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Jaipuria Lucknow STUDENT Speaks

“After Colgate, I showed the patience to wait for what suited me best,” says Anika Srivastava of Jaipuria, Lucknow bag placement with Philips.

Jaipuria Institute Management, like any top B School, grooms its students to be future managers and able leaders. But if there’s one characteristic that sets its graduates apart is the fact that they develop nerves of steel. They are trained to look at adversity in its face and turn it into success. Anika Srivastava, PGDM Batch 2016 – 18, Jaipuria, Lucknow reflected that quality in abundance after her GD group was disqualified during the placement process for Colgate. It was a company she was keen to work with. But she didn’t let the hiccup dampen her spirits. It led to her placement with renowned global brand Philips.

Here’s the story of her turnaround.

Nerve wracking but character defining placement process Anika doesn’t shy away from the disappointment from the initial phase of the placement process. But she asserts that she went for the Philips recruitment with equal gusto. The placement process involved an Aptitude test, GD, interview with Sales Head and another with HR Director. She was the only student who got placed from her campus. The secret? “After the Colgate debacle, I showed the patience to wait for what suited me the best. I took the advice of my faculty members and CMC team on board. Jaipuria, Lucknow had always taught me to trust my abilities, and it saw me through the placement process,” she says with a smile.

Learning only a renowned PGDM can offer

Sitting on a plum placement, Anika looks back on her transformation at Jaipuria, Lucknow. According to her, she learned a few things in the last two years that only a PGDM program can offer. A sound knowledge of distribution channels, organizational functions, and consumer behavior is what she will take into her professional career. “I have developed leadership skills and lost my fear of public speaking. I have become more confident on the whole and thank my B School for it. But I am glad that my internship with Varun Beverages Limited also taught me the difference between being confident and over-confidence,” she reminds us.

Ready for the professional sojourn

The SIP was crucial in making Anika ready for the industry challenges. Her project on execution and availability of Stock Keeping Unit was real life proof of ‘joh dikhta hai, who bikta hai’ for her. She admits that it was instrumental in her doing well in the placement interview. And now that she has gone through the litmus test, she looks forward to the career as a professional. “It is my first job and I am very excited. I will be working as a Sales Trainee, Professional Sales (B2B) with Philips. Understanding the pattern of B2B sales, interacting with companies and achieving my targets will be at the top of my mind. I am confident I can do well,” she concludes.

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Alumni Speak Jaipuria Lucknow

An entrepreneur’s story on how his love for Marketing developed

When Manish Jain was graduating as a PGDM student in the year 1999 from Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow, little did he know where his life would take him a decade from there. With an intense passion for Marketing, Manish started his career with his eyes on becoming an entrepreneur. Eventually things started getting clearer in front of him. Today, Manish runs an entire export brand that sends engineering instruments across the globe- including Middle East, Africa and a lot of East Asian countries.

“For me, it all started from Jaipuria’s classroom. I remember when Prof. Kavita Pathak would deliver the Marketing classes. There used to be absolute silence- with complete attendance,” says Manish while explaining from where his quest for Marketing as a subject began. Being at the helm of affairs of his export unit, Manish didn’t have a day initially when he didn’t have to get into the essentials of Marketing and reach-out. “It is then that I started realizing, just how important the theories were,” says Manish.

With almost 20 years now that he graduated from the school, he thinks “Jaipuria has come a long, really long way. However, we had begun big anyway. In the 90s itself students were doing industry rounds to companies such as- Escorts, JCB and Maruti. We would meet industry stalwarts, engage with global faculty, attend seminars and conferences of global repute- things were ablaze!” Needless to say, experiential learning stands in the centre of the Jaipuria Institute of Management’s PGDM curriculum- to prepare students for an international stage.

Manish being an employee and an employer stands on the vantage point of giving insights to placement trends in the country. According to him, “you have to grow faster than your age.” Manish is extremely hopeful about the entire stress of “Make in India” in the country and thinks, there’s no dearth of opportunities for newbies in the field. “If you keep your learning quotient high, you are bound to go places. You’ve to expose yourself to the practicalities of the market at a faster pace than an ordinary PGDM graduate- especially because you have the privilege and the support of Jaipuria Institute of Management behind you,” concludes Manish with his suggestion.

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Whats New

Five Unknown Facts About Stephen Hawking – an attempt to unveil the greatness of the great man by Jaipuria Institute of Management students

You didn’t have to be a Physics enthusiast to have heard about Stephen Hawking. For many, he was the smartest man of our times. But the man with a sharp sense of humor knew that not all of us lesser mortals could be as brilliant as him. Hence he did his best to make physical concepts more relatable to everyone. In fact, he took great pride in that. He was in the league of his own, but you always had the illusion that he was one amongst us. Perhaps, that is what made him so accessible, lovable and endearing.

Yet there are many unknown facts about the much adored and admired man. Here’s looking at a few that will surprise you.

Grades do lie

Image 1Now it’s a well known fact that Hawking never won the Nobel Prize for his work. But you know what else he didn’t get? Good grades in school. If you needed proof that grades aren’t everything, then you simply have to look at his school score sheet. Yet his inquisitive mind had made him the talk of the school and his teachers often referred to him as ‘Einstein’. But he delivered when it counted, like acing the tests that got him the scholarship to Oxford.

Seeking inspiration around him

Image 2Did you know doctors gave Stephen Hawking only a few years to live when he was first admitted to the hospital in his early 20s? At the time he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), which led to complete loss of muscle control. But when in the hospital, he saw a young boy battling leukemia. It helped him stop feeling sorry for himself and carry on with the great things he did.

He knew he wasn’t always right

Image 3A genius might always get it right, but a great man is humble enough to admit his mistakes. Stephen Hawking was both. He was considered the last word in Quantum Physics, but there was a time when he lost a bet on black holes. What made his admission even more commendable was the fact that he did it during a talk at a top scientific conference. Of course, his tongue in cheek remarks and charm could see him through any discomfort in public.

He wasn’t alien to bold statements

Image 4Stephen Hawking was a well known atheist and didn’t believe in the existence of God. But you could get him talking about possibility of aliens in the universe. He had world media in frenzy when at NASA’s 50th anniversary celebration he said that primitive and perhaps intelligent life could be out there. He further elaborated his thoughts on the topic in one of the episodes for a show on Discovery Channel.

Didn’t shy away from spotlight

Image 5To say that he was an indomitable spirit and a unique personality would be an understatement. The Theory of Everything, which won Eddie Redmayne the Oscar for portraying Stephen Hawking captured many facets of his personality beautifully. But the man himself has made several appearances on screen. Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Simpsons, Futurama you name it. His appearance on these shows is silver screen gold for Hawking fans!

There are many unknown gems about the man who once took the zero-gravity flight to save human race. We will keep discovering Stephen Hawking’s stories and the influence he has had on our species in ‘brief history of time’.

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Alumni Speak Jaipuria Lucknow

Importance of going beyond your domain knowledge- A conversation with Anurag Mohan, alumnus Class of 1999, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow

It has been 19 years since Anurag Mohan stepped out of the Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow campus. It was year 1999 and Anurag’s was the batch that was making the shift from the old Lucknow campus to the new one. “I distinctly remember how even back then, we were getting compared to some of the top B-schools of India and we had not even started full-throttle,” says Anurag with a broad smile on his face. Why exactly? “Because of the thrust Jaipuria Institute of Management has always been putting on excellence,” elaborates the alumnus who is currently working in HPL Electric & Power Limited.

“While a lot many institutes that had mushroomed during the late 90s perished, Jaipuria Institute of Management went on beating one milestone after the other because of its undeterred and unflinching attitude towards achieving excellence,” says Anurag while recalling how some of the practices at the B-school were path-breaking even twenty [almost] years back. Student exchange programmes, simulations, conclaves and role plays were making their way to Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow way before many B-schools had even heard of them. The result of such progressive approaches to management education is alumnus like Anurag, making their presence felt in some of the top companies in the country.

However, which was that one activity at Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow that had made Anurag really understand the importance of a good PGDM for a manager to survive in the 21st century? “During my time, we went to JCB, Escorts and Maruti. That was the first time I’d actually seen something being manufactured and visiting a factory which makes India’s largest selling cars was nothing short of phenomenal,” describes nostalgic Anurag with childlike glee.

Anurag Mohan works at the solar division of HPL where he deals in product ranging from bi-directional metres, injunction boxes, etc. Having spent more than 17+ years in the industry, across varied sectors and domains, the man with strong knowledge across sectors strongly believes that in order to stay on top of one’s game, “you need to go way beyond your domain knowledge. Sometimes your client or the person sitting across the table to you would be speaking of politics or global reforms or climate change or automobiles. You need to have understanding around things to sustain these conversations. Therefore, push your limits, daily.”

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Jaipuria Indore Placement Update

From Jaipur to Jaipuria Institute of Management, Indore and now, to Emami India

Jaipur to Jaipuria, Indore and now, to Emami- the Indian Conglomerate Company headquartered in Kolkata

Ashish was sure he would make it to Emami. There was absolutely no speck of doubt in his heart. While he stood outside the Personal Interview room waiting for his turn with the senior professionals of the company, all he could think was “I have cracked it already,” and he was not even done with the final round. Such is the power of confidence and why wouldn’t he be! “After the kind of training we are exposed to at Jaipuria Institute of Management, Indore, we learn to withstand stress and steam- no matter the situation,” says the PGDM student of Class 2018 of the B-school.

Ashish arrived at the Jaipuria, Indore campus in the year 2016 with hopes of a promising future. When Emami happened to him, the Jaipur boy was happy beyond words. However, now that he looks back, “it wasn’t all a cake walk.” In fact, to make it to the Indian conglomerate headquartered in Kolkata, Ashish had to face his shares of hardship. After his rejection from TATA Motors Finance, he was taken aback. He had prepared for everything but hadn’t quite imagined the initial hiccups that life could offer. “I was taken aback when I couldn’t make through the GD of TATA Motors Finance. I was prepared every bit, however, I kept my focus right,” and eventually, Emami happened.

Ashish had to clear two critical rounds with Emami. The first was his favorite- Group Discussion round. “It was meant to analyse our Psychometrics and the Personal Interview followed. The PI tested our situational and technical knowledge,” and once he received the news of his placements in Emami’s Sales and Distribution team, he couldn’t thank his two years old decision of doing a MBA enough. “I saw my PGDM help me evolve as a more confident and outgoing human being. In fact, my summer internship with Pladis Global acted as a cherry on the icing,” explains Ashish.

He spent 75 days of his summer in the year 2017 at the leading biscuit, chocolate, confectionary company- Pladis. Immersed in a global professional set up, sales and logistics, Ashish gained a lot of insiders’ views on how to unfurl and project products to a broader target audience in the market- for real. He worked closely, day in and out with senior professionals of Pladis and gathered knowledge where he could see classroom PGDM theories, getting practiced to help brands connect to a wider set of audience. “The HR of Emami took a lot of interest in my internship and asked me series of questions around it,” says Ashish while explaining the importance of professional summer stints. “I was selling Pladis’ products in 47 degrees Celsius- under the scorching sun of Rajasthan”- needless to say, experiences such as these can’t (or, let’s say- don’t) go to waste, ever.

Ashish is now all set to join Emami- the 25,000+ employees’ company; the pioneer of the beauty and fairness cream industry of India.

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Whats New

Jaipuria Institute of Management students demystify Bitcoins and Cryptocurrencies

It would be nearly impossible to find a person who has not heard of Bitcoin these days. What exactly is a Bitcoin? And what are the distinct differences between Bitcoins and Cryptocurrencies? Jaipuria Institute of Management’s Finance students elaborate it for beginners looking forward to invest in the Crypto world.

It is a cryptocurrency and worldwide payment system. It is the first decentralized digital currency. It works on a peer-to-peer model, in that transactions take place between users directly, without an intermediary.These transactions are verified by network nodes through the use of cryptography and recorded in a public distributed ledger called a Blockchain. Bitcoin was invented by an unknown group of people under the name Satoshi Nakamoto and released as open-source software in 2009.

Bitcoin is pseudonymous, which means that funds are not tied to and real person or entity but rather to Bitcoin addresses. The owners of theses addresses are not explicitly identified, which has led to fears of Bitcoins being used to fund terrorism and other illegal activities.

Bitcoins and Cryptocurrencies constantly manage to make news, not least because of their innovative nature. A while back it was the euphoria of rising Bitcoin values – towards the end of 2017, each Bitcoin was valued at nearly $20,000, up from just $2,500 in the middle of the year! More lately it is because of the inevitable correction and regulatory crackdown on transactions.

Bitcoin and Cryptocurrency are terms that are used interchangeably by many. But are they the same? Let us understand some key points of differentiation between the two:

What they are?

Cryptocurrencies: A Cryptocurrency is a digital currency in which encryption techniques are used to regulate the generation of units of currency, establish authenticity, and verify the transactions.

Bitcoin: A Bitcoin is a type of cryptocurrency, or digital private currency, which operates on the encryption technique. Though widely accepted as a currency or medium of exchange, a Bitcoin does not have any legal backing from any central bank.

Are they legal?

Cryptocurrencies:Any cryptocurrency launched as a sovereign digital alternative to the prevailing currency is legal. These are backed by the sovereign currency to the extent of value encrypted in it.

Bitcoin: Bitcoin has no such value since it a private currency in digital form. Bitcoin is not backed by any asset or real currency.

The main difference (and advantage!) of Bitcoin is the network effect. The network effect is a phenomenon where increased numbers of adoptersincreases the value of a good or service because everyone then wants to be on the same network, leading to a circle of growth. This has led to more exchanges, more merchants, more software and more hardware that support it. Bitcoin is far more liquid and trades in much larger volumes than every other Cryptocurrency. Moreover, the security and reliability of Bitcoin has been proven over 8-9 years of growing use.

The flipside of this network effect and popularity is the volatility of Bitcoin value. From a peak of $20,000 in December 2017, prices corrected rapidly to below $7,000 in just February 2018!

As things stand, given Bitcoin’s popularity and wide acceptance, an alternative Cryptocurrency can probably succeed only if it is strongly backed by multiple regulators who actively discourage the holding, trading, or acceptance of Bitcoins.

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Jaipuria Noida Placement Update

Dream arrives after six rejections. Good things do take time.

Aseem Bansal, PGDM Batch of 2018, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida talks about his dream placement with Godrej & Boyce

Aseem Bansal had to go through six rejections till he could make it to his dream company- Godrej & Boyce. “I had few brands in my mind when I had joined Jaipuria Institute of Management, Noida in the year of 2016 for my PGDM. Godrej & Boyce was one among them,” mentions the dreamy eyed, young man who is all set to make his big professional leap in a matter of few months. According to Aseem, now that he reflects back, the failures were taking him closer to his success- one step at a time and “my professors kept my morals high, throughout.”

This July, 2018 Aseem would be starting his professional career from the office of Godrej & Boyce as a Sales Trainee. His job responsibility would require him to increase the business, expand the market and bring results through enhanced sales numbers. And does Aseem feel prepared enough for these new roles coming his way? “Oh certainly! Last two years, we have been subjected to very rigorous and experiential learning modules. Especially the Industrial Development Programme (IDP) helped me immensely to understand my core strengths and weaknesses, which I further harnessed to illicit the best result that I could,” answers Aseem with confidence. No wonder, he could keep a lot of students staggering behind him in the pool campus recruitment of Godrej & Boyce where there were students from 8 other colleges and campuses. Aseem was among the 7 successful ones who got selected!

“The Godrej & Boyce selection process is a very competitive one,” illustrates Aseem. After students submit their CVs, they are vetted diligently by the company. The selected candidates are called for the Aptitude Test, followed by an extensive written one. Once you make it through these three strenuous screening sessions, finally your turn arrives for the final interview with senior professionals of the company. Of course, getting into a 121 years old company cannot be easy!

With some help from faculty and the pre-placement prep that involved activities such as- regular mock training sessions (aptitude training, GD and interview practice), Industrial Development Programme (IDP) and frequent interactions with the industry experts, Aseem left no stone unturned to ensure he realizes his dream. “I called my mentor Prof (Col) A K Rajpal almost instantaneously when I received the news of my selection! Without his support in my academics and all the pre-placement training, the journey would have been half complete,” says Aseem with a lot of positivity and determination.

So what does he mean to do with his first salary? “I am not very sure but I am definitely going to give some money in social service. I have been made aware of my Corporate Social Responsibility in these last two years of PGDM and am not going to forget about it so easy,” smiles and concludes the Jaipuria, Noida PGDM graduate- Aseem Bansal.

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Jaipuria Lucknow STUDENT Speaks

A rejection leading Afreen of Jaipuria, Lucknow to one of India’s leading Rural NBFC- Mahindra Finance

When the HR of Mahindra Finance called Afreen Alim to inform her about the final selection, Afreen’s joy knew no bounds. “It was that very moment I realized the power of 3Ps- Preparation, Practice and Patience,” says Afreen of Class 2018, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow. While students often focus on brushing their domain knowledge, they forget the importance of familiarizing themselves with the industry knowledge as well. Afreen worked smart there! She researched well about the company, its functions, market competition, etc, to excel in her selection rounds. When the final test arrived, she was on the top!

“The best thing that happened to me during my PGDM is the kind of faculty I got to learn from,” says Afreen. “They have literally transformed my personality and perspective towards a lot of things.” When Afreen has first arrived at the Jaipuria Institute of Management, Lucknow campus she was a shy and hesitant girl, trying to find her place in the world. Her PGDM helped her “to be assertive and more open to taking constructive risks,” mentions the girl who is all set to join Mahindra Finance in a matter of few months as a Management Trainee.

Afreen after her first year of PGDM, used her summer to intern with Amul. She was working from the Ranchi office of Amul on a very interesting project- B2B marketing and promotion of diced cheese; a new product of the company. Within the 75 days of her internship, she was getting to relate a lot of classroom theories to practice. The SIP helped her understand branding, analysis, strategies, market trends, customer relationship and of course team dynamics. Therefore when Mahindra Finance arrived at campus with their vacancy, Afreen knew this was the job for her.

She had to ace three rigorous rounds before the final Psychometric test. The first round was an Aptitude test followed by a Group discussion. Then, came the third round- the final interview which went for almost 50 minutes straight, non-stop. On clearing that, Afreen was left to excel in the Psychometric test. “Sometimes rejections work in favor! The only company I sat before Mahindra Finance was Amazon and I was rejected by them. I took the fire from that rejection and stayed focused, very focused. I saw that fire helping me in my selection with Mahindra Finance,” says a determined Afreen.

Now that her PGDM is about to come to a successful wrap, what is Afreen meaning to do with her first salary of life? She smiles and remarks- “I am going to buy presents as a token of gratitude for my family, friends and faculty. Without them, my journey so far would have been half complete!”

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Jaipuria Jaipur Placement Update

Placement season. Moments of self introspection. Keeping chin-up. Making it to Naukri.com.

Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur’s Harshita Daga talks about her interview with Naukri.com

A typical placement season at any B-school will have students all around the campus, walking in and out of their classrooms in super-alert and ready-to-go-to-battle mode. However for Harshita Daga of Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur, PGDM Class of 2018, things were slightly different. She knew she had to keep calm and stay optimistic, no matter what. Eventually, things did work out in her favor!

Harshita has already started her professional journey with Naukri.com and it has been 26 days for her at the Jaipur office.

“I had to go through six rounds prior to be absorbed by the company,” says Harshita with a smile on her face. It started with a group discussion followed by interview rounds with different levels in the hierarchy. She was interviewed by the Area Sales Manager (Rajasthan), Executive VP-Sales as well as the Chief Sales Officer of Naukri.com, till her offer letter arrived in her mailbox. However what held Harshita in amazing stead was her summer internship experience with Jaro Education. “I knew summers for PGDM grads are important but didn’t know it could be so decisive for final placements,” mentions Harshita.

With the 60 days stint at Jaro Education during her PGDM, she had gathered fair deal on Customer Acquisition already. At every round of her interview with Naukri.com, she was asked to explain about her summer project and she knew the answer to it could be a deal maker or a breaker. “No matter how hard one has worked on their SIP, what is explained in that one final shot is what actually counts,” says Harshita while elaborating on what it took for her to make it to one of India’s leading recruitment portal- Naukri.com.

So what was the first thing Harshita remembers doing, when she received the news of her employment with Naukri? “I called my parents immediately. They were thrilled,” exclaims Harshita with twinkling eyes.

However, everything wasn’t golden for the Jaipur girl. With her Undergraduate marks slightly lesser than her true potential, she was initially not making it to the cut when first few top companies started arriving at the Jaipuria Institute of Management campus. “That was the time I could feel hitting rock bottom. I was scared, nervous and apprehensive, but Jaipuria in the last two years had taught me to keep my chin up, no matter what,” says Harshita while illustrating how placement seasons can often become a stressful time period for B-school grads.

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Jaipuria Jaipur Whats New

The 8th Finance Conclave of Jaipuria, Jaipur has Cryptocurrency- deliberated, discussed and decoded

With all the buzz doing rounds in the world of Economics and Banking around Cryptocurrency, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur had its 8th Finance Conclave on the topic “Cryptocurrency: Rational vs. Irrational Exuberance.” Finance enthusiast PGDM Students flocked to the Conclave for multifaceted reasons- top few being: Crypto has been quite a game-changer for investors since a while; the Conclave had speakers and panelists such as- Mr. Sunil Pant – CEO, Indian Institute of Insolvency Professionals of ICAI; Mr. Anil Upadhyay – Financial Educator & Resource Person, BSE Institute and SEBI; Mr. Shashank Agarwal – Managing Partner, DD Agarwal & Co. Delhi; Mr. Vikram Kothari – NAV Back Office IT Solution Private Ltd.; Mr. Anupam Roongta – Managing Director, Feliz Consultancy.
The Conclave garnered a lot of attention from the academia and industry alike, primarily because of its relevance and context in the current hour. With the Crypto market witnessing some phenomenal highs and falls within days’ notice, the world is going gung-ho on its potential. It is very recently that even Mukesh Ambani’s Jio declared its entrance to the world of Crypto and speculations are growing ever more, across the globe.

Dr. Prabhat Pankaj, Director, Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur introduced the topic to the audience and gave way to Mr. Sunil Pant who presented himself as a “conservative banker.” He explained legal tender and remarked- “Bitcoin is not a currency but a commodity that is tradable in the form of currency as it stores value and it is Crypto because it is virtual and encrypted.” Stating the possibilities, he opined that cryptocurrency needs regulation and will become legal soon.

CA Shashank Agarwal took the audience to the early frame and explained the evolution of money, currency, market, gold valuation, government regulations and thus explained cryptocurrency. Taking the examples of current technology, he explained block chain currency as a bigger part of torrent technology. He explained the concept of block chain where all people verify only one transaction and Bitcoin acts like money. He appreciated cryptocurrency and said, “This enables you to trade globally & invest globally.”

fin

The Finance Conclave hosted by Jaipuria Institute of Management, Jaipur took an even more interesting turn when Vikram Kothari drew the example of PayTM and answered few most frequently asked questions: What is the future of Bitcoin? What if it becomes a currency? What is the difference between virtual money managers like PayTM and Cryptocurrency?

The event came to a successful end with Mr. Anil Upadhyay explaining Bitcoin in terms of – Investment vs. Academic. His speech led way to the second part of the Conclave which had a Plenary Session by the students.

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