Top 3 things that i learnt at Microsoft

Well, it has been three weeks of a roller-coaster ride at Microsoft for my internship and i guess, it is time to come up with the Top 3 list :-

1) Be independent but also keep in touch :-
As you might be wondering what was that philosophical rant ?? well, to begin with my internship with microsoft is with the Sales division (Well, technically Sales is not what i should be calling it.. but that shall be the topic of a different blog entry) and in sales there are only 2 things that really matter .... "Numbers" and "Numbers".. and esp. if it is quarter-end people are literally running after getting results.. So, this placed me in a unique situation of starting off a project without any proper project scope and guidelines.
So what would you do if you are in boat as me ??? well, instead of rowing furious in the opposite direction you first set your own goals and targets and communicate this with your mentors. This way, you would really be saving both yours and the mentors time (Which they really appreciate)

2) What's my PIE is YOURS as well :-
Well, i don't know if Sun Tzu would have written about this.. but i would prefer calling it as the stake-holder phenomenon. When i was setting up my various project goals, i also got the buy-in from the various team-members saying that for "this part" of the project i would be needing their help... forming liasions and more importantly making sure that my work would in-fact be helping these stake-holders.

3) Net-work-ing:-
I have always been viewing microsoft as a long term vehicle; more in terms of permanent employment after the internship; and with that in view i have started going around the organization with a Student tag and requesting ten mins from people across groups and finding out about their work and more importantly "what would i be assigned if i joined this part of the organization"... Word of caution : Utilize utter subtleness and formality

Adios from me for now.. shall be coming back to the same black-board to talk about other aspects of my MBA life ...

How to revive the American Economy ... LOL

Check it here to find out Marc Faber (Don't know who's this guy) comment on the ONLY way to solve America's Crisis :-

”The federal government is sending each of us a $600 rebate. If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, the money goes to China. If we spend it on gasoline it goes to the Arabs. If we buy a computer it will go to India. If we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala.

If we purchase a good car it will go to Germany. If we purchase useless crap it will go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy.

The only way to keep that money here at home is to spend it on prostitutes and beer, since these are the only products still produced in US. I’ve been doing my part."’

Coming up a Post on the past 2 weeks at Microsoft .... (Mostly within the next 2 days)

Kaun Banega Crorepati ??

Well.. from the latest news it does seem "The National Consumer Commission".

As reported by the Hindu :

"New Delhi: The popular game show ‘Kaun Banega Crorepati’ was on Thursday adjudged unfair in certain aspects by the National Consumer Commission, which imposed a fine of Rs. 1 crore on broadcaster Star TV and the sponsor Airtel."

The irony of the situation is that the fine was an exact "1 Crore" ... That's seriously wicked.

How old are you ?

I am old enough to know that :
When people assign you a Job with a SMILE, you have more reasons to be wary about it.
And if they assign you a work with a FROWN, then you must take it happily.


Just some random quote which was reverberating in my mind.

First Day at Microsoft

I am as excited as a little kid's first time at DisneyLand.....

Got my Autums internship offer from my Dream company a.k.a Microsoft, and after the initial excitement died down, here i am getting my next set of nicotine boost right at their bangalore signature building(Embassy Golf link).
Here for the next 2 months working with their SMB and partner development program (Not only did i get my dream company but also my dream project... how lucky can i get) ^-^ .

Now lets get talking about this Microsoft heaven workplace....
The entire building reeks of microsoft's trademark :-
(a) Passion for Microsoft
(b) Passion for Technology
At every nook and corner you find one of those really cool Microsoft Banners and advertisements; and almost everything is tagged with M$ ranging from Paper Cups till Ceramic Plates.

As far as technology is concerned, you have devices you only imagined... for example the conferance room is equipped with a funky piece of H/w which has cameras mounted giving a 360 degree view of the entire room and as soon as it hears a voice it can zoom in on the particular person.... ULTIMATE technology; and just going around couple of floors there are seriously sci-fi objects whom i can't distinguish if they are there for Interior deco or actually serving some cool technical purpose.

All i can say right now is "I am Loving it"

Just to give a small overview of what's gonna happen :-
Day 1 : Arrive at campus, Get a Lappie (Yipee) just for the 2 months period
Day n/2 : An interim review along with getting to know across the various divisions of Microsoft.
Day n : Our pockets jingling with the internship salary :)
I really don't know if we can ask for any more ( a la oliver twist)

Commodization of Luxuries...

Picture these News Items :-

a) Volkswagen Beetle set to roll out in India
b) India Among L'oreal Top 5 Markets
c) DLF setting up India's first LUXURY MALL DLF LUXURIO
d) LG launches their 43K worth TVs Scarlett TV

Modern India has show-cased that it has an appetite not only for low-cost deccans , discount offering Big Bazaars or forward thinking Tata Nanos but also for upmarket luxury products. Just as a note the luxury retail market, which is currently in a nascent stage, is estimated at Rs 2,000 crore and expected to grow at 20-30 per cent in the next five years in India.

Under the deluge of such luxury items hitting the Indian Market, one must ponder “HOW WOULD THE MARKET RESEARCH for these products be done to inspire all of these companies to enter via the silk-route to India?”

As an MBA graduate I would be prompted to jargonize that the Market research would drive to provide a detailed report analyzing trends on the market, major and niche distribution channels description, detailed profiles of major marketers including their financial data, product analysis as well as an outlook of market development in the next 5 years.
But as of the moment let us just hold the reins…..

The existential question we must address first "Is Market research truly the HOLY GRAIL, which shall guarantee the success/failure of products??"
I guess there is a lot to learn from the COKE CLASSIC Example about the caveats of taking Market research analysis on the FACE VALUE.

In order to present some fresh perspective on this issue, let me first bring to your notice a glaring change in the Marketing promotions of these luxury products:
These products are currently marketed out in the traditional open market (T.V Commercials, Radio & newspaper Adverts) rather than be restricted to couple of Life-style Magazines or jazzy club-house shows as in the yesteryear days.

This change not only means that the Armanis are viewing the wider audience apart from the rajas and maharanis of India, and for that effect these same luxury products are currently being marketed similar to Tooth-pastes and shampoos. Hence the reasoning of “COMMODIZATION OF LUXURY PRODUCTS”

So what are the exact reasoning behind this trend, apart from successful market research reports which would have suggested the Armanis & Hillfigers to follow the toothpaste way ?

Here are the top 2 points that would make a sizable dent :-

1) Widening Wallet size (or reducing economic disparity): Companies have realized that a massive population, or a higher GDP alone would not suffice for the success of any product but what really would matter would be the PCI (Per capita income factor) and similar to the demographic advantage that India has (i.e 60% of our population consists of people in the age group of 20-30) the average Indian has risen from a middle class to the social nomenclature of a upper-middle class.
The 2007 Asia Pacific Wealth Report, released by Merrill Lynch and CapGemini, says India has recorded the world’s second fastest growth in the number of high net-worth individuals (HNIs) at 20.5 per cent, making it a lucrative luxury market. The likes of Armani, Versace, Cartier, Marks & Spencer, Salvatore Ferragamo, Canali, Mont Blanc, Lladro and Tommy Hilfiger have made inroads into India.

2) Consumerism as a core value: Someone rightly said, “Luxury is not a product but an emotion”Rising from the austere money-saving thrifts, Indians have indeed graduated to develop the consumerism-savvy profligate attitude. One of the chief motivator was that these objects have been presented not only as status symbols but rather as also as an investment option (This ideology can be seen as a fore-front during the massive realty boom in India).
This rise in consumerism can be reflected in the Aspiration level index being very high and 48% Indians aspire (ref: Nielsen survey)

With these two prevalent factors, the Armanis and the Hillfigers of the world indeed view this multi-casting of their products across the entire Indian diaspora as a win-win situation so that even if they are not able to sell their products right now, at least they can create the notion of a status symbol across the Indian mindset and exhort them to during their frivolous moments.

*********An update for this post***********
After a few comments from my friends, i must mention that i am not playing down the role of Market Research, in fact one of my earlier posts indeed do glorify their impact.
My sole purpose of this post was to provide top two reasons "WHY would the Market research for Luxury products showcase India as an enticing market" and also to bring to light the new Marketing approach for Luxury products(Commodization) and the benefits of the same.

Value for Money

Imagine you are an Alien; all alone on a planet you cannot communicate with anyone ... now the question is "How to identify the economic status of this place?"

I am using the term economic status rather than technological, psychokinetic nor humanistic pedestals since these other fields of advancement may not be perceived so easily

Coming back to the topic of discussion... this was one of my observation during my ill-fated trip to Uganda; here i was handling Lakhs of Shillings just to buy a basic telephone card (converted around 30 Rs); and just as i was handling down the cash i suddenly felt a huge guilt of being spend-thrift (though i was well-aware of the exact value).

Now the situation of most of these african nations could have been explained by any economist as the ultimate mis-fit between inflation, unemployment and political mis-management. Just to prove a point, Zimbabwe has a inflation rate of 35,00,000% and here we are in India troubling the entire population of rag-pickers and heavy duty industrialists when the speed-o-meter touches the unimaginable 12%.

But for an alien, we cannot obviously explain with our complex models of economic indices but rather with a simpler concept of "Value for money"... so would be my explanation that any country where they really value their smallest denomination would be the one which is the most advanced economically, socially and even technologically.

I know that putting into simpler terms does offset the aura that the economists have pain-stakingly developed, but of course you always have DILBERT to prove your point.

Another Presentation which i came across explaning the situation in all of these African countries.