The Hindu Business Line : How to make it to the best B-school

Mohit Kumar Jain and M. Harindran, both IITians, have written Break the MBA Admissions Barrier, to help make it to `the world's best business schools'. The book, from Pearson Education (www.pearsoned.co.in), begins with the question `why MBA'.

Reasons are many, such as career change, better pay, preparation for own business, credibility, and so on. "Consider a top MBA programme to be a boot camp," instruct the authors. "It will keep you on your toes... You will be forced to participate in discussions and be prepared for the occasional embarrassment. You will need to learn and appreciate the importance of interpersonal skills and dynamics through study groups where you would collaborate with people from all over the world."

The book has inputs on `choosing the school', `managing the timelines', `money matters', and `visas'. Mohit and Hari lay down `the 10 commandments of a B-school application'. Such as: `develop substance', by picking from incidents that demonstrate your leadership potential; and `build on your strengths and address your weaknesses'.

The authors advise: "Well-written essays can tilt the balance in your favour despite a low GMAT score, GPA or a career that has involved many switches." Remember, that to make an impact on the admissions committee, essays need to be humane and realistic too. "Qualities like creativity, maturity, and leadership can be brought out in the essays in your own language."

Good counsel.

VAT works and what doesn't

P. Purushotham and P. R. Subramaniyan have written A VAT on Works Contract, from Snow White (www.swpindia.com). The book presents issues that need ironing out for better administration of value added tax of works contract. They urge for "a bold concurrence of all the States" to recognise GTO in terms of `contractual transfer price' rather than be stuck with `derivation' of TTO.

The abbreviations stand for gross and taxable turnover. The authors point out how the usual practice is for the contractor to raise an invoice on the client for the work done during a month; turnover is accordingly declared, tax paid and return filed. But the client certifies the bill for acceptance only after measurement. Thus, though GTO is declared, the correct amount emerges only after certification, necessitating the revision of turnover.

Useful reference for the professional.

Tailpiece

"His election symbol is a cat!"

"On the wall, you mean?"

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D. Murali