K J Somaiya Institute of Management: Interview with Dr. Monica Khanna (Director)

K J Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai was established in 1981. It is a private institute affiliated to the Somaiya Vidyavihar University. K J Somaiya has been granted the status of an autonomous institute by the University Grants Commission (UGC). It has been accredited by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and bagged the 71th position in the NIRF 2022 ranking in the management category. K J Somaiya institute offers postgraduate and doctoral degree programmes. The college offers MBA, MCA and Ph.D. programmes in the field of management and research.

Careers360 brings you an exclusive interview with Dr. Monica Khanna is the Director of K J Somaiya Institute of Management. Here she has given her views and details on various things about the K J Somaiya management institute like the admissions process, placement and other important things. Read the complete article to know more about the K J Somaiya Institute of Management.

Question 1. Tell us something about the Institute, when it was set up, Vision, and Mission.
Answer. K J Somaiya Institute of Management was established in 1981 as a part of Somaiya Vidyavihar (now a constituent institute of the Somaiya Vidyavihar University since August 2019) with the objective of providing state-of-the-art education in management and allied areas. The Institute was inaugurated by Honorable ex-Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and is located in a lush green campus in the heart of Mumbai. The Institute is the 19th Indian business school to receive the prestigious AACSB accreditation in May 2022 and is listed as the 71 best business schools in India by NIRF 2022. The Institute is ISO 9001:2015 certified by Bureau Veritas and is among the top 10 private b schools in India.

The Institute's vision is to build a world-class research & teaching institution that is global in the reach of its ideas and universal in its service. The mission is to foster a spirit of inquiry, enable livelihoods, encourage innovations and create good citizenship's.

Question 2. Can you throw some light on the K J SIMSR admission process?
Answer. Apart from its MBA program, K J Somaiya Institute of Management also offers MBA - HCM (Healthcare Management) and MBA - SM (Sports Management). The admission process is the same for all these programmes except that the candidates are shortlisted on the basis of their profiles for the healthcare and sports management programmes. Candidates must give their MBA entrance tests. Based on their scores, candidates then get shortlisted for the Case Analysis (CA) and Personal Interview (PI) round. The institute accepts the following scores: CAT/ XAT/ CMAT/ NMAT (the scores of only the first attempt will be considered)/ GMAT (scores of the past 3 years shall be accepted).

The Institute also gives weightage to Past Academic Records, Achievements, and Work Experience (please note work experience is not mandatory). A candidate will be shortlisted based on the following criteria:

• NMAT/ GMAT/ CAT/ XAT/ CMAT Scores - 35%
• Past Academic Records* - 12%
• Case Analysis - 10%
• Personal Interview - 20%
• Achievements - 8%
• Work Experience - 10%

Candidates will be selected based on the following factors (MBA HCM & SM) :

• CAT/ XAT/ NMAT/ GMAT/ NMAT Scores - 25%
• Past Academic Records - 12%
• Case Analysis - 10%
• Personal Interview - 20%
• Achievements - 8%
• Work Experience - 10%
• Additional Qualification HCM or Sports Related - 5%
• Statement of Purpose - 10%

NOTE: One mark is given if you have completed your Bachelor's degree from an NIRF ranked college. And one mark is given if you have obtained a Post Graduate degree from an NIRF ranked college

The selection process is as follows:

1. Applicants must have a valid CAT/ XAT/ NMAT/ CMAT/ GMAT test score.

2. Shortlist for CA - PI (Case Analysis and Personal Interview) based on the entrance exam test scores plus profile

3. The announcement of the result will be done on the institute website and the aspirants will be notified via email.

4. The Institute selects candidates for the programmes on a merit basis and the availability of seats.

Quick Link: K J SIM Admission

Question 3. What kind of infrastructure can students expect at the institute? Please elaborate?
Answer. The Institute provides top-notch campus and online facilities to its students to nurture their overall academic experience and teaching-learning process through an infrastructure that caters to their co curricular and extracurricular needs. These facilities include spacious A.C. classrooms with high-tech projectors, well-maintained computer labs, and software labs that contain computes with 600 No. Intel Core i7 and i5 processors. To learn more about the global economy, instructors and students can use the materials provided by the Media Lab resources and Bloomberg. Additionally, the Institute offers softwares and databases for academic research projects like SPSS, Smart P.L.S., NVIVO, and Atlas.ti. Infrastructure includes hostel facilities at K J SIM at with a well-equipped gym, a student's mess, ATM facility, a laundromat, and internet access.

Talking about extracurricular, the K J Somaiya Institute of Management has a very grand, Olympic-size athletic track, football ground, volleyball and tennis courts. It also has gymnasiums, squash courts, a yoga room, a medical center, outdoor chess board, and an open-air Amphitheater.

Also Read: K J SIM Courses and fees

Question 4. There is a lot of focus that is being made with regard to interaction with the industry as well as companies that recruit. What are the steps being taken by the Institute in this direction?
Answer. At K J Somaiya Institute of Management, we give prime importance to industry interactions and foster this relationship at every opportunity. This helps our students to understand and appreciate the real-world challenges of today’s business enterprises and challenges faced by entrepreneurs. Students get an opportunity to work on live industry projects, developing case studies along with the faculty, summer internships, hackathons, and experiential learning. Apart from summer internships, live projects, hackathons and case discussions, there are several areas of specialization-based student forums that organize events, conferences, and panel discussions with specific industry to build a more profound insight into the workings of the corporate world. In addition, the institute keeps conducting guest lectures and master classes to keep aspirants updated about new business developments, up-skilling requirements, and current job market scenarios.

The Institute benefits from having a prime location in Mumbai, the nation's financial hub, and the headquarters of numerous leading corporations and startups. The proximity benefit helps us to be closer to firms in order to gain more exposure and knowledge about the industrial world. Many of our alumni are industry leaders based out of Mumbai, which further helps to enhance the industry connect and interactions.

Also Read: K J SIM cutoffs

Question 5. Internships are now mandatory as per AICTE guidelines. Does the Institute help students with this? If yes, how?
Answer. Yes, the Institute helps students to obtain a summer internship. It has a Career Management and Corporate Relations department (Placement Committee) that focuses solely on getting the best companies to the campus for recruitment purposes. In addition, the Institute provides all the necessary infrastructure required by companies to conduct a good recruitment process for guest lectures, live projects, hackathons or summer internships.

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Question 6. Can you please share details if there is any collaboration with universities abroad?
Answer. K J Somaiya Institute of Management has collaborated with more than 30 plus International Universities on numerous academic activities in recent years with prestigious universities in the U.S.A., Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia to advance academics, research, and experiential learning outside other pedagogical tools. Students participating in the K J Somaiya Institute of Management's international immersion program travel abroad for 7 to 15 days as part of a study tour. The following colleges have a semester exchange program with the Institute:

● Saint Martin University, U.S.A.

● New Jersey City University, U.S.A.

● DHBW, Stuttgart, Germany

● THI, Ingolstadt, Germany

● UC Leuven Limburg, Belgium

● The University of Applied Science, Krems, Austria

● The University of Technology of Troyes, France

Question 7. Please share placement statistics with information on the average package, highest and lowest package, number of students placed, and details of companies that have recruited.
Answer. K J Somaiya Institute of Management and Research has been at the forefront of bringing in opportunities and equipping students with the right knowledge and skills, enabling them to have the confidence to exceed the expectations of the recruiters. Over 99% of our students have been placed. 100% of students got their offers for Summer Internships. Here are some of K J SIM placement highlights:

• Highest salary: Rs. 26.50 lakhs.
• Average salary: Rs. 10.98 lakhs.
• Median salary Rs. 10.25 lakhs.
• 201 recruiters have visited our campus for final placements.
• 45 new recruiters were added to the pool for final placements.
• Average salary of top 100 offers Rs 15.82 lakhs.
• Average salary of top 200 offers Rs 13.55 lakhs.
• Average salary of top 300 offers Rs 12.54 lakhs.

Summer Internship Statistics:

• Highest stipend: Rs 90,000 Per Month
• Average stipend: Rs. 19,588 Per Month
• 188 companies visited our campus for Summer Internships.
• 40 new recruiters hired for summer placements.

Some prominent recruiters for the batch are Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Deloitte, Arcesium, Cisco, Accenture, HSBC, Nestle, Marsh, Jio Creative Labs, Morgan Stanley, HP, Dell, and so on.

Dr. Monica Khanna (Director) K J Somaiya Institute of Management, Mumbai, wears multiple hats. She is also a Professor of Marketing with areas of specializations in Brand Management, Services Marketing and Marketing Management. She has 29 years of experience in Academia and Industry and is a member of the Academic Board, Board of Management, Finance Committee and Board for Research and Consultancy at the Somaiya Vidyavihar University.

Disclaimer: This content was distributed by K J Somaiya Institute of Management and has been published as part of Careers360’s marketing initiative.

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