Course Page - IIT Madras Degree Program

Diploma Level Course

Business Data Management - Project

BDM Capstone Project is an independent research project where the student is expected to reach out to a business firm (either from organized sectors viz., well established businesses in manufacturing, IT, automobile sectors etc. which has excellent systems in place to handle and manage data or from an unorganized sectors like Kirana stores, vegetable vendors etc. which do not maintain proper records), identify the issues or the problem(s) they face, collect primary data pertaining to it, clean the data, analyze it, and provide novel/ valuable insights to the decision maker(s).

by Dr. Ashwin J. Baliga , Dr. Aaditya Chandel

Course ID: BSMS2001P

Course Credits: 2

Course Type: Data Science

Pre-requisites: None

Co-requisites: BSMS2001 - Business Data Management

In the proposal stage, the student is expected to provide information about the organization and its background, problem definition/ statement, the background of the problem, the problem-solving approach they wish to use with justification, the expected timelines for project completion and the probable outcomes of the project.

In the midterm submission, students must provide a short video interaction clip with the business owner/ manager, tangible evidence like pictures, field notes etc., provide information on the meta data and descriptive statistics, conduct preliminary analysis, provide an interpretation of the results and findings.

The final report submission is a complete report and involves in-depth explanation of the entire process from start to finish.

The viva voce is conducted following acceptance of the final submission and for this, the student needs to make a presentation not exceeding 10 slides.

How to reach out and collect primary data, identify the issues or the problem(s), clean the data.

Explain and justify the reasoning behind using a particular approach, report them in a professional manner, by knitting one section to the next and how the novel insights benefits decision maker(s).

Hands-on experience in dealing with real world problems and providing solutions.

About the Instructors

Dr. Ashwin J. Baliga

Assistant Professor, IESEG School of Management

Dr. Ashwin J. Baliga is an Assistant Professor of Sales at IESEG School of Management, Paris Campus, France, and has a PhD in B2B Marketing from IIT Madras. He is the recipient of the “IIT Madras Institute Research Award” for the exemplary research work done and received the “Sri N Kannan Prize” for the Best PhD Thesis in Marketing at the 59th Convocation, IIT Madras. Ashwin has published in Journal of Business Research, Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, International Journal of Mineral Processing, Harvard Business Publishing, and Case Centre. He has received the 2024 and 2025 Outstanding Reviewer Award from “Marketing Intelligence & Planning” and the 2024 Best Reviewer Award from “Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management”. His research interests are in B2B service failure and recovery, tech usage in sales, mental health and well-being of B2B salespeople, B2B customer reacquisition, relationship reactivation, buyer-supplier relationships, etc.

Other courses by the same instructor: BSMS2001 - Business Data Management

Dr. Aaditya Chandel

Research Scientist, IIT Madras

Aaditya Chandel is an interdisciplinary leader, researcher, and entrepreneur who bridges the gap between high-tech engineering, data systems, and strategic business management. With a PhD from IIT Madras and international research credentials from Auburn University (USA), he brings a powerful combination of three distinct strengths to academia and industry: pioneering aerospace R&D, massive-scale management education, and proven entrepreneurial success. His expertise in elite management education is further highlighted by delivering prestigious guest lectures for Executive Program participants at IIM Kozhikode.Dr. Chandel is a highly disciplined strategist with a sharp track record of leading cross-functional teams and driving international collaborations. He excels at turning complex technical concepts into real-world business value, high-impact student mentorship, and scalable organizational growth. He is a founder of QkRes Technologies and Research Service. He successfully commercialized his technical expertise to build a venture that designs and supplies custom scientific instruments and experimental setups for top tier research laboratories.

Other courses by the same instructor: BSMS2001 - Business Data Management