KIAMS celebrates its 25th Foundation Day in style and draws on its achievements to inspire students

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25^th November 2015 also happened to be the 25^th Foundation Day of KIAMS and practically everyone involved with the institute came together to celebrate it with aplomb. It was on this day in 1990 that Sri S.L Kirloskar laid the foundation for the institute that came into being with the goal to provide outstanding education; academic, social and extracurricular, and to create opportunities for all students to excel. Over the years it has managed to do just that and a whole lot more, which is visible in the achievements of its alumni, who remain the institute’s glorious ambassadors.

So it was also the day to look back on the sterling achievements of KIAMS and anticipate all that it has in store for students of today and tomorrow. The campus, venue for the revelries had taken on a festive look and the excitement was palpable all around. The day was made more special by the presence of Mr. Raghunath Medge, President of the Dabbawala Association Mumbai. It was also a big day for PGDM 1 toppers; Shruti Hariharan, who stood first, and Karen Saldhana and Surabhi Rathore, who ranked second. They were big winners at the prize distribution ceremony along with summer internship achievers, Rana Amar Singh (1^st prize) and Nikhil Stephen Daniel (2^nd prize).

Shruti also had the privilege of leading the gathering for the auspicious Invocation that started the proceedings for the day on a thoughtful note. The traditional lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries present in the gathering followed. There were big names from the industry and academia present for the occasion. The Chief Guest, Mr. Medge was then introduced by Ms. Gayathri Sunil Kumar, who talked about the dabbawallas in Mumbai, described as the Phenomenon by New York Times. Mr. Medge heads six sigma organization and it was interesting to note the work he has done over the years.

The Dabbawalla association has 5000 employees that deliver over a lakh tiffins in a day, and has statistically been shown to make one mistake in six million deliveries. While the students were informed about the history of the association, Mr. Medge talked about inflection point that organized business construction comes with perseverance. According to him, “A mix of hard work, dedication and militant commitment made the dabbawalla association a renowned, six – sigma organization, as described Forbes magazine.” His inspiring words were followed by a pat on the back for the meritorious students who were rewarded for their efforts during the prize distribution ceremony. But it was a day when everyone went back home with crucial takeaways and a of course a smile on their faces, after being a part of the special day for KIAMS.

KIAMS hosts an Assessment Centre for Kirloskar Group employees; tests their competencies and leads them in the right direction

The Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies (KIAMS), recently held an Assessment Centre for employees of the Kirloskar group. The initiative, held between 16^th and 24^th December, attracted 70 employees from companies such as KBL, KPCL, KFIL– and KITL. It turned out to be an interesting exercise for the participants and assessors, and ended up bringing an extra level of high energy and enthusiasm to the campus.

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The participants came in four groups of between 17 and 18 each, and also included women employees from the companies. They got a chance to spend two days with renowned faculty members including Dr. Gopal Iyengar, Dr. Janaki Naik, Dr. V. S. Pai, Prof. Bidyanand Jha, Prof. Anand, Prof Seshasayee, who acted as assessors. The carefully-planned exercises and activities involved a fair amount of thinking and doing, which was an engaging challenge for the participants.

Some of the important activities which formed part of Day 1 included creating a logo, case presentation and presenting business issues. It gave assessors a chance to judge the participants on several levels including imagination, innovation, stress management and emotional maturity.

Day 2 involved activities such as Nails, Three Island, Capture the Market and Presentation –My Venture. Finally, the participants had to go through an interview, which not only tested their initiative, but drive and assertiveness as well.

The professionals gave these activities and exercise their best shot and the competition was fierce. What made things more interesting was they were marked for every exercise. This was done on a scale from 1 to 5, with one being the lowest. Participants did their best to score well on each of these counts.

Participants enjoyed the fact that the whole process was a good blend of qualitative and quantitative analysis that tested their mental faculties. They particularly were challenged by the fact that, at times, they had to think on their feet and out of the box, which they found invigorating. And that somehow seemed to gel well with the idea of an Assessment centre like this.

They reported that they returned from the centre feeling energized, motivated and with a clearer vision than ever before about how they wanted to go embark on their future journey.

While the participants gained a lot from the initiative, the assessors also took back a lot of positive energy from it. There was a general consensus that they thoroughly enjoyed the process and found it quite exciting. Moreover, they loved the fact that they were kept on their toes for two days with every group of students. Thus it turned out to be an 8-day Assessment Centre that ended up creating a win-win situation for all. Added to that was the energetic buzz it brought to the campus.

“There is a need to think through the whole approach and rediscover HR’s role” believes alumnus Mr. Manish Tiwari, Manager HR, Tata Power Company Limited

From the nervous student on his first day at KIAMS to being the HR manager at Tata Power Company Limited, Mr. Manish Tiwari has come a long way. It’s a fulfilling, decade long professional journey that began at KIAMS in the year of 1999 and has been a rewarding experience for him. And to think that he took an impromptu decision of joining the institute makes his story all the more exciting and the journey more eventful. Now being the Manager HR at Tata Power Company Limited, Mr. Manish shares with us few valuable insights about KIAMS, HR domain and the industry at large.

Mr. Tiwari, a student of Batch 4 at the institute goes down the memory lane as he remembers his initial days at KIAMS. “I chose the PGDM program with this institute because of known and trusted name of Kirloskar attached to it. Initially I was quite nervous but am glad I took this decision. Over the period of two years the institute nurtured me and gave me the confidence and competence to face the real corporate world out there,” he says.

KIAMS offered Mr. Tiwari the right platform to launch his professional career from. And it was through campus placement that his professional sojourn began. He remembers, “It was Gammon India Limited, and I worked with the company for two years. I joined the company as a management trainee and my work involved long hours on the field for recruitment and talent development activities. But I believe it contributed to my professional ethics to a great extent.”

Over the years, Mr. Tiwari has managed to carve a niche for himself in the field of Human Resources. It’s a constantly evolving domain of profession that is gaining more power and decision making authority with each passing day. What does he make of the changing scenario in his field? “There is a continuous effort towards making HR more strategic for organisations but the truth is that it is still perceived to play the role of only providing services to its employees. The possible way forward is to increase focus on a strategic role and making service delivery processes more efficient through outsourcing and use of technology,” he says matter-of-factly.

While Mr. Tiwari remains practical about the positioning of HR in organizations today, he can’t deny the growing importance of HR managers. Being one himself, he sheds some light on the role and responsibilities of HR managers, and things that can be done to better their performance. “HR managers can play active roles by identifying and tracking talented individuals who are not only competent but team players as well. It’s the need of our times but HR managers face a practical problem that they can’t be everywhere,” he says.

But that doesn’t mean there’s no way out of the quandary for HR managers. Mr. Tiwari himself offers a suggestion, “There is a need to think through the whole approach of HR positioning in organizations and rediscover HR’s role. We need to increase its area of influence through more data collection points and analyzing trends,” he adds.

Given all that’s at stake and responsibilities on his shoulders, does Mr. Tiwari manage to maintain the work-life balance that many in the corporate world struggle with. Again with his refreshing candour he explains, “In Indian context ‘work life balance’ is still far from practice. It is a desired state and contemplation but lacks completeness. Improved economy and higher level of awareness can force the corporate world to look into it more creatively and inclusively in the future. An increasing number of women employees joining the corporate sector can give further impetus to this mission.”

So being dedicated to their work with a lot of stamina and high tolerance for ambiguity is something Mr. Tiwari expects out of future aspirants. He also advises future HR professionals to be more realistic of their prospects. “We may or may not get an environment conducive to learning and growth in an organization but one can do a lot by observing and staying inquisitive to learn new things. That helps immensely,” he says.

These are the qualities that Mr. Tiwari himself showed, which have led to his inspiring professional journey so far. But he plays it down as he concludes, “It has been a journey of self discovery and a continuous effort of keeping oneself relevant with changing times.” Clearly, it’s something he’s managed to do brilliantly thus far.

‘KIAMS Made Me What I Am Today’

Ashim Chahal
PGDM General

But I wasn’t too sure of my decision even as I joined KIAMS. I even thought of shifting to another college at one point. I am glad I didn’t. We had a small and interactive peer group. The batch was supportive, yet extremely competitive. A peer group of 11 boys and 16 girls, our main focus was on maintaining our GPA throughout.

Doing my majors in marketing and finance, I was able to easily strike the right balance between studies and fun. In the first year, we used to enjoy our journey to the hostel from college. The time spent with each other is something that is deeply engraved in my heart. On getting to the hostel, I focused on studying. Now that in 2nd year we have considerably fewer classes, we have more time for fun. Studies are never affected and we keep the right balance. I think this is one of the benefits of our small peer group.

Professor Sunil BrijKishan is one member of the faculty I am deeply indebted to. His Business Communication classes helped me overcome my stage fright and helped me to develop skills and confidence in public speaking.

All this greatly helped me in my summer internship where I joined Liberty Shoes as a finance researcher. My job was research intensive. I have now been placed at Genpact in the management department. My job profile is growth-oriented and is inclined towards statistical research.

I believe that not being nervous and just being myself has helped me greatly in securing this job. KIAMS has been instrumental in my growth as an individual. For this, and for everything that life has to offer now, I am grateful to KIAMS for making me what I am today.

Ashim Chahal

PGDM General

‘Diversity At KIAMS Brought Us Together, Helped Us Evolve’

Divya Kanoudia 
PGDM General

I joined KIAMS after completing graduation in Chemistry Hons. from Jamshedpur, my home town. KIAMS has been a valuable addition to my educational profile. It is here that I have learnt to think rationally and to analyse situations from different perspectives. The campus and the faculty more than made up for the otherwise dull city though initially I was scared to join the college. My first ever class at KIAMS was of Marketing with Ananth Ram Sir. I have majored in finance. My roommates were from the Southern and Western parts of the country. Our diverse eating habits, accents, etc. was something that brought all of us even closer. Most of the students in my batch were from Gujarat.

A particular Haryanvi friend of mine has been a great source of inspiration to me at KIAMS. His pleasing talking style and even the way he walks is something I admire. Also, it was great fun to teach the many South Indian, Marathi and Gujarati friends of ours Hindi. Funnily, I found it difficult to learn any of their languages.

One major benefit of being at KIAMS was the cultural and educational diversity it had. This diversity helped me in acquiring different perspectives to every problem I faced. The diversity at KIAMS has helped us evolve as individuals. KIAMS has been instrumental in shaping my personality from an immature, childish and confusedfresher into a mature, responsible and patient individual. I have gained a lot during my years at KIAMS.

“It has given me the flexibility to adjust to every situation I might ever face.”

Divya Kanoudia

PGDM General

Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies Hires Professor Ashok Patil for Corporate Finance

From a management student to associate professor at the Global Business School, Hubli to an associate professor at KIAMS, it has been a natural progression for Prof. Ashok Patil who joined the KIAMS team last month. Prof. Patil excels in the field of corporate finance, a subject he is teaching at KIAMS.

“Being a management student myself – I am pursuing my PhD as well – I know my subject and also the importance of imparting education the right way,” he says. On being asked how he makes his classes more interesting and engaging, he says: “I involve the students in group discussions in order to bring out new ideas, encourage role-play to practice real-time market scenarios and conduct question-answer sessions wherein I clarify their doubts. All these elements are an integral part of my classroom sessions to help the students pick up things easily.”

To create a better understanding of the various aspects of management, Prof. Patil says he picks up live examples. All the management workshops he has attended, he says, come in handy as he incorporates all those teaching methods in his own sessions.

As far as prerequisites for a good manager are concerned, Prof. Patil says, a manager should be able to analyze a situation appropriately before making any decision. “He must be a quick decision-maker and result-oriented,” he adds. “Managers should be dynamic and keep themselves abreast of the latest in their field,” he says, confident KIAMS will be able to help the students achieve this objective. “They should be up-to-date and should be analytical in decision making.”

Prof. Patil has been an achiever in his own right. His passion for teaching has helped him bag a number of prizes including second prize at the National Conference on Entrepreneurship and Business Development in India. He was also chosen for having the best paper in the technical seminar Track C-101. One of his papers, ‘Role of Trust and Control in Financial Services Outsourcing: An Empirical Study’ has been accepted in a peer reviewed journal. Another paper, ‘A Critical Review of Outsourcing, Off shoring and Offshore Outsourcing of Financial Services’ has been submitted for approval at the Institute of Management Education and Research, Belgium.

KIAMS is happy to welcome Prof. Patil on board and looks forward to this high value addition to the PGDM course.

Mafoi Next Stop For Drishya Vijayan

Drishya, a management graduate from KIAMS, recently was selected for the position of Account Manager at Mafoi. She got this opportunity through campus placement. “Though I was not very keen on giving interviews to the recruiters who came down for campus placements, my family and friends thought I should give it a shot and I actually made it,” said Drishya.

Asked about her professional journey so far, Drishya said she joined Infosys after her graduation. Working at Infosys gave her good experience, but she soon realized in order to grow professionally she would have to get more education and eventually decided to join a management program at KIAMS.

“Joining KIAMS was a wise decision. I have learned a lot during my two-year stay at the campus,” said Drishya. She said it has been a great experience studying at KIAMS. Drishya spoke at length about how they worked in teams which gave them good exposure to team dynamics. She praised the KIAMS faculty for being supportive and co-operative. “KIAMS teachers are wonderful,” she said.

Asked about her interview rounds and experience with the interview panel at Mafoi, she said students first appeared in a group discussion round and their performance in this round determined who was selected for interviews. In the interview, she was asked questions related to her work experience at Infosys and her experience at KIAMS. Drishya said: “They asked about my experience at Infosys and the add-ons that I got from KIAMS. They basically wanted to understand if I met their expectations”.

Drishya is really thankful to the faculty members and her seniors at KIAMS who helped her learn and grow as an individual and made her confident enough to face the challenges that may arise in her professional career. She said at KIAMS she learned how to strike a balance between her personal and professional life.

Drishya will be joining Mafoi Management Consultants Ltd., Chennai, on April 2 and is really looking forward to assuming the role given to her.

KIAMS Graduates Gear Up To Rule The Corporate World

Launching their the Class of 2012 in the corporate world with best wishes and high expectations, the prestigious Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies (KIAMS) will conduct its Convocation Ceremony on March 27, 2012. The ceremony will be held at a specially constructed pandal in Pune where all graduating students would be awarded their diplomas.

The ceremony will begin with the convocation process and then the invocation. Once the invocation is over, the President of the institute will declare the convocation open. After the traditional lighting of lamp jointly by the Chief Guest, President, Director and parents, the guests will be welcomed warmly by the president of the institute, who will also introduce the Chief Guest of the ceremony- Dr. Naushad Forbes.

Then the stage would be taken over by Gopal Iyengar, Director of the institute. He would take the ceremony forward by presenting the academic report of the  year gone by. Then the esteemed Chief Guest will address the students of the institute.

Dr Naushad Forbes is Director of Forbes Marshall, India’s leading Steam Engineering and Control Instrumentation firm. He is the CEO of the Steam Engineering Companies within the group. He is on the board of Kirloskar Engines India Ltd, Godrej Industries Limited, Ruby Hall Hospital, Jump Associates LLC, California, Stanford Alumni Association, Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, NITIE, He is the Past Chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (Western Region) and currently a National Council member of CII.

 He pursued his education at the highly acclaimed Stanford University, and now serves as a visiting faculty member at Stanford’s Industrial Management School. He is instrumental in developing courses in Technology and Policy in newly industrialized countries. He is a highly respected name in the field of management. His journey and achievements will deeply inspire the students, and this motivation will go a long way as they embark on their journey into the corporate world.

There is lot of excitement among the students as they will get rewarded for their hard work and dedication. Having the best possible training from renowned and experienced teachers, a grueling academic routine and internships, these students are all set to rule the corporate world in near future. What is interesting to note that unlike previous years where only the topper was awarded a gold medal for his academic excellence, this year a silver medal will also be presented to graduate who scores the second highest grade.

Once all the certificates and medals are presented, students will gather for group photographs so that they can capture the cherished moments for a lifetime. After that a sumptuous lunch will be served so that the ceremony ends on a positive and happy note.

Negotiating through Newer Relationships and Capabilities: A Talk with Prof. Akash Mathapati of Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies

Kirloskar Insitute of Advanced Management Studies (KIAMS) has all that it takes to build and foster a successful manager – for the stakes are high. Research shows that between half and three-quarters of business alliances fail due to poor relationship marketing. Today’s economic climate requires them to have a quick turnover while lowering costs and increasing the amount of functionality they can deliver. This climate thus mandates that organizations master at least three critical skills to ensure that performance goals are being met: metrics, negotiation and relationship management.

To address the topic of how to make alliances or relationships succeed, we spoke to Prof. Akash Mathapati, Sr. Lecturer, BBA, MBA who teaches Relationship Marketing, Marketing Management and Brand Management to the students of KIAMS. With 6 years of rich industry work experience behind him, Mathapati gives us fantastic insight into the emerging need of relationship management and outlines what students and budding managers can do to move this from an individual skill into the realm of an organizational capability. He is also a frequent writer and speaker on issues of Brand Personality and Consumer Buying Behaviour, having presented papers in International Conferences and Research Publications.

“When I talk about Relationship Management” he says, “I incorporate it as a holistic distinction between two different kinds of RM. The first kind is focused on a particular transaction or relationship say, with a customer. The second is focused on organizational capability, i.e. what processes, tools, and skills does the organization need to have in place with its suppliers, vendors & other stakeholders to have a truly effective RM.” said Prof. Mathapati.

He adds that, “Ultimately, the cost of a bad relationship can be the outright failure or sub- optimization of the enterprise or effort.” Simply put, a poor relationship can prevent an effort from delivering up to its potential. “The fact that individuals and organizations have different interests, cultures etc. is the reason you need a RM. We all have different sets of experiences, and we interpret data in different ways and thus form conclusions. All of these differences need to be managed.”

Indeed the job opportunities are fairly moving up in this vertical (such as Banking, and IT and ITes Services) as more and more companies are realising to the inadequate attention of the working relationship as being a major cause of failure of an alliance, be it with a customer, supplier or a vendor.

Presenting KIAMS to The Public is Brand Club’s Goal

Spreading the word about Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies (KIAMS) is the aim of the Brand Club. Their goal, said co-ordinators, is “to bring to the world news, events and happenings of KIAMS that have a positive effect on our lives, every day.” There are seven members who co-ordinate the various activities of the Brand Club, which include making sure various events like quizzes, seminars and B-plan competitions are always on the agenda for the benefit of the batch. KIAMS organizes various events throughout the year and the co-ordinators said: “Our club’s work is to publicize these events through various social media networks.” Being involved in the Brand Club serves to enhance the educational experience they are receiving at KIAMS.

“Organizing the various events of KIAMS gives us hands-on experience and gives an opportunity to learn things not taught in books. It makes us street smart,” said the co-ordinators. It also allows them to put textbook theories into practice at the events. “Various theories like the Gantt Chart have been used by us to keep the events running smoothly,” they said. Their work, however, is not without challenges which have to be overcome.

“A common challenge we face every day is the language barrier and we keep good contact with the locals, who help us in the various events like some research work and Pragati-type events.” Choosing to have co-ordinators rather than a leader or president tends to make the task of running the club less demanding. “Having co-ordinators is in fact easier,” they said, “because all of us are equally adept at handling the various activities of the club. The team functions as a whole and things are divided as and when they arise.” While it is a student-run club, faculty member are always on hand to help whenever they are needed.

“Ours is a student club which highlights the various student activities organized by the batch,” said the co-ordinators. “The faculty plays a supervisory role whenever necessary.”