Cover Story
- If getting into an IIM is tough, then getting the job of your dreams is tougher. Here's one grad who managed to do just that, and a year on is still happy with the choice he made.
- B-schools are no longer content with just producing MBAs and are now actively grooming those with entrepreneurial talents.
- The fifth BT-Nielsen survey of India's best B-schools gets bigger and better. For one, we polled a larger number of stakeholders-comprising MBA aspirants, current MBAs, recruiters, young executives, and functional heads-this year compared to the year before.
- IIM-Ahmedabad once again retains its top perch, but there are some surprise entrants in the Top 15. What’s happening? As much as the B-school grads, recruiters are hunting for the best bargains. A BT-Nielsen Study.
- Unique infrastructure and teaching methods, a track record of quality placements and an enduring aura make IIM-Ahmedabad India's best B-school in Business Today's 10th annual rankings.
- With four institutes in the top 15, 10 in the entire list, and three new entrants, Mumbai is every wannabe MBA’s Shangri-La.
- Delhi's two best-known B-schools, FMS and IIFT, have dropped in our rankings. But that's not because they have gotten any worse; it's just that their competitors have become better.
- It doesn't yet have a fancy campus or the heft of the Indian School of Business, but the Bala V. Balachandran-founded Great Lakes Institute of Management wants to be India's best B-school for one-year MBAs.
- Schools like ISB only admit students with prior work experience. The IIMs, too, have started 'PGPX' courses. How are these post-experience programmes faring, and what are their advantages?
- Financial services and consulting are the favourite career choices of B-school grads. Marketing takes a back seat.
- More and more B-schools are thinking global affiliations or a presence overseas to stay relevant in a borderless marketplace.
- The India story has had an interesting spin-off-foreign students are trickling in to study at India's leading B-schools.
- These are people who turned their backs on successful and cosy corporate careers to chart out their own future.
From The Editor
A B-School degree is probably the most coveted professional certification as far as making a career in corporate India is concerned. The colour of blackstone
Strikes five deals worth $840 million in 12 months. RBI's view of holding company structure is only partly justified. Why aren't advertisers excited about Discovery's #1 status? Apollo Group's BPO makes its fourth acquisition. US housing bubble takes its toll of Indian steel-makers. Forget low-cost, IBM is here to innovate. Electronic spot trading is round the corner. Finally, the government is closer to fixing price for gas from RIL. The #2 chip maker is eyeing mobile devices for growth. TRAI chairman Nripendra Misra wants more telcos. The liquor baron is bidding for a little-known team. Mega power projects may soon get tax breaks. Power Minister seems keen to get hydel projects going. Helix Investments thinks Mahesh Tutorials is sexy. HUL taps radio to popularise its scholarship for girls. IDFC has a '2-3-4' formula for growth. Sun TV Network finds another winner-for now. The defence sector banks on a Rs 42,000-crore tender. The big us studios are partnering local film producers. Firstsource makes a healthcare acquisition in the US. Sun TV Network steps into Red FM. Professionals are managing PF and pension money. A US slowdown may be an opportunity for Infosys. The not-so-humble push-up
The best part of push-ups is, first, that you can do them almost anywhere. And, second, you can modify or extrapolate on the simple push-up as you go along. It's all about being local
Google Local isn't yet quite there, but it is bound to improve. Major banks have quietly turned up the heat on credit card holders with a hike in interest rates over the past few months. Chindia's new battle
India will have to work hard to maintain its lead over China in New Economy sectors. The fortnight's burning question."We help optimise travel spends"
Hubert Joly, CEO of global business travel major Carlson Wagonlit Travels, was in India recently and took some time out to speak to BT's Kushan Mitra about the range of services and solutions offered by his company.India Inc. has many more owners
Over the past few years, impressive corporate performances and strong macro-economic growth have drawn more and more investors to the Indian equity market.PE funds step up their hunt in India
The appetite of PE players for India's fast growing economy is getting bigger. Says Munesh Khanna, MD, Halcyon Group: "The PE market is maturing in India and Indian entrepreneurs are realising the difference between management and ownership of companies. The next step is buyout deals involving publicly listed companies."Old ad jingles on the comeback trail
It's an old problem-how do ad agencies break the clutter on television and reach out to their target audience?Scooters are picking up speed again
Back in the early '90s, scooters were still India's favourite mode of transportation, and in 1992-93, over a million were sold. The best-seller then was the Bajaj Chetak.US subprime crisis hits Indian BPOs
The tremors caused by the US subprime crisis has hit Indian shores, buffeting sections of the Indian BPO industry. The thunder is going abroad. Coca-Cola, which acquired home-grown cola brand Thums Up from Ramesh Chauhan in 1994, has launched it in UAE. Nokia takes on iTunes with Ovi.com A falling CPI is good for a growing economy. The why, what and how-to of policy making. India produces nearly 500,000 technical graduates annually. Reliance Industries is displaced rom its perch as India's largest private sector company, by Tata Steel.Exposed: Glass ceiling at India Inc.
Here's proof that India Inc.'s worst kept dirty secret is actually based on facts. Indian telecom companies are taking baby steps into the world at large. Ready for take-off?
Mid-cap funds have lagged behind lately, but they are poised to perform over the long term. Here we tell you what to look for in them, writes Mahesh Nayak. The spotlight is back on ULIPs and how they are sold. What you should know about them? Some sectors have underperformed, but are bouncing back. Where to find undervalued gems. The coming festive season promises to be a good season for new car buyers. How to find the best deals. Good news for direct investors in MFs, courtesy SEBI. Shake-out in textiles
The rising rupee and unbridled competition from China and Bangladesh have forced players like Gokaldas Exports to sell out. What does the future hold for the textile and garment exporters? Twenty-three years after re-inventing the Indian watch market, Titan Industries wants to morph into a retailer selling everything from jewellery to prescription eyeglasses. It's also expanding its global footprint and banking on its new ventures to help slow declining margins."This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity"
The market for semiconductors in India will almost double to $5.49 billion by 2009, says a new Frost & Sullivan report. What does that mean for the local chip industry? BT brought together a panel of experts to get the answers. The best municipal corporations are not those of Mumbai or Delhi or Kolkata. Rather, some of the most innovative and efficient users of resources are the civic bodies of cities like Visakhapatnam, Surat and Hyderabad. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently visited India with a delegation of 200 CEOs. On his agenda were plans to develop the $90-billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor. Will this result in a torrent of Japanese FDI in India? The emergence of large retail chains has come as a boon for SMEs. They are freed from the hassles of marketing their products, and retailers get ready suppliers for a range of items."We want to connect the unconnected"
Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo has spent half his 54 years with finnish mobile telephony major Nokia. Since joining the company as Corporate Counsel in 1980, he has played a critical role in transforming the 150-year-old one-time lumber company into a giant of the digital age. On the green brick road
The building blocks of the construction industry are changing; so are the job profiles. Wanted pros with their fingers on market pulse. Tarun Sheth answers queries related to your career. B-Schools as brands
It's unfortunate that the top business schools don't teach a case study on management education in the country. For, it's unlike any business situation that managers encounter in their working careers. Punctilious Premji
It's no secret that Azim Premji, the 62-year-old Chairman of Wipro, the soaps-to-software company, is painfully shy of public attention and does everything possible to stay out of the limelight. True-blue corporate warrior
Nusli Wadia, the feisty chairman of Bombay Dyeing and Britannia, must be a pleased man. Media reports have suggested that Danone's holding could be acquired by the Wadias at a discount. The second sex
This book makes a rational case for giving women who take family-related career breaks a second chance. M&A disclosures to be mandatory
A bird's eye view of what's hot and what's not on the government's policy radar. 
