Photos Mandi 2008

Mandi 2008 @ NITIE

NITIE Center for Student Enterprises (NCSE)

Mandi – Marketing and Innovation at NITIE

An Institute’s Tryst with Market

With “Mandi”, NITIE is set to make a statement about its pedagogy – the first business school in India to adopt the experiential method of teaching. It integrates the theoretical principles of managerial economics, marketing and basic market research with practical application, for a socially responsible cause.

On 1^st of August 2008, Mumbai saw even higher activity levels than usual. It was “MANDI”, the annual “Get your hands dirty”, on the field marketing exercise organized by NITIE Mumbai, MANDI saw over 250 students of the Institute get down onto the streets of Mumbai, to sell educational toys, made by an NGO called Navnirmiti, which works towards better education and general upliftment of underprivileged children.

The event was flagged off by Shiv Kumar (MD, NOKIA India), Ms Yukta Mookhey (Former Miss World and Bollywood actress) and Mr. Mukesh Rishi (Bolloywood actor). Egging the students on, Shiv Kumar said “It’s a great initiative by NITIE, I am sure Mandi will go places in the year to come”,. Adding to the enthusiasm of the already enthused crowd, Ms. Yukta Mookhey “It was great interacting with the students, I wish them the very best in their endeavors”. The sales for day were an overwhelming Rs.2,50,000, which is NITIE’s contribution to the noble cause Navnirimiti stands for.

Conceptualized by Dr. T Prasad, MANDI stands as a hallmark in NITIE’s curriculum as it integrates the theoretical principles of managerial economics, marketing and basic market research, consumer behavior etc, with their practical application.

It is a unique Socio-marketing initiative, and in that NITIE is the first business school in India to adopt the experiential method of teaching. Dr. T Prasad says “The central purpose of MANDI is three-fold. Firstly, to contribute to Navnirmiti and hence make a difference in the lives of thousand of children who lose out on basic education. Secondly, it had management students practice the classroom concepts of Marketing, Principles of Management, Business Economics, and Accounting, Consumer behavior on the field. Thirdly, this unique event intends to impart an additional dimension to the learning of the students who buy these toys.”

The students had a wonderful experience at Mandi, “It was an enlightening experience, and I saw that talking about sales and marketing and actually selling and marketing are two very different things, “said Vikram Wakhlu a first year NITIE student. And most importantly, the response from the consumers was highly enthusiastic and encouraging Little Amit just in his 3^rd grade, appreciates the ease the toys can bring to his daily math lesson. Amit had just purchased one each of all 3 toys on offer Jodo 3D set, Tangram and Pharaoh’s Pyramid. MANDI 2008 was a true manifestation of NITIE’s commitment towards instilling a sense of Corporate Social Responsibility in the managers of tomorrow.