CPU College

School of Graduate Studies

MBA/MA PROGRAM

GUIDELINES FOR WRITING MBA/MA THESIS REPORT

A Research Report Should includes the Following Headings:

COVER PAGE & INSIDE COVER PAGE

The cover page should include the following information:

 Thesis Topic/Title, 16 font size, bold & italics, and usually center on the page
 The purpose of the thesis or research report (14 font size, italics and center on the page) e.g.

A Thesis Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of CPU College in Partial

Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Business
Administration (MBA)

 The Name of the Author/Investigator, 14 font size, bold, all caps, and center on the page
 Name of the University, 16 font size, Bold, and all Caps usually center on the page
 Name of the College, 16 font size, Bold, and all Caps usually center on the page
 Name of the Department/Program, 16 font size, Bold, and all Caps usually center on the page
 The Date on which the final report is submitted, e.g. MARCH, 2017 and
 The City/Town in which the report is submitted, e.g. ADDIS ABABA,

ETHIOPIA As an example a typical research report cover page is given on the page

below:

1|Page
Challenges and Prospects of Micro and Small Scale Enterprises in Addis
Ababa: The Case of Bole Sub City

By:

Advisor: (PhD)

A Thesis Proposal Submitted to the CPU College in Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for the Award of the Degree of Master of Business
Administration (MBA)

August /2018

ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

2|Page
 CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the thesis entitles “Challenges and Prospects of Micro and Small Scale
Enterprises in Addis Ababa: The Case of Bole Sub City”, submitted to CPU College for the
award of the Degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA) and is a record of bonafide
research work carried out by Mr. , under our guidance and supervision. Therefore, we
hereby declare that no part of this thesis has been submitted to any other university or institutions
for the award of any degree or diploma.

Main Adviser’s Name Date Signature

Co-Advisor’s Name Date Signature

3|Page
 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this thesis entitled “Challenges and Prospects of Micro and Small Scale
Enterprises in Addis Ababa: The Case of Bole Sub City”, has been carried out by me under the
guidance and supervision of Dr .

The thesis is original and has not been submitted for the award of any degree or diploma to any
university or institutions.

Researcher‟s Name Date Signature

4|Page
Abstract: (12 font sizes, italics, with the word ‘abstract’ center on the page with the text
aligned to both the left & right margins). Abstract is an important parts of the report, as this the
only portion of the report that executives often read. The executive summary should be written after the
rest of the report has been completed. An executive summary is a mini report within the report. Abstract
is a short informative summary of the entire document of approximately 300 words provide brief
information about the whole problem to be investigated. The abstract of proposal should contain the title
or topic of the research, statement of the problem, objective of the study, methodology of investigation.

Acknowledgement

Acknowledgements: (12 font sizes, with the word ‘acknowledgements’ center on the page with
14 font sizes, and the text usually aligned to both the left & right margins)

Example: First and foremost, I want to give my thanks to Almighty God. Next, I would able to
thank many people who have helped me in the writing of the thesis. I would like to extend my
heartfelt thanks to my academic advisor -------------(PhD) Faculty of Business and Economics
University, for his willingness to provide me with technical support, relevant
materials, and for his invaluable scientific advice and without his critical comments this thesis
would have been realized.

Table of Contents: (text 12 font sizes, usually aligned to both the left & right margins with the
word ‘Table of Contents’, center on the page with 14 font sizes). Table of Contents lists major
report topics and subtopics (sections, chapters, appendices etc.) and their beginning page
numbers. It varies from being very detailed to consisting of general topic headings only. Usually
the major headings and subheadings are included in the table of contents. The table of contents is
followed by a list of tables, list of graphs, list of appendixes, and list of exhibits, if any, if the
report is lengthy.

List of Tables& Figures: (text 12 font sizes, usually aligned to both the left & right margins
with the word ‘List of Tables’and „List of Figures’center on the page with 14 font sizes)

ACRONYMS/ABRIVATIONS: (the word „ACRONYMS or ABRIVATIONS‟ center on the page

with 14 font sizes)

5|Page
 CHAPTER ONE (18 font size, all caps, bold & center on the page)
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study (title 14 font size, aligned to left margin, bold and title case)
1.2 Statement of the Problem& Research Questions:(title 14 font size, aligned to left margin,
bold and title case)
1.3 Objectives of the Study: (General & Specific objectives, title 14 font size, aligned to left
margin, bold and title case)
1.4 Hypotheses of the Study: (title 14 font size, aligned to left margin, bold and title case)
1.5 Significance of the Study: (title 14 font size, aligned to left margin, bold and title case)
1.6 Scope of the Study: title 14 font size, aligned to left margin, bold and title case)
1.7 Structure of the Thesis: title 14 font size, aligned to left margin, bold and title case)

1.1. Background of the Study

Explain your interest or any previous work you have done on the topic. Also, describe any
reading or any personal experience that has leads you to want to research on the topic. You
should also include a short statement explaining the benefits which you think will be derived
from the research you are proposing. Start by providing a global synopsis of the subject and
move to regional and specific to country, local or institution situation
1.2. Statement of the Problem (encapsulates the question you are trying to answer.)
From the wider background, you have just described you should select a management problem
and explain it clearly. Describe the problems you expect to encounter and how you hope to solve
them. For example, texts might be unavailable, people you hope to interview might be unwilling
to participate, you might not have enough time, etc. It must be written in a way that gives
empirical references to describe the situation and specifies the gaps in existing knowledge of the
problem. Try to imagine every possible problem so that you have contingency plans and the
project does not become derailed. Situations that may not pose any current problems but which
the manager feels have scope for improvement. Areas where some conceptual clarity is needed
for better theory building or situations in which a researcher is trying to answer a research
question empirically because of interest in the topic.

1.3. Objective of the Study

1.3.1. General objective of the study
1.3.2. Specific objectives of the study
1.4. Hypothesis of the Study

6|Page
  Statement Of Hypothesis Formats
 Null and Alternate Hypothesis
1.5. Significance Of The Study: Justifies the need, importance and urgency of the study;
and as to how the results of his/her study will be useful to the beneficiaries
1.6. Scope Of The Study /Delimitation of the study
1.7. Limitation Of The Study
1.8. Organization of the paper

CHAPTER TWO (18 font size, all caps, bold & center on the page)

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

The literature review section examines recent (or historically significant) research studies,
company data, or industry reports that act as a basis for the proposed study. Begin your
discussion of the related literature and relevant secondary data from a comprehensive
perspective, moving to more specific studies that are associated with your problem. The
literature review aims to provide in-depth knowledge about entrepreneurship in terms of its
evolution and current state. The literature reviews have three major subtopics. These are:
2.1. Theoretical Related Literature Review
2.2. Review of Empirical Studies: (title 15 font size, bold and title case, aligned to the left
margin)
2.3. Review of Conceptual Model:(title 15 font size, bold and title case, aligned to the left
margin)

CHAPTER THREE (18 font size, all caps, bold & center on the page)
METHODOLOGY OF STUDY
3.1. The Study Setting (title 14 font size, bold, title case, & aligned to the left margin)
This study will conduct on micro and small enterprises which were found in Addis Ababa city
administration particularly on Bole sub city. It will be select due to the fact that there are large
numbers micro and small scale enterprises , its proximity of the researcher, eases access to its
data‟.

7|Page
3.2. Study Design
The study used a descriptive survey research design. This kind of research is used to obtain
information concerning the current status of the phenomena to describe what exists with respect
to variables or conditions in a situation.
3.3. Population and Sampling Design
3.4. Population of the Study
Statistical population of the study consisted of 1500 micro and small scale enterprises located in
bole sub city. (Source: Federal micro and small scale enterprises development agency).

3.5. Sample Size Determination

3.6. Sample Selection Technique
3.7. Source and Methods of Data Collection
In this research proposal, both primary and secondary sources of data will be used. The primary
data will be collected through questionnaires and interviews. Also, journals, internet, books and
other related references will be used as secondary data. A set of questionnaire anchored on five-
point scales (ranged from strongly disagrees to strongly agree) is designed as to measure the
attributes of prospective graduates entrepreneurial intention, entrepreneurial perceived constraint,
field of study, and demographic factor. The questionnaires will be administered during lecture
hours. Participation will be voluntary and completely anonymous. It should be noted that a total
number of 44 questionnaires were distributed among the members of the study and the response
rate was 100%.

3.8. Methods of Data Analysis (Fill for the data, Testing goodness of the data, Reliability
testing & Hypothesis testing. Getting Data Ready for Analysis (Data editing, Handling
blank response, Coding/categorization & Entering data into the data editor
Research Schedules (Table Form Using Gantt chart)
 The tasks to be performed (Activities )
 Who is responsible for each task
 The time each task is expected to take (Time Targets)

8|Page
 WORK PLAN (TIME BUDGET)
The study is expected to be completed within time table explain each of the important phase of
the research as follows.
S.No Activity Month

May 2015 June July Aug

1. Bibliographic Searches

2. Photocopy info from non bibliographic sources

3 Problem defining & literature finding, Title selection

4 Submission of thesis proposal

5 Fine tune research question and methodology

6 Prepare research tools in detail

7 Make contacts for interviews/questionnaires

8 Data collection

9 Data analysis

10 Writing up of paper

11 Revision, editing and submission

12 Submission of research paper

13 Paper defense

COST BUDGET

9|Page
 A table that shows the expected costs to be incurred for the accomplishment of each activity is
presented below.

Budget heading Unit Quantity Cost Total Cost(Birr)

Perdiem for Researcher Person 01

Perdiem Data Collector Person 01

Stationary and Equipment

Photo copy paper Ream 5

Pen Pcs. 20

Flash disk Pcs. 5

Miscellaneous Birr

Sub-total

Contingency 10%

GRAND TOTAL

10 | P a g e
Reference (title 16 font size, all caps, bold & center on the page)
A. Book with a Single Author

Fleming, T. (1997) Liberty!: The American Revolution. New York: Viking.

Important Elements: Author, date of publication, title of the book, place of publication,
publisher.

B. Book with two or three Authors

Schwartz, D., Ryan, S., & Wostbrock, F. (1995) The Encyclopedia of TV game shows. New
York: Facts on File.

C. Book with more than three authors

Azfar, O. et al. (1999) Decentralization, Governance and Public Services: the Impact of
Institutional Arrangements: A Review of Literature. IRIS Centre: Maryland University
Press.

D. Article within a Book

Adhana H. (1994) “Mutation of Statehood and Contemporary Politics”, in Abebe Z. and S.

Abera (eds.) Ethiopia in Change: Peasantry, Nationalism and Democracy, pp. 12-29.
London: British Academic Press.

Important Elements: Author of the article, date of publication, title of the article, editor(s) of
the book, title of the book, page numbers of the article, place of publication, and publisher.

E. Articles from a Printed Journal

Abbink, J. (1997) “Ethnicity and Constitutionalism in Contemporary Ethiopia”, Journal of

African Law 41(2): 159-174.

Important Elements: Author of the article, date of publication, title of the article, title of
journal, volume and issue number of the journal, page numbers of the article.

G. Article from a Printed Newspaper

11 | P a g e
Holden, S. (1998, May 16) Frank Sinatra dies at 82: Matchless stylist of pop. The New York
Times, pp. A1, A22-A23.

Important Elements: Author of article, date of publication, title of article, name of newspaper,
section, page location of article.

H. Website sources

Brosio, G. (2000) Decentralization in Africa.

http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/seminar/2000/fiscal/brosio.pdf (accessed 24/10/2007)

13. Appendix
The appendix which comes last is the appropriate place for the organization chart, newspaper
clippings or other materials that substantiate the text of the report, detailed verbatim narration of
interviews with members, and whatever else would help the reader to follow the text.
 It should also contain a copy of the Questionnaires, Policy documents, the consent
form if any, Dummy tables, Biographical data on the principal investigator &
Statistical computations.
 If there are several appendices, they could be referenced as appendix A, Appendix
B, and so on, and appropriately labeled.
REPORT FORMAT

 Font type: Times New Roman

 Font size: all text 12 cpi
 Line Spacing: 1.5
 Left margin: 1.5 Inch and 1 inch on all other sides
 Paper type: A4 Size standard printed on one side.

12 | P a g e