IT WAS their first time in Mumbai. And they nearly got mowed down by traffic when they went out jogging on Monday.
But the 30 management students from McCombs School of Business, University of Texas, Austin, were suitably impressed by the financial, healthcare and IT sectors in India.
‘‘Here, the family unit at the corporate level is very significant,’’ said Crystal Johnson, a 25-year-old first-year student who was touched to learn that the couches outside the Intensive Care Unit were for patients’ family members. ‘‘Such a sight is quite rare in the US.”
On Tuesday, Johnson and her 29 classmates inspected the facilities at the Asian Heart Institute and Research Centre, Bandra-Kurla Complex.
‘‘These students will not be managers for the United States but will be global managers. They will look towards India favorably,’’ explained Dr Prabhudev Konana.
The trip is the associate professor’s brainchild. ‘‘With India and China being the hot topics in the US, management students have to be interested in knowing about the business opportunities in India,’’ he said.
Matt Norris, a 31-year-old student, found the functioning of the Reserve Bank of India—they paid a visit on Monday—similar to that of the Federal Reserve Bank, US.
‘‘After sending an e-mail, there was a reply in five minutes,’’ said Konana, who first sent them a mail asking for permission to visit last year.
Working in India is a definite option, said many. ‘‘Consumerism is growing in India and we can’t ignore the opportunities that are on offer,’’ said Johnson.
Student coordinator Amit Daga agreed. The 32-year-old, who has been working with Texas Instruments for the past seven years, is now keen on shifting base.
‘‘I can implement my ideas and use my expertise in the Indian sector and try to build bridges between India and other countries,’’ said the erudite second-year student.
Ask Lily Fan what she liked about Mumbai and the 29-year-old Chinese student rattles off a long list—the footpaths, couches for relatives in hospitals, bright ICUs, cell phone chargers.
The most impressive though, she insisted, was the number of women who worked in Mumbai. ‘‘In the US, it’s just 15 per cent,’’ piped in Konana.
Shinji Nakagawa, meanwhile, said he was eagerly looking forward to a trip to Varanasi.
‘‘I’ve heard that dead bodies are washed away and not only do people bathe in the river, they also wash clothes,’’ said the 30-year-old Japanese student. ‘‘I want to see and experience all that.’’
But the students can only vacation in March end. Until then, no jogging on Mumbai’s roads.
‘‘People thought we were crazy and we thought we would get hit by the vehicles. So, now we run around the hotel,’’ laughed Norris.
COMMERCE class
* The students from McCombs School of Business, University of Texas, Austin, are in India to witness the changes in India’s financial, healthcare and IT sectors
* It’s the second time Dr Prabhudev Konana, associate professor, Management Information Systems, is bringing students to India
* The students will also visit ICICI Bank
* After Mumbai, the group will head to Bangalore (visit Wipro, Infosys, GE, IBM Global Services, Dell and meet high court judges), Halebidu, Belur and Delhi (GE Financial Services, National Thermal Power Corporation and ad firm Mindshare)
snehalfernandes@expressindia.com