General Management

What is General Management

The General management course is offered by various leading business schools in India and overseas. The course enables candidates to learn about managerial, functional and operational demands of an organisation to trigger production effectively and efficiently. Moreover, the course focuses on introducing contemporary business modules and providing guidance to think through advanced business strategies with a global perspective. Candidates who will be pursuing a general management degree will become efficient to supervise, plan and direct the team, department, or the cell that they will be assigned. General management graduates will have to look over various organisations of management, be it the administration department or Human resources department, you will have to oversee all the operations. 

If you are someone who has good leadership skills and knows how to get people to work efficiently, then a general management course is for you. In India, there is no UG course in particular for general management. Hence, you will have to take up your bachelors in either commerce or business administration. You could then go on to do your postgraduate where you can take general management as the specialization course. 

Eligibility Criteria (UG & PG) of General Management

Eligibility Criteria for UG Course

As mentioned earlier, there is no separate management course for UG. The criteria’s for taking up B.com and BBA are given below:

• Should have completed 10+2 from a recognised board or institute.

• The minimum marks in this field is 50%

• Students should qualify the entrance examination and interviews conducted by the respective colleges. 

Eligibility criteria for General Management Course

Students can take up general management while they do their MBA. There are certain requirements that the students must keep in their mind:

• You should have completed 10th and 12th from a recognised board.

• At the 10+2 level, you should have scored a minimum of 50%, however, the mark criteria differ from each college.

• You should have a basic graduation degree from any field.

• A minimum of 55% is expected from the applicant.

• Students should qualify the entrance examination and interviews conducted by the respective colleges.

These are some of the basic criteria’s colleges look into. There could be other factors that determine admissions. It is recommended that students have a background in commerce for taking up this program. Even then, it is not mandatory.

Entrance Exams for General Management Course

Every college offers admission to general management course on the basis of an entrance exam. These entrance exams put to the test the various skills that are required in the general management field. Students need to sharpen their logical reasoning and analysis, quantitative aptitude, communication skills, problem-solving skills and their subject knowledge. Here are some of the entrance exams for general management course:

• CAT- Common Admission Test is conducted across various IIMs. Students who wish to study in these prestigious institutions will have to prepare for this entrance exam. Check other CAT articles.

• GMAT- Graduate Management Aptitude Test assesses the student’s various skills. The exam results will provide an overall analysis of the student’s capability in the field. Check other GMAT articles.

• ATMA- It is conducted to provide admission to students in the MBA/PGDM programme. The exam is compulsory; those students who do not appear for the exam will not be provided admission. Check other ATMA articles.

• XAT- the Xavier School of Management conducts its own entrance exam. Being one of the premier institutes, the exam sees a lot of competition. Check other XAT articles.

• MAT- All India Management association conducts its exam. Those who score well are provided admission into various MBA programmes. Check other MAT articles.

The above-mentioned exams are for the master’s level. For bachelor’s, colleges conduct their own entrance exams.  Since there are no specialised courses in general management at the bachelor’s level in India, one can take up B.com or BBA and later can opt for MBA, where you get to take electives and specialisations.

Required Skillset for General Management

The profession of general management is heavily dependent on a lot of skills. Those who are usually very shy and under-confident find it difficult to make their space. Here are a few skillsets required to have to pursue and excel in general management course: 

• Organisation skills- Organisational skills are very important. Organisational skills help you prioritise your work, and perform them systematically. It helps you plan your work and finish them on time.

• Leadership skills- Management is entirely based on the ability to lead a team. As a general manager you are to take responsibility for your team. You should have the ability to get your work done by delegating the work to the entire team.

• Negotiation skills- A lot of times you will find yourself to be in a fix. You will have to create situations that don’t affect your employees. You should be able to talk and come to a conclusion that benefits both teams.

• Communication skills- Communication skills include having the ability to converse through writing and through speaking. A lot of work gets communicated by the general manager. If a general manager doesn’t know how to communicate effectively, it could result in poor work. Hence, those who wish to take up general management should learn to communicate well.

• Empathy- Your role as a general manager is primarily to get your team to do their work well. It doesn’t end there, if you don’t have the empathy to understand your team and if you can’t understand their side of the story, then it would result in poor work and non-cooperation.

• Diplomatic skills- Diplomacy is not a compulsory requirement, but if you have the ability to be diplomatic it will go a long way. It is one of the best ways to get your work done. A diplomatic manager will have complete control of their team.   

These are just a few of the many skills that are required in general management field. At the end of the day, you must be interested and passionate about whatever you are doing. When you like what you do, the drive to deliver comes from within. There are no boundaries or limitations to grow. Only determination and perseverance is what you need.