History of Advertising in India

Indian Advertising starts with the hawkers calling out their wares right from the days when cities and markets first began. Concrete advertising history begins with classified advertising. Ads appear for the first time in print in Hickey’s Bengal Gazette, India’s first newspaper (weekly) . To ‘advertise’ meant merely to ‘inform’ until the end of the eighteenth century, and the early newspapers and periodicals announced births, deaths, arrivals of ships from England, sale of household furniture, etc. some journals like the Bengal Journal (first published in 1785) even offered to print government advertisements free. The front page of most such journals carried only advertisements. But before long persuasive copy began to replace mere information. This is evident from the appearance of punch lines such as ‘superior to anything of the kind hitherto imported’ and ‘warranted to the first quality’. Discounts and special services also began to be offered by the beginning Continue reading

Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) Assessment

Personality tests can have huge benefits for both organisations and the individuals. It can help management with employee selection and employee development and they can help individuals to identify areas of themselves which need improving. The practical nature of these tests can help to weed out unsuitable candidates quickly and easily and it is also a form of selection which can stand up in court. The  Hogan Personality Inventory (HPI) itself is a well known and trusted brand of test, due to the model which it is based on and the amount of working adults it is normed on. The Hogan Personality Inventory is a personality test which is a measure of normal personality and is used to predict job performance. This tool has many uses and is used by both organisations and individuals. The HPI was specifically designed to aid business and commercial use and can be used throughout Continue reading

Methods of Exchange Control

Exchange control is one of the important means of achieving certain national objectives like an improvement in the balance of payments position, restriction of inessential imports and conspicuous consumption, facilitation of import of priority items, control of outflow of capital and maintenance of the external value of the currency. Under the exchange control, the whole foreign exchange resources of the nation, including those currently occurring to it, are usually brought directly under the control of the exchange control authority (the Central Bank, treasury or a specially constituted agency). Dealings and transactions in foreign exchange are regulated by the exchange control authority. Exporters have to surrender the foreign exchange earnings in exchange for home currency and the permission of the exchange control authority have to be obtained for making payments in foreign exchange. It is generally necessary to implement the overall regulations with a host of detailed provisions designed to eliminate Continue reading

Ten Schools of Strategy

Strategy is considered as one of the interesting and engaging subject to discuss in business management schools. The strategy can be described or can be explained as a detail and systematic plan of particular action that has to be performed when it is required or when a requirement is envisaged. Different types of strategic problems form part of the strategic management process. Is it necessary for the companies or the organizations to focus more on the market share or focus on the revenue capital of the company or the organization? What are the plans and the processes required and necessary for the organization to focus on as to reach its goal and to reach the market shares? The great authors of Strategy Safari like Henry Mintzberg, Bruce Ahlstrand, and Joseph Lampel have explained strategies in their own words with their experiences. The strategy is explained in different approaches which includes Continue reading

Business Continuity Management (BCM) – Meaning and Example

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of Cure” – Benjamin Franklin The entire businesses around the world are exposed to risk or disruptions whether it is from fire, equipment failure, natural disaster, communication failure, economy downturn or an act of terrorism. There can be hardly superior hazard to any organization than recession. The organizations experienced more disruptions than ever in the past years. These disruptions can ruin the organizations or make it difficult to survive. This is where Business Continuity Management (BCM) plays integral role to smoothly run the business without any interruption. Business Continuity Management is very important for the endurance of the business. Business Continuity Management is a method designed to ensure that the functions of an organization can be managed or restored promptly in the event of internal or external occurrence. One of the most important objectives of the BCM is to reduce the legal, Continue reading

Technology Adoption Life Cycle

Geoffrey Moore, An  American organizational theorist, management consultant and author, in his books Crossing the Chasm (1991) and Inside the Tornado (1995), draws on marketing theory and high-tech experience to describe the elements of the product life cycle for technology innovations.   His work examines how communities respond to discontinuous innovations – or any new products or services that require the end user in the marketplace to dramatically change their past behavior. He describes how companies must position their products differently through the cycle to reach their full sales potential and become an industry standard instead of a novelty.   Many new technologies start along a classic new product diffusion curve, but fail soon thereafter.  Through the various phases of the technology adoption life cycle, very different strategies for product and service offering and positioning are called for. The basis of the technology adoption life cycle is similar to the Continue reading