dba consultation guidelines

8/9/2019 DBA Consultation Guidelines

1/11

COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

UNIVERSITY UTARA

MALAYSIA

DBA CONSULTANCY GUIDELINES

DMX 8018


2/11

2009

DBA CONSULTANCY GUIDELINES

1. INTRODUCTIONDBA consultancy (DMX 8018) is a compulsory component of the DBAprogram. After completing all the taught courses, students are required toundertake a consultancy assignment in any SMEs or large firms for a periodof one semester (four months). The businesses or firms will be chosen by thestudents themselves. It is the students responsibility to negotiate the detailsof the consultancy with the firms, negotiate resources and schedule anymeetings.

Students will treat consultancy works as an ideal opportunity and vehicle forintegrating what they have learned during the DBA program, and apply theseconcepts and skills to a real problem solution. Students will also gain hands-on experience of undertaking consulting in SMEs or large firms and this willenhance their academic understanding and practical skills of the consultancyprocess.

2. OBJECTIVES

The main objectives of the DBA consultancy are:

i. To provide students with an opportunity to draw together andintegrate the knowledge gained and the skills developed fromthe DBA program.

ii. To provide students with an opportunity of independent studyand to develop an ability to organize work with a view to achievespecific goals.

iii. To develop students with skills in business strategy, operationsor in similar integrative activities appropriate and relevant totheir organizations and personal development needs and goals.

3. PROCESS

Before the end of the current semester, briefing of the consultation work will begiven by the program chairperson. Students are required to fill-in the consultationregistration form available from the post graduate office. In the 2nd week of thesemester, students are required to submit an initial proposal between 7-10 pagesto the Program Chairperson (Research & Post Graduate office).

2


3/11

The proposal will be the proposed idea for conducting the consultancy work andshould covers the following area:

company's profile

analysis of the industryanalysis of competitorsanalysis of customersanalysis of the firm (ex: SWOT)symptomsproblem area of investigationmethods

Each student would then be assigned a mentor, for whom the student isexpected to deal and work closely with for the whole consultancy period.

In the week 7

th

, students are required to present in detail their proposal to thepanel of the consultation appointed by the college. Approval of the proposal willbe a prerequisite to carrying out the consultancy assignment. Students areexpected to complete the consultancy assignment and submit a consultancyreport in the week 14th (loose copy form). The presentation of the whole report tothe panel will be conducted in week 16th. Students will only be permitted topresent the whole report when the approval is granted from the mentor. Basedon the comments and suggestions made by the panel, students have to makethe appropriate adjustment / corrections and submit 2 hard bound copies to thecollege. The process of consultation is laid out below:

3


4/11

2nd week of the new

semester

Week 6th

Week 13th

Week 14th

1st presentation to panel

areas to cover:

company's profileanalysis of the industryanalysis of competitorsanalysis of customersanalysis of the firm (ex: SWOT)

symptomsproblem area of investigationmethods

Student register for consultation byfill-up the course registration form

available from COB website/ centre

Submitting the final report

Covers the whole content

2 loose copiesAround 50 pages

Font 12; times new roman

Report will be sent to panel a week prior to

presentation

Mentor approval form should be attachedin the report

2nd presentation to panel

Presenting the whole content of report

Once approved by the panel, students are requiredto submit 2 hard bound copies to the college.

If the report need major revision, students are given

two weeks to make the appropriate amendments

Grading of the report by panelTransmitting grade

Submission of intent of

proposal

Appointment of mentor by COB

Week 16th

4

2 weeks before the end of the

current semester


5/11

To successfully undertake the consultancy works, students must first assesstheir skills and interests. Based on this interest, students should select theindustry and firms that can provide them with the best opportunity to showtheir application of the material from the program. Students may not knowwhich tools to use at the start, but a curiosity in the firm or industry (or both) is

a good way to assure that the effort they make will not be drudgery.

The report should consists a complete strategic analysis of the target firm. Inthis essence, students should answer two basic questions.

First, is the firms strategy consistent with its internal strengths andweaknesses, as well as the challenges and opportunities present in theexternal environment?

Second, what changes should be made in the current strategy, and ininvestments in resources and capabilities, to improve or sustain overall

performance?

To answer these questions, students need to analyze every aspect of the firmand its environment, and integrate their findings into a comprehensiveunderstanding of the firms current situation and what can realistically be doneto improve it. Importantly, students need to support their conclusions withlogical analysis. The why portion of their analysis is as important as thewhat. Both substance and style are important in effective writtencommunication.

The report is complex and the conclusions will be derived from many hours of

research, thinking, and writing. Students should envision themselves aswriting for a group of potential investors interested in learning about the focalfirm. The report should be complete, accurate, and objective. All conclusionsshould be clear and well supported. A well-organized presentation helpsenormously in simplifying a complex subject and shows clear thinking on thestudents.

Since the content of the report will cover many different areas, studentsshould use section and subsection headings to mark transitions from onetopic/ area to another. Within one subsection, good transitions betweenparagraphs is necessary to make easy reading. Each paragraph should

begin with a good topic sentence. The complexity of the subject calls forsimple sentence constructions and avoidance of jargon and unusualphrasing. Proper spelling, punctuation, and grammar is a must. Ensure thatthe final document is proof read carefully (go beyond simply using spell-check). A poorly written report signals to the reader that the substance is alsoquestionable.

5


6/11

Tables, charts, and figures may be included in an exhibits section. Do notuse an exhibit unless you refer to it in the text of the paper. The source of theinformation in the exhibit must be shown on the exhibit.

Suggested Outline for the Written Consultancy Report

This outline is intended to provide student with an idea of the potential scopeof the project. Student may adjust it to suit the specific circumstances of thechosen company.

I. Title page

The firms name and students name should be highlighted. The coursesname and code.

II. Executive Summary

Begin the report with one single-spaced page summarizing the findings. Donot include supporting evidence. The purpose of the summary is to highlightthe reader who is interested in the consultancy work but is not able to spendmuch time reading the entire report.

III. Table of Contents

Begin numbering the pages here and continue consecutive page numbersthroughout the rest of the paper.

IV. Chapter 1: Problem identification

This section covers on the current situation of the company and the specificarea of your investigation. You should also identify the objectives of yourconsultancy work in this section.

V. Chapter 2: Profile of the companyVI. Chapter 3: Analysis of industry and competitors.

For the industry analysis, begin with a definition of the industry in which thefirm competes. The focus of the analysis should be on the underlying

economic attractiveness of the industry and current or projected trends thatmay be expected to have an impact on the industry, whether on the supply ordemand side (be sure to indicate what the impact is expected to be andwhy). Remember to keep the level of analysis at the industry level. Individualfirms, including your own, are not a part of this analysis.

6


7/11

In the competitors analysis, Identify 2-3 firms that are believed to be the mostimportant competitors of your firm and indicate why you believed these firmsare the important competitors. Identify their current position in the industryand prepare a competitor profile for each firm, including their competencies.Keep focus on the competitors; do not analyze the firm here. (Should also

include the customers analysis)

VII. Chapter 4: Problem analysis

This is the most critical part of the report. This section analyzes your chosenfirm. This would include many type of analyses, for example SWOT analysisthat covers the current competitive position, key resources/capabilities,source(s) of competitive advantage, threats and opportunities in the currentbusiness environment and generic strategy (type of competitive advantage)and etc. Remember to be objective and to explain and support yourconclusions where needed. This is to be a dynamic analysis of the firm's

current and future value creation capability. If this analysis shows a firm thatis weak and vulnerable, that is the conclusion you should report.

You should be able to integrate the analysis discussed above and identifyproblems and opportunities that must be addressed by the firm, and thenmake realistic recommendations for addressing them. Some examples of thetypes of issues that are often included are: Does the strategy of the firmaddress the opportunities for value creation presented by the externalenvironment? Is it consistent with the overall capabilities and competenciesof the firm? Are there trends in the environment that may undermine orenhance current advantages? How does the firm match up against the

competitors?.

VII. Chapter 5: Recommendations & Conclusion

Based on your findings and analyses, you should be able to give somerecommendations in order to solve the problem(s) that the firm is facing. Itthen follows with conclusion. All conclusions should follow naturally from, andbe supported by, prior analysis. Note that the information regardingcompetitor capabilities and supplier power comes from prior sections of thepaper, which supports the conclusions and recommendations. A good paperwill have several well-supported and internally consistent recommendations

that present an integrated and implementable strategic option for the firm.

X. References

All reference materials used for the paper must be included in a referencesection and follow the APA format. Electronic cites must include the completesite address. Any none reference material will be assumed to be the originalwork of the author. If this turns out to not be so, then the grade will be

7


8/11

reduced accordingly, in addition to other actions that may be taken by theuniversity for plagiarism. Your report can be written in Bahasa Malaysia orEnglish.

GUIDE TO REPORT / PROJECT SUBMISSION

1. TITLE PAGEMust contain the following:

a. Title of projectb. A consultancy report submitted to the College of Business in

partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctorate of BusinessAdministration University Utara Malaysia

c. Full name of Authord. Month and Year report was submitted for examination.e. DO NOT number this page

2. CERTIFICATION OF PROJECT PAPER (available from the college)3. PERMISSION TO USE (available from the college)4. EXECUTIVE SUMMARYExecutive summary is a summary of the report and should contain a briefwrite-up of the problems and summary of the findings in context of the wholearea of study.

a. Must be in Bahasa Malaysia and English.b. The Bahasa Malaysia abstract appears first.c. Both versions must have their respective titles.d. Not more than 2 pages.

e. Placed immediately before Chapter 1.f. Page numbered in Roman Numeral accordingly

5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

a. This is a statement of appreciation to the chosen company, mentor,colleagues and other assistance obtained during consultancy period and etc.

b. Number this page ii.

6. TABLE OF CONTENTS

a. Comprises the titles of parts, sections or chapters and their subdivision.

b. Must be worded exactly as in the text. Must have Headings (1, 2, 3and so on), sub headings (1.1, 1.2, 1.3) and sub headings (1.2.1, 1.2.2 and soon)

c. Further divisions to be indicated by small letters in parenthesis eg.1.2.1(a), 1.2.1(b) and so on.

d. Number this page iii.

8


9/11

7. LIST OF TABLES and FIGURES

a. Must be worded exactly as in text.b. Page number begins with vii and so on.

8. CHAPTER 19. CHAPTER 210.CHAPTER 311.CHAPTER 412.CHAPTER 5

13. REFERENCES

a. To refer to other works either by direct quotation or by reference.b. Start on a fresh page.

c. Words REFERENCES to be centralized in capital letters.d. Five (5)cm from the top.e. List begins four (4) spaces from the heading.f. Double-spacing between entries.g. Single spacing within entry.h. 3-space indentation for entry exceeding a single line.

14.APPENDICES

a. Referred in the text.b. Comprises of supplementary illustrative materials, original data,

quotations too long for inclusion in the text or lengthy experimental methods.c. Words APPENDICES to be centralized in capital letters.d. Do not number this sheet.e. Must be listed in the Table of Contents.

15.LENGTH OF REPORTGenerally, consultancy report should be around 50 pages.

16.COVER OF REPORTa. The cover (2 hard-bound copies, black in colour) must contain thefollowing:

Full report title

Your full name

Universiti Utara Malaysia

Year of submission

9


10/11

17.PAPER

Use 80gm, A4 size (210 x 297 mm), white paper.

18.PRINTING

a. Print on one sideb. Page setup to paper size A4.c. Computer paper or carbon copies are NOT allowed.

19.TYPING QUALITY

a. Typed on one side.b. Times New Roman font.

c. Font size 12.

20.SPACING

a. Double spacing for text.b. Single spacing for long tables, table titles, long quotations, notes,

footnotes, multiline caption and bibliographic entries.

21.SYMBOLS

a. Symbols or special characters not found on the computer key boardare to be drawn using a mechanical guide with black Indian ink.b. For formulas, use equation editor including subscripts and

superscripts.

22.MARGINS

a. All text, Tables, Figures and their captions must conform to thefollowing margins:

Top edge: 2.5 cm

Bottom edge : 2.5 cm Right size : 2.5 cm

Left size : 3.5 cmb. A new paragraph must have at least 2 full lines in a page.Otherwise begin on the next page.

23.PAGINATION

10


11/11

a. All page numbers are without punctuation. Placed 1 cm from one ofthe following areas:

Top edge

Bottom edge

Above the middle of the lines of text Upper right-hand corner.

24.SUBDIVISION

a. Text in each chapter can be divided under headings and sub-headings such as 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 etc and 1.1.1, 1.1.2 etc.

25. LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

i. TABLESa. Properly centered within the margin.

b. Numbered in relation to chapter eg. in Chapter 1, tables should benumbered Table 1.1, table 1.2 and so on.

c. Numbered in Arabic numeral.d. Number must correspond with text.e. Place Tables near to related discussion in text.f. Use the word Table or TABLE.g. Caption above the table.

h. Long tables can be continued on to the following page. Indicate Table X..Y.. continued and no caption is needed.

ii. FIGURESa. Can be illustrations, graphs or anything other than tables and script.

b. Line diagrams should be drawn with the aid of a computer or withmechanical aids using black Indian ink or equivalent on white paper.

c. Place figure near to related discussion in text.d. Use the word Figure or Fig.e. Numbered in Arabic Numeral.f. Number in sequence eg. Fig. 1.1, Fig. 1.2...

11

dba consultation guidelines

Documents