PGPX Term III Done

Term-III – a true break mid-way during the course is now over. This term was a 2 week program at a business School outside of India. We had five batches (each of about 20 students) one each going to The Asia-Pacific Institute of Business at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)Hong Kong; School of Management at Fudan University Shanghai, China; Warwick Business School (WBS) at The University of Warwick Coventry, UK; European School of Management at Ecole Superieure de Commerce de Paris (ESCP)Paris, France; ESSEC Business School at Singapore

The 2-week program covered present socio-political situations across the world, evolution of economic and the present issues, Asia and South-East Asia’s role in today’s world economy with specific focus on China and visit to Industry.

There were cases to study during the IIP but the quantum and rigor was far less than what we had during Terms-I and II at IIMA. Also, we were spared quizzes and exams during the two weeks and this was a big relief too. Add to that, our exploring the cities and its attractions to the best we could, the IIP was a really a well-timed break from IIMA routine, especially so after high stress Terms-I and II.

I went to the ESSEC business school campus at Singapore. It is not a ‘Campus’ in the true sense. They are operating out of the Central Library Building as of now. We were told that a full-fledged campus was getting ready and they were expecting to move in by 2012. Nevertheless, their present set-up is quite impressive. They have couple of spacious classrooms, lounge, faculty offices, and computer terminals for students. They have some amazing faculty who are very knowledgeable in their areas and very artful teachers. They covered topics, which were very current and made the sessions interesting and enjoyable through interactive methods and sharing their actual experiences.

We went around most evenings since classes got over by 16:30. Singapore is strikingly clean and orderly. The way the country is managed is admirable and commendable. They have used the space and resources wisely (the waterway canals are an example of their planning and resource optimization, the rail and transport system, which is top class, again is an example of immaculate planning and focus on infrastructure for economic growth and public convenience). Singapore is very safe with a very low crime rate (amongst the lowest in the world). These attributes along with business friendly policies, quick decision-making, political will and its strategic location make it a preferred place for setting up business and trading establishments. Singapore has imbibed good values of democracy and governance from British and India, religious tolerance from India, the best of approaches for economic growth and public well-being from Europe and USA.

Having lived in Dubai, I could see enormous similarities between the two countries. Both are constrained with available land space and water. Both have a huge expatriate population running most businesses in their countries. Both have positioned themselves extremely well for businesses as strategic locations with investment policies that are conducive and robust political systems to enable quick decision-making and implementation. Both countries are examples of how comparative advantages can be built through political will and this in turn leads to competitive advantage. Other countries, though vastly different in terms of political structure and set-up have lot to learn from these two countries. If each city in a country like India can be nurtured and managed effectively like Singapore or Dubai does, there is no reason why we can’t have world-class quality of life in Indian cities. It is not easy given the size, population and political constraints but then it is doable with some visionary leadership. Alas, that is something, which is lacking in India.