XLRI brain to boost not-for-profit business - Professor Madhukar Shukla joins seven to co-author teaching manual on social entrepreneurship

From The Telegraph

Madhukar Shukla with the Academic Contributor Award at his Jamshedpur residence on Tuesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

A mentor in the steel city is leading the way to author a social entrepreneur’s bible in India.

XLRI professor Madhukar Shukla, who heads the institute’s Social Entrepreneurship Trust, will team up with seven academics from across the nation to produce a teaching handbook on social entrepreneurship to guide faculties and students alike.

Shukla, who was presented the Academic Contributor Award for 2011 by the Villgro Innovation Foundation and IIT-Madras’s Centre for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship, conceptualised the handbook that the group aims to pen within six months.

Shukla co-authors are Shambhu Prasad of Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar; Harish Hande of Faculty of Management Studies, Banaras Hindu University; Sourav Mukherjee of IIM-Bangalore; Ankur Sarin (IIM-Ahmedabad); P.K. Biswas, Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal; Satyajit Majumdar, TISS, Mumbai, and Krishna Tanuku of Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad.

He explained that few dealt with social entrepreneurship as a subject in India. “There are many who would like to take up social entrepreneurship as a subject or start a social venture. As most of them tend to get no support, the teaching handbook has been planned to streamline issues and topics in the area for their benefit,” said Shukla, a faculty member of organisational behaviour and strategic management.

The group of professors met at the Khemka Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at ISB-Hyderabad to discuss the initiative in November.

The handbook will comprise guidelines for starters, besides an outline of related courses offered by institutes and professional bodies and classroom material such as case studies, articles, documentaries and research papers.

“We will upload it on the Internet. It may also be given the shape of a social networking site or website. We may later publish hard copies,” Shukla said.

The professor has been driving force at XLRI, which acts as a link between students and financial institutions to help them start their ventures.

Parichay, one of the businesses started by students on completing the social entrepreneurship course at XLRI, has been employing tribal artisans to churn out bamboo products in Jamshedpur.

The other ventures started by XLRI graduates are Dream4others, Samanvay and Green 4others.

“Social entrepreneurship is an exciting and active playground. However, to make a positive change you need to know what is happening in the sector,”said Payal Randhawa, director of Delhi-based Nand & Jeet Khemka Foundation, which is eager to support the teaching handbook project.

“Academics are very important, as they know their field better and are connected with young minds. The handbook will be the first ladder in sharing ideas with the community of social entrepreneurs,” Randhawa added.

Prof Debasis Pradhan (XLRI Jamshedpur) publishes "Marketing Management - A Casebook"

Marketing Management - A Casebook
by Debasis Pradhan, XLRI Jamshedpur
ISBN-13: 9788131515600
324 Pages Paperback 241 * 181 mm
Imprint :Cengage Learning India
©2012

Marketing Management: A Casebook is a comprehensive collection of 16 cases aimed at helping students understand the complex issues that marketing professionals deal with on a regular basis. Cases are Asia-centric, taken from small and large corporations, and include household names such as Reliance Fresh Stores, Burnol, Burger King, and Cafe Coffee Day. With a logically structured approach to case analysis and questions for review, this casebook will be an engaging reading for all students of marketing and international business and will help to bridge the gap between academia and the real business world.

Professor Debasis Pradhan is a Fellow of the Institute of Rural Management, Anand. He is Assistant Professor, Marketing, at XLRI Jamshedpur, where he has been teaching the principles of marketing, advertising and sales promotion, consumer behavior, and rural marketing since 2006. He also has more than two years of managerial experience in the power sector. A prolific writer, his papers and cases have been widely published in national and international journals of repute. He has presented papers at international conferences such as INFORMS Marketing Science Conference (Singapore Management University, University of Michigan, University of Cologne, Rice University), and Academy of Management (Philadelphia). His areas of interest in research include media-mix decisions, consumer decision heuristics, fuzzy goal programming approach in marketing, marketing theory, and bottom of pyramid (BOP) markets.

Prof Sanjay Patro of XLRI selected for the chief marketing officer (CMO)-Asia 2011 award.

From Times of India

JAMSHEDPUR: Senior academician and marketing faculty at XLRI has been selected for the chief marketing officer (CMO)-Asia 2011 award.

Sanjay Patro, who teaches the intricacies of marketing to budding managers at the noted B-school, will be honoured with the "best marketing professor award" in Singapore on July 22.

Patro will be given award and citation, mentioning about his contribution to the field of marketing in the contemporary times. "This is the first award to be won by a marketing faculty at XLRI and I am happy to have been selected for the coveted trophy at Asian level," said Patro.

Patro, with 25 years of experience in the field of marketing, including his 15-year association with XLRI, said: "The jury (for different streams), which comprises professors of specific fields, conducts a study at the Asian level and selects the names for award(s) in different streams."

Patro, who was surprised when informed about his selection, said: "Recognition in the field of education at the Asian level is a big thing as it honours the individual and the institution equally." The XLRI faculties have expressed delight on his achievement. "Definitely, it's an honour to be recognized at the Asian level and that too in the field of education," said Madhukar Shukla, faculty, humanities.

Fr E. Abraham S.J., Director, XLRI Jamshedpur conferred Lifetime Achievement Award by NHRDN

From mbauniverse.com



Father E. Abraham S.J., Director, XLRI Jamshedpur was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National HRD Network (NHRDN) during the second day of its national conference in Gurgaon on 2nd December 2010.

Father E. Abraham S.J., Director, XLRI Jamshedpur was conferred with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National HRD Network (NHRDN) during the second day of its national conference in Gurgaon on 2nd December 2010.

The award to Father Abraham is in recognition of his excellence in HRD and his several contributions to the subject of HR management.

At the award ceremony Fr. Abraham thanked his mentors as well as his students for this achievement at the NHRDN conference. “I wish to thank all my colleagues for their support and the mentors who helped me in doing my research work. XLRI has been the home of HRD research. I also wish to thank all the students of XLRI who are implementing the lessons learnt at XLRI in their respective organizations.”

Fr. Abraham is the Director of the same B-school from where he did his PGD in Personnel Management & Industrial Relations. Prior to pursuing his PGD at XLRI he studied Sociology at Hindu College, University of Delhi. He also did his BA in Philosophy & Theology from Jnanadeep Vidyapeeth, Pune. He did his Ph .D Psychology (HRD) from Gujarat University.

This is not the first time that Fr. Abraham is leading XLRI. He was also the director from 1989-94. He later joined XIMB, where he served as the Director from 2000 to 2007. Since 2008 Fr. Abraham is the Director of XLRI, his alma mater.

Fr. Abraham has authored several research papers, some of which are: ‘HRD Practices in Indian Industries’; ‘HRD Climate in Indian Organisations’; ‘HRD Climate in Banks’.

The Lifetime Achievement Award ceremony was one of the major highlights of the NHRDN conference, which was attended by over 1200 HR professionals and management educators.

National HRD Network, an association of professionals in HRD sector, was set up in 1985 and has completed 25 years of service to HR community. Presently the Network has 30 chapters across the country with total membership of over 8500. Recently the association took a series of forward looking steps to further improve its governance, engagement with HR community and strengthen its network.

A Colloquy with Dr. Pranabesh Ray, Dean (Academics), XLRI

From Cool Avenues

 As GMP students come in with substantial work experience, we have tried to structure the course towards solving practical business problems rather than provide theoretical knowledge alone

“The goal was to address the unique needs of the participants who have rich work experience and are coming back to school to position themselves as future business leaders. Since the participants have rich work experience, it is possible for us to make the program much more rigorous than our two year programs. This also leads to much richer class discussions and peer learning,” says Dr. Pranabesh Ray, Dean (Academics) – BM, PMIR and GMP, XLRI.

CoolAvenues.com, in its endeavor to bring most relevant information to MBA aspirants as well as corporate recruiters, keeps on bringing details about the most happening courses and management colleges in India.
Following this trend at CoolAvenues.com, we decided to speak to Dr. Pranabesh Ray Dean (Academics)– BM, PMIR and GMP, XLRI. Dr Ray has been teaching in XLRI for more than 15 years. He joined XLRI after about a decade of corporate experience, both in the private and public sector. His teaching, consulting and research are in the areas of Human Resource Management with special emphasis on Managing Redundancy, Managing Negotiations, Performance Management, Union Management Corporation, and Employment Relations in the service sector.
Here he gives an insight into the Executive Postgraduate Diploma in General Management—curriculum, target students, selection criteria, fee structure, scholarships and much more. Read on…

Q. What has been the guiding principle at XLRI, which distinguishes it from other B-schools of the country?
In last 60 years of our history, one of the values which we have held supreme is our commitment to "Magis" which means “excellence in everything”. Besides the focus on developing managerial competence among our students, XLRI emphasizes the importance of developing a sense of social justice with the right attitude and values of discipline, dedication and commitment among all its members. An example of this is the fact that we were the first b-school in India to introduce courses in the area of business ethics and corporate citizenship. We have a very unique XLRI culture which gives all of us freedom to choose and pushes us to outperform ourselves, each day.

The result is that our students have achieved great success not only in the world of profits and market capitalization but also in the areas of social responsibility and societal change.

Q. What components have been added to the Executive Postgraduate Diploma in General Management of XLRI to ensure that it acts as a value addition to employees who have considerable work experience and a prior qualification in management?
As the name “General Management Program” suggests, this program aims to expose the participants to all the streams of business management.

As GMP students come in with substantial work experience, we have tried to structure the course towards solving practical business problems rather than provide theoretical knowledge alone. The course has different modules such as village exposure program, International immersion program, adventure program, industrial visits, simulation games, etc. which prepare the participants on how to grapple with the dilemmas they would face in middle management roles after this program.

Q. In what ways is it different from the executive programmes offered by other colleges around India? How better is it from others?
The average experience level in GMP is about 6.5 years which is neither too high nor too low for executive education. We have noticed that at this experience level, a working professional has gathered useful industry knowledge and more importantly has a clearer sense of direction. This makes it easy for them to get back to school and learn fast for the long haul.

Starting with the current batch, GMP is now our flagship program. So it goes without saying that we take this program as seriously as we take our other programs. The same features which XLRI stands for – the faculty, the coursework, the infrastructure and the unique XLRI culture - make this program one of the best executive MBA programs in India.

Q. Generally MBA programs are of two years so have you compressed the two year curriculum to one year or you have redesigned the whole curriculum? Can you elaborate on this?
The goal was to address the unique needs of the participants who have rich work experience and are coming back to school to position themselves as future business leaders. Since the participants have rich work experience, it is possible for us to make the program much more rigorous than our two year programs. This also leads to much richer class discussions and peer learning.

Each year, we take a hard look at the students’ requirements and customize the courses accordingly. While doing this, we introduce new modules whenever necessary and remove parts of the courses which students find less relevant. It is a continuous and rigorous process.

Q. Is the course recognized by AICTE or AIU?
When we started GMP in year 1997, it was the first 1 year full time MBA program in India. The industry received the program whole heartedly and lack of AICTE approval was never felt to be an impediment to the success of the program.

Q. What made you launch this one year Executive Diploma in General Management?
In fact, we set the trend. GMP was launched in 1996 when no one had heard of a 1 year full time MBA program for executives. It was initially available only for executives of Tata group of companies, but we opened it to public in 2002 when requests from industry for such students started piling up. I can say that the industry wanted to build a strong middle management layer in their organizations and we responded with GMP.

Q. Who are your target students for this particular course?
The course is a general management program and is open for participants from all job functions and industry backgrounds. It is optimized for professionals with at least five years of relevant managerial experience. We believe diversity is important to facilitate rich classroom learning in such intensive programs and hence we welcome professionals from all industries.

Q. Please give a brief on the students' background and diversity in the current batch admitted at XLRI– in terms of age, gender, educational background, entrance test score cut-off, work experience, etc.
We get applications from a very diverse set of industries and job functions. The current batch is no different where the lowest age is 26 and the highest is 43. We have good representations from all industries and have many interesting student profiles. Detailed information about current student profiles can be found on our website www.xlri.ac.in.

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.

Prof. P Venugopal's new book - Marketing Management - A Decision-making Approach

Being retailed at SAGE Publications

A contemporary discourse on the rapidly changing environment of the world of marketing, this book provides the mantra to transform short-run sales into long-term marketing growth. Starting with the basics of marketing, it takes the reader on a smooth journey to understand various strategies of correct 'decision-making' in the market. In doing that, it provides an in-depth analysis of how to build a sustainable customer base in the ever-growing competitiveness and dynamism of the Indian marketing arena.

The author defines marketing to include all activities associated with identifying the needs of the target customers and making them 'want' the product. Thus, the book redefines the need hierarchy, allowing marketers to look at their technical product as more than one marketing product, and develop a marketing product concept.

Table of Contents

1: UNDERSTANDING THE BASICS: Needs, Wants and Need Hierarchy
Marketing Product
2: UNDERSTANDING THE MARKET: Marketing Environment
SWOT Analysis
Purchase Process
Competitive Advantage: Building Entry Barriers
3: THE DECISION MAKING: Segmenting and Targeting
Positioning / Marketing Planning Process

This is Prof. Venugopal's THIRD book release for SAGE after
1. Sales and Distribution Management, Response - An Indian Perspective
2. Managing your Sales Force - A Motivational Approach


From XLRI Jamshedpur - News and Latest Updates
Prof P Venugopal is a Post Graduate and Fellow in Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, is currently the Dean (Academics) and Professor (Marketing) at XLRI, Jamshedpur. He has been a Marketing faculty at XLRI, Jamshedpur, since 1994. He was the Dean (Academics), XLRI during 2004-2010. Prior to his stint at XLRI, Prof. Venugopal held managerial positions for 10 years in the marketing divisions of two agribusiness companies.

Professor Venugopal has authored four books, including “Marketing Channel Management: A Customer Centric Approach” and “Input Management, The State of the Indian Farmer: A Millennium study”, and has also been involved as a consultant with several projects for both the profit and non-profit sectors.

Honouring Fr McGrath - Contributing to his Dream - Human Life Centre

Forwarding this message from Prof Shukla.

Folks!
Fr McGrath has been an icon for so many XLers and to XL as such - an institution by himself...
Human Life Centre has been his dream to continue contributing to the society.. one way to honour him would be to support the cause he has been nurturing
I am forwarding Mario Lobo (77batch)'s mail below, please circlate it
maybe our time to pay-back...

thanks
madhukar

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Mario Lobo


Dear Madhukar,

To honour Fr Mc Grath for the contribution he has made to the lives of most of us, who have had the honour of knowing him and especially to continue the good work he has initiated for the weaker sections of society I am sending in my contribution of Rs 1 lakh. I would actively encourage each one of you to send in whatever contribution you wish to make directly as indicated below. Following is the note I received from the HLC office with the instructions.

The information below will be very helpful for XLRI alumni wanting to give donations to Fr. McGrath - both in India and abroad. It will take care of "wire transfer" in India as well as alumni based abroad who will need the Swift Code and other code details. To be on the safe side, you can mail them the FULL DETAILS below. This way they
will have the complete information.

Name of Account : Human Life Centre

Bank Account No : 0160301000003770

Bank Name & Address : The Lakshmi Vilas Bank Ltd,
Plot No. 622 - B, Janpath,
Saheed Nagar, Bhubaneswar 751007

Bank Code No. (SWIFT CODE) : LAVBINBB

IFSC Code (for RTGS/NEFT) : LAVB0000160

Bank's MICR Code No. : 751056002

Madhukar, it would be good if you can forward Fr Mc Grath's address and Bank details to other XLers whose email addresses are available with you. This will enable many more to make their contributions.

With Best Wishes,
Mario

Padma Shri for Fr Romuald D'Souza - Director XLRI 82-89

Fr D'Souza used to be director of XLRI during '82-'89.
He was also the founder of XIM, Bhubneshwar and Goa Institute of Management.

Today he was announced as a recepient of Padma Shri for his contribution to Education and Literature.

View the List of Awardees here

The GoI has named Fr. Rumualdo D'Souza for the Padma Shri this year. He was the Director of XLRI in the late 1980s and taught Stress Management among other subjects at the institute. Fr. Rumualdo, a mild mannered Jesuit, was the founding Director of XIM, Bhubaneshwar and Goa Institute of Management. Below is an impressive list of institutes he founded and positions he  has occupied in his career of 50+ years as a Jesuit educationist:


Founded:

• Xavier Centre of Historical Research Porvorim (Goa)
• Thomas Stephens Konkanni, Povorim (Goa)
• Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneshwar
• Goa Institute of Management, Ribandar (Goa)
• National Institute of Construction Management, Ponda
• Marian Institute of Health Care Management, for the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman

Served as

• President of the Association of Indian Management Schools
• Member of Executive Council of Association of Management Development Institutes of South Asia
• Member of National Board of Accreditation and All India Board of Management Studies, Government of India
• Professional Member of Academy of Management (USA)
• Member of International Council of Psychologists
• Member of the American Psychological Association
• Member of the Board of Directors, IIT, Mumbai
• Director of Goa Education development Corporation
• Director of State Technical Education Council, Goa
• Member of Goa Education Development Corporation Board
• Member of Knowledge Commission of Goa

News Story from the internet:

Scrap exam system: Padma Shri awardee for education

Panaji, Jan 26: Padma Shri awardee Rumualdo D'Souza has advocated scrapping of the examination system to improve the level of education in India.
Rumualdo, a Jesuit priest and brother of former Goa chief minister Wilfred D'Souza, was speaking to reporters Tuesday.
Rumualdo, who was among the 130 Padma Shri awardees announced Monday, said the education system needed an urgent overhaul.
"The examination system should be scrapped. Teachers should be allowed to assess the performance of students instead. The system of examinations promotes other bad practices like tuitions, coaching classes etc," Rumualdo said.
The priest, who has been awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to the field of education, has also founded the Goa Institute of Management (GIM), which is one of the top management institutes in western India.

Prof Shukla in the Wall Street Journal

An Invisible Revolution in Rural India

An Invisible Revolution in Rural India - Wall Street Journal

online.wsj.com

Self help groups are quietly changing the dynamics of rural India says Madhukar Shukla, professor at the XLRI School of Business & Human Resources.

Read the entire article on The Wall Street Journal

Madhukar in CII's National Committee on Skills & Human Resources

From: "Madhukar Shukla"

I am very happy to share with you that one of XLRI Profs has been inducted in the CII's National Committee on Skills and Human Resources.... However, being modest, I am afraid I will not be able to tell you his name.



:0))

SAP Research Award for XL Prof

From Times of India

BANGALORE: SAP Labs India has established the SAP Research and Innovation Award to recognize the scientific and research potential of Indian academics and their role in nurturing industry-ready talent.

“In an effort to set up formidable alliances with some of the best institutions in India, SAP is attempting to harness the Indian talent pool to establish collaboration between Indian Academics and SAP’s research and development departments,” Kush Desai, managing director, SAP Labs India told TOI.

“These awards will be instrumental in building an essential framework of knowledge-sharing between the industry and the academia of the country. This will go a long way in ensuring conversion of indigenous scientific ideas into business propositions,” he said.

SAP Research and SAP Labs India had invited entries on contemporary and relevant research topics like advanced web technologies, real-world awareness, real-time enterprise transparency and so on.

The selection process involved an initial round of online submission of a project brief, while in the second round, the contenders with the most promising proposals were required to submit a full-fledged project proposal.

Eight candidates were short-listed to present their projects to a committee of SAP Research experts and five winners were selected in the final round, including Prof Jalote, Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIT), Delhi, Prof. Balasubramaniam, BITS, Pilani, Prof. Sanjay Kumar, Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur and others.

The winning projects will be awarded a research grant of Rs 11,00,000 each for a project duration of one year, and receive an opportunity to collaborate with SAP Research and its partners.
SAP also supports education around the world.

The SAP University Alliances Program is currently established in Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand and Thailand.

One of the winners, Prof. Sanjay Kumar, Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Jamshedpur, says, “We are grateful to SAP Research for providing us with a platform to incubate our ideas into business projects. We are excited to work with researchers at SAP Labs India, as this will foster sharing of best practices among the industry and the academia, a quintessential element that ensures success in innovation.