Mr. Biju Dominic, CEO FinalMile Consulting delves into the “power of the human mind” during his talk at SCMS Cochin School of Business

“Endeavor: Entrepreneurial Insights”, the workshop held by SCMS Cochin on 10^th March, 2014 brought together an interesting mix of entrepreneurs who offered students a look into their visionary minds. The idea was to encourage future entrepreneurs to follow their dreams and chart their own path to success. The contribution of Mr. Biju Dominic, CEO FinalMile Consulting, was especially important for those in the audience.

Mr. Dominic is not your regular entrepreneur. He has an interesting line of work, with previous experience in behavioural architecture and cognitive neuroscience, in particular. He shed light on how he developed a passion for his work and turned it into a flourishing business. This helped students broaden their scope when it comes to business ideas, which can stem from their individual interests and be used to set up new enterprises.

For Mr. Dominic, it was his deep passion for understanding the complex human psyche that formed the germ of his business idea. “Human behaviour can be found in every aspect of human activity: politics, advertising, sports,” he tells us. “I began to explore it further and turned it into an entrepreneurial proposition.” He added that it was his passion that made him believe that he could change the world.

To encourage the students in the gathering to go after their dreams and aspirations, he said, “You need to have faith in yourself. Have a fair idea of the context of the entrepreneurial project you have in mind as you start. It’s also important to have the freedom to pursue the context and the idea.” He also offered a way to make that happen: by associating oneself to an MNC. He also urged students to bear in mind the importance of finances, both in the best and worst-case scenarios.

His practical advice was well received by the audience that was quite keen on learning from the experiences of the renowned entrepreneur. And he did not disappoint as he talked about his rewarding career at Reliance Industries. Mr. Dominic himself had his own massive learning experience through the inspiring tales of the Ambanis and he was more than willing to share them with the gathering.

To make any entrepreneurial venture successful, the importance of having the right team to work with cannot be overemphasized. It’s a point Mr. Dominic focussed on as his talk drew to an end. “You need to work with people who share the same ideas and values. It is the glue that had the power to keep a group bound together,” he stressed. Probably just as effectively as the man with the passion for human psyche had kept the audience bound to their seats through his talk.

Athulya Menon, PGDM ‘15

“SCMS is about a brand equity that is bound to set you apart from the crowd in more ways than one”, says student Samuel John who is all set for his professional sojourn

“I want to be happy in life!” says Samuel John when asked about his life and plans.  This seemingly simple wish rides on his deep philosophy and understanding of life that guides him to live today and let tomorrow worry about itself. He has just bagged a job with Asian Paints as a Sales Officer through campus placement, and believes this position is a perfect fit for him: “I believe this profile suits me quite well; and, my skill-sets acquired at SCMS will help me contribute to the organization.” He is looking forward to starting his career with Asian Paints and is sure that he will be able to contribute in their continued success. 

Born and raised in Bhopal, Samuel received his education from Bhopal before moving to SCMS Cochin for the PGDM in Marketing and Retail Management. His computer proficiency is high, having done several courses in the field. Samuel also has many other talents. He has several awards and certifications in the field of Karate, Yoga and music, and has also earned extra pocket money by giving guitar lessons. He has been always focused. His ability to take initiatives was also demonstrated at SCMS where he was a coordinator and emcee for several events.  Samuel asserts that these platforms have enabled him to evolve as a human being, and have groomed his personality and logical thinking abilities. 

Samuel believes his success is a direct result of the grooming he received at SCMS through various interventions like the Personality Development Program (PDP), Industry Institution Interaction sessions, Corporate Outbound Training, Integrated Management Learning Program (IMLP), and Mentoring sessions. This was in addition to sports, cultural activities, social projects, management fests, seminars and conferences and, most importantly, a rigorous curriculum which continually forced him to multi-task while adhering to strict deadlines. He believes all of this also taught him time management. Another thing that built his confidence is his summer internship project: “I did my three month internship project at Second Largest Shopping Mall in India – Lulu International Shopping Mall, Cochin. On average, I worked for 12 hours a day and this time-bound workload prepared me for an industry work culture.”

SCMS Cochin Samuel believes, is one of the best B-schools in India. “Being an SCMS student has played a significant role in setting me apart from the rest,” he says. “SCMS has a brand equity that makes us stand out in a crowd, be it management fests or interviews; this was apparent during the selection process, too. Students from other institutes, 79 in total, were a part of the selection process, but being an SCMS site in addition to the learning from the institution set us apart from the rest.”

A music lover who plays the guitars and sings as well, Samuel is also a sports and photography enthusiast. Eventually, he wants to be an entrepreneur: “I have always had an inclination to serve the society, so I wish to be a social entrepreneur adding value to the lives of people, to family, friends and society.”

Laurels & accolades spurring SCMS Cochin School of Business ahead

SCMS Cochin

SCMS-Cochin was incepted in 1992, and has since delivered a consistently strong performance in developing highly-skilled students who are ready to excel in the ever-changing landscape of industry. The institute has been recognized and rewarded for its world class education and high academic and organizational standards.

The National Board of Accreditation has renewed the Accreditation status of PGDM of SCMS-COCHIN for another five years. SCMS-COCHIN was declared the Very Best institution and awarded one of the highest ever score that can be given to an institution. The institution was the 9th ‘B’ School in India to get accreditation way back in 2002 and is the only accredited ‘B’ School in Kerala. For an accredited ‘B’ School the AICTE guarantees quality physical and academic infrastructure, quality of faculty, teaching and learning facilities, industry-institution interaction, capacity to take up research to add to the body of knowledge of innovative management education, financial resources etc. to attract quality conscious students.

The association of Indian Universities (AIU), Govt. of India, has recognized PGDM of SCMS-COCHIN as equivalent to an MBA offered at Indian Universities. SCMS-COCHIN is the 8th autonomous business school in the country to have this rare distinction. PGDM students of SCMS-COCHIN can apply for jobs for which MBA is a qualification.  AICTE found SCMS-COCHIN an institution with proven track record for excellence and, in 1998, it provided the institute with substantial financial assistance to add more facilities. SCMS-COCHIN is the only business school to get a grant for excellence from AICTE. 

SCMS-COCHIN is also the first business school in India to get ISO certification for Quality Teaching System in Management, and is still certified under ISO 9001: 2008 by RINA. The institute is also internationally accredited by Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programmes (ACBSP), USA. ACBSP is a leading specialized accreditation association for business education supporting and rewarding teaching excellence. ACBSP accreditation creates the impetus for relevancy and currency of faculty, programs, and courses to best serve students. The pursuit of accreditation enhances the ability to serve students by assuring a focus on quality performance.

In a detailed survey of all the 2650 business schools in the country, ‘Business India’ has indentified SCMS-COCHIN as a top ‘B’ School of India and as The Best Business School in Kerala. But, that is not all. The institute is also recognized as The Third Best Business School in South India, the 25th Best Nationally Among 4325 ‘B’ Schools, the 13th Best In Intellectual Capital, and the 9th Best among the ‘B’ Schools that have come up after 1990.

Identified amongst the top MBA colleges in South India by many national and international companies, SCMS is recognized for its teaching and training system that is highly industry relevant. A skill and competency based curricula has led to high placement figures for the institute over the years making it a learning centre that enables and empowers students to pursue their professional goals. Management aspirants from all over the country can now apply for admission to the 2014-16 batches, either through the centre or online through the institute website. The admission process has been simplified to cater to the student demand and online payment has been facilitated.

While entering the final leg of 2014 placements, SCMS Cochin’s campus is full of good news

Ever since its inception in 1992, SCMS has prided itself on its student placement figures. Counted as one of the top MBA colleges in Kerala, SCMS has consistently been producing future managers who are recruited by leading national and international organizations. So far this year, SCMS has seen 45+ companies on campus and the recruitment is still continuing in full-swing.

Amidst the MBA colleges in Kerala, SCMS stands out for its year-on-year stable performance. This is validated by the 23 companies that have come back to the campus and the 19 new companies visiting SCMS already in 2014 for hiring the fresh graduates of Class 2014. These include Deloitte Consulting India Pvt. Ltd., Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, B Braun Medical India Pvt. Ltd., Sutherland Global Services, CMA CGM Shared Services India Pvt. Ltd., TCS, Colgate Palmolive, HCL Infosystems, Whirlpool of India Ltd., KPMG, ITC Ltd., Tata Teleservices, and Allianz Cornhill.

Placement is a distinctly strategized and executed vertical at SCMS, with industry interaction carefully built and nurtured by placement cells and officers in all major cities of the country. Internally, SCMS faculty members and external experts meet individually with the students and offer workshops and programmes in subjects, such as the tailored job search, preparation for job interviews and salary negotiations. They also oversee and evaluate mock interviews. However, the institute has stringent placement criteria and the students come to realize that in today’s competitive world, it is likely that only the top candidates get placed. That is how they learn to prepare themselves tight from the beginning.  This is supported by Unnikrishnan P S from 2011-13 batch, who has been placed with HDFC Bank: “In the current fluctuating and challenging environment, it pays to equip yourself with knowledge and the experience offered at SCMS- Cochin. The academic rigour here equips you sufficiently well to stand out from the rest. ” One reason that SCMS is rated as a top MBA college in Kerala is its state-of-the-art infrastructure. Any student who fully takes advantage of the institute’s training, in addition to the range of facilities, at SCMS-COCHIN with a strong commitment to hard work stands an excellent chance of earning a good placement. The institute stands committed to deliver the best facilities and skills set for all students to get placed. S. Prabaharan of 2011-2013 batch says, “This course, which is designed in consultation with the current industry trends, makes us job ready and gives us a finishing school exposure.”

Students are encouraged to choose and build their own career paths. This year, marketing streams emerged as the strongest in terms of placement. A total of 59 students from a batch of 169 have been placed as of early April; these placements carry an average salary of 4 lakhs per annum. The highest salary offered so far during this year has been 6.5 lakhs per annum. Camaraderie and discipline on the campus help students find their strengths and help them excel in life. “SCMS-Cochin has something that most B-schools today do not have – Discipline,” says Deepjyoti Das. “It has been the single most important factor that has helped me rises in my organization,” he adds further.

SCMS pushes this journey of excellence forward by opening admissions to the 2014-16 Batch. Management aspirants from all over the country may choose from five full-time PGDM programmes that have been especially designed to meet the individual needs of students. The admissions process has been simplified and there are multiple centres for GDPI selection across India. The forms have also been made available online, as well as on campus, and now payments can also be made in multiple modes, including online.

To read more, visit: www.scms.edu.in

MBA in marketing: A novel approach to become successful!!

The education system has changed a lot nowadays; today studies have touched a whole new level. Engineering is considered the backbone of education system and is a widely accepted professional course in India. However do you know, with the number of jobs dwindling and the unemployment ratios at an all time high, only an engineering degree will not be enough to secure your future. Higher Education has seen a tremendous growth and MBA is one of the professional courses students look forward to after engineering or any undergraduate degree.

So why is MBA always in the news? It is a 2 year programme which makes you an expert in market analysis and implementing business plans successfully. Even the name says master of business administration. MBA can be done in various subjects and has many categories, the hottest ones being marketing, finance and business analysis. A degree in any of these sectors can assure you of high paying job for the rest of your life. Now the next thing that comes to any one’s mind is which college to do your MBA from? As per surveys by world class NGO's, India alone has 100 MBA colleges in each and every state and majority of them are below standards set by the education authority of India. Writing the CAT test, a national level exam for getting into MBA colleges is a good option. It ensures you that you get the best branches in top MBA colleges in India. You can also find some of the top MBA colleges in Kerala are the first and foremost choice for every Indian student who desires to get a professional degree with a secure job and high earnings.

Congratulations to Pinnaka Naveen Kumar for his latest achievement!

This articulate, young boy is from Andhra Pradesh who came to do his PGDM from SCMS Cochin School of Business, went to Mumbai for his internship with LG International Corp. and is now all set to join a global company. Having being exposed to multiple cultures, states and cities, Naveen has gained a lot from his experiences. He is all set to bring forth dynamic business ideas on desk.

To read more about Naveen's journey, you may check: http://www.scms.edu.in/student-pinnaka-naveen.html

An initiative of supported by SCMS COCHIN

An initiative of http://bagyourjob.com/ supported by SCMS COCHIN. The first in the state and one among the very few Job Fair for Startups in our country. SCMS COCHIN is proud to support the initiative of http://bagyourjob.com./

How MBA Can Enhance Your Entrepreneurial Skills

It is a common belief that entrepreneurial skills cannot be taught to individuals unless they have some basic inclination towards the same. Earning an MBA degree has always been considered as a great means of boosting the career prospective of professionals from diverse industries. In the recent years, the importance of an MBA degree has increased even further with most young entrepreneurs preferring In fact there are several MBA colleges in Kerala, where a large number of entrepreneurs are pursuing MBA courses with different specializations. The young entrepreneurs believe that pursuing the course would help enhance their inherent analytical skills and decision making ability to help them take their ventures to greater heights of success. 

The MBA degree helps in instilling the right knowledge and aptitude in an aspiring entrepreneur that would enable him in the consistent growth of his business. An appropriate MBA course undertaken from a good and reputed institute, trains the aspiring businessmen about key aspects such as business planning, generating funds and finances, managing the expenses and also in the overall function of the business in a smooth and hassle free manner.  In addition, degree familiarizes the students with the importance of having a creative bend of mind and also the ability to recognize and take advantage of the same. Most professional MBA colleges in Kerala also focus of enhancing the leadership skills of their students which can prove extremely helpful for them to succeed as efficient entrepreneurs. 

Ensuring success in the highly competitive business environment in the modern times is not an easy task. For this, you need to be equipped with the right attitude, professional knowledge and the ability to gauge market trends in addition to having that basic knack for entrepreneurship. An MBA degree helps to polish your inherent skills and pave the way for you to attain success as an entrepreneur. It helps you to use your knowledge and abilities as a combined weapon for not only beating competition but also achieve your business goals.

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