Volume 1, Issue 3 X L R I G M P N e w s l e t t e r

GliMPse
Editorial

Phew! It‗s been a really long time as well as the Pankaj Dhaba and dis- organized at the dhaba. We sure
since we met. A lot of water has played the spirit of bonding and to- utilized these holidays well to re-
flowed down the Subarnarekha since getherness that makes the XL com- deem the sleep that we had been
then. munity. denied all these days. 

The second term, much feared for
its increased hectic nature because
of the packed schedule of classes
and the immersion program, proved
to be more hectic in the short peri-
od after coming back. In the end,
all‘s well that ends well.
We also had the alumni homecom-
ing during this time where we got a
chance to interact with our Alumni
and learn about their experiences in
their professional lives post GMP.
The GMP seniors took this oppor-
tunity wholeheartedly to interact
with the current batch. The meet
ups were quite informative and in-
teractive, held within the classrooms
As customary with the GMP tradi-
tion, Amnesia 3.0 kicked off the 3rd
term. The winter chill accompanied
the start of 3rd term classes, and
with the schedule a little relaxed
compared to the previous two
terms, this was the term to focus on
our areas of interest and desired
competence.
Along came a breather in the middle
of the 3rd term in the form of
Christmas holidays during the last
week of the year. Many GMPians
decided to take a break and cele-
brate the New Year with their fami-
lies. Those who decided to remain in
the campus had a New Year party
Yet, the most exciting and enriching
experience during this rather long
hiatus between the two editions,
was the International Immersion
Program where GMPians traveled to
New Orleans, Chicago, Lille, Manila
and Taiwan for their respective ex-
change program cum short-term
internship projects. That‘s why we
thought it would be best to give you
a ‗GliMPse‘ at our experiences in the
International Immersion program.
So, here we are back with the 3rd
edition of Glimpse, with a promise
to deliver the next edition faster to
you than we did this one. Happy
Reading!!!

Inside this issue A Chinese Experience

Beyond the classroom
The Immersion Memoirs
The business of social gaming
Pro‘s words
Know your batch, mate!
Ego vs. Alter Ego—2
2 Nikhil Uppal, a GMP Student, had a ―Chinese experience‖ when he won
―Olympus‖, the flagship pan-India business leadership competition at
3-7 IIMC`s B-School fest - Intaglio-2011. The participants came not only
from top Indian schools such as all the IIMs, ISB and MDI but also from
8 schools across Asia Pacific such as ―China Europe International Business
School‖ (CEIBS), Shanghai. ―I found the Chinese participants very eager
9 to learn about India, our education system and our core values‖ – says
Nikhil when asked about his experiences. It seems Nikhil not only won
10 the event, easily one of the toughest competitions in the b-school
landscape, but along with other participants also managed to impress
11 the students from across the Himalayas.

Nikhil Uppal with the trophy

V ol ume 1, I ss ue 3 P ag e 2

Beyond the classroom... Narendran Santhanam

Swati Ghaisas

We had enjoyed the personality tests and his
conversational teaching style during the 1 st term
of GMP. Sitting in a cozy office largely occupied
by books about human behavior, Prof. Jittu Singh
shares with GliMPse some facts about his own
personality:
GliMPse: How was your first day at XL?
Prof. Jittu Singh: My first day XL was in 1968.
The college was very small in those days. In fact
the first thing that struck me was the compact
size of college!!! I had always studied at institu-
tions which were huge, and here everything was
in one building. Another thing that stood out
was the cosmopolitan group of both students
and professors, presence of different ethnic
groups, international students and professors.
The most memorable thing, of course, is the
community spirit of XLRI. That spirit was born
in those days, when even the director used to
join us for breakfast and dinner, sports etc. With
a small number of students and professors, it
was really easy to connect with everyone.
change in this world?
Prof. Jittu Singh: There are many things but most
importantly injustice and corruption going un-
questioned and taken as a way of life is some-
thing that really bothers me a lot. I would want
to change that.
GliMPse: Who do you consider your mentor
who has inspired you the most in your life?
Prof. Jittu Singh: My two former teachers, one
was school principal Father Gordon Murphy and
another Father Tome, have had a great influence
on me.
among highly talented employees recruited from
IITs who were leaving jobs to get MBA educa-
tion. We wanted to give them the equivalent of
an MBA and retain them in the company. I met
the director and we worked out a program. For
the first 2-3 years it was only for Tata steel
employees and then was opened for other com-
panies in the TATA group. Soon the program
gained reputation and other companies got
interested. That‘s when we decided to open the
program to all the interested students.
GliMPse: One line to describe GMP?

GliMPse: What‘s your most memorable incident

in XL?

Prof. Jittu Singh: Working with and learning from

Father Tome, one of the architects of what XLRI
is today, was truly memorable. He had a very
impressive personality, and was immensely
learned.

GliMPse: What do you hate about your job?

Prof. Jittu Singh: Evaluating answer papers!!!

(Now we know why we received our grades a
little ‘late‘ )

GliMPse: What is your happiest childhood

memory?

Prof. Jittu Singh: I guess that would be my school

days (St. Xavier‘s Patna). Those were the best
years!!! We had a great hostel—I made some of
my best friends there with whom I am still in
touch; the recent 45th anniversary reunion was
Prof. Jittu Singh: During his recent visit, Mr.
very memorable. Mathias - International Relation‘s Director for
GliMPse: Your favorite food?
the IESEG School Paris, said, ―This was the best
GliMPse: What do you love the most about
Prof. Jittu Singh: I am not a great foodie but I group we got in last 3 years from XLRI". I was
teaching at XLRI?
love to taste different varieties of food. Wherev- really proud to hear this. I also personally enjoy
er I go I like to sample the local cuisine. I am teaching GMP more simply because the industry
Prof. Jittu Singh: Teaching here keeps me alive!!!
willing to try some outrageous things like octo- experience that people carry facilitates more
I have seen corporate world, where things fall
pus, snails, horse meat etc. relevant discussion in the class.
into rut very quickly everywhere. But here with
new students coming in every year, the new
GliMPse: How did GMP come into existence? GliMPse: Your message to the current GMP
audience keeps the challenge going. This has
batch?
ensured that I am not yet brain dead!  Prof. Jittu Singh: I will take a good amount of
credit for that. I was in Tata Steel and we were A: Lage Raho! 
GliMPse: What is the one thing you want to
trying to find a solution for the attrition problem
P ag e 3
The Immersion Memoirs—Chicago
There was excitement, anticipation
and smiles among the group of GMPi-
ans from XLRI Jamshedpur as the Air
India flight flew over Lake Michigan
approaching the O‘Hare International
Airport at Chicago. The International
Immersion program was about to get
underway...
A group of 23 GMP students visited
the Graduate School of Business, Loy-
ola University at Chicago for a 3- week
International Immersion Program be-
tween October 16th and November
7th 2010. The purpose of the program
was to give exposure in International
Business, and provide opportunity to
work with the Industries in Chicago.
The 3-week program was well struc-
tured and supervised by the senior
faculty at the GSB, Loyola University.
Prof Mine Cinar (from the Economics
area) was the chief coordinator along
with the Dean Prof Abol Jalilvand (in
Finance). We had the opportunity of
interacting with the best faculty at
GSB. A lecture series was organized, in
which eminent faculty interacted and
shared ideas with us. Carrying industry
experience from various sectors, the
group had fruitful discussions with the
senior faculty. The GMPians presented
an Indian perspective to the various
topics that were discussed and had the
opportunity to understanding the
American perspective. Dr Abol Jalil-
vand on Asset Bubbles, Dr Brian Till
on Brand Architecture, Dr Charles
Steilen on Export-Import strategy –
were among the experts in the field to
share ideas with the GMPians. It was a
warm feeling to find one of our own at
Loyola University – Prof Arup Verma
heading the HRM area is a PMIR gradu-
ate from the batch of XLRI, 1983.
Apart from these sessions, the group
was assigned projects in M & A, SCM,
Strategic HR, IT Consulting and Im-
port-Export. The latter was supervised
by Dr. Charles Steilen who was very
passionate about trade opportunities
between Chicago-based businesses and
Indian companies.
Delegates from World Business Chica-
go, the economic development office
for Chicago headed by the city Mayor,
made a series of presentations to the
GMP about the business landscape in
Chicago and the opportunities that
exist. A visit to the Chicago Stock
Exchange was also organized.
It wasn‘t all work and no play. The
folks at the Loyola University exempli-
fied hospitality, and went out of their
way to guide us to all the must-see
locations in this beautiful city. The
Navy Pier overlooking the unbelievable
-to-be-a-lake Michigan, the iconic Art
Institute of Chicago where Swami Vi-
G li MP se
Eric Nishant Ekka
vekananda addressed the Parliament of
world religions in 1893, the John Han-
cock observatory which gives a topline
view of the entire city, shopping on the
Magnificent Mile on Michigan avenue,
and the confusing array of eating joints
in the downtown, and the Cloudgate
at the Millennium park– just few of the
landmarks to name.
The program concluded with the
GMPians making a presentation on ―A
Surging India‖ - to the faculty and stu-
dents of the Graduate School of Busi-
ness. It was an attempt to highlight the
emergence of India on the world stage
– a SWOT and the road ahead. The
collective effort was well received and
appreciated by the GSB. We got a
Photo Courtesy: Narendran Santhanam
heart-warming surprise on the last day
of the program – each of us was given
a nice Chicago-Loyola University mem-
orabilia from the GSB.
And when we boarded the shuttle
towards the airport to be home-
bound, despite the impending storm of
quizzes and submissions awaiting us at
campus, all of us had a smile and a
sense of satisfaction - for the new
things we had learnt and for the new
relations that were established.
V ol ume 1, I ss ue 3
The Immersion Memoirs—Manila
We started from XLRI on 16th Oct
2010 and reached Asian Institute of
Management (AIM), Manila on 17th
Oct. AIM, being located in the heart of
Philippines business district-Makati,
provided a rich tranquil environment
for study, work and leisure. Living and
working from AIM-Conference Cen-
tre was a wonderful experience and a
great way to grow both professionally
and personally.
Our first week saw a mix of classes
and visits to individual companies for
project specific activities. We had
Prof. Federico C. Gonzalez, CEO,
Philippine Emerging Start-Ups Open,
Inc. who took up sessions on Techno-
preneurship and Innovation Strategies.
Using cases he also taught us how to
develop Business Plans. He was very
impressed with the quality of class
discussions and gave us a challenge to
come up with our own business plans
as a take-away assignment from the
course. For Action Learning Project,
we got the opportunity to work with
companies such as GlaxoSmithKline
Philippines, Lafarge Cements, Emerson
Network Power, Mega Sardines and
National Electrification Administra-
tion.
The following weekend came as a
breather and we were taken by the
institute for an out-of-town Cultural
Trip to Villa de Escudero. There we
got chance to taste local cuisine, ride
water-bullock carts, try fishing and
row bamboo rafts. It was a nice break
after a very hectic schedule that we
have had over the last few months.
During our second week, in first half
of the day, we had classes on Project
Management along with a diverse
group of professionals from Philippines
and Indonesia. During the second half,
we worked on our respective pro-
jects. This included visits to the com-
pany, field visits to plants, interaction
with retailers, interaction with cus-
tomers etc. The weekend was a long
one and students went on short ex-
cursion to an active volcano
(Tagaytay) and beaches near manila.
Our last week at AIM was mainly fo-
cused on final project preparations
and presentations to respective com-
panies. We also had a session on
Emerging Market Trends in Philippines
Photo Courtesy: James Jerry
and Cross-Cultural Sensitivity by the
very renowned Prof. Federico M. Mac-
aranas. He had held some high profile
diplomatic roles in the Department of
Foreign Affairs and had chaired Senior
Officials Meetings of the Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation (APEC) and
Association of Southeast Asian Na-
tions (ASEAN). He shared with us his
experiences of interaction with Indian
Diplomats like Dr. Manmohan Singh
and P. Chidambaram. He also dis-
cussed why India actually gave up right
to be in APEC and agreed to be just
an observer.
Then finally we prepared business
plans as part of challenge given by
Prof. Federico C. Gonzalez in first
week. The plans were on Innovative
Technologies. As each group present-
P ag e 4
Vikash Chandra
ed their plans the other group mem-
bers watched in amazement and awe.
We ourselves were stumped by the
level of planning and thought each
team had put. And it was no surprise
that Professor watched and smiled and
clapped as he grilled each presenta-
tion. As per him, each one of those
ideas had real potential to be a suc-
cess and he wanted us to pursue them
further. We did keep the XLRI flag
flying high!!
On our last day we were given our
participation certificate. This was fol-
lowed by a farewell luncheon with
Madam Ugut (Associate Dean) and
Prof Dr Edilberto Jesus (AIM-
President).
We thoroughly enjoyed classroom
sessions, CAN group analysis and the
overall stay at AIM. The arrangements
were perfect throughout. The Action
Learning Projects gave us opportunity
to think business from different per-
spectives. The guidance from profes-
sors and the case method enhanced
our theoretical and practical skills.
At AIM we met and interacted with a
well-selected mix of experienced stu-
dents from different nationalities and
sectors which has broadened our
horizon and has ameliorated the pro-
cess of learning beyond the lectures.
This has also given us good insights
with respect to cross-cultural sensitiv-
ities. People in Philippines and at the
Institute in particular were very caring
and helping. In particular, the AIM
coordinators were particularly forth-
coming with whatever help we had
asked for, enabling a very enriching
learning experience.
P ag e 5
The Immersion Memoirs—New Orleans
I don‘t know if Edmund Hillary tried
any harder but the exasperating jour-
ney was as arduous if not as momen-
tous. Long queues, longer security
drills and sleepy co-passengers. If this
is how it began, I was wondering if the
ending would be any different—worse
perhaps (sigh!). 5 films, 20 dinners and
with a few passengers missing (dead
perhaps—in the eternal wait), the
flight finally landed.
After expunging myself of all hopes
I tried to sleep and quickly passed
off into a deep slumber. Next
morning started at midnight in the
by-lanes of Tulane University
(people said it was 7:00 in the
morning but I am still sure they
were conspiring against me). The
strategy class was more of a tacti-
cal competition for the guys and if
you pressed your ears harder you
could hear them murmur ‘peeli
wali meri, pink wali teri‘. The day
came to an end but not before a
splendid evening stroll by the River
(the bulwark known as River Park
attracted a lot of tourists, was also
a nice place to hang out and ab-
sorb some of the quintessential
Jazz culture).
You could sense that the financial
Photo Courtesy: Sachin Gulati
crisis was still being felt and full marks
to the administration for trying their
bit to let the GMPians contribute to
the rescue, after all MBA was all about
how to resurrect the economy. So we
were strategically, I daresay, housed
next to Harrah‘s, the casino. We had
some real passionate volunteers who
did more than their best for the US
economy, prompting even President
Obama to comment ‗Shukriya,
Dipawali mubarak‘.
We were to do small projects at the
Idea village, which were explained to
us after the lunch. All the projects
were for entrepreneurs who were
working with Idea Village in order to
either expand or establish their ven-
tures. We were divided into groups of
five and attached to teams of entre-
preneurs. I am sure they had asked for
our detailed profile or maybe decided
to go by the looks alone. Either which
way I was, strategically again, attached
to the culinary team, so as you might
have figured out by now my job was
to, well, eat, eat some more and then
some more and in between meals plan
for their marketing strategy. Some of
them suggested using me as an em-
blem for their product. I wonder
why…
If there is one thing that you can‘t
miss about New Orleans, it‘s the par-
ty. Book launches to Halloween, NO-
LA knows how to party!! Both the
weekends were Saints games in the
G li MP se
Ankhee Debdas
Shantanu Jindal
superbowl. Saints are the New Orle-
ans major league football players. So
the sports fan added to the color of
the town.
A lot of us were visiting their extend-
ed families in US on the weekends
while a lot of took the plunge and
went to the marshes to check out the
alligators. New Orleans is famous for
its marshes and swarms of alligators,
in fact we also came to know that
the US government sanctions hunt-
ing of alligators every year for a
limited number and period.
We played eight rounds of cap-
stone simulation games with Prof.
Wilson during our Tulane visits. On
the final day we completed our
presentation to the Jury, presided
by founders of Idea village and head
of the town planning commission,
New Orleans. All the entrepre-
neurs were present and they ap-
plauded the work done by XLers
for their ventures.
In hindsight, it appears to have
passed so quick as if it was all in a
day, but a day in paradise. And
there it was again—long queues,
longer security drills and sleepy co-
passengers… 5 films, 20 dinners
and with a few passengers missing the
flight landed in India.
The sojourn was anything but trivial; it
was a tremendous learning experi-
ence, strategy or no strategy. The days
of yore it now seems, pleasant memo-
ries of a great time gone by. The GMP
calendar marred the simplicity of our
lives by reminding that those days of
river cruise of fun and frolic with
friends and the beautiful jazz by the
meadow would not be there any long-
er. We‘ll miss you, NOLA.
V ol ume 1, I ss ue 3
The Immersion Memoirs—France
After waiting till the last moment (got the
Visa just two days before we were sched-
uled to travel to France) all of us were
really excited to visit IESEG Lille and Paris
campus as a part of 3-weeks International
Immersion at GMP. We embarked on
our journey fully loaded with tons of
travel tips, shopping lists, anticipation of
meeting new professors and the thrill of
working on challenging assignments with
French companies.
The purpose of the program was to give
exposure in International Business, un-
derstand the structure and political &
business scenario in European Commis-
sion. Also this was an opportunity to
work with some well-known and well-
established French companies as consult-
ants.
The 3-week program was packed with
lots of interesting lectures, activities,
outdoor plans, and a 10 day internships.
The entire program was managed by the
international relations office at IESEG,
Lille. We were given the plan in advance
and were prepared for the lectures and
project before landing in Paris.
We were received at Paris airport by Mr
Ricky Young, the international relations
officer at IESEG. He epitomized hospitali-
ty, making us feel completely at home
during the entire trip. And the small city
of Lille was a typical small European city,
beautiful with all the old charm of Euro-
pean architecture.
During our course we got the opportuni-
ty to learn from distinguished professors
on various diverse topics like Internation-
al and Intercultural Marketing, Logistics &
Supply Chain, Strategy, French and EU
culture etc. These lectures were mostly
turning into open discussions with pro-
fessors really wanting to know the India
difference and the students keen to un-
derstand the finer details. It all created a
very interactive environment and facilitat-
ed lot of learning. Learning international
marketing from Ms. Monali Hota, an
XIMB graduate, was a very heartening
experience.
The visit to the EU commission head-
quarters in Brussels to attend the presen-
tation made by a delegation from Europe-
an Commission about the EU-India busi-
ness relations, the changing dynamics in
Europe, trade relations with other coun-
tries etc. was a very enriching experi-
ence. After enjoying delectable lunch at
EU HQ we spent the rest of day appreci-
ating the beautiful city of Brussels. Brus-
sels, the capital city of Belgium and the
administrative center of the European
Union, has earned the title of the Capital
of Europe, thanks to a beautiful mix of
French and Flemish culture, picturesque
Photo Courtesy: Pranjal Choudhury
medieval streets, lively squares beautiful
boulevards, impressive monuments, spa-
cious parks and cozy cafés. Simply amaz-
ing!!!
While we were working on our projects,
we also took time to visit Paris - the Eiffel
tower, Norte dam, walks besides the
Seine River, the boat trip, road side cafés,
and the Louvre museum. The city is a
traveller‘s delight with very friendly lo-
cals, English speaking population, and easy
public transport. Another highlight of the
trip was the visit to the Bruges. Bruges is
called : 'the Venice of the North'. This
splendid medieval city is one of Belgium's
crown jewels. In no other European city
P ag e 6
Swati Gupta
the feel and the look of medieval times
are as pleasant as in this city close to the
North Sea.
Among other things we really enjoyed
the French cuisine during our trip; vari-
ous types of cheese, Café gourmand,
freshly baked baguettes and many more.
It‘s a heaven for dessert lovers although a
few vegetarians found it little difficult to
order food sometime.
The program concluded with the four
groups making business presentations to
the senior management of companies on
the respective consulting assignments.
The approach to the problem, solutions
suggested, and the overall maturity of
study was very well appreciated by both
the Oxylane and Sodexo senior manage-
ment. To be presented with the Coffee
Table book on France and getting the
excellent feedback of being the most
interesting and sincere international
group IESEG has hosted, was a proud
moment for all of us.
When we took the flight back we were
prepared for the hectic schedules, long
flight back and the quizzes and exams that
awaited us at XLRI. But the feeling of
accomplishment and containment on
completing the training well was over-
whelming. The learning and the new rela-
tions we fostered are going to stay for
life.
P ag e 7
The Immersion Memoirs—Taiwan
The International Immersion trip to Tai-
wan was the first of its kind for XLRI.
And it won't be a stretch to say that
perhaps for the first time a group of
Indian students have gone to Taiwan as
part of their internship.
Needless to say, our eclectic group of
GMPians (24 of us) went with a open
mind as our initial perceptions were
rather vague: A small south-east Asian
country with a strong Chinese
flavor. Gladly, the three week of
largely academic tour, also of-
fered us an opportunity to catch
glimpse of this wonderful coun-
try and experience its multi-
dimensional culture.
Our program was conducted by
FuJen University – a renowned
Jesuit university in heart of Tai-
wanese capital city of Taipei. A
galaxy of colleges, the university
had lively atmosphere, and the
hospitality extended by Dean Dr.
Michael was immaculate. He left
no stone unturned to ensure
that we got an opportunity to
learn and interact from the most
distinguished professionals and
govt. officials of Taiwan. The first
10 days of the program were
aligned to expose us to the eco-
nomic scenario and business
possibilities/potential in Taiwan.
We got an opportunity to visit
the Taiwan Stock Exchange, the
HQ of the country's biggest sci-
ence park and a major chip man-
ufacturer. We engaged in some
valuable discussions with govern-
ment officials at Institute of Infor-
mation Industry, who provided
us food for thought by inviting us
to provide a business plan for entry
strategy of Taiwan's ICT Industry in Indi-
an Markets.
As a group, we had a palpable feeling of
being treated not as students, but as
delegates and future business leaders
from India.
This brief and well planned exposure
busted one myth – although unfair - of
comparing Taiwanese products to cheap
Chinese products flooding the Indian
market. Our visit there made us realize
Taiwan was indeed a hardware foundry
for the best of (top global brands) of
electronics. In fact, all top laptop brands
Photo Courtesy: Nisha Dhadha
are not only Intel Inside, they are
―Taiwan Inside‖. Taiwanese electronics
are reasonably priced but not cheap
enough to raise questions about the
quality.
G li MP se
Nisha Dhadha
Anuj Jain
Talking further on the "Chinese flavor"
perception, this island country is indeed
an amalgamation of several cultures.
After being led by various rulers for cen-
turies (including the Dutch, the Qing
Dynasty and the Japanese), Taiwan was
finally declared a Republic of China in the
mid of the 20th century. But unlike Chi-
na, Taiwan has had capitalist leanings, and
has evolved into an export oriented
economy. Energetic government
measures including currency and
tax reforms resulted in substan-
tial economic progress have
ensured high standards of living.
The govt. of Taiwan has strategi-
cally leveraged technology for
the benefit of all segments of it‘s
population. A very important
factor of this growth is Taiwan‘s
ability to effectively execute pub-
lic-private partnerships at the
national scale.
Taiwan has beautifully married its
traditional values with western
glamour (the upmarket down-
town is biggest testimony to
that). With stunning temples,
exquisite antiques, and a wide
variety of cuisines to relish, 20
days in this country just flew by.
Our farewell dinner was at FuJen
university campus, where choic-
est Indian cuisines were prepared
for us with Indian music playing
in background. The atmosphere
was festive (it was Diwali!!) their
care in this regard made the
celebrations truly memorable.
In the end, it was not just Taiwan
we discovered, the wholesome
experience indeed gave us an opportuni-
ty to represent India in a country which
has a huge heart and a humble core.
V ol ume 1, I ss ue 3 P ag e 8

The Business of Social Gaming Pranjal Choudhury

Social games are browser based games wherein humans are obliged to re- game has to be sticky; compelling
that appeals to users at all age levels spond to gifts, bringing more business enough to get a user to come back day
and have social network or integration onto the fold. If their friends join, then after day and engaged enough to want
elements. The more popular social users get some points that can be used to open their wallet. This stickiness
games include Farmville, Mafia wars, to buy virtual goods. factor is measured by DAU/MAU
Fishville etc. that people might have where MAU is the no. of monthly
played on Facebook, MySpace and To come up with a ballpark estimate of active users (stands for the reach of
other platforms. the earning potential of a social game, the application) and DAU is the no. of
let us analyze the case of Farmville. A daily active users (dedicated user base,
Do these games earn money? The social game requires an investment of that has the potential to be mone-
major stream of revenue for the social around $300,000. About 5% of people tized). If the application is 20% sticky,
gaming companies includes monetiza- who play social games pay money for then for every new user, there is a
tion of virtual goods. This amount of the virtual goods that they purchase or 20% chance of making him/her a daily
revenue directly corresponds to the sign up for advertising offers that result user.
number of daily users who logon. A
user who comes in and plays the game
every day is much more likely to get to
open his or her wallet, compared to
someone who visits once or twice a
month or plays once or twice and
never comes back. A user generally
pays up to reach a higher level of game
faster (e.g. in the case of Fishville, he
wants to buy some plants but selling
his existing fish cannot fund his new
investment. Unfortunately, Fishville
users don‘t have access to efficient
virtual capital markets?, so he is left to
buy the plants with his real cash).

Now, how do these companies keep

the users returning i.e. how do they
make them sticky? The answer is cus-
tomer acquisition via advertising, viral
game play mechanics and network
effect. in cash flows to the developer. Around The social gaming scene is becoming
32 million people play Farmville every an attractive scene and apart from
The major non-viral mechanism is Fa-
day. Generally a virtual good or an existing players, established gaming
cebook ads. Zynga, the company re-
offer costs $5. If we take a ball park players such as Electronic Arts and
sponsible for hit games such as
estimate that each user who plays gen- Blizzard Entertainment have also mi-
Farmville, Fishville and now Frontier
erates on average a penny a day, then grated to social gaming. Interesting
Ville, spends millions of dollars a day
we have average per user annual reve- times lie ahead in the social gaming
on them when it is launching a new
nue of $3.65. scene, with distinct possibilities of dis-
game. The major viral mechanism is
ruptive business models. For example,
asking users at every possible step on Multiplying that by 32 million daily in an industry first, Amex and Zynga
whether to post updates, send neigh- users makes it $116 million per year have tied up to offer limited edition
bour requests, gifts to friends, invites for Farmville. virtual goods to Amex card holders on
etc. The psychological trigger at work
redemption of reward points.
here is the principle of reciprocity, To generate revenue from users, a
P ag e 9 G li MP se

Pro’s words? Narendran Santhanam

1
Across
2 3 1. It's what you pay when you buy a
4 branded product
6. It's not just a reading technique; it's
5
a new product pricing strategy
6
7. It can be hard to come by in the
7
corporate world, but it's what creates
awareness about your product
8 9 9. What you should do, if ―1 Down‖
10 gets too big
11. Opinion of a customer about a
product or service
11
12. May be a rare tile, someone who
12
sells products directly to customer
13 14. What delivers your product to the
14 end-user
14 15. It can happen with marketing also,
not just with your eyes
16. Customer acquisition is considered
15
easier than this
16

Down
1. Combination of two or more prod-
uct families
2. What you as a consumer might ex-
We‘ve tried to make the crossword a little easier and smaller than the previous
one due to popular demand. The theme for this crossword is marketing. Brush perience after buying a product if you
up your marketing knowledge and try cracking this puzzle! Good luck! are not satisfied
3. Applies to either a customer or a
Send your entries to:
brand - the total lifetime value
Glimpse_GMP@astra.xlri.ac.in
Last edition’s answers: 4. A piece of the pie; a subset of the
market
Across: Down
5. It's how you make your product
1. Library 2. Amnesia
4. Opinions 3. Tentative unique if you're a marketer, or find the
7. Consultant 5. Confidence derivative if you're a mathematician
9. Schedule 6. Placements 8. Consumers don't pay for products
11. Case study 8. Assignment or services. They pay for these
13. Where is the clue 10. Benchmarking 10. The battle for your mind!
19. Overpriced 12. Powerpoint
13. Find again to obtain insights from
21. Dadus 14. Lead Time
23. Leverage 15. Economic market data
24. Product 16. Power Nap
17. Retail
18. Branding
20. Strategy
22. Aloo
V ol ume 1, I ss ue 3 P ag e 1 0

Know your batch, mate! Narendran Santhanam

He‘s fondly called ―Major‖ by his GMP
batchmates and always wears a smile
no matter what the situation is. With
an ability to light up any group with
his jovial nature, James Jerry Isaac is
very popular among the batch. An
army veteran who fought in Kargil and
Surankot in Kashmir, Jerry shares
with us his funny side in this inter-
view:
GliMPse: Are you a morning or night
person?
Jerry: When I am not a morning per-
son, I am a Night person.
GliMPse: If you could be any animal,
what would you be?
Jerry: A Party animal…
GliMPse: If you could live anywhere in
the world, where would you live?
Jerry: Stop using Facebook. My self
esteem and self worth now depends
on how many people respond to my
posts. It has gone virtual....I don't care
if someone hasn't sent me a card or
called me up on my birthday, but I
sure do mind if someone hasn't
wished me on Facebook. ( I'll get back
to you on your b'day, moron)
GliMPse: What is the best band of all
time?
Jerry: Does an "Unemployed Hus-
BAND" with a working wife qualify
for it??? 
GliMPse: What is your first thought
when you wake up?
Jerry: Morning already? Where the
hell is the snooze button?
GliMPse: What is your happiest child-
hood memory?
Jerry: Bunked my class 11th final exam
(chemistry) and my dad fell down
laughing when he heard of it. Thank-
fully they took a re-test for me ( with
full support from my dad). It‘s a happy
memory because my dad's reaction
was totally unexpected !!
GliMPse: Who's the funniest person
you know?
Jerry: GOD!!
GliMPse: What was the best vacation
you ever had?
Jerry: XLRI... I'm still having it!!!

Jerry: Timbuktu, coz then no one

would be interested in coming over
to see me. Keeps away unwanted
people!

GliMPse: What do you think about

right before falling asleep?

Jerry: Ahh, the bed feels good…

should stop drinking… unless I want
to drink… Porter analysis… Damn!
Forgot to read the case! Do I have
enough cigarettes… zzzz…
zzzzzzzzzz…

GliMPse: What is the one thing that

no one knows about you?

Jerry: I am very scared of myself…

(that's why I'm so quiet. I dare not
talk in front of me!)

GliMPse: What is the one thing you

would change about yourself?
 Ego vs. Alter Ego—2 Avinash Sekar

Ego: I‘m angry. Ego: The fact is all this is so nauseat-

ingly obscene.
Alter-Ego: Now what?
Alter-Ego: Nope, the fact is human
Ego: Ok, answer this question. What beings want to be good, but not too
do you make of democracy? good, and not all the time.
Alter-Ego: Power of the people. Ego: And you blame that the society
Ego: You mean, of "We, the People‖? always demands a little more than
what it will get in practice.
Alter-Ego: I know what you are get-
ting at. See, the tapes are there. Eve- Alter-Ego: Now, that tells me you
ryone knows it‘s just the tip of the want to be 'evidently' foolish.
iceberg. The only surprise was to see Ego: Go to hell.
journalists as businessmen.
Alter-Ego: You're coming with me.

GliMPse is XLRI G
MP’s newsletter bring
ing you the lat-
est happenings at the
GMP course. The co
ntent in this
newsletter represents
the thoughts, intentio
ns, plans or
strategies of students
of XLRI GMP 2011
and makes no
representations as to
the accuracy, complet
eness, suitability
or validity of any infor
mation on this newslet
Doodled by Rahul Gupta ter, and will not
be liable for any errors,
omissions or delays in
this infor-
XLRI GMP is a One year full time mation or any losses, inj
uries or damages arising
MBA Program for executives with a from its dis-
play or use. The opini
minimum of 5 years of experience. ons expressed here ar
e of the XLRI-
The batch strength is 120. Candidates GMP students alone
and do not reflect the
have varied backgrounds and excelled opinions of the
institute or any emplo
in their respective fields. Admission is yee thereof. XLRI is no
t responsible
through GMAT/XAT scores, Essays & for the accuracy of an
y of the information su
Interviews. pplied by the
students.