The Business Today-AC Nielson ORG-MARG survey has ranked India’s business schools based on certain performance parameters. The parameters include, reputation, success and quality of placement, infrastructure and faculty.

The responses to the survey came from 5 distinct groups, current management students, aspirants, young corporate executives and recruiters and functional heads. A total of 427 respondents participated in the survey.

The Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, topped the list of premier management institutes in the country. IIM, Bangalore, and IIM, Kolkata, ranked second and third respectively. Through the top positions are held by the IIMs, the newer institutes like Loyola Institute, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, SP Jain Institute and Indian Institute of Foreign Trade are not far behind.

EDUCATION is fundamental for the growth of industry and trade in any country. The reason behind the economic success of industrial giants like the USA, Japan, Germany and other emerging economies has been the right kind of education. This has been possible only through strong industry-academia ties. India faces a tough challenge in providing the right kind of education to a very large number of students in order to prepare them for shouldering responsibilities in the economic sector, which is poised for a double digit growth by the turn of the century.

India today has the dubious distinction of having the largest number of educated people who are unemployed for the simple reason that they are unemployable. In a couple of years India will have more than half of its population illiterate and a big chunk of so-called educated people unemployed.

This is an extremely poor reflection on our education system. Every year the government spends a huge amount of money on education. In spite of this, industry especially segments like software, telecom, microelectronics and several other high-tech areas, face a tremendous shortage of skilled manpower.

The education system in our country needs to be driven by the requirements of industry and trade. This would reduce the incidence of producing graduates and postgraduates who are unemployable as far as specialised jobs in the industrial sector are concerned. In the post-liberalisation era, India’s premier technology and management institutes have taken the lead in developing strong interfaces with leading local companies and multinationals.

Whereas IIT (Kanpur) has tied up with Motorola, IIT (Bombay) has joined hands with Intel Corporation of the USA. Intel has launched ‘Vidya’ to create awareness amongst schoolchildren regarding benefits of multimedia and Internet as tools of learning. The Indian Institute of Management, (Ahmedabad) in its efforts directed towards training practising managers, has so far conducted over 700 management development programmes and over 20 long-duration management education programmes. Even though regional management and technology institutes have taken initiatives to work closely with industry, much needs to be done in getting the desired results. In fact, IITs and IIMs can be good models for regional institutes to adopt.

Over the past 10 years or so, corporate managers in India have realised that human resource is the most vital input for long-term success. Technology can be acquired, money raised, machinery bought at best prices but there is no way one can trade for a quality manpower. Right people have to be inducted, trained and retained through well-planned efforts.

The Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) School of Management, Jamshedpur, has invited applications for XAT and the academic programme of XLRI for 2006. XAT score is also used by 41 other management institutes for admission. The programmes at XLRI include two-year postgraduate programmes in business management, and personnel management and industrial relations. XAT-2006 is to be held on Janary 8. Application available at the selected branches of State Bank of India up to November 30. The cost of XAT form is Rs. 700 and XLRI forms Rs. 800. Candidates have to purchase both forms for admission to XLRI management programmes.

NMAT on December 11

Narseemonjee Institute of management studies (deemed university), Mumbai, has invited applications for admission to its two-year full-time MBA programme. Specialisations are marketing, finance, information systems, operations, human resource and behavioural science, advertising and communication, rural marketing and international business. Intake capacity is 240 (15 per cent management quota seats) on merit. Admission is based on written test (NMAT-2006) on December 11, followed by a group discussion and personal interview. Phone: 022-26134577/26143177.

Atul Tandan, Director, Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA) — one of India’s premier communications management institutes — talks to Archana Mohan about investing in technology, research and his plans for MICA.
Excerpts:

What can be expected from MICA in 2007? Any plans to expand to other cities?

In 2007, MICA would be launching new courses in Health Management with an emphasis on studying water, sanitation and hygiene issues in the country, the doctor-patient relationship, and the like. We might also launch a programme in new media or digital media which is the need of the hour today

If anybody other than the man who leaked the CAT question papers are panicking, it’s the students. With confusion about a possible re-examination date which might clash with other examination schedules, it was like a nightmare for many.

“Some of my friends have a feeling that they could have cracked the examination this time. They might not get a good score in the next exam. Some of them are really in despair,” said Sounak Chatterjee, a CAT examinee. Most of the examinees feel that it was unfair to cancel the examinations at all other exam centres after the paper leak was detected in Delhi and Pune.

“Due to a handful of touts, thousands of examinees suffered. I have other management exams lined up. Most of my friends have already left the city to appear for the examinations,” said another examinee.

But it seems that there’s finally some good news at the end of the road for the students. Sources belonging to the teaching faculty of the top management institutes in the city confirmed that CAT is being re-scheduled at a date that will not clash with the examination date of any other top management institute. Efforts are also on to allow sufficient “transit time” to the students, so that they don’t face a problem in getting back to the previous examination centre.

“The re-examination will be scheduled in four to six weeks time. Efforts are also on to provide sufficient time to the students so that they can travel back to the city and can take the exam without a problem. But yes, the standard of the exam will remain the same,” said a senior professor of a city management institute, adding: “Talks are on to ensure that the students don’t have to pay a single penny extra for re-exam. However, new roll-numbers might be allotted.”

Some of the management institutes, which take in students through the CAT, rushed in to salvage the situation with similar announcements. “The scam came to me as a shocker. But the students should not be penalised for that. We have decided that our institute won’t charge any money again for those who have already paid for the examination. I feel that the CAT exam committee should also come out with a similar announcement,” said professor Ashoke Dutta, director of Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM).

Some of the senior professors, of course, felt that the re-scheduling of exams might prove to be a boon for some examinees. “I feel that some of the students should take this as a chance to fine-tune their preparation for the examination. Who knows, most of them may get a better score than what they would have got in the previous examination,” said Mousumi Ghosh, senior professor of Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

But that the scam has broken the myth of a “fool-proof” system prompted some senior faculty members to advocate for a uniform all India level test for all management institutes. “May be there’s an urgent need of devising a fool proof system that will not see a repetition of these incidents in the future,” said Somnath Mukherjee, director of a city management institute.

If there is one thing predictable about the Common Admission Test (CAT), it is its unpredictability. And this time too, this entrance exam to premier management institutes lived up to its reputation.

The first surprise came when students realised each question carried four marks and one negative mark for every wrong answer, unlike one mark for right answer and 1/4th negative mark as was the norm till last year.

But this was certainly better than last year, when CAT had sprung up even more drastic changes with two and three mark questions.

CAT-2006’s duration was increased by half an hour and, contrary to popular assumption, the number of questions actually were reduced.

Instead of the standard 90 questions spread over three sections, there were only 75, 25 each testing quantitative aptitude, data interpretation and verbal abilities of over 1.9 lakh CAT aspirants across the country.

The surprises did not end there. For once, many felt the Quant (quantitative analysis) section was easier than on previous occasions. But Verbal was a bit tricky.

Fifteen of the 25 questions in this section were dedicated to reading comprehension, a time-consuming aspect of CAT.
Also the number of choices in this multiple-choice paper were increased from four to five.

“I took CAT last year too. As I didn’t perform well, I couldn’t make it to the IIMs. But this year’s CAT was more satisfying. Though the paper was shorter, there was more room for careless mistakes, there was enough time to go through the answers on the marking sheet. I think Quant was relatively simple and easy compared to other sections,” said P Nishank Reddy, an engineering graduate.

For non-Math people, Verbal was not as easy as it seemed. “Verbal was easy, but the answers were very tricky, all sounded similar.

We had to choose the most probable answer, but all were very similar in meaning, it made our choice difficult in reading comprehension,” P Shweta, a commerce graduate, said.

About 10,600 candidates took CAT across 11 centres in the city. There are 1,350 seats up for grabs in the five IIMs, and 3,000 more in other management institutes that accept CAT scores.

With CAT, starts the season of management entrance exams. CAT is followed by entrance of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade next Sunday, followed by entrances to Narsee Monjee, Mumbai, Symbiosis, Pune and ICFAI in different cities. Xavier’s Admission Test for admission to XLRI will be held in January.

JK Education foundation of the JK Group which runs the JK Business School in collaboration with Jambheshwar University, Hissar is coming up with a new eco-friendly campus in Gurgaon, starting from July first week.

JKBS will also be the first green B- school campus in India and is being developed with the expertise of the Center for Environment Education (CEE). The campus with all the modern facilities will ensure optimum utilization of energy and water resources, appropriate use of building material, designing energy efficient building and so on.

The school is expecting strength of 120 in its first year and will move to 300 in a span of 2 years. For admission into its varied courses, it will accept scores of Common Aptitude Test (CAT), Management Aptitude Test (MAT) and for NRI students it will accept Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT). It has also applied for the approval from the regulatory body of technical education AICTE.

JK group has newly launched an education foundation that has been set up to spearhead its entry into technical higher education. It has adopted a path of growth through alliances. At the same breath, the institute has brought in 24 top industry leaders in its newly formed governing body to give shape to a futuristic “Industry lead academic program” currently lacking among Indian business management institutes.

More : financialexpress.com

MUMBAI: • The batch of 2002-03 at the SP Jain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai, will walk into the campus with brand new laptops. Their assignments will be posted online, students will submit their answers by e-mail.

• At the prestigious IIM Ahmedabad campus, all hostel rooms have free Internet connections. IIM Bangalore uses software programmes like ‘Blackboard’ and ‘eCollege’ for web-based instructions.

• The Welingkar Institute of Management will shift to a sprawling 1.46 lakh sq feet campus in Matunga this year. Modelled on the Kellogg School of Management, in the US, the institute will have LCD projectors and ergonomically designed chairs in classrooms, a web-based library offering home-delivery service, a gymnasium and a nutritionist in the cafeteria.

B-schools are getting A-grade facilities. Features that are luxuries in other educational institutions are become routine at management institutes as they seek to hone their competitive edge.

“I consider my students as products. They mean business to me as they will help the institute with word-of-mouth publicity,’’ says N M Kondap, director, Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS).
While some educationists dismiss these new facilities a “cosmetic gimmick’’, B-schools say the flashy features attune students to corporate culture.

For instance, Laptops are used at the starting level in most organisations, says J S Lamba, professor with SP Jain Institute.

Adds Uday Salunkhe, director, Welingkar Institute, “The international market is opening up and the institute’s infrastructure should match global needs.’’

Mr Kondap says that companies want performers and the best talent. “They do not have time to teach,’’ he says.

In fact, the All India Council of Technical Education gives B-schools grants to set up cells to understand corporate needs and what they expect from graduates. NMIMS is setting up an interactive language cell for students to improve their communication skills.

But cynics say that this has resulted in institutes churning out cookie-cutter managers and not thinking professionals and leaders.
Management facilitator Suresh Pandit says that prospective managers would be better served by fundamental changes in the curriculum, such as a new teaching methodology and including adventure sports.
However, a significant section of industry believes, these value-added services alter a recruiter’s view of an institution.

A senior human resources consultant says that NMIMS’ brand-building exercise has allowed it to enter the big league. A strong corporate presence on campus is also driving the change.

Welingkar has tied up with Godrej and Boyce, Intel and Microsoft, while the computer facility management at IIM Bangalore has been outsourced to Wipro.

Students are also pampered with credit cards and scholarships from corporate houses. IIM Ahmedabad students, for instance, are offered free credit cards from multinational banks like Standard Chartered, HSBC and Citibank.

If someone other than the man who licked the CAT question papers must be established in panic, it is students. Thanks to the confusion over a possible review of the date, which may come into conflict with other schedules examination, it was like a nightmare for many.

“Some of my friends have the feeling that it would have cracked under consideration this period. They could not be a very good result in the next review. Some of them are really desperate,” said Sounak Chatterjee CAT candidate. Most candidates felt it was unfair to condemn the tests in all other centres of paper, after examining the leak was discovered in New Delhi and Pune.

“Following a handful of campaign, thousands of applicants suffered. Other reviews I lined management. Most of my friends have already left the city to appear for investigations,” said another candidate.

But it seems there is finally some good news at the end of the road for students. Sources of the doctrine of the right of the Top Management Institute in the city confirmed that CAT is considered again at a time that does not conflict with the date of the examination of another Top-Management Institute. Efforts are also fairly “transit time” to be distributed to students, so that they do not face the problem several times during the previous survey.

“The new test is expected in four to six weeks. Efforts are also available at the time necessary for students so that they can travel again to the city, and can participate in the discussion without a problem. Mais Yes, the level of review remains the same, “said a senior professor of the city management of the Institute, and added:” The negotiations with a view to ensure that students do not have to pay a penny more for the review. However, new numbers Being. ”

Some management institutes, students from the CAT, rushed in to save the situation, similar announcements. “The scam came to me as a Schocker. But students should not be punished. We decided that our institute is not, more money for those who have already paid for the exam. Je crois that the review of TAO should also make a similar announcement, “said Dr. Ashoke Dutta, director of the Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management (IISWBM).

Some professors of management, which, of course, believes that the re-audit of the plant could be a blessing for some candidates. “I think some of these students as this should be an opportunity to fine-tune their preparations for the exam. Who knows, most of them can lead to a better result than they have in the final analysis, “said Mousumi Ghosh, Professor head of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

But the scam has shattered the myth of a “fool-proof” invited some members of the Faculty high level in favor of India a uniform level for all tests to manage all schools. “Maybe there is an urgent need for the establishment of a proofing system fools who do not see the recurrence of such incidents in future,” said Somnath Mukherjee, director of the Institute of the city.

MADURAI: The Department of Management Studies (DOMS) of Madurai Kamaraj University has planned to start a business enterprise with equity participation from its alumni association, as part of its silver jubilee celebrations on December 23 and 24, said its U. Surya Rao, Professor and Head.

Briefing presspersons about the celebrations here on Monday, he said that the enterprise would primarily be a trading centre doing retail business based on the bazaar concept.

Listing out the achievements of the department, he claimed that that DOMS was ranked 12th among the best management institutes of the country by the All India Management Association.

He said that the department was considering revival of the proposal to start a course on Industrial Management. From next year, the department had planned to opt for students selected from national-level tests as most of the examinations were conducted and results declared well in advance to facilitate easy admission, he said.