AIOU COL MBA PROJECT SYNPOPSIS FORMAT 2024-25
This manual is designed to equip Commonwealth MBA and MPA students with essential guidance on preparing their research proposals and final project reports. It offers valuable insights that will help students conceptualize, plan, and complete their research projects efficiently. By following these guidelines, students will be able to address critical aspects of their research and present a well-crafted final project
- Selecting a research topic
- Developing a project statement
- Writing the literature review
- Research design and data analysis
- Presenting conclusions and findings
- Compiling a bibliography
- Other essential sections needed for a comprehensive research project
Additionally, the manual includes instructions on the recommended format and style for the report, along with sample templates for reference. We trust that this manual will help students in selecting research topics and conducting their studies successfully. With this in mind, we encourage you to enjoy and utilize the manual to complete your research effectively.
Chapter 1 Introduction
Background of the project
This Master’s level Research Project Manual is intended for students enrolled in the Commonwealth Master of Business Administration (MBA) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) programs at AIOU. Upon completion of their coursework, students will conduct a research study in their chosen field, which is a core requirement of the Commonwealth MBA/MPA programs.
The research project, carrying 6 credits, is a critical component of the program. Upon successfully completing the required courses and the research project (course code 5598), students will be awarded their Commonwealth MBA/MPA degrees. This manual provides broad guidelines to help students in preparing their project proposals and final reports.
Following the guidelines in this manual will enable students to produce high-quality research reports and contribute valuable insights to the field of business and public administration.
Research Proposal and Final Report
The mission of AIOU’s Commonwealth MBA/MPA program is to equip students with the latest managerial skills and knowledge through a well-structured curriculum. The program emphasizes both theoretical and practical learning, and the research project serves as a culmination of these efforts.
All research reports follow a similar format, regardless of the research topic. Whether conducting customer satisfaction studies, employee opinion surveys, or marketing research, the structure remains the same, with the differences lying in the content. The research project allows students to make an original contribution to their field of study by solving a specific problem or answering a key question.
For the final research report, students are required to:
- Identify a relevant problem or question within the field of Management Sciences (Business or Public Administration).
- Solve the problem or answer the question through their research.
- Contribute new knowledge based on their findings.
It is important for students to get their research topics and proposals approved by AIOU’s Program Management Office before starting their research. The approval process includes consulting with the supervisor assigned by the study center, developing a research proposal, and submitting it for approval before beginning the actual research.
Problem identification
There are many good reasons for institutions to change, and there are many causes for change efforts not to succeed. Change often requires altering routines and impacts the way employees do their jobs. In order for change efforts to be successful, employees must be involved appropriately in the process. Since institutions of higher education are almost continuously engaged in some level of change, it is advisable for job candidates to take the time to find out about them.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
Change has become a widespread and rapid phenomenon in the present organizational context. Managers, therefore need to understand the process for organizational change and factors that are associated with its success and failure. Sadly, few studies have been conducted over the topic and most of the studies have ignored the essential organization parameters such as knowledge sharing, emotional intelligence, cultural intelligence, etc. On the other hand, change, whether it is incremental or transformational requires an organization to define and clarify strategic direction and implementation.
RESEARCH QUESTION
What is the impact of organizational parameters on organizational change in education sector of Islamabad
Objectives of the study
Objectives are the main reasons behind the completion of any research study as these objectives guide the researcher and his readers on what is the primary purpose of the study.
Significance of the study
The study will be beneficial for the stakeholders of educational institutes for the improvement of weak areas at management level and will help them in adapting changes in organizations accordingly. The study will also help universities to understand the importance of organizational parameters like knowledge sharing, emotional intelligence, organizational support and cultural intelligence.
Scope of study
The research helps to provide the overview of the Organization Parameters (OP) and its role for implementation of the successful Organization Change in education sector. The study examined the Impact of independent variable (OP) on dependent variable (OC). The paper will present a clear picture about the Organization Parameters such as knowledge sharing, emotional Intelligence, cultural Intelligence, organizational support and its role in Organization Change.
CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW
Organization change is a process through which an organization identifies, examines, and implements a new idea. Two main types of changes are administrative (process) and technical (product), where administrative changes refer to the organizational structure and administrative processes (mainly occurring at the management level and less at the basic work activities of the organization) and technical changes are the changes in products, services, production, or process technology and affect the work activities of the organization. There are two major degrees, fundamental departure from existing practices (radical reorientation, non-routine, ultimate, core, transformative and high risk) and minor adjustments to existing practices (routine, instrumental, peripheral, incremental, and low risk). Organizational Change can be experienced by staff as: l) personal loss and feelings of inadequacy, 2) lack of competence and self-confidence, and 3) frustration related to a lack of understanding and knowledge.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design is a plan that helps in approaching the research participants as well as collecting data from them (Welman, Kruger & Mitchell, 2005). After obtaining the clarity about the procedure of data collection, the next thing is to determine the appropriate methods for data analysis and presentation. There are various types of research designs e.g. descriptive research, explanatory research, prediction, causation, correlation, theory testing and theory construction. This study has employed the explanatory research design and it will use quantitative data collection and analysis techniques.
POPULATION OF THE STUDY
A population is the sum of all the individuals, which have specific features and will be of interest for the researcher. Polit and Hungler (1999:37) described the population as a summative or total of entire objects, subjects or members that accommodate to a group of specification.
Sampling Techniques
According to LoBiondo-Wood and Haber (1998:249), a non-probability sampling technique is minimum dynamic and tends to generate less produce, less precise and less representative samples as compare to probability or random samples. This study will be based on the Non-probability sampling method which is also known as convenience sampling.
SAMPLE SIZE
A sample can be defined as the fraction of the total which will be selected to take part in the study. Or it is the subset of the entire population selected to participate in the research. Selecting the biggest possible sample is the general rule of the thumb. As much the sample is large, the representatives will also going to be large as well.
Instruments and measure/Research Tool
In this research questionnaires will be used for data collection that will later be analyzed statistically. It will be used for survey from the educational institutions of Islamabad. According to Leedy & Ormrod (2005) survey research is defined as responses gathered through a set of predetermined questions that help in analyzing information about individuals and groups.
Data collection
A questionnaire as described before will be used for the data collection from the subjects. These questions will be in the close ended form and it will be related to the impact of Organizational parameters on Organizational Change as well. All the responses from the respondents will be calculated on the 5 point likert scale. While collecting the data, only those questionnaires will be added that will contain the related responses and would be in complete form for the best results.
DATA ANALYSIS
Data will be analysed through Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) by IBM Company. Regression and correlation techniques will used to examine the effect and relationship among the variables under investigation. The responses from questionnaires will be recorded after the submission of all 200 questionnaires. The data will be first organized and cleaned and converted to numbers for the analysis.
CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
The research data will be analyzed descriptively, graphically and statistically. The analysis portion of the research will be described in detail. Effort will be made to describe and analyze each question separately. Whatever will be technique (s) adopted, the collected data will be analyzed considering research topic, research objectives and research problem.
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION, RECOMMENDATION AND FUTUER RESEARCH
On the basis of conclusive outcomes of the research study, final recommendations shall be established. The recommendations will be well-matched with the objective of the study. Further research or future development in the undertaken study will be recommended.
