 | SOM student Suzanne Decavèle (left) presents a gift to Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh as fellow student Rajesh Lakhani (center) and Professor Jonathan G.S. Koppell (right) look on. |
Reflecting a growing trend by students of the School of ,Management (SOM) to complement their coursework by traveling abroad during their winter and spring recesses, 20 SOM students and an SOM faculty member completed a two-week trip to India Jan. 1-13.
The trip was the culmination of a two-credit course during the fall term on "Emerging Markets: India" taught by Jonathan G.S. Koppell, associate professor of politics and management.
In the course, the students researched and analyzed a range of Indian companies and sectors, including those in financial services, consumer goods, manufacturing, media and entertainment, pharmaceuticals and non-profit services. In-class discussions focused on business practices, strategies and the economic climate in India, as well as the social and political implications of its rapid economic development.
Lauren Skryzowski, the second-year M.B.A. student who was the trip's principal organizer, notes that "any graduating M.B.A. from this point forward must try to develop a first-hand understanding of both India's and China's business environment, in preparation for his or her future as a global leader, especially considering the flat world in which we all live."
The trip schedule was designed to cover the corporate sectors most of interest to the students, and all the participants helped develop the itinerary. The group traveled to Mumbai, Bangalore and New Delhi, visiting many leading companies in India, including Mahindra & Mahindra, HDFC Bank, Times of India Group, Infosys Technologies, IBM India, Tata Group, Prana Studios, Marico Consumer Goods, SmartAnalyst and Pfizer Limited. Meeting with senior management helped students to connect their in-class discussions with the managers' practical experiences.
"We visited a mix of established firms and start-ups, including some started by Americans of Indian descent,'' first-year student Kiran Patankar told a reporter from the Times of India. "We've been able to see what the opportunities are for us to return and start businesses of our own.'' Students said they were particularly impressed with the confidence and strategic ambitions of the executives they met.
The managers said they were equally impressed by the Yale students. Bhavna Mehra, an Infosys Technologies executive responsible for the company's academic relationships, told the group that "the kind of global exposure you have had on the Indian subcontinent will contribute to your already comprehensive curriculum. Your group portrays to outsiders why Yale is Yale."
M.D. Pai, chief financial officer of Infosys Technologies, said he expected "to see the whole group in leadership positions in major corporations in the near future."
While in India, the group also socialized with Yale alumni there and visited cultural attractions, including a day trip to the Taj Mahal in Agra.
A highlight of the trip was an hour-long meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. Students had an opportunity to ask Singh questions, and he emphasized India's distinctive strengths as an emerging economic and political power while acknowledging the many challenges that lie ahead, including massive inequity in Indian society and the severe limitations of infrastructure.
Apart from India, recent and future destinations for SOM student trips include China, Cuba, Japan, Madagascar, Nigeria, Peru, Russia and South Africa.
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SOM students learn about
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