Business Quiz: The future teaching tool for B-Schools

Management education in India has undergone a radical transformation and off-late is being offered with the most contemporary tools and concepts keeping in mind the specific requirements of the Industry and with an overall aim to bring out the right talent who can deliver in the corporate world.

With the ongoing teaching methodology of case based studies, group presentations, summer projects which is being followed by the B-Schools there can be some focus given on the quiz-based study (specifically “Business Quiz”) which can be a useful tool for an overall understanding of the business concepts and the business environment.

Through my interactions with the students of various B-Schools could experience a renewed enthusiasm and inquisitiveness adopting this tool and to make the concepts of management understand better. Ideally a mix of theoretical and business quiz based teaching methodology can possibly be looked at by the B-schools.

Example

Question: What is the new name of Planning Commission?
Answer: NITI AAYOG

There can be a proper deliberation (an entire session need to be dedicated) on what is NITI AAYOG and the role it plays for the government and the states. This would enable the students to have a more detailed understanding of the various government functions and the kind of coordination NITI AAYOG does among the various government departments and with the states.

Example
Question: Which famous celebrity does the Brand endorsements for “Tata Motors” (has been roped in recently)
Answer: Mr Akshay Kumar

Based on this there can be a detailed discussion on the brand endorsements (specifically for celebrities), about the Tata Group (on corporate governance), The strategy adopted for its various firms (can be part of the class on Strategy), vision for the firm going forward.

This would be a good exercise for the students to relate their theoretical concepts with specific examples from the Tata Group (in fact a detailed study of the group would enable the students to have a complete understanding of most of the management concepts).

The Institutes can have a dedicated faculty to train and mentor the students on the business quiz based teaching methodology who need to have the required passion and enthusiasm and most importantly the creativity to undertake this subject (else the efforts wouldn’t be that value-added).

Alternatively, the Institute can outsource a resource (an Industry person with a communication industry background) for this purpose. An MBA degree is a qualification (rather would say it is an experience) which develops a person (overall makes him/her a well-groomed personality) and quizzing helps in better understanding of the Corporate Scenario and the management concepts (makes the teaching methodology more interesting) and also is a good extra-curricular activity.

With the changing expectations of the corporate world (“MBAs” with most contemporary skill sets being more sought after) and with the Industry looking at B-School graduates who are well groomed and inclined to work in a fiercely competitive environment business quiz based teaching methodology can be the right tool for imparting the management concepts and the proposal can be deliberated with the various stakeholders associated with the B-School and implemented in the Two Years MBA Course.

India is changing and undergoing a rapid transformation and so also, can be the approach of our B-Schools.

By: Sasikant Misra
(The writer is a management consultant)