The Indian School of Business Weblog » ISB

Only one way to go from here!

Amit — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:54:55 +0000

If you haven’t heard it already, ISB has been ranked 12th by the Financial Times, London in its 2010 global MBA rankings!

It was only a year back that Debottam, from the Class of 2009, wrote about how proud he was at ISB being ranked 15th by Financial Times. The honor this time, is all mine. ISB is the youngest B-School in the top 20, and the journey from 20 to 15 and now to 12, in three years, has been a remarkable one.

As they say, there seems to be only one way to go from here! Here is to ISB. We Rock!!.

Solstice Wrap Up – Day 1

Class of 2010 — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:56:42 +0000

Solstice 2009 was a blast here at ISB. While its been a while since we promised a proper update, we have all been busy (as usual) with classes and events. On top of it all, placement season is upon us, and placement talks are keeping us well and truly busy!

Anyway, back to the original topic. Solstice this year was a gala affair, running over the complete weekend from 18th to 20th Dec, with over 500 alumni and their families in attendance from all over the place. We also had alums sharing quads with current students, getting nostalgic about their ISB days.

The student villages were all decked up for Solstice, with lighting and promotional posters (comprising of some really funny extracts from the batch yearbooks) all over the place.

Student Village 2

Student Village 3

Most of the alums arrived on campus on Friday, with registrations during the day. We also had mock interviews for the current batch by some volunteer alums as well as events for kids who were on campus. There was poker from the afternoon till evening, followed by a ‘Speed Networking’ designed to help the current students get to know the alums better.

This was followed by dinner and drinks with the alums along with a stand up comedy show, ‘Hamateur Night’ was the term, at the Class of ’09 Amphitheater, by Vir Das, the Indian equivalent of Russel Peters. The show was opened by ISBians trying out their hand at stand up comedy. For some videos of his work, try looking on Youtube. [WARNING: Search at your own risk. Some of the videos may be considered offensive by some people. We take no responsibility for your search results.]

Vir Das @ ISB

The comedy hour was followed up by a bollywood themed Christmas party at the Class of ’08 lounge. We had a DJ flown in from Mumbai and the party rocked, with a huge number of people on the dance floor! This was probably the biggest party on campus till date, and we may not be able to match it again, though I am keeping my fingers crossed over the last going away party of the year.

The Party

The Dance Floor was Full

The party went on till late in the morning, with people being ferried to a nearby hotel for an early breakfast to actually end the party! And yeah, 5AM is early by all standards!!

More about the second day festivities, and the a great music concert in the next post…

- Jasnoor, Class of 2010

Halloween Party and a Lazy Weekend

Class of 2010 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 04:35:17 +0000

After a long long time, I finally had a weekend when I didn’t have any assignments due immediately. This of course did not mean I wasn’t busy. I was still running around the whole weekend from one meeting to another for a couple of project reports we have to submit. However, since those aren’t due for at least another 10 days or so, the weekend was relatively chilled out compared to others who had assignments due over the weekend.

The best part of the weekend was the Halloween party organised by the Student Life Council at the open air 08 Lounge. It was the largest party yet, with lots of alums turning up as well. People turned up in proper Halloween attire, with lots of thought having gone into the costumes. There was food, drinks, as well a rocking DJ…

The Open Air Dance Floor

Halloween Decorations

While the party literally went on till the break of dawn, we left at around 4:30 A.M., for a long drive on the smooth road to the Airport!! Its rare that you get time for such things at ISB, traveling with friends on a long road with nothing in particular to think about, just driving to nowhere for the heck of it.

I finally got to bed at around 6 A.M., and was up running to a meeting at 10:30 A.M. Some things never change…..

- Jasnoor, Class of 2010

Bandhan @ ISB in pictures

Amit — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:36:23 +0000

A picture they say is worth a thousand words. At that rate, this definitely mustÂ be an epic!!

Thanks to the photography club for having put this together so well in such a short span of time.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Kaavya — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 15:59:55 +0000

Its summer again. I write this post under the monotone of the airconditioning and as a large watermelon cools in Aashuâ€™s flat below. Life comes a full circle. Exactly a year ago this was how the journey began. 434 random people thrown together, bound only by a singular thought. The thought was fairly simple then – get in, study, party, study some more, get a job, party some more, get out. But the year was everything except being so well laid out. But, we survived it. Slightly battered by the job market and ever-so-slightly scarred by the best laid plans going awry but hey we survived it, didnâ€™t we? Â

I write this post because I submitted my last assignment today. Officially, ISB draws to a close. On the last day of classes i.e. Thursday we had multiple pizzas and coke sponsored by the professors, multiple photo sessions and much-too-much senti talk. Wiggling into every conversation and making its presence felt was relief and yet lots of weariness.

I want to add something super profound here about how I will miss this place for the learning and the interactions, the lectures and the furious-pace of life, the parties and the nick-of-the-time assignment deadlines I met; but I think I will miss my friends the most. I am not sure if we will stay in touch with each other for life, I am not even sure if we will remember each otherâ€™s birthdays three years from now, but what I am sure of is that every time each of us speaks of ISB we will definitely think of the gang and smile.

This post is dedicated to you guys, my lifeline on campus and for being what ISB will forever stand for in my mind. Cheers to a brilliantly completed end and the new beginnings.

K-scores going out to the professors in term 8 for being so understanding and so much fun. Also, for the wonderful Mahabharata story-telling sessions I received in addition to the brilliant LLWL workshop. A mega decibel K-score shout also going out to the Yearbook team volunteers for embracing the project as their own (seriously, I got yelled at more number of times than doing the yelling) and delivering it to such perfection. You rock, guys. I will be privileged to work with you all again and when I start my own venture, you are all board members for sure.

The K-squat scores go out to the gang not being able to do the last trip we had planned to. And, for the grueling schedule of managing 4 strategy courses, 8 AM classes on all days and the yearbook project in one term. I think I need a break and yet we are not doing the trip. Sigh L Â

Consulting?

Kaavya — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 03:46:33 +0000

I think I may just have gained the truest value out of my prized MBA degree today.

I went to the parlor on campus this morning and the lady who owns the little shop was complaining about â€˜talent acquisition and retentionâ€™ problems. Her grouse was that assistants were hard to come by and those who did demanded a salary that she could not really afford.

Now, where else can Managing Teams 101, Marketing 101, Operations 101, Pricing 101, a dash of Marketing 102 come into use?

There I was getting my nails filed and outlining how she could use a â€˜T&M modelâ€™ rather than a â€˜fixed price salary structureâ€™ with her resource. I also drew out which â€˜talent poolsâ€™ she should go after and how she could â€˜incentivizeâ€™ them to join. Thereafter it was a simple matter of convincing her to â€˜rationalize the flow of customersâ€™ so that the model would sync in completely with the resource available at hand. Short of using Littleâ€™s Law and Porterâ€™s 5 Forces, I think I managed the case fairly well.

And, to think, when I was practicing mock cases for placement season, I was so nervous and wondering if I had a single bone of business acumen in me. Ha!

Move over consultingâ€¦here I come! Actually sales is what my new calling in life is and I look forward to contributing towards the bottom line of the firm that has hired me.Â

On other fronts, the business plan I was working on has taken a bit of a backseat with friends and placement pressures taking more priority. Less than three months to go and I am already feeling a huge sense of trepidation in leaving this place and stepping back into the â€˜real worldâ€™. Itâ€™s like the Matrix where you know this is not the real world but something draws you into it and makes you want to stay on longer.

Anyway, for now, I am off to solve the problems of the world with my new found knowledge so please do ping me if you have any pressing business concerns that need immediate resolution. JÂ

FT 15 – A Proud moment for ISB

Debottam — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 08:14:05 +0000

Its official now…We were waiting with anticipation, fearing how the school would do in the Financial Times UK ranking of global B Schools. Last year’s rise to 20th was a mammoth achievement in itself and we all basked in its glory for a while. Jury was out on whether we would be able to maintain our position in Top 20 this year. And lo and behold we areÂ 15thÂ this year.

Although not a firm believer of the different rankings, I think they give an indication of where the school stands and how the world views it to an extent. It also helps build the brand considering a school as young as ours. I think the ISB management, especially former dean MR Rao, deserves a real pat on the back for helping establish the school in the global arena. The alums should also be applauded since their success 3 years out of the school plays a key part in the success in these rankings.

These days it is a tough ask graduating from a B school due to the uncertain economic circumstances. But if ISB continues with the current trend, it will achieve a lot in the year’s to come. Here is to ISB. “WE ROCK“.

Real good news coming through on the Republic Day. Jai Hind!!!

For the curious, please click on the image below to see the details of the ranking.

FT UK Global MBA Ranking 2009

Times to come?

Kaavya — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 07:14:58 +0000

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…

Charles Dickensâ€™ book The Tale of Two Cities couldnâ€™t have had a stronger opening. As time at ISB wears on, I guess, this line has become symptomatic of the times our batch is going through.

Most of us came in expecting a rough ride given that the economy was showing all signs of slowing down. But then the investment banks came crashing down and everything just went off trajectory. The ensuing mayhem in the stock markets, the currency markets, Iceland, PE, real estate, even the grocery store here in ISB is unbelievable. Fear is palpable.

I call myself the child of a â€˜providing Indiaâ€™. The rough and tumble of childhood spent in green, spacious army houses across the country, youth spent in the then quiet, abundant and cosmopolitan Bangalore and working life in the thick of action – a growing, congested, throbbing â€˜newâ€™ Bangalore. My definition of macro economic angst was the minor blip we saw in Infosys when the Indian rupee appreciated. My definition of a pink slip was what I had read about in books outlining the 2001 dotcom crash. My definition of fear wasâ€¦well, no definition.

But fear now is palpable. Not because I donâ€™t think I will not land a job but because I see friends in the industry, friends in other B-schools and friends in my class process the external situation differently. It is almost as though each of them think this is something against them personally.

If contending with the economy was not enough, then came the Mumbai terror attacks. It was the raw emotion of fear all over again. This time I felt the nip closer. My uncle was in the Taj. He is unharmed but just by sheer providence.

This clearly is the worst of times, right?

Not quite. This may just be the best of times, if we choose to make it.

I am actively discussing a business plan with some of my batch mates. I wouldnâ€™t have thought of it had the job market been more cushiony. Thinking back on last evening, when we had a serious discussion about avenues to market our offering, I feel myself smile thinking about the passion and conviction in the room.

It is the best of times because I have a whole bunch of friends â€“ Chamko Raja, Nerdy Birdy, Nooz, Manna, Aashu, Yashi, Deems, Devi who my day is not complete without. Itâ€™s wonderful to be able to share what exactly is going on in my head with people who understand, empathize, careÂ and reciprocate. And, I know that we are there for each other in these bad times.

It is the best because I know that when I look back at this one year and everything that it encompassed it will always make me smile.

And, ya, the economy will swing itself up again, the terrorists behind the Mumbai attack will be caught and punished and fear will be a distant bird on a cloudy horizon visible only if you go looking for it.

PS – No K-score and K-squat votes this time. But, please feel free to use the scoring system to rate my article. Cheers!

HIFLIERS: My first take-off

Dushyant — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:40:29 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

My Tree

Noel — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 12:55:51 +0000

Just overlooking my bedroom window, in SVI is this beautiful neem tree which I callÂ â€˜My Treeâ€™. This is the tree where people often scheduleÂ meetings. It also happens to beÂ a catching-up spot orÂ a place for partners toÂ convene. ItÂ certainly augments my spirits every time I look at this beautiful tree andÂ relate to it,Â so I started calling it â€˜My Treeâ€™. Hailing from a technology background, I had to come to ISB to become a poet I guess

This term seems to be really cruising at top pace given the fact it is also packed with the ILS summit and also Solstice- the Alum event-which I am really looking forward to. Also, am just sorting my end-of-year plans. Am scheduled to spend Christmas home after many years and that is something to cheer for now. Come this end of the year, it is going to be really fast a cruise with the domestic placement season kicking off in January. Looks like 2009 is going to be all exciting and big now!