Mumbai Business School

AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPERIENCE A REPLICA OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY! (MODEL UNITED NATIONS ASSEMBLY, ROTRACT CLUB OF MUMBAI GREEN CITY)

2011-01-07T14:20:00.001+05:30

A rare exposure to an authentic simulation of the United Nations General Assembly!
It was group of about 90 students which were teams from various B-Schools and colleges across Mumbai, each team being given a country to represent. Two teams from MBS constituting two delegates and a counsellor each were Malaysia and South Africa. We took on roles as diplomats and participated in this simulated session of an UN General Assembly. We researched, investigated international issues, debated, deliberated, consulted and developed solutions to world problems. We had to represent our country in every possible aspect.
As a South African lady I was dressed in braided hair, colourful beaded necklace, and formal attire with the traditional tinge of animal hide in the costume with the two gentlemen who completed the South African team Mr.Anurag.Chatterjee and Mr.Ajay.Gole dressed in suits. The resolution we were debating against was the trade of conflict diamonds. I spent nights before the event trying to learn and practice the accent with which the South Africans speak English, which was the one distinguishing factor that was noticed by the panel of judges after my speech and flooded us with compliments that just made the day though we were not really expecting a prize.

The experience was so new and the environment so formal yet fun. We referred to the delegates of other countries as “The honourable delegates of (Country name)”, the chairperson as “The honourable Chairperson”. We were taught signs to be used while making a point. For making a point of information we had to join our hands as making a triangle and raise them. If we needed some facility like the a/c would get too cold or an electric socket for laptop charging it was referred to as “a point of personal privilege”. To make a point of order we were taught to make a “T” with our hands and raise them. It was an experience of a lifetime. We thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt so much.

The day ended with the announcement of the Best Individual Performance Award to the South African lady, Parmeet .Dhillon. And there went the MBSites to cloud9 bagging home a certificate of Merit.

Hearty Thanks to Rotary Club for the opportunity and my team mates for the effort.

I am looking forward to participating in many such events, above all learning experiences!

-Parmeet

SEBI changes the technology game..

2010-09-06T19:45:00.000+05:30

Offlately SEBI has announced the below changes it has agreed to..

Mobile Trading
Smart Order Routing
Call Auctions at market open
Private treaties to be disclosed

so how can these changes improve the way we invest, well lets first look at mobile trading...already widely used in US, SEBI now has brought it here, Mobile Trading technology give you the freedom to trade directly from your mobile phone. I believe this is useful for people that travel a lot in the day. Mobile trading may be possible using “mini” sites like Sharekhan has recently provided, but the functionality is limited (can’t easily see order book changes, modify orders etc.). A mobile app will be more useful and can easily piggy back the current layers that brokers use online (SSL, web service layer). Plus mobile charting, screeners etc. are useful in that you can use them to actually place trades. The mobile operators, though, are of no use brokers don’t even need them other than if they will cut costs dramatically.

Now lets look at smart order routing, When you place your order it has to go on a specific exchange. With Smart Order Routing the broker can check the pricing on different exchanges (currently BSE/NSE but MCX-SX is coming soon) and place the order appropriately. Divided into chunks, this makes a lot of sense for automated order routing for which complex algorithms have already been designed; institutions like mutual funds or pension funds can use such a facility to auto-route orders appropriately.

Call Auctions, Brokers allow investors to place orders outside market hours, and these are placed into the exchange at 9 AM during hte market open. If there are a lot of orders at “market” there is a problem, the “market” hasn’t yet been discovered for the day, and prices can go haywire (they indeed do, as noted in many stocks, and brokers/punters take undue advantage). Call auctions help streamline the price discovery process.

and finally perhaps a very controversial topic, Many press entities like Times of India own stake in certain businesses as part of “Private Treaties”, in return for (partly) advertising real estate and coverage. This skews incentives in that sometimes negative news about the entity is held back or is spun around because the equity ownership may otherwise be in danger of losing value. In India selling editorial space is considered okay that is, you buy an ad, and they’ll write a column about your company. SEBI along with the Press Council has decided that such private equity ownership must be revealed on the media web sites

alumni
w

No Money - More Honey

2010-08-03T00:22:00.001+05:30

Could you save a constant amount today to try and reach an inflated adjusted goal tomorrow? "yawn"... lets take a example.. lets just say Mama - who needs to meet a 20 year goal to plan for his daughter’s education, which would cost 4 lakhs today, but 8% inflation would cost him Rs. 18.64 lakh after 20 years.

That will take a monthly investment of Rs. 2,046 per month, assuming you can get a 12% return per year.

But if Mama starts after 10 years, he’ll have to invest Rs. 8,400 per month. Much higher, you think? Yet, with 8% inflation, that is worth just 3,890 worth of today’s money. Not quite as much higher – and probably just as affordable

But then, you are likely to get salary hikes, at least to the same level as inflation. If you don’t, you’re retired in which case you’re not saving. So let’s assume that you save a constant percentage of your income even though nowadays, you save a much higher percentage of your salary as you grow older. So the amount you save per month increases every year, by about 8%, the inflation rate you assume your expenses grow by.

That means to achieve this goal of 18.64 lakhs in 20 years, with an average increase per year of 8%, you need to invest just Rs. 1,100 per month.
And then you may decide that heck, I’ll pay in only for 10 years, and let the funds grow for the remaining 10 years. For that, you only need Rs. 1,826 per month.

Your burden increases every year, but so does inflation, and in that sense, your income. The question, rightfully, is: how can you calculate the total money you need to invest for a certain goal, with an “inflation linked investment” pattern?

alumni
w

Hold those floating rate plans

2010-07-27T20:57:00.002+05:30

The Reserve Bank of India in its quarterly credit policy meet raised repo rates to 5.75% and reverse repo rates to 4.5%.

Repo is what banks pay to borrow from the RBI and Reverse repo is what they get when they park excess funds at the RBI.

Over the last two years we have only seen money parked with the RBI, meaning the system was flush with money and banks weren’t quite lending. From May this year, after the 3G and BWA auctions, banks have started to borrow from the RBI instead, an order of 60,000 crores every day. (Repo means they have to place high quality securities with the RBI which they buy back – or “repurchase” – the next day or in a short period.)

The differential of 0.25% costs the entire banking system a miniscule 35 lakhs a day (0.25% of an average 50,000 crores) which is a sort of rounding error, but it’s not what they do anymore, it’s what they intend to do.

Even though liquidity is tight, bank margins are wide,so there is a cushion. But the interesting question is: at what point does the credit system break the back of inflation? RBI says it expects 6% inflation by year end.

At a time when inflation’s gone through the roof, so to speak, we try to assuage ourselves saying that things will get better because, look at 2008. But oil prices were at $140 then, versus $80 today. Inflation fell because oil prices fell to $30, and alongside we did see corporate growth come down (but India’s growth didn’t fall too much, remember)

I don’t think it’s a supply issue that’s driving inflation. Supply problems would affect availability and literally everything, from fuel to CNG to tomatoes is available. If this is a demand problem – too much demand – then this piddly 0.25% is not going to help. In that case, I expect another policy rate increase as early as end August – bigger than 0.25%.

Inflation indexes will change. The WPI will have a different series with the base year as 2004-05, but we don’t know from when. Food’s weight should go down, so inflation must moderate just looking at things that way.

alumni
w

So much to learn from World(cup)!!!!

2010-07-06T00:03:00.011+05:30

I really enjoyed following Soccer’10, not to watch my favorite stars on the field instead to take note of surprises that every match offered right from beginning of the league
First, the likes of England, Portugal and France walking out of the league followed by hot fav Brazil, on the contrary, teams- Uruguay, Netherlands finding a place in the quarters in something commendable.

This world cup has made me to think, think and think. One of the observation, which I could derive is that the teams which played as a 'TEAM' succeeded. There was so much expectation from Lionel messi; unfortunately, even he couldn’t turn around the match against German’s. They (Germans) strategized their game, played to their strengths and most importantly played in unison and end result; 4-0. This is just an anecdote of many such matches which had so many unprecedent outcomes.

What so special in this? …if watched as a game then nothing great about this, but if we go a step further and introspect, there are definitely some lessons, lesson’s about benefits of performing in a team, for MBA grad’s like us, who would get into the corporate world in few months and perform not as individuals but as members of teams, whose goal is to perform and deliver towards the corporate mission.

Off late, there has so much emphasis on this 4 letter word “TEAM” by corporate at large, right from Richard Branson to Steve jobs; N.R. Murthy to Azim premji, all are speaking of this 4 letter word. Is it really so powerful; I believe, it is!!...what do you think guys???

While you ponder, let me leave you with a quote from Michael Jordan ‘Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships’

Mervyn

W-I-P (inventory)

Propagator

Apple’s chain

2010-07-03T00:08:00.007+05:30

There has been lot spoken about Apple’s innovative products reaching marketplace and making its competition redundant. I too agree and respect the product line it offers its customers and one of them being the recent launch of iPhone4.

It’s been reported that the company and its wireless carrier, AT&T, booked more than 600,000 pre-orders on June 15 alone, causing a suspension of sales because of the sheer volume of activity. The number is the largest Apple has taken in a single day, ten times higher than the previous iPhone3 launch last year, causing a sellout of all designated product allocation.

This kind of overwhelming response is something every company would love to achieve. Here I start to ponder over a dilemma; whether innovation and technology can only be sufficient to serve the target customers.

In my opinion, it’s, NO. The company should also focus on itself as well as it's suppliers supply chain. In Apple’s case, suppliers/ contract manufacturers are based in Asia, especially in China where there is now severe labor issues that are surfacing, and since Apple has limited supplier base, has it introduced too much risk in too few value-chain partners?

I believe Apple has, and I predict more snafus to come. The signs are unmistakable, and the pressures are building. Good process and the best technology can only take you so far. The rest comes down to the combined supply chain capability of partners. In the coming weeks Apple will have to demonstrate what being number one really means

Mervyn

W-I-P (inventory)

Propagator

Innovation as a competitive advantage

2010-06-05T22:17:00.006+05:30

Without new ideas, businesses and individuals will never succeed. How many times have you had the Eureka moment only to find that the idea has slipped away? It’s amazingly annoying to find that your brain just can pull back that idea, and you will always feel that was the idea that will make you money.

Demands for organizational innovation and technological advantage are increasingly crucial for the firms to remain competitive. Most firms face serious competitive challenges due to the rapid pace and unpredictability of technology change. Global strategies are dependent in large part on accelerating the speed at which innovation reach the market place. These conditions have led management theorists and practitioners alike to call for more creativity in management practices, products, and production processes that a firm employs.

Several common themes emerge repeatedly across studies to suggest that the link between innovation activities and competitive advantage rests primarily on four factors.

- One, Innovations that are hard to imitate

- Two, innovations that accurately reflect market realities

- Three, innovations that enable a firm to exploit the timing characteristics of the relevant industry

- Lastly, innovations that rely on capabilities and technologies which are readily accessible to the firm

As the global playing field becomes increasingly level; Logic, linear thinking and rule-based analysis-- will remain important, but are no longer sufficient to succeed in the global economy.

One of the biggest impediments to innovation continues to be the "constraints of the product development lifecycle". Recognizing that product development cycles are longer than recessionary periods, and any opportunity to shorten the development life cycle could mean real rewards.

My take: Innovation is gradually moving from an occasionally interesting sideshow that is not focused and not strategic, to becoming a key focus of senior executives as they realize that only innovation can help the firms continually grow and differentiate. Innovation is rapidly becoming a capability or enabler that strengthens and focuses the corporate strategies, and should over time become a key enabler to many corporate goals and strategies

God Speed..!!!

Mervyn Lewis

W-I-P inventory

Propagator

Grab the Talent!!

2010-06-05T19:07:00.002+05:30

In these days of globalisation and the ‘’competitive environment’’, change is the only constant. Surely, now the tides are turning in the corporate world, gone are the days where a person would join an organisation in his early age and stay on servicing that company till retirement. Today, young professional hop jobs especially during the first 4-5 years of their work life. Times have changed and now people cannot be rooted at one place for long time. It is therefore now proved, that with the advent in technology and knowledge, talent is on the hot seat. Now it’s for one who possesses it dictates and not the one who pays for it.

As Jack Welch says: "Any strategy, no matter how smart, is dead on arrival unless a company brings it to life with people—the right people."

Therefore, now the challenge is how to acquire the right talent and even bigger question is how to retain best talent? While there is no set map or wonder formula to manage talent, the trick is to locate the right talent in the organisation and encourage it. As Tom Friedman puts it across, that in order to compete in this ‘’flat’’ world, one needs to have (well) rounded people. Becoming a well rounded talent requires immense learning and development of skills. Organisations that aim to achieve that, must invest time and energies towards creating enriching workplace environment if they wish to attract and retain the high calibre talent.

It is now the duty of the global HR community to work upon building talent management strategies thereby nurturing the talented workforce. Talent must be spotted, well nurtured and most importantly preserved in the healthy environment.

Right talent for the right job – is the new mantra for organisations.

By Haider Jasdanwala
Proud Trendsetter

No need to say good bye

2010-05-18T10:06:00.004+05:30

We 30 "Trendsetter" or as Sunny called us 30 beads of necklace are parting ways after one year of fighting, night outs, sweat and blood and above all friendship for life. Its a season of saying bye to each other. Some of us are elated that they are joining the corporate world while some of us are still in the process of finding the job. While it has already started one by one people are leaving this place and carrying on with life and saying "GOODBYE" to each other . I feel "No need to say Good bye" as we are not parting for ever we are and we will be together for ever , not necessarily physically but emotionally. In this moment of parting season a beautiful poem from "The Chronicles of Narnia " (movie)

It started out as a feeling
Which then grew into a hope
Which then turned into a quiet thought
Which then turned into a quiet word

And then that word grew louder and louder
Til it was a battle cry

I'll come back
When you call me
No need to say goodbye

Just because everything's changing
Doesn't mean it's never
Been this way before

All you can do is try to know
Who your friends are
As you head off to the war

Pick a star on the dark horizon
And follow the light

You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say good bye

You'll come back
When it's over
No need to say good bye..

Now we're back to the beginning
It's just a feeling and no one knows yet
But just because they can't feel it too
Doesn't mean that you have to forget

Let your memories grow stronger and stronger
Til they're before your eyes

You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say good bye

You'll come back
When they call you
No need to say good bye.

so friends keep in touch , luv you all

Paritosh
Proud to be a Trendsetters

UPDATES

2010-05-12T02:11:00.002+05:30

this week started with some good news Shiva cracked TCS Business Development Role, definitely an enviable position for people who want to get into IT . Sanket got into Nihilent Technlogy as a Business Development Manager, as I was getting worried about my self , the results of KPMG were out and by grace of God I cleared it !! what put the icing on the cake was that Sanket also made it to the 3rd and Final round at KPMG.. and the last week it was Winston's turn to convert his internship @ Capgemini into a Job(I also interned their but did not get an offer :( )

We also celebrated our one year at MBS so it was double joy for us and we also had some nostalgic moments when we were addressed by our faculty member and staff .

Another big news on the placement firm 7 of us have been shortlisted by GOOGLE !!! isnt it exciting ?? so Guys keep an eye on this space for updates on placement ...

Your Correspondent

Paritosh

Trendsetter

A Proud MBSite

Placements blues

2010-04-29T23:57:00.002+05:30

For all of us the time has come to move on from our student life and to enter into the corporate world. There have been some hits like Sreeram and Jayanto cracking the TCS, Richa,Pradeep and Ibby getting into Al Seer Dubai, and Sourabh,Zaid and Shahil getting into Marketing&design elements and Pallavi cracking lavasa and some near misses like me loosing out at L&T after 3 rounds of interview :( . But I am definately hopeful that we 30 are bonded even stronger than ever before and I am pretty sure that by 15th May when we will be graduating we all would have reached the Al dorado which Bhushan talked about earlier . All the best trendetters !!! lets rock it

Paritosh
Trendsetter

Are you ready??

2010-04-11T21:40:00.003+05:30

Perhaps, this would be my first gyan post for this season, hence request all of you to bear with me…:)
5 months into MBA @ MBS, approx 1800 hours of grilling exercise. I wanted to take some time off from this busy schedule and reflect on the days passed by; trust me, journey has been enriching.
This blog might serve as insight to prospective MBSite, who wish to understand MBS better or rather himself better
Idea of doing an MBA was back of my mind from past 3 years and only this year it got materialized, I consider really fortunate for that.
What took me so long; was it lack of abilities?...
Answer to that introspection was; lack of preparedness
What do I mean when I say lack of preparedness??....anyone to answer..!!!
Let me tell you my perspective, it's just that whether you are prepared to take the responsibility of managing time, money and of course stress. This question haunted me until some days back. Well, now I can say that YES, I am!!
So, now time for all you to answer the same question….ask for yourself, why do you need to an MBA?, is it to accelerate your career prospects or for monetary returns or just that your parents/spouse wants you to have one.
Now onus lies on you to find an honest answer and only YOU can find an answer, hope you find an answer sooner than later…

Good Luck…!!!

Mervyn Lewis
Propagator

The figures for January are out – the inflation at the Wholesale Price Index (WPI) level is now 8.56%.

2010-02-16T22:35:00.002+05:30

The RBI knows now that raising interest rates isn’t likely to help. But that’s all they can do really – the solution needs to be political. A number of things I’ve heard suggest the situation won’t get better very soon

NREGA is exacerbating it. Most harvest season hires are temporary workers, who now have permanent paying jobs with NREGA and therefore don’t want to bother harvesting. Farmers have reacted by reducing crop acreage; supply shortfalls will increase when the pattern applies country-wide.

Sharad Pawar talks his shop – people loyal to him take cues from what he says and raise prices when he suggests any commodity is under supply stress.

The middlemen in the food supply chain, politically very strong, have been hoarding; and the politicians are helping by not flooding the market with the FCI stored resources (of which 40% are wasted!)

There was a drought last year, which constrained supply. Not much of a drought, but it doesn’t take much to fuel a panic.

Food is a very small portion of our monthly expenses considering you dont own an apartment are living on a rental basis, about half of the rent we would normally pay if we dont own a house, so even a 30% increase isn’t going to kill you. But it hurts the poorest of the poor; while as a nation we don’t care about our poor, it is simply inhuman to let them starve while we consider stupid things like raising interest rates. Even if they don’t starve, the high prices of certain items makes them undernourished as they can’t afford what’s nutritious. It’s not yet too bad but it’s progressively getting worse. With oil prices set to increase this WPI looks like it’s only headed one way: UP

Winston Dsouza

RBI Mandates Single Base Rate for Banks

2010-02-11T22:09:00.002+05:30

RBI has decided to curb the current practice of banks using different benchmark rates for different customers. From April 1, 2010 all banks will have to use a single base rate that will be the reference rate for all customers:

The Base Rate system will replace the BPLR system with effect from April 1, 2010. Banks may determine their actual lending rates on loans and advances with reference to the Base Rate. Base Rate shall include all those elements of the lending rates that are common across all categories of borrowers. While each bank may decide its own Base Rate, some of the criteria that could go into the determination of the Base Rate are: (i) cost of deposits; (ii) adjustment for the negative carry in respect of CRR and SLR; (iii) unallocatable overhead cost for banks such as aggregate employee compensation relating to administrative functions in corporate office, directors’ and auditors’ fees, legal and premises expenses, depreciation, cost of printing and stationery, expenses incurred on communication and advertising, IT spending, and cost incurred towards deposit insurance;and (iv) profit margin. An illustration for computing the Base Rate is set out in the Annex

The actual lending rates charged to borrowers would be the Base Rate plus borrower-specific charges, which will include product-specific operating costs, credit risk premium and tenor premium.

All categories of loans should henceforth be priced only with reference to the Base Rate. The Base Rate could also serve as the reference benchmark rate for floating rate loan products, apart from the other external market benchmark rates. The floating interest rate based on external benchmarks should, however, be equal to or above the Base Rate at the time of sanction or renewal.

Since the Base Rate will be the minimum rate for all commercial loans, banks are not permitted to resort to any lending below the Base Rate.

The Base Rate system would be applicable for all new loans and for those old loans that come up for renewal. However, if the existing borrowers want to switch to the new system before the expiry of the existing contracts, in such cases the new/revised rate structure should be mutually agreed upon by the bank and the borrower.

This is significant – many banks have had this kind of funda:

• Lure a customer using a fundoofied low interest rate like 7.25% floating
• Make the paperwork such that the loan adjusts with respect to a benchmark rate called “Home Loan Benchmark”, say 200 basis points below it. Set this benchmark rate at 9.25%.
• When the customer’s signed up and paid for a few months, INCREASE this Home Loan Benchmark rate slowly – to 10%, then 11% etc.. The customer now has to pay 200bps lower.
• Most customers won’t care because you will increase the tenure of the loan rather than the EMI. They are too busy or ignorant to realize that they are paying 10% more interest to the bank over the term of the loan if the loan tenure is extended, for each 0.25% increase!
• Example: 30 lakh loan for 20 years at 7.25% is 23,711 a month, and you pay Rs. 27 lakhs in interest over 20 years. If they bump up the rate to 7.5%, and keep the EMI the same, you’ll pay it for 20 years 11 months; the amount of interest you pay, though, goes up to 29.4 lakhs, or 9.36% more. Screw that – you pay 3% interest in the first year.
• But this means you can’t snare the new suckers – who want low interest loans. So instead of losing that juicy extra income from the already trapped customer, you create a different benchmark called “NEW Home Loan Benchmark” and offer loans at 7.25% only to new customers. That way you can milk the older customers who have no choice but to pay, and get new customers at lower rates.
• Your older customers can’t run off easily; you set up a pre-payment penalty.

This is at the retail end. At the corporate end banks were killing each other by offering rates way below the BPLR benchmarks (one of the many numbers) and since there is no “bottom” banks could simply lowball each other to whatever end.

A fixed base rate will solve some of these problems – all loans, corporate or retail, must benchmark themselves to the base rate. (Note: Floating rate products can take on external benchmarks also – but that’s good enough if the bank doesn’t control the external benchmark. )

What this will do though, is show you the huge spread between what is offered to corporates and what you and I get. Where corporates can get loans at 7%, we can only get them at 10% or more; once they put in the base rate at 7% we get some negotiating room to eke out a better rate. But honestly most borrowers will be too ignorant to even check a bank website for it’s current base rate, so who am I kidding. All it will do right now is create a more competitive environment for certain banks.

Public sector banks are most certainly going to benefit – they didn’t indulge in these kinds of practices. Private banks are going to see margin erosion. I hope they make pre-payment penalties illegal too – then private banks are hosed. But there are ways to make money – not as much as before but still, good money – for banks, and I hope they come around and offer better products instead of trying to squeeze the last naya paisa from customers.

Winston Dsouza

US Trade Deficit increases to $40.2 Billion

2010-02-11T01:17:00.003+05:30

A Brief Look at the US Trade Deficit

Total December exports of $142.7 billion and imports of $182.9 billion resulted in a goods and services deficit of $40.2 billion, up from $36.4 billion in November, revised. December exports were $4.6 billion more than November exports of $138.1 billion. December imports were $8.4 billion more than November imports of $174.5 billion.

The first graph shows the monthly U.S. exports and imports in dollars through December 2009. Both imports and exports increased in December. On a year-over-year basis, exports are up 7.4% and imports are up 4.6%. This is an easy comparison because of the collapse in trade at the end of 2008.

The second graph shows the U.S. trade deficit, with and without petroleum, through December. The blue line is the total deficit, and the black line is the petroleum deficit, and the red line is the trade deficit ex-petroleum products.

Import oil prices increased to $73.20 in December - up 87% from the low in February (at $39.22). Oil import volumes were up sharply in December. Overall trade continues to increase, although both imports and exports are still below the pre-financial crisis levels.

Winston Dsouza

The 34 Million

2010-02-11T01:06:00.003+05:30

“Scary,34 million joined the ranks of the poor in India because of the recession that everyone was in denial of.UNDESA figurs"

I usually find these figures very global-warming type – meaning, highly suspect and jugaad methodology - so I thought I’d investigate. In the “World Economic Situation and Prospects, 2010” report, Page 35, they say:

The reduction in employment and income opportunities [due to the slowdown] has led to a considerable slowdown in the progress towards poverty reduction and the fight against hunger. Estimates by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations (UN/ DESA) suggest that, in 2009, between 47 and 84 million more people have remained poor or will have fallen into poverty in developing countries and economies in transition than would have been the case had pre-crisis growth continued its course (table I.3). This setback was felt predominantly in East and South Asia, where between 29 and 63 million people were likely affected, of whom about two thirds were in India.

So the figures for Asia are between 29 and 63 million people – that is a huge enough range, and 2/3rd are in India, so for us it’s between 20 and 42 million people. 34m is somewhat in the middle if you are slightly mathematically challenged, but let’s not bicker about a few million here and there.

The important thing is how they arrived at it. They said – okay, India’s growing at 9%. If it continued to grow at 9%, then X number of people would be poor. But because of this slowdown, we have Y poor people, and Y is larger than X. Therefore, this figure Y-X is the number of people that have been reduced to poverty by the slowdown.

Let’s not talk X and Ys. Let’s talk real numbers.

Assume we had a 100 poor people. Let’s say that for every 1% growth, we reduced poverty by 1 person. So with 9% growth, we are left with 91 poor.

But we grew only 6%. So, post the recession, we have 94 poor people. 94 is less than 100. That might sound like a good thing. But no.

The UN-DESA way of looking at this – and their glasses must forever be half empty – is: recession did not take 3 people out of poverty, so 3 people got poorer.

Another way of looking at it is: 6 people got out of poverty. 6 is good. Even 1 is good, come to think of it, but 6 is definitely good. And it is wrong to focus on the 3 number.

For one, 9% growth was not sustainable; it was extraordinary. It was likely to be 6-7% averaged over years, so one year we’d do more, another we’d do less. Extrapolating a pre-crisis growth figure is silly; in that way, I could extrapolate the “Hindu Rate of Growth” of 3% pre-1992 and say damn, 600 million people are out of poverty today since 1992 because we grew more than expected.

Second, the focus on the smaller figure throws real achievement out the window. There are no real figures in that sheet – but I can imagine that if this calculation yields 34 million “poorer”, then the absolute number of people we got out of poverty must then exceed 60 million. That means, we got 6 crore people out of poverty, post recession – less than the 9 crore we expected. That statement paints an entirely different picture.

Finally, I must say the statistics are screwed up because it uses per-capita income to determine poverty levels – yet, if money was earlier more concentrated in a few rich people, and post recession got better distributed among the entire population, the poverty figures UN-DESA quotes will be overstated. They acknowledge this, though:

It should be noted that the estimates presented here take into consideration the impact of the downturn only on growth in income per capita compared with continued pre-crisis trends. Hence, these should be interpreted in the first instance as a slowdown in poverty reduction owing to a drop in the mean per capita income of developing countries. For lack of additional information, the estimates do not take into account likely changes in income distribution.

That statistic is simply gleaned from macro-figures. We aren’t told how many people are really poor (buying power wise), how many of these are urban/rural, how many are in organized/unorganized sectors, what’s the birth/death impact and how the numbers are moving. Those stats may tell us where we need to focus, where achievements are good and where we can improve. What we can’t afford is to have global statements like “the recession made 34 million people poorer” – because it is a hollow statement with conveniently extrapolated matter, and yields nothing. It truly makes us poorer.

Winston Dsouza

10-10-10

2010-01-23T12:32:00.010+05:30

A good day....

Is a day when you learn something new..And there is so much beauty and knowledge and wisdom in this world, that every day can be good, I say!

Well, today as I was browsing through for some interesting reads, I eyes were freezed by title of book called '10 10 10' by Suzy Welch. I flipped through it and essentially she says:

"When making any difficult decision think about its consequences in 10 minutes, 10 months and 10 years."

Wow, I thought. That *is* a great rule to live by!

Now I don't plan to read the book itself (reviews are average) but the five minutes reading that was certainly well spent!

On the way home I tried applying the 10-10-10 rule to a few dilemmas I'm facing in life. Let's take a relatively minor one, like not being able to blog often these days.

It isn't lack of ideas, but a question of priorities. I'm trying to complete all my assignment besides my regular reads for my class participation ,hey not for DCP..:))...and that takes all my heart, soul, discipline and determination!

So when I feel like writing a post I often just... let it slide.

For 10 minutes: It feels bad.

In ten months: It may affect this blog's readership (sometimes I wonder, if I slow down too much would I simply lose the *desire* to blog?)

In ten years: If I write a book which touches lives and ignites minds, it would all be worth it!

So, folks, let’s try and apply this 10-10-10 rule in our own ways, and see whether can we benefit from it; But hey, don't overdo it....

Like today I also learnt that I can eat an entire thin crust pizza (all 8 pieces) when really really hungry. But I don't think it qualifies for the 10-10-10 treatment.

Will just compensate by eating light tomorrow!

Mervyn Lewis

Roll # 15

What do you want to become in life..???

2010-01-19T11:41:00.018+05:30

10.30 In the morning, Mr. Amitabh chatterjee, senior VP of Godrej Saralee walks in to address the class of 60 students. We as usual were sitting as ducks expectation some Gyan. Within minutes, everyone was foxed with simple question; what is our Goal in life/ purpose of life. As often, the class engaged themselves with “desperate class participation” (DCP) trying to make their presence felt. During this process, I was taken back to my school days where I was asked similar question by one of our elderly gentlemen who stayed in our locality. He emphasized his children to score high marks, and bent on them pursuing dreams which he couldn't fulfill , attitude was no different from most of our parents.
When I was thrown this question then, I thought being a vagabond exploring new places seemed great, because in my non detail English reader, adventures in far-away lands brought me far pleasure than sucking up to Axioms and Theorems. I also thought being a news reader was fun and visiting new places. BUT, was that an answer you could tell to anybody? NO, not when the kids around me in class 9, were rattling off words like NTSE, BITS, IIT M and Blah blah...
Didn’t want to think too much and I said "Engineer". I knew heart of hearts; it wasn’t something I wanted to be. Secondly I had not faced too much success in life. So I didn’t even know whether my brain could take me to the path of being an engineer. I suddenly felt that I was carrying loads of guilt by giving that answer and that guilt carried all the way till my engineering.

Today I look back, and ask myself what would I want to become, I still not have answer. I still like being a vagabond traveler, but that’s probably a phase of life that I might enjoy. So is the answer to the question always a profession that would yield money and keep you secure or that would give you happiness? I seem quite lost. One thing I see is it’s never too late to keep asking this question, as long as you don’t carry guilt with the chosen path. Let’s see how life progresses!

Mervyn Lewis
Propogator-15

" Life is a comedy for those who think and tradegy for those who feel"

Kyoto Protocol

2009-11-17T00:44:00.001+05:30

The Kyoto Protocol is a protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC or FCCC), aimed at combating global warming. The UNFCCC is an international environmental treaty with the goal of achieving "stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system".

India signed and ratified the Protocol in August, 2002. Since India is exempted from the framework of the treaty, it is expected to gain from the protocol in terms of transfer of technology and related foreign investments. At the G8 meeting in June 2005, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh pointed out that the per-capita emission rates of the developing countries are a tiny fraction of those in the developed world. Following the principle of common but differentiated responsibility, India maintains that the major responsibility of curbing emission rests with the developed countries, which have accumulated emissions over a long period of time. However, the U.S. and other Western nations assert that India, along with China, will account for most of the emissions in the coming decades, owing to their rapid industrialization and economic growth.

Kyoto Protocol: India’s Stand. - I would say although all of us are affected by the climate change, the historical accumulation of carbon dioxide is not as a result of anything that we have done. It is largely a consequence of 150 years of industrialization in major developed countries of the world. India has to put in place a national action plan for climate change to improve our response mechanism meeting the challenge of climate change. We do not have to succumb to the hegamony of the US & Australia led coalition.

India should try to maximize its gains from the treaty when the members meet again in Copenhagen; through technology transfers as well as help in R&D. India should lead the developing countries at such forums, and also leverage its position as a significant world player in its advantage. The developed countries can wait, but India can’t; its time India shows some steel by coming out of such baseless treaties that hinders its growth.

UN climate treaty being renegotiated in Copenhagen this December, The US who is the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases signed, but refused to ratify, the Kyoto Protocol. Similar are stories of Australia and Japan who claimed to cut emission down by 2020, it was just a dress reharsal which failed badly.

Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has suggested to the PM that India opt out of the Kyoto Protocol, jettison the G77 developing countries, and voluntarily accept cuts in emission without any guarantee of funding or technology from industrial nations in return. This goes against every principle which India has articulated on behalf of all developing countries.

Last Month India, indicated that it was ready to undertake cuts of emissions, although it couched this as part of its internal adaptation strategy. India was even prepared to quantify the cuts over a period of time. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had told Hillary Clinton on her visit to Delhi after the G8 meets in Italy precisely the opposite. No less a person than the prime minister has gone on record to refuse to specify what cuts India will undertake, stating that it will never allow its per capita emissions to rise above the current global average of 4.4 tonnes.

Since then the Congress party is already in damage-control mode, In September, Ramesh told the Indian Express regarding the acceptance of voluntary cuts by India: “Yes, there is a nuanced shift. But the shift is not in our negotiating stand. That stand remains the same. We are not going to accept any legally binding commitments on reducing carbon emissions. We will not allow the dilution of the per-capita principle. There can be no compromises on these. The shift is in the atmospherics around the negotiations. For long, this canard is being spread that India has been holding up an agreement…that India is not proactive on climate change. This should be able to nail those lies.

He went on to say that “We are already taking a number of actions that will result in significant reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. We are in a position to quantify these reductions into a broadly indicative number that can be shared with the rest of the world. I see no problem with that…it will completely demolish the myth that India is doing nothing to reduce its emissions. India, which has no historical liability in polluting the atmosphere and has no commitment to reduce its emissions, is doing much more than the countries which are responsible for the current mess and bound by international law to take targeted emission cuts.”

Kyoto Protocol was born out of this convention which the US also signed, and therefore it is the only valid international treaty on which to negotiate when the first phase of the protocol ends in 2012, not the protocol itself. EU has revealed that it already decided on scrapping the protocol one whole year ago. The only reason why the EU was contemplating a change of setting for the drama was the obduracy of the US to the K word, the very mention of ‘Kyoto’.

EU further mentioned that, this had much to do with President George Bush’s explicit statement that the US wouldn’t sign the protocol not only because major emerging countries like China and India weren’t coming on board. He also made the atrocious remark that when it came to cutting emissions, and thereby hurting less energy-efficient sectors of the US economy, it wasn’t kosher because “US lifestyles can’t be compromised”, or words to that effect.

The proposal, which the US has lobbied India in bilateral forums and in multilateral meets to accept, asks all countries regardless of existing status, to take obligations. In its present form, when read with other proposals, it seeks to cap India's emissions by 2020 and force further reductions later on. A cap on emissions automatically converts into a cap of how much energy India can use".

India has less than a quarter of carbon dioxide and total greenhouse gas emissions of the leading emitters of the world, China and the United States, in both annual and per capita terms. India’s per capita carbon dioxide emissions are almost a third of the world average of 4.4 tonnes. Each American emits on average 20 tonnes a year. The International Energy Agency (IEA), in its Reference scenario, projects that India’s emissions will grow at about 4% per year, contributing less than 7% of global carbon dioxide emissions by 2020 (though India is home to almost a fifth of world population).

At the Bangkok meet, the EU, which has been the most proactive on climate and has announced a 20% cut below 1990 levels by 2020, rising to 30% if the US comes on board, itself came in for criticism by several international green organisations.

The G8 declaration, astonishingly, left it to individual countries to determine the baselines from which emission levels have to be reduced: 1990 “or later years”. Germany, the UK and other European countries, which are the greenest in this regard, want to cut theirs by 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.

The US, which accounts for a fifth of all emissions, wants to reduce its emissions from current levels. Industrial counties’ emissions have grown both in absolute and per capita terms till 2007. This was precisely at a period when President Bush refused to sign the Kyoto Protocol on the grounds that China and India weren’t agreeing to cut their emissions.

While there is a consensus even in the US that 2050 is the ultimate deadline for the world to get its climate in order, the intermediate goals are by no means settled. For any long-term goals, there have to be credible mid-term goals. If major industrial countries intensify their efforts only as this date looms near, it will be virtually impossible to prevent temperatures from rising beyond 2 degrees, the “tipping point”. The much-vaunted Waxman-Markey bill in the US, which seeks to cap emissions by the world’s biggest polluter, kicks in only towards the end of this period. By some calculations, to keep within 2 degrees, global emissions must reduce by 10% from 2010 itself and 25% by 2012, which no country will accept.

The Obama administration is hoping to win new commitments to fight global warming from China and India in back-to-back summits next month. China and India are both critically important to achieving our international goals on carbon,’’ said Senator Ben Cardin, a Democrat who serves on the Foreign and Environment Committees. India wants help in speeding its adoption of new, greener technologies and expanding its use of solar power.

The US has a time-honoured method of entering into bilateral relationships with developing countries to further, if not force, its national interests, as we have seen in trade talks. On global warming, the Bush administration had introduced the abortive Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Energy & Climate, with Canada, Australia (the erstwhile Ophelia and still a strong contender for the role), Japan, South Korea and India precisely to bypass the UN climate change convention, with its compulsory emission cuts and penalties for violations. The sectors it targeted for an exchange of technologies, like cement, steel and power generation, are precisely those which the US and Australia fear China and India will have a competitive advantage in, if they do not undertake to cut their emissions.

If, as the US and EU are now proposing, the Kyoto Protocol is scuttled and a brand new entity comes into effect, it will presumably funnel some of the funds that will be paid by industrial countries to mitigate climate change but also have the powers to monitor the moves in each country to reduce emissions, rather like the World Bank with its loans or International Monetary Fund with its structural adjustment policies or World Trade Organisation with its eagle eye on removing trade barriers , all of which have plunged the world economy into deep crisis.
These institutions, if formed are far from being democratic, since there is no “one country, one vote” system. The very fact that the US always chooses the head of the World Bank from one of its nationals, and the French, the IMF, speaks for itself.

On October 21st 2009, India signed an agreement with China, the world’s biggest polluter, to increase cooperation on tackling climate change after the countries rejected calls from rich nations to set binding caps on carbon emissions. China and India say wealthy countries including the U.S. should lower emissions by 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020 and share technology with poorer nations to help them fight climate change.

Winston Dsouza

Doing Business in China

2009-11-03T07:24:00.003+05:30

China is said to be leading the world out of the recession but MNCs are finding it difficult to set their foot properly in the land of Dragon. In spite of having the largest population in the world and a thriving economy it contributes to less than 2% of sales of global pharma companies like Pfizer,Bayer and Astrazenca. The FMCG giant P&G gets $3 billion from China which is far less than 5% of their global sales , Unilever gets almost $1.2 Billion from China and is running at very thin profit margins. AIG earns more from Taiwan than China which has just 2% of the population as compared to its Mainland estranged brother.

The foreign firms which are doing good are the two extremes of the value chain one being luxury goods, aeroplanes etc and other being Oil, Ores and recyclable waste. But all the firms in between these two extremes face lots of hurdle in spite of Chinese reforms since it joined the WTO in 2001. Several sectors like telecommunications, oil exploration, marketing, pharmaceuticals, banking and insurance all remain either fiercely protected or off-limits to foreigners altogether. To top it all the corruption and redtapism hamper all foreigners in the business.

Event though all the promises to be investor friendly any American business to start in Shanghai with one year licence may take 6 months , this would need clearance from US state department, Chinese Embassy in USA, Mayor’s office of Washington and Shanghai, Local Tax Authority etc .This is very costly affair but still silver lining is that there is a procedure indeed !!. On its entry in WTO China agreed to allow foreign firms to compete to offer booking systems to local airlines,but the promise is yet to be fulfilled.

State run companies get preferential treatment in allocation of land and credit or by easing the bureaucratic procedures for them. Multinational law firms are not allowed to function in China even if they employ Chinese lawyers. Govt also controls the advertisement rates which make the cost of reaching to the Chinese customers far more than that in US and Europe on the other hand rewards are not good as large chunk of Chinese population is poor.

Firms are trying to overcome this hurdle by producing locally in China and they are spending huge amount of money and time in order to setup distribution network and creating brand awareness. Companies also need to cater to the local tastes. Other obstacle faced by the MNCs are the about subsidised competition, restricted access, conflicting regulations, a lack of protection for intellectual property and opaque and arbitrary bureaucracy.

One strategy which helps MNCs to succeed in China is to price high which is a surprise looking at the low profits which they earn from China. The psyche of Chinese people that foreign goods are of better quality if they are expensive is the reason for this strange behaviour.

If China need to stay ahead of its western neighbour ,which is growing at just 2% lesser growth rate and has more liberal political system coupled with economic reforms , She needs to work on liberalisation of its economy and limit the protectionism which may not be totally eliminated looking at the communist regime in China

Paritosh Sharma

Roll No 26, Trendsetters

(Reference The ECONOMIST Oct 09)

Matheran – The Break we Partied.

2009-10-06T01:05:00.005+05:30

Hmmm... 7:00 am is not a good time to stand at Malad station... Actually 7:00am is not a good time to stand at any station. But as fate would have it, we were there carrying our bags. Mine was heavier than average thanks to my (n*X)L size. Sometimes I wonder... anyways.. So where was I.. Oh yes... Malad station. So I was waiting along with half my batch waiting for the Zuk-zuk gadi to arrive. We were on our way to Matheran. Supposedly the smallest, tiniest, hill station in the country.

Half way through the journey, past Dadar, we had half the bogie to ourselves. So we were cracking jokes, teasing each other. This was one time the entire admin team was with us taking part in our antics. We reached Neral by 10, had breakfast, got divided in groups of 5 and headed for the Hills in rickety cabs. The fun had begun. We were looking forward for this break for a long time, Since Zeitgeist.

The cab ride was good. The winding roads up the Sahyadris were smooth and loaded with some really picturesque locations. By the time we reached the taxi stop up hills, we were actually midst clouds. It was magical. We had to trek for almost 5km to reach Matheran and another 4km to reach the Hotel. The modes of transportation in Matheran are horses and feet. In my case both were inadequate to carry my weight for a long time. Anyways, so we were walking-

and-walking and walking some more. We were followed by our very own Smiling SamuRai and Prof Girish with his wonderful camera. That day there were 30 more monkeys in Matheran hills.

The hotel was called ‘Radha Cottage’. Decent place. We saw some guys setting up mise en place for some adventure tasks. Deja vu. Dabosa memories... Luckily things were relatively pleasant. Prof. Parvez Jokhi was with us. He and his team had set up a few fun tasks for us... We did those post lunch... Good fun... Walking on planks, erecting tents with group members tied together, Passing groups members through rope webs, balancing a ball by threads... Good fun... Roadies would die of awe... Post that we had a session by Mr. Shubrotho Sen.

24th September was an important date. It was the day the college was setup. Anniversary of our very own MBS. It was also Kevin’s, one of our batchmates’, birthday. So we had two cakes. There was a bonfire which refused to light up even after guzzling a litre of kerosene. It was raining too. We all partied till wee hours. Next day comprised of some more games and then we embarked on the return journey. We came down in a more relaxed manner. Bathing in the beauty of nature. Felt close to mother earth. Felt good. Felt relived. Felt reclaimed.
Dabosa, as Nikhil had rightly said, was an ice- breaker for our batch. Matheran was a unity-maker. We hung around with friends we generally just knew. Sat till 3:00am with them. Shared anecdotes, nostalgia, ghost stories, past heartbreaks and recent patch ups. We always knew each other, but it was different this time. This break gave everyone some peace of mind they needed. Some sought it in company of others. Some regained their energies by spending time with themselves. The school didn’t meddle with any of our leisure activities. They gave us what we yearned for. Some solace from the daily grind.

We came back with refreshed bodies and calm minds. That small vacation did wonders. Missing those magic moments.

A hidden treasure

2009-10-01T21:24:00.001+05:30

Today, emerging markets represent the fastest growing economies in the world. Growing industry consolidation and slowing growth abroad has drawn focus from multinational companies on emerging countries such as India and China that offer significant untapped growth opportunities. The institutions that operate within emerging markets—governments, education, health and private enterprise—are beginning to recognize that without rural sector development they would not be able to grow significantly or improve the standard of living of their people.
Rural India accounts for more than 50% of the GDP and the rural consumption expenditure registers around 60% of the total consumption expenditure in the country. On the other side, the Chinese economy is experiencing unprecedented growth, largely in urban areas, but the need is growing for rural populations to have the same advantages and access to technology as those people living in cities.

In order to tap the rural phenomenon more efficiently, initiatives such as Unlimited Potential by Microsoft, One Laptop Per Child concept by MIT Media Labs, World Ahead program from Intel and 50x15 program from AMD are already been in place. The aim of these companies is at providing the low-cost computing/ PCs to emerging nations to create a win-win situation for all. Recently, One Laptop per Child (OLPC) program unveiled the second version of its XO laptop, while Intel announced its next-generation Classmate PC for developing countries.
However, low-cost PCs may not be the relevant technology to reach rural people in emerging nations. A sustainable rural mobile development program can create all-round growth in under-developed areas of emerging countries as cellular technology is far more reachable than PC penetration.

The rural areas in China and India are experiencing explosive growth in mobile communications, as falling tariffs and rising incomes are bringing mobile phones within the reach of millions of new customers. The Ministry of Information Industry, China announced that the number of mobile phone users had reached 501.64 million by the end of June 2007 and the higher growth came from the rural areas. On the other side, India has emerged as the fastest growing telecom market in the world. The number of rural mobile phone users is around 40 million, accounting more than 22% of the total mobile subscriber base in India. This figure is expected to go up to 35-40% by 2010 in the country.

Although I am of the opinion that rural markets in emerging nations will trigger new types of competition in the years to come, there will be a number of issues to face due to a lack of infrastructure, poor coordination among government bodies, funding and technical support in countries such as India and China.

The active efforts from companies are just getting started, and we believe it will be early to comment that a particular technology will have a solid impact on rural areas growth. As seen in any emerging country, the cost will play a key attribute based on demand, feasibility, and user needs. It will be interesting to see how the business model of various companies evolves to target the big and untapped opportunity in the rural segment.

Winston Dsouza

MBS - Rocks!!

The Stock Market

2009-10-01T20:47:00.004+05:30

The stock market plays a significant role in the health of the economy. The economy has to be strong for its country and its citizens to prosper. The stock market appears in the news every day. You hear about it any time it reaches a new high or a new low, and you also hear about it daily in statements like "The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 2 percent today, or the more familar statement of " Aaj Bazar 200 point oopar, with advances leading declines by a margin of ..." Obviously, stocks and the stock market are important, but you may find that you know very little about them. What is a stock? What is a stock market? Where does the stock market come from to begin with, and why do people want to buy and sell it? If you have any questions like these, read on......

In the financial market, stock refers to a supply of money that a company has raised. This supply comes from people who have given the company money in the hope that the company will make their money grow. The term "stock market" refers to the business of buying and selling stock. The stock market is not a specific place, though some people use the term " Dalal Street" the main street in Mumbai where BSE is located or they use the term"Wall Street"--the main street in New York City's financial district--to refer to the U.S. stock market in general.

If a company wants to grow--maybe build more factories, hire more people, or develop new products--it needs money. It could get a loan from a bank. But then it would owe money. By issuing stock, a company can raise money without going into debt. People who buy the stock are giving the company the money it needs to grow. Not every company can issue stock. A business owned by one person (a proprietorship) or a few people (a partnership) cannot issue stock. Only a business corporation can issue stock. A corporation has a special legal status. Like a school, its existence does not depend on the people who run it. Under the law, it is separate from the people associated with it, and has special legal rights and responsibilities as well as its own unique name.

Owning stock in a company means owning part of that company. Each part is known as a share. If a company has issued 100 shares of stock, and you bought one, you own 1% of that company. People who own stock are called stockholders, or shareholders. Stockholders hope the company will earn money as it grows. If a company earns money, the stockholders share the profits. Over time, people usually earn more owning stock than leaving money in the bank, buying bonds, or making other investments. The terms "up" and "down" are used to describe the rise and fall of the market as a whole.

Stockholders in a company usually have voting rights. They vote on such issues as who will be elected to the board of directors--the group of people who oversee company decisions--and whether to buy other companies. Stockholders typically have one vote for each share they own. Every vote counts, but a stockholder with 5,000 shares will have more influence on the company than someone with only one share. Most companies have annual meetings, where stockholders cast votes and ask questions of the company's leaders. If they cannot attend, stockholders may use an absentee ballot to vote. Shareholders also receive quarterly and annual reports that tell them how the company is doing.

Bears are cautious animals who don't like to move too fast. Bulls are bold animals who might charge right ahead. An investor is said to be "bearish" if he or she believes the stock market will go down. A "bearish" investor will buy stock cautiously. A "bullish" investor believes the market will go up. He or she will charge ahead and put money into the market. An investor can be bearish or bullish about a particular kind of stock. Likewise, the term "bear market" describes a time when stock prices have been falling on the whole. A "bull market" is a period when stock prices are generally rising.

I have learned a lot from the stock market. I have also learned a lot from being in Economics. When I get older, I will be able to use this information to make money. Economics is a huge part of life.

Winston Dsouza

MBS - Rocks!!

Softening Judgment

2009-09-28T12:06:00.000+05:30

Softening Judgment
Moving Beyond Appearances

It is our natural inclination to judge people, since it happens without our even thinking about it. We take one look and summarize a whole person—overweight, pretty, stylish, sloppy. When we judge, we are looking for pertinent information, trying to determine whether the person approaching is a threat, an ally, or someone we don’t need to worry about. This way of looking at people makes sense in a dangerous context, but in our daily lives it leads to an overly simplistic reading of the people we meet.

If you have ever judged someone, only to have them become a dear friend once you got to know them, you know the hazards of the judgment cycle firsthand. An experience like that may have led you to soften your natural tendency to believe your first impressions. We will always notice things about the people we meet, but as we become more conscious of the shortcomings of judgment, we won’t be satisfied with our surface observations. We may notice that someone is driving an expensive car, but we will decide whether to befriend him based on getting to know him over time. We will not rule out a friendship with someone with messy hair, especially if he turns out to have a great sense of humor and a kind heart. Liking or disliking a person is a choice you will naturally make, but it will be after you have gotten to know them.

Next time you notice yourself judging somebody, try to send love, light, or blessings to the person you were judging. Then try to listen to them openly or look them in the eye and learn something about them. If this is not easy for you, remember not to judge yourself either. Trust that with practice, you will successfully disable your habitual patterns. As you do, you will find a whole new dimension of perception opening up to you, allowing you to see beyond the surface and into the essence of the people you meet..

Cheers!!!
Haider J

Outlining Your Intentions

2009-09-09T22:42:00.000+05:30

Outlining Your Intentions
Making a List of What You Want

The universe is aware of both the concrete goals we actively pursue and the dreams we have not yet begun to refine. Neither our struggles nor the daydreams that inspire us are beyond the range of universal perception. Yet to manifest our aspirations, we not only need to know what it is we generally wish to achieve; we also need to clearly articulate these aims to ourselves and the universe. When we create a list of what we want, citing each item in as much detail as possible, our aspirations take on new substance. What was once a mere wish becomes real and achievable when put into words. As you pour the contents of your heart and soul into your list, your well-defined ambitions become a part of you, and the universe responds to your new determination by placing opportunities related to your objectives in your path.

Whatever the nature of your desires, your list can help you channel your intellectual and emotional power into your efforts to realize them. The list you create should not simply be a record of your individual goals. Rather, it should be a comprehensive, exhaustive catalog of each target you want to reach and your reasons for aiming for them. This may mean that your list will encompass many pages of text, since when you write down and review your ambitions, you empower yourself to more accurately direct your goal-realization efforts. You then also have a framework in place that helps you distinguish success from setbacks. If you keep your list in a convenient spot and review it daily, you will inadvertently reaffirm your conviction to your aspirations, demonstrating that you are truly devoted to your chosen path while keeping your objectives fresh in your mind. If you have an altar, this would be a great place to keep your list.

As you compose your list, try not to edit or judge what you have written. Some of what you want may seem outlandish when considered in the context of your current circumstances. Whether you are destined to fulfill the items on the unique long-term agenda you create in a year, 10 years, or 20 years, if you are free with your ideas and understand that you may not bring these dreams into reality for some time, your list will attract the universe’s benevolence even as it energizes and inspires you.

Cheers!!!
Haider Jasdan

Trendsetters in the Wonderland

2009-09-08T03:43:00.006+05:30

Alice: Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?
The Cat: That depends a good deal on where you want to get to
Alice: I don't much care where.
The Cat: Then it doesn't much matter which way you go.
Alice: …so long as I get somewhere.
The Cat: Oh, you're sure to do that, if only you walk long enough.

We all read this story in our school didn’t we ? It has such an important lesson to learn , as Cheshire Cat rightly told Alice that she would definitely reach “SOMEWHERE” if she walks long enough and it does not matter which way she takes , but just reaching “SOMEWHERE” is not enough .We need to know where do we need to go and then what is the path to reach “THERE” .

We 30 Trendsetters have already decided we have to reach “THERE” and not just “SOMEWHERE” . Now we are working in identifying the way to reach “THERE” through our externships. We are in the process of identifying the companies where we would be doing our externship and thanks to our well connected Faculties and directors we have a wide range of companies coming and visiting us , to name a few Lawrence and Mayo, Siemens, Al Seer Dubai, Datamatics etc .
Our externships starts this October. That’s when we start our journey to reach “THERE” from the cross road where we are today as we know our goal is to reach “THERE” we would definitely find the way to reach our destination with able guidance of our Cheshire Cats (Our Faculty)

BON VOYAGE Trend setters !!
Paritosh Sharma
Trendsetter 26
Proud to be MBSite

An awakening...!!!

2009-09-08T03:15:00.001+05:30

Last month we got an unexpected mini-vacation(courtesy... Swine flu). Almost everyone of us had gone home. We met our pre-mbs friends after a gap of almost 4 months. We had a time of our lives. Long chats, parties, nostalgia, all rolled into one. That’s when it struck me. Those fellows... chums... are not very different from the new friends I made here. Staying away from fellow trendsetters for just 4 days made me realise how much I love these guys. It is true ‘Distance is a great teacher’. When we are around 24/7 we don’t realise it. Every moment I was thinking of coming back to school. After returning, I realised, this feeling was same across the batch, Sparsh’s bday party was a testament to that.

Term 2 started with a bang. Never thought International Business would be such fun(Prof. Venky is too much...) and Uncle Bala teaching Management Accounting(He’s a master of his art). Coming back the grind started again. But I felt the difference. The group dynamics had changed. We always sat together as groups to solve the case studies. Now groups were sitting together as a big team, tackling problems, solving doubts. The better ones were teaching and guiding the lesser mortals irrespective of what groups she/he belonged to. Frankly this never happened before. We have become a family now. Like all families, we study together, party together, even fight together and once we are done fighting, we party harder.

I think this is what Dr. Rai wanted us to be. Humane managers. We are becoming ones. We are better at our subjects now. The business immersion’s in place. Many companies are accepting this new format of management studies. We have a green signal from various Brands for interns as well as working opportunities. Life’s on the move. Deep inside I feel, rather we all feel, that we are with a set of likeminded individuals. There comes a time in everyone’s life when she/he thinks beyond her/his personal accomplishments. I think we are doing well. We are still learning. Every dawn sees the end of a dark night.

That’s a small realisation I wanted to share with any and everyone. I now look at this college with a different view... MBS is no longer our school... not anymore... It’s a home away from home.

Bhushan Vishwasrao

Trendsetter # 30

A proud MBSite.

Going through the Opening

2009-08-30T01:46:00.002+05:30

Contracting before Expanding

Sometimes our lives contract before they expand. We may be working hard on ourselves spiritually, doing good in the world, following our dreams, and wondering why we are still facing constrictions of all kinds—financial, emotional, physical. Perhaps we even feel as if we’ve lost our spirituality and are stuck in a dark room with no windows. We may be confused and discouraged by what appears to be a lack of progress. But sometimes this is the way things work. Like a caterpillar that confines itself to a tiny cocoon before it grows wings and flies, we are experiencing the darkness before the dawn.

When things feel tight, it’s easy to panic or want to act in some way to ease the feeling of constriction. We might also spin our wheels mentally, trying to understand why things are the way they are. However, there is nothing we need to do at this time other than to be patient and persevering. We can cling to the awareness that we are processing the shift from one stage to another, and the more we surrender to the experience, the more quickly we will move through the tightness into the opening on the other side. Just like a baby making its way down the birth canal, we may feel squeezed and pushed and very uncomfortable, but if we remember that we are on our way to being born into a new reality, we will find the strength to carry on.

We can look to the natural world for inspiration as we see that all beings surrender to the process of being born. In that surrender, and in the center of our own hearts, is a willingness to trust in the unknown as we make our way through the opening.

Cheers!!!
Haider Jasdan

Right decision at right time changes life…

2009-08-06T00:48:00.001+05:30

MBA can make sense at any level as long as it makes sense to you. Doing MBA or not is a very personal decision people take this decision to move ahead in life (fresher(s), experienced(s)).

As an individual I wanted to grow fast, I was facing lot of stagnation in my job and recognitions were not able to stop my hunger of growth. TINA (There is no alternative) factor for MBA was becoming prominent; I planned taking GMAT and with crucial project deadlines and all I could not get a sexy score for ISB.

I always had this in mind; that selecting a B-school is like selecting a new life, one has to be clear that what he or she wants to achieve in life and then think whether the college they are eyeing at is capable enough to bridge that gap.

What one should look while selecting a B-school; is that whether this School can actually add fuel to one’s dreams and desires nurture one by providing knowledge, so that one can protect them and ensures that he/she achieves them rather than making compromises. We just have one life, let’s live to the fullest and ensure it gets everything best.

There are two ways to mitigate that gap. Read up or Go back to School. Going Back to School seems a better option as one has to learn in the right fashion and understand the concepts and perspectives. If one wants to lead or manage then one needs to have all the right tools. Hence selection of B-School becomes very crucial.

I kept myself always occupied to find out is there any college that can help me getting wonderful knowledge and career ahead rather I was looking for BATNA( Better AlTernative Next Available)

Finally I applied for Great lakes, Chennai and got call from Mumbai Business School, a School that has been started with much bigger Mission and Vision; and run by same management.

This is a college that gets you world’s best faculties to teach you, best world’s best management gurus like Padmashree Dr. Bala Balachandran(Professor at Kellogg university, consultant to Indian government and to various countries around the world, man behind ISB,MDI Gurgaon, Great Lakes Chennai) , Prof. Jagdish Seth(Marketing Guru, Professor at Emory university, consultant to best firms in the world like GE, Square D and author to more 200 article), and many more legends standing in front of you and teaching. Chief mentor here is one and only Dr. Sunil Rai (Ex Joint-Director S.P.J.I.M.R, key contributor to its success today). This dream College has been made alive by one of India’s biggest entrepreneur Mr. A. Mahendran (Director Godrej).

The only B-school that is committed to fill all gaps, propel individual’s career and delight industry by giving them “Day one job ready, Domain focus, Role customized Manager” is “Mumbai Business School”. Only place to learn “next best practices”.

I feel this is one of the BEST B-School to study…. And with God’s grace I am at best place.

-Shreeram Iyer( Ex. Satyam Associate)

MBSite

RNo#11

Plunging Into The Deep

2009-08-05T01:15:00.001+05:30

Life Can Be Scary

Life can take us on a roller coaster ride full of highs and lows and twists and turns. Even for those of us who enjoy unexpected thrills, it's frightening to suddenly find ourselves heading for a deep plunge. Yet, it happens to all of us. At these moments, it is important to remember that you are not alone in your experiences. No matter how brave, strong, or levelheaded we are, sometimes, we all get scared.

Our fears may revolve around our physical safety, particularly if we are not feeling well, living under difficult circumstances, or doing work that exposes us to hazardous conditions. Or, we may be experiencing financial woes that are causing us to be fearful about making ends meet. We may also fear the loss of a loved one who is sick, or we may be scared of never finding someone special to spend our life with. We may be scared to start at a new school, begin a different job, move to a new town, or meet new people. Whatever our fears are, they are valid, and we do not need to feel ashamed or embarrassed that we are, at times, afraid.

It may be comforting to know that everyone gets scared, and it is perfectly OK. Sometimes just acknowledging our fears is enough to make us feel better. And while it sometimes takes a lot more to ease our mind, we can console ourselves with the knowledge that life can be scary at times. Giving ourselves permission to be scared lets us move through our fears so we can let it go. It also makes it alright to share our fears with others. Sharing our apprehensions with other people can make our fears less overwhelming because we are not letting them grow inside of us as pent up emotions. Sharing our fears also can lighten our burden because we are not carrying our worries all by ourselves. Remember that you are not alone.

Cheers!!!
Haider Jasdan

Defining Your Direction

2009-08-02T14:18:00.002+05:30

Defining Your Direction
Your Life’s Work

Many people are committed to professions and personal endeavors they never consciously planned to pursue. They attribute the shape of their lives to circumstance, taking on roles they feel are tolerable. Each of us, however, has been blessed with a purpose. Your life’s work is the assemblage of activities that allows you to express your intelligence and creativity, live in accordance with your values, and experience the profound joy of simply being yourself. Unlike traditional work, which may demand more of you than you are willing to give, life’s work demands nothing but your intent and passion for that work. Yet no one is born with an understanding of the scope of their purpose. If you have drifted through life, you may feel directionless. Striving to discover your life’s work can help you realize your true potential and live a more authentic, driven life.

To make this discovery, you must consider your interests in the present and the passions that moved you in the past. You may have felt attracted to a certain discipline or profession throughout your young life only to have steered away from your aspirations upon reaching adulthood. Or you may be harboring an interest as of yet unexplored. Consider what calls to you and then narrow it down. If you want to work with your hands, ask yourself what work will allow you to do so. You may be able to refine your life’s work within the context of your current occupations. If you want to change the world, consider whether your skills and talents lend themselves to philanthropic work. Taking stock of your strengths, passions, beliefs, and values can help you refine your search for purpose if you don’t know where to begin.

Since life’s journey is one of evolution, you may need to redefine your direction on multiple occasions throughout your lifetime. For instance, being an amazing parent can be your life’s work strongly for 18 years, then perhaps you have different work to do. Your life’s work may not be something you are recognized or financially compensated for, such as parenting, a beloved hobby, or a variety of other activities typically deemed inconsequential. Your love for a pursuit, however, gives it meaning. You’ll know you have discovered your life’s work when you wake eager to face each day and you feel good about not only what you do but also who you are.

Cheers!!
Haider Jasdan

Walk the Talk...

2009-07-28T10:08:00.003+05:30

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...

2009-07-28T10:06:00.004+05:30

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

2009-07-27T11:05:00.000+05:30

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..

2009-07-26T18:48:00.002+05:30

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....

2009-07-26T02:56:00.009+05:30

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.

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

Cheers!!!
Sunny Mahajan
PGPM 09s

Trendsetter #16

Zeitgeist and the move on....

2009-07-21T18:31:00.002+05:30

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...

2009-07-14T15:10:00.002+05:30

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...

2009-07-13T13:37:00.001+05:30

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…

2009-07-13T13:32:00.002+05:30

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

2009-07-13T12:30:00.000+05:30

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

2009-07-06T16:11:00.002+05:30

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...

2009-07-04T11:43:00.004+05:30

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....

2009-07-04T07:07:00.002+05:30

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

One Night at MBS....

2009-06-16T01:33:00.004+05:30

It is 1:30 AM.... I am still in college with Sanket, Bhushan and Sparsh... we have an OB Presentation tomorrow at 12 noon... I can find all my fellow batchmates online....I guess this is why I was here... This is what i came here for... This is my school, my course, my year... The trendsetters rock...

Nikhil Neelakantan

Trendsetters # 22

Trendsetters- Teekhi Bhel...

2009-06-11T14:38:00.005+05:30

Trendsetters- Teekhi Bhel...

Anyone and everyone knows what Bhel is.. If u don’t know then u should visit the Mumbai chowpati... if u don’t know wat chowpati is then do visit it on ur next Mumbai trip to attend ur distant cousins wedding... anyways its the mumbaiya version of chaat... if u don’t know chaat... then Google it... Almighty knows best... Anyways... so why is it mentioned here...??? U’ll know...

When was the last time u saw an engineer, a hotel mgmt grad, and a BSc Chemistry grad presenting a TEXTILE sector presentation...??? NEVER... Its a funny notion... Sounds Weird does’t it... Funny thing... RIGHT... Well we generally generalise wat we feel is right... Well let me tell u... that was a fantastic report ... So when I compare the trendsetters to a Bhel... its a mixture of languages, cultures, profiles... but the combination is absolutely ‘Chatpata’ ... so WE are an amalgamation of Mtec Metallurgy, MSc MicroBio, Msc Chem, BE, BTec, BBA, BCom, BA hons, BSc. Hospitality, etc... had worked with Infosys, Deutsche bank, Eaton, Satyam, Cognizant, Morgan Stanley, Patni etc(not in that order)... with an experience of 0- 72 months... with an avg age of 24... What can be better than this...??? And we are here... and believe you me... We gonna rock...!!!

We are doing a lot of things at MBS... dissecting 21 major sectors of world economy... Making reports... Giving Presentations... Submitting papers... Attending classes... all’s happening here at maddening pace.... with superb precision... And we got some superb set of people to judge, guide and mentor us...

The oath taken on the first day... we still remember it... its our mantra...

the Trendsetter mantra... ‘WE CAN AND WE WILL’...

We have arrived... We will deliver...

Till then... Watch this space, I say...

Bhushan Vishwasrao
Trendsetter # 30
A proud MBsite...

The Fine Art of Living...!!!

2009-06-09T09:14:00.002+05:30

The Fine Art of Living...!!!

When was the last time we thought about ourselves...?? Not as individuals... we do that all the time... We are a set of selfish hyenas... we all are... But have we ever thought of ourselves as an amalgam of Body and Soul... About the energy that flows within... About the life that runs through all the cells, veins, nerves... I’ll tell u when... NEVER... So when a program of Art of Living was introduced on our weekly schedules... a few eyebrows rose... But then we had already faced the three demons as mentioned in my earlier blog(For those who came in late... I’m talking bout Yoga, Aerobics and Dance...)... this was another BCI... so there we were... Atleast I was... in a classroom waiting for the Artist to walkin... On a personal note I don’t like to stretch my body beyond a certain physical limit...( I am a big guy... Apparel size (X)nL size... where n >2... Boy do I love Math... Anyways)
So we were all waiting patiently for some BABA types to walk in and give us gyan bout Spirituality n stuff... Instead walks in a lean guy not more than our age... Along with his co-instructor... These were Virat and Vasudha... He did tell us a few things about the course... about quitting some of our mortal pleasures... don’t wanna specify those... for the time period of this course... Once he was done with that... the real deal began... We were first supposed to meet any and everyone in the class, shake hands and tell them... ‘ I belong to you’... Trust me... this was the most awkward moment of our lives... we felt funny, weird, surprised et all... but we did it... felt good later to own so many ppl and in returned being owned by them... Then came the second game... A simple profit and loss question... Sent the entire class into a tizzy... we were to work out a solution and... Convince each other of our solution in case they have a different opinion... Chaos... At the end we all got different answers... Needless to say... We were all wrong... But we did realise something... We always want to speak... No one wants to listen... Now u know why all the ‘good listeners’ get the hot ones... We need to listen... This was followed by a couple of more listening and sharing exercises... Then a small break... Then came the mega-event... *drum-roll*... MEDITATION... but with a difference...
We sat and did some breathing exercise... Inhale Exhale... But on a certain order... certain pattern... certain rhythm... A record was playin in the background... We were breathing according to it... 5mins passed... 10 passed... 15... 20... but a strange thing was happening... Instead of getting restless... we were calm... The tranquil cannot be expressed in words... It was divine... then we lied down on the floor... Oh BTW we had our eyes closed all this time... So it was just dark... Thats when it happened... I felt Me... We felt US... it was amazing... Too good... Never was such a thing experienced before... We were feeling the energy running through... We actually felt it... The vibrations, the churning, the LIFE within... Entire session took 4hrs... Meditation being for the last 50mins odd... when we walked out of that room... we could feel the stress busted... we could feel our head light... we could feel the tension relieved... we were ready for the assignments to come... we were ready for the studies to come... we were at the next level... period.

Waiting for the next ‘Encounter of Our kind’....

Bhushan Vishwasrao
Trendsetter – 30
A proud MBsite.

Flirting with curves...!!!

2009-06-06T10:59:00.001+05:30

Flirting with curves...!!!
Human mind is a funny thing... U never know what games it’ll play with u... One of those things is ‘love of math’... Everyone loved 2 + 2 = 4... but all hated Integration... All homo sapiens love shapes... Martians’ adore Andersons, Basus... The inhabitants of Venus like the bulging biceps of Pitts and Roshans or the Doughles of yore... but when u see the same curves on graph paper ??? Now u get my point... Mortality is a curse... Cause u have to b immortal to completely understand the language of Axes... So there we were... Friday the 5th ... Morning 9am... Trying desperately to meet the deadline of the upcoming MBS event( ZietGeist...Spirit of the Time...)... Wat happened after that was incredible... We were never hit with such pure awesomeness ever... Suddenly all was clear... Deviations and dispersions... ranges and frequencies... Symmetries were no longer a planet in the milky way... All became crystal clear... Thanks to Prof. Nimkar... I’ve never seen any one so subtle, so soft teaching quant... trust me... he was explaining a certain problem for 15mins... till the time all understood it well.. We salute u sir.. Another day at MBS well spent... Another set of rules learned... Another fear dealt with...

Bhushan Vishwasrao
Trendsetter- 30
A proud MBsite.

Gyan of the day!!!

2009-06-04T16:55:00.003+05:30

We were sitting through our Business Immersion presentations - when Girish Sir (Regional Director of PRMIA) - he evaluates our presentations - gave us the lesson for the day.
"Shoppers are of 2 types - Fools and Idiots"
Fools: A fool is categorised as someone who goes to a mall and ends up, buying an Ipod from one store at a higher rate without enquiring at the nearby store.
Idiot: Some one buy's 2 axes (not the deoderant) because you get one free with another - in a place like Dubai where there are no trees. :)
Definitely a gyaan for Sales and Marketing aspirants on how to understand and tap shoppers.
Nikhil Neelakantan
Trendsetter # 22

OB!!!!

2009-06-04T14:43:00.002+05:30

We had one of the most enjoyable teaching sessions at MBS– Organization Behavior – we had Prof. IFS Raj from XLRI, Jamshedpur who had come to teach this subject to us. As a class, we felt he was by far the best professor who had taught us so far - someone who always had a smile on his face, someone who addressed his students as “Sir’s and Ladies”, someone who was so well connected with the class – not ignoring the value we have received from other professors like Prof. Rakesh P Singh, Prof Sunderrajan etc.
I believe, Prof. Raj was incredible when it came to making a connection with the class. He was so good while conversing with us; he thought at our level at the same time, taught us how to think at his level. As any other normal class, we would play around with cell phones…. The way he conveyed his message on any issue, was just remarkable. Believe me when I say this, he noticed a few of us messaging on our phone, neither did he take names, nor did he shout at us – the only thing he said was “Friends, I believe I can say this and be open to you – please don’t use your phones again” – and I know for a fact, I didn’t see even one student using his phone after that. I think his sessions were so much of value add – we all have a different respect for OB as a subject… Once again MBS has provided us with another awesome faculty – another faculty with wealth of experience – another faculty who makes us believe that he is one among us, another faculty who we are blessed to have among us.

Nikhil Neelakantan

Trendsetters - 22

Good Read

2009-06-03T19:09:00.005+05:30

India can now emerge as Asian superpower Stephen S Roach

IN RECENT years, the global view of India has been couched in terms of the daunting China comparison. It wasn’t all that long ago — 1991, to be precise — when Asia ’s two giants had similar levels of income per capita. That was then. Now, China ’s standard of living is more than three times that of India .
The China comparison has been India ’s wake-up call — a striking example of how economic development can be galvanised by pro-active government policy. It’s not that India has floundered. To the contrary, over the 2001-07 timeframe, India ’s real GDP growth averaged close to 7.5% — an impressive pick-up from the 5.5% pace of the 1990s. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this accomplishment was that it occurred despite the government — in the face of stiff political headwinds.
Those headwinds could now quickly become tailwinds. Thanks to the stunning victory of the Congress-led UPA in the recently concluded elections, there is a distinct chance that India could now benefit from its own strain of proactive, development-friendly government policies. The same reformers that were so successful in opening up India in the early 1990s were stymied by the politics of coalition management over the past five years. The massive win of the Congress Party all but removes that impediment — hinting at a new era of reforms that could well unshackle the increasingly robust potential of the Indian economy.
The dirty little secret of the Indian economy is that it has actually been performing much better, beneath the surface, than the China comparison might otherwise suggest. India has long had a much better micro story than China : A large population of world-class companies, outstanding entrepreneurs, a well-educated and ITcompetent workforce, relatively sound financial markets and banks, a well-entrenched rule of law, and democracy.
By contrast, India has suffered more from its macro deficiencies — especially when compared with China . That’s especially been true of savings, foreign direct investment and infrastructure. Yet, in the past three-four years, India has made impressive progress on at least two of those counts. Gross domestic savings rates have moved from the low 20s (as a percent of GDP) in the late 1990s to the high 30s in 2007-08. Foreign direct investment accelerated to a $40 billion annual rate — still short of Chinese style numbers but a fourfold increase from the pace of India’s inflows as recently as 2005. Even on the infrastructure front — where development constraints remain quite serious — the GDP share of such investments is up from the rock-bottom levels of the late 1990s.
Therein lies India ’s great potential — an increasingly virtuous cycle brought about the self-reinforcing interplay of its micro and macro drivers that now stand a real chance of being augmented by pro-active government policies and reforms. The new government needs to seize this moment — moving aggressively on four fronts — public sector deficit reduction, infrastructure support, privatisation, and deregulation of pension funds, retail, and banking. These are all tough battles for any politician to wage. But, if the government makes a down-payment on these critical initiatives, the Indian economy is well positioned to benefit for years to come.
The world has fallen in love with the China miracle. India has slipped between the cracks in all this euphoria. Yet, China now faces increasingly daunting challenges in coming to grips with long-simmering imbalances of its export — and investment-dominated macro structure. That could be a great opportunity for the ‘sleeper.’ Shifting political winds now give a well-balanced Indian economy a real chance to emerge as Asia ’s biggest surprise in the years immediately ahead.

The author is chairman, Morgan Stanley Asia

Winston Dsouza
Trendsetter # 7

WEEK 4...

2009-06-02T12:10:00.006+05:30

Week 4...
Ever heard of EL Dorado... the city of gold... Well we are in pursuit of the same... An elusive dream... A chase for the perfect tomorrow... but its not that easy... trust me... its tougher than ever... but as they say... when the goin gets tough... d tough gets goin... Last three weeks were really eventfull... from Rappling in 42⁰C at Dabosa camp to Sector assignments in 18⁰C MBS classrooms... don’t know which one was tougher... but one thing is sure... We survived it all... Its become a part of life...A part of the MBS culture... Eyes are wide open from 6am to 2am... Assignments are fun to do... Teamwork has a whole new meaning... Leadership is no longer just a word in the dictionary... Sharing is not just a hotel thing anymore... We can watch, see and feel the transformation... TRENDSETTERS... the name given to this batch by Dr. Rai... We are doin our best to live upto it... and i am happy to say that... to some extent we are successful too... An average day in an MBsites life’s pretty tough... 9 am sharp lectures... A demon awaits us... Financial Management... They say Achilles was the greatest warrior ever born... I say he never faced Fianancial Management... Troy was easy... 10:15am... a well needed breakfast arrives... 10:30 am the fight resumes... 11:40am... a well deserved tea- break... 11:50 am... the war resumes... 1:20pm... a well earned lunch break... we rest till 2:30pm... After that comes something which even a Spartan soldier would fear... Naepoleon would think twice... Hitler’s suicide makes sense... Its time to meet the SATAN... The Devil’s trio... Bow before ‘ YOGA, AEROBICS & DANCE’... 6pm is a sigh of relief... But wait... You are not yet free to go home... NO KID NO KIDDIN... Assignments awaits us... So its a quick snack in Shivsagar or a round of yummy BBC frankies... Back to work ppl... Its bout 9pm when we actually leave the campus just to go home and study the read- up for the next day... So dinner at 12 am... followed by some intelligence exchange with roomies... Then we sleep to wake up by 6am and the process goes on... There are no shortcuts to success... But this is probably the best thing that could have ever happened to us... Its just the beginning now... Just four words to explain MBS... Survival of the fittest...

Bhushan Vishwasrao
Trendsetter – 30
A proud MBsite.

Trendsetters

2009-05-30T10:03:00.005+05:30

Here we are, at Mumbai Business School - I already feel the burn out, it has been 3 weeks, I have 10 months to go... Financial Management is a bouncer... so was our first test - but it has been an experience to remember - as i had expected an experiece i will cherish for a life time... There were eyebrows raised on our initial trip to Dabhosa - we left at Mumbai to Dabhosa - at 5 in the morning... I dont even remember the last time when i saw what 5 AM looks like. Trust me - this was the ice breaker - we got to know our batch well.... we did the Rappling, River Crossing, we jumped from trees, trekking, mountain climbing... and guess what.. we all did it well... though we stretched our limits, we did it... No wonder we are called the TRENDSETTERS.

Since then, its been a grind - we ve been studying studyin and studying- Shiv Sagar is our second home ( the hotel below), college is our first - we sleep 4 hours a night on average, never knew we would hit the sack so late so soon - group studies, assignments, presentations, classes, tests... its all happening its all fun...

Nikhil Neelakantan

PGPM 09 Spring

Mumbai Business School

Info on MBS...

2009-04-08T02:24:00.002+05:30

Plenty has been spoken about MBS on all forums – amidst all confusion and perplexity, I would want to write this post for all students who are keen on joining MBS.

· There have been a lot of questions raised about MBS and its fee structure – as a student today, I would want to state that the fees charged by MBS is nominal. Don’t look at 8 lakhs as a figure – weigh it against the quality of teaching, value of staff and the worth of exposure provided to students. MBS student would be taught by world class staff and faculty – it includes exposure at industries both in India and Abroad. MBS students would also study and intern in the middle east and Europe. Putting all these aspects into consideration – I guess the fees is nominal.
· The fees is by and large considered to be nominal when the returns are satisfactory. MBS would definitely provide good placements – keeping in mind the high profile board and faculty. For any details on placement – students can speak to Nidhi Rawool who is the program coordinator at MBS.
· Since the school is new, it is quite apparent that a lot of questions will be raised against its credibility – MBS is a school for students who believe in themselves, and would use the exposure provided by the college to grow… Students who expect the school to take them forward without putting in any effort – this would not be a school for them. As long as you have the purpose and the focus to study and excel – the school would definitely change the destiny of its students.
· Bearing in mind the seriousness of the program – students would need to have extreme amount of self belief, and confidence… believe me , those who are the best – don’t get bothered by factors like recession – to state an example – my boss at work is an MBA from a university is Nashik – but he is better than the best. MBS is here to create managers of confidence….
· Please feel free to get in touch with me at +919833414740 for any more questions to be answered. Cheers!!

Nikhil Neelakantan
PGPM – Batch – 01/09

The Dream....

2009-03-12T15:12:00.013+05:30

MBS is a dream. This school means a lot to me as I have been with it almost since day one! Seeing the campus build... from what it was, to wat it is today... The premises has changed beautifully... I remember the first ad being launched and then getting calls to answer the queries.. It has all come up to a different stage today... We already have 23 confirmations, and about ten- eleven in the pipeline, which should give us a good batch of about 38-40 students. I am personally very happy that the school has got a good response. After meeting up with Dr. Jagdish Sheth and Dr. Bala Balachandran and the other directors, I feel there is no reason why the school shouln't do as well as it is doing. The idea behind the school is very convincing, the recent times showing us how important it is for the corporates to know how to manage Human Capital. The people behind the school are immensely knowledgible, and successful people who are legends in themselves... Be it Dr. Bala, Dr. Sheth, Mr. Mahendran or Dr. Rai... The directors from all the areas are winners in themselves and we have been lucky to have Mr. Bharat Dabholkar, Mr. Santosh Desai, Mr. Ton Van Bilsen and others, to guide the school. Meeting all of them has been a very enriching experience....

The school has got a fairly good press coverage as well.. I am posting a story that featured in The Financial Chronicle along with an interview with Dr. Bala, who along with being the professor at the Kellogg School Of Management, is also an advisor to US President Barack Obama.

Rashi Mahindra

Admin Executive (Promotions)

The Voyage beckons!

2009-03-09T22:39:00.002+05:30

Here I am, today being the 9th of March, exactly 2 months away from a journey that I will remember for lifetime. I still remember the day, when I first walked into MBS to give my interview… I met Nidhi Rawool the program coordinator, who got me well settled for my interview. I was interviewed by two exceptional personalities, Prof. G.S.Vasan, and Prof. Girish – I wouldn’t want to write much about them – anything said about them is too little. Once I had received the offer to Admission, little did I know that I would be meeting the CEO – Dr. Sunil Rai in a couple of days time. He is one person, who all MBA aspirants should meet. I don’t have words to express what I feel about the whole adventure so far.

By then I was already a part of a family, my new family called MBS. Mumbai Business School – which is located in Malad in Mumbai is my new home – my new center for education and learning. I would be joining this school in 2 months time, which is more of a formality – I already feel attached and associated with it. I already have innumerable experiences which I can recollect… I was a part of the video shoot, where I had awesome fun with a couple of my to be batch mates, I also met Mr. Bharat Dabholkar over lunch who is an amazing person by himself… Ever since then I have been interacting with fellow students and the support staff at school – the school very much feels like my home – I feel comforted and composed with every visit to MBS. I cannot wait to start off with the course… I can’t wait to meet more students…. I can’t wait to spend the next one year at MBS J

Nikhil Neelakantan
PGPM – Batch – 01/09

Dr Sunil Rai, CEO

2009-03-07T14:51:00.002+05:30

Hi !!
we are set to create history by the trend setting PGPM of MBS a unique domain role focussed management creating Managers for tomorrow with feet set in present. Together we shall !!
welcome to the journey - MBS

WHY MBS

2009-03-07T10:50:00.000+05:30

MBS provides World-class Management Education, that is, relevant to the specific needs of contemporary business organisations. The curriculum focuses on managing Human Capital with the right blend of functional management and technology. The MBS graduates will typify a humble yet progressive manager having aspirations of achieving excellence, keeping their feet firmly on ground. The MBS edge is provided by:
Human capital management- is the most crucial element of achieving and sustaining excellence is a thought endorsed by all business leaders.
Relevant (domain and role focused) management education designed by world-renowned academicians and successful industry leaders and practitioners across the globe.
Seventy percent courses taught by faculty from the leading US universities. Other courses taught by renowned experts and faculty teaching in the top B Schools in India.
Customised placements to match aspirations of growth and choice of domain affected on a rolling basis by experienced placements team supported by industry experts
Comprehensive corporate personality carved by rich portfolio of Non- Classroom Interventions and feedbacks provided by professional assessment agencies every quarterly.
High tech learning environment cradled in ultra modern classrooms, syndicate rooms and students' activity centre for recreation, health and rejuvenation
The exuberance, brilliance, enthusiasm and resilience offered by the commercial capital of the most promising economy- Mumbai and the spirit of Mumbaikars.

About US

2009-03-07T10:27:00.000+05:30

MBS is a World-class Management Education providing Organization modeled on principles and pedagogic approaches of the top B-Schools such as Harvard, Kellogg, Wharton, Stern, INSEAD and London School of Business, to name a few, to promote high quality and relevant management studies.....