18 March 2009

I am happy to share with you our perspective on the kind of institution we are building in  Pearl School of Business.

When the concept of a new School of Business took shape in 2006, we were looking at the economic change that had swept India and the entire world.  Technology had catapulted India to become partners of the advanced economies, liberalization had stimulated foreign and domestic investment and as a result the economy was on an unprecedented growth momentum.  

Even at that time we were aware that large scale adoption of the Western industrial model by transfer of technology and products would take us only so far.  Growth without development has been our story.  For development to take place we need innovative and bold initiatives in several service sectors.  Experts had sounded a note of caution.  

". India 's future depends crucially on its ability to compete fully in the Creative Economy - not just in tech and software, but across design and entrepreneurship; arts, culture and entertainment; and the knowledge-based professions of medicine, finance and law."

-Richard Florida, in The Times of India , 18.2.2006

Hirst Professor in the School of Public Policy at George Mason University

Creative ideas can be translated into reality on a sustained basis with the help of Entrepreneurial drive.  Hence inculcating the entrepreneurial mindset in the young management professionals was our priority.  We therefore stated our mission as one of

Developing talent in India to become leaders of globally competitive and socially responsible enterprises.  

With the help of Babson College , the acknowledged leader in Entrepreneurship Education (14 years in a row at No. 1 in the US News and World Report rankings) we have been able to shape a unique curriculum that puts focus on developing the entrepreneurial mindset.  We have a strategic partnership with Babson College , US .  

We also took advantage of a long and successful relationship with Nottingham Trent University, UK, built over 15 years by our sister institution, Pearl Academy of Fashion.  NTU is rated as an A grade institution and the top university for employability of its graduates.  The unique arrangement of validation of programmes has ensured that our curricula address Indian context and international needs and meet UK standards of quality.  Hence our degrees are not foreign, but a blend of Indian and foreign concerns and thus become truly international degrees.  

In a short span of time, we mobilized resources, formed the core faculty team and created a world class infrastructure at Gurgaon.  We introduced the M BA (M&E) programme in July 2007 and the BA (Hons) in Business Administration in 2008.  It has been an entrepreneurial journey and the exciting part is that we continue to find greater opportunities all the time.  To help build a faculty base, we also introduced the D BA programme of Asian Institute of Technology , Thailand in 2008.  This is the first time the D BA has been introduced in India to help senior management professionals in Industry acquire research competencies.  

The experience of the last two years shows that our curriculum integrates learning across different disciplines.  No more the question of where finance meets operations and why marketing should concern HR!  Our teaching and learning processes integrate theory and practice.  Hands on projects follow case studies and theoretical discussions bring out the finer points of practice.  Learning is thus intimately connected with living.

Our first batch of MBA will soon pass and face the challenge of testing the entrepreneurial mindset.  The feedback will enrich us and help us realize our vision of becoming a creative community with a spirit of enterprise and a sense of responsibility.

I invite you to join this exciting journey of discovering yourself and uncovering the opportunities to be creative, productive and meaningful.

Mr. N S Uppal