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The eminent Stephen Covey, educator, author, businessman, once said, “Start with the end in mind.”
What with all the advancements in businesses and technology, and intellectual and managerial evolution, this is probably the best advice anyone can give, especially to you, my dear reader. You, who have just begun your journey into the world of business management, must pay special heed to these words. Now I’m not saying that these are epiphany-inducing, head-nodding, eyeopening words. You may already know this, or have been told the same thing in many different ways, but it is particularly important given what you’re getting into now. You see, the world of business management is a complicated arena. Policies and strategies and trends and innovations will all vie for your attention, and you will be required to select the best solution among the myriad options. Together with this comes the all-important work-life balance, which must not be ignored if you don’t want to burn out by your mid-40s. To tackle all of this, the best thing to do is to keep reminding yourself of your end goal. Why are you doing what you’re doing? Once that’s clear in your mind, you’ll find your life — usually fraught with decisions galore — becoming a lot easier! Our cover story for this issue has been built keeping this very point in mind. It is to provide you with a glimpse of the various sectors in which you can build your career. If you’re one of the fortunate few who know where their career is heading, you have my heartiest congratulations. But you should still question yourself, along with everyone else. Once you get an idea of the field that suits you, you should conduct your own research — ask the ever-present Internet, talk to friends, family and peers, what have you. Because you should have the end in mind. On another note, if you keep reading our magazine regularly, you will find a lot of food for thought. As always, the Corporate World section is a must read. But you will also find the varying points of view of a TISS alumnus, an entrepreneur who’s the head of her own security-cum-bodyguard service, and the preparation strategy of a CET topper. To paraphrase Stephen Covey: You’ve made your start towards the world of management. Now is the time to figure out where you want to end up.
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Aditya Prakash Iengar Editor
CO NTEN TS COVER STORY
05
MBA sectors: Find the best fit for you
MAY 2016
STUDENT SILHOUETTE
20
JAIDEEP MEHENDALE CET 2016 Topper
GLOBAL TRENDS
12
Global education The winds of change
MBA BUZZ
14
MAH-CET 2016: The CAP round
CORPORATE INTERVIEW
16
SAGARIKA CHAKRABORTY ‘VIP Bodyguard’ & CEO, IIRIS
SNIPPETS
22
News in brief
CORPORATE WORLD
25
Europe slowdown: An analytical overview
28
Tata Steel’s UK exit: Is it a good move?
30
FDI in e-commerce: What will this spell for India?
STUDY HOUR ALUMNI SPEAK
18
SACHIN DESHPANDE TISS batch of 2014
Disclaimer : The views expressed in the articles by contributors and others are not necessarily those of the Publishers, unless specifically stated therein. While no effort is spared in ensuring the accuracy of the information published herein, readers are advised to reconfirm the current facts before acting upon any such information. The Publishers regret their inability to accept responsibility for any inadvertent errors of commission or omission in this issue. Readers are recommended to make appropriate inquiries before incurring expenses or entering into commitments in relation to any advertisement appearing in this publication. The publishers do not vouch for any claims made by the advertisers of any products or services. The Publisher, Printers or Editor shall not be held liable for any consequences in the event of such claims not being honoured by the advertisers. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, in any form or means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without prior permission from the publisher.
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Test Q&As
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Word Dose: The inoffensive soul
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Globescan
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cover story
MBA sectors: Find the best fit for you Along with the preparation for the various management entrance tests, goes the need to be equipped with information. Which is your favourite sector? Which is right for you? What opportunities does it offer? Here, we give a broad overview of the various sectors in India. The Advanc’edge Team
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n today’s world of businesses and corporates, there are more opportunities to have a successful career than ever before. With the business environment changing and taking on a global outlook, one of the most fundamental requirements for success in this field is to have a firm understanding of the functioning of the various markets and sectors. And acquiring an MBA degree is an almost-guaranteed recipe for success. However, merely chasing after a management degree is not enough. One of the prerequisites of such a degree is to be highly aware of what’s going on around us, and gather information on the various fields in which one can pursue a career. In this article, let’s take a look at some of the traditional sectors where an MBA will facilitate a rewarding career, as well as some upcoming, not-so-traditional fields.
FMCG US$ 30 billion in 2011 to US$ 74 billion in 2018. Growing awareness, easier access, and changing lifestyles have been the key growth drivers for the sector. With the FMCG growth in the country being driven by consumption, the sector continues to find favour with students who see it as a sector with huge growth potential.
The sector that students prefer The fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) segment is the fourth largest sector in the Indian economy. The market size of FMCG in India is estimated to grow from
FMCG industry is expected to grow at 12% in 2016.
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ndia’s FMCG industry is expected to grow at 12% in 2016, reaching the sales figure of US$ 49 billion. The fast moving consumer goods, or FMCG industry primarily deals with the production, distribution and marketing of consumer packaged goods, i.e., those categories of products that are consumed at regular intervals, such as food and beverage, personal care, pharmaceuticals, plastic goods, paper and stationery and household products, etc. The industry is vast and offers a wide range of job opportunities in functions such as sales, supply chain, finance, marketing, operations, purchasing, human resources, product development and general management. In India, the FMCG market growth over the past five years has been phenomenal, primarily due to consumers’ growing disposable income, which is linked to an increased demand for FMCG and services.
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cover story Sector Food and beverages
Products Processed food, health beverages, mineral waters, chocolate, biscuits, confectionary, bread, etc Personal Wash products like care soaps and shampoos, oral care products like toothpaste and toothbrush, cosmetics, etc Household Detergents, soaps, care cleaners, etc
Major companiess HUL, ITC, Tata Tea, Godrej, Nestle, Amul, etc
HUL, Proctor & Gamble, Dabur, ColgatePalmolive, etc HUL, Godrej, Proctor & Gamble, Henkel, etc
Major FMCG segments in India Interestingly, another large segment of the FMCG sector is the tobacco industry, where the biggest player in the Indian market is ITC.
The Pros and Cons Pros: • Huge potential given the expanding urban boundaries and the largely untapped rural market. • The improving lifestyle of consumers and increase in income levels mean an enormous opportunity for
newer, more varied products to succeed. • The government has announced various policy and fiscal measures, including FDI to the extent of 100 per cent, in the food processing segment, the largest FMCG segment. • The retailing sector is also a burgeoning one, and since it is intricately linked to the FMCG sector, it means that the relative growth potential of the latter is also very high. • There are already well known brands in the sector, both international and domestic, which create competition and increases investment potential. Cons: • The world today largely relies on emerging technology. However, in the FMCG sector, there is less scope of investing in this technology and achieving economies of scale. • The export potential in this sector is not high. • If import restrictions are removed, the domestic brands may face tough competition from international, more securely placed brands.
B-schools best known for recruitment from FMCG companies IIM Bangalore, SIBM Pune, SPJIMR Mumbai, NMIMS Mumbai, JBIMS Mumbai
BFSI
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espite the 2008 economic slowdown, both in India and across the world, the Indian finance sector largely remained resilient. Things are not bleak if you’re looking at a career in the banking, financial and insurance sector. In fact, according to a Central survey, the BFSI sector is currently estimated to employ around 40-45 lakh people and to provide job opportunities for 80-90 lakh people by 2022.
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What students prefer The banking industry is a systemically important industry for the Indian economy in general and financial sector in particular as it comprises nearly 90% of the total financial services sector of the country. WThe banking industry in India has undergone significant transformation since the initiation of the financial sector reforms that were part of the structural reforms of early 1990s. The banking sector has steadily evolved from a state-directed banking system into a fairly open competitive one. Banking in India has become service oriented, maturing from the days of ‘walking in business’ to the present situation of 24 hour banking solutions to attract customers.
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The Pros and the Cons Pros: • A variety of roles and responsibilities. • Consumer types vary widely due to the wide range of products and services, which gives an excellent mix of relationship, sales, operations, analysis and product management opportunities. • Lucrative salaries. • Use of newer and more efficient technologies to the fullest, which means working in top-notch settings with state of the art technology. Cons: • Sector is facing many changes, which means resistance and some conservatism when it comes to adopting, implementing and maintaining these changes.
B-schools best known for recruitment from BFSI companies IIM Calcutta, IIM Shillong, XLRI Jamshedpur, NMIMS Mumbai, IIFT Delhi, TAPMI Manipal, LBSIM Delhi
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IT/ITes
oday, all companies big and small are driven by technology; some in the core IT field, while others use technology for their day to day transactions. In fact, in a report listing the most valued brands in the world, eight of the top 10 firms are IT/ITes companies! The Indian IT-ITes industry has transformed India’s image on the global platform and fuelled the economic growth of the country, employing almost 10 million Indians. Moreover, both Indian and international firms across sectors largely depend on the IT/ITes providers to make their business processes efficient and streamlined. Exports from the IT-ITeS industry are forecast to grow by 13.8% a year to reach $130 billion by 2016-17 from $68.7 billion in 2011-12.
The Pros and Cons
Students’ point of view
The first thing that’s needed in a field like the IT/ITeS sector is the ability to handle pressure, given that with the constant advent of technology, the world keeps becoming smaller. A background in IT will also help, certainly, but isn’t a must for an MBA graduate to possess if he wants to specialise in IT.
Placement reports of the top-ranked B-schools show that the IT/ITeS is consistently among the top three sectors that are most preferred by MBA graduates. According to Dinesh Kapoor, Executive Director of Nielsen, “The IT sector seems to have found favour with students, even higher than the popular financial sector and banks. The healthy performance of the IT sector over the last few quarters seems to have had a positive impact on the students who once again are interested in the sector.”
Pros: • Most-sought after in the world, as Indians are more comfortable with English than other countries like Japan, China or Germany. • Most opportunities for on-site projects. • Mostly young professionals in the industry, meaning more dynamic workforce and creative thinking. • Lucrative salaries. Cons: • Personal life shrinks, be on call most of the time. • Depending on who the client is, timing of the job might not be fixed.
What you need to succeed
B-schools best known for recruitment from IT companies DOMS at IIT Bombay, Delhi, Kharagpur, Madras, NITIE Mumbai, SCMHRD Pune, ISB Hyderabad
Consulting
Types of Business Consulting • • • •
Strategy consulting Domain consulting Technology consulting Corporate finance
• Accounting • In-house consulting
The Pros and the Cons Pros: • High levels of income and perks. • Large scope for development of analytical, organisational, and communication skills. • Direct involvement in functioning and the future of firms, leading to greater job satisfaction. • Possibility of garnering a wide network across firms and sectors. Cons: • Hours are long. • Extensive travelling is required in most cases. • Stress levels can be high, with tight deadlines.
B-schools best known for recruitment from Consulting companies IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, XLRI Jamshedpur, ISB Hyderabad, IMI Delhi, IIT Kharagpur
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usiness consulting mainly deals with helping restructure companies using subjective and objective views of external consultants. Consultants can be engaged for their expertise in a particular industry or a sector, or as temporary staff members for a one-time project. The hiring of MBA graduates is pretty robust in the domain even in economic slowdowns. Consultants are more in demand, since most companies need advice on how to grow during any recession period. Even information technology companies such as Infosys and Wipro are trying to get into the lucrative field of business consulting, as it commands higher billing rates and also influences key strategies of the companies.
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part from these major sectors, there are also other fields in which the demand for quality MBA graduates is increasing. Moreover, MBA aspirants are now looking beyond the traditional fields of management, and identifying new areas of management in which a career looks promising. This outlook is linked with how the world and its markets and economies are developing. For instance, the advent of big data and the enormous amount of analysis being required by most major organisations today have given rise to the most lucrative field of Business Analytics. Consider also the growing number
of individuals who are becoming, or are on the way to becoming, celebrities. This, in turn, has given rise to Celebrity Management. And of course, with the natural resources in the world being threatened by our very existence, there is a vital need to conserve, preserve and manage them, in order to leave a sustainable world for future generations. This explains why fields like Water Management, Energy Management, Natural Resource Management and Sustainability Management have come up. It is impossible to list all these various fields in one go, so let us look at a few that show the most promise, and the highest opportunity for a rewarding career.
Risk Management
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nsurance is an important tool for mitigating risk. The insurance industry has a strong interest in effective risk management, which plays an important role in reducing the amount of losses that a business faces. Both insurance companies and the risk manager’s roles are to analyse and anticipate the potential for the loss. The job is all the more challenging as no two risks are the same, and the profile becomes more complex once the companies expand and diversify. Risk management also addresses many risks that are not insurable, such as brand integrity, potential loss of tax-exempt status for volunteer groups, public goodwill and continuing donor support. If we take a look at the Indian market, the potential of the insurance industry is huge. The total market size of the insurance sector in India is projected to touch US$ 350-400 billion by 2020. The insurance industry of India consists of 53 insurance companies of which 24 are in life insurance business and 29 are non-life insurers. The country’s insurance market is expected to quadruple in size over the next 10 years from its current size of US$ 60 billion. During this period, the life insurance market is slated to cross US$ 160 billion. The general insurance business in India is currently at `78,000 crore (US$ 11.7 billion) premium per annum industry and is growing at a healthy rate of 17%.
Career options Careers opportunities are available within insurance as well as non-insurance sectors. This field is recommended for students who are good at number crunching. The demand is huge and is evident from the influx of companies at campus placements. General Insurance Co. Ltd., SBI General Insurance Company Ltd., ICICI Lombard General Insurance Co. Ltd., SBI Life Insurance Company Ltd., CholaMandalam MS General Insurance Ltd., IFFCO-Tokio, Tata AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd., Accenture, Kotak Securities Ltd., Franklin Templeton Investments and Birla Sunlife are just some of the companies that show keen interest in insurance and risk management professionals.
Institutes in India offering Risk and Insurance Management programmes • Institute of Insurance and Risk Management, Hyderabad • SAMS Varanasi • EIILM University, School of Insurance & Risk Management, Sikkim • Amity School of Insurance and Actuarial Sciences • Institute of Management Studies, Kolkata
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Infrastructure Management
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eing one of the fastest growing economies of the world, India’s cities are at a critical level of urban transition, where the urban population is demanding more space, infrastructure and amenities, which the construction sector is eager to supply. This growth requires careful planning and
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managing, which is why there is a need for professional urban managers in the country. The construction sector is the second largest industry in India, after agriculture. Consequently, a rise or fall in this sector can have a domino effect on many other industries. This is one of the main reasons that urban managers, who are
cover story specifically trained in the nitty-gritty of this industry, are the need of the hour. Unfortunately, the demand far outstrips the supply.
Career options Currently, the urban construction sector contributes to around 11% of India’s GDP and is set to grow at a rapid rate. Hence, the potential for careers in this industry is high. Financial analytical abilities, ability to manage several projects at the same time and strong communication and negotiating skills are required, since they have to regularly liaison with financers, contractors and political bigwigs. There are also many commercial banks and insurance companies that specialise in real estate lending and mortgage. Graduates of urban and real estate management can also work with investment banking firms, a security analysing or rating agency or as a fund or asset manager.
Institutes in India offering Management programmes
Infrastructure
• TERI University
The urban construction sector contributes to around 11% of India’s GDP.
• AMITY School of Urban Management • National Institute of Construction Management and Research (NICMAR) • Symbiosis Centre for Management and Human Research Development (SCMHRD) • Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University (CEPT University) • School of Planning and Architecture, Delhi
Sports Management
Sports management grads land jobs in sport marketing, fundraising, public relations, facility planning, risk management, etc.
professional sports teams and major international sponsors involved in these events.
Career options More and more students from the general MBA field are opting to get into sports, which is why the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, has started offering a sports elective in their PGPM. A degree in sports management trains an individual to deal with sport management theories, sport marketing, fundraising, promotions, public relations, ethics in sport management, legal aspects of sports, facility planning and management, computer applications to sports, research methods, sports management problems, and issues and risk management. Graduates in sports management have varied jobs, ranging between sports agent, team manager, sports public relations, sports marketing, sports event management, and others.
Institutes offering programmes • • • •
Sports
Management
Team.i The Entertainment and Media Institute University of Technology and Management International Institute of Sports Management Indian Institute of Social Welfare and Business Management
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ports Management is, specifically, the application of management skills to the sports field. With sports revenues reaching new heights, there is an ever-increasing demand for professionals trained in the managerial, administrative and business aspects of sports. In India, sports is growing beyond cricket. The Olympics and Formula One are proof of this rage. Getting a billion people to believe in a game and instilling their faith in a team and its players is nothing short of a miracle, and it takes vision and perseverance to strategically market, manage and promote the game and its players. The popularisation of sports has created an escalating demand for leaders who can manage various international competitions and organisations,
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Media Management
nly a decade ago, the Indian media and entertainment industry was a part of the unorganised sector in India. But things have changed today. The industry grew by US$12.9 billion in 2009 to US$14.4 billion in 2010, a growth of 11 per cent, according to a report by FICCI and KPMG. With the MEA (media, entertainment and advertising) sector growing at a CAGR of 13%, industry estimates that it would require about 7.5 lakh skilled professionals by 2017. An MBA in Media Management provides you a platform to understand the ever-growing media industry. A student learns about media economics, generating revenue, getting financers, marketing products, branding, strategising and budgeting. It offers a unique opportunity of being creative as well as business-minded. In addition, the programme aims at producing skilled business managers capable of working with not only online technologies but
also conventional media to promote products and services.
Career options After MBA in Media Management, numerous options are available in various industries. You can join television channels or production houses as a channel head, programming head, sales and marketing analyst, media planner or you can also join them in a financial or a creative capacity. There are many opportunities for jobs in the film industry too, as managers, production heads, marketing and sales head, finance analysts, PR managers, etc. In the online space, jobs at managerial and business level in this industry in DTH, gaming, animation and cellular data sectors are a good option. Social media managers are also in high demand nowadays.
Institutes schools offering Media Management programmes • SIMC • Mudra Institute of Communication • AMITY School of Communication • Whistling Woods International • Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research
Healthcare Management
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he healthcare manager is the skilled professional who is responsible for the planning and management of a healthcare facility. He works closely with medical staff, procuring the best infrastructure and coordinating treatment protocols to deliver quality healthcare with maximised efficiency. As the healthcare sector grows with emerging new treatments and technological advances, healthcare managers are needed in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, public health departments, research universities, health insurance companies and private clinics. The Indian healthcare industry is expected to grow rapidly, at a rate of around 21 per cent by 2020.
Career options After completing an MBA in healthcare management,
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you can work in hospitals, clinics, old age homes, medical colleges and state health departments in the public and private sector. Similarly, there are huge and varied opportunities abroad in hospital management. Some of the areas in which health managers can shape their career are health information managers, medical record officers or administrators, health insurance managers, medical transcriptionists or editors, quality analysts in research centres, etc.
Institutes schools offering Management programmes • • • • •
Healthcare
IHMR TISS AIIMS IMS, Devi Ahilya University Apollo Institute of Hospital Administration
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ospitality/Hotel Management is part of the service industry, which brings in more money and creates more jobs than any other. The industry comprises 5-star, budget and heritage hotels, resorts and clubs and restaurants. The World Travel and Tourism Cou ncil has predicted that India has the potential to become the number one tourist destination in the world, growing at 10.1% per annum. The Indian hospitality sector is seeing massive investments currently, which has led to a demand for hotel managers.
Career options An MBA in Hospitality Management offers tremendous
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Institutes offering Hospitality Management programmes • • • •
Amity School of Hospitality Indian Institute of Hospitality and Management Oberoi Centre For Learning and Development Hotel and Catering Management Institute
Intellectual Property Management
ntellectual property is a general term for any idea, innovation or an invention that needs legal ownership to ensure that it isn’t copied or used without prior permission from the owner. All large companies possess enough intellectual property to bring some of it to the market and thereby generate large incomes from licensing and franchising. In fact, 55.7 million jobs, or around 27.7% of the US workforce, are supported by companies that depend heavily on IP rights to protect their creative works.
Career options IP laws are the same across the world, and so, with a degree in IP management, you could get a job just about anywhere in the world. Furthermore, IP is not restricted to just one sector or industry; it is required in almost all
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scope for the future, as the food and beverage industry is the last to face economic upheavals. This gives the industry a security, making it an enviable career choice. It is also lucrative, more fast-paced, less mundane and offers fast career growth with many perks. The scope in this industry is growing daily with restaurants, hotels, spas and holiday resorts mushrooming everywhere.
companies, irrespective of the industry they belong to. Therefore, IP studies will always be relevant, especially once all organisations start taking it more seriously. Companies are constantly looking for suitable and competent professionals to handle their intellectual property issues. Industries such as pharmaceuticals, information technology, bio-technology, media, music, etc are always on the lookout for experts to handle their IP. Finally, the government sector also needs intellectual property managers, especially in fields of research, defence and agriculture.
Institutes offering IP Management programmes • NMIMS – Institute of Intellectual Property Studies • Indian Institute of Patent and Trademark Attorney • Global Institute of Intellectual Property
Energy Management
raditionally, energy has been thought of as oil and gas only. But now, the world has realised the potential of different sources of energy, mainly solar, wind and geothermal. This has created a demand for qualified individuals who understand this industry. A course in energy management customises its curriculum to fit global standards. Programmes encapsulate a thorough study of energy, its trading, conservation and sustainability, and business techniques used in specific areas of energy management.
Career options Major corporations across the world are employing energy managers to help mitigate waste. Private equity funds and venture capitalists are investing huge amounts
of money even in the new ventures. Students with an MBA in Energy Management can expect to be recruited at the mid-management level both in the energy and non-energy sector. You can gain employment as an environmental manager, power/ energy trader, renewable energy manager, business development manager, energy analyst/auditor, etc.
Energy Management programmes • • • • • •
University of Petroleum and Energy Studies National Power Training Institute Great Lakes Institute of Management Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Petroleum Technology MDI Gurgaon Great Lakes IEMR
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Hospitality/Hotel Management
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Increase in MIM programme applications by 70% across the world.
In India, the GMAT is accepted for admissions at more than 200 programmes offered at over 100 business schools.
Far away from the US and Europe, there is an interesting tale about international tests, specially with regard to India. GMAT is now accepted by a large number of Indian B-schools as a part of their admission process. While both GMAT and GRE are accepted by ISB for all programmes and IIM-B for EPGP, other top B-school programmes like IIM-A PGPX, IIM-C PGPEX, MICA PGDM-C, XLRI GMP, IIM-L IPXM, Great Lakes PGPM, TAPMI PGDM, IIM-I EPGP, SP Jain PGPM now accept GMAT.
Rise in acceptance of GMAT in Indian B-schools
Introduction of new age specialist Masters and niche programmes
The average age of students on many MiM courses is around 23 years.
70%
A trend that started in Europe – rise of Masters in Management programmes targeted for recent graduates with 0 to 2 years of work experience – is now catching up in other geographies such as the US. Apart from the top European schools like HEC Paris, London Business School, ESSEC, IE, US B-Schools like Kellogg, Duke and Babson now offer management programmes for recent graduates. No longer do you need to wait to add years of experience before you pursue a management programme abroad.
Advent of Management programmes for young graduates with little or no work-experience
A decade back, test takers used to classify GMAT as a test to get into an MBA programme and GRE as a test for MS programmes. The clear line of difference has now diminished to a great extent. GRE is aggressively entering GMAT’s space and is now being accepted by a large number of business schools that previously accepted only GMAT.
Rise in acceptance of GRE in international B-schools
Approximately 25% of Stanford’s students pursue interdisciplinary programmes. Stanford also launched Knight-Hennessy Scholars programme, which offers a diverse, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary education across its 7 schools.
25%
One of the many things that have been keeping the world’s top universities busy is their penchant to launch newer programmes – universities realise that various research as well as job opportunities involve multiple disciplinary expertise and this has led to many new interdisciplinary programmes.
Rise of interdisciplinary programmes
Today, 1,200+ Business Schools accept GRE, including 83 of Financial Time’s Top 100 global MBA programmes (based on FT 2015 ranking).
1,200+
Global education The winds of change
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INSEAD
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16 days
INSEAD 1-year MBA ranked 1 for the 1st time in the history of Financial Times.
For the first time in the history of Financial Times Global MBA Rankings, a one-year MBA programme has topped the charts – INSEAD rose to the coveted pole position in the 2016 edition. One-year MBA programmes and deferred MBA programmes such as HBS 2+2, IESE YTP are seeing a surge in demand.
Increase in popularity of One Year MBA & Deferred MBA programmes
4 years & 11 months
60 days
Score reinstating period increased
31 days
The pay-off period for one-year MBA is only 2.4 years as compared to 3.4-4 years for two-year MBA programmes.
3.4 to 4 years
Two-year MBA
2.4 years
One-year MBA
Pay-off period
USD 140 Million disbursed as loans through crowdfunding by Prodigy Finance.
$140 Million
Financing international education is no longer a problem even without a scholarship! The last few years have seen emergence of new, alternative sources of funding – beyond nationalised banks. A case in point is Prodigy Finance, a crowdfunding platform that offers non-collateral loans to students.
GRE & GMAT have been making aggressive moves to improve the testing experience in a bid to woo more takers. While GMAT has introduced features like allowing students to retake the test in 16 days with Enhanced Score Report and Score Cancellation & Reinstatement, GRE has introduced features such as Score Select that allow students to choose and send only those scores that they wish universities to see. GMAT retake period reduced
Rise in alternative sources of funding
88%
88% of big data professionals have advanced degrees. McKinsey Global Institute predicts that by 2018, there will be about 1.5 million more jobs than skilled data scientists to fill those jobs.
Steps toward a student-friendlier test experience – GRE & GMAT
Niche and specialist Masters programmes are increasingly finding acceptance today. While traditional Masters programmes are still deemed attractive, various programmes such as MS in Data Science, Sustainability, Financial Engineering are becoming increasingly popular amongst the global audience. Driven by great research opportunities and career growth in areas like big data, the niche programmes have been witnessing a surge in demand.
Introduction of new age specialist Masters and niche programmes
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mba buzz
MAH-CET 2016: The CAP round MAH-CET is one test that people all over the country, especially those in Maharashtra, look forward to. Here we discuss the CAP round, a tricky process that students have to undergo en route to their management admission journey.
The Advanc’edge Team
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ith the MAH-CET results out on March 23, 2016, it’s the time of the year when the admission process to the most coveted colleges is on full swing. Even though the results are out, a lot has to be done before the students walk in through the gates of their dream institutes for the first time. Let’s take a quick look at the scenario at this stage, in this time of the year. The confirmation of “Application Form for Admission” and Document Verification at ARC (Application form Receipt Centers) Center to confirm Category and Candidature type is right now a very crucial phase. And for this, the candidates need to follow certain processes: • Candidates need to visit the ARC (Application form Receipt Centers) in person with the Mah-CET application form and required documents for Verification purposes. • This verification round is conducted to check all details and in case there are any mistakes in the form that can be corrected during the verification round. Once all the verification is complete the merit list is published based on the Candidate’s entrance test
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performance, category and University type. This is an extensive process involving multiple steps and processes, as mentioned below. Step 1: (Registration Online & Verification Offline) Announcement of dates for Registration of CAP Rounds & Document Verification. DTE announces the dates for the process generally in May. Till such time all applicants need to keep their documents ready for Verification. Following is the list of documents (original to show and attested photocopies for submission) that would be required at this stage. • Candidate shall produce score card of All India CET to ARC officer to verify the identity of the candidate, if any discrepancy found document verification shall not be carried out. • Certificate of Indian Nationality in the name of the Candidate. • Statement of marks of HSC and SSC. • Statement of marks for the Bachelor’s Degree Examination (i.e. the qualifying Degree examination) in case the candidate has passed the bachelor’s degree examination
• • •
•
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(Candidates who have appeared for final year degree examination have time limit up to 25th September, 2015 to produce the same). Caste certificate (if applicable). Caste/Tribe Validity Certificate. Non Creamy Layer certificate valid up to 31st March 2016 (if applicable). Domicile certificate of candidate - In case of Type-A candidate in lieu of Domicile certificate candidates should produce Birth Certificate of candidate indicating place of birth in Maharashtra State OR School Leaving Certificate indicating place of birth of candidate in Maharashtra State Domicile certificate of candidate’s father/mother (if applicable), clearly indicating the place of permanent residence of the candidate/father or mother. Certificates in Proforma A, B, C, D, E, F.
Step 2: (Online) Display of Provisional Merit List on DTE website Once all the verification is complete the Provisional merit list is published based on the candidates’ entrance test performance, category and University type. Check all the details
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Step 3: (Online) Display of Final Merit List on DTE website After the rectification Window period is over, DTE shall display the Final Merit List on the website. Make a note of the State General Merit Number & All India Merit Number as this shall be considered for Online CAP round seat allotment. Once this phase is over, comes the all important CAP Round. Wondering what the process is and how to approach it? The MH-CET CAP Rounds are a part of the Common Admission Process (CAP) Rounds for admission to the MBA/MMS Institutes of Maharashtra. For some reason this year DTE has not shared the details of CAP rounds in the CET 16 Brochure. Hence taking the process to be the same as CET 2015, we have explained how to approach CAP rounds. For past year timelines, go to http://www.imsindia.com/testanalysis-2015/MH-CET/importantdates-test-cities.html for your reference. Step 4: Submission and confirmation of online option form for CAP (Round 1) A student needs to log onto the DTE Website with the User ID and Password. If the verification is complete in all respects the Option form Opens Up and you are able to select various institute Options of your choice for admission. You can choose a Minimum of 1 and Max 100 Institutes. This needs to be filled in within the window period
that is announced. After which the CAP round 1 Option form is closed. • Please note, for CAP Round I, first Institute option selected is a compulsory option, which means that if a candidate is allotted seat in the first applied/ selected institute, the candidate needs to report to the institute and accept the admission or else he/she shall be out of the CAP round process. However, if a candidate has been allotted a seat in any of the institute beyond the first option, then the candidate can choose to accept the admission and report to the institute or wait for CAP round II to see if he/she is getting a better option. Step 5: Allotment of Seats for CAP 1 The seats are allocated based on the State General Merit Number for Maharashtra State Candidates (85% seats allocated) with 70% allocated to Home University Candidates & 15% allocated to Other Than Home University Candidates. For the remaining 15% seats, All India Merit Number of an Individual is taken for allocation of seat. Step 6: Submission and confirmation of online option form for CAP (Round 2) For students who did not get admission in the first Institute option selected can wait for a better option and go through a second round of selection. This step is important for them, where they follow the step similar to No. 4. This means that the students again need to log onto the DTE Website with the respective User ID and Password. If the verification is complete in all respects the Option form Opens Up and you are able to select various institute Options of your choice for admission.
Step 7: Allotment of Seats for CAP 2 This step is quite similar to Step 5 since it’s for students trying their luck a second time in the selection process. • Please note, for CAP round 2, any one of the first seven Institute option selected are compulsory options. Hence, if a candidate is allotted a seat in any one of the first seven applied institutes, the candidate needs to report to the institute and accept the admission or else he/she shall be out of the CAP round process. However, if a candidate has been allotted a seat in any of the institute beyond the first 7 options, then the candidate can choose to accept the admission and report to the institute or wait for CAP round III. Step 8: Counselling Round After all the allotments are done through the online CAP rounds, the remaining vacant seats are allotted through a centralised counseling round. The CAP Rounds are online process however the LAST CAP round is generally off line and the person needs to be present at the Counselling Centre for the same. Only Maharashtra State Candidates are eligible to participate in this CAP round. All India Candidates are not eligible for this round. No Seat TAG is applicable in this round and all the seats are considered to be OPEN and allotted on the basis of merit only. Even the vacant seats under the All India (AI) category are considered as general seats and offered to all the Maharastra State (MS) Candidates on the basis of Merit. This creates a huge opportunity for all MS candidates. All the best for your future and do well in this round so that you may get enrolled in your dream B-school. A
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mentioned there in case of any discrepancies, you can submit your grievances at the ARC. A candidate needs to visit the ARC centre again and rectify the error. This process needs to be completed within the window period announced by DTE.
Advanc’edge MBA May 2016 15
corporate interview
B-school brings about a complete metamorphosis ...says SAGARIKA CHAKRABORTY, CEO, IIRIS Pvt Ltd, a risk and intelligence consulting firm. The very chic and vibrant “VIP Bodyguard”, who is also an ISB alumnus, shares with Alolika Banerjee the nuances of being the best in a predominantly male domain. Q. Risk and intelligence consulting start-up firm. That sounds very serious. Can you explain how you guys function in layman’s language? IIRIS is a young start-up that provides risk management, disaster management, security and intelligence services for its clients. We operate under our three business offerings — IntelliRisk (IR), IntelliSense (IS) and S.A.F.E., in which we provide comprehensive intelligence, investigation, security and risk management programmes. IIRIS is all about physical risk therapy, which includes, risk inspection, information advisory and training. It is more like corporate investigation, forensic, investigative interviewing, IPR counterfeit management, brand protection, setting up advisory for clients.
Q. You are a law graduate from National Law University, along with an MBA from ISB, Hyderabad. What was it that drew you to risk mitigation and investigative strategies? As a lawyer, I used to work in the legal team at ICICI Bank. Even though I liked my job and found it interesting, I felt I could do a lot more with the management and consulting part of the work also. In India, there are no B-schools teaching strategic risk management other than ISB. So I chose ISB.
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Q. You had a law degree and then did an MBA from ISB. Aren’t these two fields unrelated?
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It is a misconception that law and MBA cannot merge. Law is such a unique field that you require its application everywhere. I am no longer a lawyer, but as part of my investigative
strategy, I know what not to do because that will entail crossing the line in that particular investigation. I know what the client is telling me and when a fraud has been perpetuated in the eyes of law. On the risk management side, when I go for an audit, I know which Acts are required for regulatory compliance. So I feel a legal degree can be applied in varied forms. We at times fail to see the diversity it offers, but its reach is actually vast. Similarly, I make use of my management education in my work as well. I think I apply more of my MBA strategies in my work than my hardcore engineering friends do in theirs! I apply decision-making trees, I apply statistics, probability, everything I learnt in my Math and Operational classes to the investigation.
Q. Is there any particular reason why you chose ISB over, say, going abroad? I applied to only ISB, and nowhere else. I did not want to go abroad because I was very sure that I wanted to contribute back to this very economy. For risk management, I wanted to work where I was studying. I was never very inclined to go for a quant-heavy course. ISB has the best of the strategy courses. I believe that ISB has a global exposure that no B-school in India can match. Finally, I think a one-year course gives you an advantage. Two years is a bit of a stretch!
Q. How far do you think your B-School experience has helped you to shape into the person you are today? A B-school brings about a complete metamorphosis! The person who walks in and the one who walks out are two completely different individuals. A B-school experience teaches you to manage everything — professionalism, time management, multitasking and so many other things that are required to become a thorough professional. It helps you discover what you really want to do and who you really are. Along with the best of education, you make friends for life here as well. I truly believe that the person I am today is highly indebted to my days at ISB.
corporate interview
Let’s be clear, my glass ceiling is not about gender. I never set out to be the best among girls, to prove a point to my male counterparts. My competition has been with people irrespective of their gender. It’s more about putting my mind to situations than going physical. I am trained to shoot a gun. But I would not use a gun in the first place if I can resolve the issue using my brains. So the work that I do doesn’t become more difficult just because I am a woman. It’s equally difficult for a man as it is for a woman. We merely generalise things by saying that risk management is a male domain, and so women have to come up with fancy strategies to survive. I have no strategies. I love my manicures and my pedicures. I love to dress up, I love reality TV, my late night ice cream cravings. But at the same time I do wake up at 2 am to do my surveillance. When I take up a case, I don’t consider how well I will fit into it just because I am a woman.
Q. Physical strength versus strategic planning – to which one will you give more importance in your profession?
can’t bring in bias in everything. When you are doing your job, it’s not about trying to prove what your gender can do. It’s all about providing the best of services to your clients.
Q. How do you deal with failure? I have failed many times, certainly. But if we don’t fail, how do we learn? All of us have to be prepared for failures to appreciate our successes even more.
Q. Along with the security services you offer, you hold training sessions and write extensively. How do you so many roles at the same time? I don’t know, it just happens! I have been surviving on a 4 to 5 hour sleep schedule ever since my law school days, when in my second year I became the youngest researcher to the United Nations ever in the world. But the pace keeps me going, whether it’s research, formulating policies or investigating cases. It’s my passion, it’s not just a job that pays my bills. Everything that I do in life is connected to this. My job is an extension of my personality.
All of us have to be prepared for failures to appreciate our successes even more.
I’d like to call it physical fitness, rather than physical strength. Being physically fit is as important in this profession as it is in any other. Physical fitness makes you more agile. A security agent should not be obese, since that will hamper his work. Physical fitness, along with strategic planning, is required to succeed in most professions, and mine is no exception.
Q. Many times, women executives or partners of CEOs prefer to be protected by the same gender. Does this mean assignments are only restricted to security missions exclusively for women? It is not at all true that women agents need to cater services strictly to women clients only. My clients can be men as well as women. However, realistically speaking, men prefer male security agents, while women usually opt for female agents. And I don’t believe this brings in gender discrimination in any way. It’s more to do with fitting in. We should not take feminism so far that we start ignoring or disrespecting physiological differences between us. We should not be shy to admit that. You
Q. How would you describe a day in the life of Sagarika Chakraborty?
Well, it starts in the most domesticated way possible, at 6.30 am in the morning, with handling the maid, deciding on the kitchen menu, looking after the household stuff, etc. The day ends with me lazing around before I doze off. In between, there is complete and sheer madness. I totally love my life, since it’s the one I had asked for ever since I was very young. It has its pitfalls, its jetlags, it takes a toll on the body, but, at the end of the day, I’m living my dream. Why should I curse myself when my dream has come alive? Should I not be happy about it? We often belittle things after we achieve them, and in the process forget that they’re things we had cherished for years. I treasure each and every moment of my life.
Q. Your words of advice for someone who wants to become an entrepreneur or people who wish to walk your path. Long back, my grandmother had taught me the difference between literacy and education. You have to know whether you want to study to be literate or you want to be educated. Realise what your stand in life is, and what you want to do with it. And it’s never too late to follow your dreams. A
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Q. Women are often stereotyped as being the fragile lot. Yet you have debunked all myths. How does it feel to make a footing in a conventionally male domain?
Advanc’edge MBA May 2016 17
alumni speak
With TISS, you get to work with 5 cos! This is an advantage all TISSians get, says alumnus SACHIN DESHPANDE, batch of 2014. In an interview with Aditya Prakash Iengar, Sachin talks about his two years at TISS, his experience during the student exchange programme, and the importance of having the right set of expectations. Q. Tell us about yourself. My schooling was in and around Chitradurga, Karnataka. After my 12th, I decided to take up engineering. A lot of people have a lot of reasons to pursue engineering; mine was that a medical degree would take 6 years, but an engineering degree would take just 4! (laughs). So I studied electronics engineering from BMS College of Engineering in Bangalore. Campus placements put me in Deloitte India in 2011, where I was working on SAP landscape as an Analyst. After working for a year, I got into Tata Institute of Social Sciences, from where I got placed in Asian Paints, and I’ve been with the company since 2014.
Q. A lot of engineering students start preparing for MBA entrance exams in their third or fourth year. Why didn’t you?
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Well, many of my batchmates in our third year did start talking about pursuing MS abroad. But to be honest, irrespective of whether it would be MS or MBA, I felt that third year was far too early to take such an important decision. I felt that none of us really knew what we’d be getting into, despite advice being available from our professors and seniors. I did go to a coaching institute in my fourth year, more as a run-with-the-herd kind of afterthought than as a meticulously thought out decision. I wrote the CAT, took the IRMA test seriously, and even managed to get an interview call from IRMA. But I must confess that the moment I was placed in Deloitte, I lost all interest and did not even go for the interview!
Q. Why did you decide to pursue MBA a year into your working with Deloitte? There were a couple of factors. Firstly, I got to see what my seniors — three or four levels above me in the
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system — were doing, and that didn’t inspire me at all. I realised that I wouldn’t want to be where they were, doing what they did. Moreover, it dawned on me that even though I’d studied electronics, and I was good at it, I wouldn’t really fit in that field. The second factor was my father’s influence, albeit at an unconscious level. He had done his MBA too, and had also been the leader of a union in his bank for ages. From him, I found out about negotiations and people skills, etc, which also prompted my interest in HR. Finally, working with Deloitte gave me some free time, because I was in training for the first few months. This might sound strange, but in that free time, I did a lot of re search on MBA, because I knew I’d have to switch fields. PagalGuy helped a lot. And it was there that I found out about the various fields of MBA, especially HR. And by that time, I’d also interacted with the HR guys at Deloitte, which also added to my perspective. So once I’d decided on HR, my target was the best institutes that offered HR, which are XLRI and TISS.
Q. Which tests did you write this time? I wrote four exams in 2011. I started with CAT, because it was, well, just there. There wouldn’t be any harm in writing it! (chuckles) I wrote IRMA again, because it was the first exam, and a sort of practice round for me. Finally, I ended with TISSNET and XAT. IRMA called me again for the interview round, but I didn’t go, almost like a bad habit! But seriously, this time, my focus was on HR, so I ignored IRMA. I didn’t fare well in the CAT, got around 95 percentile. Fortunately, I cleared both the TISS exam and the XAT, with a score of around 60 in the former. I got an overall percentile of 99.2 in the XAT, made the cut-offs for HRM but missed the BM Quant sectional cut-off by .02 percentile. I gave both interviews, TISS first and
alumni speak
Q. Tell us about the programme at TISS. The TISS programme is different from many other major programmes. For one thing, you’re expected to do field work with a different organisation in each of the four semesters. In the first year, students have field work for two days in a week. In the second year, it’s one month each in both semesters. Apart from this, there is also the summer internship, which is with yet another organisation. In the first semester, TISS has a “foundation course” concept that comprises basic aspects of sociology, India’s journey from Independence with a healthy understanding of the Constitution, etc. This is a unique orientation, because there are no equations to be derived, no correct or wrong answers. It helps build a perspective that is not isolated from reality, something an MBA degree can lead to quite easily. From then on, students are evaluated on group assignments, individual contributions, special projects, etc. Finally, at the end of it all, you have to submit a dissertation, since the degree TISS offers is an MA. I’d like to add that there wasn’t an extreme atmosphere of competitiveness among students, which is somewhat the norm in other MBA institutes.
Q. There seems to be a lot of field work! Yes, in a way, this makes the TISS programme unique. For one thing, since you have four different blocks of field work as well as a summer internship, it means that you get to work with five different organisations in different sectors, with different cultures, on different projects, all during your two year programme. So at the end of it all, you have been exposed to various companies. I worked with Bharti Airtel on recruiting and onboarding, with Siemens on apprentice training in team building activities, with Ultratech Cement’s marketing division on metrics for their HR processes and finally, in the fourth semester, with a small consulting firm called LBW, where I had to develop a competency model for roles they were hiring. In my summers, I interned with Colgate-Palmolive in their Sree City factory near Chennai, and worked on engagement, training and skill-building activities.
Q. You were in a student exchange programme, and studied in Germany. Tell us about that experience. I’d applied for the exchange programme after
the summer internship. I submitted a letter of recommendation and gave the interview, and was selected along with one other batchmate to study in Westfälische Wilhelms University in Münster, near Cologne, Germany for three and a half months — my third semester. We had a stipend for our expenses. It was a completely different world. For instance, we were used to a certain approach to problems and questions; TISS had schooled us in that there are definite solutions, no right or wrong answers. But here, we had an answer, and it was a defined one. We could read or research or think anything, but when it came to answering a question, we knew there was a very specific answer. This was a rather intriguing aspect. Another great takeaway I had from this is the exposure. It may be a cliché, but getting to study and work with people from various nationalities gave me a valuable glimpse into their approach to work!
Q. How was your placement experience? The placement process at TISS is handled entirely by your junior batch. TAS came to campus a couple of days early, while on Day Zero you had the usual biggies — ITC, Mahindra, Aditya Birla, Asian Paints and so on. A few companies had assessment tests. I cleared them, and out of the initial 15 companies, I was shortlisted by 7 for the next GD rounds. Finally, I had two interview calls, of which the first was Asian Paints. It lasted half an hour, and within another 15 minutes, they gave me an offer. I accepted, and didn’t even go to the second interview. This was quite different from my summer placement experience, where I had to give as many as 6 interviews on the trot!
Q. Your advice for management aspirants? My only advice to aspirants would be to have a very clear and realistic idea of where they want to be, and which institute will get them there. A lot of people get into colleges with a set of expectations, and they are disappointed later. It is better to be prepared and have the right set of expectations from a college before you join. So do your research and be mindful of your choices. A
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XLRI later. But I got the final admission call from TISS before the XLRI interview, so maybe that affected my performance, but I didn’t convert my XLRI call.
Advanc’edge MBA May 2016 19
student silhouette
Practise hard, and enjoy it! Says 2016 CET topper JAIDEEP MEHENDALE, who is also a Junior Product Engineer in a Pune based IT company, about preparing for any competitive exam. Jaideep shares with Advanc’edge MBA how he accomplished the incredible task of scoring 99.99 percentile in this year’s CET. Q. How does it feel to top the CET?
Q. How did you prepare yourself for CET?
It feels awesome! All I can say is that I had put in a lot of hard work and dedication. I was working for an electronics engineering company in Pune, and simultaneously preparing for CET. That the hard work bore fruit is a great feeling, one that gives me motivation to work harder and achieve greater goals. The official date for result declaration was March 29, but the results were declared six days early! I had just got home from work when I found out, and logged in immediately to find out how I’d fared. And when I saw my score, I couldn’t believe it for a moment! I kept checking and rechecking to make sure that I was not dreaming!
I had already appeared for CAT, XAT and NMAT and so my fundamentals were pretty much in place. But my preparation strategy for MBA CET mainly consisted of two parts – mocks and practice on the visual reasoning section. With all the hard work I’d put in, I had complete confidence in myself.
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Q. After engineering, what made you decide to go for MBA? I feel an MBA degree helps shape every student’s perspective about the world in general. It inculcates a macroscopic picture of how any organisation (or any process for that matter) functions. In addition, in a B-school, there is also the advantage of networking with a varied peer group, whereby the learning process is immense.
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Q. Did you expect to score so brilliantly? To be honest, I was expecting a score in the high 99s, although not the perfect score! Because I’d been working, I could not attempt a single simulated test during the test window. So I had no clue about the All India Rank I could expect, neither did I feature in any of the rolls of honour or leaderboards. However, I diligently did the mocks after the test window, and kept comparing my score with the roll of honour. There was hardly any test where I would not figure in the top 3 in the roll of honour. This meant that if I’d actually taken the SimCETs in the test window, I would have featured in the top 3 in almost every test. This realisation was a huge confidence booster for me. The actual CET, however, was far from being easy. In fact, according to almost all coaching
MBA CET is probably the only exam which requires both high speed and high accuracy!
student silhouette
Q. Did you face any obstacles while you were preparing for the test?
Practise hard for your MBA. Think of the entire management process as a journey and not a destination.
Time turned out to be a problem. Working full time and preparing for entrance tests is a task in itself. I also remember that a week before the actual CET, I had two B-school interviews in Mumbai on two separate days, both of which I had to attend. So I had to juggle office, interviews and test preparation simultaneously. So time management was extremely crucial for me. However, I was very keen to score well in CET. MBA was a dream for me and I was ready to put in all the required hard work to make that happen. So, I kept aside the obstacles and put in my best in my preparation for the work.
Q. What are the other exams that you took? Along with CET, I took other important management entrance tests – CAT, NMAT, XAT, SNAP and CMAT.
Q. Tell us your opinion about CET 2016. According to me, MBA CET is different from other exams, since it’s probably the only exam which requires both high speed and high accuracy! This year’s CET was well conducted. The test was very competitive and involved a lot of tough questions. It is often said that a good test is one in which a candidate has to decide which question not to attempt, rather than which to solve. In that sense, this year’s CET managed to hit the nail on the head. Except for the Visual Reasoning section, all the sections were on the difficult side, and easy questions were few and far between.
Q. How do you think, coaching centres help students? I personally believe that no training centre can accurately predict the difficulty level of the actual test; that is not even expected. What training institutes like IMS do is that they prepare the students for all the
possibilities that they might have to encounter in the actual test. And that pre-test preparation is indispensable. I have always considered a test to be similar to a game of chess. So isn’t it common sense to prepare well and have a good idea about the expected opening moves, mid game and end game strategies of your opponent? The opponent, i.e., the test might spring a surprise, but is that not what the test is all about? There are going to be surprises (unexpected questions and puzzles) in the test, the plan is to reduce the surprise element as much as possible. Attempting simulated tests and analysing them helps you identify, access and analyse your weaknesses and strengths. These tests enable you to tackle unexpected challenges and problems in the actual test. But keep doing your work and remember that there is no substitute for hard work.
Q. Your words of advice for other students who are planning to crack CET? My suggestion to MAH CET 2017 aspirants is very simple: Practise, practise, practise and then practise some more. Most importantly, enjoy the practice! Don’t think of it as something that’s forced on you, but something, which you whole-heartedly enjoy and believe in. Then only you can reap the best results and excel in your preparation for management studies. It is now widely accepted that it is difficult to excel at something if you do not enjoy it. Think of the entire MBA process as a journey and not a destination; do not think of it as an end, but the means to an end! And yes, the most important asset that will carry you in your entire exam preparation (irrespective of the exam) is the belief that you can succeed. Everything else will automatically fall in place. If you have confidence in your abilities, enough of self-belief, then there can’t be any force big enough to prevent you from pursuing your dreams. The greatest battle is fought between the two ears. I would also like to add a quote here from Jack Ma: Today is difficult, tomorrow is much more difficult, but the day after tomorrow is beautiful; most people die tomorrow evening. Perseverance and belief are the keys to success. I wish the very best to all the future aspirants! A
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institutes, CET 2016 was one of the most difficult CETs in the last 10 years. What a difficult test does is that it separates the serious test takers from the “also-rans” — those who took the test just because they were taking some other tests. From that point of view, I was actually happy that the test was difficult.
Advanc’edge MBA May 2016 21
snippets
News in brief
Here are some interesting titbits from over the last month Kia Motors all set to venture into the Indian market Kia Motors, which happens to be a subsidiary of Korean auto giant Hyundai, is all set to enter the Indian market that is often touted to become the third-biggest car market globally by 2020, as per the prediction of many agencies. This makes entry into the Indian market for the company, which sells cars across Europe, China, US and in home market Korea. Kia sells cars such as ‘Sportage’ compact SUV, ‘Soul’ cross-over and ‘Rio’ hatchback. It has already started preliminary work on identifying land for its factory and is looking at possible models and suppliers.
Hindustan Zinc hits record high on dividend bounty
Ex-head of Alibaba Group appointed Paytm’s new president
Hindustan Zinc’s shares surged up to 14 per cent on March 31st after the company announced that it will pay highest ever dividend of `10,141 crore, including `3,000 crore to the government, to its shareholders for the 2015-16 fiscal. At NSE, shares of the company climbed 12.42 per cent to `196.80. The actual dividend is `10,141 crore and when dividend tax is included it will go to `12,205 crore. This is the highest ever dividend announced by a private company.
Former chief of Alibaba Group Holding’s wholesale business, Bhushan Patil has been appointed as mobile payment and commerce platform Paytm’s new president. Patil’s key areas at the company would include building the company’s cross border commerce. In his previous role at the Chinese company Alibaba, Patil was in charge of operations. Paytm’s Indian business is growing, as it is aiming to sell $2 billion worth of products in 2016 and see the sellers grow to 5 lakh from 1.7 lakh currently.
India’s fastest train, Gatimaan Express, started running from April 5
Madhya Pradesh govt to create Department of Happiness
India’s fastest train, the “semibullet” Gatimaan Express, has begun its inaugural run on April 5. This move comes after a wait of two years. However, instead of New Delhi, it is departing from Hazrat Nizamuddin and reaching Agra in 100 minutes. The interesting part is, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu will not be at the station to flag off the train. Instead he will flag off the train with remote control from Rail Bhawan at 10 am. The train clocks a speed of 160 km per hour speed in the Tughlakabad-Agra section. The train’s fares are higher than that of Shatabdi.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is planning to create a ‘Department of Happiness’, drawing inspiration from Bhutan, which focused on Happiness Index to keep its people happy and infuse positivity in them. Madhya Pradesh will be the first state in the country to create the Department of Happiness. It will organise yoga, meditation and cultural programmes among others to keep people happy. The purpose behind setting up this department is to ensure people remain happy and stay away from taking extreme steps like suicide when they are in distress.
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Manish Maheshwari to be the new Web18 CEO; quits Flipkart Manish Maheshwari will be joining Web18 as its chief executive officer after he quit as the head of seller marketplace and ecosystem at Flipkart. Maheshwari was instrumental in growing Flipkart’s marketplace nearly ten-fold from 10,000 sellers in February 2015 to over 1,00,000 sellers by February 2016. The exit of Maheshwari, who joined Flipkart from American software company Intuit last year, comes after Flipkart’s commerce platform head Mukesh Bansal and chief business officer Ankit Nagori quit the firm earlier this year.
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snippets JNU, Hyderabad, the top rankers in India’s varsity survey
Mehbooba Mufti becomes J&K’s first woman Chief Minister
In a survey where the key parameter was perception, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and University of Hyderabad (UoH) were adjudged the top varsities in the country. For the first time, public perception about institutions was invited through an online tool. A total of 1.5 lakh votes were received from nearly 60,000 individuals. Eminent peer groups were selected from a list of notable individuals from academia, industry, R&D institutions and other government organisations. In total, 1,438 engineering colleges, 609 management institutions, 454 pharmacy colleges and 233 universities participated in the exercise, making it one of the biggest ranking exercises ever.
Mehbooba Mufti of the Peoples Democratic Party or PDP took oath on April 4 as the first woman Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, at the head of a coalition government that includes the BJP. The 56-year-old succeeded her father Mufti Mohammad Saeed who died in January this year. Twenty three ministers took oath along with Ms Mufti, including members of the BJP, whose Nirmal Singh will be Deputy chief minister. Former J&K CM and Mufti’s main rival Omar Abdullah has prophesied that Mehbooba will face ‘more alliance contradictions’ in the partnership with the BJP, an ideological opposite.
World’s first White Tiger Safari opens in Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on April 3 inaugurated the world’s maiden ‘White Tiger Safari’ at Mukundpur in Satna district in the state’s Vindhya region where the animal was first discovered more than 100 years ago. The first of its kind safari has cost `50 crore and is spread over an area of 25 hectares. With its inauguration, the safari, housing three white tigers, including one male named Raghu and two females, Vindhya and Radha, is now officially open for public.
Flipkart-Godrej Interio tie-up for furniture vertical In a move that will help increase its play in furniture space, Flipkart has announced an exclusive partnership with Godrej Interio to enable customers to access an exclusive, and unique range of furniture. Flipkart will offer complete collection of furniture from Godrej Interio, which includes designs for living room, dining room and bedroom, the company said in a statement. The online furniture market is valued at USD 130 million and is expected to grow at a compounded annual rate of 75 per cent and reach over USD 700 million by 2020, according to industry experts.
India has surpassed its solar energy target for 2015-16 more than one and a half times, commissioning 3018 MW during the year against the 2000 MW it had set itself. The latest figures shared by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy show that Tamil Nadu added the most capacity in 2015-16 at 887.19 MW, followed by Andhra Pradesh (433.24 MW) and Telangana (351.56 MW). At the end of 2015-16, the country’s cumulative solar capacity stands at 6753.38 MW, up from 3743.97 MW a year ago. Rajasthan, which has the best solar radiation among states, remains No. 1 in overall installed capacity at 1264.35 MW.
Total prohibition of alcohol imposed on Bihar from April 5 Bihar imposed complete ban on liquor from April 5. The sale of absolutely any type of alcohol, including Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) – not just country liquor – will now be completely banned in Bihar with immediate effect, the state government announced. The decision on the ban on any type of alcohol was taken by the Bihar cabinet, four days after a ban began on the production and sale of country liquor, or desi liquor.Bihar is now the fourth dry state after Gujarat, Kerala and Nagaland. The Bihar government gets revenue of nearly `2,000 crores from the sale of IMFL and revenue of around `4,000 crores from country liquor sales in 2015-16.
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India surpasses solar energy target for 201516 more than one and a half times
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snippets Wind energy capacity growth to decline in FY17: ICRA There can be decline in wind energy segment’s fresh capacity addition from 3.3 GW in FY2016 to around 2.5 GW in FY2017, estimates ICRA. The reasons for this fall can be listed as substantial reduction in preferential tariff – from `5.92 per unit to `4.78 per unit for new wind energy projects to be commissioned in Madhya Pradesh and slowdown in signing of fresh power purchase agreements and delays in payments by state owned utility in Maharashtra.
New age start-ups moving away from the resume culture Applying at companies with resume is a passé; the new age concept is to make oneself visible digitally, through LinkedIn, Twitter and others. Delhi-based start up HelpChat is one among the many companies, where resume is a forgotten thing and the recruitment process transforms from being a sourcing game to more of an engagement business based on their digital footprint. At these companies, where CVs are not welcome, digital footprint of a candidate takes the place of the first touchpoint between the recruiter and the recruit.
India figures at 133 in world media freedom index India figures quite low at 133 out of 180 nations in the latest press freedom index, an international watchdog said, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being ‘indifferent’ to threats against scribes. This report by the Paris-based ‘Reporters Without Borders’ also painted a sad picture of the world media freedom that has suffered a ‘deep and disturbing decline’ due to pressure from governments, ideologies and private-sector interests. About India, the 2016 report said that journalists and bloggers are attacked and ‘anathematised by various religious groups that are quick to take offence’, referring to growing right wing extremism in the country.
Paytm drags Snapdeal to court over data theft issue Alleging data theft by a subsidiary of Snapdeal, mobile commerce platform Paytm has taken the e-retailer Snapdeal to court. According to the suit filed in the Delhi High Court, Paytm has claimed that sellers on its portal have shared their passwords with Snapdeal’s subsidiary, which is then being used to mine data. Any data of a seller’s transactions on Paytm is its propriety asset, and if this is given to Snapdeal, it would amount to an unfair advantage for the latter, Paytm has said. Paytm has also alleged that the subsidiary of Snapdeal is using its logo and name without authorisation.
Spike in interest from NRIs on the back of IIM-A’s outreach activities There has been a spike in interest from non-resident Indians at IIM Ahmedabad on the back of outreach and promotional activities conducted abroad this year. As many as 15 NRIs made it to the final admission shortlist of the institute’s twoyear flagship PGP programme this year, which is considerably higher than the usual one or two candidates. However, the institute has failed to attract enough applications from foreign nationals for its supernumerary seats. There have been only 13 applications for 40-odd supernumerary seats earmarked for foreign passport-holders.
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Six Indians among Time’s 100 most influential people Time’s ‘Time 100 influential people’ 2016 is out and six Indians – Sunita Narain, Binny Bansal, Sachin Bansal, Priyanka Chopra, Sania Mirza, Raghuram Rajan, and Sundar Pichai – have found place in it. Activist Sunita Narain heads the Centre for Science and Environment. Binny and Sachin Bansal are founders of e-commerce website Flipkart. Actress Priyanka Chopra acquired international acclaim with her Quantico performance. Sania Mirza is currently ranked No. 1 in the women’s doubles rankings. Governor of India’s Central bank, Raghuram Rajan and Sundar Pichai, the Chief Executive Officer of internet giant Google are also very prominent Indians in the list.
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urope slowdown: An analytical overview Eurozone is facing something akin to an economy slowdown due to a variety of factors, both internal and external. In this article, we explore what these are, and the possible counter measures that exist. Dr Suresh Srinivasan
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ver the last few months, The forecast for the subsequent 19 countries that share a common Europe’s economic data months are quite bleak, seriously currency — the Euro — closed 2015 has been indicating clear impacting the sentiments of the with a 1.5% gross domestic product signs of a slowdown, primarily investors and consumers! (GDP) growth. In the poor global driven by the shrinking industrial growth scenario and prevailing output. Especially in the Eurozone, Europe scene not so bleak, say economic conditions, this is quite industrial production has declined some a reasonable figure. This becomes by 1% in the month of February, as Reading the same economic data, even more evident when compared compared to the January that saw some analysts contrarily believe to the United States (US), which a reasonable growth of close to 2%. that the slowdown in Europe is grew by a marginal 0.7% only. It must A few countries are pulling down not all that discouraging. In the be noted that now, the Eurozone is the overall European production backdrop of the overall poor global projected to grow at 1.2% in 2016. growth — Ireland and Greece are growth, Europe is not completely Moreover, there are some struggling to keep up production in the doldrums! Analysts argue bright spots in Europe. Spain levels, with declines seen in the that the Eurozone, which is a set of recorded a growth rate of 0.8% range of 4% to 11%. during October-December Poor consumption of 2015, a positive sign given consumer goods has been that the country has been a major issue as well. Italy in recession for quite some and Greece have structural time. Smaller countries problems, and will continue like Malta and Poland have to pull down the overall announced growth in factory European growth figures. activity. Some east European Italy is struggling and its block countries have also growth is almost flat. Greece shown improvement in fell back into recession factory output, but their during the Octobereconomic activity is closely December 2015 quarter, and related to larger European the contraction is expected economies which drive to deepen further. Germany investments and exports also recorded lower factory of these smaller countries. output, the weakest yet in Thus, the bright spots the last 12 months. Britain’s are miniscule compared manufacturing data has The Eurozone is taking a beating due to to the larger problem also been quite weak. poor economies. which Europe is facing.
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corporate world The global scenario The forecast for the global growth is rather bleak. In its recent global financial stability report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has highlighted that global output can decrease by as much as approximately 4% by 2021. The IMF attributes a key part of such a development to the weak banking system in the Eurozone. The IMF has also stated that a third of the European banks are in seriously adverse financial condition, and their sustained profitability is being questioned. Given all of these factors, there are primarily three major areas that are responsible for the European weakness.
Problem 1: Friction between economies Firstly, the inherent European problems arise from the conglomeration of a number of diverse set of countries into the Eurozone; all these countries share a common currency. Europe is a combination of many economies, some of them strong while others extremely fragile. The size of the economies also vastly varies. Germany, United Kingdom, France and Spain are large member countries whose economies continue to be reasonably competitive.
The IMF has reported that global output can decrease by as much as 4% by 2021. Italy is big, but is fraught with a number of problems, including low competitiveness and high sovereign debt. Ireland, Portugal and Greece are small economies, but have serious economic problems both in terms of having lost competitiveness as well as carrying a high debt to GDP ratio. These countries are on the verge of collapse due to heavy public expenditure and an unproductive workforce, but are nevertheless enjoying the reluctant support of the stronger European nations. The weak countries are being bailed out from bankruptcy virtually on a quarterly basis, with countries like Germany releasing funds to keep these bankrupt countries afloat. This creates enormous friction among the member countries; stronger countries are continuously questioning how long they can support weak economies,
which do not appear to have any immediate intention to improve and adopt austerity measures to become more competitive.
Problem 2: Little to bank on The second factor leading to the European weakness is the unhealthy financial position of European banks, which form the financial backbone of Europe. There is an overcapacity in the banking system with too many banks. This is the result of steadily declining economic activity that has shrunk Europe’s output over a period of time, while the number of banks continues to be more or less the same. The banks are further saddled with serious non-performing assets (NPAs). Analysts peg the worth of NPAs of the European banks to be in the vicinity of a trillion US dollars, or an equivalent of `70 lakh crore! This magnitude of serious structural problems in the European banks is one of the major threats for the global economy. Drastic measures and reforms are required to address the European banking system. As per an assessment by the IMF, at least 15% of the European banks — more specifically many Italian banks — need immediate attention, as their failure could have a cascading impact on the entire global banking system.
INDIA INC: AT A GLANCE NPAs increasing to `10 lakh crore
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Non-performing assets (NPAs) of banks are likely to touch `10 lakh crore in the fourth quarter of 2015-16, resulting from the slowdown in key sectors like steel, real estate and construction. The banking sector is currently in desperate need of a major re-haul to bring in structural changes, capital infusion and strengthen its governance structure. According to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, these continue to be at the top of priorities for the government.
Another markdown for Flipkart T Rowe Price, one of the investors in Flipkart, has written down the value of its investment in the e-commerce major by 15%. This is the second such instance for Flipkart, with the earlier mark down by Morgan Stanley. The new regulations regarding FDI in e-commerce restricts the e-commerce operations in many ways and is likely to change the business model of e-commerce companies.
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corporate world
Problem 3: Global economy nosedived The final area that leads to Europe’s economic weakness is the overall decline in the global economy, especially the decline in the Chinese economy. Around the world, there seems to be an expectation of the investors for increase in interest rates, which could again spiral down the liquidity position and seriously impact economies that are starved for investment and growth, driving down global output by close to 4% in the next four years. China is a large trade partner of Europe — more than 8% of European exports find their way to China, primarily in the areas
of metals, textiles and lumbar. China is also a large importer of capital goods and machinery from Germany, and more than a tenth of Germany’s exports make their way into China. China is transforming itself from an “export led” economy to a “consumption driven” economy. The impact of such a transformation, especially in the context of its influence on trade with other economies, is having a significantly adverse impact in terms of investor
sentiments. Hence, a major part of the declining European output is attributed to the Chinese slowdown. In summary, it is safe to say that large European central banks have reached the consensus that 2016 is likely to be an extremely challenging year. They are focusing on measures to counter the slowdown. Quantitative easing and bond buying programmes will continue and this will have an impact on the liquidity in the economy. A
INDIA INC: AT A GLANCE Uber carpooling to cost half In order to take advantage of the Delhi government’s odd-even scheme that is being reintroduced, Uber has slashed the prices for its carpooling service by half to around `3.5 per kilometre, which will be available for bookings from 7 am until 9 pm for all seven days in a week. Taxi aggregators like Ola and Uber are aggressively positioning themselves in India as carpooling platform providers to gain market share.
Sikka-led Infosys continues to perform The Vishal Sikka magic continues to shine — Infosys recently beat estimates and announced a 4% increase in its profits for the quarter ended March 2016. Its top line grew by 23%, indicating that its turnaround strategies formulated and being implemented by the new management team under the leadership of Vishal Sikka is gaining credibility.
More Burger King outlets soon Burger King, the quick service restaurant global leader, is aggressively expanding in the Indian market by adding 35 to 40 outlets across the country in this year alone. Its strategy is to be present in tier 1, 2 and 3 cities. With close to 15 months having passed since its entry into India, the company is attempting to overtake competitors like McDonalds, KFC and Dunkin’ Donuts.
FDI into India up by 37% Foreign direct investment (FDI) into India increased by 37%, reaching close to US$ 40 billion during 2015 as against US$ 28 billion in 2014. The software and hardware businesses topped the FDI investments, with other sectors including the likes of trading, automobiles and chemicals. Singapore emerged as the biggest FDI source, followed by Mauritius, US, Netherlands and Japan.
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An additional fact to remember is that many of the prominent large European banks today have operations around the globe. This means that local level developments also affect the health of these banks — the economic slowdown in China and the exposure of these European banks to the Chinese business houses have the potential to drill holes in the health of the European banks, further damaging their financial stability. German and Chinese banks are estimated to have a Chinese exposure of close to $100 billion. With the Chinese economy drastically slowing down over the last 12 months, NPAs in banks operating in China have increased by more than 50% during the last quarter. With all these developments, the European banking sector has virtually entered a panic phase, and the confidence index has been steadily dropping. Recent surveys have pointed out that concern about China — and Asia — is top on the list of worries for most of the European banking community.
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corporate world
Tata Steel’s UK exit: Is it a good move? Lack of competitiveness and preparedness has led to the Tatas pretty much pulling out of UK as far as their steel production is concerned. How did the Tatas go from being the single largest steel producer to such a disappointing state of affairs? Read on to find out. Dr Suresh Srinivasan
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ata Steel is the flagship company of the Tata Group and has operations primarily in India. As the largest steel manufacturer in the country running one of the most efficient and cost effective plants in the world, in Jamshedpur, Tata Steel has always had aspirations to become a large global player.
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A little background More importantly, the steel business around the world was getting matured, with supply far exceeding capacity. During the mid 2000s, with economic shocks like recession and slowdowns, the survival of steel companies was seriously threatened. Steel companies around the world started to believe that they needed to be larger and larger, in order to gain economies of scale, and survive. Steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal pioneered this global consolidation model, acquiring thousands of steel companies from around the world to become the largest steel player, with 120 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) capacity, virtually controlling close to 10% of the global steel production.
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Corus: Tata’s Europe entry Looking at such developments, the Tatas started to believe that they should become bigger and globalised as well, and thereby move up from the 56th position they occupied! With this objective, during 2007, Tata Steel acquired a much larger company Corus, roughly four times its size, to become the fifth largest global steel player in the world. Corus was headquartered in London, with its main operations in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Tata did away with the Corus brand and renamed the company Tata Steel Europe in 2010. To understand Tata’s European operations today, it is important to know some of the details of their acquisition of Corus. Originally Tata Steel offered a price of US$ 8.1 billion for Corus, at around 5.55 p o u n d
Tata Steel is slowly pulling out of its UK operations.
sterling per share. However, the bid for Corus quickly went into an auction mode, where Brazilian steelmaker CSN entered the fray with a counter offer of pound sterling 6.03 per share. Tata Steel was forced to up its offer to 6.08 in order to clinch the deal, which it did. But by enhancing the bid, Tata Steel had stretched its offer from $8.1 billion to $12 billion — a massive 50% increase.
Corus was a risky move Such a move by the Tatas was strongly criticised by the markets and analysts, who alleged that the Tatas were allowing precious shareholder monies to be thrown away. More importantly a large part of the funds required to complete the Corus acquisition was financed by the Tatas through the debt route. Such a financing strategy (using a large debt component) exponentially increased the risk in the acquisition, since the more the debt, the larger would be the probability of the company getting into financial distress if the demand for steel reduced due to economic slowdown or recession.
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How the 2008 recession hit the Tatas’ steel business At the time of acquiring Corus, more than two-thirds of the Tatas’ overall capacity was in Europe. More specifically, the UK plants (Port Talbot, Rotherham and Scunthorpe) had around 11 MTPA and the Dutch plants in Ijmuiden had a capacity of 7 MTPA. There were substantial delays in the expansion of the Indian plants in Odisha. With the economic slowdown of 2008 deepening, the results of Tata Steel began to dwindle, and so did its share price. Within 15 months, from a high of `935 a share, the share price plummeted to around `163 during the global financial crisis in the period 2008-09. This global slowdown had a major impact on global steel demand as well as on the competitiveness of Tata Steel. Although the Tatas’ Indian operations still remained one of the most cost competitive and productive operations in the world, the UK operations lacked competitiveness. The high debt secured during the Corus acquisition also had its share in contributing to the deep impact on the financials of the company. From then on, the share price of Tata Steel became a roller-coaster ride, and could never really pick up sustainably after that.
UK ops in fire sale mode? Tata Steel has been trying to respond to the difficult industry situation, but its efforts don’t seem to be adequate. The company sold its Teesside plant in England in 2009-10, and was able to arrest some of the cash losses by closing down the plant and restricting its exposure due to the closure of that plant. In 2016, Tata Steel’s UK plant in Scunthorpe was sold for UK £ 1 during April 2016. Yes, you read that right, the plant was sold for just a single pound, an equivalent around `100! And it is not only one pound — Tata Steel is retaining the loans pertaining to this plant, and the
Tata Steel sold its Scunthorpe plant for just £ 1 in April 2016 — less than `100! commitments relating to employee pension contributions relating to the Skuthorpe plant. Now that Tata steel has decided to close down the plants, virtually no other acquirer is ready to take over these unviable operations.
Tata Steel licking its wounds In essence, the Tatas are currently in a ‘distress sale’ mode. The company’s international operations have become uncompetitive, especially in the backdrop of the highly matured global steel industry saddled with excess capacity. UK steel consumption has declined significantly, and the cost of manufacturing steel in the UK is one of the highest in the world. To top it all, many of the UK
plants are primarily built around the blast furnace technology, which has become outdated in the face of the more recent arc furnace and a number of subsequent technologies that are both environment friendly and less expensive. Basically, the Tata Steel management was caught off guard, and the situations with respect to the European operations quickly turned unviable with cash virtually bleeding.
Political fallout in the UK The collapse of the steel industry and Tata Steel’s announcement that it will close down its UK steel operations by May 2016 has created a political turmoil in the UK. British Prime Minister David Cameron has directly intervened to ensure appropriate suitors are available to buy over the Tatas’ steel assets in the UK. There is also a demand for the British government to nationalise the sick steel plants and save the 15,000-odd jobs that are threatened due to the Tatas’ closure. The sentiment is particularly important, since this is essentially history repeating itself — earlier job losses resulting from the 1990s’ UK coal mine closure continue to have adverse economic impact as most of the workers still do not have a job. Moving forward, the Tatas need to proactively plan their exit, or otherwise, of their Netherlands plants. The senior management’s sole role will be to cautiously navigate their companies through the dynamic industry environments and aggressive competitors, and thereby preserve the shareholder value, and from that perspective, the Tatas appear to have fallen short! However, there is still scope to recover a part of the lost opportunity, if they become more proactive. A
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The fears of a high price paid and the high debt component used in the acquisition quickly came true, when the global sub-prime crisis and recession set in during 2008. The demand for steel drastically dropped, and with excess capacity in the market, the global steel price crashed. Naturally, this left Tata Steel quite exposed and — worse — extremely vulnerable. The Tatas, however, continued to put up a brave face and continued to operate the UK and Dutch plants without any significant signs of a large scale restructure.
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corporate world
FDI in e-commerce: What will this spell for India? With 100% FDI in e-commerce, things should be rosy for the sector, right? Not really, as the regulations released show a far larger implication in clipping the wings of e-commerce firms and protecting the traditional retail stores.
Dr Suresh Srinivasan
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he Government of India the regulation does provide them having their own private has recently allowed 100% a deeper glimpse into the labels. Some companies have foreign direct investment implications, and it seems that even opened physical stores in (FDI) in the e-commerce space. the existing e-commerce model order to provide their consumers On the face of it, this would practised will most certainly be the “touch and feel” quality for appear to be a great opportunity impacted. their goods. for foreign companies like These companies offer large Amazon and Alibaba. This seems The current state of affairs discounts in order to incentivise to be sending out a message that E-commerce companies are the consumers to buy online, Indian domestic companies could currently supposed to be thereby snatching away business be facing a major threat. It also operating as technology from the brick and mortar sounds as though the 100% FDI platforms, i.e., bringing the buyer retail stores. While doing all of in e-commerce is a threat to the and seller together and securing this they are also alleged to be Indian retail companies as well! a financial return for providing circumventing the country’s However, on a detailed reading such a service. However, these Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) of the brief regulation that has companies have moved far rules by accepting overseas funds. been released, none of these beyond this, and are virtually An investigation the Enforcement eventualities seem to be true, operating like retail stores, Directorate (ED) on this issue is and neither the domestic Indian carrying inventory, with some of reportedly pending. e-commerce companies These efforts practised nor the foreign players by the e-commerce are likely to be happy! companies have raised The Retail Store the hackles of the large Owners Association retailers in the country of India, however, is like Bharti, Biyani and delighted and wants Aditya Birla group, the regulation to be as well as many small implemented at the retailers. The Retailer’s earliest. Although Association of India the initially released (RAI) has been urging regulations have not The increase in FDI in e-commerce comes with the Government of India been detailed, reading its own pros and cons. to bring in regulations
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corporate world that clearly firewall both the business models, and have requested the government to ensure the sustainability of the retail stores and their employees in the country.
What does the new regulation say? The government’s recent regulation to allow 100% FDI in marketplace e-commerce is a far reaching regulation that could change the e-commerce landscape in the country. The word “marketplace” is important, as the regulation clearly restricts the role and scope of the e-commerce players to the activity of intermediation through a technology platform. Anything beyond that has the potential to intersect with the scope of activity of the traditional retail players. On reading the fine print, it is obvious that the objective of this policy is to clearly define the scope of e-commerce and push the companies towards
the marketplace model from the inventory model that is being practised by the traditional retailers. It is extremely important to achieve this, as currently the FDI regulation applicable to the inventory model is different from that of the marketplace model.
Components of the regulation The regulation has three primary components. First, the regulation bans e-commerce companies to own goods. They need to operate as a mere platform and not go beyond providing a mere facilitation service between the buyer and seller. Secondly, in effect the above point has a deeper implication. E-commerce companies cannot offer deep discounts, which form the very basis of the survival of the existing e-commerce companies, both domestic and international. Most of the events that e-commerce companies are famous for, such as Billion Day Sale and Independence Day sale of Flipkart and Amazon, therefore,
will technically become banned! Aggressive cashback offers given by the likes of Paytm will also fall under this category. It is a well known fact that very high levels of valuation of the existing e-commerce companies are the result of such aggressive selling strategies adopted over the last few years. These have been the biggest pain for the retail stores, who see their customers being snatched away, and that too on such a large scale! Finally, in the third component, the regulation further tightens the noose around the e-commerce companies on another dimension: No group company or seller on a marketplace can contribute more than 25% of the sales generated by the e-commerce company on its website. Currently, most of the large players are securing far more than 25% of their total sales from their own companies. Case in point is Flipkart, which uses WS Retail Services Pvt Ltd (which it owns), which generates more than 25% of Flipkart’s revenue
INDIA INC: AT A GLANCE Better luck for Samsung in Indian market in Feb Samsung, which briefly lost competitiveness and market share in the Indian market, is witnessing a rise in sales in the India market again. The company managed to garner a 30% market share in February 2016. In recent years, competitors like Micromax and Lava have been aggressive in marketing and promotions, taking market share away from Samsung.
Uncertainty in the air after ban on large diesel cars The recent Supreme Court ban on the sale of large diesel cars in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) in order to arrest pollution and improve air quality has created a high level of uncertainty among auto manufacturers. Global companies like Toyota have decided to suspend new investments in its Indian operations till clarity emerges.
Finance minister Arun Jaitley has highlighted that several key reforms are top priority for the current government. He has indicated that the government will attempt to pass the goods and services tax (GST), the bankruptcy code and amendments to the Securitization and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (Sarfaesi) Act and Prevention of Corruption law and their like during the second half of the budget session of Parliament.
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GST, other bills top priority for govt: FM
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corporate world on its website. Amazon’s case is similar too, as Amazon India sources a large part of its sales from its joint venture company Cloudtail India. This regulation will drive the e-commerce companies to diversify their vendor base, provide opportunity for other traditional retail players to be part of the value chain and also take away the monopoly these e-commerce companies enjoy in the entire e-commerce value chain.
Likely impact deregulation
of
the
As mentioned before, today, to get their business model accepted, and to entice customers to move to the e-commerce space, the main ammunition for e-commerce companies has been the “discount” route. This has now been forbidden by the regulation. It is a fair and a good move — most of the e-commerce companies are burning shareholder monies through unsustainable discounts that will hurt them in the long run. Venture capitalists funding
such discounts and keeping such companies viably running will also be prevented from losing excessive monies. Furthermore, the policy clearly dissects the scope of e-commerce players and the traditional retail stores. This brings in a lot of clarity to the scope, and the capabilities the two groups need to build, in order to avoid duplication and wastage of shareholder value. There will be a lot of disappointment for e-commerce consumers, however, as such a regulation will drastically cut down the goods available at discounted rates. It looks as though you might not get pen drives anymore for just one rupee!
The companies’ move With the scope being clearly set out for them by the regulation, e-commerce companies should restrict themselves to offering an efficient platform and provide selling and distribution services much more efficiently than what the manufacturers can currently offer. This can be achieved through scale and focused
operations, thus adding value to both consumers as well as the manufacturers of the products. By doing so, the e-commerce companies would not be stepping on the toes of the traditional retailers, who will have a unique channel of customers walking in, given their preference to buy the goods. In this way, the scope is clearly demarked and duplication of efforts is minimal, thus enhancing shareholder value in both the models. However, a lot of clarity is still required on the regulation. The fine print is yet to arrive. More importantly, the e-commerce players could find loopholes to exploit even the current regulations, and there needs to be a watchdog to spot such loopholes, especially during the execution stage. A Dr Suresh Srinivasan is a Chartered Accountant, has an MBA (Bradford UK) and a Doctorate in Strategy. He is a Professor of Strategy in Great Lakes Institute of Management and a management consultant.
INDIA INC: AT A GLANCE No IPO yet for L&T Infotech Larsen and Toubro Infotech Ltd (L&T Infotech), the wholly owned IT subsidiary of L&T, recently withdrew its draft prospectus for an initial public offering (IPO) to raise around `2,000 crore from the primary stock markets. It had earlier secured approval from capital market regulator SEBI to go ahead with the IPO. This is being attributed to the change in the offer structure.
Micromax plans entry into global top 5
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Indian handset maker Micromax recently unveiled an aggressive strategy to become a top 5 global player by 2020. Micromax recently launched 15 new smartphones aimed at different consumer segments. It is exploring entering new overseas markets to gain international presence, starting with Russia, where it has already gained the third largest brand position.
RBS trains crosshair on Mallya Vijay Mallya’s troubles with lenders in India has now transcended borders! Now, global banking major Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has proposed to terminate a credit line and all other banking services provided to his European beer operations next month. This is a very big setback for the liquor baron; he now seriously needs to consider the settlement of the pending loans in India!
32 Advanc’edge MBA May 2016
study hour
Are you a Brainiac? In this section, we shall explore several different types of questions from the various areas of entrance exams like the CAT, CET, GMAT, etc, and how to best solve them.
Quant Q.1 A box contains a number of apples. When the apples are divided into groups of 5, 4 apples are left, when divided into groups of 4, 3 are left, when divided into groups of 3, 2 are left and when divided into groups of 2, 1 is left. What is the minimum possible number of apples?
If log8 (m )= ; then 82/3 =
\
1] 49 3] 64
The number of apples always fall short of one, to be a complete multiple of 5, 4, 3 and 2. Hence, the number of apples = LCM (5, 4, 3, 2) – 1
Q.3 A alone takes twice as long as B and C together to do a peice of work. B alone takes thrice as long as C and A take to do the work together. If all the three of them work together, they can complete the work in 36 days. Approximately in how many days can C, working alone, complete the work?
= 60 – 1 = 59. Hence, [2].
1] 73 3] 117
Let a, b and c be the number of days A, B and C alone take to complete the work respectively.
Then from the question, we get the following
Hence, [3].
Alternatively,
When the apples are divided into groups of 2, 1 apple is left; hence there is odd number of apples in the group. Option [3] is eliminated. When divided into groups of 3, 2 apples are left; hence the numbers of apples in the group is not a multiple of 3. Option [4] is eliminated. When divided into groups of 4, 3 apples are left. Hence, option [1] is not possible.
Q.2 If log8m + log8
1] 1 3] 24
=
, then m is equal to: 2] 6 4] 4
2] 87 4] 144
equations.
=
;
=
;
=
Solving these equations, we get that, C alone will take 86.4 days = 87 days.
Hence, [2].
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2] 59 4] 39
= 22 \ m = 4 6 = 24.
Advanc’edge MBA May 2016 33
study hour
Verbal DIRECTIONS for questions 1 and 2: In the following questions, a word has been used in sentences in four different ways. Choose the option corresponding to the sentence in which the usage of the word is incorrect or inappropriate.
DIRECTIONS for question 3: The sentences given in each question, when properly sequenced, form a coherent paragraph. Each sentence is labelled with a letter. Choose the most logical order of sentences, from among the given choices, to construct a coherent paragraph.
Q1. HEAD 1] In this poor economy, many families are unable to keep their heads above water. 2] She would never make a good doctor – she is incapable of keeping her head in an mergency. 3] The middle-manager was annoyed that his subordinates had gone over his head and appealed directly to the MD. 4] After considerable effort, the students managed to make head or tail of the assignment. To ‘keep one’s head above water’ means to survive financially. Simply to ‘keep one’s head’ means to remain calm in a crisis. To ‘go over someone’s head’ is to bypass someone’s authority and appeal to a person in a higher position than the former. So options [1], [2] and [3] are correct. But [4] is wrong – to ‘make head or tail of’ is used only in a negative sense, and means to be unable to understand; e.g. if the sentence said ‘Even after considerable effort, the students could not make head or tail of the assignment’. Hence, [4].
Q3. A. Relativity may not be as ubiquitous in the everyday world.
Q2. HEART 1] She used to wear her heart on her sleeve when she was younger, but life taught her to be more reserved. 2] He met his heart of hearts when he was just a teenager, and they have been together ever since. 3] He had his heart set on becoming a musician, so he was miserable when his parents forced him to study engineering instead. 4] Though our father was always strict and stern, we knew his heart was in the right place.
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To ‘wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve’ means to make one’s feelings known to all – this idiom fits in option [1]. To ‘have one’s heart set on something’ is to wish for something deeply, so the usage in [3] is correct. To ‘have one’s heart in the right place’ is to be fundamentally kind or loving, so [4] is correct. But ‘heart of hearts’ means one’s innermost private feelings, and cannot refer to a person, as it does in [2] (‘sweetheart’ or ‘queen of hearts’ might fit better in this case). Hence, [2].
34 Advanc’edge MBA May 2016
B. Between them the two explain virtually everything about the world and about us.
C.
D. The two towering achievements of the past 100 years are quantum theory, our picture of atoms and their constituents, and Einstein’s general theory of relativity, our picture of space, time and gravity.
E.
Nevertheless, it has taught us that there are things called black holes from which nothing, not even light, can escape; that the Universe has not existed forever but was born in a titanic explosion called the Big Bang; and that time machines – remarkably – may be possible.
In fact, it can be argued that quantum theory has actually created the modern world, not only explaining why the ground beneath our feet is solid and why the Sun shines but also making possible computers and lasers and nuclear reactors. 1] ACEDB 3] DECAB
2] DBEAC 4] DACBE
The paragraph is about both quantum theory and relativity. So D, which introduces both, is a better opening sentence than A, which mentions only relativity. This rules out [1]. The ‘nevertheless’ in C can follow only A: since it’s a positive sentence, it must contradict a negative one, and A is the only sentence with a negative connotation. Thus we have an AC link, which rules out [3]. The comparison in A means that this sentence must follow E: E talks about the importance of quantum theory, while A talks about how relativity is not as ubiquitous. Thus we can rule out [4], which leaves us with [2] – DBEAC – as the correct answer. Hence, [2].
WORD DOSE
study hour
The inoffensive soul At present, obviously, nevertheless, he was not likely to displace himself; his journeys were over, and he was taking the rest that precedes the great rest. He had a narrow, clean-shaven face, with features evenly distributed and an expression of placid acuteness. It was evidently a face in which the range of representation was not large, so that the air of contented shrewdness was all the more of a merit. It seemed to tell that he had been successful in life, yet it seemed to tell also that his success had not been exclusive and invidious, but had had much of the inoffensiveness of failure. He had certainly had a great experience of men, but there was an almost rustic simplicity in the faint smile that played upon his lean, spacious cheek and lighted up his humorous eye as he at last slowly and carefully deposited his big tea-cup upon the table. He was neatly dressed, in well-brushed black; but a shawl was folded upon his knees, and his feet were encased in thick, embroidered slippers. A beautiful collie dog lay upon the grass near his chair, watching the master’s face almost as tenderly as the master took in the still more magisterial physiognomy of the house; and a little bristling, bustling terrier bestowed a desultory attendance upon the other gentlemen. Excerpts from Henry James’s The Portrait of a Lady
1. Nevertheless – (nev-er-th uh-les) (adv) 2. Displace – (dis-pleys) (v) 3. Precede – (pri-seed) (v) 4. Placid – (plas-id) (adj) 5. Acuteness – (uh-kyoot-ness) (n) 6. Shrewdness – (shrood-ness) (n) 7. Invidious – (in-vid-ee-uh s) (adj) 8. Inoffensiveness – (in-uh-fen-siv-nes) (adj) 9. Rustic – (ruhs-tik) (adj) 10. Lean – (leen) (adj) 11. Spacious – (spey-shuh s) (adj) 12. Humorous – (hyoo-mer-uh s) (adj) 13. Encased – (en-keys-d) (v) 14. Embroidered – (em-broi-der-d) (adj) 15. Collie – (kol-ee) (n) 16. Magisterial – (maj-uh-steer-ee-uh l) (adj) 17. Physiognomy – (fiz-ee-og-nuh-mee) (n) 18. Bristling – (bris-uh l-ing) (adj) 19. Bustling – (buhs-uh l-ing) (adj) 20. Terrier – (ter-ee-er) (n) 21. Bestowed – (bih-stoh-ed) (v) 22. Desultory – (des-uh l- tohr-ee) (adj)
a. Pleasantly calm or peaceful; unruffled; tranquil; serenely quiet or undisturbed. b. In spite of that; notwithstanding. c. The quality of having or showing good powers of judgement or intelligence, smartness. d. Having or showing great authority. e. Of an action or situation, likely to arouse or incur resentment or anger in others. f. Confer or put (something) in a specified place. g. Not objectionable or harmful. h. Come before (something) in time. i. An energetic and busy manner. j. Intelligence, smartness. k. A small dog of a breed originally used for turning out foxes and other burrowing animals from their holes in the ground. l. Containing little fat. Especially
healthily so; having no superfluous fat. m. Having ample space. n. Causing laughter and amusement; comic. o. Short, stiff, and spiky. p. Facial features or expression, especially when regarded as indicative of character or ethnic origin. (in this case the frontage of the house) q. Enclosed or covered. r. A sheepdog of a breed originating in Scotland, having a long pointed nose and long thick hair. s. Take over the place, position, or role of. t. Decorated by sewing patterns on it with thread. u. Relating to the countryside; rural. v. Lacking a plan, purpose or enthusiasm, aimless.
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M AT CH T HE W OR D S W IT H T H E IR M EA NING S
Advanc’edge MBA May 2016 35
study hour
A quiz to boost your General Knowledge 1. The International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade is observed every year to offer the opportunity to honour and remember those who suffered and died at the hands of the brutal slavery system. When is the day observed? a. March 24 b. March 25 c. March 26 d. March 27 2. Name the author of the book “Standing On An Apple Box”. a. Chetan Bhagat b. Amitav Ghosh c. Aishwarya Dhanush d. Amish Tripathi
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3. Narsingh Pancham Yadav, who qualified for Rio Olympics 2016, won the gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games. With which sport is he associated? a. Boxing b. Wrestling c. Athletics d. Weightlifting 4. The Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve is a protected area covering 305 km2 (118 sq mi) of open grassland, forests, riverbeds and tropical wetlands at an altitude of 174 to 1,386 metres. It was gazetted in 1976 as Royal Shuklaphanta Wildlife Reserve. In which country is it situated? a. Nepal b. Sri Lanka
36 Advanc’edge MBA May 2016
c. Bangladesh d. Bhutan 5. This state government has recently launched a new scheme ‘Adapting Homes for the Differently-abled’, under which six months pension will be given in advance to such persons for adapting their homes as per their requirement. Which Indian state has adopted this scheme? a. Kerala b. Himachal Pradesh c. Karnataka d. Haryana 6. Name the state government that launched ‘Project Salamati’, which aims to maintain healthy gap between the births of children by using injectable contraceptive. a. Haryana b. Punjab c. Uttar Pradesh d. Madhya Pradesh 7. Sutlej Yamuna Link Canal (SARYU) or SYL as it is popularly known, is a proposed 214-kilometre (133 miles) long canal in India to connect the Sutlej and Yamuna rivers. However, the two states in India are undergoing controversies over the construction of this canal. What are these two states? a. Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh b. Haryana and Rajasthan c. Punjab and Haryana d. Haryana and Uttarakhand
8. Molenbeek is a place, which recently gained international attention as the base of numerous Islamic terrorists. In which country is it located? a. Belgium b. France c. Turkey d. Syria 9. Name the country among the SAARC nations, which recently decided to opt out from the execution of famous SAARC satellite project. a. India b. Pakistan c. Bangladesh d. Sri Lanka 10. The very famous Patty Duke has passed away recently. With which field was she associated? a. Acting b. Swimming c. Gymnastics d. Politics 11. Among the following, which has become the first liquor-free village in Rajasthan? a. Churu b. Achalpura c. Dausa d. Kachhabali 12. Shiva Thapa qualified for 2016 Olympics. Which sport is he associated with? a. Archery b. Boxing c. Shooting d. Swimming 13. This diplomat is mainly active
study hour
14. World Autism Awareness Day is observed every year to raise awareness of spectrum disorder. The 2016 theme is “Autism and the 2030 Agenda: Inclusion and Neuro diversity”. When is the day observed? a. April 1 b. April 2 c. April 3 d. April 4 15. Unakoti hill is an ancient Shaivite place of worship with huge rock reliefs celebrating Shiva. It is a very important tourist spot. In which state of India will you find Unakoti hill? a. Tripura b. Nagaland c. Manipur d. Meghalaya 16. One among the following is the newly introduced fully unreserved, superfast train in India. Name it. a. TEJAS Express b. Humsafar Express c. UDAY Express d. Antyodaya Express 17. This Indian was recently bestowed with the Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour “the King Abdulaziz Sash” by
King Salman bin Abdulaziz at the Royal Court. Name the person. a. Lata Mangeshkar b. Narendra Modi c. Sachin Tendulkar d. Pranab Mukherjee
18. The Prime Minister of which country, among the following, recently resigned from his post after his name was revealed in Panama papers leak? a. Iceland b. Bulgaria c. Mexico d. Kenya 19. The world’s first mass dengue vaccination programme has been launched with a French drug Dengvaxia (world’s 1st dengue fever vaccine) to combat mosquito-borne disease. Name the country in which it was launched. a. Philippines b. United States of America c. India d. France 20. This bank has launched India’s first Aadhaar-based ATM usage facility to make transactions easier with ATM for customers. The ATM will accept Aadhaar number and Aadhaar fingerprint (biometric) instead of ATM/ Debit Card and PIN to dispense cash from the bank account. Name the bank. a. ICICI Bank b. Axis Bank c. DCB Bank d. Standard Chartered Bank 21. India’s first cash giving app has been launched by Tslc Pte Ltd, a fin-tech company. The app will provide users a personalised experience to borrow cash anytime, anywhere within minutes, for their needs. Name the app.
a. ASSure b. CASHe c. Beyond d. INStant
22. The National Maritime Day of India is celebrated every year. On this day, in 1919, navigation history was created when SS Loyalty, the first ship of the Scindia Steam Navigation Company, journeyed to the United Kingdom. On which day was it celebrated? a. April 5 b. April 6 c. April 7 d. April 8 23. The Government of India (GoI) has recently constituted a highlevel committee to suggest ways to fortify the security along the border with Pakistan and address the issue of gaps and vulnerability in border fencing. What is the name of the committee? a. NR Madhava committee b. Abhijit Sen committee c. Madhukar Gupta committee d. Shailesh Nagar committee 24. Sultan Azlan Shah Cup 2016 is Asia’s biggest hockey tournament, which is celebrating its Silver Jubilee this year. In which country is this tournament held? a. Pakistan b. Bhutan c. Indonesia d. Malaysia 25. India’s fastest train “Gatimaan Express” has been flagged off from Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway station to Agra Cantt. Station. What is the maximum speed of the train? a. 150 KMPH b. 160 KMPH c. 170 KMPH d. 180 KMPH
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with the United Nations’ humanitarian operations. Between 2010 and 2014, he served as CommissionerGeneral of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). Name this diplomat, who is currently the incumbent head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. a. Ruud Lubbers b. Peter Maurer c. Filippo Grandi d. Sadako Ogata
Advanc’edge MBA May 2016 37
study hour 26. The World Health Day (WHD) is observed every year on April 7 to raise awareness on different health topics. What is this year’s theme for the health day? a. Save lives: Make hospitals safe in emergencies b. Normal Blood Pressure c. Beat Diabetes d. Fight cancer
a. Delhi b. Mumbai
c. Jaipur d. Lucknow
27. This country has won the 2016 Asian Nations Cup Chess tournament by defeating Vietnam with a 3-1 victory in the final round in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Previously, India won the event in Esfahan, Iran (2005) and Kolkata, India (2009). Name the country. a. Afghanistan b. Bangladesh c. India d. Sri Lanka
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28. On the occasion of the 2016 International Conference on the “Zero”, a bronze bust of the ancient Indian mathematician-astronomer Aryabhata has been gifted by India to UNESCO as its tribute to the world of mathematics and science. Name the country that hosted this conference. a. India b. Japan c. Russia d. France 29. The first National Tribal Carnival will be held from April 29 to May 02, 2016 to preserve and promote various facets of the tribal life relating to culture, tradition, customs and their skills and to expose it to the general population. Name the state in which it will be held.
38 Advanc’edge MBA May 2016
How to Play Fill in the grid so that every horizontal row, every vertical column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1-9, without repeating the numbers in the same row, column or box. You can’t change the digits already given in the grid. Every puzzle has one solution. Hint: Don’t fill in numbers at random. While filling a particular square, write numbers 1-9 on a pad and start eliminating those numbers that already appear in the same row, column or 3x3 box.
ANSWERS SuDoKu
GLOBESCAN 1. b
2. c
3. b
4. a
5. d
6. a
7. c
8. a
9. b
10. a
11. d
12. b
13. c
14. b
15. a
16. d
17. b
18. a
19. a
20. c
21. b
22. a
23. c
24. d
25. b
26. c
27. c
28. d
29. a
WORD DOSE
For more similar puzzles, visit: www.sudoku.com
1. b 6. c 11. m 16. d 21. f
2. s 7. e 12. n 17. p 22. v
3. h 8. g 13. q 18. o
4. a 9. u 14. t 19. i
5. j 10. l 15. r 20. k