Great Lakers make a clean sweep @ DHL Simulation contest in Germany

Students from Great Lakes won all the prizes on offer at the DHL Fast Forward business simulation contest in Germany. The objective of the business simulation contest was to make a virtual logistics company the world leader by means of forward-looking management decisions, and to secure world quality leadership. The contest was launched in April 2008 under the patronage of German Foreign Minister Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The event had over 8500 participants from 120 countries.

Starting from an initial pool of over 8,500 participants, 46 participants from 12 countries made it to the final round, where they competed in 10 international teams. 5 of these 10 teams had a Great Lakes student as a member. Prasanna Joshi, Oza Rutvij Siddharth, Rohit Menon, Parth S Bhimani and Adarsh Nand Bahadur flew to Germany to take part in the final round that consisted of two highly realistic cases studies, and were judged by a jury of highly placed experts. The teams competed live for two days at the Post Tower in Bonn, Germany. At the end of the grueling contest , Prasanna Joshi’s team – that consisted of a German, a Turk , an American and an IIFT student- bagged the top prize worth 25,000 Euros.

While all of the finalists demonstrated a very high skill level, the strategic approach, creative ideas and very professional presentation delivered by Team ARBOCADON(the winning team) made a particularly favorable impression on us

noted Walter Scheurle, Board Member for Personnel at Deutsche Post World Net.

 

Team ARBOCADON(the winning team)

 

 

Rutvijj’s team (consisting of a German, an American, a Mexican and an ISB student) won the second prize worth 15000 euros while Rohit’s team (consisting of a couple of Germans, a Filipino and an IIM-C student) got the third prize worth 10,000 euros.

- Muralidhar S
Class of 2009

Montek addresses Great Lakers

Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Deputy Chairman of the Planning commission, addressed students from Great Lakes during his visit to Chennai on January 8, 2009. Prof Bala V Balachandran, our founder and honorary Dean (fondly called Uncle Bala) set many tongues wagging by introducing Dr. Ahluwalia as the future finance minister of the country!!! In his welcome address, Uncle Bala recalled his close association with Dr. Ahluwalia dating back to the days when they both worked to set up the executive program at MDI, Gurgaon.

Mr. T.N Seshan, the former chief election commissioner and currently a full time faculty at Great Lakes, was delighted to play host to his old colleague and was as eager as the students to listen to the Oxford educated bureaucrat.

Dr. Ahluwalia after paying glowing tributes to Mr. Seshan and his culinary skills ( Dr. Ahluwalia broke the news that Mr. Seshan is a great cook!!), delivered an eloquent and a succinct lecture on the Indian economy, the global credit crunch, the efforts taken by the government to mitigate the crisis and his thoughts on overcoming this tough period. Dr. Ahluwalia strongly felt that investment in infrastructure and agriculture are extremely crucial for the long term competitiveness of the Indian economy.

Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia with Great Lakers

When the floor was opened for questions, Dr. Ahluwalia handled the volley of questions from students with panache. It took all of Mr. Seshan’s efforts to slightly rattle Dr. Ahluwalia with a couple of incisive questions. The national media that covered the event lapped up the lively exchanges and captured every moment of it on their cameras. In just over 40 minutes, Dr. Ahluwalia was done and the media converged for an impromptu press meet.

I found the press meet to be simply fascinating. This was the first time I was physically present at a press meet and I must add that the vibrancy of the journalists was contagious. The entire battery of media persons wanted to grab a sound byte on the Satyam saga, but , much to their disappointment, Dr. Ahluwalia cautiously ducked all questions (the story was still emerging and the full details weren’t known at that point in time)

I left the venue star struck picking up lessons not only in economics but also on how to handle a super charged media!!

- Muralidhar S
Class of 2009

Admission Update : Deadline extended till Jan 30,2009

There is good news for applicants. The deadline for submitting applications to enter the class of 2010 has been extended to January 30,2009. Forms will be available at IMS centers and at Great Lakes office till Jan 24,2009. The online forms will be available till Jan 30,2009.

For more details and to apply online, visit: http://www.greatlakes.edu.in/pgpmHowToApply.php

- Muralidhar S
Class of 2009

When stars descended on Great Lakes….

How often do you see Dr. YV Reddy, Mr.Ravi Kant and Mr. Seshasayee gracing a B school event? How often you think you can see the captains of the industry rubbing shoulders with eminent academicians and engaging in a lip smacking panel discussion much to the delight of an enthralled audience that just doesn’t seem to get enough of the action? If you are a Great Laker, you would have witnessed both. A spectacular array of guests shared deep insights about the current business environment, their outlook and how their organizations are coping with the current crisis. On Dec 20, 2008, as part of L’attitude 13°05′ – the annual B school fest – a CEO conclave was organized by Great Lakes Institute of Management. That morning, despite being in a tearing hurry to receive Dr. Gururaj Deshpande- the key note speaker- and escort him to the venue, one news item caught my eye while flipping through the online edition of The New York Times. The article virtually credited Dr. Y.V Reddy , the ex governor of RBI, with shielding India from the current global financial crisis. Two hours later, I found myself listening to Dr. Reddy deliver a spell binding lecture on the very crisis that he saved us from!

Our ever cheerful uncle Bala set the tone for the rest of the day by welcoming Dr. Gururaj Deshpande , Chairman , Sycamore networks, with a warm hug. Uncle Bala in his welcome address called Dr. Deshpande a “serial entrepreneur”. I doubt whether anyone could have coined a better word for someone who not so long ago was the second richest Indian billionaire. Dr. Deshpande’s key note address touched a chord among the audience when he cited alumni contribution as an important reason why universities like MIT and Harvard stand towering above the rest. He exhorted Great Lakers to emulate them and we couldn’t agree more. Following the eminent entrepreneur’s address was that of an eminent academician. Prof. MS Krishnan , Michael R. and Mary Kay Hallman Fellow & Professor of Business Information Technology; Chair of Business Information Technology at the Ross school of Business , University of Michigan, Ann Arbor delighted the audience with a scintillating address that touched upon the several facets of marketing- services marketing in particular

It was now the turn of the who’s who of Indian companies to hog the limelight. Mr. Ravi Kant, CEO&MD of Tata Motors spoke about the auto industry, strategies to survive the current downturn and of course about the Nano. Mr. R Seshasayee, MD Ashok Leyland echoed Mr. Kant’s views and expressed confidence that the auto industry will successfully negotiate the current rough patch.

The stage was now set for what can be termed the mother of all panel discussions. Moderated by Mr. T.N Seshan, the former Chief Election Commissioner of India and currently a faculty at Great Lakes Institute of Management, Dr. Y.V Reddy, former governor of the Reserve Bank of India,Uncle Bala, J.L. Kellogg Distinguished Professor of Accounting and Information Management, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL.  USA and Honorary Dean of Great Lakes Institute of Management, Mr. Sundar Rajan, CMD of Indian Bank and Dr. Ajit Ranade, Chief economist, Aditya Birla group analyzed the sub prime mortgage crisis and the current global economic scenario threadbare.

After food for thought, it was now the stomach’s turn. The CEO conclave ended with a power lunch and the audience feasted on the lavish spread counting the stars they spotted since morning.

- Muralidhar S
Class of 2009

Slog overs start for Admissions 09-10

The Admission window for the year 2009-10 that opened in October will close on Jan 10,2009. The last date for receiving applications is Jan 15,2009. With just around15 days to go, the admission process is truly into its slog overs. The current batch of students wishes all the applicants good luck. We hope to see you soon at the sprawling new campus coming up on the scenic East coast Road.

To know more about the admissions and to apply , click here.

Muralidhar S

Class of 2009

International Study tour

Catch hold of any Great Laker and ask which has been the most eventful week yet. I bet a majority would say September 6- 14, 2008. That’s when we had our hugely successful International study tour to Singapore and Malaysia. As is the custom with any Great Lakes event, this tour too was student- run with the management playing a guiding role.

Champions @ Sentosa Islands

Over 40 champions took off at midnight on September 7 to Singapore and spent Day 1 of the tour cooling our heels at Sentosa islands. However, the transition from beach wear to business wear was rather swift. We spent the next two days attending an engrossing special lecture on Asian Marketing strategies by Prof.Hooi Den Huan at Nanyang Business school and listening to power talks by officials from Temasek Holdings , P&G, Redpill Solutions and PSA – the port authority at Singapore. In addition, officials at Singapore’s Economic Development board took us through Singapore’s fascinating economic transition.

Prof.Hooi Den Huan at Nanyang Business School

If you thought it was all work and no play, think again! In between all these power talks and business visits, champions went bungee jumping at Clarke Quay, took a cruise down the river, enjoyed the panoramic view from the Singapore flyer, checked out the night safari , shopped till we dropped at Little India and China town, clicked a thousand pictures at the Merlion and managed to hit the disco before crashing into our cozy bed at our seaside resort on East Coast Parkway. We sure know how to manage our time and get more bangs for our buck!

Fun in the sun!

The fun continued in Malaysia. Again, it was business first and we started off with a visit to Putrajaya, the seat of political power in Malaysia. Malaysia’s Director of Higher Education briefed us about the education system there and his words resonated in our ears when we visited some of the top universities in Malaysia like UNITAR and University of Putrajaya. Prof.Dr.Cheah Kooi Guan of UNITAR thoroughly impressed everyone of us with his brilliant presentation on the “Economy of Malaysia”. We completed the official leg of the Malaysian tour by visiting Bank Rakyat and attending their lavish Iftaar party.

Champions with the Malaysian Education Ministry officials at Putra Jaya

Iftaar party

KaulaLampur (KL) was a photographer’s delight. SLRs worked overtime to capture the resplendent Petronas twin towers in all their twilight glory. There was an equally enticing structure not very far from the twin towers- the KL tower. There was a battery of GLICKERs (remember GLICK-the photography club @ Great Lakes?) romanticizing the majestic KL towers .The 20 MYR fee to the top of the tower was worth every penny (errr.. its cents in Malaysia right?) of it. Those who left their cameras back home were left to popping unexpectedly into frames and checking out Malaysia’s array of shopping districts. The pious ones on the trip had their share of fun at the Murugan temple at Battu Caves.

KL tower

Petronas towers

Both Singapore and Malaysia were a non-veggie’s delight. Even the core carnivores were taken aback by the spread at the Iftaar. For those who missed the zoo in Singapore, the Iftaar made amends! For veggies like me, the first job in either city was to frantically search for the nearest Saravana Bhavan/Komala Vilas. Food was the last thing on our minds though as we approached the climax of our tour -Genting Highlands. At the end of a breathtaking cable car ride( the world’s fastest cable car ) we literally landed among the mists. The theme park officials tagged our wrists with the entry ticket and this was our boarding pass to the world of fun and entertainment. Champions went berserk checking out the different rides and most skipped lunch in the excitement. It made sense as those who didn’t would have thrown up after a few rides. The entire day(and night I must add) was ours and after exhausting ourselves at the theme park some tried their luck at the casinos, some relaxed with a fish massage while a few meticulous ones sank in the comfort of the bed so as to get ready to check out at the unearthly hour of 4:30 AM next morning.

Genting Highlands

By 5:00 AM sleepwalking champions boarded the bus to KL airport and the return flight was spent catching up with some much needed sleep. We finally landed at Chennai around noon on September 14 and Prof Irudayaraj was already in the campus to welcome us all for his Organizational Behavior lecture at 4:00 in the evening. That’s Great Lakes for you. Fun packed. It’s packed, yet fun!

Muralidhar S

Class of 2009

Anti Tobacco Day @ Great Lakes

May 31 was World anti-tobacco day and Great Lakes partnered with the Cancer Institute, Chennai and Radio Mirchi to spread awareness among the puffers. The main event of the day was the “donate-a-cigarette-and-save-14-minutes-of-your-life” campaign where smokers in the campus’s vicinity were persuaded to donate a tobacco product. A pamphlet that accompanied explained that every cigarette smoked shortens your life by 14 minutes. We had RJ Vidhya from Radio Mirchi adding some pep to the campaign by interviewing smokers. The auto drivers near the campus, after some initial resistance, parted with their beedis. One was magnanimous enough to part with his lighter! The campaign message was also spread inside the campus to discourage smoking among the student community. Let’s come together and wish all the Great Lakers – past and present- a healthy and tobacco-free life!

PS:After a great deal of effort to embed some snaps here, I have given up. You can find them instead on my picasa page

- Muralidhar S

Class of 2009

Convocation 2008 – the full story

April 30 was a red letter day for Great Lakes. The Jaycees [Class of 2008] and their EMBA friends graduated with top honors in the presence of Uncle Bala. This is the first time both the PGPM and the EMBA students are graduating together. Mr. N Ram, Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu and Mr. Ramalinga Raju , Founder and Chairman , Satyam Computer Services Ltd graced the occasion with their presence and addressed the students. The day also saw the inauguration of the Champions (Class of 2009).

Uncle Bala in his witty and energetic welcome speech paid glowing tributes to the guests on the dais. He also took the opportunity to formally welcome star personalities like Prof T.N Seshan , Dr. Nirmal Gupta, Prof. Narendra Rao, Dr. Rakesh Singh and Dr. Taruna Gupta who have agreed to guide Great Lakers in their quest for knowledge. He expressed confidence that the next convocation will be held in the sprawling new platinum rated campus being built along the scenic ECR.

Mr. Ram in his speech exhorted the business ready managers of Great Lakes to work together to improve the not so impressive Human Development Index of our country. Commenting that China and India are crucial to the stability of the regional economy, Mr. Ram stressed the need for inclusive growth to maintain the current growth momentum. Being a political editor, he commented that Great Lakes is just as old as the present UPA government and in a lighter vein said he would stop the comparison there. He attributed the stellar success of Great Lakes to the clarity in vision and purpose, good curriculum, staff members, efficient admission policy, good infrastructure, linkages with industry and knowledge sector, and involvement of students and faculty. Mr. Ram singled out the Mandarin language (taught here as part of the curriculum) for specific praise.

Delivering the valedictory address, Mr. Ramalinga Raju spoke of the need for students to not just become good managers but also able leaders. Cautioning against complacency, Mr. Raju urged the graduating students to leverage knowledge and technology to fully exploit the tremendous opportunity awaiting them. He opined that such an approach is imperative to be successful in today’s dynamic business scenario.

The eagerly awaited moment unfolded soon after the speech by the guests. Watched by proud parents, bright young men and women walked up to the podium for their moment of glory. The students were in for a pleasant surprise as uncle Bala and a faculty who does not want to be named announced surprise scholarship awards for select students. Vedajna V from the EMBA class of 2008 walked away with top honors. He was in the dean’s list for terms 1,2,3 and 4 and was awarded the Magna-Cum-Laude. His Jaycee counterpart B Bharat was equally impressive. Bharat , in addition to being the overall topper was on the dean’s list for two terms. He was the best student in HR and Strategy and was appreciated for his contribution to the Admission committee. He was also among the recipients of uncle Bala’s surprise scholarship.

A sumptuous lunch followed the certificate distribution and the Jaycees got busy right away – thanks to Sangamitra scheduled for the evening.The event received wide coverage in the media. Some of the reports:

http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IE920080505004416&Title=Chennai&rLink=0

http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/01/stories/2008050157310500.htm

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/05/01/stories/2008050151941000.htm

http://www.indiainfoline.com/Bschool/innernews.asp?storyId=66779&lmn=13&val=1

http://www.mbauniverse.com/innerPage.php?id=ne&pageId=1169

http://www.coolavenues.com/bschools/080512/glakes-convocation-1.php

- Muralidhar .S

Class of 2009