Prameya issue 15

Issue 15

Foreword The issue 15 of Prameya captures various activities, events and achievements of WeSchool students and faculty members. The theme article on ‘Eye Care Industry’ brings forth a brief history of the optical industry, the reasons behind its expansion, emergence of new players and the latest trends of the industry. In Guruspeak series – we bring to our readers an article on ‘Technology Contribution to the Rise of Purpose-Driven Marketing’. The article peeps into the minds of the millennials to understand their shopping behaviour. The Entrepreneur article ‘The Great Shift: From there to Nowhere’ talks about evolution of governance and economic policies from ancient tribes and communities. Instead of capitalism, the author proposes a new form of economy where a person takes responsibility for his actions and the consequences on the community at large and thus, lead to a “happy” nation.

The Career Management Center (CMC) article gives a snapshot of the final placements and summer internship of the students. Keeping pace with the changing industry trends, WeSchool campus is always bustling with events managed by student organizing committees with faculty mentors. Arthakul – the Finance Club organized a panel discussion on ‘Post Budget Session’ to gain additional understanding of the Union budget. MPower – the Marketing Club organized ‘MarketingMojo- Creating Marketing Merlins’ with an aim to reposition the club on the digital platform by creating a new website and a blog.

In today’s VUCA world, leading disruptive innovation has become a competitive advantage for the organizations. The right leadership has become a crucial ingredient for success in addition to the right process. To bring out the leadership qualities in working professionals, the WeSchool Management Development Cell launched the Leadership Development program in May 2017.

WeSchool Assessment Center (AC) process was organized for the students in March 2017 to understand their key strengths and key areas of development with objective to help them align to industry needs. The Rotaract Club, WeSchool shares the ‘Scrap Paper Drive’ initiative where they collected disposable waste from households in the electronic city area and sold the scrap to generate revenues that could be used to plant trees.

Team management and teamwork is an important aspect and the skills can be learned through games. All the members of WeSchool family including students, faculty members and staffs enjoyed the annual cricket tournament “WeCket” for a day. All the faculty members and staff also enjoyed WeOlympics, playing indoor games such as table tennis and carrom with excitement and determination.

The awards and achievement section captures accomplishments of both our students and faculty members at national and at international forums. The ‘Talent Corner’ unleashes the creative side of the students as photography and poetry. The faculty members continued to improve their academic skills by attending a weekly workshop on research methodology during the summers. “It always is harder to be left behind than to be the one to go...” the senior batch (2015-17) bid adieu in April leaving behind the memories of two years of their campus life. They will always be remembered and cherished as a part of WeSchool family as the institution once again gears to welcome the new academic batch 2017-19.

Happy Reading!!

Signing off till we meet again with the next Issue

Faculty Editorial Team Editor

Prof. Dr. Sonia Mehrotra

Editorial Team Member

Ms. Ishani Chakraborty

Student Contributors Team

Assistant Editor

Student Team

Magazine Design

Ms. Ishita Agrawal Ms. Priyanka Bajaj Ms. Saumya Mitra Ms. Akshada Nahate Ms. Neha Kalbande

Ms. Shilpa Pathak

Mr. William Dayabaran

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Contents 01

Foreword

03

Group Director and Senior Dean & Director

Eye Care Industry - Opportunities and Challenges

04

Cover Photo Model : Utkarsh Parmar

Articles 08

- Ms. Shilpa Pathak Assistant Editor – Prameya

18 19

Technology's Contribution to the Rise of Purpose-Driven Marketing - By Prof. Dr. D. N. Murthy Dean, Marketing & Research, WeSchool, Bengaluru

THE GREAT SHIFT : From There to Nowhere - By Shobitha Kedlaya a Member of ProtoVillage

Career Management Center - By Prof. Dr. Anuradha Mahesh Head - CMC, WeSchool, Bengaluru

Sports

Events 10 11

Pre-Union Budget Session 2017 - Arthakul (The Finance Club)

MarketingMojo- Creating Marketing Merlins - MPower (The Marketing Club)

13 16 17 2

20

WeOlympics

27

WeCket

22

Achievements

24

Talent Corner

Assessment Center (AC) Process

- By Prof. Dr. Jai Raj Nair Head, IT Vertical, WeSchool, Bengaluru

Rotaract Club - Scrap Paper Drive

- Poetry - Photography contest

WeSchool MDC - Leadership Development Program

— Faculty & Student Achievements

15

Research

26

Celebrations

28

Prameya Editorial Team

- Research Refresher Workshops

- Farewell Party PGDM Batch 2015-17

Prof. Dr. UDAY SALUNKHE GROUP DIRECTOR, WeSchool

“Develop a passion for learning.

If you do, you will never cease to grow.”

- Anthony J. D’Anjelo Constructivist learning theory suggests that learners construct knowledge out of their meaningful experiences. Each new day teaches us new things whether we realize it, or not. At WeSchool, we put our best effort to create a positive learning environment for our students in their two crucial years with us. The basic principle is to be aware of the changing industry needs and equip our students with conceptual knowledge, application tools and shape them as globally responsible citizens capable of addressing the industry needs.

Our campuses provide a balanced approach to education through the state of art facilities such as innovation lab, learning resource center, a transformative and intensive curriculum, dedicated faculty and an opportunity of collaborative learning among students that come from diverse cultural and professional backgrounds. They are provided the platforms to qualify for international internships as well as international placements.

Creativity drives passion; and together they create deep impact on an organization’s Mission, Vision and Objectives. WeSchool is a learning expedition and I invite all the stakeholders from parents, industry professionals, colleagues and of course my dear students to experience and be part of this expedition.

Best wishes Prof. Dr. Uday Salunkhe Group Director, WeSchool

Prof. Dr. ANIL RAO PAILA

SENIOR DEAN & DIRECTOR, WeSchool, Bengaluru Campus

“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”

-Aristotle The process of learning takes a tumultuous route from zilch to build expertise. The journey from failure to success is inspiring as well as eluding unless there is hard work and perseverance. Education is supposed to prepare individuals for the outside world.

As the world becomes increasingly globalized, one should acquire the relevant skills to excel. Learning depends on the mental state of the learner, including how they feel physically, psychologically, and emotionally. WeSchool focus on a learner centric environment supported by innovative programmes, robust industry interface, opportunity of global internships and a dedicated set of faculty members as mentors.

WeSchool Bengaluru campus has grown significantly under the directional leadership of our Group Director Prof. Dr. Uday Salunkhe. Our strength lies in our ability to adopt a balanced approach towards education that encourage teamwork, help developing complex thinking skills and focus on future needs of the industry. We nurture students to become ‘complete’ individuals in the two years of their tenure with us.

Prameya- the campus magazine is a students’ initiative supported by faculty members that captures the details of our events, activities conducted, latest trend in the external environment as well applauds the achievement of both students and faculty members.

I welcome all to read our Prameya issue 15 Best wishes Prof. Dr. Anil Rao Paila Senior Dean & Director, WeSchool, Bengaluru Campus

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Theme Article

Eye Care Industry: Opportunities and Challenges The evening stroll that has become my daily routine, is a time to connect with myself and my surrounding which is buzzing with human activities. As I progressed in my evening walk last Saurday evening, I observed that every third person in the apartment complex was wearing a spectacle. Indeed, I was flabbergasted. The people who were wearing spectacles were not just senior citizens – but young people in their early twenties. Even a two year child was sporting a blue glass frame and was riding his bicycle happily.

A study conducted by Morgan Stanley shows that in India, 790 million internet users will be accessing information for their consumption – either for entertainment or Infotainment by the year 2020. Even more, an average millennial aged 16-39 years in India is spending 2.2 hours a day on his/her mobile device as compared to an individual in Europe or America who tends to spend 3.2 hours daily either surfing the internet via his/her smartphone or playing video games.

According to Mr. Praveen – an Optometrist & Store Manager at Neema Opticals, these changes are caused due to changing lifestyle, behavior and attitudes of the people.

When an individual is spending 8 - 9 hours per day on a computer, he is not cognizant of the damage he is unknowingly causing to his eyes.

He further says – eyes are so sensitive that the electro magnetic radiation (blue light waves) from the computer screens are more harmful than ultra violet rays.

He states that it does not damage just health but ones’ future as well.

Mr. Praveen – an Optometrist & Store Manager at Neema Opticals, Electronic City, Bengaluru The eye problem is further enhanced as the younger generation consume less healthy food due to high reliance on ‘fast food’. In addition to this, lack of physical exercise and irregular sleeping pattern affects the brain. It thus overall affects the brain stimulation and eye-sight of a person.

According to a study conducted by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) the ‘Eye Wear’ industry in India is estimated to touch US $ 14.856 million by 2018. In the Eye Wear category, it is reported that 35% of India’s population need vision correction, which may be surgery, laser therapy and around 94% wear spectacles and 6% percent wear contact lenses and around 23% wear both – spectacles and contact lenses. These are alarming statistics but true.

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Theme Article

Neema Opticals was founded in 1947 by Late Mr. D.M. Khasim in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh and expanded its reach across Andhra Pradesh and later in Karnataka. Today, Neema Opticals has established 4 stores in Bengaluru. While sharing his thoughts on how customer service has evolved in this industry, Mr. Praveen says – in post Independence era, customer service would involve door to door visits to the homes of customers in villages to understand the health issues pertaining to eyes. The customers were handed out the prescription for the spectacles which were prepared with precision and manually and it was delivered to a customer’s home.

An optician in those days had to visit Bengaluru and Chennai, which were the main centers for whole sale distributors (British traders) for spectacle frames. Kalbadevi, a business center near Mumbai was an important hub for sourcing of scientific equipment for Opticians.

These business dynamics and the environment has ensured that an optometrist plays an important role in customer lives – who are seeking advice related to their eye problems.

Gradually, with an increasing demand for the ‘eye care’, many optical retail outlets emerged in India which are mostly founded by Optometrists; Lawrence & Mayo, GKB Opticals, SR Gopal Rao and Anglo American optical to name a few.

These retail stores are mainly family managed businesses.

However, the optical industry in India is highly fragmented. There is a large segment which comprises of the unorganized sector that threatens to affect the ‘quality & service’’. Plus, the industry has seen emergence of corporate players such as Reliance Vision, Titan Eye Plus and Lens Kart.

When questioned regarding the exponential growth for the Optical Industry. Mr. Praveen is highly optimistic of the future. He commented that changing lifestyle, habits and high disposable income are the drivers.

Today, customers visiting him at the stores are Millennials (18-34), Gen X (35-51), Baby Boomers (52-70) and Senior Citizens (65+). However, certain health factors is driving the growth – a large population – young and ageing population is suffering from Diabetes which further aggravates the overall health including ‘ eye’. Due to geographical location of India and global warming, a very large number of people require protection from harmful UV rays of the sun.

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Theme Article To understand the customer view, – we conducted a survey among 70 respondents in the age group 9 - 75 years. The survey revealed the awareness of ‘Eye Wear and Eye Problem’ among the target audience.

Siddharath Singh, a 13 year old boy, revealed that he started wearing spectacles at the age of 10 years because he was suffering from ‘Scission Problem’. When questioned on preventive measures he follows – he said “ I used to watch lot of Cartoons on TV. But now I have stopped watching TV and playing Video games. Now I am fully perfect and like to enjoy the beauty of nature”. He further says – he follows a balanced diet. He gives credit to his mother for the change in his behavior and attitude – “she encouraged me to be more engaged in sports such as football and cycling”.

Earlier a spectacle frame was seen as functional aspect – but with changing times and lifestyle and fashion the taste and preferences of customers across the age groups are changing. A customer tends to spend half an hour in a store browsing through myriad of frames displayed in a store.

Flooded with choices, shopping for a spectacle frame has become an enjoyable experience for a customer.

Siddharath Singh with his mother Ms.Sushma Singh, who has motivated and encouraged him to indulge in outdoor activities.

Does a spectacle has a role to play in perception of personality? According to Ms. Kopal Saluja – a 23 year old respondent, ”Spectacles create consciousness in terms of appearance and sometimes people wearing spectacles seem to be less confident in their looks. It can only happen in movies that women would wear spectacles on her wedding day. Hope you recall Kareena Kapoor, in the movie 3 Idiots, she is dressed in a red attire on her wedding day and is wearing a large black spectacle and driving her scooter. Kopal, further says, there are young people who prefer buying and using contact lenses, since it does not cause a change in one’s physical appearance.

To understand more on branding strategy adopted by Optical players in India, – we visited the Optical Vision World Store in Electronic City.

Mr. Waseem Pasha, Founder, said “Customers today are seeking quality and price while selecting a product. Customer service includes a good knowledge of customer’s need and technical skills that are required in making of a spectacle frame with right lenses. He says it is imperative to be ‘honest with one’s work’ and it is significant to advice the customer ethically.

When questioned whether a traditional players are impacted by the emergence of competition from Titan Eye Plus or Lens Kart.

Mr. Waseem said there is enough room for growth. He is unfazed by the emerging competition and believes that players who are serious and understand the nature of optical business.

Mr. Waseem Pasha, Founder, Optical Vision World Store in E-City Bengaluru

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Theme Article

Titan Eye Plus appointed actor Jacqueline Fernandez to promote the Titan Eye Plus + range. The company has been spending heavily on advertising campaign – INR. 50 million per campaign on ‘Affordable Eye Wear’. The campaign is targeted at men and women in A and B segments that fall in the age brackets of 15 - 20 years. Customer in this segment is cost-conscious plus inclined to be swayed by new trends and styles in ‘Eye Wear’.

Browse through Google and you will be bombarded with numerous commercials of Lens Kart, which tries to explain the young and discerning customers on advantages of 3-D technology it is adopting to enhance the ‘Eye wear’. It has launched a new advertising commercial which talks about its latest use of ‘Robotic Technology’ in making of lenses. It has also hired the actor - Katrina Kaif as the Brand Ambassador.

Mr. Waseem Pasha, is not intimidated by ‘Lens Kart’ dominance in the Social Media to drive its sales. He says – business model adopted by Lens Kart is similar to a business run by a Chinese company – which believes in large scale production.

Mr. Waseem, also expressed his abhorrence for those opitical players that roll out advertisements which are eye grabbing ‘Free Frames with Lenses’ for Rs. 599/-. He opines that customers should not fall prey to such advertisements. According to him ‘Word-of-Mouth’ is the best publicity to build loyal and niche customer base.

While speaking on the subject of consumer behavior at store – Mr. Praveen reckons that consumer behavior does impact the front end staff at a store. He further says – customers visiting Neema Optical’s store in BTM Layout, are traditional and conventional in their approach and less communicative during the business transactions. Whereas customer’s visiting its Jayanagar outlet are well behaved during the sales interaction. But, customer’s behavior at Electronic City store is very pathetic – they sometimes use foul language during their interaction with sales staff.

When questioned on rising costs of eye care, Mr. Praveen say that quality comes at a price and today customer with a high disposable income and above 45 years of age are ready to invest in ‘quality and superior lenses – such as progressive or bi- Focal glasses, as they provide the improved reading quality.

When questioned to our respondents whether they are incurring high amount of expenditure on ‘Eye Wear’? We received mixed responses – a youngster who is dependent on parents, does not feel pinch. Ms. Kasturi, a 21 year old MBA graduate says “My parents usually tend to pay for my glasses”.

However, Prof. Kalpana Garde, Asst Professor, - IT, WeSchool, says “These days every second child is blessed with an extra pair of eyes - spectacles, right from the age of 2-3. Even my son was blessed at the age of 7. Exposure to technology and use age of electronic gadgets is one of the major concerns. Plus the prices of the spectacles is in the range Rs. 3500/- to Rs. 4000/-, pinches the pocket”.

Even employers realise the importance of eye care. Here is an episode that occurred at Elon Musk’s office. While working at Space X – a commercial rocket - Mr.Hollman, an engineer at the firm, lost his regular glasses, when they slipped off his face and fell down a flame duct at the site. Mr. Hollman, tried wearing an old pair of prescription safety glasses. Due to his hectic work schedule and the ongoing work on developing the prototype, Mr. Hollman, kept procrastinating his visit to the eye specialist, which was causing impedimements in his work.

Unaware that Elon Musk, was observing his work movement, and who had realized that his employee was in urgentneed to visit a doctor, fixed his appointment. When Hollman visited the clinic, he was informed that his boss had agreed to pay for Lasik Eye surgery – an expensive treatment to rectify vision problem.

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Guruspeak

Prof. Dr. D.N.Murthy Dean - Marketing & Research, WeSchool Bengaluru

Technology's Contribution to the Rise of Purpose-Driven Marketing

Technology is altering business in many ways - some obvious – and some not-so-obvious ways. This article attempts explaining how the influence of technology on marketing is continuous and how it is transforming marketing in many unanticipated ways.

Technology has played a very important role in present day marketing strategies. The conceptofpurpose-driven marketing is increasingly gaining popularity, and technology is playing a major role in its progress and its authenticity.

In the recent days, consumers, particularly Millennials, prefer to maintain brand relationships beyond the value of the products that they receive from companies.

They trust the companies and also expect that organizations stand by the values that they claim to possess. This aspect of trust goes beyond consumer loyalty and also has a major effect on the recruiting. Employees take inspiration from the company they work for and expect to wake up to work for a company that's crushing the competition.

The marketers have shifted their strategy by explaining their company's vision in a socialized manner. That is, they tell the world why their companies do what they do, instead of just continuing their task as a matter of routine. For instance, Unilever says that they don't sell soap but they teach the people around the globe how to prevent the spread of debilitating or deadly diseases, which could occur as a case when they fail to maintain personal hygiene.

Intel similarly explains that it just doesn't sell microprocessors, it invests in the economic growth and sustainability of the Democratic Republic of Congo from where the resources for their microprocessors are sourced.

Once a company sensitizes its employees to adapt the brand's purpose, then it starts to grow exponentially and becomes more infectious externally which attracts both customers and potential new business links.

Technology has enhanced the customer experience The power of a King experience is what the internet gives the consumers! They can use this aspect of technology to arm themselves with all forms of information about the products and services that they desire to purchase long before they enter a retail store or call a B2B sales person. This is a tectonic shift in the ďŹ eld of retail marketing and has made customer-centricity an imperative for marketers.

Customer-centricity was a common topic of debate across all forums. The majority of them realizes that customer experience was their No. 1 priority when differentiating their company. Marketers need to concentrate on creating a personal bonding with the people and lead them into personalized experiences about what they want. The idea of market segmenting needs to be replaced with individual experiences through integrated data channels and make available offline services, both in the store and through a phone.

Technology is RedeďŹ ning Good Advertising The whole concept of advertising has gone through a dramatic change as technology has raised the bar on what constitutes good advertising. Advertising now means delivering the message in the way that audiences prefer to receive it, besides delivering the message in a compelling way. If the messages are not delivered through the right medium, it will not get the kind of reception that the audiences would prefer and what the marketers crave for.

This new trend leaves no choice to the marketers than to remix and create a content that their audiences could engage with it. Marketers need to recognize what their audiences actually want and be consciously cognizant of their needs to keep them engaged. This has been made possible due to the extensive proliferation of information through the internet. Companies need to present the contents in a way the audience wants to engage with it.

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Guruspeak Organizations need to master the art of optimizing its content in a way that the audience prefers it. They use data, to tie their content to popular conversations almost in real time, this, in turn, creates a lead to the readers to reveal their priorities! So the result is that the content prioritization comes from the customers and not from the marketer.

Social Media also has significant offline impact The Social media, on the other hand, has been an extensive bonding platform that links the society irrespective of its age composition! The rise of LinkedIn and other social platforms are examples of the same creating an outsized digital impact. Social media is also having an impact on offline media. It should be noted that LinkedIn has an accurate and detailed data-base about the business demographic data of its members.

LinkedIn has complete information about what industry members are in, their job titles, the size of the company they work for etc., and all this, with no personally identifiable information attached. Marketers can tap into this business demographic data by placing a LinkedIn tag on their website. This tag helps the companies to get information on how many people are visiting their website and also provides the companies an insight into their characteristics. If a B2B marketer, for instance, is running an ad in The Times of India or embarking on a TV campaign, the LinkedIn tag can show the marketer if the ad is driving the right people from the right industries or right job titles to the website. It's just one example of how social media's influence expands beyond the virtual world.

It is clear that the marketers need to stay on top, updating on their technological trends so as to reap the benefits of making business processes more efficient. The trends thus unleashed have unintended consequences that marketers need to cautiously take advantage of.

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Pre-Union Budget Session-2017

WeSchool Arthakul Club Members with the Key Speakers

Arthakul, the finance club of WeSchool, Bengaluru organized a post budget session on 16th February 2017. The guest speakers for the talk were Mr. Vikram U - Partner in Suresh & Co., Mr. Prasanna Bedi, practicing company secretary, and Mr. N. Nityananda, Director at Central Bank of India.

Key topics discussed in the session were:Different tax polices, to be amended.

Carry forward of losses for start-ups for 7 years to be removed.

Cash free economy to be achieved by limiting the cash donations to INR 2000.

Introduction of Electoral Bonds by the Revserve Bank of India, and the impacts and reasons to control the fiscal budget.

Infrastructure and Railways have been given a considerable weightage in Union Budget 2017.

High speed internet will be provided to more than 15000 gram panchayats. In Financial Sector, 90% of the FDI inflows will now be automated and Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana lending has been fixed at INR 2.44 trillion for 2017-18.

A keen attempt is being made to keep the fiscal deficit under control. Capital expenditure will be encouraged and revenue deficit to be capped at 1.9%. A few tax changes included a simple one-page return for people with an annual income up to INR 5 million other than the business income. The tax rates were slashed from10% to 5% for professionals in the (INR 2.5 to 5 million) bracket.

It was an interesting and enriching session for students.

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MarketingMojo- Creating Marketing Merlins

(L-R) Prof. Bill Stroube & Prof. Catherine, University of Evansville, Prof. Dr. D. N. Murthy, Dean- Marketing & Research, Mr. Satish, - CIO, Bosch at WeSchool Bengaluru

Charles Darwin hit bull’s eye with his theory - “Survival of the fittest”.

The essence of the theory is that our environment is truly dynamic and only those who strive to evolve can survive or face extinction.

I can’t help but wonder about the striking similarity with the current market scenario. The competition around is cut throat, market is highly volatile, disruptive technology is changing the game and also changing consumer habits and behaviour very fast. For a B-school graduate, looking to make a career in the field of marketing, the competition has never been so fierce.

At such a crossroad, the choice for any marketer is simple- Adapt and Change or Die!!

The new council of MPower (2017-18) - The Marketing Club has taken a unanimous decision to adapt and change.

Thus, setting MPower on path of metamorphosis.

The first step in that direction is to reposition ourselves on the digital platform. Understanding how revolutionary and game changing the social media has proved to be, we created a new website and a blog- “MarketingMojoCreating Marketing Merlins”.

‘MarketingMojo’ is the one stop platform to access latest marketing trends, game changing marketing strategies, practical application of theory, changes in the marketing campaigns, case studies, direct interaction with faculty and top industry professionals.

We wish to achieve this by building a network and a community of marketing faculty, industry experts and marketing students. The working is simple- Share!! Content sharing and industry insights will only help the upcoming marketers to better understand and adapt to the dynamic marketing environment.

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To make it more user friendly and easier to access, we are in process to launch a basic mobile app for both IOS & Android users. I believe it is noteworthy to share that the mobile app is developed by MPowers Web team headed

by Mr. Vekatesh H. (E-Biz 2).

With guidance and vision from Prof. Dr. D. N. Murthy, Dean- Marketing & Research and Prof. Vijay Rego, Assistant Professor-Marketing & Entrepreneurship, MPower’s approach is completely student centric - to help strengthen their abilities and provide significant market and practical exposure.

With that in mind MPower organized their first event to launch the blog-MarketingMojoon on 13th Feb 2017. The guests for the event were Mr. Satish, -CIO, Bosch; Prof. Bill Stroube & Prof. Catherine, University of Evansville and Prof. Ashish Chandra, University of Houston – Clare Lake (UHCL). The successful launch of the blog was accompanied by Prof. Ashish Chandra’s announcement of a Joint Research Program with UHCL. This would provide WeSchool students an opportunity to work with students of UHCL to research and publish papers but most importantly it would provide hands on experience on global market outlook.

To provide practical exposure, MPower 2017-18 bagged live projects from Haier Electronics to work on their soon to be launched TVC and another on field project to provide insights to consumer buying behaviour for the air conditioners.

The upcoming projects include two projects from Bosch that will be launched in July 2017.

The upcoming event is scheduled on 30th March 2018 - “Ethical responsibilities in Advertising” will help provide students insights from Media & Entertainment industry. Mr. Shourya Choudhary - Creative Director & Mr. Suraj Nambiar- General Manager at MAXUS GLOBAL part of GroupM and WPP global network would grace the panel to address the students.

What is Next??? Well, sessions on Internet of Things, Analytics, CEO Round Table and there is much more to come as we progress into the year.

The constant effort of MPower 2017-18 team is to leave behind a strong foundation for upcoming batch to build on and in process to build a legacy that makes students better prepared for the life of a marketer - Adapt, Change and hence, EXCEL! Because believe it or not:“Change is The Only Constant”.

Mr. Sankalp Singh President, Team MPower 2017-18

WeSchool MPower Team 2017-18 with guests at the event

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Management Development Centre

Leadership Development Program 15th- 20th May 2017

WeSchool faculty members with participants of Leadership Development Program - Batch 1, conducted for corporate professionals at the campus

In today’s complex, dynamic world, having a disruptive innovation capability is mandatory, both for growing a business and protecting existing markets. But leading disruptive innovation requires new mindsets and behaviours, for leaders themselves and for the organizations that develop them. Leaders must embrace ambiguity, live with uncertainty for long periods of time, and confront the critiques of naysayers both inside and outside of their organizations. With this in mind, the Management Development Centre (MDC) of WeSchool Bengaluru launched the Leadership Development Program on 15th May 2017.

About the Program Leadership Development program is designed to equip the participants with the skills and capabilities that will enable them to move into one level up in the leadership pyramid.

It is tailored to integrate real-world experience with classroom learning and Senior Leaders to take a pause, reflect, review and work out few strategies and personal action plans to have an edge.

The program is designed for the Senior Managers who are responsible to manage a Business Unit within an organisation, entrepreneurs who have their own ventures and practitioners or management consultants. This Leadership Development Program will comprise of 6 day Residential Classroom sessions and 3 Months of Virtual Mentoring and 6 months of Continuing Online Support through e-mails.

The program is divided into 2 phases. The Phase 1, comprised of classroom sessions, was conducted at the WeSchool Bengaluru campus over the span of one week – from 15th-20th May 2017. The Phase 2 involves 3 months of virtual mentoring and 6 months of continuing online support via e-mails.

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Management Development Centre

Faculty Members: Eminent faculty members such as Prof. Vijayan Pankajakshan, Dean-HR Academics and Research & lndustry Interface, WeSchool Mumbai, Prof. A K N Prasad Head, MDC - Executive Education & Faculty – Operations, WeSchool Bengaluru, Prof. Dr. Hema D, Associate Professor- Finance, Prof. Jyoti Joshi Pant, Assistant ProfessorHR, Prof. Vijay Rego, Assistant Professor – Marketing & Entrepreneurship and Mr. Rishiraj Dasgupta, Corporate Trainer, conducted the sessions.

Details of Classroom Session The Leadership Development Program covered the below competency traits, specifically aiming to enhance the participants’ perspectives to move to higher roles:

Day 1 | Customer Orientation Keeps internal and/or external customer(s) in mind at all times, strives to proactively address customer concerns and needs. Assists business partners and customers achieve their work goals via application of their own skills and knowledge & strives to provide consistent customer satisfaction.

Day 2 | Result Orientation Focuses on desired results and sets and achieves challenging goals.

Day 3 | People Orientation Understanding self, inter- personal and emotional intelligence, essence of leadership, building high performance teams / business and high impact communication & innovation culture.

Day 4 | Analysis & Decision Making Focuses on desired results and sets and achieves challenging goals.Identifies problems and uses logic, judgment, and data to evaluate alternatives and recommend solutions to achieve the desired organizational goal or outcome.

Day 5 | Strategic Thinking and Business Acumen Critical skills for strategic thinking, strategy development and implementation; elements of finance to analyze financial information and to develop business acumen.

Day 6 | Closure and Certification Prof. Dr. Anil Rao Paila, Sr. Dean and Director, WeSchool, Bengaluru mentioned that the programme combines the latest management thinking with practice and applied research, with an emphasis on leading and managing in multicultural settings.

Prof. Dr. Uday Salunkhe, Group Director, WeSchool, stated that in a business landscape that is chaotic, fluid, and ever changing VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) time, WeSchool understood the need for the executives to explore newer perspectives. WeSchool Leadership Development program nurtures and empowers the executives to be ahead of the change.

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Research

Prof. Dr. D.N.Murthy Dean - Marketing & Research, WeSchool Bengaluru

In order to further enhance the research activities at Bengaluru campus, a series of Research Refresher Workshops were organised by Prof. Dr. D.N. Murthy, Dean - Marketing & Research, for the faculty members at the campus. The agenda was to discuss and update themselves about the recent developments in the research domain, and also to write good quality research papers. The research workshop series covers the topics in four major modules Carrying out effective research Writing research papers Publishing research papers Promoting the published papers for improving citations The research workshops are slotted for Fridays as we have earmarked Fridays as learning days for faculty members until the students report back to the campus after their SIP and also until the next batch of students arrive. The workshop sessions are being attended by majority of the faculty members. From second module onwards, it will be a handholding session, where interested faculty members would start writing during the consecutive sessions with an objective that each participant should be ready with at least one draft research article at the end of the research workshop series. “I came to know the steps in the process of quantitative data collection and I am able to distinguish between a population and a sample. I understand the various types of quantitative sampling and the ones which present the most rigorous approach. Now I know how to conduct a statistical test of a hypothesis. I also understand the criteria that can be used to select an appropriate statistical test to answer a research question or hypothesis.

He (Dr. Murthy) is not only our teacher, but also our friend, authority and guide, all rolled into one person. We will always be grateful to him for his support and kindness� says Prof. T S Sridhar, Assistant Professor - IT, WeSchool, Bengaluru.

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Assessment Centre

Prof. Dr. Jai Raj Nair Professor – Head, IT Vertical, WeSchool Bengaluru

Assessment centre (Ac) Process @ Weschool, Bengaluru, March-2017

An Assessment Centre (AC) Process is a method for assessing aptitude and performance applied to a group of participants by trained assessors using various aptitude diagnostic processes in order to obtain information about applicants' abilities or development potential. The assessment centre focuses on a set of varied exercises, which are designed to simulate different aspects of the work environment. The AC exercises assess how closely the demonstrated behaviors match with the ones required for a particular role.

WeSchool is one of the few B-schools in the country that conducts an AC for its students. An AC is conducted in organizations to identify & groom the most competent employees to take on bigger roles. However, the purpose of conducting an AC at WeSchool is different and is two-fold: • Assist students to identify their key strengths & key areas of development • Groom students to match industry specific skill sets The AC process attempted to assess first year students on six intrinsic competencies (leadership, innovation, critical & analytical & integrative thinking, communication skills, and global perspective). A few more competencies, specific to students of HR and E-business courses, were introduced in this year’s process. These competencies were assessed using five exercises namely, Business Game, Group Discussion Exercise using case study, Role Play, In-basket Exercise, and Behavioral Event Interview.

The purpose of the AC is to facilitate holistic development of each student in a way that matches industry needs.

In order to achieve this, the assessors, through their feedback and introspection, were required to identify two competencies for each student that had to be worked upon by the particular student. Subsequently, each student was asked to prepare a DAP (Development Action Plan) that comprises details of the actions he/she would take to improve on the 'gap areas’ so that they become ready for the industry as soon as he/she completes the course.

The AC process conducted over three days 15th, 17th & 18th March, 2017 and more than 40 external assessors from reputed companies such as Siemens, Intel, Lloyds Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, BHEL, Ecolibrium Energy, BEL, QCFI, SAP Labs, Canara Bank, Nova Scotia Bank, Oracle, Times Group, Rotomotive India etc, participated in the process.

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Event | Rotaract Club

Scrap Paper Drive by Rotaract Club

On February 16th 2017 the Board of Directors of the club decided to come up with a community service event to raise awareness clubbed with generating revenue for the club itself. Waste management, including waste collection, transport, treatment and disposal – is one of the burning issues in India.

WeSchool Rotaract Club took an initiative to address this by organizing a ‘Scrap Paper Drive’ in March 2017 in the neighbourhood area.

Rotaracts in Action: We initially segmented our team of directors according to various housing societies and apartments in Electronic City. A team of two approached various apartments such as Ajmera Infinity, Concorde etc. The drive started from our hostel Uniworld. The hostel staff were cooperative and helped us in initiating the drive. Then we approached each apartment as scheduled.

The main idea of our scrape drive was to collect the scrape which included newspapers, plastic utensils, disposable waste etc., and then sell this scrape to generate revenues that could be used to plant trees in the free space near our college.

With a goal of generating the maximum revenue we set out towards the apartments and the response was overwhelming. In two days we collected scrape that weighed up to 7Kgs. The International Service Director Rtr. Prerna Gupta and Professional Service Director Rtr. Ruchi Dabeer took a proactive approach in collecting scrap papers from Himagiri Residency. Our Club Service Director Rtr. Anant approached Concorde Rtr. Maya Jeyakumar -Ajmera Infinity and they were helped by other team members. By 12th March 2017, we collected about 200 Kgs of scrap papers and generated a revenue of INR 2000.

We had an overwhelming support from our Senior Dean & Director Dr. Anil Rao Paila, WeSchool Bengaluru in this event.

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Entrepreneur Speaks “THE GREAT SHIFT: from There to Nowhere”

Shobitha Kedlaya

We moved from being tribal who lived in a particular area, followed traditions that respected the local environment, and had a strong sense of community, to being large nations with Governments. The role of the Government was to replace that of the community namely to form rules to protect the people and the place. When communities are small, it is easier to manage dissent and to encourage members to follow rules for the greatest good of all. When communities break down and individuals remain, everyone is compelled to work hard for their own survival, which earlier was the collective responsibility of the community. The individuals, in many cases, are then reluctant to play a role in the survival of others. Enter economics and markets.

Adam Smith advocated the abolition of government intervention in economic matters. No restrictions on manufacturing, no barriers to commerce, no tariffs. The idea of free trade being the best way for a nation's economy to develop. This application of individualism encouraged "free" enterprise," "free" competition -- which came to mean, free for the capitalists to make huge profits as they wished. Were such enterprises raised solely on the hard work of a few individuals? History suggests otherwise. Most corporations came up and flourished through corruption, deceit, suppression of people, slavery, war and destruction of habitats and ecosystems. Being powerful, they dominated over policies which were crafted for their benefit.

The Great Depression of the 1930s led Keynes to propose that full employment is necessary for capitalism to grow and it can be achieved only if governments and central banks intervene to increase employment. But the capitalist crisis over the last 25 years, with its shrinking profit rates, inspired the corporate elite to revive economic liberalism , called neo- liberalism, which with the rapid globalization of the capitalist economy, is now at a global scale..

Under neo liberalism we are told that an unregulated market is the best way to increase economic growth, which will ultimately benefit everyone. It's like”trickle-down" economics -- but somehow the wealth didn't trickle down very much. It includes cutting public expenditure on education and health and spending on the poor. Of course, it does not oppose government subsidies and tax benefits for business. It also reduces government regulation of everything that could diminish profits and privatization of all state owned enterprises including even fresh water. It spreads the concept of replacing “community” with “individual responsibility”. It pressurizes the poorest people in a society to find solutions to their lack of health care, education and social security all by themselves -- then blaming them, if they fail, as “lazy.”

This neo liberalism is responsible for the current state of affairs and is designed to keep money and power in the hands of a few. The economic disparity is like never before. The environment has been disastrously destroyed.

Wars are increasing. Small businesses are increasingly finding it difficult to hold up and Government policies don't help in that regard. Education and healthcare is expensive and free healthcare and education in a deplorable state.

Clearly all these paths have not worked very well.

In such a scenario, countries such as Bhutan, that focus on happiness, the community and the environment, can show the way. The time is ripe for a new kind of economics. The one that can create a safer and a saner place. Where “individual responsibility” implies that the person takes responsibility for his actions and the consequences on the community at large. Today, many alternate paths are being forged by many change makers. Social enterprises are on the rise. Eco-villages, demonstrating a new way of life are emerging. Circular economies and closed loop systems are becoming the buzzwords. Customers are becoming conscious of their choices. Ethical value chains are gaining inroads. The creation of a new world has begun.

If you are reading this article, you belong to that elite part of the population that had the luck of a good education and the economic resources to make it till here. A small flip of destiny brought you here, and now that you are in a privileged place, do think about which path you will take.

About the Author Shobitha holds an MBA in marketing and has worked with corporations before starting her own enterprises. She has run a corporate gifting business in Mumbai and launched a clothing brand "Inspira" in Bengaluru. She sold her business and has moved to a village in Andhra Pradesh where she is part of a role model rural community called ProtoVillage. She is involved in setting up a rural economic zone for villagers and is involved in the creation of a skill, experience and value based education system. She is aBharatnatyam dancer and trainer.

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Career Management Center

Prof. Dr. Anuradha Mahesh Head - CMC, WeSchool Bengaluru Come September 2016, we once again started preparing for the forthcoming placement season. This year,we were all ready to reach out to new companies and some robust start ups. The batch of 2015-17 had a mix of freshers and some experienced students. Keeping this diversity in mind, the CMC team had started industry visits and recruiters meetings for pitching and confirmations.

Thanks to each angel of the CMC team, Ms. Vinita Thakur, Ms. Vinoda and Ms.Tina Chaturvedi. Neither demonetization nor Donald Trump could dampen our spirits and kept our team from pulling the strength together and giving some wonderful opportunities to each of the students. Although we were putting our efforts, some of the industries such as IT /ITES industry felt the pinch of new policies adopted by the Trump’s - government.

This year the team has decided to go all out to help students prepare thoroughly and this involved devoting dedicated efforts on our part. Twenty five student preparatory sessions were held prior to company visits to our campus. As a part of preparatory sessions, we even invited alumni to conduct sessions in person and on couple of occasions used the virtual modes of Skype and Google hangouts. Thanks to our Alumni the efforts paid off well.

In the journey of placement, all the CMC team members time and again helped the students providing them personalized support, counseling them on career choice matching their profile and providing company specific feedbacks.

One of the highlights of this year was that few company selection processes included an assignment or live project.

The companies gave a small project or an assignment as a part of campus hiring. CMC team offered the much needed student handholding for such processes.This later culminated to pre-placement offers. To name few companies that provided such live projects Biocon, KPMG and Kantar Group [Milward Brown].Another interesting highlight was the pre-placement interviews that came out of the Summer internships 2016. Selected students who performed well during their summer internship received an offer directly to appear for the final round of interview to the respective companies. Companies such as Aditya Birla Retail, Reliance Jio and Mahindra Logistics offered these pre-placement interviews.

The executive placement offers came from companies such as Fidelity Information Services, Morgan Stanley, ANZ Bank, ICICI Securities, ICICI Bank, Ernst & Young, Exide Life Insurnace and Yes Bank. We also had the privilege of welcoming few first time companies such as Gujarat Borosil, Natural Remedies, Raymond Ltd, Maiya’s, Time Magazine, Star Bazaar etc.

We are happy that we further strengthened our verticals of start-up organizations and e-Commerce by bringing in Big Basket, Analytic Edge, Portea, mSupply, Zomato , Zeta.in, Global consumers to our campus and securing placements for our students in these companies.The highest CTC package this was bagged by Mr. Sumit Kawarkhe of operations specialization in Accenture, followed by Ms. Ashwini Kulkarni of HR specialization at Deloitte US-India.

Congratulations to Sumit and Ashwini and their specialization heads Dr.Murli Mohan and Dr. Savitha G.R. Our team welcomed a new member, Ms. Anusha Parsa who in the short span of our association with CMC sourcedrelevant companies for the Summer Internships 2017. CMC team is also takes this opportunity to thank Prof.

Mohan Chandra and Prof. Sridhar T, for their support. Also, thanks to Ms.Shilpa Pathak for sharing a good corporate connect with the CMC team. This write-up would be incomplete without expressing our thanks to Dr. Murli Mohan for his valuable support for summer internships 2017.

Companies such as Big Basket, Patanjali, RedBull, Toyota, Quikr, HIL, Maiya’s, Analytic Edge, Angel Broking, Neev Finance, Carl Zeiss and many more have offered internships. The highest stipend came from an international internship with Yellow Edge Canberra, Australia which was bagged by Ms. Parul Nayyar. It was an exciting season with approximately 90 companies that visited our campus, created connects with WeSchool and offered wonderful career opportunities. We wish to express our sincere thanks to Prof. Dr. Anil Rao Paila for extending his support to CMC team.

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WeOlympics

“Sports are such a great teacher. I think of everything they’ve taught me; camaraderie, humility, how to resolve differences.”

-Kobe Byrant

The WeOlympics is a platform for WeSchool – Faculty members and Staff to showcase their talent in sports. It is startling to know that academicians too have deep love for sports and are zealously committed to the game and pursue the art of game with discipline.

The WeOlympics – series comprised of tournaments in table tennis and carrom. The tournament received overwhelming response in both the categories. The enthusiasm to learn and master the game was evident.

The players were seen practicing the game at the MDP classroom with zeal and passion. New players were seen interacting and learning the art & nuances of the game from seasoned players like Prof. Vijay Rego - he coached Ms. Amrita Verma and Mr. William Dayabaran, to play the Table Tennis game creatively.

A game played without practice will lead to failure. The Master series started on May 25th, 2017, with the qualifying rounds followed by quarter finals. Umpire for the WeOlympics was done by Prof. Vijay Rego, Major Vinita Thakur & Mr. Shobesh Ranjan.

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The Grand Finale played on May 26th 2017 at WeOlympics witnessed the excitement and anticipation among the participants and the determination to win!

The audiences were amazed to see the agility and swiftness of Prof. Mohan Chandra & Prof. Aparna Krishnamoorthy in mix doubles match with Prof. Jyoti Pant and Mr. Shobesh Ranjan.

Mr. Mahesh Devgekar, Mr. Vijay VC and Ms. Shilpa S, showcased the audience how adroit and skillful they are in the game of carrom – it was just impossible to beat them.

The Winners of the WeOlympics 2017 Singles Women TT

Singles Men TT

Winner : Major Vinita Thakur

Winner: Prof. Vijay Rego

Runner-up: Prof. Aparna Krishnamoorthy

Runner-up: Mr. Shobhesh Ranjan

Singles Women Carrom

Singles Men Carrom

Winner : Ms. Shilpa S

Winner: Mr. Vijay VC

Runner-up: Major Vinita Thakur

Runner-up: Mr. Shobhesh Ranjan

Mix Doubles TT

Mix Doubles Carrom

Winners: Major Vinita / Mr. Mahesh

Winners: Ms. Shilpa S / Mr. Mahesh

Runners-up: Prof. Jyoti Pant/ Mr. Shobhesh Ranjan

Runners-up: Prof. Chandrika / Mr. Vijay V C

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Faculty Achievements

Prof. Dr. Madhavi Lokhande Dean, WeSchool Bengaluru A case study titled “Right Fit?” by Dr. Madhavi Lokhande was published in the April 2017 issue of the Indian Management journal of the All India Management Association. The case study traces the inception and success of ‘Jombay’, a Pune, India based HR consultancy firm that believed behavioural science can converge with technology to modernize HR and offered HR solutions accordingly.

Prof. Prakash V Unakal Sr. Associate Dean, Business Design & Innovation, WeSchool Bengaluru Prof. Prakash V Unakal has been nominated as India Design Council Member for tenure of 3 years. The India Design Council is an autonomous body of Government of India established under the aegis of Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, Ministry of Commerce & Industry. It is a national strategic body for multi-disciplinary design and is involved in promotion of design to ultimately make India a design enabled country.

In the year 2007, India became one of the few countries to adopt a National Design Policy. To enable the policy implementation the Indian Government announced establishment of Indian Design Council (IDC) in March 2009. The India Design Council is spearheading the national design direction and is working with other government agencies, the design community, industry and education institutions to promote design in business, society and public services and developing design excellence.

The main objectives of India Design Council are : • Design Awareness & Design Promotion • Design Development • Positioning India as a Top Design Destination

Prof. Dr. Sonia Mehrotra Head - WeSchool, Center of Excellence for Case Development Dr. Sonia Mehrotra – Associate Professor and Head Center of Excellence for Case Development was selected by Management from among the faculty members to attend a 21-day Linnaeus Palme Scholarship Program at Maradalen University (MDH), Eskilstuna, Sweden.

This teacher exchange program provides the faculty member an understanding of MDH teaching and working methodologies and appreciate the differences in the Indian and the Swedish cultures. It broadens the faculty’s horizon and prepares them for higher responsibilities in the organization.

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Student Achievements

Ms. Soumya Ahuja PGDM Business Design & Innovation, Batch 2016-18

B

engaluru, May 2017: Ms. Soumya Ahuja, a student of WeSchool Bengaluru has been awarded diploma in Business Design and Innovation at 'The Global Swede Ceremony' at the hands of the Sweden's Minister for EU Affairs and Trade, Ms Ann Linde, at Stockholm, Sweden recently.

Ms. Soumya representing WeSchool at Mälardalen University, Sweden, was on a one year student exchange program under Linnaeus-Palme scholarship, among the first of other scholars. She is one of the international students to receive this prestigious award.

The award ceremony was hosted by the Swedish Ministry of EU affairs and trade to honor graduate and post graduate students enrolled at various Swedish Universities for excelling in areas of innovation and entrepreneurship. As addressed at the ceremony it is a way to express their appreciation for tomorrow’s innovators and entrepreneurs. As a student on the Linnaeus-Palme scholarship in the Master’s programme, Innovation and Design, Soumya Ahuja has been an active and engaged student who has demonstrated proof of talent and academic excellence. She has impressed teachers with the ability to evolve in her studies, and together with her fellow students to broaden her way to learn and interact.

Prof. Dr. Uday Salunkhe, Group Director, WeSchool, said "The present times require professionals to chart their career across geographies. It has become imperative for aspiring professionals to gain exposure in an international market alongside peers of other nationalities. WeSchool is pleased to see Soumya's work appreciated as a valuable contribution to Sweden. Soumya Ahuja has been a student with immense passion to know more. The WeSchool faculty and I are proud to have her represent WeSchool on a Swedish Campus."

An elated Soumya said, "As a part of Linnaeus-Palme scholarship, WeSchool has given me an opportunity to discover my potential. I always wanted to experience international work culture and managed to collaborate with a few companies in their ongoing projects, therefore, encountering innovative ways and strategies which helped me learn in real time. This excellent learning experience in Sweden, has most of all, given me an eye for varied cross cultural perspectives."

Soumya Ahuja is currently pursuing her PGDM in Business Design & Innovation at WeSchool, Bengaluru Campus.

Linnaeus-Palme, a Swedish exchange programme is a collaboration between S.P. Mandali's WeSchool, India and Mälardalen University (MDH), Sweden. It offers participating students an opportunity to showcase their talent through innovation and design thinking in keeping with the global trends. The program also provides a basis for broader partnerships between Sweden and India.

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Talent Corner

Drops of Motivation Don't worry, life is simple..

Don't fret, be yourself and strive.

Don't furrow much, everyone loves a smile on your face.

Don't be eager much, fate has lined you up for a reason.

Learn to let go by shedding some tears, they make you stronger.

Try to rely on your loved ones in perils, they will pull you out unscathed.

However, try to be independent as much, because your shadow parts Aiswarya M ways with you in darkness.

Don't dwell on the past much.

PGDM 16-18 Even your footsteps are washed away gradually by the sea on that sand.

However, do indulge in nostalgia sometime..

But, reminisce of the good times, they have the power to make you smile through your tears.

Reach out to the ones in desperation, goes a long way ahead.

Smile! And show the world you are ready for anything and everything.

Love! Your life is simple..

Simple as a lotus blooming in the morning sun...

Mihir Pol PGDM 2016-18

It’s Time To Walk How so many wants? How so many needs?

How so many unquenched desires our soul breeds?

Why to strain? Why so pain?

What is life, not only to earn gain.

Why to compete? Why not to make peace?

Why to downcast someone and snatch ease?

What so entangled? What so complex?

Why to let melancholy get convex?

Why to hate? Why to hurt?

Why to ďŹ ll our heart with the dirt?

Why so demanding? Why to complain?

Why let avarice to proclaim?

Why want wealth? Why not health?

Why for bliss's sake Put our precious life on stake?

Why to run when we can just walk?

Why to turn into living corpse?

Let's take a halt and observe in a silent shock, It's time to end the run and begin the walk.

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Priyanka Bajaj PGDM 2016-18

Talent Corner

The Bucket List All of us must have a bucket list, All our lives should have some twist.

Not so much, but just some words, Just make those goals, to work towards.

Put down a list, Maybe from one to ten, You can surely have more, If you really want them.

Aiswarya M PGDM 16-18

It’s your bucket list, it’ll have all your dreams, Once you have ticked them off, Even your heart will scream.

Set up those goals, And decide to never quit, For these dreams of your, Will never let you sit.

Venkatesh Hariharan PGDM E-Biz 2016-18

Photography Contest

Abhishek Bolaj

Dhiraj Metrewar

Vishal Kher

PGDM, BD & I 2016-18

PGDM E-Biz 2016-18

PGDM E-Biz 2016-18

Photography is passion for many of us. The Prameya team organized a photography contest for this issue and many students turned up to showcase their talent. Among the 10 entries our judge Prof. Prakash Unakal chose a winner and two runners up. The first prize went to Mr. Abhishek Bolaj for his different camera angle. The second place is jointly held by Mr. Dhiraj Metrewar and Mr. Vishal Kher. While Dhiraj’s click stood out for its visual contrast and framing, Vishal captured the flow/fluidity nicely.

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Event | Farewell Party

On Friday, the 28th of April 2017, WeSchool hosted the ‘Farewell Party’ for the outgoing batch of 2015-17 at Hotel Lemon Tree. The event was attended by Prof. Dr. Uday Salunke Group Director WeSchool, Prof. Dr. Anil Rao Paila, Prof.

Dr. Madhavi Lokhande and the entire WeSchool faculty and staff team.

The theme for this year’s party was “The Great Gatsby”. The girls students dazzled in their gowns and boys wore dapper three-piece suits. The outgoing batch reminisced the moments they shared together over the last two years at WeSchool.

The conceptualization and execution of the event was done by student Mitali Yenprediwar and supported by cultural secretaries. Abhilash Guttedar and Rudrapratap Singh were the Masters of Ceremony for this event.

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Event | WeCket

Hackathon 2016

Keeping with the traditions of WeSchool the annual cricket tournament “WeCket” was held on Saturday 22nd April 2017 at the St. John’s Medical college ground. The event was a day-long affair and the mood at the ground was electrifying.

Players and audience assembled to witness the matches as well to cheer the players.

Eight teams participated in the event. Faculty, alumni senior and junior batches participated in the tournament that had knockout rounds. The tournament had some interesting rules of bonus runs as well as over’s per match in different rounds of Qualifiers, Quarter finals, Semi Finals and Finals.

The Faculty v/s Alumni match didn’t fail to disappoint the audience. Prof. Dr. Anil Rao Paila kept motivating his teammates throughout the game. The alumni were a formidable team and went on to win the finals against PGDM EBIZ1.

Divesh Bali from the alumni team was adjudged the man of the series. Yash and Rahul emerged as the best individual performers of the tournament. Aparna from the alumni team was adjudged the best female player of the tournament.

The event was coordinated by Prof. Anita Pillai with the support from Sports Council co-ordinators Sourav Mandal, Rahul Nandi, Faizur Rehman Siddiqui and Rakesh Nomulu.

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Prameya Editorial Team I took charge of ‘Prameya’, our college magazine in 2012. In the last 5 years I had the opportunity to work with different student member teams as well new faculty members that were assigned to the ‘Prameya’ team. Every year was a new experience.

Experiences that were both good and not so good experiences, more so in terms of human psychology, but ‘yes’ a learning for me in all the ‘Experiences’. ‘Prameya’ provides a unique platform to students to enhance their literary skills, showcase their competencies and an opportunity to add an exclusive feather to their resume. My Prof. Dr. Sonia Mehrotra friendly advice to dear student members is to make the most of this opportunity. As I sign off, I thank Ms. Shilpa Pathak for her ‘rock solid’ support in all our ‘Prameya’ activiEditor, Prameya ties.

Luck belongs to us all; success belongs to few determined; so ‘New Team’ keep the focus, with eyes on the sun of success and you will never see the shadow of failure. God Bless!!

Each Prameya issue is the result of collaboration, hard work and deliberation, and the mutual respect for the team member's views which is imperative to succeed. I had the opportunity to work with Ms.Ishani Chakraborty, and Mr. William Dayabaran who are both good team players. I have also enjoyed working with Dr. Sonia Mehrotra whose, editing and writing style I personally admire and she truly deserves accolades as the Editor.

Ms. Shilpa Pathak Assistant Editor, Prameya

Prameya is my first experience to work with a magazine editorial team. When I was introduced to the magazine, I just loved its overall design and get up. It has been an eye opener understanding the time, dedication and effort put behind those well crafted pages. I enjoyed working with the team.

Ms. Ishani Chakraborty Research Associate, Prameya Editorial Team Member To design an each page is not an easy task, it requires ideation and synergy with the articles. I am thankful to Prof. Dr. Sonia Mehrotra, Ms. Shilpa Pathak and Ms. Ishani Chakraborty for team collaboration on design thinking elements and styles for each issue of Prameya.

Mr. William Dayabaran Design Associate, WeSchool

It was amazing being part of the creative team " Prameya ". The journey was not easy, initially the team faced difficulties but it got better with time. It improved my coordination skills, time management skills and the ability to plan and prioritize. I am thankful to the very talented team, Prof. Dr Sonia, Prof. Dr. Anil Rao Paila, Ms. Shilpa Pathak, and Asha Mattew for their support throughout the year.

Neha Kalbande PGDM Batch 2016-18

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1

Prameya Editorial Team It was at Prameya that I learnt how to write in a way that really reaches an audience – not papers, or essays, but stories – things that live and breathe and actually hold people’s attention for a few minutes. And as a core member of the team, I gained my very first experience managing a team, under the guidance of kind and helpful seniors and expert editorial team, developing skills which I will definitely use in future. Prameya has bolstered my love for editing and taught me how to work with a team. The experience with leadership is invaluable, and I’ve truly enjoyed the process and gained more than I have contributed.

Priyanka Bajaj PGDM Batch 2016-18

Working for Prameya has been an incredible experience throughout the year. It always felt impossible until it was all done. My sincere thanks to all the Mentors: Prof. Sonia, Ms. Shilpa Pathak, Ms. Ishani Chakraborty and Mr. William Dayabaran. It would not have been possible without theirguidance and continuous support. It was indeed an enjoyable journey with the whole team including the seniors. Prameya, in true sense helps keep alive the spirit of creativity and perfection. I will always cherish the learning so received being a part of the student editorial team.

Ishita Agrawal PGDM-E-Business, Batch 2016-18

Being a part of Prameya has been very productive for improving my skills. From selecting articles for issues and planning contents to generating ideas for articles and features.

Discussing everything over faculty and student meet made it more of learning experience.

Attending seminars, workshops and events became more interactive, being a Prameya team member. These learning and ideas will be helpful to me throughout my life.

Saumya Mitra PGDM-Business Design & Innovation Batch 2016-18

It was amazing being part of the creative team " Prameya ". The journey was not easy , initially the team faced difficulties but it got better with time. It improved my coordination skills , time management skills and the ability to plan and prioritize. I am thankful to the very talented team, Prof. Dr Sonia, Prof. Dr. Anil Rao Paila, Ms. Shilpa Ma'am, and Ms. Ishani Ma'am for their support throughout the year.

Akshada Nahate PGDM-E-Business, Batch 2016-18

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S. P. MANDALI’S

Prin. L. N. Welingkar Institute Of Management Development & Research, Bengaluru Plot No 102 & 103, Electronics City Phase 1, Hosur Road, Bengaluru, Karnataka - 560 100 Phone : +91-80-42678300, 28521066 / 67, 28520480 / 817

www.welingkar.org