Welcome To KMA
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Introduction
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Writing of history serves many purposes. They
record events, they explain the rationale of events and attempt to evaluate the
causes and consequences of the events. Above all, to many it gives a colourful
panorama of nostalgic memories to mull over and relish. There is also a great
danger in dwelling upon the glories of the past and ignoring the lessons it
contains. The history of the KMA is written with the latter intention that we
might draw lessons from it.
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Origin
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Cochin was a sleepy little town in the 50's. The State of Kerala has just been
formed in November 1956 and the Communist Government headed by
Mr.E.M.S.Namboodiripad was yet to become a reality. P.S.Rao, formerly of the
Indian Civil Service was the Governor who ruled over the State with the help of
his advisers. Cochin City had not come into existence and the three
Municipalities of Ernakulam, Mattanchery, Fort Cochin were functioning
separately. This was the background against which the Kerala Institute of
Management - as it was called - was formed by a few entrepreneurs, Managers and
Civil Servants who visualized the necessity of a forum to discuss and debate
problems and issues of mutual interest and concern. The institute came into
existence with Mr.M.S.Venkitaraman, Administrative Officer of Cochin Port -
Cochin Port Trust was not yet formed - as the President, Mr.S.Nallaperumal, Dy.
General Superintendent of FACT as the Secretary and Mr.Paul Pothen again of
FACT as the Joint Secretary. The Institute was registered in March 1957 and the
inaugural meeting of the Institute was held on 10 th September of the same year
at the TDM Hall, Ernakulam. Dr.John Mathai, Vice Chancellor of Kerala
University and Chairman of the Governing Body of the Administrative Staff
College , Hyderabad presided over the function and Mr.J.N.Sri Nagesh, Chairman,
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd delivered the inaugural address. A large number of
representatives of the Government, industrial and commercial organizations and
trade unions attended the elegant function.
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What was born on that day has grown into a tall banyan tree providing shade,
comfort and inspiration to professional managers all over the state of Kerala.
During these years, the marvellous richness of human experience in the field of
public governance and industry has provided nourishment and stamina to the
Institution. This happened because those at the helm during successive years
never glanced at the mirror of history, never even thought of what posterity
would think of them, but simply did their work.
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Lectures and Seminars were started even during the 1 st Year. The 1 st Seminar
was held from 12 th to 14 th November 1957 in the Board Room at the
Administrative Block of Cochin Port. Mr.K.P.Gopalan, Hon'ble Minister for
Industries addressed the seminar and Mr.James B.Shearer of ILO was the leading
faculty. During the 2 nd Seminar during the year (15 th to 17 th February 1958)
Mr.E.M.S.Namboodiripad, Chief Minister of Kerala was also present.
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The 1 st decade was the decade of consolidation for KMA. During the
year 1960 Mr.Venkitaraman retired from his office and Mr.M.K.K.Nayar who had
become the Managing Director of FACT took over as the President. He presided
over the destiny of the Association for the next ten years. This was also a
period when Kerala grew industrially and Kalamassery became the industrial hub
of the State.
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This was the time when a special accent was given to Seminars and Training
related to Industrial Relations and Labour matters because the 60s and early
70s was a turbulent period in Kerala's industrial scenario. The office of the
Association functioned in a room of the building of KSPC at Kalamassery. It is
interesting to know that during those years the Managing Committee hardly met
2/3 times in a year. In spite of this, its activity strengthened. In 1970 it
was decided to publish a Monthly Newsletter under the name style of KMA News
Digest from 1 st August 1970. This was the fore runner of K-MAN. In 1972 with
the transfer of Mr.M.K.K.Nayar from FACT, Mr.B.K.Khanna, CMD of FACT took over
as President. Activities continued on an even keel during the next decade.
However membership expanded both individual and corporate.
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The year 1979 saw KMA with a new face. This was the year Dr.P.K.Narayana Swamy
became the President. KMA launched its official organ K-MAN as a bi-monthly
publication and the 1 st issue was released in October 1978. Again it was
during that year the Management Leadership Award was instituted. The Annual
Report of the year says "To encourage and record proper recognition to
professional achievement, the KMA has decided to institute an annual Management
Leadership Award to the Manager who has made outstanding contribution in the
field of management in Kerala". Over the years this Award has risen to the
status of a coveted Award by the management fraternity in Kerala. Doyens of
industry, professional consultants, academic dons and other professional
managers have been recipients of this cardinal honour. The award is given
annually at a glittering function and it is an event eagerly looked forward to
by the public as well as members. The first Management Leadership Award was
given to Mr.K.T.Chandy, Vice Chairman, State Planning Board at a function held
on 16 th June 1980. The award is a Gold Medal with a suitable inscription
representing the interest accrued on the corpus of fixed deposit. |
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During the same year Mr.C.Abraham, Managing Director, Cochin
Refineries Ltd and Member of KMA was elected as the soul representative of
Fellows of AIMA on the Council of AIMA. It was a unique recognition for a top
manager and honour for KMA.
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In 1979 a decision was taken to hold a State Convention of
Professional Managers in Kerala and a Sub-Committee was constituted with
Mr.N.P.Gopalakrishnan, as the Convenor. The convention was tentatively fixed
for June 1980. However, due to various reasons the 1 st Management Convention
was organized as a 2 day event on the 19 th & 20 th September 1981 at the
International Hotel, Ernakulam. Dr.Bharath Ram, renowned management expert and
Chairman, DCM Ltd inaugurated the convention and delivered the keynote address.
The 2 day convention was attended by a wide cross section of manager's drawn
from various organizations in Kerala. The theme of the convention was "Professional
Managers - Catalyst for Development". The discussion spread
over 3 technical sessions in which Mr.M.K.K.Nayar, Mrs.Padma Ramachandran IAS,
Mr.D.Jayachandran, Dr.P.K.Narayana Swamy, Mr.L.Kanappan and Mr.V.K.S.Menon
participated. Mr.P.Unnikrishnan, President, AIMA delivered the valedictory
address.
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What started off as a modest event in the Annual Calendar has grown
into a flagship event of national dimensions, with eminent speakers and doyens
of management fraternity in the State making their appearance on the stage
annually in January/February. The Annual Management Convention continues to be
a major attraction for the managers of Cochin , both young and old. Dr.Besant
Raj, Mr.M.P.Arunachalam, Dr.Abid Hussain, Mr.Dulip Singh and Padmasree Paul
Pothen are some of the speakers who have addressed the convention.
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Management House
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As far back as 1981, during the President ship of Mr.N.P.Gopalakrishnan a
special committee was formed with Mr.P.Kesavan as Convener to actively pursue
the project of setting up a Management House at Cochin . The Committee made a
formal request to GCDA for allotment of a suitable piece of land. During the
year December 1989-90, the KMA purchased a plot of land covering 10 cents in
Panampilly Nagar for the construction of Management House. Mr.K.P.Philip, was
the President during that year and efforts were made immediately to raise funds
for constructions.
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Management House
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The land was allotted by GCDA during the Presidentship of Mr.Thomas Oommen. The
construction commenced soon after and a souvenir was published to raise funds.
M/s FACT, Hindustan Newsprint Ltd, Cochin Refineries Ltd gave Rs.1/- lakh each
and Binani Trust donated Rs.4/- lakhs. The souvenir
generated Rs.3/- lakhs. Soon after construction activities started and the KMA
Management House was inaugurated on 29 th May 1993 by Mr.S.M.Datta, Chairman,
Hindustal Lever Ltd and Mrs.Pamela Anna Mathew was President of the
Association. It was the timely and spontaneous assistance from members and well
wishers that made this possible in a record time of less than 2 years.
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Young Managers Competition
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In 1981-82 the Managing Committee decided to
hold an Annual Competition for Young Managers every year under the auspices of
KMA. The first competition was held in February 1982. It was considered as a
step to encourage managerial thinking and management research. The first
competition was held in March 1982 at International Hotel, Ernakulam. Four
teams of professional managers from different organizations participated.
Dr.M.V.Pylee, Dr.P.V.S.Namboothiripad, Prof.P.R.Poduval, Mr.K.G.Seshan and
Mr.C.Abraham were the Judges and the team from the Indian Aluminium Company Ltd
consisting of Mr.Unnikrishnan Nair, Mr.Kalyana Raman and Mr.Santhosh Koshy was
adjudged the best. "Identification and Development of
Entrepreneurial Leadership for Economic Growth of Kerala" was
the topic presented. M/s Toshiba Anand Batteries Ltd donated an ever Rolling
Trophy for the winners and M/s O/E/N donated a Rolling Trophy for the Runner up
team of the competition. With the increasing presence of IT companies in
Kerala, entries for the Young Managers Competition are on the increase during
the last decade. Upto nine or ten teams participate in the Annual Competition
and companies from a for as Trivandrum participate in the competition. The
standard of presentation has reached very high levels and the new breed of
Young Managers are more articulate, confident and knowledgeable. The Young
Managers Competition has become a major annual event of KMA.
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Manager of the Year Award
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During the year 2001, when Mr.Jose P. Philip was
the President a new award called Manager of the Year Award has been instituted.
Managers who are dynamic and result oriented are recognized.
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Management Education
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The "Diploma Course in Management" conducted by the All India Management
Association was drawing attention of young managers and KMA decided to give
assistance to the participants by giving periodical lectures. Later, KMA was
designated as centre for these examinations. During the year 1992-93, KMA
started a nodal programme for management students by "Taking management into
institutes of learning". This was done by organizing evening
lectures/discussions within the campus of the School of Management Studies ,
Cochin University of Science and Technology and at the campus of the Rajagiri
School of Social Sciences.
During the year 1993-94 KMA evolved for the first time in India an innovative
scheme of "Consortium MBA" in collaboration with AIMA-CME and Devi Ahalya
Viswavidyalaya, Indore . The response for the programme was good and the
courses started in Management House by August 1994. This course had to be
stopped for technical reasons. During this period, the KMA also was functioning
as a Nodal Centre for the Executive Doctorate Programme in Business
Administration conducted by Indore University and AIMA. Later, during the year
2001 an MOU was signed with the PSG Institute of Management of Coimbatore to
offer one year Postgraduate programme jointly with KMA. This programme also was
discontinued later.
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Other Chapters
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On 26th April 1979, the Quilon Centre of KMA was
inaugurated by Mr.Prem Gandhi, President of the All India Management
Association. The event marked the extension of management movement to other
industrial areas in Kerala, there by fulfilling a long felt need. On 9 th
February 1983, a Chapter of KMA was inaugurated in Palghat by Mr.K.T.Chandy.
Mr.P.Kesavan, Vice President of KMA and Mrs.Pamela Anna Mathew, Secretary were
also present. Thirty founder members present on the occasion, appointed an
Adhoc Committee with Mr.A.K.K.Nair as the Chairman. It is satisfying to record
that both these chapters are functioning as full fledged Associations.
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Important Visitors
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E.M.S.Namboodiripad, C.Achutha Menon, A.K.Antony,
Oommen Chandy, V.S.Achuthandan, Chief Ministers of Kerala visited during
different periods. Mr.P.K.Vasudevan Nair as Industries Minister, Mr.Bharath
Ram, Management Expert and Chairman of DCM, Field Marshal Manekshaw, Chief of
Army Staff, Mr.T.K.A.Nair, Secretary to the Prime Minister, Management Experts
like Mr.Sharu Ranganekar, Mr.J.Philip, Mr.N.S.Ramaswamy and Managers,
Presidents and executives of All India Management Association all have
addressed the Association on different occasions.
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Silver Jubilee Celebrations
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KMA completed 25 years in 1983. The Silver Jubilee was celebrated on
16 th December 1983 at International Hotel, Ernakulam. Mr.M.K.K.Nayar, 2 nd
President of KMA was the Chief Guest.
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KMA in Community
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Ever since the best LMA Award was instituted by AIMA 1988, there
were very few occasions when the KMA did not bag prestigious award. Mr.Thomas
Oommen was the President in 1988, but the award was accepted by Mr.K.P.Philip
next year. The award was received during the years 1989, 1991, 1996, 1997,
2001, 2004 and 2005 KMA is really proud of these happy achievements.
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During the year 2000, when Mr.M.K.Koshy was President, the
Corporation of Cochin and the GCDA were indeed kind enough to baptise site the
road in front of the Management House in Panampilly Nagar as the ' Kerala
Management Avenue '. The Association is pardonably proud the city fathers duly
recognized our roll in public life.
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The sea side villages of Kerala were devastated by the Tsunami
Disaster of 2004 KMA spontaneous response by giving a liberal donation to Chief
Ministers Relief Fund is an index of our commitment and compassion.
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When ecological problems in the industrial area in Kalamassery due
to industrial pollution started disturbing the community peace, KMA took a
decisive roll in solving the problem.
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Conclusion
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KMA celebrated its Golden Jubilee in the year 2007. The journey has
been long and intensive and we have crossed many stumbling blocks en route. The
Association feels and justly so, that it has been able to make a sizeable
contribution to the practice of the art and science of management in Kerala. We
had speakers who delivered inspired addresses with faultless words and erudite
phrases to our fraternity, our symposia and seminars excelled in the imparting
of novel ideas, our competitions encouraged young and aspiring managers to
catch the lime light and our annual conventions have become mega management
events. We have aptly recognized and honoured leaders of the management
fraternity by bestowing on them the coveted annual Leadership Award. One of our
members, late Paul Pothen was the recipient of Padmashree, our Past President,
Dr.M.V.Pylee, Doyen of Management in the country is a National Professor and a
Padmabhooshan and another Past President Mr.T.T.Thomas was the President of the
All India Management Association, the first from Kerala. The intellectual
prowess of our members constitute only one facet of the total spectrum of our
many sided activities. Academic excellence, dynamism in management and
entrepreneurial skills are such part of the personality of our members.
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In the human cycle, fifty years pass like a wayward time and then comes a
moment marked by the growing consciousness that an era is emerging and that man
is moving in a new direction towards a new life. Humanity today is in that
transforming mood. We are on the threshold of a world shaping and molding a new
order marked by a rising awareness of the necessity of faster communication,
quicker decision and instant implementation. In that background KMA shall not
be found wanting. We were always quick to react to situations, whether it be a
Tsunami disaster or environmental pollution. Our past and the experience and
wisdom of our members will serve us to meet any contingency because there is no
such thing as a negative experience, only an opportunity to learn, grow and
advance along the road to mastery. In the hope that in the changing world KMA
will reach this niche, we dedicate this to the management fraternity of Kerala.
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Untitled Document
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