XLRI Search Engine

Google’s Custom Search Engine restricts the search only to the sites specified by target user community. The target websites can be collaboratively maintained and managed. I was inspired to create a custom search engine for XLRI after seeing Bharani create one for ISB. Currently the search is targeted to 10 sites including the XLRI Website and XLRI student blogs. Check it out for yourself and let me know your feedback.
I welcome my readers to add many more relevant sites to this search engine, by clicking the “Volunteer to contribute to this search engine” link on the search home page.

G-Day Result

On Nov 21, 2006 I took the GMAT and scored a 720 (96th Percentile). The breakup of my score is as follows:

QA - 49, VA- 40, AWA - 5.0

I was not too satisfied with the overall score, but I was confident that this score would keep me competitive for the top MBA programs that I would eventually apply to.

In the near future, I'll write a detailed follow up of my test experience, as well as a summary and reflection of the entire preparation process which would hopefully help future GMAT aspirants.

GMP 2007 - Placements

I have already mentioned in one of earlier posts that XLRI had for the first time this year offered placement to it's GMP students.
49 students, 26 participating companies and 106 offers – that pretty much sums up the XLRI GMP Placement 2007. The highest international offer was USD 100,000, the highest domestic offer stood at a whopping Rs 35 lakhs and the average salary offered for the GMP Class of 2007 was Rs 15 lakhs. Offers poured in from diverse sectors like Investment banks, FMCG, Telecom, Banking, Management Consulting, Manufacturing, IT and ITES. Firms such as ADAG Group, Atos Origin, CTS, Feedback Ventures, Godrej Consumer, HCL, ICICI, ICRA Management Consulting, JSPL, L &T, Mindtree Consulting, Patni, RPG group, Satyam, SBI Caps, Tech Mahindra, Tata Motors etc. participated in the placement process.
The Information Technology (IT & ITeS) sector lapped up 35% of the students, Financial sector 30%, Manufacturing 15%, Telecom 10%, and the remaining 10% were picked up by Consulting firms.
The placement performance vindicated the confidence that the students placed in a bold new open-format, flexible, rolling, placement-process. The slot free transparent process was aimed at finding the right organization fit for the candidates who were seeking roles of their interest. The process also offered a menu of location choices to recruiters, with the Institute bringing the entire batch of students to Mumbai for one part of the process. This facilitated an interaction between the candidates and top management of the participating organizations. The feature was much appreciated by the participating organizations especially given the fact that multiple rounds of interviews were often necessary to decide the best fit for candidates based on their prior experience, interests and organizational needs.
In the words of Prof. Uday Damodaran, the chairperson of the XLRI placement committee: “Given the care with which we selected participants for this programme, the thinking that went into the design of the programme and the quality of delivery of the programme, we were always confident of the success of the Placement Process. But the enthusiastic response of the recruiters exceeded even our own expectations. Notably so, because a significant number of participating companies even had their Managing Directors on their interview panels”.

Placement Snapshot
Number of candidates - 49
Companies participated in the placement process - 26
Total offers - 106
International offers - 2
Average Salary - 15 Lakhs
Highest International Offer - 1,00,000 USD
Highest domestic offer - 35 Lakhs INR
Number of offers per candidate - 2.16

XLRI - GMP

XLRI has evolved a one year consolidated programme in general management with the objectives of providing the participants a substantial exposure to theoretical foundations in management as well as to provide them a holistic perspective of business.
The programme consists of Core & Optional courses specially designed for fast track executives with work experience. In order to enrich the GMP and make it more contemporary, XLRI has increased the number of core courses to 20, while that of electives to 12. The entire programme spans for more than 1000 contact hours in class spread over four terms. The programme incorporates a group project which will be based on live problems from the industry and involves an important part of the learning process. The Institute is in the process of further restructuring the programme by making the courses more appropriate and contemporary by introducing a complement of international exposure. The international immersion is designed to prepare the participants to take on challenges anywhere in the globalized world.
XLRI awards the Executive Postgraduate Diploma In General Management to the participants who successfully complete all the requirements of this programme.

AICTE trying to play spoilsport

Now, this one is simply hilarious.
One would imagine that the prestigious Indian School of Business with it's World Class Infrastructure and all the International Exposure would be in the Government’s good books.
However, that does not seem good enough for the All India Council for Technical Education, which has bracketed ISB with a bunch of unapproved B-schools operating in the country.
WHY? Apparently ISB has not bothered to kowtow before the council, seeking its approval or ratings. Instead, the institute is busy lobbying for an international accreditation from the US-based Association to Advance Collegiate School of Business (AACSB).
The AICTE has, since the institute’s inception, sent several warnings and more recently legal notices asking it to get the council’s approval. ISB, though, has been looking the other way. Director (communications) Bhuvana Ramalingam acknowledged that the AICTE has written to them. “But we are not interested" she said.
One important point to be noted here is that none of the past, present or future candidates seem to be unduly worried over the fact that ISB is not recognised by the AICTE...

Why XLRI ?

I have already discussed my reasons for opting for a 1-year MBA.
The 1-year MBA has come out of it's nascent stage and today there are several excellent B-schools that are offering a 1-year MBA.
My pick would be the following: (in alphabetical order)
1> IIM A
2> IIM C
3> ISB
4> SP Jain
5> XLRI

There are others but I would chose to restrict the discussion between the above 5 premier B-schools.
1> IIM A (PGPX)
As national and international rankings of business schools in recent years confirm, IIM A occupies the top slot not only in India but also in the entire Asia Pacific region. The PGPX programme is targetted at executives with substantial work experience (avg. exp of the first 2 batches are around 9.5 years and 9.75 years respectively). Also, the average ages of the participants of the first 2 batches are around 31.5 years and 33 years respectively. This is natural since PGPX aims to place the participants mainly in senior management positions. The placement statistics is really enviable and is testimony to the quality of the students admitted and the quality of training they receive. The cost of the programme is a hopping Rs 14 lacs though.

2> IIM C (PGPEX)
As we all know IIM C is rated as one of the premier B-schools in the APAC region. However, the student response to the first batch of PGPEX is not known to be as good as IIM A. We still need to wait for the performance of the first batch. The programme fees are reasonable - Rs 8 lacs.

3> ISB
The sprawling campus, cutting-edge facilities and faculty members of international repute at ISB is truly unmatched. However the effectiveness of the programme is questionable especially when one takes into account the 420 cattle-like mass at ISB. Also ISB is indecently expensive (~ Rs 18 lacs) and it can hinder one’s career growth. ISB grads are forced to take up high paying jobs rather than the jobs that they would like to take up. Again, if you closely look into the placement statistics then the numbers tell a very different story. If the highest domestic salary is Rs 42 lacs & the average domestic salary is Rs 15 lacs then it doesn't require a genius to calculate the standard deviation and since ISB doesn't report the actual lowest salaries one can imagine the pittance of salaries that are offered to ISB grads who belong to the wrong side of the median.

4> SP Jain (PGPM)
SP Jain has consistently ranked among the top 10 B-schools in India. The thrust given to the course by SP Jain Administration and the locational advantage of being in Mumbai, the commercial capital of the country is indeed impressive. The placement record is fairly decent. The programme fee is extremely reasonable - Rs 5.5 lacs. Unlike the other programmes which offer a General Management programme (and are quite flexible in that respect), SPJIMR offers only 2 specializations - Operations Management & Information Management. Not too sure whether this is due to lack of quality faculty or any other reason.

5> XLRI (GMP)
XLRI is one of the premier Management Institutes of the country. They are the pioneers of the 1 year MBA programme in India. The minimum work experience for GMP is 5 years. A candidate has the option of either taking XAT or GMAT as per their convenience. The slim batch size of GMP (55 students only) is clearly a great advantage. The course fees are very reasonable - Rs 6 lacs (which includes International Trip etc). The GMP placements have been quite impressive (average salary of 15 lacs/exciting profiles offered) considering the B-School had for the first time this year offered placement to it's 55 students.

My Post-MBA Plan

As of now my plan is to take up technology and marketing courses at XLRI and try for Business Development roles in IT companies, preferably in the US. I also have the option of returning to my current organization, but again it depends on what role I am offered here.
The reason for going for MBA at this juncture in my career is because I want to move from the IT Project Execution side to the Business Development side. An MBA is the ideal vehicle to make this job function switch.
Finally I did not want to get into a 2-year MBA programme, as being out of the workforce for two years is suicidal in the fast-changing IT industry.

One Year MBA

An MBA today comes in many variations: the full-time 2 year MBA, the full-time 1 year MBA, distance-learning MBA, part-time MBA, executive MBA - all options that have evolved to suit specific needs of the customers (us). However, all the good MBA programmes irrespective of their duration mainly focus on developing 3 competencies: knowledge acquisition, leadership skills and the ability to network.
The 1-year MBA is specifically designed to suit the requirements of experienced professionals like myself who are looking for a change in or add a zest to their careers. The student profile of a 1-year MBA is quite different. They are slightly older, with a minimum of 4-5 years (or even more) of experience. The 1-year MBA also provides a cost advantage for self-funded students. The cost, in terms of tuition and living expenses, as well as the opportunity cost of leaving their job is proportionately lower. This model also helps students on a sabbatical to return to their workplace quickly. Companies intent on equipping their employees with General Management skills prefer a 1-year programme for the same reasons.
Now, the 1-year programme is quite intensive and requires a high degree of commitment. However, there is no doubt that it is a good preparation for achieving success in a corporate setup where effective time management and priority-setting are essential skills. The 1-year programme also aims to improve job effectiveness and ability to respond swiftly to newer situations. Networking with experienced peers is another important outcome.
I personally see the 1-year programme as a faster way of reinventing myself. Finally, it's a matter of individual choice to suit individual needs.

Why MBA ?

The MBA degree is increasingly being accepted as a measure of acquired business skills and management acumen. The most compelling reason for a lot of us is a promotion into a managerial role. For instance, there are many IT professionals, who have been doing extremely well in their technical jobs. These people also have great soft skills. They now wish to move up the ladder into middle and senior management roles. Finally they would like to move up to head major corporations someday.
To do that, one needs to know concepts of General Management, which only an MBA program could provide. An MBA also gives one a great network of batchmates and alumni. For some, MBA is the vehicle of choice for a career shift. For example, an MBA could help an Army officer or a Marine Engineer to enter the Corporate world for a desk job. In many careers, an MBA is a rite of passage. Investment banks typically expect their Analysts to get an MBA before promoting them as Associates. Lastly, higher compensation package is also a good reason to do an MBA. Many people double their salaries after completing MBA. So, at the end of the day an MBA definitely has a great value proposition.
For me the objective is pretty simple. I feel that at this point in my career I require a lot of exposure to the theoritical foundations in management and a holistic perspective of business so that I can evolve as an effective manager/leader and prepare myself to shoulder greater responsibilities in the future as I move up the Corporate hierarchy.

Hello World

Hello World,
This is my very first post.
Let me start with a brief introduction.
I'm your regular guy-next-door. By profession I'm just another software techie employed with IBM. I have around 5.5 years experience out of which 2 years were spent in the US of A.
I have recently got an admit from XLRI in the 1 year General Management Program (GMP).
In this blog I will try to capture the highs and lows that I would experience during the 1 year MBA.
I hope you will enjoy my experiences as much as I am sure I will enjoy sharing the same with you.