SUMMER PROJECT

WORK
 Focus of Discussion
 What the SPW is all about?
 Purpose and nature of SPW
 Report writing: Styles and format
 Reporting and interpreting data
 Citations and references
 Ethics for SPW report writers
 Reporting requirements
Summer Project Work:
Project Planning and
Proposal Writing
Workshop
 Difference between a
thesis and a project work
 Level of Analysis
Thesis: Theoretical focus:
Developing a theoretical framework;
testing the theory; and contributing to new
knowledge generation.
This research works at the instrumental
level.

Project Work: Empirical focus:

Understanding the situation; analyzing it;
and solving current problems.
This research works at the primary level.
Dr Salmiah Mohamad Amin FPPSM,
UTM 5
A country and its business
cannot grow without new
ideas, creativity,
innovation and value
addition.
 What are the sources and
methods of idea generation?

 Knowledge
 Experience
 Observation
 Exposure
 The purpose of SPW is to
increase students’ practical
exposure and develop their
business ideas.

Idea about value addition

Make the SPW a team work
Higher education is highly labour intensive

Knowledge industry
SPW can be planned to develop the teaching
materials
 Critical Thinking
Even after completing all course
work, students cannot select a
single issue for their research
work.

This is an example of lack of

critical thinking skills.
 Summer project is a great
opportunity for students to
develop marketable skills
to prepare for the transition
from academia into the
workforce.
 What is SPW?
 It is a compulsory assignment.
 It is off-the-classroom and field-based
assignment.
 SPW is an organized, systematic, data-
based, and fact-finding investigation
into a specific situation.
 Organized
 Systematic
 Data-based (Evidence is the raw
material of research)
 Fact finding
 Knowledge Generation
 SPW (new knowledge is created)
 Internship (knowledge is applied and
verified)

 These are built-in mechanisms in any

academic program of business
administration.

 These activities are the barometers of

measuring the academic health of an
institution.

 Knowledge is the source of competitiveness.

 We cannot generalize SPW
activities.

 There is no one best way for

undertaking all research. A wide
range of techniques and methods
exist.
 Purpose of the SPW
 Expose students to the business or social reality.
 Promote student-directed learning.
 Provide opportunity to students to work in area
of their interest.
 Provide students an opportunity to integrate
their course work knowledge with application.
 Develop inter-personal and communication
skills.
 Provide opportunity to work closely with a
faculty member.
 Develop data-processing and report writing
skills (preliminary research training).
 Provide opportunity to learn how organizations
work.
 Activities Involved in Writing a SPW Report
 

The following activities will be involved in the

SPW report writing:
 Selecting a relevant topic or issue for the
study;
 Getting approval of the Research Committee
to pursue the proposed study;
 Locating the relevant literature;
 Locating the sources of information;
 Extracting the relevant information from
different sources;
 Organizing and analyzing the data;
 Drawing conclusions; and
 Writing a SPW report.
 Nature of SPW

It can be of the following two types:

 Descriptive Studies
 Small-scale surveys
 Case studies
 Documentary analysis based
on secondary data
 Community-based
Development Projects
 Exploratory Research

 Exploratory research is a study undertaken in

areas where very little prior knowledge or
information is available on the subject under
investigation.

 When knowledge is scant and a deeper

understanding is needed, exploration is
required.
 It is an initial research conducted to study and
define the nature of a problem.
 It is the first stage of any research, which is
new and unexplored.
 Descriptive Studies
 Footpath business
 Street vendors
 Call centers
 Micro enterprises
 Use of credit cards
 Mineral water market
 Vegetable market
 Finance cooperatives
 Music industry
 Insurance business
 Fast food café
 Tourism business
 Small-scale Surveys
 Survey of shop-keepers in street
festivals
 Survey of restaurant diners
 Survey of cinema goers
 Survey of salary scales
 Survey of shoppers in a
departmental store
 Survey of tourists visiting Pokhara
 Survey of dealers and retailers
 Survey of residents of a locality
 Case Studies

Select a unit of analysis:

 Individual (Women
entrepreneurs)
 Organization (Micro
enterprises)
 Community-based Development
Projects
Community and development-
related studies:
 Waste management
 Literacy
 Public transportation
 Drinking water supply
 Community services
 Community participation
REPORT WRITING
 What is a SPW Report?

 A SPW report is simply a statement

or description of things that have
already occurred.

 It is a concise, clear communication

of the findings of the research work.

 In any game of communication, the

following actions and actors are
involved:
 The communicator
 The information and its
 The SPW Process

There are five steps in the report process:

 Information sources
(data, literature, observation)
 Condensation
(data cards, editing, coding, master data
sheets)
 Combination
(charts, tables, graphs, diagrams, pictures)
 Assimilation
(analysis, interpretation, writing)
 Finished product
(report)
 Systematic Process of SPW

 Identify a broad area of study

 Select the research topic
Planning Phase
 Decide the approach
 Formulate the plan

 Collect data/information
Implementation Phase
 Analyze and interpret data

 Present the findings Presentation Phase

 TITLE OF THE SUMMER PROJECT

BY
Student’s Full Name
  
  
A Summer Project Report Submitted to
Faculty of Management, Tribhuvan University

in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of 

Bachelor of Business Administration
 

at the
Name of the Campus/College
Tribhuvan University
 

Place
Month/Year
 STUDENT’S DECLARATION
(on plain paper)
This is to certify that I have completed the Summer Project
entitled”(title of the project)” under the guidance of “(name
of the guide)” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for
the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration at
Faculty of Management, Tribhuvan University. This is my
original work and I have not submitted it earlier elsewhere.

Date: Signature:
Name:
 CERTIFICATE FROM THE
SUPERVISOR
This is to certify that the summer project entitled
“____________________” is an academic work done by
“__________________” submitted in the partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Business
Administration at Faculty of Management, Tribhuvan
University under my guidance and supervision. To the best of
my knowledge, the information presented by him/her in the
summer project report has not been submitted earlier. 
 
 
 
____________________
Signature of the Supervisor
Name
Designation
Date
 BODY OF THE REPORT
Chapter I Introduction
Chapter II Data Presentation and
Analysis (including SWOT analysis)
Chapter III Conclusion and Action
Implications

Supplementary Materials
References
Appendices
 INTRODUCTION
Background information on the topic so
that students are able to ‘place’ their
summer project report in the study
context. This chapter is the engine that
drives the rest of the SP report. The
contents of this chapter may include:

 Context information
 Purpose of the study
 Significance of the study
 Literature survey
 Research methods used for data collection and
analysis
 DATA PRESENTATION AND
ANALYSIS
This chapter is the main body of the report.
Essentially this chapter draws the scenario
of the study unit, analyzes data and tells
the reader what the findings might
mean, how valuable they are and why. This
chapter includes the following contents:

 Organization/situation/respondent profile
 Data presentation
 Data analysis
 SWOT analysis
 Findings and discussion
 CONCLUSION AND ACTION
IMPLICATIONS

The purpose of this chapter is to tie

together, or integrate the various issues
covered in the body of the SP report. This
includes noting any practical implications
resulting from the discussion of the topic.
The contents of the chapter will be as
follows:

 Conclusion
 Action/practice/policy implications
 STYLE OF WRITING

 Write clearly
 Adhere to the study objectives
 Be careful of terminologies,
grammar and spellings
 Be selective
 Be objective
 Draw conclusions
COMMON PROBLEMS IN SPW REPORTING

 Review of literature section is

unorganized
 Inappropriate application of research
instruments
 Sampling
 Mixing facts and opinions
 Confusion in findings and conclusions
 Use of inappropriate statistical tools
 Defective citation and referencing
 Neglect of qualitative data
COMMON …..
 Language
 Sweeping remarks
 Without interpretation
 Careless presentation and
proofreading
 Unsupported recommendations
 Poor organization of materials
 Window dressing
 Researcher’s ethics
REPORTING DATA
Some Examples
Wording

Use wording that is as similar to the question

asked as possible. For instance:
 
Fifty percent of the employees “agree” or
“strongly agree” that “there is a lot of
flexibility when decisions are made”.

The majority (65%) of teachers implementing

Education Project Nepal believe that the
“content of the curriculum was very
appropriate for their students”.
REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS
Example….
Reporting from largest to smallest

Report results from largest to smallest for

multiple questions related to one
another. This is generally the easiest way
to read this information. For instance:

 Seventy percent of the participants of the

bar-tenders’ training reported that they felt
the overall quality of the training was high.
Sixty percent reported that the training will
be beneficial to them in performing their job.
Example…..
Know when to report in
percentages and when to report in
numbers.

 Ofthe 12 employees who were surveyed in

December 2016, 78 percent reported that
they feel strongly committed to the new
policy.

 Ofthe eight members who participated in

the survey in August 2016, seven “strongly
agree” or “agree” that they feel strongly
committed to the new policy.
Example….
Clubing scales
Most of the questionnaires use scales such
as “Strongly agree,” “Agree,” “Disagree,”
and “Strongly disagree,” the agreement and
disagreement categories can be combined
to simplify the reporting of findings.

 Sixtypercent of the training participants believe

that the training should be required for all waiters
serving food to customers.

 “Sixty
percent (n= 18) of the sample either
strongly agreed or agreed with the statement that
the holiday season tends to cause a great deal of
anxiety.”
Other Examples……
 Most of the teachers who taught
Management Accounting, 78% were
comfortable teaching the course.
 
 Of the 15 teachers teaching Management
Accounting course, 62 percent think that
their students were interested in the
information shared.
 
 When asked whether they would recommend
the curriculum to other teachers, 72 percent
of teachers agreed, while 28 percent of
teachers disagreed.
Reporting Continuous
Data
Another form of data that may be reported
is continuous data (e.g., months, years,
hours, and numbers of participants).

 Employees reported being involved with the New

Policy for between six months and five years
(average = 2 years).

 Sixty
percent of employees reported that they
were involved with the New Policy for less than
one year, while 40 percent reported more than
one year of involvement.
Reporting open-ended
questions
 Eighty percent of the participants in the
beverage server training felt that this
training will be beneficial to them in
performing their jobs. When asked what they
will do differently as a server as a result of
this training, one participant stated, “I will
know what to say when I feel someone is too
drunk for another drink” while another said,
“I will be more invested in checking IDs from
everyone in the bar.”
Verbatim List

Employees were asked about their initial

reason for deciding to participate in the
New Policy. Their responses include:

“I saw too many kids drinking at parties and I

wanted to do something.”

“I joined because [another member] told me

what great work the company was doing.”

“I work for [a social organization] and we are

trying to help reduce alcohol consumption by
youths.”
Reporting Themes
Meeting and working with other
strategic alliance partners:
“Working with others who share similar values.”
“Networking at meetings.”

Seeing positive outcomes due to our

work:
“Seeing changes in our employees.”
“Hearing about fewer underage drinking abuses.”

Being involved more in the community:

“Becoming a part of the community.”
Number of respondents who
mention particular theme

Members of this alliance feel that the

most worthwhile aspect of their
partnership includes:

Meeting and working with other alliance

members. (N=2)
Seeing positive outcomes due to our work.
(N=2)
Being involved more in the community.
(N=1)
Reporting and Interpreting
Data
Reporting data

Only 26 percent of the employees interviewed

reported knowing how to handle emergency
procedures like industrial accidents, fire, and
earthquake events.
 
Interpreting data
 
 This finding shows how unaware and unprepared the
employees are in handling emergency situations and
illustrates that perhaps efforts to provide emergency
training for employees need to be stepped up by
organizations.
Reporting and Interpreting
Data
Reporting data

 Themajority of the respondents (75%) said that

they had to wait for more than an hour before
being able to board a bus at Ratna Park in the
evening, between 4pm to 7pm.
 
Interpreting data
 
 Thefinding indicates that the frequency of bus
service in the evening peak hours is inadequate in
Kathmandu.
CITATIONS AND REFERENCING
 References
 For a book
Harrison, A. (2006). Just-in-time manufacturing in
perspective. New York: Prentice Hall.
Peppard, J., & Rawland, P. (2006). Business process re-
engineering. New Delhi: Prentice Hall of India.
 For an edited book
Singh, R., & Manandhar, N. (Eds.). (2007). Human
psychology at work. Kathmandu: Sastoma Kitab
Publishers.
 For a journal article
Joshi, P. (1998). Labour management: A cross-country
overview of South Asian countries. The Nepalese
Management Review, 3(1), 1-14.
 For a newspaper
The Rising Nepal. (1996, July 15). p.2
 For an Internet site
Pokhara University (online) (cited 2008, January 7). Available
<http://www.edu.np
 Examples of Citation
Direct Quotation

Block and Indented Quotation

The UNDP (2007) makes an assessment of the current status of technology transfer in
Nepal in the following words:
Foreign aid has played a major role in the source and value of technology imports
including those in the manufacturing sector. Much of the technology transfer under
the category has been the turnkey type. The percentage of foreign technical
personnel has assisted in acquiring operational competence. However, it does not
seem to have led to the development of indigenous capabilities for technological
innovation and upgradation (p. 44).

Within-sentence Quotation
According to UNDP (2007), “Foreign aid has played a major role in the source and
value of technology imports in Nepal” (p. 44).

Paraphrase and Summary

UNDP (2007) argued that the increasing use of foreign technical personnel working in
Nepal does not lead to the development of local capabilities for technical innovation.

Generalization
There is wide agreement that the presence of foreign experts would ultimately affect
the capability-building of the local people. The increasing use of such foreign experts
in Nepal has increased the country’s dependence on them for technological innovation
and upgradation (Gurung, 1997; Tuladhar & Thapa, 2007; Yadav, 2009; and
Chaudhary, 2011).
ETHICS FOR
RESEARCHERS
 What is Research Ethics?

 Ethics are norms or standards of

behavior that guide moral choice
about our behavior and our
relationships with others.

 The goal is to ensure that no one

is harmed or suffers adverse
consequences from research
activities.
 Common Ethical Issues
 Put pressure on the respondents to grant access to
confidential information.
 Violate an individual’s right to privacy; force the
respondents to provide personal data.
 Fabricate the data; replace actual data with false
data.
 Alter the data to make them “look better” or fit with
theory.
 Select only the best data for reporting.
 Claim credit for the work done by others.
 Report data without permission from the organization.
 Share the research result with colleagues and others
prior to its finalization and publication.
 Make unauthorized copies of data and reports.
 Publish the same paper in two different journals.
 Publish a collaborative work in one’s own name.
 Waste materials and animals in research.
 Reporting Requirements

 Paper: Standard A4 size

 Margins: Top, bottom and right 1.0”
and left 1.5”
 Line spacing: 1.5
 No of copies to be submitted: 3
 Total pages required: 35-40 pages
(10,000 to 12,000 words)
 Binding: Spiral
 Style of citation: APA