B-SCHOOLS: Even as the quota system hogs the limelight, a lot of interesting foreign tie-ups are taking place at the country's premier management institutes. |
Los Angeles-based B-school, USC Marshall, will launch a Masters degree and research programme in Global Supply Chain Management (SCM) in India during the academic session of 2007. |
The proposed programme will be launched in collaboration with an Indian B-school in Chennai. This is the institute's first foray in Asia and plans to launch the degree in August next year simultaneously in the US, India, China and South Korea. |
"The primary motivation for this proposal is to make USC Marshall School and select partner institutions in Asia, the leading global research and policy think tank in the area of Global SCM, "said K Ravi Kumar, Associate Dean for International Programs at USC Marshall School of Business. Apart from the local institute, USC Marshall has roped in the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and their Logistics Center. CII will partner the institute in education and research as well as co-ordinate guest speakers, field trips and research projects during the programme. |
Talking of CII's involvement, Ravi Kumar Said, "The Logistics Center of CII has a mission to improve public infrastructure to facilitate global supply chains. This enables improvement of corporate strategy which is identical to our mission in India." |
Titled 'Master of Science degree program in Global Supply Chain Management program', students would be provided degree certificates both from USC as well as the partner Indian institute. The programme is designed to be 75 per cent distance-based, managed by USC and 25 per cent managed by the local institute. With a 10-course MS programme, this would work out to be a two year degree for the student. |
The programme for the first year will be characterised by areas including fundamentals of business, understanding capital, customers and employees, managing and growing operations and global perspective, while the second year would consist of specialisations in investments, corporate finance, brand management, marketing communications, supply chain management and talent management. |
One of the features of the programme would be a study trip for all the students in the first semester to Singapore or Hong Kong, to learn about the development of infrastructure and a trip to Los Angeles in the last semester where they would graduate with the rest of the USC Marshall students in the campus. |
The faculty for the course would be both from the local institute as well as from Los Angeles. |
The business model for the course consists of shared revenues for the local and foreign institutes and would also involve financial support of corporations and government institutions to support their research activities. |
"Initially, revenues would be garnered from partner organisations but once qualified students are admitted, the whole effort will be self-funded, "added Ravi Kumar. |