Odisha HRD

Excerpts of Interview of XIMB director in Pagalguy

March 23rd, 2008

Following is an excerpt from http://www.pagalguy.com/index.php?categoryid=51&p2_articleid=1224.

What are the top 3 advantages of XIMB’s MBA programme that no other business school in the same league offers?

The top 3 advantages are:

a) Higher Industry Interaction and Corporate Linkages for the XIMB students by using platforms such as Immersion Courses, CEO Talks, etc. The Immersion Courses are specific course modules which are delivered by top Industry experts within a short span of 1-2 days while CEO talks are a series of seminars with top CEOs of the country and beyond.

b) Rigorous and intensive course curriculum which is highly adaptive and consistently upgraded and is extremely compatible with the industry needs and therefore provides the highest degree of relevance for study of the students and turns them into industry ready management professionals. Further, Technology intensive facilities like VSAT and Video Conferencing Platforms are used in order to augment learning process of the students.

c) Thrust and focus on establishing and maintaining high ethical standards in business and professional life and ensuring social sensitivity for the underdeveloped sections of the society and being a professional manager with a “Human Face”.

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What were the XAT cutoffs at XIMB for the 2005 and 2006 PGP and PGPRM admissions? How does XIMB use sectional cutoffs for short listing candidates?

The XAT cutoffs at XIMB for PGP programme in 2005 and 2006 were 87.45 and 91.74 percentile respectively. PGPRM admissions are conducted through IRMA Entrance Test. For the year 2005 and 2006, IRMA has not released the cutoff marks. XIMB has an Admissions Committee comprising of Senior Faculty Members which every year scrutinizes analyses and then sets sectional cutoffs for short listing candidates as it relevant and necessary for that year.

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How much is the quota for Orissa domicile students at XIMB and what is the XAT cutoff for this category?

The Institute gives some preference to domicile candidates to fulfill its social contract with the State of Orissa. The XAT cut off was close to 90 percentile for the domicile candidates for this year.

How would you address the concerns of a non-Orissa candidate with an admission offer about the dilution in batch quality due to the quota?

There is no dilution in standards of intake. The learning process imparts very high value and outcome is evident when 100 pc placements are achieved on Day-1 itself. Some domicile students who graduate from here do secure top 10 positions in the merit list.

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How many full time faculty members does XIMB have? How does XIMB retain its best faculty?

XIMB has 47 full time faculty members. XIMB retains them by providing them the best compensation packages seen in India today, providing financial incentives for publications, paper presentations and other research work. Apart from that XIMB provides an excellent Quality of Life for them and their families on campus as well as supports them financially and institutionally for their PhD work, Research, and Consultancy as well as for undertaking Training and Development Programmes.

What are the pros and cons of being located in a relatively less-developed state like Orissa?

XIMB is located in Bhubaneswar, the capital city of Orissa. Bhubaneswar is extremely well connected by airlines, railways and Highways. Apart from that many IT majors like Infosys, Satyam, etc. as well as manufacturing entities like POSCO, Vedanta, NALCO, etc. are based out of Bhubaneswar. Bhubaneswar is considered to be one of the most rapidly developing cities in India. Therefore, there is no negatives but rather the presence of such high concentration of corporates makes Bhubaneswar and extremely viable and beneficial place for an institution like XIMB to grow.

What are the top 3 value propositions of studying Rural Management in XIMB as opposed to dedicated rural management schools like IRMA?

The top 3 value propositions are:

a) In Orissa, where more than 47 pc of people live Below the Poverty Line, the value of a Rural Management programme is highly relevant and necessary.

b) The practical and experiential aspect conducted in the PGPRM programme which is known as RLLE (Rural Living and Learning Experience) is extremely productive and highly acclaimed in the social sector.

c) CENDERET (Centre for Development Research & Training) is the social wing of XIMB which has pioneered and implemented successfully hundreds of social development programmes in the state of Orissa over the past decade. This on-campus exposure for the Rural Management students with CENDERET provides a practical basis for their learning which is unparalleled in any other organization across India.

How have the placement patterns evolved in PGPRM over the last two years?

Placements have evolved in PGPRM over the last two years in the following manner;
a) Number of placement offers has gone up from 68 in 2007 to 75 in 2008.
b) The mean salary has risen from 5.10 lakhs per annum in 2007 to 6.01 lakhs per annum in 2008.
c) The median salary has risen from 4.60 lakhs per annum in 2007 to 5.85 lakhs per annum in 2008.
d) The minimum salary has risen from 2.40 lakhs per annum in 2007 to 4.50 lakhs per annum in 2008.
e) The maximum salary has risen from 8.00 lakhs per annum in 2007 to 8.50 lakhs per annum in 2008.

Comments (1)

avatar byzantine – March 23, 2008 Its ironical how XIMB’s standards with reference to the domicile quota system get questioned time and again while other institutes which consistently get ranked above XIMB get away with even more reservation for local candidates (think delhi). And for the record, there are 5 students in the top-10 from the PGP class of 2008 who are Orissa domiciled (That includes the topper). Some of the best jobs on campus have gone to Oriyas as well. As a student who is about to graduate out of this wonderful place, I am yet to meet someone who I think doesn’t deserve to belong here. In a nutshell, although there is a small quota here, the gap in quality between the general candidates and the so called "reservation" candidates is next to negligible.

And by the way, I am not an Orissa domiciled student, so rest assured, this is an impartial view.

Entry Filed under: Bhubaneswar-Cuttack-Puri- Khurda area (1),Engineering and MCA colleges,Other Management institutions and programs,XIM, Bhubaneswar