Spark is the student magazine from S.P.Jain Center of Management, Dubai / Singapore. This is third volume of the magazine.

1. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009

2. VOLUME 3
Volume AUGUST 2009
03
Magazine from
S P Jain Center of Management SPark
Ignite Your Imagination
August 2009
In this issue
Gang @ SPark
Message from Dean
Dr Michael Barnes,GMBA
Dr Balakrishna Grandhi,EMBA SI GAPORE
Interview with Mr. ader Sabry
Sojish
Competition Segment Ishtiba
Rajdeep
Latest ews @ SPJCM Bharat
Mohammed
Faculty Speak
View Point
Visiting Wisdom DUBAI
Straight From the Heart Atul
Lokesh
Speaking Tree
Kushagra
Travelogue amit
Prarthana
Students Club Vinayak
Events @ SPJCM
Accolades
Life @ SPJCM
2

3. VOLUME 3
Volume AUGUST 2009
03
Magazine from
S P Jain Center of Management SPark
Ignite Your Imagination
August 2009
From the SPark desk
When one thinks of change, the thought is restricted to the way things are done and probably just a paradigm shift in
the “template form of doing business” which basically means, get a template that suits your style and you have your
business up and running. Easy it was, just change the template, and you have “changed the process”. But in times of
uncertainty change is not only important but can prove detrimental if not handled with utmost care. Change as a proc-
ess should not be imposed upon the people, rather it should include the people. Had it been any other times of uncer-
tainty the business managers of yesteryears and the current higher echelon breed of managers would have gone back
to the books and reflected upon John P Kotter’s “ 8 steps towards successful changes”.
But the new downturn and circumstances have been such that the books and the philosophies embellished in those
books would hardly come handy. Hence the “need for a change” in the way business is run, people are managed and a
complete change in the outlook towards business. Change- the only constant thing!!
The theme of this edition of SPark was centered around this universal truth. In the current scenario of economic re-
vival, one of the most widely discussed topics around the globe will be “Change Management”. And we saw some
overwhelming responses from the students of both GMBA and EMBA. The top three articles were selected and are
published in this issue. These articles were evaluated by our panel - Prof. Christopher Abraham, Dr. Balakrishna Gran-
dhi, Dr. Dawn Dekle, Prof. Veena Jadhav and Prof Mythili and the top three are published in the magazine. We would
like to thank the panel for their precious input and time. Apart from the top three competition articles, this volume
brings to you other business articles, a fair coverage of the events at Dubai, Singapore and Toronto, invaluable contri-
butions from the faculty and Alumni. SPark would like to thank everyone who has taken the time and effort to be part
of this venture and make this edition a reality.
Also we would like to thank Dr. Michael Barnes, honourable Dean GMBA and Dr. Balakrishna Grandhi, honourable
Dean EMBA for their constant guidance and support. Our heartfelt thanks to Dr. Seetharaman, Dr. Rajiv Aserkar, Prof.
A.R.Rajagopalan, Prof. Yusuf Tambawala and Prof. Vinika Rao for lending us their support and help at all stages of this
journey. We can never forget the invaluable support from Mr. AVR Srinivas and Mr. Srinivas Phani in getting the teams
organized. We appreciate the support extended by Ms. Mini Menon on all alumni related resources. Our sincere
thanks to Prof. Veena Jadhav for her continuous support and mentorship. Last but not at all the least, each and every-
one who has contributed to SPark!!!
We, the gang @ SPark, had some real exciting time while working on this issue as in the previous one.
We treasure each and every moment of ‘SPark’ling!!!
Happy Reading!!!
Gang @ SPark
3

4. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
Welcome to another edition of SPark! Despite the slowdown in the world economy there
has been no slowdown at S P Jain. On the contrary, there have been a number of highly
significant and positive development since the last publication:
Number one, under the able and dynamic team leadership of Dr. Debashis Sanyal our
DR. MICHAEL
GMBA and EMBA programs have been accredited by AMBA - the U.K. based Association of
BARNES
AMBAs, one of the foremost international accreditors. We are now the only business GMBA
school of Indian origin to have the MBA accredited by AMBA and it is indeed a great
achievement and recognition of the quality of our students, our faculty, our curriculum,
our administrative policies and procedures, as well as our excellent facilities.
At the beginning of June, it was my great pleasure and privilege to be present and repre-
sent S P Jain on the inauguration of the first cohort of 40 GMBA students to attend the
Global Program at the Number One, Schulich School of Business in Toronto’s prestigious
York University. The students (whom I have dubbed the “Maple Leafs’) are following the
same basic curriculum as GMBA juniors in Dubai and Singapore, but with a Canadian
‘flavor’ and perspective taught by Schulich faculty in the North American style. Feedback
from the students has been excellent, and the things we can learn as students, faculty, and
administration will be invaluable for continuous improvement through direct exposure to
best practices at Schulich.
In addition, we have made a similar partnership with the Number One, Australian Gradu-
ate School of Management at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Students who
join the November ’09 batch will have the competitive opportunity to go to Australia for a
10-week term along the same academic lines as the Canada option for the April ‘09 batch.
Unofficially, I will refer to this future group as the ‘Koala Bears’!
These are all ways and means to build the S P Jain brand on a global basis by associating
with the “best in class” and learning from best practices. Needless to say, it also gives the
students who are fortunate enough to go on these intensive study programs, a unique,
memorable, and possibly life-changing experience.
Closer to home in Dubai and Singapore, we have been gearing up for a busy period of
ARPs & ALPs – which are again superb opportunities to associate closely at a senior level
with top companies – and at the same time ‘add value’ through the ability to apply your
GMBA tools and skills, and integrate your business knowledge in collaborative mode to
real live challenges and opportunities.
In Dubai and Singapore - and much further afield in some cases - S P Jain will be making a
global impact and striking a global SPark!
4

5. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN
Dear friends,
In turbulent times and unpredictable situations, one is required to take decisions in un-
foreseen contexts. It has to be done with logic, judgment and reasoning. This is an era
seeking corporate athletes who can exercise Contextual Leadership , executing leadership
DR. BALAKRISHNA
or taking charge in different contexts.
GRANDHI
EMBA
An athlete strives hard to stay ahead of competition. He stays not only physically fit but
also mentally strong and spiritually balanced. He possesses strength, stamina and an atti-
tude of positive thinking. A case in point is Roger Banister who ran one mile by breaking
the four minute barrier. Another is Lance Armstrong who is currently competing for his
eight medal in Tour de France.
Likewise in current uncertain times, an aspiring executive has to be fit and ready to handle
any context by visualizing the invisible through scenario mapping and analysis. He should
be agile and responsive to demonstrate his/her leadership commanding
the trust of both internal and external stakeholders.
At SPJCM, over a year, you have the privilege of interacting with one another, practitio-
ners and faculty members from across the globe, requiring you to solve real world prob-
lems, handle cases and understand cross-cultural/cross-functional differences and ap-
proaches.
You have an array of contexts that need to be answered:
-Why has one failed or succeeded?
-How could one have done differently in different contexts?
-In case of success, was it by design or accident?
-How to ensure consistent high performance?
Wish you use all these opportunities well, connect the learning dots and become a good
corporate athlete exercising sound contextual leadership.
Good luck!
5

6. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
EXPERT SPEAK
Interview with Mr. Nader Sabry,
Chief Strategist for Government of Dubai,
Department of Economic Development and the former Global Chairman of the
Institute for Strategy and Complexity Management Forum.
Interviewd by: Namit Nayak, Vinayak, Lokesh
Sir, it has been fascinating to see your profile.
You have played multiple roles as a strategist, au- To classify this Middle Eastern region is very difficult.
thor, venture capitalist, and also worked with gov- This region as a culture is very diversified so it will
ernment. How exciting has been the journey so far? really depend upon which part of the region you are
looking at. In general the region over the last decade
The nature of being a strategist is to has woken up because of Dubai and
deal with multiple things. Nothing in Dubai government is a you will see a lot of people from
the world is that simple but yet at the very dynamic entity who around the world coming to Dubai. In
same time it has so much simplicity aims to operate like a addition a lot of people are diverting
with it and that is the beauty of deal- away from this region so you will have
private entity and this is
ing with so many different things. It’s a lot of neighboring countries who are
been quite exciting because I have
one of the most unique actually capturing a lot of the talent
been fortunate enough to experience Governments to work that was initially attracted to Dubai
historically the dot com era at that and that developed in Dubai is now
time and boom time of Dubai. So I had the experi- helping the neighboring countries to help develop the
ence to see the ups and downs of some of the parts Dubai way. Dubai specifically is a very multinational
of the world and being at the epicenter gives you the region and there are 185 nationalities here and that
ability to learn and see many of the things that are in Middle East are very unique.
emerging rather than being end of the way of the epi-
center and being more of consumer rather than being How is the GCC (Gulf cooperation council) economy
a thought provoker to make things happen. shaping up after recession? Do you see signs of eco-
nomic recovery in near future?
How different it has been working with government
and MNC’s? Recovery is inevitable wherever you are with ups and
downs. The good news is that we are
It is very different. More important The growth opportunity still in positive numbers where in other
thing to point out is that Dubai govern- lies in the private equity, parts, they are forecasting negative
ment is a very dynamic entity which venture capital start ups numbers. This signifies that we are still
aims to operate like a private entity which are innovation growing but not at the same rate as
and this is one of the most unique before. If you see different predictions
driven.
Governments to work with. It doesn’t from a lot of private bodies you will
mean that working in Dubai is working in a private see that a lot of them think that this region will
entity but what it means is, that it has the look and emerge from this recession quickly than a lot of other
feel of a private entity which gives you the flexibility places for a variety of reasons.
to be ambitious and think like a corporation of being
productive and at the same time government has a What are the challenges in developing capital mar-
big responsibility in looking out at your constituents. ket in a country like UAE?
Can you please share with us the corporate culture It will have to be regulated but you have to look a bit
in Middle eastern region? deeper because in surface the most obvious answer is
6

7. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
EXPERT SPEAK
Interview Continued …
regulation and transparency but more strategic impli- growth. These are mechanical perspectives in nature
cations of it that is when you need to drive for ven- and unfortunately these methods don’t work in un-
ture capital, private equity and innovation that actu- certainty and downturn. Now scenario planning
ally build innovative companies and which drive the emerges because it helps you to be flexible as it gives
demand for capital market to actually encourage the different imaginative possibility and that’s what is
companies to invest in because largely you will find happening with experienced methods and to get out
very large companies or you will have family business of some of the tools you have to look for one decent
going public. The growth opportunity lies in the pri- point that comes from consulting firms. A lot of them
vate equity, venture capital start ups which is innova- are scenario driven giving a clear indication that
tion driven. there is complete uncertainty and these old methods
are unpredictable in this turbulent situation.
Which are the strategic areas the government
should focus on to recover from the economic In this time of economic turbulence, what different
slump? should B School do to prepare students?
We will be revising our development Its a tough question to answer as the
plan and obviously there will be some What has happened dur- dust is just settling on what is happen-
sectors more robust than others for ing last few years is that ing. Some of the qualities that I will an-
example tourism has always been a the companies have gone ticipate or look in people are flexibility
champion sector in Dubai that’s why complacent in driving in nature and very innovative because
Dubai is very tourist friendly and productivity since when these are turbulent times and you need
hence works with business and so money is flowing one can to find solutions to some of the most
forth but that currently we will be re- forgive all kind of sins. difficult problems. So if you are regi-
vising and relooking at, as with the mented you will always see only one
current financial meltdown the things tunnel. And that will not help you or
have been reshuffled all over the place so it isn’t like whoever decide to employ you in future. You need to
before where you had historical data that you could be able to think more broadly and more innovatively
look at for predicting things. Things are so unpredict- and that’s why the companies and economic devel-
able at this point of time that one requires a lot of opment need to be very productive. What has hap-
tools, to find in different ways of looking at things to pened during last few years is that the companies
get the feel of what is next to come. have gone complacent in driving productivity since
when money is flowing one can forgive all kind of
The theme of our magazine is Managing Change. sins.
The next question to you is that how will you man-
age this change in the UAE development plan?
This is important from strategic point of Some of the qualities
view. We have to look at pre crisis and that I will anticipate or
post crisis from strategic level. In a pre look in people during
crisis there are a lot of people who will such downturns are flexi-
not do scenario planning, but rather will bility in nature and being
look at very typical planning driven
innovative.
strategies and will see the past data and
apply regression analysis to predict the
7

8. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
COMPETITION SEGMENT
WINNER
MANAGING CHANGE: Comprehending the Inscrutable Need
In the cut throat competition, in the economic 2.The entities which adapt themselves to change
downturn, in bad times or the economic growth, when the change actually occurs: They incorpo-
in the Bull Run or in great times, doesn’t it actu- rate the thought in their entire organization that
ally make sense to understand the change and change is inevitable and since it has finally come
equip oneself for the same? We already know here better be an active participant or perish.
that in this dynamic world the only thing that And for this the oppositions have to be faced Gaurav Sharma
actually remains constant is change itself. So the internally. The way they handle that opposition PMM Dec08
age old wisdom actually inspires each and every is the make or break situation for the company. GMBA
entity of the world to be a student of change. If they are able to cover up the suspicion, con-
Managing change actually is a configuration of servatism and fear of the unknown then they are
all these factors. The plain fact that the fortune on top of the situation otherwise they have the“It is not the
500 companies haven’t remained constant itself friction. A perfect example is of the Swiss watch
strongest of the
speaks about the need of managing change. And industry which was complacent till they were species that sur-
those companies who have actually flourished forced to exit from the market. Then came their
vives, nor the
during the turn of the centuries are the ones savior Nicholas Hayek who managed the change
most intelligent,
who were most receptive to change and who in such a manner that the Swatch is now syno-
adapted themselves to the changing needs of nym for watch. They managed the change under but the one
the market or environment without diluting most responsive
his leadership for survival first and then growth.
their core values. Thus the three words which to change.”
aptly describe change are eternal, perpetual and 3.The entities which do not respond to change: -Charles Darwin
immortal. Thus the need for managing change Firms cease to exist or just exist till a competitor
could not have been more substantiated. buys them out or erases them from the market
Strategic Thought: Any Entity can actually be when they are not willing to change. Their atti-
categorized in three dimensions of managing tude toward change is so pessimistic that they Three words
change (An Entity could be business entity, peo- feel that everything must be according to their which aptly de-
ple and thought as well) requirement. So they are liable to say “If the
scribe change
shoe doesn’t fit you can’t expect us to change
are eternal, per-
1.The entities which anticipate change in ad- the foot” The father of Modern management
vance and adapt themselves to it: Any leading Peter F Drucker said “Society, community, family petual and im-
firm will always manage change by thinking in are all conserving institutions. They try to main- mortal.
advance, by being innovative and by equipping tain stability, and to prevent, or at least to slow
itself with all the necessary requirements. They down, change. But the organization of the post-
do not allow the environment to tell them what capitalist society of organizations is a destabilize.
to do but rather they tell the environment what Because its function is to put knowledge to work
and how to be done. This they do by managing -- on tools, processes, and products; on work; on
So as long as
change in their organization well before time. knowledge itself -- it must be organized for con-
you wish to
For this they have to face enough friction, they stant change.” grow you have
actually make enemies with in the company but
to change and
then the leaders in those organization know that So as long as you wish to grow you have to
one should man-
the rebellion is not for the great things to come change and one should manage the change to
but for the path they will have to take for it. lead. age the change
They have invested huge amount in their infra- to lead.
structure for research and development for be-
ing the leaders. They are lead by Gandhian phi-
losophy of “We must be the change we wish to
see in the world”.
8

9. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
COMPETITION SEGMENT
1st RUNNER UP
MANAGING CHANGE
In today’s dynamic world where everything is systems. Team members were assigned differ-
so unpredictable and uncertain, change is the ent roles as per their competency. People of
only buzzword and the key to survival. Change high caliber were given more responsibility. The
is intricately woven in our life and the same systems were highly organized which led to high
applies for any organization. As budding man- performance of the members. Project was given
agers of tomorrow we need to handle change top priority as the deployment of the new sys- Siddhartha Ran-
aptly to convert it into our advantage. For any tem was very crucial for company’s future suc- jan Batacharya
change, organization needs to focus on two cess. Moreover with the kind of money invested SMM Apr 09
crucial factors as follows : in the project, it was monitored directly by the GMBA
− Importance to the processes and systems senior management.
undergoing change. A deep clarity on where The shared values of corporate culture and
the organization is heading and what change is work ethics of Bharti is one of the best in India “It is not the
required is essential. and it is ranked among the top companies in strongest of the
− Equal importance should be given to the this respect. With appreciable style, senior man- species that sur-
workforce involved in those processes. Under- agement anchored the project all through to vives, nor the
standing the impact of change on the staff is convince the staff the needs and benefits of the most intelligent,
critical. new system. They understood involvement of but the one
A healthy balance of both the factors is the key employees was a critical success factor. This most responsive
to a successful change management. ensured that staffs were prepared to accept the
to change.”
At present, with earned knowledge of manage- changes although the new system would bring a
ment fundamentals I stand to relate the overall change in the way employees used to work. Em-
-Charles Darwin
change management in which I participated as ployees got convinced that the change is not
a software professional, as my assignment in only for the good of the organization but also
past. I was lucky enough to be part of Bharti As budding
for them. Regular training during the whole pe-
Airtel’s (India’s no 1 mobile operator) conver- riod of implementation, to enhance skill, gavemanagers of to-
gent billing solution project. morrow we
the employees a comfort feel
Sharing with you the way I in- about the new system. need to handle
terpret it today. change aptly to
McKinsey’s 7S model for Today after eight years no- convert it into
change management is my pick body can deny that the move our advantage.
as it perfectly fits in my exam- made by this telecom behe-
ple. It focuses on interdepend- moth, having pan India pres-
encies of seven areas which ence in all 23 telecom circles
For any change,
when blended in the right fashion can lead to with over 100 million subscribers, was perfect at organization
successful change management. that time. The strategy and execution of this needs to focus
change management, balancing process and on two crucial
To set the context, in 2001, Bharti Airtel had employee is worth proofing McKinsey’s 7S factors as fol-
presence in seven telecom circles of India. model as a real time case study. The key obser- lows :
Business was operational with decentralized vation from the retrospection of this model is − Importance to
billing systems in all the circles with different that each of seven areas is interrelated to each the processes
capabilities. As the telecom market was open- other and a slight change in one will have im- and systems un-
ing up, they realized that there was tremen- pact on others. While each carries equal chance dergoing change
dous opportunity to expand in the market. It of failure a greater importance to areas related
called for a change management. to employees enhances the probability of a
They opted for centralized billing system cater- change management project to succeed.
Understanding
ing to all the circles. Strategy was to move the impact of
ahead with implementation of a new central- change on the
ized billing solution replacing all the old legacy staff is critical.
9

10. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
COMPETITION SEGMENT
2nd RUNNER UP
MANAGING CHANGE
In words of Francois de la Rochefoucauld, “The only intentions and training do not work, acquired skills
thing constant in life is Change”. Change is embed- needs to be practiced. Interactive simulations, case
ded in each facet of life. Those who learn to manage studies, role plays are good techniques. Certificates
it effectively get flourished and rewarded. Increased can be awarded for recognizing and rewarding skills.
profitability, discovering and establishing in new mar- Fuel for Change Engine – Ideas and Energy
ket, acquiring competitive advantage, passion for Just as a vehicle is incomplete without an engine,
being market leader etc. are among the top change successful and sustained change requires transfor- Vishal Mittal
catalysts. In a nutshell, effective Change Manage- mation duo of ideas and energy. It is a common mis- ITM Dec 08
ment is basically a change in mindset. The top man- take to think that great idea generators have extraor- GMBA
agement is always concerned about two issues. First dinary talent or one requires management guru’s
is to introduce a live vision for change and embed- training. Change demands breaking of existing rivalry
ding it in everyone’s life. Second comprises constant and innovative encouragement. Infant ideas cannot
replenishment of the flow of propelling ideas and be slaughtered by hierarchical structure, red tape or
driving energy. business silos. The following types of idea are respon-
Setting a Vision for Change sible for organizational rebirth. Effective Change
Successful change requires crystal clear understand- Reason to change: Successful transformation de- Management is
ing of organization’s capabilities, readiness to adapt, mands thorough understanding of motive behind the basically a
well defined aspirations, effective change leaders suggested change by each stakeholder. Change lead-
and a rigorous but disciplined change procedure. As a ers are required to elucidate the reason and convince
change in mind-
solution to first concern, an effective change man- their team for the dreamed outcome. Change Items: set.
agement can be obtained by adopting following four Comprehensive study and phased plan should be
steps ready for identified functions, product line, market
•Convincing Tale: One should have a solid reason to line, obsolete operations, new market opportunities
change and its associated benefits. Change leader etc. A diverse team often helps in accurate items
need to convince team that desired change will have identification.
The top man-
positive influence on individual, customer, society, Change Agent: Change leaders must discover strate- agement is al-
shareholders and involved team. One should be al- gic roles which can act as change agents. These peo- ways concerned
lowed to feel and adopt the change by practicing it. ple will act as the catalyst for destined transforma- about two is-
Constructive approach based on discovery (what best tion. “Embed the change in organization’s veins” is sues.
we have), dreaming (where are we heading) and des- the motto.
tiny (ultimate destination) forms the key to success. Change Path: Brainstorming session of change agents
•Leading by Example: The top management should will reveal and evolve ideas for comprehensive path. First is to intro-
give live examples as change followers. This gives a The decided path will guide the whole transforma- duce a live vi-
positive signal to the organization and replicates the tion process. Optimum energy levels during the sion for change
successful implementation. Change leaders should whole process play a significant role. and embedding
not be considered as “the change” themselves but Any transformation cannot be dived into after inspi-
the change effect needs implementation at personal ration speech of management. Negative energy of
it everyone’s
level. Surveys, feedback, conversations etc prove to resistance, skepticism etc. demands consideration life.
be useful. during early phases. Proper channelization of energy
•Periodic Reinforcement: It provides regular updates requires actively steering change, implanting it in Second com-
in the procedures, policies, incentives and systems as daily life, constantly upgrading individual and organ- prises constant
per the new implemented change. These steps help izational competencies. In the recent turbulent time,
in adoption of the changes in the daily life and in- change management has attracted increased atten-
replenishment
crease their acquaintances. Policies like proportion- tion. It is not only the study of change process but of the flow of
ate rewards to “change champions”, measurement the enhanced awareness of how human mind deci- propelling ideas
of “change effect” on customers, employees etc. help phers its environment and decides to act. The afore- and driving en-
in reinforcement. said steps surely form a roadmap for successful and ergy.
•Competence Enhancement: One should be sustainable change.
equipped with new skills for successful change imple-
mentation. If new ways gets embedded in the
thought process, beliefs and feelings of the employ-
ees then change gets visible in their behavior. Mere
10

11. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
NEWS @ SPJCM
SPJCM bags coveted AMBA Accreditation
SPJCM added another feather to its cap on the 27th of May, 2009 when its Deputy Dean, Dr. Deba-
shis Sanyal, attended the ‘Deans’ and Directors’ Conference’ in Montreal to receive AMBA accredita-
tion award for S P Jain Center of Management. AMBA (The Association of MBAs) is an international
impartial authority on international post-graduate business education, which accredits programs
that meet certain stipulated quality standards. SPJCM now joins the family of the 158 elite business
programs from B-Schools in 72 countries across the globe, catapulting the school’s programs to in-
ternational credibility and status.
The award emphasizes the fact that the institute and its unique global MBA program exceeded in all
the parameters like processes, curriculum, duration, exam formats, faculty qualification and experi-
ence, Deans’ background and qualification, student qualification, infrastructure, global positioning,
student and faculty feedback systems, industry interaction and corporate relations. It also reinstates
the institute’s credibility and quality which SPJCM believes would help to strengthen its foothold in
Singapore where it has been for just about 3 years. The Alumni can also take pride from the fact they
also believed and helped to lay the stepping stones of the institute that is now a world class place to
seek knowledge. SPJCM stands to gain access to a network of over 9,000 MBA students and gradu-
ates, accredited business schools, and MBA employers globally through a soon-to-be-launched
online alumni portal by AMBA.
The scope of learning, projects and exposure would widen like never before. The accreditation also Dr. Sanyal receiving the
opens doors for possibilities of exchange programs with the best international schools in business. Certificate at AMBA Mont-
In 2004, Mr. Nitish Jain’s novel concept of taking one of India’s foremost Business Schools – S P Jain, real Conference, May'09
Mumbai, to the international arena took life in the form of S.P. Jain Center of management (SPJCM),
in the prestigious ‘Knowledge Village’ in Dubai. With a vision to fulfill his dream of taking the knowl-
edge and excellence of Indian academia to the world Mr. Nitish Jain in 2006 established SPJCM’s
second international campus in Singapore.
Within 5 years of its inception, the SPJCM brand has gained significant momentum and has made a
mark in the global B-school arena. In a Brand Perception Audit conducted by AC Nielsen, SPJCM
scored the highest on Opinion Index among all institutions of higher learning operating in the UAE. It
has also been granted the status of Institution of Higher Learning by the Ministry of Education, Gov-
ernment of Singapore, making SPJCM one of a very select few to be granted this exclusive accredita-
tion.
S.P Jain wins SCATA Award - Dubai
S.P Jain Center of Management won the prestigious Supply Chain and
Transportation Award 2009 in the ‘Training and Education Provider of
the year’ category for the Middle East Region. There was a keen com-
petition for the SCATA award between S.P Jain and the other nominees
like the Emirates Aviation College, GAC Academy, Gulf University of Sci-
Prof Rajiv Aserkar receiving
ence & Technology (GUST) Kuwait, and University of Bolton, Ras Al SCATA Award
Khaimah in the final round.
This award brings recognition to S P Jain all over the Middle East and
offers numerous opportunities for the GMBA students specializing in
Global Logistics and Supply Chain Management and also for the Execu-
tive MBA program students.
SCATA Award winners 2009
11

12. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
NEWS @ SPJCM
AGSM and S P Jain Center of Management Join Hands
AGSM of Australian School of Business, University of New South Wales Sydney and S P Jain
Center of Management with campuses in India, Dubai and Singapore have entered into col-
laboration agreement for global education. AGSM is Australia’s top ranked B-School and S P
Jain was ranked #1 in the UAE by an **A C Nielsen survey and was recently accredited by the
Association of MBA’s (AMBA).
The formal agreement was signed by Mr. Nitish Jain, President SPJCM and Dr. Murali
Chandrasekhar Director of AGSM’s MBA program on 23 rd June 2009 in Singapore campus of
SPJCM in presence of Mr Doug Chester Australian High commissioner in Singapore. The
event was attended by distinguished guests and alumni of AGSM and SPJCM. Mr Doug Chester, Austra-
lian High Commissioner to
Singapore addressing the
Mr. Doug Chester, Australian High Commissioner, speaking on the occasion appreciated the
gathering
efforts of both the partners in providing opportunities for students to enhance their learning
in different country environments. While Australia has emerged as a major center of learn-
ing for international students, this partnership provides similar opportunities for Australian
students to learn diverse cultural and business environments of Asia.
Mr Nitish Jain, President, S P Jain observed on this occasion “In today’s competitive world,
businesses have no choice but to go global. Be it for markets, cost reduction, money or
knowledge one must find global solutions. This calls for a new breed of manager capable and
comfortable of working in a global economy. This cannot really be taught in a classroom and
is best learned experientially. Our collaboration with AGSM is yet another milestone to real-
ize our vision of nurturing Global Leaders” Says Prof. Murali Chandrashekaran, “This alliance
has been built on mutual trust between two leading business schools which in turn will add From L to R:
Prof. S. Rajagopalan,
tremendous values to students of both institutions.
Mr Nitish Jain, Prof. Mu-
rali Chandrashekaran
It also allows AGSM to increase their foot prints in Asia at Singapore, Mumbai and Dubai. (AGSM) & Ms Karen Di
This alliance now gives S P Jain’s students the unique ability to spend a term in Sydney and Francisco(AGSM)
be taught by our top professors and do industry immersions project in Sydney. These global
experiences would add significantly to their understanding of managing in a global econ-
omy”.
This tie up also provides AGSM opportunity to send their students to S P Jain’s campuses in
Singapore, Mumbai and possibly Dubai to learn how business is done in Asia. Prof.Sundaram
Rajagopalan, Dean of Executive Education at S P Jain, points out “Our Vision Business Asia
program is a very focused program intended to expose AGSM’s students to the business
practices, challenges, pitfalls, opportunities and legal environment of doing business in many
of Asia’s fast growing countries. Interaction with business practioners coupled with industry
visits is an integral part of this program.”
Earlier S P Jain had made a similar tie up with York University’s Schulich School of Business, Mr. Nitish Jain and Prof.
Toronto ranked #1 in Canada by the Economist and S P Jain’s students thus have the oppor- Chandrasekaran exchang-
tunity of studying in Sydney, Singapore, Mumbai, Dubai and Toronto making its Global MBA ing agreements
program truly global.
*S PJain claimbased on research conducted byNielsenUAE, fieldwork dates→12thMay – 15th June 2008, sample size→100,
population details →HRManagers/Recruitment in-charge of leading corporate organisations
12

13. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
FACULTY SPEAK
Inventory Optimization as a tool for
Reducing Costs in a Downturn Economy
The positive aspect of the current recessionary busi- classic rock-in-the-water scenario, when econ-
ness environment is that it actually provides a great omy was booming, companies were sailing
opportunity for companies to re-look at their met- smooth even with the inefficiencies in the sys-
rics, KPIs and strategies itself and re-align the same tem. When the water dried up, the rocks or the
to the common goal. This phase should not be inefficiencies started surfacing.
looked upon as a tough period as companies need to
wade through before better times comes; on the Now, the companies are dealing with huge stor-
contrary, companies should actively be on the inno- age and obsolescence costs on top of the
vative front to evaluate and implement new strate- amount of capital stuck as inventory. To success- Dr. Rajiv Aserkar
gies which creates sustainable competitive advan- fully identify and eliminate excess inventory, it is
tage, differentiating the company from the rest in imperative to have cross-department efforts
Professor, GLSCM
the industry. At the same time, it has become im- with a holistic view to set feasible inventory lev-
perative for companies to cut down cost. els.
Aiming for the overall cost optimization, companies Companies are now looking at Lean and TPS in
need to look at both reducing operational expenses their supply chain; and this is a great step for-
and also minimizing the capital stuck in the system ward, but the exercise will not deliver results
irrespective of the industry. Freeing up working capi- overnight, it is a continuous exercise or Kaizen
tal from areas where the cash is held up is critical. where small but quantifiable improvements are
This is one specific area that companies need to look made every day or week. One result stemming
at. Inventory optimization is extremely powerful as it from these exercises is that process time will
is a generator of capital as much as how sales is a shorten and stock levels required to achieve a
generator of capital. set service level at each node comes down dras- Krishnan R
tically. Now, companies need to look at forward Academic Manager ,
Inventory basically refers to the various types of looking inventory management tools and
GLSCM
goods held at different stages of the supply chain, be dashboards instead of the backward looking
it raw material, WIP or finished goods which form ones. Hence, emphasis of techniques like inven-
the portion of the business asset that will be ready tory turns and average days to sell inventory
for sale at some point. The basic premise of holding should be minimized and focus should be on Companies should
inventory are three fold, one is to offset the time lag tools that will reflect the future demand and actively be on the
in the supply chain – the lead time factor from sup- supply. An increasing number of companies are
innovative front to
plier to user at every stage, second is to account for now looking at models like JIT or Just-In-Time in
the uncertainty in the movement of goods and the Inventory management, VMI or Vendor- evaluate and imple-
fluctuations in the demand and supply, and the third Managed-Inventory and CMI or Customer- ment new strategies
is to achieve economies of scale during the procure- Managed-Inventory, leveraging on the expert which creates sus-
ment and logistics of the goods along the supply knowledge and better quantifiable results that a tainable competitive
chain. According to the nature and node where in- third party can offer, hitherto unknown and not
advantage, differen-
ventory is maintained, management accounts and possessed by the organization. Companies which
classifies inventory as cycle stock, de-coupling stock, realize that Inventory Optimization is not an op- tiating the company
pipeline stock, anticipation stock and safety stock. In erational exercise but a strategic one and have a from the rest in the
a booming economy, the head where capital goes clear focus on re-looking and re-aligning their industry.
into unnoticed is Inventory Stock Cover. Excess in- strategies to take advantage of this opportune
ventory was build at so many undesired nodes in the crossroad, will emerge as winners and successful
Supply Chain that nobody even questioned the need leaders of tomorrow.
for the same, and slowly but steadily, redundancy
crept into the supply chain.
And this premise of Inventory Optimization holds
true irrespective of whether the company is in
Manufacturing or Apparel or Consumer Packaged
Goods (CPG) or Retail or Chemical industry. Like the
13

14. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
FACULTY SPEAK
In search of the Great Emancipator Leader
How can your organisation develop more collaborative and process approaches to leadership?
What obstacles are standing in the way of your organisation adopting more value-based reward
systems, and can they be overcome? Who in your organisation practices leadership through in-
fluence, and how can you harness that energy and optimise it for even more success? SP Jain’s
Dean of Leadership, Dawn Dekle, considers the changing nature of leadership in the financial
industry
Dr.Dawn Dekle,
The call for a new approach to leadership is the Developing economy leaders more experienced Dean of Leader-
salt and pepper of every article written about at change ship at SPJCM
the global financial crisis. In fact, nothing less According to Boyden, the elite global executive
than a paradigm shift in leadership is underway search firm, companies are now in search of
during these difficulties, Like never before, lead- candidates for leadership positions who have For further reading:
ers will need new skills to be effective in han- already had experience going through a massive
dling the complex boundary-spanning chal- change programme. But leaders with this kind of Darrell Rigby, Win-
lenges. Although financial tycoons like Bernie experience are rare in developed economies. On ning in Turbulence:
Madoff made headlines and caused a decline in the other hand, business leaders from emerging Memo to the CEO.
the reputation of the financial industry, it is im- markets, such as Brazil, have learned hard eco- Harvard Business
portant to remember that the majority of finan- nomic lessons - they lead through change rou- School Press, 2009.
cial leaders acted ethically and responsibly. In tinely. Matching these leaders from emerging [Bain Consultant
downturn strategist
fact, C-level turnover has actually declined 15% markets who are experienced in economic
Darrell Rigby out-
since the global financial crisis began; compa- downturns with the call for leadership needed
lines an action plan
nies are generally satisfied with their current to handle systemic risk management is the chal- for making the most
leadership. These leaders do not make the lenge going forward. of opportunities
headlines, however; and the story that has not during a crisis]
been written is how leadership is the differenti- Times are tough and people are worried; there
ator between the best and worst performing is a worldwide lack of confidence in the econ- Ram Charan,
financial institutions. omy and obtaining credit has become nearly Leadership in
impossible. Further, The World Bank has issued the Era of Eco
The best knowledge and problem-solving skills a statement that protectionist sentiments are nomic Uncer
tainty.
in the world cannot compensate for poor lead- on the rise. General Electric lost the triple-A
McGraw Hill
ership. Leaders of companies that have weath-
Boom Leadership Bust Leadership Publishers,
ered this financial crisis well are those who have 2008.
taken the initiative to create an environment Behaviours Behaviours
[business phenom
that redraws boundaries and identifies opportu- Increase revenues Reduce costs
Ram Charan focuses
nities that are bred by the crisis. One of these Maximise profits Conserve re- on cash flow and
standout leaders is James L Dimon, Chairman sources Cash generation
and CEO of JPMorgan Chase. Even prior to the Execute expan- Manage day-to- And Monitoring
crisis, Dimon cut costs at JPM, including hand- sion strategies day activities Daily fluctuations as
phones for executives, which in the short term, A through-put
strategy for the
drew criticism as micromanaging and obsessing credit rating which it proudly held for decades.
financial crisis]
over small details but in the mid-term has now The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times re-
come to make perfect sense. These small port daily about the latest retrenchments and
changes, when added together, made JPM cost reductions in the global financial services
leaner and ready to shift quickly when the finan- industry. These indicators are clear evidence
cial crisis hit while JPM’s rivals fell victim to the that financial leaders are adopting more and
bust. Dimon’s previous experience – including more behaviours associated with a bust leader-
successfully merging Bank One with JPMorgan ship style.
Chase in 2004 - gave him the confidence and
knowhow for him to engineer the acquisition of During the current crisis, every time news of a
Bear Stearns when it needed a buyer. big multinational goes bankrupt, much of the
14

15. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
FACULTY SPEAK
In search of the Great Emancipator Leader continued … Robert Bruner &
Sean Carr, The
media calls for a change in leadership; linking ship. In fact, this paradigm shift in leadership Panic of 1907: Les-
the failure to the behaviours of the boom lead- was already underway before the current chal- sons Learned from
ers and the only way out is to replace these lenges. A 2007 survey conducted by the Center the Market’s Per-
leaders. However, historically speaking, it is un- for Creative Leadership (Andre Martin, “What’s fect Storm. Wiley
necessary or even undesirable to change lead- Next? The 2007 Changing Nature of Leadership Publishers, 2009.
[Academics Bruner
ers when the economy moves from boom to Survey,” A CCL Research White Paper,
& Carr makes the
bubble to bust, as a company stands the best www.ccl.org) indicates that for leaders to be
case that the panic
chance to survive and thrive when it is managed effective in the future, they must adopt a more of 1907 gave us the
by individuals who are most familiar with the collaborative style to work across boundaries, be FDIC and Federal
company. What is necessary, though, is that skilled at change leadership, build effective Reserve, and JP
leadership behaviours be adapted to ride the teams and develop others, and find ways to Morgan saved Wall
economic wave. The ideal leader is one who have influence without authority. All of these Street’s banks in a
could adopt a proactive stance and be able to skills are even more necessary now. Further, CCL similar fashion as
identify an inflating bubble and react to it be- identified some shifting trends, such as the James Dimon is
fore it bursts. mindset shift from viewing leadership as a posi- doing now]
tion to viewing leadership as a process, a shift
Leadership intuition from focusing on profit to focusing on improve-
Dimon is a good example of a leader that seems ment, defining power not in terms of position
uniquely talented in his ability to predict the but in terms of knowledge, and a reward struc- Nassim Nicholas
bust, and had prepared JPM to manoeuvre ture that is less about individual performance Taleb, The Black
quickly, gained consensus of the board of direc- and more about the success and development of Swan: The Impact
tors, and positioned JPM to acquire Bear others. of the Highly Im-
Stearns. Largely due to his leadership and in probable. Random
spite of the downturn, JPM reported a 2008 Q4 Checklist for leaders House Publishers,
profit of US$700 million and a 2009 Q1 profit of 2007. [Taleb out-
US$2.1 billion. Further, despite the fact that To lead through times of significant turmoil, fi- lines how random-
ness and improb-
many of the Madoff investment schemes origi- nancial industry leaders should:
ability have huge
nally had JPM as a sponsor, Dimon cut JPM ex- Establish deeper partnerships with business impacts, and advo-
posure to Madoff within the months and impor- Schools: Some of the best thinking on capability cates government
tantly before the scheme fell apart. As a result, building and leadership development is being to own the banks]
JPM did not suffer any losses due to the Bernie conceived at the top business schools around
Madoff ponzi investment scandal. Although JPM the world. Adaptability, velocity, resilience and
invented credit default swaps (CDS) in 1997 and ambdexterity are some of the hot topics. Com-
remains by far the largest holder of CDS, the panies that adopt a culture of performance
forward-looking Dimon disentangled the bank’s around leadership development that includes
Joseph Daniel
positions and rebalanced its risks in problematic the vanguard in academic thinking have been
McCool, Deciding
CDS so that it was ahead of the curve on expo- able to attract and retain talent, and this ap-
Who Leads. Davies-
sure to the losses incurred by CDS. Dimon also proach is reflected on the balance sheet as a Black Publishing,
demonstrated leadership and took ownership good investment. By forming a closer collabora- 2008.
when he was the only American banking leader tion with business schools, it will allow the bank [Headhunting guru
to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos or financial institution to better reinforce and McCool describes
in February 2009. At a press conference, he ac- sustain the lessons and new habits learned in on the leadership
cepted some blame, but also pointed a finger at going leadership training which can then trans needed for the next
regulators, “... some really stupid things were form a culture of individual reward to a culture generation of tal-
done by American banks and by American in- of performance based on rewarding collabora- ent]
vestment banks... to policy makers I say, where tive efforts and developing others.
were they?”
James Dimon is just one high-profile Balance the “3 Es” (Employees, Earnings, Earth):
example of good, prescient and adaptive leader- The next generation of leaders will be more
15

16. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
In search of the Great Emancipator Leader continued …
interested in the harmony between valuing value management best practices.
employees and stewarding the earth and less
interested in earnings. The 3 Es will become the Embrace compliance activities: Without a doubt,
new definition of shareholder value in a financial institutions can expect more rigorous
company. Therefore leadership must ensure government regulations and oversight than ex-
vision and mission statements coincide with this isted prior to the global financial crisis. Leaders
aim. should prepare their organisations now to sup
Drive business value: The status quo of deliver- port policymakers, and partner with them in
ing projects on time and on budget will not be drafting the compliance structures. Managing
enough anymore. Financial institutions must this relationship will become a new leadership
focus on value. In order to survive and succeed, skill that an organisation cannot afford to over
there must be a shift from return on in- look.
vestment to return on value, through adopting
The article is a reprint from Wealth & Financial Times.
GRAFFITI
Arun GK
ITM Dec 08
GMBA
16

17. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
FACULTY SPEAK
PLATFORM BAZAAR
Yahoo plans to launch a mail application Plat- in the “winner-take-all” dynamic that is com-
form. The number of iPhone applications devel- mon on the internet these days.
oped for the iPhone mobile application platform Let’s now look at a few internet platform mod-
crosses 10,000. Mozilla served their 1 billionth els that exist today. The models differ basically
add-on download for their browser extension on the location where the developer’s code is
platform. Just in the last one month, we have executed and the complexity of programmabil-
witnessed some amazing developments in the ity.
internet and mobile economies. More and more
companies are converting their products into The Google APIs Model
“platforms” for third party developers to build This is the most common form of internet plat-
Mr. Rajiv Jayra-
applications on and more and more application form.
man is the foun-
developers are using the opportunity to build Highlights:
der and CEO of
fascinating applications on the “platforms” to • Developer’s code resides and gets executed
KNOLSKAPE Solu-
reach millions of users. in his / her server
tions,
• Easiest model to program from the devel-
a Singapore based
All this sounds great. But do we really under- oper’s point of view
educational soft-
stand what “internet / mobile platforms” are? • Developer’s application is not part of the
ware company.
To me, trying to talk about “internet / mobile platform user experience Suppose I want to
An INSEAD
platforms” is like nailing a jelly on the wall. The build a dashboard, like the one on Google Ana-
MBA, Rajiv
term platform conjures up myriads of, often in- lytics, I can use the Google Visualization Web
worked in the grid
compatible, ideas in our heads. The problem Services APIs to create graphs and charts for
computing team
arises primarily from the fact that this term is my application. In this case, my code resides
at Oracle USA.
heavily overloaded. It is somewhat akin to say- on my server; I simply call the APIs and expect
He is currently
ing “Prego” in Italian, a word that is used to data in return. Other examples: E-bay, Flickr
leveraging the
mean many different things in many different Benefits for platform companies
power of internet
contexts. Another factor that adds to the confu- • Hook developers to your APIs and make
computing to de-
sion is the fact that the whole realm of Web them part of your subsystem
velop products for
computing is evolving at such a rapid pace that • Leverage on the innovations that are built
the education
it is often difficult to keep up with the latest in on top of the APIs Benefits for application de-
market.
the internet industry. Marc Andreessen’s blog velopers
on internet platforms is a must read for anyone • Avoid re-inventing the wheel
who is even remotely interested in the under- • Access to tried and tested technical tools
standing the different kinds of internet / mobile
platforms The Firefox “plug-in” model
( h t t p : / / b l o g . pm a r c a . co m / 2 0 0 7 / 0 9 / t h e - In this model, third party application develop-
threekinds.html). In this post, I will use his ers enrich the user experience of the platform
framework to further explore the implications of users by extending the functionality of the
using different platform models. platform. Firefox and Face book are shining
examples of this model.
Let’s start by first defining what a platform is. A Highlights
"platform" is a system that is programmable and • The third party developer’s code resides and
hence, can be customized by third party devel- gets executed outside the platform.
opers for mutual economic benefit. Why are • The application, however, becomes part of
companies vying hard to establish themselves as platform user experience.
internet platforms? To build an ecosystem • Scalability is an issue that the application
around their technology and feed a positive developer has to deal with. Benefits for the
feedback loop. Why is this important? The com- platform company
pany that has the biggest ecosystem finally wins • Third party applications enrich user experi-
17

18. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
FACULTY SPEAK
PLATFORM BAZAAR CONTINUED …
ence executing arbitrary third party application code.
• Cater to the needs of wide audience at a very Benefits for the platform company
low cost and in very short time. • Utilize spare capacity to allow developers
Benefits for application developers build applications on your system.
• Application developers have the opportunity • Leverage the meta-information that is avail-
to build a viable business. They instantly get able to you through the apps that run on your
access to millions of users through the platform. system for ads.
The cost of scalability and availability, however, • Assume the cost of scalability and availability,
are borne by the developer. so that user experience is not compromised
• VCs have setup funds for such application Benefits for the app developer
developing companies. Kleiner Perkins’ iFund is • Application developers needn’t assume the
a fund created for iPhone applications. Face- cost of scalability and availability.
book, along with Accel Partners and Founders In my view, platform economics is here to stay.
Fund have created a fund for facebook applica- In a flat world, product companies need to stay
tion developers. ahead of the innovation game and one way of
The Salesforce model doing that is by crowd-sourcing. CTOs, business
In this model, the application developer builds manager and developers need to take this
an application, uploads the application to the model seriously.
platform and runs it online. For instance, Sales-
force lets its users upload applications to its Product companies need to think about how to
platform to extend and customize Sales force collaborate with third party application devel-
features. Other prominent examples in this opers to keep their offering fresh and innova-
model are Google Applications, Second Life, and tive.
Amazon EC2.
Application developers can now tap into funds
Highlights that are available for developing applications
• In this model, the third party application actu- for platforms. There has been no better oppor-
ally resides and runs inside the platform. tunity to reach millions of users without the
• The platform company assumes the risk of cost of acquiring customers
CHANGE : A LEARNING PROCESS
“Sometimes change is associated with learning, and sometimes it isn't. If learning occurs, how-Dr. Michael Wade
ever, it must be captured somehow by the organization. The most common way for this to occur isis the Associate
Professor of Op-
for the learning to reside in the heads of the people involved in the change. The problem is that
memories fade and people move on, so that the learning may not by very durable. We have seen erations
Management and
this problem recently in the global recession, where firms made mistakes and failed to learn from
them. Information
Systems at the
Information systems are an imperfect vehicle to capture learning (they are great with data and Schulich School
information, but not so good with knowledge). However, they have the advantage of being ex- of Business,
tremely durable, so that firms who take the time to set up systems to capture knowledge and York University,
learning tend to avoid falling into same traps down the road as those who don't.” Toronto.
18

19. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
VISITING WISDOM
Managing Shock
nd
“Oh my god I’m pregnant!” screams the 2 year the depression state as fast as possible is the only
MBA girl. Does she scream with horror? Or does way to recover, whilst others would say that
she scream with delight? Regardless of the emo- those that go through the depression phase too
tion, the situation is a “shock” to her (and her fast are only fooling themselves as they haven’t
male companion!). The guy and the gal may have really felt the depression and therefore the Hope
similar or opposite emotions. But what is for sure phase will only be short-lived.
is that they WILL react to this “changing” situa- Some companies faced with a crisis do nothing. Sanjay Sethi
tion. Birth, death, competition, scandal, reces- They are either paralysed by the unknown or in
sion, advertising, natural disasters, – all of these denial or believe that by “sitting tight” with the The Interna-
have at least one thing in common - they create status quo will serve them better while others tional Investor
change and force individuals to react and to man- scramble to just “do something”. Dubai / Gen-
age the situation. Unless your head has been in the sand, you will
eral Manager /
Many have faced or will face these situations and note that we are facing a troubling economic
many more. But shock and change is not always situation. Some of you are about to graduate in
CEO - Loyalty,
related to “bad news”. There are plenty of good the coming months and looking to enter the Payment &
situations as well – an unexpected visit from a workforce. The situation is improving although Security Group
friend, a phone call from family, winning the lot- still challenging. How are you going to handle it?
tery, getting an award at school, a surprise gift, What have you done or what will you do to get
meeting a famous that job? Just sitting
person and so on. there and “hoping” is a
What defines these good start, but without
situations is how one action, your chances of
handles the situation. success are limited. It’s
It’s not so im-
Some examples; you great to see that many
thought you did great of the youngsters today portant how
in your exam and are optimistic about the fast you move
scored 95%, but you future. This youthful from one to
get your mark and it’s exuberance and “can- the other
46%. How do you re- do” attitude starts to (although be-
act? What do you do? wane as people get ing depressed
You’re about to board a plane for a very impor- older. The trick is to ensure that you continue while every-
tant meeting – a job interview. But the flight is with your optimism throughout your personal thing else is
cancelled and there is no other way to get to the and professional lives in whatever situation pretty optimis-
interview. What do you do? Your sister has just you’re faced with. Everyone will go through chal- tic may un-
found out she has breast cancer – How do you lenging times – this is guaranteed. How you deal
cover more
react? A company you work for has been the with the situation to get yourself out of the nega-
market leader for 10 years with a loyal customer tive state and into the more optimistic scenario
serious issues)
following but all of a sudden a new company has will be important. It’s not so important how fast but that you
come out with a newer product and your cus- you move from one to the other (although being do transition.
tomers are deserting you. How do you respond? depressed while everything else is pretty optimis-
Whether in personal or professional circum- tic may uncover more serious issues) but that
stances, there are different phases that we all go you do transition.
through when dealing with situations. Good luck in your personal and professional
Faced with the same challenging situation, each situations. Always remember in every situation –
person (or company) will go through the phases what would you do? How would you react?
at their own pace. Some will experience the Fear Where are you on the different stages curve?
to Depression phase much faster than others and And how will you move from one phase to the
feel Hope quickly. Others will take longer. Which other?
is right? Some would argue that getting out of
19

20. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
SOFT SKILLS
Avoid These Interview Bloopers
Dhannya VS
With fewer and fewer interview opportunities available in the market, it’s essential to make the best
possible first impression.
Academic
Talking too much: Over talkative candidates are always abhorred. Taking too long to answer Manager
direct questions gives the impression that the candidate just cant get to the point GMBA
Show up late or early: Many job seekers don’t realize, however that showing up too early often
creates a poor first impression as well. Arriving more than 10 minutes early for an interview is a Talk positive
dead getaway that the job seeker has too much time on his or her hands. Always arrive on time ,
about your
but never more than 10 minutes early.
former em-
Talking negatively about current or past employers / managers: No matter how reasonable your ployers.
complaints, you will come out the loser if you show that you disrespect your boss because the inter
viewer will assume that you would similarly trash him or her. When faced with the challenge of talk-
ing about former employers, make sure you are prepared with a positive spin on your experiences.
Not enough /too much eye contact: Either situation can create a negative effect. Avoid eye
contact and you will seem shifty, untruthful, or disinterested; offer too much eye contact, and
you will wear the interviewer out. If you some times have trouble eye contact balance, work
this issue out ahead of time in an interview practice session with a friend.
Not preparing for the interview: Nothing communicates disinterest more, like a candidate who has-
n’t bothered to do pre- interview research. On the flip side , the quickest way to do a good impress-
sion is to demonstrate your interest with a few well thought out questions that reflect your knowl-
edge of their organization.
Verbal ticks: Avoid using fillers in speech. Practice well before an interview through role plays.
Just as a strong resume wings you an opportunity to interview, strong interview skills will win you
consideration for the job. You will have made yourself a better candidate by avoiding these pit
falls.
20

21. VOLUME 3
AUGUST 2009
VIEW POINT
State of Fear
Every person in the world has a natural fear for states that the number of frosty days will come
one thing or the other. Some fear ghosts, some down. But the whole of Europe is experiencing
fear darkness, some even fear cockroaches, highest number of frosty days for the last 18
while some fear all of these. Only one thing years. Fishy, isn't it?
among humans is common-Fear. This basic in-
stinct of human being is being capitalised by the When the temperature data for two places, Gopal Ratnam
governments and the media. At any given point New York and Albany, which are just 100 KM ITM Apr 09
of time, either the government or the media apart, the data shows that the average tempera- GMBA
keeps the people under tremendous pressure ture of New York rose by 7 degrees in the last
or fear. 150 years while the average temperature of Al-
bany decreased by one degree over the same To make things
To start with, try to answer these two questions. period. As the name suggests, shouldn't global worse, methane
What is the inflation data for the week ending warming be 'Global'. Then, why this discrepancy is 21 times de-
this Friday? What is the price of crude oil per within 100 km? Could the high concrete struc- structive when
barrel as of today? These two issues are publi- tures that came up in New York, also known as compared to
cised as much as possible by the media in the urbanisation, be the reason? Well, thats some- CO2. Yet, no one
recent past. Isn't it the duty of media to inform thing to think about. Isn't it?
publicises it.
people when good things happen as much as
they publicised the bad things? 'Oil on the boil' The whole concept of instilling the fear about
was the caption when the price of oil went up to global warming only started after the Second
147 dollars per barrel. Now, oil is on the cool. World War. But the world is getting warmed up
Who bothers? The same applies to the inflation for the last 150 years, for some reason. So, why
data as well. wasn't global warming publicised then? Well,
the media is busy instilling fear among the peo- All the time, the
Let us look at a few examples over the last one ple due the first and second world wars. media's duty is
hundred years. We all know that global warming only to keep the
is a potential threat to the world in the coming Ayn Rand, one of the great visionaries, pre- people in a
years. For some reason the world is heating up dicted that the media will become so powerful 'State of fear'.
for the last 150 years. It could well be due to the in the book 'The fountainhead' which was writ-
green house effect, which is the major factor for ten in the early 1920s. All the time, the media's
global warming. The amount of CO2 that is duty is only to keep the people in a 'State of
emitted due to human activity is increasing. No fear'.
question about that. But the amount of CO2 in
the environment is still less than half a percent.
But, the weight of all termites existing in the
world is more than the weight of all human be-
ings in the world. Termites excrete methane.
Methane is a green house gas which contributes
for global warming. To make things worse,
methane is 21 times destructive when com-
pared to CO2. Yet, no one publicises it.
According to global warming theory, the upper
atmosphere should get heated up first before
the Earth's surface. But, the current phenome-
non does not prove any increase in upper at-
mospheric temperature. Global warming also
21