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eo en el New York Times que sólo un 80% de los graduados de la nueva promoción de MBAs de Harvard no se ha atrevido a firmar un ‘juramento ético‘ con este prefacio:

“Tengo la resolución de servir como directivo al bien general, combinando gente y recursos para crear un valor que ningún individuo puede creer por sí solo. Por consiguiente, buscaré una trayectoria que aumente el valor que mi empresa puede crear para la sociedad a largo plazo. Soy consciente de que mis decisiones pueden tener consecuencias de largo alcance que afecten el bienestar de individuos dentro y fuera de mi empresa, hoy y en el futuro. Para reconciliar los intereses de estos colectivos, me enfrentaré a elecciones que no serán fáciles ni para mí ni para otros”.

“From Higher Aims to Hired Hands.
The social transformation of American business schools and the unfulfilled promise of management as a profession“.

“The Dismal Science: How Thinking like an Economist Undermines Community“

Leo esta declaración a la vez que empiezo dos libros, escritos precisamente por profesores de Harvard, sobre la ética de la economía y de las escuelas de MBA. Prometo compartir aquí mis reflexiones sobre esas lecturas. Entretanto, planteo una duda (o tal vez un reto):

¿Suscribirían nuestros ‘ilustrados-TIC‘, incluyendo los que enseñan en escuelas de negocio, un juramento ético de este tipo, incorporando el rol de las TIC?

A juzgar por lo que entiendo de lo que escriben, creo que no. Que su individualismo es demasiado grande, su éTIC@ frágil  y su visión social, de la sociedad real, demasiado estrecha. Pero me encantaría equivocarme.

¿Comentarios?

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Who do you think were the top in the list of Most Coveted Recruiters for MBA students in India? In keeping with the times, investment banks are no longer major favourites for employment for MBAs from India’s leading business schools says a recent survey. The Economic Times quotes a survey by Teamlease, Synovate and MBA Universe as saying that Lehman Brothers (ranked 4 last year) and J P Morgan (ranked 11 last year) do not at all now appear in the list of Top 25 Most Coveted Recruiters for 2008.

The survey covered top schools including the IIMs, XLRI, Jamshedpur and the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of management, Mumbai.

The first four slots go to traditional favourites: McKinsey & Company, Hindustan Unilever, Boston Consulting Group and Proctor & Gamble.  Despite  adverse remarks in some parts of the media, ICICI Bank came in the 5th position. At Rank 6 was the Tata Group ( moving up from Rank 10 last year). The Reliance Group moved smartly to rank 7 from Rank 17 last year.

There is a real danger of an economic slow down in India- affected as we are by events in the US and elsewhere. the rate of growth is expected to stand reduced to 7 to 7.5 % this year. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh however  is confident that we will return to a 9 % growth.

In this setting, while jobs may not be created with quite the same frenzy we saw in past years, MBAs from India’s top schools will still have a good range of choices to make. As always, there will continue to be a demand for top talent.

Subscribe to the A-Step-A-Day series using RSS at http://bprao.wordpress.com/category/a-step-a-day/feed.

This is Post No: 342 of the “A Step A Day” series : To provide perspective and provoke thought to facilitate self-development across a wide spectrum of issues- big and small- crucial for executive success.

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As I’m slowly getting sucked into the blogosphere, I’m starting to realize just how much material there is about getting into business school.  Of particular interest are the daily blogs of the people chronicling their quest for business school admission.  Instead of actually trying to be a well-rounded, interesting person whose profile is appealing to business schools, these people are spending hours online writing blogs, reading blogs, linking to blogs, reviewing GMAT strategies, writing about writing their essays, debating endless strategies for interview prep.  Really?  To what end?  

What about me?  Am I becoming one of those bloggers who’s getting a weird thrill from the climbing stat numbers?  Would I rather write about the quotidian instead of going out and experiencing the world?  Well, I went to see Renee Fleming sing today.  If this were a blog about opera, or if there were a rant in it, I would write about that.  I also saw a wonderful French film Les Choristes.  It confirmed my fear that I do not know an ounce of French despite my best (read: uninspired) efforts with the Coffee Break French podcasts.  I also ate a tasty meal with my family that’s finally done brawling over the election outcome.  And then I spent the evening packing my suitcases for a trip to the old country to see about a boy.  But my wonderful day is entirely unrelated to what I want to talk about.  

Right.

So… what I’ve concluded is this: somehow simply getting into a business school automatically makes one an expert on the subject matter and therefore capable of giving advice to others.  And what’s more is that those others are taking that advice!  I’ve gotten hits from people googling “Is INSEAD hard to get into?”  

Out of curiosity, I googled this myself.   Whereas one can readily learn that HBS has an admission rate of 12%, and Stanford of 6%, INSEAD does not publish official figures figures.  Though in an 06 chat on accepted.com, the Director of Admissions mentioned that adcom accepts 1 in every 3-4. 

That kind of takes the wind out of my sails.  I was hoping that this cheateau-bound bunch was a tad more exclusive.  But I find solace in thinking that it’s quite a self-selected group already.  Most speak at least 3 languages already.  Most fit the international profile (son of a Moroccan mother and North Korean father, grew up in New Zealand, but now works as a banker in London.  That sort of thing…)  Most are headed to INSEAD to party.  Otherwise they’d be going somewhere dry, like IESE.  (Mom, Dad, calm down. I’m kidding, ok?)  

I don’t write this blog because I have some great insight to offer.  I write this blog because it’s therapeutic.  And I get off on that little map that shows where the hits come from.  It’s neat-o.

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Lining Up Recommenders

When you begin on the application, no matter how impartial your approach, it will be subjective. Business schools want to know what others think about you. Specifically, they want to assess how well you work in teams, your soft skills, and basically, your likability factor. They require professional recommendations to get others’ assessments of your aptitude as well as your attitude. The key is to pinpoint early (about six months in advance) three to four people whom you trust and will write positively about your character and contributions and how it will relate to business school. Cultivate a trusting relationship with them early on so that if you decide to ask them a few months down the line, they will be an ally on your side.

The Approach

* Choose Your Allies Early and Wisely: Your first instinct may be to get recommendations from people with impressive, glamorous titles. Don’t. Unless a high-ranking person can comment extensively on your qualifications and work ethic, you would be doing yourself a disservice by asking him or her to recommend you. Schools are looking to get a holistic sense of who you are, so it is important to ask people who work closely with you. They will be more inclined to know your personality and work habits relatively well. A candid, in-depth recommendation supplemented with examples by a project manager, colleague, or supervisor is highly suggested by most- if not all- Admissions Committees. You will need to choose three to four recommenders to help you apply to the schools. One of these recommenders will serve as a “back-up”, just in case an initial recommender is unable to come through at the last minute.

*Take them to lunch for a Prep Meeting: Recommendations usually have to be managed. Many people have never written a recommendation for Business school, so you will have to facilitate the entire process for them. If someone is interested in being a recommender, you will need to take them to lunch to prepare them about the process and go over your “rec package”.

The Rec Package

This is a comprehensive package you will give to your recommenders at least two months before the due date. Through the MBADiversity Fellows Program, this package is outlined in detail for members.

Follow-up Lightly

A lot of times, people are busy and your application gets put towards the bottom of their work pile. Send nice e-mails to your rec every three weeks to see if they have any questions or need additional information. Use your judgment… if they have procrastinated until the very end, don’t get frustrated with them. If the due date is a week away, simply call them or e-mail them reminding them of the deadline. If at all possible, take them to lunch and go over the package again with them. Do not lose your cool… recommenders are notorious for waiting until the day before the deadline. Notify your back-up recommender two weeks before the deadline- just in case.

Thank you card and gift

A thank-you card should be sent immediately after they’ve submitted a recommendation for you. If you actually get into a school, a thank you gift is definitely in order.

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This information was provided by The MBADiversity Organization (MBADiversity.org). Please visit our website to learn more about our innovative Pre-MBA Prep program and professional development services.

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