Essays for IIM

To be read along with the WTO Primer in the package: ·          India may drag the United States to the World Trade Organization, or WTO, over its decision to raise professional visa fees for an extended period and impose a 2% import levy on goods and services sold to the US government.  ·          The commerce department is studying details of the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010 which aims to increase visa fee and import taxes on supplies to government to set up a $4.3 billion fund for sharing the healthcare burden of those affected by 9/11 terror attack in New York. Issue 1: Visa Fee hike ·          The final bill, which is now with US President Barak Obama to be signed into law, spells more trouble for Indian industry than the one initially proposed as it extends the period for higher visa fees from 2014 to 2021. ·    ...

The judgment of the Chhattisgarh trial court, sentencing Binayak Sen to life imprisonment on charges of sedition and conspiracy, isn't just shocking due to the concerned judge's apparent waiver of the gaps in the prosecution's case.  In a wider context, it posits the spectre of intolerance against critics of state policy . The intent behind the law on sedition in the Indian Penal Code, as introduced by the British, was to enable the colonial state to deal with the fundamental contradiction between the illegitimacy of its rule and its attempt to try and legitimise that rule by criminalising those who sought to underline that contradiction.  That rupture between the state and the people it governs disappeared, in principle, with Independence. And so the Supreme Court in 1962 defined Section 124A (on sedition) as being applicable only when there was a clear incitement to violence or armed rebellion . Implicit in that definition is the recognition of the Constitutional righ...

This is an add-on to the "Right to Privacy" essay in the e-book. Not a necessary read though. Contrary to the prime minister's recent assurances - and despite valid concerns from corporate leaders regarding phone tapping in light of the Niira Radia tapes - it is astounding that the government has asked telecom companies to enhance their tapping capabilities. The Department of Telecommunications has asked operators to put in place systems that would enable them to tap 1 per cent of their subscribers simultaneously and make provisions for as much as 5 per cent - at least 35 million subscribers according to conservative estimates. If followed through, the directive will have the effect of turning the country into a surveillance society. Given the grave implications, increased phone-tapping powers should not be granted when reason demands a healthy balance between privacy and security concerns.  What is worse is that the directive demands that private telecom companies pro...

The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, also called New START, signed by the US and Russia in April 2010 is on the way to becoming operational with its ratification by the American Senate last week.  The Senate vote in favour of the treaty is a big morale booster for President Barack Obama after his party suffered serious reverses in the recent Congressional elections, which threatened to derail his nuclear vision aimed at reducing the world’s stockpile of nuclear weapons.  Early this year his administration had come out with what was called the Nuclear Posture Review, which assured the global community that the US would not launch a nuclear attack on a non-nuclear country and would end nuclear tests for the production of more weapons of mass destruction. The new treaty, which had no difficulty in getting ratified by the Russian parliament because of the ruling party there having a comfortable majority, will result in the reduction of the US and Russian nuclear weapons ...

Parliament is the chief communication link between the government and the people. Close contact and an intimate rapport between the two is the quintessence of parliamentary democracy. Parliament belongs to the people and not to MPs or parties. People must have access to Parliament. Unfortunately, there is a tremendous disconnect between the two. Things get worse when both Houses do not function and are shut against the people. ·          Clearly, both the government and the Opposition are equally responsible for the ugly impasse. There was an unnecessary, illegitimate and irrational tug of war in the name of the people. But the people are nowhere in the picture. As usual, on both sides, political considerations and calculations of gain and loss have the upper hand. Perhaps, there is an unsaid long-term political concern before the government and the Opposition. Both are eyeing the 2014 general elections. The Opposition would like to drag the m...

Fares ·          A second class sleeper berth costing a mere Rs 400 for a 1600-km journey, or just 25 paise for a kilometre, Indian Railways provides perhaps the cheapest rail transport in the world! ·          This drops down to only half if one chooses to go by unreserved accommodation ·          The passenger tariff has remained so for almost the last one decade while successive Railway Ministers, in a bid to maintain a populist image, have studiously avoided any meaningful hike. However, in order to balance the budget, freight tariff has seen repeated hikes, mostly mid-season, away from the media attention associated with the Railway Budget, leading to a progressive loss of market share. ·          Currently, freight tariff for coal — which forms almost half the goods railways carry — is about three times that of US Class-...

1. The recent financial crisis highlights the perils of Capitalism 2. Women's Reservation Bill 3. Allowing Foreign Universities in India is bad for the country. 4. Indian economic development is not reaching to the people who need it most. 5. Union Budget is a useless exercise and activities like recession puts it off-track 6. Food Inflation is the result of Indian Government's mismanagement and apathy. 7. Voting should be made compulsory 8. IIM should make one year of social service compulsory for all students 9.Businesses should concentrate on making profits and not address social and environmental Issues 10. Does India have a role in Afghanistan? Discuss Download the complete list from www.essaysforiim.com

PGP Admission Process for IIMB Batch of 2011 Selection Criteria for Shortlist for PI process. Total 65 marks are alloted in the following manner: 1. CAT -20 2. 10th board=15 3. 12th board=10 4. Bachelors= 15 5. Work ex or Professional Course(CA/ICWA/ACS ) - 5 PI process: Total 35 marks are alloted to this stage with 15 marks for the Essay/Note and 20 for the interview. Since the pre-PI process marks of candidates are very close due to the flawed methodology used for CAT standardisation, the PI process plays a very integral part. 1. note content score (weight=7.5), 2. note style score (weight=7.5), 3. the personal interview score (weight=20), 4. Work-ex review:work experience score will be multiplied by the quality of experience score on a 5 point scale (0 – 0.5 – 1 – 1.5 – 2). So the pre-PI workex score of 5 is scaled to a maximum value of 10. The combined score is then used to select candidates. Take-aways: 1. Work-ex candidates have a strong edge as they receive around 4-8 m...

The Drivers and Dynamics of Illicit Financial Flows from India: 1948-2008 A November 2010 Report from Global Financial Integrity Primary Findings ________________________________________ From 1948 through 2008 India lost a total of $213 billion in illicit financial flows (or illegal capital flight). These illicit financial flows were generally the product of: corruption, bribery and kickbacks, criminal activities, and efforts to shelter wealth from a country’s tax authorities. (51) Adjusted Estimates: The present value of India’s total illicit financial flows (IFFs) is at least $462 billion. This is based on the short-term U.S. Treasury bill rate as a proxy for the rate of return on assets. (51) IFF Breakdowns: 1. Total capital flight represents approximately 16.6 percent of India’s GDP as of year-end 2008; (51) 2. Illicit financial flows out of India grew at a rate of 11.5 percent per year while in real terms they grew by 6.4 percent per year; ( 51) 3. India lost $16 billi...

1. Banning politicians with criminal records from contesting elections is against their right 2. Foreign direct investment will revitalize the education system 3. India versus Bharat : a divided nation 4. How should women empower themselves? 5. Child artists are an exploited lot today 6. Diversity is not an indicator of inclusiveness 7. Recession is the mother of innovation. 8. Ethics in today's business is a contradiction 9. Business houses should take greater social responsibility. 10. Are Gandhian values irrelevant for society today? Download the complete list from www.essaysforiim.com

1. Is climate change alert an exaggeration? 2. Discuss the steps that can be taken to improve food security in India 3. Discuss the impact of free trade on economic development of developing countries 4. Is Nuclear Energy the best way forward for India's ever growing energy demands? 5. Is disinvestment in profit making PSU's advisable? 6. Should Petroleum Subsidy go away? 7. Should higher education be open up for foreign universities? 8. Corporate Social Responsibility 9. Should government roll back the economic stimulus 10.Discuss the role of Public Private Partnership in India's Economic Growth Download the complete list from www.essaysforiim.com

1. Legalizing doping in sports in modern times 2. Essential services like water, electricity should not be privatized 3. In India, should minorities be given the first right to resources? 4. Breaking larger state into smaller states is politically motivated 5. More IITs and IIMs will dilute quality of education 6. The only way to reduce crime is to increase the severity of punishments 7. Women's Reservation bill will enhance the gender divide 8. In a Socialist Country such as India, should salaries of executives be regulated? 9. Winning, not participation is the true spirit of the game 10. Sometimes wars are required to ensure peace Download the complete list from www.essaysforiim.com

IIM Kozhikode GD topics asked in 2010 1. An eye for eye will make the whole world blind 2. Men are born ignorant; not stupid, but education is making him stupid. 3. Freedom of opinion can only exist when the government itself feels secure 4. History is always the story of the victor and not the vanquished 5. Opinion formation is encouraged only when government is secure about its existence 6. Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric 7. Fools and Fanatics are always so sure of themselves, but wiser men are always full of doubts 8. World is run by conspiracy. People run by lofty ideas 9. Sanity it the process of defining real from unreal. We need a new definition now 10. If there is not one thing you can die for, you are not worth living Download the complete list from www.essaysforiim.com

IIMC used the following methodology for 2010 admissions Step 1 : Short-listing for GD & PI (a) Screen 1 : minimum percentage of marks: Quantitative 20%, Data Interpretation 20% and Verbal 10% (b) Screen 2(Only for General category) : Among the candidates who pass through the first screen, only those who will be among the top 10,000 candidates in each section will be eligible for short-listing. (c) Screen 3 : From the set of candidates, passed through Screen 1 and 2, merit list will be prepared on the basis of aggregate marks obtained in CAT. The number of candidates to be called from the merit list will be 3.5 times of the available seats. Step 2 : Final Selection PGDM : CAT ------ 40% GD --------10% PI -------- 44% Work-Ex-- 06% Total -----100% PGDCM : ATM* ----15% --Aptitude Test in Mathematics (ATM*) CAT ----- 25% GD -------10% PI --------44% Work-Ex -06% Total -----100% Note : 0.24 marks are awarded to candidates who have work experience of 12 months and 0.24 is added f...

IIM CALCUTTA GD TOPICS 2010 1. IPL is a death knell to Indian cricket 2. Management is more about performance than people 3. Should there be reservation for women in MBA colleges? 4. Idiots Rule 5. Ethics is the antonym of a successful business 6. Economic development may not always lead to social development 7. Mobile phones are a menace to the society 8. Future wars will be fought over water 9. Bollywood is capitalizing on people with disabilities 10. In India mass mobilization can only be achieved through religion Download the complete list from www.essaysforiim.com

Steps that can be taken to improve Food Security in India Impact of free trade on economic development of developing countries National rural employment scheme is a step in right direction for rural development To what extent should economic planning be influenced by the need of environmental conservation? Education is the single most important factor in the development of a country. Do you agree? Should rich countries should forgive all debts for poor countries? Does foreign aid helps donor countries more than the recipients? Should money be spent on space exploration? The threat of nuclear weapons maintains world peace. Nuclear power provides cheap and clean energy. The benefits of nuclear technology far overweigh the disadvantages. Do you agree or disagree? Is China a threat to the Indian software industry. Over commercialization of cricket is destroying other sports in India Interlinking of rivers: A threat to the economy and ecological balance? Role of money in electio...