India is fast becoming the knowledge capital of the world. To be fair to our knowledge bank, we have always been the knowledge hub, it is just that we are now being taken more seriously. And this change in perception was made possible by super achievements of the software professionals. By saying this, I do not intend to undermine the contributions of other streams but Information Technology was the first of knowledge streams responsible for cementing India's position as knowledge hub. Today, we have moved from mere black box testing to research and development, from bug reporting to proper project management. This shift in profiles means that now we need people who understand various aspects of software, from conceptualization to deployment and at the same time are capable to manage the complete process.
Now this can be dealt with in two ways, One is that you put employees into the frying pan and let them find a way out of it. This method has one very basic problem. An IT professional is programmed to think in a very logical way. And after years of writing codes,the whole thought process of those in IT becomes very one dimensional. So, they will take some time to come to terms with relating the core buisness processes with software or programming concepts. Another way out is to have people who understand both the core business process and the software process. This is where MBA systems comes in. MBA in systems bridges the gap between the two.

How MBA systems helps a Software professional
First and foremost, it helps you evolve. It helps you in adding more dimensions to your personality. It helps you understand a clients business in a much a better way. Obviously, after you do an MBA , nobody will expect you to write a code, rather you will help people write code. Which means that you will climb the corporate ladder faster, Simply because after doing an MBA in Systems you have the advantage of understanding the financial statements with as much expertise with which you would have written code.
MBA in general adds some soft skills to your skill set. These skills being better time management, people management, goal setting, written communication, credibilty etc. And these are very important because post MBA in Systems, your responsibilty is more on client side than on your own company side.

How MBA systems helps a Non-Software professional
Simply put, It is a Non IT guys ticket to IT world. As an MBA in Systems not only you learn to read buisness statements but you also learn a thing or two about system deployment. Which means you get to do what an IT guy with MBA in systems would do.

MBA in Systems and MBA in information technology : difference
Again to keep it simple, MBA in IT is subset of MBA in Systems. MBA in systems, helps you in understanding systems in general where as MBA in IT is more specific in nature with subjects like design of online systems, IT management and e-commerce on offer.

Placements and Career prospects after MBA in Systems
With slowdown almost here, immediate prospects in this field are not so promising. But a long term view of MBA systems is extremely positive. In India, there is a huge scope for ERP, SAP, SCM, CRM solution development and deployment. And with impetus of developing India as automotive hub, things look even brighter because an automotive hub would mean new age Inventory control and supply chain management systems. We are already witnessing retail and infrastructure boom, which again augurs well for the IT industry as a whole. That means endless opportunities for deserving candidates.

Companies and Profiles for MBA in Systems
Microsoft, IBM, TCS, Infosys, HCL, SAP, Wipro, Hughes to name a few.
Profiles generally offered are that of Buisness analyst and Consultant.

In my view, most of things were covered. Do let me know if I missed out something

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Finally some respite for CFA aspirants in India. Delhi high court yesterday allowed CFA institute to conduct the June 2008 exam in India. The court ruled that the AICTE act does not apply to CFA exams in India. But conducting further examinations and enrollments of future CFA exams in India will be subject to final verdict on the writ petition.

CFA prepapration material.
I recently got hold of some CFA videos and books for CFA level I. The videos are from two of the most credible video suppliers, Schwezer and Allan resources. I have the material with me and am looking to share the cost. Please use the comment section below or email me if you are intrested.

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There was a time when a lone general MBA degree meant a high profile job. Then times changed and specializations became important and companies started to pick people with relevant specialization. A general degree was still sought after but the charm was fading away. Then dreamers started doing dual specializations to have an edge over the competition. Obviously that didnt last for long either. MBA students are now looking beyond their regular MBA degrees. Add on certifications to complement specializations is fast becoming the in thing.
One such add on is CFA. CFA, in India, was synonymous with iCFAi. ICFAI university very cleverly used the CFA trademark to offer courses similar to the ones offered by Charted Financial Analyst Institute, USA. But, thanks to globalisation and India's growing economic and intellectual might, CFA Institiute soon unearthed this gross violation of its Intellectual Property Right and dragged ICFAI to court . Changing times and ever evolving buisness needs further helped in propelling the CFA brand to newer heights. Add to it sluggish economy, where finding jobs is anyways difficult and you get the red hot combo of MBA in Finance and CFA certifications.
Today, If an MBA passout wants a serious and assured financial profile, he must seriously think about completing the CFA charter. And sooner you complete it, better. Good news is that first year of MBA in India has some serious overlaps with the CFA curriculum. The CFA institute gives Chartered Financial Analyst designation to candidates who complete its three level of exams. Each candidate who completes these three levels is called CFA charterholder. Following is a quick introduction to CFA,

Features of CFA programme

• No exam center in India. Gotta travel to kathmandu, Singapore or the likes to appear for the paper
• CFA designation and courses offered by CFA institute not recognised by AICTE in India.
• Candidate should complete all three levels within seven years of enrollment.
• CFA level I should be completed within three years of enrollment.
• No affiliation with the programme offered by ICFAI
• International recognition.
• CFA level I exams are conducted twice a year July and december
• CFA level II and III can be given in July only.
• CFA level I can be given after MBA first year.
• Core financial profiles after successful completion of each level.

Subjects covered in CFA

• Ethics and Professional Standards
• Quantitative Methods
  
• Economics
• Financial Statement Analysis
• Corporate Finance
• Investment Analysis
  
• Portfolio Management and Analysis

Subjects for Level I


[image source : Investopedia]

CFA paper pattern

• Level I : 240 multiple choice questions
• Level II : MCQ's, Problem solving and Essays
• Level III : MCQ's, Problem solving and Essays

CFA is Expensive and NOT at all EASY

• $1000 for registration at CFA website
• Travel expenses to the tune of INR 50,000 for each level.
• Only 37~40% manage to pass CFA level I
  
• Only 15%(approx) manage to get CFA Charter
  

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Recession or not, the world economy is definitely slowing down. And to make matters even worse we have food shortage and slower oil supplies pushing up the prices worldwide. In India, inflation touched a 42 week high for the week ending April 25th. Not very conducive for recruitment season, one would assume. US B school grads are already facing the heat of a slowing economy, According to an article published here, US B schools are seeing a downtrend in number of recruitments. Unlike Indian B Schools, US B Schools anyways do not boast 100% placement ( Fudging placement figures is a common practice in India) and with this trend god knows what will happen of them.

Coming back to home, The placement season here was more or less in sync with previous trends, a 20% increase in average placment figures was seen across most of the B Schools. The profiles offered were also better, All in all a better Placement season vis-a-vis previous years. Although, Indian MBA grads were able to thwart the US trend but the picture is not so rosy for the engineering students. Just like it happened in 2001, 2008 engineering recruits are being asked to wait for their final offer letters. In 2001, lot of companies went to the extent of canceling the placement offers altogether, a scenario which is even more likely this time also. I think, this is where we, the MBA wannabes, come into picture and this is where the access of impact becomes all the more imperative.

The impact, in my view will be on three levels,

a. MBA Class of 2009 : For the people passing out in 2009, getting placements wont be easy. Obviously, the 'A+ List' wont be affected but A list will surely feel the pinch, followed by Tier II colleges who will bear the brunt even more and the effect will be cascading. Companies have already started to pull down their future recruitment programme, which would mean fewer opportunities, fewer multiple offers and for some, less than magical 100% placement. According to a survey done after 1982 recession, each percentage point in unemployment index leads to erosion of 7~8% of starting wages. US has managed to avoid recession this quarter, which means it has managed to delay the inevitable which implies that it is far more likely now that MBA class of 2009 will feel the pressure.

b. MBA Class of 2010 : Thanks to Mr. Arjun Singh and Supreme court's judgment of reserving 50.5% seats for general candidates, we still do not know the texture of class of 2010. But picture will be clear sooner than later. Since, many of us are still making up our mind, it becomes all the more important for us to keep these things in mind before we take a final call. Globalisation has ensured that a US recession is not translated into world wide recession ( in one is to one ratio atleast). The Dragon and the elephant are shielding Asia from recession and in all likelihood will continue to do so. But at the same time, two countries are not entirely decoupled which means we will be hit but we will recover soon. We have two years before we are again thrown into the rate race, and all indicators point towards a bearish market for next few years. The summers will be affected but hopefully Final placements will be a trendsetter.

c. MBA aspirant 2008 - 2011 : This breed will be the least affected in terms of placements and exposure but they are going to have a real tough competition this year. There are a whole lot of engineers and other grads who will have their placements delayed this year. People who will have nothing to do during this wait period. MBA has almost become extension of engineering degree and the trend beating placements this year take the MBA illusion forward. In times when they are sitting at home waiting for offer letters, they would be reading about how some XYZ from some ABC got a fat pay cheque. This breed will come hard at MBA exams this year. if you are an aspirant, Beware!!

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Season 2008 is coming to an end. Barring the big I's, the IIT's , SPJ, MDI & IMT (they dont plan to declare results this year. Kiddin), almost all the results are out. So, this is the time to go loan shopping, if you wanna apply for one that is. Thanks to Indian governments emphahsis on education, all Nationalised banks are forced to give away education loans. Following are some of the standard loan conditions.

Loan amount you can avail of

• Upto Rs. 4 lacs - No Security
• Above Rs. 4 lacs to Rs. 7.50 lacs - Collateral security in the form of suitable third party guarantee.
• Above Rs. 7.50 lacs - Tangible collateral security of suitable value, along with the assignment of future income of the student for payment of installments.

Margin money and Expenses covered
All banks require you to bear certain amount of expenses yourself. This amount is called margin money and it depends upon the loan amount. For SBI education loan 5% of total loan amount is to be paid up as margin money for MBA in India. Following will be covered under your education Loan,

• Fee payable to colleges/ schools/ hostels
• Examination/ Library/ Laboratory fees.
• Purchase of books, equipment, instruments and uniforms.
• Passage fare for travel abroad.
• Purchase of computers needed to complete the course.
• Any other expense to complete the course like study tours, project work, thesis etc.

Loan Repayment
Applicant gets a moratorium period during the entire programme duration and a year after that (or after six months into job).Applicant gets an option to pay simple intrest during the moratorium period, By doing that the overall rate of intrest comes down by 1%.

Example : If loan is approved at 13%, you can pay 130 Rs per 1000 Rs of loan amount during moratorium period, that would entitle you to 12% rate of intrest during repayment period.

Some Bank Sites
Most of the banks give you an option to apply online. Generally loans applied online are processed faster, subject to completion of documents.

• State Bank of India Loan Details | SBI Loan application form
• Andhra Bank (.doc)
• Corporation Bank
• Punjab National Bank
• Dena bank |Download Form
• Bank of India | Apply online
• Canara bank apply online

Important Note
Some of the institutes tie up with banks for faciltating loan disbursal. In such cases it is advisable to go for the bank identified by the institute.

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IMT is one of the pioneer B schools in India and This fine B school has a very positive image in the mindscape of MBA aspirants. IMT used its first mover advantage to the fullest to make this B School what it is today. IMT is now about to extend its first mover advantage to a new level. First batch of IMT Dubai will pass out this season. Placements are in full swing and results are decent enough. But, do these placement figures justify the high investment cost one has to make in order to become an alumni of IMT Dubai? Not really.
A quick look at IMT Dubai's fee structure reveals that one has to shell out 76.5K AED as tution fee alone and taking other expenses into account the total expenses swirl upto rs. 20.5 lakh. Thats a huge amount for a school which has just come into picture. Ofcourse, the fees and other expenses are high because of the location of school and not on account on some ridiculiously high charges levied by the institute. But shouldnt Dubai compensate for all the expenses incurred? Ideally, it should but unfortunately it doesn't. The average package this year was INR 12L, with highest package at INR 26L. To top it, not all students get placed internationaally, that means longer payback period. Here is the math.

Total expenses calculation for two year stay at IMT Dubai.



ROI after two year stint at IMT Dubai


This isnt very rosy and I dont see the picture getting rosier in near future. This year they have given out calls to people who scored 75%ile in CAT or 500 score in GMAT. Not many workex people will go there. All this will translate only into a mediocre batch and un-deniable recession in global markets will do anything but help IMT Dubai students to get astronomical placements. My advice, Do your math before you take the plunge.

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One of the greatest gifts of web 2.0 has been the never ending crop of social networking sites. How one uses these tools is an individual decision. While on one hand, one keeps hearing about all the harassment that junta especially kids are going through these sites, On the other hand we have junta who are using it for some amazingly innovative purposes. LinkedIn is one example where web 2.0 / social networking is being used for job referrals and beyond. Facebook also started as campus networking site but it went on to engulf a much wider user base. Back home, facebook is not very popular and here, Orkut leads the social networking bandwagon. So, it was only logical that students use orkut for networking. With every declaration of results for admissions 2008-2010 a new group is formed. These groups can be joined only if you have final calls. Here is a list of all the communities formed ( that I know of ) till date.

• Narsee Monjee (NMIMS ) 2008 - 2010 at orkut


• SCMHRD 2008-2010 at orkut


• IIFT Delhi 2008-2010


• IIFT Kolkota 2008 -2010


• SIIB 2008-2010 at orkut


• SIBM 2008-2010


• IMI 2008-2010 at orkut


• XIME 2008-2010 at orkut


• SIOM 2008-2010 at orkut

Still compiling.. watch this post..

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if you are a regular reader and are wondering what has happened to this blog. Lot of results have been declared in past few days. SCMHRD came out with waitlist confirmations, IIFT declared admissions 2008 final results and XIME too declared their list. But the blog was not updated. It just so happened that I was and still am confused about which institute to go for. I have SIIB final call and am hoping to convert IITR and GIM. I personally don't think there is much to chose between these three but I can go for only one ( provided I have the luxury of choosing between the three). This has kept me occupied and I still looking for solutions. If you have any suggestion , comments are open..

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Tim berners lee, the guy who is called father of internet recently talked about a concept called GGG. GGG is nothing but some technical jargon for user created content. Internet as we know today is by and large a publishers medium but things are changing fast and Sir Tim berners Lee has predicted that web3.0 will be about user content being the king. Same is proved by coming of age of platforms like wordpress, twitter, pownce etc. So how does all this relate to SCMHRD waitlist for admissions 2008?
Well, a PG user pradeep [ pradeep.mats on PG] has created this page wherein he is asking SCMHRD converts and waitlisters to rate their chances of finally joining SCMHRD for 2008-2010. There are about 15 responses as of now and I am sure lot of SCMHRD converts and waitlisters are going to come forward and fill this survey here.
Response Results | Survey Page
Hats off pradeep!!

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Cleartrip.com is one of the pioneer air travel option aggregators. Recently, cleartrip extended its services to train search also. Thats a great news for candidates planning their GD PI schedule. Now, they have one site where they can look for cheapest air fares and at the same time search for trains available, seat availability and applicable fares. Cleartrip does not allow you to book your tickets though, but the site is lightning fast and can help you decide upon a train before you head on to irctc.co.in for ticket booking.
All these features are neat but I think it would be great if cleartrip can provide comprehensive search results i.e. list all air and train options on one page instead of searching for them separately. That said, whatever is being offered by cleartrip is great and their effort should be applauded.

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MBA exams in India have become one of the greatest money spinners. Each exam makes the conducting body richer by figures running in Crores, thats a handsome amount by any standard. One exception to this whole exercise of using these exams for generating revenues is JMET. JMET is the only exam where you need to take the exam first and then apply to the associate institutes. This not only cuts down the number of applications received by the institute but it also means candidates do not end up spending thousands on speculative applications.
Many institutes see there high application fees as a tool to ward off speculative applicants. But, In my view all these institutes would do good if they just make their selection policies public. No one knows how people at SP Jain are shortlisted or how SCMHRD shortlists or for that matter, how SIOM came with its shortlist this year around. SP Jain and SCMHRD at least had a very elaborative form for giving out profile based calls but for geniuses at SIOM two lines of accomplishments were good enough to call spade a spade. SIOM receives just 2000 applications doesn't really corroborate the money making theory but the shortlist was unjustified anyways. All these institutes do not conduct the exam and yet they charge you a thousand bucks per application and one would think that major cost would be in conducting the exam and not shortlisting the candidates. Worst part is that not much can be done about it because no institute is forcing you to apply. Isnt this typical of a monopoly?

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Normally in a GD session we are all given a blank piece of paper. You can use this blank piece of paper as your mind map or use it as a note pad. Transforming paper as a mind map makes things a wee bit easy when your turn comes. But more often than not people stumble and just fail to put their point across. I just came across an article about 'prep card', which can actually help you curb this tendency. I am not too sure about its effectiveness but, it sure looks promising.
A prep card is nothing but a normal GD mindmap, where in you jot down the points you want to talk about. Once you are done spilling out your brain on paper, just write down two three points about what you dont want to do. Like, "dont be too agressive" / "do not stumble" / maintain eyecontact" the list is endless. Once you write it down on paper, you will keep reminding yourself about what can be your waterloo.
Here is an illustration - 'prep cards'.

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You are reading articles on : FMS

1. FMS Results : 2008
2. FMS 2008 : errors galore!!
3. FMS 2008 : What to expect.
4. FMS 2008 : Analysis | My Take

The search results that you get when you search google for 'FMS Result' or FMS results are so heartbreaking. Google will throw up result links for admissions 2006 and even admissions 2003. Ofcourse you dont know that unless you click on the link (which you will) and see the page for yourself. I just went through those anxious moments and they were painful. After SIOM's boot, awful performance in CAT 2007 and a borderline XAT, FMS 2008 is my last serious hope. The fact that my paper went of really bad is a different story al together. But after SIOM's arrogance and indifference, i have come to realise that the match is not over till the last ball is bowled.
As for the result dates, I called up FMS, the guy on phone said 'agle hafte'. Thats a long wait.

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SIOM came up with its shortlist for GD PI process for Admissions 2008. The shortlist had sprung a sense of shock across the board. Those who are selected are shocked as much as those who have lost out. Not many with a snap score in excess of 70 have managed calls. Just like SCMHRD, they also have given profile based calls, so it seems as of now. SIOM is expected to release an explanation tomorrow but I don't think it will be of any use now because the list is already out and those who have lost out have already lost out.
Congratulations to all those who have made it.

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Now that we have time before next set of results are are declared, I thought I will change the look and feel of this blog. Changing theme is a task, especially because I use both blogger and wordpress. Fortunately, jackbook.com converts wordpress themes to blogger's xml themes, that saves me from doing the task myself.
Blogger theme is almost changed now. Wordpress theme is yet to be changed. I hope, I will be able to finish it off over the weekend.

Ps: There might be some glitches somewhere. Kindly, leave any such experiences in comments section.

Powered by ScribeFire.

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SCMHRD was a lottery for anybody who had a score in the range of 76 to
85. People with a score of 71 got a call and a few with 85 managed a
regret. Thats absurd. I am sure SCMHRD has a very good meriting system,
but I guess where they lack is transperancy. Guys, there is no harm in
being transparent.


Disclosure : I had a 82 with 4yr + of work ex. No calls.

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its finally there.. Oil just crossed 100$ per barrel. that would mean a STEAP hike in petrol and diesel prices across India. Gosh I have been waiting for this. They had been raising auto lpg prices like anything with no change whatsoever in petrol and diesel charges. Atleast now they will be forced to raise the prices.

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Benazir bhutto finally got her ticket to junnat. I know thats a bad thing to say for someone who died a few years ago. But, come on, in a way I am hoping that she gets to spend her time in the heavens. May she rest in peace.

Who is reponsible ?
I dont think many of us would like to give Mr. Musharraf a clean chit in this whole episode. Especially, when you think that the number of times his adversaries have tried to assassinate him is much more than the number of times his parents would have tried to conceive him. Still, he is alive and enjoying the good things in life. He has escaped all assassination bids till now and Ms. Bhutto couldn't survive the only attempt. Isnt this fishy? There is something wrong somewhere. There were two incidents before Ms Bhutto was shot. Still, her security was not beefed up.Under what circumstances, the security agencies would decide to do otherwise? What kind of security cover do they give? Probably, they were too busy training the new breed of terrorists.

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I was just going through the visitor stats for this blog and I realised that about 80% of my visitors are using MS Internet Explorer.
Guys, what are you upto? MS IE is bad, awful, unstable and unreliable. IE is pakistan of Internet, breeding ground for new worms, viruses, trojans. Just get rid of Internet Explorer and go for Firefox.


Do you know, if you are using firefox, you dont need any other software to do the following,
1. FTP uploads are possible from firefox
2. You can visit restricted websites through firefox.
3. You can send twitter updates from within firefox.
4. You can download torrents from firefox.
5. Blog directly from Firefox.

List is virtuallly endless. Go, get firefox and explore for yourself.

Getting rid of windows is easier than you think. Support Open Source Software. Get Ubuntu. This is how my Desktop looks with ubuntu

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Today Saurav Ganguly is playing in his 100th test. Not many gave him a chance to do so, atleast I never thought that he will play again. But there he is at MCG, standing tall amongst equals, getting ready to prove yet another point.
A few years back (during the time when he was dropped) he was featured in an ad campaign for some product, I dont remember the product, but that ad campaign was special for more than one reason. It was probably the first time that he publicly accepted that he felt low and humilated, that he was working hard and still dreamt of playing for India. I laughed at him, thinking that he said all that (public acceptance of his failure) because he was getting money for doing so. Probably, I was right. May be he actually did it for money. But, to his credit, He did what he said. And this is what winners do. They walk the talk.

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