Dear friends, in the words of my friend Anupam, we are the "future" managers of our country. So let me share some management lessons that we never get in MBA classrooms....in an entertaining fashion....all the credit or discredit goes to the copyright owner Mr. Anupam Niyogi!
ENJOYYYYYYY !!!!!!!
* Lesson Number One*
A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbitsaw the crow, and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothingall day long?" The crow answered: "Sure, why not." So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested. All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.
Management Lesson: To be sitting and doing nothing, you must besitting very, very high up. .
* Lesson Number Two *
A turkey was chatting with a bull.
"I would love to be able to get to the top of that tree," sighed the turkey, "but I haven't got the energy. "Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull. "They're packed with nutrients."The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it actually gave him enough strength to reach the first branch of the tree. The nextday, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch. Finally after a fortnight, there he was proudly perched at the top ofthe tree. Soon he was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree.
Management Lesson: Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won'tkeep you there.
* Lesson Number Three *
When the body was first made, all the parts wanted to be Boss. Thebrain said, "I should be Boss because I control the whole body'sresponses and functions."
The feet said, "We should be Boss as we carry the brain about and gethim to where he wants to go." The hands said, "We should be the Bossbecause we do all the work and earn all the money." And so it went onand on with the heart, the lungs and the eyes until finally theasshole spoke up. All the parts laughed at the idea of the asshole being the Boss. Sothe asshole went on strike, blocked itself up and refused to work.Within a short time the eyes became crossed, the hands clenched, thefeet twitched, the heart and lungs began to panic and the brain fevered. Eventually they all decided that the asshole should be theBoss, so the motion was passed.
All the other parts did all the work while the Boss just sat andpassed out the shit!
Management Lesson: You don't need brains to be Boss, any asshole will do! You just need to screw people at the right moment.
* Lesson Number Four *
A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold, thebird froze and fell to the ground in a large field. While it was lyingthere, a cow came by and dropped some dung on it. As the frozen birdlay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm itwas. The dung was actually thawing him out!
He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy. A passing cat heard he bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out of the shit and ate him!
Management Lessons
A) Not everyone who drops shit on you is your enemy.
B) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
C) When you're in deep shit, you better keep your mouth shut!
PS: THESE ARE PROVEN FACTS AND SHOULD BE KNOWN TO EVERY MANAGER.....
A platform where I will share my views on topics and issues that interest me deeply (with a strong business bias, of course)and chronicle the major events in my life beginning 2010.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
My favourite poems
Two poems that have influenced and touched me to the core are posted below. Hope these will do my readers some good.Looking forward to your comments and suggestions.
INVICTUS
---William E. Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Don't Quit!
-Anonymous
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but do not quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
INVICTUS
---William E. Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Don't Quit!
-Anonymous
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
when the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but do not quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow-
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out-
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit-
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Perspectives on key issues- I
I am back again after a long time.Its the Diwali break at school. Happy Diwali to all my readers.
Tried to figure out answers to a few key issues being raised in Indian business media lately. There are no easy answers considering the scale and complexity of the problems. However, the idea was to crystallize thoughts in my mind. Comments are MOST welcome.
1. Impact of rising rupee on IT/ITeS companies:
Excessive speculative FII inflows as developed economies still not out of recession fully and emerging markets fetch attractive ROI.Could spell trouble for small and medium software companies in India. According to analysts, every 1% rise in the rupee could have 30-40 basis points impact on operating margins.With Coal India IPO on the anvil, we might witness further appreciation in the rupee.RBI has to intervene by buying out the dollars through the public sector banks to rein in the rupee to maintain India’s export competitiveness.Companies need to diversify their clientele across geographies and hedge their forex reserves better.
2. Was it right to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo?
Xiaobo was awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in the world’s second largest economy.Many Chinese dissidents within the establishment and the intelligentsia are working for incremental political reform, greater economic and social equality and a negotiated compromise between the conflicting interests in the complex and stratified Chinese society.Chinese govt. perceives this award as another act of the West to derail its progress by promoting internal strife and has made its displeasure public.It was right. His selection can be justified on the premise that more people around the world and inside China will know what the Chinese dissidents like him stand for, and for a time will remember them and their cause a little better.
3. Commonwealth Games- Lessons for India
Major loopholes were improper planning, huge cost overruns and ramapant corruption besides problems in ticket vending and hygiene in the CWG Village.International sports events like the CWG have become branding events for emerging economic superpowers.Lessons need to be learnt in plugging the loopholes if India wants to host the Olympics in the near future.Proper utilisation of the sports infrastructure created for the CWG to enhance the standards of sports in India is crucial. More players should be able to access the facilities created to improve their game.The Games have prevented any major embarassment or disaster since their opening. All the nations participated. India’s best CWG performance till date. But a lot of things remain to be learnt.
Tried to figure out answers to a few key issues being raised in Indian business media lately. There are no easy answers considering the scale and complexity of the problems. However, the idea was to crystallize thoughts in my mind. Comments are MOST welcome.
1. Impact of rising rupee on IT/ITeS companies:
Excessive speculative FII inflows as developed economies still not out of recession fully and emerging markets fetch attractive ROI.Could spell trouble for small and medium software companies in India. According to analysts, every 1% rise in the rupee could have 30-40 basis points impact on operating margins.With Coal India IPO on the anvil, we might witness further appreciation in the rupee.RBI has to intervene by buying out the dollars through the public sector banks to rein in the rupee to maintain India’s export competitiveness.Companies need to diversify their clientele across geographies and hedge their forex reserves better.
2. Was it right to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo?
Xiaobo was awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for his long and non-violent struggle for fundamental human rights in the world’s second largest economy.Many Chinese dissidents within the establishment and the intelligentsia are working for incremental political reform, greater economic and social equality and a negotiated compromise between the conflicting interests in the complex and stratified Chinese society.Chinese govt. perceives this award as another act of the West to derail its progress by promoting internal strife and has made its displeasure public.It was right. His selection can be justified on the premise that more people around the world and inside China will know what the Chinese dissidents like him stand for, and for a time will remember them and their cause a little better.
3. Commonwealth Games- Lessons for India
Major loopholes were improper planning, huge cost overruns and ramapant corruption besides problems in ticket vending and hygiene in the CWG Village.International sports events like the CWG have become branding events for emerging economic superpowers.Lessons need to be learnt in plugging the loopholes if India wants to host the Olympics in the near future.Proper utilisation of the sports infrastructure created for the CWG to enhance the standards of sports in India is crucial. More players should be able to access the facilities created to improve their game.The Games have prevented any major embarassment or disaster since their opening. All the nations participated. India’s best CWG performance till date. But a lot of things remain to be learnt.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Vital Stats! (Vol-I)
Compiled a few vital statistics from various sources to aid my memory.Happy reading and please add to the figures with your comments.
Indian Economy (Eco.Survey FY10 and e-newspapers)
1. GDP growth rate in India in FY10: 7.4%
2. GDP growth rate projected for FY11: >8.5%
3. Fiscal deficit of FY10 : 6.9% of GDP (budget estimate, according to new series)
4. Global rank in terms of nominal GDP ($1.25 trillion,FY09): 11th
5. Global rank in terms of PPP: 4th
6. FDI inflow in FY10 : $ 49.30 billion (RBI)
Business India
7. Interest rate on Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for FY11 : 9.5% (+1%)
8. Number of EPF subscribers : almost 5 crores
9. Interest rate on Senior Citizens’ Savings Scheme : 9%
10. Bank deposits offer up to 7.5%
11. Total size of the workforce in India: 38 crore
12. Organized workers in India constitute around 15% of the total workforce : 5.7 crores
Business Line
13. Wireless subscriber base in India as of August 2010 : 67.06 crore
14. Wireless teledensity stands as of August 2010: 56.61%
15. Bharti Airtel market share as of August 2010 : over 20%
16. Total broadband subscriber base as of August 2010: over 1 crore
Income Tax rates FY 11:
17. Rs. 160,001/- to Rs. 500,000/- 10%
18. Rs. 500,001/- to Rs. 800,000/- 20%
19. Above Rs. 8 Lacs 30%
Indian Economy (Eco.Survey FY10 and e-newspapers)
1. GDP growth rate in India in FY10: 7.4%
2. GDP growth rate projected for FY11: >8.5%
3. Fiscal deficit of FY10 : 6.9% of GDP (budget estimate, according to new series)
4. Global rank in terms of nominal GDP ($1.25 trillion,FY09): 11th
5. Global rank in terms of PPP: 4th
6. FDI inflow in FY10 : $ 49.30 billion (RBI)
Business India
7. Interest rate on Employees Provident Fund (EPF) for FY11 : 9.5% (+1%)
8. Number of EPF subscribers : almost 5 crores
9. Interest rate on Senior Citizens’ Savings Scheme : 9%
10. Bank deposits offer up to 7.5%
11. Total size of the workforce in India: 38 crore
12. Organized workers in India constitute around 15% of the total workforce : 5.7 crores
Business Line
13. Wireless subscriber base in India as of August 2010 : 67.06 crore
14. Wireless teledensity stands as of August 2010: 56.61%
15. Bharti Airtel market share as of August 2010 : over 20%
16. Total broadband subscriber base as of August 2010: over 1 crore
Income Tax rates FY 11:
17. Rs. 160,001/- to Rs. 500,000/- 10%
18. Rs. 500,001/- to Rs. 800,000/- 20%
19. Above Rs. 8 Lacs 30%
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
India and Global Financial Crisis- Evaluation of Policy Responses and Lessons
I and Nitish (a close friend and batch mate at SDMIMD) are currently working on a student paper to be presented at Institute of Management, Nirma University during Nirma International Conference on Management (NICOM 2011) at Ahmedabad.Here's the abstract of that paper:
The US and other major European economies like the UK are gradually emerging out of the recession, although at a snail’s pace, despite some critics predicting a double-dip recession in the near future. It would take a few more years to completely regain the growth momentum. India has by now emerged from the global financial crisis and is on its way to report strong economic growth over the next fiscal. The greatest economic calamity since the Great Depression of the 1930s has thrown up several issues like regulatory oversight, fiscal misprudence, unbridled corporate greed etc. along with unforgettable lessons for policymakers, regulators and enterprises worldwide .
In this paper, we seek to evaluate the various fiscal and monetary policy responses to the financial crisis by the major global economies, right from the unfolding of the crisis till date, with a special emphasis on India.The varying impact of these responses on inflation, unemployment ,fiscal health and economic growth of India has been examined. Protectionist measures in the developed economies have been analysed. The key lessons to be learnt from the crisis have been dealt with. The conclusion and our inferences have been included at the end.
I will post the entire paper for those who want to read it after we finish it.
Cheers!!
The US and other major European economies like the UK are gradually emerging out of the recession, although at a snail’s pace, despite some critics predicting a double-dip recession in the near future. It would take a few more years to completely regain the growth momentum. India has by now emerged from the global financial crisis and is on its way to report strong economic growth over the next fiscal. The greatest economic calamity since the Great Depression of the 1930s has thrown up several issues like regulatory oversight, fiscal misprudence, unbridled corporate greed etc. along with unforgettable lessons for policymakers, regulators and enterprises worldwide .
In this paper, we seek to evaluate the various fiscal and monetary policy responses to the financial crisis by the major global economies, right from the unfolding of the crisis till date, with a special emphasis on India.The varying impact of these responses on inflation, unemployment ,fiscal health and economic growth of India has been examined. Protectionist measures in the developed economies have been analysed. The key lessons to be learnt from the crisis have been dealt with. The conclusion and our inferences have been included at the end.
I will post the entire paper for those who want to read it after we finish it.
Cheers!!
Being beautiful helps!!
The inspiration for this post comes from the 1946 Alfred Hitchcock flick "Notorious" which I just finished watching.Thanks Virinchi for this wonderful movie!
Would like to make a few points about the benefits of being a beautiful girl/woman. I certainly don't mean to say that not being a beautiful woman is a vice. Neither do I mean that feminine beauty can compensate for the lack of other essential traits which are a MUST in any job like sincerity, competence etc. Apart from all the attention(often unwarranted,though seldom undesired) that feminine beauty attracts almost on a daily basis, it has been the source of inspiration for many a poet in a multitude of languages worldwide. From John Keats to Kalidasa, every poet has penned poems appreciating and admiring this virtue of women.Many men have lost their hearts to beautiful women in the past and continue to do so. I am trying to address how being beautiful helps a woman in this largely male-dominated world. Let's take espionage (spying) for instance.Beautiful women have been great spies in the past.Almost all the major nations have employed them to gather sensitive and otherwise inaccessible information from the enemies. These femme fatales have been largely successful in their missions, often not shying away from sleeping with multiple males to gather information (an occupational hazard). It is very hard to lie, even for the sternest of men,when immersed in the ecstasy of love-making. This basic instinct of men has spilled the beans on many occasions in the past and has been therefore exploited accordingly by intelligence agencies.Good-looking girls certainly get an upper hand when it comes to hiring for jobs that requires extensive face-to-face contact with a large number of people (mostly men!) like receptionists, air hostesses, school teachers and models.It makes sense as men generally feel good talking to a beautiful women than a man (however efficient and handsome he might be) and for the women, it doesn't matter whom they are talking to as long as the job is done well.Research done in the US clearly suggests the incidence of a direct positive correlation between feminine beauty and career success in many jobs.
There could be various reasons to explain this. I believe apart from the biological urges of sexual attraction,other things can be at play like the feeling of happiness (to varying extent) experienced by men when they deal with a smiling, courteous and effective (of course!)lady who is good-looking. It harms nobody.
For all those women who are not good-looking, there is nothing to lose heart as they can leverage other traits they are good at, in jobs as well as in the pursuit of LOVE and happiness in their personal lives.I believe there are many men out there who are more than willing to share their lives with women who are kind and caring despite being moderately endowed with beauty. But then there are also many men who want to go for the belle femme (beautiful women in French) ONLY!!
Keep Smiling. Makes you look more beautiful!!!
Would like to make a few points about the benefits of being a beautiful girl/woman. I certainly don't mean to say that not being a beautiful woman is a vice. Neither do I mean that feminine beauty can compensate for the lack of other essential traits which are a MUST in any job like sincerity, competence etc. Apart from all the attention(often unwarranted,though seldom undesired) that feminine beauty attracts almost on a daily basis, it has been the source of inspiration for many a poet in a multitude of languages worldwide. From John Keats to Kalidasa, every poet has penned poems appreciating and admiring this virtue of women.Many men have lost their hearts to beautiful women in the past and continue to do so. I am trying to address how being beautiful helps a woman in this largely male-dominated world. Let's take espionage (spying) for instance.Beautiful women have been great spies in the past.Almost all the major nations have employed them to gather sensitive and otherwise inaccessible information from the enemies. These femme fatales have been largely successful in their missions, often not shying away from sleeping with multiple males to gather information (an occupational hazard). It is very hard to lie, even for the sternest of men,when immersed in the ecstasy of love-making. This basic instinct of men has spilled the beans on many occasions in the past and has been therefore exploited accordingly by intelligence agencies.Good-looking girls certainly get an upper hand when it comes to hiring for jobs that requires extensive face-to-face contact with a large number of people (mostly men!) like receptionists, air hostesses, school teachers and models.It makes sense as men generally feel good talking to a beautiful women than a man (however efficient and handsome he might be) and for the women, it doesn't matter whom they are talking to as long as the job is done well.Research done in the US clearly suggests the incidence of a direct positive correlation between feminine beauty and career success in many jobs.
There could be various reasons to explain this. I believe apart from the biological urges of sexual attraction,other things can be at play like the feeling of happiness (to varying extent) experienced by men when they deal with a smiling, courteous and effective (of course!)lady who is good-looking. It harms nobody.
For all those women who are not good-looking, there is nothing to lose heart as they can leverage other traits they are good at, in jobs as well as in the pursuit of LOVE and happiness in their personal lives.I believe there are many men out there who are more than willing to share their lives with women who are kind and caring despite being moderately endowed with beauty. But then there are also many men who want to go for the belle femme (beautiful women in French) ONLY!!
Keep Smiling. Makes you look more beautiful!!!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Seth Godin
Hi folks! I am in the middle of the term-4 exam season and typing something in my blog about an extraordinary video I just saw on youtube!!
For the uninitiated, Seth Godin is one of the greatest experts on marketing of our times. His ideas have been path breaking, thought provocative and highly useful for all the students and practitioners of marketing. In this video, he essentially talked of two things:
1. Target the innovators and the early adopters whenever you come up with a new product/service because they are the ones who care to listen to what you are saying and will buy the product. They will speak good about the product/service to their friends and the idea spreads like that.No point to communicate to your entire target audience as it costs a bomb and isn't effective.
2.Try to be remarkable in whatever you make or the way you market. With choices increasing and very less time at the disposal of the consumers,there is no way a product/service is going to be noticed unless there is something remarkable about it.
Here's the link to this wonderful video with amazing examples to elucidate the ideas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBIVlM435Zg&feature=related
Cheers!
For the uninitiated, Seth Godin is one of the greatest experts on marketing of our times. His ideas have been path breaking, thought provocative and highly useful for all the students and practitioners of marketing. In this video, he essentially talked of two things:
1. Target the innovators and the early adopters whenever you come up with a new product/service because they are the ones who care to listen to what you are saying and will buy the product. They will speak good about the product/service to their friends and the idea spreads like that.No point to communicate to your entire target audience as it costs a bomb and isn't effective.
2.Try to be remarkable in whatever you make or the way you market. With choices increasing and very less time at the disposal of the consumers,there is no way a product/service is going to be noticed unless there is something remarkable about it.
Here's the link to this wonderful video with amazing examples to elucidate the ideas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBIVlM435Zg&feature=related
Cheers!
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