RSM recently played host to a group of 50 students, studying at the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), the largest private business school in India with 18 campuses based across the sub-continent. As part of their management programme at IIPM, the students are required to undertake the GOTA (Global Opportunity and Threat Analysis) Programme which involves travelling to a different country and culture and immersing themselves in a rigorous academic learning environment. IIPM partners with several institutions in the US and Europe for this initiative and this is the first time RSM has been involved in teaching the students during the week-long study portion of the Global Management Programme trip.
Michael Smith from RSM's Executive Education & Organisational Development department and programme director for the week summed up the visit: "For some of the participants it's been their first trip abroad. It's been a pleasure to host this group and expose them to a different culture and to the teaching of a selection of our excellent faculty. And in return it's been fascinating for us to learn about their culture and business context firsthand."
During an intensive week, the students focused on branding and marketing communication with Stefano Puntoni and Berk Ataman, strategy with Justin Jansen, Tom Mom, and Pursey Heugens, leadership with Daan van Knippenberg, business ethics with Marius van Dijke and logistics management (the business case of the Port of Rotterdam) with Rommert Dekker.
The week was well-received by the students. One student said: "Thank you so much for the amazing hospitality which the university provided us with. We really felt at home. The faculty here is top class and the topics covered were relevant to current business scenarios". Another summed it up more succinctly: "RSM rocks".
Global strategic alliances for IIPM coordinator, Mr Sanket Chowdhury was pleased with the mix of academic rigour and practical application associated with the programme: "The vision of our school is based on a platform of ‘Entrepreneurship’ and we have to ensure that our students get exposed to the challenges & opportunities of the globalised world to help them build a balanced perspective to business. In that context, the RSM experience for our students has been a tipping point to the way they think and feel about the world of today".
IIPM hoped to run similar successful programmes in the near future to help build the "Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow".
