Films As A Tool To Teach Management

I think the concept should be tested at gem amd jewelry institutes around the world. Movies are unique reflection of the characters + you are more likely to meet the same characters in real life in one form or other. The trick is being able to identify them + finding quick solutions, if it's a problem case.

(via Times News Network) Mansi Bhatt writes:

When he was a sophomore, Tejas Desai, then 19, began as a film projectionist in the US. Like scores of other students, Desai took up the job to support his undergraduation studies at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The sophomore graduated and went on to do his PhD in bio-statistics from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Back home, Desai joined the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A) as an assistant professor, yet the short stint as a film projectionist haunted him and it didn’t help that movies were becoming his favourite pastime. That is when Desai thought he would use films as a tool to teach young management students.

Once he had decided, the young assistant professor began by zeroing down which films to use as his subjects matter. The crop had to be recent to ensure student interest. And the two films which suited Desai’s bill were Mani Ratnam’s Guru and Madhur Bhandarkar’s Corporate, both successful at the box office as well. “The audio-visual medium is one of the most effective tools for teaching. And the subject matter of these movies will help students understand the corporate world and ethics in an interesting manner,” says Desai.

Movies as class matter is definitely a change for the students and as a case study, they will be made to see the film then discuss the same in their class with Desai. At present, the professor is busy shortlisting key scenes from the film that will help students understand the functioning of corporate world. “Bipasa Basu’s character in the film explains how some women tend to behave emotionally even while taking tough business decisions," says Desai, explaining a scene from Corporate.

In fact, IIM-A has invited Madhur Bhandarkar for a lecture at the institute.

Besides ethics, the case studies will also highlight gender issues in the corporate world, competition among companies, business politics, relationship between government and business houses and media, amongst others. “Both these movies portray the corporate world in a different light. In Guru the businessman is shown as a hero, while in Corporate the business barons are shown in a negative light,” says Desai.

Guru is about a man who strives to reach and then remain on top, while Corporate is about the established Cola giants who face issues in business. In Guru, the businessman faces issues created by the rich and powerful in the industry. And Corporate depicts the deceit behind power and money.

The film bug seems to have struck all of our B schools as Desai is not the only one turning to the reel world for some tips on management. At the Indian Institute of Management- Indore, Prashant Salwan has picked up Rakesh Roshan’s Krrish for a case study. The professor thought of studying the film after he got calls from international professors who said that an Indian movie there has done better then Superman. Salwan then decided to study the film and approached the filmmakers.

In fact, he has held meetings at regular intervals with filmmaker Rakesh Roshan and his key team to understand the marketing and production details of Krrish. “We see Krrish as a product made in India and launched successfully in global markets.

The movie has several unique features in strategies for packaging and distribution. Also the makers shot 60% of the film in Singapore which apart from giving advantages of picturesque locale also helped the company save costs,” said Salwan. Due to a limited budget, Rakesh Roshan could release only 800 prints so he was unable to tap the 2,500 cinemas say in the US. “So they shortlisted cinemas in definite centres based on demographics profile and preferences,” says Salwan, explaining the Roshans marketing strategy.

For Krrish, the filmmakers spent 8 to 10 times the usual cost in getting the best international fightmasters and technicians for special effects but they balanced this budget out by saving on production and sets cost, adds Salwan.

More info @ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Films_as_a_tool_to_teach_management/articleshow/2162747.cms