PUNCH LINES
"If I am not for myself, who is for me, but if I am for myself alone, who am I?"
"Aggression unresisted is aggression encouraged"
"There is no alternative to peace", Dr.Eisenhower's View on nuclear age
President Kennedy points out "in the final analysis of our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal."
Spirit of Thucydides "the bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding go out to meet it."
KEY POINTS
The most difficult, indeed tragic, aspect of foreign policy is how to deal with the problem of conjecture. "When the scope for action is greatest, knowledge on which to base such action is little or ambiguous. When knowledge becomes available, the ability to affect events is usually at a minimum."
Eg: In 1936, no one could know whether Hitler was a misunderstood nationalist or a maniac. By the time certainty was achieved, it had to be paid for with millions of lives
Leadership groups are formed by at least three factors: their experiences during their rise to eminence; the structure in which they must operate; the values of their society. Three contemporary types will be discussed here:
(a) the bureaucratic-pragmatic type
(b) the ideological type
© the revolutionary-charismatic type
Declaration of independence, "Every human being had inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. The state existed to protect the individual and permit full scope for the enjoyment of these rights"
Foreign policy must start with security, at the same time, security is a means, not an end.
GLOBAL CONSENSUS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Economic Development strategy should concentrate on five fundamental areas :
(a) Insuring Economic Security -
Global economic security depends on ...
The actions of suppliers of vital products
Stability of Export earnings
(b) Accelerating Economic Growth
Basic requirements for Economic growth in developing countries
Access to capital markets - World bank, ifc
Transfer of Technology - in energy, food products and improvement of nutrition, non-food agricultural and forest products
Transnational enterprises -
(c) Trade and Development
(d) Commodity and Trade Production
Food security
Other primary commodities
Comprehensive program of investment
(e) The Poorest Nations
Elemental economic security
Future economic growth
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Friday, December 3, 2010
North East Trip (Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal) Nov '10 : Part 2
Day 7 : Tezpur -> Dirang
As we wake up before the dawn on this day, we embark on our dream trip to Tawang with Khitish's great assistance, chauffeur for the reminder of our trip. We embark on a journey through the mountainous tracts which can be little arduous, to Dirang valley, through the villages Bhalukpong, Tipi, Sessa, Nechipu, Bomdila. We chewed some biscuits on our way sponsored by Dipu's Mom, brings respite to our extreme hunger before we take a break near Bhalukpong, gateway to Arunachal. Arunachal holds unique position literally as "the land of the rising sun" as its hills and mountains greet the sun first, before any other part of the country. Journey through heavily vegetated mountains reminiscent of my memories back from trip to Everest Base Camp. Though dust-filled, we mostly drive through the mountains in the West Kameng district, lies west of the river Kameng, a tributary herself to Mighty Brahmaputra. Lunched at Hotel Aphet, being served delicious Tawa Roti and Sabji, great thanks to Khitish who brought us to this place. We take a diversion at Rupa to visit a monastery on the hill-top, situated in chilipaum, 18kms off Rupa. Feel privileged to witness this monastery, features among one of the beautiful monasteries I've ever seen, decorated in colorful Thangkas and well spaced halls. Earlier, we paid visits to Tipi Orchid Sanctuary, Vijayanti Waterfalls, Jamiri Bridge, one of the hanging bridges over Kameng.
As the sun sets early in this part of the country, we reached the district headquarters of West Kameng, Bomdila, with streets lit with neon bulbs. Got a chance to meet Mr. Wange, Head of Himalayan Holidays, which takes tours to almost all corners of Arunachal Pradesh. After a little chat, resumed our journey and managed to reach Dirang by half past seven in the night. To all of our worries, Simki seemed to be not in a good shape. Gulped few pegs of whiskey and hit the bed soon after hoping Simki would recover by tomorrow.
Distance Covered : 200KM Approx.
Journey Duration : 6AM - 7PM
Day 8 : Dirang -> Tawang
Good news knocked my door as I wake up, Simki showed tremendous character as she felt better and relieved in the morning, definitely improved from previous night. With the help of Khitish we managed to consult a doctor and obtained some medication. Commenced our journey at around 9 in the morning, experienced considerable altitude gain of 8000ft, all the way to the Great Sela pass from the valley of Dirang. As we climb uphill the vegetation on the mountains seem to fade away, happens as you go up the altitude, and beautifully replaced by tiny tiny patches of ice. Within no time, we reached the Great Sela Pass at 13,714ft, and the sinuous road to Tawang passes through these dragon gates. We experienced the sub zero temperatures and little snowfall, all of us jumped into the ice and played with it for a while, carried some indelible memories.
We move on, our next halt is Jaswantgarh, 17kms from Sela Pass, at a lower altitude, located here is a memorial to the brave soldier who single-handedly tried to hold of the approaching Chinese from the Pass during 1962 Indo-Chinese War. This remains a must halt for every traveler passes by, our young jawans serve some awesome Samosas and hot tea (made of milk, not powder) on the other side of the road. Jung waterfalls in the valley of Tawang is our last destination of the day, before we put up in Tawang, a sheer delight to the eyes.
A small drinking session in the night in Tawang sums up a memorable day.
Distance Covered : 133KM Approx.
Journey Duration : 9AM - 6PM
Day 9 : Sight-seeing in & around Tawang
On penultimate day of our trip, kicked-off the proceedings to the gorgeous Sungester Lake aka Madhuri Lake, well renowned for a song of Madhuri shot in this lake from the movie Koyla. We can call ourselves damn lucky as we managed to go past the army TCPs despite not carrying the mandatory passes.
We drive past PTSo Lake and straight to Madhuri Lake as the dense fog cover obstructed the view of the lake. One thing we noticed vividly on this trip, is the Major deployment of Army Camps all through the mountains till Tawang, in fact, Madhuri Lake. On the site of Madhuri Lake, were little unfortunate to have not observed any snow, managed to meet a couple of Army Brigade. Among them, One lieutenant, must be in his early twenties, looked much younger to us, Vikas Singh and one fellow Andhra-mate, Nagesh, RFN, who reports to Vikas. Quickly exchanged some words with Vikas and resumed our way back to Tawang. A brief photo session was organized by Manu and Kaustav here. On Khitish's insistence, we danced to one bollywood number on the ice (click here for video), started by Simki and well supported by Manu and me.
We headed straight to Tawang Monastery, the second largest monastery in Asia, and the most gorgeous monument of medieval aura reflecting rich and cultural past. Also visited the Stupa-like Tawang War Memorial, salutes the heroes of the 1962 war.
A little bit of shopping and Dumb sharades in the night wraps up our day in Tawang.
Tomorrow we drive out of Tawang and bid goodbye to the mountains of Arunachal. Feeling pretty sad.
Day 10 : Tawang -> Tezpur -> Guwahati -> Hyderabad
Distance Covered : 400KM Approx.
Journey : 4:30AM - 8:30PM
Spent most of the time in travel, travel n travel, and played Dumb sharades in the car. Simki's long-awaited wish of listening to a bhoot story has been fulfilled by Khitish. He narrated a bunch of his real life encounters with Bhoot, Aur Simki Darr Gayiiii
We safely reached Tezpur and put up that night in Dipu's home. Truly a sumptuous dinner I had that night. The 10 glorious days of doing nothing was over. We took a bus to Guwahati the very next day and reached the airport, and I got separated from Manu, Kaustav and Simki as I had to board Hyderabad flight. For a second, I felt a little lonely after having spent some great time with all the lovely folks.
I appreciate your time and patience in reading this post. Hook onto my blog to hear more on my adventures.
More Details on Stay and Travel
Stay in Shillong - Stay In Guest House, Mookerjee's Shopping Complex, Police Bazar, Keating Road, Shillong - 793001. Ph: 0364-2223965, 2302027
Chauffeur to Cherrapunjee - Kasumatari +91 94363 12556
Stay in Kaziranga - Aranya Tourist Lodge, Ph: 03776-262429
Himalayan Holidays - Mr. Tsering Wange, +91 94360 45063
Lunch in Tenga - Hotel Aphet, Tenga Market, West Kameng. Ph: +91 9436224443
Stay in Dirang - Dirang Tourist Lodge, Dirang, Near Petrol Pump, Narrangchillo, West Kameng Dist., A.P. - 790101. Ph: 03780-242157, +91 94362 48136
Chauffeur to Tawang - Khitish - 09402033616/09864283526
Stay in Tawang - Hotel Mon Valley
As we wake up before the dawn on this day, we embark on our dream trip to Tawang with Khitish's great assistance, chauffeur for the reminder of our trip. We embark on a journey through the mountainous tracts which can be little arduous, to Dirang valley, through the villages Bhalukpong, Tipi, Sessa, Nechipu, Bomdila. We chewed some biscuits on our way sponsored by Dipu's Mom, brings respite to our extreme hunger before we take a break near Bhalukpong, gateway to Arunachal. Arunachal holds unique position literally as "the land of the rising sun" as its hills and mountains greet the sun first, before any other part of the country. Journey through heavily vegetated mountains reminiscent of my memories back from trip to Everest Base Camp. Though dust-filled, we mostly drive through the mountains in the West Kameng district, lies west of the river Kameng, a tributary herself to Mighty Brahmaputra. Lunched at Hotel Aphet, being served delicious Tawa Roti and Sabji, great thanks to Khitish who brought us to this place. We take a diversion at Rupa to visit a monastery on the hill-top, situated in chilipaum, 18kms off Rupa. Feel privileged to witness this monastery, features among one of the beautiful monasteries I've ever seen, decorated in colorful Thangkas and well spaced halls. Earlier, we paid visits to Tipi Orchid Sanctuary, Vijayanti Waterfalls, Jamiri Bridge, one of the hanging bridges over Kameng.
As the sun sets early in this part of the country, we reached the district headquarters of West Kameng, Bomdila, with streets lit with neon bulbs. Got a chance to meet Mr. Wange, Head of Himalayan Holidays, which takes tours to almost all corners of Arunachal Pradesh. After a little chat, resumed our journey and managed to reach Dirang by half past seven in the night. To all of our worries, Simki seemed to be not in a good shape. Gulped few pegs of whiskey and hit the bed soon after hoping Simki would recover by tomorrow.
Distance Covered : 200KM Approx.
Journey Duration : 6AM - 7PM
Day 8 : Dirang -> Tawang
Good news knocked my door as I wake up, Simki showed tremendous character as she felt better and relieved in the morning, definitely improved from previous night. With the help of Khitish we managed to consult a doctor and obtained some medication. Commenced our journey at around 9 in the morning, experienced considerable altitude gain of 8000ft, all the way to the Great Sela pass from the valley of Dirang. As we climb uphill the vegetation on the mountains seem to fade away, happens as you go up the altitude, and beautifully replaced by tiny tiny patches of ice. Within no time, we reached the Great Sela Pass at 13,714ft, and the sinuous road to Tawang passes through these dragon gates. We experienced the sub zero temperatures and little snowfall, all of us jumped into the ice and played with it for a while, carried some indelible memories.
We move on, our next halt is Jaswantgarh, 17kms from Sela Pass, at a lower altitude, located here is a memorial to the brave soldier who single-handedly tried to hold of the approaching Chinese from the Pass during 1962 Indo-Chinese War. This remains a must halt for every traveler passes by, our young jawans serve some awesome Samosas and hot tea (made of milk, not powder) on the other side of the road. Jung waterfalls in the valley of Tawang is our last destination of the day, before we put up in Tawang, a sheer delight to the eyes.
A small drinking session in the night in Tawang sums up a memorable day.
Distance Covered : 133KM Approx.
Journey Duration : 9AM - 6PM
Day 9 : Sight-seeing in & around Tawang
On penultimate day of our trip, kicked-off the proceedings to the gorgeous Sungester Lake aka Madhuri Lake, well renowned for a song of Madhuri shot in this lake from the movie Koyla. We can call ourselves damn lucky as we managed to go past the army TCPs despite not carrying the mandatory passes.
We drive past PTSo Lake and straight to Madhuri Lake as the dense fog cover obstructed the view of the lake. One thing we noticed vividly on this trip, is the Major deployment of Army Camps all through the mountains till Tawang, in fact, Madhuri Lake. On the site of Madhuri Lake, were little unfortunate to have not observed any snow, managed to meet a couple of Army Brigade. Among them, One lieutenant, must be in his early twenties, looked much younger to us, Vikas Singh and one fellow Andhra-mate, Nagesh, RFN, who reports to Vikas. Quickly exchanged some words with Vikas and resumed our way back to Tawang. A brief photo session was organized by Manu and Kaustav here. On Khitish's insistence, we danced to one bollywood number on the ice (click here for video), started by Simki and well supported by Manu and me.
We headed straight to Tawang Monastery, the second largest monastery in Asia, and the most gorgeous monument of medieval aura reflecting rich and cultural past. Also visited the Stupa-like Tawang War Memorial, salutes the heroes of the 1962 war.
A little bit of shopping and Dumb sharades in the night wraps up our day in Tawang.
Tomorrow we drive out of Tawang and bid goodbye to the mountains of Arunachal. Feeling pretty sad.
Day 10 : Tawang -> Tezpur -> Guwahati -> Hyderabad
Distance Covered : 400KM Approx.
Journey : 4:30AM - 8:30PM
Spent most of the time in travel, travel n travel, and played Dumb sharades in the car. Simki's long-awaited wish of listening to a bhoot story has been fulfilled by Khitish. He narrated a bunch of his real life encounters with Bhoot, Aur Simki Darr Gayiiii
We safely reached Tezpur and put up that night in Dipu's home. Truly a sumptuous dinner I had that night. The 10 glorious days of doing nothing was over. We took a bus to Guwahati the very next day and reached the airport, and I got separated from Manu, Kaustav and Simki as I had to board Hyderabad flight. For a second, I felt a little lonely after having spent some great time with all the lovely folks.
I appreciate your time and patience in reading this post. Hook onto my blog to hear more on my adventures.
More Details on Stay and Travel
Stay in Shillong - Stay In Guest House, Mookerjee's Shopping Complex, Police Bazar, Keating Road, Shillong - 793001. Ph: 0364-2223965, 2302027
Chauffeur to Cherrapunjee - Kasumatari +91 94363 12556
Stay in Kaziranga - Aranya Tourist Lodge, Ph: 03776-262429
Himalayan Holidays - Mr. Tsering Wange, +91 94360 45063
Lunch in Tenga - Hotel Aphet, Tenga Market, West Kameng. Ph: +91 9436224443
Stay in Dirang - Dirang Tourist Lodge, Dirang, Near Petrol Pump, Narrangchillo, West Kameng Dist., A.P. - 790101. Ph: 03780-242157, +91 94362 48136
Chauffeur to Tawang - Khitish - 09402033616/09864283526
Stay in Tawang - Hotel Mon Valley
North East Trip (Meghalaya, Assam, Arunachal) Nov '10 : Part 1
Team on Board
(from left)Manu, Satish, Mrs&Mr Kaustav
Day 1 : Drive to Shillong
Two hour long wait is ON since I landed at Guwahati terminal, I submerge myself into an awesome read, "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham. At last, much to my relief I hear an announcement of the arrival of Bangalore bound airport, as clock hit half past three. we embarked on a journey to Shillong, to the south of Guwahati, after exchanging brief plesantries with Manu, Kaustav and Simki. Had had a few brief stops for some tea, smoke and food, and much to relax our stiff muscles. Managed to reach Shillong after some seriously stupid traffic jams just when we were 30KMs away from the city. I pretty much disliked the music played in the cab and cursed myself of not carrying the hip-hop by Himesh Reshammiya. We unpacked the luggage and quickly placed the order for dinner and put ourselves in "Stay-In Guest House", off the Police Bazaar, Keating Road, Shillong.
Day 2 : Cherrapunjee
I wake up with a little of bit of tiredness, and quickly managed to get ready as the cab to take us to Cherrapunjee for sight-seeing is waiting downstairs. Cherrapunjee is world renowned for being the wettest place on earth, and 54 km from Shillong. The road to Cherrapunjee is good and the drive scenic. She is very expressive with its gushing waterfalls and the deep gorges. The scenic khasi hills remind you of Scottish Highlands - just perfect for those summer/winter holidays away from the heat and the dust of India's plains. We visited EcoPark on the hills of Cherrapunjee, blanketed by thick cloud cover, and indeed a pleasure to the eyes. Time for some good Macro-Photography, and tour's official photographer, Kaustav managed to grab some good pics. Major disappointment of the day comes from, seven sisters fall, unable to see as the whole area is covered by the clouds. For those who enjoy caving, Meghalaya is just the place for it.
We take a break near Mawsmai caves, later proceeded to Cherra Resort to have lunch. Tawa Rotis were served with some delicious curries, and we made sure we filled our stomachs full to keep some energy reserves required for the trek. Meanwhile Manu and Kaustav have inquired about the trek to the Living Root Bridge and its feasibility. Assisted by Rivaldo, our guide through the jungle, trekked downhill to Living Root Bridge, a drop of 400m in altitude. The living bridges of Cherrapunji, aren't built, in fact, they're grown and made from the roots of the Ficus elastica tree. This tree produces a series of secondary roots from higher up its trunk and can comfortably perch atop huge boulders along the riverbanks, or even in the middle of the rivers themselves. The War-Khasis, a tribe in Meghalaya, long ago noticed this tree and saw in its powerful roots an opportunity to easily cross the area's many rivers. Now, whenever and wherever the need arises, they simply grow their bridges.
All in all, a great way to start trip, one of the most memorable treks I have ever done, down to the Living Root Bridge. We will do some sight-seeing in Shillong tomorrow and head back to Guwahati to attend Dipu's wedding.
Day 3 : Shillong sight-seeing, Guwahati
Kicked-off the proceedings with the Shillong Peak (1965m), about 10km from town, offers breathtaking views of city spread out against its glorious hill slopes.
Later paid a visit to the Elephant falls, one of the many falls close to the city.
Draped ourselves (Manu, Simki and I) in Khasi attire for a brief photoshoot.
Visited Shillong's popular 18-hole natural golf course, looked like a picnic spot than a golf-course, much to Simki's delight a visit to Tagore House wrap up our local sight-seeing in Shillong and commenced our return journey to Guwahati. Lunched in a Rajastani Dhaba on the outskirts of Barapani, managed to reach Guwahati by 5 in the evening. Ended up @ Geetima's house and danced to some bollywood numbers. As Simki says, She has never seen her spouse, Kaustav, dance the way he did. Manu also, kisi se kam nahin, danced at length to some hip-hop numbers. A much tiring day ends up on a good note, Manu appears to have the sleep in that night.
Day 4 : visited Kamakhya Temple
Day 5 : To Tezpur(The City of Blood) and then to Kaziranga
Day 6 : Elephant Ride in Kaziranga National Park
We put up at the Aranya Tourist lodge last night, to catch those early morning views of Kaziranga from elephant-back. Our morning starts even before the SUN, we now stand in the middle of the oldest national park in Assam, Kaziranga, much famous for its great Indian one-horned rhinoceros. Spread across 400+ sq km, it is a dazzling mosaic of dense rain-forest, tall elephant grass and swathes of reeds interspersed with vast tracts of marshes and shallow pools. Into just two minutes into the ride, spotted one one-horned rhino covered fully with mud, fetching his breakfast of the day.
Later, the elephant had a brief confrontation with the rhino, accompanied by its child. Returned to our lodge after bagging some good memories of the ride and spent sometime in the tea gardens on our way back. Returned to Tezpur by noon ...
Go read the Part2 of this post to know more on our much excited trip to Tawang.
(from left)Manu, Satish, Mrs&Mr KaustavDay 1 : Drive to Shillong
Two hour long wait is ON since I landed at Guwahati terminal, I submerge myself into an awesome read, "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham. At last, much to my relief I hear an announcement of the arrival of Bangalore bound airport, as clock hit half past three. we embarked on a journey to Shillong, to the south of Guwahati, after exchanging brief plesantries with Manu, Kaustav and Simki. Had had a few brief stops for some tea, smoke and food, and much to relax our stiff muscles. Managed to reach Shillong after some seriously stupid traffic jams just when we were 30KMs away from the city. I pretty much disliked the music played in the cab and cursed myself of not carrying the hip-hop by Himesh Reshammiya. We unpacked the luggage and quickly placed the order for dinner and put ourselves in "Stay-In Guest House", off the Police Bazaar, Keating Road, Shillong.
Day 2 : Cherrapunjee
I wake up with a little of bit of tiredness, and quickly managed to get ready as the cab to take us to Cherrapunjee for sight-seeing is waiting downstairs. Cherrapunjee is world renowned for being the wettest place on earth, and 54 km from Shillong. The road to Cherrapunjee is good and the drive scenic. She is very expressive with its gushing waterfalls and the deep gorges. The scenic khasi hills remind you of Scottish Highlands - just perfect for those summer/winter holidays away from the heat and the dust of India's plains. We visited EcoPark on the hills of Cherrapunjee, blanketed by thick cloud cover, and indeed a pleasure to the eyes. Time for some good Macro-Photography, and tour's official photographer, Kaustav managed to grab some good pics. Major disappointment of the day comes from, seven sisters fall, unable to see as the whole area is covered by the clouds. For those who enjoy caving, Meghalaya is just the place for it.
We take a break near Mawsmai caves, later proceeded to Cherra Resort to have lunch. Tawa Rotis were served with some delicious curries, and we made sure we filled our stomachs full to keep some energy reserves required for the trek. Meanwhile Manu and Kaustav have inquired about the trek to the Living Root Bridge and its feasibility. Assisted by Rivaldo, our guide through the jungle, trekked downhill to Living Root Bridge, a drop of 400m in altitude. The living bridges of Cherrapunji, aren't built, in fact, they're grown and made from the roots of the Ficus elastica tree. This tree produces a series of secondary roots from higher up its trunk and can comfortably perch atop huge boulders along the riverbanks, or even in the middle of the rivers themselves. The War-Khasis, a tribe in Meghalaya, long ago noticed this tree and saw in its powerful roots an opportunity to easily cross the area's many rivers. Now, whenever and wherever the need arises, they simply grow their bridges.
All in all, a great way to start trip, one of the most memorable treks I have ever done, down to the Living Root Bridge. We will do some sight-seeing in Shillong tomorrow and head back to Guwahati to attend Dipu's wedding.
Day 3 : Shillong sight-seeing, Guwahati
Kicked-off the proceedings with the Shillong Peak (1965m), about 10km from town, offers breathtaking views of city spread out against its glorious hill slopes.
Later paid a visit to the Elephant falls, one of the many falls close to the city.
Draped ourselves (Manu, Simki and I) in Khasi attire for a brief photoshoot.
Visited Shillong's popular 18-hole natural golf course, looked like a picnic spot than a golf-course, much to Simki's delight a visit to Tagore House wrap up our local sight-seeing in Shillong and commenced our return journey to Guwahati. Lunched in a Rajastani Dhaba on the outskirts of Barapani, managed to reach Guwahati by 5 in the evening. Ended up @ Geetima's house and danced to some bollywood numbers. As Simki says, She has never seen her spouse, Kaustav, dance the way he did. Manu also, kisi se kam nahin, danced at length to some hip-hop numbers. A much tiring day ends up on a good note, Manu appears to have the sleep in that night.
Day 4 : visited Kamakhya Temple
Day 5 : To Tezpur(The City of Blood) and then to Kaziranga
Day 6 : Elephant Ride in Kaziranga National Park
We put up at the Aranya Tourist lodge last night, to catch those early morning views of Kaziranga from elephant-back. Our morning starts even before the SUN, we now stand in the middle of the oldest national park in Assam, Kaziranga, much famous for its great Indian one-horned rhinoceros. Spread across 400+ sq km, it is a dazzling mosaic of dense rain-forest, tall elephant grass and swathes of reeds interspersed with vast tracts of marshes and shallow pools. Into just two minutes into the ride, spotted one one-horned rhino covered fully with mud, fetching his breakfast of the day.
Later, the elephant had a brief confrontation with the rhino, accompanied by its child. Returned to our lodge after bagging some good memories of the ride and spent sometime in the tea gardens on our way back. Returned to Tezpur by noon ...
Go read the Part2 of this post to know more on our much excited trip to Tawang.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Smart Pricing - Jagmohan Raju & Z. John Zhang
PUNCH LINES
There is no such thing as a free lunch
Profit is the price of survival
A price war can be a great way to shake out competition and build a commanding market share in a short period of time
Price wars can be a potent effective marketing strategy when deployed with forethought and skill and under the right circumstances
The greatest challenge of the business today is how to charge the least and serve the most
"My greatest challenge has been to change the mindset of people. Mindsets play strange tricks on us. We see things the way our minds have instructed our eyes to see", says Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, Bangladesh, and the recipient of Noble Award
KEY POINTS
Three simplistic and ad-hoc approaches for pricing
Ø Cost - Plus Servicing
Ø Competition-based pricing
Ø Consumer-based pricing
Four levers can be played to boost the sales/profits
Ø Sales
Ø Variable costs
Ø Fixed costs
Ø Price
"PAY AS YOU WISH" - what all businesses this can be applied to
Ø A product with a low marginal cost
Ø A fair-minded customer
Ø A product that can be sold credibly at a wide range of prices
Ø A strong relationship between buyer and seller
Ø A very competitive marketplace
Most consumer behavior suggests that buyers use three ways to decide the price they are willing to pay
Ø Anchor pricing
Ø Value pricing
Ø Fair pricing
Why do people care so much about few pennies ?
Ø Social norms
Ø People have trouble setting prices themselves
Ø People naturally prefer options with no downsides
Few chinese Players such as (Changhong, a TV manufacturer, and Galanz, a Microwave manufacturer) made the decision of waging a PRICE WAR for the number of following reasons
Ø A significant number of chinese households were ready to modernize their Kitchen
Ø Reorganize the industry for sustainable future growth
Ø Establish your cost advantages in the market place
Ideal times price war can be initiated
Ø Heterogeneous firms with wide distribution of cost efficiencies
Ø New technologies with significant scale economies (means an enterprise/company which can cut down costs and increase its efficiency with more throughput)
IBEA (Incremental Break Even Analysis)
dq = dP - (1-cm) dC / (cm - dP + (1-cm)dC)
dq = Breakeven sales increase in %
dP = Magnitude of a price cut
cm = contribution margin in percentage ( before price cut)
dC = Reduction in marginal costs in percentage due to price cuts
Thinking Small
Ø Pitch pennies (9.99$, ending with 88, etc)
Ø Just pennies per day (Bring down the quantum of charges to decimals..)
Ø Supersize my profits (McDonalds, give more quantity for lesser price)
Ø Small price to pay (rent jets, share resorts on time basis)
There is no such thing as a free lunch
Profit is the price of survival
A price war can be a great way to shake out competition and build a commanding market share in a short period of time
Price wars can be a potent effective marketing strategy when deployed with forethought and skill and under the right circumstances
The greatest challenge of the business today is how to charge the least and serve the most
"My greatest challenge has been to change the mindset of people. Mindsets play strange tricks on us. We see things the way our minds have instructed our eyes to see", says Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, Bangladesh, and the recipient of Noble Award
KEY POINTS
Three simplistic and ad-hoc approaches for pricing
Ø Cost - Plus Servicing
Ø Competition-based pricing
Ø Consumer-based pricing
Four levers can be played to boost the sales/profits
Ø Sales
Ø Variable costs
Ø Fixed costs
Ø Price
"PAY AS YOU WISH" - what all businesses this can be applied to
Ø A product with a low marginal cost
Ø A fair-minded customer
Ø A product that can be sold credibly at a wide range of prices
Ø A strong relationship between buyer and seller
Ø A very competitive marketplace
Most consumer behavior suggests that buyers use three ways to decide the price they are willing to pay
Ø Anchor pricing
Ø Value pricing
Ø Fair pricing
Why do people care so much about few pennies ?
Ø Social norms
Ø People have trouble setting prices themselves
Ø People naturally prefer options with no downsides
Few chinese Players such as (Changhong, a TV manufacturer, and Galanz, a Microwave manufacturer) made the decision of waging a PRICE WAR for the number of following reasons
Ø A significant number of chinese households were ready to modernize their Kitchen
Ø Reorganize the industry for sustainable future growth
Ø Establish your cost advantages in the market place
Ideal times price war can be initiated
Ø Heterogeneous firms with wide distribution of cost efficiencies
Ø New technologies with significant scale economies (means an enterprise/company which can cut down costs and increase its efficiency with more throughput)
IBEA (Incremental Break Even Analysis)
dq = dP - (1-cm) dC / (cm - dP + (1-cm)dC)
dq = Breakeven sales increase in %
dP = Magnitude of a price cut
cm = contribution margin in percentage ( before price cut)
dC = Reduction in marginal costs in percentage due to price cuts
Thinking Small
Ø Pitch pennies (9.99$, ending with 88, etc)
Ø Just pennies per day (Bring down the quantum of charges to decimals..)
Ø Supersize my profits (McDonalds, give more quantity for lesser price)
Ø Small price to pay (rent jets, share resorts on time basis)
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Women's Bill dated 08/03/2010 (IWM)
As I write this column, Job is half done by UPA in pushing the bill in favor of 191-1 in the Upper House, and in all probability, bill is poised to take its course and go past the chequered flag. As everyone from a hardcore political analyst to a common man eagerly awaited this day to witness the proceedings of the Upper House, UPA finally brought smiles to the women of this country. One must appreciate the work done by floor management today as they were quick to learn from blunders committed previous day, and managed to pull the collars of hundred hooligans out of the upper house and smoothened the proceedings for a final vote. A bill which was long haunting, at least for the past thirteen years, then primarily envisaged by the congress government, had faced enough blockades on its way. For the first time, in Indian history, UPA, BJP and the Left, had come together onto a common platform putting aside their political and ideological rivalries , and opined the same voice. It demanded great courage and will for a woman at helm to successfully push the bill to empower women in securing 33% seats for Lok Sabha and the State Legislative Assemblies. It is very coincident that today, we've a woman as the president of this country, we've a woman as the Leader and principal architect of the UPA government, we've a woman as the speaker of Lok Sabha, we've a woman as the opposition leader in the parliament, all holding their hands together and celebrate this defining moment in the country's history. I perceive this as a beautiful gift to the women of this country as we all celebrate golden jubilee of International Women's Day. Amid shrinking support to the UPA, from its allies outside, RJD & SP, it stood firm in slating this bill to its completion. What remains a challenge for UPA is in its ability to place financial or future bills, where even a single wrong move could prove costly to them from its closest allies.
Bill in its current form, looks a little immature and half baked. May be the bill demanded an intellectual and healthy debate in the House for some more time. I'd love put forth my views on this bill here under four points. First, Reserving 33 percent of the seats in Lok Sabha, majority of small parties will be ruined by this decision as they currently do not have as much bench strength as Congress, BJP do. Second, considerable number of independents, who are known in the constituency with their hard work and persistent commitment towards people's common problems would go vanished. Third, unless there are strict amendments made to this bill, wives of all the local political leaders under the shadows of husbands would ruin the country as before. Four, How can one expect a woman to come onto the streets after decades of suppression, inaccessibility to a common pool of resources, inequalities in government jobs and high offices? I believe the government will soon pitch onto these issues and address them before the sun sets. I'd love to see an amendment, where women are empowered at Grama Panchayat and Municipal bodies as well. I wish more and more women now occupy the high offices and make India an example to the rest of the world.
Bill in its current form, looks a little immature and half baked. May be the bill demanded an intellectual and healthy debate in the House for some more time. I'd love put forth my views on this bill here under four points. First, Reserving 33 percent of the seats in Lok Sabha, majority of small parties will be ruined by this decision as they currently do not have as much bench strength as Congress, BJP do. Second, considerable number of independents, who are known in the constituency with their hard work and persistent commitment towards people's common problems would go vanished. Third, unless there are strict amendments made to this bill, wives of all the local political leaders under the shadows of husbands would ruin the country as before. Four, How can one expect a woman to come onto the streets after decades of suppression, inaccessibility to a common pool of resources, inequalities in government jobs and high offices? I believe the government will soon pitch onto these issues and address them before the sun sets. I'd love to see an amendment, where women are empowered at Grama Panchayat and Municipal bodies as well. I wish more and more women now occupy the high offices and make India an example to the rest of the world.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
It's not About the Bike - Lance Armstrong
Rating : 3.5/5
My fav quotes/one liners .....
1. “Make every obstacle an opportunity” / “Make every negative a positive”
2. As a parent, you gotta be with your child whenever he/she finds it tough going through, you never know how much your child draws confidence/inspiration from your presence (ref: He won all the events when Linda was there)
3. Never lose hope even if things look worse and don’t work in your way, you gotta believe in yourself and strive through those.
4. Maintain few healthy friends who can have helping hand in adversaries.
5. Being stubborn helps @ times, and do not lose your heart, ever, ever n ever.
My fav quotes/one liners .....
1. “Make every obstacle an opportunity” / “Make every negative a positive”
2. As a parent, you gotta be with your child whenever he/she finds it tough going through, you never know how much your child draws confidence/inspiration from your presence (ref: He won all the events when Linda was there)
3. Never lose hope even if things look worse and don’t work in your way, you gotta believe in yourself and strive through those.
4. Maintain few healthy friends who can have helping hand in adversaries.
5. Being stubborn helps @ times, and do not lose your heart, ever, ever n ever.
Diplomacy - Henry A Kissinger
Rating : 4/5
My fav quotes/one liners .....
1. Man is immortal, his salvation is hereafter
2. "Traveler", there are no roads, Roads are made by walking - Spanish Saying
3. "Knowing what was wrong was easy, Knowing what was right was the hard part" - Gorbachev remarked this way, about the communist system needed to be changed from top to bottom
4. "a nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought" - Reagan's overused epigram
5. "the eyes are burned from the head and the hair falls from the body and so forth." - Reagan believes this passage foretold Hiroshima.
6. "We are not involved in the world because we have commitments; we have commitments because we are involved. Our interests must shape my commitments, rather than the other way around" - Richard Nixon's first foreign policy in 1970 expressed this view.
7. "Careful elaboration of political goals and military strategy to achieve them before the decision is made to go to war" - When you need a war ?
8. "When we talk about the violation of the rules of war, we must keep in mind that the fundamental violation, from which all other specific violations follow, is the very waging of this kind of war" - Even Hans Morgenthau, the doyen of American Philosophers of the national interest, commented during America's war in Vietnam
9. "A conventional war is about control of territory; a guerilla war is about the security of the population" - Definition by H.A.Kissinger, while describing the events unfolded during Vietnam war
10. "all nations and all peoples are free to govern themselves as they see fit….. We have sought no territory. We have imposed our will on none. We have asked for no privileges we would not extend to others" - Truman in his inaugural address of January 20, 1949
11. "Man limited by his nature is infinite in his desires" - De Gaulle in 60's
12. "There can be no peace - without law. And there can be no law - if we were to invoke one code of international conduct for those who oppose us - and another for our friends" - Eisenhower in his address of October 31st 1956
13. "We will not accept a Hitler-dominated world. And we will not accept a world, like the postwar world of the 1920s, in which the seeds of Hitlerism can again be planted and allowed to grow.
14. We will accept only a word consecrated to freedom of speech and expression - freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - freedom from want - and freedom from terror " - Roosevelt in his radio address on May 27,1941
15. "The peace, the freedom and the security of ninety percent of the population of the world is being jeopardized by the remaining ten percent who are threatening a breakdown of all international order and law….. It seems to be unfortunately true that the epidemic of world lawlessness is spreading. When an epidemic of physical disease starts to spread, the community approves and joins in a quarantine of the patients in order to protect the health of the community against the spread of the diesase" - Famous Quarantine Speech by Roosevelt after his victory in 1936
16. "I feel as if I am pushing open the door to a dark room, never seen before, without knowing what lies behind the door" - Hitler in December 1941 before the second world war
17. "In 1914,there had been a strategy but no policy; in 1939 ,there was a policy but no strategy" - H.A.K's assessment of two world wars
18. "I do not want to be extinguished like a lamp that is smoking. I want to sink down as though I were a star"
19. "Bridge the gap between formulation of an idea and implementation"
20. "It is reality, not publicity, that determines whether a leader has made a difference"
My fav quotes/one liners .....
1. Man is immortal, his salvation is hereafter
2. "Traveler", there are no roads, Roads are made by walking - Spanish Saying
3. "Knowing what was wrong was easy, Knowing what was right was the hard part" - Gorbachev remarked this way, about the communist system needed to be changed from top to bottom
4. "a nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought" - Reagan's overused epigram
5. "the eyes are burned from the head and the hair falls from the body and so forth." - Reagan believes this passage foretold Hiroshima.
6. "We are not involved in the world because we have commitments; we have commitments because we are involved. Our interests must shape my commitments, rather than the other way around" - Richard Nixon's first foreign policy in 1970 expressed this view.
7. "Careful elaboration of political goals and military strategy to achieve them before the decision is made to go to war" - When you need a war ?
8. "When we talk about the violation of the rules of war, we must keep in mind that the fundamental violation, from which all other specific violations follow, is the very waging of this kind of war" - Even Hans Morgenthau, the doyen of American Philosophers of the national interest, commented during America's war in Vietnam
9. "A conventional war is about control of territory; a guerilla war is about the security of the population" - Definition by H.A.Kissinger, while describing the events unfolded during Vietnam war
10. "all nations and all peoples are free to govern themselves as they see fit….. We have sought no territory. We have imposed our will on none. We have asked for no privileges we would not extend to others" - Truman in his inaugural address of January 20, 1949
11. "Man limited by his nature is infinite in his desires" - De Gaulle in 60's
12. "There can be no peace - without law. And there can be no law - if we were to invoke one code of international conduct for those who oppose us - and another for our friends" - Eisenhower in his address of October 31st 1956
13. "We will not accept a Hitler-dominated world. And we will not accept a world, like the postwar world of the 1920s, in which the seeds of Hitlerism can again be planted and allowed to grow.
14. We will accept only a word consecrated to freedom of speech and expression - freedom of every person to worship God in his own way - freedom from want - and freedom from terror " - Roosevelt in his radio address on May 27,1941
15. "The peace, the freedom and the security of ninety percent of the population of the world is being jeopardized by the remaining ten percent who are threatening a breakdown of all international order and law….. It seems to be unfortunately true that the epidemic of world lawlessness is spreading. When an epidemic of physical disease starts to spread, the community approves and joins in a quarantine of the patients in order to protect the health of the community against the spread of the diesase" - Famous Quarantine Speech by Roosevelt after his victory in 1936
16. "I feel as if I am pushing open the door to a dark room, never seen before, without knowing what lies behind the door" - Hitler in December 1941 before the second world war
17. "In 1914,there had been a strategy but no policy; in 1939 ,there was a policy but no strategy" - H.A.K's assessment of two world wars
18. "I do not want to be extinguished like a lamp that is smoking. I want to sink down as though I were a star"
19. "Bridge the gap between formulation of an idea and implementation"
20. "It is reality, not publicity, that determines whether a leader has made a difference"
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