Abraham Lincoln on Truth, Trust, and Money

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.”
— Abraham Lincoln

This enduring quote highlights a fundamental truth about trust, integrity, and long-term credibility—principles that are just as relevant in finance and business as they are in leadership and public life.

In matters of money, shortcuts, misinformation, and manipulation may work temporarily. But over time, truth has a way of surfacing, and trust becomes the ultimate currency. Sustainable success—whether in investing, business, or leadership—rests on transparency, ethics, and consistency.

Those who focus on long-term value rather than short-term deception are the ones who endure.

IIM Indore 1 Year EPGP Program – Full-Time MBA Curriculum Explained

The 1 Year EPGP (Executive Post Graduate Programme) at IIM Indore is a rigorous, full-time MBA-equivalent program.
It is designed for experienced professionals who want to accelerate their leadership and management careers.

The program follows a term-wise structure and combines core management concepts with advanced electives.
As a result, participants gain both breadth and depth across business functions.

Program Structure and Global Exposure

The EPGP program is conducted across six academic terms.
Notably, Term IV is delivered as an Executive Leadership Program (ELP) in collaboration with the Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh.

Moreover, this global immersion is offered through the Center for Executive Education (CEE) of the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business.
Therefore, participants gain international exposure and leadership perspective.

Core Courses – Terms I, II, III & IV

The core curriculum builds strong fundamentals in management, strategy, and decision-making.
It prepares participants for senior leadership roles.

Key core courses include:

• Theory of Firms and Markets

• Financial Reporting and Analysis

• Business Communication

• Marketing Management

• Decision Analysis

• Business Statistics

• Perspectives on Individual Dimensions

• Perspectives on Group and Organizational Dimensions

• Strategic Management

• Strategy Implementation

• Corporate Strategy

• Corporate Governance and Management Control

• Problem Solving and Creativity

• Global Management

• Entrepreneurship and Venture Management

Together, these subjects create a solid base for advanced learning.

Elective Courses – Terms V & VI

In the later terms, participants can customize their learning through electives.
This flexibility allows alignment with career goals and industry interests.

Finance and Investments

• Business Analysis and Valuation

• Equity Investment Management

• Project Finance and Structuring

• Behavioral Finance

• Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives

• Alternative Investments

• Venture Capital and Private Equity

• Corporate Banking

• Corporate Performance Management

Operations, Analytics, and Strategy

• Business Analytics

• Business Optimization

• Supply Chain Management

• Logistics Management

• Project Management

• Business Process Redesign

• Pricing and Revenue Management

• Enterprise Resource Planning

• Business Intelligence

• Game Theory

Marketing and Consumer Strategy

• Brand Management

• Consumer Behavior

• Sales and Distribution Management

• Retail Management

• Integrated Marketing Communications

• Internet-Based Platform Strategy

• Marketing Strategy

Global and Strategic Management

• International Management

• International Marketing

• Global Business Environment

• Negotiation

• Strategic Management of Acquisitions and Divestments

• Competing Through Business Models

Insurance and Risk

• Management of Insurance Business

As a result, students develop both functional expertise and strategic thinking.

Why the IIM Indore EPGP Stands Out

The program blends academic rigour, global exposure, and practical relevance.
Additionally, its fast-paced structure suits professionals who want impact without long career breaks.

Overall, the EPGP at IIM Indore equips participants to handle complex business challenges with confidence.

Important Note

This list highlights key and critical courses only.
However, the curriculum is not exhaustive and may evolve over time.

Disclaimer

This content is for informational purposes only.
It does not represent official communication from IIM Indore.
Course structure and offerings are subject to change at the institute’s discretion.

Risk vs Certainty – A Powerful Insight by Robert Anthony

“Most people would rather be certain they’re miserable, than risk being happy.”
— Robert Anthony

This thought-provoking quote by Robert Anthony highlights a deep psychological truth about human behavior, especially in business, investing, and leadership.

Many individuals prefer the comfort of certainty, even when that certainty leads to dissatisfaction. The fear of uncertainty often prevents people from taking calculated risks—whether it is changing a career, starting a business, making an investment, or stepping into leadership roles.

In investing, this mindset shows up when people cling to low-return but “safe” options, even though inflation slowly erodes their wealth.
In business, it appears when leaders avoid innovation to protect the status quo.
In life and leadership, it surfaces as hesitation—choosing familiarity over growth.

Progress, growth, and fulfillment rarely come from certainty. They come from the willingness to take informed risks, learn from outcomes, and adapt.

True success begins when one is ready to risk discomfort today for a better tomorrow.

ICICIdirect Trading Site Crash Leaves Customers Helpless

A major technical failure disrupted trading activities for thousands of investors when the trading platform of **ICICI Securities’ retail brokerage portal ICICIdirect.com suddenly went offline.

The outage affected both the online trading platform and the phone-based order service, leaving customers unable to access their accounts or execute trades during market hours.

Website and Trading Platform Not Accessible

According to reports, ICICIdirect’s website displayed the following message to users attempting to log in:

“Dear Customer, Our website ICICIdirect.com is not available today due to technical issues. We truly regret the inconvenience caused to you.”

The website had initially indicated that services would resume by 8:55 AM, around the time trading begins on Indian stock exchanges. However, throughout the day, investors were unable to log in or execute transactions.

This created significant difficulties for traders who rely on the platform for daily market activities.

CallNTrade Facility Also Failed

In addition to the website outage, ICICIdirect’s CallNTrade service, which allows investors to place trades over the phone, was also reported to be non-functional.

As a result, investors had no alternative channel to place or manage their orders, effectively trapping them in open market positions.

For active traders, especially those involved in derivatives trading, such disruptions can create substantial financial risk.

Concerns for Derivatives Traders

The situation was particularly concerning for investors trading in derivatives contracts, where positions often require active monitoring and timely adjustments.

If traders were unable to:

• Close positions

• Adjust margin exposure

• Square off contracts

they could potentially face significant losses due to market movements.

Ironically, on the day of the outage, the markets reportedly opened with a gap-up and remained positive throughout the session. Traders who wished to take advantage of the rally or close positions may have found themselves completely helpless.

Questions on Technology and Backup Systems

The incident raises important questions about system reliability and backup infrastructure in online trading platforms.

Modern financial markets depend heavily on technology. Therefore, brokerage platforms are expected to maintain:

• Robust technical infrastructure

• Redundant backup systems

• Emergency trading channels in case of outages

When such systems fail, investors may face serious consequences, especially during volatile market sessions.

A Reminder About Technology Risks in Trading

This event highlights an important lesson for investors: technology failures can occur even in highly developed financial platforms.

While online trading systems have made investing more convenient and accessible, they also introduce new risks related to system outages, server failures, and connectivity issues.

As markets become increasingly digital, ensuring reliable infrastructure and contingency plans becomes crucial for both brokerage firms and investors.

Incidents like this remind us that even in the sophisticated world of finance and technology, unexpected disruptions can occur.

For investors, it reinforces the importance of understanding operational risks in addition to market risks.

After all, in today’s technology-driven financial system, reliability of platforms is just as important as the investments themselves.