ISB is ahead of Said, Kellogg, Yale and several others in the Financial Times' Global Business School Rankings 2010. ISB has moved up from 20th rank in 2008 to 15th in 2009 and 12th in 2010.
No mean achievement for sure and I am proud of this achievement by my alma mater. It is for sure going to swing the masses in ISB's favour in the coming years. Nevertheless, do rankings really matter? What is the sanctity of these rankings? And now the bigger question of does ISB really deserve a 12th rank? Globally? Well, I am sure many of friends are going to hate me for even pondering over this question. But the doubting Thomas that I am, made me go through the fine text in the ranking.. Some of the things which I did not understand or things that had a bulb glowing over my head were..
1. Its strange that ISB does not have an Audit Year mentioned in the ranking. FT's website defines "Audit Year" as the year in which KPMG obtained evidence applying specified audit precedures relating to selected survey data. Does having the "Audit Year" as "Nil" mean that an audit was never conducted in ISB? Incidentally only 3 out of the top 100 schools have this problem of not having an Audit Year.
2. The weighted average salary for the 2006 Alums today is US$ 141,291 which is approximately Rs. 66 lakhs. Well, it does sound huge, but what does it really include? Is it comparable with the figures quoted for other B-Schools? I remember, ISB's average salary figure for my batch (2008) and the 2-3 years prior to that were in the range of Rs. 15-19 lakhs. Assuming that the batch of 2006 had an average salary of Rs. 17 lakhs at the time of passout, their salaries must have grown at a CAGR of 40% over the last four years to reach this magical figure of Rs. 66 lakhs. Hmmmm... Did we have the worst financial crisis in this period??
3. Another interesting number.. The salary percentage increase is quoted as 166%. This is defined as the percentage increase in average alumni salary from before the MBA to today as a percentage of the pre-MBA salary. Let us back calculate. A 166% increase would mean that the average pre-MBA salary of the 2006 alumni would be about Rs. 40 lakhs (assuming that their present salary is Rs. 66 lakhs). At least 95% of ISB applicants are Indians. Doesn't a Rs. 40 lakh pre-MBA salary for an undergrad, ring a bell in your head?
I rest my case your honour.. This post is definitely not to demean ISB or its worth. I had the best of my times at ISB and have a really high regard for the school. But I do not understand this ranking business.
Sincere advice to the few who still do read my blogs.. Don't be swayed by external rankings. Do your own research and be convinced.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
An idiot and a Messiah
I do not usually venture into writing movie reviews, but two movies which I had watched recently have inspired or rather compelled me to write something about them.
3 Idiots was the first one. A simple story line, an average plot, no major twists and turns and a predictable climax. A recipe for a box office disaster, you would think. But the movie was a treat to watch. It touches a chord not just in your heart, but in your brain too :-) You come out of the movie hall feeling happy and cheerful. And be rest assured that the producers are laughing their way to the bank as well.
The second movie I watched was "Aayirathil Oruvan (One in a thousand)". For the uninitiated, this was one of the most awaited Tamil movies in the recent times. People who fell in love with Karthi Sivakumar, were eagerly awaiting his second flick after his successful debut in Paruthiveeran. As rediff puts it.. the movie was supposed to have it all - War, love, betrayal, ancient history, a forgotten kingdom, magical powers and a ruined city. A perfect recipe for a smash hit at the box office....
And what a disaster it turned out to be.. The movie had nothing but great visuals which were hopelessly tied together with a razor thin plot, confused actors, disgusting violence, crass and lewd dialogues and to top it all a director who probably did not know how to end this mish-mass masala at the end of 3 hours that he just ended up choosing the easy exit by saying, ".... the journey continues." Three years of efforts and Rs. 32 crores down the drain. Interesting that director's production company is aptly named "White Elephants". If you have not yet watched the movie, take my advice and give the money you intended to spend on the movie, to charity. You will feel better.
Can these big budget actors and directors of the South take a leaf from 3 Idiots and make movies which are fun to watch and not come out with something where you will need to visit your doc/ psychiatrist immediately after the movie?
3 Idiots was the first one. A simple story line, an average plot, no major twists and turns and a predictable climax. A recipe for a box office disaster, you would think. But the movie was a treat to watch. It touches a chord not just in your heart, but in your brain too :-) You come out of the movie hall feeling happy and cheerful. And be rest assured that the producers are laughing their way to the bank as well.
The second movie I watched was "Aayirathil Oruvan (One in a thousand)". For the uninitiated, this was one of the most awaited Tamil movies in the recent times. People who fell in love with Karthi Sivakumar, were eagerly awaiting his second flick after his successful debut in Paruthiveeran. As rediff puts it.. the movie was supposed to have it all - War, love, betrayal, ancient history, a forgotten kingdom, magical powers and a ruined city. A perfect recipe for a smash hit at the box office....
And what a disaster it turned out to be.. The movie had nothing but great visuals which were hopelessly tied together with a razor thin plot, confused actors, disgusting violence, crass and lewd dialogues and to top it all a director who probably did not know how to end this mish-mass masala at the end of 3 hours that he just ended up choosing the easy exit by saying, ".... the journey continues." Three years of efforts and Rs. 32 crores down the drain. Interesting that director's production company is aptly named "White Elephants". If you have not yet watched the movie, take my advice and give the money you intended to spend on the movie, to charity. You will feel better.
Can these big budget actors and directors of the South take a leaf from 3 Idiots and make movies which are fun to watch and not come out with something where you will need to visit your doc/ psychiatrist immediately after the movie?
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