Foreign B-schools are now making a beeline to Indian shores. The latest in line is the world's first collegiate business school, Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania, which is looking at setting up a campus here in India.
Rita McGlone, senior director of Wharton confirmed that Wharton is seriously considering a campus in India both to provide non-executive MBA programmes and executive MBA programmes.
"We are thinking of establishing an offshore campus in India to provide non-executive MBA programmes and as for the executive program we want to provide Wharton's Advanced Management Program (AMP) in India," says MacGlone.
The B school has not yet decided on a location for the campuses but the thought process on setting a campus here has already started, she adds.
Wharton's five-week Advanced Management Program (AMP) is targeted at very senior business executives who have a reporting relationship with the CEOs. Candidates for the programme are usually sponsored by the company they represent.
The programme is conducted twice a year in October and June. According to MacGlone, 10 per cent of the 70 to 80 students who participate in the programme come from India. "India has a large participation at Wharton's programme. Now we want to provide tailor-made programmes for India CEO's," she says.
In India, the AMP would target the second tier of executives. Wharton would be providing both customised programmes for corporates and broader development management programmes at its campus in India.
Globally, Wharton's AMP programme focuses on new business strategies and it does not dwell on the business basics. It encourages the executives to think systemically and metaphorically, questioning the traditional thought processes and exploring business challenges from a new perspective, MacGlone avers.
Sudhir Agrawal, heads sales and distribution for Motorola in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal who attended the programme this year believes the course was 'life defining.'
"The course changes your paradigm. It makes you realise that the world has changed so much and you also get to network with people from 27 countries," he says.
