Raghav_12 Posted May 16, 2011 Posted May 16, 2011 @Yam - I dont know if you can 'audit' courses in India. Audit means you dont have to take exams' date=' but you still attend classes and learn (based on your appetite for learning). Thats a popular thing here.[/quote'] You can "audit" courses in some of the institutes in India. However, here Mariyam is looking to audit whole degree, not few courses only. Not sure if that is possible anywhere :dontknow:
Sachin=GOD Posted May 16, 2011 Posted May 16, 2011 Hmmm thanks. I need some advice on whether it is good to do MBA without much work experience. If you have just completed graduation and are planning to do MBA immediately after graduation then its alright without job experience but if you are planning to wait for an year or two then you've got to have some job experience.
zen Posted May 16, 2011 Posted May 16, 2011 Btw, MBA in Gujarati means 'Mane Badhu Aavade-che' (I know everything :P )
WC2011INDIA Posted May 16, 2011 Posted May 16, 2011 If you have just completed graduation and are planning to do MBA immediately after graduation then its alright without job experience but if you are planning to wait for an year or two then you've got to have some job experience. Ah crap. I graduated last February and then worked for 8 months (contract position). I have another 3 months of summer work experience. I am currently looking for a permanent job in Canada but so far have been unsuccessful in finding one. Hell, even interviews are hard to come by. I am so confused as to what I should do. I am trying to weigh my options. 1) Return India and prepare for civil services, which I am very very interested in 2) Do MBA and then find a job, which I am interested in as well. 3) Go to grad school in my field, which is Environmental Engineering. But I really am not interested in pursuing a Masters degree in this area. 4) Continue looking for a permanet job but I am getting tired of not getting any responses
Sachin=GOD Posted May 16, 2011 Posted May 16, 2011 Ah crap. I graduated last February and then worked for 8 months (contract position). I have another 3 months of summer work experience. I am currently looking for a permanent job in Canada but so far have been unsuccessful in finding one. Hell, even interviews are hard to come by. I am so confused as to what I should do. I am trying to weigh options. 1) Return India and prepare for civil services, which I am very very interested in 2) Do MBA and then find a job 3) Go to grad school in my field, which is Environmental Engineering. But I really am not interested in pursuing a Masters degree in this area. 4) Continue looking for a permanet job but I am getting tired of not getting any responses If you are seriously interested in Civil Services then go for it otherwise go for an MBA because without it you'll find it even more difficult to find a job as time passes by.
Sachin=GOD Posted May 16, 2011 Posted May 16, 2011 Btw' date=' MBA in Gujarati means [i']'Mane Badhu Aavade-che' (I know everything :P ) In Hindi its known as Maha Bekaar Aadmi :--D
zen Posted May 16, 2011 Posted May 16, 2011 In Hindi its known as Maha Bekaar Aadmi :--D True in a sense that if you don't go to a top B-school, you probably wasted your time and money. And on top of that one might get a tag like "despite doing MBA (many people ignore from where), he is still w/o a job" :P
Sir john Posted May 16, 2011 Posted May 16, 2011 In Hindi its known as Maha Bekaar Aadmi :--D :thefinger: :chewtiyapnti ki bhi haad hooti haai.
Sachin=GOD Posted May 16, 2011 Posted May 16, 2011 :thefinger: :chewtiyapnti ki bhi haad hooti haai. look who's talking about chewtiyapnti :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:
Sir john Posted May 16, 2011 Posted May 16, 2011 look who's talking about chewtiyapnti :hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical::hysterical: :WTF: :finger:
kabira Posted May 16, 2011 Posted May 16, 2011 I have ran family business, and I still help my Dad, I don't think any course/degree going to help you. With the degree you are going to make things complicated for yourself. Best thing is to just do it and try to improve whatever its done with the help of professional advice. Lets say if you want to learn accounting, start doing it, start using some simple software like Tally. You will learn a lot quickly.
Sachin=GOD Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 I have ran family business' date=' and I still help my Dad, [b']I don't think any course/degree going to help you. With the degree you are going to make things complicated for yourself. Best thing is to just do it and try to improve whatever its done with the help of professional advice. Lets say if you want to learn accounting, start doing it, start using some simple software like Tally. You will learn a lot quickly. Spot on. @Mariyam - rather than spending 1-2 years in doing an MBA you should join your family business and work there for 1-2 years. You'll learn far more than you could ever learn in an MBA.
DomainK Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 I have ran family business' date=' and I still help my Dad, I don't think any course/degree going to help you. With the degree you are going to make things complicated for yourself. Best thing is to just do it and try to improve whatever its done with the help of professional advice. Lets say if you want to learn accounting, start doing it, start using some simple software like Tally. You will learn a lot quickly.[/quote'] It's not that a professional course does not help you at all. One can learn a lot with good resources and knowledgeable teachers to answer your queries. But a course never makes you absolutely ready for running a business. There is a lot one learns on the job and with experience.
zen Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 How useful an MBA for the purpose of running a family business can be depends upon what kind of business one has, along with how others in the family mentor you. If you are a clothes' retailer or building colonies/apartments then you can do with some mentoring. On the other hand, if you are manufacturing say food for example and want to expand internationally, then you may need to develop yourself to navigate unchartered territories. One shouldn't underestimate the ways to develop oneself. A quality MBA from institutions like Harward, Stanford, Wharton, LBS (UK), INSEAD (France/S'pore), IMD (Switzerland), IE (Spain), Rotman, etc, will definately help. But ofcourse, if you are planning to get into such institutions, then your line of thinking is different. If you have a family business, then it means that someone in your family has already done the hard work of building the business. Now the question is are you just looking to cash in or looking to move your business to the next level. And do you have the necessary tools and knowledge to take it to the next level. If you had to start your business from scratch, would you be able to do that? And it is answers to these type of questions and the challenges you plan to take on in future determines how much you need to develop yourself. The business world is dymanic. It poses tremendous challenges. Whatever your family has learned from what it has build may not be relevant in future. When you are joining your family business, you are expected to adjust to the dynamic enviornment and guide your business into future. You are expected to bring in new ideas. To be able to do that you should be in tune with the times, have an idea of what's in store for future, and importantly develop tools to help you out in your journey. This is where good MBA program plays an important role. It makes you go through different challanges, makes you aware of the future scenarios, helps you develop the necessaty tools. You can't expect your 50 years old dad, who has been running the business for 25 years to teach you how to navigate the business environment 20 years later. His knowledge of business comes from the struggles he made, the resources that were available then. Since the business environment keeps changing, he can't be expected to keep pace with it all the time, which is where you come in. What's going to happen in future to your company should come from you, including new idea to keep the business competitive. And again if you come in without proper tools, you might just pick the old tools of running the business from your mentors. Those tools may be been useful in the past and now but may not be in future. In short, don't sit on the laurels of your family. Make and develop yourself to take your business to the next level. And that's one of the reasons, why your family want you to join the business. They probably expect you to take the business to the next level and the dreams that they may have about it.
akshayxyz Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 MBA in ENTREPRENEURSHIP Exactly.!!! No entrepreneur worth his salt should need any MBA degree, or any degree for that matter.!!! But yes, sometimes its good to do MBA from top 5 US univs, after your stint ( should be a pretty good one) at entrepreneurship. The 'ivy-league' networking does help (depending on your future goals).
Sir john Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 there is a one year diploma course of ENTREPRENEURSHIP too in various universities
akshayxyz Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 I'm basically looking for a course that can teach the basics like financial accounting, valuating business propositions, balance sheet reading, production techniques and ergonomics. The idea is to learn as much as possible, so I shouldn't have a :WTF: moment, should the need arise. Deeper finance related topics, HR etc are not so important ( to me at least). The focus is mainly for smooth transition and ability to come to terms with business realities. The degree per se doesn't mean much, and neither does the networking in the Business School. Any consolidated site for the same? Any college reccos? Are these courses customized? Weekend/ Part time courses? In Mumbai, SP Jain has a family business MBA. Unfortunately, it is a residential course. Unless absolutely necessary, I would prefer a non residential course. Depending upon your study style and motivation level and available time- you can self-study these things. Here is one of the top quality resources (MIT SLOAN MBA open courseware) http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/ Pick few things that matter to you, for the less important stuff - BE THE BOSS and hire the right people (assuming your family business is doing well).
Mariyam Posted May 17, 2011 Author Posted May 17, 2011 Big thanks to everyone for chipping in: @ Akshayxyz, I will go through the link you've posted. Generally, I have very less will power and never end up studying when I am supposed to do self study. @ kabira, holy and s=g Learning with my dad will limit myself to how he sees and does things. Admittedly, it has worked wonders for him, but there must be something more too that can be done. Besides, if I do a full time MBA- Family Business course, I would pick up things faster when I work with him than I do if I joined right away. @ Rett, I agree with most of what you've written. The course that I am currently looking at is a family biz MBA that is customized according to the need of the individual. Not completely customized, but there is some degree of flexibility. Besides its a 9 months to 1 yr course and involves working where the faculty will accompany you to your business. That could be very useful. The faculty will also understand your business and help you understand it better. In a way, its more a consultancy than a course. And its from a pretty good B school. All in all, I'm sold on that idea. At least as of now.
Holysmoke Posted May 17, 2011 Posted May 17, 2011 @ kabira, holy and s=g Learning with my dad will limit myself to how he sees and does things. Work WITH him, not under him. As long as you have your freedom to do things your way, I dont think it should be too big of a problem. I quit my job and started working with my dad as well, and the things you learn there are things you would never learn in the first few years if you're working as a salaried employee. Even if you want to do an MBA degree, it's better to work in your family business for atleast a couple of years prior so that you know your business in&out, and hence you can apply what you've learnt.
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