Management education convention concludes at ISB

Updated on: Thursday, September 03, 2009

Kolkata: The Indian School of Business (ISB) hosted the 21st Annual Management Education Convention of the Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS) from August 27 – 29, 2009 on its campus.

The convention concluded with a high-profile plenary session on ‘The Road Ahead for Management Education in India’, which discussed issues facing management institutions.

Chaired by Ajit Rangnekar, Dean, ISB, the panel included Srini Koppolu, managing director, Microsoft India, Dr R Natarajan, former chairman, AICTE and former director IIT Madras, Dr Shekhar Chaudhuri, Director, IIM Calcutta, and Srinivasan K Swamy, Chairman and Managing Director, R K Swamy, BBDO Pvt Ltd, and President of All India Management Association (AIMA).

The panel focussed on three issues – development (research, faculty, curriculum), regulatory (accreditation, evaluation etc) and how management institutions can collaborate with other stakeholders in society.

Dean Rangnekar said the government would allow foreign institutions to commence operations in the country. “This can be viewed both as a threat and an opportunity. Opportunity if you link and collaborate with them,” he said.

Koppolu also perceived the need for industry and management schools to collaborate on leadership and management development for employees can be effected through executive education programme.

Soft skills was also an important area with Dr Chaudhuri stressing on the need of such skills in management graduates – writing, presenting, communicating – those skills which make one ‘employable’.

Dr Natrajan said: “There are no top-tier, second-tier, it is actually a continuum, and you have to constantly improve to move to the next level.”

Swamy spoke about the “complex challenges” in the road ahead of MBA education. “The purpose of business has changed in the last 30 years. Previously emphasis was on product and services, and profits were incidental. Today performance has taken over the purpose of business. But while delivering on purpose, we can’t compromise on ethics.”

The highlight of the day was the conferring of Ravi J Mathai National Fellow Award 2009, on Professor Dipak Jain, Dean, and Kellogg School of Management.

Prof Jain also delivered the valedictory keynote address on the enduring value of MBAs in the present times of crisis.

Management education convention concludes at ISB

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