MDI: Mixing Business And Public Policy

For the first two decades of its existence, this august institution did not offer what is popular in India as the Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM). The first batch to enrol for the flagship PGDM programme at MDI, Gurgaon was in 1994. It is credit to the institution and its leaders that MDI, Gurgaon quickly emerged as one of the most sought after B-Schools in India in a very short span of time.

Thanks to the high standards MDI has set, it has been consistently ranked as one of the top business schools of India in every possible kind of survey done by any research outfit. That’s no mean achievement for an institution that started way back in 1973 as a home for public policy research.

Incidentally, MDI is a symbol of international cooperation too; it was set up in collaboration with bodies like the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation.

The deep rooted impact that has been left by this kind of “global” partnerships can still be seen in the activities and performance of MDI. One of the most popular and powerful programmes has been the International Summer University (ISU) launched a while ago by the institute. This programme offers a special experience to students, as it is targeted mainly at international students, teachers and consultants to get a first-hand experience of the Indian economy — the fastest-growing economy in the world.

The ISU programme has been a big success. When it was launched, there were some doubts. The MDI International Summer University gives opportunities to overseas students and executives to understand first hand and from close quarters India, a BRICS country and an emerging economy. The institute is clear about its ambitions; it wants to play a role in the emergence of BRICS as one of the most powerful economic blocs in the world. BRICS stands for the five countries — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. India recently hosted a BRICS summit in the Sylvia’s climes of Goa. The institute has forged many other collaborations across the world to offer students a true experience of what business in the 21st century really means.

MDI offers three main programmes to aspiring students. The most favoured one is the full-time PGDM, which is the staple of virtually every B-School in India. It also offers a full-time programme in Human Resource Management that has emerged as one of the most critical point of attentions for CEOs in this world of constant change and attrition. True to its global roots, MDI offers a full-time programme in International Business. Even the smallest of Indian entrepreneur now nurses global ambitions and dreams of capturing a slice of the massive global consumer market. The programme helps aspiring managers and entrepreneurs a platform to understand the global market.

MDI was initially set up as an institution to nurture and pursue public policy. Those strong roots can still be seen as a vibrant presence in the campus and its academic and outreach activities. It offers a full-time National Management Programme, another popular course is a Post Graduate Diploma in Energy Management. The world over, energy security is the most important issue that concerns nations. There is also a full- time programme dedicated to public policy. In fact, the public policy programme is one of the most respected and admired programmes in the country, rivaling even the ones offered by institutions with “pedigree”.

MDI keeps reinventing itself regularly to keep pace with changing times. Hundreds of successful alumni spread across the world have also been a big help in ensuring MDI remains one of the most popular and attractive B-Schools in the country.