"They Are a Bit Like Tom and Jerry and I Am Spike" and Together the Trio Lifted the Smart Beta Trophy at IIM Rohtak's Inter-collegiate Fest

Online, February 5, 2014 (Newswire.com) - Smart Beta, an inter-collegiate Finance Case Study competition, was recently held by IIM Rohtak as a part of its Infusion 14 event. Nearly a hundred teams from renowned B Schools in the country participated in the first round of the competition. Eventually, it was the team from Goa Institute of Management, comprised of Murugan, Arish and Shiva, that won the honours beating tough competition from big names like NMIMS Mumbai, FMS Delhi and the home team in the final round.

What's noteworthy is that the three friends with an avid interest in Finance decided to come together for what was their first competition as a team. It was their camaraderie that helped them sail through high pressure situations, and it's clearly visible as Shiva says, "Arish would always crack jokes in serious situations but Murugan never found them funny. They are a bit like Tom and Jerry and I am Spike. That somehow kept us together as a team."

Today, the boys recall the moments of the intense competition with pride and a lot of laughter. Their chemistry is clearly visible in this freewheeling chat about their achievements that have definitely made their institute proud. When asked about the initial stages of the competition, Murugan says, "40 teams were selected for the second round after the online quiz. We were then asked to make an equity research report on one of the 3 companies given to us. We chose GMR Infrastructure and submitted the executive summary."

It was a tough task for the team because they had never really worked on equity research reports before. But as Arish points out, "We weren't lethargic once we were selected for the second round. We ensured that our executive summary was prepared in the best possible way." Murugan adds, "We had a look at a few sample research reports and started working on it ourselves." Shiva remarks, "Yes, it was a lot of effort but well worth it. We learnt a lot from this competition and understood how estimations are done, equity research report is written."

Their effort paid off as they made it to the final round with 6 other top teams and were called for presentations at IIM Rohtak. The boys believe that the confidence they had gained during their time at GIM helped them through this final test with flying colours. "Murugan and I used to invest in stock markets, so we had a fair idea of how they functioned," Arish says. "I am sure that helped us a bit too."

He singles out the Financial and Accounting Management paper that's a part of their syllabus that helped them in the mathematical part of the competition. The three remain eternally grateful for the support they received from their institute during this endeavour, which has had many precious takeaways for them. But the biggest of them all is expressed by Shiva: "It doesn't matter which college you are competing against, what matters is the kind of effort you are putting in."

The boys are over the moon after winning their first competition but they are not willing to stop there. "We are geared up to win the contests that happen in other Tier-I B Schools," Arish says. "Yes, we will participate in as many equity research events as possible and prepare for the ultimate global CFA challenge, an equity research competition organized by the CFA institute," adds Shiva. While they pass many milestones, given their camaraderie it's obvious that a lot of fun will be had along the way, as well.