Latest Freshers GD (Group Discussion) Job Interview Questions

List of all latest job interview questions for GD (Group Discussion) round while going for jobs.

Group Discussion Topics For Freshers

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1. US war on iraq-justified or not.
2. Role of UN in peacekeeping.
3. Position of Women in India compared to other nations.
4. Environment MAnagement.
5. Is China better than India in software.
6.Should SONIA gandhi be made the PM
7. BPOs in INDIA
8. Govt contribution to IT
9. will punch lines rule the Advt
10. premaritial sex
11. is china a threat to indian industry
12. india or west , which is the land of opportunities
13. water resources should be nationalised
14."BALANCE BETWEEN PROFESSIONALISM AND FAMILY"
15. Effect of cinema on Youth
16. Education in India compared to Foreign nations
17. Is it necessary to ban COCOCOLA in India.
18. What is the effect of movies on youth.(is it good or bad)
19. Are studies more benifitial in India or in Abroad.
20."UN's peace activities" and "America's war on Iraq".
21."Environment-Whose Responisibility".
22.Is China a threat to the indian software industry.
23.Role of UN in Peace keeping
24.War on Iraq
25.About Hockey being the primary game in India.
26.Can america occupy iraq
27.Cricket shud be banned or not.
28.IS CHINA A THREAT TO INDIA
29.Present state of Indian Cricket team.
30.Love marriage/Arranged marriage.
31.Advantages of Co-education.

Hot Topics:

1.How to deal with international terrorism.
2.Should we pursue our policy of dialogue with Pakistan?
3.Is peace and non-violence outdated concepts?

Current Topics:

1.A Unipolar World spells disaster for underdeveloped countries like India.
2.Is Globalisation Really Necessary?
3.What shall we do about our ever-increasing Population?
4.Corruption is the price we pay for Democracy.
5.Foreign Television Channels are destroying our culture.
6.What India needs is a Dictatorship.
7.With media publishing and telecasting trivia, censorship is the need of the hour.
8.Kaun Banega Krorepati is less about knowledge but more about money and personality.
9.Beauty contests degrade womanhood
10.The rise of regional blocs threatens independent nations like India
11.Six billion and one bronze!
12.Is dependence on computers a good thing?
13.Should the public sector be privatised?
14.China and India are similar nations with contrasting ways
15.Is India a Soft Nation?
16.Value based politics is the need of the hour
17.Religion should not be mixed with politics
18.How to deal with high oil prices
19.Our cricketers are not to blame for match fixing
20.Why cant we be world players in industry as we are in software?
21.Multinational corporations: Are they devils in disguise?
22.Should there be limits on artistic freedom (the controversy on Fire).
23.Should there be private universities?
24.Does banning fashion shows and New Year parties save our culture?

Social Topics:

1.Are Big Dams Necessary?
2.Films are corrupting the Indian Youth
3.A Gandhian State selling liquor is an anomaly
4.Bride burning and dowry may look bad, but are an integral part of India.
5.Our Culture is Decaying
6.We are not serious about saving Wildlife/Environment
7.The education system needs serious reforms
8.The impact of MTV on our psyche
9.Showing Violence and Crimes should not be allowed in films and on television.
10.Let us legalise gambling

Management Topics:

1.Is management an art or a science?
2.The Rush for MBA is really a rush for big money
3.Ethics in Business are just a passing fashion
4.The objective of Management is to maximise profits
5.Do professional managers have a chance in our family run businesses?
6.The Internet is an exercise in hype
7.Is an MBA necessary to succeed in life?
8.Family owned business vs professionally run businesses
9.Smaller businesses and start-ups have more scope for professional growth.
10.Dot com or doubt com?

Creative Topics:

1.The Wheel is Turning Round and Round
2.If I was the Finance Minister/Prime Minister
3.There is no right way to do a wrong thing
4.Group Task: How can we have Mount Everest in India?
5.Do Beauty and Brains Go Together?
6.When I woke up in the morning I saw…
7.A ship docked in harbour cannot face the storms
8.Up the Down Staircase
9.Just as we have smoke free zones, we should have child free zones
10.Marriage is a social trap

SOCIAL TOPICS:

1. The Internet chains have come on the wings of science and
technology but are no less restrictive for all that.
2. Secularism has become a tool to justify the wrongs done by the minorities.
3. Media is a mixed blessing/How ethical is media?
4. To fight AIDs, stop being coy about sex education.
5. What should India strive for- Westernization or modernization?

ECONOMIC TOPICS:

1. Developing countries need trade, not aid.
2. Why do we lag behind China?
3. Capitalism is a very flawed system but the others are so much worse.
4. Flexibility of labour laws is the key to attracting more Foreign Direct Investment.
5. Is the business of business only business?

POLITICAL TOPICS:

1. Reserving seats for women in Panchayat has not only been a farce but has distracted from developing a more genuine voice of women.
2. Have the nuclear tests of 1998 benefited or harmed India?
3. Voters, not, political parties are responsible for the criminalisation of politics.
4. The voters are required to be well informed and educated about their candidates so that they can elect the right aspirant by their own assessment.
5. India should go for the presidential form of democracy.

ECONOMIC TOPICS:

1. In our economic matters, there is an excessive tendency towards the thinking rather than doing.
2. Every cloud has a silver lining
3. Can the economy achieve an 8 percent growth rate?.
4. Is disinvestment really that good for India or is a rethink in order ?
5. Are co-operatives relevant in today's globalised environment?.
6. Foreign aid is a dangerous drug that can stimulate in small doses but become fatally addictive in larger doses.
7. Modern day sport in industrialised society is an industry, as anything else.
8. Government should clean its own hands before pointing finger at the private sector for corruption.
9. Is the NPA ordinance too harsh?
10. Reforms have to grow up.
11. The future lies with glocalisation .
12. Is the consumer really the king in India?.
13. Globalisation versus nationalism
14. Conditional access system for cable TV watchers: boon or bane?
15. If India is poorly governed, the reason is that we have designed our system of governance for protecting, if not encouraging, corruption?
16. Commercialisation of health care : Good or Bad ?
17. For globalisation to succeed in India people must be able to see what is in it for them
18. Is the US economy headed the Japanese economy way?
19. Economic freedom not old fashioned theories of development will lead to growth and prosperity
20. Markets left to themselves encourage greed.
21. For globalisation to succeed in India people must be able to see what is in it for them
22. Should businessmen run the finance ministry
23. Should important services like transport be left to market forces?.
24. Is there any point in having a business strategy when the world changes from month to month?
25. Is the patents bill good for India? .
26. Is the business of business only business?.
27. Globalisation is good for developing countries
28. Public sector being a guarantor of job security is a myth.
29. Is industryless growth here to stay ?
30. Capitalism is a very flawed system but the others are so much worse ?
31. How can business get rid of the bad name that it has earned?
32. Government pumping money into the economy is not the solution for our economic problems
33. Business ethics are no longer a luxury for corporates but a necessity?
34. How should privatisation proceeds be utilised ?
35. Is the budgeting exercise of any use?
36. Should agricultural subsidies be stopped ?
37. Will Mumbai's film industry ever evolve into a truly modern corporatised one?
38. Will market reforms enrich rich states further, while poorer ones lag further?.
39. Why do we lag behind China ?
40. Who says MNCs are superior to Indian companies ?.
41. Why not use a brand index to measure national prosperity?.
42. What we need to reduce scams is better regulatory bodies.
43. War rhetoric is misplaced in a country like India which is trying to globalise its economy.
44. Trade can help the poor ?
45. The power ministry should cut off supplies to all the defaulting SEBs.
46. Steal a few lakhs and you're a criminal. Steal a few hundred crores and you become an industrialist.
47. Should PSUs be divested through strategic sale or public offer?
48. The state is above the law?

Management Education Topics

1. Managerial skills learnt in the classroom can never match those learnt from experience
2. Democracy is hampering India progress
3. MBA in India is highly overrated.
4. Religion is a private affair and should be of no concern for the state
5. Decreasing defense expenditure and increasing social expenditure is the need of the hour

TCY Online:

1.Public sector is more a hindrance than help to promote socialism.
2.Economic betterment of the poorer nations is as important as disarmament to ensure lasting world peace.
3.From public sector to privatization as in the U.K., is the right answer for India's instant economic breakthrough.
4.The doctrine of "limited nuclear war" is an ill-convinced, ill- logical, irrational and extremely dangerous concept.
5.Some simple but effective electoral reforms will enable us to retain the present parliamentary system and ensure the preservation of democracy in India.
6.We must have only two national parties to contest parliamentary elections and regional parties should not be allowed to contest for the same.
7.We can increase our food production not only to match our population explosion but also for export provided we adopt modern, mechanized farming methods with large size land holdings.
8.Nuclear war cannot be won and should not be fought.
9.Private enterprise and not public sector will contribute to faster and higher economic growth in India.
10.Inflation is inevitable in our developing country.
11.The policy of reservation is a legacy of the British and it has done more harm than good.
12.Do you think MBAs are useful in the manufacturing / production department?
13.For a marketing post graduate, without prior work experience working in a big marketing firm is a disadvantage when compared with working in a small firm. Discuss.
14.Consumerism is destroying the social fabric of Indian culture.
15.Free market is a prerequisite for growth.
16.Cricket as a national obsession is a detriment to other sports.
17.To develop India has to empower women.
18.Formulate the government's health policy to control the spread of AIDS.
19.Advertising is a waste of resources.
20.Privatization will lead to less corruption.
21.State is the biggest violator of human rights.
22.There can never be a classless society.
23.Beauty pageants are a marketing gimmick.
24.Voting rights to illiterates in India is illogical because it is widely misused.
25.Joint family is a blessing in disguise.
26.Higher education should be made possible only for those who can pay for it.
27.The weaker sex is the weakness of the stronger sex.
28.Women cannot successfully combine both career and home.
29.Women are good managers.
30.Executive should be allowed to form unions.
31.Effect of liberalization on poverty.
32.Indians perform better as individuals rather than in groups.
33.Business and ethics go hand in hand, or do they?
34.Developing countries should spend more on development than on defense.
35.Political parties have outlived their utility.
36.Is Swadeshi relevant for India today?
37.Money is required to earn more money.
38.Foreign trade is necessary for any country to survive .
39.Presidential Vs Parliamentary form of government of India.
40.Technology: The Ism' Of The New Millennium?
41.Religion And Politics Should Not Mix
42.TRIPS Controversy And The Patent Act Amendment
43.Export Stagnation: Causes And Cures
44.Excessive Depiction Of Sex And Violence In Films
45.Classical Music Heritage And The Growing Pop- Culture
46.Decentralisation & The Panchayati Raj Institutions
47.Should India Sign The CTBT
48.State Interventions In Market Kind Or Mixed Economy
49.Science Is A Boon Or Bane
50.Is Swapping Terrorists For Hostages An Encouragement For Plane- Hijackers?
51.India and the political dynasties: The Nehru Family context
52.Nice Guys Finish Last
53.All Work And No Play Makes Jack A Dull Boy
54.Individual Freedom And Civil Society
55.Conventionalism And Modernity: The Ever going Debate
56.Should There Be A Restriction On Permissiveness Being propagated by The MTV Culture And Foreign Media?
57.Marxism And Its Future All Over The World
58.The Growing Menace Of Casteism And Regionalism
59.Presidential Form Of Government Is Needed In India
60.Bullet For Bullet: Is It The Right Policy?
61.Capitation Fees Should Be Abolished
62.Arranged Marriages Are Better Than The Love-Marriages
63.Brain-Drain Has To Be Stopped
64.Business And Ethics Can't / Don't Go Together
65.Are women As good as Men Or Inferior?
66.Nothing Succeeds Like Success
67.The Malthusian Economic Prophecy Is No Longer Relevant
68.Secessionism In The North-East: Who's To Blame?
69.Should India Break Diplomatic Ties With Pakistan?
70.Age and Youth: Experience And Young Talent
71.`East Is East & West Is Where All The Action Is': Mark Twain
72.Freedom Of _Expression And The State Authority.
73.Capital Punishment Should Be Abolished
74.Tuitions Should Be Banned
75.India Needs Gujral Doctrine For Better International Relations
76.Doctors' Accountability To Improve Health-Care
77.Universal Disarmament Is A Must
78.Indian Cricket Team Shouldn't Be Allowed To Play Abroad

Group Discussion Tips For Freshers

Have 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 to get into a top B-School.

But they are relevant to understand the nuances of a Group Discussion.

Just reiterating the cliché that a Group discussion, or Group Discussion, 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, Group Discussion is also based on team work, incorporating views of different team members to reach a common goal.

A Group Discussion at a B-School 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.

B-Schools use the Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion:

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 Group Discussion.

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 Group Discussion:

~ A Group Discussion where participants are unable to establish a proper rapport and do not speak much.
~ A Group Discussion where participants get emotionally charged and the Group Discussion gets chaotic.
~ A Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion.

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 Group Discussion.
~S/he contributes to the Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion does not help, because it is a secondary role.

Contribute to the Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion with a stand or a conclusion.

Say the topic of a Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion and get the initial kitty of points earmarked for the initiator.

But that is a high risk-high return strategy.

Initiate a Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion.

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 Group Discussion content, which carries maximum weightage.

Caution: The content or awareness generally constitutes 40 to 50 percent marks of your Group Discussion.

Apart from these qualities, communication skills, confidence and the ability to think on one's feet are also very important.

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 Group Discussion is a high profit-high loss strategy.

When you initiate a Group Discussion, 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 Group Discussion, it will help you sail through the discussion.

But if you initiate a Group Discussion and stammer/ stutter/ quote wrong facts and figures, the damage might be irreparable.

If you initiate a Group Discussion impeccably but don't speak much after that, it gives the impression that you started the Group Discussion for the sake of starting it or getting those initial kitty of points earmarked for an initiator!

When you start a Group Discussion, 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 Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion.

If the topic of a Group Discussion is: Should the Censor Board be abolished?, you could start with a quote like, 'Hidden apples are always sweet'.

For a Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion by defining the topic or an important term in the topic.

For example, if the topic of the Group Discussion is Advertising is a Diplomatic Way of Telling a Lie, why not start the Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion.

It does not signify asking a question to any of the candidates in a Group Discussion so as to hamper the flow. It implies asking a question, and answering it yourself.

Any question that might hamper the flow of a Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion with a shocking statement is the best way to grab immediate attention and put forth your point.

If a Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion 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 Group Discussions do not really have conclusions. A conclusion is where the whole group decides in favour or against the topic.

But every Group Discussion is summarised. You can summarise what the group has discussed in the Group Discussion 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 Group Discussion.
Keep it brief and concise.
It must incorporate all the important points that came out during the Group Discussion.
If the examiner asks you to summarise a Group Discussion, it means the Group Discussion has come to an end. Do not add anything once the Group Discussion has been summarised.

1. always be the initiator and concluder of the Group Discussion then being a participant.
2. But if you are particaipant always try to be the most vianl/key participant.
3. put points firmly and always try to get others support too.
4. if you find that the discussion os going offttrack then never loose an oppurtunity to bring it back to straem this is the best point to score max.
5. try to keep latest information on the topic .
6. be very polite , people may try to provoke you to to get more points but try to keep cool.
7. most important don't wait for your turn to speak when discussion is on. inturrupt politely if you want to put forward your points.
8. last but not the least keep atab on the time given for discussion. score points by wrapping up the discussion if you feel that the discussion is heating but the time is going to be over.
9. during clonclusion, do end with the conclusion note. that shows your leadership quality.

Best scoring points are:

1. initiation of discussion,
2.always keeping/trying tokeep discussion on track
3. conclusion on time
4. your capability to keep your cool and listen as well as putting your points.

Group Discussion basically means searching your team player, leadership, communication capability.

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