In business, it’s the early bird that rakes in the moolah. Taking cue from the age-old proverb, two MBA students have turned entrepreneurs even before graduating.

H.R. Sampreet and Saurav Dhiman, second-year students of the Vinod Gupta School of Management at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, have launched their own company, Enfount Business Solutions. Their maiden venture is Bulkdeals.co.in, a Bangalore-based online retail window specialising in institutional and organisational buying of laptops, desktops and other electronic items.

“Across campuses, students form groups to buy computers so retailers give them a discount,” said Sampreet. “But this happens locally and in an unorganised manner,” he explained.

The duo saw a business opportunity in this campus trend and created an online platform that is a one-stop-shop for bulk deals of laptops and desktops of all brands.

“Here, students can register and get great deals directly from the brands,” Sampreet said. “We estimate this to be a Rs 200-400 crore market. The brands, too, were looking for a single window to reach out to the student community. We had the business model and wanted to hit the market early, so we started even before graduating,” he added.

The company is partnering with almost all top brands such as Dell, LG, Hewlett Packard, Lenovo and HCL.

The website had over 1,000 visitors in the first three days of its launch and already has more than 300 members and over 20 registered colleges, including all the IITs.

When asked how they plan to balance studies with running a business, Saurav said: “It is all about time management. Our business requires just two or three hours a day, which we can easily put in.”

More : telegraphindia.com

For Indian Business Schools with global ambitions, Singapore is fast, hot as a goal. Earlier this year, IIM Bangalore announced its plans for the creation of a campus. And now Mumbai-based SP Jain Institute of Management and Research expects to likewise.

If this SP Jain overall the second incursion within two years. In 2004, the Institute has a campus in Dubai and was the first to offer a full residential full-time MBA program in the Middle East. Beflügelt by its success, it now has its sights on Singapore.

It is interesting to note that both SP Jain and IIM-B-plane orientation of the Indian diaspora in Singapore. Nearly 7.9 percent of 4 million people of Singapore are of Indian origin, this is the third ethnic group by the Chinese (76.8 percent) and Malays (13.9 percent).

IIM-B is planning to target the leaders to work in Singapore is short-term programmes Executive Education and Executive MBA, while SP Jain can be full-time program or an Executive MBA. “What are we going programmes make a bit of localization,” says ML Shrikant, dean of volunteers, SP Jain. “There will be a strong component of India programmes, such as the Modern World increasingly interested in India in the region, “she added.

Both IIM-B and SP Jain plan to fly down right in India. This could lead to a serious crisis of the resource, especially for SP Jain, given that the same option is also Deputy Director of Dubai. “This is probably a lot more pressure on resources, therefore we are in the process of the Faculty employs more,” said Shrikant

In an interview with the media today, PraMod Dr Kumar, director SIBM, “said Conference in regard to questions about the role of banks and financial institutions, the role of multinationals and public sector ’s role information technology industry, R & D and technology human resource management, management and the changing role of unions. The role of industry in the development of ethical standards and standards discussed.

Presidents of eminent Mr. NK, PSU, human resources specialists, bankers and managers of the technology involved in achieving the objectives on strengthening business relationships prospects for the future, including government influence political and understanding the impact of the activity of India in the global economy.

Among the participants are former Ministers of Finance Dr. Manmohan Singh, Rajesh Pilot, MP, Ram Jethmalani, Union Minister for Urban Development, Dr. RA Mashelkar, Director General, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, and Professor Rammohan Rao, director, IIM, Bangalore

Faculty members of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta are occupied, legal advice five days before the Supreme Court against the European Union human resource development ministry, said Ashis Bhattacharyya, IIMC’s din of the planning and management.

The Tribunal is currently head PIL consultation has been suggested that the HRD with the Ministry’s decision to bar tuition annual R-IIMS lakh from 1.5 to 30 RS 000 The Faculty IIMC appears in SC On 16 April.

The Faculty IIMC was against the tax bar because she thought it would have on the autonomy of the university.

IIMC faculty members and institutions in Bangalore and Ahmedabad felt the Boards of Governors decides on tuition fees of these institutions, which are not MHRD.

The PIL in SC was filed by some ex-students and academics from the Faculty of IIMA the Faculty IIMC decided to party. In search of the rights of the expertise of the Faculty IIMC are not subject to lawyers only in the city. “We started talking about some jurists high level in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore, man, regularly take up cases of the SC,” a senior Faculty said.

“The SC, after consulting the PIL, on 8 April has sought the opinion of the IIMS. But IIMS Lucknow, Indore and Kozhikode Calcutta at the offices of governors, a resolution supporting the tax cut, despite l ‘opposition of the Faculty. And it review committees have been searched, “said the panel members.

This is a new variant of the still ongoing tussle between the Union Ministry of Human Resources Development and the Faculty of the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

The MHRD, a cheque crore RS 4 IIM-C on Thursday evening, with a goodwill letter, this is not the kindness of the Faculty members.

While the letter states that the money is sent to the Institute with the express purpose that good, that the deficit is due to annual tuition of 1.25 lakh bar RS RS 30000, members of the Faculty said that the ministry was only trying “an act of submission” to the Supreme Court.

While no provision has been to date have IIM, Ahmedabad and IIM, Bangalore, it is assumed that money was sent to IIM-C, because its Board of Governors of the tax by a bar resolution, while the Faculty decides against him.

The PIL was filed at the head of court against the MHRD for the tax bar. IIMS of Ahmedabad, Bangalore and Calcutta (Faculty, in the latter case), the PIL.

The Faculty The argument was that once the tax reduced, it is annual deficit of nearly 6.5 crore MHRD But the case has ensured that good, the deficit in tranches of the fee, and it is in the sense that the check was sent.

Faculty A meeting was convened last Friday to discuss the removal MHRD and the consequences that result from the fact that the Faculty last. The Council said MHRD not a single penny time in 2003-04, when he apparently was preparing to send at least RS 6 crore.

Hence, the sudden release of funds is “intangible and a powder in the eyes.”

“The MHRD all crazy trying to maintain, in the cheque. It is well below what the IIM C would be necessary if the tax bar is implemented. The Institute is already taken by a lack of means. We have tried our cost of the body that we have put in place since 1991, a high-level Faculty said.

“Let the MHRD first version during the last year, the fund and its share for this year, through these RS 4 crore, before any claim,” said the panel members.

ZEE Network has announced an in-house reorganisation possibly in the wake of Zee TV President, Ms Apurva Purohit’s plan to quit.

The company says the move is aimed at job enrichment and offering higher responsibilities.

Mr Sunil Khanna, CEO, Zee Turner, would take over from Ms Purohit. Mr Khanna has been with the Zee Network for 10 years, occupying various positions, and has a track record in distribution and marketing. Mr Khanna, an engineering graduate from IIT Kharagpur and management graduate from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, is a marketing professional having worked in various marketing positions before joining Zee.

Mr Ashwini Yardi, Business Head, Zee MGM and Zee English, will assist Mr Khanna as head of programming for Zee TV.

Mr Khanna is expected to take over formally at Zee TV in Mumbai after Ms Purohit’s service period ends on 31 January.

Mr Dheeraj Kapuria, at present heading operations of Zee in the US, will take over as CEO of Zee Turner from Mr Khanna. Mr Kapuria’s deputy in the US, Mr S. Venkatasubramanian, will take over from him.

Mr Sunil Rohra, head of the UK operations and Mr Pushpinder Singh, head of the Africa operations, will report to Mr Kapuria, a press release said.

“This re-organisation is a result of our learning from an in depth internal communications exercise in which I met most of the managers within the network to assess the width of in-house talent. It was truly satisfying to reaffirm that we have an extremely talented pool of people in-house. I believe by enriching their portfolios, they will lead Zee Network into the New Year with greater vigour and effect,” the release said quoting Mr Subhash Chandra, Chairman, Zee Network.

Some of the executives have been given additional responsibilities. Mr Abhijit Saxena, currently handling international business (Asia-Pacific) and syndication of programming, will handle Zee English, Zee MGM, Trendz, Smile TV and FX Channel as business head. Mr Yogesh Radhakrishnan, in addition to his current portfolio of Zee Cinema and Zee Music, will also handle Premier Cinema, Action Cinema and Classic Cinema.

Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Limited (BSE: INFY) NR Narayana Murthy was presented on Saturday, the “brand-comm’s most admired Business Leader Award.

brand-comm, leading brand consultancy, advertising and relations company, said that after its third annual b-school study, Murthy has been admired for the most visionary and its value for the third consecutive year, managing students from ten institutes across India.

The distinction was Murthy director of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, Professor PG Apte, said today, the management of students were seeking job opportunities in an environment that was created for their overall growth .

“You need leadership to exceed the global market and in a world increasingly competitive, a visionary, as Narayana Murthy is indeed an inspiration to all of them,” said Apte.

Education should focus more on morals and ethics and should fight against fundamentalism, St. Joseph’s College principal Friday Ambrose Pinto said on Thursday. Education for the poor too is a vital aspect that should be taken up, he added. As Pinto speaking at ‘with relevance Excellence “, a conference of Catholic College of Karnataka on Thursday.

Speaking on ‘Vision of Christian higher education and its overview, and implications of Christian education, education Friday Pinto said should make people more moral and humanizes them. “While maintaining the highest standards, its demands that we produce a radical change in the person we educate - from selfish concerns to generosity to others.”

Emphasising on education for the poor, Pinto said Friday: “Education should struggle against unjust society, it should cater more to the poor and programmes should be taken up to empower them. Principal of St. Stephen’s in New Delhi, Dr Anil Wilson called for steps to rediscover the real meaning and purpose of education. “Let systemic changes be a reasoned response to needs and not a knee-jerk reaction to the time.”

The objective of the day-long conference was to create a model which is yet local to global, spiritually vibrant, socially relevant, emotionally balanced and leading to human enrichment. Deliberations also included topics like, if excellence in education can be fused with greater accessibility to Christian institutions.

Among the other speakers were Professor Jose and PD Leader of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore, Rev. Joe Fernandes, Vice-Provincial, Salesians of Don Bosco, Bangalore and Head and Professor, Department of Christian Studies, University of Madras, Joe De Mannath .

State governments still harbouring a legacy of the control and licence raj will have some tough questions to answer now.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is set to scrutinise the liquor and passenger transport polices of state governments to see if there are any practices that blunt free market competition.

Sources told ET, the commission is also looking at sectors such as pharmaceuticals, telecom, transport in western India, retail food and food grains for anti-competition practices.

Vijay Kelkar, advisor to former FM Jaswant Singh, has been appointed to oversee this analyses outsourced to professional institutes like the Delhi School of Economics and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

The commission, empowered to penalise a corporate or government body for anti-competition practices, will, however, restrict its action to ‘competition advocacy’ till it gets fully operational. At present, the commission is not adjudicating any matter as the issue of appointing a chairman is entangled in litigation at the Supreme Court.

“Many state governments exercise strict controls on liquor and passenger transport business through permits, while controls remain minimum for setting up bigger industries. We are going to look into such practices adversely impacting competition,” said sources.

The challenge now facing the commission is to get fully operational. The appointment of a chairman has been embroiled in a tussle between the executive and the judiciary.

While the government believes adjudication in cases involving complex economic analyses requires an economics expert, the judiciary feels arbitration in such matters is its domain.

The commission in the meanwhile is doing preparatory work. Sources said CCI is also contemplating to establish a ‘Centre for Competition Law and Policy’.

It has set up taskforces in areas like competition advocacy, predatory pricing and determination of costs and research projects.

Paul Wellings, the vice chancellor of the Lancaster University, United Kingdom was recently in the Capital on a brief visit. During his visit a memorandum-of-understanding was signed between the Lancaster University and Jawaharlal Nehru University for conducting joint research in social sciences, says a press release.

Apart from this, Lancaster University has recently entered into partnerships to offer joint-degree programmes with Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and collaborative degrees and joint research agreement in life sciences with Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE). In addition, an agreement has been formulated for research cooperation with Lancaster INFOLAB21 and Computer and Communications Research, Institute of Technology, Mumbai.

Management conclave

The GLA Institute of Technology and Management, Mathura recently organised a management conclave `Managing change and transformation in India Inc in global perspective,’ says a press note. The conclave was inaugurated by A Kalanidhi, former vice chancellor, Anna University and advisor, Sterling Infocom Ltd; Alok Aggarwal, executive director, Polar Industries and Ganeshi Lal Aggarwal. The event began with a `Saraswati vandana’, which was followed by the presentation of the conclave theme by Alok Aggarwal, in which he stressed on the need to be fully abreast with the corporate sector and the importance of affordability, acceptability and availability in the same. In a highly motivating lecture, Kalanidhi expressed his simple yet profound ideas, on the occasion. Mementos were presented to distinguished speakers and a cash reward of Rs 10,000 was announced for the MBA topper of the institute.

Accolades for Aptech

Adding yet another feather to its cap, Aptech has been named among `India’s Biggest Newsmakers’ in the second annual Business Today - Cirrus Review of CEOs and Companies that got the best press coverage in 2004, as per a press release.

A global learning organisation, Aptech Ltd is playing a key role in helping individuals, organisations and nations adapt to the changing requirements of a knowledge-driven world. It has acted as a catalyst to change by encouraging the sharing of knowledge through intelligent training and education solutions. Aptech’s recent forays include learning services - e-learning and consultancy, ATTEST - testing and certification and Aptech Higher Education Services.

IMT courses

The Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Ghaziabad invites applications for courses through the distance-learning mode. The courses are affiliated to the Vidyasagar University, West Bengal. The courses are: Master’s in Business Administration (MBA); Master’s in Human Resource Management (MHRM); Master’s in Marketing Management (MMM) and Master’s in Supply Chain Management (MSCM). The eligibility is a graduation or appearing in the final year.

In addition, it invites applications for one-year specialised diplomas in business administration, marketing management, personnel management, financial management, export management and material management. The eligibility for these courses is a 10+2 with a five-year experience or graduation, or a three-year diploma in engineering from the board of technical education, after a 10+2.

The forms and prospectus are available on payment of Rs 700 in cash. Contact the Advanced Management Institute, 67 (Basement), Hargovind Enclave, Opposite Railway Reservation Centre, Karkardooma, Delhi-92. The deadline is March 6, 2005. E-mail:imtdelhi9@yahoo.com.

Paramedical courses

The Nice Academy of Paramedical Sciences affiliated to Ch Charan Singh University, Meerut, under IDE invites applications for programmes, namely, hospital management; radio imaging technology and medical laboratory technology, wherein, the duration of the degree courses is three years and diploma and certificate course is one-year. In addition, it offers a physiotherapy programme, where the duration for the degree course is four years and diploma and certificate course is a one-year.