IILM’s Virtual Model UN Youth Conference 2020

Campus Life, IILM Stories, IILM University03 SeptemberDr Meha Pant#History & IR, #MUN2020, BBA, Economics, IILM, Liberal Arts Education, Model United Nations, Sustainability and Innovation, United Nations, Virtual Conference, Youth Forum

The Department of International studies along with the Schools of Humanities and Social Sciences, Law, and Management organized the IILM Model United Nations Youth Conference from 25th – 30th Aug 2020. Students were required to conduct research and analysis representing the government of a country on matters of Foreign Policy, Sustainability, and Climate Change. Attending a simulation of this magnitude, made our students gain valuable insight into the proceedings of the United Nations and understand global perspectives to solve exigent global issues, thus nurture future change-makers and leaders.

The MUN was divided into two projects(UNEP & UNDP) respectively.

In the times when the concept of sustainable development has gained so much weight-age with the depletion of resources the MUN was an en-devour by the young voices to understand the importance of a future that they so strongly behold.

The entire event was covered by the International Press which comprised of students from the course of Bachelors in Media and Journalism: Mahek Amlani and Anoushka Chopra,Amrita kaur,Kamakhshi Narain
Kaushal Nassa,Siddhant Sharma,Sidhak Kalra. (The Link to the Newsletter Compilation IILMUN’20)

Alumnus Avlokita Narang shares her IILM experience

IILM, a great place to begin!

Alumni, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM Stories, Testimonials15 MayIILMAvlokita Narang Experience, IILM alumni, IILM Alumnus, IILM experience

HR Analyst at Google, Alumnus Avlokita Narang shares her IILM experience

When writing about my experiences at IILM, I have so many thoughts playing and dancing around in my mind. There is so much to say yet to sum up the lively and life changing experiences in one blog is rather difficult. Summarizing the amazing and awesome memories and learnings into a few hundred words seems like an injustice to the holistic and multi-dimensional experiences I had at IILM. However, let me pen down some of my thoughts and memories for you.

Caring and Supportive Faculty Members at IILM

The foremost thing I want to share about is the faculty at IILM. They are all brilliant minds brimming with knowledge. The faculty members at IILM taught us not just theory but explained all the concepts through experiential learning and case studies that helped us understand the theoretical concepts better and how to apply them to real situations. They trained us, groomed us, and trained us to make great presentations as well as how to speak and conduct ourselves with confidence. Although the daily routine and long hours of teaching sometimes felt tough but the professional environment and the strict code of discipline constantly pushed us to learn and improve ourselves, I am really grateful for it because it prepared us well for all the future challenges.

While the professors believed in academic rigour, they were caring and warm. They were always approachable, ready to lend a helping hand to students academically and emotionally. I developed strong bonds with my professors and some of them are still like family to me.

Industry Exposure at IILM

We were exposed to industry and their working style as IILM regularly organized industry visits, conferences attended by industry leaders, invited international guest faculty and internships. All these activities made us corporate ready by increasing our understanding of how the real-world works. The learning in the classroom and beyond had a long-lasting impact on my professional choices, decisions, and journey.

Exposure to International Education at IILM

The study abroad program offered by IILMprovideda great exposure to the students and we learnt about the nuances of business studies in other parts of the world. I had gone to University of Winnipeg in Canada and was exposed to a new culture and society as well as learnt about international business practices. I gained confidence and was able to do much better in my personal and professional interactions because of the study abroad program. The exposure was especially helpful when I began working in the corporate world.

After completing my PGDM I began my corporate journey and my experiences at IILM helped me to successfully manage my professional life. I can successfully approach problems, find solutions, and make right decisions because of my training at IILM. The encouragement received has also helped me to continue with my passion for public speaking and creative writing.

Thank you IILM for making me believe in me through an all-round educational experience, a holistic exposure and the support of your caring faculty

Avlokita Narang
Batch 2016-18

Life Skills that Matter – IILM Teaches More than Management

Campus Life, Career Development (Placement), Center for Teaching Research and Learning, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM Stories12 MayDr. Kakoli Senadapt to change, critical thinking skills, Life Skills, More than Management, People Management, working in teams

It is common understanding that a Business Management degree prepares you for Business Administration, so you study Management, Organizational Behavior, Human Resource Management, Finance, Marketing, Operations, International Business and a range of other subjects. However the 2 year programme at IILM also prepares you with certain other skills such as Effective Communication, Research and Analysis, Critical Thinking, Change Management, Ability to leverage technology, Time Management, People management, Teamwork, Decision making etc. which may be called soft skills but are actually life skills. Let me explain here how these are so relevant in the context of Covid – 19 which all of us are grappling with today.

The current crisis is a situation that almost no one living today may have faced in his or her lifetime, hence there is no way that anyone could have been prepared for, in advance. When it struck, the reactions were quite similar among most, ranging from brushing it off to disbelief to despair, businesses were no different. However during these times of crisis, Effective Communication is of paramount interest. At IILM, students learn who to communicate with, what to say, how to say and when to say. Your stakeholders are the ones who need to hear from you to have that continued trust in you, how you are managing their interest is what you need to tell them and tell them early on. Any message that is delayed looks like an afterthought, so communicate early and communicate regularly. Keep it short but relevant and regular.

The times are different, the challenges are different, the solutions also have to be different. IILM teaches its students to read, research and analyze what is happening the world over and make sense of it and how it affects our businesses and organizations. It teaches them critical thinking skills and inculcates a sense of judgment and positive thinking to manage any crisis situation. As a manager / leader it is important to know that we must be able to adapt to change as per the situation. In the current situation, it is imperative to stay safe and stay at home. If there is life, there will be a tomorrow and we can always plan and rebuild ourselves. There is just no point in being restless, rather take this time to spend with yourself, review what you have done so far, how you would do it differently, what you could have done better.

Technology they say is a leveler, the digital march is going to make it even more uniform. As millions of people are homebound, their major source of information, inspiration, communication, distraction, entertainment is through technology. IILM encourages its students to be technology savvy and Leverage Technology to bring in effectiveness to their work and business. A case in point, in the times of Covid, technology has moved up a few notches, K-12, Higher education and a good number of businesses have gone online, organizations are rethinking the Work from Home concept, also as an effective cost saving tool. All classes at IILM have been conducted on zoom through paid licenses ensuring security and privacy of teachers and students online.

This is a situation which has put everyone under pressure, be it the government, the police, the doctors, the medical supply chain, the food suppliers and the transport for continuing the work assigned. All others are under pressure to stay at home, manage their job, remain balanced, remain strong, stay calm and help others in whatever way possible, big or small. The Business Management program at IILM by the very nature of its being fast paced with classes, tutorials, assignments, simulations, meeting industry experts in Round Tables or Guest sessions, Summer internships, Live Projects, Placements creates the right kind of pressure with tight deadlines and helps students manage time and manage themselves very well.

People are the most valuable resource that one can have. IILM students develop skills of working in teams and learn to respect one another, value their competence and contribution. People Management is what management is greatly about. Students learn through case studies and role plays and address questions such as how to take people along, how to keep them motivated and engaged with the organization when the chips are down. How to make people feel wanted and part of your team are skills that come with practice. As a manager, you are required to take decisions, most of the times with limited resources, limited information and in limited time. IILM teaches Decision making as a process, a step by step approach to make good decisions. With practice, one becomes adept at following the steps and can still be quick. But if you miss some part of the processes in order to be quick, you will be prone to making mistakes, costly ones!

Most importantly, IILM has an NGO club through which students learn to help and support the marginalized sections of the society. We believe empathy is something, which need not be understood and expected when you are in a spot, but the continued will to share and care for others whatever the situation be. IILM is proud of its 12000+ alumni who as Managers and Business leaders running their businesses responsibly and building the nation.

Prof.(Dr.) Kakoli Sen

How IILM keeps students motivated to learn

Campus Life, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM Stories02 MayDr Oly Mishrahow to motivate students, IILM, IILM keeps students motivated

Motivation sooner or later fades away if it is not fed every day.

To keep one motivated requires an investment of time, effort, and energy. However, it is a worthwhile effort. In the case of students, motivation has a key role to play for achieving success in their academic goals. This is easier said than done. It is the responsibility of the teachers to ensure that the students are motivated in their academic pursuits. Teachers with great experience believe that the students are as motivated as is the teacher.

The teachers, who are passionate about their subjects, ensure that their passion rubs off their students as well. There are many ways by which the students can be kept motivated. We, here at IILM understand the importance of keeping students motivated to learn so that they enjoy the learning process.

Here are 7 key initiatives taken up by IILM to keep our students motivated are:

Increase involvement of students: We believe that effective learning happens when the students are involved in all the learning activities. The classes are conducted in a student-centric manner such that the teacher acts as a facilitator in the learning process.
Make learning enjoyable: IILM considers that learning will be effective only when it is enjoyed. Gone are the days when the students would memorize answers and score good marks in exams. We now focus on how well students interact with each other and solve real-life problems through group work. In this way, students have fun as well as learn at the same time.
Healthy competition: Healthy competition keeps the energy levels of the students high and they are motivated to perform better. At IILM we have noticed that students understand concepts better and retain them for a longer time when they compete with each other in classroom discussions.
Variations in teaching pedagogy: At IILM, the faculty members believe in using a combination of pedagogical methods like group activities, quizzes, simulation games, etc to keep the interest of the students in the various subjects. This helps them to excel in their academic pursuits.
Reward students: Rewards always motivate students to perform better. This holds good for students at all levels. The faculty at IILM keeps a constant track of the performance of the students from time to time and rewards them as deems
Give responsibility to students: Some students are motivated when they are given the responsibility of performing certain tasks. Such students are identified and handed over responsibilities like club activities, club boards, co-ordination jobs, etc.
Connect teaching with students’ interests: The bond between the teacher and the student has to be formed over the interest of the students. They connect over these areas of common interest. The areas of interest have also been made a part of the course curriculum in the form of content delivery. The classroom activities in IILM become more engaging and interesting for the students as they are related to the areas of students’ interest.

The motivation of the students to learn creates excitement for learning between the teachers as well as the students. It enriches the learning process and also enhances how the classroom discussions and activities take place. As times change, the ways to motivate students will undergo several changes. The mantra for motivating students, therefore, is ‘Make learning fun’.

My Journey with IILM continues… by Alumnus Joseph Davis

Alumni, Campus Life, Guest Blog, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM Stories, Testimonials02 MayJoseph DavisAbout IILM, Alumnus Joseph Davis, IILM alumni, IILM Alumnus, IILM Story, MY IILM, Why IILM

The engineer, not by choice, who wanted more from life than just the mundane, regular and ordinary! Relatable much? I’m Joseph Davis, the head of research and insights wing at Consocia Advisory and this is the story of my journey as a management professional.

The scary realization of the ordinary life awaiting me if I continued in the path of a chemical process engineer during the time I worked at Aramco’s process design consulting firm Petrocil Engineers, made me choose the management career path, as I dreaded the no-communication work style I was part of. I quit the job, prepared for the management entrance exams and scored well enough to get into some of the best management colleges in the country. Being a Keralite all my life, this was my golden chance to explore my opportunities across India. Thus began the research to find the institute that’s the best fit for my aspirations.

2 months and tons of research later, I was at IILM Greater Noida’s entrance for my interview. IILM’s 3 Palmes of excellence ranking making it officially recognized in the category of “excellent business school with reinforcing international influence” by Eduniversal, making it a top B-School offering a PGDM program, was one prime reason for IILM being my go-to choice after several shortlisting stages. Visiting the splendid campus further reinforced the validity of my choice. My management entrance success ensured a 50% scholarship. Yippee! I interacted with the faculty and as my course ensued, I realized that IILM has a dynamic yet structured program with top notch teaching methodology including the concept of flipped class, where the student gets an opportunity to be the teacher and discuss concepts with the professor being a facilitator to clarify the outcome of the discussion enhanced through case studies and course materials by Harvard and many other global universities.

The global study program was a high point of the program with the opportunity to visit Dortmund, Germany as a foreign student at ISM, Dortmund for 4 weeks. I for one, used to the opportunity to the max by visiting 7 European countries over weekends, as we had a Schengen visa. The 4 weeks at ISM gave me a deep understanding of international concepts around Intercultural communication, strategic management, International Finance and Operations Management.

The industry exposure offered at IILM was world class as we had international faculty visiting the campus for specific courses in each trimester apart from the well qualified Ph.D. professors and lecturers coaching and mentoring me to be the best version of myself, both personally and professionally. The experiential learning I obtained as opposed to theoretical ramming one has experienced with the conventional educational system was a game changer in making me ready to face any and all challenges that I would face as a prospective manager and impacted my perception of the corporate world as a seasoned professional. This helped me in my placement at Protiviti Consulting, a U.S based consulting firm as a research associate.

Then came the convocation day. I was awarded the gold medal for the best academic and co-curricular performance over the 2 years at IILM. The grand ceremony hadn’t marked the end of my relationship with this spectacular management institute, but it had evolved into a beautiful connect as an alma mater which I continue to this day. 3 years later, I was back as a guest speaker at the International Sustainability conference representing my company. It was indeed a proud moment being back to impart some insights to the next set of intelligent minds.

My journey with IILM still continues and looking back, I am grateful to the almighty for helping me stick with my decision to choose IILM. To anyone who reads this, life at IILM will certainly change you for the better. Metamorphosis at IILM is real. The question is, are you ready for it?

Explore Life within You-

Alumni, Campus Life, General Blog, IILM Graduate School of Management, IILM Stories, IILM Undergraduate Business School, IILM University, Uncategorized28 MarchMegha Kochharbetter future, Healthy living, inner motivation, inner strength, inspiring young minds, Lifestyle, mindfulness, optimism, peace, psychology of life, self leadership

” I have always believed success, in life, is most easily measured by the number of days you are truly happy.” Our mindset and optimistic attitude towards life decides everything we come across.

Standing at the edge of human existence, a realization dawns on us that how temporary and uncertain our lives can be. To make our lives more fulfilling we need to create the right mindset which encompasses positive thinking. Think positive and positive things will happen.

Unfortunately we block our energy fields with negative thoughts. You don’t need to know the future as it is in your own hands. There comes a time when you need to have absolute faith in oneself and be sure, destiny will unfold your true path and purpose in this lifetime.

It is therefore extremely important that we channelize our energies to create positivity around us to make our work and life more fulfilling and motivating.

The present environment if has put restrictions, it has also opened up our inner doors of self reflection ,where we need to reflect upon ourselves in ways that we can decide what can be the path of our lives, which manifests in our well- being that would impact our personal and professional relationships as we are spending maximum time these days with ourselves and our family.

When we are going through a difficult situation and feel like running away from it, all we need to think and do is to replace that thought of ‘running away’ with the thought of ‘finding a way’. Let us use this difficult situation as a platform to take an extra step of faith in our lives. Let us take off and face the situation and move towards creating a positive change.

Let’s talk about a handful of simple practices that can be helpful in being more decisive and give direction to positive thinking.

Create Realistic Expectations for Yourself

The problem lies when we expect from others and somewhere hold others responsible for what we desire in life. When you set realistic expectations from yourself and fulfill them it gives you strength to be self reliant in life. Eg. Develop a skill for which you are responsible, create happiness for yourself. Don’t wait for someone to make you happy.

Never compromise on Values

There should be at least one strong value that you possess that you have never compromised on. End of the day it gives you inner strength and satisfaction.

Don’t accept fear as a part of life

Conquer any one fear of yours. The more you run away the stronger the fear gets. Face it and kill it.

Practice mindfulness

Enjoy every moment of your existence. The way you speak to each person, what you eat, what you smell, every breath of yours enjoy it. Imagine if there was no tomorrow. Live each day as if it is your only day to give to the cosmos. You will realize a sense of enthusiasm gushing in pushing you to do so much in life.

Value Relationships

This is what you have earnt in life so value your personal relationships and nurture your professional relationships. Honesty in work and loyalty in relationships take you a long way.

“Optimism is a happiness magnet”

See what kind of people & situations draw

Towards you. This will be a clear indicator of how you view yourself.

“ “Be the change you wish to see in others”

SPORT-O-MANIA 2019

Campus Life, Events, Faculty, IILM Stories, IILM University01 MayVISHAL GOEL

14th March, 2019

And here we go, coming in one of the most exciting and most entertaining collegiate of sports event, SPORTS-O-MANIA 2019 as part of MOSAIC, the annual festival of IILM University. SOPRTS-O-MANIA is the best platform for the sports enthusiasts to showcase their talent and discover their true potential for sports.

The trill, sportsman spirit, the competition, the stress, the outbursts, the friendships and of course the beautiful memories and lots of fun, it was the perfect package.

The entire first day of mosaic, 2019 was devoted to myriad of sports events. Preparation started good number of days before the D-day and the entire college converted into sports ground. Everybody feels sporty, light and active. The volunteers even wore IILM T-shirts to keep the spirit on, and at the same time cheering up for the IIL M teams.

The action began soon after the lamp lighting by the student core team members and the management on day 1, with the massive crowd thronging at the basket ball court, loud and proud cheering up for the home teams and to witness the first event of sports-o-mania. Once the matches began, the air was filled with cheering and tons of encouragement for the teams. This was just the beginning; the sports club had planned lot more the entire day.

Large number of teams from other colleges participated, setting the whole energized and competitive atmosphere. The spirit to win was seen everywhere and the whole atmosphere seem electrified.

The basket ball tournament ended in a heart break in hard-fought loss in the finals to the champions from North Campus University. While in table tennis, carom and slow cycling, our IILM teams blew out their hapless opponent in a lopsided victory.

And as soon as these games get over, quick prize ceremony began. And then, the most awaited event began fun cricket, where maximum participation took place. With some twists and new rules and regulation this soft ball tournament, in this sports both boys and girls showed their spirit. The entire tournament was on knockout basis and each team showed passion, energy and aggression to qualify for the next level. Everyone showed their skills in form of batting and bowling and the huge sixes, amazing strokes and rattling of stamps. With semis into the play, high pressure moments and the joy of winning on faces of team members were visible to everyone. The final match, the ultimate game was reserved for the next day where both the teams from Pg 1 batch played and ‘IILM Warriors’ stood victory.
With all the matches getting over and the victors decided, everyone waits anxiously for the prize ceremony. Where all the winners and runners up were applauded with trophies, medals certificate and of course cash prizes.

The event ends on the note of thrill and excitement bidding good bye to the day.
This time Mosaic’19 raised the bar even higher, with close games, sportsmanship, enthralling performances and overall good vibes, giving all those who attended good two day to remember.

Contributor: DIVISHA AGARWAL (MBA 2018-20)
Faculty Coordinator: CA. VISHAL GOEL

INTERNATIONAL B-PLAN CHAMPIONSHIP @ IIM KOZIKHODE

Events, Faculty, IILM Stories, IILM University01 MarchVISHAL GOEL#achievements, #CAVishalgoel, #IILMU

New year bought new and unparalleled opportunities for some of the PG1 students where they got a chance to visit the top management institute of India i.e. IIM KOZIKHODE.

Later in the pervious year a workshop on personal branding & entrepreneurship skills was held in collaboration with Makeintern in IILM Gurugram campus itself where almost every PG 1 student participated. Top 5 students were selected to further represent our college on national level, those students were Akshat Tyagi, Atishay Sobti, Radhika Mishra, Riti Sharma and Simran sarna from PG 1^st year.

So under the guidance of Vishal sir, team was all set to participate in 6^th International B-plan championship by Makeintern which was to be held at IIM Kozhikode. Every year teams from reputed B schools come and participate in this event. This year teams from 50 Bschools from all over India came all in, and one such team was from ours i.e. from IILM University.

The dates were finalized i.e. from 1^st feb till 4^th feb and our team was all set to fly to IIM K with their B-plan model on IWMS i.e Integrated waste management system named BinTraq . Kerela surely a tropical paradise and to add on to that the campus of IIM K was like its own little world situated away from the city and on a hill top and one could see the city lights from above.

Day 1 at IIM k was a magical concert night with legendry musical duo Salim-Sulaiman. It was a good time to break the ice and interact with other teams as well as with the students of IIM Kozhikode, for that moment everyone forgot that they came for competition and was enjoying the moment all together.

The next day was the first round of the competition in which each team was given 5 min to pitch their B-PLAN to the jury followed by the questions from the jury itself. There were in total of 50 team from reputed B Schools and our team from IILM university qualified the first round. We were among the top 16 teams that qualified for the next round which was really a proud moment for the students of IILM university.

The final round was the brief explanation of your b-plan, every team gave a tough competition to each other. Some teams even bought the working model of their business model and some even made detailed videos. This time each team was given just 10 min to briefly explain their business plan.

At the end of the day results were announced and top 3 teams were picked which was from Pune, Hyderabad and Bhopal. Our team didn’t come in top 3 but we got appreciation from panellists, it was a good exposure for the us, and next time they will come back stronger for the competition.

We would like to thank the faculty coordinator CA Vishal Goel sir for helping in organising such a wonderful event and for being a torchbearer for the students during the course of the event. Such opportunities really help students to get out of their comfort zone and explore the world outside their college.

Contributors: Faculty Coordinator:

PG1 2018-2020 Batch CA. Vishal Goel

Riti Sharma,

Akshat Tyagi

My MBA Experience at IILM

General Blog, Guest Blog, IILM Graduate School of Management, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM Stories, IILM University07 MayRudrajoy Banerjeebest MBA colleges in India, IILM, Life at IILM, MBA, top MBA institutes in Noida

An MBA is not merely a degree. It is not merely a course that allows us to gain an entry ticket into the world of corporate functioning and entrepreneurship. It is a pool of experience that we dip into time and again to gain valuable pearls of wisdom and insight.

My reflections may resonate with those who have graduated from the best MBA colleges in India.

Developing Business and Relationships:

Even as I embarked on my MBA journey in one of the top MBA institutes in Noida I was aware that I would be specializing in entrepreneurship. My greatest learning during my time at IILM, however, was developing relationships. Closely interacting with the faculty and business leaders was an eye-opener.

Add to this the fact that each one of my peers added to the wonderful network I was developing. While I did have some idea about the work of an entrepreneur, I was soaking in all the aspects of business development.

Career Growth:

My MBA experience at IILM, refined my views on career development. One of the greatest mistakes that our generation makes is to equate ambition with shortcuts to growth. Even for those who achieve a phenomenal amount of success in their careers in a relatively short time, life is never a bed of roses.

Setbacks, struggles, and an occasional failure are inevitable. Getting past career hurdles is something that I would not have learned without spending the time I did studying the nuanced lives of various industry leaders and pioneers during my MBA. The course equipped me with the skills that I require to get ahead in my career.

Personal Development:

The time I spent at IILM pursuing my MBA degree was not only a defining phase as far as my career goes but was also instrumental in shaping my own personality, my personal ambitions, and outlook. It taught me the value that we add to goods and services by way of our work is not defined by the profits we rake in, but by the difference we make to the lives of people across the globe.

From our stakeholders to colleagues, from those in need of our solutions to the common man of our nation – our dreams must necessarily be from the growth and development of everyone around us. Our growth lies not only in our own prosperity but in the growth of all the lives we touch.

My MBA experience at the IILM was an exceptional one that opened up numerous avenues for me to explore through my professional life. It also connected me with many brilliant people who had made their mark in the business world or set out on the wondrous journey with me.

4 Things I Learned at PRME 2018 Session on Impactful Innovations for Sustainable Development

IILM Graduate School of Management, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM Stories, IILM University25 MarchRudrajoy Banerjeebest MBA colleges in India, MBA colleges in India, PGDM students

For three eventful days, IILM, one of the best MBA colleges in India, was buzzing with the 5^th International Conference on Resolution to Resolve: Sustainability Practices in Industry and Education. And what a spectacular learning experience it turned out to be.

Amongst its many plenary sessions, the most awaited one was on Innovation and Sustainable Competitive Advantage that was pegged for post-lunch on Day 2. The agenda revolved around expanding the scope of innovation to include not only creating something entirely new but coming up with novel ideas to solve existing problems in the society. Over 90 minutes, four experts shared their experience and their respective organization’s impactful innovations bringing about a positive sustainable change.

Here are the four lessons I learned after attending the same:

Management and education are two different languages:

In her talk, Dr. Shalini Lal focused upon the challenge of understanding innovation at management institutions, and integrating it at every level with purpose. Dr. Lal also differentiated the two languages of management and education on various points, such as failure, which is often viewed negatively in management, while being conversely true in innovation labs.

“There need to be enough people at the highest levels of an organization who understand and are able to speak the language of innovation for them to be able to see potential in ideas that get generated,” she remarked.

Block-chain technology is the next big thing in sustainable development:

Mr. Ravi Chamria, CEO, Block Chain Enthusiast and Fintech Expert, was the next speaker in the session who enlightened the audience on the history of block-chain technology and Bitcoin, its components, and how his organization has used it as a game-changer for sustainable innovation in fields such as food supply chains and mining.

Commenting on the complete transparency and sustainability of a blockchain process in businesses, Mr. Chamria said, “Through a smart contract on the blockchain, it is ensured that whatever has been authorized through a sustainability certificate, it is being adhered to.”

The purpose of every business should be innovation

Next, Mr. Ravi Bhatnagar, Head External Affairs & Partnerships, Reckitt Benckiser, spoke about the various collaborations of his firm with the UN and its Sustainable Development Goals, as well as the various innovations that the company has introduced, like the Rexbot AI for queries on sexual health or Augmented Reality for delivering education. Another interesting topic which he touched upon was the need to encourage B-school and PGDM students to come up with innovations of their own, something which Reckitt Benckiser’s Mavericks Challenge does by creating an innovation pipeline and platform for the brightest management minds of the country.

“If we are not purpose-led, and if we are not thinking about innovation and sustainable competitive advantage, there are good chances of failure. The purpose should come before business. If you are not investing in the future, which is the next 10 years, in terms of your consumers, it will be too late,” he concluded.

Sustainable development from the perspective of work-life balance:

The final speaker at the session was Prof Holger Briel, Dean, Xi’an Jiaotong Liverpool University, China, who discussed the concepts of co-living and co-working spaces and read his paper on the findings of both practices in Europe and India. Interestingly, Prof Briel was not an endorser of the practices as he called for inclusion of employee happiness as an important factor in the sustainability of businesses and organizations. Towards the end, he gave three recommendations at a personal, organizational and government level that can enable organizations and individuals to create perfect work-life balance.

To sum up, the future of management and organizations is intricately tied to innovation which takes into account sustainable development goals set by the UN. For aspiring students of business, this was a great lesson in the importance of sustainability and the need to think out of the box.