National Conference on “Sustainable Growth of Business : Strategies & Challenges”

  National Conference on “Sustainable Growth of Business : Strategies & Challenges”

In the present highly volatile scenario, one of the primary concerns of the policy planners and business organisations is to strike a perfect balance between practicing sustainability and maintaining growth. With this aim, the Department of Management (HRM & IB) of the IIS University organised a two day National Conference, on October 16th& 17th 2015, on “Sustainable Growth of Business : Strategies & Challenges”. The conference was planned with a motive to achieve the objectives such as to bridge the gap between the industry and academia, to analyse strategies & challenges for achieving sustainable business growth and to explore contemporary issues related to HRM, Marketing, Finance and allied areas. It was sponsored by Kiran Jewellers and Imperial Group. The conference received an overwhelming response from all the 197 delegates registered from all over India. Invited speakers were eminent professors from New Delhi, Haryana, Lucknow, Jharkhand, Goa and Hyderabad. Abstracts were received from about 72 young students, research scholars and teachers. The presentations were divided into three categories Student/Research Scholars, Faculty Members and Industry experts. In all 57 participants presented their papers. DAY-1 INAUGURAL SESSION The conference commenced with an inaugural ceremony organised at ISIM Auditorium. The Chief Guest on the occasion was Padamshree Prof. Sukhadeo Thorat, Chairman, Indian Council for Social Science Research, New Delhi. No endeavour is complete without involving the blessings of the divine. The inaugural session began with “saraswati vandana” and lamp lighting followed by the welcome address of the Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor, The IIS University, Dr. Ashok Gupta. While welcoming the resource persons, delegates and student participants, Dr. Gupta thanked the Chief Guest Prof. Sukhadeo Thorat for extending the support in making this conference see the light of the day. He expressed hope that the deliberations during the two days would give the much needed exposure about current industry trends to the budding researchers. Thereafter, Prof. M. K. Sharma, Dean, Department of Management (HRM & IB) acquainted the participants with the aims and objectives of the conference. The session was followed by the Inaugural Address of Prof. Sukhadeo Thorat who enlightened the participants with his keynote address on “Inclusive Growth”. To begin with, he praised The IIS University for the success being achieved for contributing towards women education for over two decades. He described that in order to achieve inclusive growth, countries should focus on developmental indicators like modernisation of industry, women empowerment, increase access to education, employment opportunities. He concluded that generation of employment opportunities will automatically lead to sustainable growth of business. Thereafter the abstract book was released by the dignitaries. The inaugural session ended with a formal vote of thanks proposed by Dr. Raakhi Gupta, Registrar, The IIS University . The inaugural session was followed by four technical sessions spread over two days and chaired by luminaries from the field of management. TECHNICAL SESSION - I Changing Scenario of HR in India This session was chaired by Prof. H. K. Singh, Vice-Chancellor, Maharishi University of Information Technology, Lucknow. The invited resource persons of this session were Mr. Kishore Chainani, Vice President, Genpact, Jaipur and Prof. Anil Mehta, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. Prof. H. K. Singh highlighted the concept of Management By Objectives (MBO) and expressed his views on how weaknesses can be converted into strengths by determination and proper planning. Mr. Kishore Chainani delivered a talk on the topic “Innovation and Diversity”. He described various foundation blocks of innovation and highlighted the fact that innovation differentiate between leaders and followers. Prof. Anil Mehta gave a talk on “Changing Face of HR”. He expressed his views on various contemporary topics like team building, leadership, talent retention, communication and impact of technology on HR. The session included 13 paper presentations on various diverse topics presented by students, research scholars and faculty members from various universities and colleges across the country. This session was followed by group photo and lunch. TECHNICAL SESSION – II Emerging Trends in Finance Technical session II was chaired by Prof. Som Deo, Retired Professor, University of Rajasthan. The invited speakers of this session were Prof. B. Ramesh from Goa University and Mr. R. Girdharan, General Manager, RBI. Mr. R. Girdharan firstly complimented the organisers for the thoughtful selection of the theme of conference. He delivered his talk on “Financial Inclusion” and focused on providing greater financial literacy and consumer protection. Prof. B. Ramesh stressed on the need of the inclusive growth of the economy which can happen only if the retail investors are made aware of their rights provided by the SEBI and actively participate in the stock market activities with special reference to IPOs. In this session, 8 participants presented their research work. This session was followed by tea and refreshments. DAY-2 TECHNICAL SESSION – III Marketing Innovations : A Paradigm Shift Technical Session III was chaired by Prof. H. Venkateshwarlu, Osmania University, Hyderabad. In this session, the invited speakers were Prof. R. K. Chandak, Central University of Rajasthan, Kishangarh and Dr. Arvind Kalia, National Head – Mentoring, Patrika Group, Jaipur. Prof. H. Venkateshwarlu focused on various aspects of marketing and concluded his talk by saying “Innovations are the gainer as well as the spoilers”. Dr. Arvind Kalia expressed his views on “Marketing Innovations”. He described various kinds of marketing innovations taking place through 4 P’s of Marketing (Product, Price, Place & Promotion) supported by various videos. Prof. R. K. Chandak focused his talk on Corporate Social Responsibility, covering three major issues : “Green Product Innovations, Sustainability and Green Consumerisms”. He strongly recommended that organisations should start realizing their responsibility towards environment and should focus on 3 P’s : People, Planet & Profit. In this session, 11 participants presented their research work. Further, the session was followed by high tea. TECHNICAL SESSION – IV Information & Communication Technology (ICT) Strategies and Challenges The conference ended with Technical Session IV. The chairperson for this session was Prof. Ravinder Vinayek, Director, DSPSR, New Delhi. Prof. Sanket Vij from B.P.S. Mahila Vishwavidyalaya, Haryana was the invited speaker for this session. Prof. Ravinder Vinayek began his note by talking about the challenges & strategies related to ICT and the changes in economic scenario across the country. Prof. Sanket Vij highlighted “Information” as a valuable resource and discussed issues related to ICT. He also suggested various ways to overcome the challenges and threats associated with information technology. This session concluded with 10 paper presentations. This was followed by lunch. Valedictory Session & Certificate Distribution The conference was followed with Valedictory Session. The session was presided over by Prof. Ravinder Vinayek .To begin with, the Conference report was presented by Convener, Dr. Ankita Jain, Senior Asst. Prof., Department of Management (HRM & IB). Next, Dr. Payal Upadhyay, Maharishi Arvind College, Kota shared her experience of attending the conference. Finally, the vote of thanks was proposed by Dr. Seema Singh Rathore, Head, Department of Management (HRM & IB) and the organising secretary of the conference. This was followed by the Certificate Distribution at the end. Overall the conference provided an excellent academic forum to the researchers, professors and industry personnel to understand the sustainable growth of business : strategies and challenges. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT The Department of Management (HRM & IB), IIS University would like to thank the IIS University for providing necessary support for organisation of the Conference. The financial support from Kiran Jewellers and Imperial Group is also acknowledged with thanks.