“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: that all men are created equal " In 1963, Martin Luther King spoke of his dream for the benefit of his black and colored brethren in America.
Though it took long (many thought it would never happen), the dream has come good. By February next year the caravan of African American Barack Hussein Obama will hit Pennsylvania Avenue at Washington to stake the claim for the president-ship of America and occupy the White House, the single most seat of power and supremacy in the entire world.
May be then, we could call the presidential house: ‘Black house’, why not?
47 year old President Elect Barack Obama is a classic case of hybridism and diversity. His father was a Kenyan Muslim who later became an atheist. His mother Ann Dunham’s lineage comes from Native American, English and German ancestry. It looks as if Ann Dunham had a penchant for Muslims, as both her husbands (African Barack Obama Sr. & Asian Lolo Soetoro) were Muslims. Barack Obama’s step dad was of royal Indonesian ancestry and a Muslim by faith. His half sister Maya who is settled in Hawaii, is a Buddhist married to Canadian Chinese whose roots are in Malaysia. His half brothers and sisters through his father are living in Kenya, China, and England & America. His stepmother Jael (his dad’s fourth and last wife) lived long years in South Korea before reaching US to settle down. The list of the diversity is endless. The moot point is that it can happen only in the melting pot called United States of America, nowhere else. Only in US today can a migrant or his generation next aspires to become the head of the State. Rest of the world hasn’t grown up to reach that maturity yet. It wasn’t far when the king makers in US decided to have only a Protestant Christian, that too only white to have the right to sit on the gaddi. Indeed profound changes are happening in US.
Changes in the US are harbinger to the changes that would happen to the world. Today USA is indeed in a bad shape. It is standing against the wall and has its hands up. Rest of the countries of the world is truly focused on the developments in America, because the fate of all other countries is directly linked to the fate of America. George Bush had truly messed up the country economically and politically. Its foreign affairs smacks of authoritarianism and muscle power and lack finesse that is expected of a large mature democracy. No one can envy Obama. As the 44th President of US, he is going to inherit a country with an economy that is completely in shambles.
A lawyer by qualification, Barack Obama taught part time in the Chicago University Law School for about twelve years. He also worked in a Law firm. While teaching, he also became the State Senator of Illinois. At the appropriate time, he contested to the US Senate, representing Illinois and had the rare distinction to be a black Senator that too relatively younger. As a senator he was fresher and an inexperienced one. In the Democratic convention in 2004, the then Presidential candidate John Kerry gave him the podium to address and the speech endeared him to the party and people. The presidential aspirations of Barack Obama took shape then and he never needed to look back. The road ahead was rough and tough. He needed to ward of the great efforts of the determined Senator, Hilary Clinton (with full assistance from her former US president husband) to become the Democrat’s presidential nominee. The widely accepted and heavily decorated John McCain and his glamorous running mate Sarah Palin tried their best to beat him down with a negative campaign and he did not wither. And he won with a thumping majority to be the President of United State of America, beginning 2009.
If you trace back the life and times of Obama, you will realize that he had been preparing for the position all through his life. All his decisions in life and career were taken with a consideration of this aspect. He never wanted to be controversial. He also ensured not to carry the burden of the past. He did not want any skeleton in his cupboard. Because of this, many times, his associates saw a reluctant Obama when serious extreme issues were taken up. It looked like he would want to join the issue but he will bite his tongue. While he led people, student and his followers to debate, he never took an extreme position in any of the issues. Though he empathized with the poor, the minorities and the down trodden, he has never taken a tough stand as having done by Martin Luther King Jr. Therefore it needs to be seen how effective would Obama be when serious issues related to minorities, hunger and health reach his table for decisions. Or, wanting to be goody goody, will he stay at the middle path?
Obama knew that in America, it is possible for person of his background to aspire to be the president. He convinced himself and the American public that he could lead the change that America desperately needs. He mastered his oratory skills. His books, writings and speeches were very motivatory. He never coveted extreme cushy jobs and positions. He let go many opportunities that came in his direction to raise his living style. Within his means, he lived a decent life. And he bided his time. All through, you will notice that he had perfect sense of timing in his life and career. And then people say he was lucky too (?!).
Most of the religions speak of avatars or God’s representatives happening on mother earth from time to time, to mitigate her problems. God loved the world so much that he sent his only son Jesus to it to redeem it at its time of need. It is expected that he may come again. Bhagwan Krishna had taken many avatars from time to time to redress the world’s challenges (Sambhavami yuge yuge). Prophet Mohammed Nabi led his brethren and consolidated the framework of Islam religion. Bhagwan Buddha, Varhdhamana Mahavira, Guru Gobind singh…. the list is long and plenty.
I am not trying to portray Barack Obama as an avatar. But it needs an avatar to bring America back to its glory. There is a genuine, warm and concerned human being lurking inside him. He could bring it out to be the world most compassionate leader. Or, he could continue the synthetic image that he had created for himself to traverse the road to presidency. It is up to Obama. Time will tell whether he became an avatar or he ended up being an also ran!
Friday, November 7, 2008
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
THE NECROPOLIS
History sleeps underneath
The tombs with hieroglyphs on it
The powerful men of the ancient
Rest here, waiting to wake up – for journey to nether world
Tombs with pyramids above
And architectured chambers below
Laden with peerless hoards
Of gold, pearls, stones and Godly things – all intact, ever bound
Herein lay the kings who slayed a lot
Who wiped out civilizations asunder
Who drove communities to flee
To yonder places, never to return – concluding the exodus
In the chambers below the tombstone
The linen wrapped scented bodies
Of kings, queens and noble men
Looking for the spirit to get back - to be born again, in earth or heaven
To live again with those Gods to guide
With nectar, spouses and concubines
Thousands of women, boys and eunuchs
For pleasures of love making and orgies - isn't it all life about?
Having lived to ripe ages
Having ruled, built and destroyed
Having killed and wounded in return
Having seduced, conquered - and consummated
Yet keeping hopes of eternal life
Beyond death, rebirth and death again
Built up sacred cities of death
Like the city of spleandored living - with coffers full of loot and all
History sleeps, waiting to wake up
To be present, yet keeping the past
Exposing the contrast of time
Between the day past, today - and the morrows to come.
(In the second half of Septemeber 2008, I had an opportunity to visit Egypt. The above poem is an aftermath of the visit)
The tombs with hieroglyphs on it
The powerful men of the ancient
Rest here, waiting to wake up – for journey to nether world
Tombs with pyramids above
And architectured chambers below
Laden with peerless hoards
Of gold, pearls, stones and Godly things – all intact, ever bound
Herein lay the kings who slayed a lot
Who wiped out civilizations asunder
Who drove communities to flee
To yonder places, never to return – concluding the exodus
In the chambers below the tombstone
The linen wrapped scented bodies
Of kings, queens and noble men
Looking for the spirit to get back - to be born again, in earth or heaven
To live again with those Gods to guide
With nectar, spouses and concubines
Thousands of women, boys and eunuchs
For pleasures of love making and orgies - isn't it all life about?
Having lived to ripe ages
Having ruled, built and destroyed
Having killed and wounded in return
Having seduced, conquered - and consummated
Yet keeping hopes of eternal life
Beyond death, rebirth and death again
Built up sacred cities of death
Like the city of spleandored living - with coffers full of loot and all
History sleeps, waiting to wake up
To be present, yet keeping the past
Exposing the contrast of time
Between the day past, today - and the morrows to come.
(In the second half of Septemeber 2008, I had an opportunity to visit Egypt. The above poem is an aftermath of the visit)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
EMPLOYEMENT WITH MNCs
Something that happened to a friend of mine compels to make this post.
My friend works for large TELCO as a senior Manager. His wife, about 8 months back left a local firm she was working for a long time as a commercial executive, joined the branch office of a Japanese IT company excelling in Peripherals as a back office Executive. The nucleus family of the husband, wife and their kindergarten going daughter lives in an apartment in downtown Cochin. True to most of the youngsters of the day, my friend and family belong to the ‘upward mobile Indian’ citizenry.
A month back my friend’s mother got involved in a car accident. On their way to a famous pilgrimage center, the car in which she was traveling with her daughter and son-in- law met with a nasty accident. She was badly injured in the skull and underwent surgery soon after, at a nearby hospital. Later, she was shifted to a major medical facility at Cochin and she is undergoing recuperation, after swinging right and left many times, giving anxious moments to my friend and family. She is saved mainly duly to the timely, selfless and continuous intervention of a surgeon friend of us.
Due to mother being hospitalized with serious up and downs, my friend and his family were required to attend to her at the hospital. Both applied for leave from the job. Whereas my friend got the leave sanctioned, it was not allowed for his wife. The Japanese company manager told her that she hasn’t completed her probation of one year and the leave cannot be sanctioned. If she has to go, she could resign and go, she was given the ultimatum and was forced to resign from the job.
This sets me thinking. At one end we are talking about humanity, corporate Social responsibility and complete happiness of employees etc in modern companies, and at another end, we see such drastic steps being taken by corporates. Instead of consoling the employee for the great difficulties that she was undergoing, inhumanly, she was given the boot. It looks like in this Japanese company nothing else but performance mattered. ‘Productivity and profitability at all cost’ looked to be its mantra. How very sad!
This is a true outcome of the globalization that we are undergoing. These global giants and economic super powers had entered into India to capture the market with the sole aim of making money and nothing else. All they want is Indian market share. They are not worried about the ‘bloody’ Indians. The attitude that these companies management displays to its employees is that to slaves. ‘We are bloody paying you, shut up and work the way we tell you, else, get lost’ is the dictum. These companies do not have any compassion for its Indian employees. They are here to make money and the numbers matter to them, nothing else.
Amply, we see the pressure of these MNCs telling on its workforce in India. Money is there but happiness is not there. It is work, work and work. These guys are stressed out a lot. They have time for nothing. Life swings between the agony of slavery and the ecstasy of dollars! Medical problems (both mental & Physical), family problems (the warfare at home resulting in split homes), divorces, single parenting, alcoholism, etc are on the increase. In the end, these MNC employees will need all the extra money that they had saved to resolve crisis in life such as above.
Is this what we call life? Does it really make any sense to you?
My friend works for large TELCO as a senior Manager. His wife, about 8 months back left a local firm she was working for a long time as a commercial executive, joined the branch office of a Japanese IT company excelling in Peripherals as a back office Executive. The nucleus family of the husband, wife and their kindergarten going daughter lives in an apartment in downtown Cochin. True to most of the youngsters of the day, my friend and family belong to the ‘upward mobile Indian’ citizenry.
A month back my friend’s mother got involved in a car accident. On their way to a famous pilgrimage center, the car in which she was traveling with her daughter and son-in- law met with a nasty accident. She was badly injured in the skull and underwent surgery soon after, at a nearby hospital. Later, she was shifted to a major medical facility at Cochin and she is undergoing recuperation, after swinging right and left many times, giving anxious moments to my friend and family. She is saved mainly duly to the timely, selfless and continuous intervention of a surgeon friend of us.
Due to mother being hospitalized with serious up and downs, my friend and his family were required to attend to her at the hospital. Both applied for leave from the job. Whereas my friend got the leave sanctioned, it was not allowed for his wife. The Japanese company manager told her that she hasn’t completed her probation of one year and the leave cannot be sanctioned. If she has to go, she could resign and go, she was given the ultimatum and was forced to resign from the job.
This sets me thinking. At one end we are talking about humanity, corporate Social responsibility and complete happiness of employees etc in modern companies, and at another end, we see such drastic steps being taken by corporates. Instead of consoling the employee for the great difficulties that she was undergoing, inhumanly, she was given the boot. It looks like in this Japanese company nothing else but performance mattered. ‘Productivity and profitability at all cost’ looked to be its mantra. How very sad!
This is a true outcome of the globalization that we are undergoing. These global giants and economic super powers had entered into India to capture the market with the sole aim of making money and nothing else. All they want is Indian market share. They are not worried about the ‘bloody’ Indians. The attitude that these companies management displays to its employees is that to slaves. ‘We are bloody paying you, shut up and work the way we tell you, else, get lost’ is the dictum. These companies do not have any compassion for its Indian employees. They are here to make money and the numbers matter to them, nothing else.
Amply, we see the pressure of these MNCs telling on its workforce in India. Money is there but happiness is not there. It is work, work and work. These guys are stressed out a lot. They have time for nothing. Life swings between the agony of slavery and the ecstasy of dollars! Medical problems (both mental & Physical), family problems (the warfare at home resulting in split homes), divorces, single parenting, alcoholism, etc are on the increase. In the end, these MNC employees will need all the extra money that they had saved to resolve crisis in life such as above.
Is this what we call life? Does it really make any sense to you?
IS WRONG RIGHT?
It is some days that I had blogged. Activities are hectic both at job and personal front. There are so much of activities but results are not often commensurate with the efforts put. Something is missing somewhere. It is time to introspect. May be the festival season would give time for that. Some level of re-thinking and restructuring is required on life, I guess. The only thing that flies by is time. There seems to be no time for anything. Often, one is forced to do things in half hearted manner due to paucity of time. Such things do not deliver any happiness or satisfaction. Time to take stock has come.
The news that one reads in dailies are confounding. Apparently every one is making money through means that are not credible, transparent and legal. The hardworking, meritorious, transparent and legal means to grow your business has totally taken a back seat. After the Himalaya Group and Santhosh Swami, the vernacular dailies are out with the story of a Sabarinath , who in very short span, had built up a huge fraudulent real estate and Financial enterprise using goondas and anti social elements to run it. As usual, sensations are built around the guy gifting BMW to girl friend!
The new Indian Express carried a story last week of the new Pakistan President with the title, “Mr.Ten percent is Pak President”. Short, rhyming and interesting title. As again, look at the way Zardari had reached the presidentship of Pakistan. Yes, he had reached there at the cost of his wife’s life. It is the sad and gory death of Begum Benazir Bhutto that catapulted Zardari into this high point in life. Though from traditional and feudal family, our man grew up in abundance, having things such as exclusive discotheque at home etc. Later, he married the most well-known lady of the world politics. When she was the Prime Minister of Pakistan, he was taking commissions on all deals that were happening in the country. He came to be called as Mr. Ten percent, for the cuts that he was collecting. I am sure his Swiss bank account must be stashed with funds. (Why do they need this much of money? May be, he could buy up people, army, politicians and Judges using the same). A couple of years back he was loitering in jail for criminal charges such as corruption and Murder – Benazir’s brother Murtaza is allegedly finished off by him, at least that is what Murtaza’s wife says-. What do one do, wish Zardari and Pakistan under him all the very best?
Look at what is happening in Zimbabwe. An old despot of a leader, absolutely unwilling to quit power. A country that was built and run by white men was taken over by Robert Mugabe and his socialist party about four decades back, to be converted into a messy, chaotic and pauper state. Everyone including Mugabe knows that nothing can be done by him to set right the maladies. He may need to have super human powers to restore normalcy in the country. The best is that he goes. But will he? One can only sympathize with the people of Zimbabwe.
The question therefore is, if there is a system or controlling power in the world (call it God, Allmighy, Godhead or whatever), which is supposed to take care of the villains and bring prosperity and happiness to the toiling masses, how come the villains are ruling the world now? A confounding and agitating thought indeed. What runs the world? Where is love, kindness and empathy gone? Where is the world leading to? What will happen to its people? Will truth, meritocracy, sincerity and hard work came back to prevail?
My guess is as good as yours. Amen!
The news that one reads in dailies are confounding. Apparently every one is making money through means that are not credible, transparent and legal. The hardworking, meritorious, transparent and legal means to grow your business has totally taken a back seat. After the Himalaya Group and Santhosh Swami, the vernacular dailies are out with the story of a Sabarinath , who in very short span, had built up a huge fraudulent real estate and Financial enterprise using goondas and anti social elements to run it. As usual, sensations are built around the guy gifting BMW to girl friend!
The new Indian Express carried a story last week of the new Pakistan President with the title, “Mr.Ten percent is Pak President”. Short, rhyming and interesting title. As again, look at the way Zardari had reached the presidentship of Pakistan. Yes, he had reached there at the cost of his wife’s life. It is the sad and gory death of Begum Benazir Bhutto that catapulted Zardari into this high point in life. Though from traditional and feudal family, our man grew up in abundance, having things such as exclusive discotheque at home etc. Later, he married the most well-known lady of the world politics. When she was the Prime Minister of Pakistan, he was taking commissions on all deals that were happening in the country. He came to be called as Mr. Ten percent, for the cuts that he was collecting. I am sure his Swiss bank account must be stashed with funds. (Why do they need this much of money? May be, he could buy up people, army, politicians and Judges using the same). A couple of years back he was loitering in jail for criminal charges such as corruption and Murder – Benazir’s brother Murtaza is allegedly finished off by him, at least that is what Murtaza’s wife says-. What do one do, wish Zardari and Pakistan under him all the very best?
Look at what is happening in Zimbabwe. An old despot of a leader, absolutely unwilling to quit power. A country that was built and run by white men was taken over by Robert Mugabe and his socialist party about four decades back, to be converted into a messy, chaotic and pauper state. Everyone including Mugabe knows that nothing can be done by him to set right the maladies. He may need to have super human powers to restore normalcy in the country. The best is that he goes. But will he? One can only sympathize with the people of Zimbabwe.
The question therefore is, if there is a system or controlling power in the world (call it God, Allmighy, Godhead or whatever), which is supposed to take care of the villains and bring prosperity and happiness to the toiling masses, how come the villains are ruling the world now? A confounding and agitating thought indeed. What runs the world? Where is love, kindness and empathy gone? Where is the world leading to? What will happen to its people? Will truth, meritocracy, sincerity and hard work came back to prevail?
My guess is as good as yours. Amen!
Friday, August 22, 2008
FORTIFIED COMPANIES & FACELESS EMPLOYEES
One of the big disadvantages that the Internet/Telecom revolution brought to a customer is on dealing with companies when he has a difficulty with them. If you have a complaint on the product bought or service received, you are asked to call up a toll free number. The Tom and Jerry exercise starts thereafter. You will talk to a Toni or Moni or Soni (obviously, that is not their original names) and you have to give all the details (of purchase, serial numbers, warranty details, your details etc. etc….) before you get some response to the problems that you face. If it is resolved by this guy, you are indeed lucky. If not, God save you! You will be told that they would get back to you. Most of the Indian companies do not keep the promise. The escalated calls go and fall in the Arabian Sea! You call again, you hit the same Toni, Moni & Soni and you are nowhere. You ask them to connect you to their reporting officers but they are trained well to dodge the request. You ask for details of company’s higher ups and then you would realize that these Toni/Moni/soni is addressing your calls from an outsourced call center and do not have any connect with the company from where you bought and do not know anyone in the company. You hit a wall!
Recently I had an experience with the Internet broadband that I was using at home, provided by the largest business enterprise in the country, famous for ethical standards and customer focus. The service was disrupted totally and we had made 8 calls in 10 days to the same Toni/Moni/Soni, but of no use. They were parroting the same lines all over again. Even droppinging the name of the big man of the enterprise did not help. Several times in the midst, I called the regional office of the company to register the complaint and I always got directed to the Toni/Moni/Soni’s number. I went to the company's website to lodge the complaint and got a default reply stating that my complaint is registered and it would revert to us soon (never did that happen). Eventually I get the broadband connect back, after 15 days of the disruption of the service. In spite of being the ethical company with customer focus tag, this company did not take the escalation. You just are just a number and whom they have got to address you is the pappus, the Toni/Moni/Soni’s.
A professor friend recently narrated the story of a computer problem that he faced. The computer was sold by the company that claims to be closest to the customer. Two days after registering the complaint through the Toni/Moni/Soni route, an engineer landed up. He resolved the problem but by then there were two more subsequent problems which the engineer refused to attend stating that he was sent only for addressing the cited problem and nothing else. So the professor again went through the Toni/Moni/Soni route to have the next of the issues resolved. In all, it took only 10 days to resolve a set of minor problems which otherwise could have been resolved in one day through a normal direct route!
At our office, the commercial broadband connectivity went down seven days back. Compliant was registered with Toni/Moni/Soni of the company and nothing happened. This company is run by one of warring sons of the greatest of the entrepreneurs the country had produced. Since we had some business connections with this company, we talked directly to some of the senior officers there. Not only that nothing happened, one of them even justified by telling that it is possible for the DNS Servers to go down once a month!
The wonder of wonder is the notice issued by the same company in yesterday’s newspaper. If a big notice like this has to come out in the paper, one has to assume that it must be undergoing many challenges in this front. The notice looked very funny to me. It says once you register a complaint, if within seven days it is not resolved, you could call up a Nodal officer (whose details are given) and if within 10 days complaining to the Nodal officer nothing happens, you could go to the Appellate Authority with a written complaint.
What does this mean?
In this Internet age, in this nano-second based century, this company will still take so much of time to resolve matters. Therefore, if your line or website or broadband or billing or any service is down for seventeen days or more, you are advised d to suffer without getting any assistance from the company. Great!
God save us all from these fortified companies having faceless people!
Recently I had an experience with the Internet broadband that I was using at home, provided by the largest business enterprise in the country, famous for ethical standards and customer focus. The service was disrupted totally and we had made 8 calls in 10 days to the same Toni/Moni/Soni, but of no use. They were parroting the same lines all over again. Even droppinging the name of the big man of the enterprise did not help. Several times in the midst, I called the regional office of the company to register the complaint and I always got directed to the Toni/Moni/Soni’s number. I went to the company's website to lodge the complaint and got a default reply stating that my complaint is registered and it would revert to us soon (never did that happen). Eventually I get the broadband connect back, after 15 days of the disruption of the service. In spite of being the ethical company with customer focus tag, this company did not take the escalation. You just are just a number and whom they have got to address you is the pappus, the Toni/Moni/Soni’s.
A professor friend recently narrated the story of a computer problem that he faced. The computer was sold by the company that claims to be closest to the customer. Two days after registering the complaint through the Toni/Moni/Soni route, an engineer landed up. He resolved the problem but by then there were two more subsequent problems which the engineer refused to attend stating that he was sent only for addressing the cited problem and nothing else. So the professor again went through the Toni/Moni/Soni route to have the next of the issues resolved. In all, it took only 10 days to resolve a set of minor problems which otherwise could have been resolved in one day through a normal direct route!
At our office, the commercial broadband connectivity went down seven days back. Compliant was registered with Toni/Moni/Soni of the company and nothing happened. This company is run by one of warring sons of the greatest of the entrepreneurs the country had produced. Since we had some business connections with this company, we talked directly to some of the senior officers there. Not only that nothing happened, one of them even justified by telling that it is possible for the DNS Servers to go down once a month!
The wonder of wonder is the notice issued by the same company in yesterday’s newspaper. If a big notice like this has to come out in the paper, one has to assume that it must be undergoing many challenges in this front. The notice looked very funny to me. It says once you register a complaint, if within seven days it is not resolved, you could call up a Nodal officer (whose details are given) and if within 10 days complaining to the Nodal officer nothing happens, you could go to the Appellate Authority with a written complaint.
What does this mean?
In this Internet age, in this nano-second based century, this company will still take so much of time to resolve matters. Therefore, if your line or website or broadband or billing or any service is down for seventeen days or more, you are advised d to suffer without getting any assistance from the company. Great!
God save us all from these fortified companies having faceless people!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
THE GAMES MNCs PLAY
Most of you who had read my resume would know that I dwell in IT space, directly managing two companies, one in System Integration and the other, in software development.
Some of the recent developments that had happened in the SI Company that I run propel me to post this blog.
There is this MNC whom we represent in this part of the world. Though times had changed, this company is still in colonial mode. It will effect business only after receiving hundred percent advance, be the customer private or government. However as any other self-conscious company, it doesn’t mind going directly to the customers, bypassing the dealers. On one such occasion this company went to a major Bank and negotiated prices at ‘bone marrow’ levels. The Bank wanted multiple installation of the product across 150 branches and would pay only after completing the installation. In the fairness of things, it would take minimum ninety days to complete the process to receive payment. But how can our MNC supply without getting hundred percent advance? This was where the play came to effect.
The company’s local area manager (AM) calls me and asks me to attend a conference call with the regional manager (RM) based at Bangalore. Now the RM comes on to the line and very condescendingly tells me that he, based on the recommendations of the AM, he had decided to gift us this order worth INR 6 million. For us to execute the same, we would be given four percent commission. Whereas my principal would take the order directly, my company has to pay full amount as advance to it as coverage money. The money would be credited to us after we install the items at all these individual branches located at Godforsaken places across the country and after that, collect the payment from the bank’s HO and send to it. Many times in the conversation, he mentioned the GIFT aspect to me and the New VALUE that they had seen in us (!)
At the lowest rates of 1.5 % per month, by the time we collect the payment and get reverse credit from the principals, we would have incurred 4.5 to 6% expense on the interest itself (for three months). Now add the cost of installation, travel and follow up expenses. That would be another 2 % minimum. In effect, we would spend 6.5 to 8 percent to earn 4%. HOW DOES THE EQUATION LOOK? So much for its channel management! What are we, guinea pigs?
There is yet another case:
Some time back, we went into a jam with an institutional customer to whom we had supplied the most well known MNC IT company’s product. One year later to the supply, the customer realized that they ordered the item with a particular component but what had come inside was another. After verifying this, we went back to the company but it said that there is no chance for the mistaken delivery from them. Having not bothered to open up and verify at the time of delivery, with great difficulty, we organized the entire bunch of documents and communications of the past and submitted to them and then only the company relented. But said that it is a product technical issue. We asked as to why we were not taken into confidence when they decided to supply with a wrong component, they gave us a lame excuse which we are yet to understand. Now what? The customer wants the replacement (mind you, there are 50 numbers).We were advised by the principal that we buy this component from it by paying upfront and give to customer and it would compensate us just half of the amount (the other half is our share of the penalty) over a period of time in the form of commissions on new deals. It was unable to help us in any which way.
Now, we are the ones who had billed the item to the customer. If there is litigation from the customer, we are the one who will face the music. It is our goodwill that goes into dustbin. Eventually we had no other alternative but to oblige the customer. How does it look?
Before starting my entrepreneurship I had been working in IT marketing for about 15 years in reputed Indian companies and I too had handled dealers and channel partners. If there was a deal that had gone wrong due to our mishandling, I had always fought for the customer within my system. I do not know if that is ever possible for these MNC employees. These sales guys are paid fat salaries and immense incentives and they are used to the comfort and therefore, they have no other alternative but to sing the song for their companies all the way. ‘Customer, go to hell, dealer will take care”, That is the dictum these companies and its managers adopted.
And all these MNCs, in their annual reports will mention in BOLD GOLD letter about the highest customer satisfaction index that they had achieved over the year (who does the audit for them, I wonder!). And also the CSR (corporate social responsibility) that they have undertaken for the poor and for the environment, the earth, moon and the stars. The stakeholders sing ga ga for these MNCs and it’s shares goes the bull way!
Who suffer? The small time, small town reseller & dealer for whom this is the only livelihood. He is always sandwiched between the customer & the principal. He is the doer, sufferer & of course, the sucker.
Amen to that!
Some of the recent developments that had happened in the SI Company that I run propel me to post this blog.
There is this MNC whom we represent in this part of the world. Though times had changed, this company is still in colonial mode. It will effect business only after receiving hundred percent advance, be the customer private or government. However as any other self-conscious company, it doesn’t mind going directly to the customers, bypassing the dealers. On one such occasion this company went to a major Bank and negotiated prices at ‘bone marrow’ levels. The Bank wanted multiple installation of the product across 150 branches and would pay only after completing the installation. In the fairness of things, it would take minimum ninety days to complete the process to receive payment. But how can our MNC supply without getting hundred percent advance? This was where the play came to effect.
The company’s local area manager (AM) calls me and asks me to attend a conference call with the regional manager (RM) based at Bangalore. Now the RM comes on to the line and very condescendingly tells me that he, based on the recommendations of the AM, he had decided to gift us this order worth INR 6 million. For us to execute the same, we would be given four percent commission. Whereas my principal would take the order directly, my company has to pay full amount as advance to it as coverage money. The money would be credited to us after we install the items at all these individual branches located at Godforsaken places across the country and after that, collect the payment from the bank’s HO and send to it. Many times in the conversation, he mentioned the GIFT aspect to me and the New VALUE that they had seen in us (!)
At the lowest rates of 1.5 % per month, by the time we collect the payment and get reverse credit from the principals, we would have incurred 4.5 to 6% expense on the interest itself (for three months). Now add the cost of installation, travel and follow up expenses. That would be another 2 % minimum. In effect, we would spend 6.5 to 8 percent to earn 4%. HOW DOES THE EQUATION LOOK? So much for its channel management! What are we, guinea pigs?
There is yet another case:
Some time back, we went into a jam with an institutional customer to whom we had supplied the most well known MNC IT company’s product. One year later to the supply, the customer realized that they ordered the item with a particular component but what had come inside was another. After verifying this, we went back to the company but it said that there is no chance for the mistaken delivery from them. Having not bothered to open up and verify at the time of delivery, with great difficulty, we organized the entire bunch of documents and communications of the past and submitted to them and then only the company relented. But said that it is a product technical issue. We asked as to why we were not taken into confidence when they decided to supply with a wrong component, they gave us a lame excuse which we are yet to understand. Now what? The customer wants the replacement (mind you, there are 50 numbers).We were advised by the principal that we buy this component from it by paying upfront and give to customer and it would compensate us just half of the amount (the other half is our share of the penalty) over a period of time in the form of commissions on new deals. It was unable to help us in any which way.
Now, we are the ones who had billed the item to the customer. If there is litigation from the customer, we are the one who will face the music. It is our goodwill that goes into dustbin. Eventually we had no other alternative but to oblige the customer. How does it look?
Before starting my entrepreneurship I had been working in IT marketing for about 15 years in reputed Indian companies and I too had handled dealers and channel partners. If there was a deal that had gone wrong due to our mishandling, I had always fought for the customer within my system. I do not know if that is ever possible for these MNC employees. These sales guys are paid fat salaries and immense incentives and they are used to the comfort and therefore, they have no other alternative but to sing the song for their companies all the way. ‘Customer, go to hell, dealer will take care”, That is the dictum these companies and its managers adopted.
And all these MNCs, in their annual reports will mention in BOLD GOLD letter about the highest customer satisfaction index that they had achieved over the year (who does the audit for them, I wonder!). And also the CSR (corporate social responsibility) that they have undertaken for the poor and for the environment, the earth, moon and the stars. The stakeholders sing ga ga for these MNCs and it’s shares goes the bull way!
Who suffer? The small time, small town reseller & dealer for whom this is the only livelihood. He is always sandwiched between the customer & the principal. He is the doer, sufferer & of course, the sucker.
Amen to that!
Friday, August 1, 2008
THE INNER STRENGTH
Yesterday (31/07/08) evening, I attended the inauguration of the kick-off activities of Kerala Management Association for the year, at the KMA hall at Cochin. The honor to do so went to Mr. S Mohan, Director-HR, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), who is also the current President of Bombay Management Association. Mr. Mohan is a renowned HR professional and had put yeomen efforts in enhancing the professionalism within BPCL. One of the key objectives that he achieved there was the competency mapping of the personnel of the Corporation.
In his speech, he mentioned an initiative undertaken by his team as a part of the competency mapping exercise. This was to collate/compile the qualities and competencies of well-known CEOs in India, present and past. This required one to one interaction with business/management doyens such as Vindi Banga (HLL), Krishanmurthy (Maruti & SAIL), Naik (L&T), Rajinder Singh (NTPC) and many others of the same class.
While comparing the qualities and competencies of the above people with the western counterparts such as Alfred Sloan, Jack Welch, AG Lafley etc, Mr. Mohan said that many of the qualities and competencies matched very well. This confirmed that the essential qualities, values and competencies of efficient CEOs, are more or less the same, wherever they are. Though there are cultural differences between India & the western world, the running of a corporation requires these qualities and competencies, that is.
What attracted me in his speech was the additional quality/value that the Indian CEOs have over their western counterparts, which his team noticed. He called it as the INNER STRENGTH, which the Indian CEOs possessed. It dose not mean that the western CEOs did not have the inner strength but that was not an essential element of the CEO personality there, whereas dwelling in a developing economy called India, besotted with its pronounced diversity of culture, language and living, this inner strength played a major role in them coming through successful in their endeavors.
This element of inner strength takes us to the bearing of an Indian. For a nation which was highly spiritual from its genesis, a nation where Vedas and Upanishad’s originated, a nation in which multiplicity of thought processes on the way life such as Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Sufism emanated, a nation that had pure leaders such as Gautama, Bodhi Dharma, Mahavira, Adi Shankara etc in the earlier times and Gandhi, Vinobha Bhave, JP, Amte etc later, is bound to have this INNER STRENGTH in every one of its citizen, by default. You could call this inner strength many names. Call it Self, Atma, Consciousness or whatever; the inner strength lies in every individual of this great nation.
The Indian CEOs mentioned by S Mohan, realized their inner strength and relied on it to a very great extent, in the execution of their vocation. No wonder they came to be noticed as very eminent CEOs of the country. The fact is that, in all of us lies this great INNER STRENGTH and it is unto us to realize it, bring it to the forefront and rely upon it in the execution of our own Karma.
Try it, people.
In his speech, he mentioned an initiative undertaken by his team as a part of the competency mapping exercise. This was to collate/compile the qualities and competencies of well-known CEOs in India, present and past. This required one to one interaction with business/management doyens such as Vindi Banga (HLL), Krishanmurthy (Maruti & SAIL), Naik (L&T), Rajinder Singh (NTPC) and many others of the same class.
While comparing the qualities and competencies of the above people with the western counterparts such as Alfred Sloan, Jack Welch, AG Lafley etc, Mr. Mohan said that many of the qualities and competencies matched very well. This confirmed that the essential qualities, values and competencies of efficient CEOs, are more or less the same, wherever they are. Though there are cultural differences between India & the western world, the running of a corporation requires these qualities and competencies, that is.
What attracted me in his speech was the additional quality/value that the Indian CEOs have over their western counterparts, which his team noticed. He called it as the INNER STRENGTH, which the Indian CEOs possessed. It dose not mean that the western CEOs did not have the inner strength but that was not an essential element of the CEO personality there, whereas dwelling in a developing economy called India, besotted with its pronounced diversity of culture, language and living, this inner strength played a major role in them coming through successful in their endeavors.
This element of inner strength takes us to the bearing of an Indian. For a nation which was highly spiritual from its genesis, a nation where Vedas and Upanishad’s originated, a nation in which multiplicity of thought processes on the way life such as Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Sufism emanated, a nation that had pure leaders such as Gautama, Bodhi Dharma, Mahavira, Adi Shankara etc in the earlier times and Gandhi, Vinobha Bhave, JP, Amte etc later, is bound to have this INNER STRENGTH in every one of its citizen, by default. You could call this inner strength many names. Call it Self, Atma, Consciousness or whatever; the inner strength lies in every individual of this great nation.
The Indian CEOs mentioned by S Mohan, realized their inner strength and relied on it to a very great extent, in the execution of their vocation. No wonder they came to be noticed as very eminent CEOs of the country. The fact is that, in all of us lies this great INNER STRENGTH and it is unto us to realize it, bring it to the forefront and rely upon it in the execution of our own Karma.
Try it, people.
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