IIM Calcutta interview

IIM Calcutta
Venue: Hotel Luxar Monarch, bangalore
Time: 15th March 2008, 10:00 am

GD:
Ram Singh, starts a BPO branch in a small and conservative city in central India an, so that attrition rate is low. His company has 43 % female employees and he has outsourced cab service for employees who work in the early morning as well as night shift..
One fine morning he receives a phone call saying that a female employee had been molested the previous night at 11:30 by a drunk driver when she was returning home. He is worried since the media will create a hype about this, if they come to know and his company reputation will be spoiled. Also parents might not be willing to send their children, esp girls to his company and this will defy the very purpose of him setting up the company in this town.

What should he do?

The GD went off well.I chipped in with a few very valid points. at the end we were asked to summarize individually. Gave a very good summary and added a new point there.

Was a good GD fr me and would rate it at 8/10

PI

Panel members

P1, P2, P3, Me

Enter the room and wish them.They ask me to take my seat and P2 takes my file.
P1: Arun.. Do you know who Arun Lal is?
Me: Yes sir. he is an Ex cricketer and is now into cricket commentary.

P1: Yes.. lot of people are into commentary nowadays.. ( all laugh). Now you gimme a commentary about yourself.
Me: Told them.. had not prepared much.. Just told them whatever came to mind

P1: How do you think you performed in the GD?
Me: I had a good participation and i gave some valid points.

P1: On a scale of 10 how much would you rate your performance?
Me: 7 – 8

P1: Who else do you think performed well.
Me: Told a fella’s name and also said two others had given good points.

P1: Fine.. What do you think is the problem with opening of new airports.
Me:Started talking about Hyderabad and Bangalore airports..

P1: (interrupts..) What is the difference between these airports and the other airports in the country.
Me: These are built on PPP – Public Private Partenership

P1: So what is the problem with these airports.
Me: Told about B’lore airport having problems with approach roads and distance from city.

P1: But Hyderabad airport was inaugurated yesterday in presence of Sonia Gandhi.
Me: Sir the unions, they are staging a strike.

P1: No.. They have been assured that there’ll be no job cuts..
Me: (Suddenly remembering)Sir, it had not met some safety norms. Thats why its not operational now.

P1: Ok so wats PPP.
Me: Told.

P1: From what you say private is investing in infrastructure and operations. What is the Public or the government’s part in this?
Me: In our country its the Govt. that gives permission to set up such infrastructure. Also they provide the necessary land and power.

P1: What can the government do to make the PPP profitable?
Me: Provide better infrastructure..

P1: No.. Its part of the agreement.
Me: Provide power..

P1: No.. Its part of the agreement.
Me: Then sorry sir, i am not getting your question properly.

P1: In case the PP is not profitable, what can the govt do?
Me: In case if it were not profitable, then the Pvt company would not have entered the deal in the first place. Probably they can give them some tax benefits.

P1: ahhhhh.. This was what I was expecting from you right from the beginning.
Me: Thought the tax structure would also have been a part of the deal.

P2: So you are from Whirlpool.. what do you do there..
Me: told..

P2: Some more questions on company, my work and a few new launches we have planned.
Me: Answered them well

P3: Shoots a situation and asks me how i would handle it?
Me: Tell him.. Could not gauge their response.

P3: Why do you want to do an MBA?
Me: Told…

P3: What will be the growth path for you in your company?
Me: Told..

P1: So you want to get into academics in later part of your career is it? ( Had written something reg. this in my form)
Me: Told them how shitty the education system here is and how incompetent most teaching faculty in private engineering colleges are.

P2: So you plan to bring about a nation wide reform is it?
Me: If not a notion wide reform, I’d at least like to bring about a change in my own small way.

P3: What is it that is very unique about you? I don’t see any such thing in the form.
Me: Told him something about me and my achievements..

P3: But all that is not unique.
Me: Told them….
They look satisfied with the answer.

They look at each other and say i can Leave.