As a developing country, India can no longer compete with other economies in terms of manufacturing and labor costs, but it can still innovate and try to stay ahead of the curve. In order to stay innovative, however, Indian industries need skilled workers with the right creative spark to turn their crazy dreams into reality. But, can that creative spark be taught? Thoughts cannot be taught, but can be directed in the right path. While the present generation is always involved in fresh thoughts, it is imperative for the educational institutions to motivate students to work with their right brains. Located in Mysore, SDM Institute for Management Development (SDM IMD) is one such institute, which involves innovation in its approach in shaping young brains.

Promoted by Shree Dharmasthala Manjunatheswara Educational Trust, which has rich experience in managing educational institutes of repute for over 42 years, SDM IMD is one of the top destinations in south India for recruiters to hunt their future talent. Being one among the top 3 percent of B-schools in India with CRISIL A** (A Double Star) National rating, the institute scaled new heights in last placement season with highest salary rising to 15.5 lakhs. SDM IMD has achieved commendable placements for its students who bagged lucrative profiles in leading organizations despite the hazy and difficult economic scenario. The graduating batch of 177 students has been placed in reputed organizations cutting across all the established major sectors including, Consultancy, Sales and Marketing, BFSI, Manufacturing, IT, Logistics, Supply Chain and HR. "Leading companies like Infosys, TCS, Wipro, Oracle, Mahindra Finance, Asian Paints, Practo Technologies, HDFC Limited, and Blue Ocean and many more have recruited from our campus," says Prof. Prasad S.N, Chairperson Admissions, SDM IMD.

While, the students were offered various roles like business analyst, management trainee, branch manager and so on across functions like sales, finance, consulting and HR, it is the implementation of the right ideology that is attracting the recruiters to the SDM IMD campus. The institute is also supported with an active Placement Cell, which provides both summer and final placement for its students. "We train our students through mock interviews, group discussion, debate, seminars, quiz test, communication and interpersonal skills and so on for the placement," says Prof. Prasad. The strong tie up with large number of recruiting companies also fosters excellent placements. The institute does not have separate lateral and fresher recruitment processes. Hence, both the processes commence simultaneously and run during the placement season of the institute. The students rank the companies based on their prior knowledge and the information gained through companies' PPTs and based on the rankings, job description and compensation being offered, the participating companies are scheduled, to initiate with the recruitment process.
It is just after the completion of the mandatory courses of the first-year that students get into the practical world of decision-making and business management in the Summer Internship Project (SIP). Spanning eight weeks, the SIP is selected according to the chosen specialization of the students. They are assigned specific tasks, which use the managerial concepts they have learned, in a practical environment. After understanding the student's abilities and aspirations thoroughly, specific projects are assigned to each in conjunction with the companies concerned. During the internship the students work under the guidance of a senior executive of the company and their progress is monitored by an internal faculty guide. Students keep in touch with the faculty guide on developments on the work front and obtain clarifications on the right way to progress. At the end of the program, they are required to obtain a certificate from the company they have worked with, that they have satisfactorily completed the work allotted to them.

On return to the campus, they are required to submit a detailed report highlighting the practical application of management concepts in the work place as well as details on what they had learned in the company. The best Summer Internship Project Reports are published in the 'Excerpts of the Summer Internship Reports' brought out by the SDM Research Center for Management Studies (SDM RCMS). Hence, through proper industry oriented guidance, SDMIMD aims at transforming the talent into business leadership by the end of the course. "We like to create more relations with international reputed institutions and also like to increase the corporate connections," concludes Prof. Prasad. With the continuous efforts, the institute opens new doors for the students to create a vibrant society with social responsibility.

Lt Col (Retd) Prof. Prasad S. N, Chairperson Admissions