The world renowned Cranfield School of Management in the UK will present a scholarship to any member of the three leading IFAC accountancy bodies in Sri Lanka, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants Sri Lanka (ICASL) or the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants Sri Lanka Branch (CIMA). Full Time MBA Programme Director Sean Rickard who informed Sri Lanka of the scholarship said, “We hope the scholarship attracts candidates who will benefit from this initiative and that, with the help of the accounting bodies in Sri Lanka, it will raise Cranfield’s profile. We are extremely grateful for the support of the institutes in this. We will be reviewing the success of the programme after two years.”

ACCA Sri Lanka’s Immediate Past President, Dilshan Rodrigo, himself an alumni of the Cranfield School of Management extends his best wishes to all candidates and says, “I hope most sincerely that this initiative will signal the birth of a new generation of professional skilled managers who will add value to the corporate boardrooms of Sri Lanka.” Stating that this is truly a world class MBA ranked consistently as one of the top MBAs in Europe, he adds, “This one year full time programme is ideally suited for members in middle and senior management positions with ambitious career goals.” Rodrigo, who has continued to maintain ties with Cranfield, further reinforced the relationship once he became President of ACCA Sri Lanka, sourcing resource speakers for the ACCA National Conferences in the last two years. “Two people who played significant roles in mooting this scholarship from the Cranfield end are the former Director of the MBA Programme Professor Leo Murray who was the Keynote Speaker at our conference in 2006 and has a soft spot for Sri Lankans and Sri Sriskanthan, a Sri Lankan faculty member on the MBA programme.”

Cranfield has produced a distinguished honour roll of MBA alumni from Sri Lanka over the last two decades including Managing Director of Hatton National Bank Rajendra Theagarajah, Senior Vice President of WNS Arul Sivagananathan and Group Financial Controller of Stretchline Hasantha de Silva. Members of ICASL, ACCA and CIMA must apply directly to Cranfield School of Management, for which instructions are available on the Cranfield website ww.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/mba/, marking the application ‘Sri Lanka Scholarship’.

More : dailymirror.lk

Once again students from the School of Business & Economics MBA programme will be taking up the challenge of competing in the 2008 Cranfield Regatta, an international sailing event which is designed to allow MBA students and alumni from all over Europe to meet their counterparts from other business schools. The regatta will take place around Port Solent and Cowes on the last weekend in July and Exeter’s eight-strong crew are working hard in the hope of a high placing for the University. The crew is made up of part-time and full-time MBA students and alumni who have a broad range of sailing skills and experience but are dedicated to doing their best for Exeter. This year’s crew consists of current students Nadia Nikolova, Simon Baird, Nagyb Shah, Stuart Harris, Richard Dawson and alumni Jonny Malcolm, Mark Roberts and Wade Tipton. The race will consist of four head to head races with the various business school teams taking part. The team has is being sponsored by Vospers South West Motor Dealership, Jam Creative, The Birmingham Assay Office and House of Marbles.

More : atom.ex.ac.uk

The Planning Forum of Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics, Vile Parle, conducted a mock MBA programme which concluded last Sunday.

Over 1,400 students from 61 colleges participated in the programme which began on August 22 with a common written test based on the CAT. The top 450 students qualified forgroup discussions. The 120 whoqualified appeared for personal interviews on September 12.

Universiti Malaya would like to clarify that the Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a very competitive programme.

Over 300 applications were received for 100 available places for the 2008/2009 academic year.

The selection process is based solely on merit.

Short-listed applicants have outstanding undergraduate qualifications while those with professional qualifications will have an advantage.

Also, a minimum of two years work experience is helpful.

Preference will be given to those with management-level experience.

High school qualifications such as SPM and STPM will not help a candidate gain admission into a Master’s programme.

The university thanks all applicants for their interest in the programme. Its MBA programme is the only public university MBA programme accredited by the Association of MBAs.

As such, the programme is accredited internationally and students can be assured of a high quality of education.

More : thestar.com.my

Master of Business Administration or MBA is the name of the game among under-graduate students who are looking for a bright career in corporate world. In fact, a career in the corporate world with an MBA background has emerged as the most preferred option among students who are lured by megabucks offered to graduates from some of the top B-schools in the country. And, an aspirant’s craze to pursue an MBA programme from a top B-school is increasing by the day.

This is, however, only one part of the story as getting admission in a good B-school of your choice is easier said than done. This is particularly for students with humanities background. Sample this: A majority of first-year MBA students, as high as 73 per cent at the Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi University have engineering background with work experience. At Management Development Institute (MDI), Gurgaon, the strength of students in first-year with engineering and science background in a batch of 122 are 81 and 16 respectively, Similarly, the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), a premier B-school in the Capital has 82 per cent of students in the first-year coming from the engineering and science stream.

And, there are B-schools of Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore and National Institute of Industrial Engineering, Mumbai which admit students with engineering background only.

So, do top B-schools prefer students with engineering background or students from humanities stream are finding it difficult to clear the entrance examinations? According to programme director of Master of International Business programme at IIFT, K Rangarajan, “This trend is not unique to IIFT alone. It holds true for most of the top B-schools. Moreover, applicants belonging to engineering or science stream do score over students from other streams due to the numerical aptitude of these students. This trend is seen wherever the entry is based on quantitative skill, even in bank recruitment and Union Public Services Examinations.”

MDI, which admits students through Common Admission Test (CAT), conducted by IIMs has close to 80 per cent of students in the first-year from engineering and science stream. The professor of marketing at MDI Ashok Kapoor said: “We do not have any bias but CAT examination measures aptitude for management, and here science or engineering or economics or commerce students score better than other streams. Moreover, we do not have any reservation or quota of any kind and the CAT score has more than 50 per cent weightage during the group discussion and personal interview stage. During interviews among several factors, engineering background and academic track record are considered.”

Even, Indian Institutes of Management, according to the director of IIFT Prabir Sengupta have a majority of students coming from an engineering background. A first-year student of FMS, Bikram Bindra, who is an engineer by profession has an interesting argument to the whole debate of engineers given preference over students from other background. Bindra remarked, “Today, our country is churning out engineers in large numbers. An MBA education is a natural progression for engineers who are looking for post-graduate education. These days there are more applicants with an engineering background for entrance examinations of top B-schools, and with them having better analytical and quantitative skills, they have an edge over others.”

Another first-year student from FMS, Nupur Maskara, who comes from humanities’ background agreed that students from non-science or non-engineering stream do find it difficult while dealing with data interpretation and quantitative skills section of the entrance examination of top B-schools. “However, more number of students from an engineering background do get through the entrance examination of top B-schools because there aren’t many students from humanities who are looking for a career in MBA,” said Maskara.

Thiruvananthapuram, Aug. 15 - THE Hyderabad-based Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI) is looking to set up full-fledged university-level operations in Kerala.

The ‘multi-State university’ model that ICFAI is promoting has seen ‘ICFAI University’ centres being established in States such as Chhattisgarh and Uttaranchal, according to the Development Officer, ICFAI University, Thiruvananthapuram, Mr Renjith G. These Stats have passed enabling laws for setting up such universities.

The ICFAI was established in 1984 with the objective of imparting world-class training in finance and management to students, working executives and professionals in India. It launched the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Programme in 1985.

The ICFAI Business School was established in 1995 to offer the MBA programme with various specialisations. Today, ICFAI offers a range of programmes in finance, banking, insurance, accounting, law, management and science and technology on full-time campus format and distance learning format.

The ICFAI has a placement cell that has achieved 100 per cent placements for all the 5,000-odd persons who have successfully completed various courses in the institute. “No single person who has passed from the ICFAI is without a suitable job,” Mr Renjith said.

Leading employers in the West Asia have set great store by the ICFAI’s Master of Science (Accounting) (MS-Accounting) programme leading to the CPA designation.

The institute has drawn up a road map that envisages setting up of ICFAI contact centres in all districts in the shortest possible time.

Of the various courses on offer, the MS-Finance leads to the grant of the CFA Charter and addresses the broader financial and managerial issues in the areas of corporate finance, international finance, investment management and financial services.

The MS-Banking focuses on domain knowledge and skills in banking, managerial excellence and IT and E-banking.

The MS-Insurance programme leading to C-RIM designation also focuses on domain knowledge and skills in risk and insurance, management practices and operational excellence, IT and e-business. The MS-Accounting is specifically designed to meet the demands of modern accounting professionals.

The programme integrates into its body of knowledge, the US GAAP, code of ethics and soft skills, among others.

Global Strategic Management (GSM) is designed to provide a portfolio of skills and ability to apply, adapt and integrate strategic skills in global management settings.

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.

U21Global, the world’s premier online Graduate School, announced its second cohort of graduates today. A special ceremony was held in Singapore to mark the graduation of 192 students, an increase of more than 100 over the previous year. The graduating class consists of working executives from 22 countries including Australia, Canada, India, Malaysia, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, Korea, China, Hong Kong, USA and Singapore.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Professor Sir Colin Campbell, Chairman of the U21Global Board and President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Nottingham said, “It gives me great pleasure to congratulate this year’s graduating class. At U21Global, we take pride in our reputation as pioneers in providing the highest quality of education in an online environment and the fact that our programmes are quality assured by leading international universities. We are confident that the education that has been provided towards this degree will allow our graduating students to surge ahead in their careers.”

At the ceremony, U21Global presented the Academic Excellence Award, an award that recognises Master degree graduates who not only achieved academic excellence but demonstrated high standards of social responsibility and ethics throughout their degree. This year five students were chosen from the graduating class to receive the award.

One of the graduating student, Imran Vohra, Product Manager at DA-Desk, Hamriya Free Zone Sharjah, UAE said, “My aim in doing the MBA programme was to make it easier for me to climb the corporate ladder from middle management to senior management, and I can see I am getting there. It has been worth the time and effort invested in getting my MBA at U21Global.”

Another graduate Stephen Pearce, Training Manager, Dubai, UAE added, “U21Global has surpassed my expectations of what an online degree entails. Without the flexibility, structure and ease of learning of the course materials I would not have been able to complete my MBA. I can also feel that my outlook on future employment is a lot more positive than it was two years ago and I am very much looking forward to utilising my newly learned skills by means of imparting my now comprehensive and up to date business knowledge on peers, colleagues and senior management alike.”

“This is indeed a momentous occasion and it gives me immense honour to congratulate all our graduates on their academic accomplishments. I take this opportunity to also wish them success in their chosen fields and personal pursuits,” said Nick Hutton, Chief Executive Officer, U21Global.

More :

For Adeline Larroque, a French student on an exchange programme here, learning is all about gaining an international experience. After completing her internship in Beijing last year, she is in Chennai for an MBA programme.

Adeline is on a nine-month stint at the Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA). A student of Bordeaux School of Management in France, Adeline’s interest in Asian markets has brought her to India.

Like Adeline, students world over are looking for a global edge, says LIBA director P Christie. He says that the best way to help students get some international experience is through exchange programmes.

To this end, LIBA has tied up with three foreign universities – St Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Griffith University in Australia and Bordeaux School in France. ‘‘It is a win-win situation. Our students can study abroad and foreign students can come here,’’ explains Christie.

LIBA, which has just completed 25 years, will soon sign agreements with three more foreign universities – The Ingolstadt School of Management in Germany, University of Antwerp in Belgium and Dayton University at Ohio, US.

Students from LIBA who went on exchange programmes are delighted with the experience they gained. R Shyamsunder, who is just back from a six-week programme at St Joseph’s University, describes the teaching methods abroad as ‘‘extremely practical’’.

‘‘When we were studying international marketing, each of us was given a country to study. We had to find out what goods or products the country could not produce itself and how the product should be promoted there,’’ Shyamsunder said. Shyam’s classmate Richard Antony also enjoyed these case studies.

Although the exchange programmes stipulate that candidates would have to pay their own travel expenses, the tuition fee is borne by the colleges concerned. Food and lodging are provided at subsidised rates. At the end of the programme, students say the experience gained was well worth the effort.

While Indian students enjoy the training abroad, foreign students are also pleased to study here. Says Adeline, ‘‘Yes, it is different here. There is so much to study and that’s a little difficult. But I am enjoying myself.’’

Print

It will be the first such course in the country to exclusively train Defence personnel in the field of Disaster Management.

But it took several natural disasters like the tsunami, the Gujarat and Kashmir quakes and the Orissa cyclone for educationists to awaken, form a curriculum and put the course in motion.

The nine-month diploma in Disaster Management, the first of its kind announced at the second convocation ceremony of the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (IP) on Wednesday, will exclusively cater to the training of the defence personnel.

”The diploma, scheduled to begin from April 2006, is pegged at Rs 25,000 and the first batch will have 60 students,” Head of the School of Environment Management Mrs Amarjit Kaur told UNI.

She added that generally there was ”disaster in management” when natural calamaties occur, and it was this factor that prompted the faculty at IP university to ”underline the importance of managerial experts in the field.” ”The popularity of the already existing two-year MBA programme in Disaster Management launched in August 2005, open to anyone interested, prompted the Armed Forces to suggest we begin a course exclusively for their personnel,” she said adding that, ”the Defence Ministry will sponsor a major chunk of the fees for their candidates.” She informed that ”the Armed Forces, after they saw the syllabus and the kind of training we were imparting in the MBA programme felt that as the course would help the nation advance technologically at large, it was a must-have for one working in the field.” She added that ”while the two-year MBA course pegged at Rs 52,000 includes people from the Central and state government departments, research institutes, paramilitary forces, private and public sectors and NGOs, among others, the nine-month diploma exclusively caters to Defence officers.” Asked about the faculty that teaches the high-profile course, Mrs Kaur said, ”Besides having a guest faculty from the National Institute of Disaster Management, we have a very strong internal faculty which is highly experienced in Satellite Technology and disaster preparedness.” She emphasised the importance of Remote Sensing and GIS, which can improve the quality and power of analysis of natural hazards assessment, guide development activities and assist planners in the selection of mitigation measures and in the implementation of emergency preparedness and response action. ”Our faculty is highly trained in all these spheres,” Ms Kaur said.

She also informed that ”practical training more than classroom teaching is our priority, and in the coming months we are planning to take the students to the disaster-hit areas so that they can apply their knowledge to the situation at hand.” ”We also have a Memorandum of Understanding with the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie,” Ms Kaur said, adding we have a tie-up with them and we send our students there for the training every year. From the first batch of 60 students that we have right now, we are hoping to see an increase in the numbers, as the importance of disaster management, in the wake of the devastation caused by the lack of it, is understood by the masses at large.” Mrs Kaur, while informing that ”the MBA course in Disaster Management, recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC), is equipped with technologies and resources like Remote Sensing and GIS, IT and instrumentation labs,” said that ‘’such facilities can help a great deal in planning and implementation of hazards reduction measures.” The course covers everything from predicting when and where a disaster will strike, training manpower in areas of emergency planning, risk assessment, community development, relief and rehabilitation to humanitarian aid.

The recent disasters in India, causing mass destruction to life and property, have prompted educationists to come forward and take a step further in the field of technology to offer professional guidance to fight the ”mismanagement in times of disasters.” ”The Indian sub continent with its geo-climatic conditions is uniquely placed so as to make it vulnerable to natural disasters ,” IP University Vice Chancellor Prof K K Aggarwal, told UNI here, adding that ”70 per cent of the cultivable area in India is prone to droughts, 57 per cent to earthquakes, 12 per cent to floods, and 8 per cent to cyclones.” He stressed that as the disaster scenario in India has become more diffucult to manage, considerable emphasis also has to be laid on research and development activities, in which universities play a pivotal role.