The Hindu Business Line : <I>`Learning from real life instances' </I>

Naozer Dalal, completed his PG Diploma in Management IIMA in 1990, majoring in finance and marketing. He is currently Director, Finance, with Prudential Process Management Services India Pvt Ltd, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Prudential p.l.c, an international retail financial services group.

On what B-School taught him

Having joined B-school straight out of college, the IIMA course is an excellent base for what lies in store in the corporate world. The case study methodology provides a unique opportunity to learn from real life instances and also enables one to apply the theoretical knowledge / framework. The team projects are a great way to be introduced to the concept of teamwork. The guest lectures provide an opportunity to interact with stalwarts in their respective fields and to widen one's worldview.

On what B-Schools must teach

I passed out a while ago so possibly things on my wish-list have already been implemented but going back in time, it was felt that there should have been exposure to areas of international finance, corporate finance, stock market operations on the technical side.

On applying B-School knowledge

The knowledge acquired in B-school provides a good grounding for entry into the corporate world - it provides good insight into the concepts of teamwork, communication, leadership, motivation and discipline, amongst others. But that said, one needs to go much beyond this acquired learning to grow in one's career and nothing really compares to the on-the-job learning and experiences on the shop floor. There could be a number of instances where the B-school knowledge provides only a reference point and one needs to draw from one's own experiences and sensitivities to deal with issues in the real world. I would conclude by reiterating that B-schools provide a valuable learning experience to make an individual well rounded.

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