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AHMEDABAD: Freshers, beware! From next year, belling the CAT will be much more tougher. For there would be additional competition from candidates with two to five years of work experience—a profile preferred by the top B-schools in the country.

The number of candidates appearing for CAT has gone up by 11% versus last year. However, the ratio of freshers to those with some work experience has remained more or less constant at 30:70. Experts feel that this ratio will alter for CAT 2009 in favour of those with additional work experience.

Driven by economic slowdown, many professionals from IT, engineering , medical and finance background are gearing up for CAT.

“Given the current slowdown in the economy, working people are looking to rescale and upgrade their profile, which will lead them to take up CAT next year. Already inquiries are pouring in from people with such profiles. This means, competition for country’s top BSchool will get tougher,” said Career Launcher director Arindham Lahiri.

Experts believe people who have been otherwise busy with their job are now making up their minds to take up CAT and are readying themselves to take the plunge next year. “It is better to do an MBA now as promotions are not expected quickly. In two-years’ time, as economy picks up, job prospects might improve. By that time, I would hopefully have my MBA degree,” says Sakshi Verma, who has been working for eight months for a Delhi-based KPO and has been shifted to a different department as the volume of work in her department had shrunk.

While the bulk of candidates applying for CAT are fresh graduates, over the years there have been an increasing trend of people with two to five years of experience taking up the test for admission to the coveted B-Schools . And candidates with prior work experience have a special preference over freshers for top-slot B-Schools , including IIMs.

“We do consider candidates with prior work experience. This is part of our admission policy. Although it varies from year to year, candidates with varying degree of work experience (which may be as little as six months) are our first choice,” said IIM-A chairperson (admissions) Satish Deodhar. IIM-A has more than 50% candidates with two to five years of work experience.

“Around 40% of candidates take up CAT more than once, and the number has accumulated over the last several years. They are also candidates with some amount of work experience in the fields of IT and banking-finance and have an edge over freshers ,” said director and CEO of Endeavor , an institute that prepares for admission to management schools.
GETTING TOUGHER

Number of candidates appearing for CAT has gone up by 11% compared to last year Ratio of freshers to those with work experience has remained constant at around 30:70 IIM-A has more than 50% candidates with work experience Candidates with prior work experience have a preference over freshers for most B-Schools

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Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/Slowdown_making_many_execs_to_line_up_for_CAT/articleshow/3707758.cms

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AHMEDABAD: As summer internship begins at IIM-A on Thursday, the impact of global slowdown and the demise of star recruiters Lehman Brothers and Merrill Lynch will now be there to see.

Summer internship, which is said to serve as an indicator for the upcoming final placement session, is keeping even the final-year students on tenterhooks.

However, there is a silver lining with IIM-Kozhikode and IIM-Calcutta showing encouraging results at the internship placements.

“IIM students will never have a dearth of jobs, howsoever bad the economy might be. So, while bagging a job is not at all our concern, what we fear is a drop in premium offers that come with fat packages and good placement,’’ said a final-year student of IIM-A.

Global i-banks will be missing from the scene this year. Last year, i-banks like Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs and consulting firms like BCG and Bain Consulting visited the campus on Slot Zero of summer internships. Lehman Brothers was the second-highest recruiter, only after Goldman Sachs, with 17 offers.

I-banks and financial service firms were the highlights last year with companies like Macquaire, Rothschild , AIG and ING visiting IIM-A campus for the first time. Consulting majors Arthur D Little and Value Partners recruited candidates for summers for the first time.

“I-banks and consulting firms have been the major recruiters , both in summers and final placements. But even as spotlight shifts from i-banks , certain other sectors like media, entertainment and event management will try to pick up candidates this time,’’ said a student.

IIM-A chairman (placements) Saral Mukherjee said the summer placements will last for six days. “The process will wrap up by November 18 after which we shall be able to share details,’’ he said. Encouraging summer placements at IIM-K and IIM-C has come as a relief to the students.

“If IIMK can outperform itself at summers this year as compared to last year, we will also do the same,’’ said a student.

Against 66 national and international firms that participated at IIM-K’s summers last year, the number swelled to 102, with 14 international offers.

And although there was a slump in offers from i-banks , companies like JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank recruited students for their domestic operations

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Source:  http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/News_By_Industry/Services/IIM-A_already_feels_the_summer_heat/articleshow/3707674.cms

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BANGALORE: The Indian Institutes of Management (IIM) which administer the B-school entrance test have come out with a shocking revelation: In the last three years, 1.38 lakh candidates who bought CAT bulletins did not turn up for the test.

Data provided under the RTI Act shows that every year the number of CAT forms sold has been steadily increasing, but so is the number of “no-shows” on the D-day. Last year, for instance, IIMs sold 2,70,551 CAT bulletins, but the number of CAT takers were only 2,09,326. In other words, over 60,000 candidates who bought the CAT forms did not appear for the 2.5-hour test.

The fee for CAT 2008 prospectus has been hiked from Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,300 for general category candidates and from Rs 550 to Rs 650 for SC/ST applicants.Between CAT 2005 and CAT 2007, the sale of CAT forms went up by 47 per cent but on the other hand, the number of candidates skipping the CAT shot up by a whopping 134 per cent.Even after accounting for the number of applications that get rejected by the IIMs, the difference between form sales and CAT takers is staggering (see table).

During CAT 2007, as many as 5,410 CAT applications were rejected by all IIMs.Subhashish Gupta, chairperson (admissions), IIM-B says the figures fluctuate at every stage of the exam. “There will always be a difference between the number of CAT forms we print and the actual sales. A few candidates who buy the forms do not submit it for whatever reason. Further, IIMs also reject some applications as they do not match with our requirements.And, there will be a difference between the number of admit cards issued and those who take the test.”

With an increasing number of candidates applying for CAT, the IIMs have done away with the practice of giving candidates an opportunity to rectify the errors. “We stopped doing that because it became impossible for us to handle the number of applications. Moreover, we felt that candidates often took this as an opportunity to correct the errors later on,” Gupta added. At IIM-Ahmedabad, not a single application was rejected during CAT 2002, but last year, 1,150 applications were turned down.The numbers have been steadily increasing at IIM-Kozhikode too. Compared to 74 applications that were rejected during CAT 2002, the numbers soared to 394 during CAT 2007. This year, IIM-B alone has rejected about 2,000 CAT applications.

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Source:  http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=1.38+lakh+didn%E2%80%99t+turn+up+for+CAT+in+3+years&artid=YaV7WvWqy7o=&SectionID=Qz/kHVp9tEs=&MainSectionID=oHSKVfNWYm0=&SectionName=UOaHCPTTmuP3XGzZRCAUTQ==&SEO=cat,%20absent,%20appear

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With number of aspirants to the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) increasing each year, the number of women attempting the common admission test (CAT) has also seen a steady rise over the years. This year, of the 2.76 lakh candidates taking the exam, nearly 54,000 are women.

“There has been an increase of 20% in the enrolment of women candidates for CAT. This is mainly due to the availability of opportunities for women in sectors such as finance, human resource and marketing,” said Arks Srinivas, director, Triumphant Education, a well-known coaching class for CAT.

According to estimates, barely 13% of the aspirants get into the prestigious institute, spread across seven cities. “Of the 54,000 women, at least 13% have a chance of getting a call. Even though the success rate of women in IIMs has not seen a remarkable rise, the 100-odd institutes which consider CAT scores may have pushed the number of women applicants,” he added.

Said a second time CAT applicant, Neha Shukla, “I attempted CAT last year, but I did not score well in the data interpretation. But I have improved a lot in that section and I am determined to get a seat in one of the IIMs.” A senior HR executive, Shukla wants to climb the corporate ladder by getting an MBA from IIM.

“Traditionally, IIMs in Bangalore and Ahmedabad have had more women aspirants than in other centres,” said Shiv Kumar, director, Career Launcher, another CAT coaching centre.

The exam will be held on November 16 across 24 cities at 68 centres in the country. Nearly 2.7 lakh students will by vying for 1,660 seats including those of IIM Shillong. CAT results will be out on January 9 and available on e-mail and SMS.
r_priya@dnaindia.net

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Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1205982

Priya Ramakrishnan

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Source: http://www.livemint.com/2008/11/12225037/CAT-calls-but-don8217t-pan.html

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The Punjab government is setting up a Knowledge City in Mohali, which will include an estimated Rs 300 crore campus for the Indian School of Business (ISB), two institutes for Science and Education and Nanotechnology, and a Biotechnology Incubator. The total project cost is pegged at Rs 1,200-1,300 crore, and is expected to be operational by 2012.

For the second ISB campus in Mohali (the first one in Hyderabad cost around Rs 200 crore), the Punjab government is leasing 70 acres of land for 99 years at Re 1 per acre annually.

Besides, four founder supporters of ISB — Analjit Singh, CMD of Max India, Rakesh Bharti Mittal, VCMD of Bharti Enterprises, Sunil Kant Munjal, MD & CEO of Hero Corporate Service, and Atul Punj, chairman of the Punj Lloyd Group — will invest Rs 50 crore each, totalling Rs 200 crore. The ISB Board, on its part, will invest the remaining Rs 100 crore.

The campus will have 280 seats for its Post Graduate Programme (PGP) and several short-duration executive education programmes, which will accommodate around 750 professionals.

The academic sessions at the campus will commence from 2012. The ISB faculty will teach on both campuses and all standards and the admission process will be centralised. It will have a permanent faculty of 15-20 professors, while there will also be visiting faculty from the Hyderabad campus. The faculty may be hired in Mohali and some from Hyderabad.

“There will also be two-way video conferencing lectures between the two campuses,” M Rammohan Rao, dean, ISB, told mediapersons here.

The ISB campus will have four ‘centres of excellence’ offering specialisations in the PGP. These specialist institutes are Max India Institute of Healthcare Management, Bharti Institute of Public Policy, BML Munjal Institute of Manufacturing and Operation Excellence and Punj Lloyd Institute of Physical Infrastructure Management.

“These institutes are a part of the ISB campus in Mohali. The founder members will have no influence over the operations of the institute and will only give their inputs for faculty hiring and the curriculum design,” added Rao.

ISB’s existing associate schools — the Wharton School and Kellogg School of Management — will support the Mohali campus in the latter’s academic programmes. Commenting on alliances with new international schools, Rao said that they might look for new alliances in future.

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Source: http://www.business-standard.com/india/storypage.php?autono=340015

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Even as lakhs of MBA aspirants are getting ready to appear for the common admission test (CAT) conducted by the various Indian Institute of Management (IIMs) on November 16, it will also include several faculty members from various coaching centres who take the test every year in a bid to understand its nuances.

“This year will probably be my eighth or ninth time. Every year, there’s a reasonable amount of change in the individual sections or in the paper pattern itself. Our aim is to understand how the patterns are changing and explain to the students what could have been a fairly good method of attempting it,” said Amit Deshmukh, regional manager (Western India) at Career Launcher, a coaching centre.

Deshmukh explained that the idea behind taking the exam is to gauge what the student is going through, see the changes and accordingly moderate or change the teaching methodologies and the materials. “And considering that it’s one of the most unpredictable of all entrance tests, we are as excited as the students, and yes, we do get the butterflies,” said Deshmukh.

Faculty members across CAT training institutes said that the purpose is to solve the paper within the given time period and subsequently give students an analysis of what to expect in terms of scores and cut-offs.

“We try to understand what a normal student would have faced in terms of pressure. The next step is to analyse it and give students an understanding of where they stand,” said ARKS Srinivas, director, Triumphant Institute of Management Education or TIME-Mumbai (a coaching centre).

Amol Kokate, a faculty member at TIME, said that the most important reason for him is to get a “feel” of the paper.

Nandkumar Bhujbal, head-marketing (Mumbai) at Career Launcher, said, “We have to constantly brush our skills. Also, in the first 5-10 minutes, we prepare a strategy.

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Source: http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1205983

Mihika Basu

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Talk about MBA, and India would come up with all the buzzing news! Whether you term it a vogue, or a bright scope, MBA has spread its roots firmly in the nation. Privatization may be marked as one reason for the unprecedented MBA growth. With many global companies setting their feet in India and looking for people with managerial skills, MBA, which wasn?t a much sought after educational option earlier, has taken a sudden high leap.

Privatization however, is one reason that intellectuals cite. When we look at MBA from a large perspective, the scope it offers is tremendous. Its value is pertinent and applicable in all sectoral opportunities. The quantitative skills an MBA possess make him potent enough to deal with relationship and managerial situations.

If we say it?s a business scenario in India, MBA again renders its functionality here. Accounting, Finance, Marketing, Statistics or Organizational behavior, MBA skills are an expected repertoire for all, and so much so, that is has become ?the language of businesses?.

Today, a Management Degree has become an attractive proposition in India, and the best part is that it renders its usability in all spheres. The Indian Job industry often encounters frequent changes. Say, with arrival of dot com sector (as is the recent fad), the industry is taken by storms. Now the scalability of MBA is such that it moulds itself towards every growing industry, and slips away when the fall happens. The multi tasking quality that an MBA possess flaringly gets them through all phases. For instance, an MBA with marketing specialization may not necessarily do poorly when the industry gives it a downcast. He can easily get into other marketing arenas like marketing of mutual funds, insurance policies, etc., thereby minimizing career halts.

Another approach towards the rising popularity of MBA in India is also seen as a status symbol attached with it. With MBA being revered so much, many people are assured that an entry into a good MBA institute would land them in high posts. IIM is one among the prestigious educational MBA institutes, appreciated for bringing out quality MBA scholars.

While India is abuzz with many business (MBA) schools and institutions, choosing one may be a task. A careful research before enrolling in any institute would be a fair move for MBA seekers. Internet may be the most convenient medium in this regard.

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Source: http://college-nd-university.blogspot.com/2008/11/indian-education-mbas-big-scene-in.html

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Chandigarh, Punjab, New Delhi, Delhi and Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, Wednesday, November 12, 2008 — (Business Wire India)
The Government of Punjab today, signed a tripartite agreement with Indian School of Business (ISB) and four Indian Business Leaders to set up a second ISB campus at Knowledge City, Mohali. The Agreement was signed in the presence of Punjab�s Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal by Anjali Bhawra – Secretary, Higher Education, Government of Punjab, Rajat Gupta -Chairman, ISB, and four Founder Supporters of the ISB campus at Mohali, Analjit Singh – Chairman & Managing Director of Max India Limited, Rakesh Bharti Mittal – Vice-Chairman & Managing Director of Bharti Enterprises Limited, Sunil Kant Munjal – Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Hero Corporate Service Limited, Atul Punj – Chairman, Punj Lloyd Group.

The 70 acres ISB campus site at Mohali has been allotted by the Government of Punjab on a 99 years lease at Rs. 1 per acre annually, as a part of its vision to establish a world class premier management institute at Knowledge City, Mohali. Based on an invitation by the Government, the four Indian Business Leaders along with ISB submitted their Expression of Interest to set up a second campus of ISB at Mohali, along with their intent to make a significant financial contribution for establishing the Campus. The first academic session at the ISB campus in Mohali is expected to commence in 2012.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, Information & Public Relations, Water Supply & Sanitation, Science & Technology and Environment Minister, Government of Punjab, said “It gives me great pleasure to announce the setting up of a new campus of ISB at Mohali. This has been possible due to the vision of our Chief Minister Sardar Parkash Singh Badal and the unrelenting effort of our Party President, Sardar Sukhbir Singh Badal. It will help facilitate the emergence of Mohali on the national map as an important centre of higher learning, especially with other national institutes of excellence coming up here. I want to thank the four Founder Supporters Analjit Singh, Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Sunil Kant Munjal & Atul Punj for reiterating their support and commitment to Punjab by helping make this a reality. We will provide all the support and assistance needed to ensure that the Campus becomes functional on time.”

The ISB, with the support of existing associate schools, Wharton School and Kellogg School of Management, will set-up and run the Mohali campus, just like its Hyderabad campus, as a world class academic institution for providing Post Graduate Programmes in Management and short duration Executive Education Programmes. The ISB campus at Mohali will have the following four specialist Institutes, termed as Centres of Excellence, for promoting research and offering additional specialisations in the Post Graduate Programme:

– Max India Institute of Healthcare Management

– Bharti Institute of Public Policy

– BML Munjal Institute of Manufacturing and Operation Excellence

– Punj Lloyd Institute of Physical Infrastructure Management

The ISB campus at Mohali proposes to have 280 seats in its Post Graduate Programme. It will also have several short duration Executive Education Programmes where approximately 750 professionals will be able to participate.

ISB will have a unified governance structure, with the ISB Board as the Statutory Body overseeing and supporting both campuses at Hyderabad and Mohali. A Deputy Dean, will be appointed to run the ISB campus at Mohali, including the four Centres of Excellence. It will additionally have the benefit of a Campus Advisory Board while the Centres of Excellence will be advised by their individual Institute Advisory Councils. The ISB faculty will be available for teaching on both campuses and all standards and processes will be common across both campuses.

The Founder Supporters of the ISB campus at Mohali, who are playing a key role in setting up the Business School, will contribute a sum of Rs. 50 crores each. While they are members of the ISB Executive Board, they will also be represented on the Campus Advisory Board of ISB campus at Mohali and will Chair the respective Institute Advisory Councils. The Founder Supporters will extend their existing support for Placements/Internships, Programmes on Campus and Visiting Faculty to the ISB campus at Mohali.

Official Quotes:

Rajat Gupta, Chairman of the Board of Directors, ISB

Rajat Gupta, Chairman, ISB, remarked, �It has been an exciting and eventful journey for ISB from its inception in 2001 to becoming a top ranked global business school in seven years. The Mohali campus is another significant milestone for us. I am grateful to the vision of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and our Founder Supporters for making it possible for us to bring high quality education within the reach of more and more Indians.�

M Rammohan Rao, Dean, ISB

�The ISB owes its remarkable success to the high level of commitment of its Executive Board, the resident and visiting faculty, its administrators, and its alumni. The core team that has made the ISB successful will be deeply involved in the new campus as well. We have groomed high quality talent for the country and I am delighted that we now have the opportunity to groom talent for new growth sectors especially healthcare, manufacturing, infrastructure and public policy.�

Analjit Singh, Chairman & Managing Director, Max India Limited:

�The importance of establishing world-class educational institutions in India cannot be overemphasized. I feel that being a part of the creation of ISB Mohali is a privilege. Such a partnership is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Today�s first step towards creating the ISB Mohali campus is a three-dimensional win for ISB, Government of Punjab and the four Founder Supporters.

The Max Institute of Healthcare Management will impart Industry relevant skillsets to students in this Program to meet India�s growing need for quality healthcare professionals. �

Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Bharti Enterprises Limited:

�At Bharti, we have always believed in undertaking transformational projects that have a positive impact on the society while contributing to the nation building process. In today�s rapidly changing environment India needs an institution to promote quality research and education in the area of public policy. With Bharti Institute of Public Policy, our aim is to create the first of its kind world-class institution that will create a talent pool and provide meaningful insights, facilitating the policy making process in various strategic areas. We are delighted that our support to ISB for its second campus in Mohali will benefit the Indian youth, including those in the region, with quality education in Management.�

Sunil Kant Munjal, Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Hero Corporate Service Limited:

�Given our strengths in manufacturing, we�ve been looking to promote a centre for manufacturing and operational excellence that would firstly help us replenish our talent pipeline, and secondly, make India�s manufacturing sector globally competitive. In ISB, we have found the right partner to fulfill these objectives.�

Atul Punj, Chairman, Punj Lloyd Group:

Education will play a transformational role in growth and social well being of India and the Punj Lloyd Group is proud to be associated with the Government of Punjab, other Founder Supporters and ISB in this landmark public-private partnership which will play a critical role in generating a huge pool of skilled managers to meet not just India’s but also the global skills shortage in the construction industry. I am delighted that the Punj Lloyd’s Institute of Physical Infrastructure Management is being set up at the Indian School of Business at Mohali campus which will be a unique institute offering managerial skills in the infrastructure segment.”

To view the Photograph, please click on the link given below:

ISB conference picture from left to right: Mr. M Rammohan Rao, Dean, Mr. Pawan Munjal, Mr. Analjit Singh, Mr. Rajat Gupta, Mr. Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Mr. Bikram Singh Majithia, Mr. Sunil Kant Munjal, Mr. Atul Punj, Ms. Savita Mahajan

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Source: http://www.businesswireindia.com/PressRelease.asp?b2mid=17483

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Hyderabad: Three lakh students will be making the beeline to take the CAT exam this year. But with less than one out of 300 aspirants making it to the much sought after IIMs, here’s a list that will lighten the load off your shoulders. There is a life beyond the IIMs.

Xavier Labour Relation Institute School Of Management

Top of that pile is Xavier Labour Relation Institute School Of Management the institute located in the industrial town of Jamshedpur. It’s setting high standards with a separate entrance conducted in the first week of January.

It’s an opportunity in wings for those who don’t make the coveted CAT list, for some though it was a first choice.

Faculty of Management Studies

The Faculty of Management Studies in the Capital may not be such a bad bet. It’s number two on the list after XLRI. Apart from full time MBA, it’s known for it’s part time MBA programme as well.

As far as specialsations go the best of marketing and finance are the on offer.

Indian School of Business

In Hyderabad, the youngest of the all B schools is Indian School of Business. It’s barely 10-years-old but is rising in ranks globally and on the list.

A globally accepted GMAT exam along with comprehensive interviews and Group Discussion are prerequisites. But along with that the excecutive MBA requires a two years of work experience.

SP Jain Institute of Management and Research

Also in line is SP Jain Institute of Management and Research in Mumbai. For those with work experience both CAT and XAT scores work for its diploma.

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade in Delhi closes the list of top five B schools in the country.

With percentiles above 95 giving you a fair chance of making it to leading B-schools, all’s not lost if you haven’t made it to the IIMs.

There are 99 other B-schools that accept CAT scores throwing open another gateway to your management dreams.

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Source: http://ibnlive.in.com/news/not-the-end-of-the-road-there-is-a-life-beyond-iims/78015-3.html

Mansi Sharma