Greg Watson once invented a Simple Magnetic Overunity Toy (SMOT) that claims to produce more energy than it consumes, while in perpetual motion. Taking this simple physics experiment and its principle as the foundation, SMOT School of Business, Chennai, aims to convert learners into business leaders. Established eight years ago, this school believes in striking a fine balance of quick return on investment to its students and meeting organisational demands.
“SMOT approaches management education through two platforms — authenticity and affordability. Today, with the job market being what it is with uncertainty prevailing, coupled with the number of graduates being churned out increasing on a yearly basis, management institutes have an unenviable task of imparting appropriate skills, which would help students meet organisational demands when they are employed, and at the same time ensure that they acquire the practical knowledge they seek. At SMOT we have worked out various options with different takeaways for the aspirant both in terms of the time factor and the cost factor, while at no time compromising on the delivery,” says CEO of SMOT, Faiz Ahmad.
Located on the IT highway, SMOT’s infrastructure is designed to support better interaction with faculty and ease work on projects and seminars — with a board room, video conferencing room, visitor’s room, discussion room, huddle spaces for students to have discussions in groups. Wi-Fi enabled, students can take their work to the library (which has 2,000 books and subscription to 25 journals) or classrooms or have a discussion on the terrace with their professors, who, as is appropriate, treat them
as adults.
Academics
Placement becomes an obsession when the cost of management education in top institutes ranges from `15-18 lakh. This results in high turnover and mismatch of profiles. Over a period of time, this erodes the confidence of the stakeholders. “So we have programmes in six, 12, 15, 18 and 24-month time-frames ranging from diploma courses, PGDM, PGDBA and MBA. And all this falls in the cost band of `1.8-22 lakh for a full time programme. Typically, a student can expect to get a job within six months of completing the course.”
SMOT’s programmes are university conferred degrees. The institute collaborates with professional bodies, research institutions and universities to offer well-recognised and industry-relevant courses. The B-school is associated with Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, Canada, (Sobey School of Business) and California State University, San Marcos, United States.
With Saint Mary’s University, SMOT offers the 18-month postgraduate diploma in business administration (PGDBA) in the regular mode and 24-month postgraduate diploma In business administration (PGDBA) in the weekend mode. The same format works in their alliance with Bharathidasan University. They also offer an MBA in distance mode. Some of their value-added courses include Essentials of Indirect Taxation, sPeak Performance which is a non credit course to help students exploit their full potential and Behaviour Analysis and Review, apart from soft skills training.
Using an industry-oriented curriculum with university inputs, SMOT courses’ content is constantly updated. Some popular value added courses are Six Sigma by Juran and Essentials of Management Consulting conducted by Canadian Association of Management Consultants. SMOT draws its faculty from other B-schools in the country who share knowledge through interactive sessions, experiential learning and discussions.
Graduates from any field who clear a written test, GD and PI can pursue the courses. Work experience is not necessary. SMOT has also tied up with banks to offer student loans.
Extracurricular activities
When students can take a break from their classes, SMOT’s Ignite Club keeps them well-informed of developments in the business world and conducts quizzes and debates. Euphoria, their welfare committee, undertakes several causes like blood donation and fund raisers. Expansivo is in charge of their “chill out” sessions and fun on campus. In addition to this, they have finance, marketing and book clubs that ensure their days are packed.
A PGDBA student at SMOT, S Aishwarya says, “I interpret SMOT as Significant Managers of Tomorrow. The case study approach, guest lectures, faculty and industrial visits have prepared me to enter the corporate world.”
Internships and placements
PGDBA students are required to complete a two-month internship to gain industry experience and strengthen their skills. SMOT has a healthy mix of students who are freshers and those with work experience. The school encourages lateral placements for students with relevant work experience. Pre-placement talks are conducted by companies before the selection process, as an opportunity for interaction between students and corporates. This way, students understand organisational expectations and the outline of job profiles.
Some recruiters are HCL, Reebok, Idea, ICICI, Citibank, Maersk, Tata, Cognizant and Kotak Mahindra Bank are some companies who have hired SMOT students. Freshers receive a package of around `3.4 lakh pa while those with experience can make around `5.5 lakh pa. The school claims to have consistently achieved 90 per cent placement over the years.