How To Excel In University Project Writing

How To Excel In University Project Writing

It is important for you to learn how to excel in university project writing. After spending several years in the higher institute, your project, apart from your graduating grade often has a lot to say about your performance in the university. You have to write a good university project that will secure a good mark because projects often are 3 – 5 credits of your total credit load.

Keep in mind that your project will be read and accessed by a couple of examiners, most of whom would be external supervisors. You should therefore prepare to write a project that is impressive and easily understandable that will give you an excellent grade from these examiners. A clear presentation of your research process and the findings of your project is what will make you to excel.

Start your project on time. Most poorly done projects are caused because the student did not start the work on time and ended up rushing and doing a shoddy work. If you start your project work early, you will have more than enough time to gather enough relevant materials that will help you to excel in your university project writing.

Supervisors and external examiners are always impressed by students who produce new information in their university projects. Therefore, you cannot depend on your lecture notes and textbooks to give you enough material for your project. You have to stretch yourself to go out and look for new information. Check out public libraries, libraries in other schools and online   resources such as http://projectsuccessguide.blogspot.com

Learn to work with your supervisor. Although the project will be done and written by you, try to get your supervisor involved at every stage. Supervisor involvement and approval of at every stage is highly essential to writing an excellent university project. A lot of undergraduates make the mistake of going on with their projects at full steam to later get the whole work disapproved by their supervisor.

In the actual writing, start with a rough draft of your work. Put everything down as you make progress. Later you can follow a good university project outline to put down your project in the approved manner by your school. Ask at your department for samples of past projects that are related to yours. This will help you to excel in university project writing.


I wish you success!

If you like this article and want more information on how to best successfully write university project that can graduate you with high grades/marks why not contact us via email above or call us on 08187109630

A General Guide to Writing a Good Project Proposal

A General Guide to Writing a Good Project Proposal

An academic proposal is the first step in producing a thesis or major project. Its intent is to convince a supervisor or academic committee that your topic and approach are sound, so that you gain approval to proceed with the actual research. As well as indicating your plan of action, an academic proposal should show your theoretical positioning and your relationship to past work in the area.

An academic proposal is expected to contain these elements

- a rationale for the choice of topic, showing why it is important or useful within the concerns of the discipline or course. It is sensible also to indicate the limitations of your aims—don’t promise what you can’t possibly deliver.
- a review of existing published work (“the literature”) that relates to the topic. Here you need to tell how your proposed work will build on existing studies and yet explore new territory (see the file on The Literature Review).
- an outline of your intended approach or methodology (with comparisons to the existing published work), perhaps including costs, resources needed, and a timeline of when you hope to get things done.

Most times I encounter students who find it difficult to pen down a good proposal for their intended project. In some schools and colleges putting down a proposal for your project is one of the first things you do for the supervisor to finally agree giving you the go-ahead to write on a particular topic for your project work.

Important Things to Note When Writing Your Project Proposal

Length of Proposal: Some colleges and universities require that your project or term proposal be not more than a page. SO the first thing will be getting an idea of how long your proposal should be so you don’t run foul of the department’s requirements.

What a Good Proposal for Your Seminar, Research paper or Project Work Should Contain

Though this is a general guide and specific requirements may differ depending on your school here are generally things your proposal should highlight on;

- Brief Introduction of the Proposed Project or Seminar: State the goals and aims of the project and what you (the researcher) hopes to accomplish by embarking on the work

- Why You Should Embark on the Project: In some cases you may be required to show why you are capable and should be allowed to embark on such academic work by your supervisor.

- The Approach You Hope to Use in the Project Work: State if you are doing the work via collection and organisation of data from secondary sources such as newspapers, magazines, website publications etc or if your work is more of a primary survey of the demography concerned.

- The Scope of Work: Clearly state the boundary of your proposed work. All academic research work have limits and scope of coverage and you will have to state clearly where your scope will be so you don’t over-promise and end up not delivering to the extent of your promise.

- Project Deliverable : If for instance your project work is on systems design and construction this section is where you state what you hope to deliver at the conclusion of the project work. This section is where you state what you hope to deliver at the end of the research work; design only? design and construction? a report? analysis and documentation? etc.

- Timeline and Milestones: Though some supervisors and departments may not require this you may state here the various phases of your proposed research work and the time frames you hope to accomplish each phase (or chapter). The purpose of this section is to keep you in track to ensure you complete your work on schedule though your supervisor may have the final say on the time frame you may follow for the phases of your work. While writing my final year project I had five chapters of the work (the design and construction phases being the third phase) and my supervisor gave clear instructions on the time frames that I was expected to return each chapter for approval. In many cases however you may be required to just write the entire (and do any accompanying designs and construction) before a specific date. In that case on your own the time frames and milestones will help you stay on track and complete your work on schedule.

Particular disciplines or courses of study may have their unique, standard approach to writing a proposal for your project or thesis and you can learn better how to write one that will suit your situation by asking questions from superiors and colleagues in the department.

For more information, do send us an email or text message...08187109630

MBA project and dissertation

What are the project and dissertation?

Together, the Project and Dissertation (P&D) represent the final challenge of your MBA programme. They will test your ability to apply what you have learned in your module studies to a practical business problem, to develop rigorously argued conclusions and recommendations and to report them effectively.  The P&D requires you to identify your own research question and investigate it without the subject being set for you as per your previous modules.  This is your opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of the different disciplines within business and your ability to ask the right questions yourself.

This is an important learning experience in terms of reflecting on the tools learnt throughout your studies and being able to put it into practice, which is what your MBA is all about.

The dissertation is submitted in part-fulfilment of the requirements for the award of a Masters degree. University regulations require that all MBA participants submit a dissertation.

The Project is the source of the data/information etc that you will critically analyse in your dissertation (i.e. the actual work you undertake - gathering data, reviewing literature, conducting interviews/surveys etc). It will tend to be based around an issue, problem or event. This can either be through looking at a 'live' project or through desk based research. In terms of the focus of your project it can range from company specific to a whole industry.

The Dissertation is an academic document in which you critically analyse your project, with full reference to current academic thinking. It is a structured argument which should reach some conclusions or recommendations.

It should demonstrate:

# learning from the MBA programme 
# an understanding of subject literature
# appropriate use of methodology and analyses.

You will also show drive, determination and self-management skills in taking your work to a satisfactory conclusion in the agreed timescale.

You will be assessed on your Dissertation alone. All dissertations are assessed by a minimum of two members of staff, one of which will be your academic supervisor. Your work may also be reviewed by a 3rd marker, either an internal member of staff or an External Examiner.


Types of project

Projects tend to fall into two main types; those which are based on an in-company problem and those which are research orientated.

In-company projects

There is a difference between a project for your employer and the dissertation for your MBA. The dissertation is not part of the evaluation process of your company, but for the University, which will be looking for evidence of objective assessment. Indeed, a very satisfactory dissertation could be written about a project which, from the employer's perspective, was a failure. Whilst based on the project, it is as much about the process of carrying out projects (of justification, of planning, and of control) as it is about the specific task undertaken.

The project objectives for the company are the focus of the dissertation. The main body may concentrate on such matters as the planning of the project, the critical review of decisions made, the weaknesses of the work, and any relevant theoretical frameworks (were they valid in this situation, and if not, why not?).

You might also look at what has been learned from this project which might be of value to the next, what went well (and why), what went badly (and why - could mistakes have been avoided?). It is not the topic, but the analytical and self-critical approach, that matters.

Independent research projects

These can be of two kinds (however, unlike the In-company project, the focus of both is a concept, theory or general business problem):

The library-based research project, where a student defines a problem area, and then discusses a chosen body of knowledge (can be both theories and pre-existing data), set of concepts, or theories, in relation to that particular area.
Empirical research projects, where a student is again required to define an area of concern, and then design and execute a piece of empirical research work within that area. This may contain a hypothesis.
Structural Differences

The guiding principles are the same for both types of dissertation, namely, a critical review of existing and relevant literature, and a linking to relevant frameworks, theories and tools from the MBA course as a whole.  However, as a set of general guidelines:

The methodology section in independent research dissertations may not be as in depth as with In-company dissertations, however the author should explain the research methods chosen.
Given the more theoretical influence of the work in the independent research dissertations, more is expected in terms of the topic’s conceptual development, which may, for example, include a hypothesis or research propositions.
The independent research dissertation may not involve managerial recommendations as the emphasis; instead, it may conclude by proposing a new conceptual model or framework.

Writing up your MBA dissertation

INTRODUCTION

The Dissertation is an academic document in which you critically analyse your project, with full reference to current academic thinking. It is a structured argument which should reach some conclusions or recommendations.

The formal assessment mark for your Dissertation is based on your written submission alone. It is therefore important that the style and approach you take is appropriate.

The dissertation can be daunting to many students, the best approach is to just start writing so that you can submit sections and get useful feedback from your supervisor. Break the dissertation down into sections which you can tackle one by one. Remember the order in which you write the sections is not usually the order in which they will be in the finished dissertation e.g. the introduction should be one of the last sections written.

The explanations below offer guidance and information on writing up your dissertation. Extracts from supervisors and past participant interviews provide practical advice based on their own experiences.

WHAT SHOULD I INCLUDE?

Generally a dissertation should include all, or most of, the following. Please note this is only a suggested structure and you should discuss with your supervisor what would be a relevant structure for your individual dissertation.

Executive Summary

This is generally the last thing you write.

Contents page

With page numbers (remember to number pages throughout the dissertation)

Introduction

This section you will write towards the end of your P&D period.

• Specify the objectives you are trying to achieve, the project scope and an overview of your strategy.
• Give a brief summary of the description of the company and explain any company jargon used, etc (remember that the people marking the dissertation will know very little about your organisation)

Literature Review

A thorough literature review will provide a framework for the rest of your research and as such will be one of the earliest pieces of work carried out. This is one of the main sections – and one with which many students have a lot of trouble as expectations are often quite low about the amount of work that needs to be done.

• Do a full literature search to try to find articles on the themes that you are researching as part of your dissertation.
• Ultimately this will produce a framework and give you a series of decisions or questions that you need to ask as part of your research.
• Do not be tempted to simply take the basic textbooks (which often have no research basis whatsoever) and think that this is the most absolutely accurate piece of theory that you can apply. Academic theory in respected journals is arguably the soundest source of information.

Research Methodology

A summary of the research methodology used, alternatives considered, and a justification for the method selected.

Presentation of Results

• Basic data is tabulated and shown, but the majority of information gathered is either absent from the thesis completely, or is produced as an appendix. Only the results are summarised in the body of the text.
• Analysis of the data and discussion of the validity, reliability and generalisability of your results

Discussion of results

The discussion section should be a very substantial part of your dissertation, covering:

• Your analysis of the results.
• What is interesting about your results, in relation to the literature.
• How your results may impact on any decisions or recommendations you might be taking in the future.

Outline of implementation with evaluation (if your scope extended this far)

Reflective Discussion

A full reflective discussion including a critical appraisal of your project work with lessons learned and identification of areas for further work.

Conclusions and recommendations

Summarise your main findings and recommendations. Don't be shy about committing yourself to clear conclusions, or clear decisions that your employer might have to make.

Bibliography and list of references

Appendices

You may find it beneficial to look at some sample dissertations in the MBA dissertation library for the different structures used.

You may also like to refer to some very useful notes provided by Marketing & Strategic Management academics which contain detailed tips on dissertation structure:

PRESENTATION GUIDELINES

The presentation is significant to the overall assessment of the dissertation. It is important, therefore, to agree with your supervisor on the style and detail to be followed. Some general points on this aspect, however, are given below:

• The dissertation should be typewritten on good quality, A4 size paper. (Students based in America may use standard letter paper.)
• There should be at least a 20mm margin on both sides of the paper. Ideally, the line spacing should be 1.5 (one and a half) and the text printed on both sides of the paper.
• The dissertation can be printed in colour or black and white, but please make sure that you prepare any charts and diagrams accordingly.
• The dissertation must be presented in bound form. It may be spiral-bound or soft-bound. (See images below.) If preferred, students may submit hard-bound copies, but there is no requirement to do so.
• There is a standard format for the title page which should be adopted. (Include a confidentiality statement if appropriate.)

The Role Of Broadcast Media In Mobilizing Women For Political Participation

abstract

the low rate of female participation in politics compared to that of their male counter- parts in nigeria creates a need to examine the situation in this study, "the role of broadcast media in mobilizing women for political participation in nigeria". this study examines the problems, first, defining the importance of women to participate in politics. the survey research method was employed in this study and questionnaires were used for data collection, then the hypotheses were tested using chi-square statistical procedure to reach a definite conclusion. the results reflect that broadcast media have positive impact in mobilizing women to participate in politics. in summary, broadcast media is found wanting in fostering development for gender equality in politics. in recommendations, suggestion of ways to stimulate female participation was made by looking at practical examples of how this was done in the pre-colonial era. finally, in conclusion, the study emphasizes that no sex or gender is more important than the other because in politics, intellectual ability counts more than physical energy.       

                  

table of contents

title page  

approval page  

dedication  

acknowledgements 

table of contents 

abstract 

chapter one  

1.0 introduction 

1.1 background of the study  

1.2  statement of  research problem  

1.3 objectives of the study 

1.4 significance of the study 

1.5 research questions 

1.6 research hypotheses 

1.7 definition of terms 

1.8 assumptions of the study

1.9 limitations of the study 

references 

chapter two 

2.0 literature review  

2.1 sources of literature 

2.2 the review of relevant literature  

2.2.1 women in pre-colonial era in nigeria  

2.2.2  discussions on gender and politics  

2.2.3  early  female politicians  and their achievements    

2.2.4 factors affecting female participation in politics    

2.2.5 attitude of broadcast media to nigerian women  

2.2.6  attitude of nigerian women to broadcast media    

2.3 theoretical frame work  

2.4 summary of literature review  

references  

chapter three  

3.0 research design and methodology  

3.1 research design      

3.2 area of study  

3.3 population of the study  

3.4 research sample and sampling technique   

3.5 instrument for data collection  

3.6 validity of instrument 

3.7 method of data collection 

3.8 method of data analysis 

references 

chapter four     

4.0 presentation and analysis of data  

4.1  data presentation and analysis  

4.2 test of hypotheses 

4.3 discussion of findings 

references 

chapter five  

5.0 summary, conclusion and  recommendations  for further studies   

5.1 summary  

5.2 conclusion  

5.3 recommendation for further studies  

references  

bibliography  

appendix 'a' 

appendix 'b' 

AN EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF MANPOWER TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT IN SERVICE ORGANISATIONS. (A CASE STUDY OF FEDERAL RADIO CORPORATION OF NIGERIA)

AN EVALUATION OF THE EFFECT OF MANPOWER TRAINING

AND DEVELOPMENT IN SERVICE ORGANISATIONS.

(A CASE STUDY OF FEDERAL RADIO CORPORATION OFNIGERIA)

                                               ABSTRACT

  This research was designed to study training and development of employees in service organization. This study titled “An Evaluation of the effect of manpower training and development in service organizations. A case study of Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria is of/with the view of finding out the way by which training and development can be conducted. The objective of the study is to highlight the advantages of human resource training and development and recommend an appropriate measure that could help improve the current human resource training programmes. Relevant data for this research work were collected from both primary source and secondary source of data. A descriptive method was used for this study. The total population of the staff in the organization is 250 out of which questionnaires were drawn from staff of the organization which constitute a sample size of 154.  The statistical instrument used in testing the validity of the hypothesis was chi – square. Among the major findings of the work was that training and development programme improve productivity and better performance. The research therefore recommended that there should be a free flow of information to enable all the staff to be aware of the training and development programme available to them both internally and externally. 

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title Page

Certification

Dedication

Acknowledgement

Abstract

Table of content

CHAPTER ONE  

 INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the study

1.2     Statement of the problem

1.3     Objective/purpose of the study

1.4     Research Questions

1.5     Significance of the study

1.6     Scope and limitation of the study

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERTURE

2.1    Current Literature on Theories Postulated 

2.2     Statement of Hypothesis

2.3    Theoretical framework for the study

2.4      Historical background

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH DESIGN

3.1                Research Design

3.2                Sources of data

3.2.1    Primary sources of data

3.2.2    Secondary sources of data

3.3       Population of the study 

3.4       Sample design and determination of sample size

3.5       Methods of data collection

3.5.1    Questionnaire design, distribution and collection of 

            responses

3.5.2    Secondary method of data collection

3.6       Method of data analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

a.     Data Presentation and Interpretation

b.     Test of Hypothesis

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

a.     Summary of findings

b.     Conclusion

c.      Recommendation

Bibliography

Appendix

Questionnaire

CHAPTER ONE:                                 INTRODUCTION

1.1            BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Manpower training and development must be based on a need analysis derived from a comparison of “actual performance’’ and behavior with “required performance’’ and behavior. Manpower training and development is one of the major ways organization invests in the workforce for greater return today and even in the foreseeable future................................................

THE ROLE OF COOPERATIVE SOCIETY TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS. (A CASE STUDY OF AMUWO ODOFIN L.G.A, LAGOS STATE)

THE ROLE OF COOPERATIVE SOCIETY TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS.

(A CASE STUDY OF AMUWO ODOFIN L.G.A, LAGOS STATE)

ABSTRACT

                This study examined “The role of cooperative society towards the development of rural areas with reference to Amuwo Odofin LGA of Lagos State”. We used primary and secondary sources to generate data for the study analyzed via content and historical analysis. From the data collected the study concluded that more attention should be given to the  cooperative society so as to improve rural developments, the study recommended that government should encourage cooperatives by providing incentives and by loosening its grip on co-operatives to allow for self-help and self-responsibility principles of cooperativeness.Also further research aimed at finding other roles cooperative societies can aid development of the rural areas” should be encouraged although the research was limited to a specific area (Amuwo Odofin LGA, Lagos). Based on the problems of the cooperatives, it is advised that further research on this topic be aimed at finding better roles of cooperative society towards the development of rural areas in Nigeria and Africa in general.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title Page

Certification

Dedication

Acknowledgement

Abstract

Table of content

CHAPTER ONE 

 INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background of the study

1.2     Statement of the problem

1.3     Objective/purpose of the study

1.4     Research Questions

1.5     Significance of the study

1.6     Scope and limitation of the study

CHAPTER TWO

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERTURE

2.1    Current Literature on Theories Postulated 

2.2     Statement of Hypothesis

2.3    Theoretical framework for the study

2.4      Historical background

CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH DESIGN

3.1                Research Design

3.2                Sources of data

3.2.1    Primary sources of data

3.2.2    Secondary sources of data

3.3       Population of the study 

3.4       Sample design and determination of sample size

3.5       Methods of data collection

3.5.1    Questionnaire design, distribution and collection of 

            responses

3.5.2    Secondary method of data collection

3.6       Method of data analysis

CHAPTER FOUR

DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS

a.     Data Presentation and Interpretation

b.     Test of Hypothesis

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

a.     Summary of findings

b.     Conclusion

c.      Recommendation

Bibliography

Appendix

Questionnaire

 CHAPTER ONE:      INTRODUCTION

1.1              BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The problem of developing the rural area has received the attention of many experts and researchers as well as the government. This is because it constitutes a serious bottleneck to the socio-economic development of the country as well as the communities.  It is in this light that the researcher has decided to examine how rural areas would be developed with the help or assistance of co-operative societies using Amuwo Odofin local Government as the case study.

            Rural development according to Diejomoah (2003) is “The process of not only increasing the level of per capital income in the rural area but also the standard of living of the rural population measured by food and nutrition level, health, education, housing, recreation and security. Also Rural development according to UNO (1960) is “The process by which the effort of the people themselves are United with effort of government authorities to improved the economic, social and cultural conditions of the rural communities, to integrate those communities into the life of the nation and to enable them contribute meaningfully to national development.................................................................................................

Impact Of Inflation On Nigeria Economy

abstract

currently, economists seem to agree that high rates of inflation cause “problems,” not just for some individuals, but for aggregate economic performance. however, much less agreement exists about the precise relationship between inflation and economic performance, and the mechanism by which inflation affects economic activity.  

 motivated by these questions, this research first examines the relationship between inflation  and economic performance in nigeria by using data over the period 1970-2005.

the methodology employed in this study is the cointegration and granger causality test. consumer price ind ex (cpi) was used as a prox y for inflation and the gdp as a perfect proxy for economic growth to examine the relationship. the scope of the study spanned from 1970 to 2005. a stationarity test was carried out using the augmented dickey-fuller test (adf) and phillip-perron test (pp). and stationarity found at first difference at 1% and 5% level of significance. the johansen-juselius co-integration technique employed in this study proved to be superior to the engle and granger (1987) approach in assessing the co-integrating properties of variables, especially in a multivariate context. the result of the test showed that for the periods,  1970-2005 , there was no co-integrating relationship between inflation and economic growth for nigeria data. 

further effort was made to check the causality relationship that exists between the two variables by employing the var-granger causality at two different lag periods. the results showed the same at different lags. the first test was conducted using lag two (2) and in the result unidirectional causality was seen running from inflation to economic growth. further test at lag four (4) was carried out and it only supported the first by also indicating a unidirectional causality running from inflation to economic growth. various studies as reviewed in the literature came out with the result that high inflation is and has never been favourable to economic growth. hence, the study through the empirical findings maintain the fact that the causality that run from inflation to economic growth is an indication of relationship showing that inflation indeed has an impact on growth.

table of content

title page

approval page

dedication

acknowedgement

abstract 

table of content

chapter one

1.1introduction

1.2statement of problem

1.3background of study

1.4objectives of study 

1.5significance of study

1.6scope of study

chapter two

2.1literature review

2.2some empirical evidence on the inflation-growth relationship

2.3theoretical considerations about the nonlinear growth-inflation relationship 

2.4 empirical evidence for the mechanism through which inflation can adversely and nonlinearly affect inflation  

chapter three

research methodology

3.1econometric methodology

3.2model specification

3.3data description and sources

3.4estimation technique

3.4.1unit root test

3.4.2the co-integration test

3.4.3granger casuality test

chapter four

data and empirical results

4.1unit root test results and analysis

4.2 co-integration test result and analysis

4.3granger causality test analysis

chapter five

5.1summary and conclusion

references

appendix

footnotes

ENCOURAGING FDI IN THE NIGERIAN EDUCATIONAL SECTOR: AN ASSESSMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES AND BARRIERS

ENCOURAGING FDI IN THE NIGERIAN EDUCATIONAL SECTOR: AN ASSESSMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES AND BARRIERS

M.Sc. DISSERTATION

ABSTRACT

ENCOURAGING FDI IN THE NIGERIAN EDUCATIONAL SECTOR: AN ASSESSMENT OF OPPORTUNITIES AN BARRIERS

Keywords: FDI, Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigerian Educational Sector, Motivations, Barriers

Several authors have stated that Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) helps development and diversification of a host country’s domestic industry. FDI is getting accelerated at a faster rate and different countries of the world are trying their best to attract more and more FDI as it proves to be a great force for triggering the domestic economic development and diversification.

The Educational sector is important for the continuous development of any nation. Empowerment through education is the bedrock of industrialization. Over the years, the Nigerian Government has continuously beckoned on investors to seek opportunities in the Nigerian Educational Sector. However, very few Multinationals firms have answered the clarion call and have attempted to explore the market opportunities in the Nigerian Educational Sector with some recording success while others failed.

In analyzing ways to encourage FDI, this research will assess the opportunities and barriers in the Nigerian Educational Sector and will focus on multinationals that have invested in the Nigerian Educational Sector.  The study will discover the motivations for FDI in the Nigerian Educational Sector, the FDI modes undertaken by Multinationals in the Nigerian Educational Sector, the motivation for the choice of FDI modes in the Nigerian Educational Sector, the barriers to FDI in the Nigerian Educational Sector in relation to motivation and the methods devised by multinationals to cope with these barriers from the view of personnel of three multinational companies that have invested in the Nigerian Educational Sector.

Using qualitative methods with an inductive approach, this work will show support for the literature on FDI motivations and will discover that market opportunities in the Nigerian Educational Sector are visible to multinationals because of the strong local networks they possess and their long term presence in Nigeria, the FDI entry mode most used by the multinationals when investing in the Nigerian Educational Sector is usually in the form of a non-equity joint venture. It will also show that the major barriers to FDI in the Nigerian Educational sector are Corruption, government bureaucracies, insecurity, bad reputation of Nigerians, political risk and lack of infrastructure and identify Cultism as a barrier specific to FDI in the Nigerian Educational Sector.

TURNAROUND STRATEGY: A CASE STUDY OF THE SECURITIES INVESTMENT TRUST ENTERPRISE (UNIT TRUST) SECTOR IN TAIWAN

                                                TURNAROUND STRATEGY: 
A CASE STUDY OF THE SECURITIES INVESTMENT TRUST ENTERPRISE (UNIT TRUST) SECTOR  IN TAIWAN 

                                             MBA MANAGEMENT PROJECT 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Abstract:

Businesses in the financial market are confronted with increasing challenges caused by unpredictable financial and market conditions. The Securities Investment Trust Enterprise firms (called Unit Trust firms in Western countries), in Taiwan experienced a financial crisis in June 2004 followed by a decline. The aim of this project is to examine the domestic SITE sector by interviewing people at all levels in the industry, and to
investigate successful turnaround tactics for domestic SITE firms.

With this purpose, 33 in-depth interviews are conducted. Interviewees include; fund managers from SITE firms who achieved successful turnaround, professional financial investors, industrial investors, and private investors, who buy funds for personal investment.

A broad discussion of the interview results is presented, and it is concluded that performance and marketing are the main influences for investors. It is also recommended that domestic SITE firms need to balance their fund portfolio and improve their risk control management, research work and internal resource integration.
A turnaround tactics model is proposed at the end, which consists of operational and strategic improvements in five respects: trust enhancement, R&D and diversification, performance, marketing and service.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................ X
GLOSSARY ................................................................................................................... XI

1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. - 1 -
1.1 Project Background ......................................................................................... - 1 -
1.2 Outline of the Report ....................................................................................... - 2 -

2. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND .......................................................................... - 3 -
2.1 Pegged Currency Policy ................................................................................... - 3 -
2.2 Macro-economic Trends .................................................................................. - 4 -
2.3 Rapid Growth in Bond Funds and Structured Interest Rate Bonds ........... - 5 -
2.4 The Potential Risks of Bond Funds ................................................................ - 6 -
2.5 The Liquidity Crisis ......................................................................................... - 7 -
2.6 Government Intervention ................................................................................ - 7 -
2.7 Current Situation ............................................................................................. - 9 -

3. LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................... - 10 -
3.1 Introduction to Literature Review ................................................................ - 10 -
3.2 Internal Environment Management ............................................................. - 11 -
3.3 External Environment Analysis .................................................................... - 11 -
3.4 Turnaround Strategy and Management ....................................................... - 14 -
3.5 The Role of Marketing in Turnaround Strategies ....................................... - 18 -

4. METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................... - 19 -
4.1 Research Objectives ....................................................................................... - 19 -
4.2 Research Methods .......................................................................................... - 19 -
4.3 Sources of Secondary Data ............................................................................ - 20 -
4.4 Conceptual Framework of Interviews .......................................................... - 21 -
4.5 Sample Selection ............................................................................................. - 21 -
4.6 Research Sample ............................................................................................ - 23 -



5. RESEARCH FINDINGS ..................................................................................... - 26 -
5.1 Opinions and Perspectives from Professional Investors ............................. - 26 -
5.2 Opinions and Perspectives from Private Investors ..................................... - 31 -
5.3 Opinions and Perspectives from domestic SITE firms ............................... - 32 -
5.4 Chapter Summary .......................................................................................... - 36 -

6. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS ............................................................... - 37 -
6.1 External Environment Analysis .................................................................... - 37 -
6.2 Diagnosing the Cause of Decline ................................................................... - 40 -
6.3 Issues Arising From the Interviews .............................................................. - 42 -
6.4 Marketing Function ....................................................................................... - 46 -
6.5 Mergers and Acquisitions .............................................................................. - 47 -
6.6 Other Issues .................................................................................................... - 47 -
6.7 Chapter Summary .......................................................................................... - 48 -

7. RECOMMENDARIONS AND RESEARCH LIMITATIONS ........................ - 49 -
7.1 Proposed Turnaround Tactics ....................................................................... - 49 -
7.2 Limitations of the Research ........................................................................... - 52 -

8. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... - 54 -

Appendix A: Project Proposal ................................................................................. - 55 -
Appendix B: Interview Information – Groups One and Two .............................. - 59 -
Appendix C: Interview Information – Group Three ............................................ - 61 -
Appendix D: Interview Information – Domestic SITE firms .............................. - 62 -
Appendix E: Regulations of SITE Funds ............................................................... - 63 -
Appendix  F:  The  Issue  of  the  ‘Financial  Reform  Scheme’  in  Taiwan ................. - 64 -
Appendix G: Reference in GLOSSARY ................................................................ - 65 -

BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................... - 66 -


LIST OF TABLES



page
Table 2.1: The Comparison Between Bond Fund Yield and One-
year-Contract Bank Saving Rate 6
Table 4.1: Customer Structures of SITE Funds 21
Table 4.2: Interviewees in Groups One and Two 24
Table 4.3: Interviewees in Group Three 25
Table 4.4: Interviewees in Domestic SITE firms 25
Table 6.1: The Reasons of Fund Size Growth and Decline 43


LIST OF FIGURES

page
Figure 2.1: The Historical Change Of Structured Products in the 8
Bond Fund Sector
Figure 3.1:   The PESTEL Framework 12
Figure 3.2: Porter’s  Five  Forces  Framework 13
Figure 4.1: The Five Largest Taiwanese SITE Firms by Total 22
Fund Size
Figure 4.2: The Five Largest Taiwanese SITE Firms Excluding 22
Bond Funds
Figure 6.1: Macro-environment Influences on SITE Firms Using 38
the PESTEL Framework
Figure 6.2: The Five Forces Framework for the Domestic SITE 39
Sector
Figure 7.1: Proposed Turnaround Tactics Model 50







1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Project Background

Due to rapidly changing market and financial conditions, businesses today, all over the world, are facing new and increasingly tougher challenges. Having benefited from improvements in technology and industrialisation, businesses are now exposed to increased financial and market uncertainty.

“Business  failure  is  a  gradual  process – it rarely  occurs  overnight”  (Scherrer 2003 p.55).

“Every  business  firm  suffers  declines  in  its  fortune  from  time  to  time”  (Schendel  et al. 1976b p.3).

A severe liquidity crisis happened in the Taiwanese bond market in 2004. All Securities Investment Trust Enterprises (SITE), also called Unit Trust firms in the western world, experienced a massive monetary redemption and found themselves close to experiencing a cash dry-out. Thanks to intervention by the government bureau; the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC), the crisis was averted as shareholders of
SITE firms were forced to accept the financial forfeit themselves or be bought-out by competitors. Three years later, some SITE firms have been transformed from near death to sustainable good health, while some have merged or are still struggling to survive in the market place.    
 
Of interest to this report are the management decisions and turnaround experiences that led to substantial decline, subsequent recovery or continuous growth. This report assesses the extent to which leading SITE firms recovered from massive financial damage. It also aims to survey attitudes and opinions on to what extent reputation and trust matters to investors, and to establish a future direction for a long-term turnaround
strategy.

In doing this, the study builds on the work of Schendel et al. (1976b), Barker and Duhaime (1997), Harker (1998) and others who have devoted their knowledge to the study of turnaround process and strategy management.