ISB gets new dean

B-SCHOOL BEAT

The Indian School of Business (ISB) has announced the appointment of M Rammohan Rao as the new dean. Due to take over from July 1, 2004, Rao succeeds Vijay Mahajan who served as dean since 2002.

After completing his tenure at the ISB, Mahajan returns to the University of Texas at Austin to continue his role as professor of marketing.

Rao has a PhD in industrial administration from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), and dual masters' degrees from CMU and Cornell University. He was a tenured professor of operations research at the Stern School of Business, New York University, and also taught at the University of Rochester and the University of Tennessee before joining IIM, Bangalore, where he was the dean and the director.

New, specialised course

K J Somaiya Institute of Management and Research has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on April 20, with Pantaloon Retail India Limited, for a management course specialising in retail.

India's first specialised course in retail management is slated to start in June. The 18-month course will have 12 months of academic teaching followed by a six-month on-the-job-training with Pantaloon Retail.

The one-year academic teaching will also have students learning the ropes of retail at Pantaloon stores every Saturday and Sunday. The first batch will comprise 40 students who will be selected after an all-India online test, group discussion and interview.

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