Has the downturn affected the number of B-school students taking up HR as specialisation?
Not really. In any case HR specialisation is not popular in the regular PGDM where in a typical top B-school over 90 per cent students opt for either marketing or finance. The demand for PGDM HR programmes has not been affected. If you see over all the number of students applying for CAT 2010 has come down by 17 per cent. The effect on HR is lesser than that. With a bleak job market (due to the financial crisis), has the role of HR manager diminished to an extent? How can an HR manager contribute in vitality to an organisation in such a scenario? No. HR Roles vary as firms move across various stages in business cycle. If in the peak of BPO boom hiring was the main activity, during downturn, aligning with business, putting pressure on performance and preparing and counselling people for pink slips assumes the prime role of HR managers. With every down turn most successful companies think of doing things differently and get into newer areas. Therefore there is pressure to be creative and
