Research Methodology

Primary Research Primary research consists of a collection of original primary data. It is often undertaken after the researcher has gained some insight into the issue by reviewing secondary research or by analyzing previously collected primary data. It can be accomplished through various methods, including questionnaires and telephone interviews in market research, or experiments and direct observations in the physical sciences, amongst others. Interview Technique Interviews are one-on-one or small group question and answer sessions. Interviews will provide a lot of information from a small number of people and are useful when you want to get an expert or knowledgeable opinion on a subject. Here the researcher used interview technique based on a set of questions to benchmark the PMS process at BPCL with other organizations following the BSC. Benchmarking Benchmarking is the process of measuring an organization's internal processes then identifying, understanding, and adapting outstanding practices from other organizations considered to be best-in-class. Most business processes are common throughout industries. By Benchmarking you will discover: Who performs the business process very well and has process practices that are adaptable to your own organization Who is the most compatible for you to benchmark with

Secondary Research Secondary research makes use of information previously researched for other purposes and publicly available. This is also known as 'desk research'. Secondary research includes published research reports in a library, surveys or the Internet. It can also include scientific reports produced by medical councils, universities or government. Organisations often undertake secondary research first to find out what already is known about the subject. A Secondary research was carried out initially. The mediums explored were the internet, Articles, reference books and the company intranet.

The main objectives of this secondary research were as follows To understand BPCLs PMS process To gain an understanding of the Balanced Scorecard concept To identify other organizations in other sectors following the BSC concept

After completion of the secondary research the Researcher developed a questionnaire in order to gain a better understanding of an organisations PMS process. The next stage involved contacting organizations in different sectors following the BSC concept and scheduling an interview to discuss their PMS process. The researcher was unable to cover key sectors like FMCG and Pharmaceuticals due to non- disclosure of the PMS process at those organizations. A sample of 5 organizations was chosen for this study. These will be discussed in detail later in the project report. Recommendations Recommendations were made based on the best practices discovered in the benchmarking process and also the current organization structure and culture of BPCL.