Learning for the real world indeed…

Its different at CBS. Looking back at the past two months, its been an array of industry interaction and learning. Rarely are skill sets required for the industry given as inputs in an induction program. It is usually given as a capsule just before placements! Not so at CBS. Going by the saying- a good start is half the job done, CBS has exposed us to the realities of business and industry expectations to give us a focus in our year ahead. A glimpse of the initial industry sessions:

Careers in the Banking Industry

“Banking Industry in India is buzzing with opportunities” – Mr. Karthik from the Corporate Banking Sector in HSBC started his session with these words. Briefing us about the processes involved in a bank, he explained the various verticals and the career opportunities in them. He also highlighted the different job roles and the skill sets required at each level. It was a highly informative and interactive session that helped us appreciate the opportunities and the requirements of the banking industry.

Contributed by Kalai Vani, Marcom Varsity, CBS Batch 4, 2009-10

Marketing & Communication

Branding and Advertising are normally looked-on as highly glamorous careers. Mr. Prakash the President of the most prestigious ad agency in India, O&M (Ogilvy & Mather), through his informative session helped us understand that advertising is not only about being creative- there’s a lot of science behind the creativity. We were enlightened on the highly competitive and dynamic market conditions and the importance of Branding and PR. A truly thought provoking and interactive session indeed.

Contributed by Sandeep, Marcom Varsity, CBS Batch 4, 2009-10

IT Industry

Mr. Ganesh Subramaniam, a Senior Consultant in TCS shared his thoughts on the current IT scenario in India. He highlighted the importance of understanding the customer and elaborated client requirements in the industry. Through this session we learnt how to equip ourselves to match industry expectations.

Contributed by Yogesh Jadav, Marcom Varsity, CBS Batch 4, 2009-10

The BPO sector

There are a lot of things happening in this sector- both ups and downs. We had an interactive session with Mr Raghunandan (CEO) and Miss Latha (Consultant-HR) from Athena Info Consulting. The session focused not only on the issues about the current economic conditions but also on the emerging career opportunities in IT and BPO in India, giving not one but many perspectives about the industry and its growth. We realized that the possibilities are virtually unlimited. On the whole, it was yet another very engaging and informative discussion that we had in a week's time.

Contributed by Mohan Vikram, HR Varsity, CBS Batch 4, 2009-10

Manufacturing

Mr. Muthhukumar Tanu from TAFE explained the value-chain from product concept to market and highlighted the role of manufacturing in it. He spoke on the various career opportunities available down the value chain and made us ponder where our skill sets would fit-in. He elaborated on a variety of industries such as pharma, agri, food etc. and the importance of manufacturing in them. A truly inspiring session indeed!

Contributed by Manoj, IT Varsity, CBS Batch 4, 2009-10

Business Communication & Soft Skills

We were introduced to this important aspect of management education by Ms Ramya from Gyana, the professional training academy. She took us through the importance of communication skills, personality development, body language and the need for a positive attitude. Through real life examples, she helped us understand how different people react to different situations and also the importance of cross-cultural behavior. A very informative session which helped us realize how we should prepare ourselves for the real world tomorrow.

Contributed by Dipesh. C. Jain, BFS Varsity, CBS Batch 4, 2009-10

Interaction with the alumni

With most of our alumni well placed in the corporate world, what better way to learn about career opportunities and skills required than from them! Interaction with the alumni has given us sufficient inputs on how to make the most of our time at CBS, so that we could succeed in our careers ahead. With most of the academic inputs given through professionals and in a more practical way, we are sure of a fulfilling and successful year ahead in learning for the real world.

Contributed by Samiksha Lal, Marcom Varsity, CBS Batch 4, 2009-10

HRM- The strategic edge

The HRM function has gained critical significance in today’s corporate world, more so in the IT and ITES Sector. This fact was emphasized by Ms. Angelyn Jayaseelan, Associate General Manager-HR at Hexaware Technologies, who shared her rich experience and some latest developments in the HR field with us. An expert in the HR field, Ms Angelyn has worked with a variety of companies such as S&S Power Switchgear Limited, Ford India and iNautix Technologies, before joining Hexaware. She beautifully connected the various HR functions with the practices at Hexaware and highlighted some of the innovative initiatives adopted by their company. Using the famous “Hare & Tortoise Story” she reiterated the importance of team work, especially in today’s corporate scenario. We were enlightened on recruitment through Assessment Centers, the various feedback and appraisal mechanisms and competency mapping- the latest developments in the HR field. The one hour interaction with her and the Q&A that followed left us motivated and inspired to reach to greater heights in our careers.

Contributed by Syed Nihal Hussain, HR Varsity, CBS Batch 4, 2009-10

A creative interaction

“Creativity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual”

The campus was abuzz with activity. From ropes to shoe laces to ID card strings and duppatas- nothing was left out! The challenge was to create the longest straight line with what was available in and around. The next day, the challenge was to build the tallest tower! The occasion was the session on creativity by Mr. Rahool Saksena, an exceptionally creative person, interacting with us through his varied and rich experiences. Through interesting exercises, activities and visuals he illustrated how creativity is all about out-of-the-box thinking. He deftly explained the right-left conflict in the brain and emphasized that to be creative, one must not be restricted by conditional thinking and perception. He left us spell bound with his masterpieces - a visiting card holder (made for a client promoting a leading brand of cycles) using cycle parts- the cycle chain and mud guard; a giraffe made out of a discarded stapler; a wooden carving of Abdul Kalam; a man sitting on a chair reading a newspaper (made out of newspaper, for a leading publishing house) and many more. We were amazed how creativity could transform junk or trash into such amazing work of art. He showcased the various methods in which creativity can be used to advertise for products in dark markets. It was a session where each of us ended up deciding that we will make a creative imprint for ourselves and for those around us. Hats off to Mr. Rahool Saksena for making us think about a side of us which many of us hadn’t explored yet.

Contributed by Trisha Saxena, HR Varsity, CBS Batch 4, 2009-10

“Creativity is the mother of intelligence” was rightly said and proved true by Mr. Rahool Saksena. He, in his own creative way taught us and made us appreciate that it is possible to achieve greater heights by following our hearts and thinking creatively. We played a lot of games and solved many puzzles which actually made us realize that given any situation we can think in a different way and come through successfully.

Contributed by Priya Chopra, BFS Varsity, CBS Batch 4, 2009-10

A stimulating simulated session!

“You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation” – this quote, voices the opinion of the entire batch on the Management Games conducted by Mantis. The only thing is that instead of an hour, it stretched over a day. We were promised an entire day of absolutely not having to study or sit with books, a day when all that we had to do was to interact with each other and have fun and most importantly a day that would dispel our fear of numbers and calculation.....and Dr. Vinod Dumblekar made sure that this promise was kept.

Mantis is the country’s only organisation devoted solely to non-formal learning including simulation games for management and other education. Mantis is managed and led by Dr. Vinod in partnership, association and networks with other professionals, academia and researchers in India and abroad. Dr. Vinod put us through a stimulating session of simulation where we had to assume roles of a CFO, CMO or COO and play our part. It was challenging and a wonderful learning experience as we were exposed to various harsh realities of the business environment. We were provided a Quarterly Report of a manufacturing company that we had to manage for the next two quarters. We had to plan and strategise various aspects such as production of the plant, pricing of raw materials, selling price, advertisement cost and dealer commission in about 45 minutes. At the end of it, the quarterly result of each team was published and we were able to see and analyse the implications of our decisions. It was highly competitive and exciting as eight teams were vying against one another in terms of production capacity and market share.

Planning for the second quarter gave us an opportunity to learn from our mistakes that we committed in the first quarter. Dr. Vinod made things tougher for us in the second quarter by introducing another product to the existing product line. We prepared the Quarterly Report for the second quarter and the reports of all the teams were analysed. The game helped us understand the concepts of balance sheet, income statements and cash statements better. Furthermore, it emphasised the importance of communication and decision making within a cross functional team.

On the whole, the session was interesting and informative and delivered what CBS truly believes in – “Learning for the real world”

Contributed by Meena Ganesh Ram, HR Varsity, CBS Batch 4, 2009-10.