Let’s come together-Let’s look beyond

Atrocities, Rapes, Murders, Terrorist attacks are no more a rarity. Scholars have spoken, introspection have been done before, mirrors have been broken but all in waste. Where are we going wrong?. Why is there no consensus in building right things and why do we desperately build upon bad things? Who will lead the sea of change? Why not me, why not you? Let’s start now. Let’s come together-Let’s look beyond.

World has seen so many sporadic changes culturally, economically, and education wise. The literacy level has gone up, economy has improved, cross cultural interactions have increased but between all this our approach towards life has gone narrow and it is sad to see that it is sliding down even further. Materialism is more important and the ability to lie and escape without getting caught probably has more weightage in gauging a personality.

Innocent people are killed in endless bomb blasts, racism is on a rise both inside and outside the country and death of human life is measured in sheer numbers. There are thousands dying as a result of poverty and there are few spending millions on birthday gifts! Humanity has gone for a toss and cynicism is in fashion! The fundamental issue with all of us is the fact that we are too busy worrying about trivial matters surrounding us and in turn losing out to the larger reason of our existence. The only way it can be done is by self-actualizing and by broadening our perspective towards life itself.

But when I look around I still find traces of a lot of inspiring works. The day these inspiring works are appreciated and adopted by societies around the globe in totality is the day when the world will get an all important healing touch. I know it is easier said than done but the only way human society can evolve is by bringing the change within ourselves. I am sure the day would come when people will have better things to do than to be held up in the web of jealousy, narrow mindedness and hatred. That would be possible only when we come together as a global society and where power would be not about oppression but about empathy. The chains will break only when we put our hands together for larger cause of the society. So let’s light up our thoughts and ignite the spark which is within us.

Namit Nayak
Information Technology Management
December’08

Cristiano Ronaldo: A £80 million price tag!!

You are the president of Real Madrid, having £80 million burning in your pocket. What do you do?? Well what you can do is, go and buy Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester United for this whopping amount. Yes that’s what Real Madrid did and thereby created history. No doubt Cristiano Ronaldo is an amazing talent, probably a player one gets to see once in a lifetime but the question is whether shelling out  £80 million is justifiable or not. By doing this aren’t the clubs making the game of football a pure business entity. Something similar happened couple of years back when David Beckham was bought by Real Madrid for the sole purpose of branding. The Galacticos era as we all know with the likes of Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Figo, Owen and how can I not mention Zinedine Zidane.

It’s shocking, though, to see that a beautiful game like football is getting more and more commoditized. Billionaires like Roman Abramovich buying clubs for their own whims and fancies with limited passion for the game. Seeing this it looks like that color of money has taken over the game and big boys like Real Madrid, Manchester United, Chelsea, AC Milan, Barcelona  calling the shots. It’s a tragedy that even after so much of hue and cry about lot of money flowing into the game nothing substantial has been done. The FIFA and UEFA are coming up with rules and regulations but all the time clubs do find their way out.

So where is all this taking the game of football, is the question which we all need to answer and thereby ensure that this beautiful game continues to produce talents like Pele, Maradona, Eusebio and thus keeps entertaining its followers world over.   

 

Aishwarya Mahajan   

Product Marketing and Management                       

December’08

Retail Marketing – An exciting world

Hey guys!!! To introduce myself as a Retailer would be just like a business card to the unknown. I am entering a world, that I have craven for, only armed with the zeal and wide eyes of a child taking his first steps.

Retailing – It’s an amazing concept that has evolved over the years. Tested over time Buying and selling of goods must have a past that I am unaware of but I can just assume that must have its roots even prior to the barter trade. Concepts evolved over hundreds of years would hence require more than just a lifetime to learn.

It is just fascinating how making goods available to the customer in a way replete with making him buy, would seem so complex that requires more than just an MBA course that would make us more than just an average Retailer.

Our study in the next few months would entail just that, making us smart retailers! Is retailing just about how stores are designed, studying the various formats of stores? Understanding why you and I buy and where? Is it learning about the various success stories that made the Walmarts, Metros and Carrefours of the world? Folks, it is much more, and I m dying to learn and share much more.

Thanks to the college that apart from just classroom study, we have a fascinating class mix of students providing ample scope to learn with and from everyone concerned. Another part of the jigsaw is an exposure to the Retail havens of Singapore and Dubai. There are also two batches in Singapore now to boost. We just formed the Retail Club to have a better coherence between the junior-senior link and enhance a learn-together environment.

This is just the beginning. An intense learning awaits us and I promise to update you on all the interesting news and learning that drives us into a world full of opportunities’ in three of the world’s most promising regions of South East Asia, Middle east,  India and beyond, there are not just hurdles and challenges but more than a lifetime of learning to go.

Varun Sankar

Retail Management

December 08

What a fantastic day

What would you choose to do on a bright Sunday? Go out, but of course! And that is what the students from the two batches, Dec-08 and Apr-09 did. We went out around town in Singapore. We started from the college at 9:00 am in four mega busses and were back by 4:00 pm. From the Marina Barrage to Merlion to the Botanical Gardens accompanied by a sumptuous lunch; who says students at SPJCM don’t know how to have fun?

Pavan Shinde

GHRM

April ’09

History Repeats Itself-Marketing History in three phases

Since this is the first post that I am going to write for the launch of the SPJCM PMM blog I thought it would be appropriate to understand or revisit the history of marketing. So, let me take you through the marketing history in 3 phases in three different posts. From a marketer of the current times we can actually divide the marketing history into three phases.  One before 20th century, one during 20th century and the one after 20th century i.e. 21st century. During the current times it so important to understand what has happened in past so that we derive the maximum out of it. Also we do not want to repeat the same mistakes which have already taken place.

I am not going to go through the marketing theories which have actually been developed, re-written, evolved over these three phases but what I am going to do is to get the applications of these theories and then have an idea of what made them clicked, survive or not survive till today. Now there are going to be theories which are not applicable in today’s time. So, what is the reason behind that, and could those applications actually do something else so that they could have survived the times or improved in the times they existed? The fact which will always remain is that marketing is infinity, there is so much to do, so much to undo and so much to redo in marketing. It starts from procurement and does not end in retail. The whole concept is not to allow it to end. It is omnipresent but what we have to focus upon after understanding the history of marketing is that it is not omnipotent. But can we make it omnipotent is going to be the next series of posts.

So that’s what the whole idea of the initial posts will be for this coming week. Do let me know what your comments on the same are so that I can pitch in your requirements in the upcoming blogs.

 

Gaurav Sharma

Product Marketing and Management

December 08

The Dawn of Internet Marketing

When I graduated from Senior College in 2006 the biggest dilemma I faced was which industry I should make a career in. I met many career counsellors, gave random interviews to see what excites me the most, until one fine day I got an interview call from an internet marketing company. Not knowing anything about this industry I thought lets give it a try. I gave the interview, got the job and from then on there has been no turning back.
The whole concept of using the internet as a medium to reach out to customers and entice them to buy seemed so amazing and promising to me that I decided to test my boundaries in this field.
Internet Marketing or online marketing as some of us call it is essentially using the internet as a medium to market products and services.
The various forms of internet marketing include:
• Affiliate Marketing
• Social Media Marketing
• Viral Marketing
• Search Engine Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Interactive Advertising
• Mobile Advertising
• Banner Advertising
• E-Commerce

Subsequent posts will explain each of these in more detail. Also several internet strategies and models will also be discussed like Web Analytics, Web 2.0 etc.
Another important aspect that will be covered are the competitors – Google, Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft adCenter
Finally the latest developments in this industry like ICANN conferences, Traffic Conferences and similar stories will also be covered.
So the tall and short of it is that to know the in and out of this ever growing and ever changing industry, that is quickly eating into the market share of other mediums of advertising, keep a watch on this space.

Sharon Barsey
Service Marketing and Management
December’08

Consulting in turbulant times

Like all industry sectors, the consulting companies have also been biting there nails in last 6 months to see if the market is going to come back to normal and will the client companies start giving them the projects again. This time was very difficult because most of the sectors paralyzed during this period.

On one side the impact of recession was that the clients put their projects on hold, the positive side of recession for consulting market was that it added one more field to field where they could offer there services. All the major players in the market added crisis situation handling as one of the services in their portfolio and researched heavily on what are the various sector specific steps which companies can take in order to minimize the impact of recession.

 

During this period the consulting companies faced a major problem because of the workforce as workforce accounts for more than 60 percent of cost for a typical consulting company. A lot of proposals were discussed during this period with the clients but as there was a crash crunch situation in most of the sectors few and most critical projects were finalized and the deals were inked. There was a situation in the consulting industry where the manpower was been looked upon as a cost center as the resources were not being fully utilized. Generally it is seen that consulting companies get major projects during the first three months of the year as the financial year starts in the western markets. But since this January the markets were not in their usual form, most of the consulting companies saw a subdued beginning of the year. Thus even the recruitment scenario in the consulting market was bleak in the first quarter as most of the companies were finding it difficult to maintain its current human assets. Moreover consultants looking for a switch in their career had limited opportunity due to limited business.

Fortunately second quarter of 2009 has come up with a ray of light for the consulting industry; the confidence level in markets has rose and companies are again looking forward to invest in new projects, this means the consulting companies are again back in business and thus the manpower is required. But as the consulting companies are now in a very fragile state because of how the markets will be in next three to six months, companies are hesitant to hire fresh post graduates and graduates which required to be trained, instead they looking to hire experts who can give highest value for money on a relatively lower pay package. This has opened a window for people who are experts in their sectors but have not worked for consulting firms.

As today most of the post graduates from business schools across the globe look forward to work in consulting domain, they hope that pretty soon the market bounces and  they are in demand again.

Madhur Dhawan

Services Marketing and Management

December 2008

What’s in a Name?

Before this course I thought marketing was just one word used to promote any product. I joined this course in Product Marketing to know more about how to sell products. But more and more during our lectures am becoming more reflective about the role of marketing in our lives. Is marketing the mere selling of products? And services? (For my friends in service marketing)  This narrow definition that many of us have once given to marketing has been long discarded.  Today for my first post I won’t bore you with any more theories. I think our case studies in class have been enough for you all.

So let me bring you all to the world of branding. Who has not heard of Gucci, Mc Donald, Louis Vuitton, Coke, Nike, Chanel…and the list continues on. These iconic brands have become part of our daily lives. Some of us swear only by Adidas shoes, the Billabong shorts or the Giordano T-shirt we wear. What is it with those products that make them so appealing? Why do we all purchase them or go mad when we hear about sales of these going on. Like it or not, brands are part of us, part of who we are. This is the power of branding my friends. We may ask ourselves what’s in a name after all!!

Is it only about the name or is there more to it? How did brands make it to the top and what was so different about them.. That  is what my posts for the following week will focus on.  So for the time being, I leave you to reflect on those few things!
 

 Ishtiba Meeajane

Product Marketing Management

Dec ’08

Fighting The HR War

I still remember vividly the day that I decided to select HRM as my specialization in SPJCM. There’s a huge difference in how I felt about HRM then and now. Am I still starry eyed about ‘motivation’ and ‘employee relations’? No. Does the reality of it scare me? Yes. Beyond measure.

Looking past the standard ‘People are an organization’s greatest asset’ hogwash that my friends and I have so often used in B-school interviews, as I sit in class day after day it dawns on me with greater and greater enormity how HR strategy is the enforcer of that thin line between organizational balance and chaos. What would an organization’s effectiveness be without a sound compensation strategy, or a good succession plan or a fair rewards system in place? Are these systems that anyone can implement? I think not. It’s perhaps easier to sell toothpaste. J

That’s why we go to business school. To learn. To learn how one chink in the chain can lead to you losing your best resource, or how a misalignment of organizational and individual goals can lead to enormous losses or how a simple employee legislation can be used to bring down a million dollar conglomerate.

And yet, here in B-school, every day I find myself countering archaic skepticism about the very need for existence of HR. Ignorance perhaps? Maybe. Or maybe a lack of foresight to look beyond the back office functions that are also such an integral part of Human resource management.

Personally, someday as an HR head, I’d like to be in the board room making just as touch decisions as any business development or marketing head. To ensure that HR strategy contributes equally to the top line. I believe that’s only a matter of time. It’s inevitable. I also believe that this largely depends on how willing top management is to embrace this. The day the reserve dissolves, is the day that HR will turn from a ‘support function’ to a strategic contributor.

Sameera Yargop

Global Human Resources Management

December 08