FYP Guidelines-BBA Final Version
FYP Guidelines-BBA Final Version
FYP Guidelines-BBA Final Version
National University
of Computer & Emerging Sciences-Islamabad
Fast School of Business
Year 2009
FYP Guidelines‐BBA Page 1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1.0 Introduction 3
1.1 Objectives 3
6.4 Plagiarism 16
FYP Guidelines‐BBA Page 2
GUIDELINES FOR FINAL YEAR PROJECT
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Objectives
The objectives set for students undertaking the final year project are:
All research poses a question to which it seeks an answer. The FYP is no different. This
project will ask a question about an aspect of business studies; it will research the
material necessary to engage with that question; it will analyze and interpret that material
to reach a conclusion; and it will present its findings in a concise report.
The FYP initiates its own investigation and then gathers the material necessary to satisfy
that inquiry. The Final Year Report, therefore, establishes an area of inquiry, assembles
relevant evidence and argues to a conclusion that is supported by that evidence.
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2. Format Options
There are a number of different formats that you may use for the final, written document
of your FYP. In conjunction with your FYP Supervisor, you should review the options
and select the format that best suits the nature of the topic. The following formats are
acceptable for your final report:
Like all FYPs, an empirical research paper will include an abstract, title page, table of
contents, etc. The following is indicative of the layout of the main body of an empirical
research paper:
. • Introduction – summarizes the aims of the research project; defines the
area or topic; sets the context
. • Literature Review – reviews the relevant literature providing a
commentary on the existing state of knowledge (theories, and empirical evidence), trends,
controversies, etc.; identifies gaps in the knowledge and concludes with specific research
questions
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. • Method – outlines the steps taken in the collection of data with enough
detail that the study could be replicated (repeated); it provides concise justification for the
research strategy chosen
. • Results – details the findings from the data collection: may include tables,
figures, and/or quotes from interviews; may include descriptive and inferential statistics.
. • Discussion (including Conclusion) – pulls together the research
questions that were asked with the answers that were obtained through the analysis of the
data; provides commentary on these findings (e.g. do they confirm or reject particular
views?; how do they inform the literature?); identifies limitations of the existing study
and makes suggestions for future research; states clearly the conclusions that are reached
and the implications and recommendations for relevant stakeholders (e.g. businesses,
practitioners, governments, academics).
There must be clear links amongst the various sections of the paper. You are telling one
story that is made up from several parts; these parts must be well integrated. The data
you collect must be linked to the research questions you have identified in your
Introduction and to the conclusions you reach in your Discussion. Your Discussion must
also refer back to the Literature Review.
Not all empirical papers follow this precise layout and you and your Supervisor may
decide that another layout suits your research better. However, it is important to
understand the role of the various sections and how they fit together. If you deviate from
this layout, you should be clear why you are doing it.
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Like all FYPs, a theoretical research paper will include an abstract, title page, etc.
However, unlike the other format options, there is no “typical layout” for the main
body of a theoretical paper. The chapters may include:
• Introduction
• Background reasons for selection of topic / scope of the paper
• Methodology ( of short listing papers/articles/reports)
• Literature review (including analysis & critique; please note that this is
the key analysis of a theoretical paper)
• Contribution to the literature.
Theoretical papers may have any number of specific purposes. The purpose or rationale
may be to provide new insights into a particular issue, to refine an existing theory or
create new linkages, to challenge existing theory or even to develop a new theory.
Perhaps the intention might be to develop a set of research assumptions or propositions
that can subsequently be tested or modeled (by others).
Regardless of the central purpose, the writing of a sound theoretical paper requires a
number of specific skills and abilities that will further be developed and honed through
the research process. Those undertaking the theoretical paper must know how to, or learn
to, develop and apply theoretical concepts; must develop and apply a strong analytical
approach to interpreting and evaluating existing evidence; and be capable of presenting
coherent and consistent arguments to demonstrate the significance of the work
undertaken.
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Like all FYPs, it will include an introductory summary. However, in a feasibility study,
this summary is called an Executive Summary instead of an Abstract. Like all FYPs, it
will also need to include a title page, table of contents, appendices, etc. A typical layout
for the body of the feasibility study is:
A Business Consultant draws on theory, knowledge and practical experience and applies
them to solving a particular business problem or issue. In the Business Consultancy
Report, the student assumes the role of a consultant advising the client on the best options
available to solve a business problem. This process involves clarification of the specific
business problem, identification, research and evaluation of the various solutions to the
problem, the recommendation of one best solution and recommendations on how best to
implement this solution. The consultancy project could be in Financial Management,
Accounting system design, Marketing, Human Resource Management, Information
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Technology, etc. It could involve the analysis of an industry, a company, a brand or
product line, an expansion, a take-over, as well as systems development, training,
exportation, etc. As with all FYPs, your project will require a title page, table of
contents, appendices, etc. It will also need an introductory summary (here called an
Executive Summary instead of an Abstract). A possible layout for the body of a business
consultancy report is:
. • Introduction – describes the consultancy project, its goals and the initial
issues and options identified
. • Scope & Goals – includes the time scales, the areas the project covers,
basic assumptions and constraints. Covers the goals relating to the project
. • Methodology – details the research process
. • Analysis – includes a review of the findings (primary and secondary).
Identifies and lists the issues
. • Recommendations – makes recommendations of the options based on the
analysis carried out
. • Implementation – (if applicable) details the action plan for carrying out
the recommendations
. • Consequences and Requirements – (if applicable) identifies the
implications of the recommendations
. • Conclusions
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2.5 APPROXIMATE TIMELINES RELEVANT TO EACH FORMAT
The summary with approximate timelines for the chapters of each of the format is given
below:
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3. Thesis Layout
The physical layout of the thesis should be as follows:
*All tables, figures and charts should be clearly labeled and numbered. Each table, chart or
figure will have a number which reflects the chapter and the order within the chapter e.g. the
first table in Chapter 3 will be Table 3.1, while the first figure in Chapter 3 will be Figure 3.1.
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4. Timelines and penalties
The following table details key times and events in the FYP process. It is your
responsibility to ensure that you meet your deadlines and progress at the expected rate.
4. Viva Voce/Presentation 30
Total Marks 100
*Students are required to present their project, however, department in consultation with
the supervisor, has the right to change the modus operandi in case of an exigency.
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6 ESSENTIAL GUIDELINES
The proposal is a roadmap, showing the location from where the journey begins, the
destination, and the route taken to get there. It tells us what, why, how, where, and to
whom and by whom will the research be done. It is a work plan, an outline, a statement
of intent or a draft plan. The proposal should be no longer than 2 pages (or1000 words,
maximum) and should take the following form:
Parts of a proposal
The proposal for a final year project should have the following parts:
• Project title
• Purpose of the study (introduction/brief background)
• Aims and objectives (usually written as 4-8 bullet points)
• Literature review (including importance/benefits of the study)
• Research design and methodology
• The analysis (i.e. the proposed analysis)
• Timelines / project plan (over 6 months)
• Output/Deliverables
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• Bibliography
• Appendices – brief CV of the researchers
• Appendices – e.g. measurement instrument, depending on project
References form an essential part of the FYP. To provide proper references, you must
train yourself to think in term of ‘in-text referencing’ and ‘end-referencing’ which is also
called the ‘list of references’. The former is about providing a reference while you are
writing the main document, while the latter is a detailed list which is provided at the end
of a document. Examples of Harvard referencing, which is the most commonly used style
in management journals, are provided below. Please keep this document safe and USE
IT!
In text referencing
Some examples of how to use references in the main text are:
. • Cooper and Schindler (2001) argued that …..
. • There is general consensus in the literature that….. (Goodstein, 1994;
Ingram and Simons, 1995; Wood et al., 2003).
. • It has been argued that ……(Goodstein, 1994a, 1994b, 2003; Ingram and
Simons, 1995).
. • The findings of an earlier paper by Goodstein (1994) differ from the
subsequent trends indicated by the literature in this area (Goodstein, 2003; Ingram and
Simons, 1995; Wood et al., 2003; Wikipedia, 2007; MoD, 2007).
When indicating a page number, you can do it like this (Meyer and Rowan, 1977, pp.
342) or (Meyer and Rowan, 1977: 342) or (Meyer and Rowan, 1977, p. 342)
Please note:
. • All the commas, semicolons, colons full stops and brackets serve a
purpose.
. • Where the name of an author is a natural part of the sentence, it is not
written in the brackets.
. • ALL NAMES ARE SURNAME i.e. FAMILY NAMES or SECOND
NAMES, so the faculty members would be: Nadeem, S., Bhatti, Y., Sadiq, M. ……DO
NOT USE FIRST NAMES
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Nature of material The way information should be presented
Book: When the Cooper, D. R. and Schindler, R. S. (2001), Business Research
whole book is Methods (7th edition), Singapore, McGraw-Hill. Note: provide the
written by the named information on edition of the book if available.
author(s).
Book: When you are Baum, J. A. C. (ed.) (2002), Companion to Organisations, Oxford,
naming the editor of Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Note: use (ed.) for one editor and (eds.) if
the book more than one editors.
Book chapter: Amburgey, T. L. and Singh, J. V. (2002), ‘Organisational
When each chapter is Evolution’ in Baum, J.A.C. (ed), Companion to Organisations,
written by different Oxford, Blackwell Publishers Ltd. Note: Mention edition of the
authors. book at the end of the book name, if applicable.
Report 1: A stand Chaplin, J., Mangla, J., Purdon, S. and Airey, C. (2005), The
alone report Workplace Employee Relations Survey 2004 Technical Report,
London, National Centre for Social Research.
Report 2: Part of a Hogarth, T., Hasluck, C. Pierre, G., Winterbotham, M. & Vivian, D.
series, hence series (2001), Employee friendly flexible working 2000: Baseline study of
number mentioned employee friendly flexible working practices in Great Britain, DfEE
Research Report No. 249, Nottingham, DfEE Publications. Or With
three or more authors, you can give the first two surnames and et al.
So the above would be: Hogarth, Hasluck et al. (2001), Employee
friendly …..
Journal article: Meyer, J. W. and Rowan, B. (1977), ‘Institutionalised organisations:
formal structure as myth and ceremony’, American Journal of
Sociology, Vol. 83, No. 2, pp. 340-63. OR Meyer, J. W. and Rowan,
B. (1977), ‘Institutionalised organisations: formal structure as myth
and ceremony’, American Journal of Sociology, 83(2), 340-63.
Magazine article: Elliott, M. (2007), The Chinese Century, Time, Vol. 169, No. 2, pp.
e.g. in Time 15-23, January 22 Or Elliott, M. (2007, January 22), The Chinese
Century, Time, Vol. 169, No. 2, pp. 15-23
Newspaper article Roberts, D. (1998), ‘BAe sells property wing for $301m’, The Daily
1: When author is Telegraph, London, 10 October, pp. 31.
known
Newspaper article Guardian (1992), ‘Fraud trial at Britannia Theme Park’, The
2: When author is Guardian, Manchester, 5 February, pp. 4.
not known
Net download 1: Wikipedia (2007), Harvard Referencing, [online] Available from
Your favourite site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_referencing, [Accessed 6th
April 2007] Note: Trust this sheet more than you trust wikipedia!
Note: On most web pages, you can see the date on which it was last
modified. Use that date in the initial parenthesis and not the date
you accessed it on.
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Net download 2: Telenor (2007), About Telenor, [online] Available from
Corporate author http://www.telenor.com/about/, [Accessed 6th April 2007] Note: On
most web pages, you can see the date on which it was last modified.
Use that date in the initial parenthesis and not the date you accessed
it on.
Working paper Dex, S. and Smith, C. (2001), Which British employers have family-
friendly policies? Analysis of the 1998 Workplace Employee
Relations Survey, Research papers in management studies, WP
17/2001, Cambridge, The Judge Institute of Management Studies.
Thesis David, S. (2003), The role of power in employment relations,
Unpublished PhD thesis, Cass Business School, London.
Table 1: Examples of the way information should be presented in the end list of
references
REFERENCES
(This is how your end referencing should look like – ALPHABETICALLY arranged)
Chaplin, J., Mangla, J., Purdon, S. and Airey, C. (2005), The Workplace Employee Relations
Survey 2004 Technical Report, London, National Centre for Social Research.
th
Cooper, D. R. and Schindler, R. S. (2001), Business Research Methods (7 edition), Singapore,
McGraw-Hill.
David, S. (2003), The role of power in employment relations, Unpublished PhD thesis, Cass
Business School, London.
Dex, S. and Smith, C. (2001), Which British employers have family-friendly policies? Analysis
of the 1998 Workplace Employee Relations Survey, Research papers in management studies,
WP 17/2001, Cambridge, The Judge Institute of Management Studies.
Elliott, M. (2007), The Chinese Century, Time, Vol. 169, No. 2, pp. 15-23, January 22
Guardian (1992), ‘Fraud trial at Britannia Theme Park’, The Guardian, Manchester, 5 February,
pp. 4.
Hogarth, T., Hasluck, C. Pierre, G., Winterbotham, M. & Vivian, D. (2001), Employee
FYP Guidelines‐BBA Page 15
friendly flexible working 2000: Baseline study of employee friendly flexible working practices
in Great Britain, DfEE Research Report No. 249, Nottingham, DfEE Publications.
Roberts, D. (1998), ‘BAe sells property wing for $301m’, The Daily Telegraph, London, 10
October, pp. 31.
6.4. PLAGIARISM
Presenting the words, the work, or the opinions of someone else as one’s own,
without proper acknowledgement is plagiarism. This includes material published on
the Internet.
Equally, copying the sequence in which someone else has arranged their ideas, their
thoughts or the material they have collected and analyzed without proper
acknowledgement (even if you are using your own words) is also plagiarism. This
includes copying material from other students.
1. You cannot copy anybody else’s wording ‘word by word’ even if you are going to
give a reference at the end as this is plagiarism. (The idea is to summarize the
thoughts of others in your own words and then give a reference)
2. Definitions, where it is acceptable to copy the words, can be in quotes followed
by the proper in-text reference. It is also acceptable to write a definition without
quotation marks and give the reference immediately after the definition sentence
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finishes. (Note: Definitions are usually one sentence long)
3. You cannot copy multiple paragraphs (even if you are using your own words)
from someone else’s work, and give reference at the end of the last paragraph only,
without making it clear that all the paragraphs are from another source as this is still
plagiarism. You cannot assume that people will know that e.g. all four paragraphs are
from the source mentioned at the end of the fourth paragraph.
4. If you are copying a list developed by another author (and even if you are using
the list to develop sub-heading for your document), you must make it clear that the
list was developed by Author X, giving proper in-text and end-text reference. If you
do not identify the source of the list, this is plagiarism.
5. If you copy the first sentence or two of each of the ten to twelve paragraphs from
a document and make it into a new paragraph, it is still plagiarism.
6. If you are consistently using the work of one author for many paragraphs, you
may think that it is not essential to repeatedly give the reference. This could be
acceptable if you have made it clear that the discussion in a particular sub-section or
under a subheading is influence by the work of Author X. (Note: As mentioned in
Item 1, you still cannot use the ‘words’ of Author X)
7. If you first copy someone’s words and then explain the same idea in your own
words, not making it clear which are your words and which are borrowed, this is
plagiarism.
8. If you copy the key thoughts from a paragraph of another author, Author Y, and
that author has used multiple references in his/her work in this paragraph, you may
end up copying all the referencing in the paragraph. Copying multiple referencing
from another source is plagiarism unless you make it absolutely clear that this
collection of references is not yours but that of Author Y.
Overall, referencing should be given in such a way that it is obvious to the reader that you
have used the ideas of another person in a paragraph or multiple paragraphs.
Also,
forgetting to give a reference is plagiarism.
Cutting references by accident because the word count was too high is plagiarism.
Please note, you may be tempted to retain the well structured sentences of
the original documents, but they are not your work.
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REFERENCES
Final year project booklet for undergraduates, class of 2008: Kemmy Business
School
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