Thursday, September 24, 2009

Times Business School Wall of Fame

Two first year MBA students were inducted to the tbs family on Wednesday, 23rd September. Swati Chaudhary and Vivek Mohan who won the tbs biz quiz just a few days back, added their hand prints to the tbs Wall of Fame. Congrats to you both, I'm sure there will be many more achievers who would fill up the tbs walls!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Biz Quiz at Times Business School

It was a day of testing ones knowledge of the corporate world as Times Business School organized the Biz Quiz on 18th September at the institute. 32 teams of two members each from BBA and MBA courses participated in the first round which involved answering questions in a paper based test. Six teams were selected as the quizzing teams based on the number of question they got correct.

The first round was a tough round that included questions about famous CEO’s and also included punch lines of various brands. The second round was the General Awareness round where the teams were asked general questions that were recent happenings and changes in the business world.

The third round was the audio visual round that included guessing some TV based advertisements. The teams were also shown the logos of multinationals and were made to guess the logo names as well as the companies.

Even the audience members were allowed to answer some of the questions and were also given prizes; this resulted in few people giving wild guesses, who succeeded in generating some laughs. The event was fully enjoyed by all students and staff members present. Swati Chaudhary and Vivek Mohan were ultimately declared the winners. The team that came second comprised of KP Prayag and Ahmad Faraz. All four were cheered on by seniors and batchmates as they received their well deserved prizes.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Changes in CAT 09


I just visited the IIM website the other day as I wanted to know more about the online CAT. It’s not that I’m going to take the CAT this year, but I just have a curiosity to know what it’s gonna be like.

After taking a CAT prep course last year, I had very soon realized that cracking the CAT was going to be quite tough. When the D-day came, I realized that it was more difficult than I thought. I managed to get an average percentile which would have been better if it hadn’t been for negative marking.

There are many changes in the CAT09, to be held for 10 days from 28 November to 7 December, some are good, and some bad. Go though them if you’re planning to give the CAT or just if you curious about it.

I will begin with the good ones and end with the not so good ones.

- Choice of Center: The test will be held at the computer centre of candidate’s choice, (like GMAT/GRE tests) so you can chose a centre next to your home. Previously a center was allotted at random. My center was about 20 kms from my home and quite difficult to find.
- Choice of Time: The CAT will take place in two sessions: at 10am and 3.30pm each day so you can chose a suitable time.
- Tutorial for Help: A tutorial on the test will be given before beginning the CAT to make students understand the online process.
- Fixed pattern of Qtns: Earlier the pattern of questions used to keep changing, like the number of questions, marks allotted, etc, now the questions would be having a more fixed structure.
- Essay: Earlier essay writing was not included, this year like GMAT and GRE one may have to submit an online essay at the second stage of evaluation. This is a good point for those with essay writing skills.
- No Pencils! : Lastly, no more carrying of pencils and erasers.

Any the not so good points……..

- Minus 15 Min: Of the entire 2 hours and 30 mins, 15 minute would be spent on tutorials of how to do the test….that would be a waste of …….FIFTEEN FULL MINUTES
- Double Rough Work: Making rough work….…copying form the monitor to the rough paper, would be a waste of another couple of seconds.
- No Turning Back: Earlier you could view all the questions at one glance, and then choose to solve the question in whatever order you chose. It has been a known tip to solve known questions first, Now, you can view just one question at a time and may even need to solve questions in a fixed order, with may be a flag for the questions to be solved later.
- Sectional time limit – Earlier one could attempt any of the sections in any order, for example do 3 quant questions first and then do the English ones later, etc. This year this may be different.
- Practice your Scrolling: Earlier it was easy to go through the Reading Comprehension section. Now the student would have to scroll up and down to read the whole passage.
- No looking back: Earlier one could take the question paper back with the rough work. Now even the rough paper provided would not be allowed to be taken home. So, even having others try to evaluate how you have done would become quite difficult. You would just have to wait for the results to be declared to find out just how well you have really done.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Advantages of International degree

Pursuing a foreign degree from India itself has numerous advantages. At Times Business School one can get a UGC approved Indian degree as well as a foreign degree. The degree received could be used to pursue further studies in a foreign country and could also be used for placement purposes in multinational companies and even for abroad placements.

In recent trends it has been noticed that lesser students are going for foreign study. This is not only because of the economic slowdown, but also because students have realized that there are more disadvantages than advantages in pursuing foreign study. I will mention below some of the roadblocks of a foreign education.

Educational Requirements - Most undergraduate courses require at least a ‘first class degree’ or 60% to be eligible and post graduate programme require at least 75%.Most students are unable to attain such percentages.

English requirements: Foreign universities require a thorough understanding of English language and most require that students get high scores in either ielts or toefl. This is disadvantageous to students from small towns who do not have a deep understanding for English.

Work-Ex Requirement: Most UK/US MBA degrees basically require at least 3 years work experience at a managerial level. Though after completion of the course getting jobs at a managerial level abroad would be quite a task.

Teaching Methods: Teaching methods are different overseas. Thus if students are not able to familiarize with the teaching methods, they would be unable to achieve the required grades.

Educational loans: Loan of at least 15 lakh onwards would be required by a student to pursue foreign courses; Though the stay back time is given to international students to pursue jobs, it becomes very difficult to get a good paying job to repay the bank after completion of study.

Work Permits and Employment: All countries abroad require visas for foreigners to either work or reside for longer periods of time. Work permit visas are available only through application from an employer who may have offered a student a job. The employer must prove that the student has unique skills and abilities that are not possessed by local citizens. This is a most time consuming process, so most employers will not offer a job to a foreigner who does not already possess a work permit, since employers who hire illegally are subject to heavy fines. Jobs without permits include those at restaurants, in agriculture or in teaching English. But working illegally puts one at risk of immediate deportation, possible fines, low wages earnings, other types of exploitation, and lack of legal protection or health insurance in case of injury or illness.

Hostel Stay – In another country, students have to adapt to the new environment which includes sharing rooms with foreign students, experiencing the four seasons and speaking English and other foreign languages. It is quite likely that some students would face discrimination and hostility.

Student Life: Since expenses are high overseas, most students have to work part-time to pay for the daily expenses and books they require. They have to do tedious household chores and prepare meals. Students must be independent enough to manage their time wisely to secure their grades while working. It is very difficult to be employed in companies abroad as only those with a scarce skill or professional experience have a chance of employment.

Thus pursuing a foreign degree from India itself is more advisable.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Times Business School Placement

TBS provides career counseling and guidance to students keeping in view changing market requirements through a well organized Corporate Development and Placement Cell. The Placement officer guides the activities of the Cell

For the all round development of students, the Institute lays special emphasis on personality development workshops, business communication and Presentations. Students are given thorough exposure to the recent trends and development in the corporate realm through guest lectures, corporate presentations and industrial visits. Workshops and seminars in collaboration with the corporate sector are a regular feature. The Student Affairs Cell undertakes such activities in addition to its normal role of coordinating various students.

The tbs Placement cell plays an important role in arranging resource persons for these activities. The Corporate Development and Placement Cell besides final placement of the budding managers, also facilitate summer Training, project work and industrial visits as an Integral part of regular programme

Major Recruiters:

Some of the Major Recruiters at Times Business School are:
ABN- AMRO Bank Citi Bank HSBC ICICI HDFC Standard Chartered Reliance Retail Aditya Birla Group State Bank of India Larsen & Turbo HCL ITC Limited Bharti Enterprises Mahindra & Mahindra Limited Reliance Communication Videocon Hero Honda Maruti Suzuki Globus UTV Software Communications Ltd. Deccan Adlabs films Limited Cinevista Limited Sahara One Media Mukta Arts Ltd SAB TV PVR Ltd Fame Adlabs Fun Republic INOX PVR Mc.Donald Pantaloon Wills Lifestyle Dominos Barista Music World Planet M Trent Pyramid ABB Airtel Mobile Store NDTV Media Guru New York Life India Bulls Nestle India ING Vysys Bank Zee Telefilms Tata Indicom Candid Marketing P & G Cadilla Vishal Megamart Raymonds Wipro

Friday, September 4, 2009

Times Business School : Accreditation with AUAC

Times Business School recently received Accreditation from the American University Accreditation Council for the period of June 2009 to June 2012. This has been given as Times Business School has been in compliance with the standards of this Council.

AUAC is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes the American-style education through voluntary accreditation and assessment programs. More than 170 colleges and universities worldwide have earned AUAC accreditation, demonstrating their commitment to responsible teaching.

AUAC accreditation is the primary means by which programs assure quality to students and the public. Accredited status is a signal to students and the public that an institution or program meets at least minimal standards for its faculty, curriculum, student services and libraries. The accrediting process is intended to verify that each accredited program substantially meets those standards either inside or outside of the United States. Since most country registration boards in the world require any institution for licensure to have accredited program, obtaining such a certification is an essential aspect of preparing for the professional practice of the graduates of the institution.

The list of all colleges accredited to AUAC can be accessed on the official website at http://www.auac.org/collegelist.htm.

For students a list of faq’s about the importance of accreditation can be found at the link http://www.auac.org/faq.htm