Would-be MBA students getting ready to take the GMAT might be in for a little surprise when they show up at the testing center. In addition to all the usual security measures—including video monitoring and the computer adaptive test itself—test takers will soon be asked to submit to a new one: a biometric device that uses an infared light to capture the test-taker’s unique “palm vein pattern.”

Pearson VUE, the company that administers the GMAT for the Graduate Management Admission Council, plans to announce the new security effort tomorrow, but BusinessWeek got a sneak peak at it today.

The Fujitsu “PalmSecure” device will be rolled out next month at 16 testing centers in India and Korea for GMAT candidates. It goes live in the U.S. this fall, and when fully deployed will be used in 400 facilities in 107 countries by May 2009.

The announcement comes as the b-school world is embroiled in a cheating scandal involving the GMAT–users of a now-defunct test prep Web site, Scoretop.com, have been accused by GMAC of using it to post and access live test questions, and GMAC has said it will cancel the test scores of anyone who violated its rules.

But the new security measure is designed to stop a different kind of cheating–the use of professional test takers, or proxies, to take the exam on behalf of someone else. GMAC’s been burned by this type of cheater before. Back in 2003, it busted a half dozen people who took the GMAT for others for about $5,000 a pop. GMAC canceled 166 scores as a result, and five of the six imposters ended up at Rikers.

More : businessweek.com

Aaron F. Cooper II, a self-described worrywart, never thought his penchant for devising foolproof backup plans could translate into a calling. But that all changed when he signed up for an elective in risk management while at the University of Georgia’s Terry School of Business executive MBA program last fall. “It entails pretty much everything I’ve always been interested in my entire life, even before I knew risk management existed,” said Cooper, 27, a telecommunications engineer at AT&T (T).

Cooper is part of a new wave of students hitting business school campuses. For years, risk management—the process of analyzing exposure to risk and determining how best to handle it—occupied a sleepy corner in business schools, a subject mainly of interest to those who want to enter the insurance field. But with the recent turmoil in the financial markets and a push for more accountability, risk management has rocketed in status at business schools.

In the past decade, a growing number of B-schools have added concentrations in the subject, ramping up the number of classes they offer. Executive MBA programs are also incorporating risk management electives into their curriculum, responding to increased demand from executives and companies. In some instances, schools such as Georgia’s Terry are developing custom programs on the topic for top executives and boards of directors.

More : businessweek.com

Do you have a knack for figures? Does the rise and fall of the sensitive index excite you? Would you like to have a say in the country’s future? Check out the wide range of options open to a qualified economist. A report by Debojyoti Ghosh and Rupa Ganguly Economics is the art of trying to satisfy infinite needs with limited resources.

-Albert Camus CONSIDERED a rich subject, the study of economics covers a vast field and requires an analytical brain to grasp its nuances. It is a branch of social science that deals with production, distribution and consumption of goods and services and their management. The subject deals with the process of satisfying unlimited human wants with limited resources. Therefore, in essence, economics is about making choices. It’s about guiding men and society to make the right choice, and manage to live within their means.

What it entails Economists study the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. Their work mainly has to do with analysing data and practical applications of economic policy in a particular area. Economists use mathematical models to develop programmes, predicting the nature and length of business cycles, the effects of inflation on the economy, or unemployment.

Assessment of economic conditions nationally and internationally to estimate the economic effects of specific changes in legislation or public policy is also a part of their job. The primary task of economists, however, is to predict the probable consequences of a course of action or policy decision. They may work as advisors with different kinds of employers Begin early Economics could be studied in school, as a sixth subject in ICSE and an additional subject in Madhyamik. It could be taken up as a regular subject at the plus two level. However, if you want to major in economics at the graduation level, you just have to pass 10+2 in any stream. To get a postgraduate degree in the subject, you should have a graduate degree in economics.

Options abroad The London School of Economics is known the world over as a premiere institute in the field and runs all sorts of courses. A wide variety of funding options is available for overseas students. The LSE itself gives awards to the tune of 1.4 million pounds. There are a number of awards covering teaching and living expenses. Two of these scholarships are given to undergraduate students on the basis of exceptional performance. The third goes to a student who has completed his degree as an external student. Several other schemes, such as the Overseas Research Students (ORS) awards, the Commonwealth Scholarship and Fellowship Plan, the Rotary Foundation Scholarships, UNESCO fellowships, the Department for International Development Shared Scholarship Scheme (DIDSSS) etc. are also available. The Indian friends of LSE offer scholarships to Indian students. Teaching expenses could be covered by awards from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, while the Indian friends support the living costs.

GThe students prefer to study the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B), a ranking of the list of Business Schools in India, outdoing IIM, Ahmedabad (IIM-A).

This is because IIM-B-initiatives to improve the quality of education, according to a survey of the Economic Times