MBA Not the last frontier
MBA is not the only choice if you have a penchant for numbers and an interest in business, writes Usha Albuquerque

This is the time of the year when practically every graduating student is preparing for entrance to a further study course. In the majority of cases the course that students target is the ubiquitous MBA. But the road to success need not necessarily be paved with an MBA degree. There are other equally successful choices one can consider, depending on the career goals you have set for yourself.

If you have a good head for numbers and an interest in business, a career in the financial sector may be a good option. While the Chartered Accountant, Company Secretary and banker will always be in demand, financial expertise is required for corporate finance, commercial banking, insurance, investment banking, money management, real estate and financial planning and so on. Here are some options you could consider:

Chartered Financial Analyst’s area of expertise includes: Corporate Finance, dealing with management accounting and financial management; Investment Management, including aspects of economics, quantitative techniques, economic legislation and security evaluation; and Financial Services, covering project planning, merchant banking services, portfolio management, venture capital, leasing, hire purchase, new issue management, credit rating and other allied areas.

Costs and Works Accountants collect, organise and analyse financial information from all parts of an organisation to enable business decisions to be made. Once you have completed the course you can work in a managerial position in the financial departments of the government sector, banking and finance sector, development agencies, education, training and research sector as well as in the services sector.

Stocks and Securities for those with a financial bent of mind, and information management skills. This includes work in equity sales and investment for both individuals and institutions, securities analyses and trading, or in a variety of financial services such as bond issues, mutual funds and so on. Investment/Equity analysts study the investment markets in order to offer the best investment advice to clients. They also work for investment management institutions.

Financial planners manage the financial needs of a client, whether individual or institution. They study and monitor the client’s financial situation and provide advice on wealth creation and assistance and support for making investment decisions. Financial planners, therefore, work with banks, Insurance and Investment Advisory Services, financial planning organisations, in stocks and securities, and with and credit counselling organisations. To get into this field you require strong analytical and reasoning ability and a sound knowledge of finance.

Business Finance is another area in finance, which includes aspects not just of conventional auditing and accounting, but also a vast range of activities like fund raising, foreign exchange, treasury management, investment banking, money market operations and stock broking. Major job areas in money management include portfolio management, investment advisory, sales, hedge fund trading and mutual fund analyst. It includes mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, project finance, structured finance, trading, management of financial assets, trade of securities and financial advice.

A Company Secretary is a professional advisor to organisations with regard to business and legal matters. Every organisation, whether a company, a co-operative society, a trust, or association appoints a company secretary to handle its key administrative matters. Foreign and private banks, the merchant banking divisions of nationalised banks, and financial institutions also take on qualified company secretaries, particularly those specialised in the fields of finance, law, and accounts.

Insurance - Main job areas include agency and broker-ships, actuarial services, risk management, claims adjustment and service management. With superior mathematical skills you can take up actuarial science, a much sought after specialisation. Actuarial science involves the statistical evaluation of the financial and economic implications of possible future contingencies. So the work of an actuary involves the calculation of insurance risk, premiums and pensions for different insurance schemes.

In addition, there is a range of other commerce and business related careers you could pursue, depending on your personal aptitude and interests,

Today there are a host of careers and employment opportunities available in the financial sector, in government agencies and corporate enterprises, national and international banks and financial institutions. With the growth of industry and the current turn towards globalisation, the Indian economy requires the services of more and more specialised professionals in the area of finance. Today companies look for professionals who can perform multiple functions and are well versed with the changing environment. There are also a number of degree and diploma courses and a range of study options for those wanting to hone their knowledge and skills in this highly coveted field of finance. To be successful in this field you do not only need an MBA — good mathematical and analytical skills, problem-solving and decision-making skills, organisational skills and computer skills can serve you well.

Whichever way the global winds of change move, in the present age of disinvestments and public issues, mergers and acquisitions, collaborations and joint ventures, most careers in finance should reap rich dividends.

Hiring index up for management pros

In what can be seen as good news for management professionals in India, recruitments of such professionals in the public sector has increased to seven per cent, out of the total placements, according to a survey.

“Although private sector companies continue to remain the biggest employers of management professionals, the domestic public sector companies have become more aggressive with recruitment accounting for 7 per cent of total placements in 2009 as compared to 4 per cent in 2007,” a survey conducted by Dun & Bradstreet said.

“The increasing demand for management education in all major cities in India along with the Government’s role in ensuring better access to higher education has had a positive impact on the economic growth of our country,” D&B’s (India) CEO, Kaushal Sampat, said in a statement.

The company had surveyed 168 universities affiliated as well as private business schools in India. The study further indicates that there is a 22 per cent increase in the number of students with work experience opting for management studies.

“In terms of placement, our study also reveals that in 2009 around 61 per cent of the management schools offered more than 85 per cent placement,” Sampat said.

According to the report, Category I business schools account for 16 per cent of total intake capacity of the surveyed 168 schools. On the other hand, category II and category III business schools cover 55 per cent and 28 per cent, respectively.

The report mentioned that the number of new courses and programmes offered by business schools has also increased, to meet industry demand for employees with certain skill set and talent.

“Consequently, the number of students with work experience increased 22 per cent from 1,764 in 2006-08 batches to 2,167 in 2007-09 batches,” it said.

The report mentioned that for the academic year 2007-09, total student enrolments increased 6 per cent YoY.

For the 2007-09 batches, on an average, female students constituted nearly 40 per cent of the total enrollments, which had increased by seven per cent as against six per cent growth of male students.

“Among the different categories, category II business schools registered highest growth of 9 per cent YoY in terms of student enrollments in 2007-09 batches. In fact, this category recorded the highest y-o-y growth of male and female enrollers at 7 per cent and 11 per cent, respectively,” the report said. — PTI

Career Hotline
Charity with clarity
Pervin Malhotra

Q. I am interested in doing some charity work in my spare time. How do I go about choosing a good NGO which can provide me exposure to the social sector?

— Avinash Kaur

A. Over the past decade, NGOs have proliferated in India, while remaining relatively unregulated. There are over 12 lakh NGOs, over half of which are based in six lakh villages. Many do good work, but lack of accountability and transparency or voluntary code of conduct has allowed the less-credible ones to undermine the work of the credible ones, leading to a dilution of trust between donors and beneficiaries. Many of them have been found to be having abysmal standards of accounting and reporting. Only a handful put up their financial accounts on their websites. While it’s not fair to paint the whole sector black, it’s important to sift the grain from the chaff.

Working in an NGO is certainly a good option if you are passionate about charity work. However, be careful about the NGO’s credibility. Before pulling out a leaf from your cheque book, make sure you check if it is genuine and committed.

The Council for Advancement of People’s Action and Rural Technology (CAPART) has blacklisted nearly 770 NGOs for indulging in unscrupulous activities. These NGOs have misused the funds sanctioned by the government, indulged in financial mismanagement and even submitted forged documents.

Make sure you check the governance structure of the NGO.

A genuine NGO would have a systematic structure with an active set of trustees.

Another way to check the credentials of an NGO is to visit the centre to get a first-hand peep into what and how it is carrying out the social activity.

Apart from popular organisations like CAPART, there are others like Give Foundation, Karmayog and Concern India that run independent checks on the credibility of NGOs. Use these resources to choose a befitting place.

Tips on sports management

Q. I am crazy about sports and would love to run a sports management company. Please give me some tips. Do I need to get a degree in mass communication?

— Udit Saxena

A. No, an academic degree is not absolutely necessary, although some background in marketing, either through education or experience, should help.

Managing celebrities is a well established concept abroad. In India, it is more in vogue with film stars, but now cricketers, tennis players and golfers are also becoming savvy about their image. People who are creative, confident, self-motivated and have an eye for detail are well suited to work as event managers or PR managers for companies that organize sporting events. If you have a sports background, it would be useful.

Symbiosis Institute of Health Sciences, Pune

Course: PG Diploma in Sports Mgt (1-year FT), 6-month

Indira Gandhi Institute of Physical Education & Sports Science, New Delhi offers a 1-Year PG Diploma in Sports Mgt.

Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management (www.iiswbm.edu), Kolkata offers a 1-year Postgraduate Diploma Course in Sports Mgt. Elig: Bachelor’s degree.

Alagappa University, D/o Distance Education, Karaikudi (www.alagappauniv.org), offers a PG Diploma Course in Sports Mgt through distance learning (1-year).

Teaching special children

Q. I teach in a government school. As a teacher I’ve always wanted to contribute towards the education of differently abled children, especially the speech and hearing impaired. But I don’t know how to start. I have done DIET and B.Ed. I want to know about the courses for teaching speech and hearing impaired children. I am even willing to change my regular teaching field to the education of disabled children. I would be grateful if you could tell me about the courses in this field.

— Trilok Singh

A. That’s absolutely wonderful!

Here are some institutes you could contact rightaway:

Ali Yavar Jung National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped, Northern Regional Centre, Kasturba Niketan, LPN II, New Delhi-1100224. (www.ayjnihh.org), Tel: 2981 5093

Courses: BEd Spl Ed (Hearing Impairment)

Selection: Entrance Exam/Interview.

IGNOU, in collaboration with the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI), offers B.Ed (Special Ed) in Hearing Impairment (also in Mental Retardation and Visual Impairment — two years)

Eligibility: Bachelor’s degree and at least two-year work-experience in a special school in any disability area after graduation.

Application form and prospectus can also be downloaded from IGNOU website: www.ignou.ac.in.

Application Deadline: August 31, 2009 (Ph no. 011-29531574, 29535124)

IGNOU and University of Central Lancashire have joined hands to offer a BA in Applied Sign Language Studies (BAASLS) to educate and empower millions of hearing and speech-impaired people. Details: www.ignou.ac.in.

The Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) offers a brief Orientation Course (two-week) for existing users/interpreters of sign language after which they can take the relevant A/BC level exams to pursue higher level courses.

For details, contact the RCI, 23-A Shivaji Marg, New Delhi 110015 or log on to the RCI website: www.rehabcouncil.org.

Honing computer skills

Q. Our son is very good with computers. He has been designing small programmes ever since he was a kid. He is presently studying in a boarding school. What can we do to sustain his interest?

— R.P. Baxi

A. I would strongly urge you to encourage him to participate in the Indian Computing Olympiad which is jointly organised by the CBSE and the Indian Association for Research in Computing Science.

The Computing Olympiad is open to all school students across the country, from any school board. It is conducted at two levels for students of Class VIII- XII:

1) The Zonal Informatics Olympiad (ZIO) on Saturday, November 20, 2010

2) The Indian National Olympiad in Informatics.

The registration deadline for ZIO-2011 has been extended to Wednesday, October 20, 2010.

The Zonal Informatics Olympiad is the first round towards qualifying for the team to represent India at the International Olympiad in Informatics- 2011 (IOI-2011), to be held in Thailand in July 2011.

The all-India ZIO-2011 does not involve any actual computer programming.

Moreover, it would help to refer to the previous years’ question papers and solutions which are available online.

The final team will be selected after a residential camp in June, where a selected bunch of students will be trained by computer scientists from leading academic institutions such as the IITs, IISc, TIFR, CMI and IMSc.

The four finalists are sent for the International Olympiad.

India’s track record at the previous IOIs has been very good. All four participants bagged medals in the IOI-2010 at Waterloo, Canada this August.

For latest news about the contest, log onto the official Indian Computing Olympiad, and log onto the following websites: www.iarcs.org.in/inoi and www.cbse.nic.in.

For any further information, you may also contact Prof Madhavan Mukund, National Coordinator, Indian Computing Olympiad through e-mail at madhavan@cmi.ac.in or Dr Srijata Das, Education Officer, CBSE through e-mail at eoscience@live.com.

Reach the top with right strategy
Shiva Kumar

If you're jittery about the few days left for preparation, or coming to terms with the online CAT-2009 fiasco, then you're just wasting precious time! It is time to strategise, revise and put all the months, and for some of you, even years of preparation to test. One should focus on how to deal with the individual sections.

Verbal Ability

With the number of questions in this section coming down to 25 in 2006 and 2007, the focus is no longer on speed as on comprehension and accuracy.

l Tackle the two groups in this section, namely English Usage (i.e. sentence correction, paragraph completion, parajumbles, etc.) and Reading Comprehension separately.

l Next, choose the right questions (a mix of many easy questions with some difficult questions which are unavoidable would be appropriate) and attempt these questions. As an example, if the cut off (for selection into at least one IIM) for the Verbal Ability Section was 25 in 2007, analysis shows that attempting 13 out of the 25 questions in this section would have been enough. Attempting 13 (i.e. 50% of the total number of questions in the section) would mean attempting 52 marks. To clear 25 marks one would have needed to get eight correct (32 % of the total in the section) and could have afforded to get up to five wrong.

Use your knowledge of common idioms and grammar. Read sentences and try to identify if they read right or not, often using your knowledge of everyday spoken English. This should go a long way in helping you tackle the easier questions in this section.

l Use and apply logic to see what comes first and what comes later (parajumbles) and which option among the paragraph completion answer choices ties in best with the main topic of the passage (paragraph completion).

l For the reading comprehension section, choose the easier of the passages (2 out of 3 or 3 out of 4) based on your comprehension and quickly grasp the main idea of each passage.

l Attempt those questions where the answer seems to be easily available in the passage (more factual type and less inferential type), often related to key sentences.

l Re-read the relevant portions in the passage carefully and choose the option that goes the best with the relevant portion.

Logical Reasoning & Data Interpretation

l DI is generally tough and students know that. Possibly only a few can crack all the sets. So at the very beginning you should know that you need to clear the cutoff.

l If you are not aiming IIMs and a few other institutes, then you should not worry about cutoffs and. should maximise the score in whatever section you are comfortable in.

l Attempting this section is like a typical one-day international match (or a Twenty20 match). You need to choose the right bowler to target.

l The division of time that you allow will be crucial. Ideally for DI it should be slightly less than one-third of the total time, definitely not more than one-third time. Allow more time to English or quant so that you can maximise your score according to your ability and try to clear the cutoff for LR&DI.

l The key in DI lies in choosing the set. Actually, no paper is tough, no paper is easy. There is a very clever mix of easy, difficult and tough questions in all CAT papers. Devote 10 minutes without bothering yourself, think of it as an investment, and read the sets thoroughly. If you do not invest those five to 10 minutes, actually you have no basis of a choice. If you choose at random, luck factor comes in!

l Do not get sentimental about any particular set/question. Being a fighter is good but there is no point fighting a battle you are sure to lose. Try to be practical rather than foolhardy. Move on in case you are stuck up on a question for much time.

l Be ready for surprises. That means new sort of questions and sets. Something that may look like alien may not actually be incomprehensible. In fact, many a times the new types of sets are a shade easier than the questions you are well accustomed to. Be a calculated risk taker but do not totally come out of your comfort zone.

Time Management

The core value of effective time management is nothing but shift in focus. If one focuses at the right thing with no deviations; effective time management is bound to follow. Additionally, one can practice the following:

l Be Result Oriented

l The 80:20 Rule

The Pareto Principle sums up the above statement in the best possible manner. Commonly known as the '80:20 Rule', it implies that usually 80% of unfocussed efforts generate merely 20% of results meaning the rest of the 80% results are attained with 20% efforts only.

Although this ratio does not remain constant and the proportions do vary, this pattern is broadly followed in almost every activity where small proportions generate non-scalar returns. And this recurrence has, therefore, become an essential norm in many circumstances.

In addition to these, there exist some time management tools as well that ensure an individual achieves the greatest benefits possible within the limited framework of time available to him/her.

The writer is Academic Director, Career Launcher

Joy of working
Suffering from workplace blues? R.C. Sharma gives 10 tips that will make work more pleasant and rewarding

Many employees don’t relish getting up every day and trudge to office. This is strange, particularly when we spend more than one-third of our day at the workplace. The workplace can be a pleasant place to spend and enjoy your days with challenging projects, creating congenial atmosphere with fun and cooperation with your colleagues and get lots of inspiration to boost your energies to bring out the best in you. Office should keep you so busy that you even don’t feel how time flies.

Here are some tips to fight workplace blues:

Right attitude

No obstacles in your way, if you have the will to explore and achieve your goals. It’s your attitude which sets the stage. No matter where you are, whom you are with, how people treat you – it is the positive attitude that ultimately matters.

“In an organisation where every employee has almost similar qualifications and assignment, what determines the success of a few is the way they handle situations and grab opportunities. Increase in the level of awareness taught everyone that we need to deliver the best and display a positive attitude throughout “says Disha, working with a leading telecom brand in Sonepat. It’s your attitude that handles well your challenging task and makes your workplace lively and pleasant.

Move with the team

“Man is a social animal”, Aristotle has rightly said it. It equally applies at the workplace – your standing in an organisation also depends on your team-mates. Cooperate and move with them. It helps in having a harmonious team equation. Being in the good books of a team leader, seniors and manager is also paying. But no sycophancy. Real performance counts. It is your hard work that produces good results.

Handle your workload properly

It’s but natural that you’ll have the urge to accommodate the various requests of your superiors/boss as they are the ones who will speak up for your performance and salary hike Also you don’t want to refuse them and be in their bad books as they can make or mar your career. However, you also risk sabotaging your career by saying ‘yes’ all the time. Taking on more than you can chew could choke you. Do only what is feasible for you and put across your views logically if you are not able to manage. Take up work that you can handle and not be compelled to do it.

No office politics

This is an important point. Your happiness depends on how well you handle office politics. Career success is not all about talent. If you want your career to flourish, never get involved in petty office politics. Don’t be a party to gossip and never spread rumours. Try to be involved only with work and use coffee breaks as a forum to discuss outside interests.

Cultivate good relations

To take your career graph high, keep good relations with your peers, superiors and subordinates. Start working on any deficiencies in your temperament that prevents you from cooperating and maintaining cordial relations with others. Aggressiveness, lack of flexibility, egoism, tendency to harbour negative feelings and make others the scapegoat when plans go awry should be curbed at the earliest. These can hinder your progress and even affect your talent. Build friendly, productive and reliable relationship with your boss.

Find out what your boss wants. Ascertain what exactly your boss wants from you. Find out and prevent any communication gap. A close working relationship based on respect, sincerity, trust and dependability is a must.

Be regular and punctual

Don’t take time off except real illness or emergencies. Avoid idle gossips and office chitchat. Foresee your boss’ requirements and complete your work ahead of schedule. Refrain exhibiting behaviour that could be viewed as fawning. Also, do not indulge in boss’ wrongdoing. Seek guidance from your boss to avoid a condescending attitude and make feel important.

Market yourself

Public relations is a phenomenon and a necessity of our times, wrote PR guru Philip Lesly and how true! You can no longer do without if you are a frontline runner, a union boss, a teacher, a student, an accounting executive, a discount house operator, PTA leader, or preacher of the gospel. As part of the deal, you will have to develop the public relations package that will sell on the social and business market.

Tolerance, labour of love and self discipline are other qualities that can ensure success. Tolerance, which is among the higher attributes of culture, is expressed only by the person who holds an open mind on all subjects at all times. There can be no richer person than he who has adopted a labour of love and who is basically engaged in performing it. Labour is the fore- runner of all human progress.

The man who is not the master of himself may never become the master of anything and he who is the master of the self may become the master of his own earthly destiny, the master of his faith, the captain of his soul. These tips will equip you to pave the way to success and make your work place pleasant. So, don’t sit back, face challenges, changes, setbacks and reap a rich harvest of success.

Edit your words

Think twice before you speak. Basic rules of diplomacy should be applied to work. Most people talk first, think later and in the process say words they regret subsequently. Do not make cruel remarks you do not mean. Try to get into the habit of editing your words in the heat of a fight. If you can’t, avoid arguing or starting a slanging match when you are overcome by anger., cdown, get a hold on yourself and clear the air with a controlled argument or frank discussion.

Harmonise work-personal life

Your aim is to be interested in your work, feel energetic about it and enjoy the workplace. After all they are intertwined. If you like your work, you’ll enjoy the workplace as well. But you enjoy work only if it’s well balanced with your personal life. It is important to have time to enjoy other aspects of your life – friends, hobbies and other interests. This enables you perform at your best.

Be well-groomed

Being well-groomed makes you feel good and confident. Take your office dress seriously. Have a working wardrobe so that you don’t have to worry about what to wear everyday, with a mix and mach variety that gives a lot of options. What you wear communicates your outlook towards your job. “Do not break the office dress code”, says Meghna Jain, director of Quorum HR. “It will give you an edge when dealing with top management and clients outside office”. You need not look like a model on a ramp; being presentable is more than enough.

Being confident, well-behaved, well-dressed, well-cultured, co-operative and having a positive attitude, you will find the work place enjoyable. These qualities in you will attract and persuade you in coming to office instead of disliking it.

Quality work key to mental health

If you want to have good mental health, it’s not enough to just have a job, you should have a job that satisfies you, says a new study.Researchers at the Australian National University, led by Dr Liana Leach, have found that people in poor quality jobs that are insecure or have high levels of strain share the same level of mental health with the unemployed.

According to the study, employment isn’t always linked to better mental health — in fact people who move from unemployment into poor quality jobs are much more likely to be depressed than those who were still unemployed.

“Our work found that people in poor quality jobs — jobs which were insecure, did not provide future job prospects or had high levels of strain — had no better mental health than people who were unemployed.

“In fact, the research showed that people who moved from being unemployed into poor quality jobs were significantly more likely to be depressed at follow-up than those people who remained unemployed,” Dr Leach said.

Research generally shows that people who are employed have better mental health than those who are unemployed. The findings from this research indicate that things may not be that simple and that employers may need to be more aware of the roles they ask staff to perform.

“As a result of previous research there has been a focus on workforce participation as a means of improving people’s wellbeing — the idea being that if people get a job, their socio-economic, health and personal circumstances will improve,” said Dr Leach.

She added: “This research suggests getting people into any job may not necessarily lead to mental health improvements. Instead, people need good quality work to gain and maintain better wellbeing. “It highlights the importance of employers striving to provide good quality work environments, which are associated with good workplace support, job security and realistic work demands.” — PTI

Networking sites pose threat of info leakage

New Delhi: With more number of working people logged on to social networking sites, the chances of sensitive corporate information getting leaked to rivals are high, feel experts.The popularity of sites such as Facebook is rising by the day, especially among youngsters. Business entities are also utilising the reach of these networking sites to promote their products and services.

“Employees, usually through inadvertent posts on social networking sites and blog sites help a competitor, in collecting corporate secrets.

“Many employees, share a bit too much about the organisation – plans, projects, products in the making, financials, organisational changes, scandals, or other sensitive information,” Deloitte India’s Leader (Leader, Forensic & Dispute Services) Neeta Potnis told PTI.

IT research group Gartner’s Principal Business Analyst Asheesh Raina said the use of social networking sites, could result in leakage of the company’s sensitive data.

Domestic network and application services provider Net4 India’s COO Desi S. Valli noted that to some extent, there is threat of corporate secrets being leaked to rivals through social networking sites.

“It’s a lot to do with the internal policies of the organisation ... it is almost impossible to make a security policy until an event happens in a possible route of leakage.

These routes are many a time very innovative, which were not predicted in advance by security policy makers,” Valli added.

According to experts, users themselves might not realise the significance of corporate information they share on social networking sites.

“Many a times those sharing the information don’t even realise that sharing how much their significant other is working late on top-secret project or is visiting a particular city, can provide clues on business developments to competitors,” Potnis noted.

Generally, no incidence of corporate spying through social networking sites has been reported in India. However, experts feel that such incidents might never come into light.

Raina said companies need to have formal policies in place at corporates, such as a “dos and don’ts” list, regarding the use of social networking sites at workplace.

Among other negative aspects, Valli pointed out that “too much personal information made available” on such sites could be misused by others.

Potnis said there was also the risk of identity theft and identify frauds, impersonation, harassment and stalking.

“Many photos and videos posted on the sites are morphed and misused,” she added. Apart from keeping in touch with friends, social networking sites also act as a good platform for communicating messages to a larger audience.

Raina noted that in many cases, social networking sites even help companies in recruiting talented people. — PTI 

Institute Newsboard
Appointment

Manipal Education has announced the appointment of Sunil Kishore as Vice-President and Head, Corporate Education. Sunil will be responsible for building momentum and driving strong growth behind corporate education initiatives of Manipal Education, including expanding educational and learning solutions offerings.

Besides providing Masters programmes across science and management through a blend of online and face-to-face learning, Manipal Education has, under the corporate education initiative, started the ICICI Manipal Academy (IMA). It is a unique corporate-university tie-up with ICICI Bank to provide comprehensive training to the Probationary Officers joining the bank. It also has a joint programme with NSE to provide co-branded training and certification programmes on various aspects related to the stock market. Sunil will now provide the strategic thrust required for growing these efforts and leading other initiatives to make Manipal Education one of India’s leading corporate education and learning solutions providers.

Prior to joining Manipal Education, Sunil was with The Organization Excellence Institute (Orgex) as Founder and CEO.

Green Campus

The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), a part of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) is spearheading the green building movement in India and the GreatLakes Institute of Management was awarded the LEED India NC Platinum rating at an awards ceremony in Chennai recently.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED-INDIA) Green Building Rating System is a national and internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

The entire campus is a 100 per cent day-lit, recycles all its water and waste and uses a lot of reused and recycled products as some of the measures towards a sustainable and green campus. The green campus would be one of the first in India and among very few in the world.

The GreatLakes Institute of Management is a leading B-School in Chennai, founded by Prof. Bala V Balachandran. The “green” campus is spread over 20 acres of land and has a built-up area of 1,65,000 sq ft. The campus has also created history of sorts as a state-of-the-art campus in an environment friendly green building with different blocks dedicated to research, faculty offices and housing, administrative, student residences and recreation centers.

The award was received by Prof S. Sriram, Director of the institute. 

Wipe out burnout
Geetu Vaid

Hunger for a fatter pay cheque, a higher designaion and position of power is nothing less than a journey to reach a mirage. The faster you run the farther your goal gets and the milestones on the way become in significant as the traveller's eyes are always on the unachievable. The journey, thus, becomes not only fruitless but also a painful trudge rather than a purposeful happy experience. The mad rush to get more, which stems from the culture of consumerism and materialistic values, has landed so many bright professionals in the mire of depression and demotivation towards their career goals within a few years of their work life.

It is not unusual to see a promising executive brimming with innovative ideas lose all enthusiasm about his work and targets. The problem, which is usually dismissed as complacency and addiction to comfort zone, is in fact a symptom of a deeper malaise. It has been termed as employee burnout.

It is a negative stress reaction in which an employee loses motivation to perform and achieve targets as per the expectations of his employer. "High stress jobs, long working hours, lack of rewards are some of the factors that can lead to burnout in employees in an organisation. In this age of cut-throat competition employee burnout has become a common problem with organisations demanding more productivity from their employees", says Deepak Kaistha, Director, Planman HR, a consultancy firm that provides HR solutions to companies.

Companies and employers are now waking up to the bitter reality of employee burnout as this directly affects the productivity of workers and the image of the company. Thus, it is imperative for HR managers to understand the factors that lead to burnout and try and keep these in check.

Cause and effect

Workplace issues, lifestyle factors as well as individual personality characteristics, all contribute to burnout in one way or the other. According to Kaistha, "drop in performance, change in attitude towards work and co-workers, irregular attendance and health problems are some of the early signs of burnout".

Dr Anil Sethi, a noted motivator and management guru, says, "Employee burnout is fallout of globalisation. In today's era of rat race where global competition is very high, nobody wants to come second but the irony is that everybody can't even come first. Whether it is the case with corporate professionals or other individuals, everybody aspires to get the best of everything. All throughout my interaction with the corporate world, I have closely witnessed that most people lack vision in life. They never thought about what makes them feel happy and also they hardly spend quality time with themselves. This gives them little time for self-introspection and self-assessment. This makes them burn out very easily because most of the times they feel they are at the wrong place".

While lifestyle and individual personality factors need professional help and counseling, it is the workplace issues that can be remedied with a little care and sensitive handling by the HR managers as well as the employers.

Job-related factors include unrealistic expectations and targets, no power to take decision, dictatorial official set up and lack of transparency, lack of appreciation and recognition, insignificant compensation, severe consequences of failures, and poor leadership among others.

Another major reason for the burnout is low stability standards in terms of career. "Professionals walk in and out of their jobs frequently these days, and this causes a sense of instability and negative stress about performing", adds Sethi.

Damage control

Managers, team leaders and department heads can play an important role in preventing employee burnout. Managers should be made accountable for not dealing effectively with employee stress, if they can't mitigate the stress then they are not worthy of their supervisory role." A good manager has to keep the communication channels open and guide and encourage his juniors", says Kaistha.

Fair appraisals and assigning of duties, frequent two-way interaction, and easy approachability are some techniques that keep the motivation levels high among employees in an organisation.

Work environment also has a significant impact on a worker's psyche. Issues like less air and noise pollution, and proper sitting arrangement go a long way in making an employee comfortable and snuff out frustration and burnout.

"Promoting a fun and relaxed work environment is necessary. Organisations can introduce casual-wear days, provide a special meal or treat, or allow music in the office. It might not be feasible in a strictly corporate environment, but customisation according to the work culture in a company can go a long way in ensuring employee satisfaction", says Kaistha.

He also lists cross training and rotation of duties to keep the workers stimulated along with giving them an opportunity to learn new skills and increase their employability.

Making employees participate in the task of improving work environment is also important. The people who spend one-third of their day at work should have a say in improving the conditions in which they work. "Sometimes something as simple as stocking iced tea in the break room will make an employee feel better and more valued. It can be a small thing but it is a good manager's job to find out what will make his employees feel better about coming to work", opines Kaistha.

Outdoor refreshment area can lift a worker's morale. "Each individual differs in his capacity to take pressure whether it is at professional, personal or social front. Remedies like meditation, yoga can be of great help at the time or handling the stress or the burnout", says Sethi.

A proactive approach to improve the quality of workers' lives can effectively extinguish employee burnout.

Infosys on hiring spree

Infosys Technologies has stepped up hiring on robust growth in the second quarter (July-Sept) of this fiscal (2010-11) to make up for the rising attrition to meet the increasing demand of the resilient industry. Though the IT bellwether added 14,264 new employees during the quarter under review (Q2), the exit of 6,618 of its techies resulted in net addition of 7,746, taking the total workforce to 122,468 till September 30.

On annualised and sequential basis, the attrition rate has shot up to 17.1 percent from 10.9 percent year ago and 15.8 percent quarter ago.

Infosys board member and head of HRD and education and research T.V. Mohandas Pai, however, claimed in a statement that attrition had decreased from first quarter (April-June) when 8,859 employees were hired and 7,833 left, resulting in net addition of 1,026.

“We have seen record hiring this (second) quarter and attrition has decreased,” Pai said.

According to the company’s fact sheet, as against the present total strength of 122,468, the total number at the end of first quarter was 114,822 and year ago 105,453. “Our new career architecture is showing positive results,” Pai added. — IANS

Writers’ charm
I.M. Soni

Do you have stars in your eyes and dream of becoming a writer? But what is writing? Can you make a living out of it? That’s what the practical-minded would like to know. Let’s clear the decks. If you think yourself to be a born writer needing neither discipline nor practice, depending on fitful spells of inspiration, you might as well bow out at the outset. Why? Because you are in for a major disillusionment.

If stars have settled your fate, no textbook is going to alter it. But if you are willing to learn, pick here and there, and put yourself through some paces, this will help.

Is writing an art or trade?

It may be either, although the two are only distant cousins. The former is literature, which pays a few famous names well. But generally, this kind of writing doesn’t fetch a living wage.

Several famous names depend on jobs for a regular income. There is a ungolden rule about literature: the more highly developed the writer’s artistic temperament, the less likely he is to make big money.

The inspiration-bound, the more artistically inclined among the readers may turn to another chapter. Those interested in slogging their way up and looking for bread without butter, only occasional jam, will benefit.

Fact or fiction?

Both sell. However, the trend today is more towards factual writing. The market for fiction is slowly shrinking. As life gets more complex, science, medicine and technology advance, the need for factual, explanatory writing increases.

Can one live by freelancing?

The freelancer punches no time clocks; he writes where, when and what he chooses. But he, too, is governed by compulsions imposed by the market he writes for. He has to work hard to keep himself in circulation, failing which he becomes glamorously unemployed.

The freedom of the freelancer is offset by the uncertainty of marketing his wares as well as instability of income. The number of rejection slips may outnumber the number of cheques. The fresher must look first for an anchor, and then freelance to supplement his income.

Do journalism courses help?

Yes, though many aspirants have made their mark without formal training. No training course can turn a greenhorn into an expert in 10 lessons. It requires endless patience and practice. Courses also help because there is an increasing trend among employers to prefer formally trained people.

Where are the jobs?

Look around. There are plenty of them. Putting words together is done everywhere. Radio stations, TV centers, magazines, newspapers and public relations offices all need men who can put words together.

Also, there are openings for writers of manuals, blurbs, reports, speeches, reviews, ads, brochures and catalogues. Writers are required everywhere there is a need for communication.

What about earnings?

A fresher can hope for a modest monetary reward on breaking into print. Gradually, he will go up the ladder and may make up to Rs 500 to 2,000 per article. But a brilliant freelancer with ideas and initiative can hit the sky.

Happiness work
Try something new

The rut in any current situation indicates to some failures in the conventional approach. A sweeping change can only happen if one uses unconventional methods.

As there was no way of defeating the virtuous Asura King Bali, Vishnu decided to go the alms way. He, in his Vaaman incarnation, sought land that he could cover in his three dwarfish steps from the King who had conquered it all.

When the King accepted, Vaaman transformed himself into Trivikrama and in his three steps covered his present possessions, his future investments and also his sense of doership. Every year, the day when King Bali comes to visit his subjects is celebrated as Onam.

To fight Mughal tyranny, sixth Sikh master Guru Hargobind decided to wear two swords. He explained, “One is a sword of shakti (power) and the other, a sword of bhakti (devotion).

As he lacked resources, ‘Mountain Rat’ Shivaji employed guerilla tactics instead of fighting the conventional way to carve out the Maratha kingdom.

Who would have thought of putting a eunuch in front of Bhishma or killing an elephant named Ashwathama during the Mahabharata war except Krishna? Using unconventional methods, he made the smaller army win.

After the forest battalion of King Prasenajit of Kosala was defeated by the highwayman Ahimsaka, he decided to take the entire army along. On his way, he met the Buddha and sought his blessings for the expedition without realizing that Buddha by his compassion had already transformed Angulimala, the name Ahimsaka was notorious by, into a monk.

“I will marry the one who defeats me in debate,” Princess Vasanti of Varanasi had declared. To reject scholar Vararuchi’s proposal, she deliberately chose to debate in sign language.

Seeking revenge, Vararuchi decided to get Vasanti married to an idiot. He spotted Kalidasa, a simpleton, chopping the very branch he was sitting on. The princess fell for his good looks and ‘accepted’ Kalidasa’s answers in sign language to later discover that he was no scholar, but just a cowherd.

Think different to make a difference!

— Sai R. Vaidyanathan

The writer can be contacted at svaidyanathan@tribunemail.com