Anand, Gujarat: ESAF in association with the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) hosted the the National Case Study Competition, focusing on fostering ethical and value-driven business strategies among students from prestigious institutions across India. The event was part of the initiative ESAF Chair for Business on Values, supported by ESAF Small Finance Bank’s CSR initiative, which aimed at promoting value-based business models. The competition saw participation from over 200 institutions, with Master’s Union, Gurugram, securing the top position.

The final round of the competition featured six shortlisted teams from prominent institutes, including Symbiosis Centre for Information Technology (SCIT), Pune, TA Pai Management Institute (TAPMI), Manipal, BIMTECH Noida, Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai, and IIM Bangalore. Teams were tasked with presenting a case study on business ethics, followed by a question-and-answer session with a distinguished panel of jury members, which included Prof Sushanta Kumar Sarma, Prof Rahul Kamble and Prof Rajesh Jain of the Institute of Rural Management Anand and Reji Daniel Koshy, Vice President & Head – Sustainable Banking of ESAF Small Finance Bank.

Harishankar and Jiffin Al-Abbas from Master’s Union were crowned the national winners, with Sharvari Amberkar and Rushika Iyer from SCIT, Pune, and Dharini Grover and Ritika Maheshwari from TAPMI, Manipal, securing the first and second runners-up positions, respectively. The winners were awarded cash prizes of Rs 25,000, Rs 15,000, and Rs 10,000, along with certificates for all finalists.

ESAF Founder Shri K. Paul Thomas emphasized the role of business in resolving social issues, stating, “I choose business as a tool to resolve social issues and bring social and economic resilience among the communities we work with by integrating planet and people in our bottom line.”