Students are encouraged to pick industry-based application-oriented research in final year, says ASBM President

In a conversation with Shiksha.com, Founder and President ASBM University University Biswajeet Pattanayak talks about how their institute has been focused towards innovation and creativity in education. He also talked about steps being taken to make their students industry-ready. Professor Pattanayak started ASBM University 13 years ago. He has to his credit more than 86 research publications in national and international referred journals and 24 books.

Read the excerpts of the interview below:

Q: What are the three things that ASBM University is doing that will enable it to differentiate itself from competition?

A: We compete with ourselves. ASBM is known for innovation and creativity in higher education. We have many best practices. ASBM is the only University in eastern India whose MBA programme has global accreditation from Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), USA, for its qualitative academic delivery.

Our programmes are new generation and industry need-based. For instance, our MBA has a distinctive blend of both domain and sectoral specialisation, which is unique. ASBM School of Business is the only B-school that offers new-age specialisations such as Business Analytics, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, and Fashion Management. Similarly, we also have programmes in the field of digital media communication, both at graduation and post graduation level, which is the need of the hour.

We are also the pioneers in the concept of Finishing School. We introduced it way back in 2006 to train and groom our students with appropriate skill sets to become competent professionals in their chosen domain of occupation. This enhances their employability and their entrepreneurial ability too. 

Q: What are the top three initiatives undertaken by you that are helping your students become more industry-ready?

A: Our syllabus is revised every year religiously through a rigorous process of industry feedback that helps us deliver the most up-to-date industry need-based curriculum. We regularly invite experienced industry practitioners and successful people from other walks of life under the “ASBM Road to Excellence Lecture Series” to share their experience and best practices with the students.

We have adopted an innovative research approach through the Course of Independent Study (CIS). Our students are encouraged to take up industry based application-oriented research in the final year of their study. It helps them identify and solve industry problems.

Last but not the least, our students are exposed to panels of industry experts through mock interview modules as a sort of full dress rehearsal for placement. All the students go through a process of group discussion and personal interview by industry veterans, who give realistic feedback on their performance. Our Finishing School then works with those students on the basis of industry feedback to overcome their handicap and to improve their performance. This exercise helps them face their final placement selection process with confidence. The placement result speaks for itself. 

Q: What are the key attributes that a student should have in order to qualify for your institution & get top grades?

A: When we select the students, we never look at them as finished products. We search for ability, attitude and willingness to learn and then transform them as per the industry requirement.

Getting top grade is not the ultimate aim. Rather, we try to transform our students with holistic personality development and make them competent to face the real life problems with appropriate attitude, skill, knowledge and confidence. 

Q: Which programmes would you say are your best? What is it that helps your institution differentiate itself for this programme?

A: Asian School of Business Management, established in 2006, could become a full-fledged state private university within such a short span of time only because of our unique content, approach and delivery, benchmarking the best practices worldwide. We have been able to establish the ASBM brand as a top ranking business school of India, which will leverage the University while focusing on the new areas of education. To begin with, in addition to the School of Business, we have introduced the School of Accountancy, and the School of Communication this year and we are in the threshold of introducing a unique global ‘MBA Semester Abroad Programme’ in exclusive collaboration with the prestigious and renowned University of Nottingham, which ranks among the Top 100 Universities in the World.

Q: What are you doing to improve/drive better campus placements for your current students and alumni? What kind of jobs routinely come to campus? What would you say are the key recruitment trends for your university?

A: ASBM is known for its industry driven programmes. We have a track record of almost 100 per cent placement since the first batch. The repetition of many recruiters over the years proves the mettle of our students. I can say there is no dearth of employment for our students – current and pass out, when they have the right kind of attitude, knowledge and skill.