5 Characteristics That MBAs Should Avoid

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Just like MBAs are expected to be strategic thinkers and great leaders so are they expected to be devoid of certain traits that could adversely affect their future in the corporate world which poses a competitive environment. Yes, one flaw characteristically and your game is over! MBAupdates has put together some characteristics that one must be avoided by habit in order to falter any steps on your climb up the corporate ladder. Read on to know how to make yourself a better MBA by avoiding the removing the traits from your being as a whole.

Unpunctuality

What did the MBA teach you? The first thing that is taught was the management of time. Being on time and working on time with effective deliveries of projects or products will take one a long way unlike the unpunctual habits that will reflect a sloppy and lackadaisical attitude. Being unpunctual clearly reflects that you do not care about the job at hand; it reflects you treating it as a second fiddle.

Disorganised

Organisational skills go a long way be it your own entrepreneurial business or a corporate multinational. Organisation of thoughts, business processes, operations, employees, work, and results is what drives businesses to higher levels of growth and converts individuals into business leaders. If you can organise you can manage time and time is success truly, at least in this day and age.

Uncooperative

If you want to rise to the echelons of power, then this is the time for you to make it large by being co-operative. Take a simple example. Why do politicians have followers, party people? This is because each needs the other and they work as a team. If you want to become a leader you need to be co-operative; co-operative with the needs of the rest and understanding of their motives and decisions. Being intolerant towards people, employees etc. can lead to disrespect for you as a leader. Being accommodating can generate the most respect for a leader or manager.

Lack of Clarity

The lack of clarity can really mislead the manager of a business. Thus, it is important for an MBA to have clarity about what is the purpose of a decision, his business motives, and his business targets and of course all this should happen in direct movement towards the final goal. The goal should be built and clarified before any other work begins.

Selfishly Driven

If an MBA is selfishly driven in an organisation, the organisation will go nowhere and neither will the person himself. He needs to generalise the cause of being profitable for all to make his organisation profitable. Only if he works for his employees, will his employees work for him.
Thus, there are some traits that a budding MBA should definitely avoid if he wants to succeed in his office or his business space.

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Posted by samjohnson

Does Online MBA really help?

10:28 | Labels: , , ,


We all know what a B-school MBA can do to your career, how far can it take your career and what can it draw out of you to give you what is stands for, the cost-benefit analysis for a standard institution based MBA is understood by all, but what about online MBAs? What is the fabric of an online MBA and its basic cost-benefit analysis for a student? Here are some helpful insights categorized based on essential features raked up after a brain-storming session of the MBAupdates team.

Cost Factor

There is no doubt that an online MBA is much cheaper than standard credit based institutional MBA. For those students for whom finances are mattering the most right now and their choices are only between doing it and not doing it, then here is a good option for you’ll. Do an online MBA if taking a loan for a standard MBA is not even a possibility for you. Though not highly preferred, MBAupdates strongly believes that ‘something is better than nothing’. Talking about the costs of a standard MBA, they are 5 times more than an online course, however, there is a lot missed in an online MBA.

Training

The real purpose for you to opt for a post graduate degree like this is to get the best of the management training. However, MBAupdates says it very upfront that online as far as training goes, MBA are not match for on-site MBAs. In fact, the reasons are here for you to see. Practice and practical training are the key features imparted while in an MBA course; be it with learning the mere using of office tools in great detail or giving presentations and getting rid of stage frights. On-site MBA makes you mingle, talk, and discuss issues with like-minded competitive people giving an insight in to the competition and life that awaits you at the first step on the corporate ladder outside the college campus. It teaches you communication and strategies. An online MBA cannot do all this for you, even though it is cost effective. It fails to teach you time management and certain other essential skills of the trade that ultimately home you towards being a better MBA. Basically, it fails to impart practical experience which is a must considering it’s an MBA that you have opted for.

Placements

Online MBAs find no placements. No companies, corporate or multinationals offer themselves as first grounds for online MBAs. This makes it very difficult for the fresher MBAs to find their home ground to begin with. This is a major drawback.
Thus MBAupdates’ final verdict suggests students to try going in for a standard institutional MBA unless the matter of money and time are really impediments forcing them not to pursue studying an MBA at all. If that is the case then opt for an online MBA.

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Posted by samjohnson

3 business tips for interns

11:53 | Labels: , , ,


Management skills are not the copyright of MBAs only. They can be acquired by all and should be indeed! They can be honed anywhere and there are some basic management skills that one should definitely implement in office, whether you are a post graduate management student or not. These skills don’t require you to do an MBA; just simple practices chalked out well and strategized to perfection can bring the same results for you as it would to anyone else in your office. Here, is a lowdown on some essential MBA skills researched and sculpted by MBAupdates that every non-MBA inculcates as a part of their daily habits.

Communication Concord

Communication is an essential factor guiding your potential to flourish. Communication entails communication with everyone, be it, the boss, the seniors, your reporting boss, or your parallel colleagues. Opening doors to communication with your seniors and duly informing them about each effort taken by you is a strategic way to make them realize you’re at work and you are constantly contributing yourself in some way for the betterment and growth of the organization as well as the adding value to your area of work. Error free and lucid communication channels make way for informed decision making. However, your reputation is at stake unless your communication, whether written, verbal or pictorials is error free.

Relationship Building

Your growth and potential can be easily charted keeping your relations in place. Being the bad books of even one essential entity in your organization can alter your efforts to nil. Thus, make sure to build strong and friendly relations with all. Most of the people in office spaces are not here to make long term friends, so don’t go ahead with those intentions, in place, build relations in the form of give and take; give and take. Don’t keep to yourself, share knowledge even if people don’t share it with you. Your strategy here is to build relations for your interest not to calculate and if you are getting more or less that you’re giving.

Opinions Matter, When?

Opinions and judgments matter, but make sure these judgments are not personal judgments, judgments about colleague, their work profile, their salaries and their work. Your opinions should be business related and should be most opined during business meetings and other professional gatherings where you can draw some mileage out of their substance. Opining your thoughts and ideas in a clout of colleagues in a lunch room is not going to get you anywhere.
These are some of the basic and essential skills that should be trained to achieve the best in an office space. Always remember, office spaces are breeding grounds for senseless rumors and tough cutting edge politics that can make or take cones’ career away from them, hence use these as daily manage met mantras for the best.

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Posted by samjohnson

Why NOT to ignore Current Affairs?

10:34 | Labels: , , , ,


Which field on this planet is not developing? What experiences zero growth? Nothing! Who said only technology keeps updating it adding value embellishments all the time? In fact, the gamut of knowledge grows faster than the speed of light. Different situations lead individual, companies, organizations and even countries to think of different solution for their data set of trouble. Thus, every new solution thought of by them is an addition to the value of knowledge which could again lead to contesting solutions that could be debated again leading to one more data set of knowledge. Thus each new happening, each new flash adds immense education value whose knowledge will add to your decision making power. Here are some reasons why MBAs should get their hand on the daily newspaper more often.

Group Discussions                                         

As far as MBAs goes current affairs stands tall in front of them in the group discussion. This is the time for intensive reading of newspaper; eminent magazines, education debated and good books. They could come handy in altering the path of your destiny to enter a top-notch business school. Group discussions are in fact very competitive where no amount of knowledge is an upper limit.

Decision Making

Post business school when you enter a work space, whether in India or even abroad, you being an MBA are going to be on managerial level where decision making would be definitely be a part of your job profile. For e.g.  Any decision you take could take at work, with respect any deal without readings your competitor’s stance published on the front page of the newspaper could cost your company millions and it could probably cost you your job too. A daily read of a business newspaper would definitely aid you land a job with a good salary hike and promotion. MBAupdates thinks informed decision making is the key to success anywhere.

Policy and Regulatory Changes

Most of the MNCs or even big governmental corporations are driven by their own set of rules and regulations as stipulated by the governmental and other pertaining regulatory authorities. As the tastes and preferences undergo changes, so do the demand and supply situation affecting regulations to fill in the gaps produced at the macro level. This has its effects on the firms and companies working lower wring in the order and thus being an MBA you ought to keep an open eye for current affairs.

First Impressions

Imagine yourself entering a conference with like-minded, informed and well acknowledged people discussing current issues in the limelight and their repercussions on the trade of your company. Would you like someone to ask you a question and you would stare right back at them in denial of the question thrown? Avoid embarrassing situations by being up-to-date on the knowledge front in professional spaces.
Your knowledge about current affairs and the ability to write a short note on any given topic is a resume by itself. No big degrees or accolades are required to develop this; all you need is- the daily newspaper!

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Posted by samjohnson

Top 5 International Book Reads for MBAs

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Gone are the days when nurturing brilliant MBA minds was the responsibility of only the Business Schools. In this age of intense competition where the race to excellence exists even between students of top-notch universities one requires to develop an edge, a positive over the negative of the other, a jump above the credentials of another, a little more knowledge that the neighbouring examinee to make it to the towers of business excellence in the global economy. Reading books is an easy way to get advantage over the rest at least to some extent. MBAupdates presents to you some of the International must-reads MBA.

The Halo Effect: … and the Eight Other Business Delusions That Deceive Managers by Phil Rosenzweig

The Halo Effect talks about the basic and guiding mantras of success and failure when it comes to business. It digs deeper to find the cause of cause and the effect of each effect. It shows the chain effects of decision gone wrong and the effects of decision taken right which go on endlessly. Learn the basics of decision making and how your one decision can alter the fate if your business leading it to either success or failure.

Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in the Markets and in Life by Nassim N. Taleb

Who doesn’t get confused while making decision? Which cue should you take, which you should ignore? This is exactly what fooled by randomness talks about. It helps the reader learn to distinguish between the real signal and the false noise leading to no really effect of the decision taken. This book is written and is considered to be relevant in terms of the financial markets.

The Wealth of Nations by Adam Smith

The first modern economist wrote this book in 1776 and since then it has been read through the generations. Even today, it remains a popular and recommended book for MBAs. Based on the real examination of the human nature it suggests basic economics to make a peaceful and stable society. It is a book on basic economic theory.

The One-Minute Manager by Kenneth H. Blanchard and Spencer Johnson

This has been a top management book since its launch. This is a commentary of great practical strategies and advice on how to do the basics of business, delegating jobs, how to appreciate employees and how to make use of criticism to gallop ahead. These may seem small things to read a book for; but actually they determine the productivity, profits and revenue at work.

In Search of Excellence by Thomas J. Peters, Robert H. Waterman

This book is a reservoir of knowledge, a reservoir of some of the best experiences that made the destiny of the 43 best run companies in the developed United States of America. Just imagine the knowledge, skills and expertise on display in writing that one can learn from.
These are the top 5 reads from the international bestselling bookshelf for management students. MBAupdates has picked them on the basis of the utility each can render to an MBA student in the workspace of today.

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Posted by samjohnson

Has The Global Slowdown Affected The Growth Potential For Indian MBAs?

11:20 | Labels: , , , , ,



The global economic order has been shuffling cards faster than the speed of light making job opportunities fluctuate in different countries. Situations are changing with each new set of incoming government data. So now, in such a situation how does an MBA having procured his degree from abroad, deal with the slowdown that is gripping the developed countries like the United States of America (USA) and even the United Kingdom? There are a certain things that the student must study in order to decide whether working there after the MBA makes sense. MBAupdates has researched some basic factors that must be used as parameters to decide your stance on working abroad after the MBA.

Economies and Finance

If you have done your MBA from USA or are even planning to do so, make sure to keep in mind that the US government is now promoting the smallest of the jobs to the American citizens vis-a-vis the earlier tendency of employing brilliant minded Indians. At the same time the salaries are now slightly lower than earlier as the employers are not only cutting costs but also taking advantage of the fact that the unemployment rate which is compelling people to take up any job rather than concentrate and bicker for salaries. UK has come out with a new rule that does not allow a non-resident, non-native to work beyond 2 years after their post graduate degree. This demands the student to come back to India to look for a job. Thus, rather than wasting time, coming back to your home country makes more sense; it is the opportunity cost that one must calculate.

Your Own Finance

Do remember that if you want to settle in India, it is recommended to pursue an MBA from India and if you really desire to settle abroad then a MBA from the same land makes more sense.
Reality Check: MBA in India will cost you around Rs 5-20 lakhs while abroad it will cost you anything between 15-20 lakhs or even more depending upon your institute and other aspects like the living costs. This makes it difficult for an India to work abroad especially if they have an MBA from India. Indian MBAs see more and faster growth in Indian than abroad. If you have a loan to pay then always work in the country where you have fetched your MBA from as this offers the best job deal. However, amidst the slowdown you will need to check for the job offer you get and the scope it has for growth. Running a basic cost-benefit analysis will help you assess your situation.

These are the two main factors one must study; the results will be subjective in nature they are based on the person financial background, the loan scene if any and their willingness to settle in the home country or abroad. However, few years back the time was good where student did not have to think about these factors but now when the job preferences in countries are under flux, that calls for assessing your own situation and position first is highly recommended by the MBAupdates.

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Posted by samjohnson

Do BA and B.Com Students Make Good MBAs?

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Nowadays, the question haunting most students at a very early age is the whether their chosen stream, be it arts, commerce or science will facilitate their final goal of an MBA. However, MBAupdates suggests and requests the students to decide what they really want? However, if their ultimate goal is not a managerial degree then reading this article is futile. But, yes, if you desire to see yourself seated high up on the complex corporate ladder then read on to find out whether a BA, B.Com or B.Sc. will hinder your path to a successful MBA.
Training
If there is any difference between a student of any standard Bachelors degree and a Bachelors in Management student, then it is the training, the drilling exercises, the inherent mode of doing something relevant for very long. Conventional degree students lack the essential training at the earlier years when the mind is more receptive to picking things. Management students at Bachelors level function the same way as real MBA students but at a lower degree, a notch below them.
Time and Effort
Vis-a-Vis, a conventional degree holder who is used to a lesser hours and efforts in their degree course a management student at undergraduate levels is used to more painstaking effort and mostly undergo a credit based course, with interactive presentation, and more frequent industrial visit totalling contrasting the exposure that each gets. Standard degrees employ lower hours at study as compared to a management student at the same level of education making the management student more capable of taking pressure in the MBA coursework and at work in the future too.
Experience
Alas! Finally the main caveat of practical experience and relevant work exposure makes the management learner take the cake away from the degree holder.
  • They learn to interact at a different level as they do real time projects on the subjects like research methodology.
  • Irrespective to which field they are from during junior college they still have to do essential subjects like Account, Mathematics and Statistics irrespective to their tastes and liking for the subject.
  • Their internships and small time work experiences add value to their existing undergraduate level resume.
  • They deal to learn with people and work with groups of people at an earlier age increasing their power to adapt to changing situations and probably adapt to different work environments in the future.
  • The experience is directly proportional to the number of years dedicated at management level study.
MBAupdates concludes on an affirmative note that the standard or the conventional degree holders like B.A, B.Com or even B.Sc. lack the edge in general. However, MBAupdates strongly clarifies its stand that the aforementioned conclusions are drawn only on the basis of the comparison of the course frameworks and has personal abilities and capabilities of the students are not taken into consideration.

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Posted by samjohnson
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