Thinking Grey

Establishing Credit during the Recession

2009-04-07T01:30:00.003+05:30

It has never been easy to build credit from scratch. If you have no credit history, you're likely to be turned down due to the lack of credit history. Now that lenders are holding onto their money, establishing credit may feel like a mission impossible. The question is, how to build credit during the recession?

There's no reason to wait for better economic times! Building credit is a time-consuming process and having no credit history can make things pretty hard for you. If you're about to rent your first apartment, you may have troubles getting the best deal, as landlords also review credit scores.

If you're just starting out your financial life, it makes sense to open a checking or savings account at a reputable bank that offers a wide range of products and services, including credit cards. Applying for secured cards issued by the bank where your money is kept, you are likely to be approved. Step by step, you can establish a good reputation with the bank as a reliable customer and then you will be able to consider unsecured credit card applications that require no money deposit and come with better terms and features.

Secured cards are probably the best option for those who want to start building their credit history from scratch. These cards come with no credit or income check, so that applicants are not likely to be rejected. Student credit cards are still available for youth folks. If you are a college student, you may consider some really good unsecured cards that require bad or no credit.

The bottom line is that you'd better be safe than sorry – take your time to do some research before applying for a credit card. Read carefully the terms and conditions of card agreements and choose the card that is right for you.

"Dead" Secrecy: UBS at Crosshair

2009-03-14T21:02:00.006+05:30

Services have always been difficult to pitch because of the sheer fact that quality for them is difficult to measure due to their intangibility. So at times it boils down to the order of priority and the relativity of what one refers to as outstanding quality. Banking is an industry which has been fiercely competitive in this area, offering a bundle of services that competitors do not. So what sets apart a bank and a particular banking system are the critical unique differentiators.

At the pinnacle of this in the banking world sit the Swiss banks due to the code of secrecy that they stick to, bestowed upon them by the softer norms in the Swiss banking system. Secrecy is why the Swiss banking system has always stood apart and has managed to beat even the likes of Cayman Islands. But this very foundation of the Swiss Banking system is jittery now as US Tax authorities have demanded UBS to release the names of 52000 Americans who are suspected of opening secret accounts to evade taxes. UBS needs business in US right now and it cannot turn a deaf year to the US Tax authorities and has thus agreed to release 250 names.

But the earth shattering repercussion for this will be that UBS will have a chink in the armour and there will be no further reason for customers to do business with Swiss banks. Secrecy is their business and if it goes away then it will take the entire Swiss banking system with it. What surfaces will be a whole lot of chaos for the Swiss banks and unimaginable volume of business for the banks in the Cayman Islands.

Posted by: Rahul

Cartoon :)

2009-03-11T16:55:00.002+05:30

Meetings & their types

2009-03-11T16:51:00.003+05:30

Meetings are marketing in real time with real people. (A conference is not a meeting. A conference is a chance for a circle of people to interact).

There are only three kinds of classic meetings:
1. Information. This is a meeting where attendees are informed about what is happening (with or without their blessing). While there may be a facade of conversation, it's primarily designed to inform.
2. Discussion. This is a meeting where the leader actually wants feedback or direction or connections. You can use this meeting to come up with an action plan, or develop a new idea, for example.
3. Permission. This is a meeting where the other side is supposed to say yes but has the power to say no.

PLEASE don't confuse them. Confused meeting types are the number one source of meeting ennui. One source of confusion is that a meeting starts as one sort of meeting and then magically morphs into another kind. The reason this is frightening is that one side or the other might not realize that's actually occurring. If it does, stop and say, "Thanks for the discussion. Let me state what we've just agreed on and then we can go ahead and approve it, okay?"

While I'm at it, let me remind you that there are two kinds of questions.
- Questions designed to honestly elicit more information.
- Questions designed to demonstrate how much you know or your position on an issue and to put the answerer on the defensive.

There's room for both types of questions, particularly in a team preparing for a presentation or a pitch. Again, don't confuse them. I like to be sure that there's time for the first type, then, once everyone acknowledges that they know what's on the table, open it up for the second, more debate-oriented type of question.

From, Seth's Blog.

Brilliant Ad

2009-03-11T16:35:00.001+05:30

Understanding People

2009-03-11T16:33:00.001+05:30

One philosopher to another: "I don't really understand people. Tell them that you can go around the world in half and hour, or that a boy was born with a snake's body, and they'll believe it. But put a sign on a bench saying 'WET PAINT' and everybody will touch it to see if its true."

- Chistes de tutifruti (Selector, Mexico City)

From, Buyer Behaviour.

Branding in Troubled Economy

2009-03-04T17:07:00.004+05:30

Times are such when IIM kids are striving for. Times are such when the best of the companies are losing out to competitors. Times are such when a nation's economy is directly related to the world economy. Times are such when you need Branding the most to survive in a Troubled Economy.

Find here one of the best presentations to understand the tricks of the trade in the World of Branding.

Big Companies still hiring amidst recession

2009-03-02T20:09:00.004+05:30

I guess everyone would have been shocked on hearing that only 10 companies visited IIM-A this year on Day Zero of their placement season. More suprising was the fact that there were only 25 offers made with the highest being Rs. 25 lacs per annum.

Amidst such a bloodbath scenario which is taking place in the job markets in India, it is a pleasure to know that some of the big firms are actually hiring and their requirements are huge. A recent report stated that hiring figures have actually increased in January majorly in the IT, BPO, telecom, banking, education and hospitality sectors. Niche sectors such as legal, governmental and defence keep up the momentum on an upsurge by recruiting fresh talents.

Biggies such as LIC require around 45,000 employees and SBI are looking upto a figure of adding 25,000 fresh talents. Petroleum sector companies such as Bharat Petroleum and Indian Oil also look to add a few thousands over a period of next couple of years. The educational sector looks the most stable with many state governments announcing openings for lecturers and professors in various state universities. The openings here are around 50,000.

Metro, a German retail enterprise, plans to open six wholesale centres in Punjab with an investment of Rs 900 crore (Rs 9 billion). This should happen in the next two-three years. Punjab has launched three major projects including a business centre, bus terminal and hospital with a combined capital outlay of Rs. 10,413 crore. A knowledge based industry township comprising of companies is scheduled to open shortly in Kerala which would be offering around 90,000 jobs. A requirement of around 25,000 cops in Andhra Pradesh and around 40,000 jobs in the nationwide media sector looks good too.

Coming to the most hit Automobile & Aviation sector which have been the worst hit; the good news is that Ford India & Paramount Airways are looking for fresh hirings in numbers of 1000 and 500 respectively. Reliance Life Insurance also needs around 1,00,000 emloyees by the year end.

With other openings in different states for BPOs, police, firemen, doctors etc. in substantial numbers, the scenario looks quite good now.

The question to be answered is - Has India Inc. faced recession boldly and made necessary amends ?

Slumdogs Are No Underdogs

2009-02-24T15:36:00.003+05:30

The laurels that A. R. Rehman, Gulzar & Resul Pookutty brought to India at the centrestage of the Academy Awards function have enthralled every conscious Indian. We may have had loads of criticism against the portrayal of India's poverty and wretched condition of life of its slum-dwellers in this movie, but we cannot detach ourselves from dousing in the celebration for the victors who are very much Indian.

This is not the end of the story; India have once again proven her worth in another field - banking. Our very own State Bank of India (fondly known as SBI) have superseded Citigroup's market capitalisation to be among the largest banks in the world. The market capitalisation of SBI on Friday closed at Rs. 66,285 crore. This is around 25% more than the closing market capitalisation of Citigroup on the NYSE on Friday. The market capitalisation of Citigroup was Rs. 52,931 crore.

Though Citigroup's revenue in the last four quarters is almost eleven times more than the revenue earned by SBI, its profits are nowhere near the figures earned by SBI. While Citigroup has suffered losses of Rs. 83,474 crore in the last four quarters, SBI has booked profits of Rs. 8,262 crore. Martin Hutchinson, an economic commentator, recently put out a list on the status of the 12 largest banks in the US. He categorised Citi as a zombie bank. “Citi has been a serial flirter with bankruptcy over the past 30 years and remains a basket case,” he wrote.

Posted By : Anirban Dutta

FINANCIAL STRESS: A SYMPTOM OR A CAUSE

2009-02-20T21:13:00.004+05:30

Greg Mandel, the chief economist for BusinessWeek had raised a question "Is the market and economic turmoil nothing more than a crisis of confidence?" His question is in response to what has been told by Ben Bernanke to the Economic Club of New York on Oct. 15:

"At the root of the problem is a loss of confidence by investors and the public in the strength of key financial institutions and markets."

The Bernanke-Paulson paradigm is based on the rationale that the financial turbulence will cease as the confidence of the investors are restored, and they start putting money back into the stock markets and companies around the world. Here Mandel once again challenges the view. He asks "what if the Bernanke-Paulson view is wrong? What if financial stress is a symptom, not a cause?"

It is highly likely that over the years people have realized that the way cross-border technological transfer, foreign trade and financial integration have taken place cannot be maintained over a longer period of time. The U.S transferred technology and business know-how to other low-wage emerging economies like India and China. The goods and services produced on a massive scale in these emerging economies were moved to the U.S assuming that there will be perpetual consumption demand. And, the financial flow was from the rest of the world to the U.S to finance their trade deficit.

This is good till such time your consumption demand is backed by your earning potential. You cannot pay back your debt with falling income. By BusinessWeek's calculations, in the U.S, real weekly earnings for college grads without an advanced degree have dropped every year since 2002.

Thus the panacea to the current crisis is not just restoration of investors' confidence but, developing innovative new products and services that the U.S can produce and sell in the global markets. It's high time for the U.S policymakers to get back to action to reduce the external borrowings the country has to do, and help create a sustainable global economy.

Posted By: Anirban Dutta

Book retailing---Adding new chapters in Retailing!!!

2009-02-04T13:34:00.019+05:30

In the late 1980s ,an engineering student set aside his degree mid way and landed up with a job in Landmark book stores in Madras(now Chennai).He thought he would be continuing with the job for all the three months and who knew that he was the man behind to build one of the India's most successful bookstore chains---R.Sriram , the former founder CEO of Crossword;India's biggest book retailer.Sriram says:"Book retailing had served, underserved and unserved customers.We saw a huge opportunity in trhe underserved and unserved segments." Sivaraman Balakrishnan,marketing head,Crosswords points that any consumer irrespective of his location will be treated with the same shopping experince.

There were times when books were sold through small outlets leading to an experience similar to that of buying drugs from a medicinal stores.So the ground to be covered was large and had huge potential.The national chain had to be reinvented and remarketed to change the perception of the consumers.Sriram was fortunate enough to found a backer for the concept who gave the seed capital and real estate(space for the store) in Mumbai.The name was Crosswords as it signifies fun and learning.But a numerologist said that the name was unlucy;Sriram suggested the dropping of 's' and so came the Crossword.Crossword was founded in 1992 by Mr R. Sriram and Ms K. Anita along with a young team from India Book House Limited and the first Crossword store opened on 15th October 1992 at Mahalaxmi, Mumbai.

Desired to deliver a unique shopping experience to the consumers --appealed mothers and children on the front.It came with the concept of dedicating a scetion only for the children.This risk ultimately paid off and contributed about 35%of the sales.The strategy of placing the sections in different places in the store was a new and innovative idea keeping in mind the customers they want to target during their walk in the store.The concept of book reading sessions by the kids was also introduced.It was the first bookstore that provided seating spaces for its customers to sit and read the books with no questions asked on the times spent by them.To make their customers spent more time,Cross word came up with the idea of setting up a coffee store within the outlet.And on the customer's bill,it offered a new term and condition which is unique:'Books once sold WILL be taken back'.Over the years they added to many more innovations to satisfy their customers.

All this summed up in creating a brand experience that could be solely associated with the brand.Crossword has grown to 52 stores today over 12 cities, with a mix of company owned and franchised stores.Currently, Crossword Bookstores Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary Company of Shopper’s Stop Ltd – India’s leading department store chain. Success has come as a result of shared passion and commitment for customers & business which resulted in one of the bigges brand in the world of book retailing---Crossword.

Posted By:Jaspreet

The Top 10 Companies to Work for

2009-02-03T16:21:00.002+05:30

Fortune Magazine in association with Great Place to Work Institute came up with the Top 10 companies to work for list. Companies which were picked were places where employees were happy and motivated and made a huge contribution to a company's success.

Here goes the list -

1. NetApp
2. Edward Jones
3. Boston Consulting Group
4. Google
5. Wegmans Food Market
6. Cisco Systems
7. Genentech
8. Methodist Hospital System
9. Goldman Sachs
10. Nugget Market Inc.

Check out more details.

Burger King-Mc Donald's recession proof???

2009-02-02T17:29:00.011+05:30

Last week, it had come to notice that McDonald's had a sizzling set of trade figures in 2008.Not only this but it had also declared to open 1,000 stores worldwide, as consumers continue to show an appetite for fast food.Recession-resistant McDonald's is feeding consumers around the world as global meltdown has led to cost-conscious shoppers opting for low-priced meals.

The world's largest hamburger chain announced an 80% leap in profits for 2008.The healthy results were helped by an 8.5% rise in comparable sales across its European outlets. This was well above the global like-for-like sales hike of 7.2%.the average number of customers served per day increased to more than 58 million in 2008.

It can also be indicated that McDonald's low-price formula--such as the recession-friendly Dollar Menu-- is a winning strategy during the current economic scenario. McDonald's place in the food service industry is similar to Wal-Mart 's success as the low-cost retailer of choice. Mac Donald's have seen sales rise as the economy sinks, with consumers turning to the fast-food chains for low-cost meals. Though domestic sales are not as strong as international sales but McDonald's is continuing to focus on value and possibly lowering prices of certain items to stay more competitive.

The statistics are taken from http://news.sky.com/skynews.

Posted By :Jaspreet

How startups can avoid competition??

2009-01-30T20:03:00.005+05:30

I was reading an article by Vimarsh Bajpai,which reflects on the various parameters that may hinder the way to success for the startups. It is a general fact that startups face many challenges to establish itself amongst the big and established players in the market.The need of the day is to have a multi-prolonged strategy.The article aptly put forth the key pointers that can help any entrepreneur to the tackle the competition in the market and business.

1.KNOW YOUR COMPETITION:When you enter the market unprepared,the unawares hit you and opens the way to failure.So a competitor analysis is a must to know the current market condition and the existing products and services that are doing well.

2.GETTING YOUR FIRST CUSTOMER:A rapport with the previous employer or people known in good terms can easily get you your first customer.But definitely one has to work hard to make significant sales.

3.OFFERING NICHE PRODUCTS & SERVICES:This is where the starups can drive the wind their way.If you desire to get noticed, you have to bet and carve a niche for youself which can raise a new platform in the market against the existing businesses and its offerings.

4.COMPETITIVE PRICING:It becomes essential for a startup to price competitively.Offering a variety of pricing and deployment model can actually make pricing a non-issue.

5.SERVICE QUALITY:Setting new benchmarks for quality could be a great differentiating factor.

6.ADVERTISING & PR:For startups "word of mouth" is the best startegy.Outsourcing work to smaller PR agencies and networking are the major means that can lead the startups to reach the new customers swiftly.

7.EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION:As the startups cannot offer huge pay packets , an inspiring work environment can make them get most out of their employees.This would also provide them a place for experimenting and coming forward with different new ideas.

8.CONSTANT INNOVATION:It is the only way to retain customers and add more to the kitty.

9.GRAB A PIE IN BIG PROJECTS:Large corporations get their work done from outside agencies and it makes sense to grab ssuc business.

These key pointers should be kept in the mind before entering into any new business as it will definitely help in avoiding a large percentage of risk that any entrepreneur may face while formulating the business plan-from idea to reality.

Posted by:Jaspreet

Its Recession!!!!

2009-01-28T21:56:00.002+05:30

Recession At Play...

Quickies about the man President-Obama !!

2009-01-27T23:47:00.005+05:30

The Afro-American, is now the most powerful man in the world - the President of USA.His victory is seen as a hope for change across the world. Here are few interesting facts about him which many of you may not be aware of.

He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics.
He was known as "O'Bomber" at high school for his skill at basketball.
His name means "one who is blessed" in Swahili.
He is left-handed - the 6th post-war president to be left-handed
He has read every Harry Potter book
He owns a set of red boxing gloves autographed by Muhammad
He worked in a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop as a teenager and now can't stand ice creams
He promised Michelle he would quit smoking before running for president - he didn't
He applied to appear in a black pin-up calendar while at Harvard but was rejected by the all-female committee
He says his worst habit is constantly checking his BlackBerry
He owns four identical pairs of black size 11 shoes
He was given the code name "Renegade" by his Secret Service handlers
He plans to install a basketball court in the White House grounds

Are small businesses really small?

2009-01-27T12:30:00.004+05:30

The reality behind the curtain where small businesses are considered as small is different.Infact the large businesses are small and small businesses are really big.I know this may sound astonishing and you will be scratching your head to comprehend the previous sentence.Well, to put it in simple words,it is found that in any country,SMEs(small and medium enterprises)covers the bulk in terms of numbers ,while the large businesses form a small share of the total.A data from OECD shows that if the number of employees are the indicator of the size of a business,then in manufacturing enterprises large businesses are just 5.6% of the total.(large businesses implies one who employs 250 or more people).

Less than 10---------------23.6
10 -19.....................................27.9
20-49---------------------24.4
50-249..................................18.5
More than 250------------5.6
(Less than 10 means 23 % of all manufacturing enterprises in India by number had less than 10 employees).

But Indian manufacturing sector is more skewed towards larger organization sizes.This could be because of lower levels of automation and the general business environment.But there is huge space for even more small,medium and micro enterprises and their contributions will be even more significant adding to the economy of the country.

Posted by:Jaspreet

Happy Republic Day

2009-01-26T16:38:00.001+05:30

Proto.in - India's Premier Startup Event (Day-2)

2009-01-24T21:28:00.004+05:30

DAY 2 - The 2nd day of Proto.in - The 5th edition of India's Premier Startup Event started with an announcement that the number of tweets on Twitter (protodotin) was the highest ever pan India for yesterday. The day started with Bob Young, Lulu (Co-founder of Red-hat Software) followed by Mr. Ashish Gupta of Helion Ventures focussing on the various aspects of do's and dont's for a startup. Mr. Ashish Gupta explained the happiness of owning a Startup by the most accurate definition of Happiness - It is the distance between expectation and delivery.

The Showcase of The Event's TOP 6 Startups were NuAlgae, Remindo, Oohaa Service, Inkfruit, Fachak and Taroby. The most impressive of the lot were Inkfruit and most of the VCs look convinced with their idea of designing T-shirts online and then selling it in the offline and online space.

The Post lunch session started with interesting conversations on mindboggling topics and had a lot of public opinions coming in. It was followed by the Shotgun Startups and Innovation Jam. Soon I realised the day had ended.

The Proto.in team did a fabulous job in conducting the entire event in the most professional way. Mr. Vjay Anand, The Curator and Mr. Kiruba Shankar anchored the event in the best possible way and it was indeed a pleasure interacting with both of them. The guests, invitees, sponsors and everything were near perfect. Ohh, Did I miss lunch ? It was the best :)

Team - Grey Oasis is looking forward to the 6th edition of Proto.in - India's Premier Startup Event in July 09 at Mumbai.

Proto.in - India's Premier Startup Event (Day-1)

2009-01-24T20:49:00.005+05:30

DAY 1 - Over the last 2 days Team - Grey Oasis was busy attending Proto.in - The 5th edition of India's Premier Startup Event. Indeed, it was a fabulous experience being seated in the company of 200 big and small startups in India. The schedule of events for both the days was packed with a few big speakers and conversations which left a strong footprint on my mind.

Mr. Atul Chitnis, Senior VP, Geodesic started the event with a presentation titled "The World is Changing". We do not know about the insane world outside, but it did change our thought process to a great extent. Some of the key learnings from this presentation were-

1. If the product is good and price is right, people will buy.
2. A product is lot more than just the code.
3. You can create markets.
4. It's not the tools that you use. It's how you use them.
5. All lessons will be forgotten. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.

The key concept here was - Today is History. Startups whether product or service should focus on building the needs of tomorrow. He also made a vey bold statement, "VC Funding is not a viable business model".

The Showcase of The Event's TOP 6 Startups were LifeMojo, Yoplr, iFlapp, Lords Automotives, Noddler and India Khelo. If we would have been a VCs, we would have invested all our money into Lords Automotives who came up with a patented product - Green & Economic Fuel Kit for Two-wheelers.

The Post lunch session started with interesting conversations on interesting topics followed by the most interactive discussion forum. All in all, a brilliant event.

The chance of meeting some of the topmost Startup owners in India, knowing them and their business, a chance of commenting and then sharing a cup of coffee ... all of this was an experience of a lifetime.

Barak Obama - The 44th US Prez.

2009-01-21T01:45:00.002+05:30

Forty-six years after the late iconic civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King - who was inspired by Mohandas Gandhi - delivered his 'I have a dream' speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Barack Hussain Obama, whose campaign theme was 'Yes, we can," was sworn in at 11.56 am on January 20 as the nation's 44th president.

Obama thus became the first-ever African-American chief executive on the steps of the west front of the Capitol in the presence of over an unprecedented crowd of over two million. Immediately, preceding the presidential swearing-in were performances by Yo Yo Ma, Anthony McGill, and Itzhak Perlman, and just before Obama began his inuaugural address, the US Marine Corps Ban played 'Hail to the Chief,' amidst a 21-gun salute.

Read the entire speech here.

Let us hope he delivers the promises he has made.

God bless Obama & God bless USA !!!

India's Technology Reinvented - Gandhian Engineering

2009-01-18T21:14:00.008+05:30

Indians had achieved breakthroughs in several cases, which were once considered impossible. Everyone would have felt India’s economic self-confidence as the India’s Tata Motors, unveiled the long-awaited “People’s car", the Tata Nano amidst the New Year celebration. Nano seems like a real car. Tata Motors in particular devoted itself to building cheap cars rather than efficient mass transportation. Gandhian Engineering is the term that's cropping up all over Cyberspace after the launch of Tata's radically innovative car ~ The Nano. Just as the Japanese popularized kanban (just in time) and kaizen (continuous improvement), Indians could export a kind of "Gandhian engineering, combining irreverence for conventional ways of thinking with a frugality born of scarcity".

Gandhian Engineering essentially means to solve big problems in a few years at affordable price and at less development cost. Stating that the challenge was to “Get More for Less for More and More people". The Nano earns the moniker of the world’s cheapest car clearly intended for the masses. And now with "Gandhian Engineering" Tata Motors has created the world's lowest price-tag car using High Technology. What do you think? Is the Nano a car of the future? Would you drive one?

Gandhian engineering, or appropriate design, could be a terrific mechanism for forcing product and business model development to cleave to the need profile of a target segment. It is a loose description for developing products aimed at the growing developing markets. For the nascent world of Nanotechnology, Tata has given a great push which we can cash on to create a greater understanding of "Nano applications in India,as it is an area which creates New Markets, New Opportunities and New products.

Posted By:Jaspreet

The Volatility Index

2009-01-18T20:51:00.006+05:30

Keeping on track with my relentless drive to try and pull down Beta as an overstated tool for decision making, today I will discuss something that derives its essence from Beta or Market Risk, but provides a much more accurate and wholesome picture. The National Stock Exchange's Volatility Index (VIX) is tracked to find the Market Volatility. It is based on the Nifty 50 and is used to calculate the expected market volatility over the next 30 calender days.

A high VIX indicates market fear while a lower value indicates that the markets are cold. The thumb rule for VIX is:

20s indicate complacent market

mid 30s to upper 40s indicates market fear

above 50 indicates panic

Between July and October 2008 the VIX crossed the 70 mark 5 times.

Currently the VIX is at 51 which still indicates a state of panic in the market. This coincides with the fact that it has been so difficult for Sensex to break the psychological barrier of 10000 and for Nifty to break the 3000 levels.

Posted by Rahul

Time 2 Laugh :)

2009-01-18T19:06:00.000+05:30

Who is Better ? You or Me ?

2009-01-18T10:36:00.002+05:30

Comparisons are as old as the hills. Men tend to compare wives (though one suspects discreetly). Wives tend to compare their husbands’ salaries (one suspects directly). Parents tend to compare grades of their children (one is certain unfairly). Children tend to compare pocket money (one is sure bitterly) and cricket writers tend to compare cricketers and teams irrationally.

Comparisons are odious, but that’s not preventing brands from going all out and claiming their rival’s inferiority.

Comparative advertising is here to stay. The advertising industry in India, though it has used men, women and children in its ads, has been, till recently, fairly reluctant to compare its clients’ brands with the competition. Should you use it? Yes, if you have a demonstrable advantage. Yes, if your target audience can understand and appreciate your differences. But just remember that every action of yours could have a competitive reaction that is stronger and backed with more media weights. Don’t get carried away by the excitement of comparison, lest you get carried away by the competition.

Read the full article here.

Chasing the Rabbit

2009-01-15T20:15:00.003+05:30

How can companies perform so well that their industry counterparts are competitors in name only? Although they operate in the same industry, serve the same market, and even use the same suppliers, these “rabbits” lead the race and, more importantly, continually widen their lead.

Chasing the Rabbit shows how to -

Build a system of “dynamic discovery” designed to reveal operational problems and weaknesses
Attack and solve problems at the time and in the place where they occur, converting weaknesses into strengths
Disseminate knowledge gained from solving local problems throughout the company as a whole
Create managers invested in the process of continual innovation

Whatever kind of company you operate–from technology to finance to healthcare–mastery of these four key capabilities will put you on the fast track to operational excellence, where you will generate faster, better results using less capital and fewer resources.

Excerpt from "Chasing the Rabbit" by Steven J. Spear

The Top 6 Marketing Initiatives in 2008

2009-01-15T19:33:00.005+05:30

HT Brandline picks the top marketers of year 2008 as follows -

1. Zapak.com - The company created a buzz in the gaming industry and energised the industry through its online and offline efforts. The advertising model was not at all high cost but irreverent enough to attract attention.
2. Idea Cellular - The company explored the 'idea' of Inclusive Branding and communicated to the masses that the nation is changing and its time for the consumers to reach the self-actualization stage. And, then Abhishek Bachhan created some Dostana with the brand.
3. ISB Hyderabad - This six year old B-School has made itself reach the Top 20 B-Schools in the world on the Financial Times List. It is today looked as a beacon of management education in India.
4. LG - Product Innovation has been their main focus and this has helped them emerge in the Consumer Goods category as the No. 1 player. Its unique offerings combining technology and cosmetic appeal to optimal degrees have worked.
5. Titan Industries - I have always felt proud of being associated with this company in the recent past. This company is actually devoid of any market competition whatsoever. But, still it knows that re-inventing itself and its offerings is a key strategy to remain a life-style player.
6. Cafe Coffee Day - This brand has been built by zero advertising input. The brand that believes in being "in the face" through its product offerings. It has emerged as the market leader in the coffee segment and has made its competitors like 'Barista' to rethink their strategies.

Monetize your Blog

2009-01-15T00:13:00.008+05:30

Who doesn’t want to earn a few hundred dollars per month without doing extra work. In the corporate world being promoted to a higher designation implies " earning more and working less”. Its a general perception, as that is when you are held responsible only when the people under you fails to do the required. I have found a clear and practical approach in doing this. Be it you who do it or you get it done via your people, but you have to be a part of it and then get your income. On the other hand, Passive income is the income that does not require your direct involvement. For example, network marketing, owning rental property. For start ups as well as for the ones who already are into their business they key to achieve financial freedom is to align and shift business model to create more passive income. If you are new to the idea welcome aboard!

Now is the time to think about how to apply this in your business. But if you are hunting for elusive income streams online there can many options available. At the very least, a high five-figure annual income is certainly an attainable goal for an individual working full-time from home. Isn’t that fascinating!!For people who are interested in blogging shouldn’t wait for anything, as the best time to start is now. The earlier you start working to build your passive income, the sooner you will reap the benefits with outstanding results.

The beauty of automated income is it doesn’t include any sales, no employees, no products, no inventory, no credit cards, and no customers. And yet one can easily generate a growing income. Perhaps the best part of generating income from blogging is the freedom it brings. Here below are key points which contribute to earnings while blogging--
- Create a small website or a blog but definitely don’t limit your web site to just a blog.
-Pick a niche for your blog, but make sure it’s a niche with a broader platform so that you can build significant traffic. Usually aim for atleast 3 posts per week (don’t worry to much on the length of the posts)
- Sign up as affiliate in as many programs like amazon, clickbank etc(this leads to passive income)
- Build email lists( passive income)
-Other ways to generate income are: Google Adsense ads ,Donations, Text Link Ads etc.(will give you the residual income)

Posted By:Jaspreet

International Nuclear Disarmament: The Road Ahead

2009-01-14T22:48:00.004+05:30

Obama’s regime might soon bring the next vital push to International Nuclear Disarmament and this might very well start with Iran and Syria being brought under confidence. This would be spearheaded by Senator Hillary Clinton, the ex First Lady of United States. The approach can involve of two strategies for such International peace initiatives. These are:

Soft Power (Includes diplomacy, economic aid and commerce)
Hard Power (Includes embargoes, trade barriers and use of lethal power)

The important question here arises that how will US gather International support for this when it itself holds the largest nuclear arsenal in the world. The second largest is by Russia and these two countries between them have enough power to destroy earth 5 times over if they enter Armageddon. Another concern is international peace diplomats expressing their concern on US using the Nuclear Disarmament platform as a means to pressurise Iran into giving up the thought of setting up a Euro based Oil Exchange. If Iran does go through with this, the only thing that might keep US from attacking it will be the nuclear arsenal it holds as a shield. An Iran stripped of nuclear power would be a much easier target than the one with a nuclear curtain.
The decades old Arab-Israeli conflict will be another major barrier and an atmosphere conducive to such talks would be when both nations are exercising a cease fire. This is highly unlikely to exist with the Palestinian group Hamas firing missiles into Israel.
Talks held before the Presidential elections in Tehran in June will hold the key to how actually the International Nuclear Disarmament strategy of the US chalks out. US understands that no major peace initiatives in Iran and Syria can be put into gear without it being a part of it.

Posted by Rahul

Amazing Facts About The Big 4

2009-01-13T13:10:00.001+05:30

The Big 5 (Sorry 4) accounting firms have been on the top of every finance professional's mind for some reason or the other. There are a couple of true but amazing facts about them, not known to many. Known as the Big 4 accounting firms they are:

(Arthur Anderson which made it the Big 5 is now in archives).

Of course they set the global standards for transparency in business. But who is their owner? Shhhhh ... It is a well-guarded secret. Even though present in over 120 countries, for obvious reasons each one of them is headquartered in a tax haven. If you enquire any details about these firms in a tax haven like Panama, you may end up spending the next 2 years in jail. Understand how secret the ownership is!

They have paid billions of dollars as fines in the U.S alone to the SEC. In U.K they are being subject to investigations under the Fair Trade Practices Act. They are the subject of cartoons in the western press and lampooned by the media.

They have been found innovative in:

Booking bogus sales
Capitalizing revenue expenses
Insider trading & related unethical practices
Not accounting sales returns
Inadequate disclosure of off-balance sheet items
Assisting the management in asset stripping
Failing to record liabilities or suppress liabilities

Well the list on their accounting "innovation" could go on ... That is if you do not reckon shredding of documents as an expert service. It is these 'credible' professional outfits that are in India, advising the Government of India on:

Speed and directions of reforms
Advisor to the planning commission
Providing expertise to the disinvestment process
Privatization and Globalization
Policies for inviting FDI

So if you want to innovate your accounts hire these "experts", they would do a good job for you and of course make a fortune in the bargain. If you are corporate manager, you may have personally felt bombarded, sullied, trampled over, bullied and even decried at your own office by representatives of the Big 4. Simply because they are from the Big 4. Remember, they charge you and you pay even for the time spent on abusing you!

If you are a decision maker you might have noticed subtle hints to influence your decisions. Hiring the kith and kin of the decision makers is one of their tried and trusted methods. They are experts in the art of making friends and influencing people. They are too good at Dollar Diplomacy!

Their ownership is unknown, their competency is suspect and their advice bogus. Then, why do the financial institutions, banks and the corporates in India keep them as auditors, advisors or consultants? Why are they allowed to operate in India, and hired and respected by the Government of India? WHY?

Simply because we are not aware of these firms and therefore we are silent. The need of the hour is to create public awareness.

Posted By: Anirban Dutta

Polarity for Severe Redemption: Mutual Funds

2009-01-12T23:57:00.005+05:30

The aftermath of the current financial crisis has been felt by many avenues of the financial world which theoretically should have done well as a consequence of the liquidity crunch. Rate cuts across the globe by various central banks were targeted at increasing liquidity and getting the money wheel rolling. But despite this, Bonds, Gilt Funds, Open Ended Mutual Funds etc. have all felt excessive redemption pressure.

Experts try and explain this phenomenon by various arguments but by far the most widely accepted explanation has been Herd Mentality which branches out of Behavioral Finance. It is a result of coordination failures between investors or their own beliefs that they try and find evidence for. This in turn reinforces the belief. So something that starts as a thought turns into fear and then belief, forcing the investor to act in a specific manner. Investors feel that other investors will withdraw their funds and a bank run begins. What follows is frenzy selling to try and secure cash. The worst thing is that this cash is then kept idle as savings and not as any other mode of investment. This stops the circular flow of money and adds to the liquidity crunch.

Mutual Funds in particular tend to face very high redemption pressure at such times due to their open ended feature and high degree of retail ownership. The redemption pressure in turn forces the fund managers to adjust their portfolios and enter into costly and unprofitable trades, thus damaging the overall returns of the fund. Most Mutual Funds try and diversify a major portion of the portfolio into midcap or small cap stocks which makes them illiquid to a large extent. In such a situation, this problem of illiquidity of the stocks in the portfolio makes it difficult to execute large trades without adverse price impact. This phenomenon is referred to as Forced Trading.

Posted by Rahul

Modern Unicorn

2009-01-10T01:37:00.002+05:30

Source:www.digg.com

Posted By:Jaspreet

What kept me away from watching this fairy tale---

2009-01-10T01:23:00.004+05:30

As I watched Stardust on my way, my emotions truly ran the gamut. I know.... I know it’s been ages and people must have almost forgotten about the movie- A movie produced in 2007 but I never could get the right chance to watch it. And now when I did am speechless. It’s been long since I have seen a real fairy tale and Stardust is aptly, creatively crazy one. There may be many imaginative ideas in this fantasy mix of evil witches, greedy princes,......so on..The story of Tristan Thorn’s who made a promise to the gal he thought he was in love with that he’ll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm made me to fall in love with the tale itself.

Stardust the movie is undeniably a very good movie and woven in a fantastic manner. It has depicted and reflected stars in the bestest way (yeah..!! M talking of my stars).My fav scene is the one where Yvaine confesses her love to Tristan but he pretends to be not listening as he has been turned into a mouse in the scene. And later when he confesses to have listened to what she had said. That’s when she truly shines like a star and he lays a kiss on her forehead. The expressions are so real and innocent and the entire scene holds the charm of love and being only in love. It’s an absolutely magical moment that brought a big smile on my face and ‘m sure on many of yours as well.

On the whole, Stardust is most definitely a movie worth watching. And then watching again and times again. The main plot is about lovers and finding love .So it is more into lovey dovey stuff piled with fantasies. I loved the song “Rule the world”. Beautifully sung and has touched me. Check it out, you can even have a small flashback of the movie ....

Poste By:Jaspreet

The Commercial Infrastructure at the Bottom of the Pyramid

2009-01-07T19:15:00.006+05:30

Millions of 'middle class' and 'lower middle class' consumers over the globe are the target markets for most of the MNCs operating today. As a marketer, I would firmly believe (even though I do not have enough data to prove) that the real source of market promise lies in the billions of the 'aspiring poors' who are on the verge of joining the economy.

Isn't it the time for MNCs to look at globalization strategies through a new lens of inclusive capitalism. The companies which have the resource and pertinence to compete at the bottom of the World Economic Pyramid have prospective rewards like growth, profits and incalculable contributions to humankind. The reason is that countries which do not have the modern infrastructure or products to meet basic human needs should be an ideal testing base for developing environmentally sustainable technologies for the entire world. Furthermore, wouldn't MNC investment at the Bottom of the Pyramid mean lifting billions out of poverty, social decay, political chaos, terrorism and environmental meltdown that is certain to continue if the 80 - 20 principle of the money distribution between the rich and the poor continues.

Prof. C.K. Prahalad and Prof. Stuart L. Hart mention this model in their research paper titled "Fortune at Bottom of the Pyramid" and further say that Creating buying power, Shaping aspirations, Improving access and Tailoring local solutions are the four elements of the commercial infrastructure that MNCs should keep in mind while investing in this highly rewardable class. Creativity, imagination, stamina, passion, empathy and courage are as important as analytical skills, intelligence and knowledge to be successful at the Bottom of the Pyramid.

My question is, Why should it be MNCs only ?

Why not NGOs, local and state governments, local entreprenuers and enterprises and social communities implement this model successfully ?

Offensive Advertising :)

2009-01-07T19:09:00.004+05:30

Milky Way much larger & bulkier than ever thought--

2009-01-07T18:17:00.005+05:30

For decades, astronomers thought our Milky Way was a weak sister to the larger Andromeda. But reports suggest, not anymore. The Milky Way is considerably larger, bulkier and spinning faster than astronomers once thought, Andromeda's equal. ``Previously we thought Andromeda was dominant, and that we were the little sister of Andromeda,'' ``But now it's more like we're fraternal twins.''

Scientists mapped the Milky Way in a more detailed, three-dimensional way and found that it's 15 percent larger in breadth. More important, it's denser, with 50 percent more mass, which is like weight. That's not necessarily good news. A bigger Milky Way means that it could be crashing violently into the neighboring Andromeda galaxy sooner than predicted though still billions of years from now. That speed at which Milky Way spins is about 568,000 miles per hour (914,000 kilometers per hour) ,faster than the 492,000 mph (792,000 kph) that scientists had been using for decades. That's about a 15 percent jump in spiral speed. (Source: TOI & AP) The results suggest the Milky Way is roughly the same size as Andromeda, the largest galaxy in our local group.

What is more, it is moving 15 per cent faster than earlier predictions. The greater mass means that future collisions with nearby galaxies could happen sooner than thought. But don't worry that's at 2 to 3 billion years away, Reid of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics (CfA) in Cambridge, US, said. There are may be many universes and the energy forces that are much more magnanimous than the human mind can think of. What I knew about the solar system during the days of my early education and what I believe today are at different poles of understanding. This shows that with the advancement in technology and science, we are merely in the initial stages of learning and updating knowledge, but definitely not at the end!!!

Posted By:Jaspreet

Rural BPOs: Next big thing in IT !!

2009-01-06T20:42:00.004+05:30

There are still many hidden opportunities that exist for outsourcing service providers in India. The next revolution in Indian Information Technology sector to happen is Rural BPOs .The industry gears up to achieve $50 billion export target in 2009. Rural BPO is all about creating employment, creating more jobs. It will reduce the cost for Indian IT companies initially and then later will do the same at the global level.

With the Business Processing Outsourcing (BPO) industry flourishing in India, more and more companies began establishing operations in the metropolitan cities to capitalize on the available human resource talent and physical infrastructureA lot of wealth creation has happened as the Indian IT industry took giant strides and passed through several revolutions to reach this point. As the numbers of BPO and ITeS providers have increased in major metropolitan cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, there has been an intense competition for quality manpower in those cities. This frequent poaching and high attrition resulted in increased recruitment and training costs. Given this situation, some BPO companies have started operations in smaller towns and even villages.

However, the main challenges that the rural BPOs face are under-developed infrastructure facilities; lack of power, and poor telecommunication, transportation, education, and other support facilities, expertise in English ,confidence level of rural graduates in facing clients and presenting themselves. But with suitable training and orientation, these people can definitely be brought up to a desired level of performance.

Only constant innovation and spotting new opportunities can help rejuvenate this competitive advantage and rural BPO is definitely one of those business innovations. The concept is very idealistic.

Posted By:Jaspreet

Generation Millennials is ready to mark,but who defines them?

2009-01-05T15:18:00.004+05:30

Generation Y is sometimes referred to as Millennials or Net Generation. The Millennials are the children of the Baby Boomers .Millennials, who are widely seen to be authors and architects of their generation who never sing praises about their identity and work. They let people of other generations to do this for them, define them, spread reviews about their work and talk about them. This departs the young generation as they believe in playing the game of claiming and spreading their work and thoughts themselves. It is for the older generation to defer and hold a powerful image.

Every generation is touchy and thoughtful about what they are called. Grant McCracken in his post said that much of the 1990s was taken up with people protesting attempts to create a name. The point was that the 1990s was to be extra-categorical and anti-categorical. The last thing Generation X wanted was a name.

Another strategy could be to accept whatever is given to you and be satisfied with a status quo inorder to escape the consequences and embraces the way it is delivered. He has also put forth that Perhaps Millennials are living under the deep cover of the term called Millenial. Presently, the workplace has become a psychological battlefield and the millennials have the upper hand, because they are tech savvy. They are multitasked; they talk, walk, listen and type, and text at the same time.

There can be many related explanations that Millennials are too varied for a particular label that can be apply to it. But they have fine control over the identities that they don't need to resort to big, poorly-defined memes like generational labels. Above all this, social networking tools help them to define themselves in a much complex and nuanced language.

Posted by:Jaspreet

BPO Industry - Will it Die Out ?

2009-01-04T20:23:00.004+05:30

India is riding high on outsourcing. India's BPO Industry might be heading for a sunset. Ironic, two diabolical statements, but true.

A NASSCOM survey reveals that IT and ITES will employ around 4 million people in 2008 and contribute to 7% of GDP and 33% of India's foreign exchange inflows. The death of this industry is far away from everyone's mind. The policies of Obama, will matter to a certain extent, but on the whole the picture looks pretty good. But India, for all its glory is still the back office for the entire world. The Indians don't do the thinking. The customers do. India executes.

Now lets have a look at the REAL scene.

Wages in India are rising continuously. The reason why the BPO Industry flourished in India was that the cost advantage for offshoring used to be atleast 1:6. Nowadays, it is around 1:3. The most scary things that this industry faces is attrition and low value jobs. The $30 billion industry will surely lose its competitive advantage as the cost structure becomes 1:1.5 and the use of Indian labour becomes inefficient. Forbes recently published some scary statistics on wage inflation in India ("Indian Employees Enjoying Swift Pay Hikes."). Salaries rose 15.1% in 2007, up from 14.4% the previous year. The 2008 forecast: 15.2%. This would be the fifth consecutive year of salary growth above 10%.

The question here is, Will we see the death of the BPO Industry sometime soon ?

Assuming a 15% year-to-year salary hike rate, and a 2007 cost advantage of 1:3 in favor of India, if U.S. wages remain constant,India's cost advantage disappears by 2015.

Then what?

Some figures have been used from Srimana Patra's article.

Chekpoints to Stock Analysis

2009-01-04T01:49:00.007+05:30

There is no thumb rule or perfect way to analyse a stock but there are a few basic rules that one can try and follow to minimise unwanted deviations. This post will try and discuss a few basic criteria and also a few common mistakes done while picking and analysing stocks.

Common Mistakes

Running the criteria selected for only one year (usually the current year)
Applying/ following the same framework for stocks pertaining to different industries
Picking stocks purely based on low P/E and high EPS
Not taking market news and Mass Psychology into account
Blue Chip companies with the highest Market Cap are the safest

Checkpoints

First pick an industry which is growing and relatively shielded from economic tremors. Usually this would filter down to Power and Core Infrastructure
Do not analyze stocks purely based on Ratio Analysis. Take Technical Analysis into account as well. Look at factors such as Volume of trade, Price Volatility of the stock, adverse or positive news impacting the stock
Analyse stocks from capital intensive sectors on the basis on ROCE (Return on Capital Employed) and others on the basis of EVA (Economic Value Added)
Always analyse every parameter for at least past 3 years or more to try and figure out a trend. (Never take an average. It is never a true measure)
Look for P/E between 10 and 15 if you have a slight appetite for risk vs returns. Historically if a stock has had high P/E but is currently trading at a P/E of 5 or less due to adverse market conditions, then make it your first choice
Analyze company earnings and check the Profit Margin vs the industry average. At least 80% of the earnings should come from Core Operations of the business
Make sure that your investment horizon is at least 1 year
Invest money that you would not need in the near future assuming 100% capital erosion

Posted by Rahul Gosain

Pump and Dump

2009-01-04T01:44:00.004+05:30

The year 2008 was definitely not the best for most stocks and Penny Stocks are one of the worst hit. This post is to specifically warn our readers about a certain threat in 2009. Several large brokerages in India have lost millions in Penny stock holdings and I have come to know from my friends in the market that the year 2009 will witness widespread use of the Pump and Dump strategy to trap investors.

"Pump and Dump is a form of microcap fraud that involves artificially inflating the price of a stock through false and misleading positive statements, in order to sell the cheaply purchased stock at a higher price". (Source: Wikipedia)

So don't fall for a call or an e-mail by your broker this year if he claims to have some inside information on a stock or assures you very high short term returns. You just might fall victim to an oversold stock while your brokerage house mints money in the process.
Be Informed. Be Safe. Be Smart

Posted by Rahul Gosain

Marketing for Growth

2009-01-03T20:56:00.004+05:30

Warren Buffet, The Global Investment Guru blames the weak fundamental practices of many companies for their fall. The only way out for these companies is to sell their products more than ever before. There comes in the role of an appropriate marketing strategy. The figure below explains the possible domains a company can look into for its marketing growth.

Companies must follow this idealistic growth strategy and help themselves out of recession.

With The Fall In Oil Prices, The Gulf Economies Now Appear Vulnerable

2009-01-03T14:30:00.001+05:30

According to few oil analysts the Gulf countries are not immune to the overall problems in financial system. If they get below $60 a barrel, some of these countries will suffer. This is evident to an extent when the benchmark indexes in Qatar and Oman fell more than 8 percent Sunday. Kuwait stocks fell 4.4 percent and Saudi Arabia's main index, which fell 8.7 percent Saturday, fell an additional 1.7 percent Sunday.

Stocks in the Gulf region are off about 40 percent so far this year, in line with the decline in the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index on Wall Street and the 45 percent decline in the Dow Jones Euro Stoxx 600 index.

On Saturday, finance ministers from the Gulf Cooperation Council and central bankers met in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, to discuss a more coordinated response to the crisis. In their communiqué, officials "underlined their confidence in the stability of the monetary system in their countries," and said their economies should continue to grow.

But they also expressed concern that the downturn in the world economy would hit home. "We should all work to avoid the negative effects and reduce their impact on our economies by coordinating policies and measures," the Saudi finance minister, Ibrahim al-Assaf, told the Saudi Press Agency. In addition to Saudi Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council includes Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and United Arab Emirates.

Globally, banks have posted losses and write-downs totaling $681 billion since the start of the credit crisis, according to Bloomberg News. But so far the damage has been limited in the Middle East. Any big ratcheting up of losses in the region could require governments to bail out their own lenders and dash hopes that sovereign wealth funds from the region would be able to help rescue troubled institutions in the West. Gulf Bank's chief executive, Louis Myers, said the loss would have "no major effects on the soundness of the bank's financial position, and will not affect its ability to continue business."

KPMG International, the accounting firm, warned last week that financial fraud in the region could run into the billions of dollars a year. Colin Lobo, a KPMG partner said the financial crisis was creating an environment "where the risk of fraud will increase as businesses come under pressure to show results. Likewise, individuals will also be tempted where costs are rising and income levels are flat."

Posted By: Anirban Dutta

Can good dressing help in climbing the corporate ladder faster?

2009-01-02T23:16:00.010+05:30

"First impression is the last impression."

As they say, the result of most of the interviews is decided in the final round of personal interviews where they judge you not only on the basis of your level of intelligence but the way you frame your answers along with your gestures and dressing . It is also observed that a well dressed employee is more confident and creative than a poorly dressed one. It's true that well dressing always matters but good knowledge and behavior can outweigh it when you are extraordinarily smart. Generally speaking, on first gaze its only your dressing sense that makes a statement, even before you speak its your dress which sends an alarm to the person you want to interact with.

So, a bad dressing sense can actually wreckage your career growth. Out of 2 people with same level of knowledge, a person with good sense of dressing will get an edge. Clothes give you lot of confidence and add charm to your personality which helps you to stand out among a group and helps you rise up the corporate ladder faster than usual. It’s not only the people in corporate needs to be well dressed for that matter .When we see around a lawyer's got to be in his proper dress, a chef in his whites ,a student in his clean uniform, army have their own,navy in their neat whites and blues, so does a future executive needs a well chosen combination of his clothes in his wardrobe or not.

As for me,"Essential dressing is as important as essential working." The question can be taken in anyway you want it to take. I leave it open and flexible enough for you to decide.

Posted By:Jaspreet

Celebs and Our Perceptions

2009-01-02T19:22:00.003+05:30

Have you ever thought why people are so crazy about Celebs ? I will tell you the answer, Because they are at a certain position about which we always dream about. This makes us follow them blindly and most of the times fashion things in accordance to their styles. Why do we read so much about them ? Why do we try and imitate them ? Why do we use the products they promote ? Why do we wear what they wear ? Are Celebs REAL ? Are Celebs perceptions ? Or, Are these perceptions about constructivism ?

Many of my friends go gaga when they see Britney's pics on newspapers in a skimpy outfit, when they see Shahrukh Khan waving his hands at the public, when they hear Kareena Kapoor breaking up with someone, when they read about Paris Hilton getting drunk or for that matter getting tense when they hear Madonna filing for a divorce or Michael Jackson suffering from a disease. Why do people read it ? Moreover, why do people gain pleasure or become sad on reading or hearing about them. Is it entertainment ? Is it jealousy ? Or, is it something else ?

For sure, celebrity news has had its share of controversies. And, no matter what anyone says, it will always remain an inseparable element in our society.

Here comes a discussion point, Can Brands/Products be like Celebs and be created out of perceptions?

If the so called celebs are just about perceptions that are painted red in bold so that people can hear and read them in print and perceive about them to be true and real, the same can be done to products and brands. It is thus important for a marketer to craft perceptions around products so that a consumer connects to them. It then becomes a simple task for the consumer to evaluate a brand on its 'first impression'.

An initiative in this would ultimately lead to a buyer's caravan of desires. As per the famous Iceberg Principle, for one rational reason for a product/brand to be bought, there are 10 hidden emotional reasons also. It is the same with Celebs. For someone to idolize a celeb, we have just one rationale, but the underlying emotional connects are much more than our subconscious mind can ever think.

Remember the famous saying, "Perceptions are innocent until proven guilty".

Happy New Year

2009-01-01T10:48:00.003+05:30

Let's pledge on this New Year eve to make this world a better and safer place to live in.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year.

Cheers !!!

Time to welcome Year-2009 and set new goals--

2008-12-31T16:45:00.009+05:30

Year 2008-- Its time for me and you to bade farewell to it and map out our objectives for the upcoming year. As always, I will design my goals rather than making a long list of resolutions. I actually don’t understand the reason behind taking up resolutions when they are pretty much made to be broken. I believe in the philosophy of setting up my goals which are here to last, rides me successfully through this year and prepares me for the next.

Today, I took some time off from my daily routine and ponder about my future goals, focussing on the core values which I desired to attain. I am ever ready to accept my failures and learn from them. So, they are a part of my designing process. The basic motto of believing in “me” is to analyze my capabilities and reassess what I have achieved and what I thought I would achieve.I plan so that I can have a very clear and concise idea of where I want to end up and how should I go about it .Because when I know where to end ,I can set the road map even if I need to face the twists and turns to get there. With destination to land, things get simpler and easier for me. Today time flies at an unimaginable pace and I need to analyze what is that people zig outside their closed thoughts and how can I zag myself with them and have an extra cutting edge.Everyone knows be it you or I, we can think beyond the world, dream big and achieve dreams but only if we click it right. I set up realistic and achievable goals which keep me motivated to keep running towards it. It’s not that I am scared to dream big and have doubts on my abilities; it’s just that if my dreams have a base the probability of achieving them automatically becomes higher.As proteins are the building blocks of body, goals are the fundamental building blocks of success.So, this New Year too I am going to pick one goal — or two, or at the very most three — and make them my priorities for 2009.

“Grey Matterz” would like to welcome the new guest—Year 2009 with our common goal of believing in oneself and show the rest that we are special in our own unique way.Experts say that goals should be SMART — specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timed — and it’s true also, but we think it’s the passion which drives us towards accomplishing our goals.

Wish you all a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. And hope you are ready to set up your list of goals.

Posted by:Jaspreet

The Dragon Lady-Empress of China !!

2008-12-29T00:58:00.004+05:30

One of the most powerful women in Chinese history was Cixi. She controlled China for more than 40 years in the late 1800s.Cixi was so ruthless, heartless, cruel and greedy tyrant that people called her the Dragon Lady. In western countries such as Great Britain and the Unites states, Cixi was also known as the Empress Dowager. But in reality she wasn’t an empress; she was the mother of the emperor’s only son. After her husband’s death , she raised her son to rule China. She still had power when her son was old enough to rule but himself. After his death, the Dragon lady made sure her 4yr old nephew becomes the nest emperor, which was against the law but she helped him too.

She lived in a group of palace buildings called the Forbidden City, within the city of Beijing. Only the servants who lived in the palace saw Cixi. She used to speak to all her visitors from a large red throne shaped like a dragon that was hidden behind a silk screen. Her every order ended with “Hear and obey”. (Source: encyclopedia).In 1908, when this Dragon Lady was dying, she had her nephew, the emperor poisoned. She wanted to make sure that he died first and thus would never rule without her.

The lady ruled China for many decades. The nation was fairly stable under her influence, but the government was dishonest and didn’t take steps in favor of the people and their benefits. Empress Dowager Cixi was largely conservative and represented the conservative political faction at court. The interesting and strange fact about the Dragon lady was she used to wear gold shields on her very long fingernails to keep them from breaking. Moreover, the name by which she is most frequently known is simply Cixi, which is neither her birth name nor family name. It is an honorific name given to her in 1861 after her son ascended the throne. Empress Dowager Cixi's name at birth is not known, although a recent book published by one of Cixi's brother's descendants seems to suggest that it was Xingzhen. (Source: Wikipedia).All writings show that she was certainly a bright, ambitious and powerful woman in history, but her life was anything but a fairy tale.

If you are interested to know more about Cixi and her history; Read more....

Posted by:Jaspreet

Most expensive painting-price tag $140 million

2008-12-28T19:01:00.004+05:30

We all know buying and selling paintings is no less than any other passion. Hundreds or thousands — even millions — of dollars are spent every year by art patrons who are eager to become the owners of the world's most expensive and sought-after paintings. There are many famous artists who still command the highest prices but what makes these paintings so special.The picture is a 4' x 8' composition, comprising oil, enamel and aluminum paint on fiberboard, is a nest-like tangle of browns, yellows and greys. Unconfirmed rumors that continue to buzz the art world now place this painting at the top of the list(temporarily). If the reports are correct, entertainment mogul David Geffen sold it to Mexican financier David Martinez in November 2006, who paid $140 million for this signature work by Jackson Pollock (No. 5, 1948 ), making it the world's most expensive painting. With the fluctuating market and rising prices that fine art fetches these days, one has to be quick to stay on top of this game. Action-painter Jackson Pollock’s “No.5 1948” took the cake as most expensive painting sold till date. It was arguably his greatest masterwork, the most vivid expression of the painter’s unique style.

The details of this painting No. 5, 1948 are as:

Artist: Jackson Pollock (1912-56).
Year: 1948
Year of Sale: 2006
Sale Price: $140 million
Seller: David Geffen
Buyer: David Martinez
Auction house: Private sale

Posted By: Jaspreet

Caves: as second homes !!!

2008-12-27T23:43:00.006+05:30

I have always thought of spending a day in the cave....walking through its lanes – turned and twisted- as we watch in the movies.And if I tell you that that there’s a place where caves are the hottest real estate trend, are you going to believe me. Sounds incredible..it did to me as well when I came across this fact. I had never imagined that people actually live in Caves!!!! The stereotypical image of a "cave" is dark hole in the ground with water leaking from the ceiling and where only darkness prevails. This simply is not the case in Spain where caves are very economical dwellings with electricity and water connections, fantastic layouts, beautiful rooms and design ideas.

In Andalusia of Spain,a town named Gaudix provides well furnished caves for people to stay.The Moors were the first people to dig out the soft rock of the cliffs to make dwellings in caves, during the muslim occupation of Spain which ended in 1492. Today the area known as "Barrio Santiago" is dotted with some two thousand cave houses. The cave houses' thick walls ensure the house is cosy in winter and cool in summer, maintaining room temperatures at 19 degrees Celsius all year long. The way of life and the culture that goes with them in this corner of Andalusia is very welcoming and desirable. This unique lifestyle in an almost undiscovered area of Spain.

You can check the interiors of cave homes and further details at http://www.travelinginspain.com/guadix.htm

Posted by: Jaspreet

Daily Dump – Makes you a Better Person Instantly !!

2008-12-26T20:02:00.003+05:30

Daily Dump is a new start-up (Bangalore, Karnataka, India), which offers its consumers with a simple and easy solution for reducing landfill waste: composting. Daily Dump offers a range of products and services that help compost at home. It also provides solutions and knowledge through an open source platform. The Daily Dump offers an array of decorative composting pots and vessels with varied shapes and sizes. These can be used in the home and kitchen to manage organic waste and convert it to useful high-quality compost. And the special feature that adds to it is that it supports you with flexible full range service plans to achieve your goal of becoming a green citizen.

The compositing containers purchased on the website. Apart from vessels, the product range also includes spoons, spatulas and other necessities. The website is simple to browse and understand as it clearly puts upfront the categories of items which can and cannot be compost. On this site you’ll find information on the products, plus free material on everything you need to start your own composting project, faster than you can say ‘biodegradable’.

Currently the Daily Dump limits itself to household composting, but the company has plans for expanding its operations for businesses and larger homes. This Daily Dump stands as an inspiration and encourages others to invest in composting— that should make easy for the people to enter into the “Green Revolution”. Their commitment to such a fundamental cause - and moving ahead to create a zero waste home should be the hallmark of every nation. The gleam of hope is that if we appreciate the power of green and can distinguish the wrong thing from the right, we can create a better place for our family and neighbors which will ultimately contribute to the society. Doing the right thing requires less management, not more. So, what makes you wait—Simply, do it!! After all, “Small steps will lead to a great beginning”

It says : If you are too busy or don't like the idea of turning a waste pile - opting for the Daily Dump service plan is just the thing for you.Check Daily Dump at: http://dailydump.org/

Posted by: Jaspreet

The Economics of Christmas

2008-12-25T18:25:00.003+05:30

A very interesting article on the Wall Street Journal explaining the economics of Christmas caught my eye. The article titled, "How Christmas Brings Out The Grinch in Economists", talks about how some economists say we would be better off without Christmas as its an inefficient mode of connecting consumers to what they buy by squeezing all the purchases in a year end buying frenzy. Moreover, people spend hundred of dollars on unwanted gifts that might just be put in a box and kept in the closet... Read More...

Posted by Rahul Gosain

Christmas Special --Chocolate Cake !!

2008-12-25T17:02:00.013+05:30

Everyone must have been busy opening and sharing their gifts. Kids must have been enjoying and eating special dishes cooked by their Mom and Aunts together. Here below I share a yummy Chocolate Cake Double Layered Recipe , which you can bake for your kids and relatives to add a flavor to the Special Eve. This is a recipe from Indian Food Recipes .Check the video below; try it and make this Christmas Special..

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air."-- W. T. Ellis

Wish you all a "Merry Christmas" sealed with Love and Warm Wishes ...

"Grey Matterz" on its way to knock your hearts and deliver it..!!!

Posted by :Jaspreet

Ten Surprises for 2009

2008-12-25T15:08:00.002+05:30

In a collaborative effort between Global Equity Strategy and Global Asset Allocation, and in keeping with their year-end tradition, UBS presented in their final publication of 2008 a list of ten possible ‘surprises’ for the coming year. Its aim is to identify plausible scenarios, representing risks—up or down—to investor consensus thinking, and in some cases, to its own views.

UBS' list of ‘surprises’ include:

1) Corporate default rates don’t rise significantly;

2) Oil prices fall below $20 per barrel;

3) The dollar falls to new lifetime lows;

4) Breakeven inflation rates remain near zero;

5) Global growth is negative for 2009;

6) The Fed purchases corporate credit;

7) Emerging markets regain parity valuations;

8) Equity ‘fallen angels’ soar;

9) Obama pushes for a ‘tax holiday’; and,

10) Gold goes to $300.

Perhaps next year the surprises will be somewhat more positive? Who knows! Now let us take a look at their last years' surprises (predictions) and compare their conjectures to actual outcomes.

1) Global growth surprises on the upside: Did it happen? No.

2) Oil prices: Is 50 the new 20? Did it happen? Yes.

3) The dollar appreciates: Did it happen? Yes.

4) World trade clouds: Did it happen? Sort of.

5) Developed deflation, developing inflation: Did it happen? No.

6) Financials outperform: Did it happen? No.

7) Emerging equity markets under-perform: Did it happen? Yes.

8) Japanese equities outperform: Did it happen? It depends.

9) Equity volatility settles at lower levels: Did it happen? No.

10) Chinese inflation falls sharply: Did it happen? Yes.

With a success ratio of 40% in their last year's predictions it attests that this exercise has merit. At least it can provide an avenue for 'out of the box' thinking which can aid risk management. But, still I'm stunned that there's been no hint at the subprime crisis - how come they miss that? Whether their predictions hold good or live upto its own benchmark is a question that only time can answer. Let's wait and watch!!

Posted By: Anirban Dutta

Jingle bells Jingle bells jingle all the way !!!!!

2008-12-24T20:40:00.004+05:30

Isn’t it amazing that tonight people will be all set and excited to welcome Santa Claus who will arrive on his sleigh drawn by reindeer to slide down the chimney in his red suit with long white beard and a sack over his shoulder? And tomorrow will be the Big Day when people will open presents under the decorated Christmas tree. But I never knew since how long and old are these traditions continuing from.

The Bible offers no date for the birth of Jesus, and it may or may not have been in December. The celebration of the birth of Christ on 25 December dates back to the fifth century, when Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.25th Dec has been chosen for this festival of giving, sharing and rejoicing s to associate with the shortest day of the year, which falls between 22 December and 25 December. It was also Jupiter's birthday and there are many other strange facts associated along with this selected date.

The story behind the change of name from St Nicholas to Santa Claus is nothing but the miss pronunciation of Dutch Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas is also known as Sint Nikolaas in Dutch-a holiday tradition in Netherlands and Belgium.The practice of thinking that Santa slides down from the chimney came from the writings of Washington Irving in which St Nicholas appears as a fat, jolly figure, dressed in fur, with a clay pipe and beard, who slides down chimneys. Santa got his dress-the trademark red suit from the cartoonist Thomas Nast. It was when Coca Cola Corporation appropriated him for an advertising campaign that began in 1931, and ran every Christmas for 35 years. And Louis Prang was also a contributor in the dressing of Santa. He was a Boston Printer who first introduced Christmas cards to America. He featured chubby Santa with a red suit in his card. This picture rapidly changed the fur dressed and multicolored Santa's to the red cloaked round-bellied Santa.

To know more:about the origin of Christmas cards, reindeers, turkey, mince pies check the Articleat:http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfmc_id=6&objectid=10549639&pnum=2

Posted By: Jaspreet

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T16:39:00.003+05:30

Beware of Number 23 --subterfuge !!!

2008-12-24T05:08:00.010+05:30

I recently watched “Number 23” starring Jim Carrey as Walter Sparrow / Fingerling. The most fascinating part in the entire movie was the Number 23 itself. The movie compelled me to think if numbers can actually explain the occurrence of things around us.

· 23 is the most commonly cited prime number and the only prime number that consists of two consecutive prime numbers.
· Two divided by three makes 0.666 recurring (devil's number)
· The Hiroshima bomb was dropped at 8.15am - 8+15= 23.
· Charles Darwin’s Origin of Species was published in 1859 -
1+8+5+9 = 23.
· The Sept. 11th ,2001 attack: 9+11+2+0+0+1 adds up to 23.
· Each parent contributes 23 chromosomes to the start of human life.
· Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times.
· William Shakespeare was born on 23 April 1564. He died 52 years later on his birthday, 23 April 1616.He was born and died on the 23rd day of the month.
· The average human physical biorhythm is 23 days.
· The Titanic sank on 4/15/1912; 4+1+5+1+9+1+2=23.
· The tilt of Earth’s axis is roughly 23 degrees.
· The pattern of DNA shows irregular connections at every 23rd section · Humans have 23 vertebra running down the main part of their spines
· Blood circulates the body on average every 23 seconds
· The average circumference of a human head in inches is 23
· There is no 23 Chapter in the Bible book Revelations.
· There are 2,300 stones comprising the Great Pyramid
· There are exactly 23 characters, numbers and letters on the face of all U.S. coins
· 23rdians are a group of people who subscribe to the mystical power of 23 and see it in multiple combinations throughout daily life.
· December 23, 2012 is the day the classic Mayans said the world would end.

I am sure after reading this you might be tempted to know more about this enigma if there exists more strange facts about 23 which reflect reality. If you really do so, it is known as apophenia –people get trapped by their own minds.

APOPHENIA - is the experience of seeing patterns or connections in random or meaningless data. It can be a normal phenomenon or an abnormal one, as in paranoid schizophrenia when the patient sees ominous patterns where there are none. The 23 Enigma refers to the belief that all incidents and events are directly connected to the number 23, some permutation of the number 23, or a number related to the number 23, given enough ingenuity on the part of the interpreter.

Posted by: Jaspreet

Booze Breeds Philosophers

2008-12-22T22:56:00.003+05:30

Before you get amazed and shocked by the caption of this post, let me clarify all doubts that might have creeped up in your mind. I am in no mood to become a philosopher because philosophy is not my cup of tea. But, the tagline "Booze Breeds Philosophers" was suggested to me by Amit a few years back, when he was one in one of his trademark 'jolly' moods, the credit of which should go to 'Miller Light'. :)As Brands make emotional connects with consumers, so do their taglines. Also, "B o o z e B r e e d s P h i l o s o p h e r s", the tagline has the potential to be associated with any world famous brand. Are you hearing Heineken? Use it from my blog guys; believe me, I wont charge for it. And when a 'perceived philosopher' speaks about Beverages, Beer is the thing that real men gulp down (Oops, I didn't mean that men or for that matter women who drink tea or coffee are virtual). Random hovering on the net made me land at a site which has all price related information for beer across 207 countries in the world.

To find out the Beer Price at your place, Click here at Pint Price.

Taj--The Luxury hotel Reopens!!!

2008-12-22T00:01:00.004+05:30

I was glad to read the reports on reopening of Taj and after viewing the pictures posted with it, I felt it was a day of pride and love for all Indians that the Taj have reopened in such a short time after the terror attacks. Indian Hotels Chairman Ratan Tata today said the restored iconic Taj hotel that opened three weeks after the terror attacks will be dedicated to those who lost their lives in the siege.

The November 26 mayhem killed nearly 180 people besides causing extensive damage to the hotel. It was a challenge to have the hotel reopen within one month of refurbishment but the entire hotel will be opened by end-2009.

A press statement issued by the company said it has unveiled a memorial in salutation to all of those who lost their lives in the hotel during the terrorist attacks. The names of the 31 people who died in the attack will be inscribed at its base. There is still much work to do, but they are all determined to rebuild the Taj brick by brick until it outshines even its former glories. The reopening of Taj was blessed with hopes from people all over of standing again for the next 100 years, just as it had for the 103 years that have passed.

General Manager of the Taj Mahal Hotel, Karambir Kang whose wife and two minor sons were killed in the November terror attack, returned to work on Sunday. The new phenomenon of terror tourism seems to have taken root in the metropolis with tourists and even locals preferring to have themselves 'shot' against the backdrop of the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel instead of the historic Gateway of India. That brings some business back to the photographers.

"Mumbai seems to have returned to normalcy". But what about Terrorism?? Should we let this activity hamper our prosperity and serenity again? We the Indians have shown solidarity in the past. “United we stand and divided we fall”. There was time when we joined hands and got independence .Now is the time again striking together and wish for miracles. We should be bold enough to deter and stop terrorist. Instead of getting scared, we should scare them with our resolve to fight back.

We, the team “Grey Matterz” , would like to convey our heartiest wishes to Mr. Ratan Tata and to everyone behind the scenes that have made this a reality in such a short time after 26/11 as the world watched in horror the devastating attacks on the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai.

Posted By:Jaspreet

Where Asia stands...

2008-12-21T20:47:00.002+05:30

The question everyone wants to know is When will things get better? I am talking about Asia in particular and Asia has a very serious concern that investors in US, Europe and Japan might choose to part ways for the time being....

Posted by Rahul Gosain

Erotica & Economics

2008-12-21T12:53:00.002+05:30

A brain-scan study may help explain what is going through the minds of financial titans when they take risky monetary gambles: sex.

When young men are shown erotic pictures, they are more likely to make larger financial gambles than if they are shown a picture of something scary, such as a snake, or something neutral, such as a stapler. The arousing pictures light up the same part of the brain that lights up when financial risks are taken.

These results have been brought out in a study involving 15 heterosexual young men at Stanford University, focused on the sex-and-money hub, the V-shaped nucleus accumbens, which sits near the base of the brain and plays a central role in what is experienced as pleasure. When that hub is activated by the erotic images, the men are far more likely to bet high on a random chance game that would earn them either a dollar or a dime.

Stanford psychologist Brian Knutson, a lead author of the study, says “it is all about the power of emotion and arousal and financial decisions. The trigger does not have to be sex - it could be chocolate or a winning lottery ticket”. To quote … the link between sex and greed goes back hundreds of thousands of years, to men's evolutionary role as provider or resource gatherer to attract women.

The study conforms to recent research that indicates men shown a pornographic movie are more likely to make riskier sexual decisions. Another suggests straight men think less about their financial future after being shown pictures of pretty women. One still-to-be-published study at Harvard University found a link between higher testosterone levels and financial risk-taking.But the study conducted at Stanford, funded by the National Institutes of Health, went deeper, using functional magnetic resonance imaging machines. It is part of a new but growing field called neuroeconomics that attempts to take the hard-wired science of brain biology and mix it with the softer sciences of psychology and economics to figure out why people make the financial decisions they do.

An earlier study by the same team found that the brain's reward area lit up at about the same time as risky decision-making. The erotic pictures experiment is designed to find which is the cause and which is the effect. The answer: Lighting up the reward area, in this case with soft-core pictures, caused the risk-taking. The more activation there you have, the more prone you are to taking more risk. It could be a feedback loop. The flip side is that the photos of snakes and spiders activated the portion of the brain often associated with pain, fear and anger. And those people are more likely to bet low.

This all makes sense to Harvard economist Terry Burnham, author of the book "Mean Genes". Burnham said it could be all summed up in a famous line from the movie "Scarface". "In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women."

Posted By: Anirban Dutta

Market Failure and the Big Three

2008-12-21T12:25:00.004+05:30

It was much debated on whether the Federal Reserve should bailout the U.S auto industry or not. Many were of the opinion (with a conservative view) that the Big Three could probably survive and be competitive if the U.S government would let them go into Chapter 11 bankruptcy instead of bailing them out with taxpayers’ money.

In a capitalist economy, government intervention is less likely and less welcome unless there is a market failure which has far reaching effects. The fall of the Big Three would have been an imminent danger to the U.S.A's national economy. President Bush's order for an emergency bailout of the U.S auto industry offering $17.4 billion have risen mixed feelings. The autoworkers union complained the deal was too harsh on its members, while Bush's fellow Republicans in Congress said it was simply bad business to bail out yet another big industry.

To my opinion the Fed's decision is perfect as it could not afford to allow the massive auto industry to collapse when the economy is already in the middle of an economic downturn. The Big Three's fall could send the U.S economy into a deeper and longer recession. But, it is also high time for the U.S auto companies to reform bad management practices and begin the long-term restructuring to safeguard the millions of jobs it provides.

Posted By: Anirban Dutta

India's ready for SSZ - Sky Scraper Zone!!

2008-12-20T17:13:00.006+05:30

The large cities world wide are known and defined by their iconic skyscrapers. To name a few: The Petronas in Kaula Lumpur; the twin towers of the World Trade Center in Manhattan (levelled by 9/11) and the Empire State Building, in New York; Sears Tower in Chicago, Taipei 101 in Taiwan and the Burj tower in Dubai — these structures stand as towering symbols of their cities’ power and character.

Unfortunately, India does not have any tall structure which can be epitomised as a skyscraper. If plans work out according to schedule, Hyderabad may become the first Indian city to have an iconic superstructure.

The Government is planning to create an exclusive Sky Scraper Zone (SSZ) on the city outskirts, where construction of buildings with less than 12 storeys will not be permitted.450-metre tall structure is at present being constructed in Manchirevula, on the outskirts of Hyderabad. The 100-storeyed building is being constructed by Andhra Pradesh Infrastructure Corporation, and will be called APIIC tower. Its amazing to see the growth towards the Reality Sector in India. With this skyscraper the government is heading towards few more with certain established norms which have to be considered before moving forward with the plan.

Known as the city of Pearls, Hyderabad has a population of around ten million people. Aside from this, it is the second largest in the country when it comes to land area covered. "It's time a fast-growing city like Hyderabad had a skyscraper zone with no restriction on the height of the building. An SSZ would be a multiple-use zone with high-end offices, commercial, shopping and entertainment complexes. Government sources say inadequate fire-fighting equipment in the city will not be a hurdle as such tall structures will come with intelligent building system and in-built safety mechanisms.

Posted By:Jaspreet

WikiAcademy--Now in Asia !!

2008-12-18T20:34:00.002+05:30

Wikipedia, the most accessed online encyclopedia is heading its way to India. There are various reasons and it does make sense for this encyclopedia to take keen interest in India. It is not one country’s encyclopedia but a global encyclopedia. So, "Being a global encyclopedia, we need an east-west balance in our content, quantitatively as well as perceptively," said Wikimedia foundation founder Jimmy Wales.

Asia’s first Wikipedia academy has been set on rolls in Chennai. It’s like a training centre which will enhance the skills of the interested participants. As the exchange and sharing of knowledge seems to be recession proof, Wikimedia foundation is all set to expand its participation base in India. Wikipedia is the fourth most used site in the world, and sixth in India-- Wikipedia is ushering in Wiki Academy, a connect between Wiki and its users . With close to 277 million users visiting it every month, Wikipedia needs more contributors or participants from India, and also the world. But, India does not contribute as much to Wikipedia. This foundation encourages the participants to contribute to Wikipedia especially in regional languages. This community-based organization, however, has decided not to venture into web-based social networking. The understanding that Wikipedia is not merely for consumption and contributions should be made was the motive behind this WikiAcademy.

"Wikipedia was never about a clever business model. It was about the mission of developing one global encyclopedia for every person on the planet. That excited people. It created the movement which you see has created Wikipedia today," Mr. Jimmy Wales said.

Posted By: Jaspreet

Social Media Networking & its Effects

2008-12-18T19:46:00.005+05:30

Chris in his blog mentions that there are various benefits of social networking which have an effect and require you to be vigelant about who you are connecting with. It is also common logic that your network only increases when you have good relations with everyone in your circle. He further mentions the benefits of growing your social media network which would serve the following purposes-

- More opportunities
- Greater access to expertise, information, news
- Frequent, valuable feedback
- Accelerated growth through viral effects
- Lower cost and better quality attention

I would start believing him nowadays specially at the recessionary times. I once mentioned in my personal blog that 'Its just connecting to people', but it is worth noting a fact that new networks help you locate new business opportunities. But, to excel in the art of managing your relations online and seeking a profit motive out of it, there has to be a balance between the relations you manage and the time associated with it. The plethora of social networking sites have exploded in the last few years and there have been special social networking sites for the who's who of the society.

Chris further suggets some social networking sites which are a must for almost every netizen today. These are -

Conversation - Twitter
Bookmarking - Digg and StumbleUpon
Groups/Social - FaceBook
Business Contacts - LinkedIn
Pictures - Flickr

Madoff's Ponzi Scam--

2008-12-17T01:43:00.009+05:30

Investors sent stocks lower as anxiety over the growing list of firms affected by investment manager Bernard Madoff magnified Wall Street’s concerns about the health of the financial sector. Madoff stands accused of operating an elaborate Ponzi scheme, using cash from new investors to pay off older ones, to the tune of $50 billion. US authorities allege that Madoff delivered consistently strong returns to clients by secretly using the principal investment from new investors for payments to other investors in what is known as a "pyramid fraud." The alleged offenses only came to light because he could no longer raise the money to keep his scheme going, according to the US Securities & Exchange Commission.

The 70-year-old Madoff, well respected in the investment community after serving as chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market, was arrested as he was suspected of leading a $50 billion Ponzi scheme.Global finance giants have admitted huge potential losses in the suspected pyramid fraud scam run by the Wall Street veteran. HSBC has potential exposure of about $1.5 billion, the Financial Times reported.The Spain's largest bank said its investment fund Optimal has a 2.33 billion euro exposure to Madoff Securities. France's largest listed bank ,BNP Paribas said it has a potential 350 million exposure. Santander, the eurozone's largest bank by market value, said its clients had an exposure of 2.33 billion euros to Madoff's investment funds. Nomura Holdings, Japan’s biggest brokerage, said it had a $303 million exposure related to Wall Street trader Bernard Madoff,

Madoff’s alleged fraud has apparently shook the world. More so because it is stated to the world’s biggest financial fraud till date. Shock waves from Bernard Madoff's alleged fraud spread globally, as charities, wealthy individuals and banks disclosed losses from the prominent Wall Street trader's investment management business.Madoff claimed that he had only 200 to 300 million dollars left, while prosecutors were uncertain how much money Madoff's clients, among them banks, prominent investors and celebrities, have lost.

Bernard L Madoff Investment Securities LLC, operated as an international market broker with a separate investment advisory business for private clients. The advisory business was kept secretive by Madoff and served between 11 and 25 clients with 17.1 billion dollars under his management. New York hedge fund manager and Wall Street legend Bernard Madoff has been charged with what could be the largest Ponzi scheme in history.

Posted by: Jaspreet

The Indian Desi T-Shirt

2008-12-16T19:28:00.005+05:30

I was reading a piece of news when I was completely shocked when I saw some pictures that made me laugh and pity the retail market. The headline said "The T-Shirt gets a desi voice" under the section 'Retail Therapy'. Moreover, these t-shirts were priced at INR 1000/- as their starting price. Couldn't do anything than having a hearty laugh and telling my friends about this new concept which I am sure would fail. Don't ask me the reason of its failing, rather bet me on the failure.

It is not that I am broke and can't purchase them, I am filthy rich man and I can buy 10 of them. But the point is I would look a complete dumbass after wearing this piece of shit (Yeah, SHIT). I consider myself the Gen Y of this country and needless to say that this T-shirt with its unique yet moronic styles, taglines, concept and designs has been targetted at the Youth. But, answer this yourself, How many of you would buy it? Even if you guys buy it, Where would you wear it?

I would prefer wearing it while shitting in the pot, because that is the only place in the world wherein I am sure that no one is watching me. Come on man, who the hell would buy this piece of bullshit. Atleast, I won't. Will you Mr. Anonymous (refer to the comments)? I am sure you would because you have a hidden desire to stand up and get noticed for all the wrong reasons in the world.

Come on, hit the the comment bar again, Mr. Anonymous.

Virtual world economy-- Gold farming !!

2008-12-16T19:03:00.004+05:30

Gold farming is a game in which a player attempts to acquire certain items of value within a game, usually by exploiting repetitive elements of the game's mechanics. This is how the Chinese gold farmers earn their livelihood by playing the massive multiplayer game. They then gather the virtual money earned in the game and thereafter sell it for real money. I wasn’t aware of such practice though heard of virtual world economy-- .But this is referred to as Gold Farming. Chinese Gold Farming (CGF) refers to people in poorer countries who play MMO video games for the sole purpose of generating the virtual currency in those games to be sold to other game subscribers

Playing online games for 12 hours is a fulltime job for thousands of Chinese workers. They work in seven twelve-hour shifts a week. It's highly repetitive work .They follow the loot-maximizing strategy which involves hanging around the same little area and whacking the same monsters over and over. Wages depend heavily on location and the size of the gold-farming company. Julian Dibbell has written many articles on Chinese gold farming and their lifestyle. He in few of his articles have also explained that these people involved in the game at times get bored of the same routine throughout. But at times they have more fun - The owner of one gold farm proposed that rather than grinding out more loot, his workers would build 40-man team who will serve as mercenaries. These mercenaries will be hired by the players of the game to accompany them while they attack the toughest areas of the World of Warcraft (WoW). But this strategy came to an end in no time. One day word came down from the bosses that the 40-man raids were suspended indefinitely for lack of customers.

But this is really amazing that these gold farmers earn only while playing a game. You will be astonished to know that there are around 100,000 people in China who are employed as gold farmers, as of December 2005. The rising prevalence of gold farming has led to the creation of gold-farm brokerages. The sale of virtual items and assets has found its way into auction sites such as eBay. Although it was a common sight to see gold farmers list their virtual items on these sites, the sale of these virtual items does not actually take place there.

The market for massively multiplayer online role-playing games, known as M.M.O.’s, is fast-growing .There are gold farmers or gold farms in other countries as well, such as the Philippines, Indonesia, and Mexico. However only Indonesia comes anywhere close and even then it still is in a league below that of China.

Posted By: Jaspreet

Sex Advertisments as Borrowed Interest Devices

2008-12-15T20:15:00.011+05:30

I read an article about an ad which was actually a poster across a room and had "SEX" written on it in the largest font size possible. As every human secretly fantasizes about it, I (please consider me a human) would have also gone closer to it; just to read a smaller print at the bottom which would have said, "Now that I have your attention, let me tell you about the advantages of….". There are many ads which can be googled and related to the similar theme as mentioned here. Self embarrassment would have crept into me because I myself thought that how can a marketer be prone to such ads. The would be reason for the embarrassment actually was the hidden wish that no one else on this planet should have seen me commit such a probable mistake (would it be one ?). I then would have said, Brilliant Concept. Hats off to the mind behind the ad !!

A thought about the ad specifics made me believe that the concept of borrowed interest was again panned as a poor communications vehicle made by amateur ad designers. I still think that borrowed interest ads and marketing communications of similar types get a lot more credit than they actually deserve. The ad actually targets everyone including me, ignorant of the fact that there have to be specific target audiences to be kept in consideration. The sole purpose of this ad is just to capture the attention of every Tom, Dick and Harry passerby. I asked myself, "Are ads made to create awareness and get attention?" The answer I got is "Yes". I again asked, "Did this ad had a target market in consideration when it was displayed?". This time, I got the answer as "NO".

The ad basically tried to capture attention without before even trying to consider the customers as the potential market. It also made me understand a fact that not all tag lines have the same amount of substance in the body copy and it is better to ignore them. Therein comes the concept of "Borrowed Interest". It tried to borrow the interest from an act "sex" which is actually liked by all human beings on the earth, but it is impossible to have a target audience which comprises of the entirety of human race.

In case, the ad team which was behind this ad comes across this blog post of mine, I suggest 3 things which the ad team should have in mind while making an ad from the next time.

1. Target ads at people who are interested in the ownership of the product being advertised. It is indeed not necessary to get the attention of any non-buyer.
2. Good ads should be aimed at the people whom you are selling to. The ad comprising of the main theme, body copy and the tag line should have a sync in them.
3. The marketing communique should be aimed at the interest of the target market rather than all the viewers of the ad.

The Smokers' Grave

2008-12-15T18:28:00.006+05:30

Adpunch mentioned this ad as one of their favourites. I agree with him.

The print ad shows that the smokers are situated in a room which actually looks like a grave from the top. This is actually true, because that is what smoking does.

One of the best socially responsible ads I have ever seen.

Rational Religion?

2008-12-14T17:15:00.011+05:30

Religion works on a key principle and that is not of belief but of anti-rationality. The fact that it is faith, denies one from asking questions which can have tricky answers or tend to look for rationality. Take any religion, the reason for belief is not faith per-se but Fear. So does fear psychosis drive religion? You answer that...

Think about this:

If you question the holy spirit you go to Hell
If you commit a sin, then you go to Hell
If you are a disbeliever, you wont get salvation and go to Heaven. The only other options are being damned and sent to hell or not being in peace after you pass on to the next life

This stands true in the context of any religion. You just can't question the way things are or why they are said to be in a particular way in the religious texts. You just read them and believe them. No questions. What I am trying to say here is that all the deterrents here boil down to Fear of some form or the other. The Fear of going to Hell, or being damned or not finding peace etc. etc. etc. Try to be rational with a person of faith and he will call you a disbeliever if he is not able to answer your questions. When we grow up, we are taught to believe and have faith but never taught to question. Eventually as some of us grow up, we start questioning WHY and that's a very tough word.

Many would disagree with what I say but then again, they choose not to question. Rationality and Religion are not the best of friends you see.....

Posted by Rahul Gosain

(I am a person of faith myself. The views expressed in this post are not with the purpose of hurting any one's religious sentiments)

Sitting Out Professional Sports

2008-12-14T12:32:00.003+05:30

Sports in US is bigger in more ways than one. For starters, its not just about a single sport (cricket), as in the case of India, but is a buffet of sports with equal feeding frenzy such as Super Bowl, Baseball, Ice Hockey, NBA, NASCAR or Golf.
So even though teams such as the Yankees saying to Bobby Abreu that "We can't pay you as much" or The New York Giants telling Eli Manning that "You're too expensive", is clearly not an option, they still have to somehow manage all this with the sponsorships dwindling and no takers for the Corporate Boxes.
Read More...

Posted by Rahul Gosain

Chiquita, Not Just Bananas!

2008-12-14T00:57:00.006+05:30

The name Chiquita in the western world is synonymous to a banana. But there's a lot more to Chiquita than just bananas!

The company's website parade about its ethical business practices without shame or modesty which they hardly practise in reality:
"Chiquita is committed to conducting business ethically and in compliance with the letter and spirit of the law. This commitment is reflected in our Company’s Core Values – Integrity, Respect, Opportunity and Responsibility. These values embody who we are and what we do."

In March 2007, Chiquita was convicted of federal criminal charges for making more than 100 payments, totaling more than $1.7 million, to the United Self-Defense Committees of Colombia (Autodefensorias Unidas de Colombia or AUC), which has been designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the U.S. government. Chiquita paid a $25 million fine.

In July, 2007 Colombian families represented by EarthRights International (ERI), together with the Colombian Institute of International Law (CIIL), Judith Brown Chomsky, and Schonbrun DeSimone Seplow Harris & Hoffman LLP (SDSHH), filed a federal class-action lawsuit charging Chiquita Brands International, Inc., the multi-national produce company, with funding and arming known terrorist organizations in Colombia in order to maintain its profitable control of Colombia’s banana growing regions starting in the mid-1990s.

Chiquita’s payments to these paramilitary groups, including the AUC and its predecessors, were reviewed and approved by senior executives of the corporation, and resulted in the targeted killings of hundreds or thousands of individuals, including trade unionists, banana workers, and political organizers. It is also said that the company have been engaging women and child labourer in their plantations in El-Salvador, Colombia and other Central American nations, who were made to work under inhumanic working conditions.

It flaunts its 'Code of Conduct' (CoC) and holds it up as the representative of its ethics and compliance program. Apparently, going by the CoC of the company, it looks like the company is deep-rooted in strong fundamentals. But, the dark-side of the company's economic activities is scary.

Posted By: Anirban Dutta

ROBOT –The Perfect Wife!!

2008-12-12T20:23:00.005+05:30

A day has come when human beings are not the only one to become soul-mates. A Canadian inventor, Le Trung, who was unable to find his perfect woman created a female robot, Aiko. This lady robot is designed in such a way that she remembers his favourite drink, cleans his house, and is even good at managing accounts. With the body of a Page 3 pin-up and housekeeping skills Aiko is undoubtedly the perfect wife.

He has spent £14,000 pounds in creating Aiko, who he describes as "in her 20s" with a 32, 23, 33 figure, shiny hair and delicate features. She can speak English and Japanese. Aiko is designed with a touch-sensitive face and body so she reacts in a natural way when she is shown affection or when hurt.

TOI reports, “The 33-year-old former software programmer has taken various loans, sold his car and spent his entire savings on perfecting his "fem-bot" and now he's seeking a corporate sponsor to help him complete and perfect Aiko. "Aiko is what happens when science meets beauty," the Telegraph quoted Trung as saying. I want to make her look, feel and act as human as possible so she can be the perfect companion.” Aiko recognises his family members and greets them all when comes around to visit. She guides him the direction when they are out for a driveShe doesn't need holidays, food or rest and she will work almost 24-hours a day. She can move her hands, nod her head – and shout indignantly if touched roughly.

This sounds so amazing as Aiko will one day become Trung’s perfect wife.She does all what a wife needs to do.And as he’s still working on her may be a time comes where she will reciprocate to his love.The world’s taking a new turn and with advancement in technology all desires can be converted into reality.The platform for innovation is so widespread that people are inventing things which were never thought of in the past.

Posted by:Jaspreet

The Titanic Truth

2008-12-12T19:34:00.005+05:30

I love conspiracy theories. They are a stable mix of crap and substance at room temperature. One of the best I have come across is Titanic actually not being Titanic but apparently a sister look alike ship called The Olympic. As per the theory, Titanic sinking was the biggest insurance fraud in history. Anyways, not going into the conspiracy, I would like to tell you something you probably would be shocked to hear. Most of the footage, postcards and pictures of the Titanic in existence are fake. There is a more than 90% chance that what you have as a memory of Titanic is actually a shot of the sister ship The Olympic and the video footage that media uses too is that of The Olympic. That is how similar the two ships looked. You can tell this by looking at the names of the docking ships in pictures smudged because they were in New York – a city that the Titanic never reached. And just in case you didn’t know, the man accused of co-conspiring the Titanic Insurance Scam was no other than the great J P Morgan himself who cancelled his ticket on the Titanic at the last moment on grounds of ill health, when actually he was in southern France with his mistress, in perfect physical health.

Keep reading for the next post on the Titanic Conspiracy....

Posted by Rahul Gosain

Is Arun Sarin the right choice??

2008-12-12T13:11:00.015+05:30

Who’s in the race to become the CEO of Yahoo after Jerry Yang. The one name which they are considering to fit into their working frame now is Arun Sarin.Yeah "Vodafone's Arun Sarin"; who stood down as Vodafone chief executive in July.

However Mr Sarin is understood to be among a small number of potential candidates, with others believed to include former AOL boss Jonathan Miller.In recent weeks, Mr Miller has been linked to a partial bid for Yahoo!, something which activist investor Carl Icahn, who owns a 5.5pc stake in the company, has indicated he would oppose.

Yahoo's President Sue Decker was also considered as the leading internal candidate to replace Mr.Yang. But now she is not being viewed as same by the board, because of her association with the company’s handling of its $33-a-share bid from Microsoft last year.

Presently, looking at the current scenario Arun Sarin may be the right person/candidate in that matter to take on the chair. Talking of Mr.Sarin aged 52, graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology with a BS in Engineering in 1975. In 1978 he gained a MS in Engineering and a MBA from the University of California, at Berkeley. In April 2003 he became CEO designate of Vodafone Group Plc and assumed the post of Chief Executive Officer on July 30th 2003. Prior to becoming Chief Executive Officer, Arun had been a Non-Executive Director of The Gap Inc, The Charles Schwab Corporation and Cisco Systems Inc.
To know more about Mr.Arun Sarin, check this out: http://www.hotklix.com/?ref=link/184781

Though everyone around is speculating that the name of the successor will be decided soon, but this soon is no sooner than January or even February because of the likely delays that will be caused by the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays. In addition, it will take time for the Yahoo’s 11 board members to come to consensus for this big decision.

Posted by: Jaspreet

Born Liars!!!

2008-12-09T22:00:00.007+05:30

From childhood we are taught that lying is a bad thing, a sin. Then all of a sudden, we all seem to master the ability to lie as we grow up. Some defend this by preaching us that lying is always not bad if its for some one's good. Anyways, not going into the controversy of ethical dilemma, let me tell you why I am talking about lying.

Science has proven that human beings are born liars. What I mean by this is that they don't have to be taught to lie and they do not necessarily learn it from others. Its conditioned into their genetic model. You can call it a subconscious reflex which eventually with practice turns into a conscious action.

An experiment involving several children who had just started speaking, was conducted to test whether lying comes naturally or is conditioned by the environment in which one lives. Children were left in a room with a hidden camera and a birthday cake on a table and asked not to eat the cake until the adults arrive. On observation it was seen that a few minutes later the children started eating the cake and behaving like children do (Messy and cute with food they like). When they were asked later, who ate the cake?, they said that they did not know and denied eating the cake.

A simple experiment that proved that we are born liars and that lying is not something that we learn as we grow up. I guess the ones who master this art as they grow up, turn out to become great lawyers and politicians (pun intended).

Posted by Rahul Gosain

Backing Down From A Skirmish

2008-12-09T20:47:00.006+05:30

Insurance companies are not known for making multi-million dollar coverages easily available and very frankly if they keep doing so, then they would not be in the business. This is the reason I was shocked when I read that Tata AIG which is the main insurer for Taj Mumbai and New India Assurance Co., the key insurer for Trident Mumbai, had agreed not only to cover the damage caused by terrorists but also all losses including the ones caused by security agencies. Their argument was that they were unable to differentiate the damage caused. (Yeah Right!!!)

So what's the catch? Did they get "Enlightened" overnight? I don't think so. Its a simple logic of not entering a skirmish when you know that you won't win and would damage your image in the process, something similar to what Indira Gandhi did not realize during the 1970s.

If the case goes to the court for coverage of all losses, then the chances are that the case will be ruled in favour of the hotels. What might cause more damage for the insurance companies is that they may lose pubic confidence if they deny the coverage, especially when the Mumbai attacks have become a sensitive issue for the entire nation.

I am sure that the Insurance Companies are not happy to pay, especially when we are looking at a figure between Rs 750 - Rs 1300 crores. Ouch!!!!!! That's gotta hurt....

Posted by Rahul Gosain

Coffee Cake-- Enjoy it..!!

2008-12-09T13:06:00.005+05:30

Last month I had been at my Friend's place. It was Aunty's B'day (My friend's mother). And this girl had baked a surprise cake for her Mom. It was simply delicious and I thought I'll ask her the recipe. Today morning I got a mail from her (Girls are never on time -- ). But she remembered forwarding me the recipe. I would love to share this and many more on this blog. This is a coffee cake recipe by Pille from the Blog nami-nami . The recipe was originally from a Finnish food magazine in early 1990s. There's something about eating a coffee cake while drinking coffee, you see.

Note : simple ground coffee is used in the cake, not the instant kind.

Coffee Cake Recipe -
(Kohvikook)
250 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
250 ml / 1 cup / 225 g caster sugar
3 eggs
500 ml / 2 cups all-purpose/plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
3 heaped Tbsp ground coffee
2 tsp vanilla sugar
50 ml / 3-4 Tbsp milk
For the frosting -
4 Tbsp cold coffee or coffee liquorappr. 200 g icing sugar
For decoration -
Coffee bean shaped chocolate

Cream butter and sugar until pale, then whisk in eggs, one at a time.
Measure dry ingredients into a bowl, mix thoroughly and then stir into the butter and egg mixture alongside with milk. The resulting batter is quite thick, but still spoon able.
Spoon the batter into a buttered small oven tray (e.g. 30x30 cm).
Bake in the middle of a pre-heated 175 C oven for about 25 minutes, until the cake is cooked (test for doneness with a small wooden cocktail stick).
Let cool.
Mix the coffee and icing sugar into a glossy frosting and drizzle over the cake.
Decorate with chocolate 'coffee beans'.

Try it as Sunday morning food -- trust me, its delicious..!! I truly love coffee cake...

Terrorists Act. Mumbaikars React.

2008-12-09T11:22:00.007+05:30

I really do not understand that why does a single image, single news headline, single act has an effect that is more than watching or listening hundred tragical stories. The feeling of the American achievement being reduced to towers of flames was the same as Taj Mahal hotel blazing brightly in the Mumbai night; both the times the causes were small group of Jehadis.

The most shocking thing is that the terrorists were able to disrupt the life of South Mumbai, which has Bombay of old money, of Cumballa and Malabar Hill, of the towers of Nariman Point, of the Queen’s Necklace, of the colonial clubs, of the High Court, of the University and yes, of the Taj and the Oberoi. The old residents say that this is "The Real Bombay". The others say it is "The Boring Mumbai".

The attack on the old, calm and composed Bombay had a hidden message from terrorists which says, "Nothing is sacred, and that nobody is safe. No matter what you all did to protect yourselves, we can stride into centers of well-protected privilege and open fire at will".

As Vir Sanghvi says, "When the Taj went up in flames, so did a vision of Indian privilege.It showed us that terrorism is the great equalizer. There maybe two Bombays, two Indias even. But there is only one kind of terrorism. And it affects us all".

Who's next to be hit by recession ?

2008-12-09T00:18:00.011+05:30

It's bloggers' turn to be hit by recession

Developers, consultants, trainers, team leaders have all become victims of the recession facing the IT/ITeS sector. A fresh entrant — The Bloggers — can soon meet the same fate. With marketing budgets of corporate going lean, professional bloggers, who blog for a living, may be the next to front the slump spank.“The current economic recession has scared people. Bloggers are facing the wrath of the recession, especially in US and Europe. Online ad-spend by advertisers has come down due to the current cash flow problems. But advertisers haven’t completely stopped online advertising; they have stopped new online ad campaigns but are running existing ones on blogs,” said Vikram Deo, blogger (http://www.nampblog.com/).

However, all is not glum on the blogging front.ET reports "Traffic is up and experts feel the India blogging market has a lot of potential that is yet to be explored.The blogging phenomenon in India has just started and it will grow soon as more people get access to the internet. Today, internet penetration is just 4% in India.”

India doesn’t have blogs like Techcrunch or Gigaom whose revenue runs into millions of dollars.Many individuals maintain blogs as a means to express themselves, connect with individuals, find opportunities and build a personal brand. These activities may become more important during a recession when jobs are scarce.The professional blogging community might find it hard to duck their way.

Nearly 95% of blogs don’t expect to earn real money. The top 1% will survive since production costs are low. The 4% remaining of small blogs trying to make money will have a bad year in 2009 and many will become just hobbies.

Posted by - Jaspreet Kaur.

Lip Gloss junkies will love it--

2008-12-08T20:52:00.010+05:30

There's a Beauty Buzz everywhere nowadays. Today the philosophy of only internal beauty doesn't last more. Irrespective of the facial beauty, everyone wants to have perfect hairstyle,perfect dress, perfect personality. Though personality doesn't mean to resemble a model or an actor; It means to be presentable. As everyone leaves the first impression and if you are well-groomed you can never escape the second look from Mr. He or Miss. She. But this news is for all the girls who are lip gloss junkie, this product is for you!!!!

O-GLOSS by Smashbox available at Sephora is a one of a kind gloss. The unique thing about it is,this lip gloss reacts to your body's own personal chemistry. The lip gloss goes on clear and transforms to a perfect shade of pink just for you! Isn't that unbelievable?

Well, I am planning to get one soon and you too can try it out.It sounds awesome and will make the girls look perfect as it will match up with one's personality. For more details of the product, click here.

Before Pitching Bloggers-Check this out..!!

2008-12-08T15:40:00.006+05:30

This is one topic which is being posted in many of the marketing blogs and also one of the hottest topic amongst the PR. The main objective of the following tips is to provide the right kick to the understanding of PR executives who have recently stepped into the world of Blogging. Below is an excerpt of the 7 tips (full text is in the PDF download):

1. Before you pitch them, read their blog
2. Two words: trackbacks and comments
3. Bloggers are experts
4. It's not always about their readers
5. Giving them free stuff is ok
6. Know who else is talking about you
7. Don't throw away your traditional media relations playbook

Get the "7 Tips for Pitching Bloggers".

There are also many other useful resources for PR professionals who are really interested in improving their skills when it comes to dealing with bloggers. Here are a few I would recommend -

The PR Wiki: Tips on Pitching Bloggers (Constantin Basturea)
Don't be a bad pitcher (Anil Dash)
Blog Relations List (Tom Murphy)

Posted by - Jaspreet Kaur.

Honey, Where's the Money ?

2008-12-07T23:07:00.007+05:30

Remember the famous quote “Money can’t buy you happiness but it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery” by Spike Milligan. I found this quote very true because Spike was not much off the mark. Roses, candle light dinners, expensive gifts, refreshing holidays and all that “till death do us apart” (or "Till DEARTH do us Apart") balderdash are not the things that keeps couples together and makes them live happily ever after. Then, what is it? I am sorry to tell you all perfect couples; it is just plain COLD CASH.

This puts paid to all those pious sentiments expressed by the seemingly sentimental that it is their partner’s intelligence, compassion, even physical attributes that is the secret of an enduring union. No sir, it is more western union money transfer that does the trick. When these perfect seeming couples don’t see rupee to rupee, then they’re in trouble.

Therefore, it is so bloody simple. All you need is a natter that “Money matters”, doesn’t matter if you are gazing into each other’s eyes or dressing up to impress your partner. To me, it is the best investment for matrimony. It seems so justified to keep the interest accruing on investment to keep interest in the marriage going. Let me put this according to my logic “It is not always blondes that gentlemen prefer, but bonds”. Is there any truth in all this? I don’t know. But certainly I can cheque, sorry check and get back to you.

Now, please don’t ask me the kind of girl I am looking for. Even if you ask, I won’t reply.

From, Marketing Environment.

I am Safe. But, for How Long ?

2008-12-07T20:48:00.004+05:30

After the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, I called up a friend to ask how is she doing. She said, "I am Safe. But, for How Long"? Her pathos and helplessness found a deep echo within me. Aren't you all optimistic to the core and believe that we should not live in the shadow of fear? But, slowly within we manage to lull ourselves into a sense of security and once again, let life take over.

It actually does not matter the amount of platitudes you may mouth, but the truth lies in watching terror unfold on the idiot box satisfying voyeuristic instincts, similar to a movie. And then you survive with the audacious claim that terror would not touch your lives. Somehow, I have always been astonished with the striking of terror when one expects it the least. We walk in dread and watch every step for ages, and then the one day we least expect, it accosts us. Seeing the pics makes you believe the cryings, the cursings, the ravings and disbeliefs that all the people went through.

So what do we do ? Light a candle, but will it help. I doubt ?

Just because almost all the terrorist acts in recent years have involved Muslims as the perpetrators, and because of the fetish of appeasing the minority Muslim community at any cost, our soft national psyche inherited from Gandhi, our response to terrorism has become a combination of impotence and vote bank politics sought to be covered by rhetoric and pleas for peace. Come on man, give a normal Indian a break. Almost all the terrorist acts that our country has gone through has a collective national response which is reactive rather than active, defensive rather than offensive. Public statements are issued, action is promised. Period. Nothing else really happens.

Why do our politicians wait untill a colossal and unbelievable act of terror paralyses the entire country into a daze? And there's that impractical concern for "guilty beyond reasonable doubt" even in matters of terrorism. If cockroaches had votes and rats had a religion, our politicians would enact a law prohibiting killing of those two living species as well.

When will our country stop having an attitude towards terrorism which is not tepid and timid, castrated and impotent ?

Chevron Quits Reliance Petroleum's Project

2008-12-07T20:38:00.008+05:30

Chevron is all but certain to pass up its option to take a nearly one-third stake in the world’s biggest new refinery in India, as the dawning of a global recession darkens the outlook for the industry’s margins. The US oil major has until June to decide whether or not to increase the five per cent share it bought in Reliance Petroleum, which is building the 580,000 barrel per day export-oriented refinery in Jamnagar.

A Reliance group official said on Friday that the plant had already begun trial runs. But that $300 million investment, made in 2006 at 60 rupees a share, is now barely profitable as energy markets collapse, and parent firm Reliance Industries has already geared up to go it alone as it faces the daunting task of selling more refined fuel into an oversupplied world market. According to a Reliance official, who declined to be named as he is not authorised to speak to the media, it seems that Chevron is not keen on raising their stake. Originally the intent was that they will add value and increase their stake. All value creation technology, capital etc have been arranged by Reliance Industries.

Is Fermi Fair? Or is there something Better?

2008-12-06T18:58:00.005+05:30

Imagine your reaction when you step into the interview room and the interviewer asked you, "How many hairs would you need to cover the entire earth?"

That's something one doesn't usually expect, but most fall victim to. So why do they ask you such a question? The simple answer may be to just see the way you rationalize an answer you give. But does that really work in the recruiter's favour? Such questions are referred to as Fermi Questions and exercises based on such questions are known as Fermi Exercises.

Most corporates that use Fermi as a part of their hiring procedure have seen their organizations filled by individuals who have a science background and are naturally or conditionally strong in quantitative subjects. This has resulted in the talent pool being imbalanced and starved of employees that might have average quantitative ability but might have above average creativity, reasoning and analytical abilities.

It is but natural that in any interview that has a set of Fermi questions, a student from a science background will have a considerable advantage. To overcome this limitation, companies are now turning to questions which are abstract and push you to think out of the box. They are not necessarily technical but at times silly sounding. Take this one for example:

An interviewer keeps a raw egg on the table and says, "Throw a wall on the egg, but the egg should not break".

This question can have various answers, some very quantitative in approach, while others very creative and out of the box. In such a situation, a candidate, irrespective of his/her background will have a fair chance and this would also bring out the most ideal candidate for a company. It is not uncommon to see companies such as Puma and Nike depend on such exercises and questions to pick candidates. The wall in the question mentioned can be a wall of imagination or a paper wall. The creativity of the answers depends on the candidate's ability to think out of the box--------waaaaaay out of the box.

Posted by - Rahul Gosain

Most Expensive Blog Ever Sold--

2008-12-06T11:39:00.008+05:30

BankRate, a financial information site, made a multimillion dollar purchase. This made one savvy blogger the owner of the most expensive blog in the world.

Johns Wu, founder and sole employee of Bankaholic, has been paid $12.4 million for his financial blog and may receive up to an additional $2.5 million over the next year. The posts on the blog ranges from the advertising gift card promotions to rants about the current state of economy. The major sources of revenue for this Wordpress Blog comes from Adsense, Bank rate Partner Program and credit card affiliate links.

A deal which is estimated at $15M for the site is highly ranked for many top banking terms,ie CD Rates and contributed by only one person is really commendable. I was simply blown away with this news and could say only “WOW”, as Mr.Wu must be a genius in BB- Banking & Blogging.

Posted By - Jaspreet Kaur.

Online Travel Market

2008-12-06T00:09:00.004+05:30

Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, Trip Advisor, Priceline - each carved out a unique niche for itself in Online Travel, and established a hot new category at the very beginning of Internet in US. The overall travel market today is $518 billion between US and Europe alone. China’s online travel services market reached $31.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2005 (Source: Analysys International). But China’s online travel market will grow to $9.6 billion by 2009.

In India, the total online travel market size was $368 million in 2006, and $523 million in 2007. Though the exact statistics for 2009 isn’t available but it can be assumed to run in billions. The overall Indian Travel sector is growing tremendously, forecasted to be $32 Billion (2008).The category is receiving venture capital: Yatra from Norwest’s Promod Haque, and TravelGuru from Westbridge Capital’s K.P. Balraj are two examples which are playing in the mass market. MakeMyTrip.com was an early entrant that is already at a $40 M+ revenue.

The US market, in its turn, is becoming mature, and more segmented, as vendors start differentiating by focusing on specific niches. One of the favorite examples is Groople, which focuses on Group Travel. Michael Stacy, CEO, Groople said “We think there’s a $40 billion market not online yet. When you look at the size of the market the opportunity is tremendous.” This is nostalgic as we often traveled in large groups of friends and family in the lane of memories.

Posted By - Jaspreet Kaur.

Team Building - Today's Jargon

2008-12-06T00:03:00.003+05:30

Teams, groups, We, Together—simply say it in any business and everyone agrees to it, explaining the importance of team-building. But today people in the organizations have forgotten themselves.There’s no mention of ‘I’ and ‘me’ in the team we work with. “Team work” is it jargon of the day??

Don’t take me otherwise: we all believe in teams as it is the concept of developing faster. But amidst all these, there lies a major hurdle. The concept of team is talked everywhere but the flaw is we like to be surrounded by people who are very much like us—especially in the fields of innovation and brainstorming events.

Today many of us simply nod our heads to the ideas generated by a well balanced team, where other members are good in executing the plan of actions and getting things done smoothly. But this wouldn’t have been the case if we were the ones to come up with our ideas. Then the scene would have been totally different. As the traditional mode of creativity would bind us to be honest to ourselves about the way the idea is carried out.

What is rare is the individual with the experience, drive, and commitment to take ideas and execute them well. Today not only brands are getting commoditized but also the ideas. The order and managing skills of a manager in an organization doesn’t stifle creativity rather enhances it. The intricacy faced by an individual is to melt down completely in the team. If the team can refer itself as “I” it means the execution of ideas is in its high flow. Hence, with each successful “I” in a team can lead to a successful “We”.

Posted by - Jaspreet Kaur.

Is your Behaviour influenced by Media ?

2008-12-05T15:43:00.005+05:30

Trends inspire trends. Funny! That could be an altogether new trend itself. Kudos to the Media for it. The trend as displayed by the plethora of media channels is to focus majorly on the mistakes, misunderstandings, mistresses, misanthropes, misogynists etc. The list is actually endless. And it already has had an influence on me, because I am a part of public too. I am not affected by it is altogether a different issue but I can sense very well that 'Armageddon' is round the corner.

As Sandhya Srinivasan, Senior VP and Director, Strategic Planning, Law and Kenneth India writes, "As the very name suggests, they are big perpetrators of “enter” “tain(t)ment”. Everyone is tainted here. Even the role model goes to jail wrongfully or rightfully. It’s a cross between 'The Bold and the Beautiful' meets 'Dynasty' meets the 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous'. Soon, I’m sure, there will be 'Sex and the City' meets 'Desperate Housewives', within permissible Indian morality codes, of course".

Is "disfunctionality" all that sells ? The answer lies in the fact that most serials are about adultery, multiple spouses, extra-marital affairs, addictions, and many on those lines. Pause a moment. All are disfunctionalities.

All this actually is helping in creation of a negative energy and we live our lives with it. It is resulting in strong behavioural changes and inspirational and idealistic life changing imagery is getting transformed into guilty, malicious, disgusting cheap talk script writing. As Sandhya aptly puts, "Can’t negate the bad hair days but can at least ensure gorgeous hair more often. That way, there will be a balance. Good and bad. Yin and Yan. Now, that’s a life of worthwhile choices".

The Goblin Kings

2008-12-04T23:46:00.000+05:30

You thought that “Goblin Greats” such as Ketan Pareek and Harshad Mehta were only born in India? Think again. Had they met some of the “Goblin Kings” I am about to discuss, they would wish they were never born.

Jeffrey Skilling was the Enron CEO responsible for the company’s bankruptcy in 2001. He is currently serving a 24 year sentence and is said to have been responsible for a damage of more than $4 billion.

Dennis Kozlowski was the former CEO of Tyco International who is 2005 misappropriated more than $400 million. He is currently serving an 8 year sentence.

In 2004, John Rigas of Adelphia was accused and convicted of a fraud of $2.3 billion in loans to small firms and was sentenced to 15 years.

And, the father of them all....George Soros, the famous billionaire investor and a supporter of the Obama regime was accused in 2002 of insider trading in Societe Generale. He has in the past several times been accused of causing financial mayhem in several countries, especially the communist nations and is also said to have made a lot of money during the 1997 South East Asian financial crisis.

You see...US is the best even at this!!!

Posted by - Rahul Gosain