B.Com. (General – Sec B)

VANIGAM ’24 – A Business Event

The Department of Commerce (General) organized a Business Event Vanigam’24 on 19th January 2024. Having Ms Shahira Fathima, a rising and trendsetting architect as our Chief Guest had enlightened us with her passion and knowledge on interior design and architectural visionary. The primary aim of this event was to bridge academic learning with real world applications of professional platforms and to engage students in the dynamic landscape of business. The program was a resounding success and showcased a platform for students to enhance their plan towards a goal. As said by Warren Buffett “In the business world, the rear-view mirror is always clearer than the wind shield”. Let us look forward to future opportunities with more clear vision and passion of collaboration and participation to engage as a business unit to the nearby community.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

International Conference on ‘Thriving in Turbulent Times: Sustainable Growth Through Innovative Practices’ organized by the Departments of Commerce in association with Institution’s Innovation Council (IIC) was held on 9^th& 10^th August 2023.

• Chief Guest Address by Varindar Singh Sahney, Social Change Maker & Entrepreneur, Partner – Metaplast Adkrafts
• Keynote address by Stanley K. Baker, from the LeTourneau University, School of Business, USA. Were the guest lecturers.

Panel Discussion – Innovative Practices for Sustainable Development

• Moderator – Agnes Rozario, Associate Professor of Commerce in Stella Maris College

Members –

• Kathryn Baker, LeTourneau University, USA
• Sankaran Munusamy, Managing Director, Phygitalz Advisory and Solution Private Limited, Chennai

Mr. Hari Balaji, Humanitarian & Environmentalist
Majority of the participant felt that the Conference content was relevant for their professional development and facilitated knowledge exchange on sustainable innovative practices.

ONLINE WORKSHOP ON APTITUDE TRAINING

The Department of Commerce (General), Women’s Christian College along with TATTI (Tamil Nadu Advanced Technical Training Institution) Chennai conducted a Three Days Online Workshop on “APTITUDE TRAINING” from 4^th  to 6^th September 2020 through Zoom platform. The workshop was indeed an eye-opener and around 500 students from various colleges in and around Tamil Nadu gained experience in a virtual learning of how to crack Competitive Exams from renowned people from various fields, along with specialised training from the experienced trainers from TATTI.

ONLINE WORKSHOP ON UPSC EXAMINATION

The Department of Commerce (General), Women’s Christian College along with Shankar IAS Academy Chennai conducted a Two Days Online Workshop on “Road Map to Civil Service and TNPSC Examination” on 8^th and 9^th July, 2021 through Zoom platform.

Mr. Chandrasekhar. S, Head-Academics, Shankar IAS Academy with 15 years of education experience giving training to UPSC aspirants, who elaborated on the types of postings and opportunities in central government and the way to prepare for the examination, tricks and tips were addressed in the session. He threw light upon the important points like eligibility criteria for appearing civil service examination, syllabus pattern, examination pattern and the strategy to prepare for the exams.

Mr. Sivabalan, Senior faculty, Shankar IAS Academy with 10 years of education experience providing excellent training to UPSC, TNPSC aspirants who gave updated details about women candidate’s reservation seats in TNPSC exams and the importance of writing competitive exams by the young generation, opportunities available in group 1 and 2, different postings and services. Further he explained TNPSC exam pattern, syllabus, previous year questions and answers were discussed very effectively. He also suggested reference books for better preparation. He highlighted many inspirational stories of persons who already cleared competitive exams and their successful stories and their services are also shared.

“We know that the right path takes us to the right destination”. Similarly, this session was the right path to all the students and to choose their roads and reach their successful destination soon. “A right roadmap leads to a right career!”.

SKILL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP ON DIGITAL MARKETING

On 28th September 2022, a Skill Development Workshop on “Digital Marketing” was organised by the Department and around 240 students of B.Com (General) took part in this workshop. The Chief Guest was Mr. Saravanan P, Product Development and Mentor in NIIT.

Students gained practical insights about Digital Marketing in the field of Commerce. The workshop helped students understand how Digital Marketing can be leveraged to attract a target audience and how it is essential for entrepreneurs.

SEMINAR SERIES

Department of Commerce (General) conducted a Seminar Series on 20^th March 2023 from in the Main auditorium. This event was exclusively organized for all the students of Shift 1 and 2 on the topic “Reset Your Mindset”.

The first speaker of the day was Ms. J. Gajalakshmi, Inspector of Police, W3 Egmore All Women Police Station. She spoke about ‘Women’s Safety in Society’. The second speaker of the day was Dr. Zarina, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Dean of Academic Affairs, Shift I. She gave us a deep insight about “Developing a Positive Mindset” (i.e.) being optimistic. The final speaker of the day was Dr. S.R.M Sokkalingam, the founder of Versatile Business School, Versatile Publishing House, Versatile Corporate Solutions and ACME Business School. He has authored a book titled “The Art of Speaking English”. He spoke about ‘Organizational Psychology in Workplace’.

E-PRENEUR ’22
 – An Entrepreneurial Development Program

On 26^th April, 2022 the Department of Commerce (General) conducted E-Preneur ‘22 an Entrepreneurial Development Program. The program started with the release of the Department Magazine “Le Taureau”. The Principal Dr. Lillian I Jasper was the Guest of Honour who shared a few encouraging words for the upcoming entrepreneurs. The Chief Guest Dr. M. Sathya Kumar, Advocate and an entrepreneur himself who runs his own firm also gave a detailed insight of the business fields the student can choose for future career. The speech was followed by a Guest Speaker Mr. Karthicrathinam who inspired with his entrepreneurial journey and how he created his business “Out of the Box”.

E-BAZAAR ’23

The Department of Commerce (General) conducted an entrepreneurial event E-Bazaar on the 6^th and 7^th of January 2023 on the theme “Tamizhar Thiruvizha” which was a traditional fest with a motive to create awareness of ‘Parambariya Unavugal’ to the younger generation.

FACULTY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

MUTUAL FUNDS FOR WEALTH CREATION AND MANAGING INCOME TAX

The Department in collaboration with the SEBI Investor Protection and Education Fund (SEBI IPEF) organised a One Day Faculty Development Programme on the topic held on “Understanding of Mutual Funds for Wealth Creation and Managing Income Tax” 23^rd August 2022. The resource person from NSE-NISM Approved Trainer, Mr. Jeyaprakash addressed the session. Around 60 faculty members from various colleges in Chennai enthusiasticlly participated in the session.

OPTIMIZING STUDENT TEST TAKING FROM HOME

Department of Commerce (General) in association with Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC) of Women’s Christian College organized an Online Faculty Development Programme on 12^th September, 2020. The session was conducted through Google Meet platform and it was offered exclusively for the benefit of the in-house faculty members. The resource person was Mr. Deepak Gaba, Co-Founder and Director of Business Development – Corpversity.

He addressed the concept in three sub- headings: (i) Prep before the test (ii) During the test (iii) Evaluation. He also did a demo of conducting online exams.

CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Department Newsletter – El Faro

Department of Commerce (General) is happy to have released five issues of their Department Newsletter ‘EL FARO’ so far and many more in the years to come.  The Newsletter ‘El Faro’ showcases lots of academic and other department activities, achievements, awards and many more memorable moments of both students and faculty members of the department.

CSR ACTIVITIES

The students of the Department were taken to a One Day CSR Activity to ‘HOPE’ an NGO in Pondicherry, Tamil Nadu on 2^nd February 2023. Mr. Joseph Victor Raj, Director of Hope, gave a brief introduction about the NGO and its main purpose along with information about the coastal region of Pondicherry. The members of HOPE shared their journey on how HOPE had changed their lives and how it helped in overcoming their difficulties in enhancing their knowledge and skillsets by providing specialized training in Excel and software development, artifacts training like pottery making, candle making, shoe making, basket making and much more, which motivated them to start their own business. Later, the students conducted many activities like games, awareness on promoting business in social media by way of songs, skits and dance which made the members of the NGO cheerful and lively. The CSR activity was purposeful and beneficial to the students and the members of the NGO.

OUTREACH PROGRAMS

Outreach Program – Visit to WCC Outreach Centre, Choolaimedu 

Dates: 28^th, 29^th, 30^th November 2018 (3 days)

The Departments of B.Com (General) and Business Administration had taken few of their students for an Outreach Programme to the Women’s Christian College Outreach Centre, Choolaimedu to educate tailoring women there on the basic knowledge of the financial sector which could be inculcated in their endeavour to start a new entity, being beginners in the tailoring field. The students made an intense description of the four main accounts that is SB, CA, FD and RD very clear by enacting it in the form of a role play. The different types of loans like Education, Personal, Home, Business and Gold loans were discussed. Debit and credit cards along with their benefits and characteristics were explained. Loan application papers were passed over and the filing of such forms were explained. Lastly, the women were taught how to use an ATM Machine with the use of practical models.

Outreach Program to Karuna Home (ICF Hospital), Villivakkam
Date: December 20, 2018

Students visited a home for differently-abled children, where they actively engaged with the residents through interactive games, creative role plays, and joyful festive celebrations, fostering connection and inclusivity.

Outreach Program at the Trade Fair, Island Grounds
Date: January 14, 2019

 Students raised awareness about GST and the importance of using paper bags by setting up a stall at the Trade Fair in the Island Grounds.

Competenz 2018

Theme: Make in India – Innovative or Conventional
Date: October 13, 2018

This flagship event featured a Panel Discussion on the relevance of innovation in India’s business landscape, with esteemed panellists from the fields of commerce, entrepreneurship and public administration.

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

INTER-COLLEGIATE CULTURAL EVENTS

VERSLAS ’23

The Department of Commerce (General) organized Verslas ’23, an all-girls intercollegiate cultural event, held on the 3rd and 4th March 2023. Centered around the theme “Back to Future” the event featured 17 diverse competitions, attracting approximately 130 students who registered both online and offline. The event was graced by esteemed professors and distinguished chief guests, including Mr. Shailesh, a consultant for telecom companies, investor, and advisor, alongside Mr. Nithin Alexander, the founder of Xander Media and Enablers of Entrepreneurs.

GABFEST 2020

The Department of Commerce (General) hosted GABFEST 2020 on 16th March 2020 with the theme “Resilience and Reinvention”. The event featured notable speakers from various industries who shared their entrepreneurial journeys and insights on motivation. Mr. Khalid Ahmed, founder of Uravugal Trust and Managing Director of Colour Drops, delivered the keynote on motivation and entrepreneurship.

• Mr. Paul Pradeep, social entrepreneur and founder of Trash Troopers, spoke on sustainable business practices and his journey in creating an industry from trash.
• Mr. Joshua Gerald, COO of TATTI provided an insightful talk on current economic trends, offering students a global perspective.

The event also recognized students who completed Certificate Courses in Communication Skills, Event Management and Aptitude Training.

GABFEST 2020 featured a mix of on-stage and off-stage events. Students from several institutions, including Loyola College, Ethiraj College and SRM University participated and showcased their talents, winning cash prizes in various competitions. Celebrity guests and others graced the occasion, adding excitement to the day’s events.

The event encouraged creativity, teamwork, and entrepreneurial thinking, leaving a lasting impact on both our students and participants from other colleges. GABFEST 2020 was a success, fostering growth, responsibility and a strong sense of unity among students.

SPORTS

The students of B.Com (General) often stand as an epitome of fireballs of the department for their arduous efforts, team spirit and strategic defence in every tournament. The Department of Commerce (General) bagged the ‘Track and Field Overall Championship’, ‘Overall Game Championship’ and ‘Overall Championship’ Trophies of Shift II in the Annual Sports Day 2020. It was indeed an ecstatic moment of pride for the entire department. The department not only emphasizes on holistic development of students in studies but as well in sports.

Department of Commerce (General) bagged the ‘March Past Shield’ on the Annual Sport Day 2022.