The Asian School of Business (ASB), a leading B-school in South India, is proactively encouraging admission of students with rural background for its flagship post-graduate programme.

The ‘suitably tweaked' programme would meet the rising requirement for trained managers for the burgeoning rural market, which is expected to triple in size over the next decade or so, according Prof S. Rajeev, Director-designate.

BETTER POSITIONED

Prof Rajeev told visiting newspersons at the up-and-coming ASB campus in the suburbs that students with rural upbringing are better positioned to feel the pulse of the rural consumer.

“Our training will make them effective marketers who can relate to the rural ambience and this emerging economic segment more effectively,” he added.

According to him, ASB has reached a stage where it can aspire to grow exponentially over the next few years.

It aims to be able to count itself among the top 10 B-schools in the country over the next 10 years, he said. “And we have a fair shot of achieving this milestone,” he added.

FOCUS AREAS

The growth would be underpinned by its emerging focus on three aspects — identifying those with ‘entrepreneurial fire in the belly;' unlocking related strengths and skills largely underutilised locally; and circulation and cross-pollination of ideas and talents among stakeholders.

Prof Rajeev cited the successful examples of Nirma detergent soaps and Cavin Care shampoo sachets to elucidate how suitably priced and packaged items could prove niche hits with the market in the rural outback of the country.

Prof C. K. Prahlad's much-vaunted ‘fortune at the bottom of the pyramid' could not have been proved in a better manner possible.

“The average rural consumer may not have the resources to own aspirational goods or enjoy such services, but collectively they do,” Prof Rajeev said.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr G. Vijayaraghavan, Director, said the ‘conversion rate' of largely rural ASB students to become combative and empowered professionals has been high.

The B-school has also been training ‘laterals' from the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector who have gone on to become consultants and analysts, adding to the conversions.

ASB students have also been able to find immediate placements with leading IT and consulting companies such as Accenture, Tata Consultancy Services, Deloitte, Haskins and Sells and Ernst & Young. A unique programme that ASB is promoting, besides the offer of free laptops, is a 50 per cent scholarship to one student each from every State who has completed his/her school in rural schools.

Scholarships

According to Mr George M. Thomas, an Oman-based entrepreneur and patron of ASB, four students will be offered 25 per cent scholarships and 10 students 10 per cent in a bid to discover and nurture rural talent.

Mr Thomas is also the President of Trivandrum International School, the State's first international school incorporating Indian and British curriculum and courses.

The scholarships for ASB students are being offered by the George M. Thomas Foundation.

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