Galit Shmueli, the SRITNE Chaired Professor of Data Analytics and Associate Professor of Statistics and Information Systems at the Indian School of Business (ISB) was recently awarded the Greenfield Challenge Award. Launched in 2010, as an ongoing activity of European Network for Business and Industrial Statistics (ENBIS), this award lauds statisticians who have demonstrated the ability to highlight their work to an audience of primarily non-statisticians. You can read her reaction to the award in an interview published here.
What are the essential elements needed for running a successful venture? Around 30 women entrepreneurs from Hyderabad attended a workshop at the ISB to learn about how they could incorporate valuable lessons from negotiations, marketing, accounts and finance into their businesses. This workshop was organised by ISB’s Wadhwani Centre for Entrepreneurship Development (WCED) in association with the US Consulate. The women entrepreneurs selected for the workshop presented a diverse set of professions – from artists to dentists and manufacturers of plastics and distributors of industrial steam boilers. The participants were unanimous in their appreciation of how the workshop increased their confidence levels. They also felt more empowered after attending sessions on Accounting and Finance, Growth Strategies and Negotiation.
“When you have just three minutes to make a pitch, you do not use a presentation – you make a connection with the person and sell your idea.”
Hari Kumar, Principal and Head of Operations, Deloitte US in India, was addressing the contestants and audience at the Regional Qualifiers (South Zone) of “The Maverick Challenge,” a business competition hosted by the Indian School of Business (ISB) at its Hyderabad campus.
B-school students who participate in the competition have to provide innovative solutions to business cases. There were around 6,600 registrations in the inaugural year of “Maverick @ Campus” and after the rigorous preliminary rounds, ten teams were shortlisted for the south zone qualifiers. After battling two competitive rounds, ISB’s team “The Eleventh Hour,” comprising Archana Kakani, Esha Kakkar and Arnab Pal won the second position in the National Finals held at the Deloitte campus.
Luxury evokes images of indulgence and waste, yet recently the ISB Community heard something to the contrary when Niranjan Khatri, GM at WelcomEnviron Initiatives of ITC hotels spoke at an event commemorating the World Green Building Week.
Khatri, an eco-design pioneer illustrated the energy efficient practices undertaken by ITC hotels. He spoke about how in some hotels, water from air conditioners is collected by pipes and this cooled water is used to cool the air-conditioner unit, thereby saving electricity. Energy efficient solutions can arise from studying the pattern of waste and cultivating a desire to eliminate it. When it was noticed that guests left restroom lights on and the door open at the night, leading to energy wastage, the hotel personnel discovered that unfamiliarity with the room layout was the reason for the lights being turned on. To overcome this challenge, they installed motion sensors near the bed, which got activated when the guests step down from the bed, lighing the way to restroom automatically. During the question-answer session, he implored the upcoming managers to think creatively and devise sustainable and green solutions. Successful business models must also be environmentally sustainable. He urged the audience to evaluate the impact of their actions on the environment and to develop more sustainable lifestyles.