Education, Enablement & Employment

Tata Tea’s socially targeted advertisements, Mahindra’s Rise initiative, and Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement – it’s really a delight to witness this wave of change. Chit-chats are transforming into actions; many social entrepreneurs have begun their journeys.

One of the most targeted sectors for such initiatives is Education. Individuals and organizations at different levels, in India and globally, are working at their respective capacities. Subodh Kumar Gupta, CMD Safal Solutions, is covering the rural streets of Bihar on cycle to explore the basic needs and real status of primary education. Azim Premji Foundation has initiated a `9000Cr. project to launch 1300 schools, two in each district, to impart free and quality education. Silicon Valley VCs are betting US$ 15 Million on free learning sites while World Economic Forum advocates educating the next wave of entrepreneurs to meet the global challenges of 21^st Century.

Each work is commendable and provides a gloomy picture similar to shortly passed India Shining Campaign.  As today, the complete nation is debating whether Anna Hazare’s movement for a strong Lokpal Bill will be able to eradicate corruption from India; no one can deny that it is one of the much needed steps that, if taken positively, will open many other doors in this direction. Similarly, social initiatives for basic and higher education are only the much needed preliminary steps.

When I visit the small towns and villages around my native place, under-graduates often ask me about the employment prospects after completing their colleges. The basic difference why rural people try more for competitive examinations such as government jobs, engineering, medicals and civil services, whereas urban people in metros do not do so at that scale, is the awareness and employment opportunities at their respective locations.

Devanik Shah, Fellow- Teach for India, has very rightly pointed out the real motives of parents sending their children to schools and why girls outnumber boys at such places. Many parents prefer that their children be bread-earners rather than study in schools; because these parents have no confidence that education will provide their children with surviving capabilities, forget about getting employment. The Economic Times on Friday, 9^th Dec 2011, painted a positive picture that job opportunities seem to be abundant in early 2012 as most of the sectors are gearing for hiring spree. As many as 5 lakhs jobs are being offered only by the state-run banks, despite the job cuts by private ones. What is also equally important to note is that 10.5 lakh candidates have already taken examinations for these jobs while 44 lakhs are awaiting their turn for common recruitment tests. 91% would still curse their fate.  

It’s easier said than done. We can paint a picture, boast of promises and win votes. What is more difficult is to build that confidence through real work at the grass-root level and click a picture of the real India Shining. People are more worried about survival. One cannot impose a decision of education when stomachs are hungry. Social leaders need to relate to people the way they can be accepted. Now, this becomes passive voice, rather than active voice. Along with education, we need to build more opportunities in agro-based industries, cottage industries, micro-finance, and related aspects where people can relate, accept and trust. I strongly feel there is an opportunity of mass employment generation similar to one that re-shaped China. No wonder, lots of work is being done by various Government agencies, public-private partnerships, NGOs and several SHGs. Corruption is eating a major pie there too and real transformation is still a distance away.

Bihar Calling ...

By now, Nitish Kumar with his seven member delegation including bureaucrats and representatives from Bihar Chamber of Commerce would be back from China visit. The delegation went to seek Chinese investments and JVs in tourism, infrastructure, trade and business. Innovative mantra and technology used by Chinese manufacturers to achieve quality at very competitive prices could be of use to Bihar. Dialogues on building infrastructure, efficient irrigation, methods to control floods, solar energy, tourism and Nalanda International University etc. can also open new avenues for the state.

With no major results from the CM’s previous foreign visits, Biharis have mixed expectations. It shouldn’t be surprising if a common man doesn’t understand the complexities and cycle time required in business discussions of this stature. However, whether or not this visit fetches any positive results, China can always be positioned as an example to catapult the growth of Bihar.

China pulls one percent of its population out of agriculture every year and puts them into construction and manufacturing (N R Narayana Murthy : A Better India, A Better World). Attempts for such large scale job creation have not yet been made in India. Although one can argue that IT sector has seen such a boom, it was a gradual revolution that happened after the doors were opened to foreign investments in 1991.

Bihar has population of over hundred million (103,804,637 : Census of India 2011, Bihar - Provisional Population Total) but lacks good human capital which is very much necessary for economic growth and prosperity. Majority of population is involved in agro-based livelihood. When patriarchal legacies couldn’t suffice to the growing family needs, people started fleeing to other states in search of livelihood. With one less earning member at the native, the families were still able to manage roughly the same income. In general, if a family of five working members can earn the same with four of them, can one person be pulled out for more skillful work? Will the fifth person look for options outside the state if there is an opportunity nearby?

The biggest question is – How to create this opportunity? How to produce a ‘Good Human Capital’, a population equipped with the skills and resources to participate in the economy?

Global organizations are funding the Government projects. NABARD, Jeevika and many more are working with SHGs at the grass root levels. The limitation is that each one is thinking in the traditional ways and innovative methods of effective livelihood promotion are yet to be discovered. Agriculture, horticulture, poultry, animal husbandry, tasar, handicrafts, handlooms and tourism are some of the most sought after areas. Organic farming is another futuristic vision.

Can the Chinese model be replicated to promote manufacturing in the state? Can the huge investments in skill development be channelized towards promoting manufacturing SMBs? Can the markets for these products be rapidly expanded beyond state and national boundaries? Seems unrealistic in the first thought, yet has practical possibilities.

Bihar has the lowest annual per capita income (`16,119 - The Economic Times, 9th March 2011) and provides the most economic labor force. Access to latest and global technology is not limited. Government is trying hard to attract investments. Law and order is gradually improving. Infrastructure has become a major thrust area. The impact of FDI in multi-channel retail is going to organize technology, logistics and services in tier-II and tier-III cities and towns. Finding the best market globally is no more that challenging.

This is merely an attempt to ignite a spark for those who have left Bihar and are thriving globally. More than your presence in the state, your thoughts from your global experiences can make a big difference. Guys!!! Do comment and share ideas, howsoever foolish they might appear in your senses. More important, if you feel it is worth, share this link with your friends & family, in person or through social media. Just click on any of these sharing links below.

Business Centricity : IT Balance

Continued from my previous article "Insights - Below the line"

Banking and Financial Services, Insurance, Telecom, Retail, Aviation etc. are some of the industries that thrive on huge volume of customers. Customer interaction channels – ERP/CRM Systems, Social Media and Online Systems etc. – provide ample data to understand various facets of customer behaviour. Vast data is analysed for personalized engagement with individual customers. Each customer interaction provides an opportunity to influence buying behaviour, churn and decisions that affect profitability. One who takes the lead is the organisation that can extract data driven insights faster, react faster than its competition while providing its customers with personalized experiences.

If market share or leadership position has any values for a company, can business wait for a report from the IT team? In case a critical report is delayed, can a blame-game between business and IT be avoided? Should the insight driven tactical decisions remain only in the hands of few – the senior management? Can analytics accelerate the operational processes? Is technical knowledge a mandate for career growth in this tech-savvy era? Accept it or not, these are some the questions people and companies are discussing today.

Unlike traditional BI in which the focus primarily used to be on ‘What happened?’, analytics is now focusing on ‘What will happen?’ and ‘What needs to be done to make it happen?’. The other fundamental shift is how the decision making insights are being perceived. BI used to facilitate senior management to make strategic or tactical decisions. Analytics is helping more into operational activities, empowering executives and mid management to take decisions. Also, it smoothens and speeds up the operational activities.

Analytics empowers business users to directly interact with data as they follow their instincts in uncovering customer behaviour embedded in transactions. Operational insights related to customer profiling, segmentation, predictive modelling, campaign management and ad-hoc analysis can be retrieved on the fly, in minutes or seconds, without any need of sophisticated programming, technical or SQL related knowledge. Users can assess selection and segmentation strategies by creating actual counts using easily manageable wide range of customized and complex marketing selection criteria rather than estimates. Insights are supported by charts, grids, Venn diagrams and variety of other data visualization tools with formatting & drill-down options. The results of analyses can be integrated directly into business processes like campaign management. Cause and effect of business activities can be understood to improve the planning and execution of marketing programs.

As users or marketers do right customer profiling and segmentation, they shift from mass marketing to more engaging conversations with individual customers. Customer Centric marketing leads to determining the right campaign per customer instead of the right customer per campaign. Speed and flexibility enable ad hoc, ‘train of thought’ analysis of anything against anything.  Users learn more about their business on their terms and in their time frame, reducing the overall cost of analysis. This ultimately results in increased sales; both up-sale and cross-sale, through the ability to run campaigns more frequently and with a higher degree of precision.

Paradigm is shifting. Technology is getting more business centric. Users, having business understanding and little common sense but no programming skills, are now able to use technology with ease. Dependence on IT is reducing. Can we do away with IT? Certainly not!!!

IT is the creator of these applications. Updates, patches, maintenance and administration etc. are some of the services we cannot do away with. For any BI or Analytical application, integration with multiple source systems, data loading, data cleansing, master data management and reporting through one or more applications are always going to be handled by IT teams. It’s the fine balance between IT and business that’s going to run a successful show. The question is, how do you define the fine balance between Business & IT?

Insights – Below the line

Marketing has traditionally been perceived as a cost centre and defining an optimum marketing spend has never been that easy. Big companies spend huge on brand promotions or ATL activities. BTL managers are usually under pressure to justify ROI from each penny spent. The fact that BTL activities also promote the brand is very often ignored and all you have to answer is the sales that result. Does marketing remain a cost center in true sense?

With experience, intuitions usually drive our judgments. Can technology be leveraged to derive an informed decision? Would better prospecting or understanding of customer segments, behavioral analysis, socioeconomic status, spending pattern, demographics, etc. help in turning customer’s footfall into sales? Can this insight aid in personalizing the campaign instead of keeping it open to masses? Will this personalization help in better engaging with the customer? What level of personalization can be achieved if we are targeting a huge customer mass? Will the response drive numbers? Let us look into these subjects a little more.

When we engage in any conversation, we listen to the other side. We learn from the inputs and understand the context. Then we speak in relevance with the context. The fundamentals always remain the same whether this engagement is with a friend or a customer. In an institutional scenario in which a company attempts to engage with its customers, the engagement persona from Alterian seems highly effective.

Listen:- Collect data from across customer interaction channels, monitor them and convert the data into useful information.

Learn:- Apply analytics to multi-channel customer data, derive intelligent insights and compile customer segments.

Understand:- Design a focused campaign which customers can relate to. Leverage insights to personalize the content and messaging.

Speak:- Deploy relevant interactions across the appropriate channels with the right content at the right time.

Listening is an attempt to gather data about mass customer universe from across the channels. A customer buying ‘X’ with ‘Y’, redeeming coupon or reward points, commenting on Facebook, criticizing on Twitter, writing a review in blogs, recommending a colleague, making a payment, asking for home loan, requesting an EMI for a transaction, defaulting a credit card payment, lapsing an insurance policy, flying a business class or anything that provides data that can be monitored and converted into useful information is a listening form.

Neither are two finger prints same nor are two customers. If a company is engaged with millions of customers, it is never likely that one offering will appeal all. Each customer is unique and thus has unique demands. However based on certain traits, customers with some similarity can be grouped as segments. Adequate customer data provides an opportunity to analyze insights about customer segments. Target segments can very effectively help in doing a up-sale or a cross-sale. For e.g. a set of customers in banking industry who, without fail, have paid home loan installments on time for last one year but do not own a car can be approached for a car loan. A set of customers who hold a current account but do not have a credit card provide an opportunity for credit card sale. Those customers who have shown a spike in their buying pattern may be the target for personal loans.  

Personalizing the contents on one to one basis builds a foundation for effective customer engagements and retaining loyal customers. Analytics integrated with campaign management solutions can build personalized contents that no way look like a mass message. Wouldn’t you feel happy if your bank sends you a personalized happy anniversary message with a discount offer in a multi-cuisine luxury restaurant and also offers to book a table for two if you confirm?

Not all day are happy days. Recently at one of the marketing seminars I attended, Dr. Batra was much talked about for his SMS campaign. Had I been bald, his SMS would have been of interest to me. Though he is spreading his awareness through his campaign, would bombarding a flood of irrelevant messages be termed a positive effect? In my personal experience, I stopped using a credit card from a major bank because I was frustrated by the number of calls I received from their customer care either for a balance transfer or for a loan on EMI.

A right content, at a right time, through a right medium is effective way to boost your sales.  Technology has now transformed mass marketing procedures to effective personalized experiences. A customer can be made to feel these personalized experiences either through emails, SMS or snail mails. Now a day Bluetooth enabled campaigns are effective in mall premises. Contents engaging with a target segment customers can be put on identified places whether inside a store, on the streets or on social media as well. Once you have the customer insight, you are free to apply innovative ideas to attract or retain him.

No wonder these analysis also lead to insights about customer churn and fraud possibilities. Banking, Securities and Insurance industries are very much sensitive to market conditions, inflation rates, currency fluctuations and global economic scenarios etc. See the last quarter's results and you find bad loans and pensioners forced the country's largest bank, State Bank of India, a 99% decline in net profits. Could we forget the recession effect on global banking majors? Identifying risks and managing exposures are very much critical to organization’s profitability. An attempt to identify the segments which are likely to churn or default and drive a retention campaign not only mitigates such risks, though partially, but also helps in making balance sheets look better.

In spite of all these discussed, the critical success factor for a banking organization, or for that matter any industry having huge customer data, lies in its ability on how fast can it assess these insights and respond faster than its competition. Can the organization afford any delay due to its dependency on IT? Isn’t the technology expected to favor the end users? I shall attempt to discuss this in my next blog. To deep dive into such matters and to find an effective solution in customer engagements, I am available at Rakesh.Ranjan@alterian.in .

Hazare : Khwaish Aisi...

Reading a tweet from a well known and responsible senior journalist made me think deeper into the less ordinary life of the so-called middle class hero whose selfless service elevates his stature above that of an ordinary man. While it is unanimously accepted that India needs educated leaders to lead the country, when a responsible, learned and worthy person advocates that media will do disservice by showing Anna as a Mahatma, not only the traits of the leader who unified the country for a noble common cause are questioned but the middle class fraternity is also sympathized for ever remaining the same merciful middle class.

Apart from Cricket or perhaps a New Year celebration, any other joyful occasion when India is truly unified, irrespective of demographical, geographical or communal bias, is hard to find. Unlike political rallies in which people camouflage as volunteers either for free meals or for some induced causes, multiple rallies across the nation supporting Anna witnessed true volunteers with causes of their own. Corruption in India has become so pervasive that its tentacles have grappled even the most revered institutions. It has seeped into the social culture and is affecting umpteen masses. No wonder Rajiv Gandhi once bemoaned that ‘Out of every 100 crore allocated to an anti-poverty project only Rs 15 crore reach the people. The remainder is gabbled up by middlemen, power brokers, contractors, and the corrupt’.

While people talk about corruption reaching monstrous dimensions among public servants, individuals are no less different. Recall Harshad Mehta, Ketan Parikh and now the case of Hasan Ali, the examples are only those few who couldn’t cope with lying below the surface. The more recent 2G scam appears as Public-Private Partnership. Corruption is not only a powerful inhibitor to economic progress of the country but also a moral issue which if addressed maturely will ease the economic prosperity and might also help in narrowing the rich and the poor divide. The stand that Anna has taken and the conviction that he has shown in his endeavors have aroused the nation leading to a new movement. People, media, bureaucrats, politicians and many more have positively acknowledged both Anna and his movement. If the motive is that imposing, the person behind needs an hats off and no surprises if some compare him with more notable personalities whom the history has witnessed.

Campaigning for a bill is only a fledgling step into a mass movement. True success cannot be ensured until the Indian mindset accepts it as a moral responsibility not to indulge in any act of bribe irrespective of its magnitude. This is something very difficult to accomplish. However, well begun is half done. Anna’s power to mobilize the public may partially be accounted to impactful digital social media. The more prominent factor that has propelled Anna to marshal the nation for various social causes, frighten the power goons and shake the government, is perhaps because he has nobody in his family to cry for him. Otherwise, a plebeian is more concerned about his family, his daily wages and thus by choice opts out of contributing to these social causes. Nevertheless, it is the plebeian who either suffers the most from corruption or indirectly contributes significantly in aiding this epidemic. Not to forget, the power of masses endures forever. Until the so called middle class or a common service man bursts out of its cocoon and espouses Anna’s cause without condoning, the wishful success is still a distance away!!! 

An Incredible Captain - Mahendra Singh Dhoni

For the first time I felt as if ever confident Ravi Shashtri's voice was little fumbling during the presentation ceremony. It was the joy that made the country scream with cheers. Madness could be seen all over the streets. World Cup 2011 was a special memento to Sachin Tendulkar who shouldered the team's responsibility for such a long time. I would have been happier if the players would have spoken even a line about MS Dhoni. Good that media is talking much about him.

What differentiates a good captain from a great captain are the traits of Mahendra Singh Dhoni who has been tested several times by the critics all over. Each time he faced them bravely, stood by his believes and took tough decisions in favour of the team. And now he slapped every one to keep his mouth shut with his skipper innings at the much required time - an unbeaten knock of 91 in the World Cup Finals.

History has witnessed on several occassions when a great batsman has taken over captaincy and has then failed to maintain his batting form. MS is no exception. I recall from the movie Iqbaal that how much technicality, focus and determination is required to plan a winning strategy. While consistently handling this immense pressure, probably the skipper's focus shifts from batting techniques or bowlers' analysis to game's strategy. Yet, MS proved himself at the most critical situation he can ever face in life. He was not playing for the audience but to win the game for his country.

Recall SRK's super-hit Chak-De-India; one wrong shoot and he repents seven years to prove himself. Dhoni's moving up the order at this critical juncture of World Cup Finals, an event that the nation was holding the breathe for and expecting it to repeat after 28 long years, was no less an analogy. Any mistake could have cost him a great deal. It is the ability of a leader to put his stakes at risk, abide by his belief and take tough decisions. Fortunately, fortune favoured the brave.

World Cup brings in special memories & pride for India. India had some turbulence time in the beginning of the series. With each passing match, the team improved upon hurdles and peaked at the occassion demonstrating a complete cricket. Everyone had hold his or her nerves as Malinga struck Sehwag and hopes were in despair as it repeated with Sachin. Thankfully, mature innings from Gambhir, Virat, MS and Yuvi paved way for the party. Kudos to team India and Kudos to each one of you!!!

A Mumbai Morning - A LOCAL Morning

I hail from the rural viscinity of Patna but have never been fortunate enough to stay there for long. From the little that I have seen into the lives of Bihari people, I do recall my memories of the local office commuting shuttle running between Buxar and Patna. I hope things would have now improved after Nitish regime as this local was then more known for running behind the schedules. What reigns my thoughts is the unorganised crowd that made me belief nothing could be more crowded unless I witnessed the stuffed locals in Mumbai.

Morning commuting is always a problem for me as I thrive for my comfort space. One local missed and you don't need a visit to spa. Furthermore, I can't even thurst myself into the mob and I had already missed the last two for their overwhelming crowd affinity. Glancing through the coaches I was evaluating whether it's any benifit paying more for a first class ticket. This one had started crawling when I realized little space on the next entrance of the coach. I quickly charged into the mob not to miss this much awaited opportunity.

The sudden jerk this uncle on the gate gave me to push me in was unpleasant. I gazed him awfully as I tried settling among the crowd. He must be in his late forties with scarce grey hairs. Yet, he deserved to be called an Uncle for his gesture. An young companion next to him was reading a neatly folded newspaper. There was indeed enough space as standing near the gate he could manage to glance through the lines. The newspaper edges were flipping a little with the airblow of the speeding train. The restless, uneasy Uncle stared this companion whenever the pages brushed near uncle's face, though distant enough not to touch him. May be Uncle had some acerbic discussions with Aunty in the morning, I assumed.

I usually have high respect for elders and people around me. However, this Uncle was seeming like a villian when I was all focussed to somehow quickly reach office. Once I even thought it good if someone gives him a little push or a blow in the natural process of offboarding rush on the crowded platforms. Came the next station and the Uncle got off softly. I was again lost thinking about day's schedule until I got a bad push from people behind. I hate Kurla for its atmosphere; I don't have any option as this is the closest to my office. I was cursing the morning as I had to wait a little more seeing the herd crawling on the foot overbridge. And then, an angelic aroma attracted my attention as a beautiful young lass talking on phone passed by me. Her sweet smile made me forget everything and suddenly my morning was worth it!!!

Celebrating the National Festival - Cricket World Cup Semi Finals - India Vs Pakistan

When all roads were leading to Mohali, how could the traffic sustain in Mumbai. Mumbai seemed deserted today. Scarcely filled locals, less traffic, no taxis, and all eyes glued to screens whether office or homes. Cricket World Cup Semi-Finals, India vs Pakistan, an event at which both countries, irrespective of any discrimination, look forward to. Indeed, it was a connoisseurs delight, a complete powerplay and not limited to a couple of overs. There could be no better combination of Cricket and Commerce which this time went a step ahead encapsulating brotherhood, diplomacy, celebrities and power.


Sehwag at his natural best provided the magnificent punch India needed for a great start. India cheered as he repeatedly forced the ball beyond the boundary. Cricket could have attained another extravaganza and India could have practically scored 300+ if he could have stayed for another few overs. Even the pitch did not like Sehwag's dismissal as it gradually paved way for spinners and India's run rate declined. Sachin could also have followed Sehwag to pavilion had it not been Sachin's luck acting as a blessing in disguise that helped Sachin help India attain a defend-able score. Yuvi couldn't even open his account, drifting away from his consistent batting performance during the series. MS tried his part but it's Raina who needs an extra pat on the back for driving India to 260 in 50 overs. Towards the end of Indian innings, the country had a mixed reaction on the fate of match.


Bowling and fielding both were superb. Perhaps, Indian batting was also at its best but for the changing behavior of the pitch. As the pitch had become slow and favored the spinners in the first innings, once it seemed that India might have made a mistake with only Bhajji playing as a spinner with little help from Yuvi. However, pacers were not only consistent on their line and length but they also used deceptive variations in speed to take wickets. While both Zaheer and Patel kept the Pakistani batsmen under pressure, I am extremely happy for Nehra who at last got the wickets after an extremely spell-bounded  economical bowling. May be it was the haunting criticism that he received for his last over in the previous match that made him put the much needed extra effort. Fielding couldn't have been better and it's appreciable to see it improving with each game.


As India beat Pakistan with 29 runs, all Indians are happy. But there is a South African too who is celebrating it with much joy and contentment. Gary Kirstan would be much delighted to see a complete team India ready for the finals as first India's batting got tested against  Australia and now bowling again Pakistan. In my last blog I had criticized whether Indian team can exhibit a complete cricket. With no better expectations than this in fielding, it's a happier moment to see India attaining that momentum before the finals.

Victory is never smooth. Loosing the battle makes it worse. Afridi congratulated India with lots of grace. Yet, billions of eyes witnessing each moment as naked truth will raise their own questions. I see it as an opportunity lost for Pakistan as you cannot be rewarded for dropping six catches in a single match including four of Sachin Tendulkar. Could a batting powerplay taken when Afridi was charging his skipper innings with Misbah have altered Pakistan's fate? When Misbah could hit those boundaries in the last overs, why did he wait for the eleventh hour?  Alas, whatever you think now, roads are now leading towards Mumbai where India takes on Sri Lanka in the ICC Cricket World Cup Finals 2011. All the best to both the teams.

Actionable Insights - Rising to change the game

There are those who accept things as they are and those who Rise to change – Any entrepreneur would relate to this tag line of Mahindra Rise campaign. Specifically one who has risen from rags to riches is certain to flashback into his memory lanes. Ironically, RC Agarwal who took 24 laborious years to build Vishal Retail from a small shop in Kolkata to a 170 store chain across the country would not be so happy about it. The company once valued at `2,200Cr is now sold for merely `70Cr in a slump sale transaction.

Vishal Retail was not the only company effected during economic meltdown of 2008. Indian retail industry was adversely impacted in 2008-09 and goliaths including Reliance Retail and Future Group were forced to halt their expansion plans and shut several shops. Subhiksha had to close its nationwide network of 1,600 supermarkets. But then there were those who thrived during the uncertain struggling times and now are gliding the waves smoothly. Recently Shoppers Stop successfully experimented with a well thought of strategy by launching non-metro outlets with full fledged counters of cosmopolitan premium cosmetic brands that were unseen in the region.

I am not here to debate on the management mantras of these companies varying extremely in their numbers. But for sure the businesses want to see their numbers growing in the positive sides. For any industry such as Retail, FMCG, Banking, Insurance, Telecom, Aviation or Railways for that matter that has millions or billions of customer records, it is imperative to have actionable insights into customer behavior. One size does not fit all and customers look forward to individualized experience. It is vital to identify key customer segments, understand deeper into the most profitable customers and then take small but strategic steps to attract them through focused campaigns or specific merchandising moves. Although you cannot follow your customer within your shop, you can track your customer in this technologically advanced social world. Furthermore you can even get into the head of your customer to understand his buying behavior in case you have relevant data available.

Gone are the days when Information Technology was merely a support system. With cutting edge analytical solutions available, Information Technology is playing a key role in formulating business strategies and driving major decisions over pricing and promotions. If one segments and promotes top 10 percent of the products that are attractive to its most profitable customers and simultaneously attempts to reduce 10 percent of least attractive products, it’s more likely that revenues and profits will have positive impact. Such an attempt with proactive personalized campaigns build more loyal customer and strongly position the brand in a specific target segment. No wonder that analytical approach and fact based decisions are greatly influencing the changing face of marketing.

With emergence of Facebook and Twitter, social media has evolved as a platform that no marketer can afford to ignore. Leave apart the business houses or celebrities, it’s now the political parties leveraging the power of social media to target netizens. Can anyone afford to neglect the impact of Facebook which provoked the uprising in Egypt? Customers are increasingly getting prone to evaluate product features and customer feedback over the web. Any positive or negative media sentiment not only significantly impacts the brand positioning but can also impact the stock performance. Fortunately there are powerful tools available to listen to the masses and respond accordingly.

Actionable insights, targeted personalized campaigns and the power of social media are the surest tickets for marketers to reap economic value out of customer information and prevent a business moving from boom to doom.

Can Mumbai learn from Japan Earthquake ?

The world is witnessing as Japan is dealing with the massive devastation after an 8.9-magnitude earthquake and a powerful tsunami. Thousands of people have died and coastal cities have been swiped away by the natural calamity. According to the Internet media and the news services, the destruction could have been much enormous had it not been the strict building norms and high level of preparedness. The high rise towers in Japan contain extra steel bracing, giant rubber pads and embedded hydraulic shock absorbers to make the concrete structures the most stalwart for any major earthquake. 


Nature has its own ways of either showering its blessings or showing its anger. It has nothing to do with any specific country, community, religion or else. It does not discriminate amongst the rich and the poor. The big question is if by any chance any such disaster happens to Mumbai, will the city be able to breathe the next moment? Are our concrete jungles capable enough to handle even a bit of it? Given the massive population the city is home to, can we ever imagine the number of lives at stake?  


There are so many lessons to be learnt by the political powers and real estate lobby running in the Mumbai city. The way projects are passed and executed, it would not be a surprise if most of these buildings are not capable of handling such disasters. To add to the miseries, mangroves which are of vital importance in maintaining the ecology are being cleared to pave ways for high rise towers. According to marine environmentalists, Mumbai is one of the best examples for the mangrove destruction due to urbanization. 


Given the fact that Mumbai is a peninsular city, shouldn't we be more cautious towards the dangers of such developments? Isn't the high time that the civic authorities and the government take the bold decisions and much needed steps in this direction?

When would we demonstrate a complete cricket?

There was a time when Indian fans used to wait for slog overs as Indian batting graph usually had an exponential curve with most thrills ending the show. It was somewhat the opposite today at Nagpur. I remember some early comments from the players that they won't mind winning the cup for Tendulkar as it is the only shortfall in the list of his credentials. Well, Tendulkar contributed his part fairly well. Could team India do a fair play in totality?


The cricket fans and followers were delighted by Tendulkar, Sehwag and Gambhir. With 142 runs for first wicket partnership followed by 125 runs for second wicket partnership, Indian Cricket fraternity was all happy for MS Dhoni who had earlier commented that the team needs to make a fresh start. Indeed what could have been better than this after witnessing the early fall of wickets in the previous matches. When score board was tickling 267/2 in 40.1 overs, it seemed that India is going to offer a mammoth score of 350+ to SA for a tiring chase. Alas!!!! who could have thought that the team wouldn't even be able to stand for 50 overs. 9 wickets in 9 overs could hardly add up another 28 runs to finish with a score of 296 in 48.4 overs. South African dressing room was captivated to chase 297. 


South Africa played a mature, calm and composed innings and confidently grabbed a 3 wicket win. Perhaps it was our luck that favored India during India-England match, otherwise that wasn't much different a scene. A tie in Cricket World Cup ODI is a rare situation. In that match too, Indian batsmen did miserably in the slog overs wherein the competitor performed just the opposite. Remove the last 2 overs from both the innings of India - England match and the result turns upside down. Is this the pressure that's haunting Indian players in the slog overs?


A win usually spreads cheers but a struggling win against a fledgling team raises a question. And now, we also have a loss in our records. Each match has a new drama which impels MS Dhoni to counter the media. Sometimes, bowlers, sometimes front-line batsmen, sometimes middle order line-up and then the fielding problems are omnipresent. However, if a mistake learnt from one game is overcome and not repeated in another, it would reflect that the equation is trying to achieve an equilibrium. Hopefully it happens soon that we see an all round Indian team to demonstrate a complete cricket and appear as the most deserving team to sweep off the victory. After all, its THE WORLD CUP!!!!!

Extremes Apart .... Yet...

It was a pleasure watching India - Ireland World Cup match. Though India had a comfortable victory, it had to prove its mettle as Irish did commendably well in all the areas. In spite of losing two early wickets, Ireland teased Indian bowlers for its third wicket partnership. Their total was not too great but enough to keep Indians on toes. Both MSD and Yuvi agreed and acknowledged the strong defense put in by the Irish team. Thanks to Pathan's  magnificent sixes that slog overs appeared as dessert after supper. 


Bangalore witnessed India putting in all its efforts to keep the huge expectations alive that the team is really a contender to make the country proud. Simultaneously, Mumbai is witnessing another team devastated into ashes and yet struggling for its existence. One team struggled to save its pride while the other contending to bury the shame. 


The slum pockets of Garibnagar and Behrampada in Bandra (E), Mumbai, have a history or fire breakouts. The one that broke two days ago, collectively ravaged thousands of shanties and  nobody is willing to take responsibility to help the poor who are now used to such incidents of baring their livelihood. while both Railways and BMC are keen to offer the land ownership to the other party for the matter of compensation, state government states that as per the law the compensation can only be awarded in case of natural calamity or riots. The much needed help and support provided by the NGOs and the local people are thus far better than the assurance of one thousand bucks per person and a maximum of five thousand per family announced by the CM. The poor was never more poorer.


Then there are those who are back in action amidst all these tantrums. I was touched to see a newspaper photograph depicting a little girl searching her books in the ashes. While Slumdog Millionaire fame Rubina Ali lost her prestigious awards, Alisha is more bothered about her SSC exams than this routine problem. There are many who lost their everything but hope. While politicians and corporate lobbies will keep on finding their ways, its the efforts and everyday struggle of these unfortunate people which prevents the shame of thousands being homeless. Is this the spirit that keeps Mumbai alive?

A New Beginning

Is it the same like each Sunday afternoon or is there a new element today? Each moment we witness so much around in our homes, neighbor, society, sports, entertainment and what not. At times we ponder over things, think for a while, make it a gossip point and then gradually the thoughts fade over a period of time. It happens with everybody I think. And so it happens with me too. 

This afternoon is somewhat new. Today, I thought of formalizing my thoughts and capture them in an organized way rather than letting them lose their identity. Well, who knows this thought may also fade over time as it usually happens with our new year resolutions. Yet, I am content I am giving it a try and will strive to maintain it over regular intervals. However, I know that I wont be successful until I get the support of all you friends to share your comments as we move ahead together. Are you with me :)