With a number of small startups/industries coming up in India, cloud computing is going to be a huge enabler for such companies looking to compete with the big players with the limited resources that they have. All the big names in cloud computing have lined up for a piece of the Indian pie. Google,Microsoft,Amazon,IBM,Oracle are all in the fray. With communication networks in India still in a nascent stage(we call 512 kbps broadband ), cloud computing is still to gain momentum. The war of words has begun( Click Here) . Though there are plenty of competitors in the market, as of now all eyes are set on Google and Microsoft. They have been sparring for a few years in the US, this is the first time that both the companies have come out in the open with such hostility in the Indian market.

Microsoft leverages the fact that they have been in to application development for a long time now,while Google is unmatched in the advertising space. Google has its Google Apps while Microsoft has an entire range of cloud based solutions like Office365 and Azure. Google is legacy free in this regard whereas Microsoft has a legacy and an image of selling servers and it has to look for ways to reposition itself to suit new clients and at the same time take care of its massive existing client network.

So with Cloud Computing still in its gestation period in India who do you think will come out on top? Microsoft ? Google? or its going to be a surprise? :biggrin:

:biggrin: Gmail Man - YouTube

After passing out from IIFT, what would be my chances of landing a good profile in a Marketing company considering I have good academic record...but have work-ex of 2 years in IT(Healthcare domain)?
Do good companies even shortlist this profile at IIFT?

IIFT does has decent marketing opportunities in their final placements.

However, seniors from IIFT or a placecomer from IIFT can answer your above questions better wrt IIFT shortlisting etc.

In generaly, if work ex is exact 2 yrs and with the kind of domain you come from, you do stand a chance of getting shortlists for marketing profiles. But still suggest to please post the question in IIFT convert thread or PM to any of the seniors there for more concrete answer

All the best

Flipkart

The brand which started off as a no-nonsense online bookstore has now transformed itself in many ways .
Can seniors please throw some light on why it felt the need to rebrand ? Isn't 3 yrs of time too less for rebranding exercise ? What are the pointers that a brand thinks about while rebranding ?

I m not very good in marketing so i will try give a strategic stand point here . When we consider the e-commerce industry its in on the growth phase of the industry life cycle and there are a lot of changes happening specially in industry dynamics .

1) Firstly lot of new companies coming up every year . Due to low capital requirements and the most important issue of logistics and handling is getting easier specially in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities

2) Need of differentiation and competitive advantage .. when we consider the difference between these websites there is hardly any , similar services , similar offering, similar target market and even similar distribution channels .. So Scale and brand name matter a lot , and that's where Flipkart has a huge advantage and they want to be recognized as a one stop solution for everything so a move from just books to complete e-retailing

3) Threat from Amazon.com , Amazon buying Junglee.com was a clear sign for most of the Indian players though Amazon insisted that Junglee is not a trading platform but Indian online retailers believe the writing on the wall was so clear.

Quoting an article

The online retail industry appears to be coalescing into two distinct types: one that comprises large multibrand retailers and another consisting of specialised sellers of high-margins products such as jewellery and fashion apparel. The successful fundraising by Myntra, a fashion retailer, is an indicator of this trend.


Flipkart with its aim to establish itself as the biggest one stop solution has acquired LetsBuy.com (a start up from our senior at imi ) and i think timing could not have been better for them , Online retailers are racing to consolidate their gains as they prepare for the entry of global competition once the government approved foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail and i think its a proactive move than a reactive one

Hi VisionIIM-ACL,

After passing out from IIFT, what would be my chances of landing a good profile in a Marketing company considering I have good academic record...but have work-ex of 2 years in IT(Healthcare domain)?
Do good companies even shortlist this profile at IIFT?

Thanks.

Flipkart

The brand which started off as a no-nonsense online bookstore has now transformed itself in many ways .
Can seniors please throw some light on why it felt the need to rebrand ? Isn't 3 yrs of time too less for rebranding exercise ? What are the pointers that a brand thinks about while rebranding ?

to all the seniors and my fellow puys i have query....
i have tried to find a solution but haven't been able to find something which will bury down my questions on this topic....

Future of Airlines in India

actually my worry is every time we read that certain airline has shown loss in this quarter...then how these companies gonna run???/or rise in prices of petroleum products gonna hit airlines hard.....due to high competition they are making compromises at a lot of front.....or how they gonna make money


so please a kind request put your point of view...:):)

You can use the search tab too.

Nevertheless http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/career-discussions/68219-why-finance.html is the link .

Happy PGing

Thanks Sakshi..........

Hi,
Can anyone provide a link for Finance domain, if there is any on pagal guy.

Thnx.:grin:

You can use the search tab too.

Nevertheless http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/career-discussions/68219-why-finance.html is the link .

Happy PGing

Hi,
Can anyone provide a link for Finance domain, if there is any on pagal guy.

Thnx.:grin:

Do you think its a strategic mistake by Blackberry to reduce their pricing , change their positioning away from their core customers to younger generation which has moved on to smartphones via apple , samsung or mango ...

Do you think Blackberry will survive or will it be their downfall

Well, I take it as a strategic move by Blackberry to reduce the prices and trying to change the major target segment.

Slightly long explanation for the same, kindly bear with it.

Mystery Behind Price Changes - A brief
Companies might increase or reduce the price of their products, and often a common man tries to see merely its implications. But, it is much more than this. More than the mere price change, what is more important is how any organization accomplishes this change.

Putting in simpler words, it depends more on the implementation of the strategic move to change price. And this is what guides the end result of any changes introduced between 2 companies which come up with a same change. This includes timing of the change, positioning the change in customer's mind and predicting the competitor's reaction as well.

Some companies try to cut their own costs, and offer either the increased value at same price or the same value at lower price to customer. This provides the customers an irresistible proposition generally and result in increase in sales. However, attention needs to be paid to profitable growth for the company despite the price changes.

Why did Research In Motion decide to reduce the price ?
The reduction in price change began in US market first, followed by Canada and then in other markets. This was done to cater to the falling sales of RIM in these markets and through the price change, an attempt was made to get hold of the minds of the customers once again and improve the bottom line of the company.

I read in one of the articles that for RIM, it is not just about staying ahead in apps or fancy hardware, but it is about being cost effective. And this is the complementary vision with which their drive to reduce the cost was initiated.

Where everyone is seeing it as a bad move or a move that has not helped RIM much, if we analyze the comprehensive global market of RIM, the move has witnessed a positive momentum for their bottomline.

According to one of the latest reports ( IDC ) , RIM has displaced Motorola recently and entered the top 5 list of world's phonemakers. It is also the number 1 smartphone seller in US. However, this has come at the cost of lesser average selling price of Blackberry when its competitors like Apple etc. have seen their average selling price going up.

This all has happened in upper segment of the market. Simultaneously, RIM sees a huge potential in lower end customers where its lowest range is currently targeting at. This is the market which will lead to making smartphone as a device that connects friends, internet and world at broader level and at much higher scale. This coupled with lowered prices and increased features will act as a catalyst for this entire phenomenon.

Future of the strategic move
It is too early to predict the affect of this move and probably, the actual affect can only be analyzed and discussed more after the results of few more quarters are out for RIM as well as its other competitors.

It is surely going to be interesting to watch it and then come back here and post!

As far as formulation of business strategy is concerned, i feel that the move is fine as of now and no such changes are required.

PS: A blog post coming on this soon :)

Cheers!

how much gap period period do co.s usually provide, to provide concrete results in sales.it is usually 3 months for a newbie.what about a person with mba in marketing?

So many career oriented questions , lets try something new ...

A question addressed to everyone
Do you think its a strategic mistake by Blackberry to reduce their pricing , change their positioning away from their core customers to younger generation which has moved on to smartphones via apple , samsung or mango ...
Do you think Blackberry will survive or will it be their downfall
Formulate business strategy if possible

i am not a B-Schooler still but will be very soon :biggrin:

Past few months Black berry faced problems say in downfall in market share or
sales of playbook

1. Downfall reasons
--Targeting only few customers
-- faced problems in india (from Govt) which led customers to shift from BB to Apple or Samsung
--No new interface in BB OS which could competite with android.
--The Blackberry screen is too small and it doesn't have enough great apps.
-- The Android, while the most prevelent OS for a mobile device, has too many versions to keep up with on too many different and unique devices to be supported properly But only negative point is that they can be easily hacked and and supplies the most vulnerabilities.
-- Biggest problem with BB is hardware it cannot be used in another handset
-- They should have a better Os with lots of applications.
What can be done:
They can introduce new BB models for younger generation ( good touch screen phones)

For example if you compare Samsung Galaxy S2 vs BlackBerry Torch 9800.
Samsung has beated BB in all most all ways say by display, power,optics,software
Now a days a android phone is available at 6k or even below. the BB should also start targeting students who are in college by introducing new phone models specially for them

hope its upto the expectation of others..

First of all guys amazing responses @gudda ,@sakshi @naga sir .. all of you have covered most of the facts...

Let me share with you more facts



As naga sir has already pointed out drop in sales ..What about customers satisfaction levels or potential customers

Quoting an article

The recently published survey by ChangewaveReasearch focused on user satisfaction with their smartphone, which reveals that 75% of iPhone owners are "very satisfied" with their purchase.

Other manufacturers, making up the middle ground, include: Samsung and HTC, with 47%, Motorola 45%, LG 31% and Nokia just above RIM with 23% of users declaring themselves very satisfied

BlackBerry owners, once very proud about their sleek and powerful smartphones, come at the very bottom of the list with only 22% happy.


The news gets even worse for RIM, as it also comes bottom of the Future Smartphone Buyers poll carried out within the same survey December 2011. Just 2% of those intending buying a handset in the next 90 days were planning on purchasing a BlackBerry (down from 3% in September), compared to 54% for the iPhone.


Situation looks grim doesn't it .. I will not talk about positioning as the final verdict is still to come out on that but looking at the trends .. The new shift has not been very successful at one point BB relies heavily on the corporate customers in the enterprise market on the other hand they wanted to move into the youth customer segment ..

so a shift from core customers to new customers .. I think this positioning has been adopted in India due to huge urban population and growing disposable income as rightly pointed out by gudda .. But the question is whether the move was rightly timed , or whether there brand positioning has been so stiff that it has been difficult for the customer to suddenly perceive it as product for youth .

But again a question , what happens when Bentley says it will sell a 1 lac car or rolls Royce says it will cut prices of it models for middle class to buy

There is always a trade off , you move away from ur core customers and move to a new segment but what companies fail to recognize is that its not just the product or the brand .. but are the needs similar ... do they want something else .. or can we sell the same technology to younger customers , and If do enter the new segment how will the competitors react to it

Similar is the case with BB, new customers have new needs and competitors such as apple , samsung will react to these advances to their core market


What could be a possible strategy
I for one want RIM to sell its hardware business which has now become a loss leader , and opening its secure blackberry network to rival smartphones providers. BlackBerry seems to be in steep decline (the next quarter sales are expected to decline by 26%) . So instead of pushing in new models and trying for a major turnaround .. The should concentrate on their core competency . the BBM network and keep innovating in that field ..but they have to react fast alternative network providers that offer many of the same security features as the BlackBerry enterprise network are already making inroads.

So Blackberry enterprise network is their core competency and they must act to leverage upon it soon

So many career oriented questions , lets try something new ...

A question addressed to everyone

Do you think its a strategic mistake by Blackberry to reduce their pricing , change their positioning away from their core customers to younger generation which has moved on to smartphones via apple , samsung or mango ...

Do you think Blackberry will survive or will it be their downfall
Formulate business strategy if possible

:clap: Awesome topic!

I will take it in a few steps

1) What went wrong with BB.
2) Is the positioning actually that bad?
3) Possible ways out.

1) What went wrong with BB

Came Android and Iphone

Both came with their own pros and cons but they had a lot of things that remarkably left BB a generation behind.

>> New , more and better apps
>> Easier web surfing
>> Android gives you freedom of hardware
>> Iphone decided to set a cult with its marketing strategy of "If you don't have an Iphone, well , you don't have an Iphone"
>> They tried and bridge the gap between corporate and normal users.
>> All these became anti-BB features.

So starting from 2007 , when android and iphone entered , the competition got better and BB was caught off guard .

2) I feel, there is nothing wrong with the positioning that BB is adopting . Positioning gives flexibility to a brand. But sole handed positioning will do no good. It needs hell lot of innovation . If it wants to focus on its strength of targeting corporate people , it needs to establish itself all over again and win this battle .

3) All they can work on is

>> better hardware
>> Working on apps and browsing
>> Ensuring nice battery back up inspite of great apps
>> Not making the mistake of shipping a product when they know that its not working fine

I am no pro at this ...waiting for more replies to get better hang of this
Hope to see some more coming up :cheers:

Do you think its a strategic mistake by Blackberry to reduce their pricing , change their positioning away from their core customers to younger generation which has moved on to smartphones via apple , samsung or mango ...

Do you think Blackberry will survive or will it be their downfall
Formulate business strategy if possible

To put it simple , Yes Blackberry made some mistakes in last two years . It's growth was stagnant and in fact getting worsen day by day .

About Customers :

Blackberry customers were the corporates and telecom giants . One area where they failed miserably is targeting individual customers . Their product was great hit in corporates but individual sales was way too low .

Strength :

Blackberry strength was secure email and messaging system inside corporates . They had required PBX system which will be secure enough for the client using it .

Its data architecture is too good so that competitors will have tough time to win over them.

Numbers :

Last year , BB had 40 % of smart phone customers . This year its touch higher than 25% . Nearly 35% decrease in customers in one year :nono:

The nearest competitor apple has grown modestly - 24 in last year to 26 this year .

Downfall :

One major reason for the downfall is the launch of Iphone and I pad . This enabled the Android market grow to the highest level .

The BlackBerry platform was ideal for sending and receiving messages in a secure environment but it was never built to properly handle modern web-browsing and the increasingly-popular ability to run applications.

Iphone with 3G was priced at 200-250$ which made corporates move from BB to Apple as they had modern features at lower costs. Few corporates were ready even to compromise on security.

Timing of the new version wasn't good enough to keep the customer intact
(Lets take case of Playbook - It was a perfect competitor for Ipad but it took 6 months to come out and that too with a simpler version )


What can be done ?

We are still waiting for BB10 . BB is all about the class and quality . If the quality and feature are good enough and if their promotion is good , i dont find any reason which will stop them from bouncing back from this slump .

But I feel it is least likely to happen as Android market is growing from strength to strength day by day . Hypothetically speaking,BlackBerry 10 may be good, but it's hard to imagine it being so great that a new customer will opt for it instead of the stylish I phone or Android models

But who knows

" Today's loser could be tomorrow's winner" .

@abhimukh : Indeed a very nice question .. Keep them coming

Please can anyone clarify, What roles can one get in international marketing profiles?

So many career oriented questions , lets try something new ...

A question addressed to everyone

Do you think its a strategic mistake by Blackberry to reduce their pricing , change their positioning away from their core customers to younger generation which has moved on to smartphones via apple , samsung or mango ...

Do you think Blackberry will survive or will it be their downfall
Formulate business strategy if possible

sir...i am not a B-school student so don't know much about that what is marketing strategy...but i do know only 1 thing that...i know how to sell things...and it can be anything...so here is my answer....

this same question has haunted me...that what is Blackberry Upto????

i think they are on right path...reason for this are below-

1.)we all know BB was originally made for whom...corporate people...but i think once..a thing which was status symbol or meant to some special group of people is now available for many...
to understand this we need to understand what Facebook did... initially Fb was made only for Harvard students...so it generated a sense of excitement in the whole world that what it is...it was earlier a privilege which was only meant for Harward...but now it was for everyone...hence people grabbed this opportunity with both hands.....

so i can say this will happen with BB...or i would say it is happening....BB is giving a sense of achievement even to a student

2.)what is the difference between Google+ and FB.....1st one was launched with so much expectations...and media hype...but both died soon..why Google+ failed to attract people...or hold people...because we human have a tendency to live in a society..or live in a group...on FB we have our peers...hence there is our group...here
BB biggest asset...BB messenger comes into play....when we will see our 4 friends having Chat on that then we will feel like left out....(a simple reason of orkut death even after so much efforts) and we will force us to accept BB as our smart phone...which we initially won't like much but may be after that it will act as an life-line for us

3.)here i am talking about India...India is growing at a decent pace...people's pocket are getting deeper....means now a 22 year old student/working professional has a high chance of earning 7 digits salary...(we all know this is true)....
why not grab this student at the age of 16/17..so he will be a loyal customer...for quite a few time?????which will eventually help us in breaking into a completely new set of customers.......

will post marketing strategy later

p.s.-this is my 1st post on this thread...and i am a fresher Engg graduate so don't know much about this field but i wanna learn..so kindly help me in capturing this domain........so please let me know if there is any flaw in my thought process

So many career oriented questions , lets try something new ...

Deserves a seperate post for the answer!

An attempt to answer it coming soon!

Hi,

1. Does IT experience(Accenture) help if one is interested in marketing as a career?
2. If yes, how does it matter during the interviews w.r.t marketing companies coming for placements in top B-schools.
3. What is the difference between IIM A/B/C and the rest purely in terms of profile. Please elaborate.

These are very objective questions, i did not understand the kind of detail expected as we have already discussed them umpteen times in simple words

Trying once again to make the things clear :

1. IT experience will help depending on the kind of marketing profile and company you are applying to. It wont be of much help while applying for marketing roles in FMCGs, Pharma, automobile companies etc. that deal with mass customers.

However, it would be helpful for marketing roles in companies which deal in product marketing in B2B space and for Business Development roles for B2B Companies as well as for IT companies.

Extent to which it will help depends on the kind of roles and responsibilities you had in Accenture.

2. Above is the answer to this question as well in my opinion. ( How does it matter and how it helps are equivalent ). As far as top its dependence on top B-Schools are concerned, it will just lead to the difference in kind of companies and profiles with one B-School to the other.

3. Difference depends on companies. Company X might open all the profiles in IIM A/B/C as well as in other top B-Schools while company Y can open all the profiles only in A/B/C and selective profiles in other top B-Schools.

Hi,

1. Does IT experience(Accenture) help if one is interested in marketing as a career?
2. If yes, how does it matter during the interviews w.r.t marketing companies coming for placements in top B-schools.
3. What is the difference between IIM A/B/C and the rest purely in terms of profile. Please elaborate.

Please give a reply in detail as this is already answered but still not very clear

So many career oriented questions , lets try something new ...

A question addressed to everyone

Do you think its a strategic mistake by Blackberry to reduce their pricing , change their positioning away from their core customers to younger generation which has moved on to smartphones via apple , samsung or mango ...

Do you think Blackberry will survive or will it be their downfall
Formulate business strategy if possible

yvnagendra Says

Puys. I am a B.Pharma candidate and had a work experience of 18 months as Medical Representative in a pharma company. This year I am going to pursue MBA from NIT Karnataka or NIT Trichy. What kind of profile can I expect after MBA if I go to FMCG company?

Hi, looking @ ur background, MBA/PG in Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Management will be beneficial...

NMIMS, SIES, IES, Welingkar are institutes offering this course (2yrs full time) as per my knowledge.

Wishes,
Deepika

Inspired Leader Says

I wanted to know after this automobile stint can i jump to consumer durable's or the FMCG sector(HUL,P&G;,Pernod ricard and the likes)???

Chances are there if you perform well in Maruti, but directly moving on to Brand Management Profile of FMCGs might be slightly tougher!

Hey1. will it sound vague if I talk about marketing as a specialization...a preference reached upon not entirely but to a large extent by going through this thread in the past few days...have not done any research as yet (any books or strategies..never went into that depth to analyse ads etc.)...
2. and in case I don't get through a good B-school this time I hv placement offers from IT co like Infy n HCL...could you please elaborate on how to get involved in such projects so that I have a better profile for next time..

1. No, it won't sound vague! You need to defend it by telling atleast the reasons why are you interested in the profile.
2. Try to get into ERP projects, Consulting projects or work for clients in FMCG/Pharma domain. This will surely help you.

yvnagendra Says

This year I am going to pursue MBA from NIT Karnataka or NIT Trichy. What kind of profile can I expect after MBA if I go to FMCG company?

It depends a lot on what profiles do FMCGs offer in NIT Karnataka. Talk to seniors over there to find the same. Once you do that, we can discuss which among them will suit your profile more!

Cheers!

Puys. I am a B.Pharma candidate and had a work experience of 18 months as Medical Representative in a pharma company. This year I am going to pursue MBA from NIT Karnataka or NIT Trichy. What kind of profile can I expect after MBA if I go to FMCG company?

visionIIM-ACL Says

It has been discussed earlier as well, we need to do short term industry projects, weekend projects, research papers in sales and marketing and/or some small projects of our own to build the profile for marketing.

2. Marketing companies look at your extra-currics/PORs/social work etc apart from acads. In fact this is one field where you just need to prove that you have the ability to take initiative and shoulder responsibility more than the ability to mug up stuff. So what you can do is develop hobbies/participate in events/work for NGOs etc to enhance your profile.

Heyy I am an Engg. fresher and don't have any good extra-currics to mention about and hv MDI GD/PI on 15th...
1. will it sound vague if I talk about marketing as a specialization...a preference reached upon not entirely but to a large extent by going through this thread in the past few days...have not done any research as yet (any books or strategies..never went into that depth to analyse ads etc.)...
2. and in case I don't get through a good B-school this time I hv placement offers from IT co like Infy n HCL...could you please elaborate on how to get involved in such projects so that I have a better profile for next time..

Hi I have a small queiry.I would be joining maruti Suzuki as a senior management trainee in the sales and marketing division. I would be spending the first few years in sales and then probably move on to brand management.I wanted to know after this automobile stint can i jump to consumer durable's or the FMCG sector(HUL,P&G;,Pernod ricard and the likes)???

Can some one please help me out how i should improve my profile...what extra activities i can do to show my interest towards marketing...

It has been discussed earlier as well, we need to do short term industry projects, weekend projects, research papers in sales and marketing and/or some small projects of our own to build the profile for marketing.

pc28 Says

I am a MBA in Marketing from Sikkim Manipal University(just passed out). What is the career scope for me?

We have been discussing this throughout the thread It is something that cannot be discussed college wise. For college specific, please post it on the thread of respective college.

1.Kindly explain in as much detail as possible for you what are can I expect if I study Marketing at SCMHRD(converted) and SIBM(Wait-listed) and where do you guys personally see them nationally for this particular specialization.

2. Have been hearing alot of B2B/B2C, I do understand their basic meanings but can you pls explain which is generally a more preferred one and why. Also kindly explain their basic operational differences.

3.In the starting of this thread it has been mentioned that marketing is also preferred because growth is faster. Does that essentially mean that its easier to get to the absolute top faster if u are a marketing person. I mean can this one point be explained in as much detail as possible.

1. Answer to this will lead to comparison between SIBM and SCMHRD. Sorry, it cannot be responded by us.

2. Preferences between B2B and B2C depends on personal interests. And the operational difference between 2 has already been discussed in initial pages of this thread. Please go through the same and feel free to shoot the query if any doubt persists.

3. No, it doesn't mean so. One's growth in marketing as well is proportionate to the results he/she produces. It is just that generally marketing people are viewed as the direct revenue generators for any company, hence they get more lime light everywhere. This is also linked to the way they need to carry their personality to meet the requirements of being an effective marketing professional.

1)How much difference is really there in an MBA from a tier1 to tier2 institute?

2)How much will my job profile help me in my interviews?

3)Does getting into business analyst profile mean i can only get selected/related profiles after my MBA?Or in other words how will this work-ex be looked at in an MBA college and after that?

4)Which stream of students get business analysts profile after an MBA

1. Difference is just that from tier 1 institute, you will get at step 2 directly of sales and marketing management and from tier 2 institute, you will have to start from step 1.

Apart from this, there is a set of certain profiles that get opened in only tier 1 institutes.

2. Yes, this profile will give you a certain advantage.

3. No, profiles which you can get into will not be restricted to business analyst. This profile of MuSigma will help you everywhere. Need not worry :)

4. Any stream student can get into business analyst profile, it just depends on how you perform and put forth your interests / capabilities in interview.

rower Says

How would an MBA in Marketing and/or operations help me take my career to the next level? Is there any MBA course which clubs marketing and operations? If yes, any top institution?

There is no course that clubs marketing and operations as such. You can go for majors and minors in Marketing and Supply Chain if the college has provision of majors and minors. Otherwise, you can take electives of both the specializations to enhance your knowledge in them simultaneously.

MBA will certainly help you in growing career as it helps to broaden your perspective through different modes of studies used to illustrate concepts in b-schools.

Dear all,
I have been browsing through sites since times immemorial ( :P) looking for information which can help me choose my stream of management. This is not the first, second, third or tenth time that I am going through PG (more than that). But I was stopping myself from getting registered and posting over here as I was yet to zero in onto something or the other.
Let me tell you something about myself. I am a BTech in EEE, and I am currently working in biomass power sector. Past two years, I have equally dirtied my hands in the engineering part and the supply chain/marketing/purchase/sales of biomass. Marketing/sales and supply chain of biomass is crucial for the working of any biomass power plant, even engineering doesn't have a role more crucial than this one. I have been always interested in marketing, and I would have found myself doing MBA in Marketing if it was not for my parents who wanted their son to go for engineering, not for BBA. Right now, I have a Dil of Marketing and a Dhadkan of operations. Now, I have a doubt, rather, a question.
How would an MBA in Marketing and/or operations help me take my career to the next level? Is there any MBA course which clubs marketing and operations? If yes, any top institution?
(I promise you that more questions will follow. First, I would like the answer of an expert on this question.)
P.S.: I have seen a question which somewhat is identical to my question, but i would like to hear an answer taking into account of the situation above.

PPS: I Know I am very, very vague in my questions, but I want to clear the mud off the water, and get a good idea. I am sure there is no other place better than PG. Please dont let me down.

Hello seniors...
I have got an offer from Mu-Sigma as a business analyst.Now i had planned to join an MBA college and pursue marketing this year itself,but since i din't get the required percentile(and not getting any top 20 college),i am thinking of having another go next year.I have some general queries which have been in my mind since quite some time,Hope some1 helps me.
1)How much difference is really there in an MBA from a tier1 to tier2 institute?I have been forced to think about this issue this year!!!(As in should i settle for tier2 institute which gives me a good ROI or is tier1 worth giving a shot?I am very confident of a good performance as i have been consistently good in mocks)

2)How much will my job profile help me in my interviews?I mean is this profile good and will help me in my pursuit next year ,specially in the interviews??(Now this is not really the reason i took up the job but if it helps then it would be great)

3)Does getting into business analyst profile mean i can only get selected/related profiles after my MBA?Or in other words how will this work-ex be looked at in an MBA college and after that?

4)Which stream of students get business analysts profile after an MBA(I am assuming that they would obviously be getting better profiles after doing an MBA)

Long post,but any reply would be appreciated(Or if you can direct me to any related thread it would be great):)

Hello Seniors,

Well I have been stalking the forum for quite some time and I must say this might be one 1 of the threads which I would be subscribed to for a lifetime :mg

But I do have some doubts as well.

1. Kindly explain in as much detail as possible for you what are can I expect if I study Marketing at SCMHRD(converted) and SIBM(Wait-listed) and where do you guys personally see them nationally for this particular specialization.

2. Have been hearing alot of B2B/B2C, I do understand their basic meanings but can you pls explain which is generally a more preferred one and why. Also kindly explain their basic operational differences.

3. In the starting of this thread it has been mentioned that marketing is also preferred because growth is faster. Does that essentially mean that its easier to get to the absolute top faster if u are a marketing person. I mean can this one point be explained in as much detail as possible.

@IIM-ACL: I kno it will take a loooong time to type soo much but its important for ALOT of ppl out there to understand the same. Thanks in advance for your time and effort

I am a MBA in Marketing from Sikkim Manipal University(just passed out). What is the career scope for me?

My name is RAGHU..people out here are talking about worst profile terribly upset by performance on there past...but after hearing mine they might feel good and also motivated.... Here i come up with my disgusting marks..
10th 60.66
12th 52.67:bang head:
Graduation(Mumbai university)--51
I have two years gap in my education..one of the most awe full things in my profile.. I failed in my graduation twice and finally on third attempt i managed to clear it with 51 percent.. I cleared my grads on 2011.. After that i thought of putting my heart n soul to my CAT preparation...WAs preparing really well... my mocks scores wer from 70 to 80 percentile..But during my D-Day i got frustrated and performed horribly...landed up wit only 40 percentile...Was totally shattered..Then came MH-CET...i don't know was it my bad luck or god was testing me...MH-CET was one of the most toughest paper in history of MH-CET...again horribly performed.. now i m highly demotivated and totally upset... I feel my life is over.. after talking to lot of my friends and seniors they advised me to join for software testing course...So in order to take up one decent job i have joined that course..totally disappointed wit my life.. but i have only one light tat i wil get a decent job after this course.. Now peers please help me out..i have to do MBA becz tat has always been my passion..i want to build a career in marketing line..
Can some one please help me out how i should improve my profile...what extra activities i can do to show my interest towards marketing...Help me peers ...pls

shishirpratik Says

so my question is , after passing from IMT nagpur and gaining some experience, do i will get any oppurtunity to work with good brand like HUL, PG, johnson n johnson,or they only consider only the premiere institute guys ,matters not how much experience u have?

Buddy

To be true, it would be tough.

Major reasons being:

1. If you get into B2B marketing after MBA, it would be tough to switch to B2C marketing especially in companies mentioned by you. Because they generally prefer people with relevant work ex in B2C S&M; domain or a fresher from one of the colleges which are their favourites for recruitment. Neither of the 2 shall be applicable in your case if you get into B2B marketing profile from college.

2. However, if you get into B2C marketing profile, you can move to these companies but IMHO, it would be tough to get a decent profile in companies with slightly lesser brand value as well.

3. If you get into some other profile like operations which you can easily get seeing your work experience, it shall be adding to your difficulties in getting S&M; roles in companies mentioned by you.

PS: Sorry for being straightforward, but did not want to give any false hopes.
PPS: Things mentioned above are what generally happens. In case of exceptional luck coupled with performance, you can always land in any company and in any profile.

All the best!

My question to all respected senoirs.

sir i have 2 years experience in power sector in operation domain in india one of the largest power sector company in india. and from last 2 month i am in power sales division.but i couldn't do well In CAT and I got IMT nagpur (marketing), and my only aim now is to work with one of the best company in marketing domain , but i think from IMT nagpur it will not be possible.so my question is , after passing from IMT nagpur and gaining some experience, do i will get any oppurtunity to work with good brand like HUL, PG, johnson n johnson,or they only consider only the premiere institute guys ,matters not how much experience u have?

sid1989 Says

bro its nt a question of sitting in AC and making marketing strategies, Its jsut that after having a post graduate in Business i dont wana end up cold calling, which i cd hv neways done even wtht sweating fr two yrs:(

I would strongly recommend that all aspirants remove their rose-tinted glasses and look at the jobs post MBA with much more practicality. MBA isn't a ticket to highest echelons of management immediately after graduation. It is only an enabler towards achieving the goals.

No one likes cold calling, yes; but it is an essential part of prospecting. (An initial step in Sales strategy).

Hello everyone
can Anyone can help me in finding marketing internship or short term project in mumbai??

1. For SIBM Pune specific roles, please post the query in respective thread as seniors there would be able to answer better. However, rest assured that SIBM Pune holds a good reputation in marketing and you will be offered good roles.

2. Cold calling might or might not be the part of initial years of your career. I dont find any reason for a true marketeer to be hesitant of cold calls even after MBA. MBA is not the ticket for sitting in AC room and just making marketing strategies.

3. Roles except sales have been discussed in initial pages of the thread, please go through the same and feel free if any doubt persists.



Cutoff of work ex for lateral placements vary from college to college and year to year depending on the average work ex of the batch.

It might vary anywhere between 20-28 months generally. However, i will suggest to keep work ex at lower end if you wish to get into marketing after IT work ex.

It is relatively tough to get into B2C marketing roles in laterals with IT work ex. However, B2B remains an option to go for!

Cheers!

bro its nt a question of sitting in AC and making marketing strategies, Its jsut that after having a post graduate in Business i dont wana end up cold calling, which i cd hv neways done even wtht sweating fr two yrs:(

Can ne1 throw some light on the kind of roles provided to marketing guys from SIBM pune? I have a convert and am keen to pursue marketing frm there.

Also there has been a lot of talk about marketing guys needing to go through a sales stint. Now pertaining to this i have the foll doubts:
1. I understand that sales stint wouldnt mean a door to door sales, but then does it mean that i would be given a particular group of accounts and i would have to go to these companies and make a sales pitch? Also does it involve cold calling? I mean it sounds kind of weird that after spending 2 yrs in a good B school I may end up cold calling!

2. Apart from a sales stint as an entry level job, wat else can i expect? Can i be involved in market research, strategy making, branding, advertising?? Or do these things come only later?

1. For SIBM Pune specific roles, please post the query in respective thread as seniors there would be able to answer better. However, rest assured that SIBM Pune holds a good reputation in marketing and you will be offered good roles.

2. Cold calling might or might not be the part of initial years of your career. I dont find any reason for a true marketeer to be hesitant of cold calls even after MBA. MBA is not the ticket for sitting in AC room and just making marketing strategies.

3. Roles except sales have been discussed in initial pages of the thread, please go through the same and feel free if any doubt persists.

VenkataramanR Says

I My question is, would having an additional 2 months of work-ex make any difference during my placements? What percentage of companies demand for 18 month work-ex for Lateral placements, and what kind of profiles would such companies offer? If the numbers are low, then I'd rather quit right away and do something for personal development in the next 2 months before I join MBA.

Cutoff of work ex for lateral placements vary from college to college and year to year depending on the average work ex of the batch.

It might vary anywhere between 20-28 months generally. However, i will suggest to keep work ex at lower end if you wish to get into marketing after IT work ex.

It is relatively tough to get into B2C marketing roles in laterals with IT work ex. However, B2B remains an option to go for!

Cheers!

VenkataramanR Says

I shall be doing my Marketing MBA in 2012-2014 academic years. I'm currently in the IT field, and have an experience of 16 months as of now. My question is, would having an additional 2 months of work-ex make any difference during my placements? What percentage of companies demand for 18 month work-ex for Lateral placements, and what kind of profiles would such companies offer? If the numbers are low, then I'd rather quit right away and do something for personal development in the next 2 months before I join MBA.

i think its 22 minimum fr most colleges bro

I shall be doing my Marketing MBA in 2012-2014 academic years. I'm currently in the IT field, and have an experience of 16 months as of now. My question is, would having an additional 2 months of work-ex make any difference during my placements? What percentage of companies demand for 18 month work-ex for Lateral placements, and what kind of profiles would such companies offer? If the numbers are low, then I'd rather quit right away and do something for personal development in the next 2 months before I join MBA.

Can ne1 throw some light on the kind of roles provided to marketing guys from SIBM pune? I have a convert and am keen to pursue marketing frm there.

Also there has been a lot of talk about marketing guys needing to go through a sales stint. Now pertaining to this i have the foll doubts:
1. I understand that sales stint wouldnt mean a door to door sales, but then does it mean that i would be given a particular group of accounts and i would have to go to these companies and make a sales pitch? Also does it involve cold calling? I mean it sounds kind of weird that after spending 2 yrs in a good B school I may end up cold calling!

2. Apart from a sales stint as an entry level job, wat else can i expect? Can i be involved in market research, strategy making, branding, advertising?? Or do these things come only later?

PS: Plz forgive if ma queries sound childish, couldnt help since need clarity before making a decision.


Thanks...

ankit.singhad Says

Sir I have sent you a PM.Pls check and reply.Waiting for you reply.

Responded! Please check your inbox!

Hello everyone,
I will every thankful if you could give a right guidance.
I have an experience of 20 months in BFSI sector, i was handling exports department and gained the knowledge of how international trade functions around the globe (trade finance profile) and now i want make a shift to marketing. I want to join a good college offering me marketing, i want to know what profile will suit my previous experience, rather what kind of profiles shall i look at at the time of getting placed.
Thank You.

Hi

You can get into Business Development roles for trading companies, BFSI majors in addition to profiles like international marketing where you can leverage your work ex to a good extent.

Apart from this, you can get into any of the roles there in the entire gamut of marketing jobs, however in those your work ex might not be leveraged a lot but you can fare well equally in them also.

Hope this helps!

Hello everyone,
I will every thankful if you could give a right guidance.
I have an experience of 20 months in BFSI sector, i was handling exports department and gained the knowledge of how international trade functions around the globe (trade finance profile) and now i want make a shift to marketing. I want to join a good college offering me marketing, i want to know what profile will suit my previous experience, rather what kind of profiles shall i look at at the time of getting placed.
Thank You.

Buddy

Buddy

Congrats for the convert!

Suggest to please post this query on SIMS thread and/or interact with students from their to know the details of the same. Response to this query might end up in the comparison of things happening at SIMS and other places, so this is not the right place to answer the query.

Sir I have sent you a PM.Pls check and reply.Waiting for you reply.

HEllo to all marketers

can some1 guide me like there are lots f certification for finace ppl
if there is ny certification /course in marketing which one can do apart from MBA to leverage profile!

Buddy

As mentioned earlier as well on this thread, there are no certifications in marketing that hold lot of significance when you apply for marketing jobs.

Things majorly boil down to your own skills rather than the ones displayed through clearing certifications.

Hi Seniors,

I have been selected at Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies(SIMS Pune).
This college is known for its marketing an HR.Though its not a Top 20 college.But its at the same level as TAPMI,KJ Somayia and GIM.Can you suggest me what kind of profile i will be given at such a college if graduate in marketing from here.what ctc can I expect and what will be the career growth hence forth.

Buddy

Congrats for the convert!

Suggest to please post this query on SIMS thread and/or interact with students from their to know the details of the same. Response to this query might end up in the comparison of things happening at SIMS and other places, so this is not the right place to answer the query.

Hi Seniors,

I have been selected at Symbiosis Institute of Management Studies(SIMS Pune).
This college is known for its marketing an HR.Though its not a Top 20 college.But its at the same level as TAPMI,KJ Somayia and GIM.Can you suggest me what kind of profile i will be given at such a college if graduate in marketing from here.what ctc can I expect and what will be the career growth hence forth.Pls guide me as I am really confused to go ahead nd join this college.I have only this option for this season.

Regards
Ankit

HEllo to all marketers

can some1 guide me like there are lots f certification for finace ppl
if there is ny certification /course in marketing which one can do apart from MBA to leverage profile!

Hi,

I've an offer from SP Jain in Marketing. Can visionIIM-ACL or someone else please tell me what kind of job can I get in Marketing after graduating from here? I've seen the companies that visit the campus in their website but I'm looking for a bit of details like working hours, work pressure, travel, compensation, job role, career growth etc.

Thanks a lot in advance.

Buddy

First of all congratulations on making it to one of the most coveted B-Schools ! :thumbsup:

In addition to what arion has already mentioned,

Working hours depend from company to company ( already mentioned by him ). However, marketing guys might need to work slightly more than the normal working hours of an organization as there work is driven by external factors as well rather than just the work inside the office that can be done as per normal working hours.

Work pressure might vary from time to time and the goals set for you during any cycle in the year. Travel etc. might be as per the requirement at that moment, however being in marketing one should not be afraid of travel.

As far as compensation and roles offered is concerned, rest assured that SPJain is one of the best places for a good compensation and roles being offered when it comes to marketing.

Cheers!

Hi,

I've an offer from SP Jain in Marketing. Can visionIIM-ACL or someone else please tell me what kind of job can I get in Marketing after graduating from here? I've seen the companies that visit the campus in their website but I'm looking for a bit of details like working hours, work pressure, travel, compensation, job role, career growth etc.

Thanks a lot in advance.

Hi
Most of the marketing jobs are generally in the FMCG sector, and more recently in the telecom sector. Some of the FMCG majors are HUL, P&G;, ITC, etc.
Most of these companies will probably put you through a sales stint for a couple of years. Please go through the following post for exactly what a sales stint entails: http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/career-discussions/66758-why-marketing-6.html#post2746994

In terms of compensation, it varies from company to company, but the broad range is 12lpa to 19lpa (CTC). Working hours will again vary from company to company, but you can expect a 9-10 hour working day.
Since the companies are paying you that much, there will be pressure on you to deliver, but the pressure might be considered less than i-banks or consults.
Again, for travel, if its a sales stint, you might need to travel, but after a couple of years, it will be more of a desk job.

Hi,

I've an offer from SP Jain in Marketing. Can visionIIM-ACL or someone else please tell me what kind of job can I get in Marketing after graduating from here? I've seen the companies that visit the campus in their website but I'm looking for a bit of details like working hours, work pressure, travel, compensation, job role, career growth etc.

Thanks a lot in advance.

hi seniors,
I am an engineer with a year of work ex. I am interested in Marketing as a specialisation but have some queries which kinda muddle my decision. Would be gr8 if u could address them
1. Are sales and marketing different? If No, then is a guy after doing an MBA in marketing expected to do sales? By sales I assume it means going to diff companies, advertising our product and looking to sell. So is a mba marketing guy expected to do the same initially?
2. When u say that travelling is an integral part of marketing, do u mean relocation or general travel from partner to customer to employee?
3. Could u list the top 10 colleges in India known for marketing?
4. Some1 mentioned that marketing involves a lot of strategy making, what startegies are we exactly talkin about?


PS: One request, thodi simple language main explain karo yaaro, really get confused with jargons:)
Thanks.....

My take on point 1:

I have been in to sales domain since last 4 years with an Fortune 500 MNC. With my experience i can share that sales is done when there is a demand for the product & marketing is invariably a generation of that demand.

For eg to launch a new product/concept exhaustive marketing is required.
Once the demand has been created, sales follows.

in a company a Sales person will always talk in figures i.e. monthly/quaterly revenue which we call the targets. Whereas a marketing person will always be responsible for creating new channels of business, demand creation which is done through various means like advertising, seminars, exhibitions,, etc.

I personally feel a person should learn sales first then get into a Marketing profile.

hi seniors,
I am an engineer with a year of work ex. I am interested in Marketing as a specialisation but have some queries which kinda muddle my decision. Would be gr8 if u could address them
1. Are sales and marketing different? If No, then is a guy after doing an MBA in marketing expected to do sales? By sales I assume it means going to diff companies, advertising our product and looking to sell. So is a mba marketing guy expected to do the same initially?
2. When u say that travelling is an integral part of marketing, do u mean relocation or general travel from partner to customer to employee?
3. Could u list the top 10 colleges in India known for marketing?
4. Some1 mentioned that marketing involves a lot of strategy making, what startegies are we exactly talkin about?

1. Sales and Marketing are different in quite a few parameters but are the things that can't be seperated from each other. Reason being at the end of the day, most of the marketing strategies are aimed at generation more revenues for the company which ultimately comes through higher sales.

2. Starting off a career with pure marketing roles or through sales depend on company policies as well as college you graduate from.

3. It means temporary relocations to various sites.

4. No comparison of colleges is allowed, so no ranking to be posted here.

5. Please go through few previous posts and you will know the strategies we talked about. It has already been posted in detail.

asish4xat Says

I have 11 months of exp in IT..nOW i have a converted call from TAPMI..Waiting for results of XIMB,IMT-G,XLRI.But my major problem is that i have only 58% in 12th rest more then 80% in 10th and btech.I want toknow m i eligible for placement in top FMCG and Pharma marketing sector?Also wat is my chance to get into presales of IT?Plz reply...

1. Eligibility criteria varies from company to company and hence it cannot be generalized.

2. However, as far as IT companies are concerned they prefer people with atleast 60% as minimum criteria and i am afraid that it might be the hindrance for IT sector.

I have 11 months of exp in IT..nOW i have a converted call from TAPMI..Waiting for results of XIMB,IMT-G,XLRI.But my major problem is that i have only 58% in 12th rest more then 80% in 10th and btech.I want toknow m i eligible for placement in top FMCG and Pharma marketing sector?Also wat is my chance to get into presales of IT?Plz reply...

hi seniors,
I am an engineer with a year of work ex. I am interested in Marketing as a specialisation but have some queries which kinda muddle my decision. Would be gr8 if u could address them
1. Are sales and marketing different? If No, then is a guy after doing an MBA in marketing expected to do sales? By sales I assume it means going to diff companies, advertising our product and looking to sell. So is a mba marketing guy expected to do the same initially?
2. When u say that travelling is an integral part of marketing, do u mean relocation or general travel from partner to customer to employee?
3. Could u list the top 10 colleges in India known for marketing?
4. Some1 mentioned that marketing involves a lot of strategy making, what startegies are we exactly talkin about?


PS: One request, thodi simple language main explain karo yaaro, really get confused with jargons:)
Thanks.....

Hi Puys, I just happened to read this article on Harvard Business review about Porter's Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy. This is very interesting and this was published way back in 1979 on Harvard Business Review.. Great Read::)

The Five Competitive Forces That Shape Strategy - Harvard Business Review

GR8 thread guys...
im a newbie in marketing... wanna learn about it ... wat 2 refer? kotler seems lyk a big book....pls help me .. how 2 strt..

You can start off with Kotler and feel free to post any doubt you have while going through it.

GR8 thread guys...
im a newbie in marketing... wanna learn about it ... wat 2 refer? kotler seems lyk a big book....pls help me .. how 2 strt..

Hi all!!
gr8 thread....

I want to know about marketing in IT ...I mean what are the profiles which are offered and what's the scope of it.....
Thanks

Check this out , it may help u out
http://www.pagalguy.com/forum/career-discussions/66758-why-marketing-2.html#post2746235

Hi all!!
gr8 thread....

I want to know about marketing in IT ...I mean what are the profiles which are offered and what's the scope of it.....
Thanks

passioncontinue Says

I am already a masters(BCA+MCA) with 2 yrs experience in IT.I want to justify my stand of choosing marketing during PI.What I have thought is that i wud answer that i want to land into marketing division of a software company which includes presales,sales and technical support.Prior knowledge of technical domain will help me to perform the above task efficiently,as i will be in better position to make clients understand the software specification and give them demonstrations. Will it be a valid answer or I need to change it.Also what cud be the possible counter questions on the same.One thing i think is that they may ask why u r confining urself to a particular domain.Seniors who are already in marketing in Top B schools plz help me out.

What interviewers usually try to judge is does the student have an aptitude for the chosen area. Even though you come from a technical background it should not be a hinderence if you can convince them that one you are really interested in doing marketing and two you have the aptitude for it. Your explanation for choosing marketing is pretty much what everyone in your place would say. I am sure this will be followed by a series of questions from the plan related to marketing which could be a bit technical to test how you can think in a given situation. So i would suggest it is worthwhile that you do some basic preparation for marketing. Secondly read about certain good ad campaigns going on currently and reason why they are doing well.