It is exactly a year today when I first stepped into the JBIMS, Mumbai Campus. Well, when compared to the campuses and infrastructure of the other Top Management Institutes across the country, the grand old red building doesn’t set much store. To be brutally honest, having dreamt of the A, B, Cs of the IIMs I had my apprehensions about JBIMS. Around 12 months into this roller-coaster ride, I happily admit I have never been so wrong and the old red building has been the best thing to happen to me!
As it happens everywhere, the journey started off with an Induction, where we were drilled into the JB way of doing things – a freedom to do things your way, achieve the best results nut holding the high standards the illustrious alumni have set for the forthcoming batches. Located in the financial capital of the country, JBIMS has developed a reputation for itself – churning out some of the best financial professionals in the country. I being an out and out Marketing enthusiast with little to no inclination of an interest in dealing with numbers, was looking forward to the first lessons in the domain.
The best thing about JBIMS is that you have industry veterans teaching you – it is not only the theory of the Management Gurus, but also their vast experience of how the business actually functions, how time won’t be so kind when you have to take a business decision and how theory actually blends in with the practical world and when to make the best use of it. One week into the lectures, all disinterest into Finance as a whole was forgotten. Marketing lessons could not have better- with the very first lecture actually being a field trip to the market – getting the ‘smell of the bazaar’ and learning how a good marketer should always keep a ear close to the grounds, because that is where all the action happens, where all your insights lay to be discovered.
All in all, a year down JB teaches you that Management is more than a specialization in Marketing, Finance or Operations; it’s a delicate, well-balanced combination of all – like a table, without anyone of its legs, it wouldn’t stand firm- each equally important to master. JBIMS turns you into an all-rounder before you step out of the campus - into the corporate realm. There is no dull day at Bajaj, every day you learn – from the masters of the industry, from your fellow batch mates and the city itself.
So who says JBIMS does not have a campus? The entire city of Bombay is our backyard! Be it playing out a game of cricket at the Oval Maidan or hearing Noble Laureates enlighten you in a heritage precinct and the famous Queen’s Necklace overlooking the vast Arabian Sea with its cool evening breeze providing you the ideal spot to stir your thoughts, generate ideas and find solutions as you find your customers are here – people from every walks of life with no distinction of rich and poor. The entire city, is my classroom and I can bet, no management campus anywhere in the world can provide you this learning that JB drills into you – reality!
Which ABG Company would you want to work for and why?
Aditya Birla Group being one of the world’s leading conglomerates and its business operations so widespread - it offers innumerous opportunities to a fresh management graduate like me, which only a few might be able to match. Given a chance to work with the Aditya Birla Group, I would love to work with the Retail or the Fashion and Retail business in their Sales and Marketing functions. The sheer number of brands it holds, the wide variety of customers it serves and with operations across the country in both offline and online modes makes it extremely attractive. You get a chance to interact, set-up and fine tune every step of the retail chain – right from what to manufacture, what stocks to keep, how to keep your retailers, franchises and customers happy at every touch point. Doing all this while maintaining a strong and positive P&L – the Aditya Birla way.
As India reaps the demographic dividend, the purchasing powers of the populace increasing and so the demand to look good, to buy quality clothing as they head of to work or an evening to let their hair down. The Fashion and Retail industry is where all the action is and perfectly well suited for someone like me – with a never-ending eagerness to learn at every step and deliver satisfaction to each element in the value chain but profitably.