Earlier, increased productivity or productivity gains were punished, stated Ramkrishna, highlighting an issue that not many in the audience were aware of. "There has been a quantum shift, the like of which the past 50 years have not seen. We have moved from a socialistic pattern of society or a politico-economic system to one that reflects individual entrepreneurship and economic prosperity. In fact, today, the thrust is on improving productivity" he said.

This trend marks the shaping of a new paradigm in PR and, yes, lobbying and advocacy best describe this activity.

The role of the PR person is much more comprehensive today, pointed out Ramkrishna. Not only are the required skills of a much higher order, the thrust is on managing issues, controversial issues more often than not, managing environmental norms and even influencing government. At the same time, the basics cannot be wished away - a charming personality, the ability to nurture relationships and the flair for social interaction, backed by passion, conviction and a liking for the job.

A positive attitude is what is beyond medicine, and that means sustaining a positive attitude in a moment of crisis. Life is what happens to you while you are making other plans. Often it is only when we face a major crisis in life that we do things we would normally not have done, Kumar told the audience, adding that positive mental images are necessary. "You must believe in miracles. Share experiences, talk to your doctor and participate in your treatment. Only you have the answers to how you can win." Most doctors do not have the time to talk to patients. So from where does the patient get the answers? This is one of the reasons that prompted Kumar to write the book.

Geeta Das, a school teacher, said that she would never trade her cancer for anything in the world. It had changed her life so much that she now really lives life. "My first question to the doctor was how many more years for me and what are my chances? Dr. Shantha of the Cancer Institute said I had an 80 per cent chance. And that gave me such a good feeling. Now I try and help other patients feel better," she said.

Earlier, Prof. Dr. B. Prem Kumar, sr. vice president (medical), Apollo Hospital Group, recalled his early days as a doctor when difficult cases were referred to him - for example, a girl suffering from aplastic anaemia, another patient with congestic cardiac failure. He mentioned of yet another case, a hernia patient where the heart stopped beating during the operation. "Very little treatment was available then. Even so, I would encourage the patients with words of hope. My superior would tell me, 'Silly fellow, why do you have to tell a dying patient that he is going to live?'" Dr. Prem Kumar, too, stressed the need for developing a positive attitude. "After all, every beginning has an end. Remember, faith can move mountains, and a sense of humour helps too. And in India, the patient has family support."

More than anything else, it was Anup Kumar's and Das’ positive determination that left a lasting impression on the audience. After coping with cancer, everything else appears trivial; you feel superior, they explained. You couldn't but agree more.

• Nine out of ten people believe that cancer means a slow and painful death. This is not true at all. In fact, several people with cancer continue to lead productive lives.
  
  
• One third of cancer cases can be prevented through changes in lifestyles.
  
  
• Cancer is just one of the ten major causes of death in urban India where one in 15 men and one in 12 women can develop cancer in their lifetime.
  
  
• Nearly 80 per cent of patients are in an advanced stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. So, it is always better to have a check-up or report immediately potential signs to a doctor.
  
  
• Although very little effort is being made to prevent cancer and ensure early diagnosis, better knowledge and early detection can lead to cure.
  
  
• Acceptance of cancer means leading from the front with not even a miniscule moment of weakness. The manner in which you can communicate will determine the way the world speaks to you.

Hyundai Motors India Ltd (HMIL) has scripted one of the biggest business success stories in India. Chennai, one of the international hubs of the South Korean company, is reported to be its most profitable and indeed, the Hyundai Santros, Accents and Sonatas are some of the best-selling cars in their respective segments. It has been the company's collective obsession for excellence that has propelled it to the forefront. Although there was a lot of apprehension among people about the Santro doing well (many were unhappy with its size and shape), the car proved them wrong. Today, Santro Xing, a 'made in India' car, is well accepted abroad - in Europe and Mexico.

"Excellence is not a battle within others, it is a battle we fight with ourselves by constantly raising the bar and stretching ourselves and our team. This is the underlying principle behind HMIL's operations. We set our own benchmarks and created a passion for the product. Although the technology was Korean, Indians provide the service (today the indigenisation levels have reached 98, 85 and 65 per cent in the Santro, Accent and Sonata respectively). And we have been able to cater to consumers expectations and their emotions," said G. Ramesh, vice president-HR, HMIL, outlining the reasons for the
company's success.

The Santro, with Euro II norms, was launched in October 1998. More than 5,00,000 cars have been manufactured so far and the first exports commenced in August 2003. From out of two cultures, Korean and Indian, was created a simple unified culture that Ramesh calls Hyundian. The challenge was to sell a world-class car at an affordable price. Stress was, and still is, a passionate word for all of us. HMIL resorted to transpa-rent management and adopted austerity measures, Ramesh told the PRSI audience.

Hyundai brought a whole new meaning to collective responsibility. Working day and night, against strict budgeting in time and cost, the Hyundians got the project off the ground in 17 months. When the plant started, the managing director led from the front, cleaning the toilet, while engineers swept the floor and cleaned the machines. And that was how the company effortlessly created a sense of belonging. There was stress on on-site managemen; vendor development meant one vendor for one project, and all vendors were considered stakeholders. The focus was also on increasing productivity every year (productivity has, in fact, increased by 30 per cent each year). Today, a Hyundai car rolls out every two minutes!

One of the features of HMIL's workforce is that nearly 95 percent of its employees are youngsters from Tamil Nadu. Many were sent to Korea for training and all of them returned with increased energy levels, Ramesh remarked. The Hyundai success has a lot to do with the company's work culture too. Views are not imposed on employees but a conducive atmosphere is created for them to work. Managers are taught to be flexible, and a positive ego is encouraged to build a sense of achievement. When mistakes are committed, the company resorts to a system of public apology.

HMIL has also adopted several welfare measures, most of it carried out away from the glare of media. Medical health camps are conducted, villages are adopted, roads are laid, and village and spastic children are entertained. When a Hyundian gets married, the parents and spouse are invited to the company, and the bride is introduced to the managing director. The nearly 2,700-strong Hyundai family has made HMIL the second largest car manufacturer in India. Surprisingly, there is no workers' union, although workers are encouraged to participate in decision-making. Initially, when the Koreans set foot in India, they were regarded as tough employers to work with, said Ramesh. But there is little doubt that the Korean sense of discipline has contributed in no small measure to the Hyundai success story.

Quality Policy at HMIL :

• Customer Oriented Services - We believe every person and the next process as our customers so that we make the model of our behaviour based on customer satisfaction.
  
  
• Technology in Perfection - We put importance on technology, the generative power of competitive power and retaining independent technology to produce world class vehicles.
  
  
• Quality in Mind - We pursue the quality of produce to be the best since it is the face of HMI and the certificate of HMI members.
  
  
• Total Devotion to Employees and Customers - We pursue humanism and safety by satisfying employees, the internal customer as well as optimising the junction between vehicles and the human being.
  

Good communication is an art. And that is perhaps one of the reasons why communication very often fails or why communication is sometimes misunderstood. Dr. S. Ramaratnam, principal, Vivekananda College, engaged the PRSI members one evening in an informative session on excellence in communication. He made some interesting observations, taking the cue from ancient Indian literature.

• Expressing words is the most important form of communication.
  
  
• Unless information is well understood as intended by the sender, communication is incomplete.
• Often, there is a gap in communication because we do not know how to put our ideas across.
  
  
• Truth is the very essence of communication.
  
  
• Precision, clarity and brevity is the essence of good communication.
  
  
• Empathetic listening is an important aspect of communication.
  
  
• The subject matter to be communicated should contain the five Ws (Who, When, What, Where, Why) and one H (How).
  
  
• Effective communication leads to good decision-making, decentralisation, proper planning and co-ordination, and binds people.
  
  
• Communication can be improved by keeping the language simple and using sketches and diagrams.
  
  
• Use suggestive expressions. Remember to sprinkle your speech with humour. Include riddles, if possible. And use voice modulation.
  

A Ramakrishna, president (operations) and dy. managing director, Larsen & Toubro Limited, is well known in the construction industry as the one who pioneered slipform technology and precast structures. A person who loves to interact and talk, Ramakrishna was addressing members of the PRSI for the first time. "We have a natural tendency to criticise ourselves. We belittle ourselves all the time. Although there may be an element of truth in certain things, we are not so bad after all and need not be cynical about ourselves," he said, adding, "Individuals, companies and the media have a moral responsibility to appreciate good work and engage in constructive criticism."

Larsen & Toubro is known the world over for its professionalism. It all started in 1934 when Soren Toubro, a civil engineer, was sent to India by F L Smidth & Co. to help erect machinery supplied by the company. Holck-Larsen, a chemical engineer, was dispatched the following year to assess the value of various cement manufacturing groups. Their enterprise and desire for freedom saw the Danes leave Smidth & Co. to set up L&T in May 1938. They rented a small room in Ballard Estate, Bombay. Space was so limited that only one of them could occupy the office at a time. From that small room has grown the L&T we all know so well today.

Recalling India's post-Independence days when things were very different from what they are today, Ramakrishna said that Jawaharlal Nehru, a model politician, inspired and brought hope to 350 million Indians. Nehru had laid a good foundation for the country's economy, blending tradition with modernity. "We could not have gone in for any better alternative (India then followed the socialistic pattern of society). Leaving India to the vagaries of the market forces could have been disastrous," Ramakrishna pointed out. Indeed, India's freedom movement was unique in so many ways - one was the maintenance of cordial relations with the British even after they left the country. India chose the path of non-alignment and also the path towards development and progress. "And that is how we at L&T focused steadfastly on a vision. Today, we are not just builders to the nation but builders to the nations all around," he said.

Referring to the President of India's vision of a developed India by 2020, Ramakrishna spoke about how India could become one of the top six nations in the world. But for that, an annual GDP growth rate of 9-11 per cent is necessary as much as reducing poverty levels to below 10 per cent. With some of the best education and healthcare facilities in the world, backed by excellent information and communication techno-logy, India has a lot going for it, he said. "If it is cheaper, import, if it is competitive, export. We are as capable as anybody else. For example, L&T has constructed 65 power plants and 47 fertilizer plants in the country without anybody's assistance. We can construct a 1-6 m tonne cement plant at the lowest cost. Therefore, with indigenous technology, we can easily compete with the Japanese and Germans. But, of course, we must all work united."

Ramakrishna emphasised that the onus was on the PR fraternity to spread the good word about Indian capability and build an image for Indian products. That will enable Indian companies to successfully compete against the toughest benchmarks in the world, he felt. However, productivity must increase, and training is vital for workmen and contractors. Profit is not a bad word, creating wealth is essential, only then can wealth be equitably distributed, he pointed out.