ALL PARTICIPANTS OF ANNUAL CONFERENCE

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To: 30/04/02

ALL Participants of Annual Conference

Nature of Our Business

A little over 8 years ago, I had prepared an exhaustive "note" on the nature of our business (What are the characteristics that set us apart from other businesses).

Attached find a "Summary" of that note. This will help us to remain "focussed" when we debate various ISSUES during our conference – and try to reach conclusions.

It is quite possible that after a lapse of 8 years, some of the "characteristics" described in my note, are no more VALID. Some new ones may have emerged.

If some of you would like to read this entire note (and not just attached Summary), then please let me know, so that I may arrange to get it typed on upload on our Intranet.

Regards

1/6 8/04/94

NATURE OF OUR BUSINESS

# 1 It is Information Technology based

# 2 It will be TELECOM Technology based

# 3 We are in a SERVICE Industry

(Key attributes of such an industry are

• Very short Response time
• Customised – Service
• Strategic alliances/linkages with other Placement Agencies.

# 4. Our basic raw-material (bio-datas), although not exactly "perishable", have a short "Shelf-life".

# 5 It will be a business with a large number of small value/small volume, purchase-orders. Most clients will order on us, one/two executives to be delivered at a time.

# 6 In this business, we will rarely get to see/meet either the clients or the Candidates.

# 7 In this business, by and large, clients will pay-up and not "displease" us for fear that we would, in such a case,

– take away that candidate & place him elsewhere

– "Raid" that Company

But every client will try to delay payment as much as possible to make you "forget" that he owes you money!

For our "finished goods", we cannot send Consignment-Note through a bank!

# 8 One of the characteristics of our business is that it is

SELF-REGENERATIVE-

For every man we "place" in one Company, we have "created" a vacancy in the "donor" company!

# 9 Although, today, all Competitor's are charging "more or less" the Same price, I expect that the agency

– with much bigger database

– with much shorter response-time

will be in a position to charge a "PREMIUM PRICE".

# 10 If "Personnel/Recruitment Managers" are to be treated as our "clients", then, one characteristics of this industry/business is that,

"CLIENT SEES YOU AS A THREAT / AS A COMPETITOR, WHO IS OUT TO MAKE HIS OWN JOB REDUNDANT!"

# 11 Being a "CONSULTANCY" business, we are, (so far), untouched by

• Sales Tax/Excise/Octroi/Customs Duty
• Complicated Govt. Permissions/Licences
• Filing of numerous statutory returns.
• Price & Distribution Controls
• Locational Constraints.

# 12 Perhaps, this is a "rarely privileged" business in which, quite a lot of our normal operating expenses, can be recovered from our clients as OUT-OF-POCKET EXPENSES.

# 13 One important characteristics of this business is

"HIGH DEGREE OF SECRECY/CONFIDENTIALITY".

# 14 In this business, one UNIQUENESS is that, very often,

A BUYER TURNS INTO A SELLER

&

MANY A SELLER COULD ALSO BE A BUYER!

# 15

For our "Finished Goods",

We give no "GUARANTEE" (of performance)

We give no "WARRANTY" (for defective manufacture)

We assume no "PRODUCT-LIABILITY"

We promise no "FREE REPLACEMENTS".

# 16

In our business, there is a "built-in" inflation-protection, since our fees are not "absolute" but "relative", i.e.

"12% - 16% - 20% of gross salary" etc.

From year-to-year, salaries tend to rise around 8% - 10% or just about the rate of inflation (Rise in cost of living).

So, our income "automatically" goes up by that rate – if we manage to appoint, at least, the Same number – and level – of executives, as in the preceding year.

But, $\text{Profit} = \text{Income} - \text{Expenses}$

so,

Profits will be maintained (% level)

ONLY IF,

expenses do NOT rise at a rate faster than the Income-rate.

12-5-94

Nature of Our Business

The enclosed news-cutting gives a fairly good picture of the way/the manner in which we would be conducting our own business, a few years from now.

Some 30 years ago, Theodore Levitt wrote his famous article

THE MARKETING MYOPIA.

Since then, jargon has increased but the substance has not changed.

In this article, Levitt says

"American Railroad business went out of business because they thought they were in the "railroad" business. They could not see that they were in the business of "transporting people".

If they could have seen this, they would have realised that the railroads are bound to become Obsolete as a means of transporting people – and that, newer means such as Airplanes will takeover in course of time. Railroad Companies could not envision the FUTURE –

They were simply myopic – and like dinosaurs, myopic animals/organisations are bound to become EXTINCT!

This was 30 years ago. And yesterday I read an article which suggested that even Airplanes will become extinct! – because there may be no need to transport people! – at least not for "business" purpose.

Video Conferencing WILL take-over from the Airplanes! There will be no need for people to move-out of their homes – or offices – to dialogue in a group or to conduct a meeting. And Singapore is planning to do this within the next 6 years! – See news-cutting below:

In much the same manner, we too must clearly define

"WHAT BUSINESS ARE WE IN?"

When we really probe this question, we realise that

WE ARE NOT IN THE RECRUITMENT BUSINESS – WE ARE REALLY IN THE "INFORMATION-COMMUNICATION" BUSINESS. WE ARE IN THE DATA-BASE BUSINESS – EXCEPT THAT THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE OF OUR BUSINESS IS INSTANT ACCESS TO OUR DATA-BASE – INSTANT COMMUNICATION BY OUR CLIENTS AS TO THEIR REQUIREMENT OF DATA (ABOUT CANDIDATES) AND EQUALLY INSTANT FEEDBACK (AGAIN COMMUNICATION) TO THE CLIENTS REGARDING AVAILABILITY OF SUITABLE/DESIRED DATA.

And in reverse, the above is equally true of

Candidates Searching (DATA on) Suitable Companies.

So we are onto a massive data collection/data storage/data retrieval/data communication business.

This is the crux. And that is

Why the enclosed news-cutting fascinates me.

It has considerable relevance to our business.

TECH-DATA	3P
- 300 Manufacturers	- 3000 Companies "producing" candidates / 1000 colleges also.
- 14000 products	- If we count all permutation / combination of: * Industries * Functions * Designation (Hierarchy-levels) * Education Qualifications * Experience etc. * Locations etc. We could easily have 140,000,000 products!
- 45000 customers	- If we aim to go "global" by 2000 A.D., we, too, could have many more than 45000 customers. And if each Candidate is treated as a Customer too, the figure could exceed 10,000,000!!

COMPARISON (CONT.)

TECH-DATA	3P
- Speed with which products become obsolete	- Equally true in our case as well. Many things about a candidate change within 6 months – but in our case, the redeeming factor is that, given a powerful, on-line "UP-DATE" mechanism, we can keep our products FRESH. In fact, in many cases, the VALUE of our products improve with passage-of-time (at least upto age of 40)
- To Survive, keep a lean inventory	- In our case, the opposite is true. Because each Client’s requirement is (almost) unique, we need to maintain a very large inventory (of up to date bio-datas). Remember, each client is looking for the IDEAL candidate – and vice versa!
- Tech-Data has so many “little” accounts	- It would be so with our business too.

 

Tech Data

3P

- 450 Sales Reps sit in cubicles with head-phones (and a PC in front of each – a fax card/modem built into each PC) booking 17 sales orders/day. i.e. 7650 orders/day

I see something like this developing in our case too. When we move to Lok Bharati, we shall make a beginning with 2 Sales Reps with head-phones / PC-fax-modem, sitting in what I have called TELECOM ROOM. They will ask questions to the caller (Client) and enter the answers (Executive Search Requests) on the Screen. This will initiate a SEARCH and the result will get automatically faxed to the Client (only number of suitable candidates in our Data Bank – nothing more) if he has given a fax no. Alternatively, a STANDARD-LETTER will get typed-out, and results couriered, with a request to remit the ADVANCE before details could be sent. Letter/fax will be accompanied with our standard TERMS.

 

Tech Data

3P

- Technical Support Customers are advised how to use what they buy. 130 Computer-experts field 5000 calls / day.

- In our case, such technical support will extend, not only to Client-Companies but also to the Candidates. To both, it could be help in negotiating a salary based on INDUSTRY-TRENDS continuously updated & accessed on Screens. To Companies : * Compensation Surveys * Organisation Charts * Job-Descriptions * Man-Specifications * Advt. Copy drafts. etc. To Candidates : * Industry health * Individual Company-health * New Projects/Collaborations/JV * Geographical opportunities * Ownership pattern. * Financial data * How to write a Bio-Data * Company Org. Structures etc. etc.

 

Tech-Data	3P
* Computer Hardware * Communication Hardware (Switching/Routing) * Software etc.	Elsewhere (under folder "Hardware"), I have said, we should seriously consider the "Leasing Option" – 2 year contract, because of rapid obsolescence of Computer / Communication technologies. Having read Tech Data article, I am thoroughly convinced that we have no option other than leasing, to beat the "obsolescence-Trap". Besides this, our tax laws make it imperative that we must only Lease/rent – and never buy! We must stoutly resist buying of any hardware.
* Tech-Data spends $ 24-30 million/year on up-grading – equal to its net profit!	Also all payments for NEW Software must also be Written-off (and not Capitalised) by treating as "Software-Maintenance" charges. Bills should be obtained accordingly.

 

Tech-Data	3P
Training	Training Seems to be the "Key" to Tech-Data’s success. This has prevented their "staff" from getting Obsolete.
New Employees 6 weeks in the class-room	We too must treat "Training and Retraining" as an essential investment, without which our business Cannot flourish.
Veterans 115 hours/year (i.e. 6 hrs x 20 days) of Continuing education

NATURE OF OUR BUSINESS

Some of the important characteristics/attributes of our business are – (or will be, in course of time)

(1) - It is Information Technology based. We will need to

– Store

– Codify

– Manipulate/process

– Retrieve

large volumes of information. Just imagine detailed executive bio-datas on 1 Million executives and 10,000 Companies!

Obviously, we will need GIGABYTES of storage-memory – ON CD-ROMS?

Processing such volumes (of data) will require powerful processors/printers etc.

(2) - It will be TELECOM Technology based. After processing Gigabytes of information, outputs/results will need to be communicated/faxed to Clients sitting thousands of miles away!

Same will be true of thousands of executives trying to register with us from thousands of miles away.

So our business will be based/Centred around

"Super Highways of Information Flow,"

especially when we get into multi-media (Data/Text/Voice/Image).

I also expect hundreds of

– Franchisees

– Associates

Spread all over the World, with whom we must connect-up thru WAN / even wireless Networks.

So TELECOM will be the Second wheel of our chariot.

(3) - We are in a SERVICE industry, so all the attributes of service industry will be present e.g.

– a very short response time

– a "customised-service" (Remember, every client is looking for that IDEAL candidate!)

– Strategic alliances/linkages with overseas Placement Agencies since we Cannot be present everywhere.

(4) Our basic raw-material (bio-datas), although not exactly "perishable", have a short "shelf-life". These do get obsolete within one year. Candidate who has registered with us, would have changed his job within one year.

So our business will be

characterised by

"High cost of maintaining (up-dating) raw-material" – an annual feature

(5) It will be a business with a "large number of small volume/small value" purchase-orders.

Most Companies (Clients) will order on us, one/two executives to be delivered at a time. Very rarely 10/20 executives.

It will be like Train/Airplane. Most people who walk up to the counter (or book tickets over phone) buy one/two tickets – rarely – a chartered flight – a marriage party in train.

So we will have large no. of transactions to be handled – to fill up our Capacity.

(6) In this business, we will rarely get to see/meet either the clients or the Candidates.

In this respect, we may, to some extent resemble a bank's "Foreign Exchange Dealing Room," where "Dealers" buy/sell currencies – from other "dealers" across the ocean whom they will never meet – for "clients" in different parts of Country – or even globally – whom, also, they will never meet. – Currencies which they will never see!

(7) In this business, by and large, Clients will pay-up and not "displease" us for fear that we would, in such an event – Take away that candidate & place him elsewhere

– "raid" that Company (for other executives).

In this respect it differs from consultancy of – a DOCTOR, who cannot make the patient sick again, even if not paid – a LAWYER, who cannot make a client lose the case, having WON it in the first place, even if not paid.

But every client will try to DELAY payment as much as possible to make you "forget" that he owes you money!

So this business will be characterised by INTENSE FOLLOW-UP OF OUTSTANDING.

For our "Finished Goods", we cannot send Consignment Note thru Bank!

(8) One of the Characteristics of our business is that it is SELF-REGENERATIVE. (like Ahi-Ravana/Mahi-Ravana of the Ramayana!)

For every man we "place" in one Company, we have "created" a vacancy in the donor company! – even if we ourselves, may not get to fill the "created" vacancy. It may get filled by one of our competitors.

Fulfillment of "need" at one place has "created" a matching "need" elsewhere!

Even if it gets filled by promotion from within that Organisation, a "need" / a "vacancy" gets created at a lower level.

So, as a whole Community of Placement Agents, the more we move around people, the more we are expected/asked/required to move around people!! This could

be like a nuclear-reaction gone berserk – out of control! The farther the galaxies, the greater the rate at which they are flying away from each other.

(9) Although, today, all competitors are charging "more or less" the Same price, I expect that the agency – with much bigger database (and therefore much higher probability of filling an order with a better quality candidate) – with much shorter response-time (and therefore being able to cover up the lapses of recruitment-managers/managements in general of "Waking-up at last minute") and wanting their man TODAY!! will be in a position to charge a PREMIUM PRICE.

We have seen this in the case

ABC consultants – who charge 2/3 month under mode A.)

(10) If "Personnel / Recruitment Managers" are to be treated as our "Clients", then one characteristic of this industry/business is that

CLIENT SEES YOU AS A THREAT / AS A COMPETITOR, WHO IS OUT TO MAKE HIS OWN JOB REDUNDANT!

If a Placement Agency finds/places people – in large volumes – of high calibre – in short time – at very competitive cost

and all of these as Compared to an "In-House" recruitment manager, which Management would want to continue with an IN-HOUSE m-n-compu ?

So, I can see, on the part of the in-house recruitment manager, an attitude, – not to encourage Placement Agents – to set difficult terms/criteria. – to make life miserable for Agent – to fail "his" Candidates / delay selection-Appointments. – to Generally try to Convince the Management that.... "Placement Agencies cannot be relied upon and they are out to 'fleece' the Company and buildup their own database at the cost of the Company!"

Given this (hidden) fear of making himself redundant by relying on an outside Placement Agency and therefore given his above-described ATTITUDE, how do we overcome the resistance of the Recruitment Managers?

Many "Agencies" bribe them – give them a "cut" / "percentage" for each person appointed thru them.

This is UNETHICAL and IMMORAL and something we shall never resort to.

But we Cannot exist OUTSIDE the system. We have to find a way, an ethical way, while remaining within the system. We have to provide some incentive to each Recruitment / Personnel

Manager, which is not only honourable, but which he can accept without COMPROMISING with his conscience.

This way is to make him an "ASSOCIATE"!

Every Personnel / Recruitment Manager in the Country to be our Associate, – and be entitled to receive 30% share for placement against every Bio-data sent by him to us. He can look upon this

"arrangement" as an "Weekend Consultancy" carried-out on his own time – if he wishes in his wife/son's name.

He is master of his own evening-hours/weekend, when he can practice this kind of Consultancy without feeling guilty/disloyal to his employer! And he gets paid for actual service rendered. He is not taking a bribe.

And we are not asking him the "source" of his bio-datas – the bio-datas which he sends to us.

As it is, a large number of people are approaching him for a job.

Then there are thousands of executives, who apply against Advts released by his Company. Only one gets appointed with the rest of the applications being thrown in the dust bin/shredded/burnt! A Colossal waste of Crores of Rupees worth of Advts.

And since a Vacancy in an Organisation does not, normally "repeat for 2/3 years", these Personnel Managers are not keen to create their own Computerised databank! These, then could become the greatest/easiest source of creating a databank.

This will require "intense" Socialising with the Personnel Managers. Once a-month dinner parties of 30/40 Personnel Managers will enable us to meet 300/400 per year. Plus Diwali / X-mas / wedding gifts. During 94-95 we should budget Rs. 1 Lakh on this "promotional" activity. It will pay many times over.

But we must select Carefully – by studying how frequently they "advertise". (Two Personnel Managers belonging to the same Company must not be invited at the Same party).

And the "Soft Talk" offering "Associateship" must be strictly on a "one-to-one" basis – never in a group.

So "INTENSE SOCIALISING" with Personnel Managers will be another important characteristic of our business.

(11) Being a "Consultancy Business," we are (so far), untouched by – S. Tax / Excise / Octroi / Customs Duty – Complicated Govt. Permissions/licenses (except for Overseas recruitment) – Filing of numerous statutory returns – Price & Distribution Controls – Locational Constraints.

(12) Perhaps this is a "rarely privileged" business in which, quite a lot of our normal operating expenses can be recovered from our clients as OUT-OF-POCKET-EXPENSES.

How much of your expenses you can recover will, almost solely depend upon your – ability to "allocate each item of expense (the moment it is incurred) to one or the other Client – ability to systematically Computer-Compile these expenses, Client wise, and automatically Send-out monthly Bills.

 

(14) In this business one UNIQUENESS is that, very often

A BUYER TURNS INTO A SELLER

&

MANY A SELLER COULD ALSO BE A BUYER!

A Manager invites you to discuss manpower requirement for his company and the next thing you know, he is pulling-out his own bio-data from his brief case and shoving it in your hands, with a request to find him a "challenging assignment"!

OR

You meet a guy in the lobby of TAJ to convince him to consider a change – for which, he is not so keen – and he says

"Look, I need a Maint. Manager for my factory. Do you have someone you can recommend?"

So if you are clever/persuasive, you end up with some "prospective" business either way! So each Candidate is also a potential Client. Never forget that this is the only

(13) One important characteristic of this business is

"HIGH DEGREE OF SECRECY/CONFIDENTIALITY"

In India, Company loyalty is strong. A person looking for a job-change is considered "disloyal" hence looked-down upon/ considered a "TRAITOR"! So no executive wants it to become known/public knowledge that he is looking for a change.

So any activity (in this direction) on his part has to remain

HUSH-HUSH / TOP SECRET.

So you want to promote the "goods" but the "goods" do not want to appear on the "Shelf"!

A Paradox in marketing!

It is like promoting "Contraband" goods on the foot path of Fort Area!

In this respect, we have a considerable "COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE" in our

– giving Code No. to each candidate

– sending only converted bio-data

We have resolved the Paradox! – and created an advantage for ourselves.

business where

"Your Purchase Manager is also your Sales Manager!"

The man charged with the responsibility to "woo" the candidates to register with us (– to create a Databank), could also come back with a purchase-order!

So every employee of 3P should carry

– a Registration Form

and

– an Exec. Search Request Form

So we must train our employees to become SELLERS as well as BUYERS.

How many businesses can boast of such UNIQUENESS?

(15) GUARANTEES / WARRANTIES / PRODUCT-LIABILITIES

This is one more area where our business differs vastly from other businesses.

For our "Finished Goods",

– we give no "guarantee" of performance

– we give no "warranty" for defective manufacture (Process or Material)

– we take no product-liability.

– we promise no "free-replacements".

To some extent we resemble to a

– Medical Practioner (Say a Surgeon, who collects Rs. 1 lakh in cash day, before the Heart-Operation but gives no guarantee!)

– Lawyer

who will plead your case in Supreme Court for Rs. 50,000/= per day but gives no guarantee that he will win the case!

This characteristic is however DANGEROUS!

It may make us complacent, indifferent to CUSTOMER-NEEDS, even arrogant – something no business can ever afford to be.

We may have never met the Candidate nor appraised him, judged him, evaluated him. And even if we had done all of this, we could go wrong.

And it is also possible that even an excellent professional fails to perform because of "organisational failures" – no fault of his own.

So we need not blame ourselves. It is equally true that there is no way we can give any kind of guarantee/warranty or promise replacement.

But we must be polite with the Customer at all times. We must patiently and logically convince him why we cannot give any "performance guarantee" on behalf of a Candidate! Is it not also true that the

Client is not going to pay us double the contracted fees, in case the Candidate's performance is far above Client's "expectations"? or that we were asked to search for a GM and the client appoints him as "V.P."?

A Candidate is not a mechanical contraption, manufactured using standard ingredients (raw-materials) and using standard mfg. processes to deliver a standard performance. Besides skills & knowledge, his performance depends upon unpredictable emotions which interact with equally unpredictable emotions of his peers, subordinates and bosses.

A Client would have at least interviewed him – perhaps more than once. To us he is no more than a NUMBER, a statistics. All we have to go by while recommending his name to the Client is his bio-data.

But if Client complaints (because the man fails to deliver or quits within 2/3 months), let us be sympathetic and courteous with the Client, even offer him a wider choice next time, but no "money-back or free replacement". This could have happened, had the client hired the person even directly. Same probability.

Nature of our Business

(CONT.) 12/4/94

(16) PROFITABILITY

In our business, there is a "built-in" inflation-protection, since our fees are not "absolute" but "relative" i.e.

– One month's gross salary etc.

From year-to-year, salaries tend to rise around 8% – 10% or just about the rate of inflation (rise in cost of living).

So our income "automatically" goes-up by that rate – if we manage to appoint at least the same number of executives as in the preceding year – and of the same quality/level.

But

$\text{Profits} = \text{Income} - \text{Expenses}$

So,

Profits will be maintained (% level) only if expenses do not rise at a rate faster than the Income-rate.

So

We must,

@ keep a close track on "% Rise in each type of expense per person placed"

(d) keep a close watch on the "% growth in salary of

e.g. CA with 3/5/8/10 yr. exp (BE/M) " " " etc. etc.

By analysing our database of thousands of executives (who must send us their up-dated Salary-data each year), we could Observe the

ANNUAL SHIFTS

in

– Median Salary (Three Sigma)

– Distribution over $\pm 3\sigma$ etc.

We should systematically Carry-out such analysis

– Industry wise

– Designation/Hierarchy wise

– Function wise

– Edu. Quali. wise

– Age wise

– Location wise

The "Output" of such a periodic exercise could be "sold" to a large number of Companies (Rs. 10,000/= per report!). They would gladly buy this because

– they would never been able to do it on their own (not on this scale at least.)

– whatever little they might succeed in doing, would cost them a fortune.

Currently L&T / Crompton / Siemens / Lever etc. have formed a "Compensation-Club" where salary information is exchanged.

In fact, in course of time, we should offer this "service" to a large no. of companies, especially

– large cos who, periodically revise their salary-packages to remain Competitive

– New Companies setting-up projects

– Multinationals arriving in India.

A.F. Ferguson, regularly Carry-out such "Compensation-Surveys" on an "Assignment basis and charge a few lakhs of rupees!

To those Companies, who become Members of 3P Club, we could offer this service "FREE" as an incentive (to become member).

We could devise a 10 page "Compensation Survey Questionnaire,"

put it on a floppy and send-out such a floppy FREE to a large no. of companies (at least 20 cos in each industry).

They Could load the floppy on their PC see the forms on the Screen, fill-up on the screen and then

"transfer" to our database on PST line.

Once a predetermined number of responses have been received, we could run the "COMPENSATION-ANALYSIS PROGRAM"

and the software will generate the output graphically. (I have one such reports prepared by an outsider many years ago. Some 15 engineering Companies – including L&T – had participated / shared expenses).

Member Companies can be informed over e-mail / fax that the analysis is ready. They could then ACCESS and download on their HP laser-printer. (Free).

To NON-members, a xeroxed laser-print-out could be sold.

Here again, those Non-members, who have voluntarily participated in the Survey by sending in their Company's data, may be offered the REPORT at a Concessional rate of, say, Rs. 5000/= each where as, non-member, non-participating Companies will be charged Rs. 10,000/= each.

In all Analysis, no names will be mentioned. Each Company will be identified only by a Code No. so that anonymity can be maintained. NO company likes its confidential salary information to be made public.

Such a Survey need not be confined to Compensation-Data only. It could, gradually cover – Comparison of Union-Agreements – " " Service Conditions. – " " Personnel Practices – " " Recruitment – " " Training – " " Manpower Planning – " " Productivity etc. etc.

For each of these AREAS, we would need to develop forms in which both, quantitative and qualitative data could be filled-in by the Companies, directly on their PCs and then transferred to our Database. The questionnaires should be such that the data furnished should lend itself to statistical Analysis and graphical Presentation of output.

To attract a large number of Companies to participate we should send-out "Sales-Pitch Letters" saying,

"Q. How much salary-rise should I give to my Supervisors/Officers/Managers next April?

Q. What are other Companies paying their – Engineers – Chartered Accountants – Co. Secretaries ?

Q. How much SL/CL/PL should I fix for my Managerial Staff? How many "Paid Holidays"?

Q. Should I permit "Encashment of Casual leave / Sick leave? What are industry-practices?

Are these and a hundred similar questions bothering you? Are you afraid of taking an Ad hoc decision contrary to the industry-practice? you know you are right but need substantive data to justify your decision to your Corporate-Busses? If So, how would you like

to receive graphs/Analysis of the kind shown in the Annexure for hundreds of Companies, spread all over the Country and spanning the entire spectrum of Industries?

To find out more on how you could be a regular, proud possessor of UP-TO-DATE, Corporate Personnel Practices Analysis (CPPA), just fill-in the enclosed form and mail it to us today. "

To our MEMBERS, I envisage offering a host of Personnel related services in course of time, such as – Forms used in Personnel Function – Procedures – Manuals – Org. Charts – Job Descriptions – Compilation of Trg. Programs offered all over India by all leading training Organisations/Institutions (Like Business Today Compiling & publishing all Senior Vacancies advertised all over India by cutting it out of several publications).

– Names/Addresses of Engineering & other Professional Colleges with disciplines. – Service Conditions – Productivity Ratios/Productivity Agreements. – Manpower Costs. – Copies of Labour Agreements (scanned) – Labour Laws & Case Studies. – Domestic Inquiries – IR Scenario across the Country etc. etc.

NO such database exists today – and certainly not one which can be remote-accessed on a PC over PST lines.

On the other hand, I can foresee a huge demand for such a database, especially if it can be remote accessed.

Obviously, we cannot offer all of the above-mentioned services at one go. It will have to be built-up over a period of 2/3 years and offered in stages. we will also need quite a few staff to keep the database up-to-date, although our thrust should be to get the Companies themselves to fill in various questionnaires regularly on their PCs. But follow-up staff will be required.