Investing with Mr. Sachin Pandey

‘If you have knowledge, let others light their candles in it’ and inspired by this , Mr. SACHIN JAIN - HEAD INVESTMENT ADVISORY - NORTH at Standard Chartered Bank visited the college on September23, 2012 for the Anubhuti session organized by the Corporate Interaction Division. Being a FORE alumni, he could connect with students even more and was personally interested in helping the students.

His opening statement on Indian Economy as an exciting economy gathered the attention of all students. The interactive flow of session with discussions on euro financial crisis , importance of GDP, real and nominal GDP and trends in GDP in the country kept the students involved .The insights about Budget and its decisions and Fiscal Deficit and its impact on our daily lives was very well put up with help of volunteers.

The session became even more informative when he shared his knowledge on current status of the country which indirectly inspired students to stay updated. His main message to the students was their reason for persuing MBA course isn’t fulfilled if they are not passionate about it and quoting this fact he said work pressure increases with growth so students should consider their present lifestyle as a preparation for corporate life. He concluded with sharing importance of alumni giving examples globally like Mark Zuckerberg. Overall session was truly informative and motivating for everybody.

CED Workshop with Dr. Anita Lal

“There’s always a scope to learn, to grow, to improve, … provided one be willing to explore it.”

The workshop conducted by the Centre for Entrepreneurship Development for the first year students on August 29, 2012 was perhaps one of the best testaments to the aforementioned point. With our very own Dr. Anita Lal as the Chief Speaker, the students looked up to the event with high expectations and it feels great to know that ma’am delivered above and beyond.  From the very beginning, the style she adopted was so engaging that every student sat enraptured. She started with a question, and ended with a thought, and without a doubt students left with the feeling of “what if”.

In the very beginning she called for student participation by asking for their input as to what CED as a team could do to help them be better entrepreneurs, and when answers like ‘roll over placements’ and ‘incubation cells’ came up, her enthusiastic response was perhaps the only boost the students needed. From there on, it was more of a stimulated discussion than a lecture on entrepreneurship and almost everyone got a chance to express their thoughts and ideas.  She started the session with a very basic introduction of how entrepreneurship as a term really came about, and enlightened one and all by talking about how it was Richard Cantelin, a French Economist who coined the word in the eighteenth century (1756). She was like a storehouse of fascinating information and from informing the audience of how the definition for entrepreneurship travelled from Mercantilists, to Physiocratic and moved on till it reached the Structural definition, to describing the Schumpeter’s Entrepreneurship Model, her knowledge stumped all. A very simple and yet immensely important point that she stressed upon was how any idea has to be accepted by the society for it to turn into a successful entrepreneurial venture. It was here that she gave example of how the steam engine was modified to serve the society better.

She not only educated but also served as an excellent motivator. The student were given a reality check when she gave examples upon examples of how individuals like Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Shahnaz Hussain, Kiran Mazumdar Shah, etc. worked in a much more tough environment than the one we live in today and still managed to be exceptional entrepreneurs. She made the audience realize of how funding, age, literacy or even work experience could not be a barrier if an individual truly wanted to succeed.

In addition to this one of the highlights of the session was firstly how she made the audience go through an assessment exercise and from there on the audience was divided into groups who came up with business ventures for Sachin Tendulkar. The audience was so delighted by the activity that an overwhelming response was seen, and a group came up with as many as 23 new ventures that Mr. Tendulkar could enter into. And yet there were more options and more answers and from a saloon shop to a cricket commentator the students left no alternative. She thus talked about how every individual entrepreneur is different from another and while there are nearly 47 business traits, it is in fact possible to cultivate one and all provided you give yourself a chance to do so.

She thus ended the session on a high note, reminding the audience to always have their actions reflect their choices be they professional or personal. Thus, the audience left the auditorium with provoking thoughts, and as they had resounded together in the hall, a desire that someday they might just be the next entrepreneur like Suhas Gopinathe (the youngest entrepreneur that the audience discussed about through a case study). It was an invigorating session and each and every student felt lucky to have been able to take in so much from so short a time. The CED put up a commendable show and every student now look forwards to more such sessions.

Anubhuti Session with Mr. Rakesh Kumar

True genius of a person is not in the reflection of his knowledge but in how can one enable others to relate to that knowledge.  This fact was further proved by Mr. Rakesh Kumar who visited the college on August 14, 2012 for the Anubhuti session organized by the Corporate Interaction Division. Holding the position of Chairman, Global Qualitative Board & Head of Africa - Middle East - Asia Pacific, Firefly Millward Brown, it was his humility and simplicity that immediately struck a chord with the students.

He very expertly talked about two of the major forces to affect the business world today, that are ‘the rules for brand engagement in the social media space’ and ‘the mirror has two faces – dissecting human personalities in the social media space.’ While the former stressed on how today the world of marketing needed to focus on social media and utilize it for promoting products, the latter talked about the difference in the online and offline personality of individuals. Right from the start it was an interactive and engaging session filled with simple truths and facts that in equal amounts impressed and enlightened the students.

First and foremost the topic was such that the students immediately warmed to it. However, it was Mr. Kumar’s proficient handling of the simple and at times basic queries of the students that truly made the session informative. In addition to this he kindly shared a lot of information based on researched carried by his company, as well as talked about the future that the field of marketing will have to move into. He cited relevant examples, like higher propensity among single children (especially in China etc.) to develop a close relationship to their virtual life. He also mentioned the Egyptian Revolution to stress upon the power of social media. Thus his examples, the straightforward approach and the stimulating presentation kept the session invigorating and inspiring. It was a truly knowledgeable experience for one and all.

SUPER 8 CRICKET TOURNAMENT

 

The SUPER 8 Cricket Tournament organized by the FORE Sports & Cultural Division came to an enthralling finish with the Strikers beating the Packers in a nail-biting last over finish. The Tournament held  from July 23^rd 2012 to August 4^th 2012 in Sanjay Van saw participation of 12 teams that comprised of students from 2011 and 2012 batches. The Tournament had 8 overs a side game and the officials were the members of Team FSD. The 12  teams were divided into 4 groups of 3 teams each. The Tournament kicked off with a Round Robin stage and was followed by the subsequent knockout stages.

The teams that competed for the SUPER8 cup were The Strikers, Slam Dunkers, Fighting underdogs, Hangover boys, B-FORE, Draconion, FORE players, Revengers, Team Relapse, The Packers, Huyton Hammers and IMG-6.

The inaugural match took place on July 23^rd between FORE players and Team Relapse. The league stage was over by 28^th July and the top 2 Teams from each group competed in the knockout Quarter Finals Stage. The Packers and Hangover Boys made it to the first Semi-Final while the second Semi-Final saw the Strikers battle it out with IMG-6.  The Final Match was played between the teams led by Utsav Basu ‘The Strikers’ and ‘The Packers’ led by Sandeep Singh. The Strikers set a target of  73 but the Packers fell short by 4 runs.

The tournament brought the students of both the batches together and helped in finding new talents for the college cricket team for upcoming inter college tournaments.It was the first tournament organized by FSD  in the 2012-13 academic year and was a grand success. The credit for which goes to Team FSD led by Nitin Gandhi. The Tournament was successful in keeping up the motto “Energising the FOREians “.

XIX ANNUAL CONVOCATION CEREMONY

FORE School of Management held its 19^th annual convocation ceremony on 8^th May, 2012. The event was graced by Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman Emeritus, Infosys Ltd.

Mr R C Sharma, President, FSM inaugurated the event by lighting the lamp and declared the ceremony open. Mr. R. P. Billimoria, President Emeritus, FSM, delivered the welcome address and announced that plans were in motion for expansion of the infrastructure by construction of a new block in the existing campus as well as a new campus at Sonepat.

Dr. Jitendra K Das, Director, FSM addressed the students and congratulated them on the successful completion of their diplomas. He welcomed and introduced the Chief Guest for the prestigious event.

He, thereby, presented the Activity Report for the year 2011-2012. The past year was eventful for the b-school as it saw stupendous performances by the students as well as the faculty. He emphasized on how FORE is now focussing on international exchange and cooperation engagement with prestigious business schools like ESC Rennes, School of Business (France), Faculty of Business, UNB(Canada), Savannah University (USA) and Asian Institute of Technology.

He went on to give the final and summer placement records for the year 2011-12. A total of 111 new recruiters visited the campus for final placements including Michael Page International, TATA Motors Ltd, HSBC, Castro, Genpact, C.B Richards, Axis Bank etc. 99% students had received their final placements offer by April 30^th, 2012 and 100% students had secured their summer internships by 31^st March, 2012. He also announced that the highest CTC for final placements soared to 32 lakhs per annum and the summer internship stipend to an average of 15,000 per month.

A total of 268 students graduated this year, in the three variants of the Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) course offered by FSM. Of these, 170 were from the flagship full-time PGDM course, 56 students from PGDM International Managers Group(IMG) and 42 students from the PGDM Working Managers Group(WMG) course. 

Thereafter, Dr. Asif Zamir, Chairman PGP, presented the students with their diplomas and the Scholastic Awards were presented to the students by Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy.

Yukti Mittal topped the two year full time PGDM(FMG-19). Mittal was closely followed by Ashima Mathur in second place and Anushree Vij at the third place. The two year full time PGDM- International Managers Programme was topped by Hitaishi Gupta. Priyanka Agarwal and Niharika Agarwak followed in second and third position respectively.

N. R. Narayana Murthy left the students with invaluable insights and advised them to benchmark themselves with the best in the world.

On an ending note, even as the students, dressed in shining black and golden robes, tossed their graduation hats into the air, there was an overwhelming and palpable feeling of nostalgia building inside the outgoing students. The students were charged with confidence for excelling for themselves and the country in their chosen field.

CONVOCATION ADDRESS BY THE CHIEF GUEST

N. R. Narayam Murthy, Chairman Emeritus, Infosys Ltd., is the man behind one of the world’s most successful IT companies.

He urged the students to align personal objectives with the growth impulses of the country and to take up the responsibility of contributing to the society.

He quoted American Social writer, Eric Hoffer, "In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future," and emphasised that, "every citizen has an important role in the undertaking of the nation's development; however, the educated ones have a greater opportunity and consequently a greater responsibility towards this contribution".

He said, “We still have more than 350 million Indians living with a mere Rs.36.00 per day; 250 million Indians do not have access to save drinking water. Over 750 million Indians do not have access to decent sanitation. India ranks 6^th or 7^th in the global hunger index. It is therefore appropriate to think of few important things. Have India made significant progress since independence. Can we be happy about the progress?” 

STUDENTS SPEAK

Hitaishi Gupta, topper of IMG-4, says, “It has been a most memorable and life altering experience at Fore. I have made some very good friends here and would miss my MBA days a lot”

Ashima Mathur, one of the toppers of PGDM-19, says, “I feel on cloud nine right now. It has been an amazing journey. The faculty here was immensely helpful and guided us when we were in doubt. I shall cherish my time here always.”

ANUBHUTI SESSION with Mr. Kamal Singh(24/07/2012)

It is not often that we come across people who not only impress us but also inspire us. It is then no wonder that, it was with awe that students at FORE School of Management welcomed Mr. Kamal Singh, the Director at the Centre for Management Development & New Initiative MAST-AIMA.

 Visiting FORE as a part of the “anubhuti” session conducted by the Corporate Interaction Division of the institute on July 24, 2012 ; Mr. Singh is the recipient of several accolades and awards,  and was recently awarded the ‘Indian Achiever’s Award’ by Indian Achievers Forum.  Responsible for having launched various events, including the recently launched initiative Management Aptitude Test Skill Test (MAST), it was no wonder that the session that he conducted was not only educational but also highly interactive.

Giving it a simple and straightforward start, Mr. Singh involved the audience right from the begining. Constantly encouraging and supporting the enthusiastic students, who were all vying to answer, he managed to give attention to one and all. Starting with a simple question wherein he asked the students to cite the emerging changes in global business world, he effectively incorporated the answers of the students to highlight the changes happening in the business world.

 Citing relevant reasons such as demographic dividends, innovation and liberalization, increases in expectancy level etc., he chose relevant examples to help the students relate better. Perhaps the greatest learning that he imparted was how every individual could be an effective future manager not only at the national level but also at the global level. Stressing upon the importance of qualities like creativity, passion, efficiency, flexibility etc., he chose specific examples like that of Indra Nooyi, IPL, and Bharti-Airtel etc, which motivated the audience. In addition to this, a very pertinent question at this time, the importance of ethics was also stressed upon by him. His delight when nearly ninety percent of the audience regarded ethics as an important tool was obvious.  It was thus, not advice but experience that students took away from the session.

 The true highlight of the event was however the expert manner in which Mr. Singh handled students’ queries and doubts. He ended the evening on a high note, leaving students to ponder over how they could be visionaries in the coming future. It is perhaps then an understatement to say that every student felt privileged to have attended the session.

TIGER 8 FINALS

Action Strip : Vijay BHerwani and Hemant Jain in action

Seesaw is the best word to describe today’s epic final between Foreplay-ers (Sec A) and Benchwarmers (Sec C) of the Tiger 8 cricket tournament organised by FSD in Sanjay Van. The tournament saw 8 teams participate, two from each section. Benchwarmers had defeated Foreplay-ers in the group stages of the tournament and the finals was the perfect stage for a revenge match. Supporters of both the teams were large in number and wildly enthusiastic, cheering their team through the ups and downs.  

Foreplay-ers led by Amrit Sagar won the toss and elected to bat and in walked Kapil Goel and Hemant  Jain. They provided a solid beginning with Kapil hitting a towering six. Kapil was then caught brilliantly near the boundary by Vijay Bherwani. The next few overs Foreplayers consolidated their innings and left the fireworks for the last two overs.  Deepak Rana and Hemant Jain who went on to score a half century hit some brilliant shots for 4’s and 6’s. In the end Foreplay-ers reached a formidable total of 95. After the break it was the time for Benchwarmers to do the batting, headlined by Vijay Bherwani who was yet to be dismissed in the tournament. Their start was solid, by timely wickets were taken by Foreplayers. Vijay who continued his strong run was finally dismissed by Anurag Dhir. Foreplay-ers seemed to be cruising to the finals. The last 2 overs required 36 runs and Amrit balled brilliantly the penultimate over to leak only 8 runs. 

The last over which was to be of 8 balls required 28 runs .Foreplay-ers were smelling victory now but Sandeep  Singh the captain of Benchwarmers had other plans as he hit few towering sixes. The momentum was shifting but Foreplay-ers hit back with back to back wickets. Extras and tardy fielding cost Foreplay-ers dear in the next couple of balls. It all came down to the last ball, which required 4 runs and Surya Dahiya rose to the occasion by hitting a 6 and winning the tournament for Benchwarmers. The crowd rushed to greet the players. 

Foreplay-ers were gracious in defeat and hugs and handshakes were flowing freely. The crowd cheered wildly as the wiining trophy was awarded to Benchwarmers.

MOTM – Sandeep Singh

MOTS- Vijay Bherwani

The entire tournament was conducted brilliantly by FSD led by Nitin Gandhi and it is now wonder why FSD events see such mass participation and enthusiastic support from Foreians.