Vikasana, the social impact club of the students of the two-year MBA programme at IIM Bangalore hosted the eighth edition of ‘One day at IIM-B’, on January 12. This event offered more than 100 participants from across the country a glimpse into the life of an MBA student at India’s premier business school.
The day started with classroom sessions conducted by Prof Sourav Mukherji, faculty from the organisational behaviour and human resources management area, Prof YLR Moorthi from the marketing domain, and Prof Prateek Raj from the Strategy department of IIM-B.
Highlighting key aspects of managerial problem solving, Prof Sourav Mukherji stated that there is no one right answer to any problem. “As an organisation grows, new ideas emerge, regimes change, and, in the process, new challenges emerge. No solution is a silver bullet and one must constantly weigh the risks involved in every decision.” Having a long-term as well as short-term outlook about things is an important aspect of managerial problem solving, he added.
ABC of marketing
Prof Prateek Raj centred his presentation around the theme: ‘Why organisations and businesses look the way they do’, with a special reference to Indian businesses and societal structure. He discussed how embeddedness has changed over time. In the one-hour session, he also touched upon the problem of crony capitalism in embedded economies.
Elucidating the ‘ABC of marketing’, Prof YLR Moorthi said that in today’s business context, it is extremely important to second guess one’s customer. “And to achieve this, it is essential for businesses to observe what their customers do,” he pointed out.
The participants also got an opportunity to interact with Prof G Raghuram, Director, IIM-B. Prof Raghuram highlighted how MBA leads to development of precision and clarity in the thought process of students. When asked what extra value MBA graduates from an IIM hold over peers from non-IIM business schools, Prof Raghuram emphasised how top IIMs in India use non-traditional ways of teaching through case studies that give the students at these institutes a better understanding of the business context. “The way in which programs at IIMs are designed, delivered and handled, impart a tremendous sense of confidence to students. Students are encouraged to challenge one another, both inside and outside the classroom,” said Prof Raghuram.
Performances
Post lunch, the participants engaged themselves with a case study and presented their solutions to a panel. This was followed by a tour of the IIM-B campus, designed by the Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate Balkrishna Doshi. The day ended with a cultural performance by Kartik Anand and Ankita Biswas, from IIM Bangalore’s student music club, Dhwani.
The proceeds from the registration of the event will be donated to two NGOs — ‘Karunashraya’ and ‘Abalashrama’. Karunashraya — Bangalore Hospice Trust offers palliative care for advanced-stage cancer patients. ‘Abalashrama’ facilitates education and vocational training for women in need. Mathew Chandy from Karunashraya was present at the closing ceremony and thanked the participants of ‘One day at IIM-B’ and Vikasana for their contribution.