Summer project and viva-voce

One of the most exciting things about doing a post graduate course in management is the prospect of doing an internship or a summer project.

I remember listening with rapt attention in our MBA second semester as our professor kept us enthralled about the importance of doing a right project. He finished the dramatic presentation with a flourish “if you have a doubt or need a clarification, do consult your guide”.

An eager beaver student put up her hand and asked “when you say a guide do you mean a person or a book? (A short precise book published for reading for final examinations was popularly called a guide)”.

The harassed professor was nonplussed as the effect of his dramatic presentation was lost in the roar of laughter that followed the student query.

Project work is the best way to practice the subject learning. The purpose of including project work in a post graduate course is to provide the student with an opportunity to investigate a problem applying management concepts in a scientific manner.

It enables the student to apply his/her conceptual knowledge in a practical situation and to learn the art of conducting a study in a systematic way and presenting the findings in a clear and lucid fashion.

A project is a scientific and systematic study of real issue or a problem intended to be resolved using management concepts. The problem can be big or small. If possible the problem should be picked up from the specialization that the student would opt.

The essential requirement of a project is that it should scientific collection, analysis and interpretation of data leading to valid conclusions.

The questions that any student should ask before selecting a project

• Will the implementation of the project bring about an improvement in the present status of an activity and can this improvement be quantified?
• Does the project have underlying management principle, frame work or model based on which the data is collected, analyzed and arguments developed?
• Is the project idea applicable in other similar situation?
• Does the project report use factual industry data, which is relevant to the particular situation?

The first step of the project work is to choose a suitable topic for the study. This choice will be entirely personal emerging from the student’s area of interest.

There can be more than one topic in each area. When faced with a wide choice, a discussion with classmates or supervisor/guide/mentor can help in narrowing down the choice through a process of elimination.

While selecting a topic, students should take into consideration the organization and the opportunity to generate relevant data.

The organisation chosen for a project should be given lot of thinking about. The organisation that is chosen should be a well-known company.

It becomes important because in the job interview the student would be asked questions about project work.

Project work most probably is the only original work that has been undertaken in the entire two year management course.

Some do’s and don’ts to follow while undergoing project work in the organization

• Be punctual. Punctuality is a hygiene factor. If the student is punctual no one comments, but if he/she is late it would definitely be commented about
• Dress appropriately. It the employees wear formal dress, students should dress formally too. When in Rome do as Romans do
• Do not indulge in office gossip. The student should remember he/she is in that organization only for two months.
• Use office resources carefully and do not take office stationery home with you
• Be careful about which information can be collected and which can’t be collected. Always take permission about which information can be used. Once some sensitive information is used it subsequently becomes a part of a project report which can be accessed by general public.
• Please give a small token of appreciation to the Industry guide for all the help and cooperation. It can be a small pen or a small table top item but it would be appreciated. Send a ‘thank you’ e-mail followed by a formal letter of thanks signed by the head of the institute.

Viva-voce
Managers are expected to be good communicators. Budding managers are not only tested in the examination halls about the conceptual skills but are also tested for communication skills. This takes the form of the Viva-voce.

Viva-voce would be held at the end of each semester/trimester. Mostly important Viva-voce in the placement process takes the form of a placement interview.

Do’s and Don’ts for being successful in Viva-Voce/Interview

• Wear a good and clean dress; remember first impressions are the best impressions
• For god’s sake no bad odour. Invest in a good deodorant
• For men dark trousers and light shirt with a tie is a very appropriate dress. See to that you wear formal shoes and that your hair is combed properly and that you are cleanly shaved
• For the women any appropriate dress will do. If you are comfortable in saree do wear it. You would appear more mature
• If the door is closed, knock,wait for at least five seconds before you enter the room
• Wish all the members a cheerful “Good morning”
• Wait till any one of the examiner/interviewer asks you to sit down
• Sit down and say thank you. Sit upright and don’t slouch in the chair. Don’t put hands on the table (you might drum the table. A definite sign of nervousness)
• Don’t cross your legs (another sign of defensiveness). Sit upright, put your chin up and show that you are a confident person and that you are going to enjoy the viva-voce
• Listen carefully and don’t interrupt
• Answer clearly and audibly. Don’t mumble
• Don’t try to bluff or tell lies. The examiner will catch you out
• Even if you don’t agree with the examiner don’t argue. Nobody has got better marks or made a good impression by arguing
• Don’t make irritating noises like dragging of chairs, hitting the table with your pen or coughing. These irritate the examiners
• Always maintain eye contact. Not maintaining eye contact would means insecurity or telling lies
• Always try to illustrate what you say with examples. Examiners appreciate when you lace theory with examples
• Don’t show that you are nervous. Keep smiling and at the end say thank the examiners for their time as you exit the interview room