Adapted from “The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell “
What can make Radio rise above other media?
What are the chief factors that can provide Radio (BIG 92.7 FM) the winning edge?
I just now finished reading this wonderful management book which outlines the entire philosphy of how "little things can make a BIG difference".
Malcolm in this book explores how social epidemics caused by a few simple factors acting in unison by actively looking into various phenomena such as the drastic reduction in crime rate in New-York during the 1980s or the rapid increase in sales for Hush Puppies.
Reading his theories, prompted me to explore how these same factors could help RADIO become the next tipping point of success.
The rule of epidemics as explored in the book (in context of RADIO):-
1)The Law of the Few : The success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts.
In the context of radio these people would be :-
• Connectors : These are people who "link us with the world" .
a.k.a the AD AGENCY which links sales with the end-client (product/marketing
managers).
• Mavens : "Information Specialists". These would be industry experts; whose opinion
might change the course of how the general public understand the effects of radio.
For ex: A.C. Neilsen who’s RAM reports are used industry-wide to showcase the
success measure of Radio.
• Salesmen : "Persuaders". This category of people who are indeed passionate and
involved about their product. In the context of radio I would include Programming,
scheduling, Traffic and creative teams along with the Sales/Marketing folks.
2) The Stickiness Factor : the specific content of a message that renders its impact memorable.
Radio being a sublime medium (or as Andy mentions "Theater of the mind") we can easily project the stickiness factors either in terms of CPT (Cost per thousand), low-ad avoidance ratios, and even more as a medium of direct marketing.
3) The Power of Context: the environment which influences human behaviour.
Currently, the cheif environmental factors/requirements would be :-
• Recession : Radio can be pitched as a low-cost medium.
• Improving Product Awareness; which would otherwise not be possible in Print (due to blind-spots) and in Video (Clutter)
• Amplification of Product launches : Radio as a medium of mass-consumption (listenership ratings) can be effective amplification medium
• Rural Markets : How can we tap into the BOTTOM of the Pyramid phenomenon
07 May 2009
26 April 2009
The CONVO
Drum-rolls ....
2 years after i got the letter of admit; here is the invitation of the convocation ceremony
Pappu ban gaya MBA
2 years after i got the letter of admit; here is the invitation of the convocation ceremony
Pappu ban gaya MBA
20 April 2009
The importance of being a Brand Name..
Would you in your sanest mind
a) Set up R&D worth at least 1 Bn
b) Create a product and spend around 50 Lakhs/year in marketing
and yet name your product literally "UNWANTED" ??
Well, that was my first thought when i came across this :-
But a few moments later it didn't seem such a bad idea for an emergency contraceptive pill; it conveys in a single word what the medicine is all about; and does not hide behind almost obtrusive first-cousin medical names... (Though i would still go with I-pill as a cooler name)
So, what is the importance of having a brand-name ?? well lets talk about the xerox, nike, google and FedEx of the world how their naming has risen beyond just a brand to signify an emotion... in the case of Google it signifies single source compendium; FedEx stands for delivery at the right place and right time; Nike stands for everything cool while Xerox has almost become a key-word with which any copier machine is called irrespective of the brand.
In my observations I have come across the following types of Brand Names :-
1) Patriachal "Egotist" Brand Names :- These are products who get their names are derived upon the names of their designers/financiers. Baskin & Robbins is a very good example; and so are the hundred odd Colleges which adorn the skyline of any Indian city (SPJIMR also being named after late Shriyans Prasad) or be it those now burgeoning Vasanth & Co.
These typical brand names have been the staple diet of the germans.. in fact SAP is the only non-confirmist to this rule.
The characteristics of these products would be that they would have essentially blossmed from a small-scale catering to a niche audience to a multi-million $ business.
2) Direct-to-the-point :- Similar to the "Unwanted Example"; you can include my favorite Reader's Digest or Blogspot as prominent examples.
These products would essentially be monopolistic in nature (or would evolve to become monopolistic) and would essentially be the plain vanilla versions.
3) Zany Creative Masterpieces :- Sony, Macintosh, Twitter, Yahoo are just examples of products which have accentunated their value just because of their cool sounding brand-names.
These products have essentially their own Hatke-effect which has not been even thought off... and hence essentially require Cool Names to showcase themselves to the external audience.
4) Misguided Orphans :- In the quest of becoming Option (3) there have evolved at least 100s of these brands who have gone out of the customer radar simply because of their rather un-emotive (or) un-related names. Chief examples would be the ZUNE, Vivaty or car names such as Tiguan (Volkswagen).
Mostly it would be issues with the product that would have caused the down-fall rather than the brand-name. Then it becomes a case of product re-launches ;)
Further reading Seth Godin's DUMB BRANDING STRATEGY
a) Set up R&D worth at least 1 Bn
b) Create a product and spend around 50 Lakhs/year in marketing
and yet name your product literally "UNWANTED" ??
Well, that was my first thought when i came across this :-
But a few moments later it didn't seem such a bad idea for an emergency contraceptive pill; it conveys in a single word what the medicine is all about; and does not hide behind almost obtrusive first-cousin medical names... (Though i would still go with I-pill as a cooler name) So, what is the importance of having a brand-name ?? well lets talk about the xerox, nike, google and FedEx of the world how their naming has risen beyond just a brand to signify an emotion... in the case of Google it signifies single source compendium; FedEx stands for delivery at the right place and right time; Nike stands for everything cool while Xerox has almost become a key-word with which any copier machine is called irrespective of the brand.
In my observations I have come across the following types of Brand Names :-
1) Patriachal "Egotist" Brand Names :- These are products who get their names are derived upon the names of their designers/financiers. Baskin & Robbins is a very good example; and so are the hundred odd Colleges which adorn the skyline of any Indian city (SPJIMR also being named after late Shriyans Prasad) or be it those now burgeoning Vasanth & Co.
These typical brand names have been the staple diet of the germans.. in fact SAP is the only non-confirmist to this rule.
The characteristics of these products would be that they would have essentially blossmed from a small-scale catering to a niche audience to a multi-million $ business.
2) Direct-to-the-point :- Similar to the "Unwanted Example"; you can include my favorite Reader's Digest or Blogspot as prominent examples.
These products would essentially be monopolistic in nature (or would evolve to become monopolistic) and would essentially be the plain vanilla versions.
3) Zany Creative Masterpieces :- Sony, Macintosh, Twitter, Yahoo are just examples of products which have accentunated their value just because of their cool sounding brand-names.
These products have essentially their own Hatke-effect which has not been even thought off... and hence essentially require Cool Names to showcase themselves to the external audience.
4) Misguided Orphans :- In the quest of becoming Option (3) there have evolved at least 100s of these brands who have gone out of the customer radar simply because of their rather un-emotive (or) un-related names. Chief examples would be the ZUNE, Vivaty or car names such as Tiguan (Volkswagen).
Mostly it would be issues with the product that would have caused the down-fall rather than the brand-name. Then it becomes a case of product re-launches ;)
Further reading Seth Godin's DUMB BRANDING STRATEGY
17 April 2009
The movie bible for Salesmen
The title of the movie sounds like some autobiography - "Glengarry Glen Ross"
but what it is ... is definitely a delight and more-so a grim reminder of the ways of any salesmen
The Story ( source : Wiki); occurs within a span of 2 days (in fact 1 day and 1 night) and explores almost all possibilities of deception, ferocity, anger and in fact vulnerability across any sales reps life.
Though the movie is jam-packed with powerful performers; including Alec Baldwin who steals the thunder within under 5 mins of screen presence; I really fell in love with the character of Jack Lemon.
Do check out this YouTube Clip and also the movie if possible. Though it might be depressing; it is extremely honest in the portrayal.
but what it is ... is definitely a delight and more-so a grim reminder of the ways of any salesmen
The Story ( source : Wiki); occurs within a span of 2 days (in fact 1 day and 1 night) and explores almost all possibilities of deception, ferocity, anger and in fact vulnerability across any sales reps life.Though the movie is jam-packed with powerful performers; including Alec Baldwin who steals the thunder within under 5 mins of screen presence; I really fell in love with the character of Jack Lemon.
Do check out this YouTube Clip and also the movie if possible. Though it might be depressing; it is extremely honest in the portrayal.
15 April 2009
Joke of the Day
What are the top 5 emotions that hit you first when you see the below pic :-
That's exactly how i felt when i read the below news :-
Forget the fact that the Endemol India a veteran in the reality show series already credited with BIG BOSS, Fear factor and also the great indian laughter challenge is at the helm... the DD factor really reminds me of our classic premier padmini competiting against the Mercs .DD is going to host it's own Reality "Fair & Lovely Chhoo Lo Aasman", promises to bring the best out of these participants by putting them under the spotlight on the national channel. The show is a 26 episode weekly reality series aired every Wednesday at 10 pm on DD National and debuted on March 25.
11 April 2009
Tricks of the Trade - Fast food outlets
Barring the recession it has been the MALL-story that has been hitting the headlines these days.As according to statistics there are over 575 Malls catering to over 10 Mn urbanites; with an average foot-fall of over 4000 people/day.
And it has been the restaurant business which has piggy-banked under the guise of food-courts across these Malls that have been hitting the cash-registers (or have all of them really been doing good ?). So here i am to talk about the story of the tortoise and the hare of the fast-food outlets :
To begin with; there are many similarities b/w both the fast-food chains & book publishing; just as you would not buy a book unless you believe the flashy (mostly mis-quoted) back-page reviews in the similar vein you would with a higher probability visit a food outlet already crammed with customers rather than try out something which is both obscure(far-eastern dishes) or un-touched.
This was what i observed when i went to a nearby Mall :-
If you can notice how the McDonalds is brimming with customers while other outlets would still be catering to the occasional bugs and ants.
This was an eureka moment for all the marketing junta patting themselves on their back for their 300 Cr of advertisement budget well spent....
But once again i did notice a nearby stall across the corner also brimming with salivating people across the counter; and ended up ordering a mini-thali from this Dosa-Plaza :
In fact only these two outlets (McD & DP) were actually doing business across the 30 odd food-stations; and i felt so compelled to start a david .vs. goliath story until i discovered their modus-operandi
The mini-thali that i ordered took almost 20 mins to be delivered and until that time i had to wait across the counter maintaining my gentlemanly poise; and most of the people waiting across the counter were those afflicted with similar delays.... and since there were so many of us waiting across the counter this in-fact brought in more customers to DP ???
So here is the learning for the day :-
Why spend your money on marketing when you can accomplish the same with lousy service ???
And it has been the restaurant business which has piggy-banked under the guise of food-courts across these Malls that have been hitting the cash-registers (or have all of them really been doing good ?). So here i am to talk about the story of the tortoise and the hare of the fast-food outlets :
To begin with; there are many similarities b/w both the fast-food chains & book publishing; just as you would not buy a book unless you believe the flashy (mostly mis-quoted) back-page reviews in the similar vein you would with a higher probability visit a food outlet already crammed with customers rather than try out something which is both obscure(far-eastern dishes) or un-touched.
This was what i observed when i went to a nearby Mall :-
If you can notice how the McDonalds is brimming with customers while other outlets would still be catering to the occasional bugs and ants.
This was an eureka moment for all the marketing junta patting themselves on their back for their 300 Cr of advertisement budget well spent....
But once again i did notice a nearby stall across the corner also brimming with salivating people across the counter; and ended up ordering a mini-thali from this Dosa-Plaza :
The mini-thali that i ordered took almost 20 mins to be delivered and until that time i had to wait across the counter maintaining my gentlemanly poise; and most of the people waiting across the counter were those afflicted with similar delays.... and since there were so many of us waiting across the counter this in-fact brought in more customers to DP ???
So here is the learning for the day :-
Why spend your money on marketing when you can accomplish the same with lousy service ???
10 April 2009
what really mattered...
As the day winks to take it's 8 hour break; my 2 years of MBA at India's premier b-school comes to an end.
When the farewell ended i had almost accomplished what i had set out for in an MBA; well even danced and acted in a skit (god save the audience) but recounting it now after sending off all my close-pals to their homes makes me want to do a laundry list of things i would miss of my MBA (Why 12 ?? cause of this)
1) Foremost are the 164 junta of 07-09 ( or maybe 2 years is quite a long time to develop stockholm syndrome)
2) Early morning Jogs and swimming laps.
3) Free copies of Eco-times and Harvard Business Reviews
4) 1 TB of movies (LAN & P2P - the combo pack)
5) The lake , 10 min walk from hostel to college (almost everything about Bhavan's campus)
6) BISTRO
7) The free cultural movies & shows (courtesy Bhavan's cultural center)
8) The 12'0 clock idli & coffee cycle canter.
9) Endless gossip nights (filled with booze and all the discussions that arrive when you are in the inebriated stage)
10) Library
11) IP messenger
12) week-end treks
oh yes... case-studies, assignments, subjects do not matter much after MBA.
If there is one great thing that makes an MBA worthwhile then my vote would be for "linkedin" a.k.a networking.
When the farewell ended i had almost accomplished what i had set out for in an MBA; well even danced and acted in a skit (god save the audience) but recounting it now after sending off all my close-pals to their homes makes me want to do a laundry list of things i would miss of my MBA (Why 12 ?? cause of this)
1) Foremost are the 164 junta of 07-09 ( or maybe 2 years is quite a long time to develop stockholm syndrome)
2) Early morning Jogs and swimming laps.
3) Free copies of Eco-times and Harvard Business Reviews
4) 1 TB of movies (LAN & P2P - the combo pack)
5) The lake , 10 min walk from hostel to college (almost everything about Bhavan's campus)
6) BISTRO
7) The free cultural movies & shows (courtesy Bhavan's cultural center)
8) The 12'0 clock idli & coffee cycle canter.
9) Endless gossip nights (filled with booze and all the discussions that arrive when you are in the inebriated stage)
10) Library
11) IP messenger
12) week-end treks
oh yes... case-studies, assignments, subjects do not matter much after MBA.
If there is one great thing that makes an MBA worthwhile then my vote would be for "linkedin" a.k.a networking.
30 March 2009
The Religion of News Channels
Pearls Broadcasting launches Hindi news channel
" MUMBAI: Pearls Broadcasting Corporation Ltd has launched a national Hindi news and entertainment channel christened P7.
The Noida-based Hindi news and entertainment channel promises to offer public news, information and entertainment dedicated to common people irrespective of colour, caste, creed and religion. Formally on air from 27 March, P7 has the tag line ‘Ek Umeed’ (A ray of Hope). "
Till now i always believed that News had only one religion - POLITICS
At least, across regional TVs each political party has a telivision channel and each channel airing propaganda messages for the particular party (Ex: Jaya News - AIDMK) .
The primary POD (Point of differenciations) across news channels have always been upon "Latest News", "Citizens News", "Juicy News(bollywood Gupshup) and stuff..
This categorization of creed,caste & color does leave me wondering about their content ?? would they censor out all the religion based skull-druggery news (Mass conversion, attacks against NUNs, etc) ... but that would be de-glamourising !!
Well... just keep on guessing.
" MUMBAI: Pearls Broadcasting Corporation Ltd has launched a national Hindi news and entertainment channel christened P7.
The Noida-based Hindi news and entertainment channel promises to offer public news, information and entertainment dedicated to common people irrespective of colour, caste, creed and religion. Formally on air from 27 March, P7 has the tag line ‘Ek Umeed’ (A ray of Hope). "
Till now i always believed that News had only one religion - POLITICS
At least, across regional TVs each political party has a telivision channel and each channel airing propaganda messages for the particular party (Ex: Jaya News - AIDMK) .
The primary POD (Point of differenciations) across news channels have always been upon "Latest News", "Citizens News", "Juicy News(bollywood Gupshup) and stuff..
This categorization of creed,caste & color does leave me wondering about their content ?? would they censor out all the religion based skull-druggery news (Mass conversion, attacks against NUNs, etc) ... but that would be de-glamourising !!
Well... just keep on guessing.
22 March 2009
The Magic of Fairness
Came across this brilliant report (both accurate and thought-provoking) while doing research upon fairness creams.
Black, White and various shades of Brown
What's accurate is the various sources that have been considered for understanding the Indian mentality including the likes of Matrimonial Sites, News articles and local behaviour and what's repelling/thought-provoking :-
" There are two popular brands selling fairness products in the local Indian market - they account for most of the market share. Of these two, one is actually a bleach, (we can stress this point in our ad campaign and run the company out of business) and the other is a cream similar to ours.(Annexure I contains copies of press advertisements of these products as well as statistics regarding their sales and market share)"
Well, coming to why would i be researching about fairness creams ??? shall update later ;)
Black, White and various shades of Brown
What's accurate is the various sources that have been considered for understanding the Indian mentality including the likes of Matrimonial Sites, News articles and local behaviour and what's repelling/thought-provoking :-
" There are two popular brands selling fairness products in the local Indian market - they account for most of the market share. Of these two, one is actually a bleach, (we can stress this point in our ad campaign and run the company out of business) and the other is a cream similar to ours.(Annexure I contains copies of press advertisements of these products as well as statistics regarding their sales and market share)"
Well, coming to why would i be researching about fairness creams ??? shall update later ;)
02 February 2009
AAROHAN - Panel discussion about MBA: Why, When & How
A panel discussion on life before, during & after B school featuring top industry professionals, esteemed faculty, education experts, current & aspiring management students.
Is my career moving in the right direction? Should I start preparing for higher studies? Well, GRE sounds great and coherent with engineering, but at the same time CAT will also lead me to the Business School of my choice? May be I should take up a job. I’m confused; I think I should talk to somebody. But, there’s too much information around and I don’t know whom I should be talking to ?
If any of these questions are crushing you to death, please come to have an interaction with Aarohan. Aarohan, a non-profit initiative run by IIT/IIM alumni, will host a panel discussion to create awareness and inquire into various aspects of management education in India. It aims to address questions like - Why MBA? What is the right time to do an MBA? What happens during MBA? and What to expect after MBA? - through discussion, debate and Q&A between current & prospective students, MBA faculty, industry professionals, experts and top B-school alumni representing a broad cross-section of careers ranging from investment banking, strategy consulting, marketing, and media to entrepreneurship. This discussion will help you solve the initial conundrum of career planning, as most of the panel members have an engineering background. We will also discuss about the aspirations and expectations of students and the realities of B-school. The discussion will also touch upon the impact of the global economic recession on careers post MBA to ensure that you make an informed choice before taking the plunge.
Panel Profile:
The panel will mainly consist of IIT/IIM alumni working across different industry sectors like Strategy Consulting (Mckinsey, BCG), Investment Banking (Merill Lynch, UBS, Citibank, HSBC), Marketing and Media. To provide a unique perspective, we are inviting top management from HR Consultancy firms. There will also be representation from niche sectors like Private equity (NV Capital) and Entrepreneurship. Current students from top Business schools in Bombay like: SP Jain, SJSOM along with students pursing PhD post MBA will also join the discussion. Furthermore, efforts are on to get career counseling experts associated with various media house on the panel. The discussion will also have representation from the MBA faculty, as they are the ones who help transform students into leaders of the future.
Date : 1st Feb 2009, VJTI Mumbai
Timing : 3.00 PM
Is my career moving in the right direction? Should I start preparing for higher studies? Well, GRE sounds great and coherent with engineering, but at the same time CAT will also lead me to the Business School of my choice? May be I should take up a job. I’m confused; I think I should talk to somebody. But, there’s too much information around and I don’t know whom I should be talking to ?
If any of these questions are crushing you to death, please come to have an interaction with Aarohan. Aarohan, a non-profit initiative run by IIT/IIM alumni, will host a panel discussion to create awareness and inquire into various aspects of management education in India. It aims to address questions like - Why MBA? What is the right time to do an MBA? What happens during MBA? and What to expect after MBA? - through discussion, debate and Q&A between current & prospective students, MBA faculty, industry professionals, experts and top B-school alumni representing a broad cross-section of careers ranging from investment banking, strategy consulting, marketing, and media to entrepreneurship. This discussion will help you solve the initial conundrum of career planning, as most of the panel members have an engineering background. We will also discuss about the aspirations and expectations of students and the realities of B-school. The discussion will also touch upon the impact of the global economic recession on careers post MBA to ensure that you make an informed choice before taking the plunge.
Panel Profile:
The panel will mainly consist of IIT/IIM alumni working across different industry sectors like Strategy Consulting (Mckinsey, BCG), Investment Banking (Merill Lynch, UBS, Citibank, HSBC), Marketing and Media. To provide a unique perspective, we are inviting top management from HR Consultancy firms. There will also be representation from niche sectors like Private equity (NV Capital) and Entrepreneurship. Current students from top Business schools in Bombay like: SP Jain, SJSOM along with students pursing PhD post MBA will also join the discussion. Furthermore, efforts are on to get career counseling experts associated with various media house on the panel. The discussion will also have representation from the MBA faculty, as they are the ones who help transform students into leaders of the future.
Date : 1st Feb 2009, VJTI Mumbai
Timing : 3.00 PM
Request for Financial Support - Help Gaurav
Mr. Gaurav Tandon, an alumnus of Batch of 1999-2001/ Marketing Specialisation at SPJIMR.
He is suffering from Leukemia (Blood Cancer/ AML type).
Gaurav was recently diagnosed with Leukemia (Blood Cancer/ AML type). He is currently admitted at Hinduja Hospital, Bombay; undergoing Round 2 of Chemotherapy. The doctors have advised Bone Marrow Transplant as the only possible solution to his current predicament.While the doctors are working on finding the matching bone marrow donor for the said operation, Gaurav and his family are working on raising the relevant finances.
The latest update on Gaurav’s health is that the sibling bone marrow test results came out last Wednesday. Unfortunately, these don’t match, i.e., Gaurav can’t receive the transplant from either of his two sisters. The only plausible solution now remaining is to find a neutral, un-related allogenic transplant donor. While there are a few, small bone-marrow banks in India , the serious and credible options reside in US, UK and Singapore .
Gaurav’s current doctor at Tata Hospital , Bombay will soon start the process of registering his request for a compatible donor at these overseas banks. The cost of retrieving the overseas bone-marrow and subsequently conducting the operation is c. INR 15-20Mn (c. USD 300,000-400, 000).
Please note that out of a target of Rs 1.5 crore for the operation only 31 lakhs have been collected by 25th Jan, 2009
The target date to collect the full amount is 15-Feb-2009
You can update yourself about Gaurav’s condition in http://www.helpgaurav.com/index.asp
Requesting people to either spread the message or to contact the relevent people for sending the donations throught the web-site.
He is suffering from Leukemia (Blood Cancer/ AML type).
Gaurav was recently diagnosed with Leukemia (Blood Cancer/ AML type). He is currently admitted at Hinduja Hospital, Bombay; undergoing Round 2 of Chemotherapy. The doctors have advised Bone Marrow Transplant as the only possible solution to his current predicament.While the doctors are working on finding the matching bone marrow donor for the said operation, Gaurav and his family are working on raising the relevant finances.
The latest update on Gaurav’s health is that the sibling bone marrow test results came out last Wednesday. Unfortunately, these don’t match, i.e., Gaurav can’t receive the transplant from either of his two sisters. The only plausible solution now remaining is to find a neutral, un-related allogenic transplant donor. While there are a few, small bone-marrow banks in India , the serious and credible options reside in US, UK and Singapore .
Gaurav’s current doctor at Tata Hospital , Bombay will soon start the process of registering his request for a compatible donor at these overseas banks. The cost of retrieving the overseas bone-marrow and subsequently conducting the operation is c. INR 15-20Mn (c. USD 300,000-400, 000).
Please note that out of a target of Rs 1.5 crore for the operation only 31 lakhs have been collected by 25th Jan, 2009
The target date to collect the full amount is 15-Feb-2009
You can update yourself about Gaurav’s condition in http://www.helpgaurav.com/index.asp
Requesting people to either spread the message or to contact the relevent people for sending the donations throught the web-site.
27 January 2009
We Ran, We Pledged and finally we conquered...
Context :- Running the Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon' 2009 for raising money for Teach for India's operations.
Action :-
(a) 57 students from SPJIMR joined together for this marathon escapade.
(b) Trained for around 2 months.
(c) Raised awareness and contacted corporates/family/friends for pledging in our favor towards Teach for India.
Achievement :-
(a) Pledges raised for the tune of 42,000 INR. from the SPJIMR family. This shall further be matched penny to penny by corporates from Bain Capital.
(b) Times of India Exclusive Coverage
(c) Pics of our Marathon achievement
A special thanks to everyone who contributed and helped us achieve this feat.
Action :-
(a) 57 students from SPJIMR joined together for this marathon escapade.
(b) Trained for around 2 months.
(c) Raised awareness and contacted corporates/family/friends for pledging in our favor towards Teach for India.
Achievement :-
(a) Pledges raised for the tune of 42,000 INR. from the SPJIMR family. This shall further be matched penny to penny by corporates from Bain Capital.
(b) Times of India Exclusive Coverage
(c) Pics of our Marathon achievement
A special thanks to everyone who contributed and helped us achieve this feat.
 |
| From Mumbai Marathon-2009 |
07 January 2009
From SWITCH to WHICH
How many of us knew that SATYAM was honored for their corporate Governance :-
1)UK Trade & Investment India (UKTI) Business Award for corporate social responsibility awarded by UKTI
2)Golden Peacock Global Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance awarded by World Council for Corporate Governance (WCFCG)
But as houses made of cards we have a 2.1 Bn $ company heading for 77% drop in the Market value. Though you must have already been bombarded with various facets of the news these days; here are a few questions that in my view remain unanswered especially considering the time-frames of the events...(Click on the pic for a better view)
A few pointers :-
Dec 15 : The prices fall due to large FIIs taking away their investments and then the SATYAM MAYTAS deal is released to newspapers. (Though logically, since Ramalinga Raju had only 5.3% share-holding and Institutional investors accounted for 61%; how could they go ahead with the deal without majority?)
Dec 22 : Satyam announces Buy-Back deal and thanks to the recommendations floating across various web-sites many ill-informed investors got the prices up.
Dec 23: World Bank bans satyam.
Dec 30 : 3 Independent directors resign (This is where things really go murky, since I haven't heard of any directors quitting due to wrong decisions.. my belief is that these directors got access to the insider information of incorrect valuations.. which would further doom Satyam later)
Jan 7th : Ramalinga Raju resigns and announces of the 5000 Cr deficit. (Suddenly Merrill lynch washes their hands and PWC is caught with their standard "No comments" remark)
Here arrives India's ENRON
But a few questions that shall go unanswered :-
1) Role of the Auditors (would we also expect a Arthur Anderson kinda backlash)
2) Hierarchical Flow of information (First the FIIs who pulled out in Dec 12, then the Directors resigning and then the world bank and only later on jan 7th almost a month later does the retail investor (Aam-Admi) who would have untill then lost his savings comes to realize his folly.
3) How would the valuations be for the take-over ?? Since after the fraud not only the investors, employees but also customers would run helter-skelter.
Well... as of now i shall let the questions plague my night and hopefully SEBI might use this as an oppurtunity to introduce any semblence of Sarbanes Oaxley into our indian system.
1)UK Trade & Investment India (UKTI) Business Award for corporate social responsibility awarded by UKTI
2)Golden Peacock Global Award for Excellence in Corporate Governance awarded by World Council for Corporate Governance (WCFCG)
But as houses made of cards we have a 2.1 Bn $ company heading for 77% drop in the Market value. Though you must have already been bombarded with various facets of the news these days; here are a few questions that in my view remain unanswered especially considering the time-frames of the events...(Click on the pic for a better view)
A few pointers :-
Dec 15 : The prices fall due to large FIIs taking away their investments and then the SATYAM MAYTAS deal is released to newspapers. (Though logically, since Ramalinga Raju had only 5.3% share-holding and Institutional investors accounted for 61%; how could they go ahead with the deal without majority?)
Dec 22 : Satyam announces Buy-Back deal and thanks to the recommendations floating across various web-sites many ill-informed investors got the prices up.
Dec 23: World Bank bans satyam.
Dec 30 : 3 Independent directors resign (This is where things really go murky, since I haven't heard of any directors quitting due to wrong decisions.. my belief is that these directors got access to the insider information of incorrect valuations.. which would further doom Satyam later)
Jan 7th : Ramalinga Raju resigns and announces of the 5000 Cr deficit. (Suddenly Merrill lynch washes their hands and PWC is caught with their standard "No comments" remark)
Here arrives India's ENRON
But a few questions that shall go unanswered :-
1) Role of the Auditors (would we also expect a Arthur Anderson kinda backlash)
2) Hierarchical Flow of information (First the FIIs who pulled out in Dec 12, then the Directors resigning and then the world bank and only later on jan 7th almost a month later does the retail investor (Aam-Admi) who would have untill then lost his savings comes to realize his folly.
3) How would the valuations be for the take-over ?? Since after the fraud not only the investors, employees but also customers would run helter-skelter.
Well... as of now i shall let the questions plague my night and hopefully SEBI might use this as an oppurtunity to introduce any semblence of Sarbanes Oaxley into our indian system.
02 January 2009
Breaking my break.... for the new years
What's with new years and resolutions; or even better sayings about new-year resolutions ...
Now back to the topic... What would be my Top 5 resolutions for the FY 09-10 ? But before that a small recollection of my previous year achievements, Social Project and those innumerable treks (including the NZ trip) I just can't get over the euphoria of last year's experiences. But unfortunately I have always suffered from amnesia and still looking out for the next big thing.... after all I believe that "I am an just an ordinary person in extra-ordinary circumstances"
So a few things that i shall be looking forward in this year; is a drastic change in my professional (back to corporate life and end of academics) and personal (3 year long wait for the union) life.
My Top 5 resolutions for FY'09-10 :-
1) Publish an article in a national newspaper.
Apart from a few articles of mine getting published in a few magazines, I have really been procrastinating. So this shall be one of my first goal.
2) Review 20 out-of-the-world books :-
Reading books has always been a passion, but one-fine day i just thought what if i can read and review around 100 books through-out my lifetime ?? Here was the beginning of my attempt.
3) Travel to atleast 5 new places :-
Travel-for-work not included :) and priority for budget and team would always be retained.
4) Initiate and involve people in a social venture :-
Well, I can definitely be crossing this out of the list ... courtesy Marathon
5) Learn something new :-
A few top things on my mind are either squash or pencil-sketching or atleast salsa
So wish me good luck... cause i really do need them in loads and definitely all of the above would definitely keep the posts-count of this blog mounting .
"May all your troubles last as long as your new year resolutions" - some wise guy
As an impartial writer i shall leave you to conjecture upon the same...Now back to the topic... What would be my Top 5 resolutions for the FY 09-10 ? But before that a small recollection of my previous year achievements, Social Project and those innumerable treks (including the NZ trip) I just can't get over the euphoria of last year's experiences. But unfortunately I have always suffered from amnesia and still looking out for the next big thing.... after all I believe that "I am an just an ordinary person in extra-ordinary circumstances"
So a few things that i shall be looking forward in this year; is a drastic change in my professional (back to corporate life and end of academics) and personal (3 year long wait for the union) life.
My Top 5 resolutions for FY'09-10 :-
1) Publish an article in a national newspaper.
Apart from a few articles of mine getting published in a few magazines, I have really been procrastinating. So this shall be one of my first goal.
2) Review 20 out-of-the-world books :-
Reading books has always been a passion, but one-fine day i just thought what if i can read and review around 100 books through-out my lifetime ?? Here was the beginning of my attempt.
3) Travel to atleast 5 new places :-
Travel-for-work not included :) and priority for budget and team would always be retained.
4) Initiate and involve people in a social venture :-
Well, I can definitely be crossing this out of the list ... courtesy Marathon
5) Learn something new :-
A few top things on my mind are either squash or pencil-sketching or atleast salsa
So wish me good luck... cause i really do need them in loads and definitely all of the above would definitely keep the posts-count of this blog mounting .
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