JIMS was set up in 1993 under the aegis of the Jagan Nath Gupta Memorial Educational Society, a non-profit organisation, and has been working to develop skilled human resources for industry and business. From a very modest start, it has now attained a commendable position as a premier institute in the country, well-known for its total commitment towards excellence in management studies.

Citing reasons for this success, Gupta says, ``We have had to struggle a lot, but we have remained loyal to our commitments to our students. Also, the fee structure for ourprogrammes are low as compared to others in the same category.'' Another reason for the popularity of the institute is that it is situated in Rohini, an area of Delhi that has a large population, but very few educational facilities.

The course structure for the two-year, full-time, post-graduate diploma in business management has been approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The programme is divided into four semesters. The first two semesters provide a strong foundation in basic disciplines and the remaining two semesters permit the students to specialise in their areas of interest.

Keeping in mind industry demands, the programme offers specialisation in three main thrust areas: finance, marketing and human resource management. For the 60 seats of the PGDBM programme, students from different streams are admitted strictly on the basis of merit. Written tests, group discussions and personal interviews are conducted by the institute to sieve out the best of the applicants.

Thefoundation course of the programme includes papers such as introduction to organisations and organisational analysis; quantitative techniques for managerial decisions; business legislation; business environment, business communication; managerial economics; computer applications in management, strategic management, entrepreneurship and small business, human resource management and production management.

Those opting to specialise in finance have to clear papers such as financial and management accounting, financial management and financial decision analysis; tax planning, security analysis and portfolio management; international financial management; project appraisal, planning and control; development banking and financial institutions, and management of financial services.

Students specialising in marketing have to take papers that include marketing management; marketing research and consumer behaviour; international marketing, sales and distribution management; advertising management; management ofservices; rural marketing, brand management, and industrial marketing. To specialise in human resource management, students have to clear papers such as managing industrial relations; training and development; organisational change and development; labour legislation in India; corporate compensation and strategy; strategic HRD, and negotiation.

JIMS also has a three-year, part-time, PGDBM course, which is approved by AICTE. The course structure of this programme, which is divided into six semesters, is largely similar to that of the two-year, full-time course.The fee structure for the full-time PGDBM programme for general category candidates is Rs 95,000. The fee can be paid in four installments of Rs 25,000, Rs 18,000, Rs 32,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively. For foreign and NRI candidates, the fee is $6,000, payable in two equal installments. For company sponsored candidates the fee is Rs 150,000, payable in two equal installments.

The fee for the part-time PGDBM programme is Rs 66,000, payable in threeequal installments. All categories of candidates have to pay a refundable security deposit of Rs 2,000.

The mood of the students at JIMS' study centre at Greater Kailash II seemed upbeat. Says Seema Verma, working in a private firm and taking the three-year, part-time course, ``The response at my firm has been very positive. I am expecting a significant improvement in my career once I complete this course.''

Chips in Suresh Kumar, a student of the fifth semester of the part-time course, ``I have already received a couple of offers, but I want to complete the course before I take on a full-time assignment.''

Emphasises Gupta, ``We do not provide a 100 per cent guarantee for placement. But the response from companies has been very good. My main concern is to provide good quality professionals so that once a company visits our campus, it comes back every year.''

Gupta is ensuring this by having a top-of-the-line faculty, which includes well-known academics such as Dr S C Gupta, reader in Ramjas Collegeof Delhi University, Professor R P Maheshwari, formerly vice-principal of the Shri Ram College of Commerce and Professor Vijay Kapur from the University of South California.