Have you ever been in a pile of questions and doubts and were still hopeful that one day you will succeed?

Well I guess most of you must have experienced it. But the rest of you who are still wondering what I am talking about, I believe you have really missed the long and tiring process of selecting a B-school after your graduation!

After completion my graduation I was in a similar situation surrounded by people with huge placards of doubts about my decision of selecting IBS Pune as the destination to complete my MBA. But believe me after crossing the threshold of IBS, I realized that my decision was absolutely correct.

Immediately on joining IBS I realized that this place is not just an MBA college. It wanted the students to go beyond textbooks and deal efficiently with real life situations. The use of world renowned case studies, frequent inputs from industry experts, and the three month long summer internship, helps one keep the fire burning inside and to rise.

The single most important element that IBS has is the inspiring environment it provides to students. Be it inside the class room in the presence of the faculty members or extracurricular activities. IBS Pune believes in all round development of the individual. And that matters a lot.

Today when I look back over the one and a half years spent here, I still find myself amidst people without the question mark placards, and with professionals from different industries, their heads beaming with ideas that can change the future, with my fellow students who are ready to take the world and will keep the spirit of this college intact and high.

Throughout life one would meet people who question our decisions. There would be people reminding you about the ‘Road not taken’. But the real challenge is to trust oneself and make the chosen road worth travelling. In my case it has been possible thanks to IBS Pune.

Contributed by Shaiwal Bhattacharya (Batch 2014, IBS Pune)

2012 – The year when I took ONE decision, the decision of my life. And today, a year later I am confident that, this one decision will soon turn my life around. Giving up an opportunity to work with ONIDA did not seem to make sense to many around me…but I had quit a job and held on to a dream!!!

I joined IBS Pune with just one small dream, one desire.

I had wanted to enter the Corporate World. And less than a semester later, I realized how hard, how tough and how enormously demanding that one small dream is…But thanks to all wonderful, highly qualified and experienced teachers who constantly put efforts to correct us, make us bold and make us ready to enter the race, today it seems an achievable dream. The race, the competition is not with other management schools, but with our own time. Time to reach our goal as early as possible. It is such passion that leads our way. For me, it is IBS Pune, which constantly keeps me conscious about my passion. The first few days were hard new college, new people, new learning system, case studies, grade system etc. But by and by, I realized that, this is the map of my life unfolding before my eyes! and IBS is an absolutely great platform providing me some glimpses of that Unseen World.

I improved my communications in Business Communication classes, I tried to rectify my behavior through OB classes and finance, marketing etc. Everything fits in perfectly.

“Life is not a one time game” is a sentence of Prof. Jyoti Tilak, which inspires all of us. “Finance guys are the carriers of bad news” is a sentence of Prof. Pillai, which gives us the constant sense of responsibility towards the financial aspect of business management.

The guest lectures of highly professional corporate leaders, visits to corporate firms give me practical knowledge which complemented the knowledge learnt as theory. I must admit that IBS takes care of all that, pretty well.

Finally, it is people who make this journey wonderful. My room-mates, co-travelers, partners in finance and marketing clubs; became lifelong friends as sharing became fun and learning enjoyment.

In a nutshell, it has been a wonderful journey where life became beautiful. Yet ahead of the beautiful times come hard work and constant dedication towards being a successful management leader. IBS Pune has been that wonderful path under the guidance of one of the best Directors and excellent team of professors, who lead us through this wonderful journey of management. Here we realize that life is  not just challenging but beautiful as well!

Contributed by Prasad N Kolte (Batch 2014, IBS Pune)

Education is certainly no exception to the impact of technology. It has the power to transform education and positively shape how students view the learning process. The use of tools in education isn’t an old idea; teachers have been using whiteboards, projectors and visual aids like posters to relay concepts in their lessons. Some online institutions are challenging the dominance of traditional institutions of learning, creating an intensely competitive market. To attract the new students, technologies play a key role and as trends are changing now and then so it’s the right time to implicate the change.

Some top trends are:

A. Bring your Own Device: 

Many Institutions nowadays go with BYOD as students are more comfortable with their technology computing devices. In this more often is Laptop but now mobile devices are taking charge of this like smart phones and tablets. Mobile Technology makes learning much easier that offer portability, this touch screen device is easy for students to use and come with built in Wi-Fi to access the internet.  It also has the ability to tap into many apps at the same time which make it more interesting and speed in work. Mobile phones traditionally have a bad reputation in colleges but that is starting to change.

Mobile learning is an exciting opportunity in many ways which can be achieved with proper time to explore these gadgets and teachers can use it in the classroom on a regular basis to get use of it.

Example:

In India, where 82 percent of employees are provided with a portable device from their employer, but 77 percent still bring their own device to work to help them complete their tasks. Of this group, 72 percent claimed to be more productive when they worked on the device of their choice, and 70 percent claimed to be happier in their role when they were allowed to use a device of their choice. 66 percent say they feel less stressed when they can choose the IT tools they use.

While it seems like organizations in India are following a generally ad-hoc manner, the very essence of BYOD is in each player having a unique approach. As long as Indian CIOs also remember to finalize end-user contracts with employees who wish to access corporate resources in exchange for some level of control over device, there should be no great mishap.

B. The MOOC trend will carry on:

MOOC stands for “Massive Open Online Courses” represent a recent trend in online education. These MOOCs offer students the ability to gain knowledge from courses taught at some of the world’s top universities. A key focus of the MOOC model is learning through the experiences of others and because of the wide reach and growth of MOOCs, students are exposed to variety of individuals with varying life experiences and residences all over the world.

Some prerecorded lectures are created internally or by the resources is available for the students to access anytime, anywhere and can also learn through discussion.

Example:

Microsoft Research India has rolled out a pilot project with Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) for a MOOC-like experiment blending online education with classroom learning. As part of its Massively Empowered Classroom project, Microsoft Research is offering free online certification on algorithm, design and analysis (ADA) for engineering students.

Two thousand students across 27 engineering colleges have enrolled for the semester-long programme so far. “The recent excitement for MOOC is subtle and obvious. Technology has made students the centre of learning as opposed to constrained by a classroom,” said P Anandan, MD of Microsoft Research India. The course offers video lectures, online quizzes and tests at the end of each topic. Top ten students will get an opportunity to intern at Microsoft Research besides getting a certification from them.

C. 3-D Printing Hits the Road:

This technology allows users to turn any digital file into a three dimensional physical product. It also allows for customization like music and movies; one thing good about this printing technology is that it changes with the dynamic of consumer culture.

This printer also helps in creating paper covered by solar cells, print buildings from dust and to create a human vein. Students of all ages can imagine, design and create with a 3-D printer.

Example:

3D printing in Aerospace

The Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), Bangalore, India is a government laboratory involved in in R&D of marine and aeronautical versions of gas turbines. The Kaveri jet engine, a flagship product of GTRE, was commissioned for the HAL Tejas aircraft. With over 2,500 Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) components, the Kaveri jet engine prototype is said to be the most complex rapid prototype assembly ever created. The total cost to produce the FDM assembly was about $20,000.

GE is employing 3-D printing to build fuel injector nozzle for its jet engines. Each nozzle is printed as a single piece using laser sintering (a process based on atomic diffusion) on cobalt chromium. The new nozzle is faster to make, five times more durable and lighter. The company plans to make 100,000 of its engine parts using 3D printing by 2020.

NASA has used 3D printed parts in its next NASA Mars Rovers. About 70 of the parts that make up the rover were built using 3D Printers through a process called FDM Technology or additive manufacturing.

D. Game-based learning will gain popularity:

This type of learning is becoming increasingly popular inside classroom as teachers become more and more familiar with the process and its many benefits. GBL can be anything from learning simulations, serious games and also can be using of video games in the classroom. GBL is designed to balance game play with subject matter and help students retain and apply what they have learned in the real life.

These GBL are challenging, interesting and also it will engage the students with the ever enhancing technology landscape.

Example:

The Incredible Manager is a simulation game designed to train software project managers, designed and implemented by the Software Reuse Team (Software Reuse Team Homepage, 2008). The player must assume the role of a software project manager and develop software projects within budget, schedule and quality demands. The game consists of three components: the simulation model, the scenario model and the machine. The simulation model represents the world and aspects that will be presented to the player. It contains scenario models providing a generic library of theories and events that can be integrated into a project model by an instructor. The simulation machine controls the steps in the simulation and evaluates the behavior of system elements based on calculated model equations. The game machine is the component that the player interacts with which runs game phases continuously. Each phase is divided into five steps: The begin phase introducing the project, scenarios that may impact development and project characteristics such as budget. The project planning phases require the player to allocate staff to tasks, decide on the effort required on tasks and effort required on quality assurance activities. The player can modify the project plan at any time. The planning acceptance stage is where the project plan is sent to the stakeholders to be approved. If the project plan is refused then the player must revert back to the project planning phase until it is accepted. The project execution plan is where the project plan is executed in continuous turns consuming project resources. The player has to take corrective action in this phase in response to such things as exhausted developers or altering the original project plan. The end phase occurs when the project resources are done (project failure) or the project is completed successfully. There are three different characters in the game: the manager, the boss and the developers. The manager is the role assumed by the player and is responsible for all of the decision-making processes. The boss is effectively the stakeholders and is responsible for the acceptance or rejection of the project plan. The developers are the team developing the project and have different characteristics and skills such as work hours per day and hourly rate of pay.

As the education pattern is changing in the same way students are growing advance so its important for the culture to grow. So, for the betterment of students, education sector has to change with more new technology so that our country can compete with all others and can challenge the world.

Contributed by Nandita Mishra (Batch 2013, IBS Hyderabad)

President of India, Pranab Mukherjee at the 90th convocation ceremony of University of Delhi (DU) raised concerns over shortage of faculty and low standards of instruction in Indian higher education. In Central Universities, close to 51 per cent of academic posts are lying vacant. While we take urgent steps to fill the vacancies, new ways of employing technology-based learning and collaborative information and communication sharing should be evolved.

President emphasizing upon the need to promote distance education said, “Open and Distance Learning can aid in enhancing the reach of higher education. The enrolment in such programme in our country increased from 27 lakh to 42 lakh during the Eleventh Plan period. The time is now ripe to deploy innovative technologies for greater coverage and for improvising modules that can enable better learning.”

Today, India is facing both the quality and quantity shortage of faculties; this is basically because of the large number of unfilled vacancies in college and universities. As per the faculty shortage prevails in different academic disciplines, the number of posts is administered by higher authority and these numbers are generally fixed. The positions do not exactly reflect the actual demand for faculties as it is the decision of higher authority. It also depends on some trends like income and employment aspirations which can change due to time.

If we look upon broader aspect, some qualified persons are not interested in education field as the incentive structure is less as compared to other profession. And also the salary structure is unattractive and there are some other aspect which constraints the professionals i.e. the status of a Faculty is not as high as it used to be in earlier years. Some potential teachers are discouraged with the present working conditions like new courses are started and no proper training availability for the teachers.

Because of this, some institutes have an inclination towards the part time and ad hoc teachers in state universities and deemed universities. This is due to the problems faced by some institutions in recruitment of full time faculty and maintaining the faculty resource requirements is also a challenge. Due to this, institutions are recruiting short term faculty from overseas by extending the age of mandatory retirement but this is also difficult to manage due to the impact of salary increases. As it is true for some government funded institutions because of fund constrained and that’s why there is a lack of effective faculty due to both demand and supply side dimensions.

To make education accessible to more students, we must bring education more closely to those remote areas where more population is illiterate and this could remove the imbalance spread across the country.

There is a need to introduce performance based pay, promotion and tenure for faculties, and also scholarly activities by faculties beyond curriculum, which can help in setting up a higher ranking, as we are way behind.

If we are to redefine the way education is imparted by our educational institutions, the time is now. According to an international ranking of universities, no Indian university finds a place amongst the global top 200 universities. “This you would agree is simply unacceptable. We must develop our universities into global leaders, and for that, the best practices in other countries should be carefully studied and adopted with necessary changes to suit our conditions,” said by the President.

The acute scarcity of teaching talent is attacking the very foundations of academia in the country. Solutions need to be quickly identifies to keep alive India’s ambition of becoming a knowledgeable country.

Contributed by Nandita Mishra (Batch 2013, IBS Hyderabad)

So the creation of Telangana has been on the news for a while now, however, this article is meant to be an overview of the history and the events that finally led to the creation of this new state.

What is Telangana?

Telangana is a region within the state of Andhra Pradesh in India. It was formerly part of Hyderabad State which was ruled by the Nizams.

Andhra Pradesh State has three main cultural regions:

1. Telangana
2. Coastal Andhra and
3. Rayalaseema.

Telangana is bordered by the states of Maharashtra to the north and north-west, Karnataka to the west, Chhattisgarh to the north-east and Odisha to the east.  The Telangana region has an area of 114,840 square kilometres (44,340 sq mi), and a population of 35,286,757 (2011 census) which is 41.6% of Andhra Pradesh state population.

Since Telangana was merged with Andhra state to form Andhra Pradesh state in 1956, there have been several agitations in Telangana to invalidate the merger and to form Telangana state.

On 30 July 2013, the ruling Congress party resolved to request the Central government to make steps in accordance with the Constitution to form a separate state of Telangana (the 29th independent state of Republic of India), within a definite time frame.

The events that led up to the creation of Telangana:

1. Formation of Andhra Pradesh

In December 1953, the States Reorganisation Commission (SRC) was appointed to recommend the reorganisation of state boundaries.

The opinion in Andhra was overwhelmingly in favour of the larger unit; but public opinion in Telangana had still to crystallise itself. Important leaders of public opinion in Andhra themselves seemed to appreciate that the unification of Telangana with Andhra, though desirable, should be based on a voluntary and willing association of the people.

Prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru initially was sceptical of merging Telangana with Andhra State, fearing a “tint of expansionist imperialism” in it. He compared the merger to a matrimonial alliance having “provisions for divorce” if the partners in the alliance cannot get on well.

The central government established a unified Andhra Pradesh on 1 November 1956. The agreement provided reassurances to Telangana in terms of power-sharing as well as administrative domicile rules and distribution of expenses of various regions.

 2. Telangana Movement

There have been several movements to invalidate the merger of Telangana and Andhra, major ones occurring in 1969, 1972 and 2009. The Telangana movement gained momentum over decades becoming a widespread political demand of creating a new state from the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh.

On 9 December 2009 the Government of India announced process of formation of Telangana state. After Members of Legislative Assembly & Council from Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema regions had submitted resignations in response to the announcement, as well as violent protests raised in those regions immediately after the announcement, the decision to form the new state was put on hold on 23 December 2009.

According to activists, from 2010-12 over 300 young people killed themselves – sixteen by self-immolation – demanding more political control for the locals of Telangana. According to Telangana Amaraveerula Kutumbala Vedika(Telangana Martyrs families forum)’s directory there have been 904 suicides in Andhra Pradesh from November 2009 to February 2013 demanding Telangana

3. Telangana Grievances

Proponents of a separate Telangana state cite perceived injustices in the distribution of water, budget allocations, and jobs.

• Within the state of Andhra Pradesh, 68.5% of the catchment area of the Krishna River and 69% of the catchment area of the Godavari River are in the Telangana region. Telangana supporters state; that the benefits of irrigation through the canal system under major irrigation projects is accruing substantially, 74.25%, to the Coastal Andhra region, while the share to Telangana is a mere 18.20%. The remaining 7.55% goes to the Rayalaseema region.
• There are allegations that in most years, funds allocated to Telangana were never spent. According to reports only 20% of the total Government employees, less than 10% of employees in the secretariat, and less than 5% of department heads in the Andhra Pradesh government are from Telangana; those from other regions make up the bulk of employment. Telangana held the position of CM for 10.5 years while Seema-Andhra region held it for 42 years.
• Proponents of a separate Telangana state feel that the agreements, plans, and assurances from the legislature and Lok Sabha over the last fifty years have not been honoured, and as a consequence Telangana has remained neglected, exploited, and backward. They allege that the experiment to remain as one state has proven to be a futile exercise and that separation is the best solution.

The culmination

On 30 July 2013, the Congress Working Committee unanimously passed a resolution to recommend the formation of a separate Telangana state from Andhra Pradesh to the INC-led central government. Hyderabad was proposed to be the joint capital for both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for 10 years.

Nowadays when you see someone as the CEO or General Manager of some company, or a successful owner of some start up , the first thing that you think about that person is , he must be from IIM’S or ISB. People generally have the notion that most of the successful people in this world are only the intelligent ones who go to top B – Schools only. Reality is something different.

In today’s competitive era, you need not have to be super duper genius to be successful. You just need to be super smart. There have been so many successful entrepreneurs in our country who were not even fully educated. Take the example of Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani , founder of Reliance ltd. He went to Yemen without even completing his education to work with a firm and came back to India to start his own business in spices. Was he some IIM pass out? The answer is NO.

Like Dhirubhai Ambani many entrepreneurs are being born every day. Some new start up is coming in news for its excellent performance and innovative ideas. Do you think that only the IIM’s or some top grade B-school graduate is behind that? Colleges only provide you with an environment to develop your skill. They give you knowledge and training and if you get adequate training, no matter from which college you are, you will succeed as long as you put together your hard and smart work.

Coming to placements even non IIM’s are giving good placement packages and profiles. B-Schools like Icfai Business School, Narsee munjee, and K.J Somaya provided excellent placement opportunities to their students. Take the example of Icfai Business School. The highest international package for IBS Hyderabad went to 24lakhs and highest domestic package went to 10 lakhs in 2013 which is pretty good. More over these colleges are visited by top most companies of world including JPMorgan, Crisil, Coca Cola , Facebook etc. Even if you look at the alumni networks of these colleges, you will find many of them working in top positions in big companies.

I am not saying that all the students passing out from these colleges get high packages and profile. Your career is not your right, but it is the opportunity that you have to avail. Even some students from IIM’s don’t get good profiles and packages. Ultimately it all comes down to the individual student. If you are a good and hardworking student and you know how to express your strengths, it doesn’t matter from which college you have studied as you will ultimately excel in your life.

I am not saying that you should stop studying to get good marks in CAT/XAT/GMAT because you will get good placements with other colleges also. This article is addressing to those students who think that their life has no meaning below IIM’s and Parents who get disappointed when their child is not able to get 99 percentile in CAT. Don’t be disappointed and lose hope because, life is like a train. No matter what track you choose, ultimately you will reach your destination.

Contributed by Prachi Tewari (Batch 2013, IBS Hyderabad)

“I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand” – R.F.Kempa

Two years back I was a completely different person. I lacked confidence, I didn’t know how to behave professionally and I didn’t know how to talk. In a nutshell I was someone who would not give a very good impression in the first meeting. Therefore this article is my story. How MBA changed my personality.

Changing one’s personality is a slow and steady process which takes time and proper guidance. MBA, as a course, gives you the proper environment for this to take place. The curriculum of this course includes activities that give the person an exposure to the outside world which ultimately helps him in gaining the following attributes:

• Confidence – The College I attended had class participation as one of the techniques for evaluation of the student which included daily class discussion. Imagine yourself speaking everyday in front of 70 students. At first it was a kind of nightmare for me, but then eventually I got used to it and today because of this I am confident enough to address a crowd of 1000 people. This is the kind of change that MBA brings in you.
• Maturity – I know this must be sounding very weird, that how can an MBA degree bring maturity in you, but trust me it does. This is because the faculties expect you to behave like managers. The discussions will happen in a very professional way. A girl like me who use to read only page 3 in a newspaper cannot live without reading economic times today.
• Professionalism – Right from how to shake hands with your boss, to how to use a fork and knife in a business dinner, everything is trained right from the first day. After two years when you will come out you will know how managers behave in a corporate world. This is the most important lesson that you learn, because in whichever industry you will go, no matter how much knowledge you possess, if you will not be able to present yourself you will not be taken. I guess that is the reason why I did not get a placement after B.tech. I still remember how I was sitting and talking in front of the interviewer. It is only after I came to IBS that I understood that what I did that day was incorrect.
• Knowledge & Experience – It is a fact that people listen to those who have the knowledge. MBA as a course helps you to develop not only the bookish knowledge but also the real time knowledge. The case studies and role play exercises helps you to understand the implementation of a concept in real world. You will have in depth knowledge and understanding of how different areas in an organization work and once you understand, you impress.

I am not saying I am some big shot today but all I can say is that today I am an independent, confident girl who can take any kind of responsibility and I would give a lot of credit to MBA for this.

Contributed by Prachi Tewari (Batch 2013, IBS Hyderabad)