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Mumbai Chapter meet held successfully

The IIFT Mumbai Alumni Chapter meet concluded successfully on May 14, 2011 at the Indian Merchant Chamber, Churchgate, which saw an enthusiastic response from alumni of many batches. The evening, which was well planned and organized by Abhishek B V and Nikhil Sabharwal, executive members of the Alumni Committee, saw the participation of The IIFT Alumni Society’s Executive Council.

The event started with an introductory note from the chapter head Mr Rajiv Gatne, who thanked the alumni for devoting their time for the meet. It was followed by a small address by our Director Shri K.T.Chacko to the alumni and noted that alumni are the biggest assets of the college. The corporate video of IIFT was presented by Anil Kolla, the student Alumni Coordinator, which was followed by a power point presentation of the last year activities and the calendar for the next year.

Mr Bharat Merchant (Batch of 1972) was the senior most alumnus to attend the chapter meet and was presented with a memento by the chapter head Mr Rajiv Gatne. It was followed by an exciting ‘Business Quiz’ hosted by the MC of the evening Mr Umang Chittalangia, which invited the participation from many of the alumni. Gifts were given for each correct answer. The evening culminated with dinner and drinks.

The two caricature makers in the venue made the evening even more memorable as many of the alumni got their caricatures sketched by them. All the alumni in the chapter meet were given a ‘passport wallet’ as a token of memento for attending the chapter meet.

IIFT on NDTV

IIFT cultivates the future minds for Carbon Consulting in the Green Conclave 2011

Author of the post: Suneet Choudhury
MBA(IB)2010-12

IIFTians win the competition WINBIZ 2011 at GIM

Gurcharan Das @IIFT in NDTV Mega Show ‘B-School Budget’

The Union Finance Budget 2011 is presently one of the most talked about issues with India growing at phenomenal rates accompanied with the evils of inflation and high fiscal deficit. To discuss, suggest and improve upon the measures that can be taken by the finance minister, some of India’s brightest minds from the top B-Schools and the stalwarts from the corporate and economy descended on the campus of the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Delhi, India’s premier B-School in International Business in a B-School Budget show organized in association with NDTV. The Guests included Mr. Gurcharan Das, noted author, economist and a public intellectual and Mr. Sunil Godhwani, Chairman and MD, Religare Enterprises Ltd, who aired their opinions about the Budget.

NDTV, in its special series of shows on the Budget, came down to the IIFT campus to conduct the B-school Budget show. Manisha Natarajan and Siddharth Patankar were the anchors for the show and students from IIFT, MDI Gurgaon and other premier B-schools participated in an interactive discussion on what to expect from the budget. The show was broadcasted on both NDTV Profit and NDTV 24x7 on the weekend before the budget.

The first agenda to set the ball rolling was black money and corruption, one of the hot political potatoes in current times. They deliberated on the huge impact that it would have if corruption were to be completely wiped off the economy. In response to one of the questions asked on the corruption front, the speakers held the opinion that corruption was indeed a huge menace. “India grows when the government sleeps at night”, quoted Mr Gurcharan Das, depicting the potential that the parallel economy possesses.

The discussion then shifted to the other big concerns facing the economy i.e. inflation and fiscal deficit. The views of the student community to this end were amply reciprocated by the guest speakers who also felt that the measures were long overdue to tame the present rates of inflation and improve the efficiency in the distribution of the proposed benefits to the people at the bottom of the pyramid. Measures like UID and direct cash transfers were discussed so as to ensure that the intended benefits reach the target population.

Finally, the show came to an end with a wrap-up on what the students and the speakers felt was the one biggest expectation from Pranab Babu. While one of the students outlined his top priority to be the creation of ‘infrastructure of opportunity’ involving the 3E’s of education, employment and employability, another wished for better reforms for the real estate sector. Some wished for a reformist budget rather than a political budget while some wished for a more encouraging environment for retail and FDI investments.

All in all, the show was a grand success and both IIFT Delhi and NDTV look forward to many more such positive associations in the future.

You can watch the video here

Grand Alumni Reunion- reliving the good old days

The day 11/13/2010 became one of those memorable days when one gets back to reliving, re-cherishing and rekindling with not just the friends, the faculty members but the places like the dhabas, the top of the world, the classrooms, the hostels, the mess and every inch and bit of the times one considers as the best moments ever lived in life.
The day was the Grand Alumni Reunion of IIFT, a momentous occasion for people spread across different parts of the world to take time out from their highly busy & successful careers to come back to their alma mater and feel the sense of belongingness that they could only get being an inseparable part of IIFT.

The day included cultural programs from not just the IIFT students but a special cultural program by SHIVOHAM Institute of Performing Arts- Natya Dhwani, a fusion of classical and contemporary dance.
Then as per the tradition, there was Citation for Alumnus of the year - 2010 followed by presentation of the Award.

The Alumnus of the year went to Mr. D. P. Singh – Managing Director (Sara International Limited). In his address, he shared his anecdotes of the times he lived at IIFT and the kind of foundation it laid ahead for his career. Listening and connecting to his thoughts was an awe-inspiring experience for most of us. He also talked about the need for people at such pinnacle of the careers to give back to the society and to connect to their alma mater.

From the current students perspective, it was really inspiring and the best platform that they could get to interact freely at a one to one level and share ideas and gain insights about not just the careers but light-hearted chit-chats to connect being a part of the IIFT family. For an institution with such a long and glorious span of 47 years, the alumni is one of the strongest and the most fundamental institution to look up to and motivate oneself and feel the pride of being an IIFTian and say aloud with all the enthusiasm in the world GO IIFT GO !!!

Truly, it was a night to remember.

National Consulting Symposium-2010

National IT Symposium

Tezi Mandi II

How it Works

Trade in stocks in Nifty
Buy/Sell will be allowed between 5 pm – 9 am
All share prices will have to be traded at the closing NSE prices of the day
Only cash prices will be taken
Mail your trades
Excel sheet will be forwarded shortly, just fill it and send it
All will be given a fixed amount of
notional money and brokerage charges will apply

Benefits

Knowledge enhancement. It will instigate us to read finance and make an effort to understand it
Winner will get a prize money of Rs. 1000 and runners up Rs.500
It will help in trading in stocks in the real world
Applications of classroom learning in a practical way

If you are INTERESTED, please drop in a mail to tezimandi.iift@gmail.com
The game will start from the next Monday 9th August and continue till Friday 14th August
For any clarifications, please write to the above mentioned address

Regards
Ankur M. Dhebri (+91-9910847901) amdhebri@gmail.com
Saurav Tibrewal (+91-9311580251) sauravtibrewal@gmail.com

Inaugural Session: “The Consumer Retention Route to Enhanced ROMI”

Keynote Speaker - Mr. Santosh Desai, MD & CEO of Future Brands


Session I: “Spoil for Choice – The Retention of Indian Youth”

Speakers:

1. Mr. Ashok Bajpai, General Manager - Taco Bell at Yum Restaurants International
2. Ms. Simeran Bhasin, Marketing Head - Fastrack & New Brands at Titan Industries
3. Mr. S Srinivas, GM Marketing - TVS Motor Company
4. Mr. Rahul Shanker, Senior Marketing Manager - Wrigley India


Session II: “Retaining the Exclusive Tag: The World of Luxury Brands”

Moderator for the Panel Discussion:

Ivan Coste-Maniere
Director - Marketing Department, Skema Business School, France
Director - MSc Luxury & Fashion Management, Skema Business School, France

Panellists:

1. Mr. Devasish Dutta, CEO - Gitanjali Lifestyle Limited & MD at MGPL Private Ltd.
2. Mr. Amit Dutta, CEO - Luxury Marketing Council India and MD & Founder at Luxury
Hues Consultancy Limited & Quintessentially Concierge India
3. Mr. Sandeep Vij, CEO - DDB Mudra Group at Mudra Communicatio
4. Ms. Ruchita Sharma, Head of Luxury Retail at the Bird Group & Head of Strategic
Planning at Globaluxia
5. Mr. Sudeep Chhabra, Head of Marketing at DLF Emporio
6. Ms. Roasie Ahluwalia, GM - Marketing Communications at Genesis Luxury Fashion
Pvt. Ltd.


Session III: “Charming their way to Consumer Loyalty – Th e Services Industry”

Speakers:

1. Abhinav Rahul, VP Corporate Communication at Max New York Life Insurance
2. Mr. Mouli Venkataraman, Head - Portfolio Planning and Insights at Nokia*
3. Mr. B Hariharan, VP Sales & Marketing at ITC Hotels*


* Confirmation Awaited

NATIONAL MARKETING SYMPOSIUM 2010

“THE CONSUMER RETENTION ROUTE TO ENHANCING ROMI”

“Loyalty cannot be blueprinted. It cannot be produced on an assembly line. In fact, it cannot be manufactured at all, for its origin is the human heart – the centre of self respect and human dignity. It is a force that will leap into being only when conditions are exactly right for it – and it is a force very sensitive to betrayal.” ~ Maurice Franks

Let us begin with a simple question: Who gives a bigger return on marketing investment – an existing consumer of your brand who must be retained for the possibility of a future repurchase; or an uninitiated user who expands your consumer base and gives you volumes?



THE THEME – NATIONAL MARKETING SYMPOSIUM 2010


“T he c onsumer ret ent ion rout e t o enhanc in g RO M I” – Understanding Brand Loyalty, Efficient Measurement of Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI) and Strategies for Consumer Retention; including low cost IMC techniques aimed at consumer retention to facilitate a greater ROMI. A brief description of the various sub-themes mentioned above is presented in the following paragraphs.

UNDERSTANDING BRAND LOYALTY


As advertising spends break records after records, rivals are leaving no stone unturned to pull your consumer away from you. Besides this, post the deregulation of the Indian economy in the 1990s, the entry of some of the biggest international players in the market has presented Consumer India with a plethora of options to choose from. As clichéd as it may sound, an understanding of the underlying factors that drive consumer loyalty is becoming increasingly important for organizations facing a competition which is stiffer than ever before.

MEASURING ROMI

ROMI – Return on Marketing Investments; is a metric used to measure the overall effectiveness of a marketing campaign to help marketers make better decisions about allocating future investments. ROMI precisely signifies profitability generated for every rupee spent on marketing activities. Some of the parameters that it takes into account are: product positioning (market share), profitability (contribution/
EBIDTA margin) and marketing philosophy and aggression (Selling & distribution).


STRATEGIES FOR CONSUMER RETENTION


A growing top line for an organisation today is not a function of an increasing consumer base alone. Consumer involvement of existing users through engagement, feedback, variants, extensions, upgrades, value addition and a unique experience has become a critical aspect for a year on year sales growth of all successful organisations. The word of mouth publicity which results from all these activities often helps in transforming brands from the ordinary to the iconic.




On August 12, 2010 at The National Marketing Symposium at IIFT; some of the best minds from the corporate world and some of the brightest students in the country will unravel the mind of the consumer who is already connected to a brand.

We welcome you to join us in this discovery.

New Dawn: Launch of Africa Business Cell

July 21, 2010 became a historic day for IIFT as it became the first B-School in India to have an exclusive Africa Business Cell. An entirely a student initiative, it aims at promoting Africa which is beyond war, genocide and famine. It primarily aims at

• Increasing awareness about the vast business opportunities in Africa among the student community of IIFT
• Enhanced interaction among IIFT faculty & students, and leading African & Indian businesses and government officials

The inauguration ceremony was followed by a panel discussion on the theme, ‘India as partner of Africa in growth.’ The panelists included The High Commissioner Designate of Rwanda, The Charge d’affaires, The Embassy of Ethiopia, The High Commissioner of Gambia, The Ambassador of Tunisia, The High Commissioner of Eritrea and The General Manager, The Triton Group.

According World Economic Forum Report (2009), between 2001 and 2008, growth in Gross Domestic Product of the continent of Africa pegged an average of 5.9% annually. This was accompanied by substantial inflows of FDI (foreign direct investment), leading to almost doubling of FDI stock between 2003 and 2007. The McKinsey Quarterly Report 2010 also speaks of how macroeconomic reforms have reduced inflation, improved regulatory environment and opened economies to international business and trade. In this context, Africa offers immense business opportunities in agricultural commodities sourcing and trading, consumer goods, oil & natural gas, automobiles, education, health care, etc.


No wonder such an initiative focusing on Africa is going to bring immense learning and growth opportunities.Kudos to the Africa Business Cell Team and IIFT.

Long Night of Quizzing

Hi all,

Quintessential conducted a Long Night of Quizzing on 21st from 8 PM to 6 AM on 22nd.
We would like to thank all the participants who made the Long Night of Quizzing a big success by staying on till 6AM(for the food & drinks maybe) and there was never a dull moment in the entire time. We had good fun and hope it was the same for the junta as well.

The consolidated list of winners are as follows:-

General Quiz:-

Chaitanya V
Harihar Adarsh

Bollywood Quiz:-

Chaitanya V
Geetanjali Keerti

Cricket Quiz:-

Anushil
Shantanu Munshi

Finance Quiz:-

Dr Vijay Malik
Vamsi Krishna

Trade Quiz:-

Abhijith B
Amit Kumar

IT Quiz:-

Chaitanya V
Harihar Adarsh
Rehber Nazir

Literature Quiz:-

Praveen P
Amandeep

We congratulate all the winners and once again thank everyone else for being there and making the night long event a success.


-
Quintessential
_________________________
Abhijith B +91-9650840301
Dhruv Jain +91-9910070268
_________________________

Congrats Ashutosh and Archit

Congrats to them for being 1st Runners-Up in Lumiere - Nirma university Paper Presentation Competition on
COPENHAGEN: BUSINESS, POLITICS AND DEVELOPMENT on the theme Copenhagen in Africa

Nirma Event website