Business Organizations in today’s world are transforming through various levels of innovation, research, strategies, and business management—the role of employees in these important areas is a primary aspect that propels the organization’s progress.
Moreover, the management of these organizations should be aware of the modern business scenario and the latest technologies which can optimize the business functions. Having a rightly qualified and skilled workforce is of utmost important aspect for the management. The best practice successful business organizations adopt is selecting the right professionals from reputed institutions where they are groomed for the professional world.
IMS Ghaziabad is a recognized management institution that has stood the test of changing market scenarios and has successfully yielded talented professionals who have been instrumental in the success stories of numerous organizations.
Dr Urvashi Makkar, Director of IMS Ghaziabad, is an academician, scholar, and institutional leader having over 23 years of impeccable track record in Management Education.
The Commencement of Academic Professionalism
Academics is one of the most cogent and powerful professions in which a teacher has the potential to impact young minds and the future of the country. This impact, if strongly value-driven, can become an enormous intellectual asset for the country in the coming generations.
Dr Urvashi’s dream, aim, passion and mission has always been to improve the quality of the education system in our country. Choosing the education sector as a profession was never an alternative for her; it came naturally as her parents belonged to an academic fraternity.
Coming from a family of academicians, leadership to her is leading from the front, taking responsibility for all failures, and attributing success to the whole team.
The better understanding one has of the purpose, the easier it becomes to set priorities and work towards the goals. This knowledge and focus instilled inner confidence for furthering the institution’s vision.
As Urvashi reflects, she feels that the decision to enter the profession of academics is the best one she has ever made. She strongly believes that the country’s youth can be oriented as the country’s most significant asset through quality education.
This belief has motivated her to take up the responsibility of contributing her services to uplift society and the nation.
For the last three decades, IMS Ghaziabad has been one of the topmost institutions in Northern India. It has been positioned in the premier league with uninterrupted NBA and AIU accreditation for twenty years. But the focus has evolved with the passage of time.
Its management is confident that with its innovative pedagogy comprising a three-dimensional emphasis on Academic Excellence, Corporate Readiness, Global Outreach, and stellar placements in numerous A-listed organizations, it will consistently fulfill the aspirations of its stakeholders and be better than the best.
IMS Ghaziabad-An Overview
IMS Ghaziabad, one of the trusted Business Schools in India with 32 years of academic legacy, was established in 1990 to create and nurture future business leaders who can adapt to change and stay agile.
It offers the PGDM program, which is approved by AICTE and is amongst the very few B-Schools of the country, that have got twenty years of uninterrupted accreditation by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) as well as equivalence to MBA by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU) since 2005.
The Institute is also accredited globally by ASIC, U.K, and is a member of AACSB Business Education Alliance, USA. IMS Ghaziabad is the first Higher Educational Institute in Delhi
and NCR to be awarded the elite ISO 21001:2018 Certification, for its conformity to the Management Systems for Educational Organizations (EOMS) requirements standard, for its PGDM Two-Year Full-Time Program.
IMS Ghaziabad has consistently reinvented management education to create global leaders who can navigate the ever-changing business landscape. In line with this, it envisions to be a world-class institution, transforming society through value-based education focusing on management and technology, leading to the all-round development of human resources.
This is reflected in its mission statements that focus on cultivating socially responsive business leaders empowered with knowledge, innovation, and a mindset for entrepreneurship and research.
Its major thrust area, embedded in its pedagogy, is a three-dimensional focus on achieving the highest standards of academic excellence and achieving a highly effective corporate interface backed with multi-dimensional development opportunities. IMS Ghaziabad has embedded several innovative pedagogical tools in its curriculum to encourage students’ creativity and imagination.
Novel initiatives such as programs for Pre-Placement Preparedness, Competency Mapping, Personal and Professional Skills Program (PPSP), Placement Readiness and Enhancement Program (PREP), and Student Peer Learning Initiatives, have been started to enhance the self-belief, confidence, ability, and skills of the students to make them corporate ready and ace the selection process.
The highly skill-oriented Value-Added Certification Programmes (VA-CPs) and Value-Added Short-Term Training Programs (VA- STTPs) delivered under the umbrella of Skill Enhancement and Corporate Readiness (SECR) impart a unique distinctiveness to its pedagogy.
The Certifications are provided by expert agencies, viz. Microsoft, Global Human Resource Development Centre (GHRDC), Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise (MSME), Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), besides many others.
Initiatives like Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), Language Lab, Versant Training for cracking the Big 4, Public Speaking Modules, Mentoring Program, Mock Interview Series, programs for Students Outreach and Grievance Redressal, Life Skills Training, Psychological Counselling further support them in their endeavour to develop the students for the corporate settings and sharpening their professional and personal skills.
IMS Ghaziabad is not leaving a single stone unturned when it comes to supporting its students in their untiring efforts towards enhancing their career prospects and enabling them
in getting their dream jobs. The institute consistently provides Career Counselling, prompt education, and organizational support to its future business leaders.
Industry Linkage through Seminars, Conferences, Symposiums, Live Projects, Summer Internships, Certification and Training Programs, Networking Events, Industry Visits, etc., is an essential aspect of IMS Ghaziabad’s teaching-learning pedagogy.
Exploring Growth Opportunities
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, so do the risks it faces. The COVID-19 pandemic has not stopped at the national borders. It has affected people regardless of nationality, level of education, income, or gender. Education is no exception. There is no denial of the fact that COVID-19 has resulted in a prolonged online model of teaching-learning in educational institutions across the world. There has been a definite skill loss in terms of ‘Peer Learning’ as well as the enormous potential of learning from campus life.
However, looking on the brighter side, the pandemic has resulted in dramatic transformations in the education space with the specific rise of e-learning, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms.
Everything is now online, and e-learning is the new normal. The setting of the traditional classroom has now become a past. The world’s well-preparedness with the extensive and robust mobile network and affordable data in virtually every part of it has made the shift possible. Digital technology with easy access to the internet has helped bring remote learning opportunities, online classrooms, and access to high-quality education even in rural and semi-urban locations.
Rising Successfully through the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic has served as an accelerant in multiple ways. It has increased the urgency for a new vision of global growth, a kind of growth that benefits more people and leaves the planet healthy. Despite the challenges, the pandemic has opened the vistas of opportunities. Taking advantage of the same, IMS Ghaziabad initiated an online 30-hour Global Talk Series (GTS) to extend students’ global and corporate exposure.
One of the major transformations that they have witnessed is concerning recruiters visiting the campus. In the pre-pandemic period, the institutes often had to limit their pool of campus recruiters due to logistical issues such as limitations related to corporate visiting the campus due to traveling issues.
However, in the post-pandemic period, it is now possible to organize pan-India placement drives due to technological facilitation. This has tremendously benefited its students. With these changes in mind, IMS Ghaziabad uses many emerging technologies to facilitate its students and faculty.
Video Conferencing facility via Cisco WebEx, ZOOM, and Avaya Scopia app has been initiated for interaction, meetings, interviews, summer placements, group discussions, and campus hiring. The institute’s Digital Library has a rich source of various online journals, magazines, and other reading materials in the field of Management, IT, and other areas.
Adoption of Digital technology with easy access to the internet has helped the institution in bringing remote learning opportunities, online classrooms, and access to high-quality education to its students coming from different areas of the country.
From conducting live lectures to uploading study material and conducting examinations, the institutions gave it all for the students to learn better. To ensure the safety of its students, faculty, and staff members, COVID 19 safety protocol was diligently practiced.
Upgrading the Technological Edge
At the dawn of the twenty-first century, new and rapidly improving technologies are in the process of transforming higher education. IMS Ghaziabad has upgraded its academic curriculum per the education industry’s dynamic needs.
New age courses like Marketing Analytics and Business Intelligence, Predictive Analytics using Python, Data Warehouse and Big Data for Business Intelligence, Web and Social Media Analytics, Big Data and Cloud: AWS and Analytics.
It is the prime responsibility of educators to address the myriad challenges as well as opportunities brought forth by the digital era and accordingly equip the budding professionals with the kind of skill sets imperative for their upcoming careers. Every year IMS Ghaziabad comprehends the Academic Council in which curriculum revision is the major agenda based on feedback from its stakeholders.
IMS Ghaziabad has added 37 new modules to its curriculum and its flagship Skill enhancement and Corporate Readiness module focuses on the skill improvements of the students as per the recruiter’s feedback.
Guiding Words
In the last couple of years, there has been a tremendous shift in the requirements for a formal sector job, and entrepreneurship, with its focus on creativity, initiative, and critical thinking, is the burning need of the hour for equipping budding managers of today to maneuver the volatile and competitive work environment of tomorrow confidently.
As reported in ‘The Financial Times, countries across the globe have reported a boom in start-ups against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic.
Dr Urvashi shared, “My advice to the young minds is to inculcate an ‘entrepreneurial spirit which is a way of thinking, a mindset, an attitude to be on an active lookout for change rather than passively adapting once things change. It is the hunger of taking calculated risks, sometimes rising, and sometimes failing.”
Dr Urvashi mentioned to have been a very strong believer in the “Power of Dreams” and always tells her students that never to confine their dreams to the limitations of boundaries, never define them, but rather have enormous wings to fly higher, which is very important.
She thinks every student is a bundle of so much potential and energy. If given the right ecosystem and avenues, students can come up and flourish as the best of human beings, the best of individuals, and the best management professionals.
She added that youngsters must also understand that learning agility is the burning need of the hour.
According to her, this factor is critical in current VUCA times wherein what is applicable and relevant today will quickly become redundant in a flash of time. When young professionals are empowered with this agility, they will start preparing for future challenges in a more focused way.
Envisaging a Dynamic Future
Education—a social institution serving society’s needs—should be comprehensive, sustainable, and outstanding and must continuously evolve to meet the challenges of the fast-changing and unpredictable globalized world. A very pertinent question that true educationists often ask themselves is how to meet the education vision of the future.
The utmost responsibility of an educational institute is to continuously transform its teaching-learning practices and stimulate innovation to raise the academic performance index. In line with this, the development of skills such as creativity, imagination, critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, innovation, digital literacy, and adaptability is embedded in their thoughtfully conceived and constantly updated curriculum.
Recently, IMS Ghaziabad has launched the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) to harness the entrepreneurial streak of our talented students. An incubation center to help budding entrepreneurs work on their start-ups to develop into scalable, profitable, and sustainable businesses is in the pipeline.
Corporate Development and Excellence Center (CDEC) is the flagship training and consulting vertical of IMS Ghaziabad with the intent to provide world-class training and consulting services to organizations by providing bespoke offerings. The institute has recently kick-started ‘Peer to Peer Mentoring’ sessions in collaboration with a reputed Delhi University institute, wherein IMS Ghaziabad’s students conducted coaching sessions for fellow learners.
The cumulative wisdom thus boosted creativity and learning for students of both the participating institutes. Another crucial area in which Dr Urvashi believes that IMS will be doing very well in the coming years is the research orientation. She also believes in establishing IMS Ghaziabad in this area in the imminent future. Dr Urvashi is focusing on having a Students’ Exchange Programme with foreign universities and has established a few collaborations for the same.
Similarly, IMS Ghaziabad would be having training programs for the students as well as Faculty Exchange initiatives. Dr Urvashi informed to have initiated several Students Outreach Programs in which IMS Ghaziabad’s students go outside the campus to participate in various co-curricular and academic activities organized by elite organizations like ASSOCHAM, FWA, and many more.
IMS Ghaziabad consistently provides Career Counselling, need-based education, and organization support to its budding managers.
Additionally, one of its major thrust areas is enhancing the Global Interface. Very recently, IMS organized 30 hours flagship Global Talk Series on “Strategic Management” for its PGDM students, which was conducted by the Managing Director of Morgan Franklin from Washington, USA.
Before this, the Global Talk Series on “Management of Change, Innovation and Technology” was organized in IMS Ghaziabad to expand the maximum global and corporate exposure to students. Dr Urvashi opened on kick-starting GTS on “Marketing Management”, which will be taken by an expert from Dubai.
Another very important change that has happened in the last 4-5 years is the focus on Skill Enhancement because once the students have the skill sets, the placements become a by-product that doesn’t become the goal for the students.
Expressions of Gratitude
“Having done my bachelor’s and master’s degree from IMS, I can proudly say that it gave me an edge when I stepped into the corporate world. IMS not only educated me but also helped me build my personality. They strike the right balance, which helps an individual to contribute back towards society than mere a 9 to 5 job. Education being an integral part, they also focus on extracurricular activities like sports, dance, music, and many more. They also have strong ties with the industry, which helps students with their summer internships
as well as final placements. I’m proud to be part of this legacy and thankful to them for what I am now.”
– Shruti Raina, DGM – Marketing and CRM, Neelkanth Town Planner Pvt Ltd, PGDM Batch 2005-07
“Being a part of IMS is something I’ll cherish my entire life. Enrolling in the PGDM program was one of the best investments I made. The exposure at the institute is tremendous.
With my personal experience, I can vouch for the fact that IMS grooms you into an exceptional person both on the personal and professional front. IMS has always been a keen advocate of pushing its students to believe in themselves and be great leaders. It has always encouraged budding entrepreneurs like me to follow our instincts and never stop dreaming.
The E-cell at IMS Ghaziabad is one platform that laid the foundation for what I am today and gave me the confidence to pursue my entrepreneurial journey. It was not an easy journey, and the leadership and management lessons I learned at IMS Ghaziabad played a crucial role. All those lessons helped me turn this venture into a successful Digital Marketing company. I owe this success to IMS Ghaziabad. Cheers to IMS Ghaziabad and upcoming new batches.”
– Mr Shubham Tyagi, Founder, Fooracles, PGDM Batch 2014-16
