Workshop on How to Write a Business Plan
On 17 th October 2018, a workshop on how to write a Business Plan was organized by the SJIM Entrepreneurship Cell, headed by student coordinator Ms. Sanjana. This workshop was organized under the guidance of Dr. Caren Rodrigues and Dr. Anup Krishnamurthy. The workshop focused on explaining the process of building a good business plan and was accentuated with corporate insights and requirements.

The speaker for the workshop was Mr. Ashish Nichani, Cofounder & CEO of Place of Origin, India`s first brand of specialty local foods for the mass premium customer. Mr. Ashish Nichani worked for several years in the banking sector before starting his business venture. Interestingly, Mr. Nichani was also one of the judges for the 2017 SJIM-Albers International B-plan Competition.

Mr. Nichani presented a variety of key topics related to preparing a business plan, namely, the need for good planning, the Elevator Pitch, team composition, market opportunity, understanding competition and customers, and financial projections. He covered these topics from a generic business plan perspective while also taking questions from the students throughout the workshop and answering them with respect to the theme of the 2018 SJIM-Albers International B-plan competition.

The SJIM-Albers International B-Plan Competition is organized by SJIM in association with Albers School of Business and Economics (Seattle University, USA). This annual competition was initiated in 2017 and has been a corporate learning curve for the students of SJIM and Albers. It also provides a platform for virtual networking and cultural exposure. More details about this year’s
competition can be found here.

Leadership Development Program organized for MCC
A leadership development program (LDP) was organized for Mount Carmel College (MCC) on 15th September 2018. The program coordinator was Dr. Bindu Singh (PhD, IIT Roorkee) and the resource people for the sessions included Dr. Caren Rodrigues (PhD, IIM Bangalore), Mr. Christopher D’Souza (Lead International), Mrs. Jenifer D’Souza (Lead International) and Dr. Anup Krishnamurthy (PhD, IIM Bangalore). The student leaders who attended this workshop were from different streams of the bachelor’s program at MCC. The objective of this program was to develop and strengthen leadership skills among the student leaders of MCC. The program was well received by the students of MCC, who enjoyed the various session activities.

Leadership Development Program organized for SJPUC
A leadership development program (LDP) was organized for St. Joseph’s Pre-University College (SJPUC) on 26th and 27th July 2018. The objective of this program was to develop and strengthen leadership skills among the student leaders of SJPUC. Through this objective it was expected that students can then become better future leaders who can lead themselves and others in a responsible, effective and ethical manner.

The program coordinator was Dr. Bindu Singh (PhD, IIT Roorkee) and the resource people for the sessions included Dr. Caren Rodrigues (PhD, IIM Bangalore) and Dr. Anup Krishnamurthy (PhD, IIM Bangalore). The first day of the program included student leaders of the different classes at SJPUC. Both first- and second-year students were present. The second day of the program included students who were leaders of various clubs and sports teams at SJPUC. The students were accompanied by their teachers, Mrs. Vahidunnisa and Mr. Sudarshan on the first day and by Mr. Sandesh on the next day.

On both days, the program started with the lighting of the lamp by the Director of SJIM, the teachers from SJPUC, the LDP coordinator, Dr. Bindu Singh, and a student representative. The Director of SJIM, Fr. Manoj D’Souza then delivered a very engaging welcome address. Soon after, the different sessions of the program started, which included sessions on leadership styles, building and leading teams, as well as leadership values from an Ignatian perspective. Both days ended with students learning essential skills that leaders should have, introspective insights about themselves that can help them become better leaders, and understanding how to lead teams. The program was well received by the students of SJPUC, who enjoyed the various session activities.