The most exciting thing for a b-schooler is to work on real-world problems of one of India’s top federations. And what better way than to do it with case study competitions? Mahindra War Room is a unique opportunity for business school students. In this series of Mahindra Warriors, we feature the 20 teams – the finalists. The ones who have made it to the last leg of the competition. The series comprises of the Warriors’ journey.
Meet the Mahindra Warriors in this series and tell us who do you think has what it takes to win this year’s Mahindra War Room. Let us know in the comments below!
Introduce each member of your team!
Kartik is a fresher from IET DAVV Indore and is currently pursuing MBA with Marketing and Finance specialization at XLRI Jamshedpur. He interned at Microland Ltd. Kartik is a Table Tennis player and was a part of his department team during graduation. He also loves to travel and explore new places.
Gaurav is a fresher from IIT Indore and is currently pursuing MBA with Marketing and Finance specialization at XLRI Jamshedpur. He interned at Johnson & Johnson. Gaurav is a basketball player and has represented IIT Indore and XLRI at various competitions. He is also a drummer and loves to write poems.
Yash Parikh is a PGDM student at XLRI-Jamshedpur pursuing Business Management. He interned with PharmEasy as Marketing and Sales Summer intern. He is a Civil Engineer and an aficionado -fascinated by the amazing business ventures around the world. He is experienced in handling sales, procurement, and inventory of the business. He has also worked on government subsidies on new machine installation.
Karneek Patel is a PGDM student at XLRI-Jamshedpur pursuing Business Management, with a prior work experience in Reliance Industries Limited. He has done his summer internship at AB InBev. He is a badminton player and has represented IIT (BHU), Varanasi at various competitions.
What made you participate in Mahindra Warroom Season 11?
Mahindra war room is very different from every other case competitions. It gives an opportunity to work on an idea from end to end which involved every aspect of an MBA education and therefore provides a holistic outlook to the problem. It gives a thrill of conceiving a business opportunity and making a strategy to bring that concept to application. Rest all other case competitions focus on only one or two aspects of the business. Mahindra war room is for sure the most exciting case study competition that one can take part in.
After getting to know the group better through the competition, what does Mahindra Group stand for, in your mind?
According to our exposure and understanding till date, for us, the Mahindra group stands for excellence, integrity, courage. Mahindra is a group that firmly believes in creating value for the country and uplifting its citizens.
How did you go about picking your case and solving it? Tell us a few team anecdotes.
Mahindra has been empowering farmers to realize their true potential through various initiatives in farmland equipment and microfinancing. The business model that we have developed in this case would help in developing the agrarian economy of India and make it at par with the global competitive space. We looked for the gaps in the current supply chain of agribusiness and plug it through the developed synergies across the businesses of Mahindra.
How are you preparing for the finale?
We visited the gram panchayat, analysed the ITC E-chaupal Business Model and also visualized the flow of information and inventory throughout the supply chain. This helped us in gaining major insights from farmers, consumers as well as intermediaries.
What is the one question you would like to ask Mr Anand Mahindra when you meet him in person?
Mahindra has forayed into an array of businesses that are institutionally different in nature. It yet has been able to integrate them into one brand. What are the parameters to be kept in mind while making a decision on whether to divest or invest in a particular business?
Your plan with the prize money?
We have always been fascinated by the amazing business start-ups that are developing in India at a very fast pace. We are working on developing a nationwide human milk bank that would help serve the infants with the liquid gold. The proceeds of the winning amount would be utilized in developing a workable solution of our business model.