Life at GBS

And so we are heading towards the end of the journey
We came a long way discovering happiness, peace and harmony
I often wonder about the rest of our lifes
Where w’re gonna be when we turn twenty five
I keep thinking times will never change
And things will always be the same
But when we leave this year we wont be coming back
No more hanging around coz we’ll be on different tracks
And if you got something that you need to say
You better say it now cause you wont have another day
These memories will then play like a movie without sound
When on 31st march we’ll leave this ground
That chotu Globsyn which was once our home
Has disappeared just like a foam
Those late nite studies and heavy lectures
Eco assignments and bombol’s refreshers
Those careless fights and senseless jokes
Lunchtime fights over bottles of cokes
Those bunking classes and giving proxies
And before exams queing for photo copies
Those silly crushes and teasing for fun
Gossips over coffee was our daily bun
Those college events and annual fests
Globsynites have always been the best
As we go on we will remember
All the times we had been together
And as our lives change to whatever
We will still be FRIENDS FOREVER
So if we get big jobs and we make big money
When we look back then will our jokes still be funny?
Will past be a shadow that will follow us round?
Or will these memories fade when I leave the town?
I keep, I keep on thinking that it’s not goodbye
Keep on thinking that it’s just a time to fly!!

By:
Samiksha Arora - PGDM 6
Finance - Major
(Globsyn Business School)

The FABINDIA Model: Gandhi Lives

There is a company called FABINDIA that collects and markets the handicrafts of rural Indians. It's not the Indian version of Cost Plus World Market. The owners of the company believe in this handicraft form of manufacturing. They recognize that they are enabling a certain way of life to survive. They accept that the urban-drone model is not the only path of development for a society--which old societal patterns do not necessarily have to disappear as a culture modernizes. FABINDIA was founded, ironically, by an American--a buyer from the Macy's chain, John Bissell. That he, and subsequently his son, could keep a view that departs from the spirit of the age is admirable. Most of the time entrepreneurs lack a social conscience. Of late many seem to have installed one in the form of environmental consciousness, but this has adhered so closely to the herd-mind that it hardly counts as innovative thinking. On the other hand, those who recognize something in extant folkways worth preserving can be painfully ignorant of the world's realities. They can act; or rather react, as if economic dimensions don't exist.

Click here to read the full article

Contributed By:
Sumit Choudhury - PGDM 6
Marketing - Major
(Globsyn Business School)

Bite-Size Learning

"Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs." - Henry Ford

What is bite-size learning?

Bite-size learning is a phrase that has come to prominence in the last five years or so. In particular, promoters of the Learning at Work Day have adopted the phrase to refer to training courses that can be run for employees in the workplace without impinging too greatly on their output.

An obvious implication of the phrase 'bite-size' is that whatever it is, it's a small chunk that can be easily digested - in the case of learning, quickly learned and easily remembered. It means offering a small number of easily remembered pieces of information is something that training providers should bear in mind when constructing their training packages.

Click here to read the full article

Contributed By:
Ipsita Pramanick - PGDM 6
HR – Major
(Globsyn Business School - Kolkata)

Road to success starts with getting Turtles up to speed

By Edward Marshall

Every organization has at least three types of people - the Stars, the Turtles, and the Bad Apples.

Usually, the Stars comprise 15 percent to 20 percent of the work force, while the Bad Apples represent 3 percent to 5 percent.

It's pretty straightforward what to do with Bad Applies - they need to be let go. The Stars are already on fire - which means the company is getting their best effort.

The real issue for businesses that want to be best-in-class is how to get the other 75 percent to 80 percent of the work force, the Turtles, to be on fire - or close to it.

The goal of a high performance company is to have 80 percent of its people on fire 80 percent of the time. However, research over the past 20 years has found that, on average, companies are operating with 60 percent of the people at 30 percent.

Clearly, you can't be best-in-class operating at that energy level. Fortunately, there is an opportunity for real changes.

Click here for the full article

Contributed By:

Pinku Das

HR Major

(Globsyn Business School - Kolkata)

New product from HCL Infosystems

HCL Infosystems announced the introduction of an innovative product `RP2 System', which provides continuous power to a desktop for about 8 hours, after the power supply is disrupted. The RP2 which comes linked to a car battery is being bundled with the entire range of HCL Desktop PCs, according to Ajai Chowdhry, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

Announcing the all India launch of the product, Mr. Chowdhry said here on Thursday that they chose a `IT state (Andhra Pradesh)' to launch the path-breaking technology, which was expected to play a crucial role in the company's vision of `IT for the masses'.

The RP2 has been conceived by the HCL Labs at Pondicherry and designed for the Indian market.

If the car battery was fully charged, the RP2 system would ensure uninterrupted PC performance in all environments and conditions for 8 hours, he said.

HCL, which sells about four lakh PCs, is confident that it can push the product in rural areas with this technology, and increase PC penetration.

It has a 14 per cent national market share and 20 per cent share in Andhra Pradesh.

By:

Sumit Choudhury - PGDM 6
Marketing - Major
(Globsyn Business School)

Fresher Party

The First batch students of Globsyn Business School – Ahmedabad organized a fresher party on Tuesday, August 17, 2008 at R-World. The party was entirely organized and managed by the Students themselves. The party was a run away success it was attended by 108 students. The party started at 7.00 pm and lasted till 10.00 pm. Prizes were also given away for best dancer, dress and some not so common like best smile and the most popular of all was Mr. & Miss Fresher.

Top 10 HR Best Practices

1. Safe, Healthy and Happy Workplace
2. Open Book Management Style
3. Performance linked Bonuses
4. Degree Performance Management Feedback System
5. Fair Evaluation System for Employees
6. Knowledge Sharing
7. Highlight performers
8. Open house discussions and feedback mechanism
9. Reward Ceremonies
10. Delight Employees with the Unexpected

Click here to read the full article

By:
Ipsita Pramanick - PGDM 6
HR – Major
(Globsyn Business School - Kolkata)

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Doing Is Believing

Leadership cannot be taught but it can be learnt.

Climbing rugged mountains, rafting through tough rapids, trekking through unknown terrain and gliding through turbulent wind are no longer just oft-used metaphors to describe life in the corporate world. These physically challenging activities are today integral to several organisational training programmes that use experiential learning (EL) methods.

While all these activities are stimulating, adventurous and fun, they are essentially used to draw attention to inter-personal dynamics as well as personal attitudes and behaviours that have a direct bearing on workplace relationships.

But EL is not just about sports and outdoor activities. There is a whole range of exercises that use EL. Creating a task force comprising a group of people brought together to solve a given problem is one, while creating simulated situations (putting people in pairs to resolve a conflict) to understand issues such as conflict management is another.

“Experiential learning is a widely used training methodology”, once a person reaches adulthood, experiential learning becomes the most powerful way of learning.

How so? Studies have shown that participants retain only 5 per cent information learnt through lecture, 10 per cent through reading and 30 per cent through demonstration. But they can retain up to 75 per cent information learnt through doing. And that’s what EL does. Here, the traditional instructive training method is replaced by one based on situations or experiences. “If you want people to effectively retain the knowledge gained, experiential learning is perhaps the best method”.

This learning-by-doing gets even more pronounced as a person grows older and becomes a ‘voluntary learner’. Therefore, the practice of experiential learning has tended to veer towards the use of more learner-centred and outdoor techniques.

One of the most sought after classes at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government is the one on leadership taught by Dean Williams, a lecturer in public policy. Outrageous statements are used to provoke students — of different ages, race, gender, sexuality and class — into reacting from their gut rather than their conditioned intellect. Academic debates give way to more ‘basic’ reactions such as breaking down and loss of temper, which reveal the subtle prejudices and biases that govern group dynamics. These exaggerated situations help students become aware of their deep-rooted and hidden biases, which they then have to learn to address.

Most HR managers acknowledge the effectiveness of these intense, challenging and highly interactive training sessions that take place outside neon-lit and often sterile conference rooms.

“A little while ago, we had an almost entirely new team in our Engine and Industrial Business unit and we wanted that team to drive effective change in the organisation,” says Aniruddha Khekale, deputy general manager of human resources at Pune-based Cummins India Limited. About few months ago, the unit’s entire leadership team underwent a three-day training programme that was part workshops, part outbound activities and part deep reflective sessions. “The training had a very high impact on the participants,” says Khekale. “I have seen the results filter back into the workplace.” The reason for this, he feels, is that the training focused on self exploration and self realisation and had an impact on people’s very core.

These results are not surprising, such training programmes have been so successful that several IT and ITeS companies in Bangalore have made it mandatory for their employees to undergo at least one three-day EL training module.

Adapting To The Times

“Experiential learning has been an accepted methodology in India since the early 1970s,” although it was applied only in small measure and in select organisations.” The reason why it has gained so much popularity in India recently is two-fold. Firstly, a mushrooming of management institutes and online training programmes has meant that employees are entering organisations already equipped with technical skills, the imparting of which used to be the forte of traditional training programmes. Secondly, today increased employment options have led to a dramatic shift in work cultures, with employers recognising that they have to be people-oriented and influence behaviours if they want to be successful. As a result they are putting in place training programmes that help individual employees not only achieve self-realisation but also enable them to effectively work in teams.

What is EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING?

• Experiential learning-based training is more learner centred and uses outdoor techniques.
• Physically challenging activities, such as rock climbing, rafting and gliding, are used to help participants learn about team dynamics and interpersonal relationships.
• Participants are provoked and deliberately placed in simulated situations that generate extreme reactions, leading to realisations about their subtle prejudices and biases.
• It is a powerful technique to help senior managers learn about conflict management, decision making and leadership.

“The degree to which EL is built into a programme is also a variable of the nature of training”. “While EL is crucial for behavioural training, the application is limited if the training dimension is skill-based or technical in nature.” EL-based training is generally used to create team synergy, build trust, impart conflict-management techniques, and develop team working and team development skills. But, it is most useful when it comes to leadership training.

Studies find that when it comes to improving the way leaders manage themselves and those under them, nothing else works except experiential learning. “By the time people reach that level they in a way already know it all, and what EL allows is for them to be able to draw on that very knowledge to improve themselves.” But this kind of learning can be very painful. “EL makes you see that you are not as good as you thought you were — a realization that can at times be traumatic.”

While EL provides the base, it is role playing that is a highly effective tool for senior managers. “In fact, leadership training is incomplete without it”. “Leadership is not something that can be taught, it can be learnt”.

“No one knows us better than ourselves”. “Therefore the best programmes are those that create situations which allow people to learn from their own experiences and realizations.” Trainer-centred traditional training methods work only to a limited extent”. It is only experiential learning-based training that can help today’s manager overcome the challenges of personal as well as organisational growth and development.

By:
Priyank S Soni - PGDM 1
(Globsyn Business School - Ahmedabad)

Recruiting in Mass

Human resource is the most important asset of any business organization. They have been termed as human capital. It is this capital composition of an organization that helps to determine its profitability and goal achievement. Human beings execute the jobs and tasks of any organization as a result even after automation of all business processes, human intervention cannot be disregarded. Thus manpower planning and talent acquisition are important functions of the human resource department.

En-mass recruitment is the buzzword for the industries of the new economy as the talent acquisition technique. Rapid sales and service is the key ingredient to the path of successful running of the business. And out of 455.7 million jobs in India, 89.1% jobs belong to this sales and service area. Industries such as IT and ITES, retail, financial services, manufacturing and consultancies have adopted this process of en-mass recruitment to meet their manpower requirements.

I conducted a study a period of eight weeks as an assigned project in the Summer Internship Programme at Exide Industries Ltd. The study includes a detailed survey at various organizations which indulge in mass recruitment spread over five industries namely, manufacturing, retail, ITES, financial services and HR consultants. The project studies the various mass recruitment processes followed by these organizations.

Now let us understand what is en-mass recruitment? The technology of the mass recruitment allows organizations to select a big amount of people in a short period of time in one or several regions. Mass recruitment is necessary for start-up projects, such as opening of the new stores, plants, call-centers, promo actions, exhibitions and expanding salesforce. The main characteristics of mass recruitment are: -

Ø Big amount of the similar vacancies
Ø Short periods of recruitment
Ø Big screening of the candidates on every stage of selection
Ø Interviewing a big quantity of the candidates
Ø Quality and speed of recruitment must be maintained

The study conducted in sixteen companies belonging to different industries focuses on few important areas, which are:

§ Sources of en-mass recruitment
§ Number of people employed
§ En-mass recruitment evaluation method
§ Essential skills of candidate

Analysis: Major source for en-mass recruitment are Employee referral and campus recruitment. Only financial sector uses HR consultant as a major source.



Analysis: Majority industries employee 101-500 people each month.

Analysis: The most effective evaluation method in en-mass recruitment is structured interview and aptitude test.

Analysis: The most important skills that are examined in en-mass recruitment are Attitude, Communication skill, Readiness to change apart from many other behavioural skills. It has been seen that in en-mass recruitment behavioural skills are more important than functional skills.

By:
Sayantani Mitra - PGDM 6

(Globsyn Business School - Kolkata)

Logo Change

Advertising is a vast field to explore, currently my interest goes on Old brands which are going for an image makeover to create new markets.

“A brand is a bundle of associations just like a product is a bundle of features. And, just as it is imperative to upgrade the features in a product over time, it is important to upgrade brand associations. So, a change in logo, or the evolution of a brand’s identity shouldn’t really surprise us”.

Many old Indian Corporate Houses are changing their logos to create new markets, We can take latest examples of Ceat, Godrej, and Shoppers Stop.

Imperatives For A Makeover

• The need to be more youthful.
• To compete with global brands.
• To upgrade within the segment brands operate in.
• Making a shift from one product category to multiple categories.
• In case of a merger or acquisition.

We will have a glance at motives and tribulations for changing the Brand Identity.

Targeting the Youth:
Indian brands that have been around for several decades seem to have suddenly discovered the elixir of youth. “Indian companies find that they are out of sync with their rapidly evolving consumers, and this is compelling them to change”.

In the case of Ceat, while in the 1980s and 1990s, tyres were expected to be tough enough to deal with bad roads, customers no longer consider this as key in a purchase decision. Ceat’s own research indicated that, with several new automobile models in the market and an improvement in road conditions, younger customers are keener on performance. The surveys also found that the consumers felt that the brand values were stagnant. “Ceat don’t want to lose brand relevance with the youth”.

Repositioning:
The second reason why brands seek a new identity has to do with the need to upgrade the segment in which they operate. Take Shoppers Stop’s recent attempt to move up the value chain, for instance. “They’ve been trying to re-position themselves from being perceived as a premium brand to a luxury brand”.

The changes have also extended to Shoppers Stop’s communication strategy. The tag line has changed from ‘Shopping and beyond’ to ‘Start something new’.

The Bottom Line:
Eventually, it’s all about the chase for the wallet, and younger customers have more money now to spend than ever before. “Brands are following the money as the younger population is getting wealthier and companies realise the need to take their brands to where the money is”.

First, and probably the most obvious factor that encourages the change is that Indian brands have to now face more competition, especially from global players and, therefore, the legacy bundle of associations may not be appropriate any more. For example new logo of Godrej Group in Ruby, Green and Blue is representing Energy, Innovation and Growth respectively which is an attempt to rejuvenate the 110-year-old brand.

In same prospect Ceat is trying to capture the imagination of Indian consumer, its new logo is more youthful in deep blue and orange, and with a simple and clutter-free design. There is an emphasis on the letter E, which represents raising the bar and signifies energy. Ceat, on other hand, had built up its image with the Rhino and its tag line ‘Born Tough’. However, the new logo has diluted that image. The new campaign doesn’t tell much either except that the brand is changing.

Tough Task:
Launching a new brand identity is a challenging and time-consuming move that needs to be followed up by delivering on the brand promise. It is also an expensive exercise. It involves research at different levels, including workshops and interviews with senior teams to understand their vision for the future, employee research that gives them a chance to voice their opinion anonymously, consumer research, mystery shopping, retail audits and factoring in global trends and practices. Despite this, sometimes new identities fail to impact sales.

Indian marketers seem to be aware of this. Ceat is considering investments worth Rs 1,000 crore to develop new radial tyres and speciality tyres to appeal to younger customers. Besides appealing to a younger audience by using interactive sites such as Youtube and MySpace to gather feedback.

Godrej who is investing over Rs 100 crore in the rebranding exercise, including Rs 18 crore worth of advertising over six weeks during the Indian Premier League cricket matches to refresh the brand and look for a fresh positioning that appeals to younger customers.”

Phasing out the old brand and bringing in the new needs a streamlined programme that maximises return on investment. Every interface needs to be re-configured and changed. “For large organisations, this is a huge exercise”. But if the effort works, the payback is worth it.

By:
Priyank S Soni - PGDM 1
(Globsyn Business School - Ahmedabad)

Source: Internet

Success...

“Wake up early in morning check the list of the richest persons in newspaper and if your name is not there then get up and start working for it……..!!!”

According to me, the above sentence means that if you want to be a successful person and if you want everything which satisfies your needs - then do as much work as you can, because success does not comes on its own, but we have to find the path to success. There are many great men who did something spectacular and that's why they achieved success in life.

I don't mean to say that you will get rich in few years – but it will take time and you have to work hard for it. You can pray to god to put fewer obstacles in your way to success but without obstacles you are not going to get success but god helps them who help themselves. On the way of success you will fall many times even after achieving what you want but you should not fear for that failure, continue what you were doing and definitely you will get better than what you had before. Give all the fragrance of your mind to your work. When you get up early in morning don't wait for the work orders start doing the work without wasting time. If a person keeps on thinking that he wants achievement he will not get it but he has to do something for that. For e.g., if I take a glass of water in hand and wait for water to come in my mouth automatically, it will not come l have to drink it. Please try to make some target in life and take the right step to achieve it with firm determination for right action.

How to hit the target?

• Study the situation.
• Note all the possibilities.
• Work with sincerity.
• Wait for the right time, and
• Hit the target………

Make a goal and try to reach the goal because SUCCESS comes before you reach your GOAL, for it is as simple as taking a STEP in the right direction.

Don't just go for the further details and stories of mine and anyone, go with your subconscious mind, it will help you to take a right decision.

By:
Mahesh Bhatia - PGDM 1
(Globsyn Business School - Ahmedabad)

INDIA IS IN DIRE NEED OF MBA'S

It is widely felt that India's economic growth is not in proportion or correlation with its potential. The causes for such a spectacle are clearly not evident. Prima facie it appears that the growing capital, labour etc alongwith other resourses such as human skills in the country are not well managed.

If the national income growth has to be speeded up, the unmanaged (Agriculture), undermanaged and mismanaged (Administration & Public Service) sectors will have to be equipped with skilled, convenient and professionally trained managers. Unfortunately this has not happened so far and what has been evidenced until now is that these sectors, where growth matters e.g. agriculture, small and medium scale industries and the public sector, have failed to deliver the goods although they have the potential.

So here is the reason for the sudden boom in the growth and development of the management industry since the last five to ten years, which has resulted in the birth of numerous "B-Schools" across the country, with the sole objective of producing the finest of managers. Everybody dreams of producing the 'CRÈME DE LA CRÈME'. But before we can successfully embark upon the idea of increasing the number of business schools or institutions,the existing one should be geared up to meet the challenges in terms of quality.This will evidently require internally efficient and externally effective teaching,training,research and consultancy programmes to be offered by the management eduacation institutions in the country.The agenda which is being practised currently by more than one thousand institutions therefore,needs thorough restructuring and upgradation,keeping in mind the interests of the "SECTORS".

By:

Tufan Saha - PGDM 1

(Globsyn Business School - Ahmedabad)

Races of Giants: NOKIA & GOOGLE

Nokia has hunkered down for a battle with Google as the two behemoths race each other to develop the world's first open source software platform for mobile phones. Last year, Google had cobbled an alliance of 30 partners to develop the Android, a software platform that would allow developers to build a suite of applications for mobile phones.

But now Nokia has undermined the alliance by teaming up with a bunch of heavy hitters - some of them members of the Android alliance - to create a new operating system that promises to have a lot more firepower.Nokia stunned the telecom world by acquiring a 52 per cent stake in Symbian - a British software company - for $410 million. It already owned the rest. The Symbian operating system is the world's foremost smartphone platform, and is about to become much stronger.
Smartphones are handsets with computer-like capabilities.

Nokia, the world's biggest handset maker, will throw Symbian's mobile phone operating system open for royalty-free use. The Finnish giant is launching a non-profit Symbian Foundation that will unite the Symbian operating system with three user interfaces - Nokia's S60, Motorola/Sony's UIQ and NT!' DoCoMo's MOAP - to create one open mobile software platform.

This is exactly what Android had set out to do when Google announced its Open Handset Alliance last November. It had even unveiled a prototype of the Android software at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona back in February. But the Android has run into delays and the industry is abuzz with rumours that it won't be available for tlse in devices before 2009. Google had earlier set a launch dead­line for the second half of this year.

Nokia's ability to persuade some of Android's partners - notably Motorola and Sam­sung - to join its initiative raises questions about whe­ther these companies will still remain committed to Android. If Android loses out, Sym­bian will then get ready for a bigger slugfest with Mi­crosoft's Windows Mobile op­erating software.Unlike Symbian and An­droid, Microsoft doesn't pro­vide its source codes of its program to enable developers to create newer applications. Microsoft is believed to charge between $8 and $15 per phone from handset makers.

By:

Koustav Chowdhury - PGDM 7

(Globsyn Business School - Kolkata)

Source: The Telegraph