A glimpse into the industrial visit to the Mother Dairy Plant!

 - KRITI BANSAL

On the cold winter morning of 10 January 2015, braving the chills, a bunch of 33 fervent students of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies, assembled in the college premises at 9 A.M. for the fantastic opportunity to visit the industrial plant of Mother Dairy in Patparganj. The visit was organised by Management Interaction Cell, SSCBS. It was truly a unique learning experience for all of the lucky students who got the opportunity to accompany the MIC team for this visit.

The students were accompanied by Ms. Gurjeet Kaur and the journey commenced with a half an hour bus ride to reach the plant in Patparganj. The very first impression about the plant was immensely favorable. The entire unit was clean and well maintained. First, we were taken to a conference hall where the tour conductor, conducted a brief and informative interactive session. She lucidly outlined the history of Mother Dairy and how it was established under the Operation Flood- 1 in 1974. She also explained in detail about how milk is first collected, transported, the 23 quality control tests that it undergoes, how it is clarified, pasteurized, homogenized, standardized and finally delivered in the markets for consumption by the ultimate consumers. The students interacted with the coordinator, actively participated in the session and asked many questions to clarify their doubts. The coordinator encouraged and appreciated them for this. Various facts about the production capacity and sales volumes of the plant were also discussed. Further, we were shown a small documentary film of the Mother Dairy plant depicting the process of milk production.

After this, the coordinator took us on a round around the plant premises showing us the various automated equipment, processors, filters and the huge tanks and silos required in the entire milk producing process. The quality control tests, for checking the presence of urea and soda in milk, which the coordinator practically demonstrated were the most outstanding feature of the visit which made it a fascinating experience for all of us. The entire plant was automated and computerized which ensured the hygiene standards required for milk processing. Once we had a first-hand exposure to the various processes, we were served flavored milk and ice cream.

Knowledge and fun were the ingredients of the day. On the whole, it was a truly enriching experience where we got to learn and understand actual work environments. The visit gave a different dimension to our learning and a glimpse into the real business world.

Team MIC thanks all the students who are always so keen to be a part of such visits and we at MIC, will keep on organizing more visits for all those who could not be a part this time.

THE THOUGHTFUL LEARNER

- ANUSHKA NEGI

Our mind goes into the ‘sleep-mode’ or rather the ‘indifferent-mode’ whenever the topic, learning is brought up. The ‘learning by thinking’ concept might seem to be a very recent and a rare one; but in verity it is being practiced by one-and-all. Let us all rewind a bit and go back to 29^th September,’14, to Narendra Modi’s compelling and striking speech. How many of us replayed the speech in our minds again-and-again and planned (at least) to participate in any one of the cleanliness campaigns around the city? Is this awakening not learning? It certainly is.

The difference between the terms thinking and reflection is that the latter has a sense of judgment (though we often use them interchangeably). Where thinking can happen anytime, reflection only happens after something done, said or thought.

Does reflecting upon one’s performance help in improving it? Yes it certainly does. Speaking of a professional environment, reflecting upon your day’s performance, evaluating it, finding the loopholes in it and devising a newer and a better plan of action evidently helps. This does not apply only to the working class. It holds an equal importance in the life of students.

In today’s times, studying and playing are not the only elements in a college- or a school-goer’s life. Where on one hand they try to be actively involved in the extra-curricular activities in their respective colleges or schools, on the other they also try catching up with the latest episode of Sherlock or Modern Family (or Game of Thrones). The minds of the youth are more occupied than ever before. There is so much to do, and they want to do it all. This leaves a very little or rather no scope for any kind from introspection or reflection.

Here are some useful tips which will certainly help you to reflect more -

Ø  Read More – It is a well known and appreciated fact that reading helps in rejuvenation and provides food for thought. But two things. Firstly, reading anything does not help much. Try something which will satisfy the intellectual you. Secondly and most importantly, reading alone is not sufficient; try reflecting upon what you have read. Though it sounds very clichéd, try learning something from each book that you pick. George Bush has rightly said, “Reading is the basics for all learning.”

Ø  Be Optimistic – Your optimistic mind and thoughts (the positive ones) help each other. Where optimism facilitates positive thoughts, a better thought structure leads to optimism. Optimism in thoughts helps in introspecting and reflecting better, as in we are able to point out our mistakes (on the professional and mental front) and try to correct them. This helps in improving our performance the next time we try our hand at the same activity.

Ø  Do What You Like – Studying engineering when you are a born photographer or studying finance when you want to be an actor (all of us are 3 Idiots fans) is quite pointless and worthless. Doing what you really love rejuvenates and brightens your thoughts. You end up planning all day how to go about your particular field, thinking of new innovations, and have your own perfect ideals from the particular field. I’ll take my example: I am a business studies student and took it up because I really wanted to. Off late, I have been making plans (and that is all I do) about having my own start up. I’d like to quote Mr. Ranchhoddas,” kya hota agar Lata Mangeshkar ke papa use bolte ke tu fast bowler banja?”

Ø  Have Healthy Discussions – Having a healthy discussion (or a debate) with your peers always helps, provided it is something informative. Where a discussion regarding why a contestant in Bigg Boss has white and green hair would hardly benefit anyone; debating on what Boko Haram is doing or Bilawal Bhutto is saying will not only help in elevating your knowledge levels but also feed your mind with better topics to think of.

     Well the points listed above are not exhaustive (they can never be), one needs to devise their own methods of improving as a person and a professional. Where learning from thinking is quite elementary, improving performance through reflection and introspection is difficult.

      And as Confucius, the Chinese philosopher has rightly said, “Learning without thought is labor lost, thought without learning is perilous.”

UNFOLDING SUCCESS BY BUILDING STRONG TEAMS

- JELLYBEAN SINGH

"I am a member of a team, and I rely on the team, I defer to it and sacrifice for it, because the team, not the individual, is the ultimate champion." This was aptly quoted by Mia Hamm which directly reveals the motive of why effective team building is required. 

An individual alone cannot lead the team to the path of success. No matter how talented the individuals in a staff may be, unless they function together efficiently, they will not be able to achieve the required level of performance. It takes a great deal of coordination and cooperation on behalf of the entire team to be able to reach the zenith of success. It is quite evident in today's scenario that a workplace is often an area of conflict among individuals. A conflict arises when there is a clash of incompatible interests between workplace participants. In every organisation whatsoever, people work in teams that have either a leader or a self-driven team member to lead. While these teams are the building blocks in the office environment and are used to improve the operations and results, they are also a source of grave competition. It is this team building scenario that is often seen and noted to promote the productivity of the employees as well as the organization.

Team Building is a source of motivation for the employees wherein groups of workers communicate through a series of planned events that are fun and motivational. These events can be used to determine strengths in an individual’s personality, such as leadership skills which can benefit the individuals by giving them greater job satisfaction and the opportunity to realize their full potential. This is a circle of reward, with positive feedback following positive action; a far more efficient way to have efficient workers. Job satisfaction is an important part of a person's work-life. Feeling worthy, part of a team & having a sense of achievement within the work environment are essential elements to happiness. These feelings can motivate the workforce and ensure that their work is the most productive. Working on the premise that satisfied employees yield more productivity, companies often find that team-building events positively affect the outlook and results of individuals, teams and the company as a whole. Team building also serves to identify and utilize the strengths of team members thereby increasing team productivity. When people who rarely work together meet on a common platform to communicate, they might discover that they enjoy the interaction and continue bond with different people back at the office. Those who previously may not have been getting along will have to forget their differences in order to overcome an impediment purposely designed for the same which would possibly diminish their dislike as they work together for a common goal.

Management plays an important role in team building as well. No group of people will become a team without the commitment and support of executives and managers. The result is greater satisfaction for the employees and improved performance for the company.

5 things a manager can do to build a team effectively are:

Play to Individual Strengths

Encourage Transparency

Establish Ground Rules

Let Them Know You Stand By Them

Provide an Incentive

Hence, the aspect of team building should be taken into account by every organisation. After all, creating a team means bringing together people with different skill sets and varied personalities to work towards a common goal--a complex undertaking.

________________________________________________________________________________

SANTA CLAUS- The Super MANager

Vaishali Sethi

Ever wondered how our dear old Santa Claus manages to give gifts to so many children across the world, without any delay and without any mistake? … Yes he MANAGES it. What makes Santa one of the best known managers of the world?

Just sit back and recall the little rhymes and X’mas songs learnt at school, after all its Christmas time.

1. Rudolph the red nose reindeer …. Santa knows how to get work done through people. He, like a prudent employer, keenly observes all his employees and understands whom to contact and deploy and for what work. This is absolutely necessary in the corporate world where competitiveness is the buzzword and one has to have the right persons at the right work. Santa knew that Rudolph with his bright and shiny nose would be best fit for the foggy night, so he chose him.

2. Rudolph with your nose so bright, won’t you drive my sleigh tonight… Choosing Rudolph was a decision with not just one but many reasons! It is known that his red shiny nose had made him a kind of social outcast and it was Santa who brought him back to the mainstream. He knows how to keep his workforce happy and contented. A manager has to understand that he cannot achieve the business aims all alone; he has to assign work to his sub-ordinates. An ideal manager makes his people feel important and wanted. …You would go down in history… He knows that his success lies in success of his employees and he ensures that his team members are recognized and are successful.

3. Ever heard of Santa missing deadlines, reaching children even one day late? Ever heard of any child ever meeting Santa just because he was late and the child was already up by then? The obvious answer is NO. Punctuality is Santa’s priority and it is this punctuality that he is a favourite among kids. The Santa charm ceases to fade away. If all managers meet their target deadlines and complete their tasks with extreme precaution, well, a lot of management theories will find their place in the trash!

4. He’s making a list and checking it twice… If someone makes a to-do list, checks it twice and adds point 3 to it, well, I suppose, it just does all the work. There has to be extreme accuracy when we do our work. Planning is the first and the most important step in management. The manager must have his goal well within sight and he must have a strategy, he must know the appropriate tasks that he has to undertake to achieve the set goals. This management skill can also teach us a lot about compiling and reviewing data, removing redundancies and duplicities. ‘Checking it twice’ part can help eliminate most of the unwanted mistakes that might have crept in.

5. He wants to know who’s naughty or nice… Well, an able manager must know the good, the bad and the ugly truth of their customers and suppliers. So does Santa. He has to treat the naughty and the nice ones differently. Serving both on the same platter may end up being unfair to the nice ones. Basic management seeks to differentiate between the good and the bad. Good or the Theory Y subordinate/ workers/ employees must be given better treatment because they deserve it and keeping them in good humour will only benefit the organization in the long run. Non-performers or reluctant workers or simply put, the Theory X employees must be dealt very differently.


6. You better watch out, you better not shout, you better not cry, I'm telling you why…


Santa Claus is coming to town!! .. Dependability. Extreme dependability. The simple surety that Santa will come, come on time and that once he comes, all would be good makes Santa the most dependable and by far the best loved person in the world. Imagine parents luring the kids to sleep and then understanding that there is no Santa around. Horrifying! Wouldn’t it be? Meeting deadlines keeps customers confident in our ability to service them, and keeps their customer experience a positive one. Santa might give big business houses with their flamboyant 6 Sigma or 9 Sigma approaches a run for their money.


7. The concept of Sante di Gaddi… Go to Punjab and you might find a SANTA SINGH with a turban instead of the conventional Santa cap. A Santa from Tamil Nadu may be seen wearing a dhoti in place of the red pant! Even in places like India with predominantly non-Christian population and extreme regional variations, Santa Clause has found his way into every child’s lexicon. The key word here is adaptability. Think global. Act local. Our good old Santa has the ability to adapt himself to all the cultures and specifications that are desired of him. Have you ever imagined Santa speak Spanish or Hebrew with a little child from rural interiors of India? Do you think he will speak Marathi with people of Argentina? What if businesses make such mistakes? Will they survive?


8 The big kind smile… Honestly, I do not know anyone who associates gloom with Santa. He is the cheerful old father figure, always there as a symbol of benevolence. His is a perfect tale of service with a smile. He has been up on his work since times immemorial and still handles it with perfect ease and dexterity. A happy boss will lead to a happy workforce, and thus a happy organization. The customers will be happy and so will the results, earnings and profits be.


9 He knows all the customers and their needs – Santa knows where the kids have hung their socks. He knows what they want. Have you ever seen Santa gift a pink pair of bellies to a teenage boy? Ever seen Santa give Khushwant Singh books to a new born baby? Well that’s why we all love Santa. He is not like the organizations which produce products and then force the customers to adapt to the new products. Anticipating and fulfilling customers need is very imp for success of a business enterprise, especially in today’s scenario when the consumers prefer individuality. It is an era of customization. A happy customer is the biggest asset that any organization can ever have.


10 No complaints… only good work.. Santa never complains, falters in duty or gets tired of it. The good work speaks for itself. The work is worship. And thus Santa is revered. Best of managers not only supervise, they are hardworking people themselves. Work when done with a positive attitude ceases to be mere work, but becomes a source of joy, happiness and fulfillment.


With these little tips laced with delight and seasoned with warmth, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.



May the lord bless us all with management skills like our very own Santa Claus…!!

Promethean. Not just the box, Think outside this dimension.

Promethean. Making faces, yet? No? Yes?

Well, if you did, then rest assured, you are not the only one.

Promethean, as the dictionary says, means a person who resembles Prometheus in thought and action. Now we come to the question who or what is Prometheus?

Prometheus was a Greek God who created man from clay. The name Prometheus is derived from the Greek pro (before) + manthano (intelligence) and the agent suffix -eus, thus meaning "Forethinker". He, however stood for more than just that. He stood for creativity, passion – he stood for change. Change in the existing line of thought - in thinking in a completely new dimension – in being dynamic. According to Greek legends, he himself created mankind.

But, what does all of this has to do with Management?

Mr. Prometheus might not have known much about Management, but the qualities he exuded sure did. Prometheus was and still is the epitome of management. A perfect example of the qualities required by an able manager – he had quick wit, was wise and most importantly he had foresight of the repercussions his decisions will cause in the future. Management has changed from the skill of keeping power to oneself to the skill of empowering others. That is what Prometheus exhibits, he gave mankind the power to alter their own destiny and fate. Management requires innovative problem solving, that is what Prometheus exhibited when he created man on Zeus’s order of repopulating the Earth.

To be a Promethean is to be boldly creative and defiantly original. Ingenuity – that is the hallmark of a true promethean. If you think you are one, it is time to prove it in our event “Promethean”.

After attending so many orientations, going through many nerve wrecking rounds of group discussions and interviews, we have got a fun yet informative event for you all which is going to force you to rack your brains while at the same time enjoy and break free from all the tensions of societies and academics. We are bringing forth the legacy of MIC. Join us in our journey to recreate the power of originality and creativity. Join us on this exhilarating ride and most important of all join us and Enjoy.

MIC begins its operations for the session 2013-14 - Industrial Visit to the Coca-Cola Plant

By Kirti Saini :-

 "Rains might dampen everything, except spirits"

When rains were at their peak and people sat in their houses with a cup of coffee and snacks, a bunch of enthusiastic students of Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies ga
thered in the college to take on a journey, a fun ride and a learning experience. Team Management Interaction Cell, SSCBS had organised an Industrial Visit to Coca-Cola Bottling Plant - Moon Beverages, Sahibabad.

Students of the first year accompanied by Ms. Nomita Acharya and the MIC team members left the college to reach the venue at 10.30 in the morning. The 20 minute drive was more of an introductory and fun session for the excited students, who, on reaching the destination were introduced to the rules and measures that they had to follow and take care of during their stay in the plant. After that we were led to a board room where we met the management staff of the place who welcomed us very nicely and told us about what their plant is all about, what do they do and how do they do it.

A documentary was shown to all, which demonstrated all the operations conducted by them and similar plants. It was an amazing compilation. During the documentary we were offered complimentary soft drinks like ThumsUp, Limca, Coke etc. which are made under the Coca-Cola brand. After that, for the actual round of the plant students were divided in groups of five, each group assisted by a guide who led us, took us to various parts of the plant and explained us the functioning.

First of all we were shown how the glass bottles were washed and sterilised for reuse. The bottles were turned upside down and then cleaned with pressurised water and caustic soda and then again with water to make them fit for use. After that we were taken to the unit that bottles Limca. The plastic bottles we get from the shops were lying there in the form of pre-forms that are blown with air in high temperatures to give them the desired shape, the conveyor belts then tossed up the finished bottles around at lightening speeds.

Then we were led to the unit that bottles Mazaa, the mango drink by Coca-Cola. We were told how mangoes are stored, how do they extract the pulp and how they prepare the beverage we drink. Further, we were also made to see huge tanks filled with the concentrate syrups which serves as the main ingredient for different beverages by Coca Cola. We even got a chance to taste the concentrate of Limca and Coke in the end. After this we were taken to the cold storage and the lab that keeps testing the products to monitor discrepancies. We also visited the warehouse where large amount of these soft drinks were packaged and stored.

Towards the end, we visited the water treatment plant where we were told about the complete purification process and how the groundwater was treated to levels to make it suitable for human consumption. Even the water that is used for other purposes like cleaning, irrigation etc. is purified and made good enough to drink by the global standards.

After a round in the whole 3 acre of the factory area we were led back to the hall and made to fill feedback forms. We were offered Mazaa to refresh ourselves after the visit. The management was open to all the ideas we wanted to give them, they answered all our queries politely and asked us if we had any complaints about anything in the plant. The factory was very well managed and too hygienic to have found any mistakes. In the end, some of the team members had an interview(which will be uploaded on the Coca-Cola website as well) with the plant manager and group photos were clicked.

Overall, it was an amazing experience, we got to learn and see a lot in those 4-5 hours. Students were really amazed to be a part of this and we at Management Interaction Cell will surely keep organising such visits for the college students. We'd like to thank all those who were a part of the trip for a nice time and we promise to be back with even more awesomeness for those who couldn't get a chance this time.

CHIT FUNDS explained...

-Vaishali Sethi

A Chit fund is a kind of savings scheme practiced in India. They are savings plans conducted by a group of people who contribute to the fund and thereby benefit from it. So, simply put, chit funds are just like the ‘kitty parties’ that women organize at their homes. They collect some amount of money every month and the entire amount goes to one person each month. This continues till each person has got an opportunity to keep (and use) the amount atleast once.

The Chit Funds Act, 1982 governs the functioning of Chit funds in India. According to Section 2(b) of the Chit Fund Act, 1982, "Chit means a transaction whether called chit, chit fund, chitty, kuri or by any other name by or under which a person enters into an agreement with a specified of persons that every one of them shall subscribe a certain sum of money (or a certain quantity of grain instead) by way of periodical installments over a definite period and that each such subscriber shall, in his turn, as determined by lot or by auction or by tender or in such other manner as may be specified in the chit agreement, be entitled to the prize amount".

People who contribute to the chit funds are called subscribers.  The person or company who organizes and manages the fund is called the Foreman. Foreman has to be a subscriber also. He/She/The company  just receives a small fees for the services that they have provided.

The chit funds system basically works in this way. A small group of people get together for mutual savings and loan requirements. All the members pool in their money. (Usually the maximum amount to be contributed is fixed). Then there can be a draw of lots every month regarding who shall be pocketing the money during the month. Later on this member is expected to keep taking part in the savings process, but he/she will not get the money again. Normally, the duration of the chit funds scheme is the number of months as the number of members.

For those with no credit background, those with an unstable collateral base, it is a simple and self-help way to organize funds during crises or as and when need arises and also, as a saving scheme during normal and stable times. So, chit funds are just another, but if implemented properly, then excellent microfinance instruments. It has the capability of pulling people out of years of debt and drudgery.

But hardly anything in this world comes without a disclaimer. For so many successful chit funds that go unsung and unpraised, there are some people who con others by talking them into fake chit funds and thus robbing them of their hard earned money. So, never miss the word of caution!

MANAGEMENT LESSONS FROM MY MOM’S KITCHEN

- Vaishali Sethi

Being an Indian make me a part of the culture where the kitchen is the most happening place in the house. It is one place where some work is usually happening at almost all times during the day. 

Kitchen work generally forms the most important engagement of the home makers and provides employment as well, be it to the lady who comes to clean the dishes or be it the cook or others in similar professions. 

Here are a few very striking pointers I came across while my hanging around outside the kitchen at home:

Ü One must have the right knowledge of the task undertaken. 

      Imagine a cook who has no knowledge of what is to be cooked and how. All we can expect from such a person is to come up with either a brilliant new invention (rarely so) or just some disastrous, inedible attempted replication of some existing recipe. Remember the age old joke of people having discovered sugar in place of salt and vice versa in the dishes they were eating? Imperfect knowledge can only, most likely, lead to a catastrophe and be extremely bad and harmful for life in general.

Ü Right ingredients in the right quantity and at the right time. 

     All of us are well aware of what might happen if the ingredients of a dish were not added in the right quantity and proportion. We might just end up having a turmeric and pepper laced ‘halwa’ too sugary or chapatti smeared with peanut butter. Yuck! In real life also, it is of significant importance that we add the right components in perfect or near perfect proportions to get the desired results.

Ü It is all about group work. 

      We must assess our abilities well in advance and work accordingly. Just as a single grain of rice or a single gram seed cannot make an entire meal, it is possible that we are a part of a task that we cannot humanly bring about alone. Here comes the importance of team work. A bowl full of rice grains can definitely make a decent meal. A lot many of the tasks which cannot be accomplished alone can be, by a group.

Ü Ghee-Makhan Laga ke. 

     Have you ever seen how nasty it smells when the butter at home is boiled to make Ghee? Butter is tasty, but Ghee has its own place of pride. It is one thing that is used in the pious rituals like hawans, is a symbol of prosperity and affluence, and, no doubt, makes the food super tasty. Is this not due to the tough transformation it has to go through. Rephrasing the age old proverb, ‘Test of heat makes fine ghee’!

Ü Difficulties mustn’t enslave us. 

      It is the difficult time that makes a man what he is. Tasting is fine, but can we actually eat the raw batter of a cake? Not even 1 spoonful, I can bet on it. When the eggs are beaten, and added to a number of other things and the whole thing is made to shift bowls and finally made to endure the hardship of 180^o C of the oven, what come out is the sweet smelling cake. The rising of the batter is a sign of triumph over all the difficulties that all the ingredients have had to face in their run to be the cake. None of the ingredients has its original entity intact now, but the awesome unified mass is what makes all of them the equal kings.

Ü Flexibility is the key. 

     Rigidity is the aspect that can sure bring upon the downfall of even the mightiest. Those who wish to survive in the long run must inculcate flexibility. Just as a whole big bottle gourd or a big round pumpkin cannot be cooked and eaten as a whole and have to be cut into smaller pieces, it is of paramount importance, that at times we must be willing to let go of our pride and rigidity to accomplish great goals of life.

(The article was published in a local newspaper, THE MAYUR INFOMAIL, MAY 1-15, 2013)

Confluence'13: Events

MIC, in association with FICCI CASCADE, is organizing Confluence’13 on 4^th March, 2013, in Patelchest Auditorium, North Campus. The Theme of the event is ‘Anti-Smuggling and Couterfeiting’.

The Welcome Address would be given by Dr. Arbind Prasad, Director General, FICCI.

The Inaugural Address would be by Shri Ajay Maken, Union Cabinet Minister, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation. This would be followed by an Overview on our them by Mr. PC Jha, Advisor, FICCI CASCADE.

There would be different management games conducted throughout the day, the details of which are as follows:

·         PRUDENT PLANNERS

Get set to find your way through the maze of counterfeit! This is a case study competition where you would be given a case related to the theme of counterfeiting. The First Round would be of a Preliminary Questionnaire where participants would be shown a presentation of questions and they need to write the answers on sheets provided to them. Top eight teams would proceed to the next round of presentations.

The qualifying teams would then be given the Case Study and one hour of preparation time, at the end of which the presentations would begin. The presentations have to be verbal and at the end of the solution presentation, there would be a round of Q&A by the judges and the audience.

Time: Prelims- 10:50 am- 11:20 am

Presentations: 11:30 a.m.- 1:30 a.m

Participation in Teams of 3. Prizes for top two teams.

·         BID2WIN

Bid to Win, the adrenaline pumping bidding will have everyone scratching their grey cells to strategize their buys in the most optimum and profitable manner. A set amount of money will be provided to our participants and regular bidding of utilities will take place. In the end however, some utilities purposefully set as smuggled/counterfeited products will be removed from all amounts. The winner will be the team with the highest total thereafter.

Prelims: 11: 30 a.m.- 1:30 a.m.

Bidding: 2:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Participation in Teams of 3. Prizes for top two.

·         BOARDWALK EMPIRE

Get set to trade your way the international way as we get your pulse racing in Boardwalk Empire. Six teams will be selected on first come first serve basis. Every country will be given the resources of Oil, Gold, Nuclear Weapons, Army and Cash in certain amounts. The objective is to gain the maximum amount of that resource which the country lacks and to offload the resource which it least requires, in this quiz based game. Every resource would have weightage attached to it, which would be different for different countries. Of course, there would be a twist to it! The country with the most optimum set of resources would be the winner.

First Round: 11: 40 a.m.- 1: 30 p.m.

Second Round: 2:00 p.m.- 3:50 p.m.

Participation in Teams of 3. Prizes for the top country from each round.

·         THE ULTIMATE LEADER

Get set to unleash your prowess as we get ready to find ‘The Ultimate Leader’, where your management acumen will come to the forefront. This power-packed devil of a game will test your business finesses with your intellectual astuteness. Panel Discussion in the preliminary round followed by stress interview in the final round would reveal to us the person who would from then on will be crowned ‘The Ultimate Leader’.

Prelims: 2:00 p.m.- 3:00 p.m.

Final Round: : 3:00 p.m.- 4:00 p.m.

Individual Participation. Only the best candidate wins.

·         T-SHIRT DESIGNING AND POSTER MAKING COMPETITION

Your creative energies need to be balanced with your logical dexterity. This completion lets your designing abilities come to the foray. T-Shirt and Posters and basic designing and colouring material would be provided by us. The theme of these competitions is ‘Anti-Smuggling and Counterfeiting’.

10:50 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Walk-Ins throughout the day.

Individual participation. Most creative person from each competition wins.

Visit our Facebook Event page to Register Now:

https://www.facebook.com/events/340938052673367/

Limited On the Spot Registrations, On First Come First Serve Basis.

Exciting Cash Prizes, FICCI Certificates and Trophies for all Winners!!

Refreshments and Goodies for all!

See you all there!!

For further details regarding events, Contact:

Apoorva Goel: 91 9810056877

Sonali Banerje: 91 9811526804

CONFLUENCE'13

CROSS COUNTRY RACE

Management Interaction Cell is organizing a Cross Country race along with FICCI CASCADE to spread awareness about smuggling and counterfeiting on 2^nd March 2013, at North Campus.

“Run the first mile with your legs, the second with your mind, and the third, with your heart.”

The wind blowing against your face. The thud-thud as your running shoes hit the road. The occasional grunt. The exhilaration, as you see the world rushing past you. The sweat, the exhaustion, the joy. Yes, the “joy of running”. The very act of thinking about this physical activity summons such powerful imagery to mind.

Running not only helps you to keep those extra kilos away, but is also proven to keep your grey cells healthy.

PARTICIPANT SAFETY

1.       The use of wheeled devices by participants or any other person will not be permitted.

2.       Participants are responsible for their recognition and understanding of event signage, symbols and colour relating to participant maps, facilities and direction.

3.       Participants must retire at once from race if ordered to do so by a member of the event’s official staff or any governmental authority, including fire and police officers.

4.       Participants are responsible and assume liability for any and all medical expenses incurred as a result of training for and/or participation in the event.

5.       Event officials reserve the right to delay, cancel, or suspend the race due to inclement weather in accordance with Emergency Protocol on severe emergencies and/or inclement weather.

So what are you waiting for? Put on your running shoes. Run for a cause, run for yourself! Run against the devils of smuggling and counterfeiting.

Register yourself and everybody here

*The cash prizes for the event will be given away at CONFLUENCE'13, at Patel Chest Institute Auditorium on 4th of March, 2013.

Against counterfeiting and Smuggling - for a safer India

Run Against counterfeiting and Smuggling ; run for a safer India

In the recent past India’s economic growth story has attracted world’s attention bringing new challenges for the domestic economy. One of the challenges currently faced is the growing illicit trade in counterfeits, pass offs and smuggled goods. Counterfeits, pass offs and smuggled goods are threatening brands not only in every region of the country but is widespread in the world. Contraband and counterfeit product manufacturers hurt the integrity of the brand and further dilute the brand owner’s reputation. This not only results in erosion of sales of the legitimate product by further [CASACADE]s onto affect the consumers in the form of health and safety hazards.

With the above insight the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) took the initiative to dedicate a forum by establishing the Committee on Anti-Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying Economy - C A S C A D E a dedicated forum for addressing the issue

AIMS

• Generating awareness on the hazardous impact of smuggled, contraband and counterfeit products amongst Consumers and citizens
• Capacity building of law enforcement agencies including Judges, Police and Customs Officers
• Research and proposing law reforms
• Interactions with the law enforcement authorities to emphasize on the importance of continued awareness and seriousness of the impact of counterfeit goods
• Enforcement of IP related laws
• Systematic dissemination of enforcement techniques, procedure and strategy through regular workshops for the guidance of its members 
• Sharing the best practices followed globally for combating contraband, smuggled and counterfeit product
• Provide knowledge support to the industry members 

Counterfeit means to imitate something. Counterfeit products are fake replicas of the real products. Such products are often produced with the intent to take advantage of the superior quality and /or value of the imitated products. Smuggling means bringing in or taking out of goods from one region to another in violation of the prevalent law of that region. There are various motivations to smuggle and counterfeit products. The unscrupulous people who wish to earn easy money enter the supply chain and disrupt the same by participating in illegal trade, such as in the selling of fake life saving drug trade, supplying counterfeit or fake hardware, CDS etc

The North East:

The North East India comprises of eight contiguous states of highly undulating hilly terrains, covering 263,179 sq km which is about 8% of the total geographical area of the country. The region is one of the landlocked regions of South Asia. About 4500 km i.e. 98% of its border is with five different countries of South Asia–Nepal, Bhutan, China, Myanmar and Bangladesh. No other region of the Indian union share common border with so many different countries connecting with the heartland through the tenuous 22 km Siliguri corridor.

The Main Problem: 

The lack of connectivity and access to market, the main causes for underutilization of resources and weak resource-industry linkages, have badly affected the economy of the region. Borders of the region have been left for transit corridors for illegal trade. Like the other regions of the country counterfeiting is also a major problem in North East India adversely affects the economy. What adds to the problem is the easy availability of counterfeit products across the border and the fact that the illegal immigrants are forced into counterfeit distribution by the migrant smugglers. Main products that are counterfeited in the North east are pharmaceuticals, FMCG, cosmetics, software, garments and tobacco. Fake drugs are sourced from Burma, Bangladesh and are sent by suppliers to north east. Cough syrups and other over-the-counter medicines are easily available in form of counterfeits. Lack of proper awareness and knowledge make way for pirated CDs and software. There are researches conducted by international bodies like The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists which show that the money generated by this smuggling is used to carter to the needs of the terrorist organizations like Al- Qaeda and it has been concluded that cigarette smuggling has provided the bulk of financing for AQIM.

Hence as part of it s pan Indian awareness seminar and understanding the zeal of the youth of the nation FICCI CASCADE in collaboration with MIC, SSCBS, DU is organizing Confluence and a Cross Country Race. Thus the youth from all parts of the nation are invited to join us in the cause.

What are your EXPRESSIONS ???

ITS TIME TO WELCOME CONFLUENCE'13. We will do it with EXPRESSIONS. Are you game?

Contest 1:EXPRESSIONS 

Theme: Against smuggling and counterfeiting.
In a country like India, for every genuine product, there are so many fakes available. For every Adidas, you can get a much cheaper Abidas or Addas or even a replica Adidas which you just cannot make out to be not real. And yes, this is not just a problem related to quality. It is infact a much bigger problem. Could you even guess that these fakes actually help financing the terrorism. Sounds weird? It may. But its true.

And now it's time to act. We the youth of India will not let the termites of smuggling and counterfeiting ruin the foundations of our economy. No. We Won't. 

The first step it the awareness generation. Lets all get together and look out for all the fake products that we see around us. Click it and bring it to the notice of the world.

Criteria for judgement:*60% based on voting:

• 1 like = 1 vote

• 1 comment = 2 votes

• 1 share = 3 votes

*40% based on judgement by FICCI CASCADE team.

Send in your entries @ mic.cbs@gmail.com , latest by 26th February, 2013, 10 p.m. Along with the picture, you need to send a statement "I hereby assign all rights of this photo to FICCI CASCADE". 

Also, it would always be much better, if you could send a caption relating to the theme along your photo. The earlier you send, the earlier your pictures will be uploaded, the better it is for you. So, hurry!!

It is time to bring in the change, by becoming change ourselves.

Smuggling and Counterfeiting: The Real and Fake of It

By: Sonali Banerjee

Ever happened, that even after taking a medicine that promised ‘relief from headache in 10 minutes’ failed to work its magic?

You bought, at a great offer, a hot shot branded watch and spared not even the stranger at the bus stop from the shiny glow of your hot shot branded, only to find it unceremoniously broken after a month.

Even your Jimmy Choo failed to make an impression as its soles could barely hold for a month.

This kind of failing of products happens everywhere, to everyone and every time, it is shrugged off by us as yet another manufacturing defect that had to find its way across to you.

If only that was the case!

Counterfeits and smuggled goods have been around for as long as the real deals have been. And they have been making as much money, if not more, as the real deals. We often tell ourselves that buying that ‘Preda’ bag is really no big a deal as it costs you less than the fraction of the cost of Prada and manages to look as good. But what we don’t realise or rather are unaware of is that these very counterfeit products create a black hole in the economy and fund the terrorists activities that end up taking millions of innocent lives around the world.

Having second thoughts about the ‘Leve’s’ that you bought last week, are you?!

In order to make the point clearer, let’s go over a few statistics, and these statistics actually make sense:

Ø  The international trade in counterfeit products is estimated to exceed six per cent of global trade. In other words, knock offs make 6% more money than us.

Ø  According to reports, in 2011-12, the Indian Government suffered losses aggregating to more than Rs. 5000 Crore. That effectively translates into Rs. 5000 Crore less of infrastructure and government programmes for us as citizens of India.

Ø  The North-Eastern part of the country, which shares 98% of its border with five different countries is worst affected. There, counterfeit medicines are available over the counter. The negative impact on the health of people need not even be mentioned.

Ø  In terms of numbers, Pharmaceuticals and FMCG are the worst hit, with the latter losing up to 45% of their market share to counterfeits. To directly relate it to you, think about the loss if you were employed with an FMCG company.

      And that, to use a clichéd term, is just the tip of the ice-berg.
    
     The problem of smuggling and counterfeiting and the consequent losses are like a bottomless pit, in which the world economy is falling. Counterfeits enter the mainstream market because of a porous supply chain and make money in the market because they sell at a cost that is at least 40%-45% less than the cost of the authentic product. Going by the laws of Economics that assumes the consumer to be rational who increases his consumption of the product whose cost is less but provides equal satisfaction, counterfeits are going to make all the money here. But here, it is the rational consumer only, who can make this stop.
     
     India and China are the two countries that are most affected by this problem. The popular notion is that counterfeiting and smuggling are a kind of ‘victimless crime’ that negatively affects only the large industrial houses in their topline and bottomline figures. And in a country where poverty glaring co-exists with swanky branded showrooms, anti-capitalist and anti-industrial sentiments are easy to proliferate. The makers of fake goods benefit from the little money they make and the buyers benefit from the little money they have to pay. But the truth is that if the consequences were really as innocuous, then the world would have remained really as innocent!
     
     
     Picture this. Arms and ammunition cost a bomb (no pun intended). Terrorists and criminals need funding for this and since they cannot walk into a bank for it (for obvious reasons), they look for alternative methods.  Making cheap knock offs of popular brands do not exactly require the skills of Einstein and considering that border trade is not well regulated and also the most difficult to monitor, counterfeit products enter the supply chain and markets of neighbouring countries. The money made from these products then go on to fund the activities of terrorists who strike at will and in the aftermath, we find ourselves crying hoarse over non activity of police and the government.
     
       For every situation, at least one of the strings is always in your hands.
    
    The problem is clear. Counterfeits and smuggled goods are not a victimless crime. We are being made the victims of it on a daily basis, and to make matters worse, we do not even realise the role we end up playing in making the Indian economy poorer by Rs. 5000 Crore. It is easy to say here as well that the government needs to take measures, regulations need to be made stronger and in general, the buck needs to be passed on to someone else.
     
      But when we are aware of the colossal crime that is happening and the grossly negative impact it has on our daily lives, it is not that easy to shrug it off and blame the government, or at a micro level, blame ‘manufacturing defects’. In short, here, you, the rational consumer, can actually make a difference by knowing the value of real and the impact of counterfeit. Here, you, the rational consumer, can make a difference, by, to use another clichéd phrase, ‘Saying No To Counterfeits’.
     

     After all, it is your country and you have to work in this economy. So why not make it clean and profitable?

FICCI CASCADE (Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy) is a division of FICCI that is tirelessly working to spread awareness about the impact of use of counterfeit products and develop programmes to curb these activities. MIC and FICCI CASCADE have partnered to host Confluence’13. The theme for this event is ‘Anti-Smuggling and ‘Counterfeiting’.

Disclaimer: The names of the brands used in this article are used purely for the purpose of giving referential examples and do not imply any direct relation to the brand.