A host of top Indian B–schools including the Indian Institutes of Management, Management Development Institute, Gurgaon, Faculty of Management Studies, Delhi, and many others are participating in the festival. India's leading management portal MBAUniverse.com is a media partner of XLRI Ensemble 2008.
Here are the highlights from the festival:
Day 1 Coverage:
Ensemble 2008 was inaugurated by Mr. Sivaraman, currently Executive Vice President (Financial Services), L&T, responsible for the company's Financial Services Business and M&A initiatives. During the inauguration ceremony, Mr. Sivaraman spoke about India's robust financial systems and the concept and importance of a free market. He also presented his opinion on the current financial crisis and what the likely future is going to be. The ceremony was attended by all the students of XLRI, as well as the Director, Fr. E. Abraham. Students found the talk informative and had many of the queries answered by Mr. Sivaraman.
The events were then kicked off with the first competition, Concept 2 Creative, organized by MAXI, Marketing Association of XLRI. Concept-2-Creative tests the marketing acumen and creativity of the participants. With prize money worth INR 75,000 at stake, the competition featured 5 teams from MDI, MICA, XLRI, S.P. Jain and IIM Ahmedabad. The teams have to go through multiple rounds in a Survivor-esque style which will see teams being eliminated one-by-one until the True Mar-Gods emerge victorious.
Another event conducted on Day 1 was Prometheus, organized by the Finance Association of XLRI, FINAX, in partnership with L&T. The event was judged by Mr. Sivaraman. Prometheus tested the financial acumen of the participants who were from S.P. Jain, IIMC, IIMK, MDI, IIT Bombay, as well as XLRI. The event was won by the team from S. P. Jain who walked away with a cool INR Rs. 70,000. There was a tie for the second place between the teams from IIT Bombay and IIMK who each won INR 15,000.
Informal events such as Sudoku, Pot – pourri are also scheduled, for both visiting participants as well as students of XLRI. Day 2 promises to be even more exciting with a host of competitions lined up showcasing huge amounts of prize money and challenges for all participants.
Day 2 Coverage:
The day two started off with the two-day long event War of Wits. XLRI is known for its strength in HR and IR, and War of Wits has become a brand in itself among the HR events on the b-school circuit. It is a grueling five-round event that tests the HR and IR knowledge of the contestants to the core. This time around, there were six teams – two from XLRI and one each from MDI Gurgaon, TISS, SP Jain and VGSOM.
The first round of War of Wits, called Caput Capitis, was a resource optimization game, with the participants having to design an entire factory, decide on the number of employees and their compensation plan, and try to maximize returns on the given amount of resources. The second round was a negotiation round, which tested the contestants on their IR skills. The teams were split into two – one half was made the Union side, and the other half the Management side. They had to negotiate with other teams on IR issues, and get the best bargain possible. Thus, War of Wits is an event well-known for its innovative rounds. The participants also have much more to gain, as each round has its own separate winner and prize money.
The flagship event of Ensemble, Olympians, sponsored by Cognizant, was also concluded on the second day. Round Three, which took place during the day, was the toughest so far, with teams being asked to do a Mergers & Acquisitions (M& A) analysis. The team from MDI Gurgaon, consisting of Abhilash Mohapatra, Akash Bhatia and Vipul Goyal, walked away with the first place and a whopping cash prize of one lakh rupees. The teams from XLRI and IIM Lucknow shared second place.
The day also saw the conclusion of Concept-2-Creative, the marketing game. In the third and final round, teams moved along a virtual game-board by answering questions that tested their business knowledge. Their strategizing skills were also tested by their ability to invest at the right time and place. Team Moninjas from XLRI and Team Mastikhor Kids from MDI came first and second respectively, winning a total prize money of Rs. 75, 000!
The social event, Ashraya, sponsored by Usha Martin, was also held on the second day. In this unique event, participants had to come up with suggestions on what Self Help Groups of Rajnagar and Gamahria blocks near Jamshedpur could do with the idle funds that they had accumulated over the years. The event was judged by experienced social workers from the Krishi Gram Vikas Kendra, the CSR arm of Usha Martin. The judges said that the suggestions made by the students were useful, and that they would try to implement it in the districts that KGVK was working in. Team Shreyas from XLRI came in first, with the teams from IIM-L and MANAGE tying at second place.
There were several cultural events happening throughout the day as well. The campus was made lively by a Face-Painting Contest, in which the creativity of the b-school students came to the fore. XLRI's flagship quiz El Dorado, sponsored by Nestle and hosted by none other than the magical Barry O'Brien, is also on the cards later in the evening.
Day 3 Coverage:
The third day of Ensemble 2008, the annual management festival of XLRI School of Business and Human Resources continued with the same enthusiasm and impact as was witnessed in the last 2 days.
The day was marked by the conclusion of all the competitions, most of which had begun today. The highlight of the day was ABG Boardroom, an event with a record breaking grand prize of INR 2,50,000, the highest prize money ever to be offered for any B – school competition in India. Boardroom was sponsored by Aditya Birla Group, who are also principal partners for Ensemble 2008. Boardroom featured one team each from IIMA, IIMB, IIMC, IIML, ISB Hyderabad and XLRI, and tested participants on their business and strategic acumen as well as their knowledge of all business functions. Each of the teams was expected to present their plans on ABG's future growth to a panel of top ABG officials. The team from ISB, Hyderabad were adjudged the overall winners and walked away with a whopping quarter of a million rupees as prize money.
The Entrepreneurship Summit also took place in the morning. Entrepreneurs such as Mr. Rakesh Mahajan, CEO, Maspar, and Mr. Rahul Butalia, CEO, ISEO Chemdis, were present and shared their knowledge and experiences with students. Mr. Amitava Ghosh, Founder and Chairman, Kala Mandir was also present and shared his unique insights with the students. Options were also explored and discussed as to the viability and practicality of students becoming entrepreneurs straight out of B – school.
Day 3 also saw the conclusion of War of Wits, a prestigious and famous HR/IR competition within the B – school circuit which was organized by a partnership between Sapphire, the HR Committee and Fireax, the committee responsible for all IR activities. This time around, there were six teams – two from XLRI and one each from MDI Gurgaon, TISS, SP Jain and VGSOM. Today's rounds revolved around a staffing game in which teams had to allocate resources based on costs and estimated returns.
Another event which marked Day 3 was Samarpan 08, a B – plan contest organized by Crescent, the Committee for Research, Strategy, Consulting and Entrepreneurship. As last year, the event called for social B – plans on the basis of which teams were shortlisted for the final round to be held in XLRI. This event featured teams from IIFT Delhi, IIM B, XLRI, XIM Bhubaneshwar, SPJIMR Mumbai and FMS, Delhi. Testing teams on their analytical and business skills, Samarpan 08 boasted of total prize money of INR 60,000.
Quest Adventura, organized by the XLRI Nature Club, XLANC, was held today. Based on the philosophy that physical challenges & uncharted territories unmask people & reveal their true potential as a leader & a team person, Quest Adventura was organized as a high adrenaline game that tests participants on a variety of parameters including general awareness, analytical skills, endurance, team spirit, and strategy building. Screened through a quiz on Nature and Adventure, the final game was spread over two days and includes activities such as Obstacles, Improvised Rafting, Wall Climbing, Puzzles, Treasure Hunt, Rifle Shooting, etc.
While the principal partner for the event is the Aditya Birla Group, a plethora of corporate houses have also partnered with XLRI in the organization of Ensemble, including Nokia, Cognizant, Larsen & Toubro, Nestle, CNN – IBN, MBAUniverse.com, Tinplate Company of India Limited, Human Capital, Dare2compete.com, Timesjobs.com, Tehelka.com and Colourz.
Stay tuned to MBAUniverse.com for more highlights from India's leading management events.
