Term 1 finally got over. Blogging from singara chennai :)
The weather is balmy, almost reminds you of Bangalore. Even as I hog to my heart's content at home, my mind keeps going back to the learnings over the past term. So here goes - This post is devoted to my learnings and unlearnings over the past 3 months -
1) It is possible to survive with 3-4 hours of sleep. Yes, after a point of time your eyes get as bloodshot as a drunk guy but then it hardly matters when the entire batch is sporting red eyes.
2) The place is ruthless to people with backlogs. Remember the homily that your mom, dad, teachers, uncles, aunties and every other soul used to give about finishing your work on time. Over here it is the rule to survival.
3) The pressure that one has to undergo at this place is directly linked to the pressure that one actually wants to take upon himself or herself. It may sound a bit weird to the outsider but ask any guy who has been here and done that, he would readily agree.
4) Continuing on the pressure thingie - it plays tricks on people and you can see people change for the better or worse right in front of you.
5) Choices abound in this place. Everything you do is either at the cost of your acads or sleep. So, you are better off doing a cost benefit analysis before embarking on new activity/adventure.
6) We have a lot to learn from the profs. I had a chance to go through the profiles of some of the profs who taught me. It turned out that apart from being excellent teacher's, they had what in IIM parlance is called - "God level" profiles. What struck me the most was the total humility of the profs!
7) More than anything - this place is fun. Its not often that you get to learn so much and have fun at the same time.
Looking forward to 5 more terms in this beautiful place that I have come to regard as my second home.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Life at IIMB
Been meaning to put up a post that sorta reflects what being in IIMB is –
Time – 0300 hours
Snapshots –
1)One leafs through his eco textbook for the class next day, after having watching Syriana on the intranet.
2)Another returns from the block party, promptly pings above guy for dope on the fin acc assignment.
3)A group is taking a break from a case analysis/project report.
4)The block parties continue unabated.
5)Confused facha sits with his PGP2 mentor, getting some gyan on the intricacies of QM.
6) Couple of ppl on their mobiles whispering sweet nothings… distance does make the heart grow fonder.
7)A PGP2 returns from his jog.2 fachas set out for a walk after mugging away to God’s glory.
9)A DML types sets the alarm clock for 6:00 am and hits the sack.
10)Inter section tournaments are on in full swing with future CEOs slugging it out on the futsal court under floodlights.
The above is just a small sample, of what goes on here. If you thought getting here was tough, you my dear friend are in some rude awakening. CAT and GD/PI are the easy part. And did you think getting a %ile of 99.85 made you a stud or something? Wait till you get in. Some junta here, get 99.85 on their bad days.
With the kind of activities that keep going on around, you have run flat out just to remain where you are. You sometimes do end up surprising yourself. I, for example never thought I could keep hitting the sack at 3 and be up by 7, but here I am. All this when I am just 20 days into IIMB. On the positive side, hey, it actually is fun.
Time – 0300 hours
Snapshots –
1)One leafs through his eco textbook for the class next day, after having watching Syriana on the intranet.
2)Another returns from the block party, promptly pings above guy for dope on the fin acc assignment.
3)A group is taking a break from a case analysis/project report.
4)The block parties continue unabated.
5)Confused facha sits with his PGP2 mentor, getting some gyan on the intricacies of QM.
6) Couple of ppl on their mobiles whispering sweet nothings… distance does make the heart grow fonder.
7)A PGP2 returns from his jog.2 fachas set out for a walk after mugging away to God’s glory.
9)A DML types sets the alarm clock for 6:00 am and hits the sack.
10)Inter section tournaments are on in full swing with future CEOs slugging it out on the futsal court under floodlights.
The above is just a small sample, of what goes on here. If you thought getting here was tough, you my dear friend are in some rude awakening. CAT and GD/PI are the easy part. And did you think getting a %ile of 99.85 made you a stud or something? Wait till you get in. Some junta here, get 99.85 on their bad days.
With the kind of activities that keep going on around, you have run flat out just to remain where you are. You sometimes do end up surprising yourself. I, for example never thought I could keep hitting the sack at 3 and be up by 7, but here I am. All this when I am just 20 days into IIMB. On the positive side, hey, it actually is fun.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Its been quite a while.....
A month and 21 days since I landed in IIMB. Lots of factors contributed to me not posting -
- Acad and other pressures in IIMB
- Govt's rather pig headed move to bar access to blogspot
- Laziness on my part, that prevented me from going to other proxy sites
Hope to start posting more frequently. May be, if my writing skills improve sufficiently, I could even publish this crap that I dish out as a desi "Snapshgots from Hell" or better enter into a tie up with the Rapidex folks and publish a " Learn how to get into IIMB and survive in 30 days"
Have to get going.... but all I can say is this - Getting in was the easy part, the "fun" has just started :)
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Chennai to Bangalore ...
Just finished packing up my stuff for B. Dad insisted that I clean the toxic junkyard that is also my room before I scoot. Mission accomplished in 8 hours flat. Yup, It took me 8 hours to undo the damage inflicted over a period of 9 years. That’s less than 1 hour for every year, eh!
The good thing about cleaning up wholesale is that it allows you to get unemotional about stuff. You tend to view things as junk and non-junk. No more staring wistfully at the farewell card given by your colleagues in the organization before last. Especially not at 1:00 am, when you have been slogging away for the past 6 hours. You know it is junk and there it goes.
Now that I am all set to bid farewell to the city that has been my home for quarter of a century (and man, why do I suddenly feel old), what is it that I will miss –
1) Masala kadalai & Milaga Bhajji by the beach – my definition of paradise.
2) The beach itself – nothing like sitting on the beach all by yourself n just watching the waves.
3) My colleagues in St.Gobain. The guys were clever… very clever and a joy to work with.
4) The public transport system. The MTC buses for all their faults are thoroughly dependable and cheap. I will feel the pinch in B, as it does not have any public transport worth mentioning.
5) Watching English movies dubbed in Tamil on Vijay TV. Wholesome entertainment. Where else would you see “Holy shit” get transformed to “Hey, Kadavulae”(Oh My God!!) or get Jackie Chan to sing that immortal classic – “Raakamma Kaiya Thattu”.
6) The heat of Chennai. People visiting Chennai do crib quite a bit about the climate or the lack of it. For me though, give me Chennai’s heat and it’s occasional rainy spells on any day.
Going on to what I definitely will not miss –
1) The company bus – the driver who is other wise a very nice person, becomes Schumi’s guru when he sits on the drivers seat. The bus suddenly transforms itself into a F1 truck and the race begins. The company bus is a menace on the roads and I am only too glad not to be riding it. The fact that I am alive today only goes to show that miracles happen even in lives of people who call God all sorts of names.
2) Spending 3 hours everyday in a bus commuting to and from the place of work is idiocy.
3) Autowallas of Chennai – they fleece, period. This from a guy who has been in the city for quite some time. God help anyone who does not know Tamil/Chennai and lands up in their clutches. And about their notorious road habits, the lesser said the better. While we are on the topic, scientists may want to study the unique fuel used by these 3 wheeled chariots and patent the same. I just cannot get myself to believe that driving skill alone could result in such acrobatics on the road.
4) Cooum - You see some, you hear some and then in case of dear Cooum, you smell some. The once proud river is now an open drain. Sporadic attempts have been made to set things right, but to no avail.
5) CAS – Chennai is the only place where Conditional Access System has been implemented. That means we are asked to pay for watching TV. And why is it that i am glad to escape CAS?
a) We Indians hate to pay for things. Guess, it's a part of the national conscience and there is nothing we can do about it.
b) It sucks even more when the entire nation is getting the stuff for free, while you alone are asked to pay.
c) It sucks biggest when that country cousin of yours living in a God forsaken part of Tamland walks in and gives you the latest dope on the your one time fav show on STAR World.
Going off on a tangent - Free tip to any political party that wants to romp home in the 14 assembly constituencies of Chennai - Promise to remove CAS and thou shall rule (at least in Chennai).
So, that’s that for now. Leaving for B tomorrow. This is my last post from Chennai for the next 2 years. So long Chennai … I will miss you.
The good thing about cleaning up wholesale is that it allows you to get unemotional about stuff. You tend to view things as junk and non-junk. No more staring wistfully at the farewell card given by your colleagues in the organization before last. Especially not at 1:00 am, when you have been slogging away for the past 6 hours. You know it is junk and there it goes.
Now that I am all set to bid farewell to the city that has been my home for quarter of a century (and man, why do I suddenly feel old), what is it that I will miss –
1) Masala kadalai & Milaga Bhajji by the beach – my definition of paradise.
2) The beach itself – nothing like sitting on the beach all by yourself n just watching the waves.
3) My colleagues in St.Gobain. The guys were clever… very clever and a joy to work with.
4) The public transport system. The MTC buses for all their faults are thoroughly dependable and cheap. I will feel the pinch in B, as it does not have any public transport worth mentioning.
5) Watching English movies dubbed in Tamil on Vijay TV. Wholesome entertainment. Where else would you see “Holy shit” get transformed to “Hey, Kadavulae”(Oh My God!!) or get Jackie Chan to sing that immortal classic – “Raakamma Kaiya Thattu”.
6) The heat of Chennai. People visiting Chennai do crib quite a bit about the climate or the lack of it. For me though, give me Chennai’s heat and it’s occasional rainy spells on any day.
Going on to what I definitely will not miss –
1) The company bus – the driver who is other wise a very nice person, becomes Schumi’s guru when he sits on the drivers seat. The bus suddenly transforms itself into a F1 truck and the race begins. The company bus is a menace on the roads and I am only too glad not to be riding it. The fact that I am alive today only goes to show that miracles happen even in lives of people who call God all sorts of names.
2) Spending 3 hours everyday in a bus commuting to and from the place of work is idiocy.
3) Autowallas of Chennai – they fleece, period. This from a guy who has been in the city for quite some time. God help anyone who does not know Tamil/Chennai and lands up in their clutches. And about their notorious road habits, the lesser said the better. While we are on the topic, scientists may want to study the unique fuel used by these 3 wheeled chariots and patent the same. I just cannot get myself to believe that driving skill alone could result in such acrobatics on the road.
4) Cooum - You see some, you hear some and then in case of dear Cooum, you smell some. The once proud river is now an open drain. Sporadic attempts have been made to set things right, but to no avail.
5) CAS – Chennai is the only place where Conditional Access System has been implemented. That means we are asked to pay for watching TV. And why is it that i am glad to escape CAS?
a) We Indians hate to pay for things. Guess, it's a part of the national conscience and there is nothing we can do about it.
b) It sucks even more when the entire nation is getting the stuff for free, while you alone are asked to pay.
c) It sucks biggest when that country cousin of yours living in a God forsaken part of Tamland walks in and gives you the latest dope on the your one time fav show on STAR World.
Going off on a tangent - Free tip to any political party that wants to romp home in the 14 assembly constituencies of Chennai - Promise to remove CAS and thou shall rule (at least in Chennai).
So, that’s that for now. Leaving for B tomorrow. This is my last post from Chennai for the next 2 years. So long Chennai … I will miss you.
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Coasting along ...
Quite some time since I posted, so what have I been up to –
1) Serving out my notice period.
2) Handing over stuff that I was doing at workplace and KT (knowledge transfer – One thing I still cannot get myself to believe is that I actually have knowledge to transfer. But then, if people want to labor under that illusion, don’t blame me)
3) Orkutting.
4) Reading up some stuff – trying to get back into the student mode. Working (in my case at least) has reduced my ability to sit in a place and read any printed material. At best I just skim through it and move on to something else. I have been spending the last few weeks trying to get back my studying habits.
5) Getting in touch with friends and renewing acquaintances. It struck me, a few days back that I was losing contact with my friends and I started a conscious effort to keep in touch with them. Happy to note that they do remember me :)
6) Browsing PG. Don’t spam like the pre CAT result days but I do keep browsing.
7) Visited the dentist and had my tooth set right.
8) Started getting together stuff that would be required for my stay in B.
9) Calling up future classmates and cribbing about life in general and notice periods in particular.
10) Reading up stuff on reservation in higher education.Honestly, I have not been able to form an opinion about it, but one thing I am sure about is that the UPA government screwed up big time with the way it went about the whole affair.
Pretty dull post, eh? But that’s the way life has been for the past few weeks.
1) Serving out my notice period.
2) Handing over stuff that I was doing at workplace and KT (knowledge transfer – One thing I still cannot get myself to believe is that I actually have knowledge to transfer. But then, if people want to labor under that illusion, don’t blame me)
3) Orkutting.
4) Reading up some stuff – trying to get back into the student mode. Working (in my case at least) has reduced my ability to sit in a place and read any printed material. At best I just skim through it and move on to something else. I have been spending the last few weeks trying to get back my studying habits.
5) Getting in touch with friends and renewing acquaintances. It struck me, a few days back that I was losing contact with my friends and I started a conscious effort to keep in touch with them. Happy to note that they do remember me :)
6) Browsing PG. Don’t spam like the pre CAT result days but I do keep browsing.
7) Visited the dentist and had my tooth set right.
8) Started getting together stuff that would be required for my stay in B.
9) Calling up future classmates and cribbing about life in general and notice periods in particular.
10) Reading up stuff on reservation in higher education.Honestly, I have not been able to form an opinion about it, but one thing I am sure about is that the UPA government screwed up big time with the way it went about the whole affair.
Pretty dull post, eh? But that’s the way life has been for the past few weeks.
Friday, May 12, 2006
Pagalguy
This blog was long overdue. A thank u note to www.pagalguy.com (PG).
If I am in IIM-B today, its because of PG. Sure, I did put in some serious effort, but it was PG which guided me through out. Right from sustaining me through the mock cat debacles to telling me that IIMB results page was behaving funny, it was PG all the way. More than anything I owe 1 great freind to PG - Opiate. But for PG, I might have never met such a wonderful person.
PG showed me that it actually was possible to believe people who you may have never seen before and may never even see ever. In some ways PG operates on trusting the inherent goodness in each and everyone of us, and surprisingly it worked most of the time. Given my rather caustic attitude towards life in general and human behaviour in particular, this was a pleasant surprise.
So a big "Thank u" to PG, to all the people who make PG such a great place and to Alwin ... the guy who built it all. Hope to remain a part of this community and give back in whatever way I can.
If I am in IIM-B today, its because of PG. Sure, I did put in some serious effort, but it was PG which guided me through out. Right from sustaining me through the mock cat debacles to telling me that IIMB results page was behaving funny, it was PG all the way. More than anything I owe 1 great freind to PG - Opiate. But for PG, I might have never met such a wonderful person.
PG showed me that it actually was possible to believe people who you may have never seen before and may never even see ever. In some ways PG operates on trusting the inherent goodness in each and everyone of us, and surprisingly it worked most of the time. Given my rather caustic attitude towards life in general and human behaviour in particular, this was a pleasant surprise.
So a big "Thank u" to PG, to all the people who make PG such a great place and to Alwin ... the guy who built it all. Hope to remain a part of this community and give back in whatever way I can.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Travel time
My workplace is situated about 40 km from city. That means I spend more than 3 hours traveling everyday. That I am the first to get into the bus and last to get out doesn't exactly help either. Having put in my papers and being all set to scoot by mid June, I decided to calculate the total time that I have spent traveling under my current employer. So here goes - I would have worked for 472 days by mid June. This is after eliminating all weekends and holidays. I have assumed that any leave that I have taken to date would be more than compensated by the weekends and holidays during which I worked.
My daily travel time is slightly more than 3 hours. But then, it would be wrong to take all of it for the purpose of my calculation, given that I would have anyway spent some time traveling to my workplace. For the lack of a better alternative, here I take the traveling time under my previous employer - 80 min.
U don't have to be a math whizkid to arrive at the total incremental number of hours spent traveling - 826
In terms of 24 hour day - 34 days
In terms of 8 hour man day - 103 days ... phew
Moral of the story - Next time I choose a workplace ... maybe commuting time ought to be given due importance.
My daily travel time is slightly more than 3 hours. But then, it would be wrong to take all of it for the purpose of my calculation, given that I would have anyway spent some time traveling to my workplace. For the lack of a better alternative, here I take the traveling time under my previous employer - 80 min.
U don't have to be a math whizkid to arrive at the total incremental number of hours spent traveling - 826
In terms of 24 hour day - 34 days
In terms of 8 hour man day - 103 days ... phew
Moral of the story - Next time I choose a workplace ... maybe commuting time ought to be given due importance.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
IIMB Campus Pics
Was scouring the net for some info on IIMB when I chanced upon this blog - http://guha.blogspot.com/ maintained by a B student (who should have passed out by now). Apart from the rather interesting observations on life of a PGP1, it had a collection of superb pics which I have posted here ... all credit goes to Guha - PGP2005
Classroom Cluster
Hostel Block ....
Hostel Entrance
Faculty Blocks
Library Exterior
Library Corridor
Main Corridor
Classroom Cluster
Hostel Block ....
Hostel Entrance
Faculty Blocks 
Library Exterior
Library Corridor
Main Corridor
Having stayed there for a couple of days, all I can say is that the campus is awesome. The pics above hardly do it any justice. Suffused with the grandeur that one would associate with temples and monuments of the yore ... the place does leave an inedible impression upon you.
Sunday, April 16, 2006
I am a PGP1 now
“Made it to the base camp. Climb to the summit starts…and then the summits after that…” These precisely were my thoughts when I sat staring at –
“ Status of application to PGP 2006-08 at IIM BangaloreCongratulations! You have been selected for the PGP 2006-08 at IIM Bangalore. The official offer letter is being despatched. Please contact the IIMB admission office in case you do not receive the offer letter by April 18, 2006. To secure your seat you are required to do the needful as per instructions in the offer letter by May 8, 2006.”
7 months of single-minded pursuit resulted in this and what was it I felt? A feeling of relief at having crossed the first hurdle and possibly the easiest one at that.
The last few days have been excruciating to say the least … F5-ing and spamming PG…. ignoring the mounting pile of high priority stuff on my desk…. hoping that I convert at least 1 call…. getting rude with all and sundry. Honestly, never has any exam result had this kind of an impact on me.
Speculation as to the D Day was mercifully laid to rest by the IIMA director who named 13th as the date on which all IIMs would come out with their final lists. C was the first off the block with results coming out on 12:01AM. A large number of PGs had made it. Sent a couple of congo PMs and went to sleep. The rest of the results started trickling in around 10:00AM and so did the disappointments. Both A and B danged me. While A’s reject was clear enough….B’s reject was rather cryptic – “Data entered does not match with records”. Shaken, I waited for K, which came around 13:00PM. Phew, I was through. I had made it to an IIM … finally. True, it was not the one I would have preferred…. But hey! Things could have turned out much worse. Opiate msged me about something being wrong in B’s results but I didn’t bother to check. Next day … the day after the storm … checked my mail…and saw a mail asking me to join the Y! group for the IIMB PGP Class of 2008. Surely, there was a mistake…. Me … PGP Class of 2008 … Bah … My data did not match with their records!! But then hope floats … so logged into B’s website and keyed in my details … Got the msg which I have pasted in the beginning of this blog. Spoke with the admissions office and the seniors to confirm the news the next day.
So, Its now official … I am now headed to B to pursue the PGDM course. It’s been quite a ride and it’s nice to taste success at the end of it all.
Relaxing and girding myself up for the experience that is B School!
More gyan later …
“ Status of application to PGP 2006-08 at IIM BangaloreCongratulations! You have been selected for the PGP 2006-08 at IIM Bangalore. The official offer letter is being despatched. Please contact the IIMB admission office in case you do not receive the offer letter by April 18, 2006. To secure your seat you are required to do the needful as per instructions in the offer letter by May 8, 2006.”
7 months of single-minded pursuit resulted in this and what was it I felt? A feeling of relief at having crossed the first hurdle and possibly the easiest one at that.
The last few days have been excruciating to say the least … F5-ing and spamming PG…. ignoring the mounting pile of high priority stuff on my desk…. hoping that I convert at least 1 call…. getting rude with all and sundry. Honestly, never has any exam result had this kind of an impact on me.
Speculation as to the D Day was mercifully laid to rest by the IIMA director who named 13th as the date on which all IIMs would come out with their final lists. C was the first off the block with results coming out on 12:01AM. A large number of PGs had made it. Sent a couple of congo PMs and went to sleep. The rest of the results started trickling in around 10:00AM and so did the disappointments. Both A and B danged me. While A’s reject was clear enough….B’s reject was rather cryptic – “Data entered does not match with records”. Shaken, I waited for K, which came around 13:00PM. Phew, I was through. I had made it to an IIM … finally. True, it was not the one I would have preferred…. But hey! Things could have turned out much worse. Opiate msged me about something being wrong in B’s results but I didn’t bother to check. Next day … the day after the storm … checked my mail…and saw a mail asking me to join the Y! group for the IIMB PGP Class of 2008. Surely, there was a mistake…. Me … PGP Class of 2008 … Bah … My data did not match with their records!! But then hope floats … so logged into B’s website and keyed in my details … Got the msg which I have pasted in the beginning of this blog. Spoke with the admissions office and the seniors to confirm the news the next day.
So, Its now official … I am now headed to B to pursue the PGDM course. It’s been quite a ride and it’s nice to taste success at the end of it all.
Relaxing and girding myself up for the experience that is B School!
More gyan later …
Friday, April 07, 2006
The waiting game....
The last PI of IIM B gets over today and the waiting game for results "officially" commences today. For me however, it started on 31st of March......the date on which my B PI got over. Honestly, it wrecking my nerves. While I may seem this ultracool types outside, spouting lines of "having given my best shot" etc, only I know how much of a bundle of nerves I am now. I keep checking PG every other minute to check for that one thread !!!
God help me!!
God help me!!
Saturday, April 01, 2006
GD/PI - IIMB
Venue - M Block(room M14)
Date - 31/03/06-0900 hours
Panel - P1(bearded,long hair,smoked a lot,spoke accentless english...the BBC types and looked like...well, will come to that later) and P2 (youngish, light accent, sardonic grin always in place).
GD - Case study abt director of edu insti wondering who among 2 profs is to be the next Dean. P2 gave the instructions.1) 10 min to digest caselet contents2) 15 min to discuss - No fish3) 10 min to summarise. Summary and not your viewpoint.4) No sms lingo in summary. Should has 6 letters.5) No bullet points. This is no ppt.6) Keep the parapharnalia(files) down unless you wanna refer to them in the GD.
GD started with 2 ppl starting together and keeping at it.In the first min we had a mild fish in hand.P1 who was watching stepped in to warn we were not listening to each other. Duely chastened we settled in for a decent GD. Towards the end, P2 stepped in to ask-"so what should the prof do?" Group guided itself to a solution. Put in decent participation. Coming in whenever I wanted. Thecky though was the star.
Summary went off w/o any major incident though my handwriting was illegible to say the least.
Came out and chatted with Thecky and Opiate. Had rasna and hogged krackjack offered.
Was the only non engineer in group of 6. 3 ppl with workex of more than 18 months each.
PI - Third in order and went in after Thecky. Thecky and the guy b4 him came out mouthing the word "stress" I am B(bakra).
P2- Why MBA?
B - Current job description. How MBA will help me get exposure/expertise to achieve my future goal.
P2- You have said ur goal is to b the CFO of an Indian MNC. Care to explain Indian MNC.
B - Flashback as to Indian MNC.Also agreed it is very difficult these days to categorise any company wrt any country.
P2- Name any Indian MNC. Infy?
B - As of now, Yes.
P2- Think you can make a difference in Infy?
B - No. Reason - Infy already has its share of CAs, Engineers and MBAs,. Difficult for me to distinguish myself.
P2- Where do you think you can make a difference...KVIC..which is actually bigger than Infy?
B - Can achieve what I want, in a new company ...also in manufacturing company. Some gyan here.
P1 steps in here
P1- Whats unique abt Infy's accounting? They have many firsts to their credit.
B - Have not studied their accounting practices, but is it human resource accounting.
P1- Nope
B - First company to report in US Gaap.
P1- Any other firsts?
B - Dunno
P1- They were the first to go in for quarterly results/disclosure. Is it required under US Gaap.
B - Dunno. But required under SEBI norms.
P1- How many standards under US Gaap.
B - Dunno.
P1- With your goal, u r supposed to know.
B - Yes, but I have no exposure to it.
P2-How many Indian companies complying with US Gaap?
B -Depends on the number of Indian companies that are lsited in the US.
P2-Gimme a number.
B -20-30. But I am guessing here.
P1- Who is the CFO of Infy.
B - Mr.Mohandas Pai.
P1- He is well appreciated, isnt he?
B - Yes, was featured in the latest edition of Business Today as one of the most admired CFOs.
P1- What is Balance sheet.
B - Told
P1- Asset?
B - Told
P1- Liability?
B - Told
P1- Opportunity Cost?
B - Replied with example
P1- Another example?
B - Told.
P1- So where is Bakhra Nangal?
B - Punjab,on Satluj.
P1- Any other speciality?
B - Nehru called it one of the temples of modern India (dunno from where I got that)
P2- He referred to industries, didnt he?
B - Referred to dams and industries.
P1- Any other speciality?
B - Built with russian help.
P1- What abt Bokaro plant?
B - Also built with russian help.
P1- Capital of Turkmenistan.
B - Ashkabad (mispronounced it terribly)
P1- Wrong.
B - Okie
P2- Any 3 states in American midwest?
B - Havent been there..guessing...Milwaukee, Nevada.
P2- Nevada?
B - Guessing.
P2- Any city in Nevada?
B - Las Vegas
P1- What is privatisation?
B - Told
P1- What is divestment?
B - Told
P1- So what is the difference between privatisation and macroeconomic stabilisation??
B - Started off with privatisation.
P1- So, is privatisation = divestment?
B - Nope, divestment is a part of privatisation. Illustrated with examples of Modern Food, Balco and arbit.
P1- What was the consideration in case of Modern food?
B - Dunno.
P1- Dont you think divestment is just a ruse of the govt. to bridge the fiscal deficit?
B - Yes, It has been referred to as selling of the country's silverware.
P2-What kinda books do u read?
B -No specific likes. Recent reads include - Freakonomics, Straight from the gut, Snapshots from Hell, an Economics textbook etc.
P1- First time you taking cat?
B - Nope
P1- So is it secod, third, fourth...
B - Second.
P1- Why?
B - Work pressure. Come in at 8am and get out by 10pm.
P2- You wud be a disaster in HR.
B - Grin.
P2- Do you think it is ok to work so hard.
B - No issue at this age. Get to learn a lot.
P1- Your refrees seem to have written a lot abt you in the weaknesses.
P1- Reads out stuff all of which points to my habit of overworking/overloading.
P1 and P2 look at each other
P2- Okie thats it.
B - Sir(to P1), can i ask a question?
P2- Yes?
B - Are you Sam Pitroda by any chance. Asking as there are bets outside that you are him.
P2- Nope.
P2 and P1 grin.
B - Thanks for the oppurtunity stumble out.
Verdict - Honestly, no idea. At the end of it all, I came out feeling good which is surprising, given the number of "dunnos".
Date - 31/03/06-0900 hours
Panel - P1(bearded,long hair,smoked a lot,spoke accentless english...the BBC types and looked like...well, will come to that later) and P2 (youngish, light accent, sardonic grin always in place).
GD - Case study abt director of edu insti wondering who among 2 profs is to be the next Dean. P2 gave the instructions.1) 10 min to digest caselet contents2) 15 min to discuss - No fish3) 10 min to summarise. Summary and not your viewpoint.4) No sms lingo in summary. Should has 6 letters.5) No bullet points. This is no ppt.6) Keep the parapharnalia(files) down unless you wanna refer to them in the GD.
GD started with 2 ppl starting together and keeping at it.In the first min we had a mild fish in hand.P1 who was watching stepped in to warn we were not listening to each other. Duely chastened we settled in for a decent GD. Towards the end, P2 stepped in to ask-"so what should the prof do?" Group guided itself to a solution. Put in decent participation. Coming in whenever I wanted. Thecky though was the star.
Summary went off w/o any major incident though my handwriting was illegible to say the least.
Came out and chatted with Thecky and Opiate. Had rasna and hogged krackjack offered.
Was the only non engineer in group of 6. 3 ppl with workex of more than 18 months each.
PI - Third in order and went in after Thecky. Thecky and the guy b4 him came out mouthing the word "stress" I am B(bakra).
P2- Why MBA?
B - Current job description. How MBA will help me get exposure/expertise to achieve my future goal.
P2- You have said ur goal is to b the CFO of an Indian MNC. Care to explain Indian MNC.
B - Flashback as to Indian MNC.Also agreed it is very difficult these days to categorise any company wrt any country.
P2- Name any Indian MNC. Infy?
B - As of now, Yes.
P2- Think you can make a difference in Infy?
B - No. Reason - Infy already has its share of CAs, Engineers and MBAs,. Difficult for me to distinguish myself.
P2- Where do you think you can make a difference...KVIC..which is actually bigger than Infy?
B - Can achieve what I want, in a new company ...also in manufacturing company. Some gyan here.
P1 steps in here
P1- Whats unique abt Infy's accounting? They have many firsts to their credit.
B - Have not studied their accounting practices, but is it human resource accounting.
P1- Nope
B - First company to report in US Gaap.
P1- Any other firsts?
B - Dunno
P1- They were the first to go in for quarterly results/disclosure. Is it required under US Gaap.
B - Dunno. But required under SEBI norms.
P1- How many standards under US Gaap.
B - Dunno.
P1- With your goal, u r supposed to know.
B - Yes, but I have no exposure to it.
P2-How many Indian companies complying with US Gaap?
B -Depends on the number of Indian companies that are lsited in the US.
P2-Gimme a number.
B -20-30. But I am guessing here.
P1- Who is the CFO of Infy.
B - Mr.Mohandas Pai.
P1- He is well appreciated, isnt he?
B - Yes, was featured in the latest edition of Business Today as one of the most admired CFOs.
P1- What is Balance sheet.
B - Told
P1- Asset?
B - Told
P1- Liability?
B - Told
P1- Opportunity Cost?
B - Replied with example
P1- Another example?
B - Told.
P1- So where is Bakhra Nangal?
B - Punjab,on Satluj.
P1- Any other speciality?
B - Nehru called it one of the temples of modern India (dunno from where I got that)
P2- He referred to industries, didnt he?
B - Referred to dams and industries.
P1- Any other speciality?
B - Built with russian help.
P1- What abt Bokaro plant?
B - Also built with russian help.
P1- Capital of Turkmenistan.
B - Ashkabad (mispronounced it terribly)
P1- Wrong.
B - Okie
P2- Any 3 states in American midwest?
B - Havent been there..guessing...Milwaukee, Nevada.
P2- Nevada?
B - Guessing.
P2- Any city in Nevada?
B - Las Vegas
P1- What is privatisation?
B - Told
P1- What is divestment?
B - Told
P1- So what is the difference between privatisation and macroeconomic stabilisation??
B - Started off with privatisation.
P1- So, is privatisation = divestment?
B - Nope, divestment is a part of privatisation. Illustrated with examples of Modern Food, Balco and arbit.
P1- What was the consideration in case of Modern food?
B - Dunno.
P1- Dont you think divestment is just a ruse of the govt. to bridge the fiscal deficit?
B - Yes, It has been referred to as selling of the country's silverware.
P2-What kinda books do u read?
B -No specific likes. Recent reads include - Freakonomics, Straight from the gut, Snapshots from Hell, an Economics textbook etc.
P1- First time you taking cat?
B - Nope
P1- So is it secod, third, fourth...
B - Second.
P1- Why?
B - Work pressure. Come in at 8am and get out by 10pm.
P2- You wud be a disaster in HR.
B - Grin.
P2- Do you think it is ok to work so hard.
B - No issue at this age. Get to learn a lot.
P1- Your refrees seem to have written a lot abt you in the weaknesses.
P1- Reads out stuff all of which points to my habit of overworking/overloading.
P1 and P2 look at each other
P2- Okie thats it.
B - Sir(to P1), can i ask a question?
P2- Yes?
B - Are you Sam Pitroda by any chance. Asking as there are bets outside that you are him.
P2- Nope.
P2 and P1 grin.
B - Thanks for the oppurtunity stumble out.
Verdict - Honestly, no idea. At the end of it all, I came out feeling good which is surprising, given the number of "dunnos".
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
1 Year old
Just noticed, I have just completed 1 year of blogging. Honestly, I never expected it to last this long given my laziness to maintain a diary for more than a week. But hey, here I am!!
Normally, this would call for some introspection...but the way things are, I am convinced that -
1) I just don't have the time to indulge in a bout of self analysis. As a matter of fact, even as I type this, I have a couple of unfinished reports on my desktop staring at me angrily.
2) Whenever I have sat down to introspect, it has always resulted in this rather uneasy feeling.
So, a big NO to soul searching today. And yes, Its been great fun to blog and I see myself continuing at least for another year. Ciao.
Normally, this would call for some introspection...but the way things are, I am convinced that -
1) I just don't have the time to indulge in a bout of self analysis. As a matter of fact, even as I type this, I have a couple of unfinished reports on my desktop staring at me angrily.
2) Whenever I have sat down to introspect, it has always resulted in this rather uneasy feeling.
So, a big NO to soul searching today. And yes, Its been great fun to blog and I see myself continuing at least for another year. Ciao.
Friday, March 17, 2006
Some general stuff...
Came across this elegant way of calculating transfer pricing -
Transfer Price = Incremental Cost of production + Opportunity Cost
Assumption being that the product has a market. Where the product is unique and does not have a market then the incremental cost of production alone is to be considered.
Finished reading "Snapshots from Hell".Nice read. Dunno how far it is applicable to Indian B Schools. Going by what I hear abt the work load n pressure @ IIMs, Peter Robinson probably had it easy at Stanford.
One of the good things abt GD/PI is the enormous amount of reading that gets done preparing for it.For example, in my case, it meant getting in touch with acads after a gap of abt 2 years. Funny thing is that, I have now started realising the logic behind a lot of things I studied. Standard costing which when studying was nothing more than a painful list of formulae, now seems a lot more logical and fun.
Preparation for B started in right earnest.
Transfer Price = Incremental Cost of production + Opportunity Cost
Assumption being that the product has a market. Where the product is unique and does not have a market then the incremental cost of production alone is to be considered.
Finished reading "Snapshots from Hell".Nice read. Dunno how far it is applicable to Indian B Schools. Going by what I hear abt the work load n pressure @ IIMs, Peter Robinson probably had it easy at Stanford.
One of the good things abt GD/PI is the enormous amount of reading that gets done preparing for it.For example, in my case, it meant getting in touch with acads after a gap of abt 2 years. Funny thing is that, I have now started realising the logic behind a lot of things I studied. Standard costing which when studying was nothing more than a painful list of formulae, now seems a lot more logical and fun.
Preparation for B started in right earnest.
Friday, March 10, 2006
Ramblings abt CA course
This blog owes its existence to the discussion I had with my colleague, couple of days back. Out of nowhere, one fine morn, a question popped up – What are the 5 things that I would do, if I had the power, to improve the lot/quality of chartered accountants (CAs) passing out? Posed this Q to my colleague and below is the common list we arrived at, after much haggling …..
1) Get the recruiter’s input as to what skills they expect from CAs. After having got their inputs, incorporate changes in syllabus - to instill the skills and examinations – to test those skills.
2) Change the structure of the CA Final exam. Make it compulsory that every guy/gal taking the exam identify two subjects and specialize in them. He/she must master those two subjects and take “specialization” exams in them. It’s only logical that the examinee will choose those subjects which will enable him to achieve his career goal. For e.g. for someone interested in a career in audit, taking specialization exams in audit/law will be logical, while others can take the “easier” exam in audit/law. Another benefit of this would be that, it will make the life of the recruiters uncomplicated as they can narrow down on the candidates with the required skill sets easily.
3) Have the prescribed textbooks written by world renowned/respected authors. It makes much more sense if they are authored by specialists and experts in their respective fields. Dunno if it is being done right now….but strongly suspect otherwise going by the pathetic quality. By “renowned/respected”, I am not talking abt Drury for costing or Datar for MAFA…U do have home grown specialists who I am sure would be more than glad to have their names associated with the institute.
4) Conduct tough entry level tests. Skills to be tested – Maths & Logic. The test to be conducted in English, Hindi and all major regional languages to enable rural students to have a fair shot. Only top 1 percentile of students are to be admitted into the course and not more than 2 attempts allowed. Students must be tested in business communication in PE2 level to ensure good knowledge of English. Honestly, I am sick of seeing dumb CAs, who lack the basic quant and logical skills and believe me they do the max to bring down the profession in the eyes of the recruiters. The institute has to ensure that the CAs are of a minimum intellectual caliber, if it ever wants to dream abt taking on the MBAs from the IIMs. And, in case you have not figured out bu now, the CA course at no point of time tests your logical/quantitative skills.
5) Have open book- case study based tests for law/audit/tax(direct and indirect). Do you want CAs who understand the concept or CAs with good memory?
That’s it for now…ciao :-)
1) Get the recruiter’s input as to what skills they expect from CAs. After having got their inputs, incorporate changes in syllabus - to instill the skills and examinations – to test those skills.
2) Change the structure of the CA Final exam. Make it compulsory that every guy/gal taking the exam identify two subjects and specialize in them. He/she must master those two subjects and take “specialization” exams in them. It’s only logical that the examinee will choose those subjects which will enable him to achieve his career goal. For e.g. for someone interested in a career in audit, taking specialization exams in audit/law will be logical, while others can take the “easier” exam in audit/law. Another benefit of this would be that, it will make the life of the recruiters uncomplicated as they can narrow down on the candidates with the required skill sets easily.
3) Have the prescribed textbooks written by world renowned/respected authors. It makes much more sense if they are authored by specialists and experts in their respective fields. Dunno if it is being done right now….but strongly suspect otherwise going by the pathetic quality. By “renowned/respected”, I am not talking abt Drury for costing or Datar for MAFA…U do have home grown specialists who I am sure would be more than glad to have their names associated with the institute.
4) Conduct tough entry level tests. Skills to be tested – Maths & Logic. The test to be conducted in English, Hindi and all major regional languages to enable rural students to have a fair shot. Only top 1 percentile of students are to be admitted into the course and not more than 2 attempts allowed. Students must be tested in business communication in PE2 level to ensure good knowledge of English. Honestly, I am sick of seeing dumb CAs, who lack the basic quant and logical skills and believe me they do the max to bring down the profession in the eyes of the recruiters. The institute has to ensure that the CAs are of a minimum intellectual caliber, if it ever wants to dream abt taking on the MBAs from the IIMs. And, in case you have not figured out bu now, the CA course at no point of time tests your logical/quantitative skills.
5) Have open book- case study based tests for law/audit/tax(direct and indirect). Do you want CAs who understand the concept or CAs with good memory?
That’s it for now…ciao :-)
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
IIM A - GD/PI
Date – 27/02/06
Venue – IIMB – M Block
Background – CA, M.Com
Verdict – Screwed up big time.
One from panel collected forms. Asked me why I had not pasted identical photograph. Apologised.
GD – 5 min to read. 20 min to discuss. 5 min to write summary. Case study abt a new HR manager who finds that attrition rate has gone up but is unable to pinpoint the reason. GD was peaceful. No fish. Lots of points thrown up in first 15 min. Got repetitive in last 5 min. Put in decent participation coming in 5-6 times. Wrote a decent summary with the panel specifically asking us not to write bullet points and in paragraphs. Panel asked us to write name and xxxxx number along with the summary. Didn’t get the number part first time around and I decided to ask after writing summary. Panelist gave rather cold stare when I asked while submitting the summary and told nothing could be done now. Hope its not held against me.
PI – Panelists – BP (Bearded Prof), CP (Clean shaven prof), LP (Lady Prof), BM (Bakra Me) Guy before me assured that the 2 gents were mech engineers while the lady seemed to be HR types. He got the idea when they drilled him abt CAD/CAM and other assorted mech stuff. Next 30 min would tell how wrong he was!! Lady came out, called me, let me in and shut the door.
BP – OK BM, give me the variance used to analyze overheads?
BM – Tried to give some gas abt material variance, got cut short.
CP – Give me your certis.
BP – So give me theoretical name of the variance.
BM – Absorption variance.
BP – Are you sure?
BM – No. However I do know how to calculate it.
BP – So, you don’t know?
BM – I am not able recollect it right now.
BP – You should have told this earlier. What do you know abt Efficiency variance?
BM – Yes, It is used to measure Overhead Variance. Told him how it is calculated on the basis of labor hours.
BP – Don’t you think it will result in labor variance.
BM – Clarified that overhead could be measured on both per unit of production and labour hour (with labour hours tied to unit of production) basis.
BP – So what other methods can be used for cost control and reduction?
BM – Standard costing, ABC….
BP – Ha ABC! So tell me the disadvantage of using ABC?
BM – Inability to break any process to clearly defined activities
BP – What if it is taken care of?
BM – Inability to logically allocate indirect costs to all activities.
BP - What if it is taken care of?
BM – I use ABC for cost reduction and standard costing for cost control…
BP – So there is a difference between cost control and cost reduction …
BM – If I employ ABC for cost reduction, I will need a target cost which ABC may not provide in the first place….
BP - What if it is taken care of?
BM – Not able to recollect any specific disadvantage.
BP – What are relevant costs?
BM – Wrt to decision making, costs that matter
BP – Are past costs relevant?
BM - Nope
CP who was going through my certis till then took over.
CP – So BM, you have been talking abt variances all the time. Do you know abt variances in mathematics?
BM – Yes, in statistics.
CP – Explain.
BM – Asked if I could write the formula. CP agreed and I wrote and showed it.
CP – What is it used for?
BM – Measurement of dispersion.
CP – Any other measures used?
BM – Std deviation.
CP – How it calculated?
BM – sqrt of variance.
CP – Then why STD Dev better over variance?
BM – Explained funda using example.
CP – Any other measures of dispersion?
BM – Not able to recollect…
CP – Range?
BM – Yes, Explained. Also told it does not give true idea in case of skewing values.
CP – Gimme a skewed distribution.
BM – Drew and explained.
CP – Types?
BM – Told
CP – Gimme a distribution that is always skewed?
BM – Abt to give him an example…
CP – You have so many types of distributions …Poisson. binomial etc. So tell me?
BM – Dang…er…stats studied more than 2 years back and not in touch with it.
CP – What is kurtosis?
BM – Showed with diagram…
CP – Not satisfied, said I had drawn 3 normal distributions.
BM – Was abt to tell him that 2 curves were not normal and the diff in peak is kurtosis but decided keeping mum is better. Bleated again that stat I studied was pretty elementary to which BP replied that he was sure all this formed a part of the syllabus.
CP – OK, so what is Jambudweepa?
BM – Initially confounded. I mean, after getting grilled on stats, the last q u expect is abt jambudweepa!! Then told abt ancient name given to Indian subcontinent.
CP – Now tell me 5 such regions and their old names.
BM – Tamilnadu – Tamilnadu, Kalinga – Orissa, Magadha – Bihar, Gandhar – Afghanistan, Asom – Assam, Dwaraka – Gujarat (last 2 - crap)
CP – Assam funda is wrong.
BM – Me agrees.
CP – OK what abt kurupanchal?
BM – Kuru – Kurukshetra – Haryana. Panchal – Dunno.
CP – Draupadi was called Panchali, right?
BM – Yup, still don’t know.
CP – What abt Vidarbha?
BM – Maharashtra.
LP takes over –
LP – Raised a point abt the absence of my M.Com marksheet.
BM – Clarified.
LP – So, you have studied HR as a part of M.Com. Can I ask you abt it?
BM – Don’t remember much. Will try to answer with reference to what I do at place of work. Also M.Com for me was more of a fall back. So did not pay much attention to it.
LP – What is strategic HR, HRIS?
BM – Dang in both cases.
LP – Who is an entrepreneur and you don’t have to tell me the classical definition in the books?
BM – Told her. Also entrepreneurs in true sense of the word not strictly applicable in today’s corporate sector as shareholders take risk and managers run the show.
LP – Are managers entrepreneurs?
BM – In a way, yes.
LP – Who are intrapreneurs?
BM – Explained.
LP – So why do companies encourage them?
BM – Retention of bright employees. Also gets to make money out of good business idea.
LP – And who gets all the money made?
BM – Depends on the shareholding pattern of the enterprise.
LP – Gimme 5 companies that you admire of Indian origin?
BM – TATAs, Infy, Reliance, TVS and my current employer.
LP – Is your current employer of Indian origin?
BM – Nope, but included as it is one company that I admire a lot.
LP – Why Reliance at third place?
BM – No ranking. Just mentioned them in the order they occurred to me. Admire Reliance because of focus on shareholder enrichment. IMHO prime reason for any co.’s existence is shareholder enrichment.
LP – Don’t you think it’s the employees who are the reason?
BM – Reason for existence is shareholder enrichment. Employees work hard with specific objective of shareholder enrichment
LP – OK that’s it. Take a toffee.
BM – Look for a tuft of grass to graze upon. Not finding any settle for a Coffee Bite and bleat out.
Thus ended my tryst with IIM A. Hope they call me even after this. Am totally down after reading the dazzling PIs posted on PG.
Venue – IIMB – M Block
Background – CA, M.Com
Verdict – Screwed up big time.
One from panel collected forms. Asked me why I had not pasted identical photograph. Apologised.
GD – 5 min to read. 20 min to discuss. 5 min to write summary. Case study abt a new HR manager who finds that attrition rate has gone up but is unable to pinpoint the reason. GD was peaceful. No fish. Lots of points thrown up in first 15 min. Got repetitive in last 5 min. Put in decent participation coming in 5-6 times. Wrote a decent summary with the panel specifically asking us not to write bullet points and in paragraphs. Panel asked us to write name and xxxxx number along with the summary. Didn’t get the number part first time around and I decided to ask after writing summary. Panelist gave rather cold stare when I asked while submitting the summary and told nothing could be done now. Hope its not held against me.
PI – Panelists – BP (Bearded Prof), CP (Clean shaven prof), LP (Lady Prof), BM (Bakra Me) Guy before me assured that the 2 gents were mech engineers while the lady seemed to be HR types. He got the idea when they drilled him abt CAD/CAM and other assorted mech stuff. Next 30 min would tell how wrong he was!! Lady came out, called me, let me in and shut the door.
BP – OK BM, give me the variance used to analyze overheads?
BM – Tried to give some gas abt material variance, got cut short.
CP – Give me your certis.
BP – So give me theoretical name of the variance.
BM – Absorption variance.
BP – Are you sure?
BM – No. However I do know how to calculate it.
BP – So, you don’t know?
BM – I am not able recollect it right now.
BP – You should have told this earlier. What do you know abt Efficiency variance?
BM – Yes, It is used to measure Overhead Variance. Told him how it is calculated on the basis of labor hours.
BP – Don’t you think it will result in labor variance.
BM – Clarified that overhead could be measured on both per unit of production and labour hour (with labour hours tied to unit of production) basis.
BP – So what other methods can be used for cost control and reduction?
BM – Standard costing, ABC….
BP – Ha ABC! So tell me the disadvantage of using ABC?
BM – Inability to break any process to clearly defined activities
BP – What if it is taken care of?
BM – Inability to logically allocate indirect costs to all activities.
BP - What if it is taken care of?
BM – I use ABC for cost reduction and standard costing for cost control…
BP – So there is a difference between cost control and cost reduction …
BM – If I employ ABC for cost reduction, I will need a target cost which ABC may not provide in the first place….
BP - What if it is taken care of?
BM – Not able to recollect any specific disadvantage.
BP – What are relevant costs?
BM – Wrt to decision making, costs that matter
BP – Are past costs relevant?
BM - Nope
CP who was going through my certis till then took over.
CP – So BM, you have been talking abt variances all the time. Do you know abt variances in mathematics?
BM – Yes, in statistics.
CP – Explain.
BM – Asked if I could write the formula. CP agreed and I wrote and showed it.
CP – What is it used for?
BM – Measurement of dispersion.
CP – Any other measures used?
BM – Std deviation.
CP – How it calculated?
BM – sqrt of variance.
CP – Then why STD Dev better over variance?
BM – Explained funda using example.
CP – Any other measures of dispersion?
BM – Not able to recollect…
CP – Range?
BM – Yes, Explained. Also told it does not give true idea in case of skewing values.
CP – Gimme a skewed distribution.
BM – Drew and explained.
CP – Types?
BM – Told
CP – Gimme a distribution that is always skewed?
BM – Abt to give him an example…
CP – You have so many types of distributions …Poisson. binomial etc. So tell me?
BM – Dang…er…stats studied more than 2 years back and not in touch with it.
CP – What is kurtosis?
BM – Showed with diagram…
CP – Not satisfied, said I had drawn 3 normal distributions.
BM – Was abt to tell him that 2 curves were not normal and the diff in peak is kurtosis but decided keeping mum is better. Bleated again that stat I studied was pretty elementary to which BP replied that he was sure all this formed a part of the syllabus.
CP – OK, so what is Jambudweepa?
BM – Initially confounded. I mean, after getting grilled on stats, the last q u expect is abt jambudweepa!! Then told abt ancient name given to Indian subcontinent.
CP – Now tell me 5 such regions and their old names.
BM – Tamilnadu – Tamilnadu, Kalinga – Orissa, Magadha – Bihar, Gandhar – Afghanistan, Asom – Assam, Dwaraka – Gujarat (last 2 - crap)
CP – Assam funda is wrong.
BM – Me agrees.
CP – OK what abt kurupanchal?
BM – Kuru – Kurukshetra – Haryana. Panchal – Dunno.
CP – Draupadi was called Panchali, right?
BM – Yup, still don’t know.
CP – What abt Vidarbha?
BM – Maharashtra.
LP takes over –
LP – Raised a point abt the absence of my M.Com marksheet.
BM – Clarified.
LP – So, you have studied HR as a part of M.Com. Can I ask you abt it?
BM – Don’t remember much. Will try to answer with reference to what I do at place of work. Also M.Com for me was more of a fall back. So did not pay much attention to it.
LP – What is strategic HR, HRIS?
BM – Dang in both cases.
LP – Who is an entrepreneur and you don’t have to tell me the classical definition in the books?
BM – Told her. Also entrepreneurs in true sense of the word not strictly applicable in today’s corporate sector as shareholders take risk and managers run the show.
LP – Are managers entrepreneurs?
BM – In a way, yes.
LP – Who are intrapreneurs?
BM – Explained.
LP – So why do companies encourage them?
BM – Retention of bright employees. Also gets to make money out of good business idea.
LP – And who gets all the money made?
BM – Depends on the shareholding pattern of the enterprise.
LP – Gimme 5 companies that you admire of Indian origin?
BM – TATAs, Infy, Reliance, TVS and my current employer.
LP – Is your current employer of Indian origin?
BM – Nope, but included as it is one company that I admire a lot.
LP – Why Reliance at third place?
BM – No ranking. Just mentioned them in the order they occurred to me. Admire Reliance because of focus on shareholder enrichment. IMHO prime reason for any co.’s existence is shareholder enrichment.
LP – Don’t you think it’s the employees who are the reason?
BM – Reason for existence is shareholder enrichment. Employees work hard with specific objective of shareholder enrichment
LP – OK that’s it. Take a toffee.
BM – Look for a tuft of grass to graze upon. Not finding any settle for a Coffee Bite and bleat out.
Thus ended my tryst with IIM A. Hope they call me even after this. Am totally down after reading the dazzling PIs posted on PG.
Sunday, February 19, 2006
Prp for IIM A started
IIM A GD/PI prp started in right earnest yesterday. Was a bit lucky in K as the panel did not go tech heavy but cannot hope for the same in A. From what I can see on www.pagalguy.com the trend seems to be towards acads. Then again, thats what I felt in case of K too, but it was not so in my case. Paying special attention to - OR and statistics. Discovered yester that I actually had them for grad, post grad and CA. Better know at least the basics. If things get too hot, I can always take refuge behind the familiar - "Its been a long time..." excuse. :-)
Thursday, February 16, 2006
K - GD/PI
GD/PI of K got over on 15th.Venue – CPP, IIMB Day got of to a flying start with me reaching IIMB at 8:30am and waiting at Center for Public Policy for 45 minutes with another guy, wondering why no one was turning up. Asked the guy below who was helping out and was guided to the real CPP. Sprinted in right on time and saw 16 hopefuls peaceably reading newspapers/chatting away/arranging certis. Got hold of a chair with some difficulty, only to be cornered by a DCE guy who quizzed me abt US GAAP. Gave some general gyan and that seemed to satisfy him. Before I proceed further, a confession would be in order. Being a CA does not… I repeat, does not mean that you know everything about Finance, Commerce and everything monetary. Nothing could be farther from the truth. So, please stop asking CAs panting from a long sprint abt US GAAP. Was put in panel 1 (8 engineers and 1 CA...me )and herded to the IIMB Managerial Review mag wing with 9 other hopefuls. Had gotten familiar with 3 other souls … we are supposed to do that to make the GD just a bit more easier… remember the GD Must Do rule No 1?? Just that it was of no use as none of the guys were in my panel and I was back to staring at a group of strangers. The IIM Profs, canny souls that they are, called us in immediately for the GD, leaving no time for the “getting to know each other better” ritual. GD started at 9:35 am. 2 panelists – Both middle aged men – no distinguishing features – so will settle for P1, P2 and UT (Urs Truly) The seats are pre-assigned and there was a slight delay as No.10 joined in a bit late as he was talking with his placement officer over phone, who had gone ballistic when he heard that No.10 was attending an interview, after getting placed. Seating arrangement –
X1 X2 X3 X4
P1-----------------X5
P2-----------------X6
X10 UT X8 X7
P1 welcomed us and after some minor seat adjustment kept the GD Topic sheets upside down. Laid out the rules – 1)3 minutes to put our thoughts in order.
2)He would specify when to start.
3)10-12 minutes of discussion.
Topic- Globalization is having a devastating impact on the environment.
GD – Single word to describe it “chaotic”.
You want the gory details?
Here goes – 1)4 self appointed moderators.
2)3 ppl screaming out at the same time.
3)One guy defining globalization as a communication revolution and going unchallenged.
4)All agreeing that Globalization was having a devastating impact on the environment in the first 25 seconds.
Came in twice, but no major contribution. Overall big disappointment… especially when I have been doing well in the TIME GDs. Discussion called to halt after 7 minutes.
PI – The guys who went in, came out looking sort of bruised. They spoke of being ripped apart in acads. The sole lady with abt 17 months of work-ex at infy was asked abt her domain, significant achievement (they did not get what she had written) and hobbies (she was asked to recite one of her poems as poetry was her hobby). She was the only one who was happy at the end of the PI.Me went in finally after polishing off 2 samosas and a cold chocolate…
P1 – So, Abhinandan, tell me something abt urself and asks for my certis.
UT – Usual spiel abt my superhuman virtues and achievements.
P1 – You have some rank in CA
UT – Yes, got the 35th rank in CA Inter (had not mentioned it in my spiel)
P1 – There is this school of thought that says “Inventory is actually a liability”….any idea why?UT – Inventory reduction is sole focus when dealing from working capital reduction angle….also liability when the stock is aged/outdated as a result of which I have to write down the inventory value.
P1 – Don’t you think there is scope for inflation of company/share valuation due to overvaluation of inventory?
UT – Quoted funda of Book Value vs. Net Realizable Value whichever is lower as per AS-2 – Indian GAAP and how one would have to check the NRV carefully during due diligence or valuation exercise.
P1 – So you can write down inventory value if it is actually low?
UT – Yes, you can and must.
P1 – Tell me abt the difference between CFA and CA?
UT – You study different courses to qualify.
P1 – No..No.. I am talking about the jobs handled…
UT – CFA deals more with financial instruments and financial markets….CA with accountancy, audit, costing etc. CFA rarely employed by manufacturing co.s
P1 – So why do you think a CA cannot do a CFA’s job?
UT – The CA syllabus covers only the rudimentary stuff abt fin instruments and markets. CFA syllabus on the other hand goes into much greater depth. However, it’s more a q of orientation and a CA can do the same job given time as it demands the same skill stes and familiarity with numbers.
P1 – You must have studied statistics as a part of M.Com/B.Com?
UT – Yes, but have no touch with it for past 3 years.
P1 – Because statistics is useless?
UT – Of course not. Me of opinion, it is very useful….just that I don’t apply it in my daily work, so out of touch. P1 looks at P2 visually signaling him to take over –
P2 – What is your take on your performance in the GD?
UT – I came in twice and could not contribute much. This is despite the fact that I had lots of points to contribute to the GD. I just could not come in. That’s about it.
P2 – In your hobbies you have mentioned blogging, don’t you think there is no control over what gets posted on the internet?
UT – There are 2 viewpoints to this – One is the freedom of expression. One may speak the truth or may lie and may even indulge in slander. But he is entitled to it as the freedom of expression ifs paramount. (P2 raised eyebrow when I said this). The other view is that all freedoms have their limits. Spoke abt the bromide - right to swing stick ends where other person’s nose begins. Also mentioned internet being a nascent medium and how controls are being evolved. Gave some gyan abt how controls on print media will in due course and with modifications become applicable to the net too.
P2 – Still persisted in the same line of questioning.
UT – Gave some gyan about how what is posted on the net is self governed as the poster’s reputation is at stake. Also gave the example of wikipedia’s self correcting mechanism.
P2 – So will you be posting the PI details?
UT – Yes, both GD and PI (I grin , they laugh)
P2 – What is the most famous blogging site or group?
UT – Dunno, but I use blogspot and blogger both of which are owned by google.
P2 – Know anything about mumble jumble(that’s exactly what he said)
UT - Dunno
P2 - Don’t you think there is too much of junk on the net? I spent 30 min in the morn searching for something but still could not get anything remotely related to what I was looking for?
UT – Told him that same thing could be said abt print media too…just that there is no search function. Also search engines always on the look out for improving search results…so things can only get better. Google allows you to report bad search results so that they can improve.
P2 – I assume you will specialize in Finance, If we call you?
UT – Finance, yes…but also in general management topics like OR, Logistics in line with my long term goal.
P2 – Nice meeting you
UT – Thanks for the opportunity… and stumble out after 20-25 min.
Was relating the experience to the last guy when P1 came and called him.
Overall poor GD and weird PI(though me was happy with it).Now its on to A.
X1 X2 X3 X4
P1-----------------X5
P2-----------------X6
X10 UT X8 X7
P1 welcomed us and after some minor seat adjustment kept the GD Topic sheets upside down. Laid out the rules – 1)3 minutes to put our thoughts in order.
2)He would specify when to start.
3)10-12 minutes of discussion.
Topic- Globalization is having a devastating impact on the environment.
GD – Single word to describe it “chaotic”.
You want the gory details?
Here goes – 1)4 self appointed moderators.
2)3 ppl screaming out at the same time.
3)One guy defining globalization as a communication revolution and going unchallenged.
4)All agreeing that Globalization was having a devastating impact on the environment in the first 25 seconds.
Came in twice, but no major contribution. Overall big disappointment… especially when I have been doing well in the TIME GDs. Discussion called to halt after 7 minutes.
PI – The guys who went in, came out looking sort of bruised. They spoke of being ripped apart in acads. The sole lady with abt 17 months of work-ex at infy was asked abt her domain, significant achievement (they did not get what she had written) and hobbies (she was asked to recite one of her poems as poetry was her hobby). She was the only one who was happy at the end of the PI.Me went in finally after polishing off 2 samosas and a cold chocolate…
P1 – So, Abhinandan, tell me something abt urself and asks for my certis.
UT – Usual spiel abt my superhuman virtues and achievements.
P1 – You have some rank in CA
UT – Yes, got the 35th rank in CA Inter (had not mentioned it in my spiel)
P1 – There is this school of thought that says “Inventory is actually a liability”….any idea why?UT – Inventory reduction is sole focus when dealing from working capital reduction angle….also liability when the stock is aged/outdated as a result of which I have to write down the inventory value.
P1 – Don’t you think there is scope for inflation of company/share valuation due to overvaluation of inventory?
UT – Quoted funda of Book Value vs. Net Realizable Value whichever is lower as per AS-2 – Indian GAAP and how one would have to check the NRV carefully during due diligence or valuation exercise.
P1 – So you can write down inventory value if it is actually low?
UT – Yes, you can and must.
P1 – Tell me abt the difference between CFA and CA?
UT – You study different courses to qualify.
P1 – No..No.. I am talking about the jobs handled…
UT – CFA deals more with financial instruments and financial markets….CA with accountancy, audit, costing etc. CFA rarely employed by manufacturing co.s
P1 – So why do you think a CA cannot do a CFA’s job?
UT – The CA syllabus covers only the rudimentary stuff abt fin instruments and markets. CFA syllabus on the other hand goes into much greater depth. However, it’s more a q of orientation and a CA can do the same job given time as it demands the same skill stes and familiarity with numbers.
P1 – You must have studied statistics as a part of M.Com/B.Com?
UT – Yes, but have no touch with it for past 3 years.
P1 – Because statistics is useless?
UT – Of course not. Me of opinion, it is very useful….just that I don’t apply it in my daily work, so out of touch. P1 looks at P2 visually signaling him to take over –
P2 – What is your take on your performance in the GD?
UT – I came in twice and could not contribute much. This is despite the fact that I had lots of points to contribute to the GD. I just could not come in. That’s about it.
P2 – In your hobbies you have mentioned blogging, don’t you think there is no control over what gets posted on the internet?
UT – There are 2 viewpoints to this – One is the freedom of expression. One may speak the truth or may lie and may even indulge in slander. But he is entitled to it as the freedom of expression ifs paramount. (P2 raised eyebrow when I said this). The other view is that all freedoms have their limits. Spoke abt the bromide - right to swing stick ends where other person’s nose begins. Also mentioned internet being a nascent medium and how controls are being evolved. Gave some gyan abt how controls on print media will in due course and with modifications become applicable to the net too.
P2 – Still persisted in the same line of questioning.
UT – Gave some gyan about how what is posted on the net is self governed as the poster’s reputation is at stake. Also gave the example of wikipedia’s self correcting mechanism.
P2 – So will you be posting the PI details?
UT – Yes, both GD and PI (I grin , they laugh)
P2 – What is the most famous blogging site or group?
UT – Dunno, but I use blogspot and blogger both of which are owned by google.
P2 – Know anything about mumble jumble(that’s exactly what he said)
UT - Dunno
P2 - Don’t you think there is too much of junk on the net? I spent 30 min in the morn searching for something but still could not get anything remotely related to what I was looking for?
UT – Told him that same thing could be said abt print media too…just that there is no search function. Also search engines always on the look out for improving search results…so things can only get better. Google allows you to report bad search results so that they can improve.
P2 – I assume you will specialize in Finance, If we call you?
UT – Finance, yes…but also in general management topics like OR, Logistics in line with my long term goal.
P2 – Nice meeting you
UT – Thanks for the opportunity… and stumble out after 20-25 min.
Was relating the experience to the last guy when P1 came and called him.
Overall poor GD and weird PI(though me was happy with it).Now its on to A.
B'Lore -
K interview got over on 15th Feb. Landed in B’Lore on 14th Feb. First impressions of the place –
1) Great climate
2) Lots of greenery
3) Lots of buildings and schools
4) Auto drivers who don’t fleece
5) Pathetic roads and too many speed breakers.
6) Non-existent public transport
7) Large number of Muslims
8) Too many one ways and too much smoke from vehicles
9) Traffic congestions galore.
10) Loads of good looking girls
Funny thing is that Bangalore seems to be the opposite of Chennai in each of the above points (except may be 3).
Another thing that struck me was the large number of young guys lolling on the streets with uniform dress code – Oversized Jeans pant, Round neck T Shirt, Tracksuit/leather jacket types, oversized coolers, long hair and sneakers. Wonder why I found it disturbing? May be it was the perception that guys at the prime at their lives were doing nothing but just lazing around. Either that or the thought that I just dont have the time to loll around any more :)
Somehow the distinct impression I got of B’Lore at the end of 2 days was that of a place that was struggling to keep up with the pace of change but was just not succeeding. Dope on the GD/PI later.
1) Great climate
2) Lots of greenery
3) Lots of buildings and schools
4) Auto drivers who don’t fleece
5) Pathetic roads and too many speed breakers.
6) Non-existent public transport
7) Large number of Muslims
8) Too many one ways and too much smoke from vehicles
9) Traffic congestions galore.
10) Loads of good looking girls
Funny thing is that Bangalore seems to be the opposite of Chennai in each of the above points (except may be 3).
Another thing that struck me was the large number of young guys lolling on the streets with uniform dress code – Oversized Jeans pant, Round neck T Shirt, Tracksuit/leather jacket types, oversized coolers, long hair and sneakers. Wonder why I found it disturbing? May be it was the perception that guys at the prime at their lives were doing nothing but just lazing around. Either that or the thought that I just dont have the time to loll around any more :)
Somehow the distinct impression I got of B’Lore at the end of 2 days was that of a place that was struggling to keep up with the pace of change but was just not succeeding. Dope on the GD/PI later.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
4 more days to go....
4 more days to go for my K interview and I am in office working??
Shucks..cant get myself to believe it. Another thing that is bugging me... no one is reading my blog...except that old faithful..sornakka....OK.. OK.. u r not old :)
Hello is someone out there listening..... hellooooo?
Funny thing happening at place of work...everyone has assumed I have quit. In a wierd way, it's only adding to the pressure of converting the calls.
More later.
Shucks..cant get myself to believe it. Another thing that is bugging me... no one is reading my blog...except that old faithful..sornakka....OK.. OK.. u r not old :)
Hello is someone out there listening..... hellooooo?
Funny thing happening at place of work...everyone has assumed I have quit. In a wierd way, it's only adding to the pressure of converting the calls.
More later.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
How I luv being a freeloader :)
Discovered this website yesterday - www.businessweek.com, contains good stuff relevant to GD/PI prep.
Good thing is that you dont have to pay any subscription for it's contents. This is unlike http://www.economist.com/ which requires that you pay for access to its contents.
While on the topic, why is it that I have no issues with paying for the print edition of a magazine, but complain when asked to pay for access to the web edition? Is it because I have got used to expecting that anything related to the net gotta be free e.g., email. Then how long is it going to be free?
It's only a matter of time before www.businessweek.com concludes that it's web edition might be actually hurting the sales of it's print edition. The next logical step would be to start charging for the web edition too. The only way this is not going to happen is if the revenues from online ads are high enough to justify offering the content free. In such a case, again it would be a trade off between online ad revenue and revenue from member subscription(MS). "Trade off" because it is difficult to imagine online advertising and MS coexisting . The guys advertising are dependent on the number of eyeballs which is likely to fall once you start insisting that the eyeball owners pay up before browsing.
Funny thing is that the above logic is not applicable to the print media.
Good thing is that you dont have to pay any subscription for it's contents. This is unlike http://www.economist.com/ which requires that you pay for access to its contents.
While on the topic, why is it that I have no issues with paying for the print edition of a magazine, but complain when asked to pay for access to the web edition? Is it because I have got used to expecting that anything related to the net gotta be free e.g., email. Then how long is it going to be free?
It's only a matter of time before www.businessweek.com concludes that it's web edition might be actually hurting the sales of it's print edition. The next logical step would be to start charging for the web edition too. The only way this is not going to happen is if the revenues from online ads are high enough to justify offering the content free. In such a case, again it would be a trade off between online ad revenue and revenue from member subscription(MS). "Trade off" because it is difficult to imagine online advertising and MS coexisting . The guys advertising are dependent on the number of eyeballs which is likely to fall once you start insisting that the eyeball owners pay up before browsing.
Funny thing is that the above logic is not applicable to the print media.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Read at your own risk
I am not my usual ebullient self today. Today is gonna be a cribbing/crib analysis day. Have been a dark mood for the past 4 days. Not that anything has gone wrong but just that I am feeling pretty much down and out. Suspect it's my work pressure that's beginning to tell on me. Surprising thing is that I have always been a guy who loved to work under pressure. Pressure is one thing set my juices flowing. So what is it that has changed? May be it's because I have not been able to prepare for my GD/PI. Yes. think that is the reason. A chance to study at the IIMs has always been at the back of my head guiding me in everything I do. Just when I stand a chance to have realistic shot, I find my goal slipping away. I have just not been able to prepare and the blame lies squarely on my job and the pressures that go with it. Just dunno how I am gonna manage it. Worse thing is that I am going to be 26 in a few days ... and what am I? A frigging beancounter with prematture greying, wearing thick spectacles,getting a pathetic pay, having no future and getting older by the day...not exactly appetising, is it?
Have never admitted defeat but am pretty much close to it now.
Have never admitted defeat but am pretty much close to it now.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
2006 ......
CAT results came after a loooooong wait. 3 calls - A,B,K. Lemme see how many I convert. Work continues to be damn hectic. Have been staying the nights in office. Consequently, GD/PI prp has not even started. Dont even want to think abt the forms I have to fill......Gawd help me.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
