Exclusive Interview with Mr. Virender Khanna, HOD (Business) at FDDI

1. What is unique about the business curriculum at FDDI?

The program is unique primarily because it is the only business management program in the country which puts entrepreneurship at the heart of business learning.  We assume that if you wish  to learn Business Management - it is because you want , to start and manage your own business( just like when you learn to drive a car, you wish to someday own and drive your own car!) .Entrepreneurship is a way of life here- and the entire program is geared to help you start up by the time you pass out. The unique features that allow us to deliver entrepreneurship centric business education are -

1. Long duration of the program- 5 year program; 53 core papers and no lateral entry at the MBA level ensures that our kids breathe business management for the 5 most formative years of their lives

2. Long duration of internships: our students intern every year for 4 months  , with either promising start ups or fast growing companies in emerging sectors

3. Entrepreneurship centric papers such as need gap analysis; project feasibility analysis ; new venture initiation ; public private partnerships are a compulsory  part of the curriculum  here . These papers are not taught in most conventional business schools

4. Access to a host of business experts for mentoring student ventures

5. Equal weightage to  the primary functional areas in any business is marketing,  finance , HR and IT

6. Unequivocal focus on live projects that help you learn by doing!

7. Inclusion of contemporary areas like digital marketing and   E commerce in the core curriculum

8. Interface with government and private agencies facilitating entrepreneurship

9. Incubation of select student ventures.

2. How did your experience help in devising this course?

Personally, I have spent more than 20 years at Shaheed Sukhdev college of Business studies Delhi University – devising and building one of the most popular UG business programs in the university- BBS & BFIA.

My stint at SSCBS gave me a deep insight of what an ideal business program should be like. I felt, that over time our UG business education was becoming very functional in nature and not enough focus has been given to entrepreneurship. Additionally, I realized that the top students of our country were bereft of a vision. All they wanted to do was work in an MNC. This disturbed me. After all, we need our youth to take the responsibility for nation building and enterprise- and not just become passive workforce.  I am happy to say that our program here addresses both issues by offering a very contemporary holistic business education with entrepreneurship at its core.

My other experiences as a serial entrepreneur, corporate consultant and student counselor further helped him see gaps in business education. Over time, I am proud to say that IPBM has evolved  to become a very well rounded program in management & entrepreneurship. And we are forever making improvements - and are very keen to stay one step ahead of our times!

3. In an era of professional careers, what exactly do the students look for when opting for a business course?

Great question! The thing that matters most is how much emphasis is put  on real world application of concepts taught in the classroom. This can be typically judged by the time and emphasis given in the curriculum to internships and live projects. Also try and see if the course has a contemporary outlook and if the institution has the dynamism to change rapidly with needs of the industry.

But most importantly, keep in mind that the overall course objectives  are  in line with your individual career goals.

All the best!

4. Is confidence building and risk taking a part of teaching the business course? Comment.

Yes indeed it is. A range of confidence building exercises is a part of our daily routine. Subjects such a group dynamics , leadership development and decision making are a compulsory part of the curriculum. As a practice, projects assigned to students  are always 'one step ahead ' of the theory taught in the classroom to encourage students to self learn.

One unique practice that we follow is  that our students are expected to invest in live projects and campus companies every semester  .We believe that this helps inculcate ownership and risk taking.

So, yes - risk taking, confidence and ownership are attributes that we definitely focus on.

5. What is the future of start-ups in today's times?

There has never been a better time than now to be an entrepreneur in India.  The economy is looking up, our government is very pro business. Institutional support for entrepreneurship is very robust with leading business houses like Infosys, Google and Mahindra looking for young start ups to mentor and invest in. The global trends and technology are also very  favorable for disruptive start ups.

Going forward, Government policies like make in india and the newly instituted Ministry of Entrepreneurship are indications that new businesses will receive a lot of systematic support in the days to come.

Like we say at the at FDDI Business School - The best time to start up is NOW.