Dish TV rides on passion; repositions as 'Dish Sawaar Hai'

The new positioning is based on the consumer insight that people who are passionate about entertainment do not let anything come in the way of it, and hence never compromise on TV viewing experience.

Dish TV, the DTH operator, to strengthen its relationship with consumers, has changed its positioning from 'Ghar Aayi Zindagi' to 'Dish Sawar Hai'.
The thought for the new positioning is based on the strong consumer insight that people who are passionate about entertainment do not let anything come in the way of it, and therefore, never compromise when it comes to their TV viewing experience.
Anjali Malhotra Nanda, vice-president, marketing, Dish TV, says, "DTH is a very dynamic industry which changes very fast. Therefore, it is important to be consistent in the relationship with consumers. The idea behind the new positioning is to place Dish TV as a brand which enables the immersed, passionate viewer to keep his passion alive."

7UP refreshes itself; unveils 'UPtimistic' positioning

7UP has undergone a repositioning exercise that revolves around young India's overall optimistic outlook. 'Dil Bole I Feel Up' is the new tagline that the brand will sport, along with a new logo and packaging.

PepsiCo's lemon drink 7UP has come a long way since its launch in India in 1990. Albeit not a very aggressive player when it comes to marketing, the brand has constantly attempted to represent charm and a laid back/optimistic attitude to life. Taking that mandate further is a new positioning for the brand, which will be fully unveiled by a commercial by the end of this month.

Both 7UP and its sub-brand, Nimbooz will sport the line 'Dil Bole I feel Up', symbolising India's optimism (or, as the brand plays around with the word and puts it, 'UPtimism') for life. The campaign starts with the New Year, despite the summer season being a few months away – symbolising optimism and auspiciousness even with the timing of the new positioning.

The brand is endorsed by Bollywood actor Sharman Joshi, who was roped in last year for his 'doesn't have to try too hard' and 'not in your face' kind of attributes, which the brand likes to sport, too.

The Indian repositioning follows a global repositioning exercise, and the Indian campaign has been designed by BBDO India. 7UP will sport a new logo (based on a new international logo) and packaging, although the new logo largely maintains the same colour scheme as the earlier one in red, white, yellow and green. However, the font is different, and aims to be more youthful, progressive, confident and 'uniquely 7UP'.

The launch commercial for the brand's refreshed avatar features Sharman Joshi in a dance-off with a penguin. Shot in Australia, the film has been choreographed by renowned Hollywood choreographer Simon Lind of 'Happy Feet 2' fame.

To further the idea of UPtimism, 7UP has also embarked on a nationwide dance odyssey. With dance being the ultimate expression of an upbeat spirit, 7UP has flagged off a dancing journey with Tamil Nadu's dancing star, Sherif, winner of the dance reality show Ungalil Yaar Adutha Prabhudeva. Calling him 7UP's dancing man, the brand shall see Sherif do a tour of 11 cities (including Chennai, Chandigarh and Delhi) with a giant-size 7UP bottle. The activity will grab the attention of the youth and have them talk about what makes them optimistic about India. The attempt is to bottle India's 'UPtimism'.

Thought of the Day

"You can have the best product or service in the world, but if people don't buy - it's worthless. So in reality it doesn't matter how wonderful your new product or service is. The real question is - will they buy it?"

                                                                                         -Noel Peebles

case study

Infosys Role and Career Enhancement: A People Strategy or Fall from Grace?

This case study describes the Infosys Role and Career Enhancement (iRace) initiative at Infosys Technologies Ltd. (Infosys). It brings out how the company went in for a major restructuring initiative and the repercussions it had on the perception among people of its being an employer of choice. The iRace initiative was meant to map positions with the skill level of an employee. However, it led to increasing amounts of employee activism, some of which was not favourable to Infosys.

Infosys had always been at the forefront of developing and implementing HR initiatives. However, iRace was different - it was conceived when there was an economic downturn and a need was felt to improve the technical competencies of the employees.

However, the employees were used to the privileges under a high growth environment and the cuts and rationalization imposed as part of the iRace initiatives proved to be too difficult for some of the employees to understand. The discontent was expressed in terms of a rising attrition rate and badmouthing the company management on social media sites and forums. Eventually, the company had to formulate and impose a social media policy that defined interaction on social media and networking sites. Infosys also had to allocate space within the company intranet for dissatisfied employees to voice their opinion. Moreover, though the company continued with iRace, it decided that all subsequent policy changes would undergo a probation period. Infosys also decided to take back some of its experienced and capable staff through the 'green channel'.

GLOSSARY

Absolute ratings:-A rating method where the rater assigns a specific value on a fixed scale to the behaviour or performance of an individual instead of assigning ratings based on

Comparisons between other individuals.

Abstract reasoning: - The process of perceiving issues and reaching conclusions through the use of symbols or generalizations rather than concrete factual information.

Blue collar workers:- Hourly paid workers employed in occupations that require physical or manual labour.

Bona fide occupational qualification (BFOQ):-A very narrowly interpreted exception to EEO laws that allows employers to base employment decisions for a particular job on such factors as sex, religion or national origin, if they are able to demonstrate that such factors are an essential qualification for performing a particular job.

BUSINESS COMMUNICATION TIPS FOR BUILDING YOUR AUTHORITY

Here are five suggestions on how this can be done:

1. Don't wait for an invitation or permission.

If you must, interrupt. Interrupting is a common practice in business, despite what we’ve all been taught about good manners. Controlling the direction of discussion is a key business battleground. In order to be consistently effective communicators, women must hold their ground when speaking.

2. Get to the point and stay there.

Business speaks—like most men's conversational styles—is linear. Be succinct. Avoid personal stories and too much detail. Be honest and direct without being unfriendly.

Wandering off topic, or allowing participants in a meeting or discussion to go off topic, is not a communication trait exclusive to women by any means. However, it is counterproductive. Bringing everyone back on task and being sure that your own message keeps its course are skills any effective communicator must have.

3. Adopt “masculine” communication traits.

Communication styles typically deemed to be “masculine,” reinforce authority.

Turn up the volume, and lower the pitch. Maintain steady eye contact, don't nod your head or cock it to the side. This position is sympathetic and can even be taken as condescending. Don't smile excessively or fidget. "Own" the space on which you stand or sit.

CAPTAIN GOPINATH

(Founder and CEO of Air Deccan)

LIFE HISTORY: Founder and CEO of Air Deccan, born in Karnataka, graduate of National Defense Academy, served the Indian Army for eight years. Along with an old Army friend he decided to start a private sector commercial helicopter service in 1996. He launched Air Deccan on 25^th August, 2003.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SOCIETY:

•         He served the motherland INDIA as a commissioned officer in the Indian Army.

•         Realized the dream of millions of Indians.

•         Introduced the novel idea of low cost, no frills airline of India.

•         Upliftment of the economy, its people and the nation as a whole.

Awards: Recipient of Rajyotsava Award by the Govt. of Karnataka. “Personality of the decade award instituted by K.G. foundation, “Editor’s choice award” by the Indian Express Trade and Tourism Awards, and has many more of such accolades to his credit.

Certain Personality traits of this dynamic achiever

w        Vision- Oriented Leader – “A dreamer and believer”

w        Ability to accept challenges.

w        Consistent performance.

w        Team spirit.

w        Excellent decision-maker.

w        Steadfast and grounded persona.

Thought of the Day

“Marketing is what you do when your product is no good”

-Edwin Land

“Nestle India returns with a new campaign this year, with the animated 'Squirrel' story taken forward with the tale of a pair of lovebirds.”

After dabbling with animation for the first time in India last year, Nestle has returned with a new campaign for its chocolate-coated wafer confection Kit Kat. The new campaign takes the story forward from the earlier 'Squirrel tale' to one with two lovebirds. 

Nestle, through the campaign, urges youngsters once again, to take a break from their busy and on-the-go lifestyles, to get surprised by some delightful moments in life.

Conceptualised by JWT, the television commercial titled 'Lovebirds' shows one of the students bored during a class on primitive animals. He takes out a packet of Kit Kat from his pocket and bites into it. To the boy's surprise, he sees a pair of lovebirds perched on the window sill, frolick and sing 'Aao na gale lagao na'. The boy, who is amazed, nudges the girl sitting next to him, but she ignores. The TVC ends with the bird which says 'Kit Kat break banta hai'.

Marketing Glossary:

Cognitive dissonance: Cognitive dissonance is a customer effect commonly observed after a major purchase whereby the customer feels uncertainty about whether the purchase should have been made. Post-purchase promotion (particularly advertising) has a role to play to reduce the incidence and effect of cognitive dissonance

                    

Combination brand: A combination brand name brings together a family brand name and an individual brand name. The idea here is to provide some association for the product with a strong family brand name but maintaining some distinctiveness so that customers know what they are getting

Competitive advantage: A competitive advantage is a clear performance differential over the competition on factors that are important to customers.

Competitor benchmarking: Competitor benchmarking compares customer satisfaction with the products, services and relationships of the business with those of key competitors.

Social Marketing:

“Use of commercial marketing in promotion of goods and services in a way that helps in promoting the consumers' and, by extension, the society's well-being”

Additional Social Marketing "P's"

Publics--Social marketers often have many different audiences that their program has to address in order to be successful. "Publics" refers to both the external and internal groups involved in the program. External publics include the target audience, secondary audiences, policymakers, and gatekeepers, while the internal publics are those who are involved in some way with either approval or implementation of the program.

Partnership--Social and health issues are often so complex that one agency can't make a dent by itself. You need to team up with other organizations in the community to really be effective. You need to figure out which organizations have similar goals to yours--not necessarily the same goals--and identify ways you can work together.

Tips for doing Business successfuly in Emerging Markets:

The countries of Brazil, Russia, India, Mexico and China are leaders among the emerging markets. With major industries such as tourism for Brazil, Russia’s wealth of natural resources, the emphasis on technology and marketing in India, Mexico’s tourism and service industries and China expected to rank first in the world for 2011 in industrial output, the impact of these emerging markets on the world economy is of major import.

There are several caveats, however, when dealing with emerging markets.

1. Methods of conducting business in foreign markets, particularly those in emerging or frontier status, are radically different from those used in other markets.
2. Cash talks: no matter how tempting the deal, unless there is a history of a business relationship, initial transactions should require cash payment up front before merchandise is delivered.
3. Zeal must be tempered with common sense: lack of prudence can jeopardise or lose substantial sums of money, and in some cases, lives may be lost. Do not be afraid to say no.

Thought of the Day

A weak currency is the sign of a weak economy, and a weak economy leads to a weak nation.

Ross Perot

2011 Biotechnology, Pharmaceutical, and Health Care Sector M&A Outlook

There has been more M&A activity in the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and health care sectors during 2008-2009, but slightly less in 2010.  However, the big M&A deal to watch in 2011 will be the outcome of Sanofi-Aventis [SNY] and Genzyme [GENZ].  Most large companies in the industry have already completed many multi-million and multi-billion dollar deals within the last 2 years alone.  This includes names such as Merck, Wyeth, Schering-Plough, Sanofi-Aventis, AstraZeneca, Johnson&Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, etc.  These acquisitions ranged from small, mid, to large sized companies in a wide range of industries including consumer, health, generics, animal health, vaccines, diabetes, cancer, etc.  Many joint ventures have also been completed as well.  Despite the busy M&A activity in recent years, it can be expected that further consolidation and joint ventures continue at a fairly moderate pace in 2011 and beyond.  Many large companies have hoards of cash, and will likely spend it on small to mid-size deals/companies.  The Sanofi-Aventis and Genzyme deal may be the largest deal of the year in the industry.  Potential takeover targets include smaller highly specialized niche players, with good research pipelines, but also lack financial muscle or production expertise.  Specialized niche areas include vaccines (highly sought after in recent years), cancer, diabetes, gene therapy, rare/infectious diseases, etc.  We can also expect smaller generic manufacturers to be takeover targets as the larger companies try to diversify, seek downside protection from expiring drug patents, and limit the negative financial impact of other larger generics.

Financial Glossary

a. Exercise Price : The price at which an option may be used. The price at which the owner of the option has the right to buy or sell whatever the option contract is for. Sometimes called the strike price.

b. Life Expectancy: The age to which half of the people in an age group are expected to live.

c. Broker’s Note: The document recording the details of an investors dealing transaction.

Points to consider for online Mutual Fund Investment

There are certain points you need to bear in mind while making mutual fund investments online. Here, we have enlisted the top ten important points for online mutual fund investments.

You may also like to check more updates on Mutual Funds and how to hold mutual funds in demat

1. For online investments in mutual funds using a demat account, the most important pre-requisite is a fast speed internet connection. Most of the brokers and accounts offer real-time trading and investment advice. The real-time information will be affected if your internet connection is slow. Hence, if you want your investment decisions to be driven by the most up-to-date information, you ought to get a high-speed connection.

Disinvestment: Govt to incentivise PSUs

Running short of disinvestment target in the current fiscal, the government will incentivise the unlisted PSUs to come up with initial share offerings in the stock market in 2012-13

At present, there are about 50 PSUs which are listed and their shares are actively traded in the stock market.

However, about an equal number of the government-owned firms are eligible but unlisted for various reasons.

The government has already decided that unlisted PSUs with no accumulated losses and having earned net profit in three preceding years should come out with Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) even as the state holding would not come below 51 per cent.

One of the options to incentivise the PSUs for IPOs is to put this task in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) which an individual enterprise signs with its administrative ministry.

Under the MoU system, annual targets are set for the PSUs and CEOs get personal appraisal points if the tasks are achieved.

Rupee rise, economic growth make Indian cities costlier for expats

NEW DELHI: India's fast economic growth and appreciation of rupee have made its cities more expensive for expatriates this year, though they remain cheaper when compared to other leading Asian cities such as Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore, a latest survey says.

Seven Indian cities - Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune and Bangalore have all moved up by 14-21 ranks in the survey titled "Worldwide Cost of Living Ranking 2007" prepared by Hong Kong-based solution provider for international HR professionals ECA International.

"The region's most notable changes have been in India where fast economic growth has pushed up the cost of many goods and services. This, coupled with the appreciation of the rupee against most major currencies, has made Indian locations significantly more expensive for expatriates," a ECA statement said.

Mumbai and New Delhi have risen 14 and 16 places to 177 and 178th ranks respectively, while Hyderabad is up 21 places at 189. Bangalore has risen 15 places to 205th position, distancing itself for the first time from the bottom five in the ranking, it said.

Thought of the Day

Early to bed, early to rise, advertise, advertise, advertise.

                                                                       Ray Kroc # Marketing, Advertising Quotes

Case Study on Indian Airlines' HR Problems

Flying Low

Indian Airlines (IA) - the name of India's national carrier conjured up an image of a monopoly gone berserk with the absolute power it had over the market. Continual losses over the years, frequent human resource problems and gross mismanagement were just some of the problems that plagued the company. Widespread media coverage of the frequent strikes by IA pilots not only reflected the adamant attitude of the pilots, but also resulted in increased public resentment towards the airline.
IA's recurring human resource problems were attributed to its lack of proper manpower planning and underutilisation of existing manpower. The recruitment and creation of posts in IA was done without proper scientific analysis of the manpower requirements of the organization. IA's employee unions were rather notorious for resorting to industrial action on the slightest pretext and their arm-twisting tactics to get their demands accepted by the management.

During the 1990s, the Government took various steps to turn around IA and initiated talks for its disinvestment. Amidst strong opposition by the employees, the disinvestment plans dragged on well into mid 2001.

HR GLOSSARY

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Tasks that are central to the success of a business and show, when measured, whether the business is advancing toward its strategic goals.

KSAs: The Knowledge, Skills and Abilities an employee needs to meet the requirements of a job.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS IN INTERVIEWS(FAQS)

. Why should I hire you?
. Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
. Describe your ideal company, location and job. 

. Why do you want to work at our company?
. What are your career options right now? 
. Why have you been out of work so long? 

There are 6 steps to give an effective speech-

—        Be Prepared 

—        Give of Yourself 

—        Stay Relaxed 

—        Use Natural Humor 

—        Plan Your Body & Hand Positions 

—        Pay attention to all details 

Thought of the Day

A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one.

                                                     Henry Ford # Products, Marketing Quotes

Brand Disloyalty: Recession-weary Consumers Take Discounts to the Extreme

Before Joanie Demer even sets foot in a grocery store, she thoroughly maps out her game plan. First, Demer, a married mother of two, gets her hands on several of the glossy circulars from her local Sunday newspaper and files away a few copies of each coupon inside. Next, she checks her favorite Internet coupon aggregators -- Smart source.com, Redplum.com, as well as her own site, TheKrazyCouponLady.com -- for printable coupons. She scours Facebook and company websites for other deals and uploads barcodes for vouchers to her smartphone.

When she shops, Demer eschews brand loyalty for the best bargains. She often goes to multiple grocery stores depending on weekly discounts and is known to come home with a dozen 16-ounce jars of peanut butter if she has a coupon and the math works out. She hits membership warehouse chains -- such as Costco or BJ's Wholesale Club -- for their fresh produce and dairy specials. For toiletries, she frequents chain pharmacies, such as Rite Aid and Walgreens, where her coupons entitle her to razors and bars of soap for free or for just pennies on the dollar.

Demer, who lives in a remote corner of Humboldt County, Calif., spends about $40 a week on groceries, which is less than half of what she used to before she started couponing. She says she is not a "survivalist consumer," but nor does she cringe at the description, either.

"I don't have a bunker full of a massive stockpile, and I'm not afraid of a government collapse or impending nuclear disaster," says Demer, who self-published a book titled, Pick Another Checkout Lane, Honey. "But in this economy ... it's smart to have a certain amount of food on hand. You never know when you might lose a job or have a medical emergency. It's good not to have to go to the grocery store for a few weeks and spend money you don't have."

While Demer's zeal for grocery deals may border on the radical, her shopping practices are not unusual in mainstream America. As the unemployment rate hovers at a stubborn 9% and the food category of the consumer price index continues to rise, Americans are making subtle but important changes to their grocery buying habits in an attempt to stretch their household budgets.

A weekly food stock-up used to mean a trip to the nearest supermarket and a cartload full of groceries chosen by brand preference, not price. Those days are gone. Customers today are chasing the best deals by shopping at multiple grocery stores depending on the sales, stocking up on products when they are being deeply discounted or bulk-buying at warehouse club chains. They are using the Internet to comparison shop or, like Demer, engaging in extreme couponing, a trend with its own reality TV series.

Energy drink Mad Croc hands over creative duties to Katha Mediatix

The Finland-based brand was brought to India by Montage Capital Marketing with a series of expansion plans lined up for India and the SAARC countries.

Energy drink brand Mad Croc has handed over its creative duties to Katha Mediatix. As part of the mandate, the agency will work in phases to introduce and establish the brand in the market. In the first phase, print media and BTL (below the line) activities will be used to build the brand and engage consumers. Television and other above the line communication will follow in the next phase.

The Finland-based brand was brought to India by Montage Capital Marketing, with a series of expansion plans for India and the SAARC countries. The official launch will take place only towards the end of December 2011.

Confirming the news to afaqs!, Pabitra Roy, chief creative officer, Katha Mediatix, says, "It is always a great opportunity to work for the FMCG category, especially brands associated with the youth."

He adds that when it comes to creatively positioning and marketing a product like Mad Croc, it is very important to understand the mindset of the audience since taste, likings, priorities, preferences and loyalties are evolving constantly.

The brand will be targeted at the youth. Globally, the personality of the brand is youthful. It has always been associated with speed and adventures.

Speaking about the communication, Rajiv Shukla, chief marketing director, Montage Capital, tells afaqs! that the brand has a tremendous potential in India and will immediately find popularity among the youth.

He adds that setting up a strong distribution network is of prime importance. The company has already appointed 50 distributors in India. "Communication visibility, along with product availability, would be our key business mantra," says Shukla.

Companies pay small premium for green salve

Some travel and logistics companies are charging a small premium from customers who want to take part in activities that will reduce carbon emissions.

Experts and company representatives said that the companies going green will have an advantage in securing con- tracts and customers are keen to take part in such initiatives even though they have to pay a little more.

Blue Dart Express Ltd and its German logistics parent DHL Express have started charging an additional `9 per kg for international parcels and `1 per kg for domestic one for carbon- neutral services. For docu-ents, the charge will be an additional 50 paise a document. Blue Dart and DHL handle small parcels of cargo and office-related documents.

The offset charges are purely optional and the company will reinvest the money col- lected in environmental protection projects verified by Societe Generale de Surveillance, or SGS, a United Nations independent auditor. A certificate, verified by SGS, will be issued to the customer annually that will mention the total amount of CO2 offset per customer.

The 7 Most Common Marketing Mistakes

When marketing your product or service, you need to have a firm understanding of your audience, the message you want to deliver, the offer you're willing to make, and the optimal timing for your marketing campaign.

Too often novice marketers, even marketing veterans, make costly mistakes that result in poor performance of their marketing campaign. Common marketing mistakes can be avoided with adequate planning, attention to detail, and ongoing measurement and evaluation.

If you're considering a traditional marketing campaign, an Internet marketing campaign, or something that's never been tried before, be sure to avoid these common marketing mistakes.

1. Timing :-   You may have a great list, a fantastic offer, and even a well designed marketing piece, but if your timing is off, so too will be your results. As an experienced marketer, I have seen some very expensive marketing campaigns that were very compelling but failed to produce results. This is because the campaign reached consumers at a time in which they had no interest in buying the product. For example, trying to sell snow shovels in July would not be considered good timing.

2. Failure to Test Your Headline :-   As the first thing your prospect usually reads, the headline is essential for luring your prospective buyer into the message, your offer, and the action you want them to take. Regardless of the medium, you should continually test your headlines (or subject lines) by running split tests and evaluating response. This ensures that your marketing message attracts the largest number of prospective buyers.

Thought of the Day

If what you are selling is energy, charisma, and enthusiasm, there is no competition because most others are selling things that are lifeless, loveless, and dull.
                                                     Stuart Wilde #  Marketing Quotes

Case Study on THE MARKETING OF SERVICES

NEW LINE IN MOBILE PHONES

One of the oldest principles of marketing is that sellers may sell features, but buyers essentially buy benefits. This is a distinction sometimes lost on technology led organisations, and the service sector is no exception. Recent experience of the UK’s largest telecommunications company, Vodafone Airtouch, illustrates how crucial it is to see service offers in terms of the benefits they bring to customers. The company was aware of extensive research which had found high levels of confusion among purchasers of mobile phones, with a seemingly infinite permutation of features and prices. With four main networks to choose from, dozens of tariffs and hundreds of handsets, it easy to see why buyers sought means of simplifying their buying process. Throughout the 1990s, Vodafone had positioned its UK network as superior technically to its competitors. Advertising focused on high coverage rates and call reliability.

Vodafone was the UK's most popular mobile phone operator, with almost eight million customers, including 4.2 million Pay as you Talk customers. It had opened the UK's first cellular network on 1 January 1985and was the market leader since 1986. Vodafone's networks in the UK - analogue and digital - between them carried over 100 million calls each week. It took Vodafone more than 13 years to connect its first three million subscribers but only 12 months to connect the next three million. Vodafone had the largest share of the UK cellular market with 33% and

had more international roaming agreements than any other UK mobile operator. It could offer its subscribers roaming with 220 networks in 104 countries.

Despite all of the above, Vodafone was aware that although  it was recognised as an extremely strong business in the corporate marketplace, it was not so strong in the market for personal customers. Research indicated that personal buyers bought Vodafone for essentially rational reasons rather than having any emotional attachment to the brand. The success of the competing Orange network, which had developed a very strong image, was a lesson to Vodafone that many people did not understand many of the product features on offer, but instead identified with a brand whose values they could share. Vodafone recognised that it needed to be perceived as adding value to a consumer’s lifestyle?. Given the increasing complexity of product features, positioning on technical features was likely to make life more confusing for personal customers. An alternative approach was needed which focused on image and lifestyle benefits.

Marketing Glossary

Demarketing :- Marketing to reduce demand temporarily or permanently; the aim is not to destroy demand, but only to reduce or shift it.

80/20 principle :- A “law” which states that 80 percent of business in a territory comes from 20 percent of accounts- and, controversially, that only 20 percent of business comes from the other 80 percent of accounts (which is in reality only approximate).

Intermarket segmentation :- Forming segments of consumers who have similar needs and buying behavior even though they are located in different countries

Vertical marketing system (VMS) :- A distribution channel structure in which producers, wholesales, and retailers act as a unified system. One channel member owns the others, has contracts with them, or has so much power that they all cooperate.

Interview Essentials

• Arrange and carry your paperwork in a nice portfolio. This makes you look organized and professional.
• Dress appropriately. Even if you know that the company dress is casual (typical these days), dress up anyway. It shows professionalism and respect. But, dress conservatively. Call it conventional, but get the job first!
• Don't wear strong perfume or cologne, as your interviewer may not like your choice. It's best to have no smell at all!
• Smile, offer a handshake immediately, and say something like, "I'm pleased to meet you." or "I've been looking forward to meeting you." Be sincere, not phony or cool. "What's up, Dude?" is best shared with your friends, not corporate interviewers!
• Wait to be told to take a seat or ask if it's okay, then say thank you. This shows manners.

Thought of the Day

Marketing takes day to learn. Unfortunately it takes a lifetime to master

                                                                                 Philip Kotler, 1931 -, US marketing guru

Case Study on A WORRIED CEO

Sudarshan, the Managing Director of M. Feeds, a Bangalore-based company, is a worried man. All his efforts to regain the lost market and to wipe out red in the company’s balance sheet have proved futile. Sitting alone in the chamber, lighting up cigarette and sipping cups of coffee. Sudarshan started recollecting events of 1987 which wrecked the fortunes of a once successful company.

Subbu and his team got defeated in  the union election held in the beginning of 1987 Rivals, Gowda and his team, got elected with comfortable majority. The winning team had a leading towards CITU, which was known for its militancy. The attitudes and actions of Gowda and his team were not to the liking of the management, particularly settee, the factory manager.

The management was waiting for a way out to deal with the new team of unionists. Nt reconciled to the loss of power, Subbu and his cronics started a cultural association with an apparent objective of promoting Kannada, the local language. Setty welcomed the formation of the association and, in fact, even encouraged its activities. The management too gave financial support to the cultural outfit.

Glossary

Arbitrage- The term arbitrage refers to an act of buying and assets and security in one market having lower price and selling it in another market at a higher price.

Amortization – Accounting for expenses or charges as applicable rather than as paid. Includes such practices as depreciation, depletion, write-off of intangibles, prepaid expenses and deferred charges. 

Annual report – The formal financial statement issued yearly by a corporation. The annual report shows assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and earnings - how the company stood at the close of the business year, how it fared profit-wise during the year, as well as other information of interest to shareowner

American Stock Exchange (AMEX) – The second largest stock exchange in the United States, located in the financial district of New York City. (Formerly known as the Curb Exchange from its origin on a Manhattan street.)

TIM COOK (CEO of Apple Inc.)

Timothy "Tim" D. Cook is the new CEO of Apple Inc., having joined the company in March 1998. His primary responsibility is managing day-to-day operations at the company.

Tim grew up in Robertsdale, Alabama. His father was a shipyard worker, while his mother was a homemaker. Cook earned a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Auburn University in 1982, and his M.B.A. from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business in 1988.

Cook spent six months at Compaq as VP for Corporate Materials before he was hired by Steve Jobs to join Apple. He initially served as Senior Vice President for Worldwide Operations. Prior to that, Cook served as the chief operating officer (COO) of the computer reseller division of Intelligent Electronics and spent 12 years in IBM's personal computer business as the director of North American Fulfilment. Cook is credited with pulling Apple out of manufacturing by closing factories and warehouses around the world. This helped the company reduce inventory levels and streamline its supply chain, dramatically increasing margins. In January 2007, Cook was promoted to COO. Cook served as Apple CEO for two months in 2004, when Steve Jobs was recovering from pancreatic cancer surgery. Cook also serves on the Board of directors of Nike .In 2009 Cook again served as Apple CEO for several months while Steve Jobs took a leave of absence for a liver transplant.

BUSINESS QUIZ

1.      1. Which FMCG co will soon have Prabha Parameswaran as MD?

2.       2. Who are Open collar workers?

3.      3. Which is the only item sourced by Rolls Royce from India ?

4.       4. Which co has decided to withdraw its logo from London Olympics after protests from many quarters including India?

5.      5. Who is the founder of Zynga.

Corporate News of the week

Auto Expo 2012: Nissan unveils 7-seater MPV 'Evalia'; to triple network in India by 2015

Japanese auto major Nissan Motor Company today unveiled a seven-seater car 'Evalia' at the Auto Expo here and said it will triple its dealership network in the country in the next three years. Nissan has developed the Evalia in partnership with Ashok Leyland and will produce the car at its plant near Chennai. The Evalia, that is said to be launched in the middle of this year, will be the third model to be rolled-out from the company's Chennai plant after Micra, Sunny.

Speaking about the company's expansion plan at the 11th Auto Expo, Nissan Motor Company Corporate Vice President Gilles Normand said, "Currently, there are 50 dealer outlets in India but that figure will more than double by the end of the next year. The target is to reach 150 outlets by 2015." 

When asked about the launch of the car, Andy Palmer Executive Vice President (Global Planning and Programme Management) at Nissan Motor Company said, "It will be launched in the middle of this year and it will be very competitively priced. We are targeting multi-purpose vehicle segment." 

Thought of the Day

"If you don't believe in your product, or if you're not consistent and regular in the way you promote it, the odds of succeeding go way down. The primary function of the marketing plan is to ensure that you have the resources and the wherewithal to do what it takes to make your product work."

                                                                                     -Jay Levinson

Case study on Revisiting The BPO’S

There is near universal agreement that BP began the corporate business processing outsourcing trend in 1991, when it outsourced its North Sea accounting function to Accenture. Since then, BP has outsourced all its financial and accounting work, employing both PwC and Accenture to ensure it retains some competitive tension between outsourcers. BP gives PwC its downstream work in Europe and Accenture its downstream work in the US. The latter does the exploration finance in the UK, the former in the US.

Mark Spelman, head of resource Industries for the UK and Scandinavia at Accenture, points out that the results achieved by BP as a consequence of its innovative approach to BPO more than bear out its success. "Today BP's costs in accounting are less than 50% of what they were in 1991, despite very substantial increases in the work load, and the acquisition of large companies such as Amoco and Arco." When Accenture took over BP's finance functions in Aberdeen, the company had 14 to 15 disparate accounting groups in locations all round the UK.

Accenture pulled them all together in a singe data centre in Aberdeen and took on some 320 BP staff. Its initial cost reduction target was 30%, but as Spelman explains, BP's central objective was to achieve a more holistic approach to running its back office.