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Visiting Wisdom and CEO Quest...contd.

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Guest speaker: Professor Charles Fine [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management Lecture Topic: "Value Chain Dynamics in Communication and Beyond" Date: 14th December 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Prof. Charles H Fine spoke to the students about 'Value Chain Dynamics in Communications & Beyond'. He took us through the physics of flow in supply chains and the biology of evolution in value chains. He focused on supply chain strategy and value chain roadmapping, with a particular focus on fast-clockspeed manufacturing industries. His innovative 'Gear Model' approach to value chain road mapping showed how different sectors in the industry are interlinked as intermeshed gears. He shared his research about dynamic models for assessing the leverage among the various components in complex industrial value chains and principles for value chain design, based on strategic and logistical assessments.

Guest speaker: Mr. Paul William Bradley [Click for detailed profile] Designation: President - Arshiya International Lecture Topic: "The recent evolution of the supply chain industry and new SCM models evolving in Asia. " Date: 5th October, 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Bradely began his presentation by describing the core philosophy, the vision and the values of Arshiya International along with a profile of the organization. He then shared with the students emerging trends in the Supply Chain Industry with special focus on Asia. He articulated how supply chains in China and India have evolved over a period of time and where he believes they are headed. He gave a ringside view of the physical highways and the virtual highways created by China and India respectively and how these would define each courtier’s future as a global supply chain destination. He also presented his insights into the competitive advantage these countries posses in context of the prevailing industry dynamics. The lecture was a wonderful learning experience and concluded with an intriguing Q&A session.

Guest speaker: Dr. Christopher Holmes [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Research Director for Manufacturing Insights in Asia/Pacific, a part of the IDC Group of Companies Lecture Topic: "Product Road mapping: Concept through to Application" Date: 3rd October, 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Dr Holmes shared his experiences on how product road mapping can help companies to identify appropriate technology that will enable them to upgrade and evolve in the flat world. He demonstrated using multiple case studies how this process involves the completion of an initial assessment and then progressing to technology road mapping where business drivers are mapped against technology requirements producing a roadmap to allow the company to plan its technology development and acquisition. Examples from diverse industries including aerospace, high-tech and telecom etc made the session highly relevant and knowledgeable. Dr Holmes also provided insights into IDC's operations in the region and discussed what the emerging trends in global manufacturing were.

Guest speaker: Mr. Jason Goff Designation: Head Group Treasury Sales, Emirates Bank, UAE Lecture Topic: “Financial crisis over the past 30 years with an emphasis on Sub prime crisis” Date: 3rd October, 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr. Goff talked about the financial crisis over the last 30 years and the current Sub prime credit crisis. He threw light on the fluctuating economic cycles and expressed concern over the current scenario. According to Mr. Goff the interdependence between various economies of the world, partly as a result of globalization, has made the markets more complex than ever before. He also expressed concern over the US trade deficit, burgeoning US fiscal deficit and declining US dollar. The emergence of Asia as the world growth engine propelled by high growth rates in China and India is causing an economic power shift in the world. In his reply to one of the questions he expressed concern over the high inflation in UAE and Dubai in particular. His presentation had a lot of personal opinion on the data collected over the years and elucidated that the financial world is going to witness some of the most interesting times in its history.

Guest speaker: Mr. Harshit Jain [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Head-Liabilities and Transactional Banking division, National Bank of Dubai, Dubai Lecture Topic: "Selling has passed its Sell-by Date with special reference to BFSI" Date: 13th September 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Expectations of students vis-à-vis careers in Banking Operations were clarified and tips on how to be successful in banking were highlighted. Mr. Jain shared his personal testimony about how he started his career in the systems division of a bank and moved up the ladder chain right after completing his MBA.

Guest speaker: Mr.Yogendra Durlabji Designation: Entrepreneur Lecture Topic: "Social Entrepreneurship in India: The Story of a Hospital" Date: 10th September 2007 Campus: Singapore Key learning: Mr. Yogendra Durlabji spoke about Social Entrepreneurship in India and how it is imperative for Indians to take on responsibilities to uplift and create equitable distribution of resources in society. Social Entrepreneurship is at a reasonably nascent stage right now, as entrepreneurship is usually associated with profits. He also went on to explain the need of the bourgeoisie to understand the social responsibility they have.

Guest speaker: Mr. Dan Swartwood Designation: Director, Value Chain, Pragmatek Consulting Group, Minneapolis, USA Lecture Topic: "Supply Chain Management & SCOR" Date: 8th September 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: The guest speaker introduced the SCOR (Supply-Chain Operations Reference) model in supply chain management, which is a new methodology of evaluating inventories, strategies and other critical details to ensure an efficient and cost effective work flow process. He went on to explain how SCOR enables users to address, improve, and communicate supply-chain management practices within and between all interested parties- spanning from the supplier's supplier to the customer's customer. He mentioned how the SCOR-model has been developed to describe the business activities associated with all phases of satisfying a customer's demand.

Guest speaker: Mr. Prithvi Shergill Designation: Human Capital Strategy Lead - Accenture, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Aligning Investments in Strategic Workforces with Executive Priorities to Achieve High Performance" Date: 6th September 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: The speaker, Mr. Prithvi Shergill began the talk by introducing the audience to contemporary HR strategies. As Accenture is primarily involved in Management Consultancy, his speech was laced with facts and figures and his own experiences. He believed that investments made can be effective if and only if the work force is strategically involved and managerial efficiencies are maintained.

Guest Speaker: Mr. Rakesh Wahi [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Chairman & Managing Director, Capital Management Advisors (CMA), Dubai Lecture Topic: "Private Equity as a Business with Case Study on CNBC, Africa and Microsoft, Srilanka" Date: 4th September 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: The guest speaker, Mr. Rakesh Wahi spoke about the investment strategies of Private Equity funds. Hands-on practical tips on investing in Private equity funds with challenges faced in real life were illustrated in this lecture. He started with the Sun Tzu tactics of war, a major highlight in approaching new terrains in investing in business. This immediately helped him grab the attention of his audience. While sharing the experiences he had in Africa with CNBC and in Srilanka with Microsoft, he gave detailed explanations regarding all aspects of Private Equity funds - right from the different roles and forms of private equity, to its advantages to investors, to how regional characteristics define the investment strategies for a PE. His lecture was a wonderful learning experience which left the audience impressed by the quality and the level of learning achieved.

Guest speaker: Mr. Rahul Maharishi Designation: Vice President , Van Gogh Preferred Banking, ABN AMRO Bank N.V., Dubai Lecture Topic: "Banking & Financial Services in UAE" Date: 30th August 2007 Campus: Dubai Key learning: Mr. Rahul Maharishi spoke about the banking and financial services industry in the UAE. He highlighted the fact that knowledge of the local culture and customs is a vital instrument for foreign banks to operate in the UAE. The students were very impressed when he stressed on how passion and a hunger to follow ones inner dream were an important keys to a successful career.

Guest speaker: Dr Lynda Wee Designation: Principal/Senior Vice President, Learning & Development, Capitaland, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Mall Management in Singapore" Date: 30th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key learning: Dr Lynda Wee's speech was primarily targeted at the retail industry. She felt that with the onset of organized retail sector in the world, mall management is one of the core concepts that one needs to imbibe in order to be successful managers. She talked about various strategies that malls adopt in order to increase productive foot falls

Guest speaker: Mr. Kaushik Gathak Designation: Director, SCM Applications - Global Sales Support Division, Oracle Corporation, Singapore Lecture Topic: Trends in Supply Chain Management Date: 25th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: The speaker talked about the issues facing Supply Chain for Oracle, their competitive strategies and the effect of globalization on their business. He also talked about the changing sales requirements and the need to upscale their sales operations.

Guest speaker: Mr. Stefano Pelle [Click for detailed profile] Designation: MD, Perfetti India Lecture Topic: "Emerging Market Trends and Special Focus on BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China)" Date: 23rd August 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: The lecture began with the guest speaker showing the audience clippings of some major events that have shaped the destiny of the world over the past 15 years to bring across the point of the world now becoming a global village and thereby bringing about major changes in the market dynamics across nations. The impact of this change was specifically discussed in the context of the four major emerging countries namely Brazil, Russia, China, India (BRIC countries) which are predicted to be the economic leaders of the world in the next 25 years. The distinguished speaker went on to explain specifically as to what were the key factors that were propelling these countries towards this unprecedented growth, with a focus on the different approach to growth between India and China followed by a discussion on the pros and cons of each of these approaches in the light of a global scenario. The speaker also focused on the power of media and advertising in influencing the minds of the public. The session stood out for its innovative method of presentation and quality of content.

Guest speaker: Mr. Sharukh Masood Designation: Head HR-Reckitt Benckiser, Dubai Lecture Topic: "Career and growth prospects in FMCG vertical " Date: 22nd August 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Mr. Sharukh Masood began his presentation by highlighting the core philosophy, the vision and the values of Reckittt Benckiser along with a profile of the organization. He also spoke about the flagship products of the company like Dettol, Harpic etc. and how they have been able to completely dominate the markets in their respective areas. The lecture provided an insight into the various prospects in FMCG sector and the recruitment process followed by Reckitt Benckiser. Mr. Sharukh spoke about the different stages of growth of an individual in his organization, the roles offered, the challenges associated with the different roles and most importantly the willingness to be always on the move in any capacity in the organization. Mr. Sharukh also explained the HR policies governing his organization and praised S P Jain for maintaining its commitment towards producing "Managers and not just students with an MBA degree". The presentation ended with a video footage of Reckitt Benckiser's induction program.

Guest speaker: Mr. Suresh Kalpathy Designation: Director - Partner Strategy, Marketing & Programs, Asia Pacific, Microsoft, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Where is IT headed - Trends and Business priorities in shaping IT for the future & Return of the Fundamentals" Date: 22nd August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: As the topic suggests, Mr. Suresh Kalpathy spoke about the IT infrastructure in the world today and dynamic requirements which are ever-changing. The discussion then turned towards Globalization and how the world was turning into a global village due to the internet and other networking facilities

Guest speaker: Mr. Gordon Simpson Designation: Sr. Vice President-Human Resources, Asia Pacific - DHL Logistics, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Talent Management within DHL Logistics" Date: 16th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Gordon Simpson started by explaining what Talent Management is. It is the process through which employers anticipate their human capital needs and set about meeting them. Getting the right people with the right skills into the right jobs is a common definition of talent management and it is the basic people management challenge in organizations. DHL is one of the best case studies for Supply Chain Management and hence this lecture was well received by most students who aspire to be a part of it some day. He went on to enumerate the strategies and competencies of DHL and how it was consistently moving towards and maintaining its leadership position.

Guest speaker: Ms. Diana David Designation: Regional Director, Circulation / Business Development, Financial Times Asia, Hong Kong Lecture Topic: "Enhancing your Judgment, Leadership and Experience" Date: 15th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Ms. David spoke about the three key factors that an individual needs in order to succeed in ones career - Judgment, Leadership and Experience. She said that we must keep enhancing and bettering ourselves in these areas in order to continue growing as individuals as well as professionally. Financial Times is one of the most informative and appreciated papers across the world; hence her talk also gave a better understanding of the paper, its financials, its sources, targets and other details which created fodder for further discussion amongst the students.

Guest speaker: Dr. Vikas Uberoi Designation: US based independent consultant Lecture Topic: "Corporate social responsibility aspects relating to supply chain management and business development" Date: 15th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Dr. Vikas Uberoi spoke about the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives undertaken by various organizations and highlighted the ITC e-Choupal scheme, through which ITC aims to confer the power of expert knowledge on even the smallest individual farmer, thus enhancing his competitiveness in the global market. He felt that CSR initiatives have become a moral responsibility of corporates today. He also talked about the extensive media coverage that corporates get for their ventures in philanthropy and improving the environment around them.

Guest speaker: Mr. Thomas Kuruvilla Designation: Managing Director and Head, Strategy & Organizational Practice, Middle East & South Asia, Arthur D Little, Singapore Lecture Topic: "Globalization - Key consideration for Corporations" Date: 13th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Arthur D. Little is one of the most respected and successful consultancies in Asia and Middle East. As a consultant, Mr. Thomas Kuruvilla suggested that corporations need to be sensitive to the needs and sentiments of different countries and that it is the spirit of globalization which has to be encouraged for the boundaries to dissolve.

Guest speaker: Mr. Suraj Mishra Designation: Chief Executive Officer, Prudential Asset Management (Singapore) Ltd., Singapore Lecture Topic: "Funds history to status and challenges in the APAC and Middle East" Date: 10th August 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Suraj Mishra spoke about the credit policies in Singapore and then turned the discussion towards Asset Management requirements and the market potential for the same. As Investment banking happens to be the hot favorite amongst corporates today, it was an informative talk on Asset Management and Wealth Management

Guest speaker: Dr. Tariq Yousef [Click for detailed profile] Designation: Dean, Dubai School of Government, Dubai Lecture Topic: "The Economies of the Middle East from boom to bust, and back" Date: 17th July 2007 Campus: Dubai Key Learning: Dr Yousef enlightened the audience on the emergence of the Arab economy in the last 30 years. Inferences were drawn from 70's which saw a transition phase as a result of a sudden upsurge in oil prices. This placed the economy on the global map but the mid eighties gave it a different twist with a sudden slump in oil prices which had a serious bearing on the economy. Coming back to the present, with oil prices gaining momentum again, the big question arises - What next?? Is the Middle East still susceptible to the movements in oil prices or are there other means that will ensure that the impact is kept under check? Although the Middle East has diversified its revenue streams into hospitality, tourism, financials, real estate, manufacturing sectors and other services, the oil prices still impact the region's balance sheet. Dr. Yousef also drew upon the shifts in economic thinking right from the neo classical era to Keynesian economics with a famous quote of Keynes "In the long run we are all dead". From the State controlled era to the free market economy where the forces of invisible hands interact to form a price-demand-supply mechanism.

Guest speaker: Mr. Rajiv Taneja Designation: Faculty - SIBM, India Lecture Topic: "Direct marketing and Key Accounts management" Date: 16th July 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Mr. Rajiv Taneja spoke about how Key Accounts Management (KAM) is an area that has been the apple of the eye for a lot of C level executives. The idea essentially originated in firms like HLL, for whom, there are multiple big/small portfolios and accounts and hence it would be suicidal for them to ignore even the minutest of details with them. In recent years, key account management has become a crucial issue for many companies. Driven by some form of 80/20 rule - 80% of current or potential revenues come from 20% of customers - many firms have come to realize that these customers must be treated somewhat differently from the average customer.

Guest speaker: Mr. Nirmal Gupta Designation: Faculty - S P Jain Dubai/Singapore, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad Lecture Topic: "Sales Forecasting for New Product Launches" Date: 1st July, 2007 Campus: Singapore Key Learning: Dr. Nirmal Gupta truly lived up to his stature and discussed a key area of interest - he spoke about the various methods to undertake sales forecasting and other allied fields. He also spoke of the necessary details to bear in mind while launching a new product. Sales forecasting is a difficult area of management and the sales forecasting process is a critical one for most businesses. Key decisions that are derived from a sales forecast include- Employment levels required, Promotional mix and Investment in production capacity.

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