ICHL- The first conference on Humanitarian Logistics in India

Flash floods in Uttarakhand (2013). Tsunami in South-east Asia (2004). Earthquake in Haiti (2010). Earthquake in Japan (2011). These are some of the deadliest disasters that have occurred over the past decade. With the disasters come human, livestock and property losses and the task of rebuilding the disaster affected areas. But the biggest task in the aftermath of any disaster, natural or man made, is relief work.

Countries across the world have been on the lookout for reducing the impact of man made and natural disasters by developing mechanisms to deal with such disasters. However the responses to the previous disasters which have occurred in India show our lack of preparation. The worst part is that such preparation is hardly given any importance. Humanitarian logistics is the key to cope up with such disasters. It specializes in organizing the warehousing and delivery of supplies during natural disasters or complex emergencies to the affected area and people. The supplies include food, water, life-saving drugs and other necessary amenities.  Time has come, for policy makers, Government bodies, academia, and practitioners to meet on a common platform to deliberate on this key issue of Humanitarian Logistics. 

In wake of this, IIM Raipur is organizing International Conference on Humanitarian Logistics (IHCL) on 2^nd December 2013 and 3^rd December 2013. ICHL 2013 is the first conference organized in India on Humanitarian Logistics and will provide the platform to various stakeholders to deliberate on the same.

The conference aims at providing an essential update on natural and manmade disaster, future trends, disaster response, and preparedness and governance issues. Planning, co-ordinating and delivering the essential amenities in good condition, quality and quantity at the right place and right time are few of the key strategic issues in humanitarian logistics. ICHL will help in identifying and providing keen insights into these strategic issues to the various stake holders. ICHL will provide an opportunity for professionals to meet colleagues and peers in a positive environment fostering  learning and sharing.

The conference will be a mix of panel discussions and technical issues. Panel discussion on Right to food: Value chain perspective will have extensive talks amongst prominent personalities on food security act and the key strategic issues such as procurement, transportation, storage and delivery involved in its implementation.  The second panel discussion will be on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief Operations. The speakers in this panel will deliberate on the role played by stakeholders such as governments, NGOs, international relief agencies etc. in improvising, learning, unlearning and relearning from the disaster experience. This will equip the various stakeholders with effective preparedness in dealing with future disasters. The panelists in the discussion on Strategic Issues in Humanitarian Logistics will dwell upon strategic organizational, operations and managerial challenges faced during the humanitarian crises to keep the material flows, financial flows and information flows up and running. The panelists in the final discussion on Managing Humanitarian Logistics will explore alternate ways of planning, designing, preparing, coordinating: strategic alliance, response, execution, performance and accountability, to outwit the various  problems faced during the crises.

ICHL 2013 thus promises to be an eye opener to the importance of Humanitarian Logistics in disaster relief and management.

The World without God: Bidding Farewell to the Master

16 Nov, 2013, 8:00 AM

Finally, the day has come. I know that the wearing track of Wankhede, along with the feeble Caribbean batting line-up will make sure that this will be his last day on a cricket ground after a marathon service of 24 years to the game. I still remember, way back in early 90’s, when I was a kid, a ‘Boost’ TV commercial introduced me to a curly-haired young cricketer, who would later become the ‘God of Cricket.’ Eager eyes, child-like agility, elegant strokeplay, aggression ahead of its time, profound humility and immense love for the game; be it 1996 world cup semi-final, where he was the lone-warrior against a dominating Sri Lankan bowling, or his 1998 heroics against the mighty Australians that made Shane Warne reveal that Sachin haunts him in his dreams, he carried the burden of the expectations of the nation, with sheer pride and true grit. Who can forget his precious 136 runs at Chennai against Pakistan in 1999, despite being injured, like a wounded soldier, resolute Sachin kept his struggle on and took the team very close to the victory, though the team collapsed with his departure. Against the same opposition in World Cup 2003, he tore their bowling attack apart and exhibited supremacy over the lethal Pakistani bowling attack with his swashbuckling innings of 98 of just 75 balls. 

Injuries are part and parcel of every cricketer’s life. Sachin too, had to struggle with tennis elbow problem and there was a time when it appeared that he would never be able to play his natural game again. It reminds me of the famous article (February 2006) titled ‘Endulkar’ writing him off and proclaiming that his retirement was near. But again it was his unconquerable will with which he fought back. Resurgent Sachin silenced all the critics with his fabulous performances in 2007. In 2010, at the age of 37, he was awarded ICC cricketer of the year award. On 2^nd April, 2011, India won the world cup and he was the highest run getter for India with 482 runs in 9 matches. 

With more than 34000 international runs, a century of centuries and most of the batting records in his name, Sachin is set to bid adieu to the game. We are on the verge of the culmination of an era that witnessed the indomitable spirit of the ‘little master’, who earned a godlike stature in India with his unfading grace and truest form of dedication. It is 9:30 AM now, and I am entering my class in spite of knowing that the match will surely be over in next two hours, and very soon, he will be hanging up his boots ending one of the greatest cricket careers ever seen, and I will be sitting in a corner of the classroom, 1200 km away from Wankhede, along with 1 billion other teary eyed devout, giving him an emotional send off .God is great!

This article is written by Siddhartha Tiwari, PGP 2013-15. He can be reached at pgp13055.siddhrtha@iimraipur.ac.in .

The MOB Testimonies: Queen of the Clouds

It was 6 am …after a sleepless night of banter with my mates it was finally time to sleep. On the way to the toilet, I met Mudit dressed up and backpack slung on his shoulder, and asked the first question that would make the rest of my day “Are you going somewhere?” Mudit, as always his smiling and excited self said that they were a group of 11 riding to a place called ‘Ghatarani’ known for its waterfall. He was looking for people who would come along and started pestering me to join. One of those moments where the mind says yes and the heart says no. I wanted to go …but with having wasted the entire night before and the one before that, the ghost of pending projects and studies haunted me. I came back to the room seeing others on their way to join Mudit. I sighed; maybe some other time. When I entered the room Alok (my roomie) asked what was up. I told him about the ride these people were going on and how I wanted to go too. I had not even finished my sentence when his bike keys hit me in the chest, “Go on bro!” he said. Those three words were the stimulus that made me get ready in 2 minutes and on the bike with the others.

The pack (if I may call it) started from our residence at IIM Raipur, heading northwards towards NH-30 after fuel and air checks. On NH-30 and outside city limits, we stopped at a ramshackle tea-stall for tea and cigarettes. After tea, it was time to twist the throttle and burn some rubber as we zoomed away through the green paddy fields of Chhattisgarh towards the small town of Abhanpur. With the wind in my hair and Metallica pounding away “I disappear” in my ears I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else, that moment. To top it all, Partha zoomed in from behind me throwing up a challenge. I quickly responded with a change of gears and twist of the accelerator to get ahead of him; our little race went on for a while before I left him in the lurch and put distance between myself and the rest of the group. I finally reached Rajim and waited for the others to come; meanwhile I bought cigarettes and had tea. Seeing that it was taking them too long and fearing something wrong I turned back, to look for them. After going back a considerable distance without a sign of the rest of the group, I asked the second question that would make my day this time directed towards me.”Should I go back or continue towards Ghatarani?” Still don’t understand why I chose the latter but would be thankful to god later. 

What followed were few very anxious moments with all sorts of things bouncing inside my head. Despite everything, I went on… The road had by now become a narrow track with paddy fields on both sides and cattle in the middle (yes, on the road!). As I weaved through oncoming obstacles, I brushed on more than one occasion by their tails…. Not a good experience. But despite the thoughts going on in my head and the trouble I was having in maintaining speed, I could not stop myself from soaking in the serene beauty all around me, from lush green paddy fields, fresh air laced with incense from a nearby temple to the sights and sounds of a quaint village waking up. Not really the romantic.... I tried concentrating on the road ahead but couldn’t help my eyes from wandering towards the simple yet touching beauty. Stopping at a place to ask for directions, I was told that the remainder of the group had passed before me. It was the moment of relief that I was looking for, flipping gears and opening the throttle my bike reflected my emotions.

Coming down a slope I suddenly saw a blur of colors mainly yellow with some pink and bit of others. The next thing I knew was that I was on the ground my clothes dirty and some blood on my left leg below the knee. It was nothing serious actually, I had taken a skid and a fall in the process of avoiding a collision with a “family travelling on a bicycle” (man, wife and child on one cycle ….can you believe it!). The bruises were minor and to avoid any further embarrassment in front of a group of giggling schoolgirls, I picked up the bike and whatever was left of my pride and rode on.

“Is that them?” Yes, the third question which made my day came after about 15km later …on a road with curves which could put Jennifer Lopez to shame, I had arrived within seconds of the group and the anxious faces returned to being their usual grinning selves. We went up to the waterfall and posed for photographs trying to look the best we could while being semi-naked (Special mention to Sumit Ranjan for this). Partha was in his element while under the falls and surrounding forest, from making gorilla mating calls to dancing in ways considered offensive in many civilized societies. The temple of Jamtaimata at the head of the falls must have been at least many hundred years old, it made me realize that no matter what changes, but man’s faith in god is perpetual.

As we sat for lunch in a sleepy dhaba in Rajim, the fatigue showed but what showed more was joy. Everyone was happy about the trip and then past incidents were narrated. The laxity in service at the dhaba only gave us more time to chatter about, but suddenly it turned very formal more like a group discussion on topics ranging from Clubs in college to the CR’s. Time seemed to have slowed down (especially for me and Partha; the most uncouth in the group) ….and then the food finally came…spicing things up a bit (quite literally actually). 

On the way back, I tried to reminisce all that I had seen on the trip and all that I had done (The stinging bruise on my leg a mute reminder)…. I guess most of all, I remembered faces…smiling faces, be it the bearded ‘Babaji’ at the first tea-stall we stopped at, the giggling schoolgirls, the smile of relief on the faces of my mates when they saw me come over the hill and many others; it showed more than just happiness and contentment …what I saw in them was resilience, for which I arrived at a new definition. It’s not really what people say it is …. It is actually the ability of a person to curl his lips upwards and display his dentures in times of adversity (so much …for an MBA).

I can’t really describe the feelings my posterior had while riding into the campus. Finally it was going to be relieved of all the weight it had been carrying for so long …Now the 80 kg of man would be transferred on to the back on a Godrej mattress, until we ride again!

This article is written by Aniruddh Mukerji, PGP 2013-15. He can be reached at pgp13063.aniruddh@iimraipur.ac.in .

The fine balancing act: Inflation Vs Growth

The thought that Dr.Raghuram Rajan, the RBI Governor visited our campus at IIM Raipur still gives me goose bumps. He came across not only as a man brimming with knowledge but also as a person with humility that formed an extensive part of his demeanor.

Dr.Rajan commenced the session with a brief on where the Indian economy stands, how the RBI had tackled the pressing issue of CAD (Current Account Deficit) and the measures undertaken to revive the economy. This was followed by a question answer round by the students. It was a wonderful interaction filled with a few light moments and a lot of knowledge sharing that ended with the departure of the RBI Governor.

The RBI Governor’s address focused on the measures taken by the RBI to bring the Indian economy back on the growth trajectory. The RBI is focusing on creating a fine balance between the mounting inflation and the slowing economic growth. It has been following a balanced approach instead of the hawkish stance followed till last year.

Although inflation remains a pressing issue, inflation can be curbed through stringent measures. However, this is likely to have an adverse impact on the economic growth. The RBI is aiming at achieving a slight moderation in the inflation figures in the near term in line with the growth targets.

Secondly, CAD was under control and the government was even prepared if USA proceeded with the quantitative easing process. This statement exuded confidence that the Indian economy was out of the woods for the moment and the rupee depreciation would be curbed in the coming future.  

Thirdly, he also emphasized that the Indian economy was facing fundamental problems such as pending implementation of economic and tax reforms, creaking infrastructure, project implementation delays, procedural and clearance delays. Unless these issues were resolved, bringing growth back on track would be difficult. He also pointed out that when the country was tooting about the “India Shining Story”, it still faced these underlying difficulties. A slowdown has brought these fundamental problems to the forefront.

The pitfall is that these fundamental issues have led investors and banks to rethink their project investments across India. The delays have not only created a bottleneck for the original investors but also for the banks that have their loan and investment amounts blocked in existing projects. This situation is causing an asset liability mismatch for banks and also leading to rising NPAs. This is an area of concern and requires to be addressed.

The government in coalition with the RBI, plans to undertake small steps to resolve these fundamental issues that are detrimental to the Indian economic growth. The resolution of these issues is expected to boost investor confidence and mobilise funds in the Indian economy. 

Lastly, the RBI governor addressed the queries that the students had about inflation, food security bill and the like. It was a memorable and an enriching experience that involved knowledge sharing between the Governor and the students.

Contributed by : Ms.Jaslene Bawa. She is pursuing Fellowship Programme in Management at IIM Raipur and can be reached at Jaslene.fpm2013@iimraipur.ac.in

HR Confluence ‘13 - The Experience

Come 30^th August 2013, the students of IIM Raipur PGP batch 2013-15 were to attend the HR Confluence ’13. Despite there being a lot of hype surrounding the kind of reputed professionals participating in the panel discussions of the confluence, the true nature of what we were about to witness was yet to be revealed. It is a common sight in IIMs, the premier B-schools of India, to see people donning suits and lots of grey hair sitting on the dais and addressing students. However, as soon as the discussion began, it was apparent to us that this was no ordinary event.

Dignitaries from various areas of the corporate sector arrived to the city of Raipur to participate in discussing various aspects of 'Strategic Recruiting and Employee Branding'. The era has changed drastically, the quintessential workplace has changed, the needs have changed and so have the recruiters. Recruiting is one important function of HR and with these changing times, it has become more and more strategically aligned with the entire organisation. In words of one of the speakers, “HR is too serious to be left to the HR guys.”

One of the most difficult tasks in any academic discussion is to ask simple, grassroot yet pertinent questions. This task was amply addressed in the confluence, taken care of by the able faculty of IIM Raipur as moderators. As discussions progressed, the issues started coming out of the mist and clarity emerged as to some possible precautions and solutions. The result, a form of enlightenment for the students.

One very important thing which appealed to me was that if you keep the designations in perspective, the people on the other side of the dais still were able to connect both to the topic and to the students at a very basal level. The kind of comments that were made, the kind of arguments that were put forward, were of course pertinent, but they also appealed to the raw intellect of the students in a very natural fashion. This contributed very much to the non-commercial success of the event.

One of the speakers, Mr. Shwetabh Jha, mentioned, “HR as a function has always had an identity crisis. This is changing now.” The change that the aforementioned speaker spoke about,  has been very apparent for quite some time now. The only dearth was that of recognising it and acting upon it. This confluence and all events of such kinds go a long way in contemplating upon the said change. Another interesting thing about HR as a functional specialisation is that it seems very generic on the outside; non-HR aspiring professionals are often of the opinion that HR is something which needn’t be learnt or studied, it is something which comes very intrinsically. Whether this is good or bad, that is a story for some other time. But the fact remains that this confluence, in a not-so-subtle manner, showcased the importance of HR as a discipline and the complex nature of the kind of problems and issues that HR professionals face one they are in the industry.

Suffice to say that the HR Confluence ’13 organised by Indian Institute of Management Raipur was an enriching experience, both in terms of knowledge and exposure.

Contributed by : Jayesh Surisetti, PGP 2013 -15. He can be reached at pgp13082.jayesh@iimraipur.ac.in 

HR Confluence 2013 – Strategic Recruiting and Employee Branding

After last year’s successful HR Confluence on ‘Managing Talent for Competitive Advantage: From Identifying and Acquiring Talent to its Retention’, the theme of this year’s confluence is Strategic Recruiting and Employee Branding.’

This second edition of the confluence will see eminent people from the industry, coming together on this platform to share their ideas on strategizing the hiring process that is of special relevance in the world of business today. The confluence will hold panel discussions on topics such as transformation in recruiting culture, employer value proposition strategy, HR in employee branding – Public v/s Private sector, and emerging global talent pools.  Strategic recruitment means identifying the needs of the organisation and recruiting accordingly. HR practitioners will share their observations from real life experiences.

Employee branding is the image that the employee of a company showcases of himself and the company outside. Each employee is a brand ambassador and it demands a strong affiliation to the company. Pipeline approach which includes workforce planning, branding, continuous sourcing and on-boarding will be included in panel discussions on transformation in recruiting culture.

Employer value proposition is what is offered to the employee to make the organisation a desirable place to work in. It describes the mix of characteristics, benefits, and ways of working in an organisation. It is also important to understand the differences and similarities in the role of an employee in public or private sector. The impact on local employees due to the emerging and sought after global talent pool will also be covered in the panel discussions.

The confluence aims be a learning experience for the future managers for whom it would be essential to understand in depth the methods and strategies for recruitment. 

The First Step Forward- HR Confluence 2012 in Reminiscence

      Managing talent for competitive advantage – this is a sentiment that resonates in every organization as people are its most valuable resource. So when the first HR Confluence 2012 addressed this very issue, it was bound to generate a huge interest among industry experts as well as budding managers. 

       The discussions of HR Confluence 2012- Managing talent for competitive advantage revolved around three major themes which addressed the central idea in phases. These were talent spotting, talent retention and talent development. The main objective of the event was to provide insights into the plurality of perspectives on talent management. Also, the factors affecting the adoption and formulation of talent management strategy tailor-made to meet specific local needs and context of an organization were discussed.

          In a fiercely competitive environment, how do companies identify the right talent from the same employee pool, especially with the shrinking percentage of employable people? The discussions on talent spotting addressed this very dilemma. Acquiring the right talent is just a part of the problem organizations face. How to retain it seems to be the bigger issue as talent retention is easier said than done.  More importantly, how can companies best plan, select and implement development strategies for the entire talent pool to ensure that the organization has both the current and future supply of talent to meet their strategic objectives? Talent development plays a crucial role in every organization for this very reason.

        To address these issues on talent management, the HR Confluence 2012 witnessed HR practitioners from prominent companies in both public and private sectors such as SAIL, TVS, Renault-Nissan, Deloitte, L&T, Essar Oil Ltd., Balco and Carwale. From elucidating the concept of employee management using ’The Mahabharata’ to stressing on the need for companies to recruit individuals not just for their skills rather for the principles they carry, each speaker brilliantly put their thoughts forward. The common thread present in their speech was the cardinal principle – ‘People are important’.

           The ideas exchange that took place during the entire event was immense. The queries put forward by the students, inquisitive to know about the real-time business scenarios, were received with equal enthusiasm by the speakers. By providing the practitioner’s perspective on the questions raised, the experts helped the student panelists gain a better understanding of the realities faced by organizations. This is what ultimately resulted in the success of the inaugural chapter of HR Confluence paving the way to its second chapter in August 2013.

           Every organization spends a great deal of resources in recruiting and training its ‘talent’. Hence, it is relevant to discuss issues that deal with recruiting, developing and retaining people. However, there is much more to this story. Strategic recruiting and employee branding are equally essential for the long term sustainability of an organization. This is what the upcoming HR Confluence 2013 aims to address. Let’s see it take forward the success story of 2012 this year to a whole new level.