What is the role of a supply chain manager? This very question irked me in the evening while having tea. I mustered my thoughts to make this picture: a supply chain manager acting as a rope and being pulled from one end by customer’s mounting demands and the opposite end by the company’s growth and profitability. His task is to prevent the rope from being snapped and achieve profitable growth by treating supply chain management as a strategic variable of company’s long term planning.
From the little experience of the class room listening, I can say that the manager must see supply chain as a holistic or as a whole—all the links involved in managing the flow of products, services, and information from their suppliers' suppliers to their customers' customers, here I mean channel customers, such as distributors and retailers. He must pursue tangible outcomes—focused on revenue growth, asset utilization, and cost. Of course achieving profitability is one of the major goals which can be made possible by keeping costs as low as possible, though goal of customer service should not be compromised.
As we know that traditionally companies and their component parts were seen as distinct functional entities, but today the view has changed entirely; component departments are seen as parts of an integrated supply chain and the measure of success depends upon how well all the activities are interconnected and coordinating well across the supply chain to deliver the promise of value to the end consumer, simultaneously more precisely making profits out of every chain that exist in the supply chain network.
Thus a supply chain manager’s role becomes more so important since his ability to visualize supply chain as a web where every link has its own importance in the success of supply chain, and coordinating while sustaining profits from a single link, is what makes sense for the company to hire him.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Friday, December 18, 2009
Motivation and commitment
I found an interesting article about Jonah Barrington, former squash world champion, way back in 1970's. Its an interesting reading about motivation and commitment so I am sharing it with you.
At Jonah Barrington's school, pupils were encouraged to play all sports - and he delighted in the lot; cricket, rugby, football, tennis, badminton, swimming and the squash that was to make him world-famous. He relished the opportunity. Looking back, he feels privileged and lucky. He regrets that children now tend to specialise or are asked to specialise far too early in their lives. In Barrington's view, for any good sportsman or woman to develop, they need exposure to the whole range of sport.
Not only will that develop their coordination, but different sports tend to evoke different reactions in eye and hand. Channel somebody into one specific sport, even into one specific event, at a very early age, and you may limit their potential. There are obvious parallels with management. The broader the experience, both in terms of functions and operations, the better equipped the manager becomes for the truly testing moment: when all his or her commitment must be focused on a specific and important task.
Jonah Barrington's future task wasn't at all apparent in those sporting schooldays. He wasn't the greatest of students: the classroom bored him, and only the sports field was thrilling. There he could express himself and his energy: in the classroom, he couldn't excel - or didn't.He did however manage to get to university in Dublin, but here again, he says, 'outside attractions' tended to deflect him from his work.
The extreme pursuit of these outside attractions and influences gave Barrington a terrific time. It was a rich experience - no doubt too rich: he was eventually sent down. It was then that he stopped to think. In his own words, Barrington realised that he had 'messed up' in most aspects of his life, and that he needed to commit himself to total focus in one area to become a success. He had always felt that to be possible; he just hadn't set himself any targets, or formed any firm commitment to any activity.
Squash, he says, was almost the last possibility he investigated. He felt he lacked the requisite ability or achievement at any other sport, and he was definitely not a Seb Coe, someone who had fastened on the sport he loved when very young. The choice must have been influenced to some degree by Jonah's brother, who was a county standard squash player: and once Jonah had focused himself on squash, it gave him intense enjoyment.
The sport he grew to love also grew to become his obsession and sole focus. His ambition, his dream, was to make himself world champion. It was a whole life commitment. He set about clinically and systematically gearing all his training and all his days to achieving that aim. Barrington studied every aspect, not only of squash and squash players and the squash court, but every other sport to see what he could learn, what aspects might enhance his performance.
He was probably the most dedicated trainer ever seen, certainly in this sport, and perhaps in any sport. The technique of the game itself had made little advance since the Khans of Pakistan, led by the great Hashim, had shocked all opposition by their speed and power. Nobody had thought about the basic fitness requirements on court or had compared squash preparations (which consisted almost entirely of just playing the game) with training methods from other sports. Barrington looked at everything.
If athletes trained at altitude, why not squash players? How did gymnasts train for their phenomenal flexibility? He scoured all possible sources of improvement and information. There was a very powerful reason. It's an understatement to say that Barrington wasn't the most talented squash player in the world. To achieve the ambition to which he was committed, Barrington had to use that very commitment: to out-train, out-practice, out-think and even out-diet the opposition - he used to be great believer in nuts and raisins.
What didn't come naturally would be acquired: he would force himself to become the best prepared, the fittest, and thus the best squash player in the world. When he turned professional in the late 1960s, Barrington wasn't motivated by money for its own sake. He needed all his time to focus his whole being on the long climb of improving his squash. His commitment to perfecting his game was truly professional, anyway. The rest of the sport was dominated by amateurism: that couldn't co-exist with the pursuit of excellence.
Barrington was following the same route that Jack Kramer had used to create the professional tennis circuit. The ides that squash players could emulate Kramer's circus seemed far-fetched at the time. But Barrington had the confidence to take that risk: the end would justify the means, and others would follow him along a path which would improve the sport and bring it to a wider audience. That would increase income, not only for himself, but the sport as a whole.
Vision, confidence and commitment made Barrington the architect of a huge increase in public interest in squash. As he expected, the other leading squash players did turn professional: as he planned, Barrington become the world champion, though he had to beat brilliant players like the great and supremely talented Australian Geoff Hunt to do so. Hunt has paid unstinting tribute to Barrington: 'Given the same circumstances' (Barrington's relatively late start in squash and limited natural ability) 'I could not have achieved what he has done.'
Hunt had 'no doubt that Barrington...introduced a new concept of physical fitness into squash. His extreme methods, which included training at a high altitude in Kenya before he defeated me in the final of the 1972 British Open Championship, has made him probably the fittest man in the world.' Winning against men like Hunt was an extraordinary feat in itself. But it's the way Barrington motivated himself after becoming world champion that epitomises his dedication, commitment and focus.
He wanted desperately to stay world champion. His motivational technique was to build 'false' barriers, difficulties which had nothing to do with performance on court. He would get himself angry because challengers around the world were getting better treatment from their squash authorities. Others had better facilities and a governing body that would help and enhance, not hinder and mar their prospects.
The great anger and frustration which Barrington felt about the squash establishment in Britain were deliberately used as a motivational tool. They helped give him a psychological edge over his opposition. He would go on court as the self-appointed underdog, put under greater pressure than his opponent by his lack of similar opportunities to prepare for competition. The supposedly impoverished environment reinforced his desire to train harder, work harder and play harder - and better - on court.
He wasn't, of course, under any serious disadvantages. But he believes that building a 'false environment', creating barriers for himself to climb, was crucial in his sustained achievement as world champion. His ability to feel hard done by resulted, not in self-pity, but in still greater commitment. In this frame of mind, competitors were trying to take away his living, trying to take away his money, seeking to deprive Barrington of the rewards for which he had sacrificed everything. His reaction was to raise his commitment, drive and preparation higher still.
Those words - 'higher still' - applied literally to his altitude training. Once, when he had to play high up in Zimbabwe, instead of staying in England preparing at sea level in the comfort of London, he sought the necessary edge over his competitors by training and playing at altitude before arrival. The profile of squash was then so low that Barrington could sneak out to Africa, train in another country at altitude, and arrive in Zimbabwe with the local competitors still believing he'd come straight from sea level in England.
His private knowledge that he had been training at altitude in a spartan environment gave Barrington a huge psychological boost, a huge mental edge. Opponents who believed that, this time at least, they were fitter and better prepared had a shock. During the games, Barrington could see the disbelief in their eyes when he didn't tire at the high altitude. Outwitting his opponents in his preparation gave Barrington a wonderful motivational lift; he still remembers his tremendous satisfaction at winning that competition.
You couldn't have greater evidence of commitment than this episode - going to Africa, enduring a very basic existence for five or six weeks on his own, forcing himself through severe additional training to get an edge in just one competition. To maintain his position as the best in the world, however, Barrington needed other ways to overcome his lack of ability compared to other squash players, especially the naturally gifted Pakistanis. He had to work harder to get the best possible angle out of every shot. He had to practise more to make sure he understood all the angles in the court.
His knowledge of this restricted space became total. Barrington's almost scientific approach to the application of angles, speed, and trajectory was coupled with his training to maximise physical output and effectiveness on court. The commitment to being the best was the sole focus of his life at that time. As he travelled the world for years, only to play squash, only to become and remain world number one, he continued to learn. In other countries, how did they train, how did they play, was he missing out on some innovation off or on court?
Opponent after opponent was worn down as Barrington exploited his ability to outlast them in long rallies, using his uncanny ability (to quote the admiring Geoff Hunt) 'to keep the ball along the sidewalls and at the back of the court with accurate lobs and drives'. His commitment to winning was so great that it radically changed the way squash was played - and the way that the game was structured. By re-creating squash as a professional game, he opened the eyes of the world's top players to their income-earning potential.
The professional circuit required someone like Barrington (a 'very robust character', says Hunt) to become a viable business. As the Australian observes, Barrington is 'amiable and amusing, but he can also be quite ruthless in pursuing his own interests, and he is not afraid of controversy.' His absolute focus and commitment not only attracted other players, but also sponsors, whose money was essential to enable the circuit to function. As the players could afford more time to practise and hone their skills, the game naturally improved and became a more attractive spectator sport.
The general awareness of the game was vastly increased by the improved image on court and the enhanced ability of the new generation of full-time players, who combined natural talent with Barrington-like fitness. Like many successful British athletes, though, Barrington doesn't believe that the national culture encourages the tremendous commitment which you require to achieve Number One status and stay there. In sport as in management, the British often seem to wait for adversity to stir them into action. Plainly, it makes far better sense to insist on excellence, to strive for perfection, and to seek the best standards at all times.
That way you avert crisis and demonstrate true professionalism, as a manager or an athlete. And Barrington came to embody the ideal of committed professionalism. It wasn't everybody's ideal. Barrington felt that he was almost ostracised, not only in squash committees round the world, but by many in the media. One article in The Squash Player even attacked Barrington's achievements with fitness: 'He accepted the conditions imposed on the game aerobically by Afridi Sikhs of the North-West frontier, and approached it as an aerobic activity rather than a racket sport. While conceding that he virtually had to in order to win, I submit that he has probably killed the game as a result.'
As events have shown, this prognosis was arrant nonsense. The game remains triumphantly alive. But Barrington's single-minded pursuit of his goal - being best - seemed to his critics un-British, if not downright unsporting. The critics were turned to Barrington's advantage. Their attacks stimulated the competitive urge, and helped to generate the desire and focus - even the anger - that he need to perform to his maximum ability. The more he succeeded, the more time he spent on preparation; analysing his performance and training, his competitors and their methods, and continually looking for valuable innovations.
Again, the management parallels are striking. The longer Barrington stayed at the top, the longer the time he spent on preparation. Far too many top managers act is if reaching their senior posts is the summit: in truth, it's merely the foothills. Yet they train less, prepare less and plan less. That adds up to massive under-commitment, not only to the company, but to their own careers. The top manager who has ceased to learn is headed for failure: the top athlete who has stopped learning is headed for defeat.
Barrington did exactly the opposite. He trained harder and longer, and did more homework, both on himself and the opposition. The harder he trained, the harder he forced himself to the limits of his own endurance: thanks to him, the aerobic level (the processing of oxygen to muscle tissue) has been raised at least three times in top squash. He takes tremendous pride in the belief that nobody else in squash has pushed themselves so far. The object wasn't simply to establish his own extreme limits, but to ensure that he was fitter than any opponent.
Without that basic commitment, the obscure Dublin undergraduate who had been thrown out of university would never have metamorphosed into a world champion. He was, he admits, 'a loser'. What turned him into a winner, the best in his sport? First came the choice of field: squash was woefully under-exploited and unrewarding for the players, but that very fact provided the opportunity for a breakthrough. Second was Barrington's total commitment to his choice - fuelled by the urge to surpass his brother, who was successful, not only at squash, but in his career. His brother was the family's golden boy, and Jonah something of a black sheep.
The consequent creation of a champion is more inspiring and instructive than the sagas of athletes who have preternatural gifts. To became world Number One, Barrington had to defeat opponent after opponent who had greater talent, but who were outmatched by the Cornishman's dedication, determination and drive: in a word, commitment. These opponents also trained hard and prepared carefully for their matches: he trained harder and planned more effectively - witness the use of altitude training to help defeat Hunt in 1972.
In 1973, Hunt was determined to get his revenge. He raised his normal (or rather abnormal) succession of eight quarter miles, run in 70-75 seconds, with only a minute's rest, to no less than ten. He added eight 100-yard sprints, and then did ten more quarters. All this took about an hour, and shows the extremes to which opponents had to go in order to match Barrington's fitness. But the work-outs didn't work: Hunt lost in the semi-final, and Barrington beat the winner to retain his title. As Hunt conceded, it wasn't only Barrington's dedication to fitness that brought success: it was 'determination'.
Another powerful lesson for managers is that Barrington's campaign was based on thorough investigation of other sports and training methods - he certainly knew how Hunt trained, but he also looked outside squash. Often sportsmen and women, like business people, develop tunnel vision. They become obsessed by their own sport, their own sector of industry, their own specialisation. Dread phrases like 'not invented here' and 'we've never done it that way' shut out the most accessible and valuable source of new ideas and new methods.
Such killing phrases were never in Barrington's vocabulary. He sought knowledge from every other area of competition, not only from observation, but from the players and coaches themselves. His sponge-like ability to soak up desired information and turn it to advantage; his fierce competitive spirit; the way he drove himself on through erecting false barriers to progress; his creation of a harsh personal environment - all these were forces enabling Barrington to sustain his excellence on court. But above all, to stay ahead of the competition, he had to think ahead of it, anticipating and innovating all the time. That's the ultimate commitment, and the ultimate winning way.
At Jonah Barrington's school, pupils were encouraged to play all sports - and he delighted in the lot; cricket, rugby, football, tennis, badminton, swimming and the squash that was to make him world-famous. He relished the opportunity. Looking back, he feels privileged and lucky. He regrets that children now tend to specialise or are asked to specialise far too early in their lives. In Barrington's view, for any good sportsman or woman to develop, they need exposure to the whole range of sport.
Not only will that develop their coordination, but different sports tend to evoke different reactions in eye and hand. Channel somebody into one specific sport, even into one specific event, at a very early age, and you may limit their potential. There are obvious parallels with management. The broader the experience, both in terms of functions and operations, the better equipped the manager becomes for the truly testing moment: when all his or her commitment must be focused on a specific and important task.
Jonah Barrington's future task wasn't at all apparent in those sporting schooldays. He wasn't the greatest of students: the classroom bored him, and only the sports field was thrilling. There he could express himself and his energy: in the classroom, he couldn't excel - or didn't.He did however manage to get to university in Dublin, but here again, he says, 'outside attractions' tended to deflect him from his work.
The extreme pursuit of these outside attractions and influences gave Barrington a terrific time. It was a rich experience - no doubt too rich: he was eventually sent down. It was then that he stopped to think. In his own words, Barrington realised that he had 'messed up' in most aspects of his life, and that he needed to commit himself to total focus in one area to become a success. He had always felt that to be possible; he just hadn't set himself any targets, or formed any firm commitment to any activity.
Squash, he says, was almost the last possibility he investigated. He felt he lacked the requisite ability or achievement at any other sport, and he was definitely not a Seb Coe, someone who had fastened on the sport he loved when very young. The choice must have been influenced to some degree by Jonah's brother, who was a county standard squash player: and once Jonah had focused himself on squash, it gave him intense enjoyment.
The sport he grew to love also grew to become his obsession and sole focus. His ambition, his dream, was to make himself world champion. It was a whole life commitment. He set about clinically and systematically gearing all his training and all his days to achieving that aim. Barrington studied every aspect, not only of squash and squash players and the squash court, but every other sport to see what he could learn, what aspects might enhance his performance.
He was probably the most dedicated trainer ever seen, certainly in this sport, and perhaps in any sport. The technique of the game itself had made little advance since the Khans of Pakistan, led by the great Hashim, had shocked all opposition by their speed and power. Nobody had thought about the basic fitness requirements on court or had compared squash preparations (which consisted almost entirely of just playing the game) with training methods from other sports. Barrington looked at everything.
If athletes trained at altitude, why not squash players? How did gymnasts train for their phenomenal flexibility? He scoured all possible sources of improvement and information. There was a very powerful reason. It's an understatement to say that Barrington wasn't the most talented squash player in the world. To achieve the ambition to which he was committed, Barrington had to use that very commitment: to out-train, out-practice, out-think and even out-diet the opposition - he used to be great believer in nuts and raisins.
What didn't come naturally would be acquired: he would force himself to become the best prepared, the fittest, and thus the best squash player in the world. When he turned professional in the late 1960s, Barrington wasn't motivated by money for its own sake. He needed all his time to focus his whole being on the long climb of improving his squash. His commitment to perfecting his game was truly professional, anyway. The rest of the sport was dominated by amateurism: that couldn't co-exist with the pursuit of excellence.
Barrington was following the same route that Jack Kramer had used to create the professional tennis circuit. The ides that squash players could emulate Kramer's circus seemed far-fetched at the time. But Barrington had the confidence to take that risk: the end would justify the means, and others would follow him along a path which would improve the sport and bring it to a wider audience. That would increase income, not only for himself, but the sport as a whole.
Vision, confidence and commitment made Barrington the architect of a huge increase in public interest in squash. As he expected, the other leading squash players did turn professional: as he planned, Barrington become the world champion, though he had to beat brilliant players like the great and supremely talented Australian Geoff Hunt to do so. Hunt has paid unstinting tribute to Barrington: 'Given the same circumstances' (Barrington's relatively late start in squash and limited natural ability) 'I could not have achieved what he has done.'
Hunt had 'no doubt that Barrington...introduced a new concept of physical fitness into squash. His extreme methods, which included training at a high altitude in Kenya before he defeated me in the final of the 1972 British Open Championship, has made him probably the fittest man in the world.' Winning against men like Hunt was an extraordinary feat in itself. But it's the way Barrington motivated himself after becoming world champion that epitomises his dedication, commitment and focus.
He wanted desperately to stay world champion. His motivational technique was to build 'false' barriers, difficulties which had nothing to do with performance on court. He would get himself angry because challengers around the world were getting better treatment from their squash authorities. Others had better facilities and a governing body that would help and enhance, not hinder and mar their prospects.
The great anger and frustration which Barrington felt about the squash establishment in Britain were deliberately used as a motivational tool. They helped give him a psychological edge over his opposition. He would go on court as the self-appointed underdog, put under greater pressure than his opponent by his lack of similar opportunities to prepare for competition. The supposedly impoverished environment reinforced his desire to train harder, work harder and play harder - and better - on court.
He wasn't, of course, under any serious disadvantages. But he believes that building a 'false environment', creating barriers for himself to climb, was crucial in his sustained achievement as world champion. His ability to feel hard done by resulted, not in self-pity, but in still greater commitment. In this frame of mind, competitors were trying to take away his living, trying to take away his money, seeking to deprive Barrington of the rewards for which he had sacrificed everything. His reaction was to raise his commitment, drive and preparation higher still.
Those words - 'higher still' - applied literally to his altitude training. Once, when he had to play high up in Zimbabwe, instead of staying in England preparing at sea level in the comfort of London, he sought the necessary edge over his competitors by training and playing at altitude before arrival. The profile of squash was then so low that Barrington could sneak out to Africa, train in another country at altitude, and arrive in Zimbabwe with the local competitors still believing he'd come straight from sea level in England.
His private knowledge that he had been training at altitude in a spartan environment gave Barrington a huge psychological boost, a huge mental edge. Opponents who believed that, this time at least, they were fitter and better prepared had a shock. During the games, Barrington could see the disbelief in their eyes when he didn't tire at the high altitude. Outwitting his opponents in his preparation gave Barrington a wonderful motivational lift; he still remembers his tremendous satisfaction at winning that competition.
You couldn't have greater evidence of commitment than this episode - going to Africa, enduring a very basic existence for five or six weeks on his own, forcing himself through severe additional training to get an edge in just one competition. To maintain his position as the best in the world, however, Barrington needed other ways to overcome his lack of ability compared to other squash players, especially the naturally gifted Pakistanis. He had to work harder to get the best possible angle out of every shot. He had to practise more to make sure he understood all the angles in the court.
His knowledge of this restricted space became total. Barrington's almost scientific approach to the application of angles, speed, and trajectory was coupled with his training to maximise physical output and effectiveness on court. The commitment to being the best was the sole focus of his life at that time. As he travelled the world for years, only to play squash, only to become and remain world number one, he continued to learn. In other countries, how did they train, how did they play, was he missing out on some innovation off or on court?
Opponent after opponent was worn down as Barrington exploited his ability to outlast them in long rallies, using his uncanny ability (to quote the admiring Geoff Hunt) 'to keep the ball along the sidewalls and at the back of the court with accurate lobs and drives'. His commitment to winning was so great that it radically changed the way squash was played - and the way that the game was structured. By re-creating squash as a professional game, he opened the eyes of the world's top players to their income-earning potential.
The professional circuit required someone like Barrington (a 'very robust character', says Hunt) to become a viable business. As the Australian observes, Barrington is 'amiable and amusing, but he can also be quite ruthless in pursuing his own interests, and he is not afraid of controversy.' His absolute focus and commitment not only attracted other players, but also sponsors, whose money was essential to enable the circuit to function. As the players could afford more time to practise and hone their skills, the game naturally improved and became a more attractive spectator sport.
The general awareness of the game was vastly increased by the improved image on court and the enhanced ability of the new generation of full-time players, who combined natural talent with Barrington-like fitness. Like many successful British athletes, though, Barrington doesn't believe that the national culture encourages the tremendous commitment which you require to achieve Number One status and stay there. In sport as in management, the British often seem to wait for adversity to stir them into action. Plainly, it makes far better sense to insist on excellence, to strive for perfection, and to seek the best standards at all times.
That way you avert crisis and demonstrate true professionalism, as a manager or an athlete. And Barrington came to embody the ideal of committed professionalism. It wasn't everybody's ideal. Barrington felt that he was almost ostracised, not only in squash committees round the world, but by many in the media. One article in The Squash Player even attacked Barrington's achievements with fitness: 'He accepted the conditions imposed on the game aerobically by Afridi Sikhs of the North-West frontier, and approached it as an aerobic activity rather than a racket sport. While conceding that he virtually had to in order to win, I submit that he has probably killed the game as a result.'
As events have shown, this prognosis was arrant nonsense. The game remains triumphantly alive. But Barrington's single-minded pursuit of his goal - being best - seemed to his critics un-British, if not downright unsporting. The critics were turned to Barrington's advantage. Their attacks stimulated the competitive urge, and helped to generate the desire and focus - even the anger - that he need to perform to his maximum ability. The more he succeeded, the more time he spent on preparation; analysing his performance and training, his competitors and their methods, and continually looking for valuable innovations.
Again, the management parallels are striking. The longer Barrington stayed at the top, the longer the time he spent on preparation. Far too many top managers act is if reaching their senior posts is the summit: in truth, it's merely the foothills. Yet they train less, prepare less and plan less. That adds up to massive under-commitment, not only to the company, but to their own careers. The top manager who has ceased to learn is headed for failure: the top athlete who has stopped learning is headed for defeat.
Barrington did exactly the opposite. He trained harder and longer, and did more homework, both on himself and the opposition. The harder he trained, the harder he forced himself to the limits of his own endurance: thanks to him, the aerobic level (the processing of oxygen to muscle tissue) has been raised at least three times in top squash. He takes tremendous pride in the belief that nobody else in squash has pushed themselves so far. The object wasn't simply to establish his own extreme limits, but to ensure that he was fitter than any opponent.
Without that basic commitment, the obscure Dublin undergraduate who had been thrown out of university would never have metamorphosed into a world champion. He was, he admits, 'a loser'. What turned him into a winner, the best in his sport? First came the choice of field: squash was woefully under-exploited and unrewarding for the players, but that very fact provided the opportunity for a breakthrough. Second was Barrington's total commitment to his choice - fuelled by the urge to surpass his brother, who was successful, not only at squash, but in his career. His brother was the family's golden boy, and Jonah something of a black sheep.
The consequent creation of a champion is more inspiring and instructive than the sagas of athletes who have preternatural gifts. To became world Number One, Barrington had to defeat opponent after opponent who had greater talent, but who were outmatched by the Cornishman's dedication, determination and drive: in a word, commitment. These opponents also trained hard and prepared carefully for their matches: he trained harder and planned more effectively - witness the use of altitude training to help defeat Hunt in 1972.
In 1973, Hunt was determined to get his revenge. He raised his normal (or rather abnormal) succession of eight quarter miles, run in 70-75 seconds, with only a minute's rest, to no less than ten. He added eight 100-yard sprints, and then did ten more quarters. All this took about an hour, and shows the extremes to which opponents had to go in order to match Barrington's fitness. But the work-outs didn't work: Hunt lost in the semi-final, and Barrington beat the winner to retain his title. As Hunt conceded, it wasn't only Barrington's dedication to fitness that brought success: it was 'determination'.
Another powerful lesson for managers is that Barrington's campaign was based on thorough investigation of other sports and training methods - he certainly knew how Hunt trained, but he also looked outside squash. Often sportsmen and women, like business people, develop tunnel vision. They become obsessed by their own sport, their own sector of industry, their own specialisation. Dread phrases like 'not invented here' and 'we've never done it that way' shut out the most accessible and valuable source of new ideas and new methods.
Such killing phrases were never in Barrington's vocabulary. He sought knowledge from every other area of competition, not only from observation, but from the players and coaches themselves. His sponge-like ability to soak up desired information and turn it to advantage; his fierce competitive spirit; the way he drove himself on through erecting false barriers to progress; his creation of a harsh personal environment - all these were forces enabling Barrington to sustain his excellence on court. But above all, to stay ahead of the competition, he had to think ahead of it, anticipating and innovating all the time. That's the ultimate commitment, and the ultimate winning way.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Agriculture in times of climate change-imapct and solutions
Agriculture is back bone for the countries like India where 54 % public depends upon agriculture as source of income and employment. But threat of global warming has raised serious concerns about its existence in previous years. We are adding 12 million people every year in our already oversized population; where question of food sustainability becomes more pertinent. Besides that falling productivity, erratic monsoon, unpredictable incidence of drought coupled with inherent problems of lack of infrastructure, low adaptation of new technology, foresighted policies to combat shortcomings of our Indian agriculture make the situation more precarious. In this unsteady condition impact of climatic change leading to global warming calls for impact assessment study on agriculture. Such kind of a programme was started by Indian council of agricultural research (ICAR) in year 2004 for studies on impact assessment, adaptation and mitigation options. Currently it includes 23 institutes and more than 100 scientists in this research. The focus areas of the study are divided into two parts; one concentrate on vulnerable areas and other looks for the solution of the same in form of adaptation and mitigation. Vulnerability areas include crops namely wheat, paddy, potato, cotton, pulses and vegetables, plantation crops, livestock, fisheries, soil ecosystems and same are being studied for mitigation and adaptation.
According to some studies conducted, projected impacts have been delineated which shows some different aspects. It is supposed that an increase in CO2 to 550 ppm increases yields of rice, wheat, legumes and oilseeds by 10-20%. But a 1˚C increase in temperature may reduce yields of wheat, soybean, mustard, groundnut, and potato by 3-7% and there will be much higher losses at higher temperatures. Though it is estimated that productivity in most crops would likely to be decreased marginally by 2020 but a looming impact will be there in 2100 when productivity would decrease by 10-40%. But there might be possibly some improvement in yields of chickpea, rabi maize, sorghum and millets; and coconut in west coast. Another projection says that there will be fewer losses in potato, mustard and vegetables in north-western India due to reduced frost damage.
Other projections that are being made in terms of changing behaviour of weather atrocities like floods and droughts that their incidence will be more frequent and more devastating; causing more variability in production. Not only this ecological system would be affected more when there will be considerable effect on microbes, pathogens, and insects. There is greater likelihood of have an effect on fish breeding, migration, and harvests due to increase in sea and river water temperatures. Livestock keeping would be more difficult when there will be increased water, shelter, and energy requirement. Excessive temperature will hamper reproduction efficiency of animals which may result into loss of 1.5 million tons of milk by 2020. Not only this trade imbalance may take place due to in food trade due to positive impacts on Europe and N. America, and negative impacts on us.
Besides these impacts other as well be affecting the agricultural production, like loss % in potato production would soar to 3%by 2020 and close to 14% by 2050. Even there would be drastic change in the length of growing period in rainfed areas which will decrease from 210 days in most areas to 120 days in eastern part of country while in central-south areas where currently LGP is in order of 150-210 days will become of order of 60-120 days 2080.Himanchal apples taste will not be like same as before due to reduction in appropriate chilling requirement. Although coconut yields will increase to the tune of +35(relative yield deviation) in Karnataka and Tamil nadu while +45 in Kerala. Although yields will be deviating negatively in Orissa in order of -35.
Thus conditions are looming large on us. Scientists suggest 2 phases to combat the problem of climate change in form of adaptation and mitigation. How adaptation can be helpful? But before we understand any strategy to these phases we should also understand that agriculture itself is a big contributor to climate change. As a part of the problem it contributes nearly 14% of annual green house gas (GHG) emissions, compared with about 13% by transportation (considered the principal culprit along with deforestation (19%)).
The principal agricultural sources of GHGs include methane emissions from rice fields and livestock, nitrous oxide emissions from fertilized fields, energy use for pumping irrigation supplies and soil and land management practices.
As the first phase for combat programme against climate change adaptation calls for foremost attention. Here I would like to site an example how people of a small village in U.P. are adapting to climate change. For decades, people of Uttar Pradesh, whose population is more than half that of the United States, have been witnessing erratic weather, including increasingly intense rainfall over short periods of time. The rain, combined with heavy mountain run-off from nearby Nepal, which is also seeing heavier-than-usual rains, has inundated villages, towns and cities in the region. Such floods have destroyed homes, crops and livestock, highlighting the fact that the poorest in countries such as China and India are most at risk from climate change.
While world leaders in Copenhagen argue over who should cut carbon emissions and who should pay, experts say low-cost adaptation methods, partly based on existing community knowledge, could be used to help vulnerable farmers.
In the fields of Manoharchak village, for the last three years, they have been trying to change ways to cope with the changing weather with efforts which have included diversifying production from wheat and rice to incorporate a wide variety of vegetables. Villagers here have raised the level of their roads, built homes with foundations up to 10 feet above ground, elevated community hand pumps and created new drainage channels. Farmers are also planting more flood-tolerant rice, giving them two harvests a year where they once had one, and diversifying from traditional crops to vegetables such as peas, spinach, tomatoes, onions and potatoes. The diversity of crops is particularly beneficial when their wheat and rice fail. And the vegetables give them not only a more varied and nutritional diet, but also help in earning an income when excesses are sold.
Increasingly, intense rain means farmers in the region also have to contend with silt deposition from long periods of water-logging in their farms. Here villagers grow about 15 different vegetables as well as rice and wheat as ways to overcome the problem. They plant (vegetable) seedlings in the nurseries and then when the water drains transfer them to the land so there are no delays.
Farmers have also started using "multi-tier cropping" where vegetables like bottle gourd and bitter gourd are grown on platforms raised about 5-6 feet above the ground and supported by a bamboo frame. Once the water-logged soil drains, farmers can plant the ground beneath the platforms with vegetables and herbs such as spinach, radish and coriander.
Warmer temperatures and an unusual lack of rain during monsoon periods in eastern Uttar Pradesh have also led to dry spells. To cope, villagers have contributed to buying water pumps for irrigation, lowering their dependence on rain. As a part of adaptation strategies steps can be taken. We need to assist farmers in coping with current climatic risks by providing relevant information on weather services, by extending agro-advisories, insurance, by opening community banks for seed and fodder in village vicinity. Not only is this but intensification of food production systems is also required. For this strengthening of technology and input delivery systems should be the priority and it should be market linked. Improved land and water management with the technologies for resource conservation and use efficiency are looked at upon as another approach. Policy framework must emphasise regional cooperation by incentives to farmers for resource conservation and use efficiency, pricing of resources, credit for transition to adaptation technologies etc. Strengthening of research for enhancing adaptive capacity is another area worth looking.
Other phase of combat requires agriculture to be the part of mitigation. It can be a part of the solution by mitigating GHG emissions through better crop management, carbon sequestration, soil and land use management, and biomass production. Developing economies are likely to be the hardest hit. In these countries, agriculture is already in crisis; production of food commodities has stagnated and their prices are rising. To ensure global food security, and reverse the process of climate change, will require devising strategies that involve both adaptation of agriculture to climate change and mitigation of GHG emissions from agricultural sources.
Cultivation of rice under flooded conditions is the most important source of methane from agriculture. Globally, over 140 million hectares of rice is grown under flooded conditions and much of this area is in developing countries including India. Methane emissions from irrigated rice cultivation at global level totalled 625 million metric tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent in year 2000.
Changing water management practices from continuous flooding to intermittent irrigation and mid-season drainage reduces methane emissions by over 40%. The rising consumption of livestock products with rising incomes in several developing countries also contributes to GHG emissions.
GHG emissions in livestock systems can be reduced by feeding better quality diets to ruminants, improved fodder technologies that reduce pressure on land (fodder banks, improved pasture species, use of legumes, and others) and using more productive livestock breeds.
Similarly, nitrous oxide emissions are determined by the quantity of nitrogenous fertilisers added to soil to maintain soil fertility and increase crop productivity. The extent of emissions depends on the nutrient use efficiency. Under typical crop management conditions of developing countries, fertiliser use efficiencies are low, leading to high nitrous oxide emissions to the atmosphere.
Improving fertiliser use efficiency of crops through improved management has been a direct concern of traditional agronomic research (even in the absence of climate change concerns) to improve farm productivity and profitability and soil and water conservation. Most of the recommended practices are based on the principle of balanced fertilisation with right source, at the right rate, at the right time, and with the right placement.
Climate change is likely to reduce yields of most crops in long-term. In short-term effects may be small (preliminary results, better field data and models needed).Increased climatic variability could cause significant fluctuations in production even in short-term. Adaptation strategies can help minimize negative impacts. These need greater research, policy and financial support. Costs of adaptation are less understood but likely to be high; costs of inaction could be even higher. Adaptation practices take time to become effective. A crop variety, e.g. takes 10-20 yrs to develop. Need to act now. Mitigation strategies would focus on efficient water management; better quality feed to live-stocks and balanced fertilisation.
According to some studies conducted, projected impacts have been delineated which shows some different aspects. It is supposed that an increase in CO2 to 550 ppm increases yields of rice, wheat, legumes and oilseeds by 10-20%. But a 1˚C increase in temperature may reduce yields of wheat, soybean, mustard, groundnut, and potato by 3-7% and there will be much higher losses at higher temperatures. Though it is estimated that productivity in most crops would likely to be decreased marginally by 2020 but a looming impact will be there in 2100 when productivity would decrease by 10-40%. But there might be possibly some improvement in yields of chickpea, rabi maize, sorghum and millets; and coconut in west coast. Another projection says that there will be fewer losses in potato, mustard and vegetables in north-western India due to reduced frost damage.
Other projections that are being made in terms of changing behaviour of weather atrocities like floods and droughts that their incidence will be more frequent and more devastating; causing more variability in production. Not only this ecological system would be affected more when there will be considerable effect on microbes, pathogens, and insects. There is greater likelihood of have an effect on fish breeding, migration, and harvests due to increase in sea and river water temperatures. Livestock keeping would be more difficult when there will be increased water, shelter, and energy requirement. Excessive temperature will hamper reproduction efficiency of animals which may result into loss of 1.5 million tons of milk by 2020. Not only this trade imbalance may take place due to in food trade due to positive impacts on Europe and N. America, and negative impacts on us.
Besides these impacts other as well be affecting the agricultural production, like loss % in potato production would soar to 3%by 2020 and close to 14% by 2050. Even there would be drastic change in the length of growing period in rainfed areas which will decrease from 210 days in most areas to 120 days in eastern part of country while in central-south areas where currently LGP is in order of 150-210 days will become of order of 60-120 days 2080.Himanchal apples taste will not be like same as before due to reduction in appropriate chilling requirement. Although coconut yields will increase to the tune of +35(relative yield deviation) in Karnataka and Tamil nadu while +45 in Kerala. Although yields will be deviating negatively in Orissa in order of -35.
Thus conditions are looming large on us. Scientists suggest 2 phases to combat the problem of climate change in form of adaptation and mitigation. How adaptation can be helpful? But before we understand any strategy to these phases we should also understand that agriculture itself is a big contributor to climate change. As a part of the problem it contributes nearly 14% of annual green house gas (GHG) emissions, compared with about 13% by transportation (considered the principal culprit along with deforestation (19%)).
The principal agricultural sources of GHGs include methane emissions from rice fields and livestock, nitrous oxide emissions from fertilized fields, energy use for pumping irrigation supplies and soil and land management practices.
As the first phase for combat programme against climate change adaptation calls for foremost attention. Here I would like to site an example how people of a small village in U.P. are adapting to climate change. For decades, people of Uttar Pradesh, whose population is more than half that of the United States, have been witnessing erratic weather, including increasingly intense rainfall over short periods of time. The rain, combined with heavy mountain run-off from nearby Nepal, which is also seeing heavier-than-usual rains, has inundated villages, towns and cities in the region. Such floods have destroyed homes, crops and livestock, highlighting the fact that the poorest in countries such as China and India are most at risk from climate change.
While world leaders in Copenhagen argue over who should cut carbon emissions and who should pay, experts say low-cost adaptation methods, partly based on existing community knowledge, could be used to help vulnerable farmers.
In the fields of Manoharchak village, for the last three years, they have been trying to change ways to cope with the changing weather with efforts which have included diversifying production from wheat and rice to incorporate a wide variety of vegetables. Villagers here have raised the level of their roads, built homes with foundations up to 10 feet above ground, elevated community hand pumps and created new drainage channels. Farmers are also planting more flood-tolerant rice, giving them two harvests a year where they once had one, and diversifying from traditional crops to vegetables such as peas, spinach, tomatoes, onions and potatoes. The diversity of crops is particularly beneficial when their wheat and rice fail. And the vegetables give them not only a more varied and nutritional diet, but also help in earning an income when excesses are sold.
Increasingly, intense rain means farmers in the region also have to contend with silt deposition from long periods of water-logging in their farms. Here villagers grow about 15 different vegetables as well as rice and wheat as ways to overcome the problem. They plant (vegetable) seedlings in the nurseries and then when the water drains transfer them to the land so there are no delays.
Farmers have also started using "multi-tier cropping" where vegetables like bottle gourd and bitter gourd are grown on platforms raised about 5-6 feet above the ground and supported by a bamboo frame. Once the water-logged soil drains, farmers can plant the ground beneath the platforms with vegetables and herbs such as spinach, radish and coriander.
Warmer temperatures and an unusual lack of rain during monsoon periods in eastern Uttar Pradesh have also led to dry spells. To cope, villagers have contributed to buying water pumps for irrigation, lowering their dependence on rain. As a part of adaptation strategies steps can be taken. We need to assist farmers in coping with current climatic risks by providing relevant information on weather services, by extending agro-advisories, insurance, by opening community banks for seed and fodder in village vicinity. Not only is this but intensification of food production systems is also required. For this strengthening of technology and input delivery systems should be the priority and it should be market linked. Improved land and water management with the technologies for resource conservation and use efficiency are looked at upon as another approach. Policy framework must emphasise regional cooperation by incentives to farmers for resource conservation and use efficiency, pricing of resources, credit for transition to adaptation technologies etc. Strengthening of research for enhancing adaptive capacity is another area worth looking.
Other phase of combat requires agriculture to be the part of mitigation. It can be a part of the solution by mitigating GHG emissions through better crop management, carbon sequestration, soil and land use management, and biomass production. Developing economies are likely to be the hardest hit. In these countries, agriculture is already in crisis; production of food commodities has stagnated and their prices are rising. To ensure global food security, and reverse the process of climate change, will require devising strategies that involve both adaptation of agriculture to climate change and mitigation of GHG emissions from agricultural sources.
Cultivation of rice under flooded conditions is the most important source of methane from agriculture. Globally, over 140 million hectares of rice is grown under flooded conditions and much of this area is in developing countries including India. Methane emissions from irrigated rice cultivation at global level totalled 625 million metric tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent in year 2000.
Changing water management practices from continuous flooding to intermittent irrigation and mid-season drainage reduces methane emissions by over 40%. The rising consumption of livestock products with rising incomes in several developing countries also contributes to GHG emissions.
GHG emissions in livestock systems can be reduced by feeding better quality diets to ruminants, improved fodder technologies that reduce pressure on land (fodder banks, improved pasture species, use of legumes, and others) and using more productive livestock breeds.
Similarly, nitrous oxide emissions are determined by the quantity of nitrogenous fertilisers added to soil to maintain soil fertility and increase crop productivity. The extent of emissions depends on the nutrient use efficiency. Under typical crop management conditions of developing countries, fertiliser use efficiencies are low, leading to high nitrous oxide emissions to the atmosphere.
Improving fertiliser use efficiency of crops through improved management has been a direct concern of traditional agronomic research (even in the absence of climate change concerns) to improve farm productivity and profitability and soil and water conservation. Most of the recommended practices are based on the principle of balanced fertilisation with right source, at the right rate, at the right time, and with the right placement.
Climate change is likely to reduce yields of most crops in long-term. In short-term effects may be small (preliminary results, better field data and models needed).Increased climatic variability could cause significant fluctuations in production even in short-term. Adaptation strategies can help minimize negative impacts. These need greater research, policy and financial support. Costs of adaptation are less understood but likely to be high; costs of inaction could be even higher. Adaptation practices take time to become effective. A crop variety, e.g. takes 10-20 yrs to develop. Need to act now. Mitigation strategies would focus on efficient water management; better quality feed to live-stocks and balanced fertilisation.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Leadership v/s management
“All of us encounter, at least once in our life, some individual who utters words that make us think forever”—Benjamin Disraeli
While participating in CBP today, a topic was given to one of the groups to discuss upon leadership v/s management. Group did well to execute and bring forth all the valid issues regarding the topic. The heated debate was on, and everyone tried to push their points. At the end of session many of the issues were shrouded by clouds of uncertainty and confusion whether leadership is subset of management, leadership is more important than management various others. Then I thought why not to explore this issue? Here I am putting forward my own thoughts which I, if given chance, would have expressed.
Before understating what are the differences between leadership and management, a quick look at their definitions will be helpful. Leadership has been defined in various ways and main gist of those definitions can be put like this- “leadership is the process of encouraging and helping others to work enthusiastically towards objectives”. I think leadership is the behaviour of an individual which he shows while directing the activities of group towards some shared goals. This is done by interpersonal influence exhibited in a situation directing with the help of proper communication to attain common goals. One important point here is that people in group does work willingly not forced upon by leader. But is it so easy to make others work? Not so. The leader must posses some qualities or characteristics to influence others like great oration ability (one of the greatest orators is considered to be Roman Marcus Tullius Cicero 106 B.C. - 43 B.C.), great convincing power ( Adolf Hitler was one such personality) clarity of thoughts( U.S. president Barack Obama is the synonym to this though he is also an impressive orator). They are motivational force behind the great movements. Mahatama Gandhi, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Swami Vivekanand, Nelson Mandela are such great examples of motivational force. Can we have leaders from only politics and related areas? We do have certain great visionary leaders from world of business. Bill Gates, Micheal Dell, Warren Buffet are some global business leaders. From India we have J.R.D. Tata,Dhiru Bhai Ambani, Ratan Tata, Narayan Murthy, Azim Prermji who are the epitome of great business leaders.
Management, managership and leadership are the so closely related terms such that exact distinction between them has blurred. Though if put in right perspective, differences can be drawn. Management in academia is defined as a process of planning, organising, coordinating, directing and controlling the activities of others.
I think leadership and managership can be distinguished on the basis of qualities possessed by managers and leaders. Managers, by virtue of holding a position, may have managership but not necessarily that they will have leadership qualities. Although it is highly unlikely that someone will keep a manager without leadership qualities at a crucial position. Then here comes the big question of what is the difference between leaders and managers? One difference which I perceive is of followers. By default an employee will follow his manager but not necessarily if he is not a leader. There is factor of compliance to which an employee will submit but not because of respect. A crude example of this can be opinion leaders in rural areas who by virtue of more advanced, progressive may be leaders. But people do not have binding to follow them. Though it is not always true all leaders are managers. They may be informal ones. Like in our very own classrooms we make someone the leader who is a senior of university or by age. Though colleagues follow him but he does not posses authority to manage them. It is generally said that for becoming a leader one must have emotional appeal. He should be charismatic personality with great vision to alter the mood of the followers and raise their hope and expectations. On the other hand managers are expected to be rational decision makers. Their ultimate objective is to achieve organizational goal. Leaders fulfils their’s followers’ needs while managers are accountable to organization.
Though in actual practice the distinction between management and leadership gets blurred. In organizations there are no such leaders or designations only managers are there. There manager will work as a manager but in his leadership capacities. That’s why in general we found project leaders not project managers who actually are managing work.
Should one be a manager or a leader? I think having qualities of both is desirable since at different times you have to exhibit different qualities. The management thinkers Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis have rightly pointed out that- “Management is doing things right, leadership is doing right things. Management ‘s efficiency lies in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall”.
While participating in CBP today, a topic was given to one of the groups to discuss upon leadership v/s management. Group did well to execute and bring forth all the valid issues regarding the topic. The heated debate was on, and everyone tried to push their points. At the end of session many of the issues were shrouded by clouds of uncertainty and confusion whether leadership is subset of management, leadership is more important than management various others. Then I thought why not to explore this issue? Here I am putting forward my own thoughts which I, if given chance, would have expressed.
Before understating what are the differences between leadership and management, a quick look at their definitions will be helpful. Leadership has been defined in various ways and main gist of those definitions can be put like this- “leadership is the process of encouraging and helping others to work enthusiastically towards objectives”. I think leadership is the behaviour of an individual which he shows while directing the activities of group towards some shared goals. This is done by interpersonal influence exhibited in a situation directing with the help of proper communication to attain common goals. One important point here is that people in group does work willingly not forced upon by leader. But is it so easy to make others work? Not so. The leader must posses some qualities or characteristics to influence others like great oration ability (one of the greatest orators is considered to be Roman Marcus Tullius Cicero 106 B.C. - 43 B.C.), great convincing power ( Adolf Hitler was one such personality) clarity of thoughts( U.S. president Barack Obama is the synonym to this though he is also an impressive orator). They are motivational force behind the great movements. Mahatama Gandhi, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Swami Vivekanand, Nelson Mandela are such great examples of motivational force. Can we have leaders from only politics and related areas? We do have certain great visionary leaders from world of business. Bill Gates, Micheal Dell, Warren Buffet are some global business leaders. From India we have J.R.D. Tata,Dhiru Bhai Ambani, Ratan Tata, Narayan Murthy, Azim Prermji who are the epitome of great business leaders.
Management, managership and leadership are the so closely related terms such that exact distinction between them has blurred. Though if put in right perspective, differences can be drawn. Management in academia is defined as a process of planning, organising, coordinating, directing and controlling the activities of others.
I think leadership and managership can be distinguished on the basis of qualities possessed by managers and leaders. Managers, by virtue of holding a position, may have managership but not necessarily that they will have leadership qualities. Although it is highly unlikely that someone will keep a manager without leadership qualities at a crucial position. Then here comes the big question of what is the difference between leaders and managers? One difference which I perceive is of followers. By default an employee will follow his manager but not necessarily if he is not a leader. There is factor of compliance to which an employee will submit but not because of respect. A crude example of this can be opinion leaders in rural areas who by virtue of more advanced, progressive may be leaders. But people do not have binding to follow them. Though it is not always true all leaders are managers. They may be informal ones. Like in our very own classrooms we make someone the leader who is a senior of university or by age. Though colleagues follow him but he does not posses authority to manage them. It is generally said that for becoming a leader one must have emotional appeal. He should be charismatic personality with great vision to alter the mood of the followers and raise their hope and expectations. On the other hand managers are expected to be rational decision makers. Their ultimate objective is to achieve organizational goal. Leaders fulfils their’s followers’ needs while managers are accountable to organization.
Though in actual practice the distinction between management and leadership gets blurred. In organizations there are no such leaders or designations only managers are there. There manager will work as a manager but in his leadership capacities. That’s why in general we found project leaders not project managers who actually are managing work.
Should one be a manager or a leader? I think having qualities of both is desirable since at different times you have to exhibit different qualities. The management thinkers Peter Drucker and Warren Bennis have rightly pointed out that- “Management is doing things right, leadership is doing right things. Management ‘s efficiency lies in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall”.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Branding in Indian Agriculture
Agriculture lies in the core of my heart, being an agriculture graduate it should too. After studying the PBM course, a thought came into my mind can agriculture be branded in Indian context? Before I delve into the issue, I would like to say that Indian agriculture should not be confided to only agri-inputs as far as issue of branding is concerned. Rather we should see two facets of Indian agriculture, one at input side and other one is output side. Since these two are entirely different so need, evolution and strategies of branding will be different. Today I would like to concentrate on output side of branding in agriculture.
Agriculture historically has been organized on a local basis with local production supplying to local demand. Today agriculture is a big-bucks global industry, with both major and minor players exporting and selling their products around the world. As production is now targeted at global markets, participants increasingly require a global strategy. Global branding has become an essential element of business strategy.
Commodities are products and services that customers perceive to be homogenous, and a market or industry remains commodity driven if products fail to differentiate in the eyes of the consumer. As commodity markets have become over-saturated, with resulting price decreases, producers now recognize that their future economic prosperity demands a switch from commodity trading to offering differentiated goods and services. One of the fundamental methods of differentiation involves branding.
The essence of successful branding is when the brand delivers consistently, a clearly defined, appealing offering that sets it apart from its competitors. Branding does not work in isolation, and is not just related to the development of a name, logo, company terms or combination of all three. The additional ingredient that makes a brand successful is differentiation or its personality. Successful brands tend to have strong “personalities” that appeal either to the rational or the emotional instincts of stakeholders. Successful brands appeal on an intangible level and offer a range of defined repeatable emotions to the consumer. Commodities by definition are not brands and offer no such emotional security or intangible benefits. Commodities deal solely in the product. Today’s agricultural producers face the increased challenge of how to differentiate their offerings, so that their product is perceived and awarded premium status and price in their consumers’ minds. The key therefore, is to implement a concentrated strategy that focuses on creating real value for those customers who are prepared to pay for it and a brand strategy based on product differentiation.
Branding needs to extend beyond the basic product. Successful differentiation should be based upon genuine differences. If the product per se is essentially similar to other products, or the buyers cannot be convinced of its superiority over other products, then the company seeking to brand needs to adopt a broader perspective and look at the entire experience it offers potential buyers.
Take a look at a key generic agricultural product such as milk. Thirty years ago (though AMUL is an older player), who would have thought that it would be sold in a variety choices; low-fat, skim, flavoured with chocolate, fortified with vitamins and minerals? Furthermore, who would think that there is any more space on the supermarket shelves for yet another differentiated milk product? But introduction of giant like AMUL in late sixties (1966 to be precise, launch of AMUL girl) as branded milk products has changed the mind set, that there is large scope of branding in agriculture. Not only AMUL but regional players like Sudha in Bihar, Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, Mother dairy in NCR region and Vijaya dairy are some examples.
Though the counter point to what I earlier said could be if the product is something that does not suggest any branding then? Here is an example of a product dates (khajoor). A company in based in chennai called Lion dates pvt. Ltd is perfect example. Firstly they developed product in mind of the consumer then their own brand. Here the brand was dealing with an alien product and the primary communication task was to impress the consumer about the product's benefit rather than the brand. Hence the earlier communication of the brand was around the qualities of dates. The brand concentrated on Tamil Nadu and later branched out to South India. There are several stories which talks about commodities being turned into brands which can’t be mentioned here. One example is of Basmati rice which is being successfully branded and exported to gulf and European markets. Indian tea is another successful example where branding has played a pivotal role.
Major question here is how to brand the commodity? As there has been proliferation of consumer marketing and branding over recent decades, it makes sense that when branding a commodity one should adopt the successful strategies used by the consumer marketing industry. First is to identify customer segments that are willing to pay an increased price or premium for the added value they will gain. Then identify products and services that create significant and differentiating value to buyers. But differentiation alone will not work hence one has to bundle the product to create a barrier for competitors and make it more difficult for the customer to substitute.
Branding is not simply an after-thought, an add-on. The brand lies at the very heart of the organization and determines corporate actions. Therefore the organization needs to understand and communicate, internally and externally, the essence of its brand. The most successful brands are those that focus not solely on the tangible value but also the intangible value perceived by the customer.
Agriculture historically has been organized on a local basis with local production supplying to local demand. Today agriculture is a big-bucks global industry, with both major and minor players exporting and selling their products around the world. As production is now targeted at global markets, participants increasingly require a global strategy. Global branding has become an essential element of business strategy.
Commodities are products and services that customers perceive to be homogenous, and a market or industry remains commodity driven if products fail to differentiate in the eyes of the consumer. As commodity markets have become over-saturated, with resulting price decreases, producers now recognize that their future economic prosperity demands a switch from commodity trading to offering differentiated goods and services. One of the fundamental methods of differentiation involves branding.
The essence of successful branding is when the brand delivers consistently, a clearly defined, appealing offering that sets it apart from its competitors. Branding does not work in isolation, and is not just related to the development of a name, logo, company terms or combination of all three. The additional ingredient that makes a brand successful is differentiation or its personality. Successful brands tend to have strong “personalities” that appeal either to the rational or the emotional instincts of stakeholders. Successful brands appeal on an intangible level and offer a range of defined repeatable emotions to the consumer. Commodities by definition are not brands and offer no such emotional security or intangible benefits. Commodities deal solely in the product. Today’s agricultural producers face the increased challenge of how to differentiate their offerings, so that their product is perceived and awarded premium status and price in their consumers’ minds. The key therefore, is to implement a concentrated strategy that focuses on creating real value for those customers who are prepared to pay for it and a brand strategy based on product differentiation.
Branding needs to extend beyond the basic product. Successful differentiation should be based upon genuine differences. If the product per se is essentially similar to other products, or the buyers cannot be convinced of its superiority over other products, then the company seeking to brand needs to adopt a broader perspective and look at the entire experience it offers potential buyers.
Take a look at a key generic agricultural product such as milk. Thirty years ago (though AMUL is an older player), who would have thought that it would be sold in a variety choices; low-fat, skim, flavoured with chocolate, fortified with vitamins and minerals? Furthermore, who would think that there is any more space on the supermarket shelves for yet another differentiated milk product? But introduction of giant like AMUL in late sixties (1966 to be precise, launch of AMUL girl) as branded milk products has changed the mind set, that there is large scope of branding in agriculture. Not only AMUL but regional players like Sudha in Bihar, Sanchi in Madhya Pradesh, Mother dairy in NCR region and Vijaya dairy are some examples.
Though the counter point to what I earlier said could be if the product is something that does not suggest any branding then? Here is an example of a product dates (khajoor). A company in based in chennai called Lion dates pvt. Ltd is perfect example. Firstly they developed product in mind of the consumer then their own brand. Here the brand was dealing with an alien product and the primary communication task was to impress the consumer about the product's benefit rather than the brand. Hence the earlier communication of the brand was around the qualities of dates. The brand concentrated on Tamil Nadu and later branched out to South India. There are several stories which talks about commodities being turned into brands which can’t be mentioned here. One example is of Basmati rice which is being successfully branded and exported to gulf and European markets. Indian tea is another successful example where branding has played a pivotal role.
Major question here is how to brand the commodity? As there has been proliferation of consumer marketing and branding over recent decades, it makes sense that when branding a commodity one should adopt the successful strategies used by the consumer marketing industry. First is to identify customer segments that are willing to pay an increased price or premium for the added value they will gain. Then identify products and services that create significant and differentiating value to buyers. But differentiation alone will not work hence one has to bundle the product to create a barrier for competitors and make it more difficult for the customer to substitute.
Branding is not simply an after-thought, an add-on. The brand lies at the very heart of the organization and determines corporate actions. Therefore the organization needs to understand and communicate, internally and externally, the essence of its brand. The most successful brands are those that focus not solely on the tangible value but also the intangible value perceived by the customer.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Dhoni- Major brand ambassador at MANAGE
M.S. Dhoni,the captain of team India is the darling of adlands these days. And surely at MANAGE too. He is virtually endorsing every brand most of them are home production of MANAGE, be it a fruit drink or anything else. It has brought to me a conclusion that he is the universal choice for all marketers and they should leverage his charismatic personality for brand endorsements.
Today while watching T-20 match b/w India and Sri lanka ( which India lost miserably), few of prospective ad-makers in future, were contemplating (more spoofing) that every ad can take MSD as its brand ambassador. That time we had manufactured some topics for even GD( courtesy:few of my colleagues).Though on serious note, can him be a brand ambassador for every brand???
Firstly I would like to analyse present status of him being used as BA. Brand Dhoni is now worth Rs 300 Crore. Dhoni Charges about Rs 5 crore and at present he is promoting about 19 brands and all the contracts are for 3 years. Even some of the contracts are more then 3 years like Pepsi and Reebok he has a 10 year contract.These days he is not accepting likely every brand promotion but wisely associating with the brands. Big brands are in his list and associating with big brands only. He is second to Shahrukh Khan in Brand Promotion if he continues to perform like this and India being No.1 in cricket then that day is not also far when he will be No.1 in brand promotion also.This says much about his status. But is it good enough alone to take MSD as the BA.
I personally believe that brands have benefits and irrespective of BA's celebrity status, the attributes of brand must match with those of BA. It is necessary to understand whether the benefits of brand and benefits of BA are synergistic, do they gel together, will they stimulate the buyers to buy the brand? Another issue is that whether BA is more powerful( I mean does his brand equity more than the that of brand?)or less powerful( not able to be recalled).Creating awareness about brand is one thing and translating this awareness in purchase and repeat purchase is another aspect.As far as overpowering is concerned we have lots of example. one of that is of our lovable zoo-zoos( Vodafone) and that of Sachin Tendulkar overpowering MRF. Another issue is that does each brand require a BA?. Will a B2B product require BA?. Generally brands that belong to aspirational life-style do perform better with a BA than other product categories.Another issue is of who are your target customer? Essentially life-style products cater to premium segment of customers. In other cases where responsibility of BA is to raise the level of product usage is one where BA are effective.
In the background of this can MSD be a universal brand endorser??. I have my doubts. In few cases where product itself does not command any premium like in case of Cello pens where MSD is being used make little sense. Another great example comes of Mysore Sandal soap which tried to reemerge from moribund state using MSD as brand ambassador failed miserably later on.The reason being it had GI status so people wanted to see someone from Karnataka state(he would have automatic GI of Karnataka).So choosing a BA is complex as associating him/her to audience.Here I would like to say though MSD has youth appeal, iconic personality but his association with each brand is not justified.But marketers often in haste to capture attention forget that not every sword fits into any scabbard.
So hopefully this time too I have said straight from my heart and those who are following this blog will understand what I mean.
Today while watching T-20 match b/w India and Sri lanka ( which India lost miserably), few of prospective ad-makers in future, were contemplating (more spoofing) that every ad can take MSD as its brand ambassador. That time we had manufactured some topics for even GD( courtesy:few of my colleagues).Though on serious note, can him be a brand ambassador for every brand???
Firstly I would like to analyse present status of him being used as BA. Brand Dhoni is now worth Rs 300 Crore. Dhoni Charges about Rs 5 crore and at present he is promoting about 19 brands and all the contracts are for 3 years. Even some of the contracts are more then 3 years like Pepsi and Reebok he has a 10 year contract.These days he is not accepting likely every brand promotion but wisely associating with the brands. Big brands are in his list and associating with big brands only. He is second to Shahrukh Khan in Brand Promotion if he continues to perform like this and India being No.1 in cricket then that day is not also far when he will be No.1 in brand promotion also.This says much about his status. But is it good enough alone to take MSD as the BA.
I personally believe that brands have benefits and irrespective of BA's celebrity status, the attributes of brand must match with those of BA. It is necessary to understand whether the benefits of brand and benefits of BA are synergistic, do they gel together, will they stimulate the buyers to buy the brand? Another issue is that whether BA is more powerful( I mean does his brand equity more than the that of brand?)or less powerful( not able to be recalled).Creating awareness about brand is one thing and translating this awareness in purchase and repeat purchase is another aspect.As far as overpowering is concerned we have lots of example. one of that is of our lovable zoo-zoos( Vodafone) and that of Sachin Tendulkar overpowering MRF. Another issue is that does each brand require a BA?. Will a B2B product require BA?. Generally brands that belong to aspirational life-style do perform better with a BA than other product categories.Another issue is of who are your target customer? Essentially life-style products cater to premium segment of customers. In other cases where responsibility of BA is to raise the level of product usage is one where BA are effective.
In the background of this can MSD be a universal brand endorser??. I have my doubts. In few cases where product itself does not command any premium like in case of Cello pens where MSD is being used make little sense. Another great example comes of Mysore Sandal soap which tried to reemerge from moribund state using MSD as brand ambassador failed miserably later on.The reason being it had GI status so people wanted to see someone from Karnataka state(he would have automatic GI of Karnataka).So choosing a BA is complex as associating him/her to audience.Here I would like to say though MSD has youth appeal, iconic personality but his association with each brand is not justified.But marketers often in haste to capture attention forget that not every sword fits into any scabbard.
So hopefully this time too I have said straight from my heart and those who are following this blog will understand what I mean.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
This is a new beginning for me since till date I have been writing for others, now its my own blog. Inspiration is something which can be drawn from anywhere as I drew for this one from one of my colleague who just started blogging.She sent me the link and I thought why not I start blogging. Result is this. I dont know how many will follow it but surely all things will come straight from my heart.
Since I am very much inspired today so would write something about inspiration. Inspiration, what is this ???. The very definition of inspiration from dictionary is Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity. To me its a driving force which prompts one to do the unexpected(not always).It comes in varied forms,of not all I would discuss. I agree to what dictionary says(can't question it after all its a dictionary meaning). But big question is from where one can draw inspiration. Is it always the successful who can inspire?. I don't think so. It can be drawn from where you would least expect. One example I would like to quote here. One day I was travelling from Delhi to Hyderabad (coming after successfully completing the summer internship)in Dakshin Express. I had booked a AC ticket which could not get cleared and I had to travel in sleeper class. That day crowd rush was so much that even for breathing one need to poke out face out of the window to inhale germ free air( not sure even that was a better idea). I had booked ticket online so it was canceled once waiting didn't clear. So virtually I was travelling without ticket. TTE came and asked for a ticket.I bagged him to give me a ticket and permission to travel in sleeper class. But as everybody knows what happens in this kind of a case. He fined me and give a permission ticket to travel (and dowry of course. I say it dowry for peculiar reasons.). I got a seat and slept peacefully during the night. The early morning came with a kick in the butt. The passenger on whose seat I was travelling boarded from Bhopal though he was supposed to be on board from Delhi. Believe me I was red to the blood. But I could do nothing because Mr. TTE had gone. I had no option but to left the seat for the gentleman. I thought why the hell I chose this train ???. Alas nothing could be done. I looked for a seat to travel since I had to travel that night also. But all seats were allotted legally and illegally. Then I saw a lean boy who seemed to be a better prospect since I have a larger volume and his thin figure required only few centimeters. But his shoddy clothes did hesitate me initially but no option, I had to give in. I tried to befriend him, thankfully I had certain knack to befriend people, so successfully did it. I had lots of talk with him and in the night we shared the same berth and he never complained. We reached Secunderabad station and he descended there. I came back to hostel peacefully. Today I think what if he had not given me the berth to share. Had I done the same what he did?. To be very frank not the same what he did. How selfish of me. But I can say that I realized it is not your looks and clothes which make your personality but the will, the good heart you have. This inspires me to do atleast the same, may I get the chance.
I would like your comments and share any other real story.
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