SSBS- Five-day induction program kicks off Strathclyde Skil Business School year

A five-day session from September 19-23 introduced the first program to be offered from the Strathclyde Skil Business School (SSBS) campus in Greater Nodia - the Masters in Management (MiM).

As Prof. Bhimaraya Metri, Dean, SSBS has said: “This two-year Masters builds on Strathclyde's long established excellence in research and teaching.

“Students will be awarded a degree by the University of Strathclyde – a UK institution – one of Europe’s top 20 business schools”

“The MiM provides students with an all-round foundation that prepares them for the world of management,” said Prof. Metri.

“MiM is a two-year degree programme in which students will visit Strathclyde for one semester and will do an extended internship with an Indian company where they can employ their theoretical knowledge to a practical situation,” he said.

“The company-based project will provide an invaluable opportunity of applying the knowledge gained from full-time studying to a concrete business setting. This high-quality mix of theory and practice makes our programme a unique learning experience, ideal preparation for managing in today’s challenging business environment.”

According to Prof. Taylor, the induction program was an invigorating and hugely successful learning event.

“The students very quickly grasped the distinctive orientation of the MiM; for example the relationship of theoretical learning to practical application, the importance of becoming a reflective practitioner,” he said. “Students were also hugely enthusiastic about the innovative and group-based methods of learning which they had not encountered before. The emphasis in this program of studying on active learning was greatly welcomed.”

The five-day induction program got underway with high tea, followed by welcoming addresses by: Prof. B. Metri, Dean of the school;  Prof. Taylor, Academic Director, MiM Prorgamme; Ms Simrat Joshi, Chief Operating Officer, SSBS and Dr. Sanjeev Verma, Chairperson, MiM Prorgamme at SSBS.

This in turn was followed by a presentation about Strathclyde SKIL Business School by Prof. Taylor and a question and answer session for students, along with an address via Skype by Prof. Susan |Hart, dean of the Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow.

The first day of the program wound up with a session covering the library and e-resources facilities, conducted by Prof. Taylor and one on developing the culture of entrepreneurship by Manoj Uthup.

Over the course of the next four days there were presentations on: The Navco Case Study - Decision Making in the Company of Today by Prof. Taylor, Prof. Metri and Dr. Sanjeev Verma; reading research and report writing (Prof. Taylor and Dr. Verma); how to become a corporate leader (Sanjay Goyal, vice-president of Ericsson and Prof. Metri) and case teaching and case analysis (Dr. Verma).

And students were clearly impressed, with one calling the SSBS program “a refreshing sight to the Indian education sector as it not only provides high quality education but also imports real time business concepts and rich cultural experience to India.”

“We as students clearly inferred that this B-school will go a long way in the Indian history.”

The Strathclyde SKIL Business School (SSBS), is affiliated with Strathclyde Business School (SBS), Scotland, (one of Europe’s top 20 business schools) which shares its seal of approval from: AMBA (Association of MBAs) UK; AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) the U.S.A.’s best known accreditation body and EQUIS (the European Quality Improvement System) Europe.

ERA:Largest Chinese University extends Exchange Programme to Era Business School

In a move sure to strengthen academic and cultural ties, Schiuan University in the People's Republic of China and Era Business School (EBS) of Delhi have established an extensive exchange program.

Delegates from Schiuan University, one of the largest universities in China with about 70,000 students, visited the Era Business School campus to formalize a collaborative partnership between two institutions.

The Schiuan University delegation, led by Professor Shi Jian, vice-president and Tang Xuehong director, international office, were accompanied by
officials from the embassy of the People's Republic of China, Delhi for the meeting with Era Business School.

As part of an extensive collaboration, EBS and Schiuan University plan to work together in the areas of collaborative research, faculty development,
student mobility and exchange, cultural awareness, and participation in publication, seminars, conferences and lectures.

It's the latest development in what has been a strong association between Era Business School and the People's Republic of China embassy in New Delhi.

Era Business School has had strong association with the Embassy of PRC, New Delhi. EBS, in association with the Embassy of PRC, organized Indo-China
Friendship Day, commemorating 50 years of diplomatic relations between the world's most populated nations. The PRC Embassy, Delhi, invited EBS students
for an exclusive interactive programme, graced by Indian Prime Minister - Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier - Wen Jiabao. On invitation from the
Chinese University of Hong Kong, EBS students also visited China & Hong Kong to experience the cultural & business environment of China, while polishing
their Chinese Mandarin skills, with the native speakers.

At the recent meeting to formalize the new collaborative agreement, Professor (Dr.) Shi Jian, vice-president of Schiuan University, extended an invitation to Era Business School students and faculty members to participate in the exchange program, and cited the positive experience of
German students, most of who are working with industry in People's Republic of China.

Director of Era Business School, Prof. (Dr.) Sanjiv Marwah said China is India's largest trading partner, however a trust deficit and lack of cultural knowledge between the two great nations exists.

Hopefully, Prof. Marwah said, this program will strengthen the academic links between India and China, and lay a strong foundation for a very exciting and productive future.

Ms Rashmi Bharana, General Secretary, said she appreciated the visit of Prof. Jian and mentioned she had been the beneficiary of an international
program herself. She assured the delegation this visit will lead to formal dialogue in future in the interest of both Indian and Chinese students.

Era Business School, anchored by Billion Dollar Enterprise Era Group, is a leading business school in Delhi offering post-graduate programs in
management and construction project management. Era Business School's PGDM programs are duly approved by AICTE, Ministry of HRD, Government of India.

Sichuan University, one of China's largest, under the direct supervision of Ministry of Education, is located in West China and is a key high-level
comprehensive research university, with many prominent scholars and professors. There are about 4,000 full-time teachers, 1,395 of whom have senior titles and 1,841 have doctor's degrees.

There are more than 40,000 undergraduate students, more than 20,000 master and PhD candidates and more than 1,000 foreign students and students from
Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Since 2003, the university has been honored with 19 National Teaching Achievement Awards, 28 National Excellent Courses
and 13 doctorate students' dissertations have been selected among the top 100 Excellent Doctor Students Dissertations.

Full details about EBS can be found at http://www.eragroup.co.in/ <http://www.eragroup.co.in/>  and for Schiuan University at http://www.scu.edu.cn/

OPERACY 2011: The KIAMS Challenges

It is that time of the year when KIAMS organizes OPERACY – an All India Annual Management Fest loaded with well thought out competitions and several other brain challenging Management related events.

OPERACY 2011 will be held simultaneously on 19 and 20 November, 2011 at both the KIAMS locations in Harihar and Pune.

In Harihar, PROISTEMI is for teams of budding entrepreneurs. KIAMS has invited entries from B School students across India. The response is already phenomenal.
Here’s how it works: Teams of two from B Schools have entered. All of them believe in their skills as entrepreneurs and these beliefs will be put to the test. Because PROISTEMI is all about thinking like an entrepreneur – on your feet, asleep or awake. You are those unique teams who believe in doing the same thing differently and making it all work. You are the leaders and know that the buck ends with you. Phenomenal responsibility, equally phenomenal rewards.

At PROISTEMI you need to behave like an entrepreneur in the different entrepreneurial situations you will be thrown into. The challenge is extraordinary and the reward is great. The winning team takes home prizes worth over Rs. 50,000.

KIAMS Pune throws open it’s gates to the Best Graduate. This contest is open to undergraduate participants from all colleges. Again, it’s the thought, the planning and the execution that are the criteria. Undergrads will be put to the test. In fact they will be put to many tests. The winners take home prizes worth over Rs. 20,000! Each participating team will have three team members belonging to the same college. Many teams from the same college can participate, but registrations have to be made separately.

Another contest happening at KIAMS Pune is the Best Corporate. Like the name suggests only teams from the corporate world can participate in this one. And there’s a twist. They cannot have work experience of more than five years. That’s right. Each team can have two members that belong to the same company. More than one team from one corporate can participate, however, they need to register separately. The Best Corporate wins prizes worth over Rs. 30,000.

All qualifying teams invited to KIAMS will be provided with free accommodation and food. They will be reimbursed for their to and fro travel by second class train or via the shortest bus route.

The last date for registration was 4 November, 2011 for the Best Entrepreneur.  The Best Undergrad teams  and the  Best Corporate teams would have sent in their registrations on 14  November, 2011.

To send applications for participation, B schools should visit http://www.wix.com/operac3/operacy and Corporates should visit http://www.wix.com/kiams01pune/operacy  link for more information. For any query write to us at operacy@gmail.com. Get set teams for the ultimate rush that could win you accolades and prizes that would make your institutes smile with pride!

KIAMS pair lands prime posts at Irevna

Two Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies students have landed final placements with Irevna, a division of Credit Rating and Information Services of India Limited (CRISIL).

Gopal Agrawal and Preeti Agarwal landed the prime posts. Gopal will be joining Irevna as a management trainee and, following training, will be an equity analyst, while Preeti’s position will involve studying the global capital market and performing country, sector and company research.

Irevna is the world's top-ranked research and analytical services offshoring firm. As a pioneer in the finance research outsourcing domain, it offers a range of services that help clients reduce cost, improve efficiency, and increase revenue.

Gopal, pursuing a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from KIAMS, majoring in finance and marketing, said he had dreams of joining a research firm.

“I made my mind to join a research firm even before I got enrolled in the KIAMS PGDM program,” he said. “The reason being, I was a B.Com student and I always had been interested in the equity market. For me this was a passion which had driven me for a finance specialization and this gives the energy which keeps me driving to attain more and more information and knowledge as to what happens in the finance community.”

However Preeti, who has a B.Com from Jadavpur University, said: “I developed interest in financial research only after I joined KIAMS and came across various subjects and topics related to finance and research.”

“All the subjects which KIAMS offers in finance specialization helped me get through the Irevna selection procedure,” she said. “To be specific, it was subjects like Corporate Finance and Corporate Valuation Mergers and Acquisition which really helped me. Finance subjects which KIAMS offers, if studied properly, will help a person not only in being geared-up for any kind of finance job profile, but also help in his/her future endeavours.”

Preeti believes companies look for three things when hiring - subject knowledge, confidence and potential to learn.

“One can develop subject knowledge only by studying and being thorough with their area of specialization,” she said. “Confidence is something which will follow if you are sure about your subjects and have a clear roadmap as to where you want to go in life.”

Gopal said: “Corporate valuation, mergers and acquisitions, security analysis and portfolio management were subjects which contributed to my knowledge.”

But when it comes to job interviews, he said “It mostly boils down to basics, for which I will say my firm grip on corporate finance which was taught to us when we started the finance journey at KIAMS, helped me a lot.”

He also believes his thorough understanding of the equity market, learned not just at KIAMS but through an internship at Indiabulls Securities helped him land the job.

Both of them see bright futures for themselves.

“Five years down the line I will be working in a post of equity analyst,” said Gopal. “I would have a gained a lot of knowledge and experience in the domain.” 

He predicts: “I will be handling problems and challenges of company on a higher scale. I will be handling responsibilities and would be accountable for my work. I would also be pursuing my studies simultaneously. By then I would have completed my CFA (Chief Financial Analyst), this will further add to my knowledge and will also give me huge opportunities to grow faster in the organization.”

And Preeti said five years from now: “I see myself working for Irevna handling projects on my own.”

Industry experts share trade secrets with KIAMS students

New Delhi – Alleviating classrooms as an interface with the industry, The Kirlosker Institute of Advanced Management Studies, invites people with real life experience to share their understanding of issues that exist at the ground level. This interaction helps management students have a feel of the challenges that lie ahead and prepare them to face the ruthless world once they are out of the institute.

Among other industry leaders KIAMS management invited Mr Jeevan Rao Sahib, chief executive officer, of Bangalore headquartered INDeLOX Services Pvt Ltd, a third party logistics services, to share his experience of the logistics industry. INDeLOX Services, started operations about 7 years ago, has with branches in Chennai, Hyderabad & is now expanding operations in North India.

Mr Rao, while sharing his experience with KIAMS students in the logistics services domain explained few processes that would help build a sustainable business model. Simplifying the processes (for students’ understanding) that were being followed in the logistics service industry, Mr Rao said, “Best Practice in logistics business will have to consider different aspects of the functions involved and its inter-dependence on the final outcome.”

He also explained as to why certain practices being followed in companies such as CISCO, and Maruti Suzuki are considered the best in the industry. CISCO’s practices in reverse logistics and spares management is the best, while Maruti Suzuki has an unparalleled market service programme. Rao, however, said that companies now need to constantly upgrade their services to remain ahead of competition as the best practices are imitated by others in no time.

Speed of delivery is the first and the foremost criteria in logistics services industry. “In IT infrastructure, spare part is provided in 4 hours to keep the network running. Imagine the loss of Bombay Stock Exchange or Reserve Bank of India network handing for over 30 minutes. Hence, speed becomes one of the critical components to appreciate best practice,” Rao said.

Consistency of services delivered is the key to success. Firms that have developed a strong brand name for themselves, have shown consistency over a period of time. The delivery of services should be irrespective of the individual of who is carrying out the process.

Underscoring the need to be cautious about the image of the company, Rao cited Nokia’s case where the company exchanged the battery of its phone which was found to be defective to convey its intention. “Nokia went through extensive media coverage and replaced the battery at its own cost -- an action undertaken to save the image of the company,” he said.

A process, if made flexible to adapt and accommodate the changes needed, will differentiate the practice from the lot. Certain processes in ERP environment are so rigid that it does not make the system a learning experience for users to fully utilize the potential. Concluding his thoughts, Rao said one has to find the right mix of configuration to form the 'Best in Class'.

KIAMS’ students take teamwork to a new level

Many miles separate their campuses, but Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies students are united in their teamwork.

The KIAMS campus at Harihar was joined by a second one at Pune in 2010 and this year sees the first integrated batch of grads from both locations.

As Director, Dr. Gopal Iyengar, said in a recent edition of The Chanakya, KIAMS is one institute with two totally integrated locations. It’s integrated at the administration level by such things as admissions, faculty, assessment and placement.

But at the student level, uniting the two campuses are such groups as: the placement team, alumni team, The Chanakya (institute magazine) team and  corporate relations team.

“What does this imply for industry,” asked Dr. Iyengar. “In addition to viewing an integrated batch with all the essential KIAMS values, this batch has implemented team working across physically separated locations. This is one of the essential requirements in industry and I am proud to say this batch will effortlessly meet that requirement.

“This batch has added a new dimension to the considerable KIAMS value,” he said, “They have gone out and engaged industry and society in an extra-curricular mode. Initiative and creativity has been a hallmark of this batch.”

And teamwork has also been a hallmark, as Dr. Iyengar pointed out in several examples.

“The institute has undertaken a massive exercise of competency mapping for Kirloskar Brothers involving 1,300 employees across 250 positions,” he said, noting a team of seven students took it on during summer training and carried it through into the term in addition to their academic workload.

Another student found new insights into logistics during her summer placement. “She has moved it to an intervention project for a team of five students, again parallel with term academics.”

In another instance, a group of three students interested in the telecom industry, “approached a leading player, convinced them to commission a research in a rural area, and are now well on the way.”

Noting the close ties KIAMS has with industry, Dr. Iyengar said: “The continued support of industry for our students is a testimony to the relevance of our education and values we impart to our students. The immense goodwill and backing in industry is a major driver of our endeavours of academic excellence that leads to industry-ready professionals-in-the-making.”