An interview with M.V.S.KAMESHWAR RAO - Faculty at GITAM SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
· Tell us something about yourself and your institute?
I am a teacher with 6 years of Industry experience in Banking and Insurance sector, and 14 years academic experience in the area of Finance and Accounts. I teach in a premier institute offering Management education in International Business, known as GITAM School of International Business, (formerly known as GIFT), under the ambit of GITAM University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. It is ranked by market perception in 4th or 5th for MBA(International Business) in the country. MBA(International Business), MBA(International Banking and Finance), MBA(Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management) are the three 2-year full time courses which are offered by our school. Rest of the information can be got from www.gsib.org
· When did you join teaching profession? Why did you choose to be a professor?
Teaching was a part of my life right from my 10th standard, formal entry into the profession was in 1998. I always was interested in the why of things, and was further interested in spreading this understanding to all those who ask for it, or i feel they need it.
· What about teaching at b-schools inspires you the most?
My educational qualification in the area of Accounting, Management, Taxation, Finance, Cost & Management Accountacy naturally makes me choose teaching in a B-School. MBA or PGDBA, is a course full of application of concepts and perspectives like any other professional course. Given a choice i was always a person interested in application rather than being happy with understanding the concept, like a Sanyasi or Yogi, or Rishi who have excelled in giving us the ultimate principles, but did not feel like applying them, for themselves, since they have renunciated the world. That is what inspires me the most in a B-School. All my knowledge is put to test, to develop, nurture, counsel successful business alternative or any social initiatives, which involve deploying scarce resources.
· Which subjects do you teach? Which ones do you like the most?
I teach in the area of Finance and Accounts. I like teaching courses which involve, cross functional integration of concepts. I always prefer to teach Financial Statement Analysis, Corporate Finance, Foreign Exchange Risk Management, International Financial Management, which involve decision making in organisations, applying the concepts of finance in sync with the vision and objectives of the organisation.
· What is your teaching philosophy?
Teaching is a process of passing on existing knowledge to the next generation, with an embedded inspiration to further enhance it, and apply it with the wisdom that we are humans(the most evolved biological organisms on earth). This is the profession in which we are paid to tell the TRUTH and we can always live by TRUTH. May be because of this teaching has been dubbed as a DIVINE PROFESSION. Every class i teach i always tell to my students that WE ARE ALL TOGETHER ATTEMPTING TO UNDERSTAND TO THE ISSUE, OR TOPIC, OR PHENOMENON, UNFOLDING IT STEP BY STEP. Due to this i dont find any hegemony or autocracy in the delivery of knowledge. It is an approach i like since, i can deliver knowledge using the of question and clarity, rather than lecture with authority, and ask the students to blindly follow since i am older, more academically qualified and experienced. I always felt that only parents to their children till their 5 or 6 years of age can use that authoritative style for passing on certain good time tested, habits, traditions, culture, and health related aspects. But as a teacher, who is to pass on knowledge and worldly wisdom, i should always adopt open learning approach and always give my students the pros and cons of adopting a particular course of action and leave them at their juncture to explore and learn. My teaching should keep them on the continuous learning and infuse into them the TECHNIQUE OF LEARNING THAN CRAMMING KNOWLEDGE INTO THEM.
· Do you believe teaching should be more application based than theory? If yes, then how do you support it?
My answer above is self explanatory. A reasonable level of theory is a must and then application. People should understand that theories in social sciences are built on continuous observation of application over a period of time, and the theories are faulty only when they are far from reality. So people make fun with their normal dialogue, THEORY AND PRACTICE ARE TOTALLY DIFFERENT AND ONE HAS TO UNLEARN MANY THINGS. I feel this statement is true only in an aberration of a context. Just like if the society and the industry and governance is corrupt, you cannot make fun of the theory stating that THEORY DOES NOT TEACH THIS. Especially in finance, i cannot talk of utopian ideas, since i deal with money and i have to necessarily show everything in cashflows else it does not have value.
· Who in your life has influenced you the most?
My father, an IITian and an unsung hero, who passed away early and Prof. V.V. Bhanoji Rao, earstwhile Economist, of WORLDBANK, Professor at NU Singapore in economics and a reputed economist, columnist, author, consultant, and over all a realised soul. I was fortunately influenced due to my personal interactions with them.
· What suggestions would you like to make in the course of MBA?
My suggestions are not on MBA course but the mindset of the aspirants who are taking this course. Please develop the attitude that we are management professionals, like Doctors, Engineers, Civil Servants, Chartered Accounts, and hence we should display that professionalism in whatever we do. In fact MBA is such an integrated course that it absorbs many disciplines into it and essentially aims at efficient utilisation of resources. Please do not approach this course like a PG for a qualification.
· As a faculty, what kind of projects do you expect students to work upon?
There is a requirement for every MBA aspirant to develop a focus on his future goal in the management career. I am using this word CAREER with complete knowledge and sense. Most of us are aiming for a job rather than career. Focus on career means, having atleast a fair degree of clarity about the FUNCTIONAL DOMAIN YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE (like Marketing, Finance, Production, Human Resources, Logistics etc) and SECTORAL LIKING (Banking, Insurance, Shipping, Manufacturing, Consulting, IT, Entertainment).
I feel many of us miss out on this understanding. Functional Specialisation gives us the basic core competency in life, that is what we can do the best based on our skills, educational and professional qualifications. Sectoral Specialisation is more of a liking and the environment in which you would like to live and your feel comfortable and gives you the necessary life style to lead. I have always understood that this clarity reduces a lot of conflict midway in life and especially too many hoppings and jumpings in jobs. This of course does not apply to those who work only for money and salary.
Just imagine the 3 idiots movie's lensman, was interested in wildlife photography, why is it that he did not want to be a photographers for the best models, photographer for a news paper, photographer with a shop at the corner, or a movie cameraman. Essentially his core-competency can make him any of these, but his heart wouldn't be there. I am M.COM, MBA, CFA, CWA, but i like teaching and hence i am into knowledge sharing, knowledge enhancement rather than using it in a routine fashion for ages and just be happy talking to ledgers and computers.
So projects have to undertaken keeping this in view right from the first trimester, to develop a fair degree of understanding on the sector and develop the core competency
· How are current technological advancements changing your teaching style?
They are making my job easy to pass on tons of information in giga bytes, but difficult in filtering the garbage to teach the exceptions and process of identifying authentic information. It is a great challenge to keep us on our toes, since there are multiple sources from where the student can gather information, i cease to be the only source of information, hence my role is more of a DATAMINER, and INTERPRETOR focussing on WHY OF THAT INFORMATION, in the frequency, mood, tempo, and serial process of understanding of the concept. Hence my requirement is much more than before, because, previously the teacher had clean slates to write on and now i have confused, jigsaw and jumbled, written slates, to erase for the correct picture.
· What is the impact of mobile technologies boom influencing your area of specialization?
A part is answered above. Rest in Finance, i can immediately connect to live market quotes, to show the reality and movements of market prices using the gadgets.
· How are social networks influencing your discipline?
Social networking sites are a great boon for so many professionals who have some great perspectives to offer to the world, but who would not have got any opportunity to do that, owing to their level in which they are in the organisation and the visibility they can claim in society. Not all people can write articles in a daily newspaper or a researched article in a peer reviewed journal, since there is a great structural constraint for thought and the fear and effort of that, kills the enthusiasm. Social networking sites, due to their high levels of informality and flexibility give a great opportunity to a phenomenal thought and its expression immediately, plus there is a great protection for his originality and IPR, since it can be traced back. This has enhanced great interaction, webinars, and blogs, discussion forums, which is collapsing the time lag between practice and its adoption to theory and the cycle of knowledge generation.
· How does the economy story of India change your discipline?
India is the focus of the world for its role in the global economy, and hence i feel that the entire management community of academia and industry should think and act of developing global dimensions for every management discipline. This is the need of the hour. Not just IT and opportunities for CEOs of erstwhile IT companies, we have to achieve the branding in the world, as Global Managers, or Managers with Globally integrated mindsets, so we are chosen for that very competency. This is what will be the likely change i foresee for my discipline.
· What changes do you see on the horizon in your area of discipline?
Technically speaking the financial crisis and the downturn, has given a jolt to ambitious careers in finance, the level of corrupt thought processes in the well known corporate and B-Schools has brought a lot of talking about ethics. I feel still there is a lot of confusion between morality and ethics and hence it is futile to discuss. I feel that there is a lot of cross functional integration happening in finance, and behaviour science interface entering finance.
· One touching incident that happened with you in your teaching career?
The comment of my student that "Sir! when you teach it appears as if Finance is teaching us" I was very happy to listen this because it is my goal and i am still working in that direction. Just like Vedas are called Apourusheyas, that means that not written by AN INDIVIDUAL, even when i teach i should fuse and diffuse into the great body of knowledge which i represent and the great knowledge should flow through me, without any obstacle, especially the greatest obstacle of my mind and ego.
· There is a shortage of eminent professors at b-schools. With more and more institutes offering the MBA course, do you think MBA will become just another degree?
It is not it will become, it has become, just like engineering. Else the software industry would not have seen a boom, had not the engineering colleges increase the scale of operations to produce so many programmers who just customise and not innovate. These are specific problems of transition of the economy, and the speculative response of the education industry. Just like a bubble, there will be a bubble and a shakeout, which will be the natural market driven correction that will bring in more discipline in the system. Regarding eminent professors, it is problem of attitude and not because of dearth. What i do is what i teach in any typical B-school. So where is the lack of competency as a hindrance. It is the mindset and the professional choice amidst social and personal pressures of achievement and economic status. I feel that once an individual is fulfilled on these counts and feels the genuine urge to pass on TRUTH to the next generation without great expectations HE WILL BE A GOOD TEACHER AND PROFESSOR. Especially in a B-School, the student is his competitor and if the faculty feels so, he will never nurture a good professional or a student, he will be engrossed in his self achievement.
· Do you think the course curriculum is at par with industry expectations?
At regular intervals B-Schools which are autonomous and those which have good strong academic boards upgrade their courses and keep pace with industry expectations. Else there is a gap between this. But the point to be noted is that industry is equally unclear and highly ambitious about its requirements. Industry cannot expect each B-School to be a seat of highly sector specific customised training centre for the large masses of recruitment which they make in the entry levels. Atleast no one asks this question about IIMs, since they have been designed like that and their pass outs are employed in the mid level and strategic positions, for which an MBA is prepared for. When all other MBA institutions have adopted that curriculum where is the problem? The problem is not all can get those positions, and those positions are not large in number. MBA is a education for atleast 10 to 15 years of management career. The strategic subjects taught and perspectives are sometimes, useful for life long. So at this level there should not be a mismatch. The mismatch is at the entry level and operational level jobs, where in the past due to lack of adequate MBAs others use to fill and trained accordingly and hence there is not complaint. But now due to the abundance of number of MBAs they are preferred. If they are trained for leading, analysis, strategy, planning and etc, position, and are offered positions of sales, operations, documenting, accounting, customised ITES, then naturally there is a mismatch. Hence it is a choice for the B-Schools to take up such challenge and decide to what extent they would like to vocationalise their Professional Degree.
· If you hadn’t been a professor, what would you be? What are your professional/career goals?
Professor is a designation in the academic world. The spirit behind is that ONE WHO PROFESSES. I would have been always one who professed thought process, and knowledge in whatever i do. So i think that there is no second thought that if i hadn't been. I have got all the best jobs in India next to civils which every graduate or post graduate dreamt of during the 1990-92 period. But i have come to teaching at the age of 27 after resigning all of them. Hence my goal is to teach, research, consult, train, in the area of finance and management, and empower as many as possible to better their lives.
· What message would you like to give to students across the globe?
Management Professional is one who can make a difference in any walk of life, because he is made to be like that. I suggest please aim for SECTOR NEUTRALITY in your profession. Meaning whatever is the nature of business, i should be quite adaptive and successful. That is your CORE COMPETENCY IS MANAGEMENT, not MANAGING BANKS, OR AIRLINES, OR IT, OR AGRICULTURE. I always felt that such managers are quite well sought after. This is in departure in my earlier direction. This is the ideal, that is practical.
· Any feedback for ManagementParadise.com?
You are doing a great job, please continue and make a dent in the thought processes of the management world.
. How can our readers contact you? Facebook or Twitter Id
They can write to me to my e-mail id at rediffmail, or gmail, or linkedin.com. wherever it is my email id is [email protected],[email protected], [email protected]
· Tell us something about yourself and your institute?
I am a teacher with 6 years of Industry experience in Banking and Insurance sector, and 14 years academic experience in the area of Finance and Accounts. I teach in a premier institute offering Management education in International Business, known as GITAM School of International Business, (formerly known as GIFT), under the ambit of GITAM University, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. It is ranked by market perception in 4th or 5th for MBA(International Business) in the country. MBA(International Business), MBA(International Banking and Finance), MBA(Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management) are the three 2-year full time courses which are offered by our school. Rest of the information can be got from www.gsib.org
· When did you join teaching profession? Why did you choose to be a professor?
Teaching was a part of my life right from my 10th standard, formal entry into the profession was in 1998. I always was interested in the why of things, and was further interested in spreading this understanding to all those who ask for it, or i feel they need it.
· What about teaching at b-schools inspires you the most?
My educational qualification in the area of Accounting, Management, Taxation, Finance, Cost & Management Accountacy naturally makes me choose teaching in a B-School. MBA or PGDBA, is a course full of application of concepts and perspectives like any other professional course. Given a choice i was always a person interested in application rather than being happy with understanding the concept, like a Sanyasi or Yogi, or Rishi who have excelled in giving us the ultimate principles, but did not feel like applying them, for themselves, since they have renunciated the world. That is what inspires me the most in a B-School. All my knowledge is put to test, to develop, nurture, counsel successful business alternative or any social initiatives, which involve deploying scarce resources.
· Which subjects do you teach? Which ones do you like the most?
I teach in the area of Finance and Accounts. I like teaching courses which involve, cross functional integration of concepts. I always prefer to teach Financial Statement Analysis, Corporate Finance, Foreign Exchange Risk Management, International Financial Management, which involve decision making in organisations, applying the concepts of finance in sync with the vision and objectives of the organisation.
· What is your teaching philosophy?
Teaching is a process of passing on existing knowledge to the next generation, with an embedded inspiration to further enhance it, and apply it with the wisdom that we are humans(the most evolved biological organisms on earth). This is the profession in which we are paid to tell the TRUTH and we can always live by TRUTH. May be because of this teaching has been dubbed as a DIVINE PROFESSION. Every class i teach i always tell to my students that WE ARE ALL TOGETHER ATTEMPTING TO UNDERSTAND TO THE ISSUE, OR TOPIC, OR PHENOMENON, UNFOLDING IT STEP BY STEP. Due to this i dont find any hegemony or autocracy in the delivery of knowledge. It is an approach i like since, i can deliver knowledge using the of question and clarity, rather than lecture with authority, and ask the students to blindly follow since i am older, more academically qualified and experienced. I always felt that only parents to their children till their 5 or 6 years of age can use that authoritative style for passing on certain good time tested, habits, traditions, culture, and health related aspects. But as a teacher, who is to pass on knowledge and worldly wisdom, i should always adopt open learning approach and always give my students the pros and cons of adopting a particular course of action and leave them at their juncture to explore and learn. My teaching should keep them on the continuous learning and infuse into them the TECHNIQUE OF LEARNING THAN CRAMMING KNOWLEDGE INTO THEM.
· Do you believe teaching should be more application based than theory? If yes, then how do you support it?
My answer above is self explanatory. A reasonable level of theory is a must and then application. People should understand that theories in social sciences are built on continuous observation of application over a period of time, and the theories are faulty only when they are far from reality. So people make fun with their normal dialogue, THEORY AND PRACTICE ARE TOTALLY DIFFERENT AND ONE HAS TO UNLEARN MANY THINGS. I feel this statement is true only in an aberration of a context. Just like if the society and the industry and governance is corrupt, you cannot make fun of the theory stating that THEORY DOES NOT TEACH THIS. Especially in finance, i cannot talk of utopian ideas, since i deal with money and i have to necessarily show everything in cashflows else it does not have value.
· Who in your life has influenced you the most?
My father, an IITian and an unsung hero, who passed away early and Prof. V.V. Bhanoji Rao, earstwhile Economist, of WORLDBANK, Professor at NU Singapore in economics and a reputed economist, columnist, author, consultant, and over all a realised soul. I was fortunately influenced due to my personal interactions with them.
· What suggestions would you like to make in the course of MBA?
My suggestions are not on MBA course but the mindset of the aspirants who are taking this course. Please develop the attitude that we are management professionals, like Doctors, Engineers, Civil Servants, Chartered Accounts, and hence we should display that professionalism in whatever we do. In fact MBA is such an integrated course that it absorbs many disciplines into it and essentially aims at efficient utilisation of resources. Please do not approach this course like a PG for a qualification.
· As a faculty, what kind of projects do you expect students to work upon?
There is a requirement for every MBA aspirant to develop a focus on his future goal in the management career. I am using this word CAREER with complete knowledge and sense. Most of us are aiming for a job rather than career. Focus on career means, having atleast a fair degree of clarity about the FUNCTIONAL DOMAIN YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE (like Marketing, Finance, Production, Human Resources, Logistics etc) and SECTORAL LIKING (Banking, Insurance, Shipping, Manufacturing, Consulting, IT, Entertainment).
I feel many of us miss out on this understanding. Functional Specialisation gives us the basic core competency in life, that is what we can do the best based on our skills, educational and professional qualifications. Sectoral Specialisation is more of a liking and the environment in which you would like to live and your feel comfortable and gives you the necessary life style to lead. I have always understood that this clarity reduces a lot of conflict midway in life and especially too many hoppings and jumpings in jobs. This of course does not apply to those who work only for money and salary.
Just imagine the 3 idiots movie's lensman, was interested in wildlife photography, why is it that he did not want to be a photographers for the best models, photographer for a news paper, photographer with a shop at the corner, or a movie cameraman. Essentially his core-competency can make him any of these, but his heart wouldn't be there. I am M.COM, MBA, CFA, CWA, but i like teaching and hence i am into knowledge sharing, knowledge enhancement rather than using it in a routine fashion for ages and just be happy talking to ledgers and computers.
So projects have to undertaken keeping this in view right from the first trimester, to develop a fair degree of understanding on the sector and develop the core competency
· How are current technological advancements changing your teaching style?
They are making my job easy to pass on tons of information in giga bytes, but difficult in filtering the garbage to teach the exceptions and process of identifying authentic information. It is a great challenge to keep us on our toes, since there are multiple sources from where the student can gather information, i cease to be the only source of information, hence my role is more of a DATAMINER, and INTERPRETOR focussing on WHY OF THAT INFORMATION, in the frequency, mood, tempo, and serial process of understanding of the concept. Hence my requirement is much more than before, because, previously the teacher had clean slates to write on and now i have confused, jigsaw and jumbled, written slates, to erase for the correct picture.
· What is the impact of mobile technologies boom influencing your area of specialization?
A part is answered above. Rest in Finance, i can immediately connect to live market quotes, to show the reality and movements of market prices using the gadgets.
· How are social networks influencing your discipline?
Social networking sites are a great boon for so many professionals who have some great perspectives to offer to the world, but who would not have got any opportunity to do that, owing to their level in which they are in the organisation and the visibility they can claim in society. Not all people can write articles in a daily newspaper or a researched article in a peer reviewed journal, since there is a great structural constraint for thought and the fear and effort of that, kills the enthusiasm. Social networking sites, due to their high levels of informality and flexibility give a great opportunity to a phenomenal thought and its expression immediately, plus there is a great protection for his originality and IPR, since it can be traced back. This has enhanced great interaction, webinars, and blogs, discussion forums, which is collapsing the time lag between practice and its adoption to theory and the cycle of knowledge generation.
· How does the economy story of India change your discipline?
India is the focus of the world for its role in the global economy, and hence i feel that the entire management community of academia and industry should think and act of developing global dimensions for every management discipline. This is the need of the hour. Not just IT and opportunities for CEOs of erstwhile IT companies, we have to achieve the branding in the world, as Global Managers, or Managers with Globally integrated mindsets, so we are chosen for that very competency. This is what will be the likely change i foresee for my discipline.
· What changes do you see on the horizon in your area of discipline?
Technically speaking the financial crisis and the downturn, has given a jolt to ambitious careers in finance, the level of corrupt thought processes in the well known corporate and B-Schools has brought a lot of talking about ethics. I feel still there is a lot of confusion between morality and ethics and hence it is futile to discuss. I feel that there is a lot of cross functional integration happening in finance, and behaviour science interface entering finance.
· One touching incident that happened with you in your teaching career?
The comment of my student that "Sir! when you teach it appears as if Finance is teaching us" I was very happy to listen this because it is my goal and i am still working in that direction. Just like Vedas are called Apourusheyas, that means that not written by AN INDIVIDUAL, even when i teach i should fuse and diffuse into the great body of knowledge which i represent and the great knowledge should flow through me, without any obstacle, especially the greatest obstacle of my mind and ego.
· There is a shortage of eminent professors at b-schools. With more and more institutes offering the MBA course, do you think MBA will become just another degree?
It is not it will become, it has become, just like engineering. Else the software industry would not have seen a boom, had not the engineering colleges increase the scale of operations to produce so many programmers who just customise and not innovate. These are specific problems of transition of the economy, and the speculative response of the education industry. Just like a bubble, there will be a bubble and a shakeout, which will be the natural market driven correction that will bring in more discipline in the system. Regarding eminent professors, it is problem of attitude and not because of dearth. What i do is what i teach in any typical B-school. So where is the lack of competency as a hindrance. It is the mindset and the professional choice amidst social and personal pressures of achievement and economic status. I feel that once an individual is fulfilled on these counts and feels the genuine urge to pass on TRUTH to the next generation without great expectations HE WILL BE A GOOD TEACHER AND PROFESSOR. Especially in a B-School, the student is his competitor and if the faculty feels so, he will never nurture a good professional or a student, he will be engrossed in his self achievement.
· Do you think the course curriculum is at par with industry expectations?
At regular intervals B-Schools which are autonomous and those which have good strong academic boards upgrade their courses and keep pace with industry expectations. Else there is a gap between this. But the point to be noted is that industry is equally unclear and highly ambitious about its requirements. Industry cannot expect each B-School to be a seat of highly sector specific customised training centre for the large masses of recruitment which they make in the entry levels. Atleast no one asks this question about IIMs, since they have been designed like that and their pass outs are employed in the mid level and strategic positions, for which an MBA is prepared for. When all other MBA institutions have adopted that curriculum where is the problem? The problem is not all can get those positions, and those positions are not large in number. MBA is a education for atleast 10 to 15 years of management career. The strategic subjects taught and perspectives are sometimes, useful for life long. So at this level there should not be a mismatch. The mismatch is at the entry level and operational level jobs, where in the past due to lack of adequate MBAs others use to fill and trained accordingly and hence there is not complaint. But now due to the abundance of number of MBAs they are preferred. If they are trained for leading, analysis, strategy, planning and etc, position, and are offered positions of sales, operations, documenting, accounting, customised ITES, then naturally there is a mismatch. Hence it is a choice for the B-Schools to take up such challenge and decide to what extent they would like to vocationalise their Professional Degree.
· If you hadn’t been a professor, what would you be? What are your professional/career goals?
Professor is a designation in the academic world. The spirit behind is that ONE WHO PROFESSES. I would have been always one who professed thought process, and knowledge in whatever i do. So i think that there is no second thought that if i hadn't been. I have got all the best jobs in India next to civils which every graduate or post graduate dreamt of during the 1990-92 period. But i have come to teaching at the age of 27 after resigning all of them. Hence my goal is to teach, research, consult, train, in the area of finance and management, and empower as many as possible to better their lives.
· What message would you like to give to students across the globe?
Management Professional is one who can make a difference in any walk of life, because he is made to be like that. I suggest please aim for SECTOR NEUTRALITY in your profession. Meaning whatever is the nature of business, i should be quite adaptive and successful. That is your CORE COMPETENCY IS MANAGEMENT, not MANAGING BANKS, OR AIRLINES, OR IT, OR AGRICULTURE. I always felt that such managers are quite well sought after. This is in departure in my earlier direction. This is the ideal, that is practical.
· Any feedback for ManagementParadise.com?
You are doing a great job, please continue and make a dent in the thought processes of the management world.
. How can our readers contact you? Facebook or Twitter Id
They can write to me to my e-mail id at rediffmail, or gmail, or linkedin.com. wherever it is my email id is [email protected],[email protected], [email protected]