Interview Preparation Kit

A comprehensive guide for Aspirants

IIM TIRUCHIRAPPALLI
Disclaimer: This document is for reference purposes
only and does not represent any endorsement by the
IIM Trichy administration. This kit is not exhaustive,
and we urge you to use it only to better your
preparation to ensure that you give your best shot on
D-day.
Table of Contents
i Frequently asked PI Questions

ii Economics by Arthaniti

iii Strategy and Consulting by

Consulate

iv Finance by Finvest

v Marketing by MAC

vi Analytics by Matrix

vii Human Resources by Persona

viii Operations by SigmaEta

 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 5

Some frequently asked questions for the Personal Interview round:

Tell me something about yourself? (Introduction)

Why do you wish to do an MBA?
What do you expect to learn at the end of this course?
Why do you wish to join this institute? Why not any other institute?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Tell us about a failure of yours in college/work and how you’ve improved since
then?
What is your preferred domain of study in MBA and why?
Tell us about some recent current affairs you’ve seen in the news?
What are your short/long term goals?
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
Where do you see yourself 20 years from now?
Are you a team player or team leader? Justify.
Tell us about your most cherished accomplishment.
Do you have any hobbies/interests?
Do you play or follow any sport?
Where are you from? Tell us something interesting about this place.
How many districts are there in your state?
What are your opinions on some of the latest occurrences across the
country/globe?
What are the efforts taken by countries to stimulate economic recovery in this
pandemic?
How has work-life balance disrupted due to Work from the home environment?
What is the Impact of the pandemic on the global supply chain?
COVID's impact on the education sector? Are online classes here to stay?
Economics
by
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What is Economics?
Economics is a social science that studies the production, distribution, and
consumption of goods and services. It focuses on the behaviour and interactions
of economic agents and how economies work.
Economics has been divided into two main branches of study which are
Macroeconomics and Microeconomics.
Microeconomics deals with the behaviour of individual economic units in the
economy. The individual economic units include consumers, workers, investors,
owners of land, business firms, or any individual or entity that contributes to the
functioning of the economy. Microeconomics is focused on explaining how and on
what basis these individual units make economic decisions.

On the other hand, Macroeconomics deals with aggregate economic quantities,

such as the level and growth rate of national output, interest rates, unemployment,
and inflation. In other words, Microeconomics deals with the demand and supply
of an individual and a firm, macroeconomics deals with the aggregate demand and
supply of industries and the economy.
Demand Curve:
The demand curve shows the quantity of goods consumers is willing to buy as the
price per unit of the good changes.
Law of Demand:
It defines the relationship between
the demand and the price of a
product. The demand for a product
is inversely proportional to its price
when other factors like income,
price of substitutes, consumer taste,
preferences remain the same.
When consumers are willing to buy
more for a lower price, the price of
goods increases, but the quantity
demanded decreases and vice
versa.
It is downward sloped as the price and demand are inversely proportional.

Supply Curve:
The supply curve shows the quantity of the goods the producers are willing to
sell as the price per unit good changes.
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Law of Supply:
It defines the relationship between the
supply and price of a product. The supply of a
product is directly proportional to its price
when other factors like income, the price of
substitutes, consumer taste and preferences
remain the same. When the price of a good
increase, the suppliers would want to
produce more to capture more profit. As the
price of a good decrease, the quantity
supplied decreases and vice versa.
It is upward sloped as supply and price are
directly proportional.
Equilibrium
The point of intersection of the demand curve and supply curve is called the
Equilibrium point. It gives the price at which the market supply meets the
market demand. Equilibrium is the point at which the price has reached the
level where the quantity supplied equals the quantity demanded.

Perfect substitutes:
These are the goods or commodities that consumers view as identical and have no
preference in consumption. Here, the product's utility is identical, and the
consumer is indifferent if they choose between the two. For instance, a rupee coin
is a perfect substitute for a rupee note.
Perfect complements:
Perfect complements are the goods that can be consumed only along with the
other and cannot be consumed individually. For instance, the left and right shoes
form perfect complements as we cannot use one without the other.

Opportunity cost:
The value or benefit that a person forgoes to pursue the current opportunity (or)
the value of the best alternative opportunity an individual would have pursued had
it not been the one he/she is working on is called an Opportunity cost.
For example, the benefit associated with the job offer a person has left to start his
own company will be his opportunity cost.

Sunk Cost:
The amount of money already spent and cannot be recovered in the future is
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 9

called the Sunk cost. The cost spent in R&D by a pharmaceutical company to
develop a new drug but failed to can be considered a sunk cost, as it cannot be
recovered (as we are not selling the drug).

Price Ceiling and Price floor:

Price Ceiling is the price at which a good or service is capped and thus cannot be
sold at a higher price. On the other hand, a Price Floor is the minimum purchase
cost for a good or service. The government sets these prices based on the situation
prevailing in the economy.

Fixed Costs:
Fixed Costs are the costs incurred by a company irrespective of the number of
products produced. The company will have to pay the building rent, salaries to its
employees, interest payments, etc., irrespective of the output.

Variable Costs:
Costs that vary depending on the number of products produced (output) by the
company are called Variable costs. For example, the manufacturing costs of a
shoe-making company would vary based on its production units.

Total cost is the sum of fixed and variable costs.

The Average cost is the total cost per number of units produced.

Utility:
Utility refers to the total satisfaction the consumer experiences by consuming a
good or service. Marginal utility is the added satisfaction that a consumer gets
from consuming one more unit of a good or service. The law of diminishing
marginal utility states, as consumption increases, the marginal utility derived from
each additional unit of good declines.

Elasticity:
It is the percentage change in a variable resulting from one percentage increase in
another variable. The percentage change in demand for a one per cent change in
price is called the price elasticity of demand. The measured percentage change in
the quantity demanded due to 1 percent change in income is known as income
elasticity of demand. The percentage change in quantity supplied for one per cent
change in price is called price elasticity of supply.
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Economies of scale:
It is the cost advantage that firms enjoy due to their scale of operation. The
production becomes efficient and costs less, as the fixed costs can be spread over
a more considerable amount of goods when companies scale up production. In
this case, the average cost decreases as we scale up the production.

Diseconomies of scale:
After a point of increase in output, the firm can no longer enjoy the cost benefits,
and it costs more to increase the production of a single unit (this occurs due to
multiple factors). This is called Diseconomies of scale. In this case, the average cost
increases as we scale up the production.

Here in the graph, the

company is enjoying
Economies of scale until
point Q1, after which scaling
up production can only result
in the increased average
costs leading to
diseconomies of scale.

Economies of Scope:
It occurs when the combined output of two firms producing the same product is
greater than the combined output of two enterprises producing different products.
This generally happens when a company acquires another, wherein now they will
be able to leverage individual synergies and produce better output jointly than
when isolated. These advantages can result from the combined use of inputs,
production facilities, joint marketing programs, common administration, etc.

Learning Curve:
A learning curve is a graphical representation of the relationship between how
proficient an individual is at a task and how it changes with the amount of
experience he/she has. Similarly, the firm learns over time as its cumulative output
increases.

Tariff:
It is the tax imposed by the government of a country on the goods and services
imported from another country. More tariffs discourage consumption of foreign
goods as the prices increases, and consumers will be forced to consume domestic
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 11

goods.

Quota:
The quota is a type of trade restriction wherein the government limits the number
of goods or the value of a good that can be imported from another country.

What is GDP?
GDP or Gross Domestic Product refers to the total value of all final goods and
services produced in the country within any given period. It is an important
economic indicator that gives information about the economy's performance and
provides the government with important information about areas of the economy
that need Government Assistance. It is a fundamental guide for the various fiscal
and monetary policies undertaken by the government.
Simon Kuznets developed the modern GDP concept during the year 1934. When
America was suffering due to the Great Depression, the government did not know
what policy action to take. They did not have data on the individual performance of
industries/sectors despite having data on the financial market performance.

Methods to Measure GDP: There are three methods to measure the GDP
which are as follows:

1. Expenditure Method: This is the most popular method of the three and is widely
used. It calculates the expenditure done by different factors like domestic
consumers, private firms, Government. The sum of which gives us the GDP.

Y= C + I + G + NX
C: Domestic Consumption of goods and services
I: Private Investment in capital goods
G: Government Expenditure
NX: Net Exports = Exports of Goods & Services – Imports of Goods

2. Income Method: The national income is computed using the income technique,
which involves adding the pretax earnings of individuals and firms in the economy.
It includes income from workers, rent of buildings and land, interest on capital,
profits, and so on in a certain accounting year. The income method displays how
national revenue is distributed among the economy's main earning groups.

3. Value Added Method: The product approach, also known as the value-added
method, is based on the product's net value added at each stage of production
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In terms of product technology, the economy is typically divided into several

industry sectors, such as fishing, agriculture, and transportation.
To determine the national income, the whole production of the economy's firms is
summed together.

What is Gross National Product (GNP)?

Gross Domestic Product calculates the market value of total produced Goods and
Services within the country. In contrast, Gross National Product value is the total
value of all products and services produced in a year at the means of production
owned by citizens of the country.
GNP = GDP +Net Income
Net Income: Income Earned by Citizens from Foreign Investments – Income Earned
by the foreigners via own domestically owned means of production.

Inflation: Inflation is the gradual loss of a currency's buying value over time.
The increase in the average price level of a basket of selected goods and
services in an economy over time can be used to calculate a quantitative
estimate of the rate at which buying power declines.
Consumer Price Index (CPI): The Consumer price index (CPI) measures the
cost of buying a fixed basket of goods and services representative of the
purchases of the urban consumer.
Wholesale Price Index (WPI): Like CPI, it is also a measure of the cost of a
given basket of goods. However, the goods price that they track is at the
wholesale level and not at the retail level, and it is more sensitive as
compared to CPI.
Unemployment Rate: The unemployment rate signifies the fraction of the
workforce out of work that is either looking for a job or expecting a recall
from layoff.
Inflation vs Unemployment: The Phillips Curve gives the relation between
inflation and unemployment. It shows that both are inversely related, meaning
higher the inflation, lower the unemployment observed under normal
conditions, and vice versa. Mr A. W. Phillips first studied this relation. This
relation creates a policy tradeoff where ideally, the government and the central
bank would want both the factors to below in order to ensure long-term
stability.
Fiscal Policy: The government takes these policy decisions to influence the
behaviour of the economy by changing Taxes, Government Transfers, and
Government expenditures all fall under the term of Fiscal Policy.
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Monetary Policy: The government takes the Fiscal Policy decisions, whereas
The Central bank of the country takes monetary Policy decisions. Ideally, these
decisions should be autonomous and free from any influence from the
government. The Central bank does this by controlling the money supply in the
market and varying it to vary the interest rates, promoting or creating
resistance for businesses to take loans and make investments in the economy.
REPO Rate: In the case of a cash shortage, a country's central bank (in India,
the Reserve Bank of India) lends money to commercial banks at a repo rate.
The repo rate is used by monetary authorities to keep inflation under control.
In India, it is 4% as of December 17th, 2021.
Reverse REPO Rate: The reverse repo rate is the rate at which a country's
central bank (in this case, the Reserve Bank of India) borrows money from
domestic, commercial banks. It is a monetary policy tool that can control a
country's money supply. The current Reverse Repo Rate is 3.35%.
Statutory Liquidity Ratio: Minimum percentage of the total deposits that the
bank is supposed to keep in the form of gold, cash, and other forms of
approved securities. The current SLR rate is 18%, the RBI has the power to
increase this rate up to 40%. By varying this, RBI can vary the money supply in
the economy.
Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR): Minimum percentage of the total deposits that the
bank is supposed to keep in the form of cash with RBI. The lower the CRR, the
more money bank will have to lend. RBI varies the CRR in order to vary the
liquidity level in the banking system. Currently, the CRR is 4%.
Marginal Standing Facility: In an emergency, when inter-bank liquidity is
fully depleted, banks can borrow from the Reserve Bank of India using the
marginal standing facility (MSF).
Government Budget: There are three types of scenarios possible in the
case of Government Budget, which are as follows:
1. Deficit Budget: When the budget spending plan is more than what the
Government will earn in revenues it is called the budget is in deficit and to
finance that the Government has to go for deficit financing. This scenario is
mostly there as Government has many areas to spend but have limited
resources hence budget deficit.

2. Surplus Budget: It is the situation when the planned spending is less than the
revenues.

3. Balanced Budget: It is when the spending of the government is equal to the

revenues of the government then that budget is called Balanced Budget.
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The budget of India is presented every year on 1st February by the finance
minister. It summarizes the economic sectors that the government intends to
spend on, the tax structure, and other changes. It gives an idea about the fiscal
policy taken up by the government.

Aggregate Demand:
The total demand at a price level of the
finished goods and services produced
in the economy is the aggregate
demand. It consists of all the demand
like consumer demand, Private firm
demand, Government Demand,
exports, and imports.

Over the long-term Aggregate Demand

and GDP becomes equal.
The Aggregate Demand Curve shows the combination of the price level and
level of output at which the goods and money markets are simultaneously in
equilibrium.

Expansionary policies such as increased government spending, tax cuts, and

increased money supply move the aggregate demand curve to the right.

The aggregate demand is also dependent on consumer confidence. When

consumer confidence is high, the aggregate demand is higher, so the curve
shifts right.

The Aggregate demand is a downward sloping curve that is when Price

decreases, the demand increases.

Aggregate Supply
The aggregate Supply curve describes the number of output firms are willing to
supply for each given price level.
It is upward sloping because firms are willing to supply more output at higher
prices.
When there are external changes like changes in oil prices, the Supply Curve
shifts left or right depending on the change in Oil Price; if it increases, the
supply curve will shift left and vice versa.
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When there is a technology upgrade, the cost

per unit of supply reduces, and hence
suppliers are ready to supply more at the
same price, and hence supply curve shifts
right.
Figure-(a) shows the aggregate supply curve,
which is in the normal case, and Figure-(b)
shows the aggregate supply curve, which is
vertical, which is the long-run supply curve,
the GDP is at the potential output.
Potential Output is the GDP when total
capacity is utilized to produce Goods and
Services.
The intersection of the Aggregate Demand Curve and Aggregate Supply curve
will determine the equilibrium point. It will give the Price Level and the Real
GDP value at which the Economy currently is (when at equilibrium)

Current Status of Indian Economy and Global Economy

India is emerging as the world's fastest-growing major economy, with the
potential to become among the world's top three economic powers in the
future. It is the world's sixth-largest economy considering the nominal GDP
and the third-largest in purchasing power parity (PPP).
The pandemic has affected the global economy to a great extent. The article
talks about the current status of the Indian economy and the overall global
economy. In 2020, the world faced challenges with the destructive waves of
the pandemic and ensuring recovery to date; some economic parameters of
emerging economies were studied.
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Market size
According to the provisional estimates of GDP for 2021-22 in the first quarter, the
GDP of India is at Rs. 51.23 lakh crore at current prices in the first quarter of FY22.
The Indian economy is projected to grow 8.5% in 2022.
As per Hurun Global Unicorn List, with over 21 unicorns, the country is recognized
as the fourth-largest unicorn base globally. These unicorns are collectively valued
at US$ 73.2 billion.
With the current economic situation, India needs to increase the net employment
growth rate by 1.5% per year by 2023. With this, India would attain a GDP growth
of 8-8.5% by 2030.

Recent Developments
Due to the reforms and policies in a few sectors, global investment has been
attracted, making India stand firm among the nations, witnessing strong Foreign
Direct Investment (FDI), which has continued in 2021.
India’s growth aspects are better than most of its peer countries. However,
inflation has been a concern throughout the pandemic and will likely remain the
same.
The growth in investments across various sectors of the Indian economy has been
observed as the economic situation improves. The private equity - venture capital
(PE-VC) sector has recorded investments worth US$ 10.7 billion across 137 deals in
August 2021, registering a five times YoY growth. There has been an investment of
US$ 2.5 billion in August 2021 by Foreign portfolio investors (FPIs).

Capital markets across the world have been severely hit during the pandemic.
Among the emerging nations, the capital markets of two countries, Vietnam and
India, have seen aggressive growth. It can be inferred that the withdrawn capital
here is invested in these two economies in order to alternate investment
destinations.
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It has been observed that depreciation of the local currencies in all the
economies was observed against the US dollar in 2020. However, Indian’s
currency has been among the better-performing ones, along with China and
Vietnam, their currencies appreciated against the US dollar in 2020.

Amid a resurging pandemic, the recovery of the global economy has

continued to happen. However, with an unprecedented situation, it must
work upon the economic and policy challenges and needs substantial efforts
to recover from the damages.

The forecast
The projections of the growth of the global economy indicate the growth of
5.9 per cent in 2021 and 4.9 per cent in 2022, the downward revision. It
indicates the down gradation for advanced economies—probably due to
supply disruptions. It is primarily due to worsening pandemic dynamics for
low-income developing countries. Comparatively, the forecast of the
advanced economies has been revised
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It has been observed that depreciation of the local currencies in all the
economies was observed against the US dollar in 2020. However, Indian’s
currency has been among the better-performing ones, along with China and
Vietnam, their currencies appreciated against the US dollar in 2020.

Amid a resurging pandemic, the recovery of the global economy has

continued to happen. However, with an unprecedented situation, it must
work upon the economic and policy challenges and needs substantial efforts
to recover from the damages.

The forecast
The projections of the growth of the global economy indicate the growth of
5.9 per cent in 2021 and 4.9 per cent in 2022, the downward revision. It
indicates the down gradation for advanced economies—probably due to
supply disruptions. It is primarily due to worsening pandemic dynamics for
low-income developing countries. Comparatively, the forecast of the
advanced economies has been revised
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 19

Fiscal policy
The spending on healthcare-related facilities remains the priority for all the
economies across the world.

The coverage target of 70% has been proposed to be achieved by mid-2022. It is

driven by the health and economic imperatives of stopping the pandemic as
rapidly as possible. Though the initially proposed coverage target was 60%, it is
revised to a 79% target with the rise of more infectious variants. The revised target
is aligned with the revised global vaccination strategy proposed by World Health
Organization (WHO). Also, it is in line with the downside risk scenario envisioned in
the original $50 billion IMF staff proposal released in May 2021, which included 1
billion additional doses for low and lower-middle-income countries. Nevertheless,
with the arrival of the new Variant Omicron, understanding the demographics,
identifying the national challenges, and altering the related policies should be
given significant importance.

Though the percentage of the vaccinated population has increased exponentially,

the pandemic persists. Furthermore, due to the limitation of fiscal space in some
countries with a lower development index, lifelines and transfers to the worst
affected sector will remain at the topmost priority. The economies also focus on
providing retraining and support for reallocation. In the long term, the economies
should prioritize following the measures to secure the recovery and invest in
longer-term structural goals.

Preparing for the post-pandemic economy

In the end, it is essential to deal with the challenges faced by the economy in the
post-pandemic period. The challenges would be to reverse the pandemic-induced
setback to human capital accumulation, facilitate new growth opportunities, etc.
With the advancements of technology, growth can be facilitated in green
technology and digitalization. It is equally important to focus on essential research
investment for stimulating productivity growth, reducing inequality, and ensuring
sustainable public finances.
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MAJOR ECONOMIC EVENTS (2021)

Supply Chains Falter
In 2021, "supply chains" became a household term. Businesses have assumed for
decades that outsourcing production was the key to success. Companies that
polished their supply chains saw their costs fall and earnings rise due to this
strategy. Then there was COVID-19. It revealed one of the drawbacks of supply
chains: shortages and stoppages far away lead to shortages and stoppages closer
to home. When the pandemic initially struck, factories shut down, and many
businesses reduced inventory to avoid being stuck with unsold items. However,
when vaccines became accessible in 2021, customer demand skyrocketed, leaving
many enterprises short on parts and supplies. Shortages of shipping containers, as
well as delays at ports around the world, exacerbated the situation. It did not help
that the container ship Ever Given ran aground in the Suez Canal in March,
shutting down one of the world's busiest waterways for a week and costing $9.6
billion per day. Computer chips, particularly those utilized in game consoles and
automotive production, were the deficit that drew the most attention. Due to
semiconductor shortages, Ford Motor Company predicted that it would lose 1.1
million vehicle sales in 2021. Gasoline, palm oil, chicken, grain, chlorine, and hot
dogs were among the other items in low supply in 2021. Even when goods were
plentiful, labour was frequently scarce. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the
workforce in the United States has shrunk by five million individuals. COVID-19's
supply chain disruptions, which have contributed to a worldwide spike in inflation,
might last for years.

The bullwhip effect and its impact on inflation

According to research by BIS economists, the bullwhip effect occurs when "supply
chain participants react to perceived shortages by ordering more, ordering earlier,
and hoarding inputs.". When examined in isolation, this type of reaction is prudent
and rational. However, it can lead to aggregate effects that are ultimately self-
defeating.". As a result, such behaviour exacerbates shortages and raises costs.
However, a closer look at individual supply-chain breakdowns demonstrates that
"bottlenecks" are not just a uniform pressure down the supply chain.
Instead, we have seen commodities demand swing as pressures arose at various
places along the supply chain, leading in big price swings." In other words, the
bullwhip effect caused some commodity and input prices to skyrocket, only to
plummet later. The BIS cites the price of iron ore, lumber, and coal and the cost of
shipping containers as examples. Prices skyrocketed and then plummeted in each
case as capacity grew faster than demand.
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The bullwhip effect and its impact on inflation
According to research by BIS economists, the bullwhip effect occurs when "supply
chain participants react to perceived shortages by ordering more, ordering earlier,
and hoarding inputs.". When examined in isolation, this type of reaction is prudent
and rational. However, it can lead to aggregate effects that are ultimately self-
defeating.". As a result, such behaviour exacerbates shortages and raises costs.
However, a closer look at individual supply-chain breakdowns demonstrates that
"bottlenecks" are not just a uniform pressure down the supply chain.
Instead, we have seen commodities demand swing as pressures arose at various
places along the supply chain, leading in big price swings." In other words, the
bullwhip effect caused some commodity and input prices to skyrocket, only to
plummet later. The BIS cites the price of iron ore, lumber, and coal and the cost of
shipping containers as examples. Prices skyrocketed and then plummeted in each
case as capacity grew faster than demand.

What do the results of the BIS analysis mean?

The prevailing thinking recently has been that the bullwhip effect will worsen
supply-chain disruption, prolonging inflationary pressures and rising inflation
expectations in the future. This issue has been brought to the notice of the OECD.
"To what degree will the behavioural responses that caused bottlenecks to operate
in reverse to reduce backlogs if supply chain problems start to ease?" the BIS
wonders. Depending on the answer, supply bottlenecks may be addressed sooner
than previously anticipated, just as they have lasted longer than anticipated." As a
result, reversing the bullwhip effect could lead to decreased inflation.

Chinese trade remains strong

China's year-over-year export growth slowed in November, but import growth
increased. Exports increased 22.0 per cent year over year in US dollars, slower than
the 27.1 per cent recorded in October. Even yet, 22.0 per cent is a significant figure.
Furthermore, exports increased by 8.4% from the previous month, falling from
September to October. Export growth comes when the Chinese economy is facing
considerable obstacles, particularly as the property sector struggles, electricity
rationing persists, and the virus's zero-tolerance policy hampers industries and
ports. Exports to ASEAN were up 22.3 per cent year over year, 33.5 per cent to the
European Union, but only 5.3 per cent to the US. Exports to the United States could
be suffering due to the renminbi's rising value. It could also be due to a drop in US
demand.
Meanwhile, imports into China increased by 31.7 per cent in November compared
to the previous year's same month. It was an increase from the previous month's
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 22

gain of 20.6 per cent. Imports were boosted by a 200.3 per cent increase in coal
and lignite imports year over year. Imports of coal and lignite increased by 769.9%
from the previous month. This was due to a desire to increase power production
when rising demand has resulted in shortages, resulting in rationing and factory
closures.
Furthermore, the increase in imports mirrored the rapid spike in oil, other
commodities, and some manufactured material prices. Imports of integrated circuits,
for example, increased by 25.3 per cent in value in November compared to the same
month last year, but only by 2.8 per cent in volume. The disparity between these two
figures was attributable to a significant price increase. Nonetheless, an increase in
integrated circuit volume shows a minor loosening of supply-chain constraints.

India’s Economy to Rebound as Pandemic Prompts Reforms

After the second wave of COVID-19 infections this year, which further slowed activity
and put a toll on the country's people, India's economy is on the mend.
In a recent IMF podcast, Luis Breuer, the IMF's senior resident representative to India,
said, "What happens in India has a significant impact, both in the region and in the
world." "You are dealing with a significant portion of humanity as well as the global
economy."
According to the current annual evaluation by IMF staff, India's broad range of fiscal,
monetary, and health responses to the crisis aided its recovery and, along with
economic reforms, are helping to offset the crisis's longer-term adverse effects. Even
though governmental measures managed to contain the pandemic, it is still likely to
increase poverty and inequality. Moreover, the virus's course will be followed by the
path of recuperation. Although new infections have decreased dramatically and
vaccination rates have climbed to over a billion doses, a resurgence is not improbable,
even if it appears unlikely at this time.

Economic Forecasts
Global economic growth, inflation will slow in 2022
Global economic growth will continue over the next three years, albeit at a slower
pace. The COVID-19 virus continues to cause economic disruption in the region,
although its economic impact will reduce as vaccines and treatments improve. As
supply conditions improve in the first half of 2022, downstream inflation rates will
begin to drop. A gradual tightening of monetary policy will help keep inflation
expectations and actual inflation under control.
After a 3.4% decline in 2020, world real GDP is projected to increase 5.5% in 2021 and
4.2% in 2022
Rising vaccination rates, more effective treatments, corporate changes, and shifting
consumer spending from commodities to services would alleviate pandemic-related
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 23
growth limitations. IHS Markit PMI surveys indicate that the service sector is picking up
steam, which should continue into 2022 and recovery in travel and tourism. As pent-
up demand is met, employment recoveries are completed, and fiscal and monetary
policies tighten, global growth will settle to 3.4 per cent in 2023 and 3.2 per cent in
2024.

Asia Pacific economies are rebounding from third-quarter setbacks as factories

reopen
Manufacturing production in the Asia Pacific is returning, led by accelerations in
Indonesia, Thailand, and India, as the Delta variation wave of COVID-19 fades. The
resurgence in industrial output in the United States assists in the gradual alleviation of
global supply-chain disruptions. Real GDP in the Asia Pacific, excluding mainland
China and Japan, is expected to rise 4.5 per cent in 2021 and 4.7 per cent in 2022,
following a 3.8 per cent fall in 2020.

Growth to slow, China will set the pace

By the end of 2021, the global economy will have grown by 5.7 per cent. In 2022,
experts predict that growth will decrease to 4.6 per cent. China is the significant
uncertainty in the prediction because it is the main engine of economic growth as a
region, accounting for roughly 30% of world economic growth in 2021. Unless other
key regions vastly beat projections, the global economy will slow significantly if the
Chinese economy slows.

Latin America is struggling to recover from a lost decade of economic progress

After a decade of stagnation, GDP growth is expected to pick up through the end of
2021 but then fall in 2022. Higher government expenditure in 2020 due to Covid-19
and higher global commodity prices in 2021 are driving up prices in Latin America,
even as unemployment remains high and purchasing power stagnates. Unfortunately,
there is a substantial danger of underperformance due to this.

Public policy
Public policy is as old as government. Oligarchy, Monarchy, nobles, dictatorship,
democracy, anytime, wherever Governments were, social policies were developed and
implemented. It goes with the variety. Problems and demands of government Due to
the large number of guidelines created, these are called standard guidelines. This unit
will define the definition and type of social order and ethics and highlight different
aspects. It is part of the guide and distinguishes between policy, decision, and policy.
Efforts are being made to highlight the relationship between politics and politics. The
importance and aspects of social order and ethics are also discussed.
Social order and ethics are a guide that focuses on state administration by the laws
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 24
and other cultural and institutional affairs. This step was taken to use more evidence
to make policy decisions. Proponents of evidence-based politics believe that
policymaking should be directed only at high-quality, accurate scientific evidence, not
traditional beliefs, sentiments, or political controversies.

Policy:
The term "policy" may refer to the official guideline for a particular government. We
also propose guidelines or legislation governing how the law is enacted and applied to
political tracts and symbols to form appropriate and viable state organs. These serve
as legal guidelines for proper compliance.
In addition, the guidelines may also refer to an internal organization's guidelines
developed on a specific topic. For example, suppose a company has a policy of equity.
If so, it shows that all employees should be treated equally, regardless of gender,
social or economic status, or occupation.

Types of Community Policy:

These policies relate to the welfare and development of the public; programs such as
the provision of education and employment opportunities, economic stability, law and
order, anti-pollution legislation, etc., are the result of solid policy development. These
policies have many areas of work that affect the well-being and development of the
public. This does not apply to any segment of society. Such policies should be
developed with due regard to the constitutional importance of socio-economic issues
and the level of requests for good public behaviour.

Control: Regulatory policies relating to trade, business, security measures, public

services, etc. These kinds of laws are made by private organizations working for the
government: Sine Life Insurance Corporation, Reserve Bank of India, Hindustan Steel,
State Electricity Boards in India. State Transport Companies, Public Finance
Companies, etc., perform regulatory functions. The policies made by the government
regarding these services and the organizations that make up these services are known
as regulatory policies.

Distribution: Distribution policies are designed for specific sections of the

community. It could be in grants, social welfare, health services, etc. This includes all
social assistance and social programs. Additional examples of policies for the
distribution of adult education programs, food aid, social insurance, vaccination
camps, etc.

Redistribution: Redistribution policies are concerned with reorganizing mechanisms

to bring about significant social and economic changes. Certain social assets and
social services are equally divided between certain sections of society; redistribution
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 25
policies facilitate these goods and services.

Capitalization: Under capitalist policies, funding is provided by the Union

government to provincial and local governments; such support is also offered to the
in-country business or another important sector if necessary. Capital expenditure
policies differ from existing regulatory, distribution, and redistribution policies as no
social services are provided.

Public Policy Process:

Public policy involves a process of flexibility and is not a one-time event. In most cases,
public policy deals with related laws and regulations. It covers a minor procedure that
includes specific details and practical strategies.

Considering the procedures followed in India, such as passing a particular bill, long
and complex steps are involved. The bill to be passed by law must pass through two
houses, namely Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. After going through a series of
authoritarian leaders or administrators, the President assists and approves the bill,
becoming law.

Indian Public Policy Stakeholders:

Individuals and the institutions they represent are central to policymaking in India.
The individual stakeholders involved come from inside and outside the government.
Stakeholders are individuals or groups that influence or may affect the achievement
of a country's overall economic goals.

The list of some notable policy institutes that perform research and advocacy and
enable policymakers and the public to make informed decisions about public policy
issues are as follows:

Center for Asian Strategic Studies- India (CASS-India): It is a think tank that looks at
strategic problems that influence India, Africa, and Asia. CASS-India is a non-
governmental organization based in New Delhi created in 1999. CASS-India
conducts research and analysis on India's military, defence, diplomacy, security,
strategy, anti-piracy, and nuclear problems.

Centre for Policy Research: The Centre for Policy Research (CPR) is India's public
policy think organization. CPR's goals are to produce substantial policy choices on
issues affecting India's politics, economy, and society, provide advisory services to
governments, public bodies, and other organizations, and disseminate policy
knowledge via various means. CPR's governing board comprises public leaders
from India's government, academia, and business.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 26

Foundation for Democratic Reforms: This is one of India's premier think tanks
and scientific research centres for investigating, proposing, and pushing
essential changes in the political, electoral, and governance sectors, as well as
in crucial areas of state policy.
Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs: The Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs
(IICA) is a central civil service training institute for prominent public officials in
the Indian Corporation Law Service cadre. It is under the authority of the
Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India. It helps manage and deal
with a wide range of themes, matters, and affairs within the realm of corporate
affairs regulation, governance, and policy.
NITI Aayog: The NITI Aayog is the Government of India's premier public policy
think tank and the nodal organization tasked with stimulating economic
development and building cooperative federalism through the bottom-up
involvement of State Governments in the economic policy-making process.

Major Public Policies since Independence

Controller of Capital Issue, 1947
In a socialist India, the legislation established who would command capital: the
government, through the Controller of Capital Issues (CCI). The government chose
which companies might raise how much cash under this Act. The Act declared that
"no corporation shall make a two issuance of capital unless with the authorization
of the Central Government." The office of CCI was transformed into a zero-risk,
high-return lottery-ticket dispenser since the prices of the shares provided to the
public through capital markets were vastly discounted, providing a considerable
margin to investors and speculators on the listing.

Minimum wages Act

Even before the country had a hold on industrialization, Parliament passed the
Minimum Wages Act on March 15, 1948, declaring that governments (both central
and state) would determine the number of wages paid, not economic agents. The
minimum wage was enshrined in the Constitution as a concept to provide a
reasonable level of living.

Banking regulation Act

In India, the fundamentals of banking. It provided India's central bank, the Reserve
Bank of India (RBI), the authority to license banks, limit shareholder and voting
rights, monitor board nominations and management control, regulate banking
operations, issue auditing and liquidation directives, and levy fines.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 27

Nationalization of banks and Insurance companies

The decision was made to keep tabs on the country's large private banks and
insurance businesses involved in fraud. The goal was to keep the public from
becoming interested in extending these institutions' reach to rural areas of the
country.

Foreign Exchange Regulation Act

"The use or disposal of, or deals in, coin, bullion, securities, or foreign exchange" is
prohibited. Likewise, it was a temporary measure that would expire once World
War II ended on December 31, 1957. The Act "to govern certain payments, dealings
in foreign exchange and securities, and the import and export of cash and bullion"
was made permanent since the foreign exchange shortage was expected to
persist.

Consumer Protection Act, 1986

The Consumer 298 Protection Act was enacted on December 24, 1986. It
established consumer protection councils and a three-tier structure of dispute
redressal through quasi-judicial bodies around the time India began to experiment
with the idea of an open economy. It included 629 District Forums and 35 State
Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions, with the National Consumer Disputes
Redressal Commission in New Delhi. The legislation covers both commodities and
services. It ensures that customers have access to information on the quality,
purity, standard, and pricing of goods and services. The Act was revised in 1991,
requiring all district and state hearings to be conducted by the presiding officer in
the presence of the consumer.

Foreign Investment Promotion Board

Following the 24 July 1991 Statement on Industrial Policy, the Foreign Investment
Promotion Board became India's entry point for processing FDI bids and providing
recommendations to the government. The clearances were given in three stages: a
committee of senior officials, the finance minister-chaired Empowered Committee
on Foreign Investment for investments up to Rs. 300 crores, and the Cabinet
Committee on Foreign Investment for larger projects.

Disinvestment, 1991
India's disinvestment initiative is part of a larger trend of gradually demolishing yet
another previous icon: public sector firms, where the government has no business.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 28

SEBI, 1992
This agency protects the interests of investors in securities and promotes the growth
and regulation of the securities market." India's capital market regulator has been the
most investor-focused of all the financial regulators.
SEBI has been able to steer the direction of markets and their participants for the past
25 years. It coincides with the opening up of the Indian economy, ensuring price
discovery and governance of securities, allowing efficient capital mobilization and
allocation, all while keeping investors' interests in mind and staying abreast of global
financial evolution.
SEBI has probably made India's capital markets one of the finest regulated in the
world. It has also monitored and managed the market's evolution from a stage where
government-controlled institutions like LIC and UTI drove shallow markets to one
where foreign institutional investors and mutual funds balance each other and give
more depth. SEBI has steered the growth of competitive forces in capital markets,
pushed for more disclosures and transparency from intermediaries and companies,
reduced transaction costs and information asymmetry, strengthened corporate
governance, and created a transparent, low-cost, high-disclosure vehicle for investors
through mutual funds.

FDI in Retail, 2012

Although India and FDI have a reciprocal attraction, policies and discussions have
been more focused on the level of hurdles than on their removal. FDI in commerce
was only authorized for exports under the industrial policy declaration of July 24,
1991. On January 17, 1997, 100 per cent of FDI was allowed for exports and cash-and-
carry wholesale business six years later. Small sellers benefited from this since they
would queue and buy here, probably due to higher profits. On September 20, 2012,
the government approved 100 per cent FDI in single-brand retail, with a mandated 30
per cent sourcing from small Indian businesses.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, 2014
The Yojana resulted in a financial records carnival and a deluge of political rhetoric.
Unbanked Indians can use the financial inclusion program to create a bank account,
receive a RuPay debit card, and enrol in social security programs, including insurance
and pensions. In other words, it facilitates India's financialization on a scale that no
other country on the planet has witnessed. The plan has taken off at a breakneck
pace, with about 310 million participants, three-fifths of whom live in rural regions,
and a total balance of Rs. 73,690 crores as of January 17, 2018. In the broader picture,
the initiative assures that India's digitalization is not limited to the rich or
metropolitan regions but empowers every individual.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 29

AADHAR
UIDAI, which oversees granting an identity through Aadhaar, a one-of-a-kind
number, needed statutory support. The government passed the law in 2016. The
Aadhaar number became the most trusted form of identification, requiring it to
file taxes, obtain and link it to the Permanent Account Number, and serve as a
Know Your Customer (KYC) tool for financial products like mutual funds. This, as
well as linking direct benefits like the public distribution system, employment
guarantee programs, cash transfers to the needy, and the creation of bank
accounts, are all important.

Goods and Services Tax, 2017

The law was passed in order to combine many taxes into one. The GST replaces
eight federal taxes and nine state levies. However, it excludes five petroleum
products (crude, gasoline, diesel, ATF, and natural gas), as well as human-
consumed alcohol.

Major Policies in last 5 years

Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan:
The Atmanirbhan Bharat Abhiyan is a policy that entails a package worth Rs 20
lakh crores to provide an economic stimulus to fulfill the primary objective of
promoting “local” products.
The Mission will be carried out in two phases:
Phase 1: It will consider sectors like medical textiles, electronics, plastics, and toys
where local manufacturing and exports can be promoted.
Phase 2: It will consider products like gems and jewellery, pharma, steel, etc.

Five Pillars for a self-reliant India:

1. Economic: The state of a country or region in terms of the production and
consumption of goods and services and money supply. Focus Area: The
government focuses on quantum jumps, not incremental changes.
2. Infrastructure: In the context of a country, it is a set of all facilities and systems
that help in the efficient functioning of households, companies, and the
economy. Focus Area: One that represents modern India.
3. System: A group of interacting and interrelated elements.
4. Focus Area: Technology-driven efficient, and up-to-date processes. Simple and
clear laws to assist growth.
5. Demography: It is the scientific study of human populations with respect to
various characteristics such as their size and distribution across the required
region.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 30

6. Focus Area: Vibrant demography of the largest democracy. Building a capable

workforce.
7. Demand: Refers to the quantity of goods that a consumer is willing and able
to purchase at different prices. Focus Area: Full utilization of power, demand,
supply, and building a robust financial system.

Farm Bills 2020: (Repealed)

The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020:
The first law is an amendment of the existing essential commodities act that does
not permit anyone to store commodities. If done, then the stock can be
confiscated by the government. About 30% of agricultural products go to waste in
India because of a lack of storage.

Is this wastage not criminal in a country where one-fifth of the population

does not get two square meals a day?
Cold Storage at the village level was not possible due to the non-availability of
electricity. Due to a lack of options, the farmers had to suffer the loss due to
wastage and were forced to sell perishable items at throwaway prices at the end
of the season. Now that electricity is available in every village, the farmers can
create Cold Storage facilities through village cooperatives.

The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance

and Farm Services Bill, 2020:
The second Act is about Permitting Contract Farming: Now, the big corporations
can enter contract farming with farmers, which is a win-win situation for both. The
farmers know the price before they even produce and can sell at an assured
contracted price without worrying about price crashes in the market and suffering
losses due to that. We have often seen, e.g., onion, farmers being forced to throw
their produce in the field whenever there is a bumper crop causing immense
suffering. The corporates get their required quantity at a pre-agreed price and can
run their business and pricing smoothly. For example, biscuit company Britannia
can enter contract farming with the farmers for their wheat requirement.

The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020:

The third law offers an option to farmers to sell their produce in pan India Agri
Commodities Market and free them from the shackles of Mandis and exploitation
by the middlemen. The possibility for farmers to sell at Mandis at MSP remains.
But there the government procurement has a storage limitation and farmer
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 31
must have options to explore further better opportunities. For example, a farmer
in Gujarat can check onion prices online. If he finds a buyer in West Bengal who
requires a few quintals of onion at his desired price, he can sell it online and send
it using available transport.

After constant protests by the farmers and the opposition party, all three Laws
were scrapped on 19 November 2021 after an announcement by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi.

New Education Policy 2020:

In a first by modern India, the NEP is the first attempt by India to revamp the
education structure that we inherited from the colonial system. After a long gap of
34 years, NEP 2020, in its truest sense, is the first public policy document in
education after independence. Its focus on a holistic, learner-centred flexible
system aims to develop India into a knowledge powerhouse with a high Gross
Enrollment Ratio (GER). It aims to bring approximately two crore students back
into the system.
Few changes and improvements that the NEP 2020 aims to bring are:
1. The school-going years have been increased from 3 to 18 years from the
earlier age bracket of 6-14 years to encourage the holistic development of
students.
2. It stresses the medium of language to be a regional language until at least the
fifth standard. The reason being one’s mother tongue can play an integral role
in the overall development of a child.
3. The school curriculum of 10+2 has been replaced by a 5+3+3+4 system for age
groups 3-8, 8-11,11-14, and 14-18 years, respectively.
4. Development of a circular framework under the name NCPFECCE by NCERT for
children of up to 8 years of age.
5. The policy aims to attain universal foundation literacy by 2025, focusing on
states to develop an implementation plan of the same.
6. Emphasis has been placed on setting up a Gender Inclusion Fund and Special
Education Zones to promote the disadvantaged regions and groups.
7. The National Council for Teachers Education will develop a common National
Professional Standards for Teachers by 2022.
8. State/Union Territories will set up independent State School Standards
Authorities (SSSA) to develop a school quality assessment and accreditation
framework through all stakeholders.
9. The policy emphasizes robust research culture and building research capacity
across higher education and the formation of the National Research
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 32

Foundation has been proposed for the same.

10. The policy also aims to internationalize education, which will allow top world-
Ranked universities to open their campuses in India.
11. Central and state governments aim to increase the public sector investment
in education up to 6% of GDP as soon as possible.

With a commendable vision, NEP was long due but will have to integrate itself with
the government objectives of Digital India and Skill India, among many others. If
implemented well, the policy can play a crucial role in strengthening India’s
position in terms of education.

Kashmir: Special Status Repealed

Article 370 of the Constitution of India was a "temporary provision" that granted a
special autonomous status within the Indian union to the state of Jammu and
Kashmir.

Article 35A to the Indian Constitution allowed Jammu and Kashmir to define the
state's residents and give certain "special rights and privileges" attached to such
residency, including the power to restrict settlement to the state and acquire
immovable property.

On August 5, 2019, the president of India issued the Constitution (Application to

Jammu and Kashmir) Order 2019, pursuant to Article 370(1) of the Constitution of
India, removing all the provisions of autonomy granted to the state.

Rajya Sabha also passed a Statutory Resolution on the same day recommending
that the president of India revoke most of article 370 pursuant to Article 370(3). On
August 6, the President of India implemented the resolution and revoked Jammu
and Kashmir's special status. Bypassing the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization
Bill, 2019, the state of Jammu and Kashmir ceased to exist; and was replaced by
two new Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Some Other Policies:

1. PM Housing Scheme 2022
2. Har Ghar Jal
3. Raising Legal Marriage age of Women (Proposed)

Follow Arthaniti on: @arthaniti_iimtrichy

 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 33

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Strategy &
Consulting
by
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 36

What is Consulting?
Consulting is the business of offering advice and expertise to an organization with
the object of helping them improve their business performance in terms of their
overall profitability, operations, and management structure. The demand for
consultants by businesses or other organizations has resulted in the emergence of
consulting as one major domain and a sought-after career option.
Management consultants help businesses improve their performance and grow
by solving problems and finding new and better ways of doing things. If you’re
interested in how a business works – its strategy, structure, management, and
operations – a career in management consultancy might be for you. You will be
able to:
▪ Rapidly Gain Exposure to Industries: You'll gain experience by working on
projects in a vast range of industries and with different clients and see how your
decisions affect them.
▪ Help Make Big-Picture Decisions: You’ll help guide your clients in making
major decisions that will affect their business.
▪ Continuously learn: You’ll be working on projects that require you to
continuously learn and adapt to new trends in the industry.
▪ Work in a team environment: You’ll have the chance of collaborating with
people in your organization and with the clients who have interests and expertise
similar to your

Consultants are hired for a variety of reasons. There are three basic reasons why
people seek professional advice:
1. They can't figure it out or get to the state they want on their own.
2. They have a rough concept of where they want to go, but they want to get there
as soon as possible.
3. They want to save time and effort by using a tried-and-true method. Giving
guidance is only one aspect of consulting.

It entails a hierarchy of goals:

Giving information to a customer.
Dealing with a client's issues.
Obtaining a diagnosis, which may necessitate redefining the issue.
Making suggestions based on the findings.
Assisting with the implementation of solutions that have been recommended.
Creating buy-in and commitment to corrective action.
Assisting clients in their learning—this is a big one.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 37

What’s in for you?

Skills needed to be a consultant

▪ Ability to multitask
▪ Ability to work in teams
▪ Willingness to work long hours
▪ Travel enthusiast
▪ Great Academics
What is Strategy in Consulting?
A strategy is any action that a manager takes to attain a pre-established
organizational goal. It focuses on creating a unique value proposition that helps the
organization attain a strategic position. It emerges from three distinct sources:
▪ Serving few needs of many customers
▪ Serving broad needs of few customers
▪ Serving broad needs of many customers in a narrow market

How to understand Strategy?

 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 38

Core Strategy Tools

1. SWOT Analysis
A structured planning method is used to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, and threats involved in a project or in a business venture.

▪ Strengths:
characteristics of the
business or project that
give it an advantage over
others.
▪ Weaknesses:
characteristics that place
the business or project at
a setback relative to
others.
▪ Opportunities:
elements that the
business or project could
exploit to its advantage.
▪ Threats: elements in the
environment that could
cause trouble for the
business or project.
2. PESTLE analysis
PESTLE Analysis is used for analyzing the environment in which a business
operates.
Political: - This factor determines the extent to which a government influences
the economy of any industry.
Economic: - Refers to factors in the economy that affect the organization
Social: - These factors scrutinize the social environment of the market, and gauge
determinants like cultural trends, demographics, population analytics, etc.
Technological: - These factors pertain to innovations in technology that may
affect the operations of the industry and the market favourably or unfavourably
Legal: - There are certain laws that affect the business environment in a certain
country.
Environmental: -These factors include all those that influence or are determined
by the surrounding environment.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 39

3. BCG Matrix
A matrix, developed by Boston Consulting Group in the early 1960s is used to plan
market strategies. The growth rate is determined by reference to market research,
or it can be estimated. “Competitive position” includes an assessment of the firm’s
overall market penetration and profitability compared to the other players in that
market. Products are then positioned in the four cells as shown in the figure.

▪ Cash Cows: Large Market Share in

a mature industry. It requires little
investment.
▪ Star: Larger Market Share in a
growing industry. It may require
investment to maintain a lead.
▪ Question Marks: Small Market
Share in a growing market, Requires
focus and resources.
▪ Dog: Small Market Share in a
Mature industry. There is little
prospect for gain.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 40

4. McKinsey 7S
The McKinsey 7S Framework is a good tool to help you find and fix internal
organizational problems. McKinsey 7S Framework is a strategic planning tool
designed to help an organization understand if it is set up in a way that allows it to
achieve its objectives. Before the advent of the 7S Model, when managers thought
about organizational design, they tended to focus on structure and strategy. They
thought about who is responsible for what, who reports to whom, how many layers
of management there should be, and how to beat the competition. It is used for:
Organizational change
Mergers and acquisitions
Implementation of a new strategy
Understanding the weaknesses (blind spots) of an organization

5. MECE
MECE is a system of problem-solving that help solve complex problems. It can help
streamline activities and focus on critical data that determine success. Benefits of
using a business strategy framework. A business framework can be used to analyze
and guide decisions for your client and your own business. For example, the 3C
Model can help you develop a competitive strategy for your client or can be applied
to develop a social media marketing plan for your personal brand. There is no one
best framework, and often you may find that you are using multiple frameworks in
the course of your client’s work. Frameworks save you time by providing a starting
point for information gathering and analysis but remember the most powerful
framework you have is your expertise and common sense. These tools are time-
savers, but ultimately it is your business insight that will deliver value to your client.

6. Porter’s 5 Forces
Power is a key element in your and your client’s success. To sustain profitability and
a competitive position, you want to balance the power in your favour. Porter’s Five
Forces is a useful tool in helping you to understand both the power of your current
competitive position and the planned position.
Porter's five forces are:
1. Competition in the industry
2. Potential of new entrants into the industry
3. Power of suppliers
4. Power of customers
5. The threat of substitute products
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 41

KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Porter's Five Forces is a framework for analysing a company's competitive
environment.
• The number and power of a company's competitive rivals, potential new market
entrants, suppliers, customers, and substitute products influence a company's
profitability.
• Five Forces analysis can be used to guide business strategy to increase
competitive advantage.

7. Bain’s elements of value

Product and service value is delivered in four ways: functional, emotional, life-
changing, and social impact. In general, the more elements offered, the stronger
the client loyalty and the company's long-term revenue development.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 42

How will IIM Trichy help you in pursuing a career in strategy and
consulting?
IIM Trichy offers extensive courses in strategy

About Consulate club

Consulate club is an entirely student-driven initiative that has a core community of
passionate management students having diverse experience and who work to offer
the students a platform to develop an interest and inclination towards the fields of
strategy and consulting at IIM Trichy.

How can we help you?

We offer live projects that provide you with the chance to work as a pro-bono
consultant
We conduct workshops on how to approach case study competitions.
We provide industry exposure through guest lectures.
We provide industry updates to keep up to date.
We conduct various competitions throughout the academic year to help you
hone various skills like thinking strategically, research, analysis of data,
presentation, etc.

Follow Consulate on: @consulateiimt

 Finance
by

Finance and Investment Club

of IIM Trichy
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 44

Finance
Finance is the heart and soul of any enterprise and financial management helps
determine what, when, and where to expend. Not only that, it helps the
business manage its financial assets and generate more income. It also involves
keeping in check the financial health and status of the business, helping to
determine business strategy and direction as well as contributing to the
objectives of the organization.

Finance professionals are accountable for carrying out this financial management
of the organization i.e., knowing from where to source it, deciding how to spend it
to get the maximum returns at the lowest possible risk. They seek to find ways to
ensure the flow of capital, increasing profitability and decreasing expenses.

Basic Concepts in Finance

1. Financial Statements
Financial statements are a collection of documents and reports of the transactions
of an organization. It helps determine an organization's financial health,
profitability, and performance. It is useful as it helps:
To determine the ability of a business to generate cash and the sources and
uses of that cash.
To determine whether a business can pay back its debts.
To track financial results on a trend line to spot any looming profitability issues.
To derive financial ratios from the statements that can indicate the condition of
the business.
To investigate the details of certain business transactions, as outlined in the
disclosures that accompany the statements.

There are 3 major financial statements:

2. Income Statement/ 3. Cash Flow statement

1. Balance Sheet Profit and Loss
Statement

1. Balance Sheet
The balance sheet summarizes a company's liabilities, assets, and equity at a given
point of time. It summarizes the financial position of a company. It is based on:
Assets = Liabilities + Shareholders’ Equity
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 45

Assets are of the following types:

Fixed assets - Assets that are purchased for the long term and can not be easily
converted into cash. It includes building, land, machinery etc.
Current assets - Assets that can be quickly converted into cash. It includes
money market instruments, debtors etc.

Liabilities define what the company owes to other entities. It is usually taken upon
to fund the activities of the business. It is classified as a current liability if due within
the next 12 months.

Shareholder’s equity represents the number of business holdings that weren't

purchased using debt (loans).

2. Income Statement
Income Statement reports the revenue generated, expenses incurred and the
profits or losses generated during a period of time. It is defined as:
Revenue – Expenses = Income

Revenue is the amount of money the is received by the company during a

particular period. It is also known as "TopLine".
Expenses are deductions from the income. It is done before assessing taxes.
Income is the net inflow of cash or other assets during any given accounting
period.

3. Cash Flow Statement

Cash flow statements map the cash inflows and outflows of the firm. It has three
major elements:

-Cash flow from operating activities: It includes cash created through day-to-
day operations of the company, primarily buying and selling goods & services.
-Cash flow from investing activities: It includes buying and selling of
investments such as property, plant, and equipment.
-Cash flow from financing activities: It includes the sale of stocks, the
repurchase of stocks, and the issuance of shares.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 46

Shares
In simple words, Share is a unit of the company owned by you. Suppose the company
X is divided into 10000 shares. Thus, 1 share = 0.01% corporate ownership.
In the case of a Public limited company, the shares are registered and traded on the
stock exchange. In the case of Private limited shares are not traded freely. They can be
bought or sold between existing owners or a company Thus, the companies we see
being traded (bought/sold) on various exchanges such as the NSE and BSE are public
companies.

Shares of companies can be traded in two ways:

Primary Offer or PrimaryMarket (IPO/FPO)
IPO or Initial Public Offer is a primary offer in which a company offers to sell its shares
to the general public for the first time. FPO or Further Public Offer is a primary offer in
which a company offers for sale its shares to the general public after the first offer is
made. In such situations, the shares are already being traded. New shares are issued
to the market.
Secondary Market
Different offerings to the public: In a primary offer, the company sells the shares of a
company to the general public through IPO or FPO. Once the IPO is done and the stock
is listed, they are traded in the secondary market.

The main difference between the two is that in the primary market, an investor gets
securities directly from the company through IPOs, while in the secondary market, one
purchases securities from other investors willing to sell the same. Equity shares,
bonds, preference shares, treasury bills, debentures, etc. are some of the key products
available in a secondary market. SEBI is the regulator of the same.

SENSEX
Sensex, otherwise known as the S&P BSE Sensex index, is the benchmark index of the
Bombay StockExchange (BSE) in India. Sensexcomprises 30 of the largest and most
actively traded stocks on the BSE, providing an accurate gauge of India'seconomy. The
index's composition is reviewed in June and December each year. Initially compiled in
1986, the Sensex is the oldest stock index in India. Analysts and investors use the
Sensex to observe the overall growth, development of particular industries, and
booms and busts of the Indian economy.

NIFTY
The NIFTY 50 index is the National Stock Exchange of India's benchmark broad-based
stock market index for the Indian equity market. The full form of NIFTY is National Stock
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 47

Exchange Fifty. It represents the weighted average of 50 Indian company stocks in 12 sectors
and is one of the two main stock indices used in India. Nifty is owned and managed by India
IndexServices and Products (IISL), which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NSE Strategic
Investment Corporation Limited.

SEBI
Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) is a statutory regulatory body entrusted
with the responsibility to regulate the Indian capital markets. It monitors and regulates
the securities market and protects the interests of the investors by enforcing certain rules
and regulations. The objective of SEBI is to ensure that the Indian capital market works
systematically and provide investors with a transparent environment for their investment.

Important Rates
Repo Rate (4% as of 6 January 2021):
Repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country (reserve bank of India in the case
of India) lends money to commercial banks in the event of any shortfall of funds. Repo rates
can be used by monetary authorities to control inflation.

Reverse Repo Rate (3.35% as of 6 January 2021):

Reverse repo rate is the rate at which the central bank of a country (Reserve Bank of India in
the case of India) borrows money from commercial banks within the country. It is a monetary
policy instrument that can be used to control the money supply in the country.

Cash Reserve Ratio(3% as of 6 January 2021):

Cash Reserve Ratio (CRR) is the share of a commercial bank’s total deposit that is mandated
by the central bank of a country (reserve bank of India in case of India)to be maintained with
the latter in the form of liquid cash.

Statutory Liquidity Ratio(18.5% as of 6 January2021):

The ratio of liquid assets to net demand and time liabilities (NDTL) that is mandated by the
central bank of a country (Reserve Bank of India in case of India) to be maintained with the
latter is called statutory liquidity ratio (SLR).

Call Rate
Call money rate is the rate at which short term funds are borrowed and lent in the money
market. The duration of the call money loan is 1 day to 14 days. Banks resort to these types of
loans to fill the asset-liability mismatch, comply with the statutory CRR and SLR requirements,
and meet the sudden demand of funds.

Non-Performing Assets
A non-performing asset (NPA) is a loan or advance for which the principal or interest payment
remained overdue for a period of 90 days. Banks are required to classify NPAs further into
Substandard, Doubtful, and Loss assets.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 48

Substandard assets
Substandard assets are the assets that have remained NPA for a period less than or equal to
12 months.

Doubtful assets
If an asset has stayed in the substandard category for a period of 12 months, it is categorised
as a questionable asset.

Loss assets
As per RBI, “Loss asset is considered uncollectible and of such little value that its continuance
as a bankable asset is not warranted, although there may be some salvage or recovery value.”

CIBIL Score
The Credit Information Bureau (India) Ltd, popularly known as CIBIL is a Reserve Bank of India
(RBI) authorized credit agency. It offers CIBIL scores and CIBIL reports for individuals. A CIBIL
score is generated by the bureau after considering an individual's detailed credit information.
The agency also offers credit report services to the banks and other NBFC (Non-banking
financial companies). A CIBIL score is a three-digit number between 300-900, 300 being the
lowest, that represents an individual's
creditworthiness. A higher CIBIL score suggests good credit history and responsible
repayment behaviour. CIBIL scores are calculated on the basis of at least 6 months of
historical financial data of an individual.

Security Analysis and Portfolio Management

WACC
In long term capital structure,
Wd*Kd*(1-t) + We*Ke + Wp*Kp
where:
Wd - Weight of debt
Kd - Cost of debt
We - Weight of Equity
Ke - Cost of Equity
Wp - Weight of Preferred SharesKp - Cost of preferred Debt

Cost of equity – CAPM – Rf + Beta*(Rm-Rf)

The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is a model that describes the relationship between
the expected return and the risk of investing in security. It shows that the expected return on
security (equity) is equal to the risk-free return plus a risk premium, which is based on the
beta of that security.
ERi = Rf + βi(ERm−Rf)
where,
ERi =expected return of investment
Rf =risk-freerate
βi =beta of the investment (ERm−Rf) market risk premium
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 49
The risk-free rate is the return that can be earned by investing in risk-free security, e.g., U.S.
Treasury bonds.

The market risk premium is the difference between the expected return on a market
portfolio and the risk-free rate. The market risk premium is equal to the slope of the security
market line (SML), a graphical representation of the capital asset pricing model (CAPM).

The beta (β) of an investment security is a measurement of its volatility of returns relative to
either benchmark or broader market index. It is used as a measure of risk and is an integral
part of the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM). A company with a higher beta has greater risk
and also greater expected returns. The beta of the overall market portfolio is one. The beta
coefficient can be interpreted as follows:
β = 1 exactly as volatile as the market
β > 1 more volatile than the market
β < 1 > 0 less volatile than the market
β = 0 uncorrelated to the market
β < 0 negatively correlated to the market

Levered beta, also known as equity beta or stock beta, is the volatility of returns for a stock,
taking into account the impact of the company’s leverage in its capital structure. It compares
the volatility (risk) of a levered company to the risk of the market.
Asset beta, or unlevered beta, on the other hand, only shows the risk of an unlevered
company relative to the market. It includes business risk but does not include leverage risk.
Security MarketLine (SML) is a visual representation of the capital asset pricing model (CAPM).
SML is a theoretical representation of the expected returns of assets based on systematic,
non-diversifiable risk. It specifies a linear relationship between the risk premium of a security
and its beta with the market portfolio.
i.Risk-free rate (Rf) – Rate on government securities, which of Indian 10-year bonds is
~7.8%.
ii. Beta – A measure of systematic risk, shows the variability with respect to the Benchmark

Cost of debt (after-tax) = interest rate

Weighted Marginal Cost of Capital

The marginal cost of capital is the weighted average cost of the last dollar of new capital raised by
a company. It is the composite rate of return required by shareholders and debt-holders for
financing new investments of the company. It is different from the average cost of capital which is
based on the cost of equity and debt already issued.

Portfolio Management
i. Risk – Portfolio risk is the possibility that an investment portfolio may not achieve its objectives
ii. Systematic risk – The risk which can’t be diversified. investors are compensated for it by getting
a higher return
iii. Unsystematic risk – The risk that is company/industry-specific, can be diversified and investors
should theoretically not be compensated for this.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 50
iv. Portfolio return - It is the sum of the weighted average of the return on investment of
individual stocks in a portfolio:
Wa Ra + Wb Rb +..+ WnRn
where,
Wa - Weight of stock A
Ra - Return on Investment of stock A
Wb - Weight of stock B
Rb - Return on Investment of stock B
Wn - Weight of stock N
Rn - Return on Investment of stock N

Portfolio Theory (Harry Markowitz Model)– shows that an investor can create a portfolio of
multiple assets that will increase the returns on a certain level of risk. Similarly, given the
desired level of expected return, an investor can create a very low risk portfolio.

Capital Market Line/Capital Allocation Line – It represents different combinations of Risk-

free assets and portfolios of risky assets which provide a maximum return for any given level
of risk. All investors, based on their risk & return preferences, would lie somewhere on the
CML.

Security Market Line – graphical version of CAPM, depicting the relationship between beta
and required rate of return (positive). At 0 beta, the rate is the risk-free rate

Financial Management:
1. Goal – The goal of Financial Management is to maximize shareholder wealth (dividends,
share price). This goal is superior to the maximization of firm profit (ignores risk). The
assumption is that the shares are traded in an efficient market where the effect of decisions
are reflected in share prices

2. Finance – This means the sourcing of funds. The souring can be from the public, private or
corporate entities.

3. Role of FinanceManager – The role of a finance manager is to make investment decisions

(Capital budgeting, WC management), financing decisions (capital/debt), and dividend
decisions (reinvest/distribute). Financial management is useful in almost every aspect of the
business since all decisions have financial implications.

4. Economic Value/Capitalized Value – It is the present value of future cash flows discounted
at an appropriate discount rate.

5. Treasury Management – Treasury management means managing the liquidity & foreign
exchange requirements and risks
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 51

6. Time Value of Money - It simply means that money's worth increases over time. It is based
on the fact that money can earn interest if invested today, hence it will be worth more than
receiving the same amount of money tomorrow

7. Capital Budgeting – investments in fixed assets etc, i.e., where returns are expected over
multiple periods. Based on incremental after-tax CFs, not accounting profits(due to ignorance
of TVM, discrepancies in accounting treatment of depreciation, valuation etc). Sunk costs are
ignored and opportunity costs (including cannibalization) are included. Financial CFs (debt,
equity, interest etc) are ignored raising funds results in an immediate cash outflow for the
project, thus, there is no net cash inflow. The cost of interest and dividends is reflected in the
WACC

8. Capital Budgeting Evaluation Techniques - The different capital budgeting evaluation

techniques are - Payback Period (Cumulative cash inflow/cash outflow), Discounted Payback
Period, Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return, Modified Internal Rate of Return (takes
care of the problem of IRR method of assumption of reinvestment at IRR by assuming it at a
discount rate by finding future values of all cash flows up to a terminal year and discounting
that value), Profitability Index (Total PV of all cash inflows/total PV of all cash outflows, ie, in a
way better than NPV for capital rationing as it standardizes profitability for comparability)

9. Dividend Policy – Investors are expected to prefer current cash dividends to future capital
gains (arising from reinvestment). According to Walter, if ROI on reinvestment>cost of equity
capital, firms should retain entire profits and distribute entire profits if not.

10. Net Present Value (NPV) is the value of all future cash flows (positive and negative) over
the entire life of an investment discounted to the present.
11. NPV analysis is a form of intrinsic valuation and is used extensively across finance and
accounting for determining the value of a business, investment security, capital project, new
venture, cost reduction program, and anything that involves cash flow.

NPV=∑𝒕=𝟏(𝟏 + 𝒊)𝒕𝑹t
where,
R t =Net cash inflow-outflows during a given period
i=Discount rate of return that could be earned from alternative investments
t=Number of periods

12. The net present value indicates that the projected income generated by the project or
investment is in the current dollar - it exceeds the expected costs, and in current dollars. It is
thought that investing in good NPV will be profitable, and investing in bad NPV will result in
total losses.
13. Discount rate is the rate of return used to discount future cash flows back to their present
value.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 52

14. A hurdle rate is the minimum required rate of return or target rate that investors are
expecting to receive on an investment.

15. The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) is the discount rate that makes the net present value
(NPV) of a project zero. The higher an internal rate of return, the more desirable an
investment is to undertake. IRR is uniform for investments of varying types and, as such, IRR
can be used to rank multiple prospective investments or projects on a relatively even basis.

16. Most IRR analyses will be done in conjunction with a view of a company’s weighted
average cost of capital (WACC) and net present value calculations.

17. The net present value rule is that the company managers and investors should only invest
in projects or engage in transactions that have a positive net present value (NPV).

Important Financial Ratios

ACTIVITY RATIO FORMULA INTERPRETATION
Inventory COGS/Avg.
Turnover Inventory
Receivables Revenue/Avg
Turnover Receivables Activity ratios are used to evaluate
operational capabilities of the firm.
Payables Purchase/Avg. How quickly can inventory be sold,
Turnover trade payables cash collected and paid are some of
Fixed assets Revenue/Avg. the points that can be evaluated.
Turnover Fixed assets
Working Capital Revenue/Avg.
Turnover Working Capital

LIQUIDITY RATIO FORMULA INTERPRETATION

Current Current Assets/Current
Ratio Liabilities Used to evaluate the short-term
(Current Assets- liquidity position of the country. If it
Quick is low then short-term assets are not
Inventories)/Current
Ratio able to meet short-term obligations.
Liabilities

If it is very high, then there are
Cash Cash and Cash unnecessary investments.
Ratio Equivalents/Current

Liabilities
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 53

SOLVENCY RATIO FORMULA INTERPRETATION

Debt to Equity Total Debt/Total
Ratio Shareholders’ Funds Evaluates the long-term liquidity of

Average
Total the firm. Generally, these ratios are
Financial Leverage
Assets/Average Total used to assess the financial health of
Ratios
Equity the country.

Interest Coverage
EBIT/Net Interests

Ratio

PROFITABILITY RATIO FORMULA INTERPRETATION

Gross Profit
Gross Profit/Revenue
Margin Assess the profitability of the
Operating Profit Operating company. For a stable company,
Margin Income/Revenue constant ratios
over years is most preferred.
Net Profit Margin Net Profit/Revenue

An NPV profile is a graph that maps the relationship between a company's cost pf capital
and the project's NPV.

The IRR rule states that if the internal rate of return on a project or investment is greater
than the minimum required rate of return, typically the cost of capital, then the project or
investment can be pursued.

The payback period refers to the amount of time it takes to recover the cost of an
investment

Follow Finvest on: @finvestiimt

 Marketing
by

The Marketing and Advertising Club

of IIM Trichy
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 55

What is Marketing?
Marketing is a process through which companies create value for their customers.
It involves building strong customer relationships to gain returns from customers in
future. In other words, “Marketing is a social and managerial process by which
individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating and
exchanging products and value with others” - Philip Kotler. The aim of marketing is
to know and understand the customers well so that the product/service sells itself.

Difference between Sales and Marketing

Sales are selling products, and it is the responsibility of salespeople to convert a
potential lead into a sale. Sales focus on smaller groups, whereas Marketing helps
create interest in the product and focuses on larger groups. Marketing is based on
a marketing mix - 4Ps, whereas Sales is based on a sales plan. The main objective of
marketing is to promote the company and its product or service and create a
brand. Sales goals are often measured periodically and sale targets are pre-defined.

Need, Want & Demand

Need: Needs are the basic requirements for human beings like food, air, water,
shelter, etc. Demands are backed by the ability to pay for a given want. Marketers
do not create needs: Needs pre-exist marketers.
Stated needs – A person wants to buy a bike.
Real needs – A person wants a bike that has less operational costs.
Unstated needs – The customer expects good service from the dealer.
Delight needs – A person would like the dealer to include an onboard GPS
navigation system.
Secret needs – The customer wants friends to see him or her as a savvy
consumer.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 56

Wants: Needs become wants when they are directed to specific objects that satisfy
the need. Example: Eating rice when you are hungry is a need but waiting for
biryani is a want.

Demand: When backed by buying power, wants to become demands. The basic
difference between wants and demands is desire. A customer may desire
something, but he may not be able to fulfil his desire. Example: Every car lover
desires to buy an Audi/ BMW/ similar luxury car, which requires huge investment.

Customer vs. Consumer: The consumer is the one who uses the product, whereas
the customer is the one who buys the product. Example: Diapers are a product
bought by parents who are the customers and used by infants or babies who are
the consumers.

Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning(STP)

Segmentation:
The process of defining and dividing the a large homogeneous market into clearly
definable parts with similar needs, or desired features. Its purpose is to design a
marketing mix that fits exactly the expectations of customers in a specific category.

Few companies are large enough to provide the needs of the entire market; the
majority should divide the total amount into categories and select the ones that
are best equipped to handle them.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 57

Targeting:
Categories relevant to the company's intention that may be serviced are identified
and targeted. When you have multiple, distinct market segments, you typically need
to customize marketing campaigns that appeal to each. As you go through the STP
process, you will select which segment to target with your upcoming campaign.

Benefits of having a clear and defined Target Market:

It builds brand awareness and deeper customer loyalty, which helps build
better products and services.
It makes it easier for brands to reach audiences in a better and meaningful way.
It improves marketing strategies and audience experiences.
The companies can implement targeting methods in the following ways:
Undifferentiated Marketing or Mass Marketing(Very Broad Targeting).
Differentiated or Segmented Marketing (between Broad and Narrow Targeting).
Micromarketing (Narrow Targeting).
Positioning:
Positioning is developing a product and brand image in the minds of
consumers. It can also include improving a customer's perception
of their experience if they choose to purchase your product or service. The
business can positively influence the perceptions of its chosen customer base
through strategic promotional activities and by carefully defining your
business' marketing mix.
Effective positioning
involves a good
understanding of
competing products and
the benefits that are
sought by your target
market. It also requires
you to identify a
differential advantage with
which it will deliver the
required benefits to the
market effectively against
the competition.
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Marketing Mix
It refers to the set of actions or tactics that the company
uses to promote its product in the market.

Product:
It refers to anything that can be
offered to the market for
attention, acquisition, use or
consumption that might satisfy a
want or need. Product
developers and
marketers need to think about
the product along the levels
shown in the figure alongside.

Price:
It is the amount of money the
customers would need to pay for
obtaining the product. It also refers to
the pricing strategy for products and
services and how it will affect the
customers. The companies should
identify how much the customers are
prepared to pay, mark up and cater to
overheads, profit margins, payment
methods, and other costs.

Place:
It signifies where you choose to distribute or allow access to your product or
service. It could be ranging from a warehouse or a supermarket to an e-commerce
shop or a local general store.
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Promotion:
It refers to the activities that communicate the merits of a product and drive the
target customers to buy it. It can be traditional advertising, via a TV, radio,
hoardings, or the latest means like ads on web pages, podcasts, email marketing,
etc.
People:
Another important element in the marketing mix is people. It refers to whether or
not you have a large enough target audience and if there is enough demand for the
product or not.
Process:
When it comes to the marketing mix's procedures, the organization's process might
have an impact on the performance of the product/service they offer.
Physical Evidence:
Almost all services include some physical elements, even if the bulk of what the
consumer is paying for is intangible. Even if the material is not physically printed,
they are still receiving a "physical product" by this definition.

Product and Service Attributes

Product quality:
The characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy the
customer needs, implied or stated. It has two main components:
● Level
● Consistency

Level:
It can mean the level of the product’s quality up to which it will support its
positioning. It can also mean the performance level, i.e., the product's ability to
perform its functions as stated. While deciding the quality, companies decide on
the quality and level that match the needs of the target market and the level of the
competing ones.
Consistency:
Consistency can attribute to the freedom from any defects, thereby offering the
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targeted level of performance termed as "Conformance Quality."

Product Features:
They are the characteristics that set a product or service apart from other similar
items. It can also be seen as adding new characteristics to the existing one to make
it a higher-level model.

Product Style and Design:

Style in marketing can be viewed as the description of the product's appearance. It
is more about the visual appeal and the outlook of the product. It does not affect or
improve the performance of the product.
Design, on the other hand, is about the basic structure of the product, keeping the
basic functionality and user experience in mind. Good design contributes to the
product's functionality and appearance.

Branding
What is a brand?
A brand can be seen as the
identity of the seller of the
product/service. It helps you
in understanding what your
identity is.

What is branding?
It is a practice and process of
communicating a Unique

Selling Proposition (USP) which your product/service offers, thereby

differentiating it from the competition.

Benefits of branding?
For consumers:
It helps consumers identify the products they can get benefited from.
Brands can also represent the quality and consistency of the
product/service.
It would ensure the buyers the same features, quality, and benefits each
time they buy the same product/service.
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For sellers:
It gives the seller legal protection for the product’s or the service’s identity
and features, thus avoiding duplicating by competitors.
It creates an exclusive segment in the market for the seller.
It can be a means of story around which a story can be made about the
product/service.

Product Mix:
Product Mix or a Product
Portfolio is the complete
set of product/service
lines offered by a
company to its
customers. It has three
dimensions:

Length: It refers to the total

number of products present in
the product mix.
Width: It is also known as
breadth, which refers to the
number of product lines offered
by a company.
Depth: The variety of variations
of products offered within a
product line.

Product Life Cycle:

Introduction: It is the first stage where a product is released into the market. Its
focus is on creating awareness and motivating buyers to acknowledge the
product.
Growth: This stage occurs once the consumers become aware of the product
and increasingly buy it. It also includes a significant boost in the market share,
update of the product with new features.
Maturity: When a product reaches its maturity stage, its sales growth starts
slowing down and reaches the saturation stage. In this stage, the company faces
the problem of getting the consumers to prefer its brand rather than making
them try its product.
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Decline: Even though the

company tries to sustain the
product in its maturity stage
once it is reached, it is inevitable
for any product to enter the
decline stage someday. The
product loses market share, and
competitive products cause its
sales to deteriorate.

Digital Marketing
It refers to advertising the product/service through digital channels such as
email, webpages, mobile apps, and search engines.
5Ds of digital marketing
1. Digital Devices Messaging
These media include: Search engines
Mobile phones Social networks
Laptop
Gaming Devices 4. Digital Data
TVs These include the agencies which collect
data about customers and collect their
2.Digital Platform interests which are used for cross-selling.
Social media is the largest media It is helpful to build new products and
among the Digital Platforms, and it has promote their usage. These include:
users more than half the world Website contacts form
population. These include: POS
Google Contests
YouTube Surveys,
Twitter Event sign-ups
LinkedIn App installation
Facebook
5.Digital Technology
3.Digital Network The electronic tools, systems, devices,
These are either owned or paid and resources which generate, store, or
communication channels that help in process data. These include:
building engagement through the Predictive search
following ways: Chatbots
Advertising emails Recommendation engines
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Digital Marketers Tools

Search ads Email marketing
Search engine optimization Videos
Display ads Mobile apps
Social media ads Retargeting Campaigns
Blogs & Social media posts Conversion rate optimization

Consumer Behaviour Models

They are influenced by various factors such as cultural, social, and personal factors.
There have been many models estimating consumer behavior. Famous ones are:

Nicosia Model
This model discusses how a potential consumer responds to the launch of a new
brand.
It begins with brand awareness, where the consumer gets aware of the new
brand through advertising.
The attributes of the company influence his perception, and he develops an
attitude towards the brand.
The consumer now compares the new brand with other competitive brands
either through other consumers, advertisements, or his previous experiences.
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Based on the
comparison, he
decides whether to
purchase or reject
the new brand.

Engel, Kollat, and Blackwell (EKB) Model:

It starts with the consumer's perception of want
which must be satisfied.
He then searches for the information internally
(memory) and externally (neighbours, influencers,
friends) and from other sources (advertisements,
magazines, etc.).
Identifies the various ways in which they want can
be satisfied.
Determines the attitude towards his choice whether
to purchase or not.
The outcome obtained in the previous step will
influence future behaviour.

Consumer Response Models: AIDA Model

The steps involved in this process are:
Attention to be considered on how to attract the
customers.
The interest level of the consumer needs to
increase once his attention is grabbed.
Desire level is the process of converting “I like it”
to “I want it."
The action level is the ultimate level where the
company’s goal is to make the customer initiate
action and purchase the product/service.
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Marketing Frameworks
SWOT Analysis
SWOT is an acronym for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.
SWOT Analysis is one of the most commonly used tools to assess a company's
internal and external environments
and is part of a company's strategic
planning process. In addition, a
SWOT analysis can be done for a
product, place, industry, or person.
A SWOT analysis helps with
strategic planning and decision-
making, as it introduces
opportunities to the company as a
forward-looking bridge to
generating strategic alternatives.

Porter’s 5 Forces
The Competitive Forces Model is an essential tool used in strategic analysis to
analyze the competitiveness in the industry. The model is more commonly
referred to as the Porter's Five Forces Model, which includes the following five
forces: intensity of rivalry, the threat of potential new entrants, bargaining
power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers, and threat of substitute goods
and/or services. In our competitive forces model, we include a sixth force, the
power of complementary goods and/or services providers. The model helps a
company understand the risks in its industry and decide how it wants to execute
its strategies in response to competition.
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PESTLE
A PESTEL analysis is an acronym for
a tool used to identify the macro
(external) forces facing an
organization. The letters stand for
Political, Economic, Social,
Technological, Environmental, and
Legal. Depending on the
organization, it can be reduced to
PEST, or some areas can be added
(e.g., Ethical).
PESTEL analysis aids an organization
in identifying external influences that
may have an impact on their market
and analysing how they may affect
their business directly. When
doing such an analysis, it is critical to not only identify but also assess the
elements affecting the organisation — for example, what influence might they
have on the company? The results of a PESTLE analysis can then be utilised to
fill in the gaps in a SWOT Analysis' opportunities and threats.

BCG Matrix
BCG Matrix (also known as the Boston
Consulting Group analysis, the Growth-
Share matrix, the Boston Box, or the
Product Portfolio matrix) is a tool used in
corporate strategy to analyze business
units or product lines based on two
variables: relative market share and the
market growth rate. Combining these two
variables into a 2X2 matrix allows a
corporation to plot their business units
accordingly and determine where to allocate extra (financial) resources, where
to cash out, and where to divest. The primary purpose of the BCG Matrix is,
therefore, to make investment decisions on a corporate level. Depending on
how well the unit and the industry are doing, four different category labels can
be attributed to each unit: Dogs, Question Marks, Cash Cows, and Stars.
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Ventures or startups Stars are business units Eventually, after years Business units in a
usually start off as with a high market of operating in the slow-growth or
Question Marks. share (potentially industry, market declining market with a
Question Marks (or market leaders) in a growth might decline, small relative market
Problem Children) are fast-growing industry. and revenues share are considered
businesses operating Stars generate large stagnate. At this stage, Dogs. These units
with a low market share amounts of cash due to your Stars are likely to typically break even
in a high growth market. their high relative transform into Cash (they neither create
They have the potential market share but also Cows. Cash cows, nor consume a large
to gain market share and require large therefore, typically amount of cash). Dogs
become Stars (market investments to fight generate cash in are likely to be divested
leaders) eventually. competitors and excess of the amount or liquidated.
maintain their growth of cash needed to

rate maintain the business.

Cash Cows ultimately
bring balance and
stability to a portfolio.

Ansoff Matrix
The Ansoff Matrix, also called the Product / Market Expansion Grid, is a tool used
by firms to analyze and plan their growth strategies. The matrix outlines four
strategies that can help a company grow and analyze the risks associated with each
strategy.
The matrix was developed by the
applied mathematician and
business manager H. Gor Ansoff
was also published in the Harvard
Business Review in 1957. Ansoff
Matrix has helped many retailers
and managers better understand
the risks involved in growing their
business.

The four strategies of the Ansoff

Matrix are:
Market Penetration: This focuses on
increasing sales of existing products
in the existing market.
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Product Development: It involves making and introducing new products to an

already existing market.
Market Development: It includes reaching out to a new market with existing
products.
Diversification: It focuses on entering a new market by introducing new products.

5Cs Framework
The 5c's of marketing is a situation analysis technique that helps marketers
make better business decisions. Company, Customers,Competitors,
Collaborators, and Climate are the "5 C's." In a nutshell, a 5c analysis will assist
you in evaluating the most critical aspects of your organization. It's analogous to
a physical examination for your company. You will be able to make better-
informed and more lucrative decisions by focusing on the most critical aspects
of your organization and determining what is working well and what is not.
While having a list of items checked under each C below, you can have a holistic
picture of the company.

Marketing Terms
A/B testing – a method in marketing research where variables in a control
scenario are changed and the ensuing alternate strategies tested in order to
improve the effectiveness of the final marketing strategy.
B2B – It is a business that sells products or provides services to other
businesses.
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B2C – It is a business that sells products or provides services to end-

user consumers.
Bundle pricing- A form of promotional price adjustment that offers
discounted pricing when customers purchase several products at the same
time.
Button ad – a graphical advertising unit, smaller than a banner ad.
Cash and carry- Wholesale format represented by distributors that require
buyers to visit the wholesaler's facility, physically select their order, pay in
cash (i.e., credit purchases not permitted), and handle their own delivery (i.e.,
carry).
Co-branding- A branding strategy where a marketeer with its own brand
seeks to partner with an established brand owned by another organization in
hopes the synergy of the two brands is even more powerful than the one.
Customer lifetime value (CLV)-The Customer lifetime value is the predicted
net profit associated with the future relationship with that customer.
Click-through rate (CTR) – The average number of click-throughs per hundred
ad impressions, expressed as a percentage.
Freemium – It is a technique where a business offers a free basic product,
giving the customer an option to use an advanced version for a premium
cost.
Geo-targeting – It is a method of detecting a website visitor's location to
serve location-based content or advertisements.
Mom and Pop Retailer- Retail format represented by a small, individually or
family-owned and operated outlet that generally services a local community,
often with a high level of service but relatively small product selection.
Omnichannel retail- is a multichannel sales strategy that aims to give
customers a consistent buying experience regardless of whether they are
shopping online, over the phone, or in a physical store.
Outbound link – It is a link to a site outside of your site.
ATL- Above the Line (ATL) advertising is where mass media is used to
promote brands, create awareness and reach out to the target consumers.
These include conventional media as we know it, television and radio
advertising, print, and the Internet. It is communication targeted to a wide
audience and is not specific to individual consumers.
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BTL- Below the line advertising is more one to one and involves the
distribution of pamphlets, handbills, stickers, promotions, brochures placed
at the point of sale, on the roads through banners, placards, product demos,
and direct marketing, such as utilizing email and social media, and
sponsorship of events.
TTL- Through the Line Marketing, or TTL approach combines ATL and BTL
Marketing to raise brand awareness, target specific potential customers, and
convert these into measurable and quantifiable sales.
Example- 360-degree marketing, where you not only have a national TV
campaign but supplement this with targeted flyers and newspaper ad
digital Marketing, combining online banner ads with social media posts and
blogs, for instance.
Showrooming- It is the practice of visiting a shop or shops in order to
examine a product before buying it online at a lower price.
User-generated content- refers to content related to your brand created by
someone who is not an official representative of your business. It could be a
social media update, a review, a video, a podcast, or a number of any other
types.
Webrooming- It is the consumer practice of researching products online
before buying them in a physical store.

Latest Marketing Trends

Consumer Privacy and KYC
Repeated privacy faux-pas by Facebook, Google, and security breaches at other
brands leading to the release of customer details have highlighted to consumers
that their data is not as safe with online brands as they may have once thought.
Privacy regulations like GDPR have been enacted to improve data privacy with
increased fines.
While these may be more the concerns of the CIO or CFO rather than the CMO,
it shows the need for marketers to work with colleagues to mitigate the
potential impact of security breaches and reassure customers. At the same time,
we have seen decreasing effectiveness of traditional identification methods such
as cookies for tracking, which makes media ROI determination - supposedly one
of the critical benefits of digital channels - more difficult.

Lifecycle Marketing
It is often said that the 'funnel is dead' since consumers follow non-linear
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journeys. However, regardless of the

product or service, you are involved with
marketing, it will always be the case that
to grow a business, your primary focus is
growing awareness, closely followed by
increasing customer leads and prospects.
The role of digital in creating a unified
customer experience is also high in the
response. However, it is shocking that
digital marketing is not seen as a driver
of boosting revenue from existing
customers. It is an artefact of the
question since digital marketing is
effective in achieving all of these goals,
including customer retention.
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What is conversational marketing?

Chatbots and voice assistants are used to communicate with users and have
conversations with brands. It's also utilised a lot in internet marketing efforts,
with click-to-messenger being one of the most popular paid advertising options.
Conversational marketing relies heavily on artificial intelligence and machine
learning.
Why is it so effective?
According to IBM research, 70% of customers demand rapid responses to their
concerns and enquiries. It is a powerful technique of boosting engagement,
which in turn enhances conversion rates and increases return on investment
from a marketer's perspective (ROI). Chatbots can pre-screen prospects using AI
and only give qualified leads to the sales team, making the sales process more
nimble. Conversational marketing aids the collection of a greater range of
audience data in the age of data-driven digital advertising.
Conversational marketing helps develop trust and improves the customer
experience from the consumer's standpoint. According to a poll conducted by
Salesforce, 42% of consumers do not trust brands, which is typically due to a lack
of responsiveness or sluggish customer support.
How to implement conversational marketing in your business?
To take use of conversational marketing, a variety of techniques are available.
Click-to-messenger is ideal for driving client dialogues on social media platforms
like LinkedIn and Facebook. Live chats and WhatsApp messaging buttons are
prominent conversational marketing tools on websites.

Highly personalized content experience

What is a highly personalized content experience?
As the name suggests, it is content that's personalized and tailored to each
individual user. Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, and Facebook are examples of well-
known brands that effectively personalize content to each user. When you log on
to Amazon, the home page content displays products likely to interest you based
on your previous purchases and browsing history. Netflix makes movies and
series recommendations based on your viewing history and preferred genres,
while Spotify does the same with music. Even the social media giant Facebook
uses algorithms to determine what content to show on your newsfeed.
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Why is it so effective?
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdowns, and increasingly virtual living,
highly tailored material is more popular than ever. According to Hubspot
research, 74% of internet consumers are annoyed by content that appears to
have nothing to do with their interests. Experts think that society has become
practically "immune" to material as a result of so much time spent on devices
consuming content during the 2020 lockdowns.
Brands can help stand out and speak to their ideal customers in a relevant way
by personalising content. Hubspot also looked at data from nearly 100,000 call-
to-action buttons (CTAs) over the course of a year and discovered that tailored
CTAs got 43% more clicks than generic ones.

How to implement personalized content in your business?

In order to provide highly personalized content, businesses need to be proactive
in collecting consumer data and have strong data analysis, AI technology, and
CRM platforms. By personalizing content, brands build stronger relationships
with their audience, which helps drive engagement and conversions.

Experiential Marketing
What is experiential marketing?
Experiential marketing, as the name implies, is a movement that focuses on
generating a brand-based user experience rather than a product-based one.
Experiential marketing takes many forms, depending on the company and
industry, but the most popular examples are corporate events, webinars, and
competitions.
Take, for example, the tech behemoth Apple, which is often recognised as a
pioneer in this field. They've recently been holding their renowned "photo-
walks," in which an Apple salesperson takes customers on a tour of an area and
teaches them how to use their iPhone to capture images. The company also
hosts its annual Worldwide Developers' Conference, its most important event of
the year, which brings together thousands of programmers from around the
world to discuss the latest developments.

Why is it so effective?
Customers engage with the brand and feel its values and personality through
experiential marketing, not just the product. According to Salesforce data, 84
percent of customers prefer to be addressed as individuals rather than
numbers.
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How to implement experiential marketing in your business?

Experiential marketing should form part of any brand's marketing strategy, no
matter the size of the business. Of course, small businesses do not have the
budgets to run large events like Apple, but that does not mean they cannot
create unique experiences for their market segmentation. Small-scale local and
online events are common examples of experiential marketing used by SMEs
and startups.
In order to be successful at experiential marketing, businesses need to know
their audience and define clear and measurable objectives for their experiences.
Building email subscriber lists, increasing social media following, and driving
sales are some of the more common objectives in experiential marketing.

Influencer Marketing
What is influencer marketing?
Similar to celebrity endorsements, brands use influencers for their marketing
campaigns through social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. It is by no
means a new trend but has gained significant traction in the past few years for its
simplicity. Influencers (including micro-influencers) post content in which they
interact with a brand, either by using one of its products or services or engaging
with employees.

Why is it so effective?
Influencer marketing usually yields better results than traditional celebrity
endorsements given the "engagement factor": people interact with influencers and
are more likely to react to the marketing campaign. For example, Amazon
subsidiary Audible, specializing in e-book subscriptions, worked with photography
influencer Jesse Driftwood. Although he has less than 100,000 followers on
Instagram, Amazon saw he had loyal fans with high levels of engagement.
Driftwood's posts about Audible received high engagement rates, with users
leaving comments like "that is a good idea" and "can't wait to give it a try."
Influencer marketing also plays on consumer behaviour and psychology, such as
recommendations. Market research firm Nielsen found that 83% of consumers
trust personal recommendations more than traditional digital advertising, so
influencers are the perfect way for brands to create persona recommendations en
masse.
Social media influencers also specialize in a particular niche and have followers
with certain types of interest. For marketers, this means more targeted advertising,
which helps reduce ad spending. For example, National Geographic recently
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teamed up with wildlife photography influencers for a social media marketing

campaign. Of course, their followers will naturally be interested in the National
Geographic brand as they are interested in wildlife photography.

How to implement influencer marketing in your business?

Brands should source influencers who post content related to their product or
industry for the best results. Marketers can use hashtags to find influencers
through different social media platforms or work with influencer agencies. As
with all marketing campaigns, brands should define their objectives and target
audience before contacting influencers. Influencers posting photos and videos
of themselves using a brand's product or service is the most popular type of
influencer marketing content.

Continued Digital Transformation

What is continued digital transformation in marketing?
It is how companies adapt their business models, products, and internal structures
to new, digital-driven consumer trends. In marketing, digital transformation meant
businesses were changing their marketing mix to more digital channels, moving
away from print advertising to social media, for example. Continued digital
transformation in marketing for 2021 and beyond refers to how businesses
leverage new technology to optimize their marketing efforts and improve customer
experience.

Why is it so effective?
Continued digital transformation in marketing means more data-driven campaigns
and optimization, which leads to higher conversions, lower ad spend, and greater
ROI – something that’s not possible with traditional advertising. According to
research, 86% of businesses claim that customer acquisition costs (CPA) have
increased over two years. To help reduce CPA, brands need to improve user
experience and increase customer retention.
Amazon’s Alexa is a prime example of customer-focussed digital transformation.
Let's say you want to order your favourite variety of coffee. You no longer need to
go online and search for it; you simply tell Alexa, “order my favourite coffee," and
Amazon, through artificial intelligence-powered voice search, will take care of the
rest. It is known as "headless commerce" and is a perfect example of how brands
leverage technology to improve user experience and retain customers.

How to implement continued digital transformation in your business?

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Continued digital transformation does not have to be as sophisticated as Alexa.

In smaller businesses and startups, marketers have a wide range of tools at
their disposal to continue digital transformation in their brands. Google
Analytics, A/B testing, customer data platforms (CDP) are all examples of digital
transformation in marketing.

New Social Media Trends

What are the new social media trends for 2022?
In 2022 and beyond, video content and social commerce will be the most
popular new features on social networking networks. Video and Livestream
have grown more popular than ever thanks to the introduction of TikTok.
Indeed, Instagram created Reels in 2020 in response to TikTok's domination in
the video sector, according to numerous social media analysts.
Since Facebook launched Shops across its network in May 2020, social selling
has been increasingly popular. Brands can now leverage social media as an e-
commerce channel by uploading products that can be purchased directly from
the platform.

Why are these new social media trends so effective?

Audiovisual information is 40 times more likely to be shared than non-
audiovisual ones, according to studies. Video advertising is the most popular,
with higher engagement than text and image-only commercials. When
considering a purchase, almost 80% of consumers prefer to watch videos rather
than read text. With statistics like these, it's evident that customers prefer video,
which marketers should take advantage of when creating campaigns. According
to some social media gurus, videos can enhance conversions by 30%.
According to market studies, 87 percent of consumers believe that social media
helps them make purchasing decisions. Consumers typically conduct product
research on social media, reading reviews and content before making a
purchase on a company's website.

How to implement new social media trends in your business?

While there are high-tech cameras and clever editors, anyone with
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a smartphone can record a video for social media. Marketers can repurpose
evergreen content to create videos and use Stories, Reels, and Lives to drive
engagement. Social media teams should analyze audience data to determine
the best types of content and times of day to post for the best results. Avoid the
common mistake of trying to be on all channels, and instead focus on the
platforms most used by your audience. For social selling, marketing teams
should go to their account settings to configure shops and upload their products
for sale.

E-commerce
What are the new e-commerce trends for 2022?
In this post, we've already discussed various new e-commerce trends, like social
media selling, personalisation, headless e-commerce, and conversational
marketing. Virtual reality, visual search, and shop local are some of the other
new trends.
Virtual reality is gaining popularity because it solves a key stumbling block to
online shopping: the anxiety that the goods will differ from the photographs.
Some merchants publish user-created videos of their products to assist drive
conversions, while others employ interactive 3D and 360° pictures to help users
visualise the product better. When consumers submit search phrases, AI-
powered visual search displays photos of products.
Due to the pandemic's severe impact on small businesses, "Shop Local" has
become a popular fad. Consumers are increasingly choosing independent
retailers over major brands.
Why are these new trends so effective?
Due to the advent of the Coronavirus pandemic and the closing of traditional
businesses, e-commerce exploded in 2020. In May 2020, e-commerce sales in
the United Kingdom increased by 61% over May 2019. Consumer behaviour has
altered since the world reopened, and e-commerce penetration is anticipated to
increase further.
Because humans respond better to visual content than written content, virtual
reality and visual search are increasing conversions. According to Google, visual
material attracts 94% more hits, and AI firm Vizenze believes that 62% of
millennials prefer visual search over word search.
Customers increasingly want to buy from brands that support sustainability, and
local firms are more flexible in this regard: 65 percent of consumers now prefer
to buy from brands that support sustainability, and local businesses with
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footprint and energy consumption compared to big brand retailers.

How to implement new e-commerce trends in your business?

Businesses can make a few simple changes to boost conversions through visual
content. Switching images from JPEG and PNG to WebP format will improve
image quality and loading speed. Asking customers to submit photos and videos
of them using products is an effective way of combining social proof with visual
content to increase conversions. As for sustainability, businesses should support
green initiatives like carbon offsetting and reduced packaging.

Programmatic Advertising
What is programmatic advertising?
In simple terms, programmatic advertising is the automation of buying digital
advertising space. Traditionally, marketing teams would need to create
proposals, negotiate and sign contracts. However, through programmatic
advertising, brands can bid for ad space within milliseconds, freeing up
marketers to spend more time on campaign optimization rather than
administration. Many brands are now assigning up to 50% of their ad budgets to
programmatic advertising, and the trend is expected to exceed $100 billion in
2022.

Why is it so effective?
Programmatic advertising facilitates real-time data analysis and audience
targeting. Google used programmatic advertising to promote its search app and
reached up to 30% more people with a 30% lower cost per thousand
impressions (CPM). Through programmatic advertising, brands enjoy more agile
and automated ad buying, saving employee time and increasing ROI.
Programmatic advertising works across a wide range of networks and ad
exchanges, allowing businesses to increase their reach and target their audience
with more relevant ads. It helps drive conversions and brand awareness.

How to implement programmatic advertising in your business?

In order to run programmatic ads, businesses first need to choose a demand-
side platform (DSP) to set budgets. Popular DSPs include Media Math and
Adform. Then, as with all digital advertising campaigns, marketers need to
define their campaign’s objectives and KPIs, the creative format, and the target
audience. Then once in circulation, marketers should use data to see trends and
optimize their campaigns for better results.
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Adoption of automation
What is automation in marketing?
Marketing automation refers to the use of technology to automate marketing
and advertising campaigns. The pandemic has pushed the use of technology in
the workplace over the last year, with automation taking centre stage in all
company processes, not just marketing. Automation in marketing may appear to
be technical and complicated, but it is actually fairly simple. Automated email
sequences in sales funnels, social media posts that are scheduled, and email
order updates are all instances of marketing automation.

Why is it so effective?
Marketing automation enables businesses to scale their efforts in order to reach
larger audiences. The largest benefit of automation, according to 30% of
business owners, is time savings. Their marketing teams may now focus on
optimization and content production rather than wasting time on repetitive
tasks. Marketing teams can also use automation to consolidate their
omnichannel marketing efforts into a single platform, eliminating the need to
submit content and communicate with their audiences on several social media
platforms. It boosts productivity, which directly translates to increased ROI and
conversion rates.
It also enables organisations to collect and analyse considerably larger volumes
of client data than a human could. It means that businesses can immediately
create a 360-degree perspective of their sales cycle and client journey, revealing
any gaps.

How to implement automation in your business?

Marketers should map out their customer journey and sales cycle and identify
processes that can be automated to get the most out of automation. To
measure the success of automation, brands should define SMART goals
(specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely). Finally, experiment with
several automation platforms such as MailChimp for email marketing,
SproutSocial for social media marketing, and Google Analytics for data analysis.

Artificial Intelligence
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
AI is where machines and computers undertake tasks that require human
intelligence, such as decision making and speech recognition. In marketing and
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 80

advertising, AI leverages historical sales and marketing data to predict the

customer's next step in the sales cycle. It allows marketers to optimize their
customer journey, improving weak points and gaps in the process.
AI is increasingly being used to help marketers with creative tasks, such as headline
and copy creation, logo designs, and email newsletter generation. It analyses data
from past customer interactions to “learn” how to carry out these tasks effectively
and create relevant content.
As discussed in this post, AI is the driving technology behind new digital marketing
trends like personalized content and chatbots. You can read more about it in this
post here.

Why is it so effective?
Put simply, AI allows marketers to analyze, interpret and understand infinite
amounts more customer data than humans can. It allows teams to have a far
greater understanding of how their target audience behaves. By using this data
to predict a customer's next move, marketers can create new campaigns with
more targeted outreach, which in turn increases conversions and ROI. A recent
study by consulting firm PwC found that 72% of CMOs consider AI to be a
"considerable advantage."
AI and automation take care of repetitive and time-consuming tasks, which frees
up marketing teams to focus on optimization and strategy.

How to implement artificial intelligence in your business?

These days, the most popular marketing-related software leverage AI, so
implementing it is a case of adopting the right tool for your business. Moreover,
this depends on your firm's goals and objectives. Chatbot software, AI-powered
PPC campaigns, and AI content creation tools are all common examples of
marketing software in use in 2021.

Direct Mail
What is direct mail?
Direct mail refers to physical marketing material mailed directly to a potential
customer's home, hence the name: direct mail. Examples include brochures and
letters with special offers. Compared to the other points in this article, direct
mail bucks the trend in the sense that it is not digital but rather print-based
marketing. However, direct mail plays an increasingly important part in
omnichannel marketing strategies in 2021, with research showing that 70% of
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 81

people engage with a brand online after receiving direct mail from them. Postcards
became one of the most effective direct mail formats in 2021: with no envelope
and short content, they are much more likely to be read than letters and
brochures. It is also more cost-effective than sending traditional mail. Short copy is
another trend, with research finding that direct mail has on average 62% fewer
words in 2021 compared to 2014. The average word count for direct mail in 2021
was just 500 words.

Why is it so effective?
Changing customer behavior has made direct mail to come back. Many customers
have become "numb" to digital marketing initiatives as a result of the content
marketing explosion and remote working being the new normal. Consumers love
direct mail because of its genuineness and personal nature, which makes them feel
cherished, according to studies. According to the same study, 56 percent of
physical mail is kept in homes for more than 28 days after it is received, resulting in
more brand exposure. Direct mail's sensory character also contributes to its
effectiveness.

How to implement direct mail in your business?

Marketers must first identify their objectives in order to conduct a successful direct
mail campaign: increased sales, website visits, and social media followings are
some of the most typical aims of direct mail. It's also crucial to figure out how it'll
work with online marketing channels and where it'll be most useful during the
consumer journey. Direct mail is a more expensive form of advertising due to
postage and printing costs, therefore marketing teams must ensure they have the
data and tools they need to assure its efficacy. Before targeting a bigger audience,
it's a good idea to test and optimise several direct mail campaigns on a small group
of consumers. Consider using QR codes into your material to direct customers to
your website.

Insights-driven Marketing
At Smart Insights, they are huge fans of using analytics and insight to drive
business performance and optimize the results from digital marketing. Improving
their data-driven marketing is an aim of many businesses indicated by the most
desired skill amongst digital marketers revealed by the Altimeter/Prophet State of
Digital Marketing report.
In addition to advances in customer analytics supported by CDPs described in the
next section, new Voice of the Customer (VoC) techniques, such as online-hosted
customer communities, can improve customer preferences for future products and
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 82

how they are delivered.

For example, Red Bull used the
insight platform Vision Critical
to launch a community of
consumers passionate about
the energy drink category. By
providing a deeper
understanding of consumer
preferences, the community
challenges widely-held
assumptions.The company, for
instance, learned who
consumes Red Bull drinks —
and how and when they buy —
were changing.

Marketing Technology
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 83

Today, Marketing Technology (Martech for short) presents a bewildering choice of

software services for businesses looking to improve digital media management,
experiences, and supporting data. If your business and your agencies adopt the
right blend of Martech, it can help give you an edge against competitors, but if not,
you may be missing out on the insights and automation processes they are using.
To highlight the range of great services available and simplify the options, they
designed this essential digital marketing tools infographic to recommend the
categories of tools you should consider across the Smart Insights RACE Planning
system and highlight the most popular and most capable tools.

Digital transformation and Marketing Transformation

Managing digital marketing research revealed many challenges in terms of how
digital marketing is run in companies today. Problems included a lack of focus on
integrated strategy, testing, and optimization and structural issues like teams
working in silos or a lack of skills in integrated communications.
This chart from the research shows that many businesses are actively transforming
to achieve this aim through the success factors covered in this briefing.
Digital transformation aims to develop a roadmap to improve digital capabilities
and skills while at the same time integrating 'always-on' digital marketing activities
with brand and product marketing in the business.
Through the year, there have been additions to tools to help all members assess
how well their businesses are adapting to using digital media and technology as
part of Digital Transformation.

Follow MAC on: @mac.iimtrichy

 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 84

References:
Focus 7 International, Understanding the 7Ps of a Marketing Mix [online] Available at:
<https://focus7international.com/2018/05/29/understanding-the-7ps-of-a-marketing-mi x/> [Accessed 11 January 2021].
Corporate Finance Institute. 2021. Product Mix [online] Available at:
<https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/other/product-mix/#:~:te
xt=Product%20mix%2C%20also%20known%20as,are%20associated%20items%20that% 20consumers> [Accessed 11
January 2021].
Marketing Insider, Product Mix Decisions - Width, Length, Depth [online] Available at: < https://marketing-
insider.eu/product-mix-decisions/. [Accessed 11 January 2021].
CFL, Product Lifecycle Marketing: What Matters Most at Every Stage [online] Available at: <https://cxl.com/blog/product-
lifecycle-marketing/> [Accessed 11 January 2021].
Corporate Finance Institute. 2021. SWOT Analysis - Learn How To Conduct A SWOT Analysis. [online] Available at:
<https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/strategy/swot-analysis/> [Accessed 11 January 2021].
Corporate Finance Institute. 2021. Competitive Forces Model - Understand The Six Competitive Forces. [online] Available
at: <https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/strategy/competitive-forc es-model/> [Accessed 11
January 2021].
Oxford College of Marketing Blog. 2021. What Is A PESTEL Analysis? - Oxford College Of Marketing Blog. [online]
Available at: <https://blog.oxfordcollegeofmarketing.com/2016/06/30/pestel-analysis/> [Accessed 11 January 2021].
B2U - Business-to-you.com. 2021. BCG Matrix EXPLAINED With EXAMPLES | B2U | Business-To-You.Com. [online]
Available at: <https://www.business-to-you.com/bcg-matrix/> [Accessed 11 January 2021].
Corporate Finance Institute. 2021. Ansoff Matrix - Overview, Strategies, And Practical Examples. [online] Available at:
<https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/knowledge/strategy/ansoff-matrix/> [Accessed 11 January 2021].
KnowThis.com. 2021. Marketing Terms - Knowthis.Com. [online] Available at:<https://www.knowthis.com/marketing-
terms/> [Accessed 11 January 2021].
Smart Sights, What’s new? What’s next? 6 essential marketing trends for 2020 [online] Available at:
<https://www.smartinsights.com/managing-digital-marketing/marketing-innovation/6-e essential-marketing-trends-for-
2020//
KOTLER, P. AND ARMSTRONG, G. Principles of Marketing 2018 - Pearson - HarlowIn-text: (Kotler and Armstrong, 2018)
Kotler, P. and Armstrong, G., 2018. Principles of Marketing. 17th ed. Harlow: Pearson
Marketing Mix Process - Understanding The 7Ps Of A Available at:
https://focus7international.com/2018/05/29/understanding-the-7ps-of-a-marketing-mix/Marketing Mix. [online]
[Accessed 12 January 2021].
What Is Product Mix? Explanation With Examples | Feedough Available at: https://www.feedough.com/product-mix-
explanation-examples [Accessed 12 January 2021].
PRODUCT MIX DECISIONS - WIDTH, LENGTH, DEPTH, AND CONSISTENCY Available at: https://marketing-
insider.eu/product-mix-decisions/ [Accessed 12 January 2021].
5Cs Framework Available at: https://www.volusion.com/blog/situation-analysis-the-5-cs/ [Accessed 12 January 2021].
 Analytics
by

The System and Analytics Club of

IIM Trichy
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 86

What is Analytics?
Analytics is the Systematic process of extracting and communicating insights from
patterns available in data through statistical methods and data modelling
techniques. It is the process of converting raw data into business insights to make
well-informed decisions.
Data analytics
1. Descriptive Analytics - the process of analyzing historic data to identify patterns
and extract insights on past events
2. Diagnostic Analytics - the process of mining data to identify reasons behind the
occurrence of events/results
3. Predictive Analytics – Forecasting future events/results through Machine
learning techniques
4. Prescriptive Analytics – Suggests action that could influence the predicted
outcomes.

Machine Learning Models

1.Linear Regression
The technique is used to predict the
outcome of a dependent variable (Y) by
establishing a linear relationship between
a dependent variable and independent
variables (X).
Example: Predicting house prices based
on historic house sales data.
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2. Logistic Regression
Supervised learning technique used to
predict categorical variables based on
historical data
Example: Is the Money Transaction
fraudulent? Yes/No

3. Clustering
Unsupervised learning techniques to group data points into different categories
based on the parameters of the data points.
Example: Categorizing customers based on shopping behaviour.
4. Neural Networks
Machine learning technique inspired by neurons of human brain to perform
complex prediction/classification through multiple layers of computation.

Statistics
1. Measures of Central Tendency
Mean: The mean is the sum of the values divided by the number of values.

Median: The median is the middle value in an ordered array of data that has
been ranked from smallest to largest. Half the values are smaller than or
equal to the median, and half the values are larger than or equal to the
median. The median is not affected by extreme values.
Median = (n+1)/2 ranked value
Mode: The mode is the value that has the highest frequency. Like the
median, extreme values do not affect the mode.
2. Variance and Standard Deviation
Variance (σ2): Variance refers to a statistical measurement of the spread
between numbers in a data set. Mathematically, it is the average of the
squared differences from the mean.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 88

Standard Deviation (σ): Standard Deviation is the square root of the

average of the squared differences from the mean.

3. Central Limit Theorem:

It states that, as the sample size gets large enough (at least 30), the sampling
distribution of the mean is approximately normally distributed regardless of the
shape of the distribution of the individual values in the population.

Probability Distributions
1. Normal Distribution:
The normal distribution is a symmetrical bell-shaped distribution, which
suggests the profile of a bell. Although the values in a normal distribution can
range from negative infinity to positive infinity, most values of the continuous
variable will cluster around the meanwhile extremely large or extremely small
values will occur towards the tail.

2. Uniform Distribution:
The uniform distribution also known as the rectangular distribution contains
values that are equally distributed in the range between the smallest value and
the largest value where every value is equally likely.

3. Bernoulli Distribution:
The Bernoulli distribution is a discrete distribution having two possible outcomes
labelled by n = 0 and n = 1 in which n = 1 ("success") occurs with probability P and n =
0 ("failure") occurs with probability q = 1 - p, where 0 < p < 1

4. Binomial Distribution:
The binomial distribution gives the discrete probability distribution of obtaining
exactly n successes out of N trials (where the result of each trial is true with
probability p and false with probability q = 1 - p). The binomial distribution is given
by
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5. Poisson Distribution:
A Poisson distribution helps to predict the probability of certain events when
the average number times an event has occurred in a given time interval is
known.

Most Frequently Used Terms:

1. Blockchain
A Blockchain is basically a group of blocks linked together with the use of
cryptography among a network of people/computers. Each block contains some
data, and it can be accessed by anyone in the connected network. The data in
these blocks cannot be modified though. Every change in the network will be
considered as a new entry, thus preserving the original data that can be accessed
anytime. If one person wants to change or add some data in a network, then that
will have to approve by the majority of the individuals in the network.

2. Big data
In simpler words, Big Data is huge amounts of unstructured data (does not have a
pre-defined data model). The Five V’s of Big Data are:
Velocity - refers to the high speed of accumulation of data
Volume – It is a huge amount of data. The name ‘Big Data’ itself is related to a size
that is enormous.
Value – refers to the worth of the data extracted
Variety – The different types of data that is collected from various sources
Veracity – refers to the inconsistencies in the data; How accurate is the data that is
collected?

3. Industry 4.0
It’s a name given to the transition of using traditional manufacturing methods
along with new-age technologies.
It includes technologies like cyber-physical systems, IoT, Cloud computing and
cognitive computing. With the help of AI and interconnected systems, the industry
is now moving towards more automation and collecting real-time data.
Industry 4.0 offers a more comprehensive, interlinked, and holistic approach to
manufacturing.
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4. Artificial Intelligence
AI is often confused with other terms like machine learning or deep learning.
Artificial Intelligence, in simple terms, is a field that aims to turn a machine or a
‘dumb’ thing, into an entity that can think, understand, and react like a human.
There are multiple ways a system can be programmed to achieve this and all
those require data to work with. Only through the input of a large quantity of
data, will a machine be able to learn and take decisions.

5. Quantum Computing
Quantum computing controls the behaviour of electron and photon particles, in a
way different from regular computing. In normal computing, the computer is used
to complete a task and there every bit is stored as either 0 or 1 and the electron
can be at only one place, i.e., only one calculation at a time. Hence when there is
large data it reduced its computational power.
E.g.: B in computing is stored in binary as 01000010.
Unlike normal computers which function on bit-0 or 1, Quantum computing uses
superposition which allows electrons to be at more than one place at the same
time and 0 and 1 can superimpose each other. It forms quantum bits – Qubits. So,
the data stays in an unrecognized state until it’s called and then it becomes either
0 or 1.
Quantum computing increases speed reduces the number of operations and
helps in reducing power consumption.

Tools required

Visualization Modelling
Power BI Python
Tableau RStudio
Qlik SAS
Metabase

Analysis Bigdata
Excel Hive
Microsoft SQL Server PySpark
Google Data Studio Apache Hadoop

 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 91

Emerging Clean Technology Trends

JANUARY 2022 | ISSUE 1
Technology that reduces or eliminates negative environmental impacts and
promotes economic and social development is known as clean technology. The
idea behind clean technology is to preserve non-renewable resources through
technologies. In addition to clean technology, green technology, and sustainable
technology are also frequently used synonymously. The term describes a variety
of eco-friendly practices. In recent years, clean technology has been a topic of
prime importance due to environmental challenges, and adopting clean
technology is a step towards creating a sustainable planet for the future and
protecting it. We all gain from the implementation of clean technology in some
way as it aims to protect the environment, we live in. There is a clean technology
application for every industry. Start-ups and small businesses alike can
incorporate clean technology and promote the benefits of switching to
sustainable ways of using technology for businesses. Some industries significantly
affect the environment more than others, but we can all work together to
preserve natural resources. Energy, waste, and agriculture are some of the
industries that have the most negative impact on the environment. However,
without the support of all sectors, it will be too late for the environment to be
saved when we reach the tipping point. Clean energy technologies continued to
develop in the second half of the year against the backdrop of the ongoing
pandemic. As technology evolves, major policies are being enacted to combat
climate change and decarbonize the energy industry.
Here are some ways we can expect clean technology trends to continue growing
in the future:
Impact Investment: Investments that have a positive impact on the environment
and generate financial returns are called impact investments. A core element of
these investments is for companies to make additional improvements to their
business model.
Infonomics and Data: According to a survey last year, 35 per cent of respondents
have or will sell data collected by their products. From this data, we can conclude
that at least by 2023, buying and selling user data will become a crucial part of
many IoT systems.
Artificial Intelligence: Data being the essential part of any business, collecting
this data will be the competition. With the help of AI, it is elementary to collect the
data, and most of the IoT systems will adopt this technology soon.
Innovation in sensors: Sensors will be available that will gather data more
precisely and at a lower cost than the ones currently available, and everything will
become data-driven.
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Smart Agriculture: In terms of reducing carbon emissions, smart agriculture is a

game-changer. Our planet's agricultural industry has enormous ramifications; the
livestock sector alone accounts for 44% of all human-produced methane
emissions.

Impact of covid-19 on analytical models

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated many companies’ uses of advanced
analytics and AI. These strategies have helped to engage customers through
digital channels, manage fragile and complex supply chains, and support workers
through disruption to their work and lives. At the same time, leaders have
identified a major weakness in their analytics strategy: the reliance on historical
data for algorithmic models. From customer behaviour to supply and demand
patterns, historical patterns and the assumption of continuity are what give
predictive models their power. COVID-19’s impact on how we live and work has
challenged those patterns—and the model's companies use for making business
decisions.
For more information
https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-live/webinars/navigating-
the-impact-of-covid-19-on-analytics-models

Analytics and AI in 2022: Innovation in the era of covid

1. Supply Chain
We all know the pandemic has had a knock-on effect of impacting global supply
chains. For business, that has meant disruption and flux. Interestingly, many of
our prediction participants saw this as a tech challenge. As unpredictable as
supply chain issues might make things feel, many predictions were based on the
premise that predictive analytics could mitigate the difficulties, as long as the
models themselves were carefully monitored for accuracy and drift.

2. No/Lo-Co
Automation will act as a partial antidote to the labour shortage, and many of our
predicting personnel see low-code/no-code platforms – in many ways,
automation’s partner – as a huge force for efficiency and change in 2022.

3. Personalized, but not surveilled

In 2022 we will see new ways for users to regain control of their data. That’s great,
but it’s yet another disruption, forcing companies to personalize experiences
without access to as much personal data.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 93

4. Of fabric, and mesh

Beyond societal issues, architectural ones have been important this year too,
especially those that can help companies leverage their analytics investments
more successfully. Leading contenders here are the Data Mesh and Data Fabric
approaches and many of this year’s predictions focused on them.

For more information

https://www.zdnet.com/article/analytics-and-ai-in-2022-innovation-in-the-era-of-
covid/

Analytics as a career:
Data Science
IT Consulting
Business Intelligence
Business Analytics
Courses offered
Quantitative Methods
IT Consulting
Managing digital transformation
Business Analytics for Decision Making
E-Commerce & E-Business
Artificial Intelligence for Managers
Software Project Management
Big Data Analytics

Follow Matrix on: @matrix_iimtrichy

 Human
Resource
by

The HR and OB Club of IIM Trichy

 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 95

Human Resource Management (HRM) is the term used to describe formal systems
devised for the management of people within an organization. The responsibilities
of a human resource manager fall into three major areas: staffing, employee
compensation and benefits, and defining/designing work. Essentially, the purpose
of HRM is to maximize the productivity of an organization by optimizing the
effectiveness of its employees. This mandate is unlikely to change in any
fundamental way, despite the ever-increasing pace of change in the business
world.

Role of HR Managers:

Improving Profits and Performance:

An organization could do everything else right, like laying brilliant plans, drawing
clear organization charts, setting up modern assembly lines, and using
sophisticated accounting controls, yet failing only because the wrong people were
hired for the wrong jobs. Efficient Human Resource planning and management is
key to the organization's growth, without which the functioning would get
hampered.

Essential Qualities of an HR Manager:

Qualities that we commonly Qualities that we generally forget to
remember: develop:
Good people skills Business Acumen
Good communication skills Analytical skills (always back your
Quick decision making decisions with data)
Integrity Planning and Scheduling
Patience
Leadership
Team-building skills
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 96

Key HR Concepts:

Management by Objective: Management by Objectives (MBO) is a method of

personnel management where managers and employees work together to set,
record, and monitor objectives over a period of time. Organizational principles and
organization flow upwards through the organization and are translated into the
personal goals of its members. It aims to improve the performance of an
organization by clearly defining objectives that are agreed to by both management
and employees.

360-degree Performance Appraisal: A 360- degree appraisal is an employee

performance review in which subordinates, co-workers, and managers
anonymously rate the employee. This information is then incorporated into that
person's performance review. The feedback is often used as a benchmark within
the employee's development plan.

Balanced Scorecard: The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and

management system used extensively in business, industry, government, and non-
profit organizations worldwide. It’s used to align business activities to the vision
and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external communications,
and monitor internal and external communications organization performance
against strategic goals.

Self-Ratings: Sometimes, employers can obtain employees' self-ratings, usually in

conjunction with supervisors' ratings. The fundamental problem, of course, is that
employees usually rate themselves higher than do their supervisors or peers.

Forced Distribution method/ Bell curve Method: The forced distribution method
is similar to grading on a curve. With this method, the manager places a
predetermined percentage of rates into performance categories. Forced
distribution's most significant advantage is that it prevents supervisors from rating
all or most employees ``satisfactory" or "high." Distinguishing between the top
and bottom performers is usually not the problem. The challenge is to differentiate
meaningfully between the other 80%. Through this forced ranking system, the
organization tries to segregate the best, mediocre, and worst performers, nurture
the best, and discard the worst. Many multinational organizations such as
Microsoft, Infosys, Airtel, TCS, and Cigna TTK used forced rating (bell curve) but are
now gradually shifting to a more qualitative and frequent appraisals system which
has reduced stress on employees and supports them to perform.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 97

Maslow’s Need Hierarchy Theory:

Maslow's heirarchy of needs is an inspiring theory in the ecology of the five-phase
human needs model, often presented as hierarchical levels within a pyramid.
Maslow said people are encouraged to meet certain needs and that some needs
are more important than others. Our most basic need is physical health, and this
will be the first thing that motivates our behavior. Once that level is reached, the
next level above is the one that motivates us, and so on. This five-stage model can
be divided into needs and growth needs.
The first four levels are often called D-needs, and the higher levels are known as B-
needs.

Big Five Model of Personality

Personality is an easy concept to grasp for most of us. It’s what makes you “you”. It
encompasses all the traits, characteristics, and quirks that set you apart from
everyone else.
Human resources professionals often use the Big Five personality dimensions to
help place employees. The Big Five traits are:
Openness - Openness includes traits like being insightful and imaginative and
having a wide variety of interests.
Conscientiousness - People with a high degree of conscientiousness are reliable
and prompt. Traits include being organized, methodic, and thorough.
Extroversion - Extraverts get their energy from interacting with others, while
introverts get their energy from themselves. Extraversion includes the traits of
energy, talkative, and assertive.
Agreeableness - These people are friendly, cooperative, and empathetic.
Neuroticism - Neuroticism is also sometimes called Emotional Stability. This
factor is related to the emotional stability of a person and the level of negative
emotions.
 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 98

Attitude - “My personality is who I am, and my attitude is who you are.” Our
behaviour towards an individual, group, or people surrounding us changes, but our
personality is rigid, and it does not change.

Emotional intelligence: The intelligence that we acquire on interacting with

individuals and adapting accordingly in a conversation with the individual is termed
emotional intelligence. For instance, I learned about Ravi’s reluctance to talk about
this family within two conversations with him. Hence I do not talk about this family
anymore in our conversations. This adaptation is due to emotional intelligence.

Decision-making process: In psychology, decision-making is regarded as the

cognitive process resulting in selecting a belief or a course of action among several
alternative possibilities.
The six steps involved in decision-making are as follows:
1. Define the problem
2. Identify the decision criteria
3. Allocate weight to the criteria
4. Develop the alternative
5. Evaluate the alternative
6. Implement the best alternative
We measure the output to check the effectiveness and efficiency of the decision
made.

The span of control: The number of people (more technically employees) who
report to you gives us your span of control.

Organizational design: In simple terms, organizational design means how various

parts of the organization and its distinct elements are brought together to make it
functional. Organizational design principles consider how these elements come
together, match, and the process through which they can be reflected and
improved.

Competitive advantage: This refers to the aspects that set the organization apart
from others and provide it with a distinctive edge for meeting customer or client
needs in the marketplace. It arises primarily due to the core competence of the
organization. Core competency is an organization’s defining strength, providing the
foundation from which the business will grow, seize upon new opportunities and
deliver value to customers. A company's core competency is not easily replicated
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Attitude - “My personality is who I am, and my attitude is who you are.” Our
behaviour towards an individual, group, or people surrounding us changes, but our
personality is rigid, and it does not change.

Emotional intelligence: The intelligence that we acquire on interacting with

individuals and adapting accordingly in a conversation with the individual is termed
emotional intelligence. For instance, I learned about Ravi’s reluctance to talk about
this family within two conversations with him. Hence I do not talk about this family
anymore in our conversations. This adaptation is due to emotional intelligence.

Decision-making process: In psychology, decision-making is regarded as the

cognitive process resulting in selecting a belief or a course of action among several
alternative possibilities.
The six steps involved in decision-making are as follows:
1. Define the problem
2. Identify the decision criteria
3. Allocate weight to the criteria
4. Develop the alternative
5. Evaluate the alternative
6. Implement the best alternative
We measure the output to check the effectiveness and efficiency of the decision
made.

The span of control: The number of people (more technically employees) who
report to you gives us your span of control.

Organizational design: In simple terms, organizational design means how various

parts of the organization and its distinct elements are brought together to make it
functional. Organizational design principles consider how these elements come
together, match, and the process through which they can be reflected and
improved.

Competitive advantage: This refers to the aspects that set the organization apart
from others and provide it with a distinctive edge for meeting customer or client
needs in the marketplace. It arises primarily due to the core competence of the
organization. Core competency is an organization’s defining strength, providing the
foundation from which the business will grow, seize upon new opportunities and
deliver value to customers. A company's core competency is not easily replicated
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by other organizations, whether existing competitors or new entries into its

market. For example, Honda’s core competence is attributed to its manufacturing
capability and culture of innovation which gives birth to lightweight, high revving,
reliable engines which Honda uses in its multiple products like cars, gensets,
lawnmowers, etc. Remember, products are not a core competency.

Strategy: Strategy can be defined as “A general direction set for the company and
its various components to achieve a desired state in the future.” It means that all
the organization’s energy and resources are directed towards a focused, unifying,
and compelling output or future state.

Recruitment:
It is a process of identifying job requirements, specifying the position requirements
and job owner, advertising the position, and selecting the most suitable person for
the job. “Recruitment” as a process is exploratory as it involves finding and hiring
the best possible talent for a job vacancy in a timely and cost-effective manner.
Recruitment is a positive process of searching for prospective employees and
stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organization.

Recruiting Yield Pyramid:

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Selection:
Selection is the process of choosing the most appropriate candidate for the vacant
position in the organization. In other words, the selection is an eliminating process
wherein we weed out unsuitable applicants.

Training and Development:

Training means giving new or current employees the skills they need to perform
their jobs, such as showing new salespeople how to sell your product. Training
might involve having the current job holder explain the position to the new hire or
multi-week classroom or internet classes.
Training is important. If even high-potential employees don’t know what to do and
how to do it, they will improvise or do nothing at all.
Training also plays a crucial role in retaining employees, since about three-fourths
of the middle-aged employees tend to leave if they are dissatisfied with the training
program. A training program may be a mix of on-the-job training and classroom
training.
It encompasses three main activities:
1. Training: This activity is focused upon and evaluated against an individual's job.
2. Education: This activity focuses on the job an individual may hold in the future
and is evaluated against those jobs.
3. Development: This activity focuses upon the activities that the organization
employing the individual, or that the individual is part of, may partake in the future
and is almost impossible to evaluate.

Critical Incident Method:

With the Critical Incident Method, the supervisor keeps a log of positive and
negative examples (critical incidents) of a subordinate's work-related behaviours.
Every six months or so, supervisors and subordinates meet to discuss the latter's
performance, using the incidents as examples. Compiling incidents is useful. It
provides examples the supervisor can use to explain the person’s rating. It makes
the supervisor think about the subordinate's work-related behaviour appraisal
throughout the year (so the rating doesn't just reflect the employee's most recent
performance). The downside is that it doesn't produce relative ratings for pay raise
purposes.

Codification of Labor Laws in India:

Why was there a need to reform and codify India’s Labor Laws?
The existing laws have neither benefited industries nor workers due to various
reasons such as:
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Complexity and plethora of laws

Poor enforcement of laws
Promoted more capital-intensive industries
Contractualization of labour
High administrative burden
Inadequate coverage hiking social issues

There are 4 Codes:

1. Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020
2. Industrial Relations Code, 2020
3. Code on Social Security, 2020
4. Code on Wages, 2019

Important definitions:
1. Trade Union: Any temporary or permanent combination formed to regulate
relations between workers and employers, workers and workers, or employers
and employers.
2. Industrial dispute: Any dispute or difference between employers and employers;
employers and workers, or workers and workers; which is connected with
employment/ non-employment/ terms of employment/ conditions of labour of any
persons.
3. Collective bargaining: All negotiations which take place between an employer and
worker organizations for determining working conditions, fair wages, and terms of
employment.
4. Interest-based bargaining: Negotiations revolve around interests and not rights.
It can be done only once the rights have been provided.
5. Lay-off: Refusal or inability of the employer to give employment to a workman
whose name is borne on the muster-rolls of his establishment and who has not
been retrenched.
6. Lock-out: Temporary closing of a place of employment, suspension of work, or
refusal by the employer to continue to employ any number of persons.
7. Retrenchment: Termination of service by employer, but not as punishment for
disciplinary action.
8. Strike: Cessation of work by a body of persons employed. It is a legal right, not a
fundamental right. Strike in a public utility service is prohibited.
9. Industrial Dispute: Refers to any dispute or difference between employers and
employers, workers and workers, or employers and workers. This could be due to
non-conformity with terms of employment, labour laws, disagreement with unions,
etc.
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Competency:
It is a cluster of knowledge, skills, and personal attributes (such as motives, traits,
and self-image) that predict the person's performance and behaviour at the job. It
can be measured against well-accepted standards and improved via training and
development. Competencies are the Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and other
requirements needed to perform a job successfully. They define not only what a
person must know and do, but also how a person does it.

Compensation and Benefits:

Compensation is the monetary benefit given to an employee or worker who offers
their services to an organization. Compensation includes components like salary,
wages, bonuses, etc.

The image above shows the variety of returns people receive from work. They are
categorized as total compensation and relational returns. The relational returns
(learning opportunities, status, challenging work, and so on) are psychological.
Total compensation returns are more transactional. They include payments
received directly as cash (e.g., base, merit, incentives, cost-of-living adjustments)
and indirectly as benefits (e.g., pensions, medical insurance, programs to help
balance work and life demands, brightly colored uniforms).
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Benefits Meaning:
Employee benefits and benefits in kind (also called fringe benefits, gratuities, or
perks)
include various types of non-wage compensation provided to employees in
addition to their normal wages or salaries. Both Indian government and private
companies consider employee benefits as a source of motivating employees for
better performance and also help in retaining the best employee in the
organization who can be an asset to the company rather than thinking of it as a
burden.

Diversity & Inclusion:

What is Diversity?
Workplace diversity is understanding, accepting, and appreciating the differences
between people including those:
• of different races, genders, ages, religions, disabilities, and sexual orientations
• diversity of education, personality, skills, knowledge, and knowledge base.

What is Inclusion?
Inclusion is a practice that leads to a collaborative, supportive, and respectful
environment and increases the participation/contribution of all employees,
regardless of their gender, age, disability, posture, etc.
It includes the organization's efforts to make employees of all backgrounds feel
welcome and treated equally.

Follow Persona on: @persona_iimt

Operations
by

SigmaEta
The Operations and Supply chain
Club of IIM Trichy
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Operations Management
Operations management refers to the function of planning, coordinating, and
controlling the limited resources available to the business for producing products
and services.
“The Science and Art of ensuring that the good and services are created and
delivered successfully to the customers.”

Cycle Time: Cycle time is the time gap between two consecutive outputs from a
process, as defined by the manufacturer or customer.
Lead time: It represents the time between the moment the customer places the
order and the moment he receives it
Throughput time: It is the time required for a product to pass through a
manufacturing process, thereby being converted from raw materials into finished
goods.
Flow rate: It is also known as Throughput. It is defined as the number of flow units
(e.g. customers, money, produced goods/services) going through the business
process per unit time, e.g. customers served per hour.

Inventory Management
Inventories can be classified based on their purpose of stocking as follows:
Buffer/Safety Stock: An extra buffer is kept for reducing the possibility of
running out of stock due to uncertain circumstances.
Cycle Stock: It is the amount of inventory that is planned to be used during a given
period. The period is often defined as the time between orders (for raw materials),
or the time between production cycles (for work in process and finished goods).
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De Coupling Stock: This is the stock kept when the input rate of a process is
greater than the output rate of the process before it, which could create a de
coupling between them, if stock is not maintained
Anticipation Stock: This is the stock kept in anticipation of a peak in demands,
due to uncertain consumer requirements or seasonal variations, which are
unpredictable
Pipeline Stock: These are the goods in between the finished product stage and
finally reaching the customer
Raw material inventory: Materials that are usually purchased but are yet to
enter the manufacturing process.
Work-in-progress: Products or components that are no longer raw materials
but are yet to become finished products.

Finished-goods inventory: It refers to the end product that is ready to be sold but
hasn't been sold yet. It is still an asset on the books of the company.

Economic Order Quantity

(EOQ)
A type of fixed-order-
quantity model that
determines the amount of
an item to be purchased or
manufactured at one time.
It is an inventory-control
technique that minimises
the total ordering and
holding costs.

Lean Tools
The following link is a collection of 25 essential lean tools. Each tool is distilled
into a simple description of what it is and how it helps.
(http://www.leanproduction.com/top-25-lean-tools.html). Some of them are as
follows:
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5S Organize the work area: Eliminates waste that results from

Sort (eliminate that which is not a poorly organized work area (e.g.
needed) wasting time looking for a tool).
Set In Order (organize remaining items)
Shine (clean and inspect work area)
Standardize (write standards for above)
Sustain (regularly apply the standards)

Bottleneck Identify which part of the Improves throughput by

Analysis manufacturing process limits the strengthening the weakest link in
overall throughput and improves the the manufacturing process.
performance of that part of the
process.

Heijunka A form of production scheduling that Reduces lead times (since each
(Level purposely manufactures in much product or variant is manufactured
Scheduling) smaller batches by sequencing (mixing) more frequently) and inventory
product variants within the same (since batches are smaller).
process.

Just-In- Pull parts through production based Highly effective in reducing

Time (JIT) on customer demand instead of inventory levels. Improves cash
pushing parts through production flow and reduces space
based on projected demand. Relies on requirements.
many lean tools, such as Continuous
Flow, Heijunka, Kanban, Standardized
Work and Takt Time.

Kaizen A strategy where employees work Combines the collective talents of a

(Continuous together proactively to achieve regular, company to create an engine for
Improvement) incremental improvements in the continually eliminating waste from
manufacturing process. manufacturing processes.

Kanban (Pull A method of regulating the flow of Eliminates waste from inventory
System) goods both within the factory and with and overproduction. Can eliminate
outside suppliers and customers. the need for physical inventories
Based on automatic replenishment (instead relying on signal cards to
through signal cards that indicate indicate when more goods need to
when more goods are needed. be ordered)
The best manufacturing KPIs:
KPI (Key Metrics designed to track and
Are aligned with top-level strategic
Performance encourage progress towards critical goals (thus helping to achieve those
Indicator) goals of the organization. Strongly goals)
promoted KPIs can be extremely Are effective at exposing and
powerful drivers of behavior – so it is quantifying waste (OEE is a good
important to carefully select KPIs that example)
Are readily influenced by plant floor
will drive desired behavior.
employees (so they can drive results)

KPI (Key
Performance Indicator)
Metrics designed to track and encourage progress towards critical goals of the organization. Strongly promoted KPIs can be extremely powerful drivers of behavior – so it is important to carefully select KPIs that will drive desired behavior.
The best manufacturing KPIs:
Are aligned with top-level strategic goals (thus helping to achieve those goals)
Are effective at exposing and quantifying waste (OEE is a good example)
Are readily influenced by plant floor employees (so they can drive results)

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Muda Anything in the manufacturing process Eliminating muda (waste) is the

that does not add value from the primary focus of lean
(Waste)
customer’s perspective. manufacturing.

An iterative methodology for

PDCA Applies a scientific approach to
implementing improvements:
(Plan, Do, making improvements:
Plan (establish plan and expected
Plan (develop a hypothesis)
Check, results)
Do (run experiment)
Act) Do (implement plan)
Check (evaluate results)
Check (verify expected results
Act (refine your experiment; try
achieved)
again)
Act (review and assess; do it again)

Poka-Yoke Design error detection and prevention It is difficult (and expensive) to find
(Error into production processes with the all defects through inspection, and
Proofing) goal of achieving zero defects. correcting defects typically gets
significantly more expensive at
each stage of production.

Root Cause A problem-solving methodology that Helps to ensure that a problem is

Analysis focuses on resolving the underlying truly eliminated by applying
problem instead of applying quick fixes corrective action to the “root
that only treat immediate symptoms of cause” of the problem.
the problem. A common approach is to
ask why five times – each time moving
a step closer to discovering the true
underlying problem.

Value A tool used to visually map the flow of Exposes waste in the current
Stream production. Shows the current and processes and provides a roadmap
Mapping future state of processes in a way that for improvement through the
highlights opportunities for future state.
improvement.

Supply Chain
Supply Chain refers to the chain of activities involved in the delivery of the products
or services to the customer. For example, the supply chain of a steel angle begins
from the procurement of raw material from the supplier to the final purchase by
the customer. The supply chain for a firm in the service industry begins from the
acknowledgement of the customer requirement to the final fulfilment of the
service to the customer.
Supply chains involve the movement of: -
• Material
• Money
• Information
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Supply Chain Management refers to coordinating these activities to ensure the

smooth and uninterrupted flow of products through the various stages of processing.
For traditional products, an efficient Supply Chain is preferred. However, for products
where continuous innovation is required, the Supply Chain needs to be responsive to
cater to variations in product design.
The activities involved in the Supply Chain are: -
• Inbound Logistics: The logistics associated with the initial movement of the raw
material to the manufacturing unit and subsequent movement within the unit
• Outbound Logistics: The logistics associated with the movement of the finished
goods from the end of the manufacturing production line till the end-user
• Marketing and Sales: Involve gathering customer requirements and then fulfilling
them through an exchange process.
• Service: The activities associated with the delivery of the product eg in-store staff and
post-sales service, fulfilling warranty, etc
• Support Areas: Finance, Human Resource Management, Legal, Control, Quality
departments which are indirectly involved in the production of the product
• Procurement: Purchase of raw material or services which are transformed into or
used to reach the final product.
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The Procurement Process

There are two main categories of purchased goods: direct and indirect materials.
Direct materials are components used to make finished goods. For example, hard
drives, and CD drives. Indirect materials are goods used to support the operations
of a firm. For e.g.: PCs. The procurement process for direct material should be
focused on improving visibility and coordination with the supplier. For indirect
materials, the process should focus on decreasing the transaction cost for each
order. The procurement process in both cases should consolidate orders to take
advantage of the economies of scale and quantity discounts.
Based on the value and criticality of the product, they are classified into four
groups:

1. General Items: Low value, Low Criticality. Mostly Indirect Items. Aim: Lower the
cost of acquisition.
2. Bulk purchase items: High value, Low Criticality. Method: well-designed auctions.
3. Strategic Items: Low value, High Criticality. Components with long lead times.
Aim: ensure availability
4. Critical Items: High value, High Criticality. Aim: Long term buyer-supplier
relationship

Risk Management in Sourcing

Supply Disruption: developing multiple sources especially for products with
high demand.
Delay from suppliers: Carry inventory (low-value items) or develop backup
sources (high-value items).
Higher procurement costs: have a portfolio of long- and short-term contracts
Exchange-rate risk: using financial hedges or by developing a global supply
network
IP: keeping sensitive production in-house. maintain ownership of part of the
equipment

Making Sourcing Decisions in Practice

Use multifunctional teams
Ensure appropriate coordination across regions and business units. Always
evaluate the total cost of ownership
Build long-term relationships with key suppliers
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SIX SIGMA OVERVIEW

What is Six Sigma philosophy?
Six Sigma is a structured and disciplined process designed to consistently deliver
perfect products and services. It aims to improve the bottom line by finding and
eliminating the causes of mistakes and defects in business processes. Sigma (σ) is a
statistical term that refers to the standard deviation of a process about its mean.
The purpose of six sigma is to reduce variation. It was introduced by engineer Bill
Smith while working at Motorola in 1980. Jack Welch made it central to his business
strategy at General Electric in 1995. A six sigma process is one in which
99.9999998027% of all opportunities to produce some feature of a part are
statistically expected to be free of defects. In simple terms, Six Sigma quality
performance means 3.4 defects per million opportunities (accounting for a
1.5sigma shift in the mean advocated by Motorola).

Lean v/s six sigma?

Six Sigma focuses on reducing process variation and enhancing process control,
while lean— originally known as lean manufacturing and now broadly accepted as
lean enterprise— drives out waste (non-value added activities) through value
stream mapping and promotes work standardization. Six Sigma practitioners
should be well versed in both lean and Six Sigma methodologies. Most
practitioners advocate to implement lean first to remove wastes and standardize
processes, and then implement Six Sigma to reduce variability and make the
process efficient. Effectiveness before efficiency.

What is Six Sigma Methodology?

DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve, Control) − It refers to a data-driven
quality strategy for improving processes. This methodology is used to improve an
existing business process. The DMAIC model is very similar to the PDCA (Plan, Do
Check, Act) and PDSA (Plan, Do, Study, Act)
Define the problem, improvement activity, opportunity for improvement, the
project goals, and customer (internal and external) requirements.
Measure process performance.
Analyze the process to determine root causes of variation, poor performance
(defects).
Improve process performance by addressing and eliminating the root causes.
Control the improved process and future process performance

DMADV − It refers to a data-driven quality strategy for designing products &

processes. This methodology is used to create new product designs or process
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designs in such a way that it results in a more predictable, mature and defect-free
performance.

Steps in six sigma project identification

1. Determine the assurance unit (what is to be measured)
2. Determine the measuring method (how it will be measured)
3. Determine the relative importance of quality characteristics (is this key to our
process?)
4. Arrive at a consensus on defects and flaws (does everyone agree on good and
bad quality?)
5. Expose latent defects (look at the process over time)
6. Observe quality statistically (use process behaviour charting)
7. Distinguish between “quality of design” and “quality of conformance”

Six Sigma Metrics

Defects per unit (DPU)
Defects per million opportunities (DPMO)
Rolled throughput yield (RTY)
Cycle time
Cost of poor quality (COPQ).

Defects (Deficiencies or Nonconformities) per Unit (DPU)

This metric is used when the area under inspection is large in size or volume, for
example, the number of defects on a painted chassis or textile.

Defects (Deficiencies) per Million Opportunities (DPMO)

DPMO = (Total number of defects ÷ Total number of units × Number of
opportunities per unit)

Rolled Throughput Yield (RTY)

RTY applies to the yield from a series of processes and is found by multiplying the
individual process yields. If a product goes through four process steps whose yields
are Process step #1 = 99.4%, Process step #2 = 98.7%, Process step #3 = 95.1%, and
Process step #4 = 99.0%, then RTY = 99.4% × 98.7% × 95.1% × 99.0% ≈ 92.37%.
Throughput yield can also be calculated by knowing DPU = e– DPU.

Cycle Time
Cycle Time Cycle time is the time it takes for a process to be completed, from start
to end.
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Cost of Poor Quality (COPQ)

However, in some publications, COQ is referred to as the overall cost that includes
both the cost of conformance and the cost of nonconformance. The cost of
nonconformance is the sum of internal and external failure costs the organization
incurs. Examples of internal failure costs are scrap, rework, repair, and retest.
Examples of external failure costs are customer return, replacement, investigation,
and administration. The cost of conformance is the sum of the appraisal and
prevention costs Examples of appraisal costs are inspection, administrative costs
for quality functions, and supplier surveillance. Examples of prevention costs are
training, supplier qualification, risk assessment, and process capability
measurement. Improvement in COPQ should come from a reduction in failure
costs. Improvement in COQ should come from a reduction in appraisal costs and
an increase in prevention costs.

Sigma Levels
A sigma level is the quality level of the process— There are two types of sigma level
calculations: sigma level with Motorola 1.5 sigma shift and without the shift. Six
Sigma Quality level without shift is 2 parts per billion (ppb) and with 1.5 sigma shift
is 3.4 DPPM.

Sigma level Sigma (with 1.5σ shift) DPMO

3 1.5 66,807

4 2.5 6,210

5 3.5 233

6 4.5 3.4

Follow SigmaEta on: @sigmaeta_iimtrichy

 Interview Preparation Kit by IIM Trichy | Page 115

References:
Rwww.asq.com, Accessed on 11th Nov 2018
GOVIND, R., The certified six sigma yellow belt, ASQ, 2017
RODERICK M, GOVINDARAJAN, R., DANIEL Z, The certified six sigma green belt, ASQ, 2015
Lean Six Sigma in Healthcare, Article in Journal for Healthcare Quality, March 2006
Identify the Lean Tool for Different Industrial Sectors in India, Research, Mandar Mukundrav Sumant, Shashank Thanki,
December 2015
Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma: an analysis based on operations strategy, Article in International Journal of
Production Research, February 2014
Lean Six Sigma & Local Government, Jeffrey Alan Fletcher, Working Paper, February 2016
Implementation of Lean Six Sigma approaches in Construction Operations, Conference Paper, Naji Abdelwanis, February
2018
Lean Six Sigma in the Financial Services Industry: Germany, Technical Report, Jürgen Moormann, Jiju Antony, Ayon
Chakraborty, Yevgen Bogodistov, October 2017
Lean Six Sigma in the Service Industry, Chapter, Alessandro Laureani, March 2012
Nadeau, S. (2017) Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma in Higher Education: A Review of Experiences around the World.
American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 7,591-603.
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