The Management 'Types' - Part 1

This one was long overdue, considering that Ive been in this place for over a year now and that this place must be the breeding ground for fellow 'judgemental-types'.( Ariel, Vini u would have simply loved it in here!)

Disclaimers, before I actually go about defining the 'Types'. One, it is not all black and white. A person could, would and should fall into more than one of the Types. I have been pleasantly surprised on more than one occasion to find someone who has been typoed behaving totally differently than expected. But the Type is generally the more dominant in them. Alright, occasionally they might act differently. But dont you dare change their Type because more often than not, the next day they would be back to being their normal selves. Two, I dont hate, loathe, despise any of these Types. I simply judge them.

Ok, here goes:
The 1st one is the Judgemental Type. (Well, have to say it. This is also where I belong) They are the paragons of righteousness. They are the gatekeepers that control the destinies of others around them! or so they think. These 'Little Professors' walk with their heads down and their hands behind their back. They are always thinking. You are constantly under their microscope. They are just waiting to tag you. They are just waiting for you to commit that one big mistake! These are those who you would typically find saying, 'he is a ch!#$', 'he is a freerider', or 'he is a glober'. Well, not all of them are so in-your-face! There are the more subtle ones also. These are more dangerous. You would not realize that they belong to this type. These are typically the analytical ones. One way of tracking them- albeit not a foolproof one- is to see if they have a 99 percentile on their CAT DI and Anat section.

The judgemental types deserve more space as there is lot of diversity among them. Typically at B schools, you learn giving structure to every thing. You learn a lot of models like the BCG model, the Porters 5 forces etc. The judgemental types are the ones that have an inclination for these models. They form their own models based on which they judge. One model I know of is the 'CG' model. This model judges people based on their 'cgpa'. e.g. ' that guy is all crap, but he is a 7 pointer-so he must be a stud!' or 'this one makes sense, but he is a 5 pointer!' Btw, it is not all hunky-dory for this type. Judgement kinda becomes a habit for them. They themselves dont escape their own scanners. Infact they end up judging themselves the most. They put up the best behaviour that their model suggests. But Alas! Their model is not a universal one and they might themselves end up being typoed as a 'Ch%#$' in someone elses model.

Then there are the 'Glob' types. First of all, let me define 'glob' for you. Glob is a B school term for gas, fart etc. These charecters have a penchant for talking. They can 'glob' about absolutely anything under the sun. Now since I have decided on being stereotypical, let me leave no stone unturned. These are the ones that generally take up all the marketing and the behavioural science courses. And they are genuinely good at it. They are the ones asking most questions in the most 'glob' subjects. They end up scoring A pos in Marman, Indian Social Structure and Business Ethics. There are sub types in this type also. The very blatant ones are the ones that open their mouth first and think later. The more subtle ones know something about everything. These are the more difficult ones to catch because they are very confident at whatever they say. But eventually they do get caught. They only have to meet someone more knowledgeable on a particular topic.

There are quite a few types to follow. The 'gyaan' types, the 'always-in-sleep' types, the 'out-to-change-the-system', the 'Fighter' types. But this has already become quite a long post. So I ll save these for next time.

So, till next time.
Chao!

Option Strategies

just.. for quick reference :)

Covered Call: long stock + short call
Bull Spread: long call + short call further out of the money; stock price to increase within a certain range
Bear Spread: long put + short put further out of the money; stock price to decrease within a certain range
Butterfly: Long call + long call further out of the money and short 2 calls midway between the 2 long calls; stock price to remain constant
Straddle: long put + long call at same strike price; stock price to change drastically
Strangle: long put + long call at a higher strike price

.. am I missing something?
.. coming up next: Option Greeks and Exotic Options

PS: this is to remind me of the times I did nothing!

We are the champions!

There was nothing between the 2 sides. That ball could have gone anywhere. Luckily for India, it fell in Shreesanth's lap. All of us jumped out of the sofa in anticipation. And so must have everyone all over the country. And then it took a few moments to sink in. World Champions! Albeit T20 World Cup. For once India knows how it feels to be on the winning side of a global competition. We now know how the Australia would have felt in 1999, 2003 and 2007, though that might be a case of diminishing marginal utility. How Pakistan felt in 92 and Sri Lanka in 96.

But does it feel so much more when you r on the other side? Much worse when you are on the losing side than good when you r on the winning side. I can imagine how Misbah-ul-Haq would have felt. That photo on Cricinfo captures it all. Ecstasy for some, despair for the rest. The heartbreak of being so close, yet so far. It might take a life time to get that opportunity again, that shot at the championship. In the life of many players it may never come again. That is the worst part of quadrennial tournaments, and that is also what makes them so special!

The South African Party

The organizers of the inaugural T20 World cup couldn't have asked for more. Explosive batting, nail biting finishes, 6 sixes in an over, a tied match...and the icing on the cake: an India Pakistan final! Just when ODIs were becoming a tad monotonous, T20 is a welcome respite.

Cricket is a game of a bygone era. Games lasting for 5 days. Players and umpires dressed in white. Run rates-though they have been improving of late- being puny 3 storey buildings of the 70s than the 20 storey scyscrappers of the new millenium. Well dont get me wrong here. I am an avid fan of Test match Cricket. It is the best game that can ever be. Same players adapting to different conditions. WACA being the bounciest track, Kingsmead and Headingley offering the most lateral movement. the swing of Lords and the spin of Eden Gardens or Chepauk. Matches swaying from one team to the other just because some dark clouds suddenly showed up. Shane Warne weaving his web around the batsman. Steve Waugh taking on the deadly duo of Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh on a lively Sabina Park track with his best weapon, grit. Glen McGrath's perfection. Virender Sehwag's flair. Saqlain Mushtaq's guile. Inzamam's lazy elegance. Wasimbhai creating magic with leather. Rahul Dravid taking a hit on his ribs so that the next batsman can murder the English bowling attack later. Test matches are the truest test of a sportsman's charecter. There is aggression here, but more subtle than the blatant T20 format. Skill and flair may be the lead actors, but temperament and patience are important supporting actors. Test Match Cricket is and shall always be the game of glorious uncertainities. It would have an audience in every era.

But it's just a part of me saying that. Another part of me belongs to this fast paced, high adreniline times. After a hectic day's work, there's nothing like going to Hard Rock Cafe and enjoying some good music with friends. Or heading out to the movies. I dont have an entire day to spare for Test cricket or even for One day cricket. So for this high action, slam dunk kinda lifestyle, Twenty 20 cricket is an apt reply. It gets over in 3 hrs flat. And every minute of those 3 hrs is pure entertainment. If you look deep it is the same 50 over format with those boring overs between 15 and 40 cropped and the hard hitting power plays retained.

And it is not all hard hitting either. With sporting wickets offering something to the bowlers like the one we've had at Kingsmead during the WC, there is a genuine contest between bat and ball. The batsman have to keep innovating. The bowlers need to think on their feet. And it all happens very fast; one moment you're cruising along, the next your in a deep hole.

This format is here to stay. But while it stays, I hope it doesnt poach into the other formats. T20 can at best be one very well made trailer for a blockbuster movie. And while I hope, I am also eagerly awaiting the Indian Premier T20 league to begin, with matches every week. And I hope it provides the same value for money as has this WC. While that will have to wait a tad longer, I am eagerly awaiting the clash of the subcontinent giants on Monday at the bullring.

Are you watching it too?

River, rocks, tents, Whisky, safari, Bhutan, teen patti, general dabba!

It was a good trip.

2 days into the trip, I felt as if Id been there forever. And the 7 days that were to follow seemed never ending. There were sunny days, there were cloudy days, there were windy nights, there were murky evenings, there was the full moon and there was the rain... morning, afternoon, evening, night, whenever, always! And it seemed like a cloud burst each time. Then there were pricky track pants, wet towels, K750i with Jim Morrison's 'The End', non-drying shoes and broken slippers... ah! about wet shoes and broken slippers: initially everyone was very concerned about the shoes getting wet and removed them while crossing the river. But, what the heck!! Aren't shoes supposed to get wet on adventure trips... and then kept for drying for the next 4 days! While they are drying, you put ur slippers on and when one of them breaks, the love-hate u feel with each step you take...

The base camp changed constantly. First we were staying in tents with no electricity, along the rocky, wild river. Next we were in cottages amidst green paddy fields. Then we were put up in rooms alongside a lone railway track in the wildlife sanctuary. And we trekked everywhere: on the river bed (twice), amidst lush tea gardens, through the small pathway in the jungle and on the steep hill. The food was simple: Dal, chawal, aloo, parwal, poori with dal for breakfast. And it was uniform: we travelled across North Bengal and the sameness of the food at each place was remarkable. Then there were the Fears: The fear of leaches. The fear of slipping from top of a very steep slope. The fear of falling into the wild river. The fear of the Royal Bengal Tiger making a sudden appearance from the dark.

And then the gang. 9 unknown people and it was as if we were friends for a long time. DumbC, Bluff, teen patti with matches and beedis replacing the money, whisky with Limca and water, tandoor... constant case taking, singing aloud, 'Chaiyya-Chaiyya' on the jeep, discussions: strategy discussions, culture discussions, love discussions, 'on a high by the railway track' discussion, 'on the rocks in the moonlight' discussions, people discussions, undergrad discussions, 'no' discussions, 'UP-Bihar politics in the toilet of a crowded unreserved compartment of the Guwahati-Bangalore express' discussions...

Navy blue and brown

I just have to have to go to Ladakh sometime. sooner than later. was planning last year, but the timing was wrong, Rohtang pass remains closed in May. this year too it dint work out, the timing was alrite, but i dint have enuf time. and no company!

A friend had just been there. Alone! adore him for that. and he just sent across the pics. they look awesum. better than the pics Id seen before. Ladakh is so colourful; yet there are not many colours, just 2 infact, blue and brown. The sky is blue. not azure, but blue. and the lakes, they are like gigantic mirrors. and in between there is brown. miles of brown. miles of nothingness. rocks, sand, pebbles, all brown!! It's like uve entered a painting, not that of an expert, no skill, no finesse. a kid's painting; just took the tubes and sprayed them across the canvas. got the shades all wrong too.. simple, innocent, naive!

I just have to go there!

Information

If you know things that others dont, dark things, bad things, things that are twisted and gnarled, you have value. You have the greens and you have the power. Why else do you think the investment banks are so powerful. If I tell you that the oil industry is what it is today because a few investment banks want it to be so, it would sound incredible. They are the Barbarians at the Gate, guarding your destiny of corporate existence. And you thought it was all about how innovative your firm's strategy is!

Information flows very slowly. And as it flows further downstream, it loses value. The earlier you capture it, the richer you are. By the time you and I go long based on the information available in the public domain, those smart people there are selling the same assets and raking in all the moolah!

So the bottomline is: You dont need capital. You dont need foresight. You dont need to have that elusive business idea that would create wealth for you or thousands of people around you. All you need to be is smart to read between the lines or to have the right contacts.

Sepia and Chai, early morning.

After a night out completing the BizVal project, I was only too tired and sleepy to accompany fellow wingies to the roadside 'tapri' for an early morning session of chai, 'Gugni' and 'bakar'. However, I reluctantly agreed and I am glad I did.

0530 in Calcutta is more the 0630 in Bombay. Being out so early after such a long time actually made me a bit nostalgic. The whiff of fresh morning air, the tinge of humidity in the air and the pale blue of the sky were reminiscent of those summer days of lining up at the first sight of dawn at the cycle shop for the best cycle, the one that had 14 painted on it OR of waking up early on 1st day of vacations, which also coincided with the South Indian New Year and making a morning trip to the temple with friends.

The subsidized chai was refreshing accompanied with some typical B school glob. Gugni with 'Anda pav' lived up to its expectation of being one of the most edible dishes in and around campus. The hordes of tapris, the numerous cyclists and cycle rickshaw pullers, the Ambassadors lined up at the taxi stand and the blue KMC buses zooming past at the DH road made an ideal setting for the creative mind. What ensued was an impromptu photo shoot, of experimentation with light, with angles, with still and moving objects and with 'Sepia' and 'Black and White'.

Then the slow walk back and much awaited sleep, not before uploading some of the pics on your orkut profile.

No decision is absolutely rational!

His lectures started getting monotonous. It seemed that there was a pattern to all his analyses. The discussions seemed too black and white and predictable. While at the start, one would dare not miss any of his classes, now the numbers were dwindling and class participation was dropping exponentially. The word was that D, considered one of the profs here, was too rigid with his point of view.

But it all changed today. Today's was easily his best case discussion. Not many would agree with me though, because most of them were dozing away towards utopia. For them, I would really reiterate what one B here, who has a penchant for Quotable Quotes once said, "you are sleeping over your career, Mister!" B has enough substance to form the subject of one long post. But more on him later. BTW, D himself is well known for his 'Hall of Fame' dialogues, though they all sounded like cliches to me, until now. But some of his quotes today were vintage. "No decision is absolutely rational", ''Better work with known devils, than dark horses" and "skill is acquired, competence is applied' to name a few. His take that if you want to ignore power and politics in corporations and not be part of the rat race, better join an NGO although a bit radical, made a lot of sense; Politics exit in organizations, infact it exists in every walk of life. That cases are not to have solutions only discussions shows that there is certain flexibilty to his rigidity.

.. and one more

7. The brave and the beautiful men beside me
were running into the guns... it was
glorious, if glory is a magnificent and
raptured exaltation.
It was what love would be like,
if love was a sin
It was what music would be,
if music could kill you

quotable Quotes

1. If u have to ask the question,
u have no right to the answer
2. the real trick in life is to want nothing
and to suceed in getting it
3. A lot of stuff in the world
wasnt really that bad,
until someone tried to change it
4. Wisdom is just cleverness,
with all the guts kicked out of it
I'd be clever than wise, any day
5. No man is as cool as he looks
6. Every city in the world,
has a village in its heart

Semi Finals again

Its the World Cup semi-final time again.. for some reason the semi finals have almost always been more thrilling affairs than the finals.. over the years WC semi finals have seen some of the most unforgettable matches.

I have vague memories of India losing the 1987 Reliance cup semis to England, when Sunny Gavaskar, who played so well against New Zealand, got out early. However, I distinctly remember the 1992 WC semis despite India not being a part of it. I remember this new team playing so well through out the tournament and some dreaded rule getting the better of them in the Semis.. at one moment it was 22 to get off 13 balls, at the other it was 22 off 1! I dont remember the other Semis though but it is the '92 finals that I still remember, where I had supported Pakistan and won a bet of Rs 2 with my Grandpa.

The next 4 years saw me become a blind Indian cricket fan, like any Indian kid of that age. I had witnessed the wonder kid Sachin Tendulkar develop into the Superstar. I cherished Indian wins on flat Indian tracks and condoned their impotency abroad. Before the 1996 World Cup, while experts talked about South Africa and Australia being the strongest contenders, I was silently confident about India's chances. So the league game loss to Australia at Wankhede was itself a heartbreak, let alone the semi finals.

The semi finals against Sri Lanka is firmly etched into my memory. India's nemisis from Kotla, Jayasuriya out in the 1st over, Aravinda D'silva exuding class at every shot, Roshan Mahanama dehydrating, Sachin and Manjrekar making the chase look easy, Sachin getting stumped around his stumps by D'Silva, devils emerging suddenly from the Eden Gardens pitch, India's meek surrender and Vinod Kambli leaving the field in tears. The other semis I remember too. West Indies were cruising along. Then suddenly that magician Warne does one of his most famous acts, mesmerizing the West Indies.

1999 semis again had no India, owing to that despicable performance at Leister. But the semis were memorable nonetheless. Requiring 9 runs off the last over, Klusener slammed 2 boundaries off Fleming though extra cover. Needing 1 run off 3 balls, Alan Donald gettng stranded in the middle of the wicket must be one of the most haunting glimpses of One Day Cricket. In the other semis, Pakistan, the best team in the tournament by a margin eased past New Zealand, only to flatter to deceive in the finals

Well. 2003 was one edition where there weren't many surprises in the semis. Let us hope that the Semis this time live up to their reputation.

comely

stayin at home after a long time.. a snapshot of how things shud b.. playin the part of a good son.. visiting relatives with parents, running errands for mom and home to office and back without wandering elsewher..
.. and then there is this animal in shackles and in hibernation!

India Blues

And like everything, even good 'teams' have to die.
Aint no sympathy when they say goodbye.

It has been the end of an era. The present Indian team had shown symptoms of a terminal illness for some time. The heartbreaking WC exit was just the death knell. However, despite all the anguish, it has to be said: this was possibly the best Indian team ever. Better than Wadekar's team that won in England and West Indies and better than Kapil's devils.

With the seeds sown in 2000 when Ganguly was made captain and John Wright the coach, it showed initial signs of greatness in 2001 by taking on Steve Waugh's bullies by their horns and taming them. The golden era of the Blues came in 2003, when they ended the World Cup as runners up, squared the series Down Under and defeated Pakistan on their home turf. Some of the best test wins overseas were scripted during their time: Headingley in 2002, Adelaide, Multan and Lahore in 2003, Jamaica and Johenasburg 2006 to name a few.

This team treaded on the brink of greatess so often. It is sad that they would always be remembered not for what they have achieved, but for what they could have.

Updates..

..more thn a yr of blogging... have come full circle - was on a Mirosoft project then, so I am now. btw.. the facility here is awesome.. pretty similar to, infact better than, Infy.

newez.. back in bbay for almost 3 weeks and after 9 months.. n nothings changed... this city just accepts me as its own. Infact only after a week did I realize abt the change in surroundings.. Waiting in a bus stop-it suddenly struck me tht this is no longer the dirty and crowded Behala Bypass, but the clean n plush Linking Road.

All the lost sleep at the End Terms and the Placements was regained in the 1st 2 weeks here, thru circumventing Dad's 'timetable' and too-busy-to-meet-up Friends.

BEST bus rides would always be the same, wont they. Took the 259 recently n down memory lane. Same old Indian Oil, n same old Bangur Nagar. Only in beween, the traffic clogged Malad Link Road near Lonkhandwala which had huge inchoate concrete strucures staring down its throat is now free flowing and is looked upon by expensive restaurants and lavish malls. India shining or not, Bombay is definitely iridescent.

And the 3rd term grades are out. My Joka grade ride has been a proper sine wave so far. Obtained a decent CG in Term1 only to be setback by all the Indian Social Structure and Behavioral Sciences Glob of Term2. Term 3 saw me claw it back a bit and I hope to end Term 4 at 90 degrees. Took me 1 yr of B Schooling to figure out tht Globing is not my cup of tea. HR n Mkting go out of the window. Fin is still goin strong, and Ops has suddenly made a special appearance.

Signing off
Ritz

Early days.. late daze..

one year gone.. from Freshers to Jobbers..
parties simbly rock at Jokaland..
the clock on my lappy says 0637..
one vodka, Gawd knows ho many beer and this fuckin headache!!
all I ve gotta say is:
Aankh khuli to mid term aa gaya..
saath me danda laaya
pehle Finaac ch&*a.. fir Stats ch&*a..
BS ne bhi, maa ki le li
Doston ne RG ki, kauwo ne bhi na chodi!
Jokawalo, kya bataein, apne dil ki dastaanein

cheero.. n good nite
Ritz, signing off..
Jet lagged and drunk at IIM, Joka.

PS: the expletives-in-rhyme above are excerpts of the song, 'Early Days' by JBS BaroC

Shuffle

A huge compilation
of ur all time favorites
from a mosaic of genres

Sambora plays his closing lead..
a few moments of suspense
and the 'tabla' prelude
of Ghulam Ali's classical composotion begins

Romeo + Juliet

Juliet, the dice were loaded from the start
and I bet,
and u exploded in the heart
oh, I fget the movie song
When r u gonna realize its just that the time was wrong, Juliet

- Mark Knopfler

Wonder

it is an amazing product
that small, sleek silver piece of work
can take you to places
memories, dreams,
pictures of yellow, of blue and of grey

u hear every sound, crystal
a monophonic melody emancipates
a thousand harmonies from 20hz to 20 khz

thanx to Mr Jobs
and the dear friend who gifted me this marvel

rock bottom

which is worse,
deep pain or abyss

the pain of not getting that which was so close to you,
OR the void that follows after achieving all that u wanted

the anguish of ambiguity, of feeling that there is still a chance,
of that roller coaster ride, that free fall from the acme of ecstasy to the nadir of deep anguish,
OR the drift along the same horizontal line into the deep black chasm of desperation