The SGI Blog

The Official blog of Samalkha Group of Institutions

Air India’s woes

To many, Air India (which now encompasses the erstwhile Air India as well as Indian Airlines) sums up all that is bad about commercial enterprises run by government. It has made huge losses and people would say that is very typical of the public sector.

The two basic reasons for Air India’s mounting losses are huge investment in fleet expansion and high leverage arising from the failure to strengthen the two airlines’ equity base before exposing them to greater competition. Needless to say, in government there are huge incentives for signing contracts for the purchase of aircraft.

There were talks of bringing on board some luminary from the private sector for turning around the flagging airline. But even after settling for a high-profile businessmen as a board member and a foreign COO, nothing has made a difference. Mr. N Vaghul, formerly in ICICI, was on the board of Air India for many years until it ran into its present crisis

Talent Management – More than just HR?

In a changing business environment a well-thought out approach to talent management is most responsive to identifying and nurturing necessary talent. While most organizations have ad hoc approaches to talent management, it is found that a large portion of them do not have a formalized talent management approach in place. This can often lead to strategic gaps in fully recognizing potential issues and lead to problems such as difficulty in recruiting for vital roles within the organization, inability to respond swiftly to changing external environment and promotions taking place before people are ready to assume the new role.

While most organizations would agree that a talent pool is vital to move an organization forward, it is equally important to nurture and encourage this talent from within the company. In other words, everyone from the leadership downwards should be willing and able to nurture internal talent.
Managers need to see talent management as part of their role and actively undertake its identification and development. It should also form an integral part of the organization’s strategy and business planning process and also gain a buy-in and commitment to undertake the necessary responsibilities.

Talent management needs to be accepted as a business process and not merely an HR one.

Air travel to get dearer

Mumbai airport is set to follow in Delhi’s footsteps by increasing airport charges. The Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) would consider Mumbai airport’s demand over the next two months to raise charges.

Airlines, struggling to keep operations going, will have no choice but to pass on the hike to passengers, industry sources said, predicting a hike of at least 15% in fares once AERA clears the increase in airport fee for Mumbai. AERA has already allowed a 345% hike in airport landing and parking charges, or user development fee (UDF), at Delhi’s IGI Airport over the next two years. AERA would now be considering a proposal by the Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd (MIAL) to increase its UDF. As per preliminary estimates made by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA), the UDF hike at Mumbai airport is likely to be higher than in Delhi. CAPA estimates that once Mumbai also gets a sanction to charge a higher fee, the price of the Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi ticket would go up by 16-20%. “A Delhi-Mumbai return trip fare is likely to go up by Rs 1,600 to 2,000. We expect Mumbai’s tariff to be higher than Delhi,” said Kapil Kaul, CEO, subcontinent and Middle East, CAPA. Mumbai airport has already got the go-ahead to charge an airport development fee of Rs 100 from domestic flyers and Rs 600 for international flights from May 1.

With airlines incurring huge losses, a weaker rupee and high aviation fuel costs prevailing, the dream of ‘flying for all’ remains a distant one for now!

Job Interview Tips

Job interviews never seems to get any easier – even after years of experience!
Here are some job interview tips to help one prepare for the interview.

Practice
Practice answering the typical job interview questions.
Think of actual examples you can use to describe your skills. Providing evidence of your success is a great way to promote your candidacy.

Prepare
Prepare a response so you are ready for the question “What do you know about our company. Know the interviewer’s name and use it during the job interview. If you’re not sure of the name, call and ask prior to the interview. Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions.

Get Ready
Make sure your interview attire is neat, tidy and appropriate for the type of firm you are interviewing with. Bring a nice portfolio with copies of your resume. Include a pen and paper for taking notes, if required.

Be On Time
Be on time for the interview. On time means five to ten minutes early. If need be, take some time to drive to the office ahead of time so you know exactly where you are going and how long it will take to get there.

Stay Calm
During the job interview try to relax and stay as calm possible. Take a moment to regroup. Maintain eye contact with the interviewer. Listen to the entire question before you answer and pay attention – you will be embarrassed if you forget the question!

Show What You Know
Try to relate what you know about the company when answering questions. When discussing your career accomplishments match them to what the company is looking for.

Follow Up
Always follow-up with a thank you note reiterating your interest in the position. If you interview with multiple people send each one a thank you note.

Bosses, too many?

Imagine a situation – you have five different bosses and each of them gives you different assignments to be completed on the same day! Seems chaotic? But working with multiple bosses is increasingly becoming a reality in today’s corporate world. According to Mohinish Sinha, leadership & talent practice leader, Hay Group, all organisations that operate across more than one country, with more than one product, serving more than one customer group, operate in a matrix format. “The matrix creates a place for everyone and interconnects them where all have a ‘real’ boss and a ‘virtual’ one,” adds Sinha.

But employees find it extremely challenging to work with multiple bosses. According to experts, with more than one person assigning you work, the workload increases and you have to work more. Another challenge is that of dealing with conflicting messages – different bosses have different expectations and you might find it impossible to satisfy all.

With the organisational structure changing and more organisations adopting a flat structure and concentrating on specific projects, employees are expected to work with several bosses. The experts suggest looking at the positives and learning to manage multiple bosses effectively as the way forward, rather than cribbing about the challenges. Sridar Narayanswami, Vice President – India Region for Emerson, believes it is quite beneficial to have multiple supervisors, especially for the younger employees who are embarking on their leadership journey.

Experts say that getting to know your ultimate boss, who makes decisions about your career w.r.t performance review, compensation, etc. is important. Also handling the challenges proactively is the way forward. “The employee needs to keep in mind that in general, most supervisors are aligned and focused towards achieving the organisation’s common goals. If they can communicate seamlessly and build strong credibility with multiple supervisors, they could gain immensely by being able to reach out to more than one mentor as they grow in their careers,” concludes Narayanswami.

SCRAMJET: At the Cutting Edge of Aviation Technology

What if a 17 hour non-stop journey from New Delhi to New York could be completed in less than 2 hours!
Well, what seems like a story out of a fantasy book is actually being tested in real as we write this blog. SCRAMJET (Supersonic Combustion RAMJET) is a cutting edge technology which is poised to make air travel at 12 to 24 times faster than the speed of sound possible.

The fastest SCRAM jet design, the NASA X-43A reached Mach 9.8 during testing, while the second fastest air-breathing aircraft, the manned SR-71 Blackbird, has a cruising speed of Mach 3.2.

The scramjet comprises of 3 basic components: a converging inlet, where incoming air is compressed and decelerated; a combustor, where gaseous fuel is burned with atmospheric oxygen to produce heat; and a diverging nozzle, where the heated air is accelerated to produce thrust.

Unlike a typical jet engine, such as a turbojet or turbofan engine, which are currently used in transport aircrafts and fighter jets, the SCRAMJET does not use rotating, fan-like components to compress the air; instead, the high speed of the aircraft causes the air to compress within the inlet. Consequently, there are no moving parts in a SCRAMJET, reducing the risk of malfunction.

Satyamev Jayate

While celebrities sell soaps, perfumes, chocolates, insurance, cars, etc, it takes an icon to sell a dream. And with ‘Satyamev Jayate’, Aamir Khan has just did that!

With the ‘Mr. Perfectionist’ on board, the expectations of the audience were very high for this show. The teasers generated enough buzz to make it probably the most awaited show in the history of Indian Television. Resultantly, a number of rumours were doing rounds regarding the theme and format of the show.

The show finally debuted on Sunday, May 6 at 11 am in the morning, receiving rave reviews from the one and all. A chat show to highlight and tackle issues that affect our society and nation. Although this is not the first time that a show highlighting social problems is being aired on TV, but there certainly are some merits to it this time:

1. Aamir Khan as the host: India’s most valued brand, Aamir has brought to light important issues very beautifully through his films. His command over his work is impeccable, his popularity incomparable and his influence unmatched.
2. With the TV audience choked with the overdose of Saas-Bahu drama, a TV programme that helps them make a contribution towards a noble cause is a sure shot recipe for success.
3. A simultaneous telecast on the free to air National channel ensures that ‘Satyamev Jayate’ reaches every corner of the country and not just cable tv/set top box users.

Let’s hope that Aamir Khan’s magic works on the small screen too and brings about a positive change that it intends to.

Eurozone Crisis

With every passing day, the world is beginning to feel the ripples of the economic crisis that looms large over Eurozone. The Banks in some of the European nations have been crippled by this crisis and the situation can get even worse!
Roger Altman, private equity investor and former United States Deputy Secretary of the Treasury, urges a US-style Tarp for European banks. The key points for Europe’s policy-makers is that banks need to be strengthened for the markets to shed their jitters. The markets are jittery because they think the banks will collapse under the weight of sovereign bonds. If they do so, they will take the Eurozone economies with them. Strengthen the banks- and you save the Eurozone.

Altman urges recapitalisation of banks through a common European facility. The governments must decide unilaterally which bank needs how much. It must back capital infusion with sovereign guarantees for bank borrowings. The taxpayer must have an upside on the infusions through warrants. It’s quite likely that European governments end up making money by recapitalising banks, as the US Tarp did.

Once the banks are strengthened, the problem of sovereign debt can be addressed, with varying degrees of debt being written off for a range of countries.

Overcome Shyness

Tips to kick out shyness and enjoy the World!

• Use something you love to do like photography or knitting or cooking or whatever that can help you make connection with others.
• Keep your eyes open for natural ways you can be helpful.
When in a group or public place, offer help to people who may need it. It can be as easy as helping the senior citizens cross road or help a woman carry her stroller. Not only will it provide satisfaction, but also help you strike a conversation.
• Soften to the ways that you are shy and anxious or afraid. When we soften, we can accept things about ourselves.
Remember, No one can relate with people who continue to present themselves as invulnerable, or cover their soft spot.
• Go outside and consciously put yourself into the stream of magic.
Be open. Just do that, and see what happens. Notice others and the environment around you. It will help inculcate the positive and make your mood jolly. And soon you’ll find the world embracing you!!

Photography

Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film.

Typically, a lens is used to focus the light reflected or emitted from objects into a real image on the light-sensitive surface inside a camera during a timed exposure. The result in an electronic image sensor is an electrical charge at each pixel, which is electronically processed and stored in a digital image file for subsequent display or processing.
The result in a photographic emulsion is an invisible latent image, which is later chemically developed into a visible image, either negative or positive, depending on the purpose of the photographic material and the method of processing. A negative image on film is traditionally used to photographically create a positive image on a paper base, known as a print, either by using an enlarger or by contact printing.

Photography has many uses for business, science, manufacturing (e.g. photolithography), art, and recreational purposes.