What’s your view about the state of research and
innovation in Indian business schools as against international institutions?

Research output
in academic institutions is traditionally measured by the numbers of refereed
papers in internationally recognized journals and the citations they receive.
By such metrics, business schools in India have some catching up to do and even
the best still lag behind their global counterparts. Innovativeness is more
popularly measured by published books and articles in the business media.
Viewed thus, Indian business schools are more competitive. That being said, I
personally hope that specific areas like agricultural marketing, microfinance,
global supply chains and distributed product development attract the attention
of young Indian researchers who are looking to make innovative contributions to
the global literature. 

How critical is the knowledge of econometrics and math
amongst MBA candidates today?

There are two
answers to this based on where you are coming from and where you want to go. If
a student’s background is technical (e.g. engineering), a quantitative approach
to business management often helps in understanding concepts. If the student
wishes to pursue a quantitative field after graduation (e.g. risk management),
rigorous techniques need to be mastered. A good MBA or equivalent program
should allow enough flexibility to take more quantitative or less quantitative
routes. However, there should be no compromise on clear, well-articulated
thinking, mathematical or otherwise.

How does a program structure like the one at MYRA help
in getting critical credits for students, as against a regulated institution?

The program at
MYRA rests on two fairly unique characteristics. The first is immersive
learning where courses are intensively taught for short duration of time. This
structure allows MYRA to attract faculty who are international stars in their
fields and students receive their instruction from the best. The second is an emphasis
on project-based learning. Depending on the program, MYRA students do one to
three projects. These are generally ‘live’ projects that companies care about
and they are to be done to high standards of research methodology. This deep
dive combined with field learning is the value proposition that we believe gets
students the critical expertise they need.

What’s your vision for MYRA Business School?

I would like MYRA
to be the standard bearer for a new, more integrative, kind of management. To
give you an idea of what I mean, consider our just-launched PhD program. The
fields we are looking to get doctoral candidates in include information
systems, statistics, and development studies. Such fields, connected to
traditional management science, expand the scope of management to an
aspirational 21st century world. This is a world that is connected
and data-driven, yet always aware of the challenges of the economically less
privileged and our obligations to the environment. MYRA’s programs –
post-graduate, doctoral, and executive education – are suited to this
vision.      

For candidates looking at applying to MYRA, what would
be your suggestions?

First and
foremost, be true to yourself. Represent yourself faithfully in your
correspondence and documentation. We look for passion and the ability to
persevere and these qualities are better expressed in areas you are passionate
about and have the patience to persevere with. You know those aspects of
yourself – let them speak for you. We would like our classes to be diverse, so
things that you think set yourself apart from the usual will stand you in good
stead. Lastly, be confident in your choice of MYRA. Visit the campus, call or
email, and we will do our best to answer your questions.