Dubai Means Business

Dubai Means business...

Don't we all mean business, always ? Or want to ? Of course in the right spirit of busineSS ? With ethics & values.

Came across this brilliant clip - well-planned & executed.

I have always loved the energy of Dubai, like 'Amchi'(our own) Mumbai. But always liked my short trips to there, personal or professional. Thankfully, not living there :)

Check out
http://c522031.r31.cf3.rackcdn.com/Infra_Website_Long_UK.mp4

A simple test for a budding entrepreneur

Are you still 'planning' to start a business ? Still working on the Business Plan ? Still dreaming big ? As they say in SSpirituality, there is nothing like a SSpiritual Plan (like Bus Plan). Just do it !! But the simple test is to differentiate between thoughts emanating from EGO & DIVINITY ! Of course, that is applicable to virtually any situation in life. Sharing this article to take a call & move on.... Put the business idea to a simple test : Dream Vs Passion Check out http://www.inc.com/tom-searcy/start-a-business-are-you-passionate-enough.html?utm_source=sales-and-marketing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=incid40664week08

A healthy salad with a side of ignorance

A healthy salad with a side of ignorance

The problem is trained staff.

Surprisingly that part of the event is taken for granted.

Hertz Eco plans

More big brands should take up such 'big' Eco friendly initiatives

Leadership lessons from Toyota's recall crisis

Came across this interesting article in Fortune on Toyota. *

Virtually every one was critical about the re-call fiasco at Toyota.

• The customers ( present, past & future?) were upset for failing to live up to their (our) perception about Toyota quality !
• People representative, government agencies and relative departments, were quick to pounce on the copmany 
• Media was quick to jump, to give maximum coverage, may be in their pursuit of TRP, rather than customer safety ( environmental safety is beyond most of media, anyways!)
• Experts were quick to point out the whole episode as a 'PR fiasco'. They meant, if Toyota had handled PR well, just as most mega corps may do, it would have been less damaging !!
• Even nature seemed to be furious, unleashing disasters at their facilities in Japan & Thailand !

Perhaps all forgot the fact, for every Toyota recall crisis, 100 go unreported - we can blame it on an indifferent consumer, irresponsible govt machinery & media... and, a bit of PR effort by the erring organisations !

Now, at the end of the recall crisis, Toyota can breathe easily. We are talking about a 800k cars officially involved in recall ! Mind-blowing numbers, surely.

Thrust into the presidency in 2009, he would be preferred a less dramatic period to settle down. But, he had to face a series of challenges, natural & man-made ( are all not man-made, at a holistic level ?)

Toyota is on a come-back trail. Lot of credit goes to the leadership.
They will (have to ) focus more on quality, will launch many news models/variants (over 20 planned in 2012), will energise not only their Lexus brand, but also the manpower....
The youthful leader now appears less in suits, but more in the garb of a racer !!
Of course, media is only keen to oblige !!

Interesting times ahead for the automobile enthusiast !


* Check out the link
http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/02/09/toyota-akio-toyoda-comeback/?section=magazines_fortune

SRK brand ambassador of Kolkotta

@SrBachchan was chosen brand ambassador of Gujarat. I was not entirely happy. Not because I have anything against the superstar or the govt.

Even now, when I see AB on TV, whether in a movie/ad/interview/news-bite, I get 'hooked', briefly though.  When I get totally involved with the program, laugh (as it happened 2 days ago watching a scene from 'Sharabi'), my wife finds it amusing! Otherwise my natural disposition is not a 'smiley').
The angry young man was the hero, all along childhood & teens!

For Gujarat, I felt a better choice would have been a successful Gujju. But then, as always, AB brings an element of class to anything he does - whether it is performance in Chini Kum/Paa or KBC (I hardly watched though) or ads (ICICI bank/Pru or Titan or Reid & Taylor).

 Now Kolkotta has gone a step further & roped in SRK. Now, he does not live there, naturally. He is not a Bong! Of course, he owns part of Knight Riders.(He just introduced a new logo, along with Juhi )
But, by 'mis-handling' the Prince of Kolkotta, he has as many cricket-fans against him, across the city & country.

Why this obsession with Bollywood ? BWood is an important, beautiful & integral part of India. But, we need to look beyond just Bollywood. Of course, beyond cricket too. Tendulkar can expect a call to represent Amchi Mumbai. Rajnikanth/MSD can expect a call from Chennai ( a new Tamil film is "Dhoni, not out")  Of course, current CM & previous CM, both with their roots in Tamil cinema, may consider themselves the ultimate brand-ambassadors for Chennai !

Watch out for more city/state brand ambassadors !

gulfnews : Ford revs up for another year of robust growth

Ford registered 50% growth in region.

The new Explorer is a big draw

Watch out Lincoln range - more action expected in near future

gulfnews : Ford revs up for another year of robust growth