Bits & bytes
E-learning portal on retailing launched

The Retailers Association of India (RAI) and GurukulOnline Learning SolutionsTM (GOLS), India’s premier e-learning organisation, have come together to launch www.instituteofretailmanagement.com — an e-learning portal that will offer online courses in retail for the very first time in India.

Modern retailing in India is currently witnessing a transformation where traditional markets give way to the emergence of department stores, supermarkets, hypermarkets, specialty stores and malls, according to a release issued in Mumbai recently.

Rated the fifth most attractive emerging retail market, India is being seen as a potential goldmine. India has also topped the Global Retail Development Index of 30 developing countries drawn up by A T Kearney. Retail is a sector that has registered phenomenal growth, and is poised to grow even further. However, the sector is facing a huge manpower crisis threatening all growth projections. The e-learning portal was conceptualised to help the sector overcome its people crisis.

Retailers Association of India CEO Gibson G. Vedamani said, “Retailing is a very significant industry in the country today with diverse business formats and ownership structures. Along with this explosive growth comes the greatest need of the industry — its quality manpower. I am sure this initiative of ours will provide the opportunity for students and professionals to attain proficiencies in retailing.” The first course being launched is titled Certified Retail Professional course.

Developed by industry experts under the auspices of RAI, these courses are aimed at both students and professionals. Vedamani further added, “The added feature of the course is that it comes with a job guarantee, subject to the successful completion of the course. Once a candidate has successfully completed this course, he/she will be offered internship with RAI member companies. On successfully completing the internship, students shall be placed with leading retail organisations across India.’’ — UNI

ISB student intake up by 20 pc

The Hyderabad-based Indian School of Business (ISB) has increased its student intake by 20 per cent for the Class of 2007.

The Class of 2007 — all working professionals — has 418 students as compared to 345 students in the Class of 2006.

The ISB will now be counted as one among the largest when compared to the top B-Schools in the world,” according to an ISB release.

“We have also taken the ISB standards high this year with 53 per cent students from our new class having secured GMAT score of over 700. This is comparable to GMAT scores of students at the world’s top B-Schools,” Rammohan Rao, Dean of ISB was quoted as saying.

To encourage meritorious and deserving students, the ISB has offered scholarships worth Rs 1.67 crore this year to nearly 20 per cent of the class, the release added. — PTI

IIM-A tie-up for corporate courses

The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) will collaborate with Duke Corporate Education (Duke CE) to develop and deliver custom corporate education programmes in India and West Asia.

IIM-A Director Bakul Dholakia announced this in Ahmedabad recently, saying that with this the institute would expand its global presence.

Duke CE, a corporation held by Duke University of North Carolina, USA, was ranked number one in the Financial Time’s global ranking of customised executive education for the fourth year in a row, said Dholakia.

With this arrangement, IIM-A will offer customised education programmes for corporates, he said.

IIM-A officials said customised programmes for executives will be of two to five weeks’ duration. — PTI