Good day, Dr. Monirul Islam. I'm Arjun. I've had a look through your background and your professional record. I'm interested in hearing more about your work and how you see yourself fitting in here with our faculty. Ready to start?

Hello.

Hello, Professor. Please start by introducing your professional journey in academia.

All right. Thank you for the opportunity.

Well, my name is Doctor Munirul Islam.

I am a science graduate from Aligarh Muslim University. I have done my MBA from Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohatak. I have done my PGDM from an NLM Law business, New Delhi. I have completed my PhD from TMBU Bihar which is a State University. Regarding my professional journey.

I have experience of about 13 to 14 years. I started my career as an assistant professor in Saint Xavier's College, Siliguri.

I worked there for one year. Afterwards I worked for two years.

At Aliyah University.

Afterwards, I worked with Aligarh Muslim University for three years.

Thereafter, I joined Saint Xavier's University, Kolkata.

Where I worked there for almost 6 1/2 years.

And for the last one year.

I am working as an associate professor in the Department of Management at Sister Nivedita University, Kolkata.

Thank you for sharing that, Professor Islam.

Professor Islam, I have reviewed your background. Let us now verify specific skills relevant to the role of Marketing Professor. Starting with "Marketing Analytics," could you explain how you have employed analytics to derive insights for better decision-making in marketing strategies?

Yeah, sure. Well, as far as marketing analytics are concerned, marketing analytics are the tool which is being used and applied by organizations including companies to see whether their marketing strategies. That is the kind of strategies that they have developed according to their marketing plan whether it is working or not. So to name a few, regarding the tools that we use in the marketing analytics, it includes as the use of.

Changing optimization and SMM, we use the various digital marketing tools, we use Google dashboards, we use Google Analytics, we use some CRM software analytics which is customer relationship management analytics to get a view that how the marketing strategies which is being developed by the organization is reaching its goal or achieving the targets or not moreover.

Marketing and analytics is not only deals or health.

To reach the optimum output or desired organizational goals, but it also enabled an organization to reach to the customers within a very effective and efficient way and moreover to leverage the upgraded technologies. Marketing analytics helps to actually understand the customer requirement, understand its wants and demands and to add a value while providing.

Product or service delivery moreover.

Marketing analytics also deals with providing user experience, a enhanced user experience and it also strategizes how to retain the present customers and make a customer loyal and better for the organization.

You mentioned various tools like Google Analytics and CRM software in your approach. Could you provide a specific example where you utilized these tools to refine or adjust a marketing strategy for optimal results?

Yes, Google Analytics, as I was mentioning, if you go ahead with formulation of or application of Google Analytics, for example, organization or companies which are providing the online services, say online e-commerce platforms, say it's Flipkart, it's Snapdeal or it's Amazon or Myntra. All these companies are applying the Google Analytics software and its technical tools to.

Phase out the demographic profiles of a consumer. For example, I am Doctor Islam sitting in Kolkata talking to you and giving you an virtual interview. Now based on the Google Analytics, you can find out from my cache and HTML website address that what are my geographic profile, from which area I am talking to, which gender I am and which is my. Age. That means a basic.

Geographical or demographic details. Moreover, to trace out these information, the company then make optimal decision for providing the enhanced and optimized customer experience. For example, over a time period. If I look for a service, For example, I wish to purchase a budget mobile phone right now, based on my previous searches Google. Or Flipkart or Amazon will provide me the.

Recommendations. So this is how the Google Analytics will track based on my previous searches and provide me an enhanced recommended experience and will try to lure me. Will try to educate me based on previous searches and would help me to purchase from their respective sites thereby tracking as well as thereby making me to purchase a product.

Moreover, as I was talking about CRM, so if we talk about CRM, many organizations including our own organizations, they use different mediums of the CRM software, for example, SAP HANA. So SAP HANA is one of the modules where I am being trained for seven days here in my organization where I was working on inventory control, purchase management, supply chain management and.

The customer relationship management tools where I was working as the marketing purchase manager and was responsible.

For hiring or for selecting the vendors now based on their different categories and based on their different ratings, I was involved in selection the vendors. So this is how a customer relationship management software not only helps an organization to maintain its status quo with the nearby competitors, but moreover to stay ahead in the competition in the market for overall well-being in the industry.

You've shared an elaborate view, Professor Islam. I see a mix of tools and methodologies in your explanation. Let’s shift to the next area: services operations management. Can you describe how you have managed end-to-end service delivery while ensuring high-quality and customer satisfaction?

Well, if you talk about service delivery, the service delivery actually follows the route of or the concept of the gut model that has been given by Zethermal and Pachuraman in 1986. And this model is called as the gap model. So, GURP model talks about the different gaps while providing the services from the point of origin to the point of consumption by the customer. So point of origin. Necessarily is from the company premise or.

Yeah, sure.

From the producers premise and then if you go ahead with the quality dimensions, so the service if you compare with the products, right, the services needs to be the intangible. It needs to be heterogeneous as well as it needs to have the simultaneous consumption and production for over a period of time. And services cannot be stored or stored for a longer period of time or it cannot be stored for any particular customer for that.

Right now, based on the service quality model, we can enhance again the experience of a customer and we have to make the customer understanding regarding the services based on which we can deliver the services to them at the appropriate time at the right cost.

You referenced the gap model and service quality dimensions well. Could you detail an instance where you identified and addressed a specific gap in service delivery to improve the customer experience?

If you go to Peristronde, you wish to have a dinner with your family and add the first gap model. What is the service gap? Let's talk about the gap number one. That means without meeting the customer need or requirement or there is a gap in understanding actually the customers requirements. So what happened when I went with my family to the restaurant, which is. A South Indian restaurant.

Yes, sure. For example.

And it displayed outside that they are providing Italy dosa and other recipes rasam. So I went inside and I called the waiter. The waiter came and he was taking the order from me. However, without understanding the order properly from me, he just went inside and ordered something which I didn't order from him. Now this is a small episode. Where a proper.

Misunderstanding or proper understanding about the customer requirements creates a gap from the service provider side which is the restaurant owner or which is the service taker. So later on when he came with a.

A plate which is full of the food but without idli and without dosa. But however I talked to him specifically that I need idli and dosa. So this gap model or gap level 1 reflects the first instance of a gap which is between understanding problem between the service provider, in this case the restaurant and the customer. It's in this case it's me.

That example helps illustrate a failure in understanding customer requirements, a fundamental gap in service quality. How would you recommend addressing such issues systematically within a broader organizational setting to ensure consistent service delivery?

You're right. First of all, in order to avoid this uncomfortable situations, the front level manager or front level executives, they need to be trained properly and they are, they should be trained in a manner to understand the customer need, want as well as the requirements. Moreover, using phrases like if I got you correctly, you have offered or you have ordered these things.

After taking such sort of request from the customer, please do not forget to reconfirm that if you have understood correctly, you have ordered this, this things so that it should not be repeated for the next level of customer and the customer through which you are taking the order. It should be, uh, repeated under loyal customer to you.

Abec am I correct, Mr. uh ex customer. So this is how if you prompt or if you understand the requirement of a customer correctly, possibly as an organization or a service provider, your service delivery would be much more effective and efficient and moreover.

Clear, ensuring effective communication and confirmed understanding is vital to consistent service quality. Next, let’s examine teaching theory and laboratory courses. Can you explain your approach to teaching complex marketing concepts to ensure students comprehend and apply them effectively?

Uh, can can you please repeat your question?

Of course. Can you explain your approach to teaching complex marketing concepts in a way that ensures students can both understand and apply them effectively?

Yeah, sure. So if you talk about complex marketing concept for example.

When students go ahead with the models of say 7 PS, right? Or if you talk about the concept of IMC, which is integrated marketing communication. So integrated marketing communication itself requires 6 elements or 6 components for making the marketing approach easily and timely to the consumers. Now I take the example of teaching both. These concepts.

Which is bit a complex and complicated. So I teach them. For example if you talk about the seven PS of marketing which is people process.

The PS and four PS, so 4 PS is basically the.

Sellers marketing mix that is product, price, place and promotion and these strategies are effectively tangible whereas 7 PS which is people, process and physical evidence are entirely intangible. Now I would like to take the example of how this seven PS can be easily and.

Plant lucidly to the students. I will take the example of the student itself, that as a person or as a people how they care. The path of seven PS So a person who is taking the service are intangible. Next it comes to the physical evidence. So physical evidence necessarily talks about the ambiance, the landscape where the service exchange happens, and finally about the process.

So if the example that I was giving last time that I had a discussion or I went to the restaurant with my family and I have ordered something. So all these three concepts of people, process and physical evidence is a part of this intangible service delivery through which the student would be able to replicate themselves in my situation and treating them as a consumer to understand the process of.

People process and physical evidence. Now while I come to the complex concept of IMC which is integrated marketing communication, I will explain them how to remember about the five or six components of IMC. So the first one is the advertisement, the second one is sales promotion, the third one is personal selling, the 4th 1 is direct marketing and finally the 6th 1 is public relations. So I will teach.

And I will explain them that how these 5 or 6 elements are integral part of developing the integrated marketing for any organization and how these information and these strategies can be communicated to the consumer in a very effective and efficient way. For example, if I again take advertisement, so advertisement is the paid form of. Non personal communication.

To the customers from the organization. So as the whole world, we all are filled with advertisement. I'm sure Vit Vellore is also involved in doing its aggressive promotions as well as advertisements not only in India but across the globe. So this is how the advertisement can be known to the students. Whatever we see, we hear, we expose to ourselves over a period of time and it increases the level of. Interest.

So, I would like to take one model called Ida model in advertisement. So Ida stands for awareness, interest, desire and action. So Ida model basically talks about when a prospect or when a subject is being exposed to particular advertisement over a period of time and it allows the desire for that particular advertisement and then.

It then uh interest, then it, it aroused the desire to know more about the thing or the product and finally go ahead and take the similar action. For example, when a student are being exposed to the advertisement of VIT Vellore, for example, VIT Business School. Now students when they approach or when they saw the advertisement in television or in newspaper or in a billboard, then they are aware.

About the ongoing admission process, then if the awareness or if the exposure of the advertisement is very creative, very impactful, then that will increase the students interest into that particular advertisement, which would lead to a sufficient level of arousal that will increase the level of desire. Now if you talk about the level of desire.

That should at least pass a stimulation level. It should not be present at the ground level. It should move from the ground level to the excited level so that it can create an impact to the student. So the desire or the arousal needs to be so strong that the student will think further ahead and it will take the necessary steps which will come the final step as an action. So it will such effective.

And efficient from vit administration side that the student would be first informed and would be persuaded self by the advertisement. And finally they are being satisfied that yes this is what I am looking for my career. And hence in the form of action this student will take the admission or they will approach the admission office. The next one if you talk about the IMC concepts which is again.

A complex is sales promotion. Now here I would like to explain the students the difference between sales and marketing. Most of these companies they got confused with the concepts of marketing and sales. They find it similar. However, marketing is the initial technique and the tools which actually make or strategize or which makes a platform to have a sales happen. So marketing is the initial stage after which.

Efforts this sales happens so sales promotion.

Is something where the organization go and promote about their products and they approach the prospective prospects. So here is the prospects are those which are the intended customers about to purchase. Now after sales promotion you have personal selling. Personal selling is nothing but personal selling is something which is actually approaching the target or the prospects personally and promoting and.

Trying to make the sales and this is a 1 to one or.

In-person communication. So this is the personal selling followed by DM which is the direct marketing. So direct marketing is something where you will find about the different methods of promotion directly to the customers. For example, the e-mail that I have received on behalf of BIT, it's also a kind of direct marketing. So sending a brochures, sending a leaflets, sending a reminder about any product, any services or any launch.

To the respective customers is coming under the form of direct marketing and finally the public relations. Public relations are again those institutions or those part of organizations which actually try to maintain a public image of the organization.

To the respective society and the whole environment and the ecosystem. So public relations are also came as a rescuer as well as it advocates if something unforeseen and untoward incident happens. For example, uh, last month, there is an incident of uh, the uh, uh, 10 minutes delivery app where there was a lot of casualties and lot of problems.

Concepts of marketing and overall marketing communication.

Your explanation of simplifying complex concepts like the 7 Ps and IMC for students, supported by relatable examples, reflects a structured teaching approach. Let’s move to evaluation and exam duties. Could you explain your methodology for designing fair and comprehensive assessments to effectively evaluate student learning?

Can you please come again?

Certainly. Could you explain your methodology for designing fair and comprehensive assessments to effectively evaluate student learning?

Well, by teaching pedagogy and based on the curriculum requirement. So for a fair and effective assessments and evaluation of students, it involves the individual approach and the individual assessments. So the first one is of course involves the.

Yes, sure.

Presentation So presentation is 1 measure or one method where a student can be assessed based on the genuine knowledge, skills, abilities and expertise that the student have of that particular topic on that particular time right. So apart from the presentation, students can be assessed fairly with the help of conducting the quiz. Now quiz is something which is again based on individual approach. It is not a.

Task but it is an individual task which later can be formed with the help of a group. The third one can be helped by the fair assessment includes the written examination. So written examination are also a reflection of students understanding regarding various concepts which are being taught not only in theory but as well as in overall things. Moreover, as management is a very dynamic and marketing is a very dynamic subject so it requires solving.

Case Study So case study also requires and it helps the assessment of a student very fairly without having any prejudices as well as biasness. Because the case studies approach needs to be unique for every student. For example, if there are 30 students in a class, so there can be a 30 responses and 30 answers for a particular problem. However, there is no asset called perfect wrong answer. So it based on the context and it based on the perspective of.

Students how their students are actually finding the questions relatable based on their concepts understood. The third one can be of course involved with the case of the simulations. Now, nowadays we are living in the digital world, right? Whole world is shaking and whole world is going through various kinds of geopolitical turmoil and geopolitical tensions. So in order to understand this accurately and correctly students.

To simulate those situations N of real life situations inside a classroom or inside a laboratory, which will reflect the ability of a student to mimic what is going on in the external world. And this will also support by the role-playing where where a student are asked to play the role of some company executive or some situations where there is an interaction between.

Service provider and the customer with the students actually play the role of either any of these two objects and then they portray their leadership skills. So these are some qualities or these are the some factors or features which actually help me to analyze and assess and evaluate a single student based on their.

Related qualities and it's fairly and only time bound manner.

Your incorporation of diverse methods like presentations, case studies, simulations, and role-playing demonstrates an understanding of fair, comprehensive, and dynamic assessments in student learning. Let’s now discuss guiding student projects and research. How do you mentor students to ensure their research projects achieve academic and practical relevance?

Right. First of all, based on the curriculum and based on the teaching pedagogy, I have to see that the student, when they opt for the research, they should have a proper and basic understanding regarding the research, the definition of the research, the types of the research, the process of the research and as a student, how they can go for the specific sampling and data collection.

I would also love to teach them and I would love to ensure that the students follow the approach of Imrad. IMRAD which includes about writing a research paper, starting with the introduction, which follows the literature review, then methodology which follows the result analysis and discussion. So first of all, I would guide the students to choose a topic. Based on not my interest, but based on the students interest.

It should not be imposing something on the students, but it should be based on something which students think on its own. So it would also be supported by its creativity and interest that whether the student is interest for a particular topic or title or not. For example, if some student wish to know about the role of AI in supply chain management and. For providing better customer experience.

So I will provide them how AI can be helpful in providing a better experience with regards to supply chain management. So I would first of all help these students to go and collect at least 10 to 15 literature reviews just to acquaint and aware themselves for the topic and to find out the proper research gap. The based on that gap, I would get the students to collect the more.

More information and go ahead with the process of data collection. So afterwards I will tell the students to collect the data, to code the data, to filter the data, afterwards analyze the data, interpret the data or the sample and provide the results and discussion. So research is not only about a matter of one day or few days, rather it is a continuous.

Approach and proper understanding about the research process as well as how the data can be collected properly, accurately and most importantly how the data can be analyzed. For example, earlier days we used to apply softwares like SPSS but nowadays we have softwares like.

Our Python MOS smart PLS. Then you have.