PGDM - Retail Management
About the programme
The PGDM (RM) program is the pioneer two year full time program in Retail Management approved by AICTE. The course has been designed keeping in mind the conceptual grounding as well as the practical know-how requirements of the retail industry. An Academic Council constituted of industry experts as well as academicians decides upon the course structure so as to allow the proper infusion of theoretical rigor as well as the application part of it. As such the course allows the students to learn not just from the book but also helps them broaden their thinking process by letting them apply what they learn in real life scenario so as to help them contribute productively to the ongoing retail revolution in the country.
The program is divided into six academic trimesters where two months’ summer training is mandatory after the completion of the first year. The trimesters have been planned to achieve the academic goal of shaping the students for the corporate world they would be facing once they join it.
Besides the subjects covered in these trimesters, a number of relevant modules are also covered which are delivered by industry experts in the given field as well as experienced faculties from renowned universities.
The Center for Retail has become a knowledge hub for the retailing industry. We are the pioneer in publishing the first journal on Retail Research. The Center also advises new retail start-ups.
Special Features:
- Industry Interface at regular intervals is encouraged. Retail Professionals across the industry are invited as guest faculties to deliver lectures and attend seminars and panel discussions at regular frequency. The Center organizes National Seminars on the current issues relating to retail and the concerned stakeholders like retailers, trade unions and political representatives take part in these discussions.
- Under BRIMS, Birla Retailing and Innovative Marketing Society, the Center organizes Mall Mania, which is a real life simulation of a Shopping Mall. Various stores under different formats are established by the students and these stores are run akin to a real life store. This practical exposure helps them with a proper understanding of the theoretical concepts taught in the classrooms.
- In addition to the regular project work that is assigned to the students, special real life short term projects are undertaken by the students under the aegis of different retail establishments and in different aspects of retailing such as operations, supply chain, marketing research etc. This helps in inculcating in them the essence of the field of retailing and the importance of marketing research.
- The teaching methodology is another special feature of the Center for Retail. Besides classroom lectures, case studies are extensively used. What is more, since some of these classes are taken by retail professionals from the industry as guest lecturers, the students are exposed to the current retailing practices prevailing in the industry. Research assignments are regularly being undertaken by the students to better understand the retailing practices.
Retail Center for Excellence
In another first of its kind, Milagrow Business and Knowledge Solutions and BIMTECH (Birla Institute of Management Technology), entered into an MoU to give birth to “The Retail Center for Excellence (Retail CoE).” On 10th October 2009. It is a one-of-a-kind alliance between industry and academia with a vision building best in class managerial and organizational capabilities in retail while at the same time become a center of higher learning in the field of Retail for young management professionals.