Retail atmosphere and space management

Written by Nithin Narayanan

Previously I wrote about Store layout. Store Layout is one of the facets of Retail Atmosphere. Atmosphere and retail space management are significant to any organized or for that matter even unorganized retail firms.

Atmosphere is referred to a store's physical attributes which is the key factor in order to draw customers. It is also important in creating a brand positioning for the outlet. The quality of the service experience for the customer , is a major factor in positioning the brand in the minds of the visitors of the store. As one of the customers of the local grocery store puts it when asked about the reason why he frequents the particular store he answered and I quote "A pleasant experience is the ultimate memory".

These words above correctly depict the significance of the small scale retailers in the lives of the people. This relationship between the customer and the retailer is the USP of the small scale shop owners. And this is exactly what the organized players lack.

But the organized retailer compensates the same by providing more facilities to the customer under one roof. For instance big retailers often have a large display area, thus creating an atmosphere where the customer is comfortable in selecting or evaluating the goods they wish to buy.

Atmospherics and space management are effective tools in managing any retail business. It is now that Visual merchandising has come to the forefront. Surprisingly in India Raymond was the first retail fashion chain which took 'Atmospherics' seriously. And today many other retailers are following the path of Visual and Display creativity to differentiate themselves from their competition and this trend is here to stay for a long time.

Business tycoons from India

Adi Godrej

Adi Godrej is the present chairman of Godrej Group of companies. He left India at the age of 17 to enroll at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his Bachelor and Master degrees in Management from the Sloan School in 1963.

Aditya Mittal

Aditya Mittal (born c. 1974) is a Member of the Board of Directors and President and Chief Financial Officer of the world's largest steel firm Mittal Steel, which is majoritly owned by his father Lakshmi Mittal, who was ranked the fifth richest person in the world by Forbes in 2006. He has a Bachelor's Degree of Science in Economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in the United States.

Anil Ambani

Anil Ambani is chairman of Reliance - Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group which includes Reliance Capital, Reliance Infocomm and Chairman & Managing Director, Reliance Energy Limited, and was formerly Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries Limited. Ambani holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Bombay and an MBA degree from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, he serves as a member of the Wharton Board of Overseers.He is also the Chairman of Board of Governors of DA-IICT, Gandhinagar and a member of the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He is member of the Board of Governors, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

Aroon Purie

Aroon Purie is an Indian journalist and the founder and editor in chief of India Today, a leading newsmagazine of India. He has served as editor of the magazine since founding it in 1975.

Azim Premji

Azim Hashim Premji (born July 24, 1945) is an Indian businessman and Chairman & CEO of one of the largest software companies in India, Wipro Technologies (headquarters located at Bangalore). He was rated the richest person in the country from 1999 to 2005 by Forbes.

 

Bharat Goenka

Bharat Goenka is the managing director of Tally Solutions, India's leading company in business accounting software.

Brijmohan Lall Munjal

Dr. Brijmohan Lall Munjal is an Industrialist and founder of The Hero Group which owns the Hero Honda Motors in India.

 

Deepak Mohoni

Deepak Mohoni, the man behind the most popular word used in the Indian corporate circles "SENSEX" is exceptionally brilliant(B. Tech. IIT Kanpur, MBA - IIM Calcutta), and is rated as India's foremost market strategist by many investors.

Dhiru Bhai Ambani

Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani (28 December 1932, - 6 July 2002), better known as Dhirubhai Ambani, was an Indian business tycoon and founder of Reliance Industries Limited.A film inspired by the life of Dhirubhai was released in January 2007. The Hindi Film Guru, directed by Mani Ratnam and music by A.R.Rahman has show the struggle of a man who strives to make his mark in life.

Dilip Sanghvi

Dilip Shanghvi is Chairman of Sun Pharmaceuticals and has an estimated wealth of $1.4 billion.

 

Fakir Chand Kohli

Fakir Chand Kohli (born February 28, 1924) is regarded as the "Father of the Indian Software Industry." He was the first General Manager of Tata Consultancy Services, a leading Indian software consultancy company. He has also worked as the Deputy General Manager of the Tata Power Company.

G.R.Gopinath

Captain G. R Gopinath, the Managing Director of Air Deccan is a graduate of the prestigious National Defence Academy and has served the Indian Army.

Jagdish Khattar

Jagdish Khattar is the current Managing Director of Maruti Udyog Limited. Prior to this post, he has been an officer of the Indian Administrative Service with more than 37 years of experience.

Jamnalal Bajaj

Jamnalal Bajaj (1886 – 11 February 1942) was an industrialist, a philanthropist, and Indian freedom fighter. He was also a close associate and follower of Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi is known to have adopted him as his son. Several institutions in India bears his name, including the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies. He founded the Bajaj group of companies in the 30s. The group now has 24 companies, including 6 listed companies. Besides Bajaj Auto Ltd, the other major companies in the group include Mukand Ltd, Bajaj Electricals Ltd and Bajaj Hindustan Ltd.

 

Jyoti Naik

Jyoti Naik, also known as Jawantiben Popat, is the President of Lijjat Papad (Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad) , and she pioneered a co-operative movement currently having over 42,000 members located in different parts of India.

Karsanbhai Patel

Karsanbhai Khodidas Patel (b. 1955, Mehsana, Gujarat) is an Indian industrialist, founder of the Rs. 2500 crore (USD 500 mn) Nirma group with major interests in detergents, soaps and cosmetics. He also has interests in education, and founded a leading engineering college, the Nirma Institute of Technology.

Kasturbhai Lalbhai ( Arvind Mill )

Kasturbhai Lalbhai (19 December 1894 – 20 January 1980) was an Indian industrialist. He was widely perceived as a nationalist businessman a kin to G. D. Birla.

 

K.V.Kamath

K. V. Kamath (born December 2, 1947) is the Managing Director and CEO of ICICI Bank, the largest private bank in India. He is an alumnus of prestigious educational institutions of India like the Karnataka Regional Engineering College and the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. He is the recipient of the Asian Business Leader of the Year prize awarded at the Asian Business Leader Award 2001, organised by the business television network CNBC Asia.

 

Lakshmi Narayanan

Lakshmi Narayanan is CEO and President of Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTS).He holds a BS and MS in science and electronics from Bangalore University and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.

Mr. Khalid A H Ansari

Mr. Khalid A H Ansari is an Indian businessman and journalist.He is the Chairman of Mid-Day Group of Publication based in Mumbai.

Kiran Mazumdar - Shaw

Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (b. 23 March 1953 in Bangalore) is an Indian entrepreneur. She is the Chairman & Managing Director of Biocon Ltd. In 2004, she became India's richest woman.

Kumar Mangalam Birla

Kumar Mangalam Birla (June 14, 1967), is among the richest persons in India and the eighth youngest billionaire outside India according to the Fortune magazine. Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla is the Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group.

 

M.S.Banga

Manvinder Singh Banga is the ex-CEO of Hindustan Lever Limited, the Indian subsidiary of Unilever, and the largest FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) company in India.Mr Banga is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, one of India's premier management education institutes.

Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh Ambani is the chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Limited, India's largest private sector company.

M. Balachandran

M. Balachandran (b. 1st May 1947), currently the Chairman & Managing Director (CMD) of Bank of India (BoI), is a prominent banker of India.

M. Damodaran

M. Damodaran is the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the country's financial market watchdog, before that he headed the IDBI bank for a short stint.

Narayana Murthy

N.R. Narayana Murthy is an Indian industrialist, software engineer and the founder of Infosys Technologies.He retired on 20th August, 2006. However he shall continue as the Non-Executive Chairman. He graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Mysore in 1967 and received his master's degree from IIT Kanpur in 1969.

He began his career with Patni Computer Systems in Pune. He is the chairman of the governing body of both the International Institute of Information Technology - Bangalore, and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. In addition, he is a member of the Board of Directors of INSEAD, Board of Overseers of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Cornell University Board of Trustees, Singapore Management University Board of Trustees and the Board of Advisors for the William F. Achtmeyer Center for Global Leadership at the Tuck School of Business.

Naresh Goyal

Naresh Goyal is the founder Chairman of Jet Airways. He started operating Jet Airways in 1993. Following the 2005 IPO of Jet Airways, Forbes magazine declared him the 16th richest person in India with a net worth of $1.9 billion. Was in News recently for the "Jet-Sahara Deal" which lead to failure.

Nandan Nilekani

He is a co-founder of India's National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM). He is currently the CEO and Managing Director of Infosys.

Nusli Wadia

He is the chairman and majority owner of Bombay Dyeing, a major Indian textile company, and has vast holdings in real estate across Mumbai. Nusli Wadia is the son of Neville and Dina Wadia, and the grandson of Mohammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan.

 

Dr. Pratap C. Reddy

Dr. Pratap C. Reddy is a doctor and businessman who founded the first corporate chain of hospitals in India, the Apollo Hospitals Group. He is the Executive Chairman of the company.

 

Preetha Reddy

Preetha Reddy, managing director of Apollo Hospitals (Chennai).

Ramalinga Raju Byrraju

Ramalinga Raju Byrraju (born September 16, 1954), is an Indian businessman, and a pioneer of the Information Technology industry in India.

He is the Chairman of Satyam Computer Services Ltd. It was founded in the late 1980's after venturing earlier into other businesses such as construction and textiles. Raju had acquired a B. Com from Andhra Loyola College at Vijayawada prior to receiving an MBA degree from Ohio University. He has attended the Owner/President course at Harvard.

Ramesh Chandra Agarwal

Ramesh Agarwal is a media baron of India. He owns Dainik Bhaskar group of newspapers that has presence in 26 cities and six states of India and have estimated readership of over 1.5 crore

 

Ramesh Gelli

Ramesh Gelli is an Indian banking executive who served as the chairman and managing director (CMD) of Vysya Bank and was a promoter and CMD of the troubled Global Trust Bank.

 

Ramnath Goenka

He founded the Indian Express in 1936.

Ramoji Rao

Ramoji Rao (Cherukuri Ramoji Rao), an Indian media baron born on 16th November 1936 at Gudivada, Chairman & Founder of Enadu group.

Ratan Tata

Ratan Naval Tata (born December 28, 1937, in Bombay) is the present Chairman of the Tata Group, a leading Indian conglomerate established by earlier generations of his family.

Sushil Kumar Roongta

Sushil Kumar Roongta is the current Chairman of Steel Authority of India Ltd. (SAIL).

S.K.Burman

Founder of Dabur.

Sabeer Bhatia

Sabeer Bhatia is a co-founder of Hotmail. Currently he has started a new venture called BlogEverywhere http://www.blogeverywhere.com

Salil Chaturvedi

Salil Chaturvedi is the owner of Indian apparel brand Provogue.

Sam Pitroda

Currently chairman of India's National Knowledge Commission, he is also largely considered to have been responsible for India's communications revolution . He is the Chairman and CEO of World-Tel Limited.

 

Sarthak Behuria

Sarthak Behuria is the chairman and Managing Director of Indian Oil Corporation. He is An alumnus of St. Stephen's College, Delhi, and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad.

Shahnaz Hussain

Shahnaz Hussain, Chief Executive Officer of Shahnaz Herbals, is a prominent Indian female entrepreneur.

Shiv nadar

Shiv Nadar is the CEO of Hindustan Computers Limited (HCL), a large information technology company in India.

Subhash Chandra

Chairman, Essel Group of Industries. ( Essel Group : Zee tv , Zee Cinema , Dish Tv , Essel World , Water Kingdom , playwin , kidzee , Asian Sky Shop. )

Sunil Mittal

Chairman & Managing Director of Bharti Group. ( Airtel )

Subroto Bagchi

Subroto Bagchi is co-founder and Chief Operating Officer for MindTree Consulting. MindTree Consulting is an international consulting company working in the IT Consulting and Software Services space.

Subrata Roy

Subrata Roy is the chairman and "managing worker" ( Managing Director) of the Sahara Group of companies .

Uday Kotak

Uday Kotak is an Indian businessman. He is the vice-chairman and managing director of Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Venugopal Dhoot

Venugopal Dhoot (Born 1944 in Mumbai, India) is an Indian business tycoon. He is Chairman of Videocon Electronics.His company recently bought a color picture tube unit from the French company Thompson SA, and a refrigerator business from Swedish company Electrolux.

Verghese Kurien

Verghese Kurien (born November 26, 1921 at Kozhikode, Kerala) is called the father of the White Revolution in India. He is also known as the Milkman of India.

He was the chairman of the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.(GCMMF). GCMMF is an apex cooperative organization that manages the Amul food brand. He is recognised as the man behind the success of the Amul brand.

 

Vijay Mallya

Dr. Vijay Mallya (born December 20, 1955) is a Bangalore-based billionaire businessman and Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha since 2002) from India. He is the son of industrialist Vittal Mallya and is the chairman of the United Beverages Group. Mallya has started a domestic airline in India called Kingfisher Airlines

Yusuf Khwaja

Yusuf Khwaja Hamied is chairman of Cipla, a company founded by his father Khwaja Abdul Hamied.

Major Dot Com Companies of the World

Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. is an American electronic commerce company based in Seattle, Washington. It was one of the first major companies to sell goods over the Internet and was one of the iconic stocks of the late 1990s dot-com bubble. After the bubble burst Amazon faced skepticism about its business model, but it made its first annual profit in 2003. Amazon also owns Alexa Internet, A9.com, and the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).Founded as Cadabra.com by Jeff Bezos in 1994 and launched in 1995, Amazon.com began as an online bookstore, though it soon diversified its product lines, adding DVDs, music CDs, computer software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, and more.

AOL.com ( America Online )
AOL LLC (formerly America Online, Inc) is an American online service provider, bulletin board system, and media company operated by Time Warner.

eBay.com

eBay Inc. manages an online auction and shopping website, where people buy and sell goods and services worldwide. The online auction site was founded in San Jose, California on September 3, 1995 by computer programmer Pierre Omidyar as AuctionWeb,Millions of collectibles, appliances, computers, furniture, equipment, vehicles, and other miscellaneous items are listed, bought, and sold daily.

 

Google.com

Google, Inc. is an American public corporation and search engine, first incorporated as a privately held company on 7 September 1998. The company had 9,378 full-time employees as of September 30, 2006 and is based in Mountain View, California. Eric Schmidt, former chief executive officer of Novell, is Google's CEO, after co-founder Larry Page stepped down. The name "Google" originated from a misspelling of "googol," which refers to 10100 (the number represented by a 1 followed by one-hundred zeros).

 

Nertflix.com

Netflix is the largest online DVD rental service, offering flat rate rental-by-mail to customers in the United States. Headquartered in Los Gatos, California, it has amassed a collection of more than 65,000 titles and has about five million subscribers. Currently, Netflix spends about $300 million a year on postage to ship 1.4 million DVDs a day.

 

Priceline.com

Priceline.com is a website devoted to helping users obtain discount rates for travel-related items such as airline tickets and hotel stays. It is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut, United States. Priceline is the brainchild of digital entrepreneur Jay Walker; thus its parent company is Walker Digital.

 

MSN.com

MSN (or The Microsoft Network) is a collection of Internet services provided by Microsoft. Initially released on August 24, 1995, to coincide with the release of Windows 95, the range of services has since changed greatly. The Hotmail webmail service was amongst the first, followed by the instant messenger service MSN Messenger, which has recently been replaced by Windows Live Messenger. According to Alexa.com, MSN.com is currently ranked 2nd amongst all websites for Traffic Rank.

 

Yahoo.com

Yahoo! Inc. is an American internet services company. It operates an Internet portal and provides a full range of products and services including a search engine, the Yahoo! Directory and Yahoo! Mail. It was founded by Stanford graduate students Jerry Yang and David Filo in January of 1994 and incorporated on March 2, 1995. The company is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
According to Web trends companies Alexa Internet and Netcraft, Yahoo! is the most visited website on the Internet today with more than 412 million unique users. The global network of Yahoo! websites received 3.4 billion page views per day on average as of October 2005.

IMDB.com

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, films, television shows, television stars, video games and production crew personnel. Owned by Amazon.com since 1998, the IMDb celebrated its fifteenth anniversary on October 17, 2005. As of August 22, 2006 IMDb featured 825,865 titles and 2,179,165 people.

Geocities.com

Yahoo! GeoCities is a free webhosting service founded by David Bohnett and John Rezner in late 1994 as Beverly Hills Internet. In its original form, site users selected a "city" in which to place their webpages; the "cities" being named after cities or regions according to their content — for example, computer-related sites were placed in "SiliconValley" and those dealing with entertainment were assigned to "Hollywood" — hence the name of the site; now, however, this feature has since been abandoned.

 

Network Solutions

Network Solutions, LLC is a technology company which was founded in 1979. The domain name registration business has become the most important division of the company; as of 2006, Network Solutions manages more than 7.6 million domain names. Their size, founding status, and longevity have made them one of the most important corporations affecting domain name price and policy.

 

Paypal.com

PayPal is an e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the internet. It serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods such as checks and money orders. PayPal performs payment processing for online vendors, auction sites, and other corporate users, for which it charges a fee. In October 2002, PayPal became a wholly owned subsidiary of eBay. Their corporate headquarters is in San Jose, California, at eBay's North First Street satellite office campus. The company also has significant operations in Omaha, Nebraska; Dublin, Ireland; and Berlin, Germany. PayPal account holders must be 18 or over with a debit/credit card or bank account and an e-mail address.

SKYPE

Skype is a proprietary peer-to-peer Voice over IP (VoIP) network founded by the entrepreneurs Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, also founders of the file sharing application Kazaa. It competes against existing open VoIP protocols such as SIP, IAX, and H.323. The Skype Group, acquired by eBay in October 2005, is headquartered in Luxembourg, with offices in London and Tallinn.

MySpace.com

MySpace is a social networking website offering an interactive, user-submitted network of friends, personal profiles, blogs, groups, photos, music, and videos. MySpace also features an internal search engine and an internal e-mail system. It is headquartered in Santa Monica, California, USA, while its parent company is headquartered in New York City, and it also has a back up server there. According to Alexa Internet, it is currently the world's fourth most popular English-language website, the sixth most popular website in any language and the third most popular website in the United States.

Youtube.com

YouTube is a popular free video sharing Web site which lets users upload, view, and share video clips. Founded in February 2005 by three employees of PayPal, the San Bruno-based service utilizes Adobe Flash technology to display video. The wide variety of site content includes movie and TV clips and music videos, as well as amateur content such as videoblogging. Currently staffed by 67 employees, the company was named TIME magazine's "Invention of the Year" for 2006. In October 2006, Google, Inc., announced that it had reached a deal to acquire the company for $1.65 billion USD in Google's stock. The deal closed on 13 November 2006.

Blogger.com ( blogspot.com)

Blogger is a weblog publishing system owned by Google since 2003. Blogger enables blogs to be hosted on its own servers ( http://www.blogger.com/ with the blog created as a subdomain of blogspot.com, i.e. foo.blogspot.com) or on the server of the blogger's choosing, transferred via FTP or SFTP. Blogger was launched by Pyra Labs in August 1999. As one of the earliest dedicated blog-publishing tools, it is credited for helping popularize the format.
In February 2003, Pyra Labs was acquired by Google.

 

Rediff.com

Rediff.com India, NASDAQ: REDF is a popular news, information, entertainment, and shopping portal. It was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Mumbai, India with offices in New Delhi and New York, USA. As per Alexa rating , Rediff is the No. 1 Indian web portal. It is the only India-based website to appear in first 100 websites. It has more than 250 employees. Rediff.com also offers the Indian American community one of the oldest and largest Indian weekly newspaper, India Abroad, which it acquired in 2001.

Orkut.com

Orkut is an Internet social network service run by Google and named after its creator, Google employee Orkut Büyükkökten. It claims to be designed to help users meet new friends and maintain existing relationships. Similar to Friendster and MySpace, Orkut goes a step further by permitting the creation of easy-to-setup simple forums (called "communities") of users. Until recently, Orkut was invitation only, but it now permits users to create accounts without an invitation.

Napster.com

Napster is an online music service which was originally a file sharing service created by Shawn Fanning. Napster was the first widely-used peer-to-peer (or P2P) music sharing service, and it made a major impact on how people used the Internet. Its technology allowed music fans to easily share MP3 format song files with each other, thus leading to the music industry's accusations of massive copyright violations. Although the original service was shut down by court order, it paved the way for decentralized P2P file-sharing programs such as Kazaa, Limewire, and BearShare, which have been much harder to control. The popularity and repercussions of the first Napster have made it a legendary icon in the computer and entertainment fields. Napster's brand and logo continue to be used by a pay service, having been acquired by Roxio.

Alexa.com

Alexa Internet is a California-based subsidiary company of Amazon.com, that is best known for operating a website ( www.alexa.com) that provides information on the web traffic to other websites. Alexa collects information from users who have installed an Alexa Toolbar, allowing them to provide statistics on web site traffic, as well as lists of related links.

CEO's of major companies

3Com Corporation - R. Scott Murray
3M - George W. Buckley
4Kids Entertainment - Alfred R. Kahn

Accenture - William D. Green
Adobe Systems - Bruce R. Chizen
Amazon.com - Jeff Bezos
AMD - Héctor de Jesús Ruiz
Amcor - Ken MacKenzie
America West Airlines - Doug Parker
American Express - Kenneth Chenault
Analog Devices - Jerald G Fishman
Apple Computer - Steve Jobs
AT&T - Edward Whitacre, Jr.

Bank of America - Kenneth Lewis
Berkshire Hathaway - Warren Buffet
Best Buy - Bradbury H. Anderson
BMW - Norbert Reithofer
Boeing - W. James McNerney, Jr.

Caterpillar Inc. - James W. Owens
Cisco Systems - John Chambers
Citigroup - Chuck Prince
CGI Group - Mike Roach
Coca-Cola - E. Neville Isdell
Cognizant Technology Solutions - Lakshmi Narayanan
Colgate-Palmolive - Reuben Mark
Computer Sciences Corporation - Van Honeycutt
Cameron - Sheldon Erikson
Countrywide Financial Corporation - Angelo Mozilo

Dell Inc - Michael Dell
Delta Air Lines - Gerald Grinstein
Deutsche Bank - Josef Ackermann
Deutsche Telekom - René Obermann
Du Pont - Charles O. Holliday

eBay - Margaret C. Whitman
Ericsson - Carl-Henric Svanberg
Exxon Mobil - Rex Tillerson

FedEx - Frederick W. Smith
Flextronics - Mike McNamara
Fotolog - Michael Crotty
Ford Motor Company - Alan Mulally

General Dynamics - Nicholas Chabraja
General Electric - Jeffrey R. Immelt
General Growth Properties - John Bucksbaum
General Motors - Rick Wagoner
GlaxoSmithKline - Jean-Pierre Garnier
Google - Eric E. Schmidt

Hewlett-Packard - Mark V. Hurd
Home Depot - Robert Nardelli
Honeywell - David M. Cote
HCL Technologies - Shiv Nadar

Infosys Technologies Limited - Nandan N. Nilekani
IBM - Samuel J. Palmisano
Intel - Paul Otellini
iGate - Phaneesh Murthy
ITC Infotech Limited - Sanjiv Puri

Johnson & Johnson - William C. Weldon
JP Morgan Chase - James Dimon

Kimberly-Clark Corporation - Thomas J. Falk
Krispy Kreme - Scott Livengood
Kingfisher Airlines - Dr. Vijay Mallya

Legacy Corporation - Edison A. Bardowell
Lehman Brothers - Richard S. (Dick) Fuld, Jr.
Lucasfilm Ltd. - Micheline Chau
Lucent Technologies - Patricia Russo

McDonalds - Jack Greenberg
McKinsey - Ian Davis
Merrill Lynch - Stan O'Neal
MGA Entertainment - Isaac Larian
Microsoft - Steve Ballmer
Motorola - Edward J. Zander
Mozilla - Mitchell Baker
MySQL AB - Marten Mickos

Nike - Philip Knight
Nokia - Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo
Nortel - Mike S. Zafirovski

Oracle Corporation - Larry Ellison

Pixar - Steve Jobs
Procter & Gamble - Alan Lafley

Reliance Industries Limited - Mukesh Ambani
Royal Bank of Canada - Gordon Nixon

S. C. Johnson & Son - Herbert Fisk Johnson III
Samsung - Kun-Hee Lee
Siemens - Klaus Kleinfeld
Sony - Howard Stringer
Sun Microsystems - Jonathan Schwartz

Tata Consultancy Services - S Ramadorai
Telefónica - César Alierta
Timberland - Jeff Swartz
Think Partnership - Scott Mitchell
Time Warner - Richard D. Parsons
Toyota - Hiroshi Okuda

Verizon - Ivan Seidenberg
Viacom - Tom Freston
Vodafone - Arun Sarin

Wal-Mart - Lee Scott
The Walt Disney Company - Robert A. Iger
Whirlpool - Jeff M. Fettig
Wipro - Azim Premji
World Wrestling Entertainment - Linda McMahon

Xerox - Anne M. Mulcahy

Yahoo! - Terry Semel
 

Taglines and brands of major companies

UPDATED VERSION OF THIS ARTICLE IS AVAILABLE ON VABSITE.COM

CLICK HERE TO GO TO UPDATED TAGLINES & BRANDS 

ABN AMRO Bank - Making More Possible
Accenture - High Performance. Delivered
Adobe - Simplicity at work. Better by adobe.
AIG or American International Group Insurance Company - We know Money
Air Canada - A breath of Fresh Air
Allianz Group - The Power on your side
AMAZON.COM - Earth's Biggest BookStore
ANDHRA BANK - "Much more to do, with YOU in focus."
Apple Macintosh - Think Different.
ARCELOR - Steel solutions for a better world
AT&T - The World's Networking Company
Bank of America - Higher Standards
Bank of Baroda - India's International Bank
BANK OF RAJASTHAN - Dare to Dream
Barclays - Fluent in Finance; Its our business to know your business
Be Fearless. - SYMANTEC
BIG BAZAAR - Is se sasta aur Achcha kahee nahee milenga
BIOCON - The difference lies in our DNA
BLOGGER.COM - Push Button Publishing
BLOOMINGDALES - Like no other store in the world
BMW - The Ultimate Driving Machine
BOEING - Forever new Frontiers
Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) - The Edge is Efficiency
BPCL - Pure for Sure
British airways - The Way to Fly.
British Petroleum - Beyond Petroleum
BUSINESS INDIA - The Magazine of the Corporate World
BUSINESS TODAY - For Managing Tomorrow
BUSINESS WORLD - Play the Game
Caring for life - CIPLA
CAST AWAY - "At the edge of the world, his journey begins "
CEAT - Born Tough
CENTRAL - Shop. Eat. Celebrate
CHEVROLET AVEO - When Good is not good enough.
Chevron Corporation - Human Energy
CHIP - Intelligent Computing
Choose Freedom - TOSHIBA
CITIGROUP or CITIBANK - The Citi Never Sleeps
CNBC - Profit from it
COMPTRON and GREAVES - Everyday Solutions
Dell - Easy as DELL.
Deutsche Bank - A Passion to Perform
DIGIT - Your Technology Navigator
DR. REDDY'S LABORATORIES - ÿLife. Research. Hope
DUPONT - The Miracles of Science
EBAY - The World's Online Market Place
EPSON - Exceed Your Vision
Ernst and Young - Quality in Everything we Do
Essar corp - A positive a++itude
Exxon Mobil - Taking on the World's Toughest Energy Challenges
FIAT - Driven by Passion. FIAT
FORD - Built for the Road Ahead
GAIL - Gas and Beyond
GM - Only GM.
HAIER - Inspired Living
HINDUSTAN TIMES - The Name India trusts for News
HOME DEPOT - You can do it. We can Help.
HONDA - The Power of Dreams
HP Invent - Everything is Possible
HSBC - The World's Local Bank
HYUNDAI - Drive Your Way
IBM - ON DEMAND
IBM - " I think, therefore IBM."
IBP - Pure bhi. Poora bhi
Infosys - " Powered by Intellect, Driven by Values; Improve your odds with Infosys Predictability"
Intel - Intel inside.
IOCL - Bringing Energy to Life
Jet Airways - The Joy of Flying
JVC - The Perfect Experience
Kingfisher Airlines - Fly the good times
KMART - The stuff of life.
Kotak - Think Investments. Think Kotak.
KROGER - Costs less to get more
LARSEN and TOUBRO - We make things which make India proud
LEE - The jeans that built America
Lehman Brothers - Where Vision Gets Built
LENOVO - We are building a new technology company.
Life's Good - LG
Lufthansa - There's no better to fly
Macromedia - What the web can be.
Malaysian Airlines - Going Beyond Expectations
Master card - There are some things money can't buy. For everything else there'sÿMASTERCARD.
Max NewYork Life Insurance - Your Partner for life
McDowells Signature - The New Sign of Success.
METRO - The spirit of Commerce
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company or Metlife. - Have You Met Life Today
Microsoft - Where Do You Want to Go Today ; Your Potential Our Passion
MITTAL STEEL - Shaping the future of steel
Monster.com - Never Settle
MRF - Tyres with Muscle
NASDAQ - Stock market for the digital world
NDTV Profit - News you can Use.
NYSE (New York Stock Exchange) - The world puts its stock in us
ONGC - Making Tomorrow Brighter
PHILLIPS - Sense and Simplicity
Prudential Insurance Company - Growing and Protecting your wealth
Reliance industries Limited - Growth is Life
Sahara - Emotionally yours.
SAMSUNG - Everyone's Invited or Its hard to Imagine
SANSUI - Born in Japan Entertaining The World
SBI DEBIT CARD - Welcome to a Cashless World.
Servo - 100 % Performance. Everytime.
Singapore Stock Exchange (SGX) - Tomorrow Market's Today.
SKODA - Obsessed with Quality since 1897.
SONY - Like. No. Other.
Speed - High Performance Petrol
Standard Chartered Bank - Your Right Partner
Standard Insurance Company Limited. - Positively Different.
Star Sports - We know your game
Sun Microsystems - The Network is the Computer
SUZLON ENERGY - Powering a Greener Tomorrow.
TATA MOTORS - Even More Car per Car
TCS - Beyond the Obvious
TESCO - Every Little Helps
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH - Read a Bestseller everyday
THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW - Where will you be
THE ECONOMIC TIMES - The Power of Knowledge
The Indian EXPRESS - Journalism of Courage
TIMESJOBS.COM - " If you have a reason, we have the job "
TITANIC - Collide With Destiny.
TOYOTA - Touch The Perfection
Toyota Innova - All you Desire.
UBS - You and Us
Union Bank of India - Good People to Bank with
VIDEOCON - The Indian Multinational
VIZAG STEEL - Pride of Steel
VOLKSWAGEN - Drivers wanted
WALMART - Always low prices. Always.
Windows XP - Do More with Less
WIPRO - Applying Thought

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

Store Layout in Retail

- Written by Nithin Narayanan

Store layout is the term used to refer the interiors and the allocation or the plan in which the products are displayed in the store .It is quite imperative for the retailers to understand the customer and prepare a customer friendly layout. 

A customer friendly layout gives an impetus to the shopper to spend more time in the store hence increasing the chances of shoppers buying more merchandise. In the case of India many of the independent retailers do not have or have limited spaces for customer movement. Specially in smaller stores, one would find cash counter located at the store entrance. This treatment is common with so called 'Kinara Stores'. 

But on the other hand, many organized retailers provide adequate space within the store for shoppers and create layouts that facilitates a definite pattern of customer traffic .In other words, the layout creates 'Aisles' so that the shopper can move on a predefined path inside the store. 

Layout planning caters to decisions about nature of traffic flow, kinds of product, space available and maintenance of the space on a daily basis. 

Store layout is one of the many facets of Retail Atmospherics and it is significant as it plays a part in the cost incurred by the retail firm and also the general brand communication of the store. 

Calibration

Calibration, the function of providing verification that measurements are what they should be, is essential to industry and commerce. With the growing international adoption of the ISO standards for quality, safety and environmental concerns in manufacturing and services, manufacturers and governments are realizing the importance of measurement and calibration in commerce. We must harness that momentum and use it to establish better educational and training opportunities for people in metrology and calibration, higher funding for research and development, and increased involvement in the management and quality processes in companies.

 

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal 
 

Energy Auditing

As per the Energy Conservation Act, 2001, Energy Audit is defined as "the verification, monitoring and analysis of use of energy including submission of technical report containing recommendations for improving energy efficiency with cost benefit analysis and an action plan to reduce energy consumption". Implementation of recommended measures can help consumes to achieve significant reduction in their energy consumption levels.

Energy audit involves a systematic study undertaken on major energy consuming sections and equipments including construction of heat and mass balance with a view to identify the flow of energy, utilization efficiency of energy in each of the steps and pin-point wasteful energy used. A well-conducted energy audit would reveal the areas of wastage of energy and it would be possible to suggest saving of energy.

The Energy Conservation Act requires the energy audit report to contain recommendations for improving energy efficiency with cost benefit analysis and an action plan to reduce energy consumption [Clause 14(i)]. The conduct of energy audit and implementation of its recommendations on cost-benefit basis through accredited energy auditors is expected to help the designated energy consumers to achieve significant reduction in their energy consumption levels.


Role of Energy Auditor:

• Carry out a detailed energy audit.
• Quantify energy consumption and establish base line energy information.
• Construct energy and material balance.
• Perform efficiency evaluation of energy & utility systems.
• Compare energy norms with existing energy consumption levels.
• Identify and prioritization of energy saving measures.
• Analysis of technical and financial feasibility of energy saving measures.
• Recommend energy efficient technologies and alternate energy sources.
• Report writing, presentation and follow up for implementation.

Preliminary energy audit is a relatively quick exercise to:

• Establish energy consumption in the organization.
• Estimate the scope for saving.
• Identify the most likely (and the easiest areas for attention).
• Identify immediate (especially no-/low-cost) improvements/ savings.
• Set a 'reference point'.
• Identify areas for more detailed study/measurement.
• Preliminary energy audit uses existing, or easily obtained data.

Whereas, detailed energy audit

• Whereas, detailed energy audit.
• Offers the most accurate estimate of energy savings and cost.
• Considers the interactive effects of all projects, accounts for the energy use of all major equipment.
• Includes detailed energy cost saving calculations and project cost.

Steps involved in 'detailed energy audit'.
(EA) Pre-audit phase:

• Plan and organize.
• Walk through audit.
• Informal interview with plant personnel.

Audit Phases:
a) Primary data collection. b) Conduct survey and monitoring. c) Conduct detailed trials and experiments. d) Analysis of energy use. e) Identification and development of energy conservation opportunities. f) Cost benefit analysis. g) Report preparation and presentation to the plant personnel and management.

• Primary data collection.
• Conduct survey and monitoring.
• Conduct detailed trials and experiments.
• Analysis of energy use.
• Identification and development of energy conservation opportunities.
• Cost benefit analysis.
• Report preparation and presentation to the plant personnel and management.

Post audit phase:
Implementation and follow-ups

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

AD 2000

The German pressure vessel association published a regulation conform to the Pressure Equipment Directive 97/23/EC called AD 2000.

In general the harmonized European Standard DIN EN 13445 can be used for unfired pressure vessels. The final release of this standard is implemented since May 2002 Designing according to this standard is an advantage if you have customers all over Europe.

What are the advantages of the AD 2000?

• Germany has the largest market in the EU.
• The German Regulations are accepted by most of the European neighbors.
• The German regulations are the "toughest" in Europe, an approval according the German Pressure Vessel.
• Code will be the base for a future EU-Approval.
• Evidence for the delivery ability of quality products Marketing effect with TUV-certificate.
• Listed on VdTUV-Merkblatt1253.
• Documentation of material test in accordance with the standard.

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

PED (Pressure Equipment Directive)

The Pressure Equipment Directive is an EU New & Global Approach Product Directive.

The PED lays down requirements for the design and manufacture of pressure equipment and assemblies with a maximum allowable pressure greater than 0.5 bar gauge (1.5 bar absolute).

Vessels, piping, safety accessories and pressure accessories are included in the scope of the Directive but there are also many excluded products.

Products within the scope of the Directive must comply at the first "putting on the market" or "putting into service" in EEA.

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

NBA

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) was established by an Act of the Parliament in 1987. As a part of its programmes and activities, the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) was set up by the AICTE in September 1994, in order to assess the qualitative competence of educational institutions from the Diploma level to the Post-Graduate level in Engineering and Technology, Management, Pharmacy, Architecture, Town Planning and related disciplines. The NBA is also concerned with assessing and assuring the quality of the various constituent elements of these educational institutions, such as academic ambience, infrastructure, financial resources, physical resources, human resources, supporting systems like library resources, computational resources, and avenues to mould and develop the students’ personality and learning characteristics.

 

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC)

The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is an autonomous body established by the University Grants Commission (UGC) of India to assess and accredit institutions of higher education in the country. It is an outcome of the recommendations of the National Policy on Education (1986) that laid special emphasis on upholding the quality of higher education in India.

Any institution of higher education imparting instruction at degree level and above shall be eligible for assessment by NAAC, provided the institution works under the relevant provisions and discipline of some university established under the Indian law, at least as regards the programmes / courses to be assessed.

 

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

SIX SIGMA

What is Six Sigma?
Six sigma is the structured application of tools and techniques applied on project basis to achieve sustained strategic results.

DMAIC six sigma approach
The six sigma approach for projects is DMAIC (define, measure, analyze, improve and control). These steps are the most common six sigma approach to project work. Some organizations omit the D in DMAIC because it is really management work. With the D dropped from DMAIC the Black Belt is charged with MAIC only in that six sigma approach. We believe define is too important be left out and sometimes management does not do an adequate job of defining a project. Our six sigma approach is the full DMAIC.

Define (DMAIC)
Define is the first step in our six sigma approach of DMAIC. DMAIC first asks leaders to define our core processes. It is important to define the selected project scope, expectations, resources and timelines. The definition step in the six sigma approach identifies specifically what is part of the project and what is not, and explains the scope of the project. Many times the first passes at process documentation are at a general level. Additional work is often required to adequately understand and correctly document the processes.

Measure (DMAIC)
Many think when they start a journey the most important thing to know is where they are going. While we agree knowing where you want to go is very important, we believe some of the first information you need before starting any journey is your current location. The six sigma approach asks the Black Belt project manager to quantify and benchmark the process using actual data. At a minimum consider the mean or average performance and some estimate of the dispersion or variation (maybe even calculate the standard deviation). Trends and cycles can also be very revealing. The two data points and extrapolate to infinity is not a six sigma approach. Process capabilities can be calculated once there is performance data.

Analyze (DMAIC)
Once the project is understood and the baseline performance documented and verified that there is real opportunity, it is time with the six sigma approach to do an analysis of the process. In this step, the six sigma approach applies statistical tools to validate root causes of problems. Any number of tools and tests can be used. The objective is to understand the process at a level sufficient to be able to formulate options for improvement. We should be able to compare the various options with each other to determine the most promising alternatives. As with many activities, balance must be achieved. Superficial analysis and understanding will lead to unproductive options being selected, forcing recycle through the process to make improvements. At the other extreme is the paralysis of analysis. Striking the appropriate balance is what makes the six sigma Black Belt highly valuable.

Improve (DMAIC)
During the improve step of the six sigma approach ideas and solutions are put to work. The six sigma Black Belt has discovered and validated all known root causes for the existing opportunity. The six sigma approach requires Black Belts to identify solutions. Few ideas or opportunities are so good that all are an instant success. As part of the six sigma approach there must be checks to assure that the desired results are being achieved. Some experiments and trials may be required in order to find the best solution. When making trials and experiments it is important that all project associates understand that these are trials and really are part of the six sigma approach.

Control (DMAIC)
Many people believe the best performance you can ever get from a process is at the very beginning. Over time there is expectancy that slowly things will get a little worse until finally it is time for another major effort towards improvement. Contrasted with this is the Kaizen approach that seeks to make everything incrementally better on a continuous basis. The sum of all these incremental improvements can be quite large. As part of the six sigma approach performance tracking mechanisms and measurements are in place to assure, at a minimum, that the gains made in the project are not lost over a period of time. As part of the control step we encourage sharing with others in the organization. With this the six sigma approach really starts to create phenomenal returns, ideas and projects in one part of the organization are translated in a very rapid fashion to implementation in another part of the organization.

Benefits of Six Sigma
There are numerous benefits of six sigma as a way to address issues and problems. Among the benefits of six sigma is the decrease in defects that are allowed to reach the customer. You can get some sense of the benefits of six sigma by reviewing some six sigma projects. Other benefits of six sigma include:

• Focus on customers.
• Improved customer loyalty.
• Reduced cycle time.
• Less waste.
• Data based decisions.
• Time management.
• Sustained gains and improvements.
• Systematic problem solving.
• Employee motivation.
• Data analysis before decision making.
• Faster to market.
• Team building.
• Improved customer relations.
• Assure strategic planning.
• Reductions of incidents.
• Measure value according to the customer.
• Better safety performance.
• Understanding of processes.
• Effective supply chain management.
• Design and redesign products/services.
• Knowledge of competition, competitors.
• Develop leadership skills.
• Breakdown barriers between departments and functions.
• Management training.
• Improve presentation skills.
• Integration of products, services and distribution.
• Use of standard operating procedures.
• Better decision making.
• Improving project management skills.
• Sustained improvements.
• Alignment with strategy vision, and values.
• Increased margins.
• Greater market share.
• Supervisor training.
• Lower costs to provide goods and services.
• Fewer customer complaints.

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

CMMI

It is a guide for implementing development practices that continuously improve software quality. This has been created by SEI (Software Engineering Institute) – a research and development centre operated by Carnegie Mellon University.

"CMMI" refers to the integration of diverse tool sets and appraisal methods related to CMM.
CMMi builds on and extends on the best practices of the:

• Capability Maturity Model for Software (SW-CMM);
• Systems Engineering Capability Model (SECM);
• Integrated Product Development Capability Maturity Model (IPD-CMM);
• Supplier Sourcing Capability Maturity Model (SS-CMM).

CMMi will help Software and Systems Engineering Companies to Study, Define, Implement, Improve and Appraise their internal Processes to result in improvement of the Development Cycle Time, Timely deliveries to Customers, Reduction in Schedule, Effort and Cost variances, reduced Defect levels, reduced Rework, improved Productivity and Profitability.

CMMI Maturity Levels
There are 5 maturity levels viz.

• Initial
• Managed
• Defined
• Quantitatively Managed
• Optimizing

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

SA 8000

The SA 8000 certification is the Social Accountability System standard. It is applicable to companies of any size that wish to address the social and ethical aspects of their business. A Social Accountability System proves to customers that the company holds adequate provisions for the protection of wokers' rights. Further, it ensures ethical production of all goods manufactured by the company.

SA 8000 is the first auditable standard in this field. The initiative is based on the well-known ISO 9001/ISO 14001 certification structure, conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

SA 8000 KEY REQUIREMENTS

• Be senior management led.
• Be focused on continuous improvement.
• Be focused on prevention rather than reaction.
• Be supportive of workers’ rights and workers participation.
• Be compliant with local laws/codes.
• Be proactive in promoting ethical sourcing.
• Be systematic in addressing problems-CARs Process.
  

Benefits of SA 8000 to manufacturers and suppliers

• Marketing advantage – more demand and value for goods from socially.
• Responsible manufacturers/suppliers.
• Enhancement of company’s productivity.
• Compliance to the laws of the land.
• Improvement of relationship with the Govt., NGOs, trade unions.
• Better image and position in labour market.

Benefits of SA 8000 for the retailers

• Cost reduction in monitoring.
• Better corporate image.
• Increased value for the products.
• Trust building with the analysts and investors when evaluated against social performance.

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

BRC

This Standard is most applicable to manufacturers of food contact packaging for retailers’ labelled products and branded products as well. Manufacturers have an obligation to put appropriate systems and controls in place to ensure the suitability of their packaging for safe food use.

The BRC and IOP (Institute of Packaging) have developed this Standard to assist retailers and food manufacturers in the fulfilment of their legal obligations. This Standard will help in the protection of the consumer by providing a common basis for the audit of companies supplying packaging for food products to retailers.

The main sections of the Standard are:

• Scope
• Organisation
• Hazard and risk management system
• Technical management system
• Factory Standards
• Contamination Control
• Personnel
• Risk Category Determination (The latest edition includes a useful guide to help you assess which category your product falls into)
• The Evaluation Protocol

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

FAMI-QS / European FEED ADDITIVES AND PREMIXTURES QUALITY SYSTEM

This European Code of Practice for Animal Feed Additive and Pre-mixture Operators ('Code') responds to the Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council laying down requirements for feed hygiene, (183/2005/EC), articles 20 to 22 of which encourage the development of guides to good practice for hygiene and the application of HACCP principles.

Implementation of the code aims to ensure the safety of feed additives and pre-mixtures; the operation of businesses in accordance with European feed hygiene requirements, and improved traceability. The code also applies to import from third countries of feed additives and pre-mixtures.

In order to align the Code with current animal feed legislation and various activities on national, industrial and/or association levels, it takes into account the principles of feed and food safety as well as HACCP principles.

 

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices)

W.H.O. defines Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) as "that part of quality assurance which ensures that products are consistently produced and controlled to the quality standards appropriate to their intended use and as required by the marketing authorization". GMP covers all aspects of the manufacturing process: defined manufacturing process; validated critical manufacturing steps; suitable premises, storage, transport; qualified and trained production and quality control personnel; adequate laboratory facilities; approved written procedures and instructions; records to show all steps of defined procedures taken; full traceability of a product through batch processing records and distribution records; and systems for recall and investigation of complaints.

The guiding principle of GMP is that quality is built into a product, and not just tested into a finished product. Therefore, the assurance is that the product not only meets the final specifications, but that it has been made by the same procedures under the same conditions each and every time it is made. There are many ways this is controlled - controlling the quality of the facility and its systems, controlling the quality of the starting materials, controlling the quality of production at all stages, controlling the quality of the testing of the product, controlling the identity of materials by adequate labeling and segregation, controlling the quality of materials and product by adequate storage, etc. All of these controls must follow prescribed, formal, approved procedures, written as protocols, SOPs, or Master Formulae, describing all the tasks carried out in an entire manufacturing and control process.

 

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal 

HACCP

HACCP is built around seven principles:
1. Analysis of food hazards: biological, chemical or physical
2 Identification of critical control points: raw materials, storage, processing, distribution and consumption
3. Establishment of critical control limits and preventive measures: for example, minimum cooking temperature and time.
4. Monitoring of these critical control points
5. Establishment of corrective actions
6. Keeping records
7. Systematic and regular auditing of the system in place by independent third party certification bodies.

Benefits of Implementing HACCP
In addition to meeting the legal and moral obligation to produce food that is safe to eat, HACCP offers a variety of other benefits for not only the consumer, but for the food industry and the government. The following are examples of benefits that may be gained by implementing a HACCP program.

HACCP can be applied throughout the food chain from the primary producer to final consumer.

HACCP reduces the need for finished product testing by identifying the hazards associated with the inputs into the process and the product and devising control measures which can be monitored in order to minimize or eliminate the hazards.

A HACCP program, when properly designed and implemented, will significantly reduce the chance of microbiological, chemical, and physical contaminants from reaching the customer.

HACCP can reduce regulatory involvement (and hence costs) by replacing on-line inspection with regular auditing.

HACCP principles can be applied to other aspects of food quality and regulatory requirements.

Since HACCP increases one’s ability to detect poor quality product during production, such product can be held before further value is added. Resources are saved and faulty product is not produced. Productivity and profitability is improved.

HACCP improves communications between supplier and customer. It encourages businesses to work together more closely and to help them understand each other’s capacity and requirements.

HACCP is capable of accommodating changes such as advances in raw materials, equipment and premise design, procedures, and technological developments.

Communication between the different segments of the food chain improves as HACCP provides a common language and a common focus on quality.

Improved customer confidence leads to increased market share.

 

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal
 

CE Certification

Europe is a competitive but prize market, easier to access than ever before. Too many Indian exporters, especially small and medium sized enterprises, avoid it because the technical requirements for entry seem too complicated, too difficult, or too expensive. Indian manufacturers who have successfully accessed the European market know that the time to understand the European system is well worth the effort. The European Union alone is filled with affluent consumers, approximately 450 million of them. The European market is a large area that comprises more than 25 countries.

For the exporter, therefore, Europe as a whole has become a market whose technical requirements have been greatly simplified. Before the creation of the European Union, each country imposed its own technical requirements. Different standards and conformity assessment procedures forced exporters to target one or two countries only, or to forego exporting to Europe altogether. The unification of these European countries into a European Union, and the consequent harmonization of laws, standards, and conformity assessment procedures, changed all that.

Perhaps more importantly, ISO 9001 Certification is used extensively in Europe as a condition of acceptance of a manufacturer's product or as a means of recognition of the manufacturer's credibility. It is important to note that a manufacturer with a quality system in place (such as ISO 9001 QMS) should not automatically assume that his or her products are CE compliant because of the quality system alone. The appropriate New Approach Directive(s) will prescribe the correct and full route to conformity assessment.

The CE Mark, which is affixed to a product or its packaging, is considered proof that a product has met the requirements of the harmonized European standard, or directive; refers to Communauté Européen. Translated from the French, this literally means European Community. The European Commission, which administers the program, describes the CE Mark as a passport for goods to be sold freely within the internal European market. It is required by law if the product falls under one of the New Approach Directives. It is not a quality mark, nor is it a mark for consumers. Intended for Member State authorities, it is the visible sign to those authorities that your product is in compliance with the New Approach Directives. All manufacturers are required to affix the CE mark to products that are governed by New Approach Directives. CE marking on a product indicates to all authorities that the product is in compliance with the essential health and safety requirements of all directives that apply to the product.

The first step to compliance is determining which directives apply to the product. A product may be regulated by more than one directive. The CE mark does not disclose which directive(s) or standards apply to the product, nor will it indicate the method of conformity assessment used to bring the product into compliance. This information is provided by other accompanying documents, such as the Declaration of Conformity. The Manufacturer or the Authorized Representative affixes the CE marking to the product. It is not affixed by a Notified Body.

 

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

Who are Category Killers

Category killers are the giant retailers that dominate one area of merchandise (e.g., Office Depot, Virgin Records, and The Sports Authority). They are able to buy bathroom tiles, file cabinets, electronic goods, or pet food in such huge volumes that they can then sell them at prices even fairly large competitors can't match. The outlook for this category is better than for many of the more general discounters, but the same employment caveats apply. For most job seekers, these companies offer earn-and-learn experiences with vendors and distributors before you move onward and upward.

 

- Contributed by Nithin Narayanan 

ISO 9001 Certification

In ISO 9001 Certification, highly competent market industries with ISO 9001 2000 certification hold a distinguished position. These industries hold an advantage over others and have gained trust & credibility. The ISO 9001:2000 quality certification is based on the following eight fundamental quality management principles:

• Customer focus
• Leadership
• Involvement of people
• Process approach
• System approach to management
• Continual improvement
• Factual approach to decision making
• Mutually beneficial supplier relationships

Overview of the ISO 9001:2000 standard
ISO 9001:2000 contains five requirements sections, each dealing with one of the fundamental building blocks required by any process. These are:

Quality Management System: This section details the general and documentation requirements that are the foundation of the management system. The general requirements ask you to look at the processes of the management system, how they interact with each other, what resources you need to run the processes; and how you will measure and monitor the processes. The second part of the section then sets out the requirements for the documentation needed to effectively operate the system and how the documentation should be controlled.

Management Responsibility: The management of the systems is the responsibility of the "top management" at a strategic level in the organization. The "top management" must know customers' requirements at a strategic level and make a commitment to meeting these as well as statutory and regulatory requirements. "Top management" must also set policies; and to achieve these policies set objectives through planning how the objectives will be met. "Top management" should also ensure that there are clear internal communications and that the management system is regularly reviewed.

Resource Management: This covers the people and physical resources needed to carry out the processes. People should be competent to carry out their tasks and the physical resources and work environment need to be capable of ensuring that the customers' requirements are met.

Product/Service realization: These are the processes necessary to produce the product or to provide the service. This is the act of converting the input of the process to the output. For a manufacturing organization, this may be the process of converting iron ore to steel via a blast furnace for example. For a service organization, this may be the process of moving a product or person from one place to another, for example, a taxi journey.

Measurement analysis and improvement: These are the measurements to enable the systems to be monitored to provide information on how the systems are performing with respect to the customer, the management systems themselves through internal audits, the processes and the product. Analyzing these, including any defect or shortfall in performance, will provide valuable information for use in improving the systems and products where this is required.

Each of these five fundamental building blocks is required for any process because, if one is missing, a controlled process does not occur.

The advantages of being ISO 9001:2000 compliance : - : -
1. Improved outcome of process
2. Professional image
3. Increased customer confidence
4. Better marketability
5. Clarity of responsibility and authority
6. Better and defined system
7. Consistent Quality

 

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

E-tailers in Retail

While most retailers have online storefronts, strictly online purveyors with no brick-and-mortar counterparts are hoping to snare a percentage of the retail profit. And major players, such as Amazon.com, have generated enough business to cause top brick-and-mortar competitors to follow up with their own Internet sites. Traditional retailers such as Wal-Mart and Starbucks, hugely successful in their own right, have also set up online stores so as not to miss out on the revenue opportunities that the Internet offers.

 

- Contributed by Nithin Narayanan

Specialty Stores in Retail

These include Crate & Barrel, the Body Shop, and Victoria's Secret. These stores concentrate on one type of merchandise and offer it in some manner that makes it special. Some are very high-end (think Louis Vuitton); others cater to the price-conscious masses (think Old Navy). Many are so successful that department stores have started to emulate their buying, marketing, and merchandising strategies. Industry experts predict growth in this segment, particularly for home furnishings and home improvement, and it seems to attract many of the best and brightest in retail. Promotion and responsibility come quickly to those willing to work hard, and in many of these stores the hand of bureaucracy is not heavy.

 

- Contributed by Nithin Narayanan  

 

 

Discount Stores in Retail business

These include giants such as Wal-Mart, Target, and Kmart, as well as membership warehouses such as Costco. These discount stores, along with the category killers, have changed both the retail industry and the American landscape. Where once mom-and-pop and department stores dominated retail, the discount retailers and category killers are now at the top of the heap. And where shopping malls, anchored by at least one major department store, used to be the dominant retail presence lining the nation's roads, now it's the behemoth Wal-Marts and Home Depots.

 

- Contributed by Nithin Narayanan   
 
 

Retailing at Department Stores

Years ago, names like Sears, J.C. Penney, Macy's, and Montgomery Ward dominated malls and downtown shopping districts all over America. Over the last decade or so, however, department stores have suffered. The 2005 merger of Federated Department Stores and the May Company means fewer stores and opportunities in markets where the two competed. While the resulting company may be stronger in the long run, Federated has announced plans to cut up to 6,200 jobs as a result, meaning 2006 could be a rocky road in department store retail. 

 

- Contributed by Nithin Narayanan 
 

Self service in Retail business

Bigger retailers are starting to include self-serve checkout lanes in their stores. Consumers who aren't afraid of technology—an increasing percentage of the population, these days—like these self-serve lanes because they usually have shorter lines than lanes with register clerks. Register clerks may think they like self-serve lanes, too, because they mean fewer customers to deal with, but they're probably going to change their minds when self-serve lanes start resulting in fewer full-serve lanes—and fewer jobs for register clerks.

How It Breaks Down

Retailing encompasses a lot of consumer goods; we focus here on three areas: general merchandise, apparel, and furniture. These categories include computers, clothes, sports equipment, beauty products, jewelry, and home furnishings, but leave out food, autos, and building materials. 

 

- Contributed by Nithin Narayanan 

 

 

Can Direct Selling Challenge The Retail Sector

There is no doubt that the retail sector in India is on an upswing and is now being considered to be the next sunshine industry after the Pharmaceutical and IT sectors but as India's direct selling industry gears up for the future in a collective way, observers feel that it might just give the retail sector a run for its money.

Although statistically speaking there is a big difference between the two as the size of the domestic retail sector is pegged at $292 billion. Organized retailing is expected to notch up a 20% annual growth rate by the end of the decade, against 8.5% at present which accounts for 10% of the GDP. On the other hand the direct selling industry currently stands at Rs 2700 crore.

In order to get its act together the Indian Direct Selling Association is in talks with the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to give the direct selling business industry status and design a framework with the dos and don'ts of direct selling in India.

Direct selling industry in India is generally defined as a Low investments and high returns affair. The direct selling industry in India has grown from USD 20 million to USD 600 million in the last 10 years. And with the government likely to come out with a legislative framework for direct selling in a few months from now, more international companies are likely to foray into India in the next two years. So the industry is set to cross the USD 1000 million mark by 2010.

On the other hand all does not seem well for the retail sector as suggested by Crisil report which says that the Indian retail market is the most fragmented in the world, with just 2% of the entire retailing business being carried out by the organized sector. While organized retail makes up for over 70-80 per cent of the total business in developed countries, the Indian organized retail segment pales in comparison with even other Asian countries such as China, South Korea and Thailand.

Almost all large companies worldwide are looking to establish a base or stake in the Indian market. So as India witnesses a phenomenal growth of shopping malls and specialty retail stores, it remains to be seen whether direct selling can work on the negatives of the retail sector and put up some sort of a challenge in the years to come. One way or another, we are surely living in exciting times.

 

- Contributed by Ankita Sinha

Improving your influence

The measure of a man is what he does with power, says Pittacus.

 

When you are aspiring to powers in corporate world, you need two things: power of the self and the power of moulding others. The latter is often called "influence". How much of it you possess and exercise on others?

Often we use the word magnetism for this quality. When someone exercises this power and influence on us we generalize, "She/he has a magnetic personality." In other words, we are saying that this person has the power and influence on one, and I can do anything for her/him."

The way I have put it may read that it is very simple. It is at personal level. For example, a young girl falling in love
with a boy. He exercises power and influence on her. It is as simple as that.

It can be intriguing, because power can be surprisingly complex. It can be enticing, because power can be seductive. But it can also inspire and uplift and exalt, because power can be used to help people accomplish marvellous things.

Didn't Lord Acton observe that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely?

Others feel it is desirable or even essential for successful living. But power is not really good or bad; it is neutral. Power itself is not negative or positive, although our feelings about it may be.

Power is the potential to influence others for good or evil, to be a blessing or a curse.

When we come together, it is natural that we influence and are influenced by each other. Power is our ability to influence one another.

There are three options. First, perhaps this person has the capacity, authority, or ability to intimidate or bully people, to do something unpleasant or uncomfortable to other people.

Is this person powerful because he can hurt others in some way, or embarrass them, humiliate them, impose sanctions against them, fire them, or take something away from them?

If they are afraid that this powerful person can do something they don't like, they might comply just to avoid the problem. With fear as a source of this person's power, others might go along to get along.

Second option. This person might be influential with others because of what he can do for them. This person has the capacity to do something that other people want.

This person has power because they can provide things that other people want, in order to get what they want in return. This is different from the first kind of power. There is no threat or force involved.

Third option is different. The person you believe is powerful is someone others believe in, someone they honour, someone they respect.

They comply with this person's wishes because they want what he wants. Whether he is there or checking up on them or paying them does not matter. He believes in them and they believe in him! As a consequence, people
willingly and wholeheartedly give themselves to what he asks of them. This power has power with others, not over them!
Perhaps the reasons people choose to follow the person you are thinking about fall into more than one category. Perhaps the reasons people choose for following or listening or paying attention vary over time. The important thing is that you think about a real person and the possible reasons why they are powerful, why others choose to follow them.
 

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

One of the many interesting things Maslow noticed while he worked with monkeys early in his career, was that some needs take precedence over others. For example, if you are hungry and thirsty, you will tend to try to take care of the thirst first. After all, you can do without food for weeks, but you can only do without water for a couple of days! Thirst is a “stronger” need than hunger. Likewise, if you are very very thirsty, but someone has put a choke hold on you and you can’t breath, which is more important? The need to breathe, of course. On the other hand, sex is less powerful than any of these. Let’s face it, you won’t die if you don’t get it!

Maslow took this idea and created his now famous hierarchy of needs. Beyond the details of air, water, food, and sex, he laid out five broader layers: the physiological needs, the needs for safety and security, the needs for love and belonging, the needs for esteem, and the need to actualize the self, in that order.

1. The physiological needs. These include the needs we have for oxygen, water, protein, salt, sugar, calcium, and other minerals and vitamins. They also include the need to maintain a pH balance (getting too acidic or base will kill you) and temperature (98.6 or near to it). Also, there’s the needs to be active, to rest, to sleep, to get rid of wastes (CO2, sweat, urine, and feces), to avoid pain, and to have sex. Quite a collection!
Maslow believed, and research supports him, that these are in fact individual needs, and that a lack of, say, vitamin C, will lead to a very specific hunger for things which have in the past provided that vitamin C -- e.g. orange juice. I guess the cravings that some pregnant women have, and the way in which babies eat the most foul tasting baby food, support the idea anecdotally.

2. The safety and security needs. When the physiological needs are largely taken care of, this second layer of needs comes into play. You will become increasingly interested in finding safe circumstances, stability, protection. You might develop a need for structure, for order, some limits.
Looking at it negatively, you become concerned, not with needs like hunger and thirst, but with your fears and anxieties. In the ordinary American adult, this set of needs manifest themselves in the form of our urges to have a home in a safe neighborhood, a little job security and a nest egg, a good retirement plan and a bit of insurance, and so on.

3. The love and belonging needs. When physiological needs and safety needs are, by and large, taken care of, a third layer starts to show up. You begin to feel the need for friends, a sweetheart, children, affectionate relationships in general, even a sense of community. Looked at negatively, you become increasing susceptible to loneliness and social anxieties.
In our day-to-day life, we exhibit these needs in our desires to marry, have a family, be a part of a community, a member of a church, a brother in the fraternity, a part of a gang or a bowling club. It is also a part of what we look for in a career.

4. The esteem needs. Next, we begin to look for a little self-esteem. Maslow noted two versions of esteem needs, a lower one and a higher one. The lower one is the need for the respect of others, the need for status, fame, glory, recognition, attention, reputation, appreciation, dignity, even dominance. The higher form involves the need for self-respect, including such feelings as confidence, competence, achievement, mastery, independence, and freedom. Note that this is the “higher” form because, unlike the respect of others, once you have self-respect, it’s a lot harder to lose!

The negative version of these needs is low self-esteem and inferiority complexes. Maslow felt that Adler was really onto something when he proposed that these were at the roots of many, if not most, of our psychological problems. In modern countries, most of us have what we need in regard to our physiological and safety needs. We, more often than not, have quite a bit of love and belonging, too. It’s a little respect that often seems so very hard to get!

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal

How Matrimonial websites do business

Match making is now making good business sense as well as online matrimony websites in India are emerging as one of the fastest growing business segments, with about 90% growth rate annually.

According to a recent survey done by the Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMI), the business of matrimony on the Net is set to cross the Rs 100-crore mark this year with 7 million users expected to sample the matrimonial websites. Online matrimony business was at just Rs 58 crore in 2005.

According to industry observers the three key reasons for this boom are need for a convenient matchmaking solution, increased Internet penetration in the country and South Asia and the fact that 35% of India's population is under the age of 35 years.

One of the key drivers of this industry is that unlike traditional matchmaking solution, online matrimonial takes away geographical and spatial limitations and provides a platform to meet potential partners on a secure and private platform.

According to the report, the growth in the last year can be attributed to the growing social acceptance of online matrimonial services.

Popular websites also assure authenticity through profile screening and other convenient tools such as a digital horoscope and a messenger and email service so members can get acquainted. Other services on offer include beauty, style and health tips, trousseau, planning and venue options.

India has one of the youngest populations and the fourth largest Internet population in the world. There are 38.5 million online Indians today. The number is set to touch 100 million by 2007-08.

 

- Contributed by Ankita Sinha

 

Best ways to relieve business stress

1. Balance work and leisure
2. Enjoy a sport
3. Good sleep
4. Stretch to relax
5. Deep and slow breathing relaxes your entire body
6. Attitude: Change negative perspectives to positive ones
7. Do meditation
8. Enjoy music, as it has a profound effect on mood.
9. Eat fruits regularly.
10. Cultivate a sense of humour: It is rightly said laughter is the best medicine.
11. Cultivate a hobby.

- Contributed by Vaibhav Agarwal