Section 1: Preface
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies was established in the year 1981, by the Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal (Vile Parle Education Society) in the Western suburbs of the metropolitan city, Mumbai. This Trust has already been running various technical educational institutions with the State support. Initially, NMIMS started with the Masters Degree Course in Management Studies, of the University of Mumbai with a faculty of four members and a modest budget of 35 lakhs. During 1985, the Institute moved into its new exclusive building with an area of 40,000 sq. ft. in Vile Parle (West).
The overall management of this Institute rests with the Parent Body, Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal, which is led by a group of selfless entrepreneurs, philanthophists, and professionals with many years of successful experience.
The Peer Team consisting of Prof. N. Jayasankaran and Prof. Mayank Dholakiya Visited the Institute on September 8 and 9, 1999 for assessing the Institution for Accreditation on the basis of the Self-Study Report it had submitted. The team was accompanied by Dr. Antony Stella and Mr. Uma Shankar of NAAC. The Peer Team had extensive interactions with the Board of Management, the Director, the Deans, the Faculty, the Registrar, staff, students, parents, and alumni. The Team also examined all relevant documents before making its final assessment of performance on the basis of the criteria of NAAC
The mission statement, the beliefs and objectives of this institution read as follows:
“The Institute is committed to the mission of influencing the quality of management in organizations in various sectors toward greater professionalisation through a new breed of managers, who combine the use of managerial skills with the understanding of the socio-cultural systems in which they have to operate as harbingers of change.”
“We believe that professional education in Management is most fruitful when it is shared by individuals with broad educational backgrounds and diverse practical experience. This is well reflected in the broad spectrum of disciplines represented in the student body of the Institute. We also believe that innovation is the key to progress in the modern world and are, therefore, even upgrading our programmes and diversifying into newer and more relevant and challenging areas of management”.
a) To provide knowledge, educational and research facilities of high order in the fields of management and technology.
b) To develop appropriate patterns of teaching through curricular and co-curricular activities at postgraduate levels for all-round development of programmes participants.
c) To provide inputs for professionalisation of management in non-corporate and social sectors.
d) To provide leadership to other management institutions in frontier areas of management education through faculty/institutional development programmes.
e) To provide a modern learning resource centre for continual upgradation of information and advanced knowledge for programme participants and corporates.
f) To network with national and international partners (associations, universities) for professional development and internationalisation of management education.
g) To initiate the development of appropriate processes and structures for socio-economic development.
Strengths
NMIMS offers a wide range of programmes such as the MMS of Mumbai University, Part-time Degree programmes for the executive participants, MMM, MFM, and MAM and autonomous Post Graduate Two Year Full-Time Programmes like PGDBA, PGDACM, PGDRM. These autonomous courses are also recognized by the AICTE. All the programmes offered by the institute truly reflect the institute’s mission, goals and objectives of the top management. The institute has a strong tie-up with industries and in fact many Faculty Chairs in the institute are sponsored by various industries. The permanent faculty members also handle training and consultancy assignments to industries. Students also organize various seminars in the institute, involving executives from industries. There is also a wide range of programme options available to students for awards of degrees, diplomas and certificates. All the programmes offered in the school are career oriented. The strength of the Institute lies in its ability to identify new opportunities and take initiative and offer innovative programmes for students. In designing the curriculum, the views of the academic peers and executives in the industries are taken into account. Also the institute has a tie-up with respectable national and international institutions and so their curriculum reflects the latest trends in management education .
Suggestions
1. A formal mechanism may be developed to obtain feedback from academic peers and employers on the design, content, and the quality of the programmes offered by the institute. During the placement season, when the senior executives of the companies are in the campus, a feedback questionnaire may be given to elicit some information on the performance of the alumni in their organization., the strengths and weaknesses of students working in their companies and their views to fine-tune the academic programme, which will make the present students in the institute better managers in the industry. This exercise will strongly cement the relationship between the institute and the companies who come for placement to the campus.
Criterion II: Teaching, Learning and Evaluation
STRENGTHS
In the institute there are 22 full-time faculty members, and two adjunct faculty 13 of whom are Professors, 6 of them are Readers and 3 Lecturers. Faculty members have much industry experience and they are encouraged to update their knowledge by participating in Faculty improvement Programmes, organized in other places. The students are also selected based according to a rigorous admission procedure. The strength of the School is that, it is able to attract students from other states also. Also the composition of the faculty shows that they have come from different states of the country, and with diverse backgrounds. This kind of a composition, leads to a proper understanding of various cultures in the country. It also widens the perspectives of students in the campus. There is a proper mechanism by which the teachers and the staff members are rewarded for their excellent work.
Also the faculty members offer remedial courses for slow learners in various programmes offered by the Institute. All the students are given an orientation course at the beginning of the semester. Students are also encouraged to undertake projects on their own to gain industry experience and also to improve their interaction with the industry. All the faculty members prepare formal teaching and evaluation plans of the courses they are going to teach, and distribute them to the students, at the beginning of each semester. Students are evaluated through out the programme by a continuous evaluation system, comprising assignments, projects, class presentations, in addition to the final examination. At the end of each semester, a formal student feedback is taken and this feedback is communicated to the faculty concerned for improving his/her teaching methodology. To encourage good teachers, the institute is selecting the best teacher every year and a citation is awarded to the best teacher on the Annual Day.
SUGGESTIONS
A formal mechanism for evaluating the faculty performance on the dimensions of teaching, research, consultancy, corporate training and administrative work may be implemented. To accomplish this, it is suggested that some kind of an annual work plan may be submitted by each faculty to the Dean/Director at the beginning of each academic year. This work plan will contain the number of courses the faculty would teach, number of MDPs the faculty would conduct, number of hours he/she would devote for research, consultancy and administration. After getting the approval from the Dean/Director, the faculty would devote their entire time for implementing their plan during the year. At the end of the year, the faculty performance during the year may be evaluated with reference to the approved annual work plan. At present, each member of faculty submits his plan for the year for research and MDPs.
The faculty members may be given one year sabbatical leave for every six years of service with full-pay. During this leave, the faculty members may be encouraged to write monographs, papers and books and visit other institutions in India and abroad to enrich their knowledge. This will help the faculty to re-charge their batteries and come with innovative programmes for the future. This suggestion may be given a serious thought by the top management, since it appears that the present faculty team is heavily loaded with academic and administrative work. To come away from the routine monotonous work, the faculty members need to enjoy the sabbatical leave.
A hand book containing all the details of the curriculum along with the learning objectives with proper unitization including the references may be prepared for each course/programme. This will help the students and the faculty, to get an overall view of the entire course. Since this Institute is coming up with innovative courses, this handbook may be useful to the other institutions in the country, who desire to launch these courses.
Criterion III: Research, Consultancy and Extension
STRENGTHS
The outlay on ongoing research projects is around Rs.56.96 lakhs, which is quite substantial. Fifteen executives from the industries pursue their part-time Ph.D programmes in the institute. 25% of the full-time faculty members have the Ph.D qualification. The institute is strongly encouraging and motivating the remaining faculty members to take to Doctoral research work in their area of specialization/expertise.
The institute has core competence in the areas of marketing and HR. The strength of the faculty is more in teaching, consultancy and training. The consultancy assignments of the faculty have been published as monographs, and cases, which are used as study material for the students.
SUGGESTIONS
The in-house areas of expertise may be subtly advertised through their regular admission and placement brochures. For example, the consultancy assignments taken by the faculty and the benefits accruing to the students because of the consultancy of the faculty may be highlighted in the brochures.
Some concession in the work load may be given to those faculty members who pursue Doctoral research work.
Faculty members may be encouraged to devote more time to writing quality papers and publish them in reputed national and international journals.
Criterion IV: Infrastructure and Learning Resources
STRENGTHS
The Institute has well developed infrastructure facilities in the posh locality of the Mumbai city. It has a total campus area of 40,000 sq. ft. and is planning to add two additional floors in the existing building (approx. 20,000 sq. ft.) The institute has already acquired an additional plot of land of 6,000 sq. mtrs. near Juhu Development Scheme. It is planning to create the following facilities at the new premises:
a. Center for International Business.
b. State of Art, training and development facilities
c. Hostel facilities during the training period.
d. Center for Leadership Development.
Almost all the class rooms are air conditioned and all teaching aids, such as TV, VCR, OHP, LCD based projector facilities, video camera and cordless mike, Panaboard with scanner are available in the Institute. The institute has modern communication facilities like fax, e-mail and internet facilities. The library is well stocked with 21,000 books, 38 foreign journals, 90 Indian journals, 258 audio cassettes and 465 video cassettes. It has well furnished reading hall for the readers, with an open access system facilitating free use of books on the shelf. Xeroxing facilities are also available in the library. The library functions from 8.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.
The lending facilities of the library are not only available to the faculty, staff and students of the institute but also extended to the corporate borrowers under the Corporate Borrower Scheme, which has benefited several executives of well-known companies in Mumbai.
The institute has three computer labs. The computer facilities are supported by Asian Paints Limited. The comprehensive library of the latest software, is maintained and the students are encouraged to use these facilities to enhance the information handling skills. The computer labs are also open from 7.00 a.m. to 9.00 p.m.
SUGGESTIONS
The existing internet facilities are inadequate, since a large number of students are pursuing various courses in the institute. It is suggested that the Institute should go in for a leased dedicated 64 kbps line, at an early date, so that students will have direct access to the net. Efforts are under way in this direction.
Criterion V – Student Support and Progression
STRENGTHS
The Institute organizes every year, an inter-collegiate cultural competition called EUPHORIA. The managerial skills of the students are fully shaped and put to test during the organization of this mega event.
The students also publish a magazine by name MOSAIC. Efforts are under way to publish monthly news letters. The alumni of the institute have also formed an association and they support the institute, by way of providing guest faculty and also by helping students of the institute, to get good placements. The placement record of the institute is excellent. The students also get lot of support from the faculty on the academic and personal counselling.
SUGGESTIONS
The Institute may develop a Computerized Students Information System (CSIS). This CSIS will contain all the basic details of the students, including their hobbies, interests, career objectives. Over a period of time, faculty members may add on the observations of the students and guide the students in selecting the right kind of specialization in the second year and the right kind of a job during the placement season. The institute may emphasize career management as a life long process, teaching the students the art of analysing themselves - their interests, goals and priorities – for developing skills in making informed decisions throughout their professional careers. Choosing one’s employer, is a crucial and often difficult process. Based on CSIS, the institute may place a structured programme which offers a step-by-step approach to help students to define goals, analyse information and opportunities, plan effective strategies and put them into action. The programme should effectively train and support the students in terms of developing effective job search strategies, facing interviews, handling personality tests, negotiating and evaluating offers. In short, a career-path programme, may be developed and implemented for the student community.
Criterion VI: Organization and Management
STRENGTHS
The Governing Council of the Shri Vile Parle Kelavani Mandal, consists of eminent industrialists and educationists headed by Shri Adi B. Godrej. The Governing Council and the members of the Parent Society provide lot of freedom and support to the institute. The Dynamic Director, Prof. Y. K. Bhushan has taken this institute to very great heights, leveraging on the support given by the top management. The Director is ably supported by the four Deans. Dean – Academics, Dean – research, consultancy and publications and extension, Dean – Administration and Accounts, Dean – student welfare, faculty, Registrar, Office Superintendent, Account and Corporate Relations Manager. There is a clear cut organizational structure in the Institute. The Management has effectively mobilized the resources, by offering new innovative academic programmes which are in great demand in the market.
SUGGESTIONS
Even though there is an organizational structure in the Institute, there is an informal culture prevailing in the entire campus. This is certainly very good for the organization in the initial stages. As it grows old, it is advantageous to develop proper systems which will help the institute grow at a faster pace. At the same time, the formal system should not hinder the initiatives of the self-actualized individuals in the institute. This is no doubt a great challenge since one has to delicately balance the formal system with an informal culture.
Criterion VII: Healthy Practices
STRENGTHS
· NMIMS has a laudable mission supported by clear cut goals and objectives
· NMIMS offers need based courses to the students
· NMIMS has a reasonably well-developed, national/international linkages.
· NMIMS has strong industry linkages.
· All the teaching and non-teaching staff and the students work as one single family, towards the common goal of taking the institute to greater and greater heights.
· The top management is genuinely interested in the welfare of the teaching and the non-teaching staff.
· The Director, the faculty, the staff and the students are driven by a passion for excellence.
· NMIMS enjoys a very healthy professional environment which is conducive to bring out the best in every individual working in the institute.
· An atmosphere of informality, mutual trust, love and affection permeates in the entire institute’s campus.
SUGGESTIONS
A Ten Year Perspective Strategic Plan may be developed by the institute, so that all members of the institute may work with a greater focus on the programmes that are going to come in the Institute. This is in process.
Section 3: Conclusion
Eighteen years is a short period even in the life of an individual. It is very, very short, when it comes to an organization’s life. NMIMS from a very humble beginning has reached great heights within this short span of eighteen years. It has emerged as a dynamic, innovative, interactive and proactive Institution always looking for opportunities for growth and development. The entire NMIMS family, headed by Prof. Y. K. Bhushan deserves much appreciation and hearty congratulations on this magnificent achievement.
and cooperation extended to it by the Management, Director, Deans, faculty, staff, students, parents and alumni and others concerned.
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