What is an MBA

8/9/2019 What is an MBA

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MBAWhat is an MBA?

MBA stands for Master of Business Administration and is a 2-year programme in

Management studies. On par (in terms of equivalence) with other Post Graduate courses,

an MBA is a practical preparation for individuals in business or management. One thingto be kept in mind is that if one wants to do an MBA, one should aim for the premiereinstitutes. Students passing out of these institutes are the most sought after.

The Advantages of a Management Education

Imparts skills in all facets of management

Bestows the ability to provide leadership, inspiration & motivation to people

Helps in decision making through the use of scarce resources

Lucrative and satisfying career

Faster movement on the career path Management graduates are perceived to be go-getters, superior in analytical and

intellectual capabilities

Making of an MBA

Typically, the following is the path

2 year course with 3 trimesters in each year

Each trimester of 10-12 weeks

Each trimester 6-9 subjects

First Year

Introduction to functional areas of

management

Method of Instruction

Classroom Lectures

Home assignments


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Discussion on assigned readings

Case studies - Exposure to real life

situations in India and Abroad

Presentations

Group tasks and projects Business games simulation

Real-life Field projects

Summers

Project work of 8-10 weeks (Opportunity to

check out career specialization interests)

Second Year

Compulsory Courses + 17-20 electives of

ones own choice

Specialization Courses

Systems Management :

Systems are almost synonymous with computers. Actually, though, the latter are only a

means to achieving the end. For instance, even a paanwala at the street corner has his

own system of running his business which includes procurement, stocking , display,sales, cash management, etc. However, due to the sheer volume of transactions of various

kinds in a large organization, systems are developed and maintained with the help of the

latest Information Technology (IT) tools.

A specialization in IT offers scope for a career in many areas in the industry.

The options could be Project Management in a software development company like

Infosys, TCS, etc., or sales and marketing in IT companies like Tata - IBM, Wipro,Infotech, etc.

An engineer - MBA with a sound understanding of business concepts in seen as ideal forthe job of a project manager in software development activities, such as developing an

on-line network with company distributors across the country. A fresh MBA starts at the

level or a software development engineer (almost at par with an engineer or anMCA)and is actively involved in coding. However, the rise is much more rapid for an MBA

who can reach the project management responsibility in 2 to 3 years.

Large Manufacturing OrganizationsSystems activity is a support function which is

responsible for custom - development of IT solutions in all areas, from automatingattendance punching to putting daily sales and distribution data on-line, to developing

Enterprise Resource Planning solutions.

The skills required are the following:
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Good Analytical Skills

Project Management

Team Work

Quest for knowledge

Good communication

Here we list the leading B-Schools of the country. If you want to know more about the

institute kindly visit the corresponding website of the institute.

Indian Institute of Management - Ahmedabad (IIM-A)- Founded by the Government

of India in 1961, IIM-A is perhaps the most reputed management institute in the

country. Not only that, the institute is also acknowledged as one of the top B-

schools the worldwide. Besides education, the institute is actively involved in

management development programme, research, consulting, and publishing.

Situated at Ahmedabad, IIM-A offers courses in management at the post-graduate

level. www.iimahd.ernet.in

Indian Institute of Management - Bangalore (IIM-B)- Founded by Govt. of India in

1973, IIM-B is one of the top three or four B-Schools of the country. Besides

education, IIM-B is actively involved in management development programme,

research, consulting, and organizing seminars & workshops. Situated in

Bangalore, the institute offers courses in management at post-graduate level.

www.iimb.ernet.in

Indian Institute of Management - Calcutta (IIM-C) - Founded by the Government of

India in 1961, IIM-C is one of the top three or four B-Schools of the country. It is one of

the first two IIMs established in the country. Besides education, IIM-C is actively involved

in management development training, research, consulting, and publications. Situated at

Calcutta, IIM-C offers courses in management at post-graduate level.www.iimcal.ac.in

Indian Institute of Management - Indore (IIM - I)- IIM-I is the youngest of all the

IIMs. Its initial focus is on teaching, management development training, research

and consulting. Currently, IIM-I is offering Post-Graduate Programme in

Management (PGP) at its makeshift facility in Indore. Very soon, IIM-I will shift

into its 150-acre campus just outside Indore. www.iimidr.ac.in

Indian Institute of Management - Kozhikode (IIM - K) - Established in 1996, IIM-Kis the older of the two newly established IIMs. An important vision of the institute

is to aid managerial skill formation for effective decision making and problem

solving in the ensuing globalised era. Situated in Calicut, IIM-K currently offers

the Post-Graduate Programme in Management. www.iimk.ac.in

Indian Institute of Management - Lucknow (IIM-L)- Founded by the Government of

India in 1985. Besides education, IIM-L is actively involved in management
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development training, research, and consulting. Situated at Lucknow in the state

of Uttar Pradesh, the institute offers courses in management at post-graduate

level. www.iiml.ac.in

Xavier's Labour Relations Institute (XLRI)- Established in 1949 in the steel city of

Jamshedpur, XLRI was born of the vision of Jesuit Priest Father Quinn Enright.

Today, the institute is ranked amongst the top management institutes in thecountry. The courses offered are post-graduate courses on personnel management,

labour relations and business management. www.xlri.ac.in

Faculty of Management Studies (FMS)- FMS was established in 1954 by Delhi

University. It was the first institute to introduce part-time MBA in India. Today it

is one of the top six or seven B-Schools in the country and offers a number of

courses in management including MBA. FMS is also actively involved in

management development programmes, research, consulting etc. www.fms.edu

Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS) - JBIMS has the

distinction of starting the first full - time two years' Masters Programme in

Management Studies in India in 1965. Situated in the heart of India's commercialcapital Mumbai, the institute is amongst the top six or seven management

institutes in the country. The institute is also rated amongst the top 20 in the Asia-

Pacific region.www.jbims.edu

S. P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR) - Inaugurated in 1981

by the then British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, S. P. Jain is one of the top

ten management institutes in the country today. Situated in Mumbai, SPJIMR

offers courses in management at post-graduate level. www.spjimr.org

Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS)- NMIMS completes the

trinity of well know institutes in Mumbai (along with JBIMS and S. P. Jain). It is

the only recognised institute to be accorded a permanent recognition by theUniversity of Bombay; it is also among the top 10 B-Schools of the country.

Courses offered include post-graduate courses in management, advertising &

communication and rural marketing. www.nmims.edu

Institute of Management Technology (IMT) - IMT was established in 1980 (in

Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh) under the aegis of Dr. K. Nath Public Trust to foster

management education. Rated amongst the top 15 B-Schools of the country, IMT

is known for its post-graduate programmes in management and its highly

professional and successful placement cell in the field of information technology

in the country. www.imt.edu

Management Development Institute (MDI) - MDI was established in Gurgaon in

1973 with the support of the Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI).

Today, the institute has become a leading institution for education, training,

research and consultancy. MDI offers post-graduate courses in management and

is rated amongst the top 15 B-Schools of the country. www.mdi.ac.in

Xavier Institute of Management (XIM) - Established in 1987, XIM has established

itself as one of the leading centres for post-graduate studies in management in

Eastern India. The institute owes its origin to a 'social contract' between the Govt.
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of Orissa and the Orissa Jesuit Society. XIM offers post-graduate level courses in

management. www.ximmumbai.com

International Management Institute (IMI) - was set up as an autonomous non-profit

educational Society under the Societies Registration Act 1860 in collaboration

with International Management Institute, Geneva to meet the widely felt need for

Internationally Oriented management education/ training for managers at alllevels in industry, government and public systems. www.imi.edu

Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM) - SIBM is the most prominent

member in the long list of institutes that come under the Symbiosis umbrella. It is

part of the highly acclaimed Pune University. Besides offering post-graduate level

courses in management, SIBM is also well known for research, consulting and

organizing workshops and seminars on management. As a B-School it is

considered among the top ten by many and amongst the top fifteen by most.

www.sibm.edu

Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD) -

SCMHRD is part of the Symbiosis family of educational institutes, it s alsoamongst the top fifteen or sixteen B-schools of India. Situated in Pune, SCMHRD

has rapidly grown into a sought after institute for post-graduate studies in general

management and Human Resource management. www.scmhrd.edu

Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) - IIFM was born in 1974 when the

concept of professional management of forests was conceptualised by the

Government of India. Situated in Bhopal, the capital of the state of Madhya

Pradesh, the institute offers specialized post-graduate courses in forestry and

natural resource management. www.iifm.org

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) - IIFT was established in New Delhi in 1964

with the main objective of evolving and advancing international businesseducation and research in the country. This Government of India enterprise offers

several part-time and full-time programmes at post-graduate level related to the

field of International Business/Foreign Trade. IIFT is perhaps the first choice for

these types of courses in the country.www.iift.edu

Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS)- Established in 1936 in Mumbai by Tatas,

one of the leading industrial groups in the country, the institute is one of the

premier institutes for social sciences and management education in the country.

The institute offers postgraduate courses on personnel management, labour

relations and social work. www.tiss.edu

Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA) - IRMA is an autonomous institution

with the mandate of contributing to the professional management of rural

organizations. It was founded in 1979 (in Anand, Gujrat) at the initiative of the

National Dairy Development Board of India and with the support of the

Government of India. Ever since its inception, IRMA has been working closely

with Co-operatives, NGOs, various state Governments, National and International

agencies. IRMA offers courses post-graduate level courses in rural management.

www.irma.ac.in
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National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT)- Established in 1987, NIFT was

conceived by the Indian Government to cater to the manpower requirements the

nascent but rapidly growing Indian Fashion industry. With centres at Delhi,

Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Gandhinagar and Mumbai, NIFT

churns out professionals in several areas in related t6o fashion and clothing. It

offers under-graduate as well as post-graduate programmes in fashion, garmentmanufacturing technology, accessory design, jewelry design etc.

www.niftindia.com

Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad (MICA) - Situated in Ahmedabad,

MICA is the premier institute for post-graduate level courses in Communications

and Advertising. MICA is an autonomous institute conceived by the well-known

advertising agency Mudra Communications, its objective is to meet the need for

professionals in the highly specialized field of advertising and communication.

www.mica-india.net

Bharatidasan Institute of Management (BIM) - Established in 1984, BIM is one of

the leading management Institutes in Southern India. It was setup through thejoint efforts of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited and Bharatidasan University.

BIM offers post-graduate level courses in management.

Almost all tests are of 2 hours' duration. They have multiple-choice questions. Some of

these tests have negative marking while some of them like CET (Common Entrance Test)

in Maharashtra do not. The scores of a year cannot be carried over to the next year unlikeGRE and GMAT.

Areas tested in the Written Test

Quantitative Ability (QA): This section tests your mathematical skills and it

comprises essentially high school mathematics. Topics covered are Number

System, Profit & Loss, Percentages, Averages, Progression, Work, Speed,

Geometry, Algebra and some miscellaneous topics.

Data Interpretation (DI): This section has problems on different types of Data

Representation. You have to analyse and give specific information from Tables,

Activity Charts, Bar Charts, Pie Charts and Graphs.

Verbal Ability (VA): This is a section on English usage. Topics tested are

Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbal Reasoning. Reading Comprehension (RC): This section tests your reading skills. This section

consists of about 5 passages followed by questions on the same. Passages are of

about 800 words length and cover various topics such as music, astronomy,

civics, sociology, art and literature.

General Awareness/Business Awareness (GA/BA): This section basically tests if

you have been keeping in touch with the current affairs and business events. This

section is there in most of the tests except CAT. You are asked questions on
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political events, scientific developments, awards, economic indicators, brands,

CEOs and books.

Logical Reasoning (LR): Your analytical skills are tested in this section. Under

this section you can have Data Sufficiency, puzzles and deductive reasoning.

What are the different tests to be taken?

CAT for the IIMs

The 2nd Sunday of December is when CAT, the entrance test for the IIMs is held. Other

institutes like Management Development Institute (MDI), T.A. Pai Institute of

Management (TAPMI), Goa Institute of Management (GIM), Mudra Institute of

Communications (MICA), S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR),International Management Institute (IMI), and the Fore School of Management also

conduct their admissions through CAT.

The CAT of Dec 9, 2001 has been relatively easy as compared to the CAT of theprevious two years when students emerged shell-shocked from the centres. The paper

was of 2 hours' duration. There were 3 sections of 50 Questions each and there was no

sectional time limit, meaning that you could attempt the whole paper in any order. There

was negative marking for a wrong answer which we assume to be th of a right answer.The paper was easy, but the time pressure was tremendous as students get carried away

while attempting the paper. The problem is not of complexity of the paper but of efficient

time management.

XLRI

( Xavier's Labour Relations Institute, Jamshedpur ): XAT, the test for XLRI and Xavier

Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar, was suppose to be the first test to go online from

2002. But XLRI had to finally conduct the test in a paper and pencil format, as its effort

to go online were not successful. The XAT is usually held on the first Sunday of Januaryand it has questions on General Awareness and Industrial Relations as a separate section.

There is stress on higher level maths topics such as probability, set theory and

permutations and combinations.

FMS

Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi : FMS has a paper whose pattern is similar to that

of the CAT, and in addition, they have a Business and General Awareness section as

well. The paper tends to have long passages but is relatively easy to solve. During thesecond stage of selection process, FMS has extempore apart from GDs and interviews.

MICA

Mudra Institute of Communication, Ahmedabad: MICA specializes in Advertising and

Market Research. If you get a call from MICA after the written round (CAT), you would

find yourself going through a special aptitude test for advertising at the interview stage.


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This is to check your innovativeness, creativity and presence of mind. They also check

awareness of brands, advertisement agencies, ad punchlines, and knowledge about socio-

cultural environment.

IIFT

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi: The general awareness section of the IIFT paper

has questions based on trade-related figures, dates, UN bodies and WTO. Rest of the

sections are like CAT, but of a lower difficulty level. Usually, there is no negativemarking in this test.

TISS

Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai: TISS specializes in Human Resources and

Personnel Management. It is one of the most sought after B- Schools for Personnel

Management. TISS paper consists of an essay on a socially relevant issue, apart from theaptitude test. The test is conducted in June in Mumbai.

CET

CET stands for "Common Entrance Test" - conducted by the Directorate of Technical

Education, Maharashtra. In case you need to pursue an MBA Degree course from any of

the affiliated universities in Maharashtra, you need to take this test. The competition istough as there are very few seats for outside Maharashtra candidates. The number of

institutes covered under CET runs into hundreds, but only a handful are worth a try.

Some of these are Jamunalal Bajaj, Narsee Monjee, Symbiosis, etc.

JMET

The Joint Management Entrance Test for the Indian Institutes of Technology and the

Indian Institute of Science; JMET is conducted in December. The Techno-MBAs passing

out og IITs and IISc focus on Systems and Technology Management and go for relevantjobs in high-tech industries or consultancies.

It is a discussion by a group of people. The discussion involves an exchange of thoughts

and ideas among members of the group. Group Discussions are largely used in theselection process for admissions into institutes, where there is a high level of competition.

The number of participants in a group can vary from 8-15 people. In most cases a topic or

a situation will be given, and the group members will have to discuss it within a givenperiod of time.

Reasons for employing a GD

Value for time


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GD helps in forming an opinion about a large number of candidates in a

short period of time on a common platform.

Skills assessment

GD helps in assessing certain skills that cannot be evaluated even in apersonal interview (leave alone the written application form etc.). These

skills include team membership, leadership skills, listening and

articulation skills etc.

What is checked in a GD

All that one observes in a GD can be categorized into two broad areas: - The Content and

the Process.

The content is all about 'what' or the 'matter' spoken in the GD. Whereas, the

process refers to the 'how', 'when' and 'why' of the GD.

Both are equally important and need adequate attention at all stages.

High quality contribution by one with no regard to the 'process' is as suicidal as

another's contribution, which is high on packaging with little content.

Critical Success Factors in a GD

Cognitive skills or knowledge

The most important aspect of your contribution to a GD is the Quality of

Content (QOC), which is reflected in the points you speak and knowledgeof the relevant subject you have, the supportive examples you give and

data you generated etc.

Comprehension of core idea

It is essential to deliver a high quality content. But to do that , you should

speak on the topic and not deviate. It is checked whether you have

identified the crux of the problem or not and whether the solutions you are

offering is relevant to the problem or not.

Logical reasoning

It includes understanding the topic, generating quality arguments, analysis

and a progressive approach to a justifiable conclusion. This is one of the

necessary attributes to be seen in an influential participant. Such people

convey an impression of open minded and logic driven rather than that of

an opinionated individual.


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Behavioural and Personality Skills

This includes certain attributes like rapport building, team membership,

participation, patience, assertion and accommodation, amenability,

leadership etc,. that are assessed during a GD.

Communication Skills

You should be able to articulate your thoughts properly and you should

also be able to understand what others are trying to tell you.

Clarity of thought

In whatever you are articulating, are you following logical sequence/ order

or is that you are presenting the points in some bits and pieces.

Body Language and Eye Contact

These are some tools which check your level of confidence and whether

you can work together effectively in group or not.

Types of Group Discussions

Structured (or Default) GD

1. A structured GD is one that is most commonly used.

2. The group is given a topic for discussion with 10 to 20 minutes for

discussion. The topic can be anything going under the sun.3. There is no leader appointed for the group and the brief may or may not

include anything but the topic for discussion. Here the topic of discussion

is clearly defined and students know what is the objective of discussion.

Unstructured GD

1. Unstructuredness can be built into a discussion wherein no clear

instructions are given. So first of all, the students have to decide as to what

is to be done.

2. The panel expects the group to achieve some objective(s) during the

course or by the end of the GD, but here the objectives are to be decided

by the group itself and not given by the observer.

These might include tasks such as choosing the topic for discussion, appointing the leaderor a chairman etc.

The Interview


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An interview is a face-to-face meeting, especially for the purpose of obtaining a

statement or for assessing the qualities of a candidate.

An interview tries to obtain a statement or opinion, as is done for e.g. when film stars areinterview

MBA In India

Indian B-Schools have come a long way to become the source of some of the best

management talent in the world. The IIM graduates get placed on par with graduates

hailing from the best schools in the world.

Entry route to the best

The Common Admission Test (CAT) is the entry route to the best B-schools in India.

Other exams include the Common Entrance Test (CET) for entry into managementinstitutes in Maharashtra. However the selection process across most of the institutes is

essentially same, comprising of the following.

The Aptitute Test

Evaluates the candidate on

Managerial ability in subtle manner

Decision making capability under constraints of time and data

Ability to eliminate unwanted choices

Personality Assessment comprising of:

Group Discussion (GD)


Communication - Clarity and Presentation (Articulation) Listening skills

Quality of Content (Knowledge)

Team membership (Interpersonal Skills)

Ability to influence (Leadership)


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Personal Interview


Strengths and Weaknesses

Career Objectives Academic Performance

Communication skills

Areas of interest

Achievements

Final selection to any business school is based on criteria such as the candidate'sperformance in Aptitude test, GD, Interview, Academic performance and Work

experience.

What is the eligibility criteria for an MBA ?Atleast a 3 year bachelor's degree or equivalent

in any discipline recognised by any Indian University / AICTE as eligible for post-graduate studies. Students in final year of graduation can also apply. Such candidates, if

selected, will be allowed provisional admission with the condition that the mark sheet and

a certificate of passing is produced by certain specified date.

Documents

What is an MBA