According to AACSB International, India has the largest number of MBA programs in the world. Due to this oversupply and stagnant demand, many B-schools have closed down in the last decade, and many are suffering due to poor enrolments. In this context, it’s no wonder that when a new B-school is launched, all eyes are on it. So, when Sparsh Global Business School was recently launched, MBAUniverse.com decided to understand its strategy and differentiation. In a detailed interview, Director Dr. Ravi Kumar Jain shared the background of Sparsh Group, the Strategy that will differentiate the new B-school and plans for the first academic season. Dr. Jain also candidly shared why he took the plunge into a greenfield project, even as he was well-settled at one of the leading Universities.
Dr. Ravi Jain has over 20 years of rich experience in family business management, teaching and training, research, business consulting, and academic administration. Institution-building and championing new initiatives have been his forte. He was the Founding Director of Symbiosis Institute of Research and Innovation at Pune and Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM) Hyderabad Campus. Dr. Jain has won various awards for his academic and administrative activities. Edited excerpts from the interview follow:
Q: Congratulations on the launch of SGBS. Tell us about the background of the Promoter group, and why they decided to launch a B-school…
A: Sparsh Global Business School is a major greenfield project sponsored by Sparsh Group of Industries with a mission to promote high-impact outcome-based higher education that has ‘public value’ and ‘global well-being’ at its core. Sparsh Group had a humble beginning five decades ago in the year 1975 when its patriarch Shri Murlidhar ji Agarwal decided to move from their traditional family occupation of trading to set up manufacturing in polyester. Over the last five decades, the group has grown from strength to strength and created a transnational conglomerate operating in multiple business verticals ranging from Polyester Films, Renewable Energy, Hospitality, and Real Estate to name a few.
Sparsh group has always aspired to deliver value to society by way of charities and donations. While pursuing this goal, they found education to be the best medium to achieve the desired goal. The journey of our group into the education vertical started seven years ago when they decided to acquire struggling institutions and turned them around. Those institutions today are among the most highly lauded by all stakeholders. Today, as we speak, Institutions sponsored by Sparsh Group have three higher education institutions and four K-12 schools with a total of 7000+ students with an impeccable record. With this initial exposure to education, they realized that management education perhaps needs closer attention by the industry to generate a high-quality talent pool. In short, the industry has to work on creating ‘Schools for Business’ rather than just ‘Business Schools’ to create responsible business leaders of tomorrow.
Q: Talking about you, after successfully establishing SIBM Hyderabad, why did you decide to join a new greenfield B-School, which can be challenging…
A: This is the question I had to answer for myself when I had to take a call of leaving a fairly stable position after earning my share of professional recognition. It was indeed a tough call to move into a place that doesn’t have any brand or visibility of its own in the space of management education. While I cherish the great experience that I earned as founding director of two greenfield institutions for the Symbiosis International University, Pune, the entrepreneurial streak in me always prompted for bigger challenges that have high potential to create something big & beautiful. This is when the idea of Sparsh happened and I was convinced that my mission was well aligned with the larger mission of the Sparsh group and the promoter’s family. A greenfield project of this scale and scope and promising vision was motivating enough to take the risk.
As I speak to you today, six months into this new assignment, we are poised to make Sparsh Global Business School, a new-age digital campus with a distinction of international footprints, deep corporate engagement, contextually fit curriculum, fully digital infrastructure, and multicultural learning environment from the word “Go”. All this was possible because of uncompromised budgetary support and operational freedom by the promoting group.
Q: With so many B-schools in India, what gave You and Promotors the confidence to launch a new B-school?
A: Your question touches on an important aspect of the management education landscape in India. While there are around 4000 MBA/PGDM institutions, the stark reality is that the top 100-150 B-schools can hardly accommodate less than 10% of the number of aspirants appearing in the CAT and other exams. And it is also observed that every year tens of thousands of students opt to go abroad to pursue their management education. This is where a yawning gap exists and the need is felt for capacity creation at the top end of the B-School landscape. India needs 100 more B-schools at the top end of the spectrum. Another important aspect is the policy support that is provided as a part of NEP 2020, a lot of reformations are brought in by the regulatory agencies which are very encouraging and create the right environment to build high-quality higher education institutions.
Q: So, according to you, what are the building blocks of a new B-school that can ensure success in a competitive market?
A: I am sure you will agree that the building blocks for an effective management institution are the same as they ought to be when the MBA program was envisaged more than 100 years ago. And those are:
- Industry-relevant curricula,
- Research-rich faculty with a practical understanding of business,
- Engaging pedagogy for effective learning,
- A good campus that provides comprehensive infrastructure and vibrant campus life,
- Deep corporate engagement enabling corporate participation across the learners’ lifecycle,
- Internationalization that infuses international perspectives
However, in today’s context, the new business schools shall bring in technology infusion at a massive scale in all the building blocks mentioned above. New-age B-schools ought to demonstrate their digital capabilities, adaptability, and agility to tailor curriculum & pedagogy to match the pace of the ever-evolving global business context. Another critical success factor will be to move from simply “A Business School” to “A School for Business” whereby corporate engagement must graduate to corporate partnership/sponsorship bringing corporate into the very DNA of the institution.
Q: In this context, how will SGBS distinguish itself from other B-schools?
A: The very fact that the genesis of SGBS is rooted in corporate sponsorship/ partnership bringing in the corporate DNA makes it unique. This single major differentiator addresses the greatest pain point i.e., access to and engagement with corporates, that the conventional business schools have been suffering for decades. These gaps typically arise as each program aping the other, resulting in a lack of innovation and cutting-edge unique proposition.
Secondly, most Management Programmes offered still have the hangover of a bygone Industrial Era, which hardly aligns with the fast-emerging global business context that is characterized by Fluid structures, driven by the Gig economy, powered by a digital tech stack. SGBS provided a fully loaded digital campus where the learners get trained and acclimatized to operate in the modern-day phygital work environment.
The world has rapidly moved from the knowledge era to the digital era in the last couple of decades where the contours of Business and Management have undergone a paradigm shift. Our philosophy of approach to life and business stems from a firm belief emphasizing the well-being of our planet, society, and people. In accordance, SGBS brings in another major differentiator, through the very spirit of the management program that is driven by a 4Ps philosophy – Purpose, Planet, People, and Profit - to nurture purpose-driven, environmentally conscious business leaders of tomorrow. This is reflected in every aspect of SGBS from the design of its campus facilities to the crafting of curriculum, pedagogy, and plethora of interventions the program promises to offer.
An effective management program is supposed to be more of a training program rather than merely an academic credential. The third major differentiator that SGBS administers is its comprehensive 4-E learning framework that facilitates special training on Entrepreneurial orientation to its learners allowing them to learn by Experimentation. Thus, increasing the appetite to celebrate failures as opportunities for Experiential learning. The 4th E of the framework emphasizes cultivating consciousness towards Environment & sustainability and being sensitive about the impact business decisions can inflict on the sustainability of our mother Earth.
Q: What is the plan for the academic session 2023-24?
A: SGBS will offer AICTE approved PGDM program with several career tracks to choose from. This year we shall start with one program at the PG level expecting a sanctioned intake of 120 students. We do have the vision to launch more programs ranging from professional certificates to UG, PG, and Ph.D. levels.
Q: Please tell us about the physical infrastructure and facilities that are being built...
A: SGBS offers a world-class fully residential campus, strategically located in the hub of educational institutions and industries at Knowledge Park III, Greater Noida. This new-age digital campus is powered by futuristic Edu-Tech and promises an intellectually stimulating environment and vibrant learning spaces. A LEED-certified green campus is committed to having zero carbon footprints and environmental sustainability. Key elements of the infrastructure that SGBS graduates get to enable a rich learning experience include Smart Classrooms, fully automated & digitized Learning Resource Centre, Digital Studio, Music Room & Amphitheatre, Computer Dome, Business Incubation Centre (10000 sft), Auditorium, Gymnasium & Recreation Wellness Centre, Cafeteria & Dining Area, Healthcare Centre, Sports Facilities, and Residential Facilities which is centrally Air Conditioned.
Q: What kind of faculty members are being recruited by SGBS?
A: In year one over 20+ Faculty members in four broad categories would be facilitating the learning of our students. These will include:
- Full-time Faculty: Full-time research-rich faculties hand-picked from a curated list across Pan-India. Collectively they bring rigor, relevance, and resilience to their domain knowledge (nine in number in year one…. more to be added in subsequent years).
- International Adjunct Professors: Who will be teaching specially crafted modules/courses (6-8 in number)
- Professors of Practice: These are senior corporate leaders with a min of 20+ years of industry experience and demonstrated academic prowess.
- Distinguished Professors: These are highly specialized senior professors/practitioners/policymakers who shall lead practical learning initiatives through projects and immersive activities.
All our faculty members bring in global exposure, domain strength, technically aligned, and practical relevance. It goes without saying that we shall be adding more to this strength continuously as we aim to provide a more personalized learning experience.
Q: Looking into the future, what is your vision for SGBS…where do you see it in the next 5 years…
A: Our vision is to make SGBS an institution to reckon with having a Pan-India presence, global outreach, offering multiple high-impact programs and eventually graduating into a degree awarding internationally accredited institution. The first five years would be very crucial in this journey as we get all the necessary building blocks in place.
Q: Finally, what is your message to MBA aspirants?
A: The world has progressed to version 4.0 of the Industrial Era. We have moved far from maximizing wealth to keeping the planet and people at the center stage of business. Digital disruption has invaded the way we always did business. Future New-Age leaders require a completely fresh set of attributes e.g., entrepreneurship orientation, conscientiousness, integrity, empathy, righteousness, versatility, and agility to switch between contexts without losing efficiency and overall responsibility towards the environment and society. The time to be the best version of yourself is now! The world needs modern-day leaders who are compassionate, visionary, sustainable in thoughts and actions, and fast adaptable to changing situations. If it is your dream to pursue a career in Management, no time is better than now.
Sparsh Global Business School Admission 2023 Open: Apply Now
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