August 2010
The Perspective IMT.......... Lead the Future
Corporate Communications and Media Relations Committee IMT Ghaziabad
THE PERSPECTIVE
August, 2010
“Dad, I can do whatever I want. Is that what you mean by independence?” I asked my dad when I was a kid. He smiled and explained, “Independence opens up all the doors for you but it is still your conscience and the possible consequences of your actions which dictate which door you choose to walk through. You are never independent from your conscience, son.” Well that pretty much should be the lesson for all the youngsters today who think that independence is an excuse to get their own way. I am free to choose what I speak. I am free to choose what I write. I am free to choose what I deem is the best for me, life-partners, jobs, education and what not. But most of the youngsters today do not take the consequences of what they speak, write or decide on the people around them as well as on themselves into their model of life and try to attribute the reason for not factoring it in to independence. In such a case, don’t you think that the word “independence” has been abused by today’s generation? Yes, independence from the British rule has opened up the doors for us. We are free. There’s not an iota of doubt about that. But don’t you, the readers, think that freedom itself should be used responsibly? This issue of “The Perspective” focuses on the various activities on campus at our institute throughout the month we celebrate the independence of our country. Interview of a business hot- shot, events conducted by various clubs and committees, interesting articles and a lot more, find all of it in this issue. We would love to hear from our readers and would also like to invite students to send in articles, photographs and suggestions for the magazine. Happy Reading!!
Corporate Communications and Media Relations Committee
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Index Article
Page No
Editorial
2-3
Team CCMRC
4-9
Independence Day Celebrations
10-11
Learning from GURUS
12-14
Finance Week
14
Riscon
16-17
Sahyog
18-19
ZIYARAT and ZEE
20
League of Titans: Top Spin
21-22
Brand It
23
Intel: business beyond technology
24-25
Zest: Cultural Extravaganza
26
Glibberish
27
i-Lab
28-29
Globe Traders ‘10
30
Passion ‘09
31
Life @ IMT Ghaziabad
32
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Team CCMRC Senior CCMRC Members Soumya Darshan Mishra Fondly known as Bubu, Soumya has been a great critic as well as motivator for the entire committee. Computer gaming, creative writing, reading books, Onamography and playing Badminton are the activities he indulges in during his leisure hours.
Abhishek Ray Senior committee member who always keeps encouraging and inspiring the junior members to keep up the good work and improve, thats him. His hobbies are quizzing, reading(anything and everything), and debating. His interest also lies in music (ranging from indian classical to doom metal).
Nipun Kaicker A delhite who is basically interested in travelling, watching Formula 1, event management and reading.
Sameer Chaturvedi Quite yet dynamic, this senior member is always supportive of new ideas brought up by the committee. His favourite activities include swimming, cue sports, racquet sports and reading political literature.
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Tulika Sarkhel She loves to spend her free time reading novels, singing and playing synthesizer. She also likes playing table tennis.
Anjuman Bhatt She has had a great exposure having changed more than 10 schools, learning 4 languages and many more dialects. She did her graduation from Jamia Millia Islamia. She has participated in various international competitions which inculcated in her the hobby of ‘learning and reciting shlokas’. But the thing she likes the most is food and cooking. Here it would be apt to quote her “u won’t find a bigger Foodie than Me”.
JUNIOR CCMRC MEMBERS Amrita Mishra She is a bit of an introvert, likes to work hard and finish off tasks on time. She is a trained odissi dancer and apart from that her hobbies include singing and watchin movies and television series. Vertical in CCMRC : Online presence and Newsletter
Ankur Shah A great implementer, Ankur knows how to strategize and complete his tasks really well. Some of his passtime activities are driving, exploring multiplexes, playing cricket and adventure sports. Vertical in CCMRC : Operations
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Kapil Daga “To see how deep the rabbit hole goes” is his purpose of existence. This guy has been the PMO lead, Marketing at TCS prior to joining IMT and his experience comes as a great use in the committee. He loves to do mimicry and samba during his leisure time. Vertical in CCMRC : Corporate Interaction
Mehak Bharti Lively and always enthusiastic about things, thats Mehak. Keeps up the spirit while work and always up with new ideas. Her hobbies include reading books, calligraphy and watching movies. Vertical in CCMRC : Corporate Interaction
Nimesh Gupta Nimesh can be easily described as someone who is hardworking and likes to take initiatives. His interests include reading fiction, solving puzzles, learning about gadgets and playing cricket. Vertical in CCMRC : Online Presence
Nishant Singh “Speaks less and works more” is something all the members would agree about him. Always ready to help others with their tasks, this guy is also an integral part of the design team of the committee. His hobbies are reading, listening to music, playing computer as well as outdoor games. Vertical in CCMRC : Creative team and Newsletter
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Prajnasmita Rout A sincere and hardworking member...and a Naruto freak! This girl is a great optimist and always in high spirits which keeps others going on. Reading novels, listening to music and pencil sketching are some of her favourite activities. Vertical in CCMRC : Newsletter
Rachit Mathur As an integral part of the committee, he works hard to help people in their work. Always ready to do any work assigned to him. He loves to collect ancient Indian coins. He also has a great interest in adventure sports. Vertical in CCMRC : Newsletter
Rahul Sheshadri G. He is a very quiet person. Usually busy with his studies he still takes out time to complete the work assigned to him. His hobbies are reading movie reviews, acting, mimicry and script writing in Tamil. Vertical In CCMRC: Newsletter
Rakesh Kumar Purohit Energetic and always enthusiastic about new ideas, Rakesh is always ready to give in his contribution to it. His hobbies are checking out movie reviews and watching interviews of diplomats . Vertical in CCMRC : Operations
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Swati Goyal Cheerful and friendly are the words that easily describe her. She is the backbone of the creative team and handles assigned tasks really well. Her hobbies are painting, sketching and gardening. Vertical in CCMRC: Creative team
Ankit Kumar He enjoys reading anything under the sun and putting his views forward. The logical extension to which is his excellent writing skills. He writes poems, short stories and opinion pieces. He also enjoys pencil sketching and programming. Vertical in CCMRC: Newsletter
Vineet Sehgal A believer in words “Don't be jealous of others’ success because when you would be successful they would be jealous others”, Vineet has a keen interest in financial markets. His hobbies are quizzing, interacting with people and reading about Politics Vertical in CCMRC: Creative team
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Independence Day Celebrations Independence of our nation is not what we feel, but what we make of it. It is not about rights, but our duties towards the nation. It is a sense of belonging, a sense of contribution and existence in every step that our nation takes. Independence is the freedom of the soul, a perception of the mind and a feeling understood by the heart. This freedom, perception and more importantly, this feeling is that of liberation, patriotism and self-dependence. All these put together calls for a big responsibility on the youth of the nation and on those who create it. We, the youth of India, are responsible for taking forward the Nation to a brighter, beautiful and a dream place to live in. We have an enormous impact on the economy, on companies hoping to sell their products, on the media and on the culture. To ignite the passion to serve our nation in its students IMT Ghaziabad celebrated the felicitations of the 64th Anniversary of the Indian Independence. As student managers we will be facing lots of challenges in our future such as the challenge to stand out in the flock of clones, the challenge to express our views, the challenge to fulfill our duties towards the nation truly, completely and with dedication. In words of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru “Are we brave enough and wise enough to grasp this opportunity and accept the challenge of the future?�. The opportunity which he refers to is the freedom of the Nation. It is the sense of dedication, pride, belongingness and attachment towards the nation which begins at the very basic level. To refresh these feelings, the prodigious day began with a solemn flag-hoisting ceremony to the tune of our national anthem. The flag was hoisted by our respected dean, Dr. R.K. Chakraborty, he then addressed the students and gathered IMT staff with a highly motivating speech. After the flag hoisting everyone made their way to the amphitheatre, which had been beautifully decorated in our national colours, where some of our talented students regaled the gathering with a variety of performances. An excellent performance of our traditional dance, Bharatnatyam, was displayed by two of the first year students. This was followed by patriotic songs and a small skit which was meant to send a message of building up India in the way our ancestors had dreamt of. There was also a scintillating solo break dance performance to round off the show. The proceedings were wrapped up with the Make a Difference Foundation (MADF) of IMT took on themselves the 10 | P a g e
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charitable task of distributing clothes to the children of the security guards, sweepers and other staff of the institute. The food in the mess kept the feeling sledding by offering tricoloured rice for lunch. IMT showcased the Indian culture, values and thoughts through the IMT Culture- a culture where everyone stands equal. The auspicious occasion of India’s Independence was celebrated with fealty. We are responsible for the future of the nation and IMT Leads the Future. By Swati Goyal
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LEARNING FROM THE GURUS Mr. Raj Krishnamurthy has over 15 years of global experience working in US, Singapore and UK for Applied Materials and the BOC Group. He has a B.Tech from IIT Bombay, MS from Purdue University and an MBA from Santa Clara University. He is currently European Business Development Director at United Technologies - Fire and Security. Mr. Krishnamurthy is member of Board of Director, Jagriti Sewa Sansthan CCMRC: What is your take on the impact of Tata Jagruti Yatra on youth in its journey so far? Mr. Raj: The Tata Jagriti Yatra, organised by Jagriti (Jagriti Sewa Sansthan), selects youth that have shown a spark of enterprise in their past and endeavours to create a platform for their success in their future. Through 18 days of experiential learning on the train that travels around India, these youth and their immediate friends and family get sensitised to the scale of the opportunity of nation building that is being presented to us. Looking through the eyes of the most successful entrepreneurs of the nation, the yatris assimilate what it took to build sustainable socially impactful enterprises. This has had an immense impact on the ground. Yatris with an entrepreneurial flair have discovered a sense of purpose in their actions. Small enterprises are springing up from exyatris that include mentorship, toy making and computer classes, while several business plans are beginning their journey including husk power, rural medicine and food distribution. One major development has been the formation of a trusted network among the exyatris. The effect of our discerning selection process that picks individuals from across the nation has meant that there is a trusted alumnus of the yatra in every district of the country you may have an interest or affiliation in. We believe this in itself represents an invaluable asset for a young adult as they begin their life experiment. CCMRC: What vision do you have when it comes to seeding the spirit of entrepreneurial development in the youth of the nation? Mr. Raj: India has the boon of a ballooning demographic dividend in the form of our youth. With over 50% of the population under 25 years of age, youth will shape everything that India will be in the coming years. The eternal optimist in us says that this represents an opportunity, not a threat. Youth will find gainful employment, they will channelize their creativity and energy towards progress, and they will aid civic life and will become model citizens. But who will provide the avenues for this to happen? It will not be the government, it will not be multi-nationals, it will not be call centres - it will be enterprises that are targeted to uplift the living standards of the very society in which they operate. Our vision is that this is achieved by youth themselves taking the mantle - to become job creators from job seekers to put their collective intellect and industry into the betterment of society at large by creating profitable enterprises that sustain and grow. We believe with the right environment and support this can be achieved and this is precisely what Jagriti is setting out to do. 12 | P a g e
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CCMRC: What potential exists for various B-school graduates who have strong affinity for jobs despite their interest in entrepreneurship? Mr. Raj: B-school graduates have got a plethora of choices. There are countless avenues of pursuit that promise sure success in career or rapid rise through the ranks. Some are genuine and will live up to the promise. But for most part employers do a good job of selling a dream which remains as one during the formative period of one’s career. This often leads to disillusionment and a yearning to do something 'meaningful'. Before taking on a job, Bschool graduates need to assess their own goals. If it is the pursuit of a fat monthly paycheque or working for a brand or in a role that simply makes you feel good, then there is nothing better than a job. If on the other hand you are driven by a deep set hunger to 'see' the value you are adding and are willing to be judged by the ultimate test of viability, wait no further – start up your venture! Having said this, graduates may also look at employment as means to test their soft skills especially if they come from familial background which is not business oriented. First few years of employment could offer significant learning in relationship building, meeting potential partners or simply saving up for the initial outlay to start your own business.
CCMRC: TJY has always focussed towards visiting people and organisations who have identified and resonated their solutions around problems of common man. How do you think that such an insight is helping the yatris? Mr. Raj: TJY focuses on the fact that the purpose of business is the betterment of society. Generating wealth is one of the outcomes. This is best exemplified by the people we visit. Their stories while simply inspirational in the first instance also provide several insights in how viable entities develop and grow. The program itself provides a forum to assimilate the learning which a core team of yatris compile in the form of a summary before the yatra concludes. We believe these insights are invaluable for any youngster at the beginning of their career. It provides sound proof of how 'purpose led motivation' combined with 'collaboration of like minded individuals' can create enterprises that are built on a rock solid foundation. CCMRC: In your conversation with yatris you have many a times, emphasized that their execution model should be such that it makes their idea sustainable. How critical is this element when we talk about motivation in yatris and also to people who follow TJY? Mr. Raj: Sustainability is a critical element of any venture. This needs to be thoroughly assessed at the time of conception. There are at least three aspects which could determine sustainability of a venture - conceptual, economic and human. B-schools place a lot of emphasis on the first two. "What is your value proposition?" is the typical first question. Of course this is important and requires a satisfactory answer. Economic sustenance is all about surviving the initial cash drain as the business starts up and then managing inflows and outflows effectively as the business ramps. However, the last aspect of human sustainability is not often talked about. This encompasses all aspects of the people in the venture's ecosystem. 13 | P a g e
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At TJY we place a special emphasis on the human factors that govern sustenance. Whether it is a mentoring relationship or the formation of an effective team or seeking professional help from experts, we believe this factor alone can make or break a new venture. CCMRC: Few words from your school of thoughts for the B-school fraternity? Mr. Raj: Two thoughts: First - Make life fun! And you have the most fun when you do what you most like doing. Remember 3 Idiots - if you like photography, pursue that passion. The rest will come - fame, money, wheels etc. Second - Keep friends close. The relationships that you make now are probably the best ones ever. If you like the people you hang out with make them your business partners. Jump into the white waters of business together - then as you wade through its chaotic rapids you will learn the true talents of each other and emerge as a unit ready to stand the pains of growing your enterprise. Good Luck. Jai Hind! Compiled by Kapil Daga
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FINANCE WEEK As it is said that each ending is a beginning to a new start, so going by the same the last week of July left the avenues open for a great August with one of the most informative weeks. “FINANCE WEEK” was the first event among the plethora of events to be organized by the Alumni Relationship Committee of IMT Ghaziabad during the academic year 20102011 held from 26th to 31st July 2010. The week comprised of Guest lectures and various other events for the students, the purpose of which was to ensure that the students have an enriching experience by interacting with the esteemed Alumni of IMT who have been a part of the industry for a long time. This gave the students an opportunity to learn from their vast experience. The week began with Mr. Mani Kant, the Vice President of India Insure Risk Management coming and addressing the students on ‘Corporate Insurance’. He introduced the students to the Insurance sector and also gave useful insight into the ways in which employees receive benefits from their organizations. This was followed by an event called the ‘Open Outcry’ which was a Stock Trading event organized by ‘Finnacle’, one of the Finance clubs of IMT Ghaziabad. It included buying and selling of stocks keeping in mind the fluctuations that take place in the real market, the student’s main target was to bid for their stocks and increase their worth. The motive behind the event was to give the students a platform to understand as to how the stock market functions by giving them the much required practical exposure. A ‘Finance & Business’ quiz was also organized in association with ‘IQC’, the Quizzing club at IMT Ghaziabad which has made IMT Ghaziabad proud on numerous occasions. The event was an amalgamation of fun and knowledge and spanned across 2 days, witnessing an overwhelming response of more than 40 teams. There was also a guest lecture by Mr. Amit Banga, CEO, S B Packaging. He discussed some of the commonly used accounting terms in a business followed by introducing the students to the term ‘Financial Restructuring’ and its relevance to businesses today. He also shared his experiences in the campus and spoke about his days at IMT. This informative week came to end with Mr. Sharad Jain, Vice President of GE Capital shedding light on the concept of ‘Project Finance’ and the planning that goes into it. He further supported his concepts by citing a few examples which made the students more familiar with the topic. It was also an interactive session where he discussed with students about their goals and career aspirations; he shared his experiences, the opportunities and challenges faced by him thus giving the students valuable insights into the industry. He stressed on the fact that in order to do well in life, it is important to keep an open mind. The Finance Week made its mark on the students by imparting knowledge on finance in a well blended mixture of fun and learning. Also, the participation and enthusiasm shown by the students made this event the success story it emerged to be. By Nishant Singh Gahlot 15 | P a g e
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RISCON ‘10 Fin-Niche, the finance club of IMT Ghaziabad, constantly works towards enhancing the financial knowledge of the students through a variety of events and sessions. So after successfully initiating the academic year with Survivor 2, Fin-Niche came up with the idea of organizing a grand conclave on Contemporary Risk Management. Risk management which is rapidly developing as a discipline in the corporate world today, is the process whereby organizations methodically address the risks attached to their activities, with the goal of achieving sustained benefit within each activity and across the portfolio of all activities. RISCON ’10 was an event designed and executed to help the students understand Risk Management both as a tool as well as an integral part of financial industry. It was an attempt to enable students to use a common platform for knowledge sharing, addressing concerns and the trends in this nascent domain. It comprised of a series of events such as technical sessions, panel discussions, debates and paper presentations aimed at identifying the sources of risk, categorization of the various risks associated with a particular sector or business, measuring the risk and minimizing its severity on business. The event was adorned with the presence of eloquent speakers from diverse financial domains, such as: • • • • • • • • •
Shree Parthasarathy - Director, Risk Management, Deloitte Vibha Batra - Co- Head, Financial Sector Ratings, ICRA K. Ram Mohan - General Manager, Risk Management, Punjab National Bank A. K. Sharma - General Manager ,Treasury, IOCL R. J. Masilamani - EX-CEO, Timex India, IIM-A alumnus P. T. Giridharan - Joint Director, ICAI Naresh Bishnoi - Director, Risk Management, Religare Enterprises Dipten Chakroborty - Vice President, Wealth Management, Credit Suisse Jagannathan Thunuguntla - Equity Head, SMC Capital 16 | P a g e
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RISCON ’10 with the presence of such a variety and the vast experience which the speakers shared between them was a thought provoking event. It truly fulfilled its purpose of educating the students about Risk Management and providing them a platform to understand a discipline of an organization which is in great demand in the foreign countries and is also finding its need in the Indian markets. By Nishant Singh Gahlot
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SAHYOG As the nation celebrated its 63rd year of Independence on 15th August, team MADF (Make a Difference Foundation) at IMT Ghaziabad set about trying to make a difference to the lives of a few people in and around the campus. The clothes collection drive, this year witnessed an overwhelming generosity by the students, as the number of collected clothes stood at a record 650+, almost double the numbers last year. The MADF team packed more than 300 pairs of clothes to be distributed to the needy. The clothes donated ranged from regular men and women’s wear to utility items like bed sheets and blankets. A group of MADF members visited the nearby areas in order to inform and generate awareness about the initiative, its venue and time. Slum dwellers and laborers in the nearby areas were selected for the initiative. Keeping in mind MADF’s motive of empowering people and not encouraging charity or donation, the rickshaw pullers were chosen over beggars consciously and discreetly. Coupons were distributed to them prior to the event so that decorum could be maintained during the event. The event was also well popularized inside the campus through poster, emails and social networking site updates to create an interest among the students to participate in the initiative. “As we spoke to some of the rickshaw pullers we realized that for a mere amount of 10-15 rupees, they put in physical effort way beyond our imagination and toil from dawn to dusk to earn a respectful living. Through our meager contribution we sincerely hope to be able to chip in and supplement their lives in our own modest ways,” said MADF member Vishal Aggarwal. The event began in front of the main entrance to 18 | P a g e
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the college, right after the Independence Day flag hoisting and cultural programs on campus. Dr. R.K. Chakraborty, Dean (Academics) and Mr S.K.Singh, Chairman (Student Affairs) graced the occasion with their presence and also handed out clothes and sweets to the people present for the same. MADF members led the event to its successful completion. Bright smiles and varied expressions of gratitude added color to an otherwise normal day for the students on campus. MADF conveyed their gratitude to Dr. R.K. Chakraborty, Mr. S.K Singh and other staff members of IMT Ghaziabad, for taking out time for the event. They also thanked the student volunteers who assisted the MADF members in successfully organizing the event. MADF thanked all students for their magnanimity in donating clothes and other useful items. By Swati Goyal
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ZIYARAT and ZEE They say, “The only thing closest to worship is music”. ZIYARAT is an alternative soft rock band formed by the 1st year students of IMT Ghaziabad. This band was brought together in July 2010. In a short span of 2 months, the band has composed 4 songs, out of which one has been recorded. The band members include Arihant Mehta (vocals and harmonica), Dheeraj Pandey (lead guitarist) and Diwakar Mandal (vocals and lyrics). The members carry musical influences that vary from Blues, Sufi, progressive Rock to Alternative Rock. Already, ZIYARAT has come up with various stage performances in various cultural nights at IMT. The band had its first taste of success when their first composition “Aaasman” became an overnight hit at IMT. Then came another moment to cherish, ZIYARAT represented IMT Ghaziabad in ASPIRE - the Music to Money Challenge, organised by ICICIdirect.com in association with Zee Business. The event, ASPIRE, is an inter college contest in which the leading colleges of the country compete against each other. The team from IMT comprised of 6 members, 4 from the music band and 2 from the quiz team. Apart from band members Karan Grover, another student of IMT, went with the band as the drummer. The quiz team members were Harshit Modi and Vivek Sharma. Team IMT cleared two rounds of City Finale thereby qualifying for the Zonal round in which it competes with the leading colleges of north zone. The judges for the City Finale rounds were the members from the established bands PARIKRAMA and BANDISH. ASPIRE will be aired on Zee business, 11th September onwards every Saturday 9 pm.
Team IMT - ZIYARAT - is working hard for the Zonal rounds, and is determined to establish the brand IMT on the national platform in ASPIRE. “We are Passionate... and that reflects in our compositions”, quoted Diwakar Mandal, one of the members of ZIYARAT. Music, indeed, is a food for soul. And although it is too early to say, however we could see the seedlings of formation of new age NIRVANA. By Kapil Daga
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League of Titans: Top Spin In the midst of a hectic curriculum, annoying projects and submission deadlines there is nothing like sports to breathe back life into an IMT student. There is no substitute for sporting glory, and no rival for the thrill of competition that comes with it. From a field spanning seventy yards to a table stretching a couple of meters, from a test of physical stamina under the sun to a test of mental stamina inside four walls; the League of Titans shifted a couple of gears from the outdoor madness of football to the indoor intricacies of table tennis. After kicking-off in style with ‘Joga Bonito’, the Sports Committee of IMT Ghaziabad followed it up with ‘Top Spin’ – an intra-IMT table tennis showdown between teams that comprised of five players who went head-to-head in three men’s singles, one women’s singles and one men’s doubles matches. Table tennis is the world’s most popular racquet sport – its craze goes from the global reach of the Olympics to virtually every local academic institution in the world. A TT table, or more, has become a necessity in all academic institutions. The scene is no different at IMT Ghaziabad, which was proven by the quality of competition on display and the numbers that came out in support of their teams during the three days full of passion, persistence and pressure. Startling similarities could be drawn between Joga Bonito and Top Spin. Yet again, experience seemed to matter a lot as only one junior section reached the final four. Seniors dominated the battles, not only on the table, but off it as well. Akarsh Sharma, a losing participant from a junior team said “When I went two sets to one up, it felt like I was up against more than one player! The crowd support for my opponent was incredible. It changed the game”. The major highlights of the tournament were the consistently fast and brilliant table-tennis that left onlookers in awe, the packed out crowds that raised the temperature inside the hall, the female participants who were seen for the first time this year and above all, the wonderful spirit in which the whole event was played. Another major highlight of the event was the participation of Anke, an exchange student from Liechtenstein, who went all the way to the final with her team and came out of the tournament feeling like an IMTan all along. The final of the event took place between the dark horses of the tournament, A1 and pretournament favorites’, HR/IT. The eagerly awaited clash did not disappoint the huge support. At times, the noise levels, the chants and the enthusiasm was so high, matches had to be 21 | P a g e
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paused mid-way to calm down the crowd. Fittingly though, the best team of the tournament, the HR/IT team, held their nerve and defeated A1 3-1, to be crowned ‘Lords of the ping-pong balls’. In a post-match interview, winning captain Nishant Dubey summed up the key to their success in just three words. “Practice and Planning”, he said. The stage was different, but the result was the same. Two wins out of two for HR/IT in the League of Titans. Perhaps, perfection is possible. By Akarsh Sharma
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Brand It RACE (Research and Consultancy Enterprise), the consultancy club at IMT Ghaziabad came up with a unique challenge “BRAND-IT� in which the participants were expected to devise a strategy to revitalize one of the five faded brands in India: The National TV channel-Doordarshan, Lakhani shoes, Hindustan Motors Ambassador, HMT watches and Kesh Nikhar soap. In the first round, teams were supposed to choose the brand that they were going to rebrand, give an analysis of why the brand lost out to its competitors (in 500 words) and make a questionnaire to determine what the customers want from that particular product. On the basis of the analysis done in the first round, 8 teams were selected for the second round. The criteria was the focus on the brand (and not on the product), originality of the analysis and relevance of the questionnaire. In the second round, teams were required to get the questionnaire filled, and based on this feedback they had to devise a strategy to revive the brand. Teams were allowed to use any tool they deemed fit like redesigning the logo, changing the slogan, changing the advertising strategy, etc. The final presentation contained the basic elements of branding and promotion strategy with Dr. Rajat Gera judging the teams for the same. Brand !T (BRAND-IT) was promoted throughout the IMT campus with a number of eyecatching posters. It could have been a major factor in bringing in as much as 35 entries for the event. The winners of the event were Rohan Dawani and Yogesh Gadre while the runners-up were Akarsh Sharma and Amrinder Singh. By Ankit Kumar
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Intel: Business beyond Technology Intel Corporation aka Chipzilla has created news twice in the past week. The first time it sent ripples through the tech world is when it acquired security firm McAfee for $7.7 Billion and then it again cropped up in the news by opening a Joint Research center with Nokia and University of Oulu, Finland. Intel has been eyeing growth in the mobile computing space for a while now as it faces immense pressure from AMD which has been putting the squeeze on Intel’s profit margin forcing it to compete at all price level barring Intel’s high end processor platform while the Desktop and Server segment as a whole has been slowing down visibly enough to draw concerns about the future of Workstation and Server. The segment that has been gaining widespread acceptability and growing at a much higher pace is the Mobile computing platform and in this segment Intel has had little success. Intel has put out a roadmap to gain a foothold in this segment but this segment has been long under the oligopolies of Qualcomm and TI to enable Intel an easier footprint. New entrant into Mobile computing like Samsung is finding it difficult to find industry wide acceptance for its new range of chips beyond its own Galaxy S range of handsets. So how does Intel gain a sizeable foothold in this segment? The 2 recent news articles seem to shed some light on this. Intel has teamed up with Nokia which is the world’s largest handset maker by volumes but seems to lag far behind other handset makers in terms of innovating. Nokia’s acquisition of Symbian seems to have made little difference to the declining fortunes of Nokia. Much like Apple’s acquisition of P. A. Semi Chip, by which P. A. will design chips to Apple’s specification to power Apple’s devices, Nokia might look to leverage Intel’s brand value and expertise to create a resurgence of sorts. There’s already a strong 3D internet research community established in Oulu, and the partners hope to tap into that excellence to help inspire their own projects. realXtend, an open source platform for interconnected 3D worlds, was created in the Oulu region. The lab’s first projects involve creating new user interfaces for MeeGo, a Linux-based software platform designed to work across a range of hardware architectures and devices including mobile computers, net books, tablets, media phones, connected TVs and in-vehicle infotainment systems, and potentially other platforms that use 3D graphics in ways that are new, easy-to-use and enjoyable. McAfee has been working to transform security from a reactionary, defensive posture, to a proactive, offensive strategy, and it has already had its eye on securing mobile products. Critical to its entry into mobile computing, Intel will look to leverage the expertise of McAfee to building hardware optimized to McAfee’s solutions thereby creating a root of trust in Intel’s products. By implementing security and encryption algorithms on the chip, Intel, by way of offering inherently more secure mobile offerings, may garner acceptance for its products amongst the Smartphone makers effectively giving it a foothold in mobile computing.
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With the ploys of making the mobile computing space more secure by ways of McAfee acquisition and Teaming up with Nokia for the Joint research center to make the mobile internet an enjoyable experience, Intel is diversifying rapidly into mobile computing to drive its future growth and derive higher revenues from the fastest growing segment. By Nikhil Pai
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ZEST: The cultural extravaganza Fun and Entertainment has always been an integral part of the IMT culture, events such as cultural night, karaoke night, etc. have always been able to revive the students moral. Cultural Committee of IMT Ghaziabad, was once again able to do what it is really good at, that is organizing an event full of fun and entertainment. The intra-college Cultural Night 'ZEST' showcased talents of the new entrants in the college and brought them to limelight. The overhelming response from the students made it a grand success. The amphitheatre was buzzing with excitement and enthusiasm of the students, thus showcasing the famed 'never-dying' spirit of IMTians. The enthusiasm was evident from the crowd cheering for their friends with gusto. It was a memorable night which witnessed a series of smashing performances by in-house Eastern and Western bands. They kept the whole audience mesmerized throughout their performance and left the audience craving for more. An interesting contemporary skit was enacted on stage which left the audience rolling with laughter. But no event can be complete without a power-pack Bhangra performance and that’s what was delivered. The Bhangra performance by the Bhangra group which comprised of the first year students electrified the amphitheatre to such an extent that the crowd was so thrilled by the performance that many of them joined the group and showed the others some moves of their own. Then there were a couple of singing performances from our talented students which imparted the rhythm to the already spirited audience. Dance performances from various sections of first year students also kept the audience constantly on their feet. Mr. and Ms Fresher competition was the main attraction of the show for which each section had nominated a girl and a boy to compete for the esteemed title. The whole crowd was divided amongst different sections and each section ensured they cheered their participants to the fullest. Each participant was asked to perform random tasks ranging from dancing, mimicking a monkey or imitating Michael Jackson. Everyone savored every moment of the night. After the competition, everyone moved to the basketball court, which had been turned into dance floor for the night, and danced till the wee hours. The event gave a much needed break to all the freshers from the ruthless schedule of MBA curriculum and rejuvenated them. By Prajnasmita Rout
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August, 2010
GLIBBERISH There are only handfuls of people in today’s competitive world who have not heard about Just A Minute or as we commonly know it as JAM. Literati, the literature club of IMT Ghaziabad aptly choose JAM to kick start their journey this year. A journey which will be spread throughout the academic calendar would see number of educational as well as fun events being organized by Literati. Literati’s event which was based on JAM had been named Glibberish. It was a fun event that tested the participants as to how well can their minds control their mouth. The event was conducted in the Academic Block of the IMT Ghaziabad campus. The JAM Master was Rahul Subramanian of PGDM 2009-2011 batch who is himself quite good at it. As the JAM tradition goes the JAM Master performed his duty to the highest standards by testing the participants with the wackiest of topics. There were multiple rounds in which most participants from the previous round stayed on. However, based on the content and the sheer volume of words spoken Sachit Galhotra of PGDM 2010-2012 was declared the winner. While the Runner’s up position was shared by Chaitanya Joshi and Puneet Sarda, from PGDM 2010-2012. As a whole club Literati gave the students something they could enjoy without having the slightest of worries of knowing the jargons of Business, making business plans or strategizing to improve their brands. It was what people say to be “a true value for your money” event. The students would be eagerly waiting for more of such fun events being organized in the campus by Literati as well as all the other clubs and committees. By Nishant Singh Gahlot
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August, 2010
i-Lab When one sees a huge banyan tree giving shade to tired travelers and home to numerous birds, it’s mesmerizing to imagine that this tree was a tiny little seed. This is the delightfulness of life that small seeds one day grow into such great figures. With such great hopes a seed was planted in the soil of IMT Ghaziabad, on 2nd September when Innovation Lab was launched to facilitate budding entrepreneurs at IMT. E-Cell, IMT-Ghaziabad launched their novel concept Innovation Lab with a workshop by Mr. David Wittenberg, the founder and CEO of The Innovation Workgroup. A versatile and creative business leader, he has over 30 years of consulting, entrepreneurial, marketing and management experience in a broad range of industries and firms such as American Express, AT&T, Philip Morris, Standard & Poor’s, UPS, Reliance Industries, Tata and Ericsson. Today, he holds two patents, has written five books including the bestselling book: The Executive’s Guide to Innovation”, is a published songwriter, and has created four business solutions that have each generated more than $1 million. In his workshop Mr. Wittenberg emphasized on idea generation and gave students insights how successful entrepreneurs of these days have come up with such great ideas. His 3 step idea generation model “Discover”, “Invent” and “Refine” was appreciated by all. As always his presence brought an aura of enthusiasm along and the students were delighted to be a part of the workshop. Later Mr. Bipul Kumar coordinator of E-Cell gave a short presentation on Innovation Lab. While explaining this unique concept Mr. Kumar said that Innovation lab is a one of its kind platform where the only mandatory requirement is a strong entrepreneurial desire and the three stage unique pedagogy of Innovation Lab aims to expose the students to various stages of the entrepreneurial value chain wherein a student enters with a raw business idea and exits as a successful entrepreneur. Elaborating more on Innovation Lab he explained about the three phases in which it will work. Phase I comprise of various interactive workshops by distinguished Entrepreneurs, VCs and eminent faculty of IMT Ghaziabad, covering topics like Feasibility, sustainability and profitability of the plan, Market analysis for the product and its launch strategy, Involvement of VCs in a project and Financial, legal, regulatory and social constraints. Innovation Lab looks forward to provide students practical exposure by giving them opportunity to work on live projects with Startups in Phase II. Potential Start-ups and ideas generated from the students will be evaluated 28 | P a g e
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after Phase II and incubated in the Incubation Center facility at IMT Ghaziabad in Phase III. Evening was concluded with real life insights in the entrepreneurial world given by Mr. Sachin and Mr. Shishir, who are part of NITEE- Network of ICT entrepreneurs and enterprises. Mr. Imran, Coordinator of Innovation Lab said that their focus is on students who have an entrepreneurial desire and not necessarily on those who have Business Plans. He said that their main aim is to provide a cognitive environment where a student can generate and evaluate an idea through a step by step process. He also thanked Mr. Shadab Mobin, consultant for NEN, Delhi region for his presence and continued support to E-Cell IMT Ghaziabad. Compiled by Vineet Sehgal
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GLOBE TRADERS ‘10 Life at IMT never stops nor does the competition, whether it is the beginning of a month or the final few days of it. Globe Traders, one of the major events organized by club Globiz of IMT Ghaziabad proved it, as it tested the risk taking abilities of the budding managers at IMT Ghaziabad. The event was conducted around the central theme of Trading of International commodities, thus giving a platform to the participants to showcase their analytical and risktaking abilities. The participant’s sole motto in this event was to build a portfolio of commodities and maximise their values. The portfolios included 6 commodities from 6 countries. All the participants started with the same initial capital. Latest News related to specific market was flashed every now & then which possibly could have substantial effect on the prices of the given commodities. The teams had to interpret news in the right manner & then take the decision. The event consisted of two rounds, the first round was an elimination round where participants were given the six commodities, six countries and six currencies with exchange rate and price of each commodity in different countries. They were also provided with 12 news items about the commodities. After which they were asked to build a portfolio of commodities purchased by them as per their interpretation of the news. The event saw a huge response from the budding managers as, around 80 teams with 2 participants each participated in the event.
The top 12 teams with the highest net value of portfolio were selected for the second round, which was an open trading round. In this round the participants were shown some more news items and were allowed to buy or sell commodities between themselves or with a market maker on the basis of news flashed. As a whole the event was a huge success as it included both the fun and learning factors as an integral part of the event. The participants enjoyed the open trading round where they got the opportunity of experiencing an open market trading. Compiled by Nishant Singh Gahlot
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Coming BACK SOON!!!!
DARE to cHALLENGE yourselves 31 | P a g e
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August, 2010
Life @ IMT Ghaziabad
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