Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publication Trust

With Bhagawan’s Business School, known as School of Business Management Accounting and Finance, enters its Silver Jubilee Year of existence under the Divine guidance of Bhagawan, the SBMAF sought His Divine benedictions for Bhagawan’s guidance for it’s continued journey, role modelling the world of business with its own concept of “Value Based Business Management” – A Report:

It was in the year 1985, in the tenure of the second Vice Chancellor of SSSIHL - Prof. Somnath Saraf that Bhagawan first expressed His desire of starting an MBA programme at SSSIHL. Most people wondered - 'What is the need of starting a 'Business Programme' in an educational institution which is based on the ancient Indian Gurukula System of Education. After all a business is all about making money?!' However, few would have realised that the Vaishyas - the traders and business class formed a very important section of ancient Indian civilisation and performed the important role of paying taxes and other dues to the king righteously and thus assist in the functioning of the kingdom. Even the Purusha Sukta extols the Vaishyas to be the thighs of the Supreme Person. Thus they symbolise as providing a strong base for the society.

In recent times, business and management have a very important role to play in the world scenario. With some corporations having 'Networths' which are greater than the GDPs of entire nations, the corporate world is undoubtedly the focus of most world economies. Bhagawan envisaged the importance of this vital segment in society; but, He did so with a difference. He emphasised that values should be the undercurrent of all business activities and it is only then that Commerce would be truly productive.... It was with this purpose that the erstwhile Faculty of Business Management (now known as the School of Business Management, Accounting & Finance) was started by Bhagawan in August 21, 1986.

Bhagawan's involvement in moulding this unique programme at the Institute was total. In the very first Discourse while addressing the first batch of Management students, He declared that this Institute would be different from other B-Schools in the country. It would focus on Indian Ethos and Values as the basis of business and management. Further, the focus of the Management Programme would be 'Man Management'. Bhagawan says that of all the 6 M's of Management - Money, Methods, Minutes, Material, Machine and Man, Man is the most important as it is Man that gives value to the other 5. Men are more valuable than all the wealth of the world. A unique compilation of Bhagawan's Discourses to His management students has been named by Him as 'Man Management' (available at the SSSST-Publications Division Book Store in the Ashram).

Over the years Bhagawan continued to guide the curriculum of the management programme and introduced important subjects such as Self-Development, Values-Based Management, Leadership, Total Quality Management and Re-engineering, National Perspective and Rural Development and many more which are unique to this Institute in more ways than one. The pedagogy and approach applied to train students in the subject is quite different from the patterns of other conventional institutions.

The focus of the B-School was to mould prospective corporate citizens with professional competence coupled with social sensitivity based on a strong personal character and integrity.

Nearly a quarter century down the line the SBMAF stands a beacon light in the world of business and management wherein other B-Schools across the globe are waking up to the necessity of making their students more ethical in their approach and more sensitive to the needs of all business stakeholders rather than the shareholders alone; the SBMAF has been under the Divine Guidance spearheading such an approach successfully for nearly a quarter century. The laurels received by the alumni in diverse national and international organisations for their professional excellence and personal value systems are a testimony to the unique blend that Bhagawan has lent to this Institution...

On this auspicious occasion, the senior faculty members sought Bhagawan's blessings and grace. A compilation of 45 research papers based on the theme of Values Based Business and Management were compiled in two volumes. One was based on the 'Insights from Ancient Indian Wisdom' and the other one was on the theme of 'Conceptual Perspective and Case Studies'. These research papers authored by the faculty and research scholars of SBMAF have been published in very reputed national and international journals and conferences over the past one decade. Bhagawan very lovingly blessed both the volumes while blessing the senior faculty members from the department, Prof. US Rao, Principal, Prashanti Nilayam Campus, SSSIHL, Prof. Sudhir Bhaskar, Dean, SBMAF; Prof. Kumar Bhaskar, Editor, Man Management; Prof. VE Ramamoorthy and Dr. Deepak Anand.

He also blessed a doctoral research thesis of SBMAF on the topic - Corporate Stakeholders Management: A Study of Contemporary Practices for Stakeholder Welfare and Development of an Implementation Framework which was offered by Shri Shashank Shah, Doctoral Research Scholar, SBMAF, SSSIHL. The Dean, mentioned to Bhagawan that the thesis was unique. While it was based on Bhagawan's message on Dharmic Management, it was also perhaps one of the only thesis in the country where 24 research papers have been published in national and international journals and conferences by the researcher based on the PhD topic even before the submission of the thesis. The research scholar shared with Bhagawan that the statistical analysis done in the research work (based on the responses received from 400 corporate executives from 125 corporate organisations and MNCs) has revealed that 'Employee-related value systems and policies' of an organisation have the greatest impact on the Comprehensive Stakeholder Welfare in organisations. This is what Bhagawan has repeatedly highlighted in Man Management - the importance of the human factor in organisations. Bhagawan was very satisfied on hearing this finding from the researcher... He expressed His satisfaction by putting His right hand on the thesis with the words, 'Chala Santosham!' (Very Happy)

During the occasion Bhagawan also blessed a special card designed for the occasion by the students of SBMAF and also the 25th Year Special Issue of INSAIGHT - The SBMAF Newsletter (downloadable from the SSSIHL website).

The day was a memorable one for all the faculty and students alike. It was a reassurance from Bhagawan that He would always continue to be a part of the 'SBMAF Family'.