Walk the Talk...

There are some who preach for a season... there are some who preach for a reason... but how many of them actually practice what they preach...? Its been three months since the trendsetters have begun their journey to El Dorado. We are riding on a lot of expectations... from our parents, peers, the MBS family. Since this program is the first of its kind, we were all wet behind the ears when we started. The never ending fight with the syllabus is still on. When we first started off, we knew that the ride is not be easy. Its bumpy, its supposed to be. Dakar rally is a walk in the park. We went on conquering peaks after peaks. Each ride brought something new, new obstacles, new impasse, new deadlines. But each obstacle was a challenge, each impasse was a new beginning, deadline was a race. In this Milky way of Management schools dominated by the giants, we are just at the learning curve. But I am dead sure that the giant slayers are born. They are just around the corner. They will not pounce on them, No Siree... They will take them head on... Step by step... One by one... They are US... Its our time now... Battles will be fought... Wars will be won... This is not just talk... We gonna walk the talk... from 4/10 to 8/10 we have come a long way... We are growing... No... We are evolving... Every passing day... Every passing moment is taking us closer to the Coveted Trophy... We have survived till now... and we will keep on this performance in the near future... Trendsetters will be immortal... What needs is undeterred dedication, motivation and the unquenchable thirst for betterment... By the guidance of our mentors, we can and we will... We have impressed the demi-gods of the world... We will rise... We will make out smiling samurai proud... Trust us... We gonna make it big...

Bhushan Vishwasrao
Trendsetter # 30
a proud MBSite

MBS celebrates the spirit of Corporate with ZeitGeist...

So here we were, at Orchid, 5:30 in the evening for the birth for a phenomenon. ZeitGeist was the event every trendsetter in MBS was working hard for over the past 2 months. All the drama and music over the toiling two months had boiled down to this day. All 30 of the PGPM spring 2009 batch were present like knights in shining armour, waiting for the event to unroll. The guest list was stupendous with the likes of A. Mahendran, Dr. Bala Balachandran and Dr.Jagdish Seth present as the mentors and torch bearers of the Mumbai business School family. The spirit was in the air. ZeitGeist meaning ‘Spirit of the time’, was chosen as the name for this mega event. The time has arrived for MBS to unleash its first ever batch of Day 1 job ready managers.
The event started off with the inauguration ceremony and lighting of lamp for the blessings of the almighty. It was followed by speeches of the board of directors of the school. Then the real deal began. Never had we witnessed the honkos of the corporate world play a game of ‘hired or fired’. Followed by a video of the trendsetters journey so far with MBS. A small skit on the dreams and aspirations of the young minds of today followed. It was a wonderful sight a class full of dreams and ambitions ranging from Bollywood actors to a tantrik baba bangali. The hero though was a dreamer who wanted to become a Job ready MBA and travel the road less trodden.
It was an event that will be remembered by the students forever. Because its the beginning of a tradition. Batches will come and go but the legacy of Zeitgeist will continue forever. The interaction that the young dreamers of MBS had with the who’s who of corporate was the main theme of this program. Hence the event did not have the usual dance troop performances or the we-are-better-than-the-rest themes. Instead it had a dinner party wherein the trendsetters had a chance to talk to their heros and idols.
Overall the central idea of having a corporate event was achieved. Thanks to the efforts and support of our Smiling Samurai, Dr. Sunil Rai and the entire team, the guys got a chance to shake hands with their demi-gods. The evening of 17th july 2009 will always be remembered as the dawn of a new era, when 30 thirsty minds bathed in the Ganges of knowledge and experience.

Bhushan Vishwasrao

Trendsetter # 30

a proud MBSite

Effort and Understanding

Effort and Understanding
Having It Easy



Our lives are an exercise in facing challenges. We dream the grandest of dreams as youngsters only to discover that we must cultivate copious inner strength and determination in order to meet our goals. Our hard work does not always yield the results we expect. And it is when we find ourselves frustrated by the trials we face or unable to meet our own expectations that we are most apt to take notice of those individuals who appear to accomplish great feats effortlessly. Some people’s lives seem to magically fall into place. We can see the blessings they have received, the ease with which they have attained their desires, their unwavering confidence, and their wealth. But, because we can never see the story of their lives as a whole, it is important that we refrain from passing judgment or becoming envious.

Throughout our lives, we glimpse only the outer hull of others’ life experiences, so it’s tempting to presuppose that the abundance they enjoy is the result of luck rather than diligent effort. In a small number of cases, our assumptions may mirror reality. But very few people “have it easy.” Everyone must overcome difficulties and everyone has been granted a distinctive set of talents with which to do so. An individual who is highly gifted may nonetheless have to practice industriously and correct themselves repeatedly in order to cultivate their talents. Their myriad accomplishments are more likely than not the result of ongoing hard work and sacrifice. You, no doubt, have natural abilities that you have nurtured and your gifts may be the very reason you strive as tirelessly as you do. Yet others see only the outcome of your efforts and not the efforts themselves

Our intellects, our hearts, and our souls are constantly being tested by the universe. Life will create new challenges for you to face each time you prove yourself capable of overcoming the challenges of the past. What you deem difficult will always differ from that which others deem difficult. The tests you will be given will be as unique as you are. If you focus on doing the best you can and making use of the blessings you have been granted, the outcome of your efforts will be a joyous reflection of your dedication.

Cheers!!!
Haider Jasdan

How U.S. Firms Benefit When The Dollar Falls..

Many investors are programmed to believe that a decline in the value of the U.S. dollar is a bad thing. But what's interesting about a weak dollar is the profit opportunities it presents investors with. A falling dollar diminishes its purchasing power internationally, and that eventually translates to the consumer level. For example, a weak dollar increases the cost to import oil, causing oil prices to rise. This means a dollar buys less gas and that pinches many consumers.

While that scenario is unfortunate, investors can have their revenge, so to speak, by investing in the stocks of U.S. multinational corporations. Oftentimes, these are companies that investors are already familiar with. They are among the biggest companies not only in the States, but in the world, and earn a significant portion of their profits overseas. As more emerging markets acquire a taste for American products, these companies will send more products across the globe, boosting their bottom lines and perhaps shareholder returns.

Winston Dsouza

Godrej Saralee Updated....

Godrej Consumer Products is looking to acquire control of its FMCG joint venture with US- based Sara Lee Corp that manufactures insect repellents, among other things.

Godrej Sara Lee is the joint venture between Sara Lee and Godrej. The US firm holds 51 per cent stake in the JV, while Mumbai-based Godrej group (MD: A. Mahendran, Chairman: Mumbai Business School) has the remaining 49 per cent.

"There is a possibility of us buying out 51 per cent share of Sara Lee under the right circumstances and conditions," Godrej Group of Industries Chairman Adi Godrej said in an interview.

He said the company has already announced that it is buying the stake of Godrej industries in the 40-year old Godrej Sara Lee and the deal is consolidated.

Shares of the two companies will be swaped effective from June 1 and the total issued capital of Godrej Consumer Products' will increase by about 22 per cent, he said.

Asked if the company is looking at growing through the inorganic route, Godrej said, "We would like to grow considerably through the inorganic route. We have cash in our books with the possibility of further leveraging our balance sheet."

"I think over a period of time the international salience will also increase because a lot of our inorganic opportunities are outside India and we are going through acquisitions outside India," he added.

Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/stocks-in-news-home/Godrej-to-buy-out-Sara-Lees-stake/articleshow/4819779.cms

Mr. A. Mahendran is Managing Director of Godrej Sara lee and also Chairman of India's leading B-School " Mumbai Business School ". A. Mahendran's effective management styles and practices are leading Godrej Sara lee and Mumbai Business School to grand success.

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Prof. Ton Van Bilson
Former Senior Vice President, Saralee International

Cheers!!!
Sunny Mahajan
PGPM 09s

Trendsetter #16

Zeitgeist and the move on....

So here we are… Zeitgeist – our baby is done with… The trendsetters are proud, we have just started off a tradition. Our first corporate event was a success. It was great fun all through the last two months… Just the night before Zeitgeist I was talking to Bhushan – the professor with a goatie – seems like it was just yesterday, when we named our event Zeitgeist – seems like it was just yesterday, when we formed committees to plan and organize the event – seems like it was just yesterday when we received our instructions to manage the show by the Smiling Samurai a.k.a. Dr. Sunil Rai. Time has flown, time has been cherished, just substantiates why we named the event – Zeitgeist –“Spirit of the time”. All those days of brainstorming, on how we would do this and do that has paid off well. Though there were a lot of eleventh hour decisions we took, we pretty much enjoyed preparing and conducting the event. I must mention, the dignitaries made the event more special… Dr. Bala Bala Chandran was awesome, he interacted with all of us initially… sad that he had to leave early. Dr. Jagdish Sheth is a killer – I mean he is just so so inspiring. I have no words to explain how we felt interacting with him. He is an institution by himself. He is … I don’t know what to write, anything said is not enough. Prof. Ton was so engrossed in the event, we can’t wait to have him here in August when he starts off his lectures in our second term. Mr. A Mahendran – we felt so special to have our chairman, he made us feel like a family… And I shouldn’t forget Dr. Sunil Rai – the man behind the show, our support, our mentor… he was just the way he always is ( in fact he has promised us an outbound trip at the end of the term to mark our success). On a special note, not to forget everyone at MBS, The Dean – Dr. Rakesh P Singh, Prof. Girish, the PGPM team, the admin team, everyone… they all made it happen.
Last but not the least… Trendsetters we rocked… without each other this wouldn’t have been possible…. J

Nikhil Neelakantan

Trendsetters # 22

Dreams and beyond...

Dreams and beyond...

Humans are the ‘ Sons and daughters of Adam and Eve’... We are the smartest species on earth... Not the Dolphins ( According to Douglas Adams...) What differentiates us from other creatures of Gaia is not only our ability to laugh but also the ability to dream... Dream is a very vague word... We dream about the most weird things... but these so called things keep us goin... Imagine this world if Hitler would not have dreamt of Germany to be a world power... or Agamemnon not dreaming of winning Troy... or Achilles not wanting to be immortal... or the quest of Alexander... We would have been very different... The very essence of Homo sapiens sapiens’ dreams is the ability to think of the future... the way they go about it... the way they achieve their targets... The targets they have set in their Dreams...

So when Haider was thinking of an apt topic for a play at ZeiGeist, he had to come up with this topic... So we are trying to portrait a classroom of under-graduates... the people we were some years ago... at the entrance of adulthood... in our early 20’s... when we thought ‘World is our playground’... when we thought ‘ The world will play on our fingers’.... Some ambitions... Some dreams... So this is a story about a bunch of students chasing the impossible... And a guy who wanted to take a path less trodden... I am the professor... I have an over- zealous bunch of students... In my class i have an actor, supermodel,, Politician, Housewife... the kind of dreams we all have... or have had in the earlier times... What happens in the class then is total chaos... What happens after that will be told after ZeitGeist...

In the mean time... during the rehearsals its good fun... People forgetting dialogues... Can u imagine... we know others dialogues but not ours... We have a smarty politician, an actor with mix of all other actors, a savvy model, a hyper baba bangali, an Indian idol who thinks he’s the talent India needs( who alone thinks....) a couple of backbenchers and a Prof who refuses to shave off his goatee( that’s me :P )... Crazy lot... M very sure the guys coming for the function are in for a surprise... Am sure they can see a lot of themselves in us...

So thats the story as of now... Hope Mr. Director doesn’t mind me givin u a few hints about his creation... hehe...

I’ll conclude this with a Johnny Depp quote: “ With any part you play, there is a certain amount of yourself in it. There has to be otherwise its not acting. Its lying.”

Kudos guys... Cheers...

Boom... Boom... Boom...

The whole class was gearing up to receive Dr. Vaidy Jayaraman from Miami University for operations management. We had certain inhibition, as a professor of such high esteem (as matter of fact…his profile goes like this…M.S., M.B.A and Ph.D. and more than 15 years of experience as academician) coming and handling a course and most of guys are naïve.
On the very first day, he entered the class on dot and started off the class with casual talks and jokes. We were really carried away by the name calling exercise and he recalled the whole of our class names in 10 mins flat.
”Cheers”…is now the buzz word in our class as he put it on often…
He uses dramatic gesture in the class to make us pay attention for intricate details he gives during the lecture. Yaa…indeed his way of conducting classes is definitely unique.
Oh…man he calculates the numbers very fast; he writes answers on the board even before we do the same with our fancy calculators.
On his own way…he is really Bhoom…Bhoom…Bhoom…
Uhhh…Operations management classes for the term one got over. Thanks for Dr. Vaidy Jayaraman for making our life easy.

Thank you sir, for squeezing yourself and finding some time for us. We really look forward for next term course with you.

Cheers…

Siva .T.S
Trendsetter #27

Public speaking…

Is public speaking that difficult…Seems not…We felt so after Prof. Antony Thomas’ public speaking session…Once we are were judges…we all gave a three minutes speech and rest of us along with Prof. Thomas were evaluating…
Wow…what an experience…how many different views and insight…Gestures, voice modulation, podium movement these were some of the areas that were looked into…Haider and Parithosh excelled in the class with their great show….Haider was excellent in voice modulation and Praithosh scored dramatically…
Thank you Sir...for making us to learn this art of public speaking...
Once again the trend setters got sharpened and polished with an eminent person and this time is for public speaking…believe me the faculties have taken oath for making the best for us…
Let’s wait and see what are all there waiting there for us…

Trend setters’ rocks man…
Siva.T.S
Trend setter # 27

Reclaming Your Power

There is an innate awkwardness to being human. With each decision we make, there is the potential for self-doubt and it is this-self doubt that forms the root of insecurity—a complex emotion that is a mix of equal parts inadequacy, isolation, fear, and hopelessness. Yet these feelings of insecurity that prevent us from fulfilling our potential by inducing us to abide by arbitrary self-limitations are nothing more than erroneous perceptions. We feel unconfident and unsure of ourselves because we judge ourselves to be so.

When we feel insecure, we not only perceive ourselves as incapable of meeting life’s challenges but also unworthy of true happiness. We move through life plagued by a sense that others have judged us and found that we are lacking. As a result, we are robbed of our personal power and rendered unable to feel positive about the choices we make. Everyone feels insecure from time to time because each of us is born into the world with unique strengths. If you should find yourself with feelings of insecurity, however, endeavor to understand its source. A tendency to withdraw from risk or uncomfortable situations can amplify feelings of insecurity. When you have pinpointed the origin of your insecurity, focus on your abilities. The more you utilize your personal power—by taking risks, boldly facing challenges, and acting decisively—the stronger it will grow.

Remember that insecurity is not objective. Rather, it is an emotional interpretation of your value unconsciously based on doubt, shame, and fear. As you overcome those underlying emotions through courageous action and self-love, you’ll discover that you are capable of achieving more than you ever thought possible.

Cheers!!
Haider Jasdan

Life of Mumbaikar at MBS

As a Mumbaikar attending MBS, my day starts at 5:00am with the pre readings to prepare for the d respective class quiz and catching up on the left over work... I hastily take a bath and have a sip of tea. Then run down the stairs by 7:45 coz Shahil (H is silent) waiting at putla (Just nearby my house) with a Taxi. Next comes the Dadar Bridge which we run with the 15kg bags weighing us down. With my agile body I reach the platform before shahil does (Truth: The reverse is just what happens).Well, if you miss the 8:06 train the next train is @ 8:20 (according to IST-Indian stretchable Time) But as usual we are always late...after boarding the train begins the next round of revisions and pre-readings..The journey ends and we meet our gang at the station where another almost impossible task awaits us ‘GETTING A RICSHAW TO DROP US TILL COLLEGE.’ 90% of the times you won’t get one...Then you enter MBS and if by mistake or should I say luckily you are on time, then you attend the first lecture. But if you are even 5minutes late u can sit out and enjoy the balcony view...then this schedule continuous till the end of the day. The lunch and coffee breaks are spent at the ajantha auditorium (the room we substitute for a Slumber room)...By the end of the day you are loaded with enough work to keep you busy for a day but unfortunately u have to finish it before sunrise. Worse, when I’m completely exhausted I’m stuck up with the killer group (Killer group coz they actually kill you if you don’t finish your work on time). Then come the ‘n’ number of healthy fights between Two Big Giants of my group (In size and brains) which are mostly directed towards improving the presentations. Although I learn a lot from them, their voices tend to haunt me even in my sleep... After this starts the study session which goes on till 12:15 am...then begins the Journey back home and this time I’m with Kevin and we are rushing to catch the last train and even before I’m able to descend from the bridge, Kevin is waving at me from the door of the train. No chance of beating him in that run...Poor me...By the time I reach home it is already 1:30...n I fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed and that’s after having dinner if u are in a state to ...To end with like the motto of my college says “We can and we Will” and Inspite of this hectic schedule I still say “I can and I will”. Whatever be the case MBS works and students make it Rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!So As Professor Dr.Vaidy Jayaraman says CHEERS!!!!!

Yezdi Mehta

Trensetters #20

Dawn: when men of honour go to bed...

Dawn: when men of honour go to bed...

Yawn... It was a very tiring day... funny thing is I don’t feel the fatigue... Does this mean I am getting used to this gruesome curriculum of MBS... Err... well no... not really... It means that the night schedule is so hectic that the day feels like a breeze from our centralised ac campus... I cant even remember when was the last time I slept for 4 hours(which by MBS standards is super- luxury)... average sleep(s) is always less than 4hrs... s < 4hrs... observe there is no lower limit...

I am not complaining... My body is... My heart is not... My eyes are... What a conflict...? Who will win...

I have begun to think ...Sleep is like the unicorn – it is rumoured to exist, but I doubt I will see any... The amount of sleep required by the average person is five minutes more...

Well the point here is... We have so many assignments and projects for the next two weeks that sleep has become a lavish luxury... We generally sit in college till around 5am... Do our work... Go home and study some more... other day on the way home a cop stopped me... he asked “Are u high on drugs..?” I said “No, I am high on HDI”... he said “Whats that, is it legal”... i said “It is not... plz arrest me... so i can sleep in the lock up...” he showed me to the nearest coffee cycle...

Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation...

The coffee cycle guy is like my best friend... who else will serve u warm idlis anytime between 12am to 5am... Coffee is like a life saver... the coffee machine in the college is a different story...

Well as Sparsh has said in the earlier blog... and I very much agree with him... TSK management is a tough thing to learn... but we did it... we are triumphing... the difference between ‘urgent’ and ‘important’ is realised... We are not waiting for ‘important’ to become ‘urgent’...

But we have to learn more... El’ Dorado is still far far away...

In the immortal words of Robert Frost...

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep."

Amen...

Bhushan Vishwasrao

Trendsetter # 30

a proud MBsite

Good Morning....

Its 7:00 am in the morning, Its drizzling and the view from the terrace garden is beautiful, Nikhil went to sleep an hour earlier & I can say finally 3rd July is over.
After 7 coffees & one full night at MBS, we think we are wiser, not just in strategy & marketing, but something deeper. Dr. Rakesh P Singh, our Dean academics, told us in our senate meeting that MBA is all about Time Management, Stress Management & Knowledge Management; I think we now know what he meant.
It was a long night, full of readings and cases and we believe we fared well.
What is surprising is that just 40 minutes of sleep, last night and I am still fresh, ready for the next day (which promises to be longer), that I believe is the spirit of MBS…………….
All I can say is this feels really great, I can feel the surge of energy while saying that MBS Rocks……. Trendsetters Rock……………….

BTW... We can smell the Sunday :P

Sparsh Jain
PGPM09s#12