True Spirits of Christmas !

Christmas is an annual celebration of birth of Jesus Christ observed throughout the world with increasing trend now of Non-Christians’ celebrating it with full fervor and enthusiasm.

 But this exuberant festival has a great history which dates back to  period roughly between 7 and 2 BC.Here is a short story behind the  reason of this festival :

Christmas is that time when Jesus was born as a baby to Mary and Joseph. This was no ordinary birth! An angel had told Mary she would bear a special baby the son of god who would be born through the intercession of the holy spirit. Joseph her husband-to-be, did not believe her at first.Then an angel told him in a dream that it was true!.

Just before the birth of Jesus they had to travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem (near Jerusalem), to register their names with the ruling Roman government.

In Bethlehem there was no room for them to stay at the hotel. The only space available to them was a stable - the animal house for travellers' donkeys and horses. Jesus was born that night in the stable, and as they had no bed for him, they used an animal feeding box filled with the dry grass as his crib.

The shepherds are frightened

That night there were some men looking after sheep in the fields nearby.Suddenly they saw a great light. It was an angel, who said, 'Don't be afraid. I have good news for you, and for all people. Someone great has been born today. He is Christ, the great King you have been waiting for. He will save you from all that is wrong and evil. You will find him dressed in baby clothes, lying on a bed of dry grass.

The story of the wise men


After Jesus was born, wise men came to look for Him, from an area which is now in either Iran or Saudi Arabia.

 Although they are often called the "Three Kings", the Bible does not say how many there were, or that they were kings. Three is only a guess because they brought with them three gifts. They were certainly men of learning - probably today we would call them philosophers or scientists. They had seen an unusual new star in the sky, and knew that it told of the birth of a special king. (The star they saw was probably a exploding "supernova" and is known from astronomical records.) They followed the direction of the star- East - and eventually found the place where Mary, Joseph and Jesus were staying. To bring honour to the child, they brought rich gifts: gold, frankincense (a resin which burns with a beautiful smell), and myrrh (plant oil with a very strong sweet smell).

The gifts tell us three key things about Jesus:

Gold: a gift fit for a King

Frankincense: burnt in worship of God

Myrrh : Myrrh represents the bitter cup that Christ had to drink in suffering for our sins and the healing for us that his death brings.

The paramount takeway of this parable is True Spirits of Christmas lies in the peace ,care and brotherhood of a Globally united fraternity living in mutual coexistence and cooperation under a King who epitomizes progress and well-beings of his citizens( 6 billion + folks around the World).

Merry Christmas !

India's Fiscal Cliff - A Daunting Future Ahead

The World now seems glaringly concerned with impending Fiscal cliff in USA due on January ,2013 if the Obama Adminstration doesn’t come with a concrete fiscal plan to tackle the humoungous national debt it is  surmounted now & deep recession plaguing many nations of Eurozone. But ,a bigger problem seems to ensue India, world’s second fastest economy  which is now trapped in a High Inflation Low Growth cycle and makes it difficult for the Indian govt to achieve it targets  through fiscal consolidation every time proposed for the last decade.
Problems ,according to experts is Fiscal consolidation is driven through Revenue side whereas the condition is worsening from the Expenditure side.

  What is the Problem 
Govt is spending way above its capacity 

Which is resulting in High fiscal deficit

That is met with ever increasing borrowings.

What is the Reason 
1) Wasteful Spending arising out of the Populist measures by UPA govt.   

2) Developmental spending has decreased from 16.6% of total spending in 2007-8 to 13.7% in 2012-13.

3) Subsidies rising at a fast pace.

Consequence of High Fiscal Deficit
• Pushes up Interest rates, lowers private investment ,growth and employment.
• Increases Inflation and reduces room for monetary policy stimulus.
• Increases risk of external imbalances.
• Sovereign downgrade and flight of foreign capital.
• Weaken the rupee and negatively impact capital markets.
• There will be no room for counter-cyclical measures if global economy weakens.

 What can be done
• Rationalise Subsidies through 
 Better targeting of benefits to the needy.
 Increase administered prices and gradually make them market determined.
 Switching to direct cash transfer.
 Bring strong deterrent to power subsidies.

• Settle Loss-making cos that cause credit and cash crunch through recurrent losses – 96,710 crores was the total accumulated losses of state run companies.

• Go for Massive Asset sale to keep borrowings low
 15 lakh crore – Market capitalization of listed 45 state run companies.
 1.1 lakh acres – Surplus land with the railways with 10,000 acres in Urban centres.

• Reform Tax regime to Increase Taxes
 Build consensus and roll out GST quickly.
 Roll out measures to cut tax disputes.
 Simplify and cut corporate tax on prime industrial land worth thousands of crores.

Obama Vs Romney -Democrats hold the edge in US Presidential election'12

The latest opinion polls suggests a close fight between incumbent Barack Obama and his rival Mitt Romney, both the Democrat and Republican camps have claimed victory ahead of the crucial presidential elections set for today.

The latest Washington Post ABC tracking poll released yesterday gave Obama (50%) a three point lead over Romney (47%), which is still within the margin of statistical error.

 

"The poll also finds that Obama remains the favorite, with 55% of voters saying that he will win in Tuesday's election. By contrast, 35% believe Romney will win while 10% register no opinion," the daily said.The polls are too close to call, the CNN said, so did other major news networks.The much sought after RealClearPolitics gave Obama an edge of 0.7 percentage point lead over Romney.

 

Both the candidates are banking on strong economic reforms and regulatory reforms  to woo the customer attention and confidence. Here are Obama's and Romney's key plans for the economy: JOBS Obama has said his jobs plan would strengthen American manufacturing, grow small businesses, improve the quality of education and make the country less dependent on foreign oil. He envisions 1 million new manufacturing jobs by 2016 and more than 600,000 jobs in the natural gas sector, as well as the recruitment of 100,000 math and science teachers. Repairing and replacing old roads, bridges, runways and schools are part of his plan to put Americans back to work.

 

 

Half of the money saved from ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would be used to fund infrastructure projects. Romney has promised 12 million jobs in his first term, or about 250,000 jobs a month. Economists say the economy would likely generate that amount of jobs anyway.

His plan focuses on tax reform, pushing the economy toward energy independence, cutting regulations and boosting trade, especially by reducing barriers to trade with China. Romney says Obama has not been aggressive enough in challenging unfair Chinese trade practices and that he would use both the threat of US sanctions and coordinated action with allies to force China to abide by global trade rules.

 

Democratic party Presidential candidate not only enjoys support and solidarity in his home surf but also from an overwhelming support  from the major countries worldwide.

His popularity can be attributed to  the following reasons below :

1)    Obama’s foreign policy – Barack Obama has punctiliously proven his ability  to execute decisively the America’s broadened foreign policy from getting U.S from long & costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan ,avoiding direct intervention in Syria and resisting the reckless push to attack Iran considering its Middle East Israel strong opposition against Iran ‘s growing nuclear ambitions. He was instrumental in aligning the foreign policies and military objectives for the aggressive hunt of terrorists and embarking a limited role in forcing regime change in Libya , .Meanwhile ,Romney’s image  worldwide is projected as the condescending behaviour of the rich and  ignorance of the oblivious folks.

 

2)    Romney is projected as an extension of  infamous  Bush worldwide-  Media pundits and diplomats worldover are comparing Mitt Romney’s conduct and ambitions ( Wall Street Barbarian and Emphathizer ) as an extension of George W Bush failed foreign policies and economic reforms which brought the US economy to the catastrophic recession of 2008.

 

3)    Higher  spending on Social Security schemes &  Higher Taxation on the rich  -  Though Obama health care law and other social security schemes will be widen the US fiscal deficit and bloated up National debt.It is seen as a measure to improve the state of economic recovery and accelerate opportunities for employment and job creation.Taxing the rich on a higher tax slab will definitely increase the total exchequer collection and should create a level playing ground  to fuel  consumerism in US economy which roughly contributes to 70 % of U.S economy.

 

The stage is set and U.S voters are eager to cast their right to elect the 45 th President of USA (World’s largest Economy ,Military and Political superpower) after an scintillating election campaign for the last 12 months .Moreover, the fate of Global Economy , security issues and idealogical differences plaguing our increasingly interwined society will rely on the outcomes of this historic election.

 

Well democrats have an edge in this election slated to win consecutively for second time crowning again Barack Obama as the reigning President of USA.

 

Personal Image Vs Personal Brand - How to launch You Brand,Inc

 

Everyone of  us at any time in our busy  day to day schedule  get  in touch ,might be using now  or are enticed by the brands captivating our senses and imagination ranging frm simple cereal brand Kellogs served on our breakfast tables to the racy luxury brands like Gucci ,DKNY ,BMW ,Harley-Davidson etc ruling our minds . But what about ourselves getting branded and recognized in the Global society we are interwined now.

 

Here does the concept of Personal Branding comes into play. Personal branding is basically the way you market yourself to the world. Your personal brand is what other people think of you. In some ways it’s outside your control, but you obviously have some influence over it.

It is unavoidable and can be as simple having a conversation with a friend or family member ,typing an email ,the way you dress and talk all contributes to your personal brand,social media quotient etc.It is the projection of your personality and behaviour towards the milieu you live in ,often described as the summation of  all the associations about you that are stored in people’s minds.

 

So ,it becomes inevitable to groom and nurture yourself as a brand with a view to have a happy and successful life both in terms of relationships and professional aspirations .Basically ,it all zeroes down to simple 3 steps which needs to be planned & implemented in an assiduous manner

1.     Discover your Brand

Most of us commit the mistake of branding oneself for the sake of doing it without identifying our passions and interests in life.We all need to invest time in researching and understanding our capabilities and interests in life.

 

Brand Discovery is all about figuring out what we want to do in life ,setting goals ,writing down a mission ,vision and personal brand statement with a view to sustain and promote it over time.

2.     Create your Brand

·            Treat your Personal Brand as an investment

The way we brand ourselves (Personal Brand ) has the potential to last longer than our own lifetime.Eg – Co-founder of Apple Inc  (pinnacle of American Tech & Entrepreneur story ) Steve Jobs will be remembered for many generations  not only for creating iconic  brands like Apple ,Pixar  he created but also to  the astounding success  he achieved throughout his life facing innumerable challenges and pitfalls .

 

·        Set Goals for your public image –

Depending on your personality and ambitions in life ,we can define and frame goals by :

1)    How we want our potential customers/client to think of us .

2)    How will we be publically branding ourself

·        What you are all about.

·        Expertise/Circle of Competence.

·        Style statement.

 

 

·        Keep ur brand fresh and personally ubiquitous without overstreching yourself.

 

·        Continously learn and update your knowledge with the changing environment around you .Adapatablity and agile response is the key factor here.

 

·        Don’t  follow any theory/person/institutions values blindly because with time only few of them survive in the long run.Most of the brands infront of us are an infatuation and ephemeral  struggling with the sole  objective of “Survival of the fittest “.

 

·        Make your target audience interactive with the networking capabilities and personal brand quotient you build with time.

 

3)    Promote your Brand

 

This is the final and the most decisive step in sustaining  your brand which needs utmost priority. The conventional technique used to be meetings ,group discussions ,letters and word of mouth campaigns. But ,with the rapid changes in  technology ,digitization  and socially conscious branding pervasive in our society ,promoting our brand through social brands has gained enormous traction and relevance now.

 

·        Tradeoff  b/w  Personal and Professional brand – You can position urselfs based on your  target audience and strategies to sustain its brand equity over time.

 

·        Run a blog /website which defines U – First impressions and launching a blog/website is of paramount importance which helps in building and retaining your audience /customer over time.The level of success you achieve here will be reflected up in Google search rankings by the blog /website name you assign.

 

·        Resume/Cover letter/Documents   -It needs to be prepared in line with the professional aspirations in a succinct and brevise manner  and upload it on viable social and professional medias to ultimately leverage the professional opportunities we seek .

 

·        Business Card- It doesn’t matter whether we are students ,working part-time or Consultant of a renowned organization ,the thumb rule here is to make a card with our picture(not mandatory ),personal brand statement and preferred contact information and corporate logo if necessary.

 

 

·        Wardrobe- Your personal style is as important as the branding we do on ourself. Select  and refine your dressing style statement depending on the people with which you socialize or have a binding relationship.

 

·        Facebook Profile – It is the most ubiquitous and powerful social media to brand yourself with more than 1 billion Fb accounts active now world over. The catch here is to entice your audience with   Fb statuses ,pictures and  other social media integrations like youtube, twitter etc  which appeals to the gamut of audience you are positioning yourself and expanding their horizon. Most of us fail in capitalizing this opportunity by restricting and narrowing our interests we share and discuss on this platform ,often driven to prove ourself more Cool and Smart .Your brand equity ultimately wanes interest with time and gets secluded to a limited people in your friend list.

·        Twitter profile – The connect here with the audience is different as it entirely depends on the swiftness and brevity with which we interact here. You need to have a fitting personality picture ,distinct background and a catchy description of oneself.

·        Portfolio – It mainly serves as a platform to convince and showcase the past accomplishments and upcoming projects we are involved now.We can use CD ,web(Video Resume,online portals) or print portfolio.

So its ur take whether  U need to brand urself now. I care.What about U ?

                           

Mega October launches by Tech Triads( Apple,Microsoft & Google)

October month hasn’t be so phenomenal  & bigger for tech enthusiasts and consumers all across the world  as in year 2012. Technology giants (Apple ,Microsoft ,Google) are expected to launch a slew of products and services banking on their innovation and circle of competence in digital ecosystem.It clearly reflects the cut-throat competition and resilience of technology industry to preserve its threatened markets share and falling revenues lost to arch-rivals. Most affected being Nokia ,Blackberry & Motorola & threat between the existing market leaders .

Major launches expected in month of October :

1)    Apple Ipad Mini

 

 

Launch date  - Mid-End week of October

Well ,if market rumours are to be believed ,new Apple tablet named Ipad Mini wil be smaller and abridged version of Apple iPad in 7.8 inch form factor devoid of Retina display.This device was the need of hour for Apple Inc taking cue from its tablet market share being eaten up by the likes Amazon Kindle Fire HD ,Barnes & Nobles Tablet/E-readers & Google Nexus 7 tablet. Sources says that some asian suppliers of tablet components claimed that Apple ordered for more than 10 Millon Tablets to be built in this Fourth Quarter.That is Twice the amount of Amazon ordered for Amazon Kindle fire.

2)    Microsoft  will be the biggie with its product & services expected in  tablets ,smartphone &  operating systems primarily targeted at softening the grave threat posed by  Apple iPhones & Ipads in North American & European market.

 It has already upped its ante against Apple by launching its Xbox Music service pitting against the ubiquitous iTunes yesterday

 

·        Microsoft Windows 8

Launch Date – October 26

             Its consumer preview of Windows 8  has impressed  Tech pundits    and  consumers last month and has garnered attention due to the drasticchanges   it   has brought about in its software & user interfaces in conjunction with the design and specifications of its Hardware.It has definitely brought about a “wow” factor this time which were missing in earlier versions of Windows Operating systems.

To the end consumers ,it will be the opportunity to have all the same features for their smartphones ,desktops ,laptops ,Xbox  & media tablets in a single OS  with option of touch user  interface or keyboard and mouse option.

Final commercial version of Windows 8 is expected to launch 6 major cities ,( Paris ,Shanghai ,New Delhi ,New York ,Dubai & Hong Kong) on October 26.

 

·        Microsoft Surface Tablet

 

 Launch date –  October 26

                          Though late to enter the tablet market , Microsoft( Windows 8        powered Surface tablets) is mimicking Apple digital ecosystem (Apple Ipads ,Iphones with iOS) Surface tablets are expected to pack a punch with its impressive specs & features.

·        Screen Sizes -  Launching in two variants (RT – 10.6 inch Cleartupe HD (1280*720 ) and the Pro a 10.6 inch ClearType Full HD (1920 * 1080) display with a 16:9 widescreen.

·        Cameras -  Like other tablets ,it will have both front( termed as Life Cam) & rear cameras (capable of video capture and taking images).But with Microsoft owned Skype ,video chats will add to viewing experiences of Surface)

·        Touch Keyboards –Add touch keyboards to the tablet and the device turns into a small notebook.
The Surface has multiple Touch covers to choose from.There are about five different Touch covers to choose from.Unlike regular keyboards,Touch covers support an intuitive touch interface which gives an excellent tactile typing experience.

 

The Touch Cover, which is amazingly 3mm, can be connected to the Surface tablet with a magnetic click, enabling easy texting and mailing.

 

·        Built-in Kickstand
Surface comes with a built-in kickstand. Be it portrait or landscape modes, the Surface can achieve just that with the integrated kickstand. Watching movies or going through photos will be a different experience as the tablet needs only to be propped up by the kickstand.

·        Memory – Storage wont be problem for Surface tablets as it is available in 3 storage options from 32 GB ,64 GB ,128 GB.

·        Price – Pricing for this product  will be in the range of 300-800 US $.

·        Microsoft Windows Phone 8

 

                        Launch date -  October 29

Microsoft will also be releasing Windows Phone 8 Operating system for mobile device on 29th October. So HTC, Samsung and Nokia will bring Windows phone 8 Phones soon.

 

3)    Google Nexus by LG

 

              Launch date – Last week of October.

 Google is partnering now with LG instead of all ready blasting Samsung  to release Google Nexus Phone(LG Nexus 4) by the end of this month.

      

  The website, Onliner.by, has claimed been able to get its hands upon a sample Google Nexus 4 device and they have revealed the specifications of this highly anticipated smartphone. The LG Nexus 4 is based on a chip Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 (APQ8064) with 2 GB of RAM, quad-core Krait and graphics Adreno 320. Exactly the same chip is at the Optimus G but due to the new 28-nm process technology in the Nexus 4, the smartphone will consume less energy thus increasing battery life.

 

So ,Consumers worldwide will be spoilt with choices to go on tech shopping binge this month .

 “Bring it On”  time for Tech Triads (Apple,Microsoft & Google)