17th May, 2011
Volume1, Issue4
CE-N Systems Pvt. Ltd.
iCE-N Inside this issue: Appraisal time!!!
India—Superpower by 2020
2 3 4
People who get what they want...
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Leading by example
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Miracle construction material
Entertainment Art Attack & more...
May day—Tag der Arbeit Oddly, the widespread custom of celebrating Labor Day on the first of May (am ersten Mai) was inspired by events in the United States, one of the few countries that does not observe Labor Day in May! In Germany, May Day (erster Mai, May 1st) is a national holiday and an important day, partly because of Blutmai ("bloody May") in 1929. That year in Berlin the ruling Social Democratic (SPD) party had banned the traditional workers' demonstrations. But the KPD (Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands) called for demonstrations anyway. The resulting bloodbath left 32 people dead and at least 80 seriously injured. It also left a big split between the two workers' parties (KPD and SPD). The National Socialists named the holiday Tag der Arbeit ("Day of Labor"), the name still used in Germany today.
Germany's Tag der Arbeit and most European Labor Day observances are primarily a working class holiday. In recent years Germany's chronic high unemployment (Arbeitslosigkeit, over 5 million in 2004) also comes into focus each May. The holiday also tends to be a day of Demos that often turn into clashes between the demonstrators (more like hooligans) and the police in Berlin and other large cities. If the weather allows, nice, lawabiding people use the day for picnicking or relaxing with the family. May Day is a nationwide bank holiday in India. The holiday is tied to labor movements for communist and socialist political parties. In Maharashtra and Gujarat, it is officially called Maharashtra Day and Gujarat (Continued on page 2)
An article from Mrs. Sudha Murthy It was probably the April of 1974. Bangalore was getting warm and gulmohars were blooming at the IISc campus. I was the only girl in my postgraduate department and was staying at the ladies’ hostel. Other girls were pursuing research in different departments of Science.
required young, bright engineers, hardworking and with an excellent academic background, etc. At the bottom was a small line: ―Lady candidates need not apply.‖ I read it and was very upset. For the first time in my life I was up against gender discrimination.
I was looking forward to going abroad to complete a doctorate in computer science. I had been offered scholarships from Universities in the US. I had not thought of taking up a job in India. One day, while on the way to my hostel from our lecture-hall complex, I saw an advertisement on the notice board. It was a standard job-requirement notice from the famous automobile company Telco (now Tata Motors). It stated that the company
Though I was not keen on taking up the job, I saw it as a challenge. I had done extremely well in academics, better than most of my male peers. Little did I know then that in real life academic excellence is not enough to be successful? After reading the notice I went fuming to my room. I decided to inform the topmost person in Telco’s management about the injustice the company (Continued on page 5)
Volume1, Issue4 heed to popular demand for creation of Maharashtra on the same line.
May day—Tag der Arbeit
Tired of the adamant attitude of the then Government independent in 1947, at the Centre, people at last decided to fight against Day respectively, since on this day in 1960 each it. The government used force to suppress the Bombay in Western attained statehood, after the old Bombay demand. More than hundred people were killed when India, was a separate State became divided on linguistic lines. When India the police opened fire at Flora Fountain in Mumbai. became independent in 1947, Bombay in Western state with the areas in Samyukta Maharshtra Samiti (SMS) achieved its goal India, was a separate state with the areas in the when the state, with Mumbai as its capital, was the existing existing Maharashtra and Gujarat states. formed on 1st May, 1960, under the Bombay ReMaharashtra and Organization Act. It is to commemorate this tragic Gujarat states.” In 1950s Samyukta Maharshtra Samiti (SMS) incident that Flora Fountain is renamed since then as spearheaded the demand for creation of a separate Hutatma Smarak. Marathi speaking state out of the then bilingual State of Bombay. - Swapnil Bhor Though Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka came into formation in 1950, the Central Government was not paying any “When India became
(Continued from page 1)
CE-N, India
Welcomes Christian Becker
Structural Project Manager CE-N, Bochum
Appraisal time!!! I was told to write an article on any subject of HR. I thought a lot about it and finally decided that why not write about the current & most popular topic revolving in everybody’s mind that is Appraisal‟s. This year CE-N also observed a total systematic procedure for the performance appraisals. The procedure was very well initiated and defined by our Directors. This included a systematic rating system based on data like; total experience, independent working skills, reliability, discipline at the workplace, team skills, punctuality, attendance etc. These points for every individual were rated by a group of seniors to eliminate any kind of favouritism or grudge. The
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objective here was that everybody should get a fair rating. Every employee in CE-N (other than those on probation), was given the hike based on the review from the rating system. But what the management noticed that after being given an appraisal nobody came forward and said yes they were happy. I guess it is human nature that how much ever we get we always expect more. I would like to share one story with everybody a friend of mine works in a very good company and is working at a high post. She is very regular and disciplined towards her work but her manager is not that way. Her manager most of the times never
(Continued on page 6)
iCE-N
ETFE—A miracle construction material
Allianz Arena: Munich, Germany The exterior of the Allianz Arena is constructed of 2874 air-filled ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE) panels. From a distance, the exterior looks like a white automobile tire. Up close, the panels are semitransparent.
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Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), is a kind of plastic, which was designed to have high corrosion resistance and strength over a wide range of operating temperature. Actually ETFE is a polymer, and its scientific name is poly (ethylene—co—tetrafluoroethylene).
industry. As a dual laminate, ETFE can be bonded with FRP as a thermoplastic liner, and used in pipes, tanks, and vessels for additional corrosion protection.
ETFE has a very high melting temperature, excellent chemical, electrical and high energy radiation resistance properties. When burned ETFE releases hydrofluoric acid.
ETEF’s advantage over glass is, it Transmits more light, insulates better, costs 24 to 70% less to install, and is only 0.01 the weight of glass.
A good example of its use is as pneumatic panels to cover the outside of the football stadium. Another key use of ETFE is for the covering of electrical wiring used in high stress, low fume toxicity and high reliability situations such as in aviation and aerospace
The most frequent use of ETFE is in the nuclear industry, aviation and aerospace industries for wire coatings. This is because of best mechanical toughness. In addition, ETFE exhibits a high-energy radiation resistance and can withstand moderately high temperatures for a long period of time.
ETFE is often called a miracle construction material because of its own properties such as; ETFE is strong enough to bear 400 times its own weight. It can be stretched to three times its length without loss of elasticity; it has a nonstick surface that resists dirt. - Deepak N. R.
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India—Superpower by 2020 Few days back a casual discussion started in the ―Vaktavya‖, the topic was – Will India becomes superpower by 2020? Here are some interesting facts. Wikipedia defines superpower as ―a state with a dominant position in the international system which has the ability to influence events and its own interests and project power on a worldwide scale to protect those interests.‖ In 1940s United States and Soviet Union only were considered superpowers because they were capable of influencing global politics. What it “Superpower stature takes to be a superpower? The can be measured by stature can be measured by the the supremacy in supremacy in Military, Economic, Military, Economic, Political, and Cultural powers.
looks promising and grows by even 9% per year as projected, there is one astonishing fact that we are ranked 127th when it comes to GDP per capita.
Political, and Cultural Even though India has second powers.”
India had a rich cultural heritage. The origin of Indian culture dates back to 5000 years. We are one of the ancient civilizations in the world. Indian culture has contributed world in many ways. The major contributions are in the area of medical science (Yoga and Ayurveda), mathematics (invention of zero), architecture, astronomy, fine arts and many more. Culturally India still influences the world.
largest army in the world by number of soldiers, considering combination of Manpower, Technology, Firepower, Training, Resources, Available Reserves and Nuclear Potential we are fourth whereas China is second to only US. On the air force and Naval front again we are not in top three nations and also behind China. On economic front, India has GDP of close to 3000 billion dollars ranking fourth largest economy in the world whereas Chinese economy is just more than double and that of US is four times bigger than us. Though this GDP figure
India is the largest democracy in the world. It is constitutional republics which weakens the threat of a dictatorship and protect the interests of one and all. We are one of the founder members of SAARC which aims at cooperation of south Asian countries in 11 stated areas which affect the development of any country. But on the global front we are not politically influential. We neither have a permanent seat on UN Security Council nor have strong political ties with Western Europe and East Asian countries.
In the nutshell, though people say we have the potential to become a superpower by 2020, it is a fact that we are way behind to be a ―Superpower‖. It’s time for each one of us to think and ACT. - Vikram Farakte
Happy weddings Congratulations Hitendra weds Harshika 5th May 2011 Vaibhav weds Gayatri 15th May 2011 Page 4
Swapnil Bhor Employee of the Year
iCE-N
An article from Mrs. Sudha Murthy (Continued from page 1)
was perpetrating. I got a postcard and started to write, but there was a problem: I did not know who headed Telco thought it must be one of the Tatas. I knew JRD Tata was the head of the Tata Group; I had seen his pictures in newspapers. I took the card, addressed it to JRD and started writing. To this day I remember clearly what I wrote. ―The great Tatas have always been pioneers. They are the people who started the basic infrastructure industries in India, such as iron and steel, chemicals, textiles and locomotives. They have cared for higher education in India since 1900 and they were responsible for the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science. Fortunately, I study there. But I am surprised how a company such as Telco is discriminating on the basis of gender.‖ I posted the letter and forgot about it. Less than 10 days later, I received a telegram stating that I had to appear for an interview at Telco’s Pune facility at the company’s expense. I was taken aback by the telegram. My hostel mate told me I should use the opportunity to go to Pune free of cost and buy them the famous Pune saris for cheap! I collected Rs 30 each from everyone who wanted a sari. When I look back, I feel like laughing at the reasons for my going, but back then they seemed good enough to make the trip. It was my first visit to Pune and I immediately fell in love with the city. To this day it remains dear to me. I feel as much at home in Pune as I do in Hubli, my hometown. The place changed my life in so many ways. As directed, I went to Telco’s Pimpri office for the interview. There were six people on the panel and I realized then that this was serious business. ―This is the girl who wrote to JRD,‖ I heard somebody whisper as soon as I entered the room. By then I knew for sure that I would not get the job. The realization abolished all fear from my mind, so I was rather cool while the interview was being conducted. I told them, rather impolitely, ―I hope this is only a technical interview.‖ They were taken aback by my rudeness, and even today I am ashamed about my attitude. The panel asked me technical questions and I answered all of them. Then an elderly gentleman with an affectionate voice told me, ―Do you know why we said lady candidates need not apply? The reason is that we have never employed any ladies on the shop floor. This is not a co-ed college; this is a factory. When it comes to academics, you are a first ranker throughout. We appreciate that, but people like you should work in research laboratories.‖ ―But you must start somewhere; otherwise no woman will ever be able to work in your factories.‖ Finally, after a long interview, I was told I had been successful. So this was what the future had in store for me. Never had I thought I would take up a job in Pune. I met a shy young man from Karnataka there, we Page 5
became good friends and we got married. It was only after joining Telco that I realized who JRD was: the uncrowned king of Indian industry. Now I was scared, but I did not get to meet him till I was transferred to Bombay. One day I had to show some reports to our chairman. I was in his office on the first floor of Bombay House (the Tata headquarters) when, suddenly JRD walked in. I was feeling very nervous, remembering my postcard episode. SM introduced me nicely, ―Jeh (that’s what his close associates called him), this young woman is an engineer and that too a postgraduate. She is the first woman to work on the Telco shop floor.‖ JRD looked at me. I was praying he would not ask me any questions about my interview (or the postcard that preceded it). Thankfully, he didn’t. Instead, he remarked. ―It is nice that girls are getting into engineering in our country. By the way, what is your name?‖ ―When I joined Telco I was Sudha Kulkarni, Sir,‖ I replied. ―Now I am Sudha Murthy.‖ He smiled and kindly smile and started a discussion with SM. As for me, I almost ran out of the room. After that I used to see JRD on and off. He was the Tata Group chairman and I was merely an engineer. There was nothing that we had in common. I was in awe of him. In 1982, I had to resign from my job at Telco. I was reluctant to go, but I really did not have a choice. I was coming down the steps of Bombay House after wrapping up my final settlement when I saw JRD coming up. He was absorbed in thought. I wanted to say goodbye to him, so I stopped. He saw me and paused. Gently, he said, ―So what are you doing, Mrs. Kulkarni?‖ ―Sir, I am leaving Telco.‖ ―Where are you going?‖ he asked. ―Pune, Sir. My husband is starting a company called Infosys and I’m shifting to Pune.‖ ―Oh! And what will you do when you are successful?‖ ―Sir, I don’t know whether we will be successful.‖ ―Never start with diffidence,‖ he advised me, ―Always start with confidence. When you are successful you must give back to society. Society gives us so much; we must reciprocate. I wish you all the best.‖ Then JRD continued walking up the stairs. I stood there for what seemed like a millennium. That was the last time I saw him alive. I consider JRD a great man because, despite being an extremely busy person, he valued one postcard written by a young girl seeking justice. He must have received thousands of letters every day. He could have thrown mine away, but he didn’t do that. He respected the intentions of that unknown girl, who had neither influence nor money, and gave her an opportunity in his company. He did not merely give her a job; he changed her life and mindset forever. Close to 50 per cent of the students in today’s engineering colleges are girls. And there are women on the shop floor in many industry segments. I see these changes and I think of JRD. If at all time stops and asks me what I want from life, I would say I wish JRD were alive today to see how the company we started has grown. He would have enjoyed it wholeheartedly. -Compiled by Bhushan Save
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People Who Get What They Want… What Are They Thinking? Imagine being able to choose any outcome and automatically feel motivated to make it happen. No matter what's standing in your way, you'd be so driven that you would blow right past it. You would get what you wanted every time. Sound too good to be true? I thought so too, until I learned a basic truth about the way we think and act.
And this is why so many people keep wishing for a better life instead of enjoying one. They don't have good enough reasons behind their goals. So what's the answer? What Can I Do to Succeed? Develop better reasons!
We do what we do for a reason. In other words, some kind of reason, whether good or bad, is at the root of everything we do. To the average person, this doesn't mean much, but you're not average. If you asked ten people on the street why they want to change or improve their lives, I have no doubt that you would get a whole lot of, 'Huh? Um… I'm not really sure. I guess I never thought about it,' or… 'Because it would make me happy.'
It's that simple. If I told you that walking across the room would radically change and improve your life in an instant - and you truly believed it - I guarantee you would be moving your feet right now.
Sorry, but that just isn't good enough. I said we do what we do for a reason, but not just any reason. It has to be a good one, a powerful one. When you put a weak reason behind any goal, it's not going to happen. 'It will make me happy,' isn't strong or specific enough. It doesn't excite or inspire. Taking into account the way our mind works, this is never going to move you to action.
And it all starts with a good reason. So take some time right now to think of at least three great reasons why your goal is worth achieving. Make them specific, powerful, exciting, and inspiring.
“If I told you that walking across the room would radically change and improve your life in an instant, you would be moving your feet right now.”
Why? Because the reason moved you to action. It was powerful enough to make things happen. And that's what you need to do when it comes to your own ideas of a happier, more successful life. Think of yourself as a master storyteller. The better story you tell about what success will do for you, the faster it will happen. When you sell yourself on what you want, you'll effortlessly and automatically be driven to make it happen.
- Jason Gracia (www.motivation123.com)
Appraisal time!!! (Continued from page 2) showed up to work and was least bothered about the people working. She had made an environment in the office where people working under her had a laid back attitude and created a very wrong and horrible environment for a newcomer to work in. It was my friend’s bad luck who was transferred to that office to work with such people. But still she tolerated and worked hard for a year in that1 office. When the appraisal’s came her head gave such a low rating for my friend that she did not get any appraisal’s this year for the first time in her career there were people at a lower post then her who got an appraisal and they too were shocked about what happened with my friend. This was because my friend tried to change the politics and the work attitude of the employees. Her manager had a grudge against her.
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When my friend went and complained to the senior head they said they could not do anything about this injustice that was done to her the appraisal’s were already done. She was so upset she did not know what to do. When I got to know this I realised that how can I crib even though my rating was low at least I got an appraisal there are people more deserving in much bigger companies who face much bigger problems even though they handle such big responsibilities. We should be thanking our stars for such a fair appraisal review system in CE-N. After being given this hike we should actually analyse ourselves and if possible ask our seniors to tell us honestly where we lack in our skills and accept those faults and prove ourselves that nobody has a reason to complain about us. Always take things in a positive manner! - Trupti Oza
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Leading by example As a leader, it's your responsibility to get the most out of your employees. Your leadership style will have a significant impact on their motivation to produce. Leading by example is one way to accomplish this, and it means more than simply walking the talk. It also includes such ideas as integrity, taking action, and following through. If, for example, you introduce a new set of workplace rules, not only do you need to follow them yourself, but also ensure that they are enforced. If not, you send a very clear message that you're not worth listening to. Of course, you don't need to create a set of rigid rules to be an effective leader. In fact, the fewer you have, the more weight they will carry, and the more likely your employees will remember them. However, any type of rule, whether explicit or implied, can demonstrate your executive leadership style. Even a minor infraction on your part can lead your employees to seeking guidance elsewhere. In other words, as a leader, you need to be the best you can be at all times. When you do make a mistake, admit it rather than make excuses, and you will gain the trust and respect of your team. Leadership involves much more than laying down the law and expecting people to follow. While this approach may have worked in the past, it is not the way of today's workforce, and should you choose this route, you will likely lose good people. How then, do you lead effectively and by example? Take the time to listen to your employees and get to know them. If you want your employees to trust and respect you, then extend these courtesies to your staff. The added benefit is that, in an executive position, you simply cannot know everything that is going on throughout the company. Your employees, on the other hand, may have their fingers on the pulse of the business--or certain aspects of the business--that you should know about. Your staff will also (ideally) include a wide range of talents. This knowledge and talent combines to provide you with an effective business strategy if you let it. Listen to your employees, use their strengths, and observe the benefits. Moreover, do ensure that you walk your talk. It sounds obvious, but too often executives forget to follow-through on this. It's easy to
Happy birthday Vijay Date 14th May Hitesh Bafna 16th May Page 7
become caught up in deadlines and other urgent business, and it can be tempting to bend the rules for convenience; however, each time you do this, you give your staff another reason not to trust you as a leader, and this can quickly lead to company-wide division. The benefits you will reap by acting in a manner you expect of your employees are well worth it. If you lead from on high, shut away in an office, or cut-off through your actions and attitude, you risk being viewed as someone cold and distant. This puts you, as an executive, at a distinct disadvantage, as potential problems will not reach your ears. However, if you lead with an attitude and actions that you expect of your team, you foster a company culture of working together and reaching a common goal. If the executive can say hello to everyone, for example, so too can the rest of the staff. Bear in mind that actions speak louder than words. You can develop a fabulous mission statement, but it means nothing if there are no actions to make it happen. Too often, executives or others in leadership fall into the trap of talking about great ideas, but without the follow-up, they're just empty words. Effective leadership means learning how to prioritize and using people to set the right course of action. Throughout your executive career, you've likely developed the ability to prioritize quite well; however, if you have not yet learned to delegate effectively, now is the time. As mentioned earlier, if you have a talented staff to choose from, you can easily choose the best people for the job and implement a variety of plans. Moving beyond the talk and into the action in this manner speaks louder than words ever could--it shows, in clear terms, the trust you place in your team. Finally, approach your leadership style with a bit of common sense. Be courteous to everyone you encounter and in all situations, including those where you find yourself having to reprimand or discipline employees. It's only natural that your staff will want to work hard for you if they respect you, but you have to give them good reason. One way this can be accomplished is leading by example. - Teena Rose (www.resumetoreferral.com)
Onkar Kalwade 6th May Arati Sharma 22nd May Swati Gangdhar 29th May
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Did You Know
Guess the CE-Nebrity
A fetus acquires fingerprints at the age of three months. A sneeze can exceed the speed of 100 mph. Every person has a unique tongue print. According to German researchers, the risk of heart attack is higher on Monday than any other day of the week. 5. After spending hours working at a computer display, look at a blank piece of white paper. It will probably appear pink. 6. It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown. 7. Babies are born with 300 bones, but by adulthood, we only have 206. 8. Every square inch of the human body has an average of 32 million bacteria on it. 9. All the blood vessels in the body joined end to end would stretch 62,000 miles or two and a half times around the earth. 10. The heart circulates the body's blood supply about 1,000 times each day.
Be the first one & win a prize!!! (Send your answer here)
1. 2. 3. 4.
Distracted? You have „too much‟ brain A new study by the scientists at the University College London has found larger than average volumes of grey matter in certain brain regions of people whose attention is readily diverted. That means people who are easily distracted may have too much brain. Ryota Kanai and his colleagues arrived at this conclusion after comparing the brain activity in both easy and difficult-to-distract people. Each individual was quizzed
about various attention-orientated activities they perform like how often do they notice traffic signs. The most distracted individuals received the highest score. The researchers found that people who are easily distracted had more grey matter in a region of the brain known as the left superior parietal lobe compared to those who are not easily distracted.
Art-Attack! SUDOKU
This newsletter is for internal circulation in CE-N only. Published on behalf of CE-N, India by Santosh Kolhe. Letters to the editor and contributions can be sent by e-mail to: iCE-N@ce-n.com
© 2011 CE-N Systems Pvt. Ltd.
A wonderful color blend achieved by a very young painter, Tanmayee Kolhe, daughter of our Director, Santosh Kolhe.