Today, with accelerated globalization, organizations experience massive pressure from various key stakeholders of the business environment. In fact, the dynamism in this environment has led to a rise in opportunities and threats to businesses. Thus there is a dire need for skilled resources to effectively address the challenges encountered by modern-day businesses. This need generated has institutes beginning to increasingly specialize in management education. This degree is viewed as a launchpad into the corporate world and is constantly evolving. To stay ahead of the dynamic and competitive global economy, experts must understand and accept the need for up-gradation. The various complexities that come with future market trends need to be incorporated into the management education framework to maintain relevancy.
Perfectly poised in the business education domain is the Ramaiah Institute of Management Studies (RIMS), a division of the M S RAMAIAH Foundation. MSRF was founded with the vision to be a global centre of learning to evolve competent human resource assets with professional skills, ethics, and personal values. “Our mission is to provide a comprehensive learning experience to develop our students to be the most preferred products by the corporate. RIMS is one of the top management colleges in Bangalore that offers an AICTE approved Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) program,” says Dr. M. R. Pattabiram, Founder Trustee, M. S. Ramaiah Foundation and Director of Ramaiah Institute of Management Studies (RIMS).
Offering a Comprehensive Suite of Services
Dr. Pattabiram walks us through the state-of-the-art facilities the institute has to offer. The campus is sprawled with well-designed classrooms equipped with air conditioners and overhead projectors. In addition to the regular classrooms, RIMS also has smart classrooms that facilitate computer-based learning. The entire campus has access to the Internet via a 100Mbps dedicated Internet connection. So, in tandem with a smooth internet connection, the cutting-edge computer labs with the latest hardware and software help students enhance their learning capabilities. RIMS continually strives to stay ahead of the trending technology waves. The institute firmly believes that emerging technologies such as Industry 4.0, BlockChain, Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Design Thinking, 3D printing, and so on can disrupt businesses around the world. Keeping in mind that these will be the in-demand skills of the future, RIMS is exposing students to these technologies through guest lectures, seminars, and workshops. In addition, RIMS is also imparting a Data Analytics course to students across three semesters to enhance their employability and be ready for the future.
The campus boasts a well-stocked library with more than 10000 National and International volumes of management books, journals of National and International importance, and an EBSCO database to facilitate research. Events of academic nature are held at an impressive Seminar Hall that has complete audio-visual facilities. Catering to every type of student and their needs, the institute has disabled-friendly infrastructure such as entry/exit ramps and disabled-friendly toilets. Students from outside Bangalore are housed in very comfortable hostels that are very close to the campus, and students are taken care of very well at the hostel by wardens and faculty members who also double up as their guardians. “The RIMS campus has been aesthetically designed to provide the right ambience for teaching-learning and create a home away from home for the students who come to RIMS from across the country. We boast of a highly diverse ethnic environment, and our students get an insight into the life and culture of different regions of India via cultural activities that reflect the diversity of the country,” adds Dr. Pattabiram.
Driving Successful Industry-academic Relationships
Forging an industry-academic relationship is another of the college’s focal points as they strongly believe it is instrumental in creating a skilled and future-ready workforce. In parallel with this industry-academia collaboration, RIMS is a member of industry associations such as the Federation of the Karnataka Chambers and Commerce and Industry (FKCCI), Bangalore Chamber of Industries and Commerce (BCIC), National Institute of Personnel Management (NIPM), and Association of Indian Management Schools (AIMS). “By way of associating ourselves with such Institutions, we are ensuring that the gap between the industry and the academia is narrowed down as we get regular inputs from these bodies as to what is expected from the academia,” reveals Dr. Pattabiram. He adds, “Further, we also take inputs from the industry while framing the syllabus for the Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) to ensure that the syllabus is up-to-date and relevant.” RIMS has also partnered with the Singapore Institute of Management to offer a certification course in leadership. The institute is also collaborating with other foreign colleges and universities in the areas of student exchange programs and faculty exchange programs which will help benefit the students and faculty tremendously.
Ensuring Better Job Placements
Furthermore, to provide its students with a real-time experience of facing job interviews in a safe and constructive environment, RIMS has formed a panel of industry experts from reputed companies such as Sony, Accenture, Rakuten, Wipro, KPMG, Deloitte, Infosys, TCS, and Sonata Software. These reputed panel members conduct mock Group Discussions and mock Personal Interviews with students and facilitate students’ one-on-one feedback on their performance.
Top-notch blue-chip companies such as KPMG, Deloitte, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Ernst & Young, J. P. Morgan, ICICI Bank, Byjus, Sonata Software, Jaro Education, TCS, Tata Technologies, Amazon, Café Coffee Day, Sical Logistics, and Bata visit the campus every year for campus placements. A few students have also received offers from companies in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). “On an average, 85-90 per cent of our students enrol for receiving Internship and Placement services from the Placement Department,” reveals Dr. Pattabiram.
Helping Students Sharpen their Creativity Skills
Studies conducted predict that students actively engaged in extracurricular activities are more likely to possess higher educational ambitions. And so, helping students foster holistic growth, they are offered an opportunity to organize and participate in cultural and sports events such as Orientation Program, Fresher’s Day, Sports Day, Annual Day, Cultural Fest, Women’s Day, and Independence Day. “There is not a single day where the student is not involved in some curricular or extracurricular activity or the other,” opines Dr. Pattabiram.
Maintaining student centricity with opportunities to display innovation and creativity, some of the clubs driven by the students are Marketing Club, HR Club, Finance Club, Operations Club, Business Analytics Club, Entrepreneurship Club, Toastmasters Club, Rotaract Club, and Research Club. “We also encourage students to participate in curricular and extracurricular events organized by other Institutes to hone their leadership, creativity, and innovation skills,” adds Dr. Pattabiram.
The institute also takes pride in its Entrepreneurship Club, which educates students about the pros and cons of entrepreneurship. Apart from this, the Club also organizes various events such as guest lectures and workshops for the benefit of students. As a result, students are setting up their ventures and becoming successful entrepreneurs in Beauty & Wellness, IT Enable Services, Organic Farming, and Hospitality.
Battling the Pandemic
The institute has always strived to stay ahead of its time and ensure that its students and faculty are one of its top priorities. When India was struck by the unfortunate Covid-19 pandemic, RIMS took complete control of the situation. When the pandemic imposed severe restrictions on the physical presence of students on the campus, RIMS was one of the first Institutes in Bangalore to quickly put together a system for virtual learning using platforms such as Zoom, ensuring that students were not deprived of learning. Apart from conducting online classes, RIMS also conducted various curricular and extracurricular activities, such as Orientation Program, Guest Lectures, Seminars, Faculty Development Program, and Cultural Programs, using online platforms.
Climbing Up the Ladder
Having carved a niche for itself in the management education domain, RIMS is currently focusing on achieving the coveted NBA accreditation and regularly improving the rankings and ratings awarded by independent agencies to maintain its leadership position in this sector.