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Komal Goel, a second-year MBA student from IFMR Graduate School of Business, Krea University, won the second edition of the BusinessLine on Campus -Kaybase Summer Internship Project Contest held here earlier this week. Vibesh KV, a second-year MBA student at Bharathidasan Institute of Management (BIM), Tiruchi, bagged the second prize.
Explaining her internship project with a major appliances manufacturer, Komal described a consumer’s journey of deciding which mixie-grinder to buy. Her presentation showcased a meticulous mapping of this journey, factoring in many parameters — from the basis of the purchase decision and the role of influencers, to the way consumers compare products and brands, which appliance is bought the most and what channel they prefer.
Paint-buying
An area-wise analysis of the purchase of a paint major’s enamel and distemper products across four regions in Gujarat formed the basis of Vibesh’s internship report, which looked at the factors affecting the purchase decision, role of contractors as influencers, top-of-mind awareness of the brand, and price and profitability for the dealers.
The other finalists were Nishant Kothari, second-year MBA student at TAPMI, Manipal; and Jobin John and Jassica Joy, both second-year MBA students at IBS Hyderabad. Nishant analysed the use of a software player’s ERP and accounting solution in the Dakshina Kannada region, and identified the optimal price points preferred by micro retailers.
Jobin studied the distribution network of the market leader in milk products in parts of Telangana and Karnataka. And Jassica’s project for an entrance test prep service provider assessed the factors in parents’ decision to enrol their wards in the company’s programme.
The students benefited from some keen questioning and sharp observations by the jury, which comprised Prof S Sundar, former Associate Professor, Department of Marketing, BIM; K Shravan, Brand Manager, Saint Gobain India; and Kavita Ganesan, Assistant Vice-Presidet, Marketing, Sterling Holidays.
Internships, the key
Speaking before the student presentations, BusinessLine Editor R Srinivasan said: “Internships are a valuable part of the academic learning process, and the better structured an internship is, the greater the learnings and gains for everyone —- interns and companies.” He added that “Given the average management student’s heavy workload, a newspaper such as BusinessLine plays an important role, both in providing the first-cut business information as well as deeper analysis and insights.”
The internship project contest, jointly organised by BusinessLine on Campus and Kaybase, he said, will help students interact meaningfully with corporate leaders and make them better prepared for the business world.
‘Evoking curiosity’
“Internships are important as they build a student’s confidence,” said Poornima Bhaskaran, Director, Kaybase, adding that “they play a key role in students’ understanding of where their interests lie, evoke curiosity about how a business works, and how retailers and consumers think.”
Announcing the winners, Sundar said that while all the project reports showed a sound understanding of the respective businesses, the winner’s presentation was marked by a keen attention to detail, while that of the runner-up was comprehensive in scope.
R Srinivasan gave away awards and certificates to the winners.
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