HEURISTIC VIEWPOINT CONCERNING MANAGEMENT JOBS …apps.aima.in/ejournal_new/articlesPDF/18Nitin...

AIMA Journal of Management & Research, May 2014, Volume 8 Issue 2/4, ISSN 0974 –

497 Copy right© 2014 AJMR-AIMA

HEURISTIC VIEWPOINT CONCERNING

MANAGEMENT JOBS, EDUCATION AND

INDUSTRY NEEDS – AN EXPLORATORY

STUDY IN INDIAN CONTEXT

Nitin Nayyar PhD Student & Technical Editor – Medical Research , Journal of Clinical and

Diagnostic Research, New Delhi

Abstract: Introduction

We, mostly in management research and education, unconsciously assume that “Job” is the

requirement as well as responsibility of the candidate/employee only. However, as a researcher, we

need to look holistically and appreciate the ground reality of “how ‘Job’ quality and satisfaction is

important for ‘not only candidate’ but also for industry, HR department, and management education

as a “single unified system.” Mostly research focuses on simple question “Are we teaching what the

industry actually requires?”, however, we must equally appreciate and enquire about the corollary that

“Are we, as industry experts, actually hiring on the basis of what the management education teaches.”

We rarely try to correlate whether our requirement of the candidates in advertisements and job

offerings are matching with the final selections made. This is the first study of its kind in Indian

scenario that considers all stake-holders involved in the complete process of creating,

communicating, educating and explaining, hiring and accepting management jobs. Objective: To

critically analyse “Management Job Stake-holder’s Matrix” and its Implications on Management

Education and Industry as a unified system. Research Methodology Comparative Content- Analysis and Random Blind Cross-sectional Interviewing (Disguised

Participant Qualitative Research): We randomly selected 20 management job advertisements, 20 HR executives and 20 fresh/2-years

experienced MBA candidates/their CVs. Content of job advertisements and descriptions was

critically analysed for what mostly candidates are expected to bring with them. HR executives were

asked about the major criteria/reasons for selections and rejections in fresher’s management jobs.

Candidates were analysed on their actual profile and strengths and profile offered by their employers.

Also, standard management education subjects analysed grossly. Finally, comparative critical analysis

of information and responses from all the four sources was done. Dependent and inter-related factors

examined.

Study implication: This study clearly unearthed certain interesting mutual implications of 4 key components of

“Management Job Stake-holder’s Matrix”; the Job description (Industry perspective), selection criteria

and process (HR perspective), candidate’s profile (Employee perspective) and management

education curriculum analysis (Management education perspective). The study shows that “Job”

description and presentation, selection criteria and process, candidate’s own attitude as well as B-

school approach to prepare the students all are interlinked parameters that are to be aligned and

attuned mutually so as to correct misalignment among them for the betterment of entire industry and

finally entire economy.



Keywords: Business education, Global Economy, Job Analysis, Knowledge and Skills, Desirable

job profile

INTRODUCTION:

Role of Indian Population in Global Economy:

The only resource showing discernibly tremendous and stratospheric growth

in India is a “Human Resource”. We are second most populous nation on the globe

with total population of 1.27 billion, approximately 17.91% of the world population.

This means every sixth person on the planet is an Indian (1). These statistics are not to

discourage or disappoint, but to excavate its positive and constructive view as a

“Management Researcher”.

This means India has largest number of people to serve and manage the

globalized industries on the planet. One vital key to this is to identify, train and

educate every individual and prepare to perform duties and responsibilities with

clarity, honesty and integrity. This will be the nation’s constructive contribution to the

entire planet.

On the other hand, the same resource will be self-limiting factor for nation’s as

well as planet’s growth, if not trained or utilized well. It will cause imbalance due to

increased consumption and wastage of other resources. It will also raise concomitant

inability to cooperate and harmonize with other fellow human beings and countries.

There is a critical need to provide nation’s denizens with their clearly defined

role in modern, globalized and flourishing economy. This is possible only, when

country can create well-designed, well-defined, well-described “Job” for its people.

These jobs are not just to serve daily needs or specific industry but also to address

issues and challenges of national concern and solve the problems of social, economic

and political welfare of the entire nation.

Indian B-schools: Institutions for Providing “Doers” to Industries:

Role of B-schools/Management education is to prepare the students for the practical

world of business. In other words, they prepare students for the practical world of

interaction, understanding and making decisions and contribute to industrial growth.

Also, in a country like India, people study, especially management, with only single

destination of getting absorbed in some white-collar, well-paid “Job” in a reputed

corporate or similar organisation. This is just to earn and maintain their minimum

standard of living. In India, rarely people study management, just for the sake of

learning and understanding concepts. India’s entry into globalization process acted

like a catalyst in the management education boom (2). Currently, 2012 statistics

shows that country is having around 3900 B-Schools with intake capacity of around

3.5 lakh students. The no. of seats were 94,704 in 2006-07 but has shown

stratospheric growth to 3,52,571 in 2011-12. However, contrastingly the

employability ratio has decreased from 25% to 21% within same period (3). Some

studies conducted in India also found that businesses/industry is not getting even 10%

candidates which are completely prepared and practically absorbable in the industry.



B-schools are not able to develop the managers who can contribute constructively to

the industrial operations and understand its dynamically fluctuating global needs.

The estrangement between management colleges and corporate entities raises serious

doubts on the ability of B-schools to independently solve problems brought on by

burgeoning dynamic industry and its ethnically diverse, globally competitive and

high-tech work-culture. B-schools are preparing the students on age-old curriculum,

criticized by many researchers. Many research studies conducted across the globe

clearly unearthed that curriculum hardly plays any role in the practical preparation

and practical grooming of management professionals. Studies have also high-lighted

that there is no correlation between course curriculum and average salary offered to

the candidate (4). Today, management programs are facing intense criticism for

failing to impart practical utility skills, to prepare leaders, to instil norms of discipline

and ethical behaviour in practical business scenarios (5). Henry Mintzberg, McGill

University professor, says that the main culprit is a less-than-relevant MBA

curriculum. But genuine reform of the MBA curriculum remains elusive (6).

Heuristic View Point - Management Jobs: Indian Scenario

The challenge of misalignment between B-schools and corporate requirements cannot

be understood by just looking at single stake-holder of “Job”. It may be better

appreciated when all the stake-holders involved are studied and cross-matched from

different angles and relationships of how they influence and interact with each other.

Considering the “Management Job” as a common lynchpin that makes all the stake-

holders involved to perform enthusiastically and measure the final performance based

on it, we need to adopt system’s approach to study the gaps lying in entire unified

system involving all the stake-holders. All stake-holders include; one who prepares

the candidates for “Jobs,” those who communicate the “Job”, those who design and

provide the “Job” and finally the one who wants to have the “Job.”



UNIFIED SYSTEM “JOB” MODEL:

View: “Job Satisfaction and Quality”:

Retrospectively, in management research and education, consciously or unconsciously

it is assumed that “Job” is the requirement and responsibility of the candidate only.

He is the only personnel concerned with satisfaction and quality of job performed. He

only performs and is getting paid for it. Indirectly, we assume that candidate is the

sole beneficiary of the job. This can be vindicated by a simple experiment; search for

term “Job Satisfaction” on Google/any search engine and the results will give

supportive evidence for this fact. However, holistically analysed, it is not so.

Holistic View: “Job Satisfaction and Quality”:

For management researcher, it is commonsensical as well as imperative to approach

and analyse the situation holistically. We need to understand and explore all the stake-

holders involved, to whom “Job” actually affects or matters. This can be done by

analysing complete “Job Satisfaction Stake-holder’s Matrix” (JSS Matrix). It is not

something new, but just an awareness tool that makes us look at the complete and

broader view of “Job” stake-holders. This matrix us aware that “Job” is not only

driving candidates career but is also requirement of the industry, responsibility of the

management education and living and discernible proof of successful HR system.

An honest, competent and contributing employee saves cost and time of the

entire industry. It also gives word-of-mouth publicity to the B-schools. Tons of

admissions are gained by B-schools based on even single exceptional success.

Otherwise, single incompetent selection or scandalous employee with poor

performance leads to loss of time and cost of entire industry. It also brings down the

B-school’s rating and market value. It also brings suspicion on the selection criteria,

process and policies of HR department. This means somewhere or the other every

stake-holder has to suffer directly or indirectly for the so called entity “Job.” Thus

• Prepares Candidate for Business World

B-school

• Product Prepared for Business World.

Candidate

• Requires the prepared product of B-Schools

Business/Industry

HR Department: Mediator Channel between Industry, Candidate and B-Schools



“Job” may be considered as a “Lynchpin” of the entire stake-holder’s matrix(JSS

matrix).

This “JSS matrix” will enable us to design practically applicable and actionable steps

involving all stake-holders in their respective role. This will improve the current

scenario of misalignment between demand and supply of practically utilizable

management work-force. This is just common “3600 approach” that will help us to

appreciate and conceptualize the ground reality of; how quality and satisfaction from

“Job” is important for “not only candidate” but also for industry, HR department, and

management education as a “single unified system.”

Age-old Approach: What we think “when “Job” is not performed with quality

and satisfaction”?

Whenever “Job” is not carried out with required quality and satisfaction, it is only

attributed to the candidate’s lack of knowledge, skills and attitude. Also, it shows

indirectly the inability of B-school’s to train these candidates. However, on the flip-

side, it may also indicate gaps in the description and advertisement of the job profile,

selection process, gaps in ‘skills and attitude’ selection criteria, which may at times

not allow desirable or genuine candidates to approach employer. Jobs at times are

described and communicated in an ambiguous, misguiding or unclear terms for

various parameters involved.

The present study, although designed at a very small scale with randomly chosen

small sample size, has potential in its approach to bring forth many new factors and

parameters related to the misalignment between management education and industry

needs.

New Approach towards Age-old “Research Problem”:

Management research mostly focuses on simple, biased and straight question; “Are

we teaching what the industry actually requires?.” What we know in this aspect is

apocryphal, if analysed on broader view. We have never tried to look or analyse the

corollary of the same. In present study, We have tried to explore and expound the

corollary that “Are we, as industry experts, actually hiring on the basis of what the

management education teaches” or we are just assuming that “B-Schools” must bring

certain tacit changes in the candidate’s personality and thus hiring based on

convenience and temporary subjective requirements.

We ‘as industry’ rarely analyse the way we advertise and describe our jobs to

candidates, selection criteria and processes. We never ask; are we hiring candidates

based on their actual profile or based on his profile designed by resume-writing expert

to make him project as a best fit for the profile. This chicanery to mislead industry is

commonly used by candidates now-a-days. We rarely try to correlate whether our

requirement of the candidate in advertisement and job offerings are matching with the

final selections made.

This is the only study of its kind conducted in India that will help in sensitizing the

entire system including industry, HR departments (job communicators, describers), B-



schools, and fresh management candidates to give critical thought on this new

perspective and help them to prepare and modify their currently utilized strategies to

succeed in their respective goals.

OBJECTIVE:

To critically analyse the “Management Jobs Stake-holder’s Matrix” and to study its

implications on management education and industry as a unified system.

Fig: 2: Job Satisfaction Stake-holder’s Matrix (JSS Matrix)

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Management Education:

What We Teach and prepare

for?

HR/Industry Perspective

What Department Actually Wants?

Job Advertisement

What our Job advertisement asks for?

Candidates Perspective

Why actually candidates apply for?

20 Job Advertisements Critical Content Analysis

20 Middle-level HR Managers

(Blindly)Interviewed

20 Fresher /2-year experience candidaes

(Blindly)Interviewed

Management School Curiculum and Subjects

analysed with their gross content.

Information gathered Correlated and Critically

analysed with their implications.

METHODOLOGY FLOW-CHART



Comparative Content-Analysis and Random Blind Interviewing:

The qualitative research study was performed utilizing “disguised participant

research” methodology to critically analyse the current situation of “Management Job

Market” and involved stake-holders. “Job Satisfaction Stake-holder’s Matrix” (Fig 2)

was designed considering all the involved partners getting affected by the “Job.”

I.) Job-Advertisement Critical Content Analysis:

Critical-Content-Analysis was performed on randomly selected 20 management job

advertisements for fresher/2-year-experience management professionals with MBA

qualification. Source of data collection was company’s website and well-known and

generally preferred employment sites (i.e. Naukri, Shine etc.). Three major domains

were explored and expounded upon categorically:

THREE DOMAINS OF ADVERTISEMENT STUDIED

A Knowledge, Skills and Attitude(KSA) requirement description

B Job Operations Description(JOD)

C “Desirable Candidate Profile” Description(DCP)

Most common and preferred industry types for management jobs and their basic

profiles were considered. The business sectors which usually require MBA graduates

were looked upon through retrospective placement trends.

S. No Type of Industry – Advertisements Studied

1 Product Manufacturing and Marketing

2 Banking and Hospitality Services

3 Market Research and Analysis

4 Training and Education

5 Healthcare Products and Services Delivery

S.No Designation or Profile - Advertisements Studied

1 Product Executive/Product Specialist

2 Business Development Executive

3 Sales and Marketing Executive

4 Customer Relationship Executive

5 Documentation & Reporting Executive

Analysis was done for both general KSAs and industry specific KSA parameters

separately. Sectoral and specific requirements are considered categorically for specific

profile.

A. Knowledge, Skills and Attitude(KSA) Requirement based on three

parameters:

1 Technical/Subject knowledge requirements

2 Basic Life Skills & Soft-skills Requirement



3 Business Domain Knowledge

4 Computer and IT Skills

Employer’s expectations and requirements were analysed based on description of

tasks and activities to be performed by employee:

B. Job Requirements and Operational Description:

1 Technical and Subject Knowledge(TSK)

2 Practical Market Research Skills; Competitor Analysis(PMRS)

3 Relationships/Transaction Management & Soft skills (RMS)

4 Type of Computer and IT Skills (CITS)

“Desired Candidate’s Profile”(DCP) has been studied as a special category and

studied and analysed separately.

C. Desired Candidate’s Profile Description: Priority Index

1 Technical/Subjective profile

2 General Profile

3 Soft-Skills Profile

4 Interest & Competency Profile

II.) Candidate’s Profile Critical Analysis:

The study included 20 fresh/2-year experience management graduates selected and

interviewed (disguised participants method) randomly from the same sectors as

chosen for advertisements selection. These were the MBA graduates from different

A+ rated private B-schools mainly from Delhi-NCR and nearby states. They were

employed with middle-level corporate and non-profit organisations like NGOs

(national and international). Analysis was done on following contrasting parameters

based on their profile:

Candidates’ Profile Analysis Contrasting Parameters:

1 Actual interest and profile Vs. Profile offered by Employer

2 Basic Task performance: Expected but not ready to perform Vs Not

Expected but ready/interested to perform

3 Major Strengths appreciated Vs. Major weaknesses/difficulties for getting

rejected

III.) Human Resource Manager Informal Views/Interviews:

Informal blind interviews using disguised participant research method were conducted

with HR-executives/Jr. HR Managers of corporate, NGOs and similar private

organisations of same industries considered above including HR recruitment

consultants involved in CV screening, initial and introduction round interviews for

fresh candidates. The information was collected on following parameters of HR

functions:

1. What is the standard screening process for the fresh management candidate?

2. What are the parameters usually checked or analysed while selecting

fresher/2-year experience management professional?

3. How much technicality/subject knowledge is expected in particular business

domain, while selecting fresh MBA graduate?



4. What are the reasons for which fresher/2-year experience candidate is declared

ineligible or unfit for the desired job profile?

5. What are the major reasons for which management candidates (fresher/2-year

exp) are usually replaced or terminated from organisation?

IV.) MBA Course Curriculum Gross Analysis:

The standard syllabus/curriculum of a 2-year regular MBA program in Indian B-

schools was studied and analysed. Curriculum of only those B-schools providing 2-

year full-time MBA program was included. The analysis was done for “Core-

Courses” which are usually introductory in nature covering many different fields (4).

Although introductory, every student is expected to go through these subjects

mandatorily.

*Table 1: Classified MBA courses:

Classified MBA Courses:

Competency Category Course Examples

Managing Decision Making

Processes(MDP)

Decision Analysis: Decision models,

statistical analysis, quantitative methods

and statistical models

Managing Human Capital(MHC) OB, HRM, Leadership dynamics,

Negotiation, Managerial effectiveness

Managing Strategy and Innovation(MSI) Strategic planning, implementation and

analysis, competitive and corporate

strategy

Managing the Task Environment(MTE) Marketing management, managerial

economics, Macroeconomics,

globalization and International

economics

Managing Administration and

Control(MAC)

Managerial accounting, financial

analysis, Cost analysis, business law,

corporate finance

Managing Logistics and

Technology(MLT)

Operations and supply chain

management, MIS, production and

operations management

*Source: Rubin, R S. & Dierdorff, E.C.(2009), “How relevant is the MBA? Assessing

the Alignment of Required curricula and required managerial competencies”,

Academy of Management Learning and Education, Vol. 8 No. 2, pp.208-224.

Information gathered was compared and contrasted. Implications and mismatches

analysed. Overlapping and cross-cutting parameters expounded and finally, related

issues and concerns explored.

STUDY IMPLICATIONS AND FINDINGS: Study implications and findings unearthed numerous fresh parameters and their

precarious but fresh impact on stake-holders involved. It enables us to understand and

adjudicate the situation from broader perspective. It also apprises us on how various

stake-holders interact with each other. It cogitates holistic view of the challenge

involved.



This study is exploratory in nature, conducted on a randomly selected small sample

size. Its value is not in its numerical details, but its unique approach and fresh

perspective to understand and analyse the misalignment between management

colleges and corporate entities. It has great potential for further exploration

considering larger and more diversified samples and more detailed study design. It

will help in sharpening subjective vision of astute management experts.

Below are the gross observations, findings and responses which are found to be useful

and interesting for further exploration and understanding of the misalignment

challenge.

(I) “Management Job Advertisement Content-Analysis” unearthed following

findings: Content-analysis of chosen advertisements unequivocally and categorically excavated

that most advertisements, for fresh MBA graduates/2-year experience, are routine

designs, including more or less similar jargon with around (80%) overlapping and

ambiguous specifications in terms of technicality and knowledge of the subject

studied and business domain under consideration. They are mostly found dogmatic

and theoretically ornate for the applicants.

Skills most commonly appreciated and asked for are more of basic attributes and

abilities to communicate, presentation ability, relationship building and people skills.

Attitude is mostly described in terms of immeasurable and unrealistic to

accommodate terms like honesty, integrity, ability to withstand work pressure,

passionate, ambitious, target oriented, enthusiastic, team player, flexible, ability to

understand customer/clients etc, which adds little value to actually understand the job

and its practical requirement. However, there is no test or assignment mentioned

which they use to check attitude suitability of candidate for the particular job. These

mostly involved immeasurable and subjective decisions.

Each advertisement was categorically studied and analysed for its three componentss:

(1) KSA requirement, (2) Job Description and (3) Desired Candidate’s profile. The

findings are as follows:

Knowledge, Skills and Attitude (KSA) Requirement Description:

Most MBA/management programs overemphasize and categorically focus on

analytical skills development and their application. However, none of the

advertisements for the fresher MBA jobs mentions or expect any specific analytical

skills, subject knowledge or its testing and verification in anyway. The overemphasis

on development of analytical skills at the expense of interpersonal skills and an ability

to integrate and develop wisdom has also been underlined by international researchers

like Pfeffer and Fong (2002).

Most advertisements from organisations never mention well-defined or even

generalized expectation about “analytical ability” of the candidate in any form. This

clearly high-lights discrepancy in what industry communicates in its expectations and

what B-school is putting their resources into. In management terms, it is creating

immeasurable and never-looked-upon loss of time and efforts of education system and



academia professionals. This also shows poor resource allocation of corporate in their

communication strategies.

Fresher/2-Yr Exp KSA Analysis

MBA Job Profile Technicality/Domain

Knowledge

Skills Attitude

Product

Executive/Specialist

Never Mention Communication

and Presentation

Skills

Enthusiastic,

team player,

dedicated

Business

Development

Executive


and Presentation

skills

Enthusiastic,

team player,

dedicated, target

oriented

Customer Care

Executive


and Presentation

Skills

Enthusiastic,

team player,

empathetic

Sales & Marketing

Executive


and Presentation

Skills

Persuasive,

Enthusiastic,

target oriented,

team player

Documentation and

Reporting

Executive


and Presentation

skills, computer

MS Office, with

excellent typing

speed, good at

grammar

Team player,

cooperative,

enthusiastic to

learn, eye for

detail,

understand the

audience

Job Operations Description:

Basic principle of general management says that: “what we cannot measure, we

cannot manage,” which is well-known to every management expert and their students

but rarely applied in many practical scenarios. Also, it is commonsensical that you

can easily measure any activity or process well in its initial phase before it gets too

complex to measure and control that is during its mature established stage.

To elucidate metaphorically, while communicating or describing the job of a fresh

MBA graduate, which involves basic countable and measurable activities without

much work-load or multiple domain handling in organisation, the measurability and

clarity of their countable deliverables are never mentioned. This gap has been found

in almost 100% of the job advertisements explored and analysed. Similarly,

corroborating facts were reported by the candidates interviewed (disguised participant

method), that none of them has been given any clear measurable deliverables during

orientation session or even after month of joining. Organisations assume that fresh

candidate will come to know naturally and gradually, but practically it rarely happens.

Empirically considering practical implication, when job description, especially for the

fresh management graduate, is measurable, defined to execute and clearly high-light

the applicability of candidate’s subjective natural talents and skills, it helps in easier



probationary assessment of the candidate. Assessment becomes more fair and

transparent. This also helps in growth of candidate as well as better industry

understanding in mutual terms. It also helps the organisation in better mentoring and

guiding the fresh candidates to grow in their profile.

Contrastingly, ambiguous job description, obscured performance measurement

criteria makes the appraisal too subjective. It creates suspicious thinking among

candidates about fair appraisal and employee evaluation system of the organisation.

Around (17)85% advertisements found without clear: “purpose of the Job” and this

may be due to reasons like: either job is considered too menial to be assigned any

purpose or based on assumption that candidates are intelligent enough to understand

from the job title. For instance sales executive or customer care executive itself

implies purpose of the job. However, this is found contradicting when verified from

candidate perspective. Around 13(65%) candidates reported that they are facing

ambiguity about the exact purpose of their existence in the department.

One interesting observation delineates that many advertisements describe too

unrealistic and broad requirements that genuine candidate may have to think twice

before applying for the job. Corresponding evidence has been found from randomly

selected candidates, who reported that they need to fabricate or modify their profile

and skills description in their respective CVs to get their actual profile attuned to the

requirement described by the employer in its exhortingly described advertisements.

Some of the interesting advertisements with their “verbatim” analysis are:

One of the advertisements of “sales and marketing job” for fresher described the

candidate profile as:

“……distribution channel management, timely closing of sales, making new

distributors and dealers, timely payment collection and keep track of new market

developments.”

Contrastingly, when fresh management students were interviewed, most of them

reported that they are not even familiar with this jargon in the advertisement or its

practical meaning. This clearly shows loss of advertising budget, poor communication

and finally no positive response from the desired candidate group. Also, those who

know these terms and their practical meaning are not in a position to confidently

perform the same.

Another specific case studied was job advertisement for “customer care executive”

verbatim says:

“………….to develop and implement a dynamic and effective donors plan in the

region. Take initiatives to increase income and results that could lead to up scaling

and ramping up the team, prepare and deliver creative and innovative fund raising

presentations to the donors. Ability for acquisition of new donors. Highly target and

performance oriented. Consultative and cooperative attitude, excellent team player,

innovative, aggressive and persistent, assume accountability and responsibility

without mentorship, confident and pleasing personality, good communication skills,

written and verbal and results must show ambitious growth nature.”

Similarly, fresh HR-Executive role described as:



“…….practical knowledge of HR functions like PF, ESI, Gratuity, Labour laws,

Payroll, IT, TDS, legal challan, CTC designing and salary components.”

None of the fresh candidates was able to expand all the abbreviations used in the

advertisement.

Similarly, almost all the advertisements are found to be exaggerated and impractical

in their job description for a fresh management candidate. Many advertisements

exhort their job description by providing lucrative but incomplete information about

the job and its expectations like claim for travelling abroad, huge incentives etc.

Advertisements were also found to use too broad and adjectival phrases and attributes,

which nowhere defines or explains; what organisation is expecting them to do or how

they are going to use the candidate’s adjectival qualities like being enthusiastic or

passionate. Many undefined, too generalized and immeasurable attributes are

expected from fresher; like ability to generate leads, take innovative initiatives,

trailblazing communication ability, build customer loyalty, prepare brand promotion

strategies, keep track of market developments etc. It is impractical to expect such

description or ability from the fresh candidates from private B-schools. This may even

sometime make the genuine candidate aversive of applying for such profiles, who has

potential to be developed for the same.

“Desirable candidate’s Profile” Description (DCP):

Careful reading, parts-of-speech analysis, adjectival analysis and study of message

delivery style of advertisements (without any specific bias for industry or

designation), it has been found that most of the standard low-to-middle cap

companies/organisations require typical so called “Desirable candidate profile” from

any management graduate passing from any B-school. This applies to any profile

from various domains studied. It has been found that sectoral or industrial needs also

rarely fluctuate, unless the job is too narrow in its performance requirement, while

describing ‘DCP’ mentioned in their advertisements.

Typical “Desired Candidate’s Profile”: “Desired candidate should be presentable to represent organisation to its elite

customer/clients base, excellent communication and presentation skills, ability to

work under pressure, team player, excellent computer skills with familiarity of MS

office and related applications and internet usage.”

Adjectival and ornate character-describing nouns like: honest with integrity,

charismatic, negotiator, ability to handle work-pressure, multi-tasking, ability to work

on deadlines etc are regular terminologies which are nowhere testable or add any

practical value to the message. These are never developed, nurtured, tested, taught or

talked about while candidates are attending typical management class-rooms at their

respective B-schools.

One special feature in 3(15%) advertisements found is that, organisations at times

categorically mention that candidate must be from top tier B-schools like IIMs, FMS,

XLRI, etc, which is good to include, however, it raises questionable discrimination of



students on the basis of institutes without testing their actual talents and calibre of the

candidate.

It needs to be realised and better to accentuate here that “Desired Candidate’s Profile”

must be specific and practical information. It must be specific, measurable,

achievable, and must include time-bound skills that can be acquired within 2 years of

management education (just like SMART goals).

Pragmatically honesty, integrity or personal charisma cannot be developed, measured

or tested by just two years course-work. Moreover, people rarely assume that they are

dishonest or not smart under general circumstances. These are subjective evaluations

and there is no need to elaborate and spend on such advertisement designing. These

things are learnt on job depending on the practical culture of the organisation and not

just the candidate’s individual attributes. “DCP” description must highlight

professional and practical requirement of industry. It must be focused, utilizable and

executable requirement which industry needs for job performance. Other requirements

mentioned can be checked, verified or analysed during interview or during probation

period.

Basic humane and soft skills are needed but they should not be the paper descriptions,

which should be professional and logical to interpret. Job description must be clear in

terms of profession and the practical measurable skills involved.

On the similar issue, B-schools must realise and understand that these findings and

standardized descriptions found in job advertisements and communications made for

candidates must be considered sincerely and focused upon in a two-year program.

Consequentially, management education must not be just lecture delivery on

curriculum textbooks and topics in detail which industry refutes or never asks for

clearly at the time of communicating their requirements to the candidates, by giving

clear statements like:

“We hire people for their attitude and train them for skills.”

TABLE 2: Categorical Analysis of “Desired Candidate’s Profile” section of

advertisements for fresh management graduates:

S.No Profile/Skill Set

Mentioned

Tech/Subject

knowledge

Basic life

and soft

skills

Business

domain

knowledge

Computer/IT

basic skills

1 Product Executive No Yes No No

2 Business

Development

Executive

No Yes No Yes

3 Customer Care

Executive

No Yes No Yes

4 Sales &

Marketing

Executive

No Yes No Yes

5 Documentation

and Reporting

Executive

Yes Yes Yes Yes



II.) Candidate’s Profile Critical Analysis:

Three aspects were categorically studied and explored about: (1) Actual profile Vs.

Profile offered by employer, (2) Expected but not ready to perform and ready or

interested to perform but not expected to perform, (3) Major strengths appreciated,

major weakness or difficulties leading to rejection or termination.

Total 12(40%) candidates reported that they are expected to perform documentation,

writing business communication, letter writing, business drafting. They reported that

they practical face difficulty in same. They are at times not capable of or even not

interested to perform the same.

Total 19(95%) candidates reported: none of the employer tested for any of the

analytical or calculation or writing communication skills in any form. A candidate for

“documentation and reporting executive” was only tested for her writing abilities.

This delineates clear misalignment in candidate’s skills, management education,

selection process and job description and their mutual misalignment.

Only 3(15%) candidates from sales & marketing profile reported that their actual

profile and offered profile are in complete congruity with what they are performing or

applying at their job.

Total 8(40%) candidates, two(10%) fresher and six(30%) with two-year experience,

reported that they have utilized expert resume-writing service agencies to get their

CVs attuned to the particular job they are doing. These are actually resumes which

were aesthetically and sometimes even technically fabricated because candidates were

not able to get the jobs due to their inability to present their profile in a desired

manner.

III.) Human Resource Manager Informal Views/Interviews:

Typical HR Department’s: Candidate’s Initial Screening Process

S. No Questions/Information Gathered

1 Well designed and drafted Curriculum Vitae?

2 Why are you interested in this job?

3 Tell me about yourself?

4 Why you want to leave your current job?

5 What do you know about the company?

6 Do you have any questions from us?

Most frequently reported reason for the rejection of CV is the fake and fabricated

information about the experience, unclear gap clarifications and poor presentation and

grammar used in CV. This although shows that we must screen CVs but we cannot be

successful many of the times and may get misguided by this document when they are

prepared by the specialised writing experts.



The practical solution to this may be: when candidates are fresh and almost mutually

equivalent as they are entering after passing through the same course, mostly without

much experience difference, CV must be used to know what they have done

measurably in academia and not on how they have designed or described the same, as

that may be the description professionally designed by the expert and may vary or high-

light the wrong candidate while hiding the natural and genuine qualities of deserving

candidate.

Almost all HR-executives reported: Analytical ability, technicality and business

domain knowledge are the least desired parameters and are rarely or not-at-all expected

while hiring fresh MBAs or those with two year experience. Most of the organisations

and their HR prefer the same to be developed or provided during on-job trainings

conducted in-house by the organisation.

Lack of Communication skills, ability to demonstrate and describe products even in

their native language, presentable etiquettes, emotional stability, ability to clarify

customer issues, sense of responsibility, sincerity, unrealistic expectations in terms of

salary and growth are the most commonly reported reasons for which fresher/2-year

experience candidate usually is rejected or declared unsuitable for the desired job

profile.

Cultural inadaptability, lack of basic cooperation skills, lack of ability to fit-well-in-

team and poor listening ability and related skills are the major reasons for getting

replaced or terminated from jobs.

IV) MBA Course curriculum gross analysis:

After considering “Job Communication” in advertisements and their expectations

along with all the stake-holders perspective and responses from candidates as well as

HR managers, following major misalignments in curriculum were discovered:

• There is no practical involvement in developing writing, drafting and

documentation ability. Basics of writing letters, memos, proposals, quotations,

MoUs and other day-to-day communications including formal emails and

messages to internal as well external stake-holders, at various positions are

never considered practically during the course of study.

• Market research, competitor analysis tools are theoretically discussed but

never given importance on their practical utility in field. These skills are

required and expected from even fresh sales executive but rarely included in

practical terms. Best epitome to understand is the fact that most of the fresh

sales executives responded that they were introduced to sales closing and price

quotation preparation and presentation to the customer on-job only. They were

not familiar with practical aspects of sales process and closing and even not

well equipped with standard jargon used in sales.

• How to introduce or get familiar with the strangers professionally, what we

call networking in management language is missing in the actual curriculum.

Ability to develop and maintain trust in a long-run is found to be lacking.

Ability to establish rapport, ability to create curiosity about their product,

services or themselves is lacking, which is first and foremost requirement to

conduct even local business transactions.



• Lack of discipline in day-to-day activities, ability to sit and perform routine

activities and assignments are found lacking as reported by HR executives of

good organisations. They are not much emphasised or practically inculcated

during management education.

• Lack of methods to regularly monitor and assess the behavioural development

in terms of physical health, emotional stability, which is a prime need to

achieve global entrepreneurship.

• Management education never emphasize on self-dependent attitude for routine

jobs and ability to work alone independently or if team is short, not available

or not competent enough. It has been reported that ability to handle the

assignments alone and to work them without team is found to be lacking or of

below quality in fresh MBA graduates.

CONCLUSION:

This study although conducted on small sample but gives clear, concise, succinct and

laconic message that overall improvement in management education and its better

alignment with the industry needs can only be achieved through combined efforts of

all stake-holders involved. We need to focus on “Job Market” involving all its stake-

holders. It is not only the B-school or the candidate who needs to work upon

improvement but also those who are designing and developing the jobs, explaining

and describing the requirements of industry and those who are communicating,

selecting and screening the candidates.

Consequentially, JSS Matrix explored that we need to ensure that:

1. Industry must design profile specific and in measurable terms, what it expects

from the fresh candidate technically and prepare and train them humanely.

2. HR Department must take responsibility to ensure that profile and requirement

must be communicated in a SMART way without any unnecessary

exaggeration or exhortation in description (each word in an advertisement

costs!).

3. B-school must practically include those areas in their assessment which are

appreciated by the industry in their routine pedagogy application. For eg.

Punctuality and sincerity in projects, classes and assignments, honesty in

performing assignments etc. These must be given preference in evaluating

them with strict but positive disciplinary action against those who lack these

attributes.

4. Candidate must prepare themselves not in terms of theory but in actual

implementation and their doing ability. Prepare themselves as individual first

and professional thereafter with strong values and ethically responsible

attitude to manage life and business in practical sense.

Finally to conclude:

“Industry and B-schools define MBA as “Master of Business Administration” but

actually we all require MBA which stands for “Master of Basic Attributes,”

required by any human being involved in any kind of activity to grow, contribute

and flourish our planet constructively.”

REFERENCES:



1. http://www.indiaonlinepages.com/population/india-current-

population.html

2. Chaudhary, S 2011, Emerging issues in Management Education in India,

VSRD International Journal of Business and Management Research, Vol.

1(3), 164-176.

3. Maheshwari, S.P., 2012, Management Education: Current Scenario in

India, IOSR – Journal of Business and Management, pp.66-70

4. Jain, K.K., Kamal K. K., 2010, Reassessing the Curriculum-Competency

alignment in MBA programs, Journal of Management and Strategy, Vol. 1,

No. 1.

5. Mintzberg, H. and Gosling, J.H., 2002, Reality Programming for MBAs.

Strategy and Business, 26(1), 28-31.

6. Bennis, W., & O’Toole, J, 2005, How business schools lost their way.

Harward Business Review, 83(5), 96-104.

7. Rubin, R S. & Dierdorff, E.C.(2009), “How relevant is the MBA?

Assessing the Alignment of Required curricula and required managerial

competencies”, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Vol. 8

No. 2, pp.208-224.

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