The unprecedented local, national, and global disruptions of 2020 have turned normal life and assumptions, upside down. However, as the new academic year approaches, students also need to look to their future and what decisions they should make to ensure that it is as bright, secure, and successful as possible.
After the completion of schooling, the first steps towards a university education are among the most significant decisions in any young person’s adult life: What degree subjects to study? Where to Study? These decisions will shape their future so they must make it very carefully. As regular, well-paid professional jobs become more competitive and less secure, higher studies in Business Management and Entrepreneurship are becoming more necessary than ever.
To provide our young generation with the knowledge that will help them to achieve success in life, SRM University-AP is focused on designing practical courses with a cutting-edge curriculum. Professor Michael J. Barnes, Dean of the School of Management at SRM University-AP, has taken the initiative to introduce the newly upgraded BBA (Hons.) Programme for the latest intake of students of Business Administration. He connected online recently with prospective business students, and their parents through a ‘Webinar’ hosted on April 29th, 2020. The Dean introduced prospective undergraduate students to the new BBA (Hons) programme at SRM University and presented its fundamental and innovative features.
According to the advice given by Professor Barnes, during the current worldwide health crisis what high school graduates must do now is to invest in themselves, and in their further education. No matter how gloomy the world looks, there is no better time than now to invest in oneself and reap the benefits later. “Education has always been the best means and the best investment for people to get ahead in life. Choosing a bachelor’s degree programme is most important, as this is the first major decision for young adults to make. This will have a lifelong impact in shaping your career and future. Joining a course of one’s choice in a highly reputed institution like SRM University-AP is the first step towards success,” opined Dean Michael Barnes.
People may think, as the economy is going into global recession this year in almost all major countries: what is the point of studying if job opportunities are going to be less? The Dean of Management strongly disagrees with that view. Professor Barnes argues that if economic recession or even depression is going to happen in the immediate future, it could be for one year or even two. By the time of full economic recovery our BBA (Hons) students will be graduating when the situation should be much stronger, more stable, and with a very positive outlook for India. There will then be a huge requirement and pent-up demand for talented and qualified professional managers. For those ambitious individuals who want to be managers and leaders of the future, the BBA (Honours) degree- awarded by SRM University-AP – is an obvious choice: SRM-AP offers a tremendous opportunity for advancement, with its state-of-the-art infrastructure and innovative BBA (Hons.) curriculum.
To be a successful manager or entrepreneur, it is crucial to have a fully-rounded knowledge in business studies and management practices Current hiring trends indicate that it is chiefly engineers who benefit most from a postgraduate degree (MBA) in business administration. But for non-engineers and non-scientists, it is always highly advantageous to gain a degree in the BBA (Hons.) programme before full-time employment or pursuing further studies at home and abroad.
SRM University-AP is now open for admissions to its new BBA (Hons.) programme in September 2020. Dean Barnes lays great emphasis on the word “HONOURS” as it reflects an enhancement of the previous BBA general degree programme. The three-year BBA (Hons.) course comprises 140 credits of study: One credit is equivalent to one hour per week for a fifteen-week semester. Most of the courses are worth four credits, which translates to four hours per week per subject (6) per semester of direct teaching and learning (excluding homework assignments!).
It is of the utmost necessity for future management consultants, supervisors, professional managers, and individual entrepreneurs to have both a wide and deep knowledge across the entire business domain. They also need to have a global perspective. It is necessary to have global awareness because even if one is focused on domestic business, he/she is still going to be connected with the world through some means; be it international employers, suppliers, customers, competitors, partners, or even regulators. It is crucial to be familiar with world financial markets, foreign trade trends, practices and procedures, and foreign exchange market volatility, in order to fully appreciate business opportunities, and sometimes the risks and threats of over-dependence on the tightly-knit global supply chain of products and services.
The major pillars, and basic knowledge foundations of our BBA (Hons.) programme are:
1. Financial Management, Markets & Institutions
2. Marketing Management (Product & Services)
3. Human Resources Management & Organizational Behaviour
4. Accounting (Financial & Cost Accounting)
5. Economics (Microeconomics & Macroeconomics)
6. Information Technology and
7. Operations Management
SRM University undergraduates are exposed to all these required foundational subjects in their first two semesters of study. In the second semester, students get to choose their specialisations which they will commence in their second year. In this way, every student is given a choice of the functional domain to which they are most attracted – after getting familiar with all the major courses in the first year of their studies. Students will know the subjects with which they are most comfortable, and able to decide among alternative ‘portfolios’ the direction that their careers are most likely to take.
As an example, if someone chooses Marketing as their specialisation, he or she will learn more about Retail Marketing, Sales and Distribution, Consumer Behaviour, Brand Management, Advertising, Digital Marketing etc. Finance & Accounting specialists will be learning more about Budgeting, Financial Modelling, Investment Portfolio Management, Financial Derivatives and Risk Management, and Strategic Finance. In Human Resource Management, emphasis will be given to HR Analytics, Leadership and Team Management, HR Development, Managing Diversity, and Industrial Relations.
Another important feature of the teaching-learning process at SRMAP is the “Action Learning. Programs” (ALPs): ‘Action Learning’ is the practical and ‘hands-on’ experience of working in a company environment, though it is quite different from an internship. Action Learning is an integrated strategic group learning process, where students work in a real business environment, on real live projects, and most importantly, in teams.
Action Learning has several benefits which are essential for the students to be successful in their career and professional life, namely:
1. It improves business communication skills.
2. Enhances the individual ability to work in teams.
3. Builds leadership confidence and capabilities.
4. Creates global awareness.
In addition to the core courses and specialisations, The SRM University School of Management BBA (Hons.) programme also includes courses in Business Law and Taxation, Supply Chain Management, Environmental Studies, Waste and Water Management, Big Data and Machine Learning, and Entrepreneurship & Family Business. These courses are included, keeping in mind the practical requirements of India in today’s technology-driven business world, and making our students knowledgeable in every aspect of business. Every student must successfully complete 35 courses (140 credits) to graduate with the BBA (Hons.) degree. During the final semester, students will prepare a business dissertation or plan. Throughout the three-year degree programme, BBA (Hons.) students are provided with training in ‘soft-skills’ development to enhance their employability after graduation. As Professor Barnes observed from his own life experience, every true professional should develop the following important qualities in his or her character:
1. Staying POSITIVE,
2. Being PREPARED;
3. Always being PERSISTENT yet remaining
4. PATIENT;
5. Being PRECISE in words and calculations.
6. Being POLITE to everybody, and (at least trying) to be always
7. PUNCTUAL on every occasion.
SRM University- AP provides students with an integrated and holistic learning experience to prepare them for life and to be ‘job-ready’. The safe and secure campus enthusiastic location, world-class faculty, state-of-the-art infrastructure, highly supportive staff, and a cutting-edge and innovative curriculum, with strong links to industry, make SRMAP the most ‘preferred destination’ for students to pursue their university degree studies in business. Dean Barnes wishes all the students the best of luck and good judgement in their choice of university and degree subject decision-making. He hopes to see many of the audience on campus in September 2020 when the first semester commences.
The SRM University Webinar concluded with a Q&A session where Professor Barnes answered various queries from the audience. Dr Barnes also shared his e-mail id with the students and their parents who attended the BBA (Hons.) Webinar in case they have any more questions: They are always welcome to send emails directly to him at dean.mgmt@srmap.edu.in
.