India:  In partnership with the renowned global association of investment professionals CFA Institute, the Indian Association of Investment Professionals (IAIP) invited 32 leading business schools to participate in the India rounds of CFA Institute Research Challenge this year.

CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual, global educational initiative promoting the best practices in equity research among the next generation of analysts through hands-on mentoring and intensive training in company analysis and presentation skills. This year, the competition is expected to have more than 3,000 students and 600 universities participating in nearly 50 countries and territories, including Vietnam, Kenya and Colombia for the first time.

Due to the growing number of participating teams in India, IAIP hosts four zonal finals this month, i.e. North, East, West, and South zones. Winning teams from each zonal final will compete at the national final held in Mumbai in December to compete for a place representing India at the Asia Pacific regional round. The India competitions are supported by three premier organizations, including the National Stock Exchange (NSE), Bloomberg, and Bloomberg UTV as sponsors and long-term corporate partners.

For the East Zonal Final, six teams from India’s leading business schools will compete on 5th November 2011 in Kolkata. The subject company for the East Zone teams to conduct research and analysis is Emami Ltd., which develops and distributes personal, beauty, and healthcare products in India and other countries.  The company manufactures herbal and Ayurvedic products, including antiseptic cream, prickly heat powder, pain balm, and cool oil with 25 brands under its portfolio.

Each participating team has been mentored by an experienced practitioner or a CFA charterholder. In addition, all participants are introduced to and held to the standard of the CFA Institute Code of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct. The two winning teams from the India national final will participate in the Asia Pacific regional final, which will be held in Hong Kong in February next year. The regional winning team will then compete in the global final, which will be held in New York in April 2012.

Details of the East Zonal Final:

Time and date: 10:30am, 5thNovember 2011

Venue: Hyatt Regency, Kolkata, India

Participating teams:

Indian Institute of Management Kolkata  (Kolkata)

Indian Institute of Management Shillong  (Shillong)

Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur  (Kharagpur)

XLRI School of Business and Human Resources  (Jamshedpur)

Xavier Institute of Management  (Bhubaneswar)

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade Kolkata  (Kolkata)