Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Marketing

Business in corona crisis

2020-06-04T11:51:00.001+05:30

Think if the Covid19 isn't the last virus threatening to wipe out human race in 2020? What would you do to prepare for the threat? Therefore the coronavirus would surely create new businesses aimed at providing solutions to the threat of fatal viruses. Mind you when in crisis the majority shrink the activity portfolio to very basic things like food, clothing and shelter rather than seeking pleasures of life. Luxury products industry may contort beyond rational explanations leading to very low quantity higher prices. One feature that all passenger vehicle would be hollering about would be virus proof interiors from upholstery to filters etc.

Almost a decade ago while prospecting I sought a meeting with a major shoes manufacturer in Punjab something happened that you must know. This shoe manufacturer is himself an MBA and was launching a line of products aimed at health wellness like shoes with acupressure benefits. India being a dumb country hell bent on leveraging the capital rather than the idea you don't find any trailblazers. Next time you eat a healthy biscuit ask yourself how's that different from a parontha or Indian sweets. Well I called up this charismatic hardworking shoe manufacturer for a meeting, obviously thru someone else, and got a chance to explain him why he should hire my services to market the shoes with health benefits. He listened to me for ten minutes and politely told me to let me know later about the decision. Don't you know that when someone don't want to decline the offer he substitutes it with tell you later smile? I told him since India is a poor country therefore there's only niche market for the health benefits segment and hence it would be better if the marketing strategy aims at niche rather than mass. He didn't see reason in my advice against his ideas, hence never hired me at price which was not even 1% of the cost of failure he faced with his health benefits shoes launch. Basic reason why any MSMEs should hire a business consultant is to get a second opinion on his plans and hold hands going forward. I don't advise my clients, I work and toil with them to ensure that my clients earn more and spend less than what they had planned on their own. Hiring a business consultant should lower the cost not pad it up.

Do you wonder how it's possible that how can an entrepreneur save money and spend less? Imagine a pharma industry business that requires sophisticated laboratory having expensive tools like HPLC, Spectrometers etc. One of my client into the Phytochemicals and nutraceuticals manufacturing told me that his lab executive wants new software for a non functioning HPLC machine and it would cost him a couple of lakhs. Yes people still can sell you blotting paper for million rupees. It took me two minutes meeting with the HPLC supplier to bring the cost to zilch because I have long experience of working with Phytochemicals manufacturering businesses.

What can small business owner do if his tried tested sales team tells him that no further sales are possible with same product mix? Well make your sales boss meet with someone like me to share fresh tactics and latest practices in business. Anyone working on one job for couple of years can develop a tunnel vision and would need help to get fresh ideas about what else is happening in other industries in similar situations which could be implemented in many verticals. Well I took me few months to design a plan that would expand the sales to new heights mom.

India has too many MSMEs and need many more to deal with the mayhem in the market due to lockdown. Restarting a unit is more complex than setting up new one. I would humbly recommend a thorough inspection of all critical components of the plant so as to avoid mishaps. A boiler doing great service before for a while must be inspected before going on steam again with the easing of lockdown restrictions. As we all know that the best time to launch a product is the off season so that you could double check every little detail in the supply chain. Therefore setting up a manufacturing new unit in Corona pandemic period can't be a bad idea. Let's get down to business and factor in the precautions for Corona.

Jai Jawan Jai kisaan - Elections 2019 India

2019-03-15T05:49:00.000+05:30

Elections in democracy were meant to search and appoint someone among us to translate our current demands into reality. But the elections have degenerated into an excercise to select most competent capable by the less competent people. How can the inferior guys know exactly who is superior than them? Can you appoint a pizza delivery guy thru elections process? Can you dare elect, rather than select, soldiers for military? You would agree with me elections in India don't offer a level playing field wherein each citizen can present her/his candidacy for the most lucrative public jobs available in India. Politics in India isn't a public service instead it's the most paying job without any requirement of minimum education and work experience. Elections are held in China also with compulsory voting rule. And Narendra Modi's RSS loves the Idea of compulsory voting.

China didn't let narender Modi led India to proscribe Azhar thereby deflating the Balakot strikes campaign baloon. Had China not blocked the move Narendra Modi could have rode on the nationalism wave to a second term in office. This is the only critical outcome of the Chinese action on Azhar ban issue. When Sikhs were massacred in chittisinghpura Kashmir then the Hindu Rashtar extremists RSS didn't launch any strikes in Pakistan? India knows that if china had let Azhar be declared a UN global terrorist there would have no impact on Pakistan or Azhar's freedom popularity in Pakistan. But.

Noisy Hindu radical journos went into frenzy, just as per what the Riots Shikshan Sanstha RSS taught them so reciting Hindu Rashtar chalisa in hindi, since the day a liberal Sikh scholar Dr Manmohan Singh won a second term as the PM of India. How can RSS and their Hindu Rashtar media not cry wolf having to see a non Hindu occupy the Prime Minister's office in their cherished ramrajya? The Hindu Rashtar media launched an orgy of violent journalism to bismerch a hard earned impeccable reputation of Dr Manmohan Singh. Hindu Rashtar extremists message is clear. They will prefer a Narendra Modi like Hindu Rashtar hero over a hugely competent liberal scholar honest person from minority to occupy the CM or PM chair. No wonder that Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar wasn't elected to the PM job or President chair. Hinsutva soft versus extreme seem to have become the highway to political success in India, as prescribed by the RSS. But I am amused by the enigma of nationalist edifice being offered as sure shot way to political nirvan.

Many politicians from castes involved in farming in India have become CMs but none of them could make it to the top job. Chaudhry Charan Singh occupied the office briefly and Tau Devi lal rose to the dyPM. So much for the farmers class that employ largest number of people. The real political power in in Hindu India remains in hands of the Bania- Brahmin firmly since Mohandas Gandhi era. This power has been nurtured thru the RSS which is moat powerful business club of traders class.

Therefore there have been no real celebration of Jai Jawan chimes in the PM office till now. Indian military designed by the British empire have been most disciplined unlike other armies in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Mynmaar etc. India is the only country in the subcontinent where the military hasn't seized power or influenced the politics. Salute such grace of the men in uniform.

In my opinion 2019 general election should focus on electing those who directly or through their family contribute to the national security in India. If the Riots Shikshan Sanstha RSS want a real nationalist in PM job it shall order its members and employees to vote for soldiers who contest elections from any party. If Hindu Rashtar supporters actually want a true n nationalist political leadership then why not elect only those who serve the nation as soldiers. Jai Jawan Jai kisaan mustn't he empty slogans. Let's vote for real soldiers than jumla version of them. Let's hope to see a military guy become the PM of India in 2019.

Amazon Reliance & Ikea : Online Retail war in India

2018-08-27T19:42:00.000+05:30

Who will rule India in future? A homegrown behemoth Reliance not Flipkart armed with might of Walmart has been projected in media as the probable main competitor to global online retail giant Amazon. When Sumos fight its audience who gets to enjoy the fight without fear of any loss. On the other hand there is rise of another global DIY online retailer IKEA on the horizon in Hyderabad. Don't we know that the share of online sales revenue is as low as 3% of the real brick & mortar version.

Question is who will win the war on online sales in India which has huge population under 35%? I have always maintained that the large population in India provides no dividend to the economy. Moreover a morbidly superstitious Hindu population in India is another drag on the growth of economy to make it attractive to the global investors. Hindu mythologies confuses the kids who grow up becoming parasites rather than net contributor to the economy. In the age of innovation & ideas you have to allow kids become a modern citizen who could challenge the existing cultural rituals and ancient utopias. Indian kids grow up be become unskilled confused and superstitious adults who wait for some gods to solve the everyday life problems.

The hankering for bygone utopias and funny gods make Indian kids completely useless who neither enjoy fruits of their hardwork as their legitimately earned outcome nor take responsibility for their actions. Innovations are the main driver of any economy and innovative minds needs a liberal and progressive culture. Can any Hindu tell how Imran Khan has reduced the fuel prices by 17 rupee while Indians continue to pay brutal prices to the Hindu supremacist govt?

Reliance may be the largest firm on the basis of market cap but does it enjoy the trust of the Indian population? I meet lots of current and old employees of the Reliance industries asking them about their satisfaction about their employer. Ask any Reliance employee to know how much they fear and distrust it. Can any form of retail operation sustain without earning the trust of its customers and employees? No way. Amazon may have several dissatisfied customers but it has won trust of customers as well as employees. IKEA may face cultural barriers as Indians are not known for DIY lifestyle. India being a Hindu caste-infested society which looks down upon those who work with hands by castigating them as low caste its herculean task to inculcate DIY culture. But IKEA can benefit from low cost labor in India offering great potential for sourcing base.

Reliance may have many managerial & strategic challenges compared to the professional approach of its competitors but it has the might of Indian govt on its side that it can deploy to get an unfair advantage in the market. But in the long run as we all know the market competition wins the race.

King Khan at helm in Pakistan

2018-07-29T09:57:00.000+05:30

"When small men attempt great enterprises, they always end by reducing them to the level of their mediocrity." - Napoleon Bonaparte

The quality of political leadership in a country has both long & short term influence on its economy politics and culture. You could conclude that the quality or the lack of it determines the very survival of a country. Therefore citizens in a democracy must vote very consciously on merit alone than any other consideration of religious beliefs, cultural identity without personal or social bias. The difference between developed and under developed countries could be attributed to many factors including the nature & quality of the local culture/s followed by the majority population. Social scientists and sociologist agree on the positive impact of great leadership on team performance.

A poor leader without verifiable competence and sans an inspiring track record may end up damaging the team prospects & its future productivity also. People tend to emulate the feat of their achievers who lead them to victory in sports, literature, economy or politics. Between India & Pakistan which country has better quality PM? Who among the two has better achievements in education, sports, career and life? Management or administration is a craft that requires leadership qualities which can't be imbibed through hard work and superior intellect. David Ogilvy warned his colleagues to differentiate between pygmies and giants and depend upon on giants alone for success. India clocked stellar economic performance under Dr Manmohan Singh who became PM after a great educational attainments and a scintillating career full of inspiring achievements.

Can you point out what Narendra Modi achieved in education & professional front? Modi was not even a MLA before LK Advani appointed him CM of Gujarat. The RSS don't claim to be a university where its missionaries learn & teach the craft of designing excellence in any field. Numerous vociferous RSS guys are seen pontificating in mainstream media that they want to turn India into a Hindu Rashtar that lives only on ancient Hindu superstitions and rituals. Funny that 'Good Day' is a biscuit brand from Britannia India not by Modi's favourite enlightened yoga exponent Ramdev.

Despite his expensive publicity blitzkrieg Modi failed to strengthen the Brand India in global market. Has Narender succeeded in keeping the economy on track or failed to match the performance of his illustrious predecessor Dr Manmohan Singh? Nobel laureate Dr Amritya Sen has recently remarked that Narender pushed the Indian economy into wrong direction. If you wonder why current PM failed to perform then look at his educational and work record. Why Modi didn't achieve success in education, career and social life before he was made the CM of Gujarat by his political mentor?

Unlike Dr Manmohan Singh the current PM was lucky to be born in independent India and that too in its richest & most successful state? On the other hand Dr Manmohan Singh excelled in education & career despite pains of the partition of India. Imran Khan too achieved world class success as a sportsman winning the cup for Pakistan. Successful people inspire billion others to work hard and achieve success in their chosen field. Only success offers assurance of survival and growth, failures only leave behind bitter lessons.

The Hindus were always in majority in Indian subcontinent & have substantial achievements much before RSS came on the scene and took upon itself that task of saving Hinduism in India. Unfortunately Narender Modi wasted his youth in RSS camps whiling away precious time doing nothing. How can a man who failed to get a regular job in his youth understand the employment situation in India and provide jobs to fresh graduates? Didn’t Dr Manmohan Singh do first class jobs throughout contributing to economy of India? Dr Singh got the jobs of Finance Minister and the decade long stint as the PM purely on personal competence and merit? There are many CMs in various states of India who neither studied nor worked hard in their youth. Can such guys lead the society towards a better future? RSS Hindus can learn from Pakistan where no religious extremists have won in elections this time also. Why should Hindus elect those people who are accused of spreading Hindu extremism in India? Its disgusting to see that in the post industrial modernist world the Hindus of India continue to promote dubious characters by electing them into power.

Political leaders like Imran Khan have the potential to inspire a whole generation to emulate him and create excellence. Imran has earned a name for himself with his stellar contribution to cricket winning the world cup for Pakistan. He married a jew lady which confirms his secular credentials. Narendra Modi never worked on any job before becoming CM and has no record of achieving any success in any field whatsoever prior to getting the chair of Gujarat CM. Modi earned his Hindu Rashtar Hero image post 2002 Godhra riots which gets him Hindu votes since then.

Victory of Imran Khan in 2018 Pakistan elections would certainly help the people of Pakistan aspire for a better life and greater future. A country can lose a lot and struggle to survive if the people at the helm have no winning track record. Pakistan is lucky to have Imran Khan in the driver’s seat to lead it to greener pastures.

Earn a Million Dollar from Blogging?

2018-06-09T20:29:00.002+05:30

Strategy is the key to make a pile of money from blogging. But you can't earn a cent unless Google or Facebook makes many times more from your efforts. Those who started blogging in their youth expecting to net a catch someday could be found reading Moby Dick after a decade of rigorous work. well isn't it true that waiting for Godot was written almost a century ago? How could one forget the truth of the Happy Prince or the fiction of Atlas Shrugged? But then who could you blame, the writers of blog posts or the social media dictators who don't bother to promote anything except entertainment?

Reading writing is a serious business that fails to entertain the masses. In a world marked by the Trump-ting USA and Modified India its rare to find somber logical debates and discourses on life and living. Perhaps the masses have lost the faith in existence of God & the goodness. Perhaps the rapidly melting glaciers on the poles have led to an opposite effect on humans leading to freezing of human mind. How could iconic markedly successful people like Kate Spade & Anthony Bourdain refuse to travel the entire mile?

How could successful smart Kate & Tony shatter under the weight of living life every moment of it? Come on pump up some more entertainment that could dampen the glare of arc-lights so that humans could keep their eyes open without strain. Achievements make people stronger worthier but those can't be the only goals of life. Failures are sexy too, failing repeatedly may kill the most of us.People earn money through hard toil so that they could burn it on lazy pursuits. Well this sums up our life in the post truth world.

People are no longer entertained by the serious tales reflective of the realty of banal existence. The laborious reading-writing activity of humans have shrunk by the rise of mass media and instant pleasures of social media revolution. Human heart desires more entertainment to find meaning in the digital life. Anyone can live long if she doesn't differentiate between success & failures. No day can be boring monotonous or wasted if you know how to entertain yourself with words. Pictures can kill, embrace the words to wade through the oceans of life.

You certainly can make your first million from blogging on the web if the masters of the digital universe Facebook & Google permit. Mythologies are interesting but can't help in living a win-win life in the post truth world. The hoopla scores over the golden silences. Would you like to know how much money a blogger like me make after 10 years on the blogpost? Hold your breath, take a sip of cold water. I have yet to reach $10 in 10 years. Phew can someone teach me how to make a million dollars from writing?

Cambridge Analytica & Data driven political marketing

2018-03-27T08:41:00.000+05:30

Just because Cambridge Analytica has been credited with influencing the American voters in favor of successful flashy business magnate Trump it would be wrong to extrapolate the effects to explain the rise of Hindu Hero Narendra Modi in India. First unlike Trump, Narender has been continuously winning elections post Godhra riots 2002 that earned him the title of a Hindu hero. Agreed that Narender had never won any election before 2002 Gujarat riots. Mysteriously people tend to forget that Narender's mentor his senior LK Advani lost elections to Dr Manmohan Singh in 2009. Second the American mind has no resemblance to that of the Indian mind because the USA is extolled as the land of free & undisputed Global leader since the WW2 unlike India which have been ruled by people from all over the world hence can be described as the plaything of any who would dare to challenge the natives. The culture of people in an area is most critical resource than any other resource like minerals & location. The success or failure of an economy is also predicated on the characteristics of the people living in an area.

No one is born strong, rich & successful one has to plan and work for fulfillment in life.

If you wonder why the Hindu media in so called secular India has been wasting so much primetime TV on boring puppet shows on topic of the impact of political marketing on voters then shut your eyes observe two minute silence mourning 39 hardworking young Indians in Syria driven to death by Hindutva forces led by RSS.

Think why Indians have to go abroad to provide for their families back in India? Ask why RSS forces Indians to chant Bharat Mata ki jai while doing nothing to create jobs in India. Ask yourself who is forcing Indians to risk lives for earning a livelihood in dangerous places outside Indian subcontinent? Who would respect Bharat mata if she fails to take care of its progeny? The hindutva propaganda is the single biggest distraction, obstruction, away from the development politics in India. How can India grow when RSS want Indians to bend to tantra mantra of Hindu way of life? China and the west have grown by embracing liberal values, scientific temper assuring universal equality and justice for all which are anathema to RSS Hindutva lifestyle. How can India grow if continue to slide into abyss of ancient morality of bygone utopias?

Neither Narendra led RSS or Rahul’s Congress can win an election or influence substantial enough Indian minds even if they have access to adhaar database which is way more destructive a weapon than any databases generated thru some app or Facebook. Wont majority of Indians willingly sell their personal data for a ration card or food for work program? Hunger is maddening and unemployment fatal. Don’t we know how booze, money and gifts can get votes during election in India? Data driven marketing is just another tool among the vast array to influence consumers or voters to have a positive opinion about an offer in the market. Narender Modi as Hindu Hero has been sold to almost one third of India and 70 percent of Hindus by the mainstream media not which is owned by RSS inclined Hindus. Digital media may had one tenth of impact as mainstream media in the 2014 win of modi. Did you ever come across any journo or channel critical of dangers of a Hindu Rashtar?

Never. Some political science puritans and academics keep worrying about an ideal world where people could live freely but that’s nothing but an utopia. If Trump had engaged Cambridge Analytica to collect data and use it to market his campaign in an open manner then it was no crime. Similarly if Narender or Rahul use their app to collect info of Indians to send them their messages it’s a fair game. Facebook and Twitter are media firms and like their ilk the brick & mortar avatar they wouldn’t mind maximizing their profitability at any cost. To all those who balk at involvement of foreign hands in their national affairs I would ask think again and note how their lives in India are directly controlled by other govts. Indian subcontinent has never been really free like USA and you know how expensive freedom is. Let’s worry about how to take India towards freedom than worry about use of digital tools for effective political marketing.

Stockholm syndrome & Ramdev Patanjali Ayurveda marketing

2017-12-20T11:30:00.002+05:30

Ramdev can’t hope to win in fmcg space dominated by women power. Yogis who consider women as bad influence thus refusing to respect them as wife or a life partner must not hope to have a bright future. I appeal Ramev to come clean on this and clarify why he refuses to love women as life partner. To those women who suffer from Stockholm syndrome my humble appeal would be to stand up and fight for equality. Don’t by products sold by celibate religious people of any religion because they stand for misogyny that makes life of women difficult on earth.

Agreed India remained under foreign rule for centuries. Accepted the Indians didn’t get independence as result of war against the occupying power, like USA or Vietnam get. Despite 70 years of independence Indians fail to become globally competitive society as reflected in dismal performance in Olympics, FIFA world cup, Oscars or Nobel prize to name a few. Therefore many scholars tend to conclude that Indians in general are not ready to shoulder the leadership responsibility thus preferring the follower role.

Countries in Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India have already seen women head of states as PM & President, unlike the USA, despite the fact that women in the USA enjoy far better socio-religious freedom as compared to their pitiable plight in India. How could women rise to the top political jobs in countries that are notorious for subjugating women? It’s no brainer. All the women who occupied top political posts in Indian subcontinent came from political families who succeeded their male relations. Ms Mamta Bnnerjee, CM of west Bengal perhaps the only top political leader in Indian subcontinent who rose to top on her own merit sans any male patronage. Don’t you think Hillary Clinton would have won against Trump if she had not been seen as an ex-Presidents wife? All right thinking people must strive for an equal world, a culture where when women have same freedom to commit mistakes and still get accepted as equal as men have enjoyed for centuries. Women and men are made equal by Gods and no decent man can find an exception to the rule.

If you wonder how the above enumeration relates to rapid rise of a controversial uneducated religious bigot popular as Swamy Ramdev in the business world? Well Ramdev have entered low technology FMCG trade to sell commodities and packaged products which were already available in the market. Ramdev has used religious Hindu fundamental appeal to sell commodities and low technology semi processed items. His rise can be seen as ripple effect of rise of Hindu fundamentalism in all spheres of life in India from politics to education. Although rapid rise of Patanjali products of Ramdev looks logical in charged atmosphere of Hindutva fundamentalism in India but its future remains surrounded in mystery.

Will Ramdev be able to sustain his trade in the low tech and low margin trade of commodities with highly substitutable product categories sans differentiation if the wave of Hindu fundamentalism wanes in next 2-3 years? Serious business managers would seriously doubt the future prospects of Patanjali trade empire. Why would a customer buy Patanjali products sold by a religious Hindu fundamentalist Swamy when there are many normal Hindus are already marketing such products of equal quality? What will happen to Hindu fundamentalist appeal if India has to go to war against China or Pakistan? In my opinion a war with China is almost round the corner. Secondly I would like to draw attention to more fundamental and pervasive contraction threatening the future of Patanjali products.

Ramdev is riding a tiger in the low technology fmcg world. Ramdev a celibate won popularity as a religious man who didn’t marry because yogis consider women as distraction in achievement of higher goals of life. Unfortunately for all Hindu fundamentalist yogi and Swamys like Ramdev it’s the women who decide the fate of fmcg class of products. Will the women continue to buy products endorsed by a guy like Ramdev who considers women as distraction and refuses to give them equal status as life partner? In my opinion no self respecting educated women would by products from those who insult and disparage women. Ramdev can’t fool all the women for all the time. Let’s wait for the moment when women launch a campaign to boycott Patanjali products in their fight for dignity and equality in India. I am sure Ramdev has not hired a professional advertising agency or discussed the branding with an expert. No one can sell products/services to those who the seller don’t respects.

Two suggestions for 'Make' in India

2017-10-09T10:28:00.000+05:30

You would agree that 5 year of working in a state govt industry & commerce department's single window cell are enough to understand its working to comment authoritatively on its efficiency & productivity. Well I have been there and done that. Therefore read the suggestions carefully. India has long been relying on 5year plans to industrialse its mainly agriculture and services dominated economy. But the results offer no solace to any object analyst. All states in India have ‘single window clearance’ teams as part of industry and commerce department.

Every ‘new’ Industrial promotion policy promises to end ‘inspector raaj’ and reduce harassment of entrepreneurs by providing all needed clearances in one place thus helping investor to navigate the paper maze in a profitable manner. But on the ground nothing seems to change since Dr Manmohan Singh liberalised the economy in early 1990s. Present Hindu Nationalist govt in India made many promises before 2014 elections to remove the bottlenecks facing industry & commerce but their hammer & tongs approach to problem solving have further complicated the matters. Hence India is once again seemingly to fall back into hole of the Hindu rate of growth from which Dr Manmohan Singh rescued it. Question facing all industry commerce experts is how to find ways to jump start the new investments through large scale programme of industrialization.

It's not really very difficult to spawn a million MSMEs in India despite major socio-economic bottlenecks. Firstly the govt must those who are ready to set up a new business unit. Well yes its that simple. You wouldn't be surprised to know that many entrepreneurs visit govt single window services and district industry centers searching for solutions. And first question on mind of these greenhorns is ‘what are hot new profitable projects suggested by govt? ‘ it should be damn easy for industry facilitation officer of the govt to answer the question. Why it's not so is beyond logic, imagination. Govt can surely ask its officers or appoint a consulting service to draw detailed ready to use project reports for facilitating quicker decision making by the prospective investors.

Agriculture officers of various govts work with farmers advising them on new crops and yield but such service in industry & commerce is missing. I recommend that the guys like Amitabh kant tasked with Make- in-India mission must wake up and provide tailored solutions for MSMEs through each state. Those visiting industry & commerce departments in any state must be followed up with and provided with several project feasibility Studies to spur industrialization mission.

Secondly the central govt may engage one of India’s IT giant TCS preferably to create a competitor of Alibaba of China with thousands of downstream startups. These two are obvious suggestions besides many others could be researched and applied. Question is will the govt move beyond lofty speeches and window dressing to focus on the gargantuan challenge of creating new industries to provide jobs for huge unemployed Indians? Let's hope Indian politicians shift focus away from elections and get down to saving India.

GST roll out could not have been better

2017-10-09T10:24:00.003+05:30

How could ‘56 inch chest’ scholars of Bharat Mata forgive India’s Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanium for admitting, on NDTV in December 11, 2015 interview, that his team haven’t undertaken any research to study the impact of GST –VAT act implementation on India’s GDP? Well Arvind is widely accepted as genuine economist, like Manmohan Singh, who knows his subject better than most of Bharat Mata Sevaks and would not like a genuine scholar desist from speaking the truth. Chanting GST mantras is the new fad in the media and political circles rather than among business management circles and academia. The truth is that GST Bill may not add to the GDP growth rate in the short run at all and Modi Sarkar may not benefit from its roll out even in 2019 elections.

Yes.Current GST bill hanging fire in the parliament is not something significantly new than the current VAT system of tax administration prevalent in India. It is merely an improvement on the present structure of tax administration in India that would be followed by several other reforms in future. The GST-VAT proposed Bill have some concrete proposals, like the Constitution of India which have been amended a hundred times already and still called a Great piece of original scholarship crafted by a team of highly revered scholars under the stewardship of Ambedkar, and many not so well defined proposals that would need to be resolved expediently to facilitate the ease of doing business in India for spurring the economic growth. Let’s examine few mythologies thrown up by political pundits extolling the virtues of the GST Bill.

First things first, there is no Ram-baan cure for India’s labyrinthine tax administration system and therefore the GST bill is no panacea. Stop and think a while you would notice that India already has VAT in place and it clocked rather mystifying GDP growth under the stewardship of a scholar PM Manmohan Singh. Therefore India need to elect, & select, more leaders like Manmohan Singh, competent & skilled, rather than making new laws that get subverted by incompetent and corrupt Indians. Few Great leaders and entrepreneurs at the helm hold more promise of progress and fast economic growth as compared to new great laws and statues. Tighten your seat belts and wait to experience new unexpected shocks coming in the way of economic growth in India in the period post the promulgation of the GST bill. Ease of doing business in not solely predicated on the complexity of the tax administration regime.

(an old piece, left unposted)

Five Secrets of a Top Grade faculty

2017-05-24T08:01:00.000+05:30

Higher education in India has experienced mushroom growth in past two decades. It has entered the consolidation phase already. Although most of the expansion has come from privately run institutes but considerable growth has taken place in public sector also. Few corporate have also entered education domain but largely for the CSR reasons than motivated by the mission to create a world class institutions. You could judge the priority & importance the governments in India lay on the education sector by the very fact that the MHRD don’t have put up 2017 data on its website as on May 24, 2017. The website mentions “As of 2014, there are 677 universities, 37,204 colleges and 11443 stand-alone institutions in India”.

It’s universally accepted that the quality of faculty is the most critical factor for imparting top grade education. Curriculum, Infrastructure, network and technology comes after the basic need good quality faculty. Those who have the opportunity to study from high quality faculty possess expert level skills to contribute to the profession they undertake. Anyone can be a great faculty if she/he could acquire the expertise in the following 5 factors and demonstrate it frequently.

Subject Grasp: Everyone thinks her/his grasp over the subject/s is absolutely fine till s/he put it to test. Therefore it’s recommended that the faculty must test own domain knowledge at least once every three years by solving the examination paper given to the students. The institute and the government could also make it mandatory for teachers to take a test periodically.

Domain Knowledge: Education is multidisciplinary and each subject shares concepts, tools and principles with wide variety of other subjects. Therefore it’s imperative that the faculty must be encouraged to develop expertise in a gamut of subjects required for effective teaching. Many subjects particularly from science and professional arena can’t be understood properly if a faculty lacks the field experience. A doctor without practice in a hospital would make a lousy faculty of medicine. Similarly engineering and management also put same demands on the faculty.

Communication skill: Most often it’s recommended that a faculty must have excellent communications skills. Well it’s desired that the faculty must be able to speak fluently the language understandable by the students but more critical communication skill for a faculty are reading and writing than the speech. World class faculty should be able to read and understand complex papers, journals and also write in concise clear manner.

Empathy: Good faculty must empathies with students and be able to behave like the students in the classroom. Knowledge can be transferred easily if the learner trusts the teacher. Moreover a faculty good or bad leave an impression on the audience and also influence the personality of students. Faculty could strive to understand the psyche and group behavior of the class one intends to handle. The faculty needs to win confidence of students for positive learning outcomes.

Grasp of Edutech: No faculty can claim to plough the lone furrow in internet dominated world of education. Therefore a great teacher must work hard continuously to catch up with the technical expertise of the students. I would recommend that every faculty must be a step ahead of the students on handling edutech so as to inspire the students.

Performance versus Promise: Political Marketing in India

2017-04-26T14:48:00.000+05:30

If you intend to find out which political party or leader are responsible for win loss in Delhi MCD elections then you could be disappointed to read this piece. But if you are interested in discovering the marketing insights underlying the recent political marketing events in India then you would have enough food for thought. Let’s hit the ground running, first things first. Why did RSS/BJP lost Bihar Punjab etc but won in UP & Delhi MC elections?

Anti incumbency isn’t always a burden in India or other places on earth due to voter fatigue and low trust in the political players. Many states in India have CMs who are returned back into power for multiple times. Recently SAD-RSS alliance government lost Punjab despite a huge publicity campaign to showcase its achievements. How could Narendra-Amit duo lose Bihar but manage a thumping win in UP while contesting against the incumbent parties represented by similar caste combinations? There is no ambiguity in understanding why Narendra Modi don’t seems to be affected by the anti incumbency pains despite lack luster performance and deteriorating internal and external environment of India? Narendra seem to glide on promises than performance.

Political marketing in India have not yet to come of age. Most political parties continue to follow the trend than seek professional help despite recognizing the enormous critical influence of the communications strategy on the elections outcome. How could a market leader hire services of an agency which was employed by the challenger to dislodge it from the prime position? Ironically it is congress party which is credited with bringing in marketing professionals into the political communications. Indians may have markedly different consumption habits but they don’t behave much differently than their counterparts worldwide. Indians living a difficult life in the developing economic conditions consume hopeful promises more eagerly than political claims of how much a politician contributed to their lives.

How could one miss the delphic scene at the residence of Delhi CM? Any shutterbug would find it amusing to note the absence of luxury vehicles at the residence of the CM of India’s richest state. Well if you have missed it try going to Arvind Kejriwal residence and then following it up with a visit to the official accommodation of the PM of India. Did you notice how many luxury vehicles were parked at both the places? Delhi being richest state in India is home to the high-end luxury autos and moreover such products are meant to flaunt social class of the owner than acquired for the utility. Point is why the rich guys who badly need the support of state machinery could maintain distance from a CM?

The privately held media in India have come under attack from various sides including the government at the centre which bestowed the titles of ‘bazaroo’ & ‘presstitues’ on some sections despite the fact that it lacks professional ethics of being the watchdog of the citizens against the excesses of governments. Media continues to blatantly hide the failures of the central government. The recent attacks on Delhi AAP government by the media expose the helplessness of it due to dependency on huge advertising budget of the centre. Had AAP focused more on poor performance of BJP in MCD rather than comparing it with its own work the results of elections would have been different. Indian citizens don’t vote on positive performance therefore it could be counterproductive to attempting to win elections on performance of the incumbent player. ABV failed to win in 2004 with help of India-Shining campaign and TRS also was voted out despite transforming Andhra Pradesh into a premier destination.

QED: It pays to promise moon than deliver LED lights to illuminate the night in India

Narendra D. Modi or its just modi Modi modi

2017-03-04T15:24:00.002+05:30

This happens only in India. Although pandits may spun numerous twisted tales trying to prove that modi success story is a unique phenomenon never noticed in India. But its not true. Modi has achieved success by copying the classic Indian political strategy of divide & rule used by many like Indira Gandhi etc in the post 1947 era. You couldn't fault a politician for using weapons of mass destruction to obtain success, its the nature of beast. In my opinion the modi story has reached its ultimate point of diminishing marginal utility.

The modi story can be explained in three distinct chapters titled modi Modi modi. It began as a rank outsider whom Advani foisted in Gujarat CM chair without being a sitting MLA. But it didn't take him long to emerge from shadows of his mentor when in 2002 he break ranks from the competition for the prized title Hindu Hero in 2002 post Godhra train burning & riots. But Narendra isn't the first politician to brandish the Hindu Hero trishul. Likes of Indira Gandhi wielded it earlier very successfully. Hindu supremacist RSS eulogized Indira as the Durga of Hindus, praised Thakrey as a iconic anti muslim crusader then and unabashedly flaunt Narendra as their current avatar. Therefore the strategy to win Hindu vote bank in not new but it works in post 47 India.

Second chapter in modi success story of 2014 was woven by two major strands of Hindu hero worship mixed with issues of rampant corruption. Majority of political scholars agree that the dominant factor in 2014 victory of modi was mainly due to his worship by hindus as their hero. Modi could not have won in 2014 unless the then UPA govt led by an incorruptible scholar Dr Manmohan Singh would have been discredited in the eyes of Indians. The dirty job was done using media which indulged in open mud slinging on the UPA govt. Majority media firms from the north half of India are owned by Hindus who back RSS hindu rashtar line unabashedly in a secular born India of 1947. Despite the defeat of Modi phenomena in Delhi, Bihar and decline of it in several other places the hindu media continue to back modi blindly. Media's bhakti of modi is so dark that they have abandoned the professional ethical role of being guardian of public opinion. in 2017 modi has began the third chapter of his hindu conquest of India.

Indian politics revolves around the hindu vote bank and RSS operates like a holding firm of majority such organizations tasked with the job of appropriating resources and political power for enjoyment of high caste Hindus. Minorities stand no chance against the might of hindu hegemony if hindus continue to worship hindu hero and ignore their own pains of poverty and insecurity. Therefore if hindus continue to sacrifice the economic & social security of India at the altar of Hinduism then modi story could well last many more years. Question is do hindus value goal of economic prosperity more than their religion? Its difficult to hazard a guess. People are essentially social animals hence given the choice they would not mind trading beliefs for material gains. In my opinion majority people would vote for food on the table than promise of a rainbow of religious achievement. Hence the 2017 UP elections may become the ultimate chapter of the story of modi.

Narendra modi story may soon become just like that of Ram temple at Ayodhya. A story which helped RSS immensely for sometime but can't be pushed too far without endangering the future of India.

Journalism Ethics: Arnab, Cyril & Ravish

2016-11-05T09:01:00.000+05:30

When I was studying journalism & mass communication at Punjabi university Patiala an editor of Dainik Tribune visited us to share his views. You would be aware that since journalism have been more of a trade or a business rather than profession therefore majority of journalist are self taught guy who prefer to toe the line than challenge the authority. This editor from Chandigarh made a remark, which he thought was pretty innocent normal.

He said-When we (media) take government side then the readers protest and when we raise the voice of people the government dislike it. I couldn’t help myself asking him to explain such a loaded statement coming from an editor of pro-govt newspaper establishment. He looked confused to why I was asking to explain a rather routine remark. When I told him that he said could virtually imply that the democracy in India has failed. He was stunned, began to look in the direction of the faculty as if pleading with them to make me shut up. But faculty members in Indian universities generally don’t mess with students who read more than them.

How could there be inverse relationship between aspirations & opinions of the citizens in a democracy to the government policies programs? If the government don’t want media to question them to wake them up to the views of the citizens then what is the role of media? India can’t be a North Korea clone due to size and history. When media becomes government stooge it’s the end of democracy and beginning of the end of those regimes.

Recently when Pakistan government tried bullying Cyril Almeida, majority media professionals including Hamid Mir of Geo stood up with Cyril against the government. Unfortunately majority Indian media don’t have such strong spines as our friends in Pakistan. India media have earned the adage of-Crawling when indicated to bend-long ago. Therefore its pleasant surprise to see Ravish Kumar of NDTV-India cock a snook at modi sarkar in his nonchalant inimitable sober style to protest against one day ban on the channel for coverage of the Pathankot airbase attack. NDTVIndia is just another channel having no unique access to the spot or reported anything that most other channels didn’t but it is singled out for the punishment.

NDTV India has the brand positioning of mild mannered, centrist, balanced, sans theatrics channel amongst sea of noisy pseudo hindu-nationalist channels, some of them purveys mythologies than facts in the race to please Hindu fundamentalist RSS and the government run by its cadres.

Cyril Almeida belongs to minority community in Pakistan but received complete support of the majority community to save him from government high handedness. But NDTV India seems to be in modi sarkar crosshair due to its refusal to toe the RSS line showing minorities in poor light. No one is surprised at one day blackout ban on the channel. It’s shocking to see how the RSS led government could act in such predictable manner and bring more negative publicity? Many thought RSS would rope in some educated people to guide it post stunning win in 2014.

Journalism students have choice they can be Arnab Goswamy of @TimesNow and be a voice of Hindu fundamentalist sections , a Ravish Kumar of @NDTVIndia who stands for the idea of India. You can chose cacophony or civil debates. Let me caution that it’s easy to be an Arnab Goswamy as most people can speak loudly but very difficult to be Ravish Kumar because you can’t be him without reading lots of books regularly. Arnab Goswamys would come and go but Ravish Kumar would be discussed in mass communication classrooms for decades.

Reliance Jio can change a lot in India

2016-09-05T15:28:00.001+05:30

In my opinion India has been a hub of B2B family owned firms since 1947. The industry have remained under government control, still the govt wields heavy influence, because the industrial houses wanted it that way. Despite many public pronouncements by various govts since 1991 when Dr Manmohan Singh liberalized the environment doing business in India particularly in MSME domain is pretty challenging. But lets restrict discussing the grand roll out, a la Modi rally, by Reliance Jio in the huge telecom sector.

Firstly Mukesh Ambani made a Modi style speech promising big to Indians in the national interest. Although the reliance shareholders are used to such speeches as they heard such stuff during dedication ceremony of KG basin too to the nation too. But India has changed since and the youth was flabbergasted gasping for breath asking what did Mukesh Ambani invent to make such claims?

Secondly at the moment Reliance Jio is no pioneer in the telecom space. It has to contend with major established players capable of taking it on in a price war. Moreover customers have experienced Reliance service for quite a while and many don't have many positive things about its credentials. Customer trust, not the price play, is the cornerstone in service marketing in India as well as globally. Let's hope Reliance learns to win minds and consequently hearts of customers if it hopes to succeed this time.

Reliance don't have a shining record in customer facing business. Its foray into organize retail has not been able to earn it the numero uno position therefore it would have to work harder in telecom because telecom customers are spread over the rural market also. Indian firms generally lack in customer service area and in service marketing the quality of customer service can make or break a business.

How could i end without discussing launch campaign of Jio? Please ask any professional advertising guy in India to know how little space is allowed to them by the advertisers in designing the advertisement message strategy. Perhaps Ambani and family ordered the agency to prepare the layout as per their choice. I always tell my students to see the launch advertisement of Indica by Tata Motors. In my opinion the Indica launch advertisement has been the best ever launch campaign by any Indians corporate. It contained all that you learn in a premier MBA course anywhere on the earth.

Finally let me state that i haven't got a response to my online booking of Jiofy within the stipulated 48 hour period. Speaks volume for customer service level. Anyways India need its major corporations to succeed so that we can survive and feed our enormous population,

Can Politics be Marketed like Coke or Condom?

2016-04-06T15:01:00.000+05:30

Consumers of political marketing in democracies run on vote-counts face torrents of counterfeit to completely fake assurances of services to garner their votes. Going by the prevalent level of disgust for politicians in most democracies anyone can safely conclude that the majority consumers feel cheated and exploited by the politicians who enjoy comforts of a President, Prime Minister and other exalted offices way higher up the ladder than those which achiever citizens obtain through hard work and diligent education.

In the era of Societal Marketing orientation when consumers are motivated to experience only those pleasures which would not harm their present society but also ensure a safe future for the coming generations how could hazardous political products be allowed to be marketed in the name of so called adult franchise? If a seller can’t escape the consequences of dangerous products why not penalize politicians and political parties for non-delivery of adequate services? If telcos can be penalized for call dropping & lack of

connectivity why not hold the Modi government, all governments, to similar test?

When a customer is free to change the service provider in case Airtel , Vodaphone etc fail to ensure call dropping then why demand compensation for lack of services? Will the Indian politicians demand similar punishment for a political party & politicians for cheating them with fake promises during election campaign? Why have two standards for same crime. It’s wrong to assume that its moral to market everything from religion to insurance. Marketers the world over have accepted the principle of not extending marketing concepts, principles and tool to various category of goods and services to ensure safety of consumers. For example categories like insurance, healthcare are not allowed to be marketed like Condoms and Coke. Political advertising and marketing is too serious a tool to be left at the disposal of unscrupulous politicians who have no regard for ensuring the adequate delivery.

Isn’t it more difficult to get a driver’s job in India than acquire a gift of high political office? Will it be fair for Rahul Gandhi to become next PM of India without working as a minister till now? What did Modi do before he was made the CM of Gujarat? How could Narendra Modi be expected to lead India to better future if he failed to find a job during his youth? Political offices need people with high degree of expertise and skills besides missionary zeal to do something for a country. Yes there are minimum standards for someone becoming a PM in India but are they enough? Any Donald Trump can charm the voters with a political marketing campaign designed and run by professionals like me but is it good for the health and future of any democracy? Its time India wakes up and lays down clear qualifications-skills and work experience, for the high political offices or be prepared to remain a poor and inconsequential country.

Political marketing is very effective and pervasive discipline having considerable impact on a society therefore it must be held to highest degree of consumer/citizen accountability in a democracy for sake for evolving it into a republic. Election manifestoes and other promises must be brought under consumer rights and the apex courts must old public trial before each election to help citizens make informed choices. Consumer can avoid Coke & condoms but not politics.

The Doctrine of Sikhism rather than Buddhism can end global terror.

2016-04-06T14:56:00.001+05:30

Once again the humanity lost at the Brussels airport. The Innocent people were bombed butchered mercilessly in cold blood without any fault of them. They had no idea why they were drawn into wars that politicians wage to further an agenda. How can we fight terror? How to resolve conflicts & wars be minimized? What is terror and how can all forms of terror be condemned and defeated? Does the prospect of a mutually assured destruction not enough to convince war mongers?

War is often portrayed as an inevitable outcome in an unjust world that fails to ensure justice & equality to all in a fair moral manner. How could we differentiate between genuine freedom fighters & cold blooded terrorists? Can the state take to terrorism to fight with its enemy terrorists? Actually most of these questions have been answered many times by great men. It’s time we listen and bring peace to us.

It would be naïve to explain away that all wars are trade related and hence inevitable. World is engulfed in wars that are product of clash of religious, ethnic or political differences and hence must be defeated with twin force of weapons and thoughts. Terror in all its forms must be defeated and its threat to humanity need be contained. Norway has successfully demonstrated how a civilized country should fight terror when it listened to its most dangerous terrorist Andre Brevik and brought him to justice. World need to debate and defeat the ideologies that convince the Brevik, ISIS etc of the world to perpetrate bloodthirsty acts of terror before they are fought with force. Conflict is natural but terror is a disease.

India can once again be the world Guru of peace and delineate the strategy to fight the scourge of terror and establish peace in a war weary world. In my humble opinion the doctrine of the Sikhism rather than Buddhism can help prevent the next world war and save humanity from another catastrophe. Terrorism can’t be fought without use of the arms and the peace can’t be begged. Therefore the world must listen to what Sikhism says and also see how the establishment of the Khalsa Sarkar in eighteen century Punjab led to peace in a prenatally strife torn part of India.

Almost a century before the USA bestowed the right to bears arms to its citizens the tenth Sikh Master Guru Gobind Singh ji blessed the Khalsa Panth in 1699 at Anandpur Sahib Punjab to demonstrate how weapons should be used to prepare the nectar for the sustenance of all humanity rather than poison the waters of life on earth. The doctrine of Sikhism led to establishment of the Khalsa Kingdom at Lahore Punjab based on equality & brotherhood. The Khalsa-Sarkar didn’t use terror as a weapon of the state to maintain rule of law. No peace can ever be achieved without justice & equality. The world must embrace all the humanity rather than discriminate against people of one color, race, religion or culture. All humanity is a Brotherhood of the living. The Khalsa-Sarkar of Maharaja Ranjit Singh followed Sikhism to help bring peace to the most troublesome part of the world.

Each terror strike anywhere in the world reminds us once again of the stupidity of the Bush Administration’s unintelligent response to the 9/11 terror strike. On the hindsight majority of the Americans agree that if USA had gone after terrorists of 9/11 and brought them to justice rather than engage in an all out war perhaps the world would have been better place than its now. The wise doctrine of mutually assured destruction generally works in all cases with statistical accuracy. The state must never be seen to be acting like the terrorists and target innocents In the war against terrorism.

Post the Paris terror attacks the Pope had expressed his opinion about the beginning of the third world war. Well the wise Pope is certainly right. Look around and see how the many parts of world from the Middle East to Ukraine have been suffering from wars. The era of trade disputes resulting into wars seems to be behind us. The ongoing and potential wars are due to clash of ideologies and lack of international dispute resolution action.

It would be wise for the global power to discuss and debate before taking a one sided suo moto action to resolve global conflicts. The superpowers must leverage the platform of the United Nations to arrive at a widely accepted solution to global conflicts and avoid the third world war. Anyone on its own can start a war but one needs cooperation of the other side to end it. Global superpowers must lead the way through consensus for establishment of peace rather than leave it to individual counties to sow seeds of global terror. No country should be free to subjugate its citizens and govern its territory on other than humanitarian principles. Sikhism teaches us to embrace all humanity and respect diversity for peace.

How to raise funds for the Universities in India?

2016-03-09T15:52:00.000+05:30

India is incomparable to the west on most counts including quality of the education. Higher-Education in India is in sharp decline unlike USA where it is improving by the day. Whereas the private education enterprises are funded almost entirely by the students’ fees, the public universities run on government grants in India but not so in the west.

Though many Industrial houses have ventured into education but the hullaballoo about lack of skills among the graduates remains the chartbuster since last decade. Has the education system really failed to inculcate skills amongst the students? Many imagine so. Well those who are convinced about it generally blame it on the lack of funds, research grants available to the universities in India. Is it impossible to raise funds for universities in an economy which continues to grow at a healthy seven plus rate?

Universities which offer MBA/PGP programs can ask their Management faculty to plan and lead the task of marketing the institutes to stake holders for fund raising. If management faculty can train the students to become managers to contribute to the growth of commerce & technology in India they sure can help their institutes meet its challenges.

Universities produce opinion leaders therefore their economic footprint is not limited to those who earn a degree from its precincts. Marketers understand the value of opinion leaders and are eager to win over their confidence. A University campus offers widest congregation of opinion leaders in a single place which could be a prime target for any astute advertiser. Moreover universities can plan many strategic events and research projects which could attractive to the industry & commerce.

In the present form the universities in India lack a dedicated marketing team that could bridge the gap between industry and academia which could generate funds for the universities. Though the task can well be delegated to the Commerce & Management faculty if few industry experienced faculty exists on the campus. There is huge potential for any university to generate more revenue by bridging the gap between industry and academia.

Need for a law to deal with student suicides in India

2016-03-09T15:49:00.000+05:30

Students committing suicide due to pressures of examinations is common in India. But the governments in state & centre haven’t enacted a legislation to fight the menace as if they have accepted it as unavoidable accidents. The burden of failure in exams can’t be put on the students alone. Success & failure of students in examinations have several stake holders such as teachers, parents, education system and students. My heart broke on hearing about the news of suicide by three students of ten plus two class yesterday in Madhya Pardesh India.

This post doesn’t discuss the politics of culture war in India that drove a dalit research scholar Rohit Vimula to reject India by refusing to continue to live here. Rohit Vemula could not wage a sustained war against institutional inequality in Hinduism, as practiced in India, which was fought and won by Sikhs of Guru Nanak Dev ji in Punjab longtime ago. This post deals with another monster that devours the youth of India.

Wonder why the students who fail in exams are told that it’s the end of road to a happy successful life in India? Look at likes of Narendra Modi, Smriti Irani etc who have made it big despite frugal education attainments. Besides the formal education system in India has many flaws and has been criticized often for its focus on producing scholars who are good for clerical work alone sans critical professional skills. Youth could focus on acquiring traditional economically valuable skills of carpenter, blacksmith, tailor, cook etc and make it big in their chosen profession. A carpenter is more critical to life on earth than a clerk as the later doesn’t add any economic value with his work. A driver in Canada, India too, earns much more than most clerks.

There is extreme dearth of trained teachers who understand the process of how students learn a subject. It’s not enough for teachers to master a subject without being able to understand the process of helping students learn better on their own. Most of the teachers don’t know the difference between pedagogy and andragogy. An effective teacher works with students and explain them the process of learning before taking them on the path of learning.

India needs to enact a law to deal with the menace of student suicides. Each case must be investigated and responsibility must be fixed on parents, teachers and the governments. No society can survive for long if it continues to ignore its youth and their problems. We must take care of our students now to have a better future.

2016-01-06T00:03:00.001+05:30

Happy 2016 !
Wishing all my friends, foes & strangers
a very
Happy & Prosperous new year 2016
Have a blast

Why Mohan Bhagwat orders review of Gandhi-Ambedkar Reservation system only?

2015-12-23T17:54:00.000+05:30

All reservation systems are naturally anti-merit and could only lead to eventual disaster for the people that they aim to protect. Reservations perpetuate hegemony, entitlement of few incompetent individuals over their competent contemporaries by threat of force that could emanate from religion, state or both. A reservation system not only hurts the Eklavyas but also prepares ground for eventual annihilation of its practitioners like DronaCharyas (Mahabharat Epic). Mother Nature promotes and rewards freedom, equality, competition & rewards merit. Nature is both awesome & beautiful. But unfortunately the social reservation systems are an antithetical to the spirit of the Mother Nature.

There are two reservation systems, not one, prevalent in India which naturally impede meritocracy and consequently weaken the fight against equality, poverty and violence in society. Ironically the more pervasive & powerful reservation system in place is not the one enshrined into the Indian Constitution by MK Gandhi to placate Dr. BR Ambedkar who suffered heinous discrimination due to the mighty reservation system propounded by Hindu religious scholar Manu through Manu-Smriti. Just like an eye for an eye could make the whole world blind therefore a new reservation system to counter the older one could only lead to more darkness in India. Evidently China has galloped miles ahead of India in the fight against poverty and social injustice to become a great country. Merit has no substitute, hence reservation systems of all hues need to go in a global society.

Hindu Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh, a Hindu Supremacist organization sworn to make India a Hindu Nation, have always eulogized the Manu’s reservation system but baulked at the Gandhian-Ambedkar one. It would be extremely rewarding to undertake several research projects to compare & contrast the impact of two reservation systems, Manu Smriti based & Gandhi-Ambedkar pact, on the Indian society after the transfer of power in 1947.Both seem to have outlived their utility in the modern world.

The Gandhi-Ambedkar reservation system gives some protection to the disadvantaged Hindus who have been tortured discriminated as per institutionalized religious tenets of Hinduism. It’s near impossible to fight religious biases with rational legal direct action. Wonder why Gandhi-Ambedkar didn’t take the time tested home grown Indian method to fight the menace of Hindu religious caste system? Guru Nanak Dev ji the founder of Sikhism eliminated the caste system in Punjab region in 15^th century itself thus making it the prosperous and honorable society to live in the entire sub-continent.

Sikhism not only made Sikhs a proud nation but also helped Hindus & Muslims to live with each other in spirit of harmony and brotherhood for a century in a region which have been tormented for ages due to caste religious confrontations. Sikhism eliminated the practice of reserving religious jobs to a particular section of Sikh society which led to the decimation of caste system. Unfortunately it seems MK Gandhi’s bias for ancient Hinduism and Ambedkar’s lack of courage led to their agreement which is nothing but seeking an eye for an eye to deal with the Hindu caste system. No wonder the monstrous caste discrimination has not only strengthened in Hindu society but also have spread its tentacles into other religions that strictly prohibits it.

Will Mohan Bhagwat the powerful chief of the Hindu Rashtriya outfit initiate a review of the more hurtful reservation system that reserves millions of jobs in Hindu temples for Brahmins only? The day Hindus begin to appoint temple priests on merit rather than on caste it would be impossible for anyone to discriminate against fellow humans and benefit from it. All Indians, Hindus particularly, need to work towards a future where each citizen competes on merit without any crutches of any kind of reservation quota system imposed either by Manu-Smriti in the name of Hinduism and the one of Gandhi-Ambedkar sort. No country can survive & win without embracing merit wholeheartedly and history of India provides ample proof of it. Hope Mohan Bhagwat will demand review of both the reservation systems prevalent concurrently in India for sake of its survival.

Why the Online Advertising (SEM.PPC) is unable to see a galloping growth in India?

2015-09-07T14:47:00.003+05:30

Were you frequently pissed off to read newspapers cluttered with lengthy versions of already known stories dished out by some self-righteous johnny on TV channels? Indian journos have made the social media, particularly Twitter, their core source of news-leads, beyond what they are handed out by their media owners on orders from the above. Media chaos & clutter have become insufferable burden in India. Who could be in mood for looking at advertisements and moved by them? Therefore it can be safely concluded that the remaining 50% of the Advertising budget is also going down the drain along-with the first half.

Google, Bing, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube & Instagram are fast emerging as the new media for targeting the youth but still the online advertising don’t seem to pick up at a scorching speed that it must. The mainstream media of TV, Print & Radio in India continue to garner the lion’s share of the total advertising spend in India. These three could collectively walk away with Rs. 54, 320 crore in 2015 against Rs 47, 490 cr in the previous year.

Did you notice fewer advertising campaigns in the Print media in 2015 India? But you couldn’t blame anyone else for the virtual clampdown on the out of home media (OOH) in the name of clutter & safety. And surely you must have noticed majority of the urban consuming class, including you, diving into a smart phone, tablet or laptop trying to kick up a discussion or catching up with breaking news. In nutshell, all the advertisers, media moghuls and marketing experts agree that the media consumption scene is undergoing a metamorphic transformation headed towards ascendancy of the online medium over the rest.

Despite mushroom growth of domestic Online Commerce platforms and entry of Amazon in India the online advertising category has not seen the kind of spectacular growth that it deserves & the economy of India needs. Although overwhelming majority experts & industry agree that digital advertising can target customers more efficiently than the traditional but still vast majority of advertisers have not begin to leverage its potential. Although the industry watchers forecast that this space may grow much beyond anticipated 15-20% in 2015. Let’s hope it happens for the good of India economy.

Could you tell the single major factor responsible for the poor growth of digital advertising in India? Well most would have guessed it right. It’s the Indian advertising agencies that failed to adapt to the changing media environment and create capacities & skills to guide the advertisers to go online. I wonder if you could guess the second factor that is equally responsible for slack growth in this category. Think of the profile of Indian Entrepreneur in MSME and Large & Medium sector. The lack of education and attitude towards technology of Indian Businessmen has stifled the growth of digital advertising in India.

But the single most blameworthy player in the entire saga, I call it the Gabbar in the story, is the advertising agencies that were born to handle traditional print and audio-visual media but lack the knowledge & skills to execute a great digital campaign. In my opinion the digital advertising in India would not grow at the desired pace till a new type of advertising agencies are born that understand the complexities of this exciting & economical medium.

Let’s hope Sundar Pichai & Satya Nadella could step forward and offer customized programs to educate the existing and new advertising agencies in India in the domain of digital advertising.

Myth & Realty of CRM in India

2015-07-01T18:20:00.002+05:30

A corporation must strategize its engagements plan with the customer in order to have a healthy top line over longer period. A corporation must attempt to create an engaging dialogue with target consumers and stimulate their engagement with the brand.

Reams of literature exist that stresses the need for focusing on the Consumer engagement & Delight in order to have financial profit from the enterprise. But what is the reality of the real market in India? How many consumer durables companies have a customer complaint/feedback button on their website? In the FMCG domain the scenario is no different. The E2E or B2B markets have different mechanisms to deal with negative feedback. No durable or FMCG company in India has a formulated Customer Grievance policy that could be set in motion in case of negative feedback & assist the executive to remedy the hurt/loss. What does it mean? All that ‘marketing talk’ on customer comes first are mere sham or myth? Check any company budget templates and try search the allocation &appropriation for complain redress? Where is the marketing in India?

Another important misunderstanding about marketing in Indian context is about the relationship between Consumer engagement & consumer satisfaction. As per wiki,” Customer engagement has been discussed widely online; hundreds of pages have been written, published, read and commented upon. Numerous high-profile conferences, seminars and roundtables have either had CE as a primary theme or included papers on the topic.

Customer engagement marketing places conversions into a longer term, more strategic context and is premised on the understanding that a simple focus on maximizing conversions can, in some circumstances, decrease the likelihood of repeat conversions (Customer engagement interview with Richard Sedley). CE aims at long-term engagement, encouraging customer loyalty and advocacy through word-of-mouth.”

Customer Engagement in services is more critical than in the products because of the nature & ownership issues. Most Marketing managers focus more on satisfying the customers at the primary product level without strategizing the process of engagements. In a scenario of less importance to marketing in the deficit markets of India/ China nature most companies are confused in allocation of resources between Engagements & Satisfaction. Such a situation would mean the once you have a strategically great product, price & promotion you need not factor in the issues of engagements.

I have researched the problems with my client organizations and the market at large. The service companies must have a defined engagements policy that could maintain the consumer trust resulting in financial success for the corporation. Some of my recommendations are:

1. Engaging consumer in pre, sale & post sale needs strategic stance.

2. A satisfied customer can forget you so needs reminder

3. A bad situation can be converted into a gain with the help of quality engagement.

4. An engaged customer has more value than the satisfied only.

5. Quantity & quality of the communication must be calibrated with a bias for quantity in deficit markets like India

India needs to dismantle Bania-Brahmin caste system for sake of skills.

2015-06-11T12:19:00.002+05:30

So long as Hindu society treats white collar Brahmins as the highest caste its impossible to inculcate and build world class blue collar skills among Hindus, direly needed for the economic development. Would you like to become someone who is looked down upon in society?

Government has realized that fast economic development is not possible without inculcating critical skills in the people of India. Economic growth based entirely on the capital has limited leverage on the growth . On the other hand innovations based on skills rather than the capital could have a major catalytic impact on the long term sustainable growth of economy. Skills don't follow the capital, its the other way round.

CK Prahalad & Gary Hemel introduced the concept of Core Competencies into Management literature. Michael Porter,strategy stalwart, advised many governments to persuade them to build a Competitive Advantage for their economies and companies. Though India can invite FDI for various industry but importing skilled managers with innovative creative minds is almost next to impossible due to domestic socio-economic conditions.

Just imagine that you have a choice to become a doctor or a fashion designer, and the society you live in accords more respect to a doctor, would you prefer the later route? Besides livelihood people work hard to earn respect of society around them. Can you say I bought a Ferrari by selling contraband? People are identified by their profession and skills so skills are important part of what a person is? Isn’t it?

Presence of large number people having knowledge of English language available at low cost provided competitive advantage to India in the BPO sector for couple of decades. China took few years to scale up their assembly & manufacturing on the basis of manual skills present in the Chinese people. Indians, Hindus particularly, on the other hand don’t seem to have any significant manual skills needed for achieving success in manufacturing space.

Another conundrum prevalent in India is presence of huge number of professionally educated youth that the India Inc find as unemployable due to lack of skills. Who would believe that some undergraduate colleges in Delhi, don't accept students without almost 100 percent marks. How could students score such high marks? And how the teachers establish the fact that someone deserves 90 percent plus marks? Is it for real or just another mythological tale from an incredible India, the most mysterious country on the face of Earth.

In the real world a genius drops out of formal education system to blaze a trail. Steve jobs didn't like the taste of fruits served to him in college, so he left the formal system to cultivate his own Macintosh Apple. Naturally why in the world someone with 100 percent marks in 12 the year of education be need to seek admission in some formal college? S/he could pretty much be on her/his own. But in India, innocent young people go around flashing their 'percentage prize' like a designer accessory, simultaneously, pray to god for mercy to help them get admission in a branded college. So the education in India is all about marks alone.

Though more students obtain significantly higher marks today than a decade ago but employers are complaining about poor quality of training & absence of skills in the fresh youth. How could rise in marks be indirectly proportional to skill creation in India? Govt of India has already committed itself to skill creation in India. In this direction, India signed an MOU with the US govt for setting up of community colleges in India during the recent visit of Secretary John kerry. High marks are like Himalayan peaks, very attractive but difficult to scale.

But the deluge of high marks in India is leading to more chaos on the ground than presenting a pretty picture on the canvas of economic development & industrialization of India.The absence of skills in not limited to technical & professional sector alone. India is not producing great quality managers, actors, academicians, writers, administrators and politicians. So the education system is unable to improve on existing quality and take it to next higher level. How can India become a global power with low quality human resources?

Its time India wakes up and take steps to upgrade the quality of its citizens through formal & non-formal education. Hindus must open their hearts and minds and demolish the caste system once for all and stop that look down upon those who have world class skills. White collar brahmanism is keeping India poor and week.

Snack food marketing: Nutrition, Taste, Health and/or pleasure segments

2015-05-30T23:59:00.003+05:30

We eat to live. Well most of us definitely do. Hence the food must make us healthy and increase our life span. As consumers are becoming more demanding the food companies have to work overtime to convince the buyers to depend on them for offering nutrition combined with pleasure. Therefore food companies are taking fatty foods off the shelves and replacing them with the healthier foods.

You may segment the food along four benefits; Nutrition, Taste, Health and Pleasure. What are the alternatives with the Cola majors like Pepsi & Coke? Would they be able to sustain a strategic attack on their consumption? Could they survive by asking consumers to go for cola drinks for pure pleasure? Or could they pass off as the tastier water available? They would find it very scary to go for a pleasure tag. Certainly they would never imagine killing their market by hawking Cola as a health drink. How the future is going to play out is a million dollar question.

Snack food market in India is dominated by the unorganized sector. But the future may be different. The organized retail revolution unleashed in India would change the contours in no time. Most retailers have or are in the process of launching their own snack food brands. The local small snack food players would be edged out from the market and would remain in business as vendors of the large stores. The evolution of biotechnology would also upgrade the snack food portfolio.

The sweet snack food segment dominated by biscuits is experiencing real tremors with entry of new competition from within and global market. Players in biscuit market are planning to launch biscuits as a healthy snack food. We are all convinced with cereals and dalia etc as a healthy food. But a snack is a snack. How can you force fit a biscuit to pass of as a health food? Surely a snack food product positioned on health benefit segmentation is in nothing but a horrendous idea. Hope no snack food player would like to present their products on the lines of Chawanprass or some Churan. If they do how would the packaging look like? Would it look like a health product, a medicine or some happy pleasurable packaging?

How many snack food players have we got in the Punjab region? Not many! Why is it so when there is huge market available in the region? When you shop for a snacks all you see if Fritolay, Haldiram, and 2-3 local players. We know that being a developing country that has recently come out of a total regulatory regime, our entrepreneurs are more comfortable with production than being adept in marketing their produce.

Every big small town in the region has 1-2 famous snack food player. How we all miss the great retail effort undertook by Lovely Sweets from Jalandhar. Gopal from Patiala has also flexed its muscles but have not taken a real shot at becoming an established player. Dhoda sweets may have shifted base to Ludhiana but their product line is woeful short.Cremica has opened up into this domain but they seem to be satisfied with organic growth only.

When would we see a snack food brand leveraging the worldwide appeal of PUNJABI DHABHA and SHER-E-PUNJAB? Is someone listening

Do the MBA grads lack aptitude for management?

2015-05-30T23:52:00.001+05:30

Despite large quantity of MBAs coming out of various institutes & b-schools the industry generally bemoans the shortfall in supply of skilled professionals. Why do an MBA lack the industry relevant skills to enhance their employ- ability quotient? Reasons are many fold encompassing syllabus, non-availability of teachers, lack of exposure and a general absence of aptitude.

The students who join the MBA & PGP courses are not to the only ones to be blamed; it is the manner in which the course curriculum is delivered to them.

Firstly MBA cannot be taught in group settings alone as it is against the basic principle of adult learning. Students coming from different backgrounds must be taught separately. The lack of exposure of the teachers to the business & trade complicates the matter further. Therefore the teacher ends up teaching MBA students as if they were doing some accountancy or economics studies. Lecture after lecture continue without learning about the industry and business domain.

How could a student study the marketing of passengers’ vehicles without knowing the name of major players and the product mix? Umpteen numbers of teachers discuss Coca Cola Pepsi etc in the classrooms without knowing the turnover of these companies. We, the teachers, must bring industry knowledge into the classroom if we wish to produce a student that could be employed in some industry.