mpgupta

The history of Management education, particularly MBA programs is rooted in the times of industrialization which first began in Britain in the 18th century and quickly spread to other parts of Europe and rest of the world. Societies, p rior to that , were  predominantly agrarian and rural, which, permanently changed  to industrial and urban with introduction of t he transcontinental railroad, the cotton gin, electricity and other inventions.  The early MBA courses were mostly training programs in accounting and bookkeeping. Those were regarded as sufficient for running a business. The Aula do Comércio in Lisbon, established in 1759, was the first institution to specialize in the teaching of accounting in those times.  Gradually need for skilled management professionals started rising with the growing  corporations . This led to the start of Business Schools. ESCP Europe, established in Paris 1819, happened to be the first one that now has campuses in several o...

Business school’s curriculum should become bedrock of innovation and produce thinking professionals. See the changes around, particularly opportunities thrown up by rising digital economy and industry 4.0. Are we keeping pace with the same? Tracing back the Industrial Revolutions- the FIRST (1.0) is known to be referred to the time when water and steam power was invented to mechanize production. This followed by second Industrial Revolution (2.0) primarily identified by the invention of electric power leading to the concept of 'factory' for mass production. Next revolution (3.0) is digital revolution where Electronics and Information Technology arrived with enhanced computing power, electronic gadgets and telecommunications. Industrial operations saw a new level of integrated automation.  Now a Fourth Industrial Revolution is technological expansion over the Third, and characterized by a fusion of technologies (viz. Artificial Intelligence-AI, Internet of Things-IoT, Augmented...

While India's National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a good step, importance of international accreditation  cannot be discounted. There are many such recognized systems in place to choose from. Of several of these, AACSB, AMBA, and EQUIS are most sought after international systems as they offer some special advantage to Business Schools. These accreditation systems evaluate B-Schools on their adoption of global standards of teaching, faculty capacity, students and overall services, among other things and further help them position uniquely in the crowded MBA market.  There are several advantages of accreditation. It creates a gateway for students as their MBA degree gain recognition worldwide by industries and institutions,  Attending an accredited institution influences the competitiveness of MBA graduates in the job market as the best employers to prefer students from only those that carry such a tag. Students from accredited institutions can avail several ...

Today, we live in digital society - our personal, social and work life – all confined in digital surrounding - an irreversible phenomenon. Post internet, speed at which technology-led changes are enriching our experience, have not happened in past 200 years. Challenges we face today, therefore, are more intertwined with the technology assorts. Available options are now crystal clear. Connected world is not going spare anyday without throwing surprises. Wisdom lies in spotting opportunity in the astounding rise of digital economy, whose spill over effect is beyond anyone’s imagination.  Market is shifting. Predictions indicate USA and China are leading the digital economy growth. USA and EU will drive the ICT innovation, while China and India would emerge largest manufacturing and consumer base making an important part of global  ICT supply chain . It is prudent to formulate academic and international strategy keeping these facts in mind.  Academic portfolio...

Ivy leagues universities/ institution are differentiated by many extraordinary things they do. Each of them are very fascinating to know as they become benchmarks of how a great institution of higher learning should be run.  They are multidisciplinary research university and run like an enterprise, not with profit motive but for making high impact. They are truly impactful in the sense that their research create disciplines of knowledge, innovations change societies and establish corporations leading to creation of millions of job world-wide and trigger economic growth of nations.  A noticeable one is  the scale at which they operate, see few recent data here: Harvard University (32000 students),  Cornell University (23,600 students) Columbia University (39000 students) University of Pennsylvania (25,860 students) Penn State University (98,783 students) The Ohio State University (66,444 students) University of Pittsburgh (34,934 students) Rutgers University (67,556 s...

Universities have been playing great role in nation's development. Their research and innovations shape societies. They produce high quality professionals who lead new initiatives, run coporations, create wealth and provide millions of job. These still remain valid even today. However, scenario has changed drastically now. In a short period of time, particularly 25 years p ost-internet, we have seen so many changes around - a heavily technology layered living. We are surrounded by more and more real time systems where actions and responses are instant. Our private space in shrinking, while most of our digital assets are in others' hand. Frankly, we are moving towards a very complicated time. Refer to all that's happening in AI world. It is raising questions about human ability to deal with a full blown AI-world. Predictably s ociety of the future will have some form of 'Technology Order' that will define new norms of global order. Quoting  Klaus Schwab, Founder,...

New Education Policy 2020 (NEP-2020) is announced after a gap of almost 35 years, replacing the previous policy in vogues since 1986. The Draft New Education Policy (DNEP) containing 484 pages, was released in 2019 that followed a number of public consultations, receiving over two lakh suggestions from across all parts of the country. The massive efforts enlisted above, have definitely resulted into new directions and new milestones that it sets for the nation. Such document, however, would normally be subjected to close scrutiny for its foresights and few possible omission. Let us find out, key recommendations with regards to Indian Higher Education (IHE) system. It envisions a complete overhaul of the higher education system to deliver high-quality higher education, with equity and inclusion. The policy’s vision includes the following key changes Problems with HEI NEP Recommendations Fragmented higher education ecosystem Limited autonomy Low emphas...