This document provides an overview of how to conduct research for a project, including how to frame a research title, collect primary and secondary data, analyze the collected data, interpret the results, suggest alternative solutions, implement timelines and milestones, and write a conclusion. It discusses topics such as coming up with an interesting and memorable title, conducting interviews and surveys to collect primary data, searching various sources like newspapers, magazines, and the internet for secondary data, using tools like Excel and regression analysis to analyze the data, interpreting the results through stories and adding general knowledge, being creative with alternative solutions, using timelines and milestones to monitor progress, and writing a summary of findings and conclusions.

1. Dr. SREENIVAS RAJAN
At
FUTURE INNOVERSITY

2. OVERVIEW
 How to Frame a Research Project Title.
 Primary Data Collection – Sources.
 Secondary Data Collection-Sources
 Analysis of Data Collected
 Interpretations.
 Suggesting Alterative Solution to Research Project
Problems
 Implementing Time Lines & Milestones in Research
Project.
 Conclusion
 How to write References

3. HOW TO FRAME A TITLE
 Where does the idea come from – from friends, by review,
by looking at newspapers, even from CNBC and ET Now.
 Titles should be business like and research emphasis.
 Exercise: Think of 10 titles for your research and choose the
best
 What is interesting about your title
 How contrary is your idea?
 Is your title confusing or is it too long?
 Exercise: Try reframing your title in three different ways

4. HOW TO FRAME A TITLE
 TITLE is also about keywords
 Make your title memorable
 Exercise: Use the latest buzzwords in your title
 There should be two- three keywords in your title
 For e.g. Research in FMCG Retail Brands
 What you imagined and what you are doing?
 Different reactions to your title and reworking
 How long should you take (1 hour/ week)
 Writing a couple of pages and changing your title

5. HOW TO FRAME A TITLE
 Will you remember your project title after five years?
 Imagine someone asks you after five years to talk about
your project, what will you say?
 Are there projects with similar titles on the net?
 Translate into your mother tongue and see if you get
any sense from the translation
 Have you already done research on a similar title
 Exercise: Think of three objections to the title you have
chosen.

6. Primary data collection- Sources
 Through contacts
 Think through the questions you will ask them
 Don’t ask too long or confusing questions
 Always note down answers and thank them for their time
 Through cold calls
 Calling people you don’t know is intimidating
 It is useful if they know someone you know
 Call them in the evening just after office hours or ask them for a
suitable time
 When cold calling, ask them if how long they would like to talk
 Some people are friendly and if you are lucky, these people will
help you a lot and always look on the positive side,

7. Primary data collection - Sources
 How to conduct an interview
 Always think of couple of things about the company
before the interview
 Ask non controversial questions
 Ask them questions on which they are willing to talk
more
 Think twice before interrupting the interviewee
 If there is any confusions, you can always politely ask
them to interview.

8. Think in
Layers
Data is at several
levels
Data and its
connections
should be explored
Things are more
than they seem

9. Absorbing
the DATA
Read the data
several times
See if there are any
contradictions
Do you have any
personal insight?

10. Primary data collection- Sources
 Data is hard to reach and has to be collected patiently
 Try to interact with the data, listen to your emotions, good
data is always stimulating
 Be very strict on what you expect – your expectation
matter- The observer motivation affects what the observer
sees
 Exercise- Practice one on one interviewing skills
 Exercise – Split in groups and then practice interviewing
skills.
 INTERVIEWING-INTEROGGATION-INVESTIGATION-
FOLLOW THE DATA

11. Secondary Data Collection
 Newspapers are a source of Secondary data
 Times of India and Economic Times are good sources of
data
 Look for who has written the article
 Note down the main points and interesting facts
 Look for other articles on the subject
 If articles are telling different things, try to reconcile
 If necessary contact the paper for clarification
 Know the various sections including columinists and
opinions, markets, business section and Corporate dossier

12. Secondary Data Collection
 Magazines are another source of data
 Magazine offer the benefit of longer articles.
 Business India, Business world, Business today are suitable
magazines
 Since magazine articles are long, try to compress the data
 Some times there are commercial articles that companies
pay for, these articles are informative
 Also look for articles that give an overview of the industry
 Also look out for Magazine blogs that give more current
information.

13. Secondary Data Collection
 Another way to search for data is Google
 Think of your keywords and if required multiple keywords
such as internet+marketing+Retail +2011 is an example of
such a keywords
 Google also has free books in Google books
 If you are searching for references, look in Google Scholar
 Look for PDF reports such Retail India Pdf which will give
you documents with more information.
 You can also search for powerpoints on the topic on
slideshare.net

14. Secondary data collection
 Another way to collect data is to ask questions on Orkut,
Facebook and note down the responses.
 Look for videos on You tube that may be informative
 Journal are another source of data. Vikalpa, IIM
Ahmedabad is a very good journal and should be looked
into. It is on the net.
 Another good source of data are museums, for example the
Sarabhai textile museum in Shahibagh has information on
textiles. (video on expositions)
 Institutions such as ATIRA, AMA, IIMA library are also
having extensive collections.
 If you are looking for international information, Harvard
Business Review and McKinsey quarterly is very useful.

15. Secondary Data Collection
 Other sources of data are Surveys, Censuses, Case Studies,
National Data such as GDP figures.
 For economic figures, look at the website of CMIE, Centre
for Monitoring Indian Economy
 Census data is available that gives the population data of
the country
 If you are looking for information on Indian economy,
Economic Survey of India is useful
 The United Nations also has lot of data on world economy
 Try to get several sources so that you verify the whole
picture.

16. Analysis of Data
Collected.
One of the best ways of
analysis of the Data is
through Microsoft Excel.
Arrange the Data into
tables and look out for
patterns in the data.
Check for missing data and
collect equivalent data
Find out the mean,
standard deviation and
median and do the basis
processing of the data
For text data, check if there
are any propositions and
argue for whether the data
supports the propositions
are not.
Come up with a plot that
explains the main flow of
your arguments.

17. Analysis of Data Collected
 Regression analysis is the main way of checking for
relationships in data
 If you want to find out if retail sales is affected by
advertising, the best way to check this is through regression
analysis. Video on regression analysis
 Another interesting analysis is to come up with Key
Performance Indicators and track these analytics. Check
out websites on business intelligence to find out how to do
this type of analysis. Video on business intelligence
 The best analysis comes from the data and satisfies the
highest expectations of our analytical mind.
 Analysis in companies is done by investment analysts,
consultants, general managers, business analysts and CEOs

18. Analysis of Data Collected
 Business model analysis is carried out to find the attractiveness
of the data. The most famous example of Business model is that
of Fedex which used a hub and spoke model to change the
nature of business in air cargo.
 Industry analysis is carried out to get an overview of the industry,
technology and competition. Look out for indicators such as
share of industry profits, stages in the industry life cycle.
 Network analysis is carried out to find out who is in the network,
growth in the network and how the network is influencing the
particular company.
 Competitor analysis is bases on finding out the strength of
competition, market shares of the competition as well as the
moves required to beat competitors. Read the famous guru
Michael Porter for insight on competitive analysis.

19. Analysis of Data Collected
 Competence analysis checks for the capability of the
organization, the core competence, distinctive
capability as well as the dynamics of the competence.
Read the famous guru CK Prahalad for further
information on competence analysis.
 Values analysis checks for what are the main values of
the company, whether they are able to follow the
values and what are the challenges.
 Retail analysis checks for what is the retail presence,
the attractiveness of display, price and promotions.

20. Analysis of Data Collected
 International analysis is conducted by comparing with
international companies, turnover, spread and capabilities.
Also the growth of the particular country is studied.
 Growth analysis checks for what are the prospects of
growth, main action required, what experts say and
whether the company can achieve it.
 Financial analysis is done to check the balance sheet,
annual reports, debentures, stock analysis and the financial
growth of the company
 Brand analysis is done to check the goodwill of the
company, ad popularity, profitability of the brand and
segments in which the brand is popular.

21. INTERPRETATIONS
 How to Interpret? Think of the various ways Mahabharat is
interpreted from Dharmic, Artha, Karma and Moksha
point of view. The Bhagwat Gita interprets life itself and
gives a succinct view of the whole
 There can be hard, soft, difficult, simple, positive and
negative interpretations of the analysis.
 Interpretations is all about what you add to the analysis.
 Exercise: Try to tell a story from the analysis. If the analysis
is to be brave and attack hard, try to tell the story of
Dabangg
 Exercise: Use your general knowledge to add to the
interpretation.

22. INTERPRETATIONS
 General Knowledge
 Which is the largest retail company in the world?
 Which is the fastest growing market in the world?
 Who is the founder of Future group?
 Which is the biggest jewellery retailer in India?
 Who is the biggest watch retailer in India?
 Which is the biggest coffee retailer in India?
 What are grocery stores called in India?
 What happens when the prices of goods go up?
 What is the full form of MSP?
 Which sector does the retail industry belong to?
 Which country does Carrefour belong to?
 General Knowledge adds depth to your interpretation.

23. Interpretations
 Often how you interpret your analysis is different from your own
friends, ask your friends and relatives what they though of the
results.
 Use numbers to give more definition to you Interpretations.
 Does your interpretation add value to the company or brand? Is
it implementable? What will happen in the future?
 Did you get enough from the analysis? Spend atleast a week on
getting more from your analysis
 Interpretations are usable and the more simple the interpration,
the more doable it is.
 Go to your data sources and see if something more is required
 Research is an iterative process and interpretations change with
repetition.

24. Interpretations and Contrasts
Growth Divest
 Long term  Short Term
 Opportunities  Weaknesses
 Profits  Losses
 Develop new products  Cutbacks
 Increase the prices  Reduce the prices
 Bullish  Bearish
 Values  Crimes
 Discuss  Conceal
 Continuous  Begin elsewhere

25. INTERPRETATI
ONS
FACT BASED
SCIENTIFIC
RATIONAL
USING
SOFTWARE
AND INTERNET
USING MATHS

26. Suggesting Alternative Solutions
 YOU ARE THE BOSS
 BOSS should have told us what to do
 So what will you suggest?
 Boss told us to do this but nothing is happening?
 So come up with realistic solutions which can be
implemented
 Mistakes are made but be prepared to correct them
 Patience is required and solutions might not be
immediately found.
 Of course if there is no option, then always insist on what
you want to say.

27. Suggesting Alternative Solutions
 This is the 21 st Century
 Rajiv Gandhi used to say that deshko 21st century mein leh
jaaonga.
 Criticise karna aasaan hai but khud karna mushkil hai.
 Try to incorporate things such as the BRTS, Green economy,
Traditional Technologies, Biotechnology, Nano technology in
your solutions.
 The 21st century belongs to those who have the vision, do you
have the vision?
 Leadership has to be done at the ordinary level and what you do
at this level will help you lead the organizations into the future.
 You are a proud student of Future group, come up with solutions
that will make you a proud member of Future group and will
launch your career in the retail industry.

28. Suggesting Alternative Solutions
 Be creative, lateral and imaginative
 The solution should be innovative and practical.
 Exercise: Think for example on an alternative solution to
how US government caught Osama Bin Laden
 Exercise: Think for example on an alternative solution to
how the Babri Masjid issue was handled.
 Exercise: If the Future group wanted to handle the
competition from Reliance Retail, think of creative ways in
which the competition could be handled.
 That means that you have to keep your cool and use your
right brain in a calm manner. Youth is to be excited but
wisdom is to retain your excitement.

29. Come up with Ideas
Ideas that work
Ideas that grow improve
Work the net
Ideas and the article net
Net and theory
ideas
Improve
Honestly and
Continuously

30. Suggesting
Alternative
Solutions
Implementable
No complications
Force Multipliers
Implications

31. Implementing timelines and
milestones
 Time is always short. Plan your time. Allocate some time in
the end for finishing.
 Monitor your work through a timeline. If anything
significant is achieved use a milestone list.
 A good soldier knows what to achieve and in what time
 Always there are challenges and experience is an expensive
way to learn.
 In the beginning it is good to be open while schedules get
tighter towards the end.
 Things never happen as planned and be prepared for
surprises.

32. Implementing
Timelines
Time is Money
Make the most of your time
Make the difference
between short trends,
seasonal changes and long
term trends
Contact the retail
managers to get timelines
of that company
Use Indian Standard Time

33. Implementing
Milestones
Milestones are multiple in
nature
Financial milestones such as
doubling of turnover,
reaching millions, billions and
trillions should be noted
Management milestones such
as Changes in CEO should be
noted
Customer Milestones such as
the millionth customer
Retail Milestones such new
stores, closing should be duly
noted.

34. Implementing
Timelines and
Milestones
Timelines that are
informative of
what to do are
preferable
Milestones which
inform us how to
do are preferable

35. Implementing
Timelines and
Milestones
Use photographs,
poster pens and A3
size papers to get a
broad idea
Keep all the
material collected
in folders
Make a dossier on
different subjects.

36. Conclusion
 Write a summary of your findings.
 What is the take away from your project.
 Communicate to friends and try to correct the findings
 The more accurate your conclusion, the better your
project.
 Also you must investigate the validity of your findings.
 Validity can be checked by cross verifying other
reports, journals and asking the concerned managers.
 Do not hesitate to go back and make changes if there
are changes in conclusions.

37. Conclusion
 What is impact of your studies?
 Is it useful to you, to your friends, to the FUTURE
innoversity, to managers, and indeed to the nation.
 What is required the most?
 What is one thing that you would want to conclude?
 Is there any problem that you were able to solve?
 What is the impact in money terms – is your study able
to save millions of rupees or increase sales
 What else do you think would add to the conclusions?

38. Conclusions
The end is
often the
beginning of
lifetime of
retail
Spend some
time reading
your finished
report

39. Conclusions
What you conclude
must be supported by
the Report
Clarity Ambition Impact
• True or • How Big • Power of
False • How Long conclusions
The more clear the • Forget or • Simplicity
conclusions the better Remember of
the impact Conclusions
However ambitious you
are, be honest and clear
about what you have
achieved.

40. Conclusions
Investigate the limits of
your report and what
you don’t want to say.
What does your report
rule out and What need
not be done.
When do you expect
things to develop at the
project company.

41. Writing References
 Write the Title of the article, the name of the author, the
year in which published and where the author is and the
particular page number
 Whenever reading articles write down the details of the
article.
 Sometimes these details cant be found
 Try searching on Google Scholar
 First of all write a short note on what you got from the
particular article
 When you cite you must understand why and how the
particular article is useful to you.