Overview of MBA course

INTRODUCTION:
MBA is the common abbreviation used for Masters of Business
Administration. The Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a Master‟s
Degree in Business Administration, which attracts people from a wide range of
academic disciplines. The MBA designation originated in the United States,
emerging from the late 19th century as the country industrialized and
companies sought out scientific approaches to management.

The management programmes help aspiring managers to become

effective decision makers in their fields through upgradation of knowledge and
managerial skills. The programme broadens the overall perspective of the
students so that they can become catalysts for change. It develops conceptual,
interpersonal and management awareness for implementation of new
structures and strategies. It also improves managerial effectiveness and
prepare managers for more senior positions. In this programme students learn
to win and in seeking to win they imbibe new forms of competitive behavior
that are ideal for today‟s highly chaotic business condition.

The core courses in the MBA program are designed to introduce students
to the various areas of business such as accounting, marketing, human
resources, operations management, etc. Students in the MBA program have the
option to select an area of specialization and focus approximately one-third of
their studies in that area. Accreditation bodies exist specifically for MBA
programs to ensure consistency and quality of graduate business education,
and business schools in many countries offer MBA programs tailored to full-
time, part-time, executive, and distance learning students, with specialized
concentrations.

In the era of Globalization, students of management will have to develop

skills of quick learning and equally quick decision making. As Managers, one
will be exposed to business without physical boundaries of the nation. You will
have to develop skills to work with people with diverse culture and work
practices.
 REASONS FOR JOINING MBA:
If you have an undergraduate degree in any field, have at least two years
of managerial, professional or equivalent experience and wish to make the very
best investment you can make in your future career success, study leading to
the award of a Master of Business Administration (MBA) is for you.

An MBA develops appropriate skills and knowledge in two ways: by

means of what students have the opportunity to learn and by how they learn it.
Typically, a good MBA will include the opportunity to study around sixteen
subjects, which provide a broad portfolio of business-related skills and
knowledge. These subjects include fundamentals such as accounting,
economics, the study of organizations, quantitative methods, and the elements
of international management, and then scope for more intensive study in fields
such as finance, people management, information technology, marketing,
international management and general management. Specific topics within
these fields could range from entrepreneurship to quality management or from
derivative securities to operations management. But the way in which students
learn within an MBA is even more important than the topics they study.

Students within an MBA program often have quite extensive experience

of the business world; hence they represent a key resource in the learning
process. The quality and experience of students themselves, of the faculty
members, and of the learning resources and facilities available to both are
crucial to the quality of the learning environment. In these circumstances,
faculty members in a good MBA program assume more of the role of facilitators
than of 'teachers'.

The learning process becomes one in which students acquire

enlightenment knowledge, skills and growing self-confidence as a result of
being exposed to diverse learning opportunities such as individual research,
group projects, guest lecturers from business and government, class
discussion of real-life cases, and from delivering individual and group
presentations to audiences of their peers.

From this ferment of rich educational development, the better students

emerge with an ambition 'to change the world' and more importantly, the skills
and self-confidence to do so! Whilst all MBA graduates must gain experience
and earn their advancement 'on the job', the MBA provides a powerful
conceptual framework within which they are able to derive the greatest
advantage from that experience.
 Admission to any business schools requires passing the Common
Admission Test (CAT), XAT, GMAT, JMET or MAT each of which qualifies
candidates for entrance into any management institutions in India, apart from
these entrance tests there are few business schools which conducts aptitude
test individually which qualifies candidates for that particular business school.

Common Admission Test (CAT) is an all-India test conducted by the

Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), considered to be the most prestigious
B-schools of India. It is an entrance exam for students who want to pursue
Post Graduate level Management Degree from world renowned IIM‟s.
Performance in Common Admission Test or CAT, followed by Group
Discussions and Personal Interviews, serves as the basis for admission. Apart
from the IIM's, a candidate can take admission in many other business schools
with a CAT score.

Xavier Admission Test (XAT) is a national level entrance exam, for

admission into the post graduate management programmes at Xavier
Institutes, conducted by Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI),
Jamshedpur. Besides XLRI and other Xavier Institutes, hosts of other reputed
Top B-Schools in India also accept XAT scores including Loyola Institute of
Business Administration, Chennai and Goa Institutes of Management, Indian
Institute of Finance, New Delhi and S P Jain Institute of Management and
Research, Mumbai.

The Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT, pronounced G-

mat, [dʒiː.mæt]) is a computer adaptive standardized test in mathematic and
the English language for measuring aptitude to succeed academically in
graduate business studies. Business schools commonly use the test as one of
many selection criteria for admission into graduate business
administration programs (e.g. MBA, MASTER IN ACCOUNTANCY, etc.)
principally in the United States, but also in other English-speaking countries.
It is delivered via computer at various locations around the world. In those
international locations where an extensive network of computers has not yet
been established, the GMAT is offered either at temporary computer-based
testing centers on a limited schedule or as a paper-based test (given once or
twice a year) at local testing centers

Management Aptitude Test is an aptitude test MAT is conducted by

Centre for Management Services, which is a specialized division of AIMA (All
India Management Association). MAT is usually conducted 4 times in a year in
January, May, September and December. Every year it is taken by hundreds of
MBA aspirants in India, as a good score in MAT is likely to put the candidate in
a reputed and AICTE approved management institutions. Presently, MAT has
even got the status of a National Entrance Test by the Ministry of HRD
(Government of India, letter no. F.17-20/2003-TS.I dated 23 November 2004).
Besides having test centers all over India, MAT is also conducted in overseas
location.

Joint Management Entrance Test (JMET) is an all-India entrance test

conducted by Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) for admission to the 2-
years full-time Postgraduate Degree Programmes in Management. Apart from
IITs there are many institutes that accept JMET score. JMET is conducted
every year by IITs on a rotational basis.

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (or TOEFL, pronounced "toe-full")

evaluates the ability of an individual to use and understand English in an
academic setting. It sometimes is an admission requirement for non-native
English speakers at many English-speaking colleges and universities.

Additionally, institutions such as government agencies, licensing bodies,

businesses, or scholarship programs may require this test. A TOEFL score is
valid for two years and then will no longer be officially reported since a
candidate's language proficiency could have significantly changed since the
date of the test. Colleges and universities usually consider only the most recent
TOEFL score.

The TOEFL test is a registered trademark of Educational Testing Service (ETS)

and is administered worldwide. The test was first administered in 1964 and
has since been taken by more than 23 million students. The test was originally
developed at the Center for Applied Linguistics led by the linguist, Dr. Charles
A. Ferguson.

Policies governing the TOEFL program are formulated with advice from a 16-
member board. Board members are affiliated with undergraduate and graduate
schools, 2-year institutions and public or private agencies with an interest in
international education. Other members are specialists in the field of English
as a foreign or second language.

The TOEFL Committee of Examiners is composed of 12 specialists in

linguistics, language testing, teaching or research. Its main responsibility is to
advise on TOEFL test content. The committee helps ensure the test is a valid
measure of English language proficiency reflecting current trends and
methodologies.
 INDIA

PROGRAM IN INDIA
There are 1600 business schools in India offering two year MBA
programs targeting predominantly fresh graduates without any work
experience. Among those schools, the Indian Institutes of Management (IIM)
are the oldest institutions for management education in India. Admission to
any of the IIM schools or other business schools requires passing the Common
Admission Test (CAT), XAT, GMAT, JMET or MAT each of which qualifies
candidates for entrance into any management institutions in India, apart from
these entrance tests there are few business schools which conducts aptitude
test individually which qualifies candidates for that particular business school.

Who does not know about MBA? Most students and young population of
the country aspire to become future managers and leaders of various
organizations in the country and for this most of them sought after the popular
career choice: MBA! The whole sector of education is gaining a lot of
importance. Literacy levels in the country are rising and all this is leading to a
better India.

There are a host of MBA programs in the country that are running. Many
new institutes and management colleges have sprung up in parts of the
country. Today, no student wants to just complete their graduation. People are
opting for post graduate studies such as MBA because such programs provide
better job opportunities.

MBA programs in India are usually of two year duration except for some of
the executive MBAs that are of one year duration. MBA offers different
specializations that the student can opt for depending on the choice and the
preference and the skill set that the student possesses.

Some of the common specializations that the course offers are

marketing, finance, human resources, operations management and IT.
However, new specializations have also been recently introduced. Some of them
are MBA in mass media, MBA in hospitality management etc. Not just that,
there are many colleges that offer distance learning and part time MBA
programs. This is especially for people who cannot invest full time two years for
the degree.
 UNITED KINDOM:

UNITED KINDOM MBA PROGRAM

A high degree of sophistication, a matchless
charm, and above all, educational quality that‟s
backed by centuries of tradition : the United
Kingdom is just the right place to give your career
that global edge. In addition to the hallowed Oxford
and Cambridge, UK has a large number of other
universities which rank among the best in the
world like London Business School.

One major advantage of U.K. MBA is its

duration which is one year as compared to the two
years system in US and Canada. Also, unlike those in other countries, most UK
universities recognize the system of 3 year bachelor degree.

Most UK universities accept the three-year graduation system for entry

into the MBA programme. So, if you have a three-year bachelor degree like
Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com) or Bachelor of Science
(B.Sc), this is acceptable as it is considered equivalent to a British Bachelor
(Ordinary) Degree.

GMAT

GMAT is accepted and recommended by many universities. However, most UK

universities are flexible about this criterion and this is not a mandatory
requirement for most UK business schools. So, unless, you aiming for schools
like London Business School or Manchester Business School, you need not
worry about the GMAT.

TOEFL/IELTS:

You need to take either the TOEFL or IELTS for admission to an MBA program
in U.K. This is required for almost all universities. This mandatory for most
schools even if you have studied in English medium throughout.
MBA in UK has lots of financial benefits:

Most universities in UK offer a One-year MBA

Access to National Health Centre; which is free for students registered on
courses of six months or longer
Free school education for registered dependent children

U.K. is one of the few countries that allows international students

to work even outside the campus. Students can work upto 20 hours per
week during the semester and full-time during vaccations.
Please note that MBA is a very intensive program and you would
have lot of assignments and projects to do at any time. It is not easy to
take out time to do any extra work during the semester.
Contrary to popular belief, students are able to obtain part-time
employment quite easily in bigger cities like London and Birmingham.
Students are entitled to work full time during the holidays. There is no
permission required for most international students to take part-time
and vacation work. Students can take up placements or internship
placements, which are part of a „sandwich course‟.

Usually, most jobs are minimum wage jobs like work in fast food joints
and department stores. The higher paid jobs involve working in call
centres. You should also explore opportunities available in your
university.
 AUSTRALIA

Australian MBA Programs:

Very early in its history, Australia inherited

the British academic tradition of rigorous inquiry
and adherence to high academic standards.
Australia's oldest universities in particular are
internationally-renowned for their very high
standards of research and teaching.

Currently, a total of 55 Australian

universities offer MBA programs. The prevailing
model at the better institutions is the 'Harvard
style' MBA, which provides around 16 diverse business related subjects,
delivered over a period of 16 months to 2 years of full-time study. The shorter
(16 month) program is delivered by institutions who have adopted the trimester
system as a means to reduce the opportunity cost of an MBA to its students.
Students may also study part-time, and most choose to do so.

The better MBA programs are truly international in terms of curriculum

and orientation. This international focus is enhanced by the large number of
international students that study in Australia. At Graduate Schools of
Management, for example, students from about 30 countries within Europe,
North America, Asia and Africa participate in the MBA program, and graduates
now occupy executive positions in organizations throughout the world.
Superior MBA programs are delivered by the older universities located in each
of the State capital cities. In general, these are particularly well resourced in
terms of quality of faculty, calibre of students and also in terms of library,
computer and other facilities.
REASONS FOR DOING MBA IN AUSTRALIA:
There are two fundamental reasons for studying an MBA in Australia:

Australia offers internationally recognized MBAs at prestigious

universities;
Australia offers a host of other advantages for students.

To appreciate the significance of the first point, it is necessary to explore

briefly the meaning of the term 'good MBA'. At one extreme, it is possible in
some countries to acquire an 'MBA' certificate through the mail by spending a
few hundred dollars. Such 'MBAs' are obviously not worth the paper they are
written on, and any employer duped into hiring such a person would soon
learn their mistake and act accordingly. At the other end of the spectrum are
MBAs acquired on the basis of diligent study and participation over a period of
at least 16 months, within a rich learning environment at an internationally-
recognized management school within a prestigious university. The difference
between these two experiences lies in the changes that they effect within the
student.

A good MBA will develop the individual significantly, including their capacity
to work as an effective team member, to lead others, and to be effective in
interpersonal relationships through enhanced self-confidence, communication,
presentation and negotiation skills. In addition, his or her capacity to diagnose
the changes required to achieve business success and the power to implement
these changes will be increased dramatically. By contrast, a poor MBA will
effect none of these changes within the individual, and thus individual
performance will be poor.
 CANADA

. CANADA MBA PROGRAM:

If you are one of those who seek a high quality of life above anything else,
Canada is the place for you. It has been consistently ranked by the UN as the
one of the best countries in the world to live in.

Having a large section of students from many diverse countries, Canada

offers a truly international educational experience. Furthermore, the Canadian
MBA degree is instantly recognized around the world as being of the highest
standard.

And you get all this at a remarkably low cost - both in terms of cost of
education in Business Schools in Canada and the cost of living. Tuition fees for
international students in Business Schools in Canada are much lower than
comparable countries.

Canada may just be the place of your dreams.

GMAT:

GMAT is required for most MBA programs in Canada. It is also one of the most
important criteria for admissions. If you are planning to study in a Canadian business school, you
must score high in this exam. For more information on GMAT

TOEFL:

This is required for admission to almost all MBA programs in Canada. It is a fairly
simple exam for most students who have studied in English medium throughout. The minimum
scores required for most universities range from 550 to 600 on the paper based TOEFL and 213
to 250 on the computer based TOEFL.

IELTS score is acceptable to most business schools in lieu of TOEFL

 Various colleges offering MBA and
Expenses:

India
The Top MBA schools in the country are as follows:

 Indian Institute of Management – (Ahmadabad)

 National Institute Of Industrial Engineering- (Mumbai)
 N I T I E, Vihar Lake – (Mumbai)
 Indian Institute of Management – (Bangalore)
 Management Development Institute – (Gurgaon)
 Indian Institute of Management – (Calcutta)
 Xavier Labour Relations Institute – (Jamshedpur)
 Indian Institute of Foreign Trade – (Delhi)
 Institute of Rural Management – (Anand)
 S.P.Jain Institute of Management and Research –(Mumbai)
 Xavier Institute of Management – (Bhubaneshwar)
 FMS (Faculty of Management studies – (Delhi)
 Symbiosis – (Pune)
 Jamnalal Bajaj – (Mumbai)
 Indian Institute of management – (Lucknow)
 Indian Institute of management – (Kozhikode)

Expenses:
MBA programs in India usually cost around Rs. 3-5 lakhs.
However, some of the institutes like the ISB (Indian School of Business)
in Hyderabad charges around Rs. 12 lakhs. Hence it is from institute to
institute that the fees vary. Today, most banks are ready to offer an
educational loan for an individual wanting to pursue his or her MBA.
MBA program in India is indeed a good educational investment for an
individual towards a bright rewarding career.
 AUSTRALIA:
Following are some of the top leading B-schools in Australia. They offer
full time, part time, online, distance MBA and other business programs to
students worldwide.

Melbourne Business School, University of Melbourne

Macquarie Graduate School of Management
Australian Graduate School of Management
U of Tech Sydney - Business Faculty
Faculty of Business - Bond University
Graduate School of Business - RMIT University Faculty of Business -
Queensland Universities of Technology.
Deakin Business School.
Curtin Business School.
Sydney Graduate School of Management, Universities of Western Sydney.
Griffith Universities MBA.
Universities of Queensland.
Mt Eliza Center for Executive Education, Melbourne Business School.
National Graduate School of Management - Australian National Universities
Graduate School of Management, Universities of Western Australia.
Faculty of Business and Law, Victoria Universities.

EXPENSES:
The cost of an MBA in Australia is generally cheaper than the USA and UK. It
varies between institutes, depending on the varying durations of programmes
offered by different institutes and the courses taken.

* The fee for 2008-2009 in the Melbourne institute was AUD $50,000 apart
from a non-refundable Acceptance Fee of AUD $2,000 required from
international students
* At the University of Ballarat, a Master of Business Administration, Master of
Business Management and other similar courses in 2008 cost AUD $14,000 e

Tuition Work
University Duration GMAT Intake Specialization
Fees Exp.
e-Commerce,
16 42,000 Entrepreneurship,
Melbourne Business School 2 years Yes Feb
months full cost Operations
Management
29,440
Macquarie University 1 Year 5 years No Feb/July MBA
full cost
Australian National 14 27,500 General Mgmt.,
3 years No July
University months full cost Intl. Business
11,240
University of Canberra 2 years 2 years No Feb/July MBA/MIB
p.a.
University of Technology, 14000 MBA -
2 2 No March/Aug
Sydney p.a. Professional
University of Technology, 14,000
2 No No March/Aug MBA - LWE
Sydney p.a.
University of Western 16,500
1 5 No Jan/July MBA - General
Sydney - Hawkesbury full cost
HM, Int. Business,
University of Western 18,400
1 2 No April/Sep Tourism
Sydney - Macarthur full cost
Management
Act/fine, Int.
University of Western
21,000 Buis., Tech.
Sydney - 1-1.3 3 No Jan/May/Sep
p.a. Magmt.,
Nepean
Marketing
24,500 Feb/March/july/
University of Wollongong 1.5 2 No MBA
p.a. Oct
12,000 Jan/April/July/
La Trobe University 2 years No No MBA - Standard
p.a. Sept
21,000 Jan/April/July/
La Trobe University 1 year 2 years No MBA - Executive
p.a. Sept
17,600
Monash University 2 years 2 years 600 Feb/July MBA
p.a.
16,255
RMIT 1.5 years 4 years No Jan/July MBA
p.a.
Swinburne University of 24,750
1.5 years No No Feb/July/August MBA
Technology full cost
Swinburne University of 24,750
1.5 years 2 years No Feb/July/August MBA (Corporate)
Technology full cost
Victoria University of 12,000
1.5 years 2 years No Feb/July/Dec MBA (General)
Technology p.a.
Central Queensland 10,500
1-2 years 2 years No Feb/July/Nov MBA
University p.a.
 UNITED STATE(US)

Expenses:
US Business Schools fall under two major categories:
- Public (state supported), and
- Private (independent) Institutions.

International students‟ tuition expenses at state schools are based on

nonresident costs, which are still usually less expensive than those of private
universities.

It is important to note that the cost of a program in a US school does not

necessarily affect its quality.

A brief idea can be got from the following table

University Type Tuition Fees (annual in U.S. Dollars)

Private School (High Cost) $ 30,000

Private School (Low Cost) $ 15,000

State School (High Cost) $ 20,000

State School (Low Cost) $ 10,000

The tuition fee is different for different universities and varies widely with
courses. It can vary from as low as $ 8000 a year for state universities to as
much as $ 35000 per annum for some private universities.
 For example, Colorado Technical University offers the MBA program for
less than US $ 10,000 a year, while many top schools like Harvard Business
School and Wharton Business Schools have a fee structure of around US $
30,000 per year. For more specific details, please check out the university
websites or contact the universities.

Living Expenses

The approximate annual living expenses during the MBA program is

about $12,000, which includes accommodation as well as other daily expenses.

However, the expenses are different for different people depending on the
lifestyles and this is just a rough idea. The main expenses can be split up as:

$ 400 per month

Rent
(you can live alone with that amount in a place like
Auburn or share an apartment with 6 people in NY)

Groceries $ 150 per month

Utilities $ 150 per month

Phone $ 100 per month (if careful with international calls)

Sundry $ 200 per month

So, about $1000 per month is a good estimation. Mostly people can
survive between $700-$1000 a month.
The key here is to share apartments/houses so that you save on the utilities,
fixed charge portion of phone and to some extent on groceries.

The vast difference in fees with US universities, has made European MBA
programs attractive for Indians. While the US would cost an Indian student Rs.
40 lakh to Rs. 45 lakh or Rs. 25 lakh to 30 lakh in a lesser ranked US
institute, a management programme in Europe would cost only Rs. 20-25 lakh
and in Australia it would be Rs. 15-20 lakh.
 NEWZELAND:
Following are some of the top leading B-schools in NEWZELAND:
University of Auckland
Victoria University of Wellington
Massey University
University of Canterbury
University of Otago
University of Waikato

Business Schools in New Zealand

This section lists all the business schools in New Zealand offering MBA
programmes along with general admission criteria, tuition fee and other useful
information. Please note that these are not ranked or in any particular order.

Tuition
TOEFL
Entry Program GMAT Work Fee
University /IELTS
time length score experience (Full
score
Course)
University of 24 .Min. 5 NZ $
Feb. Required Min. 550
Auckland months years 31,128
Victoria University of 16 575/237 Min. 5 NZ $
March Required
Wellington months 6.5 years 31,000
June 12 Min. 233 NZ $
Massey University Optional .5 years
Oct. months 6.5 18,504
University of 15 600/250 .Min. 5 NZ $
Feb. 600
Canterbury months 7 years 39,955
Mid 16 600/280 .Min. 3 NZ $
University of Otago 550
Sept months 6.5 years 25,500
University of Late 12 Min. 580 Min. 3 NZ $
-
Waikato June months 6.5 years 28,125
If you are looking for New Zealand Business Schools and MBA programmes,
you have reached the right place. This is a listing of the Business Schools in
New Zealand. We will be soon compiling a list of top business schools in new
Zealand. If you are looking for the top MBA programmes and MBA rankings of
countries other than US, please check out the main MBA channel page for
other MBA destinations.

Living Expenses
The approximate annual living expenses are about NZ $ 12,000, which
includes accommodation as well as other daily expenses.

However, the expenses are different for different people depending on the
lifestyles
CANADA
List of Business Schools in Canada:
Carleton University
Concordia University
Dalhousie University
McGill University
McMaster University
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Queen's University
Royal Roads University
Saint Mary's University
Simon Fraser University
University of Alberta
University of British Columbia
University of Calgary
University of Manitoba
University of New Brunswick
University of Ottawa
University of Toronto
University of Victoria
University of Western Ontario
Wilfrid Laurier University
York University

EXPENSES:

The tuition fee ranges from CDN $ 10,000 per year to $ 25,000 per year.
In some schools, it goes upto CDN $ 35,000 for the entire program.
 Business Schools – Canada

List of MBA Programs and Business Schools in Canada:

Min. Min.
Program Program Min. Work
University TOEFL GMAT
Entry Length Experience
score score

12-18
Carleton University September 550 550 -
months

Sept, Jan, 16-24 250

Concordia University 600 2
May months (cbt)

Dalhousie University September 2 years 580 550 .-

Mcgill University September 2 years 600 570 2

McMaster University September 2 years 580 600 1

Memorial University of
September 2 years 580 500
Newfoundland

250
Queen's University May 1 year 600 2
(cbt)

Royal Roads University April 2 years 570 5

Saint Mary's University September 2 years 550 500 .--

Sept, Jan, 4
Simon Fraser University 570 550 -
May semesters

16-20
University of Alberta - - 550 -
months

600
University of British Columbia September 15 months 2
(250)

16-20 600
University of Calgary September 550 3
months (250)
 Ranking Performance:

- Melbourne Business School's MBA is ranked 52th globally by the

Financial Times (FT) 2009, and 26th in the world by The Economist
Intelligence Unit 2008. Its EMBA is ranked 45th by FT 2008.

- MGSM (Macquarie Graduate School of Management) is ranked 1st in

Australia and Asia and 40th in the world for its full-time MBA program
(Economist Intelligence Unit, 2003). It is also ranked equal 1st of Australian
MBA programs (Australian Financial Review BOSS Magazine, 2003) and in
the top 40 business schools worldwide for executive education (London
Financial Times, 2003).

- Griffith is rated 5 star for its MBA, MBA Advanced and MBA Honours by
2008 Graduate Management Association of Australia (GMAA).

- RMIT University Graduate School of Business MBA (Executive) is ranked

in the top 10 programs in Australia and in the top 3 Melbourne-based
programs. (Australian Financial Review (AFR), BOSS Magazine 2007). Its
MBA (Executive) was awarded 4 stars in the GMAA ranking system.

- University of South Australia MBA program was rated 5-Star in the 2009
Good Universities Guide. It was the highest ranked program in South
Australia.

- Curtin Business School has been ranked top in Western Australia and
5th in Australia for its MBA program, according to the Australian Financial
Review‟s BOSS magazine.
 PROBLEM OF HIGH CLASS MBA IN INDIA
There is a reason why every problem has been connected with increase in
population. Things in India just aren‟t designed for a large number of
people. Think vaguely, do you remember any place or situation where
things went smoothly once the number of people went even a little above
normal?

I am guessing no; at least I don‟t remember any. Infrastructure wise we

have never ruled anyways. The conditions of the IIMs after the Supreme
Court ruling to increase the batch intake are quite predictable too. As
anywhere in India, there is a lot of nudging and pushing going around.

Indian Institute of Management-Kozhikode (IIM-K) increased its post

graduate program (PGP) batch size from 265 to 325 this year. Of course,
the infrastructure was (1) left to be developed only after the start of the
session. According to a student at IIM-K, due to the increase in class size,
“almost all the courses are taken by two professors now which has
(2) overburdened the faculty“. He adds that “the new mess (area where the
students have their meals) is (3)still not operational thus there is crowding
there too”. If this is the case with the IIMs, one can only imagine how the
increase in the number of seats will affect other institutions.

Recently, a minister in Orissa commented about how not having a school

building shouldn‟t deter students from attending school. He argued how
students in olden times used to study under trees and walked for miles to
their schools and still became leaders in their chosen paths. Really?
Shouldn‟t we talk about the politicians in olden times as well?

Business schools are having a tough time managing within the restrictions
of the English language. A management study includes everything from the
jigging of stock prices to the basics of handshaking. B-schools themselves
are doing a fair amount of handshaking when it comes to their names.
Institute names include at least one word from Indian, institute, school,
business and management and institutes sometimes also have the same
initials. Students have to sip this alphabet soup to make sense of things.

The Indian School of Business, Hyderabad (ISB) needs no introduction and

has even been ranked among the top 20 b-schools in the world. Well,
there‟s an International Business School, Calcutta which started
functioning in 2002 and the institute obviously refers to itself as ISB. A
Google search for ISB also has ISB Kolkata close on the heels of ISB
Hyderabad. The initials ISBM seem to quite popular among institutes and
a Google search for ISBM throws up four different institutes with these
initials.

Even the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) are a party to this

situation. There is obviously no confusion between the IIMs and everyone
is familiar with how the IIMs are referred to along with their location.
Things do need to be considered when Indira Institute of Management,
Pune refers to itself as IIM-P. This will not cause problems right now
because we all know where the various IIMs are located. Eight new IIMs
are being set up in various parts of the country and students should know
where such overlap of names is happening so that they don‟t get confused.

Then there are cases in which the full name of the institute isn‟t as well
known as say an ISB. There‟s an NIILM Center for Management Studies
and an NIILM School of Business. IILM is another common set of initials
and there are quite a few institutes which use this abbreviation and this
causes doubts to come up. The Post Graduate Program in Management
(PGPM) program is offered at Alliance Business School, Bangalore while
Alliance Business Academy has an MBA program in operation. These two
institutes are different units of the same body but aspirants do encounter
problems in differentiating between the two.

Institutes obviously differ in terms of the nature and quality of programs

they offer. Students should definitely find out the details of an institute
and not just be attracted to it because it has a well known name. India
currently has nearly 2,000 business schools and most institutes are
referred to by their initials. Common initials certainly contribute towards
confusion among aspirants and students will have to be a lot more careful
when it comes to picking out schools. A student will not join a school
purely on the basis of its name but the name definitely plays a role in a
school‟s perception and its brand image.

In the Indian higher education scenario, there is one regulatory body to

cover all possible areas of education. For example, University Grants
Commission (UGC), All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), Medical
Council of India (MCI), Bar Council of India (BCI), Council of Architecture
(COA), and National Council on Teacher Education (NCTE), Indian Nursing
Council (INC) and Pharmacy Council of India. The Yashpal Report proposes the
development of a single regulatory body called the „National Commission for
Higher Education and Research (NCHER)‟ to overcome the chaos created by the
confusing rules of a large number of bodies. This will certainly make regulation
more effective and transparent and also reduce corrupt practices by institutes.
According to the report, the new regulatory body will move from the current
method of the „inspection-approval‟ to a new method of „verification and
authentication‟. This will ensure that the educational institutions work in co-
ordination with the regulatory bodies and the upgradation of an institute
becomes an ongoing instead of a one time process.

The report lays down the objectives for higher education which indicate
that there will no more be any confusion in policy decisions as there will be a
single point of contact of all policy related queries. Also universities will become
autonomous which will give them more freedom. It has mentioned continuous
reforms in education, although again specific details about them are missing.

This is a small step which may help bring some standards to education in
India. Such a system will also help students to not have any confusion
about which institutes they can apply to after completing their course.
Institutes should also be told to clearly disclose the credits given to
various courses so that students know from the beginning what they are
getting into. Sometimes students are confused about the value of degrees
offered by institutes and prospects after graduating from a particular
institute.

An official credit transfer system is definitely a welcome move but India‟s

universities urgently require opening up of the various disciplines which
are offered at universities. As suggested in the Yash Pal report, students
should be allowed to opt for courses from various disciplines offered at a
university. I think that it is a waste of resources if a university offers
disciplines such as engineering, medicine, management, sociology etc and
does not allow a student of say engineering to take any subjects from the
other disciplines. Studying subjects from various disciplines will help
students to get a wider perspective of things and learn in a holistic
manner.

In India, companies directly recruit students from b-school

campuses and this model is very different from that present in foreign
colleges. Students in American business schools visit companies and look
for jobs without the institute setting up a systematic campus placement
process. Such a process allows students to get to know more about how
companies operate and also provides them with more freedom in choosing
job offers.

There are various reasons why companies choose to recruit from IIM
campuses and not directly from the job market. However, the recession
has prompted students and institutes to relook things. This year, all b-
schools had to follow a rolling placements process so that the entire batch
of students could be placed. It will be interesting to see if more b-schools
adopt this strategy of setting up interactions with company representatives
and corporate figures. Such changes will result in b-scholars actively
searching for jobs and not being restricted to the placement rules imposed
by institutes. MBAs will also be prompted to search for jobs that are more
connected with their interests. Campus placements at Indian b-schools
often result in students getting pressurized because of placement rules
and strategies being followed by other students. These problems may be
overcome if b-schools choose to operate in a different way and give
students a lot more freedom.

The HRD Minister‟s statements and his ideas are a breath of fresh air. I
am sure all of us will want to support the growth of high quality education in
India. The issue as always in India is not about the law, or the composition and
the mandate of the Commission, but how it will actually function on the
ground. We should focus on whether it will be able to achieve its objective of
rapidly increasing the number of high quality institutions, and that is a tough
question to answer

Once universities and colleges have more autonomy in setting their

fees and deciding their expansion plans, cross subsidizing the
underprivileged, meritorious students should not be a problem. Instead of
providing subsidized education to all, as is the case now, the system
should enable institutions to charge full fees to those students who have
the means to pay and offer liberal scholarships to those who cannot do so.

The idea to bring in professional managers in the business of

administration at colleges as suggested by Dean Rangnekar is a useful
one. Professional managers can speed up the administration of the college,
hence providing more time for it to develop academically. Another
interesting thought is the idea of a stand alone institution that would be
able to grant degrees without it being classified as a university. Such
institutions will help ultra specialized research and development in niche
areas without having to bother whether they fulfill the criterion for them to
be called as a university. It will be great for the cause of education if small
suggestions from those within the industry are incorporated in its
development.

Top b-schools such as the Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) have

bank tie-ups to provide loans for students at lower interest rates while
students at other institutes have to make their own arrangements. Public
sector and nationalized banks could be encouraged to have tie-ups with b-
schools outside the top ten institutes so that students can get education loans
in an easier manner. A lot of b-schools have increased their fee in the past two
years. The government should definitely make efforts to ensure that the loan
process does not stop deserving students from making use of management
education.
BIBLOGRAPHY

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