IIFT GDPI experiences-3

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), Delhi GDPI experiences (3/3)

Candidate: Abhishek  
Work Experience: 30 months
Date: 18th Feb 2011

Venue: IIFT Campus, Delhi

Essay writing:
Topic: Indian economy will continue to show sustained economic growth

Talked about how world economy/demand was picking after recession and indian demand increasing due to expanding middle class. Both demands wont get satiated so soon and so enough fuel to keep our factories running for a long time now. Good potential in export market now. Also we still maintain our low cost advantage in manufacturing/IT/BPO due to which lots of fdi also moving in and MNCs using india as export hub. Govt was doing its bit to improve infrastructure. So in short, economy shall continue to grow. Overall i was satisfied. gave a few numbers regarding our gdp growth n expected figures.

Group Discussion:
Topic: Government should take tougher stand to control commodities' prices

I was really unfortunate to be the last person in my group. Had so many points but many got mentioned by the time my chance came. 2 ladies were supervising who didnt appear the least bit interested in the discussion. Very sad and gloomy faces they had. They just rushed through the whole process and didnt give the candidates towards the end those bare 1.5 mins to make their point in the beginning. I barely spoke for a minute when i was interrupted and gd was thrown open to the house. Mostly everybody talked of controlling black marketeering. I elaborated on the point of controlling speculative commodity market, eliminating middle men in agricultural commodities, securing oil/gas/coal assets abroad to avoid prise rise due to disruption in supply due to wars, etc, increasing manufacturing capacities of steel, etc to meet the supply side gap. Over all satisfied with my performance.

Personal Interview:
The panel consisted of 4 males. Had heard from the previous fellows that one of them was a cricket fan. Lets call them P1, P2, P3 and P4, in that order from left to right. I went in and greeted them and was asked to take my seat. Pleasantries exchanged. 

P2: Tell us something about urself:
Me: Started to tell bout myself, schooling, college, hometown, hobbies, strengths when I was interrupted in between by P1
P1: Ok, so u have mentioned in ur CV that u like cricket, right? (Now i realise he is the cricket guy) So tell me, how many teams r there in the current worldcup?
Me: 14
P1: Who all? Mention the new ones, or mention all.
Me: Decided to mention all. Could manage only 11. Missed out netherlands, zimbabwe and canada.
P1: OK, so what do u think about india's chances of winning the present worldcup?
Me: Very strong chances sir
P1: Why so?
Me: First of all, because we are playing in home conditions and have that advantage, and...
P2: (Interrupting in between) But do u know, till date none of the teams have won the worldcup in home conditions?
Me: That may be sir. But then home conditions are always an advantage , whether u win the cup or not.
P2: Fine , continue
Me: And then , we've been doing well in the last season, having performed well against australia, new zealand and southafrica. Our players are in great form. Overall , due to these factors , india is a favorite to win the cup
P1: Tell me about one controversy with team Rajasthan Royals of IPL that came in news recently?
Me: It had something to do with its ownership. Am not exactly sure what sir.
P1: So u've also mentioned that u read newspapers a lot. 2 days back, there was this first page article where they had mentioned the current bets going against each team. What is the bet that bookies have going for India?
Me: (clueless) No idea sir. Probably that was in the times of india. I read the Hindu. 
P1:Why it must have come in the Hindu also. 
Me: Probably sir, but I am not much interested in betting odds and all. I have no idea
P1: Even then. U tell us. If u were a bookie how would u rate India's chances of winning the cup.
Me: (I had started to hate P1 and cricket , both by now) well, I'd say 70% chances sir. (Was expecting a "how?" from P1 next. Luckily it didnt happen and he passed on the baton to P2 who happened to be the economics guy)
P2: Tell me about India's Major Exports.
Me: Textiles, Gems & Jewellery, tea, coffee, engineering goods, iron ore,software etc
P2: Which is india's largest export by value?
Me: I am not really sure, but i guess its engineering goods.
P2: What are our major imports and largest import by value?
Me: Crude oil is india's largest import by value. Apart from that, we import a lot of high end machinery, fertilizers, ores, electronic goods,etc
P2: What do u think about india's manufacturing competitiveness?
Me: Sir, india has always been competitive as far as manufacturing is concerned primarily due to the low cost of labour here. In the past we have been leaders in exports of goods like textiles, gems and jewelery  leather goods, etc, due to low cost of labour. Nowadays, we have even gained edge in terms of manufacturing high technology products like automobiles and electronics and exporting them too
P2: Any examples of high technology goods manufactured in india and exported?
Me: Sir Nokia has started using India as manufacturing and export hub for mobile handsets in south Asia and gulf region. So has Hyundai in case of Automobiles. India is one of the largest manufacturing bases of Hyundai.
P2: Have you heard about free trade agreements between countries? 
Me: Nodded. Mentioned ASEAN.
P2: Do u think it is mutually beneficial for india to enter into such agreements?
Me: Yes sir it is. Free trade agreements ensure a regular market for our goods and considering india is a growing and upcoming economy, we need to ensure a fixed market free from competition for our goods in these initial stages untill we get strong technologically to compete on our own. And anyways, we have to import so many things. So it really doesnt matter if we import it from some other country or from these countries with which we have FTAs.
(Finally P2 appears satisfied)
P3: So Abhishek, we are having a census exercise going on for the year 2011. Suppose at the end of the census, the figures tell that our population has exceeded that of china, what will happen?
Me: Nothing will happen. Our population will increase, what has that got to do with china's population? (I guess, i should have avoided questions, but then .....my mistake) We'll have the obvious advantages of a large population and the obvious disadvantages of a large population, whether we cross china's population or not.
P3: (obviously not satisfied. Wanted to come to his question in a different manner now) Ok, so what according to you could be the cause for the 3rd world war?
Me: A 3rd world war, if ever fought, would be fought over energy resources sir. Oil/Gas and Coal
P3: (Cunning smile) Oil!! No no. U see, my friend here (points at P4, who suddenly realises waking up from his slumber that he is also a part of the panel) doesn't agree with you. Do you?
P4: U know, a lot of wars have been fought over women. (Making a face as if women was a more obvious answer. Where in the world did i come up with such an absurd answer as oil)
Me: Sir, the first two world wars were not fought over women. There's no reason why we should assume that the 3rd one will be .
P3: Anyways, if not oil, what could spark the 3rd world war? (What an adamant panel man!!)
Me: hmmm...well sir.. u see, for a war to happen, we need two superpowers capable of challenging each other militarily and simultaneously strong enough to drag the whole world into the war too. I think....
P3: Do u want me to give u a hint? (I nodded in agreement). Last year, in atleast 10 developed countries , there have been street riots over food. Grain shops have been ransacked and looted.
Me: Food sir!! (Now I realise what would happen if india's population exceeds that of china). Well, I don't think food shortage can lead to something as catastrophic as a world war. Though the world over, food shortage is there, but i feel its a temporary phenomenon and we'll come over it. There are still large parts of land world over, which havent been utilized to their full potential , and if and when done, the food shortage can be overcome easily. LIke in India itself, we have Eastern UP and Bihar, which are parts of the Fertile Gangetic Plains and yet not as productive as punjab, haryana or west UP. This is because of lack of proper irrigation facilities and flood control, which when done, we can feed india's population for many more years to come.
P3: I wasnt talking about India.
Me: sir, even else where, there are still lots of unutilized areas of fertile land which can be used and food shortage met. Food crisis is not strong enough to spark a 3rd world war
P4: (Finally he takes over) So, u are working at BHEL and getting a salary of 50000 PM. What if by the time u pass out u get the same salary. What would be the point of doing an MBA then?
Me: The usual gyan about learning and skill development, etc ,etc. They appear bored. Looked like they had gone through the same answer over and over again for the past 4 days. Kept nodding


Verdict: Converted