A word of caution though. This time is to refine your basics. Do not enter new and unfamiliar terrains. You’d only end up with knowing a little about a lot of ‘somethings’ and may not be able to apply it in the twelfth hour. Identify your strengths. Polish them. Refine them. Shine them till they sparkle like diamonds and then reap the benefits on the D-day. The CAT tests you in all the areas. The good news is that you can still crack it even if you don’t know the difference between permutations and combinations. But be sure to crack the remaining topics. That should suffice.

Also, most questions in CAT are designed based on pure logic. You needn’t remember all the difficult formulae in the reference books of class 11^th & 12^th. Remember, there are two ways of solving a problem. One is by observation and a little calculation. The other is by, well, pure calculation. Read the question twice. Understand the logic. Think of it like a manager would, in a real life situation and go for the kill! These people don’t want accountants or mathematics experts. They want people with an analytical, clear and logical mind who can take decisions when the need arises.

The verbal section (one of my favourites and vice versaJ) can be mastered if you have developed a sound reading habit for a few years. Read the newspapers religiously, especially the ones like The Hindu, The Economic Times and Financial Express. Observe the styles of the authors. Notice the way sentences are constructed. Examine and take mental notes of the phrases you come across.

One of the most important things that can’t be ignored is that this is a Computer based test (CBT). Get used to sitting on the computer for 2.5 hours. We do not want red, watery eyes during the exam now, do we? Get accustomed to using the computer. No time should be lost trying to figure out the computer mannerisms on the D-day. Selecting the right radio button and calculating on a sheet of paper and shading the circles may seem not much different, but on the day of the exam, trust me, even a sneeze is enough to ruffle a few feathers. Get used to the atmosphere, the methodology of the exam.

To this end, attend the mock cats diligently. I know it is difficult getting out of bed on a lazy Sunday morning, but keep the end in sight. It is just a month more. Attempt as many mock CATs as possible. Understand the undercurrent of the questions. Analyze your answers. Examine where you went wrong. It is as important to analyze your answers as it is to write them. If you take the exam for 2.5 hrs, analyze it at least for 3-4 hours. Make a calculation of how much you score, where you could have scored. Cherry pick the questions that are walkovers. Every paper has them. Search for them. Do not leave them unattended.

That’s enough gyaan for now, I think. Wish you all the best for your final preparations. Amen!

For Jokatimes

Brijesh Unnithan

With the passage of time, superstitions have wormed their way into the life of Jokaites. One such story says that when the seven lakes overflow, there will be a bonanza where placements are concerned! Seven lakes overflowing is indeed an alluring sight, if anyone could be tempted to leave the hostels when the rain gods are crying. While that legendary sight has not materialised till now, there were reports that the lakes had indeed overflowed this year, generously worming their way up the paths to kiss the pavements of a thousand ‘blessings’, and in the process sending the gtalk status messages of the Jokaites into overloads of ecstasy, before snaking their way back to their murky layers. Is this reality, or merely the optimistic ramblings of an active imagination? Only time (and placements) will tell. Of course, since this is certainly not an everyday event, some students have taken it upon themselves to find even deeper meanings within this story. As Amit Sureka, a first year student, put it, if a downpour means good placements, then a drizzle certainly must portend good quiz marks! Unfortunately, he became very reticent when it came to revealing his own marks in those quizzes, so the veracity of that particular theory could not be satisfied.

Superstitions may come from the past, but even the future holds some very exciting prospects. Some people say that it’s possible, someday, when the rain gods are smiling (or crying, whichever you prefer), the seven lakes could in fact become one, and perhaps even take over the whole campus. This could well lead to the development of a new round of water sports, involving canoes, men, umpires, and hopefully cheerleaders cavorting in the glory of the rain! This could take inter hostel rivalry to a new level all together, perhaps culminating in the formation of a Joka Premier League! Necessity is, they say, the mother of invention. The mephitic after taste of the rains is an all too bitter reality that Jokaites live with, and it’s possible the necessity for clean air and civilized living conditions could drive some brilliant minds to come up with an antidote, one which would definitely be a hit in Jokaland. It’s not for nothing that students have come to dread the gurgling gutters, and the creatures of dark nature that populate it!

Not to end this piece on a dampener, it’s good to note that none of the parties this year have been hampered by showers of heaven, although it’s possible some students, mostly hailing from the male gender, would have enjoyed it more had it been so. But as they say in Jokaland, think of the lake as half full, not half empty!

For Jokatimes
Pratik Prakash

The President, Kapidhwaja Singh introduced each member of the student council and outlined their roles and responsibilities. Primarily people introduced to the students included the Hostel Affairs Secretary, the Student Exchange Coord., the IT Rep, the PGP representatives and the placement representatives. The council has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure that the batch faces little problems in acclimatization to the new conditions. This was especially true this year given the difficulties of accommodating an enlarged batch with the new infrastructure yet to come up. The college also faces challenges in terms of keeping up with growing demands from the IT infrastructure. The IT Rep. assured the students that the whole system would be upgraded within a couple of months. This comes as a relief to a number of students worried about the measures the college is taking to keep up with the pent-up numbers.

Students were also introduced to the ISG, the campus group that maintains all internal software systems and also backs this website. They were introduced to the variety of tools and applications the ISG has developed and encouraged the students to get to know and use them. Sunil Chandrasekhar a first year student said “It was great to know that there is this huge student team working to keep the show running in the background. It’s great that we have such a responsive and well-managed team. And it was nice getting to know the faces behind the ISG; they are so huge on campus!”

We at Jokatimes would encourage the batch of 46/16 to get to know their council better and participate in campus development activities. What they say about democracy is true after all – if you don’t speak up, nothing gets done!

Following the announcement, a new revised list has been now put up on the official website. Joka Times understands that the new list is final and binding.

The students whose offers have now been marked “hold” are understood to be on a priority list, above the waitlisted candidates. These candidates are expected to get a ranking order from the institute in due course of time.

The candidates who were initially waitlisted will probably be considered for admission only after the on-hold candidates.

We at Joka Times wish the students all the best and look forward to interacting with them at Joka.

Link For New PGDM Admissions List: http://www.iimcal.ac.in/iimcatstat/dmindex.asp

Link For New PGDCM Admissions List: http://www.iimcal.ac.in/iimcatstat/cmindex.asp

——————————————————————————————————————————–

Update: The Admissions Office has confirmed that the students put on “hold” will form a priority list – a sort of waitlist above the initially declared waitlist. The students on “hold” can call the institute Admissions Office from 13-04-2009, Monday, 4:00 P.M. to find out the exact numbering on the priority list.

Speaking to Joka Times, Paul Savio, external relations secretary of IIM Calcutta asked the students on the priority list to get in touch with the strong Mentorship Programme in case of any queries or anxieties. The matter of the ordering within the priority list would get cleared by Monday, he said.

Joka Times urges the students to use the mentorship@email.iimcal.ac.in or contact their mentors directly to get specific doubts or queries answered. Further updates will be kept posted here at Joka Times as we countdown to the formation of a new batch at IIM Calcutta.

Admissions Office Contact Details: http://www.iimcal.ac.in/admissions/cac.asp

Team Joka Times

 

The newly established Financial Research and Trading Lab at IIM Calcutta has definitely created a lot of interest among the various stakeholders. To know more about this initiative, we at Jokatimes interviewed our renowned faculty, Mr. Ashok Banerjee of the Finance and Control Group, IIM Calcutta.

What was the idea behind setting up a Financial Research and Trading Lab?

There were three main factors which inspired us to set up this lab. Firstly, the feedback from the students who had their summer internship in an Investment bank indicated that a finance lab would equip them with necessary practical skills – to supplement the theoretical learning. For example, the knowledge of operating a Bloomberg terminal and real time trading would go down well with the theoretical concepts learnt. The second inspiring factor was the fact that most of the reputed business schools across the globe have finance and trading lab. Thirdly, the idea of setting up such a facility was discussed within the Finance and Control group for some time.

What are the objectives of the Financial Research and Trading Lab?

There are five main objectives that we have set to achieve by this lab.

1.      To give cutting edge tools to understand financial markets, especially the Indian financial markets. For example, we have introduced a new course “Trading Strategies” in Term IV (Offered from 2009-2010 academic year)

2.      To enable research. For example there is a possibility of having a cross functional research on the effect of information on financial markets, an area of interest to both MIS (Management Information Systems) group as well as Finance and Control group.

3.      To use this lab as a testing platform for our designs. For example, you can design a trading strategy and test it – without involving real money, but using real, live data.

4.      To conduct training programmes – The knowledge that is developed can be transferred to both the corporate and the student community. We had a workshop “Optimization methods and Financial application” in March 2009.

5.      Finally, this is a platform for holding events like national and international conferences.

An International Conference during 3^rd to 5^th December is going to be held to commemorate the first anniversary of setting up this lab. We have already received confirmations from top notch financial experts all over the world. We want to make this an annual event from there on.

What are the facilities and special features of this Financial Research and Trading Lab?

Currently we are getting live data (without any kind of lag) from five financial markets in India – NSE Cash, NSE F&O, MCX, BSE Cash and NCDEX. We have a simulator, to which this live data is fed so that we can test our designs on this live data. All the features and options provided in these terminals are exact replicas of what the brokers use. All this would augment what the student learns through the regular courses.

Can you tell us more about the new course ‘Trading Strategies’?

We already have a course on Investment Analysis and Portfolio Management (IAPM). Here you would learn trading strategies, how to manage a portfolio etc. However, as a trader you would mostly be required to make intraday decisions – based on inflow of information and technical analysis. This new course on ‘Trading Strategies’ – which would be taught fully in the lab, will help the student make those crucial intraday decisions.

What kind of software suites are being used in this Financial Research and Trading Lab?

Apart from the simulation software that is available on all the 48 terminals and the Bloomberg terminal, we are in the process of getting a cutting edge analytical tool. We are also considering the addition of more ‘Bloomberg type’ terminals – more specific for use in the Indian market like CNBC terminals. Apart from all these software suites, there are also some specific add-on applications that we are looking at.

Three of our Alumni from the IIM Calcutta Class of 2009 also share their views on how the Financial Research and Trading Lab is going to benefit the student community.

The Finance Lab at IIM C is a great initiative by the institute to help students apply theoretical finance concepts to practical issues of the finance world. The lab gives students the access to hard to find real time data and a platform of applications to test their theories. From my personal experience the learning curve is very steep during internship and using up say 2 weeks out of 8 for getting a hang of the Bloomberg machine can make things really tight. Hence, I see this as an opportunity for IIMC’ians to hit the ground running in their internship stints with financial institutions. I’m sure this facility is going to add more value to student seeking any financial career.

C Abhijit 

(Interned with DSP Merrill Lynch Mumbai, Debt Trading, Fixed Income Currencies and Commodities Desk)

I did my internship in Merrill Lynch Hong Kong in the Exotic Derivatives Trading Division. My work included extensive use of Bloomberg, Reuters and Microsoft Excel. With the help of a training program (from Merrill Lynch), I got used to Bloomberg and Reuters in a week’s time. Since my internship lasted just 8 weeks, 1 week is really important. I’m glad that students from the current year are armed with Bloomberg training even before the internship begins. This can help them to perform better in the internship and secure that coveted PPO. The new Finance lab can also be used to provide new courses that can be very practical and useful in the career perspective. 

 

M. Natrajan 

(Interned with Merrill Lynch Hong Kong, Exotic derivatives Trading Division)

 For people who are seriously looking at a career in finance especially in the investment banking space this unique facility at IIM C is another reason to choose IIM C. The highly learned and experienced faculty now has at their disposal another tool to share their knowledge and students can test out ideas immediately which very few finance programs in the world offer. It’s also going to be a center of frontline research and the ideal place for getting to know the groundbreaking work taking place in the world of finance.

 Srikrishna Swaminathan 

(Interned with Merrill Lynch Mumbai, Investment Banking Division – Real Estate and Infrastructure Group)

 For Jokatimes
Guhan M

214 students were honoured with Post Graduate Diploma in Management, an equivalent of MBA and the flagship title from IIMC. 54 students were honoured with Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Aided Management, also an equivalent of MBA and the other flagship title of IIMC. 7 students were honoured the title of Fellow in Management, an equivalent of PhD. Apart from these, 37 students were honoured with Post Graduate Diploma in Management for Executives, the one year fast track course for company Executives. 29 students were honoured with Post Graduate Diploma in Management for Executives for Visionary Leadership in Manufacturing.

Placed in the institute honour roll for their excellent performance in academics (PGDM) were Natarajan Shankar, Mehul Agarwal, Prasoon Saurabh Jain, R Anand, Lad Prasad Bhaskar and Souvik Chakraborty. Arnab Ray and Rakesh T P were placed in the honour roll for PGDCM. Piyush Singhi received the award for Best Finance Student. Rahul Shanu received the award for Excellence in Marketing. Indibar Mondal received the Bengal Chamber of Commerce award in the area of Human Resource Management. In Extra Academics, K Anantha Krishna received the B.S. Dua Memorial Prize for Organizational Ability. Harsh Vardhan Chhaparia received the Bharat Chamber of Commerce Medal for the most balanced and progressive outlook to management problems. Swetha Vigraham received the Pawan Tyagi prize for the best sportsperson of the year 2008. Atul Mathur received the Dr. B.C.Roy memorial prize for the most outstanding contribution to campus life in the year 2008.

As the Chairman, Board of Governors declared the convocation closed after a three hour ceremony, yet another batch of students became a part of the illustrious alumni of the institute. The Chairman, PGP, in his closing address expressed confidence in the fact that these students would further enhance the brand of the institute. We, the present students of IIM Calcutta wish the passing out batch a life full of joy, happiness and success.

Rahul Dasgupta
PGP Students’ Representative

Contact us through the following channels:

STEP Website

http://www.iimcal.ac.in/programs/step/index.html

IIM Calcutta Website

http://www.iimcal.ac.in

You can view our Brochure here : iimc-step-ppt-2009

The various courses on offer are:

Courses for Term IV

Behavioral Sciences

BS-215  Business Research Methods

BS-225  Conflict and Negotiation

Economics

EC-216  Selected Aspects of Macroeconomics

EC-223  Economics of Development

Finance and Control:

FI-224                    International Finance

FI-254                    Options, Futures & Derivatives

FI-255                    Fixed Income Market

FI-262                    Investment Analysis & Portfolio Management

FI-265                    Corporate Restructuring

Human Resource Management:

HR-210 HRM : Policy and Strategy

Operations Management:

OM-222                Production & Inventory Control

OM-238                Logistic and Supply Chain Management

OM-219                Operations Research in Marketing

Management Information Systems:

MI-119  Data Communication & Networking

MI-122  Strategies for Information Systems Development

MI-233  ANNFS: Appl. To Finance and Strategy

MI-240  E-Commerce

MI-254  Databases : Knowledge Discovery and Decision Support

Marketing:

MK-249                Services Marketing

MK-212                Sales and Distribution Management

MCHV (Management Center for Human values):

MC-218                Power and Politics in the Workplace

MC-212                Management, Culture and Creativity

Regional Development:

RD-231  Public Systems Management

Sociology:

SO212   Rural Market and Agrarian Structure

SO244   Social Issues and Social Policy

Strategic Management:

SM-110 Strategic Management

SM-222 Industry and Competitive Analysis

Courses for Term V

Behavioral Sciences:

BS-217  Organizational Communication

BS-223  Management of Self in Organisation

BS-219  Organization Structure & Design

Economics:

EC-211  International Economics

EC-219  Economics of the Firm

EC-221  Econometrics Methods

EC-227  Economics of business Policy

EC-212  Mergers and Acquisitions

Human Resources:

HR-227  HRM in MNCs

HR-225  The Economics of HR

Finance and Control:

FI-221                    Working Capital management

FI-257                    Business Valuation

FI-264                    Topics in finance and taxation

FI-269                    Quantitative Applications in Finance

FI-242                    Commercial Banking

FI-259                    Management of Insurance Business

Sociology:

SO-211  Rural Development & Social Change

SO-241  Seminar on Entrepreneurship

Management Information Systems:

MI-216  AI and Expert Systems

MI-229  Business Modelling using System Dynamics

MI-245  Network Operations, Mgmt. & Security

Marketing:

MK-211                Advertising Management

MK-214                Consumer Behavior

MK-251                Strategic Brand Management

MK-252                Managing retailing

MK-251                Strategic Brand Management

Management Centre for Human Values (MCHV):

MC-210                Managerial Effectiveness & Human Values

MC-211                Ethics in managment functions & processes

MC-219                Ethics in International Business

Regional Development:

RD-230  Urban Management: Issues and strategy

Operations Management:

OM-213                Executive decision and O.R.

OM-234                Management of International Operations

OM-228                Project Management

Strategic Management:

SM-214 International Management

SM-227 Managing Strategy Implementation & Business Transformation

SM-XXX                Strategies for New Media Industries

Courses for Term VI

Environment:

EN-225 Country Risk Analysis

Finance and Control:

FI-215    Money and Capital Market

FI-266    Corporate Financial Strategies

Management Information Systems:

MI/RD-258          Information & Communication technology for development

MI-128 Software Project Management (PGDCM Compulsory, PGDM Optional)

MI-256 Business Intelligence

MI-257 Secure computation in E-Business

Marketing:

MK-216                International Marketing

MK-244                Marketing in Practice

Management Center for Human Values (MCHV):

MC-217                Corporate Social Responsibility

MC-220                Management Through Enlightenment

Operations Management:

CC211           Management Game

OM-233                Management of Technology

Strategic Management:

SM-221                 Managing New Ventures

SM-231                 Managing Innovation

Additional Information

Contact Information

Student Exchange Program 2009-10 IIM Calcutta

9

STEP Faculty Incharge

Prof. Saibal Chattopadhyay (deanpi@iimcal.ac.in)

Dean

Prof. Saibal Chattopadhyay (deanpi@iimcal.ac.in)

STEP Coordinator

Ms. Soma Dasgupta (stepcoordinator@iimcal.ac.in)

STEP Representative

Ms. Vaishali Aggarwal (step@email.iimcal.ac.in)

All postal correspondence should be addressed to: ‐

Ms. Soma Dasgupta

STEP Office,

Indian Institute of Management Calcutta

Diamond Harbor Road, Joka

Kolkata ‐ 700104

West Bengal,

India

All faxes should be sent with the title “ATTENTION STEP” to the following number:

+91‐33‐22174352

• MBA/Post Graduate/ Doctoral students in Business Administration/Management
• Proficiency in oral and written English. (You may be required to take TOEFL as part of the requirements of your university but it is not a requirement posed by IIMC).

Registration

If your Institute is among our exchange partners, contact your Dean/Official-in-charge of exchange programs for further details. However, if you are interested in this program but your institute is not one of our partner institutes, then you should get in touch with us as well as the dean of your institute to work things out. We welcome institutes to partner with us in our endeavor to provide cross-cultural exposure to budding managers of tomorrow.

Timelines:

You must apply at least two months prior to the commencement of the respective term.

Students can participate in the Exchange Programme during:

Term V     :    Early September to Mid December

A short orientation session is conducted for the exchange students prior to the commencement of the term. For further details please refer to the List of Courses given below.

Procedure

A formal letter from the Dean of your Institute certifying that you are a bonafide student of the Institute and confirming your selection for the exchange program must be submitted to us at least two months prior to the commencement of the term. This is to ensure that you can apply for a visa as early as possible. You are also required to send us your CV (Curriculum Vitae).

The objective of the STudent Exchange Program (STEP) is to provide students with increased exposure to cultures and business practices other than their own. Keeping in mind today’s dynamic global business environment, IIMC has placed a strong emphasis on international student exchange programs as a means to equip students with cross-cultural exposure and train them in global business ethics to complement their knowledge of the Indian business scenario. STEP is another “step” in this direction. Under STEP, the students of IIM Calcutta get an opportunity to spend one term in major business schools around the world. The exchange program also enables overseas students from prestigious partner business schools to experience first-hand, share ideas, insights and experiences with the IIMC community.

Academic Calendar

The course duration of PGDM and PGDCM is two years. Each academic year is divided into three terms. The academic calendar is generally as follows: -

Courses Offered:

The curriculum requirements are assessed in terms of course credits. Each course is assigned 3 credit hours with a minimum of 30 contact hours spread over a quarter. A student has to take six courses in a term on credit. In addition, a student is also allowed to take a maximum of three non-credit courses. The student can choose from a wide range of electives. Courses are available in diverse disciplines of management including Behavioral Sciences, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Systems, Strategy, Environment, Human Resource, Operations, Regional Development, and Sociology.

Method of Instruction

The language of instruction is English. The institute believes that the method of instruction for maximizing learning should vary from course to course, and therefore, uses a host of pedagogic approaches in different courses. Case studies, lectures, group and individual exercises, class projects and simulation of business environment are used in various courses

Grading System

Students are graded on a 9-point scale as follows:

Students who have obtained ‘F’ in a particular subject may appear for re-examination. Grades obtained on re-examination will however be adjusted downwards.

Grade Conversions

The grade points awarded during the course of study at the institute are converted to the parent school’s scale according to their specific conversion method. For foreign students, we give grades converted to the European Credit Transfer Scheme System, which are further convertible to the grade system of your university. Each course at IIMC is assigned three credit hours, which is equivalent to six credits under the ECTS.

Study Facilities

The exchange students will be provided the same services as regular students, viz. library, computing facilities, extranet account, etc.

Living Costs

The post graduate programs are residential. All exchange students will be provided with single room accommodation on campus. The cost of living in Calcutta is approximately Rs. 5,000 per month ($1 = Rs. 40 approx.).

Honorable Director of the institute, faculty, officers and staff, our esteemed guests and my dear friends,

I express my greetings to everyone on this occasion of India’s 60th republic day.  We, as a republic, have come a long way in the last 59 years. We have a long list of achievements accomplished since 26th Jan 1950 and even a longer list of things to be done. We are all aware of it. I would not waste your time by going into those details. What I want to speak about is “what is expected of us students 59 years after the formation of the republic”. 

We are privileged to have found a place in this premier institute of the country and getting a heavily subsidized education whereas, there are lakhs and lakhs of people waiting outside the walls. We are proud of our accomplishment and so should we. The nation adores us, the nation feels proud of us and the nation expects their children to be like us. But, the nation also expects something from us.  

We are all known for our business acumen and our problem solving abilities. We are going to be the business leaders of tomorrow. But, is this all we need to be?

What we also need is to be thought leaders for others, to be opinion centers of the country.

In the month of September 2008, we were all shocked by the news of Lehmann brothers collapsing and American economy going into economic depression. But we missed the news of 50 lakhs people displaced in the worst ever flood in north Bihar, the news of communal outburst in Orissa and the likes. It is true that the Lehmann collapse is very detrimental to our careers, but I don’t think the other news were so insignificant that we didn’t even give a second thought. 

The recent blasts in Mumbai will be remembered for so many reasons. But one reason that I feel worth mentioning here is- it made the people living in posh localities of South Mumbai realize that their expensive ACs and  marbled bungalows were not strong enough to isolate from the ground realities the nation was facing. 

We will have to consider these factors when we do the DCFs or SWOT analysis of our careers, our business and our lives. This is because a major part of the investments in building our careers have come from this nation. The opportunity costs of these investments are very high. How does the country manage to provide this; -by cutting down drought relief money of a Vidarbha farmer, by cutting down the medical facilities at a government hospital in a village or by simply letting a few more thousand people die out of hunger.

I do not mean that we should leave the corporate and join social service, but what we must do is try and repay the debt that we owe to this nation and to its people.  

What do we need to do?

Get aware of the ground realities, start identifying the ways in which we can repay the debt and be a thought leader for others to follow.

Let us all Accept the challenge and make her a better republic!

Happy republic day!

Jai Hind!

for Jokatimes
Abhishek Nagaraj