DO'S AND DON,SFOR A SUMMER TRAINEE

DO'S
1.If selected from campus for summer projects carry a copy of the letter of offer and have xerox copies of the same, clarify the stipend before hand and take a wriiten statement of the same , check for the profile that you will be joining as.
2.If accomodation not provided try to find a PG near to office , for commuting is a big problem.
3.Try to be punctual to office on the first day and also the rest .
4.First few days are the toughest, for you will be treated like garbage , try to hang around and keep up a smiling face , sometimes companies might jus check your stress level , time will come to show ur mettle.
5.Try to have a time table , start early and finish strong.
6. Try to act in a friendly manner with everyone , if rebuked then also put up a smiling face , no back biting about anyone , try to observe people , how they are handling their work and clients , this is the best learning you can get , try to see the work culture and heirarchy.
7.Try to see sources which will lead to further contacts(PR relations).
8.Try to have some basic stuffs from the company , business cards of top notch executives (if any) , letter pads ( u can guess it) , references .
9.Try to utilise the library to the utmost if there is any(You get books which you cant find at ur campus as they are expensive , try to see paid up reports).
10.Finally nothin pays than good work , be focussed , think out of the box , if sensitive to your environment , prepare a short and precise report , try to give a ppt , have a detailed analysis of ur project , be ready to face criticism , remember skilful sailors are made from rough oceans.

DON'S
1. Don act smart , for there are people more smarter than you.
2. Don expect that you will change the fortunes of the company in these 2 months.
3.Don expect anything.
4.Don be too emotional with ur ideas , and don share your life plans with anyone that may spoil ur party.
5.Don sulk , beggars are not choosers , if from iims then you can sulk positivily .
6.Don accept the PPO's immediately , think about it and check various alternatives.
7.Don seek love affairs during projects , certain people might utilise u (this happens ).
8.Don get sentimental with the company try to be a parasite , this is the time to suck in all knowledge .
9.Don delay ur project to the last minute if its a reasearch based project , try to come up with the data analysis part well in advance.
10.Don get impatient if u r not getting attention , The HR people are losing some prospecting good employees , be confident and give ur best report , don overdo with the report.

SIBASISH...TOP 15 HOLLYWOOD MOVIES

1.SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION
2.GLADIATOR
3.TERMINAL
4.ROAD TO PERDITION
5.MEMENTO
6.BANG BANG U R DEAD
7.THERES SOMETHING ABOUT MARY
8.APOLLO 13
9.APOCALYPSE NOW
10.TROY
11.BEHIND ENEMY LINES
12.ANTS IN THE PANTS
13.DUMB AND DUMBER
14.BRAVEHEART
15.WHAT WOMAN WANTS

Ways to counter the appreciating rupee

Rupee appreciating very predictable as our balance of trade decreases and influx of more dollars in our market due to the recession in US...A very debatable fact that whether appreciation of rupee is good for our economy or not ....good for our imports but bad for our exports especially our IT sector .Why are the exports based sector affected , this is due to the sectors cost in rupees and revenue is in dollars , any decrease in the value of dollars reduces our bottomline .
Now how to counter this change in monetary value and sustain profitability.......
1. Try to get ready with the change , hedge properly that is to decide the exchange rates in advance so that devaluation doesnt affect the company that much.
2.Try to trade in rupees rather than in dollars.
3.Try to shift the business to more destinations rather than trade in one.
4. Be product centric rather then be purely service centric.
5.Try to give a part of salary to employees in dollars as employee salary consists the majority of the cost in services sector.
6. Increase duration of working hours to increase productivity.
7.Tap the huge unserved domestic market.
8. The BFSI sector needs to forward hedge their contracts.
9.Shift businesses to SEZ's to avail the facilities of subsidised tariffs.
10.Diversify into import oriented businesses to sustain from the reduction in profits .
Services account for 55% of our GDP , Goverment has to come up with monetary measures and give more liquidity of the rupee in the Indian market so that is no further appreciation of the rupee, in the meantime companies have to take up smart hedging techniques like split , vanilla to counter the loss suffered due to the appreciation of rupee against dollar.

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A STUDENT

This day had all the traits of any usual day , sun rose at its scheduled time , the world woke up with the usual hustle and bustle , time went by in its usual menacing manner , everything was normal but this day was different for a student , this is the day to which every budding student looks for , the day of reckoning , the day where u redeem yourself , the day where u step astride the conventional mode of life and to a more realistic one . The day happens to be the day where u get the stage to prove yourself and face the world ...any guesses whats the day ....welll anyone who has undergone that particular day will , with hands raised term the day as the "PLACEMENT" day .The student i am talking about is incidentally a engineer , one among many , privatisation of education has allowed students to become engineers with ease , and also liberalisation has enabled economy to spurn up lots of employment that can be shown with all the leading software companies rushing to this student's college , and on this day an Indian company called TCS was coming to the campus.
TCS , the name itself is synonym to the "GREAT INDIAN GROWTH" , name assosciated from the tea we drink to the airlines we travel , no company is as diversified as this company and it can be made out from their selection procedure which were different from the rest of the companies , the selection was an online test followed by a psychometric test and interview....welll as the name is familiar to many aspiring students , this student was also awestruck by the name and growth of this company and had dreams of making into the payroll of this company.
The student woke up with dreams in his eyes , little bit apprehension in his mind thats considerable given a fact that past records have not been good . There's excitement in the air , most palpable as the pay package is good and only IT background engineers are allowed to sit for placements , ya the student happens to be a electronics engineer who is as distanced from transisitors and diodes as the moon is from mother earth , but the pull is there to cast that shadow of a analytical growth and reasoning that the tough course has taught him. The day proceeds to the afternoon session where all the HR people address the students , about the profile , paypackage ...our student is more fascinated , ready to go and face the online tests after all he thinks the test is tailor made for his analytical prowess that he developed during the preparatory stage , now the stage is set and every student has to log on to the company website and start answering the questions. Our student logged onto the site with the given password .....with hands trembling , a page sprouts out of no where , verbal section wow he is delighted thats his strength , it took some time to acclimatise & adjust to the condition but he settles down to a good rythm, it was war out there , tensions palpable , lots at stake , well our student was now a gladiator facing the adversary in a virtual arena , questions after questions ,his mind working fast competing with the time clock on the page , after verbal its quantative , a weak link to the our students performance , but wonders of wonders the qiuestions are from previous TCS papers , questions were treated with disdain , no questions were able to test our student , he had done his homework well , after the quant section came the analytical test.Clock ticking away , brain working at its best .....now after finishing the section , the results get automatically updated...our student perspires , can hear his breath , he feels his heart coming out of his mouth , the processing stops and the page show " Thank you appearing for TCS online test , congratulations you have passed this round "and the psychometric test page comes up...He is elated , days of hard work bores it fruits ,with hands shaking , joy unbound our student quickly runs through the test , answering with energy and new found vigour and finally submits the page and walks out of the room like a warrior just vanquishing his opponent .
Time flies by , its now well past afternoon , our student is now relaxed , though the result of the final outcome lurks in his mind ....TO BE OR NOT BE ....theres a thin line between success and failure , he knows that but theres a chance , a chance to redeem himself to the holy grails of a software firm ....the moment of truth is nearing , our student rushes to the academic building , lots of commotion , dreams will be fulfilled today theres a spring in his walk ...someone shouts around 12 people selected for interview , a pang of pain fills his stomach , so many and only 12 , probablity of not being selected decreases anyways he puts up a brave face and lunges forward among the crowd to see the results ...a quick glance tells it all , but still our students again gives a broader look hoping his name escaped his anticipating look..no the name is not there , he can feel the world going down , kneees without the usual strength , a tinge of perspiration comes out of no where , all of a sudden the world comes to a stand still , he is unpetrubed by the chaos around him ...he walks out ..............never to look back ...though tears are hard to come by but eyes are moist . He saunters through the college lane , feeling dejected , no one to hang to , he wanted to burst out but he has a uncanny ability to reason with life , he has always been a monkey to grab the peanuts that life offers him ..but today was different..life had much more to offer ...walking by he is reminded of a great poet ROBERT FROST , who has influenced him a lot ... ..."THE WOODS ARE LONELY DARK AND DEEP , AND I HAVE PROMISES TO KEEP AND MILES , MILES TO GO BEFORE A SLEEP " ....these few lines go in a infinite loop in his brain . He has failed today but gained a lot .he is in stress but problems are his best friend he has learnt to live by it ...from that day he promised never to look back ...our student marches ahead ........the day will always remain a day of reckoning to him.

My observations(Case 1)

Gone are the days when companies have only one product for the customer, emphasize on production rather on the customers wants and preference . Companies led to massive production and distribution , leading to huge price cuts based on large economies of scale , but pricing nowadays is a big nemesis to all leading companies as they have to fight competition with being customer centric . Pricing has to be done so that customer feels that he is getting the best value for the product , but the problem arises when there are price wars and companies take price as the basis for differentiation though it is rarely done , i am citing one example of a company called Shaw Wallace under UB group whose brand Antiquity has two variants Antiquity regular and Antiquity Blue , Antiquity has positioned itself as a premium whisky brand catering to the elite but i was surprised by the way both the variants were priced ,.Antiquity regular at 160 and Antiquity Blue at 170 , Antiquity Blue comes with a beautiful bottle and package , it looks elegant and sophisticated giving justification to its image whereas Antiquity regular is priced at 160 which has a normal packaging and its bottle is bland and plain. People who buy Antiquity come from the upper middle class and rich class , they dont find a significant difference in the price difference and opt for the exquisite Blue . Shaw wallace with this kind of pricing has allowed cannabilazation to take place , thus resuting in reduction of sales in Antiquity regular . I think with time they have to either reduce the prices of regular or increase the price of Antiquity Blue.

SUBPRIME LENDING ....A BANE FOR US BANKS

"We sow bad loans in good times " a old proverb now seen in light with the subprime lending problems in US .
Subprime lending is done to customers who dont have any prior credit worthy history with tha bank , this state of lending is called predatory lending , in the late 90s US economy saw a growth in real estate and a boom in the sector which lead to banks giving loans to people who were not credit worthy at low interest rates . As US has a ARM system , that is adjustable rate mortgage system , which changes with fluctuations in the economy , this was pegged in the form of 2/28 i.e for 2 yrs a market rate of 1.1% was fixed as interest and after 2 years a increased interest rate i.e (1.1% + 300basis points) for a period of 28 years but in 2005 this changed to 3.3% and now it had touched around 8 times more than the original rate .
As the people who have taken loans for a house have also taken loans, on the basis of the house itself as mortgage , now this gave rise to a crisis where there was no records for the credit history of the people , people were reluctant to pay back the debt and houses were auctioned at the market price ,as supply was more than demand in the housing sector .. this led to huge losses accumulating to $2.5 trillion .
Now its global implication , as FIIs have invested in global markets such as Japan , India and to offset the losses in US market they are selling their shares and liquidating it ,leading to fast outflow of money from a country . Globally stock markets are sensitive to changes in the US market , markets are apprehensive and investors are selling their shares so there is decrease in share prices globally , indexes in Japan and India have fallen marginally. Now this resulted in a shortage of liquidity in US , a start to a recessionary phase in US economy , for the time being the federal reserve has intervened by reducing the loan rates by 500 basis points to bring about liqiduity in the US economy , thus leading to outflow of dollars into emerging markets like India .
Now it is to be seen when global markets stabilize though subprime lending will remain a achilles heel to US mortgage firms for a long time now.

REDDYNOMICS

Rupee appreciating , IT exports hit , Indian service sector' s profitability decreasing , inflation in control , Growth to be sustainable or not .
These are the headlines found nowadays on every newspaper dailies and magazines . Now
lets know the intricacies and the dynamics of Indian economiy by having a glance at the latest monetary policy made some days back .This year monetary policies was reviewed by Dr Reddy , the governor of RBI , in his policies he has tried to balance inflation with growth .
India is thriving on a huge influx of FDI , FIIs and forex reserves at US$ 206.9 billion , growth at 8.5% but inflation has been Mr reddy's archilees heel for a long time .
He realizes that we are currently going through a catch 22 situation where increase in growth will result in increase in inflation and vice versa.
In his present policy measures to control inflation he has hiked the CRR rate( cash reserve ratio is the amount of money that a bank has to give to the RBI) by 50 basis points thus flushing out 16000 crores of money out of the market , He has also increased the reverse repo rate ( the amount that the bank gives to the RBI as loan ) , his main objective is to take out money from the market curbing spendings and investments. The irony of this measure is that as inflation reduces , growth also reduces . The shortage of money will curb the growth in real estate and retail sector as the money for investments are curtailed .Another aspect of money taken out from the market is that there is now shortage of rupee in the market which is resulting in the appreciation of the rupee against the dollar.
Dr reddy cannot allow excess money to flow in the market and as well cannot curtail the growth rate which is presently pegged at 8.5% , in his recent policies he has smartly not increased the interest rates on Loans but has chosen to decrease the interest rates on savings so that the bank reserves are not affected.
Dr reddy cannot continously take out money from the market as it will lead to rupee being appreciated below 40 thus making the Indian service sector lose its competitive advantage . IT companies like Infosys and TCS have forward hedged all their export earnings to save itself from huge losses but if the rupee continously appreciates , we lose significant portion of foreign earnings .
In Indias quest for developement Dr Reddy has to play a pivotal role in striking a right balance between growth and inflation .

levis ......is it diluting its name

welllll this name is not new to us , as a teen we grew up looking upto this brand , i remember having my first pair of levis jeans , i was so excited and thrilled since then it has being a integral part of my life , it gives me a sense of freedom , a sense of independence ...ya its rebellous but thats what levis has always been .
The jeans itself has a sense of aura in it right from the red tabs to the linings everything is so authentic and rugged , i personally feel this jeans has developed into a cult brand and since its introduction to indian market , it has catered to the elite and who chose to be different.....and we are paying a price to be different , a difference in attitude and perception. I have always had a soft corner for this brand , its just feels great when u have that levis tag on your back , its just makes you feel confident , i had always looked upto this brand till recently ...I had been to chennai a land deep down where people are known for their dhotis and their culture which they strictly adhere to but as times changing , chennai had developed into a cosmoplotian city and with every growing city comes with a high growth in peoples purchasing power . Chennai boasts of some good malls ,i happened to visit some , theres a mall called spensers plaza , it claims to be one of the largest in india welllll i visited this mall some 4 times and observed a shocking fact which i am sharing with u all , levis as we know has come up with a brand called levis signature catering to a different segment of customers , it has its own stores too....I found out that levis signature store was found very close to the gate and the main levis stores bit far way which was bit surprising to me . On the first day i observed buyers who wanted to buy levis ended up buying levis signature instead everytime i found out that people shopped more in levis signature stores rather in levis stores due to the convenient location of the store and the name of the brand levis assosciated with signature.....as a loyal fan of levis i was surprised by the companies marketing & branding strategies , how myopic can a company become now levis has become a common mans brand , though its sales are increasing but the brand name is getting diluted , in some years i think people will detest buying a levis , as the very essence of the jeans is being eroded.

diya......my cute bhanji

FAILURE...

MANY PEOPLE DETEST THIS WORD .....THIS WORD HAS BEEN A NEMESIS TO ALL THE MIGHTY , THIS WORD HAS BEEN A CURSE TO MANY .....THE NAME ITESLF CARRIES WITH IT A UNCANNY FEELING OF DEJECTION AND NEGATIVITY....MANY ARE VULNERABLE TO THE EFFECTS OF THIS WORD ,....THIS WORD NEVER LEAVES ANYONE....IT NEITHER SEES RICH OR POOR .....NEITHER IT SEES COLOUR , CREED AND RELIGION...I HAVE HAD MY SHARES OF EXPERIENCE WITH THIS WORD ....AND THE AFTERMATHS OF ITS EFFECTS ....BUT I REALIZED ONE THING WITH EVERY FAILURE COMES A STAGE WHERE U THINK ...THINK ....THINK.....WHEN U THINK U COME UP WITH IDEAS WHICH MAKE U MORE STRONGER , MORE EXPERIENCED ..MORE CONFIDENT....ITS RIGHTLY SAID FAILURES ARE THE PILLARS OF SUCCESS ...PILLARS WHICH ARE MADE ON THE RETROSPECTION ONE GOES THROUGH.....FAILURE SHOULD BE TAKEN POSITIVILY AND ADRESSED WITH CAUTION ...WE OFTEN NEGLECT THIS WORD AND ASSOSCIATE WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE OFTEN BEEN SUBJECTED TO THE WHIMS AND NAUNCES OF THIS WORD ...BUT IT LINGERS CLOSE BY .....IT FOLLOWS EVERYONE AS A SHADOW...SO NEXT TIME YOU COME ACROSS THIS WORD ....TAKE IT GRACEFULLY FOR THIS WORD TEACHES US THE ESSENCE OF LIFE .....

MARKET RESEARCH ......MY PERSPECTIVE(part one)

welll the name itself is self explanatory...but like to share something which i learnt about this subject in these few months .... from my early days as a management student i developed a likeness to this subject.... i was a neophyte in the world of marketing ...and marketing seemed to be little vague to me but its not that vague it seems thanks to stastistics , marketing is redefined and has given the subject all its flesh and blood ...lets start with what marketing .is ..Defn of marketing is " (anticipating, identifying and satisfying customer needs profitably), ...then whats marketing research ....wellll for a layman its analysis of datas and understanding the market based on consumer behaviour and preferences , but to me marketing research is the essence of marketing without which i think the foundation of marketing lies weak..i sometimes wonder why people often show disregards to this subject in terms of prospects and challenege....i find the subject intriguing ..imagine you are able to formulate plans and analyse people's preferences...i was astounded when i got to know that companies postioning statements are often based on brand analsyis done by research techniques ...bajaj pulsar's tag line "definitely male " was due to a concept of levels of assosciation in product preference made possible due to research analysis ...market research helps in product developement , segmenting the target profile , postiioning your product so that it occupies a consumers mind space ...various factors involved in the buying process , behaviour , choice and preference...marketing research starts from the exploratory research knowing about the organisation , its a form of internal survey which helps to know about business strength , financial willingness and other factors related to the business ....here we take facors for the final analysis...then we go for the external survey by the help of a questionnaire....though people find it boring i find it challenging imagine setting questions probing about a persons likes , wants , desires ..understanding the mindset of your respondent , probing into his mind and getting the hidden part ...in the world of marketing everyones try to outsmart each other....companies who understand the needs will fill in the gaps succesfully and with a age where the average product life cycle is decreasing market research will help in repositioning a product or extending the product line or category so that the product outlives its life cycle.

I LOOK AHEAD ALWAYS

I HAVE PLANNED , I HAVE HONNED MY SKILLS
I HAVE STAYED IN THE WINGS , DONE THE DRILL
I HAVE FALTERED A LITTLE , LEARNT A LOT
I HAVE GAINED THE KNOWLEDGE I ONCE SOUGHT
I HAVE TO LEAVE MY NEST NOW , EXPLORE THE WORLD OUTSIDE
I HAVE FOLLOWED THE MAP BUT NOW I AM ON MY OWN GUIDE
I WANT TO SEEK MY OWN DESTINY..................................
I WANT TO MAKE THE FUTURE NOT JUST HISTORY
I LOOK AHEAD ALWAYS...........