Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning

Project Guidelines for Post Graduate Programs

and Certificate courses

1. Understanding the significance of a Project Report Many learners underestimate the significance of a project report and make a mistake of

thinking that excellent marks can be scored by simply producing a good lay-out. This is

fundamentally not the case as many projects are graded well below their potential because

of an indifferent or poor write-up. In order to acquire the right balance, a learner should

consider the aim behind making a good project. It provides the opportunity for a learner

to demonstrate independence and originality, to plan and organize the project work, and

to put into practice some of the techniques a learner has been taught throughout the

program.

2. Meaning of a Project The word project actually means something that comes before anything else is done. A

project can be defined as a temporary endeavour undertaken to achieve a particular aim or

it is a study of factual information for comprehending and applying the various concepts of

the course into practice. In simple words, a project can be understood as mentioned under:

� It is a practice of verification or demonstration of concepts or hypotheses or processes

learnt.

� It is also a technique of self-learning, learning by doing. It has a practical value.

� The purpose of project is not to generalize but to study the situation with a practical

orientation.

3. Application of Research Methodology to Project Work

SCDL allows learners to take up any topic of their interest and choice for project work.

However, learners should bear in mind that project topic should be relevant in their area of

specialization. For example, the learners of PGDBA (Marketing) should carry out their

project work only in the functional areas of Marketing or PGDIT learners should select

topics from their area of choice.

Although an illustrative list of the topics is being given at the end in order to give an

idea about project topics or titles of the project, learners are nevertheless advised not

to restrict themselves only to the topics specified. SCDL gives liberty to choose any

topic relevant to a learner’s specialization.

Steps in Research Process

Defining the problem and Project Objectives

Designing Project Plan

Collecting Data

Analysis of Data

Interpretation and reporting the findings

4.Project Supervisor(Guide) Projects can be guided by any Post Graduate degree holder with/without a Doctorate

Degree working in an academic institution (preferably teaching MBA /Management

course) or a person working in the managerial cadre in any industrial/business /IT

organization. Learners must take advice and suggestions from their guides from time to

time.

5. Project Proposal

Once the learner decides the Project topic, he/she should prepare a proposal as per the

format given in the next page. This format should be considered as ANNEXURE 1 of the

Project report by the learners. The Proposal should not be more than 5 to 6 pages. In other

words, the project proposal need not be sent separately.

6.Format of Proposal

Name of theLearner…………………………………….........

Registration No. ………………………………………….....

Program Name…………………………………………………

Address………………………………………………….........

......…………………………………………………..................

Proposal must carry the following information

� Title of the Project

� Objectives

� Need for the topic

� Methodology and Procedure of Work

� Statistical Techniques to be used(If any)

� Chapterisation

� Detailed Information of Guide: Name, Address, Qualification, Designation, Special

Field of Work, Experience, Any Other Important Information

7. Technical specifications of the project report

� Paper : A4 size Bond Paper only(11"x 8.5")

� Fonts : Times New Roman , 12 font size, ‘1.5’ spacing

� Margin : Left 35 mm , Right 20mm , Top 35mm , Bottom 20mm

� Binding : Rexin Black Bound or Plastic & spiral bound

� First (preliminary)page should have the following information:

i) Top : The Title in BLOCK CAPITALS

ii) Centre : Full name of the student in Capital letters and Registration Number

iii) Bottom : Name of the Institute(i.e. SCDL), in Block Capitals, and the Academic year

8. Instructions for the preparation of hard copy of the project report Learners should note the following important points regarding project work:

� The title of the project-report should not be the same as the objectives, as there can be more

than one objective for a particular study.

� Each objective will have at least one or more findings and suggestions.

� Each objective must have relevant questions in the questionnaire and/or interview

schedule.

� Learner must ensure adequate coverage of the topic in general and objectives in particular.

� Coloured figures/diagrams/graphs/tables will add value to the presentation of the report.

Every table and diagrammatic representation should have a serial number and a caption.

� All Project reports are to be sent by post or delivered personally at the address of SCDL

main campus.Learners should submit thedraft of the project report to the Project Guide

before the final submission and make the necessary changes, corrections as suggested by

the guide.

� Project Report should be of minimum 65 pages for all two year

programs and of 30 pages for all one year programs.(Not applicable for PGDIT/PGDID)

Learners have to strictly follow the deadline for submission of the project report. Project

reports received after the deadline will not be evaluated.

Important Note

(a) For two year programs, the Project report must be submitted within three months after

completion of the fourth semester. As far as PGDIT program is concerned, Part A of the

project report should be submitted within three months after completion of the third

semester and Part B of the project report within three months after completion of the

fourth semester. For one year programs, the project report must be submitted within three

months after completion of the second semester. As far as CPED (which is only a one

semester) program is concerned, the project report should be submitted within two months

after completion of the semester.

(b) While sending the project report to Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL),

please mention (on the top of the envelope) “PROJECT REPORT for program………..”.

(c) In addition to these general guidelines, learners of PGDIT and PGDID must also refer

to the guidelines specific to their programs as given in Annexures ‘A’ and ‘B’.

9.No Objection Certificate

If the project is carried out in an organization, a certificate of the CEO or any other

authorized person of the organization is necessary, mentioning that the organization has no

objection in publishing the findings of the project study.

The certificate should bear the name of the authority with signature and company stamp.

Alternatively, the certificate should be given on the company’s letterhead and signed by the

company’s authorized person.

9(a) FOR EMPLOYED LEARNERS

SPECIMEN

NO OBJECTION CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that ………..(learner’s name) is an employee of this

institute/organization for the past …………

We have no objection for him/her to carry out a project work titled “…………………” in our

organization and for submitting the same to the Director, SCDL as a part of fulfilment of

the……………..Program.

We wish him/her all the success.

Seal of the company Signature of the competent authority

of the Institute / Organization

Place:

Date:

9 (b) FOR NON EMPLOYED LEARNERS

SPECIMEN

NO OBJECTION CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that ………..(learner’s name) is permitted to use relevant data/information of

this organization for his/her project in fulfilment of the ……………..Program.

We wish him/her all the success.

Seal of the company Signature of the competent authority

of the Institute / Organization

Place:

Date:

CERTIFICATE/DECLARATION REGARDING ORIGINALITY

This is to be given by the learner and the supervisor (guide) indicating that this project work is

original and submitted for the first time.

SPECIMEN

9(c) DECLARATION BY THE LEARNER

This is to declare that I have carried out this project work myself in part fulfilment of the

…………..Program of SCDL.

The work is original, has not been copied from anywhere else and has not been submitted to any

other University/Institute for an award of any degree/diploma.

Date: Signature:

Place: Name:

SPECIMEN

9(d) CERTIFICATE OF SUPERVISOR(GUIDE)

Certified that the work incorporated in this Project Report……………..(Title) submitted by

……………..(Learner’s name) is his/her original work and completed under my supervision.

Material obtained from other sources has been duly acknowledged in the Project Report

Date: Signature of Guide:

Place:

10. Chapterisation (For Programs other than PGDIT/PGDID)

i) No Objection Certificate

ii) Declaration By The Learner

iii) Certificate By The Supervisor

Chapters Page Nos. 1. Introduction…………………………………………………

2. Objectives and Scope………………………………………

3. Limitations ………………………………………………….

4. Theoretical Perspective……………………

5. Methodology and Procedure of Work …………

6. Analysis of Data…………………………………………….

7. Findings, Inferences and Recommendations…………………

8. Conclusion……………………………………………………

9. Summary of the Project Report

ANNEXURES

I) Proposal

II) References

III) List of Figures, Charts, Diagrams……………………………

IV) List of Tables ………………………………………………

(Note: The “No Objection” Certificate and the Declaration Certificate of the learner and the

supervisor will be a part of the hard bound Project Report.)

11. Scheme of Assessment and Evaluation of Project

Sr. No. Item of Assessment 1. Area and topic selected for the project work

2 . Need of the project topic and statement of objectives of the project work

3 . Methodology and procedure of the project work

4 . Tools of data collection

5 . Presentation of collected data tabulation, diagrams, graphs etc.in a concise form

6. Analysis of data

7 . Use of statistical techniques for analyzing of data

8. Findings, inferences, their educational implications and recommendations.

9 . Preliminary pages of the project report , typing, binding and get-up of the report

10 Overall impression about the project work and its presentation in the report form

11 If the project has any relevance to the existing job profile, a learner has to furnish a

feedback from his/her immediate superior as to why/how the particular topic has been

chosen by the concerned learner and what value it would add in general or in particular.

12. Selection of Project Topic

The project can be selected in various ways like

� Select a company / organization / institute concerned

� Discuss with concerned persons, your specific requirements and select the subject/topic in

their consultation.

� Discuss with your faculty concerned, before making a choice of your subject/topic.

� Consult experts in the field to make a right choice of the subject.

� Study various articles / news items etc. appearing in dailies, weekly, monthly magazines to

look for a desired topic.

� Discussions with the relevant firm may help select a proper topic.

� A critical eye can help you spot the right topic for your project.

13. Suggested List of Topics for Project Work

Marketing Management

The brand loyalty of the carbonated drinks

The taste and preferences of the hostel food

The preferred brand of vodka

Emerging trends in retailing

Effective brand management

Service industry in India

Reasons for brand failure

Analysis of sales promotion and advertising strategies

CRM in India

Psychology of Indian consumer

Survey on Consumer Choices of different brands of two-wheelers in Pune

Market Potential for Logistics Business in Pune city

Brand Equity in select FMGC products in Mumbai city

Service Quality and Consumer satisfaction of Maruti Service Centres

A Study on Marketing Strategies of HLL in South India

(A Case Study)

Impulse Buying Behaviour of Customers in Delhi

Human Resource Management

Philosophy and Management of Human Resources in select large sized Indian Industries

Leadership styles – A comparison of Indian and Foreign Banks in Pune

Job satisfaction and Job involvement of employees in select Textile Mills in Gujarat

Status of Industrial Relations and Implementation of Labour Welfare

Measures in select Oil Mines

HR Practices and Organizational Strategies in select IT companies in India

360 degree appraisal in ABC Corporation

Potential appraisal in Maruti Udyog

Strikes and lockouts in ABC

Cross cultural issues in HR

Industrial conflict

Transfer and Promotional Strategies

Financial Management

Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management

Securities, Markets and Financial Institutions

Capital Markets, Financial Intermediation, and Investment Analysis

Corporate Financial Problems

Field Study in Insurance sector

Portfolio Management for Governmental and Non-Profit Organizations in India

Debt Management and Capital Financing in ABC

Mergers & Acquisitions

Investment Feasibility study

Future of derivatives in India

Study of growth prospects of Mutual Funds in India

Banking Sector - PSUs are here to stay

Stock exchange related issues

Production /Operations Management

Comparison between Product Layout and

Process Layout in an organisation

Cost Analysis of Layout

To study and analyse systematic layout procedure in a plant

Study of Production, Planning and Control in an organisation

An analysis of Demand and Capacity

A study of Planning Strategies in public sector

A study of JIT in a government organization

JIT Manufacturing

JIT Purchasing

KANBAN-An Integrated JIT System in a Japanese company

Six sigma applications

CRM

Developing an analytical CRM model for a wholesale dealer

CRM plan at an electronic shop a study

Identifying weaknesses in a CRM system in a super-market in Pune.

Strength and weakness of an FMCG company

Scope for strengthening a CRM program in a computer training

institute.

Marketing the effectiveness of a CRM system of an IT company

A study of CRM system in international banking organization

Factors that will strengthen the CRM system in the public sector

Insurance company

The CRM system in an organization India company – a detailed

analysis

How to make awareness about the requirement of a useful CRM

system in service sector

International Business Management

Impact of Sep 11 on World Trade Centre

Disequilibrium in Balance Of Payments in Trade

Organization and Structure of Foreign Exchange market

India’s Foreign Trade with MNC

International trade of cosmetics

Export of tea

Export marketing

Impact of FDI on Indian organization

Chinese products in Indian market

Prospects of exporting dry fruit in international market

Insurance Management

Term plan of Kotak Mahendra

Life insurance for accidents

Retirement solution of ICICI and planning

Cargo insurance in India

Motor vehicle insurance and its impact on people

Benefits of “Home and family protector insurance policy

Personal Accident Claim

Gramin Personal Accident Insurance

Passenger Flight Insurance

Rajrajeshwari Mahila Kalyan Bima Yojna

Bhagyashree Vima Yojna

Rasta Appatti Kavach Yojna

Fire insurance of Properties

& Scope of Fire Insurance

Retail Management

To identify significance of CRM in retail sector

A study of automotive retail management structure in an organization

To find out the role of SCM in an organization

To understand retail store operations in ABC

To evaluate retail strategies of a mall

To understand role of applied retail research in an organization

To analyse visual merchandising and space planning in a mall

To analyse promotional tactics in retail sector

A detailed study of relation between location and retailing

Supply Chain Management

Deploying SAP-Managing Master Data to maximize value of SCM

From Logistics to Supply Chain Management with SAP at Pepsi

Supply Chain Management in the Manufacturing Industry

Inventory management across the Supply Chain

Supply Chain performance measures at Parle

JIT perspective on inventory Management in ABC Corporation

Managing Information Technologies across Supply Chain in GATI

Diagnosing and improving Supply Chain information flows in Blue Dart

Supply Chain Challenges at malls

Sales and Operations Planning at malls

Product Customization within the Supply Chain

Strategies for Business Process Improvement

Annexure A

Guidelines specific to PGDIT Learners

1. Learners have to carry out computerization / automation of any

business process as a part of this project. They may choose any manual system or may

carry modification to the existing applications.

2. Learners are required to complete the project in two parts, part A and B.

Part A (Semester III) Analysis and Design, covers the following

phases:

� Survey Phase / Study

� Analysis

� Design

3. Learners have to send survey phase (soft copy) document by August 12, 2007 to SCDL

with their name, title of the project, course name, registration number clearly marked on it

.SCDL will approve the document and intimate the learners. Learners are then required to

submit Analysis and Design (i.e. the remaining part of Part A of the project) for approval

before the end of the semester.

4. Based on the feedback, a learner has to modify the design and develop the project.

Learners should submit a softcopy in MS-office format (Word Document, PPT-diagram) at

projectreport@scdl.net

Part B (Semester IV) covers the code design, Implementation

and Evaluation

5. After the completion of the entire project of (Semester III and Semester IV) every learner

has to submit a hard copy of the complete project report in a combined form to SCDL

main campus address. Similarly, a soft copy has to be sent on the e-mail ID mentioned

above.

BODY OF TEXT

Part A (Semester III)

a. Survey Phase/ Study:

� Existing system: - Explains the functionality (of existing system)

� Drawbacks

� System Requirements:- features desired in new system

b. Analysis:

� Context Diagram

� Data flow Diagram (Level I, II, III)

� Functional decomposition

c. Design (System design):

� ER Diagram

� Data Dictionary

� Table Design

� Input forms Design

� Report Layouts

Part B (Semester IV)

7. The code design and implementation Learners have to develop the code for the forms and reports designed

during Semester III. They will be assessed on the basis of

� Quality of code

� Input data validations

� Quality of report

Note: Learners of PGDIT are requested to retain a soft copy

of the project prepared in Semester III as it will be required

for pursuing further project work for Semester IV.

8. CHAPTERISATION (Project I - Semester III)

Chapter 1: Introduction

� Existing system

� Scope of project

� Model, if any

Chapter 2: Survey

� Sources of Data Collection

� Methods of Data Collection

� System Requirements

Chapter 3: Analysis

� Context diagram

� Data flow diagram (Level I, II, III)

� Functional decomposition

Chapter 4: Design

� ER diagram

� Data dictionary

� Table design

� Input forms design

� Report layouts

Chapter 5: Implementation (Project II - Semester IV)

� Data Validation

� Sample Code

Chapter 6: Future Enhancement

Annexure

A. Survey

B. Input Screens

C. Sample Reports

Bibliography

9.Suggested list of topics for the Project Report

Information &Technology

� Student Information System such as enrolment process, fee status,

assignment status, exams status, degree/diploma processing.

� Online examination system such as generation of question bank,

question paper, score card etc.

IT in HR application such as payroll system, performance appraisal,

recruitment, leave management etc.

E-commerce

ERP in Logistics/Transportation Management

MIS in Traffic Management

Data processing in Warehouse Management

Design/Development of novel IT system

EDI

Knowledge Management and IT

Role of IT in Project Management

SAP System/Vendor Selection

Security and role of IT

IT Maintenance/Troubleshooting

Annexure B

Guidelines specific to PGDID Learners

1. Objective of PGDID Project

To develop skills, insights, and understandings of the basics to instructional design

concepts, models, theories and principles combined with creativity, with emphasis on

development of instructionally sound storyboards / scripts.

2. All learners of PGDID program have to submit two projects, one in Semester I and the

other in Semester II SCDL allows learners to take –up any topic of their interest and choice for Project 1.

However, learners should bear in mind that the project topic should be relevant to

Instructional Designing. Although an illustrative list of the topics is given in order to give

an idea about project topics or titles of the project, learners are nevertheless advised not to

restrict themselves only to the topics mentioned here for Project Work as SCDL gives

liberty to choose any topic relevant to Instructional Design.

3. List of Topics for Project (1) Work (First Semester) 1. Teaching Computer Basics to (a)adult (b)child

2. Teaching Environmental Science

(a) Global Warming

(b) Pollution

(c) Contagious Disease

(d) Green House Effect

3. Induction And Training Program for Top Management, Middle Management and Lower

Management

4. Needs Analysis for Call Centre/Training and Development Company

5. Teaching Basics of Grammar to Primary, Middle and Senior Class

6. Interview Basics

7. Stress Management

Note: As Project 1, every learner is supposed to write a detailed note

(15-20 pages) on any one of the above topics or any other topic

relevant to the application of Instructional Design

4. As far as Project 2 (second semester) is concerned, raw contents

on three topics for creating storyboard/script is provided by SCDL on website

www.scdl.net. Learners need to select any one topic to create a storyboard/script.

Learner may choose to create either a storyboard or a script on any one of the topic. Both

formats serve the same purpose, and include the same descriptive elements, but vary in

their layout and treatment of graphics. Sample storyboard and sample script is provided in

Lesson 12: Visualization & Storyboarding of SLMS is also online in the topic chosen .

a) Storyboards use rough sketches or clip art to visually depict required art elements.

b) Scripts use verbal descriptions of on-screen graphical items.

5. Creating Storyboard c) Learner is supposed to create the storyboard using PowerPoint application (ppt file)

Naming the file: Learners should use their registration number to name the file. e.g.

200500002.ppt d) Alternatively learner can submit a hand-written storyboard, for which they need to follow

the format provided in the Self learning material (Annexure B, Page 169). In this format,

the page is divided into two parts. Learners may show the placement of text, graphics,

instructional text etc. at the initial part of their project and they can write the instructions

meant for the graphic artist and the programmer at the end of their project. The learners

may also write additional text or the text that needs to appear on navigations like click, roll-

over, drag and drop, etc.

6. Creating Script e) Learner is supposed to create the storyboard using MS-Word application (doc file).

Naming the file: Learners should use their registration number to name the file.e.g.

200500002.doc. f ) Alternatively, a learner can submit a hand-written script, but they need to follow the

format provided in Annexure A (Page 157) of the SLM.

7.Project Submission

g) Softcopies of Project 1 and 2 are to be submitted at projectreport@scdl.net to SCDL. Apart

from soft copy, after the completion of the entire project of (Semester III and Semester IV)

every learner has to submit a hard copy of the complete project report in a combined form

to SCDL main campus address.

Please note that the name of the file should be learner’s registration

number. e.g.: 200500002.doc

h) Learners are required to retain one copy of the project with them.