The safest professions during recessions and slowdowns

Almost all the professions are prone to slowdown, recession or even a depression.However, there are certain professions which are either remaining unscathed completely or are partially impacted by these economic and market turbulence. There are a section of professionals just out of the recently concluded recession, or yet to conclude slowdown, since the great depression, who thinks about the so called protected professions during the time of slowdown, recession or depression.This sense of belief has led many a professional turn to these selected band of professions either by switching their career graph or by acquiring a new set of educational degrees or diplomas. Grapevine knowledge would point out to professions like teaching, healthcare, utility services to be those dreamt ones which may remain unmoved even by the mightiest economic turbulence.This is more of a wishful thinking as professionals representing these industries are getting affected intangibly(in a networked economy) as their respective employers are finding novel ways to reduce their expenses, which at times indirectly lead to forced or voluntary resignation en-masse.The ones who leave behind their lucrative professions for these selected band so as to make themselves immune against the market forces realizes that they were involved in a hara-kiri or one which is shortlived. These chopping and changing also allow the employers to segregate the genuine ones from the opportunist and thereby reward those who had weathered the storms even when the going was tough.It is therefore fool hardy to think that some professions are immune to recession/slowdown/depression.The actual happening is market driven, irrespective of the sector one is in.Its time for the common sense to sink in.

Read and Comment

Oman.....A Tourist Destination Par Excellance

This blog is one on management training and consultancy and therefore all the posts have some or the other, direct or indirect linkage with the main theme, i.e. management, either for trainers,for consultants or for both.This post is a little different though.This one throws light on yours truly analyzing destination Oman as a spot for travel and tourism.Although, I am not an expert on analyzing the industry in detail, my analysis, partly as a customer(read tourist), partly as a consultant would definitely throw some light on few of the major attractions the Sultanate has to offer to all tourists, visiting from within the country,coming from the GCC region or from other parts of the world. In the last one year, I have travelled to places like Sur, Muscat city, Salalah, Nizwa Fort to name few. All these places are unique in their own way, for example, Muscat(view http://picasaweb.google.com/maniisonline/SultanateOfOman), the capital of the Sultanate is the perfect blend of modernity with a strong affiliation with the rich Omani culture.Nizwa fort(view http://picasaweb.google.com/maniisonline/NizwaFortSultanateOfOman) presents the ancient details to a nicety.One is compelled to recall and activate his/her grey cells so as to remember the history lessons learnt during the school days, which are depicted in such a unique manner, in the interiors of the fort. Sur, showcases the age old boating industry where Sultanate once reigned supreme.The boat museum presenting ancient boats is worth going down the memory lane.One simply cannot resist admiring the expertise of the Omanis in making the best boats in the world during those ancient days, when technology was totally absent.Add to it the natural landscape where mountains and sea converge and one can get a delight which a connoisseur can only dream in his wild imagination.Off late, in fact yesterday, I arrived from Salalah(view http://picasaweb.google.com/maniisonline/SalalahTrip), the destination of its kind in the whole of the Middle East.Its awesome to visit that place even during the off season and yours truly was wondering what would have been the case during the season, i.e. when the Khareef festival sets in, and everything in a desert is having a greenish tinge and touch!The mountains kissing the sea, caves surrounded by natural springs,the clouds touching your face in the mountain top, the caravan of camels, the puff of sheesha, zero gravity point where your vehicle moves on its own even when in neutral and brought to complete halt(view http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YX_7jp-jgF8),Al Baleed archaeological park(one of the few sites in the prestigious United Nations Heritage list) the warm hospitality of Omanis to mention are some of the highlights that makes this blessed nation memorable to one and all. The broad roads, connectivity by land and air,strong law and order enforcing authorities, coupled with a wide offering for the travel and tourism freaks, makes it a real Ecstasy for all the stakeholders involved in this industry.

Hats off to His Majesty, The Sultan and his vision that transformed this country within a short span of 39 years!!!

I would be happy to help you out in any form whatsoever, so as to discover this excellent country.

My 444th publication-A Case Study on MJFIL

The 444th publication happened to be a case study on Mohanlal Jangid Financial Investments Limited(MJFIL),a Nagpur, Maharashtra,and India based investment consultancy firm.At a time when people all across the globe are sceptical about investments in the stock market,especially after burning their fingers in the year old recession caused by investment bankers like Lehman Brothers to name one, MJFIL have shown many a novel business practices where profits are blended with ethics in such a manner that the end-user or rather all the stakeholders are relieved from all the unnecessary tensions attached to the world of investments.On the top of it, the customer service practices initiated by MJFIL should be a benchmark for all companies, private or public, Indian or Multi-national, while trying to bring in the confidence of the retail investors. It is because of the amount of the integrity, diligence and care shown by the company, that it proves beyond doubt the fact that for MJFIL, customer is always at the epicenter in all their endeavours.That, MJFIL happens to be the investment consultant for yours truly coupled with a time tested relationship being shared with the top boss of the company, Mr. Mohanlal Jangid acts an added incentive. Therefore, one can safely say that the information are coming out from the top brass of the company, happens to be from the horses mouth,without any questions of their validity and authenticity whatsoever.It was my first hand experience and detailed observations of all the staff including the top management, their business processes and practices, the solidness attached to the business model itself which provoked me to write this case study as many of these can quite easily be customized and leveraged by other organizations from same or different sectors, benefitting a bigger audience globally.
This case study is published in the reputed Marketing Management Magazine,Marketing Mastermind,December 2009 issue, published by Icfai University Press, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India,

Source

http://www.iupindia.org/marketing_mastermind.asp.

Read and Comment.

Managing Hidden and Well Disguised Animosity

People often complaint about hidden undercurrents and animosity which are often invisible to a rank outsider and one who is unwilling to involve and immerse self in the nuances of the human relations.This is bound to happen in the personal and professional sphere and therfore such happenings at the workplace are no exceptions, rather they are routine. It depends upon the individual as to how he/she can manage these challenges without vitiating the environment and more importantly going unscathed.The first important thing to keep in mind during these trying situations is to shed even the slighest amount of ego one may have and then allow one to imbibe maximum learning from every encounters, so that he is richer with experiences.Keeping a neutral stance and open attitude not only helps maintaining the relationships, but also contributes in a very big way towards the developmental curve of the individual concerned, not to mention the positive impact on the working environment.It is however, easier said than done as many people during these trying situations takes up fights, clashes or simply surrenders meekly by giving way to the undercurrents.For such individual, either it is the sense of false ego or the absence of managing relationships which act as a dampner.
Read and Comment.

Barack Obama and his Nobel Peace Prize

Barack Obama has finally received the coveted award after lot of hue and cry all across the globe, some favouring the decision of the committee, some against it. My personal perspective is that the yardstick to zero into the most suitable candidate for the prestigious award has undergone a subtle change.If one compares the past receiver with Obama, one can safely say that they were awarded after they proved themselves, whereas Obama is being awarded surrounding his much hyped selection as the US president along with the accompanied hoopla around his peace efforts all across the world. If one tries to dissect the alterations made by Obama in his global strategies since his name was disclosed for this award, one would not find strong evidences of peace.The Middle East peace process is still in a turmoil, Iran and Korea are being handled in a piece-meal fashion, Af-Pak policies are finalized without keeping in mind the sufferings and after-affects on the common citizens there, who are being massacared, right, left and center, Indo-Pak peace efforts are not being fuelled by stimulating both the parties to part ways with their hitherto violent policies, Taiwan-China dialogue is in a limbo, where the former is at the mercy of the later and so forth.The progress report indicates that even after the prize being awarded on the basis of a new model of future expectations, rather than past efforts, there is no perceptible changes in the US policy so as to make this earth a peaceful one. In such a sceanrio one should debate the basis of the men in Oslo, who were responsible for naming the US president. Moreover, Obama after receiving the award while comparing with his heroes, Gandhi and Martin Luther King, made a statement which may not have made his heroes happier either.To quote him "We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth,We will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations — acting individually or in concert — will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified." (Source- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/War-has-a-role-in-peace-Obama/articleshow/5324682.cms) only shows that his peace efforts would not be a purely peace based ones like his predecessors,rather they would be blended with a reciepe of war and peace.Will this approach bring in real peace or the peace achieved would be momentary is a question to pondered upon. The onus lies on the American president and his whole-sale changes in his efforts in reaching out for a long lasting global peace which effectively means changing the US stance altogether in certain issues, for which in turn he may have to face the wrath in his home turf. Does he have the willingness, does he have the guts to go that extra mile, does he want to be one at par with Gandhi and King, only time will tell!

Meanwhile, read and comment.

Why Oman Model would be more successful

The developmental model of the Sultanate of Oman if compared to that of Dubai or even the Emirates as a whole have more solidity. The recent Dubai crisis, nothwithstanding, the growth model adopted by the Sultanate under the wise leadership of His Majesty, Sultan Qaboos Bin Said, have understood the local needs and have precisely devised a model whereby the local Omani populace move up the hierarchial graph quite faster than many of its Middle Eastern peers. The results are there to be seen. While Omanisation have been successful in increasing the reliability of the country on the local manpower, emiratization is still in its infancy. It definitely has to do a lot with the vision of the respective leaders, the confidence of which in turn has percolated to the common citizens in both the countries. Emirate is still dependent on expatriates in most of the sectors, whereas Oman is gradually trying to shift the emphasis from expats to local talents, in a phase-wise planned manner.The other thing which need to be appreciated is the response of the Omani's to the call of His Majesty in contributing whole-heartedly towards the development of their country.Add to it its rich culture, tradition and heritage and one can safely say that the Omani model has more credence and this is precisely the reason why the economy in the Sultanate was comparatively immune to the global recession and even the impact from the Dubai world crisis was minimal or negligible.

Even an article in the reputed Economic Times (Source Link- http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/5315230.cms) cites that of all the gulf countries, Oman had the least job losses at 6 percent vis-a-vis that of UAE at 16 percent,in the present scenario, which is fearsome for all employees, notably the expatriates.

Read and Comment

Climate Change Summit at Copenhagen

Copenhagen climate change summit has been built up with much fanfare as if there is no tommorrow.Accepted the fact that, the climate is witnessing a free fall in light of the frequent catastrophes like Tsunami, earthquakes,floods, heavy downpour, landslides, melting of glaciers etc. I am unable to understand the fact where was this concern some 10, 20 or even 30 years back when the so called industrialized nations had been on a rampage under the garb of industrialization?Now, when the alarming bells have started ringing, they have only the emerging nations to blame, that too for those economic steps forward which are directly related to the welfare of their citizens, i.e. a chunk of the world's population. It is time when countries like India and China should avoid taking an unilateral stance as that would enable the so called developed economies to continue with their hegemonistic design in all global affairs. The world is watching with a bated breath what is going to emanatevfrom the Copenhagen summit and believe me yours truly knows very well at the end its going to be a deadlock.WTO met the same fate time and again, and unless the discriminatory policies of the west are amended, its going to be a difficult proposition for the world at large to come on a single page.India and China have made their stands on emission cuts in the next decade or so, however, the moot question still remains-Is it going to be a dampener in their developmental curve?Is it another way by the west to block the rising clout of emerging nations, notably the ones from Asia?Many questions directly and indirectly still remains unanswered, only time will tell, what are the hidden motives behind such policies.
Meanwhile read and add your comments for symbiotic learning and growth.

When your ex-boss suddenly becomes your subordinate

There are instances in different fields owing to different situation which may lead him/her to a tight spot.The person whom you always considered to be your boss and you were growing under his/her tutelage is suddenly working as your own subordinate.It may be because of various reasons-demotion, went on long leave and therefore his/her role was handed over to the new person, study leave sponsored by the organization to name a few.In such a situation it is problematic not only for the new manager but also for the new subordinate as the personal chemistry undergoes a change apart from the different influencers too changing their respective stances with the varying situation.It is therefore ideal for the duo to understand that inspite of the hierarchial shake-up they are human beings first.This would enable them to open up and re-do the doubts which may have crept up in their mind. It is also important to manage the squabbles which would be at the mental level and remove the cob-webs which may be leading to the friction.If the newcomer, i.e. the erstwhile finds it difficult to submit to the present situation it would be apt for his ex-subordinate and current boss to show him/her the right place in an assertive fashion.This,however should not blow out of proportion as this would have a fall over on the overall organizational culture.

Slowdown and the aviation sector

The recent slowdown witnessed by the global economies(recession to be fair)including the Indian economy had its perilious impact on all the industries. Aviation sector was the one which was badly affected globally. Many filed for bankruptcy, while a most of them had been negatively impacted which resulted in drastic cost cutting measures.Being a frequent flier on the India-Gulf Cooperation Council route apart from within the Indian skies, I observed that most of the renowned Indian airlines, including those which were the darling of the stakeholders not a few months back, were suddenly trying to reduce their operational cost to such an extent that a frequent flier having a loyalty status with those airlines started to feel the heat.Things became obvious and it was visible to my eyes that the airlines were trying to move into the black through all means. What was painful though was the fact that these airlines weren't understanding the fact that the targeted heads to reduce the cost won't fetch them a big return and instead would threaten their brand image in the long run.The sense of complacency was even felt in their services quality, as the routine on-board and ground services were different from that of the normal situations.May be cost cutting right, left and center had a rubbing effect on the staff as they themselves started to feel the heat, and therefore moved away from the routine courteous way of serving the passengers.On the contrary airlines like Oman Air aggressively expanded their routes in the European sector by acquiring state-of-the-art aircraft, by enhancing their level of services.The major difference between these two claases of airlines were-One thought recession is permanent and the other thought it was momentary and so shouldn't tinker with the basic business fundamentals.

The Dubai Crisis

The breakdown of the Dubai Real Estate sector is having a suspicion in the mind of the Indian realty investors.In spite of the pep-talk by Indian finance minister, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, and declaration by leading banks including State Bank of India, Bank of Baroda and ICICI Bank, about their minuscule investments, the public at large, notably the ones having small and large investments in the realty companies is having their fingers crossed. The confidence building measures shown by Indian giants, notably players like Emaar MGF having a partner in the UAE,is acting as the much needed soothing balm, to an otherwise jittery investors.Dubai World, more specifically its subsidiary Nakheel is now at the mercy of the government of Abu Dhabi and apropos the first statements emanating from the capital of the Emirate, they are going to bail out the company after seeing all minute details on a case to case basis. Indian economy may take some beating as a million of Indian expatriates working in different Emirates, more so in Dubai may find it difficult to hold on to their job, thereby having a spill over affect on the remittances sent every month.The confidence shown by Indian experts is not an opaque one as they know the strong fundamentals of Indian economy would again come to their rescue like it was the case in the just receeding global recession, biggest since the great depression of the forties.However, wait and watch is the best way suggested by the experts and the astronomical rise in the price of properties even in India may soon see the bubble bursting and reaching their rightful place.

Read more from the following links of The Economic Times, leading financial and economic daily of India-

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/quickieslist/5274021.cms

The fun of teaching a new subject to the professional students

Although I had been teaching BBA, MBA, Diploma, Certificate, Higher Diploma students of business and management studies and training corporates for over a decade now, I have recently discovered the fun of teaching a novel subject.The routine subjects of management I was covering included marketing, human resources, strategic management, principles of management, soft skills to name a few didn't incite me much when it came to pedagogical innovation.It was when I was asked to train students on a new subject, Job Search Technique(JST),that my grey cells were activated beyond imagination.Prima facie it appeared that the subject was a cake-walk, however after realizing the diverse background of the target audience, I realized the importance of innovating so that I can reach out to them individually.I therefore started understanding the profile of students from different disciplines like Engineering, IT apart from business.I coined a unique method to analyze job advertisement analysis, somewhat similar to job analysis, whereby the trainee was supposed to list out the job profile on one side, his personal profile, along with the SWOT on the other, followed by marking right and wrong, depending upon their similarity and dissimilarity respectively.If the end result had more right, they concluded it is the right job for them and on the contrary more wrong indicated it wasn't the right job for them.Similarly, I asked them to research on various ways as to how internet can be leveraged to land up with the right job, pros and cons of conventional and unconventional job search techniques and more.