Presentation plays a  important part in everybody’s life . From winning a successful election campaign like that of Barack Obama to the street vendor next door selling ice-cream everybody needs to present his ideas and his thoughts to the audience. Its how other people often judge your  effectiveness.  We are doing it every minute from the moment we are describing to our friend of a movie or giving a speech post-lunch after parent teacher.  In the corporate world it is perhaps the bread and butter of most of us. This article tries to provide the key factor students and beginners of presentation needs to take care.

A good example of a good presentation can be found at http://www.identity20.com/media/OSCON2005/.

Purpose of a successful presentation : Where you can apply this skill ?

To start of lets outline the reasons why  the ability to present well is treated as a special quality:

It will help you to be persuasive,  It can be useful in the following : Briefing a group, Conducting a training, Customer Care, Making a speech, Obtaining a job Interview, Leading a team, Problem Solving, Making a decision, Running a meeting, Selling a product or service, Getting  action, using phone, teleconference, Pitching for a business, Getting a rise, promotion etc.

The five P’s of Perfect Presentation:

1. Preparation
2. Purpose
3. Presence
4. Passion
5. Personality

Preparation: This concerns everything about being ready for delivery and includes :

i.        Research of the audience

ii.        Devise the presentation

iii.        Organize presentation aids

iv.        Check the venue

v.        Rehearse

vi.        Ready yourself

Purpose:

Every presentation has a purpose , sometimes there may be more than one purpose.  Ideally it is used to explain a new product or feature, report, or achieve a decision. There may be various other purposes like:

i.        Grabbing attention

ii.        Explaining who you are

iii.        Establish Credibility

iv.        Make people smile or laugh

v.        Reassure them

vi.        Alert them into something

vii.        Manage expectations of people.

Presence

By this we mean being present at the moment. One need to make the session lively, interactive, a quality of “being here” that’s generates interest and seeks attention from the audience.  One need not be a charismatic leader to make this happen, but by tinge of humour, interesting graphs, witty reference to stories and other interesting topics you increase the ability to convey your presence.

Passion

Passion is about caring , if we have observed different speakers and analysis their effectivetionness one thing that will come out clear is that they really care what they say and they really mean it. This makes others interested in the content of the presentation and the outcome of the presentation . For example if you are listening to Al Gore’s presentation on Climate Change, you can easily make out the amount of passion and energy in his expression. Remember if you are yourself not believing and caring in the content of your subject why should your listeners be?

Personality

Personality is all about bringing yourself into the presentation. If you are a nervous person outside the room you need to motivate yourself to leave your fear outside of the room before entering a presentation room.

Research the Audience:

One need to put himself in the shoe of the audience and ask the questions

Who am I talking to ?  What they want ? How much time do they have ? What information are relevant for them ? How many people are attending ? Who is the speaker before  me ? What are the special factors ?

Based on the answers of the above questions :

Judge audience knowledge

Decide on appropriate presenting style

Identify suitable presentation aids

Few Special factors to note:

1. Who presents before me ? What are they likely to say?
2. What presentation aids will they use ?
3. How will they leave the audience for the follow on?
4. How can I tailor my presentation to built on or anticipate their expected impact.

Devising the presentation

Using POWER

P : Produce something worth by using metaphors, similies, analogies etc.

O : Organize : Structure your presentation into Introduction, Body and Conclusion

W: Write : Allow a writing flow to come, try to continue with the flow

E : Edit : Once written, better to review with someone knowledgeable and review

R : Refine :Based on your feedback from colleagues, friends.

• During writing categorize topics into must know, should know and nice to know. It is advisable not to use jargons and complicated words.
• Don’t start talking if you have nothing to say.
• To start of a presentation start with something about which you feel very strongly and then build on it.
• At the end of the presentation summarize : the top three points you want the audience to know.
• It is recommended to learn your presentation , rehearse it, then you can be free to concentrate in the audience and not get interrupted to the material of the presentation

Energy level during the presentation:During presentation the presenter needs to demonstrate a high energy level. One need to demonstrate a great deal of vigour and dynamism. Be alert continuously.

Voice modulation: This plays an important role. Your voice should show the enthusiasm at the same time it should not sound over confident. The tone should not be monotonous but rather there should be variations.

Face and Body Language : Your body language should give a comfort feeling to the audience, It has to be natural, instinctive and smart. Your facial expression should match your body language and overall generate a positive appeal.

Dress sense: Remember to dress appropriately for the presentation , if you are not sure of the correct dress , please ask other presenters. Generally formals and suits are the common attire used for a presentation.

Timing : The timing of the presentation is important, the audience mood may change according to the time of the day. If your presentation is scheduled before lunch time or end of day, it is suggested to keep the presentation to the point without going to detail and give ample time for question and followup discussion.  A stop watch can be handy during the presentation, you can keep a track of time you can allot for each section beforehand.

Pace of presentation: You may be a fast speaker , but remember you need to give the audience time to assimilate the information and absorb the information. So you need to take pause and keep ample time in between your presentation for questions and summarizing your key points.

Spontaneity: If there are questions you may answer that or courteously inform the audience that you will respond to that at the end or at a appropriate time. But make sure you react to the question in a positive manner. If you are not aware of the answer you can convey the audience that you are not aware of the same and will get back soon.

Self awareness: Be aware of your sense of humour, integrity, drive, intelligence, and level of knowledge and make yourself prepared for the presentation accordingly. Focus on reducing the gaps by periodic review and constant feedback from others.

Conclusion: Once your presentation is over , remember it is important to do a self analysis of the presentation . This will help to improve your next presentation.  Its better to be a self critic and rate yourself in the 5 P’s. Ask yourself the questions, What went well or what went badly? What had most impact ?What was memorable? Was there anything that was confusing ? What annoyed or distracted me ? Did I seem well prepared ? When did I lose or gain people’s attention ? But whatever be the condition don’t get focussed in too much of your judgements, rather focus on the material and the audience.  Take planned risk and make the desired impact on your audience.

Life is either a daring adventure or its nothing – Helen Keller.

It would be a good idea to listen to the speech of Mr Barack Obama on his recent Cairo visit and observer his pace of presentation, voice modulation and all the 5 P’s as discussed above.

Please do post your personal experience during any presentation you have delivered and any questions  if any.

(Compiled by Balakrishnan , Editor GSG)

What is credit card ?

A credit card is part of a system of payments named after the small plastic card issued to users of the system. It is a card entitling its holder to buy goods and services based on the holder’s promise to pay for these goods and services. The issuer of the card grants a line of credit to the consumer (or the user) from which the user can borrow money for payment to a merchant or as a cash advance to the user.

A credit card is different from a charge card, where a charge card requires the balance to be paid in full each month. In contrast, credit cards allow the consumers to ‘revolve’ their balance, at the cost of having interest charged.

Each month, the credit card user is sent a statement indicating the purchases undertaken with the card, any outstanding fees, and the total amount owed. After receiving the statement, the cardholder may dispute any charges that he or she thinks are incorrect. Otherwise, the cardholder must pay a defined minimum proportion of the bill by a due date, or may choose to pay a higher amount up to the entire amount owed. The credit provider charges interest on the amount owed if the balance is not paid in full (typically at a much higher rate than most other forms of debt).

How does this work ?

Please have a look at the following link to get an idea of the End to End process of Operation.

Interest charges

Credit card issuers usually waive interest charges if the balance is paid in full each month, but typically will charge full interest on the entire outstanding balance from the date of each purchase if the total balance is not paid.

Benefits to customers

The main benefit to each customer is convenience. Compared to debit cards and checks, a credit card allows small short-term loans to be quickly made to a customer who need not calculate a balance remaining before every transaction, provided the total charges do not exceed the maximum credit line for the card.

Benefits to merchants

For merchants, a credit card transaction is often more secure than other forms of payment, such as checks, because the issuing bank commits to pay the merchant the moment the transaction is authorized, regardless of whether the consumer defaults on the credit card. In most cases, cards are even more secure than cash, because they discourage theft by the merchant’s employees and reduce the amount of cash on the premises. Prior to credit cards, each merchant had to evaluate each customer’s credit history before extending credit. That task is now performed by the banks which assume the credit risk. Credit cards can also aid in securing a sale, especially if the customer does not have enough cash on his or her person or checking account.

Costs to merchants

Merchants are charged many fees for the privilege of accepting credit cards. The merchant may be charged a discount rate of 1%-3%+ of each transaction obtained through a credit card.

Secured credit cards

A secured credit card is a type of credit card secured by a deposit account owned by the cardholder. Typically, the cardholder must deposit between 100% and 200% of the total amount of credit desired. Thus if the cardholder puts down 10000, they will be given credit in the range of 5000–10000. In some cases, credit card issuers will offer incentives even on their secured card portfolios. In these cases, the deposit required may be significantly less than the required credit limit, and can be as low as 10% of the desired credit limit. This deposit is held in a special savings account. Credit card issuers offer this because they have noticed that delinquencies were notably reduced when the customer perceives something to lose if the balance is not repaid.

Prepaid “credit” cards

A prepaid credit card is not a credit card, since no credit is offered by the card issuer: the card-holder spends money which has been “stored” via a prior deposit by the card-holder or someone else, such as a parent or employer. However, it carries a credit-card brand (Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover) and can be used in similar ways just as though it were a regular credit card.

Prepaid credit cards are sometimes marketed to teenagers^, for shopping online without having their parents complete the transaction

Credit history

The way credit card owners pay off their balances has a tremendous effect on their credit history. Two of the most important factors reported to a credit bureau are the timeliness of the debt payments and the amount of debt to credit limit. Lenders want to see payments made as agreed, usually on a monthly basis, and a credit balance of around one-third the credit limit. The credit information stays on the credit report generally for 7 years.

Various Types of Credit Cards :

• Balance transfer credit cards
• Low interest credit cards
• Cash back credit cards
• General reward points credit cards
• Hotel or travel points credit cards
• Retail rewards credit cards
• Gas cards with points or rebates
• Automobile manufacturer rewards cards
• Home improvement rewards credit cards
• Airline-specific credit cards
• Generic airline miles cards
• Secured credit cards
• Prepaid credit cards
• Business credit cards
• Student credit cards
• Corporate credit cards

Advantages :

• Purchase Power and Ease of Purchase
• Protection of Purchases
• Building a Credit Line
• Emergencies
• Credit Card Benefits
• Blowing Your Budget
• High Interest Rates and Increased Debt

Disadvantages:

There are chances of Credit Card frauds and such incidents are on the rise.

If you do decide to use credit cards, remember these simple rules:

• Keep track of all your purchases.
• Don’t spend outside your budget.
• Pay off your balance on all of your credit cards at the end of each month.
• Don’t loan your credit or give out your credit card information to anyone but reliable companies.

In Summary: Credit cards can make life easier and be a great tool, but if they aren’t used wisely they can become a huge financial burden.

Jobs in this Domain:

Credit Card Product Manager:

This is perhaps the most exciting job in this field. An post graduate in Finance or CA, CFA with 7-8 years experience usually fits this role better.

Following are the Roles and Responsibilities:

• Take ownership of the credit card product and P&L. This includes responsibility for developing and maintaining the business plan and ownership for executing against that business plan.
• Leverage competitive intelligence, industry knowledge, and credit card P&L / metrics to determine appropriate strategies to deliver on yearly and long-term objectives
• Develop product value proposition and positioning that drives loyalty programs  and supports vehicle sales.
• Partner outside the bank to develop, execute, and report on portfolio management strategies, including activation strategies, auto purchase strategies, and balance building strategies.
• Develop and gain approval on annual and 5-year product and marketing plans. Accountability for hitting growth and expense targets. Manage product budgets and expenses to targets.
• Proactively manage marketing campaigns to maximize the value of the portfolio.
• Champion and build consensus with Management teams on new programs and ideas relating to the credit card product.
• Gain buy-in for strategies from functional managers and present to team, Sr. Management, and the organization at large as necessary to gain support for initiatives.
• Lead execution efforts of major product initiatives
• Manage the day to day functioning of the credit card team.
• Lead product research efforts. Responsible for gathering appropriate feedback on the following: product features, process improvements, customer satisfaction.

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

• Determine the appropriate method of collecting feedback, structuring the surveys, presenting the information to the organization, and developing action-oriented recommendations. Turn the recommendations into results.
• Develop business cases and interface with Enterprise Project Management teams and other cross functional teams to ensure organizational support of key initiatives.
• Responsible for designing and developing presentations for a variety of purposes (including associate communications, customer communications, and executive communications).
• Responsible for overseeing the data needs of the product and leveraging the data to solve product related problems, determine product positioning, marketing, etc.
• Proactive use of data to drive the loyalty objective and to meet the needs of teams with respect to deriving a greater understanding of the credit card customer.

Software side jobs :

This could be in credit card processing engines, payment gateway or other areas in Credit Card Operations

Technology Architect/Technical Lead : Anyone who is an expert in Technology can join in this field , some of the fields are : Java,J2EE, .Net, Mainframe, Databases like Oracle, DB2,Informatica, Middleware products (MQ, Tibco , Process Server etc) , Unix, Microsoft technologies etc.

1. Developer : This is the area where entry level persons can join in with any suitable technology knowledge.
2. Tester : Freshers can join in this field but knowledge in testing tools will prove useful here.
3. Project Manager/Program Manager : Senior members with knowledge of both  technology and business to maage projects in any one of the technology or business area will be useful.
4. Business Analyst : Financial professionals can join in this domain, the job needs for high coordination skills, requirement gathering and intuitive thinking to come up with the road map of the product which act as input for the development cycle.

Common Jobs across Industries:

1. Accountants: To manage the organizations accounts.
2. Auditors : To conduct audits periodically both on finance and systems side and report to senior management.
3. Quality Analyst : To do Quality testing and certify the quality of the product and approve all internal processes and ensure their smooth functioning.
4. Financial Controllers/ Planners/ Experts : To provide financial direction to the organization.
5. Marketing Analyst: To conduct market research and analysis and prepare the roadmap for new product launch.
6. Sales Specialist: To design, initiate and execute the sales process.
7. Vendor Manager : To manage multiple vendors and ensure proper coordination among all teams and strict adherence to SLA.

In conclusion, we can say that Careers in Credit Card domain is going to be sustainable one as the global usage of Credit Cards is increasing exponentially every year and business around it is definitely on the rise.

Everyone of us have a dream and very often many of them die because of various reasons. In our childhood days many of us dreamt to be Engineers but perhaps that dream could not take shape because of different circumstances and your inability to attend a regular collages or getting selected. But good news for all of you , you need not be disappointed!!! You too can become “Engineer” through many ways like Regular or Distance or Part time degrees which are recognized all over the world that you can appear for GATE, IES and other higher studies.

Our GSG Research Analyst Rajesh Bobbadi reviews some of those and makes them available to our esteemed readers.

In order to raise the standards of professional studies, there are certain training institutes and training centers which offer engineering studies in alternate ways.

1.   AMIE (Associate membership of Institution of Engineers)

The Institution of Engineers (India) functions with and amongst the professional engineers, academicians and research workers and provides a vast array of technical, professional and supporting services to the government and the industries along with the academic and engineering communities.

In India, first in 1914, Institutions of Mechanical Engineers was established, which later in 1920,

changed itself as Institution of Engineers (India).Today, it has extended to 15 different branches each offers B.E/B. Tech degrees in different branches of engineering.

They are

1. Aerospace Engineering Division

2. Agricultural Engineering Division

3. Architectural Engineering Division

4. Chemical Engineering Division

5. Civil Engineering Division

6. Computer Engineering Division

7. Electrical Engineering Division

8. Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering Division

9. Environmental Engineering Division

10. Marine Engineering Division

11. Mechanical Engineering Division

12. Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Division

13. Mining Engineering Division

14. Production Engineering Division

15. Textile Engineering Division

The Degrees issued by these are recognized and equivalent to that are issued by Universities.

Procedure:-

• Candidates should register for exams to become ‘student member’. Certain eligibility

criteria are there to be met to become a student member which are described below.

• The exams to be cleared to become ‘student member’ will be conducted twice in a year

(June, December).

• Two types of examinations will be conducted for all standards of candidates.

• Paper 1 and Paper 2, each for 100 marks.

Part 1:-

Minimum marks required to get pass is 50.

Part 2:-

In addition to pass in every exam, some additional directives and roles which are set by respective institutions have to be played to get the degree.

Part 3:-

In addition to the above criteria, Practical exams will also be conducted and Membership in

Associate members will be given for those who successfully complete all these three.

• This membership is recognized by UPSC, MoE, etc.

• Employees, who earn these memberships and degrees while doing their regular jobs, will get promotions.

• Associate members can appear for GATE exam also.

Training:-

Although no study material will be provided, certain references sources will be given.

Some institutions provide library facilities in their head offices.

Notification :-

Generally in between January and March.

Exams :- June and December.

AMIE (Associate membership of Institution of Engineers)

• The Associate membership of Institution of Engineers (AMIE) program/examination is conducted by Institution of Engineers India Limited (IEIL).

• The associate membership qualification of institution of Engineers is equivalent to B.E. /B. Tech Degree in engineering.

• Like any other graduate/engineering graduate, an associate member candidate can write examinations like Civil Services, IES, GATE, GRE, etc.

• The candidates after earning a certificate in AMIE can choose for higher studies leading to Master’s Degree in engineering or any other qualification.

• Alternatively, these candidates can start working with government / private organizations

in their respective field of specialization or become entrepreneur.

Institution of Engineers India Limited (IEIL) offers AMIE program in two sections – Section A and

Section B.

Section A is common for all candidates.

Under section B a member choose a particular discipline of engineering program.

Technician Members:

Eligibility: – Candidates with minimum of 45 percentages in 10+2 can directly register for this

course.

Senior Technician Members:

In order to get promoted from Technician Members status to Senior Technician Members, the following eligibility criteria had to meet.

Eligibility: -

1) Minimum age of 18 while applying for the course.

2) Working as an engineer in relative field and should have got Corporate Professional

Membership.

3)Engineering Diploma or Equivalent should have passed. If the candidate has passed the

diploma recognized by council, they will be exempted from taking Section -A test.

Address:-

Associate Membership of Institution Of Engineers, www.amieindia.net

2.   The Indian Institute of Industrial Engineering

The Indian Institute of Industrial Engineering, Pune offers degree in engineering with the following eligibility criteria.

Eligibility:-Candidates with minimum of 45 percentages in 10+2 with Math, Physics, and chemistry can apply for this course.

ADDRESS:

The Indian Institute of Industrial

Engineering, Pune, Shradha Chambers, IInd

Floor, Near Dandekar Bridge, Parvati,

Pune – 411005 www.iiie-pune.com

3.   The Indian Institute of Metals

The Indian Institute of Metals offers (AMIIM) which is equivalent to BE/B. Tech.

Procedure:-

This institution exam is divided into two parts.

Part 1 & Part 2

Eligibility:-Candidates with minimum of 45 percentages in 10+2 with Math, Physics, and Biology chemistry can apply for this cou rse.

ADDRESS:

The Indian Institute of Metals, Metal

House, Block – AQ, Plot: 13/4,

Kolkata – 700 091

www.iimindia.net

4.   IICT

• IICT offers globally competitive and environmentally viable technologies for Drugs and

Drug Intermediates, Organic and Inorganic Chemicals, Agrochemicals, Catalysts,

Polymer Coatings, Adhesives, Oils and many other technologies.

• IICT offers wide-ranging knowledge based services in Analytical Testing and

Characterization, New Molecule and Product development, Process Up-gradation and

Re-standardization, Process Safety studies, Design-Engineering and Project Viability

studies.

IICT offers Associate Membership Exam, which consist of 3 parts.

Part-1 :- Seven compulsory papers will be present.

Course: – Degree equivalent Metallurgy (AMIIM), which is equivalent to B.E/B. Tech in

Metallurgy.

Eligibility: – B.E/ B. Tech or B. Sc with science, chemistry. Candidates with any branch of

Engineering or Pharmacy. Two years of experience is compulsory.

Part-2 :-Two sections are there in part-2

Section 1:- 9 compulsory papers have to be passed.

Section 2:- 4 Optional Papers can be attempted.

Section 3:- Home paper

For further details contact or write to or visit the website

Indian Institute of Chemical

Technology, Uppal Road,

Hyderabad – 500 607. www.iict.india.org

Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Uppal Road,Hyderabad – 500 607. www.iict.india.org

1. 5.   The Indian Institute of Architects (IIA)

• The Indian Institute of Architects (IIA) is the national body of Architects in the country.

Having started in the year 1917, the institute today has more than 15000 members.

• IIA is represented on various national and international committees connected with architecture, art and the building industry and is also actively associated with International Union of Architects (UIA) Commonwealth Association of Architects (CAA) and South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation of Architects (SAARCH). One can join in IIA and obtain the following memberships .

FELLOWS

Any person qualified under Bye-Law 4(a) and desirous of becoming a Fellow, shall forward his application to the Council of the prescribed Form, duly endorsed by one Fellow and two Associates of the Institute, and accompanied by the form of Declaration, the prescribed Entrance Fee and the current year’s Subscription, which amounts will be returned in case of non-election

ASSOCIATES

Any person qualified under Bye-Law 4(b) and desirous of becoming an Associates, shall forward his application to the Council on the prescribed form. duly endorsed by one Fellow and two Associates of the Institute, and accompanied by the Form of Declaration, the prescribed Entrance Fee and the current year’s Subscription, which amounts will be returned in case of non-election.

LICENTIATE

Any person qualified under Bye-Law 4(c) desirous of becoming a Licentiate, shall forward his application to the Council on the prescribed form, duly endorsed by one Fellow and two Associates of the Institute, and accompanied by the form of Declaration, the prescribed Entrance Fee, and the current year’s Subscription, which amounts will be returned in case of non-election.

STUDENTS

Any person qualified under Bye-Laws 5, and desirous of becoming a Student member shall forward his application to Student Councilor of the Institute on the prescribed form, duly endorsed by two Members of the Institute and accompanied by the current year’s Subscription, which amounts will be returned in case of non-election.

RINSTATEMENT

Members whose membership has lapsed can use this form to apply for Re-reinstatement.

The Indian Institute of Architects conducts an Aptitude Test for the Eligible Candidates to qualify for enrollment under the IIA Scheme of Examination.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE APTITUDE TEST

Eligibility requirements for appearing in the Aptitude Test shall be :

(a)Three year full time Diploma in Architectural Assistantship with minimum 50% marks, awarded by State Governments or State Boards of Technical Education after passing 10+2 exam and One year Practical Experience after passing the Diploma under a Qualified Architect (Employer)

OR

(b)Three year full time diploma in Architectural Assistantship with minimum 50% marks awarded by State Governments or State Boards of Technical Education after passing 10th Standard and Two years Practical Experience after passing the Diploma under a Qualified Architect (Employer).

Note: Qualified Architect (Employer) would mean an architect having a minimum of 5 years professional experience after obtaining his degree and who is also a member of Indian Institute of Architect.

APTITUDE TEST

• The aptitude Test shall be conducted in the month of June.

• Candidates desirous of appearing for the Aptitude Test shall apply on the prescribed Application Form attached at Annex – 1of the brochure obtainable from IIA office at Navi Mumbai.

• Candidates having passed the three year full time Diploma in Architectural Assistantship

after 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics will be required to appear only in the subject of Architectural Awareness.

• Candidates having passed the three year full time Diploma in Architectural Assistantship after 10+2 without Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics or after 10th Standard will be required to appear in the subject of Physics, Chemistry & Mathematics in addition to the

subject of Architectural Awareness.

ADDRESS

The Indian Institute of Architecture,

Head Office: Dr.D.N.Road, Fort, Mumbai -

400 001, India, www.iia-india.org

6.   IETE

Hyderabad Center is the biggest in the country which was established in the year 1973.

The Center is running ALCCS course which is equivalent to M.tech (CS) recognized by oesmania

University and JNTU Hyderabad

ALCCS

Admission Procedure and Certification Details

Course name: ALCCS Equivalent to M. Tech. in Computer Science (Regular Part-Time).

Eligibility: B.E./B. Tech (any branch), MCA, AMIE, AMIETE, M. Sc. (Math & Electronics and

other allied sciences)

Duration: 3 years (6 Semesters)

Description:

• ALCCS is a 3 year Regular Part time Course conducted by the Institution.

• At present the course is being offered at New Delhi and Hyderabad and Chennai. ALCCS

has been recognized by Ministry of Human Resources Development, Govt. of India as

equivalent to M. Tech in Computer Sciences for recruitment to superior posts and services under Central Government.

• The course is designed to impart training in the area of Scientific, Industrial and Commercial Software Development.

• The course provides both algorithmic development and application-oriented development.

PROSPECTUS

Prospectus may be obtained from the IETE, Hyderabad either in Cash or by post if on amount in the form of DD drawn in favor of “Honorary Secretary IETE, Hyderabad” is sent to us.

Exam Fee: Rs 200/- by Cash, Rs 250/- by post

Entrance Test:- July / August .

AMIETE

Course Name: AMIETE (Equivalent to B.E/B. Tech) in Computer Science & Engg.

Eligibility: Intermediate Min 50% in MPC, B. Sc Electronics/Computers

Diploma in Electronics/Electrical/Computers- (Direct Admission in 2nd Year)

Duration: 4 Years for 10+2 , 3 years for Diploma

Description: This is a 4 years course which is equivalent to B. Tech or BE

PROSPECTUS

Prospectus may be obtained from the IETE , Hyderabad either in Cash or by post if the amount in the form of DD drawn in favor of ” Honorary Secretary IETE ,Hyderabad” is sent to us.

Amount : Rs.100/- by Cash or Rs.150/- by post (For Regular)

Rs.200/- by Cash or Rs.250/- by post ((For Correspondence)

Last date for Enrollment

28/29th Feb. for June Exams

31st Aug. For Dec. Exams

Last date for Submission of Exam Application

25th April for June Exams

25th Oct. for Dec. Exams

Commencement of Exam

2nd &3rd Week of June.

2nd & 3rd week of December.

DIPIETE

Course Name : DIPIETE : Equivalent to Dip. in Electronics

Eligibility : SSC/ITI Electronics, R & TV with National Apprenticeship Training

Duration : 3 Years

PROSPECTUS

Prospectus may be obtained from the IETE , Hyderabad either in Cash or by post if the amount in

the form of DD drawn in favor of ” Honorary Secretary IETE ,Hyderabad” is sent to us.

Exam Fee : Rs.200/- by Cash or Rs.250/- by post (For Correspondence)

The Institution of Electronics and

Tele communication Engineers (IETE),

Osmania University Campus, Hyderabad

www.ietehyd.org, www.iete.info

7.   The Aeronautical Society of India

The Aeronautical Society of India was founded on December 27, 1948 .

Pundit Jawaharlal Nehru, the First Prime Minister of independent India becomes the First

Chief Patron of the Society

Dr. Manmohan Singh, Honorable. Prime Minister of India is the current Chief Patron

The Society conducts Associate Membership Examination twice a year.

A pass in Section ‘A’ and Section ‘B’ of this examination is equivalent to a graduate at

par with a Bachelor’s Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from an India University.

- Recognized by Government of India

- Eligible to appear for Gate, to pursue for post graduate studies

- Recognized by the Engineering Council, London UK

ELIGIBILITY:

Pass in 10+2 stream with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics (50% marks or more in each subject).

SYLLABUS:

Syllabus of the Associate Membership Examination Section A & B Modified & Updated Year 2005

(Effective June2006 Session)

EXAMINATION SCHEME:

- Section ‘A’ - 10 Subjects

- Section ‘B’

- Aero – Mechanical stream

- Avionics stream

- Maintenance & Production stream

Examination Schedules :-

• Every year in June and December will be conducted.

• Associate member of the Aeronautical society of India will offer the degree, which is

equivalent to Aeronautical Engineering .

• Candidates with this degree can apply for GATE and other P.G courses.

Address :-

The Aeronautical Society of India,

13-B, Indraprastha estate, New Delhi- 110 002

www.aerosocietyindia.com

* Hyderabad Branch:

Programme AD; DRDL Complex, PO

Kanchanbagh, Hyderabad – 500 058

www.aesi-hyd.com

( Note : For more detailed info on specific instates please visit the respective website URLs captured or write to us)

In today’s world effective English Communication gives you the booster you need to make a jump start in your career . There are many exams to test the proficiency in English, While IELTS, TOEFL are more needed while applying for foreign universities as per their guideline; BEC is another exam which is designed for the working professionals. Today more of the employers in India are recognizing BEC certified candidates.

This exam has four focus areas : Reading , Writing, Speaking and Listening. While a months preparation of 2 hours per day is necessary for preparation of the exam for average students, it may take more time if english is not your schooling language and your are not fluent in english.

GSG team recommends our readers to prepare for the BEC Higher Certification. If you are not much confident in your english skills , you can take the BEC Vantage first and subsequently the higher version.

The details of the certification are available below in the British Council Site and attached below.

What is BEC (Business English Certificate) ?

BEC is an international examination designed by the University of Cambridge ESOL (English to Speakers of Other Languages), to assess business English proficiency. The certificate is recognised by educational institutions and corporations worldwide and complements degrees and diplomas. BEC is a qualification that is valid for life and can be added to your resume. In India, the British Council in co-operation with Cambridge ESOL brings the BEC to you.

BEC is practical by nature, so you will focus learning to use English in real world business situations, e.g. Meetings, Presentations, Teleconferences etc.

EXAM LEVELS

BEC Preliminary

Prepares candidates to interact effectively while carrying out routine business transactions, for e.g. speaking to clients over the telephone, writing brief letters, making appointments.

BEC Vantage

Assesses how candidates can conduct and take part in meetings and teleconferences using skills of negotiation to put across a point of view. Ability to draft letters, memos, minutes of meetings and topics for presentation using appropriate business vocabulary and format.

BEC Higher

Assesses proficiency in the use of English for making presentations, negotiating effectively in the promotion of products and services, and in engaging in extended conversations with clients at meetings and seminars.

RECOGNITION

Many employers around the world recognise Business English Certificates as proof of the holder’s ability to cope linguistically in a wide range of professional situations. There is a long list of companies and organizations in India, which have officially recognised or used BEC, either for staff recruitment or as part of their training and staff development programme. Some organizations have even made BEC requirement for recruitment.

BEC is now recognised by over 100 corporate organisations in India and offered by over 120 educational institutes. Download our BEC recognition brochures to find out more:

Download the BEC Recognition Brochure here:

• BEC Corporate Organisations
• BEC Educational Institutes

Click here for details of your nearest British Council office.

BEC Fees

Registration Procedure

http://www.britishcouncil.org/india-exams-bec-dates2008.pdf

Do  post your questions regarding this exam and we will be happy to guide you.

Warm Regards,

Balakrishnan

(Content Manager - GetSetGrow.org)

Competency Development Series in English Language

The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.
~Walt Whitman

I consider it a good rule for letter-writing to leave unmentioned what the recipient already knows, and instead tell him something new.
~Sigmund Freud

To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.
~Phyllis Theroux

In our fast paced lifestyle writing good formal emails are a must for everyone.  From a student’s perspective letters are written for official purpose e.g. : for applying for a job, having a dialogue with HR Dept, applying for higher studies in universities, complaining about any issue in your neighborhood etc.

Whatever may be the objective of writing a letter, we can say the letter writing is successful only when it creates the necessary impact in the mind of the reader. Keeping in mind of the requirements of the students and our readers we are introducing our Competency Development Series in English Language. Our first topic today is on writing formal email.

Below are some of the basic tips we need to remember while writing formal letters.

To, cc, bcc list:

Always include people addressed in the mail in To field of mail.
Include people in the Copy (cc) field only if required.
Do not include anyone in the Blind Carbon Copy (bcc) field (unless you decide to purposefully hide the sender email address from others)

Subject line

You can include a maximum of 6 words.

It should give the main idea on the mail being written.

Salutation

Dear Mr/Ms XYZ – End with Yours sincerely
Dear Sir/Madam – End with Yours faithfully
Also check the common culture of the country before writing a letter, (for example Americans generally prefer to be called by the first name.)

Introduce yourself if you are writing for the first time.
You may need to include as to how you got the mail Id as well.

All paragraphs are left aligned.

One idea – one paragraph
It is fine to have only 1 sentence in a paragraph to convey the one idea.
Words in a sentence should not exceed 8 words.

Keep the mails brief

2-4 paragraphs for emails is recommended.

Structure of the mail

a) Opening greeting
Eg: Dear XYZ

b) Connecting with reader
Eg: I got your mail ID from …..

c) Purpose of writing the mail
Eg: I would like to esquire about….

d) Giving Good news/bad news; requests; agreeing to requests
Eg: Could you help me in….

e) Taking action
Eg: I would check on the point you have brought out.

f) Concluding
Eg: We look forward to your support.

g). Closing greeting
Eg: Yours sincerely

In case of requests it is better to start with Could or Would rather than please.
Eg: Could you send me the document by 5 PM today?

It is better to mention the time frame by which you need something.
Eg: Could you send me the document by 5 PM today?

ASAP and EOD are vague terms which have different conclusions for different people.

Avoid using short forms

FYI – For your information
ASAP – As soon as possible
EOD – End of Day
COP – Close of Play
FYA – For your action
FYI and NA – for your information and necessary action.
PFA – Please find attached

Do post your querstions and suggestions you may have. I will be back in the next series.

Regards,
Abhilash Kumaran

(The author is a Project Leader in a software company)

Distance education department of the National Law School of Indian University, Bangalore, has invited applications for different courses like,

Two-Year course

• Master of Business Laws (MBL).

And One-Year Courses

• Human Rights Law.

• Medical Law and Ethics.

• Child Right Laws.

• Intellectual Property Right Laws.

• Environmental Law.

Last Date for applying is 30^th June 09

For more info visit www.nls.ac.in

CIFNET -Central Institute of Fisheries offering courses in nautical engineering and now they are inviting applications for the following courses. CIFNET is offering two-year trade courses Vessel Navigator and Marine Filter, and also four-year Bachelor of Fishers (Nautical Science).

Eligibility: Students should have finished Intermediate with 50 per cent marks in Mathematics and English, and 50 per cent aggregate marks in science. Students who satisfy the above mentioned criteria can apply for the above mentioned courses.

And those students who have passed class X are also eligible to apply for the trade courses. Age limit is 20 years and students belonging to SC and ST communities have five years age relaxation for trade courses. Selected candidates will get a monthly stipend of Rs.700 for the two-year programs.

Admissions for bachelor programme are done on basis of rank obtained in written test which will be held on June 7 at Kochi. Students will be tested under following categories English, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics and general science. For Trade courses admission will be based on written test rank, which will be held on June 21 at Chennai, Kochi, and Visakhapatnam. Students will be tested under following categories English, Mathematics and general science.

For more info visit

www.cifnet.gov.in

For: One year MBA/ Post Graduate Program In Business Management (PGP) and Masters Programme in Telecom Management at Aegis School of Business, Mumbai, India.

Application: The Selection Process would include applications evaluation and short listing as well as interview of short-listed candidates (option for telephonic interview available). This Scholarship is available for candidates admitted in full-time programs at Aegis and has a confirmed offer letter.

Eligibility :

To be eligible for Scholarship you need final admission offer letter from Aegis.
Important Dates:

Application on ongoing basis
1st round application deadline 10 June 2008
2nd round application deadline 25 June 2008
3rd round application deadline 10 July 2008

Complete the application form downloadable / online application form http://www.aegisedu.org/application.htm Admission Application Form and Scholarship Application Form is common.

For further information: http://www.aegisedu.org

1) Higher Studies

2) On site Opportunities

Both these options have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. So which to choose against the other and why? The answer is simple – it depends on the individual’s career aspirations. We can walk you through the thought process to help you make an intelligent decision.

Career Aspirations

Ask yourself where you would like to be 5 years from now, but be realistic. If you are fresh out of college and into your first job, expecting to be CEO of a fortune 500 company in less than 5 years may not be a realistic goal. However, aiming to be a project lead or a junior account manager would be a challenge but at the same time achievable. It also lets you decide which track you would like to take – Technology Or Management.

Higher Studies

“If you wish to plan for a year – grow corn, if you wish to plan for a decade – grow trees, if you wish to plan for a lifetime – invest in learning”. Higher education is without doubt an investment with guaranteed results. But it comes with its bag of pros and cons.

Pros of Higher Studies

• Increase in competencies and skills. Higher studies will impart the knowledge to help you improve your current competences or acquire new ones.

• Better job opportunities. It is a no brainer for a recruiter while having to choose between a highly qualified professional vs. not so highly qualified professional. Higher studies will open avenues for better job opportunities.

• Change of Job. Lot of young professionals decide to change their current job once they get to know the “insides” about their profession. Change of job does not mean change of the company you work for. It means change in the type of work you do. You might currently be IT developer and wish to get into sales but have no prior experience in the desired field. This is where higher studies come to your rescue. A lot of young engineers aspire to do MBA for this very reason – change of job.
• Increased earning. Higher studies do promise a better pay since one would have acquired new competencies and or improved upon the current ones. (from 1^st bullet point)

By seeing the above pros, one might jump to a conclusion that Higher studies is the obvious choice. Lets hold on before we infer anything more from the pros.

Cons of Higher Studies

• Opportunity Cost. Economists use this term very frequently. Wikipedia calls it – Opportunity cost or economic opportunity loss is the value of the next best alternative foregone as the result of making a decision. By choosing to study fulltime, we are forgoing the opportunity to work and earn. This may be a “costly” affair for a lot of folks

• Cost of education. “Overheard a parent talking to another parent – My daughter’s LKG fees is more than what I paid for the 4 years of my engineering !!” Education as a whole is getting more and more expensive each day and higher education is no exception to this. Planning to study abroad can be a serious financial burden to many aspirants, while planning to study in India too is not with-in reach for a few others.

• Timing is important. A lot of B-schools these days recognize the importance of work experience in their students. Many schools insist that the applicants have a minimum of 2 years of experience before applying for the courses. So one would need to wait for a couple of years before deciding to go for higher studies. Also schools may not accept admissions whenever you are ready. You might have to wait for their academic cycle to begin.

• Personal commitments. One might have certain personal commitments to fulfill and this might take priority over higher studies.

On site Opportunity.

Most young professionals see on site opportunity as an option to make a few quick bucks. Lets talk about the pros and cons of on site opportunity

Pros of On site Opportunity

• Exposure to a foreign work culture. This is a crucial learning experience in ones life. Learning about the ways of others and assimilating the good points in those cultures can really make a difference in one’s career and life.

• Client facing opportunities. Working directly with the clients can be a rewarding experience. Being closer to the client, helps one to obtain a better understanding of the business too.

• $$$. This point needs no further explanation I guess

• Travel and fun. One might argue that travel and fun can happen in one’s native country too, and I do not deny that. However, travelling across a foreign country is a memorable experience in itself

• If one is considering to pursue MBA, then overseas experience will add a great value to one’s profile. Thus, we must focus on the career aspirations and choose a path that helps us achieve the same.

Cons of On site Opportunity

• Opportunity Cost. Working on site might mean being away from family. For folks who have just started a family, being away might not be an attractive option.

• Client facing. While this is a part of the pros, client facing falls under cons too. These days there is an ever increasing work pressure, and working directly with the clients can add a ton to the pressure. While this can vary case by case, I would not rule out the option entirely.

Now that we have evaluated various pros and cons of both On site Opportunity and Higher Studies, we would be in a better position to decide what is good for us. However, if you feel that you have a unique situation and would like to discuss the same with us, please feel free to leave us a note and we will be glad to help you out.

Article by : Supreeth Kini,

US Correspondent.
GSG Team