One day when I returned home, I found a piece of paper fixed on my door. I was ready for surprises. But it turned out to be a notice from a post man that he had brought a speed-post and as the door was locked, now I had to collect it from the designated post office within five days. I thanked the postman for his concern; otherwise he could have just returned it back.
When I went to collect the post at my nearby post office, I was asked to collect it from another PO at some distance from the place, and that too before 10 AM.
Two days after, I went there, and found to my surprise that there was a queue of around 7 people waiting to receive their registered/speed posts. The recipient needed to show our picture ID cards in order to receive. The lady at the counter was as expected slow. And then, another woman complained that the postman never made a second round to deliver; he just left the notice when he found the door locked. There I realized the problem: As the government departments are fighting hard to improve profitability, or to become profitable at all, should they do that at the sake of poorer service to the public?
Imagine how many times we shall need to make rounds of post offices just because our main door was closed for the few hours in which the postman came? Or about the person in whose name the letter has come is out of town for some time? Should government departments be making profits? Yes. But should they adopt quick-fixes in order to make profits? Think about the courier guy who will call you up if he doesn't find your house. On the other hand, the post offices don't offer any comparable service. This is true for all government departments trying to turn around. Shouldn't they focus on improving efficiency and making some real changes in their work process and culture? Think about the railways which, in order to become profitable, fixes an extra side berth, reserves large quota for RAC and tatkal, or increases cancellation charges. Why should the railway tickets booked via the internet be costing more than those booked at their counters? I am using my computer, paying via my card, taking print of my ticket on my own printer, and thus saving the railways time, manpower and money. But in return, I am charged more than the guys who make queues at the reservation counters, fill up requisition slips, argue with the booking clerks and fight at their mundane fancies. As one of our professors says: by automating the wrong processes, you will end up doing the wrong things more efficiently!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Turnaround Babus
Customers don’t forgive
I was late and in a hurry. I had to create recovery CDs for my laptop, which I had been procrastinating for a long time. I stepped in the neighbour general store and asked for a blank DVD. “How much is it?” I heard “90”! I asked him to say again. Now he says “only 20”. I took two pieces and went out. But then I came to realise that the first time he had said “19”, but seeing that I couldn’t hear him, he had asked the round figure of 20 the next time. I made a mental note that I would avoid this shop in the future.
One of the ways the market has developed has resulted in un-forgiving customers. Taking a short term approach can be fatal to businesses. The opportunity cost of losing a customer is very much higher than acquiring a new customer from competition. But even then some shoppers do that mistake. And the worst thing is that they are not reading our blogs to realise this :). They will learn it a hard way...
Every man is a story
One of our professors shared his life story with us in bits and pieces. Connecting them gives us a glimpse of ups and downs on the way to a success story called India.
Born in a small town, he went to a school where the medium of instruction was the regional language. Every morning, he walked up to the school carrying two things inviting curiosity of his classmates: his half-pants which had a distinctive flared cuffs/ends and a bag in which he used to carry notebooks in the morning and household items / vegetables on the way back to home…
And then one day he found himself admitted to an English medium school in a city. Life was challenging, as he couldn’t even speak either of Hindi and English! When he had to borrow a pen from a colleague, he used to utter, “Tumhara pen, mujhe pen” :) Finding an interesting ‘item’ in their classroom, the students made him a popular punch bag. Ridicules were naïve; but then they used to call him by a name that was insulting. And he didn’t even understand its meaning! One day when he asked what the word meant, they replied, “You are such a ‘good boy’, so we call you that with love”. The teasing got more innovative day by day. Until one day, when he called it quits: in his own way.
As he was having his lunch, some boys threw dust into it and he couldn’t take it any more… He being physically much stronger beat the blues out of the ‘bad boys’. From that day onwards, whenever someone created troubles for him, he would wait for him outside the campus and make sure to send him off on shoulders rather than on legs. This way, he survived his school days…
Seasons changed, birds reached home, and time flew like clouds. He passed his engineering and joined an automobile company. Then he did his post graduate degree in management and rejoined the industry. By this time he had got to understand a market gap and started his own business by procuring parts and selling them at higher margins. Very quick by any standards, he had all that his parents would wish him to possess. But his punishing work hours and passion for ‘more’ resulted in him having some undesired ailments and one day he vomited blood. Having survived and now convinced by parents to stick to a ‘comfortable’ job, he came to teaching as a profession. At the same time he offered his consulting services to the industry. Today, he also owns a medium scale industry with turnover in crores. And then the next: he has adopted a village near his native place and has set a target to build a school; a hospital and the entire infrastructure that is needed there to make their life comfortable and safe…
Until there is mutual trust, respect and love between elders and the younger generations, our India will remain our India.
Born in a small town, he went to a school where the medium of instruction was the regional language. Every morning, he walked up to the school carrying two things inviting curiosity of his classmates: his half-pants which had a distinctive flared cuffs/ends and a bag in which he used to carry notebooks in the morning and household items / vegetables on the way back to home…
And then one day he found himself admitted to an English medium school in a city. Life was challenging, as he couldn’t even speak either of Hindi and English! When he had to borrow a pen from a colleague, he used to utter, “Tumhara pen, mujhe pen” :) Finding an interesting ‘item’ in their classroom, the students made him a popular punch bag. Ridicules were naïve; but then they used to call him by a name that was insulting. And he didn’t even understand its meaning! One day when he asked what the word meant, they replied, “You are such a ‘good boy’, so we call you that with love”. The teasing got more innovative day by day. Until one day, when he called it quits: in his own way.
As he was having his lunch, some boys threw dust into it and he couldn’t take it any more… He being physically much stronger beat the blues out of the ‘bad boys’. From that day onwards, whenever someone created troubles for him, he would wait for him outside the campus and make sure to send him off on shoulders rather than on legs. This way, he survived his school days…
Seasons changed, birds reached home, and time flew like clouds. He passed his engineering and joined an automobile company. Then he did his post graduate degree in management and rejoined the industry. By this time he had got to understand a market gap and started his own business by procuring parts and selling them at higher margins. Very quick by any standards, he had all that his parents would wish him to possess. But his punishing work hours and passion for ‘more’ resulted in him having some undesired ailments and one day he vomited blood. Having survived and now convinced by parents to stick to a ‘comfortable’ job, he came to teaching as a profession. At the same time he offered his consulting services to the industry. Today, he also owns a medium scale industry with turnover in crores. And then the next: he has adopted a village near his native place and has set a target to build a school; a hospital and the entire infrastructure that is needed there to make their life comfortable and safe…
Until there is mutual trust, respect and love between elders and the younger generations, our India will remain our India.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Tata Finance episode
The American financial sector is in the turmoil. From Bear Sterns to developments with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the crisis unfolded and took companies like AIG and Lehman Brothers in the grip. Coveted institutions which took generations to reach the enviable positions were down in some months. It is all in the newspapers these days. Somewhere somehow someone made mistakes which reached the US to these conditions.
Do you think Tatas did a mistake by deciding to set up the Nano plant in West Bengal? Do you hold the CEO of the bankrupt US finance major Lehman Brothers guilty? Did George W. Bush do a mistake by invading Iraq? Any question, that can be answered in ‘yes’ or ‘no’ need not be asked. Bad decisions and mistakes happen; so do frauds. One person’s gain may be the whole system’s loss.
Every event has far reaching repercussions, both positive and negative. The only thing that matters is – how you deal with them and how you let the event affect you. This small case is a very important one, because such cases set examples for years to come.
Frauds happen – deal with them
What does a corporate house do when the managing director of one of its companies commits a fraud? Does it try to put a lid on the affairs or does it make an all out effort to ensure that the stakeholders suffer no losses? When Tata Finance was engulfed in a financial mess, the Tata Group took the latter approach. Before the fraud could be detected by the regulators, it was the Tata Group’s self disclosure that opened the matter up.
Rather than sweep the issue under the carpet, Tatas decided on a two-pronged course of action. First, the interests of the small depositors who had placed their trust in the Tata name had to be protected. Second, an open and objective enquiry would be conducted to bring the culprits to book.
Tata Sons and Tata Industries made available to Tata Finance cash and corporate guarantees amounting to Rs 615 crores. Not many industries would have put hundreds of crores into a company that was sinking and that too without being sure that any of it could be recovered.
Despite the promptness with which the Tatas moved, the public perception of the Group and the Tata brand was affected initially. But it was the right thing to do, and the Tatas did what was required to be done.
Ref.: Tata Review
Sunday, September 28, 2008
China and Bihar
History is made, and not written. Any low position is an opportunity to aim high. And anyone down with a great past is a sleeping giant.
The sleeping giants
We have listened enough of the Chindia (China+India) debates, now here is something fresh. What is common between China and Bihar? … Both are underdogs, and both are down.
China has been renowned for justifying the negative connotation attached with the word 'cheap'. It can manufacture anything that can be manufactured and at a price which is below others’ raw material costs. However, the product quality will always be broke. The recent scandal in baby milk, which made over 54000 Chinese children sick and many dead, is just the ‘most recent’ visible example. The tainted milk products were contaminated with a toxic chemical melamine, to disguise the protein levels of adulterated milk. Many countries including India have banned such products from China. From farm products to automobile components, Chinese quality is under serious doubt. China is down.
However, Japan was in a very similar situation at the beginning of 70s when its product qualities were not better than junk. It started from there and within years, Japan became synonym with best-in-class quality. A number of Japanese companies like Sony took it personally and in order to remove the poor quality tag from "Made in Japan", they created a history. China has the opportunity to do the same. It is down and the whole world is watching her. It can manufacture a change.
Bihar on the other hand is also in one such situation. Despite having a past that is more glorious than any other part, it lost all its shine in the after years of independence. The land where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment, where Lord Mahaveer and Guru Gobind Singh were born, and the place where great men like Chandragupta, and Ashoka ruled, lost its touch with the happenings later on. Out of government apathy and lack of opportunities, people moved out of the state to other parts of India and the unwelcomed migrating populations were targeted in many places. Of late, there has been a general skepticism that nothing can happen in the state. Then, the most devastating flood in the history of modern India happened. For state which had lost its major sources of revenues by creation of a separate Jharkhand, and where corruption eats through any public spending, it could not have gone worse. Millions have been without homes for months and thousands were washed away by the mad water. There cannot be a tougher time. Bihar is down.
However, never before in its recent past the state has been able to generate the genuine interest and pure empathy towards its condition that has happened this time. Even the skeptics who ridiculed the state have been touched at nature's fury at the innocent population. This is the real turning point. Never before in the last many decades, the collective India has seen Bihar with this much empathy. Already the new leadership in the state is doing well and trying hard to turn it around. The state is down and the whole India is watching her. The state can take it from here.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Management lessons from Mahabharata
Coaching or Mentoring is a great tool in management for talent development. This small piece tells how the Mahabharata teaches us the key points:
Trust in coaching: Krishna and Arjuna
In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas are shown to have fought with the Kauravas on a matter of principle.
Arjuna was the person on whose shoulders the morale of the Pandavas rested. His well-being heralded victory and he stood for all that was supreme Pandava valour and glory. He had two biological older brothers, so he was not solely responsible for looking after the family. However, Arjuna was a little vain and sensitive, and felt he had nobody to look up to. Krishna filled this void. Krishna’s style of mentoring relied on certain building blocks.
Krishna proclaimed his love for Arjuna publicly and attached the highest importance to his friendship with Arjuna. They spent much time together and Krishna took every opportunity to demonstrate his love for Arjuna. On one occasion, they fought a battle which pleased Lord Indra. Lord Indra offered Krishna a boon. Guess what he asked for? He asked that his friendship with Arjuna continue forever! This built great trust in the relationship. Trust is the first building block in the mentoring.
The second feature was that Krishna was always supportive of Arjuna but never interfered with his life. At no point did Krishna take the decisions or the actions required, he merely offered his advice to Arjuna. At any rate, Arjuna had a fragile personality, the kind that would not accept interference by someone else. Krishna ensured that after proffering his advice, he gave Arjuna his own space so that the protégé felt no sense of dependence on the mentor.
The third feature was that the relationship was one of cheer and warmth. Arjuna took his tasks very seriously and had frequent outbursts of temper. Krishna showed himself to be a friends and comrade despite the moodiness of his protégé, so that Arjuna felt free to open his heart to him.
The fourth feature of Krishna’s mentorship was that when required, he criticized Arjuna’s decisions openly but never insulted or denigrated him personally. Krishna’s focus was on the issue, not on the person. Thus he was always non-judgemental.
The fifth feature was that Krishna never left Arjuna to fend for himself just because he had chosen a path which Krishna was not supportive of. When Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu was killed in battle by Jayadratha, Arjuna vowed that by evening he would either kill Jayadratha or commit suicide. Krishna did not think this was a good idea, but he stood with his protégé to help him complete his difficult task. Lastly, when Arjuna faced a personal crisis on the battlefield, Krishna came to his rescue by propounding the Gita; it was not a mere sermon but a way of looking at the issues he was facing and helping Arjuna to resolve his dilemmas himself.
(Taken from the book “The Case of the Bonsai Manager”, by R. Gopalakrishnan)
Trust in coaching: Krishna and Arjuna
In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas are shown to have fought with the Kauravas on a matter of principle.
Arjuna was the person on whose shoulders the morale of the Pandavas rested. His well-being heralded victory and he stood for all that was supreme Pandava valour and glory. He had two biological older brothers, so he was not solely responsible for looking after the family. However, Arjuna was a little vain and sensitive, and felt he had nobody to look up to. Krishna filled this void. Krishna’s style of mentoring relied on certain building blocks.
Krishna proclaimed his love for Arjuna publicly and attached the highest importance to his friendship with Arjuna. They spent much time together and Krishna took every opportunity to demonstrate his love for Arjuna. On one occasion, they fought a battle which pleased Lord Indra. Lord Indra offered Krishna a boon. Guess what he asked for? He asked that his friendship with Arjuna continue forever! This built great trust in the relationship. Trust is the first building block in the mentoring.
The second feature was that Krishna was always supportive of Arjuna but never interfered with his life. At no point did Krishna take the decisions or the actions required, he merely offered his advice to Arjuna. At any rate, Arjuna had a fragile personality, the kind that would not accept interference by someone else. Krishna ensured that after proffering his advice, he gave Arjuna his own space so that the protégé felt no sense of dependence on the mentor.
The third feature was that the relationship was one of cheer and warmth. Arjuna took his tasks very seriously and had frequent outbursts of temper. Krishna showed himself to be a friends and comrade despite the moodiness of his protégé, so that Arjuna felt free to open his heart to him.
The fourth feature of Krishna’s mentorship was that when required, he criticized Arjuna’s decisions openly but never insulted or denigrated him personally. Krishna’s focus was on the issue, not on the person. Thus he was always non-judgemental.
The fifth feature was that Krishna never left Arjuna to fend for himself just because he had chosen a path which Krishna was not supportive of. When Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu was killed in battle by Jayadratha, Arjuna vowed that by evening he would either kill Jayadratha or commit suicide. Krishna did not think this was a good idea, but he stood with his protégé to help him complete his difficult task. Lastly, when Arjuna faced a personal crisis on the battlefield, Krishna came to his rescue by propounding the Gita; it was not a mere sermon but a way of looking at the issues he was facing and helping Arjuna to resolve his dilemmas himself.
(Taken from the book “The Case of the Bonsai Manager”, by R. Gopalakrishnan)
Management lessons from Mahabharata
Coaching or Mentoring is a great tool in management for talent development. This small piece tells how the Mahabharata teaches us the key points:
Trust in coaching: Krishna and Arjuna
In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas are shown to have fought with the Kauravas on a matter of principle.
Arjuna was the person on whose shoulders the morale of the Pandavas rested. His well-being heralded victory and he stood for all that was supreme Pandava valour and glory. He had two biological older brothers, so he was not solely responsible for looking after the family. However, Arjuna was a little vain and sensitive, and felt he had nobody to look up to. Krishna filled this void. Krishna’s style of mentoring relied on certain building blocks.
Krishna proclaimed his love for Arjuna publicly and attached the highest importance to his friendship with Arjuna. They spent much time together and Krishna took every opportunity to demonstrate his love for Arjuna. On one occasion, they fought a battle which pleased Lord Indra. Lord Indra offered Krishna a boon. Guess what he asked for? He asked that his friendship with Arjuna continue forever! This built great trust in the relationship. Trust is the first building block in the mentoring.
The second feature was that Krishna was always supportive of Arjuna but never interfered with his life. At no point did Krishna take the decisions or the actions required, he merely offered his advice to Arjuna. At any rate, Arjuna had a fragile personality, the kind that would not accept interference by someone else. Krishna ensured that after proffering his advice, he gave Arjuna his own space so that the protégé felt no sense of dependence on the mentor.
The third feature was that the relationship was one of cheer and warmth. Arjuna took his tasks very seriously and had frequent outbursts of temper. Krishna showed himself to be a friends and comrade despite the moodiness of his protégé, so that Arjuna felt free to open his heart to him.
The fourth feature of Krishna’s mentorship was that when required, he criticized Arjuna’s decisions openly but never insulted or denigrated him personally. Krishna’s focus was on the issue, not on the person. Thus he was always non-judgemental.
The fifth feature was that Krishna never left Arjuna to fend for himself just because he had chosen a path which Krishna was not supportive of. When Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu was killed in battle by Jayadratha, Arjuna vowed that by evening he would either kill Jayadratha or commit suicide. Krishna did not think this was a good idea, but he stood with his protégé to help him complete his difficult task. Lastly, when Arjuna faced a personal crisis on the battlefield, Krishna came to his rescue by propounding the Gita; it was not a mere sermon but a way of looking at the issues he was facing and helping Arjuna to resolve his dilemmas himself.
(Taken from the book “The Case of the Bonsai Manager”, by R. Gopalakrishnan)
Trust in coaching: Krishna and Arjuna
In the Mahabharata, the Pandavas are shown to have fought with the Kauravas on a matter of principle.
Arjuna was the person on whose shoulders the morale of the Pandavas rested. His well-being heralded victory and he stood for all that was supreme Pandava valour and glory. He had two biological older brothers, so he was not solely responsible for looking after the family. However, Arjuna was a little vain and sensitive, and felt he had nobody to look up to. Krishna filled this void. Krishna’s style of mentoring relied on certain building blocks.
Krishna proclaimed his love for Arjuna publicly and attached the highest importance to his friendship with Arjuna. They spent much time together and Krishna took every opportunity to demonstrate his love for Arjuna. On one occasion, they fought a battle which pleased Lord Indra. Lord Indra offered Krishna a boon. Guess what he asked for? He asked that his friendship with Arjuna continue forever! This built great trust in the relationship. Trust is the first building block in the mentoring.
The second feature was that Krishna was always supportive of Arjuna but never interfered with his life. At no point did Krishna take the decisions or the actions required, he merely offered his advice to Arjuna. At any rate, Arjuna had a fragile personality, the kind that would not accept interference by someone else. Krishna ensured that after proffering his advice, he gave Arjuna his own space so that the protégé felt no sense of dependence on the mentor.
The third feature was that the relationship was one of cheer and warmth. Arjuna took his tasks very seriously and had frequent outbursts of temper. Krishna showed himself to be a friends and comrade despite the moodiness of his protégé, so that Arjuna felt free to open his heart to him.
The fourth feature of Krishna’s mentorship was that when required, he criticized Arjuna’s decisions openly but never insulted or denigrated him personally. Krishna’s focus was on the issue, not on the person. Thus he was always non-judgemental.
The fifth feature was that Krishna never left Arjuna to fend for himself just because he had chosen a path which Krishna was not supportive of. When Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu was killed in battle by Jayadratha, Arjuna vowed that by evening he would either kill Jayadratha or commit suicide. Krishna did not think this was a good idea, but he stood with his protégé to help him complete his difficult task. Lastly, when Arjuna faced a personal crisis on the battlefield, Krishna came to his rescue by propounding the Gita; it was not a mere sermon but a way of looking at the issues he was facing and helping Arjuna to resolve his dilemmas himself.
(Taken from the book “The Case of the Bonsai Manager”, by R. Gopalakrishnan)
Monday, September 22, 2008
Should we go for APICS certification now?
Someone from the junior batch asked if we should go for APICS certifications at this stage. Here is my opinion:
Anyone working in the supply chain function would like to have this certification. The advantages are like from any certification: it tells that you have the basic competencies since you have cleared the exam, it differentiates you from the competition since many of them won't have that, and it gives an impression that you are very serious about this field so companies may consider you more seriously.
On the other hand, I think MBA in Operations Management as majors is one degree which itself is something that speaks all. I know many professionals working in the supply chain functions in organizations are not MBAs and they can't even go for MBA at later stage. Many of them do a Diploma or PG Diploma in SCM and they would definitely look for this APICS certification.
Many of our seniors from 2k8 batch had gone for this and had cleared the exam. But to say that they got advantage in the placements won't be direct, since it depends on the profile with which the company would be coming in.
I have not enrolled for this, but I can go for this once I am into a company and I would get sponsored by the company itself. It is not all about money, but also about self-learning. Once we enter the industry, the learning process has to be planned and there, doing the course wold benefit more. For someone who has limited idea right now about SCM, doing this would just seem like passing one more exam. (This is not a course but just an exam which you have to clear)
As such it is a personal call: you can take it up if you have time and want to, it will of course add value to your profile.
Anyone working in the supply chain function would like to have this certification. The advantages are like from any certification: it tells that you have the basic competencies since you have cleared the exam, it differentiates you from the competition since many of them won't have that, and it gives an impression that you are very serious about this field so companies may consider you more seriously.
On the other hand, I think MBA in Operations Management as majors is one degree which itself is something that speaks all. I know many professionals working in the supply chain functions in organizations are not MBAs and they can't even go for MBA at later stage. Many of them do a Diploma or PG Diploma in SCM and they would definitely look for this APICS certification.
Many of our seniors from 2k8 batch had gone for this and had cleared the exam. But to say that they got advantage in the placements won't be direct, since it depends on the profile with which the company would be coming in.
I have not enrolled for this, but I can go for this once I am into a company and I would get sponsored by the company itself. It is not all about money, but also about self-learning. Once we enter the industry, the learning process has to be planned and there, doing the course wold benefit more. For someone who has limited idea right now about SCM, doing this would just seem like passing one more exam. (This is not a course but just an exam which you have to clear)
As such it is a personal call: you can take it up if you have time and want to, it will of course add value to your profile.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Good parenting
This is not about MBA, but something greater than that. The most difficult art or science - is being a good parent. Read on. I saw this message and thought to share it here. I agree with all points, except that I think brother-sister fights in the childhood are a way of learning and growing up too. In such situations, the only thing the parents have to take care about is to be just in their decisions/settlements of fights irrespective of the gender.
***
Don't let your son grow up to be a male chauvinist. Teach him to respect women as equals, so he grows up into a fine young man who will do you proud.
1. Teach your son that he should never, ever strike a girl, no matter what the provocation. If he has a sister who he constantly fights with and they regularly exchange blows, he may not easily grasp the concept that boys don't hit girls. However, as your children grow, they will outgrow the phase of fistfights, so it is important that you inculcate this value in him.
2. Teach your son to question sexism by teaching him to respect his sister as his equal. By doing this, you will be teaching him to respect all women as equals.
3. Make sure your son contributes equally in the household chores. If your daughter lays the table, your son can clear it after the meal. Chores should be rotated, so no child feels that they've got the raw end of the deal.
4. Don't expect your daughter to serve your son, or your son will expect the same of his wife. And if she does not meet his expectations, there will be marital discord. Similarly, teach your daughter to respect herself and her gender by not asking her to iron your son's clothes, or to prepare lunch for him when you or your cook are not available. They can order food from out, or the two off them can scramble some eggs together.
5. Teach your son cooking. Most chefs are men, and many of the world's best cooks are men. You will be doing him a service, not a disservice, by teaching him how to cook. If he's got a sweet tooth, start off by teaching him how to bake a cake… and take it from there. There's nothing effeminate about entering the kitchen. Some of the most macho men I know love to cook, so break out of this old school of thought. You could start off by asking him to watch you bake a cake, and to help you out by whipping the eggs, passing you the sugar, etc. Get him involved, and his interest will rise.
6. Teach your son chess, teach him how to use a computer or teach him a subject at school. Don't expect only your husband to teach him things that require him to use his brains. If you teach him how to, say, use a computer, his respect for you, and consequently, his respect for women, will increase tremendously. The fact that you may be a stay-at-home mother has nothing to do with it. If your son sees you as intelligent, you've done very well! But if he thinks that 'only papa is intelligent' or 'boys are much cleverer than girls', you've got some serious catching up to do.
7. Be a good role model for your child as a father. Respect your wife, and respect her opinions. Avoid cracking sexist jokes with your son, and if you do, make sure that your son knows that they are just jokes. Seek your wife's opinion. As a mother, strengthen your child's opinion of you by not nagging your husband constantly in front of your child, by not losing control of yourself or your emotions in front of the children, and by appearing strong and balanced in their eyes.
***
Don't let your son grow up to be a male chauvinist. Teach him to respect women as equals, so he grows up into a fine young man who will do you proud.
1. Teach your son that he should never, ever strike a girl, no matter what the provocation. If he has a sister who he constantly fights with and they regularly exchange blows, he may not easily grasp the concept that boys don't hit girls. However, as your children grow, they will outgrow the phase of fistfights, so it is important that you inculcate this value in him.
2. Teach your son to question sexism by teaching him to respect his sister as his equal. By doing this, you will be teaching him to respect all women as equals.
3. Make sure your son contributes equally in the household chores. If your daughter lays the table, your son can clear it after the meal. Chores should be rotated, so no child feels that they've got the raw end of the deal.
4. Don't expect your daughter to serve your son, or your son will expect the same of his wife. And if she does not meet his expectations, there will be marital discord. Similarly, teach your daughter to respect herself and her gender by not asking her to iron your son's clothes, or to prepare lunch for him when you or your cook are not available. They can order food from out, or the two off them can scramble some eggs together.
5. Teach your son cooking. Most chefs are men, and many of the world's best cooks are men. You will be doing him a service, not a disservice, by teaching him how to cook. If he's got a sweet tooth, start off by teaching him how to bake a cake… and take it from there. There's nothing effeminate about entering the kitchen. Some of the most macho men I know love to cook, so break out of this old school of thought. You could start off by asking him to watch you bake a cake, and to help you out by whipping the eggs, passing you the sugar, etc. Get him involved, and his interest will rise.
6. Teach your son chess, teach him how to use a computer or teach him a subject at school. Don't expect only your husband to teach him things that require him to use his brains. If you teach him how to, say, use a computer, his respect for you, and consequently, his respect for women, will increase tremendously. The fact that you may be a stay-at-home mother has nothing to do with it. If your son sees you as intelligent, you've done very well! But if he thinks that 'only papa is intelligent' or 'boys are much cleverer than girls', you've got some serious catching up to do.
7. Be a good role model for your child as a father. Respect your wife, and respect her opinions. Avoid cracking sexist jokes with your son, and if you do, make sure that your son knows that they are just jokes. Seek your wife's opinion. As a mother, strengthen your child's opinion of you by not nagging your husband constantly in front of your child, by not losing control of yourself or your emotions in front of the children, and by appearing strong and balanced in their eyes.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Happy Rakhi
Someone sent me this message: "I am Rakhee how you you?" (her name changed :). I thought there was some grammatical error! Now I know there was none! And I am loving it, when I say: "I have 7 Rakhees, how are you?" :)
From the childhood, the more number of Rakhees we had, the luckier we were. And those who didn't have sisters were really unlucky ones :) I have seen aunts with only two sons, longing so much for a daughter. Rakhee has been the day, when friends show off: I have 7 Rakhees, how many have you got? I too want to show off, so I repeat this again and again: I have 7 Rakhees today, how are you? :) It was also Rakhee, which always kept sisters richer than us. But Goddess of wealth is a lady anyhow, so we never complained.
And today, I hear a new story about my sister's kiddo: At 2+ of age, he has got a girlfriend in his class! (play school) One day, sister asked: Did Vrinda come to class today? He said: "Lekin bahut door baithi thee" (But she sat very far away ") And some days back when they celebrated Rakhee in school, he took chocolate for her and she came in a new dress to tie a Rakhee to him :)
***
I saw this message yesterday. I think it was meant to be shared today only! I agree with all points, except the brother-sister fights. I think brother-sister fights in the childhood are a way of learning and growing up too. In such situations, the only thing the parents have to take care about is to be just in their decisions/settlements of fights irrespective of the gender. How do you like this? :
***
Don’t let your son grow up to be a male chauvinist. Teach him to respect women as equals, so he grows up into a fine young man who will do you proud.
1. Teach your son that he should never, ever strike a girl, no matter what the provocation. If he has a sister who he constantly fights with and they regularly exchange blows, he may not easily grasp the concept that boys don’t hit girls. However, as your children grow, they will outgrow the phase of fistfights, so it is important that you inculcate this value in him.
2. Teach your son to question sexism by teaching him to respect his sister as his equal. By doing this, you will be teaching him to respect all women as equals.
3. Make sure your son contributes equally in the household chores. If your daughter lays the table, your son can clear it after the meal. Chores should be rotated, so no child feels that they’ve got the raw end of the deal.
4. Don’t expect your daughter to serve your son, or your son will expect the same of his wife. And if she does not meet his expectations, there will be marital discord. Similarly, teach your daughter to respect herself and her gender by not asking her to iron your son’s clothes, or to prepare lunch for him when you or your cook are not available. They can order food from out, or the two off them can scramble some eggs together.
5. Teach your son cooking. Most chefs are men, and many of the world’s best cooks are men. You will be doing him a service, not a disservice, by teaching him how to cook. If he’s got a sweet tooth, start off by teaching him how to bake a cake and take it from there. There’s nothing effeminate about entering the kitchen. Some of the most macho men I know love to cook, so break out of this old school of thought. You could start off by asking him to watch you bake a cake, and to help you out by whipping the eggs, passing you the sugar, etc. Get him involved, and his interest will rise.
6. Teach your son chess, teach him how to use a computer or teach him a subject at school. Don’t expect only your husband to teach him things that require him to use his brains. If you teach him how to, say, use a computer, his respect for you, and consequently, his respect for women, will increase tremendously. The fact that you may be a stay-at-home mother has nothing to do with it. If your son sees you as intelligent, you’ve done very well! But if he thinks that ‘only papa is intelligent’ or ‘boys are much cleverer than girls’, you’ve got some serious catching up to do.
7. Be a good role model for your child as a father. Respect your wife, and respect her opinions. Avoid cracking sexist jokes with your son, and if you do, make sure that your son knows that they are just jokes. Seek your wife’s opinion. As a mother, strengthen your child’s opinion of you by not nagging your husband constantly in front of your child, by not losing control of yourself or your emotions in front of the children, and by appearing strong and balanced in their eyes.
Happy Rakhee to all of you!
© Rahul
Monday, August 11, 2008
No more fun please…
These are times of boundary less world. These are also times of our obsession with the ‘less’. On one hand, we are trying to fill the gap by addressing sensitive issues in course curriculum, and on the other hand, we keep loosing it because of changes happening where we least expect. The changing profile and attitude of teaching faculty is one such thing. No longer has it remained the profession of the noble, as it is seen as just another profession, and some times a comfortable one. It has also become a feather in the cap of today’s manager. And hence, a very diverse set of people are entering the teaching line, with diverse interests and backgrounds. It is good to a large extent, but bad when we start expecting them of certain kind of nobleness as teachers were always expected to.
As I entered the class late, the teacher allowed me to come in. But he made the class give me a big applause (clap, clap, professors do that to bore the late comers :). I came in and said “thank you”. He seemed to feel that I was a bit intimidated, so he held my arm while asking me to come in and said, “Don’t worry dear, I am not touching you the wrong way :)” Good sense of humour? Let us see…
Two minutes later, he makes a point to one guy, saying, “Suppose you get married” (class laughs) “And suppose you have a child too” (laughter), “And even suppose it is your own child!” (more laughter)… He watches people laughing, stands tall, and says, “Yes, Can you know who the father of a child is? Never! Even DNA tests won’t tell. ONLY the mother knows the father of the child!” He feels himself superior and moves around, while people let the joke passed amidst laughter. Why this example? He was trying to explain the real decision makers in the buying process, and something about consumers and customers. 1.5 hours and 1.5 dozen double meaning jokes… Did we deserve more? :)
Today a friend in another class says his teacher of CRM asked a guy, “Do you think having one-night-stands every day would make you have a better relationship with your girlfriend?” (many worse examples are not shared here) What the hell! The class laughed while some people felt bad. He was explaining how customer relationship management is as complex as real life personal relationships...
Normally we all avoid minding or objecting to such comments because they are occasional ones and in pure humour. But many a times, they are derogatory to a particular sex, caste or religion. Most common is to see women as an object. And they take it that the class will enjoy such jokes! From my personal experience, this phenomenon is seen mainly in the visiting faculty from the industry, who would make their day (evening) by breaking such funny but double meaning jokes at every opportunity. The students just laugh and let it go. In one subject, we tolerated one retired HR manager for 3 months, who kept telling corrupt stories in the name of sharing practical cases. And one professor, who described lewd details in the name of explaining cultural diversities. We rated them low in the feedback forms, but I am not sure if anyone mentioned what they said in the class rooms. All such incidents still make me sure of one thing – no matter how much the new generation has changed, we still respect our elders. And we discount their bad habits to a generous extent.
I had read somewhere that while in public, we should never tell such jokes because public memory keeps that particular impression of ours for a long time. If I meet my teacher after 20 years, it may happen that I will recall him by the double-meaning jokes he told in the class. It is high time the teachers behave themselves. As such I am decided now that if that teacher continues his way, I would politely let him know of my opinion, ok, gyaan :) Complaint is a big decision and something I would avoid. But we never know :)
Everything can be laughed off, but there is always a limit.
***
Note: This article doesn’t generalise the phenomenon or behaviour of teachers in general. Views expressed are personal. Nothing is against any particular teacher or university. For the record, incidents mentioned may be fictitious. And it should not be quoted for any action against anyone.
As I entered the class late, the teacher allowed me to come in. But he made the class give me a big applause (clap, clap, professors do that to bore the late comers :). I came in and said “thank you”. He seemed to feel that I was a bit intimidated, so he held my arm while asking me to come in and said, “Don’t worry dear, I am not touching you the wrong way :)” Good sense of humour? Let us see…
Two minutes later, he makes a point to one guy, saying, “Suppose you get married” (class laughs) “And suppose you have a child too” (laughter), “And even suppose it is your own child!” (more laughter)… He watches people laughing, stands tall, and says, “Yes, Can you know who the father of a child is? Never! Even DNA tests won’t tell. ONLY the mother knows the father of the child!” He feels himself superior and moves around, while people let the joke passed amidst laughter. Why this example? He was trying to explain the real decision makers in the buying process, and something about consumers and customers. 1.5 hours and 1.5 dozen double meaning jokes… Did we deserve more? :)
Today a friend in another class says his teacher of CRM asked a guy, “Do you think having one-night-stands every day would make you have a better relationship with your girlfriend?” (many worse examples are not shared here) What the hell! The class laughed while some people felt bad. He was explaining how customer relationship management is as complex as real life personal relationships...
Normally we all avoid minding or objecting to such comments because they are occasional ones and in pure humour. But many a times, they are derogatory to a particular sex, caste or religion. Most common is to see women as an object. And they take it that the class will enjoy such jokes! From my personal experience, this phenomenon is seen mainly in the visiting faculty from the industry, who would make their day (evening) by breaking such funny but double meaning jokes at every opportunity. The students just laugh and let it go. In one subject, we tolerated one retired HR manager for 3 months, who kept telling corrupt stories in the name of sharing practical cases. And one professor, who described lewd details in the name of explaining cultural diversities. We rated them low in the feedback forms, but I am not sure if anyone mentioned what they said in the class rooms. All such incidents still make me sure of one thing – no matter how much the new generation has changed, we still respect our elders. And we discount their bad habits to a generous extent.
I had read somewhere that while in public, we should never tell such jokes because public memory keeps that particular impression of ours for a long time. If I meet my teacher after 20 years, it may happen that I will recall him by the double-meaning jokes he told in the class. It is high time the teachers behave themselves. As such I am decided now that if that teacher continues his way, I would politely let him know of my opinion, ok, gyaan :) Complaint is a big decision and something I would avoid. But we never know :)
Everything can be laughed off, but there is always a limit.
***
Note: This article doesn’t generalise the phenomenon or behaviour of teachers in general. Views expressed are personal. Nothing is against any particular teacher or university. For the record, incidents mentioned may be fictitious. And it should not be quoted for any action against anyone.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Guest Lectures
CK Prahlad on campus On Saturday, 19th of July, CK Prahlad was on our campus. The visionary professor of University of Michigan and author of ‘Fortune at the bottom of Pyramid’ was here in Mumbai to interact with the students of our university on the theme India@75. I couldn’t attend this session due to some reasons (ok, my decisions) but I caught up with friends later on. They had found the session a bit boring as the speaker had not been able to connect with the audience on the core of the theme. When the best of the authors and speakers try to reach out to the audiences beyond a limit, there is always a risk of being self-infatuated and missing the ‘magic’. And today, when one of our professors gave an assignment to a group on the topic “CK Prahalad’s contribution to the management practices in India”, the junta laughed :) This was neither because Indians are over-critical of other successful Indians, nor because Prof. Prahalad had not contributed enough. It was just a sample of the interesting phenomenon when many a times, sound principles become reduced to management jargons… SCM Head, Cadbury On 26th of July, Mr. Saurabh Tiwari, Supply Chain Head, Cadbury India was on campus to deliver a guest lecture on the topic “Exploring the beautiful world of business – from lens of Supply Chain”. He started from setting the context in the changing times in India, and then went ahead giving the snapshots of supply chain challenges in Cadbury, the framework approach, sales and operations planning (S&OP), and the skill sets and careers in the field. Apart from all technical insights, Mr. Tiwari’s presentation skills and his connection with the young audience were commendable. The simplicity in delivery and the easiness with which he described the models were exceptional. The loads of chocolates that he brought for the students were just a sample of enthusiasm that he showed in delivering this lecture. The audience, which was dominated by freshly joined first year students, got really enlightened and were tremendously motivated by the speaker. After the lecture, the crowd waited to touch and feel him :), and I hoped he would have returned back with the feeling of a job well done… Other guest lectures: Mr. Pradeep Chechani, Supply Chain Head, RPG Spencers interacted with the students in a guest lecture on 23rd of July, under the theme of “The story of the Watermelon Seller”. This event was organised by Optumiz – the Operations Cell in coordination with IIPC. Mr. D Shivkumar - VP & MD Nokia India Limited was on campus on 31st of July for a Guest Lecture titled, "Where did the Leader learn Leadership?" Dr. Narayan Rangraj (co author of the book Logistics and Supply Chain Management – Concepts and Cases) was on campus along with Mr. Pulkit Jain, a student of M.Tech. on 7th of August. IIT Mumbai had designed a simulator for suburban section of Western railway. They demonstrated the logic, software and the constraints. This event was organised by Optumiz – the Operations Cell.
Some recent reads
Churchill on Leadership
Winston Churchill gave this world the "V" sign for victory. Prime Minister of United Kingdom during the World War II, Churchill was a self made man who made the history the way we read and repeat today. This book tries to point out leadership traits from this great political leader, as applicable to the business world. Although fighting a world war and competing in the business world are very different, both require brilliant leadership for success."
Churchill's leadership style was essentially about taking responsibility, facing bad news squarely, staying open to changing your mind in presence of new information and keeping fully informed. “Responsibility must be combined with authority” and “decisiveness depends on the person at the top” are two of his philosophies.
Though I found the book more useful for those who already have good insights into the war time history and British political system, it does describe some basics for the beginners like the difference between political and business leadership w.r.t risks. Also, we get to know and understand why Churchill's style of leadership worked at that time. And why it can still work in many forms. More information on the Book at [Rediff Books]
Ten deadly marketing sins
Philip Kotler, Professor of International marketing at Northwester University's Kellogg School of management and author of 30 books is a God in marketing. In this comparatively new book, he describes the reason why 75% of new products, services and businesses fail. That is, he discusses the 10 deadly marketing sins:
1. Your company is not sufficiently market focused and customer driven
2. Your company doesn't fully understand its target customers
3. Your company needs to better define and monitor its competitors
4. Your company has not properly managed its relationships with its stakeholders
5. Your company is not good at finding new opportunities
6. Your company's marketing planning process is deficient
7. Your company's product and service policies need tightening.
8. Your company's brand building and communication skills are weak.
9. Your company is not well organized to carry on effective and efficient marketing.
10. Your company has not made maximum use of technology.
The language and approach by the author is very interesting and we get many good insights on the theme. A necessity for anyone in marketing… More information on the Book at [Rediff Books]
The Secret
Winston Churchill gave this world the "V" sign for victory. Prime Minister of United Kingdom during the World War II, Churchill was a self made man who made the history the way we read and repeat today. This book tries to point out leadership traits from this great political leader, as applicable to the business world. Although fighting a world war and competing in the business world are very different, both require brilliant leadership for success."
Churchill's leadership style was essentially about taking responsibility, facing bad news squarely, staying open to changing your mind in presence of new information and keeping fully informed. “Responsibility must be combined with authority” and “decisiveness depends on the person at the top” are two of his philosophies.
Though I found the book more useful for those who already have good insights into the war time history and British political system, it does describe some basics for the beginners like the difference between political and business leadership w.r.t risks. Also, we get to know and understand why Churchill's style of leadership worked at that time. And why it can still work in many forms. More information on the Book at [Rediff Books]
Ten deadly marketing sins
Philip Kotler, Professor of International marketing at Northwester University's Kellogg School of management and author of 30 books is a God in marketing. In this comparatively new book, he describes the reason why 75% of new products, services and businesses fail. That is, he discusses the 10 deadly marketing sins:
1. Your company is not sufficiently market focused and customer driven
2. Your company doesn't fully understand its target customers
3. Your company needs to better define and monitor its competitors
4. Your company has not properly managed its relationships with its stakeholders
5. Your company is not good at finding new opportunities
6. Your company's marketing planning process is deficient
7. Your company's product and service policies need tightening.
8. Your company's brand building and communication skills are weak.
9. Your company is not well organized to carry on effective and efficient marketing.
10. Your company has not made maximum use of technology.
The language and approach by the author is very interesting and we get many good insights on the theme. A necessity for anyone in marketing… More information on the Book at [Rediff Books]
The Secret
I avoided this book by Rhonda Byrne for long, since I hate anything gives impression of craving for publicity and which rides on the herd-mentality of others. Now, I read every page of this book. It is such a simple book and tells the ‘secret’ which we all practice in some way or the other – the fact that like attracts like and if we ‘think’ good, good things will come to us. So if I love others, I will also get loved. But there is a catch. If I repeat weight-loss all the time, then I will end up growing fat, since life neglects the accompanying words and will hear only ‘weight’. So, we should do ‘positive’ and not ‘avoid negative’. At Rs 550, the book sells more on our curiosity than the real stuff. But who didn’t realise: common sense is the most uncommon thing these days?
The Coward’s guide to conflict
‘The Coward’s guide to conflict’ by Tim Ursiny has a very interesting title. It claims to have “empowering solutions for those who would rather run than fight and win”. And it starts with a quote from Ken Blanchard, “If you are a coward like me when it comes to conflict, then this book would be perfect for you. I now appreciate the need for conflict, and I am getting even better dealing with it”.
But the book doesn’t deliver what it promised.
“Many times our first response to an upset individual is to quite our voice and stay calm. Does this really calm the other person down? In most cases it doesn’t have a calming impact because the person feels like you don’t understand how upsetting the situation is to him.
A better approach is to match the intensity (voice volume, rate, etc) of the conversation without verbally attacking, and then slowly soften your voice.”
This is the only take-away from this book for me; though I am not sure if I would really shout the next time :) As such the book is written in a lucid way, with lots and lots of practical examples and real life situations. But what it lacks is to prove that those many examples were worth the effort in reading them.
Good one, if you are interested in the topic, have plenty of time to read, and don’t expect miracles.
The Coward’s guide to conflict
‘The Coward’s guide to conflict’ by Tim Ursiny has a very interesting title. It claims to have “empowering solutions for those who would rather run than fight and win”. And it starts with a quote from Ken Blanchard, “If you are a coward like me when it comes to conflict, then this book would be perfect for you. I now appreciate the need for conflict, and I am getting even better dealing with it”.
But the book doesn’t deliver what it promised.
“Many times our first response to an upset individual is to quite our voice and stay calm. Does this really calm the other person down? In most cases it doesn’t have a calming impact because the person feels like you don’t understand how upsetting the situation is to him.
A better approach is to match the intensity (voice volume, rate, etc) of the conversation without verbally attacking, and then slowly soften your voice.”
This is the only take-away from this book for me; though I am not sure if I would really shout the next time :) As such the book is written in a lucid way, with lots and lots of practical examples and real life situations. But what it lacks is to prove that those many examples were worth the effort in reading them.
Good one, if you are interested in the topic, have plenty of time to read, and don’t expect miracles.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
The Parampara
How times change and how roles reverse. This time, we were on the other side of the stage – we were the seniors and they were the juniors. Parampara 2008 was celebrated on 21st of July, in the same spirit as of yesteryears…
The thing that shocked me last year about Parampara was its ruthlessness. Performances / items get interrupted at the fall of a voice, seniors come on stage and hang the dancer if one move goes mediocre, audience hoots your head off if one line of the song gets linear… this is so ruthless but so our beloved Parampara…
Parampara is not about your stage and arts skills – and in real world, we hardly get a chance to ‘play’ the manager. You never get a second chance to see to a customer if you make one silly mistake. You never get a chance to renegotiate if you make one initial offer that the other side is ready to refuse. You don’t get to speak out your CV achievements when you are on the field. All that matters is – your guts and how headstrong you are – this is Parampara. The most brutal judgement! Just like the market! Anyone can perform when conditions are right – can you when the audience is NM seniors? The ultimate nirvana of a stage performer is here…
Remember – a customer can shoot you off, by signing on a competitor. And hence, seniors can hoot you down, by calling off the curtains.
This year too, there were some brilliant performances from the juniors. Sometimes, we the second year guys didn’t boost the morale by clapping, but it was not because we were nasty. There were guys, who, despite all the hooting, performed very well – that dancer and that singer with his band. I clapped for them with my hands raised – and believe me – those were the guys who will count – and will not need a change management class.
Parampara was the weirdest thing I saw when I was in first year and I cursed it. Now that I know the truth and am able to see the silver lining, I am loving it! Thank God, my one year of MBA eduction didn’t get waste! :)
Long live the Parampara!
The thing that shocked me last year about Parampara was its ruthlessness. Performances / items get interrupted at the fall of a voice, seniors come on stage and hang the dancer if one move goes mediocre, audience hoots your head off if one line of the song gets linear… this is so ruthless but so our beloved Parampara…
Parampara is not about your stage and arts skills – and in real world, we hardly get a chance to ‘play’ the manager. You never get a second chance to see to a customer if you make one silly mistake. You never get a chance to renegotiate if you make one initial offer that the other side is ready to refuse. You don’t get to speak out your CV achievements when you are on the field. All that matters is – your guts and how headstrong you are – this is Parampara. The most brutal judgement! Just like the market! Anyone can perform when conditions are right – can you when the audience is NM seniors? The ultimate nirvana of a stage performer is here…
Remember – a customer can shoot you off, by signing on a competitor. And hence, seniors can hoot you down, by calling off the curtains.
This year too, there were some brilliant performances from the juniors. Sometimes, we the second year guys didn’t boost the morale by clapping, but it was not because we were nasty. There were guys, who, despite all the hooting, performed very well – that dancer and that singer with his band. I clapped for them with my hands raised – and believe me – those were the guys who will count – and will not need a change management class.
Parampara was the weirdest thing I saw when I was in first year and I cursed it. Now that I know the truth and am able to see the silver lining, I am loving it! Thank God, my one year of MBA eduction didn’t get waste! :)
Long live the Parampara!
Sunday, May 18, 2008
New Hindu Rate of Growth – Same old folly
When you hate someone immensely, but can’t do anything to harm him/her, what do you do? You call one name? Giving insulting terms/names to people or things is a way through which we vent our extreme feelings. Some times, pretty innocent words become fierce, insulting and demeaning ones. For example, if you hate me for writing good things about Hindus, you can call me ‘Saffron Brigade’. Anyways, here I come to the point.
You all must have heard about the "Hindu Rate of Growth". When I first heard this from my economics professor, I raised my hand. But before I could ask something, the professor himself asked: "Why is it called ‘Hindu’ rate of growth?". And he himself answered... "Because of what we could have achieved, and what we actually managed to achieve". As if Hinduism prescribes sluggish growth rates…
For record, the so called "Hindu Rate of growth" is a term which Professor Raj Krishna from Delhi School of Economics used for around 3.5% GDP growth rate. This was the rate at which India's economy grew in the three decades (1950-1980). In those times, due to highly dominant socialist policies as championed by Nehru, it was almost a sin to be rich in India. And in order not to be rich, you have to grow slow, I guess. Anyhow, India managed to grow around 3% per year in that period and hence the professor termed it "Hindu rate of growth".
What ‘Hindu’ about it? Many authors say that the term ‘Hindu rate of growth’ had nothing to do with Hinduism. But of course many of us can think it had to, as does this Wikipedia article, by saying: “The term suggests that the low growth rate of India, a country with a high Hindu population was in a sharp contrast to high growth rates in other non-Hindu Asian countries, especially the East Asian Tigers, which were also newly independent.”
Though many economists objected the term "Hindu" and wished if we could call it "Socialist rate of growth". But it seems the term caught our fancy, and we remained chipko to it.
Internet is such a beautiful medium. You can get 180 degree views on any topic. Say X is good and you will get to know 100 reasons why what you said was incorrect. I could find one author who writes, “The Comrade Raj Krishna knew he could get away with demeaning Hindus. He is referred to as 'the famous economist Raj Krishna' although I believe he is only famous for having coined this insult. So according to the famous Raj Krishna, I take it that Pakistan's pathetic economic showing would be the 'Muslim rate of growth'? But of course, no Comrade would ever say anything that might 'hurt Muslim sentiments.” Quite a different take, I guess.
Now a days, there is a demand by industry to call 8.5% GDP growth rate as the New Hindu Rate of Growth. Though what is the New Hindu Rate of Growth is not a settled issue. Way back in 1999, a The Economist article said “The ‘Hindu Rate of Growth’ is now no longer 3 per cent but 5.6 percent.” In 2001, a Hindu article says it was 6%. And last year, a DNA article says it is 7.5-9%. Regarding this development, I see two things:
First, this figure of 8.5% is again becoming the complacent figure. Remember whenever the ministers are asked if high inflation would derail the growth path, the minister replies, "But the growth will still be around 8.5%" (Link1) (Link2) Industry leaders like Anand Mahindra have reiterated that India should not settle for any growth rate below 10%. But it seems sticking to a comfortable politically correct figure is our old habit.
Second, and the last, while demanding that 8.5% be called the New Hindu Rate of Growth, we again forgot how the term “Hindu” comes in between. Once a professor said something in amusement, and we had the term to our rote. It is not like if a daughter of old lady goes to Harvard and becomes ultra-modern but we will still call her “Rabri devi, Junior”. It is like hiding garbage by putting New garbage over it.
There is no “Hindu” rate of growth.
You all must have heard about the "Hindu Rate of Growth". When I first heard this from my economics professor, I raised my hand. But before I could ask something, the professor himself asked: "Why is it called ‘Hindu’ rate of growth?". And he himself answered... "Because of what we could have achieved, and what we actually managed to achieve". As if Hinduism prescribes sluggish growth rates…
For record, the so called "Hindu Rate of growth" is a term which Professor Raj Krishna from Delhi School of Economics used for around 3.5% GDP growth rate. This was the rate at which India's economy grew in the three decades (1950-1980). In those times, due to highly dominant socialist policies as championed by Nehru, it was almost a sin to be rich in India. And in order not to be rich, you have to grow slow, I guess. Anyhow, India managed to grow around 3% per year in that period and hence the professor termed it "Hindu rate of growth".
What ‘Hindu’ about it? Many authors say that the term ‘Hindu rate of growth’ had nothing to do with Hinduism. But of course many of us can think it had to, as does this Wikipedia article, by saying: “The term suggests that the low growth rate of India, a country with a high Hindu population was in a sharp contrast to high growth rates in other non-Hindu Asian countries, especially the East Asian Tigers, which were also newly independent.”
Though many economists objected the term "Hindu" and wished if we could call it "Socialist rate of growth". But it seems the term caught our fancy, and we remained chipko to it.
Internet is such a beautiful medium. You can get 180 degree views on any topic. Say X is good and you will get to know 100 reasons why what you said was incorrect. I could find one author who writes, “The Comrade Raj Krishna knew he could get away with demeaning Hindus. He is referred to as 'the famous economist Raj Krishna' although I believe he is only famous for having coined this insult. So according to the famous Raj Krishna, I take it that Pakistan's pathetic economic showing would be the 'Muslim rate of growth'? But of course, no Comrade would ever say anything that might 'hurt Muslim sentiments.” Quite a different take, I guess.
Now a days, there is a demand by industry to call 8.5% GDP growth rate as the New Hindu Rate of Growth. Though what is the New Hindu Rate of Growth is not a settled issue. Way back in 1999, a The Economist article said “The ‘Hindu Rate of Growth’ is now no longer 3 per cent but 5.6 percent.” In 2001, a Hindu article says it was 6%. And last year, a DNA article says it is 7.5-9%. Regarding this development, I see two things:
First, this figure of 8.5% is again becoming the complacent figure. Remember whenever the ministers are asked if high inflation would derail the growth path, the minister replies, "But the growth will still be around 8.5%" (Link1) (Link2) Industry leaders like Anand Mahindra have reiterated that India should not settle for any growth rate below 10%. But it seems sticking to a comfortable politically correct figure is our old habit.
Second, and the last, while demanding that 8.5% be called the New Hindu Rate of Growth, we again forgot how the term “Hindu” comes in between. Once a professor said something in amusement, and we had the term to our rote. It is not like if a daughter of old lady goes to Harvard and becomes ultra-modern but we will still call her “Rabri devi, Junior”. It is like hiding garbage by putting New garbage over it.
There is no “Hindu” rate of growth.
Indians know how to play game!
Few Indian companies have the size and the might that can give global firms a shiver. This incident gives a change.
Mahindra & Mahindra is World's third largest tractor manufacturer. The # 1 is John Deere from the US. John Deere is considered one of the flag bearers of American industrial success.
Mahindras have been selling tractors in the US, have found a niche, but still are small players. But John Deere got so worried about M&M, that it offered a $1,500 rebate to anyone who would trade in his or her Mahindra for a John Deere.
Now what do you think M&M did?
They brought out an ad, showing a pretty blonde riding a Mahindra. "Deere John," read the caption, "I have found someone new."
See, we can play it game too! :)
Mahindra & Mahindra is World's third largest tractor manufacturer. The # 1 is John Deere from the US. John Deere is considered one of the flag bearers of American industrial success.
Mahindras have been selling tractors in the US, have found a niche, but still are small players. But John Deere got so worried about M&M, that it offered a $1,500 rebate to anyone who would trade in his or her Mahindra for a John Deere.
Now what do you think M&M did?
They brought out an ad, showing a pretty blonde riding a Mahindra. "Deere John," read the caption, "I have found someone new."
See, we can play it game too! :)
Reliance shuts petrol stations
Reliance Industries (RIL) has decided to close all its 1432 petrol pumps. It is because the subsidies given to the public sector oil retailing companies were making its business economically unviable. The company hasn’t sold off its stations – but is waiting for any favourable move by the government to extend the subsidies to the private players also. There are some other private players like Shell and Essar who are also fighting the losing battle.
When Reliance had entered the oil retailing business, it was the same time when I had cleared a written exam of HPCL and was to be interviewed by them. I made many visits to the petrol stations and offices in Bilaspur, to get to know the trade and issues. I also met many drivers. People preferred the oil from Reliance stores, because they were pure, when compared to the adulterated oil from the public stores. And not to be surprised that RIL got a market share of over 14% in no time. Most of its stores were running just nearby the public stores, and we could see long queues in front of them. RIL also brought in some innovations like printed receipts, latest meters and machinery, tie ups to run food courts in the campus and many more were yet to come. But, in the end, like many sectors in which public limited companies have got undue advantages, this also seems to be one another.
What makes me wonder is – is it really that Reliance made such a big mistake? The company is known for some very shrewd moves, and many of its manoeuvres have been possible because of governments’ supports. When the company decided to get into the oil retailing business, it knew very well that oil was one thing whose price needed to have a ceiling. And its demand for government subsidies is also misplaced: as government is already running petrol stations, why should it subsidies some other party which competes with its own stations? The conclusion is: let us wait and watch.
When Reliance had entered the oil retailing business, it was the same time when I had cleared a written exam of HPCL and was to be interviewed by them. I made many visits to the petrol stations and offices in Bilaspur, to get to know the trade and issues. I also met many drivers. People preferred the oil from Reliance stores, because they were pure, when compared to the adulterated oil from the public stores. And not to be surprised that RIL got a market share of over 14% in no time. Most of its stores were running just nearby the public stores, and we could see long queues in front of them. RIL also brought in some innovations like printed receipts, latest meters and machinery, tie ups to run food courts in the campus and many more were yet to come. But, in the end, like many sectors in which public limited companies have got undue advantages, this also seems to be one another.
What makes me wonder is – is it really that Reliance made such a big mistake? The company is known for some very shrewd moves, and many of its manoeuvres have been possible because of governments’ supports. When the company decided to get into the oil retailing business, it knew very well that oil was one thing whose price needed to have a ceiling. And its demand for government subsidies is also misplaced: as government is already running petrol stations, why should it subsidies some other party which competes with its own stations? The conclusion is: let us wait and watch.
News Ref: ET
Monday, February 25, 2008
CEO Series Lecture
As part of our CEO Series lectures, last evening we had Mr. Keki Mistry, MD, HDFC on our campus. He spoke for about one and half hours on the requested topic “Roles of a CFO”.
He began with the traditional role of a CFO (Chief Financial Officer) in an Indian company, and then followed it with the changing business environment after the economic reforms of 1990s. The roles of the CFO have changed with the changing nature of industrial environment and global competition.
What I liked about his speech was perfectly balanced oratory, and that he didn’t use any fillers in his speech e.g. like, actually, I mean, what I want to say is that: I personally don’t like such fillers while speaking in public but have seen many of even the senior people take help of fillers like these. Also, almost everywhere, he went on explaining point wise, as if he had everything well prepared from before, when actually he was not. To top it all, the day was marked with the news about HDFC taking over Centurial Bank of Punjab, and when asked about it, he said: “We have neither denied not accepted the news. You will come to know about it tomorrow.” This made the audience chuckle.
According to him, Indians don’t have the ‘credit’ culture! Around 8-9% of the borrowers repay their loans to HDFC before the last date! This is in direct contrast to the credit culture that prevails in the West. While this was not a new realisation, I have always wished that we Indians remain in this way: our culture terms credit as bad thing, and that protects us from financial vulnerabilities in the long run.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Group polarisation
Group polarisation is a phenomenon relating to our tendencies to make decisions which are more ‘extreme’, when in groups, rather than when individually. It is also called ‘risky shift’ (earlier term) and ‘incestuous amplification’ (military).
After group discussions, attitudes such as racial and sexual prejudices are seen to be reduced for already low prejudiced individuals and increased for already highly prejudiced individuals.
The mechanism of group polarisation is said to be based on two phenomena: Social comparison (drive of individuals to appear socially desirable) and informational influence (individuals weighing ‘remembered’ pros and cons).
A host of people and organisations will make use of this phenomenon – from people groups, religious organisations, political parties, or even the terrorist groups.
But I wonder why group composition or peer type has no effect here? I am trying to reason this out from my own experience. If I am inclined heavily towards an issue and am discussing that within a group, if others think like me, definitely I would become more confident of myself and would go for harsher conclusions… And on the other hand, if others have predominantly opposite view from me, I would tend to get back into my shell, reinforce my arguments, and in an effort to defend my views, I will become harsher! Also, in a way, this is like negotiation, to show the other person that you have compromised from your position in order to accommodate the other person’s views; I will tend to demand more and then later pull back a little. But in effect, I have become harsher than I was before!
Another interesting aspect is that the ‘online’ or ‘virtual’ groups behave in almost the same manner except that members feel freer in sharing their views because of the associated anonymity. They will still behave in the same manner – becoming milder if they were mild and harsher if they were harshly prejudiced before the discussion. You must have observed this phenomenon among bloggers. The more the readers counter you on the comments page, the more you get reinforced in the strength of your own arguments. Very few of us are able to break this tendency and are truly receptive.
This phenomenon again raises the question: when and how much discussion we should have and on what issues? Also, this phenomenon makes us think about can we get some desired results by any manipulations: if I know that Mahesh is highly prejudiced on an issue, will I make him more or less prejudiced by involving him in a group discussion? Also, the question comes: what about rationality? Am I too bounded by such psychological theories? How can I break the clutter? From my own experiences, I understand that this phenomenon is true and real. But I would prefer not to confirm to this.
Pages referred: Wikipedia article [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Group_polarization&oldid=179775673], Sharon Bender [http://www.sharonbender.com/polarization.html]
After group discussions, attitudes such as racial and sexual prejudices are seen to be reduced for already low prejudiced individuals and increased for already highly prejudiced individuals.
The mechanism of group polarisation is said to be based on two phenomena: Social comparison (drive of individuals to appear socially desirable) and informational influence (individuals weighing ‘remembered’ pros and cons).
A host of people and organisations will make use of this phenomenon – from people groups, religious organisations, political parties, or even the terrorist groups.
But I wonder why group composition or peer type has no effect here? I am trying to reason this out from my own experience. If I am inclined heavily towards an issue and am discussing that within a group, if others think like me, definitely I would become more confident of myself and would go for harsher conclusions… And on the other hand, if others have predominantly opposite view from me, I would tend to get back into my shell, reinforce my arguments, and in an effort to defend my views, I will become harsher! Also, in a way, this is like negotiation, to show the other person that you have compromised from your position in order to accommodate the other person’s views; I will tend to demand more and then later pull back a little. But in effect, I have become harsher than I was before!
Another interesting aspect is that the ‘online’ or ‘virtual’ groups behave in almost the same manner except that members feel freer in sharing their views because of the associated anonymity. They will still behave in the same manner – becoming milder if they were mild and harsher if they were harshly prejudiced before the discussion. You must have observed this phenomenon among bloggers. The more the readers counter you on the comments page, the more you get reinforced in the strength of your own arguments. Very few of us are able to break this tendency and are truly receptive.
This phenomenon again raises the question: when and how much discussion we should have and on what issues? Also, this phenomenon makes us think about can we get some desired results by any manipulations: if I know that Mahesh is highly prejudiced on an issue, will I make him more or less prejudiced by involving him in a group discussion? Also, the question comes: what about rationality? Am I too bounded by such psychological theories? How can I break the clutter? From my own experiences, I understand that this phenomenon is true and real. But I would prefer not to confirm to this.
Pages referred: Wikipedia article [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Group_polarization&oldid=179775673], Sharon Bender [http://www.sharonbender.com/polarization.html]
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
HBS Vs Our BSchool
The title may be a bit provocative, but if you believe what the students of Harvard Business School say, we are not that different from them. Here, some comments of HBS students are presented on their academics and life (taken from PaGalGuy’s Buzz book). Also, there is a brave attempt to compare those with our life @ Our B School.
Please bear with me, you will find many an eye opener:
“First year, all students take the same classes in a section of 90 people. Each section spends the entire year in one classroom with professors coming to them. It may sound a little bit like elementary school, but it creates an amazing experience.”
Yes, we understand what is meant by amazing; we are going through the same.
“You’ll probably only hang with HBS students, a majority of whom will be from your section (90 people). Events, dating, social everything seems to revolve around HBS… Sounds a bit cultish but, by the end of the year, you’ll be fully brainwashed and happy.”
OK, so we should stop complaining about our divisional divides!
“Each section of 90 students creates familial bonds, and each section takes on a personality of its own.”
We too are witnessing it here.
“Typically, study groups form in the first week or two of first year consisting of three or four students, optimally from different sections.”
We don’t have any study groups from different sections. Therefore, we are almost isolated from what is happening in other sections.
“The three cases a night are divvied up so that each member just has to “crack” only one case and prepare one executive summary for the study group members; this prepares each of them for the “cold-call” where the professor comes into the classroom and randomly calls on a student to present his/her analysis.”
From second trimester onwards, many of us have adopted this method. Nice to see that HBS guys also do this.
“Second year gets much easier.”
Yes, brothers; same here.
“On average, in the first year, three out of five professors in each semester are excellent, and two out of five are more junior, and therefore more variable.”
We understand your condition dudes.
“As an international student, I had some reservations about class participation but it went really well. HBS is not competitive in classes! Shark comments are appropriately chastised (!) right away to make sure they won’t happen again.”
Many a times, even we tried to silent the shark comments! And that too by clapping!
“All classes are taught using the case method. It’s hard to understand until you’ve experienced it, but it’s a fantastic way to learn.”
OK. We are a bit more inclusive to adopt best of the all worlds J
“The accessibility of faculty at HBS is also fantastic. Most faculty host lunches to get to know everyone outside of the classroom.”
OK, hope some faculty reads this. We all love free lunches J
“Grade nondisclosure is great. If you receive honors, you can put that on your résumé, but other than that, you can’t disclose grades. The grading system is the following: top [10 to 20] percent receive a one, middle 80 percent receive a two, and the bottom 10 percent receive a three.”
Nice idea! Let us have it here also!
“About two-thirds of students live on campus in dorms or apartments. I enjoy the residential aspect of the campus. It does sometimes create a little bit of a bubble from the real world, but the interaction between students is great.”
So they also have some resident and some day scholars; though % may vary.
“Dorm rooms can be painfully small and outdated but on-campus apartments are a good (if pricey) alternative.”
OK, you too!
“HBS is run as a business and students are informed that the MBA program is a loss-leader for the separately run executive management programs.”
I think HBS learnt this from here!
“Shad, the HBS gym, is like a country club facility. It’s only $60 per semester for a student and is well worth the price of admission.”
HBS gym is cheaper than ours!
“On average, every week there is one CEO from a Fortune 500 who speaks on campus.”
We are following up, just remove the F500 criteria.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
PGJMC
I just completed my PGJMC course.
Course code: PGJMC
Course name: Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication
Offered by: Ignou (www.ignou.ac.in)
Duration: 1 year
Papers: 4
Work experience: Minimum 2 years in press or media
I did this course out of my extra-curricular interest; though many people initially laughed at the idea. What has journalism got to do with chemical engineering? But I did it; though I took two years instead of one to appear for the exams.
I found the course content satisfactory. The target junta for this course are those already working in the media industry, and haven’t got a formal education in the field of journalism and mass communication. As you can see, there is a mandatory requirement of two years of work-ex. (I managed it J; some things are fair in love, right?)
In case some of you want the study material, and can collect from me in Mumbai, contact me soon. Otherwise I will donate that to the nearest Ignou study centre.
Now I have plans to do at least three more courses:
o A course in disaster management
o MA in English
o MA in Political Science
Can you suggest, from where to do the last two courses? I am already doing MBA, and that is not a joke doing that from here. But I believe I can still manage to do these, if not in 2 years, then in 4. But everything is possible.
Course code: PGJMC
Course name: Post Graduate Diploma in Journalism and Mass Communication
Offered by: Ignou (www.ignou.ac.in)
Duration: 1 year
Papers: 4
Work experience: Minimum 2 years in press or media
I did this course out of my extra-curricular interest; though many people initially laughed at the idea. What has journalism got to do with chemical engineering? But I did it; though I took two years instead of one to appear for the exams.
I found the course content satisfactory. The target junta for this course are those already working in the media industry, and haven’t got a formal education in the field of journalism and mass communication. As you can see, there is a mandatory requirement of two years of work-ex. (I managed it J; some things are fair in love, right?)
In case some of you want the study material, and can collect from me in Mumbai, contact me soon. Otherwise I will donate that to the nearest Ignou study centre.
Now I have plans to do at least three more courses:
o A course in disaster management
o MA in English
o MA in Political Science
Can you suggest, from where to do the last two courses? I am already doing MBA, and that is not a joke doing that from here. But I believe I can still manage to do these, if not in 2 years, then in 4. But everything is possible.
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