IIP Singapore :)

"Travel. It leaves you speechless and then, turns you into a story teller."

Our international immersion programme was one such experience and much more. True to the word ‘immersion’, it gave us a chance to immerse ourselves in the culture and lifestyle of a country which was so different from us and yet so similar.

At Nanyang Technological University

Our one week International Immersion Programme to Singapore was a perfect amalgamation of courses that were thought provoking and city tours which were mesmerizing. While the courses on emerging markets gave us a global perspective to look at things; the teachings of Sun Zi Bingfa (popularly known as ‘Art of War’) are likely to serve as a guiding light throughout our lives. A peek through the economic strategies of Singapore and one would realize that it is no wonder that they have done so well. Our host university, NTU, made sure that they get the best professors to teach us in the short time we had and make it worthwhile. But there are some lessons you just cannot learn within the confines of the classroom. You need to step out on the roads to see the sincerity with which the citizens of Singapore abide by their laws, the confidence they have while stepping out at night and the pride that they show in the development of their country.

The perfectly planned IIP also gave us ample amount of time to have our fair share of fun. The beautiful ambience of Marina Bay Sands, the thrill of ‘Transformers’ at Universal Studios, the tranquility of SEA Aquarium and the mysteries of Night Safari shall remain with us forever.

This Internal Immersion Programme to Singapore has not only gifted us a bunch of beautiful memories to savor but also a refreshing outlook towards life.

Supriya Sharma

FMG22

Lights, Laughs and Lectures

The International Immersion Programme is an integral aspect of the PGDM and PGDM-IB programme at FORE. The notion of bringing international exposure, both in academia and industrial interactions, to the entire batch in addition to the academic curriculum is not particularly followed across other top tier B-Schools. This tie-up with both the universities in Hong Kong and Singapore, in addition to the numerous industry collaborations, is a refreshing prospect to say the least.

I was part of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University immersion programme. The itinerary of the visit included a city tour on the very first day, covering a section of the highly advanced and developed Republic. It helped in acclimatization to a different cultural and social setting. The tour was orchestrated by an International Travel Operator with the planning being immaculate. They did a fine job in perfectly spacing out the entire trip.

The first day at Hong Kong Polytechnic University was an orientation program of the major topics that would be covered in the following days. Hong Kong’s economic ascensions and impact to the global financial framework was the underlying theme. We were provided the chance to be enlightened by esteemed faculty of the university. Just like our acclimatization of Hong Kong in the very first day, the first day at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (fondly called PolyU)  was intended to provide us a backdrop of Hong Kong’s political, cultural, social and economical standing with impetus on history and contemporary business.

The subsequent days saw each speaker cover a topic in detail and nuance Hong Kong’s footprint across the global business timeline. The lessons were followed by a quiz that tested the understanding of the subject. The PolyU campus itself was state of the art, with top edge infrastructure offering a wide array of specializations. Interaction with its students proved to be extremely rewarding.

We also had industrial visits where batches where divided to cover a specific industry. This included the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Hong Kong Airlines and many others. The industrial interactions gave us a look into some of the leading organizations and their workings.

Beside these ‘serious’ propositions in the programme, the trip was a fun outing into an international terrain. Having this lot of students, travel to a tourist hub, was an experience of a lifetime. The afterhours from the classes were mostly filled with visits to tourist spots across each day. From the breathtaking dazzles of Ocean Park and Disney Land to the daily Light Show at the Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong provided some of the most amazing backdrops for student revelry. And who can forget the heaps and bulks of the shopping streets, placed in chunks all across the place. From the heights of the Lantau Islands cable cars to the simmering lights of the Macau skyline, this trip provided an unforgettable experience.

Deeptiman Dasgupta
FMG22

The 80/20 Approach-Achieving More by Doing Less

How we wish we could have a little more time to that assignment. What if we had a few more minutes to do that last question in the examination? How wonderful it would have been if we could rise up to the expectations of our seniors and please everyone. But if wishes were horses, beggars would ride! The truth is none can do everything and please everybody. In life, all you need is a few right decisions to get you where you wish to be, using the 80/20 principle.  FORE School of Management was privileged to have Mr. Malay Rai to talk about the same on 6^th March, 2014 as a continuing part of guest lecture series and interactive sessions with corporate leaders.

Mr. Malay Rai is an alumnus of FORE School of Management, New Delhi, 2007-09, PGDM – IB and was the gold medalist of his batch. He is working with Bain & Co. as Senior Specialist – Transfer Pricing & International Taxation. He has previously worked for Ernst & Young and Koine Investment Advisory and has more than 6 years of experience in the field of transfer pricing and taxation.

Talking about the Pareto Principle of Time v/s Result, Mr. Rai said that there are always some inputs which contribute more to the output than others; like in marketing, it is said that 20% of the customers drive 80% of the profit. Also, in today’s world where businesses are dynamic, commitment to one design may not be favorable. So, instead of trying to be a perfectionist, it always helps to focus on the priorities and take informed decisions. Important is to make sure that you get those selected tasks 100% right because 80/20 rule is not about skipping the details, it is about knowing when details matter.  Taking this point further, he said that 80/20 is a mindset and a survival method as planning is half the work. Hence, develop a plan according to the level of importance and time required and while you are at it, make a ‘not-to-do’ list as well.

Mr. Rai enlightened the audience with the wide scope in which the Pareto Principle makes itself useful. It is valid as a thumb rule in every facet of business world- be it the designing of HR policies, effective business communication, delivering presentations or dealing with aggressive deadlines. As a concluding remark, he said that while focusing on the key strengths, one must also ensure that his weaknesses are not obstructing his path to glory.   

SPIC MACAY

Martha Graham once said that the place where a dancer stands becomes a holy ground. Though a little exaggerated it may seem, but India is proud to have dancers who have devoted their whole life to preserve the rich tradition of cultural dance forms. Ms Rama Vaidyanathan is one such devotee of Bharatanatyam- a dance form which originated in the temples of southern India. FORE School of Management was indeed fortunate to have witnessed her stunning performance, courtesy the Spic Macay event organised by FORE Sports and Cultural Division.

Ms Vaidyanathan is one of the top most stars of Bharatanatyam and is a well known exponent of the dance form all over the world. Having trained intensively under the legendary dancer Yamini Krishnamurty and the eminent Guru Saroja Vaidyanathan, she has been performing professionally for the past twenty five years and is one of the most sought after dancers of her generation. While deeply rooted in tradition she has evolved her own individual style without forsaking the core principles of Bharatanatyam. It is her dedication towards the sacred dance form and years of hard work that has won her several accolades in the field of dance.

One just could not remain untouched by the child like gleam with which she talked about how Bharatanatyam has evolved from a culture of Devadasis to a worldwide recognized dance form. She danced with such poise and grace, that it left the audience with a strange sense of spiritual fulfillment. It is not often that one experiences something so beautiful, where every gesture is perfect, every movement is flawless, every rhythm is so self absorbing. Ms. Vaidyanathan not just offered a visual treat to the students through her awe inspiring performance but also enlightened them about the various mudras and their significance. She briefed the audience on how each act has a story to tell and how beautifully the various mudras can be moulded to convey a message. The memorable evening was concluded with yet another applaudable performance by her on the popular tunes of Vande Matram, celebrating mother nation.

AASHAYEIN'14 - Celebration of a Child

The greatest poem ever known

is one all poets have outgrown:

The poetry, innate, untold,

of being only four years old.

~Christopher Morley, To a Child

Childhood is that enchanted phase of one’s life where the colors are brighter, the air softer and the morning more fragrant than ever again. It deserves to be treasured, cherished and celebrated.

In an attempt to do the same, Team ANTAR with its volunteers visited the DMRC Shelter Home near Tis Hazari Metro station on 5^th January 2014. This event, Ashayein is organised every year by the college’s CSR committee with a vision to create awareness on education among under-privileged children and to motivate them to go for schooling.

“This event has lent an amazing start to the new year, it was like reliving your own childhood...” – said one of the volunteers after coming back from the shelter home.

All a child really needs is someone to play with all day and their day was made memorable when students of FSM engaged themselves wholeheartedly with kids in face painting, paper dance and playing with balloons. As the children painted the canvas with colours, it looked like they were putting their innocence and creativity on paper. The children did really well in the quiz and exhibited amazing sportsmanship in the cricket match. 

Cute little stories and experiences were shared over lunch and the students realized that the kids had a lot of potential and hidden talent which just needed an opportunity to be unleashed. In the end, the students encouraged the kids to make the best of their lives with hard work and determination as destiny is not made by chance, but by choice.

Introduction to User Experience and its Business Relevance

What does it take to make a company successful? While getting the core business functions is the foremost task, it is still not enough. UX is the key differentiator in today’s world and the answer to everything.

Mr. Amber Krishan, Group Lead & Technical Director of Training, Human Factors International began with a question every company and every MBA student seeks an answer to. A graduate in product design from National Institute of Design (Ahmedabad) and post graduate in Design & Technology from Parsons School Of Design (New York), Mr. Krishan has over 6 years of experience in user interface design, usability analysis, consulting and research in the enterprise and consumer software industry. He has also been guest speaker at several events namely UPA chapter event, Connecticut, USA, Microsoft - Nokia Windows 7 Roadshow in Mumbai and Hyderabad and Appfest at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Talking about user experience, Mr. Krishan rightly said that UX is not about making things colourful, the coolest idea or quirky ads. Also, it is neither about getting onto every single platform nor about copying Apple. UX is about getting the business objectives right and working with customers to decipher what they want. The idea is to design a user experience journey that spans across all channels.

While the audience was enchanted by the new dimension of doing business as explained by the guest speaker, he opened up another unexplored avenue to the students- UX as a business discipline. UX leaders are known to outperform competition even when the economy is not doing well. As future MBAs, we should give UX a serious thought as it is considered a top strategic priority in the everyday changing business environment.  

"Ideapreneurship" - An Idea Generation Workshop

“One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” ― Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr

Team CED came up with an exciting workshop to open up the vision and make the students enter into a new world of ideas on 7^th October 2013 at FORE School of Management. The entrepreneurship cell of the college aims at building, encouraging and promoting a conducive environment for developing innovative ideas of entrepreneurial ventures among young minds within the campus. The event which was presided over by Mr. Pravin Rajpal, Founder and CEO of InnovatioNext Imagination Labs (iLabs), was very well received by the students.

Mr. Pravin has authored best sellers like ‘Achieving Business Excellence’ and ‘5 Thinkings to Win’, in the year 2007 & 2008. In a span of five years from 2008-2013, he conducted more than 200 idea factory workshops for breakthrough ideas. In 2011, he developed CII Innovation Framework & Measurement Systems and went on to develop India’s first Imagination Lab to foster breakthrough ideas, in the year 2012.

Talking about what do recruiters these days look for in their prospective employees, Mr. Pravin said that in today’s disruptive world, one can either become distinct or extinct. What separates the creative minds from others is the ability to transform challenges into opportunities and constraints into advantages. He further said that chance favours the connected mind. So, if you are able to connect your thoughts with the needs of people, you can be way ahead of others. He asked the students to come up with an idea that people would be willing to invest in and thus multiply your own market value. Through vivid examples and an interactive session with students, the guest speaker brought home the fact that instead of reading mythological case studies, one should focus on becoming a case study himself by doing something concrete.