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MBA - management and more

MBA - management and more

Posted on Tuesday, June 24, 2008

An MBA degree has eventually become a 'necessity'. Jayanti Ghose gives you an insight into the course and the opportunities an MBA can open up

Management is not so much one structured career as an activity in which the purpose is to make the best use of available resources-human, material, money, equipment, time - in order to achieve a given objective.

An MBA programme is a broadening process, introducing the student to all the main management functions. Accountancy, economics, finance, human resource management, information management, marketing, production and operations management, business policy, government and the international economy, organisational behaviour, quantitative methods, and so on, form the core of a serious management programme. An internship during the programme provides one a glimpse into the operation of an organisation.

An MBA is much sought after by professionals in other fields to facilitate a career change.

Skills/ traits

Certain skills and traits are helpful for success in the profession. These include business acumen, quantitative aptitude, reasoning and, organising ability, self-confidence, resilience, sense of responsibility, unflappability in times of crises, and physical and mental energy.

Education and training

The two year full time MBA (Master of Business Administration) comes under different names such as Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM), Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration / Management (PGDBA/M), etc.

Typically, MBA programmes may be traditional ones, with options of finance, human resources, operations, marketing, systems management and so on. The first year is general for all students and this is followed by the specialisation in the second year. Some business schools offer dual specialisations and more flexibility in choice of electives.

There are also specialised management programmes like communications management/ advertising and communications management, international business management, insurance management, retail management, marketing management, IT management, infrastructure management, construction management, etc, which are suitable for individuals with specific career objectives.

Admission in MBA/ equivalent programmes involves clearing written entrance tests which evaluate verbal, analytical and quantitative ability. The next stage involves personality assessment through group discussions and interviews. Making it to the list of selected candidates depends on performance in the testing process (written and personality), academic record, extra curricular activities and work experience, if any.

Prominent management entrance tests include the Common Admission Test by the IIMs (www.catiim.in), XAT by XLRI Jamshedpur, Symbiosis National Aptitude Test (SNAP) by Symbiosis International University (www.snaptest.org), NMAT by NMIMS University (www.nmims.edu), AIMS Test for Management Admissions (ATMA) (www.atma-aims.org ), and in Maharashtra the Common Entrance Test (MAH-MBA-CET) by the Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra State (www.dte.org.in/mba) ( Merely an indicative review)

Admission notifications of national level premier business schools appear from July every year. The state level management entrance tests for admission to business schools are normally announced from December/January to February/March.

The part-time MBA/ equivalent, is usually of three years duration, and targeted at graduates with at least two years of supervisory/ executive experience after graduation. Distance education MBAs are suitable for those who are working and cannot find the time to attend even part-time classes for their training. Most of these programmes would not offer any facility of placements by the institution.

Institutions

* Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (www.iimahd.ernet.in)
* Indian Institute of Management,   Bangalore (www.iimb.ernet.in)
* Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta at Kolkata (www.iimcal.ac.in)
* Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow ( www.iiml.ac.in )
* Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode (www.iimk.ac.in)
* Indian Institute of Management, Indore (www.iimidr.ac.in)
* Rajiv Gandhi Indian Institute of Management, Shillong (www.rgiim.org)
* Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi/ Kolkata (www.iift.edu)
* XLRI Jamshedpur (www.xlri.edu/ )
* Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad ( www.mica-india.net )
* NMIMS Mumbai (www.nmims.edu)
* Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Mumbai (www.jbims.edu)
* SPJIMR Mumbai (www.spjimr.org)
* K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research, Mumbai( http://simsr.somaiya.edu)
* Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Pune (www.sibm.edu)
* Symbiosis Institute of Media & Communication (SIMC)],Pune (www.simc.edu)
* Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Resource Development (SCMHRD), Pune (www.scmhrd.edu)
* Welingkar's Mumbai/ Bangalore (www.welingkar.org)
* Mumbai Educational Trust, Mumbai (www.met.edu)
* ITM, Navi Mumbai (also Bangalore, Chennai, and Warangal) (www.itmedu)
* SIES College of Management Studies, Navi Mumbai (www.siescoms.edu)
* Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal (www.iifm.ac.in or www.iifm.org)
(Random indicative listing)

Placements / prospects

The quality of the MBA programme has become important for positioning in the job market. The reputation of the business school offering the programme makes a difference to the quality and variety of recruiters and the remuneration offered. Placement prospects are very good if you have performed well at a reputed business school.

The MBA is an intellectually challenging and interesting experience. It offers aspirants the option of climbing the career ladder in their current field or to change fields. An MBA offers flexibility, so managers often take their expertise from one type of organisation to another -say from manufacturing industry to tourism.

While placement from campus is affected by the reputation of the business school from where you qualify, it does not ensure lifelong success and advancement prospects. Hence, those who get well placed initially must take responsibility for their future growth along with those whose initial job offer is not very prestigious.

Scope for success and advancement prospects are dictated by the individual, his/ her ability to learn and grow with the experiences in the workplace, to anticipate trends, to identify organisations and industries with better potential for growth, to keep learning, and to evolve and innovate with the demands of the times.

(The writer is a well-known education consultant)

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