Ankit Agarwal

On 'American Express Offering Farmville Cash'

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:01:00 -0700

American Express is teaming with Zynga on a reward program that will link offline spending on its Serve pre-paid cards to in-game rewards in Farmville. It’s a pretty ambitious attempt at boosting the reach of American Express’ nascent Serve product and tying real-world spending to online virtual rewards for millions of social game enthusiasts.

via gigaom.com

Real spending rewarded with virtual cash!! On one hand, I weep for the stupidity of such an idea wherein people will actually be lured by a card which rewards in Farmville cash but on the other I feel amazed at how technology companies are pushing the boundaries of innovation and business models to make something of this sort possible.

Time will be a testament to the failure or success of such a program but this sure is one interesting development

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On 'Speculations of Apple Selling iPad Mini At A Loss'

Mon, 21 May 2012 09:20:00 -0700

I came across this headline Apple may attempt to push Android Tabs off market by selling iPad Mini at a loss which highlights a speculation that Apple might consider releasing a mini version of the iPad at a price point of $200-250. Well, as with all Apple related news this one is also pure speculation but I just wondered what it means for Apple and the consumers if it was indeed true.

For one, there is certain rationale behind targetting a price sensitive market which by the way has never been Apple's concern before. However the Android juggernaut is rolling at breakneck speed and despite all the fragmentation and primarily medicore tablets from a pleothra of manufacturers, Android tablets are flooding the market big time. Tablets still being a new category, if Android gains marketshare quickly it might dent Apple's iPad sales. So, if the top echeleons at Apple are indeed considering a cheaper version of the iPad I wont necessarily be surprised.

However, here is the problem! if Apple sells iPad Mini at a loss it will essentially be following a LOSS LEADER strategy. Now, Apple has enough cash to be the loss leader and penetrate the tablet market so from a pure financial side it may not be a foolish move. But the problem i see is the brand equity dynamics at stake for Apple should this happen. For me, Apple is still very much a brand play notwithstanding brilliant design and technology innovation. Apple products always bear a certain price premium and attract a certain market segment (which continues to grow by the way). After so many years, I wonder why would Apple want to change that and risk diluting its brand value. Or will operating as a loss leader in a particular category be a blow to Apple's brand equity?

@rgokul pointed out that if at all Apple needs to target the price sensitive market, it could very well launch one with a $300 price point. Turns out if it does sell the iPad Mini at $300, Apple might be able to turn out a decent gross margin of 16%.

Incase there is an iota of truth to the matter, I can't help but ask, "Would Steve Jobs allow this?". Possibly not from whatever little I have read about the man but Tim Cook is no Steve Jobs and he might be thinking rationally to ward off Android threat.

Only time will tell whether the iPad Mini rumors have any substance but it sure will be interesting to see how the tablet market changes if at all it does.

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On Amazon's X-Factor And Practical Lessons On Inventory & Cash Management

Sun, 06 May 2012 23:48:00 -0700

via i.imgur.com

While hundreds of features work in making Amazon the retail behemoth it is, the picture above tells you the dirty secret of it's success. MBA books will tell you all about turning the inventory as fast as possible and that liquidity & positive cash flow is GOD but boy, talk about making it work.

To a certain extent, Amazon now has the power to arm-twist the suppliers in furnishing credit term but it is amazing to see that the real factors for business success could be hidden deep down in the day-to-day backend operations of a company

Picture via @ankeshk

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On 'Free Loaders', 'Social Loafers' And 'Grade Whores'

Sun, 06 May 2012 10:42:12 -0700

Oh! How have i have resisted writing about this for quite sometime now but there are times when the mind is enraged and a vent is required. I always enjoy simulating discussions with folks and I have been fortunate to have had great team members during my professional stint. Individuals with a diverse knowledge background, open minds and above all- the urge to make the discussions worth everyone's while.

However, in the last 4 months of my MBA I have seemed to be developing a phobia for team work. Well, I do know that MBA is about learning team work and how to manage the very aspect of working in teams. But then, I wonder why some people behave the way they do making them impossible to work with. Luckily, learning Organizational Behavior has helped me euphemise this category of horrible team mates. At the onset, I am not saying I am the perfect team mate that exists- actually far from it. But then, I have been trying to work on the feedback I have received from some good friends over the last few months.

As for Free Loaders, the term says it all! The kind that just think that them being part of the team suffices as participation and contribution. For them, team work is a sheer waste of time which they would rather utlize elsewhere say hanging out etc. To be fair, there are plenty like that in every group setting and to be frank I am kind of OK with these people. In their defense, they aren't gunning for high grades or competition and don't expect high standards from the team. Even if they don't contribute to the group's success, they don't end up disrupting it either

Social Loafers are the worst kind. The kind that gets my blood gushing! These special kind of people are the ones who are generally smart and can offer a lot when it comes to making a positive contribution. But then, team work just does not fit into their scheme of their grand plans of world domination. For them, individual performance is what matters to them and they live by it. Team projects are just not worth their intelligence and better left to the not-so-smart minions they have been put in a team with

To say that Grade Whores are bad would be wrong on my part for the reason that GRADES are indeed the benchmark and the validation of academic excellence. Every academic course has the notions of grades/marks engrained and this is their way of seperating the proverbial grain from the chaff. However, I wonder if some folks take the whole idea of grades to their heart. I personally feel it is awful to focus on grades at the cost of learning. Yes, grades are important and for heaven's sake study hard, learn harder. Isn't that the way to ensure high grades. Well, some of the folks i know would disagree. For them, what is more important is saying/writing what has been taught and the professor might find worthy of giving a high grade. It need not make any sense at all but hey common sense never ensures grades, does it.

Phew!! Some bitching that was. If you are reading this and think I had you in mind while writing this up, you might be right. No offence is intended though!!!

PS:: If you have worked with me in any formal/informal team setting and you think even I might fall in any of the above cateogy, please to use the comment box and let me know! I will appreciate that

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On 'Value', 'Competition' And 'I don't know what'

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:26:33 -0700

It's been a long time i rambled here. For one things have been really busy post the first term break and then I have been jostling whether to pen my thoughts down. But as they, might as well get it out of the system while you can. So here I am,

Value:

We had a course titled Managing For Value Creation. I knew I am going to like the course when the very first day Porter's 5 forces was discussed. Now, when i was working with the Corporate Strategy team with my employer, we did a lot of Porter's 5 forces both for internal as well as external research. Porter's on the entire satellite industry value chain right from manufacturers, service providers and what have you. There were few others i cant recollect but the point was that we did it at a very superficial level and in my case, i never really had the chance to even go through the why's and how's of Porter's 5 forces. But then, that's the thing with learning on the job and meeting deadlines. Revisiting Porter's 5 forces from an academic perspective was an eye opener and helped me reflect quite a bit on what i had already done.

The other highlight of the course for me was the whole notion around ethical and social responsibility of a business or to put it in a more theoretical notation- Shareholder value maximization v/s stakeholder value maximization. I loved how the course had quite a few case studies to help us appreciate the concepts. There was Walmart's value for America, Dharavi re-development project, Alberta Oil sands etc. which went a long way in highlighting the ugly side of capitalism or so to speak. From a conceptual perspective, it makes absolute sense for businesses to give two hoots about social and ethical good while they strive for economic benefits. However, having been in the thin (i had a superficial view) of action where budget planning is done and YOY growth numbers need to improve everytime, i am sorry to say but social and ethical responsibilities take a hike. Yes, there are strategies being drafted and experiments being done to improve the society and the environment, i fail to see businesses embedding all stakeholders in their DNA. I am sure the market dynamics will make it indispensable to maintain an profit maximization view alone but until and unless there is a standardized framework and dare i say- policy level enforcements, I am voting for the idea that the social responsibility of business is to increase its profits

Another aspect of value that i should have written about is the access to great business executives and leaders via the guest lecture series that we have in place. We have had some amazing C-level executives come and share their stories with us and believe you me, there have been multiple instances where I have been left spellbound. Today was one such day where we had a speaker whose every word was worth its weight in gold. The speaker had a great lineage and a enviable career trajectory i am even scared to aspire for. While we spend most of our time running after course readings and assignments, i think the true value of MBA shines through by the way of learning from people who have seen it all, done it all and keep doing it every single day.

Competition:

In the words of my great friend S, it was only a matter of time. While the initial 3 months were amazing in terms of the brilliant camaraderie that our batch shared, there are definite signs of a competition surfacing. I am not saying its a bad thing and i love myself some competition but it did hit me by surprise. The only aspect i am worried about is this competition driven on the basis of grades and such. I don't discount the importance of grades but i don't want this competitiveness to hinder the peer interaction. Well, I will have to wait and see but i look forward to this competition

I don't know what

This is a tricky one. I am still struggling to put an exact word to the thoughts messing my head and i don't know whether i am over thinking it in the first place. This is a continuation of my issues with calling spade a spade and i am still struggling with it. There are too many people and too many things i need to get freaking straight with and get rid of the turmoil i put myself through. I have always had the notion that one can be friends with lot of people without getting into the comfort zone of a smallish group. Well, good friend P has always told me it does not work but i keep telling myself that may be there i was i can be the same with everyone and expect the same from everyone. Turns out it ain't happening. I guess its human tendency to create subsets of their social graphs and it goes as far as deciding the same for others. I find myself in a similar situation getting torned between trying to be a part of multiple such groups at the same time. Lot of folks aren't happy with this and even though they all don't say it, i get a sense their is lot being said silently. I know i shouldn't care and do what i want to do but that's now how my anatomy is. I just hope I find a middle ground because things on the academic side are only going to get hectic and i won't have the luxury of time to keep battling with it.

Phew!!! That went long but i feel happy that words just come out in a strech. Gotta give posterous credit for the whole e-mail to post thing; i would never have written like this had i been writing via WLW or the blog dashboard.

Till next time.....

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On Self-Induced Misery and Not Calling A Spade A Spade

Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:03:42 -0800

Have you been all happy and joyous and then overthink stuff only to make yourself all sad and miserable. Well, I have and i tend to do it very often! I think it is an extension of what i have written in the past here and here and i hate the effect that i havent been making progress on accepting and loving who i am. To always compare and sabotage the real me is not something i want to continue doing. The strange part being that i dont draw comparisons across multiple parameters but only the ones i know i am going to fall short of. If not anything this whole self-induced misery messes up the fun Ankit. The whole idea of being good at everything and seeking validation for the same is not letting me come out of the shell and pushing me back.

I have always prided myself on being the straight forward no-nonsense guy. Most of the times, what is in my heart is what is on my mouth. But i have this habit of not calling a spade a spade when i know it might change the other person's opinion about me or worse hurt the other person. I think this goes back to me trying to be good and being cherised by others. To be able to say the harshest truth and to be point black true is what i need to aspire to become. If i rub some people off the wrong way in the process, then let it be. Atleast i wont keep feeling uneasy and weird about it myself.

I know the post does not make a lot of sense but as usual had to get it out of my system. Till next time......

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On 'Trying To Be Too Many Things', 'Comparisons' And 'Priding Myself On My Strengths'

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 13:54:43 -0800

Last few days have been really weird to say the least. Tons of work, tons of frustration,personal turmoil and then tons of fun. I don't know what's the net-net but the fact that i am writing this now is because i can't sleep :-(

All i know is that there are too many things running in my head right now and i need to vent. On a personal level, i think i am making progress on opening up to new people and trying to break apart the shell i lived in for sometime. While i dont necessarily mind the progress, the transition has juxtaposed into another complexity. While i want to be as open as possible to exploring new things i think i am over burdening myself by trying to be too many things. More than that, what is bugging me is the fact that i am not good at many of this things and i am getting worked up on this sorry discovery. It is no rocket science that i cannot be good at too many things and its ok to SUCK at lots of things. Tell that to my chaotic brain which just starts comparing. When i start comparing, i come short at various places and for some reason i dont necessary like that. So, #notetoself is to not try to be too many things or rather not try to freaking compare how i fare at all things i do. As long as I am going out of the comfort zone and being open to trying, that should be enough.

An extension of the same is undermining myself. When i fall short in comparison with someone doing something better, i tend to go through those super depressed and low self-confidence mode. What i need to realize is that i have strengths and capabilities that i am extremely good at. I need to freaking take pride in things i am good at and get that self-confidence meter up. I don't have to feel sorry for what i am not but rather feel great about what i am.

On a related note, time to up the seriousness quotient on academics. Been slacking too much.

Till next time.......

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Milk Is The Topline and Butter Is The Bottom Line

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:47:00 -0800

A business or job - or even a talented person - can be seen as a cow that generates milk. Krishna plays the flute to draw out the cow. He is Go-pala, the keeper of the cow. His abode is Go-loka, the realm of the cow, where milk flows forever. Thus a leader has to be able to manage a business like the caretaker of a cow, ensuring it gets enough grass to make milk.

via articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Just the article one needs to go WOW on a lazy Saturday afternoon. I have been a fan of Devdutt Pattanaik's short articles in CD-ET and the one today is just mindblowing. PS: He really has a cool job title as well

The whole idea of comparing a business to a cow sounds insane but the way it is brought out is every bit believable. The article goes on to suggest that while it is easy to get milk (revenues) from the cow (business), it is the butter(net income) that requires a lot of churning and hardwork.

In the little professional experience as well, i have noticed the maddening focus on increasing the topline while the bottomline is seldom stressed upon. Well, bottomline comes into picture mostly during the annual budget meet where the top brass try to look beyond the topline and poke to find out how much butter was churned.

I like how the article ends relating the milk-butter analogy with Partha and how his strive for butter comes at a sacrifice. At some level, i was comfortable in my job even though the amount of milk wasn't enough :P . My MBA journey has already made me start churning and even though this is the beginning i am sure there will be sacrifices to make going forward. Here's hoping that no matter how much i churn, i get to make lots of butter :D

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On 'Value Of Free Time', Reading, Mind Reading And The Unsaid!!!

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:25:53 -0800

Last two days have been crazy to say the least. 48 hours- one group (6 people) assignment, another group (2 people) assignment .I have never shared a good rappo with accounting and even though the course has made me appreciate the subject a little more, i still don't think me and accounting have a future together.
Anyway, i am writing this after sleeping like a baby for 5 hours, devouring some amazing aquatic animals (king fish, pomphret et all). Long story short, these two experiences made me think up about the 'Time value of free time'. I blame the accounting text book for the nomenclature but i found the interpretation profound. Here's what i realized! After going through a gruesome ordeal getting the assignments done, there was this small window from post-noon to now where there was literally time to relax because from tomorrow,more assignments beckon. It was about realizing the value of this precious time in hand. I had initially planned on just crashing on the bed as soon as i am back from the class and wake up tomorrow morning in all probability. But then, the average joe (me) thought about the lack of fun. So, i spent the afternoon sitting with friends having lots of fun, sleeping for 5 odd hours and making sure i tag along with a bunch of friends going to this amazing Goa Bhavan (hattip Aditi)to have amazing rawa fish fry. I might rue the lack of sleep tomorrow but hey, there is a premium on free time right now. I could have slept it all off but i ended up making the most of it while also managing to sleep. Well, i don't think i have managed to pen my interpretation the way i wanted to but this will have to do.

I am back to reading again!!! Ever since i joined the MBA program i have been cursing myself to take sometime out for reading. Reading for the course work, newspaper and a few magazine articles is what my reading has been reduced to. So, tonight i started with 'Unselling- Sell Less..To Win More'. Not the best genre to choose since there is going to be lot of gyaan in there instead of a more relaxed genre like say romance, fiction etc. but i am happy i just initiated it. Now to continue managing time to atleast read for a good 45-60 mins everyday.

There have also been some 'i should write about this but i wont' experiences that if written might rub people off. I know i am not the 'know-it-all' dude here but what perplexes me is how some people just keep taking things for granted and don't think for a moment the implications of the words they utter.Then there are some who just need to keep uttering (more like ask *wink*)like their life depended on it. Let me strike that here lest i open the pandora's box.

I have always enjoyed knowing myself through others; something that in corporate speak translates to Appraisal. I received a few of them on my professional (group work) activities and it was interesting to see a co-relation between what others thought and what i have chronicled here with #notetoself. On a related note, i would love the power to read people's minds and find out what they think about me. I would love to know myself through atelast a few of my colleagues here.

Update: Reread the whole thing before hitting publishing (i seldom do that) and i don't really like how i have done the 'putting thoughts to paper' exercise. But i am kinda liking this 'impulse' writing approach where i just write whatever fancies my mind with no structure or agenda.

Till next time.....

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On 'There Is No Right Answer', Relative Happiness & Getting A Life

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:28:43 -0800

I had planned to be regular with posting my experiences here but then consistency is not my forte. So, as long as i have decided to sit my arse down and write i might as well bundle a few thoughts together.

To start with, i recently finished my first course of the MBA program and to say that it blew me away would be an understatement. To be frank, the course material in itself was not something out of the world or anything but it was the teaching style and the professor which made me go WOW!! All our lives, education has centered around sitting in a classroom, listening to the teacher and learn the right answer(s). Well, my first course just managed to kick 'cliched' education out of the park. The professor made it a point that we (me and my batchmates) are not here to learn the 'right answer(S)', we are here to ask the right questions. More than that, the whole concept of 'There is ONE right answer' may not apply. I have already written reflection papers on the course so i dont intend to repeat my reflections on the course. What i would say is that the course made me THINK again!! Weren't you thinking all this while, you ask?? Well, i was surprised too but guess what; for the most part the thinking was done to find/reach the right answer (which most of the times exists somewhere). The course made me discover the inner self all over again and question the existing knowledge and ideology that i had ammased over the last few years.

Happiness is a weird word especially when it comes to me!! I enjoy being happy and often times i do have this happy go lucky written on my forehead that is good. However, i have this really bad notion of relative happiness. One moment i am happy and rejoicing on the success/achievement and another moment i start comparing the same with others and there i flush my happiness down the drain. I really want to be happy with myself and for others but some shitty neuron in my brain tells me to undermine my happiness if there is another one happy for the same reason as me. #notetoself Rejoice and bask in your happy moments and appreciate the happy moments of others.

Getting A Life!! I have been wrestling with this for quite sometime now. From an out an out extrovert to a 'gone in a shell' introvert; i have not regretted the transtition but bygod i have been fighting it for sometime now. From immersing myself in books, blogging and twitter i kind of lost touch with the real life or as they say ' I forgot to get a life'. Not to say that it was enforced on me, but it just happened and i did not do anything to stop the darn thing. I don't regret reading books or living a digital life but i do regret not giving enough time to family and friends; especially friends. Lots of close friends i distanced myself from for no reason at all and lots of new friends i did not make because i could care less. Coming back to college, i told myself to break the mould and try to GET A LIFE!! I am not quite there as yet but yes i am getting there. Actually spending time talking to friends face to face, indulging in sports (well, i don't do much but hey participation counts right) i am revisiting a routine i had forgotten. Here's to making more conscious efforts to become more affable and create the comfortable space around me that invites people to bond and talk....

I have tons to write about but this will have to do for now#

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Day 1: SCREWED :D

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:10:44 -0800

The title pretty much sums up my first day at the MBA program. Well, a lot of other things as well but yes, SCREWED is what i had written all over me by the time the class ended and for good reasons. But i will get to that later.

There was this 'anxiety' vibe in the class with everyone looking forward to what the program has in store. The 'Introduce' yourself series was pretty much an usual affair with 'NGO work' and 'Dviersity' being the most used keywords :-) Personally for me, i had this thought run through my mind that the industry/professional diversity is not what i wanted it to be. Over the course of the next few days the perception has changed to a certain extent and i am sure there is going to be enough diversity especially when it comes to diversity of thought process. #notetoself Learn to not judge too early

The course started with a rather interesting subject and something that pretty much will be the part and parcel of what will be expected from all of us- both professionally and personal. I loved the completely conversational/particpatory approach followed by the professor because my past experiences in 'studying' (if i may call that) leadership has been rather one-way. Come to think of it, i find the whole concept around teaching leadership ironical but i guess the concepts could aid in developing the whole thinking process. Time will tell i guess. Too many thoughts were bounced around in class with some being really insightful and some boring me to death. On a personal note, i wasn't really happy with my capability to articulate my thoughts either. #notetoself Learn to listen well and get better at being concise

S.C.R.E.W.D

I kind of came with an expectation that an MBA course like this leaves literally notime for doing anything except course work. Boy, did it turn out true!! Very first, there was a huge list of course work to be done including individual as well as group project. Yes, individual project ok but hell, a group project on the very first day of the course. For someone who takes time to open up with people, i kind of felt weird from the mere thought of working with 8 other totally unknown folks on a project that sounded weird in itself. Add to that, the introduction session which introduced tons of online tools that need to accessed and used actively inorder to just getby through the course. My plan for dedicating sometime to blog everyday scattered like nine pins. This is the reason i got around writing this almost a week later but given the fact that i am going to use this blog for lots of introspection, i have tried to capture the essence of my first day as it was and not how it has changed within a week.

Hoping that i will be able to manage time efficiently and find time to capture my thoughts from the course as it goes forward and doing so, re-discover myself and have fun while doing it.

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Where It All Starts!!

Sun, 08 Jan 2012 09:36:27 -0800

They say that a new year gives way to new beginnings and indeed some beginning it has been for me - becoming a student again. After 4 years of immensely gratifying professional experience with a fair share of ups and downs, the mere thought of becoming a student was both exciting and nerve racking. New place, New people, a new routine for the next 16 months and in all probability a new direction to life altogether.

All said and done, i announced to the world (or the 600 odd FB friends) that the eagle has landed :-)

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