Simply Maverick - Hanging On to Life

Life comes a full circle

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 08:23:00 +0000

Well there is something which brings me back today to blog, its that something deep inside which wants to express out and open doors to one's thoughts.

Ill be moving to a new domain for my professional blogging which i pledge to take seriously from hereon, and plan to continue blogging here to let out my personal emotions and thoughts.

I know im posting after a long time, and life has come a full circle ! Last few months have been life changing for me personally.

As one grows up one picks up learnings from parents, friends and the overall environment and society. Learnings like what is life, what is wrong and what is right. One feels he/she has figured out life, and destiny is something one can leave for the weak hearted!

But then it comes back, it hits you hard when you realise that all your learnings and understanding were just so novice. Life is an ever evolving complex set of variables and the moment you think you have grasped it, you loose everything and back to square one.

Those who know me would know the reasons behind my sudden deep philosophical bent of mind, and truly i love them for being with me and holding me together. I regret i took life so casually, over confident and looked down upon those who had a weaker approach to life - for example i never believed in God, i always thought im above all that and can dictate my own destiny.

So here i am, stranded without the confidence, and without the support system that was behind that confidence. Now i am like evry1 else - weak, external locus of controll, submitting myself to destiny and hanging on to life.

Truth as they say is stranger than fiction, and in this moment of truth i feel lost coz what it thought was the real truth is worse than the best lies !

Market Penetration by a Virgin Enterprise

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:34:00 +0000

It takes an enormous amount of chutzpah to even attempt to make a splash and be noticed in an arena filled with players who are winners in their own right, but Virgin Mobile has done exactly that. Richard Branson has taken his brassiness and used it to cut through the very heart of Indian prudishness and no-sex-please-we’re-Indians façade to achieve success in his very first foray into the Indian mobile phone service industry.

India is home to one of the largest mobile phone user base in the world. The country is already saturated with providers who are vying with one another both to sign up new users and to steal customers from the competition with new and enticing offers. Some GSM operators have even tied up with handset manufacturers to offer bundled services with perks while the two biggest CDMA operators in the country, Tata and Reliance, use their financial clout to launch marketing strategies that are designed to buy them a significant chunk of the mobile customer base.

The new era of globalization has made the world take notice of India’s booming and inviting market place, with enterprises hoping to get their foot in the door and grab a piece of the action for themselves. Virgin is not the first player to set foot on Indian telecom shores though; Orange, which was the first foreign company to set foot in the Indian mobile service market, bought out local firm BPL and christened it Hutch, only to have it taken over by international telecom giant Vodafone.

What makes Branson’s brand stand out is that it does not have the head start that Vodafone enjoys in the form of an existing customer base. Virgin Mobile thought long and hard before designing the perfect ad campaign to shake up and rattle Indian consumers who already face a difficult choice from the potpourri of players already in the field. The penetration strategy seems to have worked for this Virgin (pardon the intentional pun) because:

• The commercials are bold and brazen – they are based mostly on hitherto taboo subjects in the Indian media, homosexuality and phone sex being just a couple of examples. A girl hinting to her parents that she’s a lesbian has them falling head over heels to get her to go on a vacation with a guy – exactly what she wanted them to do; an innovative idea that captures the essence of the Virgin brand’s concept based on flashiness.
• Even though they’re based on sex, the commercials are done so tastefully that you feel like applauding rather than condemning them. They’re classy, not crass, a difference that makes this company stand out from others who use sex to sell their range of products.
• Some of the commercials are so audacious that they make you laugh out loud rather than feel offended even if they involve sex.
• And last but certainly not the least, Virgin Mobile is treading on virgin ground by offering to pay consumers for incoming calls – a concept that seems so daring when you consider the fact that consumers in the USA and other countries are paying providers for incoming calls.

Marketing is an art, one that requires a spark of genius and the skill of a mind reader. Judging by the reception to Virgin Mobile, Richard Branson has proved he’s a genius, yet again, this time in virgin territory.

By-line:

Heather Johnson is a regular commentator on the subject of online college degrees. She welcomes your feedback and potential job inquiries at heatherjohnson2323 at gmail dot com.

MBA Entrepreneurship - MBA Fee Hike

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 12:59:00 +0000

The recent fee hike by MBA institutes bring a relief to me ....wondering why ? coz Icfai is no longer one of the "most expensive b-schools" !

IIM-A took the lead by doubling its fee to almost 12Lacs...now among all the debate on wether its a fair/ethical move or not etc , one particular thought worries me.

Even if the students do manage to pay the fee through educational loans (rationale given by IIM) - what about post MBA entrepreneurship ??? Asitis it was tough to turn down the fat packages on offer - but now these brave hearts also have to worry about - who pays back my lacs in education loan if i dont takeup the campus offers !!!

think about it, would the IIM's provide any relief to such people who wanna tread the path less taken?

BarCamp returns to Mumbai again - Third Edition – 29 March at IIT Bombay

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 10:47:00 +0000

BarCamp Mumbai 2 was a big hit with over 200 attendees and a day full of discussions on many interesting topics and ideas. BarCamp Mumbai 3 is now on the cards for 29th March at School of Management at IIT Mumbai. In the true spirit of BarCamp it's an open platform which anyone can make her own. Anyone can participate, anyone can speak, agenda is drawn collectively at the start and any topic is welcome as long as you have others interested as well.

This time the infrastructure has been extended in view of the overwhelming participation last time. The venue can accommodate around 400 people. In addition, the open spaces within the building will have mattresses which can be used by groups of people to discuss or to just take a break.

This edition will also host a BlogCamp which will have people talk about all things blog and also other aspects of social media and marketing. There is also FireTalk where you can talk about your idea and exhort like minded people to join you – it can be a cool app or a full scale business plan. The people gathered thus prepare a broader blueprint offline and then present it to larger audience later in the day.

Come and make this your own BarCamp. Over a 100 people have already registered.

Register your participation for free at the wiki:

http://www.barcampmumbai.org/BCM3_registrants

Register your topic at the wiki: http://www.barcampmumbai.org/BCM3_topics

Tittle Sponsorer of Barcamp Mumbai3 is Sun Microsystem & Associate Sponsorer is Directi.

Beware ! Indian Online Advertising Industry

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 18:28:00 +0000

Im about to complete my MBA finally and have accepted offer for a management role with Tyroo Media , a STIG group company (which also owns Qusar Media,Zoomtra etc ).

Intrestingly Yahoo hiolds around 40% stake in Tyroo - with major competitors being Google Advertising Network apart from the host of such networks that have entered the indian online advertising market recently .

My role will be in the Business Development teamTeam -aka building relations with the advertisers and ensuring they maximise thier ROI and stick with us.

Its a dream job , though may pay lesser than the ICICI offer i have in hand. As they say - follow your passion, and everything else follows !

The New Era - Branding 2.0 & Social Media

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 08:32:00 +0000

A very informative slideshow made by Sampad from ManagementChords on Branding in the emerging Web 2.0 and social media era

| View | Upload your own

Here Comes Another Bubble

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 11:35:00 +0000

Amazingly well done light take on the so called Web2.0 bubble. Njoy !

Online Forums -The Power Of Information Exchange

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 06:45:00 +0000

There was a time- and there is this time. Its amazing how much technology can improve and assist in making life easier for users !

Am refferring to world of internet in general and the concept of online forums in specific.

There are a few i personally am hooked on to

MBA Aspirants Forum
Reliance Mobile Forum
Ahmedabad City Forum
HR FORUM
SEO Forum

You must have visited many, been part of few and got hooked on to one or two.Its everywhere and it amazes me how it facilitates free flow of information and knowledge and breaks down barriers to communication.

You no longer need to wait till u catch hold of a friend's friend to get the information you were seeking. You no longer need to make your critical decisons based on half baked knowledge and rumours

Well i was so hooked on to this concept that i myself initiated one for ICFAI -my MBA institute and its roaring with 2000 members with amazing flow of highly classified informations already !

All you need to do , is to login to the relevant online forum and ASK ! soon u shift mode from just asking to sharing , and join the world of online communities !

Which ones do u visit regularly?

EarthQuake Rocks Delhi/NCR-26th Nov 4am

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 03:01:00 +0000

My midnight sleep was broken by surprise earthquake tonite !

Yes ! I thought it was a bad dream, but seems its news !

26th Nov early morning at 4am , there was an earhtquake of light intensity, which was also experienced by the occupants in/around Gurgaon.

Dont Worry , everything is as Normal here as much in rest of India.

btw = any chances of this one being spill over of recently reported Indonesian earthquake?

Rocker's League - Rock on IBS !

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 06:45:00 +0000

IbsRocks is a Community for students and alumni of IBS across all centers.

History is in making with launch of Rocker's Cricket League – a first of its kind in IBS fraternity.

With the placements season for the Senior batch reaching its penultimate phase, there is a festive mood on the campus. We observed everyone playing gully cricket at their backyards. So we thought its time now for some real action! It's time now for the boys to be Men !

Registrations closed on 15th Nov and we are all set for the event to be held on 25th Nov & 2nd Dec 2008 at Chiranjeev Ground , Gurgaon.

This event would witness drama and fun of the highest order, but would also be a great opportunity for the Junior batches to get close to their seniors and counterpart from other campuses.

Hail The Consumer !

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 09:38:00 +0000

Exceeding customer's expectations and deleighting the customer are some of the constituents of Customer Satisfaction. Its a much hyped and well leveraged marketing terminology.

Yeah i woudnt call it a management terminology , coz its more of words than substance.India deserves a special mention when we speak of customer satisfaction - simply as an example of what not is customer satisfaction ! Companies like Starbucks , Dell and Carrefour have proved that if implemented honestly and effectively customer satisfaction can be a vital weapon in any marketer's armour - a diffrentiation tool which cuts across the clutter of being "better" - and makes the service "Different" and "Delightful".

With globalisation and influx of foreign brands in India , we witness Indian companies making a shift from the Selling Concept to the Marketing Concept. However little do they realise that customer service is an atitude rather than a process. Processes are important , but it's the atitude towards the consumer , the sensitivity which the support staff show and the understanding of the importance of the Customer that they posses - is what results in a good customer service. Few weeks of ocnditioned brainwashing through highly structured training modules , does not help improve customer service. It rather frusturates the customer more , since the service metted out becomes moe mechanical and insensitive. The processes become the end goal rather than the actual goal of the process design !

Flexibility and senstivity is something that Indian customer service propents certainly lack. Unless the atitude can be changed or conditioned - no amount of training or processes can lead to a "Delighted Consumer" .

Hail the Consumer !

In Defence of IBS-Gurgaon, AICTE Fiasco

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 16:43:00 +0000

Background- The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) — the body that regulates technical
education in India — has decided to approach state governments and ask them to
close unapproved institutions, including several premier B-schools and technical training institutes, operating in their regions. http://www.ibsrocks.com/forum/ibs-g-on-aicte-s-hit-list-t480.html
This article brings to fore the great Indian MBA Dilema once again (notably just at the time students start filling Mba forms.
The Issue - Institutes like ISB,Gr8 Lakes, ICFAI. IIPM , CHRIST , not having AICTE approval to run their MBA courses. AICTE thus is unhappy that they are not getting the due ego boost and respect, so they go ahead to ask state governments to close down such institutes.
Now thats something really uncalled for. Id once again like to clarify few things wrt this issue
1. AICTE approval is voluntary and not mandotory
2. Universities or deemed universities DO NOT require AICTE approval in the first place as they fall under UGC which offers DEGREES. AICTE is meant for approving DIPLOMA's equal to degrees. So while an IIM needs AICTE , a SYMBI or NMIMS or ICFAI for that matter DOES NOT SEEK AICTE approval , as they are under UGC
3. ISB or gr8 lakes offer 1 yr diploma courses , which AICTE cannot approve anyways , as they cover only 2 year course.So its actually doesnt make sense for AICTE to ask them to close down. Do they mean to say 1 year courses are not relevant? thats a separate issue and they better leave it on INDUSTRY forces to decide that !
4. AICTE has 800+ approved institutes under it , most of which are so poor in terms of infrastructure , faculty base or student quality , that AICTE would do much better regulating them rather than creating just baseless outrageous claims !
5. At end of the day MBA is about INDUSTRY....no piece of paper (wether AICTE or UGC for tht matter) can gurantee one a place in the industry. So if the industry accepts an ISB or an IBS as a top notch institute - the students shoudl really not be a worried lot
Hope this helps. Aspirants are advised not to press the panic button, dont loose focuss from preparations.... !

Adsense Refferals- It Pays !

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 19:54:00 +0000

Google Adsense Referrals now has host of advertisers in various categories instead of just the google products(which nvr was a money spinner).

One advertiser i have used is by blackbooks2.com, under the business category - which is paying alomst $ 4 per referral (user has to signup for the website).

Now this beats the traditional adsense products like adsense for content/links or search. Makes them look peanuts ;-)

Hope other publishers too take advantage of this new product. Adsense beats all once again !

Within Me - Kathleen Sheppard

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 22:06:00 +0000

Scarlet lips as red as a rose,

perfect hips in a seductive pose.

On the outside this is what I may be,

but what about looking at the heart within me.

Long black hair, surrounding my face,

baby blue eyes and full of grace.

This is what most men chase,but my soul and feeling cannot be erased.

Long, untouched legs with a snug fitting skirt,

a short and sexy tube top shirt,

I take my looks with little pride,

for what I care about is what's inside.

They say that these looks are a sensation,

that I am one of God's best creations,

But all I really want is for you to see,all the good that is within me.

Handle with Care !

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:18:00 +0000

This could be a rumour or may be applicable to few ATM's of SBI - bt take this as a note of caution

ICICI ATM / Debit cards can be used at SBI ATMs to withdraw money andmost shocking thing is, it does not ask for your PIN**.

Even if it asks for pin and if u cancel it, it goes on to the next screen and enablesyou to withdraw cash. This security vulnerability was shown live on TV-9 news channel at SBI ATM in Bangalore

So please take utmost care ofyour ICICI ATM / Debit cards to avoid any such misuse.

IbsRocks Books Service - Coming Soon

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Thu, 12 Jul 2007 11:00:00 +0000

Our online community portal www.IbsRocks.com is pleased to introduce books service soon. We plan to source MBA textbooks and provide them at highly discounted price to our student members (across 21 centres of IBS).

This comes out of our experience and observation of the tedious process of procurring these books as students - travell long distances , negotiatewith bookstores and search for the books. Here is where we feel we could derive synergines out of IbsRocks.com . A win-win proposition.

We are in talks with several national book distributors as well as online bookstores for a tieup for the same and we hope we can get the best deal on behalf of our student community

Cheers to Brand IBS , IbsRocks !

Wah Taj ! - Wonder or Marketing Gimmick

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 07:16:00 +0000

So the results of the New 7 Wonders of the world global contest are finally out - and our own Taj Mahal is on the list ! Party time folks? Hold on.... did you get it wrong? Who is behind this global accceridation? In the presence of a beaming Bipasha Basu, Emperor Shah Jahan's Taj Mahal was declared one of the Seven Wonders of the World - on the basis of a global poll attracting nearly 100 million voters - at a glittering ceremony in Lisbon on Saturday. The catch;the poll,verdict and organisers have no official standing - UNSCO has distanced itself from the entire process

The real winner of the campaign arguably is New 7 Wonders, a not for profit organisation started in 2000 by Swiss author filmmaker Bernerd Weber. Besides the massive publicity it generated, it also netted millions of dollars through SMSes and phone calls as well as sale of merchandise (as high as $23 for a t-shirt). It also earned heft revenuesfrom sponsors around the globe.

Now that's what one calls a true blue marketer ! A scam or a boon to the travell industry - the jury is still out

The Toyota Way !

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 09:39:00 +0000

Background - Toyota overtakes GM, now world No. 1.

Tokyo, June 12: Toyota Motor Corp. edged past
General Motors Corp. to become the world`s biggest automaker by sales volume in
2006, reports said.

The Toyota Vs GM battle reflects a classical example of how it’s business strategy rather than the actual business activity that determines the winner in the battle of champions.

GM being the world’s leading car marker for decades lost out to Toyota – a one time underdog which emerged from the woods to put brakes on GM dream run and re write history – using business strategy and efficient operations management to beat GM at its own game.

It all can be traced back to a critical strategic decision by GM to discontinue it’s focus on hybrid electric cars, taking into account the low demand, huge overheads and lack of visible profits. Toyota on the other hand played the long term game-realizing that this hybrid car segment was where the future lies. Toyota aggressively pushed Prius, which not only went on to be a super seller as well as created a environment friendly and technologically savvy image of Toyota – but more importantly beat GM at its own turf – the U.S.A. It was this strategically diverse paths adopted which symbolizes why Toyota has become profitable in the United States while GM has been loosing its shirt in its home market!

GM in the process has not only lost out market share, but also market reputation. It is seen as a technologically laggard, a short term quick fix seeker, while Toyota has proven itself to not only be environmentally friendly and operationally efficient – but also a market savvy risk taker and a true champion.

While GM was shutting down its plants in the states in favor or other low cost manufacturing destinations – Toyota chose to setup a huge plant in the heart of Texas. This again was more of a strategic decision than a purely operational one – setting up camp at the heart of the consumer’s territory helps them relate to the brand and connect to it.

While Toyota was always focusing on its Toyota Production System, GM was busy finding quick fixes or imitating best practices – this reflects in the cost advantage of $ 1800 per car that Toyota enjoys over GM

While GM gave away almost $73 Billion as benefits to its workers over the last decade – Toyota invested its resources into R&D – resulting in Toyota having the trendiest and most up to date portfolio of cars, while GM struggles to come out with any innovation in the last decade. Toyota’s recently launched pickup truck Tundra helps Toyota shed the image of a toy carmaker – and pull’s in the Ford and GM loyalist!

GM’s game plan of dumping cars at airport car rentals just to keep production moving, Resulted in after sales value of the GM cars going down drastically as they retain only 43% of their initial value vis-à-vis 52% of Toyota cars.

It’s GM’s quick fix approach and flawed strategic direction that resulted it in loosing out to Toyota. Toyota has a stock market value of $200 Billion, almost 12 times that of GM. Its proposed acquisition of the money losing Chrysler would probably be another flawed strategic decision – as it would lead to critical issues in driving synergies between the two culturally diverse automakers. Such an acquisition rather seems to be another quick fix desperate bid by GM to retain it’s world’ leading car maker status.

The one time leader now finds itself in an uncomfortable position as an underdog. As rightly said, now GM can now afford taking higher risks and being more aggressive. However it’s no surprise if GM fails to ever regain its lost glory.

Habits Of Highly Effective People

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 07:50:00 +0000

From childhood i have always been in awe of highly successful people in any field of life and have always wondered what is that differentiates these people from the others who remain average throughout their life.

Is it just about being at the right place at the right time?is it all inborn?what is it that makes such people turn every adversity into an opportunity. i have been lucky to have closely observe my own brother who is a grad from FMS and i have tried to observe what is that the 2 years have taught him.I was amazed as to much changes there were in him. well i haven't read the 7 habits of highly effective people book as i don't believe in them.But i am sure life teaches us more than books and if we can consciously inculcate even a fraction of its learnings into our day-day life-we can never fail.

I would start with what i have observed:

Passion which drives u to achieve heights in your field and hence is absolutely most most most necessary

A very clear Vision-know what u wanna do in life-the bigger picture

Very strong common sense and understanding of people and situations-and when to react how.

Core beliefs,principles and Values - u live by

Smart Hard work-nothing comes without it-there is no shortcut

A Lender and not a borrower-never give ur problems to others - do something for others if u can rather.

Commitment to excellence-whatever u do-do it like there is no tomorrow

Humility - A man is like a fraction whose numerator is what he is and denominator is what he thinks he is-the higher the denominator the lower the fraction

Positive attitude-down but never out - impossible is nothing Face problems head on--- if one faces problems and address them-it will be easier in the long run.

Self Honesty and Respect for each and every thing in life.

Balanced life-health money spirit mind

So guys please pitch in and lets discuss whats that element which make average people over perform !

Ebay bans Google Checkout !

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Sat, 05 May 2007 18:09:00 +0000

eBay has banned sellers from using Google Checkout on eBay.
In a bid to protect PayPal, eBay has banned sellers from using Google Checkout, Google's payment service, on its site.

eBay has also changed the name of its Safe Payments Policy to Accepted Payments Policy, to serve as a lame excuse.

http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/accepted-payments-policy.html

It is mentioned in eBay's Safe Payments policy, that a payment service must have a “substantial historical track record of providing safe and reliable financial and/or banking related services.” According to eBay, sellers may not accept banned services on their eBay checkout systems.

It's ironic they would do this here, and in the same breath go to Congress and fight the Net Neutrality battle.
You can't fight for an open internet one day and then implement policies that close the walled garden the next.
Coffee - eBay please wake up and smell it. Trust and Safety is running (and ruining) your company.

Mginger - Get paid to recieve SMS !!!

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Fri, 04 May 2007 20:04:00 +0000

New Concept started By ISB HYDBD guys

Earn money for reading ads on your mobile
Get SMS ads of only those products that you want to buy
Get ads at your convenience
Save money through discount coupons and offers
Earn much more money by inviting family and friends.
by reffering 10 joinees u make arnd 2k pm !

Join by clicking here join

Google Chekout - the Paypal & CCAvenues Killer !

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Wed, 02 May 2007 20:23:00 +0000

Being an avid online shopper , i regularly use paypal to make my online payments . I also use Indian Payment gateways like Payseal or CC Avenues. Now google checout is a similar service from the big online services giant Google itself. www.chekout.google.com

The best part from the vendors perspective is that as of 2008 , its completely free - payment gateways normally charge a % of transation(3-7%) as fee from the vendor apart from one time setup fee(Rs 20-50k) Now small vendors can shift to Google Checkout and offer online payments to their customers - no setup fee , no transaction fee ! Morever as usual the buyer does not need to pay anything extra apart from purchase price :-)http://checkout.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=29062&ctx=sibling

The relevant news is this service is available in India too. Now that is a major issue with paypal as it doesnt have operations in India , making the process more tedious. http://checkout.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=48115

Seems like Google Checkout is the Paypal and other payment platform killer ! Going by Google's reputation and resources - it shoudnt be very difficult too ;-)

The icing on the cake? Yes $10 sign up bonus offer is there - so hurry up ;-)

Now a Meeting ground for Bloggers !

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Wed, 02 May 2007 04:07:00 +0000

I came across www.imparas.com/forum which turned out to be a platform for all of us bloggers to interact and share our experiences , discuss blogging and learn the tricks of the trade !

good going , finally bloggers have their own forum too !

Who is your Inspiration?

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 17:57:00 +0000

Some of the most important people in my life would be shocked to learn that they were role models. They weren't celebrities, or even particularly accomplished. But they had some quality that I admired, that made me want to be like them.”

I had no role model as such till i was a teenager...i was too occupied with myself. but as i grew up i started admiring people around me and tried to imbibe their qualities. i was on search of excellence

My biggest role model is no celebrity , its my own elder brother. He has been such an inspiration , and even if i can be 10% of what he is , id be a satisfied man.

My latest crush is on Sam Walton and our own Pantaloon's Mr Biyani. i can relate to them , i am a maverick by nature like them and i dream big with open eyes too.

However i believe its circumstances which make/break a man, and i am certainly waiting for my day ! and yes i will make it happen soon !

1st year of my MBA - Experiences and learnings

noreply@blogger.com (Abhishek Shah) — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 17:43:00 +0000

I was pretty clear that id make a difference to whichever institute i went -whether it be IIM or IIPM...i have such internal locus of controll. I have tried to walk the talk - its for u to decide if i have been able to make a difference or not.

Well i had my brother who did an MBA before me , so i had got some solid gyaan about an MBA experience from him.At that point i could not fully gasp or relate to what he said , but now i think he was perfectly on dot He said that 1st year is the phaze when you think you are right , while in 2nd yr you realise that u r not always right or rather there can be more than one rights to a single situation. During 2nd year u learn to accept other side of the view - he coined a term - U learn to AGREE TO DISAGREE Secondly he said that your close friends list will keep on changing from semester to semester. the one u didnt get along with in 1st sem would soon b a close buddy in 2nd sem and by 3rd sem it would go back to be a less friendly relationship....like a vicious circle. i thought this was absurd....but now i can vouch for this .MBA basically opens up ones ability to agree to disagree

my 1st year was unlike any typical MBA student. i did everything that i wanted to do and never cared for what others think should be done. I never ran after CGPA , i participated in various b school competitions , started a guest lecture club called Atithi2008 , bunked classes a lot , never "makhanofied" the faculties....in short i was a rebel. in the way i gave wrong impressions to lot of people about my arrogance. it was just that i knew what i wanted to do and my confidence was mistaken for arrogance (specially by those who could not be like me !)

The best part is inspite of all of this i always managed to score well , alas better than most of my peers and this made me loose a few more friends.... all in all i did exactly the opposite of a normal MBA student and in 2nd year i plan to be studious and study as now it would be only marketing subjects...which again would be hard to digest for most people who would not care much about CGPA anymore since the placements would already be over but i never came here for placements and i know right from the beginning that CGPA would not dictate my career . I am just too good for any recruiter to miss anyways