Dr. Bhabani Prasad Mahapatra has been working as an Assistant Professor and Head of the Department of Marketing Management, at Xavier Institute of Social Service (XISS), Ranchi, Jharkhand, India. He offers courses in Managerial Economics, Economic Analysis, and Policy, Foundations of Business Analytics, Research Methodology, Econometrics, International Trade, and Business Environment. He is proficient in various data analysis software like GRETL, SPSS, MS Excel and R-commander. He has research interests in Development Economics, particularly on Food and Nutritional Security, Decentralized Finance, and other issues related to inclusive human development. Dr. Mahapatra spent 4 years in the development sector as a program coordinator in various community development projects, especially for the children of vulnerable sections in rural and urban slum areas. He spent another three years as a public policy researcher in the development sector too. Dr Mahapatra has more than 12 years of full-time teaching experience in different institutes of repute. Before Joining XISS, Dr Mahapatra was working as a faculty member at the Regional Institute of Education, Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar Institute of Technology, Gandhi Institute for Technology, Bhubaneswar, Alphia Institute of Business Management (a strategic Unit of ICFAI), Berhampur campus, Odisha. Dr Mahapatra worked as a guest faculty at ICFAI National College Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar. Dr. Mahapatra completed his master’s degree in economics with Econometrics and Mathematics for Economics as a specialization from Berhampur University in 1995, a postgraduate diploma in Economics from Madras School of Economics, Chennai in 1997, and received a Ph.D. in Economics from Berhampur University, Odisha in 2018. He is a UGC NET qualified in Economics. Besides, He has completed an MBA in HRM from Pondicherry University. He has published his research papers in various national-level peer-reviewed journals like Orissa Economic Journal, Indian Economic Journal, Jharkhand Journal of Development and Management, and book chapters in an edited book published by Springer Nature. He has presented research papers at various regional, national, and international conferences. Recently, he was the co-chair of an international conference on Data Analytics and Management in March 2024.

Dr Bhabani Prasad Mahapatra

In your role as Head of the Program, could you outline the strategic initiatives you plan to implement for the program’s advancement?

Industry-relevant and updated course curriculum, Outcome-based education, Participant learning through classroom lectures, assignments, and case studies, Summer internship, live project for the students, Mock GD and interview for the students, and tutorial for the academically weaker students. Rural camp is organized for the students to sensitize them to the lives of people in rural areas.

How do you incorporate a pragmatic approach into the curriculum, ensuring its alignment with industry requirements?

The program takes regular inputs from the industry and alumni in designing the curriculum. Approval the of Board of Studies (BoS) is essential for the finalization of the syllabus. BoS includes representatives of industry, alumni, and academia. After the course curriculum is designed by the faculty members of the program, peer review is made and necessary changes are incorporated. Then the proposed changes to the curriculum are presented before the BoS members and upon getting the approval, the syllabus is finalized.

Could you elaborate on the department’s recommended best practices provided to students for acquiring essential skills?

Saturday Activity in which lectures are delivered by professionals. Mock GD and interview are arranged. Student-driven club activities which include organizing guest lectures, organizing b-school festivals. Live project opportunities for students. Rural camps, Industrial visits, and Summer Internship projects. 

What is your strategy for curriculum development, and how frequently is it updated to stay current with industry demands?

Content is developed to make the curriculum industry relevant as well as sufficient for the postgraduate students of marketing management. Major curriculum changes are done every three years and minor changes are made every year. These changes are always approved by the BoS.

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What are your perspectives on prevailing placement trends and associated expectations within your department?

The placement of the program is taken care of by the central placement cell (CPC) of XISS. Recently, the placement has been superb, and 100% placement has been achieved. Also, the average CTC has been increasing with each passing year. 

Are there extra curricular or co curricular activities and programs in place to augment students’ skills and expose them to real-world challenges?

Yes, there are several activities and programs in place. XISS has various student clubs in which marketing management students participate actively. At the program level, Markbuzzz is the student club of the programme that organizes the MAXFEST-B-school festival, SAMPARK-alumni meet, and guest lectures by alumni. Students are doing extremely well in various sports events organized by XISS. They also participate in different events organized in the annual festival of XISS.

What challenges have you encountered or currently face in elevating the educational quality within your program?

The demand of the industry is changing rapidly, and the program has been trying to meet these changes. Students' feedback after each trimester is taken to understand the scope of improvement in the educational quality of our program. The graduating students are giving exit feedback on the overall educational quality of the program.

How does the curriculum of your program ensure the integration of industry best practices?

The curriculum is very much dynamic. The curriculum focuses on the foundational part and applied part of marketing management. Besides, the curriculum covers essential parts of financial management, human resource management, operations and supply chain management so that the students will get a holistic knowledge on business management. Industry relevant electives related to marketing management are offered to the students in the second year. Apart from classroom lectures, guest talks by well established professionals are regularly arranged. Regular interaction with alumni helps students to get the much required guidance for the preparation for the corporate career.

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How does your program contribute to enhancing faculty skills and aligning their preparation with industry standards?

The program encourages the faculty members to participate in the faculty development program, conferences, organizing workshops, taking consultancy assignments from the industry and government. The program also encourages faculty members to publish articles related to different aspects of management studies. Inputs from the recruiters, industry professionals (both alumni and non-alumni) help faculty members to continuously update themselves about the latest trends in the industry.

Beyond the formal curriculum, what interventions and approaches do you employ to train and educate students effectively?

Rural camp is arranged for the students to sensitize them about the lives of the people in rural areas. Industrial Visit is arranged for the students in which students get to know about the current practices and culture of the corporates. Summer Internship Project is given to each student after the third trimester in which every student works in a project given by the industry guide. Students are encouraged to do the field based assignments and live projects. Student club Mark Buzzz provides a platform to the students of the program to organize business school festivals “MAXFEST”, Alumni meet-SAMPARK, guest lectures, alumni talk. They are encouraged to participate in different curricular events like case study competitions, quiz competitions, and poster competitions outside XISS. Students are encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities like annual sports and the annual festival PANACHE of XISS. They are also part of various institutional clubs of XISS. Mock group discussions and interviews are arranged for the students for their preparation for placement interviews. A tutorial session is arranged for the academic weak students. Mentoring and counseling sessions are arranged for needy students.

What do you identify as the department’s primary strengths, and how do you envision enhancing them further?

Highly qualified and committed faculty members are always ready to support students. Regular modification of curriculum with peer review and review by the Board of Studies. Cent percent summer and final placement record Saturday activities- guest lectures and alumni interaction, Evaluation of students by the industry for the SIP dissertation, Promoting students to take lead in co-curricular and extracurricular activities.

What valuable advice would you offer students to ensure a prosperous career trajectory in your field?

There is no shortcut to success in education, job, and life. So, students should continuously upgrade their skills and knowledge with the right attitude. They should not fear initial failures in academic examinations or placement interviews. If they look at the big picture and can correlate all the courses with the practical world, they can surely reach the goals of their lives.