It has been a consolation this time for us in our Markops simulation game. We hit the rockbottom last time. This time though, we are three places up from the bottom. We brought in a new product and gave it some positioning and promotion. Also the other products gained market share. In the midst of this, we were shocked to find some of the strategies that other teams follow. Let me explain.
Markops is a simulation game we play as part of our Mktg. course. The game is a computer simulated one, with every team having its own version of the game. The game consists of 4 companies. Your team is one among them and the rest are computer simulated. So we have around 11 teams in the class. All the 11 teams have their own individual market place with their competitors. Whoever has the highest Share Price index (SPI) is the winner.
To promote each product, everyone gets 20MM, which the team needs to spend on Advertising, trade marketing and Promotions. Some of the other teams go in for the introduction of a new product, get the 20 MM, and use the 20MM on the promotion of their existing products. They leave the new product in the lurch. This becomes a Dummy product and the teams make use of the hefty money in their existing products. Assume it in a real life situation, you convince your Top management about the introduction of a new product, get yourselves the Production capacity and then on the day when you need to start producing, you say No. "We dont want to create the product. We did this just to get the 20MM marketing budget, which we will use it for the other products." Sounds logical ? I am not sure.
This was the topic of discussion yesterday in our class and it was quite hot. Everyone was in their own way defending/opposing this strategy. Yours truly was one of the vocal participant yesterday :-)). The Prof himself was undecided as how to treat this. Hmm thoughts to go on this....
But Think of it. Is it possible in a real life situation? The Marketing Department does not function on its own. The R&D comes up with a new formula, the strategic decisions are taken by the top management about the product launch and then Mktg goes ahead with the new product branding, promotion etc. I dont see the strategy being used anywhere in real life. When simulation games are simulations of real life, then why do we follow something that is totally impossible in real life? Am I ignorant here, of not knowing such strategies followed by companies in real life ?
Everyone plays the game fair. But when some team comes up with a strategy, which does not focus on Mktg, but on the creative aspects of Financing, then it is something that goes against the unwritten rules of the game. Will we do anything to get our way out of trouble and win ?
I disagree. There are many instances in my life where I preferred losing just to be on the right side. I know I am a winner in my own way. Had I gone ahead with any of these choices, I would have saved some bucks by fooling someone. But will my conscience allow me to take a peaceful sleep after it ? I doubt it. I just cant. Comparing those instances with just a simulation game may seem a too far. But just cant help the rant :-)
It is a long weekend this time. Hoping to finish some subject work. Ramesh is coming to Singapore. Will catch up with him this time. My ESSEC plans are getting finalised. I am gonna have fun @ France for the second time. I am looking forward to it.
Friday, April 28, 2006
Saturday, April 22, 2006
The Baingan Barta experience
It was a four day official trip for me to Kuantan. Kuantan is a small town on the shores of South china sea in Malaysia and it is close to 250 kms away from KL. Good beach, Jungles surrounding the town( The place is flooded with Monkeys) make it an ideal place for a perfect weekend.
I happened to come across an Indian Bistro (restaurant & Pub) and was very happy that I could locate that for my very first dinner at Malaysia. Why is that I end up looking for an Indian restaurant anywhere I landup ? The whole world when travels around, tries different cuisines. I and some good old Indians are so nationalistic that we cant just imagine trying out any other cuisine.
It was run by an Indian from Singapore. I went in and asked for Chappathis and Baingan Barta. After sometime, I end up getting the dish and to my surprise all I could find in that dish was just Aloo. I searched for Baingan and to my relief was able to see four or five small pieces of the egg plant. Phew !!! When he said his roots are from Delhi, I should have guessed it...I was very hungy, hence did not complain and ended up eating the chappathis with the Aloo Baingan that I got.
The next day also it was the same. I went asked for Dal Makhni and imagine what I got ? I ended up getting Dal Fry. This time I politely told the owner that he should consider changing his menu card. Then he explained his entire story as how he was running the restaurant and pub separately and how he had got chefs from India. Now the business is not doing that well. He just had one chef and uses the same old menu. Hence the shock. Hmm..Not even an apology....Long way to go in terms of service. He knows that I will come to him without fail in my next trip. He had even had the guts to say that I should help him out by telling my colleagues (word of mouth..hee hee) about his Bistro and the craziest thing was that when he said "Hotel mein Dandora vandora Pito Yaar. Public Aati hai, aur Upar chinese restaurant chali jaati hai. Tell the receptionist about this wonderful Indian restaurant".
I happened to come across an Indian Bistro (restaurant & Pub) and was very happy that I could locate that for my very first dinner at Malaysia. Why is that I end up looking for an Indian restaurant anywhere I landup ? The whole world when travels around, tries different cuisines. I and some good old Indians are so nationalistic that we cant just imagine trying out any other cuisine.
It was run by an Indian from Singapore. I went in and asked for Chappathis and Baingan Barta. After sometime, I end up getting the dish and to my surprise all I could find in that dish was just Aloo. I searched for Baingan and to my relief was able to see four or five small pieces of the egg plant. Phew !!! When he said his roots are from Delhi, I should have guessed it...I was very hungy, hence did not complain and ended up eating the chappathis with the Aloo Baingan that I got.
The next day also it was the same. I went asked for Dal Makhni and imagine what I got ? I ended up getting Dal Fry. This time I politely told the owner that he should consider changing his menu card. Then he explained his entire story as how he was running the restaurant and pub separately and how he had got chefs from India. Now the business is not doing that well. He just had one chef and uses the same old menu. Hence the shock. Hmm..Not even an apology....Long way to go in terms of service. He knows that I will come to him without fail in my next trip. He had even had the guts to say that I should help him out by telling my colleagues (word of mouth..hee hee) about his Bistro and the craziest thing was that when he said "Hotel mein Dandora vandora Pito Yaar. Public Aati hai, aur Upar chinese restaurant chali jaati hai. Tell the receptionist about this wonderful Indian restaurant".
Saturday, April 15, 2006
Grand Sweets & PSA
When I came back from India, I got good amount of rice-mixes which can be had with rice. Thanks to my Chithappa who introduced me to Grand Sweets sometime back, I have been enjoying tasty food here. These guys, though might be a little expensive for the common man are known for their quality of sweets and mixes they serve.
Their location and the way they run their business is a breath of fresh air. They try to make it as an experience. Liked it. They operate from a bungalow in Gandhi Nagar at Adayar, Chennai. The front part of their house is the place where the business happens. As soon as you enter, you get in touch with one of the sales person, choose your sweets after which you are given a token number. Till your order gets packed, you are made to wait. This is the time that people really look forward as they serve good amount of freebies to enjoy during the waiting period. You get hot and spicy Puliyogara or sweet Sakkarapongal or Kesari etc. They serve in such a sumptuous quantity that, by the time you are finished, your order is ready.
The concept of Broken Sweets is something which needs a mention. If you were to buy any sweet item it will cost you say X Rupees. The same item is sold separately at a lower rate because of mishandling due to packaging and this is quite a hit among the customers as they specifically ask for the Broken Sweets or Savories. Knowing that the broken sweets will cannibalise their unbroken sweets, they dont sell broken items regularly. They hold the broken items sales back and give them at intervals.
They just dont restrict their business with sweets alone. They have chaats/chettinad snacks/rice mixes/pickles etc in their menu for us to enjoy. If your order is more than 500 bucks, you get good discount on the books they sell. Yes they have a small collection of Hindu Philosophy, Mythology books. The junta keeps on coming to them just for the sheer experience and the quality of their products. You can go anytime and see the place crowded with the middle class mamas and mamis. I have been there many times but this time, I was observing them with real interest and could make out why they are succesful as they are.
"Athithi Devo Bhava" - Guest is like God and these guys truly know that their Customers are God to them. Kudos to them for their excellent service !!!
It was Good Friday and we had a get together at Arun George's place. I fell in love with the place. It was called the "Marina Garden" and the condo was huge. Nice Barbeque place they had and we went there around 7.45 PM and had fun till 11 PM. Later we went to Arun's apt and enjoyed till 1. Me and Mani were saying that we should shift to something similar to that place.
Networked (??) with a lot of new people. Siddharth and Shivani, Olivier, Serene, Siddharth and the other NBS stalwarts. Dada was having fun with full enthusiasm.
Moy and me were discussing about PSA on our way back and how they are slowly losing out to other terminals especially PTP terminal in Malaysia. Since I did some profiling work about PSA, I knew what Moy was talking. PSA, was one of the early adopters of technology. As early as 1991 or 1992, they implemented RFID solutions. Their CITOS (Computer Intergrated Terminal Operating System) and Portnet solutions were their pillars of strength. But their business is kinda taking a beating because of the concept "Commoditization of Services/Technology". Peter Keen also emphasized the point during his lectures. As the technology/service providers operate in a Product development mode these days, the technological advantage can be obtained by all. But PSA has also started to bounce back after 2001/2002 dip. Hope they get better and better. Now It is going to be tough for them though !!!
Their location and the way they run their business is a breath of fresh air. They try to make it as an experience. Liked it. They operate from a bungalow in Gandhi Nagar at Adayar, Chennai. The front part of their house is the place where the business happens. As soon as you enter, you get in touch with one of the sales person, choose your sweets after which you are given a token number. Till your order gets packed, you are made to wait. This is the time that people really look forward as they serve good amount of freebies to enjoy during the waiting period. You get hot and spicy Puliyogara or sweet Sakkarapongal or Kesari etc. They serve in such a sumptuous quantity that, by the time you are finished, your order is ready.
The concept of Broken Sweets is something which needs a mention. If you were to buy any sweet item it will cost you say X Rupees. The same item is sold separately at a lower rate because of mishandling due to packaging and this is quite a hit among the customers as they specifically ask for the Broken Sweets or Savories. Knowing that the broken sweets will cannibalise their unbroken sweets, they dont sell broken items regularly. They hold the broken items sales back and give them at intervals.
They just dont restrict their business with sweets alone. They have chaats/chettinad snacks/rice mixes/pickles etc in their menu for us to enjoy. If your order is more than 500 bucks, you get good discount on the books they sell. Yes they have a small collection of Hindu Philosophy, Mythology books. The junta keeps on coming to them just for the sheer experience and the quality of their products. You can go anytime and see the place crowded with the middle class mamas and mamis. I have been there many times but this time, I was observing them with real interest and could make out why they are succesful as they are.
"Athithi Devo Bhava" - Guest is like God and these guys truly know that their Customers are God to them. Kudos to them for their excellent service !!!
It was Good Friday and we had a get together at Arun George's place. I fell in love with the place. It was called the "Marina Garden" and the condo was huge. Nice Barbeque place they had and we went there around 7.45 PM and had fun till 11 PM. Later we went to Arun's apt and enjoyed till 1. Me and Mani were saying that we should shift to something similar to that place.
Networked (??) with a lot of new people. Siddharth and Shivani, Olivier, Serene, Siddharth and the other NBS stalwarts. Dada was having fun with full enthusiasm.
Moy and me were discussing about PSA on our way back and how they are slowly losing out to other terminals especially PTP terminal in Malaysia. Since I did some profiling work about PSA, I knew what Moy was talking. PSA, was one of the early adopters of technology. As early as 1991 or 1992, they implemented RFID solutions. Their CITOS (Computer Intergrated Terminal Operating System) and Portnet solutions were their pillars of strength. But their business is kinda taking a beating because of the concept "Commoditization of Services/Technology". Peter Keen also emphasized the point during his lectures. As the technology/service providers operate in a Product development mode these days, the technological advantage can be obtained by all. But PSA has also started to bounce back after 2001/2002 dip. Hope they get better and better. Now It is going to be tough for them though !!!
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Orkut and Xeroxing !!!
Yesterday Mani sent me the invite to join the Orkut group maintained by Google. I am already a member of the yahoo groups and I never felt that I should be one at Orkut too. I accepted Mani's invite and went ahead in becoming a member. I was lost in Orkut for the next three hours. It is really a fresh air from others and the way you can connect across different groups, getting to know your friends, the groups they are into is cool. I got myself registered to 7 or 8 groups. Too bad that I am so late to join this group. But better late than never.
In one of our Marketing class, Prof emphasised that the concept of generalising a product with a brand name is harmful. I thought it was a success for the brand. But he was thinking otherwise. Example was Xerox. Now Xeroxing is the verb that we normally use for copying. But why should that be treated as detrimental to the brand. I am not sure. But recently I saw an ad by Xerox themselves saying that Xerox is a brand and not a product. Wondering if Google will also come up with something like this? The word Googling has come in full force replacing Searching on the internet. Is Google not enjoying the success ride ?
In one of our Marketing class, Prof emphasised that the concept of generalising a product with a brand name is harmful. I thought it was a success for the brand. But he was thinking otherwise. Example was Xerox. Now Xeroxing is the verb that we normally use for copying. But why should that be treated as detrimental to the brand. I am not sure. But recently I saw an ad by Xerox themselves saying that Xerox is a brand and not a product. Wondering if Google will also come up with something like this? The word Googling has come in full force replacing Searching on the internet. Is Google not enjoying the success ride ?
Thursday, April 06, 2006
On my way back
My mission was successful on many fronts. I resigned from my previous employer, asked them to adjust my three months of notice period with my leave and PF. They agreed for the same. Missed my gratuity amount because I did not serve the company for full five years in service. (Missed it by 2 months).
Met my ex boss and ex colleagues. HR was quite cool and wished me good luck. Met almost all of my relatives. Had Ganapathy homam and Navgraha homam at Chithappa’s place. It was a nice get together with good food. My Mama suggested a gal’s horoscope saying that it matches very well with mine. Was a little confused when everybody rushed in and suggested that I should see the gal before I left. But common sense prevailed. I have asked my parents to send the gal’s photo after their successful first round of talks. Let me check out how lucky I turn out to be.
Went to Pondicherry. Suresh’s marriage reception was a good surprise. Most of the Pecneers of the 1999 batch were there. Shankar and family, HariPrasad and family, Srini, Pap, Dhileep, Kandavel, Chala, Venkatasubbu, Canessan, Rangadurai, Murugan and others graced the occasion. It was quite nostalgic when some of the ECE Professors turned up for the marriage reception.
Got amount of stuffs this time, especially dresses and food items. Was a little concerned if I have taken beyond the limit. But the Airlines allowed me to take 28kgs. Planning to become a Frequent Flyer in Srilankan Airlines. The clean and punctual Aircrafts, the very friendly cabin crews etc made me think of flying this airline once again. Kudos to their service. In
Heard recently Rahman’s Godfather. Two songs captured my attention. Ilamai sung by Udit and Innisai sung by some female singer. Hummable. Do listen to them.
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