DHAKA TRIBUNE
BAT Managing Director Shehzad Munim shares the story of his journey
Career
Battle of Minds ‘14 kicks off at IBA n Murshidul Hasan
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Head of HR Rumana Rahman speaks to the students
Although the competition is a recruitment tool for BAT Bangladesh, it is unlike any other business competition. In the competition, participants from top universities of Bangladesh go through real-life challenges of working in a multinational company
Understanding stock talk n Career Desk Bid - The price a buyer is willing to offer for shares in a company. Blue Chip Stocks - Stocks of leading companies with a BIZ reputation for stable VOCAB growth and earnings. Bond - Certificate issued by companies and governments to their lenders. Capital - Money and other property of companies used in transacting the business. Capital stock - All shares representing ownership of a company. Commodities - Products such as agricultural products and natural resources (wood, oil and metals) that are traded on a separate, authorised commodities exchange. Dividend - A portion of a company’s earnings that is paid to the shareholders/stockholders on a quarterly or annual basis. Equity - The value of stocks and shares; the net value of mortgaged property. Equities - Stocks and shares that represent a portion of the capital of a company. Futures - Contracts to buy or sell securities at a future date. Insider - All those who have access to inside information concerning the company. Insider dealing/trading - Buying or selling with the help of information known only to those connected with the business. IPO - Initial Public Offering - selling part of a company on the stock market. Issue - Put into circulation a number of a company’s shares for sale. Mortgage - Agreement by which a bank or building society lends money for the
purchase of property, such as a house or apartment. The property is the security for the loan. Mutual fund - Savings fund that uses cash from a pool of savers to buy securities such as stock, bonds or real estate. Par value - Nominal face value. Penny stock - Shares selling at less than $1 a share. Securities - Transferable certificates showing ownership of stocks, bonds, shares, options, etc. Share - The capital of a company is divided into shares which entitle the owner, or shareholder, to a proportion of the profits. Share certificate - Certificate representing the number of shares owned by an investor. Shareholder - Owner of shares. Speculator - Someone who buys and sells stocks and shares in the hope of making a profit through changes in their value. Stock - Shares (portion of the capital of a business company) held by an investor. Stockbroker - A licensed professional who buys and sells stocks and shares for clients in exchange for a fee called a “commission.” Stockholder - Person who owns stocks and shares. Trader - Investor who holds stocks and securities for a short time (minutes, hours or days) with the objective of making profit from short-term gains in the market. Investment is generally based on stock price rather than on an evaluation of the company. Trading session - Period during which the Stock Exchange is open for trading. Venture capital - Money raised by companies to finance new ventures in exchange for percentage ownership.
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Sunday, September 21, 2014
he wait is over for the most exciting business competition of the year. Battle of Minds ‘14 kicked off this year at the auditorium of Institute of Business Administration (IBA), University of Dhaka last Wednesday, September 10. With the slogan “Are you next in the Legacy of Leaders?” previous BBA graduates of IBA who are working for British American Tobacco (BAT) Bangladesh came to their university campus to motivate the talented youth. The excitement of participating in the prestigious business competition was felt within students throughout the auditorium. Sajeed Alam, a student of BBA 20th batch of IBA, said: “Battle of Minds is very structured with a thorough assessment and a very lucrative performance appraisal system. A job with BAT Bangladesh thereafter, or any prospect of being involved is quite interesting.” Assistant Professor at IBA Ms Homayara Ahmed took to the stage first, prompting silence from the entire auditorium. She welcomed the room full of excited students from the 19th to 21st BBA batches to the ceremony, praising their earlier achievements and hoping for more successes to come. IBA Director, Professor Iqbal Ahmad was then given the floor by Ms Homayara. He expressed his pride that various managerial positions at BAT Bangladesh are represented by IBA students. He said: “Those who are working at BAT Bangladesh are similar to you except that they have experience and corporate attributes. They are here to train you in the ways of the corporate world.” He emphasised how the programme will give the students a flavour of working in one of the top multinational companies (MNC) in Bangladesh, nurture their skills, and that a number of them will be recruited from the competition.
Ms Homayara expounded the necessity of choosing a company to work for based on mentors and organisational culture. A short video captioned “Champions return home” featuring all alumni of IBA working for BAT Bangladesh was then showed to the audience which was received with tremendous applause. The ceremony was brought to life by an inspiring and humble speech by Managing Director of BAT Bangladesh Shehzad Munim, also from the BBA 1st batch of IBA and the first Bangladeshi to hold the top position in the 103-yearold company. He expressed his pride in returning to IBA after so many years. He said: “You should feel proud as students of IBA, as you are getting the best business education of Bangladesh. The ambiance, teaching quality and uncertainty that you are faced with in IBA are planned. This prepares you to tackle any challenge thrown at you. The world is not a perfect place and you should be ready.” Shehzad Munim then took the audience through his career path, from joining BAT Bangladesh after graduation in 1997, becoming brand manager, joining the New Zealand team operations as head of brands, moving to Australian operations, and coming back to Bangladesh as head of marketing in 2007. In July 2010, he became the area head of marketing – South Asia, and finally realising his dream as managing director of BAT Bangladesh since October, 2013. He asked the students to dream big, stay hungry, and to keep pursuing new challenges. He then handed the stage over to the recent recruits of BAT Bangladesh, Fayruz Ahsan and Jawaad Bin Hamid from the BBA 17th batch of IBA. Fayruz Ahsan in his speech said: “A few years ago, I was sitting amongst you. It was a very big decision for me to choose a career path. However, I am
glad to have made the right decision. I have found that BAT Bangladesh is the best learning institute in Bangladesh. At BAT Bangladesh, you either accomplish tasks or learn how to do them. There are times when you will be wrong, however you are given opportunities at all stages to learn and correct yourselves. Marketing HR Executive Jawaad Bin Hamid shared his experiences with the company next. He expressed his enthusiasm about how he was given bigger challenges consistently. Also, at BAT Bangladesh, the work culture is such that
There is chance for all contestants to be called upon for joining BAT Bangladesh in various entry-level positions you can ask anyone for help. You will come out as a better person who is more knowledgeable than the one who went to your seniors for guidance. Indeed, you are pushed further continuously to exceed even your own expectations.” The speech ended with massive applause, and a video about the organisational culture was shown on the big screen. Afterwards, Adrita Datta, Talent Manager of BAT Bangladesh announced the official commencement of Battle of Minds 2014. She also explained how Battle of Minds gives a feel of a real-life experience of working in one of the biggest MNCs of the country and can act as a great transition platform to get the students prepared for their work life. Adrita, then shared the key information to join Battle of Minds 2014 and encouraged participation of the students.
HR Business Partner and Ex-Project Manager of Battle of Minds Md Jahid Shafique next appeared on stage. He said: “Battle of Minds is a competition that challenges you in representing your education institute on the national level encompassing more than two thousand students from all the reputed universities of the country.” The last speaker for the day was Rumana Rahman, Head of HR of BAT Bangladesh. Rumana in her speech shared a few unique attributes of the company – freedom of speech and the care from the company. She asked the students to be always humble about themselves. Finally, the BAT Bangladesh team took on the stage to have an open discussion with the students. In the discussion, various questions from students about work culture, trade marketing, relationship with retailers, and recruitment criteria were answered. The session was concluded by Rumana Rahman wishing the students the best for taking part in Battle of Minds 2014! Although the competition is a recruitment tool for BAT Bangladesh, it is unlike any other business competition. In the competition, participants from top universities of Bangladesh go through real-life challenges of working in a multinational company. Moreover, contestants who do not make it to the final stages also end up gathering necessary skills to compete for high-demand positions in top multinational and local companies. There is a chance for all contestants to be called upon for joining BAT Bangladesh in various entry-level positions. For participating in Battle of Minds, undergraduate students will have to visit the BAT Bangladesh career website. The registration will continue from September 15 to October 15, 2014. It is mandatory to have accounts in Twitter and LinkedIn for interested participants. l
Reap what you sow from networking n Ahsan Sajid
As a career starter, the idea of networking is synonymous to job search. Everybody knows that to get a job, you must be plugged into a network that will push your CV on top of the right desk, in front of the right eyes. Once you’ve landed the job, networking seems less important. But it is a 24-hours-a-day-7-days-a-week process, a two-way channel of giving and getting. It is not a skill you turn on and off. Building yourself an effective network depends largely on what you can do for others. Do not be a fair weather friend. Nobody is going to return your call when you ask for something, unless you have done something for them first. Here are seven simple networking tips to give you the edge.
Be on time
There is no fashionably late. Showing up early is a much better strategy: things will be calmer and quieter and people won’t have settled into groups yet, giving you the opportunity to set the tone for conversations.
Keep it light
Networking is all about relationship building. Keep your exchange fun, light and informal. The idea is to get things started, not seal the deal. Don't try to plug your product or make a sale. What you are selling is a good conversation.
Ask questions
Don’t wait to be approached, simply walk up to a person or group and say
BIGSTOCK
something like “May I join you?” or “What brings you to this event?” Listen intently. However, don’t insert yourself into a group of friends or a conversation that already looks too heated.
Share the passion
The easiest way to win someone over is with your enthusiasm for your work. Tell a story about why you were inspired to work in your field, if the situation permits. Passion is contagious; when you get others to share their pas-
sion, you stay in their minds.
Roll with the flow
Many who dislike networking often try to commandeer the discussion to be at ease. Instead of doing this, find a way to insert yourself into the ongoing discussion. The most successful networkers make others feel special instead of only talking about what they care about.
Smile
It’s the simplest but most overlooked
tool. It puts you at ease if you’re nervous and it makes you seem warm, approachable and inviting.
Follow up
Networking is where the conversation begins, not ends. Ask the people that you have hit it off with how you could stay in touch. Get in touch within 48 hours of meeting them; reference something you discussed so your contact remembers you, so they remember you easily and take it from there. l