Understanding the difference between PGDM and MBA.

PGDM Vs MBA

PGDM is an acronym for “Post Graduate Diploma in Management”. The confusion here is with the term Diploma. Many students are of the view that it is a Diploma course and not a Degree. When an Institute is an autonomous body (meaning it is not affiliated to any University) and conducts management courses then such Institutes cannot offer MBA degree instead, they can offer PGDM. IIMs, XLRI's doesn't offer MBA degrees and they give PGDM as they are autonomous. On similar lines AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) is allowing approved colleges to run a PGDM courses. Some Business Schools offering this AICTE PGDM course need not be autonomous, the PGDM course will be autonomous given by the Institute & directly approved by AICTE, Ministry of HRD, Govt of India and has nothing to do with any affiliation with regional universities or University Grants Commission (UGC).

University Grants Commission controls the Universities in India and AICTE - All India Council for Technical Education has control on both technical and management courses and especially colleges not under any affiliation with Universities. Even colleges offering UGC recognized MBA Programmes in most cases should have AICTE approval too.

Advantage of Institute’s Autonomy

When an Institute is autonomous, they can design their own curriculum based on employability of students in industry and update their syllabus quiet often.Affilitated institutes should follow the syllabus that is prescribed by Universities and hence the syllabus is quiet outdated as it changes usually every 3 or 5 years.

Hence one can say that PGDM courses are more Industry relevant, up to date as compared to MBA courses. However University MBA Programmes too are of value, it totally depends on the University one wish to do MBA.

Equivalence of PGDM with MBA

Not necessarily that a PGDM is equal to MBA because if PGDM is to be an equivalent to MBA then the college offering the PGDM course must have accreditation from AIU (The Association of Indian Universities) and AIU issues an equivalence of your PGDM course with MBA.

Various common national level tests to get into the finest B-Schools of India are:

• CAT: All IIMs' and 100+ more institutes.
• XAT: XLRI Jamshedpur, XIM Bhubaneshwar, S. P. Jain, GIM etc.
• SNAP: Institutes affiliated with Symbiosis University
• MH-CET: Colleges in Maharashtra
• CMAT: All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE)

National Level Tests

S. No.	Entrance Exam	Institute	Eligibility	Tentative Month
1	MAH-CET	Directorate of Technical Education, Maharashtra State	45% in Graduation in any discipline	February/March
2	CUSAT	Cochin University of Science and Technology	Graduation in any Discipline	June
3	PAM-CAT	GNDU, Amritsar / PTU, Jalandhar / Punjbai University, Patiala	Graduation in any Discipline	June/July
4	MET-MP	MADHYA PRADESH PROFESSIONAL EXAMINATION BOARD	50% in Graduation	July
5	TANCET	Anna University, Chennai	Graduation in any Discipline	May
6	OCET	Punjab University, Chandigarh	Different Eligibility for Different course	June
7	UP-SEE	UP Technical University	45% in Graduation in any discipline	April
8	Orissa JEE	Orissa JEE	Graduation in any Discipline	May
9	GCET	Gujarat Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board	50% in Graduation	July
10	KMAT	KARNATAKA PRIVATE POST-GRADUATE COLLEGES' ASSOCIATION	Graduation in any Discipline	July
11	RMAT	Rajasthan Technical University	50% in Graduation	June
12	UPMCAT	Uttar Pradesh Technical University	Graduation in any Discipline	May
13	ICET	Andhra Pradesh	Graduation with 50 %	May

Understanding NET neutrality and its effect on start-ups

Net neutrality is to have all data on the internet to be treated equal with no discrimination on the basis of content, user or design by governments and Internet Service Providers (ISP’s). 

For example few start-up firms which want to compete with existing giants need to make the users understand why they are necessary and unique through their content on the website or digital marketing flat forms. Instead, if they pay more bucks to ISP such a way those competitors website is being loaded slowly and their content load fast. Where is the transparency about the quality of the product? They are not allowed to make deals with ISP’s to charge customers less money if they visit their website.

Net Neutrality means that Internet Service Providers should charge you on the amount of bandwidth you have consumed, and not on which website you visited.

In 2014, one of India’s largest telecom companies, Bharti Airtel decided to charge subscribers extra for using certain apps like Skype. These apps compete with the core business of telecom providers (voice and messaging) that are much cheaper.
There was heavy protest from customers, so Airtel delayed its decision, and said it would wait for the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India’s (TRAI) Consultation Paper on Regulatory Framework for Over-the-top (OTT) services.  

Later, Facebook brought to India internet.org, a pre-selected list of websites that are offered free to subscribers of Reliance Communications. There wasn’t much controversy at the time.

TRAI released a 118 page consultation paper on March 27^th 2015. The paper asked the opinion of public on a questionnaire consisting of 20 questions about how to regulate the internet. Questions on Net Neutrality have also been asked. By April 14^th, more than 2.4 lakh mails supporting net neutrality had been sent to TRAI through the website savetheinternet.in.

Airtel launched a new product on April 6th, Airtel Zero. The product comes with a collection of apps that have made deals with the Telecom Company.

On April 14^th, Flipkart left the platform after initially agreeing to be on it, saying that it wanted to ensure net neutrality.

TRAI will be open for comments till April 24^th, and counter comments till May 8^th.

Its effect on start-ups?

Telecom Service Providers cannot digest the way apps are using telecom networks (for free) to take away core telecom business, like messaging and voice calling. Telecom companies have to invest billions to get spectrum and build cell phone towers, and some internet services directly threaten their profits.

If ISP’s start charging for specific apps, however, it would make them the watch dogs of the internet; a role that can be easily misused. It wouldn’t just be an issue of telecom service providers versus internet based companies.

Absence of net neutrality would tilt the playing field against start-ups with better products in favour of established internet based companies who can afford to pay lots of money to telecom providers to only to show case their product.

Every internet user benefits from net neutrality. It enables a person to access which ever website they want based on their bandwidth payment or their tariff plan, and not on the content of the website. You don’t have to pay ISP’s more to watch serials and less to watch movies , for example.

Start-up companies also get benefitted.  One of the main reasons for new innovations in the software industry is because of the openness of internet. The internet has lowered transaction costs and levelled the playing field between companies with big budgets and start-ups with better creative ideas.

Today, a start-up can launch a great app and immediately draw a global presence.

 Net neutrality and watching it as a global issue.

Net neutrality is a global issue. The Federal Communications Commission of the United States recently voted in favour of strong net neutrality rules, to ensure that ISP’s don’t give priority to companies in exchange for money.

Last year, Chile banned zero-rated schemes (where bandwidth for certain websites is given free to telecom customers) and Europe is changing a 2013 proposal in which privileged access was allowed for ‘specialized services’, because it was too vague and directly threatened net neutrality.

Caste Free India

We dream of a society without the existence of caste. Such an achievement would help equal rights and opportunities to all the people of our Country. The second freedom struggles for a , caste-free India is a historic task entrusted to us by destiny and this is our legacy. A society that our constitutional charter desires can only be achieved through a conscious demand for change by the public. The reform has to start with oneself first.

How Techno-Management graduates can be useful in Telecommunication Sector?

How Techno-Management graduates can be useful in Telecommunication Sector?

Telecom as an economy boosting sector,current roll out of different 4G and FTTH projects in India and many developing countries needs Techno-Managers for their organizations in establishment of telecom networks.
As an aspiring Management graduate,there is a  need to understand Project Life cycle of the services his/her organization undertake.He need to understand these concepts thoroughly before hand so that he can directly be recruited in the projects with out being trained again.
Every organization need such managers who have good understanding of the concepts of products or services prior to their recruitment.
Let us go through the basics of project life cycle of a telecom network establishment for example.

Project life cycle of any telecom project  takes the following phases

1. Planning( Simulation mode of the actual project through software applications)
2.Physical Verification on field (usually called as Survey)
3.Implementation(Installation & Commissioning)
4.Performance Monitoring of established network( Testing Phase)
5.Optimization(Making our network best in performance with available resources)
6.Operations & Maintenance( which is continuous process)

All these phases of project establishment is carried out by Contractors( vendors) or Sub-Contractors(Sub-cons/Sub-Vendors) usually for the operators....

Each phase of the project or all the phases can be undertaken by one or several sub-cons.
Each work can be outsourced to telecom consultants in turn need to provide their services.

Management graduates play a very important role of getting the projects from the operators or from contractors for their networks to be established  .Technically equipped Managers are really required in such areas as the margin in taking up such project is minimal and should understand the Scope of work perfectly before going for negotiations with the customer...

This information can be understood before hand from a Telecom specialized MBA/PGDM programs where every aspect of Management such as Technology,Sales,Project management,Financial Management,etc concerned with Telecom domain will be taught in Telecom Engineering Services,Telecom Infrastructure Business,Telecom Operator Business,Telecom ISP & Broadband Business,etc..
For further information...reach us at www.isttm.com - A Technology Business school.