10 Must Reads for Budding Entrepreneurs

Courtsey ET, reproduced for personal records

1 Good to Great (Jim Collins) –
this book delves into some fundamental strengths that entrepreneurs need to seed into their business fairly early. Interestingly some of the companies listed in the book may no longer be called great, but I believe the principles stand the test of time.
2 The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell)–
some small things do become big. Every entrepreneur and startup would love to know how and why; Gladwell’s book offers a different perspective – from epidemics to better governance.
3 Losing My Virginity & Screw It, Let’s Do It (Richard Branson) – As an entrepreneur who went from selling records to creating one of the most diverse brands, Branson will certainly have something for everyone.
4 The High Performance Entrepreneur: Golden Rules for Success in Today's World (Subroto Bagchi)–
if for nothing else, read it for the first chapter: “How Do I Know if I Am Ready”. Once you’ve gone through that, it is remarkably easy to go through the rest of the book, which offers guidance from Bagchi’s own deep experience as an entrepreneurial manager and as an entrepreneur.
5 Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid (CK Prahalad) –
I came very late to this book, and am yet to complete it, but it is an excellent reference source for case studies of innovative and very large businesses being grown in markets that are typically treated as poor or low value.
6 Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die (Chip Heath, Dan Heath) –
Inspired by the Tipping Point, the Heath brothers describe what it takes to get your ideas across, and make a lasting impact. A must for entrepreneurs looking for funding and to hire great people.
7 It Happened in India: The Story of Pantaloons, Big Bazaar, Central and the Great Indian Consumer (Kishore Biyani) –
there are too few books about or by Indian entrepreneurs, so this is one growth story in desi style that many startups would be able to relate to.
8 The New Business Road Test: What Entrepreneurs And Executives Should Do Before Writing A Business Plan (John Mullins) –
an someone who turned from corporate life to academics and further to being involved with entrepreneurs, Mullins provides a great framework to help the entrepreneur filter and refine his concept of the “next big thing” into a real business.
9 Venture Capital Funding: A Practical Guide to Raising Finance (Stephen Bloomfield) –
while written from a UK and European perspective, it is a valuable reference for anyone looking for external funding.
10 And last but not the least – pick your favourite philosopher or guide.
No matter whether we are overtly spiritual or completely agnostic, there are times, many times in an entrepreneur’s life, when we need to step beyond the intellectual construct of business, look beyond plans and strategies, and next year’s targets.
The author is chief executive of Third Eyesight, a consulting firm focused on consumer products and retail.

Booze Almighty

There is this little curiousty about liquor in all of us. SOme stay away with this pernicious liquid forever, some use it at their will, and make the same their own alve and some actually make their as wellas their dependents life hell with the same.
I, myself have always been having Gandhiwadi opinion about the booze almighty. I saw a good peice in ET where the every wellknown variety of the liquor is disscussed to the core. It actually simplifies the why, what, where, how of booze and give us a fair idea about eloped knowledge.It will prepare you for sure for the much talked those unnecessary should we or shouldnt we debate if you are against the booze and will take u out from the ignorance. You will certainly not look like a fool during the discussion :) here it goes...

What is Champagne?
Technically speaking, champagne is sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France. But it is often mistakenly used as a generic description of sparkling white wines in the style of the wines of Champagne.
Champagne is produced as a blend between the Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay grapes. Champagne is designed to be drunk upon purchase, and in nearly all cases is not meant to be collectible. A non-vintage Champagne will begin losing quality within only three or four years, while prestige champagnes may last up to 15 years without degrading.
Champagne is normally drunk from either a flute or tulip glass, both of which are skinny and tall. This shape allows the scents of the champagne to reach their full potential, and helps the bubbles last for longer than in flatter, larger-bowled glasses.
The bigger brands include Moet & Chandon, Laurent Perrier and Krug.
What is Single Malt?
Single malt is so-called because the malt comes from a single distillery. It is a whisky refined by a single distillery, using malted barley as the only grain ingredient. Each distillery has its own distinct taste, flavour and style and single malts bear that. Some world-renowned single malts are Glenfiddich, Glenmorangie, Glenlivet, Glenkinchie and if you move into the rare varieties, PortEllen, Dalmore, Glenfarclas, IsleofJura, Knocdhu, Lagavulin, Laphroig, Macallan, Oban,Taliskar, Cragganmore. Enjoying a single malt is a connoisseur’s job and you have to learn to be one. A single grain, as distinct from a single malt, is a grain whisky made at one distillery, while the single malt is made with barley.

What is Gin?
Gin is a hard alcohol flavoured with the seeds of the juniper bush. Gin is a rather dry alcohol and is rarely drunk on its own, but used instead as a base for many different types of drinks. Good gin is very smooth, with a strong juniper flavour exciting the senses. Gin made its way to England with the ascension of William of Orange to the British throne. And a new style of gin evolved. Dutch gin is distilled from barley and is somewhat nearer whiskey than the London Dry style, which evolved in the 19th century. One difference today is that the London style, since it uses column stills, rather than the pot stills preferred by the Dutch, tends to have a higher alcohol concentration. The famous brands include Beefeater London Dry gin, Bombay Sapphire, Plymouth and Tanqueray.
A Dutch physician is believed to have invented the gin, who created a type now called Genever. It was initially used as a medicine in 17th century.

W H AT I S A L C O H O L ?
Alcohol is obtained after breaking down natural sugar of grain into CO2, ethanol or ethyl alcohol and residual content. Yeast from grains and vegetables changes the sugar into alcohol. From the cheapest beer to the most expensive wine or after dinner liqueur, all alcohol is made with the same fermentation process.
The different colours, tastes, potencies and flavours come from the different fruits or veg etables used and the additives, by-products and diluting substances employed during the fermentation process.

What is Blended Whisky?
Blended whisky is a mixture of single malt whiskys and ethanol derived from grains. Developed for those who could not stomach the strong taste of whisky, it is a combination of malt and grain whiskys. First distilled and bottled by Andrew Usher in Edinburgh in the early 1860s, it turned out to be softer, lighter and more palatable. The character of the whisky is determined not only by the proportions of malt and grain whisky, but also by the ages of the individual whiskies and the manner in which they are combined to bring out the finest qualities in each other. Most whisky drunk across the world is blended whisky. Famous Grouse, Bells, Teacher’s, Whyte & Mackay and Johnnie Walker are a few that are well-known.

What is Vodka?
Vodka is distilled from one of the following: corn, wheat, rye or potatoes. It is usually clear, perhaps tinted (by fruit or herbal additives etc), but always clear, never cloudy. Vodka is very rarely aged in barrels. Usually it goes from distillery to bottle to store and bar shelves. The exact history of vodka is unknown, though it most likely originated somewhere in the region of Poland or Russia between the 14th and 16th centuries. The word is thought to derive from Russian, meaning roughly “little water”. Although vodka is traditionally drunk neat in the vodka belt — Eastern Europe and the Nordic countries — its popularity, elsewhere, derives from its neutral spirit usefulness in cocktails and mixed drinks, such as the Bloody Mary, the Screwdriver, the White Russian, the vodka tonic, and the vodka martini. Stolichnaya, Smirnoff, Grey goose and Absolut are the more wellknown brands.

What is Rum?
Rum is distilled from sugar cane juice and/or molasses. It is aged in barrels to impart additional flavours. The first true rums were made in the Caribbean during the early 17th century by fermenting the molasses left over from refining sugar into a heady liquor. Barbados is held by many to be the birthplace of rum.
Rum is one of the major liquors in the world, with a history steeped in the myths of piracy, the Caribbean, and slavery. Others include Bacardi and Captain Morgan.

What is Cognac?
The wines of Poitou, La Rochelle and Angoumois, produced from high quality vineyards, were shipped to Northern Europe where they were enjoyed by the English, Dutch and Scandinavians as early as the 13th century. In the 16th century, they were transformed into eau-de-vie, then matured in oak casks to become Cognac.. That was the start of the adventure for a town, which was to become the capital of a world famous trade.
Cognac is a living thing. During its time in the oak casks it is in permanent contact with the air. This allows it to extract the substances from the wood that give both its colour and its final bouquet.
Ageing is indispensable if an eau-de-vie is to become Cognac. It takes place in casks or barrels that hold between 270 and 450 litres. The natural humidity of the cellars, in which the casks are stored is one of the determining factors in the maturing process.

What’s the difference - between WHISKY & WHISKEY?
Alcohol, malted or not, made from grain which is produced in Scotland is called WHISKY, while it is called WHISKEY if it is produced in USA or Ireland. American whiskey is called Bourbon and is made from grain. Bourbon is at least 51% corn or maize.
Scotch whisky is generally double distilled, while Irish whiskey is generally distilled three times. It is is whisky that has been distilled and matured in Scotland for at least three hours in oak casks.
Wheat whisky is the rarest whisky. Rye whiskies are mostly popular within the US. What goes better with Whisky - Water or Soda?
Whisky is preferred with water more than soda as soda is carbonated water and it kills the taste of whisky. But real connoisseurs of whisky like to have it neat or with water on side or with two cubes of ice.

Why should you never drink on an empty stomach? Experts say eating food before drinking retains alcohol in the system where it is absorbed slowly into the blood stream. This gives the liver more time to break the alcohol down. Otherwise, it is directly absorbed without being broken down into simpler compounds. This can be harmful for the liver and general health. The kick comes when the alcohol is absorbed into the bloodstream directly and slows down the central nervous system; hence the reflexes and reactions are slower.
Does drinking water before or between drinks help you hold your drink better?
Dehydration causes your blood volume to go down and alcohol even more. So make it a habit to drink enough water before a hard drink. Experts say in case of alcohol consumption, the bigger you are the better it is. Big people have a larger quantity of blood, so alcohol they take in is more diluted as it mixes with blood. Women are generally smaller than men. They also have proportionately more fat and less water in their bodies and so the entration of alcohol in their blood is higher for the same amount drunk.

FACT BOX - 11 | Subramanium Ramadorai

Name | Subramanium Ramadorai

Designation | CEO & MD, TCS

Career | Spent 38 years at TCS During the past 38 years, S. Ramadorai, has played an integral role in the international development of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). His efforts have helped make TCS one of the world's largest global software and services companies with more than 143000 associates working in 42 countries, operating out of over 151 offices worldwide, and with revenues over US$ 6.0 billion (FY 2008-09).

Age | 65 years

Education | Bachelors degree in Physics from Delhi University, a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics and Telecommunications from the Indian Institute of Science.Ramadorai was born in Nagpur, Maharashtra and did his school education from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Physics from Delhi University, India, a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics and Telecommunications from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India, and a Masters degree in Computer Science from the University of California, USA. In 1993, Ramadorai attended the Senior Executive Development Program at the MIT Sloan School of Management.



Interests | Music, photography and traveling

Questions by aspiring Management Consultants

Courtsey: Pagalguy.com, reproduced here fro personal records

As India positions itself into a knowledge center for Information Technology, Finance, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals, Media and Energy, a new breed of professionals are in demand. Diligence, problem solving, strategic thinking and innovation capability in young professionals is being sought after for management consulting jobs.

Strategy or Management Consulting is profession that is attracting a steady demand as more and more global firms are setting up consultancy arms. Guest Writer Saibal Sen compiles a list of 25 most frequently asked questions about consulting from his training sessions.

What are the signs of a good consultant?

A good consultant is one who is requested by the client for repeat business. To make yourself “in demand” you need to be creative and diligent. In addition, consultants should develop a work style to that of a “Trusted Advisor” — a phrase coined by a Harvard Profession David H. Maister. In short if you are hard working, enthusiastic about solving challenges and complement your clients capabilities, you will automatically become a good consultant.

How important is it to possess work experience to secure a job in Strategy Consulting?

Any type of past experience in creativity and problem solving is essential. The quality of experience is far more than the quantity of experience. If you are a fresher out of B-School, then make sure your internships can demonstrate your ability to solve problems.

Should I be jack of all or try to become domain expert?

In the true sense a business or a strategy consultant need not be a domain expert. They need to be excellent problem solvers. Do recognize that to become a domain expert is not as difficult as becoming an expert problem solver.

What is the difference between strategy consulting and domain consulting?

Strategy consultants assist with operational issues in business such as re-structuring, mergers, diversification, performance improvement, and expansion, cost reduction, market or product development. These tend to be domain agnostic. Meaning the underlying issues are un-related to industry verticals such as Telecom or Finance. Domain consulting is about assisting clients with implementing projects, systems or processes related to industry verticals such as Telecom, Manufacturing or Energy.

How do I master the art of information gathering?

It is true that consultants have to spend a lot of time gathering information and facts. Plan your information gathering strategy before you start. If you don’t, you will end up getting misled. Seasoned consultants practice the art of developing an initial hypothesis for data gathering. See more on initial hypothesis in another article I wrote before. Other things to keep in mind are to be a good listener and develop the art of sensing the important issues. Too much information is a distraction. Focus is critical when gathering information.

What is the difference between secondary research and primary research?

Secondary research is also known as desk research. You can do this by collecting and analyzing pertinent information in published material such as news articles, databases, journals, books, and company filings. Primary research involves conducting surveys and talking to experts, consumers, clients, and other relevant stakeholders. Both forms of research have their merits and de-merits. A combination of both methods is the best solution.

What are some of the career growth options for a consultant?

Rarely anyone stays on as a consultant forever. Typical growth path is general management roles, venture capital and entrepreneurs. Lou Gerstner, the former CEO of IBM did a spectacular turnaround for IBM. He was a former Mckinsey Consultant. Management Consulting is a fast track into senior roles because you are able to experience so many business issues across industry in a very short time.

What is the difference between a Business Analyst and a Consultant?

A business analyst sometimes also known as Research Assistant is a junior consultant. They do data collection and analysis work. Consultants will take on the work done by research analyst and take it to the next level such as solution development and implementation. Business Analysts contribute significantly in large systems implementation projects. Research Assistant term is more commonly used in Consulting Industry.

How should I handle a situation when I am unprepared?

If you are faced with a situation where you are unprepared, a good consultant will request more time for investigation and seek immediate assistance from his peers, seniors or even the client. It’s absolutely a bad idea to improvise or bluff your way out because you should never mislead your client.

What are typical pitfalls in consulting?

Wrong attitude is the number one killer. If your doctor or lawyer is condescending and acts as a know-it-all, you will unlikely go back to him/her. In addition, if your style of working is that of taking short cuts and chasing short-term gains, you will witness failures in your career very quickly.

How different is it to handle an international client versus a domestic client?

Frankly there should not be any difference. A consultant should handle both situations with equal dedication and seriousness. However, the biggest pitfall is how seriously international clients take deadlines and clarity of deliverables. If you miss deadlines or claim to misunderstand your deliverables, you will get into serious trouble with your “trustworthiness” quotient. Once this happens, you have damaged your reputation.

How does one win clients’ confidence?

Here are seven important attributes of winning client confidence. Be ethical, be eager to solve challenges, offer options don’t dictate, bring new perspectives, be a good listener, be a team player, and finally treat all engagements as special.

How to deal with a difficult client or one who is an expert in their field?

It is true that most clients will possess a high degree of domain knowledge than a consultant who is a starting out professional. Your value is not in domain knowledge but in ability to solve problems and bringing new perspectives. Highlight your firms’ tools and methods, analytical capabilities, and access to experts (in your firm or the industry). Remember, you represent your firm and your capability as a problem solver.

How do I back out gracefully out of over commitment to a client?

It can happen sometime. You may suddenly realize that you have signed up for too much. In such situations, be up front. Sit down with the client and offer options. Request more time, re-prioritize the deliverables and cut down the work to only critical ones, ask for more resources or just make a polite refusal. The worst thing to do is to accept the over commitment and fail.

How do I avoid over commitment?

Common causes of over commitment are when you do not plan your work, you are a procrastinator, you cannot say no or you did not realize the size of the task. The first three should be dealt with by making an attitude shift. If you still cannot address them, you should not become a consultant. For last part on size of the task, always break down all jobs into sub tasks to size the effort. It’s a common practice by consultants to not immediately offer time and cost commitments. Consultants come up with proper proposals that specify exact deliverables, time, cost and conditions. This practice will help you plan your time.

Some client members may be very against the use of consultants. What should I do in these situations?

Immediately seek help from your client sponsors (who should be on your side) and or your senior consultants. Don’t battle this on your own. Consulting is a very people intensive industry and high-pressure politics is very common. Always keep in mind that it’s a job and there is nothing personal against you. You represent your company and you are there to solve their business issues.

What do I need to do to get new assignments?

Consultants are expected to generate new business. Large engagements come through formal Request for Proposals (RFPs), but typical consulting engagements, which range around $100k to $2M always come through informal channels. To secure new assignments, you need to build trust with your client and you will automatically hear about challenges clients are facing. You may have to give some free time up front in small focus workshops and research work to assist clients in formulating a case. This is purely pre-sales effort. Though consultants don’t get paid for this work, the chances of winning such deals are 80% as compared to RFPs that rarely achieves a win rate over 20%.

How do I switch context when I am working in multiple projects?

You will always find yourself in multiple projects as a consultant. Plan up front. Chart your milestones with clear deliverables and keep good documentation and notes. Set up a timetable to work on each case or project based on your deliverable schedule. Stick to commitments and reach out for help if you find yourself falling behind. I would recommend that you do not work on more than 2 large engagements or 4 short ones at given time.

How to maintain work life balance and reduce stress?

Consulting is not for everyone. You have to be prepared for long hours and intense pressure of deadlines. One has to understand that there will be relief during down times or bench time as its known in consulting industry. This is the time when you are not working on a project. During billable time you have to be prepared to practice to turn off your mind when you go home or back to your hotel room. Keep fit; eat well and practice yoga and meditation. Never deal with problems on your own. Ask for help from your teammates, your manager and also clients. Maintain high standards in ethics and you will have a clear conscience. Do not over commit yourself.

What do I do to build up my confidence?

Confidence will come to you over time. Work on simple projects first. Get a feel for the dynamics of consulting. Build up the challenge element in your projects at a pace that you feel comfortable and you will be fine. Constantly educate yourself by reading and networking on consulting methods, and case studies.

How do I become a critical resource in a project?

While you may want to become a critical resource in a project and is a good ego booster, I do not recommend you work actively to become one. There is a subtitle difference between being “wanted” versus being indispensible. If you practice the attributes of a good consultant you will become “wanted”.

How can I develop problem-solving skills?

Challenging the status quo always helps. Always think of how things can be done better and faster at home and work. Another good way to practice this is when you read your daily news. Read the news title and then close your eyes and think of the possible outcomes or causes of the news incident. In effect, here you are thinking of various hypotheses. Each hypothesis should be distinct from the other and try to think of as many as you can. Then open your eyes and read the article. (1) Did you think of that outcome/cause as reported in the news article? (2) Do you agree with the outcome or cause of that incident? The first question will develop your analytical capability and the second question will develop your problem solving capability.

What are the options of joining a course for learning management consulting?

Still a very emerging area in India and there are only very few options. ZENeSYS offers a six-week distance program with certification and the opportunity to work a live case. CMC is internationally recognized but requires some prior consulting experience. Some degree and diploma courses are starting up in India that is a part of specialization during an MBA curriculum.

How to find a good mentor?

Once you take up a consulting job. It is a good idea to find a mentor. Good mentors are those who are performing well and are interested in developing others. Attitude of the mentor is important. You should feel uplifted in their presence. Negative thinking mentors should be avoided. Lastly you should find a clever way to compensate your mentor for his/her time and effort. If you are good at PowerPoint, offer to work on their reports. You will be amazed at what you will learn with any odd hands-on collaborative work as opposed to just chatting.

How do I start my own consulting firm?

Going your own way is one of the attractions in consulting after life. There are several books on how to start your own consulting firm that will tell you about the nitty-gritty’s. I remember I found Alan Weiss’ books quite helpful. Here are some pearls of wisdom from my viewpoint. Prove your analytical and relationship building capabilities first and then go into business. Biggest challenge you will face initially is to focus on delivering and developing business at the same time so make sure you have a long haul client before you jump in. Always focus on areas that are still evolving for maximum benefit. For example if you can offer consultancy on Corporate Social Responsibility or Alternative Energy, you will find it easier going than say Telecom Market Development. And lastly, don’t waste your money in advertising. It rarely works. Build your business through personal relationships.



Saibal Sen is the founder of ZENESYS, a professional services training organization. ZENESYS has trained hundreds of engineers in consulting skills at leading consulting organizations in India and abroad. ZENESYS also runs distance workshops for consulting certification. Saibal was formerly a management consultant at Arthur D. Little and founder of KUBER consulting in Boston MA. He can be reached at ssen@zenesys.org

UPSC True Achievers!!!!

 Sanjay Akhade, A determined guy has cracked the most prestigious exam of india, UPSC -IAS Exam. he is from Nashilk and has secured 263 rank.

Rashmi Bansal reports about him in her blog...

Son of Dnyandeo, an unlettered porter, and Vimal, a beedi worker, growing up was about bringing home some money. He cleaned tables at hotels, worked at a medical store, distributed newspapers and manned an STD booth through his teens. 

Although a topper in school, Sanjay dropped out and pursued a course at the Industrial Training Institute; getting a job was priority. He'd attend class from 10 am to 5 pm and work at the STD booth till midnight. "I was a voracious reader and would read whenever there weren't any customers. If I liked something, I would jot it down in a diary,'' recalls Sanjay. 

This is what is so amazing. Despite a really hard life, Sanjay did not wallow in self pity and curse his fate. He found a way to learn and grow, within his limited resources. And not for any particular reason. But somewhere deep down I'm sure he knew this was the only way to escape from the prison of circumstance. And make something of himself.

Self-study was what the Marathi-educated Sanjay depended on as he learnt English through newspapers. His drive was recognised by a regular customer, Digambar Vaishyampai, a teacher who started bringing him books and encouraged him to return to studies. It was with his backing that Sanjay enrolled for the HSC exam and subsequently pursued his BA, ranking first in all exams, despite not being able to attend lectures. His family started backing him too. His mother says she can't even read the clock, but wanted her children "to make it big in life''. 

A UPSC advertisement Sanjay chanced upon got him interested in the services. He trails off into another incident that further strengthened his resolve-a narration that brings back memories of Slumdog hero Jamaal being interrogated by policemen. "A college friend of mine once had trouble with a cop, who smashed the windshield of his autorickshaw. When I questioned the action, I was thrashed,'' says Sanjay, adding that he could perhaps join the IPS and reform the system. 

But achieving his goal wasn't easy. He first gave the UPSC exams with history as his subject in 2006 and failed twice. Although from a minority community, Sanjay applied through the open category as he wanted to play fair. "People would tauntingly call me collector sahib and tell me how life would never change, but I believed otherwise,'' says Sanjay. 

He married his cousin last year and has a four-month-old son named Yash. His interview in Delhi was his first trip to the capital. "I gave my interview in English, as I didn't want to lose the essence of what I said during translation.'' Employed with an insurance company, he dutifully returned to the rut, praying all along for his results. When his phone rang on May 4, also his birthday, he knew good news was on the way. "My friends called to say I had cracked the exam.'' His newly rented flat buzzed with visitors on Thursday. 

"Entering the services will not change our lives at home, but help me change the lives of many others like us.'' He says his background has helped him better understand what the government needs to do. "I will be handling child labour, for instance. I know what it is to be a child labourer."

COurtesy: rashmi Bansal 

FACT BOX - 10 | Om Prakash Bhatt

Om Prakash Bhatt

Vital statistics

Born March 7, 1951, in Dehra Dun, India

Married, with 2 daughters

Education

Graduated with BS in physics and MA in English from Meerut University (now Chaudhary Charan Singh University)

Career highlights

State Bank of India (1972–present)

• Chairman (2006–present)
• Managing director (2006)
• Managing director, State Bank of Travancore (2005–06)
• Chief general manager, north east circle (2004–05)

Fast facts

Chairman of the banking and financial institutions committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)

Director on the board of EXIM Bank and General Insurance

Member of the boards of the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI), Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), Institute for Development & Research in Banking (IDRBT), Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), and National Cooperative Development Corporation

Business Standard’s Banker of the Year for 2006–07

CNN-IBN Indian of the Year 2007, business category

Asian Centre for Corporate Governance & Sustainability and Indian Merchants’ Chambers’ Transformational Leader Award 2007

Asiamoney’s best executive in India for 2008

Business and Information Technology

Business and Information Technology

 

It is a weekday, and Priya Awasthi, 26, is at work at her high-security Electronic City office in Bangalore. She is in a large, cool, bright hall, surrounded by neatly arranged banks of computers, with biometric sensors and closed-circuit cameras recording every movement. Six clocks show the time in Sydney, Tokyo, Bangalore, London, New York and San Francisco. In front of her, projected on a giant screen, are a bunch of changing numbers, dials and graphs. The scene looks like NASA's space shuttle launch center. But it shows us how deep the technology has penetrated in the business and one cannot think about running a business without having a regular IT infrastructure or outsourced one. Whether you run a MNC or a SME , you have to allocate a part of your revenue for IT infrastructure and if you ask why? Answer is simple: if you want to compete and make profits you have to adopt and equip with global standards in this flattening, fiercely competitive world.

 

Nearly twenty years ago, personal computers began to revolutionize the way we work and play. In recent years, though, the Internet has been the primary source of technological innovation, offering us everything from online auctions to networked research libraries Today almost every business organization invariably requires a strong and efficient Information Technology (IT) system for its survival and sustenance. This change in organizational structure has not come about in a day, but rather is the result of efforts of various people who are constantly thinking of making human lives simpler and better. Technology has greatly helped businesses in terms of increasing their speed, efficiency. It has also made the working environment more safe, predictable and transparent. Overall, technology has helped the firms in their growth by maximizing their operational leverage.

 

Technology, to a large extent is demand driven. It is the need to create simple ways to do things that leads to innovation and invention. This when applied and accepted on a large scale brings about what we refer to as “Technological Revolution”. In recent times, the technology that has transformed our lives in a big way has been the Computers.

 

The development of computers can be classified in 3 phases. Under phase I from 1940s to mid 1960s, comes what we call as first generation computers (using vacuum tubes), second generation computers (using transistors) and third generation computers (which used integrated circuits-ICs). Advancement in ICs led to development of computer chips or silicon chips. Therefore, under phase II (from mid 1970s to early 1990s) emerged microcomputers which we called Personal Computers or PCs. With the coming of PCs the whole business-to-business and business-to-customer model changed drastically. With greater connectivity, linkages between firms and firms-customers increased and became more direct. Vendor development came into existence and with it the whole idea of value chain addition and quality enhancement.  Phase III started somewhere in early 1990s when Marc Anderson introduced a software browser called Netscape (its generic name being Mosaic). It was followed by the Internet explosion. Internet has made it possible to share data throughout the world within a few seconds and now even in nano seconds.

 

Businesses, not to be left behind also joined the bandwagon and developed their own official websites or web portals to disseminate information directly to their customers, suppliers and investors. In contemporary times, where firms are trying to leave as large a global footprint as possible, firms need to have access to timely and accurate information in order to operate efficiently. Business has been driven by the rapid evolution in technology: virtualization, cloud computing, standardization of IT infrastructure, and the availability of sophisticated tool sets. Industries including telecom and banking, financial services and insurance became the early adopters.  

 

Adoption of IT also has the advantage of reducing transaction and processing costs, greater access to inventory levels, improving accounting information and improving feedback capabilities. Thus, integration of IT in Business not only helps businesses to communicate better among themselves but it also helps in catering to a wider audience while incurring minimum costs. It has also been driven by changes in customer demands and a mature offshore supply environment. Nowadays, it provides the customer with a unique and individualized experience, right at home. Be it online banking or online buying, everything is just a click away, with consumers having the freedom to do these tasks according to their own convenience and their own suitable time.  

 

Though technology is highly desirable, but it is not always easy to introduce new technology. For starters, many new technological inventions are wasted because of lack of clarity on its application. For example, it was Emile Berliner who gave the phonograph (later called gramophones) its purpose, namely playing music. For others, acceptance by masses may take too long a time as was the case with sewing machines i.e. masses are generally the late adopters. This could partly be due to the very high prices charged for the new products which might deter masses from buying them. Further, today technology has been often accused of being too complex and intrusive in nature. In fact, it has been observed that there has been a migration of technology from fore-front to behind the curtain which has sent the wrong impression to customers that everything is as simple as it seems while ignoring the ever growing complex networks in the background. Moreover, there is huge mismatch between consumer demands and vendor supplies that needs to be rectified and brought in alignment.

    

But going forward in future we must admit that technology alone is rarely the key to unlocking economic value, in fact companies create real wealth when they combine technology with new ways of doing business. Having said that Information Technology will continue to affect the business activity be it managing relationships, be it managing capital and assets or leveraging information in new ways.

 

BY : Neha  Richa Amit

The unique game

First my friend said about the news and asked me to read the snippet at any cast. Why? because it is related to me and someheer you'll like it, he said.

Then i searched on the net and got the interview as well as the article. I was extermely delighted to see the person who stands tall in IPR world yet so humble and down to earth has come up with wonderful idea of ipr law game. This is a matter of pride for me and in fact even i was thinking that IPR should be promoted at school level and people should be made aware of IPR and its applications. Many of us do not think IPR is a good career option and hence there is a deep derath of talent in this sector and People who need professionals in this area are compromising with quality. So i starongly recommend this game, not only for children above 12 but also for grown ups. This one game will sure infuse that much needed interest in IPR and who knows many of us would start taking IPR as serious option? here goes the news...

In the next three months, a rather unique board game will hit the stores and that will be a board game on IPR

For starters, it’s a locally developed game, a rarity in a business where international games such as Monopoly, Scrabble, Risk or Scotland Yard, largely owned by global companies such as Hasbro Inc. and Mattel Inc., rule the roost.

Then, it’s developed by a lawyer.

And finally, it’s a game on intellectual property rights, or IPR.

The game is the brainchild of Pravin Anand, one of India’s best-known IPR lawyers. It took him two years to develop the game—and in these two years, Anand has had a busy day job.

The result, Anaryst, is probably the world’s first board game on IPR, and Anand is in talks with Noida-based Frank Educational Aids Pvt. Ltd to market it. Anand has also given away around 200 sets of Anaryst to schools, law firms, and friends to gauge their reaction to the game that he first unveiled last year at a function presided over by science minister Kapil Sibal, himself a well-known lawyer.

Anand’s motive in developing Anaryst is to acquaint young people—the game is essentially meant for anyone over the age of 12, although even younger children can play it—with the concept of IP and IPR, something that he hopes will encourage some of them to opt for a career in IP.

That’s a possibility, although not everyone who loves Monopoly ends up being Donald Trump.

Anand expects the board game to sell for around Rs500. Monopoly costs around Rs999 here. Manish Govil, director, product development at Frank Educational Aids, says that while it is difficult to predict the demand for the game in numbers before its formal launch in the market, he is positive it will receive a “positive reception”.

“The game is a new concept dealing with a current issue (IP). I’m sure children and adults would be interested in it,” Govil says.

Uday Athavankar, a professor at the Industrial Design Centre in Indian Institute of Technology, Bangalore, which specializes in creating and conceptualizing board games, too, believes Anaryst is “a new concept”.

And Sanjay Subrahmanyan, an avid board game enthusiast who blogs on board games, also says Anaryst is the first of its kind to be created in India.

The game, which follows a “roll and move” format, can be played by two-four players.The rules are simple. Players start by choosing one industry, represented by a pictographic card, out of four options—automobile, pharmaceutical, food and beverages, and information technology—depicted by a car, a drug, a drink and a computer system.

Each product has a portfolio of 15 unique intellectual properties associated with it marked on the cards. For instance, in the auto industry there are 15 properties associated with a car such as a patent in the “improved axle”, copyright in the light controlling software and trademark in the brand name.

Each player is given 5,000 A,nas, the currency of the game and acronym for Anand and Anand. The goal is to complete acquiring all the 15 intellectual properties of the chosen industry.

Tresspassers on other players’ squares, that represent factories, have to pay a fine or go to court and pay damages or go to jail. Players can also acquire IP of other players’ industries, become “trolls” and trade them later. The goal is to complete the industry portfolio without going bankrupt.

Stirring interest early

Anand says he has taken the game to students of New Delhi’s Salwan Public School to allow students to try it, and received an encouraging response.

“The school is planning to have inter-school Anaryst competitions. Children learnt that IP is not as complicated as performing a brain surgery. They will learn through the game that in a monogram they create, a recipe or an essay they write, IP is in everything,” the lawyer says.

“Children need to understand these concepts with subtlety early enough to be interested in it. Those students may now want to look at IP as a career. ”

Aparna Keswani, 17, was one of the students at the school who played the game with her friends. The game is now available in her school library. She says it definitely “stirred an interest” in IP among her classmates. “I wasn’t aware of what IPR means. In websites I often saw ‘Copyright 2009’ written at the end of the pages. It (the game) explained what trademark, patents, copyrights and designs mean and how it can be used in different industries,” she says.

Marketing Anaryst won’t be easy, says Subrahmanyan. “The problem with the board game industry is that some makers like Funskool dominate the market as they have rights like Scrabble and Monopoly that have been popular for over 40 years,” he says.

“Unfortunately, there is no board gaming culture in India, like in countries like Germany,” he adds. “Here, there are only cards and gambling.”

Anand is not worried because he is not interested in the business aspect as much as in cultivating his hobby and “spreading the message of intellectual property”.

“Even at the inauguration I had mentioned that it is an open source game, anyone can pick up the idea and work on it,” he says.

The lawyer now plans to develop an online version and make it available on a website so it can become more accessible and reach out to a larger audience.

I wish him all the success and hope many more to come in future. Also despaerately waiting for online version to hit the market. Gr8 going sir!!!

Courtesy : Live Mint

Fact Box - 9 (Capt. Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar Gopinath)

It is the same time again when everyone of us talks about elections, Its imlications, repercussions, Goverment and Politics. When i heard the news that besides the regular contenders and champions of different communities (castes), there are few who are contesting for country. It remains to be seen, wheteher they are truly in battle for the country and for being the change they want to see, or just the rhetoric and gimmick to win and rule.

So i heard that Capt. Gopinath is contesting from Suth Bangalore as an independent candidiate. I realized that in my Fact Box series, i didnt post anything form quite sometime. So what better time than this wud be to post his fact box. More so when i got a piece in her own penned down article.

excerpts for you...

Vital Statistics

Spouse	Bhargavi Gopinath
Children	2 daughters: Pallavi and Krithika.
Residence	Bangalore

Education
 I was born in a small village called Gorur in Hassan district of Karnataka. My father was a poor school teacher and a farmer as well. I went to a Kannada-medium school till Class V after which I was selected at the Sainik School in Bijapur which had just been set up to cater to students in Karnataka. Incidentally, I failed the first time I appeared for the entrance exam as the paper was in English of which I did not know a word. My headmaster, however, was a very determined man and he wrote to the defence ministry asking them how they hoped to recruit boys from villages in South India if the paper was held in English and not in their mother tongue. I was able to appear again for the exam, this time in Kannada and that's how I got selected.
Career Highlights
Captain Gorur Ramaswamy Gopinath is considered the father of low-cost airlines in India. He was born in a village in Hassan district of Karnataka. A graduate from the National Defence Academy and Indian Military Academy, he served in the Indian Army for 8 years. He started commercial helicopter service in 1996. Understanding the needs of this segment, Capt Gopinath decided to start Air Deccan, the first low-cost, no-frills airline of India in August 2003. The French government has bestowed the award of Chevalier de la legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) on Capt G.R Gopinath. He is also the recipient of several awards such as the ‘Rajyotsava Award’ by the Government of Karnataka, ‘Personality of the Decade Award’ instituted by KG Foundation , ‘Editors Choice Award’ by the Indian Express Trade and Tourism Awards and “Sir M Visvesvaraya Memorial Award” by the Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce & Industry. Captain Gopinath is contesting the Lok Sabha polls as an Independent from Bangalore South Constituency.

Fast Facts

After completing school, I got selected to the NDA (National Defence Academy) and went on to be commissioned in the Indian Army where I spent the next eight years and fought in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation war. I quit the Army to come back to my village and take up farming. I got into sericulture and eco-farming. Later, I set up Deccan Charter, India's first private helicopter charter company which was followed by India's first low-cost airline Air Deccan. My dream was to have an inclusive India with equitable growth for which connectivity was crucial.

I have been involved in different enterprises, in different fields and have managed to build meaningful businesses which contributed to nation-building. Over the past two decades, I have been a critic of several Government policies and systems and have worked with successive Governments on policy for reforms and progressive measures, particularly in the aviation sector.

Book Review “The world is flat”

I read “The world is flat” expanded edition of 2006. Considering that the book is huge success across the globe and across the readers, i feel guilty that missed the same till now. The book is one of the gems penned down by the  famous writer and journalist Mr. Thomas L. Friedman, who wrote it as a research book.

When you proceed with the book, it is clearly visible that the book is more about his observation based on his interaction with corporate bigwigs, their interview, his vist to many places and research based on his observation.I just finished almost some 220 pages of the book and that marks the end of all the 10 flatteners mentioned in the book.

I would like to divide the reviw in form of questions and would try to get the answers of those with the help of book.

 

 Is the world really "flat?"
When Friedman said the world is fla, he didn’t mean world being physically flat-- sorry to disappoint you. Instead, Friedman is referring to the forces of globalization. More specifically, the "triple convergence" among the flattening forces, a new business model emphasizing horizontal collaboration, and the opening of India, Russia, China and other closed societies after the fall of the Berlin Wall. As we go with the book we gradually find that growing economies (read India and China), are playing vital role in making the world really flat besides the ten flatteners mentioned in book. This triple convergence created a more global and level economic playing field. Companies are no longer discrete entities residing in one or two countries, but span the globe. Supply chains reach across continents and cultures while Americans no longer compete only among themselves for the top jobs; but across the entire world.

What is the role of growing economy?

The growing economies are contributing their bit as India is becoming the back office of the world and China is the manufacturing hub of the world. Both tailor made for outsourcing and offshoring. Ofcourse there is some overlapping. As the world becoming a global village competition for the best jobs just got a lot stiffer. No longer can citizens of developed world expect to receive top of the line jobs on anything but merit. The increase in education and telecommunication technology across the world is creating a massive potential workforce that is itching to join top jobs at the top of the standard of living pyramid. What this means for developed world is that the need to be constantly upgrading skills and becoming more adaptable is absolutely vital for continued employment.

How is the developed world preparing  for the flat world?
Thomas Friedman refers to an "Ambition Gap" in describing the advantage that Indian and other non-American students have over Americans. After World War II America was truly the only superpower and the clear leader in technological innovation and education. However, that is no longer the case. Now there are students in places like India where the opportunity for a good education is relatively new and the ambition between students in those areas and Americans is almost not comparable. The Indian CEO of 24/7 Call Center, P.V.Kannan describes it best, "Is America prepared [for the flat world]? It is not...You've gotten a little contented and slow, and the people who came into the field with [the triple convergence] are really hungry. Immigrants are always hungry-- they don't have a backup plan."

What is the lesson from this book?
First and foremost, the extent to which the world has been flattened became very evident in this book. I have a much better mental picture of the world economy and the dynamics of basic business practices in the 21st century after reading half of this book. Another key point that I took from this book is the need to always be improving oneself to remain competitive in the global job market. It is no longer sufficient to learn one skill or trade; the modern worker must be continually learning and growing as an employee. While some people view the flattening of the world as a grave threat (low-skilled manufacturing comes to mind), I prefer to take the more optimistic approach of viewing it as an opportunity to improve. In a free-market economy, increased competition is a keystone to a functioning economy. I see no reason why an increase in the competition for jobs caused by globalization should be looked at any differently. In fact, there is so much more to the flattening of the world that is exciting,particularly the potential of massive collaboration on some of the most troubling and advanced problems we now face that a view focused on the outsourcing of American jobs is shortsighted, narrow and far too American-centric to be a valid approach. Sure, the flattening of the world will raise many challenges for many people, but challenges are what bring the best out of both people and societies.

 

The flatteners of the world:

Friedman defines ten "flatteners" that he sees as leveling the global playing field:

1. The new age of creativity – Berlin Wall collapse and Windows went up (Microsoft)--11/9/89: The event not only symbolized the end of the Cold war, it allowed people from other side of the wall to join the economic mainstream. (11/09/1989)

2. The new age of connectivity- Advent and popularisation of www and Netscape 8/9/95: Netscape and the Web broadened the audience for the Internet from its roots as a communications medium used primarily by 'early adopters and geeks' to something that made the Internet accessible to everyone from five-year-olds to ninety-five-year olds. (8/9/1995). The digitization that took place meant that everyday occurrences such as words, files, films, music and pictures could be accessed and manipulated on a computer screen by all people across the world.

3. Workflow software: The ability of machines to talk to other machines with no humans involved. Friedman believes these first three forces have become a "crude foundation of a whole new global platform for collaboration."

4. Uploading- harnessing the power of communities: Communities uploading and collaborating on online projects. Examples include open source software, blogs, and Wikipedia. Friedman considers the phenomenon "the most disruptive force of all."

 5. Outsourcing Y2K: Friedman argues that outsourcing has allowed companies to split service and manufacturing activities into components which can be subcontracted and performed in the most efficient, cost-effective way.

6. Offshoring- running with gazelles, eating with lions: The internal relocation of a company's manufacturing or other processes to a foreign land in order to take advantage of less costly operations there. China's entrance in the WTO allowed for greater competition in the playing field. Now countries such as Malaysia, Mexico, Brazil must compete against China and each other to have businesses offshore to them.

7. Supply chaining- eating sushi in arkansas: Friedman compares the modern retail supply chain to a river, and points to Wal-Mart as the best example of a company using technology to streamline item sales, distribution, and shipping.

8. Insourcing: Friedman uses UPS as a prime example for insourcing, in which the company's employees perform services--beyond shipping--for another company. For example, UPS repairs Toshiba computers on behalf of Toshiba. The work is done at the UPS hub, by UPS employees.

9.In-forming – Google, MSN, Yahoo: Google and other search engines are the prime example. "Never before in the history of the planet have so many people-on their own-had the ability to find so much information about so many things and about so many other people", writes Friedman. The growth of search engines is tremendous; for example take Google, in which Friedman states that it is "now processing roughly one billion searches per day, up from 150 million just three years ago".

10.The steroids, mobile, personal, digital: Personal digital devices like mobile phones, iPods, personal digital assistants, instant messaging, and voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP).