It will offer nine new MDPs for industry and corporate professionals. These are being offered in the fields of business policies, marketing, personnel and industrial relations, agriculture and health etc. In total, there are more than 45 MDPs on offer.
In the business policy area, IIM-A will offer an MDP on ‘Strategic Management of Intellectual Capital and Organizational Knowledge’ between September 18-21, 2007, and one on ‘Authority, Organization, Roles and Strategy: A Working Conference’ between February 11-16 2008 by Ajeet N. Mathur. In marketing, it will offer Brand Management (August 13-15, 2007) and New Product Strategy (October 29-31 2007).
For agriculture, health, and personnel and industrial relations, IIM-A will organize MDPs on Managing Contract Farming (December 17-19, 2007), Design, Analysis and Monitoring of Clinical Trials (October 8-13, 2007) and The Leadership Zone: Soft Skills Clinic (December 10-13 2007).
The institute is also offering two global MDPs in partnership with internationally acclaimed institutes: Duke University, USA, and ESSEC Business School, Paris-Singapore.
With ESSEC, it will provide ‘Top Executive Development Program on Harnessing the Business Potential of Asia’, while with Duke it will organize ‘Global Leaders Program Growing and Innovating in a Flat World’.
The fees for the MDPs will range between Rs 45,000 to Rs 60, 000. The cheapest MDPs will be the ones on Managing Contract Farming and the two Marketing MDPs on Brand Management and New Product Strategy. The most expensive ones will be on Authority, Organization, Roles and Strategy: A Working Conference and the MDP on Design, Analysis and Monitoring of Clinical Trials.
These MDPs are in addition to the five flagships general management programs. It includes the three-tier program (3-TP), the long duration MEP, and an MDP for small business. According to IIM-A, “It was a deliberate decision to begin academic activities at IIM-A with a management development program now popularly know as the 3-Tier Program (3-TP)… IIM-A has been constantly adding to the list of MDPs and has been offering about 45 MDPs every year to practising managers in India and neighboring countries.”
Ishita Solanki, Manager-MDPs, while sharing information with MBAUniverse.com, says, “IIM-A, by offering nine new programs, is responding to the growing demand for management education in organizations and the need of the industry and social sectors to enhance human potential.”
The executive education programs (MDPs) are structured to reflect the most relevant needs of industry. Says Solanki, “Through its MDPs, the institute endeavors to transform not only the corporate but also the social sector so as to enable them to meet the emerging challenges of an increasingly globalized environment.”
The pedagogy of training depends upon the needs of individual MDPs. According to IIM-A, “Pedagogical tools are matched to the needs of individual MDPs and emphasize active and participative learning rather then passive assimilation. The case method of study is the major tool. It is supplemented by group exercises, role-plays, computer games, lecture-cum-discussions, and presentations by participants.”
According to IIM-A, “Response of industry and government to MDPs has been very encouraging. So far, more than 36,500 managers from public and private sector organizations and government departments have participated in more than 1000 MDPs.”
