MBA course is in sync with the latest market trend

Posted on May 11, 2015 by IBS India

We live in a world which is dynamic and change is the only constant. Markets move from one cycle to another, industry gets new technology, and the rate at which innovation is taking place, its remarkable. How much change may happen, knowledge does not get outdated rather it gets updated. While choosing out career, what many of us think is how much updated the chosen course will be? Sometimes this may sound vague, but this is one of the pertinent questions and a true introspection for a career oriented aspirant. The same question pricks when many of us chose MBA. Many of us think will the market need an MBA, is it justifiable course and will it keep pace with this dynamic, ever changing world. Well the answer is, MBA is never about imparting an ancient law, it is about progressive teaching aligned with the very DNA of the changing times.

A broad view of MBA will show that it is actually divided into two parts – the first part which is a profound conceptual background and the other is the practical application. So if you were to see the two, the former is in which MBA tries to impart a deep conceptual knowledge on various aspects of business management using various techniques such as providing them a study material, a full time professor and a classroom training. These all provide theoretical aspects of the curriculum. While the later one provides a drill down approach of application of the same theories in a more sophisticated manner which includes case studies, industry lecturers, internship program, and live projects, which are abreast with latest market trends.

Conceptual Background

The conceptual Background is provided initially from relevant materials provided during each semester. These books are written by expert writers in their own domain, and are always updated as an when there is a need in order to make it in sync with the market trends. Books written by Philip Kotler for Marketing and by Benjamin Graham & David Dodd for Finance are a classic example of the kind of exposure these books provide to the aspirants. Even though these books are as old as one can vouch yet they are always updated and represent the current changing scenario. The most interesting part is that the conceptual theory never gets outdated, rather, the new trend dwells on the old premise.

The knowledge and interpretation of the books are imparted by an experienced full time professor who has a seamless understanding of the domain and has in fact mastered himself. The regular on the class training provides not only a conceptual discussion on the current topics, but also helps in the impromptu discussion which are related to the most recent incidents, facts and trending topics. The lecturer at the same time provides an insightful view of the subject with latest analogy. Sometimes a group assignment or an individual assignment too is provided which could be associated with market trends.

MBA at the same time, is extremely instrumental in keeping the aspirants completely in touch with current activities, global knowledge and market trends through social clubs, student exchange program, and intra-college competition. Such events and activities help the aspirants to set his right foot forward in confidence. The primary days of teaching during each semester act in stimulator to the mind.

Practical Application

Practical Application is where the main crux of the MBA lies. For every semester, the most part of the time is spent on this particular aspect in several ways. The most important one is the case study methodology which certainly makes this course, most popular and in sync with the latest market requirements. The case methodology is a highly researched and thoughtfully designed by experts. It encompasses case studies from HBS (Harvard Business School) to the self designed cases by the lecturers. These case studies capture the relevant aspects in a nutshell featuring both classic cases and the most recent ones. This makes MBA set a new bar in the arena of professional course.

These case methodologies not only covers the latest market trends, companies, events, industry but also provides ample scope to the aspirants to apply the theoretical framework. These case studies are scientifically designed to represent each chapter of the syllabus and making an effective learning methodology. It helps the aspirants keep updated of what’s going around in the corporate world, irrespective of the geographical boundary. In short, the gap that is built between the books and the real life events are mostly filled by this methodology.

Further to this, during the MBA course, one definitely finds some of the leading industry speakers providing guest lecture to the aspirants. These industry leaders are one who has profound knowledge of the current market trends and who work day in and day out. Their sharing of experiences as well as suggestions provides a new dimension to the learning and knowledge. They not only help set the wheel into the motion for the aspirants of different domains, but also provides live examples of cases which would otherwise take a lot of time to get included in the paperback editions and sometimes may even miss out in the cases.

During the curriculum the aspirants mandatorily have to go through an internship program. This program provided under MBA curriculum is specially designed in which the aspirants have to go through a stipulated months of training in a company. He would have to work religiously on the topic chosen by him and approved by his mentor who belongs both from the school as well as the company. This on-the-job training helps the aspirant to get familiar about the current scenario, help infer about the industry, and act accordingly. The close knit of people in the organisation help further accentuate the learning.

During the course, various ongoing initiatives such as brainstorming sessions, panel discussions, social groups, innovation convention and live projects are introduced to the candidate. These are not only self-indulging but also helps get others response, ideas and exchange of information. The dynamic interaction and meeting of like minded aspirants help steer new things.

MBA, therefore, has its roots and genesis of the old days, but it is such that it evolves over time. This can be seen from numerous examples and success stories of aspirants who have completed it and has been setting an indelible mark in the history.

Contributed by Mitesh Agarwal ( Class of 2011, IBS HYDERABAD )

Ethics Vs. Competitiveness

Posted on May 8, 2015 by IBS India

There is no doubt that the Corporate world (even World for that matter) is getting more and more competitive. Competitiveness is the “key”, since everyone knows that it’s a World where only the fittest survive. Well, is there anything wrong in being competitive? I would say, “No”, but then there is another question – “at what cost?”. If the answer to this question is “Ethics”, then the competitiveness is Hollow. Definitely you can find many examples of people who do not give any important to Ethics but they still rise to higher levels. But there is no guarantee that you will stay at Top if you have compromised with Ethics.

Ethics and Competitiveness go hand in hand. There is no doubt about it. All individuals are faced with situations where one has to choose growth or ethics and even though it’s a straight forward choice, there are people who would choose growth over ethics. To explain this better let us take an example of Misselling. What is mis-selling? It is an approach very commonly taken by sales people to sell their products or services by hiding facts and giving false promises to the customer. This is very much prevalent in the sales world and in the race of being competitive, many professionals fall prey to this monster. This may lead to various types of impact on the end customer which may be inform of financial risk, health risk, reputation risk, other direct or indirect risk/loss. Misselling may not necessarily mean lying about the product, it may also mean hiding important terms and conditions, or operational procedures, or missing features, hidden charges, refund policy, return policy etc. Very frequently most of us fall prey to mis-selling and get frustrated at the sales man, most of the times it is because of the hidden charges. This has really spoiled the image of the sales community.

Sales team is a backbone of every organization as it is the sales team that brings in revenues by selling products or services. But recently there has been increased emphasis in large organizations on Sales ethics. Mis-selling is taken very seriously and strict disciplinary action taken against those who do not comply. Reputation of an organization primarily depends on the sales force representing it. Organizations have started becoming more and more transparent in their sales processes. Most of the times the details of product/ service being sold is documented by way of an agreement, brochure, offer letter which clearly mention all the terms and conditions, product features, pricing etc. Mutual fund companies and Insurance companies also clearly tell their clients to read the terms and conditions before buying the product. This is done to ensure that the client is not cheated and to save the reputation of the organization.

But, despite efforts being taken by large organizations to avoid mis-selling, it is really important to lay emphasis on sensitizing the sales force to understand the importance of ethical sales. Just to be competitive and to achieve or over achieve targets the sales team should refrain from unethical sales practices. Even though in short term you may be able to achieve the numbers but this does not take you very far. Any sales done by hiding facts or lying will sooner or later be unearthed, which may lead to reputation loss for the organization as well as the employee (and a disciplinary action).

Unethical sales may also include compromising the interest of the organization that you are working for. Sometimes a sales person may show value to the customer by promising something that may be against the interest of the organization, this comes in forms of bribery, passing on other tangible or non-tangible benefits to the client which may be from the pocket of the organization or from his or her own pocket. A sales person may ask for a favourable business deal from a specific individual at the client organization and in return he may offer something for the personal benefit of the person who is in decision making position at a client organization. It’s very easy to close out business deals by promising such personal benefits, but then, this is completely unethical and unacceptable. This ultimately leads to loss of reputation for the selling organization.

Many large organizations take this type of unethical sales very seriously and have very strict policies to completely stop such dealings between sales team and client. There are strict gifting policies and very very strong disciplinary action taken against employees if they try to do such act. For organizations it is very important to closely scrutinize such transactions.

It may not always be linked to the sales function, professionals use unethical practices to grow within the organization, offering personal benefits to stakeholders or bosses, hiding facts that may be a risk to the organization, snatching someone else’s credit, passing-on blame to others and various other unprofessional and unethical practices.

Compromise with Ethics in any form is not a long lasting tool to success. One is that it spoils the organization culture and more importantly it is a big reputation risk for you and the organization. There are ethical ways of growing and being competitive. Very easily you can find examples of top managers/CEOs who have grown to that level just because of the level of ethics that they maintained during their professional careers. Compromising with ethics may seem to be a shortcut, but it’s definitely not going to take you to the right destination.

Being professional is very much equal to being Ethical. And an Ethical person earns a lot of respect and even if you lose the sales opportunity or promotion because of representing the facts, don’t worry, you have earned mental peace and respect. A customer always respects a fair sales person, a boss always respects a true employee, stakeholders always respect an honest colleague, an ethical organization will always respect an ethical employee.

So, don’t let competitiveness and ethics compete with each other. Make them shake hands with each other and surely it will become easier for you to climb up the ladder of success.

Contributed by DIVIK ( Class of 2004, IBS HYDERABAD )

CORPORATE RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT

Posted on May 8, 2015 by IBS India

Relationship Management in business is all about ensuring a healthy bond with the Vendors, Dealers, Distributors and Stakeholders. As for any other relationship a Corporate level relationship also requires human interactions and communications. These interactions may happen by way of a meeting, conference calls, Video Conferencing, emails or any other channel of communication. A corporate level relationship helps the businesses to derive mutual benefits and creates a win-win situation. A corporate relationship is not about liking the people or mutual respect towards individuals working in the organization, it is more about the benefit that this relationship provides to the organization you are working for. An effective corporate relationship can only be established by way of clear communications, if a communication is intended to hide facts or present wrong facts then there are obvious chances that the relationship may die out very soon, just like any other human to human relationship.

A corporate relationship involves high degree of complexity, while it also depends a lot on the human factors, but at the same time two corporate having a relationship will have a Legal agreement between each other to tie them into a relationship, even though the two companies may never consider to sue the other one in case of a conflict but the agreement keeps the relationship to a professional level.

When people of one organization interact with the people of the other organization – may it be a customer or a vendor, they have to maintain a professional distance and keep the tone of the communication at a professional level. It may happen that when you interact with professionals of other organizations, you may build a personal comfort level with them, but still during corporate meetings, emails, calls you should bear it in mind that you are interacting with those individuals in professional capacity and you are representing your organization, so despite having a personal bond with those individuals, you should refrain from making personal comments or remarks during these interactions. While managing corporate relationships, one should always protect the interest of the organization that he/she is working for and at the same time also try not to harm the interest of the other organization.

Most of the organizations have job profiles called “Relationship Managers” (mainly Banking organizations), these Relationship Managers are supposed to maintain good corporate relationships with the relevant units of the Customer Organization. This helps the organization to keep themselves updated on the business plans of their customers and help the organization to align their sales/products strategy to keep up with the client requirements. A good relationship manager understands the client’s business in and out and makes a business proposal keeping in mind the requirements of the customer, rather than selling whatever he has to sell without even understanding whether the client needs it or not. Most of the times a Relationship Manager profile is a sales profile.

Email is the most commonly used and abused mode of communication. People tend to write emails loosely when they get comfortable with the recipient. In a corporate communication you must always be 20 times more cautious because you never know if the recipient forwards the email to other recipients who may not like the content of the email. An email should be professionally drafted and very carefully read before it is sent out to a client, any loose comments may spoil the relationship with the client. In my own career I have noticed many such email disasters and consequences of writing such loosely drafted emails.

Another most effective and commonly used mode of communication is a face to face meeting. When it comes to a face to face meeting/ presentation the situation has to be handled with additional caution, as you have very limited time to react and there is no scope of correcting the errors. An good Relationship Manager always has an agenda whenever such meetings are fixed with a client and a lot of homework has to be done before you meet the senior people of the other organization. The most basic etiquette expected is to sent a formal meeting invite and call up the senior participants before actually reaching the venue. Without a meeting invite sent on email you should never expect senior members to remember the time and venue of the meeting – it should be there in their outlook calendar. Distribute the agenda of the meeting along with the meeting invite so that all stakeholders are reasonably prepared. Have a list of discussion points ready on your diary/laptop that you intend to discuss during the meeting. Once you are into the meeting your focus should be completely on the agenda and not to digress much from it, because otherwise the intended objective will not be achieved and you will end up calling for another follow-up meeting in quick succession (Senior stakeholders will not like it). During the meeting – assess the current state of matters at the client end, understand their problems, understand the implications of the problems and how they are effecting the business and then make your business pitch showing various options and checking with the client if the options can help the client to address the problems. This makes a perfect relationship pitch. There are many people in the industry who just approach the client and try to sell whatever they have without even understanding the need. So why would a client buy a product if he doesn’t need it?

Corporate Relationship management is a complex organizational behaviour and spans across a lot of important verticals within an organization. It is very important to stay within professional and ethical limits. A good corporate relationship and a long lasting one can only be built over a solid Ethical base.

Last but certainly not the least, key towards building a solid Corporate Relationship is to use EMPATHY. Just put yourself into the shoes of your client/ vendor and try to understand his perspective, this will help you to plan your business strategy. Never impose your thoughts on the other person, just share your view with them politely and ask them for theirs and then try to reach an amicable conclusion.

Always target to create a WIN-WIN situation for all stakeholders and it is very likely that you will be a successful Relationship Manager.

Contributed by DIVIK ( Class of 2004, IBS HYDERABAD )

Log Kya Kahenge has killed more dreams than anything else

Posted on May 6, 2015 by IBS India

I remember when I was really young my ambitions were based irrespective of “how much money would I make?” because those were the ambitions that directly came out of passion and love for that particular occupation. At once I wished to be an actor, being from a small town and raised among orthodox elders I was told that it is the computer who is playing those roles and such characters do not exist in actual. After this great theory I attempted to go inside the television as I started believing that there is a world inside the box. It just didn’t stop there, when I grew a bit more from a young 5 year old aspirant actor, I began to love to sing, from a bathroom to a full fledge birthday party in my locality, I used to just wait for someone to ask me to sing and I was just all over there. I remember me asking my parents if I can get some professional classes as I figured out a lady who taught ‘Shastiya Sangeet’. In return I got the list of incomplete homework and red grades earned in the past. Yes I was never into studies but that doesn’t define me now, but at that time it was the only criteria people would judge you. I remember once my aunt who always used to ask me to sing asked me “So what do you aim to be”, without any second thought I said “Singer” and she burst out laughing as if me singing professionally is bizarre thing ever. Then I was confused and disturbed, not about my aspirations, but the people I was surrounded with all my life. All my aspirations were either judged on my grade sheet by the people who have not been to school ever or considered irrational as they had not seen the lifestyle and opportunities that exists.

From what one aspires to be and always contradicted by “Log Kya Kahenge” is the reason that this country has lost some great talents that would have existed and celebrated but have been led down and professionally aborted by these three words. We do the best at what we love, even if it is from being a doctor to an artist. This country cannot have just some corporate working professionals highly available next door, that is the reason the professions like Engineers are hired in peanuts and the roads not taken like French convertor, stylists, Singers are paid heavily today. The moral of the story is that there exists undefined jealousy in the people towards you even if they do not know you or they are related to you through your parents(they are the most dangerous). So no matter whatever you wish to do or actually do professionally, these people will try to put you down. Well I am fortunate enough to figure out my way as a media professional and a Performer, escaping my roads from a small town confused person to what I am today. But that is what it actually takes “An Escape” “An Ignorance”. I remember when I got a break as a radio jockey and started performing as a vocalist with my ever first rock band, my parents were told by some carried away relatives of my dad that I must be consuming alcohol and having drugs and should concentrate on my studies. Well it came from those who haven’t crossed there towns ever and whose kids act like 50’s in their 20’s and cannot stand a content conversation, so was obviously worth an ignore. Had my parents taken it seriously I wouldn’t have been fortunate to have Big 92.7FM, Ogilvy and Mather, Star TV in my profile today.

When we start taking people seriously is the time we start giving up a bit of us to them. That does not mean that the world is against you, your true ones will be those who will seek their happiness in you being happy not their friends and relatives being in comfort with what you do. How does it matter? And why would one please the people one does not even know. We should all be ourselves till the time you are not paid some handsome amount for being something else. At the end of the day, not your acquaintance, society and relatives are going to feed you. It is you who is always going to stand up for yourself. Humans being the most dangerous species you would be surprised to see those people flipping their heads tomorrow for whom you gave up on your aspirations. Who wish to grow up to an old man I tell your grand children that you know what I wanted to be this but was led down by the neighbors so I chose to be this. OMG! Sounds like some dharmender’s 70’s dialogue.

It is just you and your parents who will stand by you all your life no matter you grow or you fail. In case some other people continue to be with you in your ups and downs all the way through out will be your real friends, never leave them. Rest everyone is going to come and go, judge and leave, misguide and enjoy the sycistic pleasure. During the young times it is easier to give up and blindly trust what people say or how they perceive certain things. But as we grow and life teaches its story we get to know that there exists a practical way which leads to our fairy tale but we have been guided by monsters we met on our way rather than fighting with them through our ignorance we trust them because of our innocence. So it is vital to be stiff on what we need to do. Give your ears to people and still do how you feel you should.

Dear friend, it’s a natural Indian mentality if you spend too much on a wedding people say “Zada Paisa hai” and if you keep the wedding simple same people say” Arrangement acha nahi hai”. Any which ways people will criticize what you do because of their insecurities so it’s better to bother them with what you love. Repect someone not basis the wrinkles earned by them rather respect someone basis what they are as a person. Life is too short to live it boring.

Contributed by Rahul Wadhwa (Class of 2013, IBS GURGAON)

Role of Good teacher

Posted on May 6, 2015 by IBS India

Teacher! The name which we hear a lot in our day to day life. We also know that what part our teachers played in our life and we will always be indebted to them for the life which we live. Take a minute and think about your teachers who helped you in moldingand shaping yourlife. If you get reminded of the teacher that means, yes they taught you very well and they play an important role in your life. When I think about past I also feel that there were few teachers who had an impact in my life and they changed my life enormously. How did this happen and how can we realize the same? These questions will be answered briefly in the blog.

“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.”

Before knowing more in detail about role of a teacher we will know a bit about learning and teaching.Teaching includes all the activities of providing education to other. The person who provides education is called teacher. The teacher uses different methods for giving best knowledge to his student’s .They try their best to make understand students. Their duty is to encourage students to learn the subjects. Teaching means interaction of teacher and students. They participate for their mutual benefits. Both have their own objective and target is to achieve them. Many great teachers of world define teaching in different way and we can say that teaching is just to train the students so that they can stand on their own foot in society. Teacher helps in enhancing our knowledge and shares their experience of life. There are two ways of learning

1) Learn from your personal experience.

2) Learn from experience of other.

We can learn from our own experience but it take a long time and we pay a price for that learning. But if we learn from others experience then we don’t need to pay the price for learning and we can learn at very early stages. A teacher not only gives us bookish knowledge but also gives us practical example and makes us learn from that.

“Is there anyone so wise as to learn by the experience of others?”

Duties of Teacher-

The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. Teachers, like other professionals, may have to continue their education after they qualify, a process known as continuing professional development. Teachers may use a lesson plan to facilitate student learning, providing a course of study which is called the curriculum.

A teacher’s role may vary among cultures. Teachers may provide instruction in literacy and numeracy, craftsmanship or vocational training, the arts, religion, civics, community roles, or life skills.

The ways teachers can lead are as varied as teachers themselves.

Teacher leaders assume a wide range of roles to support school and student success. Whether these roles are assigned formally or shared informally, they build the entire school’s capacity to improve. Because teachers can lead in a variety of ways, many teachers can serve as leaders among their peers.

So what are some of the leadership options available to teachers? The following 5 roles are a sampling of the many ways teachers can contribute to their schools’ success.

Resource Provider

Teachers help their colleagues by sharing instructional resources. These might include Web sites, instructional materials, readings, or other resources to use with students. They might also share such professional resources as articles, books, lesson or unit plans, and assessment tools.

2. Instructional Specialist

An instructional specialist helps colleagues implement effective teaching strategies. This help might include ideas for differentiating instruction or planning lessons in partnership with fellow teachers. Instructional specialists might study research-based classroom strategies (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001); explore which instructional methodologies are appropriate for the school; and share findings with colleagues.

Learning Facilitator

Facilitating professional learning opportunities among staff members is another role for teacher leaders. When teachers learn with and from one another, they can focus on what most directly improves student learning. Their professional learning becomes more relevant, focused on teachers’ classroom work, and aligned to fill gaps in student learning. Such communities of learning can break the norms of isolation present in many schools.

Mentor

Serving as a mentor for novice teachers is a common role for teacher leaders. Mentors serve as role models; acclimate new teachers to a new school; and advise new teachers about instruction, curriculum, procedure, practices, and politics. Being a mentor takes a great deal of time and expertise and makes a significant contribution to the development of a new professional.

“Good teachers know how to bring out the best in students.”

School Leader

Being a school leader means serving on a committee, such as a school improvement team; acting as a grade-level or department chair; supporting school initiatives; or representing the school on community or district task forces or committees. A school leader shares the vision of the school, aligns his or her professional goals with those of the school and district, and shares responsibility for the success of the school as a whole.

Importance of Teacher according to research:-

There are huge variations in teacher effectiveness. Some teachers are really good at getting their students to learn, and others are not.

Teacher quality matters so much that a student is likely better off in a bad school with a good teacher than in a good school with a bad teacher.

You can find ineffective teachers in good schools and effective teachers in bad schools. But struggling schools tend to have more ineffective and inexperienced teachers.

Students of the most effective teachers make excellent academic progress regardless of their prior achievement levels, while students in the classrooms of the least effective teachers do not progress well.

As the level of teacher effectiveness increases, the lowest–achieving students are the first to benefit.

Having a high–quality teacher throughout elementary school can substantially offset or even eliminate the disadvantage of low socio-economic background. If poor children consistently got great teachers, the achievement gap could disappear.

The effects of bad teaching last. Even if a student eventually gets great teachers, those who had ineffective teachers in the past continue to lag behind their peers. “Although an effective teacher can facilitate excellent academic gain in students during the years in which they are assigned to them,” writes researcher William Sanders, “the residual effects of… ineffective teachers were measurable two years later, regardless of the effectiveness of teachers in later grades”.

“Most of us end up with no more than five or six people who remember us. Teachers have thousands of people who remember them for the rest of their lives.”

Andy Rooney

Contributed by Kandarp Gandhi, (Class of 2014, IBS Mumbai)

Net Neutrality – Explained

Posted on May 5, 2015 by IBS India

Net Neutrality, a term first coined in the year 2003 by Columbia university media law professor Tim Wu has now spread like a wildfire in our nation. The credit holder is none other than the telecom giant Airtel for it is the one behind introducing the concept of charging ‘Over The Top’ services separately and changing the perspective of people over the usage of internet.

So what is this Net Neutrality?

Internet is known for its ‘free and open’ nature. Just like a network operator is not concerned about the person we call, his location and the way we converse with him. In the same fashion when the user of internet is not charged on the basis of the websites he surfs, the online applications he uses or the content he browses, the entire phenomena is known as Net Neutrality. In layman terms, treating the data or internet traffic equally is known as Net Neutrality.

Let’s understand it with the help of an example. Suppose you are driving on a highway and the speed limit on that highway is 100Km per hour. You are already driving at a speed of 80Km per hour and now you want to accelerate and match your speed with that of your friend’s vehicle which is running at the peak speed. You are stopped by the highway authority and are asked to pay before you take your odometer to 100. You pay and now you accelerate to reach 100 but here comes the catch. You notice that the highway authority has asked your friend to reduce his speed because only one at a time can enjoy the three figure speed. Hence you can see that in both the situation you are losing because of this Internet traffic discrimination.

The telecom companies are trying to change the internet usage to somewhat like the way we use our cable TV. By eradicating net neutrality these telecom companies can milk their cash cows daily but the data pack users like us would have to feel pinch due to the same step.

Where Net Neutrality first adopted?

In the year 2010, Chile became the first country in the world to adopt the concept of net neutrality. And in 2014 the telecom regulatory body of Chile banned the telecom companies over there to use ‘Zero Rating’ schemes to lure customers. Under zero rating a telecom company allows its users to access certain application and websites for free. Reliance, for instance, allows its users to access twitter, facebook and watsapp for free.

Subsequently, European Union adopted Net Neutrality followed by Netherlands in the year 2011. Recently in Brazil the term was passed as a law with many more strict alterations and amendments.

So what exactly is happening in India over Net Neutrality?

Since majority of the people in India have shifted from SMS to instant messaging and calling apps such as Watsapp, Hike, Line, Wechat, Viber etc. the telecom firms have incurred a loss of 4000 Cr. To cover such a gigantic amount, they have decided to join hands with these VOIP and OTT apps tocharge separately on the usage of these apps and hence reduce their loss.

Till now we are paying a single amount to get our hands on all the websites and apps mentioned above. In case if TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) nods in the favor of telecom companies, it might drill a hole in our pockets because then we would have to pay way more than what we are paying right now to access these services.

Flipkart, an e-commerce giant, partnered with Airtel in their program ‘Zero Rating’ which violates the principle of Net Neutrality and gives an edge to the players of the C-world to promote them in exchange of a price . But witnessing such a massive protest against the Airtel program, the retail giant backed out from it and terminated the relationship with Airtel.

But have a look to the above mentioned update from another angle. If you are an MBA with the entrepreneurship bug in you then this eradication is going to hit you where it hurts the most. Had there been no such protest against the ‘zero rating’ program of Airtel, would Flipkart still be sharing the bond with Airtel. And in case of a yes what you would have done as a startup and a competitor to Flipkart. With no deep pocket as that of the already established giant, Flipkart would you be able to stand in the competition?

With a whopping population figure of 1.25 Billion, the internet users contribute only 19.19% in the entire population. In that too the Watsapp users, specifically, are mere more than 7 crores. These figures make us mull over a thought that whether or not it is too early in India to bind the Internet? There are majority of Indians who consider Food, Shelter, Clothing and power as a basic necessity. Internet is something which they don’t even consider when counting the necessities. But what if they add internet in their list? What if one day they could get their hands on ‘Internet’? Will they be able to enjoy it without restrictions?

What we can do save the neutrality of Net?

As a part of the massive protest against the eradication of Net Neutrality from India, a website called www.savetheinternet.in has been launched. With the help of this website one can send an email to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, to the Member of Parliament from our constituencies and also share your opinion over Net Neutrality with others. Hence one can take a stand with the help of this initiative and save the net neutrality.

Even TRAI has put a consultation paper on the same on their website which explains the entire concept in more detail. And the last date to lodge complain against this “Corporatism” and save the net neutrality is April 24, 2015. In case if TRAI does not get enough responses it might give a green signal to these companies to bind the internet in the way they like. As of now more than half a million complaints have been registered with TRAI and it is still counting.

As Mr. Peter Singer rightly said “The Internet, like the steam engine, is a technological breakthrough that changed the world.” And ceasing the freedom of such a change agent is not a right move and that too at the very initial stage.

Contributed by Hasan Ali Gumani (Class of 2014, IBS HYDERABAD)

THE CULT CULTURE

Posted on May 5, 2015 by IBS India

Every human being is born with very little self awareness. And from that moment on, begins a lifelong exercise in construction of one’s unique identity. Personal identity is possessively guarded by the person and the sense of self is supreme. Despite this deep internal knowledge, each individual strives to be a part of something greater than the self; to become an element of a larger shared consciousness. Every one secretly wants to belong.

CULT BRAND

Cult brands aren’t just companies with products or services to sell. To many of their followers, they are living, breathing surrogate family filled with like-minded individuals. They are a support group that just happens to sell products or services. Picture a cult brand in this context, and you’ll have a much better understanding of why these brands all have such high customer loyalty and devoted followers. – Matthew W. Ragas

A Cult Brand is a benign cult or group where a high involvement product or service provided by the brand has a committed customer base. The members of the ‘tribe’ are passionately attached to the brand and share similar interests. The followers often engage in ritualistic behavior (like jargon or uniform) surrounding themselves with brand associations. Star Trek fans, for example, invest millions every year on the memorabilia of the hit series.

After the company has satisfied the general criteria of being a good brand, there is another distinctive factor which appeals to a potential cult consumer besides the need to belong. Something that is above and beyond the product. Something so strongly attractive to the person as to turn him into a brand loyalist. Something extraordinary.

That something, we find, is the promotion of self through the practice of projection.

That something is Image.

Since a cult customer shares the values of his beloved brand, relevant information can be conveyed about him on examining his possessions and patron-ship.

SPOTTING A CULT BRAND

There are a few traits common to a Cult Brand which can help make the identification:-

Identity lending

Dedicated customer loyalty

No true substitute or competition

Sense of shared ownership

Timeless, sustained allegiance

A lifestyle, not just a product

Strong internal and external communications

CULT BRANDS ARE THRIVING BRANDS

The Brand and its faithful followers both benefit from their inclusion in the phenomenon of Brand Cult.

When a group of customers has very strong associations between a brand and a desired feeling, the brand possesses equity which it can leverage to grow.

Oprah as a brand stands for ‘heart’ and the quiet joy that one derives from helping others. No wonder she has such a large and steadfast fan-base.

The loyal customers display low price sensitivity and willingly pay a premium for the value derived.

Moreover, there is practically no actual rival in the market. This is so because the deep emotional connect biases consumers in favor of the cult brand. They find no other brand’s product equally satisfactory.

Cult Brands expand naturally. They enjoy further purchases from link and kin of cult members who are keen to join the exclusive club thanks to the positive word-of-mouth advertisement.

CREATING A CULT BRAND

A lot goes into the making of a cult brand.

Cult Branding is the consequence of a higher understanding of the customer. This understanding in turn is made possible by the deft matching of product development and marketing with consumer insights of human needs.

In order to create a cult-like following, experts suggest firstly identifying your best customers and keeping an open line of communication with them.

Your repeat customers and referrers are your brand lovers. A well-maintained database, carefully crafted surveys and a regular review of the online brand-related noise will help you determine who these people are.

Interacting with them or even plain listening to them will make it a lot easier to recognize the intangible emotional clues that make you who you are to your customers. You will know why they chose to give you their business.

Now comes the time to serve your customers.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos says, “If you’re customer-focused, you’re always waking up wondering, how can we make that customer say, wow? We want to impress our customers—we want them to say, wow. That kind of divine discontent comes from observing customers and noticing that things can always be better.”

Amaze them, embrace them and celebrate their loyalty; let your customers know you are grateful and that they are special to you. Deliver them a life-style which fascinates them while facilitating self-expression and aspirations.

THE GOLDEN RULES

To truly capture your customer’s heart and foster the forces of customer loyalty, authors BJ Bueno and Scott Jeffrey state seven rules which all Cult brands abide by:-

Rule #1: Differentiate

Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else. – Margaret Mead

Offer your customers the chance to be part of a crowd while not neglecting their need to stand out from it.

How does one do that, you ask?

Simple.

Be the inclusive group that is different from the mainstream groups. Be remarkable!

Apple is a case in point. It is the epitome of a cult brand. Its brand slogans like ‘think different’ and the receptiveness of its customers demonstrate the manifestation of personal identity.

Rule #2: Be Courageous

Dare to be different. Believe in yourself and take calculated risks. Do not obsess about followers. Do your all to better serve them and have the confidence that success shall be yours.

Rule #3: Promote a Lifestyle

Experiential purchases help customers to pursue their aspirations and celebrate distinct lifestyles. Supporting the customers’ emotions will forge a bond between your brand and them.

Rule #4: Listen to Your Customers

Hear out your customers. These are the enthusiastic followers of your brand. Have the strength to take criticism or discontent and create solutions. You can turn the half-hearted followers into fervent believers just by showing them that you were really listening. Starbucks came up with the ‘splash stick’ as a result of the company’s ongoing idea exchange with its clientele.

Rule #5: Support Customer Communities

Build strong, ongoing relationships with your customers by developing and supporting customer communities in order to generate powerful, long-term goodwill. Setting up social events and online forums that reflect your brand’s mission is a promising way to show support and initiative.

Today, Coca Cola has an engaged global community of over 50 million avid evangelists connected through Facebook.

Rule #6: Be Open and Inviting

As a cult brand, do not discriminate. Welcome everyone. You must not exclude those who do not fit the profile of your ideal customer. Your customer will not come in the same packaging everytime.

Rule #7: Promote Personal Freedom

Be empowering. Let your customers feel in control and free to articulate themselves through your brand. Promote the message of self-expression minus the threat of consequences. Harley Davidson, for instance, sells the opportunity to experience feelings of raw freedom disguised as a bike.

The Brand and the customer enjoy a symbiotic or a mutually beneficial relationship. Cult consumers tend to stick with their favored brand over time. They care about what it stands for and what happens to it. They share a purpose with the company and other kindred souls in the cult. And they rave about the brand brilliance to anyone willing to listen.

Cult brands, on the other hand, are driven by powerful ethos and acknowledge appreciation of the loyalists. They adopt the Reverse Branding Model by initiating Brand Marketing strategies from the inside out. These brands are pervasive, inspirational and make genuine efforts to please their customers. They are relatable yet exceptional.

It is not a tough task for the cult brands to draw in the enthusiasts since they are a source of indescribable joy to their customers – the joy of belonging, owning and expressing.

At their core, cult brands are always fun. They make us happy. They uplift our spirits. They cheer us up when we’re down and give us confidence. They help us enjoy life. They not only make us feel better about ourselves, they also give us a temporary escape from the drudgery of everyday life. – Matthew W. Ragas

The future is bright. Even as new brands emerge to claim the mantle, we see established ones gathering a greater cult status. The culture of cults is bound to continue and prosper as long as brands have a host of ardent admirers who are cherished.

Contributed by Ankita Verma (Class of 2009, IBS Hyderabad)

How to learn about Crisis Management through MBA

Posted on May 4, 2015 by IBS India

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you will do things differently” – Warren Buffet

In October 1982, Johnson & Johnson fell off the ladder to find itself in trouble when seven people in Chicago were reported dead after taking extra-strength Tylenol capsules. It was reported that the medicine was tempered by some unknown suspect who allegedly put 65 mg of deadly cyanide in the Tylenol capsule. The market share of the product fell from 37% to 7% after this incident.

Once it was established that the deaths were caused by consuming the medicine, J&J had to do the damage control. It had to work on finding the best way of dealing with the problem while at the same time, prevent the reputation of the company and its most profitable product. Putting ahead public safety, J&J immediately recalled all the capsules from the market across the country. The massive product recall amounted to 31 million bottles and a loss of more than $100 million. The company also stopped all forms of advertising for the product.

Although J&J knew they were not responsible for the tempering, they assumed responsibility for the whole incident. Despite much speculation in the market regarding the company’s inability to revive from the sabotage, J&J re-launched the product after two months with temper proof seals supported by extensive media and marketing campaign. The company regained its product market share back to 31% within one year.

J&J’s handling of the whole incident marks the genesis of crisis management in corporate history. The company’s prompt action and effective response minimized the damage to the shareholders and the brand image of the company was held up and high.

In today’s digital age, everyone is vulnerable to crisis. It could occur due to factors that may or may not be under your control. Natural calamity, labour disputes, computer data losses; all these could cause a crisis situation for a company. Some might be temporary and curbed while some might even cause the demise of the company. Dealing with a crisis situation might call for absorbing short term losses in order to maintain the long term business health of the company. That was the reason of J&J’s comeback in Tylenol case.

Companies today have started to put crisis management quite ahead in their list of focus areas. There are teams in place that not just deal with a situation in reaction to after it has already happened. Their key role is also to forecast, project and plan for any potential uncalled for situation. It is also called proactive crisis management. Few important attributes that one needs to learn for effective crisis management are:

Importance of quick decision making – In a crisis situation, there is stress and time pressure which impairs your ability to take wise judgment calls, and your decisions are generally reactive. The bigger an incident is in magnitude; larger is the requirement for conscious analysis. Assess the potential of damage, check the availability of resources needed to do the damage control, prepare a time line and execution of action plan. Clarity of thought, ability to think under pressure and imagination to make the very best of what is available at hand in finding the way forward are the key expectations from a leader heading the crisis management team.

Communication management – The need of handling and maintaining the PR accentuates in the time of crisis. Staying aware of what is being said about you in social media and outside, by your employees, customer and sometimes competitors can help in picking up negative trend, which if unattended can turn into crisis. A bad word of mouth from any resource at any platform can be the genesis of a potential damage to the firm’s image.

Planning and monitoring – Some people might also call it risk management. The recognition of potential threats should be an ongoing aspect of every organization. Developing infrastructure and resources to gather, monitor and analyze information that will give warning of future problems is a vital aspect of pre-crisis phase.

Avoid self-inflicting a crisis – in times of changing consumer expectation and availability of multiple options, reputation today is a very fragile issue. Lack of customer care and value for loyalty can hamper your growth. In the field of marketing, word of mouth travels fast, and if it is bad, then it travels faster.

A crisis can also occur due to internal factors, as is evident from Maruti’s labour unrest, which caused India’s one of the most violent industrial incidents in July 2012. The company’s product image might not have been affected due to this incident, but it brought in light many internal unresolved conflicts faced by India’s largest passenger car maker. The incident led to the death of a manager, arrest of 147 workers and dismissal of 2000 workers from the Manesar plant.

The whole Maruti crisis asks us to ponder over the effectiveness of labour and industrial relations. The incident did eventually lead to revision of wages of the workers, but the basic problem of contract workers (that still constitute around 75% of Maruti’s workforce) still remains unresolved.

Though still holding a back-foot in Indian corporates, many companies abroad are implementing crisis management programs, conducting training and conferences to guide managers through this high profile process.

Crisis Management during MBA:

The field of crisis management in India is more prevalent as disaster management and is offered as an advance course. It deals with the specific case of impact through natural calamities or sometimes political emergencies and defense related issues. The context of crisis management education in India is everything but contemporary business.

For those pursuing MBA, crisis management is not a very sought after field either. In Indian B-school curriculum, the focus on this important field of management is rather average. But the future possibility of being associated with a company in crisis cannot be ruled out. Even if you are not exactly at a position that might call for taking responsibility and decision making, you will still have to face the impact, directly or indirectly, of a crisis ridden company. Hence it is important to understand this relatively new yet challenging field of management.

B-School curriculum should increase its focus on this field of contemporary management besides teaching other functional aspects of running a business. Crisis may not always necessarily appear at a larger or organizational level, it could be observed at a smaller or divisional level as well. Whistleblowers, manager disputes and harassment cases, all these could lead to intra-organizational crisis situations that could harm the employer’s reputation.

Currently, most MBA students know about crisis management only though case studies and some generic references by their professors. It is important to increase visibility to this field through simulation to inculcate better decision making, response and strategic thinking amongst students, preparing them for more real life situations, instilling long term planning and course of action.

Contributed by Isha Jajodia (class of 2010, IBS Gurgaon)

THREE BRACKETS FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT JOB

Posted on May 4, 2015 by IBS India

What is the “perfect job”? Unfortunately, it doesn’t exist. This is not an alarmingly pessimistic point of view, but rather a real one. Every man and woman has different strengths, weaknesses, opinions, personalities, and an unfathomable amount of other characteristics that, when combined and utilized, can help in the search for a job role that is a good fit. When you focus on finding your job fit, success is almost guaranteed to follow.

Now that it’s April – a time during which many first-year MBAs get and assess internship offers, and the time when present MBA aspirants start deciding whether attending a specific b-school will help effect the career change they hope for – it’s a good time to examine a straightforward, three-step framework for evaluating any new job opportunity, one that can apply in any situation (from choosing among large multinationals to deciding which start-up venture is the right ‘fit’ for you).

More and more professionals are viewing their careers to be dynamic, touching diverse sectors and roles, but centering their work around what gives them meaning and purpose. The truth is, instead of testing for a role, job searching has become more like shopping. And like buying a new outfit, it’s helpful to have a thorough understanding of yourself before you go into the fitting room- your assets, your liabilities, and what makes you smile, instead of buying anything and getting stuck not being able to return it.

The key to getting a job is about understanding how you and your potential employer fit together. To do that, you have to know how you find value at work and what drives that. Finding purpose in your career is about finding what excites you, and ultimately, what will allow you to create the most consequential impact in the world. It’s about your desire for impact, personal growth, and relationships. Clearly gaining perceptive on your drivers greatly increases your odds of success in a particular role or company. So, as you’re “shopping” for jobs, start by asking yourself who, why, and how; Choosing a career path (or changing one) is, for most of us, a mystifying experience. Many will tell you to “follow your passion” or “do what you love,” but this is not very useful advice. When I graduated from college, I liked lots of things. But love? Passion? That would have been seriously exaggerating it.

Facing a roadblock in career can be demoralizing, to say the least. Luckily, some successful people prove that it’s possible to bounce back. Clearly, the pop queen Madonna was destined to become more than working at a diner, and J.K. Rowling wasn’t passionate about her job as a secretary. Steve Jobs went through a crisis and eventual transformation after the company he created fired him. Walt Disney went from being bankrupt in his first biz venture to building an entertainment giant. For some, walking through the hard way is exactly what they need to launch into the success stories they are today.

We all want to choose a career that will make us happy, but how can we know what that will be? Rather than going through the rough path, we need to take the cautious steps from the start. Research suggests that human beings are remarkably bad at predicting how they will feel when doing something in the future. It’s not hard to find someone who started out thinking that they would love their chosen profession, only to wind up hating it. In fairness, how are you supposed to know if you will be happy as an investment banker, or an HR, or a professor, if you haven’t actually done any of these things yet?

So if passion and expected happiness can’t be your guides, what can be? Well, you can begin by choosing a career that fits well with your skills and values. Since you actually have some sense of what those are (hopefully), this is a good starting place. But a bit less obviously- though just as important- you also want to choose an occupation that provides a good motivational fit for you as well.

The upside is that there are fundamentally only three things to consider – industry, function, and organization. The downside, however, is that it is easy to lose track of these simple measures and tempting to overcomplicate one’s preferences by focusing in on variables that tend to matter less in the long-run (such as variation in compensation or signing bonus at the start of a new job vs. the long-term growth or raise in one’s income). So keeping the above pointers in mind, we can elaborate the heads as:

Industry:

Regardless of what you do for an organization (from managing its supply chain to overseeing its public relations), the time that you spend doing that work means that you’ve amassed more and more domain expertise specific to that industry. Whether you work in telecom or IT, in wealth management or manufacturing, in higher education or research, your accrued time in that field converts to both practical know-how and capacity to innovate and capitalize on change that would be complex for a newcomer to replicate.

Therefore, a big driver of your MBA internship or full-time job decision should be the extent to which you would be happy being more and more deeply involved in the above profiles and the exposures provided.

Function:

Although one’s career options considering functions can sometimes feel vague (‘product management’ and ‘business development’ can mean many different things across industries), focusing on one’s practical choice- whether that function is finance, marketing, HR, operations, etc. can be an important way to not only build domain knowledge but also an effecting capacity and skill-set that can be applied across varied businesses and industries.

Having practical expertise can act like prevention agent against a dip in a specific industry (for example, marketing skills one develops in the automotive industry, could offer a good transition to marketing roles in hardware and technology). When MBAs pursue careers in banking and finance, they are developing their financial and strategy/consulting functional skill-sets primarily, though, those functional abilities are more often than not linked to a specific underlying industry (e.g., ‘technology, media, and telecommunications’, as a specific area of client service in banking). Over time, most MBA graduates experience a union of their industry capability and functional role having an area of focus and a track-record within a specific field, combined with a broad general management education.

Organization:

It may seem apparent, but opting for the right company whether a private sector corporation, nonprofit organization, or a public sector agency can make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful career, and there are three things to consider when choosing the right one.

The first is the organization’s current and future competitive course within its industry. Are its products and services good? Is the company’s name well known? Does it rank high in reliability with respect to all of its business practices? Does the organization have a talent strategy that makes it an employer of choice? Joining an organization that is on an upswing is better at all times than joining one that is facing downsizing, layoffs, restructuring, etc.

The second thing to reflect on and a factor not to be ignored, is your own ‘fit’ with a specific organizational culture. Though fit can also seem difficult to identify, here are some ways to check if a company is the right match for you. Is the stuff you read in media about your company pride worthy or it makes you cringe? The main aim is to choose that organization where you will feel most mentally stirred and socially content, and where your input to its efforts will connect to a convention and a set of recollections that you would be happy to narrate years down the line. Searching all of these positive pointers can feel impossible at times, but it nonetheless brings logic to seek out and select those businesses that signify more positives than negatives for you.

Last, organizations are made of people, and whether the group is large or small, those few individuals whom you work with closely have immense power on your ability to be successful and recognized for your contribution. It’s a smart b-school scholar who understands that his or her second-choice employer might trump the first-choice company due to the existence of a finer management and a functional affiliation that is likely to grow into the sort where he/she will be mentored for success and that can truly accelerate an MBA graduate’s career.

When coming across the people of a company, notice the way they practice their work, their backgrounds and training. Such points will deeply signify what sorts of talent and qualities are expected of you, as well as what you will likely learn and gain from your peers. Joining a small company, in which you are mentored by an industry leader with a wide network who is likely to recognize and endorse your capability when you seek your subsequent career step may be a better option than joining a large organization merely for the sake of the weak association with thousands of fellow firm members spread across the world.

Thus that’s all there is to it. These three brackets – industry, function, and organization, the elementary building blocks and categories for assessing a job prospect – are all that you need to make a good career choice.

Contributed by Deeba, (Class of 2013, IBS Gurgaon)

Learning through challenges faced during MBA

Posted on May 1, 2015 by IBS India

MBA is a course where future leaders are created. There are challenges posed during the course which would enhance one in building their career with professionalism. Challenges which seem to pose as a threat initially, actually moulds us into a person we desire to become. Some of the challenges that we face during the course of MBA are:

Group Discussion
Gender Equality
Public Speaking
Presentation Skills
Interview Skills

Group discussion is a way by which one could assess about a person’s personality. It helps in understanding the technical capacity of a person and also how apt and ready he/she is for the job. MBA course organizes group discussion that helps in judging how a person will be in a corporate group under any given situation. Exchanging ideas and information among group of persons helps one to face a situation in a corporate office to engage in discussions to introduce newer policies and revolution into the company. Some of the ways by which we could excel in a group discussion are:

Being well prepared in advance on various topics like current affairs etc
Freedom of speech and confidence to be well built
Understanding the body language of other speakers
Enhancing listening skills, which will help us in not repeating the point already spoken and also speaking for/against a point
Personal attack should not take place
It is a platform to get recognized with effective language skills
Keep the group engaged in the discussion with relevant points rather than wandering alternatively

Working with the opposite gender could pose challenges for those who have not interacted much in their earlier lives. Based on a personal experience, it tends to get difficult as to how you would put across your ideas and thoughts to the opposite gender. We need to develop our body language and speaking skills in a manner which gets decoded in the same manner to both the genders. In order to achieve success in this arena, you could start with talking to people with opposite gender on smaller discussions. Next you could form a group consisting with both genders so that interaction is shared equally and there is lesser nervousness.

Sharing mind spaces with both the genders during MBA, helps in understanding the thought process on both sides. Equality and no gender discrimination are learnt through this scenario. Working in a corporate scenario with people from both genders leads to sharing a comfortable space and eases out on talks. A sense of culture is developed during MBA which helps in understanding the corporate culture and working with ethics and values bestowed.

Public speaking is one of the most essential qualities to be possessed for every person to succeed in presenting their thoughts in front of others. When a person speaks confidently, each word spoken by him or her will be appreciated by others. Similarly when a person gets nervous in speaking, his body language talks more than his/her words. People start losing interest in their talks.

MBA poses this challenge in the form of various activities like giving presentations, stage events etc. To overcome this challenge, start gathering knowledge on various events that take place around. Start discussing it with your friends and family. Sharing one’s thoughts and understanding the perspective of other person will help in shedding away the fears of speaking in front of a crowd. Once you are confident in talking in front of a smaller group, widen it with more friends, discuss it with professors, engage in public speaking events and join in presentation activities. Smaller steps towards public speaking will make you a more confident and knowledge enhanced person.

The next challenge is presentation skills. When presentations are made, they require technical and intellectual skills to be reflected. For effective presentations it is important to

Thoroughly analyzing and researching on the topic
Referencing each fact and data
One sentence for each point
Adding extra information in the notes section
Make it attractive but not with too many colours
Arranging each slide according to the guidelines

In order to make effective presentations it is important to understand the subject well and to be thorough with its information around all dimensions. This will lead to effective tacking of all the questions that would be asked at the end of the presentation. Also if the presentation is well made and well presented, the audience will have a clearer picture on the case.

With each level of challenges being successfully handled, the last challenge faced during MBA is Interview session. All throughout the course we are surrounded by so many activities, that it helps in building our personality in and out. We enhance our language skills, body language, presentation and people skills. Similarly our sense of style in terms of clothing also changes. We understand the value of formal clothing and how important it is during an interview sessions.

Our learning for this challenge comes from mock interviews conducted. Our advantages and disadvantages are highlighted and we get to work on those skills, ahead of the actual interview. Once our intellectual skills, technical skills and people skills are built, we are ready to face the interviewer and answer to all those questions with confidence and greater ability. At this stage it appears as a learned stage rather than challenge.

Once these five major challenges of the MBA course are faced and learnt, it shapes the personality and career with a growing upscale graph. Motivation is one of the major requirements at each stage of challenge, to help us outgrow of it successfully. MBA gives a sense of responsibility which people carry ahead in the professional lives which outshines their career and scope of improvement. The challenges that one faces during this course are steps leading to a successful career with effective people management, enhancing talent and becoming a responsible citizen.

“The road to success is difficult and filled with hindrances, motivation and willingness to reach the destination, will fulfil those desires”.

Contributed by Anju Bafna, (Class of 2010, IBS BANGLORE)