What are the unique differentiating factors of SIIB over its peers?
Several factors differentiate SIIB from its peers. Firstly, SIIB as a 15 year old institution has been the pioneer in launching several initiatives, which have later been adopted or emulated by its peers. To give examples, SIIB has been teaching foreign languages as a part of the curriculum since 1992, the supply chain Management or Logistics specialization was introduced in 2002 and the Agribusiness Management was started in 2004. Several other B-schools have only now introduced these features or courses.
Secondly, SIIB is the only institute among the Symbiosis B-schools which has had a long – standing affiliation with foreign Universities in the form of student and faculty exchange programmes. In fact, for the last 5 years, SIIB students have been attending Summer School at Bremen and for the last 3 years I personally have been teaching a complete spring semester course on International Trade Policy at the Oakland University, Michigan as a part of the faculty exchange programme. There has been a reciprocal faculty visit from Oakland University for specialized for credit courses like International Accounting standards for our students.
SIIB has had the privilege of having the Convocation addresses by eminent personalities like Mr. P. Chidambaram, Mr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Mr. Manmohan Singh, Mr. C Rangarajan, Mr. Freddie Mehta, Mr. P. C. Alexander, and Mr. Praful Patel etc. A galaxy of speakers, few institutes can boast of. And this is only for the Convocation; our Leadership Series, the HK Firodia Memorial Series, the R D Aga Memorial Series also attract the best minds in the country.
How is SIIB’s MBA-International Business (IB) different from a conventional MBA programme?
Very briefly, it prepares the student for global business profiles. Way back in 1992, SIIB (Symbiosis Institute of Foreign Trade then) realized the need to create managers who could thrive in a globalised India. Several B-schools had and still have a much closed mindset, much like the Indian economy, before 1991. This may have sufficed in a semi-autarkic India, but is certainly not enough when B-school graduates have to cope with the challenges of a fast-paced globalizing world.
SIIB prepares students to deal with varied aspects of a globalised world – forex risk management, cross-cultural issues, international commercial law, shipping and air transport, trade finance, overseas market research, exim procedures and documentation, futures and options, commodity markets, equity derivatives, International accounting standards and so on. Besides every student selects one foreign language out of Spanish, German, French and Chinese to study through the two years.
What kind of profiles have MBA-IB graduates been getting in the industry? Give us a few examples describing in brief a day-in-life of their jobs.
In a shrinking world with expanding horizons, SIIB graduates are excellent material for all organizations which need globally attuned managers. This has included every top company in India in IT, Banking, Manufacturing, Insurance and Market Research, Sales, Marketing, Finance and Supply Chain Management.
Specifically, SIIB alumni have been successful country managers – in fact, one of my students from the batch of 1996-98 is currently the Country Manager in Turkey for Mittal Steel Company. Handling International business divisions of companies or dealing in foreign commodity markets have been other interesting profiles.
What is the MBA-Agri-Business course all about and who is it for?
Several students and companies have asked me how international business and agri-business are linked. The answer lies in looking at the world trade scenario. Anyone familiar with the international trade policy and the ongoing WTO talks would know that one of the most contentious issues in global trade is agri-trade. There have been several points of debate between the developed and developing countries regarding agri trade, but the point to note is that developed countries are very keen to open this sector in the developing countries. This may take several years but even before that happens the domestic agri-sector in India, which has huge potential, would undergo a metamorphosis. It was only a matter of time before big corporate giants entered this sector. And of course, there will be a demand for trained managerial talent in this sector. This was what we visualized in early 2002 and launched the course in 2004. Already, the agri-retail sector has proved us right.
What kind of students are best fit to secure admission into MBA-IB?
We select students who have the potential to be good managers. That is, students with the right attitude, good communication skills, willingness to learn, ability to work in teams and above all with their feet on the ground.
How do you test for these abilities in your admission process?
The process of selection is intensive. The written test evaluates overall knowledge levels, the GD, Interviews and group test help to evaluate team skills, Communication skills, attitude, originality and ability to think creatively. The written communication gives an insight into the ability of the students to think and write coherently and logically.
How much importance does SIIB put on work experience prior to MBA-IB: do you consciously strive for a certain batch mix of experienced and fresher students?
SIIB gives preference to students with relevant prior work experience. This preference is the form of additional marks for every year of relevant work experience. There has been no fixed percentage for intake of students with work experience. Every student with the right mix of attributes stands a very good chance.
How many women students are there in the MBA-IB class of 2008 and how has this number changed over the last 4 years?
The gender mix is very healthy. In the MBA-IB 2006-08 batch there are 43 women out of a batch of 124. In the MBA-AB 2006-08 batch has 28 pc women students. Over the last 4 years this ratio has steadily increased and women have also done exceedingly well in both the courses.
Tell us more about the foreign language courses offered at SIIB. Do students get a choice of which language they want to learn?
SIIB has experimented with several foreign languages based on the need of Industry and the potential for doing business in a particular country. We have had Russian and Japanese in earlier years. Currently, we offer four foreign languages – French, Spanish, German and Chinese. Students are allowed to choose one of the foreign languages subject to the constraints of the size of each class.
This year, a lot of students who had Chinese as their foreign language in the second year have had to struggle with other subjects and would have to show it in their CVs. How does having to learn a far tougher language like Chinese affect a student’s CGPA as compared to those who are learning easier and more intuitive languages like French or Spanish?
The foreign language offered at SIIB is aimed only at achieving functional literacy. Chinese is a difficult language compared to the other languages offered at SIIB, but in the light of the fantastic opportunities coming up in China and with global businesses engaged in expanding their operation to China, knowledge of the Chinese language is a great asset.
In fact there are currently very few who know the Chinese language and people with knowledge of this language will be in great demand in the years to come. This to my mind is more important than looking at the CGPA.
What is the industry response to the MBA-AB course?
The industry response to the MBA-AB course has been excellent. Industry experts have been very keen to help design and execute several specialized modules for this course.
Recruiters come from the entire spectrum of input-related industries like seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, farm implements and equipments, output related industries like the processed food, wines, jams etc. Then there’s the Banking sector for profiles in agri-financing, the agri-retail sector and other sectors like commodity trading and Quality Certification.
Please share with us SIIB’s placement details for the last two batches.
For the batch of PGDIBM [2004 – 06] the highest salary offered on campus was Rs. 11.5 lakhs while the average was Rs. 5.8 lakhs. The first batch of MBA-AB passed out in April 2006 securing 100 pc placements on campus, with the highest salary of Rs. 7.2 lakhs and an average of Rs. 3.5 lakhs.
What does the elevation of your PGDIBM to MBA-IB now imply for students?
Till recently SIIB used to offer PGDIBM and PGDABM courses, but now that SIIB has been recognized as a constituent of the Symbiosis International University, SIIB will offer MBA-IB and MBA-AB degrees to its students.
This will have several advantages. A degree from a University in place of a Post-Graduate Diploma, will be better recognized. Students passing out of SIIB can now register for a PhD since a Post-Graduate degree is a pre-requisite for a PhD. Foreign Universities or employers would value a Degree more than a post graduate diploma and this will open up avenues for more affiliation and give greater exposure to students.
What is life in SIIB like outside the academics?
There is a lot happening at SIIB. Since this is a residential campus there are several activities that have been designed to ensure the overall development of student’s personalities. Yoga, gymnasium and aerobics are a part of the weekly routine. Besides, student teams handle placements, alumni, corporate relations, website, maintenance, extra curricular activities and community projects, all of which keep the students on their toes.
The campus also has its activities like the Film Club, Celebration of various festivals and the much looked forward to Aarambh.