SP Jain Institute of Management Recognised​for Global Ingenuity, Innovation and Creativity

Bangalore: Business schools have long been important drivers of change by creating an environment where out-of-the-box thinking flourishes. Today, at its 2016 Deans Conference, AACSB International (AACSB), the global accrediting body and membership association for business schools, recognised the S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research (SPJIMR) among a sampling of 30 innovations that represent how business schools are innovating and diversifying the business education environment.

Celebrated as part of AACSB's Centennial Anniversary and upcoming Visioning Initiative, the inaugural 'Innovations That Inspire' (http://www.aacsb.edu/innovations-that-inspire) shines a spotlight on a variety of ways that AACSB member schools, around the globe, are working to innovate and diversify the business education environment. From their approaches to research and learning, to their engagements with stakeholders and oversight of their management and operations, business schools are redefining the way that academic institutions of all kinds create, teach, connect, and lead.

"It is my pleasure to recognise SPJIMR for its role in spearheading ingenuity within the business education landscape," said Thomas R. Robinson, president and chief executive officer of AACSB International. "As AACSB celebrates 100 years of improving quality management education worldwide, it is important for those within and outside of the industry to be reminded of the vision, leadership, and innovative thinking business schools bring to the table. Through our 'Innovations That Inspire' recognition, SPJIMR stands as a testament to how business schools are driving positive impact within their communities and society at large, through their groundbreaking practices and continuous focus on excellence."

SPJIMR was recognised for their submission # iamspjimr (http://www.aacsb.edu/about/awards/innovations-that-inspire/recipients/sp-jain-institute-of-management-research ), which detailed a timed, zero-cost social media campaign around authenticity-- the core of the Institute.

This campaign was co-created with a group of senior alumni and faculty through an email group. The idea that emerged was that, on a voluntary basis, in a two-hour window, SPJIMR stakeholders (faculty, staff, students, alumni) would describe a way in which the Institute has touched their lives with the hashtag #iamspjimr. Emails were sent out to all internal stakeholders and alumni. Each alum who was part of the co-creating team reached out to his or her network. SPJIMR alumni included some of the top names in digital marketing, and the campaign strategy itself was completely co-created.

"On behalf of team SPJIMR, I am happy to say that we are proud to have won this award because this is an award for being innovative. Our vision says that we want to be one of Asia's most innovative and socially responsive institutes. This is the beginning. A total of 296 institutes applied for this competition and there are only 30 winners from across the world. We are one, and therefore by this reckoning, one of the 30 best institutions in terms of innovation worldwide. We hope this is the first of many recognitions to come" said Dr.Ranjan Banerjee, Dean, SPJIMR.

For a detailed overview of the featured innovations, please visit http://www.AACSB.edu/Innovations-That-Inspire. In the coming months, AACSB will continue to showcase more schools and innovations that demonstrate an impressive range of creativity and commitment to quality. Additionally, access to the full portfolio of submissions will be available to member schools via AACSB's benchmarking database, DataDirect.

A comprehensive look at AACSB's upcoming Visioning Initiative is also available online at http://www.AACSB.edu/Vision, and findings from the Visioning Initiative will be presented at ICAM 2016 in Boston, MA, USA on April 3-5, 2016.