We believe in inculcating values and ethics in students for a better tomorrow, says Dean of CBS

In a conversation with Shiksha, Dean of Calcutta Business School Tamal Datta Chaudhuri talks about the methodologies they have adopted to make students industry-ready. He also talked about initiatives undertaken by the institute to help students secure good placements. Professor Chaudhuri has distinguished career in both Industry and academics. He has been the Chief General Manager of Industrial Investment Bank of India.

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

A: We believes in three core values that the students should instil among themselves such as Collaboration, Innovation and Excellence. In order to differentiate ourselves from the other PGDM programmes, we put emphasis on the following three dimensions:

• Industry-Centric Syllabus: In CBS, the entire syllabus has been developed according to the need of the industry. There are regular interactions with the corporate leaders and practitioners to seek suggestions from them for continuously updating the curriculum by incorporating the latest practices. Students are encouraged to appreciate the latest developments in industries pertaining to different domains. This bridges the gap between industry and academia, thus helping students to take up the challenges in the modern industry.
• Multi-Dimensional Development: We believe that students should not only acquire domain knowledge but also develop their soft skill and leadership abilities. Emphasis is given on developing soft-skills through rigorous courses on oral and written communication and personality development. In order to prepare the students for taking up challenges in Industry, we have incorporated programmes on experiential learning such as Outbound Leadership Practicum, Rural Immersion Program, and Design Thinking and Innovation. Besides these, we have also taken initiatives to inculcate values and ethics in them and incorporate cultural diversity. Team working spirit is encouraged through presentations and case discussions.
• Research: In order to stay ahead of the competition, organisations nowadays put major emphasis on research. One of the essential employability factors is thus research orientation. We encourage and motivate our students to pursue research on the frontiers of concepts and practices in various domains to build an analytical and research mind-set. It is a general practice in CBS that students work on different research problems in their respective domains under the mentorship of the faculty members and publish their findings in various journals and/or present in conferences of repute.

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

A: In order to make the students more industry ready, the following initiatives are undertaken:

• Dual Internship: CBS has included two internships (autumn – after Term I; summer – After Term III) in the programme. The internships are strategically positioned in the overall programme schedule to give students theoretical insights and practical exposure. The objective is to enable the students to understand the industrial applications of different concepts taught in the class.
• Industry Visits: Regular industry visits are made mandatory in every term besides the internship to give exposure to the students about the practices.
• Corporate Relation: CBS puts emphasis on building corporate relations and leverage their strengths in the form of regular guest lectures, grooming and live cases. There is an Industry-Institute Partnership Cell (IIPC) consisting of the practitioners from leading industries for making the curriculum more industry-oriented and for supporting internship programmes and final placement.

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

A: To qualify or the institute, the student must 

• Fulfil regulatory requirements as stipulated by AICTE
• Possess leadership and analytical capabilities

• Have strong values and ethics
• Be adaptable and comfortable to work in teams
• Be clear in thoughts and able to express 

To get good grades, the student needs to be hardworking and must have good problem-solving skills. He must have an in-depth understanding of applications of the concepts

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 college (observed over the past five years)?

A: Apart from Dual Internships, regular industry visits, and inhouse Industry-Institute Partnership Cell(IIPC), we also focus on preparing students for interviews sessions. We conduct mock Interview and Group Discussion sessions to make students appear confidently for placements. All our students have been successfully placed in reputed organizations in a varying capacity like Management Trainee, Assistant Manager, Business Development Executives, Associate Consultants, Analyst to name a few.

There is an increasing trend in recruiting students in analyst and consultant role.