PGP2013 – The IIM Kashipur Blog

Rising Steel Prices: Can Fintech save MSMEs in distress?

The Alumni Relations Committee of IIM Kashipur has served as a bridge to beget valuable insights about the role of Fintech in MSME from our erudite alumnus. This article covers the questions surrounding the issue of rising steel prices and how Fintech can save the MSMEs in distress.

A sharp rise in raw material prices, (especially steel) over the last few months has impacted the recovery of manufacturing, construction, and small and medium industries from the COVID-19 pandemic. The MSME industry needs to provide steel at reasonable prices so that export competitiveness of value-added products is maintained

Fintech lending platforms have the ability to address the credit gap for small businesses. Most digital lending platforms which used to rely only on equity and debt capital are now also looking at post loan origination sources of capital such as securitization and direct assignment transactions to improve liquidity. The fintech, banks, and NBFCs will play a huge role in powering small businesses in the post-pandemic new world and will help in reviving the economies. These new and innovative lending models will not only strike a right balance between financial stability and growth but also encourage a focus on the credit needs of small businesses in the country and NBFCs and fintechs are considered as better equipped to support this endeavour.

To understand the reasons behind the bullish prices, we can look at some of the factors affecting the price of steel:

Supply And Demand-

As with any commodity, supply and demand is a huge factor that determines steel prices. The higher the demand and the lower the supply, the higher the price. As lockdowns were gradually eased and construction work resumed, steel prices started rising with the rise in demand.

Moreover, the prices of steel are determined not just by current supply and demand, but by forecasted supply and demand. The more information available, the better this can be predicted, and the less volatile prices will be. We must also strive to be aware of inventory in the supply chain in every link from the steel mills to the end-user.

Industry Trends-

Price is also influenced by the demand of the various industries steel is used for. If the auto industry is strong, for example, steel demand may be higher; the same goes for construction, packaging, and other businesses that rely heavily upon steel.

Costs of Materials-

Scrap metal and iron ore are two of the main materials used to create steel. If there is a limited amount of these resources available, demand exceeds supply, and the cost of materials will jump up.

Iron ore fetching a year-end price of $175 a tonne on the Dalian Commodity Exchange (DCE), is now the world’s best performing major commodity for the second year in a row. Indian Steel Association (ISA) calls for Government Intervention and demands a six-month ban on iron-ore exports, restriction of e-auction sale to steel- and pellet-makers. The Government suspects that the steel-makers might be indulging in the manipulation of production to lift prices, forming a cartel in the cement and steel industry. However, on the contrary, in the steel industry where two major players, namely, SAIL and Vizag Steel are government-owned are also a part of the same trend.

Costs of Shipping-

By the same token, materials used to create steel and finished goods can be costly to ship, a factor that may help determine the price.

Time of Year-

Time of year has its effect on many industries, and those that use steel are no different. Holidays, weather, and seasonal highs and lows affect the output of new products, either raising or lowering demand. Seasonality can impact shipping patterns and transit modes.

All these events have left the MSMEs in jeopardy. Nothing was happening for several months because of the pandemic. The projects were shut down or were on hold. The rise in steel prices is eating into their narrow margins making it more and more difficult for them to sustain. A big issue of MSME credit gap can be solved by fintech lending platforms if they are able to access reliable digital data sets that can assist with credit risk analysis and cash flow-based lending, the regulatory framework supports a low-cost KYC and customer onboarding process and if these platforms themselves are able to tap into a wider set of channels for their own sources of capital.

About the Author:
Mr. Shahrukh Khan, an Alumnus of IIM Kashipur who has completed his PGP in the year 2019 is currently handling the Product & Process – OfCommerce at OfBusiness. While at the campus, he has been a Class Representative and Joint Secretary of Wellness Coordinators. He has also represented IIM Kashipur in multiple TT Tournaments.

Management from a Homemaker’s Lens

The word Management as defined in the dictionary means the process of dealing and coordinating with people. Management is a never-ending loop that begins when one gets up in the morning and ends when one sets the alarm for the next day and goes to sleep.

Management is always conceptualized as a fancy degree from a Business school and jargons like Presentations, Entrepreneurship, SWOT, ROI, etc. Management is inevitably present and significant in all these fields, but what we often forget is that management is applicable in all walks of life. It covers all facets of our lives. We ignore this fact because we have been so used to doing these roles that we have forgotten about the management nature. Even a trip to Goa with friends or relatives requires proper planning so to effectively manage one’s schedule for an enriching experience.

If we deep dive into our daily life schedule, I see my mother implementing all my MBA lessons in some way and the best part is though those decisions or acts of her do not bring any life-changing decisions but are pivotal for the smooth functioning of the house.

The duties of a homemaker are frequently looked down upon, but as we look closely, we can see that becoming a homemaker demands immense management skills. One of the most difficult examples of management is managing an entire family, taking care of everyone’s special needs, settling petty conflicts among children, maintaining the bonds intact, ensuring food is prepared on time. All this might sound so simple when we compare it to the life of an MBA graduate but it is equally challenging and complex.

If we draw an analogy between the life of a manager and a homemaker, it is quite indistinguishable. The only difference is the nature of the work they both execute. Just like in an organization, A manager is the one responsible for streamlining the tasks, planning things ahead of time so that the needs of the clients are fulfilled on time, and addressing the grievances of its employees. In the same fashion, Homemakers must plan for the whole family, predict future challenges, multitask and make the most use of their resources, and be armed with plans for any last-minute hiccups.

Let us take a few examples where we see homemakers implementing various concepts of MBA.

Before buying any vegetable, she does a SWOT analysis for it and checks for if it is the best available product in the market.

She keeps a close record of all house expenses and makes sure every expense is recorded and gets tallied with the money she has in hand. In some or the other way, she exhibits great accounting skills.

She doesn’t have a degree but yes she is a perfect manager and a successful leader.

About the Author
Sakshi Poddar a Computer Science Engineer by qualification is now pursuing MBA(Analytics from IIM Kashipur. She is a part of various student bodies like the Media and Public Relations Committee and Admission Support Body. She is an IT professional with 2 years of experience in Hewlett Packard Enterprise. She loves traveling and dancing. You can connect with her on LinkedIn

Management is an Art!

There are many B-Schools to provide you with the Knowledge of Management but is that enough? Is knowing it all enough? I believe it’s not. To be a successful manager you need to possess the art of applying the right knowledge (the craft), at the right time (the vision) and most essentially, delivering efficiently to the right people (the communication). Books and professor’s knowledge can tell you what different tools and frameworks you can use but which to apply where needs an understanding so deep it will be a tragedy to not call it an art.

A good manager must also have imagination and the audacity to redesign their organisations or the way they work, just as an artist needs vision, and a strong commitment to realise them.

One may argue about the new and improving scientific methods being taught to and applied by the up-and-coming managers for better decision making, or about those skills to derive unexpected success by making probable failure surrender to competence and nerve. But Management has always been more than that. Not all great students have been great managers, and not all great managers have started strong. It takes more than just the technical skills and intuition to be a good manager.

To be a good business manager, one needs to perfect their skills in dealing with people and express themselves verbally, just as an artist needs to master his craft.

Moreover, just like the art has no right or wrong similarly the managerial decisions can’t be labelled correct or incorrect. In fact, in management failures can lead to new opportunities. There is no perfect formula for success.

Therefore, I strongly believe that Management is an Art and the artist needs to keep on practicing the art to achieve the epitome of success in the career.

About the Author:
Dr. Ankita Gabhane, Dentist is pursuing MBA from IIM Kashipur. She is an active member of different student bodies like the Cultural Committee and Admissions support body. You can connect with her on LinkedIn.

KPL: A grand ending to a grand finale

Its time! The show has ended but the fireworks are a proof of the entertainment it provided. Sports Committee successfully hosted another thrilling edition of Kashipur Premier league and it was the Royal Shuttlers who carved their way to the ultimate glory. The team owned by Anurag Sharma of PGP2014-16 batch, managed to win 2 out of its 3 final stages matches with a decent margin to claim the trophy. The team didn’t have any of the top seeds but still managed to come out on the top.

This is what the team owner had to say, “We always believed that we could win and everyone worked very hard and gave their 100%. It’s a great moment for all us, everyone is delighted. Hopefully we’ll come back and do the same next year”

Agarwal Tsunami finished at first runner up while The devious drunkards finished third. Hitesh Ram from the devious drunkards was announced as the player of the tournament.

Here are some pictures of the action and the winning team.

Guest Lecture by Mr. Devendra Raghav

IIM Kashipur welcomed Mr. Davendra Raghav, former Director UBS – AG. The topic of discussion was money laundering. Mr. Raghav shared his experience in the banking industry. Different types of money laundering techniques, International standards to fight money laundering, black money and Hawala were some of the key issues discussed.

SEBI Financial Awareness Workshop

IIM Kashipur welcomed Mr. Jubin Mehta, AGM SEBI and Mr. Prashant Saini, AGM SEBI. A financial awareness workshop was organised to discuss investor awareness and how investment will lead to the growth of the economy. Mr. Mehta shared his experience with SEBI and how SEBI acts as a regulator whose first priority is looking after the interests of the investor.

KACOFONIA 2014

Cultural Committee of IIM Kashipur along with the students organised KACOFONIA 2014, an intra college fest consisting of events like face painting, dumb charades, solo, duet and group dancing, singing competition, fashion show and dramatics.

IIM Kashipur celebrates Rashtriya Ekta Diwas (National Unity Day)

Indian Institute of Management Kashipur celebrated the spirit of Unity on Rashtriya Ekta Diwas to commemorate the birth anniversary of the ‘Iron Man of India’, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

In the morning the faculty, students and staff alike took an unity pledge to preserve and promote the unity and integrity of this great nation. In the evening there was a Run/Walk for Unity from IIM Kashipur current campus to IIM Kashipur new campus followed by an insightful and energetic #DebateCompetition on the theme ‘National Safety, Security and Unity’

Diwali celebration at IIM Kashipur

It is festive season and everyone took a break from academics to celebrate Diwali at the campus.

Swachh Bharat Mission

Be the change that you wish to see in the world”, said one of the most influential people to have ever graced this earth – Mahatma Gandhi. To celebrate the values that he practiced as much as he preached, on the occasion of what would have been his 145th birth anniversary, IIM Kashipur took up brooms to participate in the Swachh Bharat Mission today. Dr. Somnath Ghosh, Dean Academics, IIM Kashipur administered a pledge to the faculty, staff and students of the institute which promised that they would devote some time to maintaining the cleanliness of their environment daily. Post this, the faculty and students alike took up brooms and took to the nearby areas to clean them. Garbage bins were posted at intervals and all the litter was properly disposed of.