Student Corner

Why we are fewer than six connections away from anyone and anything in the world

The International Cell hosted a session on "Navigating the Network Society: Why we are fewer than six connections away from anyone and anything in the world." There are many linkages in every business, according to the speaker, Mr.Sean Dodson, a senior lecturer of journalism at Leeds Beckett University, making it simple to navigate. The "Small-World Experiment" by Stanley Milgram, which demonstrated that postcards from Boston to Los Angeles were often delivered by just six persons, was highlighted by the speaker. The web game "The Oracle of Bacon" was also utilized by the speaker to highlight the value of relationships. The mathematical calculations used to show how many individuals are related to 250,000 people via only two people were also covered in his discussion of social media involvement.

On November 30, 2023, the International Cell, in collaboration with QIC and Symbiosis Centre for Management Studies Noida, hosted an enlightening session on the "Significance of Global Engagement in Education" featuring Ms. Julie Barnaby, Director of Global Engagement at Leeds Beckett University, UK.

Ms. Barnaby, drawing from her diverse professional background, shed light on the rising trend of globally mobile students and underscored the pivotal role of diversity at Leeds Beckett University. She delved into the multifaceted impact of education on societal sustainability and cultivating a skilled workforce. Emphasising global engagement as a vital skill in addressing contemporary challenges, she highlighted its importance in fostering intercultural understanding and cooperation.

The session concluded with an interactive Q&A session, allowing participants to explore further vital concepts and insights shared by Ms. Barnaby.

Overall, the session provided invaluable insights into the significance of global engagement in education, inspiring students to embrace diversity, broaden their perspectives, and actively shape a more interconnected and inclusive world.

The International Cell at Symbiosis Centre of Management Studies, Noida hosted a seminar on March 6, 2024, as part of its Global Talk Series, focusing on "Issues for Management and Organizations in Challenging Times." Renowned speaker Professor Bob Townley, Director of Postgraduate Programs at the School for Business and Society, University of York, UK, led the session. Professor Townley, a member of the Work, Management, and Organizations (WMO) group, brought extensive experience and expertise to the discussion, addressing various global crises such as conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, and India's water crisis.

Central to his discourse was the concept of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) within organisational frameworks, emphasising the importance of leveraging vulnerability as a source of strength.He explored leadership dynamics, the influence of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the integration of psychoanalysis into organizational culture. Professor Townley highlighted essential skills for navigating the VUCA environment, including creative thinking, leadership acumen, and empathy. The seminar provided a valuable platform for students to gain insights into contemporary business challenges and essential strategies for success.

On April 1st, 2024, the International Cell at Symbiosis Centre of Management Studies Noida, in collaboration with QIC, hosted a thought-provoking session titled "The National Health Service: How Policy is Responding to Unprecedented Health Challenges." Professor Neil Lunt, a renowned Professor of Social Policy from the University of York UK, delivered a captivating presentation exploring the UK's National Health Service (NHS) and its response to contemporary challenges.

Professor Lunt's insights focused on funding constraints, healthcare disparities, service integration complexities, and workforce shortages. He proposed international recruitment as a potential solution to staffing issues. The discussion also addressed the impact of COVID-19 on the NHS and strategies for enhancing its public image. Looking ahead, Professor Lunt emphasised the importance of technology and data analysis in improving patient diagnosis and treatment. He highlighted the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in diagnostics and treatment development, alongside the crucial role of data analysis within healthcare.

The session concluded with a positive outlook, emphasising the potential for improvement in the NHS through interconnected healthcare and social care solutions. Students commended the informative and engaging nature of the talk.

The International Cell at Symbiosis Centre of Management Studies NOIDA conducted a seminar on "Managing Human Resources in a Global Context" on March 27, 2024. Professor Pawan Budhwar, a renowned expert in Strategic and International HRM from Aston University, delivered the keynote address.

Professor Budhwar emphasised the challenges and opportunities of managing a global workforce in today's interconnected world. He highlighted the importance of adapting HR practices to a globalised landscape and stressed being "locally responsive." The seminar explored the concept of "interdependency" in global HRM, using supply chains as an example. Professor Budhwar also addressed the issue of "presenteeism" and its negative impact on organisations. He concluded by emphasising the importance of context-specific approaches in HRM. This insightful seminar provided valuable knowledge for HR professionals navigating the complexities of the global workplace.

The International Cell at Symbiosis Centre of Management Studies NOIDA conducted a seminar on "Expanding your Global Competencies and Career Opportunities - Study Business in Ireland" on April 25, 2024. Ms Elaine Aherne, Head of Admissions and Recruitment for the UCD College of Business, Ireland, graced the session with her insights.

Miss Elaine Aherne compared Ireland and India, highlighting the geographical and work culture disparities between the two nations. She then elaborated on how these cultural differences can influence professionals' views of their work environment and how diverse geographical locations shape perspectives, which helps fuel innovation. She suggested that building teams with a deep appreciation for cultural nuances can significantly enhance a business's success in the global marketplace. The seminar ended with a vote of thanks from the International Cell of SCMS NOIDA. Students were highly engaged and found the talk both informative and captivating.

A fruitful webinar was organized by the International Cell of SCMS, NOIDA on the topic “Neuromarketing and Business Applications” under the successfully running initiative of the Global Talk Series on May 18th, 2022. The respected speaker for this event was Prof. Vincenzo Russo, who is the Founder and Director of the Center of Research of Neuromarketing at IULM University and Associate Professor of Consumer Psychology and Neuromarketing. He has authored several papers and books revolving around neuromarketing, social communications, and change management in non-profit organizations. His astounding work experience has received recognition in journals and even international conferences. Apart from his extensive experience as a manager and coordinator, he has been involved in social-field work and serves as a member of the Scientific Committee.

Prof. Russo kicked off the session with a brief introduction to the research IULM University has been doing, which includes the different collaborations, based on neuroscience research and marketing, globally. It was interesting to know about his journey and the professionals connected to his area of work and the expanse of work the research centres he’s affiliated with have been doing until now. He elaborated that this technique of marketing products and services derives its fundamentals from areas like behavioural economics, communication, psychology, bioengineering, etc. Even the art of neuromarketing has now led to sub-trends in this era, including neuropsychology, behavioural economics, and cognitive neuroscience. With stress on covering all the neurotic parts and biometrics that our body contains, like heart rate, eye tracking, face reading, etc., he talked about the technology that has evolved alongside, aiding in designing policies and strategies for business houses to place, promote, and market their products and services. Mr. Russo very interestingly showed through diagrams and videos the power of the subconscious mind, how the parts of the brain accordingly react to the persuasion of advertisements, and finally how the interpreters derive insights into the marketing blueprint.

Professor Russo not only educated the students with theories, explanations, and examples, but he also focused on igniting our interest in this field with a collection of enlightening books by some incredible writers. The next part of the session was profoundly dedicated to the difference between biometrics and neurometrics as techniques of neurological examination, with aspects like accessibility, ease of use, and cost of obtaining data being compared. He fascinated us with real-life studies and short research documentaries on how the brain is mapped to glimpse consumers’ perceptions, associations, loyalties, memory, and knowledge about the brands they look out for in the market.

The session reached its final stage with a Question-Answer session, where our speaker industriously answered all the queries. It was followed by a vote of thanks delivered by the International Cell at SCMS, NOIDA. The webinar proved to be informative.

A session was organized by the International Cell of SCMS, NOIDA on the topic “Impact of Next-Gen Technologies in Marketing” on 15th April 2022 as a part of the Global Talk Series. The esteemed speaker for the session was Ms. Namita Tiwari who is currently serving as the Marketing Director at Wipro. She is a Senior Marketing Leader and Digital & Content Evangelist with rich experience in Campaigns, Content & Communications. She is passionate about creating next-generation marketing programs that converge digital, brand & content. Ms. Namita is an alumnus of Symbiosis Institute of International Business, Pune India from a batch 2000-2002, and has pursued Accelerated Marketing Leadership Program with the prestigious Kellogg School of Management.

The session started with an interesting question by the respected speaker “What comes to your mind when you hear next-gen technologies?” Various responses like Artificial Intelligence, Social Media, Metaverse, Gaming, etc., were received. Through this question, the speaker comprehensively covered the concept of the Metaverse which came into existence in 2021.

The impact of Artificial Intelligence in Marketing has been tremendous. AI can transform business and customer interaction, can increase operational excellence, and optimize the user experience. It also helps marketers to segment their targeted audience based on their interests and at the same time enables brands in cutting costs and increasing revenues. An example of Alibaba and Starbucks was given to explain this concept more in-depth. Alibaba is known for its AI tools in Marketing. It has now opened up its first AI fashion store in Hong Kong which has focused on streamlining fashion retail. The store has various AI-based technological tools like radio-frequency identification, low-energy Bluetooth chips, gyro-sensors, etc. Another example was Starbucks which uses AI for Marketing. Starbucks uses predictive analytics by making use of its loyalty cards and mobile app to collect and analyze customer data. The company has created a model “AI for Humanity” which they believe can create better connections with customers.

She further emphasized the concept of Phygital Marketing. It is a new term that combines two concepts, physical and digital marketing. A real-life example of this form of marketing was Amazon. Amazon, despite being an online retailing platform, has opened its physical stores in New York as they believe that for certain products customers need the experience of human touch. This feeling of content about spending their hard-earned money on the right products by consumers helps to bridge the gap between the customers and the companies.

The session was concluded by the esteemed speaker giving insightful answers to the questions asked by students of various fields. Post this, the International Cell of SCMS, NOIDA proposed the vote of thanks. The session proved to be very insightful to the students.

A webinar was organized by The International Cell of SCMS, NOIDA on March 30, 2022, as a part of the Global Talk Series on the topic "AI and Future of Jobs”. The esteemed speaker for the webinar was Mr Sudhir Tiku who is currently serving as the Vice President of the BT Division. Robert Bosch Pte. Ltd., Singapore. He has a keen interest in the trends in AI and the future of humanity. He theorizes that it is time to lay the ethical rules of AI engagement to ensure that ecosystems of life remain meaningful as it is affected by the advancements in AI. He has been speaking on various platforms, including TEDx, in the past.

The speaker commenced the webinar with an interesting question, “Can machines think?” He then explained how Artificial Intelligence has evolved over the last 60 years. It is a fact that AI creates a scenario where machines start to work and then learn. There are 3 types of Artificial Intelligence. Stage 1 involves Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI), Stage 2 involves Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and Stage 3 involves Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI). He further emphasized the concept of Machine Learning, which is a scientific discipline concerned with the design and development of algorithms that allow computers to evolve behaviours based on empirical data. 3 types of Machine Learning can be summarized Supervised Task-Driven Learning, Unsupervised Learning which is Data-driven and the last is Reinforcement Learning which is learning from mistakes.

Artificial Intelligence also ensures promising research. An example of this given by the speaker was on K SuperComputer which has simulated 1 billion virtual nerve cells. Some facts were also mentioned by the speakers - 48% of current nature jobs will be disrupted and gone 10 years down the line and 30% of the processing jobs will be gone in 5-6 years.

Insightful answers were given by the speaker to the questions asked by the keen students of different fields. Post it, the International Cell of SCMS, NOIDA proposed the vote of thanks. The webinar proved to be very informative.

Youtube Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckntxtq9xtM

“As data piles up, we have ourselves a genuine gold rush. But data isn't gold. I repeat, data in its raw form is boring crud. The gold is what’s discovered therein.”

Under its umbrella of the Global Talk Series, the International Cell coordinated a webinar on "Predictive analytics in the everyday business world: A machine learning perspective" for the students of all three batches 2018-21, 2019-22, and 2020-23. The instructor presiding over the event was Mr. Eric Siegel.

Mr. Siegel is the founder of Predictive Analytics World and Coursera. He is also a professor at Columbia University, U.S.

Mr. Eric Siegel began his session by establishing the intent of the session as the Introduction to Predictive Analytics, and how it helps in value creation when approaching the market and optimizing engagement, preceded by its functioning. He then outlined the pivotal role of data in predictive modelling and how it contributes to predictions, continued by a data entry description that depicts the decision tree, consumer attrition, and an antidote to excessive information: prediction by providing an example of a range of organizations such as 'GOOGLE for search results, NETFLIX for movie/series recommendation, FACEBOOK for news feed, AMAZON for recommendations, etc”.Students intriguingly asked their doubts, and he answered them with immense integrity, illustrating his expertise that aided students to learn a lot of new information.

Youtube Link : https://youtu.be/jmz0m_8Bhyg

In continuation of the Global Talk Series, The International Cell of SCMS Noida hosted a webinar on the topic "Building ICONIC Brands purposefully". The speaker for this session was Ms. Shilpa Ajwani, the founder and CEO of UnoMantra and SHEmantra. Ms. Shilpa is the recipient of The CEO of the Year Award,2017 conferred by the Economic Times Polymer.

The webinar commenced with the speaker giving a brief about brands and how they are made Iconic. Building a Brand helps in gaining a competitive advantage in the market, as branding helps customers connect to the company and thus stay associated for a longer period. The speaker then elaborated on the 3 essentialities for creating an Iconic brand, which includes Standout power, Staying Power, and Scaling Power. Stand-out power refers to uniqueness, staying power refers to the ability to stay relevant timelessly to the audience, and scaling power is through which a brand is recognized. The following concepts were further explained with the example of NIKE.

The speaker further explained the 10P Iconic formula, which plays an important role in the process. The concept was better understood with help of the example of COCA-COLA, whose branding strategy was to stay consistent with their customers, which created a long-lasting impression on the minds of the consumer, thus helping them to become an ICONIC Brand.

The webinar was concluded with informative responses to queries from interested students of various disciplines. Post it, the International Cell of SCMS Noida proposed the vote of thanks. Students' enthusiasm was palpable, and they had a plethora of questions to be answered. The webinar was enlightening and educative.

Youtube Link : https://youtu.be/dJQnyjvjajE

An informative session took place on 27th January 2022. The topic for the session was “Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability”. The esteemed speaker for the webinar was Mr. Denis Rothman, who is an AI expert and visionary, experienced speaker, and has authored many AI-related books.

The speaker started the session by explaining ‘The Journey of the old Supply Chain Management base to Automation in industry 4.0’. He highlighted the essence of AI “as a core-functionality behind many processes” in recent times & went on to differentiate Artificial Intelligence from Automation with the latter being a broad spectrum and the former as the part of it like any other technology, for example- Machine Learning (ML). Through his presentation, he elucidated many examples and coding functions to bring forward how AI technology is serving as a complex yet crucial step behind many software of daily use.

As the webinar moved further forward, the speaker led the interactive student crowd through the basics like- terminologies, concepts behind & results of AI, the breakdown of a whole programmed AI code and a few other day-to-day applications. He spotlighted the concept that being humans we are bound to have plans and this can somehow lead to failure leading to the introduction of the ‘reality factor’, which as a problem leads to the development of “Automation” as a solution. He also described some very amazing cases of AI applications like- Warehouse Shortage, Raw-Material shortage, Quality Control, Production events, etc. The speaker then cited the example of a company named OCADO, as the premises are covered with thousands of robots within a grid system working together to pack groceries. The 4G network incorporated in them avoids commotional disturbances, leading to efficient working and they can process as many as 65,000 orders every week.

The zest with which students from different fields questioned the speaker and the insightfulness with which Mr. Denis was answering them, made the Question & Answer Session a perfect end to the event. The team of International Cell, SCMS Noida delivered the vote of thanks to the respected speaker as he delivered a truly enriching talk session.

Youtube Link : https://rb.gy/zqxop8

A webinar was organized under the Global Talk Series initiative by the International Cell of SCMS Noida on 4th January 2022 on the topic "Building your brand to succeed in the Corporate World". The respected speaker for this session was Mr. Pavi Gupta, the Vice President, Consumer Insights and Business Analytics, Sc Johnson, USA.

The renowned speaker began the session by highlighting the importance of how important it is to strike the right life balance. In today's world, it has become difficult for individuals to differentiate between the responsibilities they have in life. Life has become a race for all of us and we all are just running endlessly while ignoring our health, family, and career. He emphasized different types of goals that we as individuals have in life.

3 ways were pointed out by the speaker to unlock our brand. The first is for our brand value. This will allow the individuals to dive deeper into themselves and think about the different things which motivate them, things for which individuals are passionate. The second is to re-think the performance of individuals. Awareness plays a key role in this. Evaluation helps the individual to understand what the audience demands of them and make the necessary changes to improve and perform better the next time. Last but not least is the importance of skill sets in the life of an individual. It is important to understand and take inspiration from others' paths of career but we should not copy them. Observing and then creating a unique path for yourself should be followed by individuals.

After answering the queries of curious students, the International Cell of SCMS Noida proposed a vote of thanks. The enthusiasm was palpable among the students. It was an engaging and interactive session.

Youtube Link : https://rb.gy/4ocycu

A webinar was hosted on "Marketing Communication Strategies in the New Reality" as part of the Global Talk Series initiative on "Management Practices in Industry 4.0." on December 23, 2021, by the International Cell of SCMS, Noida. Dr. Anand Agrawal, President of BlueCrest University College, Accra, Ghana was invited as the esteemed speaker for the session.

The webinar was initiated by highlighting that marketing is the most powerful tool for any organization to succeed. The speaker emphasized how effective marketing can catalyze this process along with yielding loyal customers. Today, a good marketing mix includes media, content, and ideas that connect to the company’s target market. The students were also educated on how to decipher new mediums to connect with the audience and create relevant content. They also explained the difference between traditional and modern advertising techniques emphasizing the importance of modern tools to captivate and capture the modern target market. Moreover, the speaker elaborated on Real-time Analytics and educated students on how various social media platforms collect our data to display relevant posts and advertisements to consumers.

The speaker stressed the significance of AI Bots to create attractive content using Search Engine Optimization and applications. Moving on, Dr. Anand enlightened the students about the AI writer application Jarvis which generates content using algorithms that extract information from millions of articles already available on the internet and then rewrites them based on what they find. Furthermore, he drove the lecture by introducing Integrated and Multichannel marketing stating that Integration is increasing and Multichannel is the norm.

The webinar concluded with insightful answers to the queries put forward by the curious students of various specializations and the speaker enlightened the students with his years of experience and vast knowledge. The discussion concluded with a vote of thanks from the SCMS NOIDA International Cell. The zeal among the students was immensely high and the webinar turned out to be truly knowledgeable.

On November 15, 2021, the International Cell at SCMS Noida hosted a webinar on "Internet Policies and Regulations", as a part of the Global Talk Series. Mr. Amitabh Singhal, Director of Telxess Consulting Services and Board Member & Secretary of the Digital Empowerment Foundation, was the webinar's distinguished speaker.

With over 38 years of expertise in corporate and non-profit executive and leadership positions, predominantly in the Internet and Telecommunications sectors, he is a frontrunner in the Internet industry. Co-founder and President of the ISP Association of India and is also the Founder, Board Director, and CEO of the National Internet Exchange of India (NIXI). Besides, he was also responsible for the emergence of Internet Exchanges, IN Domain Registry, Root Servers, and many other such systems. From 1983 to 2006, he served in numerous marketing positions for different companies before becoming the Senior Vice President and Group Head – Corporate Affairs at GTL Limited, where he served from 1993 to 2006.

Sir addressed how policies and regulations influence everybody's life, making their acknowledgement crucial. He went on to mention how individuals can also participate in the Policy and Regulatory Development Process.

He explained how the internet is a network of interconnected computers all over the world, and then he went on to provide a timeline of major events that contributed to the emergence of the internet that we now are using. Furthermore, he mentioned the drawbacks, such as its use for ethically questionable activities such as laundering money, etc.

Sir then outlined the framework of policies and regulations, which consists largely of acts such as the Indian Wireless Act of 1933, TRAI, etc. He even stated about the First Internet Link, with a speed of 64 kbps, which was established in India. He also described how, in August 1995, BSNL arrived and, to some significant degree, transformed as well as modified the Indian internet scenario.

He then explained several of the policy initiatives, such as the Broadband Policy 2004, and concluded the session by taking questions from the students.

On November 13th, 2021, the International Cell at SCMS-NOIDA hosted a webinar as part of its Global Talk Series in the field of "Management Practices in Industry 4.0" covering the topic Promotion and branding of Retail brands in the current era, organized for batches Batch 2020-2023 and 2021-2024. Ms. Jermina Menon, Founder, and CEO of Knowetic was the distinguished speaker for the webinar, and she joined the conference via Zoom.

Ms. Jermina has over 25 years of expertise in retail, real estate, and FMCG marketing. Digital & social media, Business strategy, E-commerce marketing, Brand management, omnichannel marketing, CRM, and Loyalty marketing are the areas of her expertise. She specializes in assisting businesses with the digitization of their customer experience and sales funnel. She has also aided SMEs in reengineering and pivoting their businesses to thrive in the new normal.

The speaker began her presentation by discussing retail marketing and its current state in India. In the marketing sector, she stressed the importance of consumer behaviour. The most difficult aspect of marketing is that no two situations are the same. After discussing marketing, she went on to discuss various retail forms, both online and offline. The barrage of messages, according to Ms. Jermina, has not shifted from the traditional to the current realm of marketing. We used to view advertising in many ways in traditional ways, but the frequency and locations where we encounter advertising and marketing have altered slightly. However, in the current era, the primary purpose of a brand is to meet the wants of its customers.

She talked about the importance of Know Your Customer (KYC) in today’s marketing. To build efficient strategies and plans, brands should have a thorough understanding of how their customers act, taking into account the customer, brand core, and competitive front of a business.

The International Cell of SCMS NOIDA culminated the session with a vote of thanks. The students' enthusiasm was appreciable, and they had numerous questions to which the speaker provided answers. The webinar instilled deep knowledge within the students.

Youtube Link : https://rb.gy/qa2hgd

A webinar on “What does Industry Transformation 4.0 mean for My Future" was orchestrated by SCMS Noida's International Cell on 1st October 2021 to provide a broad perspective on students' management practices in Industry 4.0. The esteemed speaker Mr. Glen Tan from Singapore. .Mr. Glen Tan is the present Group Partner at Tandem-X & is an Industry 4.0 SIRI Certified Assessor & an expert Speaker. With more than 12 years of experience in markets like the USA, China, Middle East, South East Asia & the Indian sub-continent. Expertise in areas such as Strategic Planning, Change Management, Mergers & Acquisitions, and Business Process Improvement.

The esteemed speaker briefly discussed the different industrial revolutions and the significant differences in those, starting from the first industrial revolution to the fourth industrial revolution. He also discussed Industrial Connectivity and its interlinked features, and the reason for their success because of their interdependence. He further shared how Industrial IOT and Big Data Analytics are associated together. He also stated the significance of Industry 4.0 on an Individual's future. Different questions coming from the students made the session more engaging and the zeal in the students was great.

Mr. Glen also highlighted one’s actions contribute to one's credibility and how one should be conscious of and cautious of every action that has an impact on the future. He also noted that it is critical to proactively assist one another, those good relationships with all are crucial, that one should always be free and open-minded, and that one should never be scared to take the first move.

The webinar concluded with insightful responses to queries from curious students of various specializations, and the session was winded up with a vote of thanks from the International Cell of SCMS Noida. The discussion overall was insightful and engaging.

Youtube Link : https://rb.gy/kppcz7

With the rapid digitalization and the advancement of technology, businesses around the world have been shifted to the world of the Internet in which buying and selling take place unlike the conventional way businesses used to operate. With the detachment of business from the real physical buying and selling to a virtual world, the main challenges that come forward are the fading human aspect in business. So, it emerges to be a crucial point to take into consideration the customer-centric approach while business around the world is shifting in the digital era. The goal of any digital transformation should be to create a digital business model that leads to connected, cohesive customer-centric experiences across business units. To provide a relevant and insightful understanding of this approach the International Cell at SCMS NOIDA organized a webinar on “Customer-Centric Digital Transformation” on May 06, 2021, which was a part of the Global talk, Series “Management Practices in Industry 4.0”. The esteemed speaker for the webinar was Ms. Mavis Ng, Founder and Executive Career Coach, HappyMeCareer from Singapore who enlightened students with her enriched knowledge and experience.

Ms. Mavis's areas of specialization include Leadership and Team Performance, Psychology of Success, Organizational Excellence, Career and Education Aspirations and Money and Personal Finances. She has been in the service industry for over 14 years and has been awarded several accolades.

The session started with a brief description of the speaker’s experiences and designations. Ms. talked about her education and experiences. She shared with the audience that she was the founder and CEO of TRI Management Consulting, where the vision of the company was engraved in its name i.e., T for Trust, R for Respect and I for Integrity. She then discussed the Customer-Centric approach in business. She divided the customers into three subheads namely Internal, External and Organic customers. She explained the need of building a balance between the customer expectations and the interaction from the organization to keep the relationship in alignment. To showcase that vividly, she explained a case study of a restaurant that provides fast service at very reasonable rates. So, what she implied that is the expectations from the customer is a fast service and an okay kind of food from the restaurant, so the restaurant doesn’t have to focus on other things as it is already reaching the customers' expectations. The ultimate gist of this case study was to keep the expectations and offerings in alignment which eventually leads to customer satisfaction. After that, she discussed the importance of a customer-centric approach in today’s world. She claimed that being customer-centric breeds loyalty among the customers and with that edge, if a business can be agile with new situations and differentiate itself in the market, they have very good room for growth. The robust claim she had was no matter how much we are into the technology we are still humans, and we always want to feel the real stuff. The business should focus on storytelling for its offering so that it resonates with the customers. The one who is good at storytelling, keeping themselves in the shoes of customers excels. Ms. Mavis then explained the shift of the world to the internet for buying products because of the pandemic. So, as the world has been altering its form of interaction with business, it's high time to re-strategize the business models to remain competitive in the market. She also threw some light on the service design blueprint on how the business can use the design thinking and process accordingly to provide a seamless user experience to the customers.

The webinar provided very deep insights and understanding of the need for a customer-centric approach with the rapid digital transformation going around. Ms. Mavis very precisely demonstrated how a customer-centric approach can be taken and why it is very crucial in today’s world. She stressed the importance of building strategies that aligns with the expectation of the customers so that they can be satisfied. With exponential digitalization, the business entities will be in the quest to attract as many customers as possible, so the one who will do storytelling that completely resonates with customers is the one who got the market. With those explanations and insightful reflections from Ms. Mavis, the webinar concluded after she answered some of the questions from the curious students. The session was concluded with a vote of thanks from the International Cell at SCMS NOIDA. The session was truly insightful and resonated with the need of the hour the world is facing currently.

Youtube Link : https://youtu.be/g_iSDHpECyY

A guest lecture by Mr Ron Thomas was organized by the International cell of SCMS NOIDA on April 08, 2021, for the students. Mr. Ron Thomas is the Managing Director at Strategy Focused Group and an International Keynote Speaker from UAE. Mr. Thomas was named as one of the 100 Global Thought Leaders Who Will Inspire you in 2021, as well as one of the "50 Most Talented Global HR Leaders" in Asia, by the World HRD Congress.

He started his talk by calling the present time a time of revolution making it the best time to enter the workforce, especially for the students specializing in HR. It is time that employers rethink their priorities regarding their organizations and if the need arises they should not restrain themselves from even changing their business model. However, before implementing the change, the organizations should think about the impact on the audience who would be affected by the change. Besides, he further enlightened the students about the 3 Ws- work, workplace and workforce.

Throughout his talk, he emphasized taking care of the employees and how organizations should empower them to make their own choices and decisions. He stressed that the success of an organization is dependent upon the capabilities of its employees. Therefore, there should be a strong focus on soft skills and showing appreciation to employees.

He also talked about how working from home is making people very exhausted and therefore it is very important to empathize with them.

While concluding, he said that organizations should not follow the one size fits all approach. According to him, there are no best practices because what worked for one organization might not necessarily work for the other company as well. Therefore, organizations should work on finding the difference between the future and the present needs and bridge the gap. They will also have to accept that a lot of things that are there right now will not work in the future. So they should work on finding what works for their organization and what does not.

The session ended with Mr. Ron answering questions that were asked by the students. He enlightened the students with his immense years of experience and vast knowledge.

Youtube Link : https://youtu.be/Zli_HMnfHrQ

The International Cell of SCMS NOIDA organized a webinar as a part of its Global Talk on the topic, “Management and Culture: How to manage in an Industry 4.0 business?” which was attended by the students of Batch 2020-2023. The esteemed speaker for the event was Ms. Adina Tarry, author and organization development strategist from the UK.

Ms. Adina Tarry is an experienced polymath practitioner, management consultant, AI, and O/D (Organization Development) strategist, business psychologist, award-winning master coach, mentor, visiting lecturer, and author. She has worked globally with IBM, Alcatel, Johnson & Johnson, and Bristol Myers Squibb as a specialist in the supply chain, manufacturing, e-commerce, quality, audit, project management, and HR generalist. She is currently focusing on developing leaders and managing the organization’s integrated systems. Her two books are "Design Thinking for Smaller Enterprise Development" and "Coaching with Careers and AI in Mind". Ms. Adina’s thinking and practice are integrative and combine strategy, tactics and extensive international business experience, advancements in science and technology, applied business psychology, cross-cultural savvy, academic activity, and extensive continued learning.

The speaker commenced her discussion by relating the Management of work culture in Industry 4.0 with the nesting boxes method which elucidated the essence of inclusiveness among different terms that seemed to be varied. She then discussed the evolution of Industrial Relations in four stages starting from the Steam engine development and the commencement of the replacement of human resources in 1765. The evolution Continued with Electricity in 1870, It & electronics in 1968, Digitalization in 2021 (namely, Industry 4.0), and continuing evolution were also described by the speaker. She then presented the example of Leadership & Culture inside the box of Human resources coinciding with Management and Iceberg inside Values and Beliefs coinciding with Culture and cleared the concept of nesting Boxes. Theory of Complexity featuring no-linear causality, Cause and effect being distanced in time with the nature of the physical, biological, and the human system as complex and dynamics was also introduced.

Ms. Adina Tarry suggested embracing the complexity and changing the mindset with a new thinking paradigm. The suggestion was followed by curiosity in which she stated business, culture, Management & Industry 4.0 as interconnected clusters of the smaller and larger Systems and subsystems working together. She concluded with an Interdisciplinary approach with an equation that summed up the webinar very clearly. The equation beautifully linked the different science elements with industry 4.0 and Management which was: Philosophy/ ethics + Social Sciences + Technology & Science = Manage Ideas – People - Objects

The webinar terminated with insightful answers to the questions asked by the curious students of various specializations and the discussion ended with a vote of thanks from the International Cell of SCMS NOIDA. The zeal among the students was immensely high and the students were eagerly waiting to attend the session and ask their respective questions. The webinar turned out to be truly knowledgeable.

A webinar was held by the International Cell of SCMS NOIDA on the topic, Behavioral Research in Understanding Consumers of Today with our guest from the USA, Mr. Roger Dooley who is an international keynote speaker and author.

He started off by mentioning how 90% of the decisions taken by our brain are unconscious and discussed the different tools of biometrics, facial coding, and eye-tracking are used in neuromarketing. There are four important elements of Behavioral Science, 1. Identifying the problem or the goal, 2. Making a hypothesis, 3. Testing the cheap simple invention and 4. Taking the decision regarding modifying the invention. Mr. Roger discussed different theories such as The Fogg Behavior Model, the Principle of Influence, and the System 1 and 2 approaches and how our brain subconsciously opts for the System 1 decision-making process. The speaker asked questions that peeked up the student's interest and enthusiasm.

Mr. Roger went ahead and talked about evolutionary psychology containing the theory of persuasion which is summed up by elements of a nudge, gravity, angle, and friction where all the elements have both a conscious and subconscious face. He discussed nudge influencing you to change your decisions, how there is a change in your core affiliation to a brand, and gravity being important for consumer motivation. He cited examples of how the purchase of machinery is a conscious decision and the purchase of perfume is an unconscious one. He also discussed multinationals having a conscious side which includes the products we want to purchase and the unconscious side including free and description text being hidden. He explained how angle plays an important role by making loss have a larger impact on our mind than gain. He advised on how we should use less friction as it is a complex process.

The webinar ended with students asking questions and the speaker answering them enthusiastically. The students were very happy with the webinar and it turned out to be a great success.

Youtube Link :

1. https://youtu.be/ruqLKnM91Mg
2. https://youtu.be/V1M0312Yjzs
3. https://youtu.be/7OkxFMRXT4I

The International Cell at SCMS NOIDA on 26 February 2021 successfully conducted a webinar based on the topic, “Changing Marketing Strategies in Industry 4.0”. Mr. Bilgehan Bozkurt, is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Istanbul Arel University, Turkey. His research and professional background are based on branding, customer-oriented project management, business analysis, and software development.

The speaker talked about the three major fields - Marketing, Strategies, and Technology. He explained all these fields in detail and why they are an important component of Industry 4.0. He further explained how society shifts upwards and how one can recognize those shifts. He explained how all of it is related to marketing and smart manufacturing and Technology.

A discussion on how all the big brands use various processes and these fields help them reach the desired goals was done. By providing various suitable examples he made these concepts really transparent. Later, he explained how it works with similar companies and competitive companies in various situations.

The core study went with technology, innovation, and advanced marketing, and how they operate hand in hand. Culture is one of the most difficult as well as most significant components in any organization. Organization management is related to supply chain management and processes to be converted into value creation and addition. He also elucidated the importance of Excel in the business world.

The webinar concluded with insightful answers to the questions asked by the curious students of various specializations and the discussion ended with a vote of thanks from the International Cell of SCMS NOIDA. The session turned out truly knowledgeable.

SCMS NOIDA’s International Cell organized a webinar on 11 February 2021 titled "Industry 4.0: Fintech and Digital Transformation". The session was attended by several students of batches 2018-2021, 2019-2022, and 2020-2023. The keynote speaker for the event was Ms. Devie Mohan, who attended the event from the UK.

Ms. Devie Mohan is a prominent researcher, lecturer, and expert on Fintech and co-founder and CEO of Burnmark, a fintech research organization. Ms. Devie has assisted a variety of banks, fintech start-ups, development groups, and investors in perceiving the developments of the financial sector, aiding them in establishing their industrial, market research, and investment plans. She is also a staunch advocate of the fintech environment, where financial institutions and start-ups work together to achieve operational excellence. Ms. Devie is deeply engaged in the fintech community and has also been included in the top 10 list of worldwide fintech influencer lists.

The speaker initiated her discussion by giving an outline of the subject of Fintech and Digital Transformation in Industry 4.0, as well as a detailed overview of the progress of the digital revolution in the current period. She provided a variety of everyday examples of how digital transformation has allowed significant changes in the present era. She further enlightened the audience about how the upcoming firms will need to evolve their services and products to relate to all age brackets. She also spoke about how Fintech disrupted the banking industry by providing the same services with more innovation, and better outcomes, and presenting an array of services at better costs. She also highlighted the fact that India positions among the top three Fintech countries in the world owing to excessive investment rates and high consumer numbers. The speaker made the session dynamic by asking the learners appropriate questions.

Ms. Mohan then described the benefits offered by Fintech, which consist primarily of payment, lending, and personal finance. She also emphasized the concept of Challenger Banks. Challenger banks are fully integrated digital financial institutions with no help desk and no external location. Many of the challenger banks are also among the first B2B banks. Fintech deals primarily with B2B banks and a variety of major tech companies like Apple and Amazon and Google are operating deeply with the challenger banks.

The session culminated with informative responses to the queries posed by intrigued students of different specializations, and the discussion came to an end with a vote of thanks from SCMS NOIDA 's international cell. The session ended up turning out to be very knowledgeable.

Youtube Link : https://youtu.be/ueciith0FXA

The Digitalization of International Trade in Industry 4.0 is redefining because the world produces, markets, and exports commodities through the use of modern opportunities to improve manufacturing and functional strategies. International Trade is evolving world trade markets at an astounding level while generating substantial products and creating economic changes.

To demonstrate all the existing aspects that have an influence on the international economic ties, the International Cell of SCMS NOIDA, on 5 February 2021, effectively hosted a webinar on the topic “Industry 4.0 Impact on International Trade." Mr. Sandeep Singh, Founder, and CEO of Farm Trade, Malaysia, was the esteemed speaker. He has decades of experience in multiple regions of the Palm Oil Value Chain, like Bulk Refinery, Trading, Risk Management, Specialty Fats Marketing, Main Account Management, Sustainability Projects, Joint Venture Negotiation, and P&L Management.

The speaker spoke about the early unfair trading regulations that originated in the second millennium through the silk route. He described the progression of commerce from the gift economy to the bitcoin age. As well as, presented perspectives on numerous aspects of global trade, such as the increase in the supply of different products and services, trade agreements and obstacles practised by different countries and, finally, the classification of purchasers and vendors.

Mr. Sandeep pointed out how industry 4.0 has rendered the trade to be more accessible with just a single tap. The session also provided information on new emerging technological breakthroughs like the usage of QR codes in labelling and packaging that make it very simple to track the products in real time. The session focused on international financing and commodity production structures. The speaker also proposed that, in order to manage the intensely competitive global trade system, law enforcement bodies and companies should explore reimagining their responsibilities. They should do this in the same way as they deal with environmental sustainability and cultural issues. Political and business officials should also understand the limitations raised by global trade at the convergence of the digital revolution and internationalization.

Youtube Link : https://youtu.be/3FpKuhyLRLk

The International Cell of SCMS NOIDA organized a webinar as a part of its Global Talk Series on 29th January 2021, on the topic of The Power of AND-Deep Insights and Advanced Analytics to drive business which was attended by the students of Batch 2018-21 and 2019-22. The guest who presided over the event was Mr. Pavi Gupta who is a global functional leader holding 24 years of experience in analytics and insights of diverse companies like Coca-Cola, Johnson and Johnson, and Research International.

He has consistently been recognized for delivering business impact and has a speciality in developing high-performing insight and analytics teams. Mr. Gupta started his discussion by introducing students to his background. He then went on to describe the importance of data in business and how it can be used to get useful and important insights that can transform some of the key business practices. He took the example of cricket to describe the concept of predictive analysis and explained how predictions are made based on past trends and how they can help businesses. Mr. Gupta then explained some important concepts related to the topic, like Iceberg theory, Illusion equation, etc. to the students by taking everyday life examples. He also made emphasis on the concept of the Empathy algorithm and described its usefulness by connecting it to the topic in discussion and also accentuated the power of AND and Human insights for business.

The discussion concluded with a vote of thanks from the International Cell by Dr. Priya Grover, faculty in charge of the International Cell of SCMS NOIDA who was later thanked by students for organizing this informative webinar for the students of Business Analytics.

Youtube Link : https://youtu.be/rFol41Y_dA4

SCMS NOIDA’s International cell invited Mr. Gordon Tredgold to give his insights and talk about the topic “Emerging Leadership Styles in Industry 4.0” on 21st December 2020, for first- year students.

Mr. Gordon Tredgold has a belief that leaders are not born but are made and that by influencing individuals, he can catalyze and create more enthusiastic leaders who will help change the world and show the world the results, far beyond anybody’s expectations. He teaches leaders and organizations about simple, practical, and pragmatic strategies that help them inspire and attain what they believe in and want to achieve.

Mr. Gordon has also written three books and over 1400 articles, contributing to Forbes, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, Fortune, and many other celebrated and acclaimed publications. Mr. Gordon started his discussion by articulating leadership as a differentiator between success and failure, further defining the term as an individual’s ability to make people “engaged, empowered and excited”. He continued his talk by talking about the failure rates in various domains of the corporate world such as digital transformation (84%), customer initiative (93%), startups (95%), and product launches (93%). He said that the incapability of a leader to communicate goals, strategies, purpose, and outlook to its employees is the biggest reason for the failure of digital transformations and highlighted the example of Ford motors to the students to make them understand the cost of failure the highest being lost reputation. He gave many reasons for failure and explained each of them in detail using a graphical presentation. He said that there should be clearly defined goals and objectives, which should be communicated clearly, simply, and from time to time to avoid any confusion and the number of goals to be set should be minimum so as to give them a priority. Clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations should be set to assert accountability. He also mentioned that complexity is the enemy of execution and that tasks should be made as simple as possible to achieve this an individual must encourage their team to challenge everything. He further added that the application of the Pareto approach can also aid an individual to increase simplicity. He also created an emphasis on transparency so that they are well aware of the problem areas and the leader’s expectations from them and can work on it and improve.

Throughout the session, Mr. Gordon made an emphasis on the mindset. He gave a strong message that a leader has a mindset of a winner and is not scared of failure, which helps him/her thrive and flourish in industry 4.0, and gave real-life examples to prove this point. The session finally came to an end with students asking questions from Mr. Gordon which he answered very patiently.

The webinar was a huge success and all the credit goes to the International Cell of SCMS NOIDA and the faculty in charge who helped in organizing this event.

Youtube Link

• https://youtu.be/QU-fZx8enk8
• https://youtu.be/tnlM2RYVAXw

SCMS NOIDA's International Cell organized a webinar on the subject "Gamification in Sports in the Current Digital Age." Mr. Slavko Alčakovic addressed the webinar wherein students joined from all batches and ranges of specializations, which helped them gain more knowledge and understanding. Mr. Slavko Alčaković, Vice Dean, Faculty of Physical Education and Sports Management in Singidunum, Serbia. His primary interests lie in the areas of study of internet marketing, online marketing, neuromarketing, and customer preferences and behavior and research.

The webinar covered the topic ‘Management Practices in Industry 4.0' to enhance the students’ exposure and understanding of Industry 4.0. Mr. Slavko Alčakovic commenced the session by talking about his own viewpoints of research and areas of interest. He gave the students a brief overview of the concepts they were going to discuss in the session. He began the webinar by giving a perspective about sports and how volatile and uncertain sports can be. He also used stats to demonstrate how the popularity of sports has boosted across online channels such as mobile phones. He revealed how social networking stood first, accompanied by gaming connectivity and entertainment in the highest average weekly time passed on separate apps.

Throughout the whole session, he highlighted Gamification, its definition, origin, and other relevant facts. He described the purpose behind the immense popularity of online gaming, and the session culminated with a Q/A round with the students, which reflected their passion for the subject.

Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/tx0il0ivd-M

“As data piles up, we have ourselves a genuine gold rush. But data isn’t the gold. I repeat, data in its raw form is boring crud. The gold is what’s discovered therein.”

Under its umbrella of the Global Talk Series, the International Cell coordinated a webinar on "Predictive analytics in the everyday business world: A machine learning perspective" for the students of all three batches 2018-21, 2019-22, and 2020-23. The instructor presiding over the event was Mr. Eric Siegel.

Mr. Siegel is the founder of Predictive Analytics World and Coursera. He is also a professor at Columbia University, U.S.

Mr. Eric Siegel began his session by establishing the intent of the session as the Introduction to Predictive Analytics, and how it helps in value creation when approaching the market and optimizing engagement, preceded by its functioning. He then outlined the pivotal role of data in predictive modelling and how it contributes to predictions, continued by a data entry description that depicts the decision tree, consumer attrition, and an antidote to excessive information: prediction by providing an example of a range of organizations such as 'GOOGLE for search results, NETFLIX for movie/series recommendation, FACEBOOK for news feed, AMAZON for recommendations, etc”.Students intriguingly asked their doubts, and he answered them with immense integrity, illustrating his expertise that aided students to learn a lot of new information.

Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/jmz0m_8Bhyg

“The most dangerous kind of waste is the waste we do not recognize.”

A webinar was organized by the International Cell of SCMS NOIDA on the topic of Industry 4.0 impact on the lean and agile production system, on October 12, 2020. Mr. Brett Griffiths, Managing Director of Lean Transition Solutions Ltd which is based in the United Kingdom was invited as the chair speaker. He shared his understanding and expertise with the students.

He commenced the webinar by giving a short introduction to the Lean production process. He additionally gave insights into the variations between Lean and Six Sigma and the way only a few organizations can put it into practice in industry 4.0. Besides he also pointed out the three stages of Lean Industry 4.0 that are Manufacturing Process Audits, Continuous Improvement, and Fostering Communication. He talked about how the Industries are managing proactive changes in the process of becoming well planned and the significant effect that Industry 4.0 and digital technology have on the supply chain risk analytics and the ripple effect.

“It’s never easy to grow a corporate travel business in a hyper-competitive market, and it isn’t going to get any easier.”

Ms. Barbara Wohlfarth has been working in various positions in the tourism sector for more than 20 years and was invited to preside over the webinar ‘Airline and Travel Management in a Digital Area’ initiated by the International Cell of SCMS NOIDA as a part of the Global Talk Series about the new Management Practices in the Industry 4.0.

She discussed with the students the history of travel around the globe, interrail tickets in Europe, and other trails. She also gave insights about the Computer Reservation System and informed the students about the various technological developments taking place in the Tourism Industry. She discussed how we can make use of Alexa to book air tickets with voice command with the help of Artificial Intelligence and how Google established and captured the market in the last 10 years by showing different flight details and their respective prices to establish trips through its website by the year 2019. She vividly described Artificial Intelligence taking the lead in the technological space and how it has been providing important data to companies and industries. Also, she threw some light on the effects COVID-19 will have on various industries and how it will have an impact on the future of industries.

Mr. Michael R. Solomon, PhD. Professor of Marketing with research areas in consumer behaviour and lifestyle issues, and much more was invited as chief guest for the webinar on the topic ‘Consumer Behavior Trends in Industry 4.0’ held by the International cell of SCMS NOIDA. Mr. Michael told us about his discussions with professional experts in the fields of human research, operations research, and the skills required for the upcoming future. As the pandemic is accelerating, all experts and students have acquired skills like the Work from Home Concept to overcome it and how we can focus on the brighter side of the pandemic.

Youtube Link: https://youtu.be/B3yzmDb2ndA