IIM Udaipur, a place away from the hustle and bustle of the city but surrounded by the beautiful range of Aravalli mountains. There is no beautiful scenery than a morning view from any hostel window of IIM Udaipur. The unique thing about our campus has is the location that it has got. Udaipur is known for its history, culture and scenic locations all over the country. It is also referred as ‘City of Lakes’ and ‘Eastern Venice’. We have our campus in a very peaceful part of the city between the hills of Aravalli.
Before we understand why the experience was memorable; let me give you a context. I am a Mechanical Engineer who did a stint at a reputed firm in Technical Sales and Marketing role. We had a highly differentiated product, and we were into monopoly business. Guess how I sold the product?
When you stay in a place with over 400 people, for more a year, you tend to notice different things around you. The people, you notice them the most. As you start studying the same people on a daily basis, you get acquitted to their quirks and when you interact with them, you realise what sets them apart.
IIM Kashipur is the first one among the new IIMs to shift to its own campus. Located in Kundeshwari, it is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful campuses amongst educational institutions. The lush green campus sprawls to over an area of 200 acres. The campus is designed in a way keeping in mind that it is eco-friendly. One of the unique aspects I feel about this Institute is the amphitheatre. It has a beautiful setting and some events like Republic Day, Yoga Day and various other competitions and events are held there. The whole campus is made up of red bricks which gives it a unique appearance and is visually appealing. As the program offered by the institute is a residential program, there are provisions to stay for both the students and faculties. Student hostels in IIM Kashipur follow a unique design and setting in the form of flats. In this arrangement on every floor, there are six rooms and a hall which the students can use it to discuss various assignments and practice various subjects. There is no air conditioning in the hostels; instead radiant cooling is used to reduce carbon footprint and contribute to conserving the environment.
The below essay is an overview of a learning-team discussion on an ordinary b-school day. Typically, cases are first to individually analyzed, then discussed in the respective learning teams, and then go to class to a class discussion anchored by the professor. Learning-team discussions can be a well of learning and problem solving, and below is an illustration of the same. After our morning class on corporate valuation, we sat down in our team of four to prepare our analysis for a case in Financial Statement Analysis course. This is one of my favorite teams to work with. There is a lot of learning and they are some of the loveliest people I know. During the term, we work in different teams for different courses. We learn to adapt, and change working styles according to the team. Today, we were working on the case, Target Corporation: Ackman versus the Board. Target was a discount store that differentiated itself by offering higher quality products as well. The case revolved around Target’s proxy fight with activist shareholder Bill Ackman. There are three major players in the case – Target Corporation, Bill Ackman, and the jury. The teams in the class were allocated one of the three roles, and they had to come prepared to put forth their side of the argument. We were to take the side of Bill Ackman. Ackman had acquired 10% of Target’s stocks and had been pushing for some major changes in Target’s strategy to increase the value of Target’s stock to shareholders. In the economic downturn of 2007 – 2009, Target’s stock price had gone down and below Walmart, and its sales growth plummeted. Ackman proposed plans for real estate sale-leaseback, selling off the credit card business, and increased stock repurchase. These major plans were rejected. This started Ackman’s proxy fight to have his nominations on the board. Target put up re-nomination of its current board. Our task involved making a good financial case from Ackman’s side. When we started our discussion, it seemed that there were more reasons on Target’s side. But then we deliberately tried to take a look from the other side. We decided to prove that Target’s ‘business as usual’ will lead down a downward path, Ackman’s proposed plan will save the company in the long term and is not short-sighted as many accused it of being. It is always fun to go through financial statement elements and interpret, especially with a favorite team.“The analysis keeps building on like a symphony. New insights are thrown around by each of us, then the significance of that insight is debated upon and then dismissed or built upon.”After spending a couple of hours, there may still be still nothing to show for it. But then the discussion itself is worth for having tested your skills to come up arguments and staying alert for other’s insights, creating new neural pathways in the brain. We believe that we made a satisfactory case for Ackman. We eagerly look forward to the class to put forth our case. There are others who are going to have other points of view, and the professor is going to poke holes at our analysis. But this is what makes it interesting and learning possible.
When I was striving to take a strategic detour from my really hectic first 15 days at XIMB, these Bongs entered my life in a fortunate stroke of serendipity. This crazy bunch of people has become everything I need to get going in XIMB!
It’s 9.28 a.m. and dressed in smart shirts and crisp trousers all of us sit awaiting the professor for our first lecture. I look around at all these students dressed in wonderful formals and wonder where have I come? Is it a ‘college classroom’ or ‘a corporate meeting’? Formals in classrooms are a must at IIM Raipur. I cringe at this thought. Why can’t we wear casuals like they do at other b-schools? It is so tough to sit in these formals throughout the day. I ask this question to our senior -Yogesh Verma (ever so helpful and smiling). He smiles and says that’s precisely why. I don’t understand and then he explains that when I begin my corporate life, I would have to do it daily so my two years at IIM Raipur will train me for that. The days pass and with each passing day formals become a part of my skin. I feel extremely at ease in this dress code. It feels different. It gives me a sense of purpose.
A campus like IIM Raipur is very special to me. A campus not only consists the infrastructure. It consists of our seniors, batch mates, faculties and a lot more. I completed my B.tech and I wanted to explore a different side of me. I wanted to do more than just the technical stuff. I wanted to enter in a diverse crowd to know myself better.
IIM Udaipur, a place away from the hustle and bustle of the city but surrounded by the beautiful range of Aravalli mountains. There is no beautiful scenery than a morning view from any hostel window of IIM Udaipur. The unique thing about our campus has is the location that it has got. Udaipur is known for its history, culture and scenic locations all over the country. It is also referred as ‘City of Lakes’ and ‘Eastern Venice’. We have our campus in a very peaceful part of the city between the hills of Aravalli.
Before we understand why the experience was memorable; let me give you a context. I am a Mechanical Engineer who did a stint at a reputed firm in Technical Sales and Marketing role. We had a highly differentiated product, and we were into monopoly business. Guess how I sold the product?
When you stay in a place with over 400 people, for more a year, you tend to notice different things around you. The people, you notice them the most. As you start studying the same people on a daily basis, you get acquitted to their quirks and when you interact with them, you realise what sets them apart.
IIM Kashipur is the first one among the new IIMs to shift to its own campus. Located in Kundeshwari, it is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful campuses amongst educational institutions. The lush green campus sprawls to over an area of 200 acres. The campus is designed in a way keeping in mind that it is eco-friendly. One of the unique aspects I feel about this Institute is the amphitheatre. It has a beautiful setting and some events like Republic Day, Yoga Day and various other competitions and events are held there. The whole campus is made up of red bricks which gives it a unique appearance and is visually appealing. As the program offered by the institute is a residential program, there are provisions to stay for both the students and faculties. Student hostels in IIM Kashipur follow a unique design and setting in the form of flats. In this arrangement on every floor, there are six rooms and a hall which the students can use it to discuss various assignments and practice various subjects. There is no air conditioning in the hostels; instead radiant cooling is used to reduce carbon footprint and contribute to conserving the environment.
The below essay is an overview of a learning-team discussion on an ordinary b-school day. Typically, cases are first to individually analyzed, then discussed in the respective learning teams, and then go to class to a class discussion anchored by the professor. Learning-team discussions can be a well of learning and problem solving, and below is an illustration of the same. After our morning class on corporate valuation, we sat down in our team of four to prepare our analysis for a case in Financial Statement Analysis course. This is one of my favorite teams to work with. There is a lot of learning and they are some of the loveliest people I know. During the term, we work in different teams for different courses. We learn to adapt, and change working styles according to the team. Today, we were working on the case, Target Corporation: Ackman versus the Board. Target was a discount store that differentiated itself by offering higher quality products as well. The case revolved around Target’s proxy fight with activist shareholder Bill Ackman. There are three major players in the case – Target Corporation, Bill Ackman, and the jury. The teams in the class were allocated one of the three roles, and they had to come prepared to put forth their side of the argument. We were to take the side of Bill Ackman. Ackman had acquired 10% of Target’s stocks and had been pushing for some major changes in Target’s strategy to increase the value of Target’s stock to shareholders. In the economic downturn of 2007 – 2009, Target’s stock price had gone down and below Walmart, and its sales growth plummeted. Ackman proposed plans for real estate sale-leaseback, selling off the credit card business, and increased stock repurchase. These major plans were rejected. This started Ackman’s proxy fight to have his nominations on the board. Target put up re-nomination of its current board. Our task involved making a good financial case from Ackman’s side. When we started our discussion, it seemed that there were more reasons on Target’s side. But then we deliberately tried to take a look from the other side. We decided to prove that Target’s ‘business as usual’ will lead down a downward path, Ackman’s proposed plan will save the company in the long term and is not short-sighted as many accused it of being. It is always fun to go through financial statement elements and interpret, especially with a favorite team.“The analysis keeps building on like a symphony. New insights are thrown around by each of us, then the significance of that insight is debated upon and then dismissed or built upon.”After spending a couple of hours, there may still be still nothing to show for it. But then the discussion itself is worth for having tested your skills to come up arguments and staying alert for other’s insights, creating new neural pathways in the brain. We believe that we made a satisfactory case for Ackman. We eagerly look forward to the class to put forth our case. There are others who are going to have other points of view, and the professor is going to poke holes at our analysis. But this is what makes it interesting and learning possible.
When I was striving to take a strategic detour from my really hectic first 15 days at XIMB, these Bongs entered my life in a fortunate stroke of serendipity. This crazy bunch of people has become everything I need to get going in XIMB!
It’s 9.28 a.m. and dressed in smart shirts and crisp trousers all of us sit awaiting the professor for our first lecture. I look around at all these students dressed in wonderful formals and wonder where have I come? Is it a ‘college classroom’ or ‘a corporate meeting’? Formals in classrooms are a must at IIM Raipur. I cringe at this thought. Why can’t we wear casuals like they do at other b-schools? It is so tough to sit in these formals throughout the day. I ask this question to our senior -Yogesh Verma (ever so helpful and smiling). He smiles and says that’s precisely why. I don’t understand and then he explains that when I begin my corporate life, I would have to do it daily so my two years at IIM Raipur will train me for that. The days pass and with each passing day formals become a part of my skin. I feel extremely at ease in this dress code. It feels different. It gives me a sense of purpose.
A campus like IIM Raipur is very special to me. A campus not only consists the infrastructure. It consists of our seniors, batch mates, faculties and a lot more. I completed my B.tech and I wanted to explore a different side of me. I wanted to do more than just the technical stuff. I wanted to enter in a diverse crowd to know myself better.
