Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad is hosting its annual international business summit, Confluence 2008, from the 20th to the 23rd of November, 2008. Confluence 2008 also marks the 10th anniversary of the summit that was first organized way back in 1999. The central theme for this year’s summit is “Wealth: Legacy, Dimensions, Frontiers”.

Confluence 2008 will take a closer look at the phenomenon of wealth creation and its various aspects. With the world submerged in a near crisis situation, the conclave will look at the learning from the past and conceptualize how it can be applied in today’s scenario.

“For the past three years, we have been discussing the growth of India as an economic superpower. In the backdrop off the current financial crisis, we decided to choose a topic which addresses the question on everyone’s mind – “The true definition of wealth”. There will be intense panel discussions centered on themes like defining wealth and have we reached the bottom yet?” said Confluence 2008 Secretary, Raman Arora, a second year student of IIMA’s flagship post graduate programme.

Over the years, Confluence has attracted participation from not just the top business schools in the country, but many leading international institutions as well. It has established itself as a forum where students can explore new vistas, share ideas and gain insights into contemporary management issues. Confluence brings together students, academicians, business leaders, policy makers and professionals through a series of sessions and innovative events. In a short span of ten years it has evolved into an internationally renowned summit which serves as a benchmark for other B-schools.

In addition, Confluence 2008 has been guided by an advisory committee which includes leading lights such as Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia (Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission),Mr. Muthuraman (MD, Tata Steel), Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (CMD-Biocon Ltd.), Mr. Sanjay Nayyar (CEO, Citigroup, India), Mr. Pawan Munjal (MD, Hero Honda Motors Limited), Ms. Preetha Reddy (ED, Apollo Hospitals), Dr. Santrupt Mishra (Director-HR Aditya Birla Group), Prof. Pritam Singh (Professor Emeritus, MDI, Gurgaon) and Mr. Ajay Piramal (Chairman, Piramal Enterprises Ltd.)

The List of luminaries who will address this year’s summit is equally impressive and includes Shikha Sharma – MD & CEO, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Co. Ltd, Mr. Sanjay Nayar – CEO, Citigroup, India, Glenn Saldhana – Managing Director & CEO, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Limited, Harsh Mariwala – Chairman and Managing Director, Marico Limited, Ela Bhatt – Social Entrepreneur, Founder & Former General Secretary, SEWA, Dr. Sam Pitroda – Chairman, National Knowledge Commission & Chairman and CEO, World-Tel Limited, Kiran Karnik – Former President, NASSCOM, Prof. Dipak Jain – Dean, Kellogg School of Management, Lord Meghnad Desai – Former Professor, London School of Economics, Mehmood Khan – Global Leader of Innovation Process Development, Unilever, Aluri Rao – MD, Morgan Stanley Private Equity and Dr. Bhushan Punani – Executive director, Blind People’s Association (B.P.A.)

Not withstanding the financial downturn, Confluence 2008 has successfully garnered support from the industry. While the list of corporate partners for Confluence 2008 retains many names from the last year, there have also been a few additions to the list. The Tata Conglomerate has continued to extend its support as the principal partner for Confluence 2008. Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation is partnering with Masterplan – the business plan contest that awards innovative yet scalable ideas with potential to become successful business propositions. This year the focus is on making Gujarat the “Energy Capital” of India. The session that would delve into the various aspects of wealth – economic, social, environmental and intellectual – “Wheel of Fortune” is being supported by the State Bank of India. CNBC TV 18 is the official media partner for Confluence 2008. Cognizant is sponsoring BootStrat, the case contest on IT consulting. Nestle will be organizing an on-campus workshop on Brand Management titled “Munching Forward”. To cap it all, Vimal will present Bizquizitive, the ultimate quiz contest as the concluding event for Confluence 2008 on 23rd November, 2008.

A brief outline of Confluence 2008:

Spread over four days, Confluence 2008 will address its theme “Wealth: Legacy, Frontiers, Dimensions” through three sessions:

1. Wheel of Fortune- The journey of wealth
The first session looks at the concept of wealth and its various features through the experience of people who made a mark in the world by generating wealth for themselves, their organisations and their societies.

2. Crisis to Control- Lessons from the past
This session will analyse the major crises that the world has seen and will seek to draw lessons from these experiences. Amidst the ongoing debate on the downward economic slide, this session shall attempt to demystify the impact of current economic situation on developing nations such as India.

3. Beyond the Frontiers- The new economic mantra
‘Beyond the Frontiers’ is an attempt to provide a window to the future and to look at radical new ways of creating wealth by outlining the mistakes we should reconcile, drawing the lessons we should learn and illustrating how to move ahead with a fresh outlook.

Confluence, 2008: Schedule
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November 20th, 2008 (Thursday)
16.00 – 18.30 RJMCEI Inaugural Session

Chief Guest: Mrs. Mrinalini Sarabhai, Founder-director, Darpana Academy of Performing Arts
Key Note Speaker: Satish Pradhan, Exec. VP, Group HR, Tata Sons
Invited Presentation: Mehmood Khan, Global Leader of Innovation, Unilever
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November 21st, 2008 (Friday) – Wheel of Fortune
9.00 – 11.00 CR 4 Workshop: Understanding Business Transformation:
Professor Sunil Maheshwari, IIM Ahmedabad
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9.30 – 10.30 CR 1 Nestle Munching Forward, Case Contest: Initial Briefing
11.00 – 13.00 CR 2 TATA Think Tank
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11.00 – 12.00 RJMCEI Session Chair: Professor Anil Gupta, IIM Ahmedabad
12.00 – 13.00 Sangita Reddy, Executive Director, Apollo Hospitals
Harish Mariwala, Chairman and MD, Marico Ltd
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13.15 – 13.45 LKP SBI Vault Operandi, Management Game: Prelim
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14.00 – 16.00 IMDC Workshop: Leadership Skills in Today’s Managers
Professor Manikutty, IIM Ahmedabad
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14.30 – 15.15 RJMCEI Session Chair: Professor MM Monippally, IIM Ahmedabad

15.15 – 16.00 Bhaskar Bhat, Managing Director, Titan
Professor Indiresan, Former Director, IIT Madras
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14.30 – 17.30 CR 2 SBI Changing Tracks, Strategy Event: Finals
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16.00 – 17.30 RJMCEI Panel Discussion: The Dimensions of Wealth
Session Chair: Professor G Raghuram, IIM Ahmedabad
Hasit Joshipura, Managing Director, GSK Pharmaceuticals
Bhushan Punani, Founder, Blind People’s Association
Arvind Sharma, Chairman, Leo Burnett
Ashank Desai, Chairman, Mastek
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18.00 – 19.00 RJMCEI Session Chair: Professor Rekha Jain, IIM Ahmedabad
Sam Pitroda, Chairman and CEO, World-Tel Limited
(via Video Conference)
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November 22nd, 2008 (Saturday) – Crisis to Control
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9.30 – 10.30 LKP The Soothsayer, Management Simulation Game: Prelims
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10.00 – 17.00 KLMDC GSPC Masterplan
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11.00 – 12 noon RJMCEI Session Chair: Professor Satish Deodhar, IIM Ahmedabad
12 noon – 13.00 Lord Meghnad Desai, Professor Emeritus, LSE
N. Ramachandran, India Country Head, Morgan Stanley
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13.30 – 15.30 CR 2 Nestle Munching Forward, Case Contest: 1st Round
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14.00 – 16.00 CR 7 Workshop: Communication in Workplace
Professor Asha Kaul, IIM Ahmedabad
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14.30 – 15.15 RJMCEI Session Chair: Professor Sidharth Sinha, IIM Ahmedabad
15.15 – 16.00 Aluri Rao, Head, Morgan Stanley Private Equity India
Shikha Sharma, MD & CEO, ICICI Prudential
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16.00 – 17.30 RJMCEI Panel Discussion: “The Financial Crisis – Have we reached the bottom yet?”
Session Chair: Professor T T Ram Mohan, IIM Ahmedabad
Lord Meghnad Desai, Professor Emeritus, LSE
Aluri Rao, Head, Morgan Stanley Private Equity India
Shikha Sharma, MD & CEO, ICICI Prudential
Professor Jayanth Varma, IIM Ahmedabad
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16.00 – 18.00 CR 2 SBI Vault Operandi, Case Contest: Finals
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18.00 – 19.00 RJMCEI Session Chair: Professor Ajay Pandey, IIM Ahmedabad
SP Kothari, Professor of Management, MIT Sloan
(via Video Conference)
20.00 – 22.00 LKP Confluence Dinner
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November 23rd, 2008 (Sunday) – Beyond the Frontiers

9.00 – 10.30 CR 1, 2 & 4 4D – Round 2, Management Simulation Game
10.00 – 17.00 KLMDC TATA Globalization Challenge
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11.00 – 12 noon RJMCEI Session Chair: Professor Biju Varkkey, IIM Ahmedabad
12 noon – 13.00 Ela Bhatt, Founder, SEWA
Dipak Jain, Dean, Kellogg School of Management
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11.00 – 13.00 CR 2 Cognizant BootStrat, Management Case Presentation: Finals
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14.30 – 15.15 RJMCEI Session Chair: Professor Atanu Ghosh, IIM Ahmedabad
15.15 – 16.00 Glenn Saldhana, MD & CEO, Glenmark Pharmaceuticals
R. Subramaniam, Managing Director, Subhiksha
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14.00 – 16.00 CR 7 Workshop: Communication in Workplace
Professor Asha Kaul, IIM Ahmedabad
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14.30 – 16.30 CR 2 Nestle Munching Forward, Case Contest: Finals
16.30 – 17.30 Nestle Workshop: “Managing Global Brands in a Local Context” by Mr. Stewart Dryburgh, General Manager, Nestle India Ltd
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14.30 – 17.00 CR 4 The Soothsayer, Management Simulation Game: Finals
16.00 – 17.30 RJMCEI Panel Discussion: “Innovation and Creativity – Sustainable levers of Wealth Creation”
Session Chair: Professor Errol D’Souza, IIM Ahmedabad
Dipak Jain, Dean, Kellogg School of Management
Vardan Kabra, Founder, Fountainhead Schools
Prabhat Pani, CEO, Ginger Hotels
R. Subramaniam, Managing Director, Subhiksha
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18.00 – 19.00 RJMCEI Valedictory Session
Kiran Karnik, Former President, NASSCOM
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19.00 – 20.00 RJMCEI Prize Distribution Ceremony
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20.30 onwards LKP Vimal BIZQUIZITIVE
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Beyond the sessions
There is an entire line-up of competitive events testing business acumen and providing an avenue for knowledge sharing to the participants from across the globe.

Masterplan
A business plan contest unlike any other, Masterplan aims to encourage ideas that are innovative and scalable. It seeks to promote creativity while also encouraging the adoption of modern technology and management tools. The participants are actively guided by industry professionals at every stage.

Mousetrap
Mousetrap: An online business strategy simulation game, which will see leading teams from across the world battling it out over nine days. Knowledge of various aspects of management combined with strong decision making skills and endurance is essential for supremacy in the virtual business world.

LiveStock
A path breaking competition, Livestock, is the country’s only live trading competition involving real money invested in the BSE. Participants use their trading strategies and market acumen to reap rich rewards with nominal investments.

Bizquizitive
Confluence shall culminate with the country’s premiere B-School quiz, BizQuizitive. Teams will require all their general awareness and business acumen to fend off questions from a star quizmaster, under the starlit sky at the Louis Kahn Plaza. Big money and bragging rights will be at stake in front of an audience of over 1000 people.

Globalization challenge
This unique challenge tests the mettle of participants by placing them in the shoes of industry titans. Ability to strategize, perform due diligence and manage tough negotiations will determine the winners.

Fourth dimension
A three-day long event, the Fourth dimension involves teams comprised of members belonging to different institutes as a cohesive unit to bring to the fore team skills, quick thinking and decision making under pressure. In addition, it requires a holistic managerial perspective to excel in order to develop foolproof strategies.

Management Simulation Games
The primary objective of the Management Simulation Games is to provide participants with an opportunity to explore all facets of real business problems including the environment, industry events, and exogenous shocks while simultaneously testing participants’ temperament and effectiveness under pressure and tact to make quick and effective decisions.

Workshop series
Workshop series is conducted by industry experts in collaboration with the academia to provide the participants with a unique perspective and seeks to strengthen relationships with the industry. It forms the very heart of Confluence as it tries to bring together ideas, perspectives and solutions from the students, academia and industry.

Young Managers program
Young Managers Program, more popularly known as the ‘YMP’, provides a platform for managers with three to five years of experience, to share their ideas, learning and challenges through lecture series and panel discussions by the best in the field and tailor-made workshops that focuses on developing skills required by today’s managers,

Management Students Program
The Management Students Program (MSP) at Confluence 2008 provides a platform to the participating management students to interact with leaders from the industry as well as with students from other leading B-Schools. MSP participants are invited to participate in the Lecture Series and Panel Discussions for each session of Confluence 2008. In addition, they can attend workshops and can also be a part of the management.