Sunday, March 28, 2010

This blog has moved

Hey Everyone,
Especially the followers of this blog via email, rss, facebook, networked blogs etc.

I have moved this blog to a location with an easier to remember name
http://xlri-news.blogspot.com/

I apologise for the trouble, but if you have subscribed to this blog, could you please visit the new location and resubscribe. I have only been able to transfer followers who had subscribed via blogger. All the others are external links, so I'm not even sure, who is subscribed to this blog :)

The old posts are all there on both blogs. This one and the new one.

Hopefully, you should not have any trouble migrating.

Thanks so much and stay in touch

Kim

E Sreedharan @ XLRI Convocation 2010

Do not compare DMRC with Kolkata Metro as a role model: E Sreedharan

From My News

Jamshedpur: India's metroman E Sreedharan, widely written for his examplary work as chief of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation(DMRC) and Konkan railway, today said the country's first metro rail in Kolkata could not be described a role model as the 17-km line took 22 years to complete.

''It took 22 years to start the 17 kilometres long metro rail in Kolkata. So, definitely it was not a pleasant experience,'' he said adding its budget also increased 14 times and hence it could not be termed a role model.

Mr Sreedharan said Delhi metro, on the other hand, stood out for its efficient completion within the project time and budget and could compete with any metro anywhere in the world. If DMRC were able to complete the 125-km long second phase before the Commonwealth Games in October 2010 then it would be a world record, he added. The second phase of Delhi metro would also include a high-speed line that would connect the city centre to Indira Gandhi International Airport.

He said DMRC had already submitted to government a detailed project report on third phase of the metro project and if cleared work on it could begin in November 2010. Once the fourth phase finished in 2020 the national capital region would have metro network of 400 kms, he added.

Speaking after receiving the Sir Jehangir Gandhi medal at the 54th convocation of Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) of Business and Human Resources here, the 2008 Padma Bhushan awardee said Delhi Metro was regarded as one of the best available commuting facilities in the world.

Mr Sreedharan was chosen Man of the Year 2002 by Time magazine for completing Konkan railway and Delhi Metro project within stipulated time and budgetary cost.

Friday, March 26, 2010

Live Webcast of XLRI's Convocation (March 27th, 2pm-5pm IST)

Hello Folks!
 
I am happy to share that the 54th Annual Convocation of XLRI Jamshedpur will be live webcasted on
 
March 27th, 2010, Saturday
2pm - 5pm IST
 
The URL on which you can watch the live ceremony is:
...and in case, this being the new URL, it does not work, please try the altternative:
 
This Convocation will also mark the end of XLRI's Diamond jubilee Year - and so, XL has invited all the previous Directors (Fr McGrath, Fr Ruomold D'Souza, Fr PD Thomas) Deans and the Chairmen of the Board for the convocation... some of them are already on the campus.
 
The highlight of this years convocation (which are in the pre-event press release) are:
 
- Mr Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group will be the Chief Guest
 
- Mr E Sreedharan, CEO of Delhi Metro, will be the recepient of the Sir Jahangir Gandhi Medal for Industrial and Social Justice this year
 
- the previous Chairmen, Directors and Deans of XLRI will be present during the convocation.
 
please spread the word :0)
 
cheers
 
madhukar
===========================
Dr Madhukar Shukla
Professor (OB & Strategic Management)
& Chairperson - External Linkages
XLRI School of Business & Human Resources
CH Area (East)
Jamshedpur 831001
India

Thursday, March 25, 2010

XLRI set to see grand diamond jubilee reunion

From The Financial Express

Jamshedpur: XLRI School of Business and Human Resources is geared up for a grand reunion on the occasion of its diamond jubilee convocation on Saturday which will also see conferment of the B-School’s prestigious Sir Jehangir Ghandy medal for industrial and social peace on Dr E Sreedharan, managing director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.

To mark the occasion, the B-School has invited all its former chairmen, directors and deans to be part of the convocation, with the list including its former chairmen Russi Mody and Sarosh Ghandy, former directors Father (Fr) E H McGrath (today an octogenarian), Fr Romuald D’Souza and Fr P D Thomas, as also some if its former deans.

While the convocation will be declared open with a presidentialaddress by Tata Steel vice-chairman B Muthuraman, Kumar Mangalam Birla who heads the $29.2 billion Aditya Birla Group, the global conglomerate with operations spanning 25 countries, will inspire the graduating batch of 2010 with his convocation address.

Dr Sreedharan, who would receive the Sir Jehangir Ghandy medal this year, retired from the Indian Railways in 1990 after a distinguished career spanning 36 years and has been behind the success of the Delhi Metro project.

A recipient of “Padma Shri” in 2001 and "Padma Vibhushan" in 2008, he has since been spearheading efforts to provide Metro systems in other state capitals including for Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mumbai, Kochi and Kolkata (where it is planned to be extended), with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation involved in these projects as interim/prime consultant.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Gautam Ghosh (IR 99) - One of the top 100 Influencers in HR

John Sumser has profile Gautam (better known as GG) as One of the top 100 Influencers in HR in the world.

John has profiled GG on the top 100 influencers blog

He ends by saying Gautam Ghosh is a role model in his home country and around the world. A decade of demonstrating that alternate career paths work while focusing on big ideas and implementation gives him a platform for influence all over the world.

Congratulations GG :)

Friday, March 12, 2010

Ankit Kumar (2011 batch) starts Green Leaf Energy Private Limited

I have started my company, "Green Leaf Energy Private Limited", working in the renewable energy space. The company objectives are to provide employment opportunities, arrest migration, alleviation of poverty, improve the living standard in rural Bihar and produce renewable energy.

The company has been provided support and guidance by the XLRI Entrepreneurship Development Centre. I am presently working on Bio-diesel and have set up a nursery of Pongamia (Bio-diesel yielding plants), growing 1.2 lakh plants in Kothwara village of Gaya, Bihar.

The company has conducted awareness programs in rural areas of Bihar for utilization of wastelands by doing Pongamia plantation.The company has also formed a contract with 200 farmers over 500 acres of area in Gaya, Bihar. We are looking to scale up the plantation area to 1 lakh acres of wasteland in Bihar.

The company will set up its Bio-diesel extraction unit to produce Bio-diesel, as per the National Biofuel Policy. The company will also set up Bio-gasifier power plant unit generating power from the shells of Pongamia plants for rural electrification.

The project has already been appraised by NABARD, Indian Oil and PNB for technical and financial support.

Connect with Ankit on Facebook

XLRI Placements see 20% increase

From Economic Times

AMSHEDPUR: Pharma major Novartis offered the highest placement offer of Rs 50 lakh (USD 1,10,000) at the XLRI School of Business and Human
Resources here for its prestigious HR leadership role at Basel, Switzerland.

The highest domestic package was Rs 26 lakh made by a consulting firm for its Mumbai desk whereas the average domestic package was at Rs 14.2 lakh, a 20 per cent increase over last year's figure.

The placement process attracted 75 companies giving a total of 205 offers to a batch of 120 Business Management and 60 Personnel Management and Industrial Relations (HR) students, XLRI Placement Committee Secretary Venkatesh K told reporters here last evening.

The campus recruitment programme 2010 saw 90 per cent of the batch accepting offers made by some of the most coveted organizations for their Indian and international locations followed by a strategically planned rolling process which enabled 100 per cent placements, Venkatesh K said.

XLRI, Venkatesh K said, maintained its position as a destination for premier finance roles as 28 per cent of the total offers came from the financial sector such as Goldman Sachs, Nomura Holdings, Edelweiss, Deutsche Bank, Citibank, HSBC, Standard Chartered, ICICI, Axis Bank and YES Bank.

He said marketing has drawn renewed interest from the students and was the most sought after profile with 30 per cent accepting offers.

A total of 25 per cent of the students received top notch consulting offers.

"XLRI has once again reinforced its long standing supremacy as the best B-school in Asia-Pacific for Human Resources Recruitments continues to be robust and growing with the participation of major firms in this sector."

Honouring Fr McGrath - Contributing to his Dream - Human Life Centre

Forwarding this message from Prof Shukla.

Folks!
Fr McGrath has been an icon for so many XLers and to XL as such - an institution by himself...
Human Life Centre has been his dream to continue contributing to the society.. one way to honour him would be to support the cause he has been nurturing
I am forwarding Mario Lobo (77batch)'s mail below, please circlate it
maybe our time to pay-back...

thanks
madhukar

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Mario Lobo


Dear Madhukar,

To honour Fr Mc Grath for the contribution he has made to the lives of most of us, who have had the honour of knowing him and especially to continue the good work he has initiated for the weaker sections of society I am sending in my contribution of Rs 1 lakh. I would actively encourage each one of you to send in whatever contribution you wish to make directly as indicated below. Following is the note I received from the HLC office with the instructions.

The information below will be very helpful for XLRI alumni wanting to give donations to Fr. McGrath - both in India and abroad. It will take care of "wire transfer" in India as well as alumni based abroad who will need the Swift Code and other code details. To be on the safe side, you can mail them the FULL DETAILS below. This way they
will have the complete information.

Name of Account : Human Life Centre

Bank Account No : 0160301000003770

Bank Name & Address : The Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd,
Plot No. 622 - B, Janpath,
Saheed Nagar, Bhubaneswar 751007

Bank Code No. (SWIFT CODE) : LAVBINBB

IFSC Code (for RTGS/NEFT) : LAVB0000160

Bank's MICR Code No. : 751056002

Madhukar, it would be good if you can forward Fr Mc Grath's address and Bank details to other XLers whose email addresses are available with you. This will enable many more to make their contributions.

With Best Wishes,
Mario

An evening with Abhijit Bhaduri in Bangalore

XLRI Alumni Bangalore Chapter is happy to host XL Alumnus and author Abhijit Bhaduri( currently with Wiro,Bangalore) at the KGA on Friday evening March 19th from 7.30PM onwards

Programme: Fellowship, book reading and  Q & A with Abhijit-featuring excerpts from his latest book, Married but Available. .Abhijit is trying to get books through his publisher at a discount for this event which he will sign for all those buying a copy, but this is subject to confirmation.

Those who attended the last HH, a few years ago, featuring him after his first book, will recall it as a very enjoyable evening.This will be followed by cocktails and dinner.

http://abhijitbhaduri.com/category/best-seller-lists/


Venue: First Floor Party Hall at the main clubhouse, plenty of parking is available.

Dress Code: Casual-shoes and collared T shirts are fine, open neck T-shirts are not allowed

Cover charge,Rs 250 per head including dinner and soft drinks, liquor available at extra charge

Please email me confirmations since we need to make arrangements for the dinner. If anyone has any questions please ask.

Thanks
George

P.S. Important: This is likely to be the last HH before the Summer Alumni Dinner in May, and we welcome any volunteers who can help direct the effort to make this summer's dinner a big success..

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Anurag Malik (IR 98) interviewed in HT - Mr Fix-It

When I opened the paper, I realised it was a familiar face staring back at me, albeit after 8-9 years.

From the Hindustan Times

Meet Mr Fix-it


Anurag Malik finished his MBA in 1998 from XLRI Jamshedpur and joined a consulting firm after working for a few years in the corporate world. “When I was doing my MBA, a consultant’s career was always an aspiration. But I wanted to get a good grounding in the corporate world, and spent a few years working in it. Those years have given me a good perspective of the mindset and concerns of people on the other side. I believe it has helped me connect better with clients, speak their language, understand their concerns better and recommend solutions that can be implemented,” says Malik, partner – people and organisation, performance improvement, Ernst & Young.


Today, many MBAs and   graduates from other fields, including engineering, prefer management consulting jobs. Mohit Kant, an engineering graduate from a private college in Gurgaon, works in one of India’s top consulting firms, but – for gaining experience –  joined a smaller company first. “An MBA degree from a premier college is supposedly a definite passport to a consulting job. However, engineers, if competent enough, can also make the cut,” says Kant, who also runs an online knowledge and networking portal, consultingnetwork.co.in. 

“The recent years have seen a shift in mindset and consultancies are keen on picking up graduates from good colleges. At Ernst & Young, we lay a lot of emphasis on grooming graduates to take on additional responsibilities. Some graduates who perform well can (even) outdo people with higher qualifications,” says Malik.

“Consulting is probably the only job where you can implement the entire learning you accumulate in a B-school. Every project demands a different approach. No wonder then that all top rankers in management colleges give the thumbs up to jobs in consulting,” says Gyanesh Sinha, a final-year student at Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi University, who interned with Arthur D Little, a  consulting firm, last summer. He recently got placed at Accenture Business Consulting. 

One of the major reasons  why MBAs are so keen to take up management consulting is the exposure it offers. “Learning and professional growth aspects are quite extraordinary. Arguably, one year of management consulting is expected to be equal to multiple years in a traditional business environment,” adds Malik.
The wide scope of a consultant’s work profile makes the job enriching as well as intellectually stimulating. The major thrust is on ensuring maximum returns on investments for one’s clients. Many a time, the fee a consulting firm charges depends entirely on the profitability it commits to the client. For example, when a consulting firm commits that the client’s sales will grow by 20 per cent after their suggestions are implemented, the firm would charge an “X” amount.

This would increase if the sales jump is of 30 per cent.
This makes consulting as demanding as a sales job. “You have to deliver results, without which consulting has no meaning. Sometimes, we also have to execute the plan to prove that the said plan will actually work,” says Sumit Sagar, an associate at a big consulting firm in Delhi.

Consulting jobs also help people when they choose to become entrepreneurs. “In a few years’ time, one can learn everything there is to know about running a business and can even start one’s own enterprise. Coming back to a corporate job is also not difficult,” says Prof Ajay Singh, who teaches HR management at IIM Lucknow’s Noida campus.  “In a consulting firm, you end up learning a lot about  how businesses are run. After that, entrepreneurship is a very logical shift for any successful consultant, especially when one discovers that one’s strategies are bearing fruit in companies across different sectors,” says Kant.

What's it about?Management consultants help organisations improve their performance, primarily through the analysis of existing business problems and development of plans.
Organisations hire management consultants to seek external, objective advice and access to the consultants’ specialised expertise. Consultancies also provide organisational change management assistance, development of coaching skills, technology implementations, strategy development, or operations improvement services.

Clock Work
9 am:      Meeting with team to decide plan of action for the day/ week/ project
10 am:    Conduct thorough research on the industry vertical
2 pm:      Study company reports and analyse them
3 pm:      Share the results with mentor to assess the plan of action
4 pm:      Resume study, analysis, try and figure out solutions to solve ‘X’ company’s problem
6 pm:      Leave for home
7 pm:      Read books and journals to know more about the changes in the industry vertical

The PayoffInitially one can earn as much as Rs 5 to Rs 8 lakh per annum and take home Rs 10 lakh to 15 lakh per annum in a few years time. The salary increases rapidly with experience. “If you are a high performer in this business and have the zeal to succeed, the sky is the limit. A high performer, within 10 years, can clearly aspire to take on a leadership position,” says Anurag Malik, Partner - people & organisation, performance improvement, Ernst & Young

Skills
.
    You need to have an analytical mind as you will be required to study and analyse industry trends and identify company-specific problems
.    Stay calm and give hundred per cent to your work as it can be quite strenuous
.    Have various fields of interest as you will be made to work on projects belonging to completely different domains. One project could test your knowledge in
     marketing, while the other might test your skills in operations
.    You’ll require excellent communication skills as you have to be clear in conveying your ideas and thoughts to clients, listen to them and  provide guidance
.     Industry experts need to have excellent learning skills as they have to update your knowledge on a regular basis

How do i get there?
A management degree from a premier institute is a sure shot way of bagging a consulting job. You can otherwise take up engineering and join as an analyst. After an MBA, you generally get placed at a senior position, like an associate or a consultant

Institutes urls
.
    Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) at Ahemdabad, Bangalore Calcutta, Lucknow and Indore
     (www.iimahd.ernet.in) and others
.    Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi
     (www.fms.edu)
.    Management Development Institute, Gurgaon
     (www.mdi.ac.in)
.    IMI, Delhi
     (www.imi.edu)
.    XLRI, Jamshedpur
     (www.xlri.ac.in)
.    IMT, Ghaziabad 
     (www.imt.edu)

Pros & Cons
.   Good money makes it one of the most attractive career options for MBAs
.   Allows exposure to different domains of business, which makes consulting an enriching job
.   Very demanding. It’s highly result-oriented and you have to perform well consistently. You can’t afford to make mistakes

What other qualification (besides an MBA) can help aspiring management consultants?
Most client problems require holistic business understanding and appreciation. Given this nature of consulting, mostly people with diverse backgrounds are valued. It’s common to find MBAs, CAs, psychology graduates, PhDs etc in consulting firms. More than a particular educational background, what is required is a problem-solving attitude, a passion for working in a certain area, working with different sets of issues and other such skill sets.

There are several management graduates who take up consulting because it looks like an attractive career from the outside, but later they find they are not suited for the profession.

Is life as a management consultant quite hectic? The life of a consultant can indeed get hectic at times. Working with multiple clients, tackling different sets of issues each day, dealing with different teams and people on a regular basis, busy travel schedules, stringent deadlines etc, can get to you at times. But then, these are the same things that make up the charm of being a consultant.

What are the growth avenues like in this sector? Where can one reach in 10 years?
Growth in consulting is quite rapid. Much of this is because of the steep learning curve in consulting. In 12 to 15 years, bright candidates go on to become partners in consulting firms.

What about the future of consulting in India?
India is amongst fastest growing economies in the world. There is tremendous amount of work to be done at every stage in ‘India Inc’ to create expertise and skill sets for the next levels. Consultants have a huge role to play in the years to come. India will continue to be amongst the fastest growing economies and that bodes well for them.

Rohit Jain, business leader, north and east India, consulting, Hewitt Associates Interviewed by Vimal Joshi

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

US Visit by Dr. Jittu Singh and Fr. Abraham

Dear Friends :

Dr Jittu Singh and I will be travelling to the US to visit some universities for discussion on collaboration and exchange.. They are Cornell, Case Western, University of Minnesota, Stanford and University of Southern California. We would like to meet as many of you as possible during our visit from April 10 to April 20, 2010.

We have tentatively planned to organize Alumni get-togethers on :

April 10 : New York

April 16 : Minneapolis

April 17 or 18 : San Francisco

April 19 or 20 : Los Angeles


Looking forward to meeting you all,

Fr Abraham
--
E. Abraham S J., Ph.D.
Director
XLRI School of Business & Human Resources
C H Area (East)
PB no. 222
Jamshedpur 831001,INDIA

Monday, February 1, 2010

XL Bangalore Alumni Golf Introduction Workshop

XLRI Bangalore Chapter is conducting a workshop to Introduce you to Golf( Yes, the same game that Tiger Woods plays!). This session is aimed at beginners and wannabe golfers, and will cover all aspects of the game-how to start, where to learn, who will teach you, what it will cost,etc.


Date:   Saturday Feb 27th 12.30-200PM
Venue: Karnataka Golf Assn Clubhouse, First Floor Party Hall, Old Airport Road(opposite Royal Orchid Park Plaza)
Panel : Tarun Sardesai, Senior Teaching Pro,KGA,  and XL Alumni George Ollapally & Ajay Das (MD Timken India)
Format: 30 min Presentation by Tarun Sardesai,  covering all basic aspects of the game, followed by Q & A session with all 3 panelists.
Cover charge: Rs 300 per head, covering lunch + soft drinks.

Permission from the KGA is being sought to allow participants to visit the KGA Driving Range and observe golfers practising. Should this not be possible, then participants will have the option of paying the normal guest charge to use the range.

P.S. If you have any friends whom you may want to bring along with you, the same cover charge is applicable.

Please email confirmations to George Ollapally.

National Social Entrepreneurship Conference - Bihar model to study growth

From The Telegraph


Jamshedpur, Jan. 29: The event was the second national conference on social entrepreneurship. And the model for study was Bihar.
The three-day conference organised by XLRI was inaugurated today and chief guest was principal secretary of rural development department, Bihar, Vijoy Prakash.
The theme for this year is “solutions for inclusive development” which will see experts from social sector coming up with solutions for an improved social growth model in the country.
Prakash said the reason for 11 per cent growth rate achieved by Bihar was implementation of inclusive growth with innovative ideas.
He, however, stressed on a path-breaking idea of “broadstreaming” rather than “mainstreaming” for rural development.
“Inclusive growth means equalisation of opportunity. We often try to get underprivileged people into mainstream society but instead, if we broaden our arena and give opportunity to them according to their skills and interest, it would be better. If we aim at growth, we have to take into account their skill and utilise them,” said Prakash.
The principal secretary also explained how his department identified the differences among communities and tried to make them literate by adopting a different pedagogy.
Teaching clay modelling also helped in bringing about rural development.
He also pointed out initiatives like Mahadalit Dev Mission, state society for rehabilitation of poor (rehabilitation of beggars by using their talent) and identification of BPL families had positive results.
“Since we are talking of inclusive growth and development, we have to accommodate each and every person be it tribal, elite or Dalit,” said Prakash.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

XLRI gears up for National Working Conference on Social Entrepreneurship

From The Daily Pioneer

City-based premier B-school XLRI is gearing up to play host to the second National “Working Conference on Social Entrepreneurship” from January 29. Vijoy Prakash, Prinicipal Secretary, Rural Development, Government of Bihar would deliver the inaugural address of the three-day event.

The theme of the conference is “Solutions for Inclusive Development” and it aims to provide a common space to the practitioners like social entrepreneurs, CBOs/NGOs, Government agencies, academics, funding agencies, support organisations and corporate for interaction and learning from each other.

“We are happy to share that more than 160 development sector professionals from across India, have registered to participate in the conference. This year’s event is designed as a “working conference” which would allow the participants to not just listen and learn, but also to share, discuss and co-create solutions, alternatives as a take-away, by actively and collectively engaging in solving real, live problems, which are of their interest and concern,” said Prof Madhukar Shukla, coordinator of the conference.

He further added that about 25 social entrepreneurs and development sector professionals have been invited to participate in the conference as resource persons for the “Working Groups”.

The professor went on to inform that several resource persons have confirmed their participation,which includes Abhijit Ray, director, Unitus Capital, Anshu Gupta, founder-director, Goonj Ashoka Fellow, Arbind Singh, executive director, Nidan Ashoka Fellow, Arun Diaz, trustee and member of investment board, Aavishkaar India Micro Venture Capital Fund, Ashish Rajpal, co-founder and managing director, Discovery Ashok Kamath, CEO, Akshara Foundation, Ashwin Naik, co-founder and CEO Vaatsalya Healthcare Systems Pvt Ltd.

“Based on our interactions with practitioners in the field, we have also tentatively identified a few broad themes/groups for the working groups in the conference. In each group, we also plan to have Resource Persons, who have made significant contribution to the space, and would help bring greater value to the group, and lead the discussions,” he noted.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Padma Shri for Fr Romuald D'Souza - Director XLRI 82-89

Fr D'Souza used to be director of XLRI during '82-'89.
He was also the founder of XIM, Bhubneshwar and Goa Institute of Management.

Today he was announced as a recepient of Padma Shri for his contribution to Education and Literature.

View the List of Awardees here

The GoI has named Fr. Rumualdo D'Souza for the Padma Shri this year. He was the Director of XLRI in the late 1980s and taught Stress Management among other subjects at the institute. Fr. Rumualdo, a mild mannered Jesuit, was the founding Director of XIM, Bhubaneshwar and Goa Institute of Management. Below is an impressive list of institutes he founded and positions he  has occupied in his career of 50+ years as a Jesuit educationist:


Founded:
  • Xavier Centre of Historical Research Porvorim (Goa)
  • Thomas Stephens Konkanni, Povorim (Goa)
  • Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar
  • Goa Institute of Management, Ribandar (Goa)
  • National Institute of Construction Management, Ponda
  • Marian Institute of Health Care Management, for the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman

Served as
  • President of the Association of Indian Management Schools
  • Member of Executive Council of Association of Management Development Institutes of South Asia
  • Member of National Board of Accreditation and All India Board of Management Studies, Government of India
  • Professional Member of Academy of Management (USA)
  • Member of International Council of Psychologists
  • Member of the American Psychological Association
  • Member of the Board of Directors, IIT, Mumbai
  • Director of Goa Education development Corporation
  • Director of State Technical Education Council, Goa
  • Member of Goa Education Development Corporation Board
  • Member of Knowledge Commission of Goa

News Story from the internet:

Scrap exam system: Padma Shri awardee for education

Panaji, Jan 26: Padma Shri awardee Rumualdo D'Souza has advocated scrapping of the examination system to improve the level of education in India.
Rumualdo, a Jesuit priest and brother of former Goa chief minister Wilfred D'Souza, was speaking to reporters Tuesday.
Rumualdo, who was among the 130 Padma Shri awardees announced Monday, said the education system needed an urgent overhaul.
"The examination system should be scrapped. Teachers should be allowed to assess the performance of students instead. The system of examinations promotes other bad practices like tuitions, coaching classes etc," Rumualdo said.
The priest, who has been awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to the field of education, has also founded the Goa Institute of Management (GIM), which is one of the top management institutes in western India.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Nirupama Subramanian (94 BMD) publishes "Keep the Change"

Freelance corporate trainer and consultant by day and struggling-to-stay-awake writer by night, Nirupama Subramanian has a postgraduate degree in management from XLRI, Jamshedpur, and used to be a banker. Her writing has appeared in various magazines and she has received several awards for her short stories, articles and essays. She currently lives in Gurgaon, Haryana, with a precocious eight-year-old daughter and a peripatetic husband.

From The Harper Collins website
  Keep the Change

ISBN:
9788172239428
Cover Price:
Rs. 199.00
Format:
Paperback
Extent:
224  pages
On Sale:
January 2010

BOOK SUMMARY
The uncoolness of her name plagues B. Damayanthi, along with the bunch of unsuitable prospective husbands her Amma throws at her, a dead-end job as an accountant in a decrepit firm, the oppressiveness of Chennai. When she finally jettisons her job and some of her inhibitions to join a bank in Mumbai, Amma's parting words are: "Be good. Don't do anything silly." Translation: "Stay away from sex and alcohol!" Soon Damayanthi is negotiating competitive corporate corridors and big-city life. Aided by dubious words of wisdom from the cherub-faced Jimmy, she must impress the intellectual C.G., who has a low opinion of her; battle Sonya Sood, flatmate and size-zero  sophisticate, for the TV remote; choose between resisting or giving in  to temptation in the form of the seductive Rahul; deal with the moral dilemma of "stealing" a million-dollar idea for her project. Can a good  girl have a really good time? Can the conservative, curd-rice-eating Damayanthi become a cool, corporate babe? Keep the Change is a rollicking, wickedly witty story of every girl's journey to fulfil her dreams and find her own place in the world.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

XLRI, Jamshedpur to Host 31st Annual Marketing Fair

From Cool Avenues

XLRI, Jamshedpur to Host 31st Annual Marketing Fair
The Marketing Association of XLRI, popularly known as MAXI, is set to organize its Annual MAXI Fair on the 17th of January, 2010. Started in 1979, the MAXI Fair is a unique and innovative approach to conduct Market Research in a fun format.

The idea was conceptualized 31 years ago, much ahead of its time, by Sharad Sarin, Professor of Marketing at XLRI and a visionary. Year after year since then, major Indian corporate houses bring their market research problems to the students of XLRI, who design elaborate games around them. These games are hosted in the XLRI grounds, and are open to public who visit the fair and have a good time apart from winning prizes. The students, on the other hand, get useful data about public preferences, which they then analyze to solve the problems faced by the companies. This makes the task of conducting the otherwise boring and mundane research easier and interesting.

This year, Hindustan Unilever(HUL) and Tata Main Hospital (TMH) are taking part in the MAXI Fair. While HUL wants to understand consumer behavior and preferences in its Face Care category, TMH wants to determine the factors which drive or inhibit the people from visiting their hospital.

HUL and other companies from the Tata Group, among many others, have been taking part in the Fair in previous years also, which provides a testimony to the quality of the research conducted at the Fair. In fact, the idea has been so popular and effective that it has been replicated and implemented by business schools all over India.

The magnitude of the Fair can be estimated by the fact that the number of people gathering in the XLRI grounds runs into thousands, in a span of just one day. The footfalls last year were over 2000, which are expected to increase by 50 percent this year, to over 3000 people.

The popular game stalls last year were ‘Bhutiya Haveli’, helping Tata Steelium determine consumer preferences in furniture, and the ‘Wonderland’ which took the visitors on a joy ride to the land of Alice and Genies, facilitating Spencer’s to judge its brand image relative to other retail stores. This year as well, the preparations for the Fair are up in full swing in the XLRI campus, with everything being done and managed by the students. Let us see what experiences Maxi Fair has in store for the public this year.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

97 batch XLer's - Rajiv Rajendra - play in Sydney

Folks
 
belated Happy New Year
 
a play directed by Rajiv "Jeeves" Rajendra (97BMD) - citi-banker turned entrepreneur and also in theatre:) is scheduled in Sydney during Feb 3 and Feb 7... details below
 
ciao
madhukar
 
 
The Fruits of War @ Sydney

Written by Earl T Roske
Directed by Rajiv Rajendra
Start Time: Wednesday, February 3 at 8:15pm
End Time: Sunday, February 7 at 8:15pm
Where: Newtown Theatre, NSW, Australia
THE FRUITS OF WAR

For tickets please visit www.shortandsweet.org or call +61 2 8507 3034.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

2nd National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship @ XLRI - Registration Details

Hello Folks!

I am happy to invite your participation in the 2nd National "Working" Conference on Social Entrepreneurship, which we are organising at XLRI Jamshedpur (Jan 29-31).

The registration details of the conference are enclosed and also pasted below - and I am also enclosing the Nomination Form.

If you know of someone who may be interested in attending this conference, please forward these too - thanks!

Wishing you all a wonderful and meaningful 2010

ciao
madhukar
ps: er.... a bit of "ambush marketing" ;0) - if you have not much to do, pl also have a look at my article in WSJ which got published yeterday :)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126258063197814415.html


<http://2nd-se-conference-at-xlri.blogspot.com/>

Why a "Working Conference"? - Purpose & Theme

Welcome to a conference with a difference!

Breaking away from the format of outlined agenda, specified topics, and fixed speakers, the <http://2nd-se-conference-at-xlri.blogspot.com/> 2nd National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship is designed to collaboratively explore, discuss, learn from each other, and co-create.


Designed as interest-based 'facilitated' Working Groups, the conference aims to:
facilitate learning by actively involving the participants in collaboratively solving real, live problems, which are of their interest and concern.

. leverage the rich experience and competence available in the participants' community to address real challenges, issues and opportunities facing the sector, and help learning from each other.

. result in relevant "take-home" learning (solutions and alternatives) for the participants, which can be implemented.

The Themes & Design

The Conference is designed around seven broad themes for the Working Groups; each group would be anchored by Social Entrepreneurs/ Resource Persons, who have contributed significantly to that particulars space, and will add value to the discussions and outcomes:

. Market Linkages: Mainstreaming the Marginalised Producers
. Employment & Livelihood: Organising the Unorganised
. Universal Primary Education: Investing in the Future
. Financial Inclusion: Creating an Equitable India
. Healthcare & Hygiene for All: Making a Healthier Society
. Access to Technology & Societal Resources: Empowering the Masses
. Grass Root Innovations: Supporting Social Entrepreneurship

Dates: January 29 - 31, 2010

Venue: XLRI, Jamshedpur

For Whom:
Development sector professionals, i.e.,
. Social entrepreneurs,
. NGOs,
. Government officials operating in development space,
. CSR executives,
. Academicians, and
. Interested students

3. Participation Fee


** due to "interactive working groups" methodology, the conference will accept limited number of participants on a first-come basis

The Cheque/DD should be drawn in favour of XLRI Jamshedpur


Download Nomination Form

Nominations should be sent to:
Prof Madhukar Shukla
Conference Coordinator
The 2nd National Entrepreneurship on Social Entrepreneurship
XLRI
CH Area (East), Jamshedpur 831 001
Ph: 0657 - 398 3333 Fax: 0657 - 398 3200
Email: seconference@xlri.ac.in> seconference@xlri.ac.in
Conference Blog : http://2nd-SE-Conference-at-XLRI.blogspot.com/

Confirmed Resource Persons:

Mr Arbind Singh
Executive Director
<http://www.nidan.in/> Nidan & Ashoka Fellow

Mr Arun Diaz
Trustee & Member of Investment Board
<http://www.aavishkaar.in/> Aavishkaar India Micro Venture Capital Fund

Mr Ashish Rajpal
Co-Founder & Managing Director
http://www.idiscoverii.org/> iDiscoveri

Mr Ashok Kamath
CEO
<http://www.aksharafoundation.org/> Akshara Foundation

Dr Ashwin Naik
Co-Founder & CEO
<http://www.vaatsalya.com/> Vaatsalya Healthcare Systems Pvt Ltd

Dr Balaji Utla
CEO
<http://www.hmri.in/> Health Management & Research Institute

Mr Devendra Shukla
Director
<http://www.jaipurrugs.org/> Jaipur Rugs Foundation

Mr GN Murthy
General Manager - New Initiatives
<http://www.echoupal.com/> ITC - Agri Business Div

Dr Joe Madiath
Founder & Executive Director,
<http://www.gramvikas.org/> Gram Vikas & Skoll Social Entrepreneur

Mr Kirti Prasanna Mishra
Partner
<http://www.martrural.com/> MART

Mr Niraj Subrat
Vice President -Marketing
<http://www.ide-india.org/> International Development Enterprises - India

Mr Paul Basil
Founder & CEO
<http://www.villgro.org/> Villgro & Ashoka Fellow

Mr Pravin Mahajan
Founder & Executive Director
<http://www.janarth.org/> Janarth

Mr Rohit Magotra
Chief Operating Officer
<http://www.ekgaon.com/> Ekgaon Technologies

Mr Samit Ghosh
CEO
<http://www.ujjivan.com/> Ujjivan

Mr Sandeep Farias
Founder & Managing Director
<http://www.elevarwquity.com/> Elevar Equity

Ms Saloni Malhotra
Founder & CEO
<http://www.desicrew.in/> DesiCrew Solutions Pvt Ltd

Ms Sohini Bhattacharya
Director, South Asia Partnerships
<http://india.ashoka.org/> Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

Mr Soumen Biswas
Executive Director
<http://www.pradan.net/> PRADAN

Monday, January 4, 2010

Prof Shukla in the Wall Street Journal

An Invisible Revolution in Rural India


online.wsj.com
Self help groups are quietly changing the dynamics of rural India says Madhukar Shukla, professor at the XLRI School of Business & Human Resources.

Read the entire article on The Wall Street Journal

XAT 2010 attains glory as the toughest MBA entrance exam; Offers total of 101 questions in three sections

From MBA Universe

The first MBA entrance exam of the year, XAT 2010, held on Sunday, 3 January 2010, was by far the toughest MBA entrance exam.

“XAT2010 was easily the toughest paper of the management exam season so far this year. This was a very difficult paper with all the ingredients of a Bollywood potboiler; lengthy questions, difficult questions, tricky questions and yes, easy questions too. Students would have come out of the exam hall not knowing how well they fared,” said an official from leading prep institute T.I.M.E.

XAT 2010 maintained the difficulty level of XAT 2009. The number of questions was 101 and each question had 1 mark. The negative marking scheme is progressive. There was 0.20 negative marking for the first five incorrect answers in each section and 0.25 marks for each incorrect answer thereafter.

Like last year, the number of sections was three. They were Data Interpretation & Quantitative Ability, Analytical Reasoning & Decision Making and Verbal & Logical Ability. Each questions had five choices. The essay topic to be written within 20 minutes was ‘Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s need but not every man’s greed’.

“The key to approaching this paper was to keep cool and follow the tested ‘TIME-allocation’ strategy. Those who left the difficult questions and did not target a ‘pre-fixed’ number of questions would have been able to find the easy questions and have a good, balanced performance in all three sections – which is the key to get the coveted call from XLRI,” mentioned T.I.M.E. in its analysis.

Now let us focus on the sections of XAT 2010.

Data Interpretation & Quantitative Ability
This section had 40 questions. According to T.I.M.E., this was the most difficult section in the entire paper. “The DI sets were almost ‘undoable’ and should not have been attempted,” mentioned T.I.M.E. The Quantitative Ability questions were from a variety of areas. Though most of them were difficult and tricky, some of them were simple. “Locating such easy questions and solving them would be the key to scoring well in this section,” said T.I.M.E.

Verbal & Logical Ability
This section had 31 questions. According to IMS Learning, this section was much tougher than what it was in XAT 2009. “While the focus was once again on inferential logic and critical reasoning, a lot of questions contained long paragraphs, which were difficult to interpret in themselves, apart from the fact that the options were very close,” mentioned IMS Learning. This section consisted of four Reading Comprehension passages which were pretty tough to interpret. “Additionally, there were two Jumbled Paragraph questions, and an FIJ one, both of which were taxing to attempt,” added IMS Learning.

Analytical Reasoning & Decision Making
This section had 30 questions. In the Analytical Reasoning section, there were questions on Data Arrangement and Business Judgement. According to PT Education, the Data Arrangement area had 19 questions with five sets. They were of Moderate to Tough difficulty level. The area of Business Judgement had 11 questions and four sets. This topic was of Moderate difficulty level. “The Decision Making sets though ‘easy’ to read always had two close options which made the process of selecting the right answer a very tedious and time consuming one,” T.I.M.E. stated.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

XAT 2010 exam held today

From Samay Live

XAT 2010 exam to select management students for top 60 associated institution was held today in 33 cities across the country.

The XLRI aspirant students will have to crack the XAT 2010 exams.

XAT 2010 Analysis:

XLRI, Jamshedpur is one of the leading management institutes in the country. XLRI, Jamshedpur is believed to be centre of excellence in management studies.

XLRI Jamshedpur is considered as one of the best schools of business and Human Resource.

XLRI is one of the best and admired management institutes in Asia. The students receive good offer from national and overseas companies after completion of course from XLRI.

XLRI can be a good option for the students, who want to make career in management field with quality of education and facilities.

Friday, January 1, 2010

First Conference of Indian Academy of Management

From http://www.telegraphindia.com/1091229/jsp/jharkhand/story_11919152.jsp">The Telegraph

CEOs harp on religion

Jamshedpur, Dec. 28: The inaugural session of the first conference of Indian Academy of Management at Tata Auditorium today saw corporate honchos sharing their knowledge of religion, mythology and Bhagvad Gita which they have used for better management.

XLRI hosted the first conference of Indian Academy of Management — an autonomous body founded along the lines of the US-based Academy of Management with the idea of promoting research work and studies in management and also to serve as a platform for all B-schools to share ideas.

The theme of the three-day conference that began was Indian Management: Past, Present and Future.

The conference saw the likes of vice-chairman of Tata Steel B. Muthuraman, O.P. Bhatt, the chairman of State Bank of India and Venugopal Dhoot, the chairman of Videocon, as speakers. All of them explained the theme by citing examples from Bhagvad Gita, Kautilya Arthashashtra and Rig Veda.

“Good management can be learnt not just in B-school but in everyday life, ancient traditions, religion, art, culture and sports. What we teach in business schools today have been found in the country’s culture that dates back to 5,000 years,” said Muthuraman.

He pointed out that one could find examples of leadership, motivation and performance in Gita and examples of decision making in Rig Veda.

“These religious books also speaks about vasudeva kutumbakam, which means universe is one family and that is globalisation that we talk about now,” said a speaker.

Dhoot quoted Bhagvad Gita and explained how management saw a heavy presence of Indian culture.

At this conference, about 150 research papers and 34 concurrent sessions on various management topics will be presented.

“The motto is to provide researchers and doctoral students a platform to present their papers. This platform is for sharing and encouraging ideas,” said E.S. Srinivas, the conference chairperson.

2nd National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship @ XLRI (Jan 29-31, '10)



Hello folks!

Season’s Greetings from XLRI!

I am happy to inform you that we are the 2nd National "Working Conference" on Social Entrepreneurship @ XLRI during Jan 29th-31st, '10. This mail is both to inform (in case, some of you would like to attend), and with a request to pass it on to those who you think may be interested.

The theme of the Conference is "Solutions for Inclusive Development" and it aims to provide a common space to the practitioners (social entrepreneurs, CBOs/NGOs, Government Agencies, Academics, Funding Agencies, Support Organisations and Corporate) for interaction and learning from each other. We were greatly encouraged by the participation in the last Conference, (http://social-entrepreneurship-at-xlri.blogspot.com) which was attended by about 160 practitioners from the development sector as participants.

This year's event is designed as a "working conference" which would allow the participants to not just listen and learn, but also to share, discuss and co-create solutions/alternatives as a take-away, by actively and collectively engaging in solving real, live problems, which are of their interest and concern.

Based on our interactions with practitioners in the field, we have tentatively identified a few broad themes/groups for the working groups in the Conference. In each group, we also plan to have Resource Persons, who have made significant contribution to the space, and would help bring greater value to the group, and lead the discussions.

· Market Linkages: Mainstreaming the Marginalised Producers

· Employment & Livelihood: Organising the Unorganised

· Universal Primary Education: Investing in the Future

· Financial Inclusion: Creating an Equitable India

· Healthcare & Hygiene for All: Making a Healthier Society

· Access to Technology & Societal Resources: Empowering the Masses

· Grass Root Innovations: Supporting Rural Entrepreneurship

In addition, the conference will be interspersed with panel discussions on relevant themes (I am pasting below the tentative schedule of the Conference for your reference).

We are working on the registration details for the conference (that being the function of sponsorship – if we can get those :0), and will share the same soon.

We expect about 25 Social Entrepreneurs and Development Sector Professionals to participate in the Conference as Resource Persons. I am also happy to share, that as of now, the following have confirmed their participation as Resource Persons

- Mr Arbind Singh (Executive Director, Nidan)

Ashoka Fellow & Social Entrepreneur of the Year '08

http://www.nidan.in/

- Mr Arun Diaz (Trustee & Member of Investment Board, Aavishkaar India Micro Venture Capital Fund)

http://www.aavishkaar.in/

- Mr Ashish Rajpal (Co-Founder & Managing Director, iDiscoveri)

http://www.idiscoveri.org/

- Dr Ashwin Naik (Co-Founder & CEO, Vaatsalya Healthcare Systems Pvt Ltd)

http://www.vaatsalya.com/

- Dr Balaji Utla, (CEO, Health Management & Research Institute)

http://www.hmri.in/

- Mr Chandra Shekhar Ghosh (Chairman & Managing Director, Bandhan Microfinance)

Senior Ashoka Fellow & winner of Microfinance Award '09,

http://www.bandhanmf.com/

- Mr Devendra Shukla (Director, Jaipur Rugs Foundation)

http://www.jaipurrugs.org/

- Mr GN Murthy (General Manager – New Initiatives, ITC- Business Div)

http://www.echoupal.com/

- Dr Joe Madiath (Founder & Executive Director, Gram Vikas)

Senior Ashoka Fellow & Skoll Social Entrepreneur

http://www.gramvikas.org/

- Mr Niraj Subrat (Vice President, Marketing, International Development Enterprises-India)

http://www.ide-india.org/

- Mr Paul Basil (Founder & CEO, Villgro)

Ashoka Fellow

http://www.villgro.org/

- Mr Pravin Mahajan (Executive Director, Janarth)

Ashoka Fellow

http://www.janarth.org/

- Mr Samit Ghosh (Founder & CEO, Ujjivan Financial Services Pvt Ltd)

http://www.ujjivan.com/

- Mr Sandeep Farias (Founder & Managing Director, Elevar Equity)

http://www.elevarequity.com/

- Ms Saloni Malhotra (Founder and CEO, DesiCrew Solutions Pvt Ltd)

http://www.desicrew.in/

- Ms Sohini Bhattacharya (Director, South Asia Partnerships, Ashoka Innovators for the Public)

http://india.ashoka.org/

- Mr Soumen Biswas (Executive Director, PRADAN)

http://www.pradan.net

- Mr Upmanyu Patil (Managing Director, Sakhi Retail Pvt Ltd)

http://www.sspindia.org/resources/SRPL_profile_09.pdf

========================

Tentative Agenda of the Conference

January 29th

2:00-3:30 Inauguration, Design of the Conference, Inaugural Address

4:00-5:30 Panel: Social Entrepreneurship & Inclusive Socio-Economic Development

January 30th

9:00-10:30 Panel: Inclusive Growth: Challenges, Opportunities and Impediments

11:00-6:00 Working Group Discussions - Themes:

· Market Linkages: Mainstreaming the Marginalised Producers

· Employment & Livelihood: Organising the Unorganised

· Universal Primary Education: Investing in the Future

· Financial Inclusion: Creating an Equitable India

· Healthcare & Hygiene for All: Making a Healthier Society

· Access to Technology & Societal Resources: Empowering the Masses

· Grass Root Innovations: Supporting Rural Entrepreneurship

January 31st

9:00-12:30 Sharing/ Presentations by Groups

2:00-3:30 Panel: Scaling the Impact

3:30-4:00 Conclusion

================================

Dr Madhukar Shukla

Coordinator - 2nd National Conference on Social Entrepreneurship (Jan 29 -31, '10) &

Professor (OB & Strategic Mgt)

XLRI Jamshedpur

CH Area (East)

Jamshedpur 831001 (India)

ph: 91-657-398 3333

mailid: madhukar@xlri.ac.in / seconference@xlri.ac.in/