IMT Nagpur- Building on the basics has given Kishore Pathur a firm foundation for his future career.

The STAR student for Institute of Management Technology at Nagpur says “I have put in a lot of effort to build my career brick by brick and hence my basics are pretty strong. This in fact helps me understand the intricacies of business and helps me make quick, calculated decisions.”

He has the hardware to back up his philosophy. While working at UST Global he and his team won the Apple Tree Innovation Award for best employee contribution for a framework of innovation they developed.

The plan was developed on the theory “if and only if Information Technology solutions can be proactively delivered to the clients will they even consider you an important IT vendor.”

In short, it means IT professionals act as consultants, using crowd-powered solution ideas to develop and provide unsolicited business proposals (USBs) aimed at solving the clients problems.

Over two years and eight months at UST Global, he said his team generated close to 800 USBs of which 100 were sent to the client and seven resulted in revenue for the firm.

 “The remaining 93, though they didn’t result in billing helped us in becoming the premier IT solution provider for most of our clients,” he said, “because when numbers speak, people can hardly ignore.”

In the course of his studies at IMT N, Kishore, a post-graduate degree in management student, has participated in numerous case study competitions and conferences.

He recalled being at the Information and Communication Technologies conference in Singapore, where he was the only MBA student competing.
He was also the youngest there - “it was like me attending a conference with people of my dad’s age.”

But while it was a great learning experience, mingling with “the best in the world in their fields” his paper drew a lot of interest because unlike the other theories, his had already been put into practice at UST Global.

“While others were talking about ifs and buts, I was talking about how,” he said.

Kishore is also quick to give credit to IMT Nagpur for his accomplishments at the national and international level.

“I am a firm supporter of peer-to-peer learning,” he says. “I believe that you learn from your faculty the fundamentals and you hone these and build your skills through peer-to-peer learning. IMT Nagpur is fortunately blessed with both.”

He credits peer-to-peer in particular for accolades at the national level, where his team, which includes classmates Kushal and Maitrik, “have been short listed as the top five teams in national level in many events and have secured the top three positions in a few of them.”

His mantra for success is: understanding the basics, listening more than talking, setting up goals and seeing they are accomplished on time.

It seems to be serving him well, as the IMT-Nagpur student, who colleagues would describe as “simple, understanding and happy to help a guy” sees himself five years down the road as “well set in my path to financial freedom.”

Dr. A.M. Sherry: On IMT admissions

Wondering why thousands of students aspire for IMT admissions each year? Read on to find out what makes this B-school one of the hot favorites amongst the students as well as the recruiters. Dr. A.M. Sherry, Chairman Joint Admission Committee, shares how the institute has grown better with each passing year.

IMT started as a small management institute in Ghaziabad in the year 1980 and since then there has been no looking back. Today, there are four IMT campuses that offer regular courses; these include IMT Ghaziabad, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Dubai. IMT also has a distance learning center which is especially popular amongst the working professionals. “Institute of Management Technology (IMT), established in 1980, has grown into a premier management institute in the country today”, says Dr. A.M. Sherry. This can very well be judge by the number of applications received for IMT admissions each year.

IMT offers various management courses with specialization in different fields including Human Resource Management, Information Technology, Operations, Finance, Marketing, and International Business. It also offers a 15 months Executive PGDM program which is the top preference of most working professionals. This course attracts a large number of working personnel to seek IMT admissions each year. Looking at the growing demand of these courses and IMT admission applications, the IMT Board of Governors has also launched full-time regular management programs from its campus at Hyderabad; the first session for the same began this year.

It is a known fact that each college has a different set of programs, fee structure, curriculum, placement record and reputation. All these aspects are equally important and must be taken into consideration while choosing a B-school. However, if you are looking at something more exciting and rewarding than IMT is the place for you; at IMT the focus is not just on the course curriculum or getting immediate placement offer. A larger picture is looked at while imparting education to the IMT students. As Dr. A.M. Sherry puts it, “IMT not only produces leaders of today but also makes its students- 'leaders of tomorrow'. The philosophy of IMT being 'Lead the Future’ ensures that every student coming out of the institute is industry-ready and their skills and their ideas are never obsolete”. IMT has been preparing its students to face the challenges of the outside world.

The institute has strong industry goodwill; most top-notch companies look forward to hiring IMT graduates. As Dr. A.M. Sherry puts it, “IMT, a reputed centre of excellence, enjoys strong industry goodwill and has recorded 100% placements with nationally and internationally reputed companies”.

IMT’s state-of-the-art infrastructure also needs a special mention. The management at IMT understands the importance of a good infrastructure and the use of modern technology; the campuses are equipped with world-class facilities. Besides this, the highly skilled and well trained faculty at IMT also plays a major role in the overall success of the IMT students.

“Since the inception, IMT has taken focused steps to fulfill its dream of becoming the country's premier management institute with a global vision. Today, having transformed the dream into a reality, IMT academicians and students have gained worldwide recognition for their academic and professional excellence”, Dr. A.M. Sherry concludes.

9.9 School of Convergence celebrates its 9th Convocation ceremony

9.9 School of Convergence (SoC) celebrated the graduation of its second class by hosting its 9th Convocation Ceremony on September 26, 2011.

It was a moment of pride, as well as joy and a bit of sorrow, as the school bade farewell to its second graduating class. An exuberant, yet emotional ceremony, was graced by Professor Andre Beteille, one of India’s leading sociologists and writers. Prof. Beteille has a distinguished career teaching at Oxford University, Cambridge University, the Delhi School of Economics, and the London School of Economics. The convocation was attended by the students, their families and members of the faculty.

The ceremony began with a speech from the Associate Dean of the institute, Dr. Eric Saranovitz, who congratulated the graduates and shared anecdotes from their time at the school.

Prof. Beteille’s address followed and, speaking about the craft of writing, he emphasized the importance of reading in order to be a good writer. He said: "When you rise to senior positions, do not let your status determine the time you devote to reading what other persons write."

Citing his own experiences, he told the graduates: "Remember that what you write will be read by someone. Keep the reader in mind." He also stressed the need to turn to books for information instead of the Internet. He asked students to ensure they remain disciplined and follow their deadlines.

Following Prof. Beteille’s address, the Dean of the institute, Dr. Pramath Raj Sinha, asked the students to always "remain in contact with the institute" - to come back and stay in touch with their roots.

The commencement was capped by the presentation of diplomas to the graduates by Prof. Beteille.

The graduating class prepared a short presentation to thank the faculty, consisting of memories (photographs and anecdotes) from a year of fun, frivolity and learning. Highlighting the presentation was the bestowing of Bollywood movie titles to students and faculty illustrating traits that described them best. Members of the faculty were given titles like Shahi Mahemaan, Guide, Dadima and more, as the students expressed their gratitude. It was a delightful experience as the students, in good humour, also mimicked and spoke about the eccentricities of some of the faculty members.

A high tea ended the convocation as students, parents and faculty parted, promising to always remain in touch.

Strathclyde SKIL Business School launches BBS Admissions

Strathclyde SKIL Business School, the joint B-School initiative by Indian infrastructure pioneer SKIL Infrastructure Limited and Strathclyde Business School, one of the most innovative and largest business schools of its kind in the UK and in Europe is announcing the launch of Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS).

With a sharp focus on leadership effectiveness, entrepreneurial initiatives, multicultural understanding, social responsibility and sustainable development, Strathclyde SKIL Business School (SSBS) is now open for admissions for its academic session 2012- 2015.

Located in Greater Noida/NCR the SSBS undergraduate programme Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS) is specifically designed to meet the needs of Indian students seeking a global qualification. The world class BBS course is planned with a curriculum that will be delivered by a carefully chosen and highly qualified faculty. 50% of the faculty is from Strathclyde Business School (SBS), Glasgow while the other 50% are Indian teachers and academicians of impeccable repute.

The three-year Bachelor of Business Studies programme forms an excellent foundation for those seeking a degree in both business and management. Cutting edge research and knowledge in their chosen fields is an integral aspect of this three year BBS course.

Professor Bhimaraya Metri, Dean, Strathclyde SKIL Business School, says, “Upon graduation, students of SSBS will join a Strathclyde’s worldwide alumni network that are performing influential roles in the world of business and management and have attained the pinnacles of success.”

During the first year, students will be taken through a diverse spectrum of subjects, introducing them to various concepts that will build a strong foundation for specialization.

In the second year, BBS students progress to advanced subjects and specialised electives, taking courses at SBS, Glasgow, Scotland.

The third and final year sees students through two additional major specialisation courses and one minor specialisation course.

Students joining SSBS will possess several distinct advantages:

- A degree awarded by the University of Strathclyde

- Over 50% of the courses will be taught by faculty from Strathclyde B School in Scotland

- Study at campuses located in India and Scotland thereby gaining cross cultural experiences and developing into management leaders possessing global perspectives

- Industry interactions will give students the added advantage of practical experience coupled by thorough theory in the classroom

- All academic and intellectual resources of SBS, UK will be available to them

Placement Blueprint: An event by IMT Ghaziabad

Placement Blueprint, an interesting event based on the current market scenario, saw students participating in large numbers. It dealt with the difficulties of a retail chain store in a market like India and was designed to test the participants’ knowledge about the retail sector and their ability to gauge the customer's mindset.

The event was designed around the entry of an international retail store in the Indian market- Blue Bazaar- which has been successful in various countries worldwide, is all set to open its branch in India. So it has floated a blueprint of the available store space. At the event, the participants were given this blueprint along with other relevant data like the socio- economic classification of the population, the level of education and the floor plan. As retail management students and future managers in the retail sector, the participants were expected to have an in-depth knowledge of the various available brands, customer profile and the best shelf-space utilisation. They were asked to device the best way of displaying the products on the store shelves, making them easy to locate and attractive.

The participants were asked to come up with 10 product categories with 3 brands in each. These categories and brands had to be decided keeping in mind the target customers. The final round consisted of laying the store’s planogram.

It was interesting to see the way budding managers from various institutes came up with innovative ideas. The efforts and ideas of all the participants were well worth appreciating. The event was judged by Mr. P.Gopalakrishnan from IndusInd Bank and Mr. Ranjan Jha, Principal Consultant at Foresight Group International AG. Team Madmen from IIFT-Delhi were declared the winners.

After the event, the participants too couldn’t stop thanking the organizers for this wonderful opportunity to showcase their talent and learn a lot of things in the process. They found Placement Blueprint to be different from the usual B-school events. As one of the winners put it: “This is a good event, novel idea, probably very different from any other event we have been part of.” At the same time, like another student pointed out: “I knew all the theory but when it came to applying it in this particular case study it was very difficult.” Most of the participants agreed that events like these are better than the routine classroom sessions as they compel the students to think and act in a real time market situation.

The participants also praised the IMT G campus and the arrangements made by the management. All in all, the event was a roaring success.