SIIB Blog

SIIB hosts Maruti Suzuki Colors of Youth 2012

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Sun, 30 Dec 2012 04:35:00 +0000

Symbiosis Institute Of International Business hosted Maruti Suzuki Colors of Youth 2012. It’s a hunt for the most versatile, talented and skilled student in B Schools & Professional colleges across India. The event is sponsored by Maruti Suzuki Colors of Youth in association with Dun & Bradstreet. It's an event where participants are judged on skills such as quiz, singing, dancing, music, standup comedy, innovation, quizzing, painting etc. The idea is to find a perfect combination of intellect, personality & outstanding talent.

The celebrity judges present for the occasion were Subir Malik. Isha Koppikar & Anousha Dandekar. The event was also attended by Brand Manager Maruti – Mr. Gaurav Gupta. SIIB campus was jam packed with students from more than 30 colleges in Pune & many students from symbiosis family.

The ambience was eccentric and the occasion was big, there were singers & dancers and there were painters & actors and other artists, all waiting for their moment of fame.

Students from SIIB who made it to the finals of MSCOY 12’

1. Sankar, MBA-E&E, Batch 2011-2013 - Solo Dance

2. Utsav Tayade & Nishesh Pandit, MBA - E&E, Batch 2011-2013 - Painting

3. Apurav Singh - Singing

4. Somil Singhal - Painting

The celebrity judges @ Maruti Suzuki Colors of Youth - Anusha Dandekar,
Isha Koppikar & Subir Malik

Participants performing at the SIIB Auditorium

Registration Kiosk

Winners of the Pune Audition !

SIIB Public Relations Team - Debdeep, Naurula, Jain, Mansee & Santanu

Article contributed by Santanu Das. Santanu is a International Business student , SIIB Pune

( Batch of 2012-14). Management consulting interests him and when not in class you would find him quizzing, debating and going aorund doing PR activities. He can be reached at santanudas@siib.ac.in

Guest lecture by Associate Director, CRISIL

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 19:51:00 +0000

Mr.Vishal Parwani, Associate Director,
CRISIL

Vishal Parwani, associate director at CRISIL Global Research & Analytics, visited SIIB few days ago to enlighten the students on ‘Investment Banking’. India's leading ratings agency - CRISIL is a global analytical player providing ratings, research and risk and policy advisory services.

Mr.Parwani stressed on the areas of operation of the investment banks – capital raising, underwriting, equity research, merger & acquisitions and finally sales & trading. CRISIL’s fort is equity research. According to Mr.Parwani, investment services involves the primary investors, buy side and sell side parties.

Primary Investors – Retail investors, corporations, government entities, trusts & HNIs

Buy Side – Asset management companies, insurance companies, pension fund managers, hedge funds & private banker

Sell Side – Stock brokers, broking division of investment banks

He also described the roles of research analyst, sales analyst and trader. According to him, research analyst analyses fundamentals, arrive at valuation & recommendation (financial models & research reports) and meets management of clients for financial advisory purposes. Sales analyst aids in servicing of existing clients and adding new ones. They facilitates meeting between buy side clients and research analysts. Trader executes trade.

The brokerage earned is allocated in the following ratio – research 40%, sales 40% and trading 20%. Apart from the core services described above, there are support services in I-banks like legal & compliance, treasury, tax, audit, corporate services and infrastructure support.

Article contributed by Santanu Das. Santanu is a International Business student , SIIB Pune

( Batch of 2012-14). Management consulting interests him and when not in class you would find him quizzing, debating and going aorund doing PR activities. He can be reached at santanudas@siib.ac.in

CRACK IT WITH SIIB 2012

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 18:44:00 +0000

SIIB’s annual PR event, Crack It With SIIB ( CIWS ) was held across 13 cities this year. A dedicated team of thirty students visited different cities of India to help their prospective juniors in their quest for the MBA dreams.The idea of the meet was to reach out to the aspirants, solve their queries and provide them insights into the SNAP test and life at MBA & SIIB. The aspirants would also get a chance to meet the alumni of SIIB and get a feel of what is happening in the industry.

CWIS Venue at Kolkata - The Birla Planetarium

CIWS received a very good response across the country - Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kanpur, Kochi Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune. It was attended by hundreds of aspirants.

CIWS offered the aspirants a paper-pencil based mock test exactly replicating the real SNAP. After the test, students of SIIB interacted with the aspirants – gave them a glance of MBA life and life @SIIB and clarified their doubts. The aspirants were given smart tips & strategies to maximize their score at the SNAP tests. The test takers were given all India rankings to enable them gauge their standing before the real test.

CIWS also served as a wonderful opportunity to get back in touch with our respected alumni. Our alumni attended the meet across India and advised the aspirants on their career and provided invaluable insights about the industry happenings

Kolkata - Aspirants waiting anxiously for the test to begin

Ahmedabad . Aspirants during the mock SNAP

Kochi - Q & A session with the aspirants

For any admissions related queries, you can reach us at

Links: https://www.facebook.com/crackitwithsiib?fref=ts

Pagalguy: http://www.pagalguy.com/forums/xat-snap-iift-and-others/2013-2015-siib-admissions-t-86028/p-3604572

Article contributed by Santanu Das. Santanu is a International Business student , SIIB Pune

( Batch of 2012-14). Management consulting interests him and when not in class you would find him quizzing, debating and going aorund doing PR activities. He can be reached at santanudas@siib.ac.in

Swiss ambassador on Globalization

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 17:31:00 +0000

Festival of Thinkers is a lecture series organised by Symbiosis International University. Students of SIIB got the opportunity to attend one such lecture by the honourable Swiss ambassador to India – Dr. Linus Von Castelmur. The theme for the lecture was ‘Globalisation’. The other dignitaries present in the session were Dr.S.B. Majumdar, Dr.Vidya Yeravdekar, Dr.Rajani Gupte, Dr.Prakash Shah and few Swiss delegates.

Dr.Castelmur harped upon the importance of globalisation and centred its importance around five points:

Access to mass production of goods
Centralized services
Mobile labour force
More fragmented product chains
Decreasing linkage of companies to domestic country

He focussed on the fact that globalisation produces winners as well as losers. He cited the example where FDI into a country affects the domestic industry. Thus the need for effective and efficient formulation, implementation and governance of public policy. Speaking on Switzerland, he expressed his apprehension about the decreasing birth rate in Switzerland and the aging population. The aging population in Switzerland is making it extremely difficult for the government to finance pension and allocate funds for development and growth. He added that the technological development have led to decrease in employment rate. He also enlightened us about the public & private debt issues faced by the Swiss.

But in this era of globalisation, Switzerland remains an attractive investment destination thanks to the open economic policies adopted by the government. The country have had current account surplus for the last 30 years. The small and medium scale industries are driven by innovation. He summed up that the positive effects of globalization on any country can be achieved by few steps such as below which are already in place in Switzerland:

Liberal labour market and a flexible economy
Vocational training model
Research and minimum bureaucracy
Immigration of professionals fitting the needs across the various sectors of the industry
High standard of living and excellent infrastructure

According to the Swiss ambassador, it is equally important to preserve the regional culture and customs during these times of globalization.

Article contributed by Santanu Das. Santanu is a International Business student , SIIB Pune

( Batch of 2012-14). Management consulting interests him and when not in class you would find him quizzing, debating and going aorund doing PR activities. He can be reached at santanudas@siib.ac.in

THE WAKAD JOURNEY

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:08:00 +0000

We, the waked team had decided to teach students Basic Computer and English as per their syllabus. Learning without understanding practicality is of no use. We decided to teach them computer theory and simultaneously conduct practicals at their Computer Lab.

On our First visit to their computer Lab, we found the computers in dismal condition. Most of them were either not starting or had their connections loose or the hardware was not properly connected. One of the computers which eventually started did not have a functional keyboard. So we decided to repair and set the computer lab on the spot. The team was able to bring 4 out of 6 computers in working condition. Now the computers are useful for all the classes in practical education.

In our First computer Session, we decided to start from the scratch. In our first Interaction with class, we assessed their knowledge of the computer and its various components. Within few minutes of our interaction we came to know that our section 9 –B had very little knowledge about the Computer and its various features. They knew that Computer is very important for them and for their growth, but did not know what they should know about the computer. They were not familiar with the words like software and hardware.

We decided to teach them from the basic. We started the session with introducing them Hardware and Software terminology. We taught them about what Hardware is and why it is called hardware. We draw a System Diagram to explain, Input devices and Output devices. What are their functioning and how to use them? How hardware is different from software. What are the Importance of both and how each of them Complement each other? We got them acquainted with some common software which is used in Day to Day life.
After acquainting them with various components of Computer, we taught the class about the History of Computer. We started by telling them about early computing devices. Then we moved on to various calculators and First generation of computer. We taught them about various developments in this field and how this development has affected the Computer. How the size of Computer has shrunk and how its speed has increased tremendously. After this we moved on to Laptops and Various Tablets and what are the latest devices which are coming.
In this whole interaction, we never knew where the time flew. We decided to end our session by having a query session about all the things which were explained. We also asked few question to know whether they have understood what has been taught. We ended our session by asking them to read about the internet and e-mails which will be conducted in the next session.
Our first Interaction with the students was pleasant. They were enthusiastic and eager to learn. Yes there were certain naughty students, but what Fun will be there without them. We all left the Wakad School with smile on our faces and some good memories to cherish.

The SIIB Bajaj Workshop

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 07:33:00 +0000

As kids growing up, the “Hamara Bajaj” advertisement was one that we eagerly waited for and probably even led to a lot of us buying a Bajaj as our first vehicle. So it was a moment of pride when we finally met the man who today is the face of Bajaj Auto Ltd.

When a student begins his course at a B-School, one of the things that he/she looks forward to a lot is the guest sessions. The much awaited session with Mr. Rajiv Bajaj took place on the 10^thof September 2012 and the students turned up , eager to learn from one of the brightest business minds that India possesses. The first thing that stood out about this interaction was Mr. Bajaj’s humility and his ability to put everyone at ease. For a man who heads one of the largest private sector companies in India today, he seemed attuned to what we as students were most keen to learn from him. To facilitate this, he began the session by inviting questions spanning all aspects of Bajaj Auto Ltd. which he then proceeded to address through a structured presentation which covered Bajaj’s history and included their strategies over the years.

Mr.Bajaj sharing his experiences with the students of SIIB

We were quite literally spellbound by the amount of knowledge that Mr. Bajaj brought to this session and the clarity with which he put it all together. The session largely dealt with “Brandology”, a concept that was developed within Bajaj Auto, and seems to be the epicentre of everything that they have done to get to the position that they hold in today’s motorcycle market. Mr. Bajaj also seemed to possess an uncanny knack of picking out the most relevant concept from his vast readings, and apply it to the discussion at hand. He spoke at length about how the idea of the Bajaj Pulsar had come about and how it was based on the principles of marketing strategies. The success of the product, he said, was largely down to being able to set the product apart from the clutter in the minds of the consumers. He then listed out these strategies and proceeded to explain how Bajaj had applied them to wrest control of the motorcycle market from Hero Honda, and establish themselves as the pioneers in this field.

No Stepneys in this ride ( In this pic : Rahul Bajaj)

We were vaguely aware of the fact that Mr. Bajaj’s interests ranged from the teachings of Jack Trout to the founding principles of Homeopathy, and we were given a taste of this as he explained to us how he had applied these little nuggets of information to his business. We had also heard about his famous tendency to play down the importance of big name B-Schools and consultants and we were not disappointed as he explained to us why he sets store by logic and not by the rigid principles that are taught at these institutions. He also challenged a lot of the conventional wisdom that we are exposed to and really proved to us that the best decisions are those that are grounded in simplicity. He kept the audience captivated by peppering the session with anecdotes about some of the crucial decisions in Bajaj’s strategy had come about through seemingly innocuous interactions and ideas.

In the end, this session left us with a lot of food for thought which was best summed up in the vote of thanks given by one of the students who said – “Wisdom does not lie in achieving success or in not failing. True wisdom lies in knowing what will succeed and what will not.”

Article authored by Jaidatt Udiyavar and Nikhil Budhiraja .Nikhil and Jaidatt are final year students of SIIB, Pune .Both did their internships at Asian Paints. They are very passionate about marketing. Their interests include exploring different methodologies of branding .

SIIB Leadership Series 2012

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 03:06:00 +0000

The theme of SIIB Leadership Series 2012 was ‘ Rediscovering the middle east ‘. The event commenced with the lighting of the lamp by the honorary guests - Dr.Vidya Yeravdekar, Principal,Director Symbiosis, Dr.Rajani Gupte, Director, SIIB ,Dr. Bhushan Patwardhan, Vice Chancellor , SIU, Dr. Talmiz Ahmad, former ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Mr. Pankaj Khimji , Omani Business tycoon , KR Group and Dr.Dileep Padgaonkar , veteran journalist, consulting editor TOI, and head of the R.K.Lakshman chair in Symbiosis.

The honororary guests lighting the Lamp . (From Left) Dr.Vidya Yeravdekar ,
Dr. Talmiz Ahmad, Dr.Dileep Padgaonkar, Dr. Bhushan Patwardhan ,
Mr. Pankaj Khimji and Dr.Rajani Gupte.

Dr.Rajani Gupte enlightened us about the theme - the political scenario in the middle east and its relevance in world affairs. Dr.Vidya Yeravdekar , shared her experiences as a doctor in Oman and the close links the country shares with India.

The honorary guests enlightened us on the affairs of Middle-East.

Mr. Talmiz Ahmad , chief guest throwing light on the Arab Spring

Dr. Talmiz Ahmad spoke on ‘The Arab Spring: Present Scenario and Implications for India’ . He enlightened us about the incidents of the uprising , their causes and ramifications that shook the Arab World.

Mr. Pankaj Khimji highlighted the strong connect Oman has with India - one in five Omani has Indian roots and Hindi is easily understood in Oman. He also understored how Oman braved the economic downturn and that his country is one of the better performing economies of the world today.He stressed on the opportunities the gulf nation brings to the Indians.

Dr.Dileep Padgaonkar was one of the three interlocutors appointed by the Govt of India to undertake a sustained dialogue with the people of Jammu & Kashmir.He shared his experiences with us and threw light on the interest the Kashmiris showed in the Arab spring.

Our guests speakers also entertained a Q & A session and patiently answered all the questioned raised by the SIIB students .

Q & A session with the audience

The SIIB Leadership Series 2012 ended with a vote of thanks to the honorary guests , faculty , LS 2012 team , the SIIB students and everybody who all strived to make it a big success !

SIIB Leadership Series 2012 team

The SIIB audience during LS 12

Links :

https://www.facebook.com/SiibLeadershipSeries2012

The story has been reported by Santanu Das. Santanu is a International Business student , SIIB Pune ( Batch of 2012-14).When not in class you will find him quizzing, debating or running around for PR activities. He took care of Media & Buzz Creation activities of Leadership Series 2012. He can be reached at santanudas@siib.ac.in

INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATION

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 18:08:00 +0000

We celebrated India’s 66^th Independence Day at the Symbiosis Infotech campus. The chief guest to grace the occasion was Dr.K.Subramaniam.Other dignitaries to share the dais were Directors of SIC, SIIB and SCMHRD and the campus administrator, Colonel Kadamb.The event was also attended by the faculties of the Symbiosis fraternity . After the flag hoisting and singing of the national anthem, directors of all three institutes and the campus administrator addressed the gathering. The Chief guest inspired us to make contributions towards the welfare of our country and discharge ourselves from the guilt of not having done enough for the country.

Dr.Rajani Gupte addressing the gathering

The Students of Symbiosis at SIC

Dr.Rajani Gupte , our director, enlightened us on an aspect of cognitive psychology called Attribute Bias in which a person tends to attribute success to himself, while finding external causes for the failures. She also suggested us possible means to overcome this problem which can help us in taking our India ahead. After the session, young children and members of the Prayatna team sung patriotic songs to add more grandeur to the occasion.

I have attended many independence days since my school days. But there was something unique about this one which made me hit the keyboard. Today there was an incident which not only accurately described India’s current plight but also gave us the direction to take India to newer heights. During the course of the event , a bunch of saffron , white & green balloons were released but they got stuck in the strings which hung the paper flags . Isn’t it symbolic of India's inability to touch the sky because it is constrained by the strings of illiteracy, poverty, corruption and crime. But wait ! Followed by this, we also witnessed the solution -Two young students of SIIB , who went up to the terrace to disentagle the strings and freed the balloons.

So, it is us the youngsters who can cut the strings that restricts India’s growth. We need to understand that this is our country and we are responsible for its success and failure . Let us all contribute in every possible way we can and be a proud INDIAN !

Authored by Rahul Tiwari . Rahul is a first year student of International Business at SIIB , Pune (Batch 2012-14). His hobbies include observing and studying the behavior of animals and birds and capturing them in his camera. He can be reached at rahultiwari@siib.ac.in

Marketing - From Inception to Conclusion

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 10:15:00 +0000

Business has only two functions - marketing and innovation.

Milan Kundera

Business has only two functions - marketing and innovation. Marketing provides ‘leverage’ and ‘direction’ to innovation”

My Version of above

Marketing: From Inception to Conclusion

Let’s say you have to build a house for yourself, you would start with laying base which you may call ‘groundwork’ for the same, the second step would be to erect the ‘structure’ of the house like walls, pillars etc. The final step would be the ‘materialization’ wherein you buy the furniture, curtains and décor. Now that your house is finally built next task is to ‘maintain’ which you do by leaning it every day and repainting every couple of years.

Building a house can be very similar to establishing and then running a company, let’s have a closer look at the four steps of building a house and understand how these four different phases of marketing would not only help one start a company but also run it effectively.

Step one, the laying groundwork is the ‘foundation’ of a company which is the first principle of marketing, and it can further be divided into four sub stages:-

1) Core Concepts – company’s approach to market

2) Customer perceived value

3) Market driven strategy – understanding the prevailing environment & formulating an optimum strategy

4) Understanding the customer buying behavior

If I decide to get into the business of selling shoes, primarily I need to decide would I be producing the shoes myself or would I be a channel partner or should I just operate a multi brand outlet. Deciding this is the very foundation of my business and the ‘marketing processes’ like ‘research’ would allow me to make an informed and suitable decision. Marketing is not just about selling; it is about taking right decisions at right time.

Step two, erecting the structure is the ‘Formation’ of the company which again can further be divided into three sub parts:-

1) Segmenting – Classifying mass on basis of demographics, age, sex, passion etc.

2) Targeting – Selecting one or more segment as your target group

3) Positioning – Presenting your brand in a appealing manner to selected target group.

Now that I have decided that I would operate a multi brand shoes outlet, next I need to decide is who I would be selling to, to the rich urban class or average middle class, to which age group would I be catering because my product would depend on that.

If I want to target middle class school children then I would sell leather shoes of Liberty or Bata, if I decide to target the urban class youth I would keep a stock of elegant and stylish shoes of brands like Nike or Adidas.

In order to make this decision I must study the market, competition, society demographics etc. This process is nothing but marketing and in order to take the right decisions you need marketing.

Step three; the materialization would be the ‘manifestation’ of the company, which can also be further divided into four sub parts

1) Product – Market & product research that goes into product fabrication

2) Price – deciding on price on basis of target group, competition & margins.

3) Placement – Retail & distribution channel, setting up accessible markets for product

4) Promotion - spreading the idea

Let’s say I have finalized the target segment (rich urban youth) for my multi brand store, my products would be sports shoes, casual sandals and party wear shoes. The price should not only give me a profitable margin but should also be appealing to consumer which will give me an edge over competition. Now to spread the idea I would do some promotional activities like advertisements or sales offers.

Needless to say, deciding on all these parameters is again a function of marketing.

Step four - Now I have my store up and running, so next task is the ‘maintenance’ which in business world may be referred to as dealing with competition and maintaining your quality standards at a reasonable cost.

I would do that by measuring the consumers’ response and continuously observing the tactics of competition and always keeping myself updated with upcoming trends and fashion.

Marketing is not about just limited a product, it is a cycle of multiple processes which understands the customer perceived value and then creates, promote and deliver the same to achieve customer satisfaction.

When you build your house the foundation would not be visible to the visitors and structure would be covered with materialization like curtains, doors, emulsions, hence people would only notice the décor and furnishings.

Same happens in world of marketing too, the foundation and structure goes unnoticed in many cases and people only notice the manifestation and on basis of that they develop an understanding of marketing which is only limited to manifestation like advertising and sales offers.

For example if one is to analyze Wal-Mart, one notices that it is successful because of low price and high availability and we limit the marketing to only in shop offers and branding. One must understand that the inception of the very idea of having large stock and selling at a lower price is result of marketing. It is the foundation of the company, a market driven strategy deduced after understanding the consumer perceived value and buying behavior.

Same principal applies to Indigo airlines which have the second largest market share in India (16.7%), its approach to market is providing quality service to middle class person at a reasonable cost.

Marketing is not just about spreading the idea; it is a cycle which helps in inventing, maintaining and delivering the Idea.

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:16:00 +0000

Lights, Camera, Action!

Passion rebuilds the world for the youth. It makes all things alive and significant.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

A nation so rich in heritage and so diverse in culture must always embrace its soul; which for India lies in the colors of its youth.

It might have been the exact sentiment that led Maruti Suzuki to initiate a nationwide talent hunt to find the most enigmatic, talented & colorful individual (or a group).

Maruti Suzuki Colors of Youth; an initiative taken in association with Zee Business TV & consulting partner Dun & Bradstreet is a talent hunt show for B school students conducted in B-Schools across the country.

But unlike other B School competitions, the motto is not just to look for the sharpest mind or best analytical skills. The intent is to find a perfect combination of excellent intellect, a vivid personality & outstanding talent (extracurricular).

Someone who could use his extracurricular talent with the same affluence with which he uses his brain, someone who could dance or sing or paint with the same panache with which he answers business trivia.

SIIB got the opportunity to hold the city auditions & also the city finale for Pune city round of MSIL Colors of Youth and as expected the event turned out to be one of the biggest extravaganzas of the year not only for SIIB but quite possibly for all business students across the city.

SIIB campus was jam packed with students from 18 colleges from Pune & many students from symbiosis family, The ambience was eccentric and the occasion was big, there were singers & dancers and there were painters & actors, all waiting for their moment of fame. The task was to perform to one’s best ability & outdo others in one of the four given fields; Dance, Singing, Mimicry (comedy), Painting.

Whatever you chose to do, the bottom line is; it must leave a mark on judges.

The other highlight of the event (besides the performances) was the judges themselves. As the judges for this Event were two highly talented and successful individuals; former Miss World Diana Hayden & the famous rock star Mr Subir Malik (of Parikrama fame).

After a day filled with outstanding performances, judges finalized on 8 performers which will compete the very next day at the same venue for a slot in Zonal finals; moments to cherish for SIIB as 3 out of 8 finalists were from SIIB itself and that too in different forms of art.

City finals was a big occasion, a live audience of around three hundred, exclusive telecast on television, an opportunity to reach zonal finals. The stage was set for the stars to shine and impress.

The day began with performances from each finalist, and as expected the level of competition was even fiercer and passion was unambiguously palpable.

Representatives from Zee business TV; the media partner of the event were busy taking bytes of the participants after the round 1 of performances and so was Radio Mirchi; meanwhile the emcee had engaged the audience in a jig and had them fixed to their seats.

After the performances were done, next level of filtration was a trivia round to test their general and business awareness.

The scores from performances & quiz were to be compiled by the judges & the decision was to be taken.

After an anxious half hour for the participants, decisions were announced by the judges Diana Hayden & Subir malik. The four out of 8 finalists were selected for Zonal finals to happen in February.

A very proud moment for SIIB as two of the four selected were from SIIB; Dance & painting.

The day ended on a high note with Emcee involving audience along with the participants in a jam on stage and rest were dancing to the tunes wherever they could find space in the auditorium.

PR Meet 2011-'12

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:06:00 +0000

It was a Sunday afternoon in January 2011, about six weeks after the SNAP exam, when I attended the Annual ‘City meet’ of SIIB. While I was interacting with the speakers and simultaneously analyzing my future prospects for SIIB (which later turned out were actually pretty good) a thought suddenly crossed my mind – “It would have been so cool if I was the speaker addressing this crowd”. Not knowing what fate had in store for me, I made a promise to myself that if I do get admitted to SIIB I will join the PR team.

10 months later, October 2011 another Sunday afternoon I am delivering a similar presentation while addressing a crowd of 100 odd nervous aspirants.

The 10 month journey from being a spectator to be a speaker has been nothing less than spectacular; my first day at college, first interaction round with seniors, Interview for PR team and preparing day and night along my with team mates to make sure that when the day comes we fall short of nothing and deliver the expected.

The PR (Public Relations) team bears all responsibilities related to official communication and visibility of college but the ‘Crack it with SIIB city meets’ is what everyone dearly waits for as it is a completely student driven initiative which gives us an amazing opportunity to meet our potential juniors and share our thoughts and experience with the aspirants. Same is also a wonderful platform for the aspirants to gain some extremely useful tips and insights on SNAP exam and process beyond that (GD’s, PI’s). We try our best to facilitate the journey that aspirants go through; which starts at the preparation stage and ends at the very door of SIIB.

On a personal front, I was eagerly waiting for the meet as it allows one to feel the same adrenaline again as one did a year ago when he/she was one of the Aspirants and also to realize how does it feel to be on the other side of the crowd.

The motive is to conduct the workshop in all major towns on the very same day accessing as much populace as we can across the country. This year we have planned to conduct this workshop in 13 major cities reaching every corner of India.

Invitations have been send, teams have been designated, months of planning & preparation boils down to the week of the city meet when we all embark on a journey to the designated cities to conduct the ‘Crack it with SIIB’ city meets.

For the PR meet scheduled on 20^th Nov, I along with my two colleagues leave for Delhi to make arrangements and to conduct the workshop. We spent the preliminary days making venue arrangements and contacting as much coaching institutes and colleges in city as possible to invite the respective students to the workshop. Last but not the least, we got our suits dry cleaned and we were all set to represent our college.

The day went fine with people turning up in good numbers and two of our distinguished alumni gracing the occasion with their presence. The students seemed satisfied interacting with us and the alumni.

The workshop acted as a platform where aspirants could quench their thirst of knowledge when it comes to MBA program and SNAP exam, hence the session was aimed to provide a firsthand experience of life at a B-School & I think we were pretty successful in doing so. The aspirants seemed to appreciate the value of MBA and how it can act as a catalyst for their career.

Evening, in order to celebrate the success of the event we went out for dinner with both of our alumni and believe you me it turned out to be an enthralling experience, not just because of good food but because of the amazing anecdotes our seniors had in store for us.

As our super seniors were sharing their stories (indeed very interesting) with us we could see them getting a bit nostalgic and sentimental. For us it was a great feeling to see the level of commitment and love they have for their Alma Mater, Indeed a lesson for all of us to learn.

The Event was a huge success all across the county, the response was terrific, we addressed around 1500 people pan India. But the best moment for me was yet to come and it came a couple of days after I reached college.

It was in form of a mail which said “It was indeed a really good presentation and I wish I could do the same when I join SIIB”.

Regional Aspiration...A Step Further

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:27:00 +0000

Every two months a young college student in Rourkela, Orissa travels to Kolkata, West Bengal to shop for garments & accessories for himself & his close friends…A local Shoes trader in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh travels to Delhi every week to observe the latest trends & fashions with respect to footwear; in order to replicate the same designs for his stock of shoes to be sold in Meerut…The only thing common between them is that they both pander to Aspirational marketing & if studied together; they explain the Cause & effect relationship of a new phenomenon emerging from Aspirational marketing (which we will discuss later in the article).

Aspirational marketing is not new to the world of management; as it has been extensively exploited by the behemoth of Multinational corporations dealing in luxury brands for years. Aspirational marketing is a management technique that companies worldwide exercise to present their brand to a particular set of people in such manner that people would feel elevated & superior by associating themselves with that brand. The brand image is created in a way that people look up to that brand for its esteem & prestige; it is done by bracketing that brand with a certain element like a person, sport, Quality, ambition, or human trait that people are in awe of.

‘Raymond’ as a brand has been successful in crafting an inspirational brand by presenting the protagonist as a successful, global man; which people aspire to be (A complete man). The legendary ‘Marlboro Man’ campaign would be more precise an example. Associating a brand of sports shoes (Nike) with a global celebrity like ‘Michael Jordan’ can also be classified under the genre of Aspirational marketing. This process is extremely prevalent in developing nations as they have a constant desire to follow the west in fashion & lifestyle, so companies by connecting their brands to the desired elements create an Aspirational image amongst consumers. The study of Aspirational marketing in context of Indian society and market would help us answer a lot of unasked questions; such as:-

Why does almost every lounge in Indian metros emphasize on English (or western) tracks? The answer lies in the preference of young music followers as they are severely dedicated towards western music, not because the Hindi music is not peppy enough but because they (or ‘WE’ in many cases) feel pride being in the same class.

Why do Indian apparel brands such as ‘Kuotons’ use foreign origin models for their Brand advertisement in Indian market?The answer is simple & has already been stated in the above paragraph. Post Independence, both ‘the good and bad’ of the western lifestyle has influenced the Indian way of living; as ‘Dev Anand’ eloquently portrayed in his cult classic ‘Dum Maro Dum’. It reached its epitome in 1970’s when everything from Movies to daily wear garments (Bell bottoms) to food (fast food) to music (Disco & break dance) was directly influenced by western culture. Media after the advent of color television in 1982 & cable television a few years later has played a pivotal role in building this phenomenon from a niche segment to a mass occurrence. Mass mediums like Internet then gave us more exposure than ever to the global scenario.

Since then The Businessmen of the world have used this concept in daily operations to market & sell their products & services in India.

Otherwise; how would you explain such rapid success of fast food chain like ‘Pizza Hut’ or ‘McDonald’s in Indian market? Good market research & marketing policies! Yes Of-course it is one of the factors.

But isn’t it majorly because the youth of the nation has grown up watching Americans enjoying their hamburgers sitting on the bench with ‘Ronald Mcdonald’…!!! Aspirational marketing is not just limited to India or other developing nations, it can & it does occur in every society as people everywhere idolize some or the other element like celebrities, quality, form of sport etc, & this process admiration would be used by entrepreneurs to promote their brand by relating it with that particular element of admiration.

It is not just limited to one country or people in that country looking up to a different country & being influenced by their flamboyance. This process has evolved itself in such a way that it is now integrated to different states, cities or regions in any given country, wherein a certain set of people in a certain region looks up to a different section of people in some other region for inspiration. This gradual evolution of Aspirational marketing has led to a new phenomenon known as Regional Aspirational marketing.

Let’s not confuse this with local marketing as local marketing is to pick a globally successful product, adding a local regional flavor in it & presenting it to the consumers in that particular region. This form of marketing caters to the Pride factor associated with the regionalism, like regional language, food or regional attire. A nationwide television broadcasting channel playing soaps & movies in Marathi language in Maharashtra for the local customers is a classic example of this phenomenon. ‘Spiderman the Movie’ being dubbed in Bhojpuri for the local industry is another illustration of Local marketing.

Regional Aspirational marketing is when a set of people in a certain region wish to emulate other set of people in different regions & trends followed by them. The businessman in that scenario would connect his products with the later & presents it to the former. So that the former set of people feels proud to be associated with the particular brand.A businessman operating a restaurant in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, with the restaurant serving Delhi centric cuisines & provides ambience which relates to lifestyle in Delhi can be cited as a case of Regional Aspirational marketing.

Again, let us try to understand this process in the context of Indian society & market. A quick analysis of cases mentioned in the starting should help us do that.A college student in Rourkela, Orissa & his friends are inspired by the fashion & culture of the Kolkata (the nearest metro city to Rourkela) & hence they try to follow the same trends being followed in Kolkata & visits Kolkata often to shop for their clothes & accessories.

A local shoe trader in Meerut knows that youth of Meerut is influenced by the Flamboyance of Delhi & given an opportunity they would like to follow their footsteps in regards to fashion. Therefore the trader goes to Delhi every week to understand the new designs of footwear & try to replicate the same designs in his stock of shoes. It might also work out well for the youth of Meerut as they are getting what they desire, but at a lower cost than actual price of those goods in Delhi market. Regional Aspirational marketing in India forms a cycle of admiration, where in people in villages’ looks up to nearest tier 2 or 3 city for exposure, Tier 2 & 3 cities gets influenced by larger metros & the people in Metros in India are inspired by the Western flamboyance.

Just like in case of people in Agra (tier 2), who might be influenced by lifestyle in Delhi (metro) & hence would prefer the Delhi centric restaurant, people in Delhi (metro) would admire Western lifestyle & would prefer to visit a Manchester club thematic Lounge. The trick is to NOT to miss a link in this chain, if a businessman associates its brand with a western Element & presents it to tier 2 & 3 cities, it might not work out in his favor.Opening a Manchester club Lounge in Agra (tier 2) might not be the best Idea.(This is considering that Agra youth might not be as exposed to club Football as Delhi youth)

This technique has been nicely put to use by Vishal Mega mart in its retail concept. Vishal mega mart’s strategy is to open more out lets in tier 2 & 3 cities & expose them to fashion being followed in Delhi.

The Idea is to offer a consumer (which is majorly youth in case of Vishal) clothes closely imitating the clothes which a tier 2 consumer might see people in Metros wearing & also actors wearing in Hindi movies & soaps (which increases the demand even more). It works out well for both the customers & The Vishal mart; as the customers are delighted to access these goods at a lower price as compared to the actual price in Metros & Vishal mega mart instead of selling established brands produce their own brands replicating the trend in Metros which offer them economies of scale & thus higher returns in Volumes.

Vishal mega mart is not the only player indulging in regional aspiration marketing, there will be other players following the same concept in business of durables, gadgets, fashion or retail, But the scope is still humongous. Considering that purchasing power parity of rural India & tier 2 cities is increasing day by day, Companies are lining up to market their products in the given segments. This will lead to cut throat competition amongst different brands as everyone would work out strategies to enhance their market share.

In a scenario like this, victorious would be the one who could relate with the masses well, One who could make them feel proud while spending money, One who would be able to understand their sentiments & what they aspire and to deliver the same to them in different regions of different states of a given country in affordable prices.

Written By: Nikhil Budhiraja

Curtain Raiser @ SIIB '11-13 Batch

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:03:00 +0000

Late night studies to prepare for SNAP, going through various levels of group discussions & interviews and of course endless prayers, has finally led us to the big Gate which reads -

“SYMBIOSIS INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS”.

The new session has started and started off with a bang!!! From the very exciting & adventurous outbound session to an equally surprising ice breaking session with the seniors, life here is hectic but immensely enjoyable at the same time.

The outbound session; although perceived strictly as management learning outdoor experience, turned out to be more of a merry making management festival for juniors, thanks to the innovative ideas & the beautiful way it was conducted. One can’t get enough of those management games and the wonderful performances that it brought from all of us!!!

The batch consists of people coming from different backgrounds of society & distinct paths of life; but with a common dream – ‘To make it large’. I realized that our batch like every other batch at SIIB is full of Dreamers & Debaters, that’s what made the trip so very enthralling (even the Mountain trekking taught us a few management lessons).

The road ahead seems to be incredibly exciting with a lot of scope to learn & grow as an individual (& to do this while having a time of your life makes it even more worth it!!!).

Like in most Bollywood Movies (where Hero makes a grand entry) our seniors enthralled us with their grand entry (after they came back from summer trainings). Their innovation and impeccable implementation in conducting the Ice–Breaking session was marvelous. Hats off to you SIR!!!

This really made us comfortable interacting with them on variety of Topics & learn more about the institute. The wonderful equation built on the very first day with them still continues smoothly & will always do…

SIIB is a student driven institution, which has a lot of activities handled by students themselves. Students get to work for some interesting clubs & communities. Be it Alumni interactions, Guest lectures, Public relations, Students activity, Sport committee or a non-profit Non-Government Organization run by students – Prayatna, the list is never-ending…

The journey so far has been exhilarating; we have yoga sessions, aerobics classes, salsa classes, a movie club, late night activities, late night cricket etc. The campus is huge and awesome with sporadic spells of rain!! The campus seems to have some different energy; people remain busy for 24 hours. The professors are the icons, the ground breakers for all us and not to miss our very cooperative seniors. Altogether

an… AMAZING START!!!

The day ahead seems to be full of promise, hope and achievements. I hope that all my friends have a great stay at the campus. I thank all the professors and seniors for such a welcome. We hope to continue the on-going tradition of SIIB. "

Film-maker Ashutosh Gowariker – enthralls SIIBians!!

noreply@blogger.com (Padmanabh) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 09:28:00 +0000

The ‘Lagaan’ director was at Symbiosis Institute Of International Business, Hinjewadi, Pune for a discussion on management & film-making.

Leadership skills, ethical practices, effective planning and execution, human relations, emotional quotient, etc. are key managerial skills, MBA students aspire for. Cinema and process of film-making have always been closely associated with these managerial aspects. Such qualities are best-depicted through films and therefore, today movie-scripts are often used as case studies in educational institutes and the corporate world. Director- Mr. Ashutosh Gowariker is one such film-maker whose protagonists Bhuvan (Lagaan) & Mohan Bharghav (Swades) changed our perception of the conventional ‘hero’, by bringing about a revolution through lateral thinking, with patriotism as the backdrop.

On 18th February 2011, Symbiosis Institute of International Business, Hinjewadi Pune (SIIB) invited Mr. Ashutosh Gowariker for a guest lecture on “Management & managerial aspects of films and film-making”.

Dr. Rajani Gupte, Director, SIIB and Dr. Vidya Yervadekar, Principal Director, Symbiosis Society, were also a part of the programme.

Mr. Gowariker began the session, with his early experiences as an actor, gradually moving towards film-making, which involved financing, operational issues, film-promotions & marketing, etc. He then spoke about how he zeroed down ‘leading actors’ for his films, based on the character’s temperament. He also threw light on how a film’s success and failure both equally important for a film-maker.

Highlights of the session:

The simplicity, humility & straightforwardness with which Mr. Ashutosh put forth his points, thoughts, ideas and experiences, wrapped in humour, had the audience in splits.

He came down to the level of youngsters which set the comfort level of the audience.

The journey of his gradual evolution from an actor to director, director to a producer and finally from a producer to writer, with confusion and chaos at every stage, is something every youngster faces at this point of time, and could therefore connect to the transition process instantly.

The interaction was the USP of the show, since people actually came out with frank, open queries, and having most of the questions answered much to their satisfaction.

Overall, it was a highly interactive, humorous and interesting session, and the audience enjoyed every bit of it.

End of Kyoto ?

noreply@blogger.com (Padmanabh) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 07:10:00 +0000

The Kyoto Protocol set its first step on a social cause, i.e. contributing to ‘Combat climate change’. Today, it has developed into an effective & highly industry driven ‘global business plan’ wherein profits, brownie points (carbon credits) and trading of brownie points go hand in hand. Kyoto involves the developed, developing and least developed nations. India and China are major markets for Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects.

Each element of the CDM, right from the project design document to registration of a project is a business in itself involving positioned tailor-made entities at every stage. Tools like perform trade and achieve, renewable energy certificates, could act as close complements to the Protocol.

In addition, sustainability reporting & corporate social responsibility aimed towards fulfilling socio-economic and environmental obligations could prove to be effective tools of brand building as well.

To summarize, it isn’t feasible for nations to let go of such offbeat, yet fairly consistent sources of income and brand management, just owing to ‘documented’ deadlines. The ‘so called’ end to Kyoto shall only give rise to its closest substitute in the form of a similar, innovative business mechanism, differently named, but ultimately contributing to its principal cause ‘Combat climate change’.

Aarohan 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 05:39:00 +0000

Aarohan -SIIB's National Level Supply Chain and Logistics Summit will be held this Friday , February 25th 2011. It is the fourth edition of Aarohan, and it has carved a space for itself in the Nation B-school event calendar . Aarohan has from start featured a National Level case study competition focusing on Operations, Supply Chain and Logistics. This year the theme for the case study was the Pharmaceuticals and healthcare industry.

The Supply Chain Summit is a platform where eminent personalities from the Industry share their views with the students. The theme of this year’s event is “Missing Links in Supply Chains”. Aarohan’11 will also host a Panel Discussion based on the theme “Risks with the Last Link of Supply Chain”. The participants in the Panel Discussion include professionals from both Corporate and Academia.

The preparations for the Pre-Events are in full swing , and for the first time , there is going to be a Post-Event too ( "War of DJs" ) where all can let down their hair after some serious gray cell activity after the Panel discussion and the Finalists of the Case study competition presenting their case solutions to the judges.

http://www.siib.ac.in/contents.aspx?id=197&lid=230&pid=153

The 25 things I learned at SIIB (or thought so)

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:04:00 +0000

It's not time to make a change
Just relax, take it easy
You're still young, that's your fault
There's so much you have to know
Find a girl, settle down
If you want you can marry
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy

I was once like you are now
and I know that it's not easy
To be calm when you've found something going on
But take your time, think a lot
Think of everything you've got
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not

(Son)
How can I try to explain, when I do he turns away again
It's always been the same, same old story
From the moment I could talk I was ordered to listen
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go

(Father)
I was once like you are now
and I know that it's not easy
To be calm when you've found something going on
But take your time, think a lot
Think of everything you've got
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not

(Son)
All the times that I cried
keeping all the things I knew inside
It's hard, but it's harder to ignore it
If they were right, I'd agree
but it's them they know not me
Now there's a way and I know that I have to go away
I know I have to go
-Ronan Keating ("Father and Son")

Experiences cannot be quantified yet the pages of memoirs are limited.The ink and page should approximate what the eyes saw, the mind thought and the senses felt.My journey in SIIB ends in roughly 20 odd days, so I thought this post should deal at length with some of the things I learned here.

1)In Semester 1 ,it felt good to be back in a classroom after some years of corporate life.One promises to study hard and play harder .Life seems rosy.The world is conquerable in six PowerPoint slides.Or maybe not under the withering glance of wizened Professors who have seen the same trick somewhere else.

2)You promised yourself that this time the mistakes you made as an undergraduate would not be repeated. Ha ! Life's little jokes. So history repeats and will again. Caveat emptor, future SIIBians.

3)Do your own thing anyways , keep your head above the water while doing that "own thing". This needs some further explanation. There is not an exact correlation between CGPA and the job you land , though for certain jobs ,it helps to have an edge.See where your interests lie and if they are not exactly being a topper in academics,but say dramatics : make sure the two years are filled with drama.That may mean you may not be able to attend all the classes,and some assignments may not be as top notch had an extra hour been spent on it.The point I am trying to make is an old one : do not miss the woods for the trees.

4)It is easier said than done to retire by age 35 unless you are Warren Buffet .The quote "do a job you love to do and you will not feel you are working" is not always realizable.One can do financial planning but why would one retire by 35 ?The average Indian lives upto 70 years , what would you do with 50% of your life ?If you can answer that , then you should go all out for that retiring early bit.

5)Income taxes matter, beyond the basics one should know.Irrespective of the specialization one chooses.Yes,even if you are a people's person and could not care about money.

6)Presentation skills matter. So do Excel and PowerPoint.Learn them.Do not exceed time limits meant for Presentations in classroom, it is: a)Bad manners b) Rude c)All of the above.

7)It is good to be silent ,and it is also good to speak out.You are in an academic environment , you are allowed to make mistakes.That is what is so great about being in a learning environment.

8)Make friends with people who do NOT think like you. Group-think is a real affliction.

9)"Group assignment" is an oxymoron , few groups get together to contribute equally or even close to the same to an assignment.Deal with it.Try to visualize how to make the best of a bad situation ,if the groups were not selected by you.

10)You may not understand everything at the first go.It's OK.Make sure you do get the essence.

11)The most productive days were when I went to the classroom without expectations, and listened like a layman . Mental baggage can and does stop effective learning.Learning to unlearn is a continuous process.On the same note, doing the extra reading before a class can help you see what the Professor teaches in 3D 2048 X 1536 resolution while other less prepared see the same class in hazy black and white imagery. Footnotes often contain juicy details.It is good to know, and good to know that you know :old Chinese saying.

12)There will be fads and there will be trends.Social networking is a fad today.Will it be 15 years down the line ? Read science fiction.You will smile.

13)And this is a mistake which I did make : I overslept for most of the days I know out here in SIIB. Which meant I woke refreshed every day,but saw fewer movies.Or read less.So if possible, sleep less.

14)Get involved with the social service activities out here in Symbiosis Infotech Campus, it will humble you to know the unique challenges facing the underprivileged.You will count your blessings and you will see there is so much you can do to help.

15)An empty mind is devil's workshop.Do something, anything.

16)Read research papers for they would define the many tomorrows to come.Having knowledge of obsolete practices is not going to help.

17)I wish I had discovered TweetDeck earlier.TweetDeck allows me to see all my Twitter tweets, Google Buzz and Facebook news feed in a single interface.The amount of time people spend on Facebook is ridiculous ,it is the idiot-box of our generation.

18)I learned that I can live without TV for months altogether.

19)Discover new genres of music.

20)Understand how rural India thinks , it is very different from what the aspirations of city-dwellers are.It takes some time to do this even to a small extent due to lack of readily available documentation.

21)Personal integrity is of surmount importance, never compromise it.

22)I have learned the most out of observing people, and their reactions to situations.Be it in case studies or campus.

23)You may be calmness personified or your temper may have a short fuse : one needs the ability to be professional at all times.

24)The art of explaining well is a prized gift.

25)And the last one : do not believe all you read.If all this sounds pompous and pretentious , that's because it is.I read a draft, and I asked myself :"Who do you think you are to preach?". Yes, self-deprecating humour can be substituted for humility.

Best of luck all ye future SIIBians .
-Aby Johnson (Batch of 2009-11)

The new building in town

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 04:16:00 +0000

“Every time a student walks past a really urgent, expressive piece of architecture that belongs to his college, it can help reassure him that he does have that mind, does have that soul.”
-Louis Kahn

It is here, some delays surely but it is here.The day when SIIB moves lock,stock and books(the library though is already in place in the new address) to the new building.

The students from the first and the second year will give their first and third semester exams in the new building .

So it began with an exam.

A new building symbolizes the chance to reshape our idea of what the college environment is.A new setting is always a sign of getting ready for bigger and better.

Here's a cheer to the new college campus.

A day at BSE

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 13:33:00 +0000

Date 19 july

Place class (going on)

Time 1.30 pm

“A workshop at BSE by college on Friday, 23 July. The list of students for first bach is attached herewith. Reporting time 4 am”…hussshh… gimme a break…4 am in d morning? r u sure or have they put ‘am’ instead of ‘pm’ previous day…was d first reaction after reading d mail. Routine discussions after reading the mail began among all of us showing our displeasure towards timing….but there was a relief as well that going one day away from lectures and especially the GFM assignment that we get every Thursday……

Date 22 July

Place room no 507

Time 10.30 pm

Heated discussion was going on ….subject was which games should be included as a part of pre events of Leadership Series this year….and then sudden realization…freak…10.30 pm…tomorrow morning waking time…3 am…meeting wrapped with usual conclusion that a lot to be done and we will decide what to be done next time…..goodbyes were exchanged…..responsibilities of waking up each other were shared…

Date 23 July 24

Place College main gate

Time 4.00 am

“Shit yaar….bus hasn’t come…could have slept for some more time yaar……chod yaar…aa gayi bus………”

Constant rain, empty roads, morning songs on radio and longing sleep didn’t let us know when we reached Vashi and then BSE subsequently.

BSE. Sirf naam hi kafi hai…this is THE most discussed place in the country, the place about which we had been taught a lot and the place which every MBA finance student MUST visit in his lifetime….The stoic faces of traders, strict (apparently) policemen and nostalgic Fort area of Bombay…..stage was set….. The training was scheduled on 18^th floor. The city of Bombay was ready for the day and we could see the hustle bustle on the streets -which was on its peak- from there.

Training began……. as lectures begin. After one good hour of history, geography, (economics, political science,biology…. and what not) of BSE we finally got a break. A tea break. We went upstairs …opened the doors of dining hall…and oh my holy god….freak…this is Bombay….the scene was so exquisite that we forgot the breakfast. On left hand side Hotel Taj and Gateway; on right side you have BMC and CST and right in front of you….just near Arabian sea….u have a long Rajabai tower , competing with clouds ….awesome…we were mystified …that made us forget everything…..simply great….then as usual a lot of information exchange happened and thousands of flashes of digicam …..

Post breakfast session was more interesting one…we were taught the BOLT system and how trading actually happens. This was followed by the mock trading session. This obviously created some time for us to attend to our networks u know…Facebook and Gmail. The trading was interesting. We 30 were to trade among ourselves and generate the profit at the end of the day. The game lasted for 2 good hours when luch time was declared. Again…same scenes of Bombay made our lunch more enjoyable than the actual lunch.

Post lunch session was on trading again but with lot of details….A detailed explanation of the BOLT processes was given by faculty. The session ended with a sudden announcement of the test which will be held after tea break. Though we know very well that how to pass in a test…but still a test is a test….Again same dining hall…same Bombay was waiting for us to be clicked for third time in the same day.

The test occurred…yea….just occurred ….. after appearing for tests by Agashe Sir and Takale sir, this was like a formality. The certificates were distributed. Then we went for a tour of BSE building. The trainer was much passionate @ BSE and its legacy. The portraits of the stalwarts who established it, nurtured it and made it what it is today were really inspiring. We left the building with the same feelng in our minds.

But the visit to Bombay was not over yet, and how would it without a visit to Marine Drive? The bus was turned…and we were happy…. ….the setting sun and the waves of sea generated a sense of fulfillment. We left from there at 7 pm and got introduced to traffic of the maximum city. Unbelievable. We failed to get a single green signal in first attempt. Sometimes 3-4 attempts were needed. The sense of boredom was creeping in and suddenly the idea of DUM SIRAJ was put forward….freak….2.5 hrs…with Radio Mirchi as background music…..we finally reached to college back at 11.45 pm…

Busy day…truly a busy day….3 am to 11.45 pm….but a memorable one….

Mukul( Finance - 09-11)

Wherein started the freshers party ? The Eastern Economy edition.For sale in India only.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 07:50:00 +0000

Party animals and early morning classes the next day have as much love lost between them as hare and fox over the last millenia. SIIB's Freshers party for the batch of 2012 yesterday night at St.Laurns and after having attended classes at 9 am the next day prompted a question in one : Freshers party after they have served the symbolic ice-breaking , foot-looseness and mass camaraderie of being at one spot on earth for two years:has it served the same role over the many years Freshers party would have been in place in India under various names at various points in time.

Say, we are in the age of warriors and farmers, the kings and the sorcerers about 900 years back.

The freshers party of soldiers 900 years back would have (if they were recruited during peace time, and not in war time : the ones recruited during emergency possibly would have little luxuries attached to their initial days) included a warm meal and steady source of income.The soldiers would have been given a place to stay and possibly a weapon to practice.At a practice ground , the drill sergeant would have bellowed:

"The glorious kingdom of BlogHypotheticalPlace asks you to do what is necessary to carry our Most Venerable Emperor(or Queen)'s vision.Your life from henceforth belongs to the Army of the BlogHypotheticalPlace, and we expect discipline ,patriotism and the supreme sacrifice,if needed. Eat and drink for tomorrow we fight"( notice the subtle throwaways to Hollywood dialogues).

A gulp or two would have passed down in the young soldier's mind when he heard of phrases like "supreme sacrifice".But hey ,"we are in the Army now" as the song goes.

You're in the army now / Oh, oh you're in the army - now / You've got your orders to shoot on sight / your finger's on the trigger / but it don't seem right

The Royal Chefs would have possibly planned for the young ones who had decided to devote their lives to smells and crunches divine.

"Hey, you there young lad.Yes, I mean you. Chop these forty kilos of onions for today's lunch . After that , it's those bags of onions which need to be peeled.And do not forget to make sure there is enough firewood for the next ten days in the storeroom. By the way , welcome to the Royal Kitchen.At all times never forget that food is our route to the king's heart, and not of the oily-route some foods give.Our food may decide the mood of the king and often may lead to increased taxes for the peasants if we fail to deliver."

The legend of Akbar's khichdee would be then lovingly told to the young recruit.And then it is off to the lowly ranks of peeling and cutting,before some years down the line the young cook would move up a notch to more "value-added processes" in cooking(notice the subtle throwaways to management jargon).

The best(if that is the right word) freshers party would have to be that of the farmer. The family enterprise that a farming family is,it is likely that all the members of the family from an early age would have had a chance to participate in the farming process ( we will exclude the large landowner from this discussion :the life of manor born usually rests on that money can make work-from-an-early-age a needless concept). The freshers party would have been at a very early hour , much before the sun came out. An early breakfast, and the farmer would instruct the young hands of what needs to be done for the day.The mandatory speech:

"Nature expects diligence ,and she mother earth rewards well.If the gods are kind and we have done our duty of working hard before the rains and the right amount of sunshine will give us a bounty. Lads and lasses, this is going to be hard work ,but we will be rewarded at harvest.So gear up and let that shovel move"(Digression: In Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers,a theory is presented of how folks from South China are found to be good in maths, and the reason is attributed to the traditional farming practices of the region)

Universities, many centuries down the line of course do not have to give such facts-of-life at freshers parties. Arranged and stage-managed, and the fun is the only operating motto.It is our way of saying:" welcome all ye, new students. We open our doors to the best and the finest, and in celebration we shall make merry."

Welcome SIIB Batch of 2012.

A Month at SIIB

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 16:37:00 +0000

I have been writing for my blog for quite some time now but this particular article is a little special to me. It was written on the eve of successfully completing my first 30 days at SIIB. I accidentally ran into it while rummaging through my awfully cluttered hard-drive, and on re-reading it I thought it might interest my fellow juniors here. So, this one is for all those of you who have joined this year. Hope your stay is pleasant and you have lots of fun.

Classes are over for today and this, is the one hour , in-between the drowsy last few minutes of the Sales & Distribution lecture and the Circus a little later where a handful of future managers will be seen going-off-the –wall at large near the Cafeteria over the AMR presentation due tomorrow….. The cafeteria will soon be filled up with bright sparks gelling and bouncing off each other in about as much time as it takes this elevator to descend the 6 floors….The library comes before anything else but the coffee gets my preference, always. The Wi-Fi here is amazing but (anyway) the rubbish I’ve keep downloading these days is rarely worth a second double-click. Even as I miss my sweet-corn with hot coffee I can feel my grey cells (or whatever is left of them) readjusting to the AMR assignment modifications suggested last Wednesday… and something keeps me from thinking - MJ’s demise was premature. Sometimes, I’m afraid that I’ve started noticing changes in just about everything that I would have called “Normal”, even a month ago…. even the figures that used to hover around inside my tiny head have grown into the numeric sort. I must have Hi-Five’ed and Hello’ed 30 guys since morning without remembering their names, and yes I’ve heard that Life is Beautiful… it has rained today but I found the essence of the beautiful “Dhurba” somewhat missing … it’s as if Kolkata is on the other side of the map …..
Wait!! There’s more to this day …. It’s exactly been a month since our orientation programme, which formally inducted us into SIIB, ended in applause…. Every morning I manage to wake up, somehow, the bleary eyes remind me that “Oye!!! Life has never been so alive…..” Break-fasts skipped and classes missed are a different story that I’ll tell you the day when I explain why “Symbi Rocks!!!”

Cheers,
ION

Hitch-hiking @ Hinjewadi

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:56:00 +0000

It goes like this most of the times..

Step 1: Keep your hands in Aadhi Mudhra, or in lesser mortal terms, pose as if you are the next Akshay Kumar in the road, practising for the next big Thums-Up Commercial

Step 2:If the bike approaching on the road is driven by Adam,

then

Step 2A: If the bike approaching on the road is driven by Eve

Step 2B: Get over the Akshay Kumar image or else you might be frowned upon as a “dude” trying to get naughty

Disclaimer: This conservative approach is recommended, considering the uncertainty of the forthcoming situation. A classic example of Indian risk-averse approach

Step 3: Strike eye contact with the driver, and do the Akshay Kumar Hand Jig, (Ofcourse, only the hand), with the sincerity and likeability of a student

Step4: If the bike stops within the next 300 metres

then

Step 5: Run towards the bike to respect his time and also demonstrate how excited you are to join him for a ride, and above all

Step 6: Look for visual cues to distinguish the IT junta from the rest. These cues decide the language of conversation. It could also be used for conversation starters. For Eg: An infosys bag in the back of the driver should, under ideal circumstances, lead to discussion on something on Finance or Technology.

It is preferable to start with Hindi

Step 7: “Toda Aage jaana hai…”

Let the driver get back to the charm of driving. Wait for the driver to start the conversation.The driver realizes that a stranger is sitting in his pillion seat. Wih a sense of uneasyness, he asks

Hitch-hikeee or Liftee: “Where do you want to go?”

Step 8: “I want to go to Aundh…However, I ll travel as far as you go”

“Muje Aundh tak jaana hai. Aap jitna aage jaayenge main vahaan tak chalta hoon” (depending on the visual and mental judgement of the driver who has been kind enough to offer me lift)

These are the opening steps of my hitch-hikes with hordes of people travelling every day across the Hinjewadi Highway. What started as a necessity, thanks to my adamant ignorance to learn to drive a geared bike stating age-old reasons of true ownership,( in my ego’s words, “I wont drive a bike unless it belongs to me”), has now become a fascinating spiritual phenomenon in itself. Yes, you heard it right. It’s a spiritual phenomenon, as I witness something fascinating in the way every journey unfolds itself into a unique experience while taking me comfortably to my journey. There is a strong sense of uncertainty in this whole experience. I have no clue how and with whom I would make my journey to reach my destination. I have no clue how far the driver is going to be a part of my journey. Often I get dropped in the midst of nowhere. Although I get anxious over this uncertainty, thanks to my obsession with punctuality, often, this uncertainty leads me to a pristine experience where I realize, much to my ego’s dismay, however, to my soul’s gaiety, I have no control over the unfurling of my journey. However, I am cocksure I would be able to reach my place comfortably. This uncertain feeling ,blended with a sense of faith has often left me overwhelmed in happiness! It leads me to a beautiful feeling where I realize, after all, people in this road are travelling only for me!

It makes me wonder, how beautiful my life would be, if it were like this hitch-hike journey! All I have to do is simply sing to my heart’s content to the rhythm of my destiny. How wonderful it would be, if all my relationships with people in this world, turn out the way it happens with these hitch-hikees. You never know who is going to come how far. You simply enjoy the journey as long as he is willing to take you. And yes, you part him good-bye with a big smile from the cockles of a heart swollen with gratitude

Tell me something about yourself

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:45:00 +0000

So ,tell me something about yourself :the answer for years to come, and what should have been.Armchair style.A million paper-tigers clap.

The stallions who run in my head don't have a stable to their name.Our stables are Universities under the stars and the school of hard knocks . They are wild, and have run across many plains and drunk from many pools.They have seen sights, and they and in turn me, believe that if the eyes are the window to my soul, we should see selectively.The stallions have been made to run through race courses with a fixed time-lap before the race ends, and the hooves checked by the experts. The horse-shoe with least wear and tear are what I have kept in front of you as testimonies that I have run the normal paths too.I have chewed from fields of grass where the word on the street was that they would serve one well, and the stallions have also wandered into fields where rude signs said to keep away.They too did not disappoint occassionally.

Yes, you did not expect such an answer.Yet I was expecting this question. The pattern which I am to be tested upon are available in endless rows of books with the title "How to ace an interview", online forums are patterned with endless pages of minuiate. Don't look hither in puzzlement as to what you have done to deserve this. I am telling who I am not in terms of the paper currency to my name, or my ten favorite authors or what my scholastic achievements are : if these are what define me or you would like me to pigeon-hole into, we could have walked many miles and spoke many words but not have really heard what I said.You look puzzled , but my thoughts are clear. You seek clarity of expression, a sense of purpose to all of this. You are already fumbling for the question : "What can you tell me about Argentina", and seek if the stallions can recollect if they have run across the savanna.No , I do not recollect the type of the grass in savanna, and neither would it be possible for me to tell if I know the name of Eva Peron's husband. Ask me however if I saw Argentina crushed by Germany in the football match of a recent calendar, and I will sing you an epic.

I can be sculpted and molded many times both by the stallions running and the extensions by way of hands and feet moving, although not in infinite measure.The mind is supposed to be more open to the sights, sounds and the experiences in years past than in years in future. I am a lesser order sponge , I can whistle ten times before I take a breath.

Lest you think I cannot do the tango to the reasonable tunes of our time : I am team-worker(sic), I am a perfectionist, I can work under pressure, I have been awarded the best worker medal, I have exhibited leadership qualities at school and workplace,and I like to read,especially books with the title:"How to ace an interview".

Thoughts on MBA + Long Letter from "Senior"

noreply@blogger.com (SIIB Blog) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 02:20:00 +0000

Having completed one year of MBA successfully, I think I have attained sufficient age to begin philosophizing about the whole system of Management Education in India. While this one-year in a B-School has been an eye-opener, drastically changing my perspective towards the World, thanks to several interesting people I met throughout the year, I have also begun to wonder on the uncomfortable existential question asked by Educationists and other bunch of intelligentsia: Is MBA education really necessary for anyone? While government is mulling over creating IIMs in every city, not to forget the slew of foreign universities waiting to descend the shores, it might look like a joke to ask the question of whether a B-School is really necessary. While I was an MBA aspirant, I vividly remember reading articles from various philosophers who advised me not to take MBA program as they felt It doesnt really add value to one 's career. Now, having spent a year, I understand why they mentioned so. After spending considerable period of time in a B-School, one begins to realize that it is actually not necessary. Allow me to indulge a bit of philosophizing. MBA is often like those vicious cycle of Samskaras: You need them as long you realize you dont need them. You need B-School education to experientially realize the obvious thing you were meant to do in your life. Prior to B-School Education, one tends to think along the traditional lines, blurring the individual identity amongst the hordes. B-School is important only if it lets you find what you really wanted to do in life. Although I have been wanting to make my career in Business, I never had my personal choice on the sector where my heart yearned to work. This can be verified easily in India: Ask anyone who aspires to do MBA: Where do you want to work? Almost 80% is expected to answer FMCG Sector. Remaining percentage is reserved for Consulting.

These are bunch of incoherent thoughts, I shall put it coherently some time later. Meanwhile, having become a senior in my college, I decided to write an endearing letter to my B-School juniors. I felt like sharing it in in the Web. It can do with little bit of editing. However, I leave it untouched.

Hello Folks,

Few might have met me in the class. Let me make my introductions, nevertheless, I am Venky, SIIB 09-11 Marketing student. I hate this word "Senior", as it makes the stupid assumption that I know more things than you. I happened to join SIIB a year earlier and had a ball of a time during my first year. I did few mistakes here and there and learnt few things on the way. Also, there were few things I wished somebody told me earlier while I finished my first year. ! While this might come unasked, I felt I needed to share few things with you, so that you could also have more fun during the most precious time of your career.

This time is very precious because 1) you are in the last leg of your student life, something which is never gonna come back 2) you are free from the pesterings of your parents/boy-friends/girl-friends. I dont want to talk bad of them. I love them. However most of the times, they often make decisions for our lives. Now, it is the best time to shape your career as per your dreams and desires, without their influences whatsoever. You might might want to take their opinions. However, you are free to chisel how you want your career is gonna be from here on.

I am sure, most of you might be lost in the break-neck speed of things happening around you, with incomprehensible Harvard Case studies and assignments and non stop lectures and what not. While the college folks have one mission to make you busy with a whole lotta things, often they really dont look beyond: What is that you are busy about?

Time runs faster than Usain Bolt, especially during first year. So, there are chances, that you might get lost in the thick of things and wonder at the end: What the hell did I do in my first year: Let me come to the point without much philosophizing:

Life in MBA is not about these lectures and endless supply of assignments. Its all about finding your voice and finding your pathway. Its more like the Lakshya movie, if I can draw some parallels. So How do you find out your "lakshya"? Simple: Explore the world: Get out of the campus: Go for competitions, meet other B-School Students, see whats happening around. Its a cruel joke played in the campus that our campus is set in scenic hills, distant from the grimy business reality. Business happens there. So go out and explore around..

Few Checklists you could check out

1) Get yourself a LinkedIn Profile and start building your profile and your networks. The whole world is in..Arent you in??

2) Start Blogging. FInd your voice. Express your opinions and thoughts. All books you are asked to read by faculty members are simply their thoughts on business: what are yours?

3) Build brand equity for college. It helps you in million ways

4) Start building rapport with faculty, seniors, alumni. Everyone is networked. You never know who could be of help at any point of time

Thanks for reading my patient mail. You can mail me your thoughts/comments/queries whatever you have on life here to my id, instead of floating it around the group

Cheers
Venky

270 Days

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 04:38:00 +0000

That is how many days I have left before I step out of SIIB (as per the Academic Manual given out recently, 18 March 2011 is the Stepping Out day for the batch of 09-11).

I guess I should get started then.