How does an institute, that has shown the ropes of management to India’s best, handle its own ventures overseas? Three distinguished men, currently pounding the streets of Cairo, offer a clue.As IIM Ahmedabad prepares to launch its first management course in Egypt this May, it says it first wants to understand the ‘‘contextual reality’’ of the place.So it has despatched three of its leading professors to understand and imbibe the business, financial and management cultures of Cairo, the country’s capital. IIM-A has ventured abroad before, but this one is special. It comes at a time when countries are opening their doors to institutions of higher education and brand names matter more than ever before. If successful, the four-day course for Egypt’s senior and promising middle-rung executives could lead to contracts with other campuses. It could also pave the way for a long-term possibility—IIM-A could one day be running its own full-fledged campuses abroad. The sheer effort going into the project suggests that the institute could be rehearsing for the big stage and wants the Egyptian venture to be perfect in every way. Just the stature of the three management gurus now getting a feel of the ground in Cairo, talking to the managers and multinationals doing business there, shows how serious IIM-A is. Prof Pankaj Chandra is a leading authority on Production and Quantum Methods, Prof M M Monipally is regarded a master in communication strategy, Prof Abraham Koshy is a marketing expert. All three are now familiarising themselves with typical Egyptian business practices as they prepare the course that will be taught in May. IIMA wants its team to get a grip on the ground realities so that its course can be made more relevant. Prof Indira Parikh, the Dean of the institute, said that its experts had even exchanged notes with the Aditya Birla Group’s Alexandria Carbon Black. It happens to be one of the few Indian companies that have a joint venture in Egypt. The experts are also learning about manufacturing practices, management practices, approach to accounting and even the attitude towards management professionals. ‘‘We are also looking at the people's marketplace,’’ said Prof Parikh. If more proof were needed of how seriously IIM-A is taking the course, then a look at the faculty members who will conduct it is a pointer. Nine of the institute’s biggest names will fly down to Egypt in three or four batches to lecture the Egyptian executives. Apart from the three management gurus already in Cairo and Prof Parikh, the list will include Prof Bakul Dholakia, director of IIM Ahmedabad. In fact, four other big management education names from the campus, Professors M R Dixit, Ramesh Bhatt, Sunil Maheshwari and Sanjay Verma will go down to Cairo as soon as the first batch returns to gather more inputs and incorporate Egypt-related specifics into the curriculum.
