International Management Research Conference, "Athenaeum", Held at BIM, Trichy

International Management Research Conference, "Athenaeum", Held at BIM, Trichy

Two panel discussions were held during the event on "Corporate Social Responsibility: Rhetoric or Reality" on 14th February and "Building India: Vision & Mission" on 15th February with renowned personalities from the industry and the academia expressing their views.

The panelists for the discussion on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) were Prof. Venkatesh Athreya, Programme Director, Technical Resource Center on Food Security, M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, Mr. D. S. L. Prasad, Regional Level Coordinator & General Manager (Regional Services), Southern Region, Marketing Division, Indian Oil Corporation Limited, Mr. K. U. Warrier, Vice-President, L & T - ECC Division and Mr. R. Meenakshi Sundaram, Senior Manager, Eye Camps & Outreach, Arvind Eye Care System.

As the panelists were from different walks of life, CSR was discussed on different dimensions giving deep insights into various aspects of CSR. Prof. V. B. Athreya opined that corporates were no longer building products but were building Brands and CSR is considered as an integral part. All of the panelists stressed on the importance of CSR in the wake of current situations in the market, some even attributing the recession to lack of CSR.

Building India was discussed by Thiru A. M. Kasiviswanathan, IAS (Retd.), Hon'ble Chairman, Tamilnadu Public Service Commission, Mr. M. Palanisamy, Chief General Manager, Reserve Bank of India and Mr. N. Peter Palaniswami, Managing Director, Nanaya Surabi Development Financial Services (NDFS).

The diversity of the panelist saw the discussion topic being discussed from different angles. The economic view point was provided by Chief General Manager, RBI, the resources point of view by Mr. Kasiviswanathan, and the social point of view by Managing Director, NDFS (NGO). The major visions for India deliberated upon by the panelists were sound infrastructure, poverty eradication, financial inclusion of all and self-reliance. Mr. Peter Palaniswamy summed it up by stating, "Don't give them fish, teach them to catch fish."

The valedictory function was held on 15th February and presided over by Shri. V. Ananthakrishnan, Executive Director, BHEL. Mr. Ananthakrishnan stressed on the importance of future managers with sound value systems. He told the students have to be rightly equipped to cope with the harsh realities of the corporate world. He asked the students not to sacrifice their value systems under any circumstances. He said that in the long run truth alone triumphs while reflecting upon the Satyam episode.

The event showcased scholarly work from academia and industry on the same platform, providing a professional forum of idea interchange. The deliberations and thoughts that were gleaned out of this conference were published as a compendium of papers by a leading publishing house in the country.

Concluded.

Contributed by -
Sharan Kumar R. (Campus Associate),
PRCOM,
BIM, Trichy.

MBA Alumni \| MBA Students \| MBA Aspirants \| MBA Forums