Students' Speak: Top 10 GD PI topics you must prepare for

Here is a list of 10 topics with ‘for’ and ‘against’ arguments you must prepare for the Group Discussion, Personal Interview session for MBA 2020.

1. Will the emergence of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML) makes human work and intelligence obsolete?

For: Yes, automation will lead to a loss of thousands of jobs. A recent study from Mckinsey predicted that close to half of all US jobs will be automated in the next decade. Most of the current jobs involve the collection and processing of data and deriving insights from it. A human, for example, a doctor can analyse data based on his own life experience. A machine, on the other hand, can analyse thousands of data efficiently and can provide insights with minimum or no bias. Machines do not get fatigued like human beings and hence they can work 24x7 without compromising on efficiency. Thus, jobs, which are routine and repetitive, will be replaced by machines in the future.

Against: Not all jobs will be automated by machines. There are certain aspects of the jobs which can be automated. Two main things that can’t be automated yet by machines are emotion and context. Human emotions such as motivation, anger, etc., are complex and hence a machine can’t replicate or understand them fully. For instance, humans are still efficient at making interactions better than machines. The second one is a context which allows human to take decisions which are not only based on the past data but also takes into account the dynamic environment. The best example can be of MS dhoni appointing Joginder Sharma to bowl the last over in 2007 T20.

2. Bank mergers of PSUs: Good or bad?

For:  Merging of public sector undertakings (PSUs) allows for ease of operations of public banks. A large number of PSUs means fragmented operations and functioning. Also with almost all PSUs having non-performing assets (NPAs), mergers could possibly lead to a decrease in them. The strengths of one bank in terms of capital, cash flow can be leveraged by the weaker bank in the merger. Another advantage of mergers is that with few big banks now present the appointment of senior officials for different bank positions will be much faster and efficient compared to appointed leaders for many different banks (PSUs). Also, merged banks can provide bigger loans to the corporate which will improve the bargaining position of the bank.

Against: Merging one bank with another will not solve the problem of NPAs as the merged banks themselves do not have sound financial fundamentals. Also between a strong bank and a weak bank can cause problems for the strong bank as bad loans of the weak bank have to be taken care of by the bigger bank once the merger is complete. There is no empirical evidence to suggest a correlation between the size and efficiency of the bank. Take the case of HDFC bank and state bank of India. HDFC has a price to book ratio of 4 whereas State Bank of India which is much bigger in size has a ratio of 1.25. Hence with large size the bank efficiency will improve is not entirely correct.

3. Deep discounts offered by E-commerce: Good or bad for consumers and economy?

For:  As long as consumers get benefitted from the offerings by e-commerce, the discounts are valid. It allows consumers to make purchases which were not affordable to them earlier. Selling products at low cost is one of the oldest and popular ways of market penetration. Take the examples of JIO offering free internet pack in 2016. Popular events like black Friday and any festival offers are a hit amongst the customers and this can benefit both the seller and the buyers. The seller gets benefited by the volumes of the goods sold which contributes to the top-line revenues. India being a developing country with a majority of the population not having a high disposable income, discounts on products can certainly help running the economy.

Against: Small traders and many brick & mortar shops have protested against the deep discounts. Many hotels have opted out of Zomato in Andhra Pradesh as part of their protest against deep discounts offered on food. Selling products for below the MRP is not allowing these shops to run their business. Also once the price of a product is dropped very low there are chances that the customer might not consider the product valuable. They may consider the product as “cheap” or of inferior quality thereby not purchasing them. Also as per CCI norms, deep discounts can be predatory pricing which essentially eliminates all competition thereby making a market monopoly. Thus the regulator needs to be monitoring this pricing set by e-commerce giants.

4. Crypto-currency: Bright future or just a fad?

For: Crypto-currency will allow transparency of transactions. Using technologies such as blockchain has the potential to remove intermediaries like banks, brokers, etc, and allows direct connection between buyer and seller. Crypto-currencies can also reduce mismanagement of accounts, frauds related to payments. It is also secured as each transaction is protected by a unique set of numbers which will be only known to the parties involved in the transaction. This leads to a safe and secure way of payment. A crypto-currency can also lead to a uniform mode of currency across the globe and integrate cashless transactions across the globe.

Against: However secure it may be crypto-currencies are still susceptible to cyber-attacks by hackers. It has been estimated that close 4 million dollars have been lost due to hacking. Another challenge posed for crypto-currency is there is no governing body monitoring these transactions and hence it poses problems for regulation. The infrastructure which is currently there for the cryptocurrency is small compared with big players like VISA and MasterCard. Thus their speed of operations is still less compared with other technologies of transactions.

5. Ease of doing business ranking: Will it improve doing business in India?

For: India with a vast population of over a billion attracts numerous foreign investors who want to tap into the market. A reduction in corporate tax can also attract potential investors. The areas in which India has improved are starting a business, dealing with construction permits and resolving insolvencies. The ranking has improved from 142^nd in 2014 to 63^rd in 2019 which is a tremendous achievement for a complex economy like India. The ongoing trade war between US-China also provides opportunities for India to be an alternative source of investment.

Against: The criteria on which the rankings were measured doesn’t take into account the factors such as sentiments from MSMEs, their challenges in setting up and running a business in India. The cost of setting up a business in India is still challenging due to regulatory compliance, under the table payments. Adding to this the liquidity crunch faced by the NBFCs does not provide any positive outlook. The parameters on which World bank measures ease of business ranking allow ample room for countries to make adjustments to the numbers which in reality turns a blind eye towards the actual issues at the micro-level.

6. Electric vehicles (EV) technology in India: Are we prepared?

For: Electric vehicles offer an alternative solution to the pollution concerns in major cities like Delhi. This allows for less carbon footprint and a sustainable future towards a clean environment. The Government under FAME (Faster adoption and manufacture of hybrid and electric vehicles) initiative has planned to move to 30% electric cars by 2030. The government is focussing on a two-wheeler and three-wheeler segments. As per the finance minister, India wants to become the “global hub of electric vehicles”. Norway is another good example of the successful installation of electric vehicles which accounted for half of last year's vehicle sales. Charging stations are built in government offices and malls to facilitate charging. Major car manufacturers like Mahindra & Mahindra, Tata Motors, and Hyundai have already forayed into manufacturing electric cars.

Against: Immediate challenges would be the loss of thousands of jobs which would happen as demand for petrol and diesel vehicles will get reduced or replaced by EVS. The inadequate presence of charging infrastructure poses a challenge for EV market. Leading Indian manufacturer Maruti Suzuki research has found 60% of Indian consumers don’t have their own parking space; hence there will be difficulties for charging. India has only 650 charging stations in 2018 compared to China with 456k. The high price of EVs also poses a challenge for adoption by consumers.  Also, lapses in policies of FAME regarding the vehicle standardisation pose a problem for the adoption of electric vehicles.

7. Regulation of social media by the government: Right or wrong?

For: It can help in curbing fake news which leads to lots of confusion and potential violence among communities. Indian govt has taken positive steps like mandating local data centers for Facebook and Whatsapp in India for data privacy. It also ordered whats app to identify the sources of fake news which help the govt in arresting the perpetrators. Social media sites like Whatsapp have also introduced new security features upon pressure by the govt. to protect the individual’s private data. It has also mandated many apps to refrain from asking access to photos, contacts during installation as it is not required all the time.

Against: The regulation of social media by the govt. can affect freedom of speech. This raises concerns for increased censorship and possible removal of content from social media which is deemed inappropriate by the govt. This can allow govt. and social media to control the information which needs to be seen thereby affecting critics of the govt. and a possible curbing of freedom of speech. Also, many of the fake news originate from the respective IT cells of the political parties who are not held responsible for their actions. In such a case the regulation by the government doesn’t help the cause.

8. Has India’s education sector over the years improved?

For: As per research in 2011, around 75 percent of the population aged between 7-10 years was literate. India has signed an agreement with World Bank under for “Skills acquisition and knowledge awareness for livelihood promotion” (SANKALP) project for improving skill development in educational institutions. Many Indian start-ups like Byju’s provide education in a creative and meaningful way. Also out of all startups 3500 of them account for education space in 2018. In August 2018 the govt. has launched Atal Ranking of Institutions on Innovation Achievements (ARIIA) to promote healthy competition among educational institutions of India. Opening of new IITs and IIMs over the years will also help in more aspirants joining these prestigious institutes. This can promote the quality of education.

Against: Even though many initiatives and technological innovations have come up in the education sector rote learning still persists. Students are still forced to mug up the formulas without having any context in order to pass the exam. The evaluation system is another issue that persists in the education system. The student’s performance is mainly judged by a three-hour exam and not giving enough focus to other factors like extracurricular activities, communication, and leadership skills. Issues of proper teacher training also persist as many of them, especially in government based schools, are not properly skilled. The online educations still need penetration in rural markets and help them in accepting the technology. As research by noble laureate Abhijit Banerjee suggested, personalised attention to a student by a teacher helps in improving his marks, hence it is important for teachers and the Indian education system to promote personalised learning rather than one size fits for all.

9. Scrapping of Article 370: Justified or not?

For: Scrapping of Article 370 allows the central government to control the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in a better manner. Strategically, India can now raise a claim on Pakistan occupied Kashmir (POK) and gives full power to India to flush terrorists out from Kashmir. AlsoAarticle 370 was a temporary provision that was intended to last until the adoption of the state constitution. Article 370 allowed the state of Jammu & Kashmir to have special status and autonomy over the internal administration. It had a serious impact on Jammu and Kashmir such as no right to education, no land or property for Indians, racial discrimination, no rights for women to name a few. Another point to be noted is for the past 20 years or more the Kashmir had been marred with terrorism and the govt of India had been frustrated with the efforts taken by the state government. With no direct control over the states, the Centre could not implement policies and rights which every Indian citizen is being entitled as per our constitution. Thus scrapping of Article 370 is a positive move as this would lead to the creation of more jobs, curb on terrorism, resettlement of the Hindu minority and giving the people of Kashmir their fundamental rights.

Against: The abrogation of Article 370 has caused unrest amongst the political leaders in Kashmir which caused a security concern in the valley. Due to the abrogation, the Kashmir has lost its full statehood and it is currently under curfew. However, the Centre has assured it would restore it once the situation is under control. Even though the government has said that industries can invest it would take some time until Kashmir would be safe for doing business. Another possible threat is from terrorist groups who may be planning for more damage since the scrapping of the article is against their vested interests.

10. Gender bias in portraying women in advertisements

For: Stereotypes for men and women have existed since ancient times with roles and responsibilities being separate for both the genders. However in current times both men and women the role have blurred with men and women taking equal responsibilities. Still, marketers position their products in such a manner that they are gender-specific. For eg. products like Dabur Amla, lux, santoor has always shown women in the advertisement. This type of stereotyping does not negatively impact any gender; rather it caters to the specific needs of the women. Similarly, there are many personalised products targeted to men. Thus any type of bias which is useful for the consumers and business alike without hurting the sentiments of the public is most welcome.

Against: There are many advertisements that portray women's weaker sex with a huge emphasis on beauty and fairness. This kind of stereotyping sends the wrong message to children as it develops a foundation for stereotyping. For ads such as fair and lovely portray discrimination based on looks, and many car ads show only men which again promotes the message that cars only form men and beauty is for women. Hence media plays an important role in projecting women and care must be taken not promote negative bias. Also, it is important for individuals not get carried by these advertisements and rather use their own logic while making judgments.

About the Author:

Tata Subramanian is pursuing MBA from Thiagarajar School of Management (TSM) in Marketing and HR. He is a passionate public speaker who is enthusiastic about new technologies in marketing. A fan of crime fiction novels, he loves to study human nature. He is also a core committee member of debating and quiz club.