Rohit Bindal

Is Chocolate Milk A Compromise In A Glass?

2008-02-26T06:54:00.000-08:00

Technically compromise means "together promise". In reality, however, it means hard work. All sides have to give a little in order to meet in the middle. It's meant to be a win/win situation in which everyone accepts losing something.
There's a perfect example of commercial compromise just a few miles from my house. It's called the China Hut Donut Shop. I've never eaten there, but I'm guessing the egg rolls have holes in the middle and an hour after eating one of the donuts you're hungry again.
"A man shall leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife and they shall be one flesh". So it says in the Bible, but it's easier said than done.
Some people say the secret to a happy marriage is money. Some say it's good sex. Others say it's having children. I say it's compromise. Without it a marriage is a cold war, a dictatorship or a monarchy. Of course, if my marriage were a monarchy and John and I were younger versions of Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth, I'd have so many hats I'd never have to worry about a bad hair day again - but I digress.
When John and I were first married he thought that giving a little meant giving in. I'd grown up with sisters. I didn't learn how to cook, but I learned how to make concessions. I'm not saying John's mother spoiled him. Obviously not. When he teases, he's as fresh as he ever. It's just that when it came to decisions, being one flesh wasn't his strong point.
Happily, marriage and children have mellowed him. Naming our children was a "together promise". When we lived near his mother, so was raising our children; and when our children were teenagers, life was a constant meeting in the middle.
If spouses don't learn how to meet in the middle, they'll meet in divorce court. If there's something I don't want to do but know I should, I try to meet myself in the middle. I see-saw back and forth with my conscience until I come up with an acceptable solution.
Okay, what I do is bribe myself to do whatever it is. A cup of Starbucks usually works, but compromise would be a lot easier for everyone if it were spelled differently. It has an "I" in it, but it should also have a "U".

By KNIGHT PIERCE HIRST

Friend's Orkut profile says, 'I am not the killer'

2007-08-21T10:49:00.001-07:00

Mumbai: "Ma swear me not d killer or else i'll die", reads the banner headline on the Orkut profile of the mysterious Angel D -- the girl who could be one of the reasons behind the tragic death of 16-year-old Adnan Patrawala.

Quote of the Day:

2007-08-11T10:33:00.001-07:00

Many people take no care of their money till they come nearly to the end of it, and others do just the same with their time.
--Goethe

Happy Friendship Day

2007-08-05T06:31:00.000-07:00

Wish you all a Happy Friendship Day...........

Do you have something to contribute, send it to rohit063@gmail.com and if i like what i see, ill put it right here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Friendship Day

2007-08-05T06:30:00.001-07:00

Heavy downpour in Capital

2007-08-02T00:39:00.000-07:00

RAINED IN: The weatherman has forecast intermittent showers with heavy to very heavy spells on Thursday.

Sanjay's Judgment Day

2007-08-02T00:25:00.001-07:00

Bond With the Best

Sanjay Dutt hugs his sisters Namrata (right back facing camera) and Priya (centre left) before leaving his residence for the Tada court on July 31, 2007. (Photo: AP)

Is an MBA the new route to IT success?

2007-07-26T00:42:00.001-07:00

There is no one-size-fits-all MBA program. That said, an MBA can help you break into, or further your career goals in the IT or Information Technology field. Depending on which Bachelor of Business degree you have already obtained, an MBA can get you that advantage, over other career applicants for an IT job.
First, its important to understand what IT is. The ITAA (Information Technology Association of America) defines IT as; 'the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware'.
MBA or Masters of Business Administration programs are typically 1 to 2 years in length, and potential students must possess a Bachelors degree usually in Business and possess at least 2-4 years work experience, to be considered for entry. That said, a student need not hold a Business degree from the IT field. Of the 10-15 percent of Business degree holders who attend grad school, many do not come directly from an IT background but will have worked in; Sales, Non-Profit Management; Banking; Accounting; Communications; Economic Research and Government.
Why pursue an MBA for IT success?
Students wishing to focus their career in the IT industry as opposed to Business areas such as Sales, Research and Accounting would be well advised to pursue an MBA in Information Technology. Here, students will gain and implement both software and hardware skills, and translate them into a variety of real world careers. Although an MBA can be expensive, on-line Universities offering MBA's are usually significantly lower in cost. In the USA 2/3 rd's of all MBA students study by either distance learning or through part time studies.
Are all MBA's created equally?
No, of course not. The US Department of Education cites that students enrolled in MBA programs are the most diverse of any graduate program in the USA. What they do all have in common, is an aptitude for Management to succeed in an MBA program.
There are Executive MBA programs, Environmental MBA's and numerous others. All contain strong computer components, but if your choice is the IT field it is essential to pursue an MBA in Information Technology.
The top MBA schools for Information Technology in the US:
Pursuing an MBA in IT at any of the following academic institutions is highly recommended:
1. MIT (Sloan)
2. Tepper (Carnegie Mellon)
3. M.Combs (University of Texas at Austin)
4. Stanford
5. Haas (California at Berkeley)
Sources:
US Department of Education
Wikpedia.com
www.mbaalliance.com
www.businessmajors.about.com
ITAA (Information Technology Alliance of America)

Personal Interview: Cracking The Code

2007-05-07T01:50:00.000-07:00

What The Article Is All About:
You have done all your home work for the Interview very well. Chandrasekhar Singh tells what to do once you are inside the Interview room.

In this article we focus on the 'in-room process' and under stand the secret of walking out as a winner.

Pleasant Disposition
There is no better way of beginning the interview process than with a warm greeting to the panelists. The breaking of ice could happen quite effectively through a sunny disposition that you carry into the room.

Leading the Interview
Typically, any interview starts with an open-ended question about you such as, "Tell me/us about yourself." The interviewer is keen to know a little about you. Also, this is the time he is going to pick up basic data about you and give a direction to the process. This is a golden opportunity that has to be grabbed with both hands by you. To do that, you must be clear about your strengths, weaknesses, career goals, the reasons for your interest in the organization and how you can make a difference to the company.

Communication Skills
Most 'remarkably good' interviewees that I have come across have always been keen listeners. A keen listener has a still mind with no 'turbulence' and is not unduly concerned about his/her performance. As a result of being an 'exceptional' listener, you are able to not just respond appropriately to the interviewer but also to pick up subtle signals that the panel sends through its own body language.

Articulation Skills
As a young manager you must appreciate the difference between what may be termed as 'up market and jargonful English' and sound articulation skills. You must be able to articulate the most complex concepts in the most lucid fashion.

Body Language
There is a certain chemistry (positive and negative) in the room with you body. It speaks louder than all that you speak and is irrefutable. If there is dissonance between what you say and what you body says, an experienced interviewer would always rely more on his reading of your body language. Lack of conviction shows very clearly in your body language.

Eye Contact
Another, important sub-component of the body language is the eye contact between two individuals. Do you look straight into the eyes of the interviewers? Or do you give furtive looks? What is your response if a panel member acts 'unfriendly'? Do you escape eye contact with him or confront him and convey confidence? As you know, a candidate who constantly avoids eye contact with the panel does so for either of the two reasons – not being honest or sheer lack of confidence.

Honesty, At Any Cost
One basic and unquestionable fallout of understanding the body language is the issue of honesty. You cannot orchestrate you body language as per what you are saying. But you can make a strong body language impact by being honest.

Reasoning Skills
Reasoning skills are always seen as very critical to the success of managerial jobs. And as a potential manager, your ability to make decisions based on strong reasoning skills are seen through a microscope in the interview. These could be tested through a variety of questions based on the data provided by you or your bio-data. Any stance taken on an issue without sound reasoning would make you appear opinionated or as one who does not think deep about issues. In fact, in many interviews, you may be given a hypothetical managerial situation and asked to make 'decisions' right there.

Confidence Personified
An interviewer is perpetually looking for a silently confident person who has no airs about himself. Assertiveness combined with politeness makes you a sure winner. I am conscious of the fact that this is easier said that done. But there aren't many challenges in our professional lives for which the above saying is not true.

All the best.

An MBA from Harvard?

2007-05-07T01:44:00.001-07:00

Why not? Harvard MBA is used as a phrase to symbolize exceptional intelligence, talent, and success. Harvard Business School alumni form the highest proportion of CEOs amongst Fortune-500 companies.

And not to forget that the placements are arguably the best in the world, with the average base salary this year being $105,000. In other words more than half the class started off with a 6 figure salary and this does not include signing and performance bonuses which can easily double that figure.

Here are some more interesting facts to put things in perspective, Harvard had a batch-size of 880 last year. This size is typical amongst all the top US Business Schools (Wharton has 750 students), and so is the general profile they seek in their applicants. Never mind the jargon-laden text used in their brochures, they all simply look for intelligent, well-read, well-balanced, and ambitious young men and women. Each one brings not only a strong academic background but also significant extra-curricular experiences and achievements.

You may seated next to an Olympic-level swimmer from Japan, or a Captain from the Italian Air force, or the daughter of one of the biggest tycoons in Brazil. The only thing common is that each one of them is immensely bright, confident and driven.

This unique mix of diversity and yet commonality amongst the students, is probably what make these schools the best in the world. Industry big-shots consider it an honor to take even a single lecture there, professors consider an assignment here as the pinnacle of their careers, and even the world's largest corporations practically show off the graduates they manage to recruit from here. How do you as a humble Indian with little work-experience make it to the hallowed portals of Harvard, Wharton, Kellogg, Stanford, MIT, etc??

You basically have 3 options, considering the very exacting requirements of the admissions committees of these colleges and the highly competitive nature of the applicant pool.
1. Double MBA: Complete your MBA degree from India (hopefully from the IIMs), work for 2-3 years in a top-notch firm and then apply abroad. This makes sense because even the best institutes in India do not compare to the Top-20 B schools of the world in terms of infrastructure, international exposure, and career opportunities. Some Universities explicitly discourage "double MBAs", but most others welcome them because of the knowledge base they bring to the classroom and their substantial managerial work-experience. For non-engineering graduates the problem of the 16th year of Education is solved by an Indian MBA.

2. C.A. Expressway: Contrary to popular misconception, a C.A. is a recognized qualification in the US and it satisfies the 16th Year requirement. At first, most colleges did not appreciate the true worth of C.A.s. But after Harvard and Wharton began wooing them actively on discovering their peerless grasp of finance and accounting, other colleges quickly followed suit. At present most colleges, including some of the best ones, openly seek out the CA applicants. You will need 2-3 years of post-CA work experience to get on this expressway. Article ship does not count as work experience.

3. Plain Vanilla Graduation: The toughest option of the lot that can't be discounted either, is of graduating plain and simple, working for 3-4 years and then applying. Those who did a 3 year bachelor’s should do a post-graduation, part-time, so as to eliminate the 16th year problem. The key to making this plan work is to obtain really good work experience, and remember that the name of the company you worked for is secondary - the job content is most important.

Bottom-line: The goal at the end of the tunnel is truly a fabulous one and well worth making an attempt for. But it will require a good deal of preparation and focused effort.

Look upon Harvard as a mere symbol of a great education and career abroad. There are of course other symbols. Therefore look at other options too.

Think seriously and patiently about when you want to apply, if at all, and then plan the process rigorously. The rest is sure to fall into place.
ALL THE BEST!

Article courtesy CIE
Centre for International Education

Quality rules for writing !

2007-05-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

As an author, the number one priority when writing an
article should be "quality and uniqueness." You must write
impressively and with purpose. Your writing must be
attractive and swaying; otherwise it's not worth the
dilemma. Writing a few "very good articles" and submitting
them through software generates hundreds incoming links.

As one post their articles to directories, refine the
article yourself. This may or may not have any direct
benefit but it is strongly believed its part and parcel of
the quality control process.

Don't worry about back links, Write good articles and let
it come to you naturally....the search engines will
recompense you as bloggers and webmasters post your articles
on their sites, something they will only do if your writing
is inspiring and appropriate.

MBA EDUCATION IN INDIA

2006-12-29T01:30:00.001-08:00

If you want to become a management graduate and make a mark in the management of business in the country or abroad, there are many institutes, both State - run and private, which can provide you the requisite degree. For getting admission into these management institutes, you have to appear for entrance tests. These include CAT (for IIMs), MAT (AIMA), XAT (XLRI), FMS, JMET (IITs & IISc), OPENMAT (IGNOU) and a large number of others. Of these, we are going to talk about two major admission tests CAT (Common Admission Test) and MAT (Management Aptitude Test), which can open the floodgates of opportunities in this field.

COMMON ADMISSION TEST (CAT) :
The CAT paper has traditionally been a 120 - minute test. The questions in the CAT paper are generally not very difficult but there is always an exceptionally high emphasis on the speed required to solve the questions in the paper.

CAT mandates that the test taker perform equally well in all sections of the test. It is not sufficient to get a good score in the test as a whole - the candidate also has to perform well in each of the three/ four sections of the CAT paper. When we talk of performing equally well, we have to look at it as a relative measure. Among the one lakh plus candidates expected to take CAT this year, you should be able to score a certain number of marks more than the average in each of the selections in order to qualify. Hence you have to aim at crossing a minimum cut - off mark in each section to be eligible to get a call for the Group Discussion (GD) and Interview stage. The minimum cut-off required in each section could vary from IIM to IIM and also for each of the other 30+ institutes that use CAT scores for their selection process. It would be fair to assume that the cut - off scores required for many of the other institutes would be slightly lower than those required for the IIMs.

If proper planning is not done, there is a danger that one may actually get much more than the total minimum required marks to be eligible for the IIMs but one may not cross the cutoffs in a particular section. This brings us to the basic rule that applies to the CAT paper - do reasonably well in every section rather than concentrating on and doing extremely well in every section rather than concentrating on and doing extremely well in one/ two sections. Getting a very high score in one or two sections at the expense of the others would fetch you nothing and defeats the very purpose for which you are taking the test!

The test consists of the following :-
Quantitative Aptitude
Reading Comprehension
Verbal Ability
Data Interpretation
Reasoning
Data Sufficiency.
The number of questions varies from year to year.

The key to crack the CAT exam is to keep your cool and maintain your composure during the entire length of the test. This may sound deceptively simple but is easier said than done. The pressure levels would be high, yes, but you have to use your adrenaline to work faster and smarter. There is no point getting bogged down at any point in the paper. CAT does not require/ expect you to attempt all or even nearly all the questions. It is test of speed but not only of speed. Accuracy is needed too.

It is no great secret that the test itself comprises a significant number of questions that are not very difficult. The knack, then, would be to maximise your score by completing the easy ones rather than getting bogged down by the more difficult ones especially since, no extra marks are awarded for solving the more difficult questions.

Even within each section, there is very clear need for a planned strategy of attempting questions. Unless a clear cut timed strategy for attempting the test is in place, there is every chance that one may miss out on very easy questions which may be at the end of the section and instead end up solving all the difficult questions that may have been given at the beginning. It is imperative to realise that there is no rule that says that the difficult questions will be at the end of the section nor is there a rule that says that easy questions are at the beginning of each section. Then why should there be any discrimination while attempting the questions? The common tendency among students is to start the section from the very first question. Much as it may be the best starting point, it loses its relevance if all the questions in a particular section are not read. By not reading a question or a set of questions, one is obviously at a disadvantage when compared to a student who carefully plans out the time limits within each section and ensures that he or she picks and solves the easy questions given in each section.

One important point to note for the CAT exam is that, there are no individual cutoffs for the areas within a section. The instructions on the front page of the question booklet of CAT clearly specify that you should do equally well in all sections. Hence, depending on your comfort level in each of the areas, you should allocate the time for the areas within a section.

There is negative marketing in the CAT paper and for every wrong answer a certain score is deducted from your total. The IIMs do not disclose the way they calculate the negative marks for the wrong answers.

One Golden Rule that needs to be followed is to ensure that there is no question which is unread at the end of the test. This will ensure that all possible easy questions have been attempted or at least looked at. Unfortunately, CAT does not have any special notations pointing to the easy questions and neither do they scream out at you from the paper. It is up to you to find them and make sure you do most of them. The easy ones could be anywhere - at the beginning, in the middle or at the end - just about anywhere.

MANAGEMENT APTITUDE TEST (MAT) :
All India Management Association (AIMA) has been providing the service of aptitude testing since 1988 under the scheme of All India Management Aptitude Testing Service (AIMATS). Several lakhs of candidates and over 300 institutions have derived benefit under this testing facility. This, as such, is the testimony as to the validity, reliability and usability of aptitude testing of AIMA. Management Aptitude Test (MAT) is being conducted four times a year. The test consists of five sections viz.

Language Comprehension
Mathematical Skills
Data Analysis & Sufficiency
Intelligence & Critical Reasoning
Indian & Global Environment
Each section consists of 40 questions. The total of 200 questions is to be attempted within 150 minutes. It is an objective type test with multiple choice answers.

In order to attempt the Language Comprehension section, some candidates prefer to read the passage, then switch to attempting the questions while others prefer reading the questions prior to the passage reading the questions prior to the passage so that they know the answers they need to look for. Either of these strategies or the combination of both is fine. Use them depending on the difficulty of the passage.

Mathematical Skill and Data Analysis & Interpretation sections provide a good opportunity to score well and save time. As the D-day approaches, continue practicing these questions regularly and building speed. Basic arithmetic calculations and formulae should be on your fingertips. It would be worth making flip cards at the last stage of examination of some key formulae and short-cut methods that you would have learnt in the preparatory stage. It is very helpful to review these formulae at the stage of examination.

Questions in the Intelligence & Critical Reasoning section tilt more towards reasoning. Candidates are required to practice these types of questions extensively, as there is no formulae for such questions never pays. Practice as many formats of questions as you can. It is very useful in confidence building.

General and business awareness under Indian & Global Environment section is a key component in the entrance procedure to a management institute. Keeping abreast of happenings around is definitely an onerous task. Unlike preparing for the other sections like Mathematical Skills and Data Analysis & Sufficiency, general and business awareness requires keeping abreast of happenings.

MAT as in any other MBA entrance test carries negative marks for wrong answers. Hence it is never a good strategy to answer all questions. As you work through a section, skip those questions that you are not sure of. Time permitting, you can always revisit and try to answer them. Coming back with a fresh approach to questions that could not be attempted earlier means that these questions can be tackled successfully quickly. Resorting to guess work through the entire question paper is not a good policy. Never base a strategy on guesswork. It should be your last resort and never an alternative strategy.

It can be said that last minute preparation in a competitive test is a very important part of entire preparation. Moreover this part relates to the candidates' ability to properly manage the emotions, nervousness, etc, a systematic planning and strategy will definitely help the candidates to take the competitive advantage over others.

Since selection for a management course is largely a process of aptitude testing, the most knowledgeable need not necessarily succeed. Time is at a premium in the examination. As in MAT 200 questions are to be answered in 150 minutes. Performance is relative. Therefore, considering that variable that governs success in the examination, it is important to build a test taking strategy as the test approaches to tackle it successfully. Towards the last days of test, developing proper test taking strategy is an approach that a candidate has to develop in order to ensure that he is able to leverage his strengths while attempting the tests. Any strategy that you intend to follow necessarily needs to revolve around the time saving measures to answer the maximum number of questions in the allotted time.

CAT vs MAT :
But there is a qualitative difference. CAT - affiliated B - schools are ranked a tad higher than the MAT - affiliated ones. The CAT, which is administered by Indian Institutes of Management, is also accepted as the qualifying exam by about 20 other institutes, other than IIMs. In contrast, the MAT is a relatively new test, administered by the All India Management Association (AIMA), for other institutes. Though very few students in metropolitan cities appear for the MAT, most students in smaller towns try to adopt a combined strategy for cracking both, the CAT and the MAT, in hope of making it at least to one exam. The CAT is generally held on the last Sunday of November and MAT on the first Sunday of December every year.

There are structural variations between the CAT and MAT papers. In sections on Quantitative Aptitude and Data interpretation the main difference pertains to the level of difficulty as well as the types of questions asked. The MAT is more formula - based while the CAT is entirely application - based. Therefore, the strategy for MAT should be to rely entirely on the "Frequently Asked Questions" given in reputed publications. Since the MAT seldom springs surprises, the section tests that one takes while preparing for the CAT would suffice. A student with average aptitude, comfortable with concepts, will get through the MAT, but you need to have an analytical bent of mind to crack the CAT. In the English section also there are variations. In the MAT paper, the emphasis is on facts - the stress is on grammar through analogies like match the following and fill in the blanks. But in the CAT paper, questions are inference - based like sentence structuring, the logic behind creating paragraphs, understanding the assumptions made in the passage, etc.

In the CAT, time management plays a very crucial role for if you are able to crack 80-90 percent of the questions of a section, it would be considered a very good attempt. At the same time, there is virtually no pressure of time while cracking the MAT.

There is no General Knowledge test in CAT. But in the MAT, such a test exists under the section "Indian and Global Environment". For this you may need to do some extra bit of preparation.

GROUP DISCUSSION AND INTERVIEW :
The CAT being a more sophisticated instrument for testing intelligence and critical reasoning, it puts the weightage of 50 to 60 percent on Group Discussion and Interview. In the MAT, on the other hand, the importance attached to these two vis - a - vis the written section is only 30-40 percent. Therefore, the rejection is also very high in the CAT. In 2004 about one lakh students appeared for the 11,000 seats (IIMs and about 20 other institutes), of which only 30,000 received final interview cells. It means, selection rate was one in three. In case of MAT, everybody can hope to receive a call, although, it may not be from an institute of your choice.

A good score in the written test is a prerequisite for a student to be called for the group discussion and a personal interview conducted to assess the students, personality and demeanor, with the final selection made on the student's overall performance in the three rounds.

SCORE EVALUATION & REPRESENTATION :
The raw score is the simple numerical count of responses, such as the number of correct answers on an intelligence test. The usefulness of the raw score is limited, however, because it does not convey how well someone does in comparison with others taking the same test. Therefore, percentile scores, standardised scores, etc. are the devices for making this comparison. Percentile score is the most common method of reporting results in management aptitude tests.

Percentile scoring expresses the rank order of the scores in percentages. The percentile level of a person's score indicates the proportion of the group that scored above and below that individual. When a score falls at the 50th percentile, for example, half scored lower, a score at the 80th percentile indicates that 20 percent scored higher and 80 percent scored lower than the person being evaluated. The aptitude test scores reflect ability. Those scores do not determine ability. The scores may suggest, but never prove..