Focussing On Managerial Values And Ethics

In an interview with BW Businessworld, Srinivasan R Iyengar, Director, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies talks about the measures taken by B-schools to meet the changing industry demands. He also stresses on the need for inculcating managerial values and ethics in students. Edited Excerpts: 

What stands out for you as you look at the changes in the business environment in the year gone, and what are some of the challenges that it has brought to fore for educational institutes? 

In the light of the pressing economic, social and environmental crises the world is facing, the feeling is spreading that not only business and economics but business schools also need to change fundamentally. Other challenges like demographic cultural, and technological changes have led to a workforce that demands a set of operating principles characterised by core values such as transparency, trust, inclusion and real-time collaboration to help guide behaviours and decision-making in companies. 

How is your institution coping and rising to this challenge? 

We at JBIMS focus on interdisciplinary and integrated perspective teaching pedagogy includes live case studies, simulating the complexity of real-life business situations, business education remains fundamentally interdisciplinary based with more opportunity to deal with problems of the real world. We are persistent with student's development is first and foremost personal development involving the whole person, mind, heart, body and soul as successful leader. 

How are you implementing hybrid learning? 

The rapidly changing digital landscape is having a significant influence on learning and teaching. We at JBIMS use LMS with computers, tablets and smartphone calls through ZOOM, WEBEX, Google Meet etc for new ways of engaging teachers and students. Our all programs consisted of face-to-face instruction to teachers, combined with online access to course content via communication channels such as email and discussion forums. Extensive hands-on training is provided to faculties, supporting staff and students for effective implementation of LMS. 

What are the steps being taken to upgrade and reskill faculties? 

Teaching faculties at JBIMS, believe in their own abilities to plan, organise and carry out activities required to attain our educational goals. Faculty members are encouraged to do research, training, consulting apart from their regular teaching in the classroom. All our full-time faculty members are PhD holders and actively involved in the doctoral research centres. Faculty members actively participate in research conferences, colloquiums, seminars and FDP’s in leading business schools in India and abroad. We do regularly organise FDP & MDP programs for other faculty members for our affiliated institutes in the various domain of Business Management. 

How are you collaborating with industries for internships and placements? 

JBIMS started in the year 1965 in the financial capital of India. We have a good Industry Institute Interface (3’I’) approach because of our alumni network and locational advantage.  Most of our faculty members are alumni and practicing industry professionals. We have a wonderful placement record since inception in all major business domains. We are the few institutes in Western India to get good placements in consulting profiles with the highest package. We do have more industry collaboration in research, MDP & consulting projects. 

What role can EdTechs play in management education? 

We reap the benefits of the tangible and intangible benefits by extensive use of LMS to enhance students’ experiences in changing global trends. It is useful in terms of monitoring students’ performance and supporting decision-making and students’ admission processing, which will help to shorten these lengthy processes to shift from the traditional methods of delivering instructions face-to-face and devising time-sensitive learning analytics applications. We use our LMS to provide easy access to lecture slides, facilitate case discussions, organise quizzes online and monitor students’ performances. 

How have government initiatives and programs impacted Business Schools? 

We are the autonomous department of the University of Mumbai and follow all the rules and regulations of UGC and AICTE. Our degree is recognised all over the world and most of our students continue further studies in PhD in International Universities. Unique programs like MSc in finance, we started as per the GOI initiatives and having a wonderful response from the students as well as from the industries. Our fee is relatively lower because of that we attract more quality students from across India. Faculties are getting minor and major research grants in their respective research areas from the govt of India initiatives sponsored agencies. 

What would you suggest to come at par with the education system of developed nations? 

We can compete by delivering quality management education with greater value with comparable value at a lower cost. Competitive strategy is about being unique. A point of difference becomes uniqueness as well as functionality.  Management education is not merely useful, they are also meaningful. We must focus on the development of the next-generation global leaders by focussing on managerial values and ethics would brighten the students for the practical side of the management field and their future work.  Students can achieve to assimilate the importance of values and ethics with the help of in-depth knowledge, adopting the Indian Management Education into the local needs of the business environment is important.