks to each individual who is participating in the system project and also lay
down objectives for each of them. Time is an important element in setting up objectives.

(iii) It should be ensured that standards are laid down for all phases of work.

(iv) The user and the data processing staff should be well trained in the use of new system.

(v) It is necessary to prepare user and operating manuals.

To summarise, the main activities of the implementation phase are:

(i) The computer programmes should be written and they should be compiled and made error-free with test data and
actual data.

(ii) Master files should be prepared from the data collected.

(iii) Newly designed forms should be introduced for the different user departments.

(iv) Training programmes should be organised to make the users thoroughly conversant with the new system.

(v) Plan operations and institute a control system for input documents and for processing by computer.

(vi) Full supervision should be exercised while the system is operated. Test and ensure that all parts of the system are
working satisfactorily and meet objectives of the project.

(vii) Each system module should be separately tested first by test data and later with actual data.

Phase 6: Evaluating the System

Merely getting a new system operating without errors is not the end of an analysts’ job. It is desirable to evaluate the system
after a period of time - may be two/four months. There are various reasons why such an evaluation is very necessary.

(i) The actual performance is gauged to find out how well it has achieved the objectives originally set forth.

(ii) The manner in which the system is actually operating should be assessed in order to determine its efficiency and
examine whether any improvements can be made.

(iii) An evaluation of the actual performance can give an analyst a great amount of knowledge in terms of the strengths
and weaknesses of the system, its good and bad points.

The various factors that have to be taken into account while doing such an evaluation are the actual cost of operation of the
system, the benefits accrued, the timing, the user satisfaction, the volume of errors and the consequences of such errors and
the areas where problems exist. These should be compared with those estimated during the feasibility and design phases of
the project. The variances, if any should be investigated to determine the reasons for such variations. It is only through the
identification of such variations and their analysis, that it would be possible to identify the areas where improvement is
possible.

The evaluation done and the improvements made should be written down in the form of a formal report for future guidance.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS – SOME EXAMPLES

Today, information technology are used in some form or the other in almost every field you can think of. We now discuss
some of the more common applications for which information technology are used in business organisations.

1. Inventory Accounting System

Inventory refers to a stock of materials or goods. Every organisation uses various materials for its functioning.
Manufacturing organisations keep stocks of raw material, finished goods and spares. Trading and retail organisations hold
a stock of purchased goods which are to be sold.

Inventory systems keep track of the quantity of material that is available, the quantity that has been received and the quantity
that has been issued. Inventory systems also compute the value of stock and trigger-off placement of purchase orders
whenever the quantities go low. Adequate stocks are required to ensure that adequate material is available to the organisation
at the right time. However, higher stocks require a higher investment. Hence, optimum quantities of stocks should be
maintained. The average quantity of stock, the reorder point and reorder quantity of each item depend upon the rate of
consumption, the value of the item and the lead time for purchase.

The system maintains files with item details and their stock levels. Transactions of issue are entered when issues are made
and the stock levels reduced by the issue quantity. When orders are placed, the quantity on order is incremented. Receipts
are used to increase stock on hand in the file while decreasing the quantity on order. The item stocks and values are used
for generating the valuation of stocks. Data on issues is used for consumption analysis.

Every computer based application system contains outputs in the form of reports and inquiries, receives some inputs, and
processes these inputs. So to define any computerised system, one needs to define these requirements.

To set up the system, data is gathered on:

- items-name, units of measure, etc.

- current stock level of items at a particular cut-off date

- data on suppliers of the items

Inputs to the system for regular processing are:

- issues made-item, amount, date, party issued to, store issued from, etc.

- receipts of goods – item, quantities, dates, etc.

- adjustments to stock due to write-offs, damaged stock, etc.

- purchase bills

Processing in the system includes:

- processing of issues, receipts and adjustment transactions

- valuation of stocks

- analysis of stock and consumption patterns (such as ABC analysis, analysis of fast/slow/non-moving items)

- processing for purchase orders

Outputs to be generated from the system are:

- stock ledger

- inventory status report

- report of items below reorder level

- report of items overdue

- ABC analysis
- analysis of consumption

- analysis of fast/slow/non-moving items

- stock valuation reports

The above illustration about the inventory accounting system is just to give you an idea about the system, if one has to do
the complete project on this system one has to follow the complete steps defined for system analysis, design and
implementation.

2. Financial Accounting System

All organisations keep accounts. Accounting involves recording, classifying and summarising transactions and events which
are of financial nature. Financial accounting is mainly concerned with the preparation of Profit and Loss statements and
Balance Sheets. Modules for managing accounts receivables and account payable are often included in financial accounting
packages.

Every transaction in a financial accounting system has a credit side and a debit side. The total debit amount in a transaction
matches the total credit. One account head may be credited and another will be debited with the same amount. A transaction
could involve multiple accounts being credited and debited while maintaining the credit amount total equal to the total debit
amount.

Financial accounting is concerned with entering all transactions and keeping track of the balances of the various account
heads. The summary of the balances and of the transactions is presented in the form of profit and loss statement and balance
sheet. The reports are used to understand the financial operations of the organisations.

Financial accounting as an area is extremely amenable to computerisation. The method of accounting is similar across
companies, with a few minor differences. A large number of readymade software packages are available in the market.

To set up a financial accounting system, master data containing account heads along with a classification of accounts needs
to be carried out:

The regular processing involves:

- entry of transactions

- printing of cash and bank books

- printing of the general ledger

- producing the profit and loss statement and balance sheet

- producing other reports on accounts receivable and payable

Annual processing involves closing the year, producing year-ending reports and initialising the account heads for a new
year.

For processing, transactions from the regular input. The following transactions are typical in most financial accounting
systems:

- sales invoices
- purchase bills

- payment vouchers

- receipt vouchers

- journal vouchers

- debit and credit notes

While all transactions are essentially processed using the conventional double entry (debit and credit) system, different
forms are used for different transactions in order to capture additional information and reference data.

Processing includes:

- validation of the transactions - valid account heads, credit equal to debit, transaction date in valid range etc.

- posting the transaction under the correct account/sub-account heads

- summarising the accounts and transactions to produce the periodic profit and loss and balance sheet

- printing details of accounts receivable

- printing details of accounts payable

- printing the day books and ledgers

- facilitating reconciliation of accounting entries

Outputs of financial accounting systems includes:

- Cash book

- bank book

- sales day book

- purchase day book

- general ledger

- subsidiary ledgers

- trial balance

- profit and loss statement

- balance sheet

- accounts receivable details

- customer statement of accounts

- accounts payable detail statement

- annual profit and loss statement

- annual balance sheet

3. Payroll Systems

The payroll system is used to generate payslips and related reports. Every organisation pays people for the services they
render. Payment is made periodically and is based on the terms and conditions agreed upon as part of the employment
contract. Organisations use standard methods for calculating salaries and wages – there is a basic pay and additional
allowances like house rent, dearness allowance, medical, conveyance etc. which are related to the basic. Deductions are
made from the salary for income tax, insurance loan, provident fund, etc. The entire amount payable to the employee
depends on how much work has been put in, the shifts worked, overtime put in and commissions payable also affect the
amount to be paid depending on the mode of calculations.

Typical inputs for maintaining the master data are:

- changes in the employee details such as name, designation, department, status, basic, grade, allowances etc.

- modifications in the employees master file in case of new employee joined and old left the organisations.

- monthly data for each employee like without pay, commission etc.

Outputs to be generated for this application:

- payslips for the employees

- instruction to the bank for each employees’ salary

- report on income tax deducted at source

- report on insurance deductions

- maintenance of provident book for each employee

- annual salary statement for each employee for income tax purposes, etc.

The processing within the system includes:

- validation and updation of the master data file of employees

- validation of attendance data

- payslip computation

- printing of payslips and various other reports

- using yearly payslip data to compute bonus

- using payslip data and employees investment data to forecast income tax

4. Share Accounting

Shares is an investment option used by many persons. A person may purchase shares either from the company or from the
share market. A share accounting system, needs to maintain an updated list of share holders which can have – name and
address of the share holder, name of joint holders, nominees, number of shares held, distinctive numbers of shares etc.
When a person purchases shares from a share holder, a share transfer form along with the certificates is sent by the buyer
to the company for incorporating the transfer. The system records a change in ownership for the shares from the seller to
the buyer.

Periodically, the company declares a dividend or bonus or rights offer. Dividend warrants and other information relating
to bonus or rights offer needs to be mailed to all shareholders. Calculation of income tax to be deducted at source is also
to be done before printing and mailing the dividend warrants. Other facilities which can be provided in a share accounting
system are:

- bank mandate facility, where the shareholders’ dividend warrant is sent to a bank account at the shareholders’ request

- splitting of share certificates

- consolidation of shares

- mailing annual reports and other information etc.

Main inputs in a share accounting systems are:

- shareholders data

- share transfer request

- split request

- consolidation request

- request for bank mandate

- tax exemption details

- request for duplicate dividend warrants/certificates

Processing involves:

- recording the transfer of shares

- handling splitting, consolidation and duplicate requests and printing new certificates

- calculation of dividend and income tax to be deducted

Main outputs to be generated are:

- transferred share certificates

- new share certificates

- dividend warrants and counterfoils

- statement of tax deductions, etc.

5. Cost Accounting

It is used to analyse the structure of costs. Costs incurred as classified to provide meaningful data on costing. Costs incurred
could include cost of materials, labour, machines, etc. These may need to be divided into categories such as controllable
and non-controllable, fixed and variable, etc. Similarly, there are several ways of analysing the various components of costs.
Such analysis helps in taking relevant management decisions. Often cost accounting uses data from financial accounting
with additional classification and additional inputs.

An organisation places purchase orders. These have to be accounted for, which means that goods received have to be
matched against the purchase orders. Records has to be kept of whether all ordered material has been received. The supplier
bills need to be matched to the purchase order and the receipt of goods before a payment is made. Such a purchase order
accounting system accepts as input details of purchase orders, delivery challans, inspection notes, bills from suppliers and
details of payment to suppliers. Reports such as pending purchase orders, bills not raised against material received, bills not
yet paid etc. are generated by the system. This may be integrated with the inventory control system for purchase order
generation and with financial accounting for the details of bills payable.

6. Sales Accounting

It is another system that is used in many organisations. When an organisation receives a sales order, this has to be processed.
If an advance amount is received, this has to be recorded against the sales order. In case of production, the sales order has
to be fed to the production system so that production is carried out and the material is shipped. In trading systems, the order
has to be processed by the inventory control system. Track has to be kept of the shipments made against an order. The
details of the shipment and delivery challan need to be recorded. Invoices are to be raised at appropriate points and payments
are to be received.

A sales accounting system is used to generate reports such as orders received, shipments made against orders, pending
orders, matching invoices and orders, pending payments, etc. It can also be integrated with other systems such as production
systems, inventory control system and financial accounting system.

7. Fixed/Public Deposit Systems

Organisations often provide schemes through which people can deposit money with them as a fixed deposit for a certain
period of time. The organisation pays interest during this period and returns the money at the end of the period. The depositor
may choose to renew the fixed deposit for another time period. Organisations use the money collected from such deposits
to fund their activities. A fixed deposit system keeps track of the various Fixed Deposit accounts with organisation, prints
the interest statements and provides for renewal/closure of the accounts at the end of the tenure. The processing requirements
are reasonably standard and well defined and computer-based systems are commonly used for such activities. Most
organisations also provide accumulative deposit facilities, where the depositor’s interest is reinvested in the deposit. The
depositor receives the accumulated interest to the depositor for the purpose of the filing income tax returns. Brokers usually
market such schemes to the public on behalf of the organisation. Brokers make the forms available to the public and motivate
them to deposit their savings with the company. They receive a commission on the deposits made using forms which bear
their broker code. Deposit holders are also eligible for loans against their deposits from the company.

8. Project Management System

All projects comprise activities and tasks. Each has to be completed within certain scheduled time frames. Project have to
work under constraints such as manpower available, finances and availability of machines. Activities and tasks will be
dependent on each other. For example, in a software project, the testing activity can start only after the programming activity
of a function is completed. A project manager has to prepare a project plan and then monitor the progress of the project,
revising the project plan as and when required. Given the complexity of managing projects, computer-based project
management systems are often used to assist the project managers. Usually readymade packages are used for this purpose.

We have discussed some of the application areas which information technology can be applied. There are many more such
areas; few of them can be:

** Computerisation of Fast-food chains

** Computerisation of Retail stores

** Banking operations

** Airline/Railway reservation

** Production Planning and control

** Libraries

** Health centres

** Public utilities like, electricity billing, telephone billing etc.

** Electronic trading gateway strategy

** Internet for a geographically dispersed organisation

** Electronic commerce

** EDI in the automotive sector

** Financial EDI

** EDI in pharmaceutical sector

** EDI for the retail industry

** Intranet

** Extranet

** ERP

** Workflow Management