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1) Creative Film: Patented anti-glare window film that can switch from transparency to opaque instantly for interiors and auto glass
2) Gelomatrix: Hydrogel for tissue engineered therapy and controlled drug delivery aimed at $2.8 billion cartilage repair market
3) Innova Materials: Post-manufacturing spray process, called InnlayTM, embeds active particles into nearly any plastic or rubber, creating durable and functional product surfaces for anti-microbial surfaces, biosensors, and RFID tags.
4) iTherapeutics: Drug in development to prevent blindness by 'gene silencing' or ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi)
5) Proteza: Developer of the "SmartSock,” a prosthetic accessory that is worn on the residual limb of a transtibial (below-knee) amputee alleviating discomfort and skin breakdown
6) Sextant IP: Cost-effective patent analysis software package lets users determine "patentability,” "freedom to operate,” and other critical IP issues avoiding extensive legal fees
7) Solixia: Early stage radiopharmaceutial company with patent pending products that allow doctors to target radiation specifically to solid tumors. Products are for treatment of such diseases as ovarian cancer, a $500 million market
Wharton Ultrasonic: Patented technology that uses low-frequency ultrasound for tumor treatment in patients with superficial tumors who are not candidates for traditional treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy or surgery

Over the years, the Wharton Business Plan Competition, which is open to any University of Pennsylvania student and managed by Wharton Entrepreneurial Programs, has seen many student teams go on to become businesses including PayMyBills.com, buySAFE, Smart Genetics, NetConversions, Stata Labs, DealMaven, Verge Solutions and MicroMRI. Information about past participants is available on the Wharton BPC Web site: http://bpc.wharton.upenn.edu .

The eight finalist teams face off at the Venture Finals with 20-minute presentations made to judges drawn from the business and venture capital community, who will then evaluate the persuasiveness and viability of each business plan. Students will receive $70,000 in cash prizes and in-kind awards including a $20,000 Grand Prize. The finals event – sponsored by MentorTech Ventures – attracts over 200 entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, investment bankers, alumni, faculty and students.

New to the Venture Finals this year is the People's Choice award taking place during the day-ending reception. During the reception, an audience of hundreds will hear brief elevator pitches from all Finalists while the Venture Finals judges are sequestered. Just before the judges return the audience will get the chance to vote for their own favorite pitch and award that team $3,000.

Venture Finals judges scheduled to select the winning teams represent organizations including Comcast Interactive Capital, Weston Presidio and Schering-Plough Corporation. The judges are:

1. John Clarke, WG'82, Managing General Partner, Cardinal Partners
2. David L. Ferguson, WG'85, Partner, Weston Presidio
3. David A. Piaquad, WG'84, Senior Vice President, Business Development, Schering-Plough Corporation
4. Samuel H. Schwartz, WG'90, Managing Partner, Comcast Interactive Capital
5. Aydin Senkut, WG'96, Founder & President, Felicis Ventures

Note: WG=MBA alum; W=Undergraduate alum

Among this year's finalists, a few have already achieved important distinctions and milestones. Sextant IP and iTherapeutics are members of the Wharton Venture Initiation Program (VIP) educational incubator. Brian Smith of team Solixia, also a VIP team, won a Philadelphia Business Journal 'Philly 40 under 40' Award this year, as a 'proven performer.' Team Proteza reached the finals of Penn's Weiss Tech House PennVention competition while team Gelomatrix is a semi-finalist of the Startup@Singapore Business Plan Competition. Founders of Team Innova Materials were awarded 'Best Thesis of 2007' by Penn's Materials Science Department.

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Entitled 'Cambridge Health Leaders Programme: In pursuit of a seat on the board', the course
combines the skills and expertise from both organisations to form a learning opportunity for those who aspire to a director's role.

The programme integrates the thinking in business strategy and research delivered by Cambridge University lecturers, with expertise in healthcare leadership and management from board directors from the Addenbrooke's Hospital.

The programme is structured in sections, with two modules running 23-25 June 2008, and the third module 18-19 September 2008. Worked based projects, managed under the guidance of the business school faculty, link the two parts. In the first two modules delegates will be introduced to concepts and theories across key disciplines including the formulation and implementation of strategy, organisational effectiveness, crisis management and brand reputation, as well as cutting-edge work on patient costing to improve patient care and efficiency. In September the focus will be on leadership, addressing in particular issues such as values, accountability, motivation and recognition in the context of leadership of complex organisations.

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MDI Digital Repository is an institutional repository providing worldwide access to the research publications, contributed by the faculty members and scholars of the institute. It also provides access to annual B-School rankings (published in news magazines) and MDI in the news (news clippings), in addition to multidisciplinary /interdisciplinary research publications of researchers and faculty members (such as journal articles, conference papers and business case studies). This repository is compliant to OAI-PMH (Protocol for Metadata Harvesting) and indexed in the CASSIR (Cross Archive Search Service for Indian Repositories), OAIster and OpenDOAR.

The Institutional Repository (MDI Knowledge Bank) is accessible through the e-library site, http://192.168.30.30:8080/dspace from MDI campus / network and externally on the internet site at http://dspace.mdi.ac.in/ dspace for world-wide access.

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Earlier the IIM results had been delayed indefinitely following the directive from the Supreme Court allowing a 27 pc quota for Other Backward Classes (OBCs).

"The directors are supposed to meet on April 29 to work out the details. While the final date will be fixed then, we expect to release the final admissions list by the first week of May. Since the creamy layer issue is yet to be sorted out, it is still not sure whether we will also be releasing the list of OBC candidates on that day, though we will try to do so. All IIMs are looking to release the list of general and SC/ST candidates at the same time," said IIM Calcutta chairperson of admissions Subrata Mitra to the Media.

You can also participate in the IIM quota Discussion and share your opinion.

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Today all six institutes announced their lists of selected candidates one after the other, nearly a month behind schedule. Find links to all results below!

Results Link
 Related links on PaGaLGuY.com Forums
IIM Calcutta Know about your batchmates at C
IIM Kozikode Find out who else got through and network with them
IIM Lucknow Get in touch with other successful L candidates
IIM Bangalore Catch yourbatchmates at B
IIM Indore
 Got in. Get to know who else is with you
IIM Ahmedabad
Network with other A candidates

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For registrations, contact Anushree (+91-992045437IIM-L or Misha (+91-9967697077)

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Meanwhile, IIM-C authority conducted the interviews as scheduled. Twenty candidates appeared for the interview for nine reserved seats. The final offer letter for admission would be sent to these OBC candidates who have cleared their interview. The next batch will start from June 23. Usually, the students get three weeks time to join classes from the date of offer of admission, but this time due to the circumstances, candidates would get shorter time.
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Warning: Reading this interview may induce vocabulary-anxiety in you.

Hi Ankush, what are you upto these days?

I am now a manager at TAS, which basically means that I am a multi-functional, multi-industry resource for the Tata Group. In simple language, I am a Marketing Planner/Product-Category-Segment-brand manager/Media Buyer/Sales person. The work has been bewilderingly different. In one year, I have been part of an Incubator/Venture Capitalist setup, sold advertising space on TV, done Community initiatives (in Lonavala) and been part of a team implementing a strategic management tool. Sorry if it sounds so dull, I'd like nothing better than to say that I am usually practicing my putt on the ninth tee at Augusta between peach schnapps, but that'd be stretching it.

How has life changed since you graduated from FMS Delhi?

1. I have a job. A full-time paying one at that.
2. I have a frequent flier membership.
3. I've been to Taj Coffee shops more than I've been to Barista (that's because it was free)
4. Other miscellaneous stuff.

Have I flashed the lifestyle bit enough?

On a serious note, nothing much has changed except maybe a little less time to spend on things I'd like to spend some more time on. Activities like reading, listening to music or watching movies, which used to be my standard pastime now are irregular. Apart from that, it's quite a relief to be able to do things at your time and pace. Not be bound by classes or submissions but rather by work deadlines. The working bit though - honestly - seems will go on forever and that's definitely not cool.

What was your biggest apprehension about joining a business school? And, did your perception change after joining FMS?

There are plenty of myths floating around about MBA - the awesome quotient of having the three letters after your name, the sleepless nights, the terrifying professors, the dollar gazillion salaries, etc. Some of them can be rejected outright - to paraphrase a popular quote, 'three letters maketh not the man'. To be worried if all these super-crazy things would happen, would be a little too over the top. I was - and apprehension is probably too strong a word for it - really looking forward to the people I would be with at b-school, rather than which academics or which courses I would study. It's a bit like that Ray Charles album - Genius Loves Company. I was hoping that I would get to meet similar people with tastes as eclectic as mine, people with whom I could relate to, who like listening to music, gaming, quizzing and all that and more. This isn't quite associated with studying and yet is an indelible part of student life. In other words, I didn't want to be with diligent, 150 plus IQ monkeys. I just wanted to see some smart individuals around me.

After joining FMS, I met and made friends with people whose sheer talent at anything that they do was so pronounced that they made me look like a shoeshine boy in comparison. These guys taught me all that I needed to learn, and didn't. That was my money in the bank from an MBA degree!

What's the best and not-so-great thing about life at a B-School?

The Best things would be...

1. The Power of the PPT - This has never ceased to amaze me. People who get through some of the toughest exams in the country, eventually end up making PowerPoint Presentations for a living. It's overwhelming!

2. Group Assignments - this is your introduction to the 80/20 principle in action – 80 pc work of all team project work is done by 20 pc people. Personally, I always managed to be on the 80 pc side (the people one). Even then, the projects kept getting submitted mysteriously. I guess the thought of losing marks is much more persuasive to some people than getting on a moral high horse.

3. Meeting Geniuses at work, daily - Some people are just effortlessly and amazingly brilliant at what they do. Sadly, that statistic does not include the person in my mirror. Even then, it was worth my while to be working/studying/getting beaten by peers like these.

4. '11:59:59' - Yes, you guessed it right, deadlines! Got to love these things. And also got to love all the extensions that we used to inveigle from faculty.

5. B-school competitions - Better known as the allegorical pots under the rainbow, the amount of money some folks are willing to fork out for your lousy Googled paper is astounding. Come to think of it, even your salary is a bit like that. If you are a diligent participant in these competitions, the taxman may come knocking.

The Not-so-great things would be...

1. You can't claim to be an un-MBA, like the way many engineers are conveniently un-engineers - do MBA once and you are mated for life. In come the Chardonnays and out goes your local brew, never mind the fact that you used to be a former champion beer guzzler in Chinatown.

2. You always use more than twelve words where three will do (talk a lot) - Saying 'Goal!' isn't enough - you just have to butt in with - oh! That sensational cross from the center-forward to the backward-center leaves the defenders stymied for... - oh gosh! I hate football anyway.

3. You DO become another brick in the wall, and you have to deal with it.

4. Forget about standing up against the man. You are THE man now. Got to burn those Che Guevera t-shirts and get rid of the Skinhead tattoos. You are actually worried that Bear Sterns got sold for $2 a pop.

5. Your social life is ruined - when you meet old friends; the only flames that get kindled are the ones of Tax, Budget and stock-spreads. The time of giggling over girls is quite behind you. I can't speak for my female friends, but I haven't seen them giggle for quite some time now.

Five things you can't do without at a B-school.

1. One site, Google: for course material, questions, answers, CP points, competitions, movie quizzes etc.

2. One Laptop: for viewing Educational material.

3. The Surly Professor (warning: could be many of them) - for putting you to sleep or taking up arms or teaching arbitrary concepts in the most befuddled way possible and making a fool out of you 21 times out of 21.

4. One Command: Copy-Paste - Used primarily for cross-referencing or indexing or research purposes. Strictly an educational tool. Not to be confused with the cut-copy-paste of IT programmers the world-over. Used with love, care and absolutely no discrimination by toppers down to people at the bottom of the class rank totem pole.

5. A Piece of Paper: The CV - Not to be confused with your earlier efforts in the genre. This is your literary tour-de-force; the major work of fiction which you are expected to author at a B-school. It's the culmination of your studies and competitions; Advertising, Market research, Business Law, Consumer Behavior, Asset Management etc. into one package.

Any advice for 'em aspiring B-schoolers?

There is more to being an MBA than a superb CAT score, regardless of whether you've got it or not. Try to figure out your dislikes, be it a person or professors or course or function, and don't waste your energy on them. Be in touch with as many folks as you humanly can, and that includes offline friends too. It's usually not a smooth ride; you might end up as the bottom statistic in a much vaunted placement programme. That's what it's all about really: to be ready for anything. Whence concludes the monologue, there is nothing more soporific than a senior giving gyaan anyway. Good Luck.

Ankush Trakru, a PaGaLGuY.com member (user-ID: Quintessence) joined the prestigious Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi in 2005. He now works at Tata Administrative Services (TAS).



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This partnership will involve student and faculty exchanges and a joint development of Executive Education. Students from Grenoble Ecole de Management will have the opportunity to study for six months at the XLRI while their Indian counterparts will come to experience the student life in Grenoble, located in the heart of the French Alps.

Mark Thomas, Director for International Affairs at Grenoble Ecole de Management, said: “It is part of our mission to expand the school across borders and we aim to work with Indian organisations as we do with our other international partners to develop several of our key objectives including training managers through Executive Education programs and working with local industries.

“Indian academic institutions are continuing to greatly open up internationally, and we are keen to grasp these opportunities and establish yet more worthy partnerships.”
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Hey Harshal, tell us a little about yourself.

Hmm... can I get back to you on that later? No? Ok. Well, 'myself' is a topic I find difficult writing about. Here goes the answer I did not give in my MBA interviews. A simple guy, eccentric at times, I don't have any of those irritating habits that people find interesting. Single, not at all ready to mingle. I prefer to be left alone at times, and when that happens, the best in me emerges. Am a very helpful person, will go out of my way to come to the aid of anyone who needs it. I'm an information junkie and I can't take it if you're keeping any secrets from me, especially if it involves me.

Why did you do an MBA? The 'real' reason?

An extra confusing post-SSC educational period put me in a royal fix about where my career destination was. During my engineering undergraduate course I realised that it was not meant for me. So I headed towards a BSc, during which I realised that it would be better for me to do something non-technical. MBA presented itself as a good option for a person whose technical training would be useful in a communication based scenario. And as I said, I'm an information junkie, so if I'm able to earn my bread through information, why not? Management presented itself as a good option to do that, so there I was, trying to get into an MBA programme.

How did you prepare for SNAP, the exam that got you into SIBM Pune?

I didn't. I prepared for CAT. I started my preparation in early August 2005, delayed by a week thanks to the July 26 floods and the (in)famous rains. I worked hard in the coming months when I realised the gap that I had to cross. I continued preparing, taking tests, mocks, sectionals et al right upto November 20. I then took a 10 day break and joined office on a major project on December 1. After that studies went for a toss, and I had only one day of practice each for both the NMAT and SNAP exams. Still, it was a good try, considering that I did get a 3 digit score in SNAP.


How has life been on the SIBM Pune campus?

For us, SIBM has not had a campus per se, as we aren't a residential B-school yet. Our juniors will be the lucky first batch to have that. Hence, life at SIBM itself has not been a full-fledged work-and-relax-together type of life. We study, attend lectures, goof around for a while, and then go back home.

Most of the batch has taken up flats and paying guest accommodation for themselves. In my case, the group that I live with, the five of us, have become very close. We've been together since the beginning of the course. Two of us moved out – one to another B-school for an Executive MBA, and another to a different place, but the other five are fast friends now. Although we have had our own schedules and different study circles, we ensure that we stay together. Once a month is a 'roomie dinner' just for the five of us. Girlfriends, teammates, and anyone else, are not allowed.

Studies are not that hard to require continuous group study. Everyone has Internet connections at home, so emails and Instant Messengers suffice for interaction and team work. Coordination is done over telephone. Only for extra important studies do we meet, like for exams or presentations to be elivered as a group.

What's the best and not-so-great thing about life at a B-School?

The best thing at a B-school is not the studies that you do, nor what you learn inside the classroom. The best thing is what you learn from your friends, class and team-mates. A B-school is one place where the variety of students is more than anywhere else. The backgrounds, the work experience, the creativity and the thought processes, is all diverse. What you can learn from your friends is much, much more than what you can ever learn inside a classroom. One single case or topic of study will generate many different facets of view, which enlarges your own understanding of issues.

And the worst thing? Quite subjective. For me, it has been the 'teacher attitude' that many professors have shown. The whole batch of MBA students is above 21 years, and many already have quite a lot of work experience. In such a case, the maturity levels of students is way above normal, and you can expect them to follow decorum inside an ongoing lecture. A good lecturer need not ask for silence again and again. On the other hand, if lecturers are not able to maintain decorum in class, they have to realise that the students are not interested in learning from them, and they have to modify their approach to hold interest. Treating postgraduate students like 17 year old college students doesn't really help their cause.

Any advice for aspiring B-schoolers?

A B-school is not an end, but a means to an end. Don't keep stars in your eyes about joining a B-school and then ruling the world. Getting into a B-school is tough, but keeping your spirits high after that is tougher. You might have lots of presumptions about how your life is going to be inside B-school, but expect them to crash. Try not to have any ideas at all. Take things as they come. People find life at X Bschool tough and easy at Y, just because they think that B-schools have to have a certain amount of toughness or activity in them. If you don't have a benchmark to measure against, you don't get discontented with your life. Give it your best shot, and take what you get. Trust me, that's enough.

The ever helpful Harshal Modi, better known as Grondmaster in the PaGaLGuY community completed him MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Business Management (SIBM), Pune in 2008 and is now all set to join Idea Cellular.



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The convocation address was delivered by N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu. He urged business schools not to ignore factors such as the national deficit, the country's poor human development indicators and the massive challenges of poverty, illiteracy and poor healthcare.

Satyam Computers chairman Ramalinga Raju, who delivered the valedictory address, spoke about what the industry would expect from new graduates. They needed to demonstrate leadership, not just management skills, because this was a time of rapid change.
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Leading Rabindra Sangeet exponent Lopamudra Mitra and indigenous folk singer of Bengal, Swapan Basu would share the evening with their respective school of songs. The event would be inaugurated by the Director of IIM-C with his key-note address followed by felicitation to all the passed students of Madhyamik and Higher Secondary standards by the wards of IIM-C employees.
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The delegation will also have an interaction with industry leaders while in Toronto to exchange views on opportunities that their respective countries offer for increasing economic value of trade. SMOT is currently working on 'Student's Connectivity Program' using RIM's Black Berry solution. RIM (Research in Motion) is a Canadian major whom the delegation intends to meet.
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EQUIS is the leading international system of Quality Assessment, Quality Improvement and Accreditation of Higher Education Institutions in management administration. The EQUIS Scheme has been designed with focus on all the activities of business schools that aim to meet international standards of quality. The fundamental objective of EQUIS is to raise the quality of management education worldwide.

While accrediting management schools, EQUIS looks for balance between high academic quality and the professional relevance provided by close interaction with the corporate world. A strong interface with the world of business is therefore, as much a requirement as a strong research potential. Its scope covers all programmes offered by an Institution, from the first degree to the PhD, including non-degree programmes.


Here is the list of EQUIS accredited Schools across the world:
EQUIS accredited B-Schools

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Thulasiraj Ravilla, Executive Director - Lions Aravind Institute of Community Ophthalmology at Aravind Eye Care System is an IIM-C alumnus who belongs to 8th batch of IIM-C. As an IIM-C graduate he takes pride in having joined the hospital as its first administrator in 1985 and is growing with the organization.

Thulasiraj Ravilla worked for British Paints (now Berger Paints) following his PGP from IIM-C and in 1981. Dr G Venkatswamy was in need of an administrator to put his ideas and vision into action. Thulsi left his corporate job and joined Aravind for a fraction of his previous salary. He then spent about a year at the University of Michigan as a visiting scholar to get an academic foundation in Hospital and Health Management. Since then, he has been part of the leadership team that built Aravind into the world's largest provider of eye care. He developed the LAICO-Aravind Eye Hospital Care System in 1992 and continues to head it. He also served for five years as the regional chair of the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness for the South East Asia region.

When contacted by IIM-C representatives, he said “At this juncture, we would like to acknowledge that this is really a testimony to the contribution of every employee of the organization who worked together as a family in nurturing the seed of service that our founder Dr G Venkatswamy. We also want to acknowledge the contributions made by countless individuals who came as volunteers and organizations that helped us in building our own capacity and in propagating the model. It is also the right moment for us to rededicate ourselves with renewed vigour to achieve the mission of eliminating needless blindness.”
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Recently, the institute concluded a 'Two month certificate course in Business Correspondence, Spoken English & Communication Skill development' for IIMC employees. The programme was launched on April 11, 2008 and ended on June 11, 2008. The valedictory session was held on June 13, 2008 at the IIM-C campus in presence of Prof Shekhar Chaudhuri, IIM-C Director; Dinesh Varma, Chief Administrative Officer; Swapan Chakraborty, Professor of English, Jadavpur University; and S N Nandy, Co-chairman, Eastern Regional Development Council, ASSOCHAM.

The course was conducted by Enterprise Development Institute, an offshoot of Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The programme included instructive sessions on mannerism, body-language, dress-code, etiquette etc apart from written and spoken English skill development. In his speech, Prof Shekhar Chaudhuri, emphasized that this programme is designed to develop staff's skill which is for the sake of institute's overall image building exercise. While CAO, Dinesh Varma appealed all the participants to start implement whatever they have learnt and that all possible support will be provided to them in reaching the comprehensive objective of the programme. The valedictory session was concluded with the gave-away ceremony of certificates to all the successful participants followed by an interactive session.
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Last year we gave you, or rather you gave us India's largest and first people-generated B-school Rankings. Over 5,500 people voted on 76 B-schools to produce a first-ever blueprint of what India thinks about Indian B-schools.The rankings indicated which order of B-schools MBA applicants rever despite what the conventional B-school Rankings have been reporting.

View the results of previous editions of PaGaLGuY.com B-school Rankings: 2008

For the 2008-09 MBA admissions season, we'll give you a bigger and better rankings from the point of view of MBA applicants, students, alumni, females and more.

For now, do proceed to Take the Survey to stage 1 of the PaGaLGuY.com B-school Rankings 2009. We'll be back with stage 2 of the survey in July 2008, so you may bookmark ">http://rankings.pagalguy.com/ on your browser for easy access.

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The incoming class profile represents a mix of students from diverse sectors ranging from a writer who has authored text books for Graduate studies to an Army major. The class has an average experience of 7 years with professionals from Shipping, Power Generation, Retail, R&D;, Automobile, IT & Telecom, Banking, Indian Engineering services and other sectors. This year 2.5 % of the applicants were able to make it to the campus.

Nearly 40 % of the class has worked on multiple international assignments. The batch will also attend a 3 week International immersion program to learn nuances of International business. The students represents middle to senior management in organizations such as General Motors, DRDO, Wal-Mart, Suzlon, V-Ships, Alcatel-Lucent, NTPC, Cognizant, Infosys, Accenture, Oracle, TCS, SAP Labs, HAL, Mahindra and others.

“The Corporate sector has shown interest in hiring these graduates for middle to senior level positions. The outgoing batch had an average of 2 jobs per participant with an average domestic package of 17.8 lakhs and International package of $130000 per annum” says Dr Pranabesh Ray Associate Dean of GMP.

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About PGPEX VLMP:
This education programme has been designed for the manufacturing sector in India by equipping them with state of art management techniques and skills with technology awareness. The objectives, content, curriculum and pedagogy has been jointly designed by IIM Calcutta, IIT Kanpur and IIT Madras in consultation with industry, Japan International Cooperation Agency, NMCC and the Ministry of HRD and in consultation with Prof. Shoji Shiba, a renowned authority in the field of manufacturing and a faculty of the programme. This fast track programme blends the quality of management programs of IIM Calcutta, technological prowess of the IITs, the world class expertise of Japanese faculty together with the experience of Indian business leaders.

The 30 students of the first batch of PGPEX-VLM have been selected through a meticulous assessment of merit and experience of candidates with only engineering background. The professional experience of the batch is over nine years. The diversity of the class is represented by professionals from engineering, power, steel, mining, automotive, auto-ancillaries, chemicals, non-ferrous, white goods and textiles.

International Study Visit by Students:
International study visit is an integral part of PGPEX VLM program. The visit for the present batch has been structured in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), sponsoring organization, from July 6, 2008 to July19, 2008.

Students are scheduled to visit following Japanese factories during their study visit to Japan (i) Honda Saitama Factory, Kao logistics center, Hino Motors, Sharp, Yao factory, Patlite, Kasai Recycling Systems, Toyota. They will also visit Panasonic House of History, Panasonic HRD College, and Toyota commemorative museum of industry and technology.

In addition to above, special lecture sessions have been structured on manufacturing by eminent industry representatives, namely Mr Tokuhara, Representative of CII in Japan, Mr Ishizuya, ex-executive managing director of Honda, Mr. Matsumoto, ex-operating officer in logistics, Kao, Mr Kojima, ex-director, product management department, Hino Motors, Mr Yamada, CEO, Incs Corp & Prof Shoji Shiba, an expert in Total Quality Management. Prof Shoji Shiba, visiting professor at MIT for over ten years, professor of business administration and dean of the School of Applied International Studies of Tokiwa University, he was also professor emeritus of Tsukuba University in Japan.

Faculty Visit to Japan
Acquaintance and exploration of Japanese production system, manufacturing system, and socio economic environment by the faculties of the program is an aspect of the collaboration with JICA. Accordingly, five faculties engaged in this program from IIMC, three faculties from IITK and two from IITM visited Japan during June 11-18, 2008.

Japan Visit by faculty included a presentation to JICA on June 19, 2008 by IIM-C, IIT-K and IIT-M professors along with visit to academic institutes followed by takeaway lessons and suggestions, visit to companies followed by takeaway lessons and suggestions and general comments on schedule, logistics and other arrangements on JICA staff. Understanding hands-on the virtues of Japanese manufacturing through visit plants and interact with plant managers in 2-3 hi-tech, successful firms, Interact with finance function in one of the firms, interact with MIS function in one of the firms and interact with a University doing joint research with one of these firms. Understanding hands-on the environmental issues favoring Japanese manufacturing through lectures by University faculty and JICA experts and understanding unique pedagogical styles employed in Japanese manufacturing management schools through a workshop conducted by an eminent Japanese faculty. In this regard, some of the companies visited include Hino Motors – Manufacturer of Trucks and Buses, Primix Corporation – Manufacturer of Hi-tech Mixers, Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology and Juken Kogyo.

Final Placement: Campus interview for the final placement of the first batch of PGPEX-VLM students started at IIMC with visits of reputed companies having their operations in India.
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The event will be inaugurated by Prof SK Barua, Director IIM, Ahmedabad on June 29, 2008 at 9.00 am at the Ravi J Matthai Centre for Education Innovation (RJMCEI) Auditorium, IIM-A, Main Campus. A book on Entrepreneurial Endeavours of IIM-A Alumni “Stay Hungry Stay Foolish” will be launched on the occasion. The book authored by Rashmi Bansal, an IIM-A Alumnus is a CIIE Initiative and is supported by the Wadhwani foundation. The book profiles 25 entrepreneurs from the Institute. The book talks about the struggles these entrepreneurs faced and the fame they achieved through their enterprise. CIIE has put this event together to facilitate a discussion on the nuances of Entrepreneurship and what it means to take the road less traveled.


The meet will have panel discussions on The Entrepreneurial Life Cycle, Fostering Innovation based Entrepreneurship in India and building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for IIM-A Entrepreneurs. The panel members will include some of the faculty at IIM-A and the IIM-A Entrepreneurs. The meet is an effort to create an overall ecosystem in the country.


The IIM-A Entrepreneurs Meet is sponsored by Sequoia Capital, Tata Consultancy Services and Wadhwani Foundation. As a part of the event on June 28, 2008, participants would unwind over a cricket match, there will be a networking dinner and mid–night music show by Gaurav Dagaonkar, IIM Ahmedabad alumnus.


Prof Samir Barua, Director IIM Ahmedabad, on the occasion of the event being the first of its kind at the Institute says, “The Entrepreneurs' Meet will showcase the achievements of IIM-A alumni who took the path less traveled and became successful entrepreneurs, thereby contributing significantly not only to the economic growth but also social development of the nation”. Speaking on the meet, Professor Rakesh Basant, Chairperson, CIIE says, "We hope that this event will help build a strong and vibrant network for facilitating enterprise creation by IIM-A alumni as well as by others, especially those associated with the Centre for Innovation, Incubation and Entrepreneurship (CIIE)”.

About CIIE
The Centre for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship was established in 2001. The Centre aims to foster innovation and entrepreneurship development through research, incubation, consultancy and training in hi-tech and mass impact technologies to enhance welfare and competitiveness of the Indian economy. CIIE offers incubation support to outstanding high-tech and mass impact innovations. The incubation suite provided by CIIE to incubates includes infrastructure and networking support apart from dedicated mentoring from experts. Entrepreneurship developed through research, incubation, consultancy, training in hi-tech and mass impact technologies enhance competitiveness of the Indian economy. The Centre conducts various programs like the Piramal Prize for Healthcare Solutions, Solar Innovation program, Imagine Cup with Microsoft, iAccelerator.


An event to announce the Piramal Prize 2008 is organised on June 30, 2008, at 4.00 pm, IMDC Auditorium, IIM-A New Campus.

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