Honing new biz minds outside classrooms

MUMBAI: Prathosh Gautham, an MBA student at SP Jain Institute of Management and Research in Andheri, would always avoid filling up customer survey forms, when asked

MUMBAI: Prathosh Gautham, an MBA student at SP Jain Institute of Management and Research in Andheri, would always avoid filling up customer survey forms, when asked to. However, when he participated in Ground Zero, a business strategy competition organised by Future Group earlier this year, and had to get these forms filled out by others as part of a ‘market research’ activity, he realised the importance of the seemingly mundane exercise. “Standing on the other side, you realise how difficult it is to get people to fill up these forms,” he said.

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Business strategy or ‘case study’ competitions such as Ground Zero, that require students to solve real-world business problems and come up with creative ideas for the industry, are the rage at B-schools in the city. The participants crunch numbers, survey the market and use their imagination to impress CEOs with their business acumen. Lucrative prizes and a chance to work with some of the most recognised names in the industry await winners.

It was the first time that Future Group, which is known for its retail chains such as Big Bazaar and Central, had organised Ground Zero, which saw around 520 teams from 15 B-schools across the country participating in it. Auto manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra has been holding War Room since 2007. A fast moving consumer goods company organised an event called ‘CEO Challenge’ and a financial services firm held a similar programme. Godrej, which runs a range of businesses holds ‘Live Out Ur Dream (LOUD)’.

For students, these competitions offer an opportunity to move from the classroom to the boardroom, and work on business problems beyond their textbooks. For example, as part of ‘CEO Challenge’, Abhijeet Patil, a student from National Institute of Industrial Engineering in Powai, and his teammates were asked to develop a plan for launching a new product. “We had to select the market, target the right customers and prepare an advertisement strategy. We faced questions from the company’s executives for each stage,” he said.

When Future Group asked students to come up with ways to attract the youth to E zone, its technology outlet chain, they suggested ideas from drone delivery to fancy wearable gadgets. “As former engineering students, technology appeals to us,” said Prithvi Salian, a participant from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies.