In India, the two-year Master of Business Administration (MBA) program is the most popular. Students, with or without work experience, are enrolled. In the first year, foundation courses are covered and the second year is for specialized courses. Projects are a part of most of these programs. In this article, I share my learnings from supervising MBA projects. I list points for students to survive or thrive, as they may desire.

Piles of hard-bound reports neatly placed in adjacent racks in different B-School libraries motivated me to write this article; because like most of my teenage crushes, the beauty was restricted to the outer covers. Hereafter, I discuss the difference between a project and a thesis, the purpose of MBA projects, ideas and advice. Some parts I have learnt from my own mistakes and some through observational learning.

Difference between a Project and a Thesis

The Oxford dictionary defines a project as a "piece of work involving the careful study of a subject by students over a period of time" while a thesis is a "long piece of writing by students, based on own research." The definitions seem similar but are different.

Master of Science (MSc) or Master of Technology (MTech) programs usually involve a thesis. The student is expected to conduct her own research demonstrating academic rigour - identifying gaps in the literature, writing a literature review of reasonable quality, conceptualizing a framework, collecting and analysing data to make some novice contribution to the body of knowledge. To put this in perspective, usually, students have six months to work on a master's thesis and a minimum of three years for a PhD thesis.

MBA programs mostly include a project rather than a thesis. In contrast to a thesis, a project (a) may be for a shorter duration (b) may not involve problem identification from the literature (b) may not involve all the steps of the academic research process (c) may have a radically different format and (d) may serve a purpose other than the creation of new knowledge. But then, what could be the purpose?

Purpose of a Project

The purpose of a thesis is similar to academic research. Broadly, it involves theory building or extension, theory testing or validation, methodological innovation and so on. An MBA project can have different purposes. In some cases, it may be like academic research. Other purposes include (a) understanding the application of concepts taught in the classroom (b) solving problems of practical significance identified through observation/interaction (c) exploring an opportunity to learn about a topic not covered in the curriculum or getting in-depth insights about a topic of one's interest etc. There are indirect purposes also like learning about networking, communication, report writing, thinking analytically, finding solutions and completing tasks independently. When summer internships were first introduced in the IIMs, these were holistic in nature; projects may also carry such value.

The Identity Crisis of a Project

The problem begins when every project is approached like a thesis. If guidelines are not designed carefully, the project format looks like a thesis. In an endeavour to replicate thesis writing, students end up collecting primary data from friends and family. I have come across more than 100 projects based on the same methodology i.e. a convenience sample of 100 respondents, usually classmates and family members.

With little time, resources and money, students cannot be fully blamed. Are faculty members then responsible? Do they have the flexibility or resources? Do they have the time and the training? So, are institutions responsible? Or even better, has the regulator always treated management as a technical program? I will save my answer for another article for my activism here might overpower the ideas for students, which follow.

Ideas - To do some interesting work

One, identify the purpose. You will not be able to change the world. You might not even be able to read all the literature on the topic. So, find a clear, achievable, modest purpose. Practically, not on paper, make your learning the prime focus.

Two, pick up a topic of your keen interest. This way you will enjoy reading. You may choose anything from the future of Tesla to the marketing strategy of Money Heist to the history of condoms. Do not download, read - articles, research papers or even books.

Three, set only one objective. If you are very ambitious, set two. The objective should be framed as - "To identify factors.."; "To explain the concept.."; "To find a solution to the ABC industry problem..."; "To document the history.."; "To systematically review data on.."; "To analyse the marketing strategies of ....." etc.

Four, make a plan and a proposed structure. For example, if I am doing a project titled "Who is the kindest of them all?" in which I study the pre and post-pandemic CSR budgets of top 10 companies in India, I will propose the structure as (a) Meaning of CSR/Definitions (b) Rationale of the Project (c) CSR Regulations in India (d) Top 10 companies spending on CSR in India (e) Tabular comparative analysis of their budgets (f) Key insights/learning (g) methodology and limitations (may not be in this sequence).

Five, use appropriate methodology. A secondary data-based project is better than a project based on a convenience sample of your friends. But if you plan to do a PhD, approach your project like a thesis and try to publish it.

Six, meet your supervisor regularly. Derive benefit from the supervisor's experience. You have somebody who will read your rough drafts and guide you, use that opportunity well.

Seven, try to use this opportunity to build industry connections. Draft an email with a letter of support from your supervisor and write to industry managers. The response rate will be poor, but there is always a chance. If you get through, you get a live project. You may even try writing to people outside India; it adds to your CV.

Eight, plan multiple outcomes - a report, an article, a video, a blog or at least a social media post. Focus on publishing a paper if you wish to pursue a PhD.

Nine, make a list of key learnings. Write an effective paragraph about your project. Put it on your CV and lead your interviewers to it.

Finally, use common sense, question the obvious, and have fun. Even if you are given instructions, do not cut the log.

The article was first published on September 19 at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/projects-mba-programs-ritika-mahajan/?trackingId=CUON%2FZKaQ2iI6ni7LOML9A%3D%3D