The two-day annual management fest of St. Xavier’s College, Inertia, started off with a flash mob at City Centre, Salt Lake, by 12 students from the Xavier’s western dance troupe A-Team on March 17. The fest, presented in association with The Telegraph — You, was inaugurated by US consul-general Helen LaFave and Father provincial Jeyaraj Velusamy. The theme for Inertia Volume 5 was ‘Knowledge Marketing— The Business of Knowing, Focusing on the Four Ps of the Marketing Mix’. Here are some of the events that got the students thinking:

1. PANEL DISCUSSION

The first day saw Milan Pagon, pro-vice chancellor designate at the Independent University, Bangladesh, Shamsun Nahar Ahmed from China Agricultural University, Sanjay Patro, associate dean of XLRI, and Ujjwal Patni, a motivational speaker, discuss the topic “Google: A supplement or substitute for teaching”. The session was moderated by Samaresh Shah, founder-director of White Canvas Services. The speakers explained how Google can be used as a tool for teaching but a complete substitution of teaching with Google would not be a wise step. Google’s Pandora’s box effect on the young and how they have to be taught to use it for their good and not get distracted by it also came up.
On Day 2, the topic was “Viral Marketing: Tapping the social networking potential.” Salehuddin Ahmed, managing editor of The Daily Star and former pro-vice chancellor of BRAC University, Rahul Barua, state head of the education and stationery product division of ITC; Mahesh Motwani, senior vice-president of Lintas Media Group, and Shounak Roy, postgraduate student, department of commerce, St. Xavier’s College, talked about the wide audience that can be reached through social networking. Tridib Sengupta, professor of commerce in St. Xavier’s College, moderated the session.

2. ET SALVATOR

This event was all about supply chain management and testing the participants’ understanding of the intricacies involved in maintaining a working supply chain.

3. RATIOCINOR

This finance-based item was aimed at understanding pricing strategies and everyday financial knowledge.

4. OPEN SESSION

One of the key events of Inertia, this saw producer-director Subhash Ghai speaking about his personal life. While explaining his rise from a troubled 10-year-old to the box-office showman, he said,“Crisis is a blessing”. Ghai shared his views on subjects ranging from corruption to the quality of education to how a person had to be humble even in success and share it with those around him.

5. VENDITATOR

This event on advertising tested the communication skills, innovativeness and perseverance of the participants.

6. QUIZZES

Edurite, the business quiz, tested the participants’ knowledge, awareness and understanding of the personalities and brands that rule the world markets.

A quiz on the 4Ps of marketing —product, price, place and promotion — held on the second day of the fest threw up some interesting trivia. Sample this:

• X is a word in Japanese meaning ‘Great Prince’. It has been used to describe several prominent businessmen like Laxmi Mittal and Ratan Tata. What is X?
  Ans: Tycoon.
• The Phiroze Jeejeebhoy Towers is a 29-storey building in downtown Bombay. How do we better know it?
  Ans: BSE Stock Exchange.
• Connect these products:Radium Cream, Napier Paint Works, Cadbury Bournvita, Kajal Kali
  Ans: All these products were endorsed by Rabindranath Tagore.
• Who designed the logo for the first Wills cigarette packets?
  Ans: Satyajit Ray.
• Elvis Presley only made one commercial in his career, which was for a legendary product which has featured in many movies. Name the product.
  Ans: Volkswagen Beetle.

Text: Prekshi Chandra and
Sonam Jain
(Second-year BCom students of St. Xavier’s College)