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Moving towards Inclusivity in the classroom

Faculty, IILM University, Uncategorized, ,

 

 

 

For the effectiveness of successful learning of the students, a faculty needs to ensure that the student feel accepted, motivated , & continuously guided & supported by their teachers & classmates. In a class room you will always find a very diverse group coming from various cultural backgrounds with high disparity in the class. It becomes crucially important as a mentor & guide to bring to class, equality, inclusion, belongingness and most importantly purpose to learning. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the classroom are more important than ever as students return to their campuses; it’s imperative that educators show they are committed to helping every student feel valued, represented, and heard.

From my experience , would like to share some personal observations on how to ensure that you’re creating an inclusive and welcoming learning environment for all your students—on the first day and every day.

Make students feel accepted & inclusive

How much are you prepared as an educator to approach students and ready to discuss topics, that might make them uncomfortable. If faculties are on edge talking about social or economic disparity, it’s going to ensure, students don’t feel to drag away from there is the first encounters with the professors and would feel positive that the semester will go successful.

Talking about differences is important, acceptance is important

Its important for the educator to share an understanding and comfort about subjects that require open conversations. Practical exposure is the best way for an educator to feel comfortable about conversations about diversity & inclusion. For example, if educators find themselves strongly opinionated about subjects like “Black and brown people” or “LGBTQ+”, then they need to do the work outside of the classroom to normalise it for themselves.
Try joining a book club, debate club, talking with colleagues about these topics, and attending workshops devoted to building cultural competence and cultural responsiveness. It’s important to expose ourselves to difference in order to be comfortable with that difference.

Don’t let biases built in your module

To achieve true inclusivity, educators need to identify with our own biases and be aware of what they are. It’s important to carefully reflect on self, as yourself about the barriers that pervert you form being fully engaged with your students and accept the biases to be able to deliver the content is class that gives student the freedom to make a choice, make their own opinion, speak out your mind and be able to question, once’s beliefs and biases. Knowing the answers to these questions and realising what may cause some difficulty for students is a big part of fixing the problem.

Disparity in Online & hybrid teaching needs to be accepted & acknowledged

The disparity of access of technology among students has really hit home during this pandemic. Students going to their local internet café , shops to learn from your class is true and has to be accepted by the educators.
Educators teaching online should take a moment to acknowledge the challenges faced by your students in online learning and let them know that you have made sure such issues are incorporated in your module teachings these challenges and connectivity issues. The technical resources to be shared and challenges accepted in these learning environments. Let students know you understand there will be connectivity problems or times when students have to share technical resources with others. This will show students that you’re aware of the trials and tribulations students are facing and that you’re concerned about students and their well-being


Prof. Nidhi Gupta
Design Department

IILM University

“Pandemic Is Affecting US More Than WE Know”

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Covid 19 pandemic has affected all of us in ways no one could really imagine. The unpredictability of the pandemic has swept all of us from our feet and placed us in the zone where uncertainty dominates. We often find ourselves perplexed and unsure. Seldom do we discuss the damage it is causing us mentally and psychologically. Furthermore, the reason for this is that we “Neglect our mental health” and think that since the repercussion of it is not physically precipitating, we can tackle it ourselves. However, we do not realize that if it is not managed, it can cause more harm over a period of time, leading to impairment in our overall well-being.

 

If we were to contemplate what pandemic has brought to us, we would realize that we stress more, worry more, and fear more. We are more anxious than ever. Sadness, aloofness, alienation haunts us. However, this is what is explicitly presented, and we see it all over electronic and print media. With the new wave of the pandemic, more problems are surfacing, and this time it is really affecting people across all age groups erratically. These problems are now not just frantically limited to what has always dominated the clinical picture. With the Modern-Day pandemic, it is pivotal that we understand the nature of the problems and understand the ways to manage and deal with them effectively. Professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, case managers, HR are often seen reporting that – “Many people aren’t even aware of what they are facing and are going through. They look and sound distressed and worried but are reluctant to do anything about it. What is more astonishing is that despite the concerns raised by people around them, they are convincingly dealing with it alone, thinking that with time it will subside”.

 

Most do not even realize that it will not settle down easy rather, it will subtly impact in ways that we will gradually discern. The first effect is on our physical health. Researches inevitably prove how a healthy mind and a healthy body go hand in hand. Without a healthy mind, expecting a healthy body is ill-considered. What can, however, be seen parallelly with the problems of stress, anxiety, fear of uncertainty which was earlier mostly external, are now problems that are paired up with the elements of “How productive am I?”, “How happy I am with my life and my partner”, “Am I making enough money”, “Is my family safe and healthy”, “Am I living a stable life” and finally “when will I get the job I want”. Pandemic has led everyone to introspect and reflect unsupervised to an infinite degree. Due to these, more people are questioning their self-worth, thus causing more stress and worry than usual, making them more susceptible and vulnerable to poor mental health conditions. Since the trend of seeking psychological aid is not prevalent in India, people are dealing with it alone and are creating a loop of cognitive distortions and thinking errors all by themselves. Furthermore, this is poorly affecting the mental health of people in India at large.

 

Thus, it is imperative that we rightfully manage, prevent and restrict its effects.  The below-mentioned acronym would be a great way to move forward.

Step 1 -Have FAITH

Step 2- ACCEPT and ACKNOWLEDGE how you feel

Step 3- Stop IMAGINING the worse

Step 4- Take CHARGE of your life completely

Step 5-Seek PROFESSIONAL HELP

Musing Minds- Student Blog- Ms. Ananya Suri MA Psychology

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As I sat one night brainstorming ways to do justice to this blog and introduce myself to the world of sharing musings, I channeled all of my love for psychology into a “personality type” format to kick off my journaling. I recently took the popular ’16 personality’ test online to amuse myself. It is an adaptation of the theory of psychological personality types produced by Carl Jung. It is based on 16 personality types, which Jung viewed as stereotypes. At the heart of Myers – Briggs theory are four spectrum on which one can be positioned, forming their unique personality. These are:

  • People and things (Extroversion “E”), versus ideas and information (Introversion “I”).
  • Facts and reality (Sensing “S”), versus possibilities and potential (Intuition “N”).
  • Logic and truth (Thinking “T”), versus values and relationships (Feeling “F”).
  • A lifestyle that is well-structured (Judgment “J”), versus one that goes with the flow (Perception/ Prospecting “P”)While at first I struggled with how definitive it seemed in its diagnosis and how online “personality tests” can often seem like you are reading a horoscope, I decided to be less skeptical and introspect. Isn’t it my life experiences that make me who I am? How do they put together all of my essence  into this succinct format? 

    ENFPs’ (like myself) are invigorating, independent and socially adept at navigating our worlds using an enthusiasm for exploration. This has been true for every aspect of my life. My self-esteem is driven by my ability to produce original content and come up with creative solutions. I’m inherently curious, which leaves me longing for life-changing experiences.

    During my childhood, I discovered my need for social interactions and exploration. The first pillar of my personality, extroversion (E) shone through in my formative years.

    I struggled with learning disabilities and dexterity problems as a child. Focusing in class was an uphill battle and I could be easily distracted; I found it difficult to cope with classwork and homework, and was left to deal with the same largely undiagnosed.

    Despite my struggle with academics, it didn’t hinder me from pursuing extracurricular hobbies and I focused on being a complete people’s person. All of my parents ‘couple’ friends together provided a strong childhood friends circle that I carry along with me even now, forming a family-like bond making me learn to express myself through my friendships.

    In lieu of my prospecting nature comes my passion: Psychology. The world is my playground, and I intend to explore every inch of it! My intuitive (N) side thrives while discovering the beauty of the world around us. I tend to see life as a big, complex puzzle where everything is connected, through a prism of emotion, compassion, and mysticism, constantly seeking deeper meaning.

    On the other hand, that same intuition has a darker side, which shows in my low score of (P). I often deal with anxiety for a multitude of reasons, some of which are hard to admit. While I love social interaction, it can leave me caring too much about what other people think of me. Sometimes I get too hung up on the smaller details and fail to see the bigger picture and my overthinking takes over all else. Although, my flaws are a part of who I am. My anxiety makes me sensitive, it drives me to be a perfectionist and want to improve constantly. I give my all to anything I put my heart to, and for that, I am thankful.

    Lastly, my feeling (F) side is evident in all my interpersonal relationships ,and brings out all the other factors of my personality even more, especially with my family.

    My parents voracious and infectious energies have given me an immense passion that I carry on within me (and it even sometimes drives my sister and me up the wall). I have always been in admiration of how they brought us up, constantly learning from their creative parenting. Our home has always been a very open and progressive household, sharing feelings, thoughts, and ideas every step of the way. No topic has been out of bounds, no conversation that couldn’t be shared among us four. Anything and everything was open to debate and all our voices rang loud and clear. There’s ‘never a dull day’ in the “Suri household”.

    Another central aspect of my life is my very loving husband. We traveled together in the same school bus, and like most pre-pubescent in 8th grade, we fell head over heels. What one would assume was childish infatuation was anything but that. I’m now married to the same boy who lived down the lane, except now he lives in the same room!  We got married very young because we could not be apart any longer and now as of 4 days back, we have even grown as a family with the addition of our tiny 2 month old dalmatian puppies!

    Through all my facets of life, I’m ever-changing, but I always choose to live deeply and happily, laughing often, loving always and never looking back. While personality tests may not be the gospel truth, they are a great ally for some reflection into our lives!

IILM CAFE

The Business School community building starts with the cafeteria.

Blog Catgeory, Campus Blog Category, IILM Graduate School of Management, Uncategorized, ,

A blog post by Avani Natani (PGDM 2018-20- IILM GSM)

Have you ever wondered how a college would be without a cafeteria?

Exactly! A feeling of monotony strikes you with a grimacing face, how could someone just depend on mess food. But at the same time, the college cafeteria isn’t only about food or an excuse from the mess, it is much more than that. It’s a place holding a million memories that remain enshrined in everyone’s heart and soul even after we bid goodbye to our college but we carry along with those souvenirs of utmost happiness that remain fresh every time we think of college days.

It has rightly been said canteen is not just a place but an emotion where the probability of finding students is always greater than finding them in the classrooms. After all, it’s an easy way for the students to abscond from lectures to explore campus life. It’s also a respite from tedious long-lasting, and day-long lectures.  We have numerous reasons to believe that the college canteen is the best place for all. It’s a place where we see our student community being built up and the same is reinforced through love or hate or scuffle or debate. The sounds of everlasting conversations and gossip can be found echoing across the walls of the cafeteria.

“I have 50, you have 100”, perhaps only the canteen watches us silently what actual efforts we friends make to pool in for one appetizing and leisurely meal. Amidst all the chaos and disturbance this is the only place that every student finds comfort in all the projects and assignments related discussions. With every sip of tea, it somehow skips their mind how time is passing by, after all this is the place where bonds are not just created but are reinforced with every indulgence and conversation, shuddering the walls with their boisterous laughter.

No matter how strong your resolution of “Kal se fast food band”, the college canteen would break that too, as the aroma of paratha, chilly potato, cheese sandwich, samosa, and Maggi reach your nostrils.

Canteen is all about friends and foods the best duo anyone would ever come across. Be it an occasion of someone’s birthday, a treat from someone getting placed, canteen is always the perfect ambiance for such rendezvous where we brush aside all our hassles of monotonous and mundane life.  Be it Dominos or KFC, even a lavish dinner at Taj could not match the taste of that morsel of food that we snatch from our friend’s hand which is almost about to enter his mouth, and gobble them up. Fighting for that tiny morsel with our squad is indeed a true satisfaction.

Long after once they have left the college, this would be a place where they would shed tears remembering those precious moments with friends spent here.  Canteen culture is an important culture and an integral part of every college as it is not just a place to satisfy hunger but it also creates an environment for students to interact with each other, learn life skills, get along with each other, and finally become a family. The process of building the second family away from home starts from here.

 

 

 

 

Fundraising Spree on for Indian Banks

Career Development (Placement), Faculty, General Blog, IILM Graduate School of Management, Uncategorized

Profitability and NPA are the two extremes that need to be balanced for banks. Since a long Indian banking sector is on a continuous fight to draw a balance between them. Recently the Central Bank decided to take control over NPAs with a huge capital infusion into the banking sector. But the outbreak of COVID-19 derailed all efforts and the problems of NPAs have been resurfaced and touched the new height which seems to be very difficult for the Indian economy to stand with.

Stress in the Banking Sector

The Indian banking sector is reeling under stress for a long time. Indian banks have been tested over the past few years after the RBI forced them to review their assets under strict criteria that eventually resulted a surge in bad loans. To add their woes, borrowings have also slowed due to lockdown. These stresses are more apparent in state-run banks than in the private sector.

Reason for Stress

According to a few economists, the primary cause of this situation that has slammed all banks are the fall of IL&FS in October 2018 and the ongoing pandemic. India is expected to fall into a recession this fiscal year due to COVID, which has affected over 2.6 million people and caused 70000+ death in the country. It is the most discussed and worrisome topic in the Indian economical circle that there are chances of getting caught in the recession since 1979.

According to RBI, the ratio of non-performing assets total advances could soar to over 12.5% by March 2021 from 8.5% as of end-March this year, prompting the country’s central bank to push banks to raise capital, which now totals over 1 trillion rupees ($13.4billion). Additionally, the Financial Stability Report (FSR), noted the NPA ratio could jump as a high level as 14.7% in the event of severe stress.

Fundraising a Way out

RBI Governor advised all banks to improve their governance and sharpen risk management skills. Banks need to raise capital on an anticipatory basis instead of waiting for an adverse situation. It is necessary for both public and private sector banks to build up adequate capital buffers.

As a result, financial institutions are on a fundraising spree via debt instruments and equity offerings. The latest bank to join the fundraising spree is Axis bank which on said had raised 100 billion rupees by issuing shares to Qualified Institutional Buyers for INR 420.10. Other financial institutions, mortgage lenders, HDFC also closed a deal to raise INR 140 billion via various instruments. At the same time, the largest private bank of India, ICICI bank also wishes to raise INR 150 billion. Later State Bank of India, India’s largest lender also joined the league and announced to raise INR 250 billion to maintain its capital requirement. Not only banks but similar signals are also been sensed from Non-Banking Financial Companies which might have to raise money. In total, it is approximately $13 billion could raise to tackle the NPA challenge.

Governance

At present, Indian banks are in dyeing need for reforms. The Bank exposure to stressed sectors, loan-loss cover, and pre-provision earnings determine the urgency of their capital requirements, which is more pronounced for state banks. Recently 5 members committee has been formed by RBI under the Chairmanship of former CEO of ICICI bank, Mr. KV Kamath. This committee makes recommendations on the required parameters to be factored into the resolution plans. A resolution to the problem of the corporate debtor insolvency and its consequent inability to pay off debts. The committee will submit its recommendation to the RBI. The central bank will then notify the same along with modification including the restructuring of loans if any in 30 days.

Support from Government

Over the last five years until March 2020, India had pumped around 3 trillion rupees into banks to remain capital requirements. In the future, we may expect more infusion of cash from the government eventually to support the banks and consequently to save the economy.

 

Aditya Verma

PGDM 2020-22

IILM, Greater Noida

 Dr. Kumar Saurabh

Asst. Prof-Finance

IILM Graduate School of Management, Greater Noida

STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AT IILM

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Student engagement is a multi-faceted construct. It is better understood as a constructive relationship shared among the students, staff and the institution per se. The construct student engagement refers to “how involved or interested students are in their learning and how connected they are to their classes, their institutions, and each other” (Axelson and Flick, 2010).

It simply means to keep the students’ interactions more meaningful throughout the facilitated learning environment. Recognizing the differences among the students, varying issues from over expectations to under expectations are the challenges faced by Institutions. Paying much-needed heed to a topic that requires attention, it is highly essential to adopt a formative approach, targeting the needs of students. To address the issues in hand ABC Model (Attitude, Behavioral and Cognitive) of engagement is adopted, to make sure that more holistic approach is embraced and the students’ overall wellbeing is retained and enhanced throughout their academic life. ABC model works with a notion that the technical knowledge and the non-technical knowledge together can help students to engage and get ready for the industry. Research (Kuh, 2001) NSSE (National survey of student engagement) has identified five benchmarks of an engaged campus:

(a) Student interactions with faculty,

(b) Academic challenge

(c) Supportive campus environment,

(d) Enriching educational experiences, and

(e) Active and collaborative learning.

Understanding its relevance, IILM has continually worked on strengthening student Engagement through Behavioural Engagement, Emotional Engagement and Cognitive Engagement.

The present times have thrown upon us the challenge to constructively keep our students engaged, who are physically at distance and only connected through virtual platforms, through technology. But we at IILM have ensured that the spirit of Learning through engagement never gets dampened. Through a series of well planned, outcome-oriented, student-driven activities, we have kept the student engagement live and kicking. Whether it is activities like Buddy Connect, team Video Making, storytelling or for that matter Art therapy workshop, students have always got to experience being on the campus despite being away from it. Activities such as the first brush with making Video CVs, the curtain-raiser to Entrepreneurship, Social Media hygiene, have given them learning along with the opportunity to work with their seniors and peers.

While developing the framework for the student Engagement in the present times the approaches that are being adopted are –

  1. Enhance students’ self-belief — Students engage when they act as their own learning agents working to achieve goals that are meaningful to them. This means that what students believe about themselves as learners is very important. They must believe they can learn, including that they can overcome and learn from failure. Giving students some control over learning processes helps develop this confidence and commitment to learning. All our activities have been completely student-driven. Right from setting goals to drafting the timelines, the onus has been on the students, individually and as a team.
  2. Enable students to work autonomously, enjoy learning relationships with others, and feel they are competent to achieve their own objectives — “When institutions provide opportunities for students to learn both autonomously and with others, and to develop their sense of competence, students are more likely to be motivated, to engage and succeed.” Not unrelated to the first recommendation, the focus is to be on cultivating intrinsic drive, which fosters the self-determination that leads to engagement. We have deliberately put students from different schools and different programs and kept the teams heterogeneous.
  3. Recognize that teaching and teachers are central to engagement — Much research places teachers at the heart of engagement. For example, one study found that “if the teacher is perceived to be approachable, well prepared, and sensitive to student needs, students are committed to working harder, get more out of the session, and are more willing to express their opinion.” No matter how self-driven and motivated the students are, they always have the assurance that they have faculty support always there, just a call away. For all they need is just some reassurance and some confidence building.
  4. Create learning that is active, collaborative, and fosters learning relationships — “Findings acknowledge that active learning in groups, peer relationships, and social skills are important in engaging learners. The bond that develops among students, while executing the team activities and complementing one another, is the most engaging aspect of the entire program.
  5. Create educational experiences for students that are challenging and enriching and that extend their academic abilities — Easy learning activities and assignments are not as effective at engaging students as activities and assignments that challenge them. When students are reflecting, questioning, conjecturing, evaluating, and making connections between ideas, they are engaged. “Teachers need to create rich educational experiences that challenge students’ ideas and stretch them as far as they can go.” With each engagement activity, student learning levels are raised, to become more challenging and thereby, calling for a higher level of effort and involvement.
  6. Ensure that institutional cultures are welcoming to students from diverse backgrounds — to become engaged, we believe students must feel they are accepted and affirmed. They must feel they belong to an institution. Heterogeneity in teams equips them to learn and appreciate diversity and at the same time gel into the institutional culture.
  7. Adaptive to changing student expectations — in the current scenario of the changing face of learning and expectations, as an institution, we have done a lot of discussion and deliberation on how to promote student engagement.
  8. Enable students to become active citizens — We understand that the need of the hour is a democratic-critical conception of engagement that goes beyond strategies, techniques, behaviours, a conception in which engagement is participatory, dialogic and leads not only to academic achievement but to success as an active citizen. The subjects that were picked by students to make videos in teams were reflective of their sensitivity towards the society, environment and the world we live in.
  9. Enable students to develop their social and cultural capital — this kind of capital derives from a sense of belonging, from active relationships with others, and from knowing how things work around the institution. It essentially focuses upon the need to be successful not only in the classroom but beyond it as well.

The idea is to keep it simple and bring the engaged learning forward. The way we engage today lays the foundation of the society that we plan for the future because the students today need to be socially responsible citizens of tomorrow. A positive engagement sets the framework of a society that takes pride in itself and its ability to take all challenges, seen and unforeseen in the true spirit and zeal.

Please write to me at tripti.toor@iilm.edu for more information on student engagement at IILM.

A HEALTHY MIND IS THE GREATEST TREASURE TO FIND (Student Blog B.A. Hons. Psychology)

General Blog, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM University, Uncategorized, , , ,

 

Conversations around mental health have always been a taboo in our Indian society. It has been related to how a person might be possessed or simply is dysfunctional to be ever cured; thus not be able to work in an environment to sustain oneself. People in our country are struggling with varied psychological issues that have a direct impact on their overall well-being. There is a tremendous mental health crisis that has been brewing in our society ever since 2015. The problem is aggravated as people believe that mental health issues can be cured by visiting religious centres where God is the only source of direction and solution to cure such problems. Even today, such belief systems have a found place in people’s life which is quite far off from logic and rationality.

Rural areas perceive mental illness very differently. They consider mental illness equal, to be possessed by some evil soul under which individuals facing problems are many times handled quite harshly which leaves a long lasting impact on their mental health & well being. Many times patients whose families are totally unaware of their condition end up abandoning their family members considering them mentally unfit, which leaves a long lasting scar in the life of the suffering person. Lack of mental health awareness has many a time led people from backward areas to a wrong diagnosis which worsens the mental condition of the person, leaving him in a situation where they may have no door to knock.

There is a great need to create awareness about mental health in rural areas, as compared to the urban sector where acceptance and initiative for treatment has taken a positive turn over the years, where mental illness is not seen or considered a taboo to talk and discuss.

Cases of mental illness in urban areas are increasing as people face daily pressures in work and personal lives. Working hours that go beyond the schedule of 9-5, has left people with no time for themselves. Ambitions have over-taken the need for personal care, healthy diet, appropriate sleep and even family time has been compromised giving an open entry to multiple mental health related issues.

Addressing mental health is very important. Once we understand and open up about our struggles we would be in a position to see what awaits us. Living with stress is equal to letting a cancer slowly but steadily grow to eventually harm us one day. Opening up about one’s feeling, emotions, physical symptoms, or lifestyle can be a great start. This will bring focus on the prospects of managing one’s well being. It is like healing a wound which might initially seem quite painful, but with the right diagnosis can cure you to be your wholesome self again pretty soon. The more one explores, the better one feels about his/her mental health condition. Just accepting one’s problem, living with it and not taking corrective action is not a good idea.

One must be very careful, attentive and address any problem they might face. Some symptoms are:

  • Confused thinking.
  • Prolonged depression (sadness or irritability)
  • Feelings of extreme highs and lows.
  • Excessive fears, worries, and anxieties.
  • Social withdrawal.
  • Dramatic changes in eating or sleeping habits.
  • Strong feelings of anger.
  • Strange thoughts (delusions)

It is imperative for a person to seek the help of a professional psychologist, and get the right treatment. People should be made more aware of what mental illness is, through campaigns and workshops.

The first step should be taken by schools to create awareness amongst children and adults of all age groups explaining that “it’s okay not to be okay” and that it’s absolutely normal for boys to cry and experience emotions like pain. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Dedicated counsellors and special educators should be hired in schools, to help people know about mental health issues. Workshops for teachers, parents, and students can be organised to understand how to deal with stress and day- to-day pressures of life. Talking to a therapist should be emphasized upon.

In the end, always remember that mental health issues are never something to be ashamed of. Only when awareness increases in society, will we be able help each other in times of stress and emotional instability because as the saying goes – a healthy mind is the greatest treasure to find.

At IILM University, our Psychology faculty members are trained psychologists and you are welcome to reach out to us for free counselling sessions. Please visit www.iilm.edu.

“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.” – Glenn Close

“Kya Result Aaya?” #Boards 2020

Campus Life, Career Development (Placement), General Blog, IILM Institute for Higher Education, IILM University, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

Introduction:

Board results are the quintessential discussion for parents and students which also becomes the most discussed topic amongst family. Unfortunately, it’s marking a child’s future with the percentage for the rest of their lives and not to mention labelling them.

The amount of pressure that board classes bring with them has been accounted in various studies, clearly signifying, inverse correlation of stress and marks in board exams, even though we continue to pressurize students to attain, at times, the impossible.

Expectations (from parents, teachers, peer and self) may crumble the self-esteem, as well as performance in boards and can have devastating effects on students and their career options.

100% Board results-2020

In 2019, as many as 17,693 students scored more than 95% in CBSE XII and the numbers increased to 38,686 students in 2020. Board results 2020 have raised the bar for students, who will be giving exams from here on. To compete with 100% marks can have challenges in plenty. Not to downsize the student who made that effort and actually got those brilliant marks; the discussion is about students who got a distinction (above 75%) and still feel “not good enough”.

This unfortunate inadequacy of “could get better marks” is a dilemma any student scoring marks from 70-90% category feels, especially when the choice of subjects in a prestigious university looks bleak. Not that the ones who make it over 90% waltz through the top universities. They also struggle and at some point “have to compromise” on the course or a college.

Can you accept your marks and not label it as destiny?

My observation while looking at board results- Yes, it is the highlight of your life and will be compared in galore with cousins, friends and any known person who got better marks than you. However, could we stop putting the blame on either teachers, Corona or pressure from known and accept what we scored gracefully?

Can we find jubilance in clearing class XII and being ready for applying in colleges rather than whining of what could happen if we scored better? Acceptance of board results brings inner peace and reduces comparisons which clearly isn’t helpful. I believe board results don’t shape your destiny and that only if you are ready to believe in yourself, can life offer opportunities for you to carve out the best in self.

If we can make a reality check and be honest with oneself, as to what are the strengths and to work on them, we may find our success, even if it feels inadequate to others. The key to convince parents and friends is when you, yourself can accept what you want to do, or reach out for counselling, if unable to make career choices.

Try reducing those mountains of expectation or mirages of “what I should be” to “what I can be” for a better career path and at the same time enjoy the journey of becoming your own person.

Experience the “Joy in Learning at IILM”

With newer opportunities coming up every day like School of Humanities at IILM University, Gurugram, we encourage students from varied fields to open their minds to choose a trending subject and experience the joy in learning. With latest pedagogy in teaching, faculties at IILM strive to help students create a niche for themselves and prepare themselves for better career opportunities.

Conclusion:

Board results could have brought tears of joy or disappointment given what you were expecting and what was received as results. See this as an opportunity to explore and search what and where you want to take your college education. Comparisons and expectations can be hurtful, so try avoiding them by focusing on “what you think you want” than “what you should be”.

 

“Every accomplishment starts with a decision to try”

Article-LinkeIN

Logistics and the E-commerce Revolution

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Logistics, as a Discipline is very much in the news these days. It is the Science of moving products from the point of origin to the point of consumption in most efficient and effective manner. By efficient we normally refer to the cost factor and by effectiveness we refer to how well we have been able to meet customer needs.  Hence, if we deliver a parcel to the customer at the most economic cost we may still not succeed because we may deliver it outside the customer’s definition of delivery time.  Similarly, we may deliver a parcel within the delivery time but we may fail to deliver on the efficiency front if there are cheaper options available.

Logistics has a big role to play in e-commerce. However, till a long time, the emphasis used to be on working of the effectiveness part. Hence, e-commerce players used the services of Blue Dart and Fed Ex for their deliveries. These logistics partners were also integrated to the e-commerce players like Flipkart through APIs. The API integration allowed the complete visibility of the package once it left the seller and till the time it got received by the customer. However, this approach got into problems when e-commerce players tried to scale up (Example – Flipkart Big Billion Day debacle) where capacity constraints prevented Flipkart from being effective. Along with this, the mindset of the e-commerce sector also changed. A sector which used to talk of GMV (Gross Merchandise Value) earlier, suddenly had to talk of profits or more appropriately, look at their costs.

Hence, the next trend in the e-commerce sector was towards building own Logistics capability. Flipkart for example, delivers 55% of parcels through its own Logistics arm : e-kart. This is a big achievement if one considers the scale of India (20,000 plus pin codes) and the fact that most of the orders come from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. Along with this came the emergence of private logistics players like Delhivery and E-Com Express. These private players were focused on the needs of the e-commerce players (niche operators). They offered specialized services like Warehousing and managing of Reverse Logistics, which is basically the management of Logistics of products that are returned by customers. These new players in the Logistics sector were also favorably inclined towards technology. Besides API integration, they also had investments in Warehousing technology and Last Mile Logistics (from the Destination Warehouse to the Customer).

The result of all these developments was that the e-commerce sector was able to move up on the efficiency frontier. The efficiency frontier is basically a trade-off between Customer Service Level and the Cost of delivering the service (another word for Logistics Cost). This basically means that if an e-commerce player wants to increase its service level to customers, it can do so only by increasing the logistics cost. However, the growth of the logistics sector especially in-house logistics and 3PL partiipation has allowed the Industry to do both – increase customer service and also bring down the cost of logistics. As a result, we also have many innovations like Same Day Delivery and Instant Payments to customers who return. This is made possible by the great level of integration that has been achieved in the e-commerce supply chain.

IILM- A platform to experience Global Study,Internships and Placement Opportunities

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IILM has tie-ups with various international universities to foster experiential learning. It helps the students to learn vivid skills from the best professors across reputed B-Schools. IILM takes keen measures to benchmark the quality of the content delivery. With international exposure at the B-school level, students learn to conduct themselves in any environment, gain confidence and develop networking skills. Studies have shown that students with international exposure perform much better in the corporate world. Moreover, multinational exposure gives students the opportunity to understand the rules and regulations of the businesses in different countries.

Global Study at IILM:

Finland has been one of the global study destinations in their unique offering. Through thisprogram, students were able to hone their critical skills of Digital Marketing strategies and Entrepreneurship which is essential in the interconnected world.

They got the exposure to agile digital marketing trends and its application in businesses. The students also cherishedvarious team building activities and unique teaching pedagogy and assessment pattern.Many students were also appreciated for their diligence and participation in those activities. IILMstudents got an opportunity to be interviewed by aSwedish and Finish Newspaper as a platform to exhibit their learnings.

 

 International Internship at IILM:

IILM has even offered International Internship Opportunities from the likes of AIESEC and Mataora. The creative agency ‘Mataora’ in Mauritius offered students a thrust in gaining creative and advertising edge for luxury brands. It provided them with a platform to build a global network and become placement ready.A global experience certificate is a value addition to their career ladder.

 

 

 

International Placements at IILM:

There are many companies which come to IILM for international placements.We had students who received international offers with an extremely good package.Landmark Group and KhimjiRamdas were such potential recruiters in the past. Indeed, out of the total opportunities, 15 companies were from the international domain and 50 % of the companies were multinational.

 

Dr. Shweta Nanda

(Assistant Professor, Marketing)