Volume 19 Dec, 2017

XTRAVAGATE

Club Diaries SQL Workshop at DoMS

Start-up Innovation

Movie Funda Inside Job

Rising From The Ashes

Amancio Ortega

Industry Trends

Future of Electronic Vehicles

(EVs) in India

HARVARD MAGAZINE REVIEW Article Review Train Your Employees to Think Like Hackers

A Monthly Newsletter of Department of

Management Studies, NIT Trichy

THE BUSINESS PROBE

Volume 20 Jan, 2018

XTRAVAGATE

Club Diaries

Changing the Supply

Chain with RFID

START-UP INNOVATION

Food at your Doorstep!

MOVIE FUNDA

12 Angry Men

From Dawn to Dusk

Amancio Ortega

INDUSTRY TRENDS

Status of Logistics Sector in

India

HARVARD MAGAZINE REVIEW Article Review

Why We Modeled Our Hiring Process on the NFL and NASA

A Monthly Newsletter of Department of

Management Studies, NIT Trichy

THE BUSINESS PROBE

W ith the constant change in

trends in the business, it is

highly essential for us to be

in touch with them as they

keep evolving. The volatility of the chang-

ing markets has led to the paradigm shift in

the way of approach for the entrepreneurs

old and new alike. There is a requirement to

understand the intricacies involved in the

happenings of the commerce.

This issue of Xtravagate, provides you with

a glimpse into the varied array incidents that

keep popping up across all the domains of

the business world.

With the new approach to the outlook in its

entirety, it focuses to deliver what we sought

to achieve since its inception.

Ranging from the inspiring life story of

Mr.T.V Sundaram Iyengar to the impact of

artificial intelligence, this edition targets

multiple fields in the current scenario of in-

dustries.

We are a work in progress, striving for con-

tinuous improvement in our output.

With that being said, the newsletter would

always seek to fulfil the expectations and

more.

AUTHOR

Srinidhi V. MBA First Year, DoMS NITT

srinidhivragavan@gmail.com Message to the Readers

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DoMS N IT Tri chy’ s Mon thly Newslet te r XTRAVAGATE

Case study – Heineken

We just witnessed the departure of the year 2017. A year full

of great marketing campaigns, where the main target of adver-

tisers was to connect more with the emotions of viewers. When

we talk in the context of the western world, this year witnessed

clashes among people with different political and cultural

views.

This was the time when two beverage companies came with a

similar concept to show how their beverage can showcase

‘people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit

of harmony’.

One failed miserably and the other became memorable. One

was Pepsi’s advertising campaign featuring Kendell Jenner

which was ill-judged and was pulled just after 24 hours of re-

lease.

The other one is the widely appreciated, Heineken’s ‘World

Apart’ campaign. It was inspirational and gave a proper boost to

brand elevation. One of the best things to be acknowledged is

how they weren't political even if the circumstances were unfa-

vourable.

In this

AUTHOR

Supreme Swaraj MBA First Year, DoMS NITT

supremeswaraj@gmail. com

Thoughtful Marketing

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DoMS N IT Tri chy’ s Mon thly Newslet te r XTRAVAGATE

I n this era of the digital world, and in a country like the

US, social media like YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

are cheap and reliable sources of video advertisements.

Still, on the day of Super Bowl, all the affluent companies

go back to their roots of television. What is so special about

Superbowl?

Quoted by Fobes - 'The Superbowl is as much about commer-

cial as it is about the game itself'. It is the most expensive event

for advertisement in sports. To advertise on such a platform, a

massive amount of money is required. This year companies are

paying around $5 million for 30 seconds spot, an 8.7% increase

from last year. From its inaugural event in 1967, the cost has

increased by 12,500% that is more than 5.5 times the market

performance during the year.

So, is buying a 30-second spot in Superbowl worth $5 million?

Market survey will say NO because even after reaching one-

third of Americans, it hardly affects sales. From post to pre su-

per bowl, their sale rise is just 1-2%.

$5 million is just for buying ad spots. They also spent another

$10 million for shooting and promoting their new ad. That is

too much spending for too little profit. And if your competitor

is also planning on an ad, like in case of Coke and Pepsi that

huge price tag becomes worthless.

On the other hand, An economist will say YES, because compa-

nies are not just willing but are also excited about buying ad

spots as by November all its spots were sold. It's definitely hard

to measure the number of customers these ads bring but these

companies think that buying these ad spots are not just building

their brand image but is also portraying them as the brand lead-

er.

It may or may not bring them new customers but it does make

their customer base feel good about the product they buy. That

is why companies like Pepsi, Doritos, Honda, Kia have been

buying these spots for years now.

At the end of the day, Super Bowl is and will be a special event

which unites relatives and friends in the spirit of sports and at

this event companies doesn't just try to create ad they try to cre-

ate a memory. A memory worth $5 million!

AUTHOR

Supreme Swaraj MBA First Year, DoMS NITT

supremeswaraj@gmail.com $5 Million for an Ad, a gamble worth it?

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DoMS N IT Tri chy’ s Mon thly Newslet te r XTRAVAGATE

T he logistics sector plays a crucial role in any nation's development story. For those who do not know about the logistics system, let me explain; in general busi-ness terms, logistic is the process of flow of materials

or goods between the point of origin to point of consumption in order to meet the requirements of the consumer. The logistics system basically involves the integration of information flow, material handling, production, packaging, inventory, transporta-tion, warehousing and often security.

The logistics industry in India is evolving rapidly, it is the inter-play of infrastructure, technology and new types of service pro-viders. In the World Bank’s biennial measure of international supply chain efficiency, called Logistics Performance Index, India’s ranking has jumped from 54 in 2014 to 35 in 2016 (https://lpi.worldbank.org/international/global).

"Programs such as Make in India, and improvements in infra-structure have helped India improve its logistical performance", said Arvind Mahajan, partner and national head (energy, infra-structure and government) at KPMG India, a consultancy. He also said that the emergence of skilled professionals and techno-logical improvements that have enabled services such as track-and-tracing has helped India close the gap with leaders.

Shamsher Dewan, Vice President and Sector Head, Corporate Ratings, ICRA said, “Our analysis of the Q1 FY 2018 perfor-mance of key listed logistics companies indicate that their reve-nue growth at 6.2 per cent (on Y-o-Y basis) outpaced the real GDP growth, much of it was supported by increase in freight rates since the latter half of FY 2017 while volume growth re-mained flat for most of the companies.

Impact of GST

Back-of-the-envelope calculations say logistics costs would come down by at least 20%. Companies could do this with a hub-based warehouse system instead of having warehouses in all major consumer states. The check posts at state borders have already been brought down. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, along with 20 more states, have dismantled border check posts, reducing hassles for trucks. Several other states are in process. This will save precious time and increase customer satisfaction because of early arrival.

In a unified taxation structure, a lot of taxes such as entry tax, OCTROI etc. are subsumed. This will definitely ease the burden of paperwork on the logistics service providers.

An Assocham-MRSS India joint study on the FMCG sector's logistics said "All big corporations with positive impact for their supply chain are remodeling their operations into bigger logistics and warehousing". The study added that at the same time, logistics majors such as DHL, Allcargo and Mahindra Logistics were leasing bigger logistics spaces while real estate developers is investing billions in building bigger storage facili-ties

According to the study titled 'FMCG sector growth & logistic innovation', new age warehousing and logistics would be assist-ed by the GST.

Impact of Infrastructure

The government of India has given infrastructure status to logis-tics sector, covering cold chain (an unbroken cold chain is an uninterrupted series of refrigerated production, storage and dis-tribution activities, along with associated equipment and logis-tics, which maintain a desired low-temperature range) and warehousing facilities, a move that is likely to attract more funding at competitive rates for these segments. Logistics costs of exports are very high in India and due to this, Indian goods are less competitive in global markets. Coal India Limited is producing coal and selling it to many companies as raw materi-al for their production. A ton of coal is transported either by railway or by roadway. A double amount is charged for trans-portation in comparison with the raw material which depends upon its grade from highest to lowest following, the coal found in India can be classified as Anthracite Coal, Bituminous Coal, Lignite (Brown Coal), Peat etc.

I believe that the logistics industry in India has been growing at a steady rate. While the logistics sector could be among the pri-mary bottlenecks in driving economic growth, it will also act as a catalyst to realizing India’s manufacturing and e-commerce dream for the coming decade.

AUTHOR

Chandan Kumar Jaiswal MBA First Year, DoMS NITT

chandankumarjaiswal2016@gmail.com Status of Logistics Sector in India

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DoMS N IT Tri chy’ s Mon thly Newslet te r XTRAVAGATE

“In the streets, I only want to be recognized by my family, my friends and the people I work with.”

A mancio Ortega, the founder of Inditex fashion group, has finally hung up his shoes, leaving 53 executive positions vacant in various subsidiaries of the group. The retail magnate and one of the richest persons in

the world stepped down as the chairman of the group and was succeeded by Pablo Isla as the CEO of the group in 2011, while Ortega continued his positions in subsidiary companies. Earlier in December, he officially retired from all the positions. In this article, we will focus on Ortega’s personal life as well as his career.

When we talk about the stars of the business leading a simple and humble life, we give examples of Bill Gates wearing simple clothes or Mark Zuckerberg wearing sandals and t-shirt in meet-ings, but they have constantly been in the limelight as superstars of the corporate world. And then is this gentleman ruling his industry for decades. Amancio Ortega is the man to look up to when we talk about a billionaire leading a simple life. As per a report by Bloomberg, he gave only three interviews till 2012 while he joined the Forbes billionaires list in 2001 with a net worth of $6.6 billion whereas as of now he is worth $82 billion.

Born in 1936, Amancio Ortega spent his early childhood in Lé-on, Spain, left schooling at the age of 14 and started working for a local shirtmaker where he learned to stitch clothes by hand. In 1972, he founded ‘Confectiones Goa’ to sell quilted bathrobes. In 1975, he opened the first ‘Zara’ store with his wife Rosalía Mera. Today, Ortega owns 59.29% stake in In-ditex fashion groups which is the parent company to Zara, Mas-simo Dutti, Oysho, Zara Home, Kiddy’s class, Tempe, Pull and Bear, Bershka, employing more than 92000 workers.

The wealthiest retailer in the world and world’s fourth richest person had his first picture published in 1999 while he started his business in 1975. He co-founded Inditex fashion group with his wife Rosalia Mera. The group is best known for ZARA fashion clothing and accessories.

Ortega owns some of the most expensive real estates around the world which include luxury hotels in Miami, US and one of the tallest skyscrapers in Spain, the Torre Picasso in Madrid. Ortega drives an Audi A8, which he says, is more about comfort than the luxury. On the contrary, he raises goats and chickens at his home country in the Spanish province of Galicia. He dresses very modestly and usually wears a blue blazer, white shirt and grey trousers.

When Ortega founded ZARA in 1975, he mainly upgraded the retail world with a tight schedule to get the new clothes on the window faster than anyone else. The stocks were meant to be refreshed twice in a week. At ZARA, a new design will be on the shelf in a few weeks whereas others would take months to get it done. While stepping down as chairman of the group Or-tega wrote,” The customer must continue to be our main centre of attention, both in the creation of our fashion collections and in the design of our shops, of our logistical system and of any other activity”. The company analyses what and how the people are wearing and talking and it follows bloggers instead of fash-ion shows in designing their product.

Ortega never had his personal office or desktop. He would sit with other employees and loved discussing ideas in small groups and would delegate the written work among the mem-bers. Throughout his life, he has favored oral communication over written communication as it facilitates in building a healthy relationship.

Even till the age of 80, Ortega went to work almost daily with-out getting tired and since he has decided to retire now, team Xtravagate would like to take this opportunity to thank him for the inspiration he has been and wishes him a healthy and pros-perous retired life.

AUTHOR

Quasim Khan MBA First Year, DoMS NITT

quasimkhan100@gmail.com From Dawn to Dusk

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DoMS N IT Tri chy’ s Mon thly Newslet te r XTRAVAGATE

T .V. SUNDARAM IYENGAR

( 22 March 1877 – 28 April 1955)

D uring the good old days when the white collar jobs made men happier, Mr. T.V. Sundaram Iyengar was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug that made him leave two lucrative well paid jobs, to follow his

dream of being an entrepreneur. Little did he realize that he was spurring the seeds of a crop which would go on to become the biggest automobile conglomerate of its time?

Mr. Sundaram forecasted the massive scope for Motor Transport Facility in India, and went on to begin the first rural bus transport facility in the small town of Madurai, under the banner of TV Sundaram Iyengar & Sons Limited, in 1911. Since the idea originated during one of the less glorious days of the British era, negotiating a permit was no big deal to Mr. Sundaram, who also went on to clutch complete monopoly over its operations. The group today proudly speaks about how they were the first to introduce the Ticketing System for fares col-

lected in the bus.

Mr. Sundaram took punctuality too seriously as he ensured that his buses arrived on what people called the GUN TIME (not soon, not late). Good planning and execution made him accom-plish this. So much so, that people adjusted their watches as per

the arrival of the TVS Buses, as they were extremely punctual. Interestingly the company went on to install magnets beneath the buses that attracted HorseShoe iron spilt on the ground to prevent the tyres from getting punctured that would create a delay in time.

His sharp business acumen made him introduce the concepts such as TEST DRIVE of automobiles, EXCHANGE of old cars to new ones and also the idea of providing confectioneries to his passengers to create a loyal customer base.

He joined hands with Foreign Counterparts like LUCAS, BRAKES and GENERAL MOTORS, during the time when the economy was still conservative. With all his means, he created a gas plant and attached it to all the buses during the time of World War 2, in order to survive the severe shortage of Petrol and Diesel.

He believed in equality and unity as he made every other TVS employee wear the same colour uniform, be it a clerk who served evening snacks or the Directors who took decisions. He was a complete visionary who introduced the idea of giving PROVIDENT FUND to his employees 12 years before it be-came a statutory mandate. He was a generous philanthropist who built schools and colleges, and also participated in the In-dependence struggle alongside Mahatma Gandhi. He was wide-ly appreciated by Mr. Rajaji for being a progressive thinker, making his widowed daughter remarry, and letting the next gen-eration to take over the business during its golden period. Truly, he was a pioneer of the automobile industry.

AUTHOR

Gayathri V MBA First Year, DoMS NITT

gayathri.vagee@gmail.com The Indian Automobile Pioneer

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DoMS N IT Tri chy’ s Mon thly Newslet te r XTRAVAGATE

E -Commerce is on a faster pace in today’s world.

Buyers from all around the world are using comput-

ers and smartphones to purchase everything from

consumer goods to industrial machineries.

A few youngsters wanted to start a venture, and do something

that has not been done before. They chose to concentrate on the

food industry, specifically in the area of food logistics, and fi-

nally zeroed in on the idea of delivering dishes from hotels to

home. Many discouraged them, saying that such a venture will

be impossible to sustain for long. They took it as a challenge

and decided to go ahead with the plan. With their hard work and

determination, they launched D4Delivery, the food logistics

start up in Trivandrum, the capital city of Kerala. The founders

were Mrinal Mohandas, Abhiram Suresh and Aishwarya

Raghavan.

This article is an interview with the Co-founder and CEO of

D4Delivery, Mr. Mrinal Mohandas.

What was the idea and motive behind this business plan?

Ans: The idea behind D4Delivery was to create a platform

where customers could call and place their orders and fulfilment

would be done from the vendor's side.

What were the challenges that you faced, and how did you

overcome those challenges?

Ans: After initial research we found out that the vendors in our

target city, Trivandrum, did not have the capability for fulfil-

ment. So, we set about building a logistics network inspired by

the Dabbawalla system using a hub and spoke model. Initially

we had 3 hubs in the city and we started off a delivery as a busi-

ness offering logistics support to small and medium restaurants.

Later we came back to our initial plan of creating a platform for

customers to order directly from us.

Apart from food logistics, you have entered into other sec-

tors also. Can you throw some light on that?

Ans: After a test period of over 3 months we launched our full

service on September 2013 and expanded to 4 hubs in 6

months in the same city. Then we thought of expanding our

business by focussing on other domestic sectors too. So, in

addition to homes, we began to include other businesses such

as supermarkets, medical stores etc. We also started offering

services like bill payment, dry cleaning, drop off and pickup

etc.

We heard that your company is temporarily suspended, is

there any specific reason for the sudden shut down?

Ans: By 2015 we had expanded to two more cities in Kerala.

Business was going in a positive trend only. But in 2016 due

to various market forces and other personal reasons we had to

shut down the business.

What kind of B-Plan are you going to implement for your

Company’s comeback?

Ans: We are thinking of entering laterally by acquiring a simi-

lar firm if we decide to do a comeback. We would also like to

have a private label supplier. However, right now we do not

plan on doing it.

As an experienced entrepreneur, who have seen different

stages of a business cycle, what advice would you like to

give to budding entrepreneurs?

Ans: Selecting a right team and proper documentation includ-

ing vesting clauses right from the inception is important. Also,

all team members should have their duties clearly defined.

The Department of Management Studies, NIT Trichy wishes

Mr. Mrinal Mohandas to have a successful comeback and also

wishes you a Happy and a Prosperous New Year.

AUTHOR

Alen Nero MBA First Year, DoMS NITT

neroalen92@gmail.com Food at your Doorstep!

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DoMS N IT T richy’ s Month ly Newsle t te r XTRAVAGATE

W hen we talk about artificial intelligence (AI), we might think of imbrutinging synergy. We must not confuse AI with passé marketing automation.

For a better understanding of AI, we need to dig a bit deeper. Artificial Intelligence is intelligence displayed by machines. It must not be confused with natural intelli-gence (NI) displayed by humans and other animals. In the world of computer science, AI research is framed as the study of "intelligent agents". Colloquially, the term "artificial intelligence" is applied when a machine imitates "lucid" functions that humans generally associate with oth-er human minds, such as "learning" and "problem solv-ing". Financial institutions have long used artificial tactile net-work systems to identify charges or claims which are not enclosed in the norm, which have been predominantly a part of human investigation. The use of AI in banking can be traced back to 1987 when Security Pacific National Bank in USA set-up a Fraud Prevention Task force to counter the unauthorized use of debit cards. Kasisto and Moneystream are some of the most prominent AI users in the finance sector. As AI expert and leading keynote speaker Christopher Penn, VP of Marketing Technology for SHIFT Communi-cations says, “There are three levels of machine learning: AI, where machines perform tasks normally performed by humans; machine learning, where the machines learn on their own; and deep learning, where machine learning chains together for rich learning.” Leading companies are entwining AI to perform repeata-ble as well as redundant tasks.They are basically pro-cessing large amounts of data. This enriches human inter-action AI is becoming the benchmark for many practical consumer experiences. The following powerful examples use AI to evaluate GPS data: Google Maps which use on-the-go customer data from consumer's smart phones

GPS Insight is helping companies shorten the set-up win-dow for telecommunication companies. More importantly, they can repair crews in a crisis like a hurricane. AI early adopters used to invest largely in Analytics profi-ciency. Ensuring the endowment of algorithms, data can lift off across their enterprise-wide information and knowledge needs. The leading companies who outshine at using AI are devising for new businesses and incorporat-ing existing processes. These have solid senior manage-ment support for each AI initiative. The business world foresees more highly-customized con-tent conveyance, automated to a consumer-specific perso-na and lifestyle. As Penn notes, “AI is not a futuristic con-cept. The tools and technologies are available, accessible, and not cost prohibitive.” There’s a burgeoning frame of evidence to suggest that AI has a powerful guise to play in making real-world deci-sions. It’s quite presumable to learn that many of the most innovative organizations and top players in the market, such as Facebook, Google, and Amazon rely on AI algo-rithms as a part of their decision-making process.

AUTHOR

Anwesha Goswami MBA First Year, DoMS NITT

anwesha.banasthali@gmail.com Business of Artificial Intelligence

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DoMS N IT Tri chy’ s Mon thly Newslet te r XTRAVAGATE

“ What’s the best way to assess elite talent - those people you expect to play a critical role in your organization’s success? Most management experts would say in depth interviews, reference checking, and work sample re-

views. Some forward thinking companies might even use “auditions.” But at ‘Citadel Securities’, we’ve decided to go a step further. Inspired by the rigorous and competitive group tryouts you see employed by the Navy in its SEAL program, by NASA in its astronaut selection, and by the NFL in evaluating rookie re-cruits, our company has decided to host regular “datathons” - contests in which undergraduate and graduate students who we would consider for artificial intelligence, technology, and data science roles at our firm have the chance to compete for a cash prize, while we use observable and measurable criteria to eval-uate their performance. Why move so far beyond traditional HR assessment tools? While well structured interviews can be useful in assessing per-sonality and cultural fit, we believe they are much less effective at considering qualities such as analytical skill, teaming abili-ties, and performance under pressure. Think about it: If you were an NFL scout, would you ask a prospective wide receiver to describe how he made catches in college? Or would you ask him to run a few rounds and watch how he handles those toss-es? Our aim is to do the same for intellectual athletes, giving them an opportunity to not just talk about but also demonstrate the qualities we seek: a passion for solving challenges. Over the past year, we have conducted 20 datathons at univer-sities across the U.S., UK, Canada, and Ireland, and seen thou-sands of students participate. For each competition, we select up to 100 of the best candidates based on a number of inputs and variables. These participants then form teams and work together to glean insights and formulate a research question based on a large and complex data set - all in the course of a single day. For example, during one of the competitions, we provided students with data on the ‘Bay Area Rapid Transit’ system (BART), which included information about de-mographics, real estate, weather, station specifics, and fares. The resulting research questions addressed topics such as the impact of the technology boom on transportation, zip code lev-el commuting patterns, and the fairness of the BART fee struc-ture.

The competitions allow us to not only assess prospective em-ployees, providing our talent acquisition team with valuable data to help hone in on top people to hire, but also attract can-didates who might not have considered a career in our industry. For example, one student who had previously interned at ‘Apple’ and had an internship offer from ‘Facebook’ decided to become a ‘Citadel’ intern next summer after winning one of our datathons. Candidates also benefit. Apart from the monetary rewards - winners split a $25,000 pool and have an opportunity to com-pete for $100,000 in the final championship - they are able to sample the work that our employees do and determine if it is a good fit for their skills and interests. And they have a chance to show their skills instead of speaking about them - a plus for introverts and others who feel uncomfortable doing the latter. We’ve also been told the experience is pretty fun. Firms seeking elite talent must realize that all the typical inter-viewing and recruiting processes are ripe for improvement. The right people don’t always come knocking on your door. We can learn from elite organizations that are filled with superstars. Attract them, ask them to audition, hire the people who thrive under that pressure, and build your own powerhouse team.”

L.J.Brock Justin Pinchback Chief People Officer at Citadel | Head of Talent Strategy and Solutions at Citadel Source: HARVARD BUSINESS REVIEW

AUTHOR

Pavithra A. MBA First Year, DoMS NITT

pavinila@gmail.com

Why We Modeled Our Hiring Process on the NFL and NASA

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DoMS N IT Tri chy’ s Mon thly Newslet te r XTRAVAGATE

DoMS N IT Tri chy’ s Mon thly Newslet te r XTRAVAGATE

Review

M ae West, an American actress, had said, “An ounce of performance is

worth pounds of promise.” The quote holds true not only in the career of

entertainment but to every other fields of occupation as well. In this arti-

cle, the higher executives of the company ‘Citadel’ convey their vision

of hiring employees based on their capacity of working under pressure. Their company

hosts datathons to attract the techies who are passionate about their work and not hesi-

tant to flaunt their skills and the best performers in such events are rewarded and hired.

This mode of interviewing is beyond the conventional mode where interviewers face

applicants and assess their personality. This form of ‘Talent Auditioning’ tests a techie’s

professional skill set and is gaining popularity as a trend for companies seeking the

elites.

A ‘Datathon’ is a battle among teams of techies who “work out” and release their en-

dorphins as they please themselves with the challenges posed in the competition. The

game play in datathons is not about being the ‘lone wolf’, but working as a team and

planning a creative and innovative way of solving the challenges, thereby winning the

title as the best set of performers. This is an opportunistic portal even for introverts who

are nervous of verbal interviews, but are pros in their methodical approach to the chal-

lenges. As a result, datathons are profitable for both sides, yielding the companies with

better performing employees and providing satisfactory vibes to the employees in their

work. Every company must regularly validate their security measures. It is sen-

sible to start with the most direct question: What does the hacker want to

steal? By organizing breach simulations centred on the most valuable assets,

the cyber security divisions can realize the thought process of how hackers

work and look for the most efficient way to stop them from stealing data.

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R adio-frequency identification (RFID) uses radio waves to automatically identify and track the tags attached to objects. The tags contain elec-tronically stored information. Compared to

a barcode, the tag need not be within the line of sight of the reader, so it may be embedded in the tracked object. RFID is one method for Automatic Identification and Da-ta Capture (AIDC). Today, the largest RFID applications aids organizations and governments in supply chain management. RFID is being used to manage products through production, distri-bution and retail. Those in the manufac-turing sector can especially benefit from implementing RFID in supply chains be-cause it decreases the costs associated with product tracking and inventory management. It also increases the accu-racy and timeliness of inventory data. RFID IN SUPPLY CHAIN RFID Applications can be used to moni-tor and manage the movement of the fin-ished products throughout a given supply chain. RFID tags can be attached direct-ly to the items and materials or to the containers that carry them. The movement of the products are monitored and recorded in real time. This can be done within a ware-house, a freight yard or within a retail location. Additionally, applications of RFID in logistics have shown significant results. RFID applications in fleet management enable a more cost-effective long-range tracking solution, global tracking of containers and cargo, reliable tracking of capital and inventory assets during transportation and increased security. Attaching RFID tags on long range vehicles, trailers or other mobile assets and companies can help to gain real time visibility into their business assets utilization.

ANTI-COUNTERFEITING RFID applications can be used to protect brand identity and to protect consumers from counterfeited products. RFID applications in anti-counterfeiting are usually aimed at high-value end consumer products. Each product will have a unique ID, which can be used to check if the prod-uct is authentic or not. These unique numbers combined with encryption algorithms can create authentication schemes that are extremely difficult to circumvent. RFID applications in anti-counterfeiting can be used in many industries such as pharmaceuticals, electronics, en-

tertainment, retail and IT. It is estimated that counterfeiting costs legitimate com-panies about $600 billion worldwide each year. The payback from even mod-estly successful anti-counterfeiting ef-forts can be very high. The pharmaceutical industry is in the process of creating an RFID application that will document the authenticity of their products at the point of sales. Not only will the products have a unique ID, but information about the chain of custo-

dy for the product will be stored on the RFID tag or in an associated database. If the product is not properly tagged or the tag is not associated with the proper supply chain, then you know that the product is counterfeit. While many anti-counterfeiting efforts are a large expense faced by firms, RFID applications in anti-counterfeiting have high returns. Placement of RFID tags on products at the point of manufacture enables both tracking and en-sures that counterfeit products do not end up with the cus-tomer.

AUTHOR

Souganth M. MBA First Year, DoMS NITT

sougandhs02@gmail.com

Changing the Supply Chain

RFID

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DoMS N IT Tri chy’ s Mon thly Newslet te r XTRAVAGATE

Director: Sidney Lumet Written by: Reginald Rose (based on a play of the same name)Starring: Henry Fonda

1 2 Angry Men is a courtroom drama which covers the trial of a murder, most importantly the jury-discussion which ensues to make a unanimous decision on the out-come of the trial. Unlike the Indian Judiciary System,

where the convict is tried and sentenced by a Judge, in the US, a panel of jury members consisting of people from the jurisdic-tion where the crime is tried are chosen to take part in the deci-sion. The final decision taken by the jury panel is given as the judgment by the court.

In this movie, a boy is accused of killing his father. The movie opens after the due diligence of arguments from both sides are made and the jurors are asked to reach a final deci-sion unanimously, being a murder case. The jurors make their

way to the room to discuss the case. All but one find the boy guilty, as they deliberate the guilt or acquittal of a defendant on the basis of reasonable doubt, forcing the jurors to question their morals and values.

This movie is still hailed as one of the, if not, the great-est courtroom drama of all time. It stands even after these many years due to its deliberate attempt to not name any of the characters which lets people see themselves in them. The jury members are identified by number until two of them exchange names at the very end. The defendant is referred to as "the

boy" and the witnesses as "the old man" and "the lady across the street". Even from a filming standpoint, this movie shines by taking place within a locked room for 96 minutes, with a paltry 3 minutes outside the room.

“I am not trying to change your mind. It’s just that… This is somebody’s life.”

- Juror #8

For a business student’s point of view, this movie is a gold mine of lessons on group dynamics, persuasion and preju-dice. Starting from a single ‘not guilty’ decision to an entire 180 degree turn at the end, this movie depicts a realistic situa-tion where people, when confronted with proper fact and logic seem to change their worldview. Group dynamics play a vital role in the movie. The first turn other than the Juror #8 to not guilty was due to the way he was treated by the fellow mem-bers.

As future managers sometimes we have to take tough decisions which may make us question our values. Sticking to them lets you make a good decision. Prejudice or unequal treatment is a common concern in the workplace. Every man-ager has to deal with it day in and day out. That is dealt with real panache in the movie.

“Prejudice always obscures the truth”

- Juror #8

AUTHOR

Arun Chander G MBA First Year, DoMS NITT

mavenarun@gmail. com

12 Angry Men (1957)

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DoMS N IT Tri chy’ s Mon thly Newslet te r XTRAVAGATE

Term to Ponder

INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION

T he term international arbitrage refers to the practice of simultaneously buying and selling a for-

eign security on two different exchanges. International arbitrage is profitable when pricing inef-

ficiencies occur due to factors such as timing and exchange rates.

While stock exchanges are considered efficient markets, there are instances when the mispricing

of one or more securities provides the opportunity for profits through techniques such as international arbi-

trage. This approach requires the trader to monitor the price of securities on two or more exchanges located

throughout the world.

International arbitrage is considered a low-risk strategy, since the trades should only occur when the price

differential between the two exchanges is large enough to cover the associated transaction fees. Profitable

price differentials can be attributed to factors such as time zone differences between exchanges and exchange

rate lag. The most common example of this strategy is the simultaneous buying and selling of an Internation-

al Depository Receipt (IDR) and the same stock registered in a foreign country.

DoMS N IT Tri chy’ s Mon thly Newslet te r XTRAVAGATE

DoMS N IT Tri chy’ s Mon thly Newslet te r XTRAVAGATE

A guest lecture was organised, by DoMS, to give an Insight on Venture Capi-

tal by Prof. G. Sabarinathan, PhD Associate, Finance and Accounting Area,

IIMB. The lecture imparted knowledge about the process involved in funding

projects and various roles played by venture capitalists in due course of the

projects. Giving a clear distinction between Angel investors and Venture capi-

talists, Venture capital and Private equity, the investment evaluation process,

mutual fund structures, and focused on basic aspects such as term sheets,

non-binding orders, board seat, strategic and financial investors were high-

lighted. The two-hour lecture also focused on the valuation methods like DCF

and other various aspects of venture capital in a nut shell.

Snippets

As the Pongal rice boiled and spilled over, DoMS celebrated its first Pongal and

Makar Sankranthi this year. Pongal and Sankranthi wishes were just as abun-

dant as all the photos featuring our traditional looks on January 12, 2018. The

classic Pongal Virundhu (feast) was an absolute delight to everyone and the fer-

vor continued into the evening with various games – from Uri Adithal (breaking

the pot) to Tug of War. DoMS, thus, had a complete and memorable Pongal and

Makar Sankranthi celebration.

DoMS had a series of guest lectures with eminent personalities addressing the students on Digital Marketing. The first session was held on Friday (19.01.2018) in which Mr.Satish Medapati, CEO and Founder of Nanolocal Technologies Pvt. Ltd. shared his knowledge on Mobile Marketing along with the experiences of his previous start-up Bounty App. Web Analytics was the fo-cus of the Saturday session (20.01.2018) addressed by Mrs.Mathangi Sri, Vice President Next Gen Solutions, Citibank India and the session Aalso had extensive talks on Chatbots. Mr.Sasi Chakravarthi, Senior Business Analyst, 24[7], started the Sunday session (21.01.2018) continuing about the various prospects of Web Analytics and the afternoon session had a speech by Mr. Malay Shree, Products and Program Manager, Flipkart, on the use of digital marketing tools in e-commerce and other businesses.

The DoMS family was privileged to have an eminent alumnus, Mr

Sivakumar Sundararajan from BNP Paribas, who was the guest lec-

turer on 20th and 21st of January. The session was on Financial Risk

Analytics featuring different types of market risks, credit risks and

operation risks. The session was quite interactive, and was more of a

kind of hands-on training and a great learning experience. Many real-

time industrial cases were discussed and solved. The DoMS family is

looking forward to many more sessions by him.

Dr. Mamatha, who was a part of Wipro Knowledge Management Team

for the last 15 years (recently moved out of the company), gave a lecture

on Knowledge Management Implementation on 20th January. She cov-

ered the basics of Knowledge Management and its implementation phas-

es. Her discussions were on how to plan KM projects, educating em-

ployees about its importance, the various techniques that are used to cap-

ture knowledge, etc. DoMS family was privileged to have her.

DoMS NIT Trichy’s Monthly Newsletter XTRAVAGATE

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