SPJIMRnews - S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research

Personal Growth Lab: Breaking the IceJuly 16-20, 2009The group poses for a picture after the trek during PG LabThe 2009 batch started its Organizational Behavior (OB)course with the Personal Growth Lab (PG Lab) amid thebeautiful hills of Lonavala. PG Lab is a comprehensiveprogramme crafted meticulously to appeal to the instinctsand interests of our participants and intends todemonstrate that experiential learning would clarify OBconcepts much better than classroom sessions.The course has a rigorous, inbuilt, self-discoverymechanism. Through a comprehensive range ofpsychometric tools, the course assesses a participant’spersonality, interpersonal relationships, emotionalintelligence, blind spots, learning styles, unique strengthsand areas of development.To appreciate group dynamics, enhance team buildingskills, and develop into a synergetic team, the participantsparticipated in management games, group work,outbound activities and team events such as the EggContraption challenge. Each of these team events alsohelped the participants know each other better, overcomefears, discover their core identity and thus relate to theirteam-building games. Besides providing them anopportunity to connect with each other, the PG labhelped them appreciate the importance of teamwork,interpersonal trust, clear communication andcollaboration. Through Talent Search, each teamshowcased immense talent through theatre, music, danceand comedy.Prof. Lata Dhir leads this initiative and is supported by Prof.Virendra Shukla. The visiting and adjunct faculty membersconducting the seminars include Prof. Pratima Havaldarand Dr. Mala Kapadia. To provide a holistic perspective, Dr.Suranjan Das and Prof. Abbasali Gabula, faculty from otherareas, provided their valuable inputs.The five day PG Lab ended with the results of thepsychometric instruments being mapped on to genericmanagerial competence. This helped participants identifytheir strengths and leverage them. The participants alsoworked on a Personal Developmental Plan based on theirareas of improvement. Back at the institute conceptualsessions are provided. Following final analysis, theparticipants intertwine the concepts with their experiencesinto a “Personal Learning Paper”.Celebrating the Victory - Essence of PG LabProf. Lata Dhir taking a session on Self & Teamssocial identity with the group. This built strongcamaraderie and helped overcome inhibition and tension,which facilitated effective communication andencouraged proactive participation.The outdoor activities primarily focused on team skills andleadership. The participants trekked and participated inTreasure Hunt and Assault activity, that involved multipleAssault Activity - Team games in progressSPJIMRnews3

Autumns is Green with 200 offers for 175 PGDM participantsAugust 26-27, 2009‘ Autumn Placement Process’ for the PGDM batch of 2008-10 kicked off amid fears and speculation on the jobscenario in these turbulent times and its impact on B-school placements. But the fears soon melted away asSPJIMR effortlessly placed its 175 participants.The placement process, spread over 26th and 27thAugust, ended with participants being offered projectswith reputed companies across sectors like Consulting,Banking, IT, Investment Banking, FMCG, Private Equity,Manufacturing, Healthcare & Pharma-ceuticals, Telecomand Media. More than 60 companies visited the campusover the two days of the 'autumns' process. TataAdministrative Services (TAS), Microsoft, Citibank, GSK,Tata Capital, Reckitt Benckiser, P&G, HUL, L'Oreal , Marico,Nestle, Intel, J&J Consumer, Wipro, SAP, GE, Edelweiss, SBICapital, Axis Bank, HT Media, Dabur, Bank of Bahrain andKuwait, Barclays, HSBC, Development Bank of Singapore,and Frost & Sullivan were few of them. There were morethan 200 offers made to the batch of 175.In contrast to other business schools sending themanagement participants for Summer Internships, SPJIMRpioneered the concept of 'Autumns' wherein the two yearfull time PGDM participants are mandated to undergocorporate internship during September and October in thesecond year of the program. SPJIMR reserves the summersfor social projects with NGOs.Autumns 2009 at a Glance Total Offers Made: 200+ Offers Accepted: 175 Average Offers per participant: 1.14 Participating Companies: 60+PGPM Class of 2009 Secures 100% ALP PlacementAugust 24, 2009The fifth batch of SPJIMR’s eleven-month Post GraduateProgramme in Management (PGPM) secured impressive100% placements during ALP (Application of LearningProgramme) The class of 2009 comprises 55 participantshaving average work experience of six years .The companies that hired participants for the ALPprogramme were Agility Logistics, Aqua MCG, BAeHAL,Conjoin Group, Frost & Sullivan, IDFC, ITC, John Deere, KPITCummins, KPMG, L&T HED, L&T Infotech, Loop Mobile,Mobisoc, OTIS, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, Siemens,Spanco Telesystems, Spice Digital and Zycus. Theplacement process saw offers from traditional sectors suchas Information technology, telecom, finance andmarketing as well as emerging sectors such as corporatestrategy, project finance and supply chain.Consulting, market research, marketing and finance weresome of the areas in which the participants securedprojects with various roles such as IT consulting, supplychain consulting, management consulting and logisticsconsulting. Five participants secured international ALPprojects in association with Reutlingen University inGermany.ALP is a unique programme in the PGPM curriculum thatSpread of ALP across sectorsConsultingMarket ResearchMarketingOverseas InternshipCorporate StrategyFinanceFMCG/ Supply ChainProject Financeaims to strengthen the industry-academia relationship. Aspart of ALP, participants undertake full-time projects atcompany premises for a period of six weeks. During thisperiod, the participants take up challenging projects andcompanies leverage on the rich experience of participantsacross diverse domains. At the end of the term, thecandidates present a report to the company.4SPJIMRnews

Initiating the international accreditation processAugust 27, 2009As an autonomous institute, SPJIMR has developedtrendsetting educational programmes and pedagogicprocesses. To reinforce its commitment to academicexcellence and extend its sphere of influence at a globallevel, SPJIMR has now been focusing on internationalaccreditation. SPJIMR's one-year PGPM programme wasthe first full-time post graduate programme in India tohave received MBA accreditation from the Association ofMBAs (AMBA), U.K. Other SPJIMR programmes accreditedby AMBA include PGDM and EMP.SPJIMR has now initiated talks with the Association ofCollegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP), USA.ACBSP is a reputed accrediting body for business schoolsand programmes with a focus on teaching excellence.ACBSP is recognized by the Council on Higher EducationAccreditation (CHEA).Prof. Prem Chandrani of SPJIMR met Mr. Douglas Viehland,Executive Director of ACBSP and Mr. A Thothathri Raman,Chairman of Standards for Educational Advancement andAccreditation (SEAA), Delhi. The meeting, which centeredaround discussions on international accreditation, tookplace at the Centre for Organization Development,Hyderabad.Prof. Prem Chandrani (left) with Mr. Douglas Viehland (center) andMr. A Thothathri Raman of ACBSPProf. Prem Chandrani, who has been spearheading SPJIMR’sinternational accreditation initiative, stated that themeeting ended on a positive note. According to Prof.Chandrani, accreditation from ACBSP will bring SPJIMR onpar with reputed B-schools in America on quality ofeducation.Global Classroom: German and Korean flavor to the ExecutiveManagement ProgramJuly 2009Four German participants from ESB Business School,Reutlingen University and a participant from Korea were atthe SPJIMR campus in July to attend Contact 5 (batch 17) ofExecutive Management Programme (EMP). They werehere to participate in the nine-day module of the EMPunder a participant exchange program initiated by Prof.Dennis De and Ms. Heike Trost from ESB Business School,Reutlingen University and Prof. Prem Chandrani at SPJIMR.During their 15 day visit, the exchange participantsattended class-room sessions along with the EMPparticipants and visited companies such as TataConsultancy Services and Mahindra & Mahindra. Mr.Alexander Herfort said these visits gave them a goodunderstanding of how India operates in the KPO/BPOspace and in the manufacturing sector. The visits wereorganized by Prof. Oscar D'souza and EMP participant Mr.Don Lewis.A dance programme was organized at the SPJIMRauditorium to give the overseas participants a glimpse ofIndian culture. They were taken on a short guided tourof Mumbai. They also took courses in InternationalBusiness, Strategic Management, Negotiations,Managerial Effectiveness, Strategic Brand Managementand Managing New Business Initiatives.Mr. Ilker Ozyavuz in the front row and Mr. Chang at the center ofthe back row during EMP sessionsIn his feedback to Prof. Palekar, Chairman of the EMPprogramme, and Prof. Chandrani who was instrumental inforging this alliance, at a dinner specially hosted for theseparticipants, Mr. Kamal Charafeddine remarked that“Indian participants are highly motivated and interactive”.Prof. Chandrani stated that “this trickle of internationalparticipants will soon become a stream and then possibly ariver”.SPJIMRnews5

CCL Session on ‘The Art ofPossibility’Sept 11, 2009 Sept 12, 2009Dr. Anitesh Barua of McCombsSchool of Business visitscampusPeople and Performance (P&P) course of PGDM Batch of2009-2011 ended with an enlightening talk from Prof. TZipiRadonsky and her associate Ms. Philomena Rego, acertified Compass coach from CCL (Centre for CreativeLeadership), Greensbrow, U.S.A. Prof. TZipi Radonsky hasbeen a longtime adjunct coach at CCL and holds a Ph.D.from the University of North Carolina at Greensbrow, USA.Across the world, CCL offers unparalleled expertise onleadership education, research and the leadershipchallenges across the world.The session started off with the understanding of theconcept of “The Art of Possibility” that can be acquiredthrough a growing mindset as against a fixed or a rigid one.The importance of a growing mindset stems from the factthat it enables an individual to bring future into thepresent and empower it to heal and learn from mistakes.Citing the instance of the acclaimed movie “SlumDogMillionaire”, Prof TZipi further elaborated on the conceptof “self-awareness” or consciousness to live in the present.In other words, even in the worst of the situations, we havethe choice of opting for an attitude, that would direct ourgrowth.The interactive session winded with Ms. Philomena tellingthe participants about the ‘Wheel Of Life’ exercise that canenable the youth of today to discover facets of theirpersonality that can bring out the creative leader in them.Consumer Behavior gets aglobal perspectiveJune, 2009Dr. Meera Vankatraman from SawyerBusiness School, Suffolk University,Boston visited SPJIMR to take a halfcredit course on Consumer Behaviorwith PGDM second year participants.Dr. Meera has rich academic andresearch experience in consumerbehaviour, especially the adoption ofinnovative products and crossculturaldifferences in consumerbehaviour.Dr. Anitesh Barua addressing the SPJIMR faculty & participantsDr. Anitesh Barua, Director of the MBA - InformationManagement programme at the McCombs School ofBusiness at the University of Texas at Austin (UTA), visitedSPJIMR. Dr. Barua intended to explore possibilities ofacademic collaboration between SPJIMR and UTA. He isWilliam F. Wright Centennial Professor of InformationTechnology, Stevens Piper Foundation Professor andAssociate Director for the Center for Research in ElectronicCommerce at the McCombs School of Business at UTA. Hereceived many awards for his research and teaching. 75 ofhis research articles have appeared in prestigious academicjournals, refereed conference proceedings and edited bookchapters. Dr. Barua made a presentation on“Deconstructing or Destroying Your Value Chain throughOutsourcing”.Dr. Barua explained how the focus of InformationTechnology Outsourcing (ITO) and Business ProcessOutsourcing (BPO) has evolved from pure cost savings todiverse strategic objectives. He opined that strategicoutsourcing, which is characterized by higher levels ofbusiness uncertainty and complex coordination involvesgreater contractual risks compared with transactionoutsourcing. He also talked about how the capital marketsmay not be privy to such information when an outsourcingdecision is announced, and hence there may be long-termabnormal returns from such outsourcing decisions.Dr. Barua concluded that outsourcing deals of the 'one-sizefits-allkind' do not work. To make an outsourcingrelationship successful, a firms need to understand thegovernance choices available and customize them keepingin mind the complexity, independence and the strategicimportance of the tasks to be outsourced.6 SPJIMRnews

PGDM participants win IIM-B'sINGEN-B Plan ContestAugust 15-16, 2009PGDM participants (2009-2011) of SPJIMR walked awaywith the first place at the prestigious INGEN- B Plan Eventorganized by IIM Bangalore, Nearly 400 teams fromvarious B-Schools across the country participated in theevent.The team, befittingly named 'Dare2Soar', comprisedMohammed Irfan Kabir, Harit Rawal, PriyankaPriyadarshini and Preethi V from PGDM-09. The theme forthis year was 'Small is Big' and the team did make it bigwith the winning plan primarily focusing on the SewageSystem.PGDM participants walk awaywith top spot at the NITIE Sync-Quest Case studyAugust, 2009PGDM participants of SPJIMR proved their mettle onceagain as they aced the prestigious SYNC-QUEST case studycontest at LITMUS, an event organized by NITIE. Litmusessentially provides a platform for B-school participants totackle the most crucial issues the business faces today.Santhosh Kumar C and Palaniappan Narayanan of the 2008-2010 batch formed team “Endeavour" which battled it outwith the best brains across Indian B-schools. Theirinnovative solutions to problems faced by the industry in ITmanagement impressed the eminent jury and fetchedthem the coveted first place among the five participantsshort listed for the final round.Team ‘Dare2Soar’ of SPJIMR at INGEN-B Plan EventTeam Kleos wins Genesis'09: The GE Day Campus ChallengeSeptember 16, 2009SPJIMR team Kleos, comprising Amitoj Singh, ArchitSinghal, Lisa Maria John and Palaniappan N, won Genesis2009, an inter-campus contest organised by GE. Thecontest provided the B-school participants with achallenging task, that tested their imagination, analyticalskills and clarity of thinking.The competing teams were asked to pick one of the twothemes: "India Security – Integrated BuildingSecurity/Surveillance Systems" or "Integrated RenewableEnergy Solutions for India". Team Kleos picked "IntegratedRenewable Energy Solutions for India".Nearly 50 teams from top Indian B-schools, including 8teams from SPJIMR, reached the quarter-finals of thecontest. Of these, 26 teams, including four from SPJIMR,advanced to the semi-finals. The semi-finalists had topresent their ideas before an eminent judging panelcomprising GE's senior leadership across businesses.The contest was hosted as part of the GE Day at HotelNovotel, Hyderabad. GE Day is a business exhibition thatshowcases GE's innovative products and services, andprovides a forum for people to share ideas and strategicinitiatives. The teams were judged on five criteria:Innovation and Novelty, Depth and Clarity of Thought,Feasibility of the Solution, Compilation and the Quality ofPresentation.In the finals, all the teams put up a great show, enthrallingsenior business leaders and other employees of GE with aconfident and clear pitch. The judges were thrilled with thequality of research and analysis done by all the teams. But,in the end, it was Team Kleos of SPJIMR, which emerged thewinner, sidelining Team Helios of ISB and Team InsightVentures of FMS.Team Kleos of SPJIMR at Genesis 09SPJIMRnews7

Rainbowcolours of creativityEco2009 INFORMS InternationalConference on Service ScienceAugust 6-8, 2009The service sector now accounts for more than 50 % ofhuman resources in developed economies. To echo thisshift, the INFORMS Service Science conference aimed tobring together researchers and practitioners to discussissues, identify challenges and future directions.The conference was hosted by INFORMS and the IndustrialEngineering and Logistics Management Department atthe Hong Kong University of Science and Technology(HKUST). It was well attended by representatives frommore than 40 countries.A research paper, authored by Prof. NilanjanChattopadhyay and PGDM-IM participant Mr. AnindyaSundar Ghosh, titled ' DIY of Customer Service : MobilePhone Industry in India' was presented at the conference.This paper analysed the as-is state of implementation ofthe self-service mode of customer service from the SSMEpoint of view. Apart from presenting the paper, ProfNilanjan Chattopadhyay also chaired the session titled'Empirical and Industrial Study', where scholars fromChina, Taiwan, Germany presented their researchfindings.Forum screens‘Commanding Heights’August 1-12, 2009The Economic Forum Committee 2009-10 presented thedocumentary “Commanding Heights”. The series had threeparts: Episode # 1 “The Battle of Ideas” screened on 1stAugust, Episode # 2 “The Agony of Reform” screened on4th August and Episode # 3 “The New Rules of the Game”screened on 12th August.Commanding Heights is a docu-drama which confrontshead-on critical concerns and issues that have defined thewealth and fate of nations and shows how the battle overthe world economy will shape our lives in the 21st century!The movie takes us through World War 1 and the GreatDepression right up to the Present Day World after thecatastrophic events of 9/11. The movie then goes on toshow the turning points of this century from World War II toThe Cold War, from the rise and fall of communism to theshift towards free markets, from the rise of globalisation tothe Asian crisis. The main objective of screening thisdocumentary was to make all participants aware of thevarious events that shaped the global economy over thecentury. The participants lauded the feature for thelearning they could take home.IBM conducts Technology Day focused on IBM Tivoli SolutionsAugust 2, 2009The IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL), Version 3 is animportant element of service management. IBM helpsorganizations make ITIL Version 3 actionable. IBM hasextensive expertise in helping customers adopt servicemanagement best practices. This includes expertise inassessing, planning, designing, implementing andproviding managed services. IBM provides a robustportfolio of products, education and services to helpcustomers implement service management bestpractices.As a part of the IT Infrastructure and Service Managementcourse for PGP2 – IM participants, a Technology Day onPresentation by Mr. Raghunath Krishnamurthy on ‘ The SmarterPlanet’Technology Day- Tivoli- Presentation by Mr. Sagar Shah on ITIL andTivoli Perspective Maping of solutions.IBM Tivoli Solutions was organized on Sunday 2ndAugust'09 at the SPJIMR campus. The following topics werecovered:1. ITIL and Tivoli Perspective – Mapping of Solutions2. IBM Tivoli Monitoring3. IBM Tivoli Provisioning ManagerThe speakers from IBM were: Mr. RaghunathKrishnamurthy- Head, IBM Software Lab-Mumbai; Mr.Sagar Shah; Mr. Himanshu; Ms. Kanchan Sukheja; and Ms.Priyadarshini. The sessions helped the participants tounderstand the tools and technologies that are available forIT Service Management.8 SPJIMRnews

Celebrating the Spirit of FreedomAugust 15, 2009SPJIMR celebrated the nation's 63rdIndependence Day in full splendor. Thecelebrations began with the flaghoisting ceremony by SPJIMR DirectorDr. Sesha Iyer, followed by the NationalAnthem.The institute’s art club Canvas decoratedthe SPJIMR auditorium with rangolis andpaintings. The day was marked by anassortment of programmes startingwith Desh Rang, a riveting rendition ofVande Mataram. Tarangini, comprised asoulful rendition of popular patrioticsongs.The musical performances was followedby Awakening India, a series of videos, inwhich the young participants of SPJIMRtalked about their ideas of freedom,their vision for the nation's future andhow they could contribute to it.Pride in its Stride- a play on the independent India's fightagainst various challenges captured the audience'simagination with its strong narrative. The play portrayedthe contribution of individuals to India and how theirideas transformed the nation. The final performance ofIndependence Day- Dance Performancethe day was a brilliant classical dance performance titled‘Mighty India’. The wide range of emotions displayed in thedance performance highlighted India's diversity.The day ended with a special freedom breakfast. The effortsput in by the organizing team were commended by thefaculty and the participants.PGPM participants attendseminar on Basel I and IIJuly 25, 2009SPJIMR’s first and second year PGDM participantsattended a special seminar on BASEL I and II conducted byMr. Prakash Saboo. Mr. Saboo has been involved with theCredit Risk Management Group of SBI for the past 15 years.The session kick-started with a brief overview of theBanking System in India until the 1990s, and the relevanceof the Narsimhan Committee in the formulation of theBASEL I concept post 1992 LPG (Liberalisation,Privatisation and Globalisation). Further, BASEL II conceptsof Three Pillar approach comprising of Minimum capitalrequirement, Supervisory review and Market disclosurewere discussed. Finally, the road ahead for the Credit Riskwas elucidated giving the participants immense insightinto the buzzwords of finance today.Consulting Committee launchesof Consulting ForumAugust, 2009The showcasing a 30-minute video on “How to Master theArt of Problem Solving” by Nido Qubein marked the launchof “The Consulting Forum” by the Consulting Committee ofPGP. An open house interactive session on everythingabout the Consulting Forum followed. After description ofconsulting forum activities, a movie was shown toaudience. In the movie, through a series of puzzles, NidoQubein, a Business Consultant, takes his target audiencethrough seven basic steps in problem solving that isapplicable in day-to- day problems. The batch was made tosolve puzzles during the video which involved andsustained their interest, endorsed by their positivefeedback. A Q&A session followed the video. After itssuccessful launch, the consulting forum plans to conductmany such activities in future.SPJIMRnews9

SPJIMR and Standard CharteredJoin Hands for a CauseSeptember 10, 2009The DOCC Committee and HIV Champions organised the'Living with Aids' Programme in association with StandardChartered Bank. The occasion marked forging of a newalliance between SPJIMR and Standard Chartered Bank -the first in India. Hon. Dean Dr. M.L. Shrikant and MsGeraldine Matchaba, Head Corporate Affairs (India)signed a pledge to further the spread of HIV/AIDSawareness among the youth.Affecting more than 33 million people the world over,HIV/AIDS remains a global killer, with no cure or vaccine.About 6,800 new infections are reported each day, with15-24 year-olds accounting for 45% of all new HIVinfections. India is highly vulnerable to this threat.Keeping the magnitude of the problem in mind, the HIVChampions aim to create awareness among 8000participants in and around Bhavans Campus. For thisinitiative, they intend to involve volunteers from SPJIMR,BCIDS, Bhavans College, SPIT and SPCE.Working closely with the Clinton Global Foundation,Standard Chartered Bank aims to educate more than amillion people on the topic by 2010. It has alreadyeducated half a million people. Globally, StandardChartered Bank has two key partners – AIESEC and GlobalBusiness Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. To takethe commitment forward, the Bank has signed 23 partnersacross the globe, whose target is to educate over 375,000people.SPJIMR is the Bank's 24th partner and India's first one. TheBank will train SPJIMR participants who arenomenclatured HIV Champions. These HIV Championswill create awareness as peer educators through face-tofacesessions. The training and material will be providedby the Bank and time required for conducting sessions is16 hours. This contribution would be part of thecommitment made by Standard Chartered Bank to ClintonGlobal Initiative to educate one million people on HIV/Aidsby 2010.Participants Celebrate Teachers'DaySeptember 5, 2009At SPJIMR, this day will be remembered for its wonderfulcelebrations. The day was made special by participants ofPGDM 09-11 through special performances with theteachers chipping in with a few performances.The celebrations kicked off with a skit focused on theimportance of a teacher in the life of a participant. The skitshowcased some famous teachers from history along withtheir participants and the essence of the relationshipbetween them. It conveyed that a good teacher wouldalways be able to reach out to his participant regardless ofthe barriers and influence him positively.The skit was followed by dance performances on famoussongs from yesteryears that made the teachers nostalgic.Solo performances from faculty members, from songs topoems and playing the mouth organ, were the best part ofthe programme.The event was wrapped up by a game of Chinese DumbCharades for the teachers, with the teachers trying to guessthe answer adding hilarity to the occasion. The day fortifiedthe bond between the participants and the teachers.Prof. Suranjan Das and prof. Prem Chandrani performing onthe stageHon. Dean Dr. M. L. Shrikant and Ms Geraldine Matchaba signpledge to fight against HIV/AIDSParticipants in action on Teachers’ Day10 SPJIMRnews

Down Memory Lane: Class of 89 ReunionJuly 18, 2009The stage was set. The teachers walked in first. Theirparticipants poured in a little later. No reprimand though,every late-comer was welcomed with equal gusto! 18thJuly '09, SPJIMR was celebrating 15-years Reunion for theClass of '89.Emotions – warmth, excitement and surprises – werepalpable as some of the friends met nearly after 15 longyears. They were also excited to see old faculty-memberswho had come down especially for the event, and thefeelings were clearly reciprocated. As they sat around around-table waiting for others to join-in, all the old classroomjokes were revisited. And even when they seemedtoo lost in old memories, just an announcement got themstartled as these 'who's who' of the business world rushedto the auditorium. Some of the Alumni of the Class of '89had joined online from US and Jakarta.The excitement level increased when Hon. Dean Dr. M. L.Shrikant joined-in. The programme started with thelighting of the lamp, followed by speeches from the oldfaculty members. The highlight of the programme was theinformal interaction with Hon. Dean. The onlineThe Class of 89' Alumni Reunionparticipants also shared their thoughts with Dr. Shrikantand others. This was followed by felicitation of the Class of'89 and informal discussions. The dinner lasted until lateevening. The memories, however, would last a lifetime.FMB Inauguration for Batch 13Sept 13-14, 2009The Centre for Family Managed Business (FMB) at SPJIMRorganised two-day Inauguration programme for Batch 13at the Renaissance Mumbai Hotel.For the first time, this programme was a two-day megaevent packed with activities involving the mentors and theparticipants. The programme started with a briefintroduction of FMB team members followed by a livelysession conducted by consultant Mr. Himanshu Buch. Mr.Buch in his inimitable humorous style explained the theme''Making it happen-The quality of FMB members”. Prof.Parimal Merchant, Chairperson-FMB took forward thetheme “Can we build Castles?” and through an assignmenton “Doubling profit”, he explained key management takeawaysfrom the programme.The second day started with the ceremonial lighting of thelamp followed by traditional prayer by Hon. Dean Dr. M. L.Shrikant.Prof Suraj Sood, Joint Chairperson-FMB gave the welcomeaddress in which he highlighted details of Bharatiya VidyaBhavan's genesis, vision and the evolution of the FMBprogramme over the years.Dr. Shrikant addressed the audience and provided insightsinto key aspects of the FMB programme and how it wasbuilt on the edifice of SPJIMR’s deeply internalized beliefsand commitment.Prof. Parimal Merchant thereafter took an interestingsession on contemporary topics such as “Opportunityexplosion'; “Indian companies are best placed forexpansion” and “FMBs are the most potential of the lot”.Prof. Samish Dalal took a session on Innovation which waswell received. He provided examples of how innovativeleadership has delivered superior results in businessescompared to mere leadership. Prof. Suraj Sood thenmoderated the last session which was a “Participation byPresentation” event where FMB mentors and participantsgave presentations on various FMB issues such as Role ofWomen in Business, and Professionalising Family ManagedBusiness etc. The enthusiasm of the mentors and theparticipants was palpable.SPJIMRnews11

Faculty Meets at Khandala to discuss ‘the Next Orbit'July 1-2, 2009SPJIMR follows a tradition of 'Thursday meetings' whereeven before the clock strikes nine, faculty member gatherat the Lounge for a meeting over breakfast. The traditionnot only helps in discussion of important issues,happenings, tasks, and initiatives but is also a platform toshare knowledge, views, opinions and accomplishments.However, this July the Thursday meeting happened with adifference when all faculty members headed towardsNorthpoint Centre of Learning, Khandala for an offsitemeeting.The meeting started with a discussion on thechallenges and changes facing managementeducation. The group saw managementeducation as a sector rapidly changing withgrowing expectations and demands from allstakeholders. The faculty members put forththeir views and perception on SPJIMR’svalues and the work environment.Management felt that these responses areimportant to effectively communicate coreinstitutional values and bring all themembers on a common platform.The next day’s discussion focused on the'Next Orbit' for SPJIMR and how theinstitution should respond to a dynamicenvironment of globalising managementSPJIMR Faculty Memberseducation. The various work-groups discussed the prosandcons of alternative models, trying to explore whichmodel suited SPJIMR the best in keeping with itsinstitutional strengths and values.The offsite meeting provided an opportunity for facultymembers to set aside their mundane chores, and discussand interact in a serene and peaceful environment. Suchinteractions also help redefine and reinforce SPJIMR’s corevalues and fortify the philosophical tenets that form theedifice of its education system.SPJIMR organizes Management Development Programme for NGOsSeptember 22-24, 2009‘Influencing practice 'is one of the twin objectives ofSPJIMR. As a part of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, its endeavor isto contribute to the social and other sectors likecooperatives and government. It is perhaps the onlymanagement institute whose students for last 15 yearshave been doing their DOCC (Development of CorporateCitizenship) projects of six weeks duration in the socialsector. With the objective of developing a long termrelationship to help NGOs with the management inputs aMDP for NGOs was organized in September.The event saw around 76 participants from 42 NGOs acrossthe country. These NGOs included Self Employed Women'sassociation (SEWA), Ecotourism & Conservation Society ofSikkim, Citizens Foundation, The Banyan, Anandi, ReliefFoundation, and Aide et Action amongst many others.This MDP which had no participation fee, covered areaslike Strategy Planning, Project Monitoring and Evaluation,Finance and Cost Management, Leadership and PeopleManagement, Effective Communication, Building an NGOBrand and the use of Management Information System inenhancing the organizational effectiveness. Interactive andcollective learning with theoretical framework, casestudies, games, films and exercises were a part of theprogramme. The training was conducted by eminentSPJIMR faculty and experts from these fields.The training began with an Inaugural function onSeptember 22nd, 2009. Dr. Desh Bandhu Gupta, ChairmanLupin Ltd, delivered the key note address. The function wasgraced by other luminaries like Mr. Gopi Menon, RegionalHead UNICEF (India), Mr. Ashokbhai Bhansali from BhansaliTrust, the NGOs and the SPJIMR family.A Social Sector Networking Evening was organized on thesecond day. Personalities like Ms. Neera Nundy fromDASRA, Mr. Vijay Nadkarni from Credibility Alliance,Ms.Leni Choudhary from Sakseria Foundation, Ms. JyotiMaphsekar from Stree Mukti Sangathna amongst othersinteracted with the NGO participants.MDP-NGO marks a beginning of a new relationshipbetween SPJIMR and the NGO sector.12 SPJIMRnews

Splashcreating ripplesAbhyudayaAbhyudaya – A Pedagogic InnovationJuly 22 & 26, 2009Abhyudaya' is an innovative pedagogic offering by SPJIMRaimed at preparing its participants for top leadership rolesalong with their management education. The project isconceptualised and guided by our Hon. Dean Dr. M.L.Shrikant.As a part of this project, bright children (called Sitaras) fromeconomically weaker sections are mentored by the PGDMparticipants and given economic support, with an aim toimprove their understanding and quality of life. SPJIMR isthe first B-School in India to launch a mentorshipprogramme. Mentoring is an essential skill required as amanager and is especially required at the top level. Theproject would help in reinforcing the strengths of thechildren adopted through this project and equip them tocompete with the best in society.The project began in June 2008. 43 Sitaras belonging todifferent religions, languages and schools (both Englishand Vernacular mediums like Hindi, Marathi, Kannada,Telugu, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati) have been adopted. In 2009,48 children have been newly inducted into the programand were selected after 2 rounds of interviews, carefullyconsidering the factors like academic performance,participation in extra-curricular activities and the financialbackground of the family.Project Abhyudaya now has a total strength of 89 Sitarashelps mentor- mentee in growing togethercomprising of 44 boys and 45 girls, who are mentored byPGDM 1st year participants. This project, spanning arounda decade of association, provides a comprehensive learningplatform for the Sitaras through the involvement ofBhavan's institutions like A. H. Wadia High School, SardarPatel College of Engineering, and Bhavan's College apartfrom S.P. Jain Institute of Management and Research.Through Abhyudaya we aspire to:Move from Intellectual Quotient to Emotional Quotientto Spiritual Quotient.Developing sensitivity to right attitudes and softer skills.Placing students from economically weaker section atpar with the best in society.Strengthening the strengths of children till theycomplete their formal education.Build attitude of social responsiveness among theinstitute's participants.Various activities that have been taken up to fulfill theproject's multi-dimensional objectives include computerand music classes, disbursal of school fees, fees for tuitions,medical check-up once in six months, workshops on varioustopics, outbound activities like picnic and camps, fun andentertainment through games and movies etc.The Mentoring ProgrammeAbhyudaya started as a non-classroom learningprogramme which aims to sensitize participants to thesocietal needs and problems and develop in them thenecessary mentoring skills. The mentoring is an academicrequirement of PGDM (two years) programme. It is 1.5credit programme spread over one year and has begun withthe PGDM 09-11 batch from July 2009. Mentors areexpected to spend 60 hours over one year with the menteesand their family and guide them on various academic andSPJIMRnews 13

non-academic areas for holistic personality development.The mentorship programme began on 1st February 2009,and was pioneered by the participants of PGPM 2008. Withthe commencement of the mentorship programme, the'Sitaras' have shown significant improvement in academicperformance. Mentors have helped them discover newskills and talents by encouraging them.The Handover and Mentor- Mentee Meet:July 22nd and 26th, 2009The PGPM batch handed over their 'Sitaras' to the PGDMbatch for mentoring. They facilitated the interactionbetween the mentees and new mentors. New mentors gotan opportunity to interact with their 'sitara' and his/herfamily. This meet provided an excellent platform forinteraction and some creative and imaginative fun for the'sitaras' and the mentors. The program was organized byPGDM volunteers.Workshop on Effective Study HabitsAugust 19, 2009Ms. Nandini Diwan, HOD – Psychology Dept. D. G. RuparelCollege, conducted the workshop on mentoring anddeveloping mentoring skills for PGDM participants.Abhyudaya is a collective effort of the MBA participants,Abhyudaya faculty members, the Abhyudaya team, and theSPJIMR family as a whole to empower the 'Sitaras' and helpthem lay their road to success.Know India - A Unique PedagogyIndia has emerged as an important business destination inthe global economy. Its fast-growing economy offers anumber of advantages to its own citizens as well as theforeigners interested in business opportunities.Most business schools have incorporated the study ofgrowing Indian economy in their curricula. The SPJIMRfaculty members however embarked on an interestingexperiment with “Know India” project. Know India aims toprepare a repository of reading material that reflects “TheIndia Story” with not only gives economic overview butalso reflects the richness of the country's socio-culturaldiversity.This is how it works: the faculties at SPJIMR including Hon.Dean Dr. Shrikant have chosen more than a dozen bookswritten on India to prepare the summary of these books.The books chosen for reading belong to four broadcategories:1)books written by practitioners and entrepreneurs in Indiasuch as Nandan Nilekani and Kamal Nath; 2)books writtenby professors of Indian origin from foreign universities suchas Tarun Khanna and Nirmalya Kumar; 3)books written onthe changing political scene globally and in India by writerssuch as Ramchandra Guha, Edward Luce and FareedZakaria; 4) books written on socio-cultural aspects of India,by writers such as Rama Bijapurkar and Geoff Hiscock.The unique pedagogy experiment will bring to classroomthe latest thinking on the current issues in India. The ‘KnowIndia’ project would help PGDM, PGPM and EMPparticipants from India and abroad, for doing the courseon “Doing Business in India”.14 SPJIMRnews

Industrial Visit to PrecisionDeep DrawAugust 6, 2009A group of 38 participants of PGP 09-11 batch of SPJIMRvisited Precision Deep Draw Ltd, a SME with an annualturnover of Rs. 15 crores. It is a small firm which wasstarted around 25 years back with limited capital as aventure of a SSC pass participant Shri Bhupendra Visariaand Mr. Ganatra who is also a successful entrepreneur andhis son Kapil Ganatra, is a budding business leader and aparticipant of SPJIMR FMB programme. The firm whichemploys about 250 workers has about 150 product linesproducing on an average of 18000 products which keepchanging according to the market needs. The companyfocuses on stainless steel and mixer jars and their majorclients are Krompton, Kanchan, Maharaja and Usha etc.The visit provided the participants with an excellentopportunity to closely study a relatively organised SMEfrom an unorganised sector. Moreover the visit alsokindled interest in entrepreneurship among theparticipants as the visit and interaction with Mr. Visaria &Mr. Ganatra gave them a chance to look at the variousintricacies involved in starting a business from the scratchand further establishing it.SPJIMR Participants understanding the workflow at Deep DrawPrecisionIndustrial Visit to Larsen &Toubro Ltd.After covering an unorganised private sectorentrepreneurial venture in Deep Draw Precision, 25participants of PGP-09-11 batch along with facultycoordinator Prof. Latha Nair visited Larsen & Tubro Ltd. Thevisit was organised by alumnus of 1989 batch Mr. MaheshPhadke, EBG Group. The visit was kicked off with aninteresting video on what L&T does and an interaction withthe middle and senior level managers. The best part wasthe visit to the shop floor in groups focussing on theproduct display department which showcased theproducts made in the division. Mr. Anil J. Patil, EBG & HRPersonnel group guided the participants through the visitinstilling a deeper understanding of the various industrialprocesses and quality policies followed today.The ‘Road Ahead’ for PGDMparticipantsAugust 6, 2009The first year participants of PGDM Batch attended aworkshop “The Road Ahead” conducted by Mr PrasunGhosh, Manager, HR CTS India.The workshop was an enlightening session on the careertrajectory of an MBA graduate. Mr Ghosh stressed on therequisite skills desired by his organisation and the corporateworld in general. He also touched upon the dynamics of theInformation Technology industry and its growth prospects.The workshop was highly interactive with manyparticipants asking questions on the issues ranging fromeconomic meltdown to the intricacies of the outsourcingindustry. At the end of the session, participants were happyto have good insights into the current businessenvironment. Mr Ghosh through the workshop has set thefuture roadmap to achieve success in the corporate world.The onus is on the PGDM Batch to work hard and strivetowards their career objectives and goals.Guest Lecture on milk distribution & resilience-an innovative pedagogyJuly 11, 2009After 13 enriching classes of Sales and DistributionManagement, what came next was a pleasant surprise tothe PGDM Marketing Batch of 2010. Prof. Renuka Kamath,the faculty for the course, decided to do something quitedifferent and take the participants by surprise.In walked Smita along with Prof. Kamath to an almoststunned and quiet audience. So who is Smita really? Smitasupplies milk to residents in Andheri(W). She started herown milk distribution after her father sold away thebusiness without informing her. Smita's practicalexperiences while distributing milk in the area had to beshared, hence Prof. Kamath invited her to class.Smita was cool, calm and composed as she fieldedquestions regarding the flow of milk packets, the supplychain and the politics / nexus that exists in the industry.Bringing a 'tampered and adulterated' milk packet to class,she showed us how to be discerning when we next buy apacket of milk. Her being younger than most people in theaudience seemed to be no barrier at all, as shecommunicated freely in both English and Hindi.Smita, whose day begins early in the morning at 4.00am,distributes milk for about an hour and a half, followingwhich, she trades in stocks for another hour or so. Then herjob as an HR executive with a leading Insurance Companyawaits her. Her day ends with coming back home andspending the rest of the evening studing for her PGDM (Parttime) from a good management institute in Mumbai.SPJIMRnews15

ADMAP Initiative-Learning from TATA Case Study-Shifting SandsTheatre: The Alchemist@NCPAAugust 9, 2009 August 12, 2009In congruence with the SPJIMR's philosophy of'experiential' learning, the PGDM participants watchedthe play “The ALCHEMIST” at NCPA as a part of ADMAPprogramme. The play directed by Mr. Mahesh Dattani is astage adaptation of bestselling novel by Paulo Coelho. Theaim of this initiative was to develop among participants, anappreciation of Theatre Processes for Administrative Skillsand team building processes. The pedagogical innovationalso aids in inculcating the otherwise un-learnable softskills through alternative ways of art forms. This would befollowed by a Theatre Workshop later.SPJIMR participants interacting with the director Mahesh DattaniADMAP Initiative- Session on'Six Thinking Hats’August 3, 2009Under the aegis of ADMAP programme, SPJIMR organiseda session on “Six Thinking Hats” for PGDM participants.The session was conducted by Mr. Suresh Mhatre,Principal Consultant at TCS and renowned practitioner andtrainer for Six Thinking Hats process. He emphasized onhow innovation and 'out of box' thinking can enable themanagers to improve problem solving skills. The sessionaimed at inculcating the creative problem solving anddecision making approach among participants anddeveloping understanding of 'parallel thinking' process toprevent adversarial discussions in problem solving. Thesession was greatly appreciated by participants and leftthem with a methodology that can be perfected forimproved decision making process.When we hear the term 'Brands' several things come toour mind: Chocolates, soft drinks, cars, clothes,soaps...but...steel?Well, this was precisely what the 2nd year PGDM Marketingparticipants learnt about in the two integrated sessions ofSales and Distribution Management organized by Prof.Renuka Kamath and conducted by two eminent peoplefrom the Tata empire - Mr. Subodh Pandey, Chief ofMarketing (Long Products) and Ms. Atrayee Sarkar, Chief ofMarketing (Distribution and Branded Products).While the first session focussed on understanding steel as aproduct in the B2B (Business To Business) scenario, thesecond session dealt with understanding how Tata Steelmade a quantum leap by bringing steel into retail space ofthe B2C (Business To Consumer) arena and the movetowards strategic brand management.Based on a multi-part case study, the two sessions wereinteractive and highly interesting. The participantswelcomed such an initiative as they could relate what theylearn in their textbooks to something which actuallyhappened in real-life.Webinar on WebsphereBusiness Modeler 6.0August8, 2009In the current world of business, service sector is gainingimportance in an exponential way, and experts around theglobe are evangelizing the idea of Service Science andManagement, through high end modeling of BusinessProcesses in service industries.As a part of the SSME center activities, a four-hours WebExSeminar on Web Sphere Business Modeler was held atDome- III.The webinar was conducted live on the webEx by theexperts from IBM Bangalore. Mr. RaghunathKrishnamurthy, Director- IBM Software lab, Mumbai waspresent at the institute to handle queries during thesession.PGDM participants at the Webinar16 SPJIMRnews

Equinoxmeeting of mindsFirst Round Table conference with IMC on Role of Women in FamilyBusinessesJyly 18, 2009The first round table conference on Family Business issuesstarted on a vibrant note at IMC auditorium at BabubhaiChainani Committee Room, 2nd Floor, IMC Building.The keynote speaker was Ms. Deepali Goenka (Director,Welspun Retail Ltd.). The other Panel numbers were Ms.Pallavi Jha (CMD, Walchand Peoplefirst), Mr. Sanjay Jha(Executive Director, Walchand TalentFirst), Ms. Pilloo Aga(Director, GoldSeal Engineering Products Pvt. Ltd.), Mr.Cyrus Aga (Managing Director, Gold Seal EngineeringProducts Pvt. Ltd.), Priti Gupta (Executive Director, AnandRathi Securities) and Mr. Tanil Kilachand (Co-Chairman,IMC ERTF). Prof. Parimal Merchant (Chairperson, Centerfor Family Managed Business) and Prof. Suraj P Sood (JointChairperson, Center for Family Managed Business)conducted the programme.More than 60 participants from family businesses,academia and the corporate world participated in theFirst Round Table Conference with IMC onRole of Women in Family BusinessFirst Round Table Conference with IMC onRole of Women in Family Businessprogramme. The theme was Contemporary GenderSituation in FMB. One of the glaring changes that has takenplace in Indian socio-economic scenario is the increase inmeaningful role and contribution of women in business, asprofessionals.The round table started with the Welcome Address by Mr.Tanil Kilachand, Co-Chairman IMC ERTF. This was followedby insightful inputs by all panelists leading to an interactivesession of two hours and ending with an interesting roundof questions and answers. Few pertinent questionsregarding remuneration of women and their ownershiprights were discussed in an open atmosphere. A largenumber of participants were young scions of familybusinesses.The programme ended with Prof. Sood giving the vote ofthanks, laced with humor and anecdotes.Second Roundtable Conference with IMC on Corporate GovernanceAugust 8, 2009The second round table conference on 'CorporateGovernance' was organized by Center for Family ManagedBusiness. Owners' interest must be subjugated to businessinterest said Adi Godrej, Chairman of the Godrej Group ofcompanies in the keynote address. Introducing the theme,Prof. Parimal Merchant said that studies had shown that ingeneral FMBs considered Corporate Governance as a merelegal formality to comply with and not as an objective byitself. Godrej said that 95% of the registered companies inIndia, Latin America and West Asia were all familymanaged.He attributed the FMBs' success to the culture,loyalty and personal commitment of the owning families.Mr. M. K. Chouhan, Chairman, Mahendra & YoungKnowledge Foundation said that governance was not themonopoly of only MNCs and there were numerous FMBs,which have become famous for good governance such asCargill, Ford, Bata, Ranbaxy and Godrej among manyothers. He cited the case of Ford Motors, which at one time,brought in professionals to manage the company, until ascion of the Ford family became ready to take over reinsseveral years later. Mr. Ashwin Shroff, Chairman of ExcelIndustries said that his company believed in grooming thefamily's younger generation to imbibe its culture, Gandhianethics and values, which were a legacy of the promoter, LateMr. C C Shroff. Surendra Hiranandani said that FMBs treatedall its loyal employees as part of the family and rewardedthem sumptuously.SPJIMRnews17

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