CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 INTRODUCTION OF THE STUDY:

The word ‘Career’ means a general lifelong course of action a person chooses to pursue
or a sequence of positions occupied by a person during the course of a lifetime. The Oxford
Dictionary describes career as a course or progress through life or an occupation or profession
engaged in as a life-work and a way of making a livelihood and advancing oneself. To some
people, career means advancement, in which case, jobs offering little chance for advancement
would not be careers. According to another perspective, careers are equated with certain high
status occupations, while lower status occupations are merely jobs.

According to Schein’s description of career-cone, career changes may happen along

three basic dimensions namely a vertical movement between different levels, a horizontal
movement between different jobs at the same level and a radical movement toward or away
from the inner circles of power in an organization. Every person’s career goes alternatively
through a period of change, followed by a period of stability before transforming again. A
recent idea with regard to careers is known as career security, it enjoins upon people to develop
professional or occupational security due to the development of useful skills and competence
rather than depending upon organizations for providing them job security.

Normally, employees want to advance and grow in their careers. Most individuals
develop quite early in life and idea or a mental image of what career they would like to pursue.
An individual with managerial potential joins a firm not for a job but for a career. Unless an
organization meets these desires and aspirations of its employees it cannot make optimum use
of its human resources. But organizations have their own requirements and constraints which
limit their capacity to meet the employee expectations. Changing expectations of employees
and organization’s inability to meet these expectations create a conflict. If this conflict is not
resolved properly, the organization cannot attain higher levels of efficiency and effectiveness.
Career planning is an important technique for productive resolution of this conflict between
the individual and the organization.

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 It was common for someone to begin and end a career at the same company, many
employees see job-hopping as the best opportunity for growth and monetary gain. Smart
organizations help employees chart a path that may carry them through the entirety of their
working life, knowing that when they hire an employee, it’s benefitting both the employee and
employer if this new position is seen as a career and not simply a job. If organizations assist
employees in better preparing them for new responsibilities by enhancing the employability,
organizations can be better prepared to meet its human resource needs through career planning
and career management.

A new type of relationship is evolving from a more paternalistic to an exchange

relationship for mutual benefit of both parties. But employees are expected to assume
responsibility for own learning by exhibiting demonstrable value to the organization and
understand the nature of business. Employers are expected to provide opportunities for skill
development, training, education, employee’s involvement in decision making, assistance with
career and performance based compensation etc.

1.1.1 CAREER:

A career is a sequence of positions or jobs held by a person during the course of his
working life. It is viewed as fundamentally a relationship between one or more organizations
and the individual. To some a career is a carefully worked out plan for self-advancement to
others it is a calling-life role to others it is a voyage to self-discovery and to still others it is life
itself. It is not a series of work related experiences but a sequence of attitudes and behavior
associated with work related activities over the span of a person’s life. It represents an
organized path taken by an individual across time and space. A person’s career is shaped by
many factor e.g. hereditary factors, parents, culture, age level, job experience, social
environment, etc.

Career is a lifelong assignment, which enables individual to earn money or to satisfy

himself. It is a way of life for a person. A career imposes a number of responsibilities and duties
on an individual. Different careers have different requirements for example human skills,
location, climate, etc.

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 “A career may be thought of as a long-term project for an individual life. One’s career
may be “in” business, law, teaching, entertainment, professional philanthropy, or something
else” (Care, 1984).

According to Edwin B. Flippo, “A career is a sequence of separate but related work

activities that provide continuity, order and meaning to a person’s life”.

According to Garry Dessler, “The occupational positions a person has had over many
years”.

According to Care (1984) career is a way of life one lives. Maanen (1977) give
definition of career as a series of related experiences that makes an individual’s life. Olson and
prince (1979) suggest career as a series of steps upward in the organization and see career as a
life time commitment to a specific field or organization.

Career is a term defined by the Oxford English Dictionary: "Course or progress through
life (or a distinct portion of life)" Nosow and Form (1962) provides the following definitions:

"Sociologically the career refers to any pattern of occupational change (vertical and/or
Horizontal) of any occupational group” (Nosow and Form, 1962).

Consistent with this concept of career, Hall’s (2002) define career as different attitudes
and behaviors that linked with individuals and their work-related experiences and actions over
the life period. Here, career is a work related experience over a person’s life indicates a long-
time action rather than immediate performance and satisfaction.

Sims (1983) says: “To match the job and person, a commensurate frame work for
assessing job demands and personal characteristics is needed.”

Schein (1978) relates career to the career “anchors” an inner feeling of motivation or a
power of inspiration for an individual. He has mentioned that there are a number of stages in
the career cycle including growth, fantasy and exploration. An individual can reach a realistic
career choice by performing a number of jobs and by utilizing his abilities, interests, thoughts,
feelings and skills. “Other perceived important career anchors for success include
organizational stability, identity, geographic security and services”.

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 Career choice is a name of process that starts during early age. In an age when students
start thinking about making some career choice and continues till the time when the individual
is employed in any organization. Career choice is also influenced by health and physical
performance of an individual. Personality of a person also play an important role when we talk
about or it comes to selecting the right job for an individual. It's become necessary for all
persons to find appropriate careers today not merely for financial reasons, but also for the
satisfaction or excellence of life. By choosing a career that matches your needs, your
personality, you are more likely to perform a job happily.

Many of today's employees have high expectations about their jobs. There has been a
general increase in the concern of the quality of life. Workers expect more from their jobs than
just income. A further impetus to career planning is the need for organizations to make the best
possible use of their most valuable resources the people in a time of rapid technological growth
and change.

1.1.2 CAREER PLANNING:

Career planning is the systematic process by which one selects career goals and the path
to these goals. From the organization’s viewpoint it means helping the employees to plan their
career in terms of their capacities within the context of organization’s needs. It involves
designing an organizational system of career movement and growth opportunities for
employees from the employment stage to the retirement stage. Individuals who can fill planned
future positions are identified and prepared to take up these positions. It is a managerial
technique for mapping out the entire career of young employees. It requires discovery,
development, planned employment and re-employment of talents.

It is the process of enhancing an employee’s future value. It is an individual’s choice

of occupation, organization and career path. It aims at identifying personal skills, interest,
knowledge and other features; and establishes specific plans to attain specific goals. Aims at
matching individual potential for promotion and individual aspirations with organizational
needs and opportunities.

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 According to Schermerborn, Hunt, and Osborn, “Career planning is a process of
systematically matching career goals and individual capabilities with opportunities for their
fulfillment”.

The major focus of career planning is on assisting the employees achieve a better match
between personal goals and the opportunities that are realistically available in the organization.
Career programs should not concentrate only on career growth opportunities. Practically
speaking, there may not be enough high level positions to make upward mobility a reality for
a large number of employees. Hence, career-planning efforts need to pin-point and highlight
those areas that offer psychological success instead of vertical growth.

Career planning is not an event or end in itself, but a continuous process of developing
human resources for achieving optimum results. It must, however, be noted that individual and
organizational careers are not separate and distinct. A person who is not able to translate his
career plan into action within the organization may probably quit the job, if he has a choice.
Organizations, therefore, should help employees in career planning so that both can satisfy
each other's needs.

Career planning is an integral part of manpower planning which is an important part of

corporate planning. Manpower planning cannot be effective without proper career planning.
Similarly, manpower planning provides valuable information to facilitate career planning.
Career planning and succession planning are similar but not synonyms.

Career planning covers all levels of employees whereas succession planning is

generally required for higher level executives. Career planning, manpower planning and
succession planning are complementary and interdependent. All the three are essential for the
effective utilization of organization’s human resources, for optimum productivity and for the
levels and growth of the organization.

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OBJECTIVES OF CAREER PLANNING:

 To attract and retain the right type of person in the organization.

 To map out career of employees suitable to their ability and their willingness to be
trained and developed for higher positions.
 To have a more stable workforce by reducing labour turnover and absenteeism.
 It contributes to man power planning as well as organizational development and
effective achievement of corporate goals.
 To increasingly utilize the managerial talent available at all levels within the
organization.
 To improve employee morale and motivation by matching skills to job requirement and
by providing opportunities for promotion.
 It helps employee in thinking of long term involvement with the organization.
 To provide guidance and encourage employees to fulfill their potentials.
 To achieve higher productivity and organizational development.
 To ensure better use of human resource through more satisfied and productive
employees.
 To meet the immediate and future human resource needs of the organization on the
timely basis.

NEED FOR CAREER PLANNING:

 To desire to grow and scale new heights.

 Helps to realize and achieve the goals.
 For performance measure.
 To reduce high employee turnover.
 To educate the employees.
 To motivates employees to grow.
 To motivates employees to avail training and development.
 It increases employee loyalty as they feel organization care’s about them.

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BENEFITS OF CAREER PLANNING:

 Career planning ensures a constant supply of promotable employees.

 It helps in improving the loyalty of employees.
 Career planning encourages an employee’s growth and development.
 It discourages the negative attitude of superiors who are interested in suppressing the
growth of the subordinates.
 It ensures that senior management knows about the caliber and capacity of the
employees who can move upwards.
 It can always create a team of employees prepared enough to meet any contingency.
 Career planning reduces labour turnover.
 Every organization prepares succession planning towards which career planning is the
first step.

PROCESS OF CAREER PLANNING:

Identifying
Individual
Needs And
Aspirations

Analysing
Reviewing Career
Career Plans
Opportunities

Formulating
Identifying
And
Match and
Implementing
Mismatch
Strategies

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 1. IDENTIFYING INDIVIDUAL NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS:

It is necessary to identify and communicate the career goals, aspirations and career
anchors of every employee as most individuals may not have a clear idea about these aspects.
For this purpose a personnel inventory of the organization and employee potential are
ascertained.

Personnel inventory will reveal the age, qualifications, experience and aptitude of
present employees. Appraisal of employees is then carried out to identify the employees having
the necessary potential for climbing up the ladder and are willing to be promoted and to take
up higher responsibilities.

2. ANALYSING CAREER OPPORTUNITIES:

The organizational set up, future plans and career system of the employees are analyzed
to identify the career opportunities available within it. Career paths can be determined for each
position. It is also necessary to analyze career demands in terms of knowledge, skills,
experience, aptitude etc.

3. IDENTIFYING MATCH AND MISMATCH:

A mechanism for identifying congruence between individual current aspirations and

organizational career system is developed to identify and compare specific areas of match and
mismatch for different categories of employees. For this purpose specific jobs are related to
different career opportunities. Such matching helps to develop realistic career goals for both
long term and short term plans.

4. FORMULATING AND IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIES:

Alternative strategies such as changes in the career system, changing employee needs
and aspirations, seeking new basis of integration, training and development of suitable people
and action plans for dealing with mismatch are formulated and implemented.

5. REVIEWING CAREER PLANS:

A periodic review of career plans is necessary to know whether the plans are
contributing to effective utilization of human resources by matching employee objectives to

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job needs. Surveys may also be conducted to judge the impact of career planning activities on
the working of the organization.

LIMITATIONS OF CAREER PLANNING:

Though career planning helps an organization in numerous ways, it has a few

limitations that undermine the importance and relevance of career planning. These are:

1. TIME FACTOR:

Career planning is usually a long-term and time-consuming process. It is based on the

logic of suffering short-term pain to get long-term gains. However, organizations may
not be ready to spend a lot of time and resources on a process that would prove beneficial
only in the long term.

2. UNSUITABLE FOR LARGE WORKFORCE:

It may not be possible for organizations with a large workforce to develop individual
career plans breach and every employee of the organization. This is because the career plan
process requires an in-depth analysis of each employee's strengths and weaknesses on a
sustained basis.

3. LACK OF OBJECTIVITY:

Only those organizations which believe in strict observance of objectivity in

promotion and transfers can succeed in career planning. In contrast, favoritism and
nepotism in promotions often make career planning an unsuccessful exercise.

4. EXTERNAL INTERVENTIONS:

Government rules and regulations can also affect the Greer planning options of an
organization. For example, the government may make it mandatory for the organization to
adopt reservations in promotions, especially IUL is a government organization or a public
sector enterprise.

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 5. LACK OF KNOWLEDGE AND AWARENESS:

Career planning by an employee is essentially a self-management process. It requires

the employees to be aware of the basics of career planning and management activities.
However, the employees at the lower levels of the organizational hierarchy may not be familiar
with the career planning process.

6. LACK OF FLEXIBILITY:

Many organizations treat career planning as a ritualistic, rigid exercise. They often
fail to consider the uncertainties caused to the career planning activities by the changes in the
situation. In fact, the absence of dynamic career planning programs may limit the
applicability of the career plans in uncertain and changing situations.

7. DIFFICULTY IN MEASURING CAREER SUCCESS:

Since career success is an abstract concept, it is interpreted differently by different

persons. Some may consider a good performance in the job as career success. Others may
consider the quality of life as an indicator of career success. Still others may consider the
vertical mobility in the organizational structure as career success. This divergence of opinions
may cause confusion and vagueness in interpreting career success.

1.1.3 CAREER DEVELOPMENT:

Development can be viewed as personal improvement by means of enhancing skills

and knowledge that is complex and unstructured in nature (Durbin, 2009:614).

Development also refers to an action, i.e. a process of growth, implying changes in

terms of structure and function.

Career development is a lifelong process (ongoing) or cycle of growth to prepare, sustain

and advance within a career (Georgia Department of Education, 2008:13).

Career development implies the interaction between a human and his/her environment
embedded in economical, historical, cultural and community factors. After procuring a work

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position, career development and career planning continue because human needs that need to
be satisfied (Kuphur, 2009:1-3).

Career development is a dynamic process where an individual takes responsibility for

the evaluation of his/her personality, skills, needs, and priorities and-values.

It implies growth through learning and developing skills to enable an individual to

accumulate career experience, to execute career decisions and make the necessary changes and
adaptations to execute a certain scope of work. To be successful in the world of work, according
to Bloom's taxonomy, three major domains can be identified (Georgia Department of
Education, 2008:13).

Aligning to knowledge, skills and attitudes, the domains are the Personal Social
Development Domain, the Educational Achievement and Lifelong Learning Domain and the
Career Management Domain (ibid.). The inter-relationship between these three domains is
essential for proper career development.

Career development, closely linked to life development, will enhance the self-concept
of the individual, understanding that the way one reacts to career situations will eventually
determine the way forward (ibid.).

Basically career development implies a process of growth, whilst actions or inactions

taken by the individual to develop or grow, will be determined by the level of sound career
planning.

Career development refers to set of programs designed to match an individual’s needs,

abilities, and career goals with current and future opportunities in the organization. Where
career plan sets career path for an employee, career development ensures that the employee is
well developed before he or she moves up the next higher ladder in the hierarchy.

Career development initiatives should develop people for the long term needs of the
organizations and at the same time equip them to meet the dynamic changes that would take
place over a period of time. This may involve several steps to be carried out by the employing
organizations. First step would be to orient employees on the numerous career opportunities,
choices and paths that might be available to them. Subsequently, a detailed assessment of
individual’s fitness for different career options would be an essential step. Career mapping

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based on business plans and futuristic training is to be considered by every manager of human
resources.

Career guidance and counseling, Career Workshops, allotment of a variety of

challenging tasks, roles and responsibilities based on the interests and capabilities of the
employees would follow the assessment as a third step. Training and Development inputs to
further enhance the competence of person would have to precede every stage of career
progression. Jobs can be designed to range from highly simple to highly complex tasks in terms
of use of the employees’ skills. Job enrichment, job enlargement and job rotations are beneficial
steps in shaping an individual’s career.

OBJECTIVE OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT:

 To attract and retain effective persons in an organization.

 To utilize human resources optimally.
 To improve morale and motivation level of employees.
 To reduce employee turnover.
 To practice a balanced promotion from within policy.
 To make employees adaptable to changes.
 To increase employees loyalty and commitment to the organizations.
 To maintain harmonious industrial relations.
 To inculcate equitable employment practices providing equal career progression
opportunities to women and minorities.

SIGNIFICANCE OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT:

 It reduces employee turnover by providing increase promotional avenues.

 It improves employee’s morale and motivation.
 It enables organizations to man promotional vacancies internally, thereby, provide
opportunities to reduce the cost of managerial recruitment.
 It ensures better utilization of employees’ skills to provide increased work satisfaction
to employee.
 It makes employee adaptable to the changing recruitment of the organization.
 It reduces the industrial disputes related to promotional matters and thereby provides
opportunity to the organization to sustain harmonious industrial relations.

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IMPORTANCE OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT:

1. ATTRACTING TOP TALENT:

Competitive employment packages that go beyond traditional compensation and

benefits can be key to their success. Research shows that career prospects and learning
opportunities are influencing factors when potential employees are choosing between job
offers. In addition employees who perceive their employer to provide career growth
opportunities show a greater commitment to their organizations.

2. JOB SATISFACTION:

Employees who participate in required training courses and worked-based development

activity during work time reported higher job satisfaction and organizational commitment.
These findings can be explained by social-exchange theory, which posits that employees will
remain with and work harder for an organization if the organization shows it values the
employees by taking on the responsibility of shaping their career.

3. RETAINING EMPLOYEES/REDUCING TURNOVER:

Through organizational commitment, career development opportunities help to retain

employees and thus prevents turnover. When estimates of the costs involved in replacing a
skilled employee have been reported to be as high as 150% of that employee’s salary retention
of quality employees is a strong business decision.

4. PRODUCTIVITY AND FINANCIAL RETURNS:

Employers can also increase productivity and financial returns by investing in their
employees via career development. Perceived growth opportunities offered by an employer
have been linked to higher job performance and lower turnover, which as discussed above,
contributes to higher quality products and prevents monetary loss due to turnover. Moreover,
evidence suggests a positive relationship between financial performance and organizations that
encourage and support continuous knowledge acquisition and dissemination.

Because organizations have to stay current in technology, business practices, and in

advances in their industry, an organization that embraces career development processes can
keep employees informed of advancements and maintain their competitive edge in the market.

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 The Importance of Seeing a Career as Stages of Development This idea of looking at an
employee’s career as a whole and designing different sets of formal training, developmental
activities, and relationships at each stage is known as career development (Noe, 2010). This is
the evolution of thinking about improving employee performance. Traditional training
programs focus on improving specific competencies related to the employee’s current job,
employee development programs target skills, knowledge, and behaviors that better prepare
the employee for future positions; career development encompasses both training and
development.

The combination of specific job training, employee development, and a more complete
career development plan requires a high level of strategic thinking and planning; such an
overarching plan cannot be expected to come from the employee. It takes strong direction and
broad perspective to be able to recognize what training and developmental experiences are
necessary for employees to grow in their positions so that they fit in the organizational
hierarchy and support the organizational vision. While this might require some level of
investment on the part of the organization, understanding and supporting career development,
impacts the organization’s ability to attract and retain high performance employees, a
combination that can lead to an organization-wide competitive advantage.

Although the business environment has been endlessly experiencing negative changes
such as economic downsizing and restructuring resulting in fewer hierarchical positions but at
the same time the need for improving productivity while keeping a pace with continuously
changing technology has also increased. Organizations, therefore, instead of hiring a new
individual from the market prefer to promote their already existing employee to a specific
position as he or she is already aware of the organizational culture and does not need to be
trained. This requires a careful succession planning of employees and developing and preparing
them continuously for filling topmost designations in future.

The process of organizational career development is important for both employees and
employers. There may be several unintended and undesired changes as well as consequences
that can change the entire scenario. In such a situation both employees and employers must be
ready to keep with the changing environment and act accordingly. Employees continuously
need to upgrade their skills and competencies to meet the current demands whereas
organizations must be ready with those employees who can handle the pressure efficiently and
cease the risk of falling prey to the changed scenario.

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CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS:

In a bid to establish successful career development programs, firms set up staffing

inventories, which is a databank of existing employees and their qualifications, skills and
abilities. In some firms this databank, has information on non-employees, sourced from
previous unsuccessful but “worthwhile” candidates. This ensures a continuous supply of
professional, technical and managerial talent for meeting future organizational goals. A firm is
able to attract and retain good personnel if applicants know that the company develops its
employees and provides career development opportunities. Workers have expectations beyond
the “paycheck” that need to be met by the firm (Patton & McMahon, 2006).Career development
programs go to serve these expectations and fulfill the employee’s career needs. Enhance
motivation: In most cases career progress is related to job performance, workers may feel
motivated to perform at peak levels to accomplish career goals (Patton & McMahon, 2006).

1. CAREER COUNSELING:

Career counseling is the methods by which you explain the career development process
and help the employee identify career goals and career plans. Career development begins with
and success depends on effective career counseling. Career counseling focuses on the
employee’s career goals and the preparation of career plans consistent with the organization’s
future staffing needs. Career counseling should lead to a career plan that identifies the
employee’s short-term and long-term career goals and subsequently the training and
development needed to achieve those goals, and the range of career options to provide
flexibility for growth and development.

Counseling should be directed at getting the right people trained and developed at the
right time to fill organization’s staffing needs. All employees covered by a career program are
to be offered career counseling at least once a year, or when requested by the employee to assist
in developing realistic career plans (Baruch, 2006). Career counseling should be a continuous
process that meets the continuing needs of employees. Effective career counseling is
dependent on your knowledge of the career management system.

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 2. COACHING:

Coaching is about building relationships and that takes time. For coaching to work well,
it has to happen regularly. It’s important to remember to spend as much time coaching strong
employees as weaker ones. Sometimes managers wind up concentrating on the employee who
need remedial attention to the detriment of stronger performers who don’t seem to need any
help. Managers must meet often with all the people they manage; individually and as a team
so as to establish trusting relationships. These may be unplanned meetings to discuss a specific
problem that has come up on a project or more formal sessions that are scheduled head of time
(Dessler, 2005).

3. MENTORING:

Mentoring involves communication and is relationship based. In the organizational

setting, mentoring can take many forms. This is a process for the informal transmission of
knowledge, social capital, and the psychosocial support perceived by the recipient as relevant
to work, career, or professional development; mentoring entails informal communication,
usually face-to-face and during a sustained period of time, between a person who is perceived
to have greater relevant knowledge, wisdom, or experience (the mentor) and a person who is
perceived to have less (the protégé)" (Bozeman, Feeney, 2007). There are two types of
mentoring relationships: formal and informal. Informal relationships develop on their own
between partners. Formal mentoring, on the other hand, refers to assigned relationships, often
associated with organizational mentoring programs designed to promote employee
development.

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CAREER DEVELOPMENT STAGES:

Exploration Stage

Establishment Stage

Mid-Career Stage

Late-Career Stage

Decline Stage

1. EXPLORATION STAGE:

Many of the critical choices individuals make about their careers are made prior to ever
entering the work force on a paid basis. Our relatives, teachers, and friends, as well as what we
see on television and in films, very early in our lives begin to narrow our alternatives and lead
us in certain directions.

The exploration period ends for most of us in our mid-twenties as we make the
transition from school to work. From an organizational standpoint, therefore, this stage has the
least relevance, since it occurs prior to employment. It is, of course, not irrelevant.

The exploration period is a time when a number of expectations about one's career are
developed, many of which are unrealistic.

2. ESTABLISHMENT STAGE:

The establishment period begins with the search for work and includes getting your first
job, being accepted by your peers, learning the job, and gaining the first tangible evidence of
success or failure in the "real world." It is a time that begins with uncertainties and anxieties.

17
Additionally, it is marked by the making of mistakes, the learning from these mistakes, and the
gradual assumption of increased responsibilities. However, individuals in this stage have yet
to reach their peak productivity, and rarely are they given work assignments that carry great
power or high status.

3. MID-CAREER STAGE:

Most people do not face their first severe career dilemmas until they reach the mid-
career stage. This is a time where individuals may continue their prior improvements in
performance, level off, or begin to deteriorate. At this stage, the first dilemma is accepting that
one is no longer seen as a "learner." Mistakes carry greater penalties. At this point in a career,
one is expected to have moved beyond apprenticeship to journeyman status. To those who
make the successful transition go greater responsibilities and rewards.

4. LATE-CAREER STAGE:

For those who continue to grow through the midcareer stage, the late career usually is a
pleasant time when one is allowed the luxury to relax a bit and enjoy playing the part of the
elder statesman. It is a time where one can rest on one's laurels and bask in the respect given
by younger employees. During the late career, individuals are no longer learning nor is it
expected that they should be trying to outdo their levels of performance from previous years.

5. DECLINE STAGE:

The final stage in one's career is difficult for everyone but, ironically, is probably hardest
on those who have had continued successes in the earlier stages. After several decades of
continued achievements and high levels of performance, the time has come for retirement.
These individuals are forced to step out of the limelight and give up a major component of their
identity. For the modest performers or those who have seen their performance deteriorate over
the years, it may be a pleasant time. The frustrations that have been associated with work will
be left behind.

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A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN MANAGEMENT WOULD RESULT FROM THE
FOLLOWING KEY EFFORTS BY A CAREER ASPIRANT:

 Judicious selection of one’s first job, wherever there is a choice. For example, managers
who start out in departments that are high in power within the organizations are more
likely to advance rapidly throughout their careers.
 Good work performance is a necessary condition but not sufficient for managerial
success. The marginal performer might be rewarded in the short term, but his or her
weaknesses are bound to surface eventually and cut off career advancement. Good work
performance is no guarantee of success, but without it the probability of a successful
career is low.
 Presenting the right image in accordance to his or her evaluation of an organization’s
culture.
 Gaining control of organizational resources that are scarce and sources of power.
 Staying visible would help to tackle the subjectivity of the superior’s evaluation of one’s
contribution.
 Seeking early transfers, promotions or shifting jobs before it becomes too long to be able
to signal that the person is on the fast track.
 Right timing for switching over from first job. Accepting an early transfer to a new job
assignment and quickly moving through different jobs, an employee tends to signal to
recruiters that they are on a fast track.
 Find a mentor from the organization’s power core, who could take the career aspirant as
his protégé and as an ally.
 Supporting the superior: Helping the boss succeed and being supportive at times of crisis
could help to propel a person’s career progression.
 Willingness to move across different geographical locations and across functional lines
within the organization and outside it facilitates career progression.
 Thinking and moving laterally to jobs that are more interesting and offering a wider
range of experiences.

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 1.2 INDUSTRY PROFILE

E-PUBLISHING (ITES):

ITES is form of Outsource services which has involvement of IT in different fields like
Finance, Banking, Insurance, and Telecommunication. The latest development in ITES field is
BPO, Call Center, and Back Office Job and now what is coming is KPO knowledge process
outsourcing & LPO legal process outsourcing.

E-publishing comes under Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES).

Electronic publishing (also referred to as e-publishing or digital publishing or online
publishing) includes the digital publication of e-books, digital magazines, and the development
of digital libraries and catalogues.

E-publishing refers to the many different ways that publishers or others can publish
books, articles or other types of literature as digital content. Creation, distribution and sharing
of digital content through a variety of electronic media (web, CD-ROM, disk). It is also being
used in the field of test-preparation in developed as well as in developing economies for student
education (thus partly replacing conventional books) - for it enables content and analytics
combined - for the benefit of students.

Electronic publishing has become common in scientific publishing where it has been
argued that peer-reviewed scientific journals are in the process of being replaced by electronic
publishing. It is also becoming common to distribute books, magazines, and newspapers to
consumers through tablet reading devices, a market that is growing by millions each
year, generated by online vendors such as Apple's iTunes bookstore, Amazon's bookstore for
Kindle, and books in the Google Play Bookstore. Market research suggests that half of all
magazine and newspaper circulation will be via digital delivery by the end of 2015 and that
half of all reading in the United States will be done without paper by 2015.

Although distribution via the Internet (also known as online publishing or web
publishing when in the form of a website) is nowadays strongly associated with electronic
publishing, there are many non-network electronic publications such as encyclopedias on CD
and DVD, as well as technical and reference publications relied on by mobile users and others
without reliable and high speed access to a network. Electronic publishing is also being used

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in the field of test-preparation in developed as well as in developing economies for student
education (thus partly replacing conventional books) - for it enables content and analytics
combined - for the benefit of students. The use of electronic publishing for textbooks may
become more prevalent with iBook’s from Apple Inc. and Apple's negotiation with the three
largest textbook suppliers in the U.S. Electronic publishing is increasingly popular in works of
fiction. Electronic publishers are able to respond quickly to changing market demand, because
the companies do not have to order printed books and have them delivered. E-publishing is
also making a wider range of books available, including books that customers would not find
in standard book retailers, due to insufficient demand for a traditional "print run". E-publication
is enabling new authors to release books that would be unlikely to be profitable for traditional
publishers. While the term "electronic publishing" is primarily used in the 2010s to refer to
online and web-based publishers, the term has a history of being used to describe the
development of new forms of production, distribution, and user interaction in regard to
computer-based production of text and other interactive media.

HISTORY:

1. DIGITIZATION:

The first digitization initiative was in 1971 in the United States, by Michael S. Hart. He
was a student at the University of Illinois, and decided to launch the Project Gutenberg. The
project was about making literature more accessible to everyone, through internet. It took a
while to develop, and in 1989 there were only 10 texts that were manually recopied on
computer by Michael S. Hart himself and some volunteers. But with the appearance of the Web
1.0 in 1991 and its ability to connect documents together through static pages, the project
moved quickly forward. Many more volunteers helped developing the project by giving access
to public domain classics.

In the 1970's, CNRS digitized 1 000 books from diverse subjects, mostly literature but also
philosophy and science, from the 1180's to present times, as to build the foundations of a big
dictionary, the Trésor de la langue Française. This foundation of e-texts, named Frantext, was
first published on CD under the name of Discotext, and then published on the web in 1998.
The Frantext is always enhanced, and in 2016 they registered 4516 texts.

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 2. MASS-SCALE DIGITIZATION:

In 1974, Raymond Kurzweil developed a scanner that was equipped with an Omnifont
software that enabled optical character recognition for numeric inputs. The digitization projects
could then be a lot more ambitious since the time needed for digitization decreased
considerably, and digital libraries are be on the rise. All over the world, e-libraries start to
emerge.

The ABU (Association des Bibliophiles Universels), was a public digital library project
created by the Cnam in 1993. It was the first French digital library in the network; suspended
since 2002, they reproduced over a hundred texts that are still available.

In 1992, the Bibliothèque nationale de France launched a vast digitization program. The
president François Mitterrand wanted since 1988 to create a new and innovative digital library,
and it was published in 1997 under the name of Gallica. In 2014, the digital library was offering
80 255 online books and over a million documents, including prints and manuscripts.

In 2003, Wikisource was launched, and the project aspired to constitute a digital and
multilingual library that would be a complement to the Wikipedia project. It was originally
named "Project Sourceberg", as a word play to remind the Project Gutenberg. Supported by
the Wikimedia Foundation, Wikisource proposes digitized texts that have been verified by
volunteers.

In December 2004, Google created Google Books, a project to digitize all the books
available in the word (over 130 million books) to make them accessible online. 10 years later,
25 000 000 books, from a hundred countries and in 400 languages, are on the platform. This
was possible because at this time, robotic scanners can digitize around 6 000 books per hour.

In 2008, the prototype of Europeana was launched; and by 2010, the project had been
giving access to over 10 million digital objects. The Europeana library is a European catalog
that offers index cards on millions of digital objects and links to their digital libraries. In the
same year, HathiTrust was created to put together the contents of many university e-libraries
from USA and Europe, as well as Google Books and Internet Archive. In 2016, over six
millions of users had been using HathiTrust.

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 3. ELECTRONIC PUBLISHING:

The first digitization projects were transferring physical content into digital content.
Electronic publishing is aiming to integrate the whole process
of editing and publishing (production, layout, publication) in the digital world.

Alain Mille, in the book Pratiques de l'édition numérique (edited by Michael E. Sinatra and
Marcello Vitali-Rosati), says that the beginnings of Internet and the Web are the very core of
electronic publishing, since they pretty much determined the biggest changes in the production
and diffusion patterns. Internet has a direct effect on the publishing questions, letting creators
and users go further in the traditional process (writer-editor-publishing house).

The traditional publishing, and especially the creation part, were first revolutionized by
new desktop publishing software’s appearing in the 1980's, and by the text databases created
for the encyclopedias and directories. At the same time the multimedia was developing quickly,
combining book, audiovisual and computer science characteristics. CDs and DVDs appear,
permitting the visualization of these dictionaries and encyclopedias on computers.

The arrival and democratization of Internet is slowly giving small publishing houses
the opportunity to publish their books directly online. Some websites, like Amazon, let their
users buy eBooks; Internet users can also find many educative platforms (free or not),
encyclopedic websites like Wikipedia, and even digital magazines platforms. The eBook then
becomes more and more accessible through many different supports, like the e-reader and even
smartphones. The digital book had, and still has, an important impact on publishing houses and
their economic models; it is still a moving domain, and they yet have to master the new ways
of publishing in a digital era.

4. ONLINE EDITION:

Based on new communications practices of the web 2.0 and the new architecture of
participation, online edition opens the door to a collaboration of a community to elaborate and
improve contents on Internet, while also enriching reading through collective reading practices.
The web 2.0 not only links documents together, as did the web 1.0, it also links people together
through social media: that's why it's called the Participative (or participatory) Web.

Many tools were put in place to foster sharing and creative collective contents. One of
the many is the Wikipedia encyclopedia, since it is edited, corrected and enhanced by millions

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of contributors. Open Street Map is also based on the same principle. Blogs and comment
systems are also now renowned as online edition and publishing, since it is possible through
new interactions between the author and its readers, and can be an important method for
inspiration but also for visibility.

PROCESS:

The electronic publishing process follows some aspects of the traditional paper-
based publishing process but differs from traditional publishing in two ways:

 It does not include using an offset printing press to print the final product and
 It avoids the distribution of a physical product (e.g., paper books, paper magazines, or
paper newspapers).

Because the content is electronic, it may be distributed over the Internet and through
electronic bookstores, and users can read the material on a range of electronic and digital
devices, including desktop computers, laptops, tablet computers, smartphones or e-
reader tablets. The consumer may read the published content online a website, in an application
on a tablet device, or in a PDF document on a computer. In some cases, the reader may print
the content onto paper using a consumer-grade ink-jet or laser printer or via a print on
demand system. Some users download digital content to their devices, enabling them to read
the content even when their device is not connected to the Internet (e.g., on an airplane flight).

Distributing content electronically as software applications ("apps") has become

popular in the 2010s, due to the rapid consumer adoption of smartphones and tablets. At first,
native apps for each mobile platform were required to reach all audiences, but in an effort
toward universal device compatibility, attention has turned to using HTML5 to create web apps
that can run on any browser and function on many devices. The benefit of electronic publishing
comes from using three attributes of digital technology: XML tags to define content, style
sheets to define the look of content, and metadata (data about data) to describe the content
for search engines, thus helping users to find and locate the content (a common example of
metadata is the information about a song's songwriter, composer, genre that is electronically
encoded along with most CDs and digital audio files; this metadata makes it easier for music
lovers to find the songs they are looking for). With the use of tags, style sheets, and metadata,
this enables "reflowable" content that adapts to various reading devices (tablet, smartphone, e-
reader, etc.) or electronic delivery methods.

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 Because electronic publishing often requires text mark-up (e.g., Hyper Text Markup
Language or some other markup language) to develop online delivery methods, the traditional
roles of typesetters and book designers, who created the printing set-ups for paper books, have
changed. Designers of digitally published content must have a strong knowledge of mark-up
languages, the variety of reading devices and computers available, and the ways in which
consumers read, view or access the content. However, in the 2010s, new user friendly design
software is becoming available for designers to publish content in this standard without needing
to know detailed programming techniques, such as Adobe Systems' Digital Publishing
Suite and Apple's iBook’s Author. The most common file format is. E-pub, used in many e-
book formats. E-pub is a free and open standard available in many publishing programs.
Another common format is. Folio, which is used by the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite to
create content for Apple's iPad tablets and apps.

ACADEMIC PUBLISHING:

After an article is submitted to an academic journal for consideration, there can be a

delay ranging from several months to more than two years before it is published in a journal,
rendering journals a less than ideal format for disseminating current research. In some fields
such as astronomy and some areas of physics, the role of the journal in disseminating the latest
research has largely been replaced by preprint repositories such as arXiv.org. However,
scholarly journals still play an important role in quality control and establishing scientific
credit. In many instances, the electronic materials uploaded to preprint repositories are still
intended for eventual publication in a peer-reviewed journal. There is statistical evidence that
electronic publishing provides wider dissemination because when a journal is available online,
a larger number of researchers can access the journal. Even if a professor is working in a
university that does not have a certain journal in its library, she may still be able to access the
journal online. A number of journals have, while retaining their longstanding peer
review process to ensure that the research is done properly, established electronic versions or
even moved entirely too electronic publication.

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COPYRIGHT:

In the early 2000s, many of the existing copyright laws were designed around printed
books, magazines and newspapers. For example, copyright laws often set limits on how much
of a book can be mechanically reproduced or copied. Electronic publishing raises new
questions in relation to copyright, because if an e-book or e-journal is available online, millions
of Internet users may be able to view a single electronic copy of the document, without any
"copies" being made.

Emerging evidence suggests that e-publishing may be more collaborative than

traditional paper-based publishing; e-publishing often involves more than one author, and the
resulting works are more accessible, since they are published online. At the same time, the
availability of published material online opens more doors for plagiarism, unauthorized use, or
re-use of the material. Some publishers are trying to address these concerns. For example, in
2011, HarperCollins limited the number of times that one of its e-books could be lent in a public
library. Other publishers, such as Penguin, are attempting to incorporate e-book elements into
their regular paper publications.

GROWTH AND IMPORTANCE OF E-PUBLISHING:

When the online mega-retailer Amazon announced in July 2010 that digital e-
books outsold hardcover books for the first time in history, industry experts predicted
the same fate for paperbacks and heralded the start of the e-book revolution. In late 2011,
Amazon announced that their e-book sales had overtaken their sales of paperbacks and
hardcover books combined. This has mainly been due to the phenomenal success of the
devices upon which we read e-books digital e-readers, tablet computers, smartphones,
etc. which bring with them the advantages of being convenient, portable, cost -effective
and easy-to-use.

The e-publishing industry has grown as a result of the success of these devices,
and publishers find that publishing e-books has numerous benefits: lower investment,
cheaper production costs, low inventory storage costs, and most important of all, the
ability to build a stronger global customer base.

Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg of the Wall Street Journal, commenting on the present e -

publishing industry, had this to say: "Book retailers are transforming, as many customers

26
go online to purchase. This move has put a lot of pressure on traditional chain stores to
create revenue and profits. Similarly, digital books continue to gain market share, and
are now estimated at 8% to10% of revenue for some major publishing (houses)."

The fact is that in addition to changing the way that books are read, e-book readers
will change the way that books are published, bought and delivered.

THE PRESENT E-BOOK PUBLICATION MARKET:

Publishing e-books is not a new idea, and e-readers have been around for several
years, ever since the Franklin e-Bookman was released in 1999. The pervasive spread in
awareness of reading on handheld devices, technologically-influenced lifestyle changes,
better broadband connectivity and the increasing use of e-books by schools, colleges and
universities are all creating a big requirement for digital books, journals and magazines.
It was reported in a recent survey of U.S. e-book reader owners that 80% of them
preferred using their reader to reading a traditional book. This is a fairly solid
endorsement of the e-reading experience and the opportunity it presents to the e-book
publication market.

KIND OF E-BOOKS PEOPLE READ:

The number of people reading e-books in 2011 went up by 163% over the previous
year and by 36% in the last 4 months of 2011, as reported by Goodreads.com after
analyzing 19 million books that people have marked as 'finished' on their site over the
past three years.

The most popular types of e-books read on e-readers are fiction, e-journals, e-
zines and multimedia e-books. E-Learning has also caught up in a big way, with students
preferring textbooks in an e-format due to their low cost and convenience, and with
universities increasingly preferring them as a solution to the continual updating required
of textbooks.

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ISSUES OF PIRACY AND COPYRIGHT TACKLED IN THE E-BOOK
PUBLISHING INDUSTRY:

While publishing e-books, publishers have to address important issues regarding

piracy and copyright. Rampant piracy in the music industry has given rise to concern in
the minds of book publishers. In order to tackle e-book piracy, e-publishers are using
DRM (Digital Rights Management) technology, which inhibits the use of digital content
that is not desired or intended by the content provider, and also provides copy protection
which cannot be circumvented without modifying the file or device. At present, e-
publishing companies such as Amazon, AOL, Apple, Microsoft and Sony all use DRM
technology in a bid to protect copyright and fight piracy.

THE MAIN PLAYERS IN THE E-READER INDUSTRY:

Some of the best e-reader brands of 2013 include Amazon's Kindle, the Nook
from Barnes & Noble, the Be-book Neo, Apple's iPad and the Sony Reader. They come
with a range of sophisticated features including e-Ink technology, LCD color screens,
touchscreen navigation and dedicated bookstores offering hundreds of thousands of
titles. Additionally, tablet devices like the iPad, Samsung Galaxy Tab, etc., that support
e-book apps also have significant market share in the e-publishing industry .

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 1.3 COMPANY PROFILE

INTEGRA SOFTWARE SERVICES PVT LTD:

Integra is a leading digital content solutions company providing content enrichment and
learning transformation services to publishers and educational institutions while also providing
bespoke, workplace learning and development solutions for enterprises.

Founded in 1994, Integra is truly an end-to-end content solutions provider offering the
whole gamut of services from developmental editing to digital products for global publishers.
We also deliver highly customized eLearning solutions through effective instructional design
and rich animations for personalized learning experience and engagement to students in the
academic segment and also to meet the performance and training objectives of large and
emerging organizations.

With a competent team of 1600+ qualified professionals with diverse skill sets, Integra
meets discerning quality standards and demanding delivery schedules, which is reflected in its
long-standing relationships with many of its customers. Headquartered in Pondicherry, India,
Integra has its Global Service Delivery Centers in India (Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, and
Pondicherry), Japan (Tokyo), the UK (Reading), and the US (Oakbrook, IL), besides added
capabilities to provide onshore project management and editorial support out of Spain and Italy.

SPECIALTIES:

Content Development, Rights & Text Permissions, Content Enhancement, Apps

Development, Content Transformation, Platform services, Content Management, IWB
Learning, Custom eLearning, Mobile Learning, Game Based Learning, Adaptive Learning,
Translation & Localization, AR/VR/MR Services, Digital Publishing Workflow
Solutions, Accessibility Solutions, Alt-text Writing, Cloud-based publishing solutions, K12,
Books & Journals.

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MISSION:

We are a global organization serving customers who have a need to publish knowledge,
information or content. We optimize the total cost of publishing for our customers by offering
high quality, reliable, innovative, technology-driven solutions and services through a team of
optimistic, joyful and empowered professionals. We deliver stakeholder satisfaction while
being a socially responsible organization.

VISION:

Our vision is to be the number one company globally in our space. We aim to be the trusted,
preferred partner for our customers through sustained customer delight. We shall be an
employer of choice, developing global leaders from within and maintaining highest standards
of diversity & inclusivity. We will enhance stakeholder satisfaction by delivering fair returns.
We endeavor to be a leader in activities related to corporate social responsibility, enriching the
communities in which we operate.

INTEGRA VALUE SYSTEM

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FACT SHEET:

 Established player with 24+ years in end-to-end digital content and learning services
delivery

 Servicing many global publishers, educational institutions, corporate entities, and

eLearning providers

 4.5 million pages of content transformation services delivered in 2016-17

 Handled over 790 Journals/5800 books in 2016-17

 3500+ learning objects developed for education segment so far

 2000+ learning outcomes converted from (Flash to HTML5/video) for PCs and mobile
devices

 700+ hours of custom eLearning courses developed including scenario-based learning

and simulations

 Multi-lingual capabilities across English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Spanish and
Japanese

 Attaches great importance on women’s empowerment – over 60% of our employees

are women

 FMEA, First Time Right & Quality Circles for achieving best in class quality

 An ISO 9001:2015 certified company that has adopted the Six Sigma processes

 Our Information Security Management System is ISO 27001:2013 certified

 85,000+ sq. ft. infrastructure in India to support content/learning service requirements

31
For Over Two Decades Global Publishers, Educational Institutions And Corporate Entities
Have Trusted Integra For All Their Content Transformation Needs.

FIND BELOW THE PROFILES OF THE ARCHITECTS FOR THIS METEORIC

GROWTH OF INTEGRA:

 SRIRAM SUBRAMANYA

Founder, Managing Director and CEO.

Sriram is the chief visionary and architect behind the meteoric growth of Integra. He
has been the driving force, providing overall directions that include conceptualizing and
implementing operating strategies to realize Integra’s business goals. He has over two decades
of CEO experience in the content/learning services BPO industry.

He began his career with a reputable auto-ancillary manufacturer and was an instant
success as a young achiever. The entrepreneurship bug bit him 6 years later, and since then
there has been a no-looking-back.

He believes in the slogan “Charity begins at home” and that all community related
activities should start with its biggest asset – employees. As an extension, through his
foundation, he focuses on environment conservation and provides quality healthcare and
education for most under privileged people in the society.
Visit www.sriramcharitabletrust.org to know more.

During his free time he is very passionate about his organic farm near Puducherry which
has its own Bio resource Centre and provides training to farmers in sustainable organic
agriculture. The farm also has a Social Forestry set up which consists of rare and native tree
varieties.

During the course of his exciting journey, he has won a plethora of awards himself and
also been instrumental in Integra being Ranked #2 among the Publishing BPO service providers
globally in the Black Book of Outsourcing survey 2009-10.

He was the Chairman of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Puducherry and is an

active member of various CII forums in South India.

32
  ANU SRIRAM

Co-founder and Joint Managing Director.

Anuradha brings to the table more than two decades of industry experience in various
senior positions of which the last 17 years has been in IT enabled services. She has played a
significant role in founding Integra placing Pondicherry in the global map of BPO companies.
Today she mentors the Finance and HR functions in Integra, in addition to, getting into key
customer engagements.

Her focus is on people development, especially mentoring and grooming young talents
into effective and successful managers and leaders. She personally promotes the cause of
‘Sakthi Oli’ – a women’s empowerment initiative at Integra. It was her untiring efforts that
helped Integra win the NASSCOM Corporate Award for Excellence in Gender Inclusivity in
2006. Integra is one of the Top 100 Best Companies for Women in India as per a 2016 study
by Working Mother and AVTAR India.

She has recently been the Chairwoman, Indian Women Network (IWN), Southern
Region, a forum to enable women become better professionals and achievers in their respective
fields of expertise. This is an initiative of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) facilitating
the growth of career women.

 SAGAYARAJ IRUDHAYARAJ

VP, Production (Academic Content Services) and Technology.

Sagayaraj has a rich experience of more than 2 decades in the publishing domain. At
Integra, he spearheads 9 different production units that cater to leading publishing houses
across geographies.

His key responsibilities include continuing operational excellence in service and

providing strategic direction. He has been instrumental in setting up various dedicated
functions of Industrial Engineering, Vendor Management, and Central Graphics & IT Support.
His forte lies in translating his high level of understanding the publishing markets to anticipate
and ramp up capacity as per client needs.

He has been continuously recognized for streamlining operations within Integra to

deliver success spirals.

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  DAISY MICHAEL

VP, International Operations, Higher Education and Quality Management.

With 2 decades of sustained expertise in the publishing Industry, Daisy manages

operations in US and Japan.

She is accountable for managing operations across verticals, setting up new functions
and services in Integra namely Central Quality, Editorial Services, Project Management, Rights
& Permissions, and Content Services.

Daisy also dons the mantle of Quality Management Champion by spearheading the
quality initiatives at Integra and implementing best practices.

 KATHRYN MUNT

VP, ELT and Schools.

Kathryn has over 25 years’ experience in ELT and Schools publishing, and has held
publishing management roles in Pearson, Marshall Cavendish, Cambridge University Press
and, The International Baccalaureate. Kathryn has lived and worked in The US, Spain, The
Netherlands, and The UK. This extensive international experience has given Kathryn a deep
understanding of the different and local product requirements for ELT and Schools publishing
in today’s global market.

At Integra, Kathryn leads the business strategy and operations for ELT and Schools.
Kathryn’s role ensures that Integra

i. brings the right resources and workflow to each ELT and Schools project,
ii. continues to develop the capabilities to meet the evolving requirements of the
ELT and Schools markets, and
iii. provides thought leadership to the ELT and Schools publishing community.

 PIYUSH BHARTIYA

VP, Digital Solutions and Head of Key Accounts for North America.

Piyush comes with 16+ years of work experience in Delivery, Operations, Project
Management, Sales, Marketing & Business Administration, and Digital Transformation at an
international level. Positive track record of generating revenue from new and existing
customers (Publishers and Corporates), in a solution- based selling environment, especially for
services & product related to Digital Content, e-Learning, m-Learning & upcoming

34
technologies like AR/VR & Block chain. He held many key management roles at Hurix
Systems, Tata Interactive Systems & Siemens prior to joining Integra.

He is a specialist in creating compelling solutions for clients and getting them executed
by the development team within a defined budget, timeframe & quality level. At Integra, Piyush
is responsible for both top line & bottom line of the Digital & eLearning Business.

He has travelled extensively across US, UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific
& Australia for business expansion and has been successfully selling & building long-term
relationships with clients from diverse culture & backgrounds.

Piyush holds a Master’s degree in e-business and marketing from Welingkar Institute
of Management and Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) degree in Electronics & Telecom.v

 ANIL KARTHIKEYAN

VP, Human Resources.

Anil has more than 25 years of experience in Human Resources Management, Industrial
Relations, and Administration. He has worked extensively in the fields of Manpower planning,
Sourcing, Selection and Recruitment, implementing pay packages, Human Resources
development programs, Performance Management System, employee welfare and loyalty
programs. He has wide-ranging knowledge in HR and compliance frameworks which he has
translated into deep-analytics driven processes and proactive business solutions.

At Integra, Anil leads the HR team that fosters efficiency and transparency while
ensuring approachability, fair policies, equal opportunity and diversity. Anil has also helped
transform Integra into a performance-oriented organization by adhering to merit-based
recruitment and effective onboarding practices.

Anil continues to work on strategic talent management, bespoke learning and

development initiatives that increase employee engagement and satisfaction.

35
 Our trained personnel, technology back-bone, high quality benchmarks and smart
process orientation interfuse to meet customer expectations on-time every time. By integrating
intellectual capital with latest technologies, we provide complete solutions to all our client
needs. All this happens in a disciplined process environment with well-defined workflows
transparent to one and all.

PEOPLE

 Our employees are our primary asset.

 As an employee-friendly company, we recognize and nurture talent.

 Provide learning opportunities to all within the organization.

 Open in communication and an equal opportunity provider.

PROCESS

 We are an ISO 9001:2015 certified company.

 Business strategy aligned to the Six Sigma approach.

 Process oriented approach with process champions for every process.

 Focus on continual improvement offering value to our customers.

TECHNOLOGY

 We invest heavily in staying ahead of the curve in content transformation technologies,

innovation and learning best practices.

 We have dedicated investments across.

o Integra Research Lab (IRL) and

o Integra Content Innovations Lab (ICIL).

 In-house capability to build strong technology platforms.

 Customer-specific work-flow systems developed and implemented in-house.

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INFRASTRUCTURE

 85,000+ sq. ft. state-of-the-art offshore delivery center.

 Energy-saving building with latest building management systems.

 Secure facility with access-controlled entry and biometric control for access to critical
areas.

 Well-documented “Disaster Recovery Policy”.

CAREERS:

 OUR PEOPLE

People form the core of any organization and Integra firmly believes its people as its
core assets. The industry is witnessing a challenge to attract and retain best of the talent. Integra
is today an “Employer of Choice” in its space in India, with over 1500 professionals. In a
knowledge-based field, people have to be nurtured and taken care of, and Integra has taken up
numerous activities to ensure that a systematic and streamlined people development and
engagement is in place.

 TRAINING

Constant training on technical subjects, production processes and other work related
programs are conducted on a continuous basis. Various soft-skill training programs are also
provided to take care of employee’s growth and career prospects. We believe, this in turn,
would translate to customer delight.

 IT’S NOT ALL ABOUT THE WORK

Various get-together activities, celebrations and family events form part of ‘work while
you work and play while you play’ culture. To engage the spouse of the employee, Integra
family club named ‘Udaya’ (means the rising sun) has been formed which organizes various
interesting events and programs including personality development, health, beauty, etc.

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  PERFORMANCE RECOGNIZED

High performers are identified, and ‘Nakshatra’ (means Star) awards are conferred for
their best contribution / performance from across multiple departments at Integra.

 OPEN AND TRANSPARENT WORK CULTURE

Integra stimulates an open, transparent, professional and a high performance culture.

Monthly “Face-to-face” programs enable the top management to interact with every employee
in the company, who gets a chance to share their ideas, issues, views or suggestions for an
improved work and social life.

INDUSTRY:

Integra is a specialized provider of innovative and highly engaging digital learning

solutions. Our expert solutions are aimed at increasing productivity and performance in the
classroom and at the workplace.

 PUBLISHING

With over 20 years of deep expertise, Integra offers end-to-end solutions across print
and digital that is aimed at maximizing the value of your content by leveraging technology and
innovation.

Maximizing the value of your content

The new age digital reading/learning environment has dramatically changed the way
people discover, purchase and consume content. The new technique of storytelling is to create
an engaging experience across multiple platforms using formats that leverage disruptive
technologies. The content domain could be fiction, education or even scientific.

The drift from print to digital is continuously creating ripples in the publishing industry.
Thanks to the entry of a multifold of digital gadgets, publishers are forced to deliver content in
ways and means never dreamt before. This has opened up new opportunities for publishers to
repurpose content and deliver highly interactive and engaging content for the new age reader.

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Accelerating your digital initiatives

Having been in the publishing services space for over 24 years and quick adoption of
digital technologies makes us the right choice to meet your challenges and help you reach out
to your customers better. Our capability to offer solutions across editorial development to
digital products makes us truly an end-to-end content solutions provider. Today, we also deliver
highly customized eLearning solutions through effective instructional design and rich
animations for personalized learning experience and engagement to students in the academic
segment.

We have sound expertise in servicing the publishing segment needs mentioned below.

 PreK–12
 Higher-Education
 ELTSTM
 Legal Trade

Over the years

We have developed extensive capabilities in managing end-to-end publishing services

across many of the product types listed below.

 Books
 Journals
 Dictionaries
 Major Reference
 Work(MRW)
 Loose-leaf
 Derivatives
 Series books
 Teacher and student editions

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  CORPORATE
Integra is a specialized provider of eLearning design and development solutions for
learning and training needs in the corporate segment. We deliver innovative solutions that are
aimed at increasing employee productivity and performance

Employee capabilities is the key

Organizations today suffer from skills shortage and many organizations cite capability
gaps as the other major challenge that hampers their growth plans. Today, many of the
industries have train retrain and jointly educate for sustaining growth. They are forced to
provide an environment of innovation as a culture. Their employees must not only be
technically capable but also be allowed to learn and share in an open environment

Providing the competitive advantage

Integra is a specialized provider of eLearning design and development solutions

provider for corporate learning and training needs. We have experience in delivering custom
content through effective instructional strategies. Our custom eLearning program is redefining
the way learning and training is delivered though training is still focused on improving
workforce performance through continuous capability development in order to increase sales,
improve efficiency and achieve business goals.

With BYOD (Bring-Your-Own-Devices) making significant in-roads in the business world,

organizations are challenged to rethink their eLearning design approach to deliver a single
version of content that works across all devices. In the current challenging economic situation
corporate and training companies are coming up with creative methods of increasing learning
effectiveness while still having a greater control over cost.

Service Offerings

Our services include

 Custom eLearning content design and development

 Responsive design to deliver device agnostic solutions
 Conversion of legacy content to eLearning
 Design and develop HTML5 content
 Migration of Flash to HTML5 content

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  Building cross platform mobile learning solutions
 App development
 Gamification of content
 Platform services

Verticals we serve

Our services are targeted at a wide range of user groups

 Manufacturing
 Publishing
 Healthcare
 eLearning providers
 Training providers
 Societies / Non-profit organizations

 EDUCATION
Integra delivers highly customized interactive digital learning solutions through
effective instructional design, which makes for a personalized learning experience for
students and teachers of all grades.

Education Transformation

In the past few years, the global academic education industry has gone through an
unprecedented change by adopting digital learning products and services. Key drivers for this
change being

 Rising cost of education

 Technology explosion
 Open online courses as alternative for cost effective/quality education
 Convenience and effectiveness

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 We at Integra support school, higher-ed publishers, educational content developers and
large educational institutions by creating digital experiences in educational content. Integra’s
Education Practice is focused on delivering customized interactive content solutions to its end
consumers. Each course is designed and developed keeping the learner’s profile in mind and
delivered using superior instructional design strategy for optimal learning engagement.

We are future ready!

Integra understands the change happening in the curriculum development and delivery
and the need for accountability to measure and analyze learner outcomes in order to revise and
facilitate continual improvement of curriculum and learning experience outcomes.

“Integra delivers highly customized interactive digital learning solutions through

effective instructional design and rich animations for personalized learning experience and
engagement to students in the academic segment.”

Integra’s capabilities to deliver a wide range of content services to academic education

include:

 Curriculum design and development for blended learning

 Interactive content solutions for Whiteboards
 Book/iBook with interactive contentHTML5 course development
 Platform services – LMS/LCMS
 Adaptive Learning
 Game based learning
 Assessment services
 App development services

Service Offerings

Our services are targeted at a wide range of user groups

 EdTech Companies
 Vocational Training Institutes
 Online Universities
 Schools
 Corporate Universities

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Content is the most vital form of communication in the digital world. At Integra, we offer a
host of innovative, end-to-end services that enhance and transform your content for the digital
world.

 CONTENT DEVELOPMENT

Integra offers a suite of content development services that are designed to support the end-
to-end content requirements of K-12 classes and higher education publishers.

 CONTENT ENHANCEMENT

With Integra's content enhancement services, your content goes through complete technical
and language editing. We also provide indexing and proofreading services.

 CONTENT TRANSFORMATION

From making your content readily available across all platforms to handling all design
requirements, Integra offers end-to-end content transformation solutions that make your
content visually appealing.

 CONTENT MANAGEMENT

Be it obtaining permission for photos or managing projects of higher complexity, Integra

offers end-to-end editorial, digital, and full service project management services.

 TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS

From a single source publishing platform to a rights and permissions platform, and an
online proofing tool - Integra offers a host of software solutions that meet all of your
publishing needs.

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 APPRECIATIONS AND AWARDS:

2016

 Integra is a 2016 Working Mother & AVTAR 100 Best Company for Women in
India.

2016

 Integra’s Human Anatomy App wins Silver Award in Training Magazine’s, Learning
Design Challenge in the Mobile category

2013

 Anuradha Sriram, Co-founder and JMD nominated as Chairwoman, Indian Women

Network (IWN), Puducherry Chapter (an initiative of CII)

2012

 Adjudged as the top 5 finalists for “Excellence in Gender Inclusivity” by NASSCOM

2011

 One of Time magazine’s Top 500 Indian companies

 Star TV HR Award 2010-2011 for Talent Management
 Integra wins two awards in the ‘Apps for Science’ competition conducted by Elsevier:
o Integra’s app, iHelp, wins the Popular Choice Award
o Ranked 3rd in the “Apps for Science Challenge” contest

2010

 Star TV HR Awards 2009-2010 for Talent Management

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2009

 Ranked #2 among the Publishing BPO Service Providers globally in the Black Book
of Outsourcing survey 2009
 Award for “Excellence in Gender Inclusivity” from NASSCOM

As a responsible corporate entity working for the greater good of society, Integra
strongly believes in giving back to the community. It believes in doing something constructive
and meaningful – first from the perspective of its employees, then for the society and the
country as a whole.

The management team at Integra believes in the slogan “Charity begins at home”. It
believes that all community related activities should start with its biggest asset – employees.
Some of the key thrust areas include: creation of better living conditions for employees and
their families, providing quality healthcare, supporting educational institutions for creating
employable talent pool, environment conservation.

SRIRAM CHARITABLE TRUST

The founders of Integra Software Services established Sriram Charitable Trust (a non-
profit organization) by contributing personal wealth. Strong personal urge for upliftment and
contribution to the welfare of the society led the founders of Integra to invest in philanthropic
activities with a focus on the following areas:

 Healthcare
 Education
 Social rehabilitation and rural upliftment
 Women empowerment
 Environment
 Supporting government to improve governance

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