Dr. S. S. Bhakar, Director

Highly decorated through various awards at national and international level, Dr. S. S. Bhakar is an experienced Director with a demonstrated history of working in the education management industry. He is a well-known trainer in the area of Operations Management, Supply Chain and Research. He has also conducted more than 60 Research Methodology Workshops and 35+ Executive training programs. Delivered keynote speech at national and international conferences and seminars, he has been Conference Chairman for 9 International conferences and 15 national conferences and seminars.

Placed among top 1000 B-Schools in the world by Ed Universal, Paris, and Ranked consistently among top 40 institutions of the country, Prestige Institute of Management, Gwalior (PIMG) is a UGC NAAC Accredited 'A' Grade institute approved under section 2F 12B of the UGC Act 1956, and is a recognized Research Center of and permanently affiliated to Jiwaji University, Gwalior. PIMG has been rated in A++ category institutions by most rating and ranking agencies all over India for its unparallel contribution in developing socially responsible global business leaders through internationally accepted best practices.

Embarked by offering only BBA programme in 1997 in a rented building, PIMG had a modest start in the arena of management education. With each passing year, the institute kept on adding more programmes to its curriculum responding to the demand of students which clearly manifests the excellence of the institute. In the year 2000, the institute moved to its own campus in a prime location of Gwalior city. Addressing more than 2000 students today, PIMG is recognized as one of the premier institutes for higher learning in the region.

PIMG offers both UG and PG management programmes, viz. BBA, MBA and MBA-Integrated (Five years programme), apart from other programmes like B.Com, BCA, LLB (Hons.) and so on. "We want our management students to get a strong grip on conceptual understanding of their core specialization area. The UG programmes provide the solid base that they need to excel in their PG level," says Dr. S. S. Bhakar, Director, PIMG. The specialty of the MBA integrated programme of PIMG is its approach of the one-year internship opportunity, where the students are asked to go for a full-time internship programme for a year, helping them to gain paramount hands-on knowledge.

Dr. Bhakar opines, "A better learning is a real-life practical training, which gives the students a new experience that remains in the mind longer. This fact made us inculcate optimum practical activities in our curriculum." During the initial years of the establishment, the institution realized that most of the students taking admission at PIMG hail from the Hindi heartland and they are not that proficient in communication skills. This barrier was well eliminated by the Institute through introduction of one-hour skill development class each day where 50 percent emphasis is given on brushing up the language skills and the other 50 percent is devoted to development of skills like: Analytical, Decision Making, Team Building, Leadership, Conflict Handling and Interpersonal etc.

Rendering the Key to Success

Although the students are assessed on the basis of external examination conducted by the affiliating university, PIMG puts exceptional efforts in the development of the students by regular internal assessment. "We adhere to mentorship system, where each student is assigned to a mentor who is responsible for guiding them throughout their course period," shares Dr. Bhakar. PIMG also is committed to maintaining high transparency right from admission to placement process of the students enabling the parents perceiving the continuous progress of the students. This surely makes PIMG one of a kind B-school. Likewise, for raising the quality of education, the institute encourages the students to carry out major research projects in their respective specialization areas. PIMG undertakes several research projects sponsored by various funding bodies at state as well as national levels. "We take pride in publishing four International journals. Moreover, institutes from 65 countries use cases developed by our institute," points Dr. Bhakar. The institute is highly idolized by its peers and student community for serving as a research-driven B-School.

Everything goes hand-in-hand at PIMG, whether it is focusing on research, sending students for extensive industrial visits or enhancing the teaching-learning process. "The quality of instruction is intensified by the talented and experienced faculty members by using class presentation, seminar presentation, case analysis and many more alike approaches" adds Dr. Bhakar. The classes of PIMG are not monotonous like any other regular theoretical classes, rather it is made interesting through letting students learn by watching movies, gaining knowledge from the industry experts and participating in management games. Considering the cordial relationship of the institute with the industry, at least one industry executive visits the institute every week for interacting with the students and sharing their insights.

The MBA students of PIMG go for summer training programme of 6 -8 weeks where they experience pure professionalism. "Time has changed. Unlike the old days, today the newly graduated MBAs decide to start their own business and this prompted us to initiate an entrepreneurship cell in 2008," opines Dr. Bhakar. The cell is a vibrant hub for business enthusiast, which is backed by the institute by collaborating with banks for providing financial assistance to deserving projects. Additionally, the graduates who prefer corporate jobs are recruited by top-notch companies like S&P Global, TCI Express, Wipro, HDFC Bank, Deloite, TCS, Axis Bank, Jaro Education, just to name a few. Turning learners into able business leaders and entrepreneurs, PIMG is indeed an apt answer to the question of quality management education in the country.