MBA HR

Guidelines for
Dissertation

School of Business Management

SVKM’s NMIMS

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 DISSERTATION GUIDELINES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.
Introduction........................................................................................................................................2
2. Objectives of Dissertation........................................................................................................2
3. Scope of Work...............................................................................................................................2
4. Faculty Guidance for Dissertation.........................................................................................2
5. Prerequisites…………………………………………………………………………………………………3
6. Evaluation……………………………………………………………………………………………………..3
7. Timelines for Dissertation........................................................................................................3
8. The Dissertation Process...........................................................................................................4
8.1 Dissertation Registration Form………………………………………………………………….4
8.2 Research Proposal................................................................................................................ 5
8.3 Interim Report………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..5
8.4 Final Report……………………………………………………………………………………………5
9. General Guidelines……………………………………………………………………………………...8
10. Annexures………………………………………………………………………………………………

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 DISSERTATION GUIDELINES
1. Introduction
The objective of a research study is to prepare students to play the role of key actors in
shaping the knowledge-based economy. A dissertation builds competencies of problem-
solving, critical reasoning, thinking in-depth and looking at challenges and
opportunities from different angles and perspectives. The transferable skills developed
through a research study are usually durable and enhance the content knowledge gained
through two years of rigorous coursework. This is also a good opportunity to
consolidate your theoretical learnings and test/enhance them. Successful completion of
a research degree also indicates to a prospective employer that the students have
excellent project and personal management skills, and that they can think independently
and critically, solve problems and communicate effectively.
The dissertation forms an integral component of MBA HR program and an important
step in preparing students towards a data and research driven corporate world. Students
are prepared for the dissertation through business research workshops in trimester 1,2
and 4.
This manual provides details regarding dissertation.
2. Objectives of Dissertation
The objective of the dissertation in MBA HR program is to provide an integrative, field
based experience that enables students to synthesize their conceptual learnings and
apply them to real time business challenges. Through the dissertation, the students use
multiple research designs to select, formulate and find solutions to problems and
opportunities that interest them and prepare them better for their roles in industry. This
is a student driven and faculty guided endeavor, that builds competencies of
independent thinking, environment scanning, decision taking, conceptual and analytical
skills and writing proficiency amongst students.
3. Scope of Work
Students are required to pursue this dissertation by examining a subject of their choice
from different points of view through the process of studying existing work on the
subject, and then systematically collecting and analyzing information (data) in order to
increase their understanding of the subject/phenomenon. They will need to fulfill the
following conditions:
To design and conduct research in an area of inquiry related to the domain of Human
Resource Management / Organization Behavior or an Interdisciplinary Area.
1. It will be an application-oriented work in a relevant area of their learning in MBA
HR programme. Example: ‘Role of HR in building an employee branding strategy
in the insurance sector’
2. The dissertation should have a reliable, specific, measurable time bound objective to
achieve.
3. The dissertation should have some value addition to their working area.
It carries a weightage of THREE credits. Students, in a group of not more than three (3)
members, can choose a topic to pursue their research in areas that will enhance their

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 career aspirations/choices. Students will be responsible for planning, developing and
implementing their deliverables under the guidance of a Faculty.
4. Faculty Guidance for Dissertation
The school has prepared a list of faculty guides for guiding students to ensure quality of
work, proper coordination and smooth conduct of the dissertation. Faculty guide is the
student’s primary academic advisor. The list of faculty guides is given in Annexure I.
Students can give choice of 3 faculty guides from the available list. Students have to
submit the application form as per annexure 1 for the selection of guide through Course
Coordinator. As per the availability of the faculty guide, student’s, area of research
interest and domain expertise and faculty guide recommendations, the Program
Chairperson will assign the guide. One faculty member can have a maximum of 6
students under his/her guidance at any point of time. The student may additionally
choose a mentor from the Industry (with experience in research) in consultation with
the Program Chairperson and final approval by Dean SBM.
4. Prerequisites
The prerequisites for registering for dissertation are:
 Completion of the compulsory courses on
a) Business Research Workshops 1 and 2
b) Statistical Inferences for Business
5. Evaluation
Evaluation is done at various stages of the dissertation and students’ performance is
monitored by the Faculty Guide at regular intervals. The phases, schedule and
weightage of assessment are as follows:
Faculty Guide
Phases of Evaluation Weightage
Research Proposal 15 Marks
Interim Report 15 Marks
Final Report 20 Marks
Presentation & Viva 10 Marks

External Guide

Phases of Evaluation Weightage

Consolidated Report 20 Marks
Presentation & Viva 20 Marks

For details refer to attached rubrics for internal as well as external examination

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 6. Timelines for Dissertation
The timelines given below include submission of dissertation registration form,
submission of proposal, preparation & submission of interim as well as final report.
Students are hereby advised to adhere to the following timelines for successful
completion of the dissertation. Please note that you have been given approximately six
months to plan and execute your study.

Schedule for Dissertation, MBA HR 2019-20

Main Activity Schedule

th
Submission of Dissertation Registration Form 15 March, 2021
to the Coordinator
Submission of approved Research Proposal 15th July, 2021
Submission of Interim Report 30th October, 2021

Submission of Final Report 15th January, 2022

Presentation & Viva - Dissertation for 3-4th week of February, 2022

Evaluation

7. The Dissertation Process

 Phase 1: Dissertation Registration Form
Students meet with the prospective Faculty Guide to discuss and decide the topic of
study. At the end students submit a brief report and register for the dissertation.
 Phase II: Research Proposal
Students prepare and submit a dissertation proposal in discussion and consultation with
the Faculty Guide.
 Phase III: Interim Report
Students carry out the literature review, pilot study with the guidance of their Faculty
Guide and submit a written report to their respective Faculty Guides.

 Phase IV: Final Report

After completion of data collection & analysis, students are required to submit a written
report on their study and are evaluated through Viva Voice Examination.

Details of the Dissertation Process are as follows:

8.1 Dissertation Registration Form
Students should register for their dissertation and should submit their registration form
to the MBA HR Coordinator. The registration form signed by the student and the
faculty guide should include the title, dissertation details, organization/population in
which the study is to be carried out, name of the faculty. This form is not for evaluation.
Please find the form attached as Annexure II.

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8.2 Research Proposal
Students are required to submit dissertation title (submission 1) and proposal
(submission 2) prior to commencing the research and obtain approval from Faculty
Guide. Proposals should include information on the proposed topic, scope of work, and
learning objectives. The approved proposal is to be submitted to the MBA HR
Coordinator. Once it is submitted to the Coordinator, the student cannot change the
topic of study without special approval from the Dean. The proposal should include the
following:
 The Topic for the Dissertation
 Literature Review (Organization and Industry analysis will form a part of it)
 Rationale for the Study, Research Questions and Research Objectives
 Research Design (that you propose to use)
o Methodology
o Research Site
o Participants/Respondents for the Study
o Data Collection Methods
o Tools and Techniques for Data Analysis
 Expected Outcomes from the Study
The student should submit soft and hard copy of the proposal. The proposal is evaluated
by the Faculty Guide based on coverage and depth/quality of above mentioned contents.
8.3 Interim Report
The interim report gives mid-way progress of the dissertation. In this duration, the
student is expected to finish substantial amount of work in their data collection. The
interim evaluation creates scope for mid-term report feedback/evaluation/ correction.
The report is evaluated by the faculty guide based the attached rubric and will include:
 Findings and Interim Data Analysis
8.4 Final Report
The final report is to be submitted on completion of the dissertation to the Coordinator.
It includes the following components:
 Results, Discussion and Conclusion
 Implications for Practitioners and Researchers
 Scope and Limitations of the Study
 References

8.4.1 The Consolidated Dissertation should be in the following sequence and

format:
 Title of the dissertation
 Declaration
 Certificate
 Preface
 Acknowledgements
 Executive Summary

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  Table of Contents
 List of Tables, Graphs & Figures
 Chapter 1 – Introduction
 Chapter II – Literature Review
 Chapter III- Research Methodology
 Chapter III – Findings & Analysis
 Chapter IV – Results and Discussion, Conclusions
 Chapter V –Implications for Practitioners and Researchers
 Annexure-A, B, C and so on
 References
 Glossary (if required)
 Index (if possible)
 Author’s Profile

Details are as follows:

8.4.2 Title of the Dissertation Report: It contains the title of the dissertation, the
institution to which it’s submitted, submission year, purpose, name of the student along
with their Roll No. (Refer Annexure III).
8.4.3 Declaration: The student/author should declare that the dissertation is his/her
original work. The following template can be used:
DECLARATION

I, [full name of the student], hereby declare that this dissertation entitled ‘[full title of the
dissertation]’ is the outcome of my own study undertaken under the guidance of [title and full
name of the guide], SVKM”s NMIMS, Mumbai. It has not previously formed the basis for the
award of any degree, diploma or certificate of this or any other university. I have duly
acknowledged all the sources used by me in the preparation of this dissertation.

[Date, month, and year] [Signature of the student]

[Name of the student]

8.4.3 Certificate: The dissertation should include duly signed certificate from the Faculty
Guide. The specimen certificate is as follows:
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the dissertation entitled ‘[full title of the dissertation/thesis]’ is the record
of the original work done by [full name of the student] under my guidance. The results of the
research presented in this dissertation have not previously formed the basis for the award of
any degree, diploma or certificate of this or any other university.

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[Date, month, and year] [Signature of the guide]
Guide (Designation)
School of Business Management
SVKM’s NMIMS

8.5. Viva and Presentation:

Your viva will be conducted by a panel consisting of both - external examiner and
internal faculty. The viva will be based on all components of your dissertation.

9. General Guidelines
9.1 Formatting & layout requirements: The complete dissertation report should be typed in
font Times New Roman, Font 12, 1.5 space, paragraphs – justified. The following formatting
must be followed throughout the dissertation report unless specified otherwise:
 Title (e.g. Preface, Chapters, etc.): font Times New Roman size 16 bold (Center)
 Heading 1: font Times New Roman size 14 bold (Center)
 Heading 2: font Times New Roman size 12 bold (Left)
 Heading 3: font Times New Roman size 12 underline (Left)
 Heading 4: font Times New Roman size 12 Italics (Left)
 Page Numbers: Times New Roman size 10 without brackets. Page numbers should be
in Roman Numerals for items like Declaration, Certificate, Preface,
Acknowledgements, Executive Summary, Table of Contents, List of Tables, Graphs &
Figures, chapters starting from “Introduction “are Arabic Numerals. The title page
should not be numbered.
The hard copy of the dissertation report must be on A4 size white paper and it should be hard
bound (black colour). Colour prints are not needed. Students are required to send soft copy of
the report (pdf version) to the coordinator.
9.2 Tables and Figures: Tables offer a useful means of presenting large amounts of detailed
information in small space. They contribute to clear, concise and comparative presentation of
data. Tables could be based on primary data or secondary data. Tables based on secondary data
should cite their ‘source(s)’ at the bottom of the table. Title should be given to all tables,
figures and long calculations. Number all tables and figures with Arabic numerals in the order
in which they are first mentioned in text, regardless of whether a more detailed discussion of
the table or figure occurs later in the paper. Do not suffix letters to number tables and figures;
that is, label them as Table 5, Table 6 and Table 7 or Figure 5, Figure 6, and Figure 7 instead of
5, 5a, and 5b.
9.3 Footnotes: Footnotes are used to provide additional content or to acknowledge copyright
permission status. Content footnotes supplement or amplify substantive information in the
text; they should not include complicated, irrelevant, or nonessential information. Because they
can be distracting to readers, such footnotes should be included only if they strengthen the
discussion. Copyright permission footnotes acknowledge the source of lengthy quotations,
scale and test items, and figures and tables that have been reprinted or adapted. It is positioned
at the bottom of the same page. The text of the footnote is in font Times New Roman size 10.
The footnotes are number in the order of the appearance in the dissertation report. The
numbering of the footnotes is in font Times New Roman size 10 Superscript. No punctuation
mark is used after the footnote number. The first line of each footnote is indented five spaces,

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and the rest of the lines are started from the regular margin. There can be more than one
footnotes on a single page depending upon the requirements of the report.
9.4 Plagiarism: Students are required to produce quality work. The dissertation provided by
the students will be checked for plagiarism. Students are directed to use plagiarism check
through LMS portal or alternatively with library official assistance, use ‘Turnitin’. The
similarity index for the dissertation should be less than 20% and maybe limited to appearance
of keywords, section titles, references and quotations. For more details, contact the respective
faculty.
Plagiarism report has to be attached along with the final report.
Contact Details: Students are requested to go through the guidelines carefully and for any
further queries/clarifications, they may contact the following persons:
 Ms. Swapnali Kadam, Course Coordinator, MBA HR
Email Id: Swapnali.kadam@sbm.nmims.edu

 Dr. Hema Bajaj, Programme Chairperson, MBA HR

Email Id: Hema.bajaj@sbm.nmims.edu

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 Annexure I

List of Faculty Guides

Faculty Name Email Ids

Arun Sharma arun.sharma@sbm.nmims.edu
Ashu Sharma Ashu.Sharma@sbm.nmims.edu
Amita Shivhare Amita.shivhare@sbm.nmims.edu
Bala Krishnamurthy Bala.Krishnamoorthy@sbm.nmims.edu
Bijayinee Patnaik Bijayinee.Patnaik@sbm.nmims.edu
Binesh Nair binesh.nair@sbm.nmims.edu
Chandrima Sikdar Chandrima.sikdar@sbm.nmims.edu
Dayanand Shetty Dayanand.Shetty@sbm.nmims.edu
Gayathri Sampath Gayathri.Sampath@sbm.nmims.edu
Geeta D’Souza Geeta.DSouza@sbm.nmims.edu
Hema Bajaj Hema.Bajaj@sbm.nmims.edu
Hitesh Kalro Hitesh.Kalro@sbm.nmims.edu
Madhavi Gokhale Madhavi.Gokhale@sbm.nmims.edu
Nafisa Kattarwala knafisa@sbm.nmims.edu
Santana Pathak Santana.Pathak@sbm.nmims.edu
Sateesh Shet sateesh.shet@nmims.edu
Seema Rawat Seema.Rawat@sbm.nmims.edu
Shailaja Rego Shailaja.Rego@sbm.nmims.edu
Somnath Roy somnath.roy@sbm.nmims.edu
Souvik Dhar Souvik.Dhar@sbm.nmims.edu
Subhadip Mukherjee Subhadip.Mukherjee@sbm.nmims.edu
Sujata Mukherjee Sujata.Mukherjee@sbm.nmims.edu
Veena Vohra Veena.Vohra@sbm.nmims.edu
Vikas Gadre Vikas.Gadre@sbm.nmims.edu

Note:
Student may make representation & seek permission from the Dean SBM for inclusion of any
other Faculty Guides not included in the list.

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 Annexure II

Dissertation Registration Form

Name: 1 __________________________________________ Roll No:_________

Name: 2 __________________________________________ Roll No:_________

Name: 3 __________________________________________ Roll No:_________

I. Dissertation Details
Title of the Dissertation:..................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
Domain of HRBS or any other area that the dissertation will draw from:.......................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
Why have you selected this topic and what are the outcomes you are trying to achieve
through this dissertation?................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................
........................................................................................................................................

IV. Faculty Guide Order of Preference

1) Name:...................................................................... ...................................

2) Name:....................................................................... ...................................

3) Name:....................................................................... ...................................

Declaration

I understand the requirements of the dissertation and I hereby declare that I will follow the guidelines
and timelines.

Date: Signature of the Student

FOR OFFICE USE ONLY

Date & Signature of the Course Coordinator:

Name of the Guide Assigned:

Date & Signature of the Programme Chairperson:

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 Annexure III

Specimen Title Page

Title of the dissertation in Title case

A Dissertation

Submitted to School of Business Management

In partial fulfilment of the requirements

For the Degree

Master of Business Administration – Human Resources

by
(Name/s of the student)

2021

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 Annexure IV

Dissertation Evaluation Form – Faculty Guide:

(To be submitted to the MBA HR Program Office)

Name: 1 __________________________________________ Roll No: _________

Name: 2 __________________________________________ Roll No: _________

Name: 3 __________________________________________ Roll No: ________

Sr Evaluation Marks Awarded Maximum Marks

No
Research Proposal 15
1

2 Interim Report 15
3 Final Report 20
4 Presentation and 10
Viva
5 Grand Total 60

Faculty Comments
The Reports & Viva are: Large Scope for Improvement/Good/Excellent

Strengths…………………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
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……………………………………………………………………………………………………
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……………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Improvement areas: ……………………………………………………………………………..
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Date:

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Signature of Faculty Guide:

(Name of Faculty Guide)

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 Annexure V

Dissertation Evaluation Sheet – External Evaluator:

(To be submitted to the MBA HR Program Office)

Name: 1 __________________________________________ Roll No:_________

Name: 2 __________________________________________ Roll No:_________

Name: 3 __________________________________________ Roll No:_________

Sr Evaluation Marks Awarded Maximum

No Marks
1 Consolidated Report 20
2 Viva 20
3 Grand Total   40

Evaluator Comments
The Final Report & Viva is: Large Scope for Improvement/Good/Excellent

Strengths…………………………………………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………......
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
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……………………………………………………………………………………………………
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Improvement areas: ……………………………………………………………………………..
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Date:

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Name & Signature of External Evaluator:

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