Quickfire Jagtaar…..
06 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
While the Indian Hockey Team was celebrating its emphatic victory and subsequent selection to Olympics and the Indian Cricket Team packing their bags after yet another shameful series, Jagtaar Singh sang all the way to glory. Sunday was all shining for this ‘Haryanvi’ from Ambala who went on to score one of the highest in ‘Intramural cup’ and is also a member of NIT-T hockey team.His 68 of 46 balls in 20 over game helped the P.G. team score an unachievable target of 152.Everyone contributed but ‘Jaggi’ as friends call him thrashed the bowlers with 12 boundaries with a strike rate close to 150.The opponents could not tackle the pace of Osama Zaid and could reach only 101 .The P.G. team finished runner-up in the tournament and Jagtaar in a league of his own .
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‘One More Feather In The Cap’
05 Mar 2012 Leave a Comment
DoMS NIT-T students successfully conducted the event ‘The Ultimate Manager’.The team lead by Anshuman Dutta organized an engaging experience for the participants and the spectators. The event was based on the idea of exploring managerial talents in participants by making them face challenges through a series of rounds designed to judge participants skills.
Scheduled on the second day of ‘Pragyan – An International Techno-Managerial Fest’ organized by NIT-T , the event drew crowd from various institutes. The event was divided into four rounds. While the first round was a questionnaire round where participants where gauged for their knowledge management awareness, the second round was an ice-breaker round called ‘SWITCH’ , where participants were judged for their ability to think on their feet. Those who made to the third round were subject to ‘Case-let analysis’ and the winner to be selected on the basis of his marketing skills i n ‘Brand Marketing’ round.
The panel of juries had eminent people like Mr. Vinod Balakrisnan ( Prof.-Dept. of Humanities,NIT-T), Mr. Abdul Mateen ( Head of Automotive Vertical, Marketing Dept.,Wolters Kluwer India ) , Dr. A.K.Bakthavatsalam ( Head, T & P Dept., NIT-T) & Mr. D.M.Sezhiyan ( Asst. Prof.- Marketing, DoMS, NIT-T). The judges left no stones unturned in making the event more lively especially Mr. Vinod Balakrishnan. While Pragyan being an ISO-9001 2008 attracted participants from so many colleges but it was Mr. Suraj Nair of Sri Krishna College of Technology, Coimbatore who won the prize money of Rs.10000 among so many goodies won by spectators and Rs 2000 for the rest of finalists.
Quality – the buzz word
29 Feb 2012 1 Comment
in Events
Department of Management Studies, NIT Trichy organizes a certification programme in association with the JURAN Institute on Lean six sigma for the students. Juran Institute, a pioneer in the field of quality management has been conducting weekend sessions for the students of DoMS. Budding Managers need to assist the organization where they are going to be associated in ensuring quality in their products and Services.
Lean Six Sigma is the best known quality improvement method which is used widely across all industries. Lean Six Sigma is a combination of two successful methods that organizations use to reduce waste, defects, and general mistakes; lean manufacturing and the six sigma methodology. These Certifications improve a candidate’s chances of getting hired in areas of training, consulting and process re-engineering. The Institute is offering its flagship ‘Green Belt program’. This certification equips the participants to lead projects and to assist Lean Six sigma Black Belts in large cross functional projects. The course is provided in two phases which meets global requirements of JURAN institute whose clients include Samsung and Telefonica. The course is comprehensive with examples and case studies across a spectrum of industries.
Phase 1 includes 35 hours of class room training with Lean Six Sigma Assignment workbook completion and an individual Proficiency assessment. Phase 2 includes a Project that ought to be completed by the fellow students and a final Green Belt exam that has to be taken up by them.
The Topics range from Historical Perspective of Lean & Six Sigma to Industry specific applications and case studies. An Overview of Lean, its Philosophy , the Principles involved and the wastes along with the tools – value stream Mapping , Kanab , JIT etc would give a holistic view about the aspects of Quality. The various methodologies of Six Sigma – DMAIC & DFSS and the phases involved in each of the methodologies and the significance would enlighten the students on Team Management. Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve and control phases and the methods and tools in each phase would provide insights on Designing Experiments and using Statistical methods to be put to use in real life business scenarios.
I read an article in a newspaper on how Motorola used six sigma training to become huge again. Two decades ago, the company was down on its luck which could have been finished off by a financial recession at any time. Today it is one of the most prominent cell phone brands in the world. Motorola did not go out and bring in a team of outside management and training consultants. No, what they did was nothing less than develop a new way of training staff and of manufacturing their products, a method which saw their profits rise and had such profound effects on the success of the company that everyone else wanted to know how they had managed it. The secret was Six Sigma.
Thus, the certification would enable people display proficiency in controlling quality and increasing profits, which would be very fruitful for any aspiring Entrepreneur. So is for any business firm. Also, it would enhance the desirability thereby fortifying the relationship among workers. DoMS is one of the very few B schools to provide Six Sigma certification along with the course. Eventually, the certification would shape up a Manager’s career and his dreams in running a successful business organization.
Marketing Conclave
23 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Events
Marketing is the mantra that entices many MBA aspirants. The event organized by the Department of Management Studies (DoMS), National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirapalli proved the same. DoMSians have the distinction and take immense pride to have hosted a Fest that focussed entirely on the backbone of Management studies – Marketing.
The fest was named ‘Mpulse’, and it pulsated as a collective effort that stemmed first, as a great nascent idea of Dr. Thamaraiselvan, HOD, Dept. of Management Studies, and NIT. He stands a perfect example of how a person could ignite young minds into collaborating and also to orchestrate a milestone like this.
It kicked off with a very strong and inspiring lecture on ‘Glocalisation’ by Mr.Vijay Xavier, Exec. VP, RK Swamy BBDO, India. The audience were taken by surprise and awakened with a warm sense of nostalgia, when the old Bajaj advertisements were played. A Saint –Gobain advertisement, showcased, is worth mentioning as it was influenced by the movies of Rajinikanth and also because of the ad’s effortless conveying of its ideal. Interesting facts on the business genre of India and the powerful positions that various Indian nationals held and a few inspiring anecdotes from their lives, brought about a renewed sense of respect among the listeners. The various awe-inspiring positions held by Indians in companies world over were also brought to light with a hope of instilling greater ambition and confidence among the participating listeners, many of whom were management students.
Sunday, was a long day that started off with a presentation on ‘Marketing strategies’ by Mr.Saktivelan, DGM, Business Planning, Toyota Kirloskar. A video presentation on ‘Toyota’s evolution’ was interesting and informative. The misconception that only celebrities help sell products and their absolute necessity for all advertisements was put to rest by Mr.Mohan, Country Head, Marketing, Khazana jewellers. He rendered a lecture on ‘Celebrity endorsements’ and defined a proper demarcation between the creative ads that needed celebrities and that which did not. He kept the whole gathering engaged by playing few commercials.
Subsequently, there was a presentation on ‘Predictive Analytics for an intuitive customer experience’ by Dr.Ravi Vijayaraghavan,VP and Global Head,24/7 Customer labs. He unleashed the unknown facts about various aspects of analytics. ‘Big Data’ was the key element there .A demo on Interactive Customer Services highlighted the application of predictive Analysis in providing a wholesome Customer Experience. Dr.Vijayaraghavan patiently answered all the queries from the participants.
Last session of the event, was on ‘Competitive Strategies for winning Market Shares and Mindshare’ by Mr.Murali Sundar, Country Manager, Schwarzkopf India, and Henkel. The speaker delivered the lecture with a jovial attitude. He also made the session very interactive by shooting questions at the audience on various marketing concepts. As was the beginning, such was the end of impulse – interesting,informative,innovative and interactive. Much Sincere effort and hard work have gone into the organization of this event making it a huge success.
Dr.Muruganantham, Asst.Professor, DoMS NITT, an active participant in many International Conferences and seminars, graced the event with his presence.
Wake-up Call !
23 Feb 2012 1 Comment
A manager works under immense pressure and thus sometimes strays into the zone of unethical practices. Ethics teams up well with Morals and Values to form an ‘unachievable goal’ in the language of modern businessmen. However tough it may sound,the key to attain ethical standards is to bring trust and transparency in doing business.
We inculcate habits and practices that we see in our environment.Thus, in a country like ours which is said to have a parallel ‘BLACK ECONOMY’,ethical practices have taken a back seat while corruption does the reckless driving. The ‘ This is how it works’philosophy makes whistle blowing an ineffective option and leads to an increased acceptance for these practices.
However, if ethical values are made a part of the curriculum such that budding managers follow it in letter and spirit, the scenario would change for the better. It might pinch a bit when we start but its always for the better in the long run.The general perception is that ‘Ethical business means losing business’. However, there are companies like TATA which remain profitable as well as ethical at the same time.
The grey area between Black and White is the area that has to be looked into.The argument that its not black as long as its grey is a farce as its not white either.Doing business with ethics can also be interpreted from the teachings of GITA and other spiritual texts that more or less determine our conduct in life.Thus, ’Ethical’ is the way of not only the right way of doing business but also living life.
Ethical practices are build trust and make planning predictable which is essential for managing crisis in an organization. Similarly a good reward system would make the employee feel included.
A company is always perceived as good as its people and the consumers and shareholders care about values.Hence any digression form ethics might lead to loss of business. Governments want fair business practices and business ethics not only provide an insurance against higher taxes but also act as a safeguard against oppressive government regulations a la 1975.
A relation can be drawn between the corruption prevalent in countries and the amount of freedom enjoyed by businesses .They are always in an inverse proportion and one feeds up on the other.
The idea of business as a part of society has strengthened the cause for Business Ethics .Not conforming to social expectations might lead to loss of image and market share. Ethical values should be communicated by the Top Management to the grassroots and all practices that are based on Business Ethics should be strictly pursued for a company to prosper. Thus, a manager should act as a trustee to all the stakeholders of his company.
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Events Galore!!
21 Feb 2012 Leave a Comment
in Events
The Ultimate Manager
| Greetings from The Ultimate Manager team,
It’s a new year and a new beginning, hope you had a great start this year. We do hope that you must have enjoyed every iota of Pragyan the previous edition and with the advent of the New Year we present you with a brand new event “The Ultimate Manager”. Enter the maze of winding and twisting world of business- if you have the audacity to look into intricate details, if new ideas seem to amaze you, if you think you are a genius and ready to face challenges, find the lost clues after assessing the intricate facts and analogies and through the relevant curves and graphs approach solutions comes then come outperform yourself at “The Ultimate Manager”. We’re very much excited to invite you for The Ultimate Manager. Experience the Thrill, and you’ll enjoy it. Register yourself here: http://www.pragyan.org/12/home/events/managing_tech/ultimate_manager/ For more updates and Management trivia follow: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Ultimate-Manager/259468800787479 Meet You at Pragyan 2012.. |
Yeh dil maange more !!
21 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
What a fantastic way to start – mPulse 2012 !!
What would happen to the ‘Indian Manager’ with all these MNC’s flooding up their MBA’s here? Can they get away without our help..?
Mr. Vijay Xavier, Exec VP of RK Swamy BBDO, India and a veteran of Lowe Lintas, the man behind many brands, engaged us interestingly through his questions on ‘Glocalization’.
- What made McBeef Burger to turn into a McAloo Tikki Burger?
- What was the story behind the Ford Ikon?
- Can a foreigner understand which country he is in within a country of minimum ’28 mini countries’?
No one can easily get away with India – let it be business, culture, tradition and brain power..! Mr.Xavier took us through an entire journey of advertisements emphasizing the fact that it is necessary to satisfy all the stakeholders through your Integrated Marketing Communication!! You have to know what their palate is and then feed them!!
Thanks a lot Sir..! There could not have been a better way to start our Conclave!!
Well Deserved !!
19 Dec 2011 1 Comment
The timing could not have been better for the trip which marked completion of half the academic year at DoMS, NIT-Trichy.Everyone of us wanted a time-off from the hectic schedule packed with guest lectures and club activities.The never ending process of clicking pictures started as soon as we boarded the bus. We reached,checked in or hotel and signed off to sleep.
Funny as it may sound, our mental alarm goes into sleep mode as soon as there are no deadlines to meet. Thus, began our weekend escape from routine life and we could afford the luxury of starting at noon. After a brief visit to Varadarajaperumal temple and a heavy brunch, we paid a short visit to the museum.And then we walked upto Gandhi beach ,one of the finest beaches in south India. The sea and the cool breeze caught everyone’s fancy and probably cast a spell on us. We raced towards the waves as if the sea was pulling us. Though we were ‘On the Rocks’, still looking for something more. We strolled through the promenade to take auto’s to our promised land in pondicherry, ‘The Paradise Island’. Paradise Island was at a 15 min. boat ride from Boat club.If Gandhi beach was delight, Paradise island was ecstasy. I don’t know how to put it ‘In Paradise or At Paradise’ as both seem to be correct. The beach was stormed as if it was ‘Normandy’ followed by 3 hrs. of fun and frolic.
With the setting sun, we were returning back like the birds but in a ferry. The calm backwaters, the setting sun and the ferry ride is something i won’t forget for quite some time. After the exhausting but fun filled day ,we ate finger-licking food at Hotel Annapoorna. It was time to say goodbye to Pondicherry but it won’t let us go like that. One more visit to Gandhi beach i, which looked even more beautiful in moon light. We relaxed and just watched the sea before boarding a bus to Trichy. All eyes were closed, some deep in sleep some trying not to let the memories of pondicherry go away.
FAds
30 Nov 2011 1 Comment
in Management Forum!!!, Marketing
“My dad’s strong” was the ending dialogue by a cute little angel in Complan’s advertisement almost a decade ago. Children have been used in advertisements since time immemorial. Children have been used to aid in more than “just effective communication”, but to have a considerable share in the hearts and minds of the viewers. The power of using children in ads have been exploited by advertisers from time to time as the emotional attachment in the indian value system places more emphasis on the family, which primarily revolves around the child.
If we research the adverts by the different firms over a period of time, it would be clear that there is a trend. Sometimes a success of an ad leads to another me-too kind of ads. The current trend of rising advertisements using children can be very well noticed from the ads used by Reliance Digital to the ads by Ingersoll Rand. Children have been normally used in ads to evoke and attach an emotional value to the ads. Ads are all about emotions, and using children gives an easy approach to get this done.
Quoting my father, whenever he used to get upset of me “Whatever I am doing is for you and whatever I am earning is for you only….” (some words have been censored to keep the author in a better image:) ). Jokes apart, Indian value system revolves largely around the family and especially around the kids. Attaching emotional quotient to advertisements is the prime motive in most of the advertisements. Unless the EQ level is hit with the right impact the advertisements may not yield desirable results. Research has shown that these ads also have a higher brand recall. Product brand recall is very much essential to increase the probability of a prospect researching on the product and increasing the possibility of conversion into a buyer.
This is especially essential in items which are high involvement purchases and in products where there is only little differentiation. Insurance plans are one such product where the possible differentiation is visibly less. The child education plans initially used to have advertisements showing the different features attached to the product. This was in the initial stages of the lifecycle. After the level of differentiation slowly started reducing, they shifted to showcase the parents love for their progeny, and after sometime now the children have become the protagonists. SBI SBI ad, Tata Capital Tata, LIC LIC are some of the names in the financial product category which have been regularly leveraging child-like emotions and children to evoke beneficial responses. The product differentiation is very much reduced in this market. Hence attaching emotional value plays a significant role.
But children and the child-like emotions, mind it not childish, have been utilised in many famous ads from the Tata Nano to Nivea. Even though the purposes are not just to create an emotional moment of parity, but also to evoke the memories attached with our childhood moments and some other features, to which everybody gets easily hooked. For example, Nivea and Pears use children to evoke a comparative response with the skin of a child. Voltas has been using children to attach an emotional value and simultaneously conveying a message to avoid clutter in the AC category which usually has actress or by just displaying a new technology of air conditioning.
Using children as protagonists in advertisements has become a fad. The recent lavishly spent advertisements by foreign major Ingersoll Rand using the pride of the child in having her dad working for the company as the main theme is a proof for this phenomenon. The advertisers are using children to hit the right spot ringing and to get them converted to suitable responses from the target audience- the parents. The influencers are the emotional attachment with the child and the deciders are the Parents. The advertisers have been using the influencers to take the effectiveness of the ads northwards.
Ingersoll Rand ad:
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Admissions – 2012… there you go..!
24 Nov 2011 1 Comment
Guys… The admission process for the next batch would be kick started very soon..! We will keep you updated..! But you can start hitting you queries to us through ‘Pagalguy’
We would be really glad to apprise you with the details to take an informed decision and also guide you through the entire admission process…!
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