Stanford Graduate School of Business Goes to India

Stanford Graduate School of Business hosted its first ever Executive Forums in India on Jan. 6, 10, and 12 with one-day management seminars and networking events in New Delhi, Bangalore, and Mumbai, respectively. More than 450 business executives, Stanford University alumni, and distinguished guests registered for the events in the three cities.

“We want to be at the vanguard of India’s exciting economic growth, not only in terms of attracting the best candidates to our programs but also learning about what challenges Indian business leaders are facing,” said Dan Rudolph, senior associate dean for operations at Stanford Graduate School of Business, in an interview with a reporter from the Business Standard.

In each city, Rudolph kicked off the program with an overview of Stanford and the business school, one of seven schools at Stanford University. “Stanford Graduate School of Business has two products: ideas and leaders,” he said. “We produce ideas through our world-renowned faculty who develop case studies and write path-breaking research and textbooks. Through our 23,000 alumni around the globe, we are changing lives, changing organizations, and changing the world.”

Stanford GSB offers four programs, said Rudolph: the two-year MBA program to educate future leaders, a one-year Stanford Sloan Master’s Program for mid-career executives, a doctoral program to produce future scholars and teachers, and executive education programs for experienced managers.

Following Rudolph’s introduction, two of the school’s faculty members presented lectures based on their research.

V. “Seenu” Srinivasan, the Adams Distinguished Professor of Management and director of the Strategic Marketing Management Executive Program, is an internationally known specialist in marketing and one of the few professionals who has revolutionized academic and applied thinking in this area. Srinivasan has twice been honored with the John Little Award from the Marketing Science Society for the best marketing article published in its journal. His lecture focused on “Brand Equity: Measuring, Analyzing, and Predicting.”

Robert Burgelman, the Edmund W. Littlefield Professor of Management and director of the Stanford Executive Program, is an expert on corporate entrepreneurship, strategic business exit, and the role of strategy in firm evolution. He lectured on “Strategy Is Destiny: A Perspective on Strategic Leadership.”

A reception and dinner followed the presentations.

The Executive Forums in India were presented by the Executive Education Program and sponsored by the Stanford GSB Alumni Association as an outgrowth of alumni reunion events around the world. Forums have also been held in China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Denmark, England, Germany, Switzerland, and Mexico.