Management Thesis

Management Thesis Guidelines

The MBA Program

(The Class of 2009-2011)

1
Management Thesis
KL UNIVERSITY BUSINESS SCHOOL (KLUBS)
Vaddeswaram, Guntur District

2
 The MBA Program (The Class of 2009)
CONTENTS
M anagement Thesis G uidelines
Preparations for Management Thesis...........................................................................3
Management Thesis Schedule......................................................................................3
Orientation Program.....................................................................................................4
Goals for Management Thesis......................................................................................5
1.0 Introduction..................................................................................................................6
2.0 Objectives ....................................................................................................................6
3.0 General Guidelines.......................................................................................................6
4.0 Implementation of Management Thesis Course...........................................................7
5.0 Guidelines for the Title and the Proposal ....................................................................7
6.0 Title and Proposal Approval Process ..........................................................................8
7.0 Management Thesis Submission .................................................................................9
8.0 Evaluation Guidelines for the Title and The Proposal..................................................9
9.0 Interim Management Thesis Evaluation.......................................................................9
10.0 Final Management Thesis Evaluation ........................................................................10
11.0 Management Thesis Evaluation ................................................................................11
12.0 MIS Reports ...............................................................................................................12
Appendices
A. Title and Proposal Approval Form ............................................................................13
B. Certificate...................................................................................................................15
C. Guidelines for Writing Management Thesis..............................................................16
D. Writing Literature Review.........................................................................................23
Evaluation Formats
MT/E-1 Evaluation of the Management Thesis Title and Proposal ……...........................25
MT/E-2 Evaluation of Interim Management Thesis ……..................................................26
MT/E-3 Evaluation of the Interim Management Thesis Presentation ……........................27
MT/E-4 Evaluation of the Final Management Thesis ……................................................28
MT/E-5 Evaluation of the Final Management Thesis Presentation ……...........................30
MIS Reports
MT/D-1 Statement of Marks Awarded for Management Thesis Title and Proposal...........32
MT/D-2 Summary of Management Thesis Title and Proposal Evaluation…….................32
MT/D-3 Statement of Marks Awarded for Interim Evaluation ……..................................33
MT/D-4 Summary of Interim Management Thesis Evaluation ……..................................33
MT/D-5 Statement of Marks Awarded for Management Thesis Final Evaluation.............34
MT/D-6 Statement of Marks Awarded for Final Presentation Evaluation …….................35
MT/D-7 Consolidated Statement of Marks Awarded for Final Evaluation ……................36
MT/D-8 Summary of Final Evaluation of Presentation & Management Thesis.................37
MT/D-9 Aggregate Marks List for Management Thesis ……............................................38

3
Management Thesis
GOALS FOR MANAGEMENT THESIS
The goals for Management Thesis are as follows:

• Allocation ratio: Faculty Supervisor to Students ratio is 1:15.

• Company sponsored/supported management thesis: Each Faculty Supervisor

shall generate three company sponsored/supported management thesis. Such research opportunities
would be allotted to students who have the ability to deliver results.

• Earnings: It is preferable to source company sponsored management thesis. The

sponsorship amount may be judiciously used for effective completion of the research assignment.

• Literature Review: Each student shall source at least three research papers from
journals in the library or from e-database which are relevant to the topic of management thesis. These
papers have to be reviewed by the student in a systematic manner and shall be presented during
weekly seminars.

• Weekly Seminars: Shall be conducted by the Faculty Supervisors for students

allotted to them. The agenda for weekly seminars is furnished in the attached Annexure. Faculty
Supervisors must ensure that these seminars are intensively academic with focus on quality research,
productive, and should provide value for companies. Weekly seminars are open to all interested
faculty members and students. Each Faculty Supervisor shall display on the notice board the schedule
for the weekly seminars and the names and topics for presentation. There shall be three sessions per
week for weekly seminars.

• No plagiarism: Faculty Supervisor shall ensure the management thesis submitted

by a student is free of any plagiarized material. In case a thesis is found to be plagiarized subsequent
to its submission/evaluation, the University reserves its right to cancel the management thesis of such
student(s) and award appropriate penalty or punishment as per University norms. Such award shall be
binding on the student and the Faculty Supervisor.

• Publication of research papers: Each Faculty Supervisor shall strive to publish

two research papers based on the research carried out by his/her students during management thesis.
Such papers shall acknowledge the contribution of concerned student(s).

• Compliance: All the stakeholders are required to strictly adhere to the calendar for
various activities including evaluation.

4
 The MBA Program (The Class of 2009)
Management Thesis Guidelines
1.0 Introduction: Management Thesis is an important and integral part of the curriculum. While
undertaking a research project, the students gain first-hand experience in a particular industry and get
an opportunity to innovate, add to, and challenge ideas and techniques imbibed in the first year. It is
an ideal way to explore an industry, build a relationship with a prospective employer and pave way for
placement.
2.0 Objectives: The objectives of the Management Thesis are:

• To provide an opportunity to apply knowledge imbibed in different functional areas viz., Human
Resources Management, Marketing, Finance, etc.

• To get an exposure to apply the management concepts and models to the corporate world to find
solutions to problems/issues.

• To provide an opportunity for an organization to experience the performance of a prospective

employee, evaluate his/her performance and plan to hire a student upon completion of the
project.
3.0 General Guidelines:

a) Management Thesis is a compulsory course during Semester III.

b) It is an in-depth study of a company assigned project that incorporates a critical and analytical
approach to the subject with a rigorous research focus. Alternatively it is researching an issue or
problem academically to find a solution.
c) It is a faculty supervised course component carrying 6 credits during Semester III of the MBA
Program.
d) It is preferable to have a company sponsored/interested research project.
e) Each student will be attached to a Faculty Supervisor during Management Thesis course who
will liaise with a company/organization to secure a research project of interest to the company
with/without sponsorship and in alignment with a student’s interest.
f) In cases where a student does not register for Management Thesis, he/she will be governed by
the rules for not registering and/or withdrawal from a course.
g) Students shall be oriented towards execution of the Management Thesis at the beginning of
Semester III. The orientation sessions should educate students on the need for Management
Thesis, relevance to the placements, importance of selecting research topics of student’s interest,
possibility of company’s interest/sponsorship, importance of quality in implementing
management thesis, various stages of Management Thesis, deliverables expected from
Management Thesis, timelines, etc. The prospective employers emphasize on the objectives,
research methodology, findings and recommendations of Management Thesis during the
5
Management Thesis
recruitment process. The session should stress on the importance of selecting research topics in
the area of specialization of the students. It should also elucidate the role of Faculty Supervisor
in the implementation of Management Thesis and the evaluation methodology.
h) The Academic Coordinator is responsible for implementing and ensuring strict adherence to the
guidelines of Management Thesis.

i) The Head of the Department is responsible for ensuring the qualitative content of the
Management Thesis and to facilitate the learning process for the students.

j) Management thesis course should be completed strictly as per the calendar.

k) The Director may review the Management Thesis of students at any stage of implementation and
can make recommendations for revision/modification and if need be, seek repetition of
Management Thesis by a student if the quality of the Thesis does not meet the institution’s
required standards.

l) Management Thesis should be written in English language only.

4.0 Implementation of management thesis course:
a) Allocation of Faculty Supervisor: The Head of the Department shall ensure that each student
registered for management thesis course is allocated to a Faculty Supervisor. The allocation is
done in such a way that the Faculty Supervisor has the required competence and inclination to
guide a student in the topic of his/her interest. It is preferable to assign students to faculty
supervisors in the ratio of 15:1. However, if sufficient faculty members are not available at the
campus, the allocation can be increased up to 20 students per faculty supervisor.

b) Role of Faculty Supervisor: A Faculty Supervisor carries multiple responsibilities while guiding
the student for a Management Thesis and plays an important role in its effective implementation.

 He/she shall supervise, guide, coach and mentor the students towards successful execution of
Management Thesis.
 He/she should ensure alignment of thesis with the Proposal approved.

 He/she should work towards alignment of Management Thesis as per the interest of the
student and preferably the company with which research work is taken up.

 He/she should schedule weekly MT workshops giving opportunity for students to improve
their thesis content and to do mock presentations.

 He/she should identify the research projects which have the potential placement opportunities.

c) The Director may appoint competent Visiting Faculty Members to supervise Management Thesis,
in cases where the regular faculty members are not available, based on the recommendations of the
Head of the Department.

5.0 Guidelines for the Title and the Proposal:

6
 The MBA Program (The Class of 2009)
a) Title: The topic for Management Thesis selected should investigate the strategic or operational
issues of managerial interest to one or more organizations. A good title is one which is “short,
specific, and one that conveys the objective and scope of the study clearly.” This can be very
advantageous in generating a prospective employer’s interest in the research project thereby
enhancing an intern’s employability. The topic should be of student’s interest and contributes
towards their career aspirations.

b) Proposal: A proposal of about 1,500-2,500 words may be submitted for approval prior to
commencement of actual work on the Management Thesis. It must be a self-contained, short and
meaningful statement that describes a research project. Typically, the key components of the
proposed research should include the following:

i. Introduction: It shall broadly describe the sector/industry, the functional area of proposed
study, need for taking up the study.

ii. Objectives of the study: The specific objectives of the study shall be presented.

iii. Description of the problem: A brief description of the problem shall be presented. The
significance of the study in terms of the possible benefits and impact need to be clearly
brought out. The purpose is to demonstrate clearly that the intern understands what the
problems/issues are and what need to be done to that generate interest in the research project.

iv. Justification for the proposed study: This would include the reasons for taking up the
study.

v. Database: Describe the data or information that will be used to address the problem. The
selection criterion that specifies the target population and the design for sampling must be
stated. Included here should be a specific discussion of how the data will collected, the
feasibility, relevance, completeness, and representativeness of the data.

vi. Methodology/Analytical Procedures: This section should summarize the methods,

analytical techniques, etc. to be used to interpret the data and address the research problem.
Also, the approach to the statistical analysis, including the hypothesis, the sample size
estimation, and the choice of statistical testing procedure can be included.

vii. Project Schedule: The time frame to be followed for completion of each of the major phases
of the study to be stated clearly.

viii. References/Appendices: References should be cited alphabetically.

ix. Appendices: Will contain supporting materials including a glossary of terms to be used in
the study.
7
Management Thesis
The Proposal carries a weightage of 15%. The evaluation as per Form MT/E–1 should be
completed as per the calendar and the relevant MIS Report should be sent as per the schedule.

6.0 Title and Proposal Approval Process:

a) The Title and Proposal of the Management Thesis submitted by students shall be approved by the
Faculty Supervisor, who will take the full accountability for the same. Once approved, any change
in the title of the Management Thesis and/or the Proposal require written approval from the
Director.

b) The student should submit the Title and the Proposal approval form for Management Thesis as per
the calendar. The Title and Proposal approval form is provided in Appendix – A.

c) A student can begin work on the Management Thesis only after formal approval of the submitted
Title and Proposal.

7.0 Management Thesis Submission

a) The Faculty Supervisor should ensure that the Management Thesis is submitted by a student
strictly as per the approved the Title and the Proposal.

b) Management Thesis should be between 50-60 pages of 400 words per page.
c) Four printed/typed and bound copies of the Management Thesis (each bearing the original
signature of the student and Faculty Supervisor) should be submitted to the Academic Coordinator
before the final evaluation. The Thesis must contain a certificate from the student declaring that
the thesis embodies original work done by him/her under the guidance/supervision of the Faculty
Supervisor. The format for certificate is provided in Appendix B.

d) The guidelines for preparation of Management Thesis are provided in Appendix C.

8.0 Evaluation Guidelines for the Title and The Proposal
a) The evaluators shall focus on the research design/methodology and critically evaluate the validity
and reliability of the same.

b) Findings and suggestions shall be thoroughly scrutinized and examined for their practicality and
usefulness. The alignment of thesis with the approved Proposal has to be verified as part of
evaluation.

c) The literature review and references furnished should be genuine and related to the thesis.

d) The evaluation of Management Thesis is done in three stages: Title and Proposal Approval,
Interim Evaluation and Final Evaluation.

e) An external evaluator, usually a company representative or an active researcher from a local

academic institution may be roped in for evaluation from the Proposal stage.

9.0 Interim Management Thesis Evaluation

a. Thesis: The progress on the research work leading to Management Thesis shall be
evaluated at this stage. The objective of this evaluation is to assess the progress at the end of
this period, and to ensure that the student is able to proceed with the final thesis preparation.

8
 The MBA Program (The Class of 2009)
The interim thesis should follow the structure given below:
i. Title Page: The Interim thesis should have a title page as given in the Interim thesis
sample page.
ii. Introduction: This section should specify the objective and nature of the research
proposed to be carried out; a brief overview of the research planned and expected
outcomes/results.

iii. Progress Report on the Research Project: It should comprehensively include the
work done so far, accomplishments and evaluation of the possible benefits and impact
in an organizational set up.
iv. Literature Review: The main aim of literature review is to provide a complete survey
of previous work published around the chosen theme of the thesis and how it has
guided or informed the present proposed research. Ensure that the relevance, reliability
and validity of the citations are evaluated and related to the present work being carried
out. It should provide a complete survey of previous work published around the
chosen theme of the research project, identify gaps in the existing literature and justify
how the present work adds value to this filed of knowledge and research.
iv. References: All references in the bibliography should contain sufficient information
to locate them and references to web pages should include the complete URL and the
title of the page. The books and websites referred to should be enlisted in an
alphabetical order.
b. The Interim Thesis carries a weightage of 20%. The evaluation as per Form MT/E–2
should be completed as per the calendar and the relevant MIS Reports should be sent as per
the schedule.

c. Presentation: Interim Thesis presentation should be planned for about 30 minutes. It

carries a weightage of 15% in the evaluation. The evaluation as per Form MT/E–3 should be
completed as per the calendar and the relevant MIS Reports should be sent as per the
schedule. The interim presentations would be evaluated by a panel of evaluators consisting
of the Faculty Supervisor and Head of the Department and/or the Director.

10.0Final Management Thesis Evaluation

a. Thesis: The research work leading to Management Thesis shall be evaluated at this stage. The
objective of this evaluation is to assess the progress and the results on the research and the
conclusion derived. The thesis should be written based on the guidelines provided in Appendix C.

The final Thesis carries a weightage of 35%. The evaluation as per Form MT/E–4 should be
completed as per the calendar and the relevant MIS Reports should be sent as per the schedule.

b. Presentation: Final Thesis presentation should be planned for about 40 minute

9
Management Thesis
duration including 10 minutes for questions and answers. A minimum of 8 and a maximum of
15 presentations should be completed per day. The presentation schedule should be announced
through a circular in advance.

It carries a weightage of 15%. The evaluation as per Form MT/E–5 should be completed as per
the calendar and the relevant MIS Reports should be sent as per the schedule.

The Management Thesis will be evaluated both for the content of the thesis and oral
presentation. The final presentations would be evaluated by a panel of evaluators consisting of
the Faculty Supervisor, Head of the Department and/or Director and an external evaluator (a
company executive, if the project has industry interface or an accomplished researcher from
local educational institutions).

Management thesis presentations are open sessions. All interested students can be permitted to sit
through presentations after obtaining prior approval from the concerned Faculty Supervisor. This
would immensely help the students to learn.

11.0 Management Thesis Evaluation:

The Management Thesis carries a weightage of 4 credits and therefore the evaluation of MT is
critical to Student Interns’ overall performance. The following guidelines shall govern the evaluation
of students:

• Evaluation schedule for Management Thesis shall be strictly implemented. Deviation by any
stakeholder without prior permission shall be viewed seriously.

• Non-submission of any Reports or not attending the presentation should be treated as

‘Absence’ for the evaluation component which will lead to ‘Not Cleared’ grade.

• If any Thesis submitted or presentation made by a student is not evaluated by the concerned
evaluators it will be treated as ‘Incomplete’. In such a case the evaluator must explain reasons
for not completing the evaluation component.

• ‘Zero’ marks shall not be awarded for non-submission of Thesis or for not making a
presentation. ‘Zero’ marks should be awarded only if the Thesis submitted or presentations
made are so poor and that the intern deserves ‘zero’ mark.

• Evaluation of a component shall not be done, unless evaluation of previous component(s) is

completed. Where the previous component of evaluation is marked as ‘NC’, student shall be
issued a letter to repeat MT, where as in case of ‘Incomplete’ evaluation, the faculty guide
must complete evaluation.

10
 The MBA Program (The Class of 2009)
• The evaluation will be based on the performance of the student in his Management Thesis.
The evaluation shall be carried out at different stages viz. Title & Proposal Approval, Interim
evaluation and Final evaluation.

• Management Thesis is evaluated for a maximum of 100 marks. The aggregate marks awarded
to each student shall subsequently be converted into letter grades.

After completion of Management Thesis final evaluation, the Faculty Supervisor shall consolidate
all the marks and apply appropriate weightage and arrive at the final marks for 100. These marks
shall then be discussed with the Head of the Department/Director. Before uploading the marks, the
Faculty Supervisor shall disclose the marks to each student and obtain his/her signature. The Faculty
Supervisors shall upload the marks before the due date specified as per the calendar.

12.0 MIS Reports:

a) Proposal: Statement of marks awarded for Proposal shall be submitted by Faculty

Supervisor to Head of the Department (Form MT/D-1). Head of the Department shall send a
consolidated list of the statements of all the Faculty Supervisors to the Director (Form MT/D-
2).

b) Interim Evaluation: Statement of consolidated marks awarded for interim thesis

evaluation shall be submitted by the Faculty Supervisor to the Head of the Department (Form
MT/D-3). Consolidated statement of marks for all students shall be sent by Head of the
Department to the Director (Form MT/D-4).

c) Final Evaluation: Consolidated statement of marks awarded for Thesis and

Presentation for the final thesis evaluation shall be submitted by the Faculty Supervisor to the
Head of the Department (Form MT/D-5, MT/D-6, MT/D-7). Consolidated statement of marks
for all students shall be sent by the Head of the Department to the Director (Form MT/D-8,
MT/D-9).

d) The Head of the Department is responsible for all MIS Reports. The Reports should be
submitted to the Head of Region as per the schedule. Compliance shall be reported by the Head
of the Department to the Director.

11