Increased enrolments in business schools are reflective of business trends in India in the period after 1991 when major economic reforms were unleashed. Structural changes in India’s economy marked by a greater contribution of the services sector to GDP has expanded the job market in India leading to massive employment opportunities in the services sector. A MBA degree offers students wider exposure to business functions like sales and marketing, finance, human resources, information technology etc. However the quality of talent emerging from most second tier business schools is sub-optimal. Media reports indicate that industry is often unhappy with the kind of students whom they have to place – considering their skill sets. Thus, the statement of the problem is – how can business schools produce an output with the required skill sets that the industry demands? This is a problem that needs a strategic approach for successful resolution. Business schools are faced with a Hobson’s choice of having to fill up their seats and ensure 100% placements so that they achieve operational efficiency. But is this the right approach? There are serious implications of such a business-like approach as quality suffers and this reflects in the student output graduating from such schools. Most business schools aspire to get a University status and also the status of a research center but these aspirations need a complete re-think of how these institutions run a business school in terms of greater professionalism and effective governance. Appointment of good faculty, setting up eligibility criteria for enrolling students, identification of slow learners and effectively dealing with them, establishing platforms for greater interaction between industry and academia, attracting talent from industry to join as teaching faculty – these are some of the actions that need to be triggered so that business schools are on the road to progress to produce graduates with the specific skill sets required by industry. This paper analyses the recent literature on the research problem to identify the crux of the matter and makes suitable recommendations to deal with this problem. Academia-industry interface continues to be a mirage today but the fact is that collaboration between industry and academia can deliver synergistic benefits. Contrary to the popular perception, industry also benefits from academic collaboration.
Loading....