XLRI: Tops in Asia and ready to grow

B-SCHOOL PROFILE: From Businessworld

Businessworld profiles XLRI in its Issue dated September 6, 2004

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The Academic Block

Xavier Labour Relations Institute's looks can be decieving. On my visit to the campus, the only sound I could hear was the clank of the autorickshaw I had hired. I wondered how an institute with its commitment to 'Magis' (excellence in everything) could be so slow-paced and sleepy. But it wasn't the first time my first impressions were wrong. The institute has been declared the best in human resource management not just in the country, but also in Asia. And it has global aspirations.

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Says director Fr Casimir Raj: "We are already in the top five, and if we want to continue doing well, we need a global ranking." There is a huge demand for management education in Asian countries which is underfed. The institute is applying for AACSB accreditation in the next few months and is hopeful of receiving it.

Fr Casimir Raj, Director, XLRI*

A new men's hostel is coming up, and the director wants a gym to follow. "Given the kind of hours our students put in, it is a must," he says. He should know. Having assumed office only in May this year, he spends 40 minutes interacting with 10 students at a time everyday. He wants his full-time faculty strength to grow from 43 to at least 50 by this academic year end, and wants to start the Entrepreneurial Development Cell to train entrepreneurs and get them sponsorship. Efforts are also on for tying up with the University of Virginia for modelling an entrepreneurial incubator. Adds dean P. Venugoal: "There is a need for people who can develop Nirma and pan masala, and not only for those who can sell it." The strength of XLRI lies in creating leaders who possess the softer skills of management, apart from academic excellence.

By Aarti Kothari

Operations Management would be key differentiating factor: Industry Panels conclude during new Society launch at XLRI

* Panels include MDs of Tinplate, TELCON, Tata Yodo, Dean, IIT Kharagpur, Senior Executives of ICICI, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, SBI, CET/SAIL, Usha Martin

* XLRI to utilise rich Jamshedpur Belt’s vast resources for Operations Management Society

Seamless Operations Management would be the key differentiating factor for Companies in the days ahead. With everything else accessible to all competitors, the player who takes the lead in Operations Management would win. This was the conclusion reached by two Round Tables at XLRI Jamshedpur. The panels included Mr Bhusan Raina, Managing Director, Tinplate Co. of India; Mr. Ranveer Sinha, Managing Director, Telco Construction Equipment Co. Ltd. (TELCON) and renowned Operations Management Professor, Dr S Sahu, Dean, PG Studies, IIT Kharagpur. The occasion was the Inauguration of the new Student Society, Association at XLRI for industrial and Operations Management, AXIOM’s one-day workshop on “Operations Management: Future Trends”.

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The Inauguration had two Round Tables and two Technical Sessions.

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In the first technical session, Mr G Ramakrishna, Chief Manager (ATM Operations, Bihar & Jharkhand), State Bank of India, discussed the ATM initiatives of SBI, stressing on how technology helped in getting a competitive advantage and cutting costs.

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The first Roundtable deliberated on ‘The future of operations lies with Services and not Manufacturing’ in which the participants were Mr. Bhushan Raina, MD, Tinplate; Mr. Ranveer Sinha, MD Telcon; Mr. Pradeep Srivastava, MD, Tata Yodo; Dr. S Sahu, Dean (PG Studies), IIT Kharagpur; Mr. A S Mathur, President, Usha Martin; Mr. Rajesh Singh, Additional Director (Engg.), CET/SAIL; and Mr. Bapna, Senior GM (Quality), Tata Motors. The panel discussed the interdependence of services and manufacturing sectors but stressed on the importance of manufacturing’s role especially in the Indian context. It was reiterated how satisfactory services could be provided only if the manufacturing was of good quality; and manufacturing in turn depended on the services for its finished products to reach the customer. The panel reached the conclusion that Operations is an area in which services and manufacturing are interlinked and Operations would be the key differentiation factor in future.

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The afternoon session began with Mr Ravi, Regional Head (Eastern Region), ICICI Bank discussing the Operational Structure of ICICI’s ATM. He focused on the various operational and logistic steps that have been implemented at ICICI’s efficient ATM network. He placed emphasis on how standardization has helped ICICI roll out new ATM counters seamlessly. “As technology gets more and more duplicated, Operations can be the differentiator, helping companies arrive at a logical and feasible plan to deliver top quality services.” A lively Question and Answer session followed the talk.

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The second Roundtable comprising Mr. Ajay Das, Executive Director, Timken; Mr. U K Chaturvedi, VP (Long Products), Tata Steel; Mr. T K Ghosh, VP (Corp.), Tinplate; and Mr. R C Nandrajog, ED, TRF contemplated on ‘Quick response or agile : the future model of manufacturing’. The panel noted how the rate of change in the organization could not be greater than the rate of change in the organizational environment. The panel concluded that to map out that change and implement it, strong managerial hubs would have to be established.

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Also Read:

XLRI student society to focus on operations management, Business Line, August 18, 2004

Campus Jottings, The Hindu, Delhi, August 19, 2004

XLRI to help Tatas reskill VRS-optees

THIS DAY THAT AGE - 4

From the pages of Business Line dated August 16, 2002

FOR the Tatas, it is never a `bye bye' for employees, even for those who have prematurely left the organisation through the VRS route.

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Consequently, some of the Tata companies located in the region have approached the Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) and asked it to create a cell for retraining these people for redeployment purposes.

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XLRI is a business management school created by the Jesuit Society at the request of the Tatas to educate trade union leaders about their role in the proper functioning of an organisation.

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Fr P.D. Thomas, Director of XLRI, said the Tata companies had also requested for the creation of a placement cell for the retired people. ...

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He said the companies which had approached XLRI were Tata Iron & Steel Company, Tata Engineering & Locomotive Company, Telco Construction Company and Tinplate Company of India. All these companies, and others located in the region had undertaken massive manpower reduction programmes in the last few years. Full Story

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Another Story:

Life After VRS: Tatas Rope In XLRI To Show The Way,

The Financial Express, August 8, 2002

XLRI Jamshedpur to Launch Operations Management Society Tomorrow

* To utilise synergy between rich Jamshedpur Industrial belt and XLRI’s Operations Focus

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* Inaugural Confluence of Industry Captains to deliberate on “Operations Management: Where does it go from here?”

Operations Management remains a key driver in the field of management. To focus on this key functional area, XLRI Jamshedpur is to launch the new Student Society, Association at XLRI for industrial and Operations Management, AXIOM on August 17, 2004 with a one-day workshop on “Operations Management: Where does it go from here?” The workshop will have eminent personalities in Operations Management including Mr Bhusan Raina, Managing Director, Tinplate Co. of India; Mr. Ranveer Sinha, Managing Director, Telco Construction Equipment Co. Ltd. (TELCON) and renowned Operations Management Professor, Dr S Sahu, Dean, PG Studies, IIT Kharagpur.

The itinerary for the Inauguration includes two Round Tables and two Technical Sessions. The Round Tables will be on “The future of operations lies in Services and not manufacturing” and “Quick Response or Agile? A Future Model for Manufacturing”. The discussions will feature eminent personalities in Operations Management including Mr Bhusan Raina, Managing Director, Tinplate Co. of India; Mr Ranveer Sinha, Managing Director, Telco Construction Equipment Co. Ltd. (TELCON); Dr S Sahu, Dean, PG Studies, IIT Kharagpur; Mr Ajay Das, Executive Director, Timken; Mr. Uday Chaturvedi, VP, Tata Steel; Mr Tapan K Ghosh, VP, Tinplate and Mr V K Jaiswal, VP, Tata Cummins. The technical session will be conducted by Mr G Rama Krishna, Chief Manager (ATM Operations, Bihar & Jharkhand), State Bank of India, on “the Role of Operations Management in SBI’s ATM Initiatives”, delving into his practical experience in implementation.

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On the committee and its vision, Dr T A S Vijayraghavan, Faculty Coordinator of AXIOM and Professor of Operations Management, XLRI, said, “This is the right time to launch such a committee. We see that manufacturing has become very proactive and forms an important element in Supply Chain Management. Through AXIOM, we will be looking at recent trends in the industry in the field of Operations and Manufacturing, from a management perspective. AXIOM also intends to define the role of operations in service organizations.” He added that AXIOM will serve as a link between the academia and the industry.

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The committee will coordinate student activities in the Operations Management Area by facilitating regular interactions with practicing professionals from diverse sectors through regular company tours and guest lectures. It will also increase on-campus presence of companies committed to excellence in Operations Management through Case Study competitions and Conferences. In the long term, it also intends to take student consultancy projects for the Industry. XLRI has some of the best Operations Management Professors in the Country, who will be spearheading this mission.

XLRI, Hughes in pact for online management course

THIS DAY THAT AGE - 3

From the pages of Business Line dated August 13, 2002

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XLRI's tieup with Hughes over the past two years - to introduce one of the first management education programmes in the Country via broadband satellite - has had a tremendous response from across the Country.

XAVIER Labour Relations Institute, popularly known as XLRI, has joined hands with Hughes Escorts Communications Ltd to introduce a business management education programme through broadband satellite connection. ...

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The course will be conducted live in 14 cities all over the country from September. A studio for this purpose will soon be constructed in XLRI campus at Jamshedpur. It will be built by Hughes Escorts at a cost of Rs 3 crore.

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According to Father P.D. Thomas, Director of XLRI, the course is targeted at working executives. "It is a 14-month, 360-hour course. It has been named as Post-Graduate Certificate in Business Management. The course fee has been fixed at Rs 1.50 lakh'', Father Thomas told Business Line.

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The structure of the programme is based on a joint survey conducted by XLRI and Hughes Escorts across nine centres and 300 working professionals. It was found that 75 per cent of them preferred a course on business strategy, marketing and finance.

"This arrangement with Hughes Escorts to offer management training on the satellite platform will take the expertise of XLRI faculty beyond the borders of Jamshedpur. It is part of a bigger plan of XLRI and it is called Upskill Corporate India'', he said.

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Apart from the four metros, the other cities identified are Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Tiruchi, Pune, Kochi, Coimbatore and Madurai. Full Story

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Another Story:

XLRI Ties Up With Hughes For Distance Education, The Financial Express, August 10, 2002

XLRI has a new director & he's on a mission

From The Economic Times Learning Curve dated August 9, 2004

After 30 years in management education, Fr N Casimir Raj is ready to redefine the Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI).

His first stop: A new vision and mission statement for the 55-year-old institute that consistently ranks among the very best in the country. “Access, globalisation and localisation,” says Fr Raj will be the focal points of XLRI’s new philosophy. ...

It [XLRI] is among the first premier institutes in the country to have taken to the distance mode of education with its certificate programmes in business management and human resources, offered via satellite classrooms across the country.

It [XLRI] is also among the first to have headed overseas with its international campus in Dubai. Fr Raj hopes to take these global ambitions further with an eye on the SAARC and south-east Asian countries including Sri Lanka, Singapore and Thailand. ...

At some distance from conventional management, XLRI is looking to work at the grassroots level in the Jharkhand area to fulfil, says Fr Raj, its “social obligation to the state.” So, in the near-term an entrepreneurship development cell that will work at the grassroots and with medium-sized enterprises is planned. XLRI is also involved in a healthcare services project with Tata Main Hospital to provide technical and general manpower training.

Again in the healthcare sector, the institute is working with IIT Chennai to provide tele-health checking for people in the villages.

Fr Raj hopes to have XLRI’s new vision and mission statement prepared by mid-September. Once out, XLRI will have its work cut out for it. Full Story

Read our earlier story:
New Director, Dean for XLRI, June 22, 2004

CEO salaries outstrip growth of profits

THIS DAY THAT AGE - 2

From the pages of The Hindu Business Line dated August 9, 2002

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While the compensation for the CEOs has increased, this has not resulted in a positive change in the performance from the point of view of all other stakeholders including equity shareholders.

IT was always felt but could hardly be proved. Finally, a study conducted by two faculty members of XLRI (Xavier Labour Relations Institute) has concluded that CEOs of India Inc. have increased their pay packets at a faster pace than the profitability of their corporation.

The trend started in 1995, but failed to take other stakeholders along with it. It was found that minority shareholders were not rewarded adequately on their investments, employees were made to remain satisfied with low wages, and donations to social causes were almost neglected.

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This might temporarily put to rest some of the debates over the CEOs' pay package. The deprived lot always shouted that the top bosses were going away with thicker salaries than what they deserve.

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Prof Ram Kumar Kakani and Pranabesh Ray of XLRI have concluded in their study that the increased remunerations of the corporate bosses have not translated into similar increments in company's profitability.
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The study — CEO pay packages and firm performance: The ballooning issue — is based on the published corporate performance data of 16 large manufacturing firms and is spread over two decades. Full Story

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Read the Full Paper at:

CEO remuneration — I : The burning issue, Business Line, August 13, 2002

CEO Remuneration — II: Issue of pay versus performance, Business Line, August 14, 2002

XLRI: Helping The Non-Govt Sector

TRUE TO THAT 1949 MISSION...

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A Special Feature in The Financial Express' India Inc. Supplement dated August 7, 2004

Amidst a hectic academic session, students of XLRI, have gathered to provide voluntary consultancy services to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), not-for-profit organisations (NPOs) and small & medium scale enterprises (SMEs).

Working under the umbrella of Students’ Initiative Group for Managerial Assistance (SIGMA), the would-be managers are ready to help those who are helping others. The mission, among other things, according to Prof Biswatosh Saha, faculty coordinator, SIGMA, “is to promote the involvement and commitment of students to contribute to society through effective means of participation and to enhance leadership, managerial and entrepreneurial capabilities of non-profitable organisations (NPOs) and private sector initiatives on the social front by developing management consulting (with a high level of project responsibility) as a powerful tool”.

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SIGMA, which takes up short-duration projects as it suits the B-School students who come for a two-year learning session, recently completed one for an NGO imparting informal vocational training to school dropouts at Liluah near Kolkata. Full Story

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Also Read:

Student Consultancy Reflects XLRI’s Social Face, July 14, 2004

Exploring the world of literature

FROM A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE: PROF. TAMONAS GANGOPADHYAY

From the pages of The Telegraph dated August 2, 2004

A nail-biting finish to a cricket match does not impress him. Neither does masala Bollywood movies. For Tamonas Gangopadhyay, professor of quantitative technique and systems selective, XLRI, what matters most is words. Nothing holds more significance than the fine print. His collection of over 3,000 books is his prized possession and Tamonas has found a new world for himself in them.

Walk into his office and you will find more in this man’s booty. A PHD in mathematics, he loves Coetze as much as he adores the Brahms. He prizes his complete collection of Kafka just like he can’t get over Beethoven.

A man with a classy taste in literature and music, Tamonas says, “Pulp fiction is not my kind of stuff.” And why not, for one who has tasted the richness of literary novels like Coetze’s “Disgrace” and “Waiting for the Barbarians” and Marcel Proust’s “Remembrance of Things Past”, anything short of it is not good enough. Full Story

Jamshedpur celebrates a festival of original music - Waves 2004

From RSJ Online's XLRI Campus Correspondent

In the small town of Jamshedpur, unbeknownst to the rest of humanity, a movement of original music is underway that lays to rest the notion that original musical expression is the bastion of the metropolitan youth. There is a silent movement underway here, a hotbed of latent talent about to explode and if the recently concluded competition of original musical expression Waves 2004 is any indication, here is a concept whose time has come.

Waves 2004 is a brainchild of Amit Sharan of Handheld Productions who came together with XLRI Jamshedpur, Cafe Coffee Day and Tata Steel to produce this event - the theme of which was 'Be a little more human' - open to the schools of Jamshedpur. Handheld offered studio time to each of the teams in the finals and recorded a video of each of teams to be released on a CD. Full Story

XLRI To Host National Electoral Reforms Workshop on Aug 11

Messrs T S Krishnamurthy, J M Lyngdoh, Yogendra Yadav, Jayaprakash Narayan among participants

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XLRI Jamshedpur, in association with the State Election Commission, is to host the National Electoral Reforms Workshop on August 11, at the Tata Auditorium, XLRI.

Luminaries in the Election Scene of India who will take part in the Workshop include the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Mr T S Krishnamurthy; former CEC, Mr J M Lyngdoh; Mr Yogendra Yadav, Renowned Psephologist and fellow at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, New Delhi; National Coordinator of Lok satta Movement and National Campaign for Electoral Reforms, Dr.Jayaprakash Narayan; Mr B Muthuraman, MD, Tata Steel

The Governor of Jharkhand, Mr Ved Marwah will inaugurate the one-day workshop. Participants in the workshop will include District Magistrates, Senior Police Officials, Senior IAS Officers, Professors and Students of XLRI, Industrialists and NGOs.

The schedule for the day includes a mix of speeches and discussions. A set of recommendations will be drafted towards the end of the Session.

This is the second and last leg of workshops. The first leg of the workshop was organised on June 26, 27 at IIM Bangalore.