Platter of Half Baked Ideas

Came across this post on Mostly Economics where the author talks about experiences and observations of Anuvaub Paul (a comedian) after his interactions with students of a B-school in Pune.   Being an MBA himself Anuvaub is really surprised to see students having similar career choices as they had during his time. He is also disappointed how clueless students are and are just chasing these jobs for salaries so that edu loan can be repaid. His post highlights the herd mentality that we are so prone to, esp while pursuing courses like MBA where stop seeing beyond obvious career choices. And this view is further narrowed down to more glamorous or higher paying jobs like consulting or investment banking. Makes for an interesting read. Anuvaub's post can be found here .

Forbes India site has published this very interesting result of DigitasLBI's survey across 15 countries. Its a worthwhile short read (given that most of the data has been presented well in form of graphs) for people involved in startups and e-commerce space. Even otherwise this makes for an interesting read. Original article on Forbes India site can be found here . D igitasLBi’s Connected Commerce survey across 15 countries shows that consumers the world over are wired the same way: While their motivations, concerns and information resources are similar, the big difference lies in the use of smartphones as a purchase device in India, compared to laptops in other countries.    METHODOLOGY: DigitasLBi’s connected commerce survey is now in its fi fth year and covers a total of 15 countries. The study was conducted online by the Institut français d'opinion publique (IFOP) between May 4 and 23, 2016, during which 1,000 internet users aged 18 years and above resp...

Came across this bit on Mostly Economics - a blog I follow for its insightful articles.  Shailesh Menon of ET Bureau  has a piece  of ten oldest companies in India which are still doing good: The life expectancy rate of companies is shrinking rapidly world over. According to leadership guru Steven Denning, the life expectancy rate of Fortune-500 companies has reduced from around 75 years in the 1950s to less than 15 years now. Defying this average, a list of Indian companies have been in existence for over 100 years — and several of them are still going strong. Here is the list: Bombay Dyeing 1897 Shalimar Paints 1902 Bombay Burmah Trading Corp 1863 Otis Elevator 1892 Alembic Pharma 1907 Parry & Co 1839  Kamarahatty 1887 Teesta Valley Tea 1841 Amluckie investment 1876 Joint Stock Banks Well in banks, they just discuss nationalised banks. These remained as they were nationalised and we do not know how many would have survived. It  ...

This article was originally published here . Payoneer is one of India’s oldest online payment systems. The company which was the leader in online payments shut shop in 2011 because of  RBI’s  restrictions on certain account features. Now in 2016, Payoneer has relaunched it’s flagship product for Indian entrepreneurs and freelancers. The Mastercard Debit card which was issued along with every new Payoneer account has now been discontinued for Indian account holders. So you can no longer withdraw your earnings directly from the ATM and are instead required to transfer it your bank account first. Signing up for this new service will save you hundreds of dollars in charges that Paypal users have been paying for years. Did you know you could also earn US$25 (Rs1700) for just signing up on Payoneer ? Click on the link given below to get your free bonus ! This is a limited time inaugural offer for Indian users. Once your account is approved you can immediately start receiving mo...

For better part of past year or two, I have tried to avoid buying bottled water as much as possible. My reason has been simple - first bottles are made of plastic which is highly toxic to environment. Further, I strongly feel tap water (at most places with basic level of hygiene) are good enough to drink. Another factor is the absolute high premium charged by companies on bottled water. Some companies have even gone to the extent of claiming that drinking water should not be a fundamental right of humans! Wow! How far can we migrate from basic ethos just to chase some profit - as if all other opportunities to ear profit and run a business have dried up. That is why this article published by Story of Stuff Project (you should follow the site if you aren't already) is very important. The article throws light on how companies are exploiting natural resources in ways that have long term impact on ecology of regions without being held accountable for the damages caused. Reproduci...

I do not always agree with what Blogger Amit Verma writes on his popular blog India Uncut , but when I read this article on Arvind Kejriwal, I simple had to share it here. I think it summarizes everything about Kejriwal that we love to complain about. You can read the article at its original location here In theory, a devout politician is a good thing. A politician who believes in God seems to accept the existence of an entity more powerful than himself, and that should be a reassuring thought to Indian voters. We have plenty of devout politicians here, and while the ones in the ruling party are most vocal about it, opposition politicians aren’t far behind. Take Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, for example. When he was sworn in as chief minister at the Ramlila Maidan, Kejriwal repeatedly thanked God  for his newfound status. “I thank the Supreme Father, Ishwar, Allah, Waheguru,” he breathlessly proclaimed, trying to cover all bases. And in case the concerned gods misse...

Came across this very interesting article in today's Economic Times feed. Really makes you think if buying the new #iphone7 is worth the amount you need to shell out. This article makes a very compelling case that for any value conscious consumer, there are many other phones available in the market - mostly at lower price point, with similar or better features. The entire debate can be summed up with the Buffet quote cited in the article: Buffett has been quoted as saying: "'Price is what you pay; value is what you get. Whether we're talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down." Clearly value for money is Buffett's motto and the iPhone 7 is definitely not 'marked down'.  I would definitely rate this as a must read article before one decides to go and buy the new #iphone Original article can be found here

Thinking about taking an international trip, but not sure were to go? One of the first considerations for many people around the world is whether or not you’ll need a visa for your dream destination? With  Passport Index , that search just got a lot easier. And if you’re travelling as a group, it’s easy to draw up a quick comparison of up to four nationalities at a time. So how does it work? When you visit Passport Index, you’ll find a list of countries arranged by alphabetical order. Next to that, are four columns where you can fill in your nationality to find out the travel requirements for your destinations. Passport Index will tell you if your travel to that country is visa free, requires a visa, or if you can apply for a visa on arrival. Each country will also receive a “Visa-Free” score – which tallies up the number of countries you can visit without a visa. In addition to searching by your own nationality, you can also compare by destination. So if you’v...

Shawshank Redemption is among one of my favorite movies which I don't mind watching anytime... hence when I came across this interesting article linking the movie with Personal Finance, I simply had to share it. You can find the original article here . The Shawshank Redemption  is one of my favorite films of all time, and I’m far from alone in that sentiment. It’s been  the top rated film of all time on IMDB for years and years  and has been endlessly appreciated by both critics and movie fans alike. In my opinion, the film resonates because it’s about a bunch of flawed but likable characters overcoming a very challenging situation, something we can all relate to. The movie manages to create very deep portraits of the main characters and surprisingly deep portraits of all of the side characters, often giving them a ton of depth and life with just a few seconds of screen time and a few lines. Because of all of that,  the film manages to pack a ton of great life...