Why study MBA?

Every year, over 100,000 students choose to study an MBA (Masters of Business Administration). For some, it’s a basic pre-requisite to get into their chosen career. For others, it’s the best way to make sure they stand out in a difficult job market.

Many of you will commit to an MBA because you know it’s a quick step up the salary ladder. MBA graduates do make more money, right from the start

Various reasons for which a student chooses an MBA can be addressed as follows;

MBA can boost your career prospects by giving you:
• confidence to operate across all areas of business
• enhanced capabilities to lead, think and act strategically
• insight into your leadership style and your strengths and limitations
• the ability to apply knowledge to your own organization and many other situations
• understanding of other areas of the organization
• knowledge and expertise to meet the challenges of senior management
• skills to continue developing and learning
• help with launching your career, and an alumni network for life.

MBA can benefit your employer by:
• enhancing your capabilities across a range of areas, e.g. marketing, strategic thinking, innovation and change, and people management
• improving your powers of analysis with the ability to operate at a strategic level and contribute beyond your functional specialism
• providing a cost-effective management development programme
• allowing the flexibility to study without regular absence from the workplace
• Presenting the opportunity to gain value for your organization through your dissertation or consultancy project.

The programme will also:
• support you through executive coaching or mentoring, to improve your employability and develop new skills (Full-time and Executive modes only)
• give you an understanding of the foundations of management and of different functional perspectives
• provide you with a framework for the analysis of organizational activity and the application of learning
• develop your understanding of the strategic and integrative nature of business and management
• prepare you to take a holistic view of the organization and its environment
• extend your leadership capabilities
• broaden or deepen your knowledge through the electives and your dissertation or consultancy project
• challenge you by participating in intensive international events where you are exposed to the issues facing businesses in different markets.

There are two important issues one has to decide after a decision has been made to study for an MBA degree. These issues are;
1- Which programme to go in for?

2- Where to pursue the studies?

There are many programmes available for doing MBA. These include the following;

A- A Full Time MBA
B- Distance learning MBA
C- Part-Time MBA
D- Industry Integrated MBA
E- Executive MBA

How do you decide which MBA program is right for you? 

The most important thing is to work out why you want to study an MBA in the first place. You’ll need to demonstrate a very clear vision of your future career plans in your application, so get that straight in your mind first.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Do you want to switch careers, or progress where you are now? 
If you need to get new skills to switch careers, choose a school that specializes in that area (for example, engineering or IT). If you want to progress in your current role, talk to your firm about sponsoring your study, based on your commitment to them.

Do you want to keep working while you study?
Look at online or distance learning options, or flexible part-time modules.

What’s more important to you – a big pay-rise when you graduate, or international experience? 
You can find out the average starting salaries of each school’s graduates. And if you’re looking for international experience, online learning may not be the best option. You’ll want to travel to meet your fellow students!

Is there a particular company you want to work for? 
Look at where they recruit from – it will narrow your choice of school considerably.

The choice is yours

A full-time MBA is still by far the most popular program. MBA programs tend to be rigorous – lots of group work, case studies and assignments. It can be hard to juggle those around full-time work and family commitments. This is 2-year programme to be completed in 4-half yearly semesters or 6- trimesters covering about 22-25 subjects in 2 years. In the last year the student can any one or two specializations from the following important specializations;

a- Sales and Marketing Management
b- Human Resource Management
c- Financial Management including banking
d- Information Technology
e- International Business
f- Retail Management
g- Production and Operation Management.

Distance learning or online MBAs are growing in popularity, as students can continue working while they study. As MBA students tend to be older, they also often have family commitments that make it harder to travel abroad. But you should look for a distance learning program that offers some residential opportunities, so you can meet and network with your fellow students.

There are also plenty of many other affordable MBA options. 

Part-time MBA many institutes and universities offering part time courses leading to MBA degree. The timings may either evenings or only on Saturdays or Sundays. This is suitable only for those students who are either working and there is a restraint on timings or those who can’t get admission in regular programme for any reason.

Industry Integrated MBA
Many Universities / Institutions have introduced Master of Business Administration ( Industry Integrated) post graduate programme . This is a powerful and challenging course and is a well balanced and optimum blend of class room teaching and industry experience. In this programme the students study the basic management subjects in the class room for the first year, and in the second year they undergo on-job-training for the second year, thereby gaining  experience and understanding the  principles of management in actual practice. This blend makes the student most-sought after in industry

Executive MBA
This programme is most suitable for those students who are employed and cannot afford to leave the job but at the same time want to increase their knowledge and hone their business skills. These programmes are mostly sponsored by the organization. And the course curriculum is tailor made to suite needs of the organization.

The other issue to be considered is from which management /business school. We should pursue MBA. The following is a list of some important points to consider in the selection of a business school;

• Career Placement Record
• Return on Investment
• Quality of Academic Staff
• School Reputation
• Profile of Students / Alumni
• School Specializations
• Recent School Ranking
• Accreditation Status
• Scholarships / Financial Aid
• Convenience of Location
• Teaching Style
• Course Length
• Affordability

Tags : Top Business Schools in Delhi, Best MBA Colleges in Delhi NCR

INDUSTRY INTEGRATION – A NEW CONCEPT IN BUSINESS EDUCATION

One of the main objective of pursuing MBA program as indicated by many MBA aspirants is to earn a more lucrative salary as against pursuing other post-graduate programs. After completing two-year MBA program in a college/business school or University the student looks for a job in some organization or industry. But the organization or industry prefers the students with industry exposure or industry experience. Thus the student is at a disadvantage because of the non-availability of any exposure or experience because in the program curriculum there is hardly any provision of the industry exposure during the two years of class room teaching except industry exposure for an insignifcant period for not more than two months

In order to get over this problem some institutions/ universities have devised a novel course designs keeping in view the following distinct industry requirements;

- Conceptual knowledge,
- Skill development
- Industry exposure/experience

Industry integration is the unique aspect of these programs which not only differentiates this program from the others but beneficial to students and industry. The concept is different from traditional education.

In traditional management qualification of undergraduate or postgraduate level the typical set up would consist of a regular college having infrastructure and facilities. There will be class room teaching as per the curriculum What is lacking in a traditional set up is a limited industry interface of  merely two months summer training in industry. In undergoing this program the industry felt that the students coming out after completing this traditional program, lack in understanding of work culture and they take lot of time to adjust to their new surrounding at the work place. The industry, in the meanwhile, had to train them involving high costs in term of time, resources and money. This led to new recruit’s performance peaking at a much later stage, resulting in dissatisfaction at both the employer and employee’s level.

To fill the gap between the industry’s requirement and the educational system‘s offerings the new  Industry Integrated pattern has been brought forward.The methodoly  used in this concept allows the students to actually experience real industrial environment while they pursue their class room studies. Thus students learn theoretical concepts of business and receive practical exposure in the real business environment. The net result  is a perfect integration of class room learning with the workplace performance leading to roughly two and half year years experience in case of Undergraduates program and one and half years experience  in case of Postgraduate programs.

The methodology of Industry Integrated program differs from the traditional programs. The program blends “industry Exposure “with “Academic  Knowledge” Through this program, the student undergoes on-the Job Training  from second or third semester to fourth semester for MBA program and from third semester to eighth semester for BBA program. Alternatively after learning basic management concepts for two days a week he takes up training in the industry of desired specialization for three to four days a week as a regular employee under the guidance of internal guide from the Business School and an external guide from the industry. In this system he is able to apply class-room knowledge at his work place and can discuss work place situations with other students and can also seek solutions of the same with his faculty. MBA/BBA industry integrated program also contributes to professional practice and personal development of the students and lays the foundation for them to play a strategic role within the organization. During the pursuance of the program the students get to understand their skill-set, learn industry working methods and accommodate the expectations of the industry.

It is a win-win situation for both the students as well as the industry. When a student approaches the industry with a degree either MBA or BBA with relevant industry experience, he gets preference over the student without industry experience. He is in a position to demand higher salary leading to faster growth and achievement s of personal and organizational objectives It is a win-win situation for the organization  also as organizations receive  a management qualified , trained and experienced candidate who require a little or negligible time to settle in the job. He will start giving outputs or contribution to the organization much faster or almost instantaneously thus achieving departmental or organizational objectives.

Guru-Gram Business School is one institution amongst others imparting industry integrated MBA/BBA programs and that is what makes it different from other institutions in the country.

The Indian IP Owners’ convention

Our students attended a Conference “The Indian IP Owners’ convention” on 1^st December 2011.

Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) organized the “The Indian IP Owners’ convention” on 1^st December 2011 at Jakaranda Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi. CII with the support and assistance of Indian Patent Office have successfully launched the IP Owner Forum. The 1st IP Owner Convention took place at Delhi in December in 2010 where IP Owners’ Forum was inaugurated in the midst of Government officials, IP Owners members and dignitaries from industries.  The IP Owners were identified with help of database received from the Patent Office.

The IP is an intangible asset which has given boost to world’s economy in last decade. IP is one of the driving force to bring Indian economy to forefront. Hence, it now becomes necessary to give right direction to IP as a tool to get maximum benefit and create importance of IP in leveraging the business.

Mr. P H Kurian (Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, Intellectual Property Office), Mr. Anjan Das (Executive Director – Technology & Innovation, Confederation of Indian Industry) and Mr. Ramesh Adige (President – Corporate Affairs & Global Corporate Communications Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd) at IP Owners’ Convention Inaugurated the session of “ The Indian IP Owners’ convention“.

IP Owners’ Forum (IPOF) is the platform for all the IP Owners to come forward and put their views and concerns.  The forums first and foremost mission is to promote interest of Indian IP Owners and give platform where they can raise their apprehensions and problems. Portal dedicated for IP Owners will be right approach at this point of time to achieve other objectives of the IP Owners’ Forum. The convention got tremendous response from government, industries and IP Owners. The views received from participants gives an insight to Government, industries and law firms to help them to take future course of action.

OBJECTIVES of this Conference:

1. Promote Indian IP at national and international forums

2. Voice concerns and issues of Indian IP owners

3. Highlight and encourage success stories of Indian IP owners

4. Reward & recognize the outstanding contributions made in IP

5. Encourage to generate new ideas between different areas of IP

6. Create e-portal for interaction and knowledge networking gateway for Indian IP community

The aim of the convention is to have healthy and fruitful discussions on different aspects of IP and guide IP owners on how to get commercial benefits from their intellectual property. Participants get to interact with government officials, industry people and officials from law firms. The motto behind the entire session is to facilitate solely the grievances and issues faced in Patent filing, Trademark, Copyright, Registered, Design, Geographical indications and Traditional Knowledge.

 

IP Owner’s Convention

(L-R) Mr. P H Kurian, Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks, Intellectual Property Office; Mr. Anjan Das, Executive Director – Technology & Innovation, Confederation of Indian Industry and Mr. Ramesh Adige, President – Corporate Affairs & Global Corporate Communications Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd at IP Owners’ Convention on 1 December 2011, New Delhi.

QUALITY OF WORK LIFE AS HR STARTEGY – AN ANALYSIS

Today’s workforce consists of literate workers who expect more than just money from their work.

In the modern scenario, QWL as a strategy of Human Resource Management is being recognized as the ultimate key for development among all the work systems, not merely as a concession. This is integral to any organization towards its wholesome growth. This is attempted on par with strategies of Customer Relation Management.

Strategy and Tactics

Over the years, since industrial revolution, much experimentation has gone into exploiting potential of human capital in work areas either explicitly or implicitly. Thanks to the revolution in advanced technology, the imperative need to look into QWL in a new perspective is felt and deliberated upon. Major companies are tirelessly implementing this paradigm in Human Resources Development (some call it People’s Excellence).

Globalization has lowered national boundaries, creating a knowledge-based economy that spins and spans the world. Major economies are converging technologically and economically, and are highly connected at present moment. The new global workplace demands certain prerequisites such as higher order of thinking skills like abstraction system thinking and experimental inquiry, problem-solving and team work. The needs are greater in the new systems, which are participative ventures involving workers managed by so-called fictional proprietors

Men Counted

In simple terms, all the above requirements can be easily achieved by providing improved quality of work life to the workers available on rolls.  Workers are often referred to as teams or groups in general parlance and whatever they do go to the credit of the teamwork.

The concept of teamwork has evolved from the organized toil that has its own social dimensions.  Good teams can hardly be imported from outside.  They usually occur as an indigenous incidence at the workplace and nurturing the same over time is the responsibility of management.  Here, it may also be discerned that the composition of available workers in no more a local phenomenon as in the past.  Mobility is caused by migration beyond culture barriers and isolation, relocation and globalised deployment

Money Matters

For good QWL, cash is not the only answer.  Today, the workers are aware of the job requirements of job as also the fact that the performance of the same is measured against the basic goals and objectives of the organization and more importantly, wages are paid according to the larger picture specific to the industry and the employer’s place in the same.

The increased share of workers in wages and benefits through legislation as well as competitive interplay of superior managements in various fields of industry and business on extensive levels has reshaped the worker’s idea of quality of work life.  Moreover, other things being equal, the employers are increasingly vying with their rivals in providing better working conditions and emoluments

Non economic – ‘Job Security’

The changing workforce consists of literate workers who expect more than just money from their work life.  Their idea of salvation lies in the respect they obtain in the work environment, like how they are individually dealt and communicated with by other members in the team as well as the employer, what kind of work he is entrusted with, etc.  Some of these non-economic aspect are: Self respect, satisfaction, recognition, merit compensation in job allocation, incompatibility of work conditions affecting health, bullying by older peers and boss, physical constraints like distance to work, lack of flexible working hours, work-life imbalances, invasion of privacy in case of certain cultural groups and gender discrimination and drug addiction.

Teamwork

Teamwork is the new mantra of modern day people’s excellence strategy.  Today’s teams are self-propelled ones.  The modern manager has to strive at the group coherence for common cause of the project.  The ideal team has wider discretion and sense of responsibility than before as how best to go about with its business.  Here, each member can find a new sense of belonging to each other in the unit and concentrate on the group’s new responsibility towards employer’s goals.  This will boost the coziness and morale of members in the positive environment created by each other’s trust.  Positive energies, free of workplace anxiety, will garner better working results.  Involvement in teamwork deters deserters and employer need not bother himself over the detention exercises and save money on motivation and campaigns.

Boss Factor

Gone are the days when employers controlled workers by suppressing the initiative and independence by berating their brilliance and skills, by designing and entrusting arduous and monotonous jobs and offer mere sops in terms of wages and weekly off.  Trust develops when managers pay some attention to the welfare of the workers and treat them well by being honest in their relations.  The employer should keep in mind that every unpaid hour of overtime the worker spends on work is an hour less spent with the family.

Involvement and Communication

Multi-skilling and exposing workers to different lines of activity in the unit indirectly leads to the greater involvement and better job security of worker in the organization.  The employer too, can make use of the varied skills to any altered situations of restructuring and other market adaptations.  Thus, the monotony of work life can be alleviated.  The employer, armed with the depth of cross-trained human resources, need not go hunting for new talent and thus save on the unspent pay packets, which can be spent usefully on the amenities for workers.  No doubt, rivals should be envying him for this edge.

Influences

Overwork is tolerated in emerging industries unlike government departments as part of the game and work culture.  This is so, what the soaring competition among the tightly contested players.  The point is empowerment of workforce in the area of involvement. All said and done, the workers are considered as the invisible branch ambassadors and internal customers in certain industries. It is already high time the older theories of industrial relations should be unlearnt.

QUALITY OF WORK LIFE:( QWL)

Quality of Working Life can be defined as “The quality of relationship between employees and the total working environment.”

QWL is a process by which an organization responds to employee needs for developing mechanisms to allow them to share fully in making the decisions that design their lives at work. QWL is “The degree to which members of a work organization are able to satisfy important personnel needs through their experience in the organization” by J Richard and J Loy.

The basic purpose is to develop work environments that are excellent for people as well as for the economic health of the organization.

“When organizations have addressed the issue of quality of working life, they have always achieved great productivity breakthroughs” __ Jerome M. Rosow.

A better quality of work life for employees leads to a higher productivity for the employer.

It is almost impossible today to pick up a newspaper of news-magazine without finding a reference to quality of work/working life. In the search for improved productivity, manager and executives alike are discovering the important contribution of QWL. QWL entails the design of work systems that enhance the working life experiences of organizational members, thereby improving commitment to and motivation for achieving organizational goals. Most, often, this has been implemented through the design of jobs that afford workers more direct control over their immediate work environment.

According to J. Lloyd Suttle, Quality of work life is the degree to which members of a work organization are able to satisfy important personal needs through their experiences in the organization? More specifically, QWL may be set into operation in terms of employees perceptions of their physical and psychological well-being at work. It includes virtually every major issue that labor has fought for during the last two decades.

Major Issues in QWL

Jerome M Rosow, president of the Work in American Institute, has identified seven critical factors which will affect the quality of work life during the years ahead. These are pay, employee benefits, job security, alternative work schedules, occupational stress, participation and democracy in the workplace.

Pay

QWL must be built around an equitable pay programs. In future more workers may want to participate in the profits of the firm.

Benefits

Since workers are now better organized, educated and vociferous, they demand more from the employers all over the world-apart from the pay-in the form of social security and welfare benefits as matter of right which were once considered a part of the bargaining process.

Job Security

Conditions in the work environment must be created by the employer which will give all the employees freedom from fear of losing their jobs. A system must be created in which there are healthy working conditions with optimum financial security. The points stressed above are essential to improve the QWL in organizations.

Alternative Work Schedules

With a view to tackle job boredom, modern organizations have been experimenting with several forms of alternate work schedules such as four-day work week, flexi-time and part-time work. Compressed work week is a work schedule in which a trade is made between the number of hours worked per day, and the number of days worked per week, or order to work the standard length hours-four days, 10 hours each day or three days, 12 hours each day are examples of the QWL schedule. In India this is being implemented by a few companies successfully.

Inflation

Inflation is one of the most dreaded and misunderstood economic phenomena. We know that the prices of commodities will, over time, rise and fall, responding to the pulls and pushes of demand and supply. A failure of a particular crop or a flash fashion for a certain kind of clothing can cause the price of that crop and the cost of that kind of clothing to rise, just as an unexpected glut in the production of onions will cause the price of onions to fall. These price movements are nature’s way of signalling to consumers that they should consume less of the commodity facing shortage and more of the goods in glut and to producers to produce more of what is in short supply and less of what is available in plenty. To even out these ebbs and flows of prices would be folly, as we know from countless examples of misdirected government interventions.

Inflation has little to do with these changes in relative prices of goods and services. It refers, instead, to a sustained rise in prices across the board, that is, a phenomenon where the average price of all goods is on an increasing trajectory for some stretch of time. Of course, this may be accompanied by changes in relative prices. For the common person, there is something threatening about the phenomenon of inflation, especially on those occasions when the rise in prices of goods is not matched by an equivalent increase in the price of labour.

Rising inflation is one of the major problems of the world today .The Reserve Bank has been battling inflation for the last 20 months. It had announced its 12th rate hike in18 months ,a period in which it raised interest rates by 350 basis points .But efforts to control inflation have been ineffective, in fact , inflation rates have consistently exceeded predictions. RBI is now expected to increase rates again in its monetary policy review ion October 25.So,the problem is how to manage /curb inflation which started from food and had a spiralling effect and is now prevailing in almost all the sectors hampering domestic growth.

We are aware that whenever inflation comes, it comes with the positive as well as the negative effects. So , what is important is we must give it time to subside and meanwhile, we must learn to survive with it.

How to Survive Inflation?

Tips to avoid the negative effects of inflation are only suggestions and don’t constitute any legal advice, therefore you’re free to use your own judgment depending on circumstances, to be more prepared to face inflation effects you need to be aware of those effects, so if you haven’t done so, please read some of them above, here are some tips:

•    Be wise when holding cash, whether in your home or in your savings account, if you’re earning 5% interest on the money you have in your bank, and inflation rate is 10% then you’re in reality losing 5% and not earning anything.
•    Be careful when buying bonds, high inflation rates completely destroy the value of long-term bonds.
•    If you have a variable-rate mortgage, fix it if you can find a good deal, have a low fixed interest rate or 0% interest if you can find one.
•    Invest in durable goods or commodities rather than in money.
•    Invest in things that you’re going to use anyway and will serve you for a long time.
•    Invest for long-term capital gains, because short term investments tend to give deceptive results or sense of making profits while in reality you’re not making profits.
•    Learn about bartering which is trading goods or services without the exchange of money (it was very popular in hyperinflation times).
•    Manage wisely your recurring monthly bills such as (phone bills, cable TV…), it would help to reduce them or eliminate some of them.
•    Same goes with ephemeral items (movies, restaurants, hotel rooms…) they’re not bad if you spend money on them in moderation.
•    Ask yourself, do I really need these things I’m spending my money on? Think how much and how often you will need something before buying it.
•    Use the money saving tips such as: you need to reduce your consumption of things that are rising rapidly in price (eg, gas) without having to reduce your consumption of goods that are rising less rapidly or even falling in price (eg, clothes).
•    Buy only what you need, especially objects that have multi-tasks, and are considered durable goods.

The conclusion from all this is:  You don’t have to live cheap, just live smart!

Welcome to Guru Gram Group of Institutions

Guru-Gram Group of Institutions was founded in 2003 by a group of visionaries and intellectuals to impart education in a stimulating and innovative environment where students are empowered with knowledge and professional skills while upholding the values of integrity, tolerance and mutual respect. Since its inception the Group has promoted education in the area of Aviation, Engineering Sciences and Management with more than 5000 students and three educational campuses equipped with the state of art infrastructure. Guru Gram Group includes

GURU GRAM BUSINESS SCHOOL, GURGAON
GURU GRAM BUSINESS SCHOOL, FARIDABAD
GURU GRAM BUSINESS SCHOOL, NAGPUR
GURU GRAM INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY, FARIDABAD
GURU GRAM INSTITUTE OF AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY, NAGPUR
CAREER GURU, GURGAON
CAREER GURU, FARIDABAD
CAREER GURU, NAGPUR

OUR VISION

To be the national centre of excellence in education

OUR MISSION

The mission of Guru Gram is to provide quality education, creative skills and instill in them a professional attitude so that they emerge as highly successful professionals. Guru Gram is committed to foster leadership quality amongst its students.