Karthik Writes..

As I sit down to write this blog after a month when my father was critically ill and was hospitalised, I still could not hide behind the kind of commercialism that had come into the medical field. Also the doctors whom I met no longer do this as a service but as a means to their end and also to the extent of accumulating and reserving for their heirs.  There was one old doctor I had to encounter whom I met on a night in the wake of emergency due to my fathers health condition who after treating him as slowly as possible(I was really frustrated with the slowness he exhibited in dealing a emergency case) was grossly engrossed in counting the cash collected for the day after instructing his nurse.  Also when asked again and again on the health condition replied that he can be admitted if I want to do so.(He left it to my discretion !!!) Again the next morning as there was no signs of improvement I had him admitted.  Later during the day when this doctor came for his rounds when asked on s...

Keep insurance and investments separate A N Shanbhag We have often pointed out and will do so once more - we are not in favour of any plan from whichever insurance company that seeks to combine insurance and investment. Such a blend, without exception, tends to be sub-optimal. It is always better to keep insurance and investments separate. All endowment, whole life policies and ULIPs are examples of combination insurance plans. On the other hand, a term insurance plan has no cash payout at the end of the term. This means if the policyholder were to pass away during the term of the policy, his family will get the sum assured. However, were he to survive he will not get a single rupee. In other words, term cover is pure life insurance and has no cash or surrender value. If this is indeed the case, why do we favour term insurance as against a traditional endowment or whole life policy which, at least pays, at the end of the day, no matter what, either the sum assured or the maturity value...

Good news is here......... If you are in Chennai and have the habit of watching Tamil regional channels, you would have seen the ad where two men standing on top of their residence terrace, fixing their "Dish" antenna, try to snub each other whose choice of DITCH TV is the best..!! Now, we go to the next stage where BSNL plans on launching the Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) in India. IPTV is a system that delivers digital content services to subscribers using the Internet protocol over a broadband connection using closed network infrastructure. The subscribers of BSNL's IPTV services will have access to over 140 television channels and an extensive movie library with Hollywood and Bollywood titles at no extra cost. Additionally, video, music, games and education on demand can also be availed. The company has launched services initially in three cities - Gurgaon, Faridabad and Ambala - and will later take it to the rest of the state. In the first phase, the IPTV serv...

As I was observing on the Process of Appraisals that were going on in my new Organisation, it brought about the subjectivity that is present in the system. The only way to come out in flying colors is, be a pet to your Boss and reap rich dividends. Though the companies claim about the various thought process that has been put forward in designing the appraisal system, it all boils down to the previous line you just read. I know a guy who always came out with the best score possible during the appraisal not because he did a great job but for his attitude to tasks given by his Boss. I do not claim that he is a person who just thrives because of the "pet" tag , though he does pretty decent job. But if you consider his peers who do the same "decent" job, they somehow end up lower than him. WHY ? Again it is how he presents himself to the boss...Watch below some of his action. Never disputes the idea told by the Boss. Can always spot some think good in the Worst of ...

We do need simple solutions but they've got to be ingenious too. The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the waters close to Japan have not held many fish for decades. So to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring in the fish. If the return trip took more than a few days, the fish were not fresh. The Japanese did not like the taste of stale fish. To solve this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen and they did not like frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired and dull, ...

Dealing with any clients in services is an art. In the case of IT, we primarily deal with American clients. It is useful to know how the English language works with them. Some of us may hesitate to speak to the client.Beacuse we are not confident. When we practice the following tips, we can boost our confidence. Interactions with American clients - Useful tips 1. Do not write "the same" in an email - it makes little sense to them. Example - I will try to organize the project artifacts and inform you of the same when it is done This is somewhat an Indian construct. It is better written simply as: I will try to organize the project artifacts and inform you when that is done 2. Do not write or say, "I have some doubts on this issue" The term "Doubt" is used in the sense of doubting someone - we use this term because in Indian languages (such as Tamil), the word for a "doubt" and a "question" is the same. The correct usage (for clients) is:...