Orientation of 9th batch at IIM Raipur: Students get a flavour of Corporate Life
The second and final day of IIM Raipur’s orientation program exposed the newly admitted students to the corporate world they would step in two years from now. The students of the 9th batch of Post Graduate Programme in Management and 7th Batch of Fellow Programme in Management got an opportunity to interact with the experts from academia & industry and gained insights that would help them in the course of the next two years.
For making students familiar with the current expectations of the corporates from budding managers, a Panel Discussion on ‘Relevance of Management Education in creating competitive advantage in Indian Industry’ was organised. The students were privileged to have inputs from the panel which included Mr. John K John, V.P (L&D), Reliance Industries Limited; Mr. Sandeep Jain, V.P, Bank of America (Merrill Lynch);Mr. Saurabh Sharma, Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition, Ericssonand Mr. Dhananjay Singh, DG, National HRD Network.
The discussion was opened by Mr. Dhananjay Singh, DG, National HRD Network, who addressed the students by saying that there is nothing that cannot be achieved if they put their mind to it. “All youngsters present are extremely talented and will serve not only nationally but globally”, said Mr. Singh.
Mr. John K John, V.P (L&D), Reliance Industries Limited, enlightened the students about individuals having multiple areas of intelligence. “To bring out the best in someone, you need to test their intelligence in their area of aptitude. Don’t let your intelligence fade”, said Mr. John. He further urged the students to work in their areas of passion, have a goal and keep sharpening their strengths.
Mr. Sandeep Jain, V.P, Bank of America (Merrill Lynch) said “Technology is disrupting almost every field. WhatsApp’s valuation is more than all of print media”. He further said that the education system should be designed as per the changing technology landscape.
Mr. Saurabh Sharma, Senior Manager, Talent Acquisition, Ericsson said “Whatever we have built is changing very fast, and students need to keep up with it.They need to compete at a global level”. He advised the students to have a multidisciplinary approach, take risks and fail fast.
The panel discussion was followed by an interactive session between the students and IIM Alumni. The Alumni gave them an overall perspective on what they can expect in these two years and guided them on how to manage time and expectations for the best experience of PGP program at IIM Raipur.
Ms. Sana, Senior Project Delivery Executive, WIPRO and alumna of IIM Raipur, asked the students to stay prepared, and said that every moment at college would add huge value later. She educated the students about the 4 C’s which they need to focus on in the next 2 years, which were Curriculum, Communication, Culture and Choices.
Mr. Vijay Lancy, CEO, Prakash Padukone Sports Academy, said “MBA introduces to a lot of things you haven’t done earlier. It shouldn’t just be a degree. Students should have multiple takeaways from the degree”
Mr. Manmohan Bhutani, Director on the Board of ACS, enlightened the students about the need to change and adapt. “Work on your weaknesses and make them your strengths. Focus on learning from peers”, said Mr. Bhutani.He further said that we are on the threshold of transformation and specialization is the way forward.
Post lunch, the second panel discussion on ‘Trends to watch for in the Indian Industry’ was organised. The panel consisted of esteemed members which included Mr. Harjeet Khanduja, V.P. (HR), Reliance Jio; Mr. Abhay Kapoor, Head HR (North India), Amazon and Mr. Ranganathan Bharathwaj Senior Director, Capgemini. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Manmohan Bhutani, Director on the Board of ACS.
Mr. Abhay Kapoor, Head HR (North India), Amazon stated that though manufacturing is the backbone of any organisation, today people know who delivers but not who manufactures. He suggested that utilizing millennials for growth of an organisation is the way forward.
Mr.Bharathwaj Ranganathan, Senior Director, Capgemini said “Dependence of people in organisations is reducing for mundane tasks. Transactional work is being robotized. What will remain is people who understand the nuances of business”. He advised the students to focus on their competencies rather than focusing on trends.
Mr. Harjeet Khanduja, V.P. (HR), Reliance Jio, said that organisations change according to change in society. People today are spoilt with choices and want independence. “Technology will not change the future, but human touch and thought process will. Machines come with manuals, people don’t” said Mr. Khanduja.
The two day orientation programme provided valuable insights to the students to prepare them on the onset of a competitive journey in the field of management.
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