Explain the different Transaction Attributes and Isolation Levels with reference to a scenario. Posted: The Enterprise JavaBeans model supports six different transaction rules: · TX_BEAN_MANAGED. The TX_BEAN_MANAGED setting indicates that the enterprise bean manually manages its own transaction control. EJB supports manual transaction demarcation using the Java Transaction API. This is very tricky and should not be attempted without a really good [...] |
| Posted: [For example, I have a method transfer which transfers funds from one account to another account.] Vague question. Is the Session bean doing the DB work? I’ll assume no. Let’s say AtmEJB is a Session bean with the transfer method. Let’s say AccountEJB is an Entity bean. Step 1: When the client invokes the transfer method you want that [...] |
| How is the passivation of Entity beans Managed? Posted: The passivation of Entity beans is managed by the container. To passivate an instance, the container first invokes the ejbStore() method for synchronizing the database with the bean instance, then the container invokes the ejbPassivate() method. It will then return the bean instance back to the pooled state. (Every bean has an instance pool.) There are [...] |
| Posted: An .ear file is an “Enterprise Archive” file. The file has the same format as a regular .jar file (which is the same as ZIP, incidentally). The .ear file contains everything necessary to deploy an enterprise application on an application server. It contains both the .war (Web Archive) file containing the web component of the [...] |
| What is an EJB primary key? How is it implemented when the database doesn’t have a primary key? Posted: A primary key is an object that uniquely identifies the entity bean. According to the specification, the primary key must be unique for each entity bean within a container. Hence the bean’s primary key usually maps to the PK in the database (provided its persisted to a database). You may need to create a primary key [...] |
| What classes does a client application need to access EJB? Posted: It is worthwhile to note that the client never directly interacts with the bean object but interacts with distributed object stubs or proxies that provide a network connection to the EJB container system. The mechanhism is as follows. 1. The client uses the JNDI context to get a remote reference (stub) to [...] |
| How does EJB support polymorphism? Posted: Because an EJB consists of multiple “parts”, inheritance is achievable in a rather limited fashion (see FAQ answer on inheritance here). There have been noteworthy suggestions on using multiple inheritance of the remote interface to achieve polymorphism, but the problem of how to share method signatures across whole EJBs remains to be addressed. The following [...] |
| Why are beans not allowed to create their own threads? Posted: Enterprise beans exist inside a container at run time. The container is responsible for managing every aspect of the enterprise bean’s life including: transactions, access control, persistence, resource pooling, etc. In order for the container to manage the runtime environment of a bean, it must have complete control over the threads that access and run [...] |
| How should complex find operations be implemented? Posted: In bean-managed persistence (BMP) complex find operations are not difficult to implement, because you have complete control over how a find operation works through the ejbFind methods in the bean class. ejbFind methods in BMP entities can span multiple tables and even different data sources to locate the right entity beans. With container-managed persistence (CMP) its [...] |
| Does the EJB programming model support inheritance? Posted: Inheritance is supported in EJB in a limited fashion. Enterprise beans are made up of several parts including: a remote interface; a home interface, a bean class (implementation); and a deployment descriptor The remote interface, which extends javax.ejb.EJBObject can be a subtype or a super-type of remote interfaces of other beans. This is also true of [...] |
| Posted: Container-managed fields may be specified in the bean’s deployment descriptor. An entity bean, for example, has an XML deployment descriptor containing elements similar to the following: This entity bean models an audio compact disc. MusicCDBean musicstore.MusicCDHome musicstore.MusicCD musicstore.MusicCDBean Container musicstore.MusicCDPK [...] |
| Why would a session bean use bean-managed transactions? Posted: In some situations, it’s necessary for a (stateful) session bean to selectively control which methods participate in transactions, and then take over the bundling of operations that form a logical unit of work. |
| How does a session bean obtain a JTA UserTransaction object? Posted: If it’s necessary to engage in explicit transaction management, a session bean can be designed for bean-managed transactions and obtain a UserTransaction object via the EJBContext using the getUserTransaction() method. (It may also use JNDI directly, but it’s simpler to use this convenience method.) |
| Why would a client application use JTA transactions? Posted: One possible example would be a scenario in which a client needs to employ two (or more) session beans, where each session bean is deployed on a different EJB server and each bean performs operations against external resources (for example, a database) and/or is managing one or more entity beans. In this scenario, the client’s [...] |
| Do JTS implementations support nested transactions? Posted: A JTS transaction manager must support flat transactions; support of nested transactions is optional. If a client begins a transaction, and within that transaction begins another transaction, the latter operation will throw a NotSupportedException if the JTS implementation does not support nested transactions. Keep in mind that even if the JTS implementation supports nested transactions, this [...] |
| How does a client application create a transaction object? Posted: How you gain access to UserTransaction objects varies depending on the type of client. Enterprise JavaBeans provides two types of transaction management: · Container-managed transactions. As the name implies, the EJB container makes the decisions (based on the deployment descriptor’s trans-attribute setting) regarding how to bundle operations into [...] |
| How does passivation work in stateful session beans? Posted: Unlike entity beans and stateless session beans, stateful session bean are usually evicted from memory when they are passivated. This is not true of all vendors but this view serves as good model for understanding the concepts of passivation in session beans. When a stateful bean experiences a lull in use — between client invocations and [...] |
| Are Enterprise JavaBeans and JavaBeans the same thing? Posted: Enterprise JavaBeans and JavaBeans are not the same thing; nor is one an extension of the other. They are both component models, based on Java, and created by Sun Microsystems, but their purpose and packages (base types and interfaces) are completely different. JavaBeans The original JavaBeans specification is based on the java.beans package which is a standard [...] |
| Why an onMessage call in Message-driven bean is always a separate transaction? Posted: EJB 2.0 specification: “An onMessage call is always a separate transaction, because there is never a transaction in progress when the method is called.” When a message arrives, it is passed to the Message Driven Bean through the onMessage() method, that is where the business logic goes. Since there is no [...] |
| Can I develop an Entity Bean without implementing the create() method in the home interface? Posted: As per the specifications, there can be ‘ZERO’ or ‘MORE’ create() methods defined in an Entity Bean. In cases where create() method is not provided, the only way to access the bean is by knowing its primary key, and by acquiring a handle to it by using its corresponding finder method. [...] |
PLEASE CHECK.IMPORTANT
Thursday, October 30, 2008
TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
The constructor of the Hashtable class initializes data members and creates the hashtable. Posted: The constructor of the Hashtable class initializes data members and creates the hashtable. The size of the array of pointers (tablesize) is passed to the constructor when the application declares an instance of the Hashtable class |
| Creating and using a hashtable in your application is a single-step process[Topic] Hash Table. Posted: Creating and using a hashtable in your application is a two-step process. The first step is to define a user-defined structure similar to the way you defined nodes in a tree or a linked list. The second step is to define a Hashtable class. The Hashtable class declares an instance of the user-defined structure and [...] |
| Creating and using a hashtable in your application is a single-step process[Topic] Hash Table. Posted: Creating and using a hashtable in your application is a two-step process. The first step is to define a user-defined structure similar to the way you defined nodes in a tree or a linked list. The second step is to define a Hashtable class. The Hashtable class declares an instance of the user-defined structure and [...] |
| Creating and using a hashtable in your application is a single-step process[Topic] Hash Table. Posted: Creating and using a hashtable in your application is a two-step process. The first step is to define a user-defined structure similar to the way you defined nodes in a tree or a linked list. The second step is to define a Hashtable class. The Hashtable class declares an instance of the user-defined structure [...] |
| GetSize() function is used to protect the integrity of the Data. Posted: The getSize() member function of the Hashtable class reads the size data member of the Hashtable class and returns its value to the statement that calls the getSize() function. If you gave the application direct access to the size data member, statements within the application could assign an incorrect value to size. By controlling access [...] |
| Posted: The hashString() member function is another function called by other member functions of the Hashtable class whenever a function needs to convert a key to a hash number key. The hashString() function requires one argument, a char pointer to the key that is being hashed. The hash number that corresponds to the key is then [...] |
| An application iterates the hashtable by calling the ______ and ______ member functions. Posted: An application iterates the hashtable by calling the hasNext() and getNextKey() member functions. These two functions are used together with initIterator() to retrieve all the keys from a hashtable |
| The C++ version of the hashtable application is simpler than the Java version Posted: The Java version of the hashtable application is simpler than the C++ version because the Java version defines the Hashtable class in the Java Collection Classes that are defined in the java.util package |
| Why are data members of the Hashtable class stored in the private access specifier? Posted: Data members of the Hashtable class are stored in the private access specifier to ensure the integrity of the data. Only member functions can assign and retrieve values of these data members. |
| A key entered by an application be directly compared to a key in a hashtable. Posted: No. A key entered by the application must be hashed before it can be compared to a key in the hashtable. |
| Posted: A hash key is created by bit shifting a hashed value and then adding to the value bits of a character of the key entered by the application |
| Hashing results in a hash number that has great significance. Posted: Hashing results in a hash number that has no real significance beyond it being used as the key for an entry. |
| Posted: ashing assures that the format of keys is uniform and unique |
| Posted: Hashing assures that the format of keys is uniform and unique |
| Posted: Hashing is the technique of scrambling bits of a key into a hash number. |
| If the depth of a tree is 3 levels, then what is the Size of the Tree? Posted: ou calculate the size of a tree by using the following formula: size = 2 ^ depth If the depth is 3 levels, then the size is 8, as shown here: 8 = 2 ^ 3 |
| leaf node does not have any child nodes. Posted: A leaf node is the last node on a branch and does not have any child nodes |
| Posted: A leaf node is the last node on a branch |
| What is the purpose of a left child node and a right child node? Posted: he left child node has a key that is less than the key of its parent node. The right child node has a key that is greater than the key of its parent node |
| A ______ is a component of a node that identifies the node. Posted: A key is a component of a node that identifies the node. An application searches keys to locate a desired node |
TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
| Posted: JavaScript is a platform-independent, event-driven, interpreted programming language developed by Netscape Communications Corp. and Sun Microsystems. Originally called LiveScript (and still called LiveWireTM by Netscape in its compiled, server-side incarnation), JavaScript is affiliated with Sun’s object-oriented programming language JavaTM primarily as a marketing convenience. They interoperate well but are technically, functionally and behaviorally very different. |
| Where can I find online documentation for JavaScript? Posted: ECMAScript (ECMA-262) has since June 1997 been the official scripting standard for the Web. It is documented at: http://www.ecma.ch/stand/ecma-262.htm |
| Where is the official bug list for JavaScript? Posted: Netscape maintains a page of JavaScript Known Bugs in its online Navigator Release Notes. Unfortunately, according to guru Danny Goodman, “this list is not complete,” and we know of no definitive, well-maintained alternative. |
| What are the language’s basic entities? Posted: As in most object-oriented, event-driven programming languages, there are four distinct entities in JavaScript: * OBJECTS. A discussion of objects is beyond the scope of this FAQ (see the section “Objects and the Web” in Intranet Journal’s Intranet FAQ for background). It’s impossible to understand JavaScript without knowing the following essentials, however: 1. everything you can control [...] |
| How does JavaScript model the world? Posted: This question goes to the heart of any OOPS [Object-Oriented Programming System]. The abbreviated answer given here — lengthy as it is — omits important differences between the Netscape and Microsoft broswer object models, and between various versions of JavaScript. |
| How is JavaScript syntax like C / C++? Posted: The languages have enough in common to make learning one easy if you know the other. By the same token, the differences are subtle enough to trip up those proficient in both. Here’s a short list comparing C and JavaScript: * Terminating JavaScript command lines in semicolons is optional; in C it’s mandatory. Recommended practice is [...] |
| How do I … with JavaScript/JScript … embed JavaScript in a web page? Posted: |
| How do I … with JavaScript/JScript … use the same variable name several times in a script? Posted: By default all variables in JavaScript are global, meaning they retain their values everywhere in a scripted web page. To make a variable local to a block (such as a function), declare it with the keyword var. Here’s a n example: // here ‘i’ is a global counter variable that could, if reused // elsewhere in this [...] |
| How do I …with JavaScript/JScript … use quotation marks when scripting? Posted: There are two types of quote mark in JavaScript, the single-quote (’) and double-quote (”). Either can be used to delimit a string literal, or sequence of characters. For example: myDblQString = “This string is surrounded by double-quote marks.”; mySngQString = ‘This string is surrounded by single-quote marks.’; However, since HTML itself makes extensive use of double-quotes within [...] |
| How do I …with JavaScript/JScript … submit forms by e-mail? Posted: The most reliable way is to use straight HTML via a Submit style button. Set the ACTION of the to a mailto: URL and the ENCTYPE attribute to “text/plain”. For security reasons, the form.submit() method does not submit a form whose ACT ION is a mailto: URL. Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0x does not e-mail forms [...] |
| What?s relationship between JavaScript and ECMAScript? Posted: At best, a client-side script can show the visitor how many she has been to the site (storing the count in a local cookie). A count of total hits to the server requires a server-side program. |
| What?s relationship between JavaScript and ECMAScript? Posted: ECMAScript is yet another name for JavaScript (other names include LiveScript). The current JavaScript that you see supported in browsers is ECMAScript revision 3. |
| Posted: Number, String, Boolean, Function, Object, Null, Undefined. |
| How do you convert numbers between different bases in JavaScript? Posted: Use the parseInt() function, that takes a string as the first parameter, and the base as a second parameter. So to convert hexadecimal 3F to decimal, use parseInt (”3F”, 16); |
| Posted: It?s a number in JavaScript, derived by dividing negative number by zero |
| What boolean operators does JavaScript support? Posted: &&, || and ! |
| What does “1″+2+4 evaluate to? Posted: Since 1 is a string, everything is a string, so the result is 124. |
| Posted: Since 2 and 5 are integers, this is number arithmetic, since 8 is a string, it?s concatenation, so 78 is the result. |
Saturday, October 18, 2008
10 TIPS TO GET YOUR DREAM JOB
10 tips to help you get your dream job
The 21 st Century has brought with it a wider and more diverse range of jobs than ever before. But that hasn't really made the job hunt any easier. In fact, organisations have now become even more selective about hiring. Here are 10 tips to help you get your dream job:
The 21 st Century has brought with it a wider and more diverse range of jobs than ever before. But that hasn't really made the job hunt any easier. In fact, organisations have now become even more selective about hiring. Here are 10 tips to help you get your dream job:
1. EXPLORE EARLY:
The process of self-discovery is much easier when you're young and have limited family responsibilities. So start exploring your dream job/s as early as you can to give yourself more scope for self- discovery and pursuing your passion. Do not rely merely on your qualification, academic performance, skill, aptitude and a good personality to guarantee your dream job - these are only threshold requirements.
2. CLEAR PLAN:
A successful sales person does not sit back and wait for business to come by; a serious job hunter should also adopt the same attitude. Research the recruitment process, and shortlist reasons why you are suited to your dream job, so that you have a clear plan for marketing yourself.
3. NETWORKING:
Your circle of contacts should know that you're looking for a particular job.
4. DO YOUR RESEARCH:
Detailed research on companies and organisations that offer your dream job is important.
5. ESSENTIAL SKILLS:
Average to strong working knowledge of English both, written and oral, is essential in the globalised workplace. Keyboard typing, MS Office and emailing are basic skills for all jobs with prominent employers. Cultivate a range of IT skills to enhance your flexibility for a wider variety of dream jobs.
6. ADAPTING TO CHANGE:
Learning how to learn can be very useful in this era of rapid change. People who are curious and desire to keep up-todate will be in great demand. An employee who is able to apply new knowledge and technology efficiently to typical job duties assists the employer in meeting competitive challenges.
7. TEAM SPIRIT:
Demonstration of teamwork skills is as important for recruitment as it is for sports.
8. SHOW ENTHUSIASM:
An enthusiastic worker has a positive influence on colleagues , the manager and clients, so employers are always on the lookout for this trait.
9. RIGHT ATTIRE:
Dress neatly and appropriately for the job interview.Every job demands formal attire that fits well.
10. BE PATIENT:
And remember, anything in this world that is worth having will require some amount of effort, patience, persistence and planning.
Friday, October 17, 2008
TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
What is difference between Html tags and Struts specific HTML Tags ? Posted: 1. Html tags are static Struts tags are Dynamic( At the run-time struts tags are called)2. Another diff is U create ur own Struts tags |
| What is switch action & forwardAction in struts? Posted: Switch action is used to navigate/move from one module to other module in struts, where as forwardAction is used is used to navigate/move within same module |
| Is Action class is Servlet or Not ? if yes why ? Posted: In Struts1, Action Servlet is a servelet (since it extends HTTPServle) but Action class extents org.apache.struts.action.Action which has nothing to do with Servlet. In Struts2, Action class extends com.opensymphony.xwork2.ActionSupport which has nothing to do with Servlet. So, to answer the question, Action class is not a Servlet by any logic. |
| What is the return type of DAO in Struts? Posted: Struts does not bind the programmer till the DAO layer. You can have anything you like, as the return type (valid in programming construts, of course) for the DAO method, Struts would not crib about anything, and would be happy to serve your Action class, as that is what struts is ment to do, just [...] |
| How many ActionServlets are created by struts based application? Posted: ActionServlet is a Servlet(Java Class).For one web application only one instance of Servlet is created which is multi threaded i.e.it will create separate thread of execution for each client.So, only one instance of ActionServlet will be created for each web application. |
| What is the main difference between Action and DispatchAction classes ? Posted: A DispatchAction contains a number of different methods other than the standard execute(). These methods are executed based on some request parameter. Your action mapping in struts-config specifies the request parameter to examine. Then, whatever the value of that parameter is for a given request, Struts will try to execute the method in the action [...] |
| Explain saveToken() function ? Posted: saveToken() method is used for duplicate form submission. Let’s take an example i.e. yahoo email registration form You filled the form and press the “submit” button more than once. For each action you do there is a request object associted with that. So when you press the submit button twice that means you are sending the same request twice so [...] |
| Posted: As long as your connection object is not declared as a class level object, (ie an object declared outside all functions), and as long as the connection object being declared is not static, the program will run fine. (Assuming that the method for creating a connection returns a connection object) |
| What will happen if the mapping to actionform in the struts-config.xml is mentioned wrong? Posted: It will return an error javax.servlet.ServletException: Cannot retrieve definition for form bean (form bean class name) on action FormBean. |
| What is the actual purpose of using framework in realtime applications? Posted: ramework will act as interface between our program (more specifically our business process) and java software and framework will enforce us to follow certain rules/standards to implement the business logics. For Example if you take struts or springs or Torque frameworks, every framework will have it is own defined rules so we need to follow [...] |
| What is the difference between Struts 1.x and Struts 2.x ? Posted: The new method execte() is necessary because the perform() method declares that it throws only IOException and ServletException. Due to the added declarative exception-hndling functionality, the framework needs to catch all instance of java.lang.Exception from Action class. Instead of changing the method signature for the perform() method and breaking backward compability, the execute method was added. |
| Why do we have only one ActionServlet in Struts? Posted: ActionServlet is like BackBone of our application, we have done all actions(request & response) by using only one instance, that is ActionServlet’s Instance, that is the main reason to go for MVC architecture, no need to create more than one instance, thats why we use only one ActionServlet for whole project. In Previous Structure, we should [...] |
| How to connect data source for mysql in tomcat server ? Posted: You can nonnect to mysql datasource without tomcat server by folowing way: - Setup mysql -download mysql connector(driver) and add file .jar to your project -run mysql, create datasource - Write code to connect to that datasource: public static Connection getConnection(){ try{ Connection conn = DriverManager.getConnection(”jdbc:mysql://127.0.0.1/lamtung?user=root&password=vertrigo”); [...] |
GD TIPS
Let's go on to how GD is initiated and summarised.
A group discussion can be categorically divided into three different phases:
i. Initiation/ Introduction
ii. Body of the group discussion
iii. Summarisation/ Conclusion
Let's stress on the initiation and summarisation:
Initiation Techniques
Initiating a GD is a high profit-high loss strategy.
When you initiate a GD, you not only grab the opportunity to speak, you also grab the attention of the examiner and your fellow candidates.
If you can make a favourable first impression with your content and communication skills after you initiate a GD, it will help you sail through the discussion.
But if you initiate a GD and stammer/ stutter/ quote wrong facts and figures, the damage might be irreparable.
If you initiate a GD impeccably but don't speak much after that, it gives the impression that you started the GD for the sake of starting it or getting those initial kitty of points earmarked for an initiator!
When you start a GD, you are responsible for putting it into the right perspective or framework. So initiate one only if you have indepth knowledge about the topic at hand.
There are different techniques to initiate a GD and make a good first impression:
i. Quotes
ii. Definition
iii. Question
iv. Shock statement
v. Facts, figures and statistics
vi. Short story
vii. General statement
~ Quotes
Quotes are an effective way of initiating a GD.
If the topic of a GD is: Should the Censor Board be abolished?, you could start with a quote like, 'Hidden apples are always sweet'.
For a GD topic like, Customer is King, you could quote Sam (Wal-mart) Walton's famous saying, 'There is only one boss: the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company -- from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.'
~ Definition
Start a GD by defining the topic or an important term in the topic.
For example, if the topic of the GD is Advertising is a Diplomatic Way of Telling a Lie, why not start the GD by defining advertising as, 'Any paid form of non-personal presentation and promotion of ideas, goods or services through mass media like newspapers, magazines, television or radio by an identified sponsor'?
For a topic like The Malthusian Economic Prophecy is no longer relevant, you could start by explaining the definition of the Malthusian Economic Prophecy.
~ Question
Asking a question is an impactful way of starting a GD.
It does not signify asking a question to any of the candidates in a GD so as to hamper the flow. It implies asking a question, and answering it yourself.
Any question that might hamper the flow of a GD or insult a participant or play devil's advocate must be discouraged.
Questions that promote a flow of ideas are always appreciated.
For a topic like, Should India go to war with Pakistan, you could start by asking, 'What does war bring to the people of a nation? We have had four clashes with Pakistan. The pertinent question is: what have we achieved?'
~ Shock statement
Initiating a GD with a shocking statement is the best way to grab immediate attention and put forth your point.
If a GD topic is, The Impact of Population on the Indian Economy, you could start with, 'At the centre of the Indian capital stands a population clock that ticks away relentlessly. It tracks 33 births a minute, 2,000 an hour, 48,000 a day. Which calculates to about 12 million every year. That is roughly the size of Australia. As a current political slogan puts it, 'Nothing's impossible when 1 billion Indians work together'.'
~ Facts, figures and statistics
If you decide to initiate your GD with facts, figure and statistics, make sure to quote them accurately.
Approximation is allowed in macro level figures, but micro level figures need to be correct and accurate.
For example, you can say, approximately 70 per cent of the Indian population stays in rural areas (macro figures, approximation allowed).
But you cannot say 30 states of India instead of 28 (micro figures, no approximations) .
Stating wrong facts works to your disadvantage.
For a GD topic like, China, a Rising Tiger, you could start with, 'In 1983, when China was still in its initial stages of reform and opening up, China's real use of Foreign Direct Investment only stood at $636 million. China actually utilised $60 billion of FDI in 2004, which is almost 100 times that of its 1983 statistics."
~ Short story
Use a short story in a GD topic like, Attitude is Everything.
This can be initiated with, 'A child once asked a balloon vendor, who was selling helium gas-filled balloons, whether a blue-coloured balloon will go as high in the sky as a green-coloured balloon. The balloon vendor told the child, it is not the colour of the balloon but what is inside it that makes it go high.'
~ General statement
Use a general statement to put the GD in proper perspective.
For example, if the topic is, Should Sonia Gandhi be the prime minister of India?, you could start by saying, 'Before jumping to conclusions like, 'Yes, Sonia Gandhi should be', or 'No, Sonia Gandhi should not be', let's first find out the qualities one needs to be a a good prime minister of India. Then we can compare these qualities with those that Mrs Gandhi possesses. This will help us reach the conclusion in a more objective and effective manner.'
Summarisation Techniques
Most GDs do not really have conclusions. A conclusion is where the whole group decides in favour or against the topic.
But every GD is summarised. You can summarise what the group has discussed in the GD in a nutshell.
Keep the following points in mind while summarising a discussion:
- Avoid raising new points.
- Avoid stating only your viewpoint.
- Avoid dwelling only on one aspect of the GD.
- Keep it brief and concise.
- It must incorporate all the important points that came out during the GD.
- If the examiner asks you to summarise a GD, it means the GD has come to an end. Do not add anything once the GD has been summarised
HOW GOOD YOU ARE AT GD
Are you good at group discussion?
ave you ever seen a football game?
Or been a part of a football team?
These questions might seem awkward and absurd when talking about How to crack a Group Discussion.
But they are relevant to understand the nuances of a Group Discussion.
Just reiterating the cliché that a Group discussion, or GD, as it is commonly called, is a group process or a team building exercise does not help students.
As in a football game, where you play like a team, passing the ball to each team member and aim for a common goal, GD is also based on team work, incorporating views of different team members to reach a common goal.
A Group Discussion can be defined as a formal discussion involving ten to 12 participants in a group.
They are given a topic. After some time, during which they collect their thoughts, the group is asked to discuss the topic for 20 to 25 minutes.
Companies use the GD process to assess a candidate's personality traits.
Here are some of the most important personality traits that a candidate should possess to do well at a GD:
1. Team Player
B-Schools lay great emphasis on this parameter because it is essential for managers to be team players.
The reason: Managers always work in teams.
At the beginning of his career, a manager works as a team member. And, later, as a team leader.
Management aspirants who lack team skills cannot be good managers.
2. Reasoning Ability
Reasoning ability plays an important role while expressing your opinions or ideas at a GD.
For example, an opinion like 'Reduction in IIMs' fees will affect quality' can be better stated by demonstrating your reasoning ability and completing the missing links between fees and quality as:
'Reduction in IIMs' fees will result in less funds being invested on study material, student exchange programmes, research, student development activities, etc.
'Moreover, it costs money to attract good faculty, create good infrastructure and upgrade technology.
'With reduction in fees, less money will be available to perform these ,activities which will lead to deterioration in the quality of IIMs.'
3. Leadership
There are three types of situations that can arise in a GD:
~ A GD where participants are unable to establish a proper rapport and do not speak much.
~ A GD where participants get emotionally charged and the GD gets chaotic.
~ A GD where participants discuss the topic assertively by touching on all its nuances and try to reach the objective.
Here, a leader would be someone who facilitates the third situation at a GD.
A leader would have the following qualities:
~S/he shows direction to the group whenever group moves away from the topic.
~S/he coordinates the effort of the different team members in the GD.
~S/he contributes to the GD at regular intervals with valuable insights.
~S/he also inspires and motivates team members to express their views.
Caution: Being a mere coordinator in a GD does not help, because it is a secondary role.
Contribute to the GD with your ideas and opinions, but also try and steer the conversation towards a goal.
4. Flexibility
You must be open to other ideas as well as to the evaluation of your ideas: That is what flexibility is all about.
But first, remember: Never ever start your GD with a stand or a conclusion.
Say the topic of a GD is, 'Should India go to war with Pakistan?'
Some participants tend to get emotionally attached to the topic and take a stand either in favour or against the topic, ie 'Yes, India should', or, 'No, India should not'.
By taking a stand, you have already given your decision without discussing the topic at hand or listening to the views of your team members.
Also, if you encounter an opposition with a very strong point at the 11th hour, you end up in a typical catch-22 situation:
~If you change your stand, you are seen as a fickle-minded or a whimsical person.
~If you do not change your stand, you are seen as an inflexible, stubborn and obstinate person.
5. Assertiveness
You must put forth your point to the group in a very emphatic, positive and confident manner.
Participants often confuse assertiveness with aggressiveness.
Aggressiveness is all about forcing your point on the other person, and can be a threat to the group. An aggressive person can also demonstrate negative body language, whereas an assertive person displays positive body language.
6. Initiative
A general trend amongst students is to start a GD and get the initial kitty of points earmarked for the initiator.
But that is a high risk-high return strategy.
Initiate a GD only if you are well versed with the topic. If you start and fail to contribute at regular intervals, it gives the impression that you started the GD just for the sake of the initial points.
Also, if you fumble, stammer or misquote facts, it may work against you.
Remember: You never ever get a second chance to create a first impression.
7. Creativity/ Out of the box thinking
An idea or a perspective which opens new horizons for discussion on the GD topic is always highly appreciated.
When you put across a new idea convincingly, such that it is discussed at length by the group, it can only be positive.
You will find yourself in the good books of the examiner.
8. Inspiring ability
A good group discussion should incorporate views of all the team members.
If some team members want to express their ideas but are not getting the opportunity to do so, giving them an opportunity to express their ideas or opinions will be seen as a positive trait.
Caution: If a participant is not willing to speak, you need not necessarily go out of the way to ask him to express his views. This may insult him and hamper the flow of the GD.
9. Listening
Always try and strike a proper balance between expressing your ideas and imbibing ideas.
10. Awareness
You must be well versed with both the micro and macro environment.
Your awareness about your environment helps a lot in your GD content, which carries maximum weightage.
Caution: The content or awareness generally constitutes 40 to 50 percent marks of your GD.
Apart from these qualities, communication skills, confidence and the ability to think on one's feet are also very important
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