IIFT ties up with global B-Schools

KOLKATA: In an effort to maintain its pre-eminence as one of the leading B-Schools in the country, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) is set to embrace new global partners to offer new courses in the state-of-the-art education on business management, international trade and marketing.

The institute, which has been awarded the deemed university status, is in talks with two global B-Schools now.

“Discussion is on with a German institute for a partnership in offering a new MBA course for aspiring business consultants. The purpose behind this is to have a faculty exchange programme and secure the opportunity for students to go to that German institute for completing part of the course curriculum under the programme,” said IIFT director KT Chacko.

IIFT is also eyeing a partnership with a London-based royal institute to explore the opportunity of offering a specialised course in logistics and supply chain management. Without divulging the name of the royal institute, Mr Chacko said the deal in this regard may be struck by early next month.

In step with its strategy to help create a pool of skilled workforce for different industries, IIFT is soon going to introduce an exclusive PG diploma course exclusively for the executives of Larsen & Toubro.

IIFT, as a nodal institute for offering training and education programmes on bilateral and multilateral trade issues in developing countries, has been invited by the governments of Namibia and Rwanda to launch those programmes in those states, in collaboration with local Bschools . “Two such programmes are planned to be launched in those African countries in the first week of December and another one in Cambodia in January next year,” said Mr Chacko.

These programmes are being facilitated by multilateral trading fora/funding agencies, including WTO, UNCTAD and Swiss International Development Organisation.

Earlier in the year, IIFT, under the regional resource development programme, had conducted two programmes on management development for SMEs at Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and at Kuo-Ming in China , in collaboration with the local institutes.

Right now, the institute offers courses on 35 streams within the broad spectrum in business and international trade management.

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Global Top B-Schools

USA

University of Pennsylvania: Wharton
Columbia Business School
Harvard Business School
Stanford University GSB
University of Chicago GSB
New York University: Stern
Yale School of Management
MIT: Sloan
UCLA: Anderson
Duke University: Fuqua
UC Berkeley: Haas
Dartmouth College: Tuck

U.K.

London Business School
University of Cambridge: Judge
Manchester Business School

France

Insead
HEC Paris

Spain

Instituto de Empresa
Iese Business School
Esade Business School

China

Ceibs

Switzerland

IMD

Canada

University of Toronto: Rotman
University of Western Ontario: Ivey

XLRI shines in season of campus gloom

KOLKATA: XLRI, Jamshedpur, seems to have bucked the global meltdown that has not spared the likes of the IIMs and IITs. The highest international stipend (for two months) is the same as last years record of Rs 5 lakh and the average stipend has risen by over 55% from Rs 48,000 to Rs 85,000 for 2009.

Better still, the number of students bagging a stipend of Rs 1 lakh-plus has jumped from 14 to 45. The icing on the cake: international offers have shot up from 5 in 2008 to 22 for 2009.

The only casualty of the meltdown is the highest domestic stipend, which has slipped from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh. No more than a bruising blow, when many others have taken a knockout hit. The number of recruiters who turned up for summer placements increased by 32 from last year.

Top financial banks like Lehmann Brothers (which offered the highest stipend last year), Robo Bank and Calyon Bank stayed away but no surprise there.

Over 200 internship offers were made for a batch of 180 students with 15% of the profiles being offered internationally in North America, Europe, South-East Asia, and West Asia by over 70 recruiters.

The highest international stipend was offered by a Wall Street investment bank for its trading desk in Hong Kong while the highest domestic stipend was offered by an investment bank, again, for a position in Mumbai, said Jeevan Kumar, secretary of XLRI's placement committee. And, The Carlyle Group, now the largest private equity player in the world, once again chose XLRI as its exclusive domestic recruitment destination.

So, what's the secret? "We had invited carbon trading companies like Cantor C2E and commodity exchange companies like MCX for summer placements. And, for the first time, brand consulting companies participated too,'' said Rajiv Mishra, XLRI's placement committee chairperson. "XLRI offers a unique dual management, both in marketing and finance. So, the meltdown did not affect us as much.''

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In core engg sectors, recession spares campus recruitments

Lucknow, November 21 : The economic meltdown has hit the campus recruitment of the country’s premier institutes, but Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET), Lucknow, has a reason to smile. In the first session of placement of undergraduates, of the 280 registered students, 168 students have already been offered jobs.

Unlike the previous years, the core engineering sectors — civil, mechanical and electrical — witnessed a high demand. The authorities expect around 200 students to receive job offers by the end of the year.

“We have seen a rise in demand in the core engineering sectors this year. Placement statistics indicate a shift in job opportunities from IT to civil, mechanical and electronics,” said Dr D S Yadav, Head, Training and Placement Cell.

Companies like Lanco Infratech, Hindalco, Hero Honda and Larsen and Toubro have already hired undergraduates from the institute.

Lanco has hired 16, of whom seven are from the civil engineering department while Larsen and Toubro has hired 10, three from mechanical, four from electrical and three from civil. Hindalco has hired three and more companies are flocking to the institute. Simplex Infrastructures, Hindustan Construction Company and Shapoorji Pallonji are expected to arrive soon.

“Economic development over the past three years has led to a boom in the infrastructure and power industry,” said Vineet Sachan, a civil engineering student who received an offer of around Rs 4.5 lakh per annum from Lanco.

“The economic recession is rampant in the IT sector. Core engineering has not been affected much,” said Divyabh Tyagi, a mechanical engineering student.

Computer Science and Electronics department, however, recorded 31 and 29 placements respectively. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), has continued with its placement rounds at IET.

“TCS has absorbed much of the impact of the recession due to its length and breadth,” said Amitanshu Nath, HR executive, TCS, which has hired 96 students.

The salary structure also reflects this trend, with core sectors surpassing traditionally high paying IT companies. Hero Honda offered around Rs 5 lakh per annum while Lanco offered Rs 4.5 lakh per annum. In comparison, TCS offered around Rs 3.15 lakh per annum.

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IIM Lucknow Summer Placements 2008

A day after the Indian Institute of Management-Lucknow (IIM-L) authorities said 55 students in the first year of the MBA programme are still waiting for offers, a released posted on the institute’s website said there has been a 15 per cent rise in the number of companies participating in summer placements over the last year.

According to the figures, 114 companies had participated in this year’s summer placement programme. While the website had no word on the exact number of offers and the number of students placed, it maintained that for the first time, IIM-L has allowed progressive entrepreneurial ventures and start-ups to participate in the programme. Around 20 firms launched by IIM-L alumnus were present at the programme. This was done following demand from students, said an official. As many as 35 students opted for entrepreneurial ventures and start-ups.

Companies and banking firms like Merrill Lynch, Barclays Capital, Baring Private Equity Partners, O3 Capital, 2i Capital, Seedfund, JP Morgan Chase, and Goldman Sachs and premier banks like Citigroup, HSBC, Deutsche Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, RBS Group, American Express, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank, had taken part in the programme, stated the release. While 320 students (32 per cent) have opted for the banking and financial sector, 34 per cent have opted for strategy and consultancy based roles. Ninety have opted for marketing internships in powerhouses like P&G, Diageo, Nokia, Johnson & Johnson, Asian Paints, Cadbury, Nestle, etc.

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Related Story

IT cos going back on campus placements' commitments

Desperate times call for desperate measures. IT companies are going back on commitments made at campus placements. Many companies are even unwilling to commit as to when they will visit colleges this year.

That extra twang in the tone is missing. And it may stay that way a long time. Hiring by it companies seems to have hit a rough patch with companies deferring joining dates for fresh hires. Mindtree, for example, has deferred hiring by two quarters.

Making the situation worse is reluctance among it companies to even visit campuses this year. A large engineering college in Bangalore says twenty companies visited their campus last October. But this year, none have come so far. This sentiment is echoed across colleges and reiterated by HR consultants. And companies say it may take time for things to improve.

Som Mittal, President, NASSCOM says, “For some time now, many of the large IT companies have staggered hiring and it has become more skewed due to the events taking place….it is not only the IT industry but as we are competing for resources in the domestic market and there has been an impact all around.”

Pratik Kumar, Executive Vice President-HR (Brand & Corporate Communication), Wipro says, “What you are witnessing is a staggering of joining dates which is taking place. I am not giving you a Wipro perspective, but since it is a general industry view. I can say that we are seeing it right now."

Most IT companies make offers to students in the third year of engineering and the recruitment cycle of companies is such that typically students join in the October-November timeframe. But most engineering colleges we spoke with say that companies’ have deferred hiring to February and are awaiting clarity on whether companies will be able to meet that new commitment.

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Slowdown making many executives for CAT

AHMEDABAD: Freshers, beware! From next year, belling the CAT will be much more tougher. For there would be additional competition from candidates with two to five years of work experience—a profile preferred by the top B-schools in the country.

The number of candidates appearing for CAT has gone up by 11% versus last year. However, the ratio of freshers to those with some work experience has remained more or less constant at 30:70. Experts feel that this ratio will alter for CAT 2009 in favour of those with additional work experience.

Driven by economic slowdown, many professionals from IT, engineering , medical and finance background are gearing up for CAT.

“Given the current slowdown in the economy, working people are looking to rescale and upgrade their profile, which will lead them to take up CAT next year. Already inquiries are pouring in from people with such profiles. This means, competition for country’s top BSchool will get tougher,” said Career Launcher director Arindham Lahiri.

Experts believe people who have been otherwise busy with their job are now making up their minds to take up CAT and are readying themselves to take the plunge next year. “It is better to do an MBA now as promotions are not expected quickly. In two-years’ time, as economy picks up, job prospects might improve. By that time, I would hopefully have my MBA degree,” says Sakshi Verma, who has been working for eight months for a Delhi-based KPO and has been shifted to a different department as the volume of work in her department had shrunk.

While the bulk of candidates applying for CAT are fresh graduates, over the years there have been an increasing trend of people with two to five years of experience taking up the test for admission to the coveted B-Schools . And candidates with prior work experience have a special preference over freshers for top-slot B-Schools , including IIMs.

“We do consider candidates with prior work experience. This is part of our admission policy. Although it varies from year to year, candidates with varying degree of work experience (which may be as little as six months) are our first choice,” said IIM-A chairperson (admissions) Satish Deodhar. IIM-A has more than 50% candidates with two to five years of work experience.

“Around 40% of candidates take up CAT more than once, and the number has accumulated over the last several years. They are also candidates with some amount of work experience in the fields of IT and banking-finance and have an edge over freshers ,” said director and CEO of Endeavor , an institute that prepares for admission to management schools.

GETTING TOUGHER

Number of candidates appearing for CAT has gone up by 11% compared to last year Ratio of freshers to those with work experience has remained constant at around 30:70 IIM-A has more than 50% candidates with work experience Candidates with prior work experience have a preference over freshers for most B-Schools.

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CAT 2008 Overview

90 questions 3 sections - Quantitative Ability (25 question), Data Interpretation (25 questions) and Verbal Ability (40 questions).

Overall Expected Cutoff for 1 IIM Call: 125/360

Life beyond IIMs

Three lakh students will be making the beeline to take the CAT exam this year. But with less than one out of 300 aspirants making it to the much sought after IIMs, here's a list that will lighten the load off your shoulders. There is a life beyond the IIMs.

Xavier Labour Relation Institute School Of Management

Top of that pile is Xavier Labour Relation Institute School Of Management the institute located in the industrial town of Jamshedpur. It's setting high standards with a separate entrance conducted in the first week of January.
It's an opportunity in wings for those who don't make the coveted CAT list, for some though it was a first choice.

Faculty of Management Studies

The Faculty of Management Studies in the Capital may not be such a bad bet. It's number two on the list after XLRI. Apart from full time MBA, it's known for it's part time MBA programme as well.
As far as specialsations go the best of marketing and finance are the on offer.

Indian School of Business

In Hyderabad, the youngest of the all B schools is Indian School of Business. It's barely 10-years-old but is rising in ranks globally and on the list. A globally accepted GMAT exam along with comprehensive interviews and Group Discussion are prerequisites. But along with that the excecutive MBA requires a two years of work experience.

SP Jain Institute of Management and Research

Also in line is SP Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai. For those with work experience both CAT and XAT scores work for its diploma.

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in Delhi closes the list of top five B schools in the country.

With percentiles above 95 giving you a fair chance of making it to leading B-schools, all's not lost if you haven't made it to the IIMs.

There are 99 other B-schools that accept CAT scores throwing open another gateway to your management dreams.

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Crisis - engineering placements suffer

As the global economic crisis deepens, some technology companies are revoking campus offers, while some are reducing the number of campus hires

Bangalore: Seven engineering students of National Institute of Technology (NIT) Surathkal, in Karnataka, received job offers from Bangalore-based outsourced product developer Aditi Technologies Pvt. Ltd in August. Last month the placement department of the institute received an email from the company that the offers had been withdrawn.

“I missed (attending interviews at) 10-15 companies because I took the Aditi offer,” said one of the seven, a 21-year-old in his seventh semester, who didn’t want his name revealed because it might hurt his chances of landing another job.

Tech companies have revoked offer letters and deferred joining dates for engineering students who passed out in June, Mint reported in July. While many who passed out in June are yet to be informed of their joining dates, placements are under way for the batch that will pass out in June 2009, and the going seems to get tougher.

Information technology (IT) services firms typically hire in bulk and so far provided employment to at least half the students passing out of NITs and the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

Chetan L.S., vice-president of the people department at Aditi Technologies, denied revoking the campus offers. “We had made offers to seven students in NIT Surathkal and those offers stand—we absolutely intend to on-board these candidates,” he said.

However, a placement official at NIT Surathkal, who did not want to be identified as he is not authorized to speak to the media, said, “Aditi sent an email to the placement department saying they are withdrawing the offers. We have allowed these seven students to attend other interviews.”

At NIT Surathkal, out of a batch of 570 B.Tech (bachelor of technology) students, 120 students are awaiting placement. At NIT Rourkela, Orissa, 98 students out of a batch of 660 are awaiting jobs and at NIT Warangal, Andhra Pradesh, 50 students out of a batch of 380 are yet to be placed, said placement officials from the respective colleges.

“Engineering placements are going badly this year with only about 85% of students in NITs placed so far,” says Rishi Das, director of CareerNet Consulting Pvt. Ltd, a recruiter. By this time last year, about 95-98% of students in NITs would have been placed.

Placements in lower-rung engineering colleges would be bad this year, said B.S. Murthy, chief executive of Bangalore-based executive search firm BSM Leadership Capital Consulting Pvt. Ltd. “I know of some colleges in which there were virtually no takers,” he said.

“IT companies are taking smaller number of students this year,” says a placement official at NIT Rourkela, who did not wish to be identified as he is not authorized to speak to the media.

For instance, India’s third largest software exporter, Wipro Technologies, took 61 students this year as against 92 last year from NIT Rourkela. Pradeep Bahirwani, vice-president of talent acquisition at Wipro Technologies, refused to reveal the current fiscal’s hiring target given the market conditions, but said, “In 2008-09, we have made 8,000 offers so far.”

Companies such as Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. and Citrix R&D India Pvt. Ltd declined to visit NIT Surathkal this year, said the placement official at the college. A Cognizant spokesman said it was against company policy to reveal campus recruitment numbers.

Citrix R&D India denied any change in the recruitment strategy. “We have been visiting campuses across India every year for over five years and will be doing the same this academic year,” managing director Rakesh Singh said by email. “There is no change in our plans.”

Even the prestigious IITs are not immune to the downturn. “In the IITs there is 30-50% fall in the number of companies (set to visit them),” says Das.

IITs are preparing to start their placements next month. At IIT Roorkee in Uttarakhand, some 100 companies are expected on campus against 130-140 last year, said a placement coordinator who did not want to be identified. Apart from IT companies, the college is also missing multinational investment banks that recruited at least 20 engineering students as financial analysts last year.

M.Tech, or master of technology, students have it worse. At NIT Warangal, only 40% of a batch of 250 M.Techs have been placed so far as against 75% last year by this time; at NIT Rourkela only 5% of a batch of 270 M.Techs have been placed so far.

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Rat race to bell CAT

Ranchi, Nov. 13: Anxiety is evident on the faces of many MBA aspirants as the countdown for the Common Admission Test (CAT) has already begun.

With just two days left for the mega examination to take place, the aspirants are running helter-skelter for last minute tips from coaching institutes, making revision of their notes and taking mock tests for self-evaluation.

At stake are the entry tickets to six prestigious management institutes — the IIMs.

“The exam is no joke. It needs stringent practice, arduous labour and above all, the grace of divine providence. I am better prepared to bell the CAT this time,” said Avinash Ananda, a student who had also taken the examination last year as well.

“I had been scoring reasonably well in all the mock tests taken by my institute up till now. I sincerely hope that I don’t come out a rat in the CAT which I shall be facing on this Sunday,” said Riya Sinha, an aspirant preparing for the examination at Career Launchers in Sainik Market on Main Road .

Hope is reflected in the reactions of these students aspiring for a management career as they gear up for the CAT race.

The race would be testing students on their speed and agility. It shall see many a dream culminate into reality or infuse tenacity in others to aspire for the challenge once again with renewed confidence.

Asked what tips do experts preparing these students had to give for the last moments, calmness of mind and inner confidence came out as unanimous response. “There is no point in cramming things left untouched at this moment. Just work on your stronger points. take a few mock tests before the examination, relax, meditate and recall your previous victories,” said Rita Shahdeo director of Erudite, an MBA coaching centre at Amravati Complex.

70 to 75 questions in 150 minutes and nearly 1,00,000 intelligent minds of the country competing for 900 odd seats in six IIMs. A tough competition for sure!

“There are only two possibilities. Either I will make it or I shall be eliminated. After all, CAT is not the end of the world,” said Saket Mewara, a final year BCom student at St Xavier’s College who shall be taking the test for the first time.

Yet, he could not hide the anxiety on his face.

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More professionals want to bell CAT

Ahmedabad : With Common Admission Test (CAT-2008) just around the corner, many doctors, lawyers and chartered accountants are spending sleepless nights. Cracking the exam and getting into top-notch B-schools, like Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), doesnt come easy.

Till a few years ago, a management degree was an obvious choice for engineers, but now its becoming the preferred option for other professionals as well. The reason: they find it worth investing two years in an MBA since it gives them much-needed soft skills.

"It was during my CA course, in which I had a subject called general management and communication skills, that I realised importance of soft skills. Even if you are an excellent CA, you need to know how to present yourself, " says Vinay Menon, CA rank-holder.

Vaidehi Darji, who is pursuing her LLB, says: "The grilling and grooming one goes through in a management course is the biggest attraction. This is my second CAT attempt and I hope to make it to an institute of my choice."

The famous Gujarati entrepreneurial spirit is another reason why an MBA degree is getting popular among professionals. "Im hoping to start something on my own eventually. Also, with just a CA degree I would be like any other practitioner," says Parth Desai.

"The number of people with a professional degree taking CAT has increased this year. We had only two CAs last year, this year we have seven. The number of doctors has increased and lawyers are new additions to our students," says Yakub Mansuri, centre manager of IMS Learning Resources.

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CAT: Expect the unexpected

NEW DELHI: Unpredictability is the only prediction for the Common Admission Test (CAT) as over 2.76 lakh students are all set to sweat it out on November 16 to get a place in the top B-schools of the country. There will be over 54,000 female candidates taking the test this year. Over 118 B-schools would accept CAT scores this year. And no one is hazarding a guess as to what surprise is in store in this edition of CAT.

However, before the trends, here is what CAT-2008 looks like in numbers in comparison to 2007. In comparison to 2.3 lakh applicants in 2007, 2.85 lakh applicants have been accepted this year. According to Satish Deodhar, member CAT committee, "Close to 3 lakh forms were sold for 2008. While 2 lakh wrote the test last year, it would be 76,000 more this year."

The exam, scheduled to start at 10.30 am, would have three sections and would be of two-and-half-hour duration. According to sources from IIM Bangalore, CAT would be conducted from IIM Bangalore this year. On condition of anonymity, a faculty of IIM Kolkata, said: "The trend has been a special surprise after a three-year interval. Going by that trend in 2006 and 2007, the number of questions remained 75 and English remained comparatively the toughest section and so we can expect a new variation this year."

However, neither faculty members nor aspirants are going with a fixed mindset as CAT is known to turn all strategies upside down. Deekshant of MBA Guru said: "It would be foolish to predict anything. Variations have been random and the only consistency we have seen is that in last five years the test has been tough and getting tougher as the number of questions are coming down. Earlier, it was speed based, now it is more of testing your managerial skills, rather than your knowledge."

In last five years (2002 to 2007), the variations have been random with one section being the toughest, much more so than others. In 2002 and 2003, the English section has been the easiest. From 2003 to 2005, data analysis was comparatively the toughest, while in 2006 and 2007, English became the nightmare.

Then there were variations in the number of questions, with the only consistency being that since 2002 it has seen a gradual decline in the number of question asked. In 2002, the paper had 150 questions. In 2003 and 2004 there were 123 questions, which came down to 90 in 2005. In 2006 and 2007 there were only 75 questions, which is fairly similar to what GMAT adheres to, giving rise to speculations about CAT going the GMAT way.

While the number of question remained the same in 2003 and 2004 and so also the toughness of the section on data analysis, CAT sprang a surprise by bifurcating the paper into sections A and B. Section A contained questions worth half and one mark each, while section B had question worth two marks each.

Does that leave much option to guess as to what it would be like this time? Rajiv Kumar, an aspirant said: "Why hazard a guess? CAT is not for guess work. And that's where the fun of the game is."

Agrees Asha Kaul, professor, IIM Ahmedabad, "I don't want to comment on what CAT would be like or predict anything. Yes, it has been the toughest challenge for those aspiring to pursue MBA from the best institutes in India and I feel it would maintain that status. And except for those setting the paper, no one has actually been able to anticipate what surprise CAT will throw up. Only those with the right attitude can crack this exam."

So no fixed mindset before you step in for the exam. Ulhas Vairagkar, director, TIME, Delhi, said: "Don't worry about the surprise element. Just do your best. Even if one attempts 40 to 45 questions and even if seven to 10 of those are incorrect, even then there is a huge probability of getting a good percentile and a call from a good B-school."

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IIT B-Schools JMET on December 14

Joint Management Entrance Test or JMET 2009, the gateway to the prestigious seven Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) B-schools and Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore's Department of Management Studies, will be conducted on December 14, 2008.

The structure of the exam will undergo changes this year, according to IIT Kanpur. This year this written management entrance exam will be conducted by IIT Kanpur.

According to IIT Kanpur, JMET 2009 will be of 3 hours duration. The test will consist of 120 questions including objective & multiple choice type in Verbal Communication, Logical Reasoning, Quantitative Ability and Data Interpretation areas.

Earlier the test was two hours long with 150 questions where the sections were same.

The Schools/ Departments that use JMET 2009 scores are:

IIT Bombay: Shailesh J Mehta School of Management

IIT Delhi: Department of Management Studies

IIT Kanpur: Department of industrial & Management Engineering

IIT Kharagpur: Vinod Gupta School of Management

IIT Madras: Department of Management Studies

IIT Roorkee: Department of Management Studies

IISc Bangalore: Department of Management Studies

According to the JMET announcement by IIT Kanpur, "The results of JMET 2009 provide a basis to each participating institute to shortlist potential candidates for conducting its own selection process, like, Group Discussion/Interview etc."

The result of the exam will be declared on January 5, 2009.

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Best of Luck!

Slog overs begin for IIM aspirants

BANGALORE: With barely a week left for one of the toughest entrance tests in the country, Common Admission Test (CAT), preparation by prospective IIMers is peaking. This is, after all, an exam where serendipity has a limited role to play, with methodical planning and intense preparation being everything.

Expectedly, candidates are burning the midnight oil. A majority of the 2.76 lakh taking the exam are spending a good "three to four hours" a day preparing, with additional hours put in during weekends. A few brave souls are striving for a semblance of normalcy in these stressful days by taking some time out for themselves, going out with friends for a movie or to a restaurant.

For a majority of candidates, this will be the first brush with the famed test. For others like Ankit Kumar, a software engineer with a private firm, a second attempt.

He's organised this time, having figured out his strong and weak points from the first attempt. Last time, a 97 percentile failed to land him any calls from the IIMs. An intensified effort this time has him take a different approach to the test. More focus on mock tests and fine-tuning sections he's good at.

Preparing for the CAT for the last four months, he's not cut down on social networking. As he says: "Even my friends are appearing for CAT, so when we meet the discussion is on CAT".

He hasn't taken leave from work unlike the first attempt, as he feels CAT is more application-based and preparation cannot happen overnight.

A few first-timers TOI spoke to, admit to stressful moments. Madhav Jain, final year electronics and communication engineering student, is anxious as he's aware there are only limited seats at the seven IIMs and more candidates are vying for them. "It will be tough. There is no end to studying. I started to prepare for CAT from January," he says. His challenge was to strike a balance between college and CAT preparation. "Sometimes, I find it tough to concentrate on both engineering and CAT," he admits.

As D-Day draws closer, aspirants are intensifying their efforts. But this is not what Arun Sharma, an IIM-C alumnus and CAT specialist, advises. He says candidates should not study any new topics at this point. "From now till the day before CAT, just go through all the questions you have solved. Don't solve the paper, rather analyze the questions. Let steps to arrive at the answer run through your minds," he explained.

While stressing the need to focus on the question, Sharma also advises aspirants to create a kind of a mental statement so as to reassure themselves anytime they encounter a stumbling block. "Creating an alternative plan of action also helps candidates take the pressure off a bit," he adds.

Offering tips, Sharma says candidates should be confident in their abilities and have faith that they will bounce back, no matter what. "Attempt as many questions as possible. Answering those few, extra questions can mean upping the percentile to 95," adds Sharma.

Prashant Tibrewal, assistant operations manager of IMS Learning Resources (a CAT coaching school), said a majority of students fail to understand the CAT. "This is an entrance test for admission to B-schools, which will train future managers. The expectation is they should have the same skills as that of a manager, like time management, decision-making and appetite for risk. The paper pattern changes every year. So candidates have to decide how much time to spend on each question. This is where time management comes in," he says.

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Top tech institutes upbeat on placements

Bangalore, Nov. 9 Even as recession-hit IT companies are going slow on their recruitment plans, placement officers at the country’s premier tech institutes are upbeat about this year’s hiring for their students.

Campus recruitment at the IITs are due to start in the first week of December and placement cells at IIT Chennai and Kharagpur do not foresee any change in the recruitment pattern this year. Prof B.K. Mathur, Professor-in-Charge, Training and Placement, IIT, Kharagpur, expects about 160 companies to participate in the recruitment process this year.

“These would be from IT, core engineering and even a couple of them from the financial sector. In fact, Barclays Bank has indicated that it would be present for the campus recruitment programme next month,” he says.

Lt Col Jaykumar, Head of Placements and Deputy Registrar, IIT, Chennai, says that “as of now, all the 200 companies that came last year have indicated that they would be present.”

“IITs are likely to have 30-40 per cent fewer number of companies this year,” says Mr Rishi Das, CEO, Campus Connect, a Bangalore-based organisation that helps build relationships between tech institutes and corporates, especially in the recruitment area. Average annual salary at IITs, which stood at Rs 5 lakh last year, is likely to dip to Rs 3.75 lakh this year, Mr Das feels.

There would be a dip in the number of job offers because companies are cutting down on jobs by at least 20-30 per cent.

“All students from premier institutes would get jobs but there would be fewer offers to choose from. The IITs and the Tier-I colleges would see a qualitative, rather than a quantitative change in the job offers.

“In terms of numbers, it would be the Tier-II and Tier- III colleges that would suffer because of the cumulative effect,” explains Mr Das. Companies that visited engineering colleges across all levels in the last few years would restrict themselves only to the better colleges this year.

Says an HR manager of a US-based IT product company, “We will only visit IIT-Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai this year and among the NITs restrict ourselves to the three or four best ones because we have only 20 offers to make this year compared with 35 last year.”

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MBAs toil to crack CAT

AHMEDABAD: It may sound strange, but the charm of common admission test (Cat), which opens the door to top B-schools of the country, holds true not only for people from diverse fields, but even for those who already have an MBA degree. Among the candidates aspiring to crack Cat 2008, are also many MBAs.

Biswaroop Padhi, centre director of IMS, Ahmedabad, said, “Many students who had already earned an MBA degree from various B-schools are working to crack Cat this year.”

Experts say the main reason for this phenomenon is the abundance of B-schools whose students fail to get proper placements every year. Padhi said, “A large number of B-schools have come up which churn out many MBAs every year. But due to various reasons like lack of a brand name of the institute and low quality of education, these students fail to get a lucrative job offers.”

Sameer Rai, regional director, PT Education, said, “Either students or graduates from second-rung B-schools, who did not get the right kind of opportunity, go for a degree from a better-known B-school, like the IIMs.”

Amit Agarwal, director, Time, who supported the aforementioned views, said, “The numbers of MBAs appearing for Cat is more in larger cities.” These students generally hope to get into one of the top-10 B-schools of the country by cracking the admission test.

Hardik Patel, one such student, said, “I would only go for a top-10 institute.”

Asked for the reason for taking such a step, he said, “Apart from the benefit of being with the best students and faculties, there is the advantage of getting the tag of a top MBA institute, which would be helpful in getting high-profile jobs from the very beginning. The pace of career growth is also much higher.”

Experts, however, do not favour such a move. Rai said, “Personally, I do not favour this course. Instead of going through the same course, it would be more helpful if students pursue a different line of specialisation. The combination of their MBA degree and the new specialisation would open new horizons.”

Cautioning students not to spend a fortune on fees and donations on lesser-known B-schools, Padhi said, “Before taking admission to a business school, students should evaluate the institute on various parameters.”

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Indian companies climb on B-schools wishlist

NEW DELHI: There may be a silver lining to the dark clouds of the meltdown for Indian corporates — top-notch talent is available, and willing to settle for reasonable packages.

A survey conducted among final year students of India's best MBA schools — including the IIMs, XLRI Jamshedpur and Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management — shows that 71% would rather work in India than abroad, and don't expect a rise in average compensation packages from last year.

Besides, leading Indian groups like the Tatas and Reliance are among their most preferred employers, following the fall of top investment banks like Lehman Brothers and JP Morgan.

The study, ‘B-school Pulse' done by leading staffing company TeamLease, global research company Synovate and management portal MBA Universe throws up some interesting results. Traditional favourites like McKinsey, Hindustan Unilever, Boston Consulting Group and Proctor & Gamble make up the top four, while the MBA students shrugged off recent rumours about ICICI Bank to make it their fifth most preferred employer.

Tata Group moved up four places in the list of ‘Top 25 Most Coveted MBA Recruiters of 2008' to the sixth most coveted company to work for. A similar survey done in 25 B-schools last year ranked Tata Group at number 10.

The rise of Reliance Group is even more remarkable. It moved up a whopping 10 places and has become the seventh most attractive place to work for. Last year, the Reliance Group was ranked number 17. The Aditya Birla Group moved up two notches to No. 19 while Mahindra and Mahindra debuted on the list at No. 20.

"The recent meltdown of the financial markets has made a significant impact on majority of the B-school graduates. They prefer to tread cautiously in making career choices,'' says Sampath Shetty, VP, Permanent Staffing, TeamLease Services.

The fall of big investment bank like nine pins has meant they have lost their sheen among MBAs. Lehman Brothers, ranked number four last year and JP Morgan ranked number 11 last year have fallen off the list. Other foreign banks like Deutsche Bank and Barclay's Bank, too are no longer part of this coveted list. The void created by them is being filled by strong Indian brands like ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, HSBC and others.

In fact, MBA graduates feel that the sectors most likely to benefit and pull more quality talent due to the meltdown is: Management Consulting, FMCG, Telecom and Retailing. Diversified and Manufacturing is also likely to benefit. Interestingly, the meltdown has also meant compensation package which hovered between Rs 6 to Rs 15 lakh last year has not really changed. Their expectations have not risen at all this year.

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Summer placements cheers IIMK students

102 companies participated in the placement process

Students received 14 international offers

KOZHIKODE: With 102 companies participating in the summer placement process, the 261 students in the Class of 2010 of Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK) got placed in companies of their choice.

This year marks an improvement in terms of participation of companies compared to last year even though anxieties about a drop in recruitment were in the air because of economic slowdown. There was also an increase in students intake by 42 per cent. Last year, only 66 companies participated, a spokesman for IIMK said on Tuesday.

IIMK students received 14 international offers across various functions and in locations like Singapore, Hong Kong, Germany, Dubai, South Africa and London.

Banks and other financial institutions increased the number of offers. “We were quite impressed by the profiles of the students at IIM Kozhikode,” said Sharad Goenka, Sr. Vice President, Corporate Banking, HSBC. Some of the other banks that recruited were Citibank, Standard Chartered Bank, American Express, ICICI Bank and Axis Bank. Investment banks like JP Morgan, Deutsche Bank and Edelweiss Capital were bullish on students. Roles in private equity were on offer from Tata Capital and IDG Ventures. A total of 27% of students will intern in finance companies.

A large chunk of students opted for strategy and consulting roles. Arthur D Little, one of the world’s top management consulting companies, offered roles in its Dubai office. The Freudenberg Group reaffirmed its relationship with the institute by picking up students for strategy and operations roles based in Germany and Hong Kong.

“I am quite excited about going to Germany,” said Harshad Karandikar, a first-year student, who was among those selected for summer internship by Freudenberg.

Regular recruiters like Deloitte, Hewitt and PricewaterhouseCoopers had accepted students for consulting roles. IIMK also had niche roles in the marketing and operations consulting space by Frost and Sullivan and i2 Consulting.

Wipro and IBM also offered roles in their consulting and strategy divisions. About 20 per cent of the students would be interning in consulting companies in India and abroad. “I was impressed by the processes followed by IIMK during the summer placements. The work done by the placements committee is commendable,” said Thomas Kuruvilla, MD Middle East at Arthur D Little.

Marketing companies participated as before. While Nestle and Coca-Cola offered roles for the first time, regular recruiters like Hindustan Unilever, Colgate Palmolive, Marico, ITC, Aditya Birla Group and Johnson & Johnson picked students for roles in branding, sales and marketing, operations and logistics. Coca-Cola was one of the companies offering highest domestic stipend at Rs.1 lakh for the duration of internship, while Vega Foods, a Singapore-based company offered US$6000.

Participation from the sunrise sector was also encouraging. Many students opted for internships in media and real estate companies. Sony Entertainment Television, Viacom, Star News and BBC World offered both creative and marketing roles, while Ansal API, Godrej and ABG Infralogistics offered roles in real estate.

This year too traditional recruiters gave summer internship roles in broader business divisions. In systems and IT/ITeS vertical, Cognizant gave roles in Business Consulting and TCS gave roles in capital markets. Taiwanese hardware manufacturer ASUS participated for the first time. Conglomerates like Mahindra & Mahindra and international consortiums like the Buhler Group and Dutch State Group also took students for general management and strategy roles at international locations.

Summers 2009 also marked a paradigm shift in the attitude of the students towards exploring non-traditional avenues for internships. The Entrepreneurship-Cell at IIMK held a start-up fair, in which 25 start-up companies participated and more than 150 enthusiastic students from the first and second year interacted with them. Several students who were interested in learning business hands-on in an entrepreneurial environment actually chose to do their internships in these start-ups rather than established companies.

The start-ups offered varying profiles in investment banking, private equity, social entrepreneurship, educational services, media, healthcare, travel and tourism and rural marketing. This was the first start-up fair at IIMK, and the tremendous response it generated ensured that it becomes a yearly event.

“With the global economic slowdown and with many firms resorting to lay-offs and recruitment freezes, many had feared that this would adversely affect campus placements,” said Dr. Keyoor Purani, Placements Chairperson at IIMK. “However, IIMK has bucked the trend by finishing summer placements in time and with great success,” he said.

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Also at Economic Times

IIM-B to increase intake by 150

BANGALORE: Amid the doom and gloom comes some good news, more so for those preparing for the Common Admission Test. The Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, one of the most-sought-after B-schools in the country, will increase its intake by 150 from the next batch.

On the sidelines of the 35th Foundation Day, Pankaj Chandra, director, IIM-B, told reporters of this 150, 75 are for post-graduate programmes (PGP) and the rest for the one-year executive programme.

"We're embarking on an ambitious programme of expanding capacity to meet the needs of the nation. We're adding another section of PGP. Next year, the number of students in our various long-duration programmes will exceed 1,100,'' said Chandra. Starting December, IIM-B will start construction of a hostel with 300 rooms, nine classrooms as part of the state-of-the-art green classroom complex, 24 faculty houses and a sports complex.

The IIM-B Society approved a one-year executive PGP programme in management for mid-level executives under the leadership of Malay Bhattacharya.

Not missing the anxiously awaited placement season, Chandra said it is a "tough situation'' and the institute is exploring options like entertainment, manufacturing and consulting. He also hinted at the possibility of increasing the intake to 750 in five years. The institute has drawn up a long-term vision under the leadership of board member K L Chugh to become a research-driven international institute focusing on emerging markets and high-tech entrepreneurship.

He said the admission process for the next batch has been initiated with CAT on November 16. "With the increasing number of aspirants for CAT, IIMs are working to offer this exam online from the next year,'' he added.

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59,000 to take CAT from NCR

NEW DELHI: Come November 16, and the common admission test (CAT) would see a new high with around 2.7 lakh aspirants taking one of the `globally-acclaimed toughest entrance-test'. In the NCR alone, over 50,000 students would be appearing for the test to get into one of their favourite B-schools.

According to CAT committee sources, there has been a 23 percent increase in the total number of applications filled this year. However, the number will come down substantially after the screening of applications. Satish Deodhar, a faculty member at IIM, Ahmedabad, and member, CAT committee, said: "We have received over 2.9 lakh applications, of which over 2.7 lakh would be receiving the admit cards for the exams, which would be around 70,000 more then that of last year."

Delhi region, which falls under IIM Lucknow, is handling 59,000. According to IIM Lucknow sources, the NCR region would be having 55 to 60 centres. IIM Ahmedabad is handling over 51,000 applicants, while its Bangalore counterpart is handling over 60,000 applicants and IIM Kolkata would be taking care of over 50,000. Apart from the Indian Institute of Managements (IIMs), this year 118 other B-schools would accept CAT score for admission for the academic session of 2009-2010. NCR tops the list with 34 B-schools.

CAT, an examination known to throw up surprises every year, would be a two-and-half-hour exam. For the last two years, it tested aspirants with 75 questions, divided into three sections. And most coaching classes are not taking any chances of predicting the unpredictable. IIM-Kolkata alumnus, Deekshant, director of MBA Guru said: "In all probability, the pattern would remain the same with three sections and around 75 questions. Not too much of variations in numbers, but yes we can see variations in the toughness of the questions. Last year, the English section was tough. So we might see a relatively easy English section."

However, Parvesh Bansal from Tata Consultancy Services and an aspirant this year disagrees. He said: "English is still going to be the toughest this year as well as CAT is trying to get into the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) mode and get online. In online tests, they can't really make the quantitative section tough."

With the paper setters in the past have repeatedly said that the aim of the exam is to search for genuine talent and, therefore, the surprise element, Ulhas Vairagkar, director, TIME, Delhi, said: "Our advice remains unchanged. Don't go with a fixed mindset, whether in terms of number of question or structure of questions. Also doing well in CAT has nothing to with the number of questions."

Coaching institutes are now gearing up students mentally for the defining moment. And they are taking different approach in doing so. "This year, we have conducted a large number of revision workshops. Based on our past experience, we have found that now more and more students start preparing early and may lose focus. So they need a lot of revision. Unlike in the past, almost 50 per cent of aspirants come to us with prior preparations," said Vairagkar.

With just over 10 days left, students are being prepared to face the exams on a positive note. "One should go for the exams with lot of positive attitude and, therefore, we are holding motivational sessions like screening of films like Pursuit of Happyness to remove the fear of failure," said Deekshant.

And most students are taking mock CATs. Ankit B Jethani, a final-year student of BBE from DU said: "With just a few days left, we (friends) are taking our mock CATs. Mocks are tougher than the original CAT, so it gives us a lot of confidence. Of the 75 questions, if we can attempt at least 10 in each section, that would be the key."

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No meltdown for students of NITIE

MUMBAI: A year ago, Lehman Brothers topped the charts during summer placements at National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Powai, with an offer of around Rs 80,000 for two months. This year, Lehman Brothers does not exist. But Cadbury beat Lehman’s stipend at NITIE this year, offering Rs 1 lakh for the same period.

It is clear that B-school students aren't losing sleep over the global financial crisis. Summer placements are actually bigger and better than they were last year. The only impact of the crisis is a shuffle in the profile of the recruiters. While investment banks were the most coveted companies for summer placements in 2008, they have now been replaced by niche sectors, including FMCGs, pharmaceuticals and oil trading companies.

Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Churchgate, has seen a 10% rise in the average stipend for summer placements this year as compared to the previous year. While the average stipend was Rs 47,000 for two months last year, it has increased to Rs 52,000 this year.

While the highest domestic stipend at JBIMS is Rs 1 lakh offered by Coca Cola, the highest international placement, which has been offered by Emirates Bank, is an estimated 16% to 33% over last year's figure.

Incidentally, this is the first time that Emirates Bank has recruited students from the institute. There's a shift in the meaning of the term 'foreign placement', which earlier referred largely to placements in the US or Europe.

At the Shailesh J Mehta School of Management (SJMSOM), IIT Bombay's B-school, all 86 first-year students were placed in one-and-a-half days, a record of sorts for the institute. And over 60 students were placed on the first day itself.

There's been a 10-12% hike in average placements when compared with last year. While the highest domestic offer last year was Rs 64,000 for two months, the figure this year is Rs 1 lakh.

"People have faith in the Indian economy. The demand for freshers at FMCGs continues to remain high. At a time when everybody is talking of a global financial crisis, Hindustan Unilever shares have increased in value," says Professor Dinesh Sharma, faculty placement co-ordinator at SJMSOM. He added that there has been no loss for students this year.

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Timely tips to bell the CAT!

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is scheduled to be held on November 16 for admissions into various MBA programmes of business schools in the country. The following is a compilation of the most common questions posed to CAT aspirants.

An attempt has been made to answer some of the common questions, provide guidance to tackle CAT and clear some myths about the examination. So, here we go...

Student: I have not had a great academic background so far. Can I clear CAT?

Definitely. To clear CAT you do not need academic success as much as the willingness to work hard, smart and utilise your time most efficiently. The last four lines of the poem If by Rudyard Kipling answers it best: If you can fill the unforgiving minute, With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And — which is more — you’ll be a Man, my son.

How much time should I spend every day preparing for CAT?

Well, you need to spend all the time you can get. If doing well in CAT is your goal, you need to focus your time and efforts on preparation.

Most people, if asked on the one thing that has contributed most to their success would probably say ‘focus’. To give you a rough indicator, two to three hours a day should be sufficient. But more than the time you spend, what is really important is how much you can take out of your study time.

I can solve most questions from sample papers at home but I am not able to do the same during mock exams. What should I do?

There are two important factors that contribute to success in CAT. One is accuracy in problem solving, and the other is speed. In your case, you need to develop speed. Try a simple exercise at home. When you take a mock CAT exam at home, use a stop-clock and write down the time you start and leave a question adjacent to the question. After the exam, you may find that you have spent a lot of time on the questions that have not yielded marks.

You need to judge more quickly if you can solve a problem by reading it once. If you are not sure how to get the answer after you read it, you probably have to go to the next question without wasting time. This way, if you can spend most of your time in solving all the easier questions, you should be able to clear the exam.

How to spot the easier questions during CAT?

As the general advice is to do the easy questions, students tend to frantically search for easy questions in the paper. If you too are doing it, chances are that you probably will actually miss a lot of questions that are easy. We surely cannot spot all the easy questions by just glancing through the paper and attempting what looks to be easy.

A more effective approach would be to read the problem one by one from the start of the section. After you read and understand a problem, you decide if you think the time you spend on this problem will quickly give you results. If you can’t spot how to do it soon enough, go to the next question.

This way, you let questions come to you and you decide what to attempt and what not to. At the same time, you need to ensure that you go at a steady pace, which will ensure that you read all the questions. This way, you will not miss any easy questions.

I have tried a lot of shortcuts. But none of them has yielded results consistently. Is there anything I am missing?

I am not aware if there are any real shortcuts to long-term success in pretty much anything. We need to identify what is stopping us from getting the desired results. For example, in ‘reading comprehension’, is it the lack of the right shortcuts the problem, or is it the inability to comprehend passages or questions very well the problem?

If your answer is the latter, we need to find ways to develop those abilities than look for shortcuts.

To develop reading comprehension skills, try the following exercise:

Choose newspaper articles on subjects you are not competent on, check the time and start reading. You can read at whatever speed you are comfortable, but ensure that you do not read the same line again. When you have finished reading, note the time and record the time you have spent on the passage.

Next, close your eyes and try to recollect your understanding of the entire passage. You will then get feedback on your ability to comprehend.

If you do this exercise regularly, I am sure you will see your comprehension improve and naturally when that is tested in CAT, you can get the desired results.

What is the best way to prepare for CAT?

One way is to join a programme in a leading institute and prepare from the material given there. Alternatively, you can take the mock exam series from a good institute and analyse your performance vis-À-vis other aspirants.

Are there any good books that you can suggest for CAT preparation?

Yes. Some good books I have come across are: The Complete CAT Digest (Tata McGraw Hill), How To Prepare For Quantitative Aptitude for the CAT (Tata McGraw Hill), CAT Topic-wise Analysis of Previous Years Question Papers 15 Years (1993-2007) (Arihant Publishers), How to Prepare For The Verbal Ability And Reading Comprehension for the CAT (Tata McGraw Hill), The Pearson Guide to Quantitative Aptitude for CAT (Pearson Education), Vedic Mathematics (Published by Motilal Banarsidass).

What should I do after CAT?

You should start preparing for group discussion and interview immediately after CAT. Reading the newspaper everyday and noting down your opinions on different subjects will be very useful when called for a group discussion or an interview.

Can you give us a checklist of things I need to ensure on the day of CAT?

Aspirants need to realise that a bit of anxiety is normal and a little bit of stress is needed to ensure peak performance on the day of CAT. Keep your mind open and free from any last minute preparation. Reach the centre much ahead of time, so so as to avoid unwanted stress. A good night’s sleep will help you give the energy needed to endure 2.5 hours of problem solving during the next day. This is often the best you can do one day before the exam.

I am taking CAT this year. Which are the non-IIM institutes that use CAT scores I should apply?

There are about 118 institutes that use CAT scores for admission to their programmes. Some of the very good non-IIM institutes that use CAT scores are (in alphabetical order) Bharathidasan Institute of Management, Tiruchirapalli; Indian Institute of Forest Management; Institute for Financial Management and Research, Chennai; Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur; Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad; International Management Institute, New Delhi; KJ Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon; Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad; Nanyang Business School, Singapore; NITIE, Mumbai; SP Jain Institute of Management & Research, Mumbai; TA Pai Management Institute, Manipal.

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IIM-B ranked as best B-school in Central Asia

BANGALORE: Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B) has been ranked as the best business school in Central Asia by a Paris based agency which evaluates B-schools world wide.

The IIMB has been announced as best business school in covering in Central Asia covering Central and South Asia and the Middle-East by Eduniversal said IIMB Director Prof Pankaj Chandra at the 35th foundation day function today. The award would be presented during the Eduniversal World Convention scheduled to be held in Paris on November four and five.

"IIM-B has also been ranked amongst the top 27 business schools in the world from a list of 1,000," he said.

The award recognises the three best institutions within each of the nine Eduniversal geographical zones - Africa, Middle East, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Latin America, Northern America, Central Asia, Far Eastern Asia and Oceania.

The deans of the 1,000 best B-schools from 153 countries have ranked IIM-B as the best business school in the Central Asia Zone, with a recommendation rate of 398 per thousand, followed by IIM-A (379) and IIM-C (321), classified under "internationally known".

According to IIM-B, Eduniversal selection endorses its international reputation and influence, defined as the capacity of a business school to make a student valuable and thus to improve their employability in domestic and international spheres.

The process of selection involved a global mapping system, meeting the criteria universality and the international reputation of each academic institution.

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Also in DNA

FMS online admission forms

NEW DELHI: Even as Delhi University (DU) mulls over making the admission procedure online, its Faculty of Management Studies (FMS) has already gone ahead with it. FMS will allow aspirants to apply and pay online for the entrance exam to be held in January for the 2009 session. FMS will also implement the Other Backward Class (OBC) quota for the first time from the forthcoming session. The faculty will allow a relaxation of five per cent in the eligibility score for OBC candidates, apart from a maximum relaxation of 10% in the final cut-off.

"There will be a relaxation of five per cent in the eligibility criteria for candidates applying for all earmarked seats. Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST) and physically challenged candidates and children of war widows already have this relaxation. We have added OBCs to this list because we didn't want to create another category,'' said FMS dean JK Mitra. FMS could not implement the OBC quota from this year as it was through with admissions before the Supreme Court upheld 27% OBC reservation in April this year. Mitra added the relaxation in the cut-off for the merit list will be decided after the entrance exam on January 11. The entrance exam for MBA part-time programme will be held on January 25. The forms will be available till December 1, 2008.

FMS had got about 61,000 applications last year. With increased number of students expected in the 2009 session, Mitra said the faculty is making the admission procedure completely online for the first time where students can not only apply but also pay the fees online. He further added, "DU has been thinking of making the admission procedure online but it hasn't been feasible because of the large number of students at the undergraduate and postgraduate level. As we are doing it for the first time, we need to see how the students respond to it.'' However, aspirants will not be allowed to download forms or order them by post from this time, Mitra added.

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Women managers, a safer bet in corporates

Chennai: It may take ages for the discrimination against women in Indian organisations to end, rues Sujoya Basu in Gender Stereotypes in Corporate India: A Glimpse. Any remedy would need large doses of awareness, apt legislation, and a general change in societal mindset, she suggests.

The author, a member of the faculty of behavioural sciences at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, is of the view that educational institutions, especially the B-schools, can do their bit in forming workgroups keeping the inclusion of women students in mind.

Instead of boardroom quotas, professional educational institutes can think of compulsorily recruiting more women in their student bodies, and facilitating situations where women hold leadership positions, says Basu.

“As women are observed more in positions where their managerial and leadership qualities become more pronounced, there is a finite chance that stereotypic inaccuracies would reduce, thus paving the way to healthier organisations and policies.”

Stereotyping is a natural phenomenon that all human beings use; and stereotypes are not per se dangerous or negative in nature, Basu explains. However, “the problem with stereotypes is that they mostly become inaccurate over time, especially when they are stereotypes held by men of women in workplaces, which traditionally have been male bastions.”

Women like Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Kiran Bedi, and Naina Lal Kidwai are the rare exceptions to the prevailing trend where women are underrepresented in Indian corporates and administration, avers the author.

“If at the level of fresh graduates from the top management institutes, we have approximately 17 women managers for every 100 men managers graduating every year, is it a surprise then that the total number of women managers per 100 men managers is 2 in India as compared to 67 in the US?” she demands.

The well-researched book cites many studies about the various obstacles women face in corporates – be it bias in evaluation or unfairness in rewards, be it the proverbial glass ceiling or fewer overseas assignments.

Thankfully, however, the common perception that women are their own worst enemies may be wrong, Basu postulates. While women relate workplace success equally to men and women managers, men seem to think of their own gender when it comes to accomplishment.

If that is an indication of the two genders living in their own worlds, what can be a cause of concern is a survey insight that women see men as achievers owing to their being devious, less grateful, and less reserved.

Another worrying observation in the book is that stereotypes held by men managers of women managers are more prejudiced than the stereotypes held in the west. “The Indian male manager seems to believe in the ‘think manager – think male’ phenomenon even more strongly than his counterparts in countries across the world.”

The author cautions that once inaccurate stereotypes set in, they have a tendency to self-feed their inaccuracy resulting in a host of negative consequences for women managers who want to make it to the top echelons of organisations.

She hopes that the real abilities and qualities of women managers can be tapped without prejudice or bias by hiring more women in management positions. Since Indian women managers are not influenced by stereotypical thinking, Indian organisations can expect their women managers to treat men and women more or less equally in selection and appraisals, Basu assures.

And, her advice to men managers can be quite sobering: that they’d need training and counselling before women managers could report harmonious and satisfying working conditions under them.

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IIM-B might borrow to carry out expansion

BANGALORE: Faced with the challenge of carrying out 54 per cent expansion by 2010, the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B) is toying with the idea of borrowing external funds to meet its growing costs.

The Board of Governors headed by Reliance CMD Mukesh Ambani is meeting on Friday to consider the proposal put up by the institute on seeking the HRD Ministry’s approval before going ahead with the borrowing.The Board had earlier requested Ravi Parthasarathy, Chairman and MD of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Limited, to submit a report on whether it was mandatory under the Memorandum of Association (MoA) of IIM-B Society to get the Central Government’s approval for borrowing funds.Out of an estimated Rs 70 crore required to carry out the expansion plans of the institute, the HRD Ministry has committed to releasing only Rs 33 crore.Other issues topping the agenda include summer placements and amending the MoA to carry out expansion plans of the institute.

IIM-B Chairperson (placements) Sovrav Mukherji will make a presentation on the changing strategies and trends in summer placements due in second week of November in the wake of global financial slowdown.IIM-B professor Trilochan Sastry is slated to brief the Board members on the status of the committee constituted to make recommendations on amending the MoA of IIM-B.Amending MoA is essential to support the institute’s application for IT exemption under Section 12A of the IT Act 1961 and to expand and diversify the portfolio of activities both within and outside India.One of the Board members had earlier proposed to delete reference to by-laws in MoA and to incorporate new procedures notified by the Centre for appointment of Chairman and Director.

The Board meeting will be followed by the Foundation Day lecture on ‘Innovations in Healthcare Delivery’ by Devi Prasad Shetty, chairman of Narayana Hrudayalaya.

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Teamwork and teamplay

WHAT: THEY DON`T TEACH YOU AT B-SCHOOL
by Subrotah Biswas

I believe, it is a series of events (education, job, personal experiences and so on) that all collaborate to make a personality or a career. My MBA education taught me a couple of memorable things: make the most of a given situation, look at the problem and not the person responsible for it, and true accountability.

Through all those case studies and internships we are taught how to prepare for varied business eventualities. However, in the real world, each situation is unique; every problem/challenge requires a renewed approach. When success is defined by how fast you change with the dynamic socio-economic environment, there are no standard solutions. And the only thing that you carry forward from your education is the attitude, the philosophy and certain examples of what “not” to do.

Let me draw an analogy with my favourite sport soccer. At B-school one gets good coaching — one gets to learn about how to kick the ball, control the ball, field movements and so on. In a profession, one is playing a match and individual skills picked up at B-school are not enough to win it; one needs to coordinate, play his role, create opportunities, take initiatives and rejoice in the celebration of the entire team. I strongly believe that in real professional world there are no individual triumphs. Individual accolades and medals end with the alma mater.

To all those stepping out into their careers post their MBAs, I would strongly advise that they look for linear organic growth at the beginning of the career. Exponential growth, especially in the initial days, results in dilution of certain fundamental strengths. I am reminded of the story of a butterfly coming out of the cocoon. If you do not let it struggle through the entire process and try cutting open the cocoon to help the butterfly out, all you will get is a butterfly with underdeveloped wings that cannot fly. Similarly, one should try and gain operational level experience first.

Additionally, I think, every individual should contribute towards a “learning organisation” — this is a term coined by Peter Senge; and implies that everyone in the organisation has the power to contribute positively and should aim at achieving an overall synergy through harmonic coordination of work profiles.

Subrotah Biswas did his MBA from Pune University

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