A K O H I N O O R G R O U P P U B L I C A T I O N

October - December 2008 Vol: 6 Issue: 4

The annual get-together forthe 47th Foundation Day ofKohinoor Group was heldon 7th December 2008 at

Kohinoor Hall. Chairman andManaging Director Unmesh Joshiwelcomed the gathering and gave areview of the bygone year. He saidthat the last year was good as, by andlarge, targets had been achieved.Joshi's Kohinoor Technical Institute(JKTI) achieved a target growth of 50per cent, Kohinoor Global Campusand Kohinoor Continental around 30per cent while real estate grew fivetimes, a remarkable achievement!Kohinoor Continental increased itsroom strength to 137, up from 120.

According to the CSR-GHRDC2008 survey, Kohinoor BusinessSchool (KBS) occupied a place ofpride amongst the top 10 private B-Schools in western India and amongthe top 20 promising B-Schools ofexcellence in the whole of the coun-try. Kohinoor-IMI School ofHospitality Management was rankedthe top hotel management institutein Maharashtra by the CSR-GHRDCHotel Management Institutes Survey2008. Speaking on the achievementshe said that JKTI set up six morebranches in Maharashtra and hadalso started managing one ITI inRahuri in a PPP (public-private part-nership) enterprise. Dedicated place-ment cells were also started by JKTIin Mumbai, Thane, Ahmednagar,Nashik, Aurangabad and Solapurand around 1000 students had beenplaced in various companies includ-ing big corporates like Airtel andMahindra's.

KBS took one more step ahead bysetting up a Centre of Excellence(COE). The idea behind this is tohave the talent of different divisions

work together for any new initiativein any division, he explained. Thefirst initiative of the COE was cre-ation of newsletters for real estate,hospitality, retail and education. Thesecond initiative was ProcessMapping for the real estate division.The third initiative is the setting upof 'Kohinoor AdministrativeServices' (KAS). In this initiative, abatch of 20 to 25 people will be select-ed, some from Kohinoor itself. Thisgroup will be given on-the-job andclassroom training for 18 months tohone their skills and train them towork as middle level managers forthe Kohinoor Group. With theupcoming educational complex, hos-pital, hotel and further growth plansof Kohinoor, there will be a need ofaround 500 - 600 people, and to man-age these people about 40 - 50 middlelevel managers will be required. Thisinitiative will create the required tal-ent pool for Kohinoor, he said.

Touching on global recession, hesaid that in the coming year, it wouldbe difficult to achieve targets like thelast year, but we would have toachieve reasonable targets by strate-gising our moves. He explained themeaning of recession in very simpleterms. He also explained Kohinoor'sstrategy to take advantage from thiscrisis. Kohinoor is in the business offulfilling some basic human needs,roti, makaan, shiksha (food, shelter,education). Education being a direnecessity today, he felt that KohinoorEducation would not be affected to agreat extent. He said that the impactof the global environment is immedi-ately felt by the hotel industry. Thisserves as an indicator and this time ithelped our real estate division tobecome more cautious.

Kohinoor is not seen as an

aggressive group. But he felt that oneshould not bite off more than one canchew and digest. The wise thing todo would be to increase one'sappetite and gradually take largermorsels. If that was interpreted asbeing 'not aggressive', he was happybeing so. In fact, this strategy willhelp us combat the global slowdown,he asserted.

Speaking on the vision ofKohinoor Group 'To GrowPerpetually' he said, 'To GrowPerpetually' means growth of theorganisation, growth of the wealth ofthe organisation; overall growthmeaning growth in your challenges,growth in your capabilities, growthin your responsibilities and growthin your knowledge. What should bedone for this is to come out of yourcomfort zone and get into a learningzone. We should no doubt be satis-fied with what we have achieved butshould always question ourselves -What next? - so that we can constant-ly challenge ourselves to achievemore and there is sustained growth.Growth does not mean just growthin position, salary or incentivesalone, growth also means growth inknowledge," he summed up.

Before concluding, Shri UnmeshJoshi outlined a few ambitious plansfor the future and made a promise toFounder Manohar Joshi. “Sir, we arecommitted to achieving these plansby 7th December 2011, when weshall be celebrating the GoldenJubilee of Kohinoor,” he ended witha note of finality. On this note, hehanded over the dais to him.

Before he began his speech, ShriManohar Joshi requested all presentto pay homage to the braveheartsand victims of the recent terror strikein Mumbai by observing silence for a

few moments. Among them was aKohinoor-IMI student JordonFernandes working at The Oberoi,who lost his life for refusing to obeythe orders of the terrorists. The loss isirreparable, but Kohinoor is proud ofJordon as he displayed exemplarycourage and laid down his life whileresponding to the call of duty.

Speaking on the global recession,Shri Manohar Joshi gave a very posi-tive and unusual perspective on howit could be used as an opportunity. "Iam fully confident that any calamitycan be converted into an opportuni-ty," he asserted. Giving an example,he said that losing a job can be anopportunity to start one's own busi-ness. He further added, "In any busi-ness if you find that it is difficult tocarry on ahead, you must find outthe remedy. Retrenchment is not away out. You can get the best of peo-ple to work in your company duringthis time as deserving people also arejobless at such times. You have tokeep your eyes open for such peo-ple". He said that he firmly believesthat the future of a companydepends on the people working forit. He feels that if you get good peo-ple you can face recession verystrongly.

He further mentioned that to fightrecession all must work hard toincrease the strength of the KohinoorGroup. He said, "If the company sur-vives all will survive. All must beprepared to work harder beyondnormal hours and take this as anopportunity to further strengthenKohinoor."

The program ended with all mem-bers of the Kohinoor family mixingand chatting with one another overdinner served on the rooftop ofKohinoor Hall.

2 October - December 2008

The Third AnnualConvocation ceremony ofKohinoor Business School(KBS) and Kohinoor - IMI

School of Hospitality Managementwas held on 13th September 2008 atthe Kohinoor Global Campus,Khandala. Forty-five students of KBSand 79 students of Kohinoor - IMIwere honoured with certificates. Tograce this auspicious occasion werepresent Guest of Honour Capt. G RGopinath, Managing Director - AirDeccan, Shri Manohar Joshi, Founder- Kohinoor Group, Shri Unmesh JoshiCMD - Kohinoor Group, Mr CarmelFsadni, Director - IMI, Switzerlandand Dr Bigyan Verma, Director - KBS.The ceremony took off with theConvocation procession led by Pipes

and Drums followed by the dignitaries, faculty members andgraduating students. The dignitarieslit the traditional lamp after whichShri Unmesh Joshi declared the

convocation ceremony open and welcomed the gathering.

Dr Bigyan Verma presented hisreport to an enthusiastic audience.Taking this opportunity, he advisedstudents, "Learning is a life-longexperience, give back to the commu-nity, give back to the school, giveback to the world and you will berepaid many times more". Then MrCarmel Fsadni shared some interest-ing thoughts with the audience.

On the august occasion, Capt.Gopinath was honoured with theKohinoor Award for ProfessionalExcellence. Every year, the KohinoorAward for Professional Excellence isconferred upon a professional forsignificant contribution towards theservices sector in the national andinternational arena. Capt. Gopinathnarrated a few inspiring instances ofhis life to guide and inspire the stu-dents passing out of both theschools.

Students were then presented withtheir degrees and diplomas. Later,Shri Manohar Joshi delivered theConvocation Address. In his enlight-ening speech he said, "The career of

Capt. Gopinath can be made a rolemodel. Passing an examination andgetting good marks is not difficult.But getting further success in life ismost difficult and it can be achievedprovided you are determined andwork hard". He also said, "I am fullyconfident that those students whohave a definite direction in theirwork, a definite aim in their lives,those who plan their career will besuccessful. Be the best in your fieldand always remain in demand.Explore the world and make yourmark in it". He spoke about creating a'Kohinoor Vishwa'. He further added,"My idea of a Kohinoor Vishwa is that,when you go outside the educationalfield, you must be known as the stu-dent of Kohinoor Vishwa. The KohinoorVishwa student will be known by hiswork, his determination and hisambition."

After the vote of thanks the CMDdeclared the Convocation closed, fol-lowed by the National Anthem. Laterthe Convocation Procession depart-ed. The ceremony concluded with asumptuous lunch and display of theBand.

Third Annual Convocation atKohinoor Global Campus

Kohinoor-IMI School of Hospitality ManagementOnkar Tendulkar - Highest marks in Third Year Finals, Best Student of2005-2008 batch (Kohinoor-IMI, Khandala).Kanika Mehta - Highest marks in Third Year Finals, Best Student of 2005-2008 batch (Kohinoor-IMI, Indore).

Individual Subjects

Kanika Mehta - Food and Beverages ServicesAtul Rawat - Food ProductionNavin Amarnani - HousekeepingAnkit Passi & Kanika Mehta - Front Office

Kohinoor Business School Reeta Gupta - Highest GPA [PG - Year I]

Swapnil Joshi - Highest CGPA (Overall) [PG - Year II] - Highest GPA in Finance [PG - Year II]- Highest GPA in IT [PG - Year II]

Arindam Basu - Highest GPA in Marketing [PG - Year II]

Janaki Jeevan - Highest CGPA [UG - III cohort]

Capt. G R Gopinath,Founder of AirDeccan, is a multi-faceted personality

who has made many pro-gressive moves in his life tobecome a successful entre-preneur.

Capt. Gorur R IyengarGopinath was born in aremote village of Gorur inKarnataka. He went on tograduate from the NationalDefence Academy and jointhe Indian army. He servedthe Indian army for eightyears. In 1978 he decided tolook for new challenges in lifeand returned to his native vil-lage. He learnt about sericul-ture and decided to moveaway from traditional tech-niques and adopt moderntechniques. Finally, after a lotof struggle the gamble paidoff and he went on to become

a successful sericulturist inKarnataka. This earned himthe 'ROLEX INTERNATIONALAWARD' for enterprise in 1996,for his seeking to break newground with the project'Ecological Silk Farming toImprove Living Standards.'The same year he was listedby Outlook Magazine as one

of the 50 Indians who wouldrise from obscurity to fame inthe coming decade.

With his titanic vision andentrepreneurial skills coupledwith technical skills of his ex-army friends, Capt. Gopinathmade his foray in the aviationsector way back in 1995. Heidentified the potential which

the helicopter charter business had in India andlaunched 'DECCAN AVIATION'-a dedicated, customerfocused heli-charter compa-ny.

Inspired by just one simpledream - "I want every Indianto fly at least once in his/herlifetime" motivated this avant-garde entrepreneur to startthe first Low Cost, No FrillsAirline of India. He launchedAIR DECCAN on 25th August2003.

His accomplishments donot stop here. Capt. Gopinathis the recipient of severalprestigious awards. He wasfelicitated in Gorur and giventhe title of 'VimanodyamaShiromani.' In 2006 he wasknighted by the FrenchGovernment with 'CHEVALIERDE LA LEGION D'HONNEUR'(Knight of the Legion of

Honour), the highest civilianaward conferred by theFrench Government. TheOrder of the Legion of Honourwas instituted in 1802 byNapoleon Bonaparte. Theaward is in recognition ofCapt. Gopinath's contributionto the development of Indo-French cooperation in the fieldof aviation. He was alsoawarded with 'RajyotsavaAward' by the Government ofKarnataka, 'Personality of theDecade Award' instituted byKG Foundation, 'EditorsChoice Award' by the IndianExpress, Trade and Tourismawards and 'Sir MVisvesvaraya MemorialAward' by the Federation ofKarnataka Chambers ofCommerce & Industry.

And now, the KohinoorAward for ProfessionalExcellence 2008!

The Inspiring Story of Capt. G R Gopinath

Dignitaries Carmel Fsadni, Unmesh Joshi, Capt. G R Gopinath, Dr B P Verma look on as Shri Manohar Joshi delivers the Convocation Address

October - December 2008 3

True to its theme - 'Come,Create and Conquer',Dreamz-2008, anannual flagship event of

Kohinoor Business School &Center for ManagementResearch (KBSCMR), camewith a bang, created an auraaround it and conquered thehearts of all the dignitaries,guests, faculty members, par-ticipants, students, and every-one present. The mega eventheld on October 19, 2008, wasbasically an exercise toencourage the spirit of innova-tion among young budding

managers and in the processproviding a sound learningplatform to all participants. Itwas an attempt to see flightsof fancy not as daydreaming,but as a powerful tool to inno-vate - a real cutting edge tocompetitiveness.

Dreamz-2008 was formallyinaugurated by Dr B P Verma,Director, KBSCMR, by lightingthe traditional lamp followedby a spirited message inwhich he underlined the needto dream...and to live it.Around 16 business schoolsfrom Mumbai, Pune andLonavala participated in theevent to showcase their tal-ents. In the forenoon session,the first event was Paper

Presentation, in which sevendifferent colleges presentedtheir papers on diverse topicsranging from 'Global Mindset,Indian Root', 'CustomerRetention: Your best shot inservice industry', 'CarbonCredits - the Future' and'Industrial Relations: India2050'. The judges' questionround was very absorbingwith a lot of enthusiasm clear-ly evident on the face of everyparticipant. After this stimulat-ing exercise, the star of theshow ADZAP took the event to a different level altogether. It successfully demonstratedthat even simple productscould be sold effectively, if marketed innovatively.

Altogether, five teams fromdifferent management col-leges took part in this exerciseand made it very fun-filled,entertaining as well as inform-ative to the core.

After these high energyactivities it was time for lunch.The students used this oppor-tunity for photography of themagnificent view from theKBSCMR hostel roof. Theywere really elated and over-awed with the kind of naturalview they got from there andappreciated the serenity of thecampus. Later, the eveningsession was for IPO games, a game that reflects the busi-ness acumen of future managers. All the teams were

highly charged up and enacted well to make the ses-sion eventful. It was a longexercise followed by a teabreak. This time was used bythe students and faculty ofKBSCMR to mingle informallywith the participants of othercolleges and exchange viewson different issues.

By evening all young heartswere beating excitedly inanticipation of another event -Dreamz Nite, where theywould rock with the beats andstomp their feet, a much-awaited musical extravagan-za, professional DJ and highquality audio systems inter-spersed with laser shows cre-ating a hallucinating effect to

which a team of students presented a dance show. Thecampus activity centre camealive with the sparklingdances and enchantingmusic.

The success of this greatevent was a satisfying experience for the entireDreamz Committee-2008team co-ordinated by Prof P KMishra and Prof SaravanKrishnamurthy who workedhard to make the event suc-cessful on all counts and inthe process, the studentslearnt the nuances of teamwork, group dynamics, plan-ning and control, and, mostimportantly, lessons of collec-tive responsibility.

Ko h i n o o rBusiness School& Center forM a n a g e m e n t

Research (KBSCMR),Khandala, organised theannual inter-collegiateFinance and Economicsmeet called 'K-FINAX2008' at Kohinoor GlobalCampus, Khandala, onSeptember 27, 2008. Thekeynote address on theoccasion was delivered by Cdr. (Retd) DeepakNaik, CMD, MillenniumMotors, Pune. This was

followed by a session withCapital Market expertsAjay Laddha, Vice-President, KhandwalaSecurities Ltd. and ArvindLaddha, Director, VantageWealth Pvt Ltd. Dr BigyanP Verma, Director,Kohinoor Business School

& Center for ManagementResearch chaired the pro-ceedings.

The inter-collegiateevent also hosted a busi-ness quiz and a simulatedmock stock market game.The combined prizemoney for these eventswas over Rs. 50,000. Thewinner of the quiz wasINC PUNE and runner-upwas BRIMS College,Mumbai. The winners forthe mock stock marketgame were third-yearBMS students from R APodar College, Mumbai,and runners-up were post-graduate manage-ment students fromChetna College, Mumbai.

The main sponsors forthe event wereMillennium Mobility,Pune, and co-sponsorswere Kotak AssetManagement CompanyLimited, Mumbai, andSeth Ramdas ShahMemorial CharitableHospital Trust, Pune. The faculty coordinatorswere Prof Sanjay Ashrit(CA) and Dr AjitGaikwad. The event was agrand success andreceived participationfrom over 200 studentdelegates from variousmanagement colleges.

Finance and FunMore than 200 student delegates from various institutes participated in the K-Finax event at Kohinoor Global Campus

Kohinoor Business School & Center for Management Research(KBSCMR), Khandala , a premier B-school in India, organised

their annual Information Systems meet 'SYPINS 2008' onDecember 06, 2008.

This event helped management students in Maharashtra toshowcase their potential in information systems. (hence the titleSYPINS 2008 - Show Your Potential in Information Systems 2008).

SYPINS 2008 pulled a crowd of over 100 students from collegeslike Welingkars, IIPM, ICFAI, INC, Sinhagad and Symbiosis.Students participated in Counter Strike - Networking Game - APlatform to Showcase Project Management Skills, PaperPresentation - A Platform to Showcase Presentation Skills, TechnoQuiz - A Platform to Showcase Acquired Knowledge inInformation Systems, Web Designing - A Platform to ShowcaseCreativity. Prizes worth Rs 1 lakh were given.

Dr R Raman and Prof Gajpal were the faculty co-ordinators forSYPINS 2008. The systems committee students led by the studentcoordinators Pranav Awasthi and Yugesh Vishwasrao, first yearPG students, ensured meticulous planning and time manage-ment, which made SYPINS 2008 successful. Abhay Chaturvediand Shoban Das, second-year PG students created huge back-drop banners for the venue, making it look like paradise on earth.

The event was organised with the help of sponsors who spon-sored gifts for winners. The main sponsor was PromptComputers Services, Lonavala. Reliance Communication was theTelecom partner, Indian Express was the Print Partner, Travel Org.Mumbai was the Travel Partner, Quick Heal was the SoftwarePartner. Co-sponsors included Kiran Computer-Khopoli,Shubam Collections - Khopoli, Quest Profin Consultants -Mumbai, Yuvak group of Companies - Mumbai. The sponsorsalso received good mileage by creating brand awarenessamongst the youth.

SYPINS 2008 drewover 100 studentsfrom other colleges

SYPINS 2008Great ideas start small

DREAMZ-2008 captivates audiences

The annual flagship event at KohinoorBusiness School & Center for

Management Research encourages thespirit of innovation among budding

managers

4 October - December 2008

The vision ofKohinoor Group aswe all know is ToGrow Perpetually.

One approach to achieve ourvision is through continuouslearning. In this light, theCorporate HR department iscontinually enhancing itscapabilities to create theresults we truly desire. Thisarticle is a journey of variousHR initiatives taken by theCorporate HR department tostrengthen our vision.

Recruitment and SelectionThe Group is growing in

all its business verticals andthus the challenge for us is tomeet the manpower require-ments. Employment portalsare widely used for this pur-pose. Another method isadvertisements in the TimesAscent, which is also a goodbrand-building exercise. Butthe huge cost is a significantdrawback that makes itunfeasible to be implement-ed on a regular basis. So wewere looking at a more eco-nomical option that can sup-port recruitment as well asbrand building at the sametime.

This thought made possi-ble our first participation inthe Times Job Fair held inApril 2008. This fair wasfocused only on the realestate and constructionindustry. The job fair gave usa unique opportunity tomeet and interview job seek-ers and select the right can-didates. We could also col-lect loads of resumes for ourdata bank. The job fair camewith the dual advantage ofinteracting with jobseekersand other industry counter-parts under one roof.

Recently we also took partin the Jumbo Job Fair, wherewe represented all our busi-ness verticals i.e. education,hospitality and real estate.

New Employee Orientation Keeping in mind that we

never get a second chance to

make a first impression, weneed to make absolutely surethat the new hires feel wel-come, valued, and preparedfor what lies ahead. Newemployee orientation effec-tively integrates the newemployee into the organisa-tion and assists with reten-tion, motivation, job satisfac-tion, and quickly enablingeach individual to become acontributing member of thework team.

This led us to developingtwo separate induction pro-grams; one for the executivesand junior management andthe other for the senior man-agement group.

Activities of the programfor the executives and junior management -

Welcome note and introducing the sessionwith an ice-breakerIntroduction of the participantsPresentation on KohinoorGroup Vision telephone game -A fun way for newemployees to learn thecompany's visionPresentation on individual business unitsHang the Man - Quiz timeto check the awareness ofnew employees about theGroupA motivational talk by atleast one business headUnique contribution andexpectation exercise forthe new recruitsCorporate office familiarisation tourWinding up of the pro-gram, followed by lunch.

Activities of the program forthe senior managementgroup

First session at KohinoorGlobal CampusPresentation on KohinoorGroup Self-introduction by newemployees Presentation on KohinoorGlobal Campus

Tour of the Campus Expectation exerciseSecond session atKohinoor ContinentalPresentation on HotelsDivisionTour of the hotelThird session at KohinoorCity’s site officePresentation on RealEstate DivisionTour of the siteFourth session atCorporate OfficeMeeting with Chairman &Managing Director,Kohinoor GroupTour of Corporate officeProgram concludes.

Strengthening communica-tion through surveys

We conduct various inter-nal and external customersurveys across the Groupevery year. Soliciting feed-back is a regular part of theHR function. The employeeand customer satisfactionsurveys are a powerful toolof two-way communicationand help us understand var-ious issues and unspokenexpectations. But at thisstage it is important to men-tion that it is only the well-orchestrated surveys whichlead to high return rates.

To meet this goal, ourentire survey process is tai-lored to meet specific

objectives. Often, surveysare designed only after inter-views with key individualsand focus groups.Depending on the project,the survey design mayinvolve simply modifying anexisting set of standard ques-tions to fit the business unitrequirements, and addingsome to cover uniqueground; or it could entailstarting from scratch tocover unique topics. Thewording of the question-naire is chosen to reflect thelanguage and terminology ofthe specific business unit.The survey administration isscheduled so that the find-ings are available in time tobe included in businessplans. The survey analysis isboth statistical and qualita-tive. The analyses and dataare then converted intoinformation and put acrossto the management in a waywhich inspires action.

Employees are the greatestasset of our organisation.Therefore, valuing theirissues, thoughts and opin-ions can provide significantinsights into organizationalperformance and achieve itsgoals. Employee surveyshelp to assess teamwork andmanagement style problems.They create an environmentin which employees are

involved and have a productive and open dia-logue with the management.Similarly, customer satisfac-tion surveys help us meas-ure satisfaction levels andimprove customer retention.We can gauge customerinterest in new product andservice offerings. They iden-tify areas that do not meetcustomer expectations andpinpoint domains forprocess improvement.

Thus internal and externalcustomer surveys are simpleand cost-effective toolsensuring long term successof the organisation. The sur-vey findings are a valuedmanagement informationtool and act as a significantchange catalyst for ourorganisation. Our organisa-tion takes clear and visibleaction based on surveyresults. A realistic number ofareas are targeted for follow-up action to allow the organ-isation to concentrate andfocus resources on issuesthat will have the greatestimpact on performance. Thedata is also used to imple-ment and revise policies andprocedures.

Building successful teamsMaking teams more

productive in the workplaceis a constant goal for many

Diwali Celebration at Kohinoor Continental

Kohinoor Continentalcelebrated Diwali in

a special way withShelters Orphanage ofGirls, an orphanagelocated at Marol,Andheri East. Around 57kids were taken from theorphanage by a bus tothe hotel. On their arrivalto the hotel they wereserved snacks. This was

followed by some enter-tainment like a magicshow, music, games etc.

The program went onfor two hours afterwhich a delicious dinnerwas served to the kids bythe HOD's and execu-tives. The wonderfulevening was concludedby distribution of gifts tothe children.

Kohinoor Continental made Diwalispecial for inmates of an orphanageat Marol

Continuous Learningthrough HR Interventions

Ladies of Kohinoor in one of the nine Nav

October - December 2008 5

companies today and ourorganisation is no exception.To strengthen this goal, wehired the services of anexternal agency. The agencyanalysed our companyneeds and culture and

designed a customised pro-gram for us.

Twenty-two employees ofthe real estate division cametogether to form cross-func-tional and cross-departmen-tal teams over a period oftwo days. The theme of theprogram was learningthrough a series of activities.The group completed about15 activities in two days andsome of the prominent learn-ing was -

Increase communication -to learn new strengths andgain insights within theteam.

Inclusion - the more inclusive, the greater thenumber of talents andviewpoints will be onhand to tackle problems.Building Trust - create asafe environment in which

everyone feels free to offerconstructive criticismwithout fear and theorganisation growsstronger.Complement one another- use our strengths in fulland compensate for eachother's weaknesses.Clarity of goals - all theteam efforts are directedtowards the same cleargoals, the team goals.The groups could sum-

marise their learning as"TEAM - TogetherEverybody Achieves More.We Believe In Each Other."

The efforts of the teams

did not stop with the winding up of the program.Employees of Kohinoor Citysite office have come for-ward to share their learningon team building and facili-tate sessions for another set

of eighteen employees whohave not gone through theprogram. Morning sessionsare conducted twice in thethird week of every month atthe site office. This ongoingactivity has made possiblethe first in - house learningthrough sharing sessions, ahuge EMPLOYEEENGAGEMENT INITIA-TIVE.

Reinforce Positive Culture-It's been well accepted

that there is a direct relation-ship between 'fun at work'and employee motivation, productivity, creativity,

satisfaction and retention.The attrition rates in ourorganisation are relativelylow compared to industrystandards. And if we wereto ask our Corporate HRManager Sonal Satelkar, thereasons for this she wouldproudly say that it is theorganisational culture. Ourculture brings peopletogether and makes themfeel valued. When employ-ees communicate and get toknow each other better, itleads to synergy. Also,employees are empoweredto take decisions relating totheir work area. They areencouraged to utilise theirskills, abilities and creativityto the fullest.

There's work and comple-tion of KRAs, no doubt, butemployees also take time outto catch up on other things.These activities include pic-nics, games, dance, parties,and festival celebrations likeNavratri, Dandiya - Garba,Diwali, Women's Day and soon. The fun activities aim tode-stress employees and cre-ate a pleasant atmospherethat breaks monotony androutine.

Recently during Navratri,we witnessed our corporateoffice coloured with allshades of Navrang bywomen employees. Thenwe had the Garba - DandiyaNite, where the entire décorat the site office was of atypical disco with DJ.Employees danced allevening to the tunes of typi-cal Gujarati folk songs. Thiswas followed by our Diwaliparty held on 24th Octoberat the site office. There werelights and diyas all around.A huge rangoli was pre-pared by our site employeesat the entrance to welcomeeverybody. Typical Diwalisnacks like chakli, chivdaaand laadoos were served.Most importantly we hadevents and acts put up espe-cially by the employees.This included a Koli dance,

solo songs, western dance,fashion show and mimicry.We played many games likemusical chairs, housie,Around the World anddanced all night long.

Kohinoor and its employ-ees are clearly living lifeking-size and enjoyingevery minute. The businessbenefit is clearly in the cor-porate culture that weendorse. It is to make ouremployees happy andrelaxed leading to qualitywork and customer delight.The benefit to the employeeslies in the work atmospherethat not only gives a greatopportunity to perform butto perform with peace andhappiness.

An engaged employee…◗ believes in the organisa-

tion◗ works to make it better◗ understands the business

context and the 'biggerpicture'

◗ respects colleagues andhelps others

◗ is willing to 'go the extramile'

… and so brings businessbenefits and desiredresults.

The FUTUREThe journey has just

begun…There is a lot more that we

want to achieve…

The future objectivewould be to focus on -

◗ Employee commitment,which in turn boostsfinancial results

◗ To align HR practices tocustomer value

◗ Making customer criteriasynonymous withemployee behaviour

(Monica J Eyles, SrExecutive - HR,Kohinoor Group,contributed this arti-cle on behalf of the

Corporate HR Team)

The Corporate HR department is continually enhancing itscapabilities in tune with the Kohinoor group’s vision for continuous growth, says Monica J Eyles

Awadhi Food Festival atKohinoor Continental

Kohinoor Continental organised anAwadhi Food Festival from 19thSeptember, 2008 to 28th September,2008 at the Solitaire Restaurant. Chef

Mohammed Aaquil had especially comedown from Lucknow to prepare the dishesusing original spices brought from the land ofNawabs and Begums.

The guests just could not get enough of hisspecialties like Murg Awadhi Korma,Dumpukht Biryani, Paneer Lazzadar, GobiMussalam, Hariyali Kofta Dil Pasand,Moongdal Ghosht, Sub Noorani. Summing it up were lip-smacking desserts likeSeviyan Ka Muzzaffer, Phirni Afghan,Jahangiri Rabri.

Recruitmentand Selection

New EmployeeOrientation

StrengtheningCommunication

through Surveys

BuildingSuccessful

TeamsReinforce Positive

Culture

Dynamic HRInterventions

EmployeeEngagement

CustomerCommitment

vratri colours (Navrang)

A Snapshot of HR Interventions

6 October - December 2008

The importance of treesin purifying the air, asnatural resources,maintaining the ecolog-

ical balance, preventing soilerosion, as medicines, habi-tats for faunal species, provid-ing nutrients to the soil etc. iswell known. Trees help reducethe ‘greenhouse effect’ byabsorbing carbon dioxide.Trees are also good noise bar-riers and they help in coolingthe Earth’s temperature.Cutting of trees is amongst themost serious problems todaybut is currently under somesurveillance of the authorities.Having noted this grave problem, an example hasbeen set by Kohinoor PlanetConstructions Pvt. Ltd. at their‘Kohinoor City Project’ for thepreservation of trees. Hereone can see the beautifulvicinity of the trees which are aperiod long. In spite of havingthe permission for cutting thetrees to build up the complex,they have been transplantedand saved with concern to theenvironment.

The Architect for the projectMr Sandeep Shikre from DSAArchitects said “I want to pitchfor the environment and set anexample with this project”. Thedesigning concepts weredone after a massive debateand discussion to give thefinest possible designs andsave the trees.

As the design required treestransplantation, more than500 trees have been trans-planted. The trees werereplanted in the same vicinityto maintain its environmentand preserve its heritagebeauty. “The trees are uproot-ed with the rootballs and aregiven a treatment for 21 days”,said Rajeev Chawathe,Proprietor of Creative BusinessAssociates, the contractorappointed by Kohinoor for thetransplantation of these trees.

Elaborating the procedurehe explained that there arefour stages for transplantationand each process is importantfor the survival of the trees.Utmost care for maintenanceis taken thereafter. The

process begins with looseningof the soil around the roots ofthe trees. The soil is dug withthe help of machines and istreated with chemicals. Thesechemicals help the tree copewith the shock of being

uprooted. The trees are thentrimmed so that they can betransplanted easily. When thetrees are trimmed, the amountof nutrition required by the treeis much lesser. The roots of thetrees are also trimmed so thatthe trees become lighter andthey are easier to transplant.The roots are then coveredwith gunny bags so that thechemicals are retained andthe roots are not damaged.Gunny bags are used so thatroots can breathe.

The trees are then lifted withcranes and placed in trucks sothat they can be transported tothe spot where they will betransplanted. Then the treesare replanted at the spot thatis dug up. The pits are earlier

treated with chemicals so thatthe replanted trees get therequired nutrition for their sur-vival. The trees have to bewatered regularly for the nexttwo months. No manure offertilizers can be used duringthis period. Only after the treesstart growing new leaves canthey be treated with fertilisers.The success rate for the plan-tation is more than 90 percent. Apart from Kohinoor City,Creative Business Associateshas completed a number ofprojects for MMRDA, MSRDCand CPWD.

Rajeev Chawathe has wonseveral awards the mostrecent being the ‘ManoharParyavaran Ratna Puraskar’from Manohar Pratishtan.

Rajeev Chawathe being honoured with the �Manohar Paryavaran RatnaPuraskar�by Shri Manohar Joshi and hotel magnate Shri Vithal Kamat

Kohinoor City sets an example by transplanting and saving more than 500trees, despite having permission to cut them down

● Step 1 - Soil Loosening

● Setp 2 - Root Treatment

● Step 3 - Packing of Roots

● Step 4 - Securely packedin gunny bags

● Setp 5 - Transportation

● Trees afterTransplantation

● Step 6 - Transplantation

Kohinoor City Takes Up The Cause of Tree Plantation

October - December 2008 7

Premium rooms with a host of facilities have been designed atKohinoor Continental, keeping the needs of the discerning business traveller in mind

Kohinoor Continental Ups ItsRoom Strength To 137

Kohinoor Continentalhas increased itsroom strength to 137,including two luxury

suites, by adding 17 rooms inthe premium category. A dis-tinguishing feature of the newpremium rooms is that theyhave been designed keepingin mind the guest require-ment and latest trend in themarket.

Says Kohinoor HotelsDivision Vice-PresidentMukund Kamat, "With the on-going trend in the market,we realised the need to havemore rooms to sell. While

designing the new rooms, wethought that suggestions fromour guests should be givenparamount importance. Wetherefore embarked on a special guest feedback exer-cise for this purpose and theresults were carefullyanalysed. A lot of guest feed-back research has gone intothe designing of our new premium rooms."

Adds Kohinoor ContinentalAccommodation ManagerAshish Salian, "Our typicalguest is a discerning businesstraveller with an average stayof one-and-a-half days.

Therefore, our guest's tasteand requirements have beenkept in mind while designingthe rooms. The ceilings of thenew rooms are painted with atwo-shade light colourscheme with better illumina-tion, 32" flat screen TV,Tea/Coffee maker and otheramenities like wi-fi facilities.The bathroom counter ismade up of toughened glass.Optimum furniture has beenused to make the rooms spacious."

Kohinoor Continental, aprominent four-star deluxehotel strategically located

close to the domestic andinternational airports inMumbai with a coffee shop,well-equipped bar, multi-cui-sine restaurant, banquethalls, health club, swimmingpool, etc, plans to graduallyrenovate its existing rooms incourse of time, based on thesame principle of customerfeedback. "This, of course, willhave to be done in a phasedmanner as it is not feasible torenovate the entire property atone time. After all, we cannotdisturb the day-to-day opera-tions of the hotel too much,"concludes Mr Kamat.

Kohinoor Planet Constructions Pvt.Ltd. (KPCPL) participated in theMCHI exhibition held at Bandra

Kurla Complex from 9th October to 12thOctober, 2008, to showcase its Project‘Kohinoor City’.

Speaking about the response theyreceived Mr Atul Modak, Head of Kohinoor

City Project, said, “The response for theexhibition was excellent, indicating thatthere is a good demand for residential flats.Subsequently, many people who came toour stall visited the Kohinoor City site andshowed great interest in our project. Ourstall was also adjudged ‘First Runner-Up forExcellence in Stall Design’.”

Kohinoor City at theMCHI Exhibition

Today we rely on ourmobile for so many needsranging from talking topeople to using the

Internet. But any utility device hasits pros and cons. Many of us areunaware of the havoc mobile virus-es can cause; and so, these mobilesdo not have the required securitysoftware installed in them.According to a recent survey, about28 per cent of mobile usersaccess the Internetthrough theircell phones;of these,86 perc e n t

users have no security devices.Certain 'spy viruses' can be used togain secret access to trace your callsand read your SMSes.

F-Secure has given some tips foryour mobile security -

Understand the special fea-tures and functioning of your cellphone. Switch off devices like Bluetooth, Wi-fi, etcwhen not required.This will help

p r e s e r v eyour battery

and keep yourphone secure.

Keep away from inexpensiveor free software if you do not haveany information about it. Get prop-er information about the softwareand purchase it from authorisedsources.

Make sure the software is dulyauthorised. Update the software

with the latest versions fromtime to time. Keep yourself

updated on the latestinformation from the

software providerabout new threats

and solutions forthese.

E d u c a t eyourself on

what virusi n f e c t e dSMSes andMMSes look

like. Obtaininformation about

any additional deviceswhich make your softwaremore effective.

Do not reply to SMSesor missed calls from

unknown senders as far asfeasible Do not reveal any personalinformation about yourself inresponse to SMSes or calls seekingany personal details from you. Donot fall prey to tempting offers viaSMSes. If you keep getting suchSMSes repeatedly, bring it to the

notice of your mobile serviceprovider.

Reject any information comingfrom an unknown Bluetooth con-nection.

Avoid sending any vital infor-mation or important documentsthrough your mobile. If you giveyour cell phone for servicing,remove the external storage cardand keep it with you.

Do not allow anyone to useyour cell phone in your absence.

Delete all stored data takingthe help of your service and hand-set providers before selling yourcell phone to avoid any misuse.Use the 'Restore Factory Setting'option in your cell phone.

Keep a back-up of all the data on your cell phone. Notedown the IMEI (InternationalMobile Equipment Identity) num-ber imprinted below the batteryand keep it safely. If you lose yourcell phone or it is stolen, you canblock it with the help of this num-ber.

If you take these precautions,you are quite safe while using yourmobile phone.

(Contributed by B S Zharekar,Branch Manager, JKTI, Wagholi,

Courtesy: Yashasvi.)(Translated from the original

article in Marathi)

Simple Safe

ty

Tips for yo

ur

Sophisticate

d

Mobile

Simple Safe

ty

Tips for yo

ur

Sophisticate

d

Mobile

8 October - December 2008

Published by: Hotel Airport Kohinoor Private Limited, Kohinoor Corporate House, S B Marg, Dadar (W), Mumbai 400 028. Email: kohinoortimes@kohinoorgroup.co.in Website: www.kohinoorgroup.co.inEditor and Publisher: Ullhas B Kulkarni Assistant Editor: Sequencia Kharvi Printed by: Lucid Prints, A 227, T.T.C. Ind. Area, Mahape, Navi Mumbai-400701. Editorial and Design: The Source (mail@editsource.com) For Private Circulation Only.The editors and Kohinoor Group do not necessarily subscribe to the views expressed in this publication. Copyright © 2008 Hotel Airport Kohinoor Pvt Ltd

Aten-member dele-gation comprisingDirectors andProfessors of top

Indian management andmedia schools visited China'sleading National Universitiesin Beijing, Shenyang andShanghai. between Nov. 15and Nov. 22, 2008. Dr B PVerma, Director, KohinoorBusiness School & Center forManagement Research(KBSCMR) led the missionfrom Maharashtra state. Theteam visited and interactedwith China's premier univer-sities - Peking University andUniversity of InternationalBusiness and Economics inBeijing; Shenyang Universityand Liaoning University inthe north-eastern capital cityof Shenyang and ShanghaiJiao Tong University, FudanUniversity and China Europe

International Business School(Ranked No.11 in the world)in Shanghai.

The Mission, organised byIndia China Alliance Centre(ICAC), helped membersunderstand the prevailingscenario in China, especiallyin the field of Management,Media and Communication.

The visit provided a uniqueopportunity to explore col-laborative arrangementswith top-of-the-line ChineseUniversities.

Dr Verma signed MoUswith Prof Zhang Guo Liang,Director, Shanghai Jiao Tong University on 21stNovember, 2008 with specific

areas of intent for cooperation and collabora-tion between the KBSCMR and Shanghai Jiao Tong University for Student Exchanges, FacultyExchanges, ResearchProjects, Lectures throughVideo Conference andChinese and Indian lan-guages. Dr Verma made pre-sentations on KohinoorEducation at several otherChinese Universities inBeijing, Shenyang andShanghai as well.

Dr Verma cites the exam-ple of Dutch economist andNobel laureate JanTinbergen's 'gravity theory oftrade' (1962) which suggeststhat trade volumes betweentwo countries were directlycorrelated to the combinedsize of their economies andinversely to the distance

between them. By his logic,India and China should havebeen one of the biggest trad-ing blocs in the world bynow. Unfortunately howev-er, the two countries have yetto fulfil their enormouspotential for each other's ben-efit.

Speaking on the education-al alliance, Dr Verma said, "Asocially responsible and cul-turally sensitive India - Chinacoalition in managementeducation will help bothcountries bring a deeper andmore focused 'Asia perspec-tive' to management educa-tion. While these collabora-tions will certainly benefitboth institutions, if the power of India-China coop-eration gets unleashed, onewill then have to just sit backand enjoy the roller coasterride."

Dear Unmesh Sir,The 47th Kohinoor Foundation Day

Meet was a real eye-opener for all of us. Eversince, we have been counting our blessings...

● For having a leader who thinks positiveeven in a negative environment

● For having a founder who sees 'adversi-ty' as 'opportunity'

● For having a leader who is focused onhow 'To Grow Perpetually', come whatmay

● A leader who dares to make ambitiousgrowth plans while the rest of the worldis retracing its steps

● A CMD endowed with not only asharp business acumen but also anuncanny HR acumen making himconsistently pull out his people from a'comfort zone' into a 'learning zone'

● A leader who has actually chalked out aplan to generate employment for 500-600 people and create a talent pool of40-50 middle level managers to meet

the requirement for these growth plans● A leader who treads cautiously and

takes calculated risks, but makes surethere is constant growth

● A founder who reads 'recession andretrenchment' as 'opportunity and timefor solidarity'

● A founder who assures us that'retrenchment is not the way out' andgives an inspiring call 'to stick strongertogether, work longer and harder' totide over such a recessionary business cli-mate

● For having a founder and a leader whoconsider us 'family' and believe thatretrenchment happens in companiesbecause problems are not shared withthe 'family members' (employees)

● For being part of a 'Kohinoor' organi-zation which lives up to its name. Wehave heard of many 'family businesses'but Kohinoor is a unique 'business fam-ily'. People join Kohinoor for business

(job), but soon become 'family'● For being part of a 'Kohinoor' organi-

zation where sincere and hard-workingpeople are valued , cultivated andrewarded; even their mistakes areamended by proper guidance. Weknow from experience that one can beshown the door only for insincerity,shirking work or unethical behaviour

● For having a CMD who always sees toit that whatever the circumstances, ourhome fires are kept burning

There are so many more (space inade-quate), but to add a few more to the list,

● For having a leader who has demon-strated that along with ambitious busi-ness goals, one can also simultaneouslyachieve 'personal goals which are notonly measurable but visible' and oneneed not come in the way of the other.Sir, in the past couple of months, a largepart of you has as though disappearedinto thin air and we have been seeing a

much slimmer and trimmer UnmeshSir. According to us, you have alreadyachieved your goal, but if your target ishigher (or lower!), we wish you all thebest. In fact, we know that you will hitthe bull's eye and meet your target.

● For generously lending us your columnspace of 'Between u & me'

For these boons and many more, we thankyou, our beloved founder and the directors ofKohinoor. We assure you, Sir, that we con-sider it our privilege to be with you in yourdreams for Kohinoor (they are ours too) andeach one of us will contribute with all ourmight to achieve them.

And of course, we continue to count ourblessings...

Commitedly Yours,Mukund Kamat & Hopsitality TeamAtul Modak & Realty TeamDr B P Verma, AtulKaranjkar &

Education TeamSonal Satelkar & Group Team

KBSCMR Forges India-China Educational Coalition

CCoouunnttiinngg OOuurr BBlleessssiinnggss……

The Kohinoor Group is asocially conscious cor-porate citizen. Every divi-

sion of the Group endeav-ours to fulfil its social obliga-tions. Close on the heels ofKohinoor Business School &Center for ManagementResearch (KBSCMR) which

organised a blood donationcamp on Independence Dayat Kohinoor Global Campus,Khandala, and KohinoorContinental which hasalways been enriching thelives of children from orphan-ages on festive occasions likeDiwali and Christmas, the

Bengaluru (erstwhileBangalore) branch ofKohinoor Technical Institutealso followed suit.

On 21st December 2008,Kohinoor Technical Institute,Bengaluru, organised aBlood Donation camp on itspremises in association with

the Rashtrotthana BloodBank. The students and staffof Kohinoor TechnicalInstitute responded enthusi-astically although it was aSunday and RashtrotthanaBlood Bank succeeded inmaking an impressive col-lection of the vital biologicalfluid which saves many a life.

Kohinoor TechnicalInstitute was awarded a cer-tificate by RashtrotthanaBlood Bank. Certificates werealso issued to all the blooddonors.

Dr B P Verma with Prof Zhang Guo Liang

Kohinoor Technical Institute OrganisesBlood Donation Camp at Bengaluru