Having graduated from IIT Bombay and taken CAT in haste, I indeed was sceptical about joining IIM Ranchi. I figured, notwithstanding leading a smooth life filled with experiences from top established institutions did teach me 'maintenance' but not 'building from scratch'. It's very easy to facilitate status quos than evolve something completely alien. This is when I realized that I needed to make and learn new things - new initiatives, new memories, new institutions, pretty much new everything.
You have got more than 15 years of experience in the field of Operations Management, how do you see the opportunities in the sector going ahead?
In recent times operations management has experienced changes unlike any other management function. We experienced unprecedented evolution of technologies, emergence of new businesses and unpredictable developments in global economic environment. Operations which has the responsibility of production and delivery, the core of any business, needed to innovate and adapt the most. As a result number and quality of opportunities in operations management has grown. Apart from traditional yet more interesting profiles in established sectors, students can explore opportunities offered by new and emerging sectors.
Why should an aspirant look forward to “Operations Management” as a career choice/choice for higher studies? How would an MBA in this field help a professional?
Some of the things one looks forward to in a career are, contribution that is meaningful and valued by the organization, good work environment and better compensation. Most profiles in operations management would offer these advantages. I mentioned earlier about the changes we are experiencing in this discipline. Another development that I must mention here, is the changing contours of functional segregation within organizations. Traditional roles of operations managers are getting a relook due to this new emphasis on processes. You may look at e-commerce firms for ready examples. This development is happening across sectors. Therefore aspirants should be looking for new challenges that they would like to address through their skills. Operations management in the coming times is going to be a whole new world. One purpose of MBA would be to provide a snapshot of this new world and prepare managers for a head start.
How is the course/elective at FMS Delhi structured to offer specialised knowledge in this area?
In FMS the core course on Operations Management is part of the second semester. It introduces all latest topics on the subject. In the second year a cluster of topics are offered as optional courses. Operations strategy and Supply chain management are popular among our students. Some other important ones are on Management of technology, Management of quality and productivity, Risk management in supply chains. To equip students with necessary data skills, courses on analytics and bigdata are also available. For those who are interested in sectoral specialization they can choose courses like service operations management. Managing supply chains for e-business would be introduced soon.
We encourage learning from other disciplines to enrich understanding of operations. For example courses in Marketing and Strategy are complimentary and case studies and minor projects are designed to help develop a more holistic view. Moreover students organise periodic seminars and guest lectures by industry leaders to keep track of the latest..
Operations Management as a career choice does not have the appeal as that of consulting or strategy. How would you visualize a career graph of a professional in this industry?
Indian business schools mostly attract freshers or those with minimal experience, for their flagship MBA programs. It is very important that these students gather sound experience in strategic and core operational matters. A thorough understanding of business functions and processes helps in shaping strategising and decision making abilities. A consulting job may look glamorous, one would have a better chance of reaching the top (even in consulting) if she starts with core functional area like Operations management.Operations can provide a 360 degree view of the business and that is its fundamental advantage.
Please throw some light on the kind of roles offered in this sector.
Managing operations involve all activities required to deliver products / service the business is about.
Some typical roles are, project management, managing logistics and supply chain, technology management, quality management etc. Technology firms and e-business firms are offering many interesting profiles. The student coordinator <syssoc@fms.edu> at FMS should be able to help you with the details of profiles offered at FMS during the past couple of years.
Finally, any advice that you would like to give to budding aspirants looking forward to a career in OM.
Good managers have two important competencies, skill and attitude. The first can be taught, but no teaching program can sufficiently inculcate the right attitude required in a manager.
There are different aspects of operations management and there are specific skills required for each one. For example a project manager should need skills that would be different from those for a logistics manager. Students should know about these skills and pick those which are going to be useful for them. Updating oneself with the latest is also very important.
Operations managers should be good in planning, organizing and coordinating. They should possess problem solving skills and quick decision making abilities. It would help if one is eager to learn from experience.
-----------
About The Author:
Prof. Amit Bardhan (M.Sc. (Operational Research), Ph.D) teaches at FMS and prior to this he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Operational Research, University of Delhi. Along with teaching and research he is involved in sponsored research, consulting and management development programs. Having teaching and research experience of more than 15 years in University of Delhi, he also worked as a Research Fellow in the School of Management, University of Texas at Dallas. At FMS, he teaches courses on Management Science, Quantitative methods for managers, Health Analytics, Quantitative Analysis of Risk and Uncertainty, Service Operations Management. He has guided PhD thesis and M.Phil. dissertations.
Reliance Industries Limited generously created the Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship Program to support Indian nationals living in India who need financial assistance in obtaining an MBA at Stanford.
Choosing the right investment vehicle is probably one of the toughest financial decisions you’ll ever make. However, you can ease your dilemma by understanding your financial requirements and standing.
Have you ever had moments in your life where you had found yourself in a proverbial 'back against the wall' situation and you thought that it couldn't get any worse? And that just as you thought of fighting back, Murphy's law decided to go bonkers on you? Yes, that's how it all started for me. As typical as they get. A supposedly 'good student' after high school who supposedly lost his way in between. Except, I didn't lose shit (Oops! No disclaimer. But if you're reading this, you're old enough anyway). I knew I was not going anywhere but I continued anyway. There was this youthful attraction towards being a rebel and the sheer fun of the free fall I was enjoying. Looking back, I realised I was not a rebel, not by a long shot. Rebels have a cause and mine, apparently, was self sabotage.
Summer Internship in my opinion is the most crucial part of an MBA programme as we get to apply our concepts in real world scenarios which are usually very ambiguous in nature with no clear cut solutions. I was both excited and apprehensive about my internship after getting loads of gyaan sessions from seniors. I flew from Mumbai to Delhi and at the airport itself I got a taste of scorching heat which would follow for the entire season with temperature shooting over 500C, sufficient to char you for life. My stint at Airtel started with a weeklong induction by CXOs where we were exposed to various businesses and the challenges that Airtel faces across Asia and Africa. I am a sucker for these sessions so I absorbed all the information and it helped me to understand Airtel DNA and where the organization was headed towards. After the induction, I was extremely lucky to be assigned a strategically important project which was stressed on by the COO in his induction speech. I knew if I could solve it I would be noticed by one of the most elite business head of India. But the problem was that I could not make head or tail of it. So I dedicated an entire week in understanding what exactly was required of me and what was the best way to approach it. Once my mentor and I were on the same page, I burned candle at the both ends to analyse the data. By the end of the month I was beginning to crack the project and derive meaningful insights. My mentor and I shared these with our Global Sourcing Head who seemed to be pleased by the progress. Since then, I have moved on to find ways to best utilize my findings and implement suggestions. This has proved to be extremely tedious as getting time from already busy people is extremely tough. But I am still hanging on and hopefully will be able to implement a portion of my work with still couple of weeks of internship left. Overall, I am extremely satisfied that I worked my heart out. I had loads to learn and improve myself professionally. I met some incredible people both employees as well as interns. My consolidated gyaan for future Interns will be to “be like sponge and soak up all that you can from these 8 weeks”. Keep track of what, why and how you are doing by documenting your every thought. Be ready to learn at exponential rate and give respect where it’s due while talking to seniors. Keep these pointers with you and you should do fine. All the Best for your Internship. ---------- About the Author: I am currently pursuing PGDIM from NITIE. I did my graduation from IITK. Besides work I love to travel around, meet new people and live life to the fullest.
1. Five boys need to be allotted to 4 different rooms such that each boy is allotted a room and no room is empty. In how many ways can this be done?
Given solution
Let the boys be A, B, C, D and E. Let the rooms be 101, 102, 103 and 104. Now, we know that exactly one room will have two occupants. First, let us try to send 4 boys to 4 rooms, we can worry about the fifth occupant later on. Let us select 4 out of the 5 boys first. This can be done in 5C4 ways. Now, these 4 can be allotted to 4 different rooms in 4! ways. So, 4 boys in 4 rooms can be done in 5C4 * 4! = 5 * 24 = 120 ways.
Now, the fifth boy has to go into one of the rooms. He can do this in 4 ways as there are 4 different rooms available. So, total number of outcomes = 120 * 4 = 480.
Bug in the solution:
We end up double-counting here.
A, B, C and D could be allotted rooms 101, 102, 103 and 104 in that order. Post this, E could “double-up” with A. So, we would have A and E in 101, B in 102, C in 103 and D in 104.
In another scenario, E, B, C, D could be allotted 101, 102, 103 and 104 in that order. Post this, A could “double-up” with E. So, we would have A and E in 101, B in 102, C in 103 and D in 104.
The two scenarios mentioned above are identical. However, we end up counting both. This is the reason for the double count.
Note that in our method, we end up having a ‘first’ occupant for a room and a ‘second’ occupant. We say, A goes into room number 101 and then E ‘joins’ him. The moment you do that, ‘order’ creeps in. We end up factoring in order when we shouldn’t.
Awesome, isn’t it.
Having graduated from IIT Bombay and taken CAT in haste, I indeed was sceptical about joining IIM Ranchi. I figured, notwithstanding leading a smooth life filled with experiences from top established institutions did teach me 'maintenance' but not 'building from scratch'. It's very easy to facilitate status quos than evolve something completely alien. This is when I realized that I needed to make and learn new things - new initiatives, new memories, new institutions, pretty much new everything.
You have got more than 15 years of experience in the field of Operations Management, how do you see the opportunities in the sector going ahead?
In recent times operations management has experienced changes unlike any other management function. We experienced unprecedented evolution of technologies, emergence of new businesses and unpredictable developments in global economic environment. Operations which has the responsibility of production and delivery, the core of any business, needed to innovate and adapt the most. As a result number and quality of opportunities in operations management has grown. Apart from traditional yet more interesting profiles in established sectors, students can explore opportunities offered by new and emerging sectors.
Why should an aspirant look forward to “Operations Management” as a career choice/choice for higher studies? How would an MBA in this field help a professional?
Some of the things one looks forward to in a career are, contribution that is meaningful and valued by the organization, good work environment and better compensation. Most profiles in operations management would offer these advantages. I mentioned earlier about the changes we are experiencing in this discipline. Another development that I must mention here, is the changing contours of functional segregation within organizations. Traditional roles of operations managers are getting a relook due to this new emphasis on processes. You may look at e-commerce firms for ready examples. This development is happening across sectors. Therefore aspirants should be looking for new challenges that they would like to address through their skills. Operations management in the coming times is going to be a whole new world. One purpose of MBA would be to provide a snapshot of this new world and prepare managers for a head start.
How is the course/elective at FMS Delhi structured to offer specialised knowledge in this area?
In FMS the core course on Operations Management is part of the second semester. It introduces all latest topics on the subject. In the second year a cluster of topics are offered as optional courses. Operations strategy and Supply chain management are popular among our students. Some other important ones are on Management of technology, Management of quality and productivity, Risk management in supply chains. To equip students with necessary data skills, courses on analytics and bigdata are also available. For those who are interested in sectoral specialization they can choose courses like service operations management. Managing supply chains for e-business would be introduced soon.
We encourage learning from other disciplines to enrich understanding of operations. For example courses in Marketing and Strategy are complimentary and case studies and minor projects are designed to help develop a more holistic view. Moreover students organise periodic seminars and guest lectures by industry leaders to keep track of the latest..
Operations Management as a career choice does not have the appeal as that of consulting or strategy. How would you visualize a career graph of a professional in this industry?
Indian business schools mostly attract freshers or those with minimal experience, for their flagship MBA programs. It is very important that these students gather sound experience in strategic and core operational matters. A thorough understanding of business functions and processes helps in shaping strategising and decision making abilities. A consulting job may look glamorous, one would have a better chance of reaching the top (even in consulting) if she starts with core functional area like Operations management.Operations can provide a 360 degree view of the business and that is its fundamental advantage.
Please throw some light on the kind of roles offered in this sector.
Managing operations involve all activities required to deliver products / service the business is about.
Some typical roles are, project management, managing logistics and supply chain, technology management, quality management etc. Technology firms and e-business firms are offering many interesting profiles. The student coordinator <syssoc@fms.edu> at FMS should be able to help you with the details of profiles offered at FMS during the past couple of years.
Finally, any advice that you would like to give to budding aspirants looking forward to a career in OM.
Good managers have two important competencies, skill and attitude. The first can be taught, but no teaching program can sufficiently inculcate the right attitude required in a manager.
There are different aspects of operations management and there are specific skills required for each one. For example a project manager should need skills that would be different from those for a logistics manager. Students should know about these skills and pick those which are going to be useful for them. Updating oneself with the latest is also very important.
Operations managers should be good in planning, organizing and coordinating. They should possess problem solving skills and quick decision making abilities. It would help if one is eager to learn from experience.
-----------
About The Author:
Prof. Amit Bardhan (M.Sc. (Operational Research), Ph.D) teaches at FMS and prior to this he was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Operational Research, University of Delhi. Along with teaching and research he is involved in sponsored research, consulting and management development programs. Having teaching and research experience of more than 15 years in University of Delhi, he also worked as a Research Fellow in the School of Management, University of Texas at Dallas. At FMS, he teaches courses on Management Science, Quantitative methods for managers, Health Analytics, Quantitative Analysis of Risk and Uncertainty, Service Operations Management. He has guided PhD thesis and M.Phil. dissertations.
Reliance Industries Limited generously created the Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship Program to support Indian nationals living in India who need financial assistance in obtaining an MBA at Stanford.
Choosing the right investment vehicle is probably one of the toughest financial decisions you’ll ever make. However, you can ease your dilemma by understanding your financial requirements and standing.
Have you ever had moments in your life where you had found yourself in a proverbial 'back against the wall' situation and you thought that it couldn't get any worse? And that just as you thought of fighting back, Murphy's law decided to go bonkers on you? Yes, that's how it all started for me. As typical as they get. A supposedly 'good student' after high school who supposedly lost his way in between. Except, I didn't lose shit (Oops! No disclaimer. But if you're reading this, you're old enough anyway). I knew I was not going anywhere but I continued anyway. There was this youthful attraction towards being a rebel and the sheer fun of the free fall I was enjoying. Looking back, I realised I was not a rebel, not by a long shot. Rebels have a cause and mine, apparently, was self sabotage.
Summer Internship in my opinion is the most crucial part of an MBA programme as we get to apply our concepts in real world scenarios which are usually very ambiguous in nature with no clear cut solutions. I was both excited and apprehensive about my internship after getting loads of gyaan sessions from seniors. I flew from Mumbai to Delhi and at the airport itself I got a taste of scorching heat which would follow for the entire season with temperature shooting over 500C, sufficient to char you for life. My stint at Airtel started with a weeklong induction by CXOs where we were exposed to various businesses and the challenges that Airtel faces across Asia and Africa. I am a sucker for these sessions so I absorbed all the information and it helped me to understand Airtel DNA and where the organization was headed towards. After the induction, I was extremely lucky to be assigned a strategically important project which was stressed on by the COO in his induction speech. I knew if I could solve it I would be noticed by one of the most elite business head of India. But the problem was that I could not make head or tail of it. So I dedicated an entire week in understanding what exactly was required of me and what was the best way to approach it. Once my mentor and I were on the same page, I burned candle at the both ends to analyse the data. By the end of the month I was beginning to crack the project and derive meaningful insights. My mentor and I shared these with our Global Sourcing Head who seemed to be pleased by the progress. Since then, I have moved on to find ways to best utilize my findings and implement suggestions. This has proved to be extremely tedious as getting time from already busy people is extremely tough. But I am still hanging on and hopefully will be able to implement a portion of my work with still couple of weeks of internship left. Overall, I am extremely satisfied that I worked my heart out. I had loads to learn and improve myself professionally. I met some incredible people both employees as well as interns. My consolidated gyaan for future Interns will be to “be like sponge and soak up all that you can from these 8 weeks”. Keep track of what, why and how you are doing by documenting your every thought. Be ready to learn at exponential rate and give respect where it’s due while talking to seniors. Keep these pointers with you and you should do fine. All the Best for your Internship. ---------- About the Author: I am currently pursuing PGDIM from NITIE. I did my graduation from IITK. Besides work I love to travel around, meet new people and live life to the fullest.
1. Five boys need to be allotted to 4 different rooms such that each boy is allotted a room and no room is empty. In how many ways can this be done?
Given solution
Let the boys be A, B, C, D and E. Let the rooms be 101, 102, 103 and 104. Now, we know that exactly one room will have two occupants. First, let us try to send 4 boys to 4 rooms, we can worry about the fifth occupant later on. Let us select 4 out of the 5 boys first. This can be done in 5C4 ways. Now, these 4 can be allotted to 4 different rooms in 4! ways. So, 4 boys in 4 rooms can be done in 5C4 * 4! = 5 * 24 = 120 ways.
Now, the fifth boy has to go into one of the rooms. He can do this in 4 ways as there are 4 different rooms available. So, total number of outcomes = 120 * 4 = 480.
Bug in the solution:
We end up double-counting here.
A, B, C and D could be allotted rooms 101, 102, 103 and 104 in that order. Post this, E could “double-up” with A. So, we would have A and E in 101, B in 102, C in 103 and D in 104.
In another scenario, E, B, C, D could be allotted 101, 102, 103 and 104 in that order. Post this, A could “double-up” with E. So, we would have A and E in 101, B in 102, C in 103 and D in 104.
The two scenarios mentioned above are identical. However, we end up counting both. This is the reason for the double count.
Note that in our method, we end up having a ‘first’ occupant for a room and a ‘second’ occupant. We say, A goes into room number 101 and then E ‘joins’ him. The moment you do that, ‘order’ creeps in. We end up factoring in order when we shouldn’t.
Awesome, isn’t it.
