Setting Up a New University

 I am now in the position a brand manager for a new brand finds himself in. It's an exciting process, with a lot of things to be done. With a usual product-based brand, it's about the Go-to-market plan/strategy. But with an educational brand like ours, it's a lot more than that. It's a vision, that has to translate into action on multiple fronts. I am involved as the VC, in setting up Prestige University, a new venture at Indore.

The most difficult part in any educational endeavour is getting the right people. In a university like ours, it's three kinds of people- the students, who would become our Brand Ambassadors, the faculty, who will be the torch-bearers, and the non-teaching staff who will support these without questions.The physical infrastructure is the easy part, and is a hygiene factor.

So we are now on a quest to recruit the best faculty we can find. We have a range of niche MBA programs, so it's not an easy ask. Sustainability, Supply Chain, Analytics, E-business, and Agri-business/Food are the areas we will cover. We also plan to offer a 5-year integrated MBA program, made popular by IIM Indore and others.

Students would come through CAT and similar competitive exams conducted on a national scale. We also have plans to offer programs for experienced people in an online mode, because that enables executives to enroll without leaving their jobs. A lot more is on offer, and will be rolled out at an appropriate time. 

Supply Chain for the After Sales Market

We know the supply chain concept, pretty much. And it is discussed usually in the context of the purchasing and inventory management for manufacturing or retailing organizations. But there is also a niche area of supply chain management for spare parts, or the after market as it is known in the jargon. I met a company which specialises in just this. They provide solutions to companies that have a lot of spares to market through dealers and distributors. The problem is huge, because thousands of spare part types may arise due to different models of say, cars or two-wheelers, over the years, all requiring quick availability at the consumer touch-points for fast service.

There is a lot of potential for large companies to save on costs by optimising their inventory of spare parts (the service supply chain), while keeping their customers (dealers, or distributors) happy and stock-out free. This company, Entercoms, Pune, employs a band of young people who act as the company's consultants to achieve this balancing act. Good job area for aspiring operations area graduates, MBAs or otherwise.

As a bonus, also visited the lovely golf course within the campus of FLAME, Pune.