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DEVELOPMENT OF ASSESSMENT CENTRE On LIFESTYLE INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD

Submitted To: Prof. Radhika Mam Submitted By: Sidhaant Sangghvi(13208) Nikitha Sachdeva(13091) Priyam Malhothra(v4056)

Lifestyle International Pvt. Ltd

About the Company: Lifestyle International (P) Ltd, part of the prestigious Dubai based Landmark Group, started its operations in India with the launch of the first Lifestyle store in Chennai in 1999. In little over a decades time, Lifestyle has established itself amongst the leading retail companies in India. Positioned as a youthful, stylish and a vibrant brand, Lifestyle Departmental stores offers its customers not just the ease of shopping but also an enjoyable shopping experience. Each Lifestyle store brings together five concepts under one roof Apparel, Footwear, Childrens Wear & Toys, Furniture & Home Furnishings, Beauty & Fashion Accessories - offering a convenience of a onestop shop and a wide choice of national & international brands. Home Centre is a one stop destination for Furniture, Home Dcor and Soft Furnishings that truly represent style, comfort and individuality. Home Centre uses a unique Concept Room display model to give customers a practical idea of how each piece of furniture would look in a particular room. In keeping with the Groups tradition of making every shopping experience rewarding and memorable, The Inner Circle Landmark Groups Loyalty program allows members, to enjoy exclusive benefits and privileges such as reward points and exciting offers. The Inner Circle is today recognized amongst the leading Loyalty Program in the country with an ever increasing base of customers. The card is accepted across all Landmark Group Stores in India including Lifestyle, Home Centre, Max Fashions, Splash, Bossini, Auchaan Hypermarket & Gloria Jeans Coffees. Mission Statement:

Carefully listen, Constantly adapt, Always deliver

Vision: To be among the top three retail players in three of the fastest growing retail markets in the world (Middle East, India and China) Philosophy: Statement of Purpose: Creating exceptional value for all those whose lives we touch Core Values:

INTEGRITY

Passion

ING

ing

Key facts about the Landmark Group in India as of 2011: 12 Years of retail experience Turnover in excess of US$ 250 million Total retail space over 1.3 million sq ft Pan India presence covering key cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Noida, Gurgaon, Agra, Indore, Kanpur, Jalandhar, Mangalore, Kolkata, Vadodra, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Nagpur, Coimbatore Over 8,000 personnel Lifestyle: Department store including fashion apparel and accessories, footwear, fragrances, cosmetics, home ware and gifts. Landmark International brands such as Bossini and Splash are now part of Lifestyle

Lifestyle is part of the Landmark Group, a Dubai- based retail chain Started at Chennai in 1999 29 Lifestyle stores, 12 Home Centres Retail Space 1.1 million sq. ft. Team Size : Over 5000 (as of September 2011) Turnover of over INR1000 Crores Presence in Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Gurgaon, Delhi, Noida, Jaipur, Mumbai,

Pune, Jalandhar, Kanpur, Mangalore, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Ludhiana and Ahmedabad

LIFESTYLE INTERNATIONAL PVT. LTD

Role Name: Senior HR Manager (South Region)

JOB DESCRIPTION JOB PROFILE

Management of over 2500 employees across different support and management positions Lead a team of three HR managers and 15 HR team members with defined roles Managing related activities for 13 LIFESTYLE stores, 4 LIFESTYLE warehouses, 26 exclusive brand outlets. Management of all aspects of Human Resource Public Relations, Service and other allied activities. Ensure compliance of statutory laws Ensure timely and accurate payroll inputs Strategic planning for implementation of the performance management system with corporate HR team Preparation and appraisal of annual employee, manpower and welfare projects with inputs from business managers, regional heads and the corporate HR team. Store-wise allocation and tracking optimal utilization of manpower Support and guide managers on personnel policies, procedures and training Support and guide HR team on the Employee engagement activities and preparation of the employees engagement calendar. Create and implement standard operating procedures for HR

Qualification

Masters of Business Administration with specialization in Marketing from renowned university Bachelors of Commerce with specialization in Business Management from renowned university.

COMPETENCIES

LEADERSHIP

Definition: As a team member, the ability and desire to work cooperatively with others on a team; as a team leader, interest, skill, and success in getting groups to learn to work together cooperatively. Supervision Motivation Co-ordination Influencing Delegating Communications

RESULTS ORIENTATION Definition: Focusing on the desired end result of ones own or ones units work; setting

challenging goals, focusing effort on the goals, and meeting or exceeding them. Develops challenging but achievable goals Develops clear goals for meetings and projects Maintains commitment to goals, in the face of obstacles and frustrations Finds or creates ways to measure performance against goals Exerts unusual effort over time, to achieve a goal Has a strong sense of urgency about solving problems and getting work done

STRATEGIC PLANNING Definition: Analyzing our competitive position by considering the market and industry

trends, our existing and potential customers, and our strengths and weaknesses as compared to competitors. Understands the organizations strengths and weaknesses as Comparedto competitors Understands industry and market trends affecting the organizations Competitiveness Competitive products and services within the marketplace Develops and proposes a long-term (3-5 year) strategy for the organization

MANAGING PERFORMANCE Definition: Willingness to delegate responsibility and to work with others and coach them to develop their capabilities. Ensures that employees have clear goals and responsibilities Works with employees to set and communicate performance standards that are specific and measurable Supports employees in their efforts to achieve job goals (e.g., by providing resources, removing obstacles, acting as a buffer) Keeps informed about employees programs and performance through both formal methods (e.g., status reports) and informal methods (e.g., management by walking around) Provides specific performance feedback, both positive and corrective, as soon as possible after an event Deals firmly and promptly with performance problems; lets people know what is expected of them and when

DEVELOPING OTHERS Definition: Willingness to delegate responsibility and to work with others and coach them to develop their capabilities. Provides helpful, behaviorally specific feedback to others Shares information, advice and suggestions to help others to be more successful; provides effective coaching Gives people assignments that will help develop their abilities Regularly meets with employees to review their development progress Recognizes and reinforces peoples developmental efforts and improvements Expresses confidence in others ability to be successful

TECHNICAL EXPERTISE Definition: Depth of knowledge and skill in a technical area. Effectively applies technical knowledge to solve a range of problems Possesses an in-depth knowledge and skill in a technical area Is able to develop technical solutions to new or highly complex problems that cannot be solved using existing methods or approaches Is sought out as an expert, to provide advice or solutions in his/he technical area

FLEXIBILITY Definition: Openness to different and new ways of doing things; willingness to modify ones preferred way of doing things. Is able to see the merits of perspectives other than his/her own Demonstrates openness to new organizational structures, procedures,and technology Switches to a different strategy when an initially selected one is unsuccessful Demonstrates willingness to modify a strongly held position in the face of contrary evidence
INFLUENCING OTHERS Definition: The ability to gain others support for ideas, proposals, projects, and solutions. Presents arguments that address others most important concerns and issues and looks for win-win solutions Involves others in a process or decision, to ensure their support Offers trade-offs or exchanges, to gain commitment Identifies and proposes solutions that benefit all parties involved in a situation Enlists experts or third parties to influence others Develops other indirect strategies to influence others Knows when to escalate critical issues to own or others management, if own efforts to enlist support have not succeeded Structures situations (e.g., the setting, persons present, sequence of events) to create a desired impact and to maximize the chances of a favorable outcome.

CUSTOMER ORIENTATION Definition: Demonstrated concern for satisfying ones external and/or internal customers. Lives the business mission: to be the preferred supplier through total customer satisfaction Quickly and effectively solves customer problems Talks to customers (internal or external) to find out what they want and how satisfied they are with what they are getting Lets customers know he/she is willing to work with them to meet their needs Finds ways to measure and track customer satisfaction Presents a cheerful, positive manner with customer

PROVIDING MOTIVATIONAL SUPPORT Definition: Skill at enhancing others commitment to their work Recognizes and rewards people for their achievements Acknowledges and thanks people for their contributions Expresses pride in the group and encourages people to feel good about their accomplishments Finds creative ways to make peoples work rewarding Signals own commitment to a process by being personally present and involved at key events Identifies and promptly tackles morale problems Gives talks or presentations that energize groups

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Assessment Centre

Location: Bangaluru, White Field Date: 24th September, 2013

Leadership

Debate Divide the participants into three groups consisting four members each. A debatable topic would be given with a time of 10 minutes to discuss amongst them. Later, the groups are asked to debate on the topic discussed with one spokesperson representing each group.

Situation Play (1)

This is a simple activity that highlights the different kinds of leaders and the qualities that they exhibit. Make a list of a couple of situations like -'You have to fire an employee because he has shown no results in the recent past', or 'An important meeting with a foreign client is underway and one of the team members has forgotten to add an important slide in the presentation that you're making. How will you handle the situation and how will you deal with the team member'. Several situations like these can be listed and the list can be given to each employee. Each of them have to then write down their point of view on the same in a stipulated period of time and then discuss each person's response at the end of it all. A panel will decide who the winner is.

Result-Orientation Case-Study & Presentation Given a case to all the participants with a set of questions to be solved, analyzed and later to be presented before the deadline. This will help us in identifying their inclination towards results and also their analytical skills.

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Strategic Planning Developing Strategy through Case Given a case ofMarks & Spencer: The Phoenix Rises the participants are required to develop a strategy for the company and develop solutions for the company so that it may sustain in long-run.

Technical Expertise Psychometric Test Psychometric testing provides important information about the capability of an individual to perform a job. It has consistently been found to be the best predictor of an employees potential to perform and to know his technical expertise.

Influencing Others Situation Play (2) Divide the participants into two halves. One group would act as Management Representatives and the other as Trade Union Representatives. An issue such as Increase in Bonus would be given 10 minutes prior to the discussion and the groups have to keep their relevant points and influence others. The team of assessors would judge the individuals and would analyze their influencing skills.

Customer Orientation Critical Incident Technique The Critical Incident Technique (or CIT) is a set of procedures used for collecting direct observations of human behavior that have critical significance and meet methodically defined criteria. These observations are then kept track of as incidents, which are then used to solve practical problems and develop broad psychological principles.

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List of Assessors and Assessees

Sr. No A B C

Assessor Mr. Yashwant Sharma Ms. Radhika Gupta Mr. Manish Kapoor

Sr. No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Assessee Ms. TanishaKapoor Mr. Rahul Singh Mr. VikramBhatiya Ms. AnushreeTiwari Mr. Ahmed Khan Mr. Raj Rana Mr. SandeepUpadhya Ms. SnehaSrivastav Mr. VirajTelang Mr. ShreekantHirne Ms. SoumyaDeshpande Mr. RonitShinde

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SCHEDULE: Day 1

Sr. No
1.

Time
9:00 10:00

Exercises
Ice-Breaker: A brief interaction between the participants and the management Name and Game Tea Break Case Study & Presentation: Given a case to all the participants with a set of questions to be solved, analyzed and later to be presented before the deadline. Critical Incident Interview: The three assessors would be interviewing four participants each one by one. Psychometric Test: During the critical incident interview the remaining would give the psychometric test. Lunch Break Debate: A debatable topic to be given with a time of 10 minutes to discuss amongst themselves with participants divided into three groups. Management Games Magic Mirror Situational play: One group would act as Management Representatives and the other as Trade Union Representatives. An issue such as Increase in Bonus would be given 10 minutes prior to the discussion and the groups have to keep their relevant points 1-4: Assessor B 5-8: Assessor C 9-12: Assessor A 1-4: Assessor A 5-8: Assessor C 9-12: Assessor B

2 3

10:00- 10:15 10:15- 12:15

12:30-2:00

5 6

2:00-3:00 3:00-5:00

1-4: Assessor A 5-8: Assessor B 9-12: Assessor C

7 8

5:00-5:30 5:30-6:15

1-4: Assessor B 5-8: Assessor C 9-12: Assessor A

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# A case study Marks & Spencer: The Phoenix Rises would be given at the end of the first day to the participants which they would have to perform on the second day.

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SCHEDULE: Day 2

Sr. No. 1

Time 9:00-11:00

Exercises In Basket Exercise:During thetest, job applicants receive a number of mails, telephone calls, documents and memos. They then have a limited period of time to set priorities, organize their working schedule accordingly and respond to mails and phone calls Tea Break 1-4: Assessor B 5-8: Assessor C 9-12: Assessor A

2 3

11:00-11:15 11:30-12:00

Self-Assessment Test:To let them know 1-4: Assessor B their strengths and weaknesses so they 5-8: Assessor C could work upon it. 9-12: Assessor A Developing Strategy through 1-4: Assessor A Case:The case given on Day-1 would be 5-8: Assessor B presented and analyzed. 9-12: Assessor C Lunch Break Situation Play:Several situations can be 1-4: Assessor C listed and the list can be given to each 5-8: Assessor A employee. Each of them have to then 9-12: Assessor B write down their point of view on the same in a stipulated period of time and then discuss each person's response at the end of it all.

12:00-2:00

5 6

2:00-3:00 3:00-4:15

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Annexure
Name and Game
Everyone sits in a circle. One person introduces herself or himself, saying their name andthen one word that describe a reason they have become involved in community service. (For instance, a childrens book that is important to you, what you would be doing if you were not here, what you like about the place where you volunteer, etc.). The second personrepeats the first persons name and the word/adjective and adds their own. The third personrepeats the previous two, adding their own. And so on. The last person has the hardest job because they must remember all of the names and words/adjectives. If there is time, youcan go around the circle again and ask each person to explain why they chose their word/adjective.

Case Study & Presentation Electro-Light

Our client is SuperSoda. SuperSoda is a top-three beverage producer in the United States and has approached McKinsey for help in designing a product-launch strategy. As an integrated beverage company, SuperSoda leads its own brand design, marketing, and sales efforts. In addition, the company owns the entire beverage supply chain, including production of concentrates, bottling and packaging, and distribution to retail outlets. SuperSoda has a considerable number of brands across carbonated and non-carbonated drinks, five large bottling plants throughout the country, and distribution agreements with most major retailers. SuperSoda is evaluating the launch of a new product, a flavored sports drink called ElectroLight. Sports drinks are usually designed to replenish both energy (sugars) and electrolytes (salts) in the body. However, Electro-Light has been formulated to focus more on the replenishment of electrolytes, and has a reduced sugar content compared to most other sports drinks. The company expects this new beverage to capitalize on the recent trend away from sugar-rich products.

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SuperSodas vice president of marketing has asked McKinsey to help analyze the major factors surrounding the launch of Electro-Light and its own internal capabilities to support the effort. Which factors should SuperSoda consider and act on before launching Electro-Light into the US beverage market?

QUESTION 1 What key factors should SuperSoda consider in deciding whether or not to launch ElectroLight? QUESTION 2 After reviewing the key factors SuperSoda should consider in deciding whether to launch Electro-Light, your team wants to understand the beverage market and consumer preferences to gauge potential success of Electro-Light. QUESTION 3 SuperSoda executives believe that the company's position as a top 3 beverage company gives them strategic strengths toward achieving the desired market share. However, they ask the team to outline what would be needed to achieve the target of 12.5% share of the electrolytedrinks market. What would SuperSoda need to do to gain the required market share for Electro-Light following its launch?

Psychometric Test
https://www.psychometricinstitute.com.au/Select-Preparation.asp?cID=12&lID=4

The candidates need to mention the login id as: lifestyleacand password as: 123456 and thenproceed with the test.

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Debate
The participants would be asked to debate on the topic Victory of a team depends on its captain The participants would be divided into three groups of four members each. They would be given a time of ten minutes to jot down the key points and then would start with the debate.

Magic Mirror
Draw outline of wall mirror on a flip chart (vertical rectangle with smooth corners). Lead participants through brief brainstorming sessions to identify the characteristics of a good team member. Do this quickly in just a minute or two to get participants thinking about how you know a good team leader when you see one. Write their responses in the mirror Then pair of the participants and handout the three column mirror image chart so that each person has a chart. Suggest that each participant folds the chart length wise on the fold line, hiding the third column from view. Give the group of pairs five minutes so that each person has time to list three or four positive behaviours in both the first and the second column. When this is done, instruct partners to exchange papers without looking at the completed columns. Partners now work only with the third column, listing three or four positive behaviours. All papers are then returned to the original owners Objective The object of the exercise is for each participant to find a consistent image or through discussion with the partner to figure out how to bring apparent discrepancies into alignment. This exercise in double reflection can be useful in strengthening ones companys leaders.

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Situational Play
Divide the participants into two halves. One group would act as Management Representatives and the other as Trade Union Representatives. An issue of Increase in Bonus would be given 10 minutes prior to the discussion and the groups have to keep their

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relevant points and influence others. The team of assessors would judge the individuals and would analyze their influencing skills.

In-basket Exercises
An in-basket test or an in-basket exercise is a test used by companies and governments in hiring and promoting employees. During the test, job applicants receive a number of mails, telephone calls, documents and memos. They then have a limited period of time to set priorities, organize their working schedule accordingly and respond to mails and phone calls. It also helps in acquainting employees about their job where a number of problems are kept in the "in basket "(usually kept on the desk of the employee). The worker has to look at the problems which could also be complaints from different employees and simultaneously deal with those problems. As the employee solves these problems, he/she transfers them to the "out-basket"

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In Tray Exercise Candidate brief You are Pat Jones, recently appointed a Store Manager of a 1.8 million turnover store. This is your first day at work following a two-week holiday. Todays date is Wednesday 5th April. Your administrator has collated the documents that have arrived in the store during your absence. Your task: Decide on the order in which you would deal with the items in the folder using the following code: A = Must do today B = Would like to do today, time permitting C = Can be left until a later date and then in the box provided write the specific action you would take to address that task. You have 30 minutes to complete this exercise.

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DOCUMENT 3 Mrs Anna Frampton 111 Blenheim Avenue Stonford ST1 8TL P Jones Store Manager The Shoe Company Slipper Walk Soletown Dear Madam I am writing to express my disappointment at the service I received when visiting your store. I have a 4 year old daughter and a baby of 10 months. As with most children, my daughter does not enjoy shopping, particularly when it involves lots of waiting, which was the case on 30th March when I visited your Store. I arrived in the Store at 10.30am and was not served until 11.40pm. I was not acknowledged by anyone during my wait, and when I was eventually served, my daughter was extremely fretful. I was served by Mandy who took one look at my obviously distressed daughter, raised her eyebrows and said I hope you dont expect me to deal with her while shes in that state. As you can imagine, I was absolutely horrified at this persons attitude. I asked to speak to the Assistant Manager and told him of the incident. His name was Simon Darby, and he treated me with indifference, offering no apology.

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As a life-long Shoe Company customer I was appalled at my treatment. The Shoe Company prides itself on a reputation for being the place to shop for childrens shoes this experience does not seem to fit in with this reputation. I will not be rushing into a Shoe Company shop in the near future, and I expect something to be done about this incident. Yours sincerely Mrs Anna Frampton

DOCUMENT 4 Charity UK Drake Road SOLETOWN 31st March 2006 The Manager The Shoe Company Slipper Walk SOLETOWN Dear Sir/Madam We are newly established charity that works with under-privileged people around the UK. We are now setting up our Christmas Bonanza and would like your help. We are approaching all local businesses asking them to make a donation, of either products or money, so that we can give a Christmas gift to those most in need in our local area. If you have any queries please call me on 020 786 2317.

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Please give generously. Yours faithfully George Grey Head Fundraiser

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Competency Matrix

Debate

Situation Play (1)

Case Study & Presentation

Developing Psychometric Strategy through Case Test

Situational Play (2)

Critical Incident Interview

Leadership

ResultOrientation Strategic Planning Technical Expertise Influential Skills Customer Orientation