Indian Defnese Services

Sri Satya Sai University School of Business Management Accounting And Finance

Indian Defense Services“Guardia ns of Nation” Consumer Behaviour-MGT 406 Ranjan Sharma- 07471 Assignment No. 1

INDIAN DEFENSE SERVICES Armed forces are the guardians of a nation. Time and again our armed forces have made all of us proud by playing a cardinal role in defending numerous wars and foreign attacks. Our war heroes are always lauded for their heroic efforts. To be army personnel is considered as the most coveted vocation of all times. Serving and sacrificing for ones nation is the highest honor one can deserve. Presently there is a shortfall of officers in armed forces. Armed forces have always been in a paucity of Officers who are young, educated and adventurous. Conscription is present in many countries but it is absent in India for the simple reason that our political parties will oppose it to gain votes. In India the idea of conscription is alien and unpopular. Forcing people to enlist won’t work. Even in the countries which have long history of conscription it has not worked very well. There has been resistance to conscription in almost all countries. Unless there is a dire emergency, it will never work in our country. Reasons of not joining armed forces could be many. To list a few: • • • • •

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Frequent transfers Rough life Separation from family Poor pay packets Corruption is very much there but difficult to expose. Exploitation by bosses Limited choices only are available to plan children’s education and their career. You cannot save much for your children. Though harmony is there, still divisions based on religion, language, geographical locations are there. Isolation from family though leave is available. Comparing with the hazards, salary is not sufficient. After marriage, life in the forces is not comfortable. Family accommodation is inadequate.

There are other lucrative jobs in IT industry and most of others choose to be a doctor or engineer. But It is not easy to get into the top educational

institutions in India because of the competition and this leaves an unsatisfied lot of youngsters. They have limited choices if they cannot go abroad for further studies. They may not want to join a second or third rung educational institute. The IAS and the IFS are lucrative but again very tough to get into. Entering the Defense Services isn’t a cakewalk either, but it’s easier. A bright, physically fit youngster has a better chance of getting into the National Defense Academy rather than into IIT. And the Services can train you to be a pilot, a doctor or an engineer for free. For bright people who cannot afford high fees, the services are a great option. Now let us look from the perspective of motivational process model so as to how can we motivate the college graduates to join armed forces. Assumption: After a comprehensive survey of various colleges, I narrowed down to my target audience. They are the youth between the age of 18-24 yrs. Having zeal of “doing something for my country”, spirit of adventure, middle class and upper middle class youth, also youth from army backgrounds. The target was chosen after obtaining the responses from questionnaires and direct personal interaction. Innate/primary needs: job security, salary, pension etc. Secondary/psychological needs: self- esteem, self- fulfillment, sense of pride, patriotism, becoming a lawabiding citizen and disciplined. Tension: To be in the armed forces, serve the nation and feed the family. This tension will create a driving force for the individual and impels him to take an action towards his/ her goal. In this case it would be applying to various defense academies, learning more about the defense services and the kind of programs they offer, interacting with the ex- servicemen, making oneself more fit and rugged physically, coaching classes to clear the entrance exams, interview sessions etc. At this point of time it is the duty of the armed forces too to motivate these youngsters more and more so that they feel charged and geared up to join the armed forces. Armed forces officials must overshadow their negative points which were mentioned earlier in the paper. And they must highlight their positive points. The Indian army’s official website proclaims that: “An Officer & a Gentleman”

An officer in the Indian Army inherits glorious heritage and timeless traditions, blended perfectly with the latest technology in the fields of management, engineering and medical sciences. It offers a golden opportunity to be a part of the world's finest Army and get trained not only to be an Officer but also a Gentleman for life.

“Where Growth is a way of Life” The Indian Army promises both professional and personal growth at every stage of the career. Opportunities to upgrade through various courses are abundant. The adventure and extra-curricular activities in the Army ensure an all round development essential in today's world. An opportunity is even provided to upgrade your civil qualification by availing two years paid study leave. Art of War-Engineering-Medicine-Administration-Human Resource Development-Management, Army teaches you all, moulding the officers into leaders capable of leading from the front in any field. Joining the Army is possible both after school as well as after graduation. Various types of entries are enumerated below. (Website: http://indianarmy.nic.in/career.html) But mere words won’t suffice, they have to exhibit this in action and no doubt they do it tirelessly but other loopholes like corruption, less number of leaves, exploitation by bosses etc. makes armed forces a less promising career. The armed forces have following options: 1. They must concentrate on their positive points. Like lifetime pension, free medical and educational assistance, club memberships and community living, which is not present in the private sector. 2. They must promise them commensurate salaries and career growth. 3. They must advertise about the latest training methods they have got and the latest weaponries with which they will train the youngsters. 4. The educational assistance must be backed up by the following: •

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Degrees in any field form reputed universities. So that even after the conclusion of their tenure in armed forces they can continue their livelihood through other means. Scholarship programmes for various degrees.

5. Email/Internet: IDF (Indian Defense Services) must use email and internet to target people who have expressed an interest in navy, air force or army.

6. Using magazine adverts: this involves placing advertisements in a variety of magazines such as industry publications. For example-placing a magazine advert in an engineering publication to target engineering students. 7. They can make use of the television adverts. Like “the army salutes the braves” bravery awards. 8. College visits: IDF can go for campus recruitment like other corporate. They Must educate the audience about employment and educational opportunities with the IDF by providing personal accounts of their IDF experiences. 9. Career fairs: Dressed in uniform, IDF personnel from the army, navy, and air force mustattend a range of career fairs and expos and interact directly with the potential recruits from their target market. 10. Brochures: IDF must distribute a range of documents which outline the various career options like officers job, commando or special forces job in the IDF to potential candidates. 11. Unconvential methods: Advertising on the coffee cups in the university cafes. This advertising must reinforce information relevant to the target audience on IDF career and educational opportunities. Serving the nation through armed forces is an honour for the chosen ones. By using the above mentioned practices I hope things will change for the Indian Defense Services and there will be hoards of educated, enthusiastic, adventurous and spirited officers.