MBA Project Handbook

Document #: IBA/MBA-Project-00 Issue #: 03
Title: MBA Project Handbook
IBA Karachi
Project Handbook*
MBA PROJECT
(PRJ-701)
NAME DESIGNATION SIGNATURE DATE

WRITTEN BY: Dr. Wajid Rizvi Director Business
Administration Programs
APPROVED BY: Dr. S Akbar Zaidi Executive Director
REVISION NO.: 01
DATE OF ISSUE: 23-September-2020
*This document is developed by Business Administration Academic Affairs Office, and it

is meant only for internal /departmental use. The numbering format for this document is:
“InstituteName/ProgramDocument-Revision#”; and for all related documents:
“InstituteName/ProgramDocument/Type-Revision#
Page 1 of 8
Title: MBA Project (PRJ-701) Handbook
1. SUBJECT
Master of Business Administration (MBA) Project Handbook.
2. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVE

MBA Project is an integral part of the MBA program conducted at IBA Karachi, as it is
capstone in nature. A group of 4-6 final year students undertake a management
consulting assignment in real life business environment related to managerial and
organizational problems. It is where they apply the concepts studied in class.
MBA Project not only enables students to develop interviewing, report writing and
presenting skills, but also provides an opportunity for them to enhance their managerial
and leadership skills, besides their problem-solving, decision-making and project
management skills.
The purpose of this Handbook is to standardize and systematize the Processes relevant to
MBA Projects; it also defines the necessary controls. The objective of these Guidelines is
to update the reader regarding different activities and stakeholders in projects.
3. COMMENCEMENT
These Guidelines shall be followed for all the projects that are completed within or after
Fall-2018.
4. MBA PROJECT APPLICATION

4.1 MBA Students shall make Project Groups with 4-6 members. It is important that
Group Members belong to different industries, disciplines and backgrounds to make
the team more diverse.
4.2 Business Administration Academic Affairs (BAAA) Office invites organizations to

engage a Project Group (comprises of energetic students with sound academic and
practical background, and who under an Advisor’s supervision, can be trusted to
come up with practical and effective solutions) to solve their issues (see ‘MBA
Project Invitation Letter’). This exercise is done once per year.
4.3 Simultaneously, Project Group Members can also explore in various companies
/organizations in their network, for possible areas /problems that are worthy of
becoming MBA Project. Though, due diligence is ensured for any ‘conflict of
interest’. (i.e. working in a same department)
4.4 Once, projects are received from various organizations (clients), these are floated
among MBA Students by the BAAA Office, on first come first served basis.
4.5 IBA Karachi does not charge for any project carried out for an organization by its
students.
4.6 Project Groups may start an informal discussion (preferably through E-mails) with
one or more faculty members of IBA Karachi around their project ideas and projects
shared by the office. One of these faculty members may become the Project Advisor.
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This discussion will ensure that a “Terms of Reference” (TOR) may be finalized
with higher level details.
4.7 Each Project shall be conducted under close supervision of one (01) experienced
Project Advisor. Final assignment of advisors to projects rests with BAAA Office.
(Students are required to select an advisor from full time faculty. However, if not
found any full-time faculty than contact BAAA for further guidance).
4.8 The project scope should necessarily stick to one or more of the elements of business
administration. A project may be inter-disciplinary in nature i.e. it may revolve
around multiple interfacing areas. Projects shall be done with both local and
multinational companies (preferably those based in Karachi due to logistics’
reasons).
4.9 TOR (see ‘MBA Project TOR’ – a crucial milestone document which serves as the
main kick-off component) shall be submitted, along with the approvals of Client’s
Representative and Advisor. These shall be submitted to BAAA Office by the
prescribed week (see ‘MBA Project Lifecycle’) for Approval. Without this final
approval, no project can be considered as ‘formally started’.
4.10 Project Group Members mentioned on the TOR shall be considered final, and no
change shall be allowed in any circumstance. BAAA Office shall assign a Group
Number.
4.10.1 Group Number will follow the form: “622-701-XXX-XX”, where ‘622’ is a
code for Regular MBA, ‘701’ is course Code, ‘XXXX’ is semester code (e.g.
‘1911’ for Spring 2019) and ‘XX’ is Group Number (every semester, this
number is reset).
5. GENERAL SCHEME OF STUDIES
5.1 MBA Project worth six (06) credit hours for which students shall maintain the details
of each interaction with their advisors (see ‘MBA Project Supervision Log’).
5.2 Minimum period for MBA Project, after which the final defence (presentation exam)
will be held, shall be of two semesters. The duration should be within allowed MBA
Program duration.
6. RESPONSIBILITIES
6.1 MBA PROJECT EVALUATION COMMITTEE
6.1.1 Shall be chaired by Director Business Administration Programs.

6.1.2 Shall comprise of at least three (03) high-level stake holders (see ‘Exhibit1’).
As advisor and client are different for each project, thus, every project will
have a unique evaluation committee. It will be facilitated by the BAAA Office
for each project’s lifecycle (see ‘MBA Project Lifecycle’). Project Advisor
and Client’s Representative (mentioned in the TOR) are ex-officio members
of this committee.
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6.1.3 Shall provide guidance on overall strategic direction and to monitor and
govern all other stakeholders involved. It shall ensure ethics and quality
assurance in all project activities.
6.1.4 Shall ensure professionalism and transparency of all activities in the project.
6.1.5 Shall meet at least twice (02) in one project cycle, i.e. for: grading Interim and
Final Project Presentations. Moreover, it can meet whenever required.
MBA Project
Evaluation
Committee
Director Business Subject Matter

Client's
Administartion Project Advisor Expert(s) (on
Representative(s)
Programs invitation)
Exhibit 1: Possible Composition of MBA Project Evaluation Committee
6.2 BAAA OFFICE
6.2.1 Shall be responsible for managing and providing support in every step of the
Project Lifecycle (see ‘MBA Project Lifecycle’).
6.2.2 Shall be responsible for keeping track of each project’s progress.
6.2.3 Shall be responsible for establishing MBA Project Evaluation Committee for
each project taking into consideration: clauses under 6.1.
6.2.4 Shall ensure the availability of an adequate pool of faculty members of IBA
Karachi for advisory role. Preferably one (01) Project Advisor can supervise
maximum six (06) Project Groups in a project cycle (02 semesters).
6.2.5 Shall evaluate the ‘Final Project Report’ for formatting (in consultation with
library) and similarity.
6.2.6 Shall facilitate students in solving logistic /operational problems (such as:
access to data /library /specialist faculty /breakout-rooms) as well as team
issues.
6.2.7 Shall help students in maintaining high quality relationships with clients and
advisors.
6.3 PROJECT ADVISOR
6.3.1 Shall be responsible for: deeper comprehension of client’s requirements;

initial definition and planning of the work assigned to the Project Group;
guiding the Project Group in development of the final TOR; and helping the
students in focusing on research questions /objectives and deliverables.
6.3.2 Shall suggest reading material, especially relevant conceptual models, to
enhance the Project Group’s understanding of subjects related to the topic.
6.3.3 Shall be responsible for guiding the Project Group in academic writing,
research methods, referencing and issues related to plagiarism, especially
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during the development of ‘Interim Project Report’ and ‘Final Project

Report’.
6.3.4 Shall closely supervise the project work conducted at IBA Karachi and /or
Client’s premises (where applicable) within ethical boundaries.
6.3.5 Shall facilitate project work with team spirit and conflict resolution (resolving
any conflicts arising among Project Group Members).
6.3.6 Shall monitor that the Project Group is properly maintaining the record of
interactions (see ‘MBA Project Supervision Log’).
6.3.7 Shall attend interim and final presentations of their Project Group as
Evaluation Committee Member.
6.3.8 Shall grade their Project Group’s work during Interim and Final Project
Presentations as Project Advisor (and as Evaluation Committee Member).
6.4 CLIENT ORGANIZATION
6.4.1 Shall provide name and contact details of the individual in the organization
who can be contacted by the Project Group to facilitate access, where
necessary, to the company and its relevant material and information.
6.4.2 Shall provide a description of their requirements and scope of the project to
the students so that the desired TOR can be developed.
6.4.3 Shall provide the Project Group guidance and feedback on their efforts.
6.4.4 Shall meet the financial costs incurred on the project, including: travel and
accommodation costs, if any. Cost is minimal as compared to the cost that is
incurred in engaging a professional consulting firm. Every group has access to
the extensive resources /expert faculty available at IBA Karachi for delivering
these clients based projects.
6.4.5 Shall confirm that the ‘Final Project Report’ (see ‘MBA Project Report’)
meets their objectives by grading their Project Group’s work during Interim
and Final Project Presentations as Evaluation Committee Member.
7. PROGRESS OF PROJECT WORK
7.1 Project Group shall regularly meet their Project Advisor and Client to submit the
assigned work within the agreed timeline.
7.2 Any Project Group or Member failing to comply 7.1 may be referred to Director
Business Administration Programs, who in extreme cases can formally terminate the
project.
7.3 After approximately half semester of formal project study /work, each Project Group
shall submit an ‘Interim Project Report’, which they shall defend in ‘Interim Project
Presentations’ on a prescribed date (see ‘MBA Project Report’). Minimum three (03)
starting chapters (Introduction, literature review and Methodology) with proper
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references and draft questionnaire (if applicable, in appendix) should be submitted in

spiral-bind form.
7.4 Presentation Slides for ‘Interim Project Presentations’ shall be required in the
prescribed format (see ‘MBA Project Presentation’).
7.5 Attendance of all Project Group Members is mandatory in Interim and Final
Presentations as these are considered as exams.
7.6 Towards the end of the project, it is expected /encouraged that the Project Group
shall publish (or submit) at least one (01) case-study or research-paper, in a
Conference or Journal of international repute (where applicable, client’s approval is
also required – see ‘MBA Consent to Publish Form’). No Project Group Member can
be left from co-authorship.
8. SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION
8.1 ‘Final Project Report’ shall show evidence of original capacity of the development or
application of scientific principles and methods, acquaintance with work of others in
similar fields and ability of presentation of ideas.
8.2 ‘Final Project Report’ must represent formal work of two (02) semesters completed
by the Project Group.
8.3 ‘Final Project Report’ shall be written in English Language and shall be in the form
prescribed (see ‘MBA Project Report’).
8.4 After two (02) semesters of work, each Project Group shall submit two (02) (spiral
bind) copies of the final version of ‘Final Project Report’ for evaluation to the BAAA
Office, which the Project Group shall be required to defend in ‘Final Project
Presentation Exam’ on a prescribed date (see ‘MBA Project Lifecycle’). One copy
will be retained by BAAA Office and the other is sent to the Project Group’s
Advisor. (In an online presentation during pandemic condition student shall submit
only the softcopies i.e. Project Report, Presentation, Database sets used in working on
a project)
8.5 ‘Final Project Presentation Exam is a viva-voce examination. Presentation Slides for
‘Final Project Presentation Exam’ shall be required in the prescribed format (see
‘MBA Project Presentation’ and ‘MBA Project Presentations’ Procedure’).
8.6 If the Evaluation Committee finds the work ‘Satisfactory’ or ‘Unsatisfactory’, then
the work shall be graded appropriately following clauses under 9.
8.7 In case the Evaluation Committee finds the work ‘Satisfactory with Corrections’,
then the work shall be graded appropriately following clauses under 9. Project Group
will do the corrections within one (01) week, and BAAA Office shall validate the
changes suggested by the committee.
9. DELIVERABLES & GRADING POLICY
9.1 During the course of MBA project lifecycle, a student is expected to produce four
(04) deliverables (see ‘Exhibit2’).
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Exhibit 2: Grading Plan as per Project Deliverables
Grading Weight age in Deliverable Sub-component

Deliverable
Status Final Grade Sub-component Weight age
1. TOR submission Graded - Compliance (time/form) 100%
2. Interim Progress Update Graded 30% Interim Report 100%
Final Presentation 40%
3. Final Progress Update Graded 70%
Final Report 60%
9.2 Different grades may be awarded to members within a same group.

9.3 The grading authority for each deliverable is split between the Project Advisor
(40%), Director Business Administration Programs (40%) and Client (20%). Where
Director Business Administration Programs is the Project Advisor, the Client shall
40% grading authority.
9.4 The exception to above is TOR, for which Director Business Administration
Programs shall assign marks.
9.5 Grading shall be carried out on a prescribed grid (for both: interim and final), which
will eventually produce the final letter grade for the project (see ‘MBA Project
Grading Criteria Grid’). All compilation of results shall be carried out by the BAAA
Office as per 9.1 and 9.3.
9.6 Assessment shall be carried out close to Portfolio-Based-Assessment (PBA), as
students know about the criteria against which they will be graded prior to their
investigation and proposition of a solution. Students can even gauge their own
performance on the criteria and defend accordingly in front of Evaluation Committee.
This is done gradually i.e. first in Interim Project Presentation and then Final Project
Presentation that provides ample time for reflection at students’ end.
10. DISCIPLINE OF FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATION EXAM
10.1 ‘Final Project Presentation Exam’ shall be mandatory for all MBA students to
attend.
10.2 Evaluation Committee is not bound to ask questions at the end of a Project Group’s
Presentation, rather it can raise queries and interrupts wherever it feels necessary.
10.3 BAAA Office can also invite subject matter experts and observers to attend the
Exam.
10.4 Observers shall follow the following rules to maintain discipline during the Exam:
10.4.1 Use of Cell Phones and other means of distractions shall not be allowed.
10.4.2 Cross-talking shall not be allowed as it distracts the students presenting as
well as it shatters the formal atmosphere which is needed in Exam.
10.4.3 Questions shall only be asked during the ‘Question & Answer’ Session, i.e.
after the completion of a Project Group’s presentation and within the time
allocated for each presentation exam.
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11. PUBLICATION OF PROJECT REPORT
11.1 Project Group, having successfully completed the Project, shall submit four (04)
copies of the Final Project Report to the BAAA Office. Each copy is required to be
submitted in a Blue Colour hard bind form with Embossed Golden Text (see ‘MBA
Project Report Cover’).
11.2 One (01) copy shall be retained for the (Embossed); one (01) shall be handed to the
Project Advisor; one (01) shall be handed to the Client, and; one (01) shall be sent to
IBA Library (Main Campus).
11.3 Project Group shall submit /attach with the hard bind for one (01) shall be handed to
the Project Advisor; one (01) DVD (or send by email) having appropriate folders for
the following:
11.3.1 Word document of TOR.
11.3.2 Word document of Final Project Report.
11.3.3 All relevant data such as: data sheets (MS Excel, SPSS etc.); output(s);
questionnaires (scanned if hard copies); brochures (scanned if hard copies);
visiting cards (scanned if hard copies); literature reviewed (research papers,
reports, manuals, thesis etc.) and other artefacts.
11.4 Results cannot be posted on the ERP unless all above the formalities are fulfilled.
12. RELATED DOCUMENTS
1. MBA Project TOR with checklist

2. Project Proforma (Excel Sheets’ Items)
3. APA Style Guidelines
4. Group Profile – Template
5. Group Status Form
6. MBA Project Invitation Letter
7. MBA Project Details' Template
8. MBA Project Action Plan
9. MBA Project Supervision Log
10. MBA Project Report (with Cover)
11. MBA Project Presentation
12. MBA Project Presentations’ Procedure
13. MBA Project Grading Criteria Grid
14. IBA Consent to Publish Form
13. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS:
BAAA : Business Administration Academic Affairs

TOR : Terms of Reference
PBA : Portfolio-Based-Assessment
Page 8 of 8
Insert Logo of the Company,
where you are going to carry out
the Project
MBA PROJECT - TERMS

OF REFERENCE
Place Proposed Title of your Project here
PROJECT GROUP MEMBERS

Member’s Name ERP ID Cell No. Employer, Designation & Department
MBA Project Advisor: __________________

IBA Karachi
MBA Project - Terms of Reference IBA/MBA-Project/TOR-00
Proposed Title for Project
Industry Background:
Discussion around the industrial sector to which the company belongs. Its salient features, such as:
size, competition, trends, challenges, and advantages etc. with proper and current sources (in
references section) mentioned. Better to discuss the major portions of this TOR in terms of bullet
points.
Company Introduction:
Here, the company’s information can be placed with a brief introduction of the company such as
its major: products, processes, equipment, achievements, locations and expertise etc. Number of
employees, revenues, market-share and plans for near or far future can also be briefly mentioned
here. Strengths and weaknesses in existing supply chain practices can also be briefly discussed
here.
Context and Problem Statement: [This part is most important part of the TOR, this must be at
least two pages with at least 10 references of which 5 must be of last two years. The reference style
must be APA, the guidelines are attached].
Vital ingredients or facets of the MBA Project are discussed here in a logical sequence. This
context elaborates the problem /issue faced by the company and importance of this study /work.
Here, some references (preferably current) i.e. articles /papers /books may be referred as evidence
or for building the case for the MBA Project. Discuss explicitly the following around your topic
and industry background (both of the following require references as strong evidence):
 What is known around your topic?
 What are the un-knowns (Gaps) around your topic? or What is the problem /opportunity-
area that the company is facing? (serves as the “Problem Statement”)
Referencing capability of MS Word should be used for placing references and APA referencing
style should be followed.
Formatting of this document should be followed as it is, i.e. its fonts, font sizes, paragraphing and
other relevant issues for uniformity as defined for each MBA Project. This document has a
maximum limit of five (05) pages. Spacing in this document such as after between headings may
be deleted, if required.
Research Question and/or Objectives: [Make sure that your research questions are in line with
the problem, clear list of the research questions should appear here. You need to write number of
hypotheses in line to the deliverables.]
The aim of the MBA Project should be discussed here. Research Questions (RQs) and/or
Objectives should be presented in the form of numbered points. Essentially, these objectives fill or
solve a number of Gaps /Un-knowns /Problems identified in the context above. For projects,
inclined towards research, there can be a number of hypothesis that the group would like to accept
or reject (refer to ‘hypothesis testing’ literature).
1. Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz.
2. Abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz.
Methodology: [write your methodology (qualitative or quantitative) with clarity provide rational
for it along with specific method (e.g. focus groups, interviews, questionnaire etc.). Each activity
must be reflected on the Gantt chart].
IBA Karachi Page 1 of 4

Give special attention to this section as your efforts should be worthy of (2-course equivalent)
MBA Project. One paragraph about what methodology the Project Group will employ to achieve
the objectives of MBA Project. Here the Project Group may discuss what kind of data they will be
dealing with such as Qualitative /Quantitative, along with the discussion of how this data will be
collected i.e. by experiments, questionnaire or interview based surveys (primary or secondary
data). In case of survey, sampling technique, inclusion criteria and prospective sample size should
be provided. Also, it is beneficial to show how the data will be validated i.e. ‘Triangulation’. Next,
the implementation approaches (research protocol) that will be used may also be highlighted here.
Research Question /Objectives should be linked /mapped with Research Method (its sampling
technique and sample sizes). See ‘MBA Final Project Report Completion Form’ for more
description of the research methodology and methods. MBA Project Groups are encouraged to
publish their outputs as case-studies or research-papers (considering all ethical issues).
[Bridge your methodology part with your deliverables, how your proposed methods are
appropriate in relation to the expected outcomes].
Significance /Expected Outcomes /Key Deliverables:
Here, the impact of the study will be discussed, i.e. how the practitioners and/or researchers will
find the conclusions of this MBA Project helpful. Also, how the knowledge developed as the
outcome of this study will be beneficial in Pakistan? Bulleted points defining the tangible and non-
tangible outcomes of this MBA Project may be presented here. The work may be
evaluated/disseminated by the practitioners/academics by presenting it at some forum such as
seminar/conference presentations, conference/journal publications and etc.
Constraints:
Mention the possible constraints that your Group previews to face on the course of the project.
These constraints will help in defining logical and achievable targets.
Resources Required:
The resources your group previews as a requirement for project completion, e.g. IBA Library
Resources, IBA Computer Lab, specific software package etc.
Budget (required only when client approves explicitly)
According to your estimates, place in the following table the tentative expense heads that will be
incurred during the course of the project. This should be discussed in detail with the client.
Requirements such as the group may be needed to submit receipts of expense which will be either
reimbursed monthly or at the end of the project by the client should be discussed with the client.
Sr. # Cost head Amount Cost factor
1 Travelling Rs. Depending on price of petrol
2 Printing /Binding Rs. Depending on market rate
3 Petty Cash Rs. Unaccounted circumstances
TOTAL Rs.
Project Timeline:
A Gantt chart is required to be placed here with as much clarity /detail as possible. [Add your
proposed methods here (e.g. focus groups, interviews, questionnaire etc.).]
Major Activities and Milestones
Activities\Weeks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Activity 01
Activity 02
Interim Presentation
Activity 03
Activity 04
Final Presentation

Client’s Focal Person:

Attach visiting card as Figure /photo. The presence of focal person during interim and final presentations is
mandatory.
Client’s Focal Person’s

Visiting Card
Conflict of Interest:
By submitting this TOR, the students’ group certify that there is no disclosure necessary regarding Conflict
of Interest (CoI) in carrying out this project. If any CoI is subsequently discovered, the group bear the sole
responsibility for the consequences. Responsibilities of Business Administration Academic Affairs Office,
Advisor and Client are mentioned in the “MBA Project Handbook” (available at IBA’s website).
Ethical Consideration:
By submitting this TOR, the students certify that they comply with the highest level of ethical
considerations, which are not limited to ensuring:
 quality, integrity, independence and impartiality of your study/work;

 informed consent, confidentiality, anonymity of study respondents/participants;
 study respondents/participants participate voluntarily, and;
 safety of the students’ group and all stakeholders of this study
Disclaimer:
Under no circumstances shall the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi (IBA) and or its Members of
the Board of Governors, Officers, Employees and Personnel shall be liable for any direct, indirect,
incidental, consequential, special or exemplary damages (whether under contract, tort, statute or otherwise)
or losses of any nature whatsoever that may arise out or in connection with the use or access, or inability to
use or access, of the report offered by IBA students.
References:
APA referencing style should be followed for all. Place the material (books, journal articles, case-studies,
reports, manuals, standards, laws, acts, web-pages etc.) here that you have referred while developing this
TOR. At least 5 references are required and also ensure completeness of information.

TOR Check List

Please make sure before the submission,
1- The Context and Problem statement section is at least of two pages. Yes-----NO
2- The research questions are clearly enlisted. Yes-----NO
3- The methodology is clearly defined in terms of qualitative or quantitative. Yes-----NO
4- The sampling technique and the sample size are given. Yes-----NO
5- The proposed methods are linked to the deliverables. Yes-----NO
6- The proposed methods are added to the Gantt chart. (Breakdown in term of the Yes-----NO
methodology)
7- The references are as per the APA guidelines. Yes-----NO
8- There are at least 10 references. Yes-----NO
9- There are at least five references of last two years. Yes-----NO
10 - Approvals of Client & Advisor (Either in email trail or screen shots) Yes-----NO
11 - Softcopies of ABR projects of all group members Yes-----NO
12 - Filled Group status form. Yes-----NO
13 - Filled Project Proforma. Yes-----NO
14 - Group profile Yes-----NO
15 - Screenshot /any other proof of official mail by the client to BAAA office for the Yes-----NO
self-acquired project.
16 - Program detail, member-wise (MBA-M or MBA-E) /Contact on top page, i.e. Yes-----NO
Employer /Designation /Department or Full Time Students on the top page (As
mentioned in the MBA Project Handbook which is available at the main web
under the research tab)

Project Proforma (Horizontal Items in Excel Sheets)
S# 1 2 3 4 5 6
Member# 1 2 3 4 5 6
Code
Student Name
ERP ID
Acad Prog
Phone
Email Address
ABR Project's Title
Project Name
Client
Client's Info
Major Area
Minor Area
Industrial Sector
City
Location
Advisor
Adv. Dept
Unit Claimed In
TOR Approval Date
Suggested Interim
Interim (Actual)
Suggested Final
Final (Actual)
Grade
Class No.
Term
Comments
Convocation
UNIVERSITY OF PORTSMOUTH
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL, HISTORICAL AND LITERARY STUDIES
SCHOOL OF LANGUAGES AND AREA STUDIES
THE HARVARD APA-STYLE GUIDE TO

BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCING
CONTENTS Page
A. PRESENTING A BIBLIOGRAPHY: HARVARD APA-STYLE 3
B. IN-TEXT REFERENCES FOR ESSAYS: HARVARD-APA STYLE 6

Quoting and paraphrasing 6
Quoting long passages 7
Primary and secondary sources 7
Citing from the Internet 8
Citing page numbers in references 8
Referencing and Latin terms 9
Plagiarism and referencing 9
In-text references and bibliographies/reference lists 10
C. HOW POOR OR INADEQUATE REFERENCING WILL 12

IMPACT ON THE MARK YOU RECEIVE
Referencing Penalties 12
Original Version: Stephen Cope and Anne Worden, October 2002

Revised Version: Anne Worden, September 2005
Revised Referencing Penalties produced by Dave Russell, August 2005

All students in SLAS must use the Harvard APA referencing system.
History units within the School of Social, Historical and Literary

Studies (SSHLS) use a traditional numeric referencing system but the
rest of SSHLS uses Harvard APA referencing.
This guide outlines the Harvard APA-style guidelines to bibliographic

referencing only.
For guidelines on the traditional numeric referencing used by History

within SSHLS, please see the History Guide to Referencing accessible
on the SSHLS web portal pages.
The Library has produced a website called Referencing@Portsmouth

http://referencing.port.ac.uk which has many more examples than can be
shown in this referencing guide. Use this guide to learn the principles of
Harvard APA, then if you get stuck when you need to write bibliographic
references, look at the website.
2
A. PRESENTING A BIBLIOGRAPHY: HARVARD APA-STYLE
A bibliography is a list of sources that have been used in writing an essay (or other pieces of
coursework). It includes all books, chapters in edited books, journal articles, magazine articles,
newspaper articles, official publications, websites etc. that have been read in planning and
writing an essay, regardless of whether or not a reference has been cited in the essay. (Some
departments e.g. ICJS prefer students to provide a reference list containing only those items
which have been cited in the essay. However, the style in which the references are presented is
the same whether the list is a reference list or bibliography so this guide uses both terms.)
The bibliography/reference list is presented at the end of the essay using single line-spacing
(as shown on page 11 of this guide), and is excluded from the word-count of the essay.
References should be placed in alphabetical order by surname of author/s.
• If there are two or more references to the same author, they should be presented in
chronological order with the earliest reference presented first.
• If there are two or more references to the same author in the same year, they should
be distinguished by adding a, b, c, etc. after the year of publication.
Very occasionally the names of the author/s, the year of publication and other referencing
details may not be evident from the material read.
• If no author is named, the title of the article/website etc. should be moved into
the author position in the reference and this title is then put in the correct
alphabetical position within the list of authors in the bibliography/reference list.
• If the publication is not dated, (n.d.) should be recorded.
• If other referencing details are missing, (not known) should be recorded in the
bibliographic reference.
The style of presenting a bibliographic reference varies according to the type of reference (e.g.
book, journal article, film, website etc.). Below are details of how to present the most common
types of material as bibliographic references.
Books
Haynes, J. (2005). Comparative politics in a globalizing world. Cambridge: Polity.
Kubálková, V., Onuf, N., & Kowert, P. (Eds.). (1998). International relations in a constructed
world. Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
Marr, P. (2004). The modern history of Iraq (2nd ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview.
Name of author/s or editor/s using last name, plus initial/s. (Type Ed. or Eds. - short for editor/s
- here if referring to a whole edited book). (Year of publication). Title of Book (Edition number
goes here if later than first e.g. 2nd ed.). Place of publication: Publisher.
Electronic books
Gordon, P. H., & Shapiro, J. (2004). Allies at war: America, Europe and the crisis over Iraq
[Electronic version]. New York: McGraw-Hill.
This format is identical to that of a printed book apart from adding “Electronic version” in
square brackets immediately after the book title.
3
Chapters in edited books
Evans, T. (1997). Democratization and human rights. In A. McGrew (Ed.), The transformation
of democracy? (pp. 122-148). Cambridge: Polity Press.
Name of author. (Year of publication). Title of chapter. In Name of editor/s (Ed/s.), Title of
book (pp. Start and end page numbers of chapter). Place of publication: Publisher.
Journal articles
Foster, C. D. (2001). The civil service under stress: the fall in civil service power and authority.
Public Administration, 79(3), 725-749.
Name of author/s. (Year of publication). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume number(issue
number), Start and end page numbers of article.
Magazine articles
Hobsbawm, E. (1998, November/December). The death of neo-liberalism. Marxism Today, 4-8.
Name of author/s. (Year of publication, Date of publication – month/s or month plus day if
weekly). Title of article. Title of Magazine, Page number/s of article.
Newspaper articles
Cowan, R. (2001, October 23). Adams asks IRA to disarm. The Guardian, p. 1.
Name of author/s. (Year of publication, Date of publication – month plus day). Title of article.
Title of Newspaper, Page number/s of article.
Official publications
Prime Minister’s Office & Cabinet Office. (1999). Modernising Government (Cm 4310).
London: The Stationery Office.
Select Committee on Defence. (1996). Fourth Report, Westland plc: The Government’s
Decision-Making (HC 519). London: HMSO.
Name of author/s. (Year of publication). Title of Official Publication (Official publication’s

reference number). Place of publication: Publisher.
Conference papers
Newman, J. (2001, September). New Labour and the Politics of Governance. Paper presented at
the Annual Conference of the European Group of Public Administration, Vaasa, Finland.
Name of author/s. (Year of publication, Month of conference). Title of Conference Paper. Paper
presented at the Title of Conference or the Name of the Organisation holding the conference,
Location of conference.
Website material
Commission of the European Communities. (2001). Governance in the European Union: a
White Paper. Retrieved August 21, 2001, from http://europa.eu.int/governance/white_paper/
index_en.htm
Name of author/s. (Year of publication). Title of web page. Retrieved date accessed, from
World Wide Web address.
4
Electronic journal articles which are duplicates of the printed version
Mabbett, D. (2005). The development of rights-based social policy in the European Union: the
example of disability rights [Electronic version]. Journal of Common Market Studies, 43(1),
97-120.
This format is identical to that of a printed journal article apart from adding “Electronic
version” in square brackets immediately after the article title.
Articles retrieved from a full-text database e.g. JSTOR, LexisNexis,

Business Source Premier
Hughes, K., & Smith, E. (1998). New Labour – new Europe? International Affairs, 74(1), 93-
104. Retrieved September 12, 2005, from the JSTOR database.
White, M., & Seager, A. (2005, September 5). Blair hopes to unravel textile row at EU-China
summit. The Guardian, p. 2. Retrieved September 12, 2005, from the LexisNexis Executive
database.
Article reference format follows that of a normal journal, newspaper or magazine article. You
should then add: Retrieved month day, year, from name of full-text database.
Films
Reed, C. (Director). (1949). The Third Man [Motion picture]. United Kingdom: British
Lion/London Films.
Name of primary contributor - the director or producer, or both, Initials. (Role of primary
contributor). (Year). Title of film [Motion picture]. Country of origin – where the film was
primarily made and released: Name of studio.
Television/Radio programmes
Jewhurst, A. (Producer). (2005, September 15). Dispatches: secrets of the shoplifters
[Television broadcast]. London: Channel 4.
Scott-Brown, A. (Producer). (2005, September 15). Bulawayo boys [Radio broadcast]. London:
BBC Radio 4.
Name of primary contributor – the producer or director. (Role of primary contributor). (Year,
month & day of broadcast). Title of programme [Type of broadcast]. Place: Name of
broadcaster.
Single episode from a television series

Di Mambro, A. M. (Writer), & Walker, P. N. (Director). (2005). Holding on [Television series
episode]. In S. Howells (Producer), Casualty. London: BBC1.
Note that this example is similar to a chapter in an edited book with the producer being placed
in the position used for editor. If details of the writer are unavailable, begin your reference with
the name of the director.
5
B. IN-TEXT REFERENCES FOR ESSAYS: HARVARD APA-STYLE
It is very important that references are provided within an essay (or other pieces of coursework)
to indicate the sources of arguments, data, ideas, information, quotations etc.. Failure to provide
references may constitute plagiarism, which is a serious disciplinary offence - see the
University’s Student Handbook and Assessment Regulations. Furthermore, incorrect
referencing can lead to a deduction of marks in the final mark given to student coursework.
Generally it is best to avoid quoting from lectures etc., as lecturers can be easily misinterpreted
and student notes of a lecture etc. do not constitute a verifiable record of what was stated by the
lecturer concerned.
The underlying requirement of referencing is that students must inform the reader of the precise
source of material used in their essay. Students must show the reference to the source of
material so that the reader also can find that material. Referencing should be used to cite and
credit all sources of material (not only quotations).
There are several ways in which references can be presented, but this guide outlines a Harvard
APA-style of referencing where the reference appears (in brackets) in the text of the essay, as
opposed to the more traditional numeric system, where the reference appears as a footnote or
endnote to the essay. If there are any queries regarding the Harvard APA-style of bibliographic
referencing, students should consult the following two publications available from the
University Library:
• American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American

Psychological Association. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
• University of Portsmouth. (2005). Bibliographic References: Harvard Format - APA
Style.
Below are seven examples of Harvard APA-style referencing within the text of essays:
Example 1: Quoting and paraphrasing

Fairclough stated that language “has always been important in politics and in government”
(2000, p. 3).
Or this quotation can be paraphrased as follows:
Fairclough argued that language plays a significant role within government and politics (2000,
p. 3).
Education “is permanently near the top of the political agenda in France” (Cole, 2001, p. 707).
Or paraphrased:
Cole argued that education is a constant and prominent issue on the French political agenda
(2001, p. 707).
The same reference is cited regardless of whether quoted or paraphrased. The surname of the
author/s need not appear in the cited reference if the surname/s appear in the text preceding
the cited reference.
6
It is often better to paraphrase rather than quote, as paraphrasing demonstrates to the reader
of the essay that you understand what you have read more than if directly quoting a passage. It
is important when paraphrasing that your words are sufficiently different from the original
words you have read, while conveying the same meaning of the author/s you have read.
However, if quoting, it is important that you place the quoted words within “double-quotation
marks” to distinguish the quoted words from your own words: ‘single-quotation marks’ should
be used for colloquial, slang etc. terms that are your, and not someone else’s, words.
Example 2: Quoting long passages

In the wake of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, Jackie Ashley wrote (2001, p. 10):
Goodbye, all those pundits who told us government and politics did not matter
any more. Goodbye, the people who said history had ended. Goodbye, the notion
that markets now ruled the world knitted together by the internet and cheap air
travel. Goodbye, the gravediggers of the public service. Today, in the aftermath
of the New York massacre, we are looking again to traditional sources of power
- those fuddy-duddy sovereign governments - and we yearn for wise political
leadership. Public service is back in fashion; the heroes of the hour are not just
the armed forces preparing for whatever happens in the Gulf, but the self-
sacrificing firefighters and police officers who walked into the jaws of death,
never to return.
Quotations of a sentence or more should be separated from but introduced in the preceding text
of the essay and should be double-indented. Single-line spacing should be used in presenting
quotations of a sentence or more, as opposed to one-and-a-half-line spacing or double-line
spacing used for the main text of the essay.
The above quotation does not have to be presented in full if parts of it are irrelevant to the
point being made in the essay. By inserting three full-stops this signifies to the reader that some
of the original text has been omitted from the quotation. Furthermore, it is possible for students
to insert their own words into the quotation by using the parentheses, [...], as a way of
shortening a long quotation. The quotation presented above can be re-presented, as follows:
In the wake of the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, Jackie Ashley wrote (2001, p. 10):
Goodbye, all those pundits who told us government and politics did not matter
any more ... [and] ... the people who said history had ended. Goodbye, the notion
that markets now ruled the world ... [and] ... the gravediggers of the public
service. Today ... we are looking again to traditional sources of power - those
fuddy-duddy sovereign governments - and we yearn for wise political
leadership. Public service is back in fashion....
Example 3: Primary and secondary sources

When referencing it is important that students cite the source of the material they used in
writing their essay. It may be that the source of the quotation is not the primary source (that is,
the original text) but a secondary source (another text citing from the original text). If so,
students must cite the secondary source of the material, and may cite the primary source only if
significant, as follows:
Hayek believed that “the intellectual foundations of socialism have all collapsed” (taken from
7
Gamble, 1994, p. 34).
This presentation of a reference tells the reader that the quoted words are Hayek’s words (and
not Gamble’s words) but that Hayek’s words were taken from Gamble’s book.
Fox and Miller argued that there are no agreed criteria for ascertaining claims of truth (taken
from Rhodes, 1997, p. 185).
This presentation of a reference tells the reader that Fox and Miller’s paraphrased argument
was taken from Rhodes’ book.
It was argued that there “is some reason to doubt that the non-Western cultures of the world
will prove capable of creating and maintaining the high degree of organization without which a
modern economy and a democratic political order are impossible” (Banfield, 1958 as cited in
Nodia, 2001, p. 30).
This presentation of a reference tells the reader that the quoted words are Banfield’s words and
cites the year in which his words were written, thus allowing the reader to make more sense of
the quotation.
Example 4: Citing from the Internet

Students must cite sources taken from the Internet in their essay as follows:
The British Government believed that Bin Laden and his terrorist network, Al Qaida, are
responsible for the terrorist attacks that took place in America on 11 September 2001 (Prime
Minister’s Office, 2001).
The terrorist attack of 11 September 2001 against “symbols of U.S. military and financial
might” represented “the worst act of terrorism in modern history” (Public Agenda, n.d.).
When citing from Internet-based sources, students should download and keep a copy of the
material used for their essay to protect against any charges of plagiarism.
Example 5: Citing page numbers in references

The key rule in referencing is to state precisely the sources of material used by students in
writing essays. For example, students must specify the precise page number/s of their sources
in their references, unless students are either referring to a general argument contained in a
book, chapter in an edited book, journal article, magazine article, newspaper article, official
publication or conference paper, or referring to an Internet-based source. Four relevant
examples are shown below:
George Monbiot argued that American attempts to overthrow the Taliban regime and to install
a pro-Western government, if successful, “will have crushed not only terrorism, but also the
growing ambitions of both Russia and China” (2001, p. 19).
It has been calculated that the Labour Party spent £7.4 million in the general election campaign
of 1997 (Russell, 2000, p. 20).
Harris charted the Nazi roots of many extreme right political organisations in Europe (1999, pp.
8-9).
Globalisation is having significant domestic effects upon Britain under New Labour (Axford,
2000; Krieger, 1999).
8
The first three examples above of a quotation, a figure and a specific point being taken from a
source require page numbers in their references; whereas the fourth example of a general point
taken from a source does not require any page numbers in its reference as it is referring to the
argument outlined in the whole book. The fourth example also cites two sources; in cases where
more than one source is cited, each reference is separated by a semi-colon.
From the above, it can be seen that the abbreviation, p. (meaning ‘page’), denotes a single
page (e.g. p. 89); whereas the abbreviation, pp. (meaning ‘pages’), denotes more than one page
of a book, etc. referred to in the essay (e.g. pp. 23-25, 148).
Example 6: Referencing and Latin terms

Students should not use Latin terms such as etc. (meaning ‘and so on’), ibid. (‘the same as cited
immediately beforehand’), op. cit. (‘as previously cited beforehand’), and passim (‘mentioned
throughout the cited reference’) in their bibliographic references. However, students can use
the term et al. (meaning ‘and others’), in their in-text references, (et al. is only used in
bibliographies when more than 6 authors are listed - if you have 6 authors or less, you must
give all the names). Et al. is used in-text when there are three or more authors, - if you have 3-5
authors, list them all the first time, then abbreviate to the first plus et al. after that, e.g.:
It has been argued that the reform of public services in the United Kingdom over the last twenty
years “involved the development of processes designed to scrutinize, evaluate and regulate the
performance of agencies involved in service provision” (Clarke et al., 2000, p. 250).
When quoting, it is vital that students quote word-for-word from their sources. Sometimes this
reproduction of someone else’s words may mean replicating grammatical errors, spelling
mistakes and clumsy phrases (such as sexist terminology). Students cannot correct the text by
substituting it with what they thought the original author meant to write or ought to have
written. However, students can insert the term, sic (meaning ‘thus used or spelt’), after the
offending piece of quoted text, as follows:
Parsons noted that “Bower’s [sic] study of environmental pollution compares and contrasts two
models used in the analysis of environmental decision-making: the pluralist view and the
political economy/Marxist view” (1995, p. 271).
The term, sic, indicates to the reader that the student knows the academic cited has been spelt
wrongly in Parsons’ book; it should read ‘Blowers’. It is vital that students faithfully record
what the author of the passage quoted actually wrote. The term, sic, allows students to
disassociate themselves from any problematic text written by others.
Example 7: Plagiarism and referencing

The key principle of referencing is that students must inform the reader of the exact source of
information which they used in writing an essay, whether it is an argument, numerical data,
an idea or a quotation. Incorrect referencing may lead to charges of plagiarism levelled at
students. Plagiarism is academic theft, in that students are passing off someone else’s words
as their own. Plagiarism is not condoned within the University, and anti-plagiarism software
and search engines can be and are used to detect plagiarism. Please consult the relevant
sections on plagiarism in the University’s The Student Handbook. According to the
University, plagiarism is “the incorporation by a student in work for assessment of material
which is not their own, in the sense that all or a substantial part of the work has been copied
without any attempt at attribution, or has been incorporated as if it were the student’s own
9
when in fact it is wholly or substantially the work of another person or persons”. The
following examples provide some guidance on what is and what is not plagiarism:
Hobsbawm argued that “history is the raw material for nationalist or ethnic or fundamentalist
ideologies, as poppies are the raw material for heroin addiction” (1997, p. 5).
This is correctly referenced and not plagiarised.
Hobsbawm argued that “history is the raw material for nationalist or ethnic or fundamentalist
ideologies, as poppies are the raw material for heroin addiction” (1997).
This is incorrectly referenced because of the missing page number, though not plagiarised as
the quotation marks signify that the words quoted are not those of the student writing the
essay.
History is key in shaping nationalist and other ideologies (Hobsbawm, 1997, p. 5).
This is correctly referenced, and not plagiarised as the paraphrased words used, while
conveying the same meaning as intended by Hobsbawm, are sufficiently different from those
used by Hobsbawm.
History is the raw material for nationalist ideologies like poppies are for heroin addiction
(Hobsbawm, 1997, p. 5).
This is plagiarised, despite the source being correctly referenced, as many of the key words
used are Hobsbawm’s words that are not presented within quotation marks.
History is the raw material for nationalist ideologies as poppies are for heroin addiction.
This is plagiarised as a) many of the key words used are Hobsbawm’s words but are not
presented within quotation marks, and b) there is no in-text reference attributing the source
of Hobsbawm’s view.
Plagiarism is a serious disciplinary offence. It is important that students do not cheat by

plagiarising, whether it is intended or not. It is vital that students, when making notes from
material, such as books and journal articles, record accurately the precise reference of
material they have read. Also it is vital that they distinguish any quoted text, by using
quotation-marks, from their own words in their notes to be used in writing essays.
Example 8: In-text references and bibliographies/reference lists
The Harvard APA-style of referencing detailed above allows the reader of an essay to search
for the full details of each cited reference in an essay within the bibliography/reference list
that is presented in alphabetical order at the end of an essay using single line-spacing. For
example, the references cited in the above seven examples should appear in the bibliography
of an essay (along with other material not referenced but read for an essay) as follows:
10
Bibliography
Ashley, J. (2001, October 8). History and social democracy start again. New Statesman, 10-
12.
Axford, B. (2000). Globalisation: is it good or bad for Britain? In L. Robins, & B. Jones
(Eds.), Debates in British Politics Today (pp. 192-205). Manchester: Manchester University
Press.
Clarke, J., Gewirtz, S., Hughes, G., & Humphrey, J. (2000). Guarding the public interest?
Auditing public services. In J. Clarke, S. Gewirtz, & E. McLaughlin (Eds.), New
Managerialism, New Welfare? (pp. 250-266). London: Sage.
Cole, A. (2001). The new governance of French education? Public Administration, 79(3),
707-724.
Fairclough, N. (2000). New Labour, New Language? London: Routledge.
Gamble, A. (1994). The Free Economy and the Strong State: The Politics of Thatcherism.
Basingstoke: Macmillan.
Harris, G. (1999). The extreme right in contemporary Europe. Politics Review, 8(3), 8-10.
Hobsbawm, E. (1997). On History. London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
Krieger, J. (1999). British Politics in the Global Age. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Monbiot, G. (2001, October 23). America’s pipe dream. The Guardian, p. 19.
Nodia, G. (2001). The impact of nationalism. Journal of Democracy, 12(4), 27-34.
Parsons, W. (1995). Public Policy: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Policy
Analysis. Aldershot: Edward Elgar.
Prime Minister’s Office. (2001). Responsibility for the terrorist atrocities in the United
States, 11 September 2001. Retrieved October 8, 2001 from http://www.number-
10.gov.uk/news.asp?Newsld=2686&Sectionld=30
Public Agenda. (n.d.). Terrorism. Retrieved October 8, 2001, from

http://www.publicagenda.org/specials/terrorism/terror_overview.htm
Rhodes, R. A. W. (1997). Understanding Governance: Policy Networks, Governance,

Reflexivity and Accountability. Buckingham: Open University Press.
Russell, A. (2000). New Labour and the electorate. In D. Coates, & P. Lawler (Eds.), New
Labour in Power (pp. 16-33). Manchester: Manchester University Press.
11
SECTION C: HOW POOR OR INADEQUATE REFERENCING WILL IMPACT ON
THE MARK YOU RECEIVE FOR YOUR ASSIGNMENT
Normally coursework assessments must be referenced using Harvard APA style (or ‘numeric
footnoting’ system for History units in SSHLS) and must have a bibliography/reference list
for your work which details full bibliographical references for each of the sources cited in
your text. An assessment that does not have a bibliography/reference list at the end will
automatically receive a maximum mark of 40 at level 1 and 0 at levels 2, 3 and Masters
level. A maximum mark of 40 will be awarded if the correct referencing system is not used.
Students may lose up to 10 marks for incorrect referencing and demonstrating poor
bibliographical skills. The following will apply except in the case of exams/tests and also
some other types of assessment where the Unit Handbook will make it clear that these normal
expectations do not apply.
Referencing Penalties
1. Missing bibliography/reference list L2/3/M: Fail 0

L1: Maximum mark 40.
2. Wrong referencing system used Maximum mark 40 for all students with the
exception of L1 students in Sem 1 only
i.e. the correct referencing system to be used should be clearly indicated in the unit
handbook (normally this will be Harvard APA except for History units in SSHLS, which
require the ‘numeric footnoting’ system)
3. Poor/inadequate referencing 5-10 marks lost

- Where the required referencing system is inconsistently or incorrectly used
throughout the work
- Where the precise source of material is not clearly provided in the required
manner in a significant number of instances
- Where there are insufficient or no in-text references
4. Minor referencing mistakes/ omissions 2-4 marks lost

- Where there are some minor technical errors in referencing
- Where there are faults in the presentation of the bibliography/reference list
- Where the precise source of material is not clearly provided in the required
manner in a few isolated instances
5. Weighted assessment criteria

The above sliding scale will be applied effectively ‘in reverse’ for the positive
allocation of marks for referencing/citations whenever weighted assessment criteria
are used [your Unit Handbook will say if this applies]. Normally, up to 10 marks will
be allocated to a weighted criterion of this kind.
12
MBA PROJECT GROUP PROFILE
Name : . ERP ID: .

Email: .
Mobile: .
Program:
Interests: .
Majors: .
Completed Courses: .
Previous Qualification: .
Work /Experience:.
Name : . ERP ID: .

Email: .
Mobile: .
Program:
Interests: .
Majors: .
Completed Courses: .
Previous Qualification: .
Work /Experience:.
Group Status Form
Basic Information
Group
1 2 3 4 5 6
Member
Student's
Ali
Name
ERP 000010
Academic
MBA-Evening
Program
CGPA 3.10
Cell # 0300-xxxx
Email xyz@gmail.com
Intake
Fall 20xx
Term
Core Courses Information

Courses
Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade Grade
Title
Business
B+
Finance I
Financial
Accounting
and C-
Informatio
n Systems
Managerial
Economics
Marketing
Manageme
nt
Organizati
onal
Behavior
and
Leadership
Business
Statistics
Business
Intelligenc
e
Accounting
for
Decision
Making
Legal and
Regulatory
Environme
nt of
Business
Operations
and
Production
Manageme
nt
Applied
Business
Research
Marketing
Analytics
Business
Finance II
Macroecon
omics
Internation
al Political
Economy
Corporate
Strategy (If C-
Taken)
Project-1
I
(If Taken)
Project-2
I
(If Taken)
Electives Information (If Any)

Public
Elective-1 Policy
/Grade Analysis /B
Elective-2
/Grade
Elective-3
/Grade
Elective-4
/Grade
Elective-5
/Grade
Elective-6
/Grade
Elective-7
/Grade
Elective-8
/Grade
Elective-9
/Grade
Friday, 07 September 2018
Name
Designation:
Company:
Subject: Invitation for MBA Project
Dear Sir/Madam,
IBA would like to invite your organization to engage one of our student groups in a business administration
relevant project with your organization. IBA students, in final year of MBA Program, undertake a
consulting assignment called the MBA Project. The student group will: conduct secondary and primary
research; analyze issues that you want investigated; and find cost effective implementable solutions. These
students have extensive practical experience along with rigorous theoretical /conceptual knowledge, which
makes them ideal candidates.
The areas in which our students are interested in doing projects, include:
 New ventures / Feasibility Studies

 Management Control Systems
 Human Resource Restructuring
 Strategic Analysis & Management
 Marketing Strategy
 Financial Analysis
 Supply Chain Management
However, we will welcome other relevant projects or problems that your organization requires: in-depth
analysis including suggestions for improvements or tools’ implementations. These projects will be
conducted under close supervision of IBA Faculty.
If you would like our students to work on a project in your organization, then please contact the undersigned
with a brief description of your requirements and scope of the project. Please also share the contact
information of the person who will be dealing about the project. Student groups whose interests match
project requirements will then contact him /her directly. Please accept the gratitude for the valuable input
provided for developing future business leaders.
Name
Director Business Administration Programs
Assistant Professor, Management Dept.,
IBA, University Rd, 75270 Karachi
Email:
Tel. (ext.):
Page 1 of 1
Annexure-1
Details for the MBA Project

Title of Project:
Client Organization's Name:
Name of Contact Person (with Designation):
Contact Information (Mobile and Email):
Organization's Brief Introduction:
Scope (e.g. limited to a department /program /project /market):
Objectives of the Project (Numbered):
Project Details (mention activities):
Final Deliverables:
Duration (min. 3 months required) and Due date:
Stipend / Financial Details (if any):
Assumptions /Constraints:
MBA Project - Action Plan
S. No. Description FALL Semester SRPING Semester
Sep Oct Nov Dec Jan Feb Mar Apr
1 Participants make Project Group

(4-6 members); Prepare 2 Project TORs
Submission of 2 different TORs with their Cover Letters to
2 MBA Academic Affair Office
Project Evlauation Committee Finalized; TOR Presentations
3 & Finalization
Project Work Phase-I
4
Interim Project Report Preparation

5
Interim Project Presentations & Progress Report by Advisor

6
Project Work Phase-II

7
Final Project Report Preparation

8
Submission of one (01) spiral binded copy of the Final

9 Project Report for Evaluation
Final Project Defence (Presentation Exam)
10
Submission of four (04) Blue Hard binded copies of the Final

11
Project Report & 01 DVD
Legend:
Planned:
Note: This Lifecycle is for guideline purposes; Interim and Final Project Presentations are Exams and no absence is allowed.
MBA PROJECT
SUPERVISION LOG
Project Title: _________________________________________________________________________
Group Number: _____________________________ Project Advisor: ___________________________

Start Time Signature of
S. No. Date Discussion/Targets
(Duration) Advisor
Kindly Sign
01 Always set due date for each Target assigned by Advisor
with Date
Always set
Always discuss the attainment of Targets, set in previous meeting
02 next meeting
(Delete all text in red-font)
date
03
04
05
06
Note: Copy of this Log should be submitted with Interim Project Report. Originals should be binded (as part of Appendix) with Final Project Report submitted to MBA Academic Affairs-Office.
MBA
Title of the Project
Team Members
Name ERP ID.
Name ERP ID.
Name ERP ID.
Name ERP ID.
Name ERP ID.
Project Advisor
Name
20XX
Institute of Business Administration

Karachi
20XX
MBA

Team Members
Name ERP ID.
Name ERP ID.
Name ERP ID.
Name ERP ID.
Name ERP ID.
Project Advisor
Name
20XX
Institute of Business Administration

Karachi
20XX
PROJECT’S FULL TITLE
This Project Report is submitted to the Faculty of Business Administration as partial
fulfillment of Master of Business Administration
by
Group Member’s Full Name in alphabetical order (ERP ID),

Group Member’s Full Name (ERP ID),
Group Member’s Full Name (ERP ID) and
Group Member’s Full Name (ERP ID)
Advised by
Advisor’s Name
Designation (e.g. Assistant Professor)
Business Administration - Academic Affairs
Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi
2XXX
Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi,
Pakistan
PROJECT’S FULL TITLE
This Project Report is submitted to the Faculty of Business Administration as partial
fulfillment of Master of Business Administration
by
Group Member’s Full Name in alphabetical order (ERP ID),

Group Member’s Full Name (ERP ID) and
Group Member’s Full Name (ERP ID)
Advisor:
Dr. ABC
Designation (e.g. Assistant Professor)
Institute of Business Administration, Karachi
2XXX
Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Karachi,
Pakistan
Acknowledgements [Times New Roman: 18]
Acknowledgements are optional. However, list here those individuals who provided
help during the project work (e.g., advising, logistics support, grants, financial support,
occasional advising, software support, providing language help, writing assistance or
proof reading the report, etc.).
[Times New Roman: 12]
iii
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements [Times New Roman: 18] .............................................................. iii
Table of Contents .......................................................................................................... iv
List of Tables ................................................................................................................. v
List of Figures ............................................................................................................... vi
Executive Summary [Times New Roman: 18] ............................................................ vii
Chapter 1: Introduction .................................................................................................. 1
Font and Font Sizes .................................................................................................... 1

Chapters and Headings ............................................................................................... 1
Tables ......................................................................................................................... 2
Page, Margins & and Spacing .................................................................................... 2
Paragraphs and Indentation ........................................................................................ 2
Figures and Appendices ............................................................................................. 3
Chapter 2: Literature Review ......................................................................................... 4
Plagiarism ................................................................................................................... 4
Citation ....................................................................................................................... 4
Chapter 3: Methodology ................................................................................................ 6

Chapter 4: Industry Background .................................................................................... 8
Industrial Sector’s Introduction .................................................................................. 8

Company’s Introduction ............................................................................................. 8
Chapter 5: Results .......................................................................................................... 9

Chapter 6: Discussion and Recommendations ............................................................. 10
Chapter 7: Conclusions and Further Study .................................................................. 11
References .................................................................................................................... 12
APPENDIX-A.............................................................................................................. 14
MBA Project Group Members’ Introduction ............................................................... 15
MBA Project Supervision Log..................................................................................... 16
iv
List of Tables
Table 1: Format as per Heading Level ........................................................................... 2
Table 2: Basic APA Citation Styles ............................................................................... 5
Table 3: Example Mapping of Research Questions (RQ) or Objectives with Method . 7
v
List of Figures
Figure 1: Example of a Study’s Flow ............................................................................ 6
vi
Executive Summary [Times New Roman: 18]
Executive summary is a summarized format of the report. It should stand alone from
your report and written with an Executive (as an audience) in mind. Executives usually
do not have enough time to read the whole detailed report and they prefer to read a
concise summary of the report instead. Therefore, it should be independent of the report
and cover all important elements of the report such as purpose, problem statement,
research question /objectives, methodology, major results /findings, brief discussion
and recommendations. It is of utmost importance that you give ample time to this
section.
[Times New Roman: 12]
vii
TITLE OF THE PROJECT
Chapter 1: Introduction
The official style for MBA Project Report is the 6th edition of Publication Manual of
the American Psychological Association (APA). Academic Affairs Office follows this
style overall, however there are some minor exceptions. Points that the author(s) wants
to emphasize can be italicized (do not use bold or quotes), as in this paragraph. In
general, use italics infrequently.
Introduction chapter briefly discusses three (03) main areas: (a) what is known
around the chosen topic; (b) what is unknown (gaps or problem statement) around the
chosen topic; and (c) among those gaps, which gaps (research questions /objectives)
your study /work will fill?
Introduction should have the following or similar headings: Context; Problem
Statement; Research Questions /Objectives /Hypothesis; and Study Outline.
Introduction should be written in such a way that the reader appreciates the criticality
/significance of the problem and becomes interested in continuing reading.
While writing, important aspects are: tone; word choice; precision; and
strategies to improve your writing style. For example, it is acceptable in APA style to
refer to yourself using “I” if you are the sole author and to refer to yourself and your
coauthors as “we.” Read your report aloud to catch mistakes or awkward wording. It is
also a good idea to have someone proofread your report.
Font and Font Sizes
Font should be Times New Roman. Font size for: Text should be 12 points; Main
Headings should be 18 points; Sub-heading should be 14 points; and Table should be
10 points.
Chapters and Headings
All chapter headings should be capitalized, bold and left-aligned. All chapters should
have at least three pages (exception is chapter 7). New chapter should start on new page.
According to APA guidelines, students should follow the heading levels i.e. for
Title, Section, and Sub-section etc. as shown in Table 1.
1
Tables
Limit the content in your tables to essential material. Tables should be integral to the
text but should be designed so that they can be understood in isolation. Table layout
should be logical and easily grasped by the reader. Always refer to a table in your text
i.e. there should not be any table that is not referred in the text. Do not write see the
table above (or below) or the table on page 32 (because the position and page number
of a table cannot be determined definitely until the report is finalized); instead use e.g.
see Table 12. Consider combining tables that repeat data.
Font for the table must be Times New Roman. Notes under the table can be used
for conveying additional information or repetitive information. Always mention
sources (reference) for any material placed in table that was extracted from external
sources. Table number and title are placed above the table as shown in Table 1. Spacing
should be single unless it hampers clarity.
Table 1: Format as per Heading Level
Level Format
1 Flush Left, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading a
2 Flush Left, Boldface, Uppercase and Lowercase Heading
3 Indented, boldface, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period. b
4 Indented, boldface, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a
period.
5 Indented, italicized, lowercase paragraph heading ending with a period.
a This type of capitalization is also referred to as title case.
b
In a lowercase paragraph heading, the first letter of the first word is uppercase and the remaining
words are lowercase.
Page, Margins & and Spacing
Page. Use standard-sized paper of 8.27” ×11.69” (A4 size). Justify text rather
than align text flushed left (except the title page).
Margins and Spacing. Margins should be 1.5” on left and 1” on top, right and
bottom edges. Use 1.5 spacing everywhere (except the title page). Do not use
ampersand (&) in place of and, as this report is a formal text (therefore, similarly & is
crossed in heading for this section).
Paragraphs and Indentation

Indent the first line of every paragraph. For consistency, use the tab key, which should
be set at five to seven spaces, or 0.5”. Type the remaining lines of the manuscript to a
uniform left-hand margin.
2
The only exceptions to these requirements are (a) the acknowledgement, (b)
block quotations, (c) titles and headings, (d) table titles and notes, and (e) figure
captions.
Figures and Appendices
Through figures (Graphs, Charts, Maps, Drawings and Photographs) show only
essential facts and avoid any visually distracting detail. Make sure lines are smooth and
sharp. Font is simple and legible. Figures with watermarks are not allowed. Images with
copyright violations are not allowed. Always mention sources (reference) for any figure
that was extracted from external sources. Properly use legends in graphs to make them
more understandable. Prepare your figures well, such as: photographs usually benefit
from cropping (i.e., eliminating what is not needed). Cropping recomposes the photo,
eliminates extraneous detail, and centers the image. Before cropping, ensure that the
image is straight (e.g., that vertical lines are truly vertical); use your software
application to align the image if necessary.
The caption serves both as a brief explanation of the figure and as a figure title.
The captions should be a brief but a descriptive phrase. Captions are placed below the
figure. Figures and Appendices should be single spaced unless this hampers clarity.
Each appendix should begin on a new page.
3
Chapter 2: Literature Review

This chapter presents the literature reviewed as part of secondary research around the
chosen topic of project. It describes: what is known and what is unknown; as these
aspects have already been discussed in various sources of literature. Various authors in
articles and books define the unknowns as future areas of study.
It is seen that students write this chapter in terms of floating paragraphs i.e. these
paragraphs are not linked to each other rather they are like islands. It is mandatory to
link these islands in such a way that a logical sequence can be developed to build
continuity in the presented concepts.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is: using someone else’s work and submitting it as your own; failing to give
appropriate acknowledgement when directly quoting or presenting another’s line of
thinking without giving credit. Do not repeat the author’s key words or sentence
structure while writing (page or paragraph numbers should also be included to help your
reader locate the material you used in the original source). Commonly-known or
understood material, such as a scientific truth or historical dates, do not have to be
documented /referenced, nor do proverbs, sayings, and clichés. Do not copy-paste
anything in your report. Academic Affairs Office will check the final report for
plagiarism, as HEC Pakistan has defined less than 20% being the acceptable limit for
similarity.
Citation
Properly cite references in your project report. Referencing capability of MS Word
should be used for citing references and APA referencing style should be followed. It
is important to cite at least 25 references (journal articles, books, reports etc.) preferably
authentic and recent journal articles.
APA format describes the following pattern for citing references: (a) in the flow
of the text: surname (year); (b) at the end of the text: (surname, year). When a work has
two authors, cite both names every time the reference occurs in text. When a work has
three, four, or five authors, cite all authors the first time the reference occurs; in
subsequent citations, include only the surname of the first author followed by et al. (not
italicized and with a period after al) and the year if it is the first citation of the reference
within a paragraph. For more details about APA referencing style, refer to Table 2.
4
Table 2: Basic APA Citation Styles
5
Chapter 3: Methodology
Here, we discuss what methodology we will employ to answer the research questions
or to achieve the objectives of MBA Project. Here the Project Group may discuss what
kind of data they will be dealing with such as Qualitative /Quantitative /Hybrid, along
with the discussion of how this data will be collected i.e. by experiments, questionnaire
or interview based surveys (primary or secondary data). For better clarity of the reader,
a flow chart can be included showing how the students conducted their study, for
example see Figure 1.
Finalize Research
Questions and/or Objectives
Secondary Research:
Literature Review
Primary Research:
Focus Groups
Primary Research:
Interviews
Primary Research:
Questionnaire
Results' Statistical Analysis
Workable
Recommendations
Figure 1: Example of a Study’s Flow

In case of survey, prospective sample size should be provided (preferably by
using a sample size calculator). Always be specific here, i.e. for example ‘10
interviews’ and NOT ’10 to 15 interviews’. Also, it is beneficial to show how the data
/results will be validated i.e. ‘Triangulation’. See ‘Project Report Completion Form’ for
more description of the research methodology and methods. Sampling technique is
another important aspect to discuss in this chapter. In case of Purposive Sampling (e.g.
convenient or snowball sampling techniques), students should also mention the
Inclusion Criteria (i.e. who will be considered as a respondent e.g. a manager having
6
at least 15 years of marketing relevant experience or a manager who has managed a

project worth Rs. 3 Billion or more). It is also better, for the readers’ clarity, to include
a table that maps /links the research questions and/or objectives with research method,
for example see Table 3.
Table 3: Example Mapping of Research Questions (RQ) or Objectives with Method
RQ and/or Objectives Research Method Sample Size
RQ1 Focus Group 5 Participants
RQ2 and RQ3 Interview 10 Interviews
RQ4 Questionnaire (Q4-Q7)
250 Respondents
In case of Interviews, describe the type that was employed, such as fully-
structured, semi-structured or unstructured. Place the interview protocol (and questions
in case of semi- or fully-structured) and focus group protocol in Appendix, whatever
applicable. The transcripts of interviews and focus group are also mandatory to be
placed in Appendix. In case of Questionnaire, discuss how the questionnaire was
designed (step-by-step), for example questionnaire was designed using xyz model and
refined during the focus group discussion; then, a pilot was conducted with 10
respondents and both questionnaires i.e. pre- and post-pilot are placed in Appendix A
and B respectively; moreover, the validity of the questionnaire was gauged using
Cronbach alpha. Furthermore, present how the questionnaire was administered
/floated, for example questionnaire was self-administered or an online questionnaire
was floated among all the textile companies listed on Pakistan Stock Exchange.
In case of survey (interview and/or questionnaire), Respondents’ Profile can
also be placed here. Discuss further about the statistical techniques employed and the
reasons for choosing a particular technique. It means a discussion around descriptive
statistics and inferential statistics has to be presented here. If there was a need for
inferential statistics in the project work and still it was avoided, then this will reflect
poorly while grading by the Evaluation Committee. Also, other tools, methods,
approaches and techniques employed relevant to your project should be briefly
discussed here along with the reasons for their choice.
It is better to write this chapter while the Project Group is carrying out the work;
it is easy to write in this manner. Afterwards, participants may forget the details of their
step by step research methodology and methods, which could have been valuable
information.
7
Chapter 4: Industry Background

Always start a chapter with some narration for the reader about the chapter he/she is
going to read, i.e. what he/she should expect reading in the current chapter. It is highly
inappropriate to start a chapter directly with a sub-heading or table or figure.
Industrial Sector’s Introduction
Brief discussion around the industry to which the company belongs will then be
presented here. Its salient features, such as: size, competition, growth or declining
trends, challenges, and edge etc.
Company’s Introduction
Here, information regarding the case company will be placed, with a brief introduction
of the company such as its major: products, processes, equipment, achievements,
locations and expertise etc. No. of employees, revenues, market-share and plans for
near or far future can also be mentioned here. Strengths and weaknesses in existing
supply chain practices can also be discussed here. Some details about the company’s
corporate culture and internal challenges can be presented here. The discussion can be
extended for why the company is interested or compelled to carry out this project.
In this chapter, it is vital to have a careful writing style i.e. choice of words and
tone. As this is about a company, we try to discuss around two points: (a) what is going
well or what this company is doing exceptional; (b) what can be improved (and this
project that you have undertaken is a manifestation of the spirit of improvement in the
company).
8
Chapter 5: Results
This chapter is probably among the first chapters that you write in your report. Here
descriptive statistics is presented. Use a consistent form of charts and graphs i.e. avoid
mixing too many types of charts. Also, do not over do with these charts and graphs by
presenting same data in different ways. This chapter should be limited to five pages.
If the project was about implementing certain tools, then you can discuss here
about: what are the results /benefits after this implementation; any KPI (Key
Performance Indicator) used to gage the difference between as-is and to-be, and; any
dos and don’ts while implementing the tool.
After descriptive, results of inferential statistics (e.g. hypothesis testing) is
presented here, however the in-depth discussion and interpretations can be delayed to
present it in the next chapter. Place the data (if appropriate), that serve as the base for
descriptive statistics (presented in this chapter), in the Appendix.
9
Chapter 6: Discussion and Recommendations

This chapter is the heart of a project report, as here the participants provide the
significance of their work by inferring various salient results from the data gathered. It
can further be discussed that how these findings are in line with some earlier relevant
projects (in literature review). Detailed discussion should be carried out around those
findings which are interesting or surprising. All effort should be put in to discuss the
findings from various perspectives and answering for why something happened. Also,
discuss here about the implications of this work and its findings on future course of the
company or the industrial environment as a whole. Substantial time should be devoted
to write this chapter with rigor.
Recommendations are then presented, which are all linked with the findings i.e.
recommendations should not be independent of the findings. Generic recommendations
are not acceptable rather recommendations should be linked with findings and should
be actionable and workable. Practicality of a recommendation is an important feature,
therefore put in effort to search for secondary sources where such a recommendation
has worked previously (e.g. in similar environment in Bangladesh, this solution has
worked therefore we suggest to implement xyz). Always cite the reference for any
secondary source used. Recommendations can be classified for the reader who may be
interested in implementation, such as: short-term; long-term; strategic; tactical;
operational, and; urgent etc. At least one recommendation should be described at a
higher level of detail, i.e. students can discuss how a particular recommendation can be
implemented (e.g. a particular best practice or approach to be used) and what the reader
should take care of while implementing a recommendation (e.g. various risks in
implementation can be highlighted).
10
Chapter 7: Conclusions and Further Study

Exceptionally, this chapter should have at least two pages. Areas of further study should
be highlighted here. The limitations of your study /project can be discussed here which
provide ideas for future areas of research (e.g. our work is restricted to Karachi’s KIA
– Korangi Industrial Area – and we suggest that another wider study can be carried out
for whole of Karachi’s industrial zones). Always run spell check and grammatical error
check on your report by using this functionality in MS Word.
11
References
At least 25 authentic references should be listed here. Wikipedia is no reference. All
sources used in your report are listed in alphabetical order and are double-spaced with
hanging indentation. Make sure that all references are complete in their information (for
example, sometimes year or title of the study is missing), as the purpose of references
is to assist the reader to find the cited document. Therefore, if any reference is not
complete then the reader will find difficulty while searching for the document you have
referred in your work. Also, as scholastic honesty, do NOT cite here any reference that
is not used in preparing this report. Some examples, for citing a particular category of
references, follow. The categorization that follows is only for students’ understanding
i.e. how a particular source should be formatted; however, in report, all the references
are presented in alphabetical order and not in any categorization.
Journal Articles
Kay, A. C., Gaucher, D., Peach, J. M., Laurin, K., Friesen, J., Zanna, M. P., & Spencer,
S. J. (2009). Inequality, discrimination, and the power of the status quo: Direct
evidence for a motivation to see the way things are as the way they should be.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 97, 421-434. doi:
10.1037/a0015997
Books
Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., & Williams, J. M. (2003). The craft of research (2nd
ed.). Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
Book by a Corporate Author

A corporate author can be an association, a committee, or any group whose
members are not identified individually. When the author and the publisher are the
same, use the word Author as the name of the publisher.
12
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Newspaper Articles
Print
Hafner, K. (2009, May 26). Texting may be taking a toll. The New York Times, p. D1.
Online from the paper’s website
Hafner, K. (2009, May 25). Texting may be taking a toll. The New York Times.
Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
Magazine Articles
Hemp, P. (2009, September). Death by information overload. Harvard Business
Review, 87(9), 83-89.
Web Site /Page

Landis, B. (1996). Carlisle Indian Industrial School history. Retrieved September 10,
2009, from http://home.epix.net/~landis/histry.html
When discussing an entire web site, an entry does not appear in the reference
list, but is cited within text as shown in the following sample sentence:
The International Council of Museums web site provides many links to
museums, codes of ethics, and the museum profession (http://www.icom.org/).
Technical and Research Reports

American Psychological Association, Task Force on Evidence-Based Practice with
Children and Adolescents. (2008). Disseminating evidence-based practice for children
and adolescents: A systems approach to enhancing care. Retrieved from
http://www.apa.org/pi/cyf/evidence.html
13
APPENDIX-A
14
MBA Project Group Members’ Introduction

Group Member’s Name
Insert maximum 30 words’ bio here e.g.: He/She is Manager Procurement in XYZ
Company in Karachi, Pakistan. His/Her interests are: Supplier Risk Management and
Quality Engineering. He/She is a CSCP. [email address]




15
16
Title of Project
Group Member’s Name ERP ID

Member’s Name ERP ID
Client’s Logo Member’s Name ERP ID
Advisor:
January 1, 2019
Presentation Plan
 Maximum twenty (20) slides for Interim and thirty (30) slides for Final Presentation.
 On the title slide, place Group Members’ Names in sequence of presentation.
 Presentation Plan is mandatory to present.
 All slides should have a footer with ‘Slide No.’– Project Short Title’.
 Practice well to complete your presentation in twenty (20) minutes for Interim and forty
(40) minutes for Final.
 Ten (10) and Twenty (20) minutes will then be provided for ‘Question and Answer’ for
Interim and Final Presentation respectively.
Project Short Title 2

Background /Problem Statement
 Quickly discuss the background or context of your Project, such as: Company Introduction
and Industry Introduction.
 Don’t spend too much time on Background.
 State clear problem statements.

Research Questions /Objectives
 Quickly discuss the background or context of your Project, such as: Company Intro. and
Industry Intro.
 Don’t spend too much time on Background.

Methodology
 Place methodology used to complete the project on this slide.

 Research Method, Sampling Technique, Sample Size and research flow, whichever
applicable, should be mentioned here.
 Presenting the mapping of research questions /objectives with research methods is
always preferable. See example below.
RQ and/or Objectives Research Method Sample Size

RQ1 Focus Group 5 Participants
RQ2 and RQ3 Interview 10 Interviews
250 Respondents

Secondary Research
 Make sure that the font sizes are readable.

 Make sure that figures /images used are sharp, legible and are not copyrighted (don’t
have any watermark).
 Make sure that font sizes in tables are legible.
 Do not put too much text on the slides.
 Do not over-do with Animations & Transitions.

Results /Findings
 Place the results of the study here.

Discussion /Analysis
 Most important area is to discuss the results of the project.

 Employ Inferential Statistics wherever applicable.

Recommendations
 Recommendations should be linked to the findings of the project.

 At least one recommendation in detail.

Statement of Contribution
 What has this work contributed (considering the audience of the study)?
 Example: Case-Study or Research-Paper published or submitted to XYZ Journal
/Conference
 Example: Savings generated through your project
 Example: Newspaper Article or dissemination through other media

Thank You!
 Acknowledgments
 More logos (if required) can be placed adjacent to IBA’s logo for acknowledgment.
 Question & Answer?

List of References
 Proper referencing is required for any Text or Image or Table copied/borrowed from anywhere.
 Place references for 10 important references on this slide
 References, can be placed on other slides, in this form: (Last name of 1st Author, Year of
Publication).

PROCEDURE FOR
MBA PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
Please follow the following thoroughly:

 Be at the venue at least 15 minutes BEFORE TIME with all that is needed.
 It is a FORMAL presentation /exam; therefore, it should be obvious from
attire and language.
 Presentation is needed to be delivered in English (mode of communication is
ONLY English).
 INTERIM:
o MAXIMUM SLIDES: 20 for Interim Presentation
o MAXIMUM TIME: 30 minutes (including Q&A)
 FINAL:
o MAXIMUM SLIDES: 30 for Final Presentation
o MAXIMUM TIME: 60 minutes (including Q&A)
 It is also MANDATORY to bring Spiral bind copy(s) of the Interim Report and
Final Draft Report for the physical presentation, whichever applicable.
 Soft copy of Final report must be submitted prior to applying the time for
presentation along with ‘MBA Final Project Report Completion Form’.
 Group must ensure the presence of client (client’s representative mentioned
in TOR) and advisor, as their presence is MANDATORY.
 Submission of all softcopies (CD(s) or all data in Zip file on final submission)
for Interim and Final Report along with presentation is MANDATORY for final
grading. Grades will only be posted, once all requirements in hard (Blue-bind
Reports as per Library’s standard) and soft-form are submitted to the BAAA-
office.
You, the future mangers /leaders, are expected to manage within all the above
instructions /constraints. BAAA-office will be pressed to impose negative
marking in case of non-compliance of the above.
Checklist for online Interim and Final presentation (during pandemic condition)
For interim presentation student are required to mail with:
1. Interim Report
2. Interim Presentation
3. Suggested time for Interim presentation by the Advisor (client is optional in the interim
presentation)
For final presentation student are required to mail with:
1. Final Report
2. Final Presentation
3. Data sets (i.e. excel, SPSS or any other files used in the project)
4. Suggested time for Interim presentation by the Advisor and client
* students are required to open up their camera during the online presentation.
MBA Project Grading Criteria Grid
Group No.: 622-701-xxxx-xx Project-Advisor: xxx
Project Title: xxx
Interim  Final 
Criteria Grading
Presentation Project Group Members
(Scale: Assign Letter Grades) Name Name Name Name Name Name
NOT Applicable on Interim ERP-ID ERP-ID ERP-ID ERP-ID ERP-ID ERP-ID
1. Presents concepts with CLARITY
(Careful /Precise in Subject Knowledge)
2. Has SELF-CONFIDENCE
(Eye-Contact and Body Language)
3. English FLUENCY
(Speaks Clearly)
4. Active Presence in Meetings /Visit
Grading Scale
Report (Place  in the appropriate column) F C- C C+ B- B B+ A- A
4a. Problem CONCEPTUALIZATION
(Appropriate: Research Questions and/or Objectives)
4b. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
(Appropriate: Methods; Design; Sample; Technique)
5. SECONDARY RESEARCH
(Ample and Authentic Resources Referred)
6. PRIMARY RESEARCH
(Proper: Survey; Implementation; Inclusion)
7. RESULTS & DISCUSSION
(Descriptive and Inferential Statistics; Analysis)
8. RECOMMENDATIONS
(Linked with Results and are Workable)
9. INNOVATIVE Thinking
(Creativity /Out-of-Ordinary /Extra-Mile)
10. Report WRITING-SKILL
(Structure; Narrative; Storyline; APA)
Com m en t s / R e c o m m e n d a t i o n s
Project Evaluation Date:

Signature
Advisor
Name
Program-Director Signature All corrections done as Similarity:
(MBA) recommended
Name (for official use: sign, name & date;
ONLY required for Final Report):
Independent Signature
Examiner /Client Signature
Name Name
Grading Plan Effective from Spring-2010
Percentage Grade GPA Percentage Grade GPA
93-100 A 4.00 68-71 C+ 2.33
87-92 A- 3.67 64-67 C 2.00
82-86 B+ 3.33 60-63 C- 1.67
77-81 B 3.00 0-59 F=Failed 0.00
72-76 B- 2.67

Consent to Publish
Title of Case study:
Author(s):
I hereby confirm that I have reviewed the above-entitled case study in full and on behalf of the organization in
question, I provide my full permission for the case to be published in its entirety for the life of the work in all
languages and all formats by IBA or to whom IBA submits this case for Publishing for commercial distribution.
By signing this form, I warrant that I am authorized to grant full permission.
Name:
Position:
Organization:
Address:
Email:
Signature with Date:
For official use:
Date Reviewed: Signature:
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MBA Project Handbook

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Document #: IBA/MBA-Project-00 Issue #: 03

Title: MBA Project Handbook

NAME DESIGNATION SIGNATURE DATE

*This document is developed by Business Administration Academic Affairs Office, and it

2. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVE

4. MBA PROJECT APPLICATION

4.2 Business Administration Academic Affairs (BAAA) Office invites organizations to

5. GENERAL SCHEME OF STUDIES

6.1 MBA PROJECT EVALUATION COMMITTEE

6.1.1 Shall be chaired by Director Business Administration Programs.

Director Business Subject Matter

Exhibit 1: Possible Composition of MBA Project Evaluation Committee

6.2 BAAA OFFICE

6.3 PROJECT ADVISOR

6.3.1 Shall be responsible for: deeper comprehension of client’s requirements;

during the development of ‘Interim Project Report’ and ‘Final Project

6.4 CLIENT ORGANIZATION

7. PROGRESS OF PROJECT WORK

references and draft questionnaire (if applicable, in appendix) should be submitted in

8. SUBMISSION AND EVALUATION

9. DELIVERABLES & GRADING POLICY

Exhibit 2: Grading Plan as per Project Deliverables

Grading Weight age in Deliverable Sub-component

9.2 Different grades may be awarded to members within a same group.

10. DISCIPLINE OF FINAL PROJECT PRESENTATION EXAM

11. PUBLICATION OF PROJECT REPORT

12. RELATED DOCUMENTS

1. MBA Project TOR with checklist

13. LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS:

BAAA : Business Administration Academic Affairs

MBA PROJECT - TERMS

PROJECT GROUP MEMBERS

MBA Project Advisor: __________________

Proposed Title for Project

IBA Karachi Page 1 of 4

IBA Karachi Page 2 of 4

Client’s Focal Person:

Client’s Focal Person’s

 quality, integrity, independence and impartiality of your study/work;

IBA Karachi Page 3 of 4

TOR Check List

IBA Karachi Page 4 of 4

THE HARVARD APA-STYLE GUIDE TO

A. PRESENTING A BIBLIOGRAPHY: HARVARD APA-STYLE 3

B. IN-TEXT REFERENCES FOR ESSAYS: HARVARD-APA STYLE 6

C. HOW POOR OR INADEQUATE REFERENCING WILL 12

Original Version: Stephen Cope and Anne Worden, October 2002

Revised Referencing Penalties produced by Dave Russell, August 2005

History units within the School of Social, Historical and Literary

This guide outlines the Harvard APA-style guidelines to bibliographic

For guidelines on the traditional numeric referencing used by History

The Library has produced a website called Referencing@Portsmouth

Name of author/s. (Year of publication). Title of Official Publication (Official publication’s

Articles retrieved from a full-text database e.g. JSTOR, LexisNexis,

Single episode from a television series

• American Psychological Association. (2001). Publication Manual of the American

Example 1: Quoting and paraphrasing

Example 2: Quoting long passages

Example 3: Primary and secondary sources

Example 4: Citing from the Internet

Example 5: Citing page numbers in references

Example 6: Referencing and Latin terms

Example 7: Plagiarism and referencing

Group Number: ___ Project Advisor: _