The Holistic Approach

“Management is the efficiency in climbing the ladder of success but leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning on the right wall”

Management Studies as an area of study draws its content from the disciplines of management which broadly includes finance, marketing, human resource development and business entrepreneurship. The subject facilitates students to understand many social and ethical issues. Rural development and growth, corporate social responsibility, innovation and entrepreneurship, financial literacy, environmental protection and conservation of resources etc, are major components of the subject.

Given the diverse background of the students, their different competency levels one may wonder how to develop these soft skills and knowledge base in them. Here we will be seeing a series of student events, each one of them had involving 180-220 students and curated over a period of 3-6 months. The broad theme chosen as well as creating the events under the theme was the most important role of the teacher.

The creative ability of the student groups coupled with group dynamism and intergroup competitiveness allowed the students to come out with great events which were backed by even greater research and learning in all these domains of management. The events culminate as two to three days festivals on the campus but the real learning happens during the pre-events and the months of preparation involved before the D-day which gives a chance to each willing student to participate and experience the practical aspect of the business.

Thinking way ahead of time it was possible to introduce concepts like cyber-crime and its impact, campus social responsibility, Green confluence through mega intercollegiate event wherein students from freshmen to the sophomores and the final year students came together to not only research on these topics but also gained skills required for rolling out student events in a metropolitan city like Mumbai there by taking these futuristic areas and domains to a larger population.

Always the events related to the mega intercollegiate festival had a bigger and larger social impact. The events were designed in a manner through which the students gained knowledge as well as became responsible citizens. The themes of the event were on topics impacting social welfare and at other times powerful themes related to marketing were also played out. This rolling event goes with the generic name CONFLUENCE. Each year it is the confluence of different skills.

As you go through the event details you will be able to appreciate how a single event and the preparation of which runs into months can hand out different competency to a large group of students with a diverse background.

1. Confluence 2019: Branding a visionary HEI

Vivekananda education society’s College of Arts, science and commerce popularly known as VESASC is situated in the suburb of Chembur in the city of Mumbai. True to its name it has been imparting quality education to the masses for decades. Realizing the importance of talking about what you do to the world, the students of the BMS department decided to dedicate their intercollegiate event to popularize the noble cause of the VES family to society. After a series of brainstorming sessions, it was decided that each letter in the acronym for the college VESASC can be translated into one quality in the students thus VESASC was categorized as Visionary, Entertainer, Strategist, Ambitious, Solver and Communicator. Keeping this as a background the events were designed to test these skills in the students. The participation was of course from all over Mumbai because these are the qualities that are expected in any management student.

The events included Vyaapari: the students had to choose their customers and sell to them the items given within a given time, the next event Flash backtested the creative instinct of advertisers as they had to redo an existing advertisement with a twist, Grab The Attention was a competition where students made best items out of waste and grabbed the attention of customers, VES Bulls replicated the stock market and virtual trading, Planage tried to bring out the entrepreneurial skills of students as they made a complete presentation of the product they were interested in launching, The Big Brand theory was designed to test the brand knowledge of students, Brand Baaja Bajao trickled the comedy cells as students roasted any brand of their choice. Around 10 colleges participated in the event.

Over the two days, the marketing skills and managerial acumen of the participants were tested and suitable prizes were given. The entire event was completely managed by the second-year students, saw a lot of activities throughout the year which led to experiential learning amongst the students. The students had to hard-sell their events and get sponsorship, followed by designing the events at the micro-level and rolling out the promotional material to attract participants. The chief guest and the judges for the various events had to be carefully chosen matching the schedule of the event.

The logistics and security team had their hands full while the creativity team members got their hands dirty to bring out beautiful artefacts to depict and inform about the event. Overall it was an enriching experience for the students as the department proudly announced the successful completion of the 17th intercollegiate event on the evening of 3rd December 2019.

2. Confluence 2018: The Secret Seven

The department wanted to use the annual intercollegiate festival to celebrate some key concept in Marketing. The 7 Ps of marketing was the winner in an interclass competition held to decide on the theme Confluence is not only the celebration of the spirit of marketing and management but also an opportunity for students to explore their creative limits, experiments, make mistakes, and have fun while continuously reinventing themselves during the course of the annual event.

The event was conducted on the 14th and 15th of December 2018, with the theme-7 Ps of marketing aptly titled the secret seven. celebrating the seven Ps of service marketing student teams conceived and rolled out events surrounding each one of the seven Ps. The seven Ps of service marketing are product, price, promotion, place, physical evidence, process and people.

Events like Product Anatomy (Product), The Room (Place), Biz Quiz (Promotion), Get More-Pay Less (Price), The Story Behind Success (People), The Marketing Treasure (Process) and Frequency (Physical Evidence) were conceived by the students and successfully implemented. Flyers, posters, postcards, website, banners, social media, programs and brochures all were a part of the events. Each team had its own unique identity in terms of positioning their event.

The students made a brochure for sponsorship, were able to convince sponsors about their event and the brand visibility they are likely to get, students got participants to register for the event and successfully conducted the event. Through these five steps they were able to imbibe and understand the 5 Cs of event marketing conceptualization, canvassing, costing, customization and carrying out. At the end of all these field activity each team presented in the classroom about how they went about the entire event and why they should be graded as the best event marketing team. The event also hosted experts from the field of marketing to judge the various events.

3. Confluence 2017: Cause Marketing

In Confluence 2017, the students were motivated to identify small societal problems and solve them in the best possible way. While brainstorming for everyday problems faced by society, students were appalled to realize that they were capable of solving many of them with a little effort.

Parent’s struggling with the mobile addiction of their children, many office goers not understanding the laws that are in place to protect them against harassment & road rage were some of the problems for which students came up with innovative solutions.

The event 'Wok-off' was conceived to spread awareness about food wastage. As a pre-event, students visited Ganapati mandaps, collected extra prasad and distributed to the destitute and beggars in the area. The next event, 'Rising Girl' was construed to uplift the life of girl children in general. The students of this team visited nearby schools and made a presentation on career opportunities and schemes directed towards a girl child.

'Mobilligence' was the event that gave a hands-on experience to parents of students studying in BMC schools so that they became aware of when their child was misusing the mobile handset. Team 'Digi-Gyan' was focused on creating digital literacy in school children by making a presentation on digital resources available for them to use. Team Peer Pressure organized a talk by a famous psychiatrist & also conducted street plays. Team 'Road Rage' spoke to the autorickshaw drivers on emotional intelligence.

Confluence 2017 was conducted on the 18th and 19th of December 2017. The event was inaugurated in August by the Chief guest Ms. Swapna Patel, COO, Co-Founder of Gray Technology Pvt ltd in the presence of principal Dr. J.K. Phadnis, Vice Principal Anita Kanwar. The Chief Guest delivered the keynote address on “Role of students in building productive teams for institutional and societal growth”. The first event was Digi-Gyan based on the famous concept of six thinking hats. Mrs. Jinal Sameer Shah, Co-ordinator & Assistant professor, SIES judged the event as students presented the different facets of the six thinking hats for a case study on mobile phone launch. Mrs. Farhana Farook, managing editor of Filmfare judged the event called “Peer Pressure” where students had to present a different approach to a situation played out in a movie that has a tragic end because of peer pressure. The judge advised the students to be lifelong learners and shared her own life experiences. R.J. Prerna Radio jockey at Radio Mirchi 98.3 FM was the roast of the crowd as she engaged them in dialogue as she judged the event to identify the best radio jockey promoting girl child education. Namrata Lalwani, Owner of Shalimar Hosiery Industries judged the event on Mobilligence. Reshma Nair and Trishna Panchal, facilitators at seeds of awareness NGO graced the event called “Against Sexual Harassment” and critically analyzed as they judged the event of storyboard advertising. Suprabha Jadhav, Executive at Flyrobe judged the event called “Wok-off-fight against food wastage”.

All the events were preceded ground-level activities like creating awareness against road rage, food wastage, intelligent use of mobiles, digital literacy, career guidance. The events benefitted a range of sections of society.

The event attracted sponsors from different sectors and the participants included students from south Mumbai colleges as well as suburban colleges like K.J. Somaiya and SIES. Cash prizes to the tune of Rs.35000 were given away. The students experienced a great sense of accomplishment as they understood that it is not the magnitude of what you give that is important but the appropriateness of giving.

The academic year was filled with a sense of purpose because of this event and had a far-reaching impact on the student’s personality. The students will carry these values as they enter the corporate world & act as responsible employees.

4. Confluence 2016: Energizing Lifestyles

Students conceptualized events around activities and important things that can keep us happy and healthy. The events covered good eating to yoga, musical fiesta to stand-up comedy, all the events also had an expert from the related field who spoke about the importance of the activity in nurturing a healthy body and mind.

The event was conducted on the 27th and 28th of January 2016 on the college premises. Through a series of pre-events, the students spread the message of healthy living for a better body, mind and soul throughout the academic year. During the two-day event competitions held were Yogstyle, Be Positive, Lots of Laughter, Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, Healthy Food, Healthy YOU, secrets to fashion, Music fiesta etc.

5. CONFLUENCE 2015: Campus Social Responsibility

Management Studies prepares students to manage, evaluate and respond to the economic, political, legal and social environment that affect business operations and analyze the interactions thereof.

The subject broadens its base by bringing in issues of inclusiveness, growth and sustainable development which can be leveraged for productive opportunities and generation of income on equitable terms. The student conducted a series of activities and events to sensitize the student community right from school students to collegians on various issues like Energy conservation, Swatch Bharat Abhyan- initiative of government, Pollution reduction, E-waste management & Water conservation.

Acknowledging the powerful theme some big corporates opened their purse for sponsorship as well as we're proud to be associated with the intercollegiate event. One of them was the RCF a popular state-owned chemical fertilizer company in the suburb. R.G. Rajan, CMD, RCF was the Chief Guest for the inaugural function. Shri R.G. Rajan while delivering the keynote address at the inauguration ceremony enlightened the audience on all the CSR initiatives that RCF had undertaken and encouraged the students to do their bit for the society.

As a part of the Swatch Bharat initiative, the students cleaned up the entire college and donated dustbins to the college. The team also conducted a skit competition for the school and college students around the neighbourhood. The event saw enthusiastic participation from school children. As part of water conservation, the students reached out to the neighbouring schools and organized a poster making competition to spread awareness. The Pollution Control team organized a rally for pollution awareness, reached out to the school students, vendors, pedestrians creating awareness about measures to be taken to reduce pollution. E waste management event highlighted the state of affairs in this highly ignored area through a debate competition where the students were aggressive through powerful facts and statistics. The judge for the event was Mr. Vijay Patil a lecturer in Chemical Engineering who is pursuing his masters in green engineering.

The energy conservation event saw participants from various colleges making a presentation on how energy conservation can be done in different industries right from hospitals, hotels and educational institutes. The judge for the event was Sarita P Karanchandhani, who is a special executive officer appointed by the Government of Maharashtra as well as an established writer having interest in social issues.

6. Confluence 2014: Cyber Crime and Its Impact on Society

The department made an effort to sensitize three important communities in the society-School children through essay competition and short play, the college students through Debate and fashion show with cyber crime as the theme. The common man was sensitized through a guest lecture by the famous Cyber crime lawyer Prashanth Mali followed by a quiz competition.

The annual intercollegiate event confluence was flagged off with much fanfare on the 29th and 30th of January 2014. The inauguration was done in the college forum hall on the 29th by Ms. Anuradha Vohra, VP, Lavasa group and principal Dr. JK Phadnis. It was followed by an engaging session on cyber-crime by hacking expert Mr. Sachin Dedhia. The audience had school children who had participated in the essay competition from across Mumbai.

This thoroughly informative session was followed by the short skit competition where in the high school kids depicted the aftermath of cyber-crime and social media addiction. The afternoon session was dedicated to the common Man where they were welcomed with a corporate lunch followed by a hilarious session on cyber-crime by Famous Advocate Mr. Prashanth Mali. It was followed by a Quiz competition to test the financial as well as online literacy of the participants. The prizes and goodies were given away left the participants smiling.

Day 2 saw the college students battling it out through their words on topics as varied as ethical hacking & also if social media was responsible for cyber-crime. It was followed by a fashion show in which the participants projected the theme of cyber-crime. The event attracted sponsors and the students discharged a CSR activity effectively at the end of two days.

Management Studies prepares students to manage, evaluate and respond to the economic, political, legal and social environment that affect business operations and analyze the interactions thereof.

The subject broadens its base by bringing in issues of inclusiveness, growth and sustainable development which can be leveraged for productive opportunities and generation of income on equitable terms. The student conducted a series of activities and events to sensitize the student community right from school students to collegians on various issues like Energy conservation, Swatch Bharat Abhyan- initiative of government, Pollution reduction, E-waste management & Water conservation.

The BMS Department of the college conducted its 2 Day Intercollegiate Management Fest “CONFLUENCE 2015” for the 16th successive year on the 19th and 20th of January 2015, Shri. R.G. Rajan, CMD, RCF was the Chief Guest for the inaugural function which was held in the college Forum hall in the presence of Principal Dr J.K. Phadnis and Executive Administrator Ms Rita Vazirani. Shri R.G. Rajan while delivering the keynote address at the inauguration ceremony enlightened the audience on all the CSR initiatives that RCF had undertaken and encouraged the students to do their bit to the society.

As a part of the Swatch Bharat initiative, the students cleaned up the entire college and donated dustbins to the college. The team also conducted a skit competition for the school and college students around the neighbourhood. The event saw enthusiastic participation from school children. As part of water conservation, the students reached out to the neighbouring schools and organized a poster making competition to spread awareness. The Pollution Control team organized a rally for pollution awareness, reached out to the school students, vendors, pedestrians creating awareness about measures to be taken to reduce pollution. E waste management event highlighted the state of affairs in this highly ignored area through a debate competition where the students were aggressive through powerful facts and statistics. The judge for the event was Mr. Vijay Patil a lecturer in Chemical Engineering who is pursuing his masters in green engineering.

The energy conservation event saw participants from various colleges making a presentation on how energy conservation can be done in different industries right from hospitals, hotels and educational institutes. The judge for the event was Sarita P Karanchandhani, who is a special executive officer appointed by the Government of Maharashtra as well as an established writer having an interest in social issues.

Acerca de