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Worried Sick
Chemistry of life
Career Hotline
Nice guys finish first
Working & a woman? Beware of lifestyle illnesses
All’s well at IIM-L
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Is downsizing the answer?
Hotelling: The way out
An innovative approach to containing operational costs is to review the deployment of workforce. What is being suggested is a “hotelling” concept. This is a work practice where a category of workers do not have permanent desks or cubicles and call the office to reserve space when they need to be there, check in at the given time, and then check out with another employee checking in after them - just like a hotel. IT, insurance and consulting firms encountering severe cost pressures in the New York region are containing expenses by spinning out their employees as high-tech work-from-home professionals. This could be viable even when happier times return and would enable larger margins.
NEWS of downsizing is bad news for any employee. Though downsizing is a common strategy adopted by organisations to cut costs and keep performance standards high, during the current recession it appears to have become a survival imperative.
Top management often forgets to recognise the trauma employees undergo when they or their co-workers are laid off. Downsizing in the immediate run might contain operational costs, but it tends to adversely impact the morale of the remaining workforce, which suffers from ‘survivor’s guilt syndrome’. This is a collective feeling of melancholy, fear and worry that their jobs might go in the next installment of layoffs. They are simultaneously relieved and feel guilty that they still have that job. The surviving workforce suffers from the loss of co-workers and, despite being downsizing survivors, feels just a bit like a victim, too. The survivors are probably also experiencing an increase in the level of stress relating to both the increased workload and their distrust of management. Anxiety and a lack of motivation also accompany the loss of co-workers in a layoff. Some of the key players may decide that they don’t want to stay and polish up their resumes waiting for the next bad news, in an environment of mistrust. All this is bad news for any company that is in any case caught in the talons of a recession. In any profitable corporate set-up, human resources never forms the largest chunk of operational cost. A large portion of cost is attributable to monolithic glass and steel offices in swanky commercial business districts of metropolises along with their attendant costs on energy and other services. In any workforce there are always teams that don’t need to be in physical proximity of one another and can function equally well in a
virtual mode. For instance, IBM has started an entirely office-free sales force in New Jersey. A lot of Fortune 500 companies have hot desks and touchdown areas where staff can plug in laptops and have face-to-face meetings as and when required. The original idea evolved from the cyber cafes that were set up so that people could surf the web. However, it cannot be applied indiscriminately across an organisation. This is where HR needs to assume a strategic role and assess which work teams whose job profiles do not require them to work inside an office could shift to a virtual work from home mode. The organisation could save valuable capital through releasing expensive real estate that hitherto fore housed these work teams. Even if the companies have to invest in appropriate connectivity enhancing and data security technology to enable these remote teams to connect with one another in a virtual model, it would be much cheaper than maintaining an office in downtown London, New York, suburban Gurgaon, downtown Nariman Point, Connaught Place, MG Road or Chowringhee.
— IANS
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Worried Sick
“There’s certainly been a pretty severe increase in stress, and stress is a precursor to anxiety and panic,” said Dr Elisha Goldstein, a Los Angeles-based psychologist who specialises in stress issues. Workers are distracted as well, worrying about keeping their jobs, when layoffs might come or the fate of colleagues who already lost their jobs, he said. “Companies start to become less effective. It starts to become a downward spiral, where an economic recession starts to become more of an emotional and mental recession,” Goldstein said. With job losses growing, company coffers shrinking and budgets tight, it’s no wonder workers’ mental health is taking a hit, public relations executive and lecturer Terrie Williams said. “What’s really difficult and very isolating about this experience is that people are walking around with that stuff inside
of them. It’s pretending that you’re fine when you’re really worried sick,” said Williams, who suffered from depression and wrote about it in her book Black Pain. She suggested workersworkers repeat the following mantra to themselves — “Everybody else is losing their job, but I’m not that one. That’s for somebody else. I’m not going to be that one.” Employees can handle workplace anxiety better if a company is frank about how it is faring and if managers are visible, said Bernadette Kenny, chief career officer at Adecco USA, which commissioned the mental health survey. Canadian motivational speaker Mike Moore had some advice for employers: Appreciate employees. “The thing I hear most is that nobody ever thanks us,” he said. “People will walk over miles of razor blades in bare feet for you if they know you appreciate them and tell them.” Business etiquette expert Barbara Pachter cautioned that tempers can wear thin in a workplace filled with stressed-out, anxious employees. “The important thing to remember when you are harassed or attacked by someone is not to react in a way you will regret later,” she said. “Though it may feel good to say, ‘Well, what do you know, you idiot?’ it’s not going to build your credibility or accomplish anything,” she said.
— Reuters
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Chemistry of life
Biochemistry is the study of molecular processes that enable all living organisms to feed, grow, move and reproduce. Biochemistry emerged as a separate discipline when scientists combined biology with organic, inorganic, or physical chemistry and began to study such topics as how living things obtain energy from food, the chemical basis of heredity, and what fundamental changes occur in disease. Biochemistry is a three dimensional science which includes the sciences of molecular biology, immunochemistry, neurochemistry and bioinorganic, bioorganic, and biophysical chemistry.
Institute Watch
Some universities offering M.Sc. biochemistry programmes are:
n University of Delhi: M.Sc. biochemistry & medical biochemistry Biochemists in medicine carry out diagnostic tests and investigations for finding out causes of diseases. Biochemistry spills over into pharmacology, physiology, microbiology, and clinical chemistry. In these areas, a biochemist may investigate the mechanism of a drug action; engage in viral research; conduct research pertaining to organ function; or use chemical concepts, procedures, and techniques to study the diagnosis and therapy of disease and the assessment of health. Biochemists study the role of genetic transmission of diseases from one generation to another and try to figure out the chemical changes that take place in the cells of the body signalling the onset of various diseases such as tuberculosis, cancer, diabetes and even mental disorders like epilepsy. In food science, biochemists research ways to develop abundant and inexpensive sources of nutritious foods, determine the chemical composition of foodstuffs, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, fats and vitamins, develop methods to extract nutrients from waste products or invent ways to prolong the shelf life of food products. The mechanism of fermentation practised for many years was discovered by biochemists. In agriculture, biochemists study the interaction of herbicides with plants. They examine the structure-activity relationships of compounds, determine their ability to inhibit growth, and evaluate the toxicological effects on surrounding life. Biochemists also develop and innovate new techniques for crop cultivation, pest control management and crop storage management.
Mission admission
IF you wish to pursue biochemistry, you must study physics, chemistry and maths at 10+2 level. A strong interest in chemistry and mathematical skills is useful. So is knowledge of statistics and computers. A bachelor’s degree in chemistry or biochemistry followed by an M.Sc in the subject with specialties in cell biology, genetics, molecular biology, biophysics, and biochemical methods is the normal route. However, a B.Sc in biology or biotechnology with more emphasis on chemistry, physics, and mathematics coupled with a master’s degree in biochemistry will also provide a foundation.
Career graph
BIOCHEMISTS have a wide variety of options. They can choose among hospitals, industry, agriculture, research institutes, education and associated areas. They can work with firms dealing with scientific equipment, pharmaceuticals, food, agriculture chemical and biotechnology products, crop improvement, cosmetics and forensic science that owe even their existence to biochemists Hospitals, public health laboratories, medical research institutes and the pharmaceutical industry require biochemists. Drug companies employ biochemists to research the causes of disease and to develop drugs to combat these. Biotechnology companies employ biochemists in research quality control, clinical research, manufacturing, and information systems with applications to the environment, energy, human health care, agriculture and animal health. Industries that produce pharmaceuticals, agricultural chemicals, foods, feeds, and consumer products also employ biochemists in research and in areas such as marketing, management, science information, technical writing, and editing. Biochemists and biotechnologists also work in agriculture and environment and have been responsible for many developments, such as pest-resistant crops, improvements in crop yields and waste management. Employers include government departments, seed companies, and institutes of health, and environmental protection. Colleges and universities mostly employ biochemists as teachers or researchers in sciences, medicine, engineering, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and agriculture. A science background can also provide an excellent base of knowledge and skills for many other careers, including business management, sales and marketing, journalism, law, accountancy and finance, and several others. Biochemists are curious about the chemical origins of life, the cell, the effects of organisms on the cell and how altering conditions can improve life on earth. So, to get into this field you require an inquisitive mind, creative thinking, intelligence, keen observation as well as hard work and perseverance. You must also enjoy interacting with others, as research is often teamwork. The work sometimes consumes a lot of time so patience and stamina to work for long hours and tenacity become other important requisites. Biochemists have made valuable contributions to fighting illness and improving the quality of life. This is a fascinating field, full of challenges and opportunities. Although we have achieved innumerable breakthroughs, we really have just scratched the surface! The field is wide open. (The writer is a career expert)
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Career Hotline
Q. Cricket is my passion and I am quite good at it but don’t know whether it would prove a full time career for me. Please give me contacts of some good coaching institutes and tell their approximate expenditure? I also want to know if any government or private aid, scholarship or other facilities are there for blooming talents in this field? Friends suggested me some academies but I doubt that they will fulfill their promises and my aspirations.
— Nakul Sharma A.
For starters, try to play in cricket matches at the school, college, university or club level (under-16, under-19 (city), under-19 (zonal), rest of India, under-17 India team etc). Try and catch the attention of your zonal talent research development officer (TRDO) for cricket. TRDOs observe young players below the age of 22 to spot prospective talent. Besides overall fitness, these talent scouts look into all three aspects of the game: batting, bowling and fielding. The list is submitted to the National Cricket Academy (NCA). Promising players are sent to camps organised by the zonal cricket academies and the NCA. From the way cricket-coaching academies have cropped up in the metros, it would be hard to judge who actually benefits from the upsurge — players or the mushrooming academy owners. It is important to realise that great players don’t necessarily make good coaches (only coaches who have trained at the National Institute of Sports are considered ‘professional’ in India). Besides a qualified panel of coaches, an ideal academy should also have modern infrastructure — good pitches, good grassy outfield, a full-fledged gym, bowling machine, power-roller, video facility, etc. While most of the academies encourage tours within the country and abroad, you must verify the itinerary and the quality of teams before you go on such a tour. A number of public and private undertakings have also contributed towards setting up regional and national cricket academies. Contact your state cricket association for guidance. Since most of the queries are from Rajasthan, let me give you some details of the Future Cricket Academy that is housed in the Rajasthan Cricket Academy in the Sawai Man Singh Stadium at Jaipur. It has a 30-room training academy that incorporates boarding facilities for the trainees and state of the art add-ons like cameras that cover every inch of the facility. As the live feed directly goes to the net, parents, for instance, can log on and see what their children are up to during their training. Computer giant IBM has set up an e-library in the basement stocked with cricket literature, cricket and training videos, all of which are accessible to the wards. In addition, all practice sessions are videotaped with multiple cameras and from various angles; each hostel room is equipped with a computer on which the trainee can view these videos to review his own performance, and that of his mates. The grounds surrounding this facility has a “cricket ring” and is divided into 24 practice pitches with different conditions and different challenges to create versatile cricketers, who can adapt in a jiffy to any sort of pitch, to all kinds of conditions. The academy takes in groups of young hopefuls between 15-19 years, drawn from all across the state. Each group of 22 trainees takes up residence on the premises and goes through a 10-day training at the end of which they are evaluated in one on one sessions with the two head coaches and sent back home with a report card and suggestions on how they can continue their practice, and what they should focus on. The various groups will be brought back, one at a time and their individual progress evaluated and trained further. In the end, they will play three simulated matches every day using the cricket ring concept; these matches will cycle through the various pitches and conditions. Finally, the best players are identified, and brought together as a core group on which the future of Rajasthan cricket will be built. This group will take up residence at the academy, and the intensity of the coaching will be stepped up.
PhD: You must have a guide
Q. What are the steps for getting a PhD? How much time does it take? Can I opt for a topic from a subject in which I have not done my PG? What is honorary PhD? Can I do PhD without a guide? — Jitendra Bisht
A. Although many universities ask for an MPhil before admitting students to their PhD programmes, there are several that offer direct admission to master’s degree holders based on their academic qualifications and research capabilities, while yet others admit students on the basis of an entrance exam. The PhD programme can take anywhere from four years upwards depending on the complexity of the subject, submission of the thesis, availability of the guide. An honorary PhD is usually granted a mark of respect to public figures, who have rendered exceptional service to their field/nation, meritorious artistes and at times, even to gratify politicians. Some universities offer PhD programmes for those working in scientific institutions and industries in certain scientific and engineering fields under their special external registration programmes or as part-time programmes. Off-campus, PhD programmes are also offered by a number of universities like BITS-Pilani, IITs, IIITs, IISc, IGNOU etc to enable experienced professionals in various disciplines of technology and science to work for a PhD in their respective work environment. Admission to these programmes is done through the PhD Aspirants Scheme that requires students to clear a qualifying exam in the case of some universities. Those who have the requisite experience, but are lacking in academic qualifications are enrolled in MPhil (applied) at BITS to begin with. Taking the UGC National Education Test (NET) will qualify you to receive the Junior Research Fellowship (the amount has been raised to Rs 14,000) while pursuing a doctoral programme as well as for being recruited as a lecturer at the university or college level. I am not sure you can really do a PhD without a guide whose inputs can be valuable at every stage. The choice of topics – either directly related or at a tangent from your field of study has to be approved by the concerned department of the university – based on your background, competence to handle the subject, availability of guides for that particular discipline and the record of thesis already submitted by researchers on a given topic.
You’ll need certificate of physical disability
Q. How is a physical handicap recognised? How is it measured? What is the meaning of 40, 50, 60 per cent? Who is authorised to provide a PH certificate? — Lavinder Kaur A.
Different physical handicaps — blindness, low vision, leprosy, locomotor disability, mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy and mental illness are recognised through tests and diagnosis by qualified medical specialists. The percentage refers to the extent of handicap as compared to normal parameters. To be qualified as physically-handicapped and avail special benefits, you need to get a certificate of physical disability issued by your district CMO or an authorised civil surgeon in a government hospital. For instance, for a learning disability like dyslexia, a simple psycho-educational test can assess the child’s performance in reading, writing, maths, comprehension, memory etc. The final check-up must be done by a pediatric neurologist. All disabled children between 14 and 18 years are entitled to an annual grant of Rs 3,000 for personal needs, apart from schools taking care of their educational requirements. MHRD has mooted a Rs 1,000-crore inclusive education scheme for children with special needs at the secondary level. Under this, a large number of disabled children will be given inclusive education by increasing the disabilities covered to eight. The aim is to retain children with special needs till the secondary level.
On the fast track
Q. I want to participate in car racing or F1 races. But I am totally unaware about it. Please tell me whom should I contact? Please give me some websites, contact numbers? — Vineet Fauji
A.
A heady mix of speed and spectacle, power and passion, gumption and glamour — that’s motorsport for you! I did a double take when I found out that Indians who seem to live breath, sleep cricket also absolutely love the fast and furious sport of motor racing — which incidentally is the second most watched programme after cricket, notwithstanding the current football fever. However, if you want to be the next Michael Schumacher (who bagged the French GP on July 16 becoming the only driver in history to win the same Grand Prix eight times) or our very own Narain Karthikeyan, it maybe a good idea to put your head under the bonnet to understand how it works and how far you can push it. Karting or go-karting as it is popularly called, is the first step towards a career in motor racing. The karts are simple ungeared machines designed to reach a maximum speed of 80 kmph that can be driven by anyone with some formal knowledge of motoring. Regular championships are now held at the national level in Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Goa, Ahmedabad and Mumbai, Coimbatore and Pune. If you have a driving license, you can register at any of the 90 odd clubs under the Federation of Motor Clubs of India. A copy of the National Competition Rules (NCR) will familiarise you with all the rules, events and competitions organised at these clubs. Rallies and test drives are organised from time to time to spot new talent; so that’s a good starting point. If you get picked up here, invitations to bigger rallies and championships will follow. Watch out: both motor racing as well as rallying are huge money guzzlers and require deep pockets. Certainly not something you can finance on your own. Corporate sponsorship is the lifeline of this sport. In fact the costs are so high that you may require a consortium of sponsors. Although rallying and racing are both motor related sports, they require different training inputs and skills at the cutting edge. Even the cars are different. It takes a good seven-eight years before you are ready to get on to the track and reach peak performance by the time you are 30 to enter rallies like the Auto Cross in the professional circuit followed by championship rallies. A professional career in racing is comparatively shorter and requires rigorous training on international tracks and lesser championships like Formula Nippon, F-2 and F-3 before you can graduate to F-1, which is the acme of motor racing. Even Karthikeyan entered the league as a test driver after knocking on F-1 doors for more than four years. Each practice day on the track costs lakhs! While drivers abroad have virtually unlimited finances, for Indian racers raising funds can be very frustrating. Apart from deep pockets, racing demands a very high level of physical fitness and mental alertness to take split-second decisions at high speeds. It is a sport where you simply can’t afford to take chances. It literally involves a great deal of sweat and hard work.
This column appears weekly. Please send in your queries, preferably on a postcard, along with your full name, complete address and academic qualifications to:
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Nice guys finish first
A study co-authored by North Carolina State University’s (NCSU) Jon Bohlmann shows that project managers can get much better performance from their team when they treat members with honesty, kindness and respect. A second study co-authored by NCSU’s Rob Handfield shows that product development teams can reap significant quality and cost benefits from socialising with people who work for their suppliers. The first study focussed on cross-functional product development teams, which bring together engineers, researchers and business personnel. The diverse backgrounds of the team members means there is a focus on finance and marketing, as well as design and functionality, from the beginning of the product-development process. But that diversity also makes effective communication essential, in order to ensure that team members are collaborating rather than working at cross-purposes. The study finds that “interactional fairness perception” affects “cross-functional communication”. In other words, Bohlmann explains, “If you think you are being treated well, you are going to work well with others on your team.” Bohlmann, associate professor of marketing at NCSU, said that the study evaluated whether team members felt they were being well treated by their project leader. This evaluation included questions as to whether team members felt their leader was honest, kind and considered the viewpoints of team members. Bohlmann said the results of the study show that if a team’s leader was perceived as “basically being a nice guy, then team members showed a significant increase in commitment to the team’s success and to the project they were working on”. This increase in commitment is important, Bohlmann explains, because it leads to enhanced performance in meeting team goals. If the Bohlmann study tells us that nice guys finish first, the Handfield study finds that playing well with others can give a company an edge when it comes to product development, according to a NCSU release. Specifically, the Handfield study shows that significant cost and quality benefits can result from informal socialising between employees of a product-development company and those companies that supply the product developers with material and labour. Handfield explains that informal socialising, like going out to dinner after a meeting, can lead to considering new ideas that take advantage of the different perspectives and experience that suppliers can provide — and ultimately provide product developers with meaningful input. — IANS
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Working & a woman? Beware of lifestyle illnesses
According to a survey, 27 per cent women in urban India are employed and their health issues are a major concern both for society and business. The study Preventive Health Care and Corporate Female Workforce by industry house Assocham, reveals that 68 per cent of the working women surveyed in the age bracket of 21-52 years were afflicted with lifestyle disease such as obesity, depression, chronic backache, diabetes and hypertension.
Magic pill?
THE survey revealed that workingwomen also resort to dietary/nutrient supplement, including multi-vitamins. Nearly 36 per cent of the respondents take multi-vitamins followed by 19 per cent who take Vitamin D capsules. To overcome iron deficiency 21 per cent of females prescribe to iron-based dietary supplement, 26 per cent of the working ladies intake calcium supplements.
The study was conducted on 103 employed females more than two-third of them were reported to be suffering from lifestyle diseases. The women surveyed belonged to 72 companies or organisations across 11 broad sectors of the economy. It analysed that job demands like long working hours, working under deadlines and without clear direction led 75 per cent of the working women to suffer from depression or general anxiety disorder than those women with lower psychological level of job demands. Work pressure and deadlines often led 53 per cent of the survey respondents to skip their meals and munch more of junk food. Other factors causing depression and health problems were exposure to industrial pollutants and environmental toxins found in daily life, poor quality sleep, lack of exercise and sunlight exposure, poor nutrition, excessive intake of alcohol and drug abuse. “Women play a vital role, especially those who are employed as a balance needs to be maintained by them both at home and workplace, thus ignorance of healthcare can have multiple implications on her surrounding environment such as her family, workplace and social network,” the study said. Seventy seven per cent of the working women respondents have avoided visiting the doctor. The reasons varied such as 26 per cent were unable to take out time from their busy work schedule, 20 per cent were afraid of the outcome, 17 per cent preferred to take home remedial measures, nine per cent were too embarrassed to visit the doctor while five per cent did not like to visit the doctor. The survey found that 47 per cent of respondents, who are suffering from cold, flu, headaches and stress spend less than Rs 500 on their healthcare in a year while 22 per cent of the employees spend in the range of Rs 500-5,000 in a year as they suffer from health problems such as obesity and depression.
— PTI
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All’s well at IIM-L
DESPITE the market scenario, IIM-Lucknow yet again achieved 100 per cent placements for students in their domains of choice. A whopping 105 companies made 284 offers, making it the largest placement process this year across premier B-schools in terms of the number of candidates placed successfully.
Unlike previous years, the final placement process was an extended process spread over two weeks. Over 120 companies — including more than 50 first-time recruiters – had confirmed their participation in placements. Of the 267 students of the graduating batch, 25 students accepted the pre-placement offers extended to them whereas seven chose to start up on their own. This year’s placements showed the rising trend of a change in the focus of students, with almost 31 per cent of the offers being made in the marketing domain in addition to about 40 per cent of offers coming from the finance domain. In addition to these, about 16 per cent of the batch accepted consulting offers while the rest took up offers from HR (5 per cent), general management (4 per cent), operations (2 per cent) and systems (2 per cent) domain. Several students also managed to secure lucrative international offers. The higher entry placement process (HEPP), which facilitates lateral placements at IIM Lucknow, was held from January through March 2009 and 48 students bagged lateral job offers. Students of the agri-business stream also performed well to bag offers from major recruiters like ITC, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Agrotech Foods. IIM-L also hosted 14 PSUs, which were well received by students with 65 offers, highest across all IIMs, being accepted during the placement season. Chairperson–placements Dr Sushil Kumar said, “The successful conclusion of placements 2009 has upheld the caliber and potential of this institute.”
— TNS
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Fortnightly Quiz-332
1. Who was recently reinstated as Chief Justice of Pakistan?
2. Who has been appointed the new chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF)? 3. When is World Water Day observed? 4. In which country is the picturesque Swat Valley situated? 5. Which Indian business tycoon is building a 550-foot, 27-storeyed skyscraper, at an approximate cost of $1 billion, in Mumbai? 6. Which is the world’s least expensive car? 7. Name the player, hailing from Himachal Pradesh, who was part of the cricket World Cup winning squad of 1983. 8. Which country recently won the women’s cricket World Cup held in Australia? 9. How many Indian bowlers have claimed 200 or more wickets in Test cricket? 10. After how many years did India recently record a Test cricket victory in New Zealand? — Tarun Sharma
Winners of quiz 331: The first prize by draw of lots goes to Nishant Dogra, class VIII, DAV Public School, Nahan, district Sirmaur, Nahan, Pin Code - 173001 Second:
Karan Bansal, class X, Indus Public School, Nai Sahar Badala, Kharar, district Mohali, Pin Code 140301 Third:
Nikhil Sahota, class X, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Paprola – 176115, tehsil Baijnath, district Kangra (Himachal Pradesh) Answers to quiz 331:
Five; Vijay Mallya; Munich; MiG 23 BN; AR Rehman; Bangladesh Rifles; Jammu and Kashmir; 50; Hanif Mohammad, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Younis Khan; 31 Cash awards of Rs 400, 300 and 200 are given to the first, second and third prize winners, respectively. These are sent at the school address. Note: Kindly mention the pincode of your place to facilitate the delivery of the prize money. Answers can also be sent
at quiz@tribunemail.com
Name ……………….………….............................. |
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ONE in five workers say the recession is causing them mental health problems, as they battle anxiety and fear over the potential loss of their jobs, new research shows. Among 1,068 employed adults surveyed in the United States, 215 said the economic situation has had a negative impact on their mental health, while another 359 workers said their on-the-job stress level has increased. The survey was conducted online for employment agency Adecco USA.
MAYBE you love collecting butterflies and wonder at the colour of their wings or enjoy lab experiments, the study of physics and chemistry and are good in mathematics. You could not be wildly keen on engineering but have always thought there was no alternative. Well, if you agree with any one of these, then the study of biochemistry is the perfect scientific discipline with a wide range of applications.
Biochemists study the chemical components and processes of living systems plants, insects, viruses, micro-organisms and mammals to explain how and why chemical reactions occur. Their work contributes to many fields of science and its focus on improving the quality of our lives. These include fields such as molecular biology, marine biology, pharmacology, plant physiology, genetics, agriculture, horticulture and many others. Biochemists work in modern research laboratories that stimulate creative work. Often, they interact with scientists and specialists from other fields because their research is tied to another discipline.
While selecting teams, state associations look out for budding talent with long-term prospects since the ideal age to break into the national team is between18-24. With cricket earnings running into crores, the cricket craze has reached a crescendo.
BEING nice and working well with others gives you a solid competitive edge, especially when you are leading a team assigned to developing and marketing a new product.
AS double income families become the norm in most metropolises, it is ultimately the women who are under pressure with 68 per cent of them reporting lifestyle diseases.
