An Eventful October & a Novel Initiative…

Our festivals and traditions are about us; its relevance is defined by our coming together to celebrate them, irrespective of our social status. None ever gave it a thought before the pandemic! And now that we do, we appreciate our festivals and traditions that much more. Every year, on Vijayadashami, the spirit of the celebration reminds us to make a paradigm shift from mind and body consciousness to spiritual consciousness. Making such a shift lets pure and noble intensions prevail, causing the triumph of truth and righteousness over the transcendental ego.
The three months starting from Onam in the South to Diwali in mid-November are critical for businesses. Transactions in this period contribute around 30%– 40% of the total annual sales for several consumer-related businesses. It is expected that pent-up demand and fatigue will force consumers to step out and spend. Counter balancing that is the on-going worry about the pandemic… The numbers are still quite high. We should not start believing that it is receding and take it easy. This situation is still not conducive or safe for opening up in real earnest. Therefore, dear members, bear with us as we continue to defer commencing offline activities in full swing at the MMA Management Center. Meanwhile, enjoy our high quality online activities and participate in them.
CavinKare – MMA Chinnikrishnan Innovation Awards
Mr Chinnikrishnan ushered in the ‘Sachet Revolution’ with the thought that whatever the rich can enjoy, the common man should be able to afford. As a fitting tribute to his memory, the CavinKare – MMA Chinnikrishnan Innovation Awards is a celebration of innovation in India. The awards were presented in a grand virtual awards function, which was telecast by Republic TV and was watched by thousands of viewers. There is indeed a serious need for relentless focus on innovation, to democratise products and services. Please click to watch this unique virtual awards function and join us in our endeavour to promote innovation among small and tiny industries.
Women Business Council
It is concerning to note a downtrend in the proportion of women employees in India. Their poor participation in the country’s work force defies economic logic. McKinsey Global Institution report said that India would gain $770 billion in output by 2025 if women had the same opportunities to work as men. Although the government is considering raising the minimum legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21, this move is not just de jure but de facto, requiring India to evolve economically and culturally. Economic growth will empower our womenfolk. In this context, MMA has taken the initiative to form a Women Business Council to ensure that women emerge as job creators, not job seekers. The objective is to inspire women to reach their potential in their career. You too can help us to conceptualize and facilitate workshops, master classes and programmes that women would find helpful by sharing your thought in a short 4-minute survey. Click here to take this survey.
Do share the survey with your friends and contacts to help us further our understanding.
MMA had organised a number of unique, thought-provoking events in October. Fear of Covid-19 and long working hours have given rise to social anxiety, affecting the way we interact and connect with people inside and outside work. Social skills, which are developed over time, would lose value without regular use. People are finding it hard listening to or even holding a conversation. MMA held two independent sessions on “The Mindful Workplace,” which were very engaging and are relevant to watch. Do read the article covering the panel discussion in this issue. Also in this issue are articles on the new Farm Bills 2020, Purposeful Leadership, The World of Challenger Brand and more with embedded videos. Please watch and read to enrich yourself.
The vaccine!
Finally, India has begun work on the Covid- 19 vaccine. This will involve putting in place a robust supply chain and mobilizing resources to administer it. In the past, India has been successful in running public health programmes for immunisation on a large scale. Therefore, there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to do it again—as the Mahatma said, “In the midst of darkness, light persists.”
Our Award!
You are probably aware of MMA bagging the prestigious “Best Management Association in India” for the year 2019-20. We received the award at the virtual National Management Convention of AIMA. How the pandemic has changed our lives! The trophy was later shipped to us. You should have been here to witness our joy in holding the trophy in our hands… As always, dear member, it is your support and patronage that makes achieving such milestones possible. It makes MMA special, and makes us stand tall with the famous MMA spirit: to be the Fountainhead of World-class Management Excellence.
Let me know what you think about everything that’s happening at MMA. Send me an email at ed@mmachennai.org.