October 2012
Feb
- January
2012 - June
20132012
Harvest
Reaping rich rewards
February 26, 2013
Team Luminescence won LIME (Lessons in Marketing Excellence)
immensely excited and worked very hard towards
preparing for the challenge at the Future Leaders'
League at Singapore. It was about the Unilever brand
Lifebuoy and making hand-washing a habit.The team
had a great experience there as well. They interacted
with some of the top-level managers and leaders at
Unilever and met some of the best and brightest minds
of the world. They gave an outstanding performance
and were the 1st runners-up in the competition.
Team Luminescence from SPJIMR was the winner of the
fourth season of Lessons in Marketing Excellence
(LIME). LIME organized by Hindustan Unilever in
collaboration with CNBC-TV 18 is the most sought after
competition in all the top B-schools of the country.
SPJIMR's team consisting of Nilisha Agarwal, Santosh
Gaurav & Avinash Nair bagged a huge cheque of Rs.6
Lacs and each of them got pre-placement interviews
with HUL. It has been a long journey and a lot of hard
work for them which involved solving 3 difficult cases in
the campus round, semi-finals & the grand finale. They
had to solve real problems which included providing
strategy for a new e-commerce entrant in India,
launching a product in a new category and solving a
pressing issue of national importance to provide
housing for all. After battling it out with 3400 teams and
10,000 participants, they emerged victorious with IIMBangalore and London Business School as the runners
up in the grand finale held in Hotel Shangri-La, Mumbai
on February 26, 2013. The occasion was graced by the
chief guest, Mr. Ajay Maken, the minister of Housing &
Urban Poverty Alleviation and Mr. Nitin Paranjpe, CEO
HUL. Team work and coordination were the
foundations for victory which included working from
different continents and across different time zones,
says the winning team. They were then invited to
represent India in a global event – Unilever's Future
Leader's League 2013 - where winning teams from
country level Unilever competitions from 10 countries
came together to form this League. SPJIMR's team was
A lot of learning, a great experience and a remarkable
exposure are what sum up LIME and Future Leaders'
League. I'm glad we got the opportunity to go to a
different county, meet some great people and make
everyone proud.
- Nilisha Agarwal
LIME and the Future Leaders' League were both unique
and phenomenal learning experiences. It took a lot of
hard work and dedication but it was rewarding with
amazing exposure to what leaders are made of and
great friends across the world.
- Santosh Gaurav
Both LIME and Future Leaders' League have been
experiences I'll never forget in my life. The six months of
hard-work and commitment was all worth it.
- Avinash Nair
1
Harvest Reaping rich rewards
September 27, 2012
SPJIMR named Champion in the Capsim
Challenge
DOCC does it again at RMAI
A five member team from SPJIMR was declared the
Champion in the Fall 2012 Capstone® Business
Simulation Challenge held in November last year. The
team comprised Sonia Apsingekar, Vikalp Babelay,
Gaurav Sapra and Viraj Kulkarni. With a balanced
scorecard of 777 out of 1,000, they topped the list of
winners and saw SPJIMR named as the “Champion –
Fall 2012” in the “Hall of Fame” of the Capsim
Challenge.
The Capsim Challenge takes students who have
participated in the Capstone and Foundation business
simulation in their B-school and pits them against each
other in a biannual competition to crown the world's
best at running a multi-million dollar simulated
company. Twice each year, Capsim alumni have the
opportunity to test their business acumen against
competitors from all over the globe.
Some 1,800 students from more than 280 universities
around the globe participated in the Capsim Challenge
in November, with 12 teams (six each for Capstone and
Foundation business simulation) qualifying for the 48hour, high pressure business playoffs. Eight teams from
SPJIMR participated in the challenge, with five of them
finishing in the top 10 percentile.
Apart from SPJIMR, teams from University of
Queensland, University of Maryland, Montana State
University-Billings, Curtin University and Goa Institute
of Management made it to the finals.
Capstone simulation forms a part of the course
'Decision Analysis through Simulation' which is
conducted by Professors Vasant Sivaraman and Bindu
Kulkarni in the first semester of the PGDM programme.
The Rural Marketing Association of India (RMAI) and
Ayurvet Ltd. organised the 6th Annual Ayurvet RMAI
Awards for the Best Summer Project in Rural Marketing
by management students. In all, 84 entries were
received from 30 management schools across the
country including IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM
Kozhikode, IIM Lucknow, IIM Rohtak, IIM Shillong,
SPJIMR, Mica and Teri.
Ten of the 84 entries were invited to present at an
awards ceremony on 27th September at the India
International Centre, New Delhi. Three out of the
chosen ten were from the second year PGDM students
of SPJIMR, who presented their DOCC projects. Prof.
Chander Sabharwal provided feedback on each of the
10 projects presented on that day.
Ranjana Dobal, student of SPJIMR, presented on Value
Chain Intervention- a self sustainable business model
and bagged the first prize – a trophy, a certificate of
merit and a cash award of Rs. 50,000.
The second and third prizes were bagged by the
students from IIM Rohtak for their projects on Rural
Electrification and Rural Marketing & Distribution.
RMAI is an industry body of strategic thinkers and
implementation agencies in the domain of rural
marketing. Ayurvet is one of the leading companies in
the business of animal health care, nutrition & research
and rural entrepreneurship development.
The projects were evaluated by a jury comprising
Sanjeev Shukla, General Manager, Hero Motocorp; R
V Rajan, Chairman, Anugrah Madison Advertising Pvt.
Ltd. and founder president of the RMAl and Prof.
Chander Sabharwal, Professor at IMT and Managing
Director, Crop Health Products Ltd.
Ranjana Dobal receiving a trophy
2
Harvest Reaping rich rewards
January 8, 2013
Team 'Beauty & Mighty' steal the show in
‘P&G Dream Team - Campus Finals
Team 'TaskForce' secures first position in
TBLA SPJIMR campus round
Team 'TaskForce' comprising PGDM first year students
S.R.K. Dattu, Govind Lohia, Niranjan Sane and Shri
Harsh secured the first position in the TBLA SPJIMR
campus round. They represented SPJIMR in the national
rounds against teams from top B-Schools in India. Five
teams were selected for the campus finale from a large
number of entries. As the teams laid out their plans
on the theme “Synergising Business Opportunities:
Expanding Horizons in Africa”, team 'TaskForce' came
on top during the question-answer round because of
their excellent research insights and clear articulation.
Teams 'Evoque' and 'Two Face' secured first and second
runner-up positions respectively.
The National Runners Up at the National Finals of Tata
Business Leadership Awards 2012 consisted of
Anshuman Gautam, Abhishek Goud, Sreekanth
Daruvuri, Rajat Prasad. This event is guided by Prof.
Jiban Mukhopadhyay at SPJIMR.
P&G Winning Team
Team 'Beauty & Mighty' comprising first year PGDM
students Sumit Dhingra, Sorabh Nahata, Narendra
Mani Ganesh and Shivangi Tripathi edged out four
others and were declared winners of the P&G Dream
Team SPJIMR Campus finals. The team came up with
innovative ideas for the Tide brand such as “Tide Top
Up” and a roadmap to help P&G achieve double digit
growth in the next five years. They competed in the
national finals at the P&G Headquarters in Mumbai.
Team 'Beauty & Mighty' received appreciation for the
innovative ideas at the national finals. The teams from
IIM Ahmedabad and IIM Bangalore were adjudged the
winners and runners-up respectively.
December 18, 2012
TBLA SPJIMR Campus Round
SPJIMR contingent shines at 'Varchasva' in
IIM-Lucknow
'Varchasva', the annual sports event at IIM Lucknow
received participation from 15 B-schools which
included IIM Indore, IIM Kashipur, IIM Ranchi, FMS,
SPJIMR, IMT Ghaziabad and MDI Gurgaon. The event
took place from October 5-7, 2012. The SPJIMR
contingent showed remarkable performances by
winning gold, silver and bronze in multiple categories.
Gayatri Patkar won the Gold in Swimming 50m Free
Style, Gold in Swimming 50m backstroke, Gold in
Swimming 50m breaststroke; Pratishtha Srivastav won
the Silver in Swimming 50m Free Style; Rajesh Goel,
Rushil Nori, Sanuj Daga, James William won the Gold
in Table Tennis; Rushil Nori, Bidhan Kumar Pradhan,
Sreerag Sreekumar bagged the Silver in Tennis; Arjun
Singh, Rajesh Goel, Sanuj Daga, Bidhan Pradhan won
the Bronze in Badminton; Aditya Bagri, Rajesh Goel,
Sanuj Daga won the Bronze in Squash.
SPJIMR organises case study Competition
sponsored by CSCMP for PGDM students
A case study competition was conducted for the first
year students of SPJIMR. The case study and the prizes
were sponsored by the Council of Supply Chain
Management Professionals, which is an international
body of Supply Chain management professionals.
The case which tested the students on the concepts of
Supply Chain and Inventory Management was given to
the students on December 1, 2012. The students
presented their solutions to the various problems
outlined in the case on December 18, 2012.
The event was judged by Prof. Umesh Bahadur, Head of
Operations, SPJIMR and Prof. Sajeev George of
Operations Management department, SPJIMR.
3
Rainbow
Colours of Innovation
October 31, 2012
Admissions Committee conducts Webinar
2.0 on Specialization Selection
Book Exhibition by ADMAP com
The Admissions Committee recently conducted an
hour-long webinar on selection of specialisation for the
full time two year PGDM programme. The webinar saw
a huge jump in the number of participants this year.
More than 1,400 students logged in to attend this
interactive session where queries were answered by Dr.
Sesha Iyer, Director SPJIMR, and Dr. Parimal Merchant,
Director of Admissions. The webinar also aided the
selection of specialisation for foreign applicants and
Persons of Indian Origin, for whom admissions are
open from the academic year 2013-2015.
As one of India's top 10 B-schools, SPJIMR has retained
and improved on its position over the decades by
emphasising responsibility and purpose. The improved
ranking was reflected in the number and the nature of
queries that poured in from all fronts regarding the
selection, the prospects for students and the road
ahead.
Prof. Parimal Merchant, Chairperson Admissions noted
that this year the Institute seeks to reach out to a wider
base of aspirants. Last year, about 1,800 applicants
were called. This year, the number could increase to
around 2,500, largely reflecting the increase in
numbers of profile calls. This will improve the chances
of aspirants getting a call from SPJIMR.
A book exhibition with several contemporary award
winning books of this year was organised by the
ADMAP committee. The exhibition was honored by the
celebrity author, Mr.
Ravi Subramanian.
Mr. Subramanian is
an alumnus of IIM
Bangalore and has
been a retail banker
over the last two
decades, having
worked at Citibank,
HSBC and ANZ
Grindlays. He
discovered the joy of
reading and writing
and we now know
him as the author of
'If God was a Banker'
(2007), 'I Bought the Monk's Ferrari' (2008), 'The
Incredible Banker' (2011) and the latest, 'The Bankster'
(2012).
Mr. Subramanian guided faculty and students through
the process of writing a book. A few students of PGDM
also read out an extract from his book “The Bankster”.
The event ended with a special cake cutting ceremony
by Mr. Subramanian.
December 14, 2012
IM Conclave Committee event – ‘Get Famous’
The IM Conclave Committee organised
the event – “Get Famous” to create
awareness about the theme of the
conclave this year – India Next:
Technology transforming “Real” India.
The purpose of the event was to get
creative ideas and possible solutions for
some of the pressing issues being faced at
the bottom of the pyramid in India
across sectors such as Healthcare,
E-Governance and Financial Inclusion.
Participants came up with excellent ”out of
the box” ideas ranging from an accident
detection mobile device to easy money
payments and mobile branches. The
focus of most of the solutions was on how
technology, especially ICT (Information and
Communication Technologies) could be leveraged to
deal with the vast scale and diversity of problems in
India.
The event was judged by Prof. Oscar D'Souza, Prof. Jyoti
IM Conclave Team with Professors
Jagasia and Prof. Deepa Ray, faculty at SPJIMR. It was a
tough competition but the innovation in the ideas and
the clarity of thoughts became the deciding factors. The
winners were: 1st prize – Nimesh Singhal, 2nd prize –
Govind Lohia, 3rd prize – Debopam Basu.
4
Rainbow colours of innovation
January 11-12 & Jan 18-19, 2013
SPJIMR Academic Conclave
January 11, 2013
Information Management Conclave - India Next: Technology Transforming the 'Real' India
Mr. P V Sreenath, VP, IBM presented on 'Transformation
through e-Governance'. The presentation covered the
changing business models of technology in egovernance, moves to m-governance, and changing
role of technology and globalised public services.
The next principle speaker, Mr. Deepak Ghaisas,
Chairman, Gencoval talked about Healthcare and the
role of IT in healthcare. He explained how predictive
diagnostics is to be implemented as a preventive
measure and noted:”Healthcare must be treated as
healthcare and not disease management”.
The final presentation of the evening was by Mr. Ninad
Karpe, MD & CEO, Aptech, on 'Technology for
Transforming Education for Real India'. His presentation
covered the good, the bad and the ugly faces of the
prevailing state of education in rural India. ”The bottom
of the pyramid does not want cheap solutions. They
want world class education, but at their price. And that is
what we should provide through technology
transformation of education,” Mr. Karpe said.
The evening concluded with a panel discussion on how
the lower strata of the economy could be served through
technology. The common theme was how technology
can be an enabler and serve to make life easy but also
that it cannot provide all the answers. Among the panel
were Mr. Suresh Mhatre, VP- TCS, Mr. Nischal Khorana,
head of Consulting – Frost & Sullivan, Mr. Kaustabh
Dhavse, CEO – Spance. The panel discussion was
moderated by Devna Vora, Journalist, NDTV Profit.
The Information Management Conclave 2013 was
held as part of the annual SPJIMR Academic Conclave
(SAC). The SPJIMR Academic Conclave (SAC) is a
platform for fostering business–academia integration,
a unique initiative targeted exclusively at corporate
organisations. SAC engages and connects with leading
corporate professionals to trigger thoughts and insights
on current issues faced by managers across the globe.
The theme for the Information Management Conclave,
which marked the opening of SAC 2013, was “India
Next – Technology Transforming the 'Real' India”. The
conclave spanned various sectors that are being
affected by the ongoing technology and innovation
revolution – financial inclusion, e-governance,
healthcare and education.
Dr. Sesha Iyer, Director, SPJIMR inaugurated the event
following which Prof. Oscar J D'Souza, Head –
Information Management, SPJIMR, welcomed the
panelists, speakers and guests.
The keynote speaker was Mr. Sankerson Banerjee, MD,
Accenture, who talked about how the ability to use
technology was well understood in India but the actual
products were often not available. The gap offers
tremendous opportunities for business leaders and
entrepreneurs, he said.
As principle speaker, Mr. Suresh Sethi, Business Head,
m-Pesa, Vodafone, gave insights about financial
inclusion via mobile technology using a case
presentation on successful implementation of m-Pesa in
Kenya.
5
Rainbow colours of innovation
January 12, 2013
The Consulting Conclave 2013 - 'Sustainability - a choice or a business imperative’
'Sustainability – a choice or a business imperative?'
was the theme for the Consulting Conclave that was
held on January 12, 2013 at the annual SPJIMR
Academic Conclave (SAC). Dr. Sesha Iyer, Director,
SPJIMR inaugurated the event following which Prof.
Prem Chandrani, Chairperson – International
Relations, SPJIMR, welcomed the speakers and
guests. Prof. Chandrani in his introductory speech
said that the simplest meaning of sustainability was to
reduce waste. Sustainability would not come just by
compliance with the law but companies must make it
a part of their business strategy, he said.
The keynote speaker for the conclave was Dr. Steven
A Melnyk, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain
Management, Michigan State University. His
presentation, 'Making sense of sustainability' covered
sustainability in depth. He talked about the green
economy, the seven senses of sustainability,
sustainability for social inclusion and how India has
shown to the world the importance of social issues.
His interactive Q&A session with a touch of humour
was well received by the audience.
The keynote address was followed by a panel
discussion on the theme. The panelists were Mr.
Anant Bhagwati, Principal, Bain & Co; Mr. Vivek
Bhatia, Principal, BCG; Prof. Prem Chandrani,
Chairperson – Professor of Strategy and Chairperson
International Relations, SPJIMR; Mr. Rajat Gupta,
Director, McKinsey & Co; Mr. Chaitanya Kalia, Partner,
Climate Change & Sustainability, E&Y; Dr. Avinash
Patkar, Head-Sustainability, TATA Power; and Ms.
Deeksha Vats, Associate Director- Sustainability, PwC.
The panel discussion was moderated by Ms. Ira Duggal
from NDTV Profit. The discussion focused on the need
for organisations to imbibe sustainability into their
business models and accept the paradigm shift that
would come with it.
”Sustainability is core. It is using resources to make
peoples' lives better,” said Mr. Rajat Gupta. There was a
common agreement that regulatory requirements
related to sustainability and CSR was a good starting
point. But for “sustainability to be sustainable”, it cannot
be a “bolt on”; sustainability has to be integrated into
the business strategy of companies. The panel agreed
that a CEO should think of sustainability as the very core
of the company's operations and that sustainability in
India should have India specific solutions.
”Sustainability is here to stay. Not everyone gets it but it
is important and essential for survival and the need of
the hour is to rethink our solutions. Somebody has to
take the lead. My question is, why shouldn't this be in
India?” said Dr. Melnyk.
6
Rainbow colours of innovation
January 12, 2013
The Finance Conclave 2013 - 'Tapping the Business Potential in Financial Services’
The theme for the Finance Conclave for 2013 was
'Tapping the Business Potential in Financial Services in
India'. The conclave aimed at analysing how the Indian
financial services industry, the regulatory framework
and infrastructure would evolve over the next decade to
support the nation's robust economic growth.
Dr. Sesha Iyer, Director, inaugurated the event following
which Prof. Suresh Lalwani, Head – Finance Area,
SPJIMR set the context by highlighting the need to
balance profit imperatives with customer needs and
building trust with all stakeholders.
The keynote address was delivered by Ms. Usha Thorat,
Director, Centre for Advanced Financial Research and
Learning (CAFRAL) and former Deputy Governor,
Reserve Bank of India. Ms. Thorat said the coming
decade would be the most exciting decade for the
Indian economy and the Indian financial sector. “This is
going to be the true decade of large opportunities,” she
said.
Ms. Thorat identified four major challenges for the
financial industry - i) to provide safe and convenient
products and delivery channels ii) to assess optimum
size and structure of a financial services business iii) to
focus on the fiduciary role in financial services that
differentiates the business from many others and iv)
progressive regulation – all of which were perceived as
highly customer centric.
The keynote was followed by a case presentation by
Birla Sun Life AMC on their successful initiatives at
product innovation to encourage an equity mindset.
This was followed by a presentation on the success story
of Yes Bank, which touched on the differentiated
approach that saw it emerge as India's fourth largest
private sector bank.
The case presentations were followed by panel
discussion. The panelists included Mr. T.V. Raghunath,
CEO & MD, Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Ltd; Mr.
Avinash Gupta, National Leader, Financial Advisory
Services, Deloitte India; Prof. Suresh Lalwani, Finance
Area Head, SPJIMR; Mr. Arun Agrawal, Senior President
& Global Head – International Banking, YES Bank Ltd
and Mr. A. Balasubramanian, CEO, Birla Sun Life
AMC. The panel discussion was moderated by Mr. N.
Varadarajan, ED, Client Engagement, Open World
Knowledge Solutions Ltd. The panel discussion was
aimed at imparting insights on key growth sectors in
finance and the career potential they carry. The
discussion focused on major challenges in financial
services and how businesses are looking to tap the
potential for financial services while keeping their
customer-focus intact.
The SPJIMR Finance Conclave was covered by NDTV
Profit with Deloitte as the knowledge partner and
Business Week as the print media partner.
79
Rainbow colours of innovation
January 18, 2013
Human Resource Conclave 2013
‘Building Inclusive workplaces by harnessing diversity’
'Building Inclusive workplaces by harnessing diversity'
was the theme for the HR Conclave held as part of the
annual SPJIMR Academic Conclave (SAC).
Dr. Sesha Iyer, Director, SPJIMR inaugurated the event
following which Prof. Keith De Souza, professor, SPJIMR
delivered the introduction speech and welcomed the
speakers and guests.
Prof. Keith spoke about the importance of harnessing
diversity in today's organisation. He said the greatest
diversity that is observed across organisations is the
generational diversity. The greatest challenge comes
into play when four generations work as one single
workforce.
The keynote speaker for the conclave was Stacy Blake
Beard, Associate Professor, Simmons College School of
Management, Boston, U.S.A. Her presentation on
dealing with the sources of conscious and unconscious
bias in an organisation threw light on biases at various
levels employees face, like individual, group and
organisational.
The keynote address was followed by a speech by
the principal speaker of the day Mr. Jayakanthan
Muthusubramanian, Head of Talent & Development
and Diversity & Inclusion for Global Operations Centre,
Thomson Reuters, India. He emphasised the
importance of diversity at the work place and the
change of outlook that organisations need to adopt
when it comes to recruiting human resource with
disabilities.
The discussion had eminent panelists from the industry.
The panelists were Mr. Imon Ghosh Director, Academy
of HRD; Mr. Muthusubramania of Thomson Reuters,
India; Ms. Bhavana Isar, Entrepreneur & HR Consultant,
Ex-GM HR, Castrol India Ltd; Mr John Hunter Murray,
Founder & Director, TAM NLP Academy India; Ms Dipali
Naidu, HR Consultant, Ex-Executive Director HR,
Neilson Company South Asia. The panel discussion
was moderated by Nikhil Inamdar, Anchor and
Principal Correspondent, NDTV Profit. The discussion
focused on the need for organisations to encourage
diversity in the workforce and recognise the tangible
and intangible benefits that flow from it. The panel
agreed on the fact that a CEO should think of building
sustainable organisations by cashing in on the potential
of the employees with diverse portfolios.
98
Rainbow colours of innovation
January 19, 2013
9th SPJIMR Marketing Impact Awards (SMIA) - ‘Making Marketing Accountable’
SPJIMR hosted its 9th SPJIMR Marketing Impact Awards
as part of the annual SPJIMR Academic Conclave
(SAC) with the theme 'Making Marketing Accountable:
Metrics for Measuring Marketing Effectiveness'.
This year over 27 participants from business,
government and non-profit organisations presented
detailed cases on marketing initiatives taken up to
successfully solve a business problem or encash a
market opportunity with measureable impact on
business. Finally, four teams were selected by an
esteemed jury to make the final presentations.
The first finalist, a team from ICICI Bank, presented a
case on the marketing solutions to improve financial
inclusion in 11,000 villages across the country. The
team from Four Fountains Spa (CMYK Health Boutique
Private Ltd) talked about the growth story of the start up
and how strict benchmarking standards and astute
marketing efforts helped them outperform the industry.
The team from Interface Communication-Kraft Oreo
presented on the entry strategy and growth of Oreo
biscuits through emotional connect with the customers
in India. Eureka Forbes team presented an initiative
towards building a sustainable business and selling
the concept of “water shops” across rural India. The
team from CMYK Health Boutique Private Ltd (Four
Fountain Spas) was ranked first. The Eureka Forbes
team was adjudged the runner-up. The winning team
was awarded the prestigious SMIA trophy and
Rs.100,000 while the runner up got prize money of
Rs 75,000.
The presentations were followed by an address by the
Chief Guest, Mr. B. S. Nagesh, founder of TRRAIN and
Executive Vice Chairman of Shoppers Stop Ltd. who
regarded connectivity to the end consumer as the
biggest challenge businesses face today. The keynote
speaker for the conclave was Prof. Nikhilesh Dholakia,
Professor of Marketing and International Business at
the University of Rhode Island. He suggested that
marketers maintain a “healthy balance of metrification
and disruption”.
The event concluded with a panel discussion by the jury
members which included the keynote speaker, the chief
guest, Mr. Pranesh Misra - Chairman & MD
Brandscapes Worldwide, Mr. Vivek Sunder, Head of
Marketing Strategy & Planning Division at P&G India
and the moderator for the discussion Dr. Somayajulu
Garimella, Professor of Marketing at SPJIMR.
9
Rainbow colours of innovation
January 19, 2013
SPJIMR hosts Operations Conclave
‘Managing Risks & Sustaining High Performance in Supply Chain Operations'
'Managing Risks & Sustaining High Performance in
Supply Chain' was the theme for the Operations
Conclave held at SPJIMR, as part of the annual SPJIMR
Academic Conclave (SAC). Dr. Sesha Iyer, Director,
SPJIMR inaugurated the event following which Prof.
Umesh Bahadur, Head, Operations Management,
SPJIMR, presented the introductory speech and
welcomed the speakers and guests. The winners of the
intra-college case study competition organised in
association with the Council of Supply Chain
Management Professionals then presented their case
revolving around the theme of the conclave.
The keynote speaker for the conclave was Prof. David J.
Closs, the John H McConnell, Chaired Professor of
Business Administration & Chairperson, Department of
Supply Chain Management, Michigan State University.
His presentation, 'Evolution of Supply Chain' dealt with
the trends impacting supply chain decisions in India
and how a good supply chain should address effective
and efficient management of physical assets, expertise
and intellectual capital. He said that the supply chain
managers today have the responsibility of managing
risks and securities as the supply chain dynamics are
constantly changing.
The keynote address was followed by a presentation by
Dr. R. K. Sinha, COO (SCM, Manufacturing & IT),
Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. on 'Reflexive High
Performance Supply Chains'. He discussed the ways of
embedding concepts of reflex action into supply chain
to minimise chaos and maintain balance. Mr. Hemant
Sikka, Chief Purchase Officer, Auto and Farm sector,
Mahindra & Mahindra then talked about managing
risks and sustaining high performance in the supply
chain in the automotive sector in his interactive
presentation. Dr. K. Ganesh, Knowledge Specialist,
McKinsey & Company, India, gave valuable insights on
the various technology shifts in the 21st century supply
chains and how they were coping with the accelerating
pace of technology and innovation. Lastly Mr. Rakesh
Jaruhar, IPS, Advisor, Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF) and Special Director General, CRPF (Retd.) in
his presentation explained the nuances of supply chain
in the context of the CRPF and the police department as
a whole. His interactive session with a touch of humour
was well received by the audience.
The speakers were followed by a panel discussion on
'How Indian Companies Can Manage Risks and
Sustain During this Time of Globalisation', moderated
by Mr. Nikhil Inamdar, NDTV Profit. The discussion
focused on how globalisation has exposed companies
to new risks but also created new opportunities. This
has opened up new ways in which a company can
respond to the changing economic, social and
environmental landscape to create growth
opportunities and sharpen its competitive edge while
managing associated risks. The panel consisted of
Prof. David Closs, Dr.R.K. Sinha, Mr. Hemant Sikka, Mr.
Rakesh Jaruhar, Dr. K. Ganesh and Prof. Umesh
Bahadur. Prof. Bahadur said that the Indian companies
are gearing up due to competition. Mr. Hemant Sikka
noted that it's not the competition of the original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs) but a competition of
the supply chains of OEMs. The panel agreed with
Prof. Closs's statement that the organisations are
dramatically looking to CSR and environment friendly
initiatives as a part of sustainability initiatives.
910
Rainbow colours of innovation
November 27, 2012
January 27, 2013
Entrepreneurial extravaganza at SPJIMR as
Lock, Stock & Trade completes 10 years
Harvard US- India Initiative Chapter formed
at SPJIMR
In its 10th year, Lock, Stock & Trade (LST), a simulated
IPO game wherein investors bid for mock shares of
actual startups, was held on January 27, 2013 at
SPJIMR. Fifteen start ups from across the country
participated in the event.
The keynote speaker for the event was Mr. Dheeraj
Gupta, founder of Jumbo King, the chain of hygienic
Vada Pav stores in Mumbai. He narrated the story
behind creating the brand. After his management
degree in 1998 from SIBM, he was considering a
venture of exporting packaged Indian sweets when he
came across 'Behind the Golden Arches', a widely
acclaimed book about the growth story of McDonald's
and how Ray Kroc, its founder, expanded the franchise
model to create the hugely successful fast food chain.
Inspired by it, Dheeraj thought about vada pav as an
obvious choice for extending the model in Mumbai. He
said that often people lose the plot because they strive
for exceptional growth while only steady growth is
sustainable in the long run.
The startups presented their business ideas to an eight
person jury with rich experience across various
verticals like Investment Banking, Emerging Markets,
Capital Markets, Consulting, Retail and ITES. The
event was a platform for the young startups to pitch
their business models to VCs and mentors who had
founded or were associated with venture financing &
mentoring communities like Headstart Network
Foundation, Indian Angels Network, Mumbai Angels,
Ah! Ventures, India Social Fund and National
Entrepreneurship Network (NEN).
In the tough competition, some of the ventures which
stood out were Traffline, a real time traffic monitoring
system; Liqvid, a Noida based e-learning content
development company, AdoRoI, a leading marketing
science company providing TRAI DND compliant Lead
Generation service to marketers for measuring
marketing ROI, EFarm, a 'tech enabled subjiwallah'
connecting farmers and buyers of agri produce and
LocalBanya.com, a Mumbai based online grocery
portal which supplies supermarket products at home.
Some 200 investors, a mix of venture capitalists,
mentors, industry people and students from various
institutes, attended the presentations and made bids
for mock shares of these firms. Smart investment
decisions by Bidhan Kumar Pradhan of SPJIMR made
him the most profitable investor with the highest
portfolio, while LocalBanya.com bagged the award
for highest market capitalisation. The event was
organized by EntreCom'12 in association with NEN.
Harvard US-India Initiative (HUII), a student-run
organisation that aims to create dialogue between
Indian and American youth to address some of India's
most pressing social, economic, and environmental
issues, has established its Chapter at SPJIMR, Mumbai
on November 27th, 2012. HUII is a student-driven
network that allows US, UK and Indian college and
graduate students to interact, network and most
importantly participate in an "India Conference", which
seeks to make a difference in India's social, economic
and/or political fabric. USA and UK schools such as
Harvard (including HBS), Stanford, Princeton,
Columbia, UC Berkeley Yale, Amherst and London
School of Economics are part of the initiative.
The mission of the HUII is two-fold: to foster initial
interactions and long-term cooperation between youth
from the United States and India and to leverage these
relationships to address some of India's most pressing
social and economic issues. Students collaborate
through "social entrepreneurship" to develop solutions
to social and economic problems. The solutions they
propose have the potential to win funding and be
scaled up for implementation.
The main objectives and deliverables of the chapter
are – organising the annual HUII conference,
organising events that can add value to society and
submitting a project/research report on a social or
NGO theme which benefits the community as a whole.
The executive board of this Chapter comprises four
motivated PGDM first year students: Kanika Ghocha –
President, Dhananjay Bisht – Social Enterprise Chair,
Dattu SRK – Outreach Chair and Diana Sunny –
Conference Chair, who want to ensure that they are
able to ideate and execute initiatives to make a positive
impact to communities in India.
The theme chosen for this year's project is health and
nutrition. The SPJIMR Chapter would like to take an
initiative to create an impact on the poor nourishment
levels in India. They plan to work with some of the
identified NGOs like Centre for Rural Health and
Social Education, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh
Voluntary Health Association, Central Himalayan
Rural Action Group (CHIRAG), Uttarakhand and
Social Action for Women Empowerment and Rural
Advancement, SAWERA, Punjab, on issues like
community based management of malnutrition,
model village creation for better maternal health and
hygiene, monitoring of maternal and child health and
reproductive child health. As the scope of the study is
spread across the nation, they intend to bring out a
comparative analysis of different regions in terms of
problems faced and best practices involved and
suggest region-specific solutions.
191
Rainbow colours of innovation
October 19, 2012
H.R. Committee '12 and Magic Bus India
tie-up
‘GSK StratEdge Season’ - 6 launched at
SPJIMR
H.R. Committee '12 has created a new window of
opportunities for several live projects with Asia's largest
mentoring organisation, Magic Bus India.
Magic Bus's motto is to reach a million poor children
and enable their journey from childhood to livelihood.
Established in 1999, the organisation has reached out
to 2,25,000 children across the nation. Magic Bus
trains local community leaders to educate children in
their area through sports and activity based modules.
Their Activity Based Curriculum (ABC) is a unique
model that uses sports activities to build Knowledge,
Skills and Attitude, which is in alignment with SPJIMR's
pedagogy. The HR Committee initiated talks for a
possible tie-up with them and it emerged that SPJIMR
students could assist Magic Bus's functioning by
contributing to two verticals: fund-raising and
research. Students in turn would enhance their
understanding of the Indian customer and market
dynamics and get exposure to project management
nuances.
The second project presented an opportunity to carry
out research on Corporate Social Responsibility trends
in India, understanding Magic Bus's value proposition
in the market and carrying out market segmentation.
GSK launched the 6th season
of StratEdge at SPJIMR.
StratEdge is a campus
engagement initiative by GSK
that gives an opportunity to Bschool students to work on
real market related issues.
This was the first time that
GSK formally launched the
event at SPJIMR.
StratEdge is a national sales and marketing case study
competition. Started in 2007, the event has seen
exponential growth over the last five years. Last year,
480 teams participated in this event. SPJIMR emerged
national champions in 2009 and second runner-up
last year. Some of the campuses participating this year
are ISB, IIM Bangalore, IIM
Calcutta, IIM Lucknow,
XLRI, FMS, MDI, NITIE,
JBIMS and SIBM Pune.
The event was launched by
Mr. Amitesh Sinha, Brand
Sales manager at GSK and
an alumnus of SPJIMR
2006 batch. Mr. Amitesh
interacted with the batch
and explained the
complete procedure of
Mr Amitesh Sinha
GSK StratEdge event.
January 26, 2013
Republic Day Festivities
Republic Day this year saw the large foyer at
SPJIMR draped in flowers and garlands of
orange, white and green, heightening sense
of patriotism and pride. The celebrations
started with the flag hoisting by the
Honorable Dean Dr. M. L. Shrikant following
which students and faculty enjoyed freshly
made jalebis on the chilly morning. After the
breakfast, the participants settled to witness
antaakshari. Designed by the Cultural
Committee with a series of rounds, clever
clues and audience participation, the event
was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The event
culminated with the prize distribution. It was
a fitting end to the year's cultural celebrations
by the current committee.
192
Rainbow colours of innovation
November 30, 2012
November 20, 2012
Dr. Prodyot Samanta speaks on Enterprise
Risk Management
An interactive session with dabbawalas
A guest lecture on
'Enterprise Risk
Management (ERM)' was
conducted by Dr. Prodyot
Samanta at SPJIMR for
students of PGDM, PGPM
and PGCIM.
Dr. Samanta holds the
position of Professor of Risk
Management at UGSMDr. Prodyot Samanta
Monarch Business School,
Switzerland. He is a
strategic thinker and thought leader with expertise in
the field of Enterprise Risk Management.
He gave insights on the importance of enhanced risk
management practices within the financial sector at
large and discussed key elements of a sound ERM
framework. In this context, he mentioned that sound
ERM practices will always include an ongoing
reassessment. He suggested that senior management
should constantly strive to make the business process
better and more effective. He said, “It is critical to build
robust ERM processes that would proactively assist
institutions with identifying and optimising their
emerging threats and opportunities.”
The insightful session gave the students a corporate
perspective on various aspects of ERM. Dr. Samanta
also spent some time taking questions and interacting
with the students of various programs at SPJIMR.
Students of SPJIMR
Operations Conclave
Committee organised
an interactive session
with the Mumbai
D a b b a w a l l a h
Association for first year
students of the Institute.
Mr. Raghunath Megdhe,
Founder President of the
Association addressed a
gathering of around 80
students.
The event started with an opening address from
Prof.Umesh Bahadur, Head of Operations, SPJIMR
who gave a warm welcome to the President of the
Association. This was followed by a brief video
presentation of various documentaries that have been
made on the dabbawalas by the news media. Mr.
Megdhe then presented the story of the dabbawallas –
the history, growth and future roadmap giving minute
details about the operations of the business. He
emphasised the importance of commitment, honesty
and integrity of the dabbawala which has made this
tiffin box delivery business a success story in Mumbai.
Students were surprised to learn the performance level
at which the dabbawalas operate. The event
successfully concluded with the Q&A session where the
students enquired about the coding system and daily
operations of the business.
Mr. Girish Ramachandran shares the TCS growth story
Mr. Girish Ramachandran, Corporate Vice President at
Tata Consultancy Services addressed students of
SPJIMR and shared insights about the evolution of TCS
into the largest India –origin IT services company
(based on 2012 revenues) that it is today. In his lecture,
Mr. Ramachandran explained how the company
focused on establishing the business in years
preceding 2000, creating presence among global
customers in early 2000s and used the recession as an
opportunity in the later years to move ahead. The idea
was to keep evolving the strategy and making the right
tactical moves with the changing market environment.
Mr. Ramachandran shared information about the
current IT market trends, other major players and the
positioning of TCS. He spoke of the growth strategy of
TCS, including the key elements of its market strategy
and approach which yielded benefits such as a 96%
project delivery date adherence and the “Experience
Certainty” positioning that promises to deliver services
with certainty. He concluded with a video on the TCS
November 14, 2012
“Fit for Life” initiative which
focuses on the importance
of giving back to the society
and team building.
The brief session was
followed by questions from
students to gain further
insights into the strategy that
TCS intends to follow from
here on. The session was
organised by the Academic
Committee at SPJIMR. The
Mr. Girish
committee forms a part of
Ramachandran
the ADMAP (Assessment and
Development of Managerial
and Administrative Potential) Programme at SPJIMR. In
its endeavour to associate theory with practice, the
Academic Committee at SPJIMR routinely organises
guest lectures and other events for the students.
193
Rainbow colours of innovation
November 4, 2012
Guest Lecture by Mr. Chetan Gore, Marketing Director – Oral Care, Procter & Gamble, Singapore
Mr. Chetan Gore, Marketing Director of Oral Care at
Procter & Gamble, Singapore, spoke to PGDM
participants at SPJIMR on marketing management. An
SPJIMR alumnus with over 19 years of diverse global
experience across FMCG brands, geographies and
locations, he spoke of the marketing strategy that P&G
followed to penetrate the market with their Oral-B
tooth brush brand. Mr. Gopalakrishnan, Group
Manager, Market Strategy and Planning, also an
SPJIMR Alumnus, was present and explained
important marketing concepts in a simplified form.
Mr. Gore split his presentations into two parts. The first
part was establishing the fundamentals such as the
key success drivers for India and the “push and pull”
strategy employed by Oral-B tooth brushes. He and
Mr. Gopalakrishnan spent time explaining some basic
marketing concepts to the audience, which comprised
students of marketing, operations, information
management and finance. Mr. Gore's proficiency in
product and marketing innovation and his expertise in
the Emerging Markets, Central & Eastern Europe and
the Middle East provided a valuable perspective to the
students about the working of a global giant like P&G.
Mr. Chetan Gore addressing the batch
The next part of the presentation was focused on the
“Smile India Movement” campaign specifically on
Oral-B toothbrushes in India. During the entire
presentation, there were several discussion points
where participants inquired about the various facets of
the Oral-B toothbrushes strategy and its brand equity.
The presentation was concluded with a summary of
the scenario in India and possible new directions for
the Oral-B toothbrush brand.
Mr. Chris Guillebeau, Author of bestseller “The $100 Start Up”
discusses Micro Entrepreneurship
blogger with a blog called
“The Art of NonConformity”.
He addressed a full house
on his latest book and
about how “you don't have
to live your life the way
other people expect you
to”. Introducing “The $100
Start Up”, Mr. Guillebeau
Mr. Chris Guillebeau
said that self employment
has been around forever
and still thrives in small villages and remote areas
where organised employment is absent. The
advantage that entrepreneurs have today is free access
to a global marketplace where skills can be packaged
and sold at a premium. He quoted the example of
Chandu from Hyderabad who leveraged his passion
for spreadsheets to become an online guru for excel
consulting and marketing through Facebook and
Twitter.
Mr. Guillebeau wrapped the session with a wonderful
thought: “You need to define your own success. If you
don't decide for yourself what you want to get out of life,
someone else will probably end up deciding for
you.”He drove the point home during the book signing
session by stamping each book – “Freedom!”
Entrepreneur, traveler and author of bestseller “The
$100 Start Up”, Mr. Chris Guillebeau, enriched
participants at SPJIMR with insights into the world
of non-conformity. A non conformist himself,
Mr. Guillebeau has never worked in a formal
environment, preferring instead to launch a series of
small ventures ranging from importing cotton to
”dabbling in search engines”. He is an avid traveller
having visited more than 180 countries and has set
himself an ambitious goal of seeing the entire world
before the age of 35. Mr. Guillebeau is an eminent
914
Rainbow colours of innovation
December 11, 2012
has moved from 'the next three months' to 'the next
year', thus smoothening out the impact of smaller
events,” he said.
He mentioned that inflation expectation, which was on
an average less than 5% during the period 20072008, has increased to more than 7% in 2012-2013.
He suggested that the survey should be extended to
semi-urban and rural areas, and also discussed the
idea of inflation indexed bonds.
Mr. Rajan Venkateswaran, General
Manager - AMS Delivery, Bristlecone,
addresses PGDM participants
Mr. Rajan Venkateswaran, General Manager - AMS
Delivery at Bristlecone spoke on 'Managing Customer
Expectations' in a guest lecture attended by PGDM 1st
and 2nd year students at SPJIMR. Headquartered in
Silicon Valley, Bristlecone is a leader in strategy and
business process consulting, systems implementation
and integration, outsourced business services in Supply
Chain Management and is present in four Indian cities
namely – Bengaluru, Mumbai, Pune and Noida.
After a brief introduction of the company, Mr.
Venkateswaran talked about the general processes in
place at Bristlecone. He went on to brief the
participants about the predominant projects handled
by the company in supply chain management, the
alliance with SAP and Oracle products and how
customer satisfaction drives the business at Bristlecone.
Mr. Venkateswaran also gave insights on the client
processes at Bristlecone and shared some of his
personal experiences with the students.
The last part of the presentation was about “Customer
Expectation Management” where Mr. Venkateswaran
spoke about how Bristlecone adds value to the
customers' businesses and the challenges they face as
a support team.
‘You can never lose in business', says Prof
Sunil Handa at SPJIMR's 'Laboratory in
Entrepreneurial Motivation'
Dr. Sunil Handa, a professor at IIM Ahmedabad and a
motivational speaker on entrepreneurship, stirred the
participants at SPJIMR at a 'Laboratory in
Entrepreneurial Motivation' workshop organised by
the Entrepreneurship Committee. His straightforward
approach to entrepreneurship struck a chord with the
students, when he talked about defying the established
paradigms of placements and seven figure salaries.
With numerous anecdotes of his students who have
established multimillion dollar enterprises, he showed
the good, the bad
and the ugly side of
entrepreneurship.
His first message to
the audience was
to ”never jump the
gun”. He said that
an entrepreneur
should choose a
field that he or she
desires. But it is
vital to gain
knowledge about the
sector and the industry. Prof Handa gave the example
of his own pharmaceutical company. Being an
electrical engineer, he had little idea of the pharma
industry when he started out. But the drive to learn
made it possible. He then advised the audience to
always start with the manageable and to remain
mindful of the cutbacks one needs to put in place when
starting a business.
Prof Handa emphasised how work ethics serve as the
primary source of credibility and motivation for
customers as well as employees. He said if we destroy
the milieu that we grow in or if we do not gain respect
from what we do, it is not worth doing.
He wrapped up the session with a very strong
message: “You can never lose in business”. He
elaborated his statement by saying that if one keeps an
eye on the market trends and customer reviews and
makes rational decisions based on the same, there is
little chance one loses in an entrepreneurial venture.
Sptember 29, 2012
Importance of Inflation Expectation
Mr. Deepak Mohanty, Executive Director, RBI spoke to
the students of PGDM, PGPM and PGCIM at SPJIMR in
a guest lecture on the 'Importance of Inflation
Expectations'. The lecture saw Mr. Mohanty emphasise
the point that the central bank gives due importance to
inflation expectations while formulating monetary
policy.
He gave insights on the different surveys conducted by
RBI and other organisations on inflation expectations.
“Over the years, these surveys have moved from
qualitative to quantitative, removing subjectivity of the
data as far as possible. Also, the time frame surveyed
15
Rainbow colours of innovation
Professor Nikhilesh Dholakia provides
useful marketing insights to PGDM students
Workshop on Marketing Analytics for PGDM
students by Prof Rajkumar Venkatesan,
Darden Business School
Dr. Nikhilesh Dholakia is
professor of Marketing,
E-Commerce and
International Business at
the College of Business
Administration, University
of Rhode Island (URI). He
is also the Associate
Director of the Research
I n s t i t u t e f o r Te l e c om m un i c ati on s an d
Information Marketing
Prof. Nikhilesh Dholakia
(RITIM), one of the centres
of research excellence at
the URI College of Business
Administration. Dr. Dholakia holds a B.Tech in
chemical engineering from Indian Institute of
Technology, an MBA from Indian Institute of
Management, and a Ph.D. in Marketing from the
Kellogg School at Northwestern University.
He led the series on Innovation for PGDM marketing
batch and provided them with deep insights on the
marketing landscape and how innovation is the future
of marketing .
Associate Professor of
Business Administration
Mr. Rajkumar Venkatesan
teaches first year
Marketing and Marketing
Analytics at Darden. Mr.
Venkatesan's research
focuses on developing
customer-centric
marketing strategies that
provide measurable
financial results. In his Prof. Rajkumar Venkatesan
research, he aims to
balance quantitative rigour
and strategic relevance. He is a Bachelor of
Engineering in Computer Science from the University
of Madras and holds a PhD in Marketing from
University of Houston. Mr. Venkatesan's areas
of expertise include Customer Relationship
Management, Marketing Metrics and Marketing
Analytics.
Mr. Venkatesan spoke on diverse topics such as
Customer Relationship Lifecycle, Customer Lifetime
Value etc. He explained marketing resource allocation
and the various techniques that could be used in such a
scenario. The informative and interactive session was
well received by the students.
January 14, 2013
Guest Lecture by Mr. Harsh Mariwala, Founder & Chairman-MD of Marico
Mr. Harsh Mariwala, Founder & Chairmanvarious products, their packaging, the
MD of Marico, spoke to PGDM participants
financial and HR policies at the
at SPJIMR on January 14, 2013 and
organisation helped in beating
provided insights on entrepreneurial
competition. Mr. Mariwala showed how
management.
Marico expanded from a national to a
global brand, including its learning through
Mr. Mariwala, who founded Marico
the launch of new businesses like Kaya Skin
in 1990, spoke on the nuances of
Clinic. He wrapped up the presentation by
entrepreneurial management. He took the
explaining
his role in the start-up,
audience through Marico's journey from a
consolidation and scaling up phase of
traditional commodity driven business to a
Marico and also the role that the senior
leading consumer products & services
management is required to play in the
company in the beauty and wellness space.
Mr. Harsh Mariwala
success of any firm, especially start-ups.
He explained the various processes, culture
and value system followed at Marico. He
The session was very engaging as Mr.
discussed various innovative techniques adopted by
Mariwala could illustrate vividly his transformation
Marico like communications and positioning of its
from an entrepreneurial manager to a managerial
entrepreneur.
16
Rainbow colours of innovation
January 5, 2013
SPJIMR Students participate as guests in NDTV's 'We the People'
SPJIMR students were invited to the live studio recording
of the special edition of episodes of NDTV's 'We the
People' programme that NDTV anchor Ms. Barkha Dutt
is conducting in all major cities of India. Cultural
Committee 2012 acted as the point of contact between
NDTV and PGDM students.
Fifteen students from SPJIMR were in the audience.
They witnessed an exciting group discussion which had
eminent personalities from various professional fields.
The programme was shot at Trident Hotel, BKC,
Mumbai. The topic of the discussion was – Sexual
Violence: The Enemy within (Marital Rape and Incest)
Panelists included Ms. Priya Dutt, Lok Sabha MP,
Congress; Ms. Kalpana Lajmi, filmmaker; Mr.
Himanshu Roy, Joint Commissioner of Police, Mumbai;
Mr. Anand Grover, Senior Advocate;
Ms. Flavia Agnes, Women's Rights
Activist; Ms. Mrunalini Deshmukh,
Senior Advocate; Ms. Poonam
Muttreja, Ex. Director, Population
Foundation of India; Ms. Anuja
Gupta, Founder, RAHI.
The discussion, keeping in view the
recent horrendous
incidents in New
Delhi, uncovered
hidden aspects of
the Indian Penal
Code and its
blindness to marital
rape, and the need
for systemic changes to warrant better security for
women. It unearthed the age-old beliefs of a
misogynistic society and gender inequality. The
discussion addressed multiple queries regarding sex
education, the penal code, general ignorance of the
public and other such statistics regarding domestic
sexual violence. The issues covered ranged from
marital rape to child sex abuse to the atrocities that
women and minors undergo under the
pretense of the safety of their homes. Ms.Dutt
concluded the discussion saying, “Parents
need to tell their daughters, and women in
general need to understand, that it is not okay
anymore – no means no. And it isn't your fault.
It isn't about how you raise your daughters; it
is as much about how you raise your sons.”
December 1, 2012
November 8, 2012
Company Talks: For students, By students
Mahindra War Room 2012 - SPJIMR
Campus Round
The campus round of the 5th edition of The Mahindra
War Room, one of India's biggest case study
competitions, was held at SPJIMR on November 8,
2012. Conceived in 2008 by the Mahindra Group in
collaboration with Broadvision, the competition works
to build the Mahindra Group brand and attracts the
best talent from 17 chosen campuses across the
country.
Six teams, five of whom were from the first year, were
shortlisted to present their solutions to the jury from
Mahindra & Mahindra. The presentations were on
various Mahindra Group sectors pre-selected by the
students.
All the presentations were appreciated and jury
members also found them to be superior to those of
several other premium B-schools. The team that came
second was Team 'Lakshya', a team of first year PGDM
students who presented on the Retail sector. However
the undisputed winners of the day were Team 'Bistro',
the first year team who presented on the financial
services sector.
The day ended on a lighter note with an award to the
funniest team name - 'Aapne Bulaaya, Hum Four-eign
Chale Aaye' and the best presenter award to -'Dattu
SRK'.
Company Talks is a unique initiative launched by the
Industry Integration Committee at SPJIMR on
December 1, 2012 to tap the industry knowledge and
experience of the students within the batch to help the
larger group. In its first session, the companies under
discussion were Goldman Sachs and Mckinsey &
Company. The session was conducted by students with
previous work experience in the above mentioned
companies. They discussed in detail about the working
culture in the companies, what these companies look
for in potential new recruits and the career path when
one joins the companies. It was an engrossing and
fruitful session with a lot of participation from the
audience.
17
Rainbow colours of innovation
October 7, 2012
October 5, 2012
Workshop on Bloomberg organised by CFSA
Qwizdom 2.0
CFSA (Centre for Financial Services and
Administration) at SPJIMR organised a workshop on
Technical Analysis of The Financial Markets, using
Bloomberg as the platform for study. Mr. Vishal Mehta,
an analyst for Bloomberg, came to the campus on
October 7, 2012 and conducted the three-hour
session which was open to all streams. Around 50
participants, mostly from the finance background,
attended.
Mr. Mehta introduced the basics in trading and
investing. He then covered the core topics:1) What is
technical analysis and why does it work in the financial
markets 2) Trend and different types- uptrend,
downtrend and sideways 3) Simple indicators like trend
lines, supports and resistance levels and Fibonacci
ratios. 4) The concept of stop loss, limit orders and
market orders.
The event was well appreciated both in terms of the
quality of the speaker and the knowledge that was
passed on in the session. The students were also
exposed to Bloomberg and learned of similar services
used in the industry.
QWizdom, the flagship quizzing event, was conducted
by the B-School Competitions Committee on October
5, 2012.
The quizmaster, Saransh Verma, a first year PGDM
student, planned out the complete quiz on the theme of
a 20-20 cricket tournament. The elimination round
started out with an audio-visual quiz covering
interesting trivia on common products, people and
places that we come across every day. The elimination
round witnessed the participation of around 60
students from the PGDM course. While the results of
the first round were being evaluated, a few rounds of
“Minute to Win It” contests were conducted. Students
were asked to perform challenging tasks within a
minute. Winners were given attractive prizes.
Six teams qualified for the finals of QWizdom. The
finals started with the 'Powerplay-1' round where the
teams were tested on their knowledge of current
affairs, politics, technology, sports and business. The
next round – 'Connect the dots' required the teams to
find the connect between seemingly unrelated scenes,
images, sounds and information. The final round 'Pick
your zone' served as the “make or break” round where
the teams were asked to pick their most favourite topic
on which they were quizzed.
After the gruelling session of intense quizzing, team
comprising Akshat Mishra, Govind Lohia and Priyank
Baghel emerged winners and the team comprising
Ayushman Kaul, Siddanth Masson and Sonam Singh
were the first runners up. Many from the audience
bagged attractive prizes as well for answering “on-thespot” questions. With the audience and the participant
quizzers getting to know a plethora of interesting facts,
the quizmaster did indeed do justice to his job, thus
making it an evening well spent for everyone.
Tuesdays with Morrie at NCPA
SPJIMR students recently had an opportunity to watch a
play 'Tuesdays with Morrie' and participate in an
informal interaction with the cast at the NCPA
auditorium, Mumbai. The interaction was arranged by
ADMAP committee for the benefit of larger group of
students.
Brief about the play: A constant on The New York Times
bestseller list for more than four years with over five
million copies sold, 'Tuesdays With Morrie' is the
autobiographical story of Mitch Albom, an
accomplished journalist driven solely by his career,
and Morrie Schwartz, his former college professor.
Sixteen years after graduation, Mitch happens to catch
Morrie's appearance on a television news programme
and learns that his old professor is battling Lou
Gehrig's disease. Mitch is reunited with Morrie and
what starts as a simple visit turns into a weekly
pilgrimage and a last class in the meaning of life.
The play is adapted for stage by Mitch Albom and
Jeffrey Hatcher.
18
Rainbow colours of innovation
"The immersion exposed us first hand to how
businesses work in the biggest economy of the world,
the culture, understanding of why the US is so
innovative. We had some outstanding professors who
gave a holistic perspective on how Information
Technology is the one of the key drivers of businesses
around the globe and what it takes to be a successful
business leader. We were fortunate to learn some
cutting edge topics such as Social Media Analytics at
the university as well as during visits to one of the blue
chip companies in the region. Overall, it was a
fantastic all round experience, complementing our
learning in our regular course, worth every cent." Pradeep Paranjothi (IM)
PGPM Batch Immersion Experience
SPJIMR continued its innovation in MBA education as it
sent its entire batch of Post Graduate Programme in
Management (PGPM) for a three week long
international immersion. Not only is this initiative rare
for an 11-month duration programme, but it is unique
in that each of the four specialisations is getting
differentiated inputs.
The Information Management students travelled to the
McCombs School at the University of Texas at Austin,
which is one of the top-5 B-School for Information
Management as ranked by US News & World Report.
Similarly, the Operations Management students
travelled to Michigan State University, which is again a
top-5 US B-school for advanced Supply Chain
Management.
The objective of the international immersion was to
provide participants with advanced and in-depth
knowledge in their area of specialisation. The longterm goal is for the participants to deliver superior
value to their post-MBA employers.
Here are some of the experiences shared by the
participants.
“The international immersion experience at London
has been highly overwhelming. Apt location, rigorous
curriculum and competent faculty helped us add a
global perspective to our learning in the MBA
programme. In addition to the classroom study, we
were fortunate to have industry visits as well as
workshops by industry stalwarts. The overall
experience has been very encouraging and hopefully
the future batches too would make the most of this
opportunity.” - Ankush Kumar, Marketing
"The three weeks of experience at Michigan State
University was highly enriching and it translated
learning from a national to a global perspective. The
programme was personalised and structured based
on the courses covered at SPJIMR and past work
experience of students. Healthy classroom discussions
based on case studies and learning through videos
were complemented by industrial visits. Experiences
like these would help students build relationship with
international faculty and gain international exposure."
- Anup Kumar, Operations Management
19
Rainbow colours of innovation
November 9, 2012
SPJIMR
Celebrating Diwali with Sitaras
g
growin
to ether
The true joy of Diwali comes when you share what you
have with everyone around. Even the smallest of gifts
can bring a smile to a child's face when they see the
love with which it is given. The joy was experienced
once again on November 9 by the Abhyudaya
Committee when they organised a get-together for the
mentors and their sitaras. The evening started off with
the launch of the 2012 Committee video, which was
received with thunderous cheers. This was followed by
naamkaran- a ceremony in which a specially chosen
name was given to the Abhyudaya library set up for
sitaras. Some names were shortlisted from the plethora
of entries invited from the PGP1 batch of which the final
vote was for 'Gyanoday' given by Atul Mishra. The
library is equipped with hundreds of books for children.
Then came the biggest surprise for the kids, screening
of the movie- Kung Fu Panda-2. The movie was a fun
experience for the kids and their mentors who cheered
and clapped together.
The event concluded with the lighting of diyas by all of
them and the kids went home happy and content,
carrying memories of an evening well spent.
Abhyudaya Diwali Camp
Keeping up with tradition, Abhyudaya organised the
fifth Diwali camp for its sitaras from Nov 16 to Nov 28.
The camp provided the sitaras an exposure to new art
forms like calligraphy, origami, sports and activities
like chess, keeping them engaged and interested right
through the camp. The activities helped the sitaras in
developing and improving skills like planning,
communication, problem-solving, etc. By conducting
classes for the various scholarship exams like NMMS &
NTSE, Abhyudaya helped its sitaras prepare for
forthcoming competitive examinations and give their
best. Workshops like 'Fun-with-Math' and 'Effective
Study Habits' were held to develop and motivate the
sitaras academically and enhance their performance.
20
Rainbow colours of innovation
SPJIMR
Abhyudaya Creates a SPANDAN in the
Hearts of the Alumni
g
growin
to ether
Abhyudaya Picnic - An Experiential Lesson
on Management & Mentoring
The word “picnic” brings the feelings of excitement,
fun, enjoyment, refreshment, relaxation and so on.
However, planning for one and arranging all the nittygritty ranging from short-listing the picnic spot, making
the pilot visit, fixing up for the travel, deciding and
arranging for refreshments, scheduling the trip,
budgeting the finance, making sure that funds are
properly utilised, taking care of the security and safety
of all, and last but not the least ensuring that everything
goes according to the plan, is a tremendous job.
Thus, the Abhyudaya Committee members very
responsibly played the role of efficient organisers of
the picnic to Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Kanheri
Caves, Borivali.
The main motive of the picnic was to nurture the
relationship between the mentors and their mentees in
the natural surroundings of the park. The mentors
usually mentor their mentees in their home
environment. Winters in Mumbai are pleasant and just
the right time to be outdoors in the lap of mother
nature. The context of natural surroundings can
provide a very conducive environment for the bonds to
flourish.
The group experienced a lot of excitement, seeing the
marvelous and historical Buddhist Kanheri caves and
the fine carvings, the heart-stopping sights of an
agitated roaring lioness and a white tiger walking with
poise viewed during the safari tour, a roaring tug-ofwar match between the sitaras and the mentors and
lots more. Looking at the fun and enjoyment that the
sitaras had, a professor who attended the picnic was
reminded of her own childhood.
Abhyudaya Committee 2012 organised Spandan on
December 22, 2012, an event in which former students
recount their success stories, mingle with the current
batch and share in the joy of engaging on the very
campus that shaped and nurtured them.
The event started with screening of a video made by the
Abhyudaya Committee specifically for the alumni. The
alumni were handed over the Abhyudaya Brochures
and the Abhyudaya Calendars for the year 2013.
Few of the talented committee members participated in
the singing performance put up by seven Abhyudaya
sitaras. They played guitar and sang along with the
sitaras, adding melody to the pieces, and encouraging
the little singing ustads.
Fun is not trivial for the mentee, who is a child!
Having fun and sharing it with an attentive adult,
her mentor carry great weight and a meaning
beyond a recreational outlet, a chance to “blow
off steam,” or an opportunity to play.
“One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.” – William Shakespeare
21
Rainbow colours of innovation
October 26-27, 2012
DOCC conducts Experentia '12
DOCC committee conducted Experentia 2012 over
two days in October. On the first day, Oct 26, SPJIMR
students visited the NGO 'Yusuf Meherally Centre'
located in Tara village, Raigad district. There, the
students worked in groups on six themes - Cottage
Industries, Education Sector, NGO & Panchayati Raj,
Rural Development, Health & Gender from a rural
perspective, and Gandhian Economics. The students
then studied the various areas under the Yusuf
Meherally Centre - the Village Industries, School,
Hospital, The Panchayat etc. depending on their
themes. With the help of Mr. G. G. Parekh and Mr.
Harish Shah, the students were able to gain a
comprehensive understanding of the entire NGO
premise and its functioning. They understood the
technicalities of the various industries present there
and came up with solutions for fine tuning their
business processes. Under the guidance of the SPJIMR
faculty team comprising of Prof. Nirja Mattoo, Prof.
A.B. Kulkarni, Prof. K G Karmakar, Prof. Lata Dhir, Prof.
R.K. Pattnaik, Prof. Sanjay Doctor and Prof. Jiban
Mukhopadhay, the participants submitted a detailed
report with recommendations on the streamlining of
the business processes for Yusuf Meherally Centre.
On Oct 27, the second day of 'Experientia '12', the
students learned management principles through a
social enterprise. The NGO studied was Om
Creations, which works for mentally challenged
children/youth. Mrs. Durga Jain, Founder and Dr.
Radhike Khanna, Trustee of the NGO, spoke about the
This was followed by a 'blind' photography workshop
by Mr. Partho Bhowmick, where the students were
exposed to the world of the visually challenged. Mr.
Partho started the session by speaking about social
entrepreneurship and the various avenues that are
available for young managers. The students were
blindfolded in order to demonstrate how the blind are
able to click photographs by sensing temperature,
sound and touch. They also had the opportunity to
interact with people who had been working with Mr.
Bhowmick for many years and were expert
photographers. This was a highly sensitising
experience for the students, who appreciated the work
done by the visually impaired.
For the participants, Experentia'12 was extremely
touching and insightful event with fond experiences
they would cherish for a long time to come.
relevance and importance of social entrepreneurship
and also gave insights into the world of the specially
abled through videos. Mrs. Durga Jain motivated and
inspired the entire batch through excerpts from her
personal life. Mr. Rishabh Sharma, management
consultant, explained the management principles
behind the successful model of this social enterprise.
The children from the NGO mesmerised the students
by creating beautiful paintings.
22
Rainbow colours of innovation
December 3, 2012
When the Heroes Speak, the World Listens
DOCC organized 'Heroes Speak 2012' bringing
together three major contributors to the social sector of
India - Mr. Farooq Sheikh and Magsaysay award
winners Mr. Deep Joshi and Dr. Jockin Arputham on a
common platform to share their insights and
experiences with the students of SPJIMR.
Mr. Joshi is a Social Worker and NGO activist who has
been instrumental in bringing professionalism to the
NGO movement in India. He holds a masters in
engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) and a management degree from
Sloan School, MIT. He was awarded the Magsaysay
award in 2009 and Padma Shri in 2010. He advises
the Government of India on poverty alleviation
strategies and was a member of the working group on
rain fed areas for the 11th Five Year Plan. He was also
appointed as the Chairman of the Institute of Rural
Management, Anand (IRMA) in October 2012. Mr.
Joshi narrated to the students his inspiring journey
from a local primary school in Uttarakhand to the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He shared his
rationale behind coming back to India and dedicating
his life to rural development.
“A person in his lifetime should, on an average,
contribute three to four years to rural India,” he said.
Mr. Joshi also spoke about PRADAN (Professional
Assistance for Development Action), a non-profit
organisation co-founded by him in 1983, which is
involved in building self-help groups, developing land
and water resources, natural resource management,
forest-based livelihood, horticulture and agriculture
etc. PRADAN recruits college graduates from
campuses across India to do community work and
trains them for the same. As a part of the training, they
spend one to three months living with a rural family
away from all the facilities of urban life.
Dr. Jockin Arputham has worked for more than 40
years in slums and shanty towns, building
representative organisations into powerful partners
with government and international agencies for the
betterment of urban living. He was chosen as the Asian
of the year in 2009 by Reader's Digest, and was
honoured with the Magsaysay award in 2000 and the
Padma Shri in 2011. He is the president of the
National Slum Dwellers Federation which he founded
in the 1970s and also of Slum Dwellers International
which networks slum and shack dwellers'
organisations and federations from over 20 countries
across the world. He shared with the students his
experiences highlighting the initial reluctance and
difficulties he faced while dealing with the sensitive
issue of redevelopment of urban slums.
The chief guest for the event was the popular Indian
actor, philanthropist and television presenter,
Mr.Farooq Sheikh. He has been involved in the
campaigning for polio immunisation in difficult-toreach areas of Meerut. At the event, he encouraged the
students to be responsible citizens of the country and to
contribute to the development of society. Giving
insights into how corruption has become such a deeprooted problem in our country, he stressed the need to
eradicate it. He spoke about effective utilisation of
money and how students of SPJIMR, the future leaders
of tomorrow, should utilise their money for the
betterment of the country. He also talked about the
evolution of cinema since its inception till the present
day.
The event also witnessed a power-packed
performance of 'Aaj ki Stree', a street play performed
by award winning students of Bhavan's College. The
play highlighted the issues related to women's
empowerment.
December 16, 2012
PGDM & PGCIM participants interact with a panel of Venture Capitalists & IT Entrepreneurs
SPJIMR participants interacted with a panel of venture
capitalists and IT entrepreneurs on the topic of setting
up IT & IT enabled businesses. The discussion on 'India
3.0 – Powered by Technology' was organised by CNBC
TV18 & Lenovo and was aired live on CNBC TV18 on
December 16, 2012. The panel had Mr. Mahesh
Murthy, venture capitalist, Ms. Valerie Wagoner,
founder and CEO, Zipdial and Mr. Satya Prabhakar,
founder and CEO, Sulekha.com.
The panel discussed how India has transformed more
towards becoming a service hub rather than a product
hub and the role of venture capitalists in starting a new
business. The panel opined that the execution of a
business idea is more important than the idea itself
and is the key differentiating factor for venture
capitalists before they invest in any business. The panel
discussion ended with an interactive round of
questions from the students on various topics such as
future of cloud computing, entrepreneurship and the
general outlook of IT industry in India.
The panel discussion was facilitated by the Placement
Committee, 2012 which is an integral part of ADMAP
program at SPJIMR.
23
Rainbow colours of innovation
January 31, 2013
C-DOCC conducts Ehsaas 2013
Then from the dew drops of tears
We'll create beautiful rainbows……
With the threads of joys & sorrows
We'll weave the fabric of our own life.
with special needs since its inception in 2005 with an
endeavour to provide these children with a platform to
express themselves and receive the recognition they
deserve. Ehsaas provides an unique opportunity to
appreciate the resilience of these children who
continue to exude joy despite their personal
challenges.
This year, Ehsaas was organised on January 31, 2013.
The event had activities which offered ample
opportunity to the differently abled children to display
their talents to an appreciative audience. The theme of
the performances was to highlight Indian tradition and
culture. The event had been designed to facilitate
maximum interaction between these children and
SPJIMR's students. A special "creative corner" was put
up to give them an opportunity to create their own
beautiful paintings. Ehsaas also offered an opportunity
for the organisations supporting such causes to put up
their stalls in the campus, displaying and selling their
products.
Today we see so many achievers who have boldly
thrown away their disability to enhance their own life
and those of innumerable others like them. They stand
on their own, have self-confidence and self-respect.
“You lack nothing; you are only different” is the
valuable mantra by which they live.
The Concept:
What is life without a sense of touch, feelings! This is
what Ehsaas is all about. While we move about our fast
paced lives, the world moves a little differently for
differently abled children. As they work to meet their
aspirations, they have to make that extra effort, that
extra struggle to get through their day, and in most
cases, to gain social acceptance. Ehsaas is an attempt
to bring a day of unalloyed joy to these special children
– a day when they just can't stop smiling! An event
organised by SPJIMR's Centre for Development of
Corporate Citizenship (DOCC) in collaboration with
NABARD (National Bank for Agricultural and Rural
Development), Colgate Palmolive and Sobisco.
Ehsaas is a platform where the participants of the BSchool interact with differently abled children not to
sympathise with them but to learn from them the power
of the human spirit/mind and persuasion. It is also an
attempt to make the students at SPJIMR more sensitive
to the world these children live in, their challenges, and
their triumphs. Ehsaas celebrates the spirit of children
The Event:
This time, the event witnessed around 350 children and
over 35 NGOs/Schools and Self Help Groups, some
150 Supporting NGOs and school staff, 52 Stall
members (two persons per stall) participating and an
audience of more than 600 people. The stall displayed
a variety of products like jewelry, clothes, chocolates,
candles, table mats, coasters, trays and other artistic
handicrafts made by the special kids and teachers from
these NGOs and the SHGs.
The performance by the children was very delightful
and entertaining with a social message --Save The
Girl Child. The gifts from Colgate Palmolive were given
to the NGOs to be distributed to the participating
24
Rainbow colours of innovation
September 1 – October 29, 2012
Women Management Program of FMB
Centre for Entrepreneurship conducts
Customised GYB Programme for Channel
Partners - Danfoss India
FMB Links (http://www.fmblinks.org) is an online
initiative of the FMB department to connect with its
students, alumni and all those with a keen interest in
the Family Managed Businesses. The site has various
initiatives and videos of lectures, student interviews,
guest interviews, write-ups on the changes and the
current dynamics of the FMB world.
The latest video uploaded is a discussion of Role of
Women in Business. Women are now playing an
important role in running family businesses. According
to Dr. Sumita Datta, Faculty SPJIMR, one of the factors
responsible for the change has been the change in the
family structure. Families are moving from the earlier
joint family system to today's nuclear family. In the
nuclear family system, the women perceive themselves
as playing the role of a significant partner in the family
and hence start contributing to the business. Another
factor leading to an increased role for women is the
better education and exposure that women
entrepreneurs have these days.
To address the needs of these women and help them in
their journey of being better entrepreneurs, SPJIMR
began its Women Management Programme in
September 2011 with over 50 successful participants in
first two batches .
The Centre for Entrepreneurship conducted the
second batch of Customised Grow Your Business
Programme for the Channel Partners - Danfoss India,
Power Electronics Division from September to October
2012. The objective of the MDP was to equip the
channel partners with the knowledge, the skills and the
attitudes to help them draw up a five-year vision plan
and achieve the vision in an organised and
professional manner.
The success of the customized GYB programme can be
gauged from participants' comments. The programme
"was an eye opener", one participant said. Others said
they "learnt what not to do", "learnt what is vision and
goal and how to achieve these", and one described it
as being "very beneficial to a first generation
entrepreneur”.
Mr. Ravichandran, Senior Director-Asia Pacific,
Danfoss Motion Controls Division was present when
the participants presented their individual vision
documents. Mr. Ravichandran congratulated the
participants for their efforts in putting together the
vision document along with strategies for growth. He
further observed that the focus on implementation and
execution of the vision document testified to the overall
success of the programme.
Alumni Disha Doshi, Director H.K. Printers Pvt. Ltd;
Shiveni Kejriwal, Director, Remsons Industries Ltd;
Nidhi Modi, Director, Modi Motors Agenicies Pvt. Ltd;
Priti Gupta, Executive Director, Anand Rathi Fin.
Services; Megha Poddar, Director, Siyaram Silk Mills
Ltd., had this to say:
All of them agreed that it is not easy to walk into any
business, especially if you are a woman, without
overcoming challenges and facing up to the concerns
of customers and employees. Getting a foothold on the
work domain and maintaining household
responsibilities along with business leadership roles
has been a challenge for all of them.
Though they were all mentored since early childhood
to work in the family business and handle
responsibilities, they still found it tough to convince
their teams that women meant business and in many
ways had to work much harder than their male
counterparts.
They put in that extra effort and led their organisations
to a new level by balancing family with work. All of
them said that they have been able to succeed with the
help and support of their parents, in-laws, spouses and
their teams.
25
Rainbow colours of innovation
IBM-SPJIMR SSME Centre conducts Advanced Certificate Programme in Services
IBM-SPJIMR SSME Centre successfully organised the
third edition of the Advanced Certificate Programme in
Services which ended in November 2012.
The programme adopted a three track approach and
consisted of six modules over four months.
Each module had one or two specific themes focusing
on particular dimensions of services.
Senior managers from companies like IBM, Hindustan
Unilever, HDFC Bank, Atos India, TCS, Unfors Raysafe
(India) Pvt Ltd and the Department of Posts participated
in the programme.
The total number of people indirectly influenced by the
programme in this cycle alone stands at over 3,600.
The faculty included professionals from IBM Senior
Researcher- Haifa Research Lab- Israel, TCS,
Marketing head of Centaur Pharma, Ex VP of
Mahindra Satyam, Operations head - HDFC Bank,
and professors from SPJIMR.
The programme architecture has been adopted by
organisations in other countries as well.
The Centre is a unique establishment of its kind in India
meant to promote Service Science and Management in
various industries.
The Services Sciences, Management & Engineering
Course has given me the new view to services and also
how the services is important not only to person,
organisation or country but to the whole world. This
should be a part of the curriculum of regular
management and specifically how ethics plays a
crucial role in this industry
-Mr. Narendra Ghosh, Infrastructure Manager, IBM.
I have a whole new perception of services, be it for my
current service business, the services I obtain as a
customer or for designing any future service business.
It is commendable that such a unique programme is
designed and executed with set objectives for Indian
service professionals and entrepreneurs. I highly
recommend this course for new entrants as well as
established service entrepreneurs and professionals
- Rahul Sanghavi, VP Marketing, Unfors Raysafe (India)
Pvt. Ltd.
It was a unique experience where I not only got to learn
from renowned professors but also got a chance to
interact with VPs, CIOs from banking, retail and IT
sectors
-Praveen Mehta (TCS), SPOC - APAC PM & VE Initiative.
The four months of rigorous or shall I say entertaining
weekends not only answered all my questions but also
opened my mind to a whole new concept for service.
Our perception of service has always been customer
satisfaction but this programme made me think
otherwise and open up to this vast topic and look at it in
a broader sense. Today I can strongly and confidently
speak/feel about various business aspects just the way
our senior management does. The programme
enriched my domain expertise in service and the
methodology that it teaches us to use in our practical
work. Bringing in such amazing speakers from all
kinds of industry and getting a chance to listen to them
itself has been a blessing. I strongly recommend this
programme for all
- Mohit Jain, Assistant Manager: Datacenter
Operations, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)
Experiences of SSME participants
Participation in this course provides me with fresh
inputs on implementation & delivery of service
systems…strongly recommended for professionals
who aspire to be future leaders in service and servicerelated industry
-Deepti Pandit, Channel Manager - Asset Desk,
HDFC Bank.
The SSME programme at SPJIMR is the first of its kind.
The programme brought together the world of
academics and industry to give a flavour of services
and the complexities involved in delivering good
services. What I appreciated most was that the
programme combined theory and past research
along with insights and application from various
industries and practitioners
-Dr. Maneesha Pednekar, Head- SI Quality & Security.
26
Rainbow colours of innovation
November 24, 2012
Mentors Meet to review the programme PGCDM Batch-1
and suggestions about the programme in the open
interactive forum which was addressed by Prof. Joshi.
The meet ended with the mentors and the participants
interacting with the faculty and guest speakers over
tea.
A mentor is a coach, guide, tutor, facilitator, counselor
and trusted advisor, someone willing to spend his or
her time and expertise to guide the development of his
mentee. Keeping this in mind, a mentors' meet of the
PGCDM batch is organised every semester. The meet
was attended by all the participants along with their
mentors from Alert India, Essel Mining & Industries Ltd,
Baif and Ultratech Cement Ltd (Aditya Birla Group).
This being the third and last mentors' meet for PGCDM
batch-1, it was very important as feedback from
mentors and the participants was procured on the
programme.
Chairperson – CEdSS, Prof. Rukaiya Joshi, welcomed
the gathering, mentors and guest speakers Mr. Uday
Kagal, Founder - Innovation Social Consultants,
Dr.K.S.Gopal, Scholar-in-Residence, TISS and Mr.
K.Siddharatha, Chief Mentor at Ensemble and the
mentors who came from all over the country to
participate in the learning process at SPJIMR. She gave
an overview of the programme to the mentors.
Mr. Uday Kagal addressed the group on “Social
Enterpreneurship”. The discussion was on NGOs
and corporates, entrepreneurship and social
entrepreneurship. He had an interactive discussion
with the group on developing innovative social models
that are more accountable, scalable and sustainable.
“The world has grown so dark that even a small light
looks bright,” Dr. K. S. Gopal said. He spoke on “New
Trends & Challenges in India”, touching on the
growing gap between the poor and rich and
globalisation as a reality. He shared a few of his life
experiences in India and abroad and the need to see
the joy of development and feel accomplished as the
ultimate motivator.
Mr. K. Shiddharatha shared his views on
“Secularisation as a process of Social change,
Development & Innovation”. He spoke of bringing
about an attitudinal change and development by the
process of secularisation by being responsible for self,
the community and the nation.
The mentors and the participants gave their feedback
Experiences of PGCDM participants
The mentee is more enthusiastic, energetic and
definitely a positive change. The course has been
helpful in making him more mature
- Mr. Dilip Mohanty, Vice President, Essel Mining &
Industries Ltd.
The learning process is indeed beneficial to both
mentor and the mentee and gives an opportunity to
refresh what was taught to me in management -- Mr. P.
Gunakar Rao, Dy. General Manager – HR Ultra Tech
Cement.
Learning and applying exercises have made mentors
good reflectors
- Mr Anthony Samy, Chief Executive, Alert India.
Although the mentees are working on different
projects, they are applying management tools taught
here and this has helped to increase effectiveness and
impact
- S.M. Wagle, BAIF.
The faculty at SPJIMR go out of the way to make you
comfortable and are very helpful towards the
participants which we have not seen anywhere else - Sadashiv Nimbalkar, Participant.
27
Rainbow colours of innovation
January 4-6, 2013
SPJIMR concludes the fifth edition of its annual management and cultural festival OJAS
SPJIMR concluded the fifth edition of its annual
management and cultural fest OJAS that spanned
three days and saw participation from more than 158
colleges including the top 20 B-schools in India. With
“Strength, Strategy, Survival” as its theme, OJAS 5.0
achieved major milestones not only in terms of student
and corporate involvement but also in terms of
leverage of social media and general online presence
to achieve increased permeability with all the
stakeholders.
Some of the major highlights of OJAS 5.0 were: Twenty
core team members managed functions like
marketing, events, sponsors, logistics etc. supported by
110 coordinators from the batch. A 250% increase in
Facebook fan following over the last year was
achieved. About 9,000 online registrations were
received for the events and 26 sponsors supported the
event. OJAS 5.0 held a total of 16 management events.
More than 8,100 participants came from outside
SPJIMR and the cultural footfall recorded 1,200
participants.
Devember 5, 2012
Devember 16, 2012
Friendly football match between ESCP-Paris
students and SPJIMR team
Fun sports for PGDM students at Juhu
beach
The Sports Committee at SPJIMR organised a friendly
football match between ESCP students visiting the
campus and the SPJIMR team.
ESCP Europe is a business school located in Paris,
London, Berlin, Madrid, and Turin. Established in
1819, it is the world's first business school. ESCP was
ranked 10th amongst European Business Schools in
2012 by Financial Times. In 2010, its Master in
Management programme was ranked 1st worldwide
by the Financial Times. ESCP-Paris students had arrived
at SPJIMR for international project management
seminar held in Nov-Dec 2012.
The SPJIMR team outperformed their opponents and
won the match by a score of 6-1.
The match served as a bonding exercise for
participating students, ensuring that it was the sporting
spirit that came out the winner in this friendly match.
Sports Committee at SPJIMR organised a fun session
for PGDM students at Juhu beach as part of the annual
initiative of SPRINT, the sports festival of SPJIMR.
The participants were asked to form their teams and
register for the event. The event saw a large number of
students turnout despite the event being scheduled on
a Sunday morning. The entire event was coordinated
by the Sports Committee.
Students also brought their own sporting equipments
and played volleyball, football, etc.
A friendly Frisbee match was played between the Sprint
core team and the rest of the participants. Sprint core
team won the competition but all the participating
members enjoyed the event thoroughly.
“The event was very interesting and stress relieving.
The Sports Committee should organise more such
events,” said Sumit Dhingra, PGDM 2012-14 student.
“Even a simple sport like Frisbee can be a great stress
reliever in the busy schedules. I thoroughly enjoyed
participating and coordinating the event along with
Sports Committee members,” said Praveen Kumar,
PGDM 2012-14 student.
28
Rainbow colours of innovation
January-4-6, 2013
The sixth edition of the annual sports festival, SPRINT concluded
SPJIMR concluded the sixth edition of its annual
sports festival SPRINT. This year, SPRINT registered
participation from 13 B-schools across India. A
total of 14 sports events were conducted across
eight venues over three days.
As one of the unique initiatives in SPRINT'13, the
former captain of the Indian hockey team, Mr. Viren
Rasquinha visited SPJIMR for an exhibition football
match organised by an NGO called 'Slum Soccer'.
SPRINT'13 also witnessed an exhibition cricket match
between SPJIMR team and the TAS executive team.
After a gruelling routine of 14 sports events, which
included 157 matches to be played, the final medals
tally was declared, in which SPJIMR emerged as a clear
overall winner.
December 6, 2012
Spectrum – a Global Cultural event
celebrates life in SPJIMR
‘Foosball’ table at SPJIMR
On December 6, 2012, as the sun set, a celebrations
began in the auditorium of SPJIMR. The occasion was
Spectrum – a Global Cultural event organised by the
International Exchange and Internship Committee
together with the Cultural Committee to celebrate
music, dance and life in SPJIMR Mumbai.
The evening started with a string of power packed
performances. From renditions of popular Bollywood
songs and gleeful strums of the guitar to crooning
voices, the event had it all. In-house dance groups
Laasya and Dance Inc. mesmerised the audience with
their moves. Partha Barman, Chitra Chatterjee, Rajesh
Goel, Sukhbarinder Gill and many more kept the
audience humming. In between, a Tamil version of
Roja served to explore diversity within the Indian
context. The international community was represented
by students from ESCP France, BEM Bourdeaux, USM
Malaysia and ESB Reutlingen. And when the audience
joined them in singing WakaWaka, disparate voices,
cultures and traditions mingled into one and provided
the climax for a very vibrant evening. The international
snacks that followed provided the perfect ending for
the magical night.
The Sports Committee at SPJIMR made a Foosball table
available for SPJIMR students as a part of campaign
leading to SPRINT '13.
Table football, also known as foosball or biliardino, is a
table-top game and sport that is loosely based on
association football. To begin the game, the ball is
served through a hole at the side of the table, or simply
placed by hand at the feet of a figure in the centre of the
table. The initial serving side is decided with a coin toss.
Players attempt to use figures mounted on rotating bars
to kick the ball into the opposing goal. Expert players
have been known to move balls at speeds up to 56
km/h (35 mph) in competition.
Students as well as faculty members enjoyed playing a
game of Foosball during free time.
29
Rainbow colours of innovation
November 18, 2012
Students, Faculty and Alumni twirl together
at Dandiya night
SPJain Premier League 2.0: A Sports
Committee 2011-2012 event
The student committees at
SPJIMR joined hands to create a
unique forum for the students
and faculty members to interact
with alumni. The excitement was
palpable as the students dressed
in their finery met the alumni at
the Dandiya celebration held on
the campus grounds.
The night was resplendent with
fairy lights draped delicately
over the trees and the youthful
exuberance of those who
danced beneath them. The
Dandiya itself was a visionstudents and alumni twirled to traditional Gujarati
music with their dandiyas clicking in a steady rhythm. A
short workshop held by Prof. Aditi helped even those
with two left feet, who were able to be more than mere
bystanders. Al-Mart, the merchandise store for SPJIMR
t-shirts, mugs etc. was set up at the venue.
The event was organised jointly by the Alumni
Committee and Cultural Committee, 2012.
Sports Committee 2012 in coordination with their
counterparts from PGP-2 batch organised the biggest
sporting extravaganza in SPJIMR, SPL 2.0.
SPL coordination team was elected through selection
process. Sahil Gambhir was elected as Commissioner
for SPL 2.0. Teams participating from PGP1:
'Bhavans' Badshahs': Manager- Amit Otta;
Consultant- Akshay Sharda
'Borivali Bombers': Manager- Vaatsal Tandon;
Consultant- Udit Negi
'Worli Wolves': Manager- Sanket Kothari; ConsultantDevang Rajkotia
'Lalbaug Lafangey': Manager- Pratistha Srivastav;
Consultant- Pooja Bhatt
First round was concluded on 18/11/12.
Results after first round:
Alumni
news
December 9 & 16, 2012
SPJIMR alumni are ET Young Achievers 2012
Dean's session on Spirituality for alumni
Aruna Daryanani and Megha Mehra,
the PGDM alumni are chosen as
Economic Times Young Leaders
2012. The Economic Times Young
Leaders programme is a platform
for recognising
and rewarding
India's most
promising young
Aruna Daryanani managers. This
initiative is meant
to encourage,
identify and nurture promising
Megha Mehra
future business leaders of India Inc.
As a part of Continuing Management Education, a
session on 'Science of Spirituality' was hosted by the
Dean, Dr. M .L. Shrikant within the SPJIMR campus.
This session was attended by 20 alumni on the 9th and
16th of December, 2012
Rajagopal Raman
Mr. Rajagopal Raman will be heading the public affairs
at ResPublica Consulting. Mr. Raman has a wealth of
expertise in the public and government affairs sector
for more than 20 years.
Dr. M. L. Shrikant with alumni
30
Alumni news
December 22, 2012
SPANDAN – SPJIMR's Annual Alumni Reunion
initiatives by Director Dr. Sesha Iyer. This was followed
by an Abhyudaya video showcasing the real value of
the initiative and the positive difference it has made to
many lives. The Alumni committee had made a video
capturing the photos of their college days. Amidst the
nostalgia, the alumni were requested to share
anecdotes from their college days. The session came to
close with felicitation by Dr. Sesha Iyer and High Tea
accompanied by clicking group photos.
As a part of SPANDAN, the Bhavans' Nature Adventure
Club set up fun activities for the alumni to indulge in
adventurous sports like rappelling and rock climbing.
This was done for the first time and was a huge success.
The alumni enjoyed this sporty change and recounted
trying their hands at rifle shooting and archery. The
evening had performances by the sitaras.
SPJIMR alumni have achieved tremendous success
becoming leaders of world's top notch organisations
while some have setup their own successful ventures in
diverse corporate and social fields. They have achieved
this while working with dedication, commitment and
ethics. This year, the distinguished SPJIMR alumni who
were recognised with Alumni Recognition Awards for
their sustained efforts were - Mr. Rajesh Jejurikar and
Mrs. Lulu Raghavan in the field of Corporate
Excellence, Mr. Vinay Shetty in the field of Social
Development and Mr. Sunil Rao in Entrepreneurship.
The eventful day ended with dinner, where 250 people
mingled and shared a meal with laughter and smiles.
SPJIMR's Annual Alumni reunion - SPANDAN, held on
22nd December on the college campus, was a day of
reliving old memories, renewing old ties and
reconnecting with the Institute which defines them in
more than one way. The event was a resounding
success with the participation of more than 150 alumni
and their families.
The day began by hosting the batch of 1997 on
campus in the morning. Director Dr. Sesha Iyer briefed
the batch about the new developments and initiatives
like the Abhyudaya programme that involves the
participants of the current PGDM batch mentoring
bright students from poor families. This was followed
by the batch video, which was played to loud cheers
among the batch. After this, there was an interaction
between the batch and the professors in which each
alumnus spoke at length about the college, comments
on the new developments and the nostalgia on being
back on campus. After this, they were taken to the
BCCA hall for lunch, post which there was an
interaction between the current PGP-1 batch and the
batch of 1997. This was followed by 'Back to Class'
session taken by Prof. VK Murti, after which batch
members were free to interact among themselves. A
few batch mates left while the rest joined the festivities
in the evening.
The batch of 2007 arrived in the evening and was
greeted with a collage of photos from their college
days. The programme began by screening the alumni
relations video followed by an update of the new
31
Alumni news
September 29, 2012
Alumni London Meet
Alumni Malaysia Meet
Over 20 alumni gathered at the Clay Oven restaurant
in London for a meet. They were joined by Prof. A.B.
Kulkarni and Prof. Indu Niranjan. The alumni took a
walk down memory lane as they fondly remembered
their days at SPJIMR. All the alumni enjoyed themselves
as they interacted with their former batch mates.
The alumni at Malaysia fondly recalled their days at
SPJIMR when they were joined in Kuala Lumpur by
Prof. Abbasali Gabula, who apprised them of various
achievements at SPJIMR in November 2012.
Alumni’s with Prof. Abbasali Gabula
Alumni with Prof. Kulkarni & Dr. Indu Niranjan
Debjani Ghosh on the cover of the Business
Today magazine
Alumni New York Meet
Several alumni residing in New York gathered in
Central Park on October 20, 2012, to reconnect with
their alma mater. Prof. Abbasali Gabula joined the
meet and shared the latest developments at SPJIMR
with the alumni.
Ms. Debjani Ghosh, Intel's South
Asia Managing Director, Sales and
Marketing is on the cover of the
October special edition of Business
Today magazine. The magazine has
named Debjani as one of the most
powerful women in Indian business.
To read more about Debjani's
incredible journey to the top, grab the
October 2012 issue of the magazine or read online at:
http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/intel-debjanighosh-most-powerful-women-inbusiness/1/188357.html
Paras Rastogi is out with his first book
SPJIMR alumnus Paras Rastogi is out
with his first book, 'Smart Moves,
Great Career'. The book provides
proven methods to navigate and
succeed in the complex and
challenging corporate world.
Alumni’s with Prof. Abbasali Gabula
Shital Mehta is the CEO of Pantaloon
Fashion Retail Limited
Shital Mehta, an alumnus of the
batch of PGDM 1996, has been
appointed as the new CEO of
Pantaloon Fashion Retail Limited.
In his earlier role as COO,
International Brands and Retail,
Madura Fashion and Lifestyle
(MF&L), he was responsible for
running and expanding the portfolio
of international brands business. His
achievements include the launch of the British lifestyle
brand Hackett in the country, turning multi brand retail
into a profitable venture and transforming Van Heusen
to a premium retail led lifestyle brand.
Krishna Kranti on Life at SPJIMR
Krishna Kranti released his book
titled “MBA is not about money,
blazer and arrogance” at annual
SPANDAN event. The book has been
named in the 2nd position at the best
sellers list at Oxford book store
which has more than 20,000 titles in
their store.
32
Faculty
news
November 24, 2012
Prof Mukhopadhyay at the 3rd International Academic Conference on Management Innovation
and Competence of Large Enterprises
Prof. Jiban Mukhopadhyay was invited as a Special
Guest to address the the 3rd International Academic
Conference on Management Innovation and
Competence of Large Enterprises on Nov 24 , 2012 at
Shenyang, organised by Business School, Lioaning
University and Management Science and Nation
Natural Science Foundation of China. He did a
detailed presentation on Strategising Global Business :
Chinese & Indian Companies vis-a-vis Traditional
TNCs, which was highly appreciated. The day
happened to be their MBA function day. In the evening,
students organised a cultural function, not unlike what
SPJIMR students do before leaving campus. Prof.
Mukopadhyay was felicitated at the function and he
commented, “If I had not gone, I would not have
realised so much appreciation and honor were waiting
for me!”
Prof. Jiban Mukhopadhyay
Summary of Publications (Oct 12onwards)
Faculty Name along
with co-author/s
Topic / Title
Publishers /
Presentation Details / Date
Prof. Gautam Desai
(Co-Author: Dr. Sesha Iyer)
Estimating Net Present Value (NPV) : A
Case Study Illustrating Monte Carlo
Simulation Technique For Quantitative
Project Risk Management
Industrial Engineering Journal; Vol. V &
Issue NO. 10; October 2012
Prof. Abbasali Gabula
Experiential Learning in Management
Education
Journal of Applied Management and
Investments; October 2012
Dr. Upasana Agarwal (CoAuthors: Dr. Shivganesh
Bhargava, IIT Mumbai)
Examining the role of Social Exchange on
work Outcomes: A study of Indian
Managers
12th International HRM Conference titled
"Dream, Discover, Dare, Innovations in
the Global Village: Role of International
HRM”; December 10 to 13, 2012
Dr. Upasana Agarwal (CoAuthors: Dr. Keith C D’souza
& Usha Chavali)
Profiling the Locus of Control for
different groups of employees:
evidence from India
12th International HRM Conference titled
"Dream, Discover, Dare, Innovations in the
Global Village: Role of International HRM”;
December 10 to 13, 2012
Prof. Samish Dalal (CoAuthor: Prof. Rajiv Agarwal)
The Cinnamon Case: Sales
Negotiation (Role Play) - (A) The Seller
Ivey Publishing, Richard Ivey School of
Business, Case (9B12C046A); Oct 17, 2012
Prof. Samish Dalal (CoAuthor: Prof. Rajiv Agarwal)
The Cinnamon Case: Sales
Negotiation (Role Play) - (B) The Buyer
Ivey Publishing, Richard Ivey School of
Business, Case (9B12C046B); Oct 17, 2012
Dr. R. K. Pattnaik (Co-Author:
Dr. Preeta George)
Market pricing for petroleum
items: Issues and policy options
The Free Press Journal dated October 23,
2012
Dr. R. K. Pattnaik (Co-Author:
Dr. Pallavi Mody)
Strengthening India's Biz Environment
Business Line (The Hindu) , Page 8,
October 27, 2012
Dr. R. K. Pattnaik (CoAuthor: Dr. Preeta George)
Is it Time for a Rate cut?
The Free Press Journal dated October
29, 2012; Page 13
Dr. R. K. Pattnaik (Co-Author:
Dr. Preeta George)
An eloquent Policy that Falls Short
The Free Press Journal dated November
1, 2012; Page 22
33
Faculty news
Faculty Name along
with co-author/s
Topic / Title
Publishers /
Presentation Details / Date
Prof. Jiban Mukhopadhyay
(Co-Author SPJIMR Students:
Garg, Mayank; Oli,
Saumya; Kumar, Amit)
RLEK: Survival with the Real Bottom
Line
Featured at New@CasePlace.org
Richard Ivey School of Business; Ivey
Publishing. Reference #: 9B12M029, Teaching
Note #: 8B12M029; November 2012
Prof. Jiban Mukhopadhyay
Stratigizing Global Business: Chinese
& Indian Companies vis-a-vis
Traditional TNCs
International Conference on "Management
Innovation & Competence of Large
Enterprises" Organized by Business;
November 2012
Dr. K. G. Karmakar
Agri Biotechnology + Farmer Productivity
International conference on sustainability by
ITM Nagpur / BAIF, Pune; October 4-5, 2012
Dr. K. G. Karmakar
Coping Mechanism
International conference on sustainability by
ITM Nagpur / BAIF, Pune; October 4-5, 2012
Dr. K. G. Karmakar
Nursing Innovations
International Nursing meet at University of
Massachusetts Boston USA; November 19-21,
2012
Dr. K. G. Karmakar
ICT Initiatives for Agriculture for GAC
12 meet Delhi
Reviewed paper on ICT Initiatives;
November, 2012
Dr. K. G. Karmakar
Rural Credit Delivery Systems
GAC, 12 New Delhi; November 15-16, 2012
Prof. R. Jayaraman (CoAuthor SPJIMR Students:
Anupam Bhatnagar, Bikram
Chetia)
Improving Software Testing
efficiencies through metrics and processes
International Conference on Quality, Reliability
and Operations Research; Theme
"Implementation Challenges and Strategies"
organized by SQC & OR Unit, Indian Statistical
Institute, Mumbai; January 7 - 9, 2013
Dr. R. K. Pattnaik (CoAuthor: Prof. Srivatsan
Lakshminarayan)
Asset quality of Banks Worrisome
Business Line, 31 December 2012
Dr. Sajeev George
(Co-Author: Dr. Nilanjan
Chattopadhay)
An Investigative Study of Productive
Efficiency of Co-operative Banks of Indian
States
XVI Annual International Conference of
Society of Operations Management,
organized by IIT Delhi, IIM Lucknow & Grand
Valley State University USA; December 2012
Prof. Aditi Divatia,
Dr. Deepa Ray, Dr. Sunil
Lakdawala
Alumni Engagement in Indian B-schools:
A data mining perspective
National Conference of Business
Intelligence and Analytics by IPE,
Hyderabad; January 2013
Dr. R. K. Pattnaik (CoAuthor: Dr. Preeta George)
Enhance Export Competitiveness
Economic Times, Viewpoint, 10 January
2013; Page: 13
Prof. Renuka Kamath
(Presented on Jan 10),
Dr. Suranjan Das
A Study of Age Related Store Choice
Behaviour
5th IIMA Conference on 'Marketing in
Emerging Economies' at IIM Ahmedabad;
January 9 - 11, 2013
Dr. Upasana Agarwal (CoAuthor: Rajen K Gupta,
Professor, MDI)
Engage-Meant’ At Asian Paints
ISB - Ivey Global Case Competition 2012
Prof. Abbasali Gabula
Attitude Building in Management Education Journal of Applied Management and
Investments; Vol No. 4, Dec 2012
34
For comments, suggestions and contributions e-mail to spjicom@spjimr.org
BHARATIYA VIDYA BHAVAN’S
AR
KNOWLEDGE
VA
N
BH
AT
I Y A IS NECTAR B H A
V ID YA
SP
JIMR
S.P. Jain Institute of Management & Research
Bhavan’s Campus, Munshi Nagar, Dadabhai Road, Andheri (W), Mumbai 400 058, India
Tel.: +91-22-2623 0396/ 2401/ 7454 Fax: +91-22-2623 7042 Website: www.spjimr.org
Reproduction of the content may be done with acknowledgment of the source. A copy of Reprinted or translated material to be sent to SPJIMR.