Running Commentary on the Run

Success in Life: Success Theories

2013-05-27T11:35:00.000-07:00

Additional Success Theories: Success in Life

Success has been and will remain an intriguing phenomenon. That's the reason why a good number of scholars time and again have studied and researched it. Particularly the researchers have probed into the reasons that make a person a successful person.

Various theories have been put forth for success. The scholars and researchers make their own hypotheses and scoop out the data and information to prove their points fairly convincingly though the inferences and conclusions may or may not be statistically valid or scientific. However they do guide the people who read them provided the people being guided by them do not use them as gospel truths and use them just as some good indicators.

Success has been attributed to many factors, some of them being sheer personal talent and determination, extremely long hours of practice (practice make a man and woman perfect), support of a favorable period of technological or economical or other types of opportunities during which one's career took off, born with a silver spoon in mouth etc. I wish to add three more reasons of my own understanding here. Again these reasons may or may not be statistically correct or scientific. These are purely based on my studied observations of a good number of successful people.

First I offer the reason for the rags to riches stories. It is often the fact that the persons who rose from the ashes had nothing to lose. They were already at the bottom of the pit. If at all, their any action, at worst, would keep them at the same low level. But some of these people had determination, hunger (for success, money, recognition, name and fame), ambition, willpower, grit, readiness to do hard work, no fear of losing any prestige or suffering the identity crisis (they had no identity to talk about). So they could try their hand at several things. Failures did not bother them. They could start very small things, they could toil day and night, they wouldn't lose face if made to wait long hours by their business associates, egos had no place in their daily routines. But all these small actions they took made way to additional actions that kept them going to taste early successes. Then they went on building on those small bouts of successes to one day achieve the large scale successes. On the other hand the people who are educated and start off pretty decently have a lot to lose if they fail. So they go ahead cautiously. They dare not take even the calculated risks. So their progression is pretty luke warm over their entire life span- they remain 'also ran'.

My second theory about the success is that the people who have no alternative options in life and but have to make their living on just one option can make it big. The people with options may have tendency to put less of their heart and soul in their existing career because they know that if they do not do well there they can continue with their lives fairly squarely with the other options in which also they are so good. However, the person who has just about one option or one skill-set is aware that if he has to do well in life he has to put himself lock, stock and barrel on that one option or he will get nothing. He will be out of job since he is no good with other options of life. This compelling and driving force motivates him to excel in his only option available to him and he is likely to be more successful than the persons with more options.

Persons with outright unscrupulous behavior, cunningness, scheming, no qualms for ethical values and exploiting others may land up amassing tremendous wealth and power and therefore perceived as highly successful by almost everyone. Such people have an uncanny grasp over even the media and the media paints them in that light for their own selfish reasons. Large numbers of such people don't even get caught for their misdeeds as they have the ways and means of silencing those who try to expose them. However in rare cases when few of these people get exposed for their misdeeds and brought to justice, they land up behind the bars or executed by the masses- they then turn from heroes to zeroes.

Political Management: Government Deficit

2012-11-28T22:52:00.001-08:00

Any elementary literature or mere common sense is good enough to tell us that when the expenses are within the revenues it results in surplus and its opposite, when expenses exceed revenues it results in deficit or shortage.

These days a large number of countries of our world are suffering from the fiscal or financial deficit. The responsible governments of these countries are obviously not able to manage the country's financial health. Either the revenue is not adequate enough to fully take care of the expenses or the expenses are way above the revenues.

Revenues are earned for running the country's common programs that should benefit the citizens of that country. These common programs are: security and safety, health, education, justice, essential amenities, infrastructure, research, maintenance of common facilities etc. These common programs and people responsible for executing these programs (governmental employees and the contracted employees at all the levels including bureaucrats, ministers and politicians etc) use the revenues for this purpose.

Revenues come from various means: professional fees, service charges, money earned from the organizations and companies directly run by the government, all kinds of taxes like income tax, sales tax, excise, customs duty, VAT, capital gains tax, wealth tax, vehicle/road tax and what have you.

Government cannot run a country properly if fiscal deficits become perennial. The top and senior officials of the government must take actions to get out of this kind of problem. So they take some actions that come obviously to their minds (even a child will get those ideas) to cut down the expenditures. So they take some actions and the expedient ones are:

1. Downsize the government employees at various levels (except at the senior and top levels i.e. the bureaucrats, ministers, politicians etc- we don't see them being fired).

2. Clamp the austerity measures on the government employees at various levels (except at the senior and top levels i.e. the bureaucrats, ministers, politicians etc- they keep continuing with their obnoxious king size/type pay packets and perquisites).

The other expedient action is towards earning more revenues and the first idea that comes to the minds of the top and senior governmental officials (even a child will get that idea) is to increase the taxes (putting the whole burden of mismanaging the finances on the people).

And many of the so called financial geniuses and experts in the government try for both the above mentioned expedient measures simultaneously troubling everyone around (except themselves).

The question to ask is: are these the only two measures available to tide over the fiscal deficit or fiscal cliff (or any other fancy name for it)? Can't the officials and politicians think of the following actions and implement them on the top most priority:

1. Stop and eliminate for ever the corruption at the top/senior levels and as a resultant at lower levels (the biggest drain on revenues). The huge chunk of revenues get siphoned off to the coffers of the corrupt governmental people at all the levels from top to bottom. Punish severely the people guilty of corruption. The severity of the punishment should set an example for others.

2. Stop and eliminate for ever the stashing of the unaccounted illegal black money by the unscrupulous people of the country in the foreign banks that allow such an atrocious activity. Bring this money back in the country and punish severely these unscrupulous people. The severity of the punishment should set an example for others.

3. Stop and eliminate for ever the practice of these foreign banks (in whichever countries they are) accepting the unaccounted black money from the unscrupulous people of the world. If they don't tow the line, the countries should boycott them.

4. Infuse effectiveness. efficiency and overall productivity and accountability in all the government and associated departments at every level of hierarchy. This is also one most important measure that must be implemented very seriously.

5. Stop and eliminate for ever the wastage of all kinds in all the government and associated departments. This is vital.

6. The salaries and perquisites of the top/senior level bureaucrats, ministers, politicians (members of parliament) should be controlled (that forms a big chunk of expenditure).

Life Management: Approval Addiction

2012-10-18T04:14:00.001-07:00

A large number of people do things for others' approval. They feel good when others give affirmation to what they do or about their appearance. They are out to please others. They think they are good or appear nice or are successful only if others say so.

Their success criteria is that others should put a stamp on their succes. Without it they feel like a failure. If others do not approve of them, they feel that they are not up to it. They feel bad about themselves. They feel inferior.

So such people are out to do things that look good in the eyes of others even if to self many of those things may look outright incorrect or inappropriate or not self-pleasing. They even do those things that they do not want to do at all.

These approval addicts cannot appreciate their own selves even if they are sure that what they did or how they appeared was worthy of being appreciated or praised. Even after achieving what they could call as their success in their own eyes or in their own assessment they constantly keep eliciting the approvals from others. If they don't receive recognition of their succes from others they start believing they are losers.

This behavior may be an outcome of doubts about the self, low self-worth, inferiority complex, insecurity, loneliness etc. It also comes because of a thinking that if others start saying that I am successful and more is the number of people saying so, I get brought into limelight. So I keep pleasing more and more people whose approval will benefit me in putting me on the pedestal.

All of such behavior will never allow you to become what you really are or what you are really capable of becoming one. You will stop doing things that are important to you. You will never please yourself. You will remain dejected and downcast most part of your life.

A day will come when looking backwards you may feel as if you got exploited by others all these years. That feeing would be terrible. It will hurt your conscience. The hollowness of not having achieved will haunt you. And by that time it will be too late.

If you wish to correct this tendency, do it now. Start today. There is no need to do things to seek others' approval. Improve your capabilities and do things that you think are right even if those may or may not attract others' affirmation or praise. This is the only way to stop getting into approval addiction. Stop your approval addiction now as it is a psychological killer.

Screwed up Global Economy

2012-06-27T21:42:00.000-07:00

Current Fundamentally Defective Economy Model

The boost in economy in any country or at the global level definitely gives rise to employment and in turn to the well being of the human beings on this planet earth. That's the whole essence.

The economic growth follows a positive or negative spiral pattern. But since 2008 onwards the positive spiral pattern has almost ended and it has taken a reversal to the negative spiral pattern.

In economy one thing leads to the other but fueling this interdependency in a fundamentally wrong manner screws up the whole positive growth process.

The present model of boosting the economy is largely based on more consumption, more sales, higher prices, more profit margins per sale and overall very high profits to the producer and the seller. The seller gets motivated to sell still more at still higher prices and makes still more higher overall profits. In doing so, he does expand his business and gives employment to many more people.

People (the consumers of goods and services), either from their savings or by taking loans in a reckless manner start buying things even at the higher prices even on those items of consumption that are really not required or needed by him. Also they start buying even the really needed items in disproportionately large quantities or large sizes. A stage soon arrives when their savings get depleted and they are not in a position to repay the loans- the interest burden itself kills them, forget about repaying the principal amount.

The loan sharks (the banks and other financial joints) go on distributing the loans in this mad racket of artificial economic boom to make more and more money out of their greed and lose track of the soundness of the repayment capacities of people and the companies whom they have advanced the loans. They also boost their business by resorting to many unethical and business-wise unsound practices.

One fine morning, the consumers find no money in their coffers for repayment of loans. The banks and other financial outfits are not in a position to realize the money loaned out. The consumption falls down, sales fall down, prices can't be held at artificially inflated levels for a long period, profit per sale drops and total overall profits of the producers and sellers start diminishing at a fast rate. They stop their expansions and growth. They go on a cost cutting drive. The only thing they know under such conditions is to downsize and retrench their employees. Thus many more people who are the actual consumers of the goods and services stop earning the money because of this kind of increased unemployment. They stop buying. The economic activity comes to a grinding halt.

Many producing and selling companies go bankrupt or wind up their shops, others start limping. None of them are in any sound position to repay the loans borrowed by them from the banks and financial institutions. The banks and financial institutions are not able to recover these loans either from such companies or from the individuals whom they had advanced the loans. The banks and financial outfits too declare their sickness and bankruptcy.

The recession goes on and on because even after getting the bail-out money from the governments (actually from the people of the country- because they have been paying enormous taxes), the banks, financial joints and the producing and selling companies keep chasing the same fundamentally defective economic model of consumption, inflation, loan, higher sales volume, higher profit margin per sale and higher overall profit.

This model will always ultimately lead to perennial economic downtrend cyclically.
Also in this consumption oriented model we are depleting the environmental resources of this planet at a very aggressive rate. That is horribly dangerous to any kind of sustainability we are talking about so much these days.

Proposed Fundamentally Prudent Economy Model

To attain a continuous positive spiral of economic growth, for ever increasing prosperity of all the stake holders and for a prolonged sustainability of the environment of earth, the following model of economy needs to be adopted:

1. Consumption should be real- it need not be artificially inflated. Consume what is really needed. It will help not to waste the planet's resources recklessly.

2. Profit per unit sale should be increased not by increasing the prices (by inflation) but by keeping the prices lower and lower and by reducing the costs of production and sale by adopting creativity and innovations, eliminating wastage of all kinds, reduction of overall costs and improved productivity every where.

3. Overall profits should be an outcome of the above-mentioned two points and not an outcome of wrong and corrupt practices often followed by the corporations and financial bodies.

4. Downsizing and retrenchment in effect cut out on the buying capacities of the people and it is detrimental to economic activities and economic growth. Rather than resorting to increasing the unemployment, adopt all those policies and practices that will boost the employment potential and increase the number of employed people.

Has the Country Done the Root Cause Analysis of "Why Corruption"?

2011-12-19T22:56:00.000-08:00

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The current case in point is the "Lokpal" (legislation to fight corruption) exercise undertaken in India. Entire self proclaiming intelligent crowd of India from all the conceivable segments of the society is busy with it. "Lokpal" is being seen as the major medicine to cure the worst disease of humanity i.e. "corruption".

Now the problem is nobody can give any guarantee that passing this legislation (and its expensive implementation, if it is done the way it should be done) will eradicate or even contain corruption. And it is true because who has ever done any serious and deeper diagnostic studies to honestly understand and accept the real causes of corruption?

There is a dire need to first carry out detailed studies (using the scientific models) to pin down the reasons for the widespread corruption in the country in each and every public and private organizations (most of all, including the government, the political parties and the politicians). The root cause analysis is very vital.

The root cause analysis will spill out the real reasons of corruption. Then the real problems will be understood correctly. It will be a worthwhile investment to go deeper into the cases of frauds, scams and corruption that have taken place. Such case studies will be very useful if they are undertaken fearlessly and truthfully.

Therefore, the self proclaiming intelligent crowd of the country should get busy with this all important exercise immediately. Based on the outcome of such studies most appropriate, correct and effective solutions can be designed and implemented. With the right kind of such preventive and curative medicines, the disease "corruption" can be contained and eradicated. Without such an approach, its only a blind shot in the dark.

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In Democracy Who Is the Ultimate Decision Maker: Citizens of the Country or Their Elected Representatives?

2011-12-12T00:05:00.000-08:00

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In Democracy Citizens of the Country Are the Ultimate Decision Makers and Not Their Elected Representatives Whom They Return to the Parliament of the Country

Democracy is the form of government in which all citizens of a country have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. So, ideally, this includes equal and direct participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law. By this process they choose the social, economic and cultural conditions within which all of them will function and live.

A convenient and practical model to achieve this kind of government of people, for people and by people of a country is to elect peoples' representatives through open, free and fair election process. The most important part of this kind of election is to elect only the competent people and reject the incompetent people.

And then send such elected representatives to the parliament to run the country's business on their behalf and under their constant supervision and vigilance.

However the fallacy is that no country in the world can claim that it has the flawless and ideal electoral system. Almost all the prevailing systems in every country in the world have serious faults. Therefore, invariably the elections are not open, fair and free and the persons who get elected through this system are not necessarily competent enough to run the country.

And if the citizens of the country give full and final autonomy to such a body of their elected representatives to decide on the matters that affect the country and its people, they can never be sure of decisions and laws that are always beneficial to the country and its people. If they do not give their guidance, suggestions and recommendations, from time to time, to this body of people and turn a blind eye on them, this body may dish out incompetent and harmful decisions and laws. So the citizens have to be careful all the time.

Before taking final decisions on any important matters of the country and turning them into the laws, all such matters must be debated in the house(s) of parliament by the elected representatives (those in the government and also those in opposition). Then those matters should be placed in the form of a draft by this body of the elected people (the members of the parliament) in front of the people of the country for their consensus and approval. They should have made the draft in consultation with the people so that the draft is a good draft needing minimum revisions. The draft should be fully examined by the people for its overall quality. The citizens should give their additional comments, suggestions and recommendations to improve upon the draft if necessary. Only after a consensus is developed among the people of the country, the draft should be taken up by the members of the parliament to give it the shape of a law.

The essence of the above-mentioned discussion is that the people of the country should play a proactive role and they should remain in the picture well before the matters of importance are decided in the parliament by their elected representatives. Delegating the matters fully to the elected people will never be a good idea and at times it may be disastrous because the elected representatives may not necessarily be the competent people.

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Own your copy/copies of the following bestseller books authored by eminent management gurus and consultants Shyam Bhatawdekar and Dr Kalpana Bhatawdekar:

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Why Should the Members of Parliament of Any Country be Paid if They Don't Work?

2011-12-06T22:59:00.000-08:00

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"No Work, No Pay" is Followed in Every Organization for Everyone and Members of Parliament Can't Get Scot Free if They Don't Work

Members of Parliament (MPs) can't be exception to the rule "no work, no pay".

The case in point is the recent happenings (December 2011) in Indian parliament. Similar happenings took place even in the washed out winter session last year. It must be happening in other parts of the world too some time or other.

In India, almost half of its parliament's winter session was wasted with no work done till December 2, 2011. Why should MPs get their salaries and allowances for the days parliament did not conduct its business due to continued disruption? The parliament was totally paralysed for nine successive days over the issues (corruption, black money, inflation, foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail) that were the creation of the same MPs.

The two houses (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) lost 96 hours of work. They worked for merely 3 hours over all these days. A huge sum of Indian Rupees 2.5 crore is spent on both the houses every day. So the nine days of no work amounted to loss of Indian Rupees 22.5 crore of public money.

A simple worker in a factory does not get his salary if he does not work. Then why should highly paid (MPs get fat salaries, perquisites and daily allowances) and more responsible MPs be paid when they do not work.

Any sane person of little logic will say, "Not only daily allowance but salary and perquisites of such MPs should also be deducted."

Such actions alone will compel the MPs to behave and work. Such an action will certainly send a strong message across. Some wiser people will even suggest that the non-working MPs should in fact be penalized heavily for wasting public money.

However some people may argue with tongue in cheek, "Whether you pay them or don't pay them does not matter much to them since they earn more than that from some other sources. They do not solely depend on their salaries, perquisites and allowances."

But seriously, the MPs should be paid only based on their true contribution to the society. We talk of result orientation everywhere. Start with the MPs to set an example to the rest of the citizens of the country.

Our Books Publications (Books authored by Shyam Bhatawdekar and Dr Kalpana Bhatawdekar)

Own your copy/copies of the following bestseller books authored by eminent management gurus and consultants Shyam Bhatawdekar and Dr Kalpana Bhatawdekar:

1.HSoftware (Human Software) (The Only Key to Higher Effectiveness) or HSoftware Shyam Bhatawdekar’s Effectiveness Model)

2. Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers

3. Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Management Case Studies)

4. Funny (and Not So Funny) Short Stories

5. Stress? No Way!! (Handbook on Stress Management)

Will You Like to be Happy or Right?

2011-11-25T21:33:00.000-08:00

Either You Can be Right or You Can be Happy: Its Less Likely that You Can be Both

One of the less thought about and talked about reason (but very important one) for feeling stressed from time to time is one’s desire to be “right” or “perfect” all the time. And what is “right” is cooked up by the same person who is trying to be right. Agreed that he/she might have thought about it pretty seriously within the ambit of his own cerebral capabilities and after having read lots of literature on it or by being very observant of the people who seem to be right to him/her etc. Yet, finally, it is solely his/her own perception.

So, despite much of such research, the question is: can he/she be absolutely sure that what he defined as perfect or right was really right or perfect? No one can be too sure about it. It definitely is not sacrosanct or the ultimate truth. Yet some people pursue these mirages of being right and perfect all the time with missionary vengeance. In addition, such tribes do not want to fail or be seen as failing against the benchmarks set by them.

And see below what they try to achieve in pursuit of meeting this perfectness! They seriously practice it in most trivial things of life as well as things of medium and high importance. Here are some classic examples:

Pronounce each and every word of each and every language correctly.
Being dressed prim and proper every minute and every hour of all the days of an year.
Never squeeze the tooth paste tube or shaving cream tube or moisturizer tube or for that matter any such other tube in its middle.
Following each and every dining table manner and telephone etiquette and every other social etiquette to the letter as described in numerous etiquette and manners manuals authored by all kinds of self proclaiming experts.
Never leave the clothes on the beds of the bedrooms or on the floors of bathrooms even for a second.
Make sure that toilet seat is always covered without fail and flush at least twice after having done the thing in the toilet.
Always eat the perfectly nutritious food in every meal everywhere. Never ever exceed the calorie and other specifications set out by the numerous nutrition experts.
Always sleep on the right side of the bed and let the spouse sleep always on the left side of the bed.
Sticking to punctuality in each and every situation.
Loading the washing machine or dish washer in the right way- as thought out as right by self.
All the time trying to set out goals of all kinds and trying to meet those goals and getting upset when not meeting them.
Pushing the son(s)/daughter(s) to become champions in many things right around their age of 5 or 6 and feeling upset when they fail to meet such expectations.
Presenting self, spouse and children as the most mannerly creatures of the earth.
Never miss the deadlines in professional or any other type of jobs.

and the list can go on and on.

Trying to be reasonably effective and efficient is understandable because that can be met within your capabilities and within your other resources. But then excess of anything is bad. When you set out some crazy ideals for self and are likely to expect them from your spouse, children, parents, subordinates and colleagues, it becomes too much for yourself and everyone else around you. And then stresses and strains develop because such tall expectations are beyond the available capabilities and resources. That leaves you and others not only stressed but it is likely to disrupt the human relations from time to time. That further adds to your and others’ woes.

Many times what is right or wrong is never very clear. Different people do things differently and to each one that may be right. So, on trivial and many other issues, insistence on achieving a particular “right way” may be inviting unnecessary stresses. Yet, on some important issues of life what is realistic and achievable must definitely be discussed and what capabilities and other resources of self and others will be required to achieve them must be assessed.

The whole discussion here does not promote accepting a compromising or sloppy attitude towards life but warns all of us against being obsessed about being “right” or “perfect” (as defined by self or others) all the time.

Being flexible and setting realistic and achievable goals within the means of capabilities and resources is the golden path traversing on which will be least stressful and yet meaningfully fulfilling.

Our Books Publications (Books authored by Shyam Bhatawdekar and Dr Kalpana Bhatawdekar)

Own your copy/copies of the following bestseller books authored by eminent management gurus and consultants Shyam Bhatawdekar and Dr Kalpana Bhatawdekar:

1.HSoftware (Human Software) (The Only Key to Higher Effectiveness) or HSoftware Shyam Bhatawdekar’s Effectiveness Model)

2. Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers

3. Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Management Case Studies)

4. Funny (and Not So Funny) Short Stories

5. Stress? No Way!! (Handbook on Stress Management)

Why Should Only 1% of the World's People Should Have All the 99% World's Wealth (Blatant Social Injustice)?

2011-11-17T22:16:00.000-08:00

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All People Together Create Wealth for the Organizations (and Nations) and They Should be Given a Just and Proportionate Share of the Created Wealth

Vilfredo Pareto was a 19th century economist who observed in 1906 that 80% of Italy's land and wealth was owned by 20% of the population (refer http://shyam.bhatawdekar.net/index.php/2011/07/20/abc-analysis-or-pareto-analysis/ or http://abc-pareto-analysis.blogspot.com/).

Over past 100 years, the situation has worsened. It may not be an exaggeration to say (figuratively) that presently just about only 1% of the people have grabbed around all of 99% of the world's wealth. And definitely not necessarily by ethical practices or by honest hard work.

Utter economic inequality and blatant social injustice, isn't it? Yes, it is.

In every organization (whatsoever nature of organization it may be), many people work. Together they create wealth for that organization (and nation). But the distribution of that wealth is quite lopsided. The lion's share is grabbed (by hook or crook) by extremely small number of people who are at the helm of that organization (including the nation). They do it by drawing disproportionately and extraordinarily high salaries, perquisites and profit-share. Obscenely and vulgarly high indeed (at times 1000 times or 10,000 times or so more than the lowly paid other people of the same organization)! The balance minuscule amount of wealth is thrown at the rest of the people (as if obliging them, as if they are slaves or beggars).

Does it mean that those few people at the top single-handedly contribute 1000 times or 10,000 more towards creation of wealth of that organization? Remove the rest of the people and see if these few people (at the top) can create the same wealth that the organization (and nation) is currently creating. It's inconceivable and practically impossible. You need other people (other than those top few) to create wealth.

It only goes to show that other people too contribute hell of a lot in creating the wealth for that organization. Their contribution is as significant as the contribution of the top few.

Then it does not make sense in having such a big yawning gap between the emoluments of the CEOs and few other people of these organizations and the rest of the people of the same organizations.

Therefore, the highest emolument paid to any person in an organization should not be more than say, ten times that of the lowest emolument in any organization.That's all.

Just because an organization is providing the employment does not mean that the top few of that organization can get away by exploiting hundreds and thousands of people who give their brain, mind, talents, skills and sweat to these organizations.

Some serious thinking and movement are necessary to kill this kind of day-light exploitation of people.

Shouldn't Some Minimum Formal Education Level be Prescribed for Becoming CEO of a Country?

2011-11-05T01:13:00.000-07:00

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(Refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia “Management Universe” at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/)

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If You Need a Clerk in an Office to be a High School Pass, then a Prime Minister or President of a Country Should at least be a College Graduate in Some Professional Discipline if Not a PhD or a Postgraduate

It is interesting and funny to note that while for every job from a sweeper to the highest level of professional in any private or government organization, minimum formal educational qualifications are a must, no such minimum formal educational qualification are prescribed for becoming a member of parliament or minister or prime minister and president of a country.

A manager who manages a small office is expected to be an MBA but you can become member of parliament or minister or prime minister and president of a country responsible for managing the larger affairs of a country without going to even a primary school.

Shouldn't the people of the country start insisting that their representatives in the parliament should be formally highly educated in some related professional discipline or otherwise they wouldn't vote for them?

Is Anyone Talking and Doing Something about Innovation, Productivity and Cost Reduction?

2011-09-16T23:20:00.000-07:00

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(Refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia “Management Universe” at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/)

(Read our blog feature: Do This Today at http://do-this-today.blogspot.com/)

Economies of Countries Will Keep Improving Only by Innovation, Productivity and Cost Reduction; Not by Merely Artificially Manipulating the Purchasing Power of People

The economy of any country is thought to be improving when there is lot of economic activity going on in the country. Economy is said to be healthy and growing when the producers of goods and services are able to continually sustain their higher productions and sales and the customers/consumers (the pubic of the country) keep buying those goods and services in abundance in terms of value and perhaps also in quantities.

This necessitates supply of goods and services that satisfy the existing and potential needs of the consumers and making these available at prices that can be met by the purchasing power of the buyers. The purchasing power is artificially enhanced normally by providing the loans in an easy manner to the consumers.

Now either because of ineffectiveness and inefficiencies of the producers or/and because of their greed to make still more profits, the prices of the goods and services are jacked up. The people still buy as the machinery to pump in the loans to the buyers is also in action. The purchasing power seems to be intact or rather getting further strengthened.

But in reality what happens is that this jacking of the prices by one or few producers has a cascading effect on the prices of other interdependent goods and services. Also in reality, there is full or partial absence of the free economy that is thought to be working purely on competitiveness in the market and on the relationship between supply and demand patterns. In reality the producers also often gang up and create a cartel or lobby and wield their power on the buying public by making sure that every producer without any exception decides to raise the prices of goods and services provided by them. The competitiveness is thus thrown out of the window.

This has a telling effect on raising the inflation in the country. A stage comes when this inflationary spiral reaches a height where the purchasing power of people even with supply of loans to them looks highly limited in continuing buying the goods and services. The result of this is a slump in the buying spree.

As the buyers put a brake on their buying, it affects the producers adversely. The producers can no more sustain their production and selling activities. They start downsizing and people lose their jobs. The purchasing power of people further reduces.

This might then lead to economic recession. The entire cycle repeats every ten to twelve years and it affects everyone pretty seriously.

If you look at it, in all of this, no one is talking and doing anything seriously about innovations, productivity and cost reduction. The key to sustained economic growth of a country lies in concentrating on these three aspects and not to play around too much only in making the people artificially rich by giving loans and enabling them to buy the goods and services at unjustifiably high prices resulting out of no or little emphasis on innovation, productivity and cost reduction and the greed for unbridled profiteering.

If following actions are taken one can solve the issues brought out in the foregoing discussions and keep the economy flying high and healthy all the time without undue inflationary impact on the buying public.

The producers must use their creativity and innovations more and more in creating goods and services that are increasingly useful to the public and can be produced at significantly lower costs. Since continual improvement is a mandatory clause in all the ISO 9001 certified companies, the ISO 9001 auditors should strictly audit this aspect of creativity and innovation of the products and the cost of their production and selling, in quantitative terms and not merely in qualitative terms.
The producers must employ the best possible ways to improve the productivity in their organizations. The improvement in productivity should be audited by the auditors in a very strict manner in quantitative terms.
The organizations should put their best efforts in bringing down the overall costs of production and selling. The cost auditors should keep a tab on the cost reduction brought about by the companies.
There should be an upper limit prescribed for making profits. For example, companies can be allowed to make only up to a maximum of 30% profit on their individual products and services. This also should be strictly audited and defaulters should be taken to task.

All these actions will keep the the inflation under strict control and buying public will get the innovative and useful products and services at the best possible costs/prices. The producers will get a guaranteed level of profits (say 30%). The loan borrowing will be kept to the minimum by the public which is good for them.

Our Books Publications (Books authored by Shyam Bhatawdekar and Dr Kalpana Bhatawdekar)

Own your copy/copies of the following bestseller books authored by eminent management gurus and consultants Shyam Bhatawdekar and Dr Kalpana Bhatawdekar:

1.HSoftware (Human Software) (The Only Key to Higher Effectiveness) or HSoftware (Shyam Bhatawdekar’s Effectiveness Model)
2. Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers
3. Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Management Case Studies)
4. Funny (and Not So Funny) Short Stories
5. Stress? No Way!! (Handbook on Stress Management)

You may like to go to the above-mentioned titles (web links) and order your copies on Amazon.com on Internet. The books are available in printed form and also
as eBooks.
Or
Persons residing in India may like to write to our email address prodcons@prodcons.com and order your copies.

Why Those Horrible “No Reply” Emails?

2011-07-25T21:58:00.000-07:00

Every Email Should Allow "Two Way" Communication

(Refer our High Quality Management Encyclopedia “Management Universe” at: http://management-universe.blogspot.com/)

(Read our blog feature: Do This Today at http://do-this-today.blogspot.com/)

Here is a small little story about a person who bought a sophisticated automatic hammer. And then you found him busy fixing the nails all over on the walls of his house.

When the entire walls of all the rooms started getting the nails fixed into them, someone asked him, “Hey, why so many nails in every wall all over?”

He replied pretty seriously, “I have bought this new automatic hammer and it automatically does the work of hammering the nails into the walls so very easily. I could never do such a thing with my old manual hammer. And so now, I am making full use of this wonderful tool.”

That exactly explains why we keep receiving those tons of horrible “no reply” emails from all kinds of our business associates, service providers and everyone else. An irritating abuse of the technological toy they have now!!

Those emails are like, “We have spoken to you, now you shut up, we did our job.” You have a reason to feel insulted.

Most “no reply” emails leave you with mixed feelings of very partial satisfaction but more anger, frustration, insult and helplessness.

If these “no reply” emails arouse some questions, some doubts, some queries in your mind (which is what happens most of the times with such “no reply” emails), you have no way of getting them clarified.

Some “no reply” emails are seen to insert a link in them. This kind of “no reply” email suggests that you can go to that link and get your problems and queries voiced. However, invariably, such links take you through a very circuitous and horrendous route and land you on some useless space on the vast Internet. Invariably you never meet up with the person who was the brain behind programming that “no reply” email. So, then after trying for a while you give up.

If you are left with a choice, you will definitely like to dump such business associates, service providers and others who shoot out such “no reply” emails.

Then what was the sense in that “no reply” communication? It only indicates a sheer sense of irresponsibility and non-accountability on the part of the sender of such a “no reply” email.

Shun the “no reply” email and get on with the “two way” communication with every piece of communication and email.

Our Books Publications

Own your copy/copies of the following bestseller books authored by eminent management gurus and consultants Shyam Bhatawdekar and Dr Kalpana Bhatawdekar:

1. HSoftware (Shyam Bhatawdekar’s Effectiveness Model)
2. Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers
3. Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Management Case Studies)
4. Funny (and Not So Funny) Short Stories

You may like to go to the above-mentioned titles (web links) and order your copies on Amazon.com on Internet. The books are available in printed form and also as eBooks.

Or

You (persons residing in India) may like to write to our email address prodcons@prodcons.com and order your copies.

Are Hierarchies and Titles Necessary?

2011-04-11T05:45:00.000-07:00

Hierarchies and Titles Create Bosses, Leaders, Superiors, Dictators, Red Tape, Boundaries and Who Needs Them; We Don't

In my previous post, I hinted that the distant future will see leaderless, boss less or dictator less societies. Human beings will be "human beings" in homes and in social arena. And in the professional domains (in offices, factories, government departments, hospitals, departmental stores etc) these human beings will be "professionals". Period.

The hierarchies, class divides and titles will not exist- they will become redundant and obsolete.

It is true to some extent even today. A doctor is a doctor today; a surgeon is a surgeon; that's it. An author is an author, a carpenter is a carpenter, a plumber is a plumber, a tennis player is a tennis player, a movie actor is a movie actor. And all of them are treated as such if they have the desired expertise and more over, if they are good at their craft, they are more in demand and they can command a high price for the services and expertise they offer. Other professionals are still called by their "professional identity" though they may be less in demand and also earn less. In either case, they do not need titles or prefixes or suffixes like junior, assistant, middle, senior, top, additional, joint and what other funny things you can think of.

As soon as you use these kinds of titles with the "profession" of a person, you start putting him in a class oriented society, you start creating hierarchies, you create superiors and inferiors, boss and subordinate, leaders and led and simultaneously you start promoting duplication of work, unnecessary red tape and sluggishness in communication etc. What for?

When you hire the services of any independent contractor whether he is tutor of math to your child, a baby sitter, a plumber, a tailor of your suit etc, you do not turn into his boss or his leader just because you have hired his professional services and the hired professional does not become a subordinate nor does he need your intelligence or advice. He finishes his work, gets paid by you and walks off still with the same "professional identity" with which he did the work you assigned him.

A similar treatment needs to meted out to every professional who joins as a permanent or temporary professional in any organized joint whether that is a factory, an office, a corporation, a government department, hospital or a departmental store.

The hierarchies and titles should be done away with and every professional should be treated on par with any other professional. There is no need to put them on the various rungs of a ladder; all are professionals after all. They get employed if they are good, get paid as per their expertise and as per the supply and demand ratio of that particular professional expertise.

An engineer remains engineer, doctor remains a doctor, actor remains an actor, soccer player remains a soccer player throughout his life unless he acquires some other professional identity by acquiring a new expertise. Where is the need to take him through a plethora of titles throughout his life-time by calling the same person from time to time as junior engineer, assistant engineer, deputy engineer, engineer, senior engineer, chief engineer, assistant manager, deputy manager, manager, senior manager, chief manager, assistant vice president, vice president, deputy senior vice president, senior vice president, group vice president, additional president, president, group president and what have you? Same is true with every other profession.

When the professionals will work like real professionals without the various pressures of hierarchies looming large on them, the overall effectiveness and efficiencies will definitely improve in every project.

Please do read a related case study at: http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/search/label/Designation%20Burst

Read our blog feature: Do This Today at http://do-this-today.blogspot.com/

Books authored by Shyam Bhatawdekar: 1. Sensitive Stories of Corporate World (Management case Studies) 2. Classic Management Games, Exercises, Energizers and Icebreakers and 3. Funny (and Not So Funny) Short Stories.

For owning copy/copies of these books (in printed format), write to: prodcons@prodcons.com

Alternately, you can get the first book (in printed format) directly on the Internet through (amazon.com): http://www.amazon.com/Sensitive-Stories-Corporate-Management-Studies/dp/1456585150/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1298627848&sr=1-1

Their eBooks are available respectively at: http://www.amazon.com/Sensitive-Stories-Corporate-Management-ebook/dp/B004KABBMM , http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OEKF0I and http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004MDLTPQ

Will the Future See Leaderless Societies?

2011-02-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

(Read the inside stories of the corporate sector in the form of short management case studies at: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com/ or http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/ or http://corporate-case-studies.blogspot.com/. To procure the printed bound book containing these sensitive stories, write to: prodcons@prodcons.com)

The "Leader" or "Leadership" Paradigm Will Become Obsolete in Future

Egypt's "leaderless" revolution has shown in clear terms that people do not need leaders for their achievements.

"The need for a leader" hoax has been drilled into the minds of people by the interested and selfish parties over the ages. As a result of this brainwash, it created a mindset of dependency of people on their so called leaders. This age old paradigm created dictators, bosses, superiors, leaders, hierarchies etc. It injected a sense of helplessness among the people and it tarnished their understanding and assessment of their own potentials.

The future will see emergence of new paradigms: the "people" paradigm in general or social life and the "professional" paradigm in the work life. All we need for maintenance and growth of societies and organizations is to accept this new concept that every human being is a "person" and a "professional". No human being is either boss or subordinate, leader or follower, dictator and oppressed, superior or subordinate, higher hierarchy or lower hierarchy, highbrow and lowbrow etc.

All are equal persons and equal professionals. And they have a right to live their lives as such.

People will live in peace with each other in their social lives and the professionals will run all those domains that need to be run effectively and efficiently so that people can live in peace.

Read our blog feature: Do This Today at http://do-this-today.blogspot.com/

Are The People that Public Elects in Democracy Public's Leaders or Servants?

2011-01-10T03:32:00.000-08:00

(Read the inside stories of the corporate sector in the form of short management case studies at: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com/ or http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/ or http://corporate-case-studies.blogspot.com/. To procure the printed bound book containing these sensitive stories, write to: prodcons@prodcons.com)

In Democracy, the Country's Public Really Elects Their Servants and Not Their Leaders

There is a need to change every one's paradigm about whom do we really elect through the electoral process in a democracy? Are the elected people servants or or they leaders of the public who elects them?

At the country's level, the public wants professionals who will do certain important jobs related to security, health, education, food, jobs, environment, discipline, entertainment etc for them. Therefore, they want those people to be elected and put on such jobs who know why and how to do these jobs for their masters or shareholders or owners (the public) and possess very strong will power to do them.

Democracy is and has to be quite different from the kingdoms of the olden days and so in democracy the public is not electing kings and queens. If they do so, the old model of kingdoms will pervade in a democracy too. For their own selfishness, the people who get elected in democracy start calling themselves as the "leaders" of the nation- the new name given for kings and queens of the olden days. The public readily accepts it because of the old habits die hard- the public has been brought up in the olden model of kings and queens for innumerable years of their existence.

There is a strong need to change such paradigms and the messages given out must be clear and loud. The people public elects through electoral process are public servants and not their leaders (or kings or queens).

The people who volunteer themselves to be elected for such offices must understand this paradigm as clearly as the public of the country.

Read our blog feature: Do This Today at http://do-this-today.blogspot.com/

Are CEOs of Private Sector Companies as Precious as They Are Made Out to be?

2010-09-03T23:11:00.000-07:00

(Read the inside stories of the corporate sector in the form of short management case studies at: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com/ or http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/ or http://corporate-case-studies.blogspot.com/. To procure the printed bound book containing these sensitive stories, write to: prodcons@prodcons.com)

CEOs of Private Sector Companies Alone Don't Achieve; So There Is No Need to Pay Them Obnoxiously and Obscenely High Salaries

It is beyond comprehension why CEOs of private sector companies should draw terribly and vulgarly high salaries not only as compared to other employees of these organizations at different levels but also as compared to the very next level of executives who also take up lots of responsibilities and contribute towards the success of that organization.

Many organizations in public or government sectors and NGOs do pretty decently despite the fact that the chairmen and CEOs of public sector profit making huge conglomerates, CEOs of the states, judges, governmental bureaucrats etc get paid just about marginally more than the other senior employees or even the other employees. Then, what is so great about the CEOs of private sector organizations?

And it is not that after paying astronomically high salaries, all the CEOs run their companies effectively or ethically. Many of them still remain as corrupt and greedy as they could be despite getting large sums of legitimate money.

It is high time that the shareholders of the private sector companies should wake up and start exercising more control over the board of directors of their companies in order to regulate the emoluments of the CEO they appoint.

Read our new blog feature: Do This Today

Is This the Right Way for the Banks to Make Money?

2010-08-10T23:49:00.000-07:00

(Read the inside stories of the corporate sector in the form of short management case studies at: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com/ or http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/ or http://corporate-case-studies.blogspot.com/)

Banks Should Provide Information to Clients

When you open an account (whichever type) in the bank, you are advised to maintain a minimum balance amount in that particular account.

Over a period of time, two things happen. First the bank changes the minimum balance amount to a higher level and does not inform you about it.

Secondly, your actual balance may fall below the prescribed minimum balance and the bank does not inform about it to you.

And in both the cases without informing you and without your knowledge, the bank debits a fat penalty amount from your existing balance every quarter and your money starts getting depleted and many times you do not even know about it.

When you notice such a leak in your account and meet the bank manager, he or she shows you the rule book and fixes the entire responsibility on you. You are the client or customer and because of you and your money the bank runs its business and despite it, you get such a rude and rough treatment from banks. When you request them to waive off the penalty, he/she raise hands in helplessness. You may argue that you have other accounts in the same bank and you have fixed deposits in the same bank and together your money with the bank is at far higher level than the prescribed bank balance for a specific account. Yet, the bank does not help in many cases for reversals of the debits already made.

Banks make money for doing nothing- for doing no work. Is it on? Definitely not. They should inform their clients on both the types of changes that impact the accounts of it's clients well in time.

Read our new blog feature: Do This Today

Leaders of the World, What Are You Managing if You Could Not Manage Your Spouse?

2010-07-28T03:17:00.000-07:00

(Read the inside stories of the corporate sector in the form of short management case studies at: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com/ or http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/ or http://corporate-case-studies.blogspot.com/)

Perhaps, They Are Not Worthy Human Beings After All

Generally, people marry after considerable thinking. They think lots about the person they decide to marry. They meet the possible marriageable candidates pretty frequently, they date a lot, try to know the would be spouse inside out. So, in short, they marry with open eyes with a person who fits into their scheme of things. At the time of marriage, the selection of the candidate seems perfect.

And, perhaps, the wiser people of the world must be doing it much better; after all are they not wiser? That's why they become and get publicized as very successful, popular, well known, celebrities and great as far as the public domain is concerned (what they do to or with their spouse, we do not know as yet since that is not known and does not get publicized).

These great people get applauded in public, their photographs flash on the TV screens and news papers day in and day out as they are the leaders in science, technology, medicine, politics, films and sports etc. They are painted as icons. Many of them get crowned with the most prestigious rewards and titles. In short, the public is made to believe that they are the people who know how to lead and how to manage effectively and efficiently.

And then, many of them fail miserably in leading and managing their own spouse and marriage back at their homes. They end up in nasty divorce(s). While on one hand they are painted as leading and managing the masses in science, technology, medicine, politics, films and sports etc, the truth of life is that many of them could not even manage and lead one single individual- their spouse and a single event- their marriage. What a contradiction?

The facts will tell you that many of them have divorced their spouses of very long years of association and togetherness in marriage. Many of them have divorced even their those devoted spouses who served and loved them in their serious sicknesses. Many of these people have produced children who they know would feel traumatized by their separation and divorce. Do all of these considerations not affect them when they can not lead and manage their own married life?

These facts offer a vast field of research in human behavior, psychology, management and leadership.

However, one thing is pretty conclusive- perhaps they are not worthy human beings after all despite all the hoopla created around them by the interested parties.

Read our new feature at: (Do This Today) http://do-this-today.blogspot.com/

Is Our System of Justice Really Just?

2010-06-28T03:06:00.000-07:00

(Read the inside stories of the corporate sector in the form of short management case studies at: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com/ or http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/ or http://corporate-case-studies.blogspot.com/)

The Bhopal Tragedy Makes Us Think and Act on This issue

The way the worst industrial disaster at Bhopal, India created by the irresponsible managers of Union Carbide of the world was handled shows the worst face of all of those who were connected with it inside the company and outside the company.

In a way it amounted to deliberate attempt to kill more than 25000 people and making millions of people disabled in various degrees for generations. It was deliberate because every manager who was responsible for upkeep of the plant knew about the dangerous most outcome in case of an accident in the defective plant. So it was like committing calculated murder of such a huge number of people.

This act cannot be equated to carelessness or a small crime for which the commensurate penalty in justice is pittance, normally.

It's time to revise the concept of what is a big crime and what should be commensurate sentence for committing it. The existing thinking on it is absolutely wrong and obsolete.

The bigness of an act of crime should be decided based on the end results of committing that crime. And the justice will lie in deciding the sentence commensurate with the heinousness or monstrosity of that crime.

It's high time to think and act quickly.

Read our new feature at: (Do This Today) http://do-this-today.blogspot.com/

Do We Really Elect the Right People in Democracy?

2010-06-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

(Read the inside stories of the corporate sector in the form of short management case studies at: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com or http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/ or http://corporate-case-studies.blogspot.com/)

Money Backed Election Model is the Culprit in Corrupt Democracy

If democracy is the government of people, by people and for people, then I wonder if it is happening in any democracy any where in the world.

Elections are being fought by the political parties and its people on the basis of massive money pools created by the smart alecks- huge sums of the money largely extracted from the obscenely rich corporate bodies and such others. And obviously they throw this money at the prospective politician as their smart investments with the assurance of highest possible returns on these investments.

Then, elections are fought using such unimaginably large sums of money by the people who can afford to do so. What happens to those other more deserving candidates with no money of their own or with no dirty skills of squandering the money of others? The electorate is totally deprived of these better candidates and democracy suffers hugely.

When the contesting candidates get elected by using the money provided by the corporations and other rich bodies, they work only in favor of the corporations and the rich people and totally neglect rest of the people of the country.

Therefore, remove the money from the election scenarios. The elections should be fought without money. I suggest a following model:

Any citizen of the country should be eligible to contest democratic elections. Some minimum and maximum age and educational qualification should be imposed.
The candidate offering himself/herself to get elected must not have any criminal record or he/she should not have any criminal proceeding going on against him/her at the time of going through the election process.
Every candidate will have to submit a detailed bio-data with their photographs to the body that organizes and administers the entire election process.
This body will publish the bio-data of the candidates at governmental expenditure in the media. This will account for only marginal additional expenditure on government's total election budget.
The candidates will not canvass. Their bio-data are available with the public now.
The voters will be able to see and study these detailed bio-data of the candidates contesting the election and they will decide whom to vote based on their merits.
The voters will vote on the appointed day.

Does Knowledge Brilliance Has Any Correlation with Achieving Power, Money and Fame?

2010-05-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

(Read the inside stories of the corporate sector in the form of short management case studies at: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com or http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/ or http://corporate-case-studies.blogspot.com/)

Correlation between Knowledge Brilliance and Achieving Power, Money and Fame Hardly Exists

The comments here are based on just about general observations; it does not have any statistically correct research base. So, take them with a pinch of salt. But frankly what is written here is vastly true.

The observations pertain mainly to the developing countries who have yet to mature a lot in terms of professionalism, meritocracy and discipline.

In such countries success of people in terms of gaining power, money and fame is inversely proportional to the knowledge brilliance one achieves through school and college education and self study. Read on further to understand this phenomenon.

Many of the first few top rankers in the schools, colleges and universities are terrifically brilliant. They really are terrific brains though branded as nerds and also geeks. They try to achieve excellence in their knowledge and come out with flying colors in the screening examinations used for admissions in the reputed engineering and medical colleges. Those streams of engineering and medicine are invariably the first choice or preference of these fundamentally brilliant few (They are the real backbone of progress in developed or advanced countries, though not necessarily in the developing nations). We will call them Type 1.

The ones who cannot achieve such academic excellence and have not developed their cerebral powers to that extent settle for other courses; courses other than engineering and medicine. We will call them Type 2.

Many of the students drop out even before reaching this stage. They are pretty duffers as far as the learning in the class rooms goes but many of them are very good in sports and games like football, cricket, tennis etc. They start concentrating on playing these games. We will call them Type 3.

Then some start emerging as political leaders right during the school and college days. They get elected as general secretaries and presidents of the college unions etc. They are worldly wise, cunning, the popular types, political and slow on any kind of value structure and generally poor at academics. We will call them Type 4.

The last types are none of the above. You just do not notice them. They seem pretty insignificant- the quiet types, nothing spectacular about them in terms of getting any great grades in the examinations. Most people ignore them safely. They don't speak much but internally something definitely must be happening to them since many of them soon become escapists. Some of them, soon in their life, escape from homes under the garb of seeking solace, quiet and god. We will call them Type 5.

Now look at what happens after passage of a few years.

The Type 1 join a government sector, public sector or private sector organization as an engineer or a doctor at a comparatively junior level and need to work their way to climb a tall hierarchy before even thinking of becoming number 1 in the organization. Invariably they stop at number 2 of the organization at best if at all they climb up to that height. Number 1 position in government sector or a public sector company is invariably reserved for and occupied by a Type 2 and in private sector by the worthy or unworthy son or daughter of the promoters or owners of the company.

The Type 2 having failed to get admissions in good engineering or medical colleges try their hand at some other degrees etc and after graduation keep on attempting their luck in various civil services examinations conducted by the government. After succeeding in them in several attempts, they become the coveted bureaucrats in the government departments and ultimately become the bosses of Type 1. Type 2 thus have more power, more money than Type 1.

Type 3 keep on working out their energies on playing a game of cricket or football or tennis etc, particularly the money and fame making games. Some become very successful and become the national and international icons and bathe in unlimited money and fame. They also earn huge sums of money from the advertisers. They become the so called celebrities. The media pampers them lots and lots since they increase the money earning capacity of the media.

Type 4 join an important political party or start their own party. They contest the political and so called democratic elections, win and soon become a minister. The bureaucrats (the Type 2) report to them. Thus Type 4 become the bosses of Type 2 and Type 1. They wield tremendous power everywhere. They also become the so called celebrities. The media covers and dishes out all of their activities day in and day out. They have power and fame and they can make unimaginably high amount of money by several means.

Type 5 remain unknown and in oblivion for quite some time. And one fine day they emerge from somewhere and somehow as the god men. They start gaining popularity and soon they have millions of disciples. In fan following they beat them all; they beat all the other Types, from Type 1 to Type 4. They are showered tons of money by people and institutions of all sorts which is tax free. They exercise tremendous power and the media is also in their pocket. They become a very high order so called celebrity.

So, here ends the case of inversion.

Should the Child Labor Continue the Way It is Now?

2010-05-08T03:39:00.000-07:00

(Read the inside stories of the corporate sector in the form of short management case studies at: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com or http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/ or http://corporate-case-studies.blogspot.com/)

Ban the Child Labor Totally

As per numerous studies carried out by numerous agencies and people, millions of children (at least one child in 6 children) all over the world are engaged as child labor.

The children so engaged in work are exposed to health risks (including mental and emotional) or physical injury and cannot attend schools.

They are caught in various forms of labor in various workplaces of various industries and businesses like diamonds, chocolate, mining, fire crackers, hotels and restaurants, cinema and TV shows (as child artists or in reality shows), rag picking, and also in slavery, trafficking, debt bondage and other forms of forced labour, prostitution, pornography and other illicit activities. The list is long.

They are being employed by the promoters of the companies, industrialists, businessmen, professional managers, anti social and criminal elements of the human society etc. In short, good, bad and ugly- all kinds of people employ them and exploit them. It's shame that even the so called good people
at all levels do it. It is real shame.

It is essential that the child labor should be banned totally. The culprits should be penalized so heavily that they should never be able to repeat that mistake.

If children are the future of the nations and this planet earth, then bring them up with lots of care- not by making them child labor.

What to Do With Corporations Who Pollute Environment?

2010-04-29T22:52:00.000-07:00

(Read the inside stories of the corporate sector in the form of short management case studies at: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com or http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/ or http://corporate-case-studies.blogspot.com/)

Punish the Culprits So Severely that They Will Start Behaving or Stop Existing

The biggest culprits of all who pollute the environment in every thinkable and unthinkable way are today's industries and their bosses in the cooperate sector. They spoil the oceans and seas with oil spillages, rivers and sky with hazardous chemicals and with tons of such criminal activities. They undo everything that the nature took millions of years to build. And they do it all free of cost, they pay nothing to anyone for what they draw from the nature- it's day light robbery that no one takes cognizance of.

So we asked several groups of people to recommend the punishment to such criminal organizations and its people at the helm of their affairs and we got following responses which are being reproduced unedited:

Close such industries/companies.
If the law does not do it, the public should compel the culprit corporations to close down.
Punish the bosses of these erring corporations severely like life time imprisonment etc.
Ask them to make up for the loss of environment for which they are responsible.
Ask them to clean up the mess they have created.
Ask these companies to pay money to the public (as developmental funds with the government) for every thing these companies draw from the environment for their use.
Enforce very strict scrutiny (from environmental point of view) before allowing the industries to start operating.
Parade the top bosses in front of the people (the public) and ask them to apologise. Also ask them to repeat five times in front of the people that they would never ever commit such grave mischief.
Take a procession of these erring corporate bosses by seating them on the donkeys through the lanes and bye-lanes of the areas polluted by them.
Ask these companies to pay compensation to everyone who has been wrongly affected by their offenses of polluting the environment.

(If you have any more ideas, please put them in the comments).

Can Human Beings Manage the Nature?

2010-04-22T03:15:00.000-07:00

(Read the inside stories of the corporate sector in the form of short management case studies at: http://shyam.bhatawdekar.com or http://management-anecdotes.blogspot.com/ or http://corporate-case-studies.blogspot.com/)

Human Being are Insignificant when Compared with the Nature

From time immemorial- perhaps for millions of years, human beings have been facing the onslaughts of the nature in the form of earth quakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, droughts, hurricanes, cyclones, tornadoes/twisters/whirlwinds, floods etc.

Even today, when human beings have started boasting of their several achievements, they are totally impotent and insignificant when facing the nature. Call all the Nobel prize winner scientists/authors/peace makers etc, all the top notch engineers, doctors, lawyers, economists and financial experts, the top hundred richest persons of the earth, the top most industrialists and businessmen, the top 500 companies (as decided by the Fortunes or the Forbes etc), all the presidents and prime ministers of all the countries, the popes, the shankaracharyas, the gurus, the mullahs, the imams, the dalai lamas etc of the world and pool them all together and ask them to save the humanity from the onslaughts of the nature's punishing activities listed earlier. We know the results well before even attempting to do so. They are incapable of controlling or managing the nature.

All of them have proved to be inconsequential and trivial entities when the world suffered from these earth quakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions etc recently or in the past. The same will be true for the future.

Let us accept that human beings are just about minor most players in the nature's vast game.

Who are Worse of the Two?

2010-04-15T02:55:00.000-07:00

Both Kill in Millions

In every country and across the world everyone is aware of one type of people easily. These people create terror among the ordinary and innocent citizens of the countries and the world. They kill them by many means that are well known by now and they keep inventing new tricks by the day. Why they do so, it is still bit confusing. I wonder and doubt if they have to settle scores with the ordinary and innocent people- perhaps it may not be their objective. Perhaps their grouse may be against the people in power who they perceive as wrong doers or whatsoever. It will be wiser to deal with them directly and perhaps a few problems might start getting solved which they bother about.

In every country and across the world, there are second types of people as well who are not easily considered as killers of the people. But they do exactly that, day in and day out, pretty easily without creating any uproar. So no one easily notices them. Who are these people? These are the people who work in every organization including the government and also independently: they pollute environment, they produce spurious medicines, they provide dirty drinking water, they adulterate food, they facilitate creation of unemployment and force people to go hungry and shelter less and they do much more such harmful things- the list is endless. The people who adversely get affected and subsequently die either immediately or over a period of time by these acts are countless, perhaps more than the people who get killed by the acts of terror.

Both types of people kill people- both kill in abundance.

Who is worse of the two types?