IMT, Nagpur Convocation: 300 Grads Get Inspired

Mr. Sunil Mittal, Founder, Chairman and Group CEO of Bharati Enterprises graced the convocation of IMT, Nagpur this year with an inspiring address. 11th March, 2011 saw the stalwart of telecommunication render a stimulating speech to the graduating class of Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur. Mr Mittal had in his audience esteemed listeners like Mr. Kamal Nath, President, IMT. Mr. Mittal’s address included topics ranging from telecommunication, working for social impact and ofcourse treading towards where your heart leads you.

Mr. Sunil Mittal made three very important points in his speech. This three pronged approach could lead them to the pinnacles of success. He told them about the power of technology, the need for inclusion in India’s economy and a career choice that is a result of following the heart.

Talking about the simplification of technology in this day and age, Mr. Mittal emphasised, “Technology will hold the key and it is not just for IT itself. This will be true for chemicals, banking, pharmaceuticals or any industry.” He deliberated upon his own space of work, telecommunications and told the students how health care and education were the focus points for a better tomorrow where mobile technology was concerned. Providing medical care and health solutions over the phone make them accessible to millions who need to travel 30-40 kms for a simple problem. Likewise, education would be the next area to get a foot hold in the telecommunication space. Mr. Mittal talked about the new association between Bharati Enterprises and SBI for the new interface which allows people to purchase and transfer money at a sans ‘ATM’ scenario, in small shops. This is to bridge the wide gap between the need for more monetary points and lack of bank branches and ATMs.

Mr. Mittal spoke about the upsurge in the Indian economy and the bright growth figures of 8-9% each year. He stressed on the need for inclusion while this growth happened, as there would be no point if millions in the country would not be gainfully employed in the next 30 years. While India is slated to be the third largest economy and does not need to grapple with consumption like some other countries, there is a definite need to create employment amongst the less privileged.

The address ended on an affable note. He told all the passing out students that they must do what their hearts desire. Follow their heart and they will never go wrong. Mr. Mittal said, “I’m a living example of following my heart. THAT is the difference between doing what you like, and liking what you do.” He spoke about the advantage of a free social space and the simplified use of technology these days, making life easier for students to make a decision which is from the heart.

Leading from the Word ‘Go’ – Sunil Mittal Addresses Graduating Students of IMT

Laying emphasis on the bright future of India and a need for a zestful breed of entrepreneurs, Founder, Chairman and Group CEO of Bharati Enterprises addressed the graduation convocation of Institute of Management Technology, Nagpur on March 11^th, 2011 at the campus in Nagpur. Expectant listeners and a prestigious audience including Mr. Kamal Nath heard the inspiring and positive speech made by one of the leaders in telecommunication in the world.

Mr. Sunil Mittal brought into focus the right timing in their career to the graduating students. He urged the 300 young students to make prudent yet challenging choices that would take the world by storm. He mentioned how India is on a high with 8.5 – 9% growth and is one of the most high consumption countries in the world. From his experience abroad, he mentioned how other students only thrived on questions of consumption and marketability, whereas India is on a spending surge – be it products or services. Not marginalising the underprivileged, he mentioned that in 10- 15 years, we will also need to create gainful employment as there is no growth without inclusion. Talking about the growth of the nation, he mentioned, “India will be the third largest economy in the world – not just in nominal terms. We have the fuel. We have the necessary tools to do the work. All we need is execution, discipline and we need to make sure that the money that is spent is spent in the right way and is supported by technology”. He was impressed how some young employees already engage with NGOs or take a keen interest in social activities apart from work.

Talking about technology, Mr. Mittal also threw light on the ever growing world of telecommunications and how it is instrumental in providing phenomenal services to both the rich and the poor in rural and urban areas. While healthcare has already set into momentum, Mittal told the gathering more about the new SBI-Airtel venture in the coming months. He drew the irony between a lack of ATMs and bank branches for a large population of the country and how telecommunication is all set to end the woes withdrawal of cash cause. Making payments for purchases and transfer money to friends and family is about to become easier. Education, according to Mittal will be the new muse for telecommunication in the future. Quoting from examples of the industry he knows best, Mr. Mittal encouraged the students to look out for an innovative and exciting option of career – something that excites them at a personal level.

Encouraging the graduating 300 of IMT, Nagpur to choose inspiring careers this year, Mr. Mittal said, “You have the luxury of doing what you like and stay with that. I’m a living example of it. THAT is the difference between doing what you like, and liking what you do.” He left the students on a positive note, encouraging them to do what they really wanted – follow their hearts rather than their heads. Doing what one really wants allows for creative options in careers.

Press Tease: “When more than a 100 smart, intelligent young IMT-ians pit their brains against the others, pandemonium reigns.”

August 24, 2011. What a day. In fact, what a couple of days! If ever there is a play way method of learning management, this is it. Like Akanksha Sahay said, “Innovative, informative, fun and definitely a wonderful experience.” And she should know, because she was a finalist during this Press Tease organized by Corporate Communications and Media Relations Committee (CCMRC) of IMT Ghaziabad. Actually, it was a long time in the planning. Everybody waited – some with baited breath and some without. If truth be told, some wondered if it would happen at all. Because it involved Media, and whenever the M-word is mentioned, things take a turn for the unpredictable.

Anyway, getting back to the event.  Turned out it was quite different from all the others – an IMT Ghaziabad hallmark. To the audience’s serious surprise, it had over a 100 whopping participants. When more than a 100 smart, intelligent young IMT-ians pit their brains against the others, pandemonium reigns. Spirits got exploited, interpersonal skills were sharpened, and brains challenged reasoning – other’s and their own.

A bit about how the event itself was planned. It had three rounds. Each of those rounds was based on – what else – but components of CCMRC. For the uninformed, they include Social Networking, Logical Deductions and of course Press Cons. Every round (at the risk of sounding like a reality show on TV) was an elimination round. The winner had to be arrived at, and elimination, we find is a good way of arriving at the best from the rest.

The final battle ground was a Press Con (as it is called by the media). It actually means Press Conference (like you did not already know!).

"The uncreative mind can spot wrong answers, but it takes a very creative mind to spot wrong questions." Our first round in Press Tease was based on this funda. A treasure hunt of sorts, only the treasure was a human being. Using the clues, the teams had to find a particular person on campus. Social skills were called upon. And the participants proved to be highly social beings. Many stayed on, and many left.

The next round challenged the logical side of the remaining brains. Clues were emailed to the teams. They were an encoded set of words and their related clues. The clock ticked. It was like Fastest Finger First on KBC. The first nine teams who solved the code and brought it back to the operational zone of the event were given free passes into the final nail biting, stress inducing round.

Called Being the Devil’s Advocate, the title was daunting. It had a huge audience. Team members were juggled around. Comfort zones were tossed into oblivion. Themes given made ‘controversial’ seem like baby talk. Each newly formed team had to defend their theme at a Press Con, convincing the judges and the audience their theme was the best theme ever. 

Chosen for its professional ambience, the Kapil Mohan auditorium is quite an intimidating formal environment. Perfect for a formal Press Conference. Its very aura demands the participants put their best feet forward, and watch their Ps and Qs or be sent into a loser’s oblivion. Oh how they fought. Each of them battled valiantly to save their hides, bruises and wounds notwithstanding. Brutal questioning from the media and the judges demanded supreme self control and confidence.

Ms. Bhavna Bhalla judged the final round. She is an eminent communications faculty at IMT Ghaziabad. Nobody envied her job during Press Tease. It was nerve racking and a huge responsibility. Yet she stood the travails of judging, marking each participant fairly and quite efficiently.

A huge sigh of relief preceded thunderous applause. The winners were announced. Allolika, Arijit and Saurabh stole the thunder by efficiently and dramatically defending their stand during their Press Conference. They announced and introduced a new reality show, with Salman Khan, despite his jaw surgery, as their brand ambassador. Of course, the man is known for his appearances on reality shows, but their press conference was the hero here, and they did a brilliant job.

Yes, the event ended. But the requests for more such events did not. Looks like the CCMRC team will be at their organizing best as more shows and events come out of their boxes to infuse a breath of freshness into an otherwise humdrum daily existence.

IMT is No. 1 on Business World’s Distance Learning List

IMT Ghaziabad’s meticulously planned and highly effective Centre for Distance Learning (CDL) offers a very good distance learning option to those who seek an MBA but cannot move into a campus for whatever reason. In fact, IMT’s CDL has been ranked the best in India by a survey conducted by Business World magazine.
The survey, with 501 respondents from Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, included five very important parameters:  proper approval or affiliation; online admission and examinations; IT facilities; study centres; and finally foreign collaboration. IMT scored top points in almost all areas.
Distance Learning is a need that has far reaching results. The number of people who gain by this sort of learning is phenomenal. IMT’s Distance Learning MBA is surely an idea whose time has come. Not everybody can afford to take two years off from a career that is just beginning to take off. Yes, the benefits are many, but the thought of leaving a blossoming career almost as soon as you’ve started it is not something every MBA aspirant can do. Coming up with a very viable and valuable solution, IMT set up its CDL programmes which took off almost as soon as they were announced.
At IMT, distance learning options abound. Students can choose from the 15 courses available. The two year courses include PGDM, MS in Cyber Law and Security, Advanced PGDM and PGDM for Corporate Tie-ups.

IMT CDL offers one year post graduate management courses in Retail, Marketing, HR, Export, Business Administration, Finance, Material and Supply Chain Management, Taxation, Cyber Security, and the evergreen PGDM (Executive). The Ph.D programme in collaboration with NLU, Jodhpur is for those tireless academics and researchers who take Management to the next level.

The curriculum for each of the 15 distance learning courses is perfectly contemporary. Devised by a highly qualified and professionally aware faculty, it is like a flowing river – ever changing, never losing focus.
Students in different parts of the country are provided with better services and facilities for Counselling and Personal Contact Programmes with Information Centres set up across the country. IMT is in the process of adding Information Centres so as to make a distance learning MBA more accessible to whoever seeks it.
Commenting on being ranked No.1, Dr. A.M. Sherry, Director, Institute of Management Technology’s Centre for Distance Learning, said, "IMT is the oldest institute of Distance Learning education. We have always focused on providing the best of the course content and technology in an affordable fees and flexibility in terms of the students. But I still feel that there are scopes where we can improve. Our priority is to provide the best course material and technological assistance. Though we are ranked consistently as number one, but our aim is to be the global leaders of Distance MBA Education."

Kapil Sibal, Minister for HRD and IT Inaugurates IMT Ghaziabad’s Latest Addition in Hyderabad

The fourth campus of IMT gets established. The latest addition to Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad’s already credible kitty of Business schools, is Hyderabad now. With a resounding success of Nagpur and the Dubai branches, the school initiated the beginning of a school in the South on July 2nd, 2011. The inauguration was an occasion, presided by the country’s honourable minister of Human Resource and Development and Information Technology, Mr. Kapil Sibal. The other esteemed company included Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy and Mr. Kamal Nath, Minister of Urban Development, Government of India and President, IMT Group of Institutes.  With revolutionary thoughts about advancement in education, Mr. Sibal has been a source of inspiration for many in the field. The inauguration was followed by an emphatic speech to the attendees drawing focus on the need for education intervention in socio-economic issues of the country.
Mr. Sibal lamented, “..., at the moment, our management schools are centred around getting placements for their students in big firms for fat salaries. This is really a tragedy”. He urged the faculty and management to allow for education to play a vital role in case studies dealing with India’s development.  “There are huge problems and there is a need on studying the management of socio-economic issues in the society,” he said. The others issue that he advised the future business leaders to take up was the need-gap between slums and teachers and he kept his hopes high from IMT-H. IMT-H was truly honoured to have the Minister inaugurate the school with such a moving and impactful address.
The Director of IMT Hyderabad is Dr. V Panduranga Rao shared his vision for the Hyderabad branch of IMT. He said, “IMT Hyderabad will endeavour to offer cutting edge and world class education. Our vision is to become a centre of excellence in management education in the years to come, offering quality programs with an international focus.” In the words of Kamal Nath, President- “You can’t offer today’s management graduates yesterday’s management systems” and this is where IMT Hyderabad wants to excel.

Already popular among students, the unique and exciting ‘Virtual Interview’ IMT Hyderabad held online was a hit. It soon became the most memorable experience of the interview process. For some others, the whole process of going from being among the 15,000 who applied to finally making it as an IMT student was a memorable journey. “From the process of entrance test till the last round of personal interview everything was an interesting and a good experience,” Siddhanth Verma voices what many of his classmates think.
With such strong roots in the education field, Institute of Management Technology rolls out its first session of 2011-13 in its brand new campus of 30 acres. The 120 seats are assured of a bright future and exposure to the world of business management by IMT-H.

Dr. Mohan Aggarwal, IMT Dubai on Global Marketing

Clear headed, candid and creative, Dr. Mohan Lal Aggarwal has recently been awarded the title of Best Professor in Marketing Management in Asia, 2011. He is considered to be one of the most respected Marketing Gurus and is currently nurturing future Marketing Gurus into being at IMT Dubai. We caught him via a virtual interview and discussed the diverse and immensely interesting world of marketing, how it evolved and what its future holds for the current Marketing student.

Dr. Aggarwal introduced teaching Services Marketing in Indian business schools way back in 1988. His goal at the time was to highlight the emergence of marketing challenges in the service sector. “Today, the Service Sector contributes about 55% to the Indian economy and hires 90% of new workforce, especially knowledge workers. India has become a service factory to the world,” he says. Dr. Mohan Aggarwal has worked with leading business schools such XLRI, IIMs, MDI, SP Jain and later institutes in California and Boston. They invited him to teach the Service Marketing courses to their faculty as well as MBA students. Dr. Aggarwal was also responsible for setting up India’s First Center of Service at XLRI Jamshedpur. Conglomerates like the Tatas and Ambanis supported the research for the same.

“I am fascinated by the complexity of human behavior.  How inner forces impact personal buying decisions and its interpretation for marketing advantage,” says Dr. Aggarwal, whose live revolves around making marketing work.

Extensively researching the underlining differences in marketing services products he adapts this knowledge to work with goods manufacturers and encourages them to implement service oriented marketing. “I have tried to createTier-1 and 2 Marketing in India through my research and teaching Services Marketing,” he elaborates.

Lately, Social Media Marketing is getting him more and more interested.  Dr. Aggarwal has chaired a couple of International seminars on Social Media Marketing. One was in Abu Dhabi and the other in Mumbai. Both meets were very well attended. Over a hundred MNC Social Media Marketers attended.

Social Media enriches Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in several important ways.First of all, it is a soft and informal medium. It transforms a customer connection into an emotional connection.

The second is the multiplier impact of Social Media. “When you connect with a single customer, you gain access to their whole list of friends.  The ’Sociometry of Social Media’ is most amazing where friends of customers become available to you and can be made into your friends,” he smiles. Customers become friends and friends become customers. Social Media Marketing is turning into a new instant results arena. Right here, right now kind of situation where the adrenaline flows and speed is a given. “The final impact is the 24/7 connectivity in Social Media CRM. This is never possible in traditional CRM which is run on SAP etc. Even the Business to Business Marketers are increasingly getting drawn to Social Media driven CRM.”

A career in marketing is for all reasons and all seasons and is never out of fashion. A true marketing student will  secure a job anytime and develop career anywhere. New career opportunities include Social Media Marketing, Non Profit Organizations (NGOs), Micro Credit Marketing, Educational Marketing, Commercial Media Marketing, Sports Marketing and Customer Experience Marketing.

The willingness to pay for innovation, physical infrastructure and global presence are the biggest assets in Dubai. “Any marketing student must make time to attend meets and seminars and develop competence based career opportunities. I always encourage my marketing students to accompany me to attend conferences where they meet executives and managers of global marketing companies in Dubai. Several of these meets are free and complimentary but are very enriching,” Dr. Aggarwal shares.

IMT Dubai trains its marketing students in several fresh and innovative ways. The IMT Dubai marketing faculty includes many globally experienced and industry respected consultants. They teach using Middle East Case Studies and Dubai based teaching material. No other B-School in Dubai does it as much as IMT does.  The portfolio of IMT's UAE Marketing Case Studies is growing significantly and has received several Best Case Awards in Europe, USA, India and Dubai. “Our Marketing Meets, Marketing in Fire and Media Meets MBAs are highly popular. They are a huge advantage to our students. Again, these are unique to IMT Dubai. In their fourth year now, these Marketing events attract top industry speakers and test the event organizing and network building capability of our students,” Dr. Aggarwal elaborates. Because these events are so interesting, the Dubai Media has extensively covered them.

“Never apologize for marketing or selling any product assigned to you.  However, always apologize for poor or deceptive marketing and customer negligence. As a student of IMT Dubai, ensure you maximize your time and learning opportunities. IMT Dubai has a well connected campus and the world city that Dubai is. You will never get another shot at this beautiful experience anywhere,” is Dr. Aggarwal’s parting shot. We end our interview much wiser about the latest trends in Marketing - how they work and what are current industry requirements.

Ameeta Agnihotri.

IMT ranking 7th in the B-school fraternity now plants its footsteps in Hyderabad

Economic Times 2011 ranking establishes Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad on the 7th position for the year. The celebration of the victory multiplied with the introduction of the Hyderabad campus in the IMT group’s list. IMT Hyderabad comes armed with the distinguished IMT reputation and with over 30 years of experience in teaching management students.
30 beautifully planned and landscaped acres make up IMT Hyderabad's fully residential, brand new campus.. IMT Hyderabad, the newest B-School of IMT Group of Institutes, was inaugurated on Saturday, July 2, 2011 by Mr. Kapil Sibal, Minister of HRD and Communication & IT, Government of India.
The inauguration of IMT Hyderabad campus was presided by Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and Mr. Kamal Nath, Minister of Urban Development, Government of India and President, IMT Group of Institutes. Presently the IMT campuses are at Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh; Nagpur, Maharashtra in India and the international campus is located in Dubai.
Inaugurating the Hyderabad campus at Cherlaguda on the city outskirts Mr. Sibal stressed upon the need for utilizing management education system to provide solutions to problems faced by the common man.
“We have to look into the issues of management for poverty. No case-study has been done with reference to slums and the people living there. There are other problems like how to manage 55 lakh teachers in schools and recruitment of these teachers and how do you manage a school administration, among others,” Mr. Sibal said. “There are huge problems and there is a need on studying the management of socio-economic issues in the society,” he said.
“However, at the moment, our management schools are centered around getting placements for their students in big firms for fat salaries. This is really a tragedy,” the minister said.
IMT Hyderabad is starting the first batch from the academic session of 2011-13 in the 30 acre campus with 120 seats. The programs offered by IMT Hyderabad are PGDM, PGDM Finance, PGDM Information Technology, PGDM Human Resources and PGDM International Business.
The Director of IMT Hyderabad is Dr. V Panduranga Rao. While sharing his vision on IMT Hyderabad, Dr. Rao told MBAUniverse.com, “IMT Hyderabad will endeavor to offer cutting edge and world class education. Our vision is to become a centre of excellence in management education in the years to come, offering quality programs with an international focus.”

Talking about the unique features of IMT Hyderabad, Dr. Rao mentioned, “At the end of the first year of the regular PGDM program students will undergo a 14 weeks faculty-supervised Industry Internship Program. We are offering over 100 electives in nine different streams including Business Analytics.”
Dr. Rao feels that IMT Hyderabad will give the advantage to the students in terms of location as well. He stated, “Hyderabad has emerged as a key IT/ ITES city in India and is poised to witness growth in other sectors such as pharmaceutical, biotech, financial services etc.”