Management accountancy
By R.K. Bhatnagar
IF you are aspiring to be a management accountant, it is time that you register yourself with the Institute of Cost and Works Accountant of India (ICWAI). It is the premier, dynamic and vibrant professional institution actively involved in providing manpower for the economic, industrial and commercial development of the country.

Design to enslave academia 
Staff Selection Commission
By Raghuvendra Tanwar
SO much has gone wrong with higher education in Haryana that the proposed ordinance for creating a selection commission for the recruitment of college and university teachers in Haryana can only be perceived as the proverbial last straw on the camel’s back. 

Letter
Alarming signals
THE move to create a college and university services selection board on the lines of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are alarming signals for the academic circles in this region. Having acted on the IV Pay Review Committee of the U.G.C., I have had the opportunity of studying closely the working of these selection panels.

Career hotline

Management accountancy
By R.K. Bhatnagar

IF you are aspiring to be a management accountant, it is time that you register yourself with the Institute of Cost and Works Accountant of India (ICWAI). It is the premier, dynamic and vibrant professional institution actively involved in providing manpower for the economic, industrial and commercial development of the country.

With liberalisation of the economy coupled with a change in the Financial Management scenario, conventional accounting and audit has lost its relevance. It is now the age for cost and management accountants working for optimum use of scarce resources like fund, land as also making strategic decisions for the growth of organisations they work for.

The ICWAI was established four decades back under an Act of Parliament with the twin objective as development and regulation of the profession of Cost and Management Accountancy in India. The institute, however, was first constituted as a limited company was back in 1944 during World War II. It has witnessed a phenomenal growth. It has 1.5 lakh students now.

The government, recognising the importance and usefulness of cost and management accountants created an all-India cadre by the name and title of Indian Cost Accounts Service in 1982. The ICAS, is on a par with Class I services of the Central Government to advise it on various fiscal and tax matters.

According to the prospectus of the ICWAI available from its headquarters (12, Sudder Stree, Calcutta - 700 016) and its Four Regional offices at Mumbai, (“Rohit Chambers”, 4th Floor, Janmabhoomi Marg, Fort, Mumbai - 400 001), Calcutta (84, Harish Mukherjee Road, Calcutta - 700 025), Chennai (ICWAI Bhawan, 65 Montieth Lane, Egmore, Chennai - 600 008) and New Delhi (ICWAI Bhawan, 3 Institutional Area, Lodi Road, New Delhi - 110 003), any individual who has attained the age of 17 can get self registered as a student for intermediate course after having completed graduation in any discipline.

Even incumbents awaiting results can apply for provisional admission. Those who do not possess this qualification but passed 10+2 will have to enroll themselves and pass a Foundation Course Examination before entering as a student for Intermediate Examination. The papers for Foundation Course include Business Fundamentals and Economics, management and organisation, basic mathematics and statistic and commercial laws.

The subjects for intermediate and final examinations include: Intermediate Stage I: Financial Accounting, Cost Accounting, Corporate Laws and Secretarial Practice and Direct Taxation. Intermediate Stage II: Cost and Management Accounting, Auditing, Indirect Taxation and Quantitative Methods. Final Stage III: Advanced Financial Accounting, Information Technology and Computer Applications, Operations Management and Control and Project Management and Control. Final Stage IV: Advanced Management Accounting-Techniques and Applications, Advanced Financial Management, Advanced Management Accounting — Strategic Management and Cost Audit.

The Examinations for foundation course, Intermediate as well as final are held twice a year in June and December at 10 centres in India and seven abroad. The ICWAI examination centres are located at Agartala, Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Allahabad, Asansol, Aurangabad, Bangalore, Baroda, Bhelai, Vilaspur, Nepal Bhubanewsar, Bokaro, Calcutta, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore Cuttak, Dehradun, Delhi, Dhanbad, Durgapur, Ernakulam, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Guwahati, Howrah, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Jamshedpur, Jodhpur, Kanpur, Kolhapur, Kota, Lucknow, Mudurai, Mumbai, Mysore, Nagpur, Naihati, Nasik, Neyveli, Panaji, Patiala, Patna, Pondicherry, Pune, Ramgarh, Ranchi, Rourkela, Salem, Shaktinagar, Tiruchirapalli, Thiruvanthapuram, Udaipur, Ukkunagaram, Vellore, Vijayawada, Vindhyanagar and Waltair.

The Overseas centres are at Kathmandu, Botswana, Dubai, Dar-es-saalam, Muscat, Nariobi, Tripoli and Zambia. The ICWAI examination are regarded one of high standards of proficiency. The qualified and experienced cost and management accountants are in constant demand by the trade and industry as well as other organisations for occupaying senior and middle-level executive positions.

Design to enslave academia 
Staff Selection Commission
By Raghuvendra Tanwar

SO much has gone wrong with higher education in Haryana that the proposed ordinance for creating a selection commission for the recruitment of college and university teachers in Haryana can only be perceived as the proverbial last straw on the camel’s back. Prof. Harold Laski once remarked: “at the bottom the quality of a university is always in direct proportion to the quality of its teachers, for the true epochs in a university’s life are not marked by its buildings, its books or even the growth in its (various) numbers, they are marked by the teachers it has possessed.” Indeed the very objective of a university pales into insignificance if a teacher is unable to capture the mind, enthusiasm and confidence of its pupils.

The government defends the move to create the staff selection commission on two main issues: (i) government provides about 90 per cent of the grant (ii) selection of teachers, particularly in colleges is not always fair.

That the government is subsidising higher education and is a major source of aid is no big deal, because it is a practice followed all over India and in most parts of the world. But the assumption with regard to the second point, that the government can create a system of selection more fair and transparent than the existing one, particularly the revised one that prevails is the universities, in frivolous and betrays enthusiasm not based on facts or supported by past experience.

The credibility of such commissions operating in Haryana over the past 30 years is for all to see. Almost without or, perhaps, a few exceptions every government has packed such commissions with favourites.

Yes, even as college managements in particular and in some cases even Vice-Chancellors are known to overlook merit, by and large the selection procedures particularly in the universities are sufficiently elaborate and counter checking in nature making it impossible even for the most pliable of Vice-Chancellors and senior professors to bypass merit beyond a dignified limit. The thinking of the government betrays a complete ignorance of the concept of the university system because for universities, freedom and emancipation from governmental control are basic conditions for optimum functioning.

Way back in 1922 the Viceroy of India was inclined to develop a more assertive interference in Calcutta University. He was made to believe that by sanctioning a major development grant, he would have his way. Vice-Chancellor Ashutosh Mukerjee while summing up the proceedings of the Senate on August 23, 1922 said:

“This university cannot be a manufactory of slaves. We want to think truly. We want to teach freedom... we shall not be a part of the secretariat of the government. What right have we... to barter away the for ever the rights and privileges of this university... what will posterity say...”

Proful Chandra Ray, eminent scientist and founder of the Indian School of Chemistry, participating in the same Senate meeting had said:

“A perusal of the government’s letter leads us to conclude that the government desires to utilise the financial embarrassment of the university to obtain control over its affairs... ... it seems to me that there is an unseen hand working from behind with dark and sinister purposes.”

When we talk of the failure or success of the university system or of higher education in general we usually mean the quality of education, the involvement of the faulty, a climate conducive to a fearless, free and progressive growth, the financial health of the institution, the reverence or indifference to political and bureaucratic interference and the level of regional and parochial attitudes prevailing. The list could go on. But there is a vital point we tend to forget, that a university or a good college grows only in dependence on the quality of food, the climate, in other words the trends, schisms and attitudes of society in which these function.

Universities in particular are expected ideally to be symbols of universalism where people from diverse backgrounds, religions and regions live in harmony and prepare for the future. They are expected to be centres of undefiled truth.

But the dark side is that all talk of autonomy in a state like Haryana which from its inception in 1966 has developed a uniquely retrograde administrative and political culture appears meaningless and superficial. One can only hope that better sense will ultimately prevail.

Letter
Alarming signals

THE move to create a college and university services selection board on the lines of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are alarming signals for the academic circles in this region. Having acted on the IV Pay Review Committee of the U.G.C., I have had the opportunity of studying closely the working of these selection panels.

The members on such panels are nominated by the state government. Although they are passed as academics of higher calibre and integrity, they are always appointed on extraneous political considerations and they do not necessarily come from the academic mainstream. The working of U.P. and Bihar selection boards leaves much to be desired. The colleges/universities are unable to appoint teachers for long periods. A very cumbersome procedure is followed.

The colleges/universities put in requests for recruitments against such posts as fall vacant. The panel takes its own time to advertise, shortlist, interview candidates and make recommendations. Consequently, the working of universities and colleges continues to suffer. Moreover, the selections are not always made on academic considerations. The interference of the political executive, in the working of these boards is understandable — the lesser said the better.

The U.G.C. continues to make recommendations regarding the constitution of the selection committees from time to time, keeping in view the desirability of maintaining standards. For government colleges the selections are made through the Public Services Commission. When special panels come into existence, the recommendations of the U.G.C. in this regard will become redundant. Only experts will find place on these selection panels, and they will also have their limitations. In a way the proposal to have such a selection panel shall mean undoing of the work done by the U.G.C. during the past couple of decades.

No doubt the state will be able to accommodate some senior academics or bureaucrats on these selection panels, but it will not contribute to fair selections either in the non government colleges or in universities. Moreover, the managements of the colleges will be rendered irrelevant. This will also contribute towards loosening of administrative control by the Vice-Chancellors of the universities and the managements.

Prithipal Singh Kapur
Former Pro-Vice-Chancellor, GNDU
Patiala

Some engineering colleges admit diploma holders in engineering to the 2nd year BE/BTech (part-time) programmes. As the classes are mainly held in the evenings you will be free to pursue a job alongside. You can also enrol for the Associateship of the Institution of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineers, New Delhi, and clear their graduateship exam. Similarly, you can even enrol as a Senior Technician Member of the Institution of Engineers, Calcutta.

As the associateship of both institutions is considered equivalent to a BE/BTech, on successful completion of the papers you can appear for the GATE which will entitle you to seek admission to any postgraduate courses (ME/MTech) with scholarship/ assistantship in your area of specialisation. Even in itself, the diploma and advance diploma courses offered by this institute are well-recognised in the industry. For further information, you may contact:

* The Institution of Electronics & Telecommunication Engineers, 2 Institutional Area, Lodhi Road, New Delhi 110003.

* Institution of Engineers (India) 8, Gokhale Road, Calcutta-700020

After completing Higher Secondary, I have enrolled for a Diploma course in Mechanical Engineering (DME). As I wish to study further, can you please suggest some post-Diploma courses besides AMIE. Ajaib Singh, Krishna Nagar, New Delhi-92.

After completing your DME, you have the following options: (a). You can either enrol for a 1-11/2-year post-Diploma course in Computer Software & R/AC which is offered at various polytechnics or an A-level course in a recognised institution. (b). If you are interested in Drafting & Designing, you can take up a course in CAD. (c). If you are employed, you can either do a part-time, 4-year BE from an engineering college or acquire a BS degree by distance mode from BITS, Pilani. For further details, you may contact the Birla Institute of Technology & Science, Distance Learning Programme Division, Pilani 333031. The Institute of Mechanical Engineers (India), 307, Janambhoomi Chambers, 29 WH Marg, Ballard Estate, Mumbai 400038, offers a diploma/associateship in mechanical engineering which is equivalent to a BE. If you have a year’s work-experience you can also enroll for a BTech (Mech) through the distance mode offered by Kota open University, Rawatbhalta Road, Akelgad, Kota 324010. Elig: Dip in relevant branch of Engg + 1-year technical experience. The School of Continuing & Distance Educn, Mahavir Marg, Masab Tank, Hyderabad 500028 offers a Btech through distance mode in Mechanical Engg. for in-service diploma holders in the concerned branch of Engg. In the State of Andhra Pradesh, with 1-year work experience. There are a host of other correspondence courses for diploma-holders offered by Annamalai University etc.

The TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is the first step towards gaining academic entry into the US. It is intended to evaluate the English proficiency of non-speakers of English. The test measures the candidate’s ability to understand North American English. There are no fixed passing or failing scores for TOEFL. In general, a score of 600-plus is considered excellent (particularly for admission to language-centric fields such as journalism or literature) and a score below 450 is considered poor. Eligibility: Undergraduates seeking a first degree and graduate students seeking an advanced degree. Depending on the course, universities require other tests like SAT, GRE, GMAT in addition to TOEFL. But two year colleges (also called community colleges) usually require only TOEFL. Ideally, you should take the TOEFL at least one year before you plan to enrol. Format: Two-and-half-hour multiple-choice exam in three parts: Listening comprehension; structure and written expression; and vocabulary and reading comprehension. The Test of Written English (TWE) is given with TOEFL on same test dates. However, it is only required by some institutions. For more information: You can get a free copy of the Bulletin of Information for TOEFL from: United States Educational Foundation in India (USEFI), nearest to you, which will give you all the details.

If you want to become an Income Tax Officer or Central Excise Officer, you should first take the Civil Services Examination conducted by the UPSC. In Civil Services, both the posts are that of a Group A officer. The maximum age limit for this examination (for general candidates) is 30 years, eligibility being graduation. Be on the look out for the UPSC advertisement in Employment News in December. You could also take the examinations for Inspectors of Central Excise, Income Tax, etc. conducted by the Staff Selection Commission. For this the eligibility is graduation and the maximum age limit is 25 years.

Despite private institutions offering all kinds of courses in computer software to all-comers, when it comes to hiring software professionals, it is a different story altogether. The vast majority of those recruited for software development assignments are more-often-than-not BTechs, MTechs, and MCAs or those who have a couple of years of solid project work behind them. Most of the leading software development firms like TCS, Wipro, Hughes Software, etc source professionals from IITs, RECs and leading engineering colleges. This doesn’t mean that a commerce or humanities student cannot or should not go in for computer training. What you have to be prepared for, however, is that it may take a while to land your first assignment, subsequent placement will be easier once you’ve notched the requisite work-ex. There’s one area, however, which you could specifically look at and that is the hot new field of e-commerce, web page designing and content development for the internet, none of which requires a hardcore engineering background. While this field too needs specific skills but for developing these, you are at no particular disadvantage as a commerce graduate. Moreover, today anyone (in any career) who is not computer savvy is at a disadvantage. Almost every business and industry requires basic computer and Internet skills that are quite different from those taught in a software programming or engineering course. For these, you don’t need to learn any specific language but familiarity and working knowledge of word processing, spreadsheets, accounting, web browsing, downloading, printing, and incorporating simple graphics for livening up a report or presentation would serve you well. You could also look at the emerging IT-enabled fields like medical transcription, customer relations at call centres, back-end processing of accounts, etc.

Organised working hours, glamour, performance-based promotions, regular incentives. If you associate these with hotel industry, you are terribly mistaken. Although hotel tariffs in India are amongst the highest, our hotel staff is among the lowest paid in the world (while a night’s stay at a deluxe hotel may cost as much as Rs 7000, this constitutes two months’ salary for the F&B staff). Then indefinite and long working hours, inability to choose the department you want to work in, promotions based on experience and not on performance, not to mention the sheer hard work (a lot of it physical) make the going tough. On the other hand, sales and marketing offer fixed working hours, attractive monetary benefits, new challenges, performance-based promotions and better chances of growth that lure such students. The indiscriminate mushrooming of hotel management institutes has further aggravated matters. While this has resulted in excess manpower on one hand, these teaching shops have failed to produce the skilled professionals required to match the high standards of the industry. The number of institutes that have hotels attached to them to offer students the essential practical hands-on training, can be literally counted on the fingers of one hand! Students going in for these courses are blissfully unaware of the amount of hard work (a lot of it is physical) required in a hotel job. Thus, quite a few withdraw and take up other careers. Moreover, as hotel management graduates are trained to handle all types of work situations and customers, it’s easier for them to shift to other well-paying industries, and particularly to other service industries which lay a great store by these soft skills. Besides, they are rewarded with double and even triple the salaries offered by the hotel industry at the junior and middle level.

It is difficult to give you specific suggestions since you have not mentioned your experience profile. Be that as it may, your long government service would have equipped you with valuable skills which would also be of use to the private sector.

What you have to do is to match your skills with specific types of industries or jobs which require those skills. Accordingly, prepare your bio-data highlighting not only the positions you may have held but also the different kinds of jobs you may have successfully handled.

One thing to remember: jobs in the private sector demand initiative and performance. So you have to adjust your attitude from one of government’s service which is characterised by job security and automatic promotions etc.

Armed with your bio-data, you could straightaway approach private firms or look out for appropriate openings advertised in the newspapers. You could also simultaneously contact some of the good placement agencies.

Of course, there are related jobs in the private sector for experienced clerks, stenos, officers in general administration, HRD, public relations, security and editorial departments, etc. You may even approach schools, hotels, travel agencies, newspaper organisations, publishing organisations, private firms, etc.

You could also start your own business if you have sufficient capital to invest in your enterprise.

Dec 30 Indian Air Force, HQ Western Air Command, IAF, Subroto Park, New Delhi 110010. www.armedforces.nic.in/airforce Recruitment of Engineering Students in the Technical Branch Under University Entry Scheme (Pre-Final & Final yr students). Electronics Branch Mechanical Branch.

Elig:

(1 & 2): Unmarried, male Indian citizens, 18-28 years (Pre-final: 31 Oct ’02, Final: 1 Jan ’02).

(1): BE Electronics/ Telecomm-nication/ Electrical/ Electrical Communication/ Electronics & Communication/ Instrumenta-tion/Computer Sc & Engg OR BTech Radio Physics & Electronics of Calcutta Univ/MSc Physics with Electronics of B’bay Univ/MSc Electron of Delhi, B’lore, Madras, Lucknow, Gujarat or Calcutta Univs.

(2): BE Aeronautical/ Mechanical/ Production/Industrial Production (55%) at every semester/year level.

Appln Format: See leading newspapers & Employment News.

Distance Education Dec 22: Indira Gandhi National Open University, Maidan Garhi, New Delhi 110068. PG Diploma in Hospital & Health Management-2001

Elig: MBBS/BDS/Bachelor’s degree in Nursing/Pharmacy/other health related subjs.

Appln F: At Counter: Rs. 30/- from above add or from following centres before 8 Dec.:

North: 1) Academy of Hospital Admin, CG-17, SFS Flats, Hauz Khas, New Delhi 110016 2) No. 2, Azad Bhawan Rd, IP Estate, New Delhi 110002 3) Old Govt. College Campus, Railway Rd, Karnal 132001 (HP) 4) Rain Basera Bldg, Khalini, Shimla 171002 5) Sunny Lodge, Nongthymmai, Nongshilliang, Shillong 693014. 6) Bikash Bhawan, 4th Floor, North Block, Bidhan Nagar, Calcutta 700091 7) Navagiri Road, 1st Bye-lane, Chandmari, Guwahati 781003 8) SPMR College of Commerce, Canal Rd, Jammu 180001

Dec 22 Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Jawaharlal Nehru Academy of Languages, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi 110001. www.bvdelhi.org Foreign Langu-ages (P/T) German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Arabic, Russian, English

Selection: First come first served

Elig: 10+2

Appln F: Available at above address.

Mar ’01 Central Institute of Indian languages, (M/o HRD, G/o India) Manasagnagotri, Mysore 570006. Teachers Training in Modern Indian Languages Kannada, Malyalam, Tamil, Telugu, Assamese, Bengali, Oriya, Gujarati, Marathi, Sindhi, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Manipuri, Nepali, Urdu. (At Mysore, Bhubaneswar, Pune, Patiala, Solan (HPO), Lucknow & Guwahati)

Elig: Govt. School teachers (Exp: 3 yrs for Hr Secondary/High School, 5 yrs for Middle School teachers), Bachelor’s degree.

Appln F: Send a self-addressed, stamped (Rs. 3/-) envelope (10 x 25 cm) or from above add or following centres:

1) Eastern Regional Language Centre, Laxmisagar, Bhubaneswar 751006 2) Western Regional Language Centre, Deccan College, Pune 411006 3) Northern Regional Language Centre, Punjabi Univ Campus, Patiala 147002 4) Urdu Teaching & Research Centre, Sarpoon, Solan 173211 (HP) and Lucknow 225001. 5) North Eastern Regional Language Centre, Guwahati 781006.

Dec 15 Indian Instt. of Foreign Trade, B-21, Qutab Institutional Area, New Delhi 110016. Ph: 6857908 Executive Masters in International Business (1-yr PT) Elig: Bachelor’s Degree with 5-yrs mgmt work exp & company sponsorship. Appln F: Send Rs. 500/- by DD favouring "Indian Instt. of Foreign Trade" payable at New Delhi at the above add. Also from Room No. 422.

Dec 31 The College of Materials Management, Fac/o Mgt Studies, The Ridge, Jabalpur 482001 www.cmmfoms.com MBA (2-yr F/T) PG Diploma in Materials Mgt (PGDMM) (1-yr) MBA (DLP) (3-yr, Corresp + contact)

Elig: (1, 2 & 3): Bachelor’s degree.

(1) Children of Defence personnel/war widows/TA/MNS with 10-yrs regular service through WAT, Bachelor’s degree (50% agg).

Selectn: Gen candidates must apply through MP Mgt Jt. Entrance Test.

Appln F: Send Rs. 200/- by DD favouring "CMM Management EDN Fund" to the Director, FOMS, The CMM at the above add or download from website.

Jan 01 Indian Institute of Plantation Management (IIPM), Jnana Bharati Campus, Malathalli, Bangalore 560056

www.iipmb.com

PG Diploma in Plantation Mgt

Elig: Bachelor’s degree (50%).

Selection: Scores in IIPM’s PAT (Professional Aptitude Test): Feb 7.

Appln F: Send Rs. 500/- by DD favouring "Indian Institute of Plantation Management" payable at Bangalore to Director at above add.

Apr 30 Directorate General of Shipping, Jahaz-Bhavan, W.H. Marg, Ballard Estate, Mumbai 400038.

www.dgshipping.com

Admission to T.S. Chanakya, Navi Mumbai/Marine Engg & Research Institute (MERI), Calcutta, for 3-yr BSc (Nautical Sc) & 4-yr Marine Engg degree courses.

Elig: 10+2 (PCM). Born after 1 Oct 81. SC/ST must be born on or after 1 Oct 76.

Selection: Scores in IIT-JEE on 6 May, 2001.

Appln F: Apply separately to the Directorate General of Shipping for admission to above Instts, after applying to IIT for JEE-2001.

Forms are available at Syndicate Banks at New Delhi (Nehru Place) and Gurgaon (Cantt.). See Employment News of December issues.

Dec 22 Institute of Microbial Technology (IIMTECH), (CSIR), Sector 39-A, Chandigarh 160036 www.imtech.ernet.in PhD Molecular Biol; Cell Biol & Immunology; Protein Sc & Engg; Biochemical Engg; Biocatalysis & Applied Micriobiology.

Elig: Master’s in: Physics, Chemistry, Life Sciences, Microbiology, Botany, Zoology, Physiology, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Pharmacy OR Chemical/Biochemical Engg.NET holders preferred.

Appln F: Apply on plain paper stating name, add, nationality etc. with attested copies of certificate from school level onwards to the above add by post/fax.

Scholarships Dec 20 Eveready Welfare Services, 2, Rainey Park, Calcutta 700019. Scholarships for: Advanced Education in Mgmt, Engg & Electro-Chemistry. Elig: Ist Div throughout academic career with confirmed admission in reputed educational institution. Parental income below Rs. 1.50 lakh. Should not be a recipient of any other scholarship/financial asst.

Appln: Apply on plain paper stating these particulars to the above address.

Jan 31 Lady Tata Memorial Trust, Bombay House, Homi Mody St, Mumbai 400001.

(1) Post-doctoral fellowships.

(2) Sr scholarships.

(3) Jr scholarships.

Elig:

(1): PhD in Science OR MD/MS with 2-yr research exp.

Age: 35 yrs on 31 March, ’99.

(2): MD/MS/MBBS + internship OR MSc with 2-yr research exp.

Age: 30 yrs on 31 March, ’99.

(3): MSc/BSc with 2-yr research exp.

Age: 27 yrs on 31 March, ’99.

Appln F: Write to the Secretary & Chief Accountant at the above add.