Two Articles by Xlers

Richard D'Souza's (70BM) article:

SEZs and Possible Return of Ration Card
http://www.youthejournalist.com/article.php?aid=1901&sid=9

Prof Akshay Rao's (80BM) article on the Virginia Tech massacre:

A beautiful campus, grotesquely violated

http://www.startribune.com/562/story/1127195.html

Prof Akshay Rao's (80BMD) article on Virginia Tech

http://www.startribune.com/562/story/1127195.html

RAO041807

Last update: April 17, 2007 – 6:17 PM

Akshay R. Rao: A beautiful campus, grotesquely violated

Twenty-four years ago this fall, a year before Cho Seung-Hui was born, I joined Virginia Tech as a graduate student. The bucolic campus and its surrounding community was my first home in the United States and came to represent so much that I admire about this country.

Akshay R. Rao

Twenty-four years ago this fall, a year before Cho Seung-Hui was born, I joined Virginia Tech as a graduate student. The bucolic campus and its surrounding community was my first home in the United States and came to represent so much that I admire about this country.

The ramrod-stiff ROTC students as they marched around the drill field. The beautiful women who played with peculiar flat objects that I later learned to call Frisbees. My first set of eager students, who were simultaneously curious about my background (Was India a democracy?), my accent (Why did I say "chap" rather than "guy"?) and my credibility (Could I write them a letter of recommendation?).

That image of the most beautiful campus in the country, bar none, has been grotesquely violated by the obscenity of April 16. As I watched the horror unfold, I could not but think: Were it not for the culture of guns that pervades our society, would this have happened in such a macabre and horrific fashion?

I realize that the issue of guns (like many other issues) has become an incendiary political topic that distinguishes the right from the left, though I suspect that Republicans and Democrats alike were victims at Virginia Tech, have been victims of gun violence in the past and will be in the future. Most arguments against any sort of gun control start with the Second Amendment to the Constitution. So I looked it up, and here is what it says:

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Surely we can all agree that the first four words of the Second Amendment are an integral part of the "right to bear arms" conversation. Currently, there is no well-regulated militia. It is the right to bear arms that is the sum and the substance of the conversation. Any suggestion of "regulation" is perceived as a threat to the right to bear arms.

Perhaps we should also discuss whether the private ownership of guns will indeed protect society if the government decides to unleash its military might against the citizenry. And finally, we could discuss whether we want a society where everybody is armed, to protect the innocent individual, which will surely continue to result in horrors such as Columbine and Virginia Tech, or whether we want a society in which nobody is armed so that indiscriminate carnage never occurs again. I can't envision a middle ground that does not require considerable regulation, or is worth the lives that are cut short in such a monstrous manner.

Akshay R. Rao is General Mills professor of marketing at the Carlson School of Management. He received his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 1986.

©2007 Star Tribune. All rights reserved.

XL Academic Tie-ups abroad - status and request

During last couple of years, XL has forged academic cum student exchanges with many universities abroad. Currently our tie-ups for academic and students exchange are with the following institutes:

- Asian Institute of Management at Manila (Philippines)
- Asian Institute of Technology at Bangkok (Thailand)
- EM Lyon Business School (France)
- Malardeen University (Sweden)
- Eichstätt University (Germany)
- Royal Melbourne Instt of Technology (Australia)
- Loyola Business School at Chicago (USA) &
- Victoria University at Melbourne (Australia).

Some others are in the pipeline, which may hopefully bear results in the coming months.

The reason for sharing this:
We are looking for similar tie-ups to increase the exposure for both our faculty and students. The tie-ups can be in the form of student exchange, hosting study tours, joint research/ programs, sharing courses, etc.

If you have any leads, I will be grateful if you can write to me.
and I will connect you with the concerned junta who are driving this initiative over here

Thanks
Madhukar

Foreign soil for biz students

Foreign soil for biz students

OUR CORRESPONDENT

Jamshedpur, April 12: Students from the premier B-school have done it again. After a successful run of placements recently, a record number of 21 students from XLRI would now walk into B-schools across the globe. The students selected to represent XLRI as part of the foreign exchange programme would be joining the foreign universities in September once they return from their ongoing summer internship programme. “The response we received from the international management schools has been overwhelming as 21 of our students have made it to the final slots,” said P. Venugopal, dean, academics at XLRI. Once there, the students would enroll in a management-training programme in subjects of their choice for three months during which they would do a detailed study of the local industries and corporate sectors there. Some of the univer- sities include the Royal Melbourne Institute of Tech- nology (RMIT), Australia, Asian Institute of Man- agement (AIM), Maila and Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Bangkok. “We went in for an aggressive policy from the beginning so that maximum students could be placed,” said Venugopal. A part of the fifth seme-ster, this exchange programme is open to second year students in both business management and personal management and international relations. Students are selected on the basis of academic performances, involvement in co-curricular activities and also how they can promote the ethics of XLRI and help in building cross cultural tie-ups between the two countries. The marks obtained by the students there are later credited to their score at XLRI.

From The Telegraph

XLRI confers PGC on 123 students

XLRI confers PGC on 123 students

STATE BUREAU

Posted online: Monday, April 09, 2007 at 0123 hours IST

JAMSHEDPUR, APR 8: Premier B-school XLRI, which had launched satellite-based management education for practising managers in 2002, conferred postgraduate certificates (PGC) in business management and human resource management on 123 such students here on Saturday.

According to Father N Casamir Raj, director, XLRI, though the classroom method of learning would continue, satellite-based education, which offers real-time virtual classroom experience, is helpful to those who cannot afford to leave their jobs to join a full-time course.

Around 675 students joined XLRI's postgraduate certificate programmes in 2006 and the figure is expected to double this year.

The popularity of the courses has made XLRI include West Asian centres like Dubai, Mascot and Bahrain in its satellite programme.

From The Financial Express

March 29 meet at london

Hi folks!!

jThanks a ton, Reena for hosting the evening - and to all who could make it (in spite of the change in date). It was great fun to meet people after so many years... and thankfully, finding that they are still the same :)

Great pix, Arun!... like a true photographer you captured the moments from behind the scene.... folks! if you are interested in photography - and if I may coin the term "relevant phhotography" - please do visit:

www.arunnangla.com

he has a phenomenal portfolio...

(actually - thoda sa, in management jargon, "ambush marketing" - if you are interested in photography, you can also visit: http://bestofmadhukar.blogspot.com/ :0)

It was a wonderful evening for me - hopefully also for those who came, too - and I returned back pretty energised even though I reached Oxford at 2am and 1C.

I have pasted the pix that I took from my camera below... please do have a look

Reena/ junta, I am enclosing the last update of XLers in UK/Europe I have (04)... thanks also, Reena, for agreeing to become the co-moderator of xlEurope (this groups was created by Jayanth of 00batch who is now in NUS Singapore, and yous truely who still holds the fort on the first floor above the Library Building at XL :0)... we need some local junta across the batches to manage the group and bring in people... any other help is most welcome

hope we continue to have similar meets

PLEASE BOOK YOUR DATES:

Annual Alumni Homecoming '07

Nov 17-18, 2007 (3rd weekend of Nov... that's fixed for years to come)

Venue: XLRI Jamshedpur

Any all alumni are welcome... the formal (or otherwise;0) announcement will reach you in due course... but do book your travel

Likely agenda would be like this:

http://xlhomecoming05.blogspot.com/

ciao

madhukar

From: Reena Dayal [mailto:Reena.Dayal@aviva.com]

heelllloooo everybody...few important messages.

Madhukar/ Sir - lovely to see you this side of town and hear the updates from XL. thank you! (hope some of the discussions of the eve work out...)

Thank you all who made it...it was great catching up. (the amount of booze left will fuel another meet i am sure!)

Please find attached pics to view, share, etc.(Enjoy...!)

Sorry to those who could not make it...we missed you.

...and yes lets plan another one...

Some of you suggested we plan a get together every quarter and those who can make it will make it...we'll try that out and see if it works...

Next one in end June/ early July (we can use the left over stocks of daru for sure!)

any thoughts anybody...any volunteers for hosting...?


thanks all..lets continue to be in touch.

cheers! reena

Big plans for B-school faculty - All at 25: Conducting satellite classes to introducing a course at XLRI

Big plans for B-school faculty - All at 25: Conducting satellite classes to introducing a course at XLRI

NILANJANA GHOSH CHOUDHURY

Sheetal Bharat. Picture by Bhola Prasad Jamshedpur, April 4: Anybody who sees her working on her laptop on the XLRI campus would mistake her to be a student, but 25-year-old Sheetal Bharat is fast getting used to delivering lectures rather than attending them. Sheetal, who completed her graduation from Sri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), Delhi, and did an MA in development economics from the University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK, is today the youngest faculty member at XLRI. “The rest of the faculty is much senior with PhDs. I am the youngest of the lot, yet to get a doctorate and, hence, a lecturer, not a professor,” says Sheetal, looking comfortable in her sprawling cabin at the faculty wing of the B-school. Anybody would be curious to know how Sheetal managed to get a plum offer so early in her career. “It was last year that I started assisting Veena Paliwar, a senior economics professor here. Not only did I help preparing teaching modules but also attended her classes along with the other students. It was when she left that I was asked to replace her,” says Sheetal. An alumni of Sacred Heart Convent and Loyola School, Sheetal considers her classes with Paliwar a learning experience. “During those days I had to teach a few students the basics of maths and economics. Gradually the word spread around when they did relatively well in their exams and one fine day I was asked to join as faculty,” recalls Sheetal. Within her short span at the B-school Sheetal has conducted classes via satellite for two batches of XLRI students spread across the 56 centres in India. She also visited Dubai in November last year to conduct a two-month management course for working executives. While taking satellite classes for the first time, Sheetal sure was a bit shaky, but found her ground soon. “The initial days of satellite classes were a little awkward because I had to speak to the camera. But gradually I got used to it,” says Sheetal. What adds yet another feather to Sheetal’s cap is an elective course on development economics she has designed and introduced in the B-school. “The entire structure and syllabus of this course has been made by me. I am already through with my first batch and would start my next session in June,” says Sheetal confidently. Though at a young age, all the glories have not come easy. Daughter of leading city medicos R. Bharat and Vijaya Bharat, Sheetal has worked with many international agencies before returning to Jamshedpur last year. “I have worked with the Centre for Communication, Investment and Regulation (CCIER), Consumer Literary and Trust Society, International (CUTS) at Jaipur and Equitable Tourism Options (Equations) in Bangalore. Sheetal has also organised an international seminar on the behalf of CUTS in Hanoi, Vietnam. “At present, I am also working on a research project with Jusco on water provision and pricing in Jamshedpur and have concluded another survey on 13 polytechnic colleges in Jharkhand for a state government project,” said Sheetal. But is she a strict teacher? No, she smiles. “I am a friend to my students, most of whom are much senior to me. But when in class I try to maintain discipline,” she says. With so many experiences in her kitty, Sheetal will soon head to the US to pursue her PhD in California. “I have one more batch to finish before I leave for the States,” she signs off.

From The Telegraph