ATHENAEUM 2016: 7TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MANAGEMENT RESEARCH

12-13 February, 2016.

Organizer/Venue: Center for Contemporary Management Research (CECMAR), Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM), Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) INDIA.

Key Themes: As the theme for Athenaeum 2016 is Managing Transformation, contemporary management & leadership issues listed below are identified as key themes for the conference. We especially – but not solely – invite papers ((WIP) paper or Extended Abstract) within the following topics.

1. Managing in the SMAC (Social, Mobile, Analytics, Cloud) Age
2. Embracing Disruptive Innovations for Advantage
3. Aligning with Global Standards and Practices
4. Managing and Competing in Emerging Markets
5. Innovating and Creating Smart Products/Solutions
6. Incorporating and Managing Sustainability
7. Building Competence for Future
8. Bridging Generation, Knowledge and Technology Gaps
9. Operating in Multi-cultural and Connected World
10. Transforming Lean and Agile
11. Integrating Internal with External
12. Managing Social Change and Development
13. Securing from Risks and Fuelling Growth
14. Establishing Governance with Values
15. Leadership for Change/Transformation
16. Managing Talent and Workforce
17. Cracking Capital Crunch
18. Decoding Behavioural Finance
19. Global Trade Order
20. New Age Markets and Marketing
21. Business Cycles and Emerging Models/Strategies
22. Towards Smart Governance 
23. Any other Relevant Areas in Finance, HR, Organisation Behaviour, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, Strategy, Systems, International Business and Economics

Important Deadlines:
1. Conference Dates: 12, 13 February 2016
2. Submission of Abstract for consideration as  Full Paper/WIP Extended  Abstracts: 25 May 2015
3. Notification of acceptance (Rejected papers  can be resubmitted as WIP Paper/Extended  Abstracts): 1 June 2015
4. Commencement of Registration: 2 June 2015
5. Submission of full papers/WIP Paper or Extended Abstracts: 1 September 2015
6. Notification of acceptance of Full Papers, WIP/Extended Abstracts: 30 September 2015
7. Last Date for Early Bird Registration: 15 Oct 2015
8. Submission of Revised Full papers 25 November 2015
9. Last Date for Regular Registration Fee: 15 December 2015


CONTACT: Center for Contemporary Management Research (CECMAR), Bharathidasan Institute of Management, P.O. Box. No 12, BHEL Complex, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, India 620014
Telephone: 0431-2520502/796; Fax: 0431-2520733
Email: athenaeum2016@bim.edu

"PROF AL NAGAR AWARD SCHEME-2015" AND "PROF AL NAGAR VISITING FELLOWSHIP”

With the financial support from the family and friends of Prof AL Nagar, the TIES has instituted the following schemes to commemorate the contributions of Prof. Nagar. 

1. “Prof AL Nagar Fellow”: This is an annual award to be given to an outstanding Indian scholar between the age of 45 to 65 years. Under this award, the selected scholar shall give a minimum of two lectures during the year in any of the reputed Indian institutes/universities chosen by the TIES/TIES Trust and one lecture during the annual TIES conference.
The selected scholar would be honored with a citation and a suitable cash prize during the annual conference.
The TIES Trust has constituted a high level expert Committee, under the Chairmanship of Prof. V.R.Panchamukhi, Chairman, TIES Trust, to identify suitable scholars for this award.
The Committee hereby invites nominations for the Award on the basis of which recommendations will be made to the President, TIES. Kindly note the following:

A. Eligibility requirement:
1.The candidate for the Award should be between 45 and 65 years of age as on January 1, 2015;
2.Research Work should be of high quality, in the area of quantitative economics and should have been largelycarried out in India.

B.Nomination should have full CV of the nominee which should include the following information about the nominee:
a. Name in full;
b. Date of birth;
c. Educational Qualification;
d. Present position and earlier institutional affiliations;
e. A list of major publications, with focus on the significant contributions;
f. Copies of some select Publications;
g. Any other relevant information; Incomplete information will not be entertained.

All the nominations must be received by 31st August 2015 and sent to Dr N R  Bhanumurthy, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy, Delhi, and Secretary, TIES, (e-mail: nrbmurthy@gmail.com) who will co-ordinate with the selection

 co2. “Prof AL Nagar Visiting Fellowship”: This is an annual fellowship to be given to a maximum of two young research scholars in a year who are pursuing their Ph.d in India. Under this fellowship, the research scholar would spend one to two months with an expert/institution/university within India that can contribute substantially to the thesis work. The TIES/TIES Trust would provide travel and moderate living expenses to the selected scholars and also a token honorarium to the host expert.

The research scholars who are below the age of 30 years as on 1st January 2015 are eligible to apply. The application should consist of a brief CV, date of birth, institutional affiliation, recommendation letter from the research supervisor and a letter of confirmation from the host expert/institute/university. In case if research scholars are unable to identify the expert/institute/university, the TIES could also help in identifying suitable experts/ Institute/university, if the scholar is shortlisted for the fellowship. A selection committee constituted by TIES Trust would shortlist the research scholar for the fellowship. The applications should reach the Secretary, TIES (e-mail:nrbmurthy@gmail.com) by 31^st August, 2015.

Source: Indian Econometric Society Website (03/06/2015).mmittee. 

Against the Grain

At a time when the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement (Second Amendment) Bill, 2015 is being examined by a joint committee of Parliament, the promulgation — for a third time — of an Ordinance shows scant regard on the part of the Narendra Modi government for democratic norms. Despite public expressions to the contrary by even Mr. Modi, the BJP-led NDA government appears disinclined to concede any ground to the Opposition on its key demands to restore clauses relating to consent and social impact assessment that were integral to the 2013 Act. Not surprisingly, therefore, Opposition MPs on the joint committee are planning to disassociate themselves from it. Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) general secretary and a member of the committee, has described the re-promulgation of the Ordinance as “absolutely untenable constitutionally in a democracy”. Even as the ruling dispensation shows no sign of relenting, murmurs of unhappiness have come from within the BJP itself, especially from MPs who represent rural constituencies. In fact, at the first meeting of the joint committee some BJP members, worried about the political fallout of the proposed changes, expressed their concern. Even the BJP’s NDA allies, the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Shiv Sena, have raised questions about the wisdom of persisting with such an unpopular move.

Evidently, the Modi government misread the signs: for even senior officials who see merit in the proposed changes (as they feel it would simplify land acquisition and put infrastructure projects on the fast track) say the government should have engaged the Opposition in a discussion before bringing the Bill forward. It should have also, they add, conducted a countrywide exercise of opinion-making before attempting to initiate changes. Now, the Opposition, led by the Congress, has had sufficient time to run its campaign against the government-sponsored changes. Reports from the ground suggest that a substantial swathe of the population believes the government draft goes against the interests of the rural poor and is anti-farmer. Unfortunately for the government, all this has coincided with unseasonal rain that has damaged crops, and a hike in fertilizer prices. Yet, the minimum support price for crops has not been increased commensurately. Taken together, the message is that this is indeed a suit boot ki sarkar — in Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s shorthand — that does not care for the agricultural class; it just wants a land law that would favour the corporate rich. The ruling dispensation’s plan to call a joint session after the current Land Bill is defeated in the Rajya Sabha, flies in the face of pragmatic politics, as it would just give the Opposition even more ammunition. The only explanation is that its numbers in the Lok Sabha have blinded the government to the predominant national mood.

Keywords: re-promulgation of land ordinance, Budget Session of Parliament, Land Acquisition Bill

Vedanta - Duelling Duality

SUDARSHAN DHEER





It is very easy to advise others.Only the one who suffers knows the extent of the pain. At the same time, there is no difference between one person's pain and another's. No sermon or philosophy will help relieve that suffering immediately. However, at the core of any pain-causing conflict, there is duality . We are part of a cycle that contains both pain and pleasure, creating a split between mind and body , delaying the healing process. Duality is all-pervasive. It is also our own creation.We describe breathing as something that involves inhalation and exhalation. But actu ally, there is only one breath. There is no `day and night' since the sun never sets. There is no `beginning and end' or `birth and death'. Tantra believes in oneness and wholeness, that there is no duality .In tantra, there is no split, but a merely acceptance of reality .
The child's mind is in a nondual state. Its personality is still whole, the split eventually imposed by adults around the child and by the society in which the child lives. Ultimately , when she grows up, she is not the real one or the real self.
In order to get back one's real self, one has to go inward where there is no past, no future, but only the present. In this state of meditation, one may get in touch with our inner being, the non-dual state. This is nirvana or enlightenment, where there is no duality but only completeness.

Only 1 in 4 MPs in India is below the age of 45

The world is getting younger but the world's parliamentarians, elected to govern are getting older.The median age of the global population is around 26.4 years and among the voting age population worldwide, 49% are between the ages of 20 and 39, But the average age of those sitting in the world's parliaments is now between 51-60 years. A 20-year-old Scottish student made history in May 7 general elections in UK by becoming Britain's youngest MP since 1667. Only 2.2% of MPs in India are below the age of 30. Only 1 in 4 Indian MPs (22%) in India are below the age of 45. Less than 1.7% of MPs worldwide are under 30. India is ranked 19th among 98 countries when it comes to having MPs below age of 30.
Zeina Hilal, Inter Parliamentary Union's officer in charge on youth participation told TOI “Reducing voting age can really help and encourage youngsters to take a keen interest in politics. Also, aligning voting age with the age to be eligible to stand for elections can also be a game changer. At pre sent in India, people can vote when they are 18 years but can stand for elections only when they are 25. We want India to make both the voting age and age eligible to stand for elections at 18“.
For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com

Only 13 of India's 431 universities have women VCs

The prestigious Oxford University last week announced that Professor Louise Richardson, subject to approval, could go on to become the university's first woman vice-chancellor in its 800-year-old history .

Down in India, things are not too different. Multiple studies reveal the percentage of women vice-chancellors here is a shocking 3%, with just 13 universities of the 431, a UGC study surveyed, having women running a varsity . This, despite girls outdoing boys year after year in exams, and women constituting more than 50% of teaching posts in universities.

According to a British Council commissioned report titled `Women in Higher Education Leadership in South Asia: Rejection, Refusal, Reluctance, Revisioning', the percentage of women teaching staff drops drastically at higher levels. “Women constitute only 1.4% of the professoriate, though there are many at other positions like readers, lecturers etc,“ the report released in February 2015 notes.
Adding that even of the 13 women VCs, six are from allwomen universities, the report flags the culture of discrimination. “There are many reasons -from the way selection committees are constituted to the way women and men think. Most women academicians are more passionate about teaching than running institutions, which is why many of them, although qualified, do not choose to apply for such posts,“ Meena Rajiv Chandawarkar, VC , Karnataka State Women's University, told TOI.
Quoting a UGC-constituted task force in 2013, the report says, “Glass ceilings and fears over promotion must receive more attention, the feedback indicates widespread practices of discrimination and harassment among women working in higher education institutions.“
Berin Lucas, sociology professor of St Joseph's College of Arts and Science says, “Higher education must open its doors to new learning, but it is only a reflection of the patriarchal fabric of society , which operates in every spectrum of life, not even exempting education.“ The report, though, paints a bright picture at the under-graduate level for women.
For the full report, log on to http:www.timesofindia.com

Google offers unlimited free storage for photos, videos

Google is willing to store and organise all of the world's digital photos and videos for free.
The online photo service announced Thursday is the latest example of Google's desire to wrap its tentacles around virtually every part of people's lives. Google will provide unlimited storage of all photos up to 16 megapixels and high-definition video up to 1080p.
The service,called Google Photos, will be available as an app on Android and Apple devices,and on a website, http://photos.google.com . It's avariation of the photo-management tool on Google Plus, a social networking service that has struggled to compete against Facebook since its 2011 debut.
“There has been a renaissance in the thinking of what Google Plus is for,” said BradleyHorowitz, Google's vice president of photos and streams. Google Plus will stick around, Horowitz said, although it is likely to focus on bringing together people who share common interests and hobbies instead of trying to connect friends and family.
Horowitzpredicted Google Photos will free people from the hassles of managing their picture and video libraries, much like Google's Gmail service eased the burden of sifting through email boxes by offering larger storage capacities and a powerful search engine.
Google Photos is importing technology from Google Plus to automatically sort image sinto common bundles tied together by a vacation destination, activity, or evenspecies of animal. Other tools will automatically create slideshows and album s  accompanied by music.
One of the biggest challenges facing Google Inc. is whether it will be able to lure people away from other services that have been around for years.
Apple has a photo service that offers up to five gigabytes of storage for free and then charges 99 cents per month for an additional 20 gigabytes. Yahoo's Flickr service offers one terabyte of storage for free - enough to accommodate   a bout five photos per day for the next 60 years.
Source | Asian Age | 2 June 2015