Mumbai Master Plan
In Winston Churchill’s words “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.” These five minutes aren’t even enough to define the spectra of problems Mumbaiites go through everyday. Rising real estate and water supply problems, ineffective transportation and last of all tackling both man and nature bred terrorism. Wouldn’t the world seem dull and flat with nothing whatever to grumble at?
In a unique endeavor, the PGDIM batch of NITIE has invited schools all over India to solve the problems of Mumbai. Mumbai is today facing innumerable problems on several fronts. Broadly they can be classified into the following four areas.
• Transportation
• Housing
• Water Supply &
• Disaster Management.
It is an effort at resolving the metropolis’ insurmountable problems and preparing a comprehensive plan that will turn Mumbai into a “world-class” city by 2015. The exercise, open to all graduate and undergraduate students, is to revive Mumbai by generating a plan, crystallizing the vision, formulating a strategy and then coming up with an action plan. The event includes two rounds, first being a submission of proposal and the second a presentation before the jury.
Britannia case Study
Many B-school events talk about providing strategies to the corporate world, but few have been able to deliver on this promise. To address this issue, Srijan was conceptualized in 2003 as a strategy game wherein companies and participants are equally serious about formulating a solution to an existing industry problem. Contestants are expected to develop a comprehensive plan to solve a case delineating a problem faced by industry. Companies look at business school students to provide futuristic and out-of-the-box solutions to contemporary industry problems. This symbiotic approach is beneficial to both the companies and the students. The students get to work on real industry problems, which are a big value addition apart from the theoretical knowledge obtained by pedagogy. From the company’s perspective, they get to test the graduates on a case solution method than on an extrapolation of their academic skills. Fresh, innovative and cost effective solutions are obtained rather than investing time and money on their managerial personnel.
The marketing module of Srijan ’06 is the Britannia – On your Mark- The marketing challenge game.
An interesting aspect of this Britannia case study is that the company will offer Pre-placement interview offers to winning candidates apart from the Rs 1.5 lac to be given out as prize money. This is a new development that is seen in the arena of B-school placements. Normally companies like Britannia go to very select business schools and they don’t get to see the talent pool of other colleges. By tying up with Prerana, which has got a greater reach over business schools all over India; it has opened the battleground to all players with the winners gaining a chance to win Pre-placement interview offers. This new development is not restricted to NITIE alone. Reckitt-Benkisser had gone in for a similar tie-up with Management Development Institute, Gurgaon. IIM Bangalore also had a similar tie-up with one of the IT firms.
Prerana Thought Leadership Series
The Prerana Thought Leadership Series is a forum that brings together corporate stalwarts to share their views on the burning issues faced by the industry today. The event is attended by both corporate and students alike and has played host to some of the sharpest and brightest business and political minds in the country since its genesis. Last year management students of NITIE in association with FICCI at The Grand Maratha, Mumbai on the 21st organized the event
Of October 2005. This year, Prerana will be held from 3rd to 5th of November, with a special focus on Prerana Thought Leadership Series making it the cynosure of the three-day event. The topic for deliberation this year is “From Best Practices to Next Practices: Engaging Indian way of Business Globally”. This event over the years has been graced by some of the very distinguished names in the corporate industry. The speakers this time are Dr A. K. Balyan (Director – ONGC), Mr. Shantanu Khosla – Chairman, Procter and Gamble, India, Mr. Vasudevan Tulsidas – Chairman and MD, Air India, Mr Jeh Wadia – Chairman, GoAir.
Summer Project Contest
The summer project contest was first organized by Prerana on its inception and remains its flagship event till today. It commemorates a Management student’s internship experience. The reputed academicians and the cream of the corporate community will judge the projects.
This is an opportunity for students to present their internship work before corporate giants and academicians. Managerial prowess in five different areas of specialization: Marketing, Finance, Systems, HR and Supply chain will be showcased.
Other business schools having identified the potential of such a case study have introduced such competitions in their conclaves as well, but NITIE’s Summer Project contest remains the prestigious of them all due to the names it attracts and the prize money, the maximum of all the business schools.
Prerana Business Quiz
The Clash of Titans – managers with hands on industry experience match their business perception with latent talent from diverse B schools. Each year the event witnesses a clash of over 1500 B-school students and 200 corporate participants and concludes with the best from each sector matching their wits on a majestic setting in the NITIE lawns with over 2000+ audience enthralled by the magnificent spectacle. Quizmasters of the ilk of – Siddartha Basu, Derek O’Brein, and Parnab Mukherjee have hosted Prerana Business Quiz. This year Gautam Bhimani is hosting the event.
Since this year the dates fall near the BT-Acumen final round quizzes, a lot of students all over the country have shown their enthusiasm in participating and is expected to be a huge hit this time around with participants from both corporates and business schools.
B – SULTANS
Indian history is replete with chronicles of great sultans who have scripted its destiny. Sultans were known for their visionary approach and monumental efforts, which developed the fields of economy, art, architecture, music, literature, social customs etc. Every endeavor they took was full of passion and a belief that they can make it happen. NITIE, one of the 15 centers of excellence in the country, has always been a pioneer in providing innovative solutions to a multitude of problems concerning businesses worldwide.
We at Prerana 2006 wish to continue the legacy, by providing a platform for the top business schools of the country to come together in a showdown and prove their mettle. The event promises to offer a battleground where the best brains from the top institutes will experience an assortment of tasks, which demands exemplary business acumen.
The institutes will be asked to nominate a team of 4 members to participate in the event. The event spans three days, each day having a different task and an equal opportunity for all the participating teams. The tasks need to be performed as a group and continuous evaluation will ensure the teams stand up to the challenge efficiently and effectively.
Cita de la Prerana is a tête-à-tête which brings to you stalwarts from all walks of life, unraveling the common feature that sets them apart – the courage to follow their passion, moving away from the convention & chasing their dreams. In the past, we have seen Mr. Boman Irani: Renowned film personality, Mr. Dilip D’Souza: Author & activist and Mr. Naval Bajaj: DCP, Mumbai Police on this platform.
Continuing with the tradition, this year we explore yet another facet of professionalism in India – The Indian Theatre. As a part of this endeavor, we present a performance that promises to move our souls, and force us to introspect: Presenting “Mahadevbhai(1892-1942)” by Ramu Ramanathan.
Livewire – Trial by Fire
The real test of endurance is when the backs are against the wall, when a hard-pressed situation demands a gallant fight-back. Livewire is a game where teams are confronted with a real life situation and made to face a volley of questions from a mock press over the same. It is a test of one’s presence of mind, conviction of argument, and ability to stay composed under pressure.
After the elimination round the teams would be given real life situations and asked to take a stance on an issue and defend it.
The contest open to all graduates and undergraduates all over India will have on the spot registration. The jury members will comprise of eminent personalities from the press, media, industry
And academicians.
Decibelz – The Music Show
Euphoria would be performing on the night of 4th November 2006 in NITIE lawns to an expected audience of more than 3000 people business school students and undergraduate students and entry-level corporate audience from over 50 companies in Mumbai