People First - May 2007 - Jun 2007

The

house magazine

May'07- June’07

VOL. 7 NO. 3

- A smart way to stay ahead

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Between Us

1

Be smart. Put people first

Cover Story

2

Best Practice

4

Best Practice

6

Best Practice

8

Best Practice

9

Productive Relationships

11

Environmental Concerns

13

Reflect. Restore. Reimagine

16

Dialogue

18

Home Base

20

Little Wonders

35

The paradox of success: Put People First

Customising Communication

Fun at work Take it seriously

Retaining to Grow

People First for Productivity

Nurturing Friendships at Workplace

Environmental Excellence versus Artificial Intelligence

The Human Factor

Interactive session with JN Godrej

THE YEAR GONE BY AND THE FUTURE The year under review was a rewarding year, a year in which we fulfilled some of our dreams and found new ones to chase, a year in which most of our Businesses achieved their Business Plans, and some even exceeded them beyond our wildest expectations, a year in which important milestones were reached and new ones set. There is now a new under-current of excitement across the length and breadth of our Company, a kind of religious fervour to scale new heights, to chalk out ambitious growth targets. But the greatest joy for me personally, and which delighted my senses, was the bonding of our Businesses with each other, with our Corporate Departments, so that each one worked and believed he or she was an important and integral part of Team Godrej and the success of the Company as a whole, was the major driver of our very existence.

It was not a bed of roses. We had our fair share of failures and disappointments, of chaos, of conflicts and trauma, but we learnt from our mistakes, and developed a resilience and robustness to face greater challenges. The month of March was a fitting tribute to a grand finale, a month in which we chalked up a turnover in excess of Rs. 380 crores, each Business shattering its earlier record and establishing new milestones.

It is good to celebrate, and celebrate we must, but today s moments are tomorrow s memories, and we must move on and move on faster. The year 2007-08 will be very critical for us, with fierce competition at our doorstep and runaway escalation in the price of critical raw materials, but we are determined to grow at an exponential rate, determined to achieve our Strategic Business Plans, determined to become globally competitive. I have every reason to believe that our Business Plans are not only doable, but will be done. I am blessed with wonderful teams, headed by dedicated Business Heads, who believe in what they do, with the same passion and fervour that I share, and I have no doubt in my mind that the current year will be one more occasion for us to celebrate and feel justifiably proud.

- PD Lam, Executive Director & President

BETWEEN US

Be smart. Put people first India has recently emerged as the Trillion Dollar Economy in real terms. In PPP (Purchasing Power Parity) terms, the Indian economy becomes the fourth largest worldwide, with only the USA, Japan and China ahead of it. It is likely to grow at a scorching pace with an annual rate of growth of around nine percent for at least the next three to five years.

Such high growth obviously creates demand for capable employees who can deliver.

Talented employees become scarce and also expensive. Organisations are therefore relying more and more on their existing pool of talent to achieve their growth plans. People First is a philosophy, which if practiced, can help companies get extraordinary results from their existing pool of people. People First is also a smart way to get results as it helps create a culture in which a virtuous cycle gets set into a motion that leads to superior performance over many years, ostensibly at lower cost.

Editorial Board EJ Kalwachia Anil G Verma Harpreet Kaur Jui Karandikar Megha Moorthy Co-ordinators AI Buvaneshwar (East) FK Khapoliwalla (West) Sushil Thariani (North) Vinod Kumar (South) Distributors Nariman Bacha SR Marolia Consulting Editor Indrapal Singh Designed by Uday Kamat C Karunaharan Printed by Genius Printers Pvt. Ltd. Edited and published by Indrapal Singh on behalf of Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., Mumbai-400 079.

For private circulation only.

Nalini Kala of our Personnel & Administration department has written an interesting and insightful piece on the challenges of retaining people. Our other divisional personnel heads, Sulaksha Shetty and Jessie Corderio share with us, their views on customising communication and taking seriously, fun at work. My lead piece talks about ten most important things a company should put in place to push it ahead using the platform of "People First".

Man versus nature is examined in depth by Dr. PR Arun in section of Environmental Concerns. Our archivist, Vrunda Pathare, has once again successfully mined our practices of the past which in essence belonged to People First philosophy.

In our Homebase section, we have many interesting features which you are requested to read for both information and inspiration, to get similar initiatives going in your sphere of activity. The tie-up put in place with Komatsu, of Japan by our Material Handling Division, under the guidance of HN Khumbatta is indeed noteworthy. Godrej had sponsored a National Convention of Marketing and Media in collaboration with Bombay Management Association, in the last week of January this year. Dr. JN Sheth the world renowned marketing guru who was the keynote speaker at the convention gave the convention the theme of Strategic Marketing - Best practice to next practice , a special meaning through his insights and experience which dazzled the audience comprising seasoned professionals.

It was a great success.

The theme of our next issue of CHANGE is Corporate Social Responsibility.

We look forward to having your contributions on the topics related to the theme. Also, please remember to give us good quality photographs to make our features visually attractive and communicate better.

Enjoy reading this special issue of CHANGE on people.

Do give us your feedback brickbats first and bouquets, if any, thereafter.

Indrapal Singh

1

COVER STORY

The paradox of success: W

hen companies are asked the factors that have lead their organisation to success over the years, most of the respondents replies are confined to factors like the compelling vision of their CEO, financial acumen, marketing expertise, superior technology, relentless outsourcing and the like. A very obvious and serious omission in the above list is the way an organisation treats and manages its most vital resource its people. The exclusion of people and people-related practices from the above list, leads us to believe that more often than not, companies are looking for success in the wrong places. Study after study has shown that adherence to a philosophy of putting people first and putting into practice its tenets have led organisations to enduring success.

People First is both a philosophy and a framework for developing policies and rules for running an organisation.

But, it is often misunderstood as a philosophy that propagates a culture of softness, sentimentality, protectiveness and having absolutely nothing businesslike in it. On the contrary, People First as an operating principle that is very businesslike, result-focussed and challenging. This

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Put People

First is so because it embodies two very contradictory ways of managing people Care and Discipline. Running an organisation under the all-pervasive influence of this paradox is an extremely difficult and challenging proposition. In other words, the socalled soft side of managerial practice is in reality very hard on its managers.

In People First organisations, the care element in the paradox manifests into the ways in which the organisation supports, develops, nurtures, empowers and inspires its people. The discipline element manifests itself in the way it demands speed, focus, stretch, rigour and performance from its people. Thus, the People First approach makes it essential that a healthy, high-level equilibrium is attained in which both care and discipline co-exist in a mutually supportive manner.

Here are some specific practices that exist in People First organisations that set them apart from run-of-the-mill ones.

These organisations:

Are result-oriented: They believe that it is possible to achieve extraordinary results through right and deliberate managerial actions, propelled by managers at all levels. All efforts are made to engage people intensely and deeply to obtain high results.

Talk relentlessly: They talk, at every possible occasion and through every conceivable medium, as to how people are their most valuable assets. This belief is validated in not only what they say, but also visible in their actions. These organisations take special pains to reaffirm their faith, belief and dependence on this approach continuously.

Select right: They put in enormous amount of time and resources in selecting right people for the organisation. People are hired for attitude, knowledge and skills: in that order. Managers are supposed to enhance knowledge and skills at work, on the job. All systems, especially in the area of Human Resources are aligned accordingly.

Make worklife easy: Managers in People First organisations constantly look for obstacles and barriers that

make work difficult, slow and tedious. They empower themselves with a mandate to act promptly and without bureaucratic sanctions to remove these obstacles.

They provide requisite support in terms of sanctions, resources, guidance etc. to reportees with a sense of urgency.

How s the project moving?

Invest in knowledge and skills: They believe that all that we know is already outdated. Hence, they go to great lengths and invest in development of people for their enhanced effectiveness in the fast changing business scenario. These companies never let their people feel that they could not do what they could because they did not have the requisite knowledge and skills. Not only is knowledge imparted on an ongoing process by various means, but the managers concerned take special pains to convert the required knowledge into skills so that they can be utilised on the job for performing tasks in a better way. In such organisations, it is not knowing but applying it and benefiting from it that becomes a driving force.

Foster a performance culture: These companies cultivate a culture

It s moving well

where performance is designed in, demanded, evaluated and rewarded fairly. Performance becomes the commonly accepted parameter for recognition and advancement. The knowing-doing conflict is always settled in favour of doing and how well it is done! The mechanism of dialogue is used to create a neutral third space in which performance is examined, designed and talked about openly. A practice of this nature brings in a degree of transparency, authenticity and acceptability, which can never emerge from a space that is besieged by hierarchy, superiorsubordinate relationship and one-sided declaratives.

Listen: People first organisations listen to their people more frequently and efficiently. Not only do they listen, but also act upon what they listen to, so that people get used to communicating openly without fear. This sort of heart-to-heart communication fosters deeper understanding of realities, which in turn enables them to visualise and implement strategies that make a difference.

Research people s aspirations: They develop programmes

to research the everchanging aspirations and expectations of their people. This is carried out to develop responses that would lead to better attraction and retention of talent. Research is also used to re-orient interesting practices to nurture talent and value it in the true sense of the word.

Make meaning: They try and create a sense of meaning in the work people perform. Special care is taken to design the work and communicate its relevance.

Meaning is created, not unilaterally or by diktat, but it is created through an ongoing dialogue between the manager and his reportee. They take great pains to establish sharply defined contexts so that people can view the relevance of what they do and see its meaning appreciatively.

Fulfill higher order needs: They create contexts in which the higher order needs of belonging, self-esteem and in some exceptional cases, even that of realising one s own intrinsic potential are fulfilled.

It is often said, the new frontiers for human riches are in the outer space, however, we believe that equally and perhaps more pertinently, the much sought after riches may lie, not in outer space but in the depths of large oceans that dominate our earth. This analogy leads us to believe that there is great untapped potential within us, namely within the people in organisations that needs to be explored and utilised. We must adapt and device our own people-related approaches based on the successful practices of others and what we consider as appropriate in our own context.

Let s get the basics right and we may surprise ourselves as to how good we really are.

Indrapal Singh

3

BEST PRACTICE

Sulaksha Shetty stresses on the importance of adapting employee communication to suit the environment in the workplace by tracing her career learnings so far.

Customising Communication I

n my first year as an HR professional, I went for an interview (I was then working for a Manufacturing Company). I was all prepared for my interview as I was excited at the prospect of joining an IT company. One question which seemed to be the focal point of the interview came as a big surprise to me! I was asked a simple question what were the various channels of communication for reaching out to employees. The interviewers were kind enough to let me know that there already existed few channels like emails, employee portal, open houses, newsletters, employee surveys, celebrations apart from regular official communication. Could I think beyond these? Well, to be honest - No! Later on while assessing my performance post interview, what I thought about was not how I fared in the interview but whether the need to enhance these communication channels was a matter of choice or a compulsion. The focus on Employee Communications (as seen in IT companies) is interlaced with the organisation s People First philosophy.

Acquisition and retention of talent was the biggest challenge faced by IT

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companies in the early years of the new millennium (currently this phenomenon is seen across all industries). Since the business depended on Human Capital, this was the phase when the business added another dimension to its objectives People First (along with Customer First). It was a new era for Human Resource professionals who had to look beyond the traditional (memos and notices) and informal ways of communication (grapevine).

Communication was no longer the prerogative of only the Marketing or the PR Function, but also became an integral part of the role played by the HR professionals. In the pursuit of Reaching Out to its people, the scope of Human Resource managers extended beyond the HR functions of attracting and retaining talent. Their scope now widened to Organisational Development, with people being the focal point.

If one has to understand the meaning of communication in the context of Human Relations, it is the transfer of message both verbal and non verbal from sender with intended meaning to a receiver who then comprehends the perceived meaning in some kind

of a shared space (organisation in our context). The complexity in communication arises from the fact that people involved in the communication have their own world formed by their experiences, their perceptions and ideas because of which there is a possibility of perceiving, experiencing and interpreting the intended message differently. The same event or communication could be perceived a little differently or could mean something different for two individuals.

Bridging this gap or bringing in common understanding is the greatest challenge for an HR professional, more so because of the diversity of the workforce - in terms of age, socioeconomic background, locations, education etc, as seen in organisations today.

Having worked with a white collared workforce, my most valued learning was the fact that success of employee communication depends on the appropriate channels used to communicate and that communication can never be a generic package all the time - it has to be customised according to the target audience. Thus, the effectiveness of the communication

depends on a) identification of the objective - asking questions like for whom it is meant? and what should be the desired outcome? before initiating the process, b) identifying or creating a channel(s) in order to enhance the effectiveness of the intended process.

This learning proved to be useful for managing issues related to attrition & employee engagement during my stint with a BPO. After a month long project on Attrition Analysis, we concluded that one of the most effective ways of controlling attrition was to regularly communicate with the employees, thus ensuring continued engagement with them.

For us, having understood the objective for initiating the communication process (to control attrition and to create a feeling of belongingness), the next step was to identify the right channel(s) for communication. Knowing that effectiveness of communication lies in the use of different vehicles/ channels in a consistent and integrated manner, we set out to prepare a communication plan as part of the organisation wide initiative (see table).

Thus, customising the content accordingly to the target audience is a sure way to making communication more meaningful and relevant; the objective of Employee communication remained constant though the flavour or the context varied. The impact of communication coupled with employee engagement activities (Fun @ Work, Celebrations), was a key contributor in reducing attrition and creating a positive work culture on the shopfloor.

Effectiveness of Employee communication also depends on creating a balance between the Top

Down and Bottom-Up approach.

It is a well known fact that today employees (both white-collared as well as blue-collared) want to be informed about the organisation s long term and short term plans, changes taking place, the business performance etc. Ongoing communication also can act as a positive stroke for enhancing employee morale. A regular two-way communication acts as a tool for recognising employees - it is a reassurance that the leaders recognise

in Prima was how to leverage technology to create new channels for communication - true to the spirit of being part of a division which provides Communication Solutions. The use of Video Conferencing for conducting regular Open House session with our locations ( V Talk as we branded it) was an effective medium of talking to our employees and creating the same effect of direct interaction.

In today s context, when businesses are trying to reach closer to the

Initiative

Target Audience Objective

Channel

1

Newsletter

All employees

General Information Sharing

Electronic Medium/Email

2

Arambh

New Joinees

Understanding the expectations Open House of the new joinees and basic orientation with the organisation and its senior management team

3

Samvad

Existing employees

Updating them on the business performance/ new projects, grievance handling,

4

Kutumb

Family members of Call Center Executives

To familarise employees' family Informal Meet members with the call center environment and to show them the workflow. Working in night shifts and the related social pressure was yet another reason for high employee turnover

5

Team Reviews

Supervisors & Project Leaders

Understanding the employee Focused Discussion related issues on the shop-floor as well as providing them support for People Management

their efforts, ideas, and suggestions and are willing to listen to their queries or issues.

Some of the above communication initiatives when implemented in Prima, had a positive impact on the following l Controlling attrition l Bridging the gap between the Head Office and the branches l Bringing in cohesive thinking and better clarity on the business objective at the operational level l Creating a positive and transparent work environment.

What I learned from my experience

Open House

customer, it has become more imperative to establish regular communication with the employees who directly or indirectly interface with the customer. More often it is seen that great strategies and visions are translated into success stories when there is clarity or shared understanding across the various levels in the organisation. It is a scenario where the leaders are able to communicate his or her vision and recreate it in the minds of the team, who then will execute it or translate the vision into tangible results.

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BEST PRACTICE

Fun at work Take it seriously

H

ow can you get your employees smile, if you do not give them something to smile about!

But how does one develop and nurture a culture of fun or happiness in an organisation and what does it really mean to do that? It certainly does not imply a frivolous, flighty workplace environment where everyone s sole objective is to have a good time. On the contrary, it means creating a culture that s much deeper

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- one that instills a sense of pride, satisfaction, happiness, celebration, love and most importantly a deep sense of well-being. To be able to do this, it becomes imperative that people enjoy the work they are doing. In fact, this is probably where the concept of Fun at work emerges, because real fun at work implies that Work itself is fun.

In a recent seminar organised by India Times Strategy Summit on Managing to have Fun at Work , I was amazed

Having fun at work is not considered a frivolity anymore - it plays a clear role in improving employee morale, staff retention, team building and reducing stress.

to see that there were nearly a 100 odd participants from across sectors Manufacturing, Airlines, Banking, Service, Hospitality and IT. But what surprised me even more was that very few were actually Human Resource professionals, (most of them were Doctors, Project Leaders, Engineers or from Line functions), shattering the myth that such initiatives can only be initiated by the HR people in the organisation.

They were all there to attend the programme, because in this time of high targets and super-stress, the onus is on every individual to initiate some fun-filled activities in the workplace to ensure that people don t take themselves too seriously. People taking themselves too seriously reminds me of the philosophy of South West Airlines, where Executives are encouraged to use humour while dealing with customers. The Company's motto is Take yourself lightly and take your job and your responsibilities seriously. By adopting this motto, you may soon discover that life's burdens and anxieties are lighter-sometimes even lighter than air.

Earlier the concept of Fun at work was met with scepticism, the belief being that an informal atmosphere

G&B Practices

would reduce productivity. But in today s competitive environment where there is the constant challenge of retaining employees, most organisations are striving hard to create a congenial work place. The demand for a relaxed, fun filled environment seems justified considering the long hours of work an employee has to put in and the constant pressure to perform to meet deadlines. It is no secret that employees moods, their emotional frame of mind clearly have an impact on performance, decision making, creativity, turnover, teamwork, their behaviour with colleagues and leadership. So, the answer to this is to create an environment that is fun and energising. This keeps employees happy and makes them look forward to coming to work, even if at that given moment they may not be doing exactly what they love.

Pearl Theresa D Souza, an employee of Kotak Mahindra Bank shares that HR Executives in her organisation are designated as Fun Managers . The concept being that these Fun Managers send emails to other employees and solicit ideas from them to create engaging workplaces. All the employees, including the SBU heads and other top management actively participate in the generation and implementation of these ideas.

Another very vital technique to make people enjoy doing the work that

they are doing, is to create a light environment in the team or in the department. This helps in building good inter-personal relations among colleagues, an enjoyable, non-hostile relationship with your co-workers and a comfortable work environment. It s a proven fact that just with a little livening up of the workplace can have a huge effect and make the employee's day more pleasant.

Sometimes small gestures, some of which we have tried to implement in Locks Division, like giving a Thank You card or Instant Reward and Recognition for a job well done goes a long way in reinforcing employee morale. This could be viewed as an inexpensive, quick and easy exercise, but the results are for all to see. It creates a strong sense of belonging for the employee, and more importantly a sense of being noticed and appreciated. This gesture, sustained over a period of time, becomes a practice and plays a role in making the workplace 'a fun place' on any given day.

It is important, however, to keep in mind that the objective of Fun at work is not to distract the employee from his/her day to day responsibilities. On the contrary, it just enhances employee morale and helps create an organisation of selfmotivated people who are fully

In Godrej and Boyce, there are various initiatives that have been taken up by practically all the divisions and Corporate HR. Each Divisional Personnel Head organises some fun initiatives for the division like Birthday celebrations, Annual get togethers, Department picnics, A t t e n d a n c e / Re t i r e m e n t functions, Festive dress codes, Dassera/Diwali celebrations, Online quizzes, Saturday casual dressing, Learning and Sharing day, Team Lunches/Movies, Sense of Humour (try to laugh at ourselves rather than others), Lights Off Day, Wall of fame to announce Employee of the Quarter/Month, supporting colleagues with kind words, deeds, gestures and other random acts of kindness for one another.

Some divisions also have clip boards for pasting jokes, cartoons and job related updates. engaged in their work and know to have fun while they work. We must remember that happy people treat others well and create a culture of happiness within the organisation.

The cost involved in implementing these things maybe negligible, but the ultimate result is certainly not. Bringing in the fun element into one's workplace, brings about a marked overall change the corporate culture and a strong sense of employee loyalty and motivation.

Jessie Corderio

7

BEST PRACTICE

Retaining to

GROW From an organisation point-of-view, retaining talent will ensure sustained / improved business results, customer satisfaction and continuity of the business processes. For an employee, retaining the organisation may lead to better growth opportunities, stability etc.

Organisations, today, are grappling with the problem of not only attracting good talent, but finding innovative ways of retaining them.

Nalini Kala shares her perspective on the challenge of evolving effective retention strategies.

With the industry presenting never before opportunities, individuals today have several options to choose from and are more than willing to look out into the job market wherever there is a perceived benefit to be gained.

Organisations, on the other hand, are working doubly hard to retain their talent. Research indicates that the cost of hiring a new employee could be as high as five times the cost of retaining an existing employee. In fact, as one goes up the hierarchy, the costs keep spiraling.

Attrition could be attributed to either some pull factors (better growth, compensation, benefits, learning elsewhere in another sector/ company etc.) or push factors (uncongenial work environment, demotivation/ dissatisfaction, lack of

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Retention Strategy must begin right at the recruiting stage to attract the right talent towards the organisation

T

he other day someone asked me if I was still working with the same organisation from the time we met last - a good 3 years ago. This question brought in a sense of déjà vu, as it pops up in conversation ever so frequently nowadays. It s almost as if one is compelled to update the resume by the time an acquaintance revisits.

Or else, one must be prepared to be labeled as outdated !

job challenge). While the external factors may not be influenced, the internal factors can be controlled and improved as a part of the retention strategy. This would require a conscious and sustained effort on the part of the business team and not only HR should be considered the torchbearer for retention.

Retention starts with recruitment and selection, and goes on to include several dimensions such as employee engagement as well as knowledge management. While attrition is a reality today even for the best employers, managing the resident knowledge and retaining it for the organisation s use can make employee exits less painful.

So the logical question at this point would be do companies retain employees or do employees retain companies? While both may be true to some extent, retention remains a key issue for the organisations today and requires a strategy to be in place.

Else, the recruitment team can prepare for even more challenging times ahead - just as a bottomless pipe would need a running stream of water to keep it full continuously.

Hence, Retention Strategy must begin right at the recruiting stage to attract the right talent towards the organisation. This talent should thereafter, be inducted and nurtured within. Engaging the talent and utilising their potential effectively will add to motivation which needs to be supplemented by other HR processes such as growth, compensation, etc. A systematic feedback process can provide the necessary information to aid in review and proactive efforts.

Eventually, when retention is no longer possible for an employee, the organisation must have a system in place to retain the resident knowledge & utilise it efficiently.

(With inputs from TV Rao Learning Systems Workshop on Retention)

BEST PRACTICE

People First for Productivity

In the late eighties, the Management took up Company-wide initiatives in organising two revolutionary programmes which helped in bringing in-time the (necessary) paradigm shift in the industrial thought process: first, the LMTDP (Labour Management Training & Development Programme) for workmen and second, the Customised Supervisory Development Programme (CSDP) for the supervisory staff. The human aspect in the industry was highlighted in both these programmes very effectively.

After elaborating different styles of leadership, the CSDP made it clear that no style of leadership, per se, is good or bad and that one should adopt

The simple act of playing positive attention to people has a great deal to do with productivity

I

am a chip of the old block. After completing my engineering education, I started working in the industry in 1966. During those days, the style of leadership, by and large, used to be autocratic. Almost all the supervisors on the shop floor and the bosses in offices used to tell their subordinates You do as I say; don t use your brain . When I joined Godrej in 1973, interestingly, there was a popular dialogue among supervisors that when you enter the company, the bosses expect you to leave your brain at the gate! And lo, the employees would perhaps subconsciously do exactly that - the Pygmalion effect in action!

- Tom Peters

and adapt the Situational Leadershipleadership to suit the situation. The participants were exposed to the concept of internal and external customer. I changed into We .

Managers changed into Leaders . The difference between Production and Productivity was emphasised.

Like other participants, the inputs received through the programme helped me also in my work a lot, especially when I opted for the interfunctional transfer from Manufacturing function to the Personnel function.

You ask a Westerner the definition of productivity and he is sure to rattle

Higher productivity has more to do with people then commonly realised. VD Pandit shares with us his insights and gives us seven action points for energising people for continued productivity gains.

of, Output divided by Input (the amount of output created per unit input used) and might further add that it is just a technical ratio and is always less than one. Everything is correct except the fact that it s just a technical ratio. The Japanese were the first in the world to realize that Productivity is not merely a technical ratio but has human element very much intertwined into it. Over the years, the Japanese thinking has been proved to be correct.

The input includes 3Ms- Man, Machine and Material. Some add a fourth one - Method. In the manufacturing environment, the output is the (good or fit for intended use) number of units of a product a factory produces. To have parity, every component is measured in terms of Money (the 5th M?). i.e. rupees spent on input and rupees gained through output. Essentially, productivity is a ratio to measure how well an organisation converts input resources into goods (and services). Labour Productivity is typically measured as output per workman or output per labour-hour.

Productivity, which is a ratio, can be increased in five fundamental ways: 1. (Most obvious & ideal way) Decrease the input (denominator) and increase the output (numerator);

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2. Keeping input the same, increase the output; 3. Decrease the input keeping output the same; 4. Increase the input and corresponding increase in the output; 5. Decrease the output and decrease the input more than the equivalent.

where in all cases the ratio is more than the original 0.80.

without reducing workload.

If we relate this to Output/Input, it is essentially the efficient use of the available resources- Man, Machine & Material. The resources are managed and used by men and therefore active involvement of men is the key to improving productivity. Producing

What shall be done to achieve this?

Company can increase productivity in a variety of ways. The most obvious methods involve automation and computerisation which minimise and simplify the tasks that must be performed by employees. Whatever is to be done to improve productivity is to be carried out by the employees. Hence the managers and supervisors should focus more on the soft side of managing people such as: l l

l

l l

l

l

the

actual

Respect employees: by listening to their ideas.

Actively solicit suggestions: listen to their suggestions about better ways of doing things.

Encourage employees: to be on the lookout for ways to eliminate unnecessary work.

Empower employees: to make changes.

Recognise employees: by setting aside a portion of your meetings to acknowledge success stories.

Inculcate team culture: by making sure employees feel that they are a valuable part of the team.

Enrich jobs: by giving employees interesting assignments along with the must do jobs.

Employees who like their jobs work both smarter and harder. When everyone works smarter and harder, everyone benefits. Productivity increases are easier to obtain when everyone is working toward a common goal. i.e. everyone is rowing in the same direction.

Consider a simple example illustrating all these variations.

If the original ratio is, say, 200/250= 0.80, then the variations would be 1. 210/240 = 0.88; 2. 210/250 = 0.84; 3. 200/240 = 0.83; 4. 210/260 = 0.81 and 5. 190/235 = 0.81

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more pieces using less manpower is the ideal way of increasing productivity, but it will be governed by the demand-supply equation. Even if we produce the same number of pieces using less manpower, we have increased the productivity. For labour productivity, it would mean reducing employee headcount

Increases in productivity also can influence society more broadly, by enhancing income thereby improving living standards.

So, for all around prosperity of the employees in any industrial organisation, remember People First and the results that follow would astound the staunchest pessimist.

PRODUCTIVE RELATIONSHIPS

Nurturing Friendships at Workplace

Nariman Bacha discusses how forging close friendships and fostering a sense of loyalty between employees might be a simpler solution to employee engagement & retention.

L

ife without friendship is powerless. Especially so at the workplace. But you have to know where to draw a line with friendships at the workplace in order to not mix your personal and professional life.

Let us look at eight vital roles that friends play - Builders (those who motivate you to achieve more), Champions (those loyalists who stand up for you), Collaborators (those with similar interests), Companion (those classic friends who you call first with your news), Connectors (those who introduce you to others), Energisers (those who give you a boost when you re down), Mind-openers (those who expand your horizons) and Navigators (those who you go to for advice).

One friend can t play all these roles, but they are all needed.

So if you don t have a builder in your life - go find one.

Organisations need to help employees build friendships in the first six months. Without a best friend at work, the chances of your being engaged in your job are 1 in 12. It is observed that people without a friend at work all but eliminate their chances of being engaged during the work. Friendships are vital to happiness and performance on the job. Most companies spend their time

thinking about how to increase employees loyalty to their organisation. They might, instead, try fostering loyalty between employees.

It is found that close friendships are one of the best predictors of attendance, retention and satisfaction.

In an environment where you want to grow with the organisation personally and professionally, where professional goals and aspirations will be common, you will try and nurture a friendship that promotes fellow feelings of supportive and emotional connection with the ultimate aim of making working life a lot more happier and satisfying. It is an art that comes naturally to some and needs to be cultivated by others. Your behaviour at work will help you win or lose friends. You can win friends and gain influence by observing and being tolerant.

You have to choose your friends at workplace depending on their influence on your career in terms of resourcefulness, productivity, quality and sheer pleasure of work.

You may want to have just Hi, Hello relationship with some whereas you would want to invest in your relationship with some to evolve to be your close comrades.

Even sharing personal information with them, as you trust them not to fail you.

You would sure want to avoid being a part of a clique, which indulges in negativism, favouritism, prejudicial leanings. And as such keep a distance 11

When you deal with a co-worker on the same level of hierarchy of values that you cherish, friendship with that worker is likely to build up into a strong long lasting one based on shared values of mutual respect and esteem. Values and beliefs should form bedrock of the culture, which good friends will cherish with commitment and character as unwritten guidelines.

So as you rise through hierarchy, you should develop not only your intellect but also emotions and ensure that you do not sacrifice self-respect, selfesteem, passion, compassion at the altar of careerism, which grows out of a sense of self-betrayal.

How do you contribute towards this healthy nurturing of your friendship?

Here are few tips to connect effectively: 1. Act as professional and emotional supports.

2. Give valuable feedback and provide an insight into the company as you keep him or her aware of the changes taking place all around.

3. Laugh, relax, brainstorm, share contacts and experiences together, with like-minded people. Use wit & sense of humour to your advantage.

4. Do not mix your professional and personal lives. However close you maybe, it must not interfere with your working relationship. It should also not affect your performance in the form of distractions and gossip during work hours. Also, do not allow any conflict with your friend to become a work-place problem.

Meet it face-to-face with Communication skills, logic, openness to his/her viewpoints, and good-will to help discussions keep moving till a resolution is found.

5. In case you are competing for the same promotion or in a similar situation, the trick is to be open and objective.

12

6. Do not allow any prejudices to cloud your personal relationships while handling work related conflicts.

7. Do not betray confidence of your friends by playing one against another through a splitpersonality approach. Tell facts as they are but pretty tactfully as truth is always bitter.

8. Understand clear-cut authority lines at various hierarchy levels and do not allow the same to get blurred because of your friendship.

9. Be choosy and know where to draw the line between the right group and the wrong group - with whom to be formal and with whom to be close.

10. Give due weightage to his/her feelings into consideration, in no way should your action affect his/ her career growth.

11. Remember that your relationship does not have to be confined to the walls of the office. Go for his/her birthday party, catch up on a movie together, discuss your favourite books over coffee. That way you can create a bond that will last even if you decide to move to a different workplace.

Organisations do play a vital role in creating a social environment.

Workplace friendships should be encouraged. It helps the organisation to optimise teamwork, job satisfaction and productivity. One cannot work in isolation. Meet and greet office colleagues to make work fun. Friendships give meaning to our existence. Besides making the work more engaging, friendships at work can develop into life-long associations and it is worth investing time and efforts in nurturing such relationships.

‘

Workplace friendships should be encouraged. It helps the organisation to optimise teamwork, job satisfaction and productivity

‘

from such characters. The wrong choice otherwise may backfire at you.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS

Environmental Excellence versus H Artificial Intelligence uman beings rapid road to progress has been charted with large scale damage and destruction. Precious environmental resources, especially those of the biologically diverse tropical countries have been recklessly exploited causing irreversible damages to the environment. Our actions have resulted in global impacts, ozone depletion, green-house effect, global warming and consequent melt down of polar and high altitude ice caps, sealevel rise, desertification, floods, draughts and irregular climate. These changes have highly impacted the people across the globe and there is an increased awareness and realisation on the necessity to change our current development paradigm, making it more environment-friendly and sustainable.

Dr. PR Arun proves how human beings fall short when their allegedly advanced techniques are compared with the environment’s natural processes

This increased awareness of these causes and effects of environmental perturbations are resulting in the adoption of preventive, mitigatory and remedial actions. The relatively new concept of sustainable development is fast becoming the norm and is being enforced through national and global legislations and treaties.

Sustainable development: The 1987 report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (Brundtland Report) for the first time succinctly defined the concept of sustainable development as Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs . Later this concept was perpetuated through Principle 4 of the Rio declaration at Earth Summit in 1992, which states 13

factories can reach anywhere near to these zero emission chemical plants.

Ultimate energy efficiency of natural systems The Electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) and the Electric rays, a group The electric eel generates pulses in excess of 500V of marine fishes (also called torpedoes) produce electricity that In order to achieve sustainable development, environmental at great efficiency in their electric protection shall constitute an integral organs. The electric eels generate part of the development process and pulses in excess of 500 V. while, a cannot be considered in isolation from large torpedo generates about 50 V in it . Even industrial houses and air, but the maximum current is larger, corporates are increasingly realising and the peak pulse power can exceed and waking up to their environmental 1 KW (or about 1 hp). Interestingly, it is mysterious, how these fishes responsibilities. manage not to electrocute themselves We often come across people with under water. While our state of the the notion that we have conquered art thermal power plants operate at nature and we are now equipped to 35% efficiency (i.e. wasting 65% of the reproduce in our sophisticated energy in the fuel s energy, mostly as laboratories whatever nature can do. heat). Imagine if we could ever imitate But this is nothing but hubris. If we the technological marvel of the electric care to observe and understand ray for our present power plants, nature s ways and compare it with there will be huge surplus of power ours, the illusion will pass and we will and we will have to shut down quite a few power plants and load shedding realise how far behind we are. and power scarcity will be history!

On comparing the natural processes of food production, energy conservation with the artificial manmade ones, we realise how inefficient our processes are!

The primitiveness of human laboratories when compared to a green leaf Even the most advanced laboratory on this planet cannot imitate the simple chemical reaction that has been happening in every green leaf photosynthesis the process of producing food for all other life forms on this planet. If we ever replicate the leaf s technique, we can do away with agriculture and there will never be any scarcity of land.

Every single plant produces several hundreds of complex chemicals in the most environment friendly manner from simple molecules in the environment with no polluting emissions or effluents whatsoever!

None of our state-of-the-art chemical 14

completely converting energy into light) Our most advanced lighting systems such as CFLs do not reach close to the efficiency level of these natural lighting techniques.

Preservation and cooling in nature The leech (a small blood sucking annelid worm) can preserve the human blood afresh for up to 18 months at normal temperature in its special storage chambers by converting it into a semisolid gel. None of the sophisticated blood banks can match this feat, and it still remains a mystery, as to how the red blood cells are preserved live and intact for so long within these leeches.

Air conditioning is not our monopoly, in nature there are several examples of air conditioning. Probably the most amazing examples of temperature regulation is demonstrated in the mounds (termite nest) of African fungus growing termite (Macrotermitinae). These termite mounds are engineering marvels which keep the internal temperature at a constant 87o F (optimal for their fungal garden inside), while the outside temperature fluctuates between 35 to 105o F through day and night.

Advanced laboratories haven t been able to replicate the process of photosynthesis to produce food for other life forms.

That is not all, if we could learn to imitate the technology of bioluminescent bacteria and the common fire-flies for our lighting needs, we can further reduce our energy demand by about 50%. These small electrical engineers produce light energy in the most energy-efficient manner possible (at above 95% efficiency, almost

Nature as the master of colours We colour our buildings, advertisements, magazines, clothes hair, skin and even food using a wide range of colouring substances. Colours are important and more meaningful in nature too. Nature uses colours to attract, warn, camouflage and so on.

However, there are basic differences

The Morpho butterfly

technique, we can create any colour without using dyes or pigments and obviously without polluting the environment. Let us hope our optical engineering wizards will catch up with these butterflies in the near future!

Chameleon

in the materials used and the purposes.

Nature s spectrum of colours on a peacock feather or a butterfly wing are not just aesthetically pleasing and brilliant, they are also non toxic and biodegradable. Ironically, most of the artificial colours developed by human beings are hazardous pollutants laced with toxic heavy metals and are nonbiodegradable. The dyeing industry is among the most polluting industries which have devastated large tracts of lands such as Tirupur in Tamilnadu.

The brilliant colours of the well-known Morpho butterfly is regarded as an optical wonder still perplexing our best optical engineers. These butterfly wings are in fact transparent and they produce vibrant colours by breaking up the white light using microscopic scales acting as prisms arranged in such a way that the desired colour (mostly brilliant metallic blue) is reflected off their wings. Once we understand this

Changing colour is yet another field where the mastery of nature is supreme. Reportedly there were billions of dollars spent in US on research to understand and imitate the chameleon s technique of colour change and adaptive colouration into the defence vehicles and uniforms.

Imagine the advantages in our daily life if we ever learn to replicate that technique. You would be in a position to change the colour of say, your clothes, vehicles, houses and so on as and when you wish.

Nature and waste management Waste management is a daunting task faced by our urban cities. What

The leech can preserve human blood afresh for upto 18 months at normal temperature.

happens to the waste in nature?

Interestingly, in nature there is no concept like raw materials, products and waste in nature. Everything is integrated into cyclical pathways and everything in nature is designed to be a raw material and product in some way or other. That is the reason why we don t find waste dumps in nature.

Human beings are the only species that has learned the technique of generating and accumulating waste.

Nature s excellence is evident in vastly diverse fields related to our lives and is like text books we need to conserve it for our posterity to learn more from it. If we just keep our eyes, ears and brain open to nature, we will find, not just plants and animals but illustrations of technological marvels and extreme optical wizards, sophisticated chemical plants, best management techniques and so on. It is up to us to conserve our invaluable nature, to explore interpret and learn from it. The primary lesson that we all need to learn from the nature is that nature does not have open end processes, Everything is cyclical and there is minimal wastage of energy. Unless we learn and adopt these zero-wastage cyclical systems into our lifestyles and systems, we don t stand a chance to pit our systems against those of nature.

As of now we are far too behind and there is a long, long way ahead.

We are just far too short of understanding the most ingenious and intriguing aspects of nature and it is indeed the most valuable resource for research and studies for our future generations. Let us conserve it and be humble. Let us be open to nature to learn and survive better, rather than perish with the illusion of conquering nature. The prophetic words of Friedrich Engels in the nineteenth century sums it up, Let us not flatter ourselves overmuch on account of our human conquest over nature.

For each such conquest takes its revenge on us At every step we are reminded that we by no means rule over nature like a conqueror over a foreign people, like someone standing outside of nature but that we with flesh, blood, and brain belong to nature and exist in its midst 15

REFLECT. RESTORE . REIMAGINE

The

Human Factor A

century ago, the Godrej Group realised that it is the people who would make that critical difference between success and failure - A happy worker will always be a productive worker . This philosophy of People First has been more a way of life than just an organisational practice for Godrej. Pirojsha & his sons Naval, Burjor and Sohrab Godrej nurtured this company with their love and care. Their faith in their employees, the bonds they built with their workers has made Godrejites feel like one family. It s the human touch that has elevated the Godrej Group to what it is today.

Godrej Archives in this issue brings out this human factor through memories of the former employees.

Pirojsha's concern for workers

I

started making ballot boxes in Vikhroli. At our best I think we were producing 22 thousand ballot boxes per day. But then it's in two shifts we would be there from 7. At 7, the factory would start so we would be there from quarter to seven and rarely left before twelve. But Pirojsha sent his car for us (saying), Bring my boys home." So we four or five of us supervisors used to get the car to come home (at night).

The quarters were built because he saw the state of the workers who were staying at Lalbaug and the chawls they were staying in. One of his favourite workers was sick one day and so he went to see him. And when he saw where he, his Mistry (workman) stayed, he felt that if he is staying in something like this then what will my other workers be doing? He decided to build houses for them in Vikhroli. That is how the whole colony of workers came up. Pirojsha decided that they must have decent living quarters.

- KR Thanewalla (KR Thanewalla set up the Godrej manufacturing plant in Malaysia.)

16

Gathering at a plant, Diwali 1964

Naval Godrej: an inspiration

M

r. Naval Godrej would come there, see the things, see whether people were working or not, what changes are being made. Every month, he would check the productivity, the man-days for making a particular product, everything. He also had a passion for fabrication. All innovations were very much encouraged. If you told him I ve done this something new , the next day morning he would come to the shopfloor. When he saw something good, he would put a hand on your shoulder and give you a nice warm smile.

That was something great, which I don t see in most of the places.

- GK Datar (GK Datar set up the Process Equipment Division in Vikhroli)

a lot of interest in welfare activities.

She used to say that the best prescription to give the ladies was not medicine but nutrition. If nutrition is improved then naturally there is no need for medication. This actually inspired me that I should concentrate on nutrition (in my further studies).

NP Godrej and SP Godrej with Delhi branch staff (1969)

A Benevolent Touch

P

irojsha Godrej realising that the welfare of the employees is an essential ingredient for the growth and well-being of the company, started the Welfare Centre Pragati Kendra which was inaugurated on 15th August 1955.

Naval and Sohrab Godrej continued the legacy.

Alooben Mowdawalla while talking about Naval s involvement recollects: Even Naoroji Godrej used to come to Kendra to take Aunty (Cooverbai Vakil) with him. Aunty would come everyday from the Godrej's residence to Vikhroli with him. At times if there was an interesting thing on, he would sit for sometime. He was inquisitive to know what was going on. Of course Soonuben was more attached but he was also aware, even though he was not directly involved in our work. Even Sohrabji Godrej was a frequent visitor. He was not only interested in our work but also sent relevant literature to me from the various places he visited. Sometimes he would request for a meeting to be arranged only because there was something to be shown to us.

Shirin Choksey recalls: Mr. Naoroji Godrej was very interested in the school. His heart and soul was in the school. He enjoyed being with the children. He didn't interact but enjoyed being with them. He was very keen on seeing their progress.

He would just walk in, without any announcements during lunch time or after school. Sometimes he would walk in at 5 'O'clock. First question was What s new?

(Shirin Choksey was the Head Mistress of the pre-primary & primary section from 1967 - 2001.)

Sudha Ambekar remembers Soonuben's compassion for workers and their families: Mrs. Soonuben Godrej used to take

Mrs. Godrej was also involved with us like one of the family members.

We used to say Godrej was a family, Godrej Parivar. She used to ask me, Where did you go Sudha? How was the sanitation there? Which families did you visit? How many children do they have? Has she been operated?

Have you told her about spacing?

Then I used to show her the cards.

How many ladies? What did they say?

What type of illness the child has?....

What preventive advice I ve given to the family? (Have I told them about the) health point of view as well as nutrition point of view.

This involvement was very encouraging.

(Sudha Ambedkar as a part of the Welfare Center worked in the area of nutrition and family planning among the workers).

Vrunda Pathare Sanghamitra Sen Godrej Archives You can visit the Archives intranet page for more information www.gnbintranet.godrej.com/archives/ archives.html

Workers at a diwali function (1974)

17

DIA LO G UE

Interactive session with JN Godrej A few excerpts from Jamshyd Godrej s session with management trainees.

T

he interactive session for management trainees with Jamshyd Godrej and Navroze Godrej saw a volley of interesting questions fired by the management trainees; all of which were answered with Jamshyd Godrej s characteristic insightfulness.

The session began with an address by Anil Verma who pointed out that during the various divisional visits, the trainees were constantly raising questions about processes, operations, policies and implementation. He said, owing to JNG s presence at the session, it was indeed the right platform to raise those questions again.

Challenging the notion that a good reason to quit is when one doesn t find the work stimulating enough, JNG pointed out that the prerogative to make the work and one s individual role challenging enough is the employee s as much as the organisation s.

It s always a two way stream,

18

never one way. So I would suggest to you all, always look to make your job as challenging as possible because that s possibly the most you would get out of it. It s very easy to take a stand like I don t have enough work or its not challenging enough and get disinter-

ested. You must always bear in mind that you can make a difference, if you want to make a difference , he advised.

JNG then took individual questions about new business ventures, Godrej s media policy, growth in the organisation and several other issues.

Here are a few excerpts from the conversation: Growth: Really speaking you could be growing much faster but to manage growth also is a major issue. Managing growth means managing many things. I think if you can grow 25% - 35% a year in each of our businesses, I think that will be good - its ambitious, and not unrealistic that way you can double your turnover and profits every two three years. Each of the businesses have to look at themselves as an independent company and see how small they are, that s the only way you can actually realise how much opportunity there is.

Imperative for businesses: We have realised one thing that we have to have a healthy bottom line. A healthy bottom line only comes when you have a high growth at the top level.

So you have to do everything right in order to get there. You need a strong

It s very easy to take a stand like I don t have

enough work or its not

challenging enough and get disinterested. You

must always bear in mind

that you can make a

difference, if you want to make a difference

growth in business and a high focus on bottom line and a very strong customer and consumer orientation. This is the sort of thing that you have got to know.

Advertising (rather, the lack of it): Advertising has to have a purpose.

There is no meaning in just advertising for the sake of advertising. It there is some meaning in it then you should do it. There are some businesses which are directly concerned with consumers and some businesses which are more industrial businesses In those businesses which are business to business advertising doesn t really get you anywhere.

Ethics in business: In the short term you may lose some business as a result of it. That has happened and will continue to happen. You can not really compromise, whether it is in India or anywhere else in the world, this applies. You will have competitors of all types all over the world. I don t think it s something that you should worry too much about. You have to do your business in an ethical way within the bounds of law.

Some people always transgress and some people also get hit because of that. Unfortunately in India the law takes a long time to catch up with such people. See in America how fast it is.

ENRON went down, Arthur Andersen went down, and the law took its toll very quickly Here people know one can get away with it, just because of that, we cannot compromise on our standards.

Excessive work force: Well, we have had many VRS schemes for our workers. Last time around, when we moved our manufacturing plant out of Bombay, we tried to absorb as many from our work force as possible partly because there was a need in other businesses. If overall you say that we are not very productive in the use of people, I ll agree with you.

The management trainees left, richer in both experience and perspective.

19

HOME BASE

Interio Division

Technology s now sensored Zurvan Marolia shares Interio s cost effective safety feature for Forklift trucks A Proximity Based Reverse Alarm Sensor.

leadership of Mahesh Chavan & Shyam Shinde have worked out a solution which incorporates with the use of an adjustable sensor which has a 70 degree range for sensing. Two such sensors used in tandem give an effective coverage. This sensor is activated only when the truck is put in reverse gear and on sensing an obstruction gives off a loud alerting alarm which continues for a few seconds till after the obstruction has moved out of range.

This has cost us Rs. 10,000.

Our Plant 4 Maintenance Team had been working on this project since around December 10, 2006 when we read a write-up circulated by our Corporate Safety team on a particular safety feature based on an infra-red sensor that would cut out the power in an Electric Forktruck.

The need for such a system was felt strongly, since reverse horns which are activated continuously when the forktruck is in reverse gear, tend to become very irritating to the driver.

Also they tend to get ignored when sounding continuously. This was found to defeat its purpose as a safety feature.

We were keen on using this thought for our diesel forktrucks, and worked

We will take trials for a month, after which we will deploy this over all our trucks in a phased manner.

The cost effective Proximity Based Reverse Alarm Sensor for forklifts developed by Interio.

out options, including one for which MHE Division quoted Rs. 60,000.

Our congratulations to the entire team who worked on this project and believed that there had to be a better way.

- Zurvan Marolia, Senior General Manager Manufacturing, Interio Division

Our Maintenance team under the

Dedicated space for kitchen furniture W h a t s special: The showroom displays five kitchens with d i f f e r e n t configurations like Single Wall kitchen with steel shutters, Small L-shaped kitchen with steel shutters, Large L-shaped kitchen with MDF shutters, Parallel kitchen Anil Mathur, COO, Interio with Subodh Mehta, General Manager, Marketing, with MDF Interio (Home), Vispy Ardesher, Interio, Head (Mumbai Branch) and Manoj shutters and LGandhi inaugurating the new outlet in Thane. shaped kitchen Event: Pokhran Road No. 2, Thane, with island unit & solid wood shutters now has a store (ESpace) that sells at different price ranges starting from exclusively kitchen furniture.

Rs. 49,900 to 1,65,000. All the kitchens 20

on display have been given a real-feeltouch with hob, chimney, sink, water tap, utensils, real groceries and props etc.

A sample kitchen from the new showroom.

Who was there: This exclusive Interio Kitchen Store E Space was inaugurated by Anil Sain Mathur, COO, Interio Division on Feb 28, 2007. Manoj Ganjawalla, Vice President - Marketing & Sales (Interio), Subodh Mehta, General Manager Marketing (InterioHome) and his team and Ravi Menon, General Manager - Service (Interio) and

team also attended the inauguration function. The Mumbai branch Interio Sales and service teams were also present.

Kumar Sohani, the owner of this showroom is an interior designer by profession. Around 12 interior designers and two builders visited on the day of the inauguration itself and

have shown interest in our modular kitchen models.

Last word: With the opening of this Interio Kitchen Store, we expect to generate good business in the future specially from the Thane area.

- Soneshwar Prasad Senior Sales Manager – Interio Home

Interio Suppliers Meet - A re-Sourceful meeting With the increase in challenges being faced by the furniture industry today due to the prevailing competitive scenario, the procurement process too is in the midst of its greatest shake-up since the industry s earliest days. While age-old issues such as quality, price and cost still seem to be in the spotlight, relatively new concerns like consolidation, globalisation and system integration makes the game more interesting than ever.

Vendors Kersi Randelia from Ahura Mazda, Vishwas Dixit from Surya Furnitech and Kirit Joshi from Space Wood inaugurating the meet.

Mega showroom in Ludhiana Atul Sohani making his presentation

As a first step towards addressing these issues and as a part of our continual efforts to improve our twoway communication with our suppliers, a Suppliers Meet with the theme Beyond Sourcing was organised by the Interio Materials team on February 23, 2007 in the serene environment of our Godrej Hillside Clubhouse at Vikhroli. The main purpose of this meet was to share a common platform with our suppliers and sub-contractors and to chart out a new course for the future, considering both the expectations and

Event: Opening of a new mega showroom of Chandigarh branch at Ludhiana.

Who was there: The showroom was inaugurated by Mr. Subodh Mehta (Sr. G.M Marketing). The event was attended by around 400 guests and covered by all leading newspapers and local cable channels.

What s special: The showroom is located in the main furniture market of Ludhiana and caters to a large consumer segment. The showroom covering an area of 4500 sq. ft. is owned by MM Sharma and well supported by his two sons. A wide range of home products were displayed including home storage, living room, dining, bedroom and kids furniture to attract a large number of customers through proper focus on each product line.

Kudos to Ashutosh Parashar and Sanjeev Gaur for their efforts.

Satish Dogra Godrej Interio-Home 21

potential of Interio division.

The meet began with a keynote address from our COO, Anil S Mathur discussing in detail with the suppliers the various challenges faced by the Interio division and the path which the division and the suppliers should take in order to excel and achieve continuous growth.

A t u l So h a n i , G e n e r a l M a n a g e r (Materials) made a presentation giving in-depth information about the future business plans, efforts initiated by Interio division in the areas of technology and IT,

upgradation to cope with the growth, and steps towards vendor development programmes which are aimed at total quality improvement and waste reduction in the entire supply chain.

Anil Lingayat, Vice President (Product Supply), whilst setting the tone for the future, spoke in great detail as to how important it was to ensure our presence in the global market. He also drew attention to the four important aspects – speed, global trend, cost and serviceability. After the presentation, at the open house session, suppliers from all spectrum, participated and shared their experiences with Godrej

and expectations from Godrej for a long-term partnership. The most valuable suggestions thrown up by many of them was more interactions with Design and Marketing departments rather than with only Materials team and early involvement in NPI. All queries of suppliers were answered

by Mr Lingayat and the meet ended on a happy note.

- Atul Sohani, General Manager (Materials) and Mahadev Sawant, Senior Manager (Traded), Interio Division

Appliance Division

Sambandh Training - Journey from cost center to profit center Ever since we at Appliance Division, Mumbai Branch began our journey at the beginning of 2006, we have been slowly making inroads and reaching out to people in different parts of Maharashtra through our ambitious project on Sambandh training.

Mr. Yerande, Principal, ITI Nasik being awarded a certificate

Apart from achieving our primary objective of imparting the knowledge on the correct servicing skills to the people in the RAC trade, we have also made a valuable contribution to the bottomline by generating substantial service revenue.

Indeed, it has helped serve more than one purpose.

In the financial year 2006-07, we generated a revenue of Rs 2.62 lakhs and after Student ITI Mangaon recieveing certificate accounting for expenses of Rs 0.72 lakhs, we have made a good with this project. Secondly, the revenue bottomline contribution of Rs1.88 generation and contribution to the bottomline will help Service traning lakhs. function to move from a mere cost This whole process has helped us create center to profit center. a whole lot of good will form the 743 candidates, who are now employees of We are sure there cannot be better Godrej. motivation than these intangibles and We strongly feel tangibles put together and we are going that this avenue ahead with our plans to fulfill these needs to be objectives. f u r t h e r explored since there is a huge amount of social contribution that also comes hand in hand

22

With a little bit of customising and fine tuning, this concept can be used across other divisions as well.

Kamal Bhagwanani Training and Development Mumbai Branch

Security Equipment Division

Withstanding the test of force and fire Barrier Slabs passed tests as per CEN Grade L, I, III & V With the European market as target, we are developing safes with an improved barrier system. To verify that the burglary resistance of these barriers was in line with international standards, we developed the test slabs and got them tested at VdS Laboratory at Cologne, Germany, a recognised test

severity of the attack withstood by the products.

Our aim was to test 4 types of barriers which could be certified under CEN Grade-L & GradeI for ATMs, and GradeIII and Grade-V for safes.

Our test slabs passed the respective attacks successfully. Further product development incorporating these barriers is in process.

lab for CEN, the European Standards Organisation, in December 2006.

The CEN standards specify various grades of security depending on the

New Safes passed Fire Endurance test at SP Test House The above mentioned range of safes also need to have Fire Endurance of 60 minutes. We tested one sample safe developed based on the new barrier system, at SP Laboratory, Sweden. SP is a Swedish test house and certification agency recognised in Sweden and other parts of Europe.

The Fire Endurance test at SP consists

of heating the product in a furnace as per pre-defined time-temperature curve for specified time (60/90/120 minutes). The inside temperature of the safe shall not exceed 170 degree centigrade, to pass the test.

Our product comfortably withstood the test for the planned 60 minutes. The test was continued further for 90 minutes which was successful.

Prashant HC GM-Design

Locks Division

A fun-tastic gathering Friday the 13th, in the month of April was not an unlucky day for Locks division by any means! For us it was a day of celebration and joy. It was the Annual Gathering of the employees of the Division and they sure did have a blast.

The Munnabhai & Circuit Duo

Mr. JN Godrej, PD Lam, President and Executive Director, Dr. KA Palia, Executive Director - Finance, Anil Verma, Executive Vice President – Personnel & Administration, BK Rajkumar, Vice President and Business Head, Locks Division, Shramik Sangh Union President BD Joshi, General Secretary Ram Bali Yadav were welcomed in a truly filmy style by Munnabhai and Circuit in the form of a 23

Song sung by our employees - "Mere Desh Ki Dharti"

BK Rajkumar receiving the prestigious CII EXIM Bank Award for Business Excellence for Strong Commitment to Excel by Mr. JN Godrej

skit enacted by S K Joshi and S K Mishra called Munabhai Chale Varanasi .

Employees received various awards for their achievements for the last financial year like the Employee of the Quarter Award, Special Awards for special achievements, Safety, Zero Accident and Good Housekeeping Awards, Attendance Awards and above all the CII Exim Bank Award for Business Excellence appreciating our strong Commitment to excel was handed over by Mr. Godrej to Mr. Rajkumar, the captain of our ship.

The employees were highly motivated with the talks delivered

by Mr. JN Godrej, Anil Verma and BK Rajkumar on various initiatives taken up by the division. However, a speech that generated thunderous applause was Mr Lam s speech in Hindi!

All in all, the employees had a great time dining and dancing the music played by the orchestra. It was celebration in the truest sense.

As aptly said by Indrapal Singh in one of his articles in the Change Magazine, Celebrate for being here and alive and

Mr. Prakash Ghadge receiving a Trophy & Certificate from NASEOH handed over by Mr. JN Godrej

Celebrate for no reason; the need is to boost energy to cause change . Joy and fun are essential characteristics of any winning organization.

Jessie Corderio Divisional Personnel Head

Material Handling and Equipment Division

MHE Division ties up with Komatsu Forklift, Japan Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co Ltd - Material Handling Equipment Division has tiedup with Komatsu Forklifts, Japan for sales & service of their counterbalanced truck range in India.

Komatsu is a world leader in the manufacture of Construction Equipment and Forklifts with a global turnover of USD 13 billion (2004 05).

Komatsu Forklift Trucks contribute with a turnover of USD 1 billion and is a leading manufacturer in the world.

60% of the turnover comes from Japan and balance 40% from exports.

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Certified ISO 9001 & 14001 Komatsu is one of the few forklift manufacturers to have been awarded the Deming Prize for Total Quality Control.

Komatsu was established in the year 1945 and made their first Forklift Truck in 1958 in their manufacturing plant at Tochigi, Japan. Komatsu has Forklift Truck manufacturing plants in China, USA and Italy and a component manufacturing plant in Thailand.

Komatsu has a long association with India spanning over a decade. BEML had a technology tie-up with Komatsu for the manufacture of earthmoving dumpers. They also collaborate with L&T for manufacture of excavators since 1997. Komatsu is now setting up its own plant at Chennai for the manufacture of 50 and 100 tonne dumpers.

Komatsu Product Range Includes : Diesel Forklifts: 1.0 Tonne to 43.0 Tonne LPG Forklifts: 1.0 Tonne to 7.0 Tonne Electric Forklifts: 0.5 Tonne to 2.5 Tonne Attachments: Side shifters, Bale clamps, Roll clamps, Rotating Forks, etc.

Last few years have seen a good growth in the Indian Forklift Truck

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market. Import of trucks has been on a rise and there are several players eyeing the Indian market.

We tied up with Komatsu for the following reasons: l

Komatsu filled up product gaps existing in our range i.e. Heavy Duty range of forklift trucks above 16 tons upto 43 tons for which a market exists in Ports & Steel sector. Also 2.5 & 3 Ton LPG range is an issue due to non-availability of suitable engine. This has been taken care of by the Komatsu range of LPG trucks upto 7 Tonnes.

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With duties coming down each year and imports becoming easier there is a growing demand for imported trucks. Also with exemptions available to EOUs, customers located in SEZs and customers availing EPCG benefits the total import cost of the equipment falls

within the procurement range.

Also the customers are more exposed today to global products and MNCs setting up shop in India some customers have a mind set for using only reputed International makes.

After China all the major manufacturers of the world are turning towards India to be the next destination. Komatsu too was scouting the Indian market to gain entry and establish a foothold.

The reasons for their choosing Godrej as their partner are: l The Indian market is seen to have high potential for future growth. l To have the first mover advantage to establish their product and brand. l They evaluated the top two manufacturers in the country and chose us. They saw immense strengths in our l Sales & service network l Position in the Indian market l High brand equity l Experienced technical sales force l Trained and experienced service team l Pan India presence We have just collected three orders for Komatsu forklift and expect good business in the near future.

Team MHE

Up-lifting standards year after year Godrej finds place in a German magazine s Top 30 list of international forklift manufacturers A German magazine called DHF analyses the business parameters of forklift manufacturers worldwide and releases an annual ranking of the largest 39 companies in the field. It has long been our dream to be included in this prestigious list.

Reviewing the list released for 200405, we felt Godrej stood a strong chance to get into the Top 39 for the coming year. We contacted DHF, requesting them to consider Godrej for inclusion in 2005-06. They agreed and sent us a detailed questionnaire

in August 2006 asking for information on various business parameters, mainly the way the turnover was distributed between the various product types and services. All the requested information was provided for their analysis and Godrej was found the 29th place in the world rankings for 2005-06.

With this feat, Godrej has brought recognition to India as a global supplier of industrial material handling equipment.

Incidentally, our business partners for the Indian market, Crown Equipment of USA and Komatsu Forklifts of Japan themselves hold 5 th and 8 th place respectively in the world rankings.

The world rankings for forklifts consider all types of powered material handling equipment using forks to lift loads. While most global forklift giants like Toyota, Linde, Hyster and Caterpillar have very wide and extensive product ranges to cast a net, Godrej and similar companies have got into the rankings with a relatively limited range of products and market reach.

Ranking 29th in the world is another proud milestone for MHE and we aim to reach to the Top 20 in the near future.

Team MHE 25

Electrical & Electronic Services

The IM-pressive journey of IMTEX

The IMTEX 2007 exhibition was held in January. HN Daruwalla takes us through the story of the IMTEX so far right from its inception to its current status as one of India s premier International exhibitions.

success story year after year in the years 1979, 1982, 1985 and 1989 all in Godrej s Pirojshanagar Industrial Garden Township at Vikhroli.

shifted to Pragati Maidaan in Delhi and subsequent Exhibitions in the year 1992, 1995 and 1998 were all organised at Pragati Maidaan.

25,000 sq. meters of area in Plant 18 was utilised in IMTEX 79, followed

by IMTEX 82 Exhibition wherein 50,000 sq. meters were used in Plant 16/17, followed by IMTEX 85 exhibition held in Plants 15/16 and finally IMTEX 89 exhibition in Plant 14/15.

For all the IMTEX exhibitions organised at Pragati Maidaan, once again Godrej was involved and the E&E Division of Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co Ltd conducted all the Exhibitions for IMTMA.

Needless to add, each exhibition was a grand success with the entire Machine Tool Industry growing in leaps and bounds, thanks to the support rendered by the House of Godrej in general and Naoroji Pirojsha Godrej in particular, to the IMTMA.

IMTEX 04 was organised at Vikhroli.

Due to paucity of space, IMTEX was organised at multiple locations - Plant 12, Plant 11, Plant 3 and Plant 5, scattered over our Pirojshanagar complex.

In the year 2004, once again IMTEX was shifted from Delhi to Bombay and

In the year 1969, a small project was undertaken by Late Seth Naoroji Pirojsha Godrej wherein joining hands with Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers Association. A small Machine Tools Exhibition was planned in the Pirojshanagar Complex.

A small area of 300 sq mtrs in 2 bays of erstwhile plant 10 was utilised for the purpose of exhibition in which a handful of 20 odd companies participated with a connected load less than 200 KW. Needless to say, the experiment was successful and IMTEX was born.

Subsequently, based on success of the first Exhibition IMTEX 69, IMTEX 75

IMTEX became a national symbol wherein national and international participants started coming from far and wide to participate, display their Machine tools and visit the Exhibition.

was planned in Plant 12 wherein over 200 companies participated, occupying an area of 15,000 sq meters and a connected load of around 1000 KW.

Educational & Training Institutions, Engineering Colleges etc. gained a lot from these exhibitions by sending their students to witness live demonstration of machines.

After the success of IMTEX 75, IMTMA never looked back and repeated the

After 1989 exhibition, IMTEX exhibitions were

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It goes without saying that IMTEX in the city of Mumbai in the Godrej complex after a lapse of 12 to 13 years was largely participated and visited

and was one of the most successful shows.

Today, IMTEX has moved far ahead and become an International Event. IMTMA has set up their own Exhibition Centre called Bangalore International Exhibition Centre wherein 3 halls totally measuring 40,000 sq meters have been set up.

The first IMTEX exhibition in Bangalore was organised in the month of January 2007 which turned out to be a grand success, with over 750 participants and over 1,200 companies participating in the same. The response was so overwhelming that 2 additional temporary sheds were constructed measuring total display area of 48,340 sq meters, with a connected load over 12,750 KW. The BIEC is spread over 38 Acres with 40,000 sq metres of Built Up display area for Exhibitions, Food Court, Conference Centre, Training Centre, Entrance Plaza with Parking Facility for 6,000 Cars.

Also, BIEC will be the first Exhibition Centre in the World to strive and achieve the LEED s Green Building

Certification for being constructed with Eco Friendly Material and run on Eco Friendly Processes.

Needless to add, the E&E Division of Godrej & Boyce Mfg Co Ltd not only put up the infrastructure in the short time available, but also was responsible for distribution of power to each participant and successfully organised distribution of power, compressed air, water supply and communication network for IMTEX 2007 Exhibition.

In a fitting tribute to Late Seth Naoroji Pirojsha Godrej, rightly called the Father of IMTEX , Bangalore International Exhibition Centre has been named as IMTMA Naoroji Pirojsha Godrej International Exhibition and Conference Complex - A small tribute to the Father of IMTEX who over the years nursed the Machine Tool Industry from infancy to its present glorious state.

HN Daruwalla Business Head, E&E Division

Keeping Bangalore secure the system in place despite the fact that the site was at an unfamiliar location and the security personnel at the operation level were locals.

The Godrej Security team walked away with accolades after doing smooth job of managing security arrangements for the thirteenth IMTEX exhibition in Bangalore.

The 13 th IMTEX was held at Bangalore International Exhibition Center from January 18 to 24, 2007.

The organisers had sought the expertise of Godrej Security for the smooth conduct of the exhibition. In spite of the unfamiliarity of the location, we were confident of doing a good job on the strength of our time tested and successfully implemented process. The enormity of the exhibition and the continuous vehicular movement and huge crowd including VIPs did not deter our confidence a wee bit.

Lt. Col. KS Prabhu and Deepak Kadam made a few trips to the exhibition site at Bangalore, and held discussions with

Lt. Col (Retd) Prabhu and Deepak Kadam from the Security team.

the organisers on various aspects. The strategy planned, including action plan on various contingencies was wholeheartedly accepted by the organisers. After evaluating various aspects of security, including being equipped in case of a terrorist attack, deployment was split into three modules to align with the three phases of exhibition, viz. Installation, Exhibition and Dismantling. The emphasis was on processes, rather than on individuals.

This made it easy for the team to put

The vehicular traffic and the footfalls at the exhibition exceeded the estimate by several times. However, the security could handle each and every situation quite effectively. Mr Deepak Kadam was positioned at the exhibition site during the entire period of exhibition and took over the control of security operations to ensure that the action plan laid out earlier was fully implemented.

The appreciation received from the organisers, general public and the government agencies of Bangalore was overwhelming. It was, indeed, a proud moment for the Godrej security team!

DD Kadam Security Dept., Plant-11 27

Retail Division

Godrej Lifespace store launches VIP Road, Kolkata On March 20, 2007, the Retailing Division launched Kolkata s sixth Godrej Lifespace Store at VIP Road.

The store was inaugurated by Shyam Motwani, Vice President & Business Head, Retailing Division in the presence of other senior managers of the branch.

The 8 km stretch of VIP Road starting from Ultadanga to Airport has seen a spate of retail activity in recent times with automobile majors like

Shyam Motwani inaugurates the Godrej Lifespace Store at VIP Road, Kolkata.

Hyundai, Honda, Bajaj, Hero Honda, Maruti, Mahindra & Mahindra, Hindustan Motors and TATA setting up swanky showrooms apart from other major retailers like Big Bazaar, Bata, Durian, Raymond s, Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Vishal Mega Mart. Considering the retail boom, Godrej Lifespace is sure to become one of the biggest landmarks in this area.

- Aruna Chowdhury

Gurgaon, Delhi Godrej Lifespace was inaugurated in Gurgaon on March 27, 2007. George Menezes, COO, Appliance Division, Shyam Motwani, Vice President & Business Head, Retailing Division and Atul Natu, Assistant General Manager, Retailing Division attended the opening ceremony.

George Menezes lit the inaugural lamp.

There was huge representation from various businesses at the local level on this auspicious occasion. Sushil Thariani, General Manager, North, Interio, Shivaji

present for the occasion.

The two business heads present addressed the group and expressed their confidence in the new store location.

George Menezes, Business Head, Appliance Division inaugurates the Godrej Lifespace Store in Gurgaon

Sengupta, General Manager, North, Appliance and GA Khan, General Manager, North, Commercial were

Now with Godrej Lifespace in Gurgaon, the awareness of the Godrej range of products and also the awareness of the Lifespace Brand of the company owned store will surely increase in the near future.

- Harjinder Singh Store Chief, Gurgaon

Airport Road, Bangalore The month of March announces the arrival of spring. And for the city of Bangalore, it announced the opening of the new Godrej Lifespace store, the fourth store in the Garden city

and taking the total tally of stores to 46.

The store was officially inaugurated on March 16, 2007 by BK Rajkumar, Vice President & Business Head, Locks division and Shyam Motwani, Vice President & Business Head, Retailing Division was the guest of honor.

The impressive 5,000 sq.ft store, located on the prime Airport Road, is in the heart of a promising retail hub and boasts of amenities like ample parking, multilevel display etc. It surely is on its way BK Rajkumar, Business Head, Locks Division inaugurating the Godrej to become a landmark in Lifespace Store at Airport Road, Bangalore. the days to come.

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A fine get together was organised by the branch team under the able guidance of R Solomon, Branch Commercial manager to commemorate the event. It was an occasion when our old customers, dealers and the entire branch team came together to celebrate the new store. Mr. Rajkumar and Mr. Motwani addressed the gathering and thanked them for being part of this memorable event.

Finally, a lot of hard work put in by everybody, our colleagues at the branch, the store team and some impressive work done by store designer Manu Mansheet has made this store launch possible.

- N Radhakrishnan Potty Store Chief – Airport Road.

Being Consumer-centric letter followed by follow-up telephone calls.

Vinayak Pratap (left) and the Lifespace- Fort team with a customer at the 'Let's grow together' meet.

The Fort Lifespace store decided to hold a Consumer Meet, the first of its kind, on February 2 and 3, 2007. The interesting part was that all kinds of customers were invited for the meet satisfied customers and irate customers, a rather brave step. However, the meet went off smoothly and the store staff did a fantastic job of playing host to all our customers.

The idea of a Consumer Meet, when conceived by the Store Chief, was greeted with enthusiasm by team members and preparations began in full swing. Each one had a clearly designated job and what took shape was a nicely designed and well drafted invitation

On the day of the event, the store wore a festive look.

Thoughtfully selected colours, hues and decorative lights adorned the entrance. All the staff was dressed in festive clothes, including the guard, who was dressed like a maharaja and made it a point to greet customers by sprinkling rose water and handing over a rose to each of them.

Interesting games like Khulja Godrej, where the customers had to identify the right key to open the Godrej cupboard and Dhoondte Rehe Jaooge, a memory game to introduce customers to all the products that were a part of our schemes were organised.

Apart from that, customers were served snacks and given a Godrej Lifespace calendar each as a take-away gift. There was also a surprise lucky draw prize.

The meet was a great success and its success can be attributed to the entire Lifespace team.

Vinayak Pratap and the Fort Lifespace Stores Team

Guwahati Trade Fair Godrej Lifespace Store along with the Interio Branch team - Guwahati participated in the Guwahati Trade Fair, 2007 between February 26 and March 11, 2007. The event was a great success with an order booking of over 13 Lakh.

Apart from the participants from Thailand, Indonesia and Myanmar, big corporate houses from India like LG, Samsung, Maruti, Usha, Videocon and Haier participated with huge pavilions. It was a proud moment when the Godrej pavilion was awarded as the Best Pavilion by the organisers.

Bhubaneswar Store Anniversary

The lifespace Bhubaneswar store celebrated its second anniversary on March 14, 2007. A fun-filled evening was organised by the store team and all its customers were invited to grace the occasion.

The first customer of our store was invited to grace the occasion and start the celebrations by cutting a cake. Small mementos were also given out to those who attended the celebration.

- Aruna Chowdhury

Godrej Lifespace launches eMall For the largest range of Godrej Home & Office Improvement Products Godrej Lifespace has gone online this year and become the first division to launch an e-commerce website to cater to B2C clients over the web. The website called www.godrejlifespace.com showcases a range of Godrej Interio, Appliances and Security Equipment products, designed to enrich and enhance the lives of its customers.

The website was launched by June Maliah (a popular television and film actress) in Kolkata on March 20, 2007 in the presence of Shyam Motwani, Vice President and Business Head, Godrej Lifespace.

Speaking at the launch of eMall, Ms. Maliah said, My busy lifestyle does not permit me to spend long hours visiting stores for my lifestyle purchases. The Godrej Lifespace eMall is an excellent store which I can visit online anytime from anywhere and get complete details before making my purchase. The Godrej Lifespace eMall is an excellent initiative in convenience retail shopping of branded home and office improvement products, and I am sure the offering will get even better up ahead.

Added Mr. Motwani, Vice President and Business Head, Godrej Lifespace,

Based on the excellent response we received at our stores, integration of advanced Information Technology was an inevitable step in customer convenience and service. First, we had the in-store virtual kiosk, and now we have the online Lifespace eMall which will save the customer the need to visit the store. Godrej Lifespace is a practical and cost effective solution as it gives you a complete range of quality Godrej products at one location. Godrej products have always been very well received by the people and we are very happy to launch eMall today.

With the Godrej Lifespace eMall, one 29

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Actress June Maliah and Shyam Motwani, Business Head, Retailing Division at the launch of Godrej Lifespace eMall.

can now purchase the largest range of Godrej Home & Office Furniture, Appliances and Security Products from anywhere in the country using a computer, and have the product delivered right to their doorstep.

This is the first of its kind initiative and the largest online eMall concept by any Corporate group selling such a large variety of its own branded products in three product categories Furniture, Appliances and Security Products.

Godrej Lifespace eMall has some distinct features that may have not been experienced before in any other online shopping for these product categories.

Some of its unique features are:

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Fully Detailed Online Product Catalogue: This gives the finer and complete details of all the models, colours and combinations that are available in each category of products.

Product Selector Software: This is a specially designed interactive software that actually asks a few simple questions in real time mode, based on which it advises the customer back on what could be the ideal product/model suited for their requirement. This is a very useful tool as it addresses some of the most preliminary questions customers want answered when they visit any store.

Colour Draping Option: If the customer likes a particular Sofa or Storwel cupboard model; but wishes to see it in another colour - Just clicking a colour choice button can help him see how the same model looks in another colour instantly.

Useful Tips for Home Décor & Security: This provides practical inputs on correct lighting, decoration and arrangement of home décor articles based on Feng Shui; tips to enhance décor and some important pointers on how to improve security

of homes and offices. l 24x7 Online Order Tracking Facility: This lets the customer know the exact status of their order. The approximate delivery period is indicated beforehand on the site, and through a system of auto triggered emails, customers are automatically intimated about the status of their orders. l Easy EMI Facility: A tie up with ICICI Bank offers ICICI Bank credit card holders the benefit of purchasing any product above Rs.1,500/- on a Triple Zero EMI facility . Under this scheme, the customer can avail of 3 or 6 month EMI facility at zero interest cost, zero down payment and zero processing fee. l Secure Payment Gateway: It ensures that all online purchases made by the customer at any time of the day or night through the credit card are completely safe and secure.

With this new online initiative Godrej Lifespace hopes to make the life of its customers simpler by making shopping faster, easier and more convenient, helping him save precious time and effort spent in shopping.

Retailing Team

Safety Department

Safe-guarding the division s interests production and various other operational changes in the division.

Allen Antao awarding certificates

Event: Safety workshop at Process Equipment Division held from January 23 to 25, 2007.

What s special: The main objective of this workshop was to increase awareness levels and help employees understand individual responsibility and accountability towards safety. The need for training was felt because of the hike in accidents owing to increase in 30

Proceedings: The workshop was attended by 30 participants, comprising departmental heads and senior supervisors. One of the highlights of the programme was an extremely motivating speech by the Divisional Head, Allen Antao.

The content of the workshop was finalised after a series of brainstorming sessions among all the OHS heads and the Head of Manufacturing in the division. The workshop focused on Mechanical Material handling Equipments, Housekeeping and 5 S , Safe use of Forklift trucks, Safe use of EOT cranes, Work permit system, Accident reporting and investigation, Safety in gas cutting / welding, Fire

prevention and its control, Eye injury and precautions, Important Factories Acts Supervisory skill enhancement, Safety in Radiography and Hydro testing.

All the sessions were conducted with the help of internal and external expert faculty such as Divisional OHS Heads, our Factory Medical Officer Dr. GD Bhatia and officials from the office of Director General of Factory Advice Services & Labour Institute (DGFASLI).

Having such a senior speaker from DGFASLI was indeed a very enriching experience. At the end of the programme, certificates were distributed by Mr. Antao. It is also essential to mention Arup Roy, GM (Manufacturing), who successfully created a sense of commitment

Participants team members

towards safety participants.

among

the

Feedback: The entire three-day programme was without a single dull moment. The workshop garnered positive feedback from almost everyone. Participants confessed that very few knew the role and

Udayachal School

Communicating with a Difference

Clarifying the queries raised by the participants

Training in progress by external faculty

responsibility in the field of safety as under the Factories Act, particularly the legal aspects. Also, several were unaware that occupational health is a part of Industrial Safety.

participants, acceptance of ownership, training programmes developed and conducted by participants, Improvements in quality of Tool Box meetings, Developed format for Risk Assessment and tracking of maximum near-misses

Outcome: The outcome of the programme can be assessed by analysing the change of attitude among

Corporate Safety

A day dedicated to Safety

Administered safety pledge - by office staff

Administered safety pledge - by workmen

Safety badges are put on by employees

Displayed Safety banners at prominent locations

On March 5, the National Safety Day was celebrated with great zeal and enthusiasm in our organisation.

at all above locations while celebrating the Safety Day.

Event: The annual exhibition at Udayachal High School called the ‘Spectrum of Communication.’ Proceedings: The exhibition highlighted several verbal and nonverbal forms of communication.

The exhibition was presented through visual, auditory, tactile and oral (drama) mediums. There were charts, spoken word, drama, music, painting, games, powerpoint presentation, paper-art, symbols, signs and signals.

Guests of honour: The chief guest Dr Ms. Bala Krishnamoorthy, Professor, NMIMS, inaugurated the exhibition and Ms Smita Crishna Godrej lit the auspicious lamp.

Last word: Communication is an art that can be explained scientifically and understood best when observed carefully.

This is the first time in the history of the G&B that the employees of the Manufacturing establishments at SSG Chennai, Shirwal and Mohali including Branch employees, Corporate Offices (Plant-11&12), Mumbai Branch, Dispensary, Canteen, Petrol Pump, Security and have celebrated this auspicious day.

We organised the following activities

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Safety banners were displayed at distinct locations.

Safety badges were put on by all the employees including contractors and visitors.

The Safety Pledge was administered to all the employees.

We wish to thank all people who gave their full support and co-operation in making this celebration a big success.

Corporate Safety 31

Hillside Club

Bowled over by cricket On April 29, the Hillside Colony residents saw an cricket exciting match organised by the Godrej Hillside Club.

In a thrilling limited overs match April 29, the Club President s Eleven led by

Sandip Mohan won the Man of the Match trophy.

skipper KK Moorthy lifted the Club President s Rolling Trophy, defeating the Challengers led by skipper Ravi Bhat by four wickets.

Participants of the Club President's trophy

KK Moorthy, captain, Club President's Eleven with the winners trophy.

Sandip Mohan of the Club President Eleven won the Man of the Match trophy for putting up a spirited fight against the Challengers.

Mr. Surti (Mumbai Cricket Association) - Commentary Ashok Palande - Facilitator Rohan R Bhat - Scorer

The match was inaugurated by Kamal Nandi, Vice President, Marketing, Appliance Division, who is also the Club s Outdoor Games Secretary.

Post match, a few residents approached us and suggested that the club take lead in organising such events to make the colony lively. We have assured them that many more sports, games and cultural events will be organised in the colony under the aegis of the Club.

M Dasan Godrej Hillside Club

We express our gratitude to the following people for assisting us in making the match a success AMN Singh and Mr. Aneesh - Umpires

Bonding and sisterhood at the Hillside Club To add a dash of colour to our otherwise well-equipped Hillside club, a few regular members got together and decided to start an exclusive Innercircle for Ladies. As a result our beautiful club got introduced to a ladies wing for the first time. The beginning

Chitra Rajkumar displays her Ikebana skills

had its own share of teething troubles, but in a very short span of time the meetings are more organised and a sense of sisterhood and bonding is clearly becoming visible.

The first meeting of the inner-circle, held in the month of February was 32

hosted by Atula Pusalkar and Sheila Naik. They had arranged for a talk on yoga

by Jasmine Dumasia which was quite relevant owing to our hectic life-styles.

The hostesses of the second meet were Susan Eipe and Hema Rao. They both kept us all enthralled with a wonderfully organised The Inner-circle of Ladies at the mangroves memory game and also tickled our taste buds with a demo on sun, the chirping of the birds and the Chocolate making made easy . verdant green cover left us all amazed.

Our April meet was also a mix of fun and learning. While Chitra Rajkumar s Ikebana skills was a colourful medley of beautiful flowers, her co-host Suniti Vaidya kept us on our toes by getting us to recite the alphabet backwards.

Our outings so far have been a movie at the PVR theatre at Mulund followed by a scrumptious lunch. Another one of our memorable outings was an early morning trip to the Vikhroli mangroves which was truly awesome. The rising

We saw nature at its best from the watch tower. We thoroughly enjoyed every moment and were reluctant to step down from the watch tower. We promised our guides Maya and Mukul from the Garden Department that we would return with our families.

The lady members plan to do a lot of constructive work together in the days to come and grow from strength to strength.

Meenu Sharma

Garden Department

Celebrating World Wetland Day

Celebrating World Wetland Day

February 2 is celebrated as World Wetland Day across the world. The Mangroves had organised celebrations through the week.

Environment Education. There were teachers from several schools in Mumbai who participated enthusiastically in the workshop.

The Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology Centre (Mangrove Section) had organised a poster exhibition on the theme Wetland Conservation on the occasion of World Wetland Day (February 2, 2007) in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund, Mumbai.

Udayachal High school students, Godrej employees and residents of the Godrej colonies visited the exhibition. The importance of wetlands, the need of their conservation, Ramsar Convention and citizen s role in Wetland

The day started with a nature trail in the Mangroves and a visit to the Marine Aquarium. The group spent three hours

Teachers going for a Nature Trail in the Mangroves.

Conservation was discussed with the visitors.

As a part of these celebrations, on February 4, a workshop was organised for school teachers teaching Environmental education in different schools of Mumbai. This was in collaboration with Srishtidnyan, a local NGO working in the field of

Students participating in the poster exhibition on Wetland Conservation

in the mangrove forest watching mudskippers, fiddler crabs, birds and butterflies. They enjoyed the view of the vast mangroves (nearly 700 hectares) conserved by Godrej, which serves as lungs of the city of Mumbai.

Visitors were very interested to know more about the different varieties of marine fishes in the aquarium. In the afternoon a film show on Marine biodiversity was organised in Mangrove Interpretation Centre. The programme also included a presentation of the projects undertaken by the school teachers and students on Environmental conservation and a quiz competition.

The programme was concluded with a prize distribution programme.

Dr. Maya Mahajan Mangroves

Lok Sabha Speaker and his delegation at Godrej Vietnam A fourteen member parliamentary delegation led by Somnath Chatterjee , the Lok Sabha Speaker, paid an official visit to Ho Chi Minh City from March 25 to 27, 2007.

The Speaker was accompanied by his wife Renu Chatterjee and six members from both houses of Parliament and other senior government officials.

The Speaker and his delegation visited Binh Duong for a meeting with Vu Minh Sang, Chairman of the Provincial People s Council.

The delegation also visited two companies of Indian origin Godrej Vietnam and Ranbaxy Laboratories Ltd. at Vietnam Singapore Industrial Park.

The delegation arrived at our manufacturing plant at around midday and the members were shown around the plant. They appreciated our shop floor and its layout. Chatterjee and the members of delegation were appreciative of the quality and finish of the products on display. M Daruwalla took the opportunity to convey greetings and compliments on behalf of our Chairman and Managing Director, JN Godrej. The Speaker warmly reciprocated the gesture and presented him with a memento on behalf of the Parliament of India.

At the luncheon given in his honour, the Speaker in his speech spoke about Godrej in glowing terms. He urged Indian firms to invest more in the growth of Vietnam. Members of our team were invited to join a forum to promote Indian investments in Vietnam. The Speaker while departing, once again conveyed his best wishes and compliments to JN Godrej.

All members of the team at Godrej, Vietnam were thrilled with the visit of the VIPs. Mozam Daruwalla Godrej Vietnam 33

Congratulations The Pune Local Centre celebrated its 36th National Safety day on March 4, 2007 in collaboration with National Safety Orgnisation, Pune.

Ramesh A Bagi, Senior Manager- Safety was awarded the VJ Mehendaley Prize, 2007.

The prize consists of a memento, a certificate and a cash prize of Rs. 1000.

The prize was given by VL Joshi, Joint Director, Health & Safety, Pune who was the Chief Guest. Dr. Sunil Dhapte, Asst RTO, Pune was the Guest of Honour.

Congratulations

Jaysheela Agadi from Udayachal High School won the second prize in a Powerpoint presentation competition for teachers on January 15, 2007. The competition was conducted by Nehru Science Center as a part of the Science Expo 2007. Jayasheela Agadi s presentation was Nuclear Energy in India.

Sheetal Lingam participated in the same competition and won a consolation prize for her presentation on the topic Water for Food and Environmental Challenges.

From foul to fuel Udayachal High School won top honours at S-ward level and District level competitions to qualify to present their project Foul to Fuel at the statelevel Science Exhibition at Yawatmal!

Kunal Patil, Sayali Sawant, Sayali Borse, Debojit Chakraborthy and Rohit

Lankanpalli of Std IX worked under the guidance of their teachers Sheetal Lingam and Viji Rajan on this project.

The objective of the project was to generate electricity from sewage water and simultaneously treat sewage water.

Congratulations.

Strategic Marketing Best practice to next practice consumer and what makes them Godrej & Boyce and Godrej tick were indeed unique. The Industries sponsored a two-day concept of and-ness was national marketing and media explained in-depth. Graham Hales convention convened by Bombay of Interbrand, UK made a powerful Management Association on presentation on brand building. It January 19 and 20, 2007 at the was followed by a well thought out Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. presentation on advertising by MG Dr Jagdish Sheth is a renowned Parameswaran of FCB Ulka. scholar and world authority in the On the second day, field of marketing. Currently Dr Indrapal Singh, past president, BMA proposed the vote of thanks presentations were made on the Sheth is Charles H. Kellstadt Chair of marketing at the Goizuets Business participants requested if there could be topics of CRM, media conversions, School, Emory University, USA. Dr a two-day long workshop on the topic strategies for breaking media clutter and content is king by distinguished Sheth in his key-note address traced the by Dr Sheth in the future. evolution of strategic marketing thought Dr Sheth s session was followed by a s p e a k e r s . over the last three decades. Not only panel discussion on the essence of Indrapal Singh, did he throw light on some of the lesser market leadership. Anil Mathur, COO, past President BMA known insights as to how the thought Interio division participated in the of discussion and made interesting summed up the evolved over the years, but also provided observations on the topic.

He proceedings a link amongst its different stages. The stages of the strategic marketing thought highlighted the importance of customer and proposed being the four Ps of marketing, SWOT service as one of the key ingredients the vote of analysis, Strategic portfolio management, for market leadership. The other panel thanks. All in the theory of Competitive advantage, members identified brand building, all, it was a Customer-centric marketing, Four As of product innovation, design and similar great seminar Prof. Jagdish Sheth in terms of new learnings for the marketing, relationship-based marketing factors for leadership.

The afternoon session had an unusual participants and a good platform for the and share of heart developed by him.

The address of Dr Sheth was indeed presentation by Hamsini Shivkumar on speakers for putting their views across.

Doreen Rosario and Arun Kuruvilla, spell-binding, besides being highly understanding the Changing Indian Interio Division educative. In fact, a large number of Consumer. Her insights on the Indian 34

LITTLE WONDERS

Nayan Sanjay Satam Prajakta Manohar Zanje Daughter of: Manohar V Zanje, Executive HR - Wing Works Student of: Sinhgad Spring Dale School, Pune (Std VII)

Son of: Sanjay Satam, PES Division and Vinodini Satam, Corporate Student of: Udayachal High School (Std VII)

Achievements: Participated in the RSP Rally held on February 26, 2007 at Pune Police ground. She was the commander of her school platoon. Under her leadership her platoon won the Best Platoon prize and also a consolation prize for the Best Turnout . Prajakta also won an individual silver medal in the rally. She collected the award from Pune Additional Police Commissioner, Rajendra Singh.

Swapnil Chandrakant Deshmukh

Achievements: Has won the following awards for Instrumental Music and has been selected The Best Student in Classical Music Instrumental (Jr) 2nd Prize at S Ward Inter-school Music Competition 2005 2006 3rd prize at Regional Level Inter-school Music Competition 2005 2006 3rd prize at S Ward Inter-school Music Competition 2006 2007 3rd prize for Instrumental Music at Bal Mahotsav 2006 organised by Swami Shri Prempuriji Ashram Trust.

He has been the recipient of Niti Award for two consequent academic years 2005-06 and 2006-07.

Son of: Chandrakant Deshmukh from the Navy Cell of Plant13 (Interio Division) Achievements: He was awarded a gold medal at the convocation held at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Technical University, Lonere for securing first rank with distinction in the final year examination of B.Tech.

(Mechanical Engineering) held in May 2006.

35

CREATIVE CORNER

Desiderata Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs; for the world is full of trickery.

But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals; and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.

Especially, do not feign affection.

Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.

Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be, and whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world.

Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.

36

CREATIVE CORNER

Ode to a

Mother Mother, thou art a beacon of love, A creation of God so divine That even in the darkest and coldest of times, Thou love, so pure, doth shine.

You sheltered me before I was born, By making me a part of you Then through the wondrous miracle of life, You brought me into this world so new.

As I grew up, you cared for me, You were always by my side You kept me from falling, when I tripped You were my teacher, friend and guide.

You endured me when I was impossible, You have chided me when I was wrong But through all those moments, high and low, Your love has lasted long.

Although I don t show it or say it, Although I behave like I don t care It s true that I love and respect you, And am proud of the bond we share.

In this life of mine, needless to say, You ve played a wonderful part And so on this day, dear Mother, I d like to thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Happy Mother s Day!!

- Ashwathi Thampi daughter of Ajitkumar (Appliance) and Prema Thampi (Prima)

KNOW YOUR MANGROVES

White-bellied Sea Eagle The White-bellied Sea Eagle is a large, impressive bird of prey common along Maharashtra coast. Although not very common in Mumbai, this distinctive bird can be found around the Thane creek area including the Pirojshanagar Mangroves. The bird is white on the head, rump and under parts and dark grey or ashy brown on the back and wings. While in flight, the white body, under wing and terminal tail bar in contrast to the black flight feathers on the wings are easily seen when observed from below. The large, hooked bill is grey with a darker tip, and the eye is dark brown.

Males are slightly smaller than females. The wingspan is about 2 meters.

juveniles and slowly begin to resemble adults in a patchwork manner, acquiring the complete adult plumage by their fourth year.

The Young ones of the Sea-Eagles are brown as

– Dr. Maya Mahajan

The White-bellied Sea-Eagle feeds mainly on aquatic animals, such as fish, turtles and sea snakes, but it takes birds and mammals as well. It is a skilled hunter, and will attack prey up to the size of a swan. Sea-Eagles also feed on carrion (dead prey) such as sheep and fish along the waterline. They harass smaller birds, forcing them to drop any food that they are carrying. Sea-Eagles feed alone, in pairs or in family or groups.

Please visit www.mangroves.godrej.com to know more about mangroves & activities of the mangrove section