Game of Words: View vs Counter View 3.11

Effectiveness of Protests

Varying perspectives collectively blend to curate a bold society. In a democratic country such as India, are protests effective to convey a message accurately and receive acclimation? Or are they just a ruse with no means to an end? Find out in the following debate where Riyanjali and Jade voice out their respective ideologies.  

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India has had a long standing culture of political debate whether it be under the banyan tree or in the courts of Kings; this long standing tradition of public reasoning did indeed play an important role in the drafting of our constitution a sit would be unjust to consider it only comprising of western ideologies.

In this modern day we seem to take our democracy for granted and we neglect the fact that democracy is intimately connected with public discussion. A great way to facilitate the same and express one's views is protest. Our constitution makes the provision for peaceful assembly and I am of the opinion that it would be a shame to waste something that is a necessity.

I would go as far as amending the famous French saying ' Je pense donc je suis ' (I think therefore I am) to 'Je parle donc je suis' (I speak therefore I am) to apply in the context of a democratic country, as the greatest enemy of democracy is none other than silence.

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On the other hand if we are prone to protest at the drop of a hat we are in danger of crying wolf and missing out genuine attention in cases of real emergency. A case in point is ‘hartal’ in Kerala which shuts down colleges at the slightest whim. This in turn has made the course timeline unpredictable and affected students' commitments.

 A second case study would be countrywide protests of transport which effectively shuts down most businesses. Businesses are fatally affected by employees' inability to make it to work. Misuse of such freedom can lead to riots and unnecessary tension that is raised in the middle of a so-called democracy. It paints an unjust picture to those that genuinely suffer. The right to protest must be used judiciously to be heard well. 

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete” -Buckminster Fuller.

Written By:

Riyanjali 

Jade

Game of Words: View vs Counter View 3.10

Customer Satisfaction

While attracting consumers is one of the most essential aspects of any business, another aspect is usually overlooked—retaining consumers. Attracting consumers might increase sales but it is pivotal to sustain the same level of sales whilst gaining more. In the following discussion we learn about the importance of customer satisfaction.

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Customer satisfaction is the key to the heart of the society which is well proved by, “The Language Shop” a London based language service provider. During a conversation with one of the employees of this organisation, information about their service and how their enterprise operates to satisfy their customers was obtained. 

This enterprise provides language interpreters to multinational companies and multilinguistic groups. The interpreters are assigned to different professions where there are barriers in communication due to the difference of languages between the customers and professionals such as lawyers, doctors etc. These interpreters posses the knowledge of different languages which they use to interpret between two individuals of differing dialect.

With customer satisfaction as their main aim, a customer’s satisfaction is measured by the effective action taken by the professional and these pioneers are required almost in all fields as the country has many habitants from different countries living in the country for different purposes. Customer satisfaction is important in this enterprise as the customers seek interpreters for communication purposes, without whom they may sometimes feel disadvantaged. 

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This is a profit making organisation which is run because of the aspect of customer satisfaction. If a customer isn’t satisfied with the service provided by the professionals it would lead to unfavourable business conditions. Companies & individuals would hire different interpreters causing loss for the enterprise. In conclusion, this enterprise should satisfy their customers to stay in the competitive world. Customer satisfaction is one of the core ideas that results in profits.

Written By:

Christopher Judah

Game of Words: View vs Counter View 3.09

                Incorporation of Businesses

The process of incorporation, especially in India, is considered as a phase that is full of expenses, time consuming and extremely tedious in nature, but if done properly and in the right industry, it can work wonders for the business. Speaking in standardised terms, the definition of incorporation is, “the process of constituting a company, city, or other organization as a legal corporation”. Most businesses, if not all, take a lot of time to consider registering their companies, as it entails it’s own share of pros and cons, depending on aspects such as which industry it is operating in and how the business models works.

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In India, companies that have decided to incorporate themselves avail the benefits according to the industry they operate in. Ayush Jain, a student of 1BBA B at SJCC, disclosed information about the benefits he received after incorporating his marketing agency. One of the biggest advantages of registration according to him, is that of the creation of a separate legal entity. He believed that the company as well as his own actions should not be held accountable to one another. This also applies to the limited number of employees that work for him. This is what makes his company independent.

 The aspect that makes Ayush’s business unique and more independent due to the process of incorporation is the ability to hold it’s own assets in the eyes of the law, and that the members and owners have no right to claim the assets whatsoever. This also shows that all the benefits of incorporation are connected and interlinked to each other. As the company can be independent and hold assets, it also can sue by itself. But this benefit can also be a disadvantage, because it can also be sued. To simplify and understand this point, Ayush gave me a simple example. He said if his company breaks a certain law or breaches a patent of another company, he can be sued by the company in question or the government for breaking the laws and this can take place the other way around as well. 

Moving on, coming to the biggest reason why Ayush chose to incorporate his company and why most companies decide to see through this process, is to obtain an easier access to capital. This ability to raise money faster helps the business grow and develop much faster, as compared to a normal fund raising company. These are some of the benefits that are the main reason why Ayush Jain decided to incorporate his marketing agency.

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Most of the businesses that are established  in India are small and especially in the rural areas, they take the form of shops or distribution centers. Keeping this in mind, I spoke to Naizal, the owner of Home Needs provisional stores, who went on to speak about why he chose not to incorporate his company. 

The first and maybe the biggest reason as to why he didn’t incorporate his company is the cost that is involved in doing so. There are a lot of aspects of incorporation that don’t fit the profile for a small business( for example, preparing articles of incorporation etc.). The fees that is involved in incorporation of a company is quite a large sum and cannot be afforded by everyone. This is one of the reasons why Naizal decided incorporation is just not something he wants to see through. 

Another major reason as to why he avoided the process of incorporation is because of the lack of privacy his company would then get. This is because of the fact that if a company is incorporated, loads of documents such as tax returns and accounting records among others, have to be mandatorily disclosed. Because of this,  there are possibilities that the company will have to have a double taxation paid. Further, incorporation is also a very difficult and tedious process if the size of the company is relatively small.

Written by:

Abhinav 

Game of Words: View vs Counter View 3.08

METHODS OF BRAND AND PRODUCT PROMOTION

In the present era leaning towards customer-orientation, businesses have found their key tool to beat the competition by utilizing numerous marketing methods. To be more precise, tools such as publicity, sales promotion and advertising are adopted. These tools are instrumental in creating and popularizing a brand curated by the company to achieve favorable visibility. Each one of them has its own benefits and limitations and the applications of the same depend upon varying types and sizes of the business. 

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Mukesh Kumar S, owner of Sri Krishna Jewelers, believes that sales promotion methods are more suitable for small firms such as his. The reasons being—firstly, advertising is an expensive method of promotion and not all small firms have adequate resources for the same. Secondly, the advertising method is more suitable for firms with an already established brand name. Mr. Mukesh explains this point by giving an example from his industry: People often remember the advertisements of big companies such as Tanishq and Kalyan, but a very few remember advertisements of small firms. 

Mr. Mukesh credits his success to the use of sales promotion techniques. His unique “lottery card” system not only attains consumers but is also successful in retaining them. This system also promotes word-of-mouth publicity. The money saved by compromising on large scale advertisements is then utilized towards enhancing consumer experience by investing in technology. This is the main reason behind Sri Krishna Jewelers maintaining its position in such a competitive market for almost two decades. 

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On interviewing an employee at Sebamed, a German brand of Sebapharma GmbH & Co. KG, which manufactures medicinal skin care products, a new perspective on promotional activities was attained. The employee described that it depends on the product and various steps such as figuring out the target demographics, targeted regions such as pan India or region specific, and then selecting a promotional method specific to that market which can then be adopted. Newspapers, radio, social media, TV, sports are all viable options. 

Sebamed recently adopted these promotional techniques for one of their products: a shampoo. They targeted people with larger disposable income as their products are generally expensive when compared to their competitors in the industry. The method they adopted was to distribute small trial sachets of their shampoo on major airlines along with information about where the product can be obtained. This method was accompanied with the assumption that the individual’s families back home would also come across the shampoo, thereby increasing visibility of the firm. Sebamed focused on large scale promotions that resulted in a favorable increase in product visibility and sales. 

Written by:

Aditya

Shashank 

Game of Words: View vs Counter View 3.07

Work Culture 

Work Culture is an imperative attribute of any organisation. It holds the power to increase or decrease the quality of productivity with regards to duties. Various organisations adopt dynamic and innovative cultures to attract employees whereas some rely on a stern approach. Large scale companies tend to prefer the former whereas small scale companies prefer the latter. As we proceed, it will become effortless to analyse the differences and draw conclusions on work culture. 

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The present work environment is dynamic, complex and perpetually augmenting. The level of competition is high which demands a higher quality of work creating a need for smart employees. In the current day scenario, organisations are opting for an employee friendly culture in order to improve their employee branding and attract competent employees. But out of numerous bustling organisations, a few still focus on cost-cutting and a more stern approach to work culture. 

One such small scale organisation was NVS Travel Solutions where the director was insightful about the benefits of having a culture with the focus is solely on work and not recreational activities. The director shared instances where the company has analysed a significant growth in the quality of work when employees were told not to fraternise. They also noticed that being stern about leaves and deadlines made their employees more responsible. Their “No-Paid Leaves” policy increased the work force presence in the organisation and a slight rise in productivity was evident. 

Moreover, the director of NVS Travel Solutions also added that the company does not provide lunch or any perks apart from a decent salary. He believes that this is the best approach as it saves the organisation from various costs that would otherwise be incurred and increases the efficiency of the workforce at the same time.

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The personality of an organisation is weighed by the culture that is carried out. It resonates across all aspects of a business and affects its overall creativity and success. An interview with Bhoomika Manjunath, an employee at OnePlus, enabled us to dissect the various employee-friendly approaches and growth-oriented atmosphere that has successfully captured employee morale.

The culture at OnePlus embraces risk-takers and incites them to be idealists, mavericks and technicians. Team culture is encouraged by the senior managers as they believe that employees that have a sense of belongingness are more likely to stay at your company. The company prioritises trust and teamwork which is paramount especially when working with millennials. Any disputes or cases of harassment are instantly taken care of by the HR to promote a healthy and friendly work environment.

It was also learned that, at OnePlus, it is a common practice to attend launches and events such as the music festival and the employees are provided with various amenities to incorporate their needs. Work culture is a reflection of a company’s core values. A strong work culture exists when the right mix of employee satisfaction and productivity is achieved.


Written by:

Nireeksha Makam

Niveditha Reddy G.

Game of Words: View vs Counter View 3.06

    MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS FOR EMPLOYEES

An organization aims at earning profits for its growth and development, to provide quality goods to its customers and to protect the environment. Employees play a key role in achieving these objectives.  Motivation is an inner desire that drives an individual to achieve their goals. This inner desire is not everlasting hence individuals must be reminded of their goals timely. Employees’ motivational factors play an important role in engaging and inspiring the employees to efficiently and effectively accomplish organizational objectives.

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A successful business always caters to the needs of its employees. Having highly motivated employees helps in increasing productivity, creativity and the overall performance of the organization. It also improves the psychological state of an individual and helps in reducing stress levels. Overall, employees feel happy and satisfied in their workplace and do not feel obligated or forced to work. Ganesh Provisions is a general store owned by Mr. Binja Ram in Electronic city. He comes from a family who has been in this line of business from a very long time now. His store has all varieties of daily use products—from food to personal hygiene. When asked him about how he motivates his assistant who helps him in the store, he said “I don’t see him as a worker. I see him as a person who is a part of my own family.”

When running a small business, it is essential to connect with your workers on a much closer level. Mr. Binja Ram has always treated Raju, his assistant, as his own brother. Apart from giving him salary, food and shelter, he also gives him moral support. He says that Raju has always been loyal and efficient in his work.

 This shows us that  it is not only financial incentives that motivate an employee to work better, but also that providing an employee with moral support and motivation goes a long way in helping an individual work effectively too.

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Motivation can be provided to employees through two types of incentives-financial and non-financial. Employees need to be motivated to stay on their job with the help of exciting salaries, bonuses, holidays, promotions, better means of transportation, maternity leaves, etc. In big organisations, the top level management also caters to the need of their employees on a very personal level by providing day care facilities for babies, helping employees financially for their future development or acquiring new skill sets.

Daily Needs is a supermarket owned by Mr. Rajesh Gopal consisting of various products ranging from daily necessities, personal hygiene, stationery, household products, etc. His way of motivating employees is by catering to all their needs and creating a pleasant work environment such that the employees are stress free and comfortable. He occasionally gives them bonuses during festivals. He pays closer attention to his employees and believes that communication is key. He also believes that a mentally and physically healthy employee is important for work efficiency.


Since he owns a bigger business it is not easy to fulfil all the needs and at the same time motivate all the employees compared to the smaller business. But in his own ways, Mr. Rajesh keeps his employees satisfied through the financial and non-financial incentives he provides to his employees.

Written by:

Hemanisha

Disha

Game of Words: View vs Counter View 3.05

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is defined as a company’s initiative to assess and take responsibility for its effects on the environment and impact on social welfare and also to promote positive social and environmental change. It is only fair and right that part of the profits earned from business activities is given back to the underprivileged and deprived sections of the society. CSR is beneficial to companies because it portrays to the customers of the company that it is socially conscious, provides a competitive advantage and also boosts employee morale.

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Under Companies Act, 2013 as per legal mandate, any company with a net worth of the Rs 500 crore or more or turnover Rs 1000 crore or more or net profit of Rs 5 crore or more has to spend at least 2% of last 3 years average net profits on CSR activities as specified in Schedule VII . The rules came into effect from 1 April 2014 with amendment to the law in August 2019 to ensure stricter compliance.
To find out more about CSR activities of companies, I had an informative conversation with Mrs. Anupama Shetty who is head of CSR at Narayana Health (NH). NH is a chain of multi-speciality hospitals, heart centres and primary care facilities with its headquarters in Bengaluru. Many companies use CSR as a license to operate in that particular region in order to engage with local stakeholders but NH surpasses that description because they also conduct activities in regions where they don’t operate to address critical problems in high priority districts. NH mainly focuses on health and education programmes in connection to CSR and aims at impacting policies. The primary objectives of these programmes are to address issues of accessibility, affordability and equity of the weaker sections of the society.

At Narayana Health, Dr Devi Shetty, Founder and Chairman, introduced a community-based health insurance programme before the Company’s Act 2013 came into existence. This programme was conceptualized for farmers to enable them to have access to surgeries by paying a very small amount as premium. In terms of education, Dr Devi Shetty introduced a programme called ‘Udayer
Pathey’, which gave scholarships to rural students to help them become doctors. Another education programme called ‘Udaan’, was introduced in Bidar and Gulbarga, which helped some underprivileged students get through NEET last year. In terms of health, NH conduct operations to address the 3 most common types of cancers- oral, breast and cervical. They introduced a mobile mammography programme where they conducted awareness sessions and screenings for rural women. They also partnered with Britannia Nutrition Foundation to address the prevalent problem of anaemia in India. Britannia made biscuits with special forms of iron added to them which was given to adolescent girls in rural regions. It was later observed that there was a huge change in the haemoglobin levels of these girls after a survey was conducted.


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Corporate Social Responsibility, made mandatory in India by the Companies Act, 2013 upholds the above sentiment. It mandates the corporate giants in India to use 2% of their net profit for philanthropic and charitable purposes. However, it is not mandatory for small businesses to engage in CSR activities but small companies usually prefer to engage in CSR activities or smaller acts of charity because such activities are helpful in bringing goodwill to their business. It is an effective marketing and publicity strategy without actually being one. Some companies earmark a portion of advertising/marketing budget for CSR. CSR activities conducted by small businesses are usually localised and tend to bring in a lot of customers and enquiries by word of mouth & networking in the local context. It is also used as an effective tool in customer retention and generating repeat customers. It often results in great PR with local community leaders and government agencies. This in turn results in a positive public opinion and sentiment for all stakeholders. Spending on CSR activities, typically generates higher returns on lower investment especially for small businesses.
They might be losing on economies of scale in terms of business operations but they will definitely benefit via CSR.

Sometimes, small businesses partner with bigger businesses to conduct such activities. Mrs. Anupama Shetty recalled an instance where a small construction company in Jakkur, Bangalore wanted to conduct some activities in terms of CSR and reached out to her in the regard. She gave them the idea to introduce a health programme for the construction workers. However a programme qualifies as CSR only when they get the community to participate in the programme. Therefore, this construction company along with a team from NH conducted a health camp for this community of construction workers and their families.

To Summarise, CSR is a philanthropic activity, supported by thorough research in order to address pressing issues of the society. This is why is has become very important for companies to generate a lot of data through research and give a feedback to the government in real time for improvements and to identify new focus areas. For example NH and Britannia could inform the government that they had given an iron and folic acid tablet in the form of a biscuit which is a creative way of providing appropriate nutrition to children. The ability of the government to provide a good framework for monitoring and regulating CSR activities encourage large and small companies to improve their performance. There is a National CSR portal under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs which constantly tracks and analyses various statistics of CRS activities in India.


Written by:
Ashlesha George

Game of Words: View vs Counter View 3.04

Need For Social Media Marketing Today 

Social Media has been an attractive topic ever since its introduction brought about the rise of a new era. It has many implications and differing opinions on whether it is a bane or a boon. This article will give you an insight on the effect or influence it holds in terms of large-scale and small-scale organisations.

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If people don’t know about your business, they can’t become your customers. Social media boosts your visibility among potential customers, letting you reach a wide audience to entice. Wrap Craft is a small-scale automotive company that deals with the customization of vehicles. It is co-owned by Mohammad Ashaab, a student of SJCC. During the interview with him, several questions were asked regarding the need for social media marketing. In response to this, he stated that people today are more active on social media platforms, which enables them to access information more easily. Also adding that due to the high rate of usage of such platforms by individuals of all age groups, asking customer, product or service related questions becomes less of a tussle.

His target customers are mainly individuals aged between 19-40 years who are passionate about their vehicles. He also mentioned that his business model is completely based on social media marketing. It is this technique of new age marketing that has built his company from scratch to the stage it has achieved now. The various platforms he uses to market his company are Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Twitter. He says that is it is cost efficient and can reach a wide range of people quicker than various other marketing techniques. Lastly, he mentioned that since it is free to create a business profile on all the major social networks, there is nothing an entrepreneur has to lose. Any business, regardless of  its size or budget, has an opportunity to grow its audience and reach its respective objectives through advertisements on social platforms.

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Social media marketing is not required for large scale businesses as they have grown and attained the required brand level to sustain themselves without taking support from social media. These large companies, having been incorporated before social media became the order of the day, marketed their offerings in traditional ways.

During an interview with one of the managers of DHL, it was learned that their business slogans are "talk of mouth". Their service speaks for them and the promoters are the customers who promote their service because of the satisfaction they enjoyed on availing the company’s service. Big businesses have set patterns and have been consistently achieving their goals through personal selling and personal interaction with their customers, which according to them, is their strength as they feel it is more satisfactory to both the customers and service providers.

They believe that the best method to truly sell and acquiring customers is by understanding. Understanding what customers want through individual attention improves the chances of attaining favourable attention in the market. Social media is merely one of the tools that can be used by business but is not the only available medium. There may be challenges pertaining to growth that can be dealt with if the corporation has an international physical presence. Visibility is key to gaining momentum in the market and this can be achieved through billboards or events. A research conducted by “The Recycler” which is a trade magazine gives insight on how Physical ads are more memorable and henceforth more efficient than ads on social media.

Written by:

Sanchal Bopanna 

Christopher Judah

Game of Words: View vs. Counter View 3.03

Understanding Consumer Behaviour 

Understanding the behavior of consumers is a key instrument to effectively sell a certain product or service. This will consequently help in growing the business by responding to their needs. There are many factors that influence consumers, such as geographical conditions, cultural factors and social factors. This article mainly focuses on understanding the behaviour of customers and how businesses can utilize this to increase sales in the textile industry.

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 Studying and understanding consumer behaviour is important for any small business to succeed. Most small business owners use their common sense and instincts to successfully sell a product by acknowledging the wants and needs of their customers. GS Fashions is a small textile business in Shastrinagar, Bangalore owned by Mr. Rajesh Kothari. His store has a product line that includes trousers, jeans, shorts, T-shirts, shirts and accessories, for men only. These clothes are bought from different factories and all the orders are made in bulk. The factory is the price maker, and as an intermediary, the owner cannot change or fluctuate the prices to a great extent. This makes it affordable to all sections of society.

Mr. Rajesh also mentioned that everyone is a customer and everyone should get a chance to avail his products and services to satisfy their needs. When one observes the type of products consumers purchase, it becomes easier to understand the consumer’s buying pattern.

When asked the questions ‘What are the key elements of satisfying a customer?’ and ‘What factors does one take into account while selling a product?’ Mr. Rajesh responded by saying that the key elements of satisfying a customer are the  availability of colour preferences, brands, the fabric of the cloth, the quality and the method of stitching, availability of different sizes, and the most importantly, the rate at which the product is priced and determining whether it is cost effective or not. Keeping all these things in mind he tries to understand his pool of customers.

In order to ensure that he is able to understand consumer behaviour in the best possible way, Mr. Rajesh personally visits the shops where his products are sold and converses with the shopkeepers to gain an insight on the items or patterns that are trending, the tastes and preferences of their customers, etc. Having a good relationship with fellow shopkeepers helps him maintain a consistent source to acquire the needed information in terms of choices of different customers. This practice makes it easier to ascertain what kind of products are sold best in certain stores and the pool of customers that are pulled towards that particular store’s product offerings.

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Mr. R Chandrashekar is the owner of a textile business in Bangalore. He owns two establishments—one in Malleshwaram and the other in Basaveshwaranagar. His business’ product line includes sarees, shirts, suits, pants, kurtis and more.

In the case of a big business, such as this, there are seasonal differences that come to play a major role. For example, during summer the demand for thin cotton clothes is more, therefore production of cotton clothing increases and in the winter, the demand for woolen clothing increases. As opposed to a small business setup where change in orders is not possible (since the products are provided by the factory), in this business, the owner can easily change the type of product offerings depending on the interests of the customer.

Mr. Chandrashekar stated that it is important to try and understand the customers on a personal level by taking mental notes of their likes, opinions and interests. He does this because all customers are different and show different behaviors while purchasing products. Being aware of all the details pertaining to his customers helps him better satisfy them all individually. Additionally, according to him, having a wide variety of materials and constantly keeping records of the recent trends has proved to be beneficial as well as profitable for his business.

The difference between the two businesses chosen for this article lies in the differences in their requirements pertaining to capital, labour, resources and contacts, how to effectively satisfy customer needs, how to price their products in order to cover the costs of production, profit margins, etc. Though these factors are common to all big and small businesses—how they are dealt with in their respective settings is what sets them apart from each other.
To sum up, the influence a business has on a consumer is based on the variables introduced by the consumers themselves. Understanding these influences and reacting to them will make businesses more successful.

Written by:

Shreya Kothari

Sneha Baindur 

Game of Words: View vs. Counter View 3.02

Striking the Perfect Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is an important aspect of a healthy work environment. It is an aspect, however, that is more subjective than the others. Is being successful in one’s work considered important enough to allow it to influence one's own well being? Or should personal health and commitments allow priorities to be put on hold? 

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 “We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our own ‘to do’ list.” —Michelle Obama, former First Lady.

Being successful in the current work age does not stop at achieving the peak of financial stability, but it requires adopting a lifestyle where you strive to be at the top of your game at all times and being the best of the best. Saying that employees today are under a lot of stress is an understatement, with the number of suicide cases increasing at an alarming rate. The question now is: do we value the balance of our bank statement at the expense of our lives?

One would think that being your own boss would reduce the pressure of being under constant scrutiny but an interview with Lakshman bhaiya changed my perspective on this subject. Having been in the fruit selling business for over 2 decades, he has witnessed the struggles of owning a fruit cart and having to sell his wares in the scorching heat of the day. In spite of the hardships that he faces, when I approached him with the question of how it is that he manages his work-life balance, his answer was highly unexpected. While I was prepared for him to list out the downfalls the profession carries, he surprised me with an answer that taught me a universal truth: “I work on my own time and have no schedule as such. I have no strategy and derive my strength from the relationship I have with my family and with God.” 

This goes to show that it is solely up to us to handle our work-life balance the way we want to. We can blame our job, our boss, the deadlines we have to meet and many other relevant factors, or we can choose to be like Lakshman bhayia and accept that every job comes with its own set of shortcomings and handle it before it reaches a point where our health is at stake.  His concluding message held an impactful lesson that should be mentally adopted by everyone who receives it: “If I am alive tomorrow, I live to work another day, if not, I go to God.”

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“SET YOUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT”- Dr. Pavan Soni (Inflexion Consultant) 

Balance like a pirate: a pirate is both a captain and the king of the sea. It can be considered as an unnecessary necessity. Therefore, balance comes along with the package of potentiality within oneself—it comes  with accepting the dissonance in you and that is why it is a necessity.  

Priorities are progressive in nature. It makes one constantly develop and grow gradually or in stages. Taking the required time to pay attention to the details that will cater to fulfilling pre-set priorities is essential for a satisfactory outcome. Dr. Pavan Soni personally believes that a person that develops the ability to look at one's own priorities through a micro perspective has a better chance at succeeding than those that fixate on a macro way of thought.  This, according to him, is the beginning of balance. ‘Choice’ plays a crucial role in striking a stable balance as it is also understood that the choice we make comes along with a cost.

His advice to the people of the world would be to take that extra mile and try to move forward by adopting the mindset of one who is able to understand both failure and success. Taking risks becomes an easier measure once this mentality is fully understood. The first and primary challenge will be the ability to make a tenacious effort to hold to one's true self in this process.

Furthermore, Dr. Pavan Soni added that setting priorities comes with planning and decision making and stated that we ought to challenge our threshold point in order to sustain and be consistent because life is not always pink. He believes that strength must be derived from within ourselves, as external factors like family and spirituality can only amplify us. He concluded by saying: “Working for our daily bread is an unsaid weighted responsibility on each of us. We live everyday and die once, so make it count.”

Written by:

Sonam Gomes 

Clinton Justin 

Game of Words: View vs. Counter View 3.01

Are old methods of teaching preferred to new methods?

The technological boom has found its place in every field of our lives in the past decade. From scientists to marketers, people of every profession have realized the need for technology in their work routine. It has now made its way into classrooms in educational institutions. However, while the modern teaching methods emerging from the adaption of technology have various advantages, they have certain disadvantages as well. 

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“Technology will not replace great teachers, but technology in the hands of great teachers can be transformational.” – George Couros. 

Ms. Nirmala from St. Patrick’s School is of the opinion that if she were given facilities like projectors, smart boards and other digital tools to assist her in her teaching, she would be able to effectively impact students in the class room.

The students of this school come from lower socio-economic backgrounds, with parents who may not have had the same educational opportunities and privileges that their children do, now. She feels that her students would benefit greatly from the advancements in technology in the field of education.

The reason Ms. Nirmala prefers modern technological teaching methods to traditional ones may be attributed to the general observation that children today have smaller attention spans and take time to process and understand new ideas and concepts. She also adds that children need to be taught the same concepts over and over again so that they understand them thoroughly. With tools like projectors and smart boards in every classroom, the teachers would be able to grab the attention of students effectively, widen their comprehension, improve their learning experience and help them grasp new information at a faster rate. Audio and visual tools would create a lasting impact on their memory and make the teaching effective. Further, the students’ slow grasping capacity prevents teachers from carrying out frequent field trips because of having a lengthy syllabus to complete. The students are thus losing out on an opportunity to grow, owing to the absence of appropriate tools.

Aside from academic value, these modern facilities will reduce learning hours in schools, giving the children a chance to engage in sports and cultural activities as well. For the past 2 years, the school has stopped all recreational, sports and cultural activities due to low funding and a rather conservative opinion that such activities are a mere waste of time. It is this mindset that hinders the students’ growth.

The teachers at the school are currently equipped with only maps, globes, text books, chalks and a black board. They have access to one AV room that is rarely used, due to a set of complex protocols that have to be followed to gain permission. The current facilities provided to the teachers allow them to merely scrape through the surface of the syllabus and promote students to a higher grade without proper evaluation. There are 45 students in the classroom and grabbing their attention with the current facilities is harder than it seems, especially in a theoretical class. Ms. Nirmala believes that with an upgrade in their teaching equipment, she would be able to enhance her teaching methods, making them more interesting and relevant to students.

When asked if modern facilities would be a strain on the teachers or reduce their personal touch with students, Ms. Nirmala’s response was unwavering. She believes that these facilities would supplement the chalk board, have a positive impact on students while lowering the strain on teachers when preparing for their lessons each day. At present, the teachers take on a lengthy process to prepare for each lesson. They purchase their own stationery and facilities like graphs and maps, prepare charts and try their best to capture the attention of the students by utilizing their own and the schools’ resources. In her opinion, using modern facilities would definitely make teaching effectual. 

Counter View: 

In a world that has progressed through monumental discoveries, have we forgotten that not all parts of society can afford to adapt to these changes? Through a research-based interview, it has been understood that each student is different and therefore teachers cannot expect a 100% improvement from each one of them. Old school methods of teaching such as using black boards and textbooks can prove quite effective especially amidst situations of budget cuts. 

Ms. Preemal, a respected Accounts and Taxation teacher from SJCC holds the opinion that practical subjects should be taught by the ‘chalk and board method’ in order to enable students to learn effectively and grasp concepts more strongly and deeply. This method also allows teachers to integrate a personal touch in all their classes. 

Technological advancements can be time consuming as they require a certain amount of set up. Modern facilities of teaching can create errors and cause misunderstandings considering the fact that not every system or machine works faultlessly all the time. 

Giving students the freedom to use their phones in a classroom setting can distract them and cause disruption. Though convenient online facilities are available, Ms. Preemal believes that students must learn by observation and action. It is the old school teaching methods that have made the world what it is today. Hence, dismissing these methods due to the approach of a digital future can cause an imbalance in the growth and development of a student.

Written by:

Jade Prabhakar   

                                 

Rebecca Desouza