Life Etc Etc

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...

Hey all, Its been a long time since my last post. But time just passes you by as you keep observing life. For those of you who might be wondering why the ultra long ( Dr. Strangelove inspired title)? I request you to just read on and find out how little things affect our choices. I live in a City called Hyderabad which is the fifth largest city in India home to around 4 million people and 300,000 cars. India’s emergence as a super power has given a much needed boost to the country’s middle class which means the city I live in sees an average of 600 new vehicles coming on the streets every day. The purchasing power of the middle class gave rise to the MALLS - the ultimate one stop shops for shopping, movies, food and entertainment. Now the million dollar question is do these multi-storied complexes have the capacity to accommodate the customers who come in with their families. If you are someone who spends his entire weekend shopping or hanging out the answer is a painful “ No...

As the month of November comes to a close I can’t help but thinking about the mustache laden past few weeks. Blessed with excellent facial fair (I meant that as a joke) I was no stranger to a mustache back in India but little did I realize then that the very 'mo' I forsook when I came to Canada last year would grace me once again only this time for a cause.  I was a ‘Mo-bro ‘last year too but I really had no idea about the far reaching global impacts of the movement. Starting with a modest number of 432 Mo Bros in 2004 the movement has grown exponentially to 255,755 Mo bros and Mo Sistas and over a million donors. While the last years’ campaign generated contributions of over $47 million for the beneficiaries this year’s proceeds are on target to exceed last year’s figures with Canada taking the lead from Australia by almost doubling its last year’s contributions from $7.8 million to $15.2 million. Even though at the heart of the Movember movement is a cause (prost...