imprints may jun11

K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research

IMPRINTS | MAY—JUNE 2011

Business World Ranking 2011

Contents

K J SOMAIYA INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES & RESEARCH

IMPRINTS Volume 10, Issue 1

May—June 2011

Nissan Student Brand Manager 3 4

Summer Internships 2011 Profile of PGDM 2011-13 Batch 5 6

Faculty Speak Campus Captures 8 10

Know your Alumni My First SIMSR Memory 12 13

K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research 2


Editor’s Desk

EDITORIAL TEAM

Abhishek Sehgal

Namrata Mishra

What’s different about the months in the middle of the year i.e. May and June? For one,

it is usually vacation time, when school children, getting a temporary respite from school

bags and time tables, accompany their parents merrily to ‘Grandpa’s House’. For stu-

dents on the threshold of college, it is entrance exam/admission time…two months

which have to necessarily be waded across to know which college or course awaits their

fate. Yet another distinct category is that of MBA students- for whom the word

‘Summer’ is invariably the precedent to ‘Internship’ or ‘Final Joining Date’ as the case

may be.

Read on about how Batch 2010-12 of SIMSR was all over the country this summer, prov-

ing their mettle to the companies they were working with for the crucial 2 months.

Batch 2011-13 joined on 20th June and underwent their 2 week Induction Programme, a

step forward in becoming part of the SIMSR family. All this while students and alumni

alike celebrated SIMSR being ranked 9th in the Business World Survey this June.

Faculty Speak has Prof. Pattnaik talk about his experiences in RBI, while a very dear

alumnus of our Mr. Anand Ramaswamy shares his memories of SIMSR in ‘My First SIMSR

Memory’. ‘Know Your Alumni’ gets us into conversation with Mr. Sachin Parekh who is

currently Marketing Manager at Merck. Meanwhile do let your eyes soak in lush images

of the beautiful vibrant campus that SIMSR boasts of in ‘Campus Captures’.

Happy Reading!!

- The Editorial Team



It gives us great pleasure to announce that, as per the lat-

est Business World Best B-School Survey 2011, K.J. Somaiya Institute of Man-

agement Studies & Research - your very own alma mater, holds the following

ranks -

9th in Overall Objective Survey

5th in Infrastructure

13th on Intellectual Capital

The college's incredible performance in the Rankings is a tremendous boost for the students, faculty and alumni.

This once again reaffirms the standards the college sets and the quality it produces. We, at Alumni Committee

wish to congratulate you on this achievement, and thank you for your continuous stream of inputs that have aided

us and the college to plug the holes, and change with the changing times.

The rankings were covered in the June 27th Issue of Business World.

The rankings are also available for view at:

http://www.businessworld.in/businessworld/content/Objective-Survey-Overall-Rankings.html-0

BUSINESS WORLD RANKING 2011

http://www.businessworld.in/businessworld/content/Objective-Survey-Overall-Rankings.html-0



Addressing students of K.J.Somaiya, Mr. Dinesh Jain,

CEO, Hover Automotive India (HAI) said, “The Brand

Manager program presents a unique challenge to the

students to create a niche for them and raise the

standards of excellence for their future. The idea of

this program is to channelize the creative minds of

the youth in the best possible manner. It also pre-

sents them an opportunity to learn various real life

tasks with some of the best minds of our own. Going

by the response to the program last year, we are

expecting the feedback to be even better this year.”

This year, the jury members consists of eminent per-

sonalities from the Advertising and the Automobile

fields such as Mr. Prahlad Kakkar - Ad Guru, Genesis

Films, Mr. Harish Bijoor - CEO of Harish Bijoor Con-

sults Inc and Mr. Hormazd Sorabjee - Editor of Auto-

car India Magazine.

Nissan Motor India Pvt.Ltd. (NMIPL) announced the

‘Nissan Student Brand Manager’ (NSBM) Program

2011, a unique initiative to promote its brand in In-

dia on June 7th 2011.

This is the second year of the initiative and this in-

vited applications 150 colleges spanning across 15

cities in India. The company aims to target 1,200

entries for appointing 20 NSBM’s and the tenure of

the program will be for a period of a six (06) months

starting from July to Dec’2011.

The 20-selected Student Brand Managers will play a

key role in bringing brand Nissan closer to both - the

student community and the public in general

through innovative marketing initiatives. After un-

dergoing training, the students will work closely with

company officials on a variety of initiatives.

Besides an array of key initiatives, it will include cre-

ating unique events to create buzz about brand Nis-

san among the student community. Apart from K.J.

Somaiya Institute of Management Studies and Re-

search, some of the short-listed colleges for selecting

students include , S.P.Jain MIR- Mumbai, IIFT - Delhi,

University Business School - Chandigarh, IIM - Kol-

kata, IIM - Ahmedabad, Loyola Institute of Business

Administration- Chennai, Department of Business

Studies, Christ University - Bangalore amongst oth-

ers.

NISSAN STUDENT BRAND MANAGER



SUMMER INTERNSHIPS 2011

The whistle blew on 15th April 2011, indicating ‘half-time’ for Batch 2010-12 as Third Trimester End term

Exams ended and we students parted ways to pursue our Summer Projects, placement procedures for

which had started way back in October 2010. With college reopening for 2nd year on 4th July 2011, stu-

dents had a whole 10 weeks ahead of them to make the most of. Approximately 60% of all the students

(PG-A, PG-B, PG-IB, PG-RM, and MMS A & B) had got placement through the official procedure on cam-

pus while the rest preferred to get projects through their own contacts.

Accenture and Deloitte figured amongst the several IT companies with which the students worked. The

Banking Sector included names like Aditya Birla Finance Ltd, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, BNP Paribas,

Canara Bank, Deutsche Bank , HDFC, HSBC, ICICI, IDBI, ING Vyasa, Kotak Mahindra, UCO Bank, Union

Bank of India, Standard Chartered Bank, PNB and SBI Life. Pharmaceutical companies like Cipla and No-

vartis were also in the list. Dun and Bradstreet, Ernst and Young, IMRB International and J.P.Morgan

Chase also had interns from SIMSR. Cinemax, Coal India Ltd., Crompton Greaves Ltd., , Godrej & Boyce,

Goodyear, Gowardhan India, Coke, Unilever, IOCL, ITC, L&T, LG, Mother Dairy, Nestle` India, PepsiCo,

Airtel, Amul, Asian Paints, BPCL, Raychem RPG, SAIL, Saint Gobain, , Sharekhan, SKF India Ltd., TATA

Group, TNT India, Videocon and VIP were amongst the several companies that students did projects

with.

The projects taken up varied both in scope as well as nature- Launch plans for new products, Under-

standing Buying Behaviour, Perception surveys, B2B Sales, Feasibility Studies, Sales Engagement Policy

Formulation, Competitor Analysis, New Product Development, Business Model Development, Product

Usage and Awareness Assessment, Distribution network Study, and Social media Marketing were some

of the projects taken up by students intending to pursue Marketing as their core specialization.

The students aiming at Finance profiles had projects like Export Credit Insurance, Equity Research and

Investment Analysis, Portfolio Management, Financial Statement Analysis, Risk Management in the

Forex Market, Revenue and Cost Modelling, Sector Analysis, Project Finance, Acquisition Strategies, Risk

based Scoring Implementation, Surplus Fund Management, Low Cost Fund Raising, Credit Monitoring,

Liquidity Management and NPA Analysis. The budding HR professionals worked on projects like Bench-

marking of HR Policies, HR Analytics and Employee Engagement, HR Perception/Concerns at field loca-

tions, Training needs Assessment, Post Training Employee Evaluation, and Credit Appraisal of Corpo-

rates. Students intending to specialize in Operations worked on Distribution Network Enhancements,

Eliminating inefficiencies in Data Processing project work flow, Procurement procedure/system in Public

Sector Organizations, Study on the scope of logistics across the oil and gas value chain, and several other

interesting aspects of the specialization.

20th, 21st and 22nd July were earmarked for Presentation and Q&A Sessions which were part of the

Evaluation procedure for awarding 100 marks which were allotted for the Summer Project alone. It has

indeed been an eye opener for students, especially freshers who got an idea what the actual work at-

mosphere is all about and what kind of work they would like (or not like) to do when the time for Final

Placements comes.



The students of the 2011-13 batch are from diverse cultural and social backgrounds. 72% of the stu-

dents are engineering graduates but there is significant diversity in the engineering disciplines pursued

by them in their under-graduation.

There are also students who hold a post-graduate degree in varied disciplines like bio-technology, phar-

maceuticals, etc.

The Data and Figures are attributed to information as on 20th July 2011

PROFILE OF PGDM 2011-13



Though 80% of the batch has prior experience in the IT industry, the remaining students have had var-

ied professions ranging from hotel management to fashion technology.

The Data and Figures are attributed to information as on 20th July 2011

PROFILE OF PGDM 2011-13 (CONTD.)



Prof. R.K. Pattnaik

K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research

Prof. R.K. Pattnaik is currently Full Time Faculty member (Economics) at SIMSR. He has a PhD in Econom-

ics from IIT-Bombay, and has a rich industry experience of about 32 years in RBI in areas of Macroeco-

nomics, International Economics, Monetary and Fiscal Policies, Banking and Public Debt Management.

His articles have appeared in several national dailies. He has been teaching for more than 7 years now.

We are eager to know what your experiences as a student have been like.

I completed school and college from Orissa. Those days securing a Government job or going for the Ad-

ministrative Services was what students aimed at. The subject of my choice has always been Economics.

Internet was unheard of that time, and competition was tough, therefore I would read several journals

and classics to develop an analytical insight of my subject. Yet in retrospect, I realize that study patterns

back then were less practically oriented and more theoretical in nature. Completing a PhD from IIT Bom-

bay was indeed a major milestone for me.

Please tell us what your experiences in the industry have been like.

My years in RBI were rewarding in more ways than one. I transformed from being just a student of Eco-

nomics to being a Policy Economist. RBI is a mine of learning and opportunities, and I got to travel to

several countries during my tenure. My expertise lies mainly in Policy related economics and I had the

privilege of attending several International meetings, and being Coordinator in meetings of multilateral

agencies like SAARC and IMF.

I treasure the experience I got in my exposure to the Parliamentary Committee, and the chance to work

with people like Dr. Rangarajan, Dr. Y.V.Reddy, Dr. Rakesh Mohan, Dr. Subbarao and Mr. Tarapore, each

of whom guided me to becoming a complete economist.

Before joining RBI I taught Macroeconomics in Graduate College in Orissa, so I always had a weakness

for teaching as a profession. My interaction with students at SIMSR, particularly those of PGDM (IB), has

been really rewarding. I admire their inquisitiveness, willingness to learn, sincerity and honesty. It makes

me truly glad to be part of the SIMSR family and I feel very optimistic about the future of these students

who are so hardworking, willing to keep themselves updated and participate in class.

FACULTY SPEAK



What advice do you have for students at SIMSR?

I would like to urge all my budding managers to acquire as much knowledge as possible while they are

here. They should inculcate the habit of reading classics and financial dailies extensively (it helped me

immensely when I was a student). We are really fortunate to have access to such a well stocked library.

One never knows where some bit of knowledge might be useful. There can never be a short cut to real

success.

I would also like to emphasize the importance of being a good listener, as well as having good oratory

skills. Keeping an eye on global developments on a day to day basis is necessary. Websites like those of

the Ministry of Commerce, RBI, Bloomberg and IMF must be logged onto on a regular basis.

I wish all my students well and would be really glad if I get to see many of them in top positions in firms

during my tenure here. Most importantly I wish to see them as happy, complete human beings living a

good life.

FACULTY SPEAK (CONTD.)



CAMPUS CAPTURES

The swanky new Squash Courts

Athletic track of international standards



CAMPUS CAPTURES

Evenings on campus

Lush green landscapes



Mr. Sachin Parekh Marketing Manager, Merck Ltd. Alumnus 2002 Batch

Mr. Sachin Parekh is currently the Marketing Manager of MultiCare Division at Merck Ltd. He has over 10 years of experience in Pharmaceutical Sales and Marketing. Following are excerpts from an inter-view with him.

a) What has your experience in SIMSR been like?

SIMSR has taught me how to apply theory to practical situations, helped me groom and improve myself with respect to simple things like enhanced reading, teamwork, leadership and most importantly time management. The faculty at SIMSR ensured that there was no dearth of opportunities to learn the ba-sics and nuances of management. My stint as Placement Committee Member for both years taught me to adapt to both difficult and good times with importance of teamwork and networking.

b) What has your experience in the industry been like and how has your learning at SIMSR helped in your workplace all this time?

I have more than 10 years of experience in the Pharmaceuticals industry and that has been enriching. This is one industry that has not been impacted by recessionary times as much as others. The opportu-nities and growth prospects are very good, be they in Indian companies or MNCs. Getting promoted twice in a short span of just 3 years bears testimony to this fact. The SIMSR brand without doubt gave me good edge at the entry level, post MMS (Marketing).

c) What advice do you have for current students at SIMSR?

Always remember that there is no shortcut to continued success. Shortcuts may result in success some-times but not always. Keep your goals with regard to the industry and specialisation you want, in focus, and do not let them waver just because your friend or roommate prefers another industry or specialisa-tion.

It is not just your achievement but also people skills (peers, subordinates and superiors alike) that are essential in taking you to the top of the ladder. Hence, learn to respect and appreciate people around you.

Keep networking - it is actually not a ‘necessary evil’ as opposed to popular opinion.

All the Best and Cheers...

KNOW YOUR ALUMNI



days a week- 3 sessions of 3 hours each… 9 AM to 12 PM, 2 PM to 5 PM and 6 PM to 9 PM. It was fun despite being strenuous.

Something I recollect distinctly is the ‘Resume Making Factory’ that exploded quite early in the year in the computer lab- it was a sight watching the way people would go about giving artistic finishing touches to the fonts and indents on their resume, supremely confident of landing plum jobs by those little touches.

We had several firsts in our batch. Some of our batch mates started the Systems Major, the likes of Sridhar and Jayant…Hey…where are you guys? We were the batch that launched internet on one of those 14 inch black & white moni-tors...I wonder whether Arumugam still works at Somaiya. Ravi’s canteen used to be our hangout zone for a good part of the time.

I did my summer internship at Standard Char-tered Bank and we did some kind of a bench-marking project. Sanjay Pandey and I got nomi-nated for the IMCA Best Summer Project Com-petition. The whole college including Prof. P.L.Arya and the staff and our whole gang had come to Y.B.Chawan auditorium at Nariman Point. That was my first big exposure to address-ing a large crowd. Though we did not win any-thing, I remember those moments very fondly as it was my first big peek to professional life.

I was the Placement coordinator along with about 4-5 other guys like Deepak Ramchandran, Anil Nair & a few other guys from marketing, I think Chaproo or Amit Kaushal. We worked pretty hard in getting companies to campus and placement week was by far the most happening thing in our lives then. I remember attending the GE Capital interview. I distinctly remember be-ing called in by David Lobo & Gaurav Arora of GE Capital a while later and being given a spot of-fer. I had also made it to the shortlist for Citi-bank in the adjacent room. I chose GE Capital. My first year’s CTC was 1.65 Lakhs which was a princely sum and a good pay for those years.

Mr. Anand Ramaswamy, an alumnus of Batch 1997 (MBA-Finance) is currently Head – Projects (Debt Servicing Management Group) at ICICI Bank, Mumbai. He has a lot of experience in mul-tiple roles at ICICI, ranging from Head - Special Projects and Analytics to National Sales Head - Alternate Channels. A man of varied interests, he loves to spend time with NGOs which take care of underprivileged children. He enjoys music and plays various keyboard based instruments in his spare time. Andy (as he is known) is currently also visiting faculty member at SIMSR. He is teaching Marketing of Financial Services to the 2nd year stu-dents of the full time MBA program. He takes us down memory lane during his days as a student at SIMSR.

“It has been 14 years since I passed out of SIMSR, yet I distinctly remember the days when I got ad-mission and subsequently joined as a student. We had a very nice time there! I wish some of the concepts of movies like Time Warp actually ex-isted, as it would be fun to go back in time and relive the days when we were a bunch of maver-icks at Somaiya.

Thankfully I had a very short commute as I stay pretty close to campus at Chembur. I used to go to college on a BSA-SLR cycle. It is hard imagining that today! We used to have classes for almost 6

MY FIRST SIMSR MEMORY



Coming to think of it, my daughter’s yearly fees for her kindergarten, is almost 1 lakh these days. Money’s worth has really eroded.

Most of our batch guys would remember with relish our trip to Alibag. We took a ferry from “Bhau Cha Dhakka” (Marathi for Ferry Wharf) and stayed at a place which had a few shacks for shelter. Boy, that was a complete night out with the whole batch…. lying on the sands with the waves at our feet. We spent the whole night on the beach sitting in the waves. I would give anything to get to spend such time again. Aman sent out some of the snaps recently.

One more instance that comes to my mind was the farewell of our seniors. Some of us were doing the organizing. Prof. P.L.Arya (Director then) had retired for the day. The party was organized at the Insti-tute terrace. We were all dancing to the DJ’s music and it was the last song for the night, ‘Alice’. Every-one belted out the muted lyrics full throated so loudly that the Director came back to college only to give us a mid night terrace ‘gyan’ session of values and decorum!

Life has come a long way since. I still maintain my association with the campus as I am a visiting faculty member with SIMSR for over 8-9 years now. The dramatic improvement in infrastructure is something that really makes the institution stand out amongst the rest. Most alumni would not have seen the cam-pus of late, and I urge them to come and have a look around. The auditoriums, the enhanced building, the compulsory hostel block, the jogging track (with an absolutely Olympic look and feel) and the tennis, badminton, squash courts etc…. really make SIMSR different from what it used to be.

It definitely feels nice to be an alumnus of SIMSR and I shall continue being in touch with the campus for as long as possible.”

MY FIRST SIMSR MEMORY (CONTD.)



The IMPRINTS Team would love to hear from you

Or mail us at [email protected]

Namrata Mishra

9819332770

Abhishek Sehgal

7738543893

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