"Interschool Musical JoyFest" for "Leh Relief Fund" (Oct 2, Tata Auditorium 5pm-9pm)

Dear all

 

to generate funds for the Leh-Relief operations by http://www.prgya.org/ we are organising Inter-School Musical JoyFest as the finale of Joy of Giving Week: Jamshedpur Joyest on October 2nd, Tata Auditorium (5pm - 9pm)

 

Our aim is to raise another Rs1-1.5lac through the sale of the passes (each for Rs 100/-..... or more if someone wants to contibute :).

 

I am writing to you for your help in promoting the event and sale of the passes  through your contacts. The passes are available with me (madhukar@xlri.ac.in )

 

thanks and regards

 

madhukar

 

Joy of Giving Week (Sept 26 - Oct 2, 2010) - Invitation & Appeal

Dear friends

 

As you may be knowing, like last year, we at XLRI are partnering in the Jamshedpur JoyFest: Joy of Giving Week (Sept 26-Oct 2, 2010).

 

Working together along with the Jamshedpur Schools, executives of local companies, Rotary Club, local NGOs, we have designed a number of initiatives to celebrate this Festival of Philanthropy. Some of those are given below (also available at http://www.tatanagar.com & http://jamshedpurjoyfest.blogspot.com )

 

I am writing to appeal to you to participate in this initiative. I am specifically writing for your support for 3 key initiatives:

 

1. Vastra-Samman:

Like last year, we are collecting wearable clean clothes, which will be sorted and distributed to the needy through the help of NGOs and other organisations which work in deep interior villages of Jharkhand.

 

2. Ann Daan:

Given the drought in the Jharkhand villages, we are also collecting dry ration which can be distributed to the needy. We would invite your contribution in 1Kg/ 2Kg/ 5Kg packs of:

- "Usna" (Parmal) or "Arwa" Rice

- Daal

- Grams

- Chooda

- Sattoo

 

I am happy to share that Tata Steel Corporate Sustainability Services have kindly offered all their community centers to be the collection points. I am enclosing the list, where you can reach your contribution.

 

3. Leh Relief Fund:

We are also doing a fund-raising campaign for http://www.pragya.org  who is working for Leh Disaster Relief. Pragya is an award-winning organisation which was founded by two XLRI Alumni - Garrgi Banerji (88PMIR) and Sunil Pillai (87PMIR) - and has been working in the Himalayan regions in the area of livelihood promotion, green energy and medicinal plants.

 

To support their work, we are organising an Inter-School Musical Festival in Tata Auditorium on October 2nd, 2010 (5pm-9pm).

We aim to raise funds through sale of passes (anything in the multiples of Rs 100/), and through corporate sponsorships.

 

We will be grateful for any help or lead

 

thanks and regards

 

madhukar

 

 

 

 

Joy of Giving Week (Sept 26^th – Oct 2^nd, 2010)

Planned Initiatives/ Campaigns

·         Nukkad-Natak: These will be organized by XLRI students in public places from Sept 25^th to raise awareness about the Jamshedpur JoyFest and various campaign.

·         Make Jamshedpur Plastic Free City campaign: Plan to raise awareness, and campaign with the help of local companies, schools and civil society organizations. Awareness to be created by video-clip contests, and encouraging the school children to take this as an issue for the Design for Change Contest (see later)

·         Design for Change Contest: Promote the contest among the schools –  which encourages the school children to identify an social issue of their concern, think about a solution, and then implement it. The contest  has already started and schools can participate in it from today till Oct 2^nd.

·         School to School: S2S is GOONJ’s nationwide ongoing initiative which aims to channelise the underutilized material (pencil boxes, books, school bags, uniform, shoes, toys, etc.) from the cities to thousands of resource-starved schools in villages and slums, which lack basic infrastructure and facilities.

·         SHG Training: XLRI students in partnership with Kala Mandir will conduct a module on “basic accounting” which will be launched during this week, and will be an ongoing program for volunteerings.

·         Ann-Daan: Collection of rice, dal and moodi from schools, households, community organization, corporates, Rotary members, etc., and  will be distributed in the villages of Jharkhand through NGOs and other organization s which work in interior villages.

·         Health Camp: XLRI students with medical degrees, along with volunteer medical practitioners, will hold health camps to provide free medical check-ups, and distribute basic medicines in the rural and slum areas.

·         Vastra-Samman: Like last year, this will focus on collection and distribution of wearable clothing from the city and distribute them in the villages through the help of NGOs.

·         Career Counseling in basti/ under-privileged schools: XLRI students will visit the schools and provide a group career counseling session to the students.

·         Inter-School Musical JoyFest: This is being organized on 2^nd October in Tata Auditorium as the concluding function. This event will raise funds through proceeds and sponsorships for Leh Relief.

In addition, SIGMA has also planned a daily calendar of activities (e.g., A Day with the  Elderly, XLRI Labour Day (“Serving those who serve us”), Tree-Plantation Driev, A Day with the Specially Enabled , etc.), which will involve the entire community of students, faculty and staff in acts of volunteerism and giving.

XLRI decides to set up another institute in Hyderabad

From The Hindustan Times

Jamshedpur-based premier management institute, the Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) has decided to set up its new campus in Hyderabad. XLRI Director E Abraham and Dean (Administration and Finance) C L George called on Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah in the Secretariat today and
informed him about the XLRI governing board's decision on their Hyderabad plans.

Rosaiah wrote a letter to XLRI on August 18 requesting it to set up a campus in Hyderabad and promised all support from the government.

The XLRI governing board considered and approved the proposal, the Director told the Chief Minister.

He sought allocation of 75 acres of land for setting up the XLRI campus.

The Chief Minister said the required land would be allotted at Jawahar Nagar, close to the BITS, Pilani.

A group of representatives from Alexandria, a US Pension Fund House, led by its head of Indian operations Vishal Goel also met the Chief Minister along with the XLRI team to inform about their likely association with the institute.

Started in the year 1949 at Jamshedpur as an anchor institute catering to the professional and skilled manpower requirements of the steel city, XLRI is one of the top-five managements institutes in the country. It has only 240 seats on offer every year at Jamshedpur while the proposed Hyderabad campus would augment the intake of students in near future.

Bijou Kurien (BMD81) to lead IRF 2010

From The Economic Times

Nominated by Sanjiv Goenka of RPG Group and seconded jointly by Kishore Biyani of Future Group and Thomas Varghese of Aditya Birla Retail, Bijou Kurien, received support of over 200 industry leaders besides prominent global and Indian trade bodies, to lead the 7th edition of IRF and make this the biggest ever retail show in India. Aptly themed 'Get the Power', IRF 2010 promises a sharing and empowering experience with great retail minds from across the globe.

B.S. Nagesh, the immediate past chairman of the forum - Vice Chairman, Shoppers Ltd and Chairman, Retailers Association of India, in his welcome message said that while the 2009 edition of IRF effectively signaled the resurgence of retail in India, the 2010 edition, under the chairmanship of Bijou Kurien, will see world visionaries, retail captains and policy makers converging to discuss India's consumption potential and how modern retail can further stimulate and channelize this consumption and create multifaceted growth of the economy.

Emphasizing the relevance of IRF, Raj Jain, President, Walmart India said, "Retail in India is at an exciting juncture. Over the years, IRF has brought together top strategists from the retail sector to discuss and unravel best practices in retailing and supply chain development aimed at strengthening India and its economy. The forum provides a great opportunity to meet like-minded professionals bound together with similar goals and aspirations. I look forward to an eventful, insightful and inspiring session and am convinced that time spent here will contribute greatly in enhancing our retailing knowledge. Let's all join together to save people money, so they can live better."

"Modern retail has a huge potential to not only benefit from India's increasing consumption demand but also create demand for value-added products, boost local entrepreneurship, create jobs and raise income levels. At India Retail Forum let us explore how we can collaborate to create consumption demand and offer Indian consumers a better standard of living by providing better products at best prices", said India's retail major Kishore Biyani, Founder and Group CEO, Future Group.

Calling upon the entire retail fraternity to join him in extending support to Kurien in making IRF '10 a huge success, B.S. Nagesh said that IRF was all about sharing, learning and evolving together, and was recognized as a global standard conference. "IRF goes way beyond just speeches, presentations and discussions. It literally stimulates our minds, bodies and souls. I myself experience its great energy every year. I eagerly look forward to the 2010 edition of IRF, which promises to be bigger, better and busier than ever! With his unique style, his remarkable accomplishments and tremendous passion for retailing, Kurien is the ideal chairman to make this huge business, knowledge and networking platform even more relevant for the participants", he added.

Accepting the chair, Kurien said that with its conferences, exhibitions and awards, IRF continues to provide a great platform for the retail industry. With over 3,500 delegates expected to attend from all over the world, IRF 2010, provides an opportunity to meet and interact with key stakeholders in the business and also understand what is currently happening in the retail world. He said that one can learn from international visionaries and also from our peers in India, within a tightly packed two-day programme that encompasses visionary addresses, CEO power tracks, motivational sessions and workshops.

Patni appoints Steve Correa(IR86) as chief HR officer

From The Economic Times

MUMBAI: Global IT and BPO services major Patni Computer Systems (Patni), on Tuesday said it has appointed Steve Correa as chief human resources officer.

Correa will be responsible for Patni's people and organisation strategy, working in collaboration with the executive leadership team, the company said in a statement.

Correa is an HR veteran and comes with 25 years of experience across sectors. He joins Patni from Vodafone UK, where he was the HR director--group technology since September, 2008.

Prior to this, he was HR director with Vodafone Essar (erstwhile Hutch) in India since February, 2000.

Steve was also instrumental in growing Vodafone's pan-India telecom presence and played a critical role in managing its several M&A activities as well as its customer services function, the statement said.

"Patni has consistently made significant investments in its people as well as its management team. This is demonstrated by the key executive appointments we have made over the last two years as well as the several employee development programs we have put in place. Steve's appointment reiterates this philosophy and we are glad to have a professional of his standing and experience in our team," Patni, chief executive officer, Jeya Kumar, said.

Mark 17th Sept For XLBang

Hi Folks:

Sebastian and Anu Fredericks are setting up a fabulous evening on Friday, 17th September at the Whitefield Club.

We may even have Prof Madhukar Shukla join us there .

So Just a quick line to request you to keep the date marked for another great XLBang event.

Sebastian, Avinash Baliga and Anu will keep you posted of developments.

Bye for now.

David D'Costa

Prof Manish Singhal publishes - Spirituality at Work: A Study of Indian non-profit Organizations

From Amazon.com

Product Description

Spirituality at work (SAW) is being considered as a significant construct to deal with a number of issues resulting from increased dynamism in the business context and the resulting stresses and strains at organizational and individual level. The conceptual framework in this study linked individual SAW needs and organizational SAW supplies to emerge with a P-O fit model on Spirituality at work. The individual SAW needs, organizational SAW supplies and SAW P-O fit were related to outcomes of Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment. FINDINGS: The distinction between religion and spirituality that forms the basis for defining SAW for scholars did not find support in this study. The 3-way conceptualization of SAW in terms of Integrity/Wholeness, Meaningful work, and Larger than oneself was supported. The influence on outcome variables grew progressively stronger in this order: individual SAW needs, P-O fit on SAW, and organizational SAW supplies. This study provides the first empirical proof of the interactive effects of individual and workplace spirituality on outcomes of interest to organizational scholars.

About the Author

An eclectic profile with qualifications in mechanical engineering, financial and general management, organizational behavior and sociology and YOGA as sadhana and therapy. Prof. Singhal has been teaching at XLRI, Jamshedpur since 2006. Primary interests are in areas of Spirituality and actualizing human potential in organizations.

XLRI professor pens To Push or to Pull: Dynamics of Promotional Strategies

From The Pioneer

Indian B schools have been regularly churning out cutting edge research work and publications that are making waves in the contemporary management discipline. Leading from the front are the top Indian B schools where a blend of knowledge with practical applications has incubated a healthy environment of learning and top of the line research.

XLRI assistant professor of Marketing Management Debasis Pradhan has penned a book on marketing management titled To Push or to Pull: Dynamics of Promotional Strategies Book. The book reveals a lot about the current promotional strategies prevalent in the global marketing scenario.

In this book, the focus has been on the promotional strategies being adopted by three rural industries of India. Relevant research questions have been identified with the help of literature review coupled with exploratory work that has led to the conceptualisation of a framework. Survey method has been used for data collection. Data analysis and its interpretation have been discussed in detail with a reference to the scope for further research.”

The 292-paged book would constructively address the push vs. pull debate with a focus on Indian rural industries.

Prof. Pradhan, along with another faculty of XLRI, had earlier published a seminal paper on “Measurement of Retailer Brand Equity Using Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process.” Therein it was proposed that retailer brands possess equity termed as retailer brand equity or retailer equity.

It is an “added value” endowed to the retailer brand as a result of past marketing activities of the retailer. Branding of retailers can be instrumental in influencing customer perception and driving the store choice and loyalty. Measuring retailer brand equity can help the retailers and the brand mangers to be more strategic in their decision-making. This study undertaken in India has followed a customer-based brand equity measurement approach wherein dimensions like retailer awareness, retailer association, retailer perceived quality, and retailer loyalty have been considered. A fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to measure the retailer brand equity. The same was presented by the in University of Cologne, Germany this year.

Such publications and research are the need of the hour in the changing and volatile fields of global management. It is indeed heartening to notice that our national schools are sizing up to the challenge and able to leave a strong mark in the field.

Prof Pradhan is a post graduate and fellow from XIMB and IRMA respectively. He joined XLRI 2006 and teaches Advertising and Sales Promotion, Consumer Behaviour, and Marketing Management. Prior to this, he has more than two years of managerial experience in power sector. Papers and cases authored by him have been published in national and international journals of repute.

Bay Area XL picnic 2010 - photos & videos

All, a BIG thank you to all those who attended the summer picnic the Sunday before last at the Uvas Canyon County Park.  22 XLers & their families attended, which is the largest gathering that we had. 

Madhukar Shukla, who was visiting Santa Clara University on some work, was the big marquee name. Everyone gathered around him, breaking away only to dive into the excellent desi pizza that Pal sourced.  Pal made the wait worth it, hauling 22 boxes of delicious pizza. 

Fortunately the beer was at hand, so most of the people were well lubricated. And thanks to Mei’s (Navi’s wife) sturdy corkscrew & Murali’s perseverance even the wine bottles could be opened. 

We had many new faces this time (Murali, Navi, Ruchi) & a second visitor (Dorjee).  It looks like we have a good momentum going.  The kids broke all age, batch, BM/IR barriers & showed the rest of us the way to interact. 

A few of the folks went hiking along the many beautiful trails, & my dogs managed to convince the kids to give up their food for them.  Next year the plan is to have a real live barbeque (big enthu from Meghna for that).  I wish I could have spent more time to talking to all of you, but between the organizing, video shooting & keeping track of babies & dogs, I didn’t get much chance.

I still plan to do a winter potluck at home in December (there is some construction going on, which hopefully won’t be a hindrance), so watch for future announcements.  I understand Shailley is planning to do some smaller scale pub type events in the fall.

I also want to recognize Pal &  his wife Joan for managing almost all aspects of this picnic (starting with a suggestion for the spot), with some able support from Shailley, Meghna & Kieran.  Everyone pitched in to make this a successful event. 

Madhukar & Murali took some amazing photos, which are at http://photobucket.com/xlersuvas.  The password is xxxxx(Contact an Xler in the US for the password, I'm not posting it here - Kim). I also uploaded my weekend video project on YouTube, which includes a selection of the photos & some cell phone camera videos I recorded at the picnic.  Unfortunately the audio didn’t come out well.  It is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gx0t_J50G8. Shailley also has a small clip of the picnic up at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnXL8UdvVuw.  Please view & enjoy & leave comments.

Here is the final list of XLers who attended (in descending order of graduating year):

Harini Ganesan, IR06
Ragini Mathur, IR05
Pooja Arora, IR01
Herambh Athavale, BM00
Anurag Chhabra, BM00
Shailley, IR98
Asmita Katdare, IR98
Ruchi Gupta, BM98
Samba Yarlagadda, BM96
Tipu Purkayastha, IR96
Sheela, IR95
Murali Mazhavanchery, IR93
Dorjee Tsewang, IR93
Sandeep Harpalani, BM92
Navi Singh, BM90
Aashish Bhargava, BM89
Sameer Govil, BM89
Meghna Virick, IR89
Kieran Gonsalves, BM87
Vivek, BM86
KP Naidu, IR81
Pal Luthra, BME 72

Regards,
Tipu

XLRI grooms global managers

From The Telegraph

Jamshedpur, Aug. 31: Global work exposure as main course and Belgian chocolates for dessert? Trust XLRI students to get the best of both worlds.

Under the international students’ exchange programme, 44 B-school students — a sharp spike compared to 13 students last year and nine the year before — will visit 18 European universities and institutes in United Kingdom, Germany, France and Belgium for a three-month term. In fact, partner universities and institutes have also increased this year — last year, it was five and the year before, three. 

“The objective behind the stint is to adapt to cultural differences while forming a cordial working relationship with people across cultures,” said Siddhesh Ajgaonkar, a student bound for the University of Muenster, Germany.

Added Anjali Birla, raring to go to the University of Antwerp Management School in Belgium: “Apart from the excellent education, I am looking forward to explore scenic destinations and gorge on Belgian waffles and chocolates.”

The increase in student volume is explained by the fact that the personnel management and industrial relations batch doubled from 60 to 120. The international students’ exchange programme also managed to successfully rope in more partner universities and institutes this time.

XLRI also started an online seat allocation process to make the application process easier for students. Instead of filling up a form and submitting it manually, students can go online, apply directly and look for details on partner institutions and feedback from former students. “We have beefed up the technology for application to foreign exchange programmes. Students can apply online directly for faster and easier results,” said Hartashika Kaur, a member of the B-school’s external linkages cell.

Although the offshore tuition fee would be inclusive of what students pay XLRI, living expenses would come to Rs 3 lakh to be borne by students. But no one is complaining, as the stint would mean an opportunity to explore a new country, work culture and lifestyle. “We left no stone unturned for students. Some partner institutions are new, so students were apprehensive as they did not have seniors to get feedback from, but I believe we have tried to address all concerns,” said Priti Mittal, the exchange programme secretary.