4 Ps of MBA

Anyone who is remotely interested in MBA must have heard about 4Ps of marketing and no MBA discussion is complete with this Philip Kotler framework. But here I will list the 4Ps of MBA itself. And anyone who has gone this course will (hopefully!) agree to these ones.

1. Presentations – Power point presentations become the order of the day for an MBA student. Everyone seems to use it at the drop of hat. Most of the books have their chapters in ppt format now, all (almost all) professors use them for teaching, companies use them big time for luring students to join their organisation, some subject require us to make ppts for a particular class and some profs are just too smart when they ask everyone to make it and pick up anyone randomly to present his/her presentation! At the end of the day, we become just too ‘good’ in making presentations and attending them. In the first few weeks of MBA, making a presentation eats up like few hours but by the end of it, it does not take more than 15 minutes ;) with number of slides not being a criteria. And ya, even the quality improves. At the end of 2 years, making a presentation is a piece of cake but cannot say the same for the attending part :P Just another thing here – subjects like statistics and courses in finance which are supposed to be ‘quant’ oriented also taught through this medium.

2. Projects and Peer group – Now, there should be a reason also to make a presentation...right?! Projects are those reasons in a B-School. All courses have their own evaluation criteria and more often than not, projects are a part of it, supplementing exams (mid-term or end-term or both) or case write-ups etc. Very rarely, projects are done individually and hence we work in groups of size of typically 3 to sometimes 10 also! When we work in a group, that is when the diversity part of a batch kicks in and we are able to appreciate each other’s viewpoint and experience. When working in a group, I personally realised my own strengths and weaknesses. The infinite brain storming sessions, conflict management times, crisis handling etc are all learnt in a project. From deciding on a topic to contents to be covered to work allocation to its final closure – each is a mission in itself. Working in different groups allows one to interact with some amazing individuals who are pretty sharp, peaked in whatever they have undertaken and yet so humble. I believe, it is true to say that learning is there in the classroom, no doubt about that but in a B-School peer group takes the learning to another level all-together. Adding to this, working on projects also enhances the learning. Over the course of 2 years, everyone does at least 20 projects on various functions of marketing or finance or strategy. This contributes to the knowledge gained beyond books, as it is said.

3. Placements – Let’s face it, 99.99% students come to a B-School for placements. So it is not surprising that placements, rather the allied activities, do take up a lot of time. It all starts when we enter the B-School as summer placements are the first BIG thing to happen on campus. CV making is the first step towards placements. I never realised that writing about me in an A4 sheet would turn out to be such a difficult task. Mentoring from seniors, help from our batchmates and sometimes alums from companies really helps one to create THE CV, albeit after typically 20 to 25 iterations. Coupled with that there are company presentations to attend, ‘gyaan’ sessions on sectors for internships, preparation sessions, mock interviews and what not. Of course, the placement process days are an experience in themselves. It is a test of confidence, resilience and one’s toughness (mental, physical, and psychological). The same process happens for the finals and the laterals (people with prior work experience) although it is comparatively less stressful and less grilling. This is due to the fact that some people get PPOs (pre-placement offers) or some don’t take participate for higher studies or entrepreneurship or going back to original organisations. The excitement and thrill witnessed during those days is just phenomenal and is really an experience of a lifetime.

4. Perpetual fight between I-bankers and consults – This is something which really left me amused in the complete stay in IIM Calcutta. Investment banking and consulting firms really vouch for talent in the B-School and the way it is done is really hilarious. The references made to other professions in a presentation or the way ‘take-aways’ are pitched vis-a-vis competing industries is a treat to watch.

Well, there are many facets of life in a B-School which would be covered in my next post – 7Cs of MBA!