Defence pre submission

There was one more pre-submission defence at the SMS CUSAT yesterday. The presenter Siby Zacharia was as much confused about the topic as I was but I pretended I was listening. It occured to me initially that I was the only one not getting anything because all the others were apparently learned.

Then came the water up the boat. One by one there were questions and there were attempts by the others to quell saying we will ask the questions later and so on. It turned out that the very same doubts that I had was shared by the others as well.

For instance the question of what is consumer based brand equity as distinct from mere brand equity. The cluster based sampling technique was questioned. The quasi experimental design which it claimed was questioned and answered childishly. The use of terms like price, promotion etc were questioned.The classification of hedonistic, FMCG, utilitarian were not in marketing literature.

Then came the bombshell that one of them threw not at the presenter but at the guide that he being the doctoral committee member was not informed. Then how did he sign the presubmission form. He merely signed it.

Then another said there were instances where PhD was awarded without presubmission and none need claim sainthood etc. Also that inspite of these comments the scholar was still defending and not listening. That even after so much the scholar is not saying he would correct the mistakes.

The scholar tried to say politely that it was very difficult to get the questionnaires filled which was besides the technical points raised.

A saner one among them said there is some standard to which the university adheres and clearing it would tarnish if later on rejected.

The questions that remain for me are; Why did the guide not correct the scholar beforehand. What was the scholar doing all these years. Should not the faculty members show a united front at least during an auspicious occassion like this one so the observers get some respect for the university. Finally if post graduate teachers behave so what needs to be said of ordinary citizens. Has there been so much of erosion in our society's overworld. Then what would the underworld be?