Fortune Cookies- July edition

Monthly| July 2012| Volume_7 Edition_7

From Our Desk Dear students, It’s a great feeling to present before you another exciting edition of our newsletter- “Fortune Cookies” FIIB has grown like a tree, where the branches spread out as the Institute welcomed its 18th batch and the roots deepened and strengthened as we reunited with our alumni for a sports meet. This issue is dedicated to the alumni and new students as we present to you highlights from both the eventsAlumni Sports Meet and the Orientation week.

This issue of Fortune Cookies also intends to share recent endeavors and accomplishments of FIIB-iansThe students, alumni, staff and faculty.

That’s not all! We also bring to you our campus after a facelift, new initiatives and a mix of humor and information.

On this note, we present to you Fortune Cookies.

Happy reading!

Akshita Agrawal Editor-Fortune Cookies

MEET THE EDITORIAL BOARD

FIIB faculty brings laurels On 23rd May 2012, Professor K.B.C. Saxena and Professor Swanand Deodhar (Information System Management faculty at FIIB) along with Professor Rajen Gupta of MDI, Gurgaon, became the first faculty group from an Indian business school to publish a paper in a very prestigious journal in the information systems field -- the Journal of Strategic Information Systems.

Read more on Page- 9

In This Issue..

1

Convocation and Orientation: Featured Story

2-3

2

Freshers and Sports Meet: Spotlight Story

4-5

3

In Conversation with Alumni

6-7

4

Campus Notes

8-9

5

From the Students

10

6

FIIB caught on Camera

11

7

FIIB Dynamits

12

The Student Editorial Board is all set to give the Newsletter and the Blog a new face come August!

Clockwise Ajay Singh (Sec C), Ashish Manchanda (Sec A), Shreesti Ghosh (Sec A), Plavon Bora (Sec A), Priyanka Singh (Sec A), Lijin John (Sec B), Sijo Thomas (Sec B), Tania Koshi (Sec A), Sakshi Mehra (Sec B), Debarati Choudhry (Sec B), Monika Bansal (Sec B) and Shaoni Chowdhury (Sec A) We missed- Aditi Gaur (Sec A), Aakanksha Joshi (Sec A)

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This issue’s ‘Feature Story’

FINE FEATHERS FIIB in top 10 It was an honor for FIIB to have been ranked 9th in the country amongst the Private Business Schools by the prestigious Dainik Bhaskar as per its April 2012 rankings.

The 18th batch was welcomed into the Institute with vigor, enthusiasm and fun! An entire week of orientation, freshers and ofcourse an examination date sheet!

More from Page - 3 Welcome!

FIIB opens its gates to the 18th batch of Aspiring Managers and Leaders in Making

SEC A

SEC B

SEC C

Volume 7, Edition 3, May 1-15, 2011

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Adieu and Swadikha

- Convocation and Orientation

The college bade farewell to its 16th batch and welcomed the 18th batch of students this year. Mr. Nitin Seth, Country Head- India, Fidelity Worldwide Investments was the Chief Guest for the Convocation where the Institute conferred P.G. Diplomas in Business Management on 116 students.

In June, the Institute welcomed the new batch of over 180 students with a week-long orientation program that was planned for them. The activities as a part of the orientation were based on the dual principles of learning and fun. The main objective was to bring innovation in various exercises that can introduce the students to life at FIIB and charge them to look forward to two years of learning, education and fun. The main objective was to innovate exercises that can introduce the students to life at FIIB and charge them to look forward to two years of learning, education and fun. Apart from the various team Chief Guest Mr. Nitin Seth building exercises, workshops, seminars, lectures and case studies, the Orientation week also had small interactive sessions and heart to heart talks as opportunities for the new batch to interact with the alumni of FIIB- Vinayak Pant and Yashi Shrivastava. The week ended with a cultural night, band performances and various activities like tall tales competition, photography contests, and DJ Night.

The orientation week focused on welcoming the new batch to FIIB, and introducing them to the life on campus. The batch is now ready to take off with wings spread high!

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SPOTLIGHT STORY Sugandha Arora, Ms Freshers- Demystified

1) Your X factor?

The confidence, self belief and faith.

2) Favorite hide out of FIIB? Favorite hideout would be the student lounge. It is there when we steal time from our busy MBA schedule and relax playing carom, or just chatting with friends.

3) When I won the title (in one word): cloud 9

Ms Freshers 2012 “Fresher’s day party was a sumptuous event for me. The fascinating outcome of this event was that every fresher to FIIB felt like they are an integral part of the FIIB family.

With its theme ‘Military Mash up’, students outshined each other with all their innovations and designer combinations.

4) MBA is..

A mechanic to refine my raw potential. It gets me a step closer to success.

5) My military moment (in one line): Walking down the ramp with the perfect military attire and being complemented by everyone, that boosted the feeling of being a proud army kid.

The Songs, games, dances, Fashion show, DJ night and other programs performed by the FIIB-ians were out of the world! Our cultural program started with a beautiful song by Debarati Choudhury and Ariba Hussain. Not to forget the push up contest between many juniors and seniors. The event came to an end with the DJ Night followed by a delicious buffet dinner.

It was a good platform for all the participants to show case their creative skills and talents. It was a good opportunity for all the 1st year students to mix up with 2nd year students and the event made them feel like a true FIIB-IAN. I would like to extend my vote of thanks to all our wonderful seniors who worked hard for the party and made it as a big event”.

- Libin Joseph (Batch 2012-2014)

Volume 7, Edition 3, May 1-15, 2011

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‘Reunion on the Grounds’ A quick recap of the wonderful time alumni of FIIB spent together revisiting the old campus and enjoying the sportsmanship spirit.

An exhilarating FIIB Alumni Sports Meet- Samanvay 2012 was held on April 29, 2012 at Bijwasan (FIIB old campus). After seven years, students, staff and faculty revisited the lush green lawns of its old campus and the beautiful and sunny morning of April 29, witnessed the finest sports and athletic spirit as the FIIB Alumni gathered for a full day of fun, food, drinks, sports and excitement. FIIB welcomed over 200 Alumni and their families with great zeal and enthusiasm.

Former and existing Faculty members, Staff and Students cheered the teams and thoroughly enjoyed by participating in the various events which encompassed sports like cricket and other events like MiniSoccer, Tug of war, Carom, Table Tennis, Tombola, and Lucky-draw which kept every one engaged. The families were not forgotten and the kids were surprised with a magic show and snakes & ladder. This occasion was an opportunity for meeting old friends, sharing old memories, reviving lost ties and building new ones.

Mr. Prateek Nirmal, Ms. Swarlipi, Mr. Suman Roy, Mr. Bhupender Singh made a significant contribution in making FIIB alumni sports meet Samanvay -2012 a grand success.

Overall FIIB alumni sports meet was a splendid success and all the alumni were thrilled to be a part of this event as they think that events like these are a great platform for reviving old friendships and meeting family members of their friends. Events like this are link between past and present binding the FIIB family with thread of love.

“When I saw the Alumni exploring their old campus and enjoying their day at their Alma Mater, I felt equally satisfied. The day just flew by, and in one word, it was awesome! “ – V.K.Jain (FIIB Staff since inception)

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GRAFFITI It all adds up..

Riddhi Singh (Batch-2010-2012) Writes About Her Journey from Student to Alumnus “Time flies, but the memories collected along the way can never be replaced” ~ Ashley Tisdale.

My journey at FIIB started in June 2010. As an aspiring MBA student I pondered what change FIIB will bring in me as a person after I complete my 2 years of MBA. I knew I would come across lectures, management jargons, presentations etc. But apart from all this what is that little extra that I were to learn at FIIB that would hone my skills and explore my potential. During the course of my stay at FIIB, I learnt a lot.

The small memories of coming to college and rushing to Ram bhaiya’s stall to have a cup of tea just before entering the class so that I don’t fall asleep, playing a last hand of carom and beating my carom champions and coming to college early and sitting in the library to decide as to who would say which part of the presentation. These are just small memories that I would relish, cherish and remember all through my Life. During these 2 years at FIIB , I realised management is just not about books, books and books… its beyond that.

For me the definition of a B-School has changed. For me a B-School is the one that can bring a positive change in an individual during the course of his/her stay at the college, so that he/she is all set to face the world with confidence. And that’s what FIIB did to me, it made me realise what I am, what potential and capabilities I possess and I owe it to FIIB family. FIIB family, management gave me many platforms and challenges to make things happen, and these challenges became the turning point of my life.

In the end it all adds up, so whether I was a FIIB student or now an Alumnus, I am proud to be a FIIB-ian!

LIGHT AND VERITE I graduated from FIIB this summer (2012). My campus placement took me to Franchise Mart where I joined in the Space Selling division.

The very next day I hopped to another job at Space India as Senior Sales Executive.

Hop till you stop!

After 20 days, I shifted to India Coil Limited and joined office on 21st July 2012.

My mother tells me- please get me a salary cheque now, not another offer letter!

Pankaj Lakhera (batch-2010-2012)writes about his experience in search of an ‘ideal’ job!

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CANDID CONVERSATIONS

We all find a path to our career at FIIB, but some find more than that!

In a candid conversation, Fortune Cookies Editorial Team talks to FIIB Alumni who met on campus and decided to spend their lives together!

Meet Mrs. Vandana Chaudhry and Mr. Pritiman Sarkar (2000 Batch) who live in Jaipur as they speak about their life since FIIB, their work and passion.

‘We were slow coaches who took time to figure out what we actually wanted in life’ Fortune Cookies (FC): You are amongst the select batch of Alumni at FIIB who found their life partners on campus.

How did the two of you connect on campus?

Pritiman (P): For the first three semesters at FIIB, we hardly spoke. It was at the end of third semester, you could say, we realized we were in the same class! We had different priorities and different sets of friends. She spent time with books and library while I would be in on the grounds playing cricket. Further, I was from Bhubaneswar while she lived in Delhi. So we were not literally connected. We graduated in 2000, but it was only in 2002 we decided that we wanted to spend our lives together.

Vandana (V): It was in the third semester, that we got an opportunity to work together on a project which gave me an insight into Pritiman as an individual. We worked together on our first project and had a limited understanding of our strengths and weaknesses.

FC: How has your passion of extra curricular activities at FIIB stay alive even at the workplace?

P: While working in various organization work does keep us busy, but several of the qualities fostered at FIIB comes in handy. I not only participate but also lead several initiatives at the Jaipur site which is people and CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) centric.

V: Learnings at FIIB has today helped me to lead the Diversity’ initiative here in Jaipur. The initiative aims to create work life balance for women, who may otherwise leave their jobs once married. In a town like Jaipur, such initiatives are very important. Apart from this, I also work for more pan-India initiatives at the bank.

FC: Does sharing the same Alma Mater and current workplace add a new dimension to your relationship?

How does it affect your relationship with the Alma Mater and Organization?

P: We have had two different sets of friends. So being together does strengthen our bond with FIIB because we are well connected with our batch mates and even our juniors and seniors. As for workplace, we were working in two different organizations for 8 years after graduation. When we got married, I was to shift to Bangalore to work for an investment bank. We had to therefore find her a job in Bangalore so that we could stay together.

V: Absolutely. He is in operations and I am in training, so he’s is one of the internal customers for my department.

And when we sit across a table, he does give feedback on trainings and programs required for his teams. Working together provides me a different insight to his professional personality which is rarely seen off work.

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CAMPUS NOTES FIIB is the first B school in India to have chartered three Toastmasters clubs on campus, out of the 1300 clubs in the entire country, with a vision to provide to it’s a students a platform to improve their communication skills.

Last year 22 students were recognized by Toastmasters International as ‘Competent Communicators’.

FIIBians also did exceptionally well in annual contests that were held by securing laudable positions (2nd and 3rd place) at the International Speech Contest held on 5th April 2012.

Recently, Richa Mathur and Asim Agha were appreciated for their meticulous efforts in organizing an intra-city Officers Training Program for Toastmasters International on 15th July 2012 while Akshita Agrawal (Head, Corporate Communications, FIIB) was commended for her training modules to train the Vice Presidents of the Toastmasters Clubs.

Faculty Presentations In another feat, Professor Anupam Saxena authored a book on Impact of Capabilities on Firms: an Enterprise Systems Perspective. This book presents many useful insights for managers who seek to improve their firm’s performance by implementing Enterprise Systems.

Leaders in making- The Student Council Numerous new beginnings were celebrated on 31st of March in the campus premises. The day marked the transition of FIIBians from students to young professionals and for junior batches it was the time to take on leadership roles and step out of the cozy comfort of cocoons, afforded to them by the seniors, to take on greater responsibility.

FIIB-ians get lauded at Toastmasters

Faculty presentations FIIB encourages its faculty to present papers and research on various topics of their interest.

Professor Sadia Samar Ali (Operations Management faculty at FIIB) attended the India Urban Transport Summit 2012 on 25th may 2012 organized by FICCI. Professor Sunita Chugh (Human Resource Management faculty at FIIB) presented an oral presentation in the 13th Biennial Conference 2012 for the International Society or the Study of Work and Organizational values which was hosted by Goa University.

Breeding Excellence on Campus In order to enrich the learning experience of the students here at FIIB, the Institute launched a course on entrepreneurship Innovation for the batch 2011-2013. The course was conducted in association with the Dutch counterparts from INPAQT. In another step towards being a pioneer in the field, FIIB also signed an MoU with the Indian arm of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), an international organization with over 250,000 members in 140 countries - as a part of its commitment to develop student managers with a professional outlook.

This association would entail an intensive training and mentoring from industry professionals (approved and certified by NASSCOM) aimed at the development of the individual capabilities and competencies in each student.

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FIIB Faculty bring laurels On 23rd May 2012, Professor K.B.C. Saxena and Professor Swanand Deodhar (Information System Management faculty at FIIB) along with Professor Rajen Gupta of MDI, Gurgaon, became the first faculty group from an Indian business school to publish a paper in a very prestigious journal in the information systems field -- the Journal of Strategic Information Systems.

The paper is titled "Formatting Open Source Software-Based Hybrid Business Model: From Practices to Strategies". The paper provides an insightful study of the global software product industry in the context of open source software products, and considers various business models used by software product vendors in exploiting open source approaches in combination with the proprietary approaches (mixed business models).

Furthermore the paper utilizes the emerging concept of 'practices' as a construct to understand mixed approaches, thereby bringing the cultural dimension as well in successful implementation of this mixed business model approach.

FIIB Masterchef

FROM THE STUDENTS The students have a lot of opportunity to showcase their talent. Every one is welcome to contribute their thoughts and ideas be it the blog, newsletter or Toastmasters!

It was a Sunday morning and it was raining heavily outside. With my morning tea in one hand and a copy of the Hindustan Times on my lap, I sat in the balcony attached to my room, and some really interesting thoughts crossed my mind. “Not even a month has passed since I finished with my graduation exams,” I thought to myself, “and here I am, already getting ready to face my first set of MBA exams!”

- Shreesti Ghost (Sec A, Yr 1) Read more and other student blogs on http://blog.fiib.edu.in/

As a part of the orientation week, the new batch of students were welcomed with an exciting exercise. They went on to don the chef's hat to learn important management lessons. In a one-of-it's-kind simulation game designed by FIIB faculty, the incoming students were put in situations that required them to efficiently utilize limited resources, quickly scan team competencies, efficiently work under pressure, effectively negotiate superior outcomes and persuasively convince other team members. Pressed for time, yet with their creative juices in full flow, all teams put together exciting 3-course meals. Some of the items from the student menus included: Frutella Cremica, Bahar-e-Bread, Jain Shikanji.

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Creativity at its best!

In another exercise designed by FIIB Faculty as a part of the Orientation Week, the students were expected to create images and weave together a story with a logical flow, using shapes that were assigned to them. Students actively participated in the exercise and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Read what one team had to say.

Contributed by Manasvi, Pradeep, Parmod, Subin and Rahul!

(Sec C)

Once there was a planet named “ARCONA” From where the male Alien (Cygnus) used to chat with the female alien Cygnus was an excited person and everyday he winds up all his important work before the chat time. They both use to chat on P2P chat.com (Planet2Planet.com)

Female alien (Neswon) belongs to the Barabel planet called “Barabel” who was very pretty and adorable.

Cygnus was an excited person and everyday he winds up all his important work before the chat time. They both use to chat on P2P chat.com (Planet2Planet.com)

They both clicked a picture for memories not to fade away because they both wanted an ever lasting relationship.

He gifted her a cell phone as he was tired of talking online everyday through P2Pchat.

They had a great time and enjoyed their date by having an ice cream.

He took her for a date to a special pool side lounge named as “Ulaha” which was far away from her house.

He took his spaceship to pick up Neswon from “Barabel” planet.

Finally a day came when Cygnus Thought of proposing Neswon and then he bought a ring for her.

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FIIB CAUGHT ON CAMERA

FIIB in its initiative to make its students competent managers has undertaken various steps and measures to provide opportunities to its students to learn from experienced faculty and the appropriate resources to easily access information and learn by doing.

The library was revamped to house comfortable couches and hundreds of journals and books (both fiction, non fiction and Course related) for students to spend as much time as possible to gather information and get better equipped with knowledge. We have a new canteen offering sumptuous food at reasonable prices . The college still boasts of a well equipped infrastructure including computer labs and classroom.

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Save the date

Daring to Achieve: The FIIB Dynamites FIIB is proud to churn leaders from amongst its students. FIIB acknowledges achievements of all the students in various fields.

Read on- with drumrolls and applause..

Great Communicators: Competent Communicators awarded by Toastmasters International (Batch 2011-2013)

Watch Out!

Abhik Shome Asim Agha Esha Bakshi Mohit Chawla Nitesh Bhadadra Prateek Anand Rahul Kumar Richa Mathur Sudipta Chakraborty Sumitra Mohanty Surbhitankur

The Student Editorial Board will bring to you lots of stories from the FIIB Campus in the next Issue. Look forward to..

Hearing from the FLP Fellows what it takes to be in FLP

Reading what select FIIB students have to say about Chetan Bhagat’s Book Launch Knowing more about the SHRM tie up as the students engage in tete-a-tea with the SHRM representatives at the Kickoff.

And a lot more from the Campus, students, staff and faculty!

President Roll of Honor: The batch toppers: Asim Agha Deepanshi Arora K. Jamuna Devi K. Sunita Devi Kokil Pandey Pankaj Mor

Leaders in Making: The Fortunate Fourteen: FLP Fellows Abhay S. Goel Abhik Shome Ankur Asim Agha Deepanshi Arora Hardik Virmani Himanshu Jain Mohit Chawla Pankaj Mor Prateek Anand Puneet Shivhare Ravi Kumar Richa Mathur Surbhitankur

Dear Readers!

Drop in your ideas, thoughts, articles, speeches, jokes, poems, cartoons, scribbles, limericks and photographs at newsdesk@fiib.edu.in And we’ll make space for everything!