Why Admissions are not taking for MBA and B Schools - an Analysis
The admission for MBA and B Schools are becoming less and less except in the case of some handful renowned institutions in the recent years. The reasons for this decline can be attributed to the fact that most of the students who come out from these institutions are not fit enough to be absorbed in the corporate without giving them training. Hence many of them remain unemployed or underemployed after spending a fortune in acquiring this degree.
Nine important reasons for this state of affairs are as under :-
(1) Lack of applying the mind by the university in updating the curriculum etc
Most of Universities try to have the syllabus and curriculum for the MBA just like the B Com, M com courses as many of the faculties are from Commerce stream. The syllabus in almost all cases is out of date by 5 years. Some of the Universities are ranking the college based on the academic results. When the evaluation system is faulty how can it really help?
(2) Lack of sufficient Industry - Academic interactions
Though everybody talks of Industry- Academic Interactions, most of them are in paper only. Many institutions may boast of few MOUs and conduct a few guest Lectures by corporate people. But by and large there is big gap. B schools needs to update the syllabus in consultation with the corporate and must be in a position to conduct a course as appropriate for a particular industry or organization based on their inputs. There is a need to have a practising manager as a regular faculty for some time and faculties going back to corporate for few months to update their knowledge of what is practiced.
(3) Lack of Vision by the Management of the Institutions
Most management want to get the return on their investments fast. Many of them are nowadays investing on the physical infrastructure as the costs are escalating and there is always appreciation. But very few invest in intellectual infrastructure- the faculties for which one has to pay decent salaries and other benefits. Though almost every one advertises of salaries of AICTE Scale and 6th pay commission, most of the times they pay only the basic pay while in some cases it is a fraction of the same. With such pittance you cannot get experienced, qualified and capable faculties.
(4) Lack of Proper Director, who has vision and who can inspire the staff and students
Most of the time, the head of the institution / Director is selected based on his academic qualifications and past teaching experience. Most of them do not have relevant current knowledge as they do not update them as they were busy more in administration and conducting tests rather than contributing in enhancing knowledge. Most of them would have stopped their research on getting their PhD and many of the papers cited by them are the works of their scholar students and they are mostly passive in their participation. Since these are senior faculties, they are not techno savvy with the result that they are not able to connect with the current research going on.
(5) Lack of capable faculties for the various courses in the programme
As already indicated since the pay package is not attractive, efficient and effective teachers are rather rare. Many times the previous batch student is the faculty. They have only learned from the book and more often reads from the notes given to them by their faculty while they were doing the course. For teaching management subjects require faculties who have hands on experience in Industry and there is no substitute for that.
(6) Lack of appropriate methodology of imparting knowledge
Teaching of professional subjects requires practical oriented teaching and learning methodologies and mere lectures will be of limited use only. What is needed is an activities based course that brings out the best from the student by the passionate faculty. Teaching future managers by rote learning and testing them on 2 marks, 5 marks and 20 marks question does not make managers of the MBA’s. Colleges insist on this rote learning as some of the universities rank them based on the academic results.
(7) Attitude of the students
Most of the students coming out of the institutions are having a perceptions that they will get a fat salary on acquiring the degree since they never know how exactly managers work. They day dream of a five digit salary and with all comforts of an air-conditioned office etc , but are not ready to put the effort to study the subject. Since it is a mark oriented, they study in the last minute and somehow make the desired marks. Almost anybody would pass with a first class in the current system. But more than mark oriented, students need to understand that their jobs are more market oriented and in business, the fundamental maxim is maximization of profits.
(8) Lack of basic skill in the students to become employable in the corporate world.
More than theoretical knowledge, students need to have the basic skills to begin with. It is tragic that many of our MBA students do not know how the fill a Demand Draft Form of a bank. Their general knowledge also requires lots of improvement as the students concentrate on syllabus and given the pattern of questions, read only what is minimum required .
(9) Lack of Confidence and communication skills in the students
Everybody laments about the lack of communication skills and many think that going to an English Professor or taking spoken English course along with grammar would improve the same. Another common practice with most colleges is to have a communication soft ware installed - "The Language Lab" where students will listen to American English or British English. Of course these can improve the language ability, it cannot improve communication skills. All said and done, English professors are not the best communicators!. If we analyze we can find that most of the communication problem is due to fear and lack of confidence.
This has come, the way our children are treated at home and at school. We are used to only negative comments and these have a profound effect in making the person lack in self confidence. Communication can improve only with constant practice. My last ten years of experiment and experience has shown that if we are able to record our own voice and listen to them regularly, it can improve our self confidence and communication skill. We need to record positive messages in our own voice and listen to them before going to bed and as soon as we get up from bed. Additional recordings by video can help us to remove the unwanted gestures as well.
If we are able to address the above nine points, our MBA students will not have to remain unemployed because they would have become managers and not MBA’s when they finish their course. When that happens admissions would automatically take place. All the concerned stakeholders need to act fast.
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The admission for MBA and B Schools are becoming less and less except in the case of some handful renowned institutions in the recent years. The reasons for this decline can be attributed to the fact that most of the students who come out from these institutions are not fit enough to be absorbed in the corporate without giving them training. Hence many of them remain unemployed or underemployed after spending a fortune in acquiring this degree.
Nine important reasons for this state of affairs are as under :-
(1) Lack of applying the mind by the university in updating the curriculum etc
Most of Universities try to have the syllabus and curriculum for the MBA just like the B Com, M com courses as many of the faculties are from Commerce stream. The syllabus in almost all cases is out of date by 5 years. Some of the Universities are ranking the college based on the academic results. When the evaluation system is faulty how can it really help?
(2) Lack of sufficient Industry - Academic interactions
Though everybody talks of Industry- Academic Interactions, most of them are in paper only. Many institutions may boast of few MOUs and conduct a few guest Lectures by corporate people. But by and large there is big gap. B schools needs to update the syllabus in consultation with the corporate and must be in a position to conduct a course as appropriate for a particular industry or organization based on their inputs. There is a need to have a practising manager as a regular faculty for some time and faculties going back to corporate for few months to update their knowledge of what is practiced.
(3) Lack of Vision by the Management of the Institutions
Most management want to get the return on their investments fast. Many of them are nowadays investing on the physical infrastructure as the costs are escalating and there is always appreciation. But very few invest in intellectual infrastructure- the faculties for which one has to pay decent salaries and other benefits. Though almost every one advertises of salaries of AICTE Scale and 6th pay commission, most of the times they pay only the basic pay while in some cases it is a fraction of the same. With such pittance you cannot get experienced, qualified and capable faculties.
(4) Lack of Proper Director, who has vision and who can inspire the staff and students
Most of the time, the head of the institution / Director is selected based on his academic qualifications and past teaching experience. Most of them do not have relevant current knowledge as they do not update them as they were busy more in administration and conducting tests rather than contributing in enhancing knowledge. Most of them would have stopped their research on getting their PhD and many of the papers cited by them are the works of their scholar students and they are mostly passive in their participation. Since these are senior faculties, they are not techno savvy with the result that they are not able to connect with the current research going on.
(5) Lack of capable faculties for the various courses in the programme
As already indicated since the pay package is not attractive, efficient and effective teachers are rather rare. Many times the previous batch student is the faculty. They have only learned from the book and more often reads from the notes given to them by their faculty while they were doing the course. For teaching management subjects require faculties who have hands on experience in Industry and there is no substitute for that.
(6) Lack of appropriate methodology of imparting knowledge
Teaching of professional subjects requires practical oriented teaching and learning methodologies and mere lectures will be of limited use only. What is needed is an activities based course that brings out the best from the student by the passionate faculty. Teaching future managers by rote learning and testing them on 2 marks, 5 marks and 20 marks question does not make managers of the MBA’s. Colleges insist on this rote learning as some of the universities rank them based on the academic results.
(7) Attitude of the students
Most of the students coming out of the institutions are having a perceptions that they will get a fat salary on acquiring the degree since they never know how exactly managers work. They day dream of a five digit salary and with all comforts of an air-conditioned office etc , but are not ready to put the effort to study the subject. Since it is a mark oriented, they study in the last minute and somehow make the desired marks. Almost anybody would pass with a first class in the current system. But more than mark oriented, students need to understand that their jobs are more market oriented and in business, the fundamental maxim is maximization of profits.
(8) Lack of basic skill in the students to become employable in the corporate world.
More than theoretical knowledge, students need to have the basic skills to begin with. It is tragic that many of our MBA students do not know how the fill a Demand Draft Form of a bank. Their general knowledge also requires lots of improvement as the students concentrate on syllabus and given the pattern of questions, read only what is minimum required .
(9) Lack of Confidence and communication skills in the students
Everybody laments about the lack of communication skills and many think that going to an English Professor or taking spoken English course along with grammar would improve the same. Another common practice with most colleges is to have a communication soft ware installed - "The Language Lab" where students will listen to American English or British English. Of course these can improve the language ability, it cannot improve communication skills. All said and done, English professors are not the best communicators!. If we analyze we can find that most of the communication problem is due to fear and lack of confidence.
This has come, the way our children are treated at home and at school. We are used to only negative comments and these have a profound effect in making the person lack in self confidence. Communication can improve only with constant practice. My last ten years of experiment and experience has shown that if we are able to record our own voice and listen to them regularly, it can improve our self confidence and communication skill. We need to record positive messages in our own voice and listen to them before going to bed and as soon as we get up from bed. Additional recordings by video can help us to remove the unwanted gestures as well.
If we are able to address the above nine points, our MBA students will not have to remain unemployed because they would have become managers and not MBA’s when they finish their course. When that happens admissions would automatically take place. All the concerned stakeholders need to act fast.
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