Samavesh 2017

May 19, 2017

Big-data, Artificial Intelligence, Augmented Reality, Blockchain, Internet of Things – the list of technologies disrupting the business world is endless. Companies can choose to ignore these disruptions and risk rapid loss of competitive advantage, or prepare to take on these challenges.

The ability of organisations to assimilate capabilities to manage change is undoubtedly a daunting task. The extreme pace of innovation could result in organisations implementing changes that themselves become obsolete before they’re fully implemented.

In such a dynamic environment, how are consulting firms helping organisations prepare themselves to handle this onslaught?

Many consulting firms suggest that organisations need to transform to survive, but some other believe that rapid transformation could lead to implementation failures. What is the right approach?

Samavesh 2017: Consulting conclave

A related question could be, are consulting firms really geared to help clients manage this change.

The Consulting Conclave Samavesh 2017 addressed these issues and more.

May 19, 2017

Technology today is redefining the dynamics of business. Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence are revolutionizing healthcare, cloud computing is changing the way data is  stored  and  accessed,  blockchain  is  anticipated  to  be  the  next big  thing  for financial services and 3D Printing is envisaged to transform the global manufacturing landscape. We  are living in the most extraordinary time ever in history  when  the  technological landscape is changing rapidly and heading towards the Digital Economy- Governments are  incubating  the environment  to  enable  businesses  to  set up  digital  priorities.  In  this competitive environment the pressure that organisations face today, to keep up pace and  deliver  a  better  customer experience,  has  never  been  greater.  This  changing business atmosphere may be a threat to the businesses that view it that way, but at the same time it is a rich opportunity for those who see it as a way to add value to customers and operate smarter and faster.    

Samavesh 2017: Information Management conclave

Questions:

•    How are the enterprises adapting to transformation and associated challenges?
•    How critical will it be to build capabilities and talent?
•    Can the Digital Economy aid in increasing the combined GDP of a nation?

May 19, 2017

FinTech is disrupting the traditional finance sector with innovative technologies and business models such as mobile transfer, mobile payments, crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending. FinTech companies are growing at a rapid pace - in 2014-15 venture investment in FinTech companies grew by 201%, a factor of three compared with the overall growth in venture capital investment in the same year.

FinTech companies rely on their customer-centric products, that provide a more cost effective, immediate and hassle-free interface to their customers to do day-to-day financial transactions. Customers and merchants are increasingly preferring to work with FinTech companies.  With these changing preferences, banks have realised that to survive, they too must put the customer first and enable their services to fit into their customer’s busy and technologically advanced lives.

Currently, banks are weighed down by a legacy technology system and tough regulations whereas FinTech companies are growing rapidly due lack of concrete regulations. Is this fair competition?

With the Government of India pushing for financial inclusion and a cashless economy, it is a foregone conclusion that digital development will certainly take place. Will FinTech companies lead this digital revolution or will the banks be able to scale up their digital profile and counter them?

Samavesh 2017: Finance conclave

Questions:

•    How are the enterprises adapting to transformation and associated challenges?
•    How critical will it be to build capabilities and talent?
•    Can the Digital Economy aid in increasing the combined GDP of a nation?

May 20, 2017

Supply Chain has been part of the global scenario and the fact that it is an intrinsic part of delivering any product or service to a customer makes it indispensible and almost perennial. 

With the ubiquity of sensors, vast amounts of data from end consumers are now available for in-depth analysis and gaining insights into demand patterns. An organisation’s ability to quickly detect changes, opportunities and threats within its supply chain with instant access to data followed by swift decisions based on relevant data and the flexibility to respond to changes within the shortest  possible  time  displays  its  agility  to  “sense  and  respond” effectively. Response to customer needs is not only determined by internal capabilities of organisations, but  also  by  the  capabilities  of  their  suppliers  and  their  suppliers’ suppliers. Further, environment policies and carbon footprint reduction strategy as part of sourcing creates a diverse supply chain to get a strategic advantage as consumers are becoming more aware and concerned about environmental impact. 

Samavesh 2017: Operations conclave

Questions:

How are organisations making transitions from experience-based strategies to agile strategies with high level of demand sensing technologies and decision algorithms?
How  is supply chain to be seen as “sustainable value chain” while aligning priorities to changing customer demand?
How are organisations adopting the technologies in the digital world to improve supply chain management?

May 20, 2017

Marketing is becoming more and more consumer-oriented and hence has a deep understanding of customer needs and drivers at a level beyond what customers can articulate on their own. Customer Insight leads to opportunities for creating solutions that  are  tightly  linked  to  core  drivers  of  human needs  and  behaviour,  and  hence  build  stronger  and  enduring  customer-brand  relationships. Traditional  marketing  research  is  more  problem  driven  and  hence  misses  out  on  these  insights. Insight discovery requires a curious mind which is never on a holiday and can question the facts to uncover the ‘real truth’. By understanding the customer’s mind, companies can analyse trends, develop strategies and create value for customers and build sustainable business stream for companies. 

The  marketing  panel  discussion  topic  ‘Understanding  the  mind  of  the  customer’  focusses on the importance of understanding the drivers of consumer behaviour and how marketers are  using it to design their strategies.

Samavesh 2017: Marketing conclave 

Questions:

Why do companies need to decode the customers' minds?
Is it equally important to gather customer insight in the B2B market as it is in B2C markets?
How can we discover customer insights?
How do companies use these insights to frame marketing strategy?