Ahmedabad - Wharton Students Study the Indian Business Landscape Through an Interdisciplinary Lens

Ahmedabad University and The Wharton School offer an immersive course, Business and Operations in India: From Gandhi to Globalisation, for MBA students from both institutions. Now in its fourth edition, the course features learning engagements with faculty from The Wharton School, including Professor Ziv Katalan, Adjunct Professor of Operations, and Professor Senthil Veeraraghavan, Panasonic Professor of Operations, alongside faculty from Ahmedabad University, including Professor Pankaj Chandra​​​​​​, Vice Chancellor, and Professor Parag Patel, Dean of the Undergraduate College.

Rooted in an interdisciplinary approach, the course combines classroom learning with the city as a classroom, bringing together students from both institutions through discussions, cultural experiences, visits to heritage sites, and engagements with industries. Together, these experiences examine business at the intersection of society, markets, and government within the broader context of democracy, development, and globalisation.

A moment during a field visit captured the essence of the programme. While visiting Symphony Limited, India’s largest manufacturer of air coolers, students discussed how a familiar household product can be interpreted in markedly different ways depending on disciplinary training. A student from the health sciences viewed air coolers through the lenses of climate change and public health, while a marketing student approached the same product as either an affordable luxury or a mass, low-cost offering. The discussion illustrated how the meaning of a product, a strategy, or even a business purpose shifts depending on perspective and context.

The example illustrates how the meaning of a product, a strategy, or even a business purpose shifts depending on who is viewing it and from where. Rooted in an interdisciplinary approach, the course brought together students from both institutions through discussions, cultural experiences, visits to heritage sites, and engagements with industries.

Over 30 participants from diverse backgrounds, including marketing, medical sciences, public health, artificial intelligence, finance, operations and corporate strategy, and beyond, engaged with the same organisations through different professional lenses. Each interpretation informed the understanding that Indian business requires more than financial metrics or operational models. It requires knowledge of the country's interdisciplinary nature and the complex social realities that influence everyday business shifts.

Academic sessions and field visits brought these ideas to life by illustrating how strategic clarity shapes long-term success. Sustainability surfaced as a central business driver with approaches exemplifying how environmental responsibility are embedded within core operations. Participants further examined how innovative adaptations of marketing strategies can expand reach even in traditionally structured B2B contexts, challenging established norms. Finally, insights into large-scale operations highlighted how resource optimisation, process efficiency, and waste reduction can simultaneously enhance profitability and advance sustainability goals.

These experiences examined business functions by remaining anchored in their core values while adapting to a globalised economy. From Gandhian ideals of service to contemporary debates on sustainability and innovation, the programme traced how businesses operate at the intersection of society, markets, and government within a dynamic democratic ecosystem. The five-day immersive programme encouraged participants to engage in dialogue, site visits, and cross-disciplinary exchange to build a comprehensive understanding of the Indian business landscape.