The Hindu Business Line : `Freshers need training, motivation for results'

"THEY are 20 to 21 years old. Train them; motivate them, so that they give 130 per cent results," was the appeal of Mr Dexter C. Bob, Circle Head, Reliance Web Store Ltd, Tamil Nadu, to the captains of industry who are hesitating to recruit those fresh out of college at a management seminar on `Changing marketing paradigms' at ITM Business School, Chennai, organised under the aegis of Business Line Club.

Acknowledging that it is difficult to identify the right and relevant target segment, he said it is important for the organisation to "segment and target" to derive maximum results. Otherwise, precious resources would end up targeting the unintended.

"Generating revenue through Web traffic is a challenge," said Mr S. Vijay Kumar - Head (Telecom Practices), HCL BPO, Chennai, while explaining the intricacies involved in creating and successfully running a Web portal. He also added that it calls for strategic planning to let people know about the existence of a specialised and niche web portal. He was speaking on "Marketing of ITES services - A challenge."

It is easy to measure the response to or the effectiveness of the advertisements released in newsprint or any other media through the number of hits witnessed by the Web site immediately after the advertisements.

While selecting the marketing tool, "Choose it based on your revenue and product," as it would otherwise become irrelevant and unproductive, he added

To the attentive set of students, Mr S. Ravichandran, President, TVS Logistics Services Ltd, Chennai, speaking on `Supply chain management: TVS experience - A challenge' said, "The real challenge of implementation is the resistance to the new ideas. People will question what the necessity is when we have been doing it for the last 10 years."

Reiterating that the automobile industry is far ahead in supply chain management, he said that the "MNCs source their requirements on a daily basis." This helps in bringing down the costs tremendously.

He further added, "MNC's believe in a single source for supply of spare parts whereas Indians, by culture, believe in multiple sources."

Speaking about `Brand Management & Communication - A challenge,' Ms Sangeetha Nair, Group Manager (Marketing), Radio Mirchi, Chennai, said, "Brand management today is not just an art but also a science."

"The equity built over 30 years has been diluted," she said, criticising the appearance of Shah Rukh Khan in the Lux advertisement. She added that the commercial has disturbed the consumers' mindset about the brand.

Dr P.V. Raghavan, Director, ITM, welcomed the guests and the participants. Dr S. Sabesan, academic & placement co-ordinator, ITM, delivered the vote of thanks. Besides the students of ITM, officials from TCS also attended the seminar.

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