Communis January 2010

COMMUNIS A Business Communication Area Magazine

Birla Institute of Management Technology, Greater Noida

Vol. 1, No. 1; January 2010

An Exclusive Interview with Richa Anirudh

• Men Make Speeches or Speeches Men?

• Clear Mind Communicates Clearly

a Sneak Peek into Importance of Soft Skills & Recruiters Choice...

• Tips on the Art of Public Speaking For Private Circulation Only

4 2010

22nd-23r d January, 2010 Venue : Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi

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Programme Schedule 22nd January 2010 Inaugural Session Sh Dinsha J Patel, State Min. of MSME Mr Jagdish Khattar, CMD, Carnation Mr Dinesh Rai, Secretary, MSME Dr H Chaturvedi, Director, BIMTECH Mr Rajeev Karwal, Founder, Milagrow Dr. William Harmon, Dean, Coles College of Business, USA

MSME b. Business Support Organizations Chambers of Commerce d. Entrepreneurs Association Industrial Associations f. Financial and Insurance Institutions Venture Capitalists and Private Equity firms h. Faculty and Research fellows Vendors to Retail and manufacturing sectors j. Students Service Providers in communications, Supply Chains, IT, ERP etc

Fees Structure (per participant) Corporate /Delegates SSI units & members of Chambers & Associations Milagrow MSME Portal Member Faculty/Alumni Students

: : : : :

Rs. 6000 Rs. 4500 Rs. 3500 Rs. 3500 Rs. 2500

Registration For Registration, please fill-in the Registration Form, and send it back along with a crossed Demand Draft / Banker's Cheque in favour of 'Birla Institute of Management Technology' payable at New Delhi. Please refer to the Form for confirming the registration fee amount for your respective category. Registration on first come first serve basis. On-the-spot registration will also be available. Delegates needing assistance in accommodation (on payment) may contact the Summit Conveners for details.

For details, please contact: Mr. Anshuman Srivastava M.: +91-9873788681 E-mail : [email protected]

Birla Institute of Management Technology Plot No-5, Knowledge Park-II, Institutional Area, Greater Noida - 201 306 Phone: +91-120-2323001- 10 Fax: +91-120-2323022 / 25

Website: www.bimtech.ac.in

Technical Session - 2 Competing Blindly versus Collaborative Competition Session Chair - Mr Sunil Jain, Senior Associate Editor, Business Standard Speakers Mr Rakesh Malhotra, Founder, Luminous Power Technologies Mr L.D. Mittal, Chairman, Sonalika Group Mr Rajinder Gupta, CMD, Trident Group Mr Anil Gupta, MD, Havell's Group Panel Discussion Innovative Media Strategies for Competitive Advantage Moderator - Mr. Anurag Batra, Chairman, E4M Group Speakers Mr Bhaskar Das, EVP, Times of India Mr Ishan Raina, Chairman, OOH Mr Sai Kumar, COO, TV18 Mr Barun Das, CEO, ZEE News Mr Harish Bhatia, COO, My FM Mr Sanjeev Kotnala, VP, Dainik Bhaskar

23rd January 2010 Technical Session - 3 Inclusive Marketing: The Rural Opportunity Session Chair - Mr Pradeep Kashyap, CEO, MART Speakers Sh J.S. Mishra, CEO, KVIC Mr. Atul Chaturvedi, COO, Idea Cellular, Delhi & Haryana Circle Smt. Uma Swaminathan, MD, SEWA Mr Sanjay Kapoor, Joint MD, Bharti Airtel Mr. N.K. Chaudhary, CMD, Jaipur Rugs Technical Session - 4 Social Media : Unprecedented Opportunities for MSME Session Chair - Mr Rajeev Karwal, Founder, Milagrow Speakers Mr Ajit Balakrishnan, Founder, Rediff.com Mr Sunil Rajshekhar, COO, Indiatimes Mr Nikhil Rungta, HoM, Google Technical Session - 5 Go-to-Market Strategies for MSME Session Chair - Mr Kartik Raina, Ex-MD Unilever Bestfoods Speakers Mr Anil Dua, VP Mktg & Sales, Hero Honda Mr Vineet Taneja, HoM, Nokia Mr V. Ramachandran, Director - Marketing, LG Mr. Venguswamy Ramaswamy (Swamy), Tata Consultancy Services, Global Head-Small and Medium Business A Talk on the Book : No Money Marketing Ms Jessie Paul, Founder, Paul Writer Strategic Advisory

Confirmation awaited from speakers

Who should attend ? a. c. e. g. i. k.

Technical Session - 1 Trends and Opportunities for the MSME sector Session Chair - Mr Parvir Kumar, Jt Secy, MSME Speakers Dr Suman K Berry, Director General, NCAER Mr H.P. Kumar, Chairman, NSIC Mr Partha Rakshit, MD, AC Nielsen


EDITORIAL

B

Vol. 1, No. 1; January 2010

usiness Communication course has been there existent for long in almost all the curricula, especially Management. At the same time, there has also been a chronic shortage of faculty in this area. To find more than two full-time teachers of business communication in a business school is quite rare even at IIMs. Five to six would be truly exceptional. In fact, very few schools would have even a full-fledged Department/Area of Business Communication.

Editor Dr. Mukesh Chaturvedi

Features Editors Dr. Archana Shrivastava Dr. Shalini Kalia

Design Editor Prof. Sangeeta Shukla

Assistant Editors Prof. Shylaja Iyengar Ms. Nimisha Singh

Research Editors Rohit Saha, PGDM (IB) - I Deepika Setia, PGDM (IB) - II Suhina Baveja, PGDM - I Deepika Grover, PGDM (RM) - II Nidhi Rai, PGDM (RM) - II Shewta Agarwal, PGDM - I Gargi Banerjee, PGDM - II Abha Jain, PGDM (RM) - II

Published from: Birla Institute of Management Technology Plot No. 5, Knowledge Park II, Greater Noida (NCR), U.P. e-mail: [email protected] Website: www.bimtech.ac.in

Printed by: I'M Advertisers C-33, Sector-10, Noida E-mail: [email protected] Note:- All articles given in the magazine are based on the personal views of the contributors. BIMTECH is not responsible for the views expressed if contrary to any particular person or entity. BIMTECH shall not be liable for the inadequacy of the information, any mistakes, inaccuracies or improper display of contents.

The number of faculty members in an Area also depends on the importance and the activities of the Area. If ‘teaching’ is the only concern, then, may be, even one faculty can manage it; but, if the Area is also engaged in training, workshops, consulting, research, publications, conferences, seminars, etc., then there would be a need for many more. The Business Communication Area at BIMTECH is, perhaps, the largest in the country. The Area offers four courses to the first year students of all the four different programs of the Institute: Business Communication I / II / III, and Inter-cultural Business Communication. The first course covers Business English skills in a training mode; the second covers the concepts of communication in the business context in a teaching mode; and, the third covers the application areas of business communication in a lab mode. The fourth course provides the International Business students an insight into cross-cultural business communication. The Area offers executive development programs (MDPs) in the areas of Organizational Communication, Cross-cultural Communication, Presentation Skills, etc. The Area does in-company training in the areas of communication skills for Effective Negotiation, Conflict Management, Customer Relationships, etc. And, the Area also undertakes sponsored research and consultancy in the area of Corporate Communications and Integrated Marketing Communications. "Communis", the Area Magazine, is perhaps, a first by any department of any business school in India; a truly unique endeavour. "Communis" is a medium to connect with the (business) communication world; a platform to encourage and help develop (business) communication skills. That is why, it has contributions from faculty, students and staff of BIMTECH. Being the first time, and having no precedence, there are bound to be glitches. Please feel free to suggest as well as to contribute to the columns. It will not only help us improve, but also add value to it. Happy Reading , and a very Happy New Year!

Mukesh Chaturvedi

Cover Design : Soumeek Das, PGDM 2009-11 BIMTECH - January 2010

1

th

55

ILA National Conference on

Library & Information Science in the Digital Era January 21-24, 2010 Venue : BIMTECH Campus, Greater Noida Who should Participate • Library and Information Professionals • Knowledge Seeker and Leaders in Knowledge Industry • ICT and knowledge Workers like Content Developers, Web Designers, etc. • Policy makers and Government Officials • Educationists • Information Providers and Vendors • All stake holders in the knowledge industry • Students and Research Scholars of LIS

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Registration & Accommodation The registration fee covers conference kit, conference proceedings, meals and tea. Confirmation of registration is possible only if the duly completed registration form is received along with the registration fee.

Registration Fee Working Professionals : Rs. 3,000 Retired Persons & Students : Rs. 2,000

Accommodation Charges Guest House : Rs. 1,500 Hostel : Rs. 500 Accommodation can be made available on twin sharing basis, subject to availability on first come first serve. For Registration, please fill in the enclosed Registration Form, and send it back along with a crossed Demand Draft in favour of "Birla Institute of Management Technology" payable at Greater Noida. Please details, please contact:

in association with

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Dr. Rishi Tiwari Organizing Secretary 55th ILA National Conference

Conference Partners

Birla Institute of Management Technology

ARMY INSTITUTE OF MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY GREATER NOIDA

Plot No-5, Knowledge Park-II, Institutional Area, Greater Noida - 201 306 Phone: +91-120-2323001- 10 Mob. : 9810583623, Fax: +91-120-2323022 / 25 Email : [email protected]

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A Magazine by Birla Institute of Management Technology, Greater Noida

Look out for Tips on Business Communication Area

contents

January 2010

January 2010 // Vol. 1, No. 1

The first expression that comes to my mind on hearing France is joie de vivre i.e. living life to the fullest. It is a beautiful romantic place, an ideal destination for trying out different cuisines.

06 Communication

The lifestyle of the French is different. They are lazy when it comes to work. High street fashion, clubbing, partying every night , enjoying music, giving great importance to their festivals such as Easter, reading books(novels) while traveling, going on vacations, skiing, go-karting, playing football are some of the very common practices that the French are engaged in. The French highly admire the Art work. They visit museums quite often. They love to go .........

presentations

Annie Gupta PGDM (IB) 2008- 10 BIMTECH student under exchange program at Rouen Business School, France

issues faced in India 08 Cross-Cultural Experience

04 09 13 18 30

Culture impacts Communication Communication and Electronic Media Elevating Yourself with Your Elevator Speech Organizational Communication Dress for Success

main feature

Interview 27 with TV Anchor

- Richa Anirudh

public speaking 16 28 33 36

I was very enthusiastic about the internship opportunity and I wanted to stay actively involved. I had the privilege to learn and work as a student intern, with Harman International at Netherlands, in Europe. Together with 5 other international students, the internship has helped me greatly to understand European business practices and to improve my intercultural communication skills. The Company, has their Marketing and consumer office for EMEA+ at Amsterdam, thus has people from all over Europe and Middle East working together. I was exposed to a multicultural and multi-religious environment and found that it is easy for people from different countries, political systems, cultures and religions to get along with each other and reach common understanding on many things. Fundamentally people all over the world are willing to be friendly .... Saumya Paliwal PGDM (IB) 2008-10 Internship at Harman International, Netherlands

Tips on the Art of Public Speaking Hello… helloo…!!!! - Etiquette Speak Out... Speak Loud... Men Make Speeches or Speeches Men?

31 vocabulary 37 The Wonderful World of Words 42 Buzz words @ Retail interview skills 22 38 41 44 47

Tongue Which Can See The Wonderful World of Words

23 25

Interviews: How to crack them? FAQs for Interviews

Plagiarism

book review

Code Name 'Ginger'

46

Relevance of BEC Certification

case 20 Clear Mind Communicates Clearly

Interest Lost in Symbol

Culture Impacts Communication

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lobalization is reshaping our modes of thinking and ways of behaving and fostering national cultural change. In the age of globalization national cultures, regional cultures, organizational cultures, and so on do not seem to only collide with each other; they are inspiring each other, learning from each other, coexisting within each other, and they are creating new cultures together. There has been a trend in the industry to establish partnership with local companies as joint ventures often collaborating with local companies. This has led to rise of multicultural project teams with teams from different background and culture. Not only are the teams multicultural, they are spread geographically across different time zones in different political settings. Nations keen to advance their economic standing encourage students to take study programme abroad. These students come from different cultural and educational backgrounds. For many students under exchange programme, the expectation is that the learning and teaching experience in the host institution will be the same, however this may not be true. Interaction with students from foreign institutions has brought out the fact that there are complexities and benefits to be drawn from student and teacher perspective.

According to Hosftede, cultures can be differentiated using four dimensions- Power Distance, Individualism, Masculinity and Uncertainty Avoidance. Power Distance indicates the degree of equality or inequality between people in the society. Individualism focuses on individual or collective achievement and interpersonal relationships. Masculinity ranking indicates the level of gender differentiation and discrimination. Uncertainty Avoidance indicates the level of tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity within the society. This also reflects that the society is less rule oriented, more readily accepts change and takes more risk. Students coming from other nations have both hopes of learning something new and understanding different points of view as well as fear of being judged or miscommunications arising out of cultural differences. The cultural orientation develops through the complex interaction of values, attitudes and behaviors displayed by its members as well as influence from their surroundings. For example, in France, accent, communication style, behavior, body language is influenced by demographics. North of France has a little influence of Belgium in terms of food, music and language. Culture of Southern France is very similar to Mediterranean countries (like Italy, Spain). People are very relaxed compared to North. Culture of East of France has an influence of Germany. In the East, people talk in a different language which is a mix of French and German. People are not very friendly and are narrow-minded. People in Western part of France prefer wilderness and are closer to nature because of being close to ocean and mountains. They are more direct in communication and give a lot of importance to family values. These values shape and affect the behavior which individuals consider appropriate and effective in any given situation. In addition to that, the continually changing patterns of individual and group behavior eventually influence the society’s culture and the cycle begins again.

Culture of Southern France is very similar to Mediterranean countries (like Italy, Spain). People are very relaxed compared to North. Culture of East of France has an influence of Germany. In the East, people talk in a different language which is a mix of French and German. People are not very friendly and are narrowminded. People in Western part of France prefer wilderness and are closer to nature because of being close to ocean and mountains.

To understand the differences between domestic and global management, it is necessary to understand the ways in which cultures around the world vary. It is important to define the meaning of the term ‘culture’ before starting with intercultural and multicultural issues. American Heritage Dictionary defines culture as “the totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, art, beliefs, institutions and all other products of human work and thought characteristic of a community or population”. 4

Culture exists at multiple levels in a society. It can be regional, national, societal, ethnic, organizational or groups. Culture shapes an individual’s personality. It affects everything we do: the way we perceive and interact with the world, the way we relate to one another, the way we cope up with our lives, the way we resolve conflicting interests. The impact of culture is so deep that it could result in a conflict if norms at any level conflict.

Cultural differences are often a source of confusion but if understood well, they could transform into strength. Dealing in

COMMUNIS

Cultural Sensitivity Ever observed this...while in Mumbai...Delhi... and so on…Read on…

multicultural environment, it is imperative to understand the impact of culture. Training and education standards and the relative value of qualification can be very different in different parts of the world. Language is a key issue affecting cross cultural communication. In many situations, non-native speakers are working in their second language with consequential loss of effectiveness as well as increased risk of mistakes or misunderstanding. Students coming under exchange programme from such cultural backgrounds, bring their own values and attitude and work towards adjusting in a different academic culture, follow rules and guidelines of the host institution, make new friends and strike communication. English being a second language for them along with a different accent raises communication issues. From exchange student’s perspective issues range from understanding the administrative system to adapting a different learning culture, accepting academic conventions in host institution while managing personal and study time. Sometimes communication issues arise since students work in team where they need to interact with other students to complete a task, express their opinion and resolve conflict in the group. Teaching staff has to deal with the language problem in the class and accept that learning cultures differ across academic borders. Establishing transparency i.e. presenting students with rationale for tasks set and expectations raised in the completion of task helps in motivating them. Also collaborative learning with emphasis on effective communication skills works more effectively in such situations. On one hand diversity offers the advantage of increased creativity, wider range of perspective, more ideas. On the other hand it brings challenges arising out of cultural differences. The key to success is to harness synergy through effective Nimisha Singh Lecturer Business Communication Area

Scenario 1 Two guys are fighting, a third guy comes along, then a fourth, and they start arguing about who's right. You are in Kolkata. Scenario 2 Two guys are fighting, a third guy comes along, sees them, and walks on. That's Mumbai. Scenario 3 Two guys are fighting, a third guy comes along, and tries to make peace. The first two get together and beat him up. That's Delhi. Scenario 4 Two guys are fighting. A crowd gathers to watch. A guy comes along and quietly opens a Tea-stall. That's Ahmedabad. Scenario 5 Two guys are fighting and a third guy comes. He writes a software program to stop the fight. But the fight doesn't stop because of a bug in the program. That's Bangalore. Scenario 6 Two guys are fighting. A crowd gathers to watch. A guy comes along and quietly says that "AMMA" doesn't like all this nonsense. Peace comes in. That's Chennai. Scenario 7 Two guys are fighting. Both of them take time out and call their friends on mobile. Now, 50 guys are fighting. You are DEFINITELY IN HARYANA! Contributed by: Mukesh Chaturvedi Chairperson Business Communication Area

5

Communication Issues faced in India - Experience sharing by exchange students at BIMTECH from France

As French students, newly arrived in India, we have faced some various communication problems. First of all, the difference of accents between French and Indian people is important. That is why it is hard to understand each other. We needed time to adapt to this new accent and it is sometimes hard to be understood by Indians with our own French accent. To adapt ourselves here, we quickly understood that it was better for us to speak in English without British or American accents that we learnt at school. Indeed, it was better to adapt our accent to the Indian pronunciation, especially with the “r”. Furthermore at the beginning, we often had to ask people to repeat two or three times. And when it got embarrassing it happened that we had to say OK even if we didn’t understand. Likewise, in the restaurants it happened that after ordering a dish we got a different one because of misunderstood problems with the waiter. We every day face the difficulties generated by the accent but the major issue is to communicate with non-English speaking people. In fact, India is a country where not everybody speaks English and on the other hand we do not speak Hindi. We have faced different situations where it was difficult to be clear and to converse. For instance, when we want to bargain a price with rickshaws, it takes a long time and we often have to show numbers with our hands, write them on the floor or use a mobile. Moreover we use very simple English and easy sentences such as “You, OK?” instead of “Do you agree with that?” to be correctly understood. Finally, we can now focus on a different aspect of the communication with the cultural differences. We have noticed that French people and Indian people do not communicate the same way. As European we are focused on an unambiguous communication in a very formal frame whereas Indians use more the informal and oral communication. We often learnt critical information only by talking with people instead of receiving official information. For instance when we get some problems with train schedules, most of the time we don’t know what is going on until we ask somebody and after it is really hard to get the right answer and to find the qualified person. In France we are used to get information by formal ways, that is to say emails, official announcements or paper information whereas here it’s more by talking with classmates. Finally all these situations helped us to develop our adaptation skills. Moreover, Indian people are always ready to help us and make those communication problems negligible and insignificant. - Anne Claire, Exchange Student, Rouen Business School, France - Lauriane Bagnaud, Exchange Student, Rouen Business School, France - Sarah Berger, Exchange Student, Euromed Ecole de Management, France

6

First of all, when I arrived in India the 3rd of September I was completely lost, no repair, nothing to expect about the country.... My first experience with an Indian happened when I came from the airport of Delhi. I met a taxi’s driver who couldn’t speak very well English; it was quite difficult to explain him where I wanted to go. Then the problem with the accent of Indian students and teachers, I had to pay attention a lot, concentrate myself. And also the body language: • To say yes: They make a head gesture from the left to the right. (atcha, chické) • Check hands with girls: In France, we usually kiss girls to say hello Moreover, when you speak with conservative Indian students you have to stay very polite with them, especially with girls, usually in France if they are students I will speak to them with a slang language. At the beginning all this things was a culture shock for me, but now step by step I feel more comfortable with them, it becomes easier for me to understand them even if their accent stay strong. In an other hand, when I travel I meet lots of Indian people. And during our trips, sometimes Indian does not speak at all English so we have to speak with our body language. Meanwhile, now I am completely in love of that country. I try to speak in Hindi, I have already learnt some expression like “aap kaise hein?”, “Sab kuch milega”… and basic communication words. I can’t say more things about my problems of communication, because actually I have adapted myself to this country very quickly. And nothing has disturbed my own person except at the beginning, the eyed contact with the Indian civilization. It was stressful but now I get used to it. - Hugo Benguesmia, Exchange Student, IFI, France

COMMUNIS I arrived in India on september 2nd 2009. I can’t say that I was really afraid about communication problems, mostly because I knew that English was one of the official languages. Actually, I might didn’t consider beyond the speaking language the body language and gestures. Infact, this is probably this part that was the most problematic. I have never really had any English probleme into the campus with the students or the teachers. However, I must admit that the accent is still hard to get sometimes. The lectures can sometimes be quite difficult to understand, depending from the teachers. I have then to do an effort of concentration during the classes to be sure to understand at least the outline of the course. A part from the accent, I would say that sometimes I get a little bit confused about the gestures, particularly when I ask a yes-or-no question. I can’t be sure that I get a yes or a no because of the head language. Infact, I had always been accustomed to the French body language. The fact that Indian people don’t really say yes or no but a kind of melt with a verbal yes and a negative head gesture still makes me confused even after two months of presence. Otherwise, outside of the campus, I have encountered people who pretends to understand what I say even when they don’t. As a result, I don’t have two but only one hotel room, or a don’t get the right food order in the restaurants. I’m never sure that what I say is well understood by my interlocutors, maybe because they don’t want to offend me. Of course there I have faced the problem of being in front of nonenglish speakers. As an example, when I ask for any kind of informations, like a street name, people answer to me in Hindi knowing that I will not understand, but they will still do it by politeness I guess. I try then to focus on their han languages to understand a direction as an example. I think that since I’m in India I focus more on my interlocutor’s body language, and it makes me realize that in France we are really not good at expressing ourselves this way. Finally I don’t really feel like there is a communication barrier between me and Indian people. Even when I can’t find any english speaker, I manage to make myself understood, more or less with difficulties. However, I have noticed that my pronunciation of Hindi words was really bad, particularly when I have to tell a place’s name to the rickshaw drivers. They can sometimes understand something completely different or even don’t know what I am talking about. There is also another parameter which is the voice tone. I have the Impression that Indian people talk quite loudly and fast, which is why I can’t know if they understand that when I talk louder I mean to express my unsatisfaction about something. I like being confronted to a different way of communication, certainly part of a different culture exposure. - Alban Amar, Exchange Student, IFI, France

My first day in India I arrived in India pretty late, around midnight with my french friend Laurianne. We found the driver who was supposed to bring us back to the campus after a good half an hour waiting inside the airport. Finally in the car, we start talking to each other and asking questions to the driver. We were very excited about being here. His English was understandable but I realized that he had a very strong accent. After an hour of driving, the driver dropped me at the GN hostel, and for the first time in my life I was alone with only Indian people. The person who was in charge of showing me my room starts talking to me in English. But I couldn’t understand a word of what he was saying. I really tried my best. I finally gave up. I apologize and told him I couldn’t understand him at all. I think he got a bit offended. On campus In the other hand, Communicating with students or teachers on campus is very easy (compare of communicating with the locals when we are travelling). Students and teachers speak very well English. Only their accent can make it sometimes difficult to understand. But in general terms we all communicate to each other pretty well. On the contrary, the guards almost don’t speak at all English. They only know a few words in English such as “hello” or “good morning”. That’s why I decided to learn some Hindi to make myself a little bit more understandable. Now I am replying to them in Hindi. “Namaste” was the first word I learned. Tricks When someone doesn’t speak well English, I start using the most Basic English possible. I don’t do anymore constructed sentences but I only pronounce the most important words. It works most of the time. Sometimes I am even using my hands to explain myself. Knowing some Hindi words can be very useful at that moment. After a few days in India I learned that Indians are using 4000 different dialects which make their communication skills even more incredible. I am going to travel to the south of India for the first time in my life this week, trying to use my Hindi to make me understandable. PHIL MELENGE

Before going to India, I though communicating with Indians wouldn’t be a problem because of the past history of the country with the British. I though that most of the Indians would speak English or at least understand it. I guess I was wrong. Communication in India can be a very big issue for foreigners, especially if they travel to the country-side in some remote areas.

- Guillume Picard, Exchange Student, Rouen Business School, France

The experiences shared by exchange students have been produced here in the original form to preserve the linguistic aspect in communication. 7

Cross-Cultural Experience Internship at Harman International, The Netherlands

I

Cross-Cultural Experience

was very enthusiastic about the internship opportunity and I wanted to stay actively involved. I had the privilege to learn and work as a student intern, with Harman International at Netherlands, in Europe. Together with 5 other international students, the internship has helped me greatly to understand European business practices and to improve my intercultural communication skills. The Company, has their Marketing and consumer office for EMEA+ at Amsterdam, thus has people from all over Europe and Middle East working together. I was exposed to a multicultural and multi-religious environment and found that it is easy for people from different countries, political systems, cultures and religions to get along with each other and reach common understanding on many things. Fundamentally people all over the world are willing to be friendly to each other. Taking into account the drive and motivation to engage people from a range of cultures, company always made a point in celebrating major German, French, Turkish and Indian festivals along with regular Dutch ones. The culture and lifestyle I encountered in Europe were quite unfamiliar to me. My first impression of Netherlands was that it is less crowded, calmer and not as energetic as Indian cities. I found the food rather acceptable even though being a vegetarian. I highly appreciate the kindness, professionalism and straightforwardness of Europeans. When we think about differences in working life? "To me, the most striking difference between lifestyles in India and Europe is that Europeans have a better understanding of how to balance hard work and the joy of life. Both aspects are equally important to them," One thing that I realized was, despite being basically reserved, the Dutch have a manner of speaking that may startle you by its directness. Holland (The Netherlands) has kept many traditional aspects alive. For a small country, that is extremely tolerant and open for many foreign influences, it offers a rich traditional culture with a mix of culture from the natives of other countries especially Turkey and France.

During Exchange Program at ESC Rouen, France

BIMTECH student under exchange program at Rouen Business School, France

T

he first expression that comes to my mind on hearing France is joie de vivre i.e. living life to the fullest. It is a beautiful romantic place, an ideal destination for trying out different cuisines. The lifestyle of the French is different. They are lazy when it comes to work. High street fashion, clubbing, partying every night , enjoying music, giving great importance to their festivals such as Easter, reading books(novels) while traveling, going on vacations, skiing, gokarting, playing football are some of the very common practices that the French are engaged in. The French highly admire the Art work. They visit museums quite often. They love to go for shopping.

During the ten-week period of study-intern, company gave us academic training regarding the European economy and European business culture in the first week. I traveled around three countries along with other fellow interns 2 Dutch, 2 Chinese and 1 Italian for better understanding of work. More importantly, I tried to know various aspects of the society: went to the stores where local people usually buy their daily necessities; took the buses and subway as most Dutch do. I found that as long as one adopt an open and positive attitude, it is not difficult to adapt to local life. Most of us speak fluent English, but we want to have more direct communication with the local people, so I also tried to learn some phrases of Dutch.

The French being highly fond of cuisines spend greater part of the day in having their meals. Having Lunch and dinner with wine is a customary practice.

We, as Indians should really be proud of our country and its culture because people out there really appreciate and practice our tradition which we take for granted, I am sharing this because I faced a very interesting question by one of my Italian colleague during internship. “Indians always say Hi or Hello on the phone, Why don't they say Namaste??” to my surprise he explained me the meaning of Namaste and told me he greets his folks with “Namaste” this is multi-culturist. I liked his thought and definitely kept thinking about it entire day, well to his question I said, because we are global Indians, we pick the best from the world and Hi is just faster than a Namaste .But, I do say, Hello followed by a Namaste!!

The experience in France has been great. The French people are very helpful. They like to help you out in solving your problems. The whole system is highly organized and systematic. People have etiquettes. Great values such as offering seats to elders in the bus (using public transport) , assembling in queues to get the work done helps in the smooth flow of work being done. While driving people there allow the pedestrians to walk through first and they actually wait for them to pass. Honking on roads is a rare phenomenon in France. Well , the main language being French, interacting with the natives over there was at times a bit difficult.

The concept of maids and household helps is uncommon in France. Even the old-aged have to do carry their luggage on their own while traveling. Since the age of smoking is 18 years, people is France do heavy smoking.

dank u wel! Annie Saumya Paliwal PGDM (IB) 2008-10

8

PGDM (IB) 2008-10

Communication and Electronic Media

In business, courtesy counts a lot. One doesn’t know how important the caller is for company’s business. So, every phone is received with a standard sequence of phrases and items. The normal practice is to greet, give the organization’s name, and the receiver’s name (which is, usually, avoided). If the destinationreceiver is not available, courtesy demands that a message be taken.

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he electronic media have made communication instant and immediate across the world. The use of telephone, voice mail, phone conferencing, video conferencing, cell phone, and e-mail as preferred modes (channels) of communication has greatly accelerated the decision making process at all levels of transactions of all sorts. Their use interconnects the sender and the receiver in a timeless and space less web of communication. In a way, the on-line message and its immediate feedback give distant communication the force and advantages of face-to-face communication. In business, all the above mentioned electronic modes of communication are used according to the need and purpose of the communicator. E-mail, however, is the most commonly used global medium of interaction today. Even within the same organization, managers and executives prefer to e-mail the message instead of calling up the person. E-mail communication is direct. It is like chatting through computer, except that it is not that instant. Here, we will briefly discuss each mode of electronic communication. Phone and Phone Conferencing In business, for immediate information and response, the handiest mode of communication is telephone. Though convenient for the caller, it is often viewed by the top manager or a very senior executive as a source of interruption. Hence, the phone is, usually, received by the office secretary. It is after you have satisfied the secretary about the need and purpose of your talking to the officer that you would be put through to the concerned person, the ‘boss’. Most organizations have a standard way of answering business phone calls. The normal practice is to receive a call by greeting the caller, then telling receiver’s (your) name, and department. 9

COMMUNIS On picking up the phone, one should never say, “Yes, ... who is it, ... what do you want?” Instead, the receiver sounds polite by responding, “May I know who is calling? ...May I know it is in what regard? ” Now days, organizations have automatic exchanges that facilitate direct connection with the destination; or, the Interactive Voice Recorder (IVR) guides the caller to the ‘Extension’, or asks them to wait for the ‘Operator’. The operator, usually begins by giving the organization’s name, “MDI”, or would say, “Good Morning, BIMTECH!”. In business, courtesy counts a lot. One doesn’t know how important the caller is for company’s business. So, every phone is received with a standard sequence of phrases and items. The normal practice is to greet, give the organization’s name, and the receiver’s name (which is, usually, avoided). If the destination-receiver is not available, courtesy demands that a message be taken. But, for that, one has to be ready and equipped with pen/pencil and paper. If the call is reaching the receiver directly, generally, the response is just the name of the person, “Vinod”. Telephonic conversation should be as long as is most essential. If the other person gets rambling, the receiver may indicate that they want to close the conversation by summarizing and giving the intended action. The call must always be ended with some expression of goodwill, like, “Thanks for calling.”, “Pleasure talking.” , or “I will get back to you.” Use of Voice Mail Voice mail facility is generally provided as an operative feature of an organization’s phone system. It is a means of digitally recording messages that can be saved and forwarded, or skipped and deleted. One may attend their calls when they are free. All other times, when they are busy with meetings or work outside office, one can also shift the calls to voice mail and check the messages from any place, at any time. The voice mail response should sound as natural as possible and courteous. The caller should be able to recognize it as the intended receiver’s voice. The recorded message may go like this, “This is Pallavi Mehta, in the R & D. You may please leave me a message at the second beep. I shall call you back. Thank you.” Conference Calls Telephones and cell phones have a conferencing system that allows several persons to talk with each other at the same point of time. It is, now, commonly used by companies across the globe. Businesses conduct two types of call: one is, basically, oneway closed circuit radio, which allows employees and other senior members of the organization to tune in and hear an announcement; for example, daily, early morning project progress reports, or plant production reports, and other 10

briefings are simultaneously heard by dozens of widely spread persons on phone and/or public announcement system. The other type of call is interactive. A number of persons can be on the same conference call. In this system, one can listen as well as talk. Through this system of conference call, different members of a team working on a project together are able to update themselves on the progress made by the team without conducting meetings face-to-face that might involve movement and other hassles. This form of conference call is used by very large plants like Steel Authority of India (SAIL) and TISCO Jamshedpur as a routine communication channel for planning, updating, coordinating and monitoring major/regular activities of the organization without requiring the employees to travel long distances for a meeting of few hours. Through interactive conference call system, one interacts from one’s own work location. And, that saves companies man hours and transportation cost. Plus, the interaction is real-time, as and when the need be.

Video Conferencing Internet-enabled video-conferencing is an electronic version of face-to-face communication. Business meetings, interviews and other urgent interactions among several internationally located individuals are effectively conducted without making the participants move from their respective (office) locations. Video conferencing helps share visual by the Internet exchange of documents, pictures, figures, etc. Cell Phone Cell phone is a worldwide popular instrument of communication. Its utility for business executives is greatly enhanced by the introduction of General Packet Radio Services (GPRS) technology. GPRS is a technology for the radio transmission of small packets of data, especially between mobile phone and the Internet. The mobile handsets enabled with GPRS technology do the work of laptops/computers and voice recorders. Hence, the business executives prefer to move with a sleek cell phone in pocket to a heavy laptop on the shoulder. e-mail e-mail is the most commonly used mode of interaction among executives, departments, and between company and its customers/clients, distributors/retailers, suppliers/vendors. It is, perhaps, the quickest channel of written communication to connect the other person (receiver), like the telephone. Any amount of information, documents, pictures, etc., can be sent over to others as attachments. Receiver’s e-mail Account For e-mail connectivity, one needs to have just the e-mail address of the intended receiver. Many persons have more than one e-mail account – one official, the other personal. Therefore, we should know the respective address to reach the receiver. Besides, one has to be very careful in typing the address. For example, in [email protected], if there is any mistake, say space, spelling error or the full-stop missed, either the address might not be accepted by the machine, or the mail would not be delivered. “Subject” Line In an e-mail, the “Subject” line is the first thing that draws attention of the receiver. Therefore, one needs to compose it as precisely as possible. We need to think a lot to work out the wordings of the subject line so that the title/context is quite clear, and the reader gets the gist of the message. For example, “Visit Postponed to Next Monday”, “Annual Report to be Ready this Saturday”. Generally, the ‘Title Case’ is used to order and structure the subject line, and colours may also be used to attract and clarify it. Sending Copies The sender may need to send copies of their e-mail to several

persons at the same time. It may be simpler if the ‘Group e-mail IDs’ are provided. For example, by writing “marketing” in the ‘To’ line, an e-mail can be sent to all the people in the Marketing department/division. Usually, it is an internal facility. Otherwise, and generally externally, the e-mail addresses of all the intended receivers of the copy are to be given in the ‘Cc’ line. A ‘Blind Copy’ of the e-mail can also be sent to one or more persons, without the knowledge of other receivers, in the ‘Bcc’ line. It is better to keep e-mails brief so that they can be read without having to scroll the screen. Moreover, many cell phones now receive e-mails on the ‘Short Message Service’ (SMS) system. Therefore, the most important points should be kept in the opening one or two lines of the message. In matters of (opening) salutation and (closing) subscription, an e-mail is like a memo that needs neither salutation, nor a closing subscription. However, if the two persons are communicating first time and do not personally know each- other, the sender may indicate their favourable disposition toward the receiver/subject by using a friendly style. The following e-mail written by the Vodafone Communication icon, Irrfan Khan, the famous (Bollywood) actor is the right example of writing a short, friendly, complete and clear e-mail message: From: Irrfan [email protected] From: Irrfan [email protected] Subject: Re: From DAV Institute of Management, Faridabad To: [email protected] Date: Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 6:07 PM thank you preity but i am not in Mumbai and is shooting in dholpur rajasthan till 22nd of this month and then in roorke till 21st april... my address where you can send the invite is 172 – Yugdharma towers, opp. Inorbit mall, Goregaon (West), Mumbai – 400062. thanks, irrfan

Here is another e-mail written by COO, Titan Industries to one of his managers in a letter style. Subject: RE: FW: An Appeal ! Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2007 16:39:45 +0530 From: [email protected] To: [email protected] CC:[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] Dear Abhinav, Many thanks for your message. May I request that you be in touch with Joe Chacko, he will be your single point of contact in Titan to resolve this matter. He will also advise you whom you should meet, to obtain clarifications relating to various areas highlighted by you. We are committed to ensuring that you obtain a full and fair response. Kind Regards, Harish

The style of the above e-mail is business-like, formal and brief, but not brusque. It is written with conversational ease, in a patronizing tone. The closing sentence is to reassure Abhinav, who had sent Harish Bhatt the following e-mail: 11

COMMUNIS From: Abhinav Chaturvedi [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, August 01, 2007 12:10 AM To: Harish Bhat Cc: Joe Chacko Subject: RE: FW: An Appeal ! Dear Sir, With reference to Mr. Joe Chako's mail of 19th July, please permit me to submit the following to sort out the issue of clearence. Mr. Chacko asked me to get in touch with RO N commercial. According to him, there was a mis-match of Rs.38,000/- reported by RO N commercial to him for WOT-TDI Mall. As per his advice, I was in touch with the commercial team at RO N from 19th itself. However, on 27th July, I received a mail from Mrs. Manvi stating that there was a shortage of Rs.1,50,350/-, seemingly holding against me. Further, there have also been some stock reports sent to Mr. Aayush in RO N commercial by WOTTDI Mall between 31st May and 21st June with still some other figures. In this regard, I have certain queries for which I have written a detailed mail to Mrs. Manvi attaching the necessary documents to support it. Hence, to bring to your notice the kind of ambiguity there is in the system, I have sent you and Mr. Joe hard copies of the entire set, which should be reaching in a day or two for your kind perusal. I am deeply pained in informing you that it seems, there is a lot of afterthought intended to implicate me. I shall be very grateful if you could please advice me as to how I should pursue the matter any further in such state of affairs. With regards, Abhinav Chaturvedi

Be Conversational e-mail should be written the way we talk. This makes the writing vivid. It should read like the sender (writer) and the receiver (reader) are conversing face-to-face. Here is an example of conversational style of writing an e-mail: from Joe to Abhinav in response to Abhinav’s e-mail of 19th July given below: From: "Joe Chacko" To: "Abhinav Chaturvedi" CC: "Harish Bhat" < [email protected] >,"Suman Saha - (RON)" ,"Krishnan Ramanathan (RSG)" Subject: RE: FW: An Appeal ! Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:11:09 +0530 Hi Abhinav, There has been stock mismatch worth Rs.38,000/- that has been reported by RO N commercial for TDI mall, which is been looked into. I too would not know under what head the amount of Rs.1947/- has been credited to your account. I am surprised to hear from you that you have not received any response to this effect from RON, despise your follow up. Would like to know who from the region have you spoken to? Atleast Suman Saha, Regional HR Manager confirms that you have not spoken with him. I cannot give any timeline when your clearance will come thru, as it is was clearly mentioned to you that the Clearance formalities needs to be completed by you and you have not obtained clearance from from RO N Commercial. Pls take this up with RON coleagues, as you need to get your clearance formalities completed to settle your F&F.

Cc: Harish Bhat Subject: RE: FW: An Appeal ! Dear Sir, Its been 3 weeks since I wrote to you about my clearence. On the 13th of July, I received an amount of Rs.1947/- from Titan Industries Ltd. but am unable to find out from RO under what head has this amount been credited to my account. Also, after putting a reminder on 9th july, till date I await for my clearance and please pardon me by asking you for how long i will have to wait for it? regards, Abhinav

The opening phrase of Joe’s mail, “Hi Abhinav” sets the amiable tone of the mail. Further, the use of passive voice by Joe does not allow him to sound accusatory. Lastly, to handle the situation as it is, Joe shares the chain of his thoughts in a candid manner with Abhinav. Joe’s e-mail is written in a style that makes the official communication between a very senior executive and his junior business manager a personal chat to resolve an issue. In fact, the success and popularity of e-mail in the world of global business and everyday life are because it has speed of a telephone and crispness of a well written memo.

Regards, Joe From: Abhinav Chaturvedi [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 12:35 PM To: Joe Chacko

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Mukesh Chaturvedi Chairperson Business Communication Area

Elevating yourself with your Elevator Speech

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o you have a sixteen second bite to persuade people to remember you or choose you against your competitors? If not then go ahead prepare one and be ready to encash it whenever and wherever required. You never know when and where you encounter a right person who can become a source of your success. Opportunities now a days are moving and residing at various unusual places where we have never expected them to be. It might be an escalator of a mall, lift of an office or corporate parties. In this highly competitive world every one wants to promote or sell one’s ideas, products or services. Ours is now technologically driven markets. There is also no shortage of ways to promote our business, associations, products and services. There are TV commercials, web banners, telemarketing, bulk e-mails, etc. But do we dare to forget the basic good old fashioned “word of mouth” marketing? It may be good old-fashioned but the fact remains that it works better than other forms of marketing. Nothing is more powerful than words provided you deliver it wisely, skillfully and concisely. Here comes the role of elevator speech, sixteen second sound bite that does so much more than just tell people you’re a professional organizer. And to develop an elevator speech is perhaps the most critical skill that one can develop for professional and personal advancements. Sixteen seconds is the average time one spends riding on an elevator. It’s also the time one needs to introduce oneself, one’s organization and the nature of services one provides to the people. While preparing an elevator speech always remember that your main aim is to grab the attention of the stranger whom you want to persuade to use your product, services or ideas. To captivate your listeners you have to cast your occupation in most ennobling light,. Every elevator speech contains name, company’s name, benefits of your services, and description about what you do and how you do and finally to involve the

listeners end with an open ended question. Your speech should showcase your uniqueness. It should not concentrate on what you do but on benefits that your product or services can provide to them. Benefits include ways of helping others make money, broaden market, help improving their quality, etc. As a job-seeker also elevator speech well crafted and delivered can help you get your dream job. You should have an art to introduce yourself succinctly telling about your dreams, your unique qualifications, and your skills. Sixteen seconds are considered more than enough for your favourable first impression, provided you deliver it in mnemonic way forcing others to remember you. Elevator speech is the demand of hour but it is useless to work on this two or three minutes presentation if it is not perfectly crafted. Prepare it before hand and memorize it. But see to it that it sounds more natural and off-the-cuff. Finally don’t forget to supplement your information with a piece of memento in a form of business card, pen or leaflet holding your contact information so that you remain visible to the stranger when ever he/she thinks of networking with you. So what are you waiting for? If you want yourself to be heard and remembered by people start crafting and practicing your elevator speech among your friends, in front of a mirror continuously till you master this short form of oral communication that can elevate you to the top of the world. Use your sixteen seconds skillfully and get your message across. Your elevator speech will definitely elevate you. - Dr Archana Shrivastava Asst. Professor Business Communication Area

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Main Feature

Interview with Richa Anirudh TV Anchor & Talk Show Host 1.

Did you always have the passion to work for the media?

Ans: I have grown up in a small town, Jhansi. There was no TV. Electronic media did not exist for us. The funny thing was I did not want to do the same thing everyday. Whenever anyone asked me what I wanted to do, i told that I did not know but I did not want to do the same thing, like teaching or banking. So, I always knew what I don’t want to do. I wanted to be famous but I did not want to do acting or modelling. Actually it was my mother, Mrs. Rekha Badal’s ambition to see me on TV.

2.

How did you get into this profession?

Ans: TV journalism was pure destiny for me. I was the first paid employee of SPICMACAY. I was a volunteer there. One day Doordarshan came to a SPICMACAY programme and the cameraman asked me to speak. And as a normal volunteer I spoke. So the cameraman said that “she is very photogenic, and speaks well”. And the producer said to me to meet him. I took his card but didn’t meet him. Suddenly, after two months I paged him and got an appointment at the Doordarshan office. I was straight-away given a show to host, a show called Ankur on Doordarshan. I did that for almost a year. Post marriage I shifted to Ajmer and used to do occasional freelancing for Doordarshan. And in 2001 I came back to Delhi and started all over again after a break of five years. During the course, my husband Anirudh was very supportive. While in Ajmer I used to work for a newspaper called Dainik Navjoti for 2 years. When I came back I started with Evening Live Show on Doordarshan. I also did the PR handling for Pdt. Ravi Shankar, the sitar maestro. I also had a stint with DD Sports, ETV Urdu and Zee News.

How was the starting point of your career? Did you face any obstruction?

Ans: Workwise, no not at all. I always had a flare for writing and speaking so it came naturally to me.

6.

Did being a small-town girl affect you in any way? Any advantage or disadvantage?

Ans: Ironically, the disadvantages that we face turned out to be advantageous. For children in metros, meeting celebrities or having anything they want is nothing unusual, since everything is so readily available to them. Being a die-hard fan of Amitabh Bachchan as a child, I had a dream of meeting him one-to-one. And when working with Zee in 2004, I actually met him, which was like a dream come true for a small-town girl like me. I personally feel that when you grow up in a small town with limited facilities, you learn to dream and don’t take things for granted.

7.

How did you develop your communication skills? How did you use to practice?

Ans: My language (both Hindi & English) was my strength. Being from a convent school, I was fluent in English. At the same time, my mother used to make me read very difficult phrases from a Hindi Magazine, Dharamyug. These things benefitted me a lot. Whatever activities I have done, have helped me in life.

8.

Tell us something about your show: Zindagi Live.

Ans: Yes, because it was giving me chance to do a new thing everyday.

Ans: Zindagi Live is a talk-show that involves a lot of inter-personal communication and as I was considered to be a very emotional person, I was given the job. The first show was telecast on 9th of September 2007 and the show was on late divorces. Zindagi Live is a popular talk-show in IBN7 and has won many awards for its series on “Child Suicide”. Two seasons are already over and the third season is on. The show allows people to speak and what we do is listen to them and that’s what I think communication is all about.

4.

9.

3.

Were you intrigued by the world of media as after such long time you returned to the same job? What kind of a student have you been? Were you more into academics or into co-curricular activities?

Ans: I was an above-average student. I used to score above 70% in ICSE board which was high in those days but I was more into extra-curricular activities like debating, dancing, singing, theatre. I was also the School Captain. I was bad with sports. I could play only Chess. I was the school champion in Chess.

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5.

Sometimes guests or the subject of the show are quite controversial. So how do you keep controversy out of your show?

Ans: I preview my show 4-5 times before it goes on air. I write my own scripts. But, as far as the extempore part is concerned, we do edit that conversation. We edit the portions where names were taken or controversial statements were made. Moreover, I don’t probe anyone too much and try to make them as comfortable as possible.

10. What do you have in mind when you go for the show? Ans: There is an expectation attached to every show. You know what to expect from which talk show and you know what is going to happen there. I will not force anyone coming from a dignified background to say anything. I will maintain his/her dignity. Actually, sometimes silence speaks more than words.

11. It is a regular practice that anchors prepare themselves before the shooting. Do you also do something to brush up your speaking skills? Ans: No practice is required because it is not a mechanical show. Though I have to gather information about the guests coming, their backgrounds, what happened in their lives, I do plan my scripts but don’t stick to it. Normally it is only my first that is planned.

12. Listening is an important part of communication. But these days people don’t listen. We all love to speak but how to develop our listening skills? Ans: Everyone thinks that he/she is very intelligent. Everyone wants to say everything that he/she have read or learnt. You shouldn’t go with pre-conceived notions. Like in a show on “homosexuality”, if I go with the notion that these people are bad, I will not be able to communicate with them. Similarly, in business communication, it is very important to listen. Now we have a new field of study in communication skills, called NLP(---), which studies the body language of people so they can communicate in a better way.

13. Since you have done news anchoring as well as show like ‘Zindagi Live’, do you find any difference between business communication and personal communication? Ans: Yes, of course. In business communication you need to be more structured but, in personal communication, you have freedom to speak what you want to speak and how you want to speak.

14. Corporate culture is disappearing these days. You are allowed to wear casuals in office and the use of salutations is being discouraged at workplaces. Do you find or see, in near future, the same changes in business communication? Ans: In corporate world, communication plays an important role while doing an important assignment (like getting a deal for the company). In those situations, there are still some rules and expectations that you need to adhere to, like in a conference. In media also, which is considered to be the most informal place to work, there are certain norms that you need to follow before you go before the camera, like we are not allowed to reveal our personal identity. Discipline is important but then, there is nothing wrong in being warm and friendly with the people around. And any such changes in trend are definitely a positive change. At the end of the day, what is important is to communicate your ideas and in what way, that needs to be learnt.

also. So be it any profession, knowing how to communicate effectively is very important.

16. Can you suggest some ways to improve ones communication and public speaking skills? Ans: I believe, when people rehearse and prepare too much, then they realize that they lack confidence and become nervous. One doesn’t need confidence and preparation while talking to their father. Then why think so much on stage. It is because you differentiate between both communications. Treat both in similar manner. Be what you are. Say what you want to say. Read newspaper and work on pronunciation, both, Hindi and English.

17. So what do you think are the most essential things for being a good speaker? Ans: (1) Just be yourself! (2) Be Spontaneous (3) Speak from the heart

18. Any suggestion for students who wish to have career in Media? Ans: Please don’t look for shortcuts. These days, interns and trainees coming will straightaway ask how to become an anchor or what the starting salary in media is. The younger generation has lost their focus. Things are not so easy.

Rapid Fire: 1. Your idol and why? Ans: Professionally, Amitabh Bachchan. Also, Rajdeep Sardesai because he is a very grounded person. 2. Your favourite talk show? Ans: Oprah Winfrey 3. The most challenging episode of your show till date? Ans: On child suicide 4. A word/phrase that describes Richa Anirudh? Ans: Moody and Passionate 5. Something you love the most? Ans: My family, especially my daughter Ishita. 6. Something you hate the most? Ans: Lies. 7. Whom do you prefer : Richa the professional or Richa the person? Ans: Richa, the person. 8. Audience or critics? Ans: Need to have both in life for balance.

15. In a professional course like MBA, how relevant is Business Communication as a subject, as part of curriculum? Ans: I think its very important. Like there are a number of doctors and only a few you would find effective. Sometimes, just talking to a doctor makes you feel comfortable. This is because of the way the doctor communicates with patients. Same is true for teachers

Interviewed by Mansi Goel & Debal Rishi Banerjee PGDM 2009-11

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BIMTECH Debating & Theatre Society

TIPS ON THE ART OF PUBLIC SPEAKING (Edited Excerpts)

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peaking is an important method for communicating knowledge and expressing ideas. Being able to verbally communicate effectively to other individuals or to groups is essential in school, business, as well as your personal life. Feeling nervous before giving a speech is natural and healthy. It shows you care about doing well. But, too much of nervousness can be detrimental. Here's how you can control your nervousness and make effective, memorable speeches: 1. Posture When standing behind the podium, your hands and legs must follow the ‘V’ rule where they together form an unfinished parabola. You should stand one foot away from the edges of the podium with both hands resting on top of it. The right hand can move till the left end of the podium and one foot away and viceversa. If the hands move more than one foot, it may look like acting. 2. Eye Contact For every four sentences you speak, you should be able to cover the auditorium twice, once clockwise and once anti-clockwise. This means, in the first two statements the speaker must have finished one clockwise scanning of the audience and in the next two sentences he covers them in the anti-clockwise sense. More so, divide your audience into frequently used zones so that you cover the complete auditorium. 3. Pointing a finger Never point a single finger at one specific person, especially when you are buying, selling or presenting. Use all the five fingers to point. Largely keep the fingers closely knitted. Open fingers are a sign of lack of confidence. 4. Use of Microphones The microphone should be placed tilted at 45 degrees to the lower lip. It must be in a tilted position. Maintain the conversational tone with the audience. Only when you intend to make a serious point, get the microphone or mike closer. This 16

Parnab Mukherjee is a multifaceted personality. He is one of India’s famous college quizmasters. He is India's best live Quiz Master with an experience of conducting over 600 quizzes all over the country. To say he is popular with audience would be an understatement. He is famous as the guy who conducts the entire quiz from memory alone, without a single cue card. He is also a well known public speaker, journalist and a theatre personality. Majlis, the Debating and Theatre Society at BIMTECH had arranged for a four day workshop on Public Speaking by Parnab Mukherjee. For those who did not attend the workshop, here are his tips on public speaking. Hope you find these useful!

gets the audience to listen intently to the serious note. If you speak continuously with the mike close to you, making every point significant, the audience may slowly lose interest. 5. Holding the Mike The mike is to be held with two fingers and thumb only. This is called bi-fingered touch. 6. Distance from Microphone The optimum distance to be maintained from the microphone is two and half units where four fingers held together constitute one unit. This distance ensures clarity in voice. 7. Tail Drop problem Indian languages are ‘tongue-in’ languages while English is a ‘tongue-out’ language. Due to the influence of their mother tongue on their English language, Indians tend to eat up the last few words. This causes the tail drop problem. The more unclear your last few words get, the less effective your speech becomes. A conscious effort could help to free the speaker from his/her tail drop problem. 8. Walking while speaking Try to avoid walking while speaking as the message may not reach the audience effectively. Find the most comfortable position and take ten seconds off to look around and to gain confidence. Formal speakers don’t move much. However moderators and presenters move a lot.

COMMUNIS

BIMTECH Debating & Theatre Society

9. Answering queries Do not restrict yourself to have eye contact with the questioner alone. This makes it a personal conversation. Instead, start with the questioner, but answer by looking at the others too. You never know who might need your answer the most! 10. Shoulders Try to keep the shoulders slightly tilted and not perfectly erect to prevent the audience from perceiving you as rigid. Try not to keep the chin perpendicular to the shoulder and instead, keep it at an angle. 11. Hands and Legs A speaker’s body is divided into four parts- two hand fixations and two leg joints. To maintain the correct position, the tips of the fingers have to be below the waist. 12. Pitch It is best to utter the first sentence from your stomach and not from your throat to instantly capture the attention of the audience. It gives a great start! 13. Pace of entry and exit The pace at which you walk into the podium and walk out of the podium must remain the same. Do not allow the response or the feedback from the audience to affect you. Exists too fast or too slow imply lack of confidence. 14. To grab attention of a distracted audience Divide your audience into islands for establishing eye-contact. If someone is disturbed and does not seem to pay attention to your speech, then you could frequently look at that island, giving them a feel that you are observing them too, thus getting their attention back. 15. Tone The tone of the speaker is to be maintained as conversational. When the tone shifts from conversational to a speech, it becomes more formal, making it sound rehearsed. Maintaining a conversational tone gives the feel of a ‘talk-from-the-heart’ and keeps the audience attentive and interested.

ONE-ACT PLAY COMPETITION Majlis, the Debating and Theatre Society of Birla Institute of Management Technology, Greater Noida recently organised a One-Act play competition. The team from PGDM Retail First Year bagged the first prize. It also happened to be the Annual felicitation ceremony of the society in which the Deputy Director, Dr. Anupam Verma and club mentor, Dr. Mukesh Chaturvedi gave away mementoes to the faculty members and senior coordinators associated with the society. A new club, United Friends of Earth, also launched a jute bag campaign to make the campus plastic free on this occasion.

Compiled by J. Mathangi PGDM 2009-11

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Organizational Communication F

rom an HR perspective ‘organizational communication’ is the openness in the communication between the senior management and employees resulting in improved employee engagement and productivity.

Organizational communication, as a field, is the consideration, analysis, and criticism of the role of communication in organizational contexts. - Wikipedia Org

In 1950’s, organizational communication focused largely on the roles of communication in improving organizational life and output but in 1980’s the field turned away from a business oriented approach to communication and became concerned more with the constitute role of communication in organizing. Since 1990’s the critical* theory influence on the organizational communication scholars focused more on communication possibilities’ to oppress and liberate organizational members. In today’s global business environment, effective organizational communication both internal and external has a significant impact on an organizations success. Organizational communication externally can be termed as marketing, either trying to promote or communicate an idea. The classic example for innovative external organizational communication is by none other than the retail czar ‘Wal-Mart’. Wal-Mart has recently started fighting back criticisms of how they treat their workers, providing low pay and only minimal benefits. Since the public claim of Wal-Mart’s poor treatment of employees, bloggers have taken the initiative of creating blogs that actually speak out against Wal-Mart like ‘wake up Wal-Mart’

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COMMUNIS which seems to interest the public very strongly. There are even videos uploaded on public video broadcasting site like YouTube such as ‘High cost of low price’ .This has created a wide spread negative image among the general public. In an effort to defend their public image, Walmart turned to the internet where some bloggers are defending their image. At second look, The New York Times discovered that those blog postings were actually written by Public Relations firms for Wal-Mart. Bob Moon describes how Wal-Mart is using the blogosphere to tell their side of the story. Since there are blogs against Wal-Mart is it so wrong that Wal-Mart responded? Mr. Moon comments that Wal-Mart is just adjusting with the times by going on the internet to defend their image. He goes on to say that the postings do not say who has written them. In addition, Bob Moon mentions one of the postings that “takes direct aim at Target,” one of Wal-Mart’s competitors. Is this ethical? Wal-Mart’s defense is that they do not compensate the bloggers in any way and if journalists are not required to reveal their identity on blogs, neither are they. Wal-Mart says they will continue to blog! It seems as though Wal-Mart is using the blogosphere to try and influence public opinion. Personally, I think this is very manipulative. The source of a piece of information is crucial in determining its credibility. Once bloggers found out that these posts were actually from PR firms for Wal-Mart, the odds are, their credibility plummeted. Or course bloggers aren’t going to bad mouth Wal-Mart if they still work directly with them. I found this a very interesting discussion of how Wal-Mart used blogs to try and repair their image. Looking through these different blogs is a great way to learn more about the dialogue between blogs and how they influence public opinion. Internal communication is equally or in fact more important than external communication when it comes to organization. It is the foundation that holds the work culture, policy processes, goals and vision together. Any blockage, wrong detour or mismanagement in this channel can be catastrophic for an organization—from spreading false rumours and impacting employee morale to hampering organizational productivity and smearing its brand name. The success of its internal communication program is imperative for an organization. Let me narrate another incident and this time it’s about the same retail giant, Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart’s principal place of business is in Bentonville, Arkansas, and it is licensed to operate in Indiana. Its registered agent for service of process in Indiana is CT Corporation, which is located in Indianapolis. When a lawsuit is filed against WalMart in Indiana, CT Corporation forwards the complaint and summons to the legal department in Bentonville. At that time, the case is assigned to one of Wal-Mart’s in-house attorneys. On September 21, 2006, the Kinnisons filed a complaint against Wal-Mart in Noble County, seeking damages stemming from an allegedly negligent oil change performed by Wal-Mart

employees in Perris, California. Despite the facts that the alleged tort occurred in California and that CT Corporation is Wal-Mart’s registered agent in Indiana, the Kinnisons attempted to serve the complaint and summons by sending them via certified mail to a Wal-Mart Store in Kendallville. The envelope was addressed to “Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.” Appellant’s App. p. 41. A postal worker delivered the envelope to the Customer Service desk, where a customer service associate signed the receipt and accepted the documents. The envelope was then given to the manager of the Kendallville Wal-Mart. The manager opened the envelope, recognized that the claims were not related to the Kendallville store, and attempted to send the documents via facsimile to the Bentonville office. For an unknown reason, the Bentonville office never received the documents, nor was an in-house attorney assigned to the case. Consequently, Wal-Mart failed to file an answer to the Kinnisons’ complaint. On January 3, 2007, the Kinnisons filed a motion for default judgment, which the trial court granted on the same day, awarding damages in the amount of $83,692.1 On January 23, 2007, Wal-Mart filed a motion for relief from judgment and to set aside the default judgment. Following a February 28, 2007, hearing, the trial court summarily denied Wal-Mart’s motion on June 19, 2007. Thus the study of organizational communication recognizes that all organizations, not just business organizations, have communication needs and challenges. Hence the idea is to understand the intricacies in an organizational communication be it internal or external and solving the challenges, thereby increasing the productivity and profitability of an organization. After all productivity and profitability are the two deciding factors for measuring success of an organization. Deepika Grover PGDM (RM) 2008-10

19

Case

Clear Mind Communicates Clearly

P

roblems of expression and thinking can never be wholly separated. Writing to be good requires clear ideas, sympathetic attitude and adequate sense of language.

Not many persons could be so gifted that they produce the first draft of their term papers or assignments, reports or even memos, or letters so good that there is no need to change them. Equally true is that few persons think so precisely and logically that a direct transcription of their ideas would make a purposeful communication.

I am shocked to know through a reliable source that most of the employees from junior and middle level, employees who have been working in this organization since long, have been cheating the company by submitting false medical bills for reimbursement every month. This practice is highly immoral and illegal.

20

A manager knows that his written communication must be conveying exactly and understood exactly. It should also be promptly understood and responded to as desired. The entire concern of his writing is to see he gets it right. Through a series of changes in language, tone, and ideas, he is able to produce a good draft. As he reworks his style of writing, he keeps rethinking his ideas as well. The two processes go on together. The effort is to say what he means, and mean what he says. How? This could be best understood through written analysis of a concrete case of writing, revising and rewriting a memo until an effective draft is ready to be communicated. The Case Let us assume that in an organization every one, right from junior to the highest level manager, submits false medical bills for reimbursement. People buy toiletry instead of medicines. The chemists issue false receipts showing purchase of medicines. The employees submit them to claim their reimbursement. It has been a general practice in this company since long. The new General Manager, Personnel, Mr. S. Thampi, however, was shocked and seriously agitated when he happened to learn about it. He considered it was a serious fraud. It was, he believed, immoral and illegal to cheat the company. The employees could be prosecuted for doing so. He

COMMUNIS decided to stop this unethical and illegal practice which violated the company policy of Employee Welfare. Mr. Thampi called his secretary and dictated the following memo to be issued to all the employees as the first thing next morning. Memo To From Date Subject

Memo (Revised-n) To From Date Subject

: All Employees : S. Thampi, General Manager, Personnel : 13 September 2005 : The New Policy on Medical Reimbursement

Most employees in this our company have been since long using medical funds reimbursements for buying things other than medicines. The company We feel concerned about the employees health care plans.

: All Junior and Middle Level Employees : S. Thampi, General Manager, Personnel : 13 September 2005 : Fraud in Medical Bills Reimbursement

I am shocked to know through a reliable source that most of the employees from junior and middle level, employees who have been working in this organization since long, have been cheating the company by submitting false medical bills for reimbursement every month. This practice is highly immoral and illegal. It violates objectives of the medi-care policy of the organization. The money claimed from the company is not spent on buying medicines. I have reliably learnt that people have been buying toiletry, in place of medicines, and produce false cash memos from the chemists.

We insist on your using the medical funds on purchasing the prescribed medicines. We You are framing going to have a new policy to reimburse your medical bills. Now, the doctor’s prescription shall also be attached with the cash memos for getting reimbursement. For any clarification regarding the new policy, feel free to contact the personnel department. S. Thampi Memo (Final Draft)

As per our company policy, the cash memo is accepted and the reimbursement is made. But, you all have been defrauding the company by submitting false cash memos. This practice must stop immediately. All such employees who have been indulging in it or will do so in future, are hereby warned that strict action shall be taken against them. If needed, they can be dismissed as well. The employees are free to contact the personnel department if any clarification is required in this regard. S. Thampi

To : All Employees From : S. Thampi, General Manager, Personnel Date : 13 September 2005 Subject : The New Policy on Medical Reimbursement Most employees in our company have been since long using medical reimbursements for buying things other than medicines. We feel concerned about the employees health care plans. We insist on your using the medical funds on purchasing the prescribed medicines. You are going to have a new policy to reimburse your medical bills. Now, the doctor’s prescription shall also be attached with the cash memos for getting reimbursement.

Next morning, the secretary placed the typed draft before Mr. Thampi for his signature. Mr. Thampi read it over and over. The more he read, the more disappointed he felt. He reflected for a while, and started revising it. He revised it several times until he got it in the (Final) form that satisfied him.

For any clarification regarding the new policy, feel free to contact the personnel department.

Memo (Revised-1)

Mr. Thampi felt satisfied with this draft of the memo. In fact, it is good. He got it issued to all the employees.

To From Date Subject

S. Thampi

: All Junior and Middle Level Employees : S. Thampi, General Manager, Personnel : 13 September 2005 : Fraud in Medical Bills Reimbursement

I am shocked have come to know through a reliable source that most of the employees from junior and middle level to top level, employees who have been working in this organization since long, have been cheating the company by submitting false medical bills for reimbursement every month. This practice is highly immoral and illegal it violates objectives of the medi-care policy of the organization. The money claimed from the company is not spent on buying medicines. I have reliably learnt that people have been buying toiletry, in place of medicines, and produce false cash memos from the chemists.

Questions 1. What are the important changes you find in the final draft as compared to the first draft of the memo? 2. Correlate these changes in the memo with the changes in Mr. Thampi’s thinking.

As per our company policy, the cash memo is accepted and the reimbursement is made. But, you all have been defrauding the company by submitting false cash memos. This practice must stop immediately. All such employees who have been indulging in it or will do so in future, are hereby warned that strict action shall be taken against them. If needed, they can be dismissed as well. The employees are free to contact the personnel department if any clarification is required in this regard.

Mukesh Chaturvedi Chairperson Business Communication Area

S. Thampi

21

Tongue which can

T

See

he title of this article seems a crazy idea. But this is what technology has been doing to our lives: giving advancement we cannot even begin to imagine. In such a recent advancement quoted as one of the path breaking innovations in the last half a decade, a device “Brainport” has been introduced by Wicam and will be sold by the end of this 2009. Research shows that tongue is more sensitive than other skin areas i.e. abdomen, fingertips and back used by other systems. Moreover, the nerve fibres of the tongue are closer to the surface, there are more of them and there is no stratum corneum (an outer layer of dead skin cells) to act as an insulator. So, “Brainport” utilizes this capability of the tongue to see. “Brainport” collects visual data through a small digital video camera about 2.5cm in diameter, which sits in the middle of a pair of sunglasses worn by the user, could be available for sale later this year. The information is then transmitted to a hand-held control unit, which is about the size of a mobile phone. The unit converts the digital signal into electrical pulses and sends this to the tongue via lollipop that sits on the tongue. The lollipop contains a grid of 600 electrodes, which pulsate according to how much light is in that area of the picture. The control unit allows users to zoom in and out and control light settings and electric shock intensity. According to Robert Beckman, president of US-based Wicab: “It enables blind people to gain perception of their surroundings, displayed on their tongue. They cannot necessarily read a book but they can read a sign.” The device certainly comes at a price of $ 10000 making a hole in the pockets. But it has the potential use of being a great help in the fields of Military, Navy, Robotic Surgery and Gaming. On a concluding remark, a research which began in the 60s has proved to be a supportive innovation in the field of communications and reaffirmed our belief in use of technology for effective communication. Compiled by Sweta Agarwal PGDM 2009-11

22

Interviews: How to crack them? I was nervous! The interviewer was biased! I can’t make it! I am a failure! I was not interested! These are some statements people tend to give when they come out of a failed interview. Yes, these are morale boosting at times, but where is the reality? Everyone wants to succeed in interviews every time. The confidence one generates in oneself after a success is tremendous. We as students of an MBA college would also like to crack all the interviews we appear for. How to do that? No one can answer this and give us set techniques to crack interviews. But, we can definitely hone our skills by implementing the tips given below by experts . 10 Interview Myths One important reason people fail at interviews is because of several misconceptions, or myths, about what really happens during the course of an interview. All of us know that the purpose of interview for an interviewer is to hire someone who will perform well in a particular job, but beyond that few people fully grasp how interviews really work and what makes one candidate stand out more than another. 10 important myths broken below: • Myth no. 1: The best person for the job gets it: The best person for the job does not necessarily win it—often it’s the person who gives the best interview. • Myth no. 2: Interviews are like school exams— the more you say, the better you’ll do: Interviews are more than just giving technically correct answers. They’re also very much about building rapport. Remember, a smart answer is often not the most detailed. • Myth no. 3: Interviewers know what they’re doing: Not all interviewers know what they’re doing; your job is to know how to handle the good and bad interviewer. • Myth no. 4: Never say ‘I don’t know’: It’s better to be honest and admit ignorance than try to pretend you know an answer and come across as disingenuous and less than bright. • Myth no. 5: Good-looking people get the job: Good looking people win jobs—maybe in Bollywood movies, but on the whole, employers are keen to hire talent over superficial factors. • Myth no. 6: If you answer the questions better than the others, you’ll get the job: Being able to articulate good answers in an interview is very important, and failure to do so will almost certainly mean you don’t get the job. However, interviews—as we’ve already seen—are much more than just giving good answers. They’re also about convincing the interviewer that you will be a nice person to

•

•

•

•

work with. To put it in another way, it doesn’t matter how technically good your answers are if the interviewer doesn’t like you there is not much chance of your getting the job (unless your talents are unique, extremely difficult to find or the interviewer is desperate). Myth no. 7: You should try to give the perfect answer: Striving to give the perfect answer can get you into trouble. It’s better to give a good answer that’s to the point rather than searching for the perfect one; besides, often there’s no such thing as the perfect answer. Myth no. 8: You must ask questions to demonstrate your interest and intelligence: Do not ask questions for the sake of it. Only ask a question if you have a genuine query that has not been covered. Myth no. 9: Relax and just be yourself: Interviews are formal occasions requiring relatively formal behaviours. Interviewers will expect this and may react negatively if they don’t see it. Myth no. 10: Interviewers are looking for flaws: Interviewers do not spend all their time looking for your flaws. They’re more interested in getting an overall picture of who you are. Avoid answering questions defensively. It’s much better to see every question as an opportunity to highlight your best points.

Common interview mistakes All of us have made or might make mistakes during interviews, and most of us have or will walk out of interviews thinking of all the great things we forgot to mention and all the things we shouldn’t have said. But the most important thing about mistakes is learning from them—and not repeating them. Here are some common interview mistakes: • Failing to express oneself clearly: Often, because of anxiety and wanting to say things perfectly, we try too hard and turn what should be simple sentences into convoluted nonsense. Simple language is always the most effective. Avoid trying to sound knowledgeable by using jargon or complex sentences. • Not being aware of one’s body language: Many interviewees succeed in alienating the interviewer because they pay little or no attention to their body language. Body language is an extremely powerful communicator, and failing to use it effectively will almost certainly put you at a significant disadvantage. Eye contact, sitting position and facial expressions are all very important aspects of 23

COMMUNIS interviewing, and need to be thought through before the interview. • Failing to control those nerves: Sometimes people allow their nerves to get so out of control that they fail to establish rapport and even forget their answers. Feeling anxious before and during an interview is common. In fact, a touch of nerves can be a good thing. But there is no need to be the victim of debilitating nerves. • Failing to give appropriate examples: Failing to give examples, or giving inappropriate examples, will spell disaster. Before the interview, it is important to think of relevant examples of what you’ve achieved and how you went about realising those achievements. Saying that you achieved something without being able to back it up with specific examples will only get you a rejection letter. Your examples need to be easy to understand, follow a logical sequence and be relevant to the needs of the employer. None of these can happen without preparation. • Trying too hard to please the interviewer: Whilst building rapport and trust during the interview is critical, few interviewers appreciate interviewee's going overboard with their behaviour. Obsequious behaviours are generally seen as a form of deceit and carry little weight—in fact, they can undermine your efforts to create trust. ‘Then, what does it take to convince the interviewer that you’re the best person for the job?’ The answer to this question can best be summarised in four parts: • correct preparation; • knowing the things that are important to interviewers; • practising your answers; • Perseverance Conclusion Performing well at interviews is not as difficult as many people think. The key to success lies with correct preparation and practice. Knowing what to prepare and how to prepare, then giving yourself the opportunity to apply your newly acquired skills, is a tried and tested formula for success. Remember, great interviewees are not born with effective interview skills—they develop their skills by following this formula: the more you think about your answers and the more you practice them the better you will become. Great interview skills are not developed overnight; they improve with time and correct application. Lastly, believe in yourself. Now that you know what to do there’s no reason not to. Good luck.

Compiled by Puneet Dudeja PGDM 2009-10

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Random Lessons of Practical Wisdom through Practical Observation (In alphabetical order)

Aesthetics: Illustrations of the human mind. Boldness: When acquired enhances public visibility. Character: Proportional to elasticity of demand. Demand: Always in demand. Education: A misguided concept of personal elevation. Failure: Much said little done. Goal: No matter how many goals you save, people

will

remember only the one that you’ve missed.

Hurry: Crude version of deadline management. India: A modern case study on chaos management. Judgment: Verbal onslaught. Knowledge: A lost commodity. Leisure: On the verge of extinction. Modernity: Widespread infection. Neutral: May not be always safe. Organized: The most unorganized in public appearance is usually the most organized in personal life.

People: Mute witnesses. Queue: Wait for your turn or perhaps wait for your fortune to turn.

Rule: Always bigger than the Ruler. Students: Misguided missile. Time: Always insufficient. Umpire: Taken for granted these days. Victory: A tribute to human endeavor. Workaholic: Indentured labor. X: Ignoring this sign will be at owner’s risk. You: Always the reason for one’s misery. Zoo: An anthology of biological differences. Anshuman Srivastava Manager – MDP & Events

Frequently Asked Questions for

Interviews

1. Tell me about yourself? Start with the present and tell why you are well qualified for the position. Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. In other words you must sell what the buyer is buying. This is the single most important strategy in job hunting. So, before you answer this or any question it's imperative that you try to uncover your Interviewer’s greatest need, want, problem or goal. Do all the homework you can before the interview to uncover this person's wants and needs.

2. What are your greatest strengths? You know that your key strategy is to first uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs before you answer questions. Prior to any interview, you should have a list mentally prepared of your greatest strengths. You should also have, a specific example or two, which illustrates each strength, an example chosen from your most recent and most impressive achievements. You should, have this list of your greatest strengths and corresponding examples from your achievements so well committed to memory that you can recite them cold after being shaken awake at 2:30AM. Then, once you uncover your interviewer's greatest wants and needs, you can choose those achievements from your list that best match up.

3. What are your greatest weaknesses? Disguise strength as a weakness. Example: “I sometimes push my people too hard. I like to work with a sense of urgency and everyone is not always on the same wavelength.”

4. Why are you leaving (or did you leave) this position? (If you have a job) If you’re not yet 100% committed to leaving your present post, don’t be afraid to say so. Since you have a job, you are in a stronger position than someone who does not. But don’t be coy either. State honestly what you’d be hoping to find in a new spot. Of course, your answers will all the stronger if you have already uncovered what this position is all about and you match your desires to it. For all prior positions: Make sure you’ve prepared a brief reason for leaving. Best reasons: more money, opportunity, responsibility or growth.

5. Why should I hire you? If you know the employer’s greatest needs and desires, this question will give you a big leg up over other candidates because you will give him better reasons for hiring you than anyone else is likely to…reasons tied directly to his needs. Example: “As I understand your needs, you are first and foremost looking for someone who can manage the sales and marketing of your book publishing division. As you’ve said you need someone with a strong background in trade book sales. This is where I’ve spent almost my entire career, so I’ve chalked up 18 years of experience exactly in this area. I believe that I know the right contacts, methods, principles, and successful management techniques as well as any person can in our industry.”

6. Where do you see yourself five years from now? Reassure your interviewer that you’re looking to make a long-term commitment…that this position entails exactly what you’re looking to do and what you do extremely well. As for your future, you believe that if you perform each job at hand with excellence, future opportunities will take care of themselves. Example: “I am definitely interested in making a long-term commitment to my next position. Judging by what you’ve told me about this position, it’s exactly what I’m looking for and what I am very well qualified to do. In terms of my future career path, I’m confident that if I do my work with excellence, opportunities will inevitable open up for me. It’s always been that way in my career, and I’m confident I’ll have similar opportunities here.”

7. Why do you want to work at our company? This question is your opportunity to hit the ball out of the park, thanks to the in-depth research you should do before any interview. Best sources for researching your target company: annual reports, the corporate newsletter, contacts you know at the company or its suppliers, advertisements, articles about the company in the trade press.

Compiled by Ritesh Shrivastava PGDM 2009-11

Archana Shrivastava Asst Prof., Business Communication Area

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Hello… helloo…hellllooo….!!!! “Etiquette maketh a man”, goes the famous saying…

H

owever, many of us seem to be forgetful of the etiquettes at times and amongst all the etiquette errors, lack of telephone etiquettes is ubiquitous in this fast pace of life. Our days begin with the ring of a bell and so do they end. The telephone, may it be a wired one or a cellular phone, has become as much a part of our lives as food & clothing and perhaps that is one reason why we, most of the times forget to follow basic courtesies while using it.

Ironically, this negligence over the phone began the very same day the telephone was invented. The first message by Sir. Graham Bell to Watson in their workshop was: “Mr. Watson, come here, I want your help!” But then if Bell were to listen to what people teach their kids in this generation as “Proper Telephone Etiquettes”, he would be scratching his head. But there’s no blaming him; thanks to the wonderful invention! So, let us keep it simple. Why do we have to remember a set of etiquettes every time we happen to glance at the phone? Everything from a simple “Hello” to remembering to smile each time you make or receive a phone call. The answer is very simple and plain - a lot can happen over a telephone call! Talking on the telephone is no different than speaking to someone in person, but for some reason a piece of equipment between the mouth and the ear tends to make people forget that there is such a thing as phone etiquettes. You can find people talking, nay, yelling on their phones at every nook and corner. The ease of use and its superb functionality have made people get into some sort of a virtual 28

phantom world, where they lose the consciousness of their surroundings. They are so absorbed with the voices coming out from their devices and their incessant loud reply to it that they forget they are social beings living in a civilized society, where every other person also has the right to silence. Little do they realise that there is a micro-phone in their gadget which is perfectly capable of capturing normal voice tone. Moving to a place with better range would be ideal to escape from appearing rude and uncouth to the onlookers. Also muting or switching off the phones at intimate public places like hospitals, libraries, restaurants, movie halls etc. is much appreciable. Since many of us seem to have forgotten the basic telephone etiquettes, here are a few tips as an update to skills that are quite natural in many of us. Firstly, it is important to know who you are calling, the most appropriate time to make the call (preferably avoiding calls before 7:30am and after 9:30pm) and the reason for your call. A warm “Hello” followed by greetings depending on the time of the day (Good morning/afternoon/evening) and a simple introduction of yourselves not only shows good etiquettes but also lets the receiver to set the forthcoming information within the context. No one is perfect; so even if you dial a wrong number (which happens quite a lot of times) state your mistake, apologise and only then hang up. Though we are well aware of what is being mentioned here yet our conversation mostly commences with a “Wassup???” or a “hey…hii!!!” Another thing we need to practice is to be structured, short and crisp in our discussions. In fact we just talk on and on incessantly about matters irrelevant to what we actually intended to speak before making the call. Passing on the information that the receiver will understand, appreciate and find useful helps in saving our time as well as resources (the heavy phone bills) rather than just waffling and speaking generically which will lose attention and affect poorly on us. With the wide availability of ring tones for your phone, many

COMMUNIS choose those which are loud and unique. However, just because we like them, it doesn’t mean everyone else will. Therefore make sure that your mobile ring tone is neither too loud nor annoying especially when you are in public places and other occasions like meetings, funerals, class rooms and hospitals. Also with the invention of text messaging many find communicating with others in public much easier and private (no yelling out over the phone). However, if you are sitting in the front row of a lecture and you are bent over messaging someone, this gesture may infuriate and insult the lecturer. One of the worst possible things you can do while texting/answering/making a phone call is driving. Believe it or not, there are people who try to make sure they are pressing the right buttons and may lose out on the desired cautiousness required during driving. This needs no explanation to say what can be the possible outcomes! Hence a headphone or a wireless ear piece becomes a necessity while driving. But many a times we find people continuing to wear this accessory even when they are not on calls (even when they are not driving). Apart from looking awkward, it often makes others feel that you are not giving your entire attention to the people interacting with you. So make sure that you take off your ear-piece device after you are done with the calls. Haven’t we always known that only 7 percent of the communication is “verbal”? When about 38 percent is attributed to the “vocal” element constituting of pitch, volume and rhythm, a huge 55 percent is contributed by “body language”. While on phone, we lose out this 55 percent as it is not a face-to-face encounter; the remaining 45 percent need to be covered up by the verbal and vocal elements for balance, in order to create the same impact on the other person. Strange… we never thought telephoning would ever be such a stressful business. Not even Graham Bell. May his soul rest in peace!!! Lakshmi Ninan

One Liners School:

A place where Papa pays and Son plays.

Life Insurance:

A contract that keeps you poor all your life so that you can die Rich.

Nurse:

A person who wakes you up to give you sleeping pills.

Marriage:

It's an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree and a woman gains her masters.

Tears:

The hydraulic force by which masculine willpower is defeated by feminine waterpower.

Lecture:

An art of transferring information from the notes of the Lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through 'the minds of either'.

Conference:

The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.

Compromise:

The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

Dictionary:

A place where success comes before work.

Conference Room: A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on. Father:

A banker provided by nature.

Criminal:

A guy no different from the rest.... except that he got caught.

Boss:

Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early.

Politician:

One who shakes your hand before elections and your Confidence after.

Doctor:

A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you by bills.

Classic:

Books, which people praise, but do not read.

Smile:

A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

Office:

A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Yawn:

The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.

Etc.:

A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.

Committee:

Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

Experience:

The name men give to their mistakes.

Atom Bomb:

An invention to end all inventions.

Philosopher:

A fool who torments himself during life, to be spoken of when dead.

PGDM 2009-10

Source: Internet

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competent and as intelligent as the one wearing the formal suit, or more so, we do assess these attributes based on appearance. That's not to say you can forget about preparing for a presentation, put on a nice suit, and you'll impress the audience. All the ingredients -- knowledge, preparation, and appearance — are necessary to make a good impression.

A

big job interview is coming up and you are feeling very confident. You have anticipated the questions they might ask and have prepared some great answers. Fresh copies of your resume are sitting in your backpack. Wait a minute! Did you say backpack? Are you really going to walk into a job interview carrying a backpack? Next thing you'll say is that you're planning to wear jeans and a t-shirt. Uh-oh. You better ask yourself these questions before you get dressed. WHAT SHOULD I WEAR? DO I HAVE AN OUTFIT SUITABLE FOR CORPORATE ENVIRONMENT? WHAT ABOUT MAKE –UP/ACCESSORIES? A Second Look at First Impressions No matter how good you look on paper, everything you do from how you treat each member of the interview team, to what you’re wearing, to what you say or don’t say during the interview is noted, and taken into account in the hiring decision. Maybe the current trend towards casual dress at work has made people more lax about what they wear. In addition, many people work from home where there are no rules regarding dress. As a remote worker, I can tell you that I don't give much thought to what I wear while working from home. While I don't work in a bathrobe and fuzzy slippers, unless of course I'm working at 1 a.m., when I give a presentation, though, it's a whole different story. I try to look my professional best, in a skirt, shirt, jacket, and dress shoes. I make sure my hair and makeup are neatly done. In other words, I dress for success. Why You Must Dress Professionally for Certain Situations ?? Maybe it's unjust to judge a book by its cover, but we all do it. It's human nature. While the person in jeans may be as 30

How to Dress Professionally Should you go out and purchase a new dress every time you have to make a presentation? Do you need to wear branded clothes only to leave a mark on your audience? No, it is not at all necessary!! One can look smart and elegant even in not so new and branded clothing. The idea here is to understand that it is not how expensive or new or branded the dress is, the idea is how smartly you carry yourself The dress you choose should reflect you, your identity and ideology; and not jumping on bandwagon. You can always wear old, but the key is to dress up in an impressive and panache style. Women can probably get away with a nice skirt and jacket or a business suit, while men can wear dress trousers and a jacket. Wear neutral colors — dark blue or grey are good, don't wear large or glitzy jewelry, and wear a button down shirt or a jacket so they have somewhere to clip a microphone. Now about your hair. Your hair should be neat and clean. Try to keep it out of your face. As for makeup (for you women out there), keep it simple and sober. Try to get a feel for where you are going to work before you go shopping for your new work wardrobe. If you are unsure of what the company dress code is, take some cues from the person interviewing you. You can also observe what your boss is wearing or take a tour of your new place of employment and note what the majority of people are wearing. Another strategy is to simply ask. You can call the HR department, other employees, your future manager/supervisor or your interviewer, and ask them about the company dress code. Complement your Dressing with Non Verbal Cues As your mother might have told you, sit up straight. When you slouch you look bored. If you're bored, how do you expect your audience to feel? You'll also look more confident if you're sitting or standing up straight. Look like you're happy to be there. Put a smile on your face. Don't fidget, bite your nails, or play with any jewelry you are wearing. And of course — don't forget to breathe! Conclusion When attempting to project a professional image, your overall goal is to create your own style while still looking competent and commanding respect. With a little creativity and attention to detail you can look professional at work without losing your unique sense of style! Pallavi Jain

PGDM 2009-11

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wo salesmen eagerly race to your door! The first one wins your attention. You let him in and he shows you his latest model of vacuum cleaner. He tells you all about its sucking capacity, its ease of operation, the factory warranty, and the differences between different models. With a patient but zoned-out bored look, you let the man leave. He passes the second salesman waiting on your porch for his turn. You yawn and let the second guy in. But there's something different about this other salesman. He takes a moment to look around your living room. He sees a picture of your cute little girl and compliments you. He asks you a couple other "small talk" questions and gets to know you better. He listens to you. He really listens to you and the problems you face. Somehow he knows how to gently draw out your general home cleanliness concerns. He has suggestions on how to clean drapes more effectively, how to dust without leaving streaks-nothing directly related to vacuum sales just yet. Nevertheless you are drawn in. This salesman has converted you as his friend. You trust him and believe him. Then the salesman points out the benefits you'll receive if you purchase his vacuum. Plus, you notice that he knows just as much about the product and company as the first guy! Hmmm... QUESTION: Which one closes the sale? ANSWER: The one who used his "soft skills"-- the latter one. QUESTION: What are Soft Skills ? ANSWER: As the name suggests soft skills is not a visible skill like the domain subject content in a student but it helps in improving the personality of the person. It gives finishing touch to the personality. It includes communication skills, interpersonal skills, group dynamics, team work, body language, etiquettes, selling skills, presentation skills, confidence building etc. If soft skills are incorporated in the curriculum along with grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary exercises, it will surely lead to the overall personality development of a person. In addition to subject knowledge,

one is expected to have pleasing as well as smart personality to get an edge over others in this competitive era. An English faculty’s role is not just improving the language skills of the students, but also fine tuning their soft skills. With the corporate exposure, faculty will be in a better position to prepare the students in the lines of corporate expectations. Globalization and liberalization have changed the importance of language learning. Oral communication skills have become very important in the age where one needs to know how to sell one self in order to excel in one’s chosen field. In addition to communication skills, soft skills, which include tips to succeed in interviews and group discussions, will help the students in getting the job of their choice. The orientation in curriculum designing is to be on specific needs of the target students than general. The students’ inability to communicate well in English has many reasons behind it. The lack of strong basic foundation of English language continues to haunt the students in their college life too. The fear of failure before others, stage fear, nervousness, lack of content etc are also the reasons for students to lag behind. So English language teaching should be transformed into soft skills training. Soft skills should cater to the needs of fine tuning the personality of the students. Therefore, Soft skills refer to a very diverse range of abilities such as: • Self-awareness • Analytical thinking • Leadership skills • Team-building skills • Flexibility • Ability to communicate effectively • Creativity • Problem-solving skills 31

AS I FLOAT

• Listening skills • Diplomacy • Change-readiness Importance of Soft Skills According to psychologist Daniel Coleman, a combination of competencies that contribute to a person's ability to manage him or herself and relate to other people, matter twice as much as IQ or technical skills in job success. Results of recent studies on the importance of soft skills indicated that the single most important soft skill for a job candidate to possess was interpersonal skills, followed by written or verbal communication skills and the ability to work under pressure. A constantly changing work environment - due to technology, customer-driven markets, information-based economy and globalization that are currently impacting on the structure of the workplace and leading to an increased reliance on, and demand for soft skill. Soft skills are not a replacement for hard- or technical-skills. They are, in many instances, complementary, and serve to unlock the potential for highly effective performance in people qualified with the requisite hard skills. The development of 'soft skills' in this market is important when there is intense competition for many available positions. • Learn the basics of effective verbal communications and presentations. Take a speech communications course or join a local 'Toastmasters' group to become comfortable with your verbal skills. Practice your telephone skills. Most interviews begin with a telephone interview. You may be offered an interview because of your resume but the best communicator in the interview will get the job. • You only have one shot at a good 'first impression'. Make sure that your manner of dress and grooming are appropriate for the job setting. I recommend dressing one notch' above the everyday norm when interviewing for a job. If the everyday attire is Dockers and casual shirt then the interview attire ought to be dress pants and shirt with tie. For females the 'one notch above' may include a dress or business suit. • Practice your approach in greeting people and shaking hands. Look the person directly in the eye with a smile and firm handshake. If the other person is elderly or appears somewhat frail adjust your handshake accordingly. Firm but not painful. • The 'art of conversation' is just that ...an art. The ability to carry on interesting conversations with people about the wide variety of topics and current events is an important tool in establishing an effective business relationship. Book clubs and discussion groups are good ways to develop these skills if you are not already associated with a group of interesting friends who enjoy lively conversation.

Believe in me for this one time, Unconditionally, blind-eyed, Take the leap, follow me down, To where the land and air divide. Promises, so sweet and strong, That withstands wind and tide, Words; forever, endless, eternity, Sound feeble though on the inside. Believe me my love, I don’t lie, I could never, looking into your eyes, A moment of hurt will lead us to, A bonding with no demise. Never once did I think beyond, A life without you by my side, And now as I fall, float over the end, I wait for you to decide. I don’t regret anything I did, For those were your words over mine, With blind faith in what we had, We started out on this ride. But now as I watch you stand still, I cannot help but bluntly smile, At the shiver that rolls out your tears, At the innocent fear in your eyes. Believe me my love for this one time, Know, I will always love you with my heart, Turn away I beg, as I reach the place, Where the land and air divide.

The ability to develop and use 'soft skills' can make the difference between a job offer and the enjoyment of a new employment and community environment.

Jojan V Jose PGDM 2009-11

Ravinder Pal PGDM 2009-11

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Speak Out… Speak Loud… “If speaking is silver, silence is gold”, the old saying may have its own relevance but speak out… speak loud is the need of the hour! A number of researches have undoubtedly proved the prime requirement of assertiveness in personal and professional life of a person. Fully admitting the importance of this indispensable feature in our life style, let us explore the scope of trainability element of assertiveness skills. A person who by nature is non assertive, despite being convinced of the merits of assertiveness, shall not be able to control his actions in confronting situations. This submissive person with easy to give up approach may not feel comfortable stating his views firmly or assertively and even if he dares to do so he is likely to be haunted by its repercussions. However a conscious effort and training into a behavioral change may hone assertive skills of a person. The three different types of human behaviors that have been identified are: a) Non-assertive Behavior which involves the act of withdrawing from a situation is a passive approach to a situation resulting in denial of one’s feelings, allowing others to choose for you, suffering from guilt and anger. b) Aggressive Behavior is demonstrated by the act of over reacting emotionally to a situation. This is a self enhancing, egotistical approach to a situation resulting in put down feelings on the receiver’s part, not allowing others to choose for themselves but choosing for them, hostility, defensiveness on the aggressor’s part and humility on the receiver’s part. c) Assertive Behavior comprises the act of declaring that this is what I am, what I think and feel and what I want. This is a non egotistical, active rather than passive approach to a solution resulting open, direct self expression of thoughts and feelings, allowing others to choose for themselves and mutual satisfaction at achieving a desired goal. Sometimes people confuse aggressiveness with assertiveness seeing that both types of behavior involve standing up for one’s rights and expressing one’s needs. This thin line if not clearly understood may lead to entirely different mannerism. The key difference between the two styles is that individuals behaving assertively will express themselves in ways that respect the other person. They assume the best about people, respect themselves and think ‘win-win’ and try to compromise.

In contrast, individuals behaving aggressively will tend to employ tactics that are disrespectful, manipulative, demeaning or abusive. They make negative assumptions about the motives of others and think in retaliatory terms or don’t think of other person’s point of view at all. They win at the expense of others and create unnecessary conflict. Passive individuals different from assertive and aggressive ones don’t know how to adequately communicate their feelings and needs to others. They tend to fear conflict so much that they let their needs go unmet and keep their feelings secret in order to keep the peace. They let others win while they lose out. People with different kinds of behavior reflect different ways of handling situations. • "you win and I lose" solution is a passive solution where one individual gives up his rights to another. • "you lose and I win" solution is an aggressive solution where one individual ignores the rights of another in order to get his way. • "you lose and I lose" solution is a total passive solution where both individuals give up their rights. A healthy resolution is impossible. • "you win and I win" solution is an assertive solution where the rights of both parties are recognized, respected, and utilized in reaching a healthy compromise. Despite admitting the assertive behavior as the most desired one, it is not in one’s control to exhibit assertive behavior naturally. The various roadblocks for the transition to being assertive are: • Feeling of guilt in turning down legitimate requests. • Apprehension of asking questions that might make one look ignorant or stupid. • Inhibition of being so unpleasant, cold and uncaring that others won’t like them. • Fear of hurting others and guilty of being responsible for others’ sufferings. • Fear of rejection from others. • Lack of self esteem/self confidence Besides the above mentioned roadblocks, some myths also encourage non assertive behavior: • Anxiety: The anxiety of unacceptability, criticism, indifference, etc prevents a person from stating his views 33

•

•

•

•

•

assertively. Even the probable repercussions of confrontation may discourage a person from being assertive. Modesty: Being courteous or modest is sometimes taken to be a synonym of not refuting others. The concept of confronting and still respecting a person for his ideology is not well taken by all. This myth may also consist of the inability to acknowledge or say positive things about oneself, the inability to accept compliments from others and the inability to give compliments to others. Friendship: On the pretext of close friendship, people tend to overdo and avoid saying NO even if it demands some thing beyond their limits.. They feel guilty to say no to any requests and are scared to lose a good friend not comprehending that true friendship is over and above all these trivial issues. Although they prefer others to be straightforward with them but don’t follow the same practice fearing that it would hurt others. Obligations: Some people disregard their personal needs and rights due to a belief in personal obligations to others. These people put others ahead of themselves. Obviously the others' needs cannot always be met; however, those who routinely neglect to express their needs and rights, and who find themselves imposed upon quite frequently, are being restrained by this belief in the myth of obligation. Gender role myths: Sometimes people behave in a particular manner due to various gender role expectations. This has been especially true for women. Due to erroneous expectations, many women are unable to refuse requests, even unreasonable ones. This may be true regardless of whether the request would interfere with their needs and rights. Strength of an issue: It is sometimes risky to take a stand, even on issues about which people might feel quite strongly. It may be interpreted as pressuring others to accept one's beliefs, especially when discussing a controversial issue. People may not choose to take the risk of alienating themselves from others.

Although transition from any behavior to another demands deliberate efforts, yet acquiring assertiveness is a challenging task and is a time consuming process. During the process of assertiveness training, in the initial stages when a person makes conscious efforts to be assertive, he is likely to be troubled by perturbing thoughts due to anxiety and fear of hurting others. Moreover, the sudden behavioral change is somehow not readily accepted by others and people around take time to sink in the new approach towards them. However, a consistent endeavor may exhibit natural traits of assertiveness in the communication skills of a person. A quick glance on the ten assertive rights emphasized in the assertiveness training will help us understand the practical implementation of it. • I have the right to judge my own behavior, thoughts, and emotions and to take the responsibility for their initiation and consequence. • I have the right to offer neither reason nor excuse to justify my behavior. • I have the right to judge whether I am responsible for finding solutions to others' problems. • I have the right to change my mind. 34

• I have the right to say, "I don't know." • I have the right to make mistakes and be responsible for them • I have the right to be independent of the good will of others before coping with them. • I have the right to be illogical in making decisions. • I have the right to say, "I don't understand." • I have the right to say, "I don't care." Keeping in mind the rights of assertiveness we should make known our desires and feelings without the fear of hurting others or feeling guilty for others’ sufferings. Building self esteem, confidence and learning to value our needs and the needs and differences in others would certainly ensure assertive behavior. The consistent assertion in the communication skills helps us acquire the desired skills and provides great benefits like: • Reduces stress in life • Enables to have stronger and more supportive relationship both in professional and personal life • Leads to fewer conflicts in dealings with others • Increases influence by reducing aggressive/abusive interactions • Exercises personal power to positively impact co-workers and the organization • Helps understand others’ underlying concerns and creatively problem solve resistance to achieve alignment and commitment • Improves listening with empathy without giving up one’s position • Strengthens to receive criticism without becoming defensive In a face to face interaction a person does not communicate only through words. His whole personality-his general bearing, facial expression, posture and gestures-is involved in the process. The people with assertive behavior demonstrate the following body language: 1. Eye contact and facial expression: direct eye contact; appear interested and alert, but not angry. 2. Posture: Stand or sit erect, possibly leaning forward slightly. 3. Distance and contact: Stand or sit at a normal conversational distance from the other. 4. Gestures: relaxed, conversational gestures. 5. Voice: factual, not emotional tone of voice. Sound to be determined and full of conviction, but not overbearing. 6. Timing: time when both parties are relaxed. A neutral site is best. Rightly defined, “Assertiveness is the ability to express one’s feelings and assert one’s rights while respecting the feelings and rights of others.” Assertiveness comes naturally to some, but is a skill that can be learnt. Assertiveness is one of the most valuable skill leaders and managers can possess.

Stand at your own feet Be gentle but not weak Shalini Kalia Asst. Professor Business Communication Area

Essential Presentation Skills -

the three things YOU MUST KNOW Here we expose the three essential pieces of information that can make your presentation fly. Most of these are common sense, but you'd be surprised how often they are missed out. The Three Presentation Essentials: 1. Use visual aids where you can

2. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. "If you fail to prepare, you are prepared to fail" 3. The audience will only remember three messages The rule of three is one of the oldest in the book - Aristotle wrote about it in his book Rhetoric. Put simply it is that people tend to easily remember three things. Believe it or not, the chances are, people will only remember three things from your presentation. So before you start writing your presentation, plan what your three key messages will be. Once you have these messages, structure the main part of your presentation around these three key themes and look at how they could be better illustrated. To be a more effective presenter, it is useful to evaluate your own presentation skills. The following self evaluation form can help you identify areas you should try to improve. Please read each item below and rank yourself from 1 to 5 based on how frequently you believe you adhere to the item (1=never and 5=always). Then concentrate on the points that you have ranked with low numbers when you are trying to improve your oral presentation skills. When you have finished, compute your score and save a copy of this page for your record. After you have worked on your presentation skills unit complete this questionnaire again to see if you shown any improvement.

Question 1) I determine some basic objectives before planning a presentation. 2) I analyze the values, needs and constraints of my audience. 3) I write down some main ideas first, in order to build a presentation around them. 4) I incorporate both a preview and review of the main ideas as my presentation is organized. 5) I develop an introduction that will catch the attention of my audience and still provide the necessary background information. 6) My conclusion refers back to the introduction and, if appropriate, contains a call-to-action statement. 7) The visual aids I use are carefully prepared, simple, easy to read, and have impact. 8) The number of visual aids will enhance, not detract, from my presentation. 9) If my presentation is persuasive, arguments are used that are logical and that support my assertions. 10) I use anxiety to fuel the enthusiasm of my presentation, not hold me back. 11) I ensure the benefits suggested to my audience are clear and compelling. 12) I communicate ideas with enthusiasm. 13) I rehearse so there is a minimum focus on notes and maximum attention paid to my audience. 14) My notes contain only "key words" so I avoid read up from a manuscript or technical paper. 15) My presentations are rehearsed standing up and using visual aids. 16) I prepare answers to anticipated questions, and practice responding to them. 17) I arrange seating (if appropriate) and check audio-visual equipment in advance of the presentation. 18) I maintain good eye contact with the audience at all times. 19) My gestures are natural and not constrained by anxiety. 20) My voice is strong and clear and is not a monotone.

Rank

Evaluaute your score: • If you scored between 80-100, you are an accomplished speaker who simply needs to maintain basic skills through practice. • If your total score was between 60-80, you have the potential to become a highly effective presenter. • If your score was between 40 and 60, this resource can help you significantly. • If you scored between 30 and 40, you should show dramatic improvement with practice. • If your total was below 30, roll up your sleeves and dig in. It may not be easy - but you can make excellent progress if you try. At the end 0f the course, take this evaluation again and compare your scores. You should be pleased with the progress you have made. Source: Mandel, S. (1987) Effective Presentation Skills: A Practical Guide for Better Speaking (Revised Edition). Ontario: Reid Publishing Ltd.

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Speeches Men make speeches or Speeches men? “Speech both conceals and reveals the thoughts of men” goes a Latin proverb. Can a mere speech which is just a thought of one man, influence a million others? Could just a few neatly coined words find for themselves a permanent place in history? Pondering my mind over these questions in front of me, I sat back to realize that it is often not that famous men give famous speeches; Instead it is those speeches that give these men a legendary platform! Didn’t the speech “I have a dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. with concluding words "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" stand as the defining moment for the American Civil Rights movement? Would have Barack Obama edged Hillary Clinton if not for his rhetorical skills? I am unsure… There is more than one reason to believe that his speeches gave him an identity! Was the world not left with a lasting impression of Swami Vivekananda for his starting phrase at the Chicago conference which was “Brothers and Sisters of America”? I often wonder if Archimedes would have been this famous if not for his screaming of the Greek word “Eureka” from his bath tub. Had he not, he might have gone unnoticed just like the million other inventors left behind. These examples prove the significance of using clear, concise and effective words. Just a sheer selection of words, could get one to limelight over night. But, is this as easy as it sounds?

A vivid instance would add more colour to the picture. The 20th century saw the development of two leaders of World War II who applied oratorical techniques in vastly different ways with equal effect. It was primarily through his oratory that Adolf Hitler whipped the defeated and divided Germans into a frenzy of conquest, while Winston Churchill used his no less remarkable powers to summon up in the English people their deepest historical reserves of strength against the onslaught. A clever orator carefully plays this mind game with his viewers by choosing the best of words in the best of orders, making them enter a state of trance. I wouldn’t be wrong in considering the speech a hypnotic; but it finally zeros down to the effect it has on the viewers- a positive influence for a revolution or a deeply harming negative one… Beautifully knitted words, like the pearls coupled together in a necklace, like the waves that hit the beach, like the bee that sucks nectar, give the sentence its beauty. True to the words of Helen Keller "The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart", the beauty of such speeches also lies in the revolution it brings about in the masses. Some are born orators and some master the art; be it anyway, the best shall continue to mesmerize the spectators and leave them spellbound! And one day, I shall with my enthralling speech, carve for myself a small niche in history and only then shall my soul rest in peace!

Coming to the other side of the coin, many famous personalities have delivered notable speeches. Examples range from Margaret Thatcher to Mahatma Gandhi to Dalai Lama to Charles de Gaulle and the list goes endless. 36

J Mathangi PGDM 2009-11

The Wonderful World of Words - Word meanings and stories related to their origin

1. Break a Leg [Idiom] Meaning Origin

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Used to wish someone, such as an actor, success in a performance. Superstition against wishing an actor Good Luck! has led to the adoption of this phrase in its place. The date of origin is a bit obscure; as theatrical slang it existed long before it was ever documented in print, but the intent of the phrase is clear. It is simply a way of warding off a jinx. It being bad luck to speak of a positive performance, one instead speaks of a bad one. Based on the recollections of actors, break a leg is commonly thought to date to the 1930s. Some claim a British origin, but the earliest citations are all American.

2. Bedlam [Noun] Meaning Origin

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A scene or state of wild uproar and confusion Bedlam is a Middle English form of Bethlehem, referring to the Judean city traditionally reckoned as the birthplace of Jesus Christ. The sense meaning madness, uproar, or confusion comes from the Hospital of Saint Mary of Bethlehem in London. The hospital was founded as a priory in 1247 and is first mentioned as a hospital in 1330. By 1402 it was known for housing lunatics. In 1547 the hospital was formally incorporated as a royal foundation for the care of the insane.

3. Bull & Bear Market [Noun] Meaning

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Origin

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Bull market: Stock market associated with increasing investor confidence. Bear market: Stock market showing investor fear and pessimism. These two stock market terms appear in the early 18th century. Bear was the first to appear, referring to the practice of selling stock one does not yet own for delivery at a future date. The expectation would be that the price would fall in the meantime, enabling the speculator to buy the stock at a lower price. Such speculators were called bear-skin jobbers after the proverb to sell the bear’s skin before one has caught the bear. Gradually, the term took on the meaning of being generally pessimistic about stock prices. Bull appears a few years later, in 1714, and was almost certainly influenced by bear.

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4. Cut to the chase [Idiom] Meaning Origin

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To get to the main point This phrase comes from the early days of Hollywood. It literally referred to a cut from a dramatic scene to an action one (the chase)

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To listen secretly to a private conversation Eavesdrop, or originally eavesdrip, is a very old word. It is originally a noun referring to the water dripping off the eaves of a building or ground on which such water would fall. From medieval times there were legal restrictions on building close to one’s property line so that the eavesdrop would not damage the neighbor’s land.

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Used as an exclamation of triumph at a discovery Legend has it that Archimedes uttered this exclamation when he realized that objects placed in water displace an amount of water equal to their own volume.

5. Eavesdrop [Verb] Meaning Origin

6. Eureka [Interjection] Meaning Origin

Hiero II, tyrant of Syracuse, had supplied a goldsmith with gold to make a crown. But Hiero was not certain that the smith had used all the gold and so he asked Archimedes to test the crown. How to measure the volume of such an irregularly shaped object stumped Archimedes until one day, when climbing into his bath, he noticed the water displacement and realized that he could measure the volume of the crown through displacement.

7. Free Lunch [Noun] Meaning Origin

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Something given with no expectation of repayment, service, responsibility, etc The phrase began its life as a joke that was commonly told by economists in the first half of the 20th century. One day a king assembled his advisors and asked them to summarize the essence of economics wisdom. One by one, the advisors delivered lengthy treatises on the subject. Angry that they weren’t doing what he had asked, the king had them executed. When it came to his turn one wise advisor, realizing what was happening, summed up all of economics wisdom in there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch, pleasing the king and sparing his life.

8. Googol / Google [Noun/Verb] Meaning Origin

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To search for information about something through the Google search engine The company’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, came up with the name in 1998. They altered the spelling for trademark purposes. The term googol is a mathematical term for the number represented by one followed by 100 zeroes or 10100 which was coined by Milton Sirotta, the nephew of mathematician Edward Kasner in the year 1938.

9. Let the cat out of the bag [Idiom] Meaning Origin

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To reveal a secret The phrase is a reference to an old scam in which a cat would be surreptitiously substituted for a suckling pig that had just been purchased at market. The cat would be placed in the bag in the hopes that the customer would not look into it until they were some distance away.

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Rigid adherence to bureaucratic rules and regulations It is a tradition, dating back to the 18th century, to bind government documents together using a red ribbon or tape. There is no particular reason for choosing the color red; it’s just an arbitrary choice.

Source: http://www.wordorigins.org

10. Red tape [Noun]

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Meaning Origin

11. Think outside the box [Idiom] Meaning Origin

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Creative and unorthodox in thought or practice The phrase is an allusion to a well-known puzzle where one has to connect nine dots, arranged in a square grid, with four straight lines drawn continuously without pen leaving paper. The only solution to this puzzle is one where some of the lines extend beyond the border of the grid (or box). This puzzle was a popular gimmick among management consultants in the 1970s and 80s as a demonstration of the need to discard unwarranted assumptions (like the assumption that the lines must remain within the grid).

Compiled by Gagandeep, PGDM 2009-11

My Summer Training Experience you help me?” I did. And the lady was so happy, that she who always used to ignore me while crossing my desk, today asked me about my project, about which even I knew little then!” She said “Have you met all the concerned people?” I said “Yes”. She said “Are you sure?” I said “Yes”. Then she asked, “Did you meet “Bholaram”(name changed) ?” And I was like “What?!” Why should I meet him?! (Bholaram was 62 year old peon in the organisation who was here since time immemorial and was working on his extended retirement period.)

At one point of time, I thought I will call it quits, because I had many new ideas but the entire organisation was so much system driven, I didn’t know how could I make a difference because most of the people were in their late forties (there was a ban on recruitment in the company for a decade previously), they just didn’t want a change, they just said, “You are a kid. You know nothing!” One day I was sitting alone and looking out of the window, gazing at the sky, when a middle aged lady came to me and said, “Are you upset”? I answered “I don’t know. I think I won’t be able to fit in here. Everyone thinks I am too young to interact with, don’t know anything, and plus I am here for two months only, so I am just a guest”. And the lady laughed. She said “This is the real test, test of patience. Your gain here depends on how much self driven you are. Like private firms, no one will come to you with work; no one will sit over you to monitor you. Rather, its upto you what you make out of it. Why don’t you see the positives? You have the freedom to decide where you want to work, on what you want to work. You can learn a lot here. Only your approach is incorrect”. It was then that I decided that I will give it a second try. She smiled and introduced me to her colleagues and said “Have lunch with us today”. I agreed. It was better than sitting alone in that corner. I was least interested in their gossips, but managed to smile somehow. Next morning, one of the lady from among those with whom I had lunch, came to my desk and said, “I am not good at Internet. My daughter from U.S. has sent me a mail, can

He said “ Muje kabhi kabhi dusre department ke bade saab ko phone karna hota hai, main phone pe baat karte darta hun” (Sometimes, I am required to convey messages to other department officer over phone, I feel diffident while talking” ).Then pointing to another worker he said, “Yeh Bijli ke Khambe Lagata hai, par agar shock lag jaye toh baki log ise kaise bachayenge, unhe nahin pata. Aap iske bare mein sikhao na!” (Someone who puts electric poles, teach him about first aid) And that was an eye opener for me. I decided that I would work on the training of these employees and met one senior officers who I came to know was working on the same lines. We discussed this over coffee and there started my actual summer internship. By the end of the two months, we had drafted a proposal for the training of “C” and “D” level employees in the power distribution sector. I had learnt a lot from that senior gentleman and also realised how learned government professionals can be. Of course, I also did some other tasks in that period and made friends with many of the professionals there (Average age being 40), but this turning point made my summer internship really meaningful and made me learn a lot. Prachee Sehgal PGDM 2008-10

The more there is of it, the less you see it.What is it?

The more you crack it, the more people like you. What is it? A smile.

While on the first day of my job, I was greeted with a long list of predetermined tasks for the day for me, in my summer internship, it was the reverse. I was warmly welcomed and offered my space and then was told that I can ask for whatever I wanted. This was the real test. Its very easy when some one tells you what to do, you know it, all you need is to perform, but in a scenario like this, I was confused for the first one week and just thinking “Kya Karoon?!!”I gathered some documents here and there (which also included dusting a few files) , had formal interaction with key people from the top to bottom in the hope that I might find the area on which I should work. I quizzed my friends as to what they were doing but none of what they were doing could apply here as in government units, it was different.

Darkness.

M

y summer training experience was very different as compared to my previous work experience before joining BIMTECH. While I did my job previously in a Multi national organisation, this one was a Public sector enterprise. My summer training was in the field of “Training” which is a sub part of Human Resource Management.

Anyways, I met Mr. Bholaram. And that was the turning point. He was so old that he could hardly hear anything. He didn’t know English leave alone what is MBA or Human resource department! It took me one week to explain to him what I was doing in Simple Plain Hindi! (And believe me it was the toughest thing to do!)But once he got an idea, he got me all the concerned files, data and told me who are the people I should meet and what time of the day was good to approach them! And it made a lot of difference. Then one day he said, “Didi, Aap humein kyun nahin training dete?” And I was like “Aapko? Aap ko kya training chahiye. Aap toh peon ho?”(You are just a peon, what training do you require?”

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My Summer Training Experience My Summer Internship experience with HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company

responsibility to educate these people which will solve our country’s problems to a large extent.

I joined HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company for the duration of five months as Summer Training Program. This gave me exposure to the corporate environment and helped me in understanding the nuances of a professionally run organization. I came to know about the work culture in an insurance company. It showed me the real picture of the companies working in this sector. I also came to understand the various targets that a company need to fulfill.

PGDM (IBM) 2008-10

I got a platform to work on and interact with different agents having different perceptions. It added to my knowledge about insurance. It has given me a practical knowledge which made me far more clear about the concepts of insurance. I have enhanced the power of convincing people while recruiting different people for acting as an agent. It has enhanced my communication skills as I talked not only to the agents but also to various MDRT’s, development officers, regional heads etc. who gave an eye wash to the field of insurance. Above all it has given an experience of five months which is definitely going to help me in the long run and moreover by getting such an opportunity to work in the corporate environment, I learnt to work efficiently. That is rather than putting more hard work, I learnt to do smart work. Anindita Ghoshal PGDM (IBM) 2008-10

The Summer Internship experience in Ahmedabad So many apprehensions are there when you go to a new place, meet new people and do something new in the conditions that are alien to you; but when they get over, you feel that you took a right decision and this was actually worth doing. Month of May, 2 p.m., scorching heat, sitting in an auto with 15 more people waiting for one more to accommodate, visiting villages with a translator because not more than 4-5 people understand Hindi and asking them what all they need to improve in already existing terms and conditions. This is what my summer experience was. It was in rural area of Annand district where I had to study rainfall insurance and assess its marketing strategy under the guidance of a trade union called SEWA, Ahmedabad. It was the first village experience I had and I learnt how so simple products need so much complexity to develop and market it. I had learnt that discussing the financial inclusion in classrooms is much easier than actually working upon it. I had learnt what disaster can happen if you are uneducated and the poor section will definitely be better off if they educate themselves. I feel that when Gujarat, which is one of the richest belts of India, can have so many problems we can’t even imagine how the villages of states like Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Eastern India are dealing with all those problems. It was also difficult in a way as we had to do everything on our own- from travelling to making project, implementing own ideas as to what will work in a village where nobody understood my language, designing the strategies etc. as nobody understood the terms like chi-square test etc. in an NGO kind of place. But I must tell you that Gujaratis are as sweet as their food as the village team leaders helped me a lot (knowing the fact they hardly earn anything from that). All in all it was a great experience. Learning, no doubt was immense. I would conclude by saying that real rural world is more miserable than what we know. We as educated citizens should take the

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Malvika Saxena

My Summer Training Experience with HYUNDAI MOTOR INDIA Ltd, New Delhi It was not a summer training in the true sense, as in my opinion the summer training, necessarily and ideally should be an apprenticeship in an organization which as I’ve seen is rarely the case, of course with a few fortunate exceptions. It was basically a project that too a typical research project, and when I say typical I mean right from the research design formulation to the final analysis and report preparation leaving no stone unturned. I was fortunate to be able to do this project under a highly co-operative and helpful corporate guide who eased my task by giving me a pre determined set of attributes on which I had to formulate my questionnaire and he also gave me the desired set of respondents, please don’t mistake it with respondent data, that was no where in picture. He just asked me to interview new passenger car owners who have purchased their vehicles within the past eight months spanning across the top ten major car companies in India. Here I faced the first challenge of the whole process, which was to gather the respondent data and then approach them to get my questionnaires filled. It hit me like a rock as my guide was unwilling and unable to provide me with even his own company’s customer’s data, and so was the case with all the other companies as well. He told me that I have to try my luck at showrooms and workshops and malls and all the possible places where I could encounter a new car owner and interview him. It took me some time to gather the courage and figure out a way to go about it. So I started with collecting the locations of all the major showrooms and workshops, even temples where people take their new cars for puja. It was hardly productive as I was not able to interview more than one or two customers per day. I struck the jackpot with karol bagh car accessory market where I was able to interview ten customers on an average on a daily basis. Here I faced the second challenge which was to walk up-to the respondent and ask for his time and patience. It doesn’t seem like a challenge at the first place, does it? But consider it after being hoarded off by people and shop owners, missing out on potential respondents because some guy wasted your time while he was filling your questionnaire and at the same time cursing the dealer or the salesman he purchased his car from. The best part was hunting down a potential respondent, keeping a close eye on the parked cars’ licence plate number, flipping the college’s id to establish credibility, using Hindi, English, even Marwari to comprehend the questions for the respondents, hearing their grievances and stories and getting to see the real picture of a car sale that lies behind those flashy and inviting showrooms. Eventually I was able to gather around 200 responses which were sufficient enough for further analysis. I was able to make a good report and present it to the organization with the desired results and findings, I also scored well in the final assessment, and it felt nice to see all that effort that went into it finally paying off. Romil Rungta PGDM 2008-10

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t’s 1’o clock in the morning as you sit with your laptop in your bed to start the assignment that is due in the morning lecture. After spending the day hanging out with your friends and finding innovative ways to waste time, as you finally start doing something of any consequence you start questioning the education system, blaming professor and almost everything in the universe. You try snapping out of it and concentrating but you are too tired. Just then your mobile rings and it’s your best friend asking about the topic for the assignment. Call gets over and your watch says 1:30 a.m. Panic sets in and just then you have your own Eureka moment, the solution to all your problems, the internet! You surf the net and cut/ copy, paste the information available in the first few pages, change the font size and your assignment is complete and ready for submission. The above situation is a case of plagiarism or in other words an act of fraud as it involves stealing someone’s work. According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, to “plagiarise” means : • to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own • to use (another's production) without crediting the source • to commit literary theft • to present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.

disciplinary measures ranging from suspension to termination. In most cases, plagiarism can be avoided by simply citing sources and acknowledging the main material from which the content has been borrowed. And while the internet has largely been responsible for increasing the frequency of plagiarism it also provides solutions to the problem. One can use plagiarism detection software like JPlag, MOSS which are free to help in identifying plagiarism within a work or a document. Also available are web based systems such as Plagarismdetect which is a free online plagiarism detection system. So one can easily use the material from other sources as long the references to the material are mentioned or use the software to scan your work for any possible plagiarized material. After all by using such software Sir Brian Vickers, a literature professor at the University of London, settled a centuries old mystery over the authorship of an unattributed play called The Reign of Edward III which some scholars had been debating whether it was written by Shakespeare. The verdict according to the software was that the play is likely to be collaboration between Shakespeare and Thomas Kyd, another popular playwright of his time. So next time you use content from other sources, be thankful for the plagiarism detection software, because Shakespeare certainly must be. Rachna Chandra

But can words or ideas actually be stolen? According to law, yes, as ideas and words constitute intellectual property and are protected by copyright laws. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as they are recorded in some way (such as a book or a computer file). All of the following are considered plagiarism: • turning in someone else's work as your own • copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit • failing to put a quotation in quotation marks • giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation • changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit • copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not

PGDM 2009-11

Plagiarism is considered a very serious offence. Within academia, plagiarism by students, researchers or professors consist of academic fraud and can also lead to expulsion. In journalism, plagiarism is considered as a violation of journalistic ethics, and reporters caught plagiarizing face 41

Buzz Words @ Retail 1. battery boutique

5. dotbam

n. A store that not only sells batteries for electronic devices, but also offers battery-related accessories, instructional text, and services such as troubleshooting and reconditioning.

n. The Internet version of a traditional bricks-and-mortar (BAM) retailer. Also: dot bam, dot-bam, and dot.bam.

'Each of the different battery chemistries do require a different care,' says Ken Hawk, a self-described 'frustrated user' who has sensed a market and founded 1-800-Batteries, one of a small platoon of specialty companies—battery boutiques. —James Gleick, "Maintenance Not Included," The New York Times, July 13, 1997

2. big-box store n. A large-format store, typically one that has a plain, box-like exterior and at least 100,000 square feet of retail space. Manufacturers such as RCA and Sony, which used to depend on department stores to get their products to consumers, were lured from department stores and into bigbox stores, where their brands could be advertised directly to consumers. —Penny Parker, "Power centers power up," The Denver Post, September 11, 1995

3. cockroach problem n. A problem that is bigger than it initially appears. ANDY SERWER, EDITOR-AT-LARGE, "FORTUNE": "Well, Terry, Procter & Gamble has a cockroach problem, and, you know, we know what that means; in other words, you've got one little piece of bad news, and there is always more, just like those little bugs." —"In the Money," CNN, June 8, 2000

4. demall v. To convert an indoor mall into an open-air shopping center where stores have street-level access, and which may also include non-retail buildings (such as apartments). "In some cases, the surgery has been radical. In California and other balmy states, developers have been demalling old covered shopping centers. They are lifting the roof off and turning the stores to face outward, re-creating the folksy look of Main Street." —Marci McDonald, "The pall in the mall," U.S. News & World Report, October 18, 1999

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The report says online retail is strong in many industry categories, including computers, autos, books, sporting goods and catalog sellers. What’s significant is that many analysts predicted a sharp drop after the Christmas season. But that didn’t happen, which is welcome news for today’s surviving e-tailers — and downright encouraging for dotbams stepping up their Web efforts.” —Judith N. Mottl, “Brick and Mortars Fight Back,” InternetWeek, June 19, 2000

6. e-tailer n. An Internet-based retail operation. The report says online retail is strong in many industry categories, including computers, autos, books, sporting goods and catalog sellers. What’s significant is that many analysts predicted a sharp drop after the Christmas season. But that didn’t happen, which is welcome news for today’s surviving e-tailers — and downright encouraging for dotbams stepping up their Web efforts.” —Judith N. Mottl, “Brick and Mortars Fight Back,” InternetWeek, June 19, 2000

7. freemium adj. Relating to a business model that offers basic services free, but charges a premium for advanced or special feature. Rather than bragging about how insanely great its VoIP products are, Skype makes its users insanely productive by letting them talk with any other user worldwide for free. The company makes money by charging users for connecting to phone systems outside of its network. It's a freemium model: Attract users with free services, then charge them a premium for special features. —Bruce Sterling, "Blogging for Dollars," Wired, June 1, 2006

8. golden ghetto (GOHL.dun get.toh) n. An urban area with an above-average concentration of high-end stores and affluent housing; any prosperous area or situation. According to research from financial services firm Experian, Thorntonhall is typical of a new trend for the well-heeled to stick together. Yesterday, some of the residents behind the high walls and electric gates warned there was a price to pay for affluence, describing their village as a 'Golden Ghetto'. One man, who asked not to be named, grumbled about the lack of community spirit. He said: 'It is just a collection of big houses behind big gates which people hide behind when they leave their big jobs in the city. —Iain Fleming, "The Golden Ghetto," Daily Mail, January 7, 2002

burgeoning masstige retailers include Kohl's and Wal-Mart. —Richard Hodos, "Urban expansion and 'masstige' defining retail success," Real Estate Weekly, April 30, 2003

9. golden hello n. A cash bonus or other remuneration paid to a new employee as an incentive to join a company (c.f. golden handshake).

14. retail leakage

"City merchant banks are having to offer new graduates salaries of 30,000 [pounds] a year, plus golden hellos, as a big increase in demand for the elite pushes up starting rates." —Lorna Bourke, "Golden hellos for graduates," The Evening Standard (London)

10. hi-pot (HY-pawt) n. A young executive who is deemed by the company to have high potential for rapid movement up the corporate ladder.

n. The loss of local retail sales that occurs when people shop in an area other than the one in which they live. We had heard anecdotal stories about people leaving Helena to shop,” said Sheldon Bartel, executive director of Gateway Economic Development Corp., one of four entities to fund the research. “The study was designed to test those anecdotes, and to find out if people shop do outside the community, why. We were looking to reduce that retail leakage with the hope that more money would stay in the county and more jobs would be created locally.” —John Harrington, “Helena, Mont., Shoppers Often Leave Area to Buy, Study Reports,” Independent Record (Helena, Montana), March 28, 2004

GM will choose its high-potential candidates — its "hi-pots" — very early in their careers and put them on a faster track than even before. —Marjorie Sorge, "Straight from the top," Automotive Industries, November 1, 1999

15. trolleyology

11. last-mover advantage

What was once an urban myth — that supermarket aisles are one of the easiest places to locate a potential partner — has suddenly become a very real phenomenon. Singles have adopted a whole new set of dating rules coupled with an intricate system of code to communicate with each other across the fresh produce displays. American anthropologists have even coined a phrase for it — "trolleyology" — and local cultural experts say for those in on the game it's quickly becoming impossible to observe the contents of a fellow shopper's trolley casually without at least wondering if you might have found your perfect match. —Chris Taylor, Love in the aisles," Sunday Mail, November 24, 2002

n. The advantage a company gains by building its business slowly and then benefiting down the road from improved technology or lower costs, especially during an economic downturn. Dynegy's announcements even included a dig at Enron's "first-mover" braggadocio. Dynegy would take advantage of ever-accelerating advances in technology to capture what it called the "last-mover" advantage. —Michael Rieke, "Enron Envy Costing Dynegy Big Bucks," Dow Jones Energy Service, May 6, 2002

12. lipstick effect n. During a recession, the tendency for consumers to purchase small, comforting items such as lipstick rather than large luxury items. If you've been following domestic news in recent weeks, you've probably heard about the "lipstick effect." As described in such outlets as NBC, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal, the idea is that, during a recession, women substitute small, feel-good items like lipstick for more expensive items like clothing and jewelry. And indeed, between August and October, lipstick sales were up 11 percent over the same period last year. —Norm Scheiber, "Replacement Killers," The New Republic, January 7, 2002

(traw.lee.AW.luh.gee) n. The study of the correlation between the contents of a person's shopping cart (trolley) and that person's personality. Also: tolley-ology.

Complied by Abha Jain PGDM (RM) 2008-10

13. masstige (mas.TEEZH) n. A retail category that includes relatively low priced goods that come with a relatively prestigious brand name; goods and services priced between low-end, mass market items and high-end, prestigious items. Also: mass-tige. Of those retailers that are succeeding in the current climate, a great many of them fall under the category of "masstige" — brands and products that have high-end, prestigious characteristics but with prices and locations that make them accessible to a mass consumer audience. masstige brands have particular appeal to urban consumers, who are always striving to be trendy but aren't above a bargain. Target was one of the first to push masstige with its introduction of Mossimo and Michael Graves products. Sephora is also a great example, as it offers high-end beauty products at accessible prices in a large number of locations, many of them urban, streetfront properties. Other

Contributed by M.S. Bhati

43

Codename

“Ginger” The life and times of Dean Kamen

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n January 2, 1988, Alan T Brown, 20, was enjoying his day, playing amongst the waves on the beaches of Martinique. Before he could know, an undertow pulled his legs out and flipped him upside down onto the hard sand. As the salty sea water gushed through his eyes and ears, Alan knew that something had gone terribly wrong. He could feel his bones crackling under the heavy weight of water. A sharp pain shot through his legs and back. Moments later, Alan lay on the ground, the pain subsiding. This was the last time when Alan T Brown ever felt pain. Paralyzed from waist below, Alan was condemned to a life of drudgery by destiny. The Six feet two inch man had lost all hopes of seeing a man eye to eye ever again, until a miracle knocked his doors in 2005. It was not an act of God, but rather that of a man; a man who strived to bring about a change in the lives of the millions of disabled around the globe. The inventor of the world’s first mechanized, stair climbing wheelchair, the “Ibot” – Dean Kamen. It was his marvellous invention that showed people like Alan, a way to live life in all its totality. Born to Jack Kamen, a comic book artist for MAD and Weird Science Magazines, the super successful inventor and entrepreneur, is today best known for Segway PT- an electric, self-balancing human transporter. An innovator in his own right, Dean Kamen is also known as the modern day Edison due to his striking similarities with the great scientist. Like Edison, Kamen, though a bright and ingenious student, never did well in school. His grades all through his student life were average. “I just remember thinking school was humiliating and intimidating and frustrating. I hated school. I hated every aspect of school. I don't like people telling me what to do. I didn't like teachers judging me. There was no part of school that I liked. And I just tried to get through it each day and get away,” says Kamen. Post- School, Kamen joined the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts, but the banality of classes took over him and he dropped off. It was during these days that he made his first breakthrough – The Autosyringe; a portable device that could be worn by patients who needed round the clock medication, that administered timely doses of medicine. The Autosyringe was appreciated and loved by one and all. In 1982, Kamen sold Autosyringe to Baxter International, a multinational health company, and made himself a fortune. The Worcester college dropout was now a multimillionaire. 44

Kamen, a relentless man he is, founded his own company DEKA, where DE and KA stand for Dean and Kamen respectively, and invested his fortune in a new project, codenamed - Ginger. In 2001 Ginger was unveiled before the world rechristened as the Segway Personal Transporter. The Segway PT was the invention that made sure that Kamen’s name would go a long way down the history lane. The Segway was an instant hit. Though Kamen’s dream of a Segway in every home remains unfulfilled, he is happy with the way things have turned up. Kamen today has dozens of inventions to his credit from the Ibot wheelchair to a portable Dialysis machine. Kamen has always believed that his inventions have the power to redefine the boundaries of our society. On being questioned on his later project Kamen says, “We can't live anymore in a world which is based on stuff and not ideas. If you want to live with the world of stuff, we're all doomed. As we move towards 8 or 10 billion people on the planet, there's a little less gold per capita. Each one of us will continue to be fight over an ever smaller percentage of total resources, except it won't be just gold we're fighting over. It will be water and air. This is not a happy thought.” DEKA is today working on a revolutionary way to purify water for the Third world countries. Based on the Sterling engine – a complex engine developed in 1816 by Scottish inventor Robert Stirling (1790–1878) for transportation purposes. Kamen concluded that the Stirling engine was not

COMMUNIS right for his transportation machines, but could be definitely used to produce clean water. In addition to being the Pied Piper of technology, Kamen also set up FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989, to fuel the fire of technology and innovation among children. In its first year of FIRST, Kamen organized a robotics competition at a school in New Hampshire. 28 teams participated in the competition. In 2004, this number surged to 400 and became one of the hottest competitions in USA for the geeky kind. Kamen’s philosophy behind organizing the competition is that “Here, whether your robot wins or not, you come away ... with an understanding of what is possible in the world.” Today, FIRST is supported by major organizations around the world, right from GE till NASA. Kamen is a self professed workaholic. He owns and pilots two Raytheon 390 Beechcraft Premier I jets, in addition to two helicopters that he regularly uses to commute. Unmarried and with no children what keeps Kamen going? Doesn’t he ever get depressed? “No. Rather than myself, I focus on the fact that two-thirds of the human population of this planet does not have reliable access to water or electricity. And it's that same two-thirds, it's that same 4 billion out of 6 billion people that have very little money. At least I can say, here these are productivity tools — generators and water-makers. But I must find a way to deliver them. When I fail to get there quickly, at least I can say to myself, that's because it's a really big problem, and nobody else got there yet. Marriage is not a big problem. So I'll keep trying towards the former and get going ,” says Kamen before hoping onto the latest model of his Segway PT and getting out. Shiva PGDM 2009-11

Communication, is it! Spotted in a toilet of a London office: TOILET OUT OF ORDER; PLEASE USE FLOOR BELOW. In a London Laundromat: AUTOMATIC WASHING MACHINES: PLEASE REMOVE ALL YOUR CLOTHES WHEN THE LIGHT GOES OUT. In a London office: AFTER TEA-BREAK, STAFF SHOULD EMPTY THE TEAPOT AND STAND UPSIDE DOWN ON THE DRAINING BOARD. Outside a London second-hand shop: WE EXCHANGE ANYTHING - BICYCLES, WASHING MACHINES, ETC. WHY NOT BRING YOUR WIFE ALONG AND GET A WONDERFUL BARGAIN? Notice in London health food shop window: CLOSED DUE TO ILLNESS Spotted in a safari park: ELEPHANTS PLEASE STAY IN YOUR CAR Seen during a London conference: FOR ANYONE WHO HAS CHILDREN AND DOESN'T KNOW IT, THERE IS A DAY CARE ON THE 1ST FLOOR Notice in a field: THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES Message on a leaflet: IF YOU CANNOT READ, THIS LEAFLET WILL TELL YOU HOW TO GET LESSONS On a repair shop door: WE CAN REPAIR ANYTHING (PLEASE KNOCK HARD ON THE DOOR, THE BELL DOESN'T WORK) People in other countries sometimes go out of their way to communicate with their English-speaking tourists. Here is a list of signs seen around the world. At a Budapest zoo: PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS. IF YOU HAVE ANY SUITABLE FOOD, GIVE IT TO THE GUARD ON DUTY. Doctors office, Rome : SPECIALIST IN WOMEN AND OTHER DISEASES Hotel, Acapulco : THE MANAGER HAS PERSONALLY PASSED ALL THE WATER SERVED HERE. In a Nairobi restaurant: CUSTOMERS WHO FIND OUR WAITRESSES RUDE SHOULD WAIT AND SEE THE MANAGER. In a City restaurant: OPEN SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, AND WEEKENDS TOO. In a Calcutta Coffee House: PEOPLE DISCARDING CIGARETTE STUBS IN CUPS WILL BE SERVED COFFEE IN ASH TRAYS Source : Internet

45

Interest Lost in Symbol

Book Review

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our years of research, world-wide collection of information, a brilliant start, a late climax, prolonged description and a boring philosophical end- Over all, a disappointment and not living up to expectation. The above paragraph of short phrases can well be a very comprehensive yet abbreviated explanation of Dan Brown’s latest novel: The Lost Symbol. But the picture could have been very different from what it appears in this nut-shell of expressions. The last two phrases could well have been eliminated and the entire series of adjectives could have been positive if and only if Mr. Brown could control his bombarding of too much connections and later losing the track to weave the web in a neat finish. The novel starts very well, with a thrilling description of an initialisation in a very old brotherhood of Masons, where the newly initialised member goes through the preliminary trials. This very scene creates, into the minds of the readers, an expectation which carries on as the reader leafs through the pages. And this expectation gets served pretty well in the next few chapters as the main protagonists Robert Langdon, Peter Solomon, Peter’s sister, Katherine and the big bad villain Mala’kh step into the arena. The author does proper justice to each character as the novel smoothly drifts forward. Especially, the character of Sato, the director of CIA has been very smartly dealt with proper projection of intelligence, personality and adamence. Even the scene descriptions were very lively giving a sensation of goose-bumps at quite a few places. The portion where the chopped hand of Peter Solomon is discovered inside the US Capitol building was enough to make the readers miss a heart -beat. It read so perfect, so like Dan Brown. It seemed that the good old days of Da Vinci Code were back with a bang. But alas! Slowly the expectations, the relief, the happiness started to receive hammer- blows as the reader is made to drift a long way from the zone of satisfaction that lingered around Da Vinci Code or even, Angels and demons. The long descriptions , prolonged explanations and beating about the bush regarding the main theme started to take a heavy toll on the reader’s patience even before he/she is made to know what exactly is The Lost Symbol. By the time the reader gets cleared about what the villain is pursuing, what is its significance and where lies the essence, the book is almost half-finished without any revelation and with the beating around the bush still very much evident. But there is a late climax! A climax that brings back the interest and with it the hope of thousands of Dan Brown fans that all is 46

not lost. The climax deals with the father realising that it was the son who was trying for the downfall of the century-old Masonic organisation through his quest of The Lost Symbol. What adds more spice to this climactic revelation is the fact that the entire text depicted the tragic death of the same son which had ruptured the family’s soul of happiness for ages. And that son comes back as a villain to chop his father’s palm, to publicise the age old secret of an esteemed organisation, to bring his father’s downfall with a desire to meet his death at the hands of his own father in order to receive true peace. The very line where the son says “.....and what kind of a father looks at his own son’s eyes and cannot even recognise him!” sends chills down the spine of the reader as reality dawns about the villain’s true identity. Yet, this superb climax has been murdered- murdered by an about 30 page long philosophy which completely submerges the essence of the climax. This is the portion where just like his normal style the author starts revealing the hidden place of the much sought after secret, its true identity which had been so

COMMUNIS deceptive to the normal thinking. But Mr. Brown chooses a very tedious process of description in which even his expert style seems confused and his failure to get the net properly woven is clearly visible. He had too many information to share but not enough loops to connect them to. The end was the weakest link of this novel. It was never understood why the author wanted to pile up tons of analysis linking every possible religion only to make the previously depicted climax feel shallow and lose its impact. Relating Religion with Science had been an old style of Dan Brown. We witnessed linkage of Anti-atter with Illuminati that was so expertly dealt in the book: Angels and Demons. Even The Lost Symbol was no different. Concepts of Noetic Science, breathable liquid, technology to weigh the human soul were expertly dealt and linked with Religion. The style and flow of writing was excellent and unique as expected. Short , heavy-impacted phrases ruled the show. Using of coded symbols and decoding them was as interesting as it had been in the previous novels, though the sources were not as common and daily used as it had been in Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. The backdrop was well researched and very informative(in fact over-informative). But overall, it was a disappointment-a disappointment which the readers did not deserve after such a long wait of four years. But we have hopes that Dan Brown will be back -back with a bang. We are ready to wait for four more years or even longer but we want the good old days back. We want the thrill, the excitement, the passion back. We want to survey the long lost theories, the biblical suspense. We want ourselves to get lost in the quest of ancient mysteries, not the interest to get lost in the quest of excitement!

Relevance of BEC Certification As a doe-eyed management student looking forward to placements, every one of us aspires to be a Chanda Kochhar, YC Deveshankar, Azim Premji; and that, is the reason we are here in an esteemed B-School. In our hopes to follows the footsteps of these great leaders, we forget to realize their humble beginnings. Most of us, when leaving this college, may start at the entry level of a great organization. In that organization, we would be judged upon every minute as to who we are and how we perform. The knowledge gained in this institute would come in handy only when we are able to present it to the right person at the right time in the right manner. And to create this prefect cocktail is what BEC prepares you for. Many of us may have had an experience working in an organization before we joined college, and are sure to know how difficult it was to pen down our responses to senior officials. For those who are still reluctant to agree, must try to write a letter of absence to the Director’s office. The words your write are a reflection of yourself, a hard proof of your knowledge, your character, and your respect for the person reading the letter. Imagine your senior requesting you to take down the minutes of a meeting during a tele-conference with the client. Imagine being the lone representative of your organization to a client and fumbling for words while expressing yourself. Every event in an organization has a protocol that is to be followed and not following the protocol would reflect on your performance appraisal. You may have the right intention but having the right words are equally important. However, as optimistic managers of tomorrow, it is great news that most of these protocols have common formulae to tackle them. British council gives us a platform to train ourselves in this regard and present ourselves in a better light. These small acts of knowing what to do, may not get you a hike, but would definitely prevent a fall. And after all, another feather to your hat would definitely make it prettier. So I suggest that we grab this opportunity with both hands and hope for a prosperous tomorrow. Manasi V PGDM 2008-10

- Debal Rishi Banerjee PGDM 2009-11

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Volume 3, Issue 1, January - June 2009

A Bi-annual Journal

South Asian Business Review

Plot No. 5, Knowledge Park-II, Greater Noida (NCR), Uttar Pradesh - 201 306, India Tel.: +91-120-2323001-10, Extn. 323 Fax: +91-120-2323022/25 E-mail : [email protected]

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Business Communication Area Faculty Dr. Mukesh Chaturvedi Dr. Mukesh Chaturvedi, ECE Chair Professor in Marketing, BIMTECH, Greater Noida, has been with MDI Gurgaon, XLRI Jamshedpur and BITS Pilani. He has been the Founder Director of the Amity Centre for CRM, ABS Noida, and Director, Asia-Pacific Institute of Management, Delhi. He has also been a Visiting Faculty to Rouen Business School, France, and IIM Ahmedabad. Dr. Chaturvedi has an M.M.S. and a Ph.D. from BITS Pilani. He is also an alumnus of the prestigious International Visitor Program of USIA, Washington, D.C., USA. His teaching, training, researching and consulting interests include business communications, case writing & teaching, integrated marketing communications, customer relationship, direct marketing, corporate reputation, sales management, presentation skills, negotiation skills, etc. He has rendered training and consulting services to a large number of multi-national, private and public sector companies. Dr. Chaturvedi is the recipient of MDI’s most coveted Award for Excellence in Teaching for the year 2005. Dr. Chaturvedi’s publications include the following books: ‘Managing Innovation and New Product Development’, ‘Business Communication Today’, ‘Customer Relationship Management: An Indian Perspective’, ‘Managing Global Business: A Strategic Perspective’, ‘Business Communication: Concepts, Cases and Applications’, ‘Direct Marketing: Concepts and Cases’, ‘Buying Research’, ‘New Product Development’, and ‘Welcome Back!? Coca-Cola’. Also, he has published more than 70 papers, articles and cases in leading journals, periodicals and newspapers, and has made presentations at several international/national seminars and conferences.

Prof. Shylaja Iyengar Prof. Shylaja Iyengar, Associate Professor, Centre for Insurance and Risk Management. Ms. Shylaja is a Graduate of Bangalore University, followed by her Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management, MCIM, Bangalore. She is an Associate of Insurance Institute of India, Mumbai. During her career, Prof. Shylaja has held many important positions as Assistant Administrative Officer, National Insurance Co. Ltd., Bangalore, Executive, Jindal Vijaynagar Steel Ltd., Bangalore, Technical-in-charge, Microsec Risk Management ltd. & Kesoram Insurance Management Ltd., Kolkata. Her teaching experience encompasses her association as Faculty Member with ASIAS, Jaipuria & ICFP, Noida & Delhi and Business Manager, Geodesic Techniques Pvt. Ltd., Delhi . Her Fields of Specialization is in Teaching and Research in the areas of Health and Accident Insurance, Miscellaneous Insurance, Automobile Insurance and Business Communication. Prof. Shylaja Iyengar is an Associate Life Member of the Insurance Institute of India, Mumbai. She has conducted, attended and participated session coordinators in many Conferences and Seminars like the Indian Marketing summit – 2007, National Conference on Insurance – “New Approach to Insurance Market and customers expectations” – 2007 – as the EMCEE, FDP – “Making Magic of Teaching”, 34th National Management Convention “Managing New India” – AIMA & AAMO – 6th National HRM Summit “ How HR can ignite hot spots” – AIMA, The India HR Summit “Targeting Excellence – The HR way” – 2008, First India Rendezvous – “Meeting the Reinsurance needs of the dynamic Indian market in the Post Tariff Era” – Asia Insurance Review & Flagstone Re – 2008, Indian SME’s in Exports – “Un-harnessed Possibilities and Potential” – 2008, Indian Marketing Summit – “Inclusive Marketing – Innovative Strategies for the development of Masses” – BIMTECH & AIMA – February 2008 –“Impact of Organized retail on the Unorganized sector” organized by BIMTECH – June 2008 – as the EMCEE.

Dr. Archana Shrivastava Dr. Archana Shrivastava is Assistant Professor in Business Communication Area at Birla Institute of Management Technology. She has acquired her Ph.D. from Dr Hari Singh Gour University, Sagar, MP. Before joining BIMTECH, Dr. Shrivastava has worked as Assistant Professor, Senior Lecturer and lecturer at various institutes and universities including Dr Hari Singh Gour University, Sagar in Madhya Pradesh and Amity University at Greater Noida. Her fields of specializations in Teaching and Research area are Business Communication, Soft Skills, Business Etiquettes, Handling interviews, Presentation Skills, Non Verbal, Negotiation Skills, Cross Cultural Communication, English Literature & Grammar. Dr. Archana is active member of ELTAI (English Language Teachers Association of India). She has also attended many national conferences/seminars, workshops and FDPs. Few of her research papers have been published in national and international journal.

Prof. Sangeeta A. Shukla Sangeeta Shukla is an Adjunct Faculty of Business Communication at BIMTECH, Greater Noida. She is currently pursuing her Doctoral Research on : ‘A Study of the English Curriculum at Graduate Level of Amravati University Specifically With Reference To Needs of the Non-Metro Students.” She holds Masters’ Degree in English with Ist Division as well as a Diploma in Marketing & Sales Management from Bhartiya Vidya Bhavan’s Rajendra Prasad Inst. Of Commerce & Management also with 1st Division. She has taught Business Communication, Soft Skills and British Council’s BEC Program at the post-graduate level. Her special interests include curriculum designing and content development in Business Communication and Soft Skills and placement training of students. She was nominated as National Resource person for ICFAI National College, Hyderabad and Regional Training Coordinator for Regional Office- Maharashtra West. Sangeeta Shukla also contributed in Curriculum Designing and content development for MBA Program. She conducted Faculty Development Workshops at Regional and National Level and organized Regional Seminar on ‘Pedagogical Linguistics’. She has presented papers in International Conferences and published articles in Journals and National dailies. She was nominated as Member to the Ad-hoc Board of Studies in Functional English & Communication Skills by the Hon’ble Vice-Chancellor of Amravati University.

Mrs. Nimisha Singh Nimisha Singh, Lecturer (Information Technology ) has Bachelor of Applied Sciences degree from Delhi University and M.C.A. from S.N.D.T. University, Mumbai. After finishing her M.C.A., she started her career with Tata Consultancy Services in Mumbai as a software programmer. After moving to U.S.A. she worked as a web developer, designing HTML and CSS based websites and later on specializing in .Net technology. After spending 10 years in U.S.A. she moved back to India. She joined BIMTECH in 2008 as Lecturer, Information Technology. Her core competency area is e-business and Business Communication. In addition to that she is Manager- Centre for International Affairs where her team works on building collaborations with foreign institutions as a means to provide international exposure to students and academic staff of BIMTECH.

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About the Institute BIMTECH Birla Institute of Management Technology Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH) is known for its own state-of-art quality education system. Located in the National Capital Region, having fully-residential campus, it offers a highly conducive learning environment, interaction with industry-academia mix professors, proximity to the strategy makers of the industry and practitioners of the service and manufacturing conglomerates, together with exposure to the international universities and companies, it enjoys an enriched and vast alumni base spread all over the globe. BIMTECH was established in 1988 under the aegis of the Birla Academy of Art and Culture. The Institute is supported by B.K. Birla group of companies. Dr. (Smt.) Sarala Birla, Chairperson of Birla Academy of Art and Culture and Syt. B K Birla, Chairperson of B K Birla Group of companies are the founders of the business school. It has progressed from a modest start to its present position among the top Indian B-Schools. The Board of Governors headed by Mrs. Jayasree Mohta, Vice-chairperson, Birla Academy of Art and Culture, comprise eminent personalities from industry. It has students studying from almost all the states of India, and also from foreign countries. It is a mix of nationalities, cultural backgrounds, academic and professional experiences that makes BIMTECH one of the most exciting and enriching business schools in the country. India is presaging strong growth in its economy. Delhi (National Capital Region) is the trigger of this growth. At the capital, the industrial and economic policies are framed, Industry Associations' meet, and CEOs' evenings are all realities and not just media news. It is also one of the cultural convergence centres of India for both national and international platforms. The location is a prime asset for the Institute's exposure to the real-life learning and development of national and global networking. The programmes offered by BIMTECH have very strong base of academic rigour and industry interaction. They are designed and reviewed in consultation with industry experts and delivered by an excellent team of faculty, who are known for their dedication to teaching and research, with close ties with the national and international, academic and business community. The programmes promote close academic-industry linkage in a highly conducive learning environment. The international academic partners of BIMTECH provide students a wider platform to experience international academic environment and prepare them for global leadership. The teaching and research projects in the new economy areas are the latest efforts and developments which have overwhelming support and response from government bodies and national and international institutions.

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