Eye on future
Courses in BIMTECH will soon include topics such as global warming, inclusive growth and green businesses
Innovative teaching and trend-spotting are a way of life here. For over two decades, the Birla Institute of Management Technology, Greater Noida, popularly known as BIMTECH, has been grooming successful managers owing to its knack of keeping pace with market requirements. “We like to be in sync with the times. After the global economic downturn, for instance, we have launched courses in business ethics, corporate social responsibility and managing the self — body, mind and soul,” said director H. Chaturvedi.Now, keeping in mind the increasing awareness about climate change, the institute is set to introduce an MBA in sustainable development from 2010. At BIMTECH, the process of innovative thinking is continuous. Apart from individual programmes, it plans to incorporate elements of sustainable development in regular MBA courses so that students are equipped to deal with topics such as global warming, environment, inclusive growth and green businesses.Unlike many other B-schools, the management’s decisions are guided by a long-term vision. “We’ve recently launched a six-month consultation where we will talk to business leaders on ways to make the curriculum even more comprehensive. The idea is to prepare students for issues that will emerge in 2025,” said Chaturvedi.To enable student exchanges, BIMTECH has signed a series of memoranda of understanding with foreign universities. The institute accepts students who qualify through the Common Admission Test conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management, followed by a group discussion and a personal interview.The tuition fee, which ranges between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 7 lakh, is good value for money, students say. “The fee isn’t higher than other institutes but the infrastructure and facilities we get are world class,” said first year student Arpita Gupta, who hails from Kolkata. “The hostel accommodation is excellent with a heater, fridge and television to boot.” In 2007-08, the institute saw 100 per cent placement within 50 days. But in 2008-09, although it came down marginally, it didn’t struggle like many other colleges.“Despite the slowdown, the placements were good. This was a factor I considered before joining here,” said first-year student Gaurav B.V.While the highest salary offered last year was Rs 7 lakh, the average offer was Rs 4.5 lakh. This year, the institute has formed a panel comprising 29 faculty members and 150 students who have been visiting companies across the nation. “We have already visited 500 companies and want to ensure as many companies come to the campus as possible,” said K.K.Krishnan, chairperson, Centre for Corporate Relations at BIMTECH.Placement season begins from December 1.With more than 700 students and 60 full-time faculty members, the institute wants to expand both in terms of students and the courses offered. “We have applied for a deemed university status that will give us more freedom to experiment with the curriculum. We will also like to increase the strength of our PhD programme, where we have 10 students,” said Krishnan.A seed grant of Rs 50,000 has been provided to every teacher to take up research projects.“We plan to launch an incubation centre within two years to encourage the faculty and students to think out of the box,” said Chaturvedi.If BIMTECH’s record is an indication, some really innovative ideas are likely to emerge.
FactfileHighest salary2009: Rs 7.60 lakh 2008: Rs 7.3 lakh 2007: Rs 6 lakh
Batch size2009: 7152008: 6572007: 623
Placement season daysGenerally lasts throughout the month of December
High profile alumniAshish Masand, Country Manager, Micro FocusVikas Sikand,General Manager, Tata CommunicationsRupali Sharma, Director (Commercial Cards), Global Network Services, SingaporeSandeep Sehgal,Head, Marketing, Clinic and SSE Management, LG ElectronicsVivek Khare,Senior Vice-President, Jeevansaathi.com
High profile recruitersJP Morgan Chase, Lazard, Carlyle, Ernst & Young, KPMG, Hewitt, Mercer, Accenture, Deloitte