Advantages Of Experiential Learning

What Is Experiential Learning?

Experiential learning, simply explained, is a process of learning through first-hand experience. It is a method of acquiring expertise and skill through practical application of concepts, theories and problem solving techniques instead of just reading or hearing about them.

Why Experiential Learning?

The purpose of experiential learning is to have you world-ready by the time you complete the education program. For professionals who are already working, experiential learning will help them in enhancing skills and managing their roles effectively.  It makes use of tools like internships, service-training, field work and practical activities to impart learning. Its approach is more about what you need to know and less about what can be taught.

Advantages of Experiential Learning

Experiential learning encourages application of knowledge and concepts to real- world situations with learning support from the trainer. Some key advantages of this method of learning are:

1. Accelerates Learning

‘Learning by doing’ is far more effective and long lasting than theoretical learning. Further, experiential learning also promotes development of multiple skills such as critical thinking, problem solving and effective decision-making at the same time.

2. A Learning Environment With A Safety Net

Since experiential learning involves working on real-world situation simulations, it offers the students freedom to think and operate differently without crushing their confidence if anything goes wrong.

3. Merging Of Theory And Practice

What has been learnt from books can now be applied in field to understand its effect and behaviour. It also helps in remembering concepts and ideas.

4. Increases Team Work

experiential learning engages participants in various team-based activities thus training them on team building and leadership. This benefits the participants because they learn from each other and also because they will have to work in a team in a professional environment.

5. Assessing Learning Is Easier and Accurate

Simulation of a real-world situation with optimal outcomes, shows whether participants are able to understand the concepts as expected or not.

6. Motivation to Learn and Impactful Activities

These are the indirect yet important advantages of experiential learning. The method encourages active participation and kindles a desire to learn.

Watch this video of a workshop on Experiential Learning by Welingkar’s Hybrid PGDM program, and learn about how participants get involved in interactive learning.

You can fast track your learning process and experience the multiple benefits of experiential learning through interactive workshops.

Explore more such workshops by Welingkar’s. Visit here.

 

The Evolution of Online Learning

Online learning is the latest in a long list of social technologies that have been introduced to improve distance learning by adding various augmentations, substitutions, or blending of new pedagogical approaches and technologies. Online learning is beginning to act as a complete substitute for both distance learning and the traditional face-to-face classroom.

Online education, has significantly drawn the attention of students, educators and professional learners. Traditional education is rapidly being replaced by the online or virtual classroom through a wide range of technology-enabled learning modalities, from podcasts and webinars to formal, one-on-one coaching and a range of e-learning platforms via virtual classrooms, web and multimedia materials; simulation and gaming; collaborative learning, immersive simulations and wireless and handheld devices. Most current distance courses have incorporated one or more of these technologies or methodologies thus paving the way for fulfilling the emerging needs of higher education in 21st century India.

Virtual classrooms or online learning sites promote a collaborative learning among students.   Through Web based learning, vast amount of information can be searched, reorganized and downloaded from decentralized worldwide digital libraries. Also the quick delivery feedback ability of the Web can make learning more effective. Through virtual collaboration researchers can also share data visualization and create documents collaboratively producing and editing text in real time. The advances that have been made in the quality and sophistication of the virtual classroom learning platform ensure that it is no longer a technological promise, it is a mainstream reality.

Click here to know more about Welingkar’s Hybrid Learning PGDM Management Programs.

Various Stages of Supply Chain Management

We live in a globalized world where everyone is competing with everyone else. Organizations today are realizing the importance of an effective Supply Chain Management.

What then is Supply Chain Management? SCM as it is popularly referred to is all about planning and management of activities involved in sourcing and conversions. It also includes coordination and collaboration with channel patterns which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third party service provider and customers. There are different aspects and stages in supply chain management. Some of the keys aspects are mentioned below:

Raw Material Suppliers: A supplier plays a critical link in supply chain. Forming the right partnership with right terms and polices helps develop a good relationship with the suppliers that will prove beneficial to all the parties involved.

Manufacturer: After acquiring the right raw material, the organization has to make careful decision on the manufacturing of the product. The demand for the product, technologies required and other important decisions have to be carefully managed at this stage.

Distributors: The distributors could include wholesalers and retailers. They are one of the important links between the organization and customers.

Customers: They are the most important and also the end-link in the chain. An organization should identify their customers and make sure that the product they produce is what is required.

Beside the above, Logistics is also an important factor in the supply chain management. Logistics is to plan, execute and control various aspects of supply chain, from the point of origin to the point of consumption. For an organization to operate smoothly and profitable it is necessary for the supply chain to keep running.

However, redundancy is the enemy of efficiency. So how does one build a supply chain network that responds efficiently? The answer is the ‘people’ factor. “The flexibility of a supply chain and its ability to respond to different demand patterns is a direct result of the network design. However, the efficiency of a supply chain and the speed of response depends more on the people that run the supply chain.”

SOME OF THE KEY BENEFITS OF SUPPLY CHANGE MANAGEMENT

• Learn to design supply chains that improve supply chain profitability
• Use product design, strategic sourcing, and pricing to most efficiently match supply and demand
• Build and maximize supply chain coordination and collaboration
• Identify supply chain risks and design risk mitigation strategies
• Explore purchasing, production, and distribution strategies for a global environment

 

Click Here to play the simple supply chain management content.

Advertising for a Retail Store

Once the long awaited store is open, it is just the beginning of a whole line of activities to gain recognition. It is vital to make people aware of its existence. Advertisement plays a critical role in attracting customers to your store. It will create an image for your store and establish an identity for you in the market.

Use all available options that you find feasible to advertise your store. It could be:

Print: Newspaper, magazines, catalogues and journals come under print advertisement. This source reaches a large number of people and is a very effective mode of advertisement.

Television: Television reaches a wide audience. This mode of advertisement has the advantage of picture and sound, which allows you to illustrate information creatively.

Radio: This is an excellent source of advertisement. Radio reaches a large number of people and is comparatively more economical than other sources.

Social: Social media as a source is the most famous one now. Open a website where people can learn more about your store. Facebook, twitter, blogging, LinkedIn and other social networking sites will encourage communication with customers.

Word of Mouth: This is one of the oldest forms of advertisement and is still effective. Mouth-to-Mouth is the most sought out way of advertising for small retailers.

There are two main objectives for advertisement. One is to attract customers and the other is to make them aware about you. So be clear and don’t confuse your customers. Besides that, be creative and come up with innovative ideas to keep the customers coming. As you progress, retail marketing plans, sales promotion ideas, branding and advertising resources, media buys and sales events will benefit your retail store to be in the public eye.

Click here to know more about Welingkar’s Hybrid Learning PGDM Management Programs.

Effective Presentation Skills for Managers and Executives

Making an effective presentation to an audience regularly tops the list in surveys of people’s fears –much more than heights, flying or dying. Remember: You are not alone if the thought of speaking in public terrifies you. This fear is the bane of every qualified Frontline Manager, Mid-level Manager or Junior Executive.

Effective Presentations skills and public speaking skills are important in business, sales and selling, training, teaching, lecturing and generally entertaining an audience. Developing the confidence and capability to make good presentations and to stand in front of an audience and speak well, are extremely helpful competencies for self-development, too. good presentation skills are not limited to a privileged few – anyone can make a good presentation or deliver a speech to a professional and impressive standard. Like most things, it simply takes a little preparation and practice.

To be an effective presenter – one must commit to be an ongoing learner. Communications is a set of skills that can be learned, honed and taught. To be a proficient public speaker, you will grow as long as you seek to grow. At such times, apply Eleanor Roosevelt’s maxim: “No one can intimidate me without my permission.”

The format for a presentation can be very different: oral (spoken), multimedia (using various media – visuals, audio, etc), PowerPoint presentations, short impromptu presentations, long planned presentations, business presentations, educational or training sessions, lectures and simply giving a talk on a voluntary basis. Even speeches at weddings and eulogies at funerals are forms of presentations. Every effective presentation uses:  techniques, confidence, experience and meticulous preparation. Good presentation is about entertaining as well as conveying information. People retain more if they are made to feel relaxed. Try to build credibility in the introduction itself and create a comfortable environment for the audience, which will come spontaneously if you are comfortable with yourself.

Welingkar’s workshop on Presentation Skills encourages the learner to get acclimatized to speaking confidently in the competitive environment through use of audio-visual aids. It involves usage of appropriate body language and helps create a rapport and credibility with the audience.

Click here to apply for the Management Workshops conducted by Welingkar’s Distance Learning

How to become a Super Achiever!

What does Corporate Guru Narayan Murthy of Infosys, actor Shah Rukh Khan and cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar have in common? What really separates the best from the rest? We all know that it takes hard work, dedication and the occasional dose of luck for someone to make it to the top of their chosen field. Yet, we also suspect that it takes a little something more—but what?

Being a Super Achiever is no more a dream and is open to everyone who dreams of being successful in various areas of life – relationships, health, wealth and social life. “Every great success starts with inspiration, but not every inspiration leads to success.”

The most common factor boils down to   devotion to the day-to-day struggle. If you have unflagging determination to achieve your target, you will certainly do so. To become a super achiever for your business; focus on personal attitude – explore your Leadership skills, think smart – consider team building as nothing can be achieved alone, and finally, hone your managerial skills to make the  right decisions in the workplace.

“How to become a Super Achiever” is a unique methodology Workshop from Welingkar’s WeSchool which guides you on how to achieve goals and fulfill your cherished dream. Learn the hidden barriers that stand as an obstruction to your dreams, the art of overcoming those hindrances in fulfilling your goals in life and much more. This exclusive workshop helps you set specific and timely goals that enable you to visualize what you want out of life. It helps you achieve your aim in life, and if you do not have an aim, to determine one!

These Workshops has benefitted and changed the lives of thousands who have implemented its proven and tested techniques.
You too can!! Click here to join Management workshops conducted by Welingkar’s Distance Learning Division

The Art of Negotiation & Tactical tips

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Negotiation as:  “To confer with another person so as to arrive at a settlement of some matter; also to arrange for or bring about such conferences.”

Like it or not, you are a negotiator. Whether in family or business dealings, people reach many decisions through negotiation. You haggle with the vendor for an acceptable price. You discuss with domestic help the wages you are willing to pay them and the quality of work you expect in return. You negotiate favourable terms with your employer. The list could go on…Negotiation is a fact of life!

Negotiation skills are used regularly in business or community activities, but often overlooked in the conduct of daily lives. Successful Negotiation is a personal skill that can be learned. It presents concepts that can be applied in any situation where issues are to be resolved. Most people know of only two ways to negotiate – either soft or hard. The soft negotiator wants to keep peace and readily makes concessions to avoid or resolve conflicts. The hard negotiator sees conflict as a battle in which the person takes the extreme position and holds out to get a better deal. Body language plays a pivotal role in Negotiation while being adept at resolving Conflict management will help limit the negative aspects of conflict and encourage successful Negotiation.

Those who master the skill of effective negotiation will save money, time and achieve a high degree of satisfaction. Skilled negotiators don’t have to worry about “what might have been.” Negotiation skills are a heady mix of Marketing skills, Communication skills and Interpersonal skills.



WeSchool’s Workshop on Negotiation Strategy & Tactics aims to provide a clear understanding of the negotiating process and how to negotiate more profitable sales. The program is suitable for people who need to negotiate on behalf of their organization and is designed to give delegates more confidence when negotiating.The Workshop will involve discussions and demonstrative exercises on: what is negotiation, various stages of the process, tactics and behavior and applying the art of negotiation in a working day.

The session will also cover other aspects of negotiation like: How to plan and prepare for negotiations, how to structure negotiations, negotiating styles, personal power, negotiating tactics, movement and concessions, developing win-win situations, the closing stages of negotiation and preparing a personal action plan.

Click here to Register for Negotiation Strategy and Tactics Workshop.

Business Analysis Tools and Techniques for I.T Management Employees

Are you in sync with what you are required to deliver in the workplace or to a client?

Every new activity, product or project in the workplace is created in response to a business need. Yet don’t we often find ourselves in situations where, despite spending tremendous time and resources, there’s a mismatch between what has been designed and what is actually needed?

Again, haven’t you been in a situation when a client has complained that what is delivered isn’t what was decided? Or has someone changed the brief about the deliverable, when you were halfway through a project? Have you had conflicting requirements from multiple clients? And have you ever received new requirements just after you thought you’d finished creating a product? The list is endless!

How can this be avoided by using business analysis tools and techniques ? 

A focused and detailed business requirement analysis can help overcome such problems. This is the process of discovering, analyzing, defining and documenting requirements related to a specific business objective. It is the process by which the scope of the project is clearly defined, so as to assess timescales and resources needed to complete the task.

Remember: to get what you want, you need to accurately define it. Good business requirements analysis helps achieve this objective. It leads to understanding business needs better and helps break them down into specific requirements that are mutually agreed upon by everyone.

WeSchool is conducting a 2-day workshop on 27^th & 28^th July, 2013, to broaden the understanding of the role of a Business Analyst. It will also demonstrate to participants how to use known tools and techniques during back end analysis as effective methods to capture requirements. This is, however, not a workshop specifically on tools such as Object Oriented Analysis (OOA) or UML but will acclimatize participants to new tools and techniques to conduct context studies for Enterprise Analysis and Security requirements among others.

The workshop will include role plays and simulations to create awareness among participants to conduct, elicit and gather requirements to enhance effectiveness as a Business Analyst.

Click here to Register for this 2 day workshop.

Becoming a Business Analyst

A Business Analyst (BA) is someone who analyzes the existing or ideal organization and design of systems, including businesses, departments and organizations. BAs also assess business models and their integration with technology.

What do business analysts essentially do? At the most basic level, a business analyst acts as a translator or liaison between the customer or user and the IT person or group attempting to meet this user’s needs. In a nutshell, business analysts are ‘responsible for identifying the business needs of their clients and stakeholders, to determine solutions to business problems.’

Careers as a Business Analyst:  In the Indian professional domain job opportunities for a BA is catching up at a dramatic pace and is one of the fastest growing careers today. Did you know…American employers will need 876,000 business analysis related professionals by 2020? (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections Program) Opportunities for a BA are manifold, based on education and analytical skills.

Skills essential for a Business Analyst:

• Analytical Thinking and Problem Solving
• Leadership and Influencing
• Facilitator
• Negotiator/Mediator
• Business Knowledge
• Communications Skills (both written and verbal)

These competencies represent the knowledge and personal characteristics necessary to support the effective performance of business analysis and are essential for effective performance at any level of experience.

Click here to know more about the Hybrid Distance Learning Program offered by Welingkar’s Distance Learning Division.

Learning in Virtual Classrooms

The virtual classroom is just what it sounds like. You “enter” the classroom using your computer and a headset equipped with a microphone. Since the class takes place in real time, the instructor and all the students attend classes at a set time and date. Students can raise their virtual hand to ask questions and interact with fellow students. The instructor can show videos, break students into small groups for exercises and conduct facilitated discussions…. Just about anything you can do in a traditional classroom you can do in a virtual one!

Traditional education is slowly being replaced by a wide range of technology-enabled learning modalities, from podcasts and webinars to formal, one-on-one coaching and a range of e-learning platforms via virtual classrooms.

The virtual classroom environment is flexible and convenient in its approach and encourages freedom of expression enabling students to communicate and express opinions openly in these environs.

Online courses support critical thinking skills, leadership, communication, problem solving and ethics. Often students’ prefer the delivery mode and work at their own pace and take the time to analyze and synthesize the learning materials.

Research has shown that students take online classes because they are able to get the course schedule they want to fulfill their degree requirements. Moreover, multimedia use has made virtual learning more interesting and lively, thus paving the way for fulfilling the emerging needs of higher education in 21st century India.

The Future

The advances that have been made in the quality and sophistication of the virtual classroom learning platform ensure that it is no longer a technological promise, it is a mainstream reality.

Click here to know more about the Hybrid Distance Learning Program offered by Welingkar’s Distance Learning Division.