Choosing a Good MBA College

Selecting the best B-schools is a complex question. To answer it adequately, one requires a great deal of information and analyses before arriving at a reasonable conclusion. Many popular surveys and rankings are often published by various magazines, newspapers, and websites and many people subscribe to these rankings with blindfolds and take a decision accordingly. But it has to be borne in mind that the legitimacy of one's decision depends entirely on the inputs that go into arriving at these rankings. Without being judgmental about any particular list, we look at some major parameters to consider while deciding on which college to join.

1. INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL

It is invariably the faculty that makes an institution what it is. The faculty should be judged by its qualifications, research and published work, interface with the industry, consultancy, and participation in executive training programs.
Most good B-Schools have a blend of core (full time) and visiting industry faculty to ensure a continuous monitoring during this two-year period. The visiting faculty complements the regular faculty by providing practical exposure through industry contacts and real time projects.

2. INSTITUTE INFRASTRUCTURE

Though good infrastructure alone does not amount to much, computers, Internet connectivity, library, and well-equipped classrooms can aid your learning to a great extent. It would be highly desirable to visit the B-school campus before you take any final decision. Interestingly, many top notch B-schools lack good hostel facilities. Do check for these things too, as they could impact your learning experience and pocket, too.

3. REPUTATION AND BRAND GOODWILL

The older B-schools have a certain advantage in terms of wider acceptability and better goodwill than the newer ones. But it would be difficult to generalize regarding this as one must examine the long term advantages of having a well-known brand name on one's bio-data. In this regard, one should avoid the temptation of being unduly swayed by the concerns regarding initial salary. We need to remember that an MBA degree from a top B-school can open several doors of opportunities in one's career which are otherwise shut.

4. CAREER PLANNING SERVICES

Pay close attention to the data on campus placements provided on the official websites and in the admission brochures. The average number of job offers and the median salary received by each student are two important variables to consider. Besides, you need to look for whether the salary is denominated in rupees or dollars, which can make a lot of difference.

5. STUDENT INTAKE

A significant amount of learning taking place at any B-School is on account of group activities. Obviously, if you are constantly surrounded by bright people, the learning experience is going to be rich. The quality of the selection process (like the rigors of Group Discussion, Essay Writing, and Interview) can provide a reliable clue to the quality of student pool at a particular B-school.

6. LOCATION

Though geography is history in today's Internet age, the fact remains that the B-schools located in places having a concentration of industry, enjoy better placements. On this account, the B-schools located in cities having corporate offices, invariably fare better than comparable B- schools in other cities.

Always visit the B-school campus and speak to its staff, current students, and alumni to have a well-informed assessment about it.

7. FEES

With rising inflation, the fee at B-schools has emerged as a significant variable, which affects the decision on which B-school to join. Most good B-schools charge a good amount for a two-year MBA program. It needs to be remembered that the costs of living are not included in this fee. Despite the hefty fees, it should not be a major concern as bank loans are easily available. The repayments for such educational loans begin within 6 months of getting a job or within 1 year of getting the degree, whichever is earlier. There is no repayment to be done during the course itself.

High Paying Jobs With MBA Degrees - The Right Business Education

Gone are the days when entrepreneurs used to learn business on the job. This was the most prevalent way of getting business education, though informal. There are numerous successful entrepreneurs who succeeded in business field without any formal business education.
One can learn business on the job as has been demonstrated by a large number of businessmen. That route takes longer and is fraught with uncertainties.
With the complexities of modern business, business education has now been formalized. In order to do business, it is necessary that one should be conversant with so many business practices. Any business is now interdependent on other national and international factors. Formal business learning is now necessary in order to understand business environment as a whole.
Without a business degree from a renowned business school, it is difficult to undertake a business career.
Basis of business education are business and economic practices and theories. These comprise of courses in fields like business accounting and bookkeeping, business strategy, business intelligence, business law, business writing, business consulting, financial management, organizational behavior, business marketing, business planning, international business, micro and macro economics etc.
Business education leads to important degrees like bachelors and masters (MBA). These two are the most important business degrees and are in high demand amongst companies and business establishments.
A university level business qualification leading to an MBA degree is the crown of a business course. MBA programs have been in high demand because of their clout in the market. While business concepts get clear at bachelor's level, master's education is a more specialized form of business education.
Generally an MBA program is spread over a two year period after bachelors. Most renowned MBA universities are in North America, UK and Australia. There are certain institutions like Indian Institutes of Management (IITs) in India which are equally reputed.
Some universities also have executive MBA programs which can be completed in one to two years. Executive MBAs are specific to working executives and managers who have been practicing in business field or at jobs for a number of years.
Executive MBA candidates have mostly bachelor level degrees and experience of a number of years. Essential qualifications for an executive MBA program are a combination of education and business experience. Executive MBA programs are generally employer supported and have a shorter duration than regular MBAs.
It is estimated that MBA salaries are generally higher by about 35 per cent than regular graduates. They hold prestigious jobs. They position their businesses strategically and help in the growth of companies and economies.
MBA degrees can be obtained at a university campus, through distance learning MBA, MBA online and part time MBA. With the spread of internet, it has become easier to pursue an MBA degree. It is no longer necessary now to be a full time student at a campus, although this is most desirable.
Almost 43 per cent of MBA universities also have online MBA degree programs. About two thirds of MBA degrees get awarded through distance MBA programs and part time MBA education.
Though expensive, one can study an MBA course on part time basis or through distance learning MBA while on the job. An MBA course enables a person not only to have a successful MBA career, but also helps one to establish own business consulting or any other independent business.

Tips for Choosing the Right Video Conferencing Equipment

Most of us have seen or used video conferencing at work or even used a free video chat tool like Skype or Google Hangouts. But when it comes to choosing video conferencing for your business there is lot more to think about.

When video is deployed across a business there are different solutions to fit different requirements.

Boardroom / Meeting Room Application

For a boardroom or meeting room application you'll need to consider the following points:

1. Research before setting a budget - Speak to businesses who use video. Find out what they spent on their solution. Too often do businesses believe a video solution can be purchased at next to nothing and still deliver a high quality experience.

2. Identify what features you'll need - Knowing what features you'll need is important. A solution that delivers point-to-point calls won't be as costly as a solution that is designed to support multi-party video calls. Most video solutions have the ability to share presentations and documents. Some systems allow a document camera to be attached so that high quality closed-up live images can be shared of products, garments, etc.

3. Number of participants - For all participants to be visible on a video call a video solution that's designed for right number of people must be used along with the correct furniture. There systems designed for individual use, for two to four people, four to six, and even 10+. For meeting room applications with more than 4 people ideally a curved table should be used to avoid participants having to lean forwards when looking at the video screen.

4. Viewing experience of all participants - Screen size is very important. People viewing the screen need to see video participant's facial expressions, hand gestures, and potentially shared presentations and data. Using a 32 inch screen in a room with ten participants will deliver a poor user experience.

5. Who will your business be calling - If your business wants to conduct video calls to other businesses the likelihood is they will use standards based video conferencing equipment. Talk to the people you will be calling and ask their opinion of the equipment they use. Be sure to be using video

6. Group participation - The correct type and number of microphones must be used to ensure all participants can join the conversation and be heard clearly. Without the correct microphone setup participants won't be heard by far end participants.

7. Security - You'll need to be aware of your company security for video conferencing. Your IT team will tell you what is and what isn't accepted. Many IT departments will not allow use of certain tools like Skype within their network.

Video Conferencing Myths

Talking to moving pictures was once upon a time a dream, a recorded video from far of branches could to some extent give the essence of the thoughts of the employees, a telephonic conversation can answer the queries but not the same as a face to face meeting as it is highly interactive conversation along with expressions of the delegates which gives clarity of thoughts and an impromptu decision can be made on any issues. It had its own constrains as one need to travel and make arrangements of a common meeting point, involving lot of preparation and incurring expenditure on the organization.

Talking online with an interactive video is like a boon, as there is no more pains taken for the arrangements of a meeting, spend on the expenses of the meeting. On-line Conferencing is a cutting edge technology which facilitates attending meeting any where around the world with a feel of face to face conversation using internet. All the business organizations which are looking to expand world wide cannot keep away from video conferencing as it is an eminent tool which makes all their business discussions easily possible across the globe.

Technically though video conferencing is considered as a trend to follow for all business organizations, many myths keep most organizations away from implementing it in their organizations. It is time to know the facts, clear doubts about conferencing on-line and embrace video conferencing as a required tool for business.

The following are the myths which probably are stopping organizations from using on-line conferencing:

Myth 1. Video conferencing is expensive:

When video conferencing first entered the arena of on-line conferencing, the requirement for implementations were very expensive, huge and hardware based. As the technology has surged with leaps and bounds there is a drastic improvement in the accessories used. Costing less and now one can also implement software based Video conferencing which is affordable and can connect from desktop, laptop or a mobile making connectivity possible from the office cabin or from home.

Myth 2. Video Conferencing requires lot of Download:

Many of the organizations keep away from on-line conferencing as it may need download of software and different kind of settings which may alter their work flow. They also fear of some thing going wrong terribly. They should understand that it is free from errors and doesn't alter their system in any way.

Myth 3. Setting up a Boardroom exclusive for Video Conferencing is difficult

The main feature of Video conferencing software is that one can connect form any where in the world at anytime. As the employees can get connected to a conference at their own comfort it is not required for pooling of members into a meeting hall as in a regular meeting.

Myth 4. It is not the same as face-to-face meetings:

By connecting through Video conferencing software one can see the members face to face on their screens, all the preliminary meeting and discussions can be done online and a final meeting can be a real face to face meeting. In this way much of traveling is reduced saving time and money.

Absolute Remedy For Cutting Down Travel Expenses - Video Conferencing

Video conferencing has crossed the limits of expensive equipment and software and has become trendy at offices for holding meetings. It has become more a requirement, as its capability to connect to anywhere in the world making meeting people easy from the office desk. More and more business organizations opt for online conferencing acquaintance with the following terms will be of advantage to a right decision of a good online conferencing provider.

Arranging a seminar for conducting workshops, seminars or lectures to a large group is a regular process, which is requires involvement of many of the employees, A 'Webinar' is a web based seminar which is used to hold seminars, workshops and lectures online. Webinars are very useful for conducting trainings, workshops, discussions in sales and marketing. It is used when the information is to be passed to a limited number of audience and the session is interactive inviting the audience to participate in polling.

A 'Webcast' is also used for educational, sales and marketing purposes but it is aimed to wards large audience. Used mainly for broadcasting live events, much useful in reaching large number of audience and it is less interactive than a Webinar.

Unlike a Webinar or a Webcast, Web Conference is a typical meeting online. It has unique capabilities for presentations, sharing of documents of Word, PowerPoint and Excel. It is exclusively meant for holding a highly interactive programs where attendees actively interact with each other, participate in discussions, debates training sessions and every member is important so it is reserved extremely for a small set of members where each one is focussed more.

The following are the features of the 'Web Conference' which make conferences possible online connecting people across the world cutting down travel expenses of an organization drastically.

1. Sharing applications, presentations and documents is easy - Sharing of applications and presentations is required in a conference to get quickly updated.

2. Remote computer control - One can control all the computers being at one place, to pan, zoom or tilt the cameras and can focus on a particular person while speaking.

3. Sharing of files to the members is easy - There is large data available after the meeting which every member should maintain after the meeting, sending individuals is difficult, here sharing documents is easier removing unnecessary delay.

4. One can ask for the acceptance of the members through polling - Many times we have differing opinions for a particular issue, taking the majority of acceptance for a particular suggestion is important before taking a decision. By online polling option one can get the supporting or denying members count immediately which makes clear decision making easy.

5. Recording the conference and using it for later reference is very useful- Remembering the whole lot of conference after the meeting is not possible. Many points are missed and some times important points are not recollected to pen it down after the meeting. Recording the meeting for later documentation helps in keeping the information safe for later use.

Interacting to another person through a video gives a feel of face-to-face meeting. Video conference can be defined as a online meeting using a video.

It is of the following types:

Browser-based Video conference

Desktop Video Conferencing

Multipoint Video Conferencing

Point to Point

Point to Multi Point