81st Week@XIMB

81st Week@XIMB - 23rd December to 29th December, 2012

23rd December - XIMB stops accepting IRMA scores for rural management program, will now only accept CAT, XAT or CMAT. That is the news rolling over at pagalguy. I don't know its implications. XIMB-RM may succeeds tactically in the eyes of AICTE, but fails strategically in the eyes of applicants in term of its reputation.

Rather than trying to be a person I cannot be - to do this or do that - I went back to reconstruct my own strengths. I had come here for development hence will not go for a high paying (sales/marketing) job.

24th December - CMD, GID and SER class.

It was quite nice to study sociology in GID lecture. Even today, after years of education and modernity, women didn't get the respect that they are entitled to. Yes, low enrollment of girls in this course is quite dramatically low. May be these girls either know everything or just don't want to discuss these issues.

25th December - Christmas is in the town, hence holiday. I had became shadow of the person who once was possessed with an individuality and self-belief. There is a clear difference between me as the person on two different occasion- one fighting inner demons, the other surrendering to the mental barriers.

Sound logic with brutal and bare truths is the Australian way. I will be adding conversation with friends, meditation and music in the to daily routine.

26th December - There were more discussion in GID class about sex and gender issues. Diversity of views were amazing that made me look and appreciate perspectives that I never knew existed.

27th December - Managers have to navigate the dynamics of governance contexts at various levels that impact organizational trajectories of the international environmental and trading regimes to shifts in national policy or market regulation to changes in organizational relationships with partners and networks. Thus was the brief introduction of GD course.

Yes, there is hidden apartheid and distinction between various courses floating at XIMB. Not all courses are treated equally by majority of faculty and administration. Some of this can be attributed to the lack of sincerity by RM students throughout many batches. There is no clear communication by faculty encourage people to plan their life and career more sensibly. A vocational college fails under current framework when its student operate under pressurized and uncertain job situation, as this don't provide them even elusive social or economic security necessary for survival. People also say “we all agree that we need to ensure rural managers get paid” even though, from the perspective of an individual welfare against loan, discussions rather than action are completely unimportant.

28th December - Our seniors had left few companies that are not well-suited to them in less than a year. That is harming our proposition in this dull market.

29th December - I am not able to focus for few minutes on a single thing. IRP field work is pending from a long time. I had made my life in the pursuit of short term goals.

Sparsh: Development in a Trimester of rural management - 5...

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

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 studying financial inclusion: Financial Inclusion by Extension of Banking Services – Use of Business Correspondents (BCs), Financial Literacy and Credit Counselling Centres and Financial Inclusion talk by Deputy Governor, RBI. Those who are more interested in examining their banking knowledge can give quizzes here at the IIBF website.

20th December - BM guys have nailed very good jobs today. That is much talk of the town today. Always aspire, never envy. I have chosen to take a career path with the TINA effect - there is no alternative.

21st December - FINO aspiration dies slowly. I qualified in the aptitude test but was disqualified in an HR interview. The only one reason that my batch-mates are getting jobs is that they had prepared much meticulously than me. They simply did not turn up and expect things to get done on past achievements. The twin crises of a shortage of jobs and a shortage of skills are hampering mine growth.

22nd December - There was a private meeting of few people with the student placement committee coordinator regarding rumours of future dates of the company visit to campus. With the batch size of 100, it will be a gargantuan achievement for placing all people in their favourite sectors. RM is not given importance by the administration and Placement Coordinator at XIMB. When the placement will falter, a lot of low paying NGO's will be pushed for recruitment. I have been hoping for the last 18 months that things will be all right as opposed to wanting to make them all right. How bad will it get before it gets better?

There is a rage within each student of the RM program with this careless approach. I am in the right mind will never ask anybody to join this program until a new campus is established. Nothing grows in the shadows of the big banyan tree. Continuing to the raging voices, there is nothing more risky and volatile of all things than a self-pitying majority. It's now is the question of identity and only partition is the solution. XIMB - BM has a big network of alumni who are spread all across the globe and have made their names in different fields. And for few exceptions, there is not much harmony at a 'professional' level between these two courses. Also, the majority of students have the habit of placing loyalty to their programs above professionalism for the sake of XIMB.

One must record history to prevent atrocities from happening again. I am finding pleasure to write this blog now. Placing a story of struggle in the placement scenario is a position that goes against the dominant narrative manufactured by B Schools. It is generally believed that anything that is not read, watched or consumed with immediate gratification can't survive for long. Even if I have to compromise on the delay in leaking out such heated debates about XIMB, I assume it's worth it and will never compromise on the authenticity of every written word.

79th Week@XIMB

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 environment for the nine students who opted to work with the UMN students is praiseworthy. The RMAX coordinator(s) and all the participants of last years contests have been good brand ambassadors and we need to thank them for that. XIMB students have not fought shy of constant engagement and hard work that this collaboration has entailed.

In an era of T20 B plan contests I feel happy to see XIMB students showing the ability to have the patience and persistence for Test match kind of engagements. I sincerely hope that the Indian cricket team learns a bit from them at Nagpur!


9th December - CBRM & SCM presentation.

10th December - Mckinsey Newsletter had a amazing article - From oxcart to Wal-Mart: Four keys to reaching emerging-market consumer.

11th December - People belonging to Hindi heartland must read Munshi Premchand to have basic understanding of the rural India. It may be idealistic version but must read

12th December - BASF live project final presentation was over today. Finding the need to innovate is difficult rather than already existing products. This was key learning. I heard first time about Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) in the presentation.

BoP is like a holy grail chased by every company these days in the name of sustainable business. Economy, Ecology, Society defines Sustainable Business. Since BASF is a company working in B2B, it is difficult to have B2C transition. Transitions that happen by default, clearly lack the foresight and hence the planning. Trade Fairs is a better way of B2B Marketing as you know your customer. Lower period of pyramid need different modes of selling. Hence we need to solve the both puzzles of product innovation and business model.

Distance from highway is a good criteria to select villages and people. But we need more information on income group and spending/ borrowing habits of the people.
Co-relation National Highway, Block and Village with Average Income will be interesting thing to note for BoP market. There is already need of reliable and Valid data in both Qualitative and Quantitative analysis.

13th December - Management@Grassroots programme is another academic initiative of XIMB which aims at providing community relevant course contents and pedagogy with active participation from the target audience of these courses. Kudos XIMB !!!

14th December - CBRM and SCM end term.

15th December - No exams, hence a day of rest.

78th Week@XIMB

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 situation that matters most for winning candidate. Talent alone looks attractive but hard-work is effective in a long run.

7th December - I was alone and deep in gargantuan trouble of hopelessness. What happens when big ego meets official rejection news again and again ? To lose one job interview may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose two looks like carelessness. And as to losing three, well its a streak of nonperformance in my own eyes.

7th December - I am feeling numb and energy-less. Currently, I am in shambles with the state resembling to Indian cricket team. There is nowhere to hide for Indian team that has been exposed as a mediocre team. India has fallen from where they rose and the circle is complete. The time has come for me to move on in the life.