HANDBOOK

for
CBBR4006 PROJECT
(BITM)

1
 PART I

OVERVIEW

2
1.0 Introduction

It is well recognized that final year project paper is an important component of the first-
degree curriculum. Accordingly, first-degree students are required to take the paper
toward or at the end of their studies. Basically first-degree project paper aims to train
students to carry out small-scale research activities, namely to train them to carry out
literature survey for the problems definition and also solutions to the problems (i.e.
system development in the context of IT). The project paper also provided an avenue for
the students to develop experience to present their research in written reports. The
previous practice at OUM is to divide the project into two parts: Project 1 (3 credits) and
Project 2 (3 credits). Effective May 2009, the two Projects have been combine into one
subject known as Project (6 credits) and must completed within TWO semester. The
deliverables for the Project are:

Project Report (written according to OUM format as elaborated in Part II)

System/Software (to be burnt in the CD and attached together with the report)

Students intend to take Final Year Project must satisfy the following requirements:

Students with CGPA less than 3.00:

At the time they register for Project, they must have at most one elective subjects
excluding project paper at the last semesters.

Students with CGPA more or equal to 3.00:

At the time they register for Project, they must have at most two elective subjects
excluding project paper at the last semesters.

Management of student projects at OUM gives rise to number of implementation issues,

in particular the following:

Appointment of the Supervisors and Examiners

Logistic
Monitoring students progress

This paper attempts to provide some guideline to assist toward effective management of
the students projects at OUM.

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2.0 Appointment of the Supervisors and Examiners

Minimum qualification of the supervisors and examiners is MSC in Computer Science/IT

or related qualifications. Basically the students need to have five meeting (physical or
virtual) with their supervisors. Supervisor and examiners can be appointed among SME
or tutors and in certain cases among lecturers from IPTA or IPTS. At most seven students
will be assigned to one supervisor in a particular semester.

3.0 Projects Topics

The scope of the Final Year Project must be link to program/system/software developing
as OUM want produce graduates who are able to develop applications. Project topics can
be proposed by the students or the supervisors concerned. But the faculty needs to
evaluate the topics for their suitability. For computer science or IT first-degree program
the scope of the project should covers all the following elements:
problem identification,
Literature review
modeling,
system design and
development of prototype system.

Although system development is emphasized, other computing projects such as devising

new algorithm for scientific problems such as cryptography, sorting or devising
methodologies for software process improvement, etc are allowed. Case study projects
such as A survey on the usage of computer among school teacher, etc are strictly
prohibited.

4.0 Contents of the Project Report

The first task that need to be done by the student is come up with a Project Proposal.
Project Proposal should contain the following aspects:
Title of the project
Introduction
Problem Statement
Objective
Project Scope
Requirement of Software/Hardware needed in the project
Gantt Chart
Conclusion

6-10 pages (1.5 spacing) is enough for the Project Proposal and student need to
submit it to their supervisor a week before the semester commences or latest on the
first week of the semester.

4
After their proposal has been endorsed by their supervisor, the student can proceed to
write the report and eventually develop the system. The following are the chapters (to be
included in the final report) and time frame that are proposed to the students so that they
can complete the project on time:

Proposed Chapters Proposed Time Proposed Number

Frame of Pages in the
Final Report
(1) Introduction (problem statement, 1 week 6-10 pages
objective, scope, limitation,
implementation plan)
(2) Literature Review 2 weeks 10-15 pages
(3) Analysis/Design: Program 2 weeks 40 pages
design, Database design,
Interface design, etc
(4) Implementation/Programming 4 weeks 30- 40 pages
and Testing
(5) Summary and Conclusion 1 week 4-5 pages
(6) References -
Appendix
TOTAL 10 WEEKS >= 90 pages
(1 semester)
It is the duty of the supervisor in order to make sure that the students is progressing well according to
the time frame given above.

Students can use their own computer or computers at the PPW/T computer Lab in order
to do the write-up or system development. STUDENT WHO PLAGIARIASED THEIR
PROJECT WORK WILL BE GIVEN 0 (F).

5.0 Processes Involved In The Management Of Student Projects

Basically management of student project involves three major core processes:

1. Identifying potential supervisors and examiners database

2. Project Registration
3. Project Supervision
4. Project Examination
5. Awarding Grades

Refer to the next pages for more details on the above processes.

5
 Identifying Supervisors and Examiners Database

Responsibility Inputs Outputs

When

List of
Anytime Learning supervisors and
Advertise the need
for Supervisors and Centres examiners
examiners

Criteria for List of

Faculty selection successful
Select potential candidates
supervisors and
examiners

List of
Create database of Faculty successful Database
successful candidates candidates

List of
Inform the successful Letters/e-mail
Faculty
candidates candidates etc

Students Registration Project

When Responsibility Inputs Outputs

List of eligible
students List
Listofof
students
After getting Students
Supervisor apply
Students
Allocate
Check students
student
apply toto to register
eligible
6
examination Students projects
register
eligibility
supervisors
fortothe
do data base for project
students
result Exam
Exam Letters/e-mail
Data base
Inform the
project students
project Faculty
Faculty result
result etc
 Students
projects
Data base

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 Project Supervision

When Responsibility Inputs Outputs

Supervisor
Make arrangement to At each Ts students
see students/to
meet supervisors

At each Ts Supervisor and Log book Updated log

Discuss the progress students book

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 Project Examination

When Responsibility Inputs Outputs

List of students
Students submit Beginning of Students Project, submit the
the project for the Submission project for
examination examination form examination
week

List of students Examination

Supervisor submit the results
Mark the project
project for Supervisor
examination reports
Guideline for
marking the
project

Send the result to PPU Examination List of results

the faculty results By supervisor
Supervisor and supervisor
reports, reports
Submission
form

9
 PART II

GUIDE TO WRITE REPORTS FOR

CBBR4006 (BITM)

10
1.0 CONTENTS OF PROJECT PAPER

Contents of the project paper should be arranged in the following order. However, this is
only a guide, as project papers differ in terms of the contents, headings and
subheadings. Students should consult their supervisors and discuss with them when
finalizing the arrangements and contents of their project paper.

With Roman Numerals

Page
Title Page i {but not shown on the page}
Abstract ii {beginning of numbered pages)
Abstrak
Dedication- optional
Acknowledgements
Declaration
Table of Contents
List of Figures/ illustrations
List of Tables
List of Abbreviations/ Notations/ Glossary
Of terms (if any)

With Arabic Numerals

1. INTRODUCTION 1 {beginning of numbered pages}

1.1 Background of the Study
1.2 Problem Statement
1.3 Research Objectives
. .
2. LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1
2.2
2.2.1
.
Summary

3. SYSTEM ANALYSIS AND DESIGN

3.1
3.2
3.2.1
3.3
.
3.6 Summary

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4. IMPLEMENTATION AND TESTING

4.1
4.2
4.3
4.3.1
4.3.2
.
.
4.6 Summary

5. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

REFERENCES
APPENDICES

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2.O GENERAL FORMAT FOR WRITING PROJECT PAPER AND
CASE

a. Writing and Printing Format

Language

The language of the project paper/ case is either standard American or British English or
Bahasa Malaysia. The use of a language must be consistent throughout the project paper/
case study. Mixing of British and American English or Bahasa Malaysia is not allowed.
The project paper/ case study must be written in the third person.

Technical Specification

i. Typing-- typing should be done on a word processor, with printing done on a

letter quality or a laser printer. Word processor softwares such as
Microsoft Word or Word Perfect can be used. For tables and calculations
Microsoft Excel and Lotus 123 may be used.

ii. Typeface and Font Sizethe entire text, including headings and page
numbers must be produced with the same font or type face. The font size
should be 12 point (Times New Roman) for the main text and should not
be scripted or italicized except for scientific names and terms in a different
language. Bold print is used for headings. Footnotes and text in tables
can be in 10 point font size. The font styles must be in Times New
Roman.

iii. MarginsThe left margin should be at 35mm and the right, top and bottom
margins are at 30 mm.

iv. Spacing the main text of the chapters should be typed on one side of the
page and 1 -spaced throughout. Spacing between two paragraphs in the
text should be set at 2 single spacing. Spacing between the chapter
heading and the first subheading should be set at 4 single spacing. Single
spacing will be used for the following purposes only:

Abstract
Explanatory footnotes (if absolutely necessary)
Quotations longer than 3 lines set in a block
References and bibliographies (except between entries)
Long headings or subheadings
Long captions to tables, figures or plates
Appendices such as questionnaires and letters.

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 v. Paginationall pages should be numbered centrally at the bottom
margin. Page numbers should appear by themselves and should not be
placed in brackets, hyphenated or accompanied by other decorative
devices.

Only the original word-processed copy of the project paper/ case or its
good and clean photocopies will be accepted. When a page consisting of
Figures or Tables needs to be inserted, it may be numbered with a lower
case letter (e.g. 5a if inserted between pages 5 and 6).

vi. PaperWhite paper (80 gm) or paper of equivalent quality with A4 size (210
mm x 297 mm) should be used.

vii. HeadingChapter number and heading should be centred and written in bold,
upper case letters with 16 point font size. Subheadings should be aligned
to the left margin and written with 14 point font size, upper case and lower
case letters.

viii. After supervisors approval, the student need to bind the report properly
with the cover page and the back cover should be soft-binding (color:
Royal Blue) refer figure a and b

b. Abstract

An abstract of the project paper is required in English and Bahasa Malaysia. The abstract
should not exceed more than 200 words. It is a summary of all the important elements of
the project such as the problems, method, results, implications and conclusions. It should
be written in one paragraph. The abstract should be written in past tense to describe
processes or activities already done by the researcher, and present tense to describe
conclusions and implications based on the study. Use Times New Roman, 12 with single
spacing for the abstract.

c. Text Citations

Ideas, words, findings, figures and others which are taken directly or indirectly from the
others must be duly acknowledged by the writer. To acknowledge others works in the
text, students must follow certain conventions. The following examples illustrate some of
the conventions when making citations in the text.

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 i. Writing the authors name (s).

Western or English name, use only the surname (or the family name) in the text. For
example: John Smith, use Smith.
Malay and Chinese names: Use the whole name or the first name for the Malay, and
family name for the Chinese.
Example: Mohd. Ali Bin Kassim, use Mohd. Ali.
Lee Ah Hua, use Lee.

ii. Citation Style: Author(s)-Year.

For Single Author

When the author is a part of the formal structure of the sentence, the citation is as
follows:

Franklin (1998) pointed out that, universities as providers of management education have
both privileged opportunities and critical responsibilities to ..

According to Denison (1990), culture refers to underlying values, beliefs, and principles
that serve as .

When the author of the source is not part of the formal structure of the sentence, the
citation is as follows:

As the average inter-item correlation is low, Cronbach,s alpha will be low. As the
average inter-item correlation increases, Cronbachs alpha increases as well (Santos,
1999).

(Note the way the author and year are written for each condition or situation.)

For Multiple Authors

Similar style is used for multiple authors, but with the use of and and & as follows:

Mallak and Kurstedt (1996) introduce their model of participative management.

It reflects the enforcement of rules, conformity, and attention to technical matters

(Denison & Spreitzer, 1991).

The Legitimacy Model (Miles & Cameron, 1982; Zammuto, 1982) considers
organizational effectiveness in terms of contextual measure.

15
[Note (1) semi colon separates the two sources of information, and (2) the sources are
arranged in alphabetical order]

When many authors are found in one source, use et al. for second time citation. For
example:

Mohd. Ali, Lee, Smith and Bradner (1990) found that .. (First time citation)
Mohd. Ali et al. (1983) found that . (second citation and onwards).
The knowledge obtained through this process must be retained (Mohd. Ali et al.,
1983).

Same Authors over several works and Several Years

Several studies by the same author in one year are referred to by the writer, then the
citation is as follows:
Mohd. Ali (1990a, 1990b, 1990c)

Several studies by the same author over several years are referred to by the writer, then
citation is as follows:
Mohd. Ali (1990, 1991, 1993).

When the citation is not taken directly from the source

Ridley and Mendoza developed a model based on interrelated organizational processes

which was used primarily as a tool for management consultants (as cited by Rojas, 2000).
[Cite only the study that you have read in the Reference Listin this case it is Rojas
(2000)].

d. Quotations

i. When short quotations (less than 40 words) are taken from the source, these
can be incorporated in the text but enclosed by double quotation marks.
Example:

According to Emory (1985, p. 115), even when the research design is ideal, there is
always a question about whether the results are true.

ii. When long quotations are taken from a source (more than 40 words), display
the quotations in a free-standing block of typewritten lines but without the
quotation marks. Start the quotation block on a new line, indented five
spaces from the left margin. Type double-spaced lines. If the quotation
takes more than one paragraph, then start the new sentence of the new
paragraph indented five spaces from the new left margin.

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[Note: (i) Materials quoted must follow the wording, spelling, and interior punctuation of
the original source, even if the source is incorrect. Students must make sure to check the
typed copy with the original source to ensure no discrepancy exists. (ii) For quotations,
write the authors names, year and page number of the source.]

Example of a long quotation:

In summarizing the research finding on the roles of ISO consultants, Salleh Yahya (2003)
states that:

In the old ISO 9000 quality assurance systems, consultants often act as knowledge

brokers who transfer their codified knowledge of ISO 9000 technical

requirements and implementation, which is learnt through the precise ISO 9000

codebook, to the clients organization. They also function as informers or

advisers of best practices and know-how in ISO implementation to their clients.

(p. 162)

e. List of References (or Bibliography)

All references cited in the text must be listed in the List of References or Bibliography.
The listing must be ordered in the alphabetical order based on the name of the author that
appeared in the citation. Writing of references in the Bibliography must follow the style
outlined in the following examples.

(i) Examples of references to periodicals

(Take note of how the authors names and journal titles are arranged, and also how the
volume and page numbers of journals are written. Spaces between words should also be
noted )

Single author, journal article

Ichniowski, C. (1986). The effects of grievance activity on productivity. Industrial and

Labour Relations Review, 40, 75-89.

Salleh Yahya. (2003). The role of ISO 9001: 2000 consultants. IIUM Journal of
Economics and Management, 11(2), 143-165.

17
More than one author, journal article.

Kinnear, L., & Sutherland, M. (2000). Determinants of organizational commitment

amongst knowledge workers. South African Journal of Business Management, 31(3),
106-112.

Kinicki, A. J., Carson, K.P., & Bohlander, G. W. (1992). Relationship between an

organizations actual human resource efforts and employee attitudes. Group and
Organization Management, 17, 135-152.

Newspaper article

Mohd. Ali Hassan (Year, month & date). Title, Name of newspaper, p.

Chapter in a book

Salancik, G.R. (1977). Commitment and the control of organizational behavior and
belief. In B.M. Staw & G.R. Salancik (Eds.), New Directions in Organizational
Behavior (pp. 1-54). Chicago: St. Clair Press.

Choudhury, M.A. (1996). Why cannot neoclassicism explain resource allocation and
development in the Islamic political economy? In Ahmed, E. (ed.), Role of Private
and Public Sectors in Economic Development in an Islamic Perspective (pp. 17-44).
Herndon, VA: International Institute of Islamic Thought.

Reference to Entire Books

Armstrong, M. (1992). A Handbook of Personnel Management Practice. London:

Kogan Page Ltd.

Emory, C. W. (1985). Business Research Methods (3rd.). Illinois: Richard D. Irwin.

Proceedings of Meetings and Symposia

Manjula, J. (2004). Knowledge management in organizations: An essential journey.

Proceedings of 2nd National HRM Conference: Gearing Human Resources Towards
New Dynamism (pp. 88-98). Pulau Pinang: Penerbit Universiti Utara Malaysia.

18
Unpublished Doctoral Dissertations and Masters Theses

Evans, D. L. (1987). Human resource planning practices in Southern California

hospitals. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, United States International University.

Mohammad Naim Ahmad (1999). Anteseden komitmen kepada organisasi.

Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Web Document

Roberts, G.E. (1994). Acceptance of performance appraisal. Retrieved September 24,

2003 from http://www.ignoumeids.ac.in/ignou/erl/articles/HR/5952.html

Elangovan, A.R., & Karakowsky, L. (1999). The role of trainee and environmental
factors in transfer of training: An exploratory framework. Leadership &
Organization Development Journal, 20(5), pp. 268-275. Retrieved September 3, 2003
from http://www.emerald-library.com

f. Tables and Figures

Titles of the tables and figures must be written at the top left hand side. Number all
tables and figures with Arabic numerals in the order in which chapters the tables and
figures appear, for examples, Table 3.1, Table 3.2, or Figure 4.1 and Figure 4.2. The
contents of the tables and figures must be written using font of size 10 and single spaced.
The source(s) of data must be written at the bottom left of the table and figure.

g. Physical Appearance of the Project Paper

(i) Cover Page

Must be written using upper case letters and font size of 14. The
specifications are shown in the following illustration (Appendix II).

(ii) Title Page-follow Appendix III

(iii) Declaration Page-follow Appendix IV

(iv) List of Figures/ List of Tables Appendix VI

(v) Starting a chapter - Appendix VII

19
APPENDIX II (COVER OF REPORT)

60 mm

FACTORS INFLUENCING ORGANIZATIONAL

COMMITMENT: A STUDY OF EMPLOYEES IN
KNOWLEDGE-INTENSIVE ORGANIZATIONS
{Times New Roman, 14, Centred}

AMALIA FADHLINA BINTI AHMAD

{Times New Roman, 14, Centred}

OPEN UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

{Times New Roman, 14, Centred}

60 mm

20
APPENDIX III- TITLE PAGE (AFTER THE COVER)

FACTORS INFLUENCING ORGANIZATIONAL

COMMITMENT: A STUDY OF EMPLOYEES IN
KNOWLEDGE-INTENSIVE ORGANIZATIONS
{Times New Roman, 16, Bold, Centred}

AMALIA FADHLINA BINTI AHMAD

{Times New Roman, 14, Centred}

Project Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the

Degree of Bachelor of Information Technology and Management (Hons)

Open University Malaysia

(Year of Submission)
{Times New Roman, 12, Centred}

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APPENDIX IV DECLARATION PAGE

DECLARATION
{New Times Roman, 16, bold, centred}

Name :_____________________________
Matric. Number :_____________________________

I hereby declare that this project paper is the result of my own work, except for
quotations and summaries which have been duly acknowledged.

Signature: _________________________ Date: ______________________

{Times New Roman, 12}

22
APPENDIX VI LIST OF FIGURES

LIST OF FIGURES {Times New Roman, 14, bold, upper case, right justified}
Page {Times New Roman, 12,
bold, left justified}

Figure 1.2 The Structure of Web 1 {this is page number}

Figure 1.2 The UP model 2
.. ..
.. ..
Figure 5.8 The Interface 70

{Times New Roman, 12}

Note: The same goes for the List of Tables.

23
APPENDIX VII STARTING A CHAPTER

CHAPTER 1 {font size 16, centralized, bold}

INTRODUCTION
{4 single spacing}

1.0 Introduction {font size 14, bold}

Web services is an ......................

{font size 12, justified for the main text with 1 spacing} .
...


{2 single spacing between the paragraphs }

{one tab} The research on Web .

{2 single spacing}

1.1 Problem Statement {font size 14, bold}

.
{2 single spacing }

1.1.1 Scope {font size 14, bold}

MarginsThe left margin should be at 35mm and the right, top and bottom
margins are at 30 mm.

24
-END OF THE DOCUMENT-

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