Nexus 2024

The Bhawanipur Education Society College hosted its latest edition of Nexus 2024, a business and management event, through its student Collective of Bhawanipur Entrepreneurship and Startup Training (B.E.S.T.) on October 7th, 2024, from 9:00 A.M. till 6:00 P.M. before closing down for the holidays. The event saw the participation of students from more than 10 colleges in Kolkata and had a crowd of more than 500, swarming the different venues on the day. Having the theme “The Lost Card” Nexus 2024 emphasized its motto of Ideate-Innovate-Implement as it provided an array of events, many of them taking place at 6 different locations simultaneously on the college campus, and attracting the likes of the participants. The 9 events were namely Human Resource (Managing the Army), Management Roleplay (A workplace drama), Footbrawl (Football Auction), Price Paradox (The race against price), Board Meeting (Group Discussion), The Card Market (Share Trading), Game of Alliance (Mergers & Acquisitions), Marketing Maverick (From local treasures to National icons), and Business Uncertainty (Extempore).

The day started with the Opening Ceremony in the Jubilee Hall from 9:00 A.M. onwards where Rector and Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Dilip Shah expressed his vision for Nexus 2024 and seamlessly narrated the story of Steve Jobs to set it as an example for every aspiring businessman. He left the stage, giving way to a classy and demure “Corporate Fashion Show” presented by the students of the Collective of Fashionista, which further added an aesthetic element. The ending of the Opening ceremony was marked by the echoing sound of the gong, similar to the Stock Market, that spread across the hall and filled the air with anticipation while filling the participants with enthusiasm.

HUMAN RESOURCE: MANAGING THE ARMY – The event took place in the Jubilee Hall from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. and consisted of three rounds. The event explored various realms that go into maintaining a balance between employees and the respective company. During the first round, participants delivered speeches based on provided coordinates, which others then guessed. In the second round, participants tackled case studies through presentations and discussed real-life challenges that arise in the workplace such as talent retention in a competitive market or managing the mental health of the employees. The third round simulated the firing process, where participants were expected to act as HR representatives who were provided with a CV and performance review of an employee based on which they were expected to fire the employee while giving reasonable justifications. The 2nd Runner-Up was The Bhawanipur Education Society College, the 1st Runner-Up was the Eastern India Chartered Accountants Students Association (EICASA) and the Winner was the Army Institute of Management, Kolkata.

GAME OF ALLIANCE (MERGER AND ACQUISITION) – The event was held in Room number 426 from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. and brought together industry leaders, investors, and innovators to discuss the latest trends and strategies in mergers and acquisitions. Participants from Five colleges participated in two rounds. In the first round, teams engaged in a silent auction to allocate funds to the top two companies of their choice. In the second round, teams made decisions about merging or acquiring the 2 companies based on the company’s financial data presented to them and justified their decision through a PPT. They were judged on their presentation, financial literacy, and rebuttal skills. The 2nd Runner-Up was the Eastern India Chartered Accountants Students Association (EICASA), the 1st Runner-Up was St. Xaviers College and the Winner was The Bhawanipur Education Society College.

BUSINESS UNCERTAINTY (EXTEMPORE) – Business is not just about maths and numbers, public speaking is also one of the most important skills that businesspeople need to possess. Hence, the Extempore event at Nexus 2024 made sure that the participants had it in them to shine through. Held in Room number 528 from 2:00 P.M. onwards, the event expected the participants to provide a seamless solution that was cost and time-effective to the given problem at hand. They had to prepare a speech ranging from 1 to 2 minutes and were given 1 minute and 30 seconds to prepare for the same. Some of the problems included last-minute guest cancellations, unforeseen technical glitches or sponsor withdrawals. A total of 5 colleges participated in the event and were judged based on their problem-solving, decision-making, rebuttal skills and more. The 2nd Runner-Up was The Bhawanipur Education Society College, the 1st Runner-Up was the Eastern India Chartered Accountants Students Association (EICASA) and the Winner was St. Xaviers University.

FOOTBRAWL (FOOTBALL AUCTION) – The Football Auction event offered participants the chance to form dream football teams by bidding on stars and tackling mystery challenges. Consisting of a single round, the event took place in the Concept Hall from 10:00 A.M. and went on till 4:00 P.M. Eight participating teams, each consisting of three members, were given the task of assembling a squad of at least 18 players and a maximum of 20 where 11 would be playing and the remaining players would be substitutes. Each team was assigned a budget based on a football club, which was randomly selected via a lottery system. The teams picked chits with club names, and each club’s budget varied, adding an element of competition. Midway through the event, the moderator threw in a twist where each team had to acquire their club’s jersey by any means possible. Teams were ranked based on how quickly they obtained their jerseys, with the fastest team receiving the best coach, which was decided on a first-come-first-serve basis. Then the teams created their lineups on paper following their assigned coach’s formation and listing the substitute players on the back. Points were allocated based on FIFA 24 player ratings. The 2nd Runner-Up was the Institute of Engineering and Management (IEM Kolkata), the 1st Runner-Up was the Heritage Academy, and the Winner was The Bhawanipur Education Society College.

THE CARD MARKET (SHARE TRADING) – The Card Market event that took place in Room number 425 from 10:00 A.M. till Noon was a great opportunity for people to show their trading skills and learn about how the Share Market works. Participants took part in two rounds wherein the first round, they had to answer 20 questions. Each correct answer earned them ₹50,000. St. Xavier’s University and The Bhawanipur Education Society College (BESC) were in the lead, followed by Heritage College in second place, and Shri Shikshayatan College in third. The second round was a trading simulation with seven phases. Teams had to make trading decisions based on news updates. In the first phase, teams could only trade at certain counters. In the following phases, they could negotiate and trade with each other, adapting their strategies based on market prices influenced by the news. Each phase lasted five minutes, testing the participants’ ability to adapt and negotiate in real time. The 2nd Runner-Up was St. Xaviers College, the 1st Runner-Up was The Bhawanipur Education Society College and the Winner was St. Xaviers University.

THE BOARD MEETING (GROUP DISCUSSION) – The event began at 2:00 PM till 4:00 P.M. in Room number 528, where participants were tasked with challenging case studies designed to evaluate their communication, decision-making, and crisis-management abilities. Participants from eight esteemed colleges gathered for this dynamic one-round competition, which was divided into two phases. Each phase was aimed at testing how well participants could analyze critical issues and devise effective solutions under pressure. Phase I had the theme of “Managing a Crisis During a High-Profile Event” where a controversial political figure had been invited by mistake, causing an uproar on social media. The challenge was to manage the internal team, communicate with stakeholders, and protect the company’s reputation without disrupting the event. Participants had to display their crisis management skills, navigating through this sensitive situation while minimizing any reputational damage.

Phase II of the Group discussion had the theme of “Discrimination Lawsuit During a Diversity Campaign” and pushed the participants even further as they were confronted with a discrimination lawsuit filed against a company during a high-profile diversity and inclusion campaign. The lawsuit, alleging wrongful termination due to gender bias, threatened to undermine the company’s campaign. Students had to strategize on managing the public narrative, responding to the lawsuit, and reassuring current employees, all while maintaining the integrity of the diversity initiative. In the end, the 2nd Runner-Up was the Sivanath Sastri College, the 1st Runner-Up was The Bhawanipur Education Society College and the Winner was the Shri Shikshayatan College.

PRICE PARADOX (THE RACE AGAINST PRICE) – Held in the Society Hall from 10:00 A.M. onwards and until 2:00 P.M., the event required that the participants address a critical market challenge, like managing a product that has recently undergone a price hike, while competitors offer similar products at a significantly lower price. Their task was to devise a market strategy that positioned their product as the market leader, without reducing its price. Over six colleges with 2 members from each college participated in this one-round event with a follow-up Q&A round by the judge. Some of the important rules highlighted were that the participants needed to have a clear explanation of their product as they would get not more than six minutes to present their pitch, with a warning bell, if the time limit exceeds 30 seconds, resulting in a negative marking. The 2nd Runner-Up of this event was the Eastern India Chartered Accountants Students Association (EICASA), while the 1st Runner-Up was St. Xaviers College and the Winner was The Bhawanipur Education Society College.

MARKETING MAVERICK (FROM LOCAL TREASURES TO NATIONAL ICONS) – Over nine colleges, each team consisting of a minimum of three or a maximum of four members, participated in this event that began at 10:00 A.M. and went on till 2:00 P.M. in Room number 528. This event consisted of only 1 round where participants were expected to develop a comprehensive marketing plan with a detailed explanation of the strategy, brand identity, target audience, advertising tactics, distribution channels, and budget allocations; for a unique product from a randomly assigned Indian state or Union Territory. Their plans should target local and national markets while considering cultural, economic, and demographic factors. Their goal was to transform a local brand into a national icon through innovative marketing. Each team had a time limit of 8 minutes for their presentation, exceeding which would result in the warning bell ringing to indicate their mistake. An additional 4 minutes were also provided for a Q&A session. The event ended with The Bhawanipur Education Society College as the 2nd Runner-Up, Shri Shikshayatan College as the 1st Runner-Up, and St. Xaviers College as the Winner.

MANAGEMENT ROLEPLAY (A WORKPLACE DRAMA) – With participation from seven colleges and a maximum of 4 people per team, this event presented participants with situations for which they prepared an act to depict the solution to any conflict that has taken place in the workspace. This act might consist of visits to the HR representatives, the manager, or the team leader. Participating teams were judged based on their problem-solving skills along with a representation done through the act. The roleplay was to be 5 minutes and 30 seconds long during which the first bell would ring at 4 minutes with another continuation ringing at 5 minutes. Exceeding the given time limit leads to a negative mark in the team’s scores. The judgment criteria were based on the Concept of the role-play, the quality of the solution, and participation of the role-play to show the message. The Bhawanipur Education Society College rose to the 2nd Runner-Up, while Shri Shikshayatan College became the 1st Runner-Up and St. Xaviers University was crowned Winner.

After a smooth and successful flow of events throughout the day, it was time for the closing ceremony and the announcement of the winners for Nexus ’24. The ceremony celebrated the brilliance of all the participants, or shall we say, the future business leaders! Some of the judges took to the stage to share valuable insights, offering motivation and encouragement to all the students present before announcing the winners of each event. The second-place overall winners were St. Xavier’s College and St. Xavier’s University, while the emerging winner was none other than The Bhawanipur Education Society College. Following this, the student representatives took a moment to express their gratitude to everyone who contributed to making the event a success, marking a milestone in the professional journeys of numerous students. They also thanked the sponsors for their immense support in making Nexus 2024 turn into reality!

 

Reporters – Jiya Tanna, Samriddha Nandi, Sadia Nissa
Photographers – Gourav Choudhary, Spandan Samanta, Agrag Ghosh, Sanika Shaw, Himanshu Jain