Sunday 28 December 2008

Confusion in Student Union Polls in VBU Hazaribag


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Confusion in Student Union Polls in VBU Hazaribag
Er.Alok Kumar

opined that
the universities should first provide students
required facilities before conducting elections.
“The election exercise is more or less eyewash
as our issues are not getting addressed,”
he added.

Sudesh Mahto - led All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU),
Congress - backed NSUI ,
BJP-backed ABVP,
Communist Party backed
SFI ,
Chatra Jharkhand Vikash Morcha
Chatra JDu

A notification issued by the Hazaribagh based Vinoba Bhave University (VBU)
tells a different story altogether.

VBU has called all students who find their names in the Voters’ List of Colleges, Postgraduate (PG) Department and Institutions under it to contest in the university level polls irrespective of their outcome in the college level election.

VBU has notified that students whose names are present on the electoral rolls of different colleges / PG departments and Institutions are also eligible to contest university level polls, irrespective of whether they contest / win the college level direct elections.

VBU Registrar E.N.Sidiquee told us that they would take a final decision on the matter after the colleges round of polls are conducted.

“Colleges and Campuses would directly elect c
ollege and Campus Office-bearers as well as university representatives".

The university representatives would form an electoral college,wh
ich shall elect the university student
union office-bearers, reads the judgment of Supreme Court on the recommendations of the J.M. Lyngdoh Committee.

This specifies that only the winning candidate in the first round would form the Electoral College for the second round of elections.


Report of the Committee

Constituted by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India
As per the Direction of the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India to frame Guidelines on
Students’ Union Elections in Colleges / Universities

Submitted to
Ministry of Human Resource Development
Department of Secondary and Higher Education
Government of India, New Delhi – 110001


Date: May 23, 2006

Contents :

1. Background

1.1 University of Kerala Matter

1.2 Issues and Concerns of the Supreme Court of India

1.3 Rationale

2. Terms of Reference of the Committee

3. Methodology/Strategies adopted for framing the Guidelines

3.1 Regional Meetings

3.2 Collection of Data from Interested Parties

3.3 Responses from the General Public

3.4 Follow-up Meetings of the Committee

4. Summary of the Proceeding of the Regional Meetings

4.1 Summary of Proceedings of the Regional Meeting held in Chennai from February 14- 15, 2006

4.2 Summary of the Proceedings of Regional Meeting held in Kolkata , from February 27-28, 2006

4.3 Summary of the Proceedings of Regional Meeting held in Delhi from March 6-7, 2006

4.4 Summary of the Proceedings of Regional Meeting held in Mumbai from March 20-21, 2006

4.5 Summary of the Proceedings of Regional Meeting held in Lucknow from March 27-28, 2006

5. Presentation and Analysis of Data

5.1 Profile of Respondents

5.2 Present Status of Students’ Union Elections

5.2.1 Eligibility Criteria

5.2.2 Code of Conduct

5.2.3 Criminalization of Students’ Union Elections

5.2.4 Financial aspects of Students’ Union Elections; and

5.2.5 Redressal of Election-related Grievances

5.1 Profile of Respondents

5.2 Present Status of Students’ Union Elections

5.2.1 Eligibility Criteria

5.2.2 Code of Conduct

5.2.3 Criminalization of Students’ Union Elections

5.2.4 Financial aspects of Students’ Union Elections; and

5.2.5 Redressal of Election-related Grievances

6. Guidelines for Students’ Elections : 36 Recommendations of the Committee

6.1 The Need for Student Elections and Student Bodies/Organizations

6.2 Modes of Elections

6.3 Disassociation of Student Elections and Student Representation from Political Parties

6.4 Frequency and Duration of the Election Process

6.5 Eligibility Criteria for Candidates

6.6 Election – Related Expenditure and Financial Accountability

6.7 Code of Conduct for Candidates and Elections Administrators

6.8 Grievance Redressal Mechanism

6.9 Maintaining Law and Order on the Campus during the Election Process

6.10 Miscellaneous Recommendations

6.11 Limitations Affecting the Implementation of this Committee’s Recommendations

Annexures

Annexure-I: Structured Schedule on Students’ Union Elections 59

Annexure-II: Questionnaire on Students’ Union Elections 63

Annexure-III: Other Related Data and Analyses 64

Annexure- IV(A): Modes of Elections Chart 1 70

Annexure- IV(B): Contd… Chart 2 71

Annexure- IV(C): Contd… Chart 3 72

Annexure-IV (D): Contd… Chart 4 73

Annexure-V: List of Respondents



The recommendations of this Committee, therefore, may be categorized under the following heads:

1. The need for student elections and student bodies / organizations;
2. Modes of elections;
3. Disassociation of student elections and student representation from political parties;
4. Frequency and duration of the election process;
5. Eligibility criteria for candidates;
6. Election-related expenditure and financial accountability;
7. Code of conduct for candidates and election administrators;
8. Grievance redressal mechanism;
9. Maintaining law and order on the campus during the election process;
10. Miscellaneous recommendations; and
11. Limitations Affecting the Implementation of this Committee’s Recommendations.

The recommendation of the Committee in this regard is thus :

“Just as during the freedom movement every university student was a nationalist at heart (whether he was active in the movement or not), even so, every university student today must be an integrationist at heart, whatever is his or her field… Virtues like tolerance, discipline, law abidance and punctuality, must be cultivated right from now. True democracy rests on voluntary observance of the laws of the land and not on the enforcement thereof by authority. Your education should inspire you for honor of the motherland and humanism. Students must engage you in economic and social development which narrows down disparities and gradually assists society in raising its standards of behaviour and morality”.

6.2 Modes of Elections

6.1.1 Universities and colleges across the country must ordinarily conduct elections for the appointment of students to student representative bodies. These elections may be conducted in the manner prescribed herein, or in a manner that conforms to the standards prescribed herein.

6.1.2 Where the atmosphere of the university campus is adverse to the conduct of peaceful, free and fair elections, the university, its constituent colleges and departments must initiate a system of student representation based on nominations, especially where elections are being held at present. It would be advisable, however, not to base such nomination system on purely academic merit, as is being practiced throughout the country.

6.1.3 In cases where elections are not being held, or where the nomination model prevails, the nomination model should be allowed to continue for a limited period of time. It is to be noted that the nomination system suffers from several flaws, and must only be resorted to as an INTERIM MEASURE.

6.1.4 Subject to the recommendations in respect of the possible models of elections, all institutions must, over a period of 5 years, convert from the nomination model to a structured election model, that may be based on a system of parliamentary (indirect) elections, or on the presidential (direct) system, or a hybrid of both. It is highly desirable that all institutions follow this mechanism of gradual conversion, especially for privately funded institutions that prefer a status quo situation.

6.1.5 All institutions must conduct a review of the student representation mechanism. The first review may be conducted after a period of 2 years of the implementation of the mechanism detailed above, and the second review may be conducted after the 3rd or the 4th year of implementation. The primary objective of these reviews will be to ascertain the success of the representation and election mechanism in each individual institution, so as to decide whether or not to implement a full-fledged election structure. Needless to say these reviews will be based on a consideration of the views and suggestions of all stakeholders, such as students, faculty, administration, student bodies, and parents.

6.1.6 Institutions must, as a primary objective, subject to the pertinent issue of discipline on campus, seek to implement a structured system of student elections by the conclusion of a period of 5 years from the date of the implementation of these recommendations.

6.1.7 Subject to the autonomy of the universities in respect of the choice of the mode of election, all universities must institute an apex student representative body that represents all students, colleges, and departments coming under the particular university. In the event that the university is geographically widespread, individual colleges may not constitute their own representative bodies, nor shall be allowed to be a member of any such representative body.

6.1.8 The union/representative body so elected shall only comprise of regular students on the rolls of the institution. Neither faculty member nor any member of the administration shall be permitted to hold any post on the executive of such representative body, which would further elect representatives for the apex university body.

6.2.1 A system of direct election of the office bearers of the student body whereby all students of all constituent colleges, as well as all students of the university departments vote directly for the office bearers. This model may be followed in smaller universities with well-defined single campuses (for e.g. JNU/University of Hyderabad), and with a relatively smaller student population. A graphic representation of this model is annexed herewith at Annexure IV-A. In respect of universities with large, widespread campuses and large student bodies, either of the following models may be adopted:

6.2.2 A system of elections, where colleges and campuses directly elect college and campus office bearers,
as well as university representatives. The university representatives form an electoral college, which shall
Elect the university student union office bearers. A graphic representation of this model is annexed here with at
Annexure IV-B.

6.2.3 A system of elections where on one hand, directly elected class representatives elect the office bearers of the college as well as the university representatives, and the campus itself directly elects the campus office bearers and the university representatives. The university representatives shall form an electoral college, which shall elect the office bearer of the university student union. A graphic representation of this model is annexed herewith at Annexure IV-C.

6.2.4 A system of election wherein class representatives shall be directly elected in the colleges and universities campus and they in turn shall elect the office bearers for the college unions and the university campus union. Also they shall elect their representatives for university student union. These elected representatives from colleges and university campus shall form the Electoral College, which shall elect the office bearers of the university student union. This model shall be applicable to large university with large number of affiliated colleges. A graphic representation of this model is annexed herewith at Annexure IV-D.

6.2.1 A system of direct election of the office bearers of the student body whereby all students of all constituent colleges, as well as all students of the university departments vote directly for the office bearers. This model may be followed in smaller universities with well-defined single campuses (for e.g. JNU/University of Hyderabad), and with a relatively smaller student population.

6.2.2 A system of elections, where colleges and campuses directly elect college and campus office bearers, as well as university representatives. The university representatives form an electoral college, which shall elect the university student union office bearers. A graphic representation of this model is annexed herewith at Annexure IV-B.

6.2.3 A system of elections where on one hand, directly elected class representatives elect the office bearers of the college as well as the university representatives, and the campus itself directly elects the campus office bearers and the university representatives. The university representatives shall form an electoral college, which shall elect the office bearer of the university student union. A graphic representation of this model is annexed herewith at Annexure IV-C.

6.2.4 A system of election wherein class representatives shall be directly elected in the colleges and universities campus and they in turn shall elect the office bearers for the college unions and the university campus union. Also they shall elect their representatives for university student union. These elected representatives from colleges and university campus shall form the Electoral College, which shall elect the office bearers of the university student union. This model shall be applicable to large university with large number of affiliated colleges. A graphic representation of this model is annexed herewith at Annexure IV-D.


6.3 Disassociation of Student Elections and Student Representation from Political Parties

“Political activity in the universities is natural because the University is a community of thinking people,
of those who are exploring the frontiers of knowledge and of those who criticize and evaluate every idea before accepting it. Our democratic tradition, and now the Constitution, ensures fundamental rights to all citizens which include freedom of thought and speech, and freedom of association.Teachers and a section of students are not only voters but they can also be candidates in local, State or Parliamentary elections. We, therefore, see nothing wrong in political parties being active on the campuses of our universities. Presentation of and debates about different ideologies and plans and perspective of national development are to be welcomed and political activity directed towards this end would be wholesome for the growth of the universities.

4.1 We, however, regret to say that much of "political" activity which we noticed and sensed on the campuses is of a degenerate nature which is a blot on the concept of politics. It is a "politics" of expediency, opportunism that is doing what would be most advantageous at the moment to the doer and his partners; doing it while even knowing that it is wrong. The price of the little gain for the doer may be a disruption of educational activities for all. One sees this when campaigns are mounted to prevent action against those who copied in the examinations, or misused university funds in a variety of ways.

4.2 It is also a politics of corruption where money or other attractions are used to achieve an end,be it victory in an election, or hiring of Goondas.

4.3 In the most harmless form it is the supporting of the party's followers, whether they are right or wrong-and hounding out of the opponents.

4.4 It must be said, to give due recognition to the intellectuals in the universities, that at least half the time they are exploiting the politicians. Those who have vested interests in property and civil works or stores and purchases in the university or those who are frustrated because of a variety of circumstances, including non selection to posts, or amongst students, those who failed or didn't get admission to course they desired or were rusticated for indiscipline they use political connection and affiliation to further their interests. It is common in the universities that an agitation will go up to a certain point and when there is danger of its fizzling out, the agitators do something designed to attract counter-measures-like breaking open offices or hostels or some other provocation, and when the university is obliged to react either by taking disciplinary action, or in grave and violent circumstances, by calling in the police-the agitators appeal to the politicians to give them a hand. In a situation when the leadership of a young group of a few hundred agitators can be grabbed on seemingly "democratic" or "'humane" grounds, the temptation to give a political backing becomes irresistible.

4.5 It is politics of this kind about which we firmly believe the mature political parties can be persuaded to take the broader interest of their own followers and of education into account, and to observe certain norms of conduct. As we all unite in facing an external danger to the country, we should unite in protecting our universities which have a key role in building our future.”

6.3.1 During the period of the elections no person, who is not a student on the rolls of the college/university, shall be permitted to take part in the election process in any capacity. Any person, candidate, or member of the student organisation, violating this rule shall be subject to disciplinary proceedings, in addition to the candidature, as the case may be, being revoked.

6.4 Frequency and Duration of the Election Process

6.4.1 It is recommended that the entire process of elections, commencing from the date of filing of nomination papers to the date of declaration of results, including the campaign period, should not exceed 10 days.

6.4.2 It is further recommended that elections be held on a yearly basis and that the same should be held
Between 6 to 8 weeks from the date of commencement of the academic session.

6.5 Eligibility Criteria for Candidates

6.5.1 Under graduate students between the ages of 17 and 22 may contest elections. This age range may be appropriately relaxed in the case of professional colleges, where courses often range between 4 to 5 years.

6.5.2 For Post Graduate Students the maximum age limit to legitimately contest an election would be 24 – 25Yrs..

6.5.3 For research Students the maximum age limit to legitimately contest an Election would be 28 years.

6.5.4 Although, the Committee would refrain from prescribing any particular minimum marks to be attained by the candidate, the candidate should in no event have any academic arrears in the year of contesting the election.

6.5.5 The candidate should have attained the minimum percentage of attendance as prescribed by the university
Or 75% attendance, whichever is higher.

6.5.6 The candidate shall have one opportunity to contest for the post of office bearer and two opportunities to contest for the post of an executive member.

6.5.7 The candidate shall not have a previous criminal record, that is to say he should not have been tried and / or convicted of any criminal offence or misdemeanor. The candidate shall also not have been subject to any disciplinary action by the University authorities.

6.5.8 The candidate must be a regular, full time student of the college /university and should not be a distance/proximate education student. That is to say that all eligible candidates must be enrolled in a full time course, the course duration being at least one year.

6.6 Election – Related Expenditure and Financial Accountability

“There is little control over expenditure; and there is no accountability in this respect. In fact, we have been informed that large sums of money are often spent on individual elections, which make it impossible for an
ordinary Student without Political or other connection to get elected.

We are told that a lot of expenditure on elections to the unions is incurred by the universities from their own resources; in one case a sum of Rs.50,000 are mentioned for printing the ballot papers.”

6.6.1 The maximum permitted expenditure per candidate shall be Rs. 5000/-

6.6.2 Each candidate shall, within two weeks of the declaration of the result, submit complete and audited accounts to the college / university authorities. The college/university shall publish such audited accounts, with in 2 days of the submission of such accounts, through a suitable medium so that any member of the student body may freely examine the same.

6.6.3 The election of the candidate will be nullified in the event of any non-compliance or in the event of any excessive expenditure.

6.6.4 With the view to prevent the inflow of funds from political parties into the student election process, the candidates are specially barred from utilizing funds from any other sources than voluntary contributions from
the student body.

6.9.1 Any instance of acute lawlessness or the commission of a criminal offence shall be reported to the police by the university / college authorities as soon as possible, but not later than 12 hours after the alleged commission of the offence.

6.10 Miscellaneous Recommendations

6.10.1 Student representation is essential to the overall development of students, and, therefore, it is recommended that university statutes should expressly provide for student representation.

6.10.2 Student representation should be regulated by statute (either a Central Statue, State Statute or individual university statutes), incorporating the recommendations prescribed herein.

6.10.3 The institution should organize leadership-training programs with the help of professional organizations so as to groom and instill in students leadership qualities.

6.10.4 In the event of the office of any major post of office bearer falling vacant within two months of elections, re-elections should be conducted; otherwise the Vice President may be promoted to the post of President and Joint Secretary to the post of Secretary, as the case may be. Only winners of the university level polls, scheduled to take place on January 11, would be eligible for posts in respective university’s decision-making bodies, senate and syndicate.


6.7 Code of Conduct for Candidates and Elections Administrators

6.7.1 No candidate shall indulge in, nor shall abet, any activity, which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic, or between any group(s) of students.

6.7.2 Criticism of other candidates, when made, shall be confined to their policies and programs, past record and work. Candidates shall refrain from criticism of all aspects of private life, not connected with the public activities of the other candidates or supporters of such other candidates. Criticism of other candidates, or their supporters based on unverified allegations or distortion shall be avoided.

6.7.3 There shall be no appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes. Places of worship,
Within or without the campus shall not be used for election propaganda.

6.7.4 All candidates shall be prohibited from indulging or abetting, all activities which are considered to be “corrupt practices” and offences, such as bribing of voters, intimidation of voters, impersonation of voters, canvassing or the use of propaganda within 100 metres of polling stations, holding public meetings during the period of 24 hours ending with the hour fixed for the close of the poll, and the transport and conveyance of voters to and from polling station.6.7.5 No candidate shall be permitted to make use of printed posters, printed pamphlets, or any other printed material for the purpose of canvassing.
Candidates may only utilize hand-made posters for the purpose of canvassing, provided that such hand-made posters are procured within the expenditure limit set out herein above.

6.7.6 Candidates may only utilize hand-made posters at certain places in the campus, which shall be notified in advance by the election commission /university authority.

6.7.7 No candidate shall be permitted to carry out processions, or public meetings, or in any way canvass or distribute propaganda outside the university/college campus.

6.7.8 No candidate shall, nor shall his/her supporters, deface or cause any destruction to any property of the university / college campus, for any purpose whatsoever, without the prior written permission of the college / university authorities. All candidates shall be held jointly and severally liable for any destruction / defacing of any university / college property.

6.7.9 During the election period the candidates may hold processions and / or Public meetings, provided that such processions and / or public meetings do not, in any manner, disturb the classes and other academic and co-curricular activities of the college / university. Further, such procession / public meeting may not be held without the prior written permission of the college / university authority.

6.7.10 The use of loudspeakers, vehicles and animals for the purpose of Canvassing shall be prohibited.

6.7.11 On the day of polling, student organizations and candidates shall –

(i) Co-operate with the officers on election duty to ensure peaceful and Orderly polling and complete freedom to the voters to exercise their Franchise without being subjected to any annoyance or obstruction;

(ii) Not serve or distribute any eatables, or other solid and liquid consumables, except water on polling day;

(iii) Not hand out any propaganda on the polling day.

6.7.12 Excepting the voters, no one without a valid pass / letter of authority from the election commission or from the college / university authorities shall enter the polling booths.

6.7.13 The election commission / college/ university authorities shall appoint impartial observers. In the case of deemed universities and self-financed institutions, government servants may be appointed as observers. If the candidates have any specific complaint or problem regarding the conduct of the elections they may bring the same to the notice of the Observers. Observers shall also be appointed to oversee the process of nomination of students in institutions that are following the nomination model of student representation.

6.7.14 All candidates shall be jointly responsible for ensuring the cleaning up of
the polling area within 48 hours of the conclusion of polling.

6.7.15 Any contravention of any of the above recommendations may make the candidate liable to be stripped of his candidature, or his elected post, as the case may be. The election commission / college / university authorities may also take appropriate disciplinary action against such a violator.

6.7.16 In addition to the above-mentioned code of conduct, it is also recommended that certain provisions of the Indian Penal Code, 1860(Section 153A and Chapter IXA – “Offences Relating to Election”), may also be made applicable to student elections.

6.8 Grievance Redressal Mechanism

6.8.1 There should be a Grievances Redressal Cell with the Dean (Student
Welfare) / teacher in charge of student affairs as its chairman. In
addition, one senior faculty member, one senior administrative officer and
two final year students – one boy and one girl (till the election results
declared, students can be nominated on the basis of merit and/or
participation in the co-curricular activities in the previous year). The
grievance cell shall be mandated with the redressal of election-related
grievances, including, but not limited to breaches of the code of conduct
of elections and complaints relating to election-related expenditure. This
cell would be the regular unit of the institution.

6.8.2 In pursuit of its duties, the grievance cell may prosecute violators of any
aspect of the code of conduct or the rulings of the grievance cell. The
grievance cell shall serve as the court of original jurisdiction. The
institutional head shall have appellate jurisdiction over issues of law and
fact in all cases or controversies arising out of the conduct of the elections
in which the grievance cell has issued a final decision. Upon review, the
institutional head may revoke or modify the sanctions imposed by the
grievance cell.

6.8.11 For any hearing, a majority of sitting Grievance cell members must be in
attendance with the Chair of the Grievance cell presiding. In the absence
of the Chair, the responsibility to preside shall fall to an Grievance cell
member designated by the Chair.

6.8.12 The Grievance cell shall determine the format for the hearing, but must
require that both the complaining and responding parties appear
physically before the board to discuss the issues through a complaint,
answered, rebuttal, and rejoinder format. The purpose of the hearing is
to gather the information necessary to make a decision, order, or ruling
that will resolve an election dispute. To effectuate this purpose, the
following rules should prevail at all hearings:
􀂃 Complaining parties shall be allowed no more than two witnesses,
however the Grievance cell may call witnesses as required. If said
witnesses are unable to appear at the hearing, signed affidavits
may be submitted the the Grievance cell Chair for the purpose of
testifying by proxy.
􀂃 All questions and discussions by the parties in dispute shall be
directed to the Grievance cell.
􀂃 There shall be no direct or cross-examination of any party or
witness by complaining or responding parties during hearings.
􀂃 Reasonable time limits may be set by the Grievance cell, provided
they give fair and equal treatment to both sides.
􀂃 The complaining party shall bear the burden of proof.
􀂃 Decisions, orders, and rulings of the Grievance cell must be
concurred to by a majority of the Grievance cell present and shall
be announced as soon as possible after the hearing. The Grievance
cell shall issue a written opinion of the ruling within 12 hours of
announcement of the decision. The written opinion must set forth
the findings of fact by the Grievance cell and the conclusions of
law in support of it. Written opinions shall set a precedent for a
time period of three election cycles for Grievance cell rulings, and
shall guide the Grievance cell in its proceedings. Upon
consideration of prior written opinions, the grievance cell may
negate the decision, but must provide written documentation of
reasons for doing so.
􀂃 If the decision of the Grievance cell is appealed to the institutional
head , the Grievance cell must immediately submit its ruling to the
commission.
􀂃 The Grievance cell shall select the remedy or sanction most
appropriate to both the type and severity of the infraction, as well
as the state of mind or intent of the violator as determined by the


Regarding other flaws detected in the run-up to the elections, VBU were supposed to conduct student leadership training programme with the help of professional organisations so as to groom and instill in students leadership qualities. But nothing in this regard has been done by the universities. As practiced in Delhi University and many other universities, students’ union polls at college/ institution / PG department level is held simultaneously with university level polls where direct elections are held in both the stages.


Differences have cropped up between universities of the state regarding rules governing the conducting of student union polls. While Ranchi University (RU) today made it clear that winners of college-level student union polls would only vote/contest for university level polls later on, With RU clueless till the eleventh hour on crucial matters like whether or not the winners of the college level students’ union polls could only vote/contest for the university level polls, aspirations of many students who wanted to contest the polls directly at the university level would be shattered. On last day of filing of nominations, RU today made it clear that those students who contest the college/PG department / institution level polls and ultimately emerge victorious would form an electoral college at the university level.

Due to ignorance and lack of knowledge, only one candidate aiming the university level chair,
Rakesh Kiran, the RU convener of All Jharkhand Students’ Union, today filed his nomination at Chhota Nagpur Law College, which is affiliated to RU. Interestingly, VBU’s views on the matter are different. But the university level polls have been scheduled till December.

Varsity polls due, officials mum
OUR CORRESPONDENT – Er.Alok Kumar

Ranchi, July 27: With the 2007-08 academic sessions drawing to a close in May, the elected representatives of the students’ unions of over 120 colleges under three universities of the state cease to hold their posts officially.

With the varsities’ officials yet to start the process of conducting fresh union polls, several posts of students’ bodies are either vacant or being occupied illegally as several pupils’ have passed out.

Ranchi University (RU) vice-chancellor A.A. Khan said following a spat between the management of Ranchi Women’s College and the students’ union representatives that the tenure of the members of the students’ unions elected in December 2007 had expired on May 31. But he was prompt enough to clarify “they might hold the chairs till the next elections”. The fresh union elections for the present session appears to be far away as the university/college administrations are yet to take any initiative to hold the polls. “We are waiting for RU to take a decision on the matter. We will conduct the elections when RU goes for it,” said Victor Tigga, the vice-chancellor of Dumka-based Sidho-Kanho Murmu University (SKMU).Union elections for a new session is supposed to be conducted within two months it begins as per the Lyngdoh committee’s recommendations , he added.

Vice-chancellor of Hazaribagh-based Vinoba Bhave University Mr. M.P. Singh said the students’ union elections were due and they would try to conduct it by September.

Against this backdrop, several students’ representatives have obtained college leaving certificates (CLCs) after passing either degree Part III or postgraduate final examinations. Thus, out of five office bearers
— president, secretary, vice-president, joint secretary and deputy secretary — in each institution, many posts are either vacant or are unofficially held by the students’ representatives.

Shyam Babu, the president of RU students’ union, said the representatives would oppose any move of the university to debar them from being official representatives of students. “We are on the rolls of the college and the university should first think about conducting early elections. Last year, the elections were delayed to December and we could fight for the students’ cause for only six months,” said Babu, a degree Part II student of GLA College, Daltonganj. Babu added that they would remain at the helm of affairs till the next union elections were conducted. He opined that the universities should first provide students required facilities before conducting elections. “The election exercise is more or less eyewash as our issues are not getting addressed,” he added.

RWC Students’ Union President Manjari Raj Oraon, who has obtained the CLC after clearing degree final examinations, said the students’ representatives were yet to be officially intimated about the end of their official term. Ironically, the elections of students’ unions were conducted in the state last year after 27 years.

Campus polls: girls take lead, players go by the book

The student union polls, which were held in accordance with the Supreme Court guideline on Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, passed off peacefully in three universities of the state — Ranchi University (RU), Binova Bhave University (BBU) in Hazaribagh and Sidhu Kanu University (SKU) in Dumka.

Though this reflects a positive change in the sphere of student politics in the state, with poll managers and university staff doing an incredible job in maintaining law and order, there were allegations of “horse trading” doing the rounds. The elections were contested by candidates supported by the student wings of all major political parties, And it is almost certain that some of the contestants in far-flung areas of the state such as Chatra, Lohardaga, Chaibasa, Daltongunj and Garhwa had strong Naxal backing.
However, there was no official confirmation or denial of this report.

But this year’s polls will be remembered for different reasons. The poll data available here showed that there was a heavy turnout in women’s colleges in Dhanbad, Jamshedpur and Bokaro. For example, in Ranchi Women’s College, nearly 60 per cent of the voters, i.e. 1,633 of the total 3,394 students exercised their right to choose their representative. The last time this college saw student union polls was 27 years back in 1980.




HC directs UP Govt to help vacate hostels
Lucknow, December 15

The petition, filed by local Advocate Jayant Singh Tomar, also urged the university to hold the student union polls under the Lygndoh Committee recommendations.

Earlier in the day, the UP Government had instituted an inquiry against VC – Mr. R.P. Singh
on a ‘’pending complaint’’ of financial and administrative irregularities against him.
UP minister of state for Higher Education Ramasrey Vishwakarma said there were several financial and administrative complaints pending against the VC and the probe would take care of all these irregularities. Mr Singh had ordered sine-die closure of the university on December 8 following vandalism by students demanding relaxation of the Lyngdoh Committee Recommendations for holding students union polls which were due on December 16. After the closure of the university, the union elections too had been put on a hold by university authorities. The election schedule for Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) to elect councilors to different schools and the central panel of JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) has been announced. The election process is due to start on October 16 and commence on November 5.This year saw Guidelines of the Lyndoh Committee implemented in Delhi University, but JNU says they have already been following most of the guidelines. "In fact, it was JNU which showed the way.

In our university, the election culture never included loudspeakers, cars and printed posters, unlike DU. We always conducted elections on low budgets, not exceeding Rs 5,000 and used hand-made posters," said Sarada Prasanna Das, Chairperson of the Election Committee. Last year's presidential debate saw vandalism by the members of the ABVP, but this year strict action will be undertaken to prevent such activities.

"We will not tolerate any such violent behaviour. We complained to the vice-chancellor of the damage caused by ABVP, and they were let off with a warning. While their case is still going on, we will see to it that they get proper punishment," said Sandeep Singh, Outgoing President, JNU. All India Student Association. Our party is against Bangladeshi illegal immigration, and the Indo-US nuclear deal," said Amit Singh, National Executive member, ABVP. Students' Federation of India: "Our political agenda includes a movement against the Indo-US Nuclear deal, because India's sovereignty is compromised by it, and gears it towards American interests. We condemn the UPA's inability to prevent communal riots in Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, and are against communal outfits such as the VHP and RSS. We want proper implementation of the OBC Quota, and an increased research grant for scholars," said D.K. Anand, SFI unit president.

Youth for Equality " Our agenda is in opposition to caste-based reservation. We deplore the fact that reservation is made use of by only the creamy layer, and is not reaching out to the poorest sections of society. We are not a political party, and wish to focus our energy on spreading social awareness. One of our goals is to improve primary education in the country, and bring to an end to reservation, which we feel is a part of vote-bank politics," said Raghiv Akhtar, of Youth for Equality.





Jharkhand college principals thrashed, threatened over student polls
Monday, 08 October 2007

College Principals in Jharkhand is having a harrowing time with students' union elections
underway after a gap of 26 years. Many of them received threatening calls and some were even
beaten up for canceling nominations of ineligible candidates.

Kiran Chaudhary, Principal of the Godda Mahila College of Godda district, around 450 km from here, was thrashed by a group of students from the Jharkhand Chhatra Vikas Morcha (JCVM)
after the college administration cancelled poll nominations of nine members of the organisation.

Chaudhary, who sustained minor injuries, said the violence was unwarranted and carried out under influence of 'someone' though she did not name anybody. The students were believed to be supporters of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Pradeep Yadav.

S.K. Agrawal, Principal of R.S.P. College in Dhanbad, received several threatening calls after he cancelled the nominations of five candidates. 'We cannot allow people who are not students of our college to contest elections,' he said.

The students' union elections are taking place Monday in Ranchi University, Vinobha Bhave University and Siddo and Kahno University and 92 colleges including two technical institutes. More than
40 colleges are not participating in the election. The polls were last conducted in 1981.

More than a dozen College Principals have either been thrashed or threatened by students over cancellation of nomination papers and strict measures adopted by the colleges.

Kiran Singh, Principal of SSLNT College in Dhanbad, had to face an unruly mob Saturday. Her office was surrounded by students who shouted slogans against her and threatened her with dire consequences if she stuck to the strict measures in place for conducting the polls.

Last week , Ranchi University Vice Chancellor - Mr. A.A. Khan also faced the ire of students. Supporters of the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) demonstrated outside his office, not letting him come out of his car.

The students were angry over the Cancellation of Rakesh Kiran's Nomination Papers because his age exceeded the prescribed 24 years whereas Kiran is 25.

Reacting to the behaviour of the students during the elections, Khan said: 'Where has morality gone?
The students are exhibiting low levels of morality, which is not expected from educated people.'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Before you begin:
This test will assess your thought patterns and behavioral tendencies. It takes approximately 10 minutes to answer the questions.Take your time. Don't rush through the questions. Choose a time and place where you won't be disturbed or interrupted.
There is no right or wrong answers. The best answer to choose is the one that you most identify with.
Follow your first reaction. In questions where you are inclined to answer 'it depends', think about your behavioral tendencies - what do you do on a daily basis?
Answer honestly. As much as possible, avoid the temptation to choose answers simply because they sound most desirable. This may diminish the accuracy of your feedback.


Please Note
To maintain the accuracy of the assessment, it is important that you:
· complete the test in one session
· make sure that you don't skip any questions
I work best:


In a group/ team
On my own

Given the choice, I would:


Choose the job that is stable and financially secure
Choose the job that offers variety/ travel, although slightly unstable/ insecure

My emotional response is usually quite:


Stable - not affected by mood swings often
Varied - my response can vary according to the mood I am in at the time

It is important to me to:


Understand my feelings; I spend a lot of time looking inward
Move onward; I don't spend much time reflecting/ looking inward

Choosing the right Answer

In some of the questions you may find it difficult to choose an answer. It may feel like neither option describes you perfectly or that more than one option suits you. If this happens, guess which option suits you better. We are able to detect patterns in your responses, even if some of your answers feel like guesses.
If I were a garden, I would most resemble:


A Wildflower Garden: carefree, easy-going, and enthusiastic
An English Garden: accurate, organized, and detail-oriented

I trust strangers:


Easily - on the whole, people have good intentions
Not easily - trust needs to be earned

Clutter in my workspace is something I:


Feel the urge to straighten up
Am not bothered by

Philosophical debates ("What is the meaning of existence?") interest me:


Very much
Little

I tend to be more:


Factual than speculative
Speculative than factual

When faced with a decision, I am most likely to:


Pick/ choose quickly, often on an impulse
Analyze all options with care, so as to make the best choice
Tend to become indecisive

I am most interested in:


Causes (What created the situation?)
Effects (What was the result of the situation?)
Correlations (How does this situation connect or relate to other situations?)

When assessing other people, I usually:


Have a rational explanation for my judgment
Rely more on a 'gut feeling'

It would be more accurate to say:


I probably don't spend enough time worrying about problems.
I probably spend too much time worrying about problems.

A hallway in a friend's apartment has been redecorated. You:


Didn't notice - your attention is directed elsewhere
Notice, but don't much care - not of that much interest to you
Notice, take in all the details - you are interested in such things

You are invited to go sky diving. Your response?


"Count me in!" - you are immediately excited
"Probably" - Sounds a little scary, you will have to talk yourself into it.
"Probably not" - it's a little out of your range, but you will think about it.
"No way" - You will cheer and watch, but from safely upon the ground.

On a scale of 0-100, at what capacity are you currently living your life (100%= your personal ideal potential)?


0-14% of ideal
15-24% of ideal
25-34% of ideal
35-44% of ideal
45-54% of ideal
55-64% of ideal
65-74% of ideal
75-84% of ideal
85-94% of ideal
95-100% of ideal

Everybody has one thing or another they would like to change about themselves. You would be happier/ more productive if you could change your:


(Check all that apply)
Stubbornness
Impulsivity (I act without thinking)
Tendency to worry/ be anxious
Indecisiveness (It's hard for me to make up my mind)
Lack of discipline/ organization
Lack of spontaneity (I plan too much)
Lack of ambition (I'm not very motivated)
Over-ambition (I work too much)
Lack of patience
Tendency to be oversensitive

Preferred Words: Which describe you best?
(At each arrow, choose between the 2 options given)
Like Hustle-bustle
Like Calm and quiet

Sense of Reality
Sense of Imagination

Stability
Flexibility

Outspoken
Reserved

Decisions using head
Decisions using heart

Rather win praise
Rather win a prize

Complexity / Abstractness
Simplicity / Concreteness




Teaching Staff of P. G. Departments, VBU

Name & Designation
Residence/Mobile

PHYSICS

Dr. P. Mahto, (HOD)
270022/9431336614
Dr. J.D. Dubey
263192/9431141100
Dr. A.K. Gupta
263971
Dr. Ajay Murari
9431366034
Dr R.N. Sinha
224284/9931302350

CHEMISTRY

Dr. R.Y. Prasad (HOD)
225488/9431393922
Dr. K.P. Kamal
223312/9431978280
Dr. R.S. Prasad
270193/9431530439
Dr. K.K.Srivastava (9934506205)
223104/9835133141
Dr. Y.K. Prasad
9234886478
Dr. Kaushlendra Kumar
222584/9931133077
Dr. Indrajeet Kumar
226783/9835584080


MATHEMATICS

Dr. Arun Kumar (HOD)
263004/9431796012
Dr. D.S. Lal
266093/9835144763
Dr. A.B. Kumar (9835556531)
222874/9431597103
Dr R.K. Dwivedi (9431798183)
2275078/9835148487
Dr. Narayan Mahto
9835148487

BOTANY

S.B. Choudhary (HOD)
224598/9431978281
Dr. C. Prasad
222698/9835336944
Dr. E.N. Siddiqui (9835120128) 267272
266299/9431794326
Dr. P.K. Mishra
9535105773

ZOOLOGY

Dr. K. Roy (HOD)
9934343465
Dr. M. Raziuddin
223335/9934190987
Dr. A. K. Sharma
223595/9431140524
Dr. Sanjay Kumar
9334552155
Dr. K.K. Gupta
9835138662/9431798216

GEOLOGY

Dr. V.C. Barla (HOD)
224449/9835357929
Dr. S.K. Sinha
264271/9334271935
Dr. H.N. Sinha
9451375390

HINDI

Dr. S.N. Singh ‘Badal” (HOD)
265717/9431478008
Prof. Somar Sahu
252221/9835533174
Dr. V.K.D. Dubey
223662
Dr. (Mrs) M. Sanga
223877/9835097888
Dr. Krishna Kr. Gupta
251510/9431796419
Dr. Kedar Sinhg
9431797335
Dr. Bharat Aiyawar
9835312665

ENGLISH

Dr. (Mrs) Mani Sinha (HOD)
9431798174
Dr. Y. Prasad
223043
Dr. Rajesh Kumar
262000/
Dr. Rizwan Ahmad (9431974224)
265275/9934559155
Dr. M. Towheed


SANSKRIT

Dr. B.K. Mishra (HOD) (9835160625)
222832/9431993905
Dr. T.K. Shukla
267252/9835350220
Dr. (Mrs.) M. Narayan
262431

URDU

Dr. Md. Islam (HOD)
0651- 2210987
Dr. S.Z. Haque
9431160183


PHILOSOPHY

Dr. N.K. Ambastha (HOD)
9835317737
Dr. (Mrs.) Rajni Sharma (9431794949 )
222840/9431197494
Dr. (Ms.) Aparna Mukherjee (9835515484)
9835541921
Dr. Arun Nr. Bhandari
227405/9931579799

HISTORY

Dr. R.B.Singh (HOD)
9431123535
Dr. S. Ali
261090/9835333677
Dr. J.P.Singh
222123/9431326266
Dr. T.K. Singh
224411
Dr. A.G. Sahay
265766,9931118158
Dr. Madho Ram
267315,9431974226
Dr. A.K.Mandal
9835138723
Dr. Chandan Kumar (9431926877)
225805/9430193788

ECONOMICS

Dr. A.S. Mitra (HOD) 260051

Dr. M. K. Prasad

Dr. Sajal Mukerjee

Dr. P.C. Deogharia

Dr. Ranjeet Ghose

POLITICAL SCIENCE

Dr. (Mrs)N. Yadav (HOD)
223145/9431141928
Dr. S.N. Singh (9431192272)
222930/9431141923
Dr. Baleshwar Singh
227443/9431387100
Dr. C. P. Sharma
223645,9835551495
Dr. (Mrs) M. Lakra (9431978220)
225367/9835359884
Dr. S.K. Moitra (9835147713)
9430193813

GEOGRAPHY

Dr. J. Bhagat (HOD)
(0651-257587)
9431326283
Dr. Kamala Prasad
270340/ 9431559644
Dr. S.K. Singh
9934508867

PSYCHOLOGY

Dr. B.R. Sahay (HOD)
225252/9931343313
Dr. R.P. Singh
270495/9431796881
Dr. Sddique Rajjak
9934148486

ANTHROPOLOGY

Dr. C. Sahu (HOD)
225509/9934505688
Dr. A. H. Ansari 06549-235006
9334635407

HOME SCIENCE

Dr. (Mrs) Renu Bose (HOD) (9431506688)
266006/9431975585
Mr. Seema
9431455842

COMMERCE

Dr. Md. M. Alam
9835517217
Dr. B. Kumar Dean
9431566332
Dr. A.K. Choudhary (9931132907)
225893/9431163204
Dr Ganga Kr. Binha
2233940/9835757989
Dr. S.C. Sharma (9835517217)
9431387997

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IT Sindri - Er. Alok Kumar's Complaint Box NOTICE :


I have received several complaints from VBUian and students of BIT Sindri.
Don't complaints as anonymous.
Remember to give your complete and authentic Details to get answer.
Important :
Personalized, abusive and written in bad taste will be strict dealt by me.
Legal actions will be definitely initiated.
( Primarily from students/ alumani/aspiring Students)
Are you from an alumnus from outside India:
Except for some genuine complaints,
Most were written to the
Director-BIT Sindri
and Vice-Chancellor - VBU, Hazaribag, Jharkhand.
( This service is currently de-active, but going to start very soon.
The inconvenience caused is deeply regretted. )
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Thursday 23 October 2008

Live Life like an EAGLE

http://www.citehr.com/

http://www.diversifiedriskmanagement.com

http://www.depression-gone.com/

http://personality100.blogspot.com/

Compensation

Compensation is the process of providing adequate, equitable and fair remuneration to the employees. It includes job evaluation, wage and salary administration, incentives, bonus, fringe benefits, social security measures etc.


Job Evaluation:

It is the process of determining relative worth of jobs:

1. Select suitable job evaluation techniques.
2. Classify jobs into various categories.
3. Determining relative value of jobs in various categories.

Wages and Salary Administration:

This is the process of developing and operating a suitable wage and salary programs. It covers;

1. Conducting wage and salary survey.
2. Determining wage and salary rates based on various factors.
3. Administering wage and salary programs.
4. Evaluating its effectiveness.

Incentives:

It is the process of formulating, administering and reviewing the schemes of financial incentives in addition to regular payment of wages and salary. It includes:

1. Formulating incentive payment schemes.
2. Helping functional managers on the operation.
3. Review them periodically to evaluate effectiveness.


Bonus:

It includes payment of statutory bonus according to the Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, and its latest amendments.

In India the employees drawing above certain compensation are not covered under the Bonus act. However, the employer pays them suitable lump sum variable amount depending upon their level in the organization which is called ex-gratia. This is not compulsory on the part of the employer but acts as an incentive to the employee.


Fringe Benefits:

These are the various benefits at the fringe of the wage. Management provides these benefits to motivate the employees and to meet their life’s contingencies.

These benefits include:


1. Disablement benefit
2. Housing facilities
3. Educational facilities to employee and children.
4. Canteen facilities.
5. Recreational facilities.
6. Conveyance facilities.
7. Credit facilities.
8. Legal clinic.
9. Medical, maternity and welfare facilities.
10. Company stores.


Social Security Measures:

Management provides social security to their employees in addition to the fringe benefits. These measures include:

1. Workmen’s compensation to those workers (or their dependents) who involve in accidents.
2. Maternity benefits to women employees.
3. Sickness benefits and medical benefits.
4. Disablement benefits / allowance.
5. Dependent benefits.
6. Retirement benefits like provident fund, pension, gratuity etc.

Practicing various human resources policies and programs like employment, development and compensation and interaction among employees create a sense of relationship between the individual worker and management, among workers and trade unions and management.

It is the process of interaction among human beings. Human relations is an area of management in integrating people into work situation in a way that motivates them to work together productively, co-operatively and with economic, psychological and social satisfaction.

It includes:

1. Understanding and applying the models of perception, personality, learning, intra and inter personal relations, intra and inter group relations.
2. Motivating the employees.
3. Boosting employee morale.
4. Developing the communication skills.
5. Developing the leadership skills.
6. Redressing employee grievances properly and in time by means of a well formulated grievance procedure.
7. Handling disciplinary cases by means of an established disciplinary procedure.
8. Counseling the employees in solving their personal, family and work problems and releasing their stress, strain and tensions.
9. Improving quality of work life of employees through participation and other means.

Lot of thinking and comparison with competitive organizations goes into fixing the compensation of employees particularly for middle management and above levels by the management. Some organization pays certain amount annually to key executives which are not a part of the regular pay and allowances. By doing this the incentive acts to deliver enhanced performance but also ensure the loyalty of the key executive to remain with the company.

DEPENDENCY :

THE KEY TO POWER

The most important aspect of power is that it is a function of dependence. In this section, we show how an understanding of dependency is central to furthering your understanding of power itself.

The General Dependency Postulate

Let’s begin with a general postulate:

The greater B’s dependency on A, the greater the power A has over B. When you possess anything require but that you alone control, you make them dependent on you and, therefore, you gain power over them. Dependency, then, is inversely proportional to the alternative sources of supply. If something is plentiful, possession of it will not increase your power. If everyone is intelligent, intelligence gives no special advantage.

Similarly, among the superrich, money is no longer power. But, as the old saying goes “In the land off the blind, the one-eyed man is king�. If you can create a monopoly by controlling information, prestige, or anything that others crave, they become dependent on you. Conversely, the more you can expand your options, the less power you place in the hands of others. This explains, for example, why most organizations develop multiple suppliers rather than give their business to only one. It also explains why so many of us aspire to financial independence. Financial independence reduces the power that others can have over us.

Dependency is increased when the resource you control is important, scarce, and non substitutable.

Importance:

If nobody wants what you’ve got, it’s not going to create dependency. To create dependency, therefore, the thing(s) you control must be perceived as being important. Organizations, for instance, actively seek to avoid uncertainly. We should therefore, expect that the individuals or groups who can absorb an organization’s uncertainty will be perceived as controlling an important resources. For instance, a study of industrial organizations found that the marketing departments in these firms were consistently rated as the powerful. It was concluded by the researcher that the most critical uncertainty facing these firms was selling their products. This might suggest that engineers, as a group, would be more powerful at Honda than at Procter& Gamble.

These inferences appear to be generally valid. An organization such as Honda, which is heavily technology-oriented, is highly dependent on its engineers to maintain its products’ technical advantages and quality. And, at Matsushita, engineers are clearly a powerful group. At Procter & Gamble, marketing is the name of the game, and marketers are the most powerful occupational group.


Scarcity:

As noted previously, if something is plentiful, possession of it will not increase your power. A resources needs to be perceived as scarce to create dependency.

This can help to explain how low-ranking members in an organization who have important knowledge not available to high-ranking members gain power over the high-ranking members. Possession of a scarce resource in this case, important knowledge makes the high-ranking member dependent on the low-ranking member. This also helps to make sense out of behaviors of low-ranking members that otherwise might seem illogical, such as destroying the procedure manuals that describe how a job is done, refusing to train people in their jobs or even to show others exactly what they do, creating specialized language and terminology that inhibit others from understanding their jobs, or operating in secrecy so an activity will appear more complex and difficult than it really is.

Ferruccio Lamborghini, the guy who created the exotic super cars that continue to carry his name, understood the importance of scarcity and used it to his advantage during World War II. Lamborghini was in Rhodes with the Italian army. His superiors were impressed with his mechanical skills, as he demonstrated an almost uncanny ability to repair tanks and cars that no one else could fix. After the war he admitted that his ability was largely due to having been the first person on the island to receive the repair manuals, which he memorized and then destroyed so as to become indispensable.


EGOISM IN WORK ENVIRONMENT

In any organization psychologically there are different types of personnel working in it. The nature of most of them is supportive in contributing to the organization in reaching the goal and their interaction with their peers, juniors and seniors is cooperative and positive. However all the employees are not of he same type and a few of them suffer from different complexes. One of such complexes we are discussing in this article is ‘Ego’. This is a big constraint for others within the organization and also outside the organization in interacting with the concerned person having a high or super ego. The result is work of the company suffers the intended activity slows down leading to even considerable losses. Punishing or taking disciplinary action are later steps but even good personnel interacting with the egoistic person suffer as they cannot achieve the target in time because they may take more time in convincing the super ego personality.

What makes person to have such high ego having negative effect on the working environment? Some of the reasons psychologists mention for such nature of super egoism are,

Ø Lack of affection from family members during childhood (due to early death of mother and brought up by step mother)
Ø Feeling of insecurity like fear of loosing the job if he cooperates easily
Ø Overestimation of intelligence or always carrying an impression others are fools
Ø Not caring for peers, juniors and even sometimes immediate superior making every issue a prestige issue
Ø Carrying an impression that his immediate superior do not know much about the work than himself
Ø In the event of dealing with a person in another organization and that person happens to be junior in level to the egoistic person then creating unnecessary problems and deliberately approaching the superior in the other organization. This may be for showing off how much intelligent and task master he is.

The work must go on and one must learn to deal with all sorts of people. Our experience is that with a little tact in communication or strategy we can get he work done or solicit maximum cooperation from the egoistic persons.

In this article we are giving below an actual case where a person say Mr. MT in another organization at the highest level with super ego qualities cooperated utmost with a middle level executive say SR. The executive had the tact and proper approach in communicating with the egoistic high level person and got his work done through MT.

Mr.SR has joined a professionally managed large engineering company in mid 70s in their drilling equipments division called DEL. SR was a qualified mechanical engineer and has made his first change of his career for better prospects by joining DEL after working for about 3 years in a reputed light engineering company. During 70s large companies started outsourcing components from smaller companies. The large companies by doing this were benefited from low cost inputs and were placed in a better competitive position than their competitors. DEL was manufacturing mining exploration (mineral sampling) and deep boring water well drills with U.S. collaboration.

After 2 days orientation SR was given the responsibility to procure outsourced components, follow up with vendors for timely delivery and also give technical guidance to the vendors to ensure that there are no or minimum possible rejections. Components were procured from workshops of all capacities ranging from 10 workmen; 500 sq ft to mid size 200 workmen, 10,000 sq ft. There were restrictions on import of capital goods from advanced countries as such very critical components with precision could be manufactured only by very few mid size workshops.

DEL has sub-contracted a very important, high value, critical component called Drive shaft to a mid size workshop called TMI where MT was the director in charge of manufacturing. He was an engineer and capable of operating all the critical machines like a skilled operator. Considering the type of the product DEL had adopted Batch type production. The assembly of the requisite drills as per the production planning was completed during the month and sent to customer before the end of the month. Inventory control was very much in its place as a cost control measure. High value items like drive shaft was controlled strictly and only what is required per month was delivered during first week of the month. TMI was delivering on time without any rejections. The drive shaft had 3 long keyways to be milled with a high tolerance level and TMI had only one skilled operator who could do with that kind of precision.

SR had visited TMI and met MT in the last week of a month to finalize schedule of deliveries for subsequent month. MT as usual over a cup of tea, after talking so many things boasting about his adventures in younger days has agreed for the schedule without any fuss. SR had the tact to listen to him patiently with nods and smiles sipping the tea knowing very well that this satisfies MT very much. MT used to derive the satisfaction that a large company executive is sitting with him and appreciating is talk. He used to eel that he is getting utmost respect from SR.

SR had visited TMI after 3 days to check the progress on the drive shaft. There ware no signs of any machining going on. Meanwhile MT has sent a word to meet him in the reception area instead o his office. SR met him and MT was apologetic saying he will not be able to deliver shafts that month as his skilled operator is sick and cannot come to work for another 30 days. For SR it was a bolt from the blue because he has already given his commitment to his superior who in turn reported ‘no problems’ to management. Moreover SR was on probation with DEL as 6 months period was not yet completed. Non delivery of the drills will offend a major customer of DEL which in turn can cast a spell on SR of losing the job.

SR has kept his cool at least outside appearance and discussed the possibility of various alternatives. MT has expressed his absolute helplessness. Remembering the egoistic nature of MT, SR has used all his skills in the final act of tact. SR simply praised the trouser cloth of MT, his selection and acting ignorance said whether it is imported. This was enough to tickle and satisfy the ego of MT who narrated a half an hour adventure how he procured the cloth that too almost for 6 trousers (same color) just to teach a lesson to the shop owner. SR in his usual style praised MT for his act and selection of trouser cloth and casually (without showing emotions) mentioned about the drive shaft. SR also said that MT is the only person to help him out as he (SR) committed delivery to his company. To utter surprise of SR, MT committed that he will ensure delivery of all the shafts as per the schedule. SR without asking any further questions departed from TMI. In order to assess the progress SR visited TMI after 4/5 days and could not find MT in the machine shop. A voice greeted SR from near by; it was MT operating the machine in half pants. He pointed out o SR that 3 shafts are ready and full quantity can be delivered to DEL vehicle within 3 days. SR profusely thanked him and left he scene.

In conclusion it is not impossible to tackle egoistic people to get the work done. Instead of making it a serious prestige issue if one can pull the right chords (as SR has done in the above case), an egoistic person (like MT) can cooperate more than required. Ultimately getting the wok done and achieving results in an organization is the primary responsibility of each and every employee.

Tools of Ethics

Consciously or unconsciously, we engage in some kind of ethical reasoning every day of our lives. To improve our ethical reasoning, we must analyze it explicitly and practice it daily. The key terms of the ethical language are values, rights, duties, rules, and relationships. Let’s consider each in turn.

Values:

When you value something, you want it or you want it to happen. Values are relatively permanent desires that seem to be good in themselves like peace or goodwill.

Values are the answers to the why questions. Why, for example, are you reading this book? You might reply that you want to learn about management. Why is that important? To be a better manager. Why do you want that? To be promoted and make more money sooner. Why do you need more money? To spend it on a VCR. Such questions go on and on, until you reach the point where you no longer want something for the sake of something else. At this point, you have arrived at a value. Corporations also have values such as size, profitability, or making a quality product.

Recently AT&T CEO articulated a set of values called “Our Common Bond” intended to serve as the anchors or the future The telecommunications industry is changing so fast that it is difficult to make decisions on common management principles so he turned to values for an answer. Our Common Bond lists respect for the individual, teamwork, dedication to customers, innovation and integrity as the ground rules for AT&T and its subsidiaries.

Two important values at L.L. Bean are providing top quality customer service and employees development. Over the years, employees of this mail-order and retail dealer in Freeport, Maine have gone above and beyond to carry out Bean’s tradition of quality service sustaining the company’s reputation for quality. For example, when a customer in New York failed to receive his canoe in time for weekend trip, an L.L Bean sales representative drove the canoe to the customer. That was not the end of it, however; the incident made company managers questions why the canoe did not arrive on time. They discovered that although company employees were committed to customer services they were not empowered to make the type of decisions necessary to prevent such occurrences, nor did they have the necessary knowledge of processes elsewhere in the company that affect such situations.

To correct the system, L.L. Bean employed total quality management approach. However, rather than focusing in process improvements as most companies do when starting in this type of change, L.L. Bean centered its efforts on employee development. Bean’s definition of total quality reflects its valuing of employees: Total quality involves managing an enterprise to maximize customer satisfaction in the most efficient and effective way possible by totally involving people in improving the way it is done. The total quality approach also involved challenging all the company’s assumptions and redesigning its processes. The change has been very successful, leading to higher profits and increased customer satisfaction.

Rights and Duties:

A right is a claim that entitles a person the room in which to take action. In more formal terms, one might call this room a person’s sphere of autonomy or more simply, his or her freedom. Rights are rarely absolute; most people would agree that the scope of individual rights is limited by the rights of others. Ordinarily, you have a right to speak your mind freely until you make slanderous statements about another person.

Moreover, rights are correlated with duties. Whenever someone has a right, someone else has a duty to respect it. A duty is an obligation to take specific steps to pay taxes, for example and to obey the law in other respects.

Moral Rules:

Moral rules guide us through situations where competing interests collide. You might think of moral rules as tie breakers guidelines that can resolve disagreements. Moral rules, which are rules for behavior, often become internalized as values.

Human Relationships:

Every human being is connected to others in a web of relationships. These relationships exist because we need one another for mutual support and to accomplish our goals. From a small child’s relationship with parents to a manager’s relationship with an employee, relationships are a pervasive aspect of moral life. We constantly decide how to maintain and nurture them. These decisions reflect our values and our concern for ethics. So, when we say that management is about relationships, we are claiming that it has a large ethical component.


Employee Selection Tests

A candidate is routed through all the selection steps including selection tests before a decision is made. If right personnel are selected, the remaining functions of personnel management become easier. The employees’ contribution and commitment will be at optimum level and employee-employer relations will be congenial. We can conveniently classify tests according to whether they measure cognitive (mental) abilities, motor and physical abilities, personality and interests or achievements.

Cognitive tests include tests of general reasoning ability (intelligence) and tests of specific mental abilities like memory and inductive reasoning.

Intelligence Tests: Intelligence (IQ) tests are tests of general intellectual abilities. They measure not a single trait but rather a range of abilities, including memory, vocabulary, verbal fluency and numerical ability.

Originally, IQ (intelligence quotient) was literally a quotient. The procedure was to divide a child’s mental age (as measured by the intelligence test) by his or her chronological age, and then multiply the results by 100. If an 8 year old child answered questions as a 10-year-old might, his or her IQ would be 10 divided by 8 times 100 or 125.

For adults, of course, the notion of mental age divided by chronological age wouldn’t make sense. Therefore, an adult’s IQ score is actually a derived score. It reflects the extent to which the person is above or below the ‘average’ adult’s intelligence score.

We are mentioning here names of some tests and not elaborating on how they are conducted. Intelligence is often measured with individually administered tests like the Stanford-Binet test or the Wechsler Test. Employers can administer other IQ tests such as the Wobderlic to groups of people. Other intelligence tests include the Kaufman Adolescent and Adult Intelligence Test, the Slosson Intelligence Test, the Wide Range Intelligence Test and the Comprehensive Test of Nonverbal Intelligence.

Specific Cognitive Abilities: There are also measures of specific mental abilities, such as inductive and deductive reasoning, verbal comprehension, memory, and numerical ability.

Psychologists often call such tests aptitude tests, since they purport to measure aptitude for the job in question. Consider the Test of Mechanical Comprehension in which tests the applicants’ understanding of basic mechanical principles. It may reflect a person’s aptitude for jobs like that of machinist or engineer that require mechanical comprehension. Other tests of mechanical aptitude include the Mechanical Reasoning Test and the SRA Test of Mechanical Aptitude. The revised Minnesota Paper Form Board Test consists of 64 two-dimensional diagrams cut into separate pieces. It provides insights into an applicant’s mechanical spatial ability; you’d use it for screening applicants for jobs such as designers, drafts-people, or engineers.

Tests of motor and physical abilities:

There may be a need to measure motor abilities, such as finger dexterity, manual dexterity, and reaction time. The Crawford Small Parts Dexterity Test is an example. It measures the speed and accuracy of simple judgment as well as the speed of finger, hand, and arm movements. Other tests here include the Stromberg Dexterity Test, the Minnesota Rate of Manipulation Test, and the Purdue Peg Board. The Roeder Manipulative Aptitude Test screens individuals for jobs where dexterity is a main requirement. Finger dexterity tests are conducted for small assembly products like telecom instruments, switchgear, PCs, watches where even both hands right as well as left come into action simultaneously.

Tests of physical abilities may also be required. These include static strength (such as lifting weights), dynamic strength (like pull-ups), body coordination (as in jumping rope), and stamina. Lifeguards, for example must show they can swim a course before they’re hired.

Selection of personnel for an organization is a crucial, complex and continuing function. The ability of an organization to attain its goals effectively and to develop in a dynamic environment largely depends upon the effectiveness of its selection programs. In a situation where the right person is not selected, the remaining functions of personnel management, employee-employer relations will not be effective. If the right person is selected, he/she is a valuable asset to the organization and if faulty selection is made, the employee will become a liability to the organization.

-- Silenceis also a mode of communication --


Silence – defined here as an absence of speech or noise – has been generally ignored as a form of communication in OB because it represents inaction or non-behavior. But it’s not necessarily inaction. Nor is silence, as many believe, a failure to communicate. It can, in fact, be powerful form of communication. It can mean someone is thinking or contemplating a response to a question. It can mean a person is anxious and fearful of speaking. It can signal agreement, dissent, frustration or anger.

In terms of OB, we can see several links between silence and work-related behavior. For instance, silence is a critical element of group-link, in which it implies agreement with the majority. It can be a way for employees to express dissatisfaction, as when they “suffer in silence.” It can be a sign that someone is upset, as when a typically talkative person suddenly says nothing — “What is the matter with him? Is he all right? It’s a powerful tool used by managers to signal disfavor by shunning or ignoring employees with “silent insults.” And, of course, it’s a crucial element of group decision making, allowing individuals to think over and contemplate what others have said.

Failing to pay close attention to the silent portion of a conversation can result in missing a vital part of the message. Astute communicators watch for gaps, pauses, and hesitations. They hear and interpret silence. They treat pauses, for instance, as analogous to a flashing yellow light at an intersection – they pay attention to what comes next

Silence is sometimes golden especially if opening your mouth can cost your job and good will. People will talk and that is something you have no control over, and their talk can sometimes get you into trouble if you choose to talk on. If you violate the golden rule of silence in the following areas, the adverse consequences of your speech will cause your career and reputation much damage. Below are some situations where your silence will keep your reputation and stakes guarded.

Colleagues sometimes love to talk about their love life by taking you in confidence. It is more of a declaration of their importance than the necessity to share. Make sure you do not discuss that personal information at all with other colleagues.

Colleagues will sometimes discuss their squabbles at home with you. In your discussing that with others will invalidate your trustworthiness and respect. Sometimes people just want to talk their problems out. Keep it only with in you.

In talking their problems out, people may often complain about other colleagues to you. Don’t make the mistake of taking action on it, and definitely don’t make the mistake of spreading the word around. Let them sort out their differences, keep yourself out of the uncomplimentary talk about their colleagues.

Gossip on colleagues especially the boss: Whenever some gossip reaches you about colleagues or your boss, make sure you keep your lips tightly sealed. The minute you leak it out, you will also be rounded up in the process of losing good will.

Sometimes colleagues in moments of weakness or intense emotions may let you in on their dark secrets. Forget you ever heard it. If your mouth is not shut on it, you will create an enemy out of your colleagues though they might have revealed to you earlier their dirty past.

Like Silence is a golden rule but not always. When required proper communication is also very essential. Look at the following catastrophes,

In November 1996, there was a mid-air collision near New Delhi of a Saudia 747 and a Kazakhstan Airlines cargo plane .Investigators placed blame for the collision on poor communications between the Kazakh pilot and the Indian air-traffic controller. The crash killed 349 people.

In September 1997, a Garuda Airlines jetliner crashed into a jungle, just 20 miles south of the Medan Airport on the island of Sumatra .All 234 aboard were killed. The cause of this disaster was the pilot and the air traffic controller confusing the words left and right as the plane approached the airport under poor visibility conditions.

The preceding examples tragically illustrate how miscommunication can have deadly consequences.

CEO must mingle with his employees

Human Resource Management

A CEO’s job is the trickiest of all. He /she is constantly surrounded by a bunch of people who always make extra efforts to please him/her but they point out that usually, at the top, the CEO’s exposure or information related to the goings on especially among the middle and the junior level employees, is highly restricted. This causes isolation and under such a circumstance, even small gestures such as the CEO sharing a meal with his/her junior staff or playing a game of table tennis with the floor employees to facilitate an open communication can make all the difference

An important point to be taken care of here is that after the interaction with the employee, the concerned senior managers should be kept informed as this will bring further transparency. Caution needs to be exercised so that this doesn’t end up becoming a day-to-day source of interaction and must be structured so that it is meaningful and at the same time, does not isolate the line managers and department heads. This can be cited by an example when the MD of Kansai Nerolac is in a business tour to any of the depots/factories; he makes it a point to meet the front sales personnel/shop floor officers, personally hears them out on business related aspects, their interaction with the dealers and difficulties faced in getting results with respect to product selling, revenue generation etc. to the management committee and gives a personal feedback by the concerned HODs for redressal. Quite recently, during his visit to a sales office in the North, the sales officers expressed their discomfort regarding the policy of reimbursement of traveling expenses. The MD put across their viewpoint for deliberation to the senior managers after which the policy was revised. A couple of years ago, the company’s young managers expressed their opinion pertaining to a designation called deputy manager. They cited reasons why after being an assistant manager, they should not be given the title of a manager directly. This was discussed with HR and consequently the title of deputy manger was abolished when they felt that the issue was genuine.

The ways in which the CEOs of Wipro Technologies try to bridge the communication gap: (1) Wipro Meets: This bi-annual event witness the chairman, the joint CEOs and the senior leadership team get together to address issues of Wipro employees worldwide through a live webcast. The webcast can be accessed over links which are communicated to the employees through various online promotional campaigns (2) Channel Chat: It is the interactive intranet of Wipro worldwide. The chat is an online tool where employees need to log in to virtual chat room and send queries trough internal MSN chat. The intranet team organizes chats with the CEOs wherein there is a direct interaction with the employees and (3) CEO Blogs: It was started by one of joint CEOs, which ensures an informal flow of communication.

The best CEOs are adept at applying their analytical skills and their emotional skills at the right times. They aren’t purely people, but can make sense of complex market data and strategic plans. The important thing is that they are able to balance the two elements.

A CEO can’t be a dictator or someone who listens to everyone. He must strike a balance and make independent judgments. People put in the job to represent the collective will of the organization, not to respond to every fad and fashion of the moment.

Turnaround CEOs constantly communicate. A CEO on being asked about how he spends his time estimates that around 5% is spent on board and corporate governance matters; 25% to 30% on meeting with industry officials, politicians and other regulators; and 10% to 15% in some form of interaction with customers. Whatever the split, it is clear that communicating with people inside and outside the organization lies at the heart of the CEO’s job.

Weathering crisis storms

Every time we are faced with a real personal crisis-loss of job, onset of a terminal illness, divorce or financial crisis. Some of the questions that cross our mind are: Why did this happen to me? Will it ever get better? How will this impact my social position? It is only natural to start feeling down and feel anxious about the future. However people who have weathered such storms, usually say that the crisis was the best thing that happened to them. It made them to get off their treadmill of maddening activity and do some real soul searching towards creating a better and happier future.

Drawing from those experiences, it may be useful to look at ways of dealing with such crisis in multiple dimensions.

First, it is critical to maintain a healthy sense of optimism about the future, not because we want to psyche ourselves into positive thinking but because things do get better from points of high pessimism. Surveys of people faced with a personal crisis demonstrate that the same people generally feel much better about themselves and life in general just a year after the initial event. It is equally important to have a strong sense of self-belief-the belief that not only will things get better but will also have a meaningful role. When one door closes another door opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the ones which open for us.

If the crisis involves some form of financial impact, it may be useful to also reflect on our needs and wants. In today’s consumerist society, we constantly want more — a bigger house, a flashier car, a new cell phone. Very often, unfulfilled wants may be the biggest source of disappointment and stress in our lives, and this is accentuated during adverse times. It may be pertinent to ask ourselves whether we need all these gadgets. In most cases, our needs are usually much simpler than our unending wants.

Further, crisis tests the strength of character. What differentiates the outstanding from the ordinary is not how well they do in good times, but how resilient they are through a crisis. Most people say that it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character. Committing to living with core personal values in all aspects of our life builds character, which provides us with the inner strength to keep forging ahead, and the courage to see our failure as mere stepping stones in the quest for larger goals.

The Chinese characters for crisis mean both danger and opportunity. Indeed, a crisis may be an opportunity for unparalleled personal growth. We can easily spend a disproportionate amount of time ruminating over our losses or being anxious about the future. The question is when things do get better, will we be well prepared to take advantage of the new opportunities?

Adversity offers the luxury of time to learn and hone new skills, enroll in hobbies or educational courses we always wanted to pursue but never had the time for, perhaps reflect on our true passions and give them shape this may mean anything from starting a new business or community initiative to discovering latent writing skills.

Finally, such times also provide us with a unique opportunity to reflect on what’s most important to us. Engaging in our calling can inspire us to operate at a much higher level and away from the delimiting struggle around external success and recognition.

When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds. Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.

Innovation and Bossing must go together


With a team where the average age is 24 and with an MD (35 years) younger than the level 2 team executives (the functional heads reporting to the MD i.e. the departmental heads) one needs to set a culture of openness. Mostly what obstruct an open culture are misgivings and assumptions that employee harbors. This happens if employees do not appreciate each other’s strengths and weaknesses. And it is very essential that the functional heads at level 2 are completely aware of their colleague weaknesses primarily as strengths will be obviously seen. The very first thing ItzCash did was a personal SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities, and Threats) and analysis of the immediate level 2 team after 6 months of the team being in place. The level 2 team was asked to join in the conference room and the session began first with an analysis. Along with his team and the MD, he even jotted down some of his weaknesses thus helping the team to open up. Talking directly to the employees helps the CEO in grasping the emotions which are the only yardstick to measure employee engagement. So bypassing senior managers in an open environment is seen as creating strong bonds, whereas in any other organizational environment, it is seen as investigative probing. ItzCash had a situation where a competitive company was trying to poach employees from higher to lower hierarchies with 3X packages. However, ItzCash did not lose a single employee to the competitor who happened to be a fairly big industry player. The employees at each hierarchy informed their reporting bosses of the competitors’ attempt. If an open communication wasn’t encouraged this wouldn’t have been possible.

Mahindra & Mahindra has a comprehensive communication plan for connecting with employee on one to one basis one too few and one too many. They have branded their communication as ‘Insync’ with a tagline, Aligning Thoughts, Inspiring Actions the objective being if our communications are effective, it will definitely help on converging thoughts thus creating alignment and inspiring people to get into action. At Mahindra & Mahindra a cross section of employee, across functions and hierarchical levels is taken on stratified random sampling basis and informal discussion are held over tea to understand perception of employees on a wide variety of issue. The one to one meetings are typically net chats which are held by the president and his direct reports, once a month, in rotation. We also have a personal email id where employees can send emails pertaining to any issues, directly to the president of senior VP Human Capital and their identities are kept confidential. There have been instances where employees have also unearthed unhealthy practices which have been stopped.

It’s therefore evident that CEOs are not just paying lip service when they claim to follow am open door policy. After all, calling your boss by his/her first name is no longer a fad but sharing your grievances with him/her over a cutting tea glass at the roadside Tea stall certainly is.

CEOs must think broadly, act personally and manage the innovation mix to make the business model deeply different. Ignite innovation through business and technology integration.

A few years from now, most business organizations in the world would be unrecognizable from the way they do business and perhaps even from their products line-up, a new survey predicts. A research study by IBM which polled 765 CEOs, business executives and public leaders, found that two out of every three expected fundamental changes in their organizations over the next two years.
“Think big and bold. Our future depends on it,” IBM says in the report that identifies collaboration, partnering and technology integration as inexorably linked to innovation.

The setting is the rise of new economies like China and India, technological advances, intensified competition and globalization. The forces overturning the status quo are many and varied. At the top of their list, CEOs mentioned market forces such as intensified competition, escalating customer expectations and unexpected market shifts.

Ethics and Social Responsibility today

Ethics and social responsibility are concepts that are fundamentally about the quality of our relationships over time. Many organizational decisions involve knotty problems where organizational interests affect the interests of others. The stock market scandals in the United States and Japan, the corruption between business and government in Italy, the possibilities and consequences of new technologies, and the increasing interplay of different cultures are just some of the issues that have brought questions about the social responsibility and ethics of business to the forefront.

Companies and managers that ignore moral concerns are saying to those affected, we don’t want to invest in making this relationship better. And even tough unethical behavior may sometimes pay today those who ignore ethical issues are heading of trouble over the long run. From the 60-year-old Credo of Johnson & Johnson to AT&T’s new statement of values, called our common bond companies are using their past experiences and values and the concerns of the present in setting new moral visions for the future.

Today there are many examples of how people can manage with corporate social responsibility and ethics in mind.

San Francisco bakery instituted a practice of hiring ex-convicts to fulfill the responsibility of business which has to play a large role in changing our society. Business people especially those in smaller companies know how to get things done. We tend to think outside the box. We need to bring that creativity to our community Disenfranchised people need on ramps into society. Those aren’t going to come from the federal government.

In response or the homeless situation one of Ben & Jerry’s answers was to open a store in Harlem and employ homeless people to serve ice cream.

For every UPC code mailed in by consumers, Scott Paper donates five cents to Ronald McDonald Houses. We get chances to spotlight worthy organizations and which create awareness among consumers too.

Paul Newman earmarks all of the profits from Newman’s Own food products for various charities such as the Hole in the Wall Gang, a camp for children with terminal cancer.

The Campbell Soup Company has sponsored a long running program. Labels for Educations that involves supplying equipment for schools based on the number of Campbell and Swanson labels sent in by consumers during the school year.

Burger King, along with IBM, operates a similar program. Through Burgers and Bytes computers are donated to schools according to the number of cash register receipts generated. Burger king also operates Burger King Academy to provide education and social services for dropouts and truants.

Colgate-Palmolive kicked off its Partners in Education program, which doubled as a marketing endeavor and a philanthropic measure. In return for retailers putting their display, the company gave the retailers Map Playground Kits, which included materials for students to paint their own maps. The stores then dispersed the kits to local grade schools.

Reebok ended up launching a new product in 1991 – the Black Top line of outdoor basketball shoes. Part of the profits from the shoes are used to renovate basketball courts, such as a court in South Dade County, Florida, devastated by Hurricane Andrew and renovated in 1993. Our involvement in Court Renewal gives us a lot more credibility for the [Black Top line] so I’d say it’s a major factor in the product’s success. But it started because they wanted to do something for inner city kids.

Pre – Interview preparation techniques


Your CV might be printed on a crisp paper, but if you’re dressed shabbily the chances of you getting hired are minimal. So we tell you how to dress right for your job interview:

Make sure you dress the part for the job, the company, and the industry. Dressing in appropriately formal attire is a safe bet. Your clothing does not have to be new or a designer brand. But just make sure it is wrinkle free, has a fresh look and your clothes are properly ironed. Try your clothes on a day before so ensure that they fit fine.

Err on the side of conservatism. You don’t want to distract your interviewer with you attire. Avoid loud patterns or excessive colors.

Get a proper shave and make sure your hair is neat: Young men must make sure their hair is trimmed and Girls ensure not a hair is out of place. Proper grooming will do wonders for looks.

Retire early the night before the interview a make sure you sleep soundly so that you are fully prepared for the day ahead.

Many men don’t know how to knot tier ties properly. Make sure you’re not one of them. Tie your tie correctly.Avoid strong cologne or aftershave because it may just distract the interviewer.

Polish or clean your shoes the night before and make sure they match your clothes. Your shoes should also be conservative. Carry a conservative purse or briefcase and avoid anything that’s funky.

Make certain your nails are neatly filed. Do not arrive at the interview with nails that are bitten or chewed off. Women’s nail polish should be conservative in color and not half chipped. Wear simple, minimal accessories and don’t freak out on junk jewelry. Match the belt to the color of your shoes. Women, stay away for stilettos and the noisy heels.

Remember to brush you teeth use mouthwash and/or have a breath mint right before the interview. If you are chewing gum, make sure you throw it before you enter the interview. Bad breath is a big turn off. Be inspired by the people who are successful in their careers and reached their present position by going through tough and competitive interviews.

When we see people do things we cannot do, or have things we don’t have, it might be tempting it be a little jealous. But jealousy doesn’t lead to anything except resentment, and that is not going to help you Instead of being jealous of others, focus on being inspired. Let the success of others move you forward towards your own success. After all, people who are doing things you want to do or have things you want are people like you and me. What is within reach for them, is also within reach for you. Next time you find yourself turning green over the success of someone else, here is what you need to consider.

Those people ahead of you are setting a great example of what is possible. Be thankful to them because they provide examples and paths to follow. Use other people’s success to build your own confidence and power. When one succeeds, it doesn’t mean you have to do exactly what they do. You can take cues from their performance. Though you can monitor your own success, it sure is great to have examples as references points. Other people’s reference will give you company in bridging your own challenges.

Use the examples of successful people as guides to help you achieve what you want. Learn from their success and most importantly learn from their journey and plan yours in accordance. When doing your study make sure you focus on their journey in detail. Just vying for their success may not help much but their journey towards that success will inspire you to walk on strong.


Consumers’ advocates and Labor Unions

The modern consumer movement dates from the early 1960s, with President Kennedy’s announcement of a Consumer Bill of Rights and Ralph Nader’s crusade against General Motors Corvair.

One frame work for understanding the consumer movement is Hirschmann’s model of exit voice and loyalty. Dissatisfied customers can choose either to exit that is, to take their business elsewhere or to voice their complaints; the customers’ loyalty to the organization will determine which option is used. Exit, of course, can cripple an organization by removing its customer base without giving managers time to make changes. Voice, in contrast, is a political strategy designed to seek redress for grievance. Filing lawsuits requesting the intervention of a regulatory agency and lobbying a lawmaking body are examples of the exercise of voice.

It is important to note that the use of voice ca be constructive rather than adversarial. Recognizing the costs of government intervention, consumer leaders often prefer negotiation. At the same time, progressive managers welcome voice as an opportunity to understand customer needs and to learn about changes in the marketplace.

Many companies, such as AT&T have learned to work with consumer advocates and to listen to their suggestions for improvement in quality and service. Some companies such as Xerox have formed their own customer advocate groups (or user groups) in an effort to improve this relationship.

Media: The economy and business activity have always been covered by the media, because these topics affect so many people. Today, though mass communications allow increasingly extensive and sophisticated coverage ranging from general news reports to feature articles to in-depth investigative exposes. The coverage is also ore immediate due to the increasing use of communication satellites.

Today, managers of most large organizations realize they operate in a fish blow, where every action may be the subject of media scrutiny. To improve their communications with both internal and external audiences, they have developed sophisticated public relations, and marketing departments. In addition executives who regularly deal with the media often seek professional coaching to improve their ability to present information and pinions clearly and effectively. Some organizations provide training for all employees to help them respond capably in situations that may arise. United Airlines, for example holds regular drills to prepare all employees from emergency workers to media relations workers to deal effectively with the aftermath of an air plane crash.

Labor Unions: Personnel specialists generally deal with an organization’s labor supply sometimes supplemented by other managers with specific hiring and negotiating responsibilities. They use multiple channels to locate workers with the various skills and experience the organization needs. When an organizations employs labor union members, union and management normally engage in some form of collective bargaining to negotiate wages, working conditions, hours and so on.

Dramatic changes in labor relations have come about in recent decades. Both personnel staff and union management have been professionalized. Also, employers generally accept the collective bargaining process and cooperate with unions to increase workers’ responsibility and participation. The sit-down strikes and violence that so often characterized the unions early days are for the most part over. Instead, unions urge stock ownership, profit sharing and gain sharing programs that give the workers a stake in the organization, and quality of work life programs that give them more control over what they do and how they do it.

A quality union relationship at Armco > A case:

Union relationship has become an important factor in the total quality of firms, because total quality involves having workers take on a new level of commitment and involvement in the company’s success. However, the movement away from traditional adversarial relationships is not easy. The ‘we versus them’ mentality still found in many unionized companies can undermine quality efforts. At Armco Worldwide Grinding Systems in Kansas City, Missouri, the union management relationship was described as one of periodic non-cooperation. Then in 1992 the company implemented its Team Works program. Teamwork is an effort by the company to give all its employees an equal voice in developing ideas to make Armco more profitable, more productive and more satisfying for its workers. This was the last step in a quality process that had been ongoing for ten years.


Highly successful Managers


No matter what post you are at whether you are a CEO of a company or the department head, you need to have absolute clarity about what you want in Life or from that particular job. Only then you can be successful. If you are not clear in you head, you will never achieve success even after slogging for the rest of your life. The best examples are people like Bill Gates and Dhiru Bhai Ambani. They were pretty clear about what they had to do in life and so they achieved success. So, Clarity is a must and clarity means vision. That is why leaders are known as visionaries who can foresee what they want.

A lot of people try dong various things in Life to achieve success. But remember unless you focus on one particular thing (your ultimate goal) and work towards achieving it, you will ever be successful. Be focused

To be successful professional, it is very important for you to understand that if your company is paying you Rs 10,000 you need to make sure that you give back 10 times more value of work. In most cases people try and avoid work and shirk responsibilities when they are expected to work longer hours. But instead of trying to escape from work, if you work harder the company will definitely reward you for your hard work in the long run. Give more than what you get.

You must have heard – If you sleep with a dog, you smell like a dog. So, if you are not too good at your job, make sure you hang around with smart and intelligent people at work. Only then will you learn from them. Also, remember, you need to approach them if you want to learn from them. Don’t wait for someone to come to you and talk. Lastly, remember that it is very important that you have people around you who are dynamic and people who will empower you.

It is a fact that every single millionaire in this world has had or has a supportive partner. A supportive partner can make a whole lot of difference to your life. So, if you are married, make sure you and your partner give each other the same kind of support and continue working hard. You will soon realize that nothing can stop you from being successful in life and achieving your dreams. So do not waste any more time day dreaming, and be supportive.

With your hard work and achieving some success once you become a group leader or manager you must follow certain principles to achieve goals for the organization as given below:

Smart goals make for smart organizations. So, it is very important for managers to set smart goals to achieve success. Here is a list of things that can help managers do a better job:

A good manager also needs it to up-to-date with all the current procedures in the company to expect good results from the employees. He should be kind and be able to build a good rapport with his employees. Moreover, if you go out of your way to do good for your employees they will always remember and respect you for all the good things you have dine for them.

A manager must be creative. Creativity adds a spark to the otherwise mundane responsibilities and projects and it really can act as an inspirational tool for co-workers and other employees. He should never let this authority bring about differences between him and his team members. It is always good to be someone your team members can look up to. So be friendly with your employees when it comes to having fun, and be a manager only when it is time to get down to work.

It is important to be a calm boss. A manager should make sure his employees feel free when it comes to having an open discussion. He should be open to sudden changes and suggestions given by his employees even if they are juniors.

Global recruitment networks
Oct 19, 2008
Human Resource Management

Let us start with a case of Marina Somers. Marina Somers has a personality that tends to eclipse those around her. Tall, arrestingly dressed (she has a weakness for flamboyant spectacle frames), and with a tone of voice that means business. This art historian by training, headhunter by profession is quite happy to be seen as an evangelist for her tribe.

In the 70s when she started working in executive search, headhunting was a pejorative term but she always saw it as a job that allowed her to contribute to a positive change in a person’s life. Somers, the founder of Somers & Associates a boutique executive search firm founded in Moscow originally to assist multinationals with finding superior local talent.

But it is more than just Somers’ persona that is making her colleagues sit up and listen. It is the know-how that comes from 30 years of industry experience, not to mention the cultural perspective.

Having quality partners like Marina is what excites about being a part of the network. The “network” referring to is AltoPartners, an international alliance of independently-run search firms in 32 countries with 30 million Euros in combined revenues; the Accord group was one of its founding members in 2006. What the network gives us is global coverage, but because they are independently-owned firms they offer expert local knowledge in each of their domestic markets.

Having a network also means the ability to share best practices. At the AltoPartners’ offsite in Goa, the largest it has engaged in so far, Corinne Kladja has come prepared. As partner at Accord Group Eastern and Central Europe (ECE) operating across five Baltic States since 1992, Kladja is trying to templatise the search process for the entire group. “The idea is to eventually develop a common centre of research excellence. In Russia people jump jobs so quickly that the firm would go out of business if they devoted time to systems.

Member firms like Somers & Associates are inducted into AltoPartners on an exclusive basis and about five new members are added each year. Agrawal, who is one of those responsible for recruitment, says she always looks for a strong entrepreneurial mindset. “We are typically boutique firms of strong standing in each of the markets that we are present rather than small flags on a map,” she says.

AltoPartners, however, isn’t the first at this game; there are other similarly structured global recruitment networks. While over all executive search firms are seeing good times with the global war for senior talent intensifying, there is also greater scrutiny of firms that companies hire on retainer. At stake are their individual brand reputations, their track records, the visibility within markets they serve, and increasingly — their delivery capability across markets.

More and more independent recruitment firms have discovered that forming networks makes it easy to recruit anywhere in the world. Global scale is no longer a source of competitive advantage; it is a question of achieving parity, parity with top headhunting multinationals like H&S with branches in 57 countries or Egon Zehnder with offices in 37.

For multinational recruitment firms, the business model is organised around a single profit centre partnership; AltoPartners though allows member firms to operate autonomously; there’s no minimum fee size and no restrictions on the profiles of clients.

With a global firm, business is so driven by volumes and profits that it puts pressure on quality from the start.

Also while fully-owned firms have rigid solutions, in the case of a network, member firms are free to design market-specific solutions. Kladja, for instance, says that because most clients at her Warsaw headquarters are non-local, she has introduced a “cultural orientation” service. Having an Indian face and a French-Polish name actually helps me bridge cultures. Other firms have chosen to introduce services for outplacement, management audits, board replacements, or CEO coaching.

Where the lack of definition may not help is when cross border work threatens territorial integrity about 12% of AltoPartners’ global turnover is directly attributed to cross border work within the network . The choice to work with each other or not lies with each firm but there are often referrals from country to country for local searches.

The basis of effective partnership lies in respect, reciprocity and good old fashioned communication. Global companies have complex relationships with clients and it often creates off-limits between offices. Here they actually tap into other markets to get candidates via their partners.

What the network also helps in is developing cultural sensitivity to conduct successful cross-border work. The legal ramifications of revealing more than a candidate’s initials in the long list — Polish data protection laws don’t permit that. In some markets, facial hair can be an impediment to getting an executive role.

The network still has teething problems. In Goa, members are still coming to grips with how to leverage the common intranet. They haven’t begun common advertising or branding either. The approach so far has been to keep operating costs low, so there is no headquarters and the chairmanship rotates every two years.

Clients, so far, have responded well to the idea of international coverage via the network although ultimately, she believes, the single biggest factor for clients still remains the confidence in the individual consultant’s ability to deliver.


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