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Successful Unrelated Diversification Strategy: story of a chai vala (tea vendor) in Agartala

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While I was waiting for a friend at city centre, Agartala, capital of this small state Tripura, I felt little uncomfortable. My head was getting heavy and I felt like vomiting. Something was blocking my throat. I tried locating a medicine shop and as I found one, I spotted my friend waving. It was around 7 in the evening.  I told him 'I am not feeling well' . He showed his concern and inquired the reason and diagnosed that it is gastric problem. He said we should have spicy tea at this stall (indicating the exact location of a tea vendor on a side). I avoided as I thought maybe it might spoil my stomach further. We started walking towards the other end and I started feeling better. Took a small bottle of soda and after few sips it made me little light. I was getting better. We reached back to city centre and he again suggested that better we have this tea. He had told me about this tea stall and its delicacy before. So I agreed and as we sipped tea I started admiring the t...

Organizational Happiness: a winning strategy for sustaining growth

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The existence of organization, big or small, state owned or privately owned, profit making or non-profit making, is initiated with some purpose in mind and in that direction objectives are outlined. The organizational activities are designed and the task to perform those activities is assigned to the employees or workers as the case may be. The performance is evaluated from the perspective of organizational objectives. During the course of its operation, the organization at times faces competition from other organizations or with past performance or with situation. These forces of competition compel the organization to draft winning strategies so that each one of them can perform better than the other. And this is what keeps an organization on toes and organizations keep surviving like this for years. Just like human beings. The human life keep facing challenges, ups and downs throughout and this is what makes life interesting as well as worth living.  Individuals perform t...

Takeaways of the 66th annual conference of ICA held at Bangalore (4-7 Dec 2013)

Having attended the conference at Bangalore, I would like to mention some of the takeaways which are purely based on my personal observation. Hence I would love to have your disagreements as well as agreements (if any). a. Excellent inaugural address (by Sri Hansraj Bharadwaj) as well as valedictory address (by Sri Veerapa Moily). I am going to cherish the memories of it for many years. I have no hesitation in saying that both were some of the best ever addresses I have ever attended. Congratulations for the organizers to have chosen these great personalities. b. Excellent cultural program by the professional dancers. It provided great relaxation after the hectic day. Thanx a lot organizers. c. Good arrangements for stay of the delegates. I did not hear anything negative about it, though some of the research scholars and young faculty members were complaining about the stay on 7th night, but somehow that was arranged by the organizers. As for my personal experience, thou...

Knowledge is Power

Knowledge is power said Francis Bacon. It is that strength for which others respect you, they listen to you, they consult you, they seek your advice, they believe you, they trust you. It is such a strong power. It was perhaps Michel Foucault who deliberated philosophically on the role and relationship between Power and Knowledge. He was of the view that power determines knowledge and it is powerful who take decision as to what should be considered as knowledge. There are different kinds of power and often it refers merely to positional power. Power that position gives you. If you leave that position you cease to enjoy that power. So the power is purely attached to a position. Such power dominates formal decisions as to what should be considered as knowledge, what information should be made public and what should be hidden from them. Concealing and revealing becomes the function of positional power. The flow of information is fully controlled. And as knowledge is created through or...

Education, Crime and Punishment

Saket District Court is going to announce the sentence to the accused in the GangRape case which happened on 16th Dec 2012 in Delhi. It led to numerous agitations at different locations in India which also included candle march at several places showing their solidarity for the cause of a strict and stringent law which could punish the accused with the capital punishment. The agitators demanded fast action from the court. Later the parliament passed a law which made provisions of punishing the accused with death penalty. That law is in action now. The question as to whether such laws would be able to control such heinous crimes in the times to follow keeps pondering over my head and I have a different take on this. We have several laws, many of them very strict. We have several institutions, very pious in nature, very committed to the cause of welfare of people of the republic of India. We have all kinds of bureaucrats and politicians who are involved in making laws as well as...

Teacher, Teaching and Education - Teachers' Day 2013

Today is teachers' day in India. On this day in 1888, Dr Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan was born, who later became the President of India. He also occupied the office of Vice President of India apart from being the chancellor of University of Delhi before taking over as President of India. He was a great educationist, philosopher and statesman. Since 1962, this day is celebrated as Teachers Day in India. Teachers play very important role in the lives of people. They make or destroy generations. They shape or spoil the future of children. And this is a reason why their role further becomes more important. Some people become teachers on their own choice and for some teaching finds them. Some teach for livelihood and satisfy their daily needs out of the consideration that they get from their job. Just like any other job. Some make rules for themselves and at times they break rules for the cause of education and improving the well being of people. They are really regarded as great souls. I ...

Why the Rupee Fall

The market sentiment is the major player in the fall of the currency of any country.  US Dollar is an international currency unlike Indian Rupee, so all imports are converted into USDs and for all exports India earns USDs.  When there is favourable condition in the market, the sentiments support the home currency and vice versa. This is primary reason.  However there are other reasons as well.  In order to improve growth parameters, a country is required to spend money on the projects and sustainable endeavors.  For this there are two options available for a nation, one it can print/mint currency and another one to collect the currency from the market.  First option requires similar collateral for security, which is not the case for the second option.  US federal government announced collecting currency (USDs) from other nations, which made USD a valuable currency following Demand-Supply law of economics.  This caused the fall of rupee as well ...