Quarter 7 - Week 3

With such amazingly cold and foggy weather in IIMB, it's surprising why people would want to even get out of bed. You enter the campus, and you notice the fog enveloping everything beyond the second floors. The trees are enveloped in mist, and all the people around are walking around with sweaters and scarfs, blowing into their sheltered palms, while remembering the case for the day. Oh, and we had classes on Christmas Day. Not just classes, we had a test. Just like the day before on Christmas Eve. IIMB's way of wishing us all Merry Christmas.

E-business Models and Strategies

On the first session, we were warmly greeted by this guest lecturer who happens to be a VC. It looks like he was primarily in the tech-venture space, (well duh, this is a e-business course, and honestly, which VC is not in the tech-venture space?), and he went about explaining how they select their ventures. Since this is the second VC we're seeing (the last was in ENVC last quarter), they're slowly losing their godly unreachable status. It is so cool to see them as human, as people who can make their fair share of mistakes, and who're just trying to make some money out of money. Lot of very interesting facts about how VCs fund startups.

The second session was about Petstore.com. Entirely about how every dollar they got in revenue would boost their share value by 300$, about how they needed a big gorilla like Animal Planet to help them compete with the other pet sites, and the assumptions they were making about future growth and potential and conversion rates. Was a pretty cool class as we looked at the different aspects about getting started in the business of pets, and as to what seperated the online model from the brick-and-mortar model.

Research for Marketing Decisions

Honestly, even though I'd hate to admit it, I must. These tests are a good thing. For one, I actually read the chapters so I can come prepared! So, now I know a lot more about the difference between a marketing research decision, and a marketing research problem. It's not just words. Then a little linking in of all that hypothesis mumbo-jumbo that we learnt waaaay back in quarter 2. We also had a bunch of case presentations by some members from the class, and the prof was correcting us wherever we made the mistakes. Our group was one of them. As it turns out, we didnt realize we had the case study till the night before, and then a whole amount of panic and rush, and we got the stuff done by the end of night! (See how we don't say EOD, it's EON for us. It's a reality. Really, get prepared!)

The test by itself was all left unto God, for in Him, we trust. Taking his name after ticking off an option in a Multiple Choice Test, does atleast leave you with some confidence to attempt the next question. Honestly, why DO we have exams with scores and everything? It's not like we have to prove ourselves to the companies that come for placements... we DONT get placed! We're here for the learning! Someone tell the profs!

Marketing Communications

We had a test in the first session which honestly wasn't all that difficult. But I'm very confident in my skills to surprise me and show just how grateful I should be to just pass. Anyway, the cases themselves are fun as always. We were still discussing the Coke and Pepsi case, and in the second session we moved onto Advertising Wars like Tide and Rin, Horlicks and Bournvita. Honestly, when I read the case, I was rolling with laughter... these ad guys have loads of fun at the expense of their competitors. All their tongue-in-cheek ads... it's just too bad that people are actually converting from one brand to the other. Takes all the fun out of poking fun at the other.... or does it actually add to the fun? :)

It's so easy to derail the class due to the open-endedness to prevail. The prof really does try to keep us on track, but she kind of lost it in the second session. And then, something happened that hasn't happened to us in almost 5 quarters.

She yelled. Softly.

Pretty much everything about "Stop acting like nursery kids" in a nicer way. "Stay on track", "discuss the case", "dont ask me about some ad that was aired that has absolutely no relevance to this case", "I am serious! Dont derail to some other disconnected ad!" to the awesomest insult I've heard in a long time "First you dont read the case for the day, then you dont watch the ad videos that I've collected for you, then you come and ask me about some absolutely unrelated ad and want me to explain why that happened! What is WRONG with you people? FOCUS!"

I love college.

Quarter 7 - Week 2

I'm beginning to think that it's a bad thing to get two whole weeks off at the end of the quarter. It's already the second week, and I have absolutely not been preparing for the cases. And the best part.... I don't give a damn. I should be walking into poles and pillars in office, in a zombie state of mind... but no, I seem to be concentrating at work. Can you believe it?? Concentrating... at WORK? What's the matter with me...

E-Business Models and Strategies

Our first session involved a case study of Monster.com, and its path from a small startup, through its acquisition and its ongoing spreading state. It was quite interesting to see why Monster.com had an edge over its competitors (mainly the paper/hard copy industry), and where the papers had an edge over them. End message was lightly connected to how easy it should be for e-business models to scale, and not to forget that.

The second session was with a guest speaker, (yes.. this early in the course. If you're shaking your head, remember that we had a guest speaker in B2BMM last quarter, in the first week itself!). He had helped to set up a system which allowed talented IT employees in the rural cities/second tier cities to work without having to come to the glamorous cosmo/metros. Apparently they work a little more on a cost-plus model, as they're giving existing companies a scare when they are charging half the price that's being quoted out here in Bangalore. Very interesting session... even though the speaker was a little easy to flummox with "MBA-ready" questions.

Research for Marketing Decisions

Yaaawwwwns and double yaawns...it's a good thing he's still on the basics. It might be easy to catch up with the actual content, as time passes by. Anyway, this week he spoke about the "lifecycle" of market research. About how we formulate a problem, prepare the questionnaire, sample it, and then actually take the survey, make some conclusions and present to the client.

Marketing Communications

This week was all about what kind of ads suit what kind of products. What are the factors you should consider for low involvement ads, high involvement ads, inspirational or transformational ad, and what not...

The next session was about how Coke and Pepsi went about their advertisements, and introduction into the Indian market. We even were asked to check out a few selective videos of the ads used, and keep in that in context. One of the major insights out of today was about how localized advertisements are being used, but also that the global theme is still at play. Only the actors may change, but the theme remains the same.

And now, back to the books... let's see if I can understand something after all.

Quarter 7 - Week 1

Wow, it's been a *REALLY* long time away from this blog... I almost missed it so much! Who else has such a regular chance to rave and rant about the week's classes and ask why I'm doing this course?? The last two-three weeks have been nice, quiet and peaceful. Especially when we had only projects and no final exams for the last quarter!

Having said all that, first weeks have always been my favorite. That's when we get introduced to the new courses, and watch in complete awe as some stupendous teachers either keep you wide-awake or in deep sleep. Deep sleep has been missing for almost two quarters... until now. Read on!

E-business Models and Strategies

Oh yeah! That's more like it! These are the 'well-named courses' that everyone keeps thinking are being taught at IIM. Well, I am doing this now, and I'm thoroughly pleased with the choice. The prof has this pretty unique way of peering at you, and cracks some pretty decent jokes, and succeeds at keeping the class upbeat. Best of all, he gave a new look at strategy, one that at least I haven't noticed too strongly in other strategy courses. But then, that's the thing about strategy courses... they're not all really the same.

We studied CEMEX and ITC's eChoupal initiative this week. While the case spoke mainly about the e-component and how it benefited the business, the prof chose a more interesting angle at it. He compared how CEMEX used e-Stuff to organize and make efficient the customer-demand side of things, while eChoupal tried to make efficient the supply side of things. Nice way to contrast, and suggest as to why such initiatives succeeded, and what we might need to do if we try to implement something similar at work or any new e-ventures we start! Similar to B2BMM from last quarter, I keep hearing "value" thrown around a lot! :)

Research for Marketing Decisions

Yaaaaaaaawwwnnnnn!! I really was looking forward to this course, imagine how depressed I was when I was concentrating on the almost unheard buzz of the tube light above, or the whisper of the AC than the far more audible sound from the professor. Yes, yes, the guy seems incredibly knowledgeable, but there's something to him. The very moment he opens his mouth to talk, you immediately have the strongest urge to inspect your book or any surrounding object.

I've got to learn to concentrate in boring lectures. This just wont do. Luckily, I remember something of what he said. This week he was basically talking about the different types of Market Research, Strategical Market Research, how you go about such things, and current well-known players in this industry.

Marketing Communications

That's another course with the word "Marketing" in it! Looks like I might specialize in a topic that I am not so keen on, if I keep picking subjects like this! But the course seems interesting. Lots of funda types, but it seems quite necessary. This week was about a case study on the Park hotels and restaurants, and we tried to analyse if they were doing a good job of advertising. On the first glance, their ads looked very captivating. But trust our prof to turn our heads and tell us differently!

What our prof said and described in detail, is that the effect/image that Park was trying to convey wasn't really getting done through their ads. While they were aiming for a hep/young crowd, and their hotel ads showed good captivating looks, the fact is that Park's hotels were lesser of a sensation than their restaurants and niche pubs/discs. So, the effort should have preferably been on maximizing the visibility of the experience, rather than what they had now. A lot more interesting ideas on how you integrate marketing communications, where all you get to advertise and so on so forth. Seemed quite interesting... and the prof's pretty sweet too! ;)

Well, that's it... only three courses this quarter. Might drop in for the fun of it, on any other course in the other slot... but I dont think that's very likely. Or sane. Sigh.... I was actually missing college, it feels so good to be back here! Just imagine, a couple of quarters ago I would crib about the little holiday time I had, now I actually look forward to this. Am I addicted already?