Oxford University India Business Centre Begins Scoping Study with Indian Businesses

New Delhi, Delhi, India

The Oxford University Indian Business Centre (OUIBC) today commenced a scoping study with Indian companies to prepare for the development of its 'Executive Education Programmes' to be delivered in Lavasa, near Pune, Maharashtra. Lavasa Corporation Ltd. and Oxford University recently signed a pact to establish the Oxford University Indian Business Centre (OUIBC) to be located at the Saïd Business School in Oxford. Lavasa is free India's first and largest Hill Station being developed by the Lavasa Corporation Ltd, part of the Hindustan Construction Company (HCC).

The study is being undertaken by faculty from the Saïd Business School, and will involve interviews with executives from 30 organisations representing a range of sectors and locations. The organisations involved are drawn from the public sector, conglomerates, new businesses and a range of industrial sectors including heavy industry, IT, professional services and the automotive industry. These organisations are located in the metro cities; Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Mumbai.

On this occasion, Mr. Ajit Gulabchand, Chairman of Lavasa Corporation, said, "Lavasa and Oxford University have recently partnered with an aim to enhance educational and managerial programmes for students in both countries. The present exercise is in line with the same process; to hand pick deserving candidates from the corporate world to whom OUIBC will impart training at Lavasa. They will be the frontrunners/ flag bearers of the new paradigm of managerial excellence in tomorrow's corporate era."

Dr Lalit Johri, who visited companies in Delhi and Kolkata last week to conduct the interviews with executives, commented, "We are looking forward to meet senior executives from a wide range of organisations in India. Through working with business leaders, we aim to understand their views on the prospects for Indian businesses over the coming years, for example, changes in ambition and emphasis. This is an essential step for us to understand the requirements of Indian organisations better."

He further added, "The findings from our research into emerging trends and the unique challenges that Indian organisations need to address will enable us to enrich the executive development programmes we deliver at Lavasa. Developing and delivering relevant high quality executive education programmes within India at Lavasa is one of the key activities of the new Oxford University Indian Business Centre and we are delighted to be embarking upon this research."

Dr Johri was accompanied on this trip by Dr Paul Chapman, also of Saïd Business School, and they will undertake further interviews in Mumbai and Hyderabad later in the month. Dr Jeff Sampler, and Dr Gerd Islei, will conduct interviews in Chennai and Bangalore this month.

It is envisaged that the first executive education programmes will be delivered by Oxford in Lavasa in early 2010.

Note to editors

-- About Lavasa

Lavasa is free India's first and largest Hill Station being developed by HCC (Hindustan Construction Company) where people can Live, Work, Learn and Play in harmony with nature. A complete new town, based on principles of New Urbanism, it is fast being developed amidst 12,500 acres of land, 3 hours' drive from Mumbai and 1 hour from Pune. Lavasa will host a complement of global leaders in hospitality, tourism, education, healthcare, business research and industry. The Hill Station Town provides contemporary yet timeless architectural designs, multiple options for housing and state of the art infrastructure and amenities, thus enabling people to live life in full. For more information, see www.lavasa.com.

-- About Saïd Business School

Established in 1996, the Saïd Business School is one of Europe's youngest and most entrepreneurial business schools with a reputation for innovative business education. An integral part of Oxford University, the School embodies the academic rigour and forward thinking that has made Oxford a world leader in education. The School has an established reputation for research in a wide range of areas, including finance and accounting, organisational analysis, international management, strategy and operations management. The school is dedicated to developing a new generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs and conducting research not only into the nature of business, but the connections between business and the wider world. In the Financial Times ranking of MBA programmes (Jan 08), Saïd is ranked 19th in the world. This achievement follows the School's success in HM Treasury's 2005 ranking of the top 50 MBA programmes in the world, where it finished number one out of all the UK business schools. In the university league table published by The Guardian (May 2007), Saïd ranked first of all UK universities for undergraduate business. The University of Oxford also ranked top for business studies in The Times report published in August 2007. For more information, see www.sbs.ox.ac.uk.

Source: Lavasa Corporation Ltd. (Business Wire India)

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