<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c0aeb22acae74c2f8ba55b-800-600/screen%20shot%202015-04-15%20at%203.34.50%20pm.png" alt="Khloe Kardashian Regroupd" data-mce-source="Instagram/@khloekardashian"><p class="source"><span>Instagram/@khloekardashian</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>Back in April, we revealed that reality TV star <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/khloe-kardashian-messaging-app-regroupd-2015-4">Khloe Kardashian was working on a new messaging app</a> that was loaded with social polling features to help take the hassle out of making plans with your friends.<p>The app&#xa0;used to be called Regroupd, but that name has changed in the past few months to "Begroupd," and Business Insider got an exclusive first look at the app, which launches later today for iPhone.</p><p>"The main problem the app really solves is that it streamlines the decision-making process," Begroupd founder Lindsey Cummins told Business Insider. "Because right now, while group chat does solve one problem, it creates another, where making plans and decisions and just getting what you're after is nearly impossible. And that's what Begroupd does for you, it simplifies that."</p><p>Cummins and Kardashian are betting that enough people are annoyed with the current system&#xa0;of texting, calling, and circling back to confirm plans that they'll jump ship for Begroupd, with introduces a host of social polling features to streamline the planning process.</p><p>Cummins, who <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/khloe-kardashian-messaging-app-regroupd-2015-4">first thought up the idea for Begroupd shortly after graduating from Cornell</a>, still gets cagey when asked how she and Kardashian first met and connected, saying "she can't get into the specifics of that." But Kardashian says Cummins approached her with the idea for Begroupd, and since then Kardashian has&#xa0;teased and promoted the app on her Instagram.&#xa0;</p><p><div><iframe src="//instagram.com/p/57eEXqBRlj/embed/" width="658" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true"></iframe></div></p><p class="embed-spacer">"I've always wanted to get involved in the tech industry, but hadn't come across anything that really clicked for me," Kardashian told Business Insider in an emailed statement. "When Lindsey approached me with Begroupd I fell in love. Messaging is such an integral part of our lives and Begroupd will help solve problems everyone can relate to."</p><p>Begroupd looks a lot like a traditional messaging app like iMessage or WhatsApp, but there's an entire section of the app devoted to decision-making tools.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c0bce0371d2254008bc755-1498-1334/b5.jpg" alt="Begroupd messaging app Khloe Kardashian" data-mce-source="Steven Tweedie"><p class="source"><span>Steven Tweedie</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>In a few seconds, you can&#xa0;conduct a poll, ask a simple Yes/No question, seek a star rating on a photo, or send out RSVPs for events that will automatically sync with your calendar.&#xa0;The creator of the poll can also decide whether or not to make the responses public or private.</p><p>By offering these polling features within the app, Cummins and Kardashian&#xa0;want to allow people to send out feelers to their friends, receive feedback, and nail down plans all without leaving their app.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c0b66c2acae732118bc998-1502-1334/b2.jpg" alt="Begroupd messaging app khloe kardashian" data-mce-source="Steven Tweedie"><p class="source"><span>Steven Tweedie</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>"The beauty of the app is that it's totally customizable, you can use it however you want," Cummins said. "You can do any combination of photos and text. You could do a yes/no for something as simple as 'Are you going out tonight?' or 'Should I buy this pair of shoes?' and put a photo in. The RSVP feature is more for planning meetings with people, planning birthday parties, planning get-togethers where you're sending multiple people and you want it to actually go into your calendar with a specific time."</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c0b9c5371d22dc0b8bb9f5-2249-1334/b3.jpg" alt="Begroupd messaging app" data-mce-source="Steven Tweedie"><p class="source"><span>Steven Tweedie</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>While you can send out these polls to a specific friend or create a group chat and poll them all at once, Begroupd also saves any poll you create and you can recycle and send them to others at a later time.</p><p><span>Kardashian fans will also be happy to know that Khloe and the Begroupd team also have access to a "blast" feature of sorts that allows them to send a one-way message or poll to the app's users. This allows them to get feedback from fans without having to worry about people spamming them with thousands of messages - users can only respond to the poll, but they can't message back.</span></p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/55c0ba49371d2211008bc81e-1502-1334/b4.jpg" alt="Begroupd app Khloe Kardashian" data-mce-source="Steven Tweedie"><p class="source"><span>Steven Tweedie</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div>During my&#xa0;brief time using the app, I found the social-polling features surprisingly useful, especially for getting responses that were more than just a simple yes or no. Your friends will need to also be using Begroupd in order to take advantage of these features, but it's a quicker way to come to a consensus on where to go for happy hour drinks or when to catch a movie than texting via iMessage.<p>While it could be easy to dismiss Begroupd as yet another celebrity app, the core utility that the app offers is useful, and&#xa0;it further highlights that you can't do everything you'd like to do on your iPhone's native messaging app.&#xa0;</p><p>You can download Begroupd for iPhone starting later today over at the App Store.&#xa0;</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/type-faster-iphone-texting-caps-lock-domain-2015-5">10 things you didn't know about texting on your iPhone</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="Niajh3dDru17AYhSMTzbwpwOofNj-5Eu" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'Niajh3dDru17AYhSMTzbwpwOofNj-5Eu',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

We got an early look at the messaging app Khloe Kardashian is working on that takes the hassle out of planning a night out

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/52eff6d66da811a1283e1f5e-909-681/meg-whitman-47.jpg" alt="Meg Whitman" data-mce-source="HP" data-mce-caption="HP CEO Meg Whitman" data-link="http://www8.hp.com/hpnext/posts/video-welcome-hp-next" /><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www8.hp.com/hpnext/posts/video-welcome-hp-next">HP</a></span></p><p class="caption">HP CEO Meg Whitman</p></div><p></p></div></div>Hewlett-Packard is preparing to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/hp-split-happens-internally-august-1-2015-7">diverge into two</a> companies this November, but it can also claim a new achievement for diversity in the national tech workspace.</p><p>HP now has the "most diverse" boards in the US, according to non-profit Rainbow PUSH. </p><p><span>The HP boards, announced earlier this week, will feature a blend of original members and new hires. Four women and two people of color will be placed on each board, reported </span><a href="http://fortune.com/2015/08/14/hp-new-boardmembers/">Forbes</a><span>.</span></p><p>Rainbow PUSH is an organization focused on social change and has been urging technology companies across the country to hire underrepresented minorities. </p><p>The non-profit has especially ramped up its efforts in the past year, meeting with tech behemoths across the country, including Apple, to discuss their diversity numbers. A <a href="http://rainbowpush.org/news/single/reverend_jesse_jackson_and_rainbow_push_coalition_expose_lack_of_diversity_">survey</a> conducted by the group last fall found only three Blacks and one Hispanic across the 189 board members from 20 technology companies examined.</p><p><span>There were also "153 men and just 36 women. Eleven (over half) have all-white Boards," Reverend Jesse Jackson, who is spearheading Rainbow PUSH, said in a press release. He later added, "Certainly there is a long way to go."</span></p><p>Last March, the non-profit met with HP at its shareholder meeting to talk about its numbers.</p><p>"We challenged them- and the tech industry - to confront the virtual exclusion of women and people of color in the tech industry," Rev. Jackson said. "HP committed to make demonstrable strides in expanding diversity and inclusion."</p><p>The boards, announced earlier this week, will feature a blend of original members and new hires - four women and two people of color will be placed on each board, reported <a href="http://fortune.com/2015/08/14/hp-new-boardmembers/">Forbes</a>.</p><p>At HP Enterprise, <a href="http://www8.hp.com/hpnext/content/leslie-brun-chairman-and-chief-executive-officer-sarr-group-llc#.Vc39pFNVhHw">Leslie A. Brun</a> from Sarr Group, and <a href="http://www8.hp.com/hpnext/content/pamela-carter-former-president-cummins-distribution">Pamela Carter</a>, former president Cummins Distribution, are both people of color who will be joining. The board has 13 members in total, according to an HP <a href="http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-news/press-release.html?id=2054693#.Vc37BFNVhHx">press release</a>. Heading the team will be Pat Russo, who became a part of the HP board  in 2011.</p><p>HP Inc.'s talent will include <a href="http://www8.hp.com/hpnext/content/stacy-brown-philpot-chief-operating-officer-taskrabbit-inc#.Vc3_8FNVhHw">Stacy Brown-Philpot</a>, chief operating officer at TaskRabbit, and <a href="http://www8.hp.com/hpnext/content/stacey-mobley-former-senior-vice-president-chief-administrative-officer-and-general-counsel#.Vc4AOlNVhHw">Stacey Mobley</a>, former senior vice president at DuPont. Twelve people will help oversee HP Inc., which focuses on the printer and PC businesses.</p><p>HP CEO Meg Whitman will sit on both boards and serve as chairwoman for HP Inc.</p><p><span>"The post-separation Boards for both Hewlett Packard Enterprise and HP Inc. comprise leaders with some of the most diverse backgrounds and professional experiences I've seen in my career," Whitman said in HP's press release.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-last-guardian-2015-6">Sony has been working on this PlayStation game for 8 years - and the trailer is absolutely beautiful</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="NnbHdvdTo4gdTuPMoFuIYK4ITAATfORt" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'NnbHdvdTo4gdTuPMoFuIYK4ITAATfORt',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

HP will have the most diverse tech boards in the US, say activists

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/54fb708a69bedd6b5c1b1dcf-899-547/screenshot 2015-03-07 16.40.55.png" border="0" alt="boko haram"><p class="source"><span>screenshot</span></p><p class="caption">Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram, pledges allegiance to ISIS caliph Al-Baghdadi.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27293418">The kidnapping of over 200 girls</a> from a school in a village in northeastern Nigeria a year ago briefly turned Boko Haram into the world's most notorious terror group.</p><p>Since then, the jihadist group has gained and lost territory, <span style="line-height: 1.5em;">launched attacks on major cities, </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/boko-harams-deadliest-terrorist-attack-2015-1">massacred hundreds of people</a><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> in a village near Lake Chad, and </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/isis-accepted-boko-haram-pledge-2015-3">pledged allegiance to ISIS</a>.</p><p>Yet the fate of the girls remains a maddening mystery and some experts believe that many of them will never be rescued.<span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><br /></span></p><p><span>Ryan Cummings, chief Africa security analyst at <a href="https://www.red24.com/nonmembers/">Red24</a> and a member of the <a href="http://nigeriasecuritynetwork.org/">Nigeria Security Network</a>, explained to Business Insider that it's unlikely the Chibok abductees are still being held in a single location. He explained that they were likely "assimilated" into the insurgency, as other Boko Haram captives have been.</span></p><p><span>While he admits that information about the treatment of Boko Haram abductees is scarce and depends on the testimony of a small number of escaped captives, he laid out the probable scenario for the girls over the past year.</span></p><p>"They were probably divided up and sent to various areas," says Cummins. "A large number of them have perhaps been married off to Boko Haram combatants. There's a possibility that some of them may have been subject to human trafficking. There's a possibility some of them may have been deployed as potential suicide bombers or made to assume other logistical, operational roles in the Boko Haram war machine."</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Boko Haram has seen its safe haven and operational abilities reduced over the last year as the result of various Nigerian, Chadian, Nigerien, and Cameroonian military efforts - at one point, the US</span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> even sent a team to operate surveillance aircraft from Chad, although <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-pulled-its-80-troops-that-were-in-chad-looking-for-boko-haram-2015-3">that mission has since concluded</a><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-pulled-its-80-troops-that-were-in-chad-looking-for-boko-haram-2015-3"></a></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">. Meanwhile, </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Nigerians voted not to re-elect their president, Goodluck Johnathan, partly because of his government's delayed response to the Boko Haram crisis. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Boko Haram is weaker than it was a year ago, and with the election of former general and military dictator Mohammadu Buhari as president, Nigeria now has a leader who <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-nigerias-buhari-vows-action-on-boko-haram-graft-after-election-win-2015-4">views the Boko insurgency as a dire, national-level crisis</a>.</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/552d1caf6da8114224c0267d-1200-750/ap580739386590.jpg" border="0" alt="AP580739386590" style="color: #000000;"><p class="source"><span>AP Images</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Cummings says it's possible that some of the girls voluntarily married Boko Haram fighters to avoid being coerced into carrying out attacks themselves. The girls' roles within the insurgency may also be determined by their age: "There are reports that younger members were engaged in more menial jobs like assisting in chores in Boko Haram camps and carrying ammunition to fighters," Cummings explained. </p><p>Boko Haram hasn't just kidnapped girls from schools, but abducted villagers by the dozens, forcibly conscripting both males and females into the jihadist insurgency. These brutal tactics paid off for a time: in July of 2014, Boko Haram moved into population centers in Borno State and seemed capable of moving beyond insurgency tactics and holding onto territory. Relatedly, the group <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/boko-harams-insurgency-is-now-one-of-the-deadliest-conflicts-on-earth-2015-1">killed some 6,000 people</a> in 2014 alone, murdering at a clip that challenged the Nigerian state's willingness to confront the group.</p><p>But the terror group no longer has the initiative. Outgoing president Goodluck Jonathan stepped up efforts against the group as the election campaign intensified, partly thanks to the efforts of foreign military contractors. The militaries of Cameroon and Chad have gained ground against Boko Haram as well.</p><p>Since April of 2014, "they've been shut out of their primary operational strongholds in northeastern Nigeria," says Cummings. "They were also actively recruiting and possibly even gathering resources and conducting logistical planning on some of the cross-border attack is Nigeria. All of that has been disrupted.</p><p>"They're losing territory, losing safe havens, and losing areas where they could potentially recruit and plan cross-border attacks. In terms of an operational capability, Boko Haram is much weaker than they were a year ago."</p><p>Even if Boko Haram survives as a deadly insurgency and terrorist group, the Chibok abductions were the start of a wake-up call that led to these recent gains.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/beauty-standards-family-values-china-2015-2">What the Chinese saying 'The ugly wife is a treasure at home' actually means</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="A2ZDA2czqSqbJOFG5SDDrvRmvRoUjAPm" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'A2ZDA2czqSqbJOFG5SDDrvRmvRoUjAPm',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

The fate of girls kidnapped by Boko Haram a year ago remains a mystery

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/58025288.cms" /> <br />
<strong>IIM Ahmedabad</strong><br /> With 18 offers, e-commerce major Amazon has been the biggest hirer during the summer placements of the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A). Amazon made the maximum 18 offers, followed by McKinsey &amp; Company with 15 in the consulting domain and Goldman Sachs with nine among the banks.In the general management cohort, Tata Administrative Services was the largest recruiter with 10 offers. In the consumer tech area, Sprinklr made nine offers. Good offers also came in for sales and marketing, with Hindustan Unilever making seven and Procter &amp; Gamble, SC Johnson and <keyword id="10591" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Samsung">Samsung</keyword> making six offers each. Prominent recruiters in the investment banking and markets space included Citibank, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan, Kotak IB and Standard Chartered. Banking, financial services and insurance hirers included American Express, FinIQ, Fullerton and RBL. Accenture Strategy, AT Kearney, Bain &amp; Co, Oliver Wyman and the Boston Consulting Group represented the management and niche consulting domain.<br />
<br />
<strong>IIM Nagpur</strong><br />
The highest stipend offer that was bagged by a student of the Post Graduate Programme (PGP) batch was of Rs. 1.6 lakh for a duration of two months.Vijay Phate, in-charge of placement office, said, "This year, the highest and the average stipend offered saw a significant jump. The highest stipend offered was Rs1.6 lakh, and the average stipend of the batch also increased by 24% to Rs56,900." This year more than 40 recruiters from across sectors have found IIM-N students suitable for the summer internship positions, the premier institute said in a press statement. IIM-N has seen a significant increase in number of first-time recruiters, even for the second batch of PGP students, it added.<br />
<br />
<strong>IIM Amritsar</strong><br />
With Ernst &amp; Young as the top recruiter, IIM Amritsar witnessed 100 per cent placement for its largest ever batch. Ernst and Young was the top recruiter followed by ICICI Lombard, Maruti Suzuki, Shopclues, Toyota, SBI, EXIM Bank, Adani, DHFL Pramerica, PayU, IFFCO, Tega, RBI, Canara Bank and Choco-Swiss. A total of 51 companies had participated in the IIM Amritsar summer placement. While the highest stipend offered is INR 1.1 lakh, the average stipend offered is INR 49780 thus marking an increase in 49.64% in the average stipend on a year-over-year basis.<br />
<br />
<strong>IIM Shillong</strong><br />
The season witnessed a highest stipend of INR 2,50,000 and an average total stipend of INR 81,000, a significant jump of 17% from the previous year. A total of 184 roles were offered across various functional domains. Sales &amp; Marketing emerged as the most sought-after domain with 36% of the total offers made to the candidates.<br /> Prominent recruiters such as Mahindra GMC, Aditya Birla Group, <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword>, Dabur, <keyword id="6358584" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="HSBC">HSBC</keyword>, Perfetti Van Melle, ICICI Bank, Amazon, <keyword id="28721" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cognizant">Cognizant</keyword> Business Consulting, Titan, GSK Pharmaceuticals, TATA Steel, Fidelity Management Research and Wipro continued to show faith in the caliber of the students. The Institute also played host to an array of new and eminent recruiters this year including ITC, <keyword id="6358918" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Deloitte">Deloitte</keyword> S&amp;O, Kohler, Beiersdorf (Nivea), Yes Bank, Piramal Enterprises, Cummins, VMware, Aviva Life Insurance, Lava, and Metlife. Deloitte emerged as the largest recruiter in Consulting domain offering the highly coveted Strategy and Operations profile. HSBC made the maximum offers in the Finance domain while ITC, Tata Motors and Tata Steel made the highest number of offers in Sales &amp; Marketing domain. Apart from the increasing number of offers made in FMCG, Manufacturing &amp; Retail sectors, the season also saw participation of unconventional sectors such as Healthcare and Social Sector offering Strategy and Development roles.<br />
<br />
<strong>IIM Udaipur</strong><br />
Of the 181 students in the batch, 157 sought placements through the Institute while 8 students opted for the summer entrepreneurship programme offered by IIMU. A total of 46 firms made offers for summer internships, an increase of 9.5% over the previous year. While regular recruiters like General Electric, RBL Bank, Amul, Xpress Money, NMC Healthcare, Snapdeal and ICICI Bank among others continued to show their faith in the potential of the students at IIMU, eighteen new firms joined the recruiters’ list. The average stipend offered stands at INR 52,653 while the highest stipend offered jumped to INR 1,60,000, a 10% rise over the previous year. The average stipend offered to the top 10 percentile increased by 5.3% over the previous year to INR 1,30,497. The average stipend offered to top 25 percentile students stands at INR 1,06,100 and for the top 50 percentile it is INR 81,366. All figures are for the entire duration of the internship. This year also witnessed a 100% increase in the number of international placements with 14 students bagging offers outside India. The average stipend for the international placements is INR 1,08,425 for the two months excluding benefits such as accommodation, travel, and flight-tickets.<br />
<br />
<strong>IIM Trichy</strong><br />
The average stipend offered for the internship period was Rs. 53,030 and the highest domestic offer was Rs. 2.50 lakhs. Roles were offered across various domains like Sales &amp; Marketing, Finance, General Management, Consulting, Strategy, Operations &amp; HR. Some of the major recruiters taking part in the process were Microsoft, Dabur, World Bank, Mahindra, Accenture, Cognizant, Deloitte, Yes Bank, etc. There was an even distribution in the companies visiting from various sectors like BFSI, Consulting, Manufacturing, IT &amp; Services, FMCG, Retail, E-commerce, Supply Chain &amp; Infrastructure. The average of the top 10% offers for the domains like Sales &amp; Marketing, General Management &amp; Finance witnessed a growth in the range of 20-25% compared to the previous year. The median stipend offered to the top 10 percentile of the batch was Rs. 1.31 lakhs and that offered to the top 25 percentile of the batch was Rs. 1 lakh.

Top summer placement offers at IIMs across the country

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5298dc8e6da811b27e2887cf-1200-924/amazon-warehouses-2.jpg?maxX=480" border="0" alt="Amazon warehouses" width="480" /><p class="source">Reuters</p><p class="caption">A worker gathers items for delivery from the warehouse floor at Amazon's distribution center in Phoenix, Arizona November 22, 2013. The web-based retailer is preparing for Cyber Monday, which is traditionally the busiest day of the year for online purchases, and falls on December 2 in 2013.</p></div><p></p></div>Stocks are at record highs.</p>
<p>And this week is totally stacked with manufacturing, housing, and labor market data.</p>
<p>Here's your <keyword id="1740547" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Monday-Scouting-Report">Monday Scouting Report</keyword>:</p>
<p><strong>Top Story</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Searching For Risk</span>: Volatility is low and stocks are high. People are feeling good about things. <br /><br />So what are people worried about? According to Societe Generale's Aneta Markowska, clients are asking about geopolitical risks. From Markowska: "China's new airspace defence zone established last week proved the source of renewed tension in the region. US Vice-President Biden kicked off a week-long visit to Asia on Sunday and hope is that this will help alleviate some of the tension. Our concern as economists is that a new round of geopolitical tension in the region could have ramifications on trade at a time where momentum is already slowing in emerging economies."<br /><br />Meanwhile, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gross-all-markets-are-bubbly-2013-11">PIMCO's Bill Gross is warning</a> about stock market bubbles and <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/nouriel-roubini-warns-of-housing-bubbles-2013-11">Nouriel Roubini is warning</a> about housing bubbles.</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Economic Calendar<br /></strong></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Markit US PMI (Monday)</span>: Economists estimate the purchasing managers index was unchanged at 54.3 in November. Any number above 50 signals growth.</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">ISM Manufacturing (Monday)</span>: Economists estimate this this index slipped to 55.0 in November from 56.4 in October. "A tug of war between the reported rebound in the Markit Economics' national barometer and generally softer regional manufacturing canvasses suggests that the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) probably dipped modestly to 56.0 in November, essentially matching the average posted over the August-October span," said Societe Generale's Brian Jones.</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Construction Spending (Monday)</span>: The Census will publish both September and October numbers due to government shutdown-related disruptions. Economists estimate spending climbed by 0.4% in October. Economists warn that their estimates may be way off because thanks to the government shutdown they don't have current new home starts data. "This makes the already revision prone construction data a particularly rough cut this time," said Citi's Peter D'Antonio.</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Vehicle Sales (Tuesday)</span>: Analysts estimate vehicle sales climbed to an annualized pace of 15.75 million units. "Light vehicle sales likely reaccelerated in November after the concerns about the government shutdown interrupted sales in September and October," said UBS's Kevin Cummins.</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">ADP Employment Change (Wednesday)</span>: Economists estimate that 173,000 net private payrolls were added in November.</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Trade Balance (Wednesday)</span>: Economists estimate that the trade deficit narrowed to $40.2 billion in October from $41.8 billion in September. "The trade deficit probably didn't budge in October, despite a large jump in petroleum imports," said Citi's D'Antonio. "Oil imports increased mainly due to a rise in volume, as prices actually fell. We think that the non-oil deficit improved mainly on the export side. While growth in the rest of the world has slowed, there is no reason to believe that the declines in each of the past three months represent a new trend."</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">ISM Non-Manufacturing (Wednesday)</span>: Economists estimate the services index fell to 55.1 in November from 55.4 in October. "This gauge has generally been more positive than actual economic growth would suggest," noted Citi's D'Antonio.</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">New Home Sales (Wednesday)</span>: The September and October stats will be published simultaneously as a result of the government shutdown. Economists estimate sales climbed to an annualized pace of 430,000 units in October. "The Federal government shutdown may have had an effect, as 17% of realtors said delays in IRS income verification weighed on sales in October," said UBS's Cummins. "Other indicators of housing demand were also softened in September and October, including mortgage applications and builder sentiment."</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Federal Reserve Beige Book (Wednesday)</span>: The Fed's collection of economic anecdotes will be published at 2:00 p.m. ET. "We wouldn't be surprised to see a very slight upgrade in tone to the upcoming edition, consistent with the slightly better economic data, on balance," said UBS's Cummins.</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Initial Jobless Claims (Thursday)</span>: Economists estimate unemployment claims climbed to 320,000 from 316,000 a week ago. "Jobless claims have bounced around a bit in November," said UBS's Cummins. "Some of the volatility likely reflects the timing of Veterans Day. The upcoming report is also subject to some heightened volatility as it will cover the Thanksgiving holiday."</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Q3 GDP<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> (Thursday)</span></span>: Economists estimate 3.1% from 2.8% prior. Personal consumption growth of 1.5%. "Roughly $23 billion in additional inventory building last quarter relative to what the Commerce Department had assumed will push GDP growth up to +3.2% compared to an initially reported +2.8% figure.," said Deutsche Bank's Joe LaVorgna. "Importantly, there is little evidence thus far in the quarter that suggests inventories are being unwound. In fact, the inventory subcomponent of the Chicago purchasing managers' index soared 13.1 points to 61.1 in November, the highest reading since October 2006. Consequently, we expect further incremental inventory building this quarter, which is why we see growth above 3%."</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Factory Orders<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> (Thursday)</span></span>: Economists estimate factory orders fell 1.0% in October. "October factory orders likely fell, pulled down primarily by the already reported drop in durable goods," said Citi's D'Antonio. "Falling oil prices probably contributed to lower nondurable goods orders and shipments."</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Nonfarm Payrolls<span style="text-decoration: underline;"> (Friday)</span></span>: Economists estimate U.S. companies added 183,000 nonfarm payrolls in November, bringing the unemployment rate down to 7.2%. "Employment indicators have been mixed, leading us to expect a moderate slowdown in payrolls," said Credit Suisse's Neal Soss.</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Personal Income And Spending (Friday)</span>: Economists estimate income increased by 0.3% and spending climbed by 0.2% in October. "Within the former we are looking for a 0.2% increase in wages and salaries as well as positive contributions from rental and dividend income," said Barclays' economists. "On the spending side, we expect a 0.2% increase in real consumption as well, with a flat reading on the PCE price index and a 0.1% print on the core."</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">University of Michigan Consumer Confidence (Friday)</span>: "This report will provide us with limited information about December, as it will be reported after just five survey days," warned Citi's D'Antonio. "However, it will give a relatively pure view on the period around the crucial Thanksgiving kickoff to holiday selling."</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Consumer Credit (Friday)</span>: Economists estimate credit balances grew by $14.5 billion in October. "Nonmortgage consumer credit continues to rise quite rapidly," said UBS's Cummins. "About 70% of the rise over the past year has reflected Federal lending-primarily student loans. However, commercial banks and finance companies have also been increasing lending."</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Market Commentary</strong></p>
<p>The stock market is at an all-time high, yet <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/us-stock-ownership-at-record-low-2013-12">only half of America says they're invested</a>.</p>
<p>However, in their efforts to chase gains investors may flood into the markets and boosts prices even higher.</p>
<p>"2014 may finally be the year individual investors, as a group, begin to buy stocks in contrast to the net selling they have done since the bull market began nearly five years ago," <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/lpl-kleintops-2014-outlook-2013-11">said LPL Financial's Jeff Kleintop</a>. "The five-year trailing annualized return for stocks has been weak, especially compared to bonds, in recent years. However, as 2014 gets underway, the one-, three-, and five-year trailing annualized returns for the S&amp;P 500 will all be in the double digits for the first time this business cycle"</p>
<p>"Our analysis of history shows that it is the five-year return that individual investors tend to chase, based on net inflows to U.S. stock funds," argued Kleintop. "As of March 6, 2014, five years from the bear market low in the S&amp;P 500 - even assuming no additional growth in the stock market between now and then - the five-year annualized return may have exceeded bonds' 5% return by 20%. This may prompt many investors to reconsider the role of stocks in their portfolios, especially as interest rates rise and bond performance lags."</p>

It's A Crazy Busy Week For The Economy - Here's Your Complete Preview

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #999999; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 15px!important; line-height: 25px; overflow: auto; vertical-align: middle;"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5322fe4e69bedd2c0a0e22c4-120-47/monogramge-capitalwhite-copy.png" border="0" alt="GE logo" width="75" style="float: left !important; width: auto; margin: 2px 15px 0px 0px !important; display: block;" /><em><em>This is part of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/monday-scouting-report">"Monday Scouting Report,"</a> a weekly look at the stories and issues affecting mid-market businesses. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/monday-scouting-report">"Monday Scouting Report"</a> is sponsored by GE Capital. <strong><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/monday-scouting-report" target="_blank">Get more »</a></strong></em></em></div><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/53cc06d1ecad04785d387b9d-921-691/new-york-city-manhattan-skyline-4.jpg" border="0" alt="new york city manhattan skyline" /><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mikemcd/11257967725/">Flick / Michael McDonough</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Markets got <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/closing-bell-july-17-2014-7">rocked on Thursday</a> after we learned Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot out of the sky in Eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 souls aboard.</p>
<p>However, markets bounced back <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/closing-bell-july-18-2014-7">sharply on Friday</a>.</p>
<p>Markets continue to be incredibly resilient despite these shocks that threaten to destabilize the geopolitical status quo.</p>
<p>For now, investors seem to be more focused on the major economic themes that are out there. They're paying attention to the recent boom in M&amp;A. And they're continuing to consider what all of the improving economic data means for monetary policy and the timing of higher interest rates.</p>
<p>Here's your Monday Scouting Report:</p>
<p><strong>Top Story</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">MH17 And Geopolitics</span>:</strong> The CBOE Volatility Index spike on Thursday in the wake of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 tragedy. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/vix-jumps-30-percent-july-17-2014-7">Surging 32%</a>, the "fear gauge" had its biggest one-day gain since April 2013.<br /><br />However, it plunged again on Friday as stocks rebounded. "It's one thing to add to the geopolitical risk premium - that's how you get a 1 percent move," <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-wall-street-week-ahead-one-volatile-day-does-not-a-correction-make-2014-18">said Bespoke Investment Group's George Pearkes to Reuters</a>. "But it's another thing to say we're going to be in a bear market because of some conflict between the United States and Russia, or the West and Russia. For that to happen, you'd have to see some trade war but we don't see that as likely."<br /><br />"Over time MH17 will be seen as a human tragedy with regional implications more than a geo-political crisis and next week should see the focus return to yield-hunting," <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/opening-bell-july-18-2014-2014-7">said Societe Generale's Kit Juckes</a>.<br /><br />But this is also no time to get complacent. "Geopolitical risk is ever-present but unpredictable by nature," <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/young-males-may-undermine-political-stability-2014-7">warn Deutsche Bank's Raj Hindocha and Marcos Arana</a>. "While a large scale geopolitical risk event is not our base case, investors should be mindful of alternative scenarios relative to the benign outcome currently expected by markets."</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Economic Calendar<br /></strong></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Consumer Price Index (Tues)</span>: Economists estimate CPI climbed by 0.3% month-over-month in June and 2.1% year-over-year. Excluding food and energy, prices are estimated to risen 0.2% and 2.0%, respectively. "Higher energy prices should boost headline CPI," said Credit Suisse economists. "Unadjusted gasoline prices moved up in June, and seasonal factors expect a decline... Recent CPIs suggest core is normalizing from a period of unusual weakness. Goods prices have stabilized, and the more "persistent" segment of inflation (especially shelter) seems to have turned up. Labor costs remain subdued, however, so any pickup should be gradual."</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">FHFA House Price Index (Tues)</span>: Economists estimate prices increased by 0.2% in May. "We look for the FHFA Home Price Index to remain unchanged in May, consistent with the behavior of other home price indices during the same period," said Barclays economists.</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Richmond Fed Manufacturing Index (Tues)</span>: Economists estimate this regional activity index climbed to 5 in July from 3 in June. "The New York and Philadelphia Fed surveys already have been released for July," said UBS's Kevin Cummins. "Both suggested further improvement in the growth of manufacturing output."</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Existing Home Sales (Tues)</span>: Economists estimate sales climbed 2.0% to an annualized rate 4.99 million. "Pending home sales surged 6.1% in May, which suggests improvement in closed contracts in subsequent months," said Bank of America Merrill Lynch economists. "Moreover, inventory has picked up, even controlling for the typical seasonal patterns, which should allow for greater transactions. The inventory figures are worth monitoring, as months supply has already reached 5.6 months."</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Initial Jobless Claims (Thurs)</span>: Economists estimate weekly initial claims ticked up 310,000 from 302,000 a week ago. "Initial jobless claims probably remained near the 300,000 mark as seasonal factors likely continued to misestimate actual claims activity during the July auto factory shutdown season," said Citi's Peter D'Antonio. "We posit that filing have been artificially low, relative to the May-June average, reflecting in part the inability of the seasonal factors to account for two post-crisis trends in the auto sector: (1) the auto sector is much smaller, resulting in fewer hourly worker claims than before; and (2) many factories stay open in order to accommodate stronger demand. Separately, beneficiaries and the insured rate likely also remained low due to factory retooling period seasonal factor idiosyncrasies."</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Markit US Manufacturing PMI (Thurs)</span>: Economists estimate this index climbed to 57.5 in July from 57.3 in June. "The Markit PMI has been rising gradually, in parallel with the traditional ISM index," said UBS's Cummins. "Based on the solid gains already reported in the New York and Philly Fed manufacturing indexes, we expect a solid rise in the Markit PMI."</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">New Home Sales (Thurs)</span>: Economists estimate sales fell 5.8% to an annualized pace of 475,000. "Given the outsized increase in May, a downward revision is also possible," said Bank of America Merrill Lynch economists. "Smoothing through some of the monthly swings, we see an improving trend for housing demand after a weak winter.This is also consistent with the modest recovery in the NAHB homebuilder sentiment survey."</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Activity (Thurs)</span>: Economists estimate this regional activity index was unchanged at 6 in July.</li>
<li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Durable Good Orders (Fri)</span>: Economists estimate orders climbed 0.4% in July. Nondefense capital goods orders excluding aircraft is forecasted to have climbed by 0.4%. "Pullbacks in the volatile defense goods and civilian aircraft categories will probably restrain overall orders for a second month, but business surveys continue to point to improvement in core capital goods orders, including our MBSCI survey, which showed the highest capital spending plans of the year in June," said Morgan Stanley's Ted Wieseman. "The 0.5% rise we're forecasting for nondefense capital goods ex aircraft orders would leave them up 15% annualized in the past four months after a winter weak patch."</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Market Commentary</strong></p>
<p>In his new quarterly letter to GMO clients, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/grantham-ma-to-fuel-stock-market-bubble-2014-7">Jeremy Grantham warns</a> that the current M&amp;A boom we're witnessing could expand to never-before-seen levels.</p>
<p>"Don't tell me there are already a lot of deals," he wrote. "I am talking about a veritable explosion, to levels never seen before."</p>
<p>Grantham's reasons include cheap debt, high profit margins, slack in the labor market, and low capital spending.</p>
<p>"I think it is likely (better than 50/50) that all previous deal records will be broken in the next year or two," he continued. "This of course will help push the market up to true bubble levels, where it will once again become very dangerous indeed."</p>
<p>He believes this could send the S&amp;P 500 to 2,250.</p>
<p><em>For more insight about the middle market, visit <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v1/url?u=http://mid-marketpulse.com&amp;k=S62Tl7vLGjW6AAK5ZFwEoQ%3D%3D%0A&amp;r=%2B2sEypbBAnV2mc5PLhBR08ZBMT%2BquZZGjxd0T7NNaP4%3D%0A&amp;m=UtLLChRIkxZLioNs9a5IxKFS7RONkU%2FjCuvoQ68P2Hw%3D%0A&amp;s=28acf971eb6ce00a636a9e28c206665a00dc8a6b849c5fbdd6236e929e9008ce" target="_blank">mid-marketpulse.com</a>.</em></p>

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