The Hindu Business Line : Chennai B-school gets going

The Chennai Business School is the latest entrant to the management education scene in Chennai. Started by senior executives, is the B-school just another institution or does it have something different to offer?

The core committee, which includes P. K. Mohapatra, President and CEO, RPG Enterprises; J. N. Amrolia, ED, HR, Ashok Leyland; Mohan Menon, former Director (South), O&M; Minnie Menon, Managing Consultant, Tech-Eye Consulting; Prof. A. S. Srinivasan, IFMR; K. Krishnan, ED, Bharti Tele-Ventures; and N. Sadasivam, chartered accountant, believes that it does. "See, about 70 per cent of management graduates in India are not employable," Mohapatra told The New Manager. He says this is because the case studies being taught in many management schools are from the West, and therefore not applicable in India, and that none of the faculty members have any hands-on experience in industry. As a result, the knowledge imparted to the students is outdated.

However, the Chennai Business School will have people from industry directly involved in the education; it will also provide multiple internships for the students. The case studies will be Indian, and the course content will be more topical. The advisory board overseeing the school comprises industry leaders such as Ram Shahaney, Chairman, Ashok Leyland; Bhaskar Bhat, MD, Titan Industries; C. K. Ranganathan, CMD, CavinKare; and Prof. Abraham Koshy, IIM, Ahmedabad. Amrolia of Ashok Leyland says the institution would eventually offer a full-fledged two-year MBA course, but initially it will offer one-year specialised diploma courses in HR management, marketing communications management, retail management and telecom management. This will expand to include IT/ITes, insurance and financing and healthcare in the near future, he adds. About one-third of the students would be placed as soon as they begin the course.

The 15,000-sq ft facility, located strategically on Chennai's IT corridor, is funded internally. An initial investment of Rs 2 crore has gone into setting it up.

About 160 seats will be on offer, with 40 for each course. Scores of any of the common examinations such as CAT and GMAT is acceptable. The school looks for a good academic record, leadership skills and extra-curricular activities. The course fee is Rs 1.5 lakh; full and partial scholarships will be given for deserving students.