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Of happy shoppers & pleased retailers
Career Hotline
Let the good times begin!
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Of happy shoppers & pleased retailers
It is the younger population with greater discretionary incomes and the consequently changing lifestyles that is driving the retail growth. Shopping in India has witnessed a revolution with a change in consumer-buying behavior. Shopping is no longer a necessity, but also provides entertainment and fun. Shopping complexes are the new hangout joints for thousands of young people, who may not necessarily want to buy something. Today’s multi-stored malls, huge shopping centres, and sprawling complexes offer food, shopping, and entertainment all under the same roof to a growing middle class with a strong income base.
The concept
Shopping has evolved into a science that provides vital information about the consumer, and how it can be used. Retail professionals therefore need to understand and interact directly with the customer in a store so as to be able to provide him/her the product closest to what he/she wants. The mushrooming retail chains in Indian cities and towns have created huge demand for trained retail professionals. Companies like Pantaloons, Reliance India, Food World, Barista, Shopper’s Stop, Bata, Big Bazaar, and Music World to name a few, have opened their outlets across the length and breadth of the country.
The scope
Areas of work in the field of retail include stores management, inventory management, department layout management and customer service management. A retail manager, therefore, plans and coordinates the operations of retail outlets — be it small franchisees like specialty shops, fastfood chains, or sections of supermarkets or department stores. This would involve determining the layout of merchandise so that it is presented as attractively as possible, monitoring the stock levels, placing orders and managing the supply chains and keeping and analysing records of sales figures and financial transactions. A retail manager is also expected to maintain a high level of customer service by observing customer preferences and ensuring that complaints are quickly resolved. Often retail managers have to use innovative retail formats to enhance the shopping experience, organising fashion shows at clothing departments, or serving coffee in the store to encourage buyers to stay and mingle. Retail managers work in different areas of a store, obtaining practical experience of each department and gaining selling, marketing and managerial skills. Retail-specific areas such as visual merchandising, plannogramming or the science of maximising space efficiency in a store and supply chain management are some of the jobs in demand today.
The start point
The basic qualification necessary to enroll in a programme of retail management is 10+2. Some institutes offer postgraduate programmes for which the minimum eligibility is a three-year bachelor’s degree. The retail management course includes subjects like supply chain management, marketing information, finance management, inventory management and accounting in retail. Students also learn about sales promotion and customer relationship management, as well as business communication and organisational behavior.
The choices
While the huge demand for retail professionals has resulted in many getting into this career without formal training, a focused retail management course now available at many institutes provides the necessary inputs for those wanting to make a career in this field. Many of the training institutes have been set up by retail chains seeing the
demand for trained people. K.J. Somaiya Institute of Management and Research Studies, Mumbai, was the first to introduce the subject, and offers an 18-month PG diploma in retail management that includes a six-month professional practice in a Pantaloon store. Others, such as the Welingkar School of Retail Management Studies and Indian Retail School, New Delhi, also offer specialised programmes in retailing and retail management. Fashion institutes such as NIFT and Pearl Academy of Fashion, New Delhi, offer specialisation in apparel retailing and merchandising. However, even if you have done a BBA, or MBA with marketing, or a simple graduation you can still look at a career in retail management. RPG Retail, another retail chain, has started a course for training in retail and partnered with XLRI for the purpose. It has collaborated with 14 educational institutions in the country including design schools and management institutes to develop industry relevant course curriculum, train academicians and trainers and operate joint degree programmes that allow students to intern and gain exposure. The Bharti Wal-Mart Training Centre at Amritsar is another retail training centre aimed at bridging the shortage of skilled workers for cash-and-carry and organised retail formats. The centre offers short-term vocational certification courses that will equip candidates to become floor and sales assistants or supervisors at wholesale cash-and-carry and retail ventures.
The add-ons
If you have good communications and organisational skills and a flair for selling, retail management could be a good career option for you. This is a customer-oriented field and you should be able to put your business skills to practical and visible application. You must enjoy working with people and have a good product knowledge or interest in marketing areas like fashion, music and computer games. You also need good numerical skills and must have the ability to work accurately and neatly.
The road ahead
Multinationals have made significant inroads into the Indian retail sector, and are bringing in standards of customer service never before experienced in India. Most departmental stores have in-house training and even sponsor courses. Opportunities are aplenty in this field. Departmental stores, designer boutiques, fast food chains, super markets, company stores, music stores, electronics showrooms, automobile dealers all employ retail professionals. The traditional food and grocery segment has seen the emergence of supermarkets and grocery chains like Food World, Nilgiris, Apna Bazaar, and convenience stores like Convenio, HP Speedmart and fastfood chains. There has also been a large increase in the non-food retail segment, in a variety of new sectors. These include lifestyle and fashion segments like Shoppers’ Stop, Globus, Lifestyle, Westside, apparel and accessories like Pantaloon, Levis, Reebok, books, music and gifts like Archies, Music World, Crosswords, Landmark, even in appliances and consumer durables, as well as healthcare and pharmacy. With the spread of the PVR chain, the entertainment and cinema segment is also offering a retail choice. So, if you have enjoyed hanging around the new shopping malls, a career in retail can not only ensure exciting shopping experiences, but also allow you to get paid handsomely to indulge your fantasies. (The writer is a career expert)
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Career Hotline
A. Resul Pookutty’s Oscar for Best Sound Mixing has thrust the otherwise ignored and unheralded field of sound mixing and engineering into the spotlight. Sound engineers make high quality recordings of music, speech and sound effects in recording studios and “on location”. They use complex electronic equipment to record sound for: commercial music recordings, radio, TV, film and commercials, corporate videos, websites, computer, video and mobile games. As a sound engineer your work would involve:
n
Planning recording sessions with producers and artists When looking for your first job, you will find it helpful to have practical experience of using studio equipment. Taking music technology course can help with this, and you could also build up your experience through activities like local music programmes or DJ projects, FM or community radio, mixing and recording music in a home studio. You may increase your chances of finding work by taking a course such as a certificate or diploma in sound technology or a degree in sound engineering. You will usually develop your skills on the job once you are working in a studio. Make sure you keep up to date with changes in audio technology and equipment throughout your career. You may opt for specialised courses in technical skills such as sequencing, mastering, editing and recording. With experience, you could also choose to take further qualifications such as professional diplomas in audio recording or sound studio management abroad. If you want to move into sound for television and film, you can also take short courses to develop your skills in this area. You could work full-time for a recording studio, or be self-employed and work on short-term freelance contracts. Most of the major studios are based in and around Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. There are smaller studios throughout the country, where most of the work may involve recording ‘demos’ for local bands, creating commercials for local radio stations and copying CDs. With experience, you could specialise in areas like mastering, or you could become a producer after building up a reputation with a number of clients. You could also choose to start your own recording studio.
Challenging
THERE is strong competition for work. Jobs are not often advertised, so you will need to be persistent and show initiative to get into the recording industry. People often start off by working for free to make contacts and get their foot in the door.
Do secondary course through distance mode
A. Since there is no UGC guideline that says you can’t, you can certainly go ahead and pursue a distance learning programme alongside your regular course. Some universities on the other hand, clearly forbid you from simultaneously pursuing two degree courses from the same university. But then you have such a wide choice of open and distance learning programmes to choose from. Some universities insist on original certificates that are released only after you complete your graduation. If there is no such stipulation, you can happily proceed. The only other practical problem you may face is balancing clashing examination dates, which could be a sticky proposition. Other than that, if both courses are duly
recognised, they would certainly add to your arsenal. Not just that, adding on a more market-friendly course gives you an advantage. So if you can comfortably manage both simultaneously, do go ahead. However, to be on the safe side, please do ensure that the correspondence course you intend to pursue is recognised by the Distance Education Council
(www.dec.ac.in)
The world at your feet!
A. Not really. Whether you are designing leather garments, footwear, handbags accessories or leather upholstery and furniture, it calls for basic knowledge of leather technology and treatment, besides specialised training in different aspects such as styling, creating patterns, fabrication, and keeping yourself updated with the latest in international designing and manufacturing trends and standards. India ranks second among the largest footwear producing countries in the world, after China. Moreover, the domestic demand for footwear is also on the rise — estimated at over 800 million pairs a year! Special courses in leather design and technology are offered at several institutions: n
National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Seats: 30 each Website:
www.nift.ac.in n Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI), Noida, Kanpur, Agra and Chennai FDDI is one of the most reputed training institutions in the footwear industry. Equipped with a CAD centre and a resource centre, the ISO 9001 certified institute is accredited with Bally of Switzerland and the Textile Institute, UK. Courses: UG and PG courses in footwear technology, designing and CAD-CAM Website: www.fddiindia.com n
AVI School of Fashion & Shoe Technology, S.C.O. 493-94, Sector 35-C, Chandigarh n
Central Footwear Training Institute (CFTI), Agra n
Government Leather Institute (GLI), Jalandhar, Agra, Kanpur
From invention to perfection
Q. I am a student of Class 12 (PCB). I know a little about the various branches of engineering, but please tell me something about what research engineers and design engineers do.
— Kundan Joshi
A. Every field of engineering requires research and design engineers. Research engineers traditionally work in the R&D lab testing or inventing new products and processes in their field (electronic, mechanical, computer, aerospace, whatever). They often utilise their creativity and curiosity to reach the discovery stage of a new breakthrough in the field. Design engineers, on the other hand, work on the application or of a new product or process, once it has been invented. Using sophisticated computer simulation, they test the new innovation, to visualise as many possible scenarios for application or troubleshooting. This way they are able to “foresee” how a new innovation could impact the future of the industry.
Work, study, work
A. The average cost may work out to approximately 12,000-16,000 pounds, including living costs (average living cost for London is 750-600 Pounds per month). Part time jobs in UK may include working in a cafeteria, college, store or at a petrol bunk. You can work 20 hours a week during your term earning approximately 5-7 pounds an hour (you can work full-time in vacation time). However, these expenses can’t be used to show that they cover tuition fees or
living expenses.
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Let the good times begin!
“We think Indian companies are getting ready for the revival and plan to hire strategically going forward. 2010 looks to be a good year from a salary increase perspective,” Hewitt Associates practice leader (performance & rewards, South & West Asia) Sandeep Chaudhary said. “It will not be the double digit growth (in salary) that we have now become used to in India, but will reflect the growing confidence in the Indian economy,” Chaudhary added. Hewitt Associates, which released the findings of its Asia Pacific Salary Increase Survey 2009-10 in a magazine, stated employees in the fastest growing markets may see higher salary increases in 2010 than the others. Employees in India are expected to receive the highest salary hike of 9.2 per cent in the Asia-Pacific region in 2010, the report forecast. They have received an average salary increase of 6.3 per cent in 2009. Moreover, about 61 per cent of the firms surveyed reported they were planning on strategic hiring in 2010. The report also pointed out that employers appear to have much more confidence in the economy in 2010. Coincidently, Indian companies also project a low percentage of salary freezes in 2010 at six per cent. The survey further said that employers across the country are now focused on employee performance and are re-looking at compensation budgets and retention of high-performers. “We believe the metrics of performance and productivity for compensation and rewards will continue to remain in focus. Firms should ensure they set clear performance expectations, ensure rigorous measurement and reward high performance. These measures helped firms tide economic slowdown and will remain invaluable in times of recovery and growth,” Chaudhary added. The survey measured actual and projected salary increases and compensation practices of 238 participating firms across 13 primary industries with 20 sub-classifications. Information used in this report was collected during the period of July to August 2009.
— PTI
Tier-II cities pip metros in job creation
Medium size towns, known as Tier-II cities, have outpaced the metropolitans in creation of white collar jobs in the private sector, indicating a recovery in the overall employment market, a study has revealed.
Employment opportunities in the private sector increased by close to 30 per cent in the second rung cities, while in top metros, they improved by about six per cent in the first seven months of the current fiscal, the study by Assocham found. However, the job creation in Delhi NCR showed a decline of 23.42 per cent and in Mumbai by 3.28 per cent this fiscal compared to last financial year. But bulk of the employment among the metros got generated in the two cities, with Delhi claiming 34 per cent and Mumbai over 13 per cent share between April-October this fiscal. For smaller cities, the job market worsened signalling “the benefits of the stimulus packages have yet to percolate down,” the chamber said. Assocham president Swati Piramal expressed concern over the lack of opportunities in the small cities stating “migration of youth towards bigger towns would continue.” In all, the study found 3,21,294 job offers on different portals between April-October 2009 against 3,00,000 in the same period last year.
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The search is on
Empoloyers around the globe are finding it difficult to get suitable candidates with right skills, even as number of job seekers has grown substantially since the beginning of economic crisis, a survey says.
According to the study by SHL, global workplace talent assessment solutions provider, recruiters are still struggling to identify the right people for their firms, despite the fact that unemployment has touched a record high globally. Almost half (41 per cent) of the recruiters surveyed said the number of applications per job has increased since the start of the recession, the report stated. While, only 23 per cent of the employers covered in the survey have actually found it easier to find suitable candidates, it added. The survey of more than 350 recruiters found that 36 per cent have been taking longer to recruit because of the downturn while the majority said this is because there are more candidates. “While it may seem that recruiters currently have the pick of the talent due to the increase in job seekers, it appears that this is not necessarily the case. Not only has the sheer number of applicants made it difficult for employers to identify the best candidates, but many employers do not appear to have an understanding of the skills and competencies they actually need,” SHL CEO David Leigh said. Almost two-third (60 per cent) employers have become more selective, with a third of them (35 per cent) saying they are looking for the best people to help their organisation survive the tough economic conditions, the SHL survey revealed. Due to the increase in candidates, recruiters are being more selective about experience (69 per cent), competencies (61 per cent), enthusiasm (46 per cent) and fit with company culture (42 per cent), it added. Further, many employers are also wary of candidates looking for a ‘stop-gap’ until the job market improves, rather than a job that is actually right for them. These concerns seem to be well-founded with a recent SHL survey of employees showing that 18 per cent had taken a job in the last year that was not in line with their expectations. Additional methods of selection have been brought in by two thirds of those recruiters surveyed, including competency interviewing (32 per cent), trial periods (26 per cent), additional interviews (21 per cent) and psychometric testing (13 per cent).
— PTI
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Food for Thought
According to the survey, India has topped latest round of Nielsen’s Consumer Confidence Survey with 120 index points. The country is followed by Indonesia and Norway with 115 and 110 index points, respectively. Indicating a rebounding consumer confidence across the world, Nielsen’s global consumer confidence index has also seen an increase and has jumped to 86 points this month from 77 index points in April this year. The consumer confidence is a reflection of the optimism in a country towards job prospects, personal finances, and their willingness to spend on discretionary items. “Economic downturn is finally subsiding not only in India but across the world and improving economic condition and prospect of growth are infusing more confidence in people,” The Nielsen Co director (consumer research) Vatsala Pant said. Indians are also most optimistic lot globally when it comes to job prospects and state of personal finances for the next 12 months. “At present it looks like Indian economy and people’s confidence is on a fast improving trajectory. Everything looks positive from point of view of job market, people’s finances and investments. If things continue the way they are downturn in India will soon become history,” Pant said. Eight in 10 Indians are optimistic about job prospects in the country in the next 12 months, 16 per cent think it is ‘excellent’ and as much as 69 per cent think it is ‘good’. About 81 per cent Indian consumers are also very optimistic about state of their personal finances in the next 12 months, while ten per cent of the surveyed think personal finances would be ‘excellent’.
— PTI
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What’s in a name? A lot
A Study has found that women with male names are more successful lawyers and judges than those with more traditional, feminine names.
The study, led by economist Bentley Coffey of Clemson University in South Carolina, looked at the relationship between a person’s success in the legal profession, and their ultimately becoming a judge, and how masculine their name is. The study found by hypothesising and using a series of equations that a female “Cameron” is about three times more likely to become a judge than a “Sue”, while a female “Bruce” is five times more likely. “Despite the fact that women made up half of the students graduating from law school in the past 15 years, the legal profession remains a male-dominated world,” Coffey wrote. “Consequentially, one would suspect that having a male persona or male moniker might still be advantageous to a career in law.” Coffey and his team used data from the voting population of South Carolina state to test the so-called “Portia Hypothesis”. The thesis is named after Shakespeare’s play, “The Merchant of Venice”, in which the heiress Portia masquerades as a male lawyer to argue before a judge the case of her husband’s friend Antonio, saving him for the moneylender Shylock. “The first female lawyer in South Carolina had a masculine name and today many female lawyers privately express their belief that their nominal masculinity matters,” the study said. It listed other factors that could contribute to the advancement of women with male names, including the small number of females in law firms in several parts of the United States and that more voters prefer men to women when casting their ballots for judicial positions. “Jurists, clients, superiors, professors, legislators, might just feel more comfortable with a woman called “George” than one called “Barbara”,” the study said. “In the context of the “good old boy network”, which is alive and well in the legal profession a woman with a male moniker might just feel more like one of the boys.” Coffey said that his research has also affected him personally — he gave one of his twin daughters a traditionally masculine name and the other a traditionally feminine name. And initial results from a follow-on study show that women with male names are more likely to make more money than their more femininely named counterparts, Coffey said.
— Reuters
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Happiness @ work
Most of us take the office home and bring the home to the office. This distracts us from the work at hand.
We make mistakes because we are distracted. Our concentration on the work at hand is compromised by some thought about the past or the future. The tiff I had with my wife in the morning or the party in the evening affects my concentration. The biggest impediment to full concentration in today’s life is your mobile phone. It doesn’t let you eat or even pee in peace. While driving, it can cause accidents. While working, mistakes occur.
— Sai R. Vaidyanathan
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Fortnightly Quiz-348
2. Which two places were linked by rail link in Jammu and Kashmir recently? 3. On which issue will be a crucial UN summit held in Copenhagen (Denmark) from December 7? 4. Which protocol imposes emission cuts on developed countries? 5. Which head of state recently became the first non-royal to be put up at the Windsor Castle during her visit to the UK? 6. Name the Sulabh International founder who has been named among the “Heroes of Environment 2009” by the Time magazine. 7. How many years ago was Indira Gandhi assassinated? 8. Which country has the maximum cases of diabetes in the world? 9. Which world-renowned cricket umpire had the habit of hopping on one leg whenever a team reached 111 or ‘Nelson’ score? 10. What is India’s highest one-day international score against Australia?
— Tarun Sharma
Winners of quiz 347: The first prize by draw of lots goes to Bhavsimran Singh Malhi, class VIII-D, St Joseph’s Convent Secondary School, Bhagu Road, Bathinda-151001 Second: Sandeep Kumar, class XI-A, roll no 47, Govt Model High School, Sector 28-D, Chandigarh-160020 Third: Kushagra Singh, class VII-B, St Edward’s School, Milsington, Shimla-171001 Answers to quiz 347: Dr Venkatraman Ramakrishnan; Elinor Ostrom; Barack Obama; Mahatma Gandhi; Aravallis; Bt-brinjal; India; Aerosol; Mumbai; Ronaldinho Cash awards of Rs 400, 300 and 200 are given to the first, second and third prize winners, respectively. These are sent directly 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
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India has been called a nation of shopkeepers, but we are not just shopkeepers but diehard shoppers, too! Despite the slowdown, downsizing and loss of jobs, shopping during this festive season did not decline. Every market and mall was full of shoppers picking up clothes, jewellery, foods and lifestyle goods. It is not surprising, therefore, that India’s retail industry is among the largest in the world with revenue estimated to be around US$ 220 billion and increasing at a rate of over 5 per cent every year.
India has been called a nation of shopkeepers, but we are not just shopkeepers but diehard shoppers, too! Despite the slowdown, downsizing and loss of jobs, shopping during this festive season did not decline. Every market and mall was full of shoppers picking up clothes, jewellery, foods and lifestyle goods. It is not surprising, therefore, that India’s retail industry is among the largest in the world with revenue estimated to be around US$ 220 billion and increasing at a rate of over 5 per cent every year.
Retailing can be defined as the buying and selling of goods and services. It
involves the distribution of products from manufacturers to the consumers through convenient channels and a direct interface with the customer with the coordination of business activities from end to end — right from the concept or design stage of a product or offering, to its delivery and post-delivery service to the customer.
Q. I am very fond of playing and listening to music. What is the work of a sound engineer like? What do I need to study and where will I work?
— Jasjeet Bedi
To become a studio sound engineer, you need a good knowledge of music and recording technology, and you will also find it useful to understand physics and electronics. You could also start as an assistant in a recording studio where you will do basic routine jobs, but at the same time, you would also get the chance to learn how to use studio equipment and assist on recording sessions. With experience, you might become a studio manager!
Q. I am doing BA (English) from Panjab University. Can you please tell me if I can do a correspondence course (in journalism) from another university along with my graduation?
— Gauri
Shekhar
Q. I want to take up footwear deigning as a profession. Is knowledge of textiles required for this job and are there any colleges or universities offering degrees or diplomas in footwear design?
— Javed Sheikh
Courses: Four-year, UG programme in leather design at Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata and two-year PG course in leather apparel design and technology at New Delhi and Kolkata 
Q. I am applying for LLM at King’s College and London School of Economics. What will be the total living expenditure for a year in UK considering I will be on a tight budget? What sorts of part time jobs are available for students and what percentage of expenses will they cover?
— Reet Arora
Corporate India is getting ready with hiring plans and higher pay packets for 2010, as signs of economic recovery are becoming visible along with a rising confidence in the economy’s growth.
Indians have emerged as the most optimistic lot globally, with improving economic conditions, better growth and job prospects making them more confident, a report by global consultancy firm The Nielsen says.
Lord Krishna not only recommends living in the present, He also lived that way. When He left Gokul for Vrindavan, He left it for good. When He started for Mathura, He forgot about Vrindavan. When He decided to quit Mathura, Dwarka became His all.
1. Name the latest operating system launched by Microsoft.
