The title of this post might give a wrong impression to the readers about what exactly this is all about. Honestly speaking, it is nothing but the result of a sleepy mind that could not find a better way to relate the events of the day. The second day of AIMS '04, Annual IT Management Seminar at IIM Kozhikode kicked off today with a bang. With yesterday's speakers having made their mark with some very informative and illuminating speeches, the enthusiasm amongst the student community was quite high and it was fitting that the efforts put in to organize an event of such a scale were vindicated.
Agenda for the day was even more interesting than yesterday, as it involved some of the top shots (one a CEO, another a Chairman) discussing ways and means to develop Brand India with special emphasis on the BPO sector. Mr Arun Seth, Chairman, BT India and Chairman, ITeS-BPO forum, NASSCOM, Mr. Neeraj Bhargava, Group CEO, WNS Global Services, and Mr. Sam Iyengar, Senior Advisor, ITSMA were the panelists for the discussion. Mr. Sam Iyengar, who moderated the discussion started off on a funny note as he suggested that the audience do not take his role as a moderator too seriously and the tigers in the audience who were active yesterday, continue to pose questions and participate in the discussion.
And so it was for the bigger part of the session as the baton continued to be passed between the speakers on the stage as well as the people off it in the audience, who raised some very pertinent questions and in effect, gave direction to the discussion.
Mr. Iyengar kicked off the discussion by asking Mr Bhargava about his views on Brand India and how he perceives it to have grown over the past few years.
Mr. Neeraj Bhargava
Mr. Bhargava said that the negative publicity that Indian IT sector has gained on account of the offshoring backlash has actually been helpful in many ways. It has gone a long way in making people aware of what India is and where it is heading. More than that, it has been the work of the new age Indian IT companies that has built the image of India. Indians as a community, Mr. Bhargava pointed out, have also been quite popular in other countries like US through their increasing prosperity.
Mr. Bhargava emphasized on the challenges faced by the brand India ambassadors today. He said that it is not only important to continue leveraging our advantages, but also to be more sensitive to people who have to leave their jobs because of us. We have to clearly articulate what Indian companies stand for and how they can help make the other countries more productive. Another challenge in Mr. Bhargava's opinion was to show to the world that India is a secure solutions provider and that Indian companies have the right infrastructure and the right work conditions to enable long term relationships with the clients.
In response to a question later, Mr. Bhargava said that we need to follow the model and example of the Japanese who also started off with a low cost advantage and have gradually moved on to a high quality situation where they top the markets even in competitive countries like US. He said that it is only now that Indian companies have started thinking of things like the market share and with the economic surplus that they have produced, it is time to go ahead and invest in their brand formation.
Mr. Bhargava also highlighted the need of focusing on upcoming industries like automotive components, health care and bio technology. He said that the time is right to take ownership of brand India now and work towards its development. He said that the low cost proposition that India has can not be used endlessly for brand development as it can only attract customers but the real situation does not end there. Most of the hard work, he said, has already been done and a platform built for the future managers to exploit.
Mr. Bhargava made it clear that the role of the government in building Brand India is going to be minimal and mostly made irrelevant. It is the companies that are going to show the world as to what India can deliver. The high standards of working at the Indian MNCs will go a long way in establishing a culture of high work ethics in Indian companies across strata. Mr. Bhargava also highlighted the need of being empathetic to the client country's society. For the Indian scenario, he said that it is advisable to let the market forces prevail and not worry too much about the MNCs coming in and eating up our companies' share.
Mr. Arun Seth
On being called upon by the moderator to share his views on brand India, specifically in relation to UK and Europe and discuss whether brand India is differently understood in different parts of the world, Mr. Seth agreed to the supposition. He said that the Indians started moving to US in the 60s and most of them who went there were professionals who have now created a name for themselves and are all in important and respectable professions. However, in case of Europe and the UK, the people who went there were from the lower strata and actually joined jobs like being in the post office or the airports. Mr. Seth also said that for the Indian companies, Europe can actually be a better destination compared to the US as the work can be easily moved there with no strict hire and fire policies like the US.
Mr. Seth said that ten years ago, India was not a favorite destination for investment but with the domestic IT companies becoming multi national, the investor confidence has been growing by leaps and bounds. At the same time. Mr Seth said that it is important not to let this get to our head and be insensitive to the various factors like the job loss in US so that we are not hit by something in the future.
More than looking at the IT sector alone as the builders of brand India, Mr. Seth said that we should be looking at the services industry as a whole and that is what NASSCOM has been doing for quite some time now. He also said that due to the service industry taking center stage and other factors, we are at a disadvantage when it comes to manufacturing industry. Mr. Seth also pointed out the possibility of reaching a stage where Indian IT companies will own the brand, own the customers through mass customisation and other actions, and thus be able to outsource its production to countries like China.
Agenda for the day was even more interesting than yesterday, as it involved some of the top shots (one a CEO, another a Chairman) discussing ways and means to develop Brand India with special emphasis on the BPO sector. Mr Arun Seth, Chairman, BT India and Chairman, ITeS-BPO forum, NASSCOM, Mr. Neeraj Bhargava, Group CEO, WNS Global Services, and Mr. Sam Iyengar, Senior Advisor, ITSMA were the panelists for the discussion. Mr. Sam Iyengar, who moderated the discussion started off on a funny note as he suggested that the audience do not take his role as a moderator too seriously and the tigers in the audience who were active yesterday, continue to pose questions and participate in the discussion.
And so it was for the bigger part of the session as the baton continued to be passed between the speakers on the stage as well as the people off it in the audience, who raised some very pertinent questions and in effect, gave direction to the discussion.
Mr. Iyengar kicked off the discussion by asking Mr Bhargava about his views on Brand India and how he perceives it to have grown over the past few years.
Mr. Neeraj Bhargava
Mr. Bhargava said that the negative publicity that Indian IT sector has gained on account of the offshoring backlash has actually been helpful in many ways. It has gone a long way in making people aware of what India is and where it is heading. More than that, it has been the work of the new age Indian IT companies that has built the image of India. Indians as a community, Mr. Bhargava pointed out, have also been quite popular in other countries like US through their increasing prosperity.
Mr. Bhargava emphasized on the challenges faced by the brand India ambassadors today. He said that it is not only important to continue leveraging our advantages, but also to be more sensitive to people who have to leave their jobs because of us. We have to clearly articulate what Indian companies stand for and how they can help make the other countries more productive. Another challenge in Mr. Bhargava's opinion was to show to the world that India is a secure solutions provider and that Indian companies have the right infrastructure and the right work conditions to enable long term relationships with the clients.
In response to a question later, Mr. Bhargava said that we need to follow the model and example of the Japanese who also started off with a low cost advantage and have gradually moved on to a high quality situation where they top the markets even in competitive countries like US. He said that it is only now that Indian companies have started thinking of things like the market share and with the economic surplus that they have produced, it is time to go ahead and invest in their brand formation.
Mr. Bhargava also highlighted the need of focusing on upcoming industries like automotive components, health care and bio technology. He said that the time is right to take ownership of brand India now and work towards its development. He said that the low cost proposition that India has can not be used endlessly for brand development as it can only attract customers but the real situation does not end there. Most of the hard work, he said, has already been done and a platform built for the future managers to exploit.
Mr. Bhargava made it clear that the role of the government in building Brand India is going to be minimal and mostly made irrelevant. It is the companies that are going to show the world as to what India can deliver. The high standards of working at the Indian MNCs will go a long way in establishing a culture of high work ethics in Indian companies across strata. Mr. Bhargava also highlighted the need of being empathetic to the client country's society. For the Indian scenario, he said that it is advisable to let the market forces prevail and not worry too much about the MNCs coming in and eating up our companies' share.
Mr. Arun Seth
On being called upon by the moderator to share his views on brand India, specifically in relation to UK and Europe and discuss whether brand India is differently understood in different parts of the world, Mr. Seth agreed to the supposition. He said that the Indians started moving to US in the 60s and most of them who went there were professionals who have now created a name for themselves and are all in important and respectable professions. However, in case of Europe and the UK, the people who went there were from the lower strata and actually joined jobs like being in the post office or the airports. Mr. Seth also said that for the Indian companies, Europe can actually be a better destination compared to the US as the work can be easily moved there with no strict hire and fire policies like the US.
Mr. Seth said that ten years ago, India was not a favorite destination for investment but with the domestic IT companies becoming multi national, the investor confidence has been growing by leaps and bounds. At the same time. Mr Seth said that it is important not to let this get to our head and be insensitive to the various factors like the job loss in US so that we are not hit by something in the future.
More than looking at the IT sector alone as the builders of brand India, Mr. Seth said that we should be looking at the services industry as a whole and that is what NASSCOM has been doing for quite some time now. He also said that due to the service industry taking center stage and other factors, we are at a disadvantage when it comes to manufacturing industry. Mr. Seth also pointed out the possibility of reaching a stage where Indian IT companies will own the brand, own the customers through mass customisation and other actions, and thus be able to outsource its production to countries like China.
We, as Indians, Mr. Seth mentioned, do not demand the quality from our providers that we ourselves are only too happy to provide to our customers. This mentality has to change and we have to come out of the shortage economy mentality to let our market get in sync with the demand and supply model. This move, he said, will also help us counter ethical issues like corruption and black marketing.
When asked about the competition that Indian companies face in their own backyard from the MNCs setting up shop in India, Mr. Seth said that it should actually be welcomed and we should start thinking in terms of scale. The low scale companies who can not perform should actually be weeded out of the market. We, as Indian companies, should also go out and do stuff like event sponsorships, etc to develop our brand and also through peer to peer system, give out our message clearly.
Mr. Sam Iyengar
When asked about the competition that Indian companies face in their own backyard from the MNCs setting up shop in India, Mr. Seth said that it should actually be welcomed and we should start thinking in terms of scale. The low scale companies who can not perform should actually be weeded out of the market. We, as Indian companies, should also go out and do stuff like event sponsorships, etc to develop our brand and also through peer to peer system, give out our message clearly.
Mr. Sam Iyengar
Mr. Iyengar, moderating the discussion, mostly summarised the points made by the other speakers. He also made some observations, especially regarding the fact that India Inc has had its brand built more by accident than design. Whatever be the case, however, it is true that the current generation of Indian IT companies are able to walk tall and set high expectations of themselves.
Talking about the existing culture difference between the Indian companies and India in general, Mr. Iyengar said that he was confident that the former will do wonders to improve the latter. he also said that it is important for the Indian IT companies to realize that once they build a brand for themselves, it is actually going to be collectively qualified as a brand for the Indian IT industry and later for the Indian nation, on the whole.
According to Mr. Iyengar, it is important for the Indian IT companies to take a more active role in the local issues of the places where they do their business, by paying taxes, being more socially responsible, and so on. It is important, he said, not just to take the jobs away from the US but to also give them something back in return.
In reply to a question about the competition that Indian companies face from other countries like China, Mr. Iyengar said that growth depends on culture in the long term and though China, due to its highly centralised administration can get things executed fast in the short run, it will be India who will finally win in the long run due to its sustainable advantage of being the first mover. He said that to consolidate this advantage, it is important for the Indian companies and some societies like the NASSCOM, FICCI, CII, etc to take stock of the branding scene and develop a brand India that sends a unique, suatainable message that resonates in the market place.
Mr. Iyengar, in giving the slogan of 'Come for cost, stay for quality', put across in a nutshell, the entire focus in building brand India.
Another attraction for the day was the rock show to be organized in campus. I had volunteered for the event and though we did not have much to do (apart from helping set up and probably dismantle the humongous sound infra, do some printing stuff, etc), it was fun for as long as it last. There were two bands slated to perform, courtesy Rahul Gandhi (I must write about him sometime...he is one interesting character and much different from the image I had of him earlier...that is, before meeting him)...both from Kerala.
The bands arrived in the afternoon and had all set at the IIMK Steps, which actually turned out to be a good venue for the show. Giving the feel of a stadium, the show had everything going for it to get it into the groove...well, almost everything but the audience. We had earlier posted some invitations and posters in different parts of the city and after some co-ordination with the security at the main gate, it was possible for the visitors (mostly from NIT Calicut) to enjoy the rock.
The first band to perform was LeoLads who started off well...too well, probably for the first song of the show (ought to have started with a 'lower' number) ...and then, to top it all, moved on to Bryan Adams. From that point onwards, it was down all the way as the vocalist murdered one song after the other (what was that mammary...ia stuff, by the way???) despite the guitarists and the drummers doing quite an efficient job.
It was only post dinner that the actual fun started. Man! Were EverGreen (name of the second band) evergreens!!! They played some superb rock for nearly two hours and believe me, the place rocked and continued to rock much after they had stopped...after acceding to repeated requests of one more...
The band from Cochin presented the songs from the masters (including my favorite...'we don't need no education') and also two of their own compositions. However, with hardly any response after they sang their own compositions, they did not try any more of them...and probably for the better, since there were hardly any of the qualified audience (except may be the likes of Rahul Gandhi, Anudeep and others) to appreciate their original efforts.
However, the end result was amazing and the way these guys got the show rocking must have given a lesson or two to the other band that performed earlier (poor guys...they are only learning...they are new, for God's sake). The biggest asset EverGreen had was their vocalist. This guy over shadowed even the amazing guitarists and played well and fully to the audience, running amok and even dancing with the people in the audience.
To say the least, the rock show rocked and despite the limited turnout from within the campus (as many as about 70 people turned up from outside), I would say that for the rock enthusiasts, the show was a rip-roaring success.
It was thus that IIM Kozhikode comes to the end of AIMS'04, two thought provoking, mentally stimualting days of some high quality stuff, organized with some high quality passion and dedication.
Just reflecting...the last two posts on the blog have only been facts and nothing else. This, however, is not my style. Despite everything, I have my own feelings and emotions associated with the past two days where apart from the front stage activities that I have written about in these posts, there have been a lot of behind the stage plays that I have failed to capture so far. My next post (hopefully tomorrow) will be a truly masala post with the inside stuff on what actually went on over the past two days within the hallowed portals of IIMK.
Talking about the existing culture difference between the Indian companies and India in general, Mr. Iyengar said that he was confident that the former will do wonders to improve the latter. he also said that it is important for the Indian IT companies to realize that once they build a brand for themselves, it is actually going to be collectively qualified as a brand for the Indian IT industry and later for the Indian nation, on the whole.
According to Mr. Iyengar, it is important for the Indian IT companies to take a more active role in the local issues of the places where they do their business, by paying taxes, being more socially responsible, and so on. It is important, he said, not just to take the jobs away from the US but to also give them something back in return.
In reply to a question about the competition that Indian companies face from other countries like China, Mr. Iyengar said that growth depends on culture in the long term and though China, due to its highly centralised administration can get things executed fast in the short run, it will be India who will finally win in the long run due to its sustainable advantage of being the first mover. He said that to consolidate this advantage, it is important for the Indian companies and some societies like the NASSCOM, FICCI, CII, etc to take stock of the branding scene and develop a brand India that sends a unique, suatainable message that resonates in the market place.
Mr. Iyengar, in giving the slogan of 'Come for cost, stay for quality', put across in a nutshell, the entire focus in building brand India.
Another attraction for the day was the rock show to be organized in campus. I had volunteered for the event and though we did not have much to do (apart from helping set up and probably dismantle the humongous sound infra, do some printing stuff, etc), it was fun for as long as it last. There were two bands slated to perform, courtesy Rahul Gandhi (I must write about him sometime...he is one interesting character and much different from the image I had of him earlier...that is, before meeting him)...both from Kerala.
The bands arrived in the afternoon and had all set at the IIMK Steps, which actually turned out to be a good venue for the show. Giving the feel of a stadium, the show had everything going for it to get it into the groove...well, almost everything but the audience. We had earlier posted some invitations and posters in different parts of the city and after some co-ordination with the security at the main gate, it was possible for the visitors (mostly from NIT Calicut) to enjoy the rock.
The first band to perform was LeoLads who started off well...too well, probably for the first song of the show (ought to have started with a 'lower' number) ...and then, to top it all, moved on to Bryan Adams. From that point onwards, it was down all the way as the vocalist murdered one song after the other (what was that mammary...ia stuff, by the way???) despite the guitarists and the drummers doing quite an efficient job.
It was only post dinner that the actual fun started. Man! Were EverGreen (name of the second band) evergreens!!! They played some superb rock for nearly two hours and believe me, the place rocked and continued to rock much after they had stopped...after acceding to repeated requests of one more...
The band from Cochin presented the songs from the masters (including my favorite...'we don't need no education') and also two of their own compositions. However, with hardly any response after they sang their own compositions, they did not try any more of them...and probably for the better, since there were hardly any of the qualified audience (except may be the likes of Rahul Gandhi, Anudeep and others) to appreciate their original efforts.
However, the end result was amazing and the way these guys got the show rocking must have given a lesson or two to the other band that performed earlier (poor guys...they are only learning...they are new, for God's sake). The biggest asset EverGreen had was their vocalist. This guy over shadowed even the amazing guitarists and played well and fully to the audience, running amok and even dancing with the people in the audience.
To say the least, the rock show rocked and despite the limited turnout from within the campus (as many as about 70 people turned up from outside), I would say that for the rock enthusiasts, the show was a rip-roaring success.
It was thus that IIM Kozhikode comes to the end of AIMS'04, two thought provoking, mentally stimualting days of some high quality stuff, organized with some high quality passion and dedication.
Just reflecting...the last two posts on the blog have only been facts and nothing else. This, however, is not my style. Despite everything, I have my own feelings and emotions associated with the past two days where apart from the front stage activities that I have written about in these posts, there have been a lot of behind the stage plays that I have failed to capture so far. My next post (hopefully tomorrow) will be a truly masala post with the inside stuff on what actually went on over the past two days within the hallowed portals of IIMK.
2 comments:
Now thats what I call a comprehensive coverage! :)
Thought I would fill up for the media not covering the event properly...just who do the media peole think they are, anywayz??? :-)
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