Diary of a Rural Manager!

Sparsh: Development in a Trimester of rural management - 5... : I didn't come down to XIMB to oversleep. I've worked below what I am capable of. Here in 5 points what I learnt in last 3 months: ...

80th Week@XIMB - 16th December to 22nd December 2012 16th December - STM book reading session started today. Prof Deepak Malhotra - HBS - 2012 Speech to Graduating Harvard MBA Students 17th December - STM reading session continues. 18th December -   “Complacency is a part of Indian psyche and you can’t do much about it. Every time an Indian tries to be ambitious he is pulled down and that’s one of the reasons why Indians don’t have the killer mentality,” Sunil Gavaskar once observed. The fees are submitted. Yet I didn't find enough motivation to attend classes next trimester. Without a dream to chase, the soul stagnates. This has happened to many individuals here at this place. I once wanted to change the brawn environment of RM but failed miserably. This place has the capacity to pull down in an institutionalized way. Neither are we great in knowledge nor have sufficient human capital in the alumni database. 19th December - STM exams were over. I started stud...

79th Week@XIMB - 9th December to 15th December, 2012 9th December - There was an interesting collaboration that XIMB has had with the University of Minnesota this trimester. We had (almost) simultaneous courses running on "Social entrepreneurship" (XIMB) and UMN-Acara's "Design for Sustainable Development" ( syllabus ). Nine students of SE paired with four teams of UMN and after initial facilitation from both sides the students have been working on joint problems with regular discussions over skype. The teams had their live presentations on Dec 7th which was conducted on an open platform with students here able to add and listen to their counterparts. This low (no) cost experiment has happened with good learning on both sides. While positioning some of the advantages of XIMB, the noteworthy was the ability of RM students to be more awake when Americans are! The manner in which successive batches of RM students have participated and created a conducive e...

78th Week@XIMB - 2nd December to 8th December, 2012 2nd December - I was back in Bhubaneswar from Raipur. I was rejected in Manipal Process after playing simulation game round. People don't remember why they even join this course. 3rd December - Its Institute day i.e. Holiday. Fr. Paul Fernandes, S.J., Ph.D is appointed as the Director of XIMB by its Board of Governors with effect from December 4, 2012. 4th December - I wasted another precious day of my life. 5th December - In a closed and localized market, increased productivity only resulted in surplus goods and falling prices. That may happen to Amul and directly affect to the prices paid to producers. Indian government must start exporting milk and milk products to avoid such condition. And we are also self sufficient in milk production. 6th December - I qualified for the written test but rejected again in interview. I observed that beyond a solid knowledge of subject, it is temperament in stressful situatio...

77th Week@XIMB - 25th November to 1st December, 2012 25th November - I was busy in preparing CV for off campus. I attended last three lectures of CRM. 26th November - IRP meeting is going on. I need to acknowledge their past errors in order to avoid them in the future. I will be more regular in updating my seniors. I Couldn't attend a talk on PDS due to excessive drinking at night. This the lowest point of the college life. As they say, familiarity breeds contempt. There are amazing speakers who have worked and achieved fame across various sectors give talks every other day at XIMB. I could have attended if I wanted to. When it becomes a daily occurrence, one start to take it for granted. Don’t. If one want to be great, one has got to learn what’s made great people great. That was their sheer consistency to learn with limited opportunities. 27th November - KM quiz was over today. I loved and hate the feeling of being pushed to the wall. Without that one never apprecia...

76th Week@XIMB - 18th November to 24th November, 2012 18th November - Immersion course of Agri Branding was in full flow. We covered - 4. Steps in brand decision process 5. Types of decision processes 6. Modifying the brand decision process to create Brand "A product can be quickly outdated, but a successful brand is timeless." - Stephen King 19th November - Played Beer Game. I have successfully completed online course of Principles of E-Government issued by 'United Nations Public Administration Network ( UNPAN )'. E-Government Index of India is 0.383 in comparison to average score of 0.497. 20th November - Strategic quiz. 21st November - We learned about competitive advantage of nations over other. Mr.R.S.Sodhi, MD, GCMMF (AMUL) delivered a talk on Synchronizing Management Theories with Business Practices I visited to warehouse of CWC office for SCM presentation. 22nd November - The poor attendance in CEO talks in-spite of the multitude of...

75th Week@XIMB - 11th November to 17th November, 2012 11th November - I recalled a good session on role, commonalities and differences between Entrepreneur and Manager given by EDI Director Dinesh Awasthi. One is the creator of the organization while managers join the organization. Entrepreneur is looking for future plans and involved in creative destruction while Manager looks for past achievement and maintaining status quo. In the end, its the basic difference between puppet and puppeteer between them. It's not the critic who counts, nor the observer who watches from a safe distance. Wealth is created only by doers in the arena who are marred with dirt, dust, blood, and sweat. These are producers who strike out on their own, who know high highs and low lows, great devotions, an who overextend themselves for worthwhile causes. Without exception, they fail more than they succeed and appreciate this reality even before venturing out on their own. But when these producers of we...

74th Week@XIMB - 4th November to 10th November, 2012 4th November - Nothing great is ever accomplished without passion. But, I am feeling rusted or even surrender type of attitude is flowing in my vein. In-spite of such burnout feeling in recent days, I am trying to boom back. Only positive of this rustiness is that I am feeling more calm and less numb. The net value of a great idea unless invested at ground is zero. Possessing talent roots for a strong launch but about having the discipline to summon that talent whenever needed makes one among greats. That is the trick of discipline missed by me. There are always few boys/girls even more talented but, it is determination and eagerness to take up any challenge for a prolong period sets one apart. Hard work and talent are rewarded but they need guidance in this low moral points. Hoping to boost energy within through some movies and long phases of sleep. When a person fail to attain a dream, that is the beginning of a realistic pr...

73rd Week@XIMB - 28th October to 03rd November, 2012 28th October - See a heart moving documentary Dilli'. It is a multiple-award winning documentary that has played in over 80 international film festivals across North America, South America, Africa, Europe and Asia. 29th October - Mid term has been taking place in this span of time. Cracking the rural code and Rural consumption boom are two articles for an insight of rural markets. 30th October - SCM quiz was there. 31st October - There was case discussion on Barilla Spa . While learning about pasta in case study, I reached a conclusion that consumption pattern of essential commodities like wheat and rice can't change but only purchase pattern. I learnt that in long run, stability in sales figure can be offered without giving any short term promotions. Promotion and marketing is tow different activity as per prof in supply chain class. To see the effect of promotion, check the sales data of two quarters be...

72nd Week@XIMB - 21st October to 27th October, 2012 21st October - “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results not attributes.” ― Peter F. Drucker I never fully understood importance of leadership until landed here in XIMB. Any university that does not offer its student this freedom and opportunity will fail to develop promising leaders and managers. I am lucky to have ITBHU and XIMB as institute of higher education. I guess any student needs to do study about something he/she is truly passionate about – if he/she is sitting in classes merely for the sake of grades/ – he’s just missed the point! There are some courses that may be no practical use in desk job, field service or even research, there is most certainly value. If you want to be a leader, there has to be irrationality in your setting up of the dreams. As Nelson Mandela rightly said "There is no passion to be found playing small." Any institute or orga...

71st Week@XIMB - 14th October to 20th October, 2012 14th October - Binayak Acharya & Gaurish Manerkar won 1st Prize at B-plan competition in KIIT. That is a one more positive news for XIMB. 15th October - In SCM, we discussed about basics of network design in supply chain. We were taught in CBRM lecture about attitude formation that is explained through tri component model of Cognition, Affective and Conative process. (Source; Schiffman and Kanuk, 2004). I was suggested to read about The Stanford Prison Experiment .We were told about tom sawyer effect where sometimes a very unattractive thing can also be made very attractive. There is a webpage for more study. 16th October - There was case study on Timex corporation in strategy class. There was discussion on Daniel Kanheman in CBRM lecture and his Dual process theory where System 1 is Automatic & unconscious and System 2 is Slow and sequential thinking. I read a good article on discounts- Paying more in a sale? H...

70th Week@XIMB - 7th October to 13th October, 2012 7th October - Sunday : BASF field visit. 8th October - I learned about CST, VAT and upcoming GST in SCM lecture. Under the CST Act, the tax is collected at one stage of purchase or sale of goods. Therefore, the burden of the full tax bond is borne by only one dealer, either the first or the last dealer. However, under the VAT system, the tax burden would be shared by all the dealers from first to last. Then, such tax would be passed upon the final consumers. There was brief discussion on FDI in retail that is a hot topic these days . 9th October - There were no classes. There was very important batch meet regarding placement. We all are heading towards the future determined by the placement, there is an uncertainty in the even calm minds also. As Keynes has said, we have, as a rule, only the vaguest idea of any but the most direct consequence of our acts . In our decisions, the pull of reality is greater than pull of dreams....

69th Week@XIMB - 30th September to 6th October, 2012 30th September - I was busy whole day in field visit of live project. I over viewed a World Bank page that summarizes Doing Business 2012 data for India . Also, Power of Ideas 2012: NASE , a new voice to boost India's social ventures and Power of Ideas 2012: Quipper Research , an all-women startup, dedicated specifically to qualitative marketing research. 1st October - There was discussion on facilities, capacity design and inventory in SCM lecture. 2nd October - A holiday gone in watching movies and reading pile of newspaper. 3rd October - There was discussion on Supply Chain Design at Jaguar: Bringing 'Nirvana' to Halewood case.( Full Pdf ) There is one more complementary case that was not even mentioned in the class - Jaguar Comes to Halewood: The Story of a Turnaround . Registration of IRP is over and yet exact topic of IRP is still undecided. 4th October - There was discussion on Lifebuoy - Levia...

68th Week@XIMB - 23rd September to 29th September, 2012 23rd September - There was an alumnus visiting the campus who was working with Dow Agro Sciences (Dow Chemicals). I decided first not to attend his lecture because he may be endorsing and promoting Dow Chemicals. Its not the fault of individual but one has to take ethical stand on the corporate misdeeds. The viewpoint of my college differ from me but that is a sort of independence and freedom of speech one is looking for in the college. Then, I reconsidered my decision and attended the lecture to understand his point of view. It is difficult to resist the winds of change and lucrative job offers; nevertheless conviction is all that one needs to withstand the same. Industry Talk of Mr. Amiya Kumar Bartia , National Market Development Leader, Dow Agro Sciences (Dow Chemicals) Career Planning : There is strong need for 4-5 years of investment in field to understand the ground level working of industry. There are five stages...

67th Week@XIMB - 16th September to 22nd September, 2012 16th September - A nice and warm Sunday. Key Learning - आचार्यात् पादमादते पादं शिष्यः स्वमेधया । पादं सब्रह्मचारिभ्यः पादं कालक्रमेण च ॥ (A student learns a quarter from teacher, a quarter from own intelligence, a quarter from fellow students, and the rest in course of time.) 17th September - SCM : Demolishing of fiscal barriers with WTO protocol helped in integrating and increasing efficiency of supply chain in the globalized world. We were suggested to read ' Quality Is Free ' by Philip Crosby. My argument about core competence was demolished by Professor. Prof argued back that core competency can be acquired but it depends of economies of scale. 18th September - Get introduced to the name of Akio Morita in the first lecture of STM. We discussed in the details for the reason of ITC to venture in hotel industry from tobacco business. CBRM- In the first CBRM Lecture, the whole introduction was based on key ...

66th Week@XIMB - 09th September to 15th September, 2012 09th September - Nothing of importance happened today in my life. Yet, I was sad. There was the demise of a great figure among the community of rural managers. The father of White Revolution, Verghese Kurien, is no more with us. 10th September - There is a great article paying tribute to Dr Verghese Kurien - Inspiration to a Rural Manager . Dr. Kurien is being limited by the media as a man who has created Amul, the Brand of India. His contribution is much more than forming the brand Amul. He created a legacy in successfully running a cooperative and never succumbing to political pressure. This becomes more pronounced in the context of the failure of the cooperative movement in India. I was reading QRM in detail for the exam. There was ga reat revelation because I had not taken an interest in the elective course from the start. I got a few facts right from a research paper by Fekede Tuli . 1- The quantitative purists artic...