On the third and final day IIM Indore NASMEI 2019 Summer Marketing and Information Systems Conference, Prof Himanshu Rai, Director, IIM Indore, said that researchers should understand the difference between the right and wrong way of pursuing research — for the easier way might be the incorrect one, but is always alluring. Sharing learning from Isopanishad , he said that conscience helps a person recognise the difference between right and wrong.
He said: “I believe that if you do anything and feel ashamed, scared or confused, never do it — for it is wrong to do anything if you’re having lajja, bhay, or shanka . He said that FIRE (fortitude, identity, reflection and equanimity) lead to the right direction. “Have courage, remain mindful, reflect your inner self and principles and remember that nothing is yours forever. You can achieve this FIRE by practising over and over again,” he said.
Keep presentations simple
Prof Satish Nargundkar, while speaking on ‘Presenting analytics results to executives’, said that analytics professionals usually fail to explain what they mean to say in simpler language. The same stands true for researchers. He shared three tips to give a simple and easy presentation — stick to the point, keep the bottom line first and use simple language in charts. He said, “We need to understand the gap between what we’re presenting or talking about and what our audience is interested in listening to.”
Prof Sanjaya Singh Gaur, spoke on ‘Smart marketing in the digital age’ with a focus on technology and disruptive marketing. He screened various videos explaining how technology is enhancing marketing and business. The six categories of technology discussed were artificial intelligence, 3D printing, augmented reality, blockchain, IoT and robotics.
Prof Ashutosh Dixit spoke on ‘Strategies and applications of intelligent agent technologies in marketing.’ He said that there’s a revolution in technology and hence, marketing is also advancing. He said, “We need to understand what is between the lines — both while marketing and while doing research. As a marketer, we need to figure out what our customers want, and as a researcher, we need to understand how our research would be fruitful to the target.”
Ashutosh Dixit, Monte Ahuja College of Business, Cleveland; Satish Nargundkar, J Mack Robinson College of Business Georgia State University and Sanjaya Gaur, Sunway University Business School, Malaysia were the panelists.