Confluence 2012 – the International Business Summit of IIM Ahmedabad, kick started today at the IIM Ahmedabad campus. Confluence 2012 is centered on the theme Changing Winds, New paradigms for Leadership. It seeks to address questions regarding the future role of leaders in shaping society amidst an increasingly challenging and swiftly changing environment which is still recovering from the after effects of the Global Economic turmoil.
The Summit was inaugurated by the Director of IIM Ahmedabad, Prof. Samir Barua. As part of the first Speaker series, the students from various institutes across the country were addressed by three eminent speakers from the Industry - Ms. Debjani Ghosh, MD, Sales & Marketing, Intel - South Asia; Mr. Arindam Bhattacharya, Partner & MD, Boston Consulting Group and Mr. Sudhir Vasudeva, Chairman & Managing Director, ONGC.
Prof Samir Barua in his opening address spoke about his thoughts on the theme of Confluence and said that today’s virtual world is making things move much faster than ever before. He emphasized on how a person has to keep running in order to keep pace with the changes that are happening in the world around us.
Ms. Debjani Ghosh stressed on the importance of 3 qualities that would ensure success for aspiring leaders – the foresight to spot emerging trends, knowing how to collect and make use of customer data and confidence & authenticity in dealing with various stakeholders.
Mr. Arindam Bhattacharya identified 4 mega themes that are likely to shape the future business world – A two speed world of local and global competition, emphasis on sustainability & societal engagement, vast access to and speed of transmission of information and the emergence of the new customer who is young, more demanding and more knowledgeable. He reckoned, in such a global environment, greater business model adaptability, increased focus on training leaders to amplify influence and customized business models targeted towards Asia are key factors which would help companies succeed.
Mr. Sudhir Vasudeva spoke about three key factors which according to him would be critical for future leaders as they would alter the business environment significantly – Doubts about the Free Market Economy and Trickle Down effect, Fundamental Rights of citizens getting enhanced and increasing environmental concerns and related restrictions. He spoke of the need for collective leadership in organizations to successfully overcome these challenges.
Confluence 2012 also saw a gamut of workshops today on topics such as corporate social irresponsibility, marketing simulations, customer relationship management and how ancient wisdom can help in entrepreneurial success. These workshops saw participation of about 700 students from various business schools and engineering colleges from all parts of the country.
The day also saw a variety of events across the various spheres of management like Finance, Policy, Strategy etc. A novel marketing event ‘Talk the sale’ was organized today where participants simulated a selling situation where each team was paired with another to play the role of a customer and a vendor, where they had to enter into a negotiation and a final agreement.
The final round of Strategy Quotient was also organized today, where the final two teams took on each other’s presentations in a direct combat to decide the final winner of the event. The novel format of the event led to a lot of excitement and stimulating opinions among the participants.
Saturday’s speaker sessions will focus on Entrepreneurship and the Global Economic Turmoil and will see international speakers including Chris Guillebeau of the $100 startup fame.
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