Ladies Quota!!

The story includes two guys: Mohit and Varun, with 4 girls A, B, C, D playing the main role. Guest entry: Mukul, Ayush and girls XYZs.
 
Day 1:
Mohit and I decided to participate in JnJ case study competition. The case has a very special requirement. The case wanted “Ladies Quota” in which there should be maximum 4 members in a team and minimum 2 should be females. Phew…never thought that "procuring" girls will be so much difficult than Case study itself and I would be writing a blog over it.
 
Day2:
Next day Mohit told me that girls - A and B are interested to join our group. It was a good news as all guys in Great Lakes were hunting for girls. I sent a “Welcome” mail to A and B and asked them to be ready with resumes.
 
Day 3:
Mail comes from Girl A that she will not be joining our group because of some personal reasons. Later on I came to know that A wanted to do the case with another girl C who was her very good friend. There were 2 option: either let A go, keep B and arrange for a new girl OR let B go, let A and C join us, hence keeping 2 girls. While later option was lucrative but even then we chose “ethical” first option.
I asked Mohit to “arrange” a new girl as without 2 girls entering into competition was  impossible. We pinged few girls but all were “engaged”.


Day 4:
Mohit told me that girl B has also joined some other group due to the confusion that girl A and C will join our group. About girls A and C we had no idea, most likely they would have joined some group by now.
So, now we need to search for 2 girls again. Huh.
 
Day 5:
Mohit told me that girl A and C will work with us as he has confirmed it from A. I was happy to hear that as it relieved from a big hassle of pinging each girl with shame to join our group. I sent a “Welcome” mail to A and C and asked them to be ready with resumes.
 
Day 6:
Girls C informs that there is a big confusion. She is working with A in some other group. Truly I banged my head, harassed poor Mohit for his poor girls arrangement skills. :D
So, we started again for hunt for 2 girls. It was much more difficult to find even a single girl now as all girls were reserved in some or the other group.
 
Day 7:
Mohit informed me that girl B is still with us and news about her exit was not full-proof. Hail Mohit bhai!!!
The days were coming near, 1 more girl required. I pinged and called so many girls but in vain. All were engaged moreover - “Nobody wants to be the second choice”. L
 
Day 8:
Mukul(another friend) and me were going for dinner when he said that there group have just one girl D for JnJ, so they are quitting. Ho ho…I asked the girl name and also told the same situation of ours. I asked him to outsource their one girl to our group. Or probably we may send both girl’s name in both group. Anyways without wasting much time, I talked to girl D and closed the deal formally with her that she will be working in our group what so ever happens. Sent a “Welcome” mail to girls B and D to send their resumes.
 
Day 9:
Ayush(another friend) who was highly frustrated from this crazy rule of females’ quota called up JnJ office to give some tolerance in rule. JnJ bluntly told that Great Lakes is not is their list of college and can come in list only next year. So basically JnJ competition story which created huge waves in Great Lakes came to an end. Suddenly, all girls were released. LOLzzz
 
Mohit and I decided not to be disappointed with that news and do our Karma without thinking of the result. So we still encourage girls B and D to send their resumes to complete registration process.
 
Anyways it was a big learning for me. I related this event with the boss/manager at my job who used to face harsh situations of/like people suddenly exiting from company. Sometimes the resources used to be high importance for the project. Whole project used to come upon knees once the person left. Even then we managed and came out with flying colours after few day. Nothing is Impossible. Managing people, forming/managing team is a part of business for managers. So better learn it here at school than experimenting on job.
 
Thank you to all Girls (A, B, C, D and all girls to whom I bugged) with special thanks to JnJ for giving us such learning and strange experience. J
Hope after reading my entry and our struggle for their competition JnJ will accept our entries or will give us the consolation prize. Hope for the best.
 
Summary:

	Girls available
Day 1	A, B, C, D
Day 2	A, B
Day 3	B
Day 4	None
Day 5	A, C
Day 6	None
Day 7	B
Day 8	B, D
Day 9	All girls

Dr Harkant Mankad: "Economics is Life"

Sometime back I dedicated a blog to Dr Rakesh Singh, our professor of Macro economics in term-1. In term-2, we have a course on Micro Economics and guess who taught us. It was Prof Harkant Mankad, the same professor who taught economics to Dr Rakesh Singh during his post graduation time. So, you may understand that what is the stature of this person. In a way I must say he is the "baap" of economist (Dr Rakesh).


This young man of age 68 is full of charisma and fascinating stories about the history and whole world. Even after having 3 hours of continous lecture, you crave for more time with him. He choose very simple words to communicate, relates economics with the actual situations and most importantly never utter even a single irrelevant word. Each and every word just fits in the context like pearl. No more or less word may do the right job. BTW he is just not an economist but a complete knowledge data-warehouse. He taught us BCG matrix, Du Pont far better than we read in marketing.


The very first lecture was highly thought provoking and meant to orient ourselves in the right direction for future. He commented about importance of demographics which I never-ever thought of. 

The evolved 6 stages of life in this modern world are (earlier it was just 4): 
1. Childhood
2. Adolescence
3. ODDYSSEY GENERATION(New entry): People with never say die attitude. Don't want to settle, don't want to marry, expermentive, creative. These people are running the world now a days with rolling money and innovations everyday.

4. Adulthood
5. ACTIVE RETIREMENT(New entry): People who are not giving up against age and still active.
6. Old age: Now, old people have money to spend on themselves


Few of Prof Mankad sayings and my learning which I still remember:
- Economics is Life.
- There is always a trade-off.
- Value is about what we perceive.
- "Stock markets are guided by irrational passion, for dispassionate rationality."
- Rationality is a myth. But economics is based upon rationality. (what a contradiction)
- Perception of value keeps on changing with times
- Recession is state of mind.
- Don't let the competitor kill you. Prevent erosion of your market share.
- NEVER be ONE buyer and ONE product company. 
- Market share is the most important(even more imp than profits) for companies. Quality is second most.
- Stand by your commitment, whatever happens.
- Reduction in cost (while keeping quality) is the need of today.
- Once you are out of B-school, PLAY your OWN GAME. (while saying thanks)


It was really great to learn from you, Sir. Alas, we could have got more insights from you. Finally, a big thanks to share your part of knowledge with us. Keep smiling as always.

Great Lakes Term 1

Time is moving too fast. It was just sometime back as if I joined Great Lakes and Term-1 is over. Drafted my insights upon the course of Term 1.

Great Lakes Term 1 (4th May to 21st June)
Course Name	Facilitator	Positives	Deltas (No negatives)	Any Comments
Intelligently Interacting with Others (IIO)	Dr. Venkat Krishnan / Prof. Zubin Mulla	As compared to other subjects of Term-1, I think I absorbed most in IIO. The reasons behind this success were definitely the Profs behind the course, who made such a course based upon philosophy, religion and psychology so interesting to read. Definitely, there must have been a lot of preparation involved in designing the course. Prof Venkat and Zubin, both allowed the class discussions up to its complete extent. It was fun to watch the Great Lakers debating among themselves. Moreover, the strict rules for pre-reads have made us study the subject even on busy schedules. Smaller class size was another big factor. Group dynamics was big treat to learn. The videos shown were great.	Probably the course of Phase-1 (about Indian culture) should have been made slightly smaller or should be customized accordingly. Many of things there are repeated several times or are just not understandable easily.	Loved the idea of chocolates on mobile ring. Professors were very calm and composed in each and every class. I have never seen any exam in which professors would have given so much effort to design every single question. Too tough and thought provoking examinations.
Financial Accounting	Dr. Surysekar	http://kwlvarun.blogspot.com/2009/05/bid-adieu-dr-suryasekar.html	Bigger class size	Great teacher
Statistical Methods for Decision Making	Prof. P K Vishwanathan	Lot of knowledge and practical insights of solving real world problems through statistics. Loved his funny style of teaching with lots of "Googlies"	Did not absorb many concepts because of the frequent speaker/mic problems, long class-hours and bigger class etc. Unable to solve problems in class test in a small span. Did not grasp very long and confusing sentences spoken to understand the concept by prof.	Fun to study. Would like to study the subject deeply.
Macro Economics	Dr. Rakesh Singh	http://kwlvarun.blogspot.com/2009/06/dont-jump-to-conclusion-too-early.html	Bigger class size. Wrong impressions during initial classes.	Thought provoking sessions. Great teacher
Marketing Management I	Prof. T N Swaminathan	Lot of interaction happened in the class. I liked his QnA methodology to realise any concept. The learning from Case studies was unmatchable. Great to start with Marketing(my favorite) finally.	Bigger class size, not all hands raised were taken care of. Didn't get chance to present. Probably all group should have been scheduled to present atleast one Case study.	Fun to watch Great Lakers bombing a group's Case study into pieces.
Business Communication	Ms. Lalitha Maheswaran	Lot of energy during the class. Highly interactive session. The 2 minutes presentation gave the best practice for public speaking for the geeks like me. I build up lot of confidence in public speaking.	Some people were less participative than others (I was medium-less one). Probably the communication equally by all should have been encouraged.	Energetic speaker. Great videos.
Mandarin (Chinese)	Prof. Devakunjari	Great teacher. Should write a book - "Chinese made easy" from his written hand-outs.	NA	Teaching style is too motherly and caring. Highly lovable teacher.

 

Money & Power : "The road to riches is open to everyone”

Money & Power – The History of Business. Howard Means, David Grubin (2001). John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2001. 274 pp.

Reviewed by: Varun Khandelwal, Great Lakes Institute of Management. (Roll no: 9265, Group G2)

Money & Power is a lively and fascinating documentary on how modern business grew and developed. The book outlines the history of business, industry, commerce and power from the year 1065 to the recent time up to 2005. The book is an excellent resource to students, educators, business man and even to a common man for understanding important economics’ concepts and issues in business and monetary operations at micro as well as macro level in a very simple manner.

The book is chronologically ordered into 12 chapters like a story, in which each chapter highlights one of the most charismatic business personality and event the world has known from as early as 1065 to as recent as 2005.

The story begins around 1000 years ago with an early peddler-merchant, St. Godric. He was among the most successful entrepreneurs who began to freely pursue business for profit. However, due to the church and prevailing belief during those times, profit-making was considered to be sinful, so he gave up his business to become hermit. However, he proved to be a model of wealth creation through emerging free-market capitalism. The trade kept on flourishing even in the absence of the much desired capital markets. During renaissance at around 1400, the founder of modern banking Cosmo de’ Medici made Italy understood the alchemy of modern banking system. This made Florence, the financial capital city of the continent. The Cosimo efforts led to power shifting from men of Church to men of Business. Even till early 1900, banking was highly based upon the trust and influential people. J.P. Morgan, the biggest banker of 18^th and 19^th centuries bailed out markets three times – the panics of 1873 and 1893 and the Wall Street crisis of 1907. After Morgan, the Federal Reserve System was created in 1913 to fulfill the critical economic role by controlling macro and micro economic factor and to avoid handing power of such scale with one man.

The author also tells tales about the wasteful use of fortune by Philip II of Spain in wars during late years of 1500 which led to Spain into the most perilous situations of the era. It tells about the power of greed to move market in irrational directions, citing story from Netherlands, well known as “Tulipmania” in which investment bubble arose through unprecedented investments in unlikely commodity – tulip bulb.

All great inventions and applications begin with great ideas. The author tells about the conglomeration of business and innovation. The book tells about the equally important contribution by Matthew Boulton, the ever experimenting entrepreneur, in the invention of Steam engine by the father of Industrial revolution - James Watt by putting his idea into a real working machine. The same theme has been continued by Henry Ford who created a mass market for cars through his innovation of assembly lines for mass-production and low price.  There is a chapter on John D. Rockefeller's creator of the Standard Oil trust who slit all his competitors in Oil industry and came out as a baron of the Oil industry in late 1800s. He used latest technology, resolved the logistics riddle, created advanced selling methods, vertically integrated Oil Corporation and put modern management to run his oil business. The book also describes about the partnership between government and private interest leading to Transcontinental Railroads in U.S. during 1860s. This ultimately led to development of new industries and markets in U.S. ultimately leading to strongest economic power on earth.

There are also the success story of Robert Woodruff of Coca-Cola who turned the sweet syrup into the most powerful and fist global brand. A chapter on Time Warner tells about the strange partnership for profit-making in business of public-media and communication.

Finally, the book covers the success story of the most famous business tycoon of the modern age, Bill Gates who proved that in the modern and fast changing world with Information Revolution - “the road to riches is open to everyone”

Truly, Business is all about Money & Power as emphasized by the title of the book itself. The book is a great literature in terms of understanding the business from its root and then formulating it well to come to the conclusion of the modern business operations which are still having a big scope for creating efficiencies.

The last line “the road to riches is open to everyone” is so true in the era of Information Revolution. Any common man with a great idea in mind and aspirations to face the tough times may easily make money and power. Change is the only constant in this world. Rise and fall of economies, businesses, nations as described in the book are the great examples of timely change in the world. In today’s world, technology has become a powerful tool to make the changes in whole world at the tip of the finger. Innovations are happening at an unprecedented rate, forecasting next technology orientation have just become next to impossible. People can interact anywhere to anyone. World is open and full of opportunities as never before. I feel there is a big opportunity lying into the technological growth. That’s where the future business and economics rest.

Money & Power is a must read for all. It provokes to think about what could be the next moves into the market. Finally, concluding the theme of the book – “Where there’s a greed and ambition you will find Money & Power”.

My Lingerie Shopping

He he...I know u want to know quickly what is this goof up...


One of my good friend - Mr X is getting married today. Sorry mate, due to exams here at Great Lakes I am not able to attend your wedding. Hope dedicating this article to you will cushion the aftermaths. Remembering our good old bachelor days.


One day X called me up one day, he made lot of stories initially and then came to the point:

X - Yaar, I promised my GF to buy lingerie for her. 
Me - Ha ha...
X - We will go together...

Me - What...u idiot can't u go-around with a girl simply without foolish bets...Gurr...there are so many gifts to give...u found just this gift for her...

X - Yaar...please...u know it's so difficult to go alone to buy lingerie.
Me - Ok...$#@%$#@#@$@#


Finally on weekend we started for "disgusting" Lingerie spree...Went to the Mall 1. A lingerie shop was there. 
Me - All your please go and shop "your" lingerie...(grinning)
X - Yaar...please...u know i cud not go alone...
Me - Boss, u will cause serious trouble in my life...

Went inside with a full embarrassment...


Sales Girl: Yes Sir!!! (Serious...she thought we came by mistake or not serious about shopping)
Me - We want to buy lingerie.
Sales Girl: Ok Sir!!! What's the size?
Me to my friend: Now what's that? Call ur GF and ask about size u duffer, we should have been ready for it....!!!

Call made instantaneously...and data received...X's GF was also highly interested in the shopping...huh...alas she would have stopped this idiot from causing such an embarrassment....
Trying to re-collect some of the Roles in Consumer behavior here:
1. Initiator (Person who sows seed to buy product): X's Girl Friend
2. Influencer (Influences decision process): Me.
3. Decider (who actually takes decision to buy the product): Mr X

4. Buyer (who buys the product): Mr X
5. User (who used the product): X's Girl Friend
6. Gatekeeper (who facilitates the flow of information): Sales Girls



X to Sales girl - Ok the size is XYZ. 
Sales girl: Sir in wot range do u want to see?
Me: Ur range starts from?
Sales girl: Sir our range starts from 900 Rs. 
Me n X: Wot....??? (damn...it start from 900...so costly)...All right please take us to ur lower range items...
Sales girl: Please come here sir.


(By this time I wanted to hide somewhere except behind lingerie and now girl don't want to leave us...thankfully nobody recognized me at the shop...:D)


Finally lingerie range in front of us. See, feel, touch any or all of them in front of sales girl...hahaha...wot a typical shame on us...

Me to X: Boss...wot do u say...? Do u really want such a small and so costly item?
X: Seriously, it's just out of our imagination yaar...so expensive...and see this 900 waala lingerie looks so cheap...see that one...it looks so beautiful..

X to Sales girl: Wot's the cost of this one?
Sales girl: It is 4500 Rs, Sir
Me: Boss...better give a diamond ring to ur GF which she may show to the world and to u most of the times....hahaha
X: Yaar...it's too expensive here...let's try somewhere else...
Me: Haaaaaa!!! More embarrassment...?
X: Hey..please yaar....we will go somewhere else...


So we exited lingerie showroom shamelessly...went to Shopper's stop where it was more or less same situation...good lingerie was really too expensive...


Me: Try bra only yaar...don't go for such an expensive stuff...give a ring with Bra...it will be much more useful and wonderful gift

X: haan yaar...u r saying right... :(

X to sales girl: Where are bra?
Sales girl: size sir....?
X: Oh...no problems...the size is XYZ...(X became perfectionist by this time)
Me: Dude...we are seriously shameless...hahaha


The bras were so moron and dull after seeing the range of lingerie...
X: Yaar...i am not liking any bra...so dull...:(
Me: Seriosly yaar...not worth to buy a bra...better go for panties...(hehehhe)
X: #@$#$...it will again be dull man...we will buy lingerie only...let's look for value for money man

Me: Ok..let's do one thing...why not go to Big Bazaar and find out...they have really "Cheap" stuff there ....after all it's just a lingerie...so quality may not matter...not sure if lot girls wear lingerie many time or anytime...(Note: any girl reading it...please clarify through comments)


X: Haan yaar....good idea...let's go to Big Bazaar and get something...


Left shoppers' stop and went to Big Bazaar...reached to Women's section.

Sales girl: Yes Sir...

Me: We are looking for ligerie...
Sales girl: We dont have lingerie out here sir...(Till this time I always though that lingerie is just panty + bra)
Me: Oh...wot else do u have in such stuff...(totally shamelessly..:D)
Sales girl: Sir...it's out there...u may go and see...(Poor Big bazaar girl never thought that such guy will ever come to her...embarrassed)


Reached to a container, full of colorful but dull Panties and white Bras only...huh....Hail Big bazaar guys!!! Checked one or two stuff when we perceived that nobody was watching us...All stuff was too bad...!!!

Me: no man...nothing to buy here...we already got the high end stuff in Mall 1...so could not buy such a cheap items now...
X: True man!! We should go back and buy that 1500 waala pink lingerie...
Me: No man...too tired now...just because of ur panty and bra...will go back to sleep...u r completely trained and knowledgeable now...u shameless (laughing)

X: (Laughing)...Truly bhai..now I may shop it from anywhere...i have shameless now ...(grinning)
I left for home...while X went for a spree to buy the lingerie...finally X called me that he bought "the stuff" ...

Never thought that Lingerie could be such an expensive item...anyways I know now...there's a big market/business opportunity there as well...


Learning: So guys never promise for getting a lingerie for her...it need a lot of gallantry efforts...and girls always ask to get a lingerie from him to have the great fun and make best "mis-use" of him...:D



Truly a brave effort...
Have a great and happy married life ahead man!!!
Best Wishes,
Varun



PS: No offences meant for anyone. Sorry for grammatical mistakes as article has been written in a flow.