Some blog template changes

Added a section for interesting MBA books. Combines both course text as well as related books of interest to the practicing manager.

Also expanded the blogroll section to include blogs that may interest the MBA student.

LiveSensation wins Milestones @ Vista

Kudos to Kapil Gupta, Hari Hara Sudhan and Hima Bindu Pothur (students, PGSEM 2005). Their team, aptly named LiveSensation, bagged the second prize at Milestones - the Microsoft case contest at Vista 2006.

The Challenge:
"Which rampant phenomenon costed the world $34 billion and India $566 million in 2005 alone? What, if decreased by a mere 10% would add more than 2.4 million new jobs, almost $70 billion in tax revenues to local governments worldwide and $400 billion in GDP to local economies, all in just 4 years?"

The Response (quoting Kapil):
"The case was about stemming piracy of Microsoft products. The data says that in consumer segment MS piracy rate is 95%, while in small business segment it is 92%. The case provided details about the reason for this high piracy rate. We had to come up with a marketing, sales and execution plan for three years to stem piracy. The constraints were product and pricing cannot be changed."

Pictured above is the team - Hima Bindu is first from left, Hari is second from left and Kapil is first from right. Below is another photo of Kapil making the final presentation. (Photos courtesy Microsoft)

For more information about the event, check the following link:
http://www.iimb-vista.com/html/technology_vertical.php


Congratulations Kapil, Hari and Hima Bindu!

The Salary Summary

Rahul, from the 2003 batch, had done a survey of the 2003 batch to get some information on the salaries, industries, and tried to arrive at a formula that would help predict the expected salary for someone in a company based on the number of years of experience he had and the size of the company.

Therefore, if someone has 10 years of experience, and works at Oracle (which has 55,000 employees), (s)he should be earning =1.47*10+(3.3-LOG(55000))
= 13.26 lakhs per annum. Don't know if this is a 'CTC' or 'AGP' figure...
If there were more data points and some more attributes then some more variables could be added to this equation to account for things like the employee's role, his managerial or individual contributor level, etc... to account for these variations. After all, someone with 10 years experience may be a vice-president or a an engineer or something in-between. The current equation does not handle these variations...

Then there are people and recruiters who love parading a magic formula like "years x 2.5" if you have less than "n" years, and "years x 2" if you have more than "n" years, and "years x 1.5" beyond a certain number of years.

As Amitabh Bachchan tells Om Prakash in Sharabi, "munshiji, ye duniya paise ki itni diwani kyon hai?"

For PGSEM Alumni: FPM (Ph.D) Program at IIM Bangalore

Reproducing the following mail, forwarded by the PGSEM Chairperson Prof. Raj Bandi.


-----Original Message-----
From: Deepak K Sinha
Subject: Invitation to apply for FPM at IIMB


Dear PGSEM alumni,


You may have heard the good news already. But as the new FPM Chairperson I would like to communicate it to you once again personally.

I would like to invite PGSEM alumni to apply to our Fellow Programme in Management (FPM). If you have a CGPA of 2.75 or better, you do not need to take the CAT, and, if offered admission, will get a waiver for first year coursework.

For more information on admission to FPM please go to our website:

http://www.iimb.ernet.in/iimb/html/m-frames.jsp?ilink=83&pname=doctoral-admission.htm

and be sure that you download the application form before September 30, 2006. I would also urge you to give this opportunity wide publicity among fellow alumni who might miss this e-mail.

For your benefit I am reproducing below some relevant information from our website. Wishing you the best,


Deepak K Sinha
FPM Chairperson
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore 560076



--------------------------
FPM Application forms are issued free of cost on request from 1st August 2006 to 30th September 2006. Please write to FPM Office, Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore - 560076, with a self addressed envelope size (9" x 12") affixed with stamps for Rs.70/- and a self addressed slip. The application forms ( FormA & FormB ) can also be downloaded from our website www.iimb.ernet.in from 1st August 2006 to 30th September 2006.

Fill in and submit the forms as instructed, prior to the closing date. Forms downloaded from the IIMB website must be filled in hard (printed) copy and sent to the IIMB FPM office so as to reach the above address on or before 10th, November 2006 along with enclosures as given in the instructions.

Last dates

(1) Receipt of request for the application forms: 30th September 2006.
(2) Receipt of completed application forms : 10th November 2006.

For further information or assistance, contact

FPM Office
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Bannerghatta Road
Bangalore - 560076, INDIA
Tel (91) 80 26993056
Fax (91) 80 26584050
E-mail : fpmadmn@iimb.ernet.in

PGSEM in the news

"B-school for the `techie'"
by Anjali Prayag
Business Line [21/Aug/2006]


IIM-B's Post-graduate Programme in Software Enterprise Management aims to transform professionals with strong technical knowledge into business leaders with equally strong management knowledge and a global perspective.

What is interesting and perhaps unique is that this practice of continuing education came very early and has caught on in the IT industry.

Read the full story at:
http://www.blonnet.com/manager/2006/08/21/stories/2006082101051000.htm