Dr. Uma Nagarajan, Associate Professor (WILP),
Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani
I am Uma Nagarajan. I am currently working as
an Associate Professor (Off Campus –Management) at Bits Pilani teaching
accounting and finance-related subjects to executive MBA students under their
work integrated learning programmes (WILP). I have over 21 years of corporate
and academic experience in teaching undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive
MBA students. I am very passionate about teaching and take great joy and pride
in what I do. I am also an ardent learner and love reading up about new things.
You are most likely to find me with a cup of coffee in one hand and a book in
the other! That said, I strongly believe in the cliché “All work no play makes
Jack a dull boy”. So, when I am not reading, you will see me practicing
Bharatanatyam or brushing up on my musical skills.
Educational and professional journey
My journey into the world of Commerce started
with a B. Com. followed by a Master's Degree in Commerce from Madurai Kamaraj
University. I am also a Cost and Management Accountant from the Institute of
Cost and Management Accountants, India. I then completed my UGC NET
qualification and finally did my PhD from Bharathiar University. In addition, I
am a certified Career Counsellor from UCLA(University of California, Los
Angeles).
I started my professional journey with Citicorp Securities and Investments Ltd in the year 2000 and then moved to Randstad India Pvt Ltd. I entered the world of academics as a professor in 2005 and have never looked back ever since. I have over 19 years of experience teaching students at undergraduate, postgraduate and executive MBA levels. I have been associated as a visiting/adjunct faculty with numerous Institutes in Delhi and Gurgaon including The Indian School of Business and Finance (academic direction from the London School of Economics through the University of London), IBS Gurgaon, Lady Shriram College (Delhi), The Institute of Cost Accountants (Registered Valuers Organization), BML Munjal University, IILM University and Pearl School of Business, to name a few. I also have extensive teaching experience in external programs of UK Universities like Bradford University, Oxford Brookes University, and the University of London, and US Universities like Stratford University, Western International University, and Victoria University (Australia). In addition, I have handled corporate training classes at Genpact. I am currently working as an Associate Professor (Off Campus –Management) at Bits Pilani teaching accounting and finance-related subjects to executive MBA students.
Areas of expertise
My areas of expertise include various
subjects in Accounting and Finance like Management Accounting, Financial
Accounting, Strategic Financial Management, Security Analysis and Portfolio
Management, Mergers and Acquisitions, Valuation and Financial Modeling
International Financial Management, Financial Statement Analysis, Management
Control Systems, and Business Laws.
Importance of corporate training
The major focus in corporate training is to
impart learning that has practical applicability. One of the best ways to do
this is through experiential learning where students learn by actually doing
things. Students are encouraged to apply the theories and knowledge that they
have learned in the classroom to real-world situations. The learning process is
enhanced through this active hands-on approach with a practical emphasis. This
helps the student reflect on their learning, interconnect learnings across
domain areas, test their applicability in the real world, and critically
analyze the results. Bits Pilani’s executive MBA program is one of the finest
programs that leverages the model of experiential learning to impart education
to working professionals.
Events and programs attended as a speaker
I was invited as a Keynote Speaker at the
Second International Conference on e-Business organised by the Commerce
Department of Asan Memorial College of Arts & Science in August 2014. In
April 2022, I was honoured to be named a Distinguished Adjunct Faculty and
Resource Person at the Asan Memorial College of Arts and Science (affiliatedwith
the University of Madras). I was privileged to be one of the few Invited
Speakers at the ‘Wellness and Well Being Summit’ sponsored by the University of
South Florida M3 Center, University of Naples Federico II, and Academia
Central. (May 2022)
https://thewellnesssummit.org/nagarajan/
Contributions as a mentor
Mentoring students and being a part of their
journey is something that gives me immense joy. I have mentored numerous
students over the last two decades, helping them make career choices and
choosing the right areas of specialization. While I have taught and mentored
Chinese and Korean students who had minimal understanding of English, I have
also taught students from the USA, UK, and Australia whose native language is
English. Needless to say, I have mentored students from India and other Asian
countries too. This experience of teaching and mentoring students at
undergraduate, postgraduate, and Executive MBA levels across four continents
has helped me get a very good understanding of students’ needs, expectations
and learning methods across the globe. This helps me communicate effectively
with students from heterogeneous cultures and steer my teaching to enhance the
learning of students from diverse backgrounds. It also helps me to understand
their expectations and so that I can guide them to choose a path that is best
aligned with their future goals.
Here, I would like to add that while students
across the globe may be different, the idea of good education remains the same.
Good education is not about rote learning or writing exams. It is about
enhancing the creative and critical thinking abilities of students, igniting a
passion for knowledge, fostering the desire to excel, and instilling the right
ethical values, all of which lay the foundation for a strong and good society.
As an educator, I attempt to contribute towards this and hope I can make a
difference in some small way.
Publications and research projects
- I recently published a book on my PhD thesis titled ‘The India China Growth Story: Pre and Post Recession”
- Another major publication of mine was a book chapter titled “Stress Management in Service Organizations” in the book “Employers and Employees in Service Organizations” by Apple Academic Press, New York, in 2017.
- I also published a paper on a comparison of India and China in the International Journal of Economics and Finance published by the Canadian Center of Science and Education.
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