SDMIMD hosted students from British University in Dubai (BUiD), Dubai, who participated in a week long academic exchange program. They were accompanied by a staff member, Mr. Amer Alaya, Head of Student Administration and Admission, BUiD, Dubai, and enjoyed the ambience and hospitality of SDMIMD in Mysore. The program was inaugurated on 22 August 2016 by Dr. N. R. Parasuraman, Director, SDMIMD, Mysore, in their campus. The faculty of SDMIMD conducted special sessions to the students of BUiD related to courses like Finance, Operations, Marketing, Human Resources, Information Technology, Managerial Communication, and general management. The class sessions were held in the morning every day and in the afternoon, the students were taken on an industry visit. They visited three well established industries namely Vinyas Innovative Technologies, Skanray Technologies, and Software Paradigms India, in Mysore, and had a good exposure to the corporate culture in India, and management practices.
They also visited the Mysore office of Shri Kshethra Dharmasthala Rural Development Project, popularly known as SKDRDP, which is a charitable trust promoted by Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade. Chairman, SDME Trust. SKDRDP concentrates on the empowerment of rural women by organizing Self-help Groups (SHGs) and provides infrastructure and finance through micro credit for the rural people. It also encompasses all aspects of enriching the rural life. The BUiD students got all the information about the social responsibility and rural development by interacting with the executives and personnel from the project group. Further, the BUiD students worked on group projects by collaborating with the second year PGDM students of SDM IMD, under the guidance of the faculty. During the week, one day was exclusively provided for the BUiD students for Social interaction, sightseeing and private time which enabled them to visit popular tourist spots in and around Mysore. The program ended on 27 August 201 with a formal valedictory, and the students were given the certificate of participation. They expressed their happiness and satisfaction about the stay, arrangements, and the academic inputs, which made their visit to Mysore a memorable one.