Supervisory support –HR case study

Joseph a plant level worker has been twenty years of experience, in Zeal Zink Ltd, a large scale industrial establishment in Maharashtra. He is hard working, competent, punctual and reliable employee of Binani Zink Ltd. He is having good interaction and interrelation with his superiors, co-workers and other members in the organization. The management has better impression and appreciation about his performance and commitment. The only disagreement the management has on him is his affiliation to one of the trade unions in the organization. Management didn't have any impression towards the existence of trade unions within the organization as they believed that trade unions are to mislead and exploit the work force and a big hurdle in the smooth progress of the organization.

To make Joseph more work oriented, management decided to promote him to supervisory level. The promotion decision is beyond his expectation. He found himself very happy with the situation and felt obliged to the management. Only hard working, competent and skilled employees are promoted to the higher position. The supervisory positions in the organization have better compensation packages, power and authority in relation to the responsibilities. Joseph highly motivated to work for the organization and felt highly obliged towards the management. He acquired better acceptance and recognition in the supervisory position from his superiors and co workers within short span. He performed his duties in accordance with the expectation of the management.

As per the official communication, Joseph met one of the senior level officials Mr. Kiran in his cabin. Kiran detailed new responsibilities and tentative targets to Joseph, inducing management expectation on him. After making some formal discussions, Kiran started informal discussion with Joseph enquiring employee's welfare, satisfaction level and many other topics. He enquired about Josephs family members also. During the conversation Kiran also enquired about Joseph's trade union activities and his strong affiliation to them. He informed Joseph that management is unhappy about his trade union affiliation, as he performs a managerial role in the organization. He demanded the gradual separation from the trade union and asked him to work for the management for better career. Kiran asked him to think about it and take a decision without loosing time. Reserving his comment on Kiran's demand, Joseph returned to his plant.

Kiran's demand to quit the trade union membership was really disappointing to him. He has of the feeling that to protect his rights and privileges; all along trade union has been with him. With the existence of trade union, employees feel safe and secure in their job. Many questions aroused in his mind, that "shall I quit the trade union? Is it fair to quit the trade union as they

supported to me in many contingent situations? Will the management support me in my future? Do they follow their promises? Who am I, a Worker or a Manager?... as there is wide disparity between employees and employers? As many employees have similar experience in the past, is it safe to do so? Many conflicting thoughts made him more confused to take appropriate decision in this matter.

Though he had plenty of information about management approach towards employees in the organization, he decided to take a decision in favor of management, considering future prospects. As an initial step he started getting aloof from many of the trade union meetings and activities in the organization. The trade union has close observation about their party men. They observed the changes in the attitude and behavior of Joseph. Trade union leadership demanded clarification from him. Joseph continues to get aloof from the trade union activities by showing some personal grounds and engaging himself more on work activities. He informed management that he started his gradual separation from trade union. Management become quite happy about his decision and extended full support in his occupational career.

Having a peaceful mind, with a decision to involve the work more, as a managerial supervisor, he started his newly allotted task. His new task required more members and that to be accomplished as a team. Supervisors form different department also took part in the task performance. Though the members worked as a team there they had to follow the timely instructions of the senior managers. They don't have that much of freedom and autonomy to take decision on production and to take initiatives to achive the target with better alternative measures. As per the guideline of the top management they have performed their duties and responsibilities. Joseph and other supervisory members worked hard to get the predetermined result, as expected by the management.

The annual production statistics published. The department where Joseph has been working reported low level performance. The inspectors pointed out problems that related to quality level. The top management as usual flayed junior - middle level mangers and supervisors who are in charge of the department, low level performance. While the middle and junior level managers, as usual, redirected those allegations to the supervisors and members in the department, showing their sheer negligence and lack of commitment on their part. The supervisory members especially Joseph who all along worked hard to get better output, disagreed with the allegation made by the superiors. He has of the impression that, after all they simply followed the instructions of their superiors. The supervisory members decided to meet top management to inform them the real facts. They drafted a memorandum and handed over the same to the top management officials, indicating the real situation that went on poor outlay.

After two days top management asked Joseph to meet Kiran, the Senior Manager in the organization for further discussion of the problem with due consideration to the memorandum. Kiran informed the top management decision about the issue that they totally dissatisfied with the performance of the supervisory members. During the meeting, Kiran informed Joseph that, as a step to curb the situation and maintain the quality of the production, top management decided to transfer few of the supervisory members to the other departments and taken decision to transfer a few members from this organization to the sister concern. The transfer list contains Joseph's name also. Kiran informed Joseph that, his knowledge and competency are not sufficient to handle new responsibilities as it require more training and attention that he required to get it from other organization. Kiran also informed Joseph that management decided to withdraw extra incentives that extended to them as the nature of transfer is more of a training program and punishment one.

Joseph shocked to hear management decision in this matter. He got totally depressed about the management decision. He felt that here management has shown their vested interest, partiality to protect middle and junior level managerial members. They try to protect management members from negative consequences and corrective measures from the top. He management decision to transfer him and his fellow supervisory members to different departments in other sister concerns is a measure to marginalize and victimize them. He could not find any justification on the part of management. Joseph felt that instead of understanding the problem in an impartial way management tried to resolve the issue by developing new strategies that safe guard the management and victimizes the members. He felt that the attitudes of the management always behave as 'big bosses' and never going to change. He felt that mangers do not have any intention to support employees in their crisis.

Joseph became more aggressive decided to continue his membership in trade union and forwarded the complaint to trade union indicating the victimization.

Management v\s trade unions

introduction

This case deals with the management attitudes towards the low and middle level trade unions .This is explained by taking the case of joseph who has member ship in both trade unions and also a plant level worker. Because of his hard working management decided to post him in the supervisory level. Once in an official conversation kiran one of the senior level officer advised him to terminate the member ship with trade union and also offers more opportunities if he terminate the membership .finally he decided to leave from trade unions .But when the annual production summery produced joseph’ s team performance was very low, and because of this reason management cut all the incentives. Management also transferred him to their sister concern. Finally joseph understood the management strategies and decided to continue with the trade union.

Findins

. Management’s strategies to eliminate trade unions.

.management attitudes towards low and middle level trade unions..

.joseph’s wrong decision to continue with trade unions..

.in ability to take correct decisions..

.strategies to avoid un skilled workers..

Conclusion

However, I conclude that josephs in ability to take correct decisions causes to lost his job. Any way it was not possible to justify the management attitude towards trade unions.

5 P’s- The H R Case Study

It is Thursday, 24th Jan 2008.It is 4:15 PM on the clock. R Krishnan, Vice President - Human Resource of New Day Software Solutions (NDSS), is deep in thought in his office on the 4th floor of NDSS House, the corporate office of the company in Bangalore. He has just returned from a week long business trip to the US and is now probing over the matter related to relocating the NDSS engineers to the new subsidiary NDSS Germany which was known as Deutsche Technologies before acquisition. At 5:00 PM, he has a conference call with his German counterpart, Mr. Ralz Bernhard, Chief Operations Officer- NDSS Germany, on the issues related to Manpower requirement and allocation. He has the profiles of the engineers of NDSS who are most likely to be sent to Germany. He has done his homework, but he is still unsure about the adequacy of the information in hand. At 4:30 PM, his secretary, Ms. Reena Sharma hands over the report sent by Ralz describing the job profiles of engineers at NDSS Germany.

At Home

New Day Software Solutions is an IT Company, which provides IT solutions across the communications value chain and hence aids clients to accelerate product development life cycle. New Day offers a unique combination of research and development consultancy, wireless software products and software services, and works with Network OEMs, Semiconductor Vendors, Terminal Device OEMs and Operators across the world. New Day's customer profile includes Global Fortune 500 and Tier 1 companies in these segments. Established in 1999, New day employs over 4,500 people. It operates from state-of-the-art research and development centers in Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad & Chennai in India, Frankfurt (Germany) and Stockholm (Sweden). New day is also present in Shanghai (China), Ottawa (Canada), Nice (France), Guildford (UK) and Boston, Dallas, New York & Santa Clara (USA).

New day is SEI CMM Level 5 certified and its solutions are ISO 9001:2000, ISO 27001 and TL 9000 certified. New Day’s proprietary quality management system strengthens its business offerings and ensures client satisfaction. New Day’s commitment to environment is highlighted by its ISO 14001 certification. Hence excellence in service and its global presence makes NDSS the preferred company by its clients. The innovative spirit of NDSS can be seen in its people policies. It has the concept of “For By and Of the Employee” which is unique and well known as the best in the industry. The HR policies make NDSS the most preferred company to work for. NDSS was ranked the best company to work for in India for the year 2007 in a survey carried out by a leading HR consultancy.

German Subsidiary

Established in 1995, NDSS Germany is a global company which works on wireless technology. The core business areas are hardware, software and mechanical design and testing related to these areas. The company improves the competitiveness of its customers among their rivals by accelerating their R&D and testing processes to achieve high quality products. Currently NDSS Germany employs 400 people. Being such a small company there is no separate HR department.

The Interview CEO of NDSS Germany Lars Lau had a press interview at 10:30 AM on Thursday, 28th January 2008, pertaining to the company’s acquisition by an Indian firm. Excerpts from the interview are as follows:

Interviewer: Why Deutsche Technologies was keen on getting acquired?

CEO: “I would like to give you a brief background of the company to answer this question. We were directing the senior management of the company on how the company should run. But the operations team was too busy to look at anything else other than their work. Between 2001 and 2002, NDSS Germany lost some acquisition opportunities to German competitors. Moreover plenty of design work was moving from Germany to China and India. We did not want to face direct price competition. Our aim was to globalize, but with reasonable risk and that was the only way for growth and security of our business.”

Interviewer: Switch, the leading mobile handset maker contributes as much as 85 per cent of Deutsche Technologies annual revenues. What was its reaction to the acquisition?

CEO: “Interestingly, Switch had already asked us to enter India, China or the US. It clearly said, “To be our good partner in R&D you have to establish yourselves in one of those places.”

Interviewer: Why didn’t you start your own company in India?

CEO: To start something in India you have two alternatives: Organic Growth or Acquisition. Both of them require a lot of money and this might also prove risky for business at home. To please Switch, our main customer, we decided to be acquired.

Interviewer: Why NDSS?

CEO: My team and I were really impressed with the low employee strength of NDSS as compared to other bidders. Moreover it shared Deutsche Technologies’ values. We thought if we choose other bidders offering a higher price and who were also bigger in size, we would lose control on what we were doing. NDSS and Deutsche Technologies together complement each other. We had hardware design skills that NDSS did not boast of and we were also interested in NDSS’s semiconductor clients.

Interviewer: European and Asian countries have many cultural differences. Wasn’t this an area of concern during the integration process?

CEO: There are many differences as such. One point of difference that emerged was the attrition rate in Germany which is less than 2 per cent. People stick to their jobs in Software industry for 10 to 20 years, which is not the case in India. As far as salaries are concerned, in Germany, unions negotiate amongst themselves and the salary hike is then based upon the agreed contract which is reviewed once in 3 to 4 years. In India there is a salary increment of 15 percent annually across the board. From the functioning point of view, bureaucracy is rampant in India. We, at Germany, have learnt to be effective, and not have buffers in our system. We now learn that in India you have buffers in terms of employees and other resources. These are a few important issues that came to my mind.

The Situation

The acquisition process started in June 2007. Financial integration is over and technical integration is in progress. Both the parties intend to close the entire process of integration, including Human Resource integration by March 2008.

For , by and off the people

introduction

New Day Software Solutions is an IT Company, which provides IT solutions across the communications value chain and hence aids clients to accelerate product development life cycle. Established in 1999, New day employs over 4,500 people. It operates from state-of-the-art research and development centers in Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad & Chennai in India, Frankfurt (Germany) and Stockholm (Sweden). New Day offers a unique combination of research and development consultancy, wireless software products and software services, and works with Network OEMs, Semiconductor Vendors, Terminal Device OEMs and Operators across the world. R Krishnan, Vice President - Human Resource of New Day Software Solutions (NDSS).

Findings

New day is SEI CMM Level 5 certified and its solutions are ISO 9001:2000, ISO 27001 and TL 9000 certified. New Day’s proprietary quality management system strengthens its business offerings and ensures client satisfaction. New Day’s commitment to environment is highlighted by its ISO 14001 certification. Hence excellence in service and its global presence makes NDSS the preferred company by its clients. The innovative spirit of NDSS can be seen in its people policies. It has the concept of “For By and Of the Employee” which is unique and well known as the best in the industry. The HR policies make NDSS the most preferred company to work for. NDSS was ranked the best company to work for in India for the year 2007 in a survey carried out by a leading HR consultancy. The company has another branch in Germany. Established in 1995, NDSS Germany is a global company which works on wireless technology. The core business areas are hardware, software and mechanical design and testing related to these areas. The company improves the competitiveness of its customers among their rivals by accelerating their R&D and testing processes to achieve high quality products.

Conclusion

The NDSS company is a growing and finds the possibilities of exposure in different countries. They try to adjust with the situations and adapt the environment that exists in each country. Though they grow fast they have to face many competitions from the competitors. They produce most of the company’s product and people may not feel any difference between them. So it had to work hard to get more market share. They utilize the method of acquisition of the company’s in different countries in order to expand their business. They work hard to cope with the cultural difference of different countries and their traditions and practices. In order to maximize their income they have to consider many things.

The advanced technology and modern devices make the company different from others. Because of this reason people prefer the company and buy the product of the firm. So it becomes a power to the company. There may have lots of differences between different countries. As far as salaries are concerned, in Germany, unions negotiate amongst themselves and the salary hike is then based upon the agreed contract which is reviewed once in 3 to 4 years. In India there is a salary increment of 15 percent annually across the board. So these multinational companies are very useful for the economic boost in the operating country and is given due importance to them by the government rules the country.

Doordarshan's Problems

After years of falling revenues, in 1999-2000 Doordarshan (DD)1 had a revenue growth at 50%. In 1999-2000, DD earned revenues of Rs 6.1mn compared to Rs 3.99 mn in 1998-99.DD showed signs of revival with the launch of DD World (a channel for NRIs) and had relative success with some of its regional channels (Refer Table I for different DD channels). However by the end of 2000-01, DD's honeymoon with success seemed to be over. In 2000-01, DD's revenues were projected to grow at 6-15% while private channels such as Zee TV, Star, Sony had projected 40-50% revenue growth.2Analyst's felt that DD's sagging revenues were only tip of the iceberg. DD was plagued by multiple problems, which found their roots in the mismanagement of affairs. By the late 1990's the private producers, advertisers and audience had deserted DD.Not even one car company advertised on DD and even two-wheeler manufacturers kept a low profile.3 Ads of Pepsi and Coca-Cola were found only during sports telecasts.

Only FMCG companies stuck to DD because of its terrestrial network to reach the rural and semi-urban audience.4 In spite of having over 21,000 employees,5 DD outsourced 50% of its programmes from the private producers. In late 1990's DD faced number of allegations of large-scale scams and irregularities. Under utilized infrastructure, improper investments and poor financial management plagued the performance of DD. In 1992, when the Government opened airwaves to private players, DD faced the heat of competition from private satellite channels. In the Cable & Satellite (C&S) homes it was found that there were hardly any viewers for the DD programmes. The depleting Television Viewer Ratings (TVRs)6 of the DD programmes was also a cause of concern as advertisers deserted due to its low viewer ratings.Analysts felt that DD would need a budgetary support of Rs 5 bn during the fiscal 2000-01 to sustain itself as its revenues would not be enough to meet its expenditure. Analysts questioned the capacity of the Government to own DD and many felt that privatization would be the only solution.

Cable networks competition

Introduction

In the mid 1990s, a number of private cable TV channels were launched in India. With their sleek presentation and innovative programming, they were surging ahead of Doordarshan (DD) in terms of both revenue and viewership. Due to the poor management at Doordarshan, transmission quality and program content were deteriorating. Viewers began to switch to private channels, which were better at catering to their tastes and needs.

Findings

Growth Of Private Channels And Cable TV In India Loosing of market shares due to private companies Difficult to stay competitive in the industry Lack of innovative ideas

Conclusion

Here in this case we can observe that the television broadcasting and servicing industry has become a very huge success . And it has caused a big competition to the government channels like doordarshan , especially from the private channels such as Zee TV, Star, Sony , so the government have to take necessary actions to stay competitive in this industry and improve the standard of doordarshan , by bringing variety in their television programs and should try to retain their market shares so that there will be a greater chance of attracting the advertising companies and will be able to make a good profit

Branded Gold Jewellery Market in India

In the late 1990s, the Indian jewellery market witnessed a shift in consumer perceptions of jewellery. Instead of being regarded as only an investment option, jewellery was being prized for its aesthetic appeal.In other words, the focus seemed to have shifted from content to design. Trendy, affordable and lightweight jewellery soon gained familiarity. Branded jewellery also gained acceptance forcing traditional jewellers to go in for branding. Given the opportunities the branded jewellery market offered; the number of gold retailers in the country increased sharply. Branded players such as Tanishq, Oyzterbay, Gili and Carbon opened outlets in various parts of the country. Traditional jewellers also began to bring out lightweight jewellery, and some of them even launched their in-house brands. However, the share of branded jewellery in the total jewellery market was still small (about Rs. 10 billion of the Rs. 400 billion per annum jewellery market in 2002), though growing at a pace of 20 to 30 percent annually.The branded jewellery segment occupied only a small share of the total jewellery market because of the mindset of the average Indian buyer who still regarded jewellery as an investment. Moreover, consumers trusted only their family jewellers when buying jewellery. Consequently, the branded jewellery players tried to change the mindset of the people and woo customers with attractive designs at affordable prices.Before the liberalization of the Indian economy in 1991, only the Minerals and Metals Trading Corporation of India (MMTC) and the State Bank of India (SBI) were allowed to import gold. The abolition of the Gold Control Act in 1992,2 allowed large export houses to import gold freely. Exporters in export processing zones were allowed to sell 10 percent of their produce in the domestic market. In 1993, gold and diamond mining were opened up for private investors and foreign investors were allowed to own half the equity in mining ventures. In 1997, overseas banks and bullion suppliers were also allowed to import gold into India. These measures led to the entry of foreign players like DeBeers,3 Tiffany4 and Cartiers5 into the Indian market.

In the 1990s, the number of retail jewellery outlets in India increased greatly due to the abolition of the Gold Control Act. This led to a highly fragmented and unorganized jewellery market with an estimated 100,000 workshops supplying over 350,000 retailers, mostly family-owned, single shop operations. In 2001, India had the highest demand for gold in the world; 855 tons were consumed a year, 95% of which was used for jewellery.The bulk of the jewellery purchased in India was designed in the traditional Indian style.6 Jewellery was fabricated mainly in 18, 22 and 24-carat gold. (Refer Table I for carat calculation) As Hallmarking7 was not very common in India, under-caratage was prevalent. According to a survey done by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS),8 most gold jewellery advertised in India as 22-carat was of a lesser quality. Over 80% of the jewelers sold gold jewellery ranging from 13.5 carats to 18 carats as 22-carat gold jewellery. The late 1990s saw a number of branded jewellery players entering the

Indian market. Titan sold gold jewellery under the brand name Tanishq, while Gitanjali Jewels, a Mumbai-based jewellery exporter, sold 18-carat gold jewellery under the brand name Gili.

Gitanjali Jewels also started selling 24-carat gold jewellery in association with a Thai company, Pranda. Su-Raj (India) Ltd. launched its collection of diamond and 22 -carat gold jewellery in 1997.The Mumbai-based group, Beautiful, which marketed the Tiffany range of products in India, launched its own range of studded 18-carat jewellery, Dagina. Cartiers entered India in 1997 in a franchise agreement with Ravissant.9 Other players who entered the Indian branded gold jewellery market during the 1990s and 2000-01 included Intergold Gem Ltd., Oyzterbay, Carbon and TribhovandasBhimjiZaveri (TBZ).

Currents trends in jewellery business

Introduction

The case, "Branded Gold Jewellery Market in India", gives an overview of the branded jewellery market and branded jewellery players in India.

The case explains the shift in preference of Indian consumers from heavy jewellery to lightweight jewellery and the entry of branded jewellery players in the Indian market.

The case also explains how the branded players are changing the perceptions and attitudes of Indian customers towards jewellery. The strategies adopted by branded players to increase their share in the jewellery market are also discussed.

findings

> effectiveness of the strategies adopted by the branded players for increasing their share of the market

> Identify the branded jewellery player who is likely to lead the industry

> threats for the small scale jewellery business

Conclusion

Jewel business has always been a great success in Indian business industry , due to the increasing need for jewels of the peoples in our country. New improved techniques are being introduced in this business that has made this industry to reach new heights , india was always famous for its use of gold this has attracted many private firms to start jewellery business . and they have started do business all over india . this is a good sign for this business in our country

Eko India's Financial Inclusion Initiative

Eko India Financial Services Pvt Ltd (Eko), a Delhi, India, based financial services company was founded to serve the section of the population which was financially excluded. The company believed that a basic saving account is important for financial inclusion. Eko realized that people from financially excluded communities owned mobile phones and the mobile penetration in India was rising rapidly. The company decided to develop its product based on mobile phone. It chose to use mobile phones as the mode of communication between banks and the end users. Eko developed a platform called Simplibank. It entered into a tie-up with erstwhile Centurion Bank of Punjab to provide no frills accounts to financially excluded people.

Eko used neighborhood grocery and pharmacy stores as Customer Service Points (CSP). Under this model, any person could approach a CSP to open a savings bank account. The Know Your Customers norms for those taking no frills accounts were relaxed so that more people could be included into the financial system. CSP would send the new account details to Eko through his mobile phone and the account would get operable in ten minutes. The account holder would be given material with instructions and password to operate the account. Account holders could deposit, withdraw, and transfer to others' no frills account opened through Eko at CSP. The mobile number and password acted as authentication for transactions. Eko designed its system in such a manner that its customer need to be just number literate to avail its services. The case describes in detail Eko's business model and highlights the need for financial inclusion initiatives.

Eko’s banking technology

introduction

On November 04, 2008, Bill Gates, Chairman of Microsoft, visited and spent a couple of hours at a tech start-up firm, Eko India Financial Services Private Limited (Eko) in a suburb in New Delhi5, India, and collected information about the progress of Eko's project

findings

» Understand Eko India's business model.

» Appreciate the importance of financial inclusion and examine Eko's efforts towards financial inclusion of under-banked population.

» Appraise the costs involved in the financial inclusion model of Eko.

» Analyze the opportunities and challenges in Eko's business model.

Conclusion

Some analysts felt that even though Eko had developed a platform which was cost-effective and user friendly, it might face some challenges while scaling up. According to the RBI Guidelines for BCs released in October 2008, any bank's BC must be within a distance of 15 km from the concerned branch in semi-urban and rural areas and within 5 km distance in the case of metros. This regulation would pose a problem to Eko when it expanded to cover rural areas where most of the villages did not have any bank branch within 15 km radius...

Analyzing the Risk Weighted Performance of Equity Mutual Funds

In January 1994, Morgan Stanley Mutual Fund (MSMF) launched the Morgan Stanley Growth Fund (MSGF). MSMF was sponsored by Morgan Stanley Asset Management India Private Limited (MSAM India), the Indian subsidiary of Morgan Stanley Group Inc (Morgan Stanley). MSGF, a closed-ended fund1, could be redeemed only after 15 years, in January 2009. The fund was intended for retail investors with an investment objective of long-term capital appreciation. The company raised Rs 3 billion by issuing 300 million units at the rate of Rs 10 per unit. The liquidity for MSGF units was provided through listing on the Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, and Ahmedabad Stock Exchanges.

The fund primarily invested in equity and equity related instruments. However, the investments in equities were subjected to certain limitations as prescribed by SEBI2 guidelines (Refer to Exhibit I for SEBI Guidelines)Even though the fund was guided by certain rules and guidelines of SEBI, it did not offer a guaranteed return. Being an equity fund, it was subject to the risks inherent in stock market investments such as interest rate risks, currency exchange rate risks, and the risks relating to changes in governmental policy, taxation, and political, economic, or other adverse developments.

Even after careful investment, there were chances that the fund might lose its value due to unforeseen incidents. The performance benchmark for MSGF is BSE 200, as it invested mainly in those companies that comprised the BSE 200 index.The fund seems to have performed quite well over the last 14 years. While for a 13.5-year and 10-year period, the fund outperformed the BSE 200, for the remaining periods the fund under-performed, as compared to its benchmark. For the last three years, the gap between the returns generated by the fund and BSE 200 has widened (Refer to Table I and to Exhibits III to X for detailed calculation of returns generated by MSGF for periods ranging between 1 year and 13.5 years). On the whole, the NAV of the fund is moving in tandem with BSE 200

Mutual funds

introduction

This concept note explains the methodology involved in analyzing the risk weighted performance of a mutual fund. It analyzes the risk weighted performance of Morgan Stanley Growth Fund, a close ended equity mutual fund with its benchmark BSE 200, BSE Sensex and other close and open ended equity mutual funds including IDFC Enterprise Equity Fund, Taurus Star Share Fund, DSPML Tiger and Magnum Multiplier Fund. The note evaluates the fund's performance based on three different measures namely Sharpe's Ratio, Treynor's Ratio and Jensen's Alpha to rank the performance of these equity mutual funds. This concept note is designed for students of Finance curriculum and can be discussed with the chapter on Portfolio Management and Security Analysis

Findings

In this section, we are comparing MSGF with IDFC Enterprise Equity fund (IDFC fund), Taurus Star Share fund (Taurus fund), and BSE 200...

Sharpe's Ratio

Sharpe's ratio evaluates the performance of a portfolio/fund based on the total risk of the portfolio/fund. It takes standard deviation as a measure of risk. Sharpe's ratio can be calculated by the following formula

S = (Rp - Rf)/σp

Where Rp = Return on portfolio/fund

Rf = Risk free return

σp = Standard deviation of return on the portfolio/fund...

conclusion

The note evaluates the fund's performance based on three different measures namely Sharpe's Ratio, Treynor's Ratio and Jensen's Alpha to rank the performance of these equity mutual funds. This concept note is designed for students of Finance curriculum and can be discussed with the chapter on Portfolio Management and Security Analysis.

Sony Corporation

Sony, the Japan-based multinational conglomerate, is one of the leading manufacturers of consumer electronics devices and information technology products. Sony was responsible for introducing path breaking products like the Walkman, the Discman, and the PlayStation gaming console, among others. But in the late 1990s, it lost its leadership position in many product lines in which it was operating. Analysts attributed this to the silo culture prevailing in the organization. Each of the departments functioned like different fiefdoms, hardly cooperating with each other, even when it was necessary. Moreover, Sony's growing complacency led to its failing to recognize the growing popularity of new technologies and digital products and the company choosing to stick to its proprietary formats.Sony was caught off-guard and tried to revive itself under the guidance of its first non-Japanese head Howard Stringer, who took over as the CEO in 2005.

For a couple of years, Sony appeared to be on the path to revival. However, for the fiscal year ending March 2009, the company reported a loss. Sony's failure to bring out innovative products in spite of having the required competencies was one of the main reasons for the company's problems, and analysts attributed it to the existing culture in the company. In February 2009, with the aim of addressing the issue of its silo culture, Stringer announced a reorganization that involved changes in the organization structure. Through this reorganization, he sought to transform Sony into an innovative and agile company. However, it remains to be seen whether the reorganization can bring Sony out of its problems.

Sony japan

Introduction

Sony was founded in 1946 as Tokyo Tsuchin Kyogo by Masaru Ibuka and Akio Morita (Morita). The company began with 20 employees and a capital of ¥ 190,000. Sony started off manufacturing telecommunications and measuring equipment and then began making transistor radios and tape recorders.For a couple of years, Sony appeared to be on the path to revival. However, for the fiscal year ending March 2009, the company reported a loss. Sony's failure to bring out innovative products in spite of having the required competencies was one of the main reasons for the company's problems, and analysts attributed it to the existing culture in the company

Findings

» Examine the challenges faced by Sony in a competitive global business environment.

» Understand the importance of organizational culture in effectively executing an organization's strategy.

» Analyze how Sony can make its products competitive and foster innovation.

» Examine the efficacy of the reorganization program initiated by Stringer in turning around Sony and solving its problem relating to the silo culture.

» Analyze other measures that need to be taken by Stringer to restore profitability of Sony

Conclusion

In his efforts to solve Sony's problems, Stringer decided to reorganize the company in February 2009 . He said, "There is still a lot of the old Sony, and not enough of the new, which constrains our competitiveness. We simply have no alternative but to dramatically change the way we do things. Without those changes, it will be very difficult to return to profitability."...

Recruitment and Training at JetBlue Airways

In June 2009, when JD Power & Associates3 announced the results of the North America Airline Satisfaction Study4, the US-based JetBlue Airways (JetBlue) found itself ranked the highest in the low-cost segment.The study ranked the carriers under two segments - traditional network5 and low-cost6.

This was the fifth consecutive year that JetBlue had bagged the top position7 On receiving the award, Dave Berger (Berger), President and CEO of JetBlue, said, "Customers recognize that a leading formula is more than great fares, more than advanced technology on comfortable airplanes, and more than celebrated destinations - it's also about people dedicated to providing exceptional service to one customer at a time. The 12,000 crewmembers here at JetBlue work hard every day to carry out this mission."8

JetBlue was founded in 1999 by David Neeleman (Neeleman) and started operating in February 2000. Since its inception, the company had been striving to provide superior service at lower fares, and it was this that distinguished it from other airlines in a highly competitive airline industry in the US...

Jet air ways recruitment

Introduction

The case examines the recruitment and training practices at the US-based JetBlue Airways (JetBlue), which helped it to maintain exceptional customer service levels. The company was founded in 1999 by David Neeleman. The company's culture was built around five values - Safety, Caring, Integrity, Fun and Passion. Since inception, the company encouraged employees to give suggestions for improving its services and all employees were treated equally. While recruiting people, JetBlue essentially looked for people with positive attitude and who were highly focused on customer service. The case examines different recruitment practices that existed in the company for in-flight crew and pilots. The details of training resources and different training programs for flight attendants and managers in the company are also discussed. The case ends with a discussion on the benefits JetBlue derived through its recruitment and training practices

Findings

» Understand the unique aspects of JetBlue's culture.

» Analyze the recruitment and training practices at JetBlue.

» Examine the training resources developed by JetBlue.

» Understand how training programs can be designed based on the specific needs of a company.

» Appreciate the importance of recruiting the right people for a particular job

Conclusion

Over the years, JetBlue had gained a reputation for treating crew members fairly and for providing them with a very good work environment. These practices made employees feel valued and respected and they developed a sense of ownership toward the company. The company believed that the employees must be treated the way customers are treated. This, in turn, helped employees keep the customers satisfied, due to which they remained loyal to the company...

Himalaya Drug Company - Branding Ayurveda

In 1999, the leading Indian herbal health care company, Himalaya Drug Company (HDC) launched an advertisement campaign for its range of personal care products branded 'Ayurvedic Concepts.' The Rs 120 million1 campaign was extensively covered by the electronic and print media.The television commercials (TVCs) for the brand featured an unusual brand ambassador. Indians, who were used to advertisements featuring celebrities from the world of movies/sports, and young, good-looking models, watched in amusement an old, 'grandmotherly' lady promoting the brand. Not just that, the brand ambassador referred to as 'Dadima' (a Hindi language term for grandmother) be broke the stereotype image associated with grandmothers (and people of that age group) in the country. Unlike the typical grandmothers, she was aware of the latest trends and happenings in the world around her

Moreover, she conveyed her knowledge of age-old health tips and HDC's products in fluent English and was thus, successful in presenting a contemporary image of Ayurveda (Refer Exhibit I for a note on Ayurveda and Exhibit II for the TVC).HDC claimed that the advertisements managed to establish the credibility of 'Dadima', and Ayurvedic Concepts, in general. Not only did it promote Ayurveda, as a science but was able to build a huge amount of recall for Ayurvedic Concepts.However, in a surprise move in December 2001, HDC announced that it would bring its domestic and global brands under a single global brand, 'Himalaya,' with a new logo and brand identity. The company's website stated, 'Our new brand identity communicates the very essence of our company.'

The company also decided to shift its focus from chemists and doctors (the prescription route) to consumers. Analysts questioned the company's decision to bring Ayurvedic Concepts under the global brand Himalaya.They believed that it was not a wise move considering the huge investments it had made in establishing the brand. HDC was, however, confident that this 'universal branding' strategy would help make the company synonymous with herbal healthcare across the world. However, many analysts believed that it was not the only reason for the radical changes being brought about in the company.

Hymalayas ayurvedic concepts

Introduction

The case examines the marketing strategies adopted by the leading Indian herbal healthcare company Himalaya Drug Company (HDC) in the late-1990s, particularly the advertisement campaign for its personal care product range 'Ayurvedic Concepts.'

The case explores the company's efforts on R&D, product development and retailing fronts to change the perception of Indian consumers about the contemporariness of Ayurveda for health care.

The case also explains rationale behind HDC's decision to bring all its brands under an umbrella brand 'Himalaya'

Findings

» Understand the issues involved in building the brand image of a product like Ayurvedic Concepts and the role of advertising in building the brand image.

Conclusion

HDC realized that it needed a campaign, which would be able to destroy the commonly accepted notion of Ayurveda as something developed by 'sadhus' (Hindi-language term for saints). A three-pronged strategy was adopted by HDC for presenting Ayurveda as a contemporary form of medicine.The company wanted to project that products under the Ayurvedic Concepts range addressed the complete body, and did so better than anything else as they were formulated with R&D support. The brand was promoted with a tagline, 'Get on with your life,' which indicated that its products helped people cope better with the pressures of modern life.

Environmental Sustainability Initiatives at Ford Motor Company

The case examines the environmental sustainability initiatives at the US based Ford Motor Company (Ford). Founded in 1903, Ford was the fourth-largest automaker in the world based on the number of vehicles sold in the year 2009. Since the early 1990s, the company had started taking efforts to reduce the impact of its operations on the environment. The company established targets to achieve reduction in the usage of energy, water and Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. It also pledged to invest in developing environmentally friendly vehicle technologies including hybrids, diesels, bio-diesels, advanced engines, etc. However, in spite of its environmental initiatives, Ford attracted criticisms.

Environmentalists criticized the company for not taking enough measures to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from its operations. The case also details other criticisms against the company.

Issues:

» Understand the environmental policy of Ford.

» Learn about the initiatives taken by Ford to address issues concerning environment in its operations.

» Analyze the nature of criticism against Ford's environmental sustainability efforts.

PROTECTION OF ENVIORNMENT

Introduction

Environmental initiatives of Foard motor company is analyzing in this case. The company has started its efforts for reducing impacts of its operations on the environment for past 19 years. The company’s targets are to achieve reduction in usage of energy, water and green house gas emission. It has taken initiative to invest in developing environmentally friendly vehicle technologies. It includes hybrids, dissels,bio-diesels, advanced engines etc. even if the ford motors are taking these much measures for reduce its adverse effects on environment then also they need to face some criticism for pollution. Because they are not taking enough measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from its operation

Ford motors are under taking some eco-friendly measures to prevent the ill effects on environment. Hybrids, diesels, GHG are examples. But they have to face criticism in case of carbon dioxide omissions. This omission is very dangerous to the respiration of human beings it may cause many health hazards to peoples.

Findings

• Companies should promote eco friendly products.

• Proper facilities should be made for disposal of industrial wastes.

• Ford company can take measures to reduce omission of carbon dioxide to environment.

• Company should promote research for eco friendly products.

CONCLUSION

Ford motors are doing so many activities to reduce the ill effects of it on the enviorment.But still they are facing criticism in case of omission of carbon dioxide. So proper measures should be taken by the firm to avoid this.