Please tell us about AIMA’s core objectives?
AIMA is the apex management body in the country. AIMA today affiliates 64 Local Management Associations (LMAs) across the country and two co-operating management associations i.e. Qatar Indian Management Association and Mauritius Management Association. We are a non-lobbying body with over 30,000 members. Our membership includes corporates, both public and private organisations and various learning institutes. AIMA’s mandate is to enhance the management capability of India—through education, training and continuous upgrade of management knowledge and practice.
What kind of training services do you render and to whom?
AIMA has an exclusive Centre for Skill Development and Training (CSDT), set up with an aim to bridge the competence gap towards building skilled and productive work force to meet challenges of global business competition. This division focuses on productivity enhancement, skills design, delivery, assessment and certification. CSDT provides customised quality in company training solutions and services as per client needs across all management areas through best of class trainers/ experts. CSDT is also involved in certification of management professionals for specific skills and competencies. In addition, AIMA has developed unique and innovative HR training tools that equip corporates and institutions with the requisite means to facilitate a free flow of knowledge within their organisations.
AIMA’s National Management Games – ‘Chanakya’ is AIMA’s unique Business Management Simulation Programme built on indigenously-developed proprietary software that simulates a real life competitive business environment. The programme tests and trains students and managers to take decisions across multiple business functions. It is an effective HR tool that allows companies to train their executives in a risk free, simulated environment.
Competitions & Quizzes are held at an all-India level providing excellent platforms for young and aspiring managers to exhibit their creativity, leadership & business acumen and hone their managerial skills. Both the corporate sector and educational institutes see these events as an important and keenly anticipated training tool. For the academic fraternity, AIMA’s Centre for Management Education conducts Faculty Development programmes on various subjects like Risk Management, Sales Management, HRM etc. These programmes enhance the intellectual capital of practicing academicians in B-Schools and management institutes.
What kinds of initiatives have been taken by AIMA to improve the level of managerial resource pool in the country?
As the apex body of management in India, AIMA has traditionally been involved in upgrading management capabilities across the country. On the academic side, it has been the largest provider of post-graduate diplomas in management through the distance learning mode.
In the past couple of years, AIMA has also added short e-learning courses. Upgrading management is one of the key mandates of AIMA. It organises numerous management workshops and seminars to propagate the latest best practices and new knowledge. It helps nearly 60 city/cluster management associations do the same.
AIMA is the most important platform for management dialogue involving the industry, the government and the academia. In the past few years, AIMA has expanded its reach by holding a large number of international management conferences on contemporary business and leadership issues. AIMA has gone global by organising international management meets overseas. The latest meet was Global Business Leaders Summit in Mauritius in May 2012. It has also entered management research and has instituted an annual Management Capability Index to measure Indian companies’ management competitiveness. AIMA is constantly thinking ahead and creating innovative services to improve the skills and knowledge of India’s managers and business
Could you tell us about the Education Services run by AIMA?
AIMA has been a pioneer in the field of education as well and was instrumental in introducing India’s first ever management programme through flexible learning, with an aim to harness the professional competence of the human resources by providing world class education. AIMA Centre for Management Education (CME) conducts both full-term post-graduate diploma and short-term certificate programmes by the distance mode. AIMA’s Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) and Post Graduate Diploma in IT Management (PGDITM) are amongst our most sought-after programmes. They are recognised by the AICTE and Distance Education Council, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India. These programmes are widely acclaimed for their strong curriculum in the industry and academic circles and are designed to prepare graduates for careers in management and enable working professionals to rise in their organisations.
AIMA’s Post Graduate Certificate in Management and Advanced Certificate Programmes are designe for working professionals and fresh graduates who want to enhance their knowledge base in specific domains. AIMA also conducts a PhD Programme in collaboration with Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). The programme is divided in two phases – Foundation Phase and Doctoral Research Work Phase. The Foundation Phase of the programme is conducted by AIMA. The distance learning mode of AIMA’s Management programmes have an ‘In-company version’ for upgrading skills and competencies of working professionals for their career enhancement.
These can be further customised to meet the specific needs of the company. As mentioned above, AIMA also conducts Faculty Development Programmes to train and further nurture management faculty in the country. Theses faculty development programmes are designed by the CME by taking into consideration changes that are happening in current domestic and global business practices.
Any international collaboration to help further the management courses?
AIMA works closely with a number of overseas professional institutions and has expanded its international portfolio over the years. AIMA collaborates with Switzerland-based economic think tank, Horasis, in organising international conferences focused on India and other emerging economies. AIMA also has reciprocal arrangement with Switzerland’s St Gallen University for organising international conferences on economic and governance issues. AIMA contributes many high profile speakers to the panel discussions at these events.
In addition, AIMA is also an active member of the Asian Association of Management Organisations (AAMO). As mentioned earlier, AIMA has also initiated a series of Global Business Leaders Summits to examine and facilitate intra-emerging market business strategies. The summit provides a platform to the business and policy leaders to debate the management approaches and capabilities to capitalise on this trend.
The inaugural event of the series was held in Mauritius in 2012 with several international companies participating in the event. The summit is an annual event hosted across the globe and the next in the series is planned in South Africa this year. AIMA has been conducting its flagship Global Advanced Management Programme (GAMP) in collaboration with international universities of repute. AIMA has so far organised these programmes in Shanghai, China and has recently initiated a GAMP in the United States as well. These programmes are organised in collaboration with the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. They offer their learning through ombination of Class Room Lectures, Small Group Work, Case Discussions, Presentations, Executive Panels and Site Visits to and interaction with the top management teams of leading companies.
AIMA is the apex management body in the country. AIMA today affiliates 64 Local Management Associations (LMAs) across the country and two co-operating management associations i.e. Qatar Indian Management Association and Mauritius Management Association. We are a non-lobbying body with over 30,000 members. Our membership includes corporates, both public and private organisations and various learning institutes. AIMA’s mandate is to enhance the management capability of India—through education, training and continuous upgrade of management knowledge and practice.
What kind of training services do you render and to whom?
AIMA has an exclusive Centre for Skill Development and Training (CSDT), set up with an aim to bridge the competence gap towards building skilled and productive work force to meet challenges of global business competition. This division focuses on productivity enhancement, skills design, delivery, assessment and certification. CSDT provides customised quality in company training solutions and services as per client needs across all management areas through best of class trainers/ experts. CSDT is also involved in certification of management professionals for specific skills and competencies. In addition, AIMA has developed unique and innovative HR training tools that equip corporates and institutions with the requisite means to facilitate a free flow of knowledge within their organisations.
AIMA’s National Management Games – ‘Chanakya’ is AIMA’s unique Business Management Simulation Programme built on indigenously-developed proprietary software that simulates a real life competitive business environment. The programme tests and trains students and managers to take decisions across multiple business functions. It is an effective HR tool that allows companies to train their executives in a risk free, simulated environment.
Competitions & Quizzes are held at an all-India level providing excellent platforms for young and aspiring managers to exhibit their creativity, leadership & business acumen and hone their managerial skills. Both the corporate sector and educational institutes see these events as an important and keenly anticipated training tool. For the academic fraternity, AIMA’s Centre for Management Education conducts Faculty Development programmes on various subjects like Risk Management, Sales Management, HRM etc. These programmes enhance the intellectual capital of practicing academicians in B-Schools and management institutes.
What kinds of initiatives have been taken by AIMA to improve the level of managerial resource pool in the country?
As the apex body of management in India, AIMA has traditionally been involved in upgrading management capabilities across the country. On the academic side, it has been the largest provider of post-graduate diplomas in management through the distance learning mode.
In the past couple of years, AIMA has also added short e-learning courses. Upgrading management is one of the key mandates of AIMA. It organises numerous management workshops and seminars to propagate the latest best practices and new knowledge. It helps nearly 60 city/cluster management associations do the same.
AIMA is the most important platform for management dialogue involving the industry, the government and the academia. In the past few years, AIMA has expanded its reach by holding a large number of international management conferences on contemporary business and leadership issues. AIMA has gone global by organising international management meets overseas. The latest meet was Global Business Leaders Summit in Mauritius in May 2012. It has also entered management research and has instituted an annual Management Capability Index to measure Indian companies’ management competitiveness. AIMA is constantly thinking ahead and creating innovative services to improve the skills and knowledge of India’s managers and business
Could you tell us about the Education Services run by AIMA?
AIMA has been a pioneer in the field of education as well and was instrumental in introducing India’s first ever management programme through flexible learning, with an aim to harness the professional competence of the human resources by providing world class education. AIMA Centre for Management Education (CME) conducts both full-term post-graduate diploma and short-term certificate programmes by the distance mode. AIMA’s Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) and Post Graduate Diploma in IT Management (PGDITM) are amongst our most sought-after programmes. They are recognised by the AICTE and Distance Education Council, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India. These programmes are widely acclaimed for their strong curriculum in the industry and academic circles and are designed to prepare graduates for careers in management and enable working professionals to rise in their organisations.
AIMA’s Post Graduate Certificate in Management and Advanced Certificate Programmes are designe for working professionals and fresh graduates who want to enhance their knowledge base in specific domains. AIMA also conducts a PhD Programme in collaboration with Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). The programme is divided in two phases – Foundation Phase and Doctoral Research Work Phase. The Foundation Phase of the programme is conducted by AIMA. The distance learning mode of AIMA’s Management programmes have an ‘In-company version’ for upgrading skills and competencies of working professionals for their career enhancement.
These can be further customised to meet the specific needs of the company. As mentioned above, AIMA also conducts Faculty Development Programmes to train and further nurture management faculty in the country. Theses faculty development programmes are designed by the CME by taking into consideration changes that are happening in current domestic and global business practices.
Any international collaboration to help further the management courses?
AIMA works closely with a number of overseas professional institutions and has expanded its international portfolio over the years. AIMA collaborates with Switzerland-based economic think tank, Horasis, in organising international conferences focused on India and other emerging economies. AIMA also has reciprocal arrangement with Switzerland’s St Gallen University for organising international conferences on economic and governance issues. AIMA contributes many high profile speakers to the panel discussions at these events.
In addition, AIMA is also an active member of the Asian Association of Management Organisations (AAMO). As mentioned earlier, AIMA has also initiated a series of Global Business Leaders Summits to examine and facilitate intra-emerging market business strategies. The summit provides a platform to the business and policy leaders to debate the management approaches and capabilities to capitalise on this trend.
The inaugural event of the series was held in Mauritius in 2012 with several international companies participating in the event. The summit is an annual event hosted across the globe and the next in the series is planned in South Africa this year. AIMA has been conducting its flagship Global Advanced Management Programme (GAMP) in collaboration with international universities of repute. AIMA has so far organised these programmes in Shanghai, China and has recently initiated a GAMP in the United States as well. These programmes are organised in collaboration with the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland and the Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley. They offer their learning through ombination of Class Room Lectures, Small Group Work, Case Discussions, Presentations, Executive Panels and Site Visits to and interaction with the top management teams of leading companies.