First Leg of Continuum 2011 is here!

In an age where skill and knowledge are the differentiators, comes Continuum, the rolling seminar series of SJMSOM, IIT Bombay where people who matter, people with acumen come and transfer their tacit knowledge gained over years of experience. Continuum encompasses various management domains viz. Consulting, Finance, Human Resources, Marketing, Operations and Systems. Each year’s Continuum brings together eminent speakers from industry as well as from academia. The seminars focus on relevant issues and challenges faced by managers in the prevailing economic atmosphere. Past speakers have included Mr. S Gopalakrishnan, CEO and Co-founder, Infosys; Mr. Ashish Dwivedi, Corporate Strategy & Business Development, Aditya Birla Group; Mr. Prasad Narasimhan, CMO, Virgin Mobile, Mr. Somak Ghosh, Head, Corporate Finance, Yes Bank; Mr. Rajeev Dubey, President - HR, After-Market & Corporate Services, Mahindra & Mahindra and many more.
HR Continuum 2011

HR Continuum is the first Continuum of calendar year 2011 and is scheduled as a one day event on 12^th March, 2011. This year the series of lectures and panel discussion will be around the central theme:

“Gaining Competitive Advantage through Effective Human Resource Management”

Product differentiation, marketing strategy, core competency, etc. have traditionally been the means to gain competitive advantage for an organization. However, the efficient management of employees has started gaining grounds as organizations realize the value of this Human Capital. Employees come from different background, age group, qualifications etc. and Human Resource personnel works very hard in channelizing their efforts towards a common goal. Moreover, in the current business scenario Mergers and Acquisitions are very common. The employees of the two different organizations inherit different value systems and so the success of Merger or Acquisition largely depends on the motivating them keeping their value systems in mind. In fact many organizations outsource certain amount of their Human Resource Management work to third parties to take care to day to day activities, in order to focus more on other aspects like Employee engagement initiatives, Knowledge sharing sessions, Training sessions, Gem awards etc.

Some of the key discussion topics will include:

• Role of HR in building strong employment brand
• Creating a strategic Human Resource Management System
• Role of Human Resources management in Mergers and Acquisition
• Diversity Management
• HR outsourcing
• The innovation imperative: HR impact

Panel Discussion:

A panel discussion would also be conducted on a topic in consonance with the central theme. This discussion is aimed at sharing the views and gaining the insights from the eminent business leaders and academia on the topic:

 “Strategies encouraging Internal Competition- Constructive or Destructive”

Consulting Continuum 2011

The Consulting Continuum 2011 will be the second event in Continuum 2011 series. Consulting Continuum 2011 is scheduled to be held on 13th March 2010. It will be organized by the 'ConSIG', Consulting Club of SJMSOM, IIT Bombay. The Theme of the Consulting Continuum reflects the current trends and challenges facing global businesses. The Consulting Continuum 2011 will see a series of lectures and panel discussions on the theme:

“Changing Times, Evolving Minds

The global economic recession during 2007-2009 and the cautious recovery of 2009-2010 have changed the entire landscape of the consulting industry. The industry has become very competitive in winning businesses. The corporate budgets have shrunk and clients want greater specialization. With the advent of various boutique firms specializing in sectors and skills, the goliaths of the consulting industry are facing stiff competition. However, the industry has seen increased contribution of non-traditional sectors such as energy, pharmaceutical, infrastructure, green technology. Various regulatory policies are being implemented in a number of sectors which present further opportunities. The industry is facing new challenges however, new avenues have also emerged which gives an opportunity for the Goliaths to re-assess their competitive strategies, expand and grow horizontally while the Davids will continue to grow with their niche value propositions. The event seeks to explore the recent challenges that have emerged in the industry and how the consultants can convert these challenges into opportunities. 

 Some of the topics we would be touching upon during this day-long event include:

• Challenging competitive landscape – A greater shift towards specialized consulting
• Growth in the changing global dynamics - Learning to Unlearn
• The Energy Sector: A challenge and an opportunity
• Consulting in public sector – An unconventional approach
• Taking control of Complexity-The essential ingredient for profitable growth
• Inclusive growth in this era of convergence

Consulting Continuum 2011 will bring together a host of industry experts in consulting domain who would provide insights into how consultants can adapt to new market realities and bring their clients back on their feet.

The Continuum seminars include interactive talks, panel discussions involving eminent speakers and workshops for hands-on learning. They are well attended by delegates from different organizations, distinguished alumni of the school, and students from other business schools as well as from other departments of IIT Bombay. The Continuum series also features a number of student competitions, including case study contests, paper presentations and business games.