THE BASICS OF MANAGEMENT EDUCATION

Top 10 Business Schools in U S in 2010

2010-09-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

Rank 1 Harvard University
Rank 2 Stanford University
Rank 3 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
Rank 4 Northwestern University (Kellogg)
Rank 5 University of Chicago (Booth)
Rank 6 University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
Rank 7 Dartmouth College (Tuck)
Rank 8 University of California--Berkeley (Haas)
Rank 9 Columbia University
Rank 10 New York University (Stern)

Online MBA rankings--2009-Best online MBA schools

2009-05-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of best online MBA schools compiled by FT globally.Check it.

1.University of Phoenix--USA
2.Edinburgh Business School, Heriot - Watt University--UK
3.Open University Business School--UK
4.Henley Business School--UK
5.U21Global--Singapore
6.Tec de Monterrey - Egade--Mexico
7.University of Maryland University College--US
8.University of Liverpool--UK
9.Manchester Business School--UK
10.Kapalan University-US

PSUs -the highest recruiter in IIMs this year

2009-04-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

Global financial meltdown has restored the glamour of the public sector undertakings which have emerged as preferred job destination for students passing out from country’s elite institutes like the IITs and IIMs.

blue chip company Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (Bhel), after a gap of almost a decade, has been invited for campus placement by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), said B Shankar, General Manager (Human Resource) of the state-owned company.
The company has already picked up 400 engineers from different IITs through campus placement, he said.

The revised pay structure has made PSU jobs more attractive at a time when the private sector, reeling under the heat of the global financial meltdown, is cutting salaries and reducing jobs.The new pay structure, which has proposed 50 to 60% increase in salaries of PSU employees, has made the PSUs jobs attractive, he said.

The highest number of 18 offers in campus recruitment were made by the Union Bank of India, which has offered senior positions to IIM-A graduates across various verticals of the Bank. Bank of Baroda also made six offers while IOC made 5 offers.

Play online casino

2009-02-26T17:33:00.000-08:00

Online casino bluebook is a perfect guide to online casinos for the 10 most popular us online casinos in the web.The online Casinos are ranked by bonus size, payout percentage, customer service, game features, graphics software, and ease of use . So you can easily choose the online casino sites that match you and your registration is allowed in almost every country.

Over the last few years, Online gaming has been transformed, play casino games with superior graphics, ambient sounds, and cutting-edge technology to make our gaming experience as life like as possible. And if we looking for an online casino gambling guide then Online Casino Bluebook is the place you should be at.The site is an awesome one with good user interface.The casino sites are updated every week in the homepage.

Find the right online MBA degree

2009-01-06T17:48:00.000-08:00

Thinking of pursuing an online MBA degree and not sure how to find the right college? Here comes your helping hand. Elearners.com is a website that helps you to find out the right Bschool and the right course.They have a collection of over1077 accredited online business & MBA degrees from 114 accredited online colleges and online universities across the United states.The website has got a such nice interface that you can find the right college and the right MBA program in seconds.If you are employed and doesn't have time to pursue a full time MBA program, an online MBA program will suit you.An online business degree from an accredited online business school is solid foundation for your resume and is an achievement that makes you a highly marketable candidate.So, if you want to find your right online business degree, elearners should be your first choice.

Taking an MBA in recession

2008-12-01T17:07:00.000-08:00

It's official, Most of the world is in recession now and the downturn is expected to continue for another two to three years. So what an MBA should do in these difficult times.

In good times, it did not matter much, which B-school you went to, but in bad times like these, every decision can become important. Shorter programs have suddenly gained relevance. In some cases, students have begun to opt for lower cost programs at lesser known B-schools or even seek out specialized programs.

An MBA is a significant investment in one's personable development. But as with any investment, it has a measurable payback. Salaries for graduating MBAs from top international programmes have increased by more than 25% in the past three years. Average salaries for MBAs graduating from a top US school averaged $85,000 (£56,000) last year, compared with $80,000 (£53,000) in Europe. To calculate "true earnings" one must take into account an average "sign-on" bonus of £13,000 offered by most MBA recruiters, and the potential to earn a further £13,000 during a summer internship.

Ironically, a recessionary environment can make the MBA investment even more attractive than usual. Built into the assumptions is the opportunity cost of a £30,000 salary per year foregone. But, for someone uncertain about their short-term career prospects, or someone made redundant, now could be the best possible time to study. No salary foregone means a much quicker payback on the investment. For a two-year US course this reduces the payback period from three years to just 1.5 years.

Get cheap Insurance Tips

2008-10-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

Do you want to get the insurance quotes at surprisingly cheap rates? Nlgha.org is a site that provides you tips on health insurance, car insurance, dental insurance and all sorts of your insurance needs. They even guides you in finding the cheap car insurance. They offer you services with all major insurance companies.

Many ordinary consumers are worried on how to select an insurance for their new cars. Nlgha auto insurance guide comes to help you at this juncture. They gives you quotes from all major insurance provides so that you can select the cheapest one that suits you needs before actually buying a car. The registration process is fairly simple and straight forward. So, my advice is that you shold try this out if you are looking out for cheap insurance quotes.

Recruitments in IIMs comes down after US financial crisis

2008-10-06T00:02:00.000-07:00

The financial crisis that started of in the US subprime market is spreading fast across the globe. Even in our IIMs which boasted salaries above 1 crore are feeling the pinch. With America's fourth largest investment bank Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy protection and Merrill Lynch being bought over by the Bank of America, placements at the Indian Institutes of Management will be affected

These financial giants have so far been the biggest recruiters from the IIMs especially from the institutes at Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta.These have been among the day zero firms on IIM campuses and have made plum job offers.

After the bloodbath and the US Government rescue bids, gloom looms large over IIM placements. These episodes lead to a volcanic eruption of unemployment problems, which had already set in a year ago after the slowdown of the US economy. The fate of candidates inducted into such organisations is almost sealed and they need to look elsewhere for opportunities at a discounted pay packet. It may be difficult for them to come to terms and face reality as they were used to hefty emoluments. Even after hiring IIMs at fancy salaries, their brains could not arrest the downfall of the corporates.

Global MBA school rankings

2008-07-13T05:38:00.000-07:00

Financial Times has recently published a list of top 50business schools around the world.

1 University of Pennsylvania: Wharton U.S.A.
2 London Business School U.K.
3 Columbia Business School U.S.A.
4 Stanford University GSB U.S.A.
5 Harvard Business School U.S.A.
6 Insead France / Singapore
7 MIT: Sloan U.S.A.
8 IE Business School Spain
9 University of Chicago GSB U.S.A.
10 University of Cambridge: Judge U.K.
11 Ceibs China
11 Iese Business School Spain
13 New York University: Stern U.S.A.
14 IMD Switzerland
15 Dartmouth College: Tuck U.S.A.
16 Yale School of Management U.S.A.
17 Hong Kong UST Business School China
18 HEC Paris France
19 University of Oxford: Saïd U.K.
20 Indian School of Business India
21 Esade Business School Spain
22 Lancaster University Management School U.K.
22 Manchester Business School U.K.
24 Northwestern University: Kellogg U.S.A.
25 UCLA: Anderson U.S.A.
26 Emory University: Goizueta U.S.A.
27 University of Michigan: Ross U.S.A.
28 Duke University: Fuqua U.S.A.
29 Warwick Business School U.K.
30 Cranfield School of Management U.K.
30 University of Strathclyde Business School U.K.
32 UC Berkeley: Haas U.S.A.
33 University of Virginia: Darden U.S.A.
34 RSM Erasmus University Netherlands
35 Imperial College London: Tanaka U.K.
36 Cornell University: Johnson U.S.A.
37 University of Maryland: Smith U.S.A.
38 Georgetown University: McDonough U.S.A.
39 Australian Graduate School of Management Australia
40 University of Toronto: Rotman Canada
41 City University: Cass U.K.
41 Shanghai Jiao Tong University, ACEM China
41 University of North Carolina: Kenan-Flagler U.S.A.
44 Edinburgh University Management School U.K.
44 University of Washington Business School U.S.A.
46 Nanyang Business School Singapore
47 University of Rochester: Simon U.S.A.
48 Carnegie Mellon: Tepper U.S.A.
48 Leeds University Business School U.K.
48 Michigan State University: Broad U.S.A.
48 SDA Bocconi Italy
48 York University: Schulich Canada

How to face a B-school interview?

2008-06-07T22:41:00.000-07:00

The focus of a B-school interview can range from specific questions about your job to broad discussions on life. Approach the interview as a conversation to be enjoyed, not as a question-and-answer ordeal. It may be about your hobbies - your recent cross-country trip. This doesn't mean that the interviewers are not serious. It just means that you're being sized up as a person and a future professional in all your dimensions.

Try to be your witty, charming, natural self. Donot try to put on. The interviewers will be able to see your masks through. Students, faculty, admissions personnel and alumni conduct interviews. Don't dismiss students as the lightweights.

It is important to have a good idea of "What you consider to be your greatest strength, why and what are some examples that show this", before you go into an interview. Although the interviewer will most likely ask some pointed questions, you may also encounter something as broad as "So, tell me about yourself." These open ended questions are usually the ones that help you lead the interview.

Either way, you should have in mind what you want to convey about who you are before you go into any interview. Lack of preparation is a common complaint among interviewers, and if you are prepared, you will stand out among your competitors.

Wharton business school

2008-06-01T20:11:00.000-07:00

The Wharton School is the business school of University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1881 through a donation of Joseph Wharton, making it the world’s first collegiate business school.

In conjunction with the other schools and colleagues of the university, Wharton grants B.S., MBA, offers a Ph.D. program, and holds several diploma programs. With the most electives of any business school[citation needed], Wharton offers concentrations in Accounting, Business and Public Policy, Entrepreneurial Management, Environmental Management, Finance, Health Care Systems, Human Resource and Organizational Management, Insurance and Risk Management, Legal Studies and Business Ethics, Management, Marketing, Multinational Management, Operations and Information Management, Real Estate, Retailing, Statistics and Strategic Management.

The admissions process at Wharton is highly selective — it is one of the most competitive business schools in the U.S. A high GPA, high GMAT score, and very strong non-quantitative credentials are typically prerequisites to admission

Nineteen majors are available to Wharton MBA students, who can also elect to pursue double majors or individualized majors. During their first year students pursue a required core curriculum. After completing the first year, electives are available. The MBA program offers nearly 200 electives within Wharton's 11 academic departments, the largest selection of any business school. Thousands of other University electives are also offered through other Penn schools. MBA students may also spend term time at INSEAD's Fontainebleau and Singapore campuses. Wharton also offers MBA Program for Executives which is a two-year, weekend residential program built on the same curriculum as regular MBA program. Executive program is offered in two locations: on the Wharton campus in Philadelphia and at Wharton West in San Francisco

Wharton's required pre-term includes coursework, waiver testing, and the "Learning Team Retreat". Coursework includes introductory and review courses in financial accounting, microeconomics, statistics, and financial analysis. Preparatory courses cover material not included in Fall coursework that students are expected to understand. In addition, Pre-term includes classes on business history and languages, as well as short seminars in communication skills, computing technology, trading simulations, and career management.

Offered on a quarterly schedule throughout the first year, core courses cover traditional management disciplines finance, marketing, statistics, and strategy, as well as the leadership, ethics, and communication skills needed at senior levels of management

How to choose your right college in Ontario?

2008-05-29T18:57:00.001-07:00

Are you looking for a graduate college in Canada?My advice is that you should select the college where you can select from a variety of options.There are several Ontario colleges that provide quality education in various streams.You can select business,technology or healthcare programs in any of the colleges.The main thing that you have to keep in mind in joining a Toronto college is job prospects the course is going to provide.Some courses may be hot right now bumay not be after ten years.So my advice is that you should go for some of the established courses. The Ontario college you choose should be dedicated to helping students get the most from their training, and preparing them for successful careers.So start your career right now,keep in mind you should enquire thoroughly about the college before you join.Best of luck.

MBA in marketing management

2008-05-22T20:07:00.002-07:00

The MBA in marketing involves studying effective products, prices, placement, and promotion. Marketing experts use this information to create valuable approaches to marketing strategy. By pursuing a career in marketing, you'll be engaging in a fascinating line of work that will present new and exciting challenges every day, with strong prospects for the future.

Marketing can be a cutting edge business, and the competition for marketing posts has become very fierce over recent years. A marketing career can be very rewarding in terms of job satisfaction as well as monetary compensation, and this is why many people have become interested in a career in marketing. It can be difficult to get into a marketing career, which is why it is best to ensure that you are equipped with the appropriate skills and qualifications – in improve your chances. A Marketing MBA could be the ideal qualification for those wanting to break into this industry in a high level position.

If you already work in a Marketing environment, you may be looking into career progression into a more managerial role. A Marketing MBA is the perfect way to speed up the chances of career progression, and with a Marketing MBA qualification you can look forward to a long and successful career in this area. Because of the cutting edge nature of this area of business, you need to be able to rise to the challenge of a senior or managerial role within marketing, and the Marketing MBA will equip you with the skills, qualities, a confidence to rise to this challenge.

The first year of the MBA course normally covers core MBA areas such as economy, strategy, and leadership skills. You then move on to study in the specialist area, which would be Marketing in this case. Some of the areas you may cover as part of the Marketing MBA include development of consumer audiences, consumer behavior, market research, the analysis of demand, strategic planning, marketing campaigns, consumer relations, advertising, studying the market, cost volume and profits, and a range of other areas involved in marketing.

These days you will find institutions that offer online Marketing MBA courses, so even those already working or with other commitments can look at progressing their marketing careers with the help of a Marketing MBA. Studying the Marketing MBA online makes this course far more accessible to many more people.

Credit repair service

2008-05-13T18:22:00.001-07:00

Have you ever wondered how to improve your credit score?It's been not easy to repair credit in the past,But in ths times of credit crunch,It's become far more difficult.You need a perfect financial partener at ths juncture.
RMCN is a Credit Services Organization that specializes in Credit Restoration and Education.Their website is a real credit repair information provider.You have to just enter the website and give your details,they will contact you shortly.They are located in Mckinney,Texas.
Their method of credit score improvement is unique.Your credit score is calculated by a no. credit rating agencies.These scores can be different by different agencies.Also they vary every month.RMCN checks the errors that can creep in calculating your credit score and rectifies it.So,if you want to improve your credit score,Your first choice for credit repair service should be RMCN.

Credit repair

2008-04-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

Is your credit rating really poor?You are not getting loans,credit cards etc because of your poor credit rating.It's time for you to improve your credit rating.But,Is that simple,not at all.Here comes the credit repair companies.Although numerous agencies may come in to picture,the one which is reliable,fast and has a proven track record is ovation.
Ovation make the credit repair process convenient, personal, and effective. Their programs are based upon extensive research of consumer credit laws, credit bureau /creditor tactics and persistence for their clients. They have helped tens of thousands of Americans correct their credit profiles.
Still confused,see how credit report repair works.Ovation focuses on removing inaccurate, misleading and unverifiable information from your credit profile. While this is not a direct action to improve the credit score, their actions will often affect it. Your score is partially based on your entire credit history, and since they are working to correct negative items within your credit history this is likely to have a positive effect on your scores.

Refinance your mortgages

2008-04-04T18:18:00.000-07:00

Fed has again slashed the interest rates.This makes it at a historical 30 year low.Do you want to take advantage of these interest rates .Then here is your perfect partner-www.refinance.com.This organisation helps you in mortgage refinancing at a lower interest rate.if current interest rates have dropped since you secured your mortgage, you may be able to get a new home loan (or 'refinance') with a lower interest rate. Refinancing would then reduce your interest costs (unless you plan on increasing the term of the loan) and possibly your monthly payment costs. Their website is very much userfriendly.It helps you to calculate your monthly amounts quickly.It is a neatly arranged site that you can get all the details immediately.They have a two step application process through online and applications are processed within days.If you are thinking of home refinancing then my advice is that you should go for refinance.com.

Your perfct legal partner

2008-04-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been caught by police for drunk while driving?You will be in total confusion what to do and where to go.Here is your perfect legal partner for such type of cases.Law offices of McConathy&McConathy is here to help you out.Since 1976 this firm has been dedicated to defending citizens’ accused of DWI in Dallas(Driving While Intoxicated).Their Dallas Dwi lawyers have a success rate of more than 91% from 2002 in over 4000 cases. You may contact them online for a free evaluation of your case.You will be represented by Tex and Richard McConathy personally, and not by some associate lawyer as so many other firms allow.They serve the following communities- Dallas, Fort Worth, Irving, Denton, Arlington, McKinney, Grand Prairie, Bedford, North East Tarrant County and Collin County etc.So my advice is that you should go for McConathy&McConathy for any Dallas DWI Cases.

Save money using cheap energy

2008-03-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

As Gasoline prices touching $4 a gallon,It is time for you to think about energy conservation.You will be thinking wher to beginand how bto continue . Here comes the right choice.Ignite powered by stream energy is a wonderful venture by Jay leatherwood in his quest for save on power.You can get paid on your energy bill
There are various compensation schemes avalible-Monthly bonus plan,Weekly bonus plan,
Leadership bonus plan etc.These plans reward you accordingly.They actually help you to switch to cheap electricity using their various plans. The saving in your energy bills thus makes out to be several hundred dollars per month.You can sign up for the following positions Ignite services program,marketing associate.Although the second position is less costly, I personnelly believe that you should go for the first one.You can also make use of the powercentre program if you go for the first one.
If you’re ready to turn energy into income, then take the next step and join the Ignite community of entrepreneurs.

The miroadvantage

2008-03-01T22:13:00.000-08:00

Today I am going tell you something about how to get into the top schools with the right kind of test preparation.If you are thinking of a place where you can get into top top schools like Ivyleague,Here is the right choice miro advantage.com.The Miro Advantage ™ is designed to give confidence, raise scores and make your student competitive. For the price of an iPod, students are able to increase their standardized test scores and maximize their career earning potential.
Miroadvantage helps in high school, college and graduate test prep and admissions consulting services for students.If you are confused how to get into the
Ivyleague-Here's the key.As the admissions process is more competitive each year, it is important to get all the help your student can get. Even if your score is already “above average”, there is no guarantee, but Miro can help. They bring in the very best teachers in the country to help the student succeed on test day – and unlike other test preparation centers, their teachers are available 24 hours a day, until test day.

Kellogg School of Management

2008-01-02T03:46:00.000-08:00

The Kellogg School of Management (The Kellogg School or Kellogg) is the business school of Northwestern University located in Evanston, Illinois and downtown Chicago, Illinois. Kellogg offers full-time, part-time, and executive programs, as well as partnering programs with schools in China, India, Hong Kong, Israel, Germany, Canada, and Thailand, granting the M.B.A and PHD.
Kellogg offers full-time, part-time, and executive programs, as well as partnering programs with schools in China, India, Hong Kong, Israel, Germany, Canada, and Thailand, granting the M.B.A
The Schulich School of Business at York University which is ranked as the top business school in Canada (The Economist 2006), the WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management, one of the top ranked business schools in Germany, Tel Aviv University's renowned Recanati Graduate School of Business Administration in Israel, and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Kellogg students are part of a culture that is famous for its emphasis on teamwork and leadership skills. Much of this reputation is driven by the School's operational model, which provides a plethora of opportunities for students to lead initiatives on behalf of the school. Many aspects of the school, from admissions decisions, to admitted students weekend, to orientation week, to the annual conferences and events that the school hosts, are organized and led by students.

DEBT CONSOLIDATION

2007-12-28T08:24:00.000-08:00

With increasing interest rates and soaring fuel prices, the debt burden on an average citizen is incresing rapidly.You will hardly find a way to pay off your debt. Here comes a website that is surely going to help you in your effort to consolidate debt.Nodebttoday.com provides all types of services which will help you in reducing your debt burden. They offer superb services at earthly rates. The various services include assisting you in learning what debt is and how to avoid getting yourself into a deep financial hole.Their well qualified and talented professionals will give you timely quality financial advices so that you can keep your debt at a minimum level.Getting a free consultation from the pro's can be a major benefit to helping you along the process.So take the right decision today itself.A decision that is crucial to your financial health on your own.They work with non profits and profits alike.

ONLINE MBA

2007-12-25T18:25:00.000-08:00

Today all almost two thirds of MBAs are earned by part-time or distance-learning students who are looking to increase their marketability, qualify for career advancement opportunities, change careers or start their own business. With the advent of virtual online education, distance learning MBA programs have become common place and more and more business professionals and busy executives are opting to earn their degree online as opposed to going to back to school in traditional sense.

Online higher education has become an efficient and cost-effective way to continue education and it is today's prepared learners who will become tomorrow's highly desired professionals. However, the real appeal of earning an MBA online is the freedom it affords you to continue working full-time and manage your personal affairs. There are many other benefit to an online MBA to consider. An online MBA will prepare you for professional and leadership roles in any number of domestic or multinational corporations, as well government, upon graduation. Since so many online MBA students are working professionals and executives these programs are designed to prepare students for the real world of business, and consequently, online courses are very relevant to today's working world.

VISIT UK

2007-12-19T07:49:00.001-08:00

Ever thought of visiting UK?a treasure that’s yet to be discovered by the traveling enthusiasts of the world. A virgin territory that you may explore to your heart’s content, and keep coming back to for more. Every single corner of England is filled with breathtaking spectacles, both natural and man-made. Every nook and cranny holds a unique place in the rich and magical history of England. So put on your traveling shoes.
Nightlife
Visits to pubs and bars form an important part of British social life. The legal age to drink in the UK is 18. As such, drinking isn’t as much of a novelty as it is in the US. Nowhere in the UK will you find the fraternity parties found at many US campuses.

You might find the atmosphere at most UK pubs more welcoming and congenial than at typical US bars: friends meet to talk and laugh with each other, throw darts, watch “footie” (as football is affectionately called) or just have lunch. Most pubs open daily between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m., and many serve food.

Bars, such as wine bars and cocktail bars, sometimes have special licenses to stay open later but tend not to be open during the day. Going out for a drink is a typical way to arrange to meet friends, and it's common for friends to take turns buying rounds (drinks) for their whole table. But, of course, it is important to remember that you don’t have to drink alcohol, even if you are in a pub or environment where many others are drinking.Your trip should atleast contain London.Glasgow and edinburgh.
So the final and most important decision is where to stay.The only site which offers you the right information is cheaperthanhotels.co.uk.Here you can find information about hotels in London,Glasgow,Edinburgh etc.

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GIBB'S COLLEGE

2007-12-19T07:49:00.000-08:00

Till now I have been writing about management degree programmes only.Today I am going to about something else.Have you ever thought of a college where you can have a wide selection of courses.Gibbs college in livingston is one such college where you can find courses Computer Network Administration, Computer Programming, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Visual Communications and many more.They are offering such a diverse set of courses that after completion of course you will be really employable.For example,the gibb's college program of associate in applied science is such a good program. This specialized degree, taught by professionals in their industries, is designed to educate and train students with an emphasis on entering the workforce with skills and knowledge that can help them achieve success in their respective jobs. So my advice is that if you want to do some good professional course first you think about Gibb's college.

CASINOLAUNCHPAD.COM

2007-12-15T08:34:00.000-08:00

Have you ever thought of gambling online?If you are a beginner, here's the ideal place to start.www.Casinolaunchpad.com offers you a number of ways to gamble online.Casino launch pad guide is a good guide to start gambling.It is the most secure and fair in the industry.With a number of daily tournaments it is offering various games such as black jack,roulette,slotmachines,videomachines etc. Their website is professionally developed and very much userfriendly as well.For each and every game, the entire process is described with a number of screenshots.
No other website in the gambling industry is offering such user friendly interface for gambling.Even the famed casino's las vegas cannot provide you with the comfort of playing from this site.
The whole website is informative to the average player because it gives the necessary useful tips while playing.An online casino gives you the comfort of playing from home.Also the glossary of terms used in the casino's makes you informed about the games. Clearly the site is a wonderful piece of work,that makes it far ahead than other players in the online gaming industry.

THE IMPORTANCE OF GMAT

2007-12-06T08:02:00.000-08:00

Thousands of graduate management programs around the world use the Graduate Management Admission Test® in their admissions process. You may be considering whether your program should adopt the GMAT® exam, as well.

The GMAT is an invaluable tool for admissions professionals.

Interest in graduate management education has never been higher, and the job of selecting a class to fill the limited capacity of most MBA programs has never been more challenging. The applicants come from different countries, cultures, academic backgrounds, and levels of work experience. Using the GMAT® exam gives admissions professionals one element of the application that is a consistent measure. The GMAT® exam is given under standard conditions around the world, with the highest level of security, to ensure that scores are comparable across applicants.

The GMAT is a valid predictor of academic success for all kinds of applicants.

The GMAT® exam was created to measure the academic abilities needed to succeed in graduate management education. Over the 50 years of its use, the GMAT® has been repeatedly studied, tested, and modified to ensure that it continues to help predict performance in the first year or midway through a graduate management program.

Using the GMAT allows you to increase the objectivity in your admission process.

When you use the GMAT® in your program, you can participate in the Validity Study Service (VSS) at no charge. The VSS allows you to study the statistical relationship among GMAT® scores, other admissions criteria, and academic success in your program. A validity study helps to ensure that you are making the best admissions decisions and provides a specific, fact-based rationale in the event that applicants, faculty, or administrators have questions about how you made your admission decisions.
from frshersworld.com

MBA IN HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

2007-10-29T10:03:00.000-07:00

HR deals with key factors in industrial relations, human resource planning, human resource development, advanced industrial relations training and development, wage and salary administration, guidance and counselling. Human resource management also involves recruiting personnel and their training and handling union-management relations.

Topics also cover diagnosis and prediction of individual behaviours, group and inter-group behaviour, culture and tradition, values and social systems, influence of technology, power and politics, leadership and inter-personal skills, effectiveness of organisations, team building, problem solving, decision making, law and ethics and so on.

when a company recruits for its HR position, it looks at the following traits in a candidate: excellent communication skills; the students' attitude; the number of guest lectures and the projects that a university offers; the number of lecturers in the university; Special programmes conducted in the course; the number of courses/electives offered for HR (example) Balance Score Card. The most important skill required is negotiating skill, which is more important for HR.

One should choose reputed institute/business schools offering quality education for MBA admission.

MBA IN SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT-A GOOD SPECIALIZATION

2007-10-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Systems is almost synonymous with computers. Actually, though, the latter are only a means to achieving the end. For instance, even a paanwala at the street corner has his own system of running his business which includes procurement, stocking , display, sales, cash management, etc. However, due to the sheer volume of transactions of various kinds in a large organization, systems are developed and maintained with the help of the latest Information Technology (IT) tools
However,It is not clearly understood whether a systems job is technical or managerial in nature. It is actually a mix of both and essentially entails information management. In this information age where huge premium is placed on information, leading organisations are discovering that they need to do a better job of capturing, distributing, shaping, preserving, securing, and valuing information in order to stay ahead of competition or at least survive.

A formally educated business analyst working in information management disassembles an organisation's business system to examine the sources of information, how it is used and the way it flows throughout the organisation in support of business activities. This examination documents information processes from data origin to final archiving. It attempts to identify where information is becoming distorted (causes) and how to improve the information's value. Such analysis requires a thorough dedication to the priorities of a business over technology and to people over machines.

The business analysts present an array of information processing proposals, including cost and time estimates. The chosen systems design is then transferred to other technical experts who actually develop and deliver the final system. Clearly one can see that such an exercise involves a thorough understanding of business processes and requires good hardware and software skills.

THE ENGINEER MBA ADVANTAGE

2007-10-26T06:12:00.000-07:00

I was out of my home for last month.So iwas not able to to make any posts during that time.Hope I can continue posting from now onwards

Having an M.B.A.-or at least the skills such a degree offers-just might work better for you in today's economy, especially because companies are looking for employees with more well-rounded skills than just narrowly focused engineering skills.
It may make that person more flexible in down times, where employers might rely on that person to take on more responsibility.
About 25 percent of MBA students are engineers. Increasingly therefore it is expected that more graduate engineers will undertake this qualification in the future. Most MBA courses are aimed at all graduate disciplines. A few universities offer a technical MBA.

It is important that engineers widen their knowledge and skills in the management area if they wish to become senior managers in manufacturing industry. Having already obtained a technical degree, an MBA completes their education in the wider areas of management that usually include subjects such as finance, marketing, human resource management, organisational behaviour, and management strategy. The engineer thus has the opportunity to quickly progress in their career usually through fast track promotion into very senior management posts.
This is also important because the role of the engineer is changing - within an industrial company, the engineer is likely to be the manager that has to implement new practices and new technology. Thus the engineer often becomes the primary manager of change within the modern organisation, which again requires specific skills and learning

U.S BSchool rankings by specialization

2007-10-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

Accounting
1. University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
2. University of Texas–Austin (McCombs)
3. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross)
4. University of Chicago
5. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
6. University of Southern California (Marshall)
7. Stanford University (CA)
8. New York University (Stern)
9. Brigham Young University (Marriott) (UT)
10. Ohio State University (Fisher)
11. University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
12. University of Notre Dame (Mendoza) (IN)
13. University of Washington
14. Harvard University (MA)
University of Florida (Warrington)
16. Columbia University (NY)
Cornell University (Johnson) (NY)
Indiana University–Bloomington (Kelley)
19. Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
20. University of Wisconsin–Madison
21. Arizona State University–Main Campus (Carey)
University of California–Berkeley (Haas)
University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson)
24. Texas A&M University–College Station (Mays)
University of Georgia (Terry)
University of Iowa (Tippie)
University of Rochester (Simon) (NY)
28. University of Arizona (Eller)
29. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
University of Virginia (Darden)
31. Bentley College (McCallum) (MA)
Duke University (Fuqua) (NC)
Michigan State University (Broad)

Entrepreneurship
1. Babson College (Olin) (MA)
2. Stanford University (CA)
3. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
4. Harvard University (MA)
5. University of Southern California (Marshall)
6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
7. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross)
8. University of Texas–Austin (McCombs)
9. University of California–Berkeley (Haas)
10. University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson)
11. Indiana University–Bloomington (Kelley)
12. Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
13. University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
14. University of Chicago
15. Columbia University (NY)
16. New York University (Stern)
17. University of Arizona (Eller)
University of Colorado–Boulder (Leeds)
University of Maryland–College Park (Smith)
20. Dartmouth College (Tuck) (NH)
University of Virginia (Darden)
22. San Diego State University
Wake Forest University (Babcock) (NC)
24. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Lally) (NY)
25. Ball State University (Miller) (IN)
Syracuse University (Whitman) (NY)
University of Washington

Finance1. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
2. University of Chicago
3. New York University (Stern)
4. Columbia University (NY)
5. Stanford University (CA)
6. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
7. University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson)
8. University of California–Berkeley (Haas)
9. Harvard University (MA)
10. Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
11. Duke University (Fuqua) (NC)
12. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross)
13. University of Rochester (Simon) (NY)
14. Yale University (CT)
15. Ohio State University (Fisher)
16. Cornell University (Johnson) (NY)
17. Indiana University–Bloomington (Kelley)
18. Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) (PA)
University of Texas–Austin (McCombs)
20. Dartmouth College (Tuck) (NH)
21. Purdue University–West Lafayette (Krannert) (IN)
University of Virginia (Darden)
Washington University in St. Louis (Olin)
24. Boston College (Carroll)
Emory University (Goizueta) (GA)
University of Florida (Warrington)
University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
University of Southern California (Marshall)
University of Washington

Information Systems
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
2. Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) (PA)
3. University of Texas–Austin (McCombs)
4. University of Arizona (Eller)
5. University of Minnesota–Twin Cities (Carlson)
6. University of Maryland–College Park (Smith)
7. New York University (Stern)
8. Georgia State University (Robinson)
Stanford University (CA)
10. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
11. Indiana University–Bloomington (Kelley)
12. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross)
13. Arizona State University–Main Campus (Carey)
Purdue University–West Lafayette (Krannert) (IN)
University of Georgia (Terry)
16. University of California–Irvine (Merage)
University of Pittsburgh (Katz)
18. University of California–Berkeley (Haas)
19. Bentley College (McCallum) (MA)
University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
21. Georgia Institute of Technology
22. Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
University of Washington
24. Harvard University (MA)
University of Texas–Dallas
26. Columbia University (NY)
University of Connecticut

International
1. Thunderbird (Garvin) (AZ)
2. University of South Carolina (Moore)
3. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
4. Columbia University (NY)
New York University (Stern)
6. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross)
7. Harvard University (MA)
8. Duke University (Fuqua) (NC)
9. University of Southern California (Marshall)
10. University of California–Berkeley (Haas)
11. University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson)
12. Georgetown University (McDonough) (DC)
13. Stanford University (CA)
14. Michigan State University (Broad)
15. Indiana University–Bloomington (Kelley)
University of Texas–Austin (McCombs)
17. University of Washington
18. Florida International University
Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
Temple University (Fox) (PA)
21. Dartmouth College (Tuck) (NH)
George Washington University (DC)
University of Hawaii–Manoa
24. University of Chicago
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)

Management
1. Harvard University (MA)
2. Stanford University (CA)
3. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross)
4. Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
5. Dartmouth College (Tuck) (NH)
6. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
7. University of Virginia (Darden)
8. University of California–Berkeley (Haas)
9. Duke University (Fuqua) (NC)
10. Columbia University (NY)
11. Yale University (CT)
12. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
13. University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson)
14. University of Chicago
15. Cornell University (Johnson) (NY)
New York University (Stern)
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
18. Indiana University–Bloomington (Kelley)
19. Texas A&M University–College Station (Mays)
20. University of Minnesota–Twin Cities (Carlson)
21. University of Maryland–College Park (Smith)
University of Texas–Austin (McCombs)
23. University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign

Marketing
1. Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
2. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
3. Duke University (Fuqua) (NC)
Harvard University (MA)
5. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross)
6. Stanford University (CA)
7. Columbia University (NY)
University of Chicago
9. University of California–Berkeley (Haas)
University of Texas–Austin (McCombs)
11. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
12. Dartmouth College (Tuck) (NH)
University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson)
14. New York University (Stern)
University of Florida (Warrington)
16. University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
17. University of Virginia (Darden)
University of Wisconsin–Madison
19. Indiana University–Bloomington (Kelley)
University of Southern California (Marshall)
21. Cornell University (Johnson) (NY)
Emory University (Goizueta) (GA)
University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
24. Michigan State University (Broad)
Ohio State University (Fisher)

Nonprofit
1. Yale University (CT)
2. Harvard University (MA)
3. Stanford University (CA)
4. University of California–Berkeley (Haas)
5. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross)
6. Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
University of Virginia (Darden)
8. Columbia University (NY)
9. Duke University (Fuqua) (NC)
10. Case Western Reserve University (Weatherhead) (OH)
Dartmouth College (Tuck) (NH)
University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson)

Production/Operations
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
2. Purdue University–West Lafayette (Krannert) (IN)
3. Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) (PA)
4. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross)
5. Stanford University (CA)
6. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
7. Harvard University (MA)
8. Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
9. Columbia University (NY)
Indiana University–Bloomington (Kelley)
11. University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
12. University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson)
13. Michigan State University (Broad)
Ohio State University (Fisher)
15. University of Chicago
16. Georgia Institute of Technology
17. University of California–Berkeley (Haas)
University of Texas–Austin (McCombs)
19. Arizona State University–Main Campus (Carey)
20. Cornell University (Johnson) (NY)
21. Dartmouth College (Tuck) (NH)
22. Duke University (Fuqua) (NC)
New York University (Stern)
24. University of Maryland–College Park (Smith)
University of Minnesota–Twin Cities (Carlson)

Supply Chain/Logistics
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
2. Michigan State University (Broad)
3. Arizona State University–Main Campus (Carey)
4. Ohio State University (Fisher)
5. Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper) (PA)
6. Stanford University (CA)
7. Pennsylvania State University–University Park (Smeal)
Purdue University–West Lafayette (Krannert) (IN)
9. University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
10. University of Tennessee–Knoxville
11. University of Michigan–Ann Arbor (Ross)
12. University of Maryland–College Park (Smith)
13. Harvard University (MA)
14. Columbia University (NY)
Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
16. Georgia Institute of Technology
Indiana University–Bloomington (Kelley)
18. University of Wisconsin–Madison
19. University of Arkansas–Fayetteville (Walton)
University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson)
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
22. Dartmouth College (Tuck) (NH)
23. Duke University (Fuqua) (NC)
University of Chicago
University of Minnesota–Twin Cities (Carlson)

DISTANCE MBA

2007-09-27T07:24:00.000-07:00

One of the main rules of the job search is that you must be able to market yourself. Employers need to see what puts you a cut above the rest of the job-seekers who are vying for the same position. They want to know what makes you viable and unique. If you want to know what makes you invaluable to an employer, you may consider getting a distance learning MBA.

It is always good to know a little bit about everything. However, it can be much more advantageous to know a great deal about one thing – your discipline. A distance learning MBA helps you to become an expert in your line of work. It makes you more valuable to businesses.

You can stay ahead in the corporate world by earning a distance learning MBA through learning new business procedures and methods.

The knowledge you acquire through an online master’s program can be applied to decisions that need to be made on your job and in everyday life. You will become equipped with tools that lead to better corporate strategies, decision-making, and policies. When you use these tools on the job, you will impact your entire work environment with your knowledge.

The advancement opportunities are tremendous for those with advanced degrees like a distance learning MBA. Investing in your career could lead to raises and promotions. With your expertise, you will be eligible to climb higher up the corporate ladder. Most managers, top executives, and CEO’s have reached those positions because they have attained sophisticated degrees in their line of work. They steadily rose from an entry-level employee. Each subsequent step led to higher and higher ranks within the company until they finally reached the height of their careers.

Yet, moving up the corporate ladder is not your only option when moving ahead in the workforce. Many people become entrepreneurs and start their own businesses. The knowledge that you gain from pursuing a master’s degree is focused and in-depth. Many people take this knowledge and start their own careers from the ground up. This gives them the freedom to do something they love and work for themselves at their own pace.

An enormous benefit of earning a distance learning MBA is that you can tailor the curriculum to fit your specific needs. You can choose which courses you want to take so that you can enhance your educational experience. You select courses that apply specifically to your current occupation or a profession that you would like in the future. The program allows you a flexibility that you otherwise might not obtain from a traditional college curriculum.

The courses are taught by professors who have similar experience in your field. Many of these instructors have already published books that have received exceptional reviews. These books are based on their own success stories in the corporate world. The techniques and strategies they teach have been proven to work and have lead to new business theories and organizational change.
Impress your prospective employers with a distance learning MBA. It will put you on the cutting edge of the business market and a step ahead of the competition.

Cat preparation tips

2007-09-25T19:33:00.000-07:00

Tip 1 :
First of all do not be nervous at any point of time just because it is ’’cat’’.
Your level of confidence should not deterioate at any period between the day you start preparing till the day you give the exam. As this will definately affect you mentally and your morale will go down. Just consider the cat as any other normal exam you have given before.
Tip 2 :
After you are mentally prepared and confident of giving the cat the next process is the preparation. You have to atleast dedicate 10 months of intense preparation for the cat if u expect a good grade. After all hard work and sheer dedication in something results in everything. But you have to take care that you dont stress yourself while preparing. When i mean intense preparation i dont mean you have to actually dive into the books, become a bookworm or consume everything in your blood.
Tip 3 :
Once you begin the preparation it has to be in a disciplined manner. You should be honest with yourself that what you plan you will execute. In this way you can prepare yourself in around 7 months. In simple words if you slog hard for 7 months you can relax for the next 7 years.
Tip 4 :
When cat is concerned, the emphasis is basically made on english and maths of which english is comparatively tough. So you should devote more time on english and give the next priority to maths. It is very easy to score full in maths but not in case of english. So practice more by solving more questions of english as possible. The words in english have to be revised again and again and again until you are familiar with almost all of them. Maths can be done by solving problems as well but not by learning.
Tip 5 :
Finally you have to dedicate atleast 2-3 months for solving as many papers as you can. Try to go through the previous years’ cat papers as most of the questions are based on the same concept

Importance of good GMAT score

2007-09-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

If you are applying to a top MBA program that is ranked high, you will need a high score just to qualify for an admission. The average GMAT scores are upwards of 680 in most of the top MBA programs in the US. This figure can be as high as 720 for students from Asian countries who normally score higher. So, if you are applying to a top MBA program, you will need a high GMAT score just to stay in contention. You will first need to get a good score, and then work to get the other application issues right. Your past academic, professional and personal background that you project through information you fill in your application form, and the quality of your application essays finally get you an admission. Since admissions are very competitive, it’s the quality of your background that gets you an admission.

Things could be different if you are not so particular about applying to the ranked MBA programs. The GMAT could be one of the most important factors for admission. If you have a score that is much higher than the average GMAT score indicated by the university, your chances of admission are really good as long as you fulfill the basic requirements. You must have the specified number of years of work experience, the required undergraduate academic performance, and fulfill the application requirements required by the university and you will be on your way. It’s the numbers you have to get right here - fulfill all application requirements, have the required number of years of work experience and an average academic background.

To sum it up, your GMAT score can just qualify you for admission if you are applying to a top program, whereas it can get you an admission if you are not applying to the ranked programs. In either case, a high score can work to your advantage.

Choosing the right MBA School

2007-09-02T20:05:00.000-07:00

Watch out for the following when choosing your institute or if faced with having to choose between institutes.
1. Infrastructure

Infrastructure means the resources an institute has at its disposal.

Translated, this means better facilities for students. Infrastructure would consist of various factors like campus area in acres, total number of classrooms, etc.

Today, the total number of computers, the ratio of students to computers, etc, would also be important to deliver an edge in education.

2. Intellectual brawn power

The intellectual capital of an institute would mean the experience of the faculty, the number of books and library budget allocation of the institute.

The number of management-related books in the library, access to published journals or online journals, etc, will give you a fair idea of this.

The experience of the faculty of the institute is an indication of the learning imparted at the institute.

Keep in mind factors like the total number of permanent faculty and whether there is a fair mix of relevant industry and teaching experience.

3. Placement record

The placement record of the previous years are normally available on the web sites of the institutes or in its brochures. Instead of vague data about placements, look for specifics:

~ For foreign jobs, look at the percentage of students placed abroad.

~ Keep an eye out for the average salary offered per annum, as well as the maximum and the minimum salary offered per annum.

~ The number and kind of companies that appear at the institutes and the kind of offers that are being made will largely influence your choice once you have a call from an institute.

~ The duration of the placement days -- if all the placements occurred on Day 1 or Day 2 and so on might be reflection of the demand of the students from that institute.

4. Industry interaction

The level of industry interaction indicates where exactly an institute stands in real time with the industry.

The number of programmes conducted by the institute both on its premises and at companies, as well as the number of workshops and seminars held are direct indicators of the industry perception towards that institute.

5. Exchange programmes

Check if the institutes you are considering offer exchange programmes.

These are common at most IIMs, IITs, etc.

They expose students to the international management arena, offering insights into a global trade environment and business practices.

6. History

When the institute was established reflects the kind of time it has had to develop and establish itself.

This will have a direct impact on the kind of placements as well as other resources at the institute.

Asia- Part time MBA rankings

2007-09-01T19:32:00.000-07:00

Top asia part time MBA program ranking
1 Melbourne Business School
2 Chinese University of Hong Kong
3 NUS Business School (National University of Singapore)
4 University of Hong Kong School of Business
5 Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Graduate
School of Management)
6 Monash Mount Eliza Business School (Australia)
7 Nanyang Business School (Nanyang Technological University,
Singapore)
8 Macquarie Graduate School of Management (Australia)
9 International Management Institute (India)
10 University of the Philippines (College of Business Administration)
11 Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (School of Management)
12 Brisbane Graduate School of Business (Queensland University of
Technology, Australia)
13 City University of Hong Kong
14 Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (India)
15 University of Queensland, Australia (Graduate School of
Management)
16 University of Technology Sydney (Graduate School of Business)
17 Curtin University of Technology, Australia (Graduate School of
Business)
18 Khon Kaen University, Thailand (College of Graduate Study in
Management)
19 University of Adelaide, Australia (Graduate School of
Management)
20 University of Malaya (Faculty of Business and Accountancy)
21 Malaysian Graduate School of Management (Universiti
Putra Malaysia)
22 University of Dhaka (Institute of Business Administration)
23 Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology
(Pakistan)
24 De La Salle University, Philippines (Graduate School of Business)
25 RMIT University, Australia (School of Management)
26 Aoyama Gakuin University, Japan (School of International Politics,
Economics and Business)
27 University of South Australia (International Graduate School of
Management)
28 B. K. School of Business Management (Gujarat University, India)
29 Universiti Sains Malaysia School of Management
30 Chungnam National University, South Korea (College of
Economics and Management)

GMAT test structure

2007-08-30T10:00:00.000-07:00

Questions are chosen from a very large pool of test questions categorized by content and difficulty. Only one question at a time is presented to you on the screen. The first question is always of middle difficulty. The selection of each question thereafter is determined by your responses to all previous questions. In other words, the adaptive test adjusts to your ability level-you will get few questions that are too easy or too difficult for you.

You must answer each question and may not return to or change your answer to any previous question. If you answer a question incorrectly by mistake-or correctly by lucky guess-you answer to subsequent questions will lead you back to questions that are at the appropriate level of difficulty for you.

Analytical Writing Assessment
The GMAT with the Analytical Writing Assessment, consists of two essays topics selected by the computer.30 min are allowed to respond to each topic. One task is to analyze an issue; the other is to analyze an argument.

Quantative
This section tests elementary mathematical skills. This section contains 37 multiple-choice questions of either two question types, Data Sufficiency or Problem Solving. You are allowed a maximum of 75 minutes to complete the section.

Verbal
This section contains 41 multiple-choice questions on Reading Comprehension, Critical Reasoning, and Sentence Correction. The duration is 75 min.

Analytical Writing Assessment
Analysis of an Issue 1 topic 30 minutes 0 to 6
Analysis of an Argument 1 topic 30 minutes

Optional Rest Break 5 minutes

GMAT Quantitative
Problem Solving(*24 Questions)
Data Sufficiency(*13 Questions) 37 questions 75 minutes 0 to 60

Optional Rest Break 5 minutes

GMAT Verbal

Reading Comprehension(*13 Questions)
Critical Reasoning(*14 Questions)
Sentence Correction(*15 Questions) 41 questions 75 minutes 0 to 60

GMAT Total
200 to 800

MBA in disaster management

2007-08-28T07:04:00.000-07:00

There is lot of scope for persons who have a certificate in disaster management besides a professional degree. An IT professional can apply his knowledge in various software designed for disaster management, an engineer can work on building designs by providing for various disasters. For such people there are also opportunities in international organizations such as World Bank and ADB, Government organizations such as the NIDM and the State Disaster Management Centers, teaching in various institutions, NGOs and in the private sector too. Now with every State setting up a disaster management authority, opportunities abound there as well. Job prospects are expected to increase with the Government paying more attention to calamities.

There are some basic similarities between planning and management for any other complex job. For easy conceptualization, the entire work for which an action plan needs to be prepared may be called a Job. This job consists of individual tasks and each task requires the performance of certain functional roles. Management of a disaster can be divided into the following jobs:

* Mitigation of the negative impact of disaster.
* Immediate rescue and relief.
* Rehabilitation.
* Documentation and learning for the future.

Working with the organizations dealing with disaster management, one has to develop disaster management plans, build response mechanism etc.

MBA in New Zealand

2007-08-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

Most New Zealand 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 (BCom) or Bachelor of Science (BSc), this is acceptable as it is considered equivalent to a New Zealand Bachelor (Ordinary) Degree.

However, some universities may require an Honors degree. This is usually equivalent to B.Com. (H), B.Sc. (H) or a four year degree course like B.E.

For most good Universities, a good first degree from a leading university in India or its equivalent is essential.

Work Experience:

Most New Zealand business schools require a minimum of three to four years of work experience for admission to the MBA program. This is essential.

There are almost no good options for students, looking for an MBA program in New Zealand that does not require work experience.MBA degrees are normally from 14 to 16 months full-time. They are very intensive and highly focussed programmes with differing entry dates between the four Universities who offer these programmes.
The Universities look at a range of criteria when assessing MBA applicants including academic qualifications, work history, personal interests and English levels. MBA applicants normally must have an english level of IELTS (Academic) 6.5.

MBA in marketing

2007-08-21T09:39:00.000-07:00

The objective of the MBA-Marketing degree program are to increase the knowledge and enhance the skills of those working in the field of marketing, advertising, public relations etc. The goal is to develop increased sophistication relative to marketing decisions, and prepare students to study at advanced levels.
Marketing in the past focused mainly on basic concepts like the 4 Ps, and primarily on the psychological and sociological aspects of marketing. Competitive advantage was created by directly appealing to the needs, wants and behaviors of customers, better than the competition. Successful marketing was based on who could create the better brand or the lowest price or the most hype. Marketing in the future will be based on a more strategic approach to competitive marketing success.[2] Marketers will consciously build and allocate resources, relationships, offerings and business models that other companies find hard to match. This does not mean the four P approach is dead, simply that it has been expanded upon.
MBA Marketing program is designed for students who have career goals in product management, marketing research, relationship management, and value chain management. Career opportunities exist in a variety of industries especially service-oriented marketing, high technology, consumer durables, and business-to-business industries.Typical positions available to graduates are: service representative, account manager, brand manager, channel manager, marketing manager, product manager, and sales manager.

CUTOFFS TO GET A CALL FROM IIMS

2007-08-19T01:47:00.000-07:00

The IIMs have a minimum cut-off in each section for selection and the cut-off could be different for each IIM. This has never been confirmed by the IIMs except through general statements like, "You are expected to show your competence in all the sections."
These are some cutoffs estimated by various training institutes for CAT 2006.This year also the trend is going to be same with some minor variations

T.I.M.E.

Data Interpretation/Reasoning: 26-28

English Usage: 22-24

Quantitative Analysis: 28-30

Overall cutoff for one IIM call: 92-96

IMS Learning Resources

Data Interpretation/Reasoning: 32-36

English Usage: 28-32

Quantitative Analysis: 36-40

Overall cutoff for one IIM call: 104+

Career Launcher

Data Interpretation/Reasoning: 28-33

English Usage: 26-30

Quantitative Analysis: 35-40

Overall cutoff for one IIM call: 105

MBA AT ASIAN INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT

2007-08-17T10:31:00.000-07:00

The Asian Institute of Management, or simply AIM, is a graduate school of business and a center of business and management research. It is one of only two schools in Asia to be internationally accredited with both AACSB and EQUIS accreditations. It is sometimes referred to as the Harvard of the East because it was established in partnership with Harvard Business School and because it uses Harvard teaching methodologies.

It was described by Asiaweek magazine (a TIME publication) as the best in the Asia-Pacific region, and other magazines as one of the top three in Asia in the field of business education
The Asian Institute of Management, Manila offers two full-time degree programs under its Washington SyCip Graduate School of Business:

1. Masters in Business AdministrationThe two-year program offers majors in Finance, Marketing and Entrepreneurship. It also enables the students to undergo an exchange program with top schools in the US, Europe and Asia.

Eligibility: Bachelor's degree with at least two years' full-time work experience (by June 2004). Candidates must be at least 22 years of age on June 2004.

Course fees: US$12,000 per annum. This includes tuition and miscellaneous fees.
2. Masters in Management

The Masters in Management is an 11-month graduate management program on Business Leadership and Strategic Management.

Eligibility: Bachelor's degree with at least 6 years' full-time work experience, three years of which should be at a supervisory or managerial level. Candidates must be at least 28 years of age on May 2004.

Course fees: US$14,000. This includes tuition and miscellaneous fees.

MBAs in demand in Germany

2007-08-15T01:15:00.001-07:00

Despite a downturn in recruitment over the past few years, MBAs are now coming back into demand with major corporations, banks and management consultancies. But, while there seems little doubt that an MBA is a worthwhile investment for Germans looking to work on the global stage, how is it regarded in Germany itself? Huber, who is also studying for his MBA in the UK, comments: “It’s true that the qualification doesn’t yet have the profile and respect in Germany that it has in many other countries. However it’s certainly gaining ground, with more and more people aware of it. And, while smaller companies still seem more interested in domestic qualifications, the bigger, international, organisations based in Germany are now beginning to insist on the qualification for some of their more high profile roles.”

One of the international organisations, which has shown a real commitment to the value of an MBA is the global healthcare company Bayer, headquartered in Leverkusen. Bayer recruits potential future managers into a professional apprenticeship scheme, which encompasses sponsorship of an MBA at a school in the USA, UK, Spain or Singapore. Susann Blankenhagel from Dresden joined the scheme straight from university and has now been sent by the company to study for an MBA at the Spanish business school, IE-Instituto de Empresa, which is based in Madrid. “One of the main reasons for joining Bayer was because it offered the chance to work overseas,” says Susann, “so it was a real bonus to be able to study for what is now recognised as the top international business qualification.”

The increasing interest in the MBA for young professionals seems to be stemming from a distinct trend amongst Germany’s leading companies to focus outside the country rather than within it. Deutsche Post World Net, for example, has undergone a transformation since the reunification of Germany, changing from a domestic postal service into a key player in the global logistics market. Now they are seeking to develop the management team that will keep them in that role in years to come. “In our current phase of development the international experience and outlook of MBAs is extremely attractive,” says Joerg Staff, who heads up the company’s Human Resources Development function, “as is their experience of working in multi-national, multi-cultural teams and their capacity for lateral thinking. In the longer term I envisage them forming a significant proportion of our management team in all areas of our operations.” Staff goes on to admit, “Like a lot of international companies with their roots in Germany, we came relatively late to the systematic recruitment of MBAs, but we are keen to make up for lost time. We’re currently working with careers departments of a group of major schools in the USA and Europe as well as a number of the newer players in developing economies such as India and China.”

Another German company that has developed a global business is Allianz, which now owns businesses in some 70 countries around the globe. According to Michael Diekmann, Chairman of the Board of Management, Allianz sees MBAs as an important source of international management talent in the same way as Deutsche Post World Net. “In Germany, for example, top MBA graduates with prior work experience may enter the ‘Fast-Track’ Management Development program in insurance, finance or IT”, says Diekmann. “This consists of assignments over three to four years building towards a significant strategic management role. The employee is mentored and supported in their professional development by a member of the Board of Management.”

DISTANCE MBA

2007-08-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

It is always good to know a little bit about everything. However, it can be much more advantageous to know a great deal about one thing – your discipline. A distance learning MBA helps you to become an expert in your line of work. It makes you more valuable to businesses.

You can stay ahead in the corporate world by earning a distance learning MBA through learning new business procedures and methods.

The knowledge you acquire through an online master’s program can be applied to decisions that need to be made on your job and in everyday life. You will become equipped with tools that lead to better corporate strategies, decision-making, and policies. When you use these tools on the job, you will impact your entire work environment with your knowledge.

The advancement opportunities are tremendous for those with advanced degrees like a distance learning MBA. Investing in your career could lead to raises and promotions. With your expertise, you will be eligible to climb higher up the corporate ladder. Most managers, top executives, and CEO’s have reached those positions because they have attained sophisticated degrees in their line of work. They steadily rose from an entry-level employee. Each subsequent step led to higher and higher ranks within the company until they finally reached the height of their careers.

Yet, moving up the corporate ladder is not your only option when moving ahead in the workforce. Many people become entrepreneurs and start their own businesses. The knowledge that you gain from pursuing a master’s degree is focused and in-depth. Many people take this knowledge and start their own careers from the ground up. This gives them the freedom to do something they love and work for themselves at their own pace.

An enormous benefit of earning a distance learning MBA is that you can tailor the curriculum to fit your specific needs. You can choose which courses you want to take so that you can enhance your educational experience. You select courses that apply specifically to your current occupation or a profession that you would like in the future. The program allows you a flexibility that you otherwise might not obtain from a traditional college curriculum.

CAT PREPARATION -LAST 3 MONTHS

2007-08-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

With this year's CAT just 3 months away a few tips for those who have started the preparations well in advance and for those who are yet to start

*Start now!
*It is never too early when it comes to preparing for CAT. The earlier, the better! Starting early would give you that much more time to learn, understand, apply and remember.
*There are several institutions like TIME, IMS, Career Forum etc that have a complete module for CAT. Taking up coaching classes in one of these centres will help you systematise the process.
*Apart from regular classes, these centres give model question papers and also conduct several mock CAT examinations to help identify your strengths, weaknesses and thereby enable focused learning.
It is vital to brush up your basic Math and Language skills.

*Part of your daily routine:
Make preparation for CAT a part of your daily schedule. Continuous practice is vital. Practice makes perfect. So perfect the art of practice.

*Focus:
Set yourself deadlines in simple things like completion of a section. This will not only help you judge your speed, but also help you improve it.
Remember that it's you who wants to see yourself sitting in one of the IIMS this time next year. So give your best. Don't ever let over confidence or laziness ruin your chances.

*Read up:
Your regular course material aside, you also need to update yourself with what's happening in the world. Read newspapers, magazines, editorials, simply anything you can lay your hands on.
Apart from equipping yourself with general knowledge, you are also improving your reading speed, which is very important in the entrance examination.
Also, you could get a passage on anything from 'Possibility of life on Mars' to 'Water scarcity in Chennai'. So reading a wide-range of articles would help you be prepared for any topic.

*Believe in yourself:
Have the right amount of confidence in yourself. In times of fear or doubt, tell yourself "Of course I can, I should , I will!" After all, hard work will never let you down.
Treat this as a genuine learning process that's going to help you crack several tests, interviews in future with great ease.

All the best!

Various MBA programmes at harvard business School

2007-08-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

MBA PROGRAMMESHarvard Business School offers a two-year full time MBA program, which consists of one year of mandatory courses (Required Curriculum) and one year of unrestricted course selection (Elective Curriculum). Admission to the MBA program is one of the most selective graduate programs in the world [citation needed], with an admission rate of 15% for the class of 2008. [citation needed] The student body is highly international and diverse, coming from a variety of different backgrounds. [citation needed] Women comprise 35% of the class of 2008. [citation needed]

The Required Curriculum consists of two semesters. The first semester focuses primarily on the internal aspects of the company and includes the courses Technology and Operations Management, Marketing, Financial Reporting and Control, Leadership and Organizational Behaviour, and Finance I. The second semester focuses on the external aspects and includes the courses Business, Government, and the International Economy, Strategy, The Entrepreneurial Manager, Negotiations, Finance II, and Leadership and Corporate Accountability. [citation needed]

The Elective Curriculum can be chosen from more than 50 courses. The students assign each course a priority and the courses are filled through a lottery system based on student priority and class availability. Elective curriculum students can also complete a field study in lieu of a class.

DOCTORAL PROGRAMMES

The mission of Harvard Business School's Doctoral Programs is to develop outstanding scholars for careers in research and teaching at leading business schools and universities.

Flexibility in learning, independence in study, research with deep impact, notable faculty who are leaders in their fields, and the finest resources in academia—these qualities enable Harvard Business School to offer highly regarded doctoral programs.

To ensure a solid foundation in management, all students (without an MBA degree) are required to take at least five courses in the MBA curriculum. A deep knowledge of management practice—not only in general, but also specific to a student's area of specialization—is a critical component of business doctoral education. These courses provide a valuable source of research topics and institutional knowledge that will be important for future research and teaching success in business schools. At the same time, a broad knowledge of business ensures that students fully appreciate the interdependencies and complexity of management problems and may introduce them to the possibility of interdisciplinary research.

All students are admitted for full-time degree programs, beginning in September. Students, however, may begin the program in July, conducting research with an HBS faculty member. A minimum of two years in residence is required, and it is expected that students will complete their program in four to five years. Students typically spend two to two-and-a-half years on course work, and another two years on their dissertation.

GMAT TEST STRUCTURE

2007-08-08T09:22:00.000-07:00

Here is what you can expect to see when you take the test.

The Introductory Computer Tutorial (untimed – you go through it at your own pace)
Analytical Writing Assessment (60 minutes)
Analysis of an Argument (30 minutes)
Analysis of an Issue (30 minutes)
Optional 5 Minute Break
Quantitative Section (75 minutes)
Problem Solving (23 to 24 questions)
Data Sufficiency (13 to 14 questions)
Optional 5 Minute Break
Verbal Section (75 minutes)
Critical Reasoning (14 to 15 questions)
Reading Comprehension (4 passages with 12 to 14 questions)
Sentence Correction (14 to 15 questions)
The total maximum testing time allowed for the GMAT is 3 hours and 40 minutes.

The two Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA) analyses are presented to test takers in random order. You might see either the analysis of an argument or the analysis of an issue question first.

As we mentioned above, you can also expect the types of questions asked in the quantitative and verbal sections of the GMAT test to show up in a random order. That said, these questions do tend to appear on the exams in short bunches – you are not likely to find yourself bounced back and forth between them. Reading comprehension questions in particular will be grouped together, in bunches immediately following the relevant passages.

SPECIALISED MBA PROGRAMMES

2007-08-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

XLRI - In addition to a well-run MBA course, XLRI offers a specialisation course in Industrial Relations. This is highly rated among the courses in Personnel Management in India. The name XLRI - Xavier's Labour Relations Institute misleads people into thinking that the institute trains only in labour relations. Please realise that they also conduct a well-recognised general MBA program.

TISS - The Tata Institute of Social Sciences conducts an MA in Personnel Management, which is rated highly in the industry as a world-class qualification in that area.

IRMA - Focuses solely on Rural Development using the co-operative model. It restricts placement to voluntary agencies and co-operatives. Besides IRMA, the other colleges that offer a program on rural management and marketing is IIM-Ahmedabad.

IIFT - Focuses solely on foreign trade. Placement is thus largely in export departments/houses. It is widely rated as the best in India. The other colleges popular for International business are IMI, Delhi and SIFT in Pune.

NIFT - Focuses solely on the garment industry. Placement is restricted to this area.

IIFM - Focuses on the management of forest resources. Set up with help from IIM-A, it is getting good placement offers.

NITIE - The Mumbai based institute focuses on Industrial Management and is well recognized in its field. The other colleges in this offering a similar program are the IITs, the best of which are the programs of IIT Bombay, Delhi and Kharagpur

MBA IN BIO TECHNOLOGY

2007-08-05T02:31:00.000-07:00

MBA Biotechnology gives broad introduction to biotechnology and focuses on management skills. M.Sc Biotechnology on the other hand is a specialisation that imparts technical aspects of biotechnology.

MBA Biotechnology graduates would deal with managerial and entrepreneurial aspects in the biotechnology, chemical, pharmaceutical or allied industries. M.Sc Biotechnology graduates would be concentrating on technical aspects or research.

Both are two-year courses. The prospects for both of them are equally bright.

MBA Biotechnology Management is offered at Amity Institute of Biotechnology, New Delhi. The eligibility criterion is graduation in biological sciences/ computer sciences or equivalent qualification with minimum 55 per cent marks. The admission is based on entrance test (Amity Common Admission Test or CAT or MAT or GMAT) followed by group discussion and personal interview.

Amity Institute of Biotechnology also offers M.Sc biotechnology.

The eligibility criterion is graduation in life sciences. The admission is based on marks obtained in qualifying exam and interview. For further details, visit www.amity.edu
courtesy hindu JULY 23

PROS AND CONS OF PART TIME MBA

2007-07-31T18:55:00.000-07:00

For working professionals who cannot take time off work to attend full-time, there is the part-time MBA program. With the part-time MBA program, you can work full-time while attending MBA classes on days off or in the evenings. Many colleges and universities offer part-time as well as full-time MBA programs.

Advantages of a Part-time MBA

The part-time program is particularly appealing to people who wish to advance their existing career. They can also be advantageous for people who have already developed a network of business relationships that can facilitate a change of careers.

* Courses that are scheduled to take place before or after regular working hours.
* You can improve existing skills or develop new ones without impinging on your current job.
* Real-world situations and problems can be incorporated into the classroom environment where solutions can be explored that could be implemented in real life.
* Tuition assistance and student loans may be available.
* If tuition reimbursement is offered by your employer, part-time could be an ideal choice.
* Having the cost of schooling spread out over a longer program length lessens the financial strain on those students that prefer not to incur additional debt or who need to maintain an income while attending school.

If you are unable to relocate, a part-time MBA program may offer additional flexibility. A long commute to classes may be more workable for part-time school once or twice a week, whereas it would be taxing on a daily basis.

It's sad but true -- a part-time MBA just does not command the same status as a full-time one in this country. A host of extremely respected institutes offer one-, two- and three-year part-time MBA diplomas and degrees. Yet, the students who opt for these courses do not emerge with the same halo as those who take up the two-year full-time post-graduate programmes.

The first cruel fact you have to accept if you're thinking of a part-time MBA is this: it is unlikely to swiftly and painlessly enhance your immediate job prospects. There is no lucrative placement offer waiting for you, like the proverbial 'pot of gold 'at the end of the rainbow. And this is true, even at the brand name institutes.

The B-schools justify the lack of placement opportunities by pointing out that those pursuing the part-time MBA already have jobs. In fact, the pre-requisite for practically all part-time MBA courses is two-three years of work experience, preferably in an executive or supervisory capacity. Part-time MBAs are thus positioned as career-enhancement programmes designed to make the participant more effective in his or her current organisation.

MBA AT XLRI

2007-07-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

XLRI, which is widely known as the Xavier Labour Relations Institute, is a top of the line Indian business school that is located at the steel city of Jamshedpur. Since the inception, XLRI has always taken the role of a pioneer, not only in the field of business education but also in responding to the need of the people of India.
Following are some of the most renowned courses offered by this ace management institute in India.

* Personnel Management & Industrial Relations (PM & IR)
* Business Management (BM)
* Fellow Programme in Management (FPM)
* Executive Postgraduate Programme (ExePGP)
* Executive Fellow Programme in Management
* General Management Programme (GMP)
* Satellite Programmes (PGCBM)
* Management Development Programmes (MDP)
* International Student Exchange Programme (POISE)

For taking admission to the flagship management programmes of the institute, one needs to clear the XAT or the XLRI Admission Test. Scores of the XAT is also accepted by some other B-Schools throughout the country. XAT is considered one of the toughest management entrances in India. In 2007 about 72000 applicants sat for the XAT examination of which only 180 were selected for the two flagship programmes of the Xavier Labour Relations Institute.

If you are an aspiring candidate for the XAT next year, you have come to the right place. We, at KoolKareers.com, are offering different solutions that will help you in your XAT preparation. At our online career portal you will find number of articles that will discuss various aspects of XAT. There are articles that provide tips and suggestions for effective preparation as well as taking the examination successfully. The articles also provide valuable information related to the test like the important dates and registration process of XAT and so on. Apart from the articles you can also download sample papers of different subjects, including general knowledge, essays etc. The sample papers will help the future test takers to have an idea of the pattern and content of the XAT. You can also participate for the online mock XAT tests at KoolKareers.com that will prepare you for the actual test as well as let you know about the extent of your preparation.

MBA SPECIALIZATIONS

2007-07-29T03:44:00.000-07:00

It is of prime importance to select the right field of management to specialize in, as normally this would be the discipline in which you would get your first job and possibly even make a career.

The first step towards this is to understand what each specialization is about and what do they have to offer. Although the number of specializations offered by universities is increasing day by day, they can be classified broadly into the following categories:

Marketing - At the Front End of Business
Look forward to a career in sales, brand management, or market research. You need to possess excellent communication and resource mobilizing skills. Marketing plays a key role in the industries such as fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), advertising and market research, sales & distribution, and product or brand management. A large number of CEOs often belong to this discipline.

Operations Management - Driving Back-End Efficiency
If you exhibit an eye for detail, the ability to negotiate, can keep your calm in tough situations and have sound technical knowledge, manufacturing, sales and distribution companies are likely to knock on your doors. Operations play a key role in the fields of quality control, material management, productivity improvement, inventory control, production planning, supply chain management and logistics.

Finance - It’s All About the Money
This field requires extremely high analytical ability, playing with numbers and balance sheets and needs an individual to be fond of being at the complete back-end. With a specialization in Finance you can look for exciting careers in banks, financial consultancies, or financial institutions. Finance plays a key role in the fields of consumer and investment banking, institutional finance, merchant banking, corporate finance and international finance.

Systems Management - Making Technology Work
Involves custom-development of IT solutions in all areas, from putting up online daily sales to developing Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions. Systems Management is normally an integration role between client (internal/external) and programmers; and generally require people with good technical skills coupled with good business domain knowledge. Systems plays an important role in the fields of systems consultancy, account management/project management, systems department of organizations, business development and sales & marketing.

Human Resource Management - A People Manager
You focus on people management and form the backbone of any organization. You need to be a good communicator and should present yourself as competent, dependable and charismatic. It plays a key role in the fields of human resource development, personnel management and industrial relations.
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STRATEGY TO BELL THE CAT

2007-07-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

The B-schools seek to filter out most aspirants (that’s why we call the written test a rejection test) and shortlist the right ones through the written exam entirely on the basis of three factors:

Understanding
Speed
Accuracy

Your chances of making it to the top will depend largely on your ability to pay attention to these key factors. Your first target is to master the fundamentals in all areas. Speed and accuracy are skills that are to be considered only after a few months have been spent developing the basics.

You should ideally have the following study objectives:

Understand the maths fundamentals and revise the maths syllabus twice at least in the first three to four months (if you have that kind of time).
Read, read, and read some more — from both your course material and outside it. Spend at least 45 minutes on the newspaper and finish two to three medium-sized fiction novels in a month.
Do justice to all other parts of the syllabus — data interpretation, reasoning, english grammar, usage and vocabulary.

Don’t Let The Plateaus Pull You Down
There is no successful CAT aspirant who hasn’t hit a plateau — those depressing times when your reading speed falls, your maths accuracy stops improving and your test scores stagnate. Don’t panic, it’s a natural part of the learning process. These plateaus are the incubating period when you consolidate on your learning.

In fact, CAT preparation is all about improvement in stages. One improves on clarity in fundamentals, test taking ability, reading speed, and confidence (not necessarily in this order) in various stages. It’s like a small child growing up — he seeks to grow tall overnight, but it takes several years. Keep the faith — the improvements will follow.

Find A Suitable Mentor
While most students rely for advice on friends/peers who are also in the process of preparing, some talk to teachers once in a while. However you do it, it makes a lot of sense to use a mentor. A mentor would fulfil three qualities — he should be mature (read older), should have an excellent understanding of tests (should have prepared himself for the test at some stage, and preferably succeeded), and should be willing to help you out intermittently.

A mentor will be like your coach — he will prod you on and be your emotional anchor, in good times and bad.

Quality, Not Quantity, Counts
Students tend to go overboard in the second stage of their preparation, being particularly enamoured with quantity rather than with quality, particularly when it comes to test taking. Tests are serious business and need to be taken as seriously as the real thing. One has to simulate test-taking conditions, and give every test the best shot. Test scores hit a plateau after a while and that is where the madness begins. Some friend would brag about how many tests he takes per week and how high his scores are and that would trigger thoughtless competition.

What students do not realise is that the quality of study always takes precedence over quantity. Once the fundamentals have been absorbed, every test needs to be not just tasted, but chewed and digested. What this piece of Zen-like wisdom means is that a student is expected to analyse each and every test he takes, looking for points of improvement, where he went wrong, which solutions have eluded him and why, and which questions he should have opted for. This means that typically a test may take two hours of attempting and as much as four to six hours of analysis. If this is not done, the test-taking spree will not lead to any improvement in scores, just a high burn out rate only.
hope my advice has thrown some light into your cat preparation and wish all of all the best!
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ADMISSIONS AND PLACEMENTS AT FMS DELHI

2007-07-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

The school has a reputation for producing excellent marketing and finance graduates . It is situated in the beautiful and vibrant North and South Campus of the University of Delhi. FMS has exchange programmes and collaborative arrangements with leading industrial and business houses, management institutions and professional associations in India and abroad. It is the founder member of the Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia (AMDISA) and is working towards regional cooperation in management education and development in the spirit of SAARC. FMS is also one of the participating institutions in the India-EEC Exchange and Co-operation Programme for Management Professors. The various programmes offered by FMS are

MBA (Full Time) - 90 seats with 9 additional seats for foreign students
MBA (Management of Services - Full Time) - This programme started in 2004 has 40 seats with 4 additional seats for foreign students
MBA(Part Time) - 140 seats for candidates having a minimum of three year work experience
MBA(Health Care Administration - Part Time ) - 15 seats for practicing doctors
Doctoral Programmes which lead to a P.hD by University of Delhi

In addition to all these programmes, FMS also conducts Management Development Programmes.
Placements 2005 was a resounding success at FMS, and was an affirmation of the faith of the corporate world in the ability and quality of the FMS students, faculty and fraternity. It could not have been a more eventful placement season at the institute which is celebrating its golden jubilee and as always FMS kept its appointment with excellent placements.

FMS has traditionally had the best placements in the country with respect to choice of jobs on offer for candidates and is usually insulated from downturns in the economy; but the economic boom this time has probably ensured the best ever placements for the campus. FMS, with an optimum batch size of 90, prides itself on having a student friendly placement process, managed by students with most candidates bagging a job of their choice.

"FMS has always had equitable placements across sectors, a sign of a mature and evolved process, without heavy dependence on a particular sector. The placements across sectors and multiple offers this year is an indication of the quality of students in FMS and reputation the institute has in the country," says Dr. Madhu Vij, Professor in Charge , Placements. More than 40% of the batch had an offer in hand even before the placement day through a PPO or a lateral offer.

HOW TO BELL THE CAT?

2007-07-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Completing a management diploma from an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) and getting a job where your salary reads in six figures is a dream worth pursuing. But success, they say, is 98% perspiration and 2% inspiration. And getting into any of the coveted IIMs demands intense and focused preparation.

The Common Admission Test (CAT) conducted by the six IIMs (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Kolkata, Lucknow, Indore, and Kozhikode) is scheduled for this year on December 18 2007. It attracts thousands of aspirants from all over the country. Besides IIMs, there are 20 other institutes like MICA, Nirma Institute of Management, SP Jain Institute and others, which draw candidates based on the performance in CAT.

Fuelled by dreams of sky-high salaries and cushy jobs, more than 2 lakh graduates, engineers and other qualified professionals, appear for the entrance test hoping to make it to a top IIM institute. So how does one bell the CAT?

Private coaching
Joining a coaching institute is not a bad option. It definitely makes you stay in touch with the CAT syllabus. Vaibhav Nagpal, a student of Pegasus course at Career Launcher, who cleared the CAT in 1 2005 and is currently working for Polaris Software, Delhi, says, "Coaching actually made me know where I was heading. Starting from the basic fundamentals, I knew exactly where I stood. I had a daily task schedule set out for me."

Pitched competition has led to a mushrooming of coaching institutes - each claiming fantastical success record. The Institute of Management Studies (IMS), with branches all over the country claims to have clocked 750 students out of the near 1000 IIMs seats this year. It claims that the percentage of its students clearing CAT as compared to other institutes is quite high.

WHY MBA IN HEALTHACARE

2007-07-23T08:16:00.000-07:00

The healthcare system in this country is a crucial one, and in order to function smoothly it requires professional and experienced managers and administrators. A great deal of work goes on ‘behind the scenes’ in today’s healthcare system – many of us think about nurses, doctors, and other frontline professionals when we think of the health service, but without the professionalism and expertise of the managers and administrators, chaos would likely ensue. A Healthcare Management MBA is ideal for anyone wanting to work in this challenging and exciting area.

Health Care management and administration can be a fast paced career, and those entering into this area need to be able to rise to the challenge. A Health Care Management MBA will prepare you for this type of career, equipping you with all of the necessary skills and knowledge to rise to the challenge of a demanding career in such a vital service. You will learn a great deal from your Healthcare Management MBA course, and having this qualification will prove invaluable to those wanting to take this career path, showing potential employers that you have the expertise and skills to go all the way in this environment.

For those already working within the healthcare service, a Health Care Management MBA is the ideal way to succeed and enjoy rapid progression. There are many opportunities within the healthcare service for those with the right qualifications and skills, and gaining your Healthcare Management MBA will provide you with the necessary skills and knowledge to improve your prospects of promotion and enjoy a long and rewarding career in this area.

You can now take your Health Care Management MBA online, which makes it far more accessible for many more people, particularly those already working and unable to commit to full time education. A number of institutions offer these online Health Care Management MBA programs, and it is advisable to check the eligibility criteria and course structure to ensure that this is the most appropriate course to aid your career goals.

GMAT-FAQs

2007-07-21T00:22:00.000-07:00

What is the GMAT?
The GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) is a 3-1/2 hour standardized exam designed to predict how test-takers will perform academically in MBA (Masters in Business Administration) programs. GMAT scores are used by graduate business schools to make admission decisions.
You might also see the GMAT referred to as the "GMAT CAT"; the acronym CAT stands for "Computer Adaptive Test." The GMAT is administered only by computer now, except in certain locations outside North America, where the test is referred to as the "paper-based" GMAT. (Since you’re reading this on the Web, no doubt the GMAT CAT is available where you are.)
Who is responsible for the design and administration of the GMAT?
The GMAT is the brainchild of the GMAC (Graduate Management Admission Council), which determines what kinds of skills the GMAT should measure — and how it should measure them. But it is ETS (Educational Testing Service) in Princeton, New Jersey that actually develops the test questions, administers the test, and reports test scores to the schools — all at the behest of GMAC.
Do I need to take the GMAT for admission to an MBA program?
To gain admission to an MBA program, chances are you’ll need to take the GMAT. About two-thirds of the 1,300+ graduate business schools around the world require GMAT scores for admission. Schools that do not require GMAT scores nevertheless welcome GMAT scores to help access an applicant’s qualifications

B-SCHOOL RANKINGS BY BUSINESSWORLD

2007-07-19T18:46:00.000-07:00

1.Indian Institute of Management – Ahmedabad
2.Indian Institute of Management – Bangalore
3.Indian Institute of Management – Calcutta
4.Indian Institute of Management – Lucknow
5.National Institute of Industrial Engineering – Mumbai
6.Management Development Institute – Gurgaon
7.Xavier Labour Relations Institute – Jamshedpur
8. S.P.Jain Institute of Mgmt & Research, Mumbai
9. Faculty of Mgmt Studies, Univ. of Delhi, Dehli
10.Shailesh J. Mehta School of Mgmt, IIT – Bombay
11. Indian Institute of Management – Kozhikode
12.ICFAI Business School, Hyderabad
13.University Business School, Chandigarh
14.Dept. of Mgmt Studies, IIT – Delhi
15. Xavier Institute of Mgmt., Bhubaneswar
16.Lal Bahadur Shastri Institute of Mgmt, New Delhi
17.Institute of Rural Management, Anand
18.Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi
19. International Mgmt. Institute, New Delhi
20.Goa Institute of Mgmt, Goa
21.Institute of Mgmt. Technology, Ghaziabad
22.T.A.Pai Mgmt. Institute, Manipal
23.Indian Institute of Management – Indore
24.Nirma Institute of Mgmt, Ahmedabad
25.Fore School of Mgmt, New Delhi
26.Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Pune
27.Regional College of Mgmt., Bhubaneswar
28.Indian Institute of Modern Management, Pune.
29.NILM Centre for Management studies ,New Delhi.
30.Prin.L.N.Welingkar Institute of Mgmt Development Mumbai
31.Loyola institute of Business Administration, Chennai.
32.Vinod Gupta School of Mgmt IIT-Kharagpur
33. Institute of Technology & Management ,Mumbai.
34.Alliance business Academy ,Bangalore
35.Graduate School of Business & Administration ,Noida
36.PSG Institute of Management Coimbatore
37.Prestige Institute of Mgmt & Research ,Indore
38.Institute of Financial Mgmt & Research ,Chennai.
39.Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow
40.Indian Inst. of Social Welfare & Business Mgmt ,Kolkota
41.Bharathidasan Institute of Management ,Tiruchirapalli
42.Asia Pacific Institute of Management, New Delhi.
43.Department of Management Science ,Pune University, Pune 44.
Amrita Institute Of Management Coimbtore.
45.Rourkela Institute of Mgmt Studies ,Rourkela.
46.Rajagiri School of Mgmt, Cochin
47.Indian Institute of Rural Mgmt, Jaipur.
48.N.L.Dalmia Inst.of Mgmt Studies & Research ,Mumbai.
49.Indian Inst of Health Management Research ,Jaipur.
50.Master School of Management, Meerut

MBA programs in MIT

2007-07-19T09:08:00.000-07:00

The main professional degree awarded at MIT Sloan, prior to 1995, was the SM in Management – an advanced professional degree combining the course requirements of the more widely-known MBA degree with a formal Master of Science dissertation. The completion of a dissertation was previously an Institute-wide requirement for all master's students. An exception was made for MIT Sloan students starting in 1995, and the school began awarding the MBA degree entirely on the basis of coursework. While some members of the MIT community felt that removing the dissertation requirement would reduce the educational merit of the degree [1], it was accepted since this was the practice at all other major business schools. MIT Sloan continues to offer the SM degree for students who choose to complete master's dissertations, but the vast majority of students now receive an MBA degree and do not write a dissertation. In practice, MIT Sloan's SM and MBA have always been viewed as equivalent in industry, although the SM is preferred as preparation for doctoral work.
In 2006, MIT Sloan launched a new program for entrepreneurs within the MBA degree called the Entrepreneurship & Innovation (E&I) Program. The E&I program centers on starting and evolving emerging technology enterprises. The program seeks to formalize MIT's long-standing and leading entrepreneurship offerings. E&I students benefit from a specialized weekly seminar for entrepreneurs. In addition, a one-week trip to Silicon Valley is coordinated in conjunction with the MIT Sloan MediaTech club.
Of the approximately 2,600 applications received last year for the MBA and Leaders for Manufacturing programs, about 500 were admitted and 372 matriculated [2].

HOW TO TACKLE GDs

2007-07-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

GROUP discussions are used by the B-schools as a selection tool because they provide a lot of useful information about the candidate’s personality in a very short time. GDs are used to assess certain group skills that cannot be evaluated in an interview situation. These skills include leadership skills, social skills, listening and articulation skills, situation handing ability and interpersonal ability. A typical GD involves 8 to 12 participants sitting in a circle or semicircle discussing a topic for a stipulated time, usually for 15 to 20 minutes. Most GDs follow one of the three formats: Structured, Unstructured, or Specialized.
1. Regular Structured GDs: Here the time limits and topic is defined. No consensus expected at the end. No leader is to be selected for facilitating the process. These are easier to handle. Topics chosen are usually general and do not require technical knowledge.
2. Unstructured GDs: Choosing a leader is mandatory and the group has to reach a consensus at the end of the GD. The leader has to direct the group, set the tone for discussion and control the dynamics of the group. Things are sometimes made more complicated by asking the group to propose a topic, discuss it and reach a consensus.
3. specialised GDs: These include role-plays or scripted GDs where the candidates are given a certain brief about a role that they need to play. For example, a business situation where to companies are negotiating a deal may be used. Candidates would be given the profile of the two CEOs, marketing managers, HR managers, advisors, and a neutral entity like a consultant. Alternatively, candidates could be given the role of the five Pandavas and the main Kauravas negotiating the distribution of their kingdom in 20th century setting.

MBA IN FINANCE

2007-07-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

The purpose of the Finance specialization in the MBA program is to prepare students for superior achievement in the highly competitive, complex and rapidly changing field of finance. Our students will acquire the skills, knowledge and experience necessary to solve the strategic and tactical problems that finance executives face today and will face in the future in the international business world.

The effective executive of the new century understands the importance of financial decisions in nearly every aspect of the organization. Using the corporation’s goals, capital requirements, and historical accounting information, the financial manager must be able to forecast the firm’s future needs for funds and prepare plans for securing these funds at the optimum cost. The successful financial manager combines an understanding of rapid changes in the money and capital markets with the knowledge of the corporation’s financial needs. The finance specialization prepares professionals in major corporations, financial institutions, and governmental agencies.

FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR CAT

2007-07-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

It is natural to feel tense about the CAT since that would probably have been the only thought on your mind for the last few months. So, what should you do to ensure a good performance on the D-Day?
Take a maximum of one or two mock CATs this week and do not look at your scores, as that will only add to your anxiety. Just take the test, and see what new things you can learn from the questions. It should be a very light week and no serious subject preparation.
On the D-Day
Start early from home and reach the exam hall at least half-an-hour before the reporting time. The entire test process will take more than three hours and hence, take care of your breakfast, using the rest room, etc.
At the exam hall, keep your watch on the table as it forces you to keep looking at it while the test is in progress. Make sure that you fill correctly all the details in the OMR sheet. See that the OMR sheet is not crumpled and don't make any stray marks on it.
Be prepared for something new that could be there in the paper - be it the structure of the paper, the test areas, the way the questions are organised, the break up of sections, the marks per question or negative marks per question. This makes a lot of test-takers nervous. Remember everyone has the same paper. So, don't get intimidated

MBA SPECIALIZATIONS

2007-07-13T08:13:00.000-07:00

Students have the opportunity to pursue either a general management program or complete a specialization as part of the MBA program. Specializations are a matter of choice, not a prerequisite, and all students receive the same MBA education regardless of whether they complete a specialization. Students should consider their career goals and professional development in settling on a specialization. As more and more universities offer MBA programmes, it is becoming ever more difficult for candidates to decide on which business school offers the most suitable MBA programme to meet their requirements. Many business schools are digressing from the ‘generalist’ system, which has been the typical MBA model for the last thirty years. Today you can choose from a wide range of MBA specializations, ranging from an MBA in Financial Studies, as well as Insurance and Risk Management Accountancy and Finance, to an MBA in Sports Management, or even an MBA in Technology.The trend towards one-year niche, or specialist MBAs, designed for particular groups of professional people, appears to be market driven. Some fields may be nearly impossible to enter without specialized training. Research your chosen industry to determine whether a specialty program may be a better alternative for you than a generalist MBA degree.US schools in particular, reject the specialist MBA model. Their two-year format allows MBA students to be generalists in their first year, whilst specializing in their chosen field in their second year.Shape your studies to complement all that make you inimitable — education, experience, aptitudes, interests, passions. Famous MBA schools abroad all have their own specialties; for example, Harvard Business School is at the head of the class in commercial management, the University of Chicago Graduate Business School in financial management, and the Kellogg School of Management in marketing.

BOOKS AND MATERIALS FOR GMAT PREPARATION

2007-07-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

The official guide for GMAT review ( 10th edition)
This book contains about 1500 actual questions from previous year exams. It's the closest match with the actual gmat test. Specially in verbal section, where ETS spend a lot of money to prepare a single question. Questions choices are prepared very carefully to maintain the same level of difficulty throghout the years. In quantitative any body can change the numbers and can prepare the sample questions. So based on our experts experience we suggest one should practice verbal section only from official guide. For quantitative sections one may refer other books.Expert's TipIn quantitative section the questions are difficult in actual gmat. In the book initial questions of quantitative section are very simple but 200 questions in end are difficult, which closely matches the difficulty level of actual gmat questions.In comprehension section of verbal section one gets four passages in actual gmat test( Each passage has 3 to 4 questions ). In gmat book for some passages 6-7 questions are given.
Old actual practice test papers
If you find the above book not enough for practice then one can buy old sets of papers from http://www.mba.com/ site. Please note in these sets most of questions are new but some questions are repeated from official guide for gmat.
Kaplan GMAT 800 ( latest edition)
I would recommend this book for quantitative section. Here level of difficulty is more and it prepares u for more rigrous gmat than the actual so one ends up doing well in the exam.
Power prep test series
These are available free of cost and they simulate the actual test.
Free GMAT test prepration software 2006 Expert's Tip
Please note they also carry some questions from official guide so you may score more as you have already practiced some question from Official guide for GMAT.
Other sources ( kaplan's and Princeton's regular classes )
Based on our experts and their students experience( all who scored around 750) feel that above sources are enough but incase you are still not scoring well in the exam then one can join the regular classes by Kaplan or Princeton review. They give u regular practice and costs around 1000 USD.

2007-07-09T03:57:00.000-07:00

LIFE OF AN MBA STUDENTAND THEREAFTER

As in all careers, there is a flip side to being an MBA. Though not a huge deterrent, one should know about the life of an MBA as well.A bit of a reality check here, but the personal life of most MBAs especially during their training period and formative years in an organization is extremely hectic. One of the primary reasons being: high performance pressure. Most MBAs are at the helm of affairs for business concerns involving decision and policy making that demands a lot physically and mentally. The ones spearheading departments are responsible for what the whole team does, and every decision you take affects not just you, but often your entire team and impacts the entire organization.But then, what's life without challenges? If you feel that you are made for tackling life head-on, and are excited about your work being meaningful, what are you waiting for? An MBA is a great first step towards your dream destination.

2007-07-09T03:44:00.000-07:00

FT top european MBA schools

The FT (Financial Times) annually carries out a survey of MBA schools based on their full time MBA courses. While percentage increase in salary forMBA graduates is the biggest single determinant of ranking it also takes into account internationality, research ratings, etc. The research is broadly similar to our own (based on recruiters and graduates views) including the presence of some schools where we think the rankings may be inflated by their reputation in other areas.

1 (7) (9) Insead (France)

2 (8) (8) LBS (UK)

3 (11) (11) IMD (Switz)

4 (24) (25) IESE (Spain)

5 (27) (29) Rotterdam (Netherlands)

6 (31) (34) Empresa (Spain)

7 (34) (n) Said, Oxford (UK)

8 (36) (43) Manchester (UK)

9 (39) (48) SDA Bocconi (Italy)

10 (40) (59) Warwick (UK)

11 (41) (35) Cranfield (UK)

12 (50) (37) Edinburgh U Business School(UK)

13 (52) (50) HEC (France)

14 (60) (41) University College, Dublin (Eire)

15 (61) (68) ESCP-EAP (France)

16 (64) (74) ESADE (Spain)

17 (64) (54) Imperial (UK)

18 (67) (n) IEP (France)

19 (67) (n) Theseus (France)

20 (70) (73) Njenrode (Netherlands)

21 (73) (66) City (UK)

22 (81) (52) Ashridge (UK)

23 (82) (n) Nottingham University (UK)

24 (85) (n) Strathclyde (UK)

25 (85) (72) Bradford (UK)

26 (n) (n) NIMBAS (UK)

27 (88) (n) Leeds (UK)

28 (90) (63) Lancaster (UK)

29 (91) (n) ENPC (France)

30 (93) (n) EM Lyon (France)

31 (96) (n) Bath (UK)

32 (97) (n) Trinity College, Dublin (Eire)

33 (100) (n) Norwegian School of Management (Norway)

Key: the first number refers to the MBA school's rank within europe, the second its 2001 international MBA ranking and the third its 2000 international ranking. (n) = new entry to FT list (previous years lists have included only the top 75 schools). For example Insead is the highest rated school in the 2001 research, ranking 7 among all international schools in 2001 and it was ranked 9 in the 2000 research

2007-07-09T03:30:00.000-07:00

An online MBA is an excellent alternative to traditional full-time or part-time or executive MBA Programs. Online MBA programs provide you much more flexibility in terms of how and when you choose to study. You can work in your MBA program studies around your schedule instead of having to re-schedule your life around the MBA program classroom, transportation to and from classes, etc. Online MBA programs are excellent if you want to continue working while you get your degree. You don't have to give up your life to earn your MBA degree. If you are self-motivated and want to get ahead in your career developmentwith an MBA without giving up your life, an online MBA program may meet your requirements
A number of establishments offer online MBA programs, and these online MBA programs have enjoyed enormous popularity over recent years. Many people have successfully worked through online MBA programs, gaining a valuable qualification and enjoying a far better salary and better promotional prospects. One of the great things about online MBA programs is that they provide a convenient and practical way in which to improve and increase your skill set, and gain skills and knowledge that can better your career prospects in a major way.
When applying for online MBA programs you should check the course structure and eligibility restrictions. Some MBA programs may focus more strongly on one particular area whereas another MBA program may focus on a different area, so by checking the structure and content of the course you can make a more informed decisions with regards to which online MBA program is best suited to your needs.

2007-06-26T09:02:00.000-07:00

Part-time MBA programs were specifically designed for the working professional. Classes are almost always scheduled in the evening, because most part-time MBA students work during the day. Program Duration Part-time MBA programs usually take two to three years to complete, but may take up to five. Some part-time programs require fewer courses than full-time programs, while others require the same number.
Program Advantages Part-time MBA programs are wonderful for the student who needs to work. Because classes are scheduled outside of normal business hours, it is possible to achieve an education or further your career while you work full-time. And, if your employer offers tuition reimbursement, you can get your MBA for free.
Program Disadvantages Not all schools offer part-time MBA programs. You may be required to attend a school that is not your first choice. Also, if you plan to transfer to a full-time program at a later date, your credits may not be transferable.
Admission Gaining admission to a part-time MBA program varies in difficulty depending upon the business school that you choose

PART TIME MBAs

2007-06-14T09:48:00.000-07:00

Employment opportunities for international students are limited. You should not plan on earning substantial money from a part-time job to help pay for your studies.
MBA is an intensive program and you will have many assignments to do. There will not be much time for part-time work.
On campus : Though international students are allowed to work on campus, these jobs are often difficult to obtain and do not provide sufficient funds to sustain education costs. Students with good academic standing have a better chance.
Most jobs involve working for a professor on some projects.
Off campus : It may be possible to for students to avail of limited off-campus employment, which is subject to strict regulatory guidelines.
It requires approval from US Immigration & Naturalization Service. This approval is not easy to get and depends on a special need.
Practical Training : In addition, there are opportunities for practical training which entail a period of authorized employment, designed to allow foreign students to have professional work experience while doing their MBA.
This internship is for around three months at the end of two semesters of study. This is good time to earn some extra income. If you manage to get an internship opportunity with a good company, not only will you earn well, but also it could translate into a job opportunity at the end of your MBA program, if they like your work.
For further details on part-time jobs and work opportunities, contact the foreign student adviser at the university, after you are enrolled.

summer placements in mba

2007-06-13T09:53:00.000-07:00

The summer internship process in most business schools fuels three thought processes in every student.
i. It is a welcome break from the academic curriculum and pressure of assignments, with a fat stipend at the end if you are lucky. ii. You intern with a firm to maximise your chances of getting a final offer from the very same firm. Such an offer, when it is made, is called a pre-placement offer or a PPO. A PPO is a job offer made to those interns whom the firm wants to recruit as full time employees due to their good performance during the summer internship. It is often declared before the final placement process takes place in a management institute. In a way, a PPO makes life easier. Now that you know you have a job up your sleeve, you can always opt out of the hassles of the final placement process. It also brings you into the radar of other good firms who might want to recruit you. This is primarily because a PPO signals you have proved yourself in the industry. Thus, the PPO route may be a good option, but it could increase the pressure on you during your internship.
iii. Getting a PPO might become an end in itself.
The more advisable strategy, though, is to learn as much about the industry, company or function you are going to perform as an intern and evaluate whether it is interesting enough for you to come back to this industry or company after graduation.
This strategy reduces the pressure on you. In the bargain, you make a more informed and correct decision about the company and industry.
Choosing the right company/ industryYour choice is a function of many parameters, such as your past profile in terms of academics, extra-curricular activities, positions of responsibilities in earlier jobs and your overall personality.
Many candidates are clueless about what they want to do after post-graduation. There is a tendency to resort to the herd mentality and run to the most lucrative companies.
I believe every candidate has to realise his potential and limitations; one way of doing this is through the summer placement process.
For example, investment banking is currently very hot on most campuses in India. However, not all can be investment bankers. The profile most investment banking companies look for is a good mathematical grounding and an ability to crunch numbers quickly. Whether one has this profile and whether one is cut out for such a role is the question every candidate must answer after getting information from the industry people and sources like seniors, company Web sites, presentations from companies, etc.Is marketing your forte?The expectations of a firm offering a marketing role are quite different. Marketing firms look for an overall personality, someone who has diverse interests and has held positions of responsibility before.
They need people who are outgoing, have the ability to take on responsibility, to work in teams and provide new and diverse perspectives -- these qualities are rated highly by marketing companies over and above the scholastic ability of a person.
It counts from the perspective of the marketing firm if a candidate has done something really extraordinarily different. My entrepreneurial experience was highly rated by most marketing firms who shortlisted me for an interview Preparing for your interviewSome basic knowledge about the tools in marketing will be useful. The segment's target positioning and the 4Ps --product, price, place and promotion -- should suffice for most marketing firms.
Keeping abreast of new practices by reading about the latest development in the world of marketing through journals published by the American Marketing Association is a great option. It is, however, not necessary at the first year level.
Keeping abreast with knowledge about various sectors such as FMCG, telecom, insurance, airlines, etc, is an added advantage. On the personal front, one must be ready to defend every point on his or her resume. This is important from the point of view of the interviewer; at no point should he feel that you are overstating your resume. This particularly happens with people with certain achievements -- not limited to a rank or an academic achievement -- that require explanation. For me, many of my interviews were based on my entrepreneurial experience rather than my experience in software or my academic profile. I was asked questions that tested my depth of knowledge in order to ascertain the statements I had made on my resume. When the going gets toughFinally, one must learn to cope with pressure during the summer's process. There are many resumes that may be as good as or better than yours and the competition can get tough. Often the summer process happens at a stretch. In such cases, the process can get really tiring. It starts playing on people's minds once they are in the third or fourth of the placement process and more than half the batch is placed. The important thing to remember is that the summer placement process is not an end in itself; it is a stepping-stone to greater success after the completion of the MBA programme.
It

2007-06-10T10:24:00.002-07:00

our GMAT score can significantly affect your chances of admission. Without a good score, you have little or no chance of making it to a top school. GMAT tests skills that are usually developed over a period of time. However, a well-planned preparation schedule can help you ace the GMAT. The first thing is to approach it with the right attitude.

Developing the Right Attitude

Once the importance of the GMAT has clearly dawned on you, you can approach it with the right amount of determination and discipline. It helps to face the GMAT as a challenge – a challenge that should get your adrenaline flowing, and bring out the best in you. To succeed, you need to have a focussed and concerted approach towards the preparation; given the nature of the test, regular practice along with expert guidance can work wonders for your final score report.

How much time do you need to prepare?

To a large extent, this is a function of your initial state of readiness. The GMAT requires primarily two kinds of theoretical inputs : basic math (comparable to Grade 10 syllabus, but subject to severe pressures of time) and grammatically correct English. Both of these are skills acquired over many years of schooling, and the stronger your foundations in these subjects are, the easier it is for you to prepare. Typically, I recommend that you start preparing at least 3-4 months before your test date. During this time period, your preparation will be divided into two parts – the initial 1�-2 months when you concentrate on strengthening your foundations by delving into the topics of the GMAT syllabus, and the final two months or so when you will focus on sample GMAT tests that give you a feel of the actual computer adaptive GMAT.

Computer Practice : A Pre-requisite for the GMAT

Ever since the GMAT became a computerized test in 1997, the ETS (the organization that conducts the examination all over the world) has had a lot of opportunity to experiment with the content and composition of the GMAT. Computerization has no doubt been a step forward in the conduct of the GMAT, making it all the more demanding and challenging. The unique adaptive nature of the GMAT ensures that the questions on the test match your ability level – so you can rarely have a test that was "too easy" or "too difficult". Given the competitive nature of the exam, there is no way that you can hope to score high without actually preparing on the computer. You need to not only familiarize yourself with the instructions and format of the GMAT, but also acquaint yourself with the adaptive nature of the test so that you can finish the test in time. Finally, you need to practice on the computer for the writing section of the GMAT – in which you need to type two meaningful essays on the computer in a space of 60 minutes. If you are not used to regularly working on the computer, you might find yourself woefully short of words on the day of the test.

The Preparation Process

Analyze your position:

Before you proceed with the actual preparation, you need to know where exactly you stand and how much ground you need to cover. It helps to assess your strengths and weaknesses through a good quality test, one that is comparable to the actual GMAT in both the quality of its questions and its scoring. Here, it is very important that you do not attach too much significance to your score on this test – the test has to be purely of an indicative nature. Do not get disheartened with a low score, nor get complacent with a high score, for it can all change – for better or worse – by the time you take the actual test. You can even take a paper test if you cannot get hold of a computer adaptive test.
Strengthening the Foundations:

As mentioned earlier, the GMAT requires you to have strong fundamentals in Math and English grammar. Once you have an idea of which areas you need to work harder through the diagnostic test, you can accordingly streamline your efforts. A good way is to review the textbooks of the school level, without going into too much detail. Both grammar and math work on the basis of a fairly well-defined set of rules : it’s important to be familiar with these rules. Work on the basics for a couple of months – get the concepts right, clarify all your doubts, work through solved and unsolved examples – before you attempt full length practice tests.
Practice Tests:

It is important that the practice tests that you attempt have been prepared by some authority, and that they reflect actual test questions and scores. Try taking the tests under simulated conditions with utmost concentration. The complete test is of nearly four hours’ duration – a period long enough for our concentration to flag. It will take a couple of tests before you develop the rhythm for taking these tests. Also, it is imperative that you get a good feedback on your performance in these tests – so that you can learn from your mistakes and make sure you do not repeat them. A mistake on the practice test must be looked upon as a learning opportunity, and not as something to fret about. Once you have practiced 4-5 tests, your scores are bound to improve, given that the level of the questions does not vary too much.

courtesy gmatbuster.com

2007-06-10T10:24:00.001-07:00

Analyze your position:

Before you proceed with the actual preparation, you need to know where exactly you stand and how much ground you need to cover. It helps to assess your strengths and weaknesses through a good quality test, one that is comparable to the actual GMAT in both the quality of its questions and its scoring. Here, it is very important that you do not attach too much significance to your score on this test – the test has to be purely of an indicative nature. Do not get disheartened with a low score, nor get complacent with a high score, for it can all change – for better or worse – by the time you take the actual test. You can even take a paper test if you cannot get hold of a computer adaptive test.
Strengthening the Foundations:

As mentioned earlier, the GMAT requires you to have strong fundamentals in Math and English grammar. Once you have an idea of which areas you need to work harder through the diagnostic test, you can accordingly streamline your efforts. A good way is to review the textbooks of the school level, without going into too much detail. Both grammar and math work on the basis of a fairly well-defined set of rules : it’s important to be familiar with these rules. Work on the basics for a couple of months – get the concepts right, clarify all your doubts, work through solved and unsolved examples – before you attempt full length practice tests.
Practice Tests:

It is important that the practice tests that you attempt have been prepared by some authority, and that they reflect actual test questions and scores. Try taking the tests under simulated conditions with utmost concentration. The complete test is of nearly four hours’ duration – a period long enough for our concentration to flag. It will take a couple of tests before you develop the rhythm for taking these tests. Also, it is imperative that you get a good feedback on your performance in these tests – so that you can learn from your mistakes and make sure you do not repeat them. A mistake on the practice test must be looked upon as a learning opportunity, and not as something to fret about. Once you have practiced 4-5 tests, your scores are bound to improve, given that the level of the questions does not vary too much.

courtesy gmatbuster.com

US MBA RANKINGS

2007-06-09T08:41:00.000-07:00

MBA applications worldwide are expected to increase dramatically in 2007, as candidates gain more confidence in post-MBA employment opportunities. The 2005-6 admissions season saw a rise of more than a third at top schools such as Haas, Wharton, and Yale. The number of MBA candidates has been increasing steadily, following a significant decline in the early years of the millennium. QS TopMBA, which runs the World MBA Tour, the world’s largest programme of business school information fairs, reports over 59,000 candidates attended their fairs in Fall 2005 and Spring 2006, an 8% increase on the previous year. Additionally, the number of GMAT test takers has grown by at least 3.9% worldwide, within the first five months of 2006, according to the Graduate Management Admissions Council.

Here's a glance over the the top MBA institutes in US

US News Rank	Business Week Rank	University
1	5	Harvard University (MA)
1	9	Stanford University (CA)
3	1	University of Pennsylvania (Wharton)
4	15	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Sloan)
5	2	Northwestern University (Kellogg) (IL)
6	6	Columbia University (NY)
6	3	University of Chicago
8	7	Duke University (Fuqua) (NC)
9	4	University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
10	16	University of California–Berkeley (Haas)
11	10	Dartmouth College (Tuck) (NH)
11	12	University of California–Los Angeles (Anderson)
11	11	University of Virginia (Darden)
14	13	New York University (Stern)
15	8	Cornell University (Johnson) (NY)
16	18	University of Texas–Austin
16	20	Yale University (CT)
18	19	University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill (Kenan-Flagler)
19	14	Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
20	21	Indiana University–Bloomington (Kelley)
21		Emory University (Goizueta) (GA)
22	25	University of Southern California (Marshall)
23	24	Purdue University–West Lafayette (Krannert) (IN)
24		Vanderbilt University (Owen) (TN)
25		Ohio State University (Fisher)
25		University of Rochester (Simon) (NY)
25	17	Washington University (Olin)
28		University of Minnesota–Twin Cities (Carlson)
29		Georgetown University (McDonough) (DC)
30		Michigan State University (Broad)
31		University of Arizona (Eller)
32		Arizona State University–Main Campus
32		Tulane University (Freeman) (LA)
34		Case Western Reserve University (Weatherhead) (OH)
34		Penn State University–University Park (Smeal)
34		Rice University (Jones) (TX)
34		Thunderbird Graduate School (AZ)
34	22	University of Maryland–College Park (Smith)
34	23	University of Wisconsin–Madison
40		Boston College (Carroll)
40		University of California–Irvine
42		Brigham Young University (Marriott) (UT)
42		Georgia Institute of Technology (DuPree)
42		Southern Methodist University (Cox) (TX)
42		Texas A&M University–College Station (Mays)
42		University of California–Davis
42		Wake Forest University (Babcock) (NC)
48		University of Georgia (Terry)
48		University of Illinois– Urbana-Champaign
48		University of Notre Dame (IN)

Why MBA?

2007-04-18T07:04:00.000-07:00

The MBA degree opens up worlds of opportunity for its bearers. Many business positions require an MBA for advancement. For example, investment banking and management consulting firms hire large classes of newly minted MBAs each year at six-figure salaries into the "associate" level -- those without MBAs generally don't advance past the "analyst" level. At major consumer products companies like Procter & Gamble, Kraft and Colgate-Palmolive, MBAs are hired as "assistant brand managers" into the brand management department -- those without MBAs are generally not eligible for the department. And it is from this function that these companies' senior executives are generally drawn.

Companies should seriously consider MBA if they believe they could and should be doing a better job tapping the full potential of their employees' knowledge, experience and skills in accomplishing the organization's objectives. This belief may have arisen due to problems related to sales, product/service quality and delivery, after sales service or any of the other aspects of the organization's operations resulting in less than optimal profitability.
To the extent that these problems are rooted in "people problems", they may be the result of employees not caring about their job or the company, being unwilling to go the extra mile or take responsibility for their actions, and poor teamwork or cooperation between different teams and departments. Such employee attitudes and behaviors are typically rooted in poor communications and a lack of mutual trust and respect. In situations where communications, trust and respect are lacking, particularly between management and employees, companies invariably experience "people problems" that cause needless expense and reduce profitability. MBA is uniquely designed to address these issues.Nevertheless, companies cite a variety of reasons for adopting MBA:
Need to improve the company’s performance: When management concludes they need the active help and involvement of the entire organization to improve the company’s performance.
Need to turnaround a negative culture: When management feel their efforts to move the company forward are being de-railed by a lack of real support or cooperation among the employees.
Realization that there has to be a better way: When management recognizes they no longer could or should carry the entire burden of responsibility for the company’s success or failure on their shoulders alone.
Belief that you get what you give: When management believes employees respond to a good work environment, challenging opportunities and an equitable compensation program by being more productive.
Desire to give something back to the employees: When management wants to reward employees by offering them a share in the company’s financial success and by providing them with opportunities to further their careers. Many MBA companies appear to have been relatively enlightened in their management practices prior to adopting MBA but, for a variety of reasons, failed to tap the full potential of their organization’s capabilities. It’s the integration of the various management practices or components of the MBA system and the discipline demanded by the system that has the power to bring about the culture of ownership and enhanced performance.