Author: Ram Kumar

Confluence 2024 – Sparking Innovation and Collaboration for Entrepreneurial Success

Ram Kumar 0 Comment Faculty & Staff Spotlight
Confluence 2024 – Sparking Innovation and Collaboration for Entrepreneurial Success

Confluence 2024: Catalyzing Entrepreneurship, the inaugural event by the Centre for Entrepreneurship, Krea University, organized by IFMR Graduate School of Business, Krea University, in partnership with TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) Chennai and The Chennai Angels, was hosted on 23 March, 2024 at the Hilton Chennai. 

This inaugural event has emerged as a cornerstone in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, bringing together thought leaders, innovators, and change-makers from various sectors to foster a culture of innovation, exploration, and collaboration. The conclave was a vibrant assembly of minds and ideas aimed at catalyzing the entrepreneurial spirit among attendees. It featured a meticulously curated program of keynote addresses, panel discussions, and interactive sessions that delved deep into the nuances of entrepreneurship in the modern era.

Professor Lakshmi Kumar, Dean, IFMR GSB, Krea University delivered the Welcome Address. Lakshmi Narayanan, Chancellor, Krea University, and the Chief Guest, Gopal Srinivasan, Chairman & Managing Director, TVS Capital Funds Limited, set the tone for the day with their insights into the evolving landscape of entrepreneurship. The Special Address by Srini Raju, Chairman, Sri City Foundation, further highlighted the conclave’s significance in bridging the gap between academic inquiry and industrial application.

A Keynote Address by Ashvin Chadha, Managing Partner and Co-Founder, Anicut Capital, titled Connecting Dreams with Capital, emphasized the pivotal role of finance in transforming innovative ideas into tangible success. Professor Thillai Rajan from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras captivated the audience with his keynote on What Characterises Tech Start-Ups, shedding light on the distinctive attributes that set tech entrepreneurs apart.

The conclave was enriched by a diverse array of panel discussions that spanned the spectrum of entrepreneurial endeavor. The first panel, Breaking Boundaries: The Power of Disruptive Innovators, moderated by Professor R Sathyanarayanan, IFMR Graduate School of Business, Krea University showcased the journeys of pioneers like Mahesh Ramachandran, Founder & Chief Mentor, Tech Innovations, CIGS, Natasha Jethanandani, CTO, Kaleidofin, and Senthil Kumar, Co-founder and Board Member, Qube Cinema. The second panel, Green Ideas to Green Profits: Stories of Eco-Entrepreneurs, moderated by Professor R S Sathya Saminadan, IFMR Graduate School of Business, Krea University highlighted sustainable business practices with speakers including Deepak Baghel, Co-Founder and CEO, Mielo India,  Deepanshu Khandelwal, CEO, Catalyst AIC, LEAD at Krea University, Karthic Rathinam, Founder, Out of the Box, Madhumitha Udaykumar and Jagadeesh Kumar, Co-founders, The Indus Valley.

The dialogue extended into the realm of Connected Efficient Inclusive: The Landscape of Smart Services, in the third panel where Akhila Rajeshwar, Executive Director, TiE Chennai, Nirmalya Pal, Founder, Campusutra, J Salim Vali, Partner, Capital Development, IIMA Ventures, Vamshi Vasudevan, Founder and CEO, Anyo App and the panelist/moderator Professor Anil Srinivasan, Co-Founder, Kruu Inc, Visiting Professor of Practice, Krea University, explored how innovative services are creating more inclusive economies.

The Convenor of Confluence 2024, Professor Vijayalakshmi C, IFMR Graduate School of Business, Krea University delivered the Concluding Address. Confluence 2024 Core Team comprises Professor Lakshmi Kumar, Chairperson, Centre for Entrepreneurship, Professor Vijayalakshmi C, Convenor, Confluence 2024, Professor Ankur Paliwal, Professor Kumaravel Sivakumar and Professor Sathya Saminadan R S from IFMR Graduate School of Business, Krea University. 

The Hindu: Dive into the details of Confluence 2024 as highlighted in this article. 

The Times of India: Discover the essence of entrepreneurship with a focus on social impact through Confluence 2024 here. 

The Indian Express: Discover the in-depth coverage of Confluence 2024 here. 

For more details about Confluence 2024 click here. 

Krea-CWP Workshop at the School of Social Sciences and International Studies, Pondicherry University

Ram Kumar 0 Comment Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Dr Anannya Dasgupta, Director, Centre for Writing & Pedagogy (CWP) and Associate Professor of Literature, SIAS, Neha Mishra, Assistant Professor of Practice, Centre for Writing and Pedagogy (CWP), and Sayantan Datta, Assistant Professor of Practice, Centre for Writing and Pedagogy (CWP) will deliver a Krea-CWP Workshop for MA and PhD students of the Centre for Women’s Studies, School of Social Sciences and International Studies, Pondicherry University. The workshop titled Complex Ideas, Clear Sentences: Reading and Writing for Comprehension will take place on 21–23 March, 2024. 

Sathyanarayanan Ramachandran conducts a Workshop on Case Method at ICMR ’24

Ram Kumar 0 Comment Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Sathyanarayanan Ramachandran, Sundram Fasteners Associate Professor of Marketing, IFMR Graduate School of Business, Krea University conducted a Workshop on Case Method during the International Conference on Marketing Research 2024 (ICMR ’24) organised by Loyola Institute of Business Administration (LIBA) in partnership with Albers School of Business, Seattle University, US, held on 15 March, 2024.

The workshop covered changing cohorts, classroom psychology, Bloom’s revised taxonomy in the new millennium context, and the genesis of the Harvard Business School Case Method. The workshop also discussed the challenges and helped the participants to understand various ways to handle case discussions effectively.

Krea University hosts a Workshop on Industrial Policy in Indian States

Ram Kumar 0 Comment Faculty & Staff Spotlight

On 20 March, 2024, Krea University’s Admin Office in Chennai hosted a day-long workshop on Industrial Policy in Indian States. The event was organised by the Madras Institute of Development Studies (MIDS) in collaboration with the New Political Economy Initiative, IIT-Bombay. 

The keynote address was delivered by Professor C Rangarajan, former Governor, RBI. Professor Madhuri Saripalle, Professor, Economics and Chairperson – MBA Programme at IFMR GSB, Krea University was a a speaker on the panel discussion on Sectoral Firms, and Professor Pulapre Balakrishnan, Visiting Professor at SIAS, Krea University chaired the Open-house session. 

For more information, click here

IFMR GSB’s PhD Scholar Soumyabrata Basu presents a paper at the Annual Research Workshop on Insolvency & Bankruptcy

Ram Kumar 0 Comment Student Spotlight

IFMR GSB’s PhD Scholar Soumyabrata Basu presented a paper titled Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code and Firm’s Cost of Debt: Empirical Evidence from Indian Firms, co-authored with Dr Praveen Bhagawan, Associate Professor & Area Chair – Finance, Accounting and Quantitative Finance, IFMR GSB and Dr Jyoti Prasad Mukhopadhyay, Associate Professor & Area Chair – Economics, IFMR GSB at the Annual Research Workshop on Insolvency & Bankruptcy, organised jointly by IIM Ahmedabad and the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI). 

Lede-ing to the Nuts: Learning Journalistic Writing from Squirrels – A  Writing Workshop by Dr Anannya Dasgupta

Ram Kumar 0 Comment Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Dr Anannya Dasgupta, Director, Centre for Writing & Pedagogy (CWP) and Associate Professor of Literature, SIAS, Krea University conducted a  Writing Workshop for Students of the ACJ-Bloomberg Business and Financial Journalism Programme, Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, on 15 March 2024. The workshop is entitled Lede-ing to the Nuts: Learning Journalistic Writing from Squirrels.  

For more details, click here.

Consent or Coercion? Looking back at the Constituent Assembly Debate on Uniform Civil Code – An Article by Dr Sambaiah Gundimeda in the Hindu’s Frontline Magazine

Ram Kumar 0 Comment Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Dr Sambaiah Gundimeda, Associate Professor of Politics, SIAS, Krea University published an article titled Consent or Coercion? Looking back at the Constituent Assembly Debate on Uniform Civil Code in the Hindu’s Frontline Magazine.  

This article critically analyses the Constituent Assembly’s discourse on Uniform Civil Code. By analysing the arguments and counter-arguments of the proponents and opponents of the UCC, respectively, this article argues on the importance of securing the consent of the affected people, and the responsibility of the majority in facilitating the will of the minority. 

To access the article published in Frontline: click here.

You can read the article here

Exploring Christopher Nolan’s Cinematic Grammar: A Post-Oscar Analysis by Ritwik Kaikini

Ram Kumar 0 Comment Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Ritwik Kaikini, Visiting Faculty, Global Arts, SIAS, Krea University, delves into Christopher Nolan’s filmmaking approach in an article titled At Oscars 2024, the triumph of the Christopher Nolan grammar, published in The Federal, India. Following Nolan’s Oscar win, Kaikini examines how Nolan constructs narratives infused with science and a phenomenological perspective. The piece offers insights into Nolan’s distinct style and its impact on cinematic storytelling, shedding light on his unique approach to filmmaking.

Read the article here. 

Dr Shyam Kumar Sudhakar Presents a Poster at the 16th Young Investigators’ Meeting held on 11–13 March at IISER Bhopal 

Ram Kumar 0 Comment Faculty & Staff Spotlight

Dr Shyam Kumar Sudhakar, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences, SIAS, Krea University presented a poster titled Discovering Disease Comorbidities in Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Patients Using Graph Network Approach: A Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems Study during the 16th Young Investigators’ Meeting organised by IndiaBioscience on 11-13 March at IISER Bhopal. 

More info about the event can be found here. 

Market Structure, Profitability and Regulation of Telecommunication Industry in India – A Publication by Professor Madhuri Saripalle and Dr Surabhi Somya

Ram Kumar 0 Comment Faculty & Staff Spotlight, General Topics

A paper titled Market Structure, Profitability and Regulation of Telecommunication Industry in India, co-authored by Professor Madhuri Saripalle, Professor, Economics and Chairperson – MBA Programme at IFMR GSB, Krea University and Dr Surabhi Somya, a PhD alumna of IFMR GSB, Krea University and currently a Consultant at Deloitte USI, Financial & Risk Advisory, has been published in Global Business Review. 

The telecom industry in India has witnessed exponential growth in the past decade; however, its profitability has been on the decline post 2008. This study analyses the determinants of profitability of the industry during 2010–2022 using the conventional structure-conduct-performance paradigm. The authors estimate a dynamic panel data model to understand the role of endogeneity and profit persistence in the industry. Results suggest that there is profit persistence in the industry. Among conduct variables, export intensity has a positive impact while selling and import intensities has a negative impact on profitability. While size is not significant, industry concentration has a negative impact on profitability. These results suggest that as the telecom industry transitioned from a monopoly to an oligopolistic market with players competing in different domains and services, selling and advertisement intensity has diminishing returns to profitability while export intensity emerges as an important driver of profitability. Results also suggest the importance of the production-linked incentive scheme encouraging exports and the need for regulating concentration and encouraging import substitution.

You can access the publication here. 

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