MGT 600: MBA Project

The MBA Final Project

FOCUS GROUP SESSION ON:

UNDERSTANDING THE ESSENCE & NATURE OF THE MBA PROJECT – A DISCUSSION

Friday, March 09th, 2012

COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Park Road, Chak Shehzad Islamabad

Acknowledgement

• Imperial MBA – The Final Project, Imperial College London, UK

• Lancaster MBA: Guidelines for Approaching the Final Project, Lancaster University, UK

• The Bath MBA Business Projects 2012, University of Bath, UK

• Project Guidelines for Pursuing an MBA Project, Utkal University of India.

• The MBA Final Project, Osmania University, India

• Guidelines for the MBA Project, MMT University, Malaysia

Agenda

• What is an MBA Project?

• Why do an MBA Project?

• Objective of the MBA Project.

• MBA Project Classification

Why do an MBA Project?

• Project Work is the best way to practice what the students have learnt. It is a synthesis of all the MBA knowledge.

• The purpose of including project report in the programme is to provide students an opportunity to investigate a real-time problem by applying management concepts, tools and techniques.

• It enables students to apply their conceptual knowledge in a practical situation and to learn the art of conducting a study in a systematic way and present its finding in coherent report.

What is an MBA Project?

• A project is a scientific and systematic study of real issue or a problem, with an intention to resolve the problem with application of management concept and skills.

• The study can deal with a small or big issue in a division or an organization, the problem can be from any discipline of business/management.

Objectives of the MBA Project

• It allows the individual to apply learning to real life management areas and issues.

• It involves using an individual’s research, analytical and problem-solving skills.

• It adds to the practical experience of the student with the working knowledge of understanding how an organization / department or an industry operates.

• Additionally, It provides the student to analyze their career path and gives them an opportunity to convince employers about their expertise – it can be used as a launching pad

How many types of MBA Projects are there?

• The MBA projects can be broadly divided into the following categories:

– Company Projects

– Consultancy Projects

– Research Projects

– Business Plans & Entrepreneurial Projects

– Case Studies & Replication Projects

– Internship & Learning Experience Projects

– Simulation Projects

a). Company Project

• The company project report is usually undertaken by conducting an organizational analysis (either on the whole organization or a particular department).

– INFORMATIONAL REPORT: These reports present facts about certain given activity in detail without any note or suggestions for the purpose of learning or understanding.

– ANALYTICAL REPORT: These reports contain facts along with analytical explanations (analysis). Such reports contain the narration of facts, collected data and information, classified and tabulated data and also explanatory note followed by the conclusions arrived at or interpretations.

– Informational Reports can be: • To understand a certain process of an organization e.g: how

customers are dealt, design and development of an advertisement campaign etc.

• To learn how a product is manufactured or how an assembly line operates.

• To learn operations of a warehouse consisting of procurement, storage and logistical support.

• New technology or equipment and so on.

– Analytical Reports can be: • Market Analysis or Marketing strategy analysis

• Competitor analysis

• Organizational and strategic analysis

• Needs Assessment and Analysis

• Performance Analysis

• Product or Service Analysis and so on.

b). Consultancy Project

• The Consultancy Project is when students are associated with a real-life organization.

• They are to identify any area of management within the organization on which they can consult or the organization may specify what area they wanted to be consulted on.

– FEASIBILITY REPORT: Feasibility reports are written to determine whether developing a product or following a course of action is possible. It may include the use of analysis, research and management concepts, tools and techniques.

– CLIENT REPORT: The student shall undertake all necessary research into the issue and then compile findings and recommendations into a formal client report which shall be presented to the organization.

– The client report is divided into two parts: • Client Brief / Proposal

• Project Deliverable Report

– REFLECTIVE ESSAY / DESK BASED RESEARCH: In addition to the research and findings for the client, the students are expected to write a piece of work reflecting on the real-life experience and identifying a relationship between theory and practice.

– The consulting reports can be:

• Preparatory Studies – feasibility reports, master plans, design studies, sector study etc.

• Implementation Studies – project management, design and development of HRD programs, change management etc.

• Advisory Studies – Policy and strategy reports, knowledge transfer, technical support studies etc.

c). Research Projects

• A document that describes the ideas for an investigation on a certain topic/area.

• The research project uses a well-defined research strategy consisting of a methodological paradigm and distinct methods aided by an in-depth analysis.

• The research project can be:

– Small-scale research project (Research Projects)

– Large-scale research project (Research Thesis)

– Research project reports can be:

• Empirical investigations

• Evaluation studies

• Exploratory Studies

• Case-studies

• Predictive and Forecasting Simulation Studies

• Ethnographic Studies

• Phenomenological & Phenomenographical and so on.

d). Business Plans & Entrepreneurial Projects

• The Business plan and entrepreneurial projects give students the opportunity to develop a plan for a new venture or propose a new plan for an existing business.

• This project involves research into and analysis of all aspects of a business, i-e, finance, marketing , human resources etc.

• It allows students to apply their learning to a practical problem faced by a local business in its early stage or a company expecting a significant new strategic development.

– START UP PLAN: The Students would consider all the aspects of setting up a new business like assessing the feasibility of ideas, developing a strategy, preparing costs and obtaining finance, devising a marketing plan and addressing operational issues.

– ANNUAL GROWTH PLAN: This consists of three aspects: market plan, financial plan and operations plan covering different aspects of an already existing business.

– SCENARIO PLANNING: Scenario Planning is a technique that is used when a company is in a rapidly changing or an unpredictable industry or environment. Students are able to create multiple scenarios of the future, and then map out a tentative plan of action for each scenario.

e). Case Studies and Replication Projects

• A case study is an intensive analysis of an individual unit (e.g., a person, group, organization or event) stressing developmental factors in relation to context/situation.

• The case study is common in social sciences, and business studies. Case studies may be descriptive or explanatory.

• New Case development or replication of existing cases in new scenario can also be done by students.

– SNAPSHOT STUDY - Detailed synchronic study of a phenomenon or group at a specific period or instance.

– LONGITUDINAL STUDIES– Over a multiple periods of time or a chronological sequence of events in the past.

– COMPARATIVE CASE STUDY – Comparing of two different phenomenon, events, groups, or entities.

– CRITICAL INSTANCE CASE STUDIES – These examine one or more situation/s of unique interest, or to call into question or challenge a highly generalized or universal assertion. This method is useful for answering cause and effect

questions.

– ILLUSTRATIVE CASE STUDIES – These are primarily descriptive studies. They typically utilize one or two instances of an event to show what a situation is like.

– EXPLORATORY (OR PILOT) CASE STUDIES – These are condensed case studies performed before implementing a large scale investigation. Their basic function is to help identify questions and select types of measurement prior to the main investigation.

e). MBA Internship Project

• Internship projects can be extremely beneficial to students looking for hands-on expertise.

• During an internship, you can develop knowledge, competencies, and experience related directly to your career goal.

• Students are usually asked to submit a learning experience report as a part of their learning experience.

– Internships usually consists of the following:

• WORK EXPERIENCE INTERNSHIP: The student is expected to use the things he/she has learned during the MBA program and put them into practice.

• RESEARCH-BASED INTERNSHIP: A student does research for a particular company. The company can have something that they feel like they need to improve, or the student can choose a topic within the company themselves.

• VIRTUAL INTERNSHIP: The intern works remotely, and is not physically present at the job location. It provides the capacity to attain the same results without the conventional means of being physically present at a job.

f). Simulation Project

• In some universities, MBA students are actually given office space, actual assignments and put in situations for a certain period of time.

• The students afterwards submit a learning experience report about their simulation exercise.

What do MBA students Need to complete their Projects?

• Irrespective of the project type, the students would require the following:

– Management Concepts, Tools & Techniques

– Collection of data through

• Interviews

• Questionnaires

• Observations

• Focus Groups / Group Interviews

• Organizational Archives

– Analysis of Data

– Discussion of Facts