Orientation/Induction program of MFM and MMM Course

Yet another year for part time MBA began with the induction of the students of MFM and MMM courses. The program was addressed by the faculty of SIMSREE as well as Kishor Patil, alumni of the first part time batch in 2008. There was a panel discussion which was co-ordinated by Ashish Pawaskar and it included Dr. Manoj Bhide, Dr. RK Srivastava, Dr Sangeeta Pandit and Kishore Patil.
Here are some excerpts from the speech of Dr.Sangeeta Pandit, Finance HOD at SIMSREE :

There are about 6000 business schools in India, giving an MBA degree or diploma. A MBA on your CV is no longer a differentiating factor that will necessarily give a boost to your career. In spite of this, our SIMSREE MMS & PG students are sought after by Industry, due to the branding of Sydenham Management Institute and the quality of students. For these reasons, our campus is the preferred destination of reputed MNCs and Indian companies.
My pragmatic advice to you is to piggy ride on the reputation of our full time courses and in the process build your own branding. Well, how do you to do it? 
Our Finance Forum has a quarterly magazine-Arthneeti and the Marketing and Media Committee has a monthly magazine-Magma. You could start by contributing articles or commenting on the articles. It will give you visibility. Arthneeti has a national level essay competition that sees participation from all over India and even overseas, you could participate in it that, to increase your networking to exponential levels.The Finance Forum also has a fortnightly magazine called Market Round Up which gives holistic views on core industries, you should ideally post your comments and analyses there, it’s a great way to get noticed by people from Industry. Fin-o-buzz is a weekly compilation explaining financial jargons, just glancing through it will help your drafting and speaking skills.
We have a SMR Journal, the Sydenham Management Review, with an ISSN no, if your article is published there, you could always mentionit in bold on your CV, signifying you have a publication to your credit in a reputed Journal.
We have an annual Asia Pacific Conference with various tracks: Finance, Marketing and General Management, you could present papers there, if they are up to the mark, they would be published inthe Conference proceedings that have an ISBN number and a chosen few get published in a special edition of the SMR journal. Even attending the conference as a delegate can give you a wealth of information! People from across India and even outside, participate in big numbers; you would be definitely richer by the exposure.
Another option is initiatingResearch Projects within the company you are working in with help from the SIMSREE faculty. For instance, if your company wants financing, a project report could be written as to the avenues of finance that they could tap into, given the fundamentals of their Balance Sheet. Or if they want to launch a product, primary data could be collected of probable customer response.
Our full time course have Centres of Excellence, you could participate in the events organized by them or better still, form your own with their help. 
We the faculty and staff at SIMSREE are mere catalysts, providing you a platform to obtain a meaningful MBA degree, it is totally up to you to take the benefit. You are all matured adults with great credentials, you will be treated like managers with dignity, and we will not micromanage your attendance, performance or involvement in the course.
A few of our students have benefitted and added to the branding of the course. Let me give you examples of our MFM and MMM courses’ illustrious alumni, you could just Google their names: Chadrakant Thorat, Jatin Shah, Hemant Patil, Dyneshwar Bajage, Manohar Hire, Benjamin Samson and some others and I am sure I have missed out a few. These students  held leadership positions in the course, they were instrumental in arranging workshops and guest lectures, their attendance was almost 100%, it is these students whose career has made a significant difference due to their added qualification of MFM or MMM. 
This college and campus after 3 years will be your alma mater, you have to take that benefit and in the process give back to it. You gain, improve your career positioning and that increases the course branding which again improves all our ratings.
Through technology and platforms such as Face book & Google groups, you may not feel the need to come to campus. If you have issue of commuting and evening timings, you could have taken an online course. If you think you have been smart to get into a college, that has good branding, let me tell you with my experience of more than 3 decades that a mere degree from even the most highly rated B school is just a piece of paper unless it is backed by information, knowledge, prudence, wisdom and sound networking. This knowledge base you build up by attending sessions, participating in events and networking.  This networking, which is imperative today, can happen only after face to face interaction with your seniors, faculty and staff. One particular CR, Mahadev, if I recall correctly, urged me to hold a workshop called IMPACT, where the best of speakers from Industry discussed the implications of IFRS, GST and Investment Planning of retail investors. Believe me, I received calls and emails from most of the participants after 3 to 4 months praising the experience and how it enriched them. 
Our honourable Director has an open door policy, you can meet him with your suggestions and at grievances anytime, our library staff is very friendly, helpful and also knowledgeable. Professor Puneet with just one phone call will help solve your issues with thetime table or faculties. He is one of out our alumni and can guide you well. Ravi Sir and Farooque Sir have always been a great support to students. Professor Pawaskar, part of our illustrious alumni, is ever willing to listen and offer invaluable advice. Professor Srivastava who heads our PhD department can give you tips how to write papers and do Research. I am part of the Finance department and you can approach me anytime for any finance related queries. We have core faculties and visiting faculties who are all experienced and compassionate towards those who want to learn.You can take advice from our full time course chairpersons-Prathik and Rohit  and your seniors like Brijesh, Viral, Pooja and other sincere students.
We make no difference between our MMS course, PG course andour part time course. It is the same faculty, same staff, and same infrastructure. It is in your hands to make your course as sought after as the full time course.
 I welcome you to this August Institute and pray you have the wisdom to take benefit of so much it has to offer. 
Thank You.

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Aakaar felicitation ceremony by Guest of Honour Ms. Mini Menon

On 31^st March 2016, Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education (SIMSREE) hosted the felicitation ceremony for students who participated in Aakaar. 

Aakaar was a NGO Mentoring session organized by the CII IWN in association with SIMSREE. The event had participation from 16 NGOs who came from Mumbai and the nearby areas including Karjat and Mahad. The Student Social Responsibility (SSR) Committee along with more than 50 student mentors from SIMSREE worked with the NGOs over the period of 1 month to ensure proper implementation of the plan suggested during the event.

The Guest of Honor for the event was Ms. Mini Menon, Chairperson, CII WR Indian Women Network and Executive Editor, Bloomberg TV India. Ma’am felicitated the students for their work with the Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Ma’am also interacted with the students and gave them insights about how important it is to support people around us and be responsible. 

We would like to thank CII IWN for their continued guidance. 

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‘Identify, Eliminate and Progress’ by Mr. Saifuddin Kapasi

 On the eve of 13th February, Mr. Kapasi, an alumnus of the 1985 batch, visited his alma mater to interact with the students of the current batch. Sir is currently the Head of Credit & Collections at Vodafone India Ltd. Sir has also worked at Mafatlal Finance Co. Ltd, and Standard Chartered Finance Ltd as the Regional Manager.

Sir explained the importance of change with a short story of a football player and a child. He emphasized on the line, ‘If you keep doing what you have been doing, then you will keep getting the results that you have been getting’. Sir imprinted the concept of change and its value on the minds of the students. Extrapolating this concept, Sir then connected the students to the importance of Transformation. Sir stated that “Without transformation, you will perish”. He then gave an example of Mr. Masai who introduced the word GEMBA, meaning, ‘Continuous improvement driven at the right place.’ By narrating the story of Mr. Masai at the Taj workshop, Sir made us realize that it is MUDA, which means Waste, that we need to Identify, then Eliminate, and finally Progress. Sir explained that MUDA is any activity that does not add value and that reducing or eliminating MUDA is one of the fundamental activities of any quality management process.

With a small activity engaging all the students, Sir helped the students to identify MUDA and thus find solutions to the same. Sir also enlightened the students with two more concepts: MURA which means Imbalance and MURI which means Overload. Sir then took the students through the different types of MUDA which involved waste of Time, Work, Human Resources, Transportation, Inventory, Motion, Legacy, and Quality. Lastly, Sir stressed on the importance of being Process Oriented to be in a winning situation. 

The students found the session to be very informative and interactive, as Sir taught the students what the textbooks don’t teach. The Alumni Committee would like thank Mr.Saifuddin Kapasi, for taking time off his busy schedule and sharing his valuable insights with the batch.

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CAYE-Asia and YI chapter meet at CII Western Region Head Office

Students of SIMSREE got an opportunity to attend the YI Mumbai Chapter meet which was attended by some Great Personalities like Past President of Commonwealth Alliance of Young Entrepreneurs (CAYE), Ms. Fatin Arifin and the Founder of CAAYE-Asia Dr. Rahul Mirchandani.

The Event, held at the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Western Region HO, started off with welcoming Attendees from some of the most reputed MBA colleges of Mumbai. Dr. Rahul gave a brief overview of the session and walked students through the great achievements of CAYE and YI over the past 3 years.

Ms. Fatin then talked about the tremendous impact that CAYE has had on various issues around the world.

A few of the members from the YI Net shared their experiences of attending the CAYE summits in Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia. Their reactions clearly underlined the presence of CAYE in the world and the potential for change it bestowed on the members associated with it. It could be seen as a microphone amplifying the voice of the YI members. The session continued with a brief interaction with Mr. Waqar Masud, the representative of the CAYE from Pakistan and he shared some of the details of the next big bang event of CAYE to be held in Islamabad in the month of September this year.

"Geography is History" claimed Mr. Rahul excitedly as he focused on how CAYE has helped people break national barriers and helped Young Entrepreneurs around the world to connect with each other with the help of the vast network that CAYE has been able to build and nurture that is continuously growing.

The session was concluded by Mr. Sujit Patil, who heads the Corporate Communications at Godrej Industries and is the Chapter Chair of YI Mumbai, by introducing attendees to the world of opportunities the CAYE can present to the future Entrepreneurs.

 Thanks to Mrs. Sangeeta Pandit Ma'am, the Chairpersons and the General Secretaries for this opportunity which proved to be useful to the students and representatives from the Student Social Responsibility Committee, The Placement Committee and the Entrepreneurship Cell of SIMSREE.

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Guest Lecture with Mr. Rohit Verma

On the evening of 27^th January 2016, Mr. Rohit Verma, an alumnus of the 1997 batch, visited his alma mater to interact with the students of the current batch. Mr. Verma, currently the General Manager, IBM Resiliency Services at IBM India Pvt. Ltd., talked to the batch about Risk Management and Business Continuity Management in the corporate world, which is his field of expertise.

Sir began the session by talking about the changes in the college, and his journey as a student. He began the session by asking the students what they understood about Risk Management. Students volunteered, talking about its applications and how it affects our day-to-day life. Sir explained about Risk Management by giving a reference to Murphy’s laws. He explained that Risk Management covers all domains of a Corporate body be it Business function, Operations, IT or other support functions.

 Sir also gave plenty of examples from the corporate world bringing out how Risk Management played a key role in some organizations. He explained how Risk Management Framework has evolved over last many years, drawn from Legislations, Court decisions, Best practices and International Standards. He discussed the relationship between Risk and Strategy, Risk and Uncertainty and Time and Impact. He encouraged the students to speak what they understood by these relationships.

He explained how the varied Business risks we face today can be classified into different buckets, depending on their frequency and potential impact. He discussed how different Corporate Risks are treated and managed on day to day basis.

Sir supported the Risk Management practice with plenty of Corporate examples (e.g. how Johnson and Johnson managed customers’ complaints in one of its products and won back their trust and confidence). He emphasized on how Risk Management plays a critical role in such cases.

Sir also gave an overview of Business Continuity Management, one of the fields in Risk Management, which is gaining high visibility at the Board of Directors level today. He cleared few doubts asked by the students. He also encouraged the students to consider Business Continuity Management as a key career opportunity.

The students also found the session to be very informative and interactive, as Risk Management is a relatively new subject for the batch. The Alumni Committee would like to thank Mr. Verma, for taking time off his busy schedule and sharing his valuable insights with the batch.

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High Tea with Hon. External Affairs Minister of India, Smt Sushma Swaraj

On 30th January, students of SIMSREE were honored to have attended a conference with Hon. External Affairs Minister of India Smt. Sushma Swaraj. The event was held in Kalidas Natyamandir, Mulund (w).

Students were gathered to place their grievances or their suggestions on any issue that needed to be addressed. The minister took her time and patiently answered various questions of all the young Indians gathered for the event. Students of SIMSREE also placed few suggestions as well questions forward and were pleased by the response they received from the Minister. 

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MAGMA presents an interview with Mr. Ravindra Datar

The Media and Marketing Committee of Sydenham Institute of Management Studies present to you the monthly edition of 'MAGMA'.  MAGMA is a monthly newsletter containing interviews of top corporate executives, directors, presidents, vice-presidents, general managers and other top senior and middle management corporates. We hope to keep you entertained and enlightened with our efforts. An Interview with Mr. Ravindra Datar Mr. Ravindra Datar is an alumnus of 1996 batch. He is an expert in Strategic Marketing with more than 19 years of experience in global industry research, advisory, marketing & communications. He is currently the Vice President and Global Marketing Head at Blueocean Market Intelligence, Vice President and Global Marketing Head at Cross-Tab Marketing Services Pvt. Ltd and Member of the Senior Leadership team at BRANDcapita. The Alumni Committee welcomed Mr. Ravindra Datar, an alumnus of the 1996 batch, for a guest lecture to address the junior batch and also interacting with the students. Here are some excerpts from the interview: Q. With almost all major brands adopting digital marketing how does one brand have an edge over others in the digital arena? The edge comes from the ability to analyze the information, capture this information fast enough, filter this information quickly and organize it meaningfully. Making this information available to the right decision makers, at the right time, in the right format creates the edge. If you look at all of this, the differentiation is in speed and time. Companies which are able to do this faster than others will win. Also in the digital world,attention is a prime asset. Whoever is able to grab and retain the attention of the prospective buyer often gets the deal.  Q. Recently Snapdeal faced public ire for its endorser’s comments. What should be the strategy of a brand or organization to expunge the tarnished image? Companies have to be both proactive and reactive. Proactive in terms of knowing what channels to be kept a watch on, like social media, just in case. Social media channels can do good or can do tremendous harm too, and at a very fast pace. Reactively, look at what is it that the people are reacting to and if they can they dissociate the brand ambassador’s personal thoughts from their own. Q. Even with the rapid expansion of internet, it still has not penetrated in the rural areas. What measures could be taken to make internet a basic amenity? For a broader reach, we have to break out of the “Computer” mindset and get into the Mobile mindset, especially in the B2C scenario. Mobile applications like WhatsApp or Facebook can be used to create far reaching communication. Q. Big Data has died down, as a hype, in the last year. What according to you is the next big hype? Mobile commerce is the next big thing. Look at TAB BANKING for instance. Banks, insurance companies, automobile companies, CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) and Retail sectors are moving to tablets and mobile apps. Laptops and computers are only being used in offices where larger processing power is required. But otherwise, tablets and mobile phones are going to be the next big medium for all business exchanges even for the B2C side. The Internet Of Things, Business applications of Social Media are in the hype phase. So those you may need to watch out for, when you look for jobs.

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