The business and management studies segments in India are evolving, moving towards a more holistic curriculum design focused on the development of skills such as innovation, problem-solving, and critical thinking. The evolving business landscape coupled with a growing wave of entrepreneurial interest and increasing overseas collaborations are shaping business and management education in the nation. As the sectors continue growing, several educational institutions are putting their best foot forward to provide world-class education in these fields, opening a world of options for students. Among the numerous highly regarded institutes, the Salem-based Sona School of Business and Management shines as a beacon of excellence.
Thyagu Valliappa, Vice Chairman of Sona Institution, says, “Sona believes that good education is super power. The Management studies, today, needs to be an extension of Industry & business which is more like a finishing school, as we reach our milestone of 25th year where over hundred thousand students across the verticals and globe are shining examples of excellence in education.”
History of Sona
From the early years of pre independence, the Sona Valliappa Group has been in Industry. Over the last 100 years, the group has built a prominent name across the country and today, it has a large business vertical concentrated in South India and across the world.
Its focus is education and has an eye for details with innovation as its core and has created many verticals. These include Research & Development which has over 100 patents and over 200 Ph.Ds. Its innovation, entrepreneurship and medical vertical focuses on environment where, in the recent 2 years, Sona has reduced the consumption of paper and has brought digital platform in a phased manner. The target for 2027 is paperless. The business and management studies in India is evolving, moving towards a more holistic curriculum design focused on the development of skills, innovation, problem-solving, and critical thinking.
Strong R&D: Sona's Contribution to Chandrayaan-3 Mission
Sona College of Technology, with its 36 Advanced Research Centres, is a leader in cutting-edge research and technological innovation. SonaSPEED, one of Sona's Advanced Research Centres, focuses on designing and developing special electrical machines and has been a partner in the Indian Space Research Organization's indigenization missions for the past 20 years. The center has developed Brushless DC (BLDC) motors for satellites, rockets, and lunar robots for ISRO’s space missions. SonaSPEED's Permanent Magnet Simplex Stepper Motor was crucial in the Chandrayaan-3 moon mission launch on July 14, 2023, and was involved in the autonomous landing of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (LVM) Landing Experiment on April 2, 2023 at Chitradurga in Karnataka. Furthermore, SonaSPEED has received a purchase order from ISRO for 12 Duplex Permanent Magnet Stepper Motors for the fuel control valve of the Gaganyaan mission. The motors, which are under qualification testing at ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvanathapuram, are designed to be fault tolerant and meet the stringent Gaganyaan quality protocol.
Women in Core Engineering: Equity & Inclusivity for Women
Sona has been a pioneer in advocating gender equity in technical education since 1976, opening the nation's first polytechnic diploma admissions for girls. Recognizing the industry's shift towards digital technology, Sona College of Technology is working to increase women's representation in core engineering fields through admission quotas. Their alumni are excelling globally, with a unique focus on careers in Japan, facilitated by Japanese language classes in the curriculum. This success has led to plans for further expansion, including Korean and German language classes, and the establishment of the Sona School of Business and Management, reflecting Sona's commitment to innovation and inclusion in education.
"With a commitment to societal impact & global education standards, Sona is poised to become India's foremost educational group, offering excellence across disciplines"
Holistic MBA Education
A unit of the Sona Institutions, the Sona School of Business and Management is prominent for its extensive involvement in research, consultancy, teaching, and training initiatives. Established in 1998, the Sona MBA Institute boasts state-of-the-art infrastructure conducive to modern learning requirements, and a legacy for creating talented, responsible, and society-oriented graduates.
Under the ambit of its Masters of Business Administration programme, the institute offers six distinctive specializations including business analytics, finance, HR, marketing, productions, and family business. An AICTE-approved, NBA-accredited, NAAC A++ accredited with 3.65 CGPA, and ISO-certified, the institute excels in providing forward-thinking and well-balanced education equally focused on academics and practical exposure to impart equal professional and personal development opportunities to the students.
The institute’s expertise in imparting business education and opening doors for outstanding career opportunities have led it to achieve a promising position as one of the Top 10 private institutions in Tamil Nadu and be recognized as one of the Best B-Schools in the region.
Sona's Approach to Mindset Engineering Through Yoga Techniques
Sona Institutions, drawing from a century of educational expertise, recognizes the challenges students face transitioning to outcome-based and experiential learning, particularly those rooted in rote learning. They emphasize 'Mind-set Engineering,' using proprietary models and yoga techniques to prepare students. Sona provides a holistic learning environment with state-of-the-art facilities, including digital learning resources and modern infrastructure. The industry-focused teaching includes guest lectures from global leaders, offering practical insights and global perspectives. These connections facilitate internships and placements, while collaborations with governmental organizations provide career-building opportunities, distinguishing Sona as a leader in innovative, industry-aligned education.
As a part of this ongoing endeavour, Sona Medical College of Naturopathy & Yoga set a world record on June 20, 2024 with 2750 participants performing the Chandra Namaskara simultaneously in a mega event at Sona’s campus. Emphasising the enhancement of concentration, mental clarity, and stress relief, the initiative aligned with Sona's broader vision of integrating traditional values with modern advancements. Sona's involvement in the Chandrayaan-3 mission, launched on July 14, 2023, highlights its contribution to India's prestigious lunar exploration. As we transit from exploring the vastness of outer space to fostering inner balance through Yoga, the Chandra Namaskara event symbolizes a harmonious blend of technological and traditional practices for personal growth.
“Our vision and mission is to become a top-tier business school of eminence with excellence in management education, research and practice and also to build competencies through continuous learning with a global mind set. The vision of our Founder Chairman was to have a vibrant engineering and management institution that is equal in educational excellence to the best in the world. That is why this institution has gathered momentum to reach phenomenal heights today”, shares Thyagu Valliappa.
Enriching Educational Exchange: Oxford Expert’s Impact on Entrepreneurship Education
The visit by Dr. John Hoffmire, the Director of the University of Oxford's Center for Business & Poverty, was a noteworthy achievement for Sona School of Business Management's knowledge exchange initiatives. Dr. Hoffmire participated in a number of cooperative initiatives from March 6–22, 2023, with the goal of enhancing entrepreneurship education. Highlights included lively talks about developing curricula, guest lectures for MBA students about disruptive innovation and international business trends, and a certification program on entrepreneurship and start-up incubation that drew sixty students from engineering and MBA programmes. Furthermore, Dr. Hoffmire propagated an entrepreneurial mind-set inside Sona by offering invaluable insights and guidance. A program for faculty development enhanced the pedagogical approaches, with a focus on cultivating an entrepreneurship-friendly classroom environment. The visit strengthened the academic relationship and opened the door for creative business teaching methods at Sona.
Quiz Sessions for Enhancing Student Mental Power & Success
Introduced by Vice Chairman, Thyagu Valliappa, the department has identified Quiz Masters to conduct quizzing sessions regularly to improve the students’ knowledge on current affairs and general business knowledge. Following the training, Sona's students showcased their prowess by winning prizes in the Business Plan and Quiz contests conducted by AIMA, MMA, proving the institution's commitment to achieve excellence.
In alignment with its commitment to provide world-class education to all, the Sona Institutions also proudly offers over 150 different scholarships, ensuring that every driven and talented student gets the right academic start to their careers. The scholarships being a vital element of the institute are handled by the group’s Chairman himself, ensuring that no child is deprived of a successful future.
Future Roadmap
Thyagu Valliappa's persistent efforts have paid off, as he received a 105 percent admission rate in the MBA programme. The Vice Chairman has been devoting a lot of time and resources to the department's development, and the result is getting set to becoming a world-class business school.
“I think in this continuously evolving world, we have to evolve much faster than the industry itself, and I believe the future is digital because it improves efficiency. Digitization also reduces costs of management and is significantly much more environmental friendly, all of which are focal points of reform now and for the foreseeable future. As such, we are working hard to transform a lot of operations into a digital format, which will help us not only to create a more sustainable modus operandi, but also help consolidate functions into an easier-to-track and monitor platform”, shares Thyagu Valliappa.
Sona Star Innovations' Industry-Driven Consultancy & Training Model
Sona Star Innovations, a consulting and training start-up at Sona campus, is an industry type set up, operating on the lines of a Technology Supermarket within Sona’s campus. As part of its consultancy services, Sona Star Innovations accepts varied problems of its industry clients and assigns them to the MBA students to work out solutions. This not only satisfies students’ curiosity but also develops their lateral thinking. Hands-on exposure to real life problem solving, enhances students’ communication and team building skills. “On the other hand, the industry is re-inventing its future right here at Sona campus,” says Thyagu Valliappa.
Sona is leading the digital transformation in education with initiatives like a comprehensive digital platform for student and institutional data management, aiming to reduce paper usage and operational costs. It champions digital learning through MOOC and NPTEL courses, leveraging technologies like Blackboard and Lecture Capture System for flexible learning. Known for its innovation, The Sona Group contributes to ISRO and NIOT projects and is venturing into medical education, focusing on traditional healthcare systems. With a commitment to societal impact and global education standards, Sona is poised to become India's foremost educational group, offering excellence across disciplines.
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