One Day at IIMB: Over 100 participants experience life of an MBA student at India’s premier business school
13 January, 2020, Bengaluru: Vikasana, the social impact club of the students of the two-year MBA programme at IIM Bangalore, hosted the eighth edition of ‘One Day at IIMB’, on January 12 (Sunday), 2020. This event offered more than 100 participants from across the country a glimpse into the life of an MBA student at India’s premier business school.
The day started with classroom sessions conducted by Prof. Sourav Mukherji, faculty from the Organizational Behavior & Human Resources Management area, Prof. YLR Moorthi from the Marketing area, and Prof. Prateek Raj from the Strategy area of IIMB.
Highlighting key aspects of managerial problem solving, Prof. Sourav Mukherji stated that there is no one right answer to any problem. “As an organization grows, new ideas emerge, regimes change, and, in the process, new challenges emerge. No solution is a silver bullet and one must constantly weigh the risks involved in every decision.” Having a long-term as well as short-term outlook about things is an important aspect of managerial problem solving, he added.
Prof. Prateek Raj centered his presentation around the theme: ‘Why organizations and businesses look the way they do’, with a special reference to Indian businesses and societal structure. He discussed how embeddedness has changed over time. In the one-hour session, he also touched upon the problem of crony capitalism in embedded economies.
Elucidating the ‘ABC of Marketing’, Prof. Y.L.R. Moorthi said that in today’s business context, it is extremely important to second guess one’s customer. “And to achieve this, it is essential for businesses to observe what their customers do,” he pointed out.
The participants also got an opportunity to interact with Prof. G. Raghuram, Director, IIMB. Prof. Raghuram highlighted how MBA leads to development of precision and clarity in the thought process of students. When asked what extra value MBA graduates from an IIM hold over peers from non-IIM business schools, Prof. Raghuram emphasized how top IIMs in India use non-traditional ways of teaching through case studies that give the students at these institutes a better understanding of the business context. “The way in which programmes at IIMs are designed, delivered and handled, impart a tremendous sense of confidence to students. Students are encouraged to challenge one another, both inside and outside the classroom,” said Prof. Raghuram.
Post lunch, the participants engaged themselves with a case study and presented their solutions to a panel of judges. This was followed by a tour of the IIMB campus, designed by the Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate Balkrishna Doshi. The day ended with a cultural performance by Kartik Anand and Ankita Biswas, from IIM Bangalore’s student music club, Dhwani.
The proceeds from the registration of the event will be donated to two NGOs – ‘Karunashraya’ and ‘Abalashrama’. Karunashraya – Bangalore Hospice Trust offers palliative care for advanced-stage cancer patients. ‘Abalashrama’ facilitates education and vocational training for women in need. Mathew Chandy from Karunashraya was present at the closing ceremony and thanked the participants of ‘One Day at IIMB’ and Vikasana for their contribution.