Ajeet Chauhan, VP – HR & Training, Nirula’s talks about how they have leveraged social networking platform in more than one way
How important are social networking websites for a business like Nirula’s?
Social networking websites have over the last two years gained a lot of prominence and we too are leveraging this platform in more than one way. Besides sponsoring groups and fan clubs for some of our products we are also exploiting this medium to create a positive ‘employer branding’ and attract the
‘right fit’ for the organisation via social networking websites like LinkedIn, Facebook or Orkut. But more interestingly we have done a bit of innovation here and used the basic tenets of these sites to develop an Employee Self Service (ESS) module. Most ESS fail just because of the low level of patronising by the end users. So based on the success of these social networking sites we are in the process of developing an ESS. This software will enable the employees to communicate P2P (peer-to-peer). It integrates every individual in the organisation into a larger ambit while giving the end user the flexibility and independence to have his own private space unique to him or her. It also allows them to choose from the various affiliations. So each individual will have his home page (like on an Orkut or Facebook) and can invite their peers and friends within the organisation to join their groups. We are going to use this as both the ESS and the Knowledge Management System (KMS) or putting in simply a cross between a Facebook and Wikipedia. Thus, this platform will not only be a networking site and ESS but a knowledge sharing point which will be a two and fro communication between the employees and the organisation. So, let’s say we have a new product, for instance a burger or pizza, its recipe will be uploaded and a notification can be sent to all in the relevant group. Thus employees from different geographical locations get updated instantaneously and in case they have something to add or share about that product they can do so in a similar manner like in the Wikipedia. The administrator, however, monitors, filters and controls the content.
Do you also use social networking websites to increase the popularity of your brand and products?
Yes, we do use social networking websites to our advantage. Today we have many communities and forums on some of our iconic and popular products like hot chocolate fudge on websites like Orkut. And it definitely pays off in increasing the popularity of both the brand Nirula’s and our products.
Does hiring through social networking websites make sense?
Yes, absolutely. The trend of employing people through print ads has changed a lot now which has moved towards the employee referral programme under which you refer a person and if that person is selected, you get paid in return. What works for an organisation is that if employees have their friends working in the same organisation then there is better ‘Stickiness’ amongst them and they tend to stay longer. This helps in reduction of attrition.
Do you believe that this trend will catch pace in times to come?
The growth of social networking websites is still in a relatively nascent stage in India and the trend of companies employing executives via social networking websites will catch pace in times to come. It is already a very popular medium in some parts of the world where the recruiters and the prospective job seekers are using their networks to get introduced. Online is the way to go in times to come and companies will surely realise the potential of this phenomenon!
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
How important are social networking websites for a business like Nirula’s?
Social networking websites have over the last two years gained a lot of prominence and we too are leveraging this platform in more than one way. Besides sponsoring groups and fan clubs for some of our products we are also exploiting this medium to create a positive ‘employer branding’ and attract the
‘right fit’ for the organisation via social networking websites like LinkedIn, Facebook or Orkut. But more interestingly we have done a bit of innovation here and used the basic tenets of these sites to develop an Employee Self Service (ESS) module. Most ESS fail just because of the low level of patronising by the end users. So based on the success of these social networking sites we are in the process of developing an ESS. This software will enable the employees to communicate P2P (peer-to-peer). It integrates every individual in the organisation into a larger ambit while giving the end user the flexibility and independence to have his own private space unique to him or her. It also allows them to choose from the various affiliations. So each individual will have his home page (like on an Orkut or Facebook) and can invite their peers and friends within the organisation to join their groups. We are going to use this as both the ESS and the Knowledge Management System (KMS) or putting in simply a cross between a Facebook and Wikipedia. Thus, this platform will not only be a networking site and ESS but a knowledge sharing point which will be a two and fro communication between the employees and the organisation. So, let’s say we have a new product, for instance a burger or pizza, its recipe will be uploaded and a notification can be sent to all in the relevant group. Thus employees from different geographical locations get updated instantaneously and in case they have something to add or share about that product they can do so in a similar manner like in the Wikipedia. The administrator, however, monitors, filters and controls the content.Do you also use social networking websites to increase the popularity of your brand and products?
Yes, we do use social networking websites to our advantage. Today we have many communities and forums on some of our iconic and popular products like hot chocolate fudge on websites like Orkut. And it definitely pays off in increasing the popularity of both the brand Nirula’s and our products.
Does hiring through social networking websites make sense?
Yes, absolutely. The trend of employing people through print ads has changed a lot now which has moved towards the employee referral programme under which you refer a person and if that person is selected, you get paid in return. What works for an organisation is that if employees have their friends working in the same organisation then there is better ‘Stickiness’ amongst them and they tend to stay longer. This helps in reduction of attrition.
Do you believe that this trend will catch pace in times to come?
The growth of social networking websites is still in a relatively nascent stage in India and the trend of companies employing executives via social networking websites will catch pace in times to come. It is already a very popular medium in some parts of the world where the recruiters and the prospective job seekers are using their networks to get introduced. Online is the way to go in times to come and companies will surely realise the potential of this phenomenon!
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
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in form and fashion, yet effective and totally apt to explain what airline operators are undergoing in India. And for all these months when we were talking about Mallya being the lucky one who’s shown no wrinkled worry on his face, when all that Kinghfisher was doing was acquiring and buying stakes one after the other, when all that Mallya was busy with cricket and Jet Airways, we arrive at a time when we see the flamboyant ‘Bling of good times’ proving that times indeed weren’t so good!
entrepreneurship venture? Internationally of course, you’d have heard of names galore who made their mark in their home garage, but in India? Well, wonderfully, here too, the situation is no different! You’ll get the drift of our argument when you finish this paragraph... When you are born to succeed as an entrepreneur, you learn a thousand ways to achieve your ends, or rather start your golden journey. And Sanjeev Bikhchandani, MD and CEO, Info Edge (India) Ltd. certainly had a few of those tricks up his sleeves. And what degree of solidarity in vision are we talking about? When dotcom startups fell all around like nine pins during the turn of the millenium, Sanjeev’s virtual brainchild held its spot tight, and grew with every passing year. Of course there were the hiccups, but fighting his way to make the most of opportunities was much that he learnt having started operations in the servant quarter above his garage paying Rs.800 as monthly rent in 1990 (Hey! Wait! Did you miss that one? He started operations in the servant quarter above his ‘garage’!)
decipher and understand them. In this case an average MP refers to one who prefers a siesta during key discussions in the Parliament and have utter disregard for national issues at large, barring parroting needless controversies the way Minority Affairs Minister AR Antulay did. But for the remaining few intellectuals who still honour the house with their august presence and for the ones running the country, one just wonder if any of them have ever seen the film "Munich", based on the real life incident of the killing of the Israeli contingent in the Munich Olympics in 1972. This was an act of a Palestinian terror outfit Black September. There is much similarity in the manner in which Munich incident happened and the way the Mumbai terror attacks on 26/11 took place, given the fact that in both cases there were armed terrorists who had stormed into hotels to kill unarmed civilians. Yet, in case of Munich, neither did Israel go around browbeating about an impending strike against Palestine (there is nothing much in Palestine to destroy through air raids either) nor did they try to pressurise the world to act against the leaders of Black September. Instead, Israel formed a covert group with a few former Mossad guys leading the pack and went after the planners, financiers and executors of Black September. In the ensuing months, they executed most.
Bohra community as ‘just your average Muslims’ – conservative, inward looking and, who knows, even fanatical. After all, isn’t that the most common, albeit erroneous picture that is painted to depict an average Muslim? But on a closer look you will realise that this community has learnt the fine art of maintaining a perfect balance between devoutly following the Islamic teachings and keeping pace with the ‘modern’ world.
in one of his writings: “His victory over the Muslims of Bengal and his acquisition of the southern districts of western Bengal must have enormously raised his prestige in the eyes of contemporary Hindu rulers and augmented his resources, which in all likelihood enabled him to undertake the construction of a stupendous structure like the Konark temple, designed to exhibit his power, prestige, opulence, devotion and perhaps to commemorate his victory also.” Abul Fazal, in corroboration to this, even states that it is a “mighty memorial to posterity”.