MS and Ph.D's @Jatland

[priti]

Hello everyone

i just joined the site and saw this thread. I am doing my PhD research in Socially Responsible Investments by Institutional Investors from Kingston Business School, England. Rajat (Panwar), what are you looking at in CSR in forest products? any links to India?? Anyone from Canadian universities? I am a frequent visitor to Schulich Business School, Toronto and would love share my research with jat friends there.

Priti

[meetmanu]

Hello everyone

i just joined the site and saw this thread. I am doing my PhD research in Socially Responsible Investments by Institutional Investors from Kingston Business School, England. Rajat (Panwar), what are you looking at in CSR in forest products? any links to India?? Anyone from Canadian universities? I am a frequent visitor to Schulich Business School, Toronto and would love share my research with jat friends there.

Priti

Hi Priti,

The topic of your research is definitely an interesting one and I would love to know more about it. Normally "investments" are inseparably associated with "returns" (at least the expeected ones) and I am wondering as to what kind of monetary returns would the entities involved with "socially responsible work" be generating? Is it about investments in NGOs/non profit organizations that are involved with humantarian work or something else?

Manu

[priti]

Hello Manu

good question....socially responsible investments is one of those terms which mean different thing to different people depending on where you're coming from- moral/ethical or governance/financial angle. ethical investments, responsible investing, social investing are some other terms used for describing the same thing. the definitions are debatable too...

the 'returns' (had to come from an investment banker generated by SRI depends on the SRI strategy adopted...broadly there are three strategies:

1. Screening
2. Engagement
3. Venture capital/economically targeted investments

Not to mention that monetary/financial gains are still the primary objective of the entities which adopt SRI. It has nothing to do with investing in charities/ngos. Nowadays many institutional investors like insurance companies and pension funds are looking at SRI options as its thought not to compromise the returns and infact its is used as a risk management tool to enhance/protect investment returns.

I am focusing on Pension funds and how they are going about SRI. there has been a lot of civil society pressure on pension funds in the UK to consider the social, ethical and environmental impacts of their investments. The scene in canada and the US is a bit different as over there some institutional investors have historically been involved in social investing based on their values.

I'll be happy to chat with you more on this.....

which investment bank are you working for?? I am sure it will have somebody working on SRI/engagement etc...

Priti

[meetmanu]

Hello Manu

good question....socially responsible investments is one of those terms which mean different thing to different people depending on where you're coming from- moral/ethical or governance/financial angle. ethical investments, responsible investing, social investing are some other terms used for describing the same thing. the definitions are debatable too...

the 'returns' (had to come from an investment banker generated by SRI depends on the SRI strategy adopted...broadly there are three strategies:

1. Screening
2. Engagement
3. Venture capital/economically targeted investments

Not to mention that monetary/financial gains are still the primary objective of the entities which adopt SRI. It has nothing to do with investing in charities/ngos. Nowadays many institutional investors like insurance companies and pension funds are looking at SRI options as its thought not to compromise the returns and infact its is used as a risk management tool to enhance/protect investment returns.

I am focusing on Pension funds and how they are going about SRI. there has been a lot of civil society pressure on pension funds in the UK to consider the social, ethical and environmental impacts of their investments. The scene in canada and the US is a bit different as over there some institutional investors have historically been involved in social investing based on their values.

I'll be happy to chat with you more on this.....

which investment bank are you working for?? I am sure it will have somebody working on SRI/engagement etc...

Priti

Hi Priti,

Thanks for the brief on SRI. I also googled SRIs and found a report on SRIs by Eurosif (European Sustainable and Responsible Investment Forum). It was interesting to note from this report that this concept started way back in early 20s, when the Methodist church started professing "no investment" in stocks of companies involved with alcohol, tobacco, gambling, pornography etc. The report also says that the SRI trend has witnessed resurgence in the 90s again, especially in the European region.

In the U.S., the past few years have seen some of these industries being disciplined as a result of class actions lawsuits - tobacco industry specifically comes to mind. However, I am not aware of the institutional investors espousing this cause as yet. On the contrary, pornography has become a big industry now with revenues in the U.S. alone reaching to the tunes of $12 bn ($57 bn worldwide) according to some sources. Actually, it is shocking to note that porn revenue is larger than all combined revenues of all professional football, baseball and basketball franchises. Quite a few initiatives in this industry are operating as private companies (and I am sure as public companies too) with active investments from private equity funds. Similarly, gambling reminds you of one of the mega mergers of last year which saw MGM Mirage and Mandlay Resort group merging to form a $7 bn company. One does not need to be a banker to know the scale of gambling (both online as well as through other modes like casinos); just a visit to places like Atlantic City or Las Vegas would suffice where not only the whole economy but life itself revolves around gambling. And these organizations are behemoths that have influence on economy, politics and life style of people at large. As regards their profitability, these are money making machines; yes ma'am no doubt about that for sure. And, I would not be surprised if the fund managers at financial institutions, who thrive and survive on their ability to predict the investments that maximize returns while keeping the risk within acceptable limits (which are fuzzy at best), may find some of the stocks of such companies attractive.

Well, it's a long debate and arguments could be made about the fact that SRI is "right" and "is in the long term interest of the society as a whole". However, it would be interesting to do some sort of study to see what the do the fund managers in the U.S. think about it. Please do let me know if you are aware about such a study.

Pension funds are facing a problem of their own here in the U.S. with some of the experts comparing it with a time bomb. Currently, pension funds of most of the companies are under-funded in the U.S. and with the baby boomers retiring/ sitting on the verge of retirement, the pressure is being felt by these organizations. Big changes are being made to the disclosures and accounting treatments being given to the pension contributions made by the the companies till now. The next couple of years are going to be interesting for watchers of pension funds. I would love to know more about the finding of your reasearch (of course to the extent you would like to share them).

I shall be working with Banc of America Securities starting the last week of this month. I shall surely talk to some people who know of this trend in the FII segment here in the U.S.

Best!

Manu

[priti]

Hi Priti,

Thanks for the brief on SRI. I also googled SRIs and found a report on SRIs by Eurosif (European Sustainable and Responsible Investment Forum). It was interesting to note from this report that this concept started way back in early 20s, when the Methodist church started professing "no investment" in stocks of companies involved with alcohol, tobacco, gambling, pornography etc. The report also says that the SRI trend has witnessed resurgence in the 90s again, especially in the European region.

In the U.S., the past few years have seen some of these industries being disciplined as a result of class actions lawsuits - tobacco industry specifically comes to mind. However, I am not aware of the institutional investors espousing this cause as yet. On the contrary, pornography has become a big industry now with revenues in the U.S. alone reaching to the tunes of $12 bn ($57 bn worldwide) according to some sources. Actually, it is shocking to note that porn revenue is larger than all combined revenues of all professional football, baseball and basketball franchises. Quite a few initiatives in this industry are operating as private companies (and I am sure as public companies too) with active investments from private equity funds. Similarly, gambling reminds you of one of the mega mergers of last year which saw MGM Mirage and Mandlay Resort group merging to form a $7 bn company. One does not need to be a banker to know the scale of gambling (both online as well as through other modes like casinos); just a visit to places like Atlantic City or Las Vegas would suffice where not only the whole economy but life itself revolves around gambling. And these organizations are behemoths that have influence on economy, politics and life style of people at large. As regards their profitability, these are money making machines; yes ma'am no doubt about that for sure. And, I would not be surprised if the fund managers at financial institutions, who thrive and survive on their ability to predict the investments that maximize returns while keeping the risk within acceptable limits (which are fuzzy at best), may find some of the stocks of such companies attractive.

Well, it's a long debate and arguments could be made about the fact that SRI is "right" and "is in the long term interest of the society as a whole". However, it would be interesting to do some sort of study to see what the do the fund managers in the U.S. think about it. Please do let me know if you are aware about such a study.

Pension funds are facing a problem of their own here in the U.S. with some of the experts comparing it with a time bomb. Currently, pension funds of most of the companies are under-funded in the U.S. and with the baby boomers retiring/ sitting on the verge of retirement, the pressure is being felt by these organizations. Big changes are being made to the disclosures and accounting treatments being given to the pension contributions made by the the companies till now. The next couple of years are going to be interesting for watchers of pension funds. I would love to know more about the finding of your reasearch (of course to the extent you would like to share them).

I shall be working with Banc of America Securities starting the last week of this month. I shall surely talk to some people who know of this trend in the FII segment here in the U.S.

Best!

Manu

Very True...If i was individual investor looking for short term gain...i would invest in any sector producing best returns...'profit maximisation', 'shareholder value' is the premise which is grinded in the minds of all mba students...isn't it??

Ethical Investments (screening out tobacco, gambling, pornography etc.) is a small part of increasingly complex SRI options....

You're right about the class action suits....the corporate governance scandals have also helped the cause of responsible investing.

For SRI trends in the US, check out these link:

http://www.socialinvest.org/areas/re...eport_2003.pdf
and
http://www.firstaffirmative.com/news/sriArticle.html

I have some academic papers too. I can send those to your email in case you're interested....some of them really challenge the common notions...there was a study of fund managers and trustees (of pension funds) about their opinions on SRI...will send it too when i locate it in my vast lit. review folder...

will be great to start some conversation at Banc America securities...thats what it needs...discussion!!

The scene in europe is much different that in america as i am told...according to some, its much more evolved here (although i would challenge the impact which is what matters).

my research is limited to pension funds (only their investment side) in canada and england. Canada has huge labour sponsored pension funds and the union trustees would not mind having some consideration to the social impacts and their own agendas through the investments (after all the money being invested is their members money).

my first year study explored opinions of pension funds trustees and their fund managers here in the UK. i wouldn't mind sharing it...its a bulky document though...now i'm doing more in-depth case studies.....

yeah, some pension funds are in real gloom here too...everyone seems to be thinking that its the end of good old defined benefit schemes and they should be replaced with defined contribution asap. thats another hot research area nowadays....poor baby bloomers....one benefit of being a developing country...we just had a brand new pension system back home (a defined contribution one)!!

catch u later.....

[priti]

forgot to say.......all the best with the new job...

[vinodks]

Hey guys, me doing PhD in University of Maryland(CP) in Organic Electronics, basically trying to make devices by using Pentacene, carbon nanotubes and other organic semiconductors and conducting polymers on plastic substrates... its good to have this kind of database of jat grads... though I don't know exactly how:-)....

vinod

[meetmanu]

forgot to say.......all the best with the new job...

Priti,
Thanks a ton for the info and for your wishes. I appreciate it. I shall surely share with you whatever information I come across on SRI from my discussions with people in the FIG group.

Hope you or your dears were not harmed in any way in the London blasts.

Take care...

Manu

[bharatrattan]

Dear Nitin,
The growing interest to organize the Jat graduate students in US can well be fulfilled at this very web site. People are forum shy for one or the other reason, and they don’t want themselves attacked or diluted by fun seeking individuals.
But hiding away from the rest of people, who can gain from the exchange of ideas, would not be appropriate. You can include one top priority folder, along with career and education, say Jat graduates, and this same place can witness the issues graduate students face.
Since the ideas of educated mass are much more liberal, something has to be done. The concept of 'culture' as the parameter has to be reevaluated. This cultural fusion is an experiment which we must appreciate as a sensitive society. A highly inclusive approach in contrast to high exclusionary practice is desired to grow our community and not discard the most capable strata. I am sure you can suggest something good in this direction.
Best,
Bharat

[mca_malik]

hi all,
i m persuing PhD in cereal tech on topic suitability of wheat variety for diff. products like biscuits ,bread and chapati etc..plz send any literature regarding to my topic for initial submission of synopsis particularly about biochemical studies.
plzzzzz,
waiting 4 lots of replies.
monika

[vikasrana77]

hello,
I am doing PHD at techincal university of delft, netherland in semiconductor field. I did my master from IIT Delhi. then i joined here. I am going to finish it very soon. there are few positions in my group for PHD in semiconductor field or solid state device physics. if any JAT bhai is intersted and have good qualification and knowledge of the field. Please send me the CV. I can forward the CV to my supervisor.
it is nice that there are lot of JAT bhai are doing PHD in various field.

if anybody have question plz send me on my personal id.

thanks

regards,
VIkas

[jatputra]

Hi,

My name is Aditya Rana and I am doing BA (Hons) Economics from Uinversity of Delhi. I will graduate next year and want to pursue MSc Finance after graduation.

Is there any Jat senior studying MSc Finance? I need some guidance from him.

Regards,

Aditya Rana

[meetmanu]

Hi,

My name is Aditya Rana and I am doing BA (Hons) Economics from Uinversity of Delhi. I will graduate next year and want to pursue MSc Finance after graduation.

Is there any Jat senior studying MSc Finance? I need some guidance from him.

Regards,

Aditya Rana

Hi Aditya,

If you are interested in pursuing your M.S. from India, the Department of Financial Studies at South Campus of Delhi University offers an excellent course by the name of Master of Finance and Control (www.mfc.edu). The course content for MFC has been designed keeping in mind the demands that finance professionals face in various fields, viz. traditional corporate finance, treasury functions, investment banking, financial consulting, security analysis, trading etc. The placements have been excellent over the years and the class of 2005 had an average starting salary of Rs. 4.8 lacs.

Do let me know if you would like to know more about this course.

Manu

[jatputra]

Thank you very much for prompt reply.

I would like to know more about this course. Can you let me know the what is the syllabus for the entrane exam in MFC? + Any other information that might be of help.

Regards,

Aditya Rana

Hi Aditya,

If you are interested in pursuing your M.S. from India, the Department of Financial Studies at South Campus of Delhi University offers an excellent course by the name of Master of Finance and Control (www.mfc.edu). The course content for MFC has been designed keeping in mind the demands that finance professionals face in various fields, viz. traditional corporate finance, treasury functions, investment banking, financial consulting, security analysis, trading etc. The placements have been excellent over the years and the class of 2005 had an average starting salary of Rs. 4.8 lacs.

Do let me know if you would like to know more about this course.

Manu

[meetmanu]

Thank you very much for prompt reply.

I would like to know more about this course. Can you let me know the what is the syllabus for the entrane exam in MFC? + Any other information that might be of help.

Regards,

Aditya Rana

Hi Aditya,

There is no syllabus as such for the entrance examination. Just like any other MBA program, the admission process to MFC also consists of a three pronged evaluation approach - a written exam conducted at national level, followed by group discussions and personal interviews for the candidates shortlisted on the basis of the written test. The written exam encompasses questions that test the applicant's verbal and quantitative proficiencies, besides evaluating one's awareness about current business milieu (especially, that of the finance world). I believe that the two hour long written exam has 240 questions spread over 4-5 sections. The exam is usually conducted in the month of January and the application forms are made available from October till the middle of December.

I would suggest that you go through MFC's website to check the course contents and decide whether this is what you are looking for; if you still need more information even after that, do let me know.

Manu

[jatputra]

It is all that I need know. I would get back to you for any other information I need. Thank you very much.

Regards,

Aditya Rana

Hi Aditya,

There is no syllabus as such for the entrance examination. Just like any other MBA program, the admission process to MFC also consists of a three pronged evaluation approach - a written exam conducted at national level, followed by group discussions and personal interviews for the candidates shortlisted on the basis of the written test. The written exam encompasses questions that test the applicant's verbal and quantitative proficiencies, besides evaluating one's awareness about current business milieu (especially, that of the finance world). I believe that the two hour long written exam has 240 questions spread over 4-5 sections. The exam is usually conducted in the month of January and the application forms are made available from October till the middle of December.

I would suggest that you go through MFC's website to check the course contents and decide whether this is what you are looking for; if you still need more information even after that, do let me know.

Manu

[prachi]

HI! good to see the different posts.
I am a postdoctoral fellow working presently at mayo clinic, rochester. Recently joined this group and am working in the area of sleep apnea and caridovascular diseases. Have earlier worked with pathogens as mycobacteria and malaria. Would love to interact with other researchers

[brahmjit]

I am Ph.D. in Mobile Wireless Communication and presently guiding Ph.D. in this area. Any JatBhai interested in this area is most welcome.

Brahmjit Singh

[dahiyarules]

Hi !

I am supposed to be at school, but havent done so in a long time. I dont know what I am here for. Thanks for giving me company geeks.

[dhandars]

payare jaat logo !

i am just overwhelmed...... to see lot many jats (chore and chori as well) indulged in research.... that too in the pioneer fields like biotechnology, biomedical sciences, biophysics, structure biology etc etc .....

LATH GAD DIYA JATTA NAI!

so! to my surprise, here are Jaats! all verstile and almost everywhere...!!...and in almost everyfield of science! i am just wondering why not we creat a science forum! which seems to be an urgency of the time. why....!?

pleas don't forget we are the lucky ones...and a few only....there are many more in our community,,, who don't have proper guidence and exosures to right oppertunities and collaborations...and overall a community is not made of a few individuals...if the majority are still backward, the society will be called backward....so since we have some position and experiece....may i take this oppurtunity to propose this science forum for the service of our community....mind it LITTLE BIT OF CONTRIBUTION FROM EVERYBODY WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

by the way i am carrying out molecular biology aspects of leukemia (blood cancer) and one of the chromatin remodelliing genes, here in lund univeristy ....

best of luk to all!

dhanda (sweden) dhandars@yahoo.com
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Chora Jat ka.............