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COVER
STORY
Learning
Organizations : Role of Leadership -- Shirshendu Ganguli
The concept of `Learning Organization' is much relevant
in the modern business world because traditional business
enterprise is no more a sustainable concept. While learning
organization helps to build an organizational culture, it
is also true that without inspirational guidance from effective
leaders, it is not possible to do so. This article talks about
the concept of learning organization and the role of effective
leaders in building such an organization.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
HRM
Rewards
and Recognition Programs in BPO Companies
-- Dharmesh K Mishra
Business
Process Outsourcing (BPO) as an industry is here to stay.
One unique aspect about the BPO industry is its innovative
rewards and recognition program in the form of incentives,
perks, facilities and acknowledgements. It can vary from company-sponsored
holidays, picnics, movies, etc., to pursuing fully-sponsored
educational degrees.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
HRM
Indian
Software Industry : HR Challenges
-- Chikati Srinu and D Uma Shankar
With
a global explosion in market opportunities in the IT sector,
the shortage of manpower, both in quantity and quality is
a prime challenge for HR professionals. The related issues
are varied indeed: recruitment of world-class workforce and
their retention, compensation and career planning, technological
obsolescence and employee turnover.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
GENERAL
MANAGEMENT
Benchmarking
: A Perspective
-- Vikas Shrotriya
Benchmarking
is a process in strategic management wherein organizations
evaluate various aspects of their processes with respect to
the best practices, either in their own segment or otherwise.
It is the process of setting benchmarks and comparison of
actual performance with them. It is something which can be
measured and used as a standard to compare other things with
it. Benchmarking overcomes paradigm blindness and allows the
organization to adopt newer and better processes. This article
discusses some aspects of benchmarking.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
PERSONALITY
DEVELOPMENT
Emotional
Competence : A Vaccine for Knowledge Industry
-- PC Sekar, R Hariharasudhan and N Poornima
Emotional
Intelligence (EI) determines our potential for learning practical
skills based on self-awareness, motivation, self-regulation,
empathy and adaptiveness in relationships. Our Emotional Competence
(EC) shows how much of potential we have translated into on-the-job
capabilities. This article talks about EI and EC and throws
light on ways to improve them both on individual and group
levels in organizations.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
PERSONALITY
DEVELOPMENT
Skill
Gap : A Critique of Three-Dimensional Approach
-- Shruti Kapur and Shweta Chawla Shruti Kapur and Shweta
Chawla
The
key challenges being faced by every industry today are basically
the lack of quality manpower, knowledge paucity, soft skills
gap, aspirations-reality mismatch and rising salaries.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BUSINESS
ENVIRONMENT
Microfranchising
: Solution to Poverty
-- N Janardhan Rao and Suma
Microfranchising
is emerging as one of the most compelling solutions for fighting
poverty. Microfinance has become a significant and proven
poverty alleviation tool by providing the necessary capital
to the poor for starting their own businesses. However, although
there are some successful cases, critics of microfinance argue
that many of the poor still don't have what it takes to be
an entrepreneur, to start a business from scratch and then
continue to expand it. "Many of the poor who take microfinance
loans are starting copycats micro-business with low profit
margins and therefore questionable sustainability."
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BUSINESS
ENVIRONMENT
Biodiesel
: Greening the Future
-- D Syamala
Biodiesel,
the eco-friendly diesel, comes as a replacement to petroleum
diesel, and a special measure to manage global warming for
a cleaner, greener Earth. Environmental pollution leading
to disastrous `Global Warming' is a worldwide concern of the
hour. The major contribution to pollution, especially air
pollution, comes from the petrochemicals used by vehicles.
The emitting `Greenhouse Gases' like CO2, CH4, etc., are responsible
for the threatening global issue of global warming. Today,
with people getting so used to the convenience and luxury
of the automobiles, their increasing usage is leading to environmental
pollution and depletion of fuel reserves.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
SPOTLIGHT
Bottom
of the Pyramid Market : It is for Real
-- Y Chandra Sekhar
Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP) has been a subject of much
discussion among the companies for long ever since management
guru CK Prahlad coined the term. However, lack of statistical
evidence acted as a major deterrent. But a latest study can
help overcome that barrier.A few years ago, two American business
school professors, CK Prahlad and Stuart Hart, in their path-breaking
study argued that companies have for long ignored a particular
segment of the society that represents the bottom of the economic
strata but presents a multi-billion-dollar business opportunity.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
INDIAINC
Brandwagon
: Brands are Forever?
-- Amita Singh
Brands could be immortal if only marketers do not begin
ignoring them mid-way through their life cycle. Maruti Udyog
Limited (MUL), India's premier car manufacturer, in a recent
release said that though its domestic car sales increased
17% during April 2007, sales of its yesteryears' top-selling
brand, Maruti 800, fell approximately 10%. The once-ubiquitous
model which dotted the Indian roads for several years lost
its numero uno position last year to Maruti Alto, during October
2006, as its sales fell by a whopping 30% that prompted many
industry analysts to declare `end of the road' for the 800
model.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
IN
FOCUS
Rupee
Appreciation : A Setback for IT?
-- A Anand
Indian
software companies are now in the process of hedging the rupee
risk by demanding a better price for the renewed contracts
and preferring payments in comparatively stable currencies
like the euro. With the ever-increasing capital inflows, robust
growth of industries and dollar depreciation, the Indian rupee
is on a roll. However, a strengthening rupee is hurting exports
as domestic goods and services become costlier and, therefore,
uncompetitive. On the other hand, countries with whom India
competes have seen a lower appreciation of their currencies,
and this will give an edge to them.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
CYBERWORLD
Open-source
Revolution : The Changing Landscape
-- V Venkateswara Rao
Open
Source Software (OSS) products are gaining momentum as they
are less expensive. More importantly, these products put more
control into the hands of people and organizations that use
the software.In the information technology landscape, Open
Source Software (OSS) is becoming the most interesting phenomenon.
Like the way Internet generated interest, OSS is also attracting
similar curiosity. OSS is not a new phenomenon, but it has
reached a critical stage in recent years and entered the mainstream
software market in a big way.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
FINANCE
Microfinance
: Empowering the Poor
-- N Vijaya Lakshmi
Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) have to expand their
horizon to meet the requirements of the poor. They need to
align the knowledge, capital and technology to address the
challenges faced by the poor. Microfinance is a significant
tool to reduce global poverty. It has been evolving over the
last three decades and proved to be an effective way of reaching
out to the poor and improve their lives. In the early 1980s,
the microfinance industry was dominated by Non-Government
Organizations (NGOs) with innovative programs to provide financial
services for the poor from external funding. However, the
concept came into the limelight because of the Bangladesh-based
Grameen Bank initiatives.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
INDUSTRY
Tourism
Industry in India
-- Manoj Kumar Joshi
Tourism industry in India is showing healthy signs of
growth for the past few years. The overall picture is encouraging
in terms of investment and returns.Tourism industry encourages
and nurtures domestic entrepreneurial talent as its development
is dependant on various manufacturing concerns in diverse
areas such as small scale industries, handicrafts, food and
beverages, textiles, toys, etc., that spring around any hot
tourist destination due to the influx of tourists.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
BOOK
REVIEW
The
Secret Language of Competitive Intelligence How to See Through
and Stay Ahead of Business Disruptions, Distortions, Rumors
and Smoke Screens
-- Author: Leonard M Fuld Reviewed by Amit Singh Sisodiya
Experiences
of companies like Kodak and Lucent clearly highlight the fact
that as the business landscape becomes increasingly filled
with disruptions and smoke screens, corporations are increasingly
realizing the significance of competitive intelligence as
the means to see through and stay ahead of fast-changing rivals.
© 2007 IUP . All Rights Reserved
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