Guidelines

For
Summer Project

IMT
Institute of Management Technology
GHAZIABAD
 Guidelines, Procedures and Rules for
Summer Project

This manual gives guidelines, procedures and rules for the Summer Project.

Objective
The objective of having a Summer Project Report is to allow the students to organize and report
the learning gained in the program and the summer project. The Summer Project Report should
be a substantive contribution to the knowledge through integration of literature review and
methodology developed pertinent to the understanding and resolution of management problems,
and the empirical work done therein. The Summer Project Report should demonstrate
competence in using or developing a model or a set of hypotheses, collecting and interpreting
data, reaching conclusions and drawing implications for managerial practices. It should also
highlight the impact of actions in one area or function, on the other area or functions in the
organisation. The recommendations made in the Summer Project Report should be in both
quantitative (costs and benefits) as well as qualitative terms, as far as possible. It is pertinent to
note that the Summer Project Report represents a visible concrete output and would, therefore,
have demonstrable potential enabling individuals to pursue further work on the theme by way of
Ph.D. programme. It is also the output which may stand as testimony of the student's
demonstrated skills and potential in the managerial arena.

Topic for Summer Project Report

Once the student has come up with a promising idea, he/she should subject it to careful scrutiny
to determine whether it meets the following criteria:

i) It should sustain student interest and stimulate his/her imagination, so that he/she will
bear upon it with his/her full creative abilities.
ii) It should be manageable in size scope, keeping in view the time, organisational resources
required for preparing a report, etc.
iii) It must have the potential to make a significant contribution to management theory and
practice.
iv) It must also be built on the foundation of a minimum working knowledge of the
company's business proposition and practices. This will help screen the ideas which are
relevant to that organisation and also provide the student with an idea of how the
business functions and what the possibilities are, in the business arena.
v) It should allow scope for exploration of the topic in sufficient depth

The Summer Project Report is to be carried out in the sponsoring organisation.

Role of the Summer Project Guides

The role of the summer project guide is as follows:

Guidelines for Summer Project Report Page 2

i) Developing and vetting the Summer Project Report proposal with the student.

ii) Attending the proposal presentation to be made by the student.

iii) Supervising and guiding the student and providing feedback from time to time based on
his/her progress.

iv) Giving written feedback on the draft of the Summer Project Report submitted by the student.

Summer Project Proposal

The purpose of the Summer Project proposal is to allow the student to place the proposed study
within a coherent, organised framework, which is also standardised. The proposal should be
based on the topic/ scope of work assigned by the organisation. Project proposal will enhance the
students understanding, grasp and clarity of the subject matter, the context of the managerial
problem and the research problem. This is necessary for the direction and procedure of the study
to be brought within the required scope, coverage and rigour, and also for enhancing the quality
of the research effort, with the inputs of the whole panel to identify and suggest rectification of
possible problems in the proposal.

Summer Project Proposal Guidelines

The proposal should contain a brief background of the company, its business and environment,
and then a survey of literature and context description on the subject. It should clearly state the
research objective(s), relate these to the subject and problems in this context, develop a model or
state the hypothesis/hypotheses, provide clear definitions, describe and justify the proposed
research methodology and highlight the potential contribution of the proposed work to theory,
practice and research in the relevant area of management. Summer Project Proposal should be
prepared in the manner given below.

i. Format for cover page of Summer Project Proposal (Appendix 1)

ii. Table of Contents

iii. Introduction: This should begin with the description of the company very briefly, and its
business and major environmental factors. This is necessary to record the understanding of
the student of the business environment and functioning. This is necessary to help the student
integrate the learning over the past year, and apply it in the managerial context. Then, the
managerial or sectoral problem and the background to the problem, its genesis, consequents,
current practices, etc should be described in detail. Next it should describe the rationale for
the study and the benefits of doing this study, in terms of knowledge, skill; practices,
systems, business advantages etc should be specified. The next part is to delimit the scope of
the project, and to specify the area of action taken under the project. It should continue with a
subsection titled "Problem Statement". This should help the student clarify the objectives of
the project, what the student wants to achieve through the study, and what it is, that must be
studied. It should then end by examining the literature in this regard and the conclusions
drawn from a survey of literature, in a subsection titled "Literature survey".

iv. The Research Problem: This should be a specific set of statements which describe the
research problem, and go on to develop the hypotheses, or to describe the nature and area of
possible outputs from the research if it is exploratory/qualitative in nature. This should refine
the general problem statement above into a specific form, so that the problem statement that

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 may be tested, answered with a specific study. The expected results from such a research
study should also be described, and as far as possible, these should be in terms of the specific
hypotheses developed. If possible, the operationalised hypotheses should also be defined at
this stage itself, to have the advantage of panel inputs regarding the core of the study.

v. The Research Design: This will contain five subsections, viz.

a) The general methodology of study adopted, whether case method or based on secondary
or accounting/financial data, sales or production data, or survey-based etc. And the
procedure of the same.
b) The sample and sampling frame or data source specifications and plan to acquire the
data.
c) The data collection procedure.
d) The data analysis, qualitative analysis techniques and the form of the outputs of analysis.
e) How the expected output may then be arrived at by following this methodology.

vi. Time frame: The time frame for the completion of the summer project, stage wise and event
wise, with details if possible, giving the expected day and dates of completion of each stage.

vii. References (See Appendix 13)

Final Summer Project Proposal Submission

The student submits two copies of the proposal, duly signed by Faculty Guide.

Standards for the Summer Project

The primary purpose of the Summer Project Report is to demonstrate the student's capability
to make effective use of research methods appropriate to the problem and to develop and
handle evidence satisfactorily. The Summer Project Report should, therefore, contain a section
on:
a) the research procedure(s) employed,
b) the extent, nature, reliability and suitability of evidence gathered and
c) The conclusions drawn and the recommendations, to demonstrate skills in analysis and
interpretation of research results.

Clarity, conciseness and orderliness of writing and presentation are required. It is necessary to
include sufficient evidence to support the reasoning and conclusions such that it clearly
demonstrates the basis of the conclusions and recommendations, and also exhibits the analytical
skill of the student, in this area. The length of the Summer Project Report will vary with the
topic and evidence required.

Further, the learning of the student regarding in-depth knowledge of the field should be brought
out by the section on literature review and model or framework used for the Summer Project
study.

Guidelines for Summer Project Report Preparation

Components: The Summer Project Report should appear in the following order:

Guidelines for Summer Project Report Page 4

Page i : Cover Page (Appendix 2)
Page ii : Second Title Page (Appendix 3)
Page iii : Certificate of Approval (Appendix 4)
Page IV : Approval of DAC (Appendix 5)
Page v-vi : Abstract (maximum two pages - Appendix 6)
Page vii : Acknowledgement (Appendix 7)
Page viii : Table of Contents (Appendix 8)
Page ix : List of Figures (Appendix 9)
Page x : List of Tables (Appendix 10)
Page xi : List of Appendices (Appendix 11)
Page xii : Abbreviations (Appendix 12)
Page 1 : Chapter I
.
.
.
Page ... : Last Chapter
Page ... : References (Appendix 13)
Page ... : Appendices

Cover Page: Cover page and second title page must conform to the sample shown in Appendix.

Abstract: Each Summer Project Report must include an abstract of a maximum of two pages in
single space (about 800-1000 words). It should state clearly and concisely the topic, scope,
method and conclusions reached. The emphasis should be on the conclusions and
recommendations and should be in greater detail than the other sections. The word limit should
be strictly adhered to.

Acknowledgement: Students are advised to acknowledge help and support from faculty members,
library, computer centre, outside experts, their sponsoring organisations, etc.

Table of Contents: Every Summer Project Report must contain a table of contents which
provides a view of the organisation of the Summer Project Report material.
List of Tables, Figures and Abbreviations: If the Summer Project Report contains tables, figures
and abbreviations used, they should be listed immediately following the table of contents on
separate pages.
Introduction: As in the proposal, this should begin with a very brief summary of the company
and its business, and then the complete details of the managerial problem and the background to
the problem, its genesis, consequences of the problem on the business, current practices, etc. It
should start from a broad overview and then move to the specific focus of the study. This should
include the specific business or functional problem being faced by the organisation.

Next, it should describe the rationale for the study and the benefits of the project in terms of
knowledge, skill, practices, systems, etc. and how it will help the organisation. All of these
should be specified. The next part is to delimit the scope of the project, and to specify the area of
enquiry under the project.

It should continue with a subsection titled 'Problem Formulation'. This should describe the
specific business problem faced and the related issues involved in greater detail than above. The
variables involved would then clarify the focus of the project, what is going to be studied, why it
needs to be studied. This would clarify the objectives targeted in the summer project.

It should then end by reviewing the literature in this regard and the conclusions drawn from a
survey of literature, in a subsection titled "Literature Survey". Students should do a
comprehensive library search on the topic he/she is going to work on for his/her summer project.
This will help in knowing the work done in the past and also the current work/research being

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done in the particular area. For this purpose, students may refer to earlier summer projects,
books, journals, reports, magazines, newspaper cuttings etc. The survey should cover all the
issues raised in the earlier sections of the introduction and should help in creating a theoretical
framework or set of assumptions which will define the research area under study, in specific
terms. This will help frame the problem in terms of variables under study and in focusing the
research problem. The theoretical framework or the model developed for this purpose, will allow
for proper operationalisation of the research problem. Assumptions made in the study must be
clearly justified and the grounds or evidence used for the development of the hypotheses, (i.e.,
the variables involved, their relationships, etc.), must be given in detail in this section.

The Research Problem: On the basis of the literature review and the discussions with guides and
presentation, the final research problem which will be the basis of the actual study, will be
formulated and described here. The section will draw on the model or framework developed
earlier, and should describe the development of the hypotheses or the argument for a qualitative
exploratory study on that basis. It will build a set of constructive arguments for the research
problem. It will further describe how the problem was operationalised for measurement and
analysis and will end with a statement of the operationalised hypotheses. In case it is exploratory
/qualitative/case study based in nature, it must then state pointwise the variables under study,
nature and area of possible outputs from the research.

The expected results from such a research study should also be described in terms of the specific
hypotheses developed. It must be explained how such results would be of use in the managerial
context and the business.

The Research Design: This will contain five subsections, viz.

• The general methodology of adopted for study, whether case method or based on secondary
or accounting/financial data, or survey based, etc., and the procedure followed in the study.

• The sample or data source specifications and sampling frame or plan to acquire the data.
Sources of data must be mentioned at the appropriate places in the summer project. The
detailed sampling plan and the procedure adopted for sampling should be described here.

• The data collection procedure. The Summer Project Report must involve data collection in a
systematic manner. It should not be a mere collection of opinions based on personal
experience. The tool used for data collection, if any, or the method adopted for the same
should be described in detail in this section. This should also contain the procedure for
administering the tool or conducting the interview, etc, as the case may be.

• The data analysis carried out, the quantitative or qualitative analysis techniques and the form
of the outputs of analysis should all be described in detail here. The software or package used
for computation should also be mentioned.
• How the expected output may then be arrived at by following this methodology. This section
should describe in detail the way in which the results obtained may be interpreted, and how
this may help in the given problem context.

Results and Conclusions: This section should include all the tabulated and text descriptions of
the results obtained in the study. It should be noted that all the tables and figures should be
properly titled and numbered, and listed in the table of contents.

Next, the conclusions and inferences that are drawn from the analysis of the results (in support of
the hypotheses or in the case of exploratory study, the variables identified and/ or involved),
should be stated clearly and specifically. These should bear on the hypotheses, and should be an
answer to the research problem. Thus they should be linked to the initial research problem, and

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the conclusions should then be directly related to the various issues regarding the problem under
study.

Recommendations: The Summer Project Report should conclude with the recommendations
developed from the analysis and findings of the study. This is a critical section and should
highlight your specific contributions keeping in view the purpose of the summer project. It
should demonstrate learning and use of skill and knowledge in actual problem solving. The last
part of this chapter will describe the limitations of the study and suggest directions for further
study in this area.

References: References should be complete in all respect as shown in Appendix 13.

Cross referencing: All references (books, journals, magazines, news papers, reports, proceedings,
etc.) listed in the Summer Project Report should be cross referenced in the text at appropriate
places eg.

The needs and skills required to manage today’s businesses in a global environment are
far different than they were just a decade ago. Clearly we need a new way of looking at
manufacturing, for the way we have considered it in the past in no longer sufficient.
With the rapid changes in IT and manufacturing technology, firms are therefore getting
increasingly interested in managing the strategy-technology connection to develop new
ways of achieving competitive advantage (Porter, 1985). Firms are attempting to link
manufacturing strategy with business strategy (Skinner, 1985; Wheelright, 1981), to
examine the strategic impact of rapidly changing manufacturing and information
technology (Jelinek and Goldhar, 1983; Kantrow, 1980), and to find new ways of
viewing manufacturing as a competitive weapon (Hayes and Wheelright, 1984; Jelinek
and Goldhar, 1984; Skinner, 1985). Information technology is a key ingredient in this
emerging trend of getting competitive advantage through manufacturing.

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 Appendix 1
Format for the Cover/Title page of the Summer Project Report Proposal

Summer Project Title

(Times New Roman 18 points)

A Summer Project Proposal for

(Times New Roman 11 points)

Post-Graduate Programme Business Management/

Master of Human Resource Management & Corporate Governance/
Master of International Business
(Times New Roman 13 points)

By
(Times New Roman 11 points)

Name
(Times New Roman 13 points)

Under the guidance of

Shri XXXXXXXXXXXX Dr. XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Designation Designation
Organisation IMT, Ghaziabad

IMT

(Times New Roman 12 points)

Date
(Times New Roman 11 points)

Guidelines for Summer Project Report Page 8

 Appendix 2

Format for the Cover page of the Summer Project Report

Summer Project Title

(Times New Roman 18 points)

By
(Times New Roman 11 points)

Name
(Times New Roman 13 points)

IMT
Month, Year
(Times New Roman 11 points)

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 Appendix 3
Format for the second page of the Summer Project Report

Summer Project Title

(Times New Roman 18points)

By
(Times New Roman 11 points)
Name
(Times New Roman 13 points)

Under the guidance of

Shri XXXXXXXXXXXX Dr. XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Designation Designation
Organisation IMT, Ghaziabad

IMT
Month, Year
(Times New Roman 11 points)

Guidelines for Summer Project Report Page 10

 Appendix 4

Certificate of Approval

The following Summer Project Report titled "ABC ..." is hereby approved as a certified study in
management carried out and presented in a manner satisfactory to warrant its acceptance as a
prerequisite for the award of Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Management/ Master of
Human Resource Management & Corporate Governance/ Master of International
Business/ for which it has been submitted. It is understood that by this approval the undersigned
do not necessarily endorse or approve any statement made, opinion expressed or conclusion
drawn therein but approve the Summer Project Report only for the purpose it is submitted.

Summer Project Report Examination Committee for evaluation of Summer Project Report

Name Signature

1. Faculty Examiner _______________________ ___________________

2. PG Summer Project Co-coordinator _______________________ ___________________

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 Appendix 5

Certificate from Summer Project Guides

This is to certify that Mr. /Ms. XYZ, a student of the Post-Graduate Diploma in Business
Management/ Master of Human Resource Management & Corporate Governance/ Master
of International Business/, has worked under our guidance and supervision. This Summer
Project Report has the requisite standard and to the best of our knowledge no part of it has been
reproduced from any other summer project, monograph, report or book.

Faculty Guide Organizational Guide

Designation Designation
IMT, Ghaziabad Organization
Address
Date Date

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 Appendix 7
Abstract
(SAMPLE)
Acquisition and Assimilation of Technology in the Tractor Industry
In India: The Strategic Perspective*
By

Shekhar Chaudhuri

Researchers in international transfer of technology have predominantly assumed the perspective

of top management of multinational corporations or public policy makers in developing
countries. The influence of the external as well as the internal environments on the technology
acquisition and assimilation process has been studied by previous researchers. However, the
processes through which top managers of firms manage the two environments while acquiring
and assimilating technology has received less attention. This research was focused on the
managerial processes involved in managing the interaction of the external and internal
environments in relation to technology acquisition and assimilation in the specific context of
atypical developing country like India.

This study used the framework for Corporate Strategy, which links the external environment with
the organisations by utilizing the concept of matching of environmental opportunities and threats
with organisational resources and capabilities. The research sites chosen were six major firms in
the Indian tractor industry. The perspective assumed was of the top management of these firms.

The major findings are:

1. The Government exercised a pervasive influence on the process of technology acquisition and
assimilation in the tractor industry because of its importance to the economy. In spite of the
constraints imposed by Government, the firms were able to develop different product -market
and technological strategies. When these strategies were uniquely related to the environment
and the organisational resources and competence, there was all around improvement in
performance. The better the match between technological decisions, the firm's environment
and organisational resources and capabilities, easier and faster was the process of technology
assimilation.

A general conclusion arrived at was that several firms operating in the same environment
could achieve overall success by developing strategies uniquely related to their environment
and resources and capabilities. Two dominant modes of the strategy development process
were identified. They were both characterized by an adaptive response to environmental
changes and were termed : i) Formulatory-Adaptive, and ii)Evolutionary-Adaptive depending
on the nature of the process.

2. The process of acquisition and assimilation of technology was viewed as the process by which
firms attempt to relate technological decisions to their environment and resources and
distinctive competence. This process was conceptualized as consisting of four interrelated
sub-processes : i) Technology Acquisition, ii) Technology Adaptation, iii) Technology
Utilisation and iv) Technology Development. Theses sub-processes were distinguished from
each other by the differences in organisational characteristics, key managerial tasks and
critical skills required to manage them.

Some applications were examined for three likely audiences : i) researchers in management
and international transfer of technology, ii) managers, and iii) public policy makers in
developing countries.

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 Data was collected in 1978 from six major tractor manufacturing firms, which comprised
more than 80 percent of the total sales turnover. The technological issues studied were i)
choice of product, ii) choice of foreign collaborator and mode of collaboration, iii) choice of
plant size, iv) choice of plant location, v) choice of manufacturing technology, vi) choice of
R&D activities, etc.

Environmental factors like competition Government regulations, technological capabilities of

farmers, automotive ancillary industry, role of national laboratories, etc. were considered.
Organisational characteristics like formal organisational structure, system of control and
coordination, training methodology, philosophy of top management of the firms, and their
resources and capabilities were studied in conjunction with environmental factors.

The clinical methodology used consisted of three phases :

i) a pilot study of two major firms for a period of one and a half months approximately
ii) study of secondary data sources, and
iii) A re-examination of the previous two organisations and study of the additional four.

Major data sources were in-depth interviews of some 60 senior company executives for a total
period of about 300 hours. In addition , detailed study of various company documents like
detailed project reports, feasibility reports, organisational announcements, etc. was also
undertaken

* Source : IIM Ahmedabad, Manual of Policies and Procedures, 1997-98, pp. 50-51

Guidelines for Summer Project Report Page 14

 Appendix 8

Table of Contents

Page
Acknowledgement
Abstract (maximum two pages)
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
List of Appendices
List of Abbreviations

I XXXXXXXXXX

1.1
1.2
1.2.1
1.2.2

II XXXXXXXXXX

2.1
2.2
2.1.1
2.1.2

III XXXXXXXXXX

3.1
3.2

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 Appendix 9

List of Figures
(Start from separate page)

Figure No. Description Page

__________________________

Appendix 10

List of Tables
(Start from separate page)

Table No. Description Page

________________________________

Appendix 11

List of Appendices
(Start from separate page)

Table No. Description Page

________________________________

Appendix 12

Abbreviations
(Start from separate page)

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 Appendix 13
Reference Style
Books

One Author

Basu, A. (1963), Consumer Price Index: Theory, Practice and Use in India, Modern Book
Agency, Calcutta.

Two Authors

Singh, M. and Pandya, J.F. (1967), Government Publications of India, Metropolitan Book Co.,
Delhi.

Three Authors
Mote, V.L.; Malya, M. M. and Saha J. (1968), Tables for Capital Investment Analysis, Indian
Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Edited Book

Basu, G. (ed.) (1962), Indian Tax Laws and Foreigners Having Investment in India or Having
Business Connections in or with India, Oxford Book & Stationery, Calcutta.

Government Publication

Ministry of Law, Government of India (1960), the Copyright Act, 1957, the Manager of
Publications, Delhi.

Journal Paper

Jain, S.K. (1967), World Class Manufacturing, International Journal of Operations Management,
Vol. 6, No. 12, pp. 11-31.

pp. stands for page number.

Article in a Newspaper

Gandhi, V. P. (1968), Will the Budget Achieve Its Aims? Certain Doubts, the Economic Times,
Mar. 8, pp. 5-6.

Conference Paper

Bhattacharyya, S.K. (1967), Control Techniques and Their Applicability, paper presented at the
Ahmedabad Management Association, Ahmedabad, Nov. 22, pp. 11-17.

Guidelines for Summer Project Report Page 17