Looking for a job?

Looking for a job?

Aspirations are very high when one opts for MBA programme and rightly so. One spends couple of hundreds of thousands (lacs) for this programme and obviously expectations are high. Unfortunately for many of MBAs in India, these aspirations do not get fulfilled. Frustration levels are high and one settles for the same job that he or she would have got even after the graduation. A thought lingers in mind why did I do MBA if I had to do the same job? Certainly it’s a valid question but with multiple answers. Somehow we have a very strong equation of MBA and job. For many reasons we do not try to strike an equation between MBA and entrepreneurship. Job need not be the beginning and end after MBA. Undoubtedly this cannot apply to everyone. Each one has different priorities and may be liabilities, but time has come to look beyond. How many jobs can be created in India? How many MBAs will sustain in these jobs? How many MBAs will reach the top of the ladder? How many MBAs will use the knowledge of their basic discipline in the job they are performing? Answers to all these questions are uncertain if not unknown.

This morning I saw a picture posted on Facebook by one of my students. A young MBA was ploughing the field with pair of bullocks. I felt so happy to see the picture. There were n numbers of comment some appreciating but a large number criticizing. The basic question was why do MBA if this what one has to do? I felt amused at the expression. Does MBA mean only white collared job? Does MBA mean work within air-conditioned comfort of four walls? Can one not apply the management knowledge to any field that one opts for? Of course one can, but the mindset is such that we refuse to accept this reality.  MBA takes you on a higher platform that develops many skills and these when applied can give better results.

One needs to identify areas where skill advancements are needed and these areas have to be of the interest for the individuals. MBA helps one to use the technology for better results. Anyone can do this, but the MBA has an edge.  I very often see a senior citizen in one of the malls in Navi Mumbai, practicing astrology with the help of iPad. This is how the astrologer uses of technology for attracting the clients, for faster and may be better analysis and better profits. Many of the astrologers use computers and also advertise so. Imagine a MBA interested in astrology applying his soft skills and management principles for his passion. The application of knowledge can put that MBA above the competitors. I am not advocating practice of astrology, which can be a debatable subject, but I am suggesting application of knowledge to the areas of interest that can offer better results and returns.

Some of my students have already ventured in service sector. Some are engaged in agri-tourism, some in development of resorts, some in starting chain of play group and nursery, some are in online solutions, ecommerce, to cite few. All these students are MBA; they are using knowledge in the field of their interest. These students had a very clear focus of what they want to do in future and had the much needed support of the family. Some of them opted for a job with predetermined time frame to venture in business. Some of the students ultimately landed in own business after getting disillusioned from the corporate world. I feel one should not think that MBA is a waste of time, money and efforts. At the same time one should not dream of becoming an executive without working at grass root level, performing there, learning the skills before the take off. MBA will any day perform better than a non-MBA. Exceptions will be there, I agree.

Entrepreneurship in any sector will need the knowledge that one acquires during MBA. Many of the subjects that that one may dislike in school might be a requirement and can be effectively applied in one’s venture. Marketing Finance, Management Control Systems, HRM are extremely useful to develop one’s business. Marketing is important but has to be complemented with knowledge of other subject and vice versa.  Knowledge is an asset, an important resource that needs to be utilized for betterment. Young MBAs need to identify scope for using this resource in the area of their interest. Right application is the key to success. I admire more a MBA who successfully runs a play group (pre-primary education), than the one who opts for selling insurance in a non banking financial company. Both the choices may be out of compulsion but the first one offers better scope and satisfaction as one shapes one’s future not one’s boss.

Government cannot create jobs for 55% young population of India. They will have to help themselves. They will have to get into service sector and offer these services worldwide. Reverse innovation is the key to success. India has to offer innovative products to the world. Why should Indians learn Yoga from western world when Yoga has originated from India? Why Ramu’s VadaPav or Raju’s AlooTikki should find a place next to McDonalds. Why should we need help of Japanese to make mythological animated film? This has to change and it’s the young MBAs who have that knowledge base can do it. What stops them? Is it mindset, lack of vision, paucity of self confidence, inability to take risk, family support, corruption, red tappism, fear of uncertainty……..You have the answers.

Think……

Do you still need a job?

Medical Representative - addendum

Further to my last blog, one of my dear friends, sent me his experience. I am reproducing the same, with some modifications, without touching the spirit and soul.

I would also request all the readers to mail me their experiences both as MR or doctors. My article on Medical Representative will be enriched with these anecdotes. Please do contribute.

This is what my friend has said...

With MR bag in hand, putting on tie, a youth of 22-23 years walking in hot summer in a small town, Doctors & Chemists welcoming you, and complimenting GREAT SARABHAIS, we obviously would feel elated. Doctors offering cup of tea, some of them even would force to have lunch and telling their friends/patients BARI COMPANY KA SAHIB HAI..............................................................Eeven doctors would feel his prestige goes up when Sarbhais field staff called upon him and spent more time with him.

Reviving those memories creates a feeling which can only be mutually understood by a colleague. In one town I have to take one lunch at 12 noon with a Govt  PHC doctor  and second lunch at 3.30 PM with a very busy private practitioner, in those days. Eating DESI GHEE products was not a taboo. At both the places meals would be loaded with Desi Ghee and then HALWA, completely drenched in Desi Ghee. In one small town one Dr. Waxxxxxxkar would offer poha, the best I have ever eaten. I still remember, on the last visit by our PSR  to Bhind, we took 28 cups of tea, with equal number of Paan and we could not say No. The prestige Sarabhais enjoyed...........................   Well Sarabhais had no equal. (Unfortunate that the company does not exists now: this can be a subject for case study for MBA students)

 We can write & write with these like happy experiences; doctors would discuss about the products and appreciate Sarabhais MR.........................

I am grateful for sharing this experience. 

Medical Representative

Excerpts from authors article on Medical representatives, past and present

In 60’s medical representative was never a high profile position. Lot of travelling, staying away from the family and society associated stigma of wine and women with this profession. I did not and do not believe in that. It was only handful few that might indulge in some unacceptable activities and bring bad name to the profession. During that era the most respected medical representatives by the medical profession were from Sarabhai Chemicals. The representatives were sent to the field only when they had adequate product and medical knowledge. This highlights the importance of job related knowledge. “On the job” training, would start only after all the prices of products and the detail talk for the products under promotion during current cycle was by hearted. It was expected that the representative should spontaneously respond to any query on product and price. Medical representatives were expected to be knowledgeable. One must admit that in that era medical representative was a major source of latest information for the medical profession. Most of the companies operating in India were multinational companies or Indian companies with foreign collaboration. These companies would have all the latest information on new drugs and on various clinical trials conducted abroad. Medical representatives were regularly provided the latest information for further transmission to the medical fraternity. I was told by my seniors that in forties there was a trend that the medical representatives would mail postcards to the doctors informing them their travel plans and inviting them to meet at the railway stations. The representative would travel by train and doctors would await his arrival at the railway platform. The representative will come out of the first class compartment, address the assembled doctors, provide them with literature and sample during the brief halt of the train. The train would then proceed to next station and another group of doctors from that town will get audience of the representative. If such were the days then why would not a medical representative get the respect from medical profession, after all he was the harbinger of latest information.

Well trained medical representatives had better knowledge of pharmacology than many practicing doctors. This was particularly true for new products. During my days as medical representative, in interiors many doctors did not understand English, so explanation had to be in local language. Many doctors had clinical experience and but were unable to correlate indications (in English) with the symptoms. The option was to tell the indications in vernacular language or to explain them the symptoms in local language where the medicine will work. This knowledge was very essential to develop rapport with rural doctors. Due care was also needed to ensure that doctor’s ego is not hurt when he is being educated by medical representative. Knowledge was therefore one of the most essential requirements to be a good medical representative.

Travelling was very tough in those days. Public transport operated by state government or handful private operators was only available. Within the cities and towns, in absence of own transport, a cycle rickshaw had to be hired on hourly basis. For me the rickshaw puller would come to my place every day and take me around for business calls. All my daily allowance and at times even more than that would be spent on rickshaw. Doctors would meet at very odd hours. Some busy doctors would meet by midnight, so I would go for a movie, return by midnight, make the calls and return home.

In small towns and villages some rickshaw pullers or Tangawalahs were very knowledgeable about the doctor’s visit times, their potential to prescribe, their attitude etc. You alight from the bus and these chaps will rush to you, pick up your bag and take you round the town. These fellows will guide you through. They will take you from one doctor to another, while travelling they will give you commentary on what type of patients the doctors get, what he prescribes, what are his habits etc. Information on competitors was also available from these fellows, like who all visited the town during last week, what gifts were distributed, who got the orders and who were turned down etc. On one occasion I insisted to meet one doctors, but the rickshaw puller advised not to meet his, he said the doctor is SH and you will waste samples and your time. It took a while for me to understand SH is “sample hunter”, the doctor who keeps asking for lots of free samples. Unique experience indeed.

For outstation travel, in absence of any personal vehicle I had to travel by bus. The buses had upper and lower class in those days. Being a medical representative we were expected to travel by upper class. It was customary to tip ten to twenty five paise as tip to the conductor and in return the bus conductor would offer you a seat of your choice and at times even clean the seat with soiled handkerchief. For conductors, chemists, compounders and patients, we the medical representatives were known as Agent Saab. I always tried to figure out why this term Agent Saab came in usage, but even seniors in that era could not offer satisfactory explanation. The term might have come during British regime when most of the pharmaceutical companies were exporting products to India and the business was handled by the agencies, thus the term agent. Whatever may be the origin but fact was the Agent Saab commanded great respect. Patients and doctors would get up from their seats when Agent Saab would enter doctor’s clinic. Fan that was not switched on so far would start, tea or local soft drinks would be offered and doctors would pay great attention to the detailing. Doctors would ask questions, get their doubts cleared and share their clinical experiences. Very often a patient who was prescribed my company’s medicine will be called and made to vouch his experiences. Even those patients who might need the product that I detailed would be asked to come forward and the doctor would take my opinion for prescribing the medicine to those patients. To impress the waiting patients doctor would announce that Agent Saab has come from Bambai just to meet him and the appreciative looks in the patient’s eyes would be evident.

In some towns and villages in UP, I would hire a cycle and work. For neighbouring inaccessible villages, I would take a bus, keep my cycle on the top of the bus and get down couple of kilometers away from the town as buses won’t go there. Cycle down to the place and meet doctors. That was devotion to the work.

Touring in Chandrapur, Maharashtra was very tiring. I was based there covering the district and neighbouring Bhandara district. I used to travel for twenty five days in a month. Distances were large, Chandrapur was the largest district in India. By this time I had purchased a scooter. Many places I would cover on scooter. For the far off places ST was the only option and it would take six to eight hours to reach desired town. The red soil on untarred roads would drench me from head to toe. There were no proper eating places, food was very spice and hot, no good drinking water was available. It was extremely tough. In summer 120⁰ F temperature was not uncommon. On one such warm day I was looking for a place where I could get Coke, with great difficulty I found it with Paan shop, where few bottles were kept in bucket full of water to make them cool. There was no fridge where the bottles could be chilled. I asked the shopkeeper to open a bottle and gulped it down, and asked for another and then the third one. The surprise on the face of the shopkeeper was evident. A bottle of Coke was 70 paise, similar price as one would pay for a liter of milk and the tree bottles that I drank cost me nearly 25% of my daily allowance. Places like Sironcha, Gadchiroli, Armori, Kurkheda, were very difficult places to travel. Unfortunately these places are now known for Naxalite activities. At times I would carry my Luna (Kinetic) in a Jeep and then visit large number of small towns where the Jeep could not go. It was a fun.

I developed excellent contacts with deans of medical and dental colleges and professors of these colleges. The basis for these contacts was not money power or bribing but just the knowledge base.  Even among the private practitioner I commanded respect. I could walk into their chamber without appointment and these doctors declined to take fees not only from me but even from my distant relatives. In one case a distant relative of mine was admitted to orthopedic hospital, kept in a special room for about a week, underwent the treatment. At the time of discharge when the bill was asked for, the doctor told my relative that he will take it from me. When I asked him for the bill he ridiculed me saying that my relative has already paid it. In today’s scenario this looks impossible. Hospitals will not admit the patient without advance payment. One of the top cardiologist in Nagpur, whom I knew but did not have much contact was to be called to my house to see a patient. This doctor was known to be sarcastic and whimsical. He never went for home visits but just with one telephone call, he came to my place and saw the patient. While he was examining the patient his assistant cautioned me not ask for his fees, as that would have offended him. I just thanked him for his visit. This was possible just because I was a medical representative. If all this was possible forty years back, then why not today? Well, it’s point that can be debated, but one simple answer is the medical representatives are not the same as they were in that era.

The CRM activities that we talk currently were done by me forty years back in early seventies. Organizing get together, developing personal relations/rapport, occasionally making a telephone call to important doctors was my routine. The corrupt practices that we find now for which MCI has to give directives were unheard of in seventies. Doctors were happy with few samples or a small gift. Unfortunately when pharmaceutical companies started mushrooming in India, the corrupt practices got it roots and now it has assumed huge proportion. The rapport that my generation could develop with knowledge base has turned into wealth base rapport. The values have undergone drastic change. Many doctors would treat the representative rather than representatives treating the doctors. On my day trip to Kiraoli, Fatehpur Sikri, I would be forced to have not less than fifteen cups of tea and nearly a dozen of kachories or samosas. Saying no to a doctor would hurt them thus no option but to accept their hospitality. I am sure this must have undergone a change.

The loyalty factor had a great value. Even doctors did not appreciate the representatives changing the company. There was a total devotion. On one occasion a doctor complained about large size of our B-complex caplets. I tried to reason with the doctor that swallowing is a reflex action and size of the tablet doesn’t matter. He somehow had some reservations on my statement. I took out a strip of sample containing six tablets. Took out all the tablets, put it in my mouth and gulped down. Doctor was aghast. He couldn’t believe it, but he was convinced. My region manager was a step ahead. Doctor complained of pain following our B-complex, liver extract injection. We all knew it was painful, but to demonstrate that pain was not a major issue, my region manager got himself injected by the doctor. For whole night he had hot fomentation, analgesic tablets. Next morning he walked into doctor’s chamber to show that pain was tolerable. All this was being done to get acceptance for company products and to have a lasting bond with the doctors. Who will do this today? The loyalty factor has vanished, so the commitment is lacking. The greed of the company has increased and that’s deteriorating the quality of medical representatives. There is a mad competition which has taken toll of a wonderful institution known as medical representative. I know the old times cannot return, old values are out dated but acquiring knowledge can never be out dated. Strive for knowledge, acquire knowledge, one will always command respect, wherever he or she is. It’s in tune with old saying स्वदेशे पुज्यते राजा, विद्वान सर्वत्र पुज्यते.

Love

What is love? It’s extremely difficult question to answer, though it looks so simple. The extreme subjectivity associated with love makes it difficult to be defined. And if there is no formal definition then there is definite unit to measure it. Therefore the question how much you love me also remains unanswered in true sense.

Is it the amount of one’s spending measures love? Someone may gift a jet aircraft to beloved to express love while someone else may share a bite of only candy he or she has, to express love. Then can we measure love by money spent? Difficult. A girl may abandon her parents for the love of her paramour, so is sacrifice a measure of love? A boy renounces inheritance to ancestral property for his love for a girl unacceptable to his parents, does this sacrifice measures love? Wife spends sleepless night by the bedside of her ailing husband, undergoes physical hardships and feels contented for the trouble. Are these hardships, caring are measure of love? It’s so difficult to measure love; it can be a combination of many factors in different proportions. Due to subjectivity one may feel that enough is done while the partner may feel it inadequate and both remain unhappy. By end of the day happiness has to prevail with both and that’s love.

One aspect is certain beyond doubts and that is expression, demonstration of love. Love needs to be expressed. All that mentioned so far can be different forms of demonstration to express measure of love. These expressions help to understand the intensity of love. So express love. Express at every possible opportunity, every moment, don’t wait for Valentine’s Day. Don’t make your love a ritual. The expression can be anything, planting a gentle kiss on the chick, to a gentle slap on butt, presenting a rose, to pinching an arm, from an expensive gift, to e-card. Express at right moments and of course to a right person.

One historical personality, not very well publicized, not very well projected, mired with lots of controversies is always on top of my mind when I think of love. The person was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth, and Emperor of India, King Edward VIII. Later he was known as Duke of Windsor. 

In the British history King Edward’s reign was just for 326 days, shortest for any British monarch. Edward ascended the throne as King Edward VIII after death of his father King George V, who died on January 20^th 1936. King Edward VIII was in love with Wallis Simpson, a socialite American, who was seeking divorce from her second husband. King Edward VIII wanted to marry her after she gets divorced from her husband, but his subjects thought it morally unacceptable. The Church of England did not approve of remarriage of a divorcee and the clergy expected Edward to support the church’s teachings. Few options including morganatic marriage were also rejected. The King was left with no other alternative except abdication and he opted for abdication for his love. This is the greatest sacrifice I have heard of. The King who virtually ruled the entire world (remember the saying – Sun never sets on British Empire), left the throne for his love.  The last act of his reign was to give the royal assent to Abdication Act that paved way for his own abdication. All for his love. Some historical sources may portray him as a Casanova, playboy, seducer or anything similar, but when he found his true love he left everything for that. King Edward VIII, addressed the nation over a radio broadcast, a day prior to his abdication and explained his stand to the subjects. He said, "I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as king as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love."

After the speech he left England, went to Austria and waited for several months for Wallis Simpson’s divorce. He was made Duke of Windsor immediately after abdication, more for political reasons. Wallis Simpson changed her name to Wallis Warfield and married the Duke of Windsor on June 3^rd 1937 in France, as Church of England refused to sanction the union. The royal family too denied the style Her Royal Highness to the Duchess of Windsor. Later on the Duke served the Empire during World War II. Sadly King Edward VIII was not crowned nor was any coins minted with his picture as his reign was too short. His brother George VI became the King after him and his niece Queen Elizabeth II is now the Queen of England. Edward finally settled in France and died there on May 28^th, 1972, less than a month short of his 78^th birthday. His body was brought to England for burial.

A word about Wallis, she knew well that she will be marrying the king of most powerful empire of that era. However Edward left everything for her, yet she was ready to marry him. It was mostly her love for him rather than desire to be the queen. Wallis died in Paris on April 24^th 1986. She too is buried next to the Duke near Windsor Castle, England.

Both the Duke and Duchess may be controversial figures in the history, but the sacrifice of Edward VIII cannot be ignored. This is a saga of love, we often read of Romeo and Juliet, Laila Majanu (लैला  मजनू), Heer Ranjha (हीर राँझा), Shiri Farhad (शिरी फरहद) but there is no mention of the King and his love. Abdication was a sacrifice that was the expression of his love and like any fairy tale they lived happily forever.

Enjoy Valentine’s Day and do remember the King Edward for his love……

I want back my childhood India

I was a toddler when we became a republic. I don’t remember what India was then (in 1950), but I have grown with that. I remember the good old days; these were undoubtedly very happy days. Generally we say that every dark cloud has a silver lining. The dark realities have a possible bright future. In my young days it was all bright and there was apparently no scope for the any silver lining, rather there was no need for any. Everything was good and in order. 

The first dark lining to bright cloud was sensed by me on Nov 1^st 1956 when Nehru reorganized the states on linguistic basis. That was first attack on unity of India. I ignored this dark lining and compromised with new realities. In 1962 China attacked India and it was a shock for a teenager like me. I have been following Nehru’s policies of Panchsheel, very often we had raised the slogans of Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai (हिंदी चीनी भाई भाई)  and felt so humiliated with Chinese invasion, our ill preparedness and poor foreign policies. The cloud now had a larger dark lining. After Nehru’s death it was little bright again with great soul like Lal Bahadur Shastri as PM. His death again enlarged the dark lining. Then the era of Gandhis and coalitions started and the cloud was getting darker. The brightness was getting engulfed.  And today I hardly see any bright spot in this dark cloud.

Lack of discipline, corruption, erosion in values, low levels of morality coupled with economic turmoil and parallel economy are suffocating. During my school and college days we dare not ride the cycle double-seat or go out in the evening without light. I still have the old kerosene lamp that I used for my cycle. More than the fear of police our conscious did not allow use to break the law. Even in eighties when I had a scooter, I did not take both my sons at one time on scooter as it was illegal and is still illegal. Today we see a family of five riding a bike. I feel sad to see a person flushed with money driving BMW, Honda or Audi, showing complete disregard to the traffic lights. He may be rich but a bankrupt on basic social responsibilities. There is no difference between him and some ill-mannered, ill-educated unscrupulous rickshaw-wall. Both are bankrupt for basic discipline. Today one can show total disregards to rules and no one bothers. Sad, isn’t it?

In the past people were hesitant to offer bribes. Mostly the person who gets the offer would feel offended. Today one may get offended if bribe is not offered. The value systems that we had have just disappeared and new western norms are finding roots. Morality has taken a big blow. No one raises eyebrow at the vulgarities in the society or when someone hurting or even killing a person. There are no deterrent punishments. One can commit crime, take pride in it and roam around freely. Justice is delayed, at times denied. Corruption has not spared this system too.  

Relations between different communities were clean and healthy. There was no appeasement of any community and there were no terrorist, but there is a drastic change now. Today if a Hindu pronounces himself as a Hindu then many politicians feels that the secular fabric of India is under threat. There is ugly competition between the politicians to appease different communities and to shield the culprits. Today there is not only a dark cloud but also darkness.

On economic front we were very happy. The small little one paisa had a value. It had a buying power. We did face the era of shortages and ill effects of Nehruvian socialism, but we still were very happy. There was no inflation and US dollar was just four and half rupees. Gold was affordable and so was silver. Food was cheap too. This abundance reflected on attitudes and behavior of the public and society. However all this disappeared under the shadow of the cloud that got darker each passing day.

Today I feel that we should have ministers like C D Deshmukh, Sardar Patel, Justice Chagla, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee. I want well educated cultured persons in politics and as ministers. The criminals and illiterates should not represent the masses. Leaders have to be well educated, irrespective of their political ideologies. Gandhi and Sawarkar both had studied law. Nehru and Tilak both were well educated. Education makes the difference.

I want India of my childhood. I want India where there were no fights on linguistic basis. I want that India where we valued discipline and the demon of corruption did not exist. I want back my India where one feared law and refrained from committing crime. I want that India where the money has value and good buying power (inflation taken into account). Can this dark cloud now have a silver lining? Can there be a reversal?  Can history repeat? Can I get back India of my childhood?