Steps involved in Capstone Project

By Dr. Sharad KumarSteps involved in Capstone ProjectSelection of TopicTopic should briefly convey the purpose of the studyExamples:A Comparative Study of Organizational Climate in BanksStudy of Organizational Climate of Banks: A Comparative StudyFactors Influencing Customer Preferences in Choosing a Mobile Network ServiceBenchmarking Distribution Practices in Pharma & Food SectorService Quality in Public and Private Sector Banks A Comparative StudyEmployee Satisfaction Survey in Retail Sector

Situation Analysis and Problem DefinitionWhy this topic?Problems faced by the industry/sector selected for the studyRelevance to the present situation/environment/ developmentsDescribing the Industry(ies)/Sector(s) to be studied, their performance and impedimentsDefining objective of the studyClearly defining the purpose of the studyDefining scope and coverage of the studyDefining variables to be studied and their relevance with the purpose of study Specifying the expected outcome (if possible) and expected benefit to the Industry (this section should be of 5-6 pages)(Last date for Submission: 5th October 2013)

Literature ReviewReviewing the literature/studies already conducted on the subjectInternational StudiesIndian StudiesStudies Conducted on the Sector/Industry under studyRelated newspaper reports about the sector/ industry (this section should be about 3-4 pages)(Last date for submission: 15th November 2013)Methodology of the StudyDefining Population (keeping in view the scope and the coverage of the study) and Sampling FrameData Collection and Sampling MethodData required to be collected (both secondary and primary) on identified parametersJustification for non-probability sampling (if random sampling is not possible)Size of the sampleHypotheses to be tested Methodology of the StudyStatistical Techniques to be usedDescriptive Statistics (including tabulations and graphs)Inferential Statistics (estimation techniques, tests of significance for testing the hypothesis, etc)Regression Analysis (if the relationship and the impact of independent variables on any dependent variable is to be established) for model building and forecasting. For building a reliable model, minimum 8-10 data points should be considered

(This section should be around 4-5 pages)(Last date for submission: 10th December 2013)

Data Collection (Primary/ Secondary)Identification of data sourcesQuestionnaire Design for data collectionValidation of Questionnaire through pilot survey/ expert guidanceConducting Survey/ Data Collection

The Format/ Questionnaire should be appended as Annexure(Last date for submission: 15th January 2014)

Data AnalysisTabulation of demographic dataTabular/Graphical representation of descriptive statisticsAnalysis of results of hypotheses testingAnalysis of results of regression analysis(this section should be around 15-20 pages depending upon the number and types of variables and statistical tools used)

(Last date for submission 10th February 2014)Conclusions and RecommendationsDrawing the conclusions based on the statistical analysis carried out and the results of hypotheses testingInterpreting the results and conclusions with reference to the objective of the studyMaking recommendations based on the results of the study to resolve problems or improve the situation. Challenges for implementing the recommendationsDirection for further ResearchAlso, indicate the limitations of the study(this section should be 3 to 5 pages)(Last date for submission: 20th February 2014)

General GuidelinesThe project essentially has to be an empirical studyThe data could be primary, secondary or combination of bothA questionnaire/format has to be devised for data collectionIt is desirable to have a comparative study of two industriesIf a single industry is studied, it is desirable to collect the data for minimum three companies from the industryIf two industries are being compared, data from at least two companies each has two be collected from each industryThe minimum sample size for data collection should be 100 to have meaningful statistical analysisEach component being compared should have atleast 25-30 respondents (sample) General GuidelinesEach of the Items discussed should be covered in different chaptersParagraph numbers are to be given starting with Chapter Number viz. second paragraph of chapter 4 is to be given as 4.2At the end of the report Bibliography (references) to be given as per the international practices, internet linkages are not acceptedA copy of the Questionnaire should be appended at the end of the reportIndex of the report should be given at the beginningPublished material/studies quoted in the report should have proper acknowledgement to avoid any charge of plagiarismFor secondary data, data source should be clearly mentioned

General GuidelinesProper acknowledgements to be given to the people supported the projectFinal report to be submitted in requisite number of copies in bound volumes alongwith the soft copy The Overall size of the report should be of 40-50 pagesInstitute will check if there is any piracy using software package to detect plagiarismGood project reports will be considered for publication in reputed journals/ institutes in-house publications as also for awards(Last date for Final Submission of Report 15th March 2014 and Viva in last Week of March 2014)

Wish you all a Great Success