Programme Highlights

Education is not about getting a degree but about an enlightening experience which opens new doors of opportunity for an individual. An endless pursuit of higher degrees for enhancing better job opportunities should not be an idea that a child must pursue. An ability to make conscious choices with predictable outcomes is desirable. The ideas is not to be led but to lead, not to mutely accept but exercise the power to choose and not to just exist but live every moment.

International Acceptance & Relevance

The BBA (Hons) programmes at the SOME-IIMT are terminal degree programmes. A terminal degree programme implies that at the end of the programme, there are job opportunities available to the students, as well as the option to go for advanced studies. The BBA (Hons.) degrees from Oxford Brookes University are internationally recognized. In this kind of a scenario, one graduates with a degree and one year of work experience. Alternatively one could set up one's own business in which case the content of the BBA programme is sufficient to equip an individual to initiate and manage a new setup.

Course Content

The content of the programme includes among others, modules such as Entrepreneurship, E-Business, Business Resource Management, Strategic Management etc. which give a birds' eye view of managing and setting up business. The SOME-BBA (Hons.) honors degree programmes are much superior to business programmes offered by most Indian universities and colleges in terms of its content and methodology.

Comparison with Other Graduate Degrees

The BBA (Hons) programmes opens new doors of opportunity to students. It is more applied than any other undergraduate degree such as a simple BA/B.Com (Pass/Hons). Typically in a B.Com programme, for instance one would look at making a balance sheet or P&L account or learn pure accounting. A BBA programme in contrast teaches one as to how to improve the financial condition of an organization, identify sources of funding, better management of assets and inventory. One may learn pure economics in an economics module but in a BBA programme you get exposed to Managerial Economics which means that one would study various competitive markets, impact on say pricing and production strategies, etc. In a BBA programme, most knowledge is applied and is geared towards making you a successful manager and entrepreneur. There is overlap between the BBA and the MBA programme. At the MBA level, you learn concepts at a higher level, for instance, you may have a specific module on Consumer Behavior or Marketing Research or Services Marketing where as these may be parts of the Marketing module in a BBA (Hons) programme. In fact the programme is so rigorous that one may prefer to pursue a one year Executive MBA programme after acquiring this degree.

Teaching Methodology

The programmes utilize a variety of teaching and learning styles. The knowledge content is covered through lectures, tutorials, workshops, practical work, problem solving exercises, case studies, business games, simulations, business report writing, groups and individual presentations. Students also have an opportunity to work in smaller groups. Francis Bacon has been credited with saying “Knowledge is power”. In today's dynamic world this statement can be modified to “knowledge is power, when applied”. Management is an applied topic. Conceptual frameworks can provide the business school students with ideas and information to understand management situation but mere discussion of the history and theory of management in a classroom setting without an opportunity to apply their learning could leave students ill-equipped to take on the challenges of the real life management situations.

Lectures

Variety of aids are used to disseminate the required content. Practical examples from industry are supplemented by specialized videos.

Tutorials

These help the application aspect of the lectures that are delivered. Students are divided into smaller groups and they are given areas on which they discuss and make group presentations.

Workshops

These are organized to discuss a range of ideas on a particular topic. Different experts on the subject area are invited who debate and discuss the issues relating to the overall theme.

Practical work

Students are encouraged to take on work that involves interaction with the industry. Involving students on ongoing projects for the industry is a continuous process at the School. There are area specific projects initiated to expose the students to industry realities.

Case Studies

Case studies are an important medium to highlight a particular concept or demonstration of handling a particular scenario. These are immensely useful in honing the managerial skills of individuals and also helps build problem solving and analytical skills. These are extensively used for various modules.

Team Interventions

The Team Challenge, Leadership and Group Behavior exercises are central to the Foundations of Management learning experience. It gives the students an opportunity to put the theory covered in this module into practice by working in and leading a small task-centered group. The students take part in varied exercises like the Paper Girder Challenge, the Wild Animal Hunt, the Tyre Game and so on which gives them practical experience of teamwork, communications, motivation, leadership and group dynamics which are the key themes of this module.

Crisis Management

Efforts are made to expose the students to crisis management situations. It is necessary that the students as potential managers are trained in handling difficult corporate situations. Students get exposed to handling media in such situations. They also learn the art of renegotiating in difficult meetings which are about deadlock situations. Such a training provides valuable insight into the real life situations.

New Product Development

Students get exposed to new product development strategies. They strategies on the marketing mix elements such as product, price, place and promotion. Students in previous years have formulated strategies for developing new soaps, shampoo and toothpaste. Poster presentations are used for demonstrating and explaining their ideas. All these activities contribute to their assessment as a result of which they are treated seriously.

Simulation Exercises

Simulation exercises recreate the real world conditions for the students and expose them to handling real-time problems. The learning is immense as it involves doing things actively rather than passive learning. The student assume the role of an organizations marketing manager. They track the brands, their prices and strategies adopted at the retail level. Retail audits are conducted and assessment is done as to how these brands could be promoted at the retail level.

Guest Speakers

Guest speakers are invited on a regular basis to share their experiences of business with the students. These lectures have an inspirational effect on students and also help them imbibe the skills necessary for work placements. They also get an opportunity to develop personal relationships with the people in the industry who can act as their mentors.

Use of Internet

For every module that is delivered, the use of Internet is encouraged for accessing information. The use of IT is inbuilt into every aspect of delivery, which makes the students feel comfortable to use it for enhancing their efficiency in both knowledge accumulation and dissemination.

Industry Visits

Industry visit is a regular feature of the degree programmes. This provides the students with an opportunity to visualize themselves in a real-world environment of business. These visits are helpful in exposing them to various aspects of manufacturing and the service industry. The students have visited the plants of Munjal Showa Ltd., Maruti, Honda Siel's as a part of this initiative.

Stock Market Trading

Provide an opportunity to students to indulge in Stock Market Trading. It's a game of Bulls Vs. Bears and in the process the young minds understand the various options of investment and savings.

Business Quiz

Quizzes are organized at regular intervals to familiarize the students with brands, organizations, business terms and current affairs. It builds their competence levels gradually and also ensures a very high degree of involvement.

Placements

The BBA (Hons.) programme also offers campus placements at the end of the programme. Typically a BBA (Hons) graduate could get employment opportunities in different segments of industry such as computers and peripherals, banks, retail sector, advertising firms, consulting firms, export houses, consumer products organizations, office automation companies to name a few. The placements may be offered in diverse areas such as marketing, finance, HR, operations and so on. A number of industry stalwarts such as Standard Chartered Bank, Centurion Bank, Escorts, Gillette, Gujarat Ambuja have already expressed interest in recruiting bright graduates to induce a fresh perspective in their organizations.

Our past experience shows that most BBA students after graduation prefer to go for higher studies abroad. However IIMT provides placement opportunities to all though students desirous of starting work after graduating from the BBA programmes.