Where Style Meets Sustainability

The world of fashion is no stranger to radical concepts. One such is for a brand is to market itself as ‘vegan’ and Baggit has found success with this. Founder Nina Lekhi—recognized as one of the most powerful women in Indian business— speaks about how the brand has grown since it was established 26 years ago, its customer service philosophy, and the role of innovation in its growth.

How To Make Companies More Sustainable?

In the past year alone, sales of consumer goods from brands with a demonstrated commitment to sustainability have grown more than 4% globally, while those without grew less than 1%. Sixty-six percent of consumers say they are willing to pay more for sustainable brands—up from 55% in 2014 and 50% in 2013.1The numbers show how consumers today are looking for products that are good for them as well as society. But we need a transformation in the mindset of every stakeholder in the value chain—brands, consumers, and decision-makers—for an integrated sustainable future.

How AI Has Made Tremendous Inroads Into The Realm Of Businesses!

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an idea that has oscillated through many hype cycles over many years, as scientists and sci-fi visionaries have declared the imminent arrival of thinking machines. But it seems we’re now at an actual tipping point. AI, expert systems, and business intelligence have been with us for decades, but this time the reality almost matches the rhetoric, driven by the exponential growth in technology capabilities (e.g., Moore’s Law), smarter analytics engines, and the surge in data*.A look at how AI has made tremendous inroads into the realm of businesses as well as our everyday lives.

Into the Neural Depths

When you asked Siri to look for the nearest restaurant, did you ever wonder how it actually worked? How could it recognize your speech and fulfill the task? The answer lies in ‘deep learning,’ which multinational companies such as Google and Microsoft are heavily investing in.In an exclusive interview with The Smart Manager, Philip M Parker explores the nuances of this technology and how it is increasingly disrupting businesses.   

Are Bots The Next Frontier In AI?

As an industry, we are on the cusp of a new frontier that pairs the power of natural human language with advanced machine intelligence—Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft said at Build 2016.*The recent launch of Google Allo ushers in an age of chatbots, where companies will increasingly rely on AI-based technologies for providing a seamless and personalized customer service experience. Will bot technology be at the forefront of the AI revolution globally?

The 'Z' Factor

Today’s organizations are already in the process of onboarding Gen Z who are going to make up about 20% of the workforce by 2020. For the first time, three distinct generations working simultaneously. What does this signify for employers?

Facing Up To The New Reality

Anti-globalization sentiments have started occupying center stage in the political narrative, of late—signaling a pronounced focus on localization and rejection of seamless trade flows. The Brexit vote and the Trump presidency seem to have added further punch to this counter trend, sparking concern the world over. But will isolationism ever work in an increasingly connected world?

Connections Not Cliques

the effective leader: Howard Partridge the community rider: Christine Comaford network perspective: Muniinder K Anand the impact of connection: Chris Dyer

Packaged Goodness

Speaking at a conference at Harvard Kennedy School recently, iD Fresh Food cofounder P C Musthafa said, “We build trust by trusting our consumers and went by the policy—if you want someone to trust you, you should first trust them.” With its unwavering focus on quality, the company is busting the myth that packaged foods are unhealthy. That they serve one million idlis a day is a testimony to their customers’ trust in them.

Customer Cues

Change Your GameA study carried out by McCarthy Group showed that close to 84% of millennials do not trust traditional advertisements. Further, another study by Fractl and Moz showed that they consider ads to be disruptive and close to 63% of them block advertisements. They have an average attention span of eight seconds.* This implies that marketers have a very small window to send their message across. So how can a brand best engage with them?

Customer Engagement

To deal with the demand for tailored one-to-one customer/company conversations, businesses are using AI. By 2020, Gartner predicts that 85% of customer interactions will be handled this way.* Increasingly, companies are experimenting new ways to engage their customers. The crux lies in understanding the demands of the more empowered and knowledgeable customer.

'Repeat' Value

“Companies that do a very good job of retaining their customers and developing the value of everybody over time should be awarded a much higher multiple than another business that does not retain their customers as well, even if the historical revenue patterns look exactly the same.”* This makes a case for businesses to focus on retaining their existing customers through innovative practices.

Driving Innovation

The US Patent and Trademark Office describes innovation as “…a word that touches every facet of our everyday culture from business to science and even the arts. Innovation is often associated with creating new things or ideas and includes improving upon old ones too. Businesses around the world have a great need to continuously innovate to stay competitive in the global marketplace and to bring consumers the latest and greatest products and services. But innovation is not defined by just a single event or even a single brilliant idea. Innovation is truly about a process, a series of steps that begins with human imagination and creativity and results in the creation of something of value for society to enjoy.”*

Rock The Boat

Thomas Edison rightly said, “Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.” Ideas are simply solutions to problems. Its execution can spark change, and within an organization, it can lead to progress.  

Why People Buy

When you begin a conversation with a prospect, you start by building bonding and rapport. With this connection established, you can move toward the Pain Step by establishing an up-front contract with the prospect. Among other things, the up-front contract dictates that you both are committing to a certain amount of time to go over his agenda as well as yours.

Hard To Measure?

Growth and profitability are an outcome of productivity which in turn is influenced by employee happiness and satisfaction. Studies by independent financial analysts show that publicly traded ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ consistently outperform major stock indices by a factor of 2* . This points to the fact that companies that aim at high performance cannot afford to ignore measuring employee happiness. Technological advancements have now made measuring this key metric all the more easier and accurate.

Heroic Leadership

On a Sunday afternoon, I received a long-distance call on my landline, from the Vice Chairman of a tractor manufacturer in North India. He was calling from his factory, where he, his wife, and the surviving workforce had locked themselves in, a few days back.

Not A Solo Affair

In the book Brand Together, the authors elaborate on the need for companies to involve employees, clients, and customers in the process of co-creation and innovation, to enable a brand to succeed. Companies, the world over, have started understanding the importance of ‘co-creation’ as an act of engaging with all stakeholders and shaping collective thinking into business ideas. The advent of social media and its sweeping impact across consumer segments have lent a new meaning to this concept.

Conquering Prejudice

According to Horace McCormick, Program Director of UNC Executive Development at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, unconscious biases are a fact of life. Everyone harbors them—and takes them into the workplace. Unconscious biases in the workplace can stymie diversity, recruiting and retention efforts, and unknowingly shape an organization’s culture. Unconscious bias can skew talent and performance reviews. It affects who gets hired, promoted, and developed— and this unwittingly undermines an organization’s culture.1

Myths Busted - Risking Your Security

In today’s high-risk environment, personal security is becoming a matter of concern for business travelers. Charles Goslin, author of Understanding Personal Security and Risk, helps decode some of the myths.

Putting Customers First

According to an analysis by Nielsen, more than three out of every four new FMCG products launched fail in their first year.1 The reasons behind the success or failure of a product are varied. However, a common precaution companies can take while conceptualizing a product is to gauge its product-market fit.

An Immersive Future

AR, VR, MR, and AI have been around for quite some time now, and today, these technologies have evolved in a way that they find application in almost all fields imaginable. The pervasive nature of these technologies is such that they seem to be gradually becoming less of an option and more of a norm. Here are trends to watch out for in this space.

how pokémon go poked the world in action!

niantic labs has redefined gaming and the realm of augmented reality with pokémon go. thousands got hooked instantly and there was stampede, literally, at various locations for catching rare pokémons. rajat dhariwal dissects this phenomenon and analyzes how this craze has grabbed everyone’s attention.

own your dreams

according to the 2014-15 olx crust survey, goods worth r56,200 cr are simply lying locked at people’s homes in the form of items which are no longer being used, across urban india*. this huge repository of used articles and the emergence of an aspirational consumer class have created a sustainable market for refurbished goods.

Powerhouse Performance

Creating high-performance leadership is just one step towards achieving success; how companies can sustain it is what ultimately decides the fate of the organization. After studying some of the leading businesses across the globe, James Bowen and Brian MacNeiceis, offer you a model that can help future leaders.

The Right Synergy

Arriving at a mutually acceptable and constructive decision while working in groups can be a challenging task. It is therefore important that organizations pay attention to nurturing strong team values that impact decision-making.

Making of a Leader

A study, conducted by Dr Jack Zenger and Dr Joe Folkman, concluded “…poor leaders lost money; good leaders made profit; and extraordinary leaders more than doubled the company’s profits in comparison to the other 90%.” 1Effective leadership can bring about significant progress for both employees and the company. But the question is how does a leader trace the path to become an exceptional one?

Four Scenarios To Stress Test Your Strategy

How digital disruption might change the business world by 2025.

Finding The Middle Path

We are living in a data-driven world, where everything—from reactions to preferences— can be monitored and presented in numbers. But will this abundance of big data kill our reliance on instinct, that gut feeling that has driven many a business to success?

Sprint To Excellence

In an effort to boost productivity and quality of deliverables, Aker Solutions India has adopted a focused team approach, wherein a set objective is achieved within a short, stipulated span of time called a ‘sprint’.Here is a detailed insight into the company’s operational efficiency methodologies, the rudiments of problem identification, and the process of bringing about the desired improvements.