Moulding managers

Privately run B-schools make their mark in management education in the country.

THE medical and engineering streams no longer define the limits of youth aspirations in India. In an economy that has many more and varied opportunities to offer, management institutions play a crucial role in moulding youngsters into professionals. The private sector now has a number of management institutions that can hold their own in a global environment.

The T.A. Pai Management Institute (TAPMI) in the university town of Manipal in Karnataka is a leading institute, with a reputation for academic rigour and faculty-student interaction. It was founded by Tonse Ananth Pai, former Chairman of the Life Insurance Corporation of India, Rajya Sabha member and, at various times a Minister at the Centre having portfolios such as Railways, Heavy Industries, Steel and Mines, Industry and Civil Supplies. TAPMI's mission is to produce professional management capability. It has also played a role in strengthening the existing educational and health infrastructure of Manipal, a town that has become synonymous with institutes offering studies in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, arts, science, engineering and technology.

Since the inception of its Postgraduate Programme in Management (equivalent to MBA) in 1984, TAPMI has received recognition and respect from well-known industrial houses and academic institutions for the quality of both its education and student talent it has produced. Continuous improvements in curriculum, academic systems and faculty resources have contributed significantly to making TAPMI a preferred centre for management education. Today, over 1,900 TAPMI alumni hold responsible managerial positions in India and abroad.

In early 2009, in its 25th year of existence, TAPMI shifted its operations to a scenic, 42-acre (one acre is 0.4 hectare) residential campus in Manipal. Perched on the slope of a hillock and overlooking a valley filled with verdant tropical greenery, the new campus provides an ideal setting for serious study and creativity, combined with entertainment and relaxation. Developed at a cost of about Rs.60 crore, the facility has a built-up area of 2,50,000 square feet and houses wi-fi-enabled, air-conditioned classrooms, plush offices, a knowledge centre, a computer centre, a students' centre, hostels for men and women, and residences for faculty and staff. The students' centre has a canteen, a gym, a yoga and meditation room, a mini open-air theatre and a convenience store.

TAPMI has earned a number of awards and achievements. In August 2011, TAPMI received the AIMS-WE School Innovation Award at the 23rd AIMS Annual Management Education Convention 2011, organised by the Association of Indian Management Schools, in Bhubaneswar, Orissa. The award-winning innovation, presented by Professor R.C. Natarajan, was about experiential learning techniques in postgraduate courses in marketing management, including the experience of OMEGA, BrandScan and other simulation games. TAPMI beat 12 others for the award and was also adjudged the B-School for Best Innovation in Management Education.

TAPMI has also been conferred with the Dr J.J. Irani Award for the Best Management Institute by the Dr. P.N. Singh Foundation, Mumbai. The award will be presented at the 13th Annual Convention on Leadership in Mumbai in mid-November in the presence of over 800 delegates.

In July 2011, TAPMI received the all-important approval from the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) for increasing its intake of students from 180 to 300. In June 2011, CRISIL Business School Grading gave TAPMI an A*** (pronounced A triple star) grading in its national as well as State-level grading of management educational institutions across the country. TAPMI is now on a par with S.P. Jain, NMIMS, XIMB, IIFT and MDI. This rating is valid up to March 23, 2012.

In April 2011, TAPMI was declared the Top Management Institute' by Competition Success Review. Said Professor Chowdari Prasad, Dean (Planning and Developing): We are known for our rigorous academic environment. And not for nothing are we considered to be in the top 1 per cent of business management schools in the country. One of the highlights of the institute is its transparent and scientific selection process. He said: We have a 100 per cent placement record and 3,000 of our alumni are employed across the globe.

K.S. Hegde Institute

The Justice K.S. Hegde Institute of Management is one of the many privately run management institutes in Karnataka. Established in July 1988 by the Nitte Education Trust and situated 50 kilometres from Mangalore in Nitte, a small hamlet in the foothills of the Western Ghats in Udipi district, it has been a pioneer of sorts in imparting management studies. The institute is one of the 23 educational institutions, in engineering, medicine, dentistry and paramedical courses, run by the trust and shares the vision of its founder, the late Justice K.S. Hegde, who was Speaker of the Lok Sabha and a Supreme Court judge.

The Justice K.S. Hegde Institute of Management started out with 40 students and the avowed mission of preparing globally competent managers who retain the Indian ethos of loyalty and commitment to excellence. The institute, which is affiliated to the Visveswaraya Technological University, Belgaum, offers a two-year full-time MBA programme recognised by the AICTE and the Government of Karnataka.

Since its inception, it has turned out more than 900 managers who have been well received by the industry. The curriculum consists of 28 courses spread over four semesters. Students do project work (eight weeks) in addition. A student can specialise in finance, marketing, human resource management, information systems, banking and finance or international business.

Graduates in agriculture, arts, commerce, engineering, management, law, science or other disciplines with a minimum of 50 per cent marks (aggregate of three years, including languages) in the qualifying examination are eligible for the management programme. Those appearing for final degree examinations can also apply.

The institute's industry-focussed curriculum, excellent faculty and strong alumni network brought it recognition as an A++ level B-school in the Business India Survey of B-Schools 2010. These qualities have also made the institution a preferred destination for management education. It is recognised as a centre for research and is among the very few AICTE-NBA accredited institutes. It is also certified to ISO 9001:2008 standards by KEMA, Netherlands.

Equipped with a spacious campus, a well-stocked library, hostel facilities and an excellent academic atmosphere, the institution provides students global exposure through conferences and exchange programmes that derive maximum benefits from tie-ups with the University of Pennsylvania, United States, and Makerere University B-School, Uganda.

The institute's practical approach in moulding budding managers is reflected in its consulting projects, co-curricular activities, scholarly research and career development programmes. It has undertaken consultancy and research projects funded by the Ford Foundation, the Government of India, NABARD, the IIBF, and various public sector banks. The institute has been the knowledge partner for Corporation Bank's MSME Excellence Awards for the last several years.

The MBA programme includes student participation in social projects, whereby students are taught to recognise the importance of being socially sensitive. The institute has been recognised among the premier B-schools in Karnataka on the basis of its performance in academics, consultancy and research. The prestigious ICMR-4Ps B&M B-School Survey, 2010, ranked the Justice K.S. Hegde Institute of Management 45th in its final ranking analysis. The survey shortlisted 529 institutes from a pool of 2,000-plus B-schools in the country.

The institute has an active placement committee, with a full-time officer assisted by two faculty members and student representatives. The committee explores the different areas, taking care to ensure that students are aware of the latest placement situations and opportunities. It bridges the gap between the industry's demand for talent and the students' search for a right career. And it all begins with the right kind of summer training they undergo, which leads to successful executive placements. The placement cell conducts lectures, seminars and demonstrations by experienced and reputed persons from different streams.

Pre-placement activities focus on training students individually and in groups, improving their presentation skills and making their participation in group discussion effective. Students are also exposed to mock interviews. According to Sudhir M., Assistant Professor (Marketing Management and Planning) and the Placement Coordinator, the institute's curriculum is drawn up on the basis of industry demands. It is constantly updated in tandem with changing industry needs. We are one of the few institutes who offer enterprise resource planning and business solutions to our students. ERP business solution software is designed to equip students with practice-oriented knowledge on ERP systems. It gives the student hands-on experience that is designed to help make business decisions.

SSIM

A combination of theory and case-based and interactive methods of teaching makes the Siva Sivani Institute of Management (SSIM) at Kompally on the outskirts of Hyderabad one of the favoured places of learning for diversified and specialised courses in management. It has consistently been ranked among the top business schools in the country. The SSIM started out with 40 students in 1992. With seven specialised management programmes (courses), four residential and three non-residential, the institution has blossomed into one of the largest AICTE-approved autonomous business schools in the country with diversified two-year full-time courses. Student intake has gone up to 418 in the academic year 2011-12.

The programmes offered by the SSIM are PGDM (Marketing Dual Specialisation); PGDM (HR); PGDM (Banking, Insurance, Finance and Allied Services, or BIFAAS); and PGDM (Triple Specialisation) in the residential stream, and PGDM (Global Business); PGDM (BIFAAS); and PGDM (Triple Specialisation) in the non-residential stream.

Many of the 60-member full-time faculty hold doctoral qualifications and have experience in industry. In tune with the latest teaching practices across the globe, the emphasis of instruction at the SSIM is on self-learning. The strong team of highly experienced faculty plays the role of facilitators, says Prof. V.G. Chari, Director (Academic) of the SSIM.

Most of the faculty bring to the classroom experience gained from exposure to industry. Teaching involves a judicious mix of lectures, case studies, simulations, role plays, assignments, group work, live projects, and specialisation projects. For the past two years, students have been exposed to international practices through international study tours. Such exposure will not only benefit the students in terms of overseas placements, but it will also enrich their professional knowledge, explains Prof. Chari.

The SSIM aims to place at least 10 per cent of its postgraduates overseas. As part of the exercise, the students will visit countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand and hold workshops there. Global Talent Consultants conducts 3-E events every year to enhance the professional view of the students. It also evaluates the students' project reports.

Students are taught English and at least one foreign language Spanish, French or German. We have an English language club to fine-tune the English skills of the students, and enterprise resource planning is a part of the course, says Z. Ramesh Kumar, Controller of Examinations of the SSIM.

The SSIM has innovative and indigenously planned activities such as article review sessions, company review sessions, accent neutralisation, presentations, group discussions and panel discussions to help students hone their soft skills. The institute encourages students to organise various co-curricular and extracurricular activities, management meets and cultural meets to acquire practical knowledge and demonstrate their leadership and managerial capabilities. In addition, other forums such as the finance club, the marketing club and the HR club provide outlets to students' creative talent.

The institution has tie-ups with organisations such as HDFC Bank, Deloitte and TMI Network to facilitate placements. HDFC takes students, trains them in retail banking and absorbs some of them. The private sector bank has taken 65 students as its employees last year, Ramesh Kumar said. Deloitte carries out some of its corporate social responsibility activities in association with the SSIM apart from providing internships to students.

The SSIM has a consistent track record of 100 per cent placements. According to the recent Business World-Synovate B-School Survey-2010, it has been ranked first in placements in Andhra Pradesh. The training and consultancy division at the SSIM undertakes assignments on vital issues in different sectors. The SSIM has conducted over 100 faculty development programmes (FDP) involving companies such as NTPC, RINL (Vizag Steel Plant), BHEL, ECIL, NFCL, Power Grid Corporation and Indorama (Thailand). It has also undertaken consultancy projects from TMC, ITC, Tupperware and Orient Cements.

The SSIM follows a rigorous admission procedure and conducts a selection process in all important centres in the country. Students with CAT, MAT, XAT, ATMA, JMET and ICET scores are eligible for admission and due weightage is given for work experience and academic performance.

NIRMA INSTITUTE

The cool, grey-stone buildings dotted on the sprawling campus of the Institute of Management, Nirma University (IMNU), in Ahmedabad reinforce the popular perception about the institute as one that is progressive, efficient, modern and liberal. These qualities have also put it among the top 25 business schools in India.

Located on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar highway, the institute was established in 1996 as an autonomous body. It became a constituent Institution of Nirma University in 2003. The university was established under the leadership of Dr Karsanbhai K Patel, who is the chairman of Nirma Ltd and the president of the university. The university is recognised by the University Grants Commission (UGC) under Section 2(f) of the UGC Act and accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

The IMNU has consistently held a position among the country's top 15 private business schools. The Nirma Institute, as it is popularly known, has world-class infrastructure with state-of-the-art classrooms, a digital library that has 24-hour access and wi-fi Internet connectivity. An air-conditioned amphitheatre is the venue for conferences and cultural programmes through the academic year. Besides these, the university has facilities for indoor and outdoor games and a modern gymnasium.

The IMNU's flagship programme, Master of Business Administration, is a two-year residential one with specialisation in finance, marketing, OB & HR, information technology and operations and strategic management. The programme also offers dual specialisations. The unique features of the programme include close relationship with the corporate world, a balance between conceptual framework and industry practices in the curricula, case study method and project work as the main pedagogical tools, special emphasis on the development of soft skills, and special programmes to create a sense of social responsibility in students.

The faculty is a rich blend of people with diverse academic backgrounds and industrial experience. Interactive learning and an enriching campus life create a serene milieu for students.

The Master of Business Administration (Family Business & Entrepreneurship) programme aims to develop owner-managers with knowledge of family business management techniques and an entrepreneurial mindset.

The institute's Corporate Interface programme is, says a statement from the institute, an important parameter for brand building and success of its students getting to be industry-ready professionals after completing the MBA programme. They thus can contribute to the company's products, operations, and growth from day one after joining.

The IMNU provides an executive education programme. At the executive education centre, the participants bring with them their work experience and knowledge. The faculty brings in its knowledge of best management practices. The centre also provides a good platform for networking.

The IMNU has signed memorandums of understanding with the following universities abroad: Universiti Utara Malaysia, Malaysia; Hangyang University, South Korea; Florida Atlantic University, U.S.; Minnesota State University, U.S., Coggin College of Business, North Florida University, U.S., California State University, U.S., Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, U.S.; Texas A&M University-Commerce, U.S.