In fact B-schools are not even needed. By the time we pass out anyway we have forgotten all that is taught and we begin learning once we get the job. The only thing that B-schools have is the entrance test which is needed to filter out people. Beyond that anything that happens in the two years is totally useless and for executives who have worked, it is just a ritual which is undergone when taking a break from work.And in fact most of the professors have no work experience and put forward some theories which are never used in work life as if they are some magic pills which can solve our problems just like that - I wonder how many of those professors have actually done any real work and know what it takes to make a successful organization.
Anyway ppl will forget whatever nonsense is taught there by the time they pass out and will start learning on the job once they get there. The only thing needed is the entrance test. The ideal system should just have the entrance test and if the candidate clears the entrance test then he should be considered for job interview and offered a suitable job based on his past profile and his score in the entrance exam. This whole ritual of 2 years of study is just a drama to provide a livelihood for professors who would be much more useful to society if they did some real work in industry instead of preaching sermons which have no meaning.
This article demonstrate myopic vision. Although some facts are used in place like dwindling application in top B-schools, the analysis is immature and loses focus soon. for example the author argues that infrastructure in top B schools is unnecessary but major B schools are over 100 years of age and at that time it was pretty inexpensive to do so. he argues that todays managers need only specialized business and problem solving skills to be better placed for promotion, I contest because an MBA teaches you things for a lifetime, not just for the next promotion. By simple enhancing you marketing skills for the next promotion, one can never become the CEO of a company because he will be missing the overall view of the business. he gives an example of ISB, I agree that@ ISB students learn from the best profs and it dosen't matter whether they are full time or part time, but we sould consider the fact that ISB is the most expensive MBA program in India, upwards of 16 lakhs !!! and one last note, in any school, a student learns not only form the professors but his peers, staff and everybody he interacts with. many learning experiences come collectively often missing in an executive prog
Dear Sir You do have a point in what you have said regarding the decreasing relevance of the courses offered by B-Schools. I am myself a passout from a leading Indian B-School, and to be very frank, I think I have learnt a great deal more 'outside' the classroom than inside it. The corporate training programs, e-learning etc. can provide information in a nutshell, but I believe they can't match the diversity of a B-School batch. Even in a corporate training program, all the participants are likely to be from the same company, and will share the same kind of corporate value system, which is very different from the kind of mix one comes across in a B-School. B-Schools are not just about going to the classes and going through reams of pages, they are about developing a structured approach to problem solving, they are about developing the capability to lead a diverse group with conflicting interests, they are about adapting quickly to changing situations,and most importantly,they are about learning to understand and appreciate other people's views. I don't think a corporate training program or even an e-leaning course can ever match up to the real experience,its every penny well spent
