GUIDELINES FOR SUMMER PLACEMENT (SUMMER INTERNSHIP)

Summer placement (summer internship programme, i.e., now popularly known as (SIP), is an integral part of the academic curriculum of MBA. For the successful completion of the MBA programme, the students are required to complete the SIP. After completion of the 1st year of the programme, i.e., after the 2nd semester and before the commencement of the second year of the programme, the students are required to work with an organisation for hands on experience. The duration of the SIP is six to eight weeks. In some cases this period may be a little longer, but in no case the duration should be more than 10 weeks.

SIP aims at widening the student's perspective by providing an exposure to real life organisational and environmental situations. This will enable the students to explore an industry/organistion, build a relationship with a prospective employer, or simply hone their skills in a familiar field. SIP also provides invaluable knowledge and networking experience to the students. During the internship, the student has the chance to put whatever he/she learned in the 1st year of MBA into practice while working on a business plan or trying out a new industry, job function or organisation.

The organisation, in turn, benefits from the objective and unbiased perspective the student provides based on concepts and skills imbibed in the first year at the MBA institute. The summer interns also serve as unofficial spokespersons of the organisation and help in image building on campus.

Some ideal projects for summer internships can be in the areas of strategy formulation, business process reengineering, MIS, ERP implementation, retail/investment banking, industry analysis, new product launches, sales and distribution, market research and advertising, etc., among others. However, this is not an exhaustive list of areas but can be varied to suit the requirements of the organisations where the student has to undergo internship. In some cases, even field work can also become an integral part of SIP. The student need not shy away from taking up such projects.

In case the scope of the project is large, even more than one student also can undertake the SIP project jointly. Similarly, if the scope of the project is limited, the student can undertake more than one project during the specified period with the same organisation or with another organisation.

An additional benefit that organisations may derive is the unique opportunity to evaluate the student from a long-term perspective. Thus the SIP can become a gateway for final placement of the student.

The student should ensure that the data and other information used in the study report is obtained with the permission of the institution concerned. The students should also behave ethically and honestly with the organisation.

The SIP process involves working under the mentorship of an executive of the concerned organisation and also with a faculty member of the institute where the student is studying, if required. The student is expected to first understand the organisation and its setting and the industry/field in which the organisation is operating. Thereafter, the student is expected to concentrate on the specific topic of study, its objectives, its rationale, and adopt a methodology and identify a suitable analysis procedure for the completion of the study. Wherever possible the student may provide recommendations and action plans, along with the findings of the study.

Thereafter, the student should prepare a report and submit one copy to the organisation and one copy each to the institute and the university. The student should also obtain a certificate from the organisation/s where the SIP was done and attach the same with the copy submitted to the institute. The university will arrange for evaluation of the SIP reports submitted by the students. For the purpose, the university will nominate one faculty from outside the institute and one faculty member from the institute who will be the examiners. The student/s is/are expected to make a 15 minute presentation before the examiners regarding the SIP project work undertaken, which will be followed by questions by the examiners.

The total marks for the SIP project will be 100 and it carries 6 credits. The marks will be awarded for the following aspects:

i) Introduction: Clear understanding of the topic/subject; understanding of the organisation/unit//field.

ii) Literature Review: Published studies, review of similar studies

iii) Details about the study: Objectives, formulation of the problem, scope, and rationale of the study.

iv) Methods/methodology adopted for the study: Analytical, Survey, Field Work or any other method with appropriate justification and reasoning.

v) Analysis and conclusions: The logic of analysis, source of data, whether the conclusions are in line with the objectives, etc.

vi) Contribution and learning from the project: Details of the contribution of the study, the benefits to the organisation, the learning from the study for the student, etc.
vii) Acknowledgements: References/Citations and Bibliography and help, if any, received from other individuals/organisations.

viii) Presentation of the report, format of the report, flow of the report, style, language, etc.

ix) Presentation of the report to the examiners: Substance and treatment of the topic, style of presentation, performance in the question answer session,
time management, language, etc.

x) Overall impression.