Project Paper Handbook Apr 07

8/7/2019 Project Paper Handbook Apr 07

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Faculty of Business Administration

(BTB4126 / BTB3026 / BTD2426)

PROJECT

PAPER

HANDBOOK


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BBA/DIM PROJECT PAPER GUIDELINES

A. INTRODUCTION TO THE PROJECT PAPER

The project paper is a requirement for the award of the BBA/DIM degree.Students have the right to choose either of these for their project:

i) Research Paper ii) Case Studyiii) Business Plan / Marketing Plan

This documentation or manual, however, only applies to the first category. Ifstudents choose to write the other two, they are required to get the specific

guideline from the Deputy Dean (Student Affairs) at the Faculty.

As for the Research Paper, BBA/DIM students are expected to write a well-articulated paper in chapter format, with a length of 8,000 to 10,000 words.There is no maximum or minimum page limit on the term paper - it must,however, be long enough to cover the topic in a reasonably thorough manner.Generally, exceptional papers have averaged around 30-40 pages in length.

A good project paper should have the following characteristics:

It should demonstrate that a student is capable of conductingresearch, writing a critical review of the literature, applying statisticaltools to analyze data and interpreting the results.

It makes a contribution to the academic literature and businesspolicy and/or practice.

It makes evident the link between research objectives, literaturereview, conceptual framework and findings.

Its writing quality reflects that considerable effort has been

invested in producing the final draft. It is well edited and has been thoroughly checked for spelling,grammatical, punctuation and typographical errors. Text citations andreferences conform to the American Psychological Association(APA) referencing style. The language is kept simple and conciseand there is a minimum of unnecessary words.

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The project paper will have to show an overall coherence. The examiners willlook for a link between one chapter to the next, so that the logic of theconnections between chapters and of the points made within the chapters isclear.

This guideline is prepared specifically for students with the intention of providing specific and detailed particulars of procedures to prepare andsubmit the project paper. Please read and follow these procedurescarefully to avoid unnecessary, costly, and time-consuming revisions.

B. THE PROJECT PAPER PROCESS

The project paper process begins with identification of the proposed research

area. Students are encouraged to do some reading to get a better idea of thepossible areas of research that are of interest to them. They should thenapproach a potential supervisor by referring to the list of potential project

paper supervisors provided by the faculty. Selection of potential supervisorsshould be based on their respective areas of expertise/research interest.Students should then approach the potential supervisor to seek his/herapproval to supervise their research. If the supervisor agrees, the student willthen need to discuss the proposed research in more detail, and with theguidance of the respective supervisors, complete the project paper proposal

form. Students will then be required to submit the form to the BBA/DIMProject Paper Supervisor. Following this, students will have to provide a briefpresentation of the project paper proposal to the supervisor.

C. THE PROJECT PAPER PROPOSAL

1. Completing the Proposal Form

To ensure that the proposal is submitted in good form, please note the

following instructions:

a) All proposal forms are to be filled in completely and submitted with aproposal.

b) The name and matriculation number of the student should be typed inbold.

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c) Title of Project Paper

This is to be typed in accordance with normal rules for title, i.e. all wordswill begin with a capital letter except for articles, conjunctions, etc. Forexample:

Correct : Corporate Social Responsibility in Malaysia

Incorrect : CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN

MALAYSIA

Incorrect : Corporate social responsibility in Malaysia

d) Research Objectives

In this part, students are required to list the objectives of their proposedresearch.

e) Proposed Research Method

Students are required to indicate the research methods to be used, byticking the appropriate method listed in the revised proposal form. Please

note that the category Secondary Data refers to research studies whichwill utilize (i.e. use, analyze and interpret) data from secondary sourcese.g., company annual reports, government statistics, financial data from

Bloomberg, etc.

2. Proposal Review and Presentation

The FBA will then review the proposal forms. Students are then required tomake a brief presentation of the proposed area of research to the FBA. The

proposal presentation to the FBA requires students to make a brief outline ofthe proposed area of research. Members of the FBA may then question thestudent further on certain aspects of the research. The purpose of the proposal

presentation is to enable the FBA to assess the following matters which arecrucial in determining the potential successful completion of a project paper:

Suitability of the topic

Focus of the research

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Manageability of the research in relation to time

Availability of the literature

Sample selection and sample size

Potential supervisors area of expertise and/or research interest and the

proposed research

The proposals will then be evaluated and the decision will fall under threecategories:

Proposal is approved as is. Students whose proposals are under thiscategory may then proceed with the research study under the guidance ofthe respective supervisors.

Proposal is approved with minor corrections. Students will then have tore-submit their revised proposal forms, endorsed by the proposedsupervisors, to the FBA for approval.

Research area and/or proposed supervisor not approved. Students will be required to either change the focus of research and/or select analternative supervisor, as determined by the FBA. The revised proposal,endorsed by the supervisor concerned, will have to be re-submitted to theFBA for approval. The student will then have to make another brief

presentation of the new proposal.

3. The Research Process

Upon approval of the proposed area of research and the supervisor, thestudent may proceed with the research in consultation with his/hersupervisor. Students are required to attend regular meetings with thesupervisor. Please note that students who wish to convocate in theUniversitys annual convocation ceremony of a particular year are stronglyencouraged to plan their research schedule such that they will be able tosubmit their project paper to the FBA latest by four months prior to the dateof the convocation. This will allow sufficient time for the evaluation of the

project paper and for the student to make minor corrections as required, ifany.

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D. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE PROJECT PAPER

1. Sequence of Chapters

A typical format of the project paper will usually have the followingsequence of chapters. However, students may decide on the specific title ofeach chapter of the paper depending upon their individual style, area ofresearch etc. It is always useful for the student to discuss with his/hersupervisor on the structure or organization of the project paper beforewriting commences.

a. Chapter One: Introduction

The purpose of this chapter is to state the research problems/issues/hypotheses that will be examined in the project paper. This should providethe background of the study and indicate to the reader in general termswhat the research intends to study. Generally, the following sub-sectionsare included in writing the introduction chapter of project paper:

i. Background of the Study This section should inform the reader withthe problem to be dealt with, by establishing a frame of reference forthe problem.

ii. Objective(s) of the Study, Research Questions and/or Hypotheses This section should describe in detail, the research objectives,research questions, and/or hypotheses of the research.

iii. Significance of the Study - This section should state the contributionof the research to theory, practice and policy.

iv. Limitations of the Study - This section should discuss thelimitations/constraints of the study.

v. Definition of Terms. This section provides operational definitions ofall principal variables in the study.

vi. Organization of the Project Paper. This section is always placed last

in chapter one and informs readers on the summary of contents to bepresented in each of the remaining chapters.

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Note:

a. It is a common practice to write the first chapter of most researchwritings last, although there is no hard and fast rule about this.

b. Some authors prefer to discuss limitations of the study in the last chapter.Either approach is acceptable, as long as the limitations of the study are

presented and discussed.

b. Chapter Two: Literature Review

The main purpose of the literature review chapter is to expand upon thecontext and background of the study, to further define the problem, and to

provide empirical and theoretical bases for the research. In other words, this

chapter needs to clarify the relationship between the proposed study andprevious work conducted on the topic. Sub-headings should reflect the majorvariables of the literature review. It is recommended that the sub-sectionunder each sub-heading begin with a sentence introducing the purpose,content or relevance of the literature to be reviewed in the sub-section andend with a sentence summarizing the conclusions or trends evident from theliterature reviewed in that sub-section1.

c. Chapter Three: Research Design and Methodology

The methodology chapter describes the exact steps that will be undertaken toaddress the hypotheses and/or research questions. The aim of this chapter isto provide a complete description of the specific steps to be followed, insufficient detail, to allow a reader to replicate the study. The usual sub-sections in this chapter will vary, depending on whether the research isquantitative or qualitative-based.

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The following sub-sections may be relevant in the methodology chapter in aquantitative study:

Subjects or respondents

Instrumentation Procedures

Data analysis

Summary

Qualitative studies must meet the same criteria for completeness thatquantitative studies do, that is, they must be able to describe in sufficientdetail the methods and procedures to permit replication of the study.However, it should be noted that the sub-headings for different project papersusing a qualitative approach might vary, depending on the actual researchmethod used. In discussing the methodology, whether for quantitative orqualitative research, it must always be linked to what has been said in the

problem/ hypothesis statement in the introduction and the literature reviewchapters. This is important to justify the choice of method used in the study2.

d. Chapter Four: Data Analysis and Findings

Tables and graphs are usually essential to a data analysis and findings

chapter, with the text describing in words what are shown in the tables andgraphs. Most data analysis and findings chapters begin with a description ofthe sample. Simple demographics can be presented in written or tabularformat. After describing the sample, the next step is probably to address theresearch objectives or the hypotheses of the study. The first researchobjective or hypothesis may be the first sub-heading. The second researchobjective or hypothesis may be the next sub-heading, and so on.

The data analysis and findings chapter of a qualitative research will beslightly different; however, the main concern should still be making senseof the data. The methods of analyses may differ, the standards upon whichreliability and validity are judged may not be the same, and the raw data uponwhich analyses is based assumes very different forms. Nevertheless, clearlywritten and documented analysis, the use of tables and graphs, and a carefulconsideration of the order and logic of the presentation serve as thefoundation of quality research, regardless of the type of research3.

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e. Chapter Five: Conclusions and Recommendations

This chapter is often the most difficult to write because it is the leaststructured. In the introduction, literature review, methodology, and dataanalysis and findings chapters, the details of the research dictate the content,

but not in the conclusions chapter. This chapter, however, does have a frameof reference the introduction chapter. The points raised in the introductionchapter must be responded to in the conclusions chapter.

The conclusions chapter ties the results of the study to theory, practice and policy by pulling together the theoretical background, literature review,potential significance for application and results of the study. It does helphowever, if we understand the function of this chapter. The last chapter has

the following functions:

i. To conclude or summarize the findings of the study in the form ofconclusions. It is useful to begin the last chapter with a summary ofthe main findings. This helps to orient readers to the discussion thatfollows.

ii. To interpret Here, this section is designed to answer the followingquestions:

What do the findings mean?Why did the results, if any, not turn out as expected?What circumstances accounted for the unexpected outcomes, ifany?What were some of the limitations of the study?

iii. To integrate This section attempts to tie the results together toachieve meaningful conclusions and generalizations.

iv. To theorize Wherever possible, the conclusions chapter should alsoattempt to integrate the findings into an existing theory or generateoriginal theory. (In the former case, you should state in either theintroduction chapter or the literature review chapter, the existing

theory that is to serve as a frame of reference).

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v. To recommend or apply Since management and businessadministration are applied fields, research in these areas should

provide recommendations that can be applied in practice.vi. To suggest extensions This chapter should be concluded with

suggestions for further research, replications, or refinements, thusindicating directions that future research should take. The suggestedextensions can be offered in general or more specific form4.

2. Some Common Errors in Project Papers

a. The problem statement:

The problem statement is too long or too trivial or not important.

Problem statement is ambiguous, wordy and too long.

Important definitions are omitted.b. Literature review:

Not related to the objectives of the study.

Merely a list of summaries lack of connection or flow of ideas.c. Methodology:

Research method is inappropriate.

Sources of data are not identified.

Tests of validity and reliability not undertaken.

Inappropriate statistical procedures.d. Findings:

Incomplete findings. Discussion of major findings are not linked to the research objectives,

research questions and/or hypotheses presented in the introductionchapter.

Biasness in reporting.

Not sufficiently supported by empirical evidences and facts.

Results and analysis poorly summarized. Over generalization concluding beyond the data collected and the

scope of study5.

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3. The Arrangement of the Contents of the Project Paper

All project papers should be divided into appropriate chapters. Please bear inmind that the FBA deplores overlong or confusing papers and the onus is onthe students to provide a well-organized and well-written work. Thefollowing ordered list of project paper contents is supposed to serve as aguide. Not all project papers will include all items listed below, so studentsare advised to discuss this with their respective supervisors well in advance

before they start writing to avoid unnecessary changes in the final version ofthe project paper.

List of Sections

a. Preliminary pages (Roman Numbering)

i. Title Pageii. Abstract

iii. Approval Pageiv. Declaration and Copyrightv. Dedication - optional

vi. Acknowledgements - optionalvii. Table of Contents

viii. List of Tablesix. List of Figures/Illustrationsx. List of Abbreviations, Symbols/Specialised Nomenclature

(if any - optional)

b. Text (Page 1 begins with Chapter 1)

i. Chapter One: Introductionii. Chapter Two: Literature Review

iii. Chapter Three: Research Design and Methodology

iv. Chapter Four: Data Analysis and Findingsv. Chapter Five: Conclusions and Recommendations

vi. Bibliography

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c. Supplementary Pages (No Pagination)

i. Appendicesii. Glossary (if any optional)

iii. Index (if any - optional)

4. Submission of Temporary-bound Copy to the FBA

Upon completion of the project paper, and with the supervisors approval(The student is required to attach the supervisors endorsement form whenhe/she submits the project paper to the FBA), the student may submit the

project paper to the FBA for evaluation. The entire submission procedure isdescribed in Section I of the FBA Project Paper Guidelines. Please note that

first submission of the project paper must be made in comb binding.

E. GENERAL FORMAT OF WRITING THE PROJECT PAPER

1. General Presentation Guidelines:

a. Language

The language of the project paper is English.

b. Paper

Size - A4 (21.0cm X 29.7cm)

Quality - Acid-free paper of at least 80gm weight

Color - White

c. Type of printing machine

Students are encouraged to use a personal computer (PC) to write theirproject paper. Near-letter quality impact printers or laser-jet printers maybe used, however, dot-matrix ink-jet printers are not acceptable. Anyword processor software such as MicrosoftWordorWordPerfectwould

be suitable to write the project paper. Students may also use MicrosoftExcel,Lotus 123 etc. for tables, calculations or any other applications.

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d. Font size and type

Candidates must use Times New Roman font. No other fonts areacceptable.

Font Size:

For text use 12-point font.

For tables and figures, use 10-point.

For footnotes, 10-point.

Please type in bold for headings and subheadings. Headings should betyped in all upper case letters while sub-headings are to be typed inupper and lower case letters.

e. Font style

Only one font style (Times New Roman) may be used through the entirethesis, including the title page, approval page, acknowledgment,

bibliography and appendices. Exceptions to this can only be made fortables/figures/illustrations imported from other sources. Italic variants ofthe same font style may be used for labels, foreign words, book titles oroccasional emphasis. The usage of bold variants of the same font style and

underlining in the text of headings and titles is at the students discretion.

f. Headings

Chapter headings are to be centered and written in bold, upper case letters.The font size for chapter headings is 16 point. Other sub-headings are to

be aligned to the left margin and should be 14 point in font-size. Sub-headings should be in upper and lower-case. Underlining and boldface inthe sub-headings is at the students discretion.

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g. Paragraphs

Spacing between two paragraphs in the basic text should be set at 4.0spaces. The first sentence of a paragraph should be indented to 6 spaces.A heading that appears as a last line on a page will not be accepted. Thereshould be a minimum of two lines of a paragraph at the bottom of the

page under the heading.

h. Photocopying

All photocopied material must be clear, clean and sharp. Photocopiedmaterial on any page should be numbered as part of the project paper andshould be within the margins required by these guidelines. Any doubtsabout the quality of any photocopied material should be resolved with the

consultation of the FBA.

i. Line spacing

The project paper should be typed on one side of the page. The text should be double-spaced throughout, with single-spacing for exceptionalcircumstances only:

i. Abstractii. Explanatory footnotesiii. Appendicesiv. Long headings or subheadingsv. Long captions to tables, figures, or platesvi. Bibliographyvii. Tablesviii. Quotations

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j. Margins and justification

Set the justification to full and the margins to the followingmeasurements:

TOP : 1BOTTOM : 1.5LEFT : 1.5RIGHT : 1

k. Pagination

The following plan of page numbering has been standardized and mustbe observed. All page numbers should be centered at the bottom of the

page. When you insert the page numbers, set your position to bottom ofpage (footer) and alignment to Center.

a. Title page. This page should not be numbered though it is counted aspage number (i).

b. Preliminary pages. Preliminary pages include all the sections thatprecede the text. They are arranged and numbered using small Romannumerals (i, ii, iii, etc.).

c. Text pages. Use Arabic numerals. Page one should be the first pageofChapter One.

d. Supplementary pages. No pagination.

No hyphens, periods, underlining or other marks should appear before,after or under the page number.

l. Use of Footnotes

Footnotes must not be used for citing references. They should be usedonly for useful extensions and excursions of information in the body of

the text. Footnotes should be numbered consecutively with superscriptnumerals. Footnotes should be in single spacing, using font size 10-point.

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2. Abstract

An abstract is required in English only. The abstract is a one-paragraph, self-contained summary of the most important elements of the project paper. Itshould NOT be more than 200 words in length.

Heading - The word ABSTRACT in all capital letters, centered at thetop of the page.

Format -It should be written in block form (i.e. without indentations) andin complete sentences.

Content - The abstract should contain statements of the (1) research problem (2) method (3) results and (4) conclusions and implications.Write in the past tense to report specific manipulations and proceduresyou employed in the study and the present tense to describe conclusions

based on the findings.

3. Body

In the preparation of the body of the text, rules pertaining to margins, fonttype, font size, line spacing, justification, pagination, etc. must be observed atall times without exception.

4. Text Citations

Source material must be documented in the body of the paper by citing theauthor(s) and date(s) of the sources. The underlying principle here is thatideas and words of others must be formally acknowledged. The reader canobtain the full source citation from the list of references that follows the bodyof the paper.

i. When the names of the authors of a source are part of theformal structure of the sentence, the year of publication appearsin parentheses following the identification of the authors.Consider the following example:

Wirth and Mitchell (1994) found that although therewas a reduction in insulin dosage over a period of twoweeks in the treatment condition compared to thecontrol condition, the difference was not statisticallysignificant. [Note:and is used when multipleauthors are identified as part of the formal structure of

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the sentence. Compare this to the example in thefollowing section.]

ii. When the authors of a source are notpart of the formal structureof the sentence, both the authors and years of publication

appear in parentheses, separated by semicolons. Consider thefollowing example:

Reviews of research on religion and health haveconcluded that at least some types of religious

behaviors are related to higher levels of physical andmental health (Gartner, Larson, & Allen, 1991;Koenig, 1990; Levin & Vanderpool, 1991; Maton &Pargament, 1987; Paloma & Pendleton, 1991; Payne,Bergin, Bielema, & Jenkins, 1991). [Note:& is

used when multiple authors are identified inparenthetical material. Note also that when severalsources are cited parenthetically, they are orderedalphabetically by first authors' surnames.]

iii. When a source that has two authors is cited, both authors areincluded every time the source is cited.

iv. When a source that has three, four, or five authors is cited, allauthors are included the first time the source is cited. When that

source is cited again, the first author's surname and "et al." areused. Consider the following example:

Reviews of research on religion and health haveconcluded that at least some types of religious

behaviors are related to higher levels of physical andmental health (Payne, Bergin, Bielema, &Jenkins,1991).

Payne et al. (1991) showed that ...

v. When a source that has six or more authors is cited, the firstauthor's surname and "et al." are used every time the source iscited (including the first time).

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vi. Every effort should be made to cite only sources that you haveactually read. When it is necessary to cite a source that youhave not read ("Grayson" in the following example) that is citedin a source that you have read ("Murzynski & Degelman" in the

following example), use the following format for the textcitation and list only the source you have read in the Referenceslist:

Grayson (as cited in Murzynski & Degelman, 1996)identified four components of body language thatwere related to judgments of vulnerability.

vii. To cite a personal communication (including letters, emails, andtelephone interviews), include initials, surname, and as exact a date as

possible. Because a personal communication is not "recoverable"information, it is not included in the References section. For the textcitation, use the following format:

B. F. Skinner (personal communication, February 12,1978) claimed ... 6

5. Quotations

i. Short quotations. of fewer than 40 words should be incorporated intothe text and enclosed by double quotation marks ().

ii. Long quotations. Display quotations of 40 or more words in a double-spaced block typewritten lines with no quotation marks. Do not usesingle-spacing. Indent five (5) to seven (7) spaces from the left marginwithout the usual opening paragraph indent. If the quotation is morethan one paragraph, indent the first line of second and additional

paragraphs five (5) to seven (7) spaces from the left margin. Exactpage reference MUST be given for all quotations.

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A Note on Plagiarism

Making proper text citations and providing accurate referencing forquotations are crucial to help ensure that students do not intentionally, orotherwise, plagiarize the work of others. Plagiarism occurs when peoplesteal the words, the ideas, and/or the work that rightfully belong to othersand then present these words, ideas, and/or work as if this material weretheir own words, ideas, or work7. Students are advised to pay seriousattention to this matter, as it is a very serious offence to plagiarize the workof others. The best way to avoid plagiarism is to make proper documentationof the sources to which referred to in the project paper. Students are stronglycautioned that if there is evidence that a part or parts of a project paperhas/have been plagiarized, the FBA reserves the right to fail the studentconcerned and to report the student to the Disciplinary Committee of the

University.

6. Bibliography

Any research work, which makes use of other works, either in directquotation or by reference, must contain a bibliography, listing all of thesesources. Only works directly cited or quoted in the text should be included inthe bibliography.

The bibliography must be presented according to the Publication Manual ofthe American Psychological Association i.e. the APA Style Manual format.The bibliography should be single-spaced, with a font size of 12-points .All the references cited are listed in alphabetical order. Do not number thereferences.

Pagination: The bibliography begins on a new page.

Heading: BIBLIOGRAPHY (centered, in upper-case letters, onthe first line).

Format: The references (with hanging indent) begin on the linefollowing the Bibliography heading. Entries are organizedalphabetically by surnames of first authors. Most referenceentries have three components:

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i. Authors: Authors are listed in the same order as specifiedin the source, using surnames and initials. Commasseparate all authors. When there are seven or moreauthors, list the first six and then use "et al." for

remaining authors. If no author is identified, the title ofthe document begins the reference.

ii. Year of Publication: In parentheses following authors,with a period following the closing parenthesis. If no

publication date is identified, use "n.d." in parenthesesfollowing the authors.

iii. Source Reference: Includes or title, city of publication,publisher (for book). Italicize titles of books, titles of

periodicals, and periodical volume numbers.

a) Examples of sources

i. Journal article

Murzynski, J., & Degelman, D. (1996). Body language of women andjudgments of vulnerability to sexual assault.Journal of AppliedSocial Psychology, 26, 1617-1626.

Book

Paloutzian, R. F. (1996).Invitation to the psychology of religion (2nded.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

iii. Web document on university program or department Web site

Degelman, D., & Harris, M. L. (2000).APA style essentials. RetrievedMay 18, 2000, from Vanguard University, Department ofPsychology Website: http://www.vanguard.edu/psychology/index.cfm?

doc_id=796

iv. Stand-alone Web document (no date)

Nielsen, M. E. (n.d.). Notable people in psychology ofreligion. Retrieved August 3, 2001, fromhttp://www.psywww.com/psyrelig/psyrelpr.htm

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v. Stand-alone Web document (no author, no date)

Gender and society. (n.d.). Retrieved December 3, 2001, fromhttp://www.trinity.edu/~mkearl/gender.html

Journal article from database

Hien, D., & Honeyman, T. (2000). A closer look at the drug abuse-maternal aggression link. Journal of Interpersonal Violence,15, 503-522. Retrieved May 20, 2000, from ProQuest database.

Abstract from secondary database

Garrity, K., & Degelman, D. (1990). Effect of server introduction onrestaurant tipping. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 20,168-172. Abstract retrieved July 23, 2001, from PsycINFO

database.

viii. Article or chapter in an edited book

Shea, J. D. (1992). Religion and sexual adjustment. In J. F. Schumaker(Ed.), Religion and Mental Health(pp. 70-84). New York:Oxford University Press.

7. Tables and Figures

Use font size 10-point and single spacing. Number all tables and figureswith Arabic numerals in the order in which the tables are first mentioned inthe text. Title of the tables and figures must be placed on the top. Charts andgraphs must be centered. Source(s) of data must be placed at the bottom leftof the tables and figures, printed in font size 10-point. Please refer to theexample given in the next page.

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Example: Table

Table 1: Car Sales, Selected World Markets, 1991-97

000 Units Growth (%)

1991 1994 1997 1991-97

SEA-4 621 261 585 14.0

Japan 4868 4210 4492 -1.3

NAFTA 9445 10154 9333 2.0

Western Europe 13500

11934 13408 -0.1

World 33432

33359 36161 1.3

Source: IMF (1999).

8. Appendices

All appendices should be placed after the bibliography. This section isoptional and will depend on the content of the individual project paper. Itcontains supplementary illustrative material, original data, and quotations toolong for inclusion and not immediately essential to an understanding of thesubject.

9. Cover and Binding

a. Cover

Refer to the illustration of the cover page on the next page. This formatshould not be changed or amended at all. The size of the cover page is A4.Any other size is not accepted. A standard white paper cover isrecommended.

b. Binding

While in the past students were required to hard-bind the report forsubmission, as of August 2005 onwards they are only required to ring-bindor comb-bind the report.

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(Sample of the Cover Page for the Project Paper)

UNIVERSITI TUN ABDUL RAZAKFACULTY OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

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PROJECT PAPER

TITLE

Prepared By :

NAME :

ID NO :

PROGRAM :

SEMESTER :


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F. A NOTE ON WRITING STYLE

1. Abbreviations

Unless an abbreviation or acronym is so familiar that it is used more oftenthan the full form (like GATT, IMF, NATO, OECD, PLO, PORIM, ISIS,UMNO), write the words in full on first appearance: thus Malaysian TradeUnion Congress (MTUC). After the first mention, try not to repeat theabbreviation too often; for example, write the organization rather than

NATO, the institute rather than ISIS, and the authority rather than MIDA.There is no need to give the initials of an organization if it is not referred toagain.

An abbreviation that can be pronounced (like NAFTA, ASEAN, UNESCO,

UMNO, ISIS) does not generally require the definite article (use ofthe beforethe abbreviation). Other organizations, except companies, should usually be

preceded by the; for example, the BBC, the KGB, the UNCHR, the EPU.

Abbreviations that can be pronounced and are composed of bits of wordsrather than just initials should be spelled out in upper and lower case:Comecon, Unimas, Maybank, Petronas.

In the text, abbreviations, whether they can be pronounced as words or not(GNP, GDP, FOB, CIF, LIFO, SDR, IOU, R&D) should be set in capitals,with no points.

Use lower case for measures (like kg, km, lb, mph). Abbreviations like i.e.,e.g., should be followed by commas. When used with figures, these lower-case abbreviations should follow immediately, with no space (9am, 25kg,35mm, 45kw, 100kph, 89rpm, 19th), as should AD and BC (200BC,1850AD), though they are set in capitals.

2. Capitals

The general rule is to use capital letters for organizations and institutions, butnot for people.

People: Use upper case for ranks and titles when written in conjunction witha name, but lower case when on their own. Thus, Prime Minister MahathirMohamed, Vice-President Gore, Queen Elizabeth, Profesor Idrus, Chairman

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Mao. On their own, we write, Dr. Mahathir, theprime ministerof Malaysia;the vice-chancellor, Professor Yusof; Mr. Chuah, the chairman of ABC.

Organizations, Departments, Ministries, Acts, Political Parties, etc.:

Generally take upper case when their full name is used. Thus, Ministry ofTrade and Industry, Amnesty International, High Court, Universiti

Kebangsaan Malaysia, Petroleum Act, Treaty of Pangkor, Bank Negara

Malaysia, Democratic Action Party,Republican.Places: Use initial capitals for definite geographical places, regions, areas orcountries (The Hague, Britain, Middle East, East Asia, the West, the Gulf,South-East Asia, Peninsula Malaysia), but use lower case to indicatedirection (northern Malaysia, south-eastof Sarawak). The third world (anunsatisfactory term now that the communist second world has all butdisappeared) is lower case. So is Kuala Lumpurcity, Samarahan district.

Historical Periods: These are in upper case: the Great Depression,Renaissance, Middle Ages, Industrial Revolution, New Economic Policy.

3. Currencies

Normally, we use $ to refer to the United States Dollar (USD) as the standardinternational currency and in general convert currencies to $ on first mention.To avoid confusion, it is advisable to use US$.

Other dollars are differentiated by the initials: A$ (Australian dollar), C$(Canadian dollar), NZ$ (New Zealand dollar), S$ (Singapore dollar), etc.

For Malaysian currency:

RM150 (no space between RM and 150)RM6 (not RM6.00 or 6RM)

RM3,000 - 5,000 (not RM5,000 - RM5,000)

RM3m - 5m (not RM3m - RM5m)RM3 billion 5 billion (not RM3 - 5 billion)

40 ringgit 25 sen RM40.25

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For other currencies:

1m pesos (Philippines)200 rupees (India)2m rupiah (Indonesia)Y 5 billion (Japanese Yen)

DM678 (German Deutschemark)

4. Dates

Stick to the conventional: day, month, year, in that order, with no commas:

6th July 1990s

6th July 1999 Monday 7 th June

August 1976 1980-8510th 12th May 1995 mid-1990s

1st May 2nd June 200120th century

21st century ideas

5. Figures

Never start a sentence with a figure; write the number in words instead. Usefigures for numerals from 11 upwards, and for all numerals include a decimal

point or a fraction (e.g., 7.35, 8 ). Use words for simple numerals from oneto ten, except: in references to pages; in percentages (e.g., 3.5%); and in setsof numerals some of which are higher than ten (e.g., There were 12, 8 and 6cases respectively).

Fractions should be hyphenated (one-third, three-quarters, two-fifths) and,unless they are attached to whole numbers (4 , 25 ), spelled out in words,even when the figures are higher than ten (a tenth of them, a thirtieth

anniversary).

Do not compare a fraction with a decimal. Avoid statements like The rateincreased from 5 to 7.15. Compare decimals with decimals, and fractionswith fractions. Use fractions for rough figures (e.g., 20 million

population, about 1 hectares) and decimals for more exact ones (e.g., Theindex fell by 2.3 per cent).

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Use m for million, but spell out billion, which means 1,000m, except incharts or tables, where bn is permissible. Thus, 4m, US$4m, 6 billion, RM6billion.

Use 2,000 3,000, 2 3%, 2m 3m (not 2 3m) and 2 billion 3 billion or2bn 3bn. But in a sentence, Sales rose from RM5m to RM5.8m (not

RM5m 5.8m); estimated to be between 7m and 8m (not 7m 8m); Theydecidedby nine votes to six (not 9:6).

Where a ratio is being used adjectively, figures and hyphens may be used, butonly if one of the figures is greater than ten: thus a 25-20 vote, a 12-8 vote.Otherwise, spell out the figures and use to: a three-to-two vote, a ratio ofone-to-ten.

Avoid using from 1950-60 orbetween 1950 60. Instead, use in 1950-60orfrom 1950 to 1960.

In a full sentence, use per cent(e.g., About 15 per cent of the populationwere .), but % can be used in tables and charts or in parentheses. Thus,38%, 21.4%, or in a sentence: Of about 1,200 students who sat for theexaminations, nearly 300 (or 25%) failed. Always write percentage, not%age, though in most contextsproportion orshare is preferable.

6. Measurements

In most contexts, go metric: preferhectares to acres, kilometers (or km) tomiles, metres toyards, litres togallons, kilos to lb, Celsius toFahrenheit, etc.

7. Full stops

Use plenty. They keep sentences short and simple.But do not use full stops in abbreviations or at the end of headings or rubrics.

8. British and American English

For conventional reason, preferably use British English rather than AmericanEnglish or any other kind. But American English, especially Americanspelling has been widely accepted now. The final choice is up to the writer,

but the key rule is: be consistent. Decide early which English to use, then

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stick to it. For names of companies, places, and titles, keep to the originalspelling9.

G. EDITING YOUR FINAL DRAFT: CHECKLIST FOR THEPROJECT PAPER.

Review the entire project paper, checking for the following:

Is the content properly located in the appropriate chapter(Introduction/ Literature Review, Methodology, Data Analysis and

Findings, Conclusions and Recommendations)? Is your Introduction/Literature Review a coherent presentation of the

theory and research from which you have drawn your hypothesis/es? Is/are your hypothesis/es clearly stated?

Have you divided long or complex chapters with helpful subheadings?Are the subheadings grammatically parallel?

Does each chapter begin with a clear overview?

Is the essential information/data in the body of your paper? Have youplaced tables and charts where they will be the most helpful to yourreaders? Have you assigned less essential or more detailed data orinformation to appendices?

Is your language clear and precise throughout the project paper? Is the base tense of your project paper consistent?

Are all sources properly documented? Did you double-check theevidence in your report against your note cards to be sure material fromthe sources you have used is accurate?

Is your bibliography complete and in the correct form?

Is the main idea in each paragraph clear? Are the relationships clearamong ideas in each paragraph?

Have you proofread and edited the project paper carefully, eliminating allgrammatical and mechanical errors (pronoun reference, subject/verbagreement, spelling, punctuation)10?

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H. PROJECT PAPER EVALUATION CRITERIA

Upon submission of the project paper (in temporary ring-binding), endorsedby the supervisor, to the FBA, the project paper is first reviewed by the FBA

to ensure that it complies with the FBA Project Paper Guidelines. Projectpapers that deviate in form and presentation style from the Guidelines will berejected and NOT sent for evaluation. The student will be informed andrequired to re-submit the project paper which conforms to the Guidelines.The project paper is then sent to the supervisor and one (1) examiner,appointed by the FBA for evaluation and grading. The evaluation criteriaused for evaluation and grading is as follows:

a.Significance of Study (20marks)Does the study contribute to a better understanding of the area of research?

Does it have policy implications? Does the study lead to recommendations?

b.Rigor of Analysis (20 marks)Can the student demonstrate the application of the relevant analytical toolsand techniques to focus on the critical issues? Are observations andconclusions based on sound arguments?

c. Cohesiveness of the Study (20 marks)Is there focus? Is there a flow from one chapter to another? Do the

conclusions relate to the introduction and research objectives orhypotheses?

d. Conciseness of the Project Paper(10 marks)Is the style of writing concise and to the point?

e. Clarity of Concepts and Presentation (15 marks)Is there clarity in concepts, evidence and data in the pursuit of the purposeof the study? Are presentation tools (i.e. statistical analysis) well utilized? Isthere logic and rationale in the study?

f.Language, Grammar and Style (15 marks)Are there numerous errors in spelling, grammar, punctuation, sentenceconstruction and general use of English as a language that distract the

reader? Is the use of footnotes necessary and appropriate? Are thereferences consistent with the APA referencing style?

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I. SUBMISSION OF THE PROJECT PAPER

The following procedure shall be observed in sequence for the submission andapproval of the project paper.

Once the project paper is deemed to be ready for submission by thesupervisor, he/she shall certify that it is of acceptable standard in contentquality and presentation style by signing the supervisor endorsementform.

The student shall submit to the FBA two (2) copies of the project paper intemporary ring binding. The copies shall be checked for conformity withthe FBA Project Paper Guidelines. In the event that the project paper failsto conform to the stipulated format, the FBA will automatically

REJECT the project paper. Consequently, the project paper will NOT besent for evaluation until and unless the student re-submits two (2) copiesof the project paper which is in accordance with the stipulated guidelinesmentioned above. The two copies of the project paper will then be sent tothe supervisor and one (1) examiner, respectively, for evaluation andgrading. The examiner will be appointed by the FBA.

The supervisor and the examiner will then evaluate the project paper,indicating areas that need revisions (if any) and submit an evaluation

report to the FBA not later than four (4) weeks after he/she receives theproject paper from the FBA. The FBA shall require the supervisor andthe examiner to assign specific numerical marks to the project paper inthe evaluation report. The report shall also place the project paper intoone of the following categories:

i. Pass.ii. Pass with minor corrections.

iii. Major revision required. Resubmission.

The supervisors and examiners evaluation of the project paper will thenbe compared. If the evaluation is comparable, i.e. both the supervisor andthe examiner categorize the project paper in the same category (otherthan category iii) the marks will be averaged and endorsed in an FBAmeeting. If the project paper has been categorized under i by oneexaminer and under ii by the other, the student will then be asked to dothe minor corrections and the marks averaged as above. However, ifeither one, or both of the examiners classify the project paper under iii,

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then the student will be required to revise the project paper and resubmitto the FBA. The project paper will then be subjected to another round ofevaluation similar to the one described above.

If the project paper falls under (ii) above, the FBA shall hold thesupervisor responsible to determine and confirm that all necessarycorrections have been made, within a period which shall not exceed one(1) month. Upon resubmission of the revised project paper, the studentwill be required to attach the supervisors endorsement that he/she hasmade all required corrections.

If the project paper falls under (iii) above, the student will be given amaximum time period of six (6) months to make the requiredcorrections, under the guidance of his/her supervisor. The student is then

required to resubmit the revised project paper to the FBA for evaluation.

Once the student has made all revisions in accordance with thesupervisors and examiners reports, the supervisor shall certify that the

project paper is of acceptable standard in content quality and presentationstyle. One copy of the revised project paper (in temporary ring-binding)shall be submitted to the FBA to be checked again for conformity to theformat stipulated in the FBA Project Paper Guidelines.

Generally, no oral presentation of the project paper is required at thesubmission stage. The FBA however, reserves the right to require astudent to defend his/her research if deemed necessary.

Upon final approval from the FBA, the student shall submit to the FBAthree (3) copies of the project paper in permanent hardcover binding.

The FBA shall retain one hardcover copy, send one copy to thesupervisor and one copy to the library.

The FBA shall table the grade awarded for the project paper to theUniversity Senate for final endorsement. Appendices I and X depict theentire project paper process from identification of the research area and

potential supervisor to submission of three (3) hard-bound copies to theFBA.

J. SAMPLE OF COMMENTS FROM FBA PROJECT PAPER

SUPERVISOR

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Below are some sample comments on recent project papers. Students arestrongly advised to review these comments and try as much as possible, tominimize the possibility of getting similar comments on their project papers.

1. The paper needs to be edited for overall coherence. There arenumerous grammatical errors found throughout the entire paper. In someinstances, there are problems with sentence structure. The Committeerequires that you send your project paper for professional editing to ensurethat the paper meets minimum acceptable standards, and in particular, befree from obvious and glaring grammatical errors.

2. The references listed in the bibliography appear to comprise largely,textbooks, rather than periodicals. This is not acceptable for research

papers. The Committee also observed that you had not cited all items listedin the bibliography, in the main text. You MUST ensure that any work notcited within the text, is NOT listed in the bibliography.

3. Your literature review does NOT lead to a theoretical and empiricaljustification of the research objectives, i.e. your literature review fails toreveal the relation between what has previously been done by others in yourarea of research and what you did in your research. Consequently, yourliterature review chapter needs to be re-written.

4. The methodology chapter does not make any mention of a pilot test for theself-developed questionnaire instrument. It is however, unclear if the pilottest was carried out but you did not make any mention to it or, alternatively,you did not conduct a pilot test. If it is the latter case, this is a major flaw ofthe research process and may lead to unreliable and/or invalid findings. Inthe case of the latter, you should at least have referred to it in yourdiscussion of the limitations of the study.

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Project Paper Handbook Apr 07

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Transcript of Project Paper Handbook Apr 07