Tuesday 27 May 2014

Why is it important to pursue a degree in business management?



A large number of high school students choose to undertake an undergraduate degree in business management as there is great demand for the course. As a result of this many management institutes have sprung up across the country offering quality business management undergraduate programmes.
If one is really interested to study a diploma or degree in business management, it is important that one chooses the right institute and there is no dearth of institutions offering BBA and BBM programmes in the country. However, one must keep in mind that one should choose a good institute as the placements that an institute has on offer depend on the quality of an institute and its faculty. Most top colleges have some form of an entrance test or examination for which students have to prepare for. The questions asked generally pertain to general knowledge, basic mathematics, economics, statistics, etc and one must prepare well for these. Top colleges for business management generally tend to be very strict about their application and admission procedure, so the better the preparation the better the chance of getting in.
The best way to find out about top colleges for business management is to go onto the internet and search for them. Another way to go about this search is to speak to your high school’s guidance counselor and seek his/her help. Some external companies also providence counseling services which are based on career aptitude tests that one can pay for and take and usually the counselor will come up with a detailed report as to which career to choose and why and on the basis of this recommend streams and institutions. Apart from this one can also seek advice from seniors, friends or family as to which institution is the best for business management.
Once a candidate has passed the examination he/she might be also asked to sit for an interview with the faculty of business administration. During the course of this interview, the faculty tries to judge the student’s ability and aptitude as well as gather information on his/her short term as well as long term goals so as to get an idea on what he/she wants in the future. International colleges and universities go beyond this and also ask for references from high school teachers and counselors.
Whichever institute one decides to choose, what is of utmost importance is the employment opportunities post completion of the business management degree and also the quality of the employers that seek potential candidates. Hence, one should take time to make the correct decision.

Careers in Animation in India



Animation is an amalgamation of different creative arts and technologies where moving images are created in 2D as well as 3D to leave audiences awe struck. Animation involves conception of images into either a feature film, advertisement or computer game. There are a large number of interactive media and animation institutes both in India and abroad that offer a wide variety of courses in 2D, 3D, VFX as well as other courses in web & graphic design. After graduating from a reputable animation institute, one can get placed in reputed VFX studios, ad agencies, gaming companies, etc in India or abroad.
Indians have always been a fan of western superhero movies which gave rise to Indian superheroes in recent times. We remain awe struck after seeing a X-men, James Bond, Finding Nemo or Up! film. This liking for western amazement gave rise to Indian superheroes such as Krrish and Chhota Bheem as well as proved to be a boom for the Indian animation industry.
It is of utmost importance that if one is interested in a career in animation, the quality of the institution should be given weightage. The quality of the animation institute does not just depend on the faculty but also of the software and hardware it has on offer to its students. The faculty needs to be an animator by himself/herself so that he/she can guide the student from scratch. Therefore, it is important to interact with the faculty when choosing a top animation institute.
In today’s date, companies such as Pixar and EA Games don’t need any introduction and the reason behind it is animation and the quality of the animators work. Walt Disney set the precedent for quality animation for the masses in the beginning of the twentieth century itself which still amazes both young and old in every corner of the planet. With the purchase of Pixar Studios, Disney became a powerhouse of the animation world and is now on the forefront of character design, CGI and VFX.
It is the job of animation institutes to prepare candidates to gain employment in such companies and showcase their talent. Animation institutes provide a variety of courses to aspiring animators ranging from animators, designers, VFX artists, lighting experts and game designers. The courses are tailored to emerging trends in the animation industry and sometime animation courses are coupled with courses in graphic or web design and mass communication as well. Therefore it is imperative to choose an animation institute which provides career oriented animation courses that help a student gain an insight into the emerging trends of the animation industry.

Benefits of Pursuing a Hotel Management Course

The travel and tourism industry is growing significantly which has resulted in an increase in demand for educated and well qualified hotel managers. Hotel managers are responsible for all the guests in a hotel whether they are staying with the hotel or maybe even visiting for a meal, it is his/her responsibility that all guests of the hotel have a pleasant stay. When thinking about pursuing a degree in hotel management or enquiring about hotel management school, one definitely asks ‘What careers will the degree or diploma prepare me for?’
Hotel management is not just concerned about the towels and bed sheets in a guests room. Hotel managers need to coordinate various aspects of the hotel such as sales, housekeeping, front desk operations, food and beverage service, etc. It is possible, that some people might have climbed the ladder of success without any formal education in hotel management. However, now with the job becoming more complex and competition becoming more cut-throat. Those with a formal education in hotel or tourism management get better opportunities.
There are many types of hotel management Courses on offer. Certificate Courses in hotel management are shorter and generally available to cover various aspects of hotel management such as food and beverage service. These can vary from three to twelve months and prepare one for entry level jobs in the hospitality industry.
Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes are also available and the duration varies from institution to institution. Bachelor’s programmes in hotel management are generally three years in duration and cover all aspects of the hospitality industry and have a substantial internship regime built in as part of the curriculum. An undergraduate degree in hotel management can include courses such as restaurant management, tourism, culinary skills, etc. Most bachelor’s degrees also include business courses such as marketing, planning, management, logistics, financial management, facilities management, etc. After completing a bachelor’s degree in hotel management, a student can take up a management position in large hotels and resorts.
A postgraduate degree or Master’s degree in hotel management can vary from one to two years and will allow a candidate to hold an executive level position for large hotel chains or other allied companies in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

Monday 26 May 2014

How does the fashion design process work?



A fashion designer has many things to consider whilst planning his/her collection. These variables include research on sales, themes, trends and the most crucial part, the storyboard or the mood board. Collection planning and creation includes designing a complete range of garments that fit into a chosen mood, theme or trend. However at the same time there will be a commonality running throughout the entire collection. Moreover, garments in the collection should complement each other and carry a specific design characteristic that is identifiable to either the designer or the brand or label.
Large retail chains plan their collections meticulously, some working more than a year in advance. Their plans typically include the type of garments, number of styles, fabrics too use, price points, etc. In order to do this the designer needs to have an in depth understanding of the manufacturing process as well as the costs involved in order to be able to design for different price groups.
Collection planning is an important part of the fashion designing process and is based on historical sales data and is created to achieve maximum sales results so as to make the designer appealing to the end customer. The planning process will also include identifying colours and ratios to gain popularity with consumers. Sometimes at the beginning of each season, some fashion designers might also undertake inspiration trips as a part of their research. The aim of this research is to seek out new detailing, fabrics, silhouettes, etc that they feel will appeal to the target customer. A designer might choose to buy samples to refer as well to refer during the fashion design process.
From here on, the designer will start putting together ‘storyboards’or ‘mood boards’ that illustrate the collections theme or trend. Following which the designer might select certain themes that might suit his/her target market. Story boards or mood boards include images that depict the mood or inspiration behind the theme that the fashion designer has chosen. The pictures include silhouettes, colours, trims and text describing the so called ‘mood’.
A typical designer works on multiple trends so that all areas are covered to offer something new and updated at regular intervals. The reason behind this is that the designer will have something that appeals to everyone’s tastes. Once the story board is over, the designer will move onto creating colour palettes which embodies creating and using a wide array of colours that complement the theme and usually will include a core colour accompanied by highlight colours. Designers choose colours for their collections using fabric swatches, Pantone books, accompanied by the research and inspiration from early on in the design process. Once this is completed, the fashion designer can start designing her collection.
So where does one learn all of the above. In order to understand and learn the abovementioned processes, a candidate has to undertake the study of fashion design or fashion designing. Many institutions offer a variety of career oriented fashion design courses. These can either be diplomas in fashion design or a fashion design degree. One can also do a short term certificate Courses in fashion design. Newer courses also integrate fashion design and retail management together or offer the fashion design degree with a specialization such as luxury management.

Monday 12 May 2014

India’s Retail Outlook



The word ‘retail’ finds its origins in the French-Italian word ‘retailer’ which stands for someone who cuts off or shreds a small piece of an object. The term ‘retailing’ encompasses all activities of marketing and selling products or services to the end consumer for their respective personal or household use. The word ‘retailer’ refers to the person or agent or company or organization who is engaged in getting the goods or services to the end user.
There are predominantly two forms of retail in any country; one which is unorganized and the other being organized. Traditional or unorganized retail encompasses street markets, counter stores such as kirana shops, various kiosks, etc where the ownership and management rests predominantly with one person only. This sector accounts for more than two thirds of the Indian retail pie and requires low skilled labour. These outlets being family owned usually don’t have many overhead costs such as rentals, taxes and other such overheads.
Organized retailing on the other hand encompasses modern retailing destinations such as shopping malls, commercial complexes, etc that offer a wide variety of products of good quality that are also value for money as the retailer is buying in bulk and economies of scale kick in. 
Even though the retail sector is predominantly organized the only advantage is that consumer familiarity that passes from one generation to the next. The sector started transforming towards the late 1990’s with the emergence of the first malls such as Crossroads in Mumbai and Ansal Plaza in New Delhi which also gave rise to multi-brand outlets such as Shopper’s Stop, Lifestyle, Pantaloons, etc. The retail sector contributes over 11% to the country’s GDP out of which only about 3% comes from the organized sector. Even though many international players have entered and exited the space in the past two decades, they face stiff competition from the unorganized sector.
As the sector is witnessing rapid change and transformation apart from newer retail models such as kiosks and franchising along with the emergence of new product categories, the end consumer has started accepting the concept of modern retail. Moreover, malls have also started stepping away from tier I cities to tier II cities and tier III towns where the masses live as the consumer is more excited to see a shopping experience where both food and entertainment are under the same roof.