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Wednesday, February 07, 2007
IIM Lucknow opens campus in Noida
NOIDA: Indian Institute of Management Lucknow (IIML) today opened a campus here on the outskirts of the national capital that will focus on updating the skills and knowledge of working professionals.
The campus, spread over 20 acres and built at a cost of Rs 60 crore, will cater to working professionals in Delhi and nearby areas, IIML Chairman Hari Shankar Singhania told reporters after inaugurating the Noida branch.
IIML, he said, is the first IIM to start a second campus.
"In keeping with its vision of becoming a global, socially conscious and integrated centre of learning, contributing towards management development both in India and abroad, IIML Noida campus will be the centre of management excellence and march ahead with global tie-ups and world class programmes," he said.
The campus, which is expected to be functional by September this year, will have an academic block, a library, an administrative section, a hostel, a computer centre and other facilities.
To start with, the centre will offer the Working Management Programme. Later, the campus will offer global management programmes, IIML Director Devi Singh said.
"The campus will be global in scale and we plan to have around 20 full-time faculty members here. The courses will be conducted with an underlying emphasis on creating global business leaders," he said.
The modalities for admission and other aspects are being worked out, he added
The campus, spread over 20 acres and built at a cost of Rs 60 crore, will cater to working professionals in Delhi and nearby areas, IIML Chairman Hari Shankar Singhania told reporters after inaugurating the Noida branch.
IIML, he said, is the first IIM to start a second campus.
"In keeping with its vision of becoming a global, socially conscious and integrated centre of learning, contributing towards management development both in India and abroad, IIML Noida campus will be the centre of management excellence and march ahead with global tie-ups and world class programmes," he said.
The campus, which is expected to be functional by September this year, will have an academic block, a library, an administrative section, a hostel, a computer centre and other facilities.
To start with, the centre will offer the Working Management Programme. Later, the campus will offer global management programmes, IIML Director Devi Singh said.
"The campus will be global in scale and we plan to have around 20 full-time faculty members here. The courses will be conducted with an underlying emphasis on creating global business leaders," he said.
The modalities for admission and other aspects are being worked out, he added
IIM Lucknow to add 147 seats for OBCs
NOIDA: The Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIML) will add 147 seats over the next three years, with the additional infrastructure expected to cost around Rs 43 crore, to implement reservation for OBCs.
Increasing the number of seats in a phase-wise manner, the institute will add 45 seats in 2007-08, followed by 55 seats in 2008-09 and 47 seats the next year, IIML Director Dr Devi Singh told PTI today on the sidelines of the inauguration of IIML's Noida campus here.
He said the additional infrastructure needed to implement the reservation would cost around Rs 43 crore. "We are spending the money for enhancing facilities such as classrooms, auditorium and hostels. We have already started work on building a hostel in our campus in Lucknow," he said.
Presently, IIML has about 300 seats. "We have a teacher student ratio of 1:10. In order to ensure quality, we do not want to bring down this ratio. We presently have 60 faculty members," he said.
IIML has proposed to the government to grant another 60 teachers in view of the increase in the number of students.
"But the government has agreed to grant only 20 more teachers. This will be insufficient," he said.
Increasing the number of seats in a phase-wise manner, the institute will add 45 seats in 2007-08, followed by 55 seats in 2008-09 and 47 seats the next year, IIML Director Dr Devi Singh told PTI today on the sidelines of the inauguration of IIML's Noida campus here.
He said the additional infrastructure needed to implement the reservation would cost around Rs 43 crore. "We are spending the money for enhancing facilities such as classrooms, auditorium and hostels. We have already started work on building a hostel in our campus in Lucknow," he said.
Presently, IIML has about 300 seats. "We have a teacher student ratio of 1:10. In order to ensure quality, we do not want to bring down this ratio. We presently have 60 faculty members," he said.
IIML has proposed to the government to grant another 60 teachers in view of the increase in the number of students.
"But the government has agreed to grant only 20 more teachers. This will be insufficient," he said.
Monday, February 05, 2007
IPSAR to offer new courses next year
CUTTACK based educational institute IPSAR has embarked on an expansion drive and is set to offer new programmes in diverse fields from the forthcoming academic year.
The institute has drawn up elaborate plans for starting courses in franchise and retail management, MBA programme for executives, BBA and a complete commerce stream from plus two to graduation level.
Executive director of IPSAR Prof JK Mishra said, rising consumerism and the boom in the retail scenario in India has opened up immense career opportunities for the youth in the sector. The entry of global giants like Wal-Mart and foray of leading Indian entities like Reliance into the retail sector has propelled it to a position among the most alluring and promising employment generator in the country.
The Diploma in Franchise and Retail Management programme would mould students into effective managers and grab their places in the thriving retail sector, Mishra said.
The new courses would have an intake capacity of 600 and would be brought into force from the new academic session. The institute at present offers programmes in MBA, BCA and plus two science.
The institute has drawn up elaborate plans for starting courses in franchise and retail management, MBA programme for executives, BBA and a complete commerce stream from plus two to graduation level.
Executive director of IPSAR Prof JK Mishra said, rising consumerism and the boom in the retail scenario in India has opened up immense career opportunities for the youth in the sector. The entry of global giants like Wal-Mart and foray of leading Indian entities like Reliance into the retail sector has propelled it to a position among the most alluring and promising employment generator in the country.
The Diploma in Franchise and Retail Management programme would mould students into effective managers and grab their places in the thriving retail sector, Mishra said.
The new courses would have an intake capacity of 600 and would be brought into force from the new academic session. The institute at present offers programmes in MBA, BCA and plus two science.
IIM-L course on carbon markets
Profitable businesses and responsible environmental policies may not have gone hand-in-hand till now. All this may well be changing. Young MBAs are now getting a shot at making 'green' money.
Corporate environment management and study on carbon markets are now finding their way into MBA coursebooks. The Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM-L ), has started a course that seeks to provide students with an understanding of changing relationship between business and environmental management.
With big names like Reliance , Tata Steel, Jindal Steel and Power set to enter the carbon market, the course is expected to equip future managers with the fundamentals on the intricacies of these markets and their potential.
'' The new course will involve some 15 hours of teaching . According to analysts, India can generate 248 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent or certified emission reduction (CER) units per year, including 78 million tonnes from land-use and plantation projects. India can annually make around $2,000 million in the clean development mechanism (CDM) projects , and currently accounts for just 13.72% of the global CDM market.
There is a tremendous potential for companies to grow in this segment and, therefore, it's essential that future managers are made aware of this," said professor Sushil Kumar, professor of agri-business and course pioneer.
'' I have had discussions with companies like Tata Steel, and these corporates have shown an interest in a course for managers on carbon markets. They feel there is a need for future managers to be aware of carbon markets and environmental issues ,"he added.
Apart from a study on carbon markets, the course will also focus on how businesses can move beyond an approach that seeks just to minimise environmental impacts, to strategies that seek to proactively manage various enviromental issues. Students will also be given an opportunity to gain an understanding of the importance of socially responsible strategies
Corporate environment management and study on carbon markets are now finding their way into MBA coursebooks. The Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM-L ), has started a course that seeks to provide students with an understanding of changing relationship between business and environmental management.
With big names like Reliance , Tata Steel, Jindal Steel and Power set to enter the carbon market, the course is expected to equip future managers with the fundamentals on the intricacies of these markets and their potential.
'' The new course will involve some 15 hours of teaching . According to analysts, India can generate 248 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent or certified emission reduction (CER) units per year, including 78 million tonnes from land-use and plantation projects. India can annually make around $2,000 million in the clean development mechanism (CDM) projects , and currently accounts for just 13.72% of the global CDM market.
There is a tremendous potential for companies to grow in this segment and, therefore, it's essential that future managers are made aware of this," said professor Sushil Kumar, professor of agri-business and course pioneer.
'' I have had discussions with companies like Tata Steel, and these corporates have shown an interest in a course for managers on carbon markets. They feel there is a need for future managers to be aware of carbon markets and environmental issues ,"he added.
Apart from a study on carbon markets, the course will also focus on how businesses can move beyond an approach that seeks just to minimise environmental impacts, to strategies that seek to proactively manage various enviromental issues. Students will also be given an opportunity to gain an understanding of the importance of socially responsible strategies
Friday, February 02, 2007
'2-year course not MBA'
BANGALORE: Management institutes offering fancy courses and one-year MBAs are now under the scanner.
The All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which also regulates management education in the country, has asked all states to caution private B-schools against fooling students by calling their full-time regular management programme an MBA.
According to its revised regulations, every two-year full-time general management programme, which is not affiliated to any university, will have to be referred to as post-graduate diploma in management (PGDM). Along with it, B-schools have to mention the sector/branch in brackets.
For instance, programmes focusing on finance will be called PGDM (finance). AICTE will not approve PG management courses that are of less than 12-months duration. Any management programme with duration between one and two years will be treated as a certificate course.
This means that no private B-school can offer an MBA or a PGDM if the course is for more than one year and less than two years. "Candidates completing these certificate programmes will be awarded post-graduate certificate in management.
If such a programme is sector or function-specific, the parenthesis will denote the focus like in the case of PGDM," AICTE adviser (management and technical bureau) K Madhu Murthy has said in a note to all states and AICTE regional offices.
Further regulating executive management programmes, AICTE has said that such programmes will have to be for a minimum of 15 months.
The All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), which also regulates management education in the country, has asked all states to caution private B-schools against fooling students by calling their full-time regular management programme an MBA.
According to its revised regulations, every two-year full-time general management programme, which is not affiliated to any university, will have to be referred to as post-graduate diploma in management (PGDM). Along with it, B-schools have to mention the sector/branch in brackets.
For instance, programmes focusing on finance will be called PGDM (finance). AICTE will not approve PG management courses that are of less than 12-months duration. Any management programme with duration between one and two years will be treated as a certificate course.
This means that no private B-school can offer an MBA or a PGDM if the course is for more than one year and less than two years. "Candidates completing these certificate programmes will be awarded post-graduate certificate in management.
If such a programme is sector or function-specific, the parenthesis will denote the focus like in the case of PGDM," AICTE adviser (management and technical bureau) K Madhu Murthy has said in a note to all states and AICTE regional offices.
Further regulating executive management programmes, AICTE has said that such programmes will have to be for a minimum of 15 months.
No colleges in rented premises: AICTE
Bangalore: Ahead of the admission season, AICTE has dropped a bombshell close down all B-schools and engineering colleges that are functioning out of rented buildings or sheds.
The apex body which regulates technical and management education institutes in the country has asked all institutions that are functioning on temporary location to shut down by March 31 if they do not shift to approved permanent site with full facilities.
Such institutes will not be permitted to offer courses for the academic year 2007-08. It will also be mandatory for colleges to have at least 50% built-up area to admit students. If the shortfall is more then 50%, then the institute will be placed under no-admission category.
In colleges where the shortfall is between 25-50%, the intake will be cut by 50%. "The requirements of built up area per student is 11.7 sqm. The built up area for the approved intake must be provided before the commencement of the next academic session," said and AICTE circular that was sent to colleges.
The apex body has come out with fresh guidelines for institutes, which were given conditional approval last year. After the apex body introduced round-the-year approval scheme, several engineering and management institutes were given conditional approval though they had certain deficiencies in staff and infrastructure.
"Several colleges have been given conditional approval with a deadline to overcome the deficiencies. Majority of the colleges in Karnataka and Kerala have met the norms. We will not give permission to colleges to admit students if they show no progress," D S Bagri, AICTE regional officer (South-Western region) told TOI.
There are 1,518 engineering colleges across the country with an intake of 5,69,283 students and 1,147 institutes offering MBA/PGDM admitting over 94,000 students. Andhra Pradesh alone has 281 colleges followed by Tamil Nadu with 247 colleges and Maharashtra with 170 colleges.
In Karnataka there are 126 AICTE-approved engineering colleges that admit over 55,000 students. As per the revised guidelines, it will be mandatory for all institutes to appoint qualified directors/principals by June 30 to get extension.
The apex body which regulates technical and management education institutes in the country has asked all institutions that are functioning on temporary location to shut down by March 31 if they do not shift to approved permanent site with full facilities.
Such institutes will not be permitted to offer courses for the academic year 2007-08. It will also be mandatory for colleges to have at least 50% built-up area to admit students. If the shortfall is more then 50%, then the institute will be placed under no-admission category.
In colleges where the shortfall is between 25-50%, the intake will be cut by 50%. "The requirements of built up area per student is 11.7 sqm. The built up area for the approved intake must be provided before the commencement of the next academic session," said and AICTE circular that was sent to colleges.
The apex body has come out with fresh guidelines for institutes, which were given conditional approval last year. After the apex body introduced round-the-year approval scheme, several engineering and management institutes were given conditional approval though they had certain deficiencies in staff and infrastructure.
"Several colleges have been given conditional approval with a deadline to overcome the deficiencies. Majority of the colleges in Karnataka and Kerala have met the norms. We will not give permission to colleges to admit students if they show no progress," D S Bagri, AICTE regional officer (South-Western region) told TOI.
There are 1,518 engineering colleges across the country with an intake of 5,69,283 students and 1,147 institutes offering MBA/PGDM admitting over 94,000 students. Andhra Pradesh alone has 281 colleges followed by Tamil Nadu with 247 colleges and Maharashtra with 170 colleges.
In Karnataka there are 126 AICTE-approved engineering colleges that admit over 55,000 students. As per the revised guidelines, it will be mandatory for all institutes to appoint qualified directors/principals by June 30 to get extension.
GLIM to set up 14-acre campus
CHENNAI: Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM), a B-school founded by Kellogg's Bala V Balachandran, is setting up its own campus on a 14-acre land about 55 km away from Chennai on the east coast road. The management school, which offers a one-year management programme, plans to invest Rs 25 crore in infrastructure over the next two years.
S Sriram, executive director, GLIM, said in Chennai on Thursday that upon completion, the new campus would have a built-up area of 1.8 lakh sq ft, of which about 1 lakh sq ft would be ready within a year. "We will move to our own campus for the batch starting April 2008," he said. The B-school presently operates from a 15,000-sq ft rented building in Chennai, but has had experts from across the world, including marketing guru Philip Kotler, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics 2004 Finn Kydland, University of Michigan management professor C K Prahalad, IMF chief economist Raghuram Rajan, and new age spiritual guru Deepak Chopra, speak to its students. Some of these sessions had to be conducted outside the campus. Mr Sriram said its present campus was a little cramped. This is why it was going for the new one. The new campus will include hostels, auditorium and buildings for its research centres. The B-school spent Rs 5 crore for the land from its surplus funds, and will seek donations in India and abroad for the Rs 25 crore it needs for other infrastructure. It is in the process of finalising an architect to build a 'green' , environment-friendly and energy-efficient campus. The Bschool is establishing chair professorships in two domains , family business and marketing, with funding from Mr Gopal Srinivasan, managing director, TVS Electronics, and Mr K B Chandrasekhar, chairman, Jamcracker. GLIM is talking to a few other institutions to establish more chairs.
GLIM is presently in its third year of operations, with the batch of 2007 having 162 students. Around 125 students passed out in 2006. Average salary (domestic ) was Rs 7.3 lakh a year, and highest salary Rs 24 lakh a year. Over 80 companies made above 150 offers last year, the B-school said.
S Sriram, executive director, GLIM, said in Chennai on Thursday that upon completion, the new campus would have a built-up area of 1.8 lakh sq ft, of which about 1 lakh sq ft would be ready within a year. "We will move to our own campus for the batch starting April 2008," he said. The B-school presently operates from a 15,000-sq ft rented building in Chennai, but has had experts from across the world, including marketing guru Philip Kotler, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics 2004 Finn Kydland, University of Michigan management professor C K Prahalad, IMF chief economist Raghuram Rajan, and new age spiritual guru Deepak Chopra, speak to its students. Some of these sessions had to be conducted outside the campus. Mr Sriram said its present campus was a little cramped. This is why it was going for the new one. The new campus will include hostels, auditorium and buildings for its research centres. The B-school spent Rs 5 crore for the land from its surplus funds, and will seek donations in India and abroad for the Rs 25 crore it needs for other infrastructure. It is in the process of finalising an architect to build a 'green' , environment-friendly and energy-efficient campus. The Bschool is establishing chair professorships in two domains , family business and marketing, with funding from Mr Gopal Srinivasan, managing director, TVS Electronics, and Mr K B Chandrasekhar, chairman, Jamcracker. GLIM is talking to a few other institutions to establish more chairs.
GLIM is presently in its third year of operations, with the batch of 2007 having 162 students. Around 125 students passed out in 2006. Average salary (domestic ) was Rs 7.3 lakh a year, and highest salary Rs 24 lakh a year. Over 80 companies made above 150 offers last year, the B-school said.
THE CLASS of 2007 from India's top engineering campuses has put its going rate at a whopping Rs 6.8 lakh from their dream companies ” a rise of over 15% from the previous year. It's no wonder then that their list of top 10 employers is shorn of everything but consulting and technology majors the biggest paymasters around.
The AC Nielsen Campus Track TSchools 06 survey polled students from the country's 73 leading engineering schools to understand their industries and companies of choice and the reasons behind these choices.
“The increase in expectations is significantly higher than last year when we saw an increase of about 10% in the average salary expectation,said Mr Prasenjit Das, associate director, AC Nielsen. What is interesting is that while the increase in average salary expectation is about 15% for dream companies, it's as high as 25% for other companies, he added. A key reason for the rise in expectations is the overall buoyancy in the economy. Companies too have been offering students high entry-level packages, adding to expectations . The top 10 list of the 05 batch included a wider spectrum IT/consulting , FMCG and core sector companies ;06 had IT/consulting and FMCG; and finally the 07 batch has only IT/consulting firms in the top 10 list.
So, the shift in perception as ˜Dream Recruiter' has narrowed down to only IT/consulting over the years,notes the report. That's bad news piled on bad news for industries like manufacturing, engineering, construction, electrical and others, which have long complained of acute manpower shortages. One of the biggest constraints in recruitment and retention for these industries has been their inability to match the salary levels offered by IT firms. Today, every engineering industry needs 25% more engineers than it presently has, said Mr Ajay Dhagat, president of IEEMA. Mr Dhagat is MD of energy transmission and distribution company Areva. He also pointed to the trickle-down effect, saying that with the software industry poaching, brick and mortar companies were forced to poach from SMEs, who suffer the most. Such problems are only likely to worsen.
The AC Nielsen Campus Track TSchools 06 survey polled students from the country's 73 leading engineering schools to understand their industries and companies of choice and the reasons behind these choices.
“The increase in expectations is significantly higher than last year when we saw an increase of about 10% in the average salary expectation,said Mr Prasenjit Das, associate director, AC Nielsen. What is interesting is that while the increase in average salary expectation is about 15% for dream companies, it's as high as 25% for other companies, he added. A key reason for the rise in expectations is the overall buoyancy in the economy. Companies too have been offering students high entry-level packages, adding to expectations . The top 10 list of the 05 batch included a wider spectrum IT/consulting , FMCG and core sector companies ;06 had IT/consulting and FMCG; and finally the 07 batch has only IT/consulting firms in the top 10 list.
So, the shift in perception as ˜Dream Recruiter' has narrowed down to only IT/consulting over the years,notes the report. That's bad news piled on bad news for industries like manufacturing, engineering, construction, electrical and others, which have long complained of acute manpower shortages. One of the biggest constraints in recruitment and retention for these industries has been their inability to match the salary levels offered by IT firms. Today, every engineering industry needs 25% more engineers than it presently has, said Mr Ajay Dhagat, president of IEEMA. Mr Dhagat is MD of energy transmission and distribution company Areva. He also pointed to the trickle-down effect, saying that with the software industry poaching, brick and mortar companies were forced to poach from SMEs, who suffer the most. Such problems are only likely to worsen.
COLLEGE students are learning a new lesson
COLLEGE students are learning a new lesson - that life need not begin and end with the three magic letters: MBA. As a result from NID to Nift, hotel management and architecture colleges to institute for vocational studies are reporting a very good placement season. Salaries, jobs offers and the number of recruiters on these campuses have multiplied. Most are reporting a sharp surge in first-time recruiters. Company profile too has changed - the names have become bigger, more varied and in fact many emerging sectors like retail, aviation are now scouting some of these campuses like hotel management institutes for hiring. Experts says stiff competition on campuses, brisk growth in niche emerging sectors and the need to seek specialised talent is pushing these companies to tap these specialised and not-so-known colleges.
GOOD SALARIES, GOOD JOBS
National Institute of Fashion Technology (Nift), Delhi is the best example. Since 2005, the highest and the lowest salary packages have risen 73% and 22% respectively. Altogether 200 companies have visited the campus so far, and made 1,200 job offers to 565 students, of whom nearly 80 got placed overseas. Companies of all range from retailing majors like Reliance to consultancy major like Technopak, designers like JJ Valaya to trading companies like Intercraft Trading have showed up on the campuses - many for the first time.
"In Nift number of offers, as gauged by the internship offers, are expected to go up from two per student to four," says Mr Shantmanu, director, Nift, Kolkata. Nirma University in Ahmedabad has broken all its placement records this year. Accenture has offered the highest package of Rs 8.5 lakh. The average annual salary too has gone up to Rs 6.8 lakh from Rs 5.3 lakh last year. Nirma has seen a host of first-time recruiters this year, like PSU Indian Oil, call centre Cognizant Technologies, Wipro, IBM, and Global Trade Finance.
It's the same trend in hotel management. At the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Pusa, New Delhi, 17 companies - largely hotels - came in for campus placements four years ago. This year, the number has shot up to 56. According to him, while three years ago, a fresh graduate used to draw about 1.5-2 lakh, this figure is now Rs 3-3 .5 lakh. "This is just the cash component, and not the regular CTC," says Alok Shivapuri, principal , IHM, Pusa.
Colleges like the Sukhdev College of Business Studies and College of Vocational Studies may not be the first choice for many, but are nevertheless gaining recognition. The average annual salary being offered to BBA students here is expected to be around Rs 3.5-4 .5 lakh - comparable to salaries on offer in some better-known B-schools .
However, not all institutions sizzle when it comes to pay packages. At National Institute of Design (NID) Bangalore, for instance, packages offered this year are not great. The reasons, say industry observers, are that industries that need this kind of talent are still emerging in India and it will take some more time before there is a jump in packages . At NID, the highest pay package this year was around Rs 9 lakh while the average annual salary was around Rs 5-6 lakh. "Though we are witnessing huge interest from several national players across sectors, the average package remains almost the same. We are not encouraging high salaries as we want to give more importance to work profile in the design segment," said Akhil Succena, activity chairperson , education, NID.
In architecture, there is a huge gulf between pay packages within campuses. "The wide difference in the salary can be attributed to three factors - company size, capacity of the student to work and the job profile," says Rajan Lakule, principal, Sir JJ School of Architecture, Mumbai, where the monthly salary bracket ranges from Rs 5,000- 25,000.
CHANGING COMPANY PROFILE
The profile of companies coming to these campuses is changing too. Hotel management institutes are seeing a shift in recruiters from the conventional hotels to sectors like aviation and entertainment , while art colleges are seeing a shift from garment exporters to retail giants. "The profile of recruiters has changed drastically, with new recruiters like airlines, banks and credit companies lining up. Of them, airlines are the best pay masters ," says Mr Shivapuri. The line-up is so diverse and thick, that institutes are finding it hard to keep up the supply. "Management schools should incorporate courses specific to industries in the hospitality sector. Since mostly newer recruiters, from banks, airlines, entertainment and aviation offer fat salary, students opt for them and hotels face a talent crunch," says AK Saxena, principal, IHM, Mumbai.
At Nift, for instance, the diversity in recruitment stands out more than anything else. There are segments like retail (Pantaloon, Reliance Retail), design brands (Tommy Hillfiger, Indian Terrain, designers ( JJ Valaya, Raghvendra Rathore. Consultants like Technopak and some luxury goods and cosmetic brands (Intercraft Trading and AYN Accessory Trading from Germany ) are all lining up for recruitments. Many foreign companies like Brandix Apparel from Sri Lanka, Landmark (Dubai), MUST Garments (Bahrain), Mayfair & Paris Group, Dubai have come to the campus for the first time, and are offering dollar salaries.
Similarly companies that visited the NID campus have become more varied - from IT major Microsoft, ITC, Whirlpool to Procter & Gamble. Even in architecture, students are moving into diverse areas.
CAMPUS TIGHTENS SCREENING NORMS
The rising popularity of these niche courses have made colleges hold more classes; some have even altered the eligibility criteria to filter students better. At the IGI School of Gemology, for example, which commenced certification in India seven years ago, architects and engineers enrol for courses that span from six weeks to three months. "We used to conduct two courses a month but now we conduct the same course seven times in a month," says Ramit Kapur, head, marketing and education, IGI.
(Inputs from Sreeradha Basu, Shreya
Biswas, Mansi Bhatt and Mayur Jha)
SMARTER OPTIONS
At Nift
, cos of all ranges from retailing majors to consultancies and designers have showed up
In hotel
management, while three years ago a fresh graduate used to draw about Rs 1.5 lakh-Rs 2 lakh, this figure is now Rs 3 lakh-Rs 3.5 lakh
Hotel management
institutes are seeing a shift in recruiters from the conventional hotels to sectors like aviation and entertainment
GOOD SALARIES, GOOD JOBS
National Institute of Fashion Technology (Nift), Delhi is the best example. Since 2005, the highest and the lowest salary packages have risen 73% and 22% respectively. Altogether 200 companies have visited the campus so far, and made 1,200 job offers to 565 students, of whom nearly 80 got placed overseas. Companies of all range from retailing majors like Reliance to consultancy major like Technopak, designers like JJ Valaya to trading companies like Intercraft Trading have showed up on the campuses - many for the first time.
"In Nift number of offers, as gauged by the internship offers, are expected to go up from two per student to four," says Mr Shantmanu, director, Nift, Kolkata. Nirma University in Ahmedabad has broken all its placement records this year. Accenture has offered the highest package of Rs 8.5 lakh. The average annual salary too has gone up to Rs 6.8 lakh from Rs 5.3 lakh last year. Nirma has seen a host of first-time recruiters this year, like PSU Indian Oil, call centre Cognizant Technologies, Wipro, IBM, and Global Trade Finance.
It's the same trend in hotel management. At the Institute of Hotel Management (IHM), Pusa, New Delhi, 17 companies - largely hotels - came in for campus placements four years ago. This year, the number has shot up to 56. According to him, while three years ago, a fresh graduate used to draw about 1.5-2 lakh, this figure is now Rs 3-3 .5 lakh. "This is just the cash component, and not the regular CTC," says Alok Shivapuri, principal , IHM, Pusa.
Colleges like the Sukhdev College of Business Studies and College of Vocational Studies may not be the first choice for many, but are nevertheless gaining recognition. The average annual salary being offered to BBA students here is expected to be around Rs 3.5-4 .5 lakh - comparable to salaries on offer in some better-known B-schools .
However, not all institutions sizzle when it comes to pay packages. At National Institute of Design (NID) Bangalore, for instance, packages offered this year are not great. The reasons, say industry observers, are that industries that need this kind of talent are still emerging in India and it will take some more time before there is a jump in packages . At NID, the highest pay package this year was around Rs 9 lakh while the average annual salary was around Rs 5-6 lakh. "Though we are witnessing huge interest from several national players across sectors, the average package remains almost the same. We are not encouraging high salaries as we want to give more importance to work profile in the design segment," said Akhil Succena, activity chairperson , education, NID.
In architecture, there is a huge gulf between pay packages within campuses. "The wide difference in the salary can be attributed to three factors - company size, capacity of the student to work and the job profile," says Rajan Lakule, principal, Sir JJ School of Architecture, Mumbai, where the monthly salary bracket ranges from Rs 5,000- 25,000.
CHANGING COMPANY PROFILE
The profile of companies coming to these campuses is changing too. Hotel management institutes are seeing a shift in recruiters from the conventional hotels to sectors like aviation and entertainment , while art colleges are seeing a shift from garment exporters to retail giants. "The profile of recruiters has changed drastically, with new recruiters like airlines, banks and credit companies lining up. Of them, airlines are the best pay masters ," says Mr Shivapuri. The line-up is so diverse and thick, that institutes are finding it hard to keep up the supply. "Management schools should incorporate courses specific to industries in the hospitality sector. Since mostly newer recruiters, from banks, airlines, entertainment and aviation offer fat salary, students opt for them and hotels face a talent crunch," says AK Saxena, principal, IHM, Mumbai.
At Nift, for instance, the diversity in recruitment stands out more than anything else. There are segments like retail (Pantaloon, Reliance Retail), design brands (Tommy Hillfiger, Indian Terrain, designers ( JJ Valaya, Raghvendra Rathore. Consultants like Technopak and some luxury goods and cosmetic brands (Intercraft Trading and AYN Accessory Trading from Germany ) are all lining up for recruitments. Many foreign companies like Brandix Apparel from Sri Lanka, Landmark (Dubai), MUST Garments (Bahrain), Mayfair & Paris Group, Dubai have come to the campus for the first time, and are offering dollar salaries.
Similarly companies that visited the NID campus have become more varied - from IT major Microsoft, ITC, Whirlpool to Procter & Gamble. Even in architecture, students are moving into diverse areas.
CAMPUS TIGHTENS SCREENING NORMS
The rising popularity of these niche courses have made colleges hold more classes; some have even altered the eligibility criteria to filter students better. At the IGI School of Gemology, for example, which commenced certification in India seven years ago, architects and engineers enrol for courses that span from six weeks to three months. "We used to conduct two courses a month but now we conduct the same course seven times in a month," says Ramit Kapur, head, marketing and education, IGI.
(Inputs from Sreeradha Basu, Shreya
Biswas, Mansi Bhatt and Mayur Jha)
SMARTER OPTIONS
At Nift
, cos of all ranges from retailing majors to consultancies and designers have showed up
In hotel
management, while three years ago a fresh graduate used to draw about Rs 1.5 lakh-Rs 2 lakh, this figure is now Rs 3 lakh-Rs 3.5 lakh
Hotel management
institutes are seeing a shift in recruiters from the conventional hotels to sectors like aviation and entertainment
Overseas postings, big bucks woo under-grads
AN MBA degree may not be the make or break factor in your career afterall . An under-graduate degree from a premier institute is also likely to get you a fat pay packet and even a foreign placement.
Sample this: Average salaries at Delhi University's St Stephen's college will touch Rs 4 lakh/annum by the end of this fiscal beating some of the Bschools such as Institute of Management Development and Research (IMDR), Pune, where the average was Rs 3.84 lakh/annum. The average pay packet matches the averages hovering in several other management schools such as Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal and Amrita School of Business.
This is not all. The highest domestic salary on offer is at Rs 9.5 lakh/annum which has bettered the highest offers at several Bschools including Somaiya Institute of Management Studies, Welingkar Institute of Management and Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM) among others. The highest domestic offers at these institutes ranged from Rs 7.25-7 .5 lakh/annum. Further, overseas offers at under-grad colleges look attractive. While IIFM saw the highest overseas offer touching $45,000 per annum (Rs 20,25,000) at St Stephen's college , Reckitt Benckiser offered 25,000 pounds per annum (Rs 20,00,000). DSP Merrill Lynch offered an internship at a whopping 40,000 pounds per annum.
A host of companies from the FMCG sector, financial services industry, media houses, advertising agencies and consultancies are thronging campuses like never before. HLL, McKinsey, KPMG, Ernst & Young, Aptivaa Consulting, DSP Merrill Lynch, Monitor Group, Bain & Company , Executive Access and Reckitt Benckiser are among those on the prowl. At Presidency College, kolkata, placements have gone up 200% over the past five years.
At Delhi's SRCC, the number of companies showing up on the campus is expected to go up from 10 in 2001, to 35 companies making up to 150 offers this year. Placements, which stood at 50% in 2003 in city colleges, have been steadily rising 7-8 % every year.
CAMPUS CALLING
Under-graduate degrees from top institutes will fetch fat pay packets Average salaries at St Stephen's college to touch Rs 4 lakh/annum by the end of this fiscal The highest domestic salary on offer is Rs 9.5 lakh/annum which has bettered the offers at several B-schools
Sample this: Average salaries at Delhi University's St Stephen's college will touch Rs 4 lakh/annum by the end of this fiscal beating some of the Bschools such as Institute of Management Development and Research (IMDR), Pune, where the average was Rs 3.84 lakh/annum. The average pay packet matches the averages hovering in several other management schools such as Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), Bhopal and Amrita School of Business.
This is not all. The highest domestic salary on offer is at Rs 9.5 lakh/annum which has bettered the highest offers at several Bschools including Somaiya Institute of Management Studies, Welingkar Institute of Management and Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM) among others. The highest domestic offers at these institutes ranged from Rs 7.25-7 .5 lakh/annum. Further, overseas offers at under-grad colleges look attractive. While IIFM saw the highest overseas offer touching $45,000 per annum (Rs 20,25,000) at St Stephen's college , Reckitt Benckiser offered 25,000 pounds per annum (Rs 20,00,000). DSP Merrill Lynch offered an internship at a whopping 40,000 pounds per annum.
A host of companies from the FMCG sector, financial services industry, media houses, advertising agencies and consultancies are thronging campuses like never before. HLL, McKinsey, KPMG, Ernst & Young, Aptivaa Consulting, DSP Merrill Lynch, Monitor Group, Bain & Company , Executive Access and Reckitt Benckiser are among those on the prowl. At Presidency College, kolkata, placements have gone up 200% over the past five years.
At Delhi's SRCC, the number of companies showing up on the campus is expected to go up from 10 in 2001, to 35 companies making up to 150 offers this year. Placements, which stood at 50% in 2003 in city colleges, have been steadily rising 7-8 % every year.
CAMPUS CALLING
Under-graduate degrees from top institutes will fetch fat pay packets Average salaries at St Stephen's college to touch Rs 4 lakh/annum by the end of this fiscal The highest domestic salary on offer is Rs 9.5 lakh/annum which has bettered the offers at several B-schools
Innovative ideas fuel Dabur's B-school case study contest
FOR A change, the boardroom meets the classroom. The Rs 1,899.57 crore Dabur India's efforts to enter B-School classrooms in search of innovative ideas and business strategies to double its turnover and profit by 2009-10 have already thrown up around 100 potential acquisition targets for the homegrown FMCG giant.
Dabur, in an attempt to infuse some fresh thinking and forge closer ties with campuses, is conducting a national case study contest called 'Navigator' . Several innovative ideas and business models were suggested by the Bschool students. "Through these case studies, we are looking at suggestions in terms of growing our business, both organic and inorganic ," Mr A Sudhakar, executive vice president , HR, Dabur India said. One of them could directly shape the future of Dabur India.
Under this, B-school students were invited to propose a business plan for Dabur towards achievement of Vision 2010. The twopronged intent behind this case contest was to tap the brightest young minds to give fresh perspectives and innovative ideas for growing the company and to dispel the traditional image and be viewed as a contemporary employer . The company had received entries from over 120 teams and after initial shortlisting by internal senior managers, 46 teams were invited for the regional round.
The contest was thrown open to students, either individually or in groups of three from each B-school , with no restrictions to the number of entries from each B-school . This short listing was done on structured parameters such as originality of proposal/recommendations , quality of research and analysis, feasibility of implementing the recommendations , among others. Ten teams - including IIM-Ahmedabad , ISB Hyderabad, FMS, NMIMS Mumbai and IIM-Kozhikode - have made it to the national round, which will be held on February 3, 2007 at Hotel Taj Mahal, New Delhi. "Ideas have been generated across the themes of innovation, acquisition and expansion by B-school students. While the B-school students have identified 100-odd acquisition targets for the company, all of these may not necessarily translate into actual acquisitions. This reflects how future professionals view Dabur as a company and a brand," Sudhakar adds .
And these suggested acquisition targets spread across the length and breadth of the globe which cover a wide array of sectors from personal care to healthcare and foods. That's not all, introduction of new brands/subbrands and diversification into newer areas like health spas and the services sector also figured among the business ideas shortlisted for the final selection round, scheduled for February 3, 2007.
Apart from the obvious benefit of generating business ideas for the organisation's growth, this is also being seen as a way of building the Dabur brand among students who could be prospective employees in a year's time. Every year, Dabur India recruits 15-18 students from premier B-schools in the country as management trainees, apart from 50-60 lateral hires. Many different models were also suggested for entering the services sector using a common thread of leveraging on Ayurveda/Herbal equity. Some very innovative rural initiatives and procurement strategies were also suggested.
IT PAYS TO IDEATE
The contest was organised in search of ideas and strategies to double its turnover and profit by 2009-10 The two-pronged intent was to tap the brightest young minds and to dispel the traditional image and be viewed as a contemporary employer The company received entries from over 120 teams of which 46 teams were invited for the regional round after shortlisting The winning strategy in the final selection round, scheduled for February 3, 2007, will walk away with a cash prize of Rs 1.25 lakh. Ten teams have entered the final national round
Dabur, in an attempt to infuse some fresh thinking and forge closer ties with campuses, is conducting a national case study contest called 'Navigator' . Several innovative ideas and business models were suggested by the Bschool students. "Through these case studies, we are looking at suggestions in terms of growing our business, both organic and inorganic ," Mr A Sudhakar, executive vice president , HR, Dabur India said. One of them could directly shape the future of Dabur India.
Under this, B-school students were invited to propose a business plan for Dabur towards achievement of Vision 2010. The twopronged intent behind this case contest was to tap the brightest young minds to give fresh perspectives and innovative ideas for growing the company and to dispel the traditional image and be viewed as a contemporary employer . The company had received entries from over 120 teams and after initial shortlisting by internal senior managers, 46 teams were invited for the regional round.
The contest was thrown open to students, either individually or in groups of three from each B-school , with no restrictions to the number of entries from each B-school . This short listing was done on structured parameters such as originality of proposal/recommendations , quality of research and analysis, feasibility of implementing the recommendations , among others. Ten teams - including IIM-Ahmedabad , ISB Hyderabad, FMS, NMIMS Mumbai and IIM-Kozhikode - have made it to the national round, which will be held on February 3, 2007 at Hotel Taj Mahal, New Delhi. "Ideas have been generated across the themes of innovation, acquisition and expansion by B-school students. While the B-school students have identified 100-odd acquisition targets for the company, all of these may not necessarily translate into actual acquisitions. This reflects how future professionals view Dabur as a company and a brand," Sudhakar adds .
And these suggested acquisition targets spread across the length and breadth of the globe which cover a wide array of sectors from personal care to healthcare and foods. That's not all, introduction of new brands/subbrands and diversification into newer areas like health spas and the services sector also figured among the business ideas shortlisted for the final selection round, scheduled for February 3, 2007.
Apart from the obvious benefit of generating business ideas for the organisation's growth, this is also being seen as a way of building the Dabur brand among students who could be prospective employees in a year's time. Every year, Dabur India recruits 15-18 students from premier B-schools in the country as management trainees, apart from 50-60 lateral hires. Many different models were also suggested for entering the services sector using a common thread of leveraging on Ayurveda/Herbal equity. Some very innovative rural initiatives and procurement strategies were also suggested.
IT PAYS TO IDEATE
The contest was organised in search of ideas and strategies to double its turnover and profit by 2009-10 The two-pronged intent was to tap the brightest young minds and to dispel the traditional image and be viewed as a contemporary employer The company received entries from over 120 teams of which 46 teams were invited for the regional round after shortlisting The winning strategy in the final selection round, scheduled for February 3, 2007, will walk away with a cash prize of Rs 1.25 lakh. Ten teams have entered the final national round
IIM-L course on carbon markets
Profitable businesses and responsible environmental policies may not have gone hand-in-hand till now. All this may well be changing. Young MBAs are now getting a shot at making 'green' money.
Corporate environment management and study on carbon markets are now finding their way into MBA coursebooks. The Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM-L ), has started a course that seeks to provide students with an understanding of changing relationship between business and environmental management.
With big names like Reliance , Tata Steel, Jindal Steel and Power set to enter the carbon market, the course is expected to equip future managers with the fundamentals on the intricacies of these markets and their potential.
'' The new course will involve some 15 hours of teaching . According to analysts, India can generate 248 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent or certified emission reduction (CER) units per year, including 78 million tonnes from land-use and plantation projects. India can annually make around $2,000 million in the clean development mechanism (CDM) projects , and currently accounts for just 13.72% of the global CDM market.
There is a tremendous potential for companies to grow in this segment and, therefore, it's essential that future managers are made aware of this," said professor Sushil Kumar, professor of agri-business and course pioneer.
'' I have had discussions with companies like Tata Steel, and these corporates have shown an interest in a course for managers on carbon markets. They feel there is a need for future managers to be aware of carbon markets and environmental issues ,"he added.
Apart from a study on carbon markets, the course will also focus on how businesses can move beyond an approach that seeks just to minimise environmental impacts, to strategies that seek to proactively manage various enviromental issues. Students will also be given an opportunity to gain an understanding of the importance of socially responsible strategies.
Corporate environment management and study on carbon markets are now finding their way into MBA coursebooks. The Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM-L ), has started a course that seeks to provide students with an understanding of changing relationship between business and environmental management.
With big names like Reliance , Tata Steel, Jindal Steel and Power set to enter the carbon market, the course is expected to equip future managers with the fundamentals on the intricacies of these markets and their potential.
'' The new course will involve some 15 hours of teaching . According to analysts, India can generate 248 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent or certified emission reduction (CER) units per year, including 78 million tonnes from land-use and plantation projects. India can annually make around $2,000 million in the clean development mechanism (CDM) projects , and currently accounts for just 13.72% of the global CDM market.
There is a tremendous potential for companies to grow in this segment and, therefore, it's essential that future managers are made aware of this," said professor Sushil Kumar, professor of agri-business and course pioneer.
'' I have had discussions with companies like Tata Steel, and these corporates have shown an interest in a course for managers on carbon markets. They feel there is a need for future managers to be aware of carbon markets and environmental issues ,"he added.
Apart from a study on carbon markets, the course will also focus on how businesses can move beyond an approach that seeks just to minimise environmental impacts, to strategies that seek to proactively manage various enviromental issues. Students will also be given an opportunity to gain an understanding of the importance of socially responsible strategies.
IBM may hire 1.2 lakh more by '08
BANGALORE: While IBM India has grown rapidly from 4,000 people in early 2000s to 53,000, the world’s biggest IT company is now said to be looking at an audacious target of employing about 1.2-lakh people by mid-2008.
IBM has, in the past two years, added about 16,000 people each year and, logically, this run rate would take the company over the 1-lakh mark in 2010 or 2011.
However, as per sources, the company aims to get past the 1-lakh mark by early or mid-2008. The plan, Vision 2008, was reportedly communicated internally to key employees in November-December 2006, sources said.
Most of the addition will be in global technology services and global business services.
Shanker Annaswamy, regional GM, IBM India/South Asia, told ET that such reports were speculation while declining to comment on future people outlook for the company.
In a current scenario, where IBM peers, including Accenture, EDS, HP, TCS, Infosys and Wipro, are hiring with non-stop precision, IBM could find it tough to meet such an audacious target.
A logical way of reaching such a figure would be through acquisition of a very large Indian firm, say experts. In the recent past, there have been murmurs of IBM buying Hyderabad-based Satyam Computers.
IBM has, in the past two years, added about 16,000 people each year and, logically, this run rate would take the company over the 1-lakh mark in 2010 or 2011.
However, as per sources, the company aims to get past the 1-lakh mark by early or mid-2008. The plan, Vision 2008, was reportedly communicated internally to key employees in November-December 2006, sources said.
Most of the addition will be in global technology services and global business services.
Shanker Annaswamy, regional GM, IBM India/South Asia, told ET that such reports were speculation while declining to comment on future people outlook for the company.
In a current scenario, where IBM peers, including Accenture, EDS, HP, TCS, Infosys and Wipro, are hiring with non-stop precision, IBM could find it tough to meet such an audacious target.
A logical way of reaching such a figure would be through acquisition of a very large Indian firm, say experts. In the recent past, there have been murmurs of IBM buying Hyderabad-based Satyam Computers.
NITIE graduate bags $85-k offer
MUMBAI: NITIE’s placements are over and winners have been declared. This year, Olam International made the highest offer, second time in a row, at $85,000 compared to $76,550 last year.
Ajit UK, a mechanical engineer with no prior work experience, is excited about the offer. “I’m interested in the sales and marketing function and have communicated the same to the company,” he says.
The highest domestic offer this year stood at Rs 12 lakh made by TSMG compared to Rs 12.5 lakh offered by Eicher Consulting Services last year. The reason for the drop, says Ashok Pundir, associate dean (placements), NITIE, is that till last year there were students with work experience of 4-5 years, which this year, is only up to 3 years.
“While there has been a drop in highest domestic salary, the average salary is up by 15% compared to the last year,” he adds. More than 10% of the batch has been offered over Rs 10 lakh from ICICI Bank (20), Cognizant Technology Solutions (20), ICICI Prudential (17), Kotak Mahindra (16) and IBM (11).
A chunk of the batch (36%) was recruited by the banking and financial services sector, followed by IT and system companies. The profile of companies have changed over the years, with mostly banking and financial services companies coming in this time.
First-timers at the campus this year were Irevena, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Tholons, to name a few. There were 77 companies in all that visited the campus, of which 45 made offers. The job offers went up from 2.26 last year to 2.30 this year. There were a range of companies like HLL, P&G, ITC, Nestle, ICICI, Citibank, HDFC, Tata Consultancy Services and Oracle.
Ajit UK, a mechanical engineer with no prior work experience, is excited about the offer. “I’m interested in the sales and marketing function and have communicated the same to the company,” he says.
The highest domestic offer this year stood at Rs 12 lakh made by TSMG compared to Rs 12.5 lakh offered by Eicher Consulting Services last year. The reason for the drop, says Ashok Pundir, associate dean (placements), NITIE, is that till last year there were students with work experience of 4-5 years, which this year, is only up to 3 years.
“While there has been a drop in highest domestic salary, the average salary is up by 15% compared to the last year,” he adds. More than 10% of the batch has been offered over Rs 10 lakh from ICICI Bank (20), Cognizant Technology Solutions (20), ICICI Prudential (17), Kotak Mahindra (16) and IBM (11).
A chunk of the batch (36%) was recruited by the banking and financial services sector, followed by IT and system companies. The profile of companies have changed over the years, with mostly banking and financial services companies coming in this time.
First-timers at the campus this year were Irevena, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Tholons, to name a few. There were 77 companies in all that visited the campus, of which 45 made offers. The job offers went up from 2.26 last year to 2.30 this year. There were a range of companies like HLL, P&G, ITC, Nestle, ICICI, Citibank, HDFC, Tata Consultancy Services and Oracle.
Mars fraternity needs to move back at B-schools
It remains a great puzzle. Approximately half of medical students and more than one-third of law students are women, whereas less than 15% of MBA students are women in India. The fast change in Indian economic structure from manufacturing to service demands greater participation of women in the workforce.
There is a strong need for business schools and industry to collaborate and take proactive actions to attract more women to management careers.
According to a BusinessWeek survey, women make up only 28% of incoming MBA classes for BusinessWeek’s Top 30 B-Schools in the US, about the same as four years ago. Further, more Chinese women take GMAT exam than Chinese men. According to a profile of GMAT candidates for 2004-05, 56% of GMAT test takers in China are women, while in India the ratio is only 23%.
Globally, B-schools have been making aggressive efforts to improve the representation of women. The Women’s Initiative by the Ross School of Business at University of Michigan and Opening Doors for Women by Stern School at New York University are to promote management career among women.
On Indian MBA campuses, gender imbalance is acute and institutions are not even transparent with the breakup of numbers. None of the IIMs have listed the number of women in their class profile. The Indian School of Business (ISB) has undertaken certain initiatives to promote the concept of management career among women students and boasts 20% of its current class of 418 students as women.
According to ‘Women and the MBA: Gateway to Opportunity’, a joint report conducted in the US by Catalyst, the University of Michigan Business School and CEW, women face many barriers in choosing MBA as a career option, including lack of female role models (56%), incompatibility of careers in business with work-life balance (47%), lack of confidence in math skills (45%), and little employer encouragement (42%).
Even in the Indian context, above challenges are relevant and women face additional barriers created by social expectations and MBA entrance criterion. Entrance exams like CAT have a serious flaw of overemphasising quantitative skills, which give edge to engineers.
According to an estimate, women constitute only 10-15% of the total annual engineer output in India. Seventy six percent of the students in the graduating class of 2007 at IIMA are engineers and 90% of the short-listed candidates at IIM-B were from engineering and computer science disciplines.
Thus entrance exams like CAT perpetuate the under-representation of women from undergraduate to MBA programmes. Social expectations also stereotype women careers, early marriage and limited importance to higher education.
Further, biology complicates the decision-making process and priorities for children versus career. Thus overall, challenges for women to pursue MBA careers are numerous but opportunities and rewards surpass the need to overcome these barriers.
With the liberalisation of sectors like telecom, insurance and retail there is emergence of new roles for women. Services sector has opened up new opportunities in the area of customer service, sales and marketing and operations.
More women are now seen in software development and call centre profiles than ever before. Growing in these domains would require more than technical skills and demands business and customer orientation and soft skills.
Top business schools both in India and abroad equip students with requisite skills and knowledge to launch a new career, make a career shift, or accelerate the career growth.
A good MBA programme develops the requisite skills and knowledge, along with the career support through their placement services. Women can also benefit from knowledge, skills and concepts of business management, which may be helpful in starting one’s own small business or growing their family business.
It is high time that industry and Bschools realise the importance of representation of women in the workplace and collaborate to promote business management career among women. After all India’s potential for knowledge economy is dependent on optimum utilisation of human resources, including women.
There is a strong need for business schools and industry to collaborate and take proactive actions to attract more women to management careers.
According to a BusinessWeek survey, women make up only 28% of incoming MBA classes for BusinessWeek’s Top 30 B-Schools in the US, about the same as four years ago. Further, more Chinese women take GMAT exam than Chinese men. According to a profile of GMAT candidates for 2004-05, 56% of GMAT test takers in China are women, while in India the ratio is only 23%.
Globally, B-schools have been making aggressive efforts to improve the representation of women. The Women’s Initiative by the Ross School of Business at University of Michigan and Opening Doors for Women by Stern School at New York University are to promote management career among women.
On Indian MBA campuses, gender imbalance is acute and institutions are not even transparent with the breakup of numbers. None of the IIMs have listed the number of women in their class profile. The Indian School of Business (ISB) has undertaken certain initiatives to promote the concept of management career among women students and boasts 20% of its current class of 418 students as women.
According to ‘Women and the MBA: Gateway to Opportunity’, a joint report conducted in the US by Catalyst, the University of Michigan Business School and CEW, women face many barriers in choosing MBA as a career option, including lack of female role models (56%), incompatibility of careers in business with work-life balance (47%), lack of confidence in math skills (45%), and little employer encouragement (42%).
Even in the Indian context, above challenges are relevant and women face additional barriers created by social expectations and MBA entrance criterion. Entrance exams like CAT have a serious flaw of overemphasising quantitative skills, which give edge to engineers.
According to an estimate, women constitute only 10-15% of the total annual engineer output in India. Seventy six percent of the students in the graduating class of 2007 at IIMA are engineers and 90% of the short-listed candidates at IIM-B were from engineering and computer science disciplines.
Thus entrance exams like CAT perpetuate the under-representation of women from undergraduate to MBA programmes. Social expectations also stereotype women careers, early marriage and limited importance to higher education.
Further, biology complicates the decision-making process and priorities for children versus career. Thus overall, challenges for women to pursue MBA careers are numerous but opportunities and rewards surpass the need to overcome these barriers.
With the liberalisation of sectors like telecom, insurance and retail there is emergence of new roles for women. Services sector has opened up new opportunities in the area of customer service, sales and marketing and operations.
More women are now seen in software development and call centre profiles than ever before. Growing in these domains would require more than technical skills and demands business and customer orientation and soft skills.
Top business schools both in India and abroad equip students with requisite skills and knowledge to launch a new career, make a career shift, or accelerate the career growth.
A good MBA programme develops the requisite skills and knowledge, along with the career support through their placement services. Women can also benefit from knowledge, skills and concepts of business management, which may be helpful in starting one’s own small business or growing their family business.
It is high time that industry and Bschools realise the importance of representation of women in the workplace and collaborate to promote business management career among women. After all India’s potential for knowledge economy is dependent on optimum utilisation of human resources, including women.
Indian IT Inc tops Global Services 100 list
WASHINGTON: Indian firms topped the 2007 Global Services 100 list of the best IT and BPO companies in the world with 36 making the grade.
The US came second with 32 companies, says Global Services magazine, which compiles the list on the basis of an 18-country survey. However, over a dozen US companies service their clients largely through BPO offices based in India.
The survey also points at the strongest bilateral IT/BPO relationship between the US and India. The US is expected to purchase some $1.55 trillion in IT/BPO goods and services in 2007, of which two-thirds will probably come from India.
In the specific areas of outsourcing, PricewaterhouseCooper has estimated the global market to be $234 billion and the US represents 59 percent of that market.
In the various subcategories:
* Tata Consultancy Services was rated number one among the top 10 best performing IT service providers
* Polaris Software Labs led the list of top 10 speciality application development providers
* Patni Computers was declared the best engineering services provider.
* Hinduja TMS was rated the best performing call centre provider.
* US-based Genpact was the number one rated firm in human capital development and best performing BPO. Genpact maintains thousands of employees in India.
This marks a sort of comeback for Indian IT/BPO firms. In the 2006 Global Services list, only 26 Indian firms were named. This was a sharp drop from the 2005 list, when there were 40 Indian firms.
Rusty Weston, editor in chief of Global Services, was quoted in a press release as saying that the list "introduces chief information officers to rising stars and emerging players not yet on their services radar screen".
Chinese firms made their best show with eight firms making it to the 100. From other parts of the world there wasn't much change from the previous two years with four Malaysian firms, three from Brazil and two from Russia making it to the list.
One Romanian and one Ukrainian firm debuted on the list. The number of rivals from Mexico and Israel seemed to have declined.
There was evidence of world-beating individual firms coming up outside India. Globant of Argentina was selected the best emerging global service provider while the Neusoft Group of China was declared the best emerging Asian market.
The US came second with 32 companies, says Global Services magazine, which compiles the list on the basis of an 18-country survey. However, over a dozen US companies service their clients largely through BPO offices based in India.
The survey also points at the strongest bilateral IT/BPO relationship between the US and India. The US is expected to purchase some $1.55 trillion in IT/BPO goods and services in 2007, of which two-thirds will probably come from India.
In the specific areas of outsourcing, PricewaterhouseCooper has estimated the global market to be $234 billion and the US represents 59 percent of that market.
In the various subcategories:
* Tata Consultancy Services was rated number one among the top 10 best performing IT service providers
* Polaris Software Labs led the list of top 10 speciality application development providers
* Patni Computers was declared the best engineering services provider.
* Hinduja TMS was rated the best performing call centre provider.
* US-based Genpact was the number one rated firm in human capital development and best performing BPO. Genpact maintains thousands of employees in India.
This marks a sort of comeback for Indian IT/BPO firms. In the 2006 Global Services list, only 26 Indian firms were named. This was a sharp drop from the 2005 list, when there were 40 Indian firms.
Rusty Weston, editor in chief of Global Services, was quoted in a press release as saying that the list "introduces chief information officers to rising stars and emerging players not yet on their services radar screen".
Chinese firms made their best show with eight firms making it to the 100. From other parts of the world there wasn't much change from the previous two years with four Malaysian firms, three from Brazil and two from Russia making it to the list.
One Romanian and one Ukrainian firm debuted on the list. The number of rivals from Mexico and Israel seemed to have declined.
There was evidence of world-beating individual firms coming up outside India. Globant of Argentina was selected the best emerging global service provider while the Neusoft Group of China was declared the best emerging Asian market.
Me Inc: Rise of one-man corporates
WHEN Vandana Luthra called a media conference in 2004 to announce a $10 million private equity (PE) investment in her company, the journalists who had gathered were more than a little surprised. Although Luthra’s eponymous slimming and fitness venture, Vandana Luthra Curls and Curves (VLCC), was gaining currency, the media was still sceptical. But what really stumped everyone was a large and reputed PE firm like CLSA investing in her company.
She neatly sidestepped the barrage of questions on the nitty-gritty of the deal, and allowed the company’s professional managers to take centre-stage . Despite having been the public face and a brand ambassador of her business for nearly two decades, Luthra wasn’t averse to delegating power. “It was essential for VLCC to be identified with one person only during the initial years, to denote the niche and innovative solutions that we provided . This is no longer necessary as the organisation has matured into a corporation with a complete line of management and active R&D ,” says Luthra, on a day when the c o m p a n y ’s board met to finalise a 22% stake sale to Indivision, the PE arm of Kishore Biyani-promoted Future group for an undisclosed sum. VLCC’s valuation , according to sources, has nearly doubled in the two years since CLSA invested in it.
Another entrepreneur, running a similar clutch of businesses from Mumbai is Sanjeev Kapoor - arguably India’s best known chef. His popular, longrunning cookery show was the perfect launch pad for his multiple food related businesses . He has written over a hundred cook-books , manages a processed foods brand, Sanjeev Kapoor’s Khazana, runs the 10-restaurant-chain Yellow Chilli, and also produces cookery shows for various TV channels . Kapoor’s business is divided into four divisions - publishing , TV content, packaged food and restaurants. “It is all about core-competence . I support the brands through expertise and content,” he says. His thirty-man team helps him create the content and feed it to all the divisions. A tie-up with a master franchisee for his r e s t a u - rants is on the cards, and so is a partnership with a global TV network. Kapoor says he’s also in talks with a Fortune 500 company to scale up his processed foods business. Last year alone he sold 1.5 lakh copies of his various cookbooks published by Mumbai-based Popular Prakashan. “In each business we’ll have one partner so that managing relationships is easy,” he says. “The partner will invest, operate, and manage the business while we’ll provide research and content.”
One of the early and landmark successes amongst the Me Inc’s started nearly thirty years back, when Shahnaz Hussain returned to India. After being trained in cosmetology and cosmetic chemistry, she started a herbal clinic at home. She also started formulating ayurvedic products. The idea of starting a franchised network of herbal beauty clinics occurred to her when her friend Threety Irani came from Calcutta with a list of products for her friends. She told her that the products were all prescriptive in nature and required training to use them. “Irani requested me to train her. So that she could start her own clinic using my herbal products ,” says Hussain. So the two worked out a hand-written , one-page agreement, without legal help, giving Irani the right to use the Shahnaz Herbal brand, carry out the specialised treatments and also sell the products, thus paving way for an extensive franchisee network of 400 such clinics.
“Today, my name has become the brand. Mine is an image-based business. My image is directly related to the brand,” says Hussain. To ensure her business capitalised on her image , she made it a point to reply personally to letters seeking solutions for skin and hair problems - something Hussain does even now to retain that personal touch. But image management is a key part ingredient of business in a personality based business - ask Oprah. Just how important is the role of media in the success of their businesses? “Media has the reach and ability to connect with the people. Whether it’s a TV show, or a book or something written about you, it’s best for you,” says the articulate Kapoor. “You also understand your users and consumers very well. It works everywhere. And when you understand the consumers , half the battle is won.”
She neatly sidestepped the barrage of questions on the nitty-gritty of the deal, and allowed the company’s professional managers to take centre-stage . Despite having been the public face and a brand ambassador of her business for nearly two decades, Luthra wasn’t averse to delegating power. “It was essential for VLCC to be identified with one person only during the initial years, to denote the niche and innovative solutions that we provided . This is no longer necessary as the organisation has matured into a corporation with a complete line of management and active R&D ,” says Luthra, on a day when the c o m p a n y ’s board met to finalise a 22% stake sale to Indivision, the PE arm of Kishore Biyani-promoted Future group for an undisclosed sum. VLCC’s valuation , according to sources, has nearly doubled in the two years since CLSA invested in it.
Another entrepreneur, running a similar clutch of businesses from Mumbai is Sanjeev Kapoor - arguably India’s best known chef. His popular, longrunning cookery show was the perfect launch pad for his multiple food related businesses . He has written over a hundred cook-books , manages a processed foods brand, Sanjeev Kapoor’s Khazana, runs the 10-restaurant-chain Yellow Chilli, and also produces cookery shows for various TV channels . Kapoor’s business is divided into four divisions - publishing , TV content, packaged food and restaurants. “It is all about core-competence . I support the brands through expertise and content,” he says. His thirty-man team helps him create the content and feed it to all the divisions. A tie-up with a master franchisee for his r e s t a u - rants is on the cards, and so is a partnership with a global TV network. Kapoor says he’s also in talks with a Fortune 500 company to scale up his processed foods business. Last year alone he sold 1.5 lakh copies of his various cookbooks published by Mumbai-based Popular Prakashan. “In each business we’ll have one partner so that managing relationships is easy,” he says. “The partner will invest, operate, and manage the business while we’ll provide research and content.”
One of the early and landmark successes amongst the Me Inc’s started nearly thirty years back, when Shahnaz Hussain returned to India. After being trained in cosmetology and cosmetic chemistry, she started a herbal clinic at home. She also started formulating ayurvedic products. The idea of starting a franchised network of herbal beauty clinics occurred to her when her friend Threety Irani came from Calcutta with a list of products for her friends. She told her that the products were all prescriptive in nature and required training to use them. “Irani requested me to train her. So that she could start her own clinic using my herbal products ,” says Hussain. So the two worked out a hand-written , one-page agreement, without legal help, giving Irani the right to use the Shahnaz Herbal brand, carry out the specialised treatments and also sell the products, thus paving way for an extensive franchisee network of 400 such clinics.
“Today, my name has become the brand. Mine is an image-based business. My image is directly related to the brand,” says Hussain. To ensure her business capitalised on her image , she made it a point to reply personally to letters seeking solutions for skin and hair problems - something Hussain does even now to retain that personal touch. But image management is a key part ingredient of business in a personality based business - ask Oprah. Just how important is the role of media in the success of their businesses? “Media has the reach and ability to connect with the people. Whether it’s a TV show, or a book or something written about you, it’s best for you,” says the articulate Kapoor. “You also understand your users and consumers very well. It works everywhere. And when you understand the consumers , half the battle is won.”
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Aviation management institute on the cards
NEW DELHI: The government is planning to set up an IIM-like institute exclusively for aviation management. An in-principle approval has been accorded to the proposal for setting up the first aerospace academy in India. The proposed academy will offer a Post-Graduate Diploma in Aviation Management.
International companies like Lufthansa Technical Training and aerospace management schools, such as Cranfield and ENAC may join hands with an Indian management school for setting up the aviation academy. The institute, expected to be operational by ’07, will be established near Delhi.
With the Indian aviation industry witnessing an average growth of over 20% per year, the demand for personnel equipped with detailed and specific knowledge has shot up. At present, India has no academy that offers training in the financial and marketing aspects. The proposed academy is expected to fill such managerial talent gap.
“There is a growing need of professional managers for the booming industry. To meet this demand, the government has approved the establishment of the first aerospace academy that will offer an MBA in aviation management,” a senior official of the civil aviation ministry told ET.
Expected to be of a one-and-a-half year duration, the aviation diploma will consist of four modules. Apart from grooming local students, the academy will also train foreign students. While the government is yet to finalise an Indian partner, sources said Shailesh J Mehta School of Management (SJMSOM) of IIT Bombay is being preferred.
The aerospace academy will also have foreign partners. Foreign partners will bring in professional management and international expertise in designing the course, sources said.
The likely foreign players are UK-based Cranfield University Aerospace; Germany-based Lufthansa Technical Training, and France-based ENAC school of architecture, civil and environment engineering.
International companies like Lufthansa Technical Training and aerospace management schools, such as Cranfield and ENAC may join hands with an Indian management school for setting up the aviation academy. The institute, expected to be operational by ’07, will be established near Delhi.
With the Indian aviation industry witnessing an average growth of over 20% per year, the demand for personnel equipped with detailed and specific knowledge has shot up. At present, India has no academy that offers training in the financial and marketing aspects. The proposed academy is expected to fill such managerial talent gap.
“There is a growing need of professional managers for the booming industry. To meet this demand, the government has approved the establishment of the first aerospace academy that will offer an MBA in aviation management,” a senior official of the civil aviation ministry told ET.
Expected to be of a one-and-a-half year duration, the aviation diploma will consist of four modules. Apart from grooming local students, the academy will also train foreign students. While the government is yet to finalise an Indian partner, sources said Shailesh J Mehta School of Management (SJMSOM) of IIT Bombay is being preferred.
The aerospace academy will also have foreign partners. Foreign partners will bring in professional management and international expertise in designing the course, sources said.
The likely foreign players are UK-based Cranfield University Aerospace; Germany-based Lufthansa Technical Training, and France-based ENAC school of architecture, civil and environment engineering.
IIM-A, Columbia B-school alliance
NEW DELHI: The IIM-A has decided to put to test some of its own lessons on global brand building that it has imparted to would-be managers over 40-odd years. The institute’s latest effort in global brand building comes in the form of a tie-up with Columbia University’s Business School.
Sources said that Columbia Business School’s dean Glenn Hubbard will be visiting India later this month, when the partnership between the two is finalised. The tie-up could mirror IIM-Bangalore’s exchange programme with Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business or expand IIM-A’s executive education programme to give its participants a global exposure.
The exact nature of the tie-up is not yet known. When contacted, IIM-A officials confirmed the proposed tie-up with Columbia Business School but did not comment on the exact nature of the tie-up.
For Columbia, a tie-up with one of India’s premier B-schools could mean the ability to build up a research base and case study archive for one of the biggest markets in the world today. For IIM-A, the tie-up will help provide its students a global exposure in terms of research and study as well as global placements for its students. Also, it will help enhance IIM’s profile in the international market.
Sources said that Columbia Business School’s dean Glenn Hubbard will be visiting India later this month, when the partnership between the two is finalised. The tie-up could mirror IIM-Bangalore’s exchange programme with Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business or expand IIM-A’s executive education programme to give its participants a global exposure.
The exact nature of the tie-up is not yet known. When contacted, IIM-A officials confirmed the proposed tie-up with Columbia Business School but did not comment on the exact nature of the tie-up.
For Columbia, a tie-up with one of India’s premier B-schools could mean the ability to build up a research base and case study archive for one of the biggest markets in the world today. For IIM-A, the tie-up will help provide its students a global exposure in terms of research and study as well as global placements for its students. Also, it will help enhance IIM’s profile in the international market.
IIM-A to revise placement fee for flagship programme
THE Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A ) will revise its placement fee structure for its flagship post-graduate programme (PGP) from this year.
While the companies coming in at slot zero will pay the same fees, those firms participating in slot one and two will now have to pay a little more. There will be no distinction in placement charges across different slots during the placement season this year at IIM-A . Earlier, the placement charges for each slot were different . However, the institute will now be charging Rs 1 lakh to all the companies across the different slots.
"Placement fees are mainly the hospitality charges. And as there is no discrimination in services offered to the companies despite the differences in slots, we have decided to have a uniform placement charge," said Shailesh Gandhi, one of the professors at IIMA . While IIM-A has already revised the placement fees, IIM-C is also considering a revision in placement fees. "So far, however, no decision on a hike in placement fees has been taken. But we may take a final call on it in soon," said Sanchit Jain, placement committee member, IIM-C .
IIM-A charges participation fees as well as variable fees to the companies . The participation fees include fees paid by companies for participating in the final placement process, while the variable charges are fees paid per student recruited by the company.
According to the figures available with the students, the placement fees for slot zero were the highest at around $200-300 for international companies and about Rs 1-1 .5 lakh for Indian firms. The earlier charges for companies featuring in slot one and slot two were Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000, respectively. Although this is not much of a difference in fees for the companies coming in slot zero, this modification in charges, will make companies coming in slot one and slot two pay a little more than before.
PRICE CATCH
There will be
no distinction in placement charges across different slots during the placement season this year at IIM Ahmedabad
Earlier, the
placement charges for each slot were different. IIM-A will be charging Rs 1 lakh from all companies across slots
IIM-C is
also considering a revision in its placement fees
IIM-A charges
participation as well as variable fees
While the companies coming in at slot zero will pay the same fees, those firms participating in slot one and two will now have to pay a little more. There will be no distinction in placement charges across different slots during the placement season this year at IIM-A . Earlier, the placement charges for each slot were different . However, the institute will now be charging Rs 1 lakh to all the companies across the different slots.
"Placement fees are mainly the hospitality charges. And as there is no discrimination in services offered to the companies despite the differences in slots, we have decided to have a uniform placement charge," said Shailesh Gandhi, one of the professors at IIMA . While IIM-A has already revised the placement fees, IIM-C is also considering a revision in placement fees. "So far, however, no decision on a hike in placement fees has been taken. But we may take a final call on it in soon," said Sanchit Jain, placement committee member, IIM-C .
IIM-A charges participation fees as well as variable fees to the companies . The participation fees include fees paid by companies for participating in the final placement process, while the variable charges are fees paid per student recruited by the company.
According to the figures available with the students, the placement fees for slot zero were the highest at around $200-300 for international companies and about Rs 1-1 .5 lakh for Indian firms. The earlier charges for companies featuring in slot one and slot two were Rs 75,000 and Rs 50,000, respectively. Although this is not much of a difference in fees for the companies coming in slot zero, this modification in charges, will make companies coming in slot one and slot two pay a little more than before.
PRICE CATCH
There will be
no distinction in placement charges across different slots during the placement season this year at IIM Ahmedabad
Earlier, the
placement charges for each slot were different. IIM-A will be charging Rs 1 lakh from all companies across slots
IIM-C is
also considering a revision in its placement fees
IIM-A charges
participation as well as variable fees
MBAs too don't match up on employability scale
Employability is a big issue - and it applies to MBAs as well. In a study done by MeritTrac across 60 Tier 2 and Tier 3 B-schools across the country , it found only 23% of the students employable. The study also highlighted the acute shortage of MBAs - a demand of 1.28 lakh students as against the availability of 20,000 MBAs from 132 colleges. In the study - available exclusively with ET - overall students in Mumbai led the pack, followed by Kolkata and Hyderabad. Chennai and Bangalore students fared among the worst.
Kolkata students led on the verbal ability front with a pass-through rate of 83%, followed by Bangalore at 70.6%. On the quantitative side, however, Mumbai tops the chart with a whopping 99%, followed by Bangalore at 97.9%. Overall , the pass-through rate in this category is fairly high at 95%. The mental ability test has seen all the six cities faring neck-to-neck with each other with an overall rate of 85.7%, while Kolkata stole the show with 95.7%.
The overall picture on the abilities' side reveals Kolkata as being the king, followed by Mumbai. Analysing the quality of the talent pool, the study highlights that around 50% of the students who took the test succeeded. But Kolkata students have done exceptionally well with a score of 76.6%. Mumbai, however, is way below the average at 40%.
MeritTrac, a Bangalore-based skills assessment company, conducted this employability study among 790 MBA students across 60 colleges in Mumbai, Pune , Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad. MeritTrac co-founder and director Madan Padaki said: "During a placement process, the college should encourage corporates to give feedback to students about their performance. This will help them enhance the skills which they lack." Also, summer projects need to be taken seriously by both students and industry. "We have to understand that nothing beats practical exposure," he added.
The Bangalore-based firm also conducted a group interaction test (GIT) to assess students' articulation, grammar, assertiveness and confidence . The results presented a different picture. Hyderabad emerged as the dark horse, topping the charts on the articulation front with 3.03 on a scale of 0-4 . Mumbai came a close second at 3.02. Kolkata, which has been scoring well, performs satisfactorily at 2.98. On the grammar side, Kolkata bounces back with 2.84, followed by Mumbai at a close 2.81. Chennai, however, puts up a dismal performance with a score of 2.14. On the assertiveness and confidence index, Mumbai again rules followed by Kolkata.
Source: Economictimes
Kolkata students led on the verbal ability front with a pass-through rate of 83%, followed by Bangalore at 70.6%. On the quantitative side, however, Mumbai tops the chart with a whopping 99%, followed by Bangalore at 97.9%. Overall , the pass-through rate in this category is fairly high at 95%. The mental ability test has seen all the six cities faring neck-to-neck with each other with an overall rate of 85.7%, while Kolkata stole the show with 95.7%.
The overall picture on the abilities' side reveals Kolkata as being the king, followed by Mumbai. Analysing the quality of the talent pool, the study highlights that around 50% of the students who took the test succeeded. But Kolkata students have done exceptionally well with a score of 76.6%. Mumbai, however, is way below the average at 40%.
MeritTrac, a Bangalore-based skills assessment company, conducted this employability study among 790 MBA students across 60 colleges in Mumbai, Pune , Kolkata, Delhi, Bangalore and Hyderabad. MeritTrac co-founder and director Madan Padaki said: "During a placement process, the college should encourage corporates to give feedback to students about their performance. This will help them enhance the skills which they lack." Also, summer projects need to be taken seriously by both students and industry. "We have to understand that nothing beats practical exposure," he added.
The Bangalore-based firm also conducted a group interaction test (GIT) to assess students' articulation, grammar, assertiveness and confidence . The results presented a different picture. Hyderabad emerged as the dark horse, topping the charts on the articulation front with 3.03 on a scale of 0-4 . Mumbai came a close second at 3.02. Kolkata, which has been scoring well, performs satisfactorily at 2.98. On the grammar side, Kolkata bounces back with 2.84, followed by Mumbai at a close 2.81. Chennai, however, puts up a dismal performance with a score of 2.14. On the assertiveness and confidence index, Mumbai again rules followed by Kolkata.
Source: Economictimes
