MMPP001: PROJECT COURSE

Guidelines for Submission of Synopsis and Project Report

Submission of Synopsis
❖ ODL Students of MBA, MBAFM, MBAHM, MBAMM, MBAOM and
❖
MBF Programmes
▪ To, The Regional Director,
of your Respective Regional Centre.
For the address of the Regional Centre you may refer Student Handbook &
Prospectus given on our website www.ignou.ac.in
❖ MBA (Online) will submit it through LMS Portal

Submission of Project Report

❖ ODL Students of MBA, MBAFM, MBAHM, MBAMM, MBAOM and
MBF Programmes
▪ To the Registrar (SED),
IGNOU, Maidan Garhi,
New Delhi -110 068.
❖ MBA(online) students can submit it through LMS Portal.
 Guidelines for Project Course: MMPP-001
The Project Course is equivalent to two courses. However, for registration purposes the Project
Course (MMPP-001) is treated as one course, which is of Eight Credits. For this course no
additional study material is provided.

The basic purpose of this course is to help learners develop an ability to apply multi-
disciplinary concepts, tools and techniques to analyse and logically approach the organisational
problems. The Project study should be on a topic preferably from your area of specialisation in
MBA.

SYNOPSIS EVALUATION PROCESS

In order to proceed with your project course the approval of the synopsis is necessary. Only on
the approval of the synopsis the project work could actually be taken up. The synopsis should
be an original work done by the student. The process that is involved in the evaluation and final
approval of the synopsis is explained below:
1. Selection of topic by the Student
The learner can select any topic of her/his choice, preferably in their area of specialisation. The
title should be definitive communicating key information about the thesis. It should convey the
subject matter being covered in the project.
It could be either be an
i) Comprehensive case study (covering single organisation/multifunctional area
problem formulation, analysis and recommendations).
ii) Inter-organisational study aimed at inter-organisational comparison/validation of
theory/survey of management practices.
iii) Field study (empirical study).

2. Selection of Guide
Once you are clear about the field in which the work is to be taken up, then contact a person
who has experience in that area and is interested in guiding, provided s/he fulfils the specified
eligibility criteria.
The Eligibility Criteria for guides is:
(i) Management Faculty in the School of Management Studies at Headquarters.
(ii) All Approved Academic Counselors of the Management Programme (MP) having
relevant experience at the Study Centres are recognized as supervisors for guiding
project.
 (iii) Management Faculty having 5 years of PG Teaching Experience. Professionals
holding Masters’ degree in Management or allied disciplines having a minimum of
5 years of experience in the relevant area (for example, if you are taking up a
marketing topic then the supervisor should have 5 years experience in marketing
area, after her/his Masters). However if you choose to identify your own guide, then
the bio-data of proposed guide is to be attached along with synopsis for approval.
The project guide will be paid a token honorarium of Rs. 500/- by the University for guiding
the learner.
At any given point of time a guide is not permitted to guide more than five students.
Note: Students are advised to select guides who are active professionals in the relevant area
of the selected topic, i.e., if the topic is in the area of Finance, the guide should be a specialist
in Finance and so on. Project Guides are also requested to restrict guiding projects in their
core specialisation area only

3. Preparation of Synopsis
After selection of the guide and finalising the topic, the Project Proposal (Synopsis) should be
prepared in consultation with the guide. The proposal of the proposed project should essentially
have the following:
(i) Introduction: a brief background about the subject chosen for study.
(ii) Rationale: why a particular topic has been chosen for the project work.
(iii) Objectives: This is the most important aspect of any project. It should mention
clearly and precisely the things which you hope will be able to know/achieve at the
end of the study. These may be clearly stated in behavioural terms.
Objectives need to be expressed in a neutral manner, without any implicit assumptions about
the findings of the research.
Objectives of the Study (Sample)
The objectives of this study are:
To study the financial performance _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
To explore the _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
To analyse the factors affecting _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
To investigate the influence _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
 (iv) Research Methodology:
• Research Design
• Nature and source of data/information to be collected.
• Sample and sampling technique. Rationale of chosen organisation and the sample.
• Tools and Techniques to be used for data collection – details of the
tools/questionnaire to be used and its relevance with the objectives of the project.
• Method/s to be used for data collection.
• Data handling and analysis- organisation and analysis of data. Statistical tools to be
used for analysis. Relevance of statistical tools with the objectives of the project.
(v) Limitation of the proposed project, if any.

4. Submission of Synopsis
It must have the following components:
• Proper ‘Proforma for Approval of Synopsis’ duly signed by the student and the guide
with dates.
• Bio-data of the Guide- A detailed biodata of the guide duly signed, in original, by the
guide along with date. However in case of approved counselors it is not required.

Instructions for filling up the Proforma for Approval of Synopsis:

Enrolment No: Mention the enrolment number assigned to you by the university. If your
maximum duration of the programme (i.e 4 years) is over you need to seek Re-admission,
before sending the synopsis. In case your synopsis was Approved on the earlier Enrolment
Number, then the same has to be sought for the New Enrolment Number again, if you fail to
do so the Project Report may not be accepted.
Subject Area: The broad subject area on which you intend to carry out your project work
should be mentioned (example: if you are doing your project on ‘Financial Performance of
XYZ Ltd’ then the Subject Area would be Finance). Similarly based on the topic selected, the
subject areas could be HRM & OB/Accounting & Finance /Operations Management &
Information System/ Marketing/ Corporate Management / Any Other (you may specify as per
the topic selected).
Title of the Project: this is the final topic on which you will be carrying on the Project Work.
It should be concise indicating clearly the work being taken up for study. The Final Project
Report should necessarily be on the title approved by the evaluator, no changes could be made
while submitting the Final Project Report.
Name and Address of the Supervisor: The name and address of the supervisor, preferably
his/her official address may be clearly mentioned on the Proforma. If the supervisor is an
Academic Counsellor, S/he should give the details of the study centre and the courses for which
the counselling is provided, to the learners.
Students being Guided for MMPP-001: The number of students that are being guided by the
supervisor for the Project Course (earlier MS-100 and revised MMPP-001) as on that date.
The supervisors may restrict the number of students being guided by him/her to five only, at
any given point of time.
The biodata of the guide must have the following information in absolutely unambiguous
manner:
• Name and Date of Birth of the guide.
• Full Address and Contact Numbers of Residence and Current Work Place.
• Detailed Educational Qualifications – clearly mentioning the Degrees (with
specialisation), Name and Address of the University/Institution and the year of award
of degree/qualification, along with percentage of marks obtained.
• Detailed work experience, stated clearly in chronological order having details of the
designation, period, name and contactable address of the organisations.
• Any other information relevant for Assessment of the Eligibility of the Guide. You may
also attach current business card of the proposed guide.
In case if the student fails to submit the duly signed (original signature) Bio-data and
Proforma for Approval, the synopsis will not be entertained.
Note: Please ensure that the ‘Proforma for Approval’ is filled correctly in all respects as
mentioned above. Also check, that the duly signed bio-data of the supervisor and the synopsis
are also enclosed along. Proposal’s incomplete in any respect will not be accepted. Students
are advised to retain a copy of the proposal.

Once the synopsis is ready in the format mention above, Student should send the
“Proforma for Approval of Project Proposal (MMPP - 001)” along with one copy of the
proposal and duly signed Bio-data of the guide, in the manner as mentioned below:
ODL Students may submit it:- To, The Regional Director, of your Respective Regional
Centre. For the address of the Regional Centre you may refer Student Handbook &
Prospectus given on our website www.ignou.ac.in
For seeking the approval of Synopsis, the project proposal can be forwarded to the concerned
Regional Centre at www.ignou.ac.in > Regional Network > Regional Centre’s (E-mail ID of
all RC’s are available at http://www.ignou.ac.in/ignou/aboutignou/regional/website)

MBA (Online) Students may submit it:- To, The Regional Director, of their designated
Regional Centre through LMS Portal
5. Evaluation of Synopsis
The learner can submit her/his Synopsis throughout the year. However, the Project Proposal
may be submitted to the Regional Centre after the Registration of MMPP-001. This is to ensure
that the students gets atleast 8-9 months time to complete their project work and submit it
before the expiry of the 4th semester.
In case Project Proposals are received in Regional Centre after 6 months of having
registered for MMPP – 001, the RC will not be responsible for the timely disposal of the
project proposals. Those who fail to submit the synopsis within the stipulated period are likely
to miss the timeline for submission of the Project Report.
If the Project Proposal received in the regional centre is found to be complete in all regards,
having the necessary documents it is accepted. Once accepted, a Project Proposal number is
assigned to the synopsis, which is unique for each learner. This Project Proposal (PP.No)
number can be used for further correspondence with the RC.

6.Feedback / Communication to the Learner

After the synopsis is evaluated by the Expert a Written Communication regarding the status of
Approval / Non-approval of the project proposal will be sent to the learner within two/three
months of the receipt of the proposal in the Regional Centre.
In case the proposed guide is not approved by the Faculty, the student will be advised so, and
in such cases the student has to change the guide and submit the project proposal afresh with
the signature of the new guide. It will be considered as a New Proposal.
Similarly, if a student wants to change his/her guide for any reason, s/he would be required to
submit the project proposal along with the signature of the new guide on a new project proposal
proforma, as it would be considered as a new proposal.

7.Resubmission of Project Proposal

In case of Non-Approval of the proposal the comments/suggestions for reformulating the
project proposal will be communicated to the student.
In such case, the revised project proposal should be submitted along with fresh ‘Project
Proposal Proforma’ and a copy of the rejected proposal and project proposal proforma bearing
the comments of the evaluator and Project Proposal Number (PP. No) allotted by the Regional
Centre.
PROJECT REPORT SUBMISSION
After a written communication regarding the Approval of synopsis is received the Project work
may be undertaken.
1. Preparation of Project Report
Once you have carried out the study as envisaged in the approved synopsis then a report of the
work done needs to be prepared. The length of the report may be about 50 to 60 double spaced
typed pages not exceeding approximately 18,000 words (excluding appendices and exhibits).
However, rational variation on either side is permissible.

2. Structure of Project Report

(i) Introduction: to the Project and Review of Literature along with brief details of
the organisation/s under study. It may give details about Rationale, Statement of
problem, Objectives of the Project, Scope of the study etc
(ii) Research Methodology: It may give details about Rationale, Statement of
problem, Objectives of the Project, Scope of the study etc.
It should include the Research Design, Nature and Source of data/information collected,
Sample and Sampling method with rationale.
Details of the tools:
• The Questionnaire and other methods used and their purpose
• Reliability and Validity of the tools used
• Data collection, Statistical tools used for Data Analysis
(iii) Results and Discussion: This should present the results in tabular or graphical
format. The Interpretation of the data and results/findings may be given elaborately.
(iv) Summary and Conclusion
(v) Recommendations
(vi) Limitations of the Project, Direction for further research (optional)
(vii) Reference/Bibliography
(viii) Annexures/Appendices (Questionnaire used etc.)
The Final Project Report must have the following:
• Cover Page – must have the Name and Enrolment No. of the Student and the Name of
the Guide, along with the Title of the Project.
• Detailed Table of Contents with Page Nos.
• All pages of the Project Report must be numbered as reflected in the Table of Contents.
• Approved Proposal (i.e., Project Proposal, approved proforma and bio-data of the
guide) properly bound in the project and not just stapled. Please note that project with
stapled Proposal will not be accepted.
• Certificate of Originality- duly signed by the student and the guide with dates.

3.Submission of Project Report

One typed copy of the Project Report is to be submitted to the Registrar (SED), IGNOU,
Maidan Garhi, New Delhi -110 068. As soon as, you submit the Project Report, a PR. No.
would be allotted. Student should quote this PR.No. while corresponding with Registrar (SED)
regarding Project Report thereafter.
The MBA(online) students can submit their Project Report through LMS Portal.
Project Report can be submitted any time throughout the year.
Note: If a Project Report is submitted between 1st December to 31st May, then the result will
be declared along with June Term-end Examinations. If a Project Report is submitted between
1st June to 30th November, then the result will be declared along with December Term-end
Examinations.

4.Viva-Voce
A student may be asked to appear for a Viva-Voce, if the evaluator so recommends. In that
case, student will be duly intimated about it.

5. Plagiarism in Project Reports

The Project Report submitted by the student should be free from plagiarism and his/her original
work. In case if the project report is found to be plagiarised, action will be taken as per the
policy of the University.
INFORMATION
QUERY WHOM TO BE ADDRESSED TO
REGARDING THE THE REGIONAL DIRECTOR, OF YOUR RESPECTIVE
APPROVAL OF PROJECT REGIONAL CENTRE
PROPOSAL
ADDRESS OF THE STUDENT HANDBOOK & PROSPECTUS GIVEN ON OUR
R EGIONAL CENTRE WEBSITE www.ignou.ac.in (E-mail ID of all RC’s are
available
at http://www.ignou.ac.in/ignou/aboutignou/regional/website)

REGARDING STATUS OF THE ASSTT. REGISTRAR (SED), IGNOU, MAIDAN GARHI,

PROJECT REPORTS NEW DELHI -110068.

EMAIL- [email protected]
CONTACT NO:- 011-29571324, 011-29571321

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

This is to certify that the project titled “______________________________________

_____________________________________________________” is an original work of

the

Student and is being submitted in partial fulfilment for the award of the Master’s Degree in
Business Administration of Indira Gandhi National Open University. This report has not
been submitted earlier either to this University or to any other University/Institution for the
fulfilment of the requirement of a course of study.

SIGNATURE OF SUPERVISOR SIGNATURE OF STUDENT

Place: Place:

Date: Date:

The certificate may be submitted in the same format.

 Important Notes While Preparing - Project Proposal
Send only one copy of the Project Proposal, and retain a copy with you.
“MMPP-001” should be written prominently on the envelope and should be addressed to
The Regional Director (of your Respective Regional Centre)
For the address of the Regional Centre you may refer Student Handbook & Prospectus given
on our website www.ignou.ac.in or
http://www.ignou.ac.in/ignou/aboutignou/regional/website
Ensure that the ‘Proforma for Approval of Project Proposal’ duly filled in and signed by
both, the student and the supervisor along with date, are enclosed.
Bio-data of the Guide duly signed by him/her.
MBA(online) submission of Synopsis through LMS Portal.

Important Notes While Preparing - Project Report

Send only one copy of the Project Report, and retain a copy with you. The Project Report
submitted to the University will not be returned to the student after Evaluation.
The Project Report should be submitted in original in A-4 Size, typed in double space, in a
bound volume to ‘The, Registrar (SED), IGNOU, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi- 110068’ by
Registered/Speed Post/by hand.
Before binding the Project report the student should ensure that it contains the Approved
Project Proposal Proforma along with Approved Proposal, Bio-data of the Guide, and an
Originality Certificate duly signed by the Student and the Guide. Project Report if received
without any of these documents, the same will be returned to the students for compliance.
Mention on the top of the envelope “PROJECT REPORT-MMPP-001”. This will facilitate
sorting out Project Reports received in Student Evaluation Division (SED) for various
Programmes.
MBA(online) submission of Project Report through LMS Portal.
 INDIRA GANDHI NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY
Maidan Garhi, New Delhi – 110068
PROFORMA FOR APPROVAL OF PROJECT PROPOSAL (MMPP - 001)

Enrolment No. ___________________ Project Proposal No ___________

Study Centre ____________ (To be assigned by the Regional Centre)
Regional Centre _____________ Subject Area:_________________

Name of the Student : ____________________________________________________

Address of the Student: ____________________________________________________
(Complete Postal Address where the ____________________________________________________
synopsis, is to be sent )
Email Address: ____________________________________________________

Topic of the Project : ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________

Name and Address of the Supervisor: ____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________

Is the Supervisor an Academic Counselor Yes / No If yes, Code of Study Centre__________________

of Management Programme of IGNOU?
Courses he/ she is counseling for: ____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
No. of Students being guided: ____________________________________________________

Signature of Student Signature of Supervisor

Date: Date:
Please do not forget to enclose the synopsis of the project and the Bio-data of the Supervisor. In case the complete
and signed Bio-Data of the Supervisor is not enclosed, the proposal will not be entrained.
For Office Use Only
Synopsis Supervisor
Approved Approved Signature of Evaluator
Not Approved Not Approved Date:

Comments & Suggestions of the Evaluator

(Use backside of the proforma, if the space for writing
the comments is not Sufficient) Counter Signature of the
Regional Director/ Asst. Regional
Director