• Tradewinds 2009: The National Manufacturing Symposium at IIFT Kolkata
• Xpressions’09 concludes on November 17 at XIMB
• Sundar Raman CEO, IPL visits MICA to teach’Sports Marketing’
• JBIMS, Mumbai: Guest Lecture by Dr Bharat Singh and Samanvay’09, the annual corporate symposium organized

Tradewinds 2009: The National Manufacturing Symposium at IIFT Kolkata

The recent global economic slowdown took a toll on the manufacturing segment of nations across the world and India too faced heat due to the same. This theme of ‘sustaining growth in turbulent times’ formed the backdrop of Tradewinds 2009 – The National Manufacturing Symposium organized by Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, IIFT, Kolkata Campus in association with National Manufacturing Competitiveness Council (NMCC) at ITC, the Sonar, Kolkata. Kishore Roongta, the Chairman of SAIL and an IIFT alumni was the Chief Guest for the event. He began by stating that manufacturing sector accounts for 15 percent of India’s GDP, 50 percent of total exports and 79 percent share in the Index of Industrial Production while employing 12 percent of India’s total workforce. Roongta opined that although India has several advantages such as low labor and power cost, availability of land resources, yet bottlenecks in the system like high transaction cost and low productivity have set us back on the path we should have been marching forward. R.K Jain, Joint Secretary, NMCC pointed out that if India has to sustain a growth of 9 to 10 percent then our manufacturing sector has to grow at a fast pace of 12 to 14 percent.

S Shandilya, Chairman, Eicher Motors initiated the opening session of the day on maintaining firm level competitiveness. ‘Think Lean’ was his mantra for companies aiming to secure a competitive edge in these turbulent times. “Lean management”, said Shandilya, “is the key to reducing waste and redundancy in different processes especially in the manufacturing industry which shows high incidences of resource wastage”. Carrying the session forward, Rakesh Makhija, Managing Director, SKF outlined the three keystones of a successful business model – cost leadership, price value and frugal innovation – incremental innovations with optimal usage of resources. According to the next speaker for the session, G Chatterjee, Director, Exide , ‘Innovation’, ‘Brand’ and ‘Technology’are the pillars of a successful company.

The second session focusing on the challenges faced by the manufacturing sector in managing talent, was introduced by Anirudh Singh, Vice President HR, JSW Steel. He prescribed that organizations need to create future leaders from junior management to facilitate loyalty and retention. Nihar Ranjan Ghosh gave an insight into the concept of employee branding, providing employees with a holistic experience in terms of compensation, value, growth and scope. Rahul Ghatak, Vice President HR and TQM , CEAT India Limited , held the view that only 20 to 25 percent of the workforce in an organization is difficult to replace, and organizations need to identify these players and transform them from average employees and generalists to specialists. He summed up by saying “you bet on people not strategies”.

The closing session threw light on concerns of the Manufacturing sector vis-a-vis the Protectionist measures adopted by several countries. Ranajoy Bhattacharya, a Fulbright Scholar and Professor at IIFT, Kolkata Campus advocated temporary protectionism in the manufacturing sector as in the long term it breeds efficiency. ‘Let protectionism not destroy the spirit of liberalization’ was his motto for the future. R. Maitra, Executive Director, EEPC was of the view that protectionism was beneficial only to a small group of people with deep pockets and hence should be avoided as far as possible.

Xpressions’09 concludes on November 17 at XIMB

Xpressions ’09, the annual B-school event of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar (XIMB), hit a crescendo on November 16, with Mohit Chauhan’s scintillating live performance drawing hundreds of fans to the campus. The delay of the event by a day due to inclement weather wasn’t enough to dampen the spirits of students and fans, who were treated to all of his popular numbers, from ‘Dooba Dooba’ and ‘Boondein’ from his first album with Silk Route, to Bollywood tracks from the latest films, including ‘Mohabbat Ki Hain Pehli Baar’ from Kaminey, ‘Tune Jo Naa Kahaan’ from New York and the effervescent ‘Masakali’ from Delhi 6, which got the crowd to its feet.

The fest was launched on Thursday evening with ‘Conclave’, a panel discussion on ‘Power India: Power Leveraged from all its Diversities’, which saw eminent speakers like Rashmi Bhansal, author of ‘Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish’, and Sandeep Pandey, Ramon Magsaysay award winner and leading social activist share their thoughts, views and opinions on the topic from their own different fields and perspectives.

The five flagship games of Xpressions were held over the course of the next two days. ‘Kurukshetra’, the biggest and most prestigious business simulation game, was won by MDI Gurgaon, while Gladiator, the game which tests a manager’s cross functional abilities under pressure, was won by Anand Goyal from IIM-Calcutta. XIMB’s very own team ‘Balle Balle’ took home the honors in Skill City, a test of soft skills, while Helios, the only nationwide event for undergraduates which aims to introduce them to the world of management, was won by team ‘Empty Thoughts’ from KIIT, Bhubaneswar. Spardha, the social entrepreneurship competition organized by the Rural Managers Association of XIM, was won by team ‘Shristi’ of XIMB.

Xpressions also saw the hosting of the Annual Alumni meet known as Alumni Homecoming on November 14, 2009 in its campus. This event was attended by many alumni currently in several senior positions in the industry and social sector. The event included panel discussions, Alumni Advisory Council meeting, Alumni AGM, and was followed by the corporate dinner.

Friday night saw renowned bands from Kolkata and Delhi fly down to perform in ‘Decibelz’ The Rock Band Competition. ‘Moshpit’, a band known all over India for its metal core compositions, emerged victorious in the event, beating competition like ‘Cynical Recess’, who rendered a near-perfect performance of the song ‘I Remember You’ by ‘Skidrow’.

‘Carnival de Vogue’ came to XIMB on Saturday night, which saw students from colleges of national repute scorch the ramp in the fashion show event. The show was split into three rounds, the first showcasing Indian culture in traditional and ethnic wear, the second being an on-the-spot theme round and the third testing the teams innovation.

Team ‘Vetements de Creaturer’ from NIFT-Kolkata were the cynosure of all eyes, with creations designed by in house budding fashion designers Abhishek Debnath and Shonit Dasgupta. They sealed victory with their theme of drapes, in the final round, the clothes being merely draped around the models and not stitched in any way.

Sundar Raman CEO, IPL visits MICA to teach ‘Sports Marketing’

Sundar Raman, CEO of IPL was in the city on Monday, 16 November 2009 to take the ‘Sports Marketing Course’for PGDM (Communications) final year students at Mudra Institute of Communications, Ahmedabad.

He brings to MICA his wide experience including strategic media thinking for some of the biggest brands in South Asia including Unilever, PepsiCo, Motorola, Samsung and Amex amongst others.

“It was very interesting to meet Mr. SundarRaman and discuss potential links with MICA especially in the field of Sports Marketing Communications. There is a need for good Sports Marketing professionals within the industry and SundarRaman felt that the students should not constrain themselves by just looking at Multinationals and advertising agencies but should broaden their scope and look at the Sports sector. We also look forward to building our relationship with the IPL”, said Prof Ashok Ranchhod, Director of MICA.

JBIMS hosts Dr Bharat Singh

As a part of the student development initiative through interaction with the industry stalwarts and corporate personalities, Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, JBIMS, Mumbai hosted Bharat Singh, Chairman of Services Business Review Council, Aditya Birla Group on November 18. A management graduate from IIM Calcutta, Singh completed his doctorate program from JBIMS.

Dr Singh urged the students to give due importance to studies and build themselves to face challenges in industry. Citing examples, he emphasized the need to give back to the society in whatever way one can and ensure a sustainable life for oneself.

In today’s dynamic environment, Dr Singh also talked on the importance of having a goal in life and also putting in efforts to achieve those goals. It is necessary that each one carves out a journey for oneself based on one’s liking and passion.

Responding to a question, Dr Singh cited an example of ethical business model that The Aditya Birla Group follows to explain the role of the management in adapting to the ever-changing scenario. With the dynamic environment, the scope for growth is huge; and so is the lure of getting into unethical practices. It is important for the young managers to get their principles right and set up a goal based on the kind of career they are looking for. The efforts and approach during the two years of management studies should be directed towards that goal.

Samanvay- The annual corporate symposium concludes at JBIMS

Samanvay, the annual corporate symposium organized by Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, JBIMS, Mumbai on November 18 is an occasion for student-corporate interaction which provides the much needed insights and experience deemed essential to face corporate realities. Over the years ‘Samanvay’ has hosted many luminaries and this year was no different. Ninad Karpe, MD and CEO of Aptech and Rajiv Naik, a Scotland based consultant were the guests of honor this year. The theme this year, ‘Renaissance: The Time for Re-Awakening’ was befitting the times; a world trying to find its way in the aftermath of a crisis of confidence.

The symposium was flagged by Karpe. A chartered accountant by profession, he has donned many hats of financial consultant, author and educator in the early years of his career. He played the part of entrepreneur equally well, setting up the Indian operations for Computer Associates (CA) from scratch and garnering a huge presence for CA in a span of ten years before taking over the reins at Aptech. Karpe spoke about the Indian education and training sector and pointed out that it had not received the attention it deserved. He said that private players should be allowed to participate and contribute to this sector in a more unfettered manner. While institutes of higher learning were needed, the real requirement was at the primary level. The number of dropouts, nearly 40 percent of the country’s school-age children was a major cause of concern. Constant monitoring and improvement in the quality of education imparted will surely help raise the literacy levels in the country. He reiterated that if the necessary steps were taken, it would have a domino effect on the entire education and training industry and India could awake to a literate and empowered populace. He also exhorted students to free their minds of biases and inhibitions, especially in light of a situation where corporate organizations need young managers to spearhead their rural forays. Lastly, he reminded the students never to let go of their ethics, nor to forget the thrill of creating something new.

The second speaker for the event was Rajiv Naik. In addition to being the co-owner and a partner of Sumati Global Partners, he has over 18 years of experience with originating, structuring and executing business development propositions for blue chip organizations. His stint with corporate companies includes an eight year stretch with Royal Bank of Scotland in Edinburgh. He is a member of the Edinburgh Chambers of Commerce and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE (UK). Having been closely involved with both blue chip firms as well as the top business colleges in Edinburgh he was able to impart his insights on the competencies that constitute a global manager. He noted that the students with their keen understanding of the changing economic scenario, reflection of positivity in their thinking, advanced social behavior patterns and their capability to connect with reality and thinking would surely go a long way. He emphasized that this was the time for re-awakening and moving away from the economics of greed and fear and instead focusing on wealth creation. The need of the hour was young entrepreneurs. He urged the students to understand, explore and do something original. He also shared his thoughts on what he felt had helped young entrepreneurs start successful ventures, drawing on his association with TiE, the global non profit organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship.