Call for Papers, INTERFACE - 2009

INTERFACE - 2009
XXXII ANNUAL MANAGEMENT CONVENTION, BITS PILANI
March 6-8th, 2009
Call for Papers

Important Dates:
•Submission Deadline for Full Length Papers : 22nd Feb
•Notification of Acceptance: 28th Feb
•Presentation of Full-length Papers : 7th March

For Paper topics and details,
see http://bits-mba.org or download http://bits-mba.org/pp.pdf

CONTACTS
For information/updates, log on to website or contact Paper presentation team at
paper@hrbitspilani.co.cc
+9199883523350

ABOUT INTERFACE
INTERFACE is a thirty two year old all India management convention organized by the students of Management Association, BITS-Pilani, where students come live with skills and ideas that are necessary to run the ever dynamic and fast growing industries of India, INTERFACE is the culmination of the work of 50 plus dedicated management students of BITS, Pilani and the 28-member organizing committee of the association.


Updates and Information:
Periodically at
www.bits-mba.org

How to reach Pilani:
Pilani is located 200 km west of Delhi and 220 km north of Jaipur.
Direct buses to Pilani are frequently available from Delhi (ISBT, Kashmiri Gate). There are frequent buses to Pilani starting from around 4:55 AM to 10:00 PM.
From Jaipur: (RSRTC Bus Stand, Sindhi Camp). There are frequent buses to Pilani starting from around 4:00 AM till mid-night.
It takes about 4 hours by taxi and 6 hours by bus from both of these two cities to reach Pilani.
The campus is very close to pilani bus stand.

REGISTERING FOR INTERFACE 2009:

One may choose to register for Interface after reaching BITS premises or pre-register. A nominal registration fee of Rs 200 per head shall be charged. For further registration details please contact Publication & Correspondence Team, Interface 2009.

VINODH 9772976044 vineeinfo@gmail.com
ANAND 9772974122 nirola_anand@yahoo.co.in
TARANG 9983525879 tarangchhabra@gmail.com

For Further Information INTERFACE 09, Kindly log on to http://bits-mba.org

Organized by
Management Group
Birla Institute of Technology & Science
Pilani (Rajasthan) – 333 031
INDIA

what's happening!!

no more new posts?? no new ideas? nobody interested in even letting out ur frustrations using this blog? its placement time...d only confirmed company i know of is JPM. nybody got ny better news? or suggestions to improve d scenario?

Congrats to you all who have set the ball rolling and a ggod beginning has been made. I want first this to be understood that views expressed here are totally mine and are intended to start a dialogue only. As regards acceptance of the views or implementation I am disinterestedly interested.
From what has been shared so far is 1. Inadequacy of course content 2. Practice School (PS).
Let us begin with PS as we can start something right away. PS is nearly unique to BITS and offers a strong leverage. When I talk to people I get a feeling that PS is seen as essential academic component of BITS teaching. And I fully agree with it. But I also sense that PS is not seen as a leverage to improve placements. And perhaps there is a good reason for it. BITS as far as placements of engineering graduates is concerned did not need to use it. But situation for current MBA programme is different. I will not go into reasons of why it is so because this is not the right time for it but just accept that BITS MBA programme does not enjoy the branding that its engg programme does and is way behind competition. So if that is accepted I would like you to explore what can be done. First is the timing. The options are 1. fourth semester as it is now. or 2. Shift to 3 rd semester. or 3. Combine it with summer break at end of second semester and extend it till end of 3rd semester. Advantage of current timing is that all class teaching work is over meaning that most of intellectual prepartaion and exposure of concepts and frameworks is complete and student is ready for live setting. Disadvantages have been clearly brought out. Recruiters go to management schools in Jan to March. You can not change that. Combining summer break and 3rd semester is that host organisation get a longer look into the candidate. May be that will contribute towards host and student deciding on future association.
I have also gathered an impression that BITS MBA despite concentration of Technology Mgt and ITES, students are not seeking careers with companies with such profiles. This has resulted in diffusion in course content to an extent and lack of strength and coherence in placement direction. Given the reputation of BITS it will be much more fruitful for PS and Placement to seek a niche in technology space than say financial services or software development for MBA students.
Will some one from you prepare a list of preferred technology and technology management companies for PS and placement. We can then take that list and explore how we can make progress with them for BITS MBA students.

Along with looking around, lets take a peep into ourselves too...

I agree with all those who have put forward their ideas so far. Things are not going very smooth and our course curriculum is not yet upto the set standards. But as we find out errors in the system, i suggest we should take a deeper look into our ownselves. How many of us bother to ensure that we be present in every lecture? count out the invited ones, what about the regulars? and even when we are present in the classes, how many of us actually try to discuss any issue or topic and try to bring forward all possible perspectives of looking at it? The classes are more dead than even engg. classes. Are we ignorant or are we uninterested? Why is it that every presentation meets a dead end? (with very few exceptions, where questions are asked only to clear doubts.) Why has this gullibility settled in us? I personally feel that our minds have got jammed....or have our tongues? Either of this is not good. I agree companies look for a required skill set and knowledge base while recruiting a candidate, but i don't agree that it is all. It is high time that we start thinking and speaking. Learning to see issues in a new light with different perspectives will do us only good. I hope a little effort on ourselves will give companies good reasons for recruiting us.

Where are we heading to.............

Well, there are certain things which must be changed if ny improvement is desired MBA programme.

First the course structure is not proper and it cant support by saying that system is under pressure, it should be atleast comparable to the institutes of same repute .

Secondly, we are riding a boat which we dont know where its heading too....Every one talks about giving a big picture..but can any one tell me where that big picture is?

Third what we have seen here is that people dont know the difference between M.E. programme and MBA programme, so who is going to bring the change?

Lastly the course is designed to be marketed as ITES or E&T, but the degree is just MBA. So no competitive advantage and no ITES or E&T companies coming hr...so what and to whom are we selling?

I agree with what nirupam has said, our PS is our strength so it has to be capitalized.....We all are trying hard for improving things here and for the we need the support of our mentors i.e our faculty members have to come forward and should take responsibility of the MBA batch and placements...........Its a premium degree and should be considered and maintained like one.

come up with solutions instead of problems

i agree wid nirupam's views abt miserable placements of MBA here....but i guess once the prob r clear to all of us we should try suggesting some solutions etc
bits has one of the best placements wrt to IT companies ....all the known companies visit the campus for comp sc ppl so we mba(it ) ppl can utilise it to our advantage

give ur views guys nd don just wait nd watch for somthng to happn

Few Things

Improving Placements: Why .. The First Time can be excused but the second time might set the trends!
The first MBA batch didn't experience a very good placements, but if this time it doesn't change, it will hurt us for sure!
How: The USP: An option of almost 8 months of summer and PS training . A study reveals that only Vinod gupta School of Mangagement at IIT KGP offers a full sem internship like us. Tell u something, while making the MBA brochure of this batch, came across an important Fact ..............All student Profiles necessarily emphasize on the title and place of their summer trainings and That's what makes me feel its important as a point when you go for your job but At BITS what happens?. U go for PS in second sem after you actually have your job interviews over so that USP doesn't help you
Dear All,
Lets Ask Atleast for the sake of future batches that PS be given in the first semester and Second Sem we have the job interviews

Secondly, One needs to learn from the mistakes, The previous batch students who were placed in the first sem could be counted on your fingers I guess 4-5. But the following January a substantial number of them got placed. Please understand that most of the MBA placements occur in End Jan To Beginning of Mar. Do have a look around on the web to confirm that!!
Hence What we should focuss on is to have a placement week in end of Jan or around and not in late december when the whole of pilani is freezing, companies have holidays, and MBA placements aren't normally scheduled!

Finally,
One understand that MSD is abusy man.. he won't push us for things for sure, we rather need to push him for contacting the companies.
All reputed MBA institutes send their students to various firms for giving presentations about the course curriculum, institute and the Batch. The companies then decide where to go and where to not. So folks lets make it that next Oasis( We get a vacation only then), We go to several companies for giving presentations in groups. That would not just bring in more companies, but also hone our skills as we'll come know the real grounds. Mr Walter has promised that he'll be meeting AKB/MSD for the same.
Just roll on guys and leave your comments!!