SME brass get tips from ISB to go global

To enable senior executives of small-and medium-enterprises (SMEs) go global, the Indian School of Business (ISB) recently concluded a nine-day programme on Global Growth Entrepreneurship'.

Conducted at three centres (three days each) "" Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai. The programme involved over 150 entrepreneurs, managers and advisors from the SME sector.

The programme was an initiative of the Centre for Executive Education (ISB) and helped the participants evaluate global business opportunities and implement a sustainable global business model.

The participants were asked to develop global strategy after following various case studies which were structured against international businesses.

"Developing SMEs is an issue everywhere. Though not largest in terms of the number of people it employs, most of the innovation in the world is taking place at this level," said Mason Carpenter, faculty for the programme and Pyle-Bascom Professor of Business Leadership at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. "Indian entrepreneurs are very motivated, aggressive and risk-taking," he added.

The participants unanimously felt such programmes help them globally leverage their enterprise by providing a sound sense of the global market.

"SMEs face problem of defining their identity whether they want to focus on a niche product line or niche market. There are problems of retaining talent and orienting it to a particular direction. Are we going to be customer oriented or research oriented or whether they want to backward integrate or outsource. Programmes such as this have always help us in solving these issues," said Vikram Ranade, a participant and vice-president technologies, IndoAsian energy management.

According to participant Rajnish Sanwalka, Director, Shakunt Enterprises, Indian SMEs do not have global advantage and initiatives like this help them sharpen their focus.

"There is a major problem of imports in the wake of cheap imports coming from China. But we have better quality. Rupee should be valued and swadeshi movement should continue. This will help us make a presence in the global market" he said.

"We have been conducting programmes for large companies but we devised this programme for SMEs because we believe they have the energy and potential of going global. This programme will help them to leverage the global impact.

The research centres at the ISB drive research and provide the knowledge expertise in their respective areas," said Deepak Chandra Assistant Dean, Centre for Executive Education.