The chanakya july 2013 by Kiams

KIA

From the Director

he eNewsletter, mbauniverse.com dated 4 May 2013, has highlighted one critical and one curious aspect, as well as one conundrum, of the MBA/ PGDM reality.

shame!! What would it say about the credibility of a B-School which changes its tune in adverse circumstances? KIAMS has always maintained that we will deliver good academics and, armed with that, the student should go out and do battle in the placement arena. The Institute seamlessly moves from the leading partner in academics, to a supporting partner in placements. Let no one read this statement, or pluck it out of context, as an abrogation of the placement KRA; read this as the Institute's guiding principle. In support that we are not badly out-of-step, I quote again from the article an eminent academician (who I respect): “B-schools are meant for creation, dissemination and application of knowledge, therefore the academic strength of a B-school capable of taking this motto forward should be the criterion for students and the placement reports,”

1) The critical aspect: 'Placement no longer a guarantee even in Top B-schools' The article makes a big issue of the fact that many top B-Schools have conducted their convocation without a placement report. To my mind, a convocation is part of an academic process, while placements is sequenced after the academic process. That industry and institute reality has made these two processes run parallel in part, is acceptable. But the conclusion from this adjustment that both processes should coincide is artificial. Hence my amazement that one feels inadequate when a convocation is conducted before placements are completed. At KIAMS we have always conducted the convocation in March, at the end of the academic process. But our Placement process continues till May of the year. There are many companies which do conduct their recruitment beyond March. It is a normal belief that the early bird gets the worm, but one forgets the late bird. And when worms abound, the late bird can also have a pick! I have personally experienced how the artificial anxiety of 'placement before convocation' destabilizes the academic process. Hence it gladdened my heart to read that B-Schools are 'continuing rolling placement to place all their students', despite the caveat that the situation is due to 'the cautious approach of recruiters in a slowing economy'. I sincerely hope that even when the economy recovers, the saneness of separating the two processes will remain

3) The Conundrum: While MBA Aspirants use B-school Placement reports as one of the major criterion while selecting their MBA Programme, placement 2013 season leaves them a bit confused I empathise with the student. Barring a sane voice here and there, they have all along been led to believe that once they pay their fees, their next step is placements (almost Pavlovian!). But what is the confusion? Is it that placements are poor this year? Will the explanation of 'slowing economy' not satisfy them? My feeling is 'No'. In good times, B-Schools had puffed their chests and claimed credit wholly, without pointing out that they were living in good 'economic' times. They were Gods! Who can therefore blame the aspirant when it suddenly dawns that their God has feet of clay! The 'slowing economy' reason would actually sound as an excuse.

2) The Curious aspect: B-schools argue for 'Academic strength' and not 'Placements' I would like to quote here an amazing sentence from the article 'With the placement scenario losing its sheen at top B-schools, the feeling is sinking in at B-schools as well. The B-schools are arguing that academic strength of a B-school should be the yardstick for MBA aspirants to choose their MBA programme and not the placement data.' What does this say about B-Schools?! But for this wake-up call of poor placements, would B-Schools have continued to promote themselves in a way that would put Placement Agencies to

It would confuse the aspirants to be told now (ref a quote in the article) “many B-schools published fudged (placement) data which is not reliable”. Another blow to the credibility of B-Schools! KIAMS, however, should pose the least credibility challenge to the aspirant in these tough time because (i) We always had our perspective of Academic and Placement processes right (ii) All our Placement Data is audited and transparently posted on the IPRS site!

Editorial

that has been embraced by millions of people around the world. The term social media can be described the “way people share ideas, content, thoughts, and relationships online.” Sites such as Facebook and Twitter have been hailed as revolutionising way of sharing information. The world hailed the arrival of a new era of political protests: the 'Twitter revolutions' wherein the activists post their opinions on the current critical issue and protest on-line.

ear Readers,

A very warm welcome to Batch 16 and Batch 15 who have come back with their learning's from Summer Internship Project and getting ready to start their second innings in the new academic session. “Social media spark a revelation that we, the people, have a voice, and through the democratization of content and ideas we can once again unite around common passions, inspire movements, and ignite change.” With these lines, Team Chanakya welcomes you to the July issue of the year 2013. This issue focuses on “Dominance of online/social media”.

This issue of Chanakya includes several articles that touch upon various online and social media trends and how it would continue to influence our lifestyle. So, in the beginning of the new academic year Team Chanakya wishes you all a great success and glory. With high hopes and spirits let us all welcome this opportunity with full of things that never were.

This is a time of great changes. Online social networking has exploded in popularity over the last decade. In just a few years, social media has grown from a novelty into a communication system

Happy Reading! The Editorial Team. 1

The Chanakya, July 2013

KIA

Online / Social Media

Internet - Changing the way we work Mr. Srinath Gunasekaran

day in the life of an average working adult – Wake up by 7 am, get ready within an hour, hurry through breakfast in 5-10 minutes and head out to work. The first thing the person is greeted by, is the horrible traffic. After commuting in the traffic in sweltering heat for more than an hour, she reaches barely in time for the 10 am meeting. She is already drained before she starts her work! After a challenging and hectic day at work, she wraps up at 7 pm. She has to go through the same or even worse traffic before she can get home at 8.30 pm. Now, she is completely drained to spend any time on any of her other interests and the only thing in her mind is to get to sleep after dinner to be able to wake up in time the next day. And, before she knows, a whole life has passed by without her having made a dent on 'things to do before 60'.

Files and software not available outside the office network – This is the most easy to fix. The current day network access technologies and tools allow access to the files, softwares and systems in a very secure manner and it is just a matter of having the right setup and tools. Access to these files and software being very slow from home – The advent of affordable and reliable broadband has relieved this bottleneck to a huge extent. The cost of a 10 mbps broadband in a city like Bangalore is lesser than the cost of commuting 10 kms to and fro every day. Having to meet colleagues, clients and vendors – Effective audio and video conferencing tools, in conjunction with high speed internet connection makes online interactions very effective. Most of the global teams in the IT industry today would not have been a reality without such tools. We are just looking at an extension to the usage of these tools to between home-office as compared to officeclient office. And in some cases, clients still want to have the human touch-point and want to interact in person with the vendor. But that would change when the costs outweigh the benefits. For an instance, remote training, remote presentations, etc. are becoming more preferred over flying down the trainer or consultant for the same due to cost reasons.

Now picture this – Waking up at 7 am, hitting the gym or the pool for a refreshing exercise/swim, spending a good one hour with family/kids and having a relaxed breakfast. And still being able to make in time for the 10 am meeting, with 30 minutes preparation time to spare. Once done with work at 7 pm, be able to spend a couple of hours with friends/family or favourite pass-time, before dinner. And no hassles of traffic in the whole day. Doesn't this sound nice? This is already a reality for many a folks (mostly in IT sector), and could very well be the reality for employees in other industries too in a few years. Telecommuting, more popularly known as 'Work from home' as a concept, is fast catching up and has been a blessing to many people, that has made the above dream a reality. With the advent of cheap broadband and a whole suite of online communication tools, one can setup a completely virtual office that does not require its employees to be physically present at the office premises and be as effective, if not more effective and efficient in getting the work done.

There are a lot of benefits to both employer and employee in such a setup. For starters, the employee gets more free time in her hand and hence a better work-life balance. The employee works in an environment where she is most comfortable and hence is more creative and effective. The employee has the comfort of staying close to the family the whole day and does not have to worry about their well-being especially in cases where one of the members is unwell. A happier workforce is more efficient and hence the employer benefits from this setup. And more importantly, the employer can hire the person without constraint of the hometown of the prospective employee being different. This provides excellent opportunities for companies to tap into a nation-wide or even a global talent pool. And lastly there is a good cost saving associated with a reduced, less sumptuous office space.

Most of the white collar work in the current day environment is carried out through a computer and has minimal physical touch points like interaction with papers or instruments. A few sample cases: A finance executive in the olden days had to work with physical books of accounts, go through physical ledgers, bills, documents or reports. But, the same is now available on a computer and most of the repetitive tasks are automated by the software. The executive uses her brain for human decision making, and the inputs for those decisions are obtained from the computer. The recording and implementation of the decision are done through the computer. An architect in the olden days had to work with drafters, drawings etc. for most of the day apart from the time she was meeting with the client. The same is now achieved through design softwares.

The biggest challenge to make such a setup work successfully has been the lack of trust from employers that the employees would work effectively from a remote location even when no one is monitoring, and equally, the lack of discipline from employees when they work in such a setup. Working from home requires a strong disciplined approach from the employee to ensure that she is putting in the same time and efforts that she would put in if she were at office. Having a separate marked out office-space at home helps in this aspect. On the employer part, there are tools that effectively monitor whether an employee is putting in the time and effort on the said work. These tools capture the screen image at random points in regular intervals and keeps track of keyboard and mouse activity as well and report those to the employer (with the employee's consent

This leaves us with the question that why people still continue commuting to office for work. The answers are mostly, the electronic files and software are not available outside the office network, access to the files and software is very slow from home, having to meet colleagues, clients or vendors.

The Chanakya, July 2013

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Online / Social Media

of course). This serves as a measure to build the trust with the employer that the employee is working on the given assignment, and it also helps build the discipline in the employee to focus on work without distractions.

week, or to a set of trusted employees at first. They key is to setup an existing culture of effective work-from-home setup and they can slowly induct others into the program while maintaining the culture. Telecommuting is getting more widely accepted in the IT industry and is slowly catching up in education sector (online trainings, online classes etc.), and is being experimented in the healthcare sector too (online consultation). There have been cases of people working in vacation-work mode where they travel to different countries and cities and continue working remotely from those places. For the concept to catch up more, currently it is a culture shift that is needed, rather than technology limitations; much like the initial resistance to outsourcing. A world with office-less companies with a global work-force, could very well be a reality very soon!

At the other end of the spectrum care must also be taken to ensure that the work does not stretch for the whole day and eat into personal life, just because one has the ability to work for the whole day from home. Care must also be taken to ensure that there is enough social interaction with friends, to fill the void created by lack of in-person interaction at office. From past experience, telecommuting usually works best with experienced employees than freshers. This is mainly because freshers require more frequent interactions to learn the ropes and need to be given an environment where they do not hesitate to reach out to other colleagues. Having a remote work environment hampers that a bit. Also, the experienced employees have a good understanding of the culture and discipline required to get the work done in a remote setup. That said, when the concept catches up more in the industry, it would make it easier to have everyone including freshers work effectively from home. To introduce telecommuting, companies can start with providing the option for a few days in a

Mr. Srinath Gunasekaran VP of Development Abyeti Technologies (The author is the VP of Development at Abyeti Technologies and works remotely with a global client team – most of the days from his home-office).

Comparative Performance of Domestic and Foreign Owned Firms: Evidence from an emerging Market -Dr. V S Pai, Mr. Chetan V. Hiremath

paper on “Comparative Performance of Domestic and Foreign Owned Firms: Evidence from an emerging Market”, by Dr. V S Pai and Mr. Chetan V. Hiremath was accepted for presentation at SIBR Conference on Interdisciplinary Business and Economics Research, 2013 in Bangkok.

two points of time 2002-03 and 2011-2012 using four measures of economic performance. These include operating profit margin (OPM), net profit margin (NPM), return on net worth (RONW) and asset turnover ratio (ATR). We employed the WELCH Test (W-test), Bonferroin post-hoc test as well as the Linear Discriminant Analysis technique. Our finding is that all three groups of firms performed at par!

Abstract –

Dr. V S Pai, Professor Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies, Harihar

We studied the performance of 45 companies, 15 each from three groups of firms namely, foreign subsidiaries, domestic private, and public sector companies. Our intent was to determine which of these displayed superior economic performance. We analyzed data for

Mr. Chetan V. Hiremath, Sr. Lecturer, Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies, Harihar

Literature Review of Open Shop Scheduling Problems -Dr. R.Panneerselvam and Mr. Ellur Anand

paper on “Literature review of open shop scheduling problems”, by Dr. R. Panneerselvam and Mr. Ellur Anand was sent to International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology.

jobs, minimization of sum of weighted tardiness of all jobs, minimization of weighted sum of tardy jobs and miscellaneous measures of the open shop scheduling problem. Within each category, the literature is further classified based on approaches used and the contributions of researchers in the respective categories are presented. At the end, directions for future research are presented!

Abstract –

Dr. R. Panneerselvam, Professor Dept of Management Studies, School of Management, Pondicherry University.

This paper discusses review of literature of open shop scheduling problem. First, the problem is classified as per different measures of performance, viz. minimization of makespan, minimization of sum of completion times of jobs, minimization of sum of weighted completion times of all jobs, minimization of total tardiness of all

Mr. Ellur Anand, Sr. Lecturer Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies, Harihar

The Chanakya, July 2013

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Online / Social Media

A world of social media – True mirror - Prof. Vinay Bhushan

Introduction

brand and other products.

Digital marketing is the practice of promoting products and services using digital distribution channels to reach consumers in a timely, relevant, personal and cost-effective manner. More dominating and popular components are:

ince the beginning of the 1990s, the strategies employed by today's media and telecommunication companies have led to increased concentration within the industry. In part, this concentration can be explained by worldwide deregulation and privatization trends. This, in turn, has contributed to a decrease in so-called natural monopoly structures. The digitalization and convergence of information and communication technologies (ICT) has also had a significant impact on media business strategy. In addition, the development of digital and interactive technologies has accelerated the erosion of the existing frontiers between the media industries (Peltier, 2004).

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Social Media Search Engine Marketing Mobile Marketing Branding & Design Email marketing

According to a digital survey-2013, today's consumers are now spending more time with online media than they are with traditional forms of media. Globally, social media and mobile internet usage now accounts for 57% of daily media time.

Gracie Lawson says that “Intelligent networking is defined here as the use of media and communication technologies across various delivery platforms for unlimited digital connections to reach or foster niche and broad-based connections whether business, education lifestyle and media interests”.

Overall, consumers now spend an average of 10.7 hours a day with all forms of media and 5.6 hours of that on digital. The trend to online is most marked in countries such as UAE and China, where total online time, which includes PC, tablet and mobile, takes up 7.3 and 6.1 hours respectively.

With the advent of each new technological device, its invention, subsequent production and distribution process has been accelerating the desire for information and connectivity. We are living in an environment where everything is characterized with the time in which individuals and organizations are driven by a need to know, connect, create and share, which is enhanced by the digital capabilities of media in the 21st century.

There are now well over 1 billion internet users around Asia out of that 874 million of these people use social media and is reflecting 18% growth compared to last year. More than 10 million new users in Asia join Facebook every month which contributes to 50% of the world's social media new users. There are more than 3 billion mobile subscriptions in Asia which contributes to 81% of penetration. Researchers expected that there would be 1.4 billion smartphones will be activated in 2013. The number of mobile-connected devices will exceed the world's population by this year end.

Internet gives access to a large base of audience who engage regularly in various activities of social networking sites. The term social networking is most often misunderstood only in terms of the virtual forums where people can come, create communities, share their images and updates and make friends. There are instead different types of social networking site ruling the internet world. These includes blogs, social networks, social bookmarks, media sharing, user generated contents, micro-blogging etc.

These statistics are encouraging the business to choose this as a medium for connecting, communicating, and serving to the customer. Social media has shown a smooth way to creating and attracting the target audience more economically in global slowdown. Yogesh Bansal, founder and CEO, ApnaCircle.com says that “Apart from social networking, professional networking has been engaging the users. Professional networking sites are more popular among young females and have the second highest average time spent. It is also anticipated that the rate of growth in mobile usage will exceed the growth in usage through personal computers for the foreseeable future.”

21st century – Social Era The debut of digital gadgets such as smart phones and digital tablets have resonated across communication and media industries to increase the ways emerging digital technologies influence content delivery as well as behaviour of users. Companies like Apple, Samsung have responded well to integrate mobile and tablet apps with their

Organizations use Social media's like Facebook, Twitter to converse with prospects, provide customer service and drive website traffic. Social Media can rev up Lead generation, Branding, and Engagement. Social media is able to create attention rather buy attention of mass

The Chanakya, July 2013

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Online / Social Media

audience. Compared to the Traditional CRM, Social media is always available whenever they want it, need it.

types of engagement” said Jacqueline Anderson, director of social media and text analytics at J.D. Power and Associates.

Social media Methodology:

Companies need to understand how their consumers use social media and then develop a strategy that addresses their usage patterns. “If your customers want service and you're pushing discount coupons out to them while ignoring their attempts to connect with you, you're going to end up with dissatisfied customers” added Anderson.

Because social media is all about RELATIONSHIPS, It takes a lot of work to make it work for you. It is simple to communicate but there will be lot of adverse effect on your brand if you are not able to tackle or deliver in right way.

The study finds a correlation between overall satisfaction with a company's social marketing efforts and consumers' likelihood to purchase and their overall perception of the company. Among highly-satisfied consumers (satisfaction scores of 951 and higher on a 1,000-point scale), 87% indicate that the online social interaction with the company “positively impacted” their likelihood to purchase from that company. Conversely, among consumers who are less satisfied (scores less than 500), one in 10 consumers indicate that the interaction “negatively impacted” their likelihood to purchase from the company. The study also finds that some industries are more successful than others at implementing best practices into their social media engagement strategies than others. When looking across industries, the auto industry performs particularly well in both marketing and servicing social media interactions, the only industry to do so. Other industries performing well are wireless in social servicing interactions and utility in social marketing interactions.

Figure 1: Social Media Methodology (Ethinos Digital Marketing ) To deliver right, you should follow a methodology which guides the management for opportunity and add value to the customer or brand. The research says that27% of the brand is affected with social media where the market capitalization is just 18%.

Companies that are focused only on promoting their brand and deals, or only servicing existing customers, are excluding major groups of their online community, negatively impacting their satisfaction and influencing their future purchasing decision. A onepronged approach to social is no longer an option. Social media is huge for brands because people trust what their friends say more than what a company says. Social marketing as well as word-ofmouth, blogging and buzz marking are shown to be extremely effective. The survey by AIMA, grouping of management professionals, found that more than one-third (38 per cent) of respondents believe that social media participation has improved their brand equity as well as stakeholder engagement.

"The idea of getting the right person over the right time at the right opportunity and yield the right result was really important.”-Jeff Schick, VP Social Software Companies need to be well defined with Social media to achieve success. Creating the culture of sharing should be the primary objective. Create a platform where people are comfortable talking and expressing themselves openly where each stakeholders can support each other. Believe in creating Masses of (relevant) Communication and not mass communication that has a one-sizefits-all approach with KISS (Keep it Simple, Silly). Companies need to have disciplined systems in place to communicate 24/7. The system should be well equipped with defining the need and actions else you will be trapped in to unnecessary controversies and conflicts which can lead immediate brand damage in social community.

Today's consumers are more active on social media than ever before, and not surprisingly, many marketers are struggling to keep up. It seems that, with an ever-evolving sea of data and technology, marketers don't know where to start. Marketers are told what they need to do, but no one's telling them WHY these tactics are important or HOW to execute a campaign around them. The WHY is just as important as the WHAT and WHERE. In order to dominate, we have to remember the basics of social media marketing and management. So let's get back to the basics:

Businesses can no longer adopt a trial-and-error approach to social media as all-new research finds a link between social media and business metrics such as consumers' likelihood to purchase or interact with companies through leading social channels, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2013 Social Media Benchmark Study, released recently.

1. Optimize Campaign Performance Most successful marketing campaigns running today have one thing in common: they include consumer touch- points that cross multiple channels. And in today's consumer landscape, the one channel you cannot afford to ignore is social media.

“While there are vast differences among age groups in the frequency of servicing and marketing engagements, there is a consistency in the impact on brand perception and purchase intent through both

Build a social brand presence on Facebook by publishing Pages that facilitate consumer interaction and then ask for that interaction. 5

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Online / Social Media

Offer Facebook fans and Twitter followers a reason to engage via social channels and drive conversions with fan-gated promotions and coupons.

on social media and work toward nurturing a positive brand experience. Whatever content you decide to “pin” or “star,” make sure it's capable of enhancing your Facebook presence. Your network of Facebook fans should find it interesting, relevant, and be eager to engage with you because of it.

One of the recent cases for social campaign of Oreo's 'Pride' was aimed at taking a stand on gay rights and showing their support to the community. Not only did this make people get up and take notice but also strengthened a positive brand image for Oreo. The Result of this campaign has increased the engagement and attracted the consumers. Their post generated 143,000 'Likes', close to 18,000 comments, and was subsequently featured as a success story in many leading marketing publications

One of best example for this is ExactTarget - A US based marketing software vendor: ExactTarget Conference monitored Twitter and found a blogger who was tweeting about the conference. The company decided to surprise him. On arrival to the conference venue he received:

2. Grow Your Subscriber List with Facebook. Data collected via social media, combined with CRM and behavioural marketing data, has proven to increase overall campaign effectiveness. After all, the more you know about your consumers, the better you can deliver relevant, timely messages. If you want consumer data, you have got to ask for it. So start by promoting a branded lead form on Facebook that requests email addresses along with basic demographic information.

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Registered badge Surprise gift Hotel reservations Proposed itinerary for the event

As the result of the constant monitoring the social media, ExactTarget able to trace the loyal customer and rewarding the loyal customer. The delighted customer happened to be a prominent blogger who spread the word and added 34% new customer base.

During the third quarter of Super Bowl XLVII when a power outage at the Superdome caused some of the lights to go out for 34 minutes, the sandwich cookie's social media team jumped on the cultural moment, tweeting an ad that read “Power Out? No problem” with a starkly-lit image of a solitary Oreo and the caption, “You can still dunk in the dark.” The message caught on almost immediately, getting nearly 15,000 retweets (as of this writing) and more than 20,000 likes on Facebook.

4. Remember the Mathematics We must get better at analyzing and using data to create personalized and relevant messaging for our future and current customers. This could be as simple as keeping track of names, addresses, and past purchases via a spreadsheet. It could also be as complex as managing millions of different data points. Only the data relevant will survive.

In an environment where advertisers are spending nearly $4 million to run a spot during the Big Game, having a brand respond in realtime on social media is a clever way to reach people on smartphones and computers.

Adding Milestones to your Facebook Timeline is a simple process. Start by writing down your milestones on a sheet of papers Here are 5 ideas for adding milestones on Social medias like Facebook, Twitter…

Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger says that “Retweet is much more engaged, it is suggesting that the audience is not only processing this message but actively engaging with the message and selecting the message to pass on to their friends. That said, is this going to sell more Oreos at the end of the day? Hard to tell. [But] It definitely makes the brand seem like a cleverer, more interesting, sharp brand. So in terms of brand equity this is as effective, if not more effective, than just showing another Super Bowl ad.”

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3. Engage Loyal Customers by Using the Timeline In order for a brand to be successful on Facebook today, they must see engagement from their fans. While it does require more strategy and higher-quality content, it also provides a greater opportunity to engage with previously idle fans, turning them into customers and eventual brand advocates.

Describe how your industry has changed Photo's of original staff / current staff Photos and stories of your first office or vehicle Feature your most loyal employee or employees Reprint of your original brochure cover or logo

You can make timeline focusing your business: · Day in business · Office · Employee(s) · Customer · Invoice · News stories

Gather your most engaging content and draw attention to it by “starring” and “pinning” it to your Timeline. For your brand, this may include - Video footage, Commercials, Event promotions, and Special announcements

Remember, that the lifeblood of any company is measured on our ability to create happier customers. We are reaching the point in social media where we must become more responsible with data and measuring the ROI of every channel!

Use Value-Add messaging to engage your customers. Ensure that they get the most out of their like and/or purchase. Publish tips and tricks that maximize the value of their engagement with your brand

Prof. Vinay Bhushan Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies.

The Chanakya, July 2013

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Online / Social Media

Effective Promotions – Paper Media vs. Social Media Mr. Prafull Srivastava

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for the same figure stands at roughly 14.2% · According to popular site mashable.com the average time people spend on social media sites is around 7 hours per month. Indians on the other hand spend a little more than 3 hours of their time on social media sites (which is more than 25% of their time online )

Is social media a fad? Does it deserve to be a part of my marketing mix? Is social media promotion expense justified in today's scenario? Which platform would best suit my company's requirement? My business is a small one. Will social media help me?

hese are perhaps some burning questions which have given marketing gurus and marketing heads of big MNCs a couple of sleepless nights in the recent past. The article here will try to explore the relevance of social media promotion strategy, how is it different from the traditional marketing strategies in terms of mode of operation as well as the power and reach it brings to the table which in turn would help us to develop a better insight on these questions

The paid circulations of newspapers around the world have continued to decline especially in US and more developed countries like Japan. India is now the most world's fastest-growing newspaper market. Between 2005 and 2009 the number of paid-for daily newspapers in the country increased by 44% to 2700. In 2008 India overtook China to become the leader in paid-for daily circulation, with 110m copies sold each day Summing up it can be said that the reach of social media is growing leaps and bounds. The penetration of print media is growing but the rate is much slower. Moreover developed geographies that are characterized by high spending and high consumerism are the hubs of social media. Promotion on social media Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining traffic or attention through social media sites. Today when social media has become an integral part of our life it seems obvious that the next marketing revolution will be on social media platform. If today's customer is contemplating to buy a product, he/she could just post it on his social media profile page and invite his 'network of trusted connections' to get feedback on the various options available and their reviews - instantaneously. Hence, today's companies are also realizing this insight to create communities around their products or offerings, invite and encourage members to join them, and then convert them into loyal customers and advocates The recent attempts by marketeers to conquer this territory thus seem obvious. Marketeers are coming with all sort of promotional ideas to outwit their opponents. With every inch and mm of traditional medium like newspaper, magazines and television advertising already covered and all possible efforts towards direct marketing already taken care of the next battleground for marketeers will be social media

Social media and its importance Well put simply the term social media refers to any site that enables exchange of information and/or content through web to a large target audience which is usually (but not restricted to) people known to the poster of the content. The content exchanged can range from simple text updates on micro blogging sites like twitter to videos posted on video sharing sites like Youtube. Social media has followed the path of exponential growth in recent years engulfing users to its fold in a virtual world which gives them a chance to “CONNECT SHARE AND EXPRESS”.

The image above clearly shows how the prospective customers may use these platforms for their business needs. Though social media is still in its infancy especially in a developing country like India but a boom in this field is inevitable. Social media: A fad or a vital part of media strategy Social media in today's world has evolved in a powerful medium of information dissemination. It has evolved into an essential tool of word of mouth marketing something that has been a trusted part of a marketeer's arsenal but in a virtual environment. However as long as the customer is ready to identify with the blogger or his online contact does it really matter?

The image on the left above gives us a rough idea about the main social networking sites, their user count in US and the growth rate. Some facts and figures that show the importance of social media in today's context are as follows: ·

Nearly 48% of US residents are on facebook. The world stat 7

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Online / Social Media question. While facebook continues to withhold its position as the jack of all trades businesses have found a much dramatic success when they used a more appropriate medium. Zomato's Instragram competition, Lipton Ice tea chill out campaign on Twitter and Share my Dabba campaign by Mumbai's very own dabbawalas are some recent success stories.

For those who argue that social media is a fad here are some statistics · Facebook has topped Google for weekly traffic in US · It took radio 38 years to reach 50 million, TV took 13 and ipod took 3 years. If they continue their hold on the public why will not social media that achieved the feat in under a year? · Youtube has become the second largest search engine next to google only · Pinterest the blue-eyed child of social media achieved a growth of 1037% something that has been never experienced by business community · The attempts of IT biggies to march in the field of social media marketing bears further testimony to the fact that it is the next big thing. What else can explain Oracle's purchase of Virtue for $300 million, and then Salesforce buying Buddy Media for $689 million It must be noted that while paper media or any other media are all one-directional. Marketers create content and try to push it out to consumers well enough. The secret of social media's success lies in the fact that it creates an environment where information flows two ways. The customers dictate the content, not the marketers. In fact a lot of content can be created by customers itself. The recent Micromax logo design contest is an excellent example how a company used social media to get a lot of eyeballs. Not just it helped to spread awareness about the brand without spending a dime it got a host of fresh logos to choose from. Also perhaps no sports extravaganza has taken advantage of social media like this years IPL. From team Twitter Battles to ESPN's social companion. From Vodafone's Super Fan contest to Yes Bank's facebook and twitter Quiz, social media has brought fans a step closer to their favourite stars and the game. Cricinfo.com attributes a lot of viewer engagement of this year's IPL to its successful social media strategy.

What these companies did right was they chose the right medium to connect with their audience. Zomato for example was all about food and there was no better way to connect with foodies than photos and instagram was best at that. This strategy is similar to choosing the right magazine or right page to popularize your business when using a print campaign. Thus this too is a concept that is just an expansion of your print media campaign Social media however stands out from its paper counterpart when it comes to costs involved. A carefully crafted social media can help companies to get a lot of attention for as low as nothing. Even in case of a paid service the cost is much less than the traditional media. This is the reason that a lot of small businesses are turning to social media and have been successful in their endeavours. Conclusion So while the above examples show the importance of social media in today's times the big question that remains is social media marketing self sufficient to promote a brand. Frankly speaking while it appears that social media will probably eliminate paper media to many, it seems highly unlikely today in a country like India. The limited internet penetration and the slow internet speed are hurdles that stand before this media with no signs of a soon approaching breakthrough. The firms today can at best used social media as a supplement to their marketing campaigns. Going by the present scenario TV and print media will continue to dominate the marketing budget of firms especially due to their efforts to capture the rural markets. Moreover with thousands and millions of Blogs and posts about any and everything available on internet which may change within seconds has somewhat had a negative impact on the credibility of social media. Paper media is miles ahead in this respect due to somewhat permanent nature of the post. A positive mention in the headlines of a leading magazine may work wonders to the brand image of the company. Thus it is important to balance your paper media marketing with social media marketing. The social side can be used to create communities of customers, share ideas and gain feedback. This can then be reaffirmed with printed marketing. It will be this partnership that will be the best strategy for businesses and the one that will lead them to best rewards! Mr. Prafull Srivastava, MBA(IB), 2012-14, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Kolkatta. References: · · ·

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http://www.essentiallyali.com/is-social-media-a-short-lived-fad/ http://www.slideshare.net/profmanishparihar/research-paper-on-social-media http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/09/16/social-media-is-everywhere-but-isprint-still-valuable/ http://www.digijeff.com/home/2012/05/coca-cola-vs-pepsi-the-social-mediabattle/ http://pinterest.com/jamesball/the-best-social-media-infographics/ http://www.slideshare.net/profmanishparihar/research-paper-on-social-media http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/09/16/social-media-is-everywhere-but-isprint-still-valuable/ http://www.digijeff.com/home/2012/05/coca-cola-vs-pepsi-the-social-media-battle/ http://pinterest.com/jamesball/the-best-social-media-infographics/

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Carving a successful Social Media Strategy Social Media Strategy for a firm depends primarily on its business, domain size and expectations. Even the choice of medium is seldom if not always dominated by the firm in

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Online / Social Media

Effective promotion â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Paper media vs. Social media -Dr.Himanshu Ujaoney

technology and the entertainment industry. In business, Social media can be used to build consumer/client confidence by helping establish you as an expert, it can help harbour relationships with current and potential clients, and it can provide more avenues for potential clients to find out about your business. Companies have identified that increased enterprise social networking can add immense values to the organisational functions such as Product Development, Marketing and Sales, Operations and Distribution, Customer Service and Business Support. The emergence of Internet-based Social media made it possible for one person to communicate with over hundreds of thousands or even millions of individuals, many of whom may have little interest in your business. But when properly developed, can be effective in building customer base and brand loyalty. Social media(also referred to as consumergenerated media) is a hybrid element of the promotion mix because in a traditional sense it enables companies to talk to their customers, while in a non traditional sense it enables customers to talk among themselves.

Introduction

successful business is judged by its profits. Managers would be smart to realize that marketing and advertising should be done to bring together ideas to get the name of their company before its target group irrespective of size of the business. For anyone who runs a business of any kind, the true question is not whether we need marketing, but how much do we need? A store owner can have the best products available on the market, and will still flounder financially if no one is able to find their products. So managers have to exposes people to their products through available paper media and Social media. With the prediction that the growth of Internet users will be in excess of 15% per year it is interesting to note that the demand for Internet comes not only from Indian cities, but also from rural population. India is expected to have in excess of 125 million Internet users by 2013 end in which 66 million would be using Social media with Facebook as the most accessed website followed by Google+ and LinkedIn. However, low literacy rates and poor penetration of internet at the moment provides a challenge for this medium to prosper. Statistics reveal that digital advertising in US was $36.6 billion and India it was just $418 million last year.

Mode of working Earlier marketers promoting their products online have followed a fairly standard arc, first buying digital ads and building their own Web sites. Now, companies are increasingly running online ads that focus less on pitching their products than promoting their Facebook pages and Twitter accounts. Social media as a medium of promotion contributes through its immediacy to a healthy and direct relation between brands and their public the ability to be present, to communicate, to impact and maintain a stronger position towards brands in an online environment.

Newspaper is cheap so people buy it and they also see a value in it. In spite of the fact that people are digitally aware but a morning newspaper with a cup of coffee is a must and it will stay for quite some time. A saving grace for paper media would be technology because 3G and 4G will take a few more years to establish itself in India. Hence, it will keep the paper media very comfortable at least for the next few years.

Outlook Many marketers see Social media as an additional broadcasting channel. This point of view limits the impact of it. The new mindset is about seeing Social media as a possibility to build a strong relationship with your audience and to change the â&#x20AC;&#x153;likesâ&#x20AC;? into active ambassadors. It has to use 80-20 principle, 80% of the time use

How can Social media help in business? Because of its speed, reach and ease of use, Social media is fast changing the public discourse in society and setting trends and agendas in topics that range from the environment and politics to 9

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Online / Social Media

Social media to share useful, relevant and valuable content with audience essentially following the guidelines of this article. The other 20% of the time get off-topic and break these guidelines. By getting off track occasionally and posting something random, we can remind our audience that we're people too.

Cons · Social marketing relies on customers being highly interactive on the internet. · Social media marketing places high demands on talent. It can be difficult to constantly come up with innovative exciting content that interests a variety of readers and, without relevance, your efforts in content creation, edition, approval and publishing will be wasted. · Control is less. Anything published is up for grabs, and backlash is the last thing you want on Social media. · Return on investment is delayed. It takes its own time and dedication.

Pros and Cons of Paper media Pros: · With different ad sizes and rates even small businesses and start-ups can place an ad that won't pinch the budget. · In addition, magazines and other paper media enjoy loyal audiences. Magazines may be kept around for a longer period, which gives more visibility to your product. · Paper media provides opportunities to advertisers to reach targeted audiences in a local market.

Conclusion According to available data, more than half of the world's adult population reads a newspaper. More than 2.5 billion read the paper edition. This represents more readers than total global users of the internet. According to the Readership Institute at Northwestern University, advertising is in top five drivers of newspaper consumption. Almost two-thirds of readers say they enjoy reading magazine ads, while more than half read their favourite paper magazines specifically to gain information about new brands. In the recent Deloitte Media Democracy Survey, almost 64% identified television as the primary influencer and about 63% mentioned newspapers as the next influencer. But sadly this trend is declining, is likely to stay around for the next few year. Also in India, Newspapers being published will continue to grow at around 6% every year. The paper media industry grew at single digit rates for six consecutive whereas Social media users are expected to grow by 21%. The average time spent by Indian on Social media is 29.6 minutes on weekdays as compared to 28.8 minutes on weekend days. However, a recent Harvard Business review survey showed that only 12% of the companies feel they are using Social media effectively.

Cons: · Traditional marketing is usually forced on the viewer, as they come across it in their daily lives. Hence this old school marketing has a very low response rate. · People don't share a community with the brand, and hence don't care about its campaigns. · While its true newspaper is a cost-effective advertising medium, when it comes to magazine advertising, the cost can be sky high. Furthermore, the magazine industry has long lead times. · Once the ad is papered, it is set in type. However if there is any change in the promotion or a mistake in the papering, the entire process must be restarted. · Paper ads are flat on the page, so they do not have the flashy appeal of television, radio or Internet ads. Pros and Cons of Social media Pros · Internet ads can combine copy, music and voices to grab the attention of a potential customer. · It has much higher conversion ratios because all social marketing can be tracked and adjusted. · Social media helps in building communities around brands, which remarkably increases repeat sales. · Helps reach customers that traditional marketing misses. You can never anticipate who will direct a friend to your blog or Facebook page, so chances of new leads is unlimited. · Demonstrate your personality, interact with customers and helps in building brand loyalty. · Encourage open communication through public comments to improve your products and services. · Makes one learn more about their target audience, by their comments and studying visitor analytics. This information can prove precious while planning other marketing campaigns. · Social media marketing is cost-efficient when compared with other marketing methods, even if you hire a dedicated team or outsource your Social media content needs. · The content that you distribute on one Social media channel can be used on another. One simple blog can be tweaked the way you want.

In a battle for supremacy, traditional marketing is falling further behind. But that doesn't mean that it is no longer competent. Your business still needs real world promotions to succeed. The ploy should be to spend more on social marketing. The 80/20 rule can apply here as well. Invest in 80% social marketing, and 20% traditional marketing. There are still a few out there that are not familiar with social marketing! Dr.Himanshu Ujaoney PGDBM, I Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education, Mumbai.

Sources · itu.dk/~rkva/2011-Spring-EB22/readings/MangoldSocialMedia.pdf · www.ijsrp.org/research_paper_may2012/ijsrp-may-201224.pdf · www.smallbusiness.chron.com/social-media-vs-newslettereffectiveness-48831.html · www.mashable.com/2009/03/11/newspaper-industry/ · comm.soc.northwestern.edu/leonardi/files/2012/09/socialmedia. · www.hpl.hp.com/research/scl/papers/socialmedia/socialmedia

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Online / Social Media

Web Revolution – An HR functional perspective - Prof. Sunaina Kuknor

“The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” ― Albert Einstein

U.S. Field Services Operations (USFO) Group has developed a paperless wage review (PWR) system. The Web-based system uses intelligent agents to deal with quarterly reviews of HP's 15,000 employees. The agent software lets USFO managers and personnel access to employee data from both the personnel and functional databases. The PWR system tracks employee review dates and automatically initiates the wage review process. It sends wage review forms to first-level managers by e-mail every quarter.

n the last decade, we have been witnessing one of the most important technological revolutions in the modern era – the Web revolution. The web is not only changing the way that we work,study,play and conduct our lives, but it is doing so much more quickly than any other revolution (such as the Industrial Revolution), with impacts that are more far-reaching. For example, four years ago, blogging was a novelty. Today more than four million bloggers are active on web and blogging is an instrument used in commerce, politics and entertainment. In another developing technology, Apple sold over 100 million songs on iTunes during the first year of operation. Further- more, we have seen only the tip of iceberg. The web revolution is facilitated by ever-changing information technologies.

Training and Human Resources Development – Employee training and retraining is an important activity of the human resources department. Sophisticated human resources departments build a career development plan for each employee. IT can support the planning, monitoring and control of these activities by using workflow applications. Some of the most innovative developments are in the areas of intelligent computer-aided instruction (ICAI) and the application of multimedia support for instructional activities. Training can be improved using Web-based video clips. For example, using a digital video-editing system, Dairy Queen's inhouse video production department produced a higher quality training video at 50% lower costs than by outsourcing it. The affordability of the video encourages more dairy Queen franchisees to participate in the training program.

Developments in web-based systems increased the popularity of HRIS (Human Resources Information System) as of the late 1990's. Perhaps the biggest benefit to companies of human relations IT services is the release of HR staff from intermediary roles, so they can focus on strategic planning and human resources organization and development. In the following write up we see how IT facilitated the management of human resources (HRM).

Managing human resources in large organizations requires extensive planning and detailed strategy. IT can play a vital role in human resource planning and functions.

Using the Web for Recruitment – With millions of resumes available online, it is not surprising that companies are trying to find the appropriate candidates on the Web, usually with the help of specialized search engines. Also, hundreds of thousands of jobs are advertised on the Web. As more companies expand operations overseas, global recruiting is becoming a zexing problem. Using the internet to recruit from other countries is becoming popular, yet it requires expertise. The Field Company provides an example of recruiting by Finish Line Corp. In a 12-month period, more than 330,000 candidates applied for employment with the company; more than 75% of them applied online. Using screening software (Unicru), 112,154 candidates were eliminated immediately. More than 60,000 hours of store managers' time were saved because of the reduction in the number of interviews conducted.

Personnel Planning and HR strategies – The HR department forecasts requirements for people and skills. Large companies develop qualitative and quantitative workforce planning models. Such models can be enhanced if IT is used to collect, update and process the information. Employee Relationship Management – In their effort to better manage employees, companies are developing human capital management (HCM), facilitated by the Web, to streamline the HR process. These Web applications are more commonly referred to as Employee Relationship Management (ERM). For example, self services such as tracking personal information and online training are very popular in ERM. ERM technologies and applications are very similar to those of customer relationship management (CRM). To sum it all, it is rightly said that human resources managers can increase their efficiency and effectiveness by using IT for some if their routine functions. Preparing and training employees to work with business partners frequently in foreign countries required knowledge about IT collaboration software operates. Compliance with government safety regulations and other human resourcesrelated requirements can be facilitated by IT software!

HRM Portals and Salary Surveys – One advantage of the web is the large amount of information available related to job requirements. There are both private and public HR portal which serve as a search engine. For example, several large companies (eg., IBM,Xerox, GE) created jointly with 120 companies a career portal called DirectEmployer.com. Another area for HR portals is salary surveys. Salary surveys help companies determine how much to pay their employees. Companies used to pay consultants up to $10,000 for a one-time survey. Now they can conduct such surveys themselves by utilizing free data from vendors such as Salary.com.

Prof. Sunaina Kuknor, Kirloskar Institute of Advanced Management Studies References Information Technology for Management – Efraim Turban, Dorothy Leidner & James Wetherbe http://wps.pearsoned.co.uk/ema_uk_he_torrington_hrm_7/79/20381/5217781. cw/content/index.html http://facweb.cs.depaul.edu/nsutcliffe/483readings/Groe-IT%20and%20HRsession3.htm

Performance Evaluation – Most employees are periodically evaluated by their immediate supervisors. Evaluations are usually recorded on paper or electronic forms. Once digitized, evaluations can be used to support many decisions, ranging from rewards to transfers to layoffs. For example, Hewlett-Packard's Atlanta-based 11

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Online / Social Media

Under 'S'tated Su'C'cess: Surrogate and Covert Advertising - Ms. Ranjana T N

dward de Bono said, “Creativity involves breaking out of established patterns in order to look at things in a different way.” The field of Advertising, where creativity abounds, stands true to Bono's words. From advertisements blaring out of a simple radio or black-and-white print ads generously splattered across a newspaper, advertising has moved to more subtle forms- forms that we seldom recognize as advertising but influence our choices nonetheless. You could say that they are 'understated', in the sense that they are not 'sprung on your face'. I'm talking about the two very interesting ways of advertising called Covert and Surrogate advertising.

didn't...because there was nothing wrong with them. Except that all of them were Cadillac cars. According to buzzle.com covert advertising is, '...a unique kind of advertising, in which a product or a particular brand is incorporated in some entertainment and media channels like movies, television shows, or even sports. There is no commercial advertising as such in the entertainment, but the brand or the product is subtly (or sometimes evidently) showcased in the entertainment show'. Certainly very covert, huh? In fact, there is a whole book written by David Robb dedicated to how the Pentagon influences the masses to be more favourable to its agendas with the help of Covert advertising (Operation Hollywood: How the Pentagon Shapes and Censors the Movies). This gets me thinking how desperate companies and organizations can be to grab the attention of the people and influence their choices. And when there is desperation, no stone is ever left unturned. This is clearly seen in the world of advertising with innovative, creative and, if I may, manipulative Surrogate and Covert ads successfully swaying the masses. There is much debate with respect to the ethicality of both the forms of advertising. But the fact remains that they are successful.

So what is surrogate advertising? To understand it, let me ask you a question. What does the word 'Kingfisher' bring to your mind? Premium....soda??? Not by a long shot...the first thing you thought was 'Vijay Mallya' and 'Beer', right? The very fact that you connected Kingfisher with beer rather than soda says that Surrogate Advertising has woven its magic around you just as it has influenced millions of other people. Surrogate advertising is ostensibly advertising a brand for a particular product while actually advertising it for an altogether different product. So your advertisement says 'soda' while you're actually advertising for beer. A tobacco company comes up with 'awareness' signboards that highlight the hazards of smoking while its logo is displayed prominently to ensure brand recall. I know what you're thinking...'That's downright sneaky!’

They say 'All is fair in love and war'. It seems that all is fair in world of advertising too! -Ms. Ranjana T N Great Lakes Institute of Management, Chennai

Perhaps. But there is a reason why these companies adopt surrogate advertising. Usually it is to circumvent a ban by the government to not directly advertise products such as alcohol or tobacco. If it can't be advertised overtly, it will be advertised covertly! This brings us to the next kind of advertising- Covert advertising. Seen the movie Matrix Reloaded? Oh you have? Did you notice anything strange about the cars that are used in the movie? Perhaps you

References: http://www.timlonghurst.com/blog/2005/04/13/blowing-the-cover-on-covertadvertising/ http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-surrogate-advertising.htm http://www.freestyle-marketing.co.uk/advertising/what-is-surrogateadvertising.html http://www.buzzle.com/articles/different-types-of-advertising.html

"Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it.” - Jef I. Richards

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Impact Interview The following story is about a project taken by Mahadev Desai Gramseva Maha Vidalaya in Randheja of Gandhinagar district of Gujarat state . It is a school running on Gandhian principles. It is affiliated to Gujarat vidyapith which is a world renowned education body running on gandhian principles.

The Kitchen Garden Project

ising cost of vegetables may be burning a hole in your pocket but there's a place near Ahmedabad where breakfast, lunch and dinner costs less than a carton of fruit juice! At Mahadev Desai Gramseva Maha Vidalaya in Randheja of Gandhinagar district of Gujarat state, female students have learnt true empowerment by growing 18 varieties of vegetables and using the organic greens to make food for just Rs.23 per person each day. In today's world where every country has become so dependable on others for its progress and welfare, this is a rare case of self-reliance.

healthier students. Most of the girls belong to poor families. After consuming vegetables, their haemoglobin count rose from 6-8% to 12%. Kokila Macwana, a third year student specializing in Gujarati, said, “We have never tasted beetroot earlier. But we grow it here. Consuming it has increased our haemoglobin count. We also grow carrots, green onions, eggplants (aka brinjal), okra, bitter gourd, broad beans, bottle gourd, garlic, radish, spinach, and peppermint leaves here. Of course improving Haemoglobin level was not on their agenda, but when god gives you something, he gives in abundance. The students get bonus point for their hard work. The concept was first implemented in 2006. But students grew just spinach, eggplants, fenugreek, and bottle gourd. Slowly, productivity of land and interest of students rose, encouraging them to grow more vegetables. Second year student Divya Modi says, “Earlier, we used to buy vegetables from outside. Now, we grow everything here. Every day, we produce 40 kg vegetables. In the last eight months, we have produced around 1800 kg of vegetables.” The girl make rotis, cut vegetables and cook sabzi at the hostel, ensuring that food does not go to waste.

Institute co-ordinator Rajiv Patel says, “We do not use pesticides and fertilizers. Our vegetables are organic. Dried leaves are used as manure. Bio-pesticides like dried neem leaves, cow urine and ashes are used to keep the plants healthy. We buy wheat and rice from Krishi Vigyan Kendra. So, we end up spending not more than Rs.23 on food for a student, without compromising its nutritional value. A healthy food made of home-grown vegetables at Rs.23 is a dream deal. There are 209 second and third year students staying at the Gandhian institute. They took up the Kitchen Garden project as a means of learning entrepreneurship, and grown vegetables on two plots in the huge campus. Except for using tractors, the girls do everything from ploughing land, sowing vegetables, watering them and harvesting the vegetables. They allot 45 minutes from their daily schedule for farming. This is nothing compared to time spent on FB!!! Let's talk about the daily routine. A highly nutritious breakfast is served that includes alu poha, khichu, sprouted moong, steamed chana or dalwada. A wholesome lunch includes roti, sabzi, dal chawal and salad while dinner means kichdi, sabzi, bhakri and buttermilk. The excess stock is sold to staff members or other hostels.

Director of the institute, Dr. Rajiv Patel says, “The idea is the brainchild of Gujarat Vidyapith registar Rajendra Khimani. As a Gandhian institute, we propose self-reliance.” This initiative propogates women empowerment as well as dignity of labour. Gandhiji had emphasized on the development of head, heart and hands. This effort fulfills all three criteria. He adds, “Though many of the girls belong to the farming community, they know next to nothing about agriculture.” All finances are maintained by the head of the family. By growing their own vegetables and selling it instills confidence in these girls. They learn how to be self-sufficient and how to manage money.

One can only say that the unexpected side-effect of the project is 13

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The project is worth to be appreciated. This project again proves that in a country like India, innovation can be found at any place. Young children can do the miracle which even the so-called adults could not have thought of.

thinking of implementing this model in other institutes managed by Gujarat Vidyapith. We wish them success whole heartedly. “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.” –Swami Vivekanand

The project is an example of self-reliance, innovation, management and team work. There are very few projects or processes which encompass all these qualities. In the coming days, food management is going to be very crucial especially in India where storage and other problems are very common. The brainchild of the project Dr. Rajendra Khimani is

Below are the excerpts from the chat with Mr. Rajendra Khimani, Registrar, Gujarat Vidyapith.

What inspired you to undertake this project?

What are the most satisfying things about this project?

The whole project encompasses three main principles of selfreliance, innovation and teamwork. These three principles are Gandhian principles. Since our institute is a Gandhian institute, we try to implement the Gandhian principles as much as possible in our real lives. The students have really put this into action very well. Scale is not a matter of us but we want to do it in right way.

The girls who are into this project are from poor families. They have learnt self-reliance at such a young age. All these vegetables are grown without using any pesticide or other measures. The money earned is directly given to the head of the family of that girl. All such small things give huge satisfaction. Do you have any plans for replicating this model?

How many people are associated with this project? Innovation comes from within. Our main aim is to innovate further and develop it. We have not yet decided on replicating this model elsewhere but there will be further improvements in this model.

Right now all the work is done only by students only. So far we have not felt the need of any extra persons. But right now the scale is small. When it will become large in future, we may look at having persons from outside. The wonderful thing is that even people who are not directly associated with this project have benefitted from it.

-As told to Mr. Saurabh Jadhav, PGDM II, KIAMS

”There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts: what we do, how we look, what we say, and how we say it." - Charles Francis Adams

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Pragati 2013 - An Eventful Journey -Mr. Kaustav Das

ragati 2013 had been a thrilling roller coaster ride and a great learning experience, learned right from the selection process for Pragati reps to the very end of Pragati 2013. Ever since seniors showed us the video of Pragati video for the first time, an urge had developed to be part of this event in some way or the other. The preliminary selection process task and then the stress interview were unique. After the declaration of Pragati Reps for Batch15, we chalked out plans to conduct this mega event of KIAMS. Accordingly, we decided to have five specialised domain vizProspecting, Promotion, Finance, Operation & Cultural. After our batch mates gave their names voluntarily for the respective domains, we selected leads for all the domains. Then for prospecting, teams were assigned different industries and thereafter, we started the challenging task of contacting corporates to invite them for their participation in Pragati. But we had a mixed experience, the bad over shadowing the good though. Most of the corporates pointed out that they do not gain anything from Pragati as such and many other problems were sighted by them. Considering the reality, we gave a second thought on conducting Pragati in the similar fashion as conducted previously.

February, 2013), students started arriving in KIAMS from 7 a.m. There was a kid of 1st standard dressed gorgeously carrying all the props for Fancy Dress Competition. It showed the level of enthusiasm both of the kids as well their parents. I wondered if this little kid had to wake up real early in the morning to be present in the campus on the stipulated time. Batch mates at the registration kiosk got engaged in the process. Communicating with the kids was a bit difficult because of our inability to speak Kannada but it did not pose much problem. By 10 a.m., we had the opening ceremony and lighting of lamp in the presence of the Faculty and other staffmembers. Considering the hot weather condition, we had set up stalls of Sugarcane juice, Coconut water and potable water (free of cost) on the ground. The kids were very talented and I was amazed at their flawless execution of their skills especially in Mehendi Competition, Art and Craft. In Mehendi these kids can give anyone a run for their money. In Cultural also they performed well and mesmerized us. At noon, acting on the suggestion of batch mates on the ground, it was decided that free Sugarcane Juice be offered to the all the kids. Accordingly, it was announced and the kids were ecstatic to have it free of cost. As expected there was commotion near the Sugarcane Juice stall for a while. All in all first day went smoothly. First day saw two schools viz. Vidyadayini CBSE School & MKET's LK English Medium School that had the most number of winners. The co-ordination between all the volunteers (batch-mates) was immaculate. We had the task of collating the points of all the winners from different schools in order to come out with the winning school. So after every event a list containing the name of the winners, their position along with his/her school's name was prepared. Input from this list was fed in the main list, which had the total points accumulated by winners from a particular school.

It was decided that Pragati 2013 would be conducted in a scaled down version. As a result somechanges were made in Pragati 2013. Firstly, Pragati 2013 would be a two day event. Secondly, it would be held in KIAMS campus instead of Gandhi Maidan and thirdly, only the social aspect of Pragati would be addressed. That is, Pragati would be limited only to Inter-School competition featuring Sports, Art & Craft and cultural. A Pragati 2013 Rolling Trophy as well as a Grand prize of Rs. 20000 worth of tangible item would be given to the winning school. We started the task of visiting schools in Harihar & Davangere. We did not get much response from Davangere as exams were around the corner but schools in Harihar welcomed it with open arms. We got a confirmed participation of more than 300 kids. It was surprising considering exams were approaching. Two schools from Harihar namely Vidyadayini CBSE School & MKET's LK English Medium School had sent the largest contingent of more than 80 school students. In total fourteen (14) schools participated. Simultaneously, the other batch-mates got involved with the planning of the event. Finalising Judges for all the events was a bit difficult but ultimately it was managed. In some events we invited the spouses of our faculty. And they did oblige. The locations of conducting the various events were not finalised and after brain-storming, we finally decided to conduct sports in KIAMS ground, culturals in auditorium and Art & craft in different classrooms. Batch mates really took the charge of the respective domains and planned accordingly. As the 'D-day' was approaching, everything was set in place. The ground was cleaned (thank the gardeners) and the chairs were put along with the shamiayna and the ground was made suitable for sports with all the markings. Similarly, the auditorium was decked up with the lightings, soundsystem & chairs. Registration kiosks were set up at the entrance. It was decided that after every event, both the winning certificates to the winners and the participating certificates to the others would be distributed by the respective Judges. So a team to look after certificates was formed. The medals (Gold, Silver &Bronze) would be distributed on the closing ceremony along with the Pragati Trophy 2013. Everything was set in place. On the D窶電ay (23rd

On the second day also i.e.24th February, school students competed with zeal. We again offered free sugarcane juices to the kids. Second day had some fantastic performance by kids especially in dance. The auditorium was chock-a-block with audience comprising school kids, their parents, batch-mates as well as some seniors. All the events got over by 4.30 pm and the prize distribution was supposed to start at 5.30 pm. Just after the end of the cultural event in the auditorium, we arranged the chairs and made seating arrangements for faculty members and others. Also most importantly, the main points list was updated with the latest points, which helped us in declaring the winning school. Medals were put in order. The auditorium was packed to the capacity and some had to stand. Participants, their parents as well as their schools teachers were waiting in anticipation. Our Director Dr. Gopal Iyengar along with faculty members made their presence felt in the ceremony. Then the winners were distributed medals by our respected faculty members. After all the winners were distributed the medals, then came the big moment which every student and their schools were eagerly waiting for. Vidyadayini CBSE School was declared winners amidst thunderous clapping and cheering of the students of Vidyadayini School and their parents. We invited Dr. Gopal Iyenger sir on stage to hand over the Pragati 2013 Trophy to the authorities of Vidyadayini CBSE School. After the trophy was handed over, the students were called to lift the trophy. They were very excited and lifted the trophy with loud cheers. It was a splendid moment for 15

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everyone. Thus, Pragati 2013 came to an eventful end.

also like to thank seniors for sharing their experiences while conducting Pragati; Mr Gangadar Yuvaraj for scheduling the classes in such a way, that we were able to devote sufficient time for preparation; Mr Venkatesh,who helped us on the financial front; Mr. Raghavendra Dixit, Mr. Parmeshwarappa, Mr. Karibasappa, Mr. Shrinath, Dr. Gopi and all the Annas of our Institute. Lastly, not to forget the big hearted effort of the group of my batch-mates, a big THANK YOU to you all, for selflessly coming forward, and contributing towards the conduct of Pragati 2013. Hats off to the Cultural Team and the Art & Craft Team, for the flawless execution of their respective events. Kudos to the Sports Team for braving the hot weather and conduct all their events. Thanks to the Certificate Team for readying all the certificates on time, the Registration Team for the smooth registration process. This event would not have been possible without you guys. Cheers guys.

Altogether, Pragati had been an enriching experience. Pragati was a course in itself. Every aspect of management was touched upon be it Finance, Marketing, Operation, Human-Resource or Information Technology. Pragati 2013 taught us how to manage the finance efficiently and how to cut costs in order to remain within budget. Then we had to sell the brand Pragati to the corporates(initially), then to the various schools. Co-ordinating all the activities and running the events simultaneously had the elements of both operations as well as human-resource. Last but not the least; I would like to thank those, without whom, this event would not have been possible. Firstly, our director Dr Gopal Iyenger who had supported & helped us whenever the situation demanded. I would like to thank our Administrator Mr Mahesh Revankar, Professor Bidyanand Jha and other faculty members for guiding us to conduct Pragati more efficiently. I would

SIP experiences â&#x20AC;&#x201C; B15

Mr. Kaustav Das Pragati Rep, B15.

A Glimpse of Dawn Mr. Debashish Sarkar

t was the month of January when the anxiety of SIP (Summer Internship Program) first started creeping inside our minds. The winter of January witnessed term-2 getting over, the entire batch gearing up for Samanvay'13, commencement of term-3 and preparations for Pragati'13. Amidst all this, there was always a concern for summer internship among all the students. Everyone, at the back of their minds, was thinking whether they will get the SIP from college or will be managing all by themselves. Many of us worried whether the SIP will in their hometown or not, if it would be paid or not, etc.

tough, at times even disheartening because we were doing the promotions but the sales were just not happening. But next day had planned something different for us. We hit an old market of the city and the tenth shop that we visited helped us in initiating our first sales. We cracked the next shop too. That day we earned a sum of Rs. 600/- and it also marked the beginning of a golden journey. From that day onwards, we visited several markets, shops, cracked deals, promoted the company and its name all across the city. We utilized our time off during weekends by doing online promotions. I promoted the company on Facebook, Twitter, via Gmail and also wrote blogs on the company's website. So, our learning wasn't just restricted to the outside market and offline customers but this internship also added to our knowledge in the field of online promotions. For the first time I got a feel of drafting corporate mails which I forwarded to around thirty big brands in different fields right from jewellery to bridal wears to men's wear.

In the mean while, I applied to one of the companies, that visited our college for second year in a row, Ultra Rich Weddings Pvt. Ltd. It was the day of 'Makar Sankranti' (Kite flying festival) when we had our telephonic interviews. All the applicants were aflutter thinking about the interview as one candidate went in and the other got lined up. Once the interviews were over, we all were back to flying kites, relaxing and making merry under the winter sun. The results were declared a couple of days later. A wave of assuagement passed through our minds when we saw the results displayed on the notice board. Fourteen of us made through. The elatedness increased when we came to know that this company gave us the opportunity to do the internship from our preferred location and it also offered some stipend.

Every day we had to report to our company via mail or message. Each weekend we got the reports of our work. We got to know where we stood in the entire country as far as sales and promotions are concerned. Days passed by and the heat kept increasing but the journey of internship only got more fascinating. My sales kept increasing and by the end of this internship I had ended up covering the length and breadth of the city.

Finally the day arrived when we left for Ahmedabad from our hometowns in order to attend the training. The two day training session at Ahmedabad proved to be a huge learning curve for all the interns coming from all parts of the country and various B-schools. We got acquainted with complete details about the company, the task we need to perform and the way we need to go about doing our business. We were all back to our workplace (our preferred location for doing the internship) by thirteenth of April and the mission got incepted on fifteenth of April.

And as every good thing comes to an end, my SIP also concluded on eighth of June. After 60 days of SIP, I not only completed a subject on paper, but also came face to face with various concepts of marketing. I touched upon the real life application of concepts like market research, market survey, market analysis, marketing sales, online and offline promotions. This project gave me the flavor of the special emotion that one feels post earning one's first salary. This memorable journey with Ultra Rich Weddings Pvt. Ltd and with my co-intern Miss. Iti Agrawal made me visualize the glimpse of dawn that, hopefully, is waiting to arrive in near future.

I still remember the first day when I hit the Lucknow market with my co-intern. We visited various shops that day, right from the local Stylz beauty parlor to the branded Wills Lifestyle showroom. It was

-Mr. Debashish Sarkar PGDM II, KIAMS

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My Future at Future group! - Ms. Biswajita Mohanty

he summer internship experience will be etched in my memory forever. No, not because there were stipends to flaunt, or fancy company name to highlight, but because the two months were packed with pure and simple learning and loads of fun. The internship experience at Future Group was amazing. I was able to gain experience at a job that I potentially had interest in. I learnt about HR operations & different issues and it was dead right for me. My summer internship turned out to be the most exciting two months of my life but looking back, I realized that the excitement had started much earlier. During the first few weeks of summer placements at KIAMS, I was shortlisted by few companies but couldn't decide which one would be best for me. And then came across this company - Future group!

Nothing about it was easy. The project demanded a lot of time, sincerity & self discipline. I made sure that, each task given to me was done effectively & submitted to the project guide before the deadline. At the end of one week, I realized, things were rather falling into places. The managers & other employees were welcoming & helpful whenever I approached them with a doubt or any query. Every day was a new learning day for me. I visited many stores & came across more than 400 employees during that time. I was also introduced to Recruitment, T&D, Record keeping & verification of employees. Gradually, I realized ground level staffs are the biggest contributor towards the success of Future group. Terms like motivation & reward plays such a huge role in the lives of those employees. I never realized how everything done in the retail industry goes through the ground level. It also gave me a knack, onthe-job knowledge, skills, and abilities to weather the storm of HR. Listening to different work related issues faced by employees & finding a solution is where the biggest challenge lies for any HR. It's not easy to make employees happy all the time. But their happiness & job satisfaction are the keys to success for any organization. Towards the end of my SIP, the appreciations from the project guide assured me about the quality of my work and that is when I realized, “SIP is an opportunity for learning, not for earning”.

Not only, I was about to engage in an amazing learning experience for 8 weeks but also I had the freedom to determine the topic for my project. The project guide asked me a question I had always anticipated, which functions of HR would I prefer to intern in? In a confident tone, I answered, “I would like to begin with HR operations". As the smile on his face grew larger, my heart skipped a beat. After a quick discussion with the senior HR manager, the project guide asked, if I was comfortable travelling different stores in Delhi & NCR. Although I wouldn't prefer travelling in a blazing 47 degree temperature, the temptation of bagging a good project was too strong to avoid, and I ended up answering, “I would be comfortable travelling stores located at different locations”. As a result, I bagged a project “HR ISSUES” at Future Group. I ended up interning with them for 2 months. The internship opened a door for me that I would not necessarily have known was there.

For beginning a new journey, an old journey has to end. This journey has been fantastic with new learning & exposure to many new things, which am going to cherish forever. And am looking forward to a new journey post SIP at KIAMS! - Ms. Biswajita Mohanty PGDM II, KIAMS

Two Faces -Ms. Upasana Lenka

aving my SIP at Mumbai – the city that never sleeps was alluring to be honest. I was fortunate to get an opportunity for my SIP at SBICAPS corporate office. With little apprehension, I stepped into the office on April 1st.

My role was becoming increasingly challenging as it dealt mergers & acquisitions and more core finance subjects. With these subjects being taught in Term 4 at KIAMS, I sought help from my other interns. I was lucky to share the office space with students from other top notch colleges like IIMs. The stay with them was really amazing and I learnt as much as I could from them.

My project was all about the consolidation of Non Banking Financial Companies. Before joining, I had briefly studied about the topic and made a quick research in Google. Studying all the committee reports and analysis report of various rating companies did help me a lot in understanding my project better. Being an engineer and with no exposure to the world of finance, I did struggle. But the ground work and TV sir's (B16 may be wondering what I am talking about!) classes did help me during my SIP. I am thankful to him. Eventually I started discussing with my mentors and I became much clearer and confident with the work culture. Writing case studies in context to my project gave me lot of insight and it was a proud moment for me to see my name printed against the bank reports. I also participated in women's bank (Rs. 1000 crore bank as per GOI in budget 2013) logo competition. Though interns were not allowed to participate, nothing stopped me from contributing my idea.

Now the other (best) side of my internship was getting to know many people. The frequent outings and the late night marine drives can never be replaced. Although, the hole in my pocket was getting bigger, it was definitely worth the experience. From strangers, to acquaintances, and to lovely friends, the transition was short and sweet. The SIP experience helped me become a better person both academically and personally. So never miss on anything while focussing on your internship as well. I am happy that I got to explore both the side of it. Finally, I thank 'Chanakya Team' for giving me an opportunity to express! -Ms. Upasana Lenka PGDM II, KIAMS

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My SIP Experience At VRSSPL - Mr. Soumik Bhattacharjee

t is an accepted fact that summer internship is done with a notion to apply the concepts taught during the tenure of first year and it is also agreed that an intern acquires the benefit of getting first corporate exposure through the virtue of summer internship. However, few exceptions do exist. Like in my case, I had prior experience for a year of brace and I never felt like a fish out of water. But, I was astonished with the type and nature of work profile that was seemingly very different and challenging from my previous profiles. I was excited and fastened my seat belts to swiftly go through the sharp curves ahead.

dedicated solely to the companies. The website content was taken into consideration as all the necessary information that usher a prospective buyer must be vividly highlighted. Apart from the website, also pamphlets, brochures were taken into consideration in order to create the interest and enthusiasm in the mind of the customers. As the products were highly user specific it was an important aspect to find out the specific target audience and the entire project was focused to influence that target audience. The content, design everything was adhered to the need, requirement and the preferences of the customer.

The project assigned to me was related to the branding that will enhance the scope and future prospect of the VR Software Systems Private Limited. Being only a seven year old company it had shown a remarkable progress in the field of IT application and software domain. Though there was no doubt about the expertise and excellence of the company in the acumen of the IT industry as the work force was exceedingly adroit but there had been always a need of the marketing of such distinct level of skill sets. The major challenge was involved in getting the recognition and making the products apprised to the customers. As there was point of uncertainty involved regarding the acceptance level on behalf of the customers, the cost associated with the process of branding was also a crucial factor. The very first thing that creates perception about an organization in the mind of customer is the particular website

The scope of learning was huge and the most important thing was to implement the concepts within such a short span of two months. One important aspect was I had never taken this SIP just as a mere component of a curriculum rather it helped me to a great extent to realize the level of suitability or acceptance of myself as an individual in the wide spectrum of corporate world, maybe it was of a short stint for a couple of months and it was impossible to get a crystal clear view within such a short duration still as the proverb goes “Morning shows the day”, it gave me a certain glimpse to understand my level of performance in the upcoming future, perhaps that was one of the titillating factors, I was all agog! - Mr. Soumik Bhattacharjee PGDM II, KIAMS

In BATA – Having the shoe on my other foot - Mr. Nishanth Joseph

was a bit anxious when I entered into BATA office on April 1. I was just hoping they don't play a prank on me (for those who dint get the pun, it was April 1st!). For the first week, I was asked to roam around the city and visit the different retail outlets of BATA in the city, and Yes, I had to face the scorching heat of summer in Hyderabad. I was taught and asked to observe anything and everything under the sun. I never knew what was in store for me in the days ahead because all I was doing in the first week was roam about and observe things.

at BATA store in ABIDS”. This was even more challenging and interesting because I had to directly deal with the vice president, assistant vice president, regional manager and the district manager. After about ten days I managed to submit my first report and unfortunately, it got rejected. I then had to start it afresh after analyzing the mistakes in the earlier report. I was told by one industry expert “If you want to learn how to sell footwear, you need to smell the stinking socks the customer wear”. So for about a week I did the same role that the salesmen did. It was a tad awkward when my friends and relatives walked into the store; thankfully I realized it was part of the learning curve. Acting as a sales man did help as it gave me a different perspective of the customer. Then one fine day I submitted my final report for customer service.

Then one fine day, I was given my first project, “Internal branding and promotions to increase sales at BATA store in GVK mall”. It was not as easy as I expected it to be for two reasons – BATA does not believe in advertising and the GVK MALL management does not allow promotions outside the store area. Finally after spending a lot of time in the store and trying to figure a way out, which I think I finally succeeded in, I managed to submit the report.

There are some fond memories and some gray memories throughout my SIP. Nevertheless, it did mold me to an extent and understand certain issues of the corporate life. I hope this experience pays off in my future.

During the course of my first project, the assistant vice president and the regional manager of BATA had a visit to Hyderabad. They called me for a meeting at the hotel they stayed in. After the talks they handed me my second project, “Ways to improve customer service

-Mr. Nishanth Joseph PGDM II, KIAMS

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SIP a.k.a Systematic Investment Plan

efore two months if anybody would have asked me what does SIP stands for I would have said Summer Internship Program, but now it means Systematic Investment Plan Or KRA initially which meant Key Responsibility Area but now it means KYC (Know your customer) Registration Agency and there are many more acronyms whose full form has completely changed because now I am in to a corporate world that is completely different from our college life, whose terminology is different, experiences are different. Two months of SIP has completely changed my thought process. It has taken me out of my bookish knowledge to the completely practical scenario, how to apply the basics and most importantly what the present trends are. I got an opportunity to work

in Hedge Equities in research team, as an intern for macro-economic analyst. As a macro economic analyst one has to widen the horizon of his/her thoughts, capture the relevant data on various happening in the world and access its impact on Indian economy and Indian markets. This needs a lot of practice and experience. Well in my case I lacked both of them, but as we know “The journey of thousand miles start with a single step”, I believe I have taken that step, with the help of my industry mentors and the experience of SIP (this time it means Summer Internship Program) will help me in my future. -Ms. Meenu Jain PGDM II, KIAMS

Reflections - Corporate experience from B14…

very phase of life comes to an end and new ones start. Although many at times we don't want the older one to end but eventually start liking the new one. In school we always wanted to grow up and go to college and in college it was always the other way round. The same happens when we pass college and enter in to professional courses like PGDM or anything else. We always look back and think why this had to end. As we grow and move forward, we start enjoying the phase we are living in, and that is what is called Life.

one thing which waives off all the other things. In college we learned a lot of concepts and this is the time to put them into application. Working as an Analyst in Odessa Technologies has given me the chance to learn a lot of new things. I have gone through software training which I had never thought that I would ever learn in my life. The interaction with new people and meeting new people almost every day gives new experiences every day. Every day has its own learning and as each passing day makes me realize that there is a lot to learn and this is just the starting to a new life.

Being a fresher there was a lot of fear to start the job. Being a delhite I had always wanted to settle down with a job in Delhi itself. This was also one fear which was in me that how will I be able to settle in Bangalore. Will I be able to adjust, will I be able to give my best to my job and be able to take it. Having spent nearly two months now in the job I now feel that yes I will be able to do my best in this job. The corporate life is a very new experience and it is too early to write something about it.

In the end that one thing which I can point out as the best thing till now is the happiness and the feeling of self-satisfaction that I see on my parents when I told them that I got my first ever salary, and made them proud. We always have to move ahead in life and keep cherishing the past memories because they give us the strength to move forward and enjoy life. So although college life is deeply missed but every moment of the corporate life is equally enjoyed.

The life at office is very different from the one we lived in college. The life at college was full of assignments and classes but still it was quite carefree. There we always thought that doing all this is so difficult, how to handle it and all other things but as we move into the corporate life we get to know that how easy all that was.

'All good things come to an end. Only for the better once to start'. - Ms. Anish Wadhwa Analyst, Odessa Technologies.

Although there are a lot many things which are not liked about the corporate life, the feeling of Self Dependence and independence is

nd the day arrived finally. And I got to see my name being included in the list of placed students.

connected. I gained lot of confidence and comfort after interacting with the top management who made me feel at home. My current assignment is as a regional coordinator for the retail agency in Andhra Pradesh.

I can never explain the exciting rush I had in my head and I doubt if I would experience such thing in my future either. Today, I am a proud employee of a brand which is 210 years old. SBI Life is the life insurance arm of SBI Group and is a joint venture with European giant BNP Paribas Cardiff.

I am quite happy that my personality suits the role and having participated in many events at KIAMS has helped me to be more organized at work and maintain a better rapport with my clients and colleagues.

My journey with them began as a management trainee on 8th April. After the induction program at Mumbai, I was posted in Chennai for my regional training. Frankly speaking, I was a bit nervous in the beginning as I had no prior corporate experience. During those times, glimpses of my group interaction and case study interactions at KIAMS flashed in my mind. And suddenly all the dots were

My only piece of advice is, actively participate in as many things as possible. Learn as much as you can. You will definitely find it useful to your career at some point in near future. Wish you all the best! - Mr. Bharat Gilda Management Trainee, SBI Life Insurance.

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Tone of Friendship..

At last, when all the summer shine That warmed life's early hours is past, Your uncertain head seek for my shoulders And rest them over â&#x20AC;&#x201C; at last! At last! Not off the robin comes to build, It's nest upon the leafless bough. By autumn robbed, by winter chilled, But you dear friend, you are with me now. Though there are shadows on my brow, And furrows on my cheek, in truth, The marks where time's remorseless plough Broke up the blooming sward of youth, Though fled is every friendly grace Might win or hold a friends vow, Despite my sad and faded face And darkened heart, my friend you are now with me I count no more wasted tears, They left no echo of their fall, I mourn no more my troublesome years, This blessed hour atones for all, I fear not all that time or fate May bring to burden heart of brow, Strong in the bond that bind us, Our friendship shall keep it always now. Mr. Karan Gupta PGDM II, KIAMS

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BIZ QUEST 1. Which logistics company acquired US based Wainwright industries?

13. Who is the chairman of Amway, arrested for chit fund scam?

2. Which airline recently launched 7 new domestic flights? 3. Name the person who resigned as CEO of Jet Airways?

14. Which company launched its IPO in last week of May? 15. What is the name of telecom arm of Reliance Industries?

4. Which famous filmmaker died recently? 16. Merger of which two software companies got the approval of Supreme Court? 5. 'The Mobile Store ' is managed by which group? 17. Which Congress MP is embroiled in Coal scam? 6. Apollo hospital is managed by which business family? 18. ShriRam Group, the famous business group of South India, initially started its business in which field? 7. Name the two commodities whose duty have been hiked recently? 19. Which is the world's oldest Stock exchange? 8. Which Apple iOS was unveiled recently during the Apple Developers Conference? 9. Which state has installed the maximum solar power plants?

20. “It happened in India” is written by which famous businessman? 21. Which two oil companies have agreed to acquire Videocon's 10% stake in Mozambique oil field?

10. Which company builds coaches for Delhi Metro? 22. Which online shopping site has started selling Hero electric bikes? 11. Who is the new chairman of CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General)? 12. Which software company was recently served tax notice?

23. Who is the chairman of ONGC, India's most profitable PSU? 24. Who said, “Price is what you pay, value is what you get”? 25. Which is the biggest shopping mall of India?

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Brand Updates -Mr. Saurabh Jadhav

The Korean electronics company, Samsung on 28 may 2013 launched a new handset model Samsung GALAXY Mega in Indian market. The GALAXY Mega will be available in two variants, with a price range of 25100 and 31490 rupees respectively. It is powered by Android Jelly bean 4.2 (rpt) 4.2 operating system with a dual core processor,

going to offer Indian customers with a shopping destination to purchase products from third-party sellers. It is important here to note that the India represents Amazon's tenth marketplace launch. In its present model, Amazon.in does not own any of the commodities that are sold through the website but it just acts as a collector to all the retailers who desire to display their products on the website. It is worth mentioning here that In Amazon's US website; there are both Amazon-owned goods and third-party products being sold. Amazon.in will start with selling around 7 million book titles available for purchase and nearly 13000 movie titles and the with the simultaneous expansion into other categories such as cameras and phones in the near future. Amazon has been enthusiastically lobbying with the Indian Government in order to allow foreign direct investment in online retail and to relax the regulations against foreign e-commerce companies. Meanwhile, government had relaxed norms for offline multi-brand retail allowing 51 percent FDI deciding it against implementing similar provisions for the players on the web. Amazon India has also come up with an option called Fulfillment by Amazon in which it is supposed to provide end-toend logistics solutions to retailers who wish to avail of this service.

It has has a 8 mega-pixel rear camera and a 1.9 megapixel front camera and comes with upto 64 GB expandable memory. It is very light and thin for incredible portability and is easy to use. The company is also retailing the GALAXY Mega with a special offer from Reliance and Vodafone.

Nokia on 8 May 2013 announced Asha 501, a smart phone to beat the low-cost Android phones in developing markets like India. The company had been very impressed by the way Asha phones performed so far and they want to restore the platform. The Series 5 Asha phones had been made purposely for consumers in countries like India. The Asha 501 will cost around 99 Dollars plus taxes in India. The Phone will be made available in June in India. The device supports only 2G connection and Wi-Fi. The 3G version is planned to be launched later. The Asha 501 runs on a revamped Asha operating system. The device has a design similar to that of low-end Lumia phones. It will be available in six colours. It has a 3-inch touchscreen and a 3.2MP camera.

Maruti on 9 May 2013 launched a limited edition trim of the Ertiga called the Feliz, in celebration of the MPV's first anniversary. It is available in the VXi and VDi variants at prices of 6.89 lakh rupees and 8.24 lakh rupees respectively, which is 20000 rupees higher than the regular Maruti Ertiga.Ertiga's exteriors include features in the form of a silver colored grille, silver colored rear-view mirrors (which have integrated indicators), and a pair of silver colored fog lamps. There are changes to the body graphics on the side, and a rear spoiler was also added. Ertiga's interior features have also been changed. These are in the form of beige steering wheel, seat covers and floor mats with branding, a different music system, an interior display kit and new door sill guards!

Amazon.com, the world's largest online retailer in Month of June 2013 entered into Indian e-commerce market with the launch of its marketplace Amazon.in, offering books, movies and television shows for sale. The launch of online marketplace has helped Amazon overcome Indian regulatory obstacles that prevent foreign online retailers from having an entirely owned Indian arm selling directly in India. The model adopted by Amazon is fully compliant with all relevant Indian laws. The new marketplace is

-Mr. Saurabh Jadhav PGDM II, KIAMS.

The Chanakya, July 2013

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Biz News -Mr. Saurabh Jadhav

help grow our presence in the region. We will make every endeavour to deliver a world class residential project," said Pirojsha Godrej, Managing Director & CEO, Godrej Properties. This will be Godrej Properties' first project in New Delhi and its third in NCR. The company is also currently developing two residential projects in Gurgaon. This project is expected to be the first project under the residential investment platform that Godrej Properties established in FY13.

he much-talked about National Food Security Bill may now to be brought before Parliament during the Monsoon Session. This is the latest indication from the government and Congress sources on the ambitious measure with the talk of promulgation of an Ordinance or convening of a special session of Parliament receding. Congress sources said that there could be even efforts to advance the Monsoon Session while a Union Minister said that the strategy ahead on the issue would be decided. Meanwhile, Food Minister K V Thomas met Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who is keen to push her pet project that seeks to provide legal rights to 67 per cent of the population over a uniform quantity of 5 kg food grains at a fixed price of Rs 1-3 per kg through ration shops. The Food Ministry, the nodal department to implement the proposed law, itself is not much in favour of an Ordinance to implement the food security law.

Telecom companies owned by the billionaire Ambani brothers Mukesh and Anil have signed a deal to share mobile towers, their second collaboration in the sector and one that analysts say will closely link the fortunes of the two groups' telecom units. Reliance Jio Comm, an arm of Mukesh's Reliance Industries, will pay $2.1 billion ( Rs 12,000 crore) as rental for 45,000 masts of Reliance Communications over 15 years, which comes to Rs 14,000-15,000 per month. Reliance Jio could start occupying some of the towers within six months.

The Andhra Pradesh high court gave its nod for the merger of Mahindra Satyam and Tech Mahindra .The court's decision paves way for the creation of the fifth largest IT company in India, following TCS, Infosys, Wipro and HCL Tech .It is a great relief for Mahindra Satyam. It has been long pending for more than a year because a bunch of unsecured lenders have challenged the amalgamation process in Andhra Pradesh High Court. Now the merger process can be initiated because the last hurdle of Andhra Pradesh High Court's approval has been given. There are several other entities like Competition Commission of India (CCI), Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), National Stock Exchange (NSE) and Bombay High Court, which have already given approval for the merger. Now with the Andhra Pradesh High Court's approval the company can initiate the merger process. The combined entity of both Mahindra Satyam and Tech Mahindra can emerge as a robust USD 2.4 billion company. It can negotiate with other companies abroad and can get better offers as per sources.

State-owned ONGC's global arm, ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) and Oil India Ltd (OIL) have stuck a deal to buy the 10% stake of Videocon Industries in a Mozambique gas field for $2.5 billion (around Rs. 13,600 crore). “OVL and OIL have signed a definitive agreement with Videocon Mauritius Energy Ltd to acquire 100% of (its) shares in Videocon Mozambique Rovuma 1 Ltd for $2.475 billion,” ONGC said in a statement on Monday. OVL will hold 60% stake in the joint venture, while OIL will have the remaining 40%. “The acquisition is expected to be implemented via a newly incorporated entity, in which OVL and OIL are expected to hold a 60% stake and a 40 % stake respectively,” ONGC said. The deal is subject to the approvals of the governments of Mozambique and India, relevant regulatory approvals, pre-emption rights and other customary conditions. The transaction is expected to close in fourth quarter of 2013. Area 1 of the Mozambique field covers about 2.6 million acres in the deep-water Rovuma Basin, and is seen as holding 35 to 65 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of recoverable gas resources. It is the largest gas discovery offshore East Africa.

Mumbai-based Godrej Properties, the real estate development arm of the Godrej group, inked a Development Agreement (DA) with M/s Southend Infrastructure, to build a five acre property situated at Okhla Phase 1, in New Delhi. The project will be developed as a luxury residential group housing project, the company said in a press statement."NCR (National Capital Region) is a key part of our growth strategy and we believe this project's strategic location will

-Mr. Saurabh Jadhav PGDM II, KIAMS

ANSWERS OF BIZ QUEST 1.TVS logistics 2.Spicejet 3.Nikos Kardassis 4.Rituparna Ghosh 5.Essar Group 6.Hindujas 7.Gold and Platinium 8.iOS 7 9.Gujarat

10.Bombardier 11.Shashi Kant Sharma 12.Infosys 13.William S Pinckney 14.JustDial 15.Reliance Jio Infocomm 16.Mahindra Satyam and Tech Mahindra 17.Navin Jindal 18.Loan for vehicles

19.Amsterdam Stock Exchange 20.Kishor Biyani 21.Oil India and ONGC 22.Snap Deal 23.Sudhir Vasudeva 24.Warren Buffet 25.Phoenix Market City Mall

The Chanakya, July 2013

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CROSSWORD

Across 3. 6. 7. 8. 9.

The average time spent on social media sites is around 7 hours by month, says _______.com Asha 501, a smart phone is manufactured by _______ corporation Who used digital video-editing system for web based training An option called ____________ by Amazon is supposed to provide end to end logistics solutions ICAI stands for ___________ computer-aided instruction

Down 1. 2. 4. 5. 8.

CEO and Founder of Apnacircle.com Name the Indian consumer electronics company who used social media for its logo design contest Snap deal started selling ______ electric bikes online The blue-eyed child of social media achieved a growth of 1037% Maruti's limited trim edition of the Ertiga is called ________

The Chanakya, July 2013

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The Chanakya Inter Bschool Contest Winner: Prafull Srivastava – Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Kolkatta. Other Contributors: Dr.Himanshu Ujaoney – Sydenham Institute of Management Studies, Research and Entrepreneurship Education, Mumbai. Avinash Ambati – IIM Indore. Swetali Kar

– Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar.

Shantanu Mishra – NITIE, Mumbai. Ankita Meshram – Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai. Upasana Mishra – SIBM, Bangalore. Aditya Basu

– SITM, Pune.

Congratulations to the winner and to all the other participants from Team Chanakya.

Team Chanakya welcomes Prof. Sunaina Kuknor and is delighted to have her as faculty facilitator for the in-house magazine. Prof. Kuknor is based out of Pune and teaches general management subjects. We look forward to Prof. Sunaina Kuknor's contributions, which we have every confidence that it will enhance the perspective of this magazine.

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Campus News t KIAMS celebrated 'holi', the festival of colours on 23rd March with great fanaticism. t KIAMS conducted the convocation of PGDM for the Batch 14 on 18th March 2013. Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Chairman – NASSCOM & Global CEO, Zensar Technologies was the chief was the chief guest and Mr. Rahul Kirloskar, Executive Chairman, Kirloskar Pneumatic Company Limited and President Governing Council (KIAMS), presided over the convocation. t Batch 15 had their Summer Internship Program for 6-8 weeks. This integral part of the curriculum gave students an opportunity to learn, experience the corporate culture, first hand. t Batch 16, class of 2013-15 had their inaugural function on 20th June 2013. t KIAMS conducted boot camp training for Graduate Engineering Trainees at Harihar campus from 11th April to 20th April. Number of Participants – 56 Participants – Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Ltd Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd Kirloskar Pneumatic Company Ltd

Team Chanakya gives special thanks to Ms. Apurva Chaudhari for her valuable contributions in the July, 2013 issue of The Chanakya.

Faculty Advisor Prof. Sunaina Kuknor

We invite you to send in your feedback to help us bring out the best in 'The Chanakya'.

Student Editorial Team Ms. Pulkit Tiwari, Ms. Bhaswati Chakraborty Mr. Bharathwaj S. Mr. Saurabh Jadhav (PGDM-II)

chanakya@kiams.ac.in thechanakya.kiams@gmail.com

The Chanakya, July 2013