WHY MBA?- The Recurring Question

The Question

Let me start with the clichéd question: “Why MBA?” (Henceforth referred to as ‘the question’) You should pay utmost importance to the question, not because it fetches you THE coveted seat, but because once you get that seat, you will end up asking yourself the same question almost everyday. Though the emotions and tone of the question are going to vary from whining to depression to anger, none too mild either. However there will also be that day when you exalt and say ‘Yeah MBA’ but I am not talking about that today. The question may also help you decide where and how to devote your ‘precious’ time, what to prioritize, which companies/profiles to apply, which streams to choose etcetera.  You should be thankful to the B school industry that makes it mandatory for an aspirant to prepare an answer to the question.

The Reality Check

You should also know that there are very few people, who survive an MBA and still have the same answer to the question. I have seen monumental shifts within a span of a couple of hours, sometimes even less than that. Why this happens, because the answer is too narrow, usually spanning around aiming a specific industry (Finance, Consulting etcetera) and making big bucks. The first part is glamorized, tarted up with fancy and catchy words, and the latter is subdued. That makes you dependent on external factors, so if fate takes a dump on economy and finance job market sinks; there are higher chances that you might end up changing your answer to the question.

What you will go through

You will be kicked out of your comfort zone on Day Zero. Also anything told to you about what’s it like to do an MBA is a lie. Simply because it’s a new and unique experience for everyone, so whatever your friend, sibling, or an acquaintance told you, is not what you will get. You will get to know yourself better, that is highly probable, but there are also chances that you will accept that understanding. That, in my opinion, is something you should always grab, because more than knowing what you can do, you should know what you cannot do (For the pompous egotists: Sweethearts, remember there is a deadline for everything, so yes there will be things that you will not be able to do). And of course you will have to learn and apply diverse things in too short time. You will also realize the importance and limitations of your time.

What you should expect

You should expect the sky or more, nothing less, and that should be in both dimensions: The effort you are willing to put and the opportunities that are going to come up. But again the aim should be yours, and not a polished version of others’ success stories. Aiming small is not a crime, not achieving it, is. You should expect to improve yourself, in every aspect, because the external opportunity part is really not in your hand, unless you plan on creating them and become an entrepreneur. So if your comfort zone needs to be kicked, you should be the one to do it, believe me it is much less painful and much more awarding than someone else kicking it. Know what you want to learn and put a razor sharp focus on it.

What should you do

It is important to go by the standards and learn to frame your answer (even if it is specific to an industry or too specific) to the question properly; after all you need to crack the interview. My suggestion is to keep a reality check and keep on asking, over and over again, is it the real reason? If not, then what is. There is no shame in changing your answer, because that is what brings you closer to reality, that is what you have paid big bucks for: to become knowledgeable and take better decisions. You should do it because the horizon is wide open, and you should not constrict yourself to the clichéd choices. One is here to experiment, learn and explore, to know one’s limits, to really know your weaknesses and strengths (not just the glorified adjectives). Once you know your limits and how to live with them (or eradicate them) and where to focus your strengths, you will get what you want.

Contributed by: Tejit Mithal, PGP 2012-14. This piece was written in Rajdhani Express, when the author was headed for Summer Internship Location, after he was well fed and slept for 7 hours straight. This piece would not have seen the light of the day had any of these were missing or Wi-Fi service on train or a cheaper flight ticket would have been available. The author can be contacted at pgp12046.tejit@iimraipur.ac.in.

Why IIM Raipur for MBA

IIMs have been synonymous with thought leadership and excellence in management education. The new IIMs that have come in the past 2-3 years are an exciting place to be in and despite numerous constraints are rising to the challenge. IIM Raipur in the past few years has relentlessly pursued excellence in every activity it has undertaken. The new IIMs are all about student energy and how students are shaping the institute. IIM Raipur has a vibrant student community which believes in leading by example and setting new benchmarks.
Raipur is situated in the heart of the country and is well connected from all parts of the country. One can reach the prominent cities of the country in 2-3 hours by air. It is also an industrial hub having some of the largest core industries that form the backbone of the country’s economy. Chhattisgarh is amongst the rare states that have been clocking double digit growth rate and is emerging as one of the most vibrant states of the nation. The state is poised to play a larger role in shaping the growth of the country in times to come.
Highlights of IIM Raipur:
1. Consulting work for startups and Government of Chhattisgarh publishing case studies which were shortlisted at prestigious institutions like ISB.
2. First Amongst its peer institutes to have a Business and Cultural Fest -“Equinox”. This year the bands like Indian Ocean will be part of the event and will be the largest management fest of the region.( www.iimrp-equinox.com)
3. Launched the Entrepreneurship Fest “Enspirit’12”, where over 6 CEO’s will be discussing on “Fostering Entrepreneurship beyond metros”(www.iimrp-enspirit.com). The business plan event will carry prize money of 1 Lakh and is moderated by Rashmi Bansal author of best seller “Stay Hungry Stay Foolish”.
4. Thriving club culture, where clubs hosts regular events ranging from Sport Tournaments of TT, Cricket, and Badminton to Quizzing, Debating, JAM etc.
5. Our Director Prof. B S Sahay has led two of the most prestigious institutes of the country IMT Ghaziabad and MDI Gurgaon which rose to the become the best institutes of the country in his tenure.
6. Participation in International Conferences like “International Conference on Information Systems, Technology and Management “ in Grenoble, France. http://www.icistm.org/index.htm
7. Focus on Guest Lectures for Practical Learning, so far over 10 sessions on topics from HR to Marketing to Finance have happened where VPs and CEOs of some of the best known companies have interacted with students and appreciated them for the depth of their knowledge and inquisitiveness.
8. Mixture of Candidates from All over India and not focused to a particular region. We are proud of our diversity and have students from all corners of the country.
9. Our 285 acre campus is being designed by an International Team of Architects some of whom have been students of Louis Kahn, the Architect of IIM-A. The built up area is over 1.2 million sq. feet and will be one of the largest campuses of the country.
10. Our Board of Governors consists of CEO of Pfizer India, Promoters of Jubilant Group valued at over $3 billion amongst other prominent dignitaries.
11. Release of Country’s First Tablet Friendly College Magazine “Strive” by Operations Club of IIM Raipur
12. Organized a Unique Consulting Assignment cum case study competition for government of Chhattisgarh, Food for Thought.
13. Student Clubs have launched regular Magazines, Strive by Operations Club,OPEP, and Vittashastra, by Finatix, the Finance Club.
14. Visiting Faculty members drawn from the best institutes of the country like IIM A, IIM C, IIM L, IIM K, IIFT, MDI, FMS etc. and remain focused on quality of education imparted.
15. Focus on CSR activities like partnership with NGOs like SOS Children’s Village, World Red Cross, and Rotary Club.
16. IIM Raipur is also the nodal center for SPIC MACAY in the state of Chhattisgarh.
17. Industry visits and interaction with industry leaders by partnership with bodies like CII and NEN.
18. Focus on Gender Balance in Management Programmes.
We look forward to having you on our campus and continue to evolve as the most dynamic and diverse campuses of the country.

Why MBA - An Introduction

The one question asked in almost every interview to a candidate aiming for a seat at an IIM is “Why do you want to be a manager” or “Why MBA”. To answer this question one must have a clear idea of what a manager is supposed to do at an organization.

Every business starts with the investors bringing in the money used to procure the resources from the suppliers, which is converted into products/services by the employees, and which is finally bought by the customers. Central to all this are the “competitors”, who are doing the similar set of activities and for the same reason – to earn profits.

In many B-schools, it is taught that the role of a manager is to increase the profits. We at IIM Raipur deviate from this opinion and for us the role of a manager is not just to increase profits.

We believe that the role of a manager is to increase the value for everyone in the business framework better than the competitors.

A financial manager aims to maximize the value for the investors, a production manager aims to increase the value of the product/service in the production process, a marketing manager aims to increase the value for its customers, a human resource manager aims to increase the value for the employees and a strategy manager ensures that all the value generated are better than the competitors and ensures the growth of the organization.

Therefore, for us being a good manager is to stop looking through our eyes and to start looking from the eyes of our stakeholders. For example, a marketing manager from IIM Raipur will not aim to increase the profits by increasing the sales only but will instead look through the customer’s eyes, understand what creates value to him and deliver him the corresponding product/service so as to create value for the business as a whole.

The article has been contributed by Mehul Bardia PGP 2011-13. He can be reached at pgp11024.mehul@iimraipur.ac.in.