The Hindu Business Line : Management course for busy executives

It is not uncommon to see corporate executives with experience and knowledge but without a formal business management qualification feeling somewhat uncomfortable in the company of those flaunting an MBA degree.

Despite performing better, often, their rise in the company hierarchy may not be as fast as those with formal management degrees. At the same time, work pressures prevent such executives from undergoing full-time or even long duration part-time courses to acquire formal qualification.

To address this vital felt-need of corporate executives to learn management paradigms, SIES College of Management Studies at Nerul (New Bombay) has come up with a course called Executive Post-Graduate Diploma in Business Management (EPGDBM), which is the equivalent of MBA for working executives.

The existing programmes under the university model where the classes are conducted in the evening hours of all the working days. It is now becoming increasingly evident that this model is not workable because as many people find it rather difficult to attend classes after daylong work. The weekend model is gaining increasing popularity all over the Western world, particularly in the US. "After looking into all possible alternatives/models and after detailed market research, we at SIESCOMS have adopted this weekend model for EPGDBM where classes take place alternative weekends (Saturday evenings and Sunday whole day). This model entails 12 hours of contact classes each weekend. The programme is for three semesters of six months each," Dr A.K. Sengupta, director of the B-School, told Business Line.

Elaborating the unique aspects of the delivery model of the programme, the institute's director said it is not only application-oriented but also classes are primarily through interactive mode and cases, in addition to dual specialisation facility where the candidate has substantial work experience in one functional area.

This is possibly the first programme in the country outside the university scheme that has also got the AICTE approval. The institute sees this programme as one of its major thrust areas in years to come and has plans to replicate this model in other parts of the country, according to Dr Sengupta.

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