What: International Conference organised by St. Xavier’s College and St. Xavier’s University, in association with The Telegraph
Where: St. Xavier’s College
When: November 2 and 3
Panel discussions to paper presentations, the two-day conference saw panellists from India and Bangladesh speak on ‘Emerging perspective in commerce, economics and management— policies for a better world’. 

“This is the first international conference organised jointly by the college and university. St. Xavier’s College is as usual promoting an international platform for academicians to come with ideas to share with the students. Sharing builds a sea of knowledge and this helps us to grow academically,” said Father Felix Raj, vice-chancellor of St. Xavier’s University.

t2 takeaways
A company should not advertise what they are doing for society. There is a difference between social work and advertisements.
Corporate targets cannot be achieved individually. It has to be done collectively, as a team.
Time management is a must in the corporate world. Your day must start with proper planning. 

(From top) Runa Sarkar, professor of economics at IIM Calcutta, and Ishita Mukhopadhyay, former director of women’s studies at Calcutta University, spoke on ‘Empowering women: changing the status quo’. The panel was moderated by H.M. Jahirul Haque, the vice-chancellor of University of Liberal Arts, Dhaka.

t2 takeaways

Developed countries respect their women and empower them. That is why they are developed.
When we are talking about empowering women, everyone, especially the men, should speak up.
A married woman who is a qualified person and is responsible should not be dependent on her spouse to live her life.
Women do not need help. They just need equal opportunities. We need to create an even playing field for all genders. 
The #MeToo campaign is the starting point of speaking up against the bias that resides in society. 

(L-R) Mritiunjoy Mohanty, professor of economics at IIM Calcutta; Chandradeep Mitra, marketing professor at IIM Calcutta; Saibal Kar, professor of economics at Centre for Studies in Social Science Calcutta; and Selim Raihan, professor of economics at University of Dhaka, spoke on ‘Transcending the challenge to inclusive growth and managing business in the 21st Century: A South Asian perspective’ for Intelligentsia, a discussion organised by the St. Xavier’s Commerce Society, moderated by former IIMC professor Surendra Munsh.

t2 takeaways

Improve life expectancy, maternal mortality, infant mortality and quality of life in general to see growth in business and commerce in the country. China is a leader in all the above indicators.
Per capita income is not a life indicator. Bangladesh has a lower per capita income than India but better life indicators.
With the government making schemes like CSR, marketing at the base of the pyramid has grown. This helps micro entrepreneurs to grow.
Growth and redistribution have to have a common path at some point.

Text: Sulogna Ghosh
Pictures: Arnab Mondal and Koushik Saha