Life Etc Etc

Some cities give you the feeling of being on the cusp of technological evolution. I got that same feeling when I visited Bangalore (Bengaluru) recently. I saw quite a few Mahindra Revas (the first electric car of India), you don't see too many of them here in Hyderabad quite probably due to the lack of a well established dealer network. I caught a glimpse of the Bangalore Metro Rail project which reminded me very much of the Canada Line in Vancouver.  Then I saw something which quite frankly made me do the one thing that I usually don't like to do too often -- it made me Analyze . It all began when I decided to commute via a city bus from Electronic City (the place where all the IT companies are) to one of the prominent malls in town. I caught a bus but lo-behold I didn't get into an ordinary one I got into a A/C Volvo (Yes Volvo!!!) bus. Wait that's not what caught my eye. What caught my eye were the monitors (at the back of the head rests) which were star...

The flurry of festivity associated with Diwali (the festival of lights) has just subsided leaving us all gasping for breath. Unlike important days in the west (such as the Independence Day and Christmas) which are celebrated by the city's governing council (through a ceremonial display of fireworks at some important location) Diwali is more of a household affair. Over the years I have often wondered about the economics involved in manufacturing firecrackers and was intrigued by the ability of some brands to regularly turn in profits in the face of increasing competition. This year (with a freshly graduated MBA mind) I want to put forth some ideas which could help a brand differentiate itself from the competition and attract the attention of customers. The domestic firecrackers industry is estimated at around Rs 1200 crore (approximately $250 million). Here in South India we have three major brands which occupy a significant market share: Standard , Kaliswari and Ayyan all o...