Management Competition, teams found out in November just how hard it can be to manage money in turbulent times.

Due to some heavy weighting in ABCP-plagued Canadian bank stocks and the collateral damage the financial services sector had on the S&P/TSX composite index — which was down almost 1,000 points in the month — almost no portfolio was safe, with 14 of 16 teams reporting returns that had swung into the red. To compare, not one team in October lost money. More importantly, Sharpe ratios, for which teams are ultimately ranked, also turned ugly with 15 teams wrapping negative brackets around their results.

The Sharpe ratio expresses a portfolios return after taking volatility into account. The higher the ratio, the better the portfolios risk-adjusted return. Laval, the only team with a positive Sharpe ratio, continues to lead the pack, followed by Concordia Universitys Goodman Institute of Investment Management and the University of Manitobas Asper School of Business. Team Asper, notably, made the biggest leap in the competition after placing in 8th spot during the first month of competition.

More : financialpost.com

The Indian Institute of Management-Indore (IIM-I) has announced its Management Development Programs (MDPs) calendar for January-March 2008.

The institute has planned 14 MDPs on the variety of topics. According to the information shared by IIM Indore with MBAUniverse.com, These MDPs are designed to reinvent organizations through the transformation of people. It will provide research-based, globally relevant frameworks for addressing the issues senior executives face every day.

These MDPs will cover the topics like eLeadership, Retail Strategies for Emerging Markets, Excellence in Services (XeIS) through Six Sigma and Business Intelligence, Corporate Governance and the Role of Independent Directors, Workshop for Training Managers and HRD Facilitators, Building Strong Brands, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Legal Aspects of Employee Relations, International Marketing (Winning Customers and Markets Internationally), Managerial Skills for High Performance and Leadership Communication.

More : mbauniverse.com

Management graduates specialising in insurance are making the most of the rapid growth being witnessed by the insurance sector in the country. This is reflected in the rising graph of their annual pay packages offered at campus placement in specialist institutions like the National Insurance Academy (NIA), Pune.

This year, the highest pay pack bagged by an NIA school of management (NIASOM) student touched Rs 8.5 lakh per annum - up from the Rs 7 lakh per annum highest mark during last years recruitment exercise.

The average salary package, too, has gone up significantly from Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 6.3 lakh per annum, over the last two years. Last year, the same was Rs 5.5 lakh. At the lower end, the minimum package was Rs 4.75 lakh, which again is up from Rs 3 lakh per annum last year.

More : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

As a second phase of the inaugural Stanford Graduate School of Management (GSB) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM-Bangalore) Link (SAIL) exchange program, 16 students of IIM visited Stanford last week on a seven-day trip. Mukesh Ambani, a GSB Alumni sponsored the visit of the IIM Students.

On the academic front, the students attended classes, talks by industry leaders and presented a joint research project on subjects spanning energy, wind power, day care, health care, and health insurance, Biocon and others on India and the global economy.

Socially, the students mingled with their counterparts at Stanford and others to learn about the culture and its people, a vital experience for students ready to enter a globalized work place. V Srinivasan, Professor of Management at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, who helped design the program for Stanford students, said; I understand firsthand how the two cultures have vastly different styles of communicating, which unless addressed can lead to serious misunderstandings in the business world.

More : hindustantimes.com

Dowling College informs ANN that they now offer the nation’s only MBA in Aviation Management with an option to take an additional four undergraduate aviation courses. This MBA enables students with a non-aviation undergraduate degree to sit for the FAA Air Traffic Control Exam. This program offers students who already have undergraduate degrees in any field the opportunity to make a career change. This degree program can also help current aviation professionals advance their careers and ensure that they become valuable assets to the air transport organization with which they are affiliated.

The MBA in Aviation Management provides students with an understanding of the air transport industry, the challenges and issues it faces, while simultaneously providing the aviation industry with what it needs most; aviation management graduates who understand the intricacies of the air transport business. The air transport industry plays a vital role in today’s global society. As the primary mode of long- distance transport within and between nations, air transport has become a crucial facilitator of economic activity. Liberalization, technological change, and falling trade barriers are some of the trends that have ensured that we are living in an increasingly global society. By facilitating the movement of people and goods, air transport acts as a catalyst and contributes to the world’s economies.

Source : aero-news.net

Horizons, the Annual Management Conclave of the Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode was held between October 5 & 7, 2007, at the institutes scenic campus in Kozhikode (Calicut), Kerala. The overarching theme for this year was Bharat ek Khoj with sub themes of Rediscovering Rural India, Unleashing India Inc. and Unlocking the Human Potential.

What is Real India? Mr. Harish Bijoor, CEO, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc., tried to answer this question while separating truth from hype. He dwelt on the increasing chasm between Rural and Urban India and pointed out that the current pace of growth will not be sustained unless it becomes inclusive. On the subject of growth, Mr. Abheek Singhi, Partner and Director of The Boston Consulting Group cited investor confidence and M&As as the drivers behind Indias growth. Mr. Singhi went on to explain the nuances of M&As and the role consultants play in the same. The CEO of Maricos Consumer Products Division, Mr. Saugata Gupta, drew upon his experience and shared his secret to becoming a Winning Manager.

It was formally inaugurated on the 5th by Dr. A Jayathilak, the district collector of Kozhikode. Dr. Jayathilak was the MD of Kerala Tourism Development Corporation for 5 years and was instrumental in orchestrating the Gods own country campaign which catapulted Kerala to its superbrand success. He delivered an insightful opening address on rediscovering Rural India.

More : pagalguy.com

The University of Washington Business School today kicks off a new Technology Management MBA Program that creators say will help business leaders avoid becoming victims of high-tech fallout.

So often in the New Economy entrepreneurs get a great technology idea and then they are suddenly thrown into a management position without the tools they need to carry their business over the long haul, says Ann Lightbody, director of the Technology Management MBA program. Our new program will give legs to some of these start-ups as well as enhance established businesses and the skills of working professionals.

The 18-month evening and weekend program, with classes alternating in Seattle and Bellevue, offers a curriculum with an emphasis on high-tech business. Employees from 40 area high-tech companies are in the Technology Management MBAs first section. They include biotechnology, computer science and dot-com companies such as the Immunex Corp., Microsoft and Wild Tangent.

More : uwnews.org

THE MBA programme at the UCT Graduate School of Business (GSB) has been rated the best in in a South African survey by management publication Professional Management Review (PMR).

The PMR finding was collated from the responses of 478 line managers and human resources leaders countrywide.

UCTs MBA is the only one in Africa ranked in the Financial Times Global Top 100 and the business school the only one in Africa to make it into the International University Consortium for Executive Education.

More : iol.co.za

Sri Lanka entered the education market in the Middle-East this week as the Minister of Education Susil Premajayanth declared open the Postgraduate Institute of Managements (PIMs) MBA degree program in Dubai on September 15th, a press release said. At a ceremonial opening session well-attended by both Sri Lankan expatriates and nationals of the United Arab Emirates, the Education Minister hailed the new initiative by the Postgraduate Institute of Management and the Sri Lankan professionals led by the Institution of Incorporated Engineers, Sri Lanka Branch in the Emirates, as historic, innovative and courageous. Dubai is the right choice for this novel step because the economic growth and potential in this country is enormous declared the Minister.

The PIMs International Center in Dubai, set up in the Knowledge Village which provides infrastructural facilities for foreign universities operating in Dubai, attracted over 140 applicants to its MBA program and it admitted 88 candidates for the first batch (2007/09). The center provides facilities for 180 students with modern class-rooms, seminar rooms, library and an IT center. The academic sessions commenced on September 17th.

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Dr. Ayub Kazim, Executive Director of the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority, welcomed the entry of the Sri Lankan University to the Dubai education system and expressed the hope that it would add a competitive and useful alternative to the already existing programs of education in the country. Globalisation is affecting every sphere of activity in the economy and the globalisation of higher education would strengthen human resource development options for professionals while encouraging more productive investment and business relations among countries.

More : sundaytimes.lk

The University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management in partnership with Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) will host a national pre-MBA application seminar at the university Friday, Sept. 28. MLT is a national nonprofit that has made groundbreaking progress addressing the dramatic under-representation of African Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans in senior leadership positions in corporations, non-profits and entrepreneurial ventures. MLT’s MBA Preparation Program (MBA Prep) prepares young professionals for successful application to leading MBA programs and for managing a successful MBA career transition.

The Carlson School has a strong commitment to developing diverse talent.

“As a business school partner of MLT, the Carlson School strives to expose these top students to the opportunities and unique MBA experiences we offer,” said Kathryn Johnson, Carlson School director of diversity. “Our top rankings as a business school sometimes get overlooked because of our geographic location, so we are pleased to host these students for the first time. We have a deep engagement with the business community and excellent opportunities for students.”

More : ur.umn.edu