Playing the game of gains

Dr. Sheetal Kapoor

Commerce as a stream of education can be defined as a study of trade and business activities such as the exchange of goods and services from producer to final consumer Commerce, an evergreen stream offers huge opportunities to students to make up their careers after Class XII. With the rapid opening of our markets to foreign companies, rising GDP and a number of reforms carried by the Indian government, the students of Commerce stream can expect huge job opportunities in this field. Growing service sector offers enormous job opportunities in accounting, banking, insurance, advertising, mass communication, Public Relations, stock markets, tourism, retailing, business law, international business, marketing research, taxation, teaching, etc.

The increasing number of career choices creates a situation of dissonance in the minds of the students, and therefore, clarity about what they should do after Class XII is very much required. Commerce students by now are familiar with subjects such as, Accountancy, Business Studies, Economics and Mathematics/Information Technology/ Mass Media (optional in many schools). Therefore, at this juncture it is required that a student should understand its true potential and must try to hone his skills in those areas. In order to make you feel comfortable in making the right choice for your career I am going to discuss the various career opportunities available to you in the Commerce Stream. We can categorise the various courses which a Commerce student can opt for into various segments such as graduation courses and professional courses:

Graduation courses

1. Bachelor of Commerce (BCom): It is the most popular undergraduate course after Class XII as this course enables and equips the students to acquire conceptual knowledge about various business concepts and practices and enables them to apply various tools to face challenges as business managers. It offers lucrative career opportunities in the field of management, banking, insurance, marketing, accounting, advertising, finance, taxation. 

To get admission in a regular college in most universities students can opt for BCom (Hons) or BCom (Professional). These courses are highly coveted by students and most of the best colleges in Delhi University have a cut off percentage above 90 per cent. SRCC, Delhi,  had a cut off of 98 per cent for Commerce students last year.  Maths as a subject for doing BCom (Prof) course is not compulsory but for Hons students it is essential as they have a paper on Business Mathematics. However, don’t lose heart if you are not able to get an admission in any of the university colleges as you can also apply for a Correspondence Course through School of Open Learning from Delhi University.

2. Bachelor of Arts (Economics): This degree is designed to meet the growing need for an analytical and quantitative approach to problem solving in the changing corporate world by application of latest techniques evolved in the fields of economics and business. Students specialise in areas of Micro and Macro Economics, Business Policy and Strategy, Industrial Studies, Environmental and Resource Economics, Foreign Trade, Macro Economic/Policy, International Finance and Marketing, Applied Econometrics, Energy Economics, Labour Economics and Economics of Climate Change. Since 1995 Delhi University is offering a degree in BA (Hons) Economics in various Delhi University colleges.

3. Bachelor of Arts (ASPSM): Commerce students who did not study maths but have a strong aptitude for marketing, advertising and sales management can pursue a three-year degree course in BA (Advertising, Sales Promotion and Sales Management (ASPSM)). Some of the colleges that offer this course are : Kamala Nehru College, University of Delhi (New Delhi), Jesus and Mary College, University of Delhi (New Delhi), Delhi College of Arts and Commerce University of Delhi (New Delhi). MICA Institute from Mudra at Ahmedabad also offers PG diploma courses in advertising, sales and marketing.

4. Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA):  Bachelor of Business Administration is a professional degree, focusing on formulating administrative skills in students. BBA programmes are mainly offered under university affiliations. The top universities in India that offer BBA programmes, include University of Delhi, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Mumbai University, Symbiosis International University and NMIMS University, to name a few. These universities not only offer BBA/BBM/BMS programmes but also conduct their own admission test to select students.

5. BA (Hons.) Business Economics, BBS and BFIA: Students specialise in management courses and generally universities conduct entrance exams to admit meritorious students. University of Delhi conducts a common entrance programme of Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS) where students seek admission in three separate programmes — Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS), BA (Hons.) in Business Economics (BBE) and Bachelor of Financial & Investment Analysis (BFIA).

Professional courses 

1. Chartered Accountants: This course combines theoretical study with practical training. The Chartered Accountancy course is considered to be one of the most rigorous professional courses in India with a pass percentage of only 8.0-16.0 per cent in each attempt. The institute has 8,74,694 students, studying various levels of the Chartered Accountancy Course. 

2. Chartered Financial Analysis (CFA): The Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India (ICFAI) launched a certification programme for Financial Analysts (CFA) in 1985 and has been instrumental in developing a new generation of professionals in India. In 1995 ICFAI set up the ICFAI Business Schools (IBSs) all over India at eight locations to offer high quality employment-oriented two-year PG programmes in management with various specialisations. Over the years, IBS Hyderabad, has been ranked among the top 10 B-schools in India in the independent surveys conducted by various magazines. 

3. Institute of Costs and Works Accountants of India (ICWAI): The Institute of Costs and Works Accountants monitors all costs involved in making a product or providing a service — from raw materials and labour to administrative costs and overheads. In other words, the cost accountant collects, collates, and interprets data relating to the organisation’s business activities and converts it into money terms, thereby guiding managerial decisions and enabling the organisation to maximise profits.

ICWAI provides training in this area to students who have completed Plus II. The students have to clear three levels, i.e, Foundation, Intermediate and Final. Graduates are exempt from doing the foundation course. ICWAI has several branches all over the country. Thus the sky is the limit and career options are aplenty for commerce students, what is required is excellence and remaining focused towards one's goal. 

— The writer is Associate Professor, Department of Commerce, Nehru College, University of Delhi

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Defining Distinction — GGDSD College, Chandigarh

Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharam College in Chandigarh is well-known in the region for its Commerce courses. The Department of Commerce and Management (DCM) at the college was set up in  1976 to impart quality and value-based education in the field of Commerce and Management and to produce students with key managerial skills. Over the years, this department has carved an enviable niche in the field of commerce and management education in northern India. The department draws its students not only from the region but from all across the country. At present there is student representation from as many as 23 states of the country besides Chandigarh. The undergraduate courses of the department have the highest cut-off in the region every year. The vision is to be a “Centre of Excellence”. It has dedicated faculty, with a strong research connect. Over the years, students graduating from the department have performed exceedingly well in the Panjab University, Chandigarh, securing almost all top positions (75 per cent to 85 per cent of top 20 positions) year after year. The placement record of students is also very good and a large number of Chartered Accountants and Company Secretaries in the region are pass outs from this college. Apart from the Commerce stream, the college has also received distinctions like ‘A College with Potential for Excellence’ by UGC and ‘Star College in Life Sciences’ by DBT, Government of India. It has been recognised as a research centre leading to PhD by Panjab University in Biotechnology and is looking to get a research centre in chemistry also. This is the only college in the city which is offering vocational course — Bachelor in Vocation in Retail Management and Food Processing and Preservation. While Agri business and fashion technology courses are in the pipeline for approval with the UGC. The institute also offers Community College Diploma in Medical Lab Technology. GGDSD is the first college in the region to be a member of Microsoft IT Academy Programme. The students can join Microsoft programmes that offer classroom and online learning and also get a Microsoft certificate on the completion of the course.

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Top Commerce colleges

MCM DAV College for Women, Chandigarh
www.mcmdavcw-chd.edu
Seats: BCom (210); BBA(40)
Cut off: 75 per cent
USP: The college has state-of-the-art computer labs, multimedia centre and seminar room fitted with latest teaching, learning aids - OHPs, LCDs, computers etc.

Government College for Girls, Ludhiana
[email protected]
Seats: BBA- 40; BCom - 170.
Cut off: 92 per cent 
Claim to fame: Maximum university positions in different undergraduate courses and national championships in Sports.

Multani Mal Modi College, Patiala
www.modicollege.com 
Seats: B.Com (180); BBA (50).
Cut off: B.Com (73 per cent); BBA (62 per cent).
USP: The college is conferred with the status of "College for Potential of Excellence" by UGC.

Lovely Professional University, Jalandhar 
Estd: 2006
www.lpu.in
Courses offered: BBA (Hons.); BBA (IT); BBA (Financial Markets); B.Sc Economics (Hons.); BBA-MBA integrated (4 year); BCom-MBA integrated (4 years)
USP: LPU School of Business has been accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) of USA for its Management, Commerce & Economics programmes.

DAV College, Amritsar
w.w.w.davindia-asr.org
Cut off: 70 per cent
Seats in different courses: BBA (100); BCom (225);  BCom.(P) (150)
Claim to fame:  Accreditation: A+ Grade by NAAC, UGC’s Selected College with Potential for Excellence 

Hans Raj Mahila Maha Vidyalaya, Jalandhar
www.hrmmv.org
Seats: BCom reg. (225); professional (180); BBA (100)
Cut off:  NA
USP: NAAC A grade. First Indian college to be awarded maximum score of 3.83 CGPA out of 4 by NAAC.

(Based on selected lists from India Today, Outlook and other surveys)