The Curriculum at ABBS is Market-Driven, says Dr Madhumita Chatterji, Director, ABBS School of Management

 

In a conversation with Shiksha.com, Dr Madhumita Chatterji, Director, ABBS School of Management delves into unique strategies and initiatives that set apart the institute in the competitive landscape of education. She also sheds light on their standout PGDM program, featuring innovative elements such as Theatre in Management and a variety of value-added certifications.

Dr. Madhumita Chatterji  is Director of ABBS School of Management (Acharya Bangalore B School.) She was formerly the CEO and Board Member of Ants Consulting and Services. 

Q1. What are the three things that your institute/college/university is doing that will enable it to differentiate itself from the competition?

• ABBS School of Management strongly promotes creativity among our students, faculty members, and all our stakeholders. The spirit of discovery and collaboration is promoted through a commitment to diversity and opportunities. Faculty and student exchange programmes help to enhance learning. Our greatest strength is the agility, the flexibility that we have in the system, and the compassionate way of handling things.
• At ABBS School of Management, teaching is infused with eagerness and enthusiasm to create a passionate lifelong learner. Our strength lies in the fact that we are open to ideas and totally “Learner Centric”
• Research draws inspiration from the surrounding community and an attitude of service is the basis of all activities undertaken at ABBSSM.

Q2. What are the top three initiatives undertaken by you that are helping your students become more industry-ready?

• The curriculum at ABBS is market-driven and industry with the inclusion of courses like Business Analytics, Data Science, AI, Six Sigma Green Belt, Scrum and Agile, Supply Chain, Digital Marketing, HR Analytics, Financial Analytics, Banking and Insurance courses etc. To achieve this we involve the practitioners from industry in both the design and delivery of the courses. The industry professionals are also deeply engaged with our students as mentors guiding them in making informed choices. Our aim is to leverage both theory and practice and ensure that there is a healthy symbiosis between the two.
• We have two Industry Internship Programmes. One short one of 2 months between the first and second years and one long one for 4.5 months at the end of second Year.
• We have introduced Theatre in Management to help students improve their confidence, and communication and understand team building, leadership and strategic areas of management which are extremely important skills required in any industry. We have well-structured personality enhancement and pre-placement programmes.

Q3. What are the key attributes that a student should have in order to

• Qualify for your institution

The sudent should be eager to learn

The student should have a very positive attitude

Should have participated in co-curricular and extracurricular activities

Should have good communication skills.

Should meet the AICTE requirements as stipulated for PGDM programmes.

• Get top grades in your institution

Should be willing to learn beyond the stipulated curriculum.

Should have the qualities of a self-learner

Participate in all academic activities like live projects, case study, field work, role plays, flip Class room etc.

Should do research which is a mandatory course in ABBS School of Management.

Q4. Which programme/s would you say is/are your best? What is it that helps your institution differentiate itself for this programme?

We run the PGDM program and it is differentiated from all other regular PGDM programmes because of the practice based learning and inclusion of innovative courses like:

• Business Analytics, Data Science and AI
• Theatre in Management,
• Campus to Community Programme,
• Capstone Project,
• Industry Internship Programme,
• Disaster Management and Sustainability courses,
• Six Sigma Green Belt and Agile and Scrum PMI certifications,
• Investment Banking Certification from CISI
• International Immersion in Asia and Europe and
• Value added Certifications

Q5. 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 college (observed over the past five years)?

To increase the steady flow of employable workforce the hands-on learning has to be an important component of education. Students should develop self-confidence and decision making abilities. With the enhancement in technology there is no denying the fact that students have to be aware of those skills. In the age of information overload and excessive data availability corporate would want students who can understand, infer and diagnose using them. We have a very well structured Placement Policy which includes pre placement training and post placement audit. We have strong Alumni association which helps alumni to offer suggestions in academics and placement and also get the benefit of the new learnings that we regularly offer. I would like to put a caveat here that though it is extremely important that students must hone all technical and cognitive skills but if we do not train on values and ethics then we will only create dangerous manipulative managers. Therefore I feel that the corporate should also evaluate and seek ethical and emotionally intelligent students as their future workforce. Students are hired from all functional areas: Finance, Marketing, Operations, Business Analytics and Human Resource Management.