IT’S GETTING REALLY HOT UP THERE

Disclaimer: Contents in the blog are strictly based on my opinions and are not meant to offend anyone. You are most welcome to agree or disagree on any of the points. Also please ignore the grammar mistakes, if any.

Yes guys I know it’s getting really hot but I am not talking about the season but the Indian Airline Industry, especially the low cost carriers. Few days back, we saw a new player in the airline industry i.e. AirAsia and it not just simply entered but entered with a bang. It initiated the price war even before its debut in the market. They offered the flight ticket from Bangalore to Goa in just 990 bucks i.e. just 100 bucks extra compared to a 3^rd AC train fare.

AirAsia was a new entrant in India and what they chose as their USP – Lowest Fare. No doubt, they are famous world over for their frugal cost structure. But I am afraid that by offering lowest fare they will be able to gather any loyal customers. AirAsia really had an advantage as it was the “NEW” thing. They could have differentiated themselves on the basis of service or something else but price. This initiated a price war between low cost carriers. But AirAsia didn’t know that other low cost carriers are the older players in this race.

Other low cost carriers also reduced their fares to hold on to their market share as in this industry market share is given utmost importance over profits. This is also clear from their annual reports. Many low cost carriers have reported annual losses from past 3 to 4 years. And still they are fighting the price war. In Business world, there is a saying – “Aggressive competition is good till the time it doesn't hurt you.”

But there is one very important point which we are missing. Suppose you need to book an air ticket. So what you will do, you will go to an online travel website, type in the source, destination, travel date and class. And then you select the airline offering lowest fare. And let’s suppose if the fares are exactly same (rare case, there is always some difference), then you see the timings but never the Brand. The emotional contact between the Brand and the customer is missing here. Till now, all the low cost carriers focused upon the promotional fares. They never tried to build a relationship with their customers. There is no differentiation among so many brands existing currently in the market and I wonder why no one is even trying to do it. Even their official websites are almost alike and look what Virgin America has done with its official website here. They have tried to better the flight booking experience of their customers.

Doing a little extra doesn't mean that you really need to hike your fare to compensate for. No not at all. For e.g. when people wait in cues to get their boarding passes or when they are waiting for their flight, do something to entertain them like Disney does so that they don’t feel bored. Flight journey is very boring, and so you can try to do something different to make it memorable. All this will make an emotional bond between your brand and the customer. And the next time when the customer will book the tickets, most likely he/she will favor your brand because they have some good memories related to your brand. Here, I would like to quote an example of WestJet Airlines. It is a Canadian low cost carrier which surprised their customers by fulfilling their Christmas wishes. Here's the video.

Although AirAsia have now increased their fares (may be they have foreseen the future impact on their operational profits) but on the contrary its competitors are still keeping their fares comparatively low. As if they are saying – “So what if you initiated the war, it will be ended by us.” But will this strategy be profitable for them.

We all know Game Theory. We know that in an infinite game, it is in the benefit of the players to compromise with each other. This is also an infinite game. Airlines can give indirect signals to their competitors to increase their prices. And if all agree then just focus on your services and try to build a relationship with your customer. So that next time someone needs to travel, he/she travels by your flight.

The only point which I am trying to make is that just by differentiating yourself on price, may help you a little in short run but won’t be beneficial for you in the long run. Also if you will increase your prices afterwards, your customers may shift to other brands as they were not Brand Loyal. So you need to create an identity, an image, a perception from the start, which no other brand can copy.

Think Different. Do Different. Be Different.

Thank You

Rishabh Bhardwaj

PGDM 2013-15

IIM 

And They Say "The Sales happen only because of US"!!!

Disclaimer: Contents in the blog are strictly based on my opinions and are not meant to offend anyone. You are most welcome to agree or disagree on any of the points. Also please ignore the grammar mistakes, if any.

Hi guys, as you all know that currently two summers are going on. One is the season and the other is the internship of MBA students.

So guys those of you who are currently working in Marketing & Sales profile, you might have heard this line many times, “Sales department is the most respectable department as we are the people who generate money for the company.” Here, I am specifically talking about those companies which are selling products meant for sale to end customers via distributors/retailers.

Before moving ahead, let’s first understand the working of Sales department. Their basic job is Channel Management i.e. to make sure that whether their company’s products are available with the distributors/retailers or not. They just try to push the products to dealers. They are not involved in the final transaction between retailer and customer. It is the dealer’s responsibility to sell that company’s products.

Now, let’s understand the dealer’s point of view. What is the dealer's incentive to sell your product first compared to other brands? It generally depends on two things. One is the margin, which the dealer is getting by selling your product and second is the service provided by the company to the customers.

In today’s competitive market, generally the margin is kept almost equal by the competitive brands. So the focal point is service. Now, there are different criteria on the basis of which a company provides the service. One can be the Direct Service Centre of the company. Customers directly call there and get their complaints resolved. In this manner, dealers feel safe as the relationship between them and customers remain intact. Other way is that customers need to register their complaint with the dealers (from where they purchased the product), then the dealers will call the company. Then a service person will come from the company, will examine the product, and then take the product with him for further checking. During all this, customers need to wait and they get frustrated when that product comes in daily use. This also puts the relationship between customers and dealer at risk. Because if there will be delay from the company side, then the customer will hold the dealer responsible and this will affect their relationship. So, it’s simple. Dealers will prefer to sell that brand which will give a considerable margin and best in class after sales service.

Now, what happens is that local brands (talking about brands which have strong roots only in specific regions) generally offer comparatively more margin and better after sales service to their customers which put branded products on the back-list. According to me, either make your branding so strong and after sales service so good, that customers are not swayed by anyone and directly ask for your brand or make good relationship with the dealers so that they give first preference to your brand. But it is better to give priority to first option as it won’t leave anything on chance, although you should maintain good relationship with your dealers as well.

Actually, it’s the Branding/Marketing (in some companies, Branding is a separate department) department which creates the need among the customers, which makes the customers aware about the brand, etc. etc. Let me clear one thing that at the end it’s also not the Branding alone but the Holistic Marketing which is responsible for generating revenue for the firm. Sales department job is to make sure of the availability of the products at the purchase point and rest everything depends upon your Branding, Marketing, etc. etc So, making the product available at the retailer’s end does not ensure sales but also if there is no availability of product at retailer’s end then the Branding won’t do any good.

Finally, we can conclude that it is not the Sales department alone which is responsible for the sales but the Marketing department as a whole. And this absolutely doesn’t mean that Sales department is of no use. They are the ones who have to listen a lot from the dealers, have to do a lot of field work, lot of phone calls, etc. So, yes they are respectable.

Thank You

Rishabh Bhardwaj

PGDM 2013-15

IIM 

HE COULD HAVE BUT HE DIDN’T

Disclaimer : Contents in the blog are strictly based on my opinions and are not meant to offend anyone. You are most welcome to agree or disagree on any of the points. Also please ignore the grammar mistakes, if any.

         It was 6 in the evening and I was inside the Rajiv Chowk Metro Station. The rush was such that if you want to go in the direction of the crowd, just stand still and you will automatically reach where you want to but if you want to move in opposite direction, it is the test of your strength. The stage is similar to a rugby game.

      The two platforms on the yellow line were in front of each other. The cues on both the platforms were so big that they were crossing each other. I was waiting for the metro towards Jahangirpuri (North Delhi) in the cue. Suddenly, I saw a lady with a baby of age less than a year in her arms. It was pretty much clear that she shouldn't be here at least at this time seeing the rush. She, as a mother, could have boarded the bus or rickshaw or anything because in such kind of rush, anything can happen to the baby. I hope that she is not hoping that people will take extra care and why the hell should they. All have to reach their homes or to catch a scheduled train, etc.

          I was thinking all this and suddenly I heard the sound of the coming metro train. The door opened and the passengers de-boarded the train. And within a second, a strong push came from my back and I was automatically pushed inside the train. I immediately stood by the side of the doors. I also saw that lady with baby in her arms trying to make her way carefully through the rush but the push was inevitable. And it is not that someone wanted to but it is the crowd and you can’t blame anyone.

         When the lady somehow entered inside the train, she gave a tight slap to a person, the sound of which echoed inside the cabin. I was there only and I can bet on my bottom dollar and say that the person was innocent as I was standing there only. All the people standing inside including me were awestruck as everybody knew that the man didn't do anything. According to that lady, that person pushed her and her baby but the sheer truth was that he didn't. The person was helpless as he wasn't able to do anything. He could have but he didn't because he including me knew that if he will return the favor back to the lady then the whole crowd would have turned against him although everybody knew that who is right.

         I know that from the past few years, women have been molested by men but MADAM this doesn't mean that every man is the same. You know that the crowd or police will take your side without knowing the fact that whose fault it is. You think that you can slap anyone you want or speak to a male disgracefully, even if he is innocent. I know that according to current policies, we can’t return the favor back to you because then we will be handcuffed and the police won't even listen to us. I just want to ask you one thing. In trains, etc. there are coaches especially for women and if a man unknowingly or in a hurry enters your coach, you all start pushing him out. On the other hand, if a woman enters a general cabin, and even if all the seats are occupied, men will vacate the seats for you. Even I have stood up many-a-times for women, even if that seat was not reserved for ladies. Seeing the justice, we should not have vacated the seats for you and behave in a similar manner the way you did to that person but we do not. 

          Ask your heart, is it right? Because everyone whether a man or a woman has his own dignity and self-respect. I respect woman a lot but my only request is that every man is not a devil because at home you too have a father or a husband or a son, who are men. Think about it.

Thank You
Rishabh Bhardwaj
PGDM 2013-15

IIM

COOL vs PREMIUM

Disclaimer : Contents in the blog are strictly based on my opinions and are not meant to offend anyone. You are most welcome to agree or disagree on any of the points. Also please ignore the grammar mistakes, if any.

On September 10, 2013 Apple launched their most colorful smartphone iPhone 5C. Within just six days of the launch, two commercials were launched back to back (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8IAkbWJNfY & http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7KuXMHN_X4). These commercials showed 5C as a cool colorful product targeted at mass segment. This was what actually Steve Jobs wanted. He wanted the customers to perceive Apple as a cool stuff. As we all know that when he came back in 1997, he introduced iMac in five colors, he introduced iPad in various colors. It was the design of Apple products which made them “COOL”. Also, he was never against the use of plastic (which is used in manufacturing of 5C). For e.g. plastic was used in iMac G3, Apple TV, etc. Also contrary to one of the popular beliefs, Steve’s mission was never to make Apple a niche or a premium company. He wanted his company to be known for Innovation and Design. But the truth is that today people buy an Apple product not because of its coolness but because of its exclusivity and premiumness. Apple charges premium for the value they provide through innovation but this innovation is slowly declining. Due to their strong branding as well as pricing strategies, they have created the perception in the prospect’s mind that Apple means Premium and Exclusive. But this perception among customers might not sustain for long if something is not done on the innovation part. Because it is actually the innovation and design which leads to heavy demand of the product. People actually wait in line and pay a premium to own an Apple product. It gives them a feeling of accomplishment.

Today not everyone can afford an iPhone and this is what makes it exclusive. Now, suddenly Apple launches a new iPhone in the market which is not in sync with the company’s current perception. iPhone 5C was targeted for mass segment but on the contrary it’s starting price was somewhere around $99 (U.S.) compared to $199 (U.S.) of iPhone 5S. So, it shows that though Apple was targeting the mass segment but still tried to maintain its premiumness through pricing. This actually created confusion among the customers. Now just after the launch, there was much hype on social networking sites. Some said that it’s a mistake but some were saying that it’s a good strategy. Let’s have a look.

Why it was a bad move. Hell it was. Apple is considered as a premium segment brand. People feel the exclusivity by buying an iPhone. Now the customers feel cheated because they have paid a high price to own a premium product and that brand is now targeted towards a mass market at a comparatively lower price. Though people can boast that they bought an iPhone 5C worth $99 (U.S.) but will they feel the exclusivity as the product has already created a perception that it belongs to mass market. This also kills the exclusivity factor for those who already own a premium segment iPhone. In the short term, Apple may reap the profits but in the long run, this may heavily damage the brand’s image.

Why it was a good move. In Microeconomics, we have studied that according to the demand and supply in the market, an equilibrium price is finalized. Now, there are always some customers who are willing to pay extra for the product and there are some customers who are not able to buy the product as they cannot afford it. It seems that Apple by introducing super premium brand iPhone 5S and mass brand iPhone 5C wanted to cater to both the upper as well as lower market segments. It can also be speculated that iPhone 5C in turn helped enhancing the sales of iPhone 5S. Suppose, you are planning to buy iPhone 5C worth $99 (U.S.) but you get to know that by putting a little more pressure on your pocket ($100 extra) you will get a super premium product i.e. iPhone 5S. Chances are very high that the customer will opt for iPhone 5S. Also, for those who were previously not able to buy an iPhone can now own the brand which gives them the feeling of social esteem.

What Apple could have done. In marketing it is said that you should target a particular market segment and then just cater to that segment. The moment you try to enter different market segments, it may dilute your brand image. But there comes a point when company needs to expand their business. In that case, it is advised to expand your market size. But this is not an easy task, so company choose to expand their product line to target different market segment. This issue can be handled with a little care. Apple could have used the same strategy which Honda did with Acura or Toyota did with Lexus. Both Acura and Lexus were meant for premium market segment and before that Honda and Toyota were not catering to premium segment as there were other dominant players like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, etc. So, they both didn't focus on their names but instead just focused on brands - "Acura" and "Lexus" and they actually made a real hit in the market. Similarly, Apple could have named iPhone 5C something else and then could have easily differentiated it from their rest of the product portfolio thereby not creating any confusion in the prospect's mind. But then, people may argue that it was the brand "iPhone" which they want to own, if Apple change the name then it may not be as impactful as iPhone 5C. My friends, I am not saying that this is the best alternative but yes this could have been one of the better alternatives.

Finally whatever it was, either a cunning move or a blessing in disguise or a mistake, at the end Apple made a smart move by closing down the production of iPhone 5C. May be Apple might have foreseen the long term repercussions of continuing with iPhone 5C.

All well that ends well :)

Thank You

By

Rishabh Bhardwaj

PGDM 2013-15

IIM

WHERE HAS THE FIRE GONE

Disclaimer : Contents in the blog are strictly based on my opinions and are not meant to offend anyone. You are most welcome to agree or disagree on any of the points. Also please ignore the grammar mistakes, if any.

Don’t worry guys, there is no fire. Wait, have I said something which make you feel relaxed. If so, then that's the thing to worry about. Let’s figure it out why.

For more than 800 years, India was under the shackles of slavery. First came the Turko-Afghans, then came the Arabians, and finally the Britishers. It took India around more than 600 years to realize their self-pride and a fire of mutiny was lighted by an unsung hero Mangal Pandey. This fire of mutiny spread in whole India like a fire in forest. God also helped India by sending brave souls on earth like Mahatma Gandhi, Bhagat Singh and many more. Such was the fire in them that they finally freed their motherland from alien forces.

On 15^th August 1947, a new chapter began in Indian history. But wait a minute, India was only independent in terms of center of power but not at the core. After the 60 years of independence, people of India are still living under the shackles of untouchability, female foeticide, corruption, unemployment, illiteracy, poverty, etc. Let’s go a little deep.

·      Caste system is still prevalent in many parts of our country. I am Brahmin, you are Shudra. As if the people are tagged at the time of their birth that son you are a shudra and there only his destiny is written. I can bet on my bottom dollar that no one surely knows who created this differentiation but they follow it blindly (usually they blame the God and yes what else can we expect from a person with such a cheap thinking). Your only fault is to take birth in a lower caste family and you are doomed for lifetime.

·    People generally say that they need a son who will take care of them and will carry their generation forward. Mark my words guys – “Son is a son till he gets his wife, Daughter is the daughter till the end of life”. Though she is living with her husband’s family, she always takes care of her parents (exceptions do exist). And one main point is that it is a girl only who has the power to give life, not a boy.

·     Corruption has weakened the core system of India from inside like termites feed on wood. We our self are involved in corruption in some way or the other. You might have noticed that sometimes while paying for paid parking, the person does not provide the receipt and in hurry we also don’t care for it but this is also a corruption because that person won’t be paying tax on those earning. Corruption is one of the main reason why India is still a developing nation, still has unemployment, illiteracy, poverty, etc.

Let’s first determine the base of all these problems (this is what MBA teaches, analyze first). Are they actually problems or effects of a problem.  Most of these problems emanate from bad governance either directly or indirectly (and I want to make it clear that here I am not supporting any political party). It's the duty of the government to eradicate all these stigmas. Just for the heck of it, government has initiated many schemes and every year in the annual budget, our Finance Minister allots crores of rupees to these schemes but is this fund actually reaching to those who deserves it or is just adding to the black money reserves of corrupt bureaucrats.

But wait, where are we in the picture. Are we doing something good for our nation. Are we helping our countrymen in developing. A straight blunt response is NO. We are not doing anything. Yes, what we can do is to sit in a group and discuss on such issues and give conclusions or reading newspaper, having a cup of tea and commenting – “Nothing good will happen to India”. Whenever any incident happens like introduction of more than 50% FDI in retail or some scams, people throng the social media and put status giving their viewpoints. This spreads like a fad for a week or so and then people forget about it. But yes, what else can we expect from such a sleepy facebook generation.

This will not going to change anything my friends. So, if you really love your nation and wants to see it in the list of developed nation, take the broom in your hands and clean the squalor yourself. Be an IAS or IPS, join politics and become the CM or PM (and yes you can) and try to change the system. I know that many people have a bad perception about politics because of today's politicians. But my friends, Politics is not bad, instead Politics has the power to bring a complete revolution and our history vouch for that. I hope you all know about Chanakya. He was the person who with the help of politics (saam daam dand bhed) united the whole India under one great ruler, Chandragupta Maurya and saved our motherland from foreign invasions. So, it depends on the purpose for what you are playing politics.

So my friends, ignite that fire once again and fight to help India gain independence from social stigmas, corruption, etc. Show the world that the fire is still there and can erupt in volcano in no time. And friends, one last thing is that a good government can play a major role in this. So, I request you all to atleast take out some time from your busy schedule to deliver your precious vote. Vote for the party that you think is best, will bring a revolution in the country but do vote as each vote counts.

Thank You

By

Rishabh Bhardwaj

PGDM 2013-15

IIM

SIR SIR SIR PLEASE SIR PLEASE SIR

Disclaimer : Contents in the blog are strictly based on my opinions and are not meant to offend anyone. You are most welcome to agree or disagree on any of the points. Also please ignore the grammar mistakes, if any.

No No guys, I am not calling someone, but yes this is what you hear the most in some of the lectures.

Let me first introduce myself. I am a PGDM student of a new born IIM.

So as most of you know that in a B-School, marks are segregated into various portions. There are marks for class participation, quizzes, assignments, project, mid term, end term, (how you sit, how you sleep, :P) etc etc. This clearly shows the greatness of faculties. No no, its not that teachers don’t load me with assignments or like me more than others (which they actually do :P) but we have the advantage to screw some portions which won’t have much effect on our GPA.

So, why I mentioned some of the classes. The reason is that lectures of those faculties who only provide 5-10% weightage to class participation, you won’t hear a word, except from some bright students (like me :P). But there are faculties who allocate 30-40% weightage to class participation and sometimes they are accompanied by some assistant to mark the name of students. Now the show begins.

So, let’s see what are the types of participation one can see in such lectures.

Let’s begin with a positive note. There are some students who actually don’t care what weightage the faculty has given to class participation. For them, each class is similar to the other. They will prepare well before attending the class and will properly listen to the faculty and put forward their arguments or ask valid and interesting questions. This also enhances the learning of the whole batch. But some of the bright students are so much obsessed by the grades that they overparticipate (new term coined by me :P), which means that even if Professor is writing let’s say 120 X 5, they will quickly spit out the answer (and Professor is like Thank God, I didn’t know it :P).

Some students generally need a push to get things done. The increased weightage plays this role. These students also come prepared and add value to the lecture by giving valid points. But they do the preparation only for this class not the others. They have the potential but do not utilize it properly.

Now here comes a very interesting set of people. These type of students will never prepare for the class but they want nice grades. In this group, everyone wants to speak. Yes, I am focusing on the word “SPEAK” because they just want to open their mouth, no matter whether it is related to the topic or not. Sometimes they themselves don’t know what they want to say (and in this case even God also doesn’t know :P),  but they want to say something so that they can get some points. These people are not only annoying but also waste the time of the whole class. The irony is that marking the student is very much numeric in nature. For e.g., okay that student raised his hand, mark him irrespective of the fact whether he actually knows something or not. Some of these students say exactly what other person has just said and is marked by the assistant.

One common thing to note about above three types is : “Sir Sir Sir Sir Sir, please Sir please”. You will feel that as if the whole class is full of Newton and Edison.

But, there is one unique category who regularly participate in every class but do not run for marks. These are people with very high mentality which is nice. But due to this high mentality, they feel that raising their hands and screaming “Sir Sir” is against their values and they stop participating. I absolutely respect their feelings but on the same hand I would also like to say that if they involve themselves in class participation, the whole batch can learn something new. So raise points not for marks but for yourself and your batch.

And now comes the most important point. For faculty, the purpose of giving weightage to class participation is to involve everyone in the discussion. But as we have already seen what it leads to, is it really helping. The question is why the faculty is offering weightage to class participation. I can bet on my bottom dollar that even if faculty doesn’t allocate any grades for class participation, there will still be 5 to 10 students who will participate actively and make the discussion fruitful. Coercing someone by showing them the stick of grades may make them participate at that time but it actually won’t help them.

At the end, I would like to draw an analogy with what I said in the above paragraph. Similar to this, companies also have their target market and they completely focus on them. They don’t target the entire market. Many a times, it has happened that company targeting each and every one failed to do so (Marketing Gyan :P).

Thank You

Rishabh Bhardwaj

PGDM 2013-15

IIM

YAAR...KITNA DE RAHI HAI

Disclaimer : Contents in the blog are strictly based on my opinions and are not meant to offend anyone. You are most welcome to agree or disagree on any of the points. Also please ignore the grammar mistakes, if any.

If you are some automobile geek who is reading this blog because of the title representing mileage, then this page is definitely not made for you.

So, before starting let me first introduce myself. I am a PGDM student of a new born IIM (Batch 2013-15).

Though its winter but currently in almost every B-School, Summers are going on. No No, don’t get confuse, I am talking about Summer Placements. The two important months where we get the real feel of the business. We do live projects for the company which in itself is a very awesome feeling. Though company provide stipend to interns but the main purpose of the summer internship is to gain knowledge.

But actually, for most students this is not the real objective of internship. Now-a-days, the students don’t see what profile the company is offering but rather are attracted towards the stipend. Let’s see some examples. For the following examples, I am considering an assumption that it’s a student’s call whether to apply for the company or not.

·                             A student who is not interested in HR, applies for a company offering the profile of HR just because the company is paying a hefty stipend and in the interview, he has no answer of why he is applying for HR. My simple question to this guy is that will he gain something from this internship. Whatever work company will provide him, he will do it just for the sake of completing it (as we do in our projects :P), not to learn. Those two months will be a total waste of time. And if they persist this attitude in final placements also, then I would like to quote a saying of a great saint, Baba Ranchoddas – “Zyada package waali company mein select ho ke zyaada paise toh kama loge par life ke agle chaalis saal tak tumhara balatkar pe balatkar hota rahega”.

·                                   Another student who is interested in let’s say Marketing. A company comes and offers a damn good job profile in Marketing but only paying Rs. 2000/- per month. The guy doesn’t apply just because the company is offering very low stipend. He doesn’t know what opportunity he is losing.

Actually, there is an irony hidden in it. The purpose of internships is not to earn money, which you will definitely do after you complete your MBA. The purpose is to make you understand the practical part of the theory you have studied in 1^st year. So, tell me guys how often have you been paid for receiving the education. Till now, we have received education by paying the fee. In case of MBA, company pays some amount because you, in some sense, will work for it. Now, let the company decide what amount they want to pay, you just focus on your learning part.

Let’s also consider the case of a student (good in Finance) who is forcefully made to sit in a company offering a job profile (HR) which is not of his interest. And due to some bizarre twist of fate, he gets selected. My suggestion to this guy is that the PGDM course is of 18 months. Out of that, if he considers those two months as a waste, then consider the remaining 16 months as an opportunity which he can leverage to attain perfection in his field of interest. Participate in events, do live projects, publish some research papers. I can bet on my bottom dollar, that if you strive hard to be perfect in your field, no one gonna ask you why you did your summers in some other field.

Now comes a myth breaker. Many students feel that working in start-ups will not add much value to them as compared to some well known companies. Guys use your grey cells and try to think for a while where the opportunity is more. I think you got it right. It’s the start-ups who provide us the opportunity to experiment. In the high end companies, it might be possible that they won’t give you any work for two months. On the other side, a company which has just put its steps in the market has a wide dimension to experiment and generally the projects are like creating their brand image or introduction of a complete new product in the market. Think what tremendous amount of knowledge it will provide.

There are some students who consider themselves as they are of no value and they don’t have that standard that they can choose their company. These people always feel that they don’t have enough confidence and they fear to put forward their points. Such people apply for each and every company visiting the campus and their attitude creates a bad impression in front of the company, which spoils the relationship of the institute with the company. Here, I would like to tell them that for God’s sake, you are an IIM student (har student ka khwaab). You have entered this premier institute with your continuous efforts. And if you still feel that you have many weak points then start working on them right now (not exactly, first read the complete blog :P).

At the end I would like to say that we are students of a new born IIM. No, no need to feel pity about it but what my point is that it would be better if we keep our expectations low to some extent. To be more precise, all the high end companies which are currently visiting in so called Tier 1 institutes, might not visit so early to our campus. But if you have that spirit in you, then one day you will definitely get your dream job. So try to focus on your interest, not the stipend.

Here I would like to quote one more line said by the same great saint – Baba Ranchoddas

“Success ke peeche mat bhaago, excellence ka peecha karo, success jhak maar ke tumhare peeche aayegi”.

By

Rishabh Bhardwaj

PGDM 2013-15

IIM