THE REGIMENTATION IN MBA PROGRAMS – IS IT JUSTIFIABLE? - Blog Written by Ms. Mahima Gupta, Asst. Professor – JIMS Rohini Faculty

The increasing purchasing power and desire of the middle class to make it big in the Indian society has escalated the desire of students to pursue management education. The need of the hour has led to mushrooming of B schools which mould the students into corporate cut outs. The students, in most cases, have a blurred career vision and the awareness of choice of management domain is totally missing. It is so because an MBA program is seen as a ticket to a reputed, high paying corporate job instead of a course that imparts business knowledge and makes one ready to take the onus of entrepreneurship, if interested. Any student graduating in a disciple non-compatible with the person’s self-concept makes him believe his potentiality to pursue post-graduation in management– which is a major contributor towards unthoughtful decision making. The basic foundation of the majority of MBA pursuers is thus driven by need to earn and not desire to learn.

The curriculum of an MBA program is designed like a roller coaster ride, by the time the rider starts to get a hang of the ride, it is almost close to the finish. Similarly, while students are trying to understand the trimester system, case studies, assignments, submissions, live projects – the placement process starts and all a management student has learnt is a ‘little about everything’. However, the corporate world has become more demanding than ever before and requires a candidate who knows ‘little about everything’ along with being a ‘subject matter expert’.  Thus employability of the candidate drops, only to make him wonder the things he could have done right from the very start.

The big question is – “Where is the time to stop, look back and rectify?” While at some point the student needs are driven by societal pressure, other times by the rigorous institutional schedule.

Amidst ‘daily travelling, maintaining a decent percentage of attendance, managing social and professional college clubs, reading about the business world, preparing presentations, submitting case studies and assignments, preparing for class tests, handling surprise quizzes, participating in competitions, college fests and events, managing to clear those hated subjects, compulsorily attending the guest lectures, submitting summer reports, and writing papers,’ Where is the time to stop, look back and rectify?

While everybody talks about making MBA a more corporate oriented and efficient course and enhancing student employability, it is important to peep into the current practices and see the feasibility of such proposal. Isn’t it inhuman to charge students in hope of transformation and then providing them with ‘Useless’ as an answer! Should we not “Stop, look back and Rectify”?

JIMS Rohini Website - http://www.jimsindia.org/
Ms. Mahima Gupta, Asst. Professor – JIMS Rohini Faculty