Friday, April 25, 2008

World's worst sales letter? - Direct Marketing

Geoffery James author of over 7 books has recently blogged on BNet, sharing one of the Worst Sales Letter he has seen. Here is the letter which he got:

The bracketed numbers refer to comments below:
"Dear Mr. and Mrs. James
During the past few months, I have completed an intensive training program for real estate professionals through the Century 21 learning system. [1] With this recent training and my experience as a full service agent, I feel quite confident in my ability to help buyers and sellers with their real estate needs. [2]
Century 21 is one of the best real estate firms in the area due to the many educational programs promoting current market strategies[3], as well as many years of experience within the real estate community.[4] In addition, we provide:
- Outstanding service to all clients.[5]
- Market data that is always changing.[6]
- Weekly updates for clients listing there homes.[7]
- A wide variety of buying and selling tools.[8]
It is great working with a company that has so much to offer their clients.[9] If you or someone you know is considering buying or selling [10] property feel free to give out my name or business card [11] and I will do everything I can to meet their real estate needs.[12]
Sincerely,"
His comments:
[1] OK, you’re fresh out of school. So why would I want to work with you?
[2] That’s nice. Unfortunately, you’ve said absolutely nothing to make me feel confident in you.
[3] Why do I get the impression that some marketing guy wrote this as boilerplate?
[4] Experience doing what? Sending out awkward direct mail pieces? And compared to whom?
[5] Outstanding in what way? Outstandingly bad? And by how much? And where’s the proof?
[6] Huh? Does this mean that the data is getting more accurate or less accurate or what?
[7] And that’s important because…? And what’s with the typo?
[8] Sounds like a hardware store. Why would I care? What do the tools do?
[9] Glad you like it. Why should I care? What’s with the grammatical error?
[10] Trying to address two different markets weakens the entire pitch.
[11] At this point it starts sounding positively desperate.
[12] Why would I risk my friendships for somebody I don’t know?
What’s really wretched is that the letter was sent first class mail to individual families, on heavy stock paper. This means that each piece cost somebody — hopefully not the obviously hapless agent — at least half a buck per letter. I’d be surprised if the guy gets so much as a nibble. Pitiful. Truly pitiful.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

60% of Wives in US Crave for more Sex

TITLE or Subject Lines can make or break it!

Apology for using that subject line on a marketing, communication and technology blog, I just couldn't resist it to make my point! Get a Title that baffles people!

For obvious reasons if you are reading this, you were not interested in any book or Email Marketing, but, to know more about the decreasing libido in US men. I do not blame you, it's the title that can make or break the thing sometimes.

1) A recent example: "37 Mating Techniques" , one of my ol' friend bought this book. Obviously she was trying to lay her hands on something new which she can try out. And just out of embarrasment, she didn't bother to open the book to read what's inside. When she reached home, jump-opened the book, just to find out it was a book on chess!

2) Help for Sex starved Wives, I was reading this report on TIME.com with the Title "Help for SEX starved wives" by Michele Weiner Davis shattering the myth of men not getting enough sex. According to her survey with redbook where 1000 wives in US responded with 60% of them reported that they wanted at least as much, if not more, sex than their husbands. The Sex-Starved Wife: What to Do When He's Lost Desire (Simon & Schuster) was the new book that she is trying to promote!

3) More Sex please we are French, while on the other hand TIME reported in France the sexuality has increased in France. According to the new 600-page "Study of Sexuality in France," commissioned by France's National Research Agency on AIDS, both the number of partners and diversity of sexual activity has significantly increased in France in the last decade. Only 3.5% of women aged 18-35 years now say they are sexually abstinent. The title is just another example of how to promote your report with a Title that rocks!

Innovative Apple iPhone - Half Baked PR and Marketing Genius

I do not doubt the innovation genius behind Apple’s success. However, iphone was launched half baked and the PR and Marketing departments at Apple did the trick.

Apple’s strong brand has been able to drive the initial sales in US and they were able to sell millions. However, tech geeks that follow the mobile markets did not approve of the technical prowess of iPhone. There are 10 times better phones available in market than iPhone (eg LG Viewty) and Apple treated the customers shoddily by introducing the iPhone half baked with low memory options initially and no 3G.

For obvious reasons people in countries like Europe haven’t accepted the “growing” iPhone and UK’s Sunday Times reported potential losses to the stock owners as people are not buying it.

Probably, Steve Jobs did a brilliant job in US while launching it and the PR and marketing teams created a huge hype around the launch of iPhone. The blogs were buzzing, videos were roaming across youtube, newspapers online and offline were talking, Steve himself gave a brilliant on stage launch pitch. Even investors, analysts, technical specialists everyone was kept in the good books.

And then, suddenly the pretty looking, sturdy, touch based gadget which can take pictures, organize and play music and make phone calls too, was launched. Oh within 2 months of launch the prices were slashed along with a special apology from Steve. And then another version with higher memory option was launched and now there is news on anvil that the 3G version would be launched as the analysts were unhappy with 3G missing.

iPhone’s success in US is a clear success story of what PR and Marketing can achieve for you even when your product might not be the best in the industry!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

CIO Strategies India Awards 2008 - Call for nominations

CIO India Awards 2008 - Call for nominations

Event Website: http://www.ciostrategiesin.com/
Date: 9th - 10th June 2008
Venue: The Grand Hyatt, Mumbai

CIO India Awards 2008
ceremony is proud to be held in conjunction with the 2nd Annual CIO Strategies India Forum. The Awards ceremony will honour India's Leading CIO’s through Four Categories.

New Comer Award:
This award should honor a young and up coming individual who has moved swiftly through the ranks to CIO. He/She must possess strong leadership qualities and above all must be fresh and innovative.

Innovation Award:
This individual needs to be a pioneer and a strong leader. He/She must be a risk taker, someone who is prepared to innovate when everyone else would rather follow the norm. Such innovation should be demonstrated by a particular instance or many instances when he/she has saved or made his/her company money through the innovative use of IT.

Leadership Award:
The Leadership Award will be earned by the person who is not only an IT Leader and CIO but someone who leads the entire company. He/ She has truly merged business and IT and considers the bottom-line when implementing various IT infrastructures. This individual must be the ultimate leader in all facets of his industry and must add value to his business.

Lifetime Achievement Award:
The unofficial ‘TOP’ Award of the evening - this award will honor an individual who has had a long, illustrious career as a CIO and IT Leader. His/her career should speak for itself through various accolades received, successful projects implemented and respect gained by his fellow CIO’s. He/she must possess exceptional leadership skills illustrated by foresight, innovation and a pioneering attitude that encompasses an overall ideal that he/she has built through his/her career as an IT and business professional.
Download the nomination form here...

Top Speakers at CIO Strategies India Forum 2008
Chandershekhar Nene,Vice President & IT Head,Kingfisher Airlines
Nene Probir Mitra,IT Head CIO,TATA Motors
Arvind Tawde,CIO,Mahindra & Mahindra
Vijay Mehra,Group CIO,Essar Group
Ishwar Jha,CEO,Digital Media Convergence
Satish Naralkar,CEO,NSE IT
Daya Prakash,IT Head,LG Electronics India
Vijay Sethi,Vice President / IT Head,Hero Honda Motors

Learn More at CIO Strategies India Forum
website or email: enquiries@naseba.com.
Event Produced by : www.naseba.com

CIO Strategies India 2008 - CIO India Awards

India's Most Prestigious CIO Event of the Year

Event Name: CIO Strategies India 2008
Website:
www.ciostrategiesin.com
Date:
9th - 10th June 2008
Venue:
Grand Hyatt, Mumbai

This June, CIO of the Year 2008, the most prestigious CIO awards ceremony will be held in conjunction with 2nd Annual CIO Strategies Forum, India's premier CIO Forum. The awards ceremony will be highly covered by prestigious media like TIME Magazine, Business Wire India, NDTV Profit, Smart Techie, Outsource 2 India. The awards nomination form can be downloaded online here and registration request is available online here.

Quick Links

Event website
Event White Paper
Registration Enquiry
Event Agenda

The CIO Strategies Forum Format
•High level workshops
•Ultimate Networking Opportunities
•Interactivity and Problem Solving
•Educational Conference Agenda
Learn more about the event format here.

Top Speakers Include

•Chandrashekar Nene, VP IT, Kingfisher
•Vijay Mehra, Group CIO, Essar Group
•Daya Prakash, IT Head LG

Probir Mitra, CIO, Tata Motors
•Ishwar Jha, CEO, Digital Media Convergence, Essel Group
•Ashwini Sharma, Former CIO, State Bank of India
•Arwind Tawde, CIO Mahindra and Mahindra
•Satish Naralkar, CEO, NSE IT
•Vijay Sethi, VP IT, Hero Honda

More Speakers and Topics,
Event Partners and Sponsors

For more information, please contact: Charan Varghese, Project Director
email: enquiries@naseba.com Tel: +91 80 30280562 - fax: + 91 80 30280555
Event produced by www.naseba.com

Avoiding Email Marketing Blunders - Refer to your checklist

Email marketing is not about just sending out emails. This is the art and science of building long term relations and driving revenue for the organization. In today's fast changing world of e-mail marketing, an for attention to details along with an reasoning based attitude is necessary to avoid embarrassment and lost revenue opportunities for the sender.

Here is Karen Gedney's article on email checklist, which I read last year and I must say it's a very good read for email marketers.

On a day to day basis, when we keep doing the same job, we feel that we know it all. Though when you start exploring it more, is when you understand that there is so much more to it. The day we start believing that we know it all is the day you stop learning more and the moment you stop learning or you lose the will to learn more, you are nothing more than a dead man.

As Scott Ragsdale pointed out in his blog "Jack Murphy Syndrome", it's very easy to fall in trap of this syndrome and become incomplacent. But people who are consistent and committed and who want to learn more are the ones who would succeed. Not just in this form of marketing, however, in their lives.

Reading, Learning More and following industry trends is as important as your breakfast and missing it would make you slack physically or mentally. As I point out sometimes, Sharpening the Saw (7 Habits of Highly Effective People), is one of the most important activities and its not just physical fitness but also mental fitness what matters!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Top Tips in Business Dressing for Men and Women!

What Makes an Organization’s Culture – Business Attire?

So the client rejected the proposal? You had a better service offering than the competitor? Still you lost it? Well you might want to look at OverDress Syndrome or PoorDress Syndrome of your company’s employees.

As simple as it sounds, has its own long lasting consequence. What kind of a organizational culture are you building? Casual or Professional?

Many companies struggle with the Business Attires in their organizations because they have people who are in customer facing role and some employees who are not. It would be anyone’s guess, every company has the same set-up. Obviously there will be some people who will not be in customer facing roles. Can this be taken as an excuse to let go a professional corporate culture and not to have Smart Dressing sense in the company?

The Importance of Proper Attire
Making the best possible impression is paramount. First impressions are made within the first 5 minutes of meeting someone. In other words, if you want to be taken seriously, dress appropriately.

OverDress Syndrome – Many organizations cater to government agencies, research labs etc. When a sales professional from organizations selling some stuff walks into such an organization where the government considers eating peanuts as the main course food and tries to match salaries accordingly, you do not expect flashy business suits. But people are very normally dressed. Though they are sharp in their own way! So if the sales guys walk-in all dressed up, in most probability you might just intimidate the person. And your sales impression right from the 1st meet is going to be “Expensive”.

PoorDress Syndrome – So you were visiting a another organization whose vision is to deliver high quality with world’s best technology to customers or may be the best financial asset management services etc and you went dressed shabbily or in a sloppy manner. You just killed your chance of getting your way across the customer’s heart, why? Coz, you didn’t even match the personality of the organization, personally, how will you match the same with your product or service?

So what should you do?

It’s simple, Learn the Customer's Dress Style

• Looking professional promises you a good first impression. Knowing what's expected takes a little research, a shopping trip, and a full-length mirror!
• Research the culture of the employer. A more conservative employer, e.g. accounting, finance, law, etc., will require more conservative dress.
• Look at the brochures, web sites, and employees of the organization to guide your dress style. What style of clothes is being worn by the people who work there? What image are they projecting with their clothing?
• Trust your instinct when picking your business attire. If you have to ask the question, "Can I wear this?" the answer should always be "no."
• Err on the conservative side when in doubt about what to wear.
• Avoid extremes: heels too high, skirts too short, blouses too low cut, ties or patterns too loud.
• Ask experts at a clothing store about the fit of your suit. You don't want it too loose or too tight.

Cost Vs Quality debate?

You are not expected to be able to afford the same clothing as a corporate CEO. However, everything should be clean, well pressed, and not show wear. Even the nicest khakis after 100 washings may not be your best choice for a reception. Carefully inspect new clothes for tags, and all clothes for dangling threads, etc.

Please someone explain this to me…BUSINESS vs. BUSINESS CASUAL ATTIRE

What is business attire? It is the written or unwritten dress code of an organization. Business attire suggests a formal, conservative dress style. Attention to detail, impeccable grooming, and a well-fitted suit are a must to make a lasting good impression. Business casual is a small step down from the formal business attire, but still business-like, appropriate and presentable in a place of business. Remember that the definition business casual attire should never be interpreted as casual.

Men's Business Attire

The Suit
• Choose suits neutral in color - charcoal, navy, gray, black, conservative stripes all work.
• The pant leg should touch the front of the shoe and fall just above the heel in the back.
• Pants can either have cuffs or not.
• The fabric of the suit should be gabardine or wool. Avoid cotton blends as they wrinkle.
• The suit jacket should be buttoned while standing and unbuttoned to sit. Do not button the bottom button of a three or two-piece suit.
The Dress Shirt
• If possible, have your shirt professionally laundered.
• Always wear a long sleeve shirt.
• The shirt's sleeve should extend beyond the suit jacket sleeves by 1/2 inch.
• Always wear an undershirt, as they give the appearance of a finished look; undershirt should be solid white.
The Tie
• Wear a conservative tie with subtle patterns or solid colors.
• Tie your tie to fall in the middle of your belt.
Socks, Shoes and Belt
• Wing tips or lace up conservative shoes are the most appropriate. Loafers can be used for business casual.
• Shoe color should match your suit or be of a darker color.
• Shoes should be in good condition and polished.
• Socks should match the color of your suit and cover your calves.
• Belts should be in good condition and match the color of your shoes.
Accessories
• Men should limit accessories/jewelry to 3 pieces.
• Accessories include watch, ring, handkerchief, lapel pins, cuff links, and tie tacks.
• Avoid bracelets, necklaces, and visible piercings.
Grooming
• Facial hair should be neatly trimmed (moustache, sideburns).
• Hair should be neat.
• Heavy cologne should be avoided. Soap and deodorant will allow people to remember you- not your scent.
• Nails should be clean and manicured(it's not gay).
Men – Business Casual Attire
• A sports coat creates a pulled together look in a business casual environment and eliminates the need for a tie. Pair up the sports coat with khakis or dark pants.
• Traditional dress slacks, khakis, Dockers, corduroys, wool flannel and linen slacks are appropriate with or without a blazer. Be sure to press them beforehand.
• Casual button-down oxford shirts are a great alternative to dress shirts, with or without a tie. Choose basic white, chambray or pinstripe.
• Oxfords and loafers in brown or black are a good match for khakis or corduroys.

Women's Business Attire

The Suit
• Choose a classic suit avoiding trendy suit styles.
• A skirt suit or pantsuit is considered appropriate attire.
• Skirt hemlines should be knee length or longer. Miniskirts are not appropriate.
• Color does not have to be limited to dark colors.
• Make sure the suit flatters your figure and is a good fit, not too tight or too loose.
• Jacket sleeves should fall 1/2 inch below your wrist.
The Blouse
• Blouses should be updated, but neither low cut nor revealing.
• Do not wear a camisole or see through blouse. (Your company's product/service should get the attention, not you!)
• Blouse should include sleeves.
Shoes and Hose
• Shoes should be pumps, flats or sling backs, do not wear shoes with open toes.
• Shoe color should be darker than your suit.
• Heels should be 1-2 inches; higher heels should be saved for after hours.
• Hosiery should be worn with a skirt to match your skin tone or suit.
Accessories
• Jewelry should be kept minimal and conservative.
Make-up and Grooming
• Makeup should be natural looking. People want to remember you, not your eye shadow.
• Nails should be clean and manicured.
• Nail polish and lip color should not be too trendy or bright.
• Hair should be clean, neat in appearance.
• Perfume should be applied very lightly if at all. A good soap and antiperspirant will allow people to remember you not your scent.
Women – Business Casual Attire
• Pantsuits are a wise choice for a business casual event.
• A classic sheath paired with a cardigan or a blazer in the same fabric and color is a good choice.
• Crisp, cotton shirts added to dress pants, khakis, or skirts make a casual outfit.
• Cardigan twin sets are also an easy way to present a more casual look while still looking professional.
• Jewelry, scarves and other accessories will add a polished finish to an outfit. Remember though, "less is more."
• Shoes should still be well-made and close-toed - no extremes. Flats are appropriate, platform slides are not.
• Hose are not essential for business casual, but recommended for shorter skirts.
• Knee highs or trouser socks are suggested with pants.

ALL - Unacceptable Attire
• Jeans or denim pants, shorts
• Leggings/stretch/stirrup/sweat pants, spandex or other form fitting pants
• Athletic shoes, hiking boots, sandals, slides or flip flops
• Flannel shirts or T-shirts
• Hats/caps

Checklist for Putting it All Together
Regardless of the occasion, dressing appropriately is one of the easiest ways to impress the potential employer.

ô€€¹ Hair: Should be clean and neat.
ô€€¹ Shoes: Should be in polished condition. Make sure heels are not worn.
ô€€¹ Details: No missing buttons, no lint; and don’t forget to remove external tags and tacking stitches from new clothes.
ô€€¹ Hands: Clean fingernails.
ô€€¹ Fit: Clothes should be clean, neatly pressed, and fit properly, neither tight nor baggy.
ô€€¹ Smell: Perfume or cologne should be used sparingly or not at all. No odors on clothes. Don't smell like smoke.
Trust your instinct when picking your business attire.
If you have to ask the question, "Can I wear this?" the answer should always be "no."

Monday, April 14, 2008

Online Media being promoted by Offline Media

I was recently reading this article by Preeti Chaturvedi on her blog regarding how print media is a key promoting factor for social media especially blogging.

Though I am of the view that Online media will take over print media sooner or later (a distant dream), however, at this stage, print media is (just) one of the promotional channels for online media.

Definitely awareness, internet penetration and computer education are some things which will drive Social media further. In India, the literacy levels are low, local languages are much more prevalent than English. Access to internet and PCs is limited. Specifically talking about rural population it’s a definite distant dream.

However, as you would notice many print publications have enhanced the interaction in their publications by promoting user articles, editorial reviews (User Generated Content) key to social media and interactivity. However, you would agree that print has a limitation of size and capacity. Which means you can't have a 100 page newspaper, rather you can have a 500 page linked blog.

Though there is no denying fact that sales revenues have increased over years for print/traditional media, however, the gross margins have reduced YOY. This is a clear indicator that the traditional media is bearing the brunt of social media.
Ashish Bagga, CEO India Today group mentioned this recently during his speech where he mentioned about investing in alternative media.

Also why Print media would take a hit is because of lack of reference mechanism or a search engine. Recently I wrote about it and the point is that you can't refer back to newspapers/magazines as easily as you can to the online stuff. And it’s much more economical. Printing is eco – unfriendly, you are cutting down trees, online makes much more sense here.

Also every business in today's time want ROI and to measure ROIs in traditional media is very difficult. Recently I wrote about how online media can be helpful for traditional media ROI tracking.

I would say if Online Media (eg. blogging) can be considered like a product. Then on a Bell Adoption Curve (especially in India) we are at the early adopter’s stage. It’s more of the geeks and some large corporate which are leveraging the power of blogs and social media for promotions. Also with more evolving technology, penetration of internet and education of usage of PCs, the adoption will follow.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Yahoo's response to Microsoft's threat

The battle between Microsoft and Yahoo is getting hotter by the day. Here is a copy of the letter that Yahoo sent to Microsoft recently.

Dear Steve:
Our Board has reviewed your most recent letter with regard to the unsolicited proposal you made to acquire Yahoo! on January 31, 2008.

Our Board carefully considered your unsolicited proposal, unanimously concluded that it was not in the best interests of Yahoo! and our stockholders, and rejected it publicly on February 11, 2008. Our Board cited Yahoo!’s global brand, large worldwide audience, significant recent investments in advertising platforms and future growth prospects, free cash flow and earnings potential, as well as its substantial unconsolidated investments, as factors in its decision.
At the same time, we have continued to make clear that we are not opposed to a transaction with Microsoft if it is in the best interests of our stockholders. Our position is simply that any transaction must be at a value that fully reflects the value of Yahoo!, including any strategic benefits to Microsoft, and on terms that provide certainty to our stockholders.

Since disclosing our Board’s position with respect to your proposal, we have presented our three-year financial and strategic plan to our stockholders, which supports our Board’s determination that your unsolicited proposal substantially undervalues Yahoo!. Those meetings with our stockholders have also provided us an opportunity to hear their views.
We have continued to launch new products and to take actions which leverage our scale, technology, people and platforms as we execute on the strategy we publicly articulated. Today, in fact, we are announcing AMP! from Yahoo!, a new advertising management platform designed to dramatically simplify the process of buying and selling ads online.

Finally, our Board has been actively and expeditiously exploring our strategic alternatives to maximize stockholder value, a process which is ongoing. All of these actions have been driven by our overarching commitment to maximize stockholder value.
Our Board’s view of your proposal has not changed. We continue to believe that your proposal is not in the best interests of Yahoo! and our stockholders. Contrary to statements in your letter, stockholders representing a significant portion of our outstanding shares have indicated to us that your proposal substantially undervalues Yahoo!. Furthermore, as a result of the decrease in your own stock price, the value of your proposal today is significantly lower than it was when you made your initial proposal.

In contrast to your assertions about the effect of general economic conditions on our business, Yahoo!’s business forecasts are consistent with what we outlined in our last earnings call. As you know, we recently reaffirmed our Q1 and full year guidance, which is a testament to our ability to perform in line with our expectations despite the current economic environment. In addition, our three-year financial and strategic plan which we have made public demonstrates significant potential upside not previously communicated to the financial markets. This plan has received positive feedback from our stockholders, further strengthening the view that Yahoo! is worth well more as a standalone company than the value offered in your proposal, and would be even more valuable to Microsoft. Your own statements have made clear the strategic importance of Yahoo!’s substantial assets and capabilities to Microsoft.

We regret to say that your letter mischaracterizes the nature of our discussions with you. We have had constructive conversations together regarding a variety of topics, including integration and regulatory issues. Your comment that we have refused to enter into negotiations to conclude an agreement are particularly curious given we have already rejected your initial proposal, nominally $31 per share at the time, for substantially undervaluing Yahoo! and your suggestions in your letter and the media that you are considering lowering the value of your proposal.

Moreover, Steve, you personally attended two of these meetings and could have advanced discussions in any way you saw fit. As to antitrust, we have discussed with you our concerns. Any transaction between us would result in a thorough regulatory review in multiple jurisdictions. As a follow up to a recent meeting among our respective legal advisors we had on this topic, and at your request, we provided to you on March 28 a list of additional information we would need to further our understanding of the regulatory issues associated with any transaction. To date, you have still not provided any of the requested information.
We consider your threat to commence an unsolicited offer and proxy contest to displace our independent Board members to be counterproductive and inconsistent with your stated objective of a friendly transaction. We are confident that our stockholders understand that our independent Board is best positioned to objectively and knowledgeably evaluate our Company’s alternatives and to maximize value.

In conclusion, please allow us to restate our position, so there can be no confusion. We are open to all alternatives that maximize stockholder value. To be clear, this includes a transaction with Microsoft if it represents a price that fully recognizes the value of Yahoo! on a standalone basis and to Microsoft, is superior to our other alternatives, and provides certainty of value and certainty of closing. Lastly, we are steadfast in our commitment to choosing a path that maximizes stockholder value and we will not allow you or anyone else to acquire the company for anything less than its full value.
Source : Yahoo.

Saturday, April 05, 2008

MTV Roadies 5.0 - What's the impact on Social Life?


So are you a fan of MTV roadie? The 5th addition of the series is on and has broken a lot of records in terms of TRP ratings etc. Though I just wonder sometimes, what's the impact of this show on social life of school kids, college goers and all?





What do we learn from this show?

Using abusive language? Using derogatory remarks? Back Stabbing? How to break each other's trust?


OR

Team Work? Supportive living? Independence?


What's your opinion on this.....?

Friday, April 04, 2008

10 reasons why IIM Fees hike is justified!

Recently there has been a lot of discussion and rants on the IIM Fee hike. I strongly feel its a welcome step and IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Kolkatta and for that matter IITs fees hike is justified. Here are 10 reasons why this fee hike is justified?

  1. Best Academicians cultivate Best Businessmen
    The best professors across the continent can be brought in and retained with better salaries and they will contribute in creation of best businessmen of future!
  2. Infrastructure expansion: Why do you pay higher for your home?
    Better infrastructre, more facilities, more research and more credible and authentic content can be created for the benefit of society. The inflation has increased, the prices across the board in Bangalore have risen, why on earth do you pay higher prices to buy Home? If you can expect higher salaries then this hike is definitely justified.
  3. Fewer Subsidies means more capital for primary and secondary education.
    Govt. can spend on subsidising PG education and help these institutions become autonomous. More fee will bring in more funds and this can help the government inturn to focus more on primary and secondary education.
  4. Education loans are more freely available.
    Today more banks are willing to give education loans, also government has urged to reduce interest rates for education loans. So it's much easier to get loans and pursue education.
  5. Scholarships for needy.
    The director of IIM B Pankaj Chandra has also announced the increase in the shcolarship package to 8 Cr to help the needy pay their fees. So it will be much easier for people.
  6. Brand building for IIMs – Expansion to Newer Geos + More revenue.
    The Brand IIM can be taken to the other parts of world now and you can see more IIMs opening in other parts of world expanding the IIMs realm and brand and bringing more revenue.
  7. Competing in the International arena.
    It will also help in branding exercise of IIMs to take them into multicultureal multi geographic arena. You can see IIMs focussing on expanding it's presence on the international scenario.
  8. Building India Inc education brand as most premium.
    Premium brands need advertising and branding not just in a local region but also in international scene. SO obviously increased funds will help in brand building exercises and taking IIMs brand to the next level in turn making BRAND INDIA INC. visible worldwide!
  9. New programs can be started and better learned society.
    Newer niche programs can be started, more industry can be supported with better and newer skills. More industry partnerships can be built! This will lead to a better, knowledgable, learned society that India has.
  10. More industry interaction can be brought in.
    More industry programs means more industrial revenue. Also more industries will participate in funding and expanding IIM brand to various parts of India and aborad.

This increase in fee has a overall positive effect. Student and aspirants have to be educated more by IIMs and similar society associations on why it's important and how it will be beneficial in turn for them only!

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Fool's Day - VIRgin + GooGLE = VIRGLE to conquer VIRGIN Mars

Caution: Sounds like a 1st April, fool's day, prank...

VIRGIN + GOOGLE = VIRGLE Google and Virgin plan to conquer the mars and colonize it!

Read more on google's blog here.

and check out the FAQ section and look the the image where when you click on Virgile is real it shows an error URL.

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