There is an old adage, “it is the quality of the general and not the
standard of equipment at his disposal that decides the outcome of a battle.”
Nowhere is this old saying truer than in the field of modern business and
commerce. An integral part of the success of virtually any business is a great
manager. And being a great manager means having the skill set required to
extract the best possible results from any situation or resource. An MBA degree
does not guarantee that a person will be a great manager, but it definitely
hones the skills required by a person to be said kind of manager.
Career Prospects for fresh MBA grads:
Considering the fact that MBA offers a number of specialisations, the
job prospects for MBA students are as diverse as the specialisation they
choose. Gone are the days when an MBA in Marketing meant that only Marketing
Manager positions were ideal for a fresh grad. With businesses themselves
looking to diversify outward and inward, the number of newer positions that are
being created are virtually endless (in a matter of speaking). The fresh MBA
grad today has a plethora of career prospects based on his/her individual
specialization and interest.
MBA in Finance: Many
MBA students opt for a specialisation in finance these days, simply because of
the number of job opportunities this particular specialisation opens up.
Considering that a finance background is required in almost all
functions of a business process, like Taxation, Planning, Auditing, Allocation,
Marketing Budget, Valuation, International Finance and Financial Statement
Reporting and Analysis, the career prospects for a fresh MBA grad are pretty
widespread.
The job titles and descriptions are also quite interesting and
challenging. Some of the job designations open to MBAs include, Financial
Managers, Analysts (in banks and brokerage houses among others), Risk and
Insurance Management (in Non-banking Financial Companies and Insurance majors),
Investment Banking Associates and Managers (across investment banking firms).
The challenges in the roles faced are also equally different. Says Jatin
Vaidya, an investment banking associate, “the challenges we face in an ever
evolving, dynamic and fast growing world economic market is really something
that excites me. Not only do I have to take stock and keep an eye on commodity
and stock markets in India, but with my firm having several international
clientele, I have to take an active interest in world markets as well. And
because of this, no two days are ever the same!”
MBA in Marketing:
Marketing as a function is an essential business process that straddles both
communication and sales. An MBA in Marketing therefore needs to possess both a
flair for communication as well the aptitude and flair for sales. An MBA in
marketing can open doors in both advertising and every allied field of the same
as also in corporates with a focus on developing and executing strategy that
will affect the bottomline of the company.
The positions available to an MBA in marketing include Client Servicing
Executives/Managers in both Advertising and Public Relations, Marketing/Sales
Managers in companies across the board, Marketing Strategy Consultants and
professionals in firms that research and consult with large scale multinational
corporations.
Says Kimberly Athaide, a marketing manager with a fast growing beverage
company, “creativity and numbers live in harmony as two vital cogs of my job.
If one day is about coordinating with my advertising agency about our latest ad
campaign, the next is about strategising about distribution and reach with
wholesalers, so that our products are placed and priced competitively vis-a-vis
our competitors. Like I said, it is both about numbers and creativity in equal
measure…”
MBA in HR: No
business can ever run successfully with a dissatisfied staff. An HR MBA equips
individuals to better connect with their personnel on matters of morale,
remuneration, work ethics, policies and organizational hierarchy.
Job titles in this space can vary from an HR executive to a Chief
Motivational Officer (a concept popularised in several tech companies and
startups). The challenges facing a fresh grad are complex as HR is about
dealing with people and complex relationships within the purvey and framework
of a professional set up.
Says Roshi Ahluwalia, an HR officer with a Hotel chain, “my job involves
solving, in a mutually beneficial manner, the problems and issues faced by
different cadres of people. From day labourers to managers and from chefs to
bell boys, I’m the one point of contact for practically everyone who works
here. What makes my job satisfying is that I make an impact on people’s lives
in a positive manner.”
MBA in Logistics and Operations: An
important function of any business is in the maintenance and upkeep of a supply
chain. Logistics and operations are vital across several lines of business, and
an MBA in this specialisation prepares one for the challenges faced in this
critical function.
Job titles and responsibilities vary in this field and growth is based
on performance and skills shown. Companies have known to have Presidents and
Vice Presidents (Operations), demonstrating the vital nature of this function
to the success of a business.
MBA in IT: There
is absolutely no doubt that Information Technology has revolutionised the way
one does business. With data and processes now run singlehandedly by smarter
computers, an MBA in IT enables a fresh grad to contribute in a positive manner
to the efficacy and maximization of IT resources for the stability and growth
of a company.
With this degree under one’s belt the glass ceiling is CIO (Chief
Information Officer) which in tech companies and several financial majors is
seen as on par with the big three job titles i.e. CEO (Chief Executive
Officer), CFO (Chief Financial Officer) and COO (Chief Operating Officer).
MBA in Retail: With
Retail emerging as one of the strongest sectors in the past decade, a
specialisation in the business of retail is seen by many as the next big post
graduate degree to have. An MBA in Retail isn’t just about procurement and
dispersal of stock, it is in fact a science and an art, in so much as there are
several facets to retail. Planning a retail experience is the buzzword in the
industry and Retail Management equips a grad to do just that.
Job titles in the ambit of an MBA in Retail include Visual Merchandiser,
Store and Retail Manager, Retail Buyers/Merchandisers, Experience Creation
Executives, Logistics and Warehouse Managers, Supply Chain Executives/Managers
and so forth.
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