Finding the combined effect of academic and non-academic performance on management students' placement: A fuzzy logic approach

The academic performance (scores/credentials) of a student during an educational program is generally linked to his/her employability (including the placement package he/she receives) (Cheong et al., 2018). However, in a program like MBA non-academic performance like extracurricular activities, interpersonal skills, etc., of a student is equally or more important as it could fetch him/her a better job with a higher package. Moreover, MBA graduates are expected to have not only academic knowledge but also practical skills such as leadership, attitude, efforts, and communication. This study relates both academic and non-academic performances of students to the respective packages they get and proposes a fuzzy expert system (FES) for the evaluation of students' performances and its combined effect on placement (outcome). A suitable rule-based fuzzy inference mechanism (FIM) has been formed and discussed. The principles behind fuzzy logic in evaluating student academic as well as non-academic performances have been discussed and how these principles could be applied in measuring its impact on the placement packages (historical) is illustrated. Results (achieved placement performance/package of students) were also compared with the existing (traditional) statistical method. The fuzzy logic system was assessed as a more practical method of evaluation than the traditional method. This research uses a sample of 56 students in the MBA program who graduated in 2021 from the management department (b-school) of a premier private university in India. The research found that an increase in non-academic performance had a greater impact on placement outcomes than an increase in academic performance alone.