Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Spotlight on Clearway

I have been receiving lots of mails requesting me to elaborate on what Clearway is! The central theme of all of those correspondences is that my 'Definition' of Clearway is not all that crisp or comprehensible; nor is that clear and concise. So, I decided to keep posting some 'Facts' about Clearway once in a while, on the go, in an effort to clear the haze around Clearway.
Clearway is a beast with a mind of its own. It is an organism, a whole new species, raw and totally lacking in sophistication. It acts and it reacts to its own acts! However, as of this day, I don't remember it's ever having retracted its steps. It watches and responds to movements in space. However, sometimes, I have seen it transcending the boundaries of space! It has the least regard for elements and notices the ticking of the clock nonchalantly.
That was one face of Clearway - let me see if I can clarify a few more facts in the posts to come. And I do stress that I can not be held responsible for what Clearway logs in this space. Clearway - and only Clearway - is accountable for whatever is stated in Clearway!

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Into your minds; not 'In your Face': Advertising

I was thinking of commenting briefly on a few things that have been happening in and around India when something else caught my attention - Internet Advertising.
What do Advertisers aim at? Is it exposure? is it Brand Recall? Is it Brand Recognition? Or, is it a plain sense of detest that they try to evoke towards the brand that is advertised? I sincerely hope it is not the last in the list. But some advertisements definitely make me wonder if the purpose of an Advertisement is really to get the folks HATE the brand!
The moment one opens any of the home pages of popular sites these days, one encounters a blow in the face; not literally - fortunately! A flashy Ad, bright and gaudy, pops up right in the face of the reader in the prime space of the page! "Have you driven home the latest model of this car yet - along with the model who promotes it?" or, "Whom are you going to marry today?", or "Have break fast, lunch and dinner and spend two nights with your favourite stars" . . . you name it!
Never mind the messages. But imagine how you would feel when, while grossly immersed in your daily dose of News with a coffee in one hand on a Sunday morning, a huge advertisement pops up right between you and the news paper you read, with a jarring noice? Or, when you are chatting with your sweet heart on a silent evening, what if someone lands right in between you and your other half and starts yelling at you to buy his new launch? Okay, forget the Harry Potter stuff! You are completely involved in the gripping moments of the final couple of overs in a nail biting run chase between India and Pakistan; India needs 10 runs to score of the last couple of balls, with one wicket in hand! How would you enjoy an Ad at that precise point of time?
Advertise, yes. But let's show some restraint and some rationale. After all, a website exists only for readers to read - and no Advertisement is supposed to put the prospect off right at the offset!
Correction: The final word in the post was supposed to be 'Outset'. The mistake must perhaps have been due to an upgradation underway at Clearway.
Disclaimer: Since Upgradation is a continuous process, Clearway, by no means, assures an Error-Free post, though it very much remains the coveted goal of Clearway!

Saturday, February 11, 2006

An initiative in the right direction - Tourism India

The decision to get the fares for foreign visitors to Places of Historical interests and other tourist attractions, in line with what the locals have to shell out, makes perfect sense. The decision was long pending and is a sure positive development in the right direction.
People who have had the opportunity to travel abroad have always seen the contrasting ways in which monuments were being treated in India and abroad. Tourist attractions are well maintained with systems well in place to welcome the tourist searching for a context. Historical events associated with the sites are well documented and tourism is amply promoted.
It doesn't take a developed nation to exercise its brains on what needs to be done to ge the tourists in and help them leave the country with a memorable experience. All it takes is some initiative. And a decision in this direction would be the most welcome step. One hopes it is followed up with setting up of other basic amenities that would make India a proud host.

Sunday, February 05, 2006

Vampires Vs Business Schools

Management education is fit to find a place in the trash bags. No, not trash bags - they can be used as door mats. Well, if at all you deem them deserving a place in home at all, that is.
The reasoning behind this statement that reminds management thinkers of the rightful place of their first love is simple enough. Management theory talks about leadership; leadership talks of control, of decision making, of responsibilities, of Accountabilities! I don't mean to delve into the depths of any of these jargons. Just to get some facts straight, Strategic Planning is supposed to have been born in the US during the World Wars. The United States call themselves pioneers in having brought Management studies from the drawing boards of the War Zones to the public domain through their famed Business Schools. The United States is the most powerful bully on Planet Earth and it's President is supposed to author most of its bullying tactics. Put them all together, the President of the United States is supposed to be the individual that has the maximum quantum of Accountability in the globe!
Ectics in Business was brought into focus for the first time when huge empires crumbled to pieces, dragging along with them, dreams of millions and dollars in trillions, when Accounting fraud was the buzzword in the US. It took a while before investors mustered courage to invest in shares again. However, the skeletons in the Boardroom were very much brought to light by the ridiculous lust for money by men in dark suites. It was a hard lesson that Management Schools had to learn and they scurried to fix the holes in their syllabus when it came to Business Ethics.
Then was the turn of the war lords to come down heavily with all their might on the distant, remote prospects of a sovereign state being in a position to prepare and deploy Weapons of Mass Destruction. The President argued passionately, addressing an International delegation, reasoning how Iraq posed a grave threat to the entire humanity. Poor Blair had no option but to say "Yes President". UN Weapons Inspectors pleaded for time as they found nothing to substantiate the Western allegations. They were brushed aside as Iraq was pounded.
After the war was officially declared over, shocking images of obscenities were flashed across the world, from the prisons of Iraq. A few scape goats were brought to justice. The duo of Bush and Blair have gone on record, after Mr Saddam Hussain was shackled, that they made their decisions based on misleading Intelligence reports! The two still continue to occupy their chairs. And worse, they have set their sights on Iran now! To be able to murder thousands in cold blood and then go ahead with their next massacre plans must be a juicy proposition for vampires who are thirsty for blood!
So, the proud Business Schools of the United States of America might consider pondering over what went wrong with their theories of Accountability in leadership and getting back to their basics, so much so that they fall pathetically short of having any validity for practice when it came to the highest authority in their own Great Nation. Whether it's about a sole proprietorship business with a turnover of a couple of thousand dollars or the arena of International Politics with Strategies that touch the lives of billions, Management theory must hold the key to explain leadership and it's effect on subjects. To explain away the fees in thousands as being charged for a study that operates in vacuum and to continue pitching for prospects for courses in Executive Education is a farce, when the most powerful leaders prove leadership theories, the worst mistakes of management.