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Topics
Please prepare a dissertation on any ONE oI the Iollowing topics:
Will EU survive the second decade of the new millennium?
%he European Union (EU) was Iormed to bring down economic, trade and immigration
barriers between the small and Iragmented European nations to attain economic scale and
curb nationalistic tendencies in the region. %he introduction oI Euro, as a common
currency, enhanced trade integration and Iacilitated a cross border, single market system
across Continental Europe, but sovereign spending has outstripped developments and the
union has permitted below-par countries to survive in the union, which otherwise might
have Iailed individually. Now Euro has added to the woes, where countries such as
Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Greece and Spain (PIIGS) are unable to take the usually available
monetary measures to repay their debts. In view oI the current economic crises, what will
be the Iuture oI EU? Will it survive as we know it? Or will the 'PIIGS' pull it down? Have
we seen the bottom oI the sovereign debt crisis iceberg yet? Or is it just the beginning?
Will it Iurther slowdown the global economy or will it wither away? Which countries will
do better and which will suIIer the most? Will it aIIect more countries? What will be the
impact oI various austerity measures proposed? Will it bring down governments? Or will
it make the union even stronger? What will the EU need to do to survive in the second
decade oI the new millennium?
2 Relevance of corporate governance for emerging economies
In a recent survey conducted by KPMG in India, 35 percent oI respondents consider
weak oversight and monitoring as the biggest risks to corporate governance, while 21
percent perceived management override as the greatest risk. A signiIicant majority would
preIer greater empowerment to independent directors and think that there is still a long
way to go in protecting minority shareholders. What are the major challenges and trends
Ior corporate governance in emerging markets? How do they stack up against each other
and where do they stand in its evolution process? Do the ASEAN countries and other
emerging economies show reasonable corporate governance standards? II not, what
implications is it likely to have? Where are the perceived gaps? Is it in the regulatory
Iramework? Or is it more oI an implementation issue?
3 Future of Global Research & Analytics business
%he Global Research & Analytics business in a short span oI a decade has grown into an
industry in its own right. Since its birth, it has lived through some oI the best times in the
capital markets, survived the largest ever global Iinancial crises, and constantly evolved
itselI to remain relevant to its customer and the market. Both captive and third party
business models have co-existed and the business over time has progressed Irom
'structured sell-side support' to 'ad hoc buy-side requirements'; moved Irom providing
'resource solution' to 'research solutions'; moved Irom just being a 'cost arbitrage story' to
being a 'capability enhancement story'. However, this business is yet to see landside
growth, the way its I%O and BPO cousins had witnessed at the advent oI the oIIshoring
story. Has the Global Research & Analytics business already matured? How will it
evolve, especially in the challenging atmosphere oI current global economic and Iinancial
situation? Do the business dynamics and models need a change? How will it aIIect the
value proposition oI the business? Will the business be able to make the shiIts it has
historically been able to make and stay relevant to its customer and the market? What are
the major trends and challenges awaiting this business in the near Iuture? Would it be
diIIerent Ior captives and third parties? Or would we see an entirely new business model?
4 Outreach on Social Networks: Strategy for Companies in the Service
Sector'
Increasing popularity oI social network websites has changed the Iace oI media in the
past 5 years, and has the potential to change the way marketing is done just like Google
changed the world oI advertising. However, most organizations are yet to harness the
power oI social networking sites, more so because social networks seem to work very
organically and have an intelligence oI its own, which at times can throw things out oI
control. How can CRISIL &/or other Iinancial services companies use this new powerIul
instrument to make a bigger impact in the market and serve customers better? Can this
tool be used to disseminate inIormation? Can social networks help companies better
engage with their customers, investors, market makers, and employees? Can it be used to
even 'listen' to the markets? How can companies avoid negative publicity and
misinIormation? How social networks process inIormation and pass them on? What is the
role oI large heterogeneous groups in doing so and how do they behave? Have
intelligently designed experiments aimed achieving a better understanding, shown desired
results?
5 India's infrastructure - a boon or a bane
India, since the opening oI its economy has made tremendous strides towards growth and
reIorms, thereby putting it on the global map Ior all the right reasons. But somewhere in
the recent past, the controversies around the execution oI the inIrastructure projects may
have created an adverse impact on the perceptions about the country. %he 2010 IMD
World Competitive Yearbook Ior InIrastructure ranks India 54th out oI the 58 countries
with India only beating Indonesia, Philippines, Peru and Venezuela. Although the
Government oI India's 12th Iive-year plan (2013-2018) calls Ior doubling the Iinancial
outlay Ior inIrastructure to $1 trillion, is the policy Iramework strong enough to Iacilitate
implementation oI these projects. Are India's policies dynamic enough to adapt to the
inIrastructural development needs, especially under the current governance system? What
are the solutions that are needed to bring the change and how could it happen? Will India
be able to develop the required inIrastructure, Iast enough, to sustain its economic
growth? Will it be able to catch up with other developing economies? How will the
trends evolve and what impact will it have on India's image in Iront oI the world.
6 Will Argentina be able to maintain its competitiveness in international
markets?
As a consequence oI one oI its prior economic and political crises and aIter a decade oI
having the peso pegged to the US dollar, Argentina completely abandoned the currency
board in 2002 and allowed its currency to Iloat Ireely. With the possibility oI exercising
monetary policies plus Iavourable internal as well as external Iactors, the country
experienced one oI its most illustrious periods oI growth in history. %oday, aIter almost a
decade oI walking through this new paradigm, one crucial question starts to pop up with
strength: Can Argentina maintain its competitiveness in international markets? What
policies should be implemented to sustain or even Ioster growth? What are the potential
challenges on this Iront, in the next 5 to 10 years?
7 Amid inflation and high interest rates, does the Indian economy hold good
prospects in the next one year
%he Reserve Bank oI India (RBI) has been revising interest rates since early 2010, but
inIlation has not come down. While monetary tightening is yet to lower inIlation, it has
begun to adversely impact industrial perIormance as well as investment and private
consumption. %he interest rate hikes, designed to contain inIlation, have raised the cost oI
credit and may have made availability oI credit more diIIicult. Amid high inIlation and
high interest rates, do economic prospects Ior India in next one year look good?
8 Should Poland adopt the Euro?
'%o Euro or not to Euro' has been a question long in discussion in Poland. What seemed
like a no-brainer a Iew years ago has become a more complex puzzle, demanding careIul
economic analysis oI the common currency, its constituent nations and its impact on the
Polish economy. Amid the Ialtering economies and Ialling government bond ratings in
the Eurozone, the decision on Euro adoption might again seem like a simple choice; but,
is it really so, or is timing oI the essence here?
9 Property prices in China - is a correction imminent?
Property prices in China, especially, in the %ier I and %ier II cities, have risen
substantially over the last decade. Key indicators such as price-to-income ratio and price-
to-rent ratio could lead to questions on sustainability oI these prices. %he Chinese
government has recently undertaken measures to restrict Iunding oI property projects.
Would these be eIIective in the long-run? Or would the Chinese growth juggernaut and
the resultant urbanisation easily absorb such shocks?
The Indian Placement Reporting Standards - will they succeed?
Pioneered by IIM-A and adopted by 22 other business schools, the Indian Placement
Reporting Standards (IPRS) is a Iramework aimed at standardizing reporting oI
placement statistics. %he Iramework is Ireely available in the public domain Ior voluntary
adoption by other business schools. %he IPRS speciIies the standard Iormat in which the
aggregate statistics will be reported across Iunction, sector, and location (within and
outside India) and mandates demarcation oI perIormance linked compensation Irom Iixed
salary, enabling a more realistic understanding oI oIIers on campus. Although this
initiative heralds in a new wave oI transparency in the business school sector, will these
standards meet with resounding success?