Post-event Report
Lock Stock and Trade 2004
The biggest mock IPO this side of Dalal Street at SPJIMR, Mumbai

The Idea

Lock Stock and Trade is an IPO game developed by SPJIMR-NEN held sometime back, in which all attendees evaluated the presenting companies and "bought" stocks - with Awards for a wide range of winners. The idea was to simulate a real stock market to get a feel of how to identify, sell and buy a company's value proposition, helping the participants think through investment issues like, 'what makes a company valuable', 'how do we decide in which company to invest', 'did we read the market right?'

The Names

Eminent personalities from the business world and the media added to the sheen of the event. The attendees shared the floor space with the likes of Ms. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, CMD Biocon, Ms. Laura Parkin, Executive Director, Wadhwani Foundation, Minnie Menon, CNBC, Mr. Sameer Karnik, film maker, Mr. Naresh Malhotra, Director Café` Coffee Day, Mr. Darshan Mehta, President, Arvind Brands Ltd.

The Game

Recruiters
This first-time event was the capstone of a course that builds on SPJIMR's unique combination of Family Managed Business (FMB) and MBA Programs. The invited audience participated with the SPJIMR students in a mock "Investment Banking" conference - with a twist. Students of family businesses presented their real-life businesses to the audience. Student MBA teams acting as 'investment bankers' analyzed and represented these businesses. These presentations were essentially sales pitches for the mock offerings of shares of the competing firms. Based on this information, the attendees "invested" in shares of their choice. The stocks were allotted through bidding and market forces determined the ultimate stock price. At the end of the day, the winning "investors" were those with highest value portfolios; the winning company was the one most "oversubscribed."

From idea to IPO

Minnie Menon from CNBC conducted the panel discussion "From idea to IPO - The Entrepreneur's Progress". The panelists were filmmaker Sameer Karnik, Naresh Malhotra, Director Café` Coffee Day and Mr. Darshan Mehta, President Arvind Brands Ltd. Ms. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw actively joined them from the audience. The focus of the discussion was on the attributes required to pursue one's dreams and the obstacles faced. Sameer Karnik described the challenges he faced as a novice when he made his movie "Kyo Ho gaya na". Mr. Darshan Mehta emphasized the significance of practical experience while Mr. Naresh Malhotra described the negative repercussions of an IPO.

Winners all the way

Best Investor: Anurag Kothari (Sydenham, Mumbai)
Best Potential Company for Investment: Gujarat Ambuja Exports
Best Presentations: Bharat Crown & Metal Industries Ltd, Todays Writing Products, GKB Opticals

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Contributed by -
Madhu Senthil T.,
Public Relations,
SPJIMR.