Vodafone-"Make the Most of Now"

Vodafone Group Plc is a British multinational telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's second-largest mobile telecommunications company measured by both subscribers and 2011 revenues (in each case behind China Mobile), and had 439 million subscribers as of December 2011.

Vodafone owns and operates networks in over 30 countries and has partner networks in over 40 additional countries.Its Vodafone Global Enterprise division provides telecommunications and IT services to corporate clients in over 65 countries. 

The name Vodafone comes from voice data fone, chosen by the company to "reflect the provision of voice and data services over mobile phones".

The evolution of 'Vodafone' brand starts in 1982 with the establishment of 'Racal Strategic Radio Ltd' subsidiary of Racal Electronics pl- UK's largest maker of military radio technology. The same year, Racal Strategic Radio Ltd forms a joint venture with Millicom called 'Racal Vodafone', which would later evolve into the present day Vodafone.

Vodafone Vision

To enrich our customers 'lives through unique power of mobile communication

A ‘can-do’ culture

Vodafone’s success comes from the outstanding people that make it happen for our customers every day.

mHealth services

In November 2009, Vodafone announced the creation of a new business unit focused on the emerging mHealth market (the application of mobile communications and network technologies to healthcare). One of its early success stories is with the Novartis-led “SMS for Life” project in Tanzania, for which Vodafone developed and deployed a text-message based system that enables all of the country’s 4,600 public health facilities to report their levels of anti-malaria medications so that stock level data can be viewed centrally in real-time, enabling timely re-supply of stock. During the SMS for Life pilot, which covered 129 health facilities over six months, stock-outs dropped from 26% to 0.8%, saving thousands of lives.

Vodafone has also been active in mHealth from a philanthropic perspective. The Vodafone Group Foundation is a founder member of the mHealth Alliance, supporting the adoption of mHealth through policy research and advocacy and the development of interoperable and sustainable mHealth solutions.

Valley Crossing

Valley Crossing -Team work at its best

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Helen Keller 

The herculean task of valley crossing is so easily accomplished by planning and team work. The business definition of teamwork relates to the collective decision making processes that lead to goal oriented relationships formed between all participants. Generally, what is required from teams are the integration of work from the people involved, the generation of motives and solutions to the problem concentrated on, high involvement, team leadership and continuous encouragement.

"The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side." Margaret Carty 

Organizations all around the world are comprised of many essential elements, including management, employees, and operational schemes. As techniques in stronger organizational development are conjured, the issue of teamwork within corporations increases in relevance. Today, managers ranging from small businesses to worldwide industries have realized and integrated teamwork methods into their planning. Essentially, teamwork can be referred to a new way of reorganizing, while mainly concentrating on decentralizing responsibility to the employees in a cooperative decision-based environment. Strongly considered are the benefits that employees, working in a team motivated process, offer to the company in all its aspects, including culture, virtues and goals 

Toy Puzzle

“The key to life is accepting challenges. Once someone stops doing this, he's dead.” 
― Bette Davis

To approach most problems we will need to:

1. Define the task clearly. What exactly is required?

2. Set priorities. What must be done first? What can be left until later?

3. Develop an appropriate strategy: what steps must you take to address the task?

4. Use experience from similar problems: what do you already know or what have we already done that would offer a starting place or guidance on how to approach the current problem?

5. Set targets: what steps must you accomplish by when? How will you know you have achieved each target? How will you measure your progress?

6. Develop an action plan. List all the steps necessary to achieve each target. Identify the best order for accomplishing each step and a deadline for each.

7. Get started. Do not wait until the last minute, start early on the tasks that you can begin straight away. Keep yourself focused and motivated.

8. Monitor your performance against targets and indicators. Check regularly whether you are meeting your targets and revise your action plan accordingly.

9. Evaluate your performance. How well did you achieve your targets? What did you learn that will be of use to you for future problems and tasks?

“Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.” 
― Seneca

Same we approached the problem that was given to us by Dr. Prasad as part of our principal of management course.And then the fun began. People did try, got bored and went off. Now don't underestimate the curiosity of India's future leaders, 'coz a lot of them came back later and solved it.

Here's how I did it. To remove the ring:

• Raise the ring as high as it would go and hold it there.
• Move one of the wooden squares to the other side by passing it through the slit in the top part.
• Bring both the squares together by moving the thread.
• One of the balls will still remain stuck after its square block is taken to other side.
• Lower the ring, tilt it and remove through the slit and the ball.

And to assemble the toy back:

  - Pass the ring through the slit back onto the square

                                     

  - Raise the ring as high as possible.

  - Pass one of the wooden squares through the slit and to it's correct side.

So it can be said that it's not  only important to be a goode problem solver, but an excellent identifier as well.

Tower Building Activity

Management is a challenging job. It requires certain skills to accomplish such a challenge.Tower building activity conducted in the class showed us new insights in to our management course.

"The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen."-Frank Loyd

Tower building activity is totally dependent on self belief and confidence.Initially we are asked to predict how  

much length tower can we build.Now there are to kinds of people 

1)The ones who would intentionally predict less and be over cautious.These kinds of people are generally not successful.Since they don't have a belief in their ability.Once you have lost belief in your own ability your bound for a failure. These people are in majority.

The surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed.
-Richard Brinsley Sheridan

2)The second kind of people are those who know their ability well and make it a challenge to do it better then it.In the process surpassing their own ability and there by enhancing it.Such people are less in number but they are sure to succeed in life.

Self confidence and the ability to recognize your own potential are the key to success.We must not underestimate our selves.Try to set your goals higher then your perceived ability and reach.Then strive for such goals as this will be the key in increasing the potential.

Chinese Folktale: Three Monks, No Water

In union there is strength.
Mahatma Gandhi

Three Monks, No Water is based on the ancient Chinese proverb "One monk will shoulder two buckets of water, two monks will share the load, but add a third and no one will want to fetch water." The proverb is close in meaning to the saying "Let George do it," wryly noting how individuals shirk group responsibilities. 

A young monk lives a simple life in a temple on top of a hill. He has one daily task of hauling two buckets of water up the hill. When a second monk joins him, they share the task, with diminished efficiency. After the arrival of a third monk, no one fetches water though everybody is thirsty. 

At night, a rat comes to scrounge and then knocks the candleholder, leading to a devastating fire in the temple. The three monks finally unite together and make a concerted effort to put out the fire. Since then they understand the old saying "unity is strength" and begin to live a harmonious life. The temple never lacks water again. 

This story teaches a gentle, humorous lesson about responsibility, while the phrase Three Monks, No Water becomes a Chinese expression trotted out when children try to avoid chores. 


Selfishness is the greatest vice in human character.We become so selfish that we start neglecting our basic duties.This leads us on a path of destruction.

To be united is the key to success.If we are selfish of one another then the whole humanity is bound to suffer.Instead if we help one another and go on doing our duties without being jealous of others we all will reap the benefits together.

Unity is strength, petty selfish squabble makes you weak is the moral of the story.

Khan Academy: What can we learn ?

In the rapidly expanding field of online education, no one has matched the success of Salman Khan. After he started out tutoring his nephew online, the former hedge fund analyst built up Khan Academy, which has received accolades from Bill Gates and others.Since starting Khan Academy in 2008, the 3,000-plus short video lectures have racked up more than 160 million hits on YouTube and earned Khan a place on this years Time 100 list.

Khan Academy is an educational non-profit focused on providing high-quality education for everyone. They produce a collection of free online micro lectures on a variety of different subjects, including mathematics, history, computer science, finance, physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and economics. Khan Academy also incorporates game mechanics into their system by awarding students with badges for reaching certain skill levels.

 Millions of people around the world have found Khan's videos valuable aids to help them to pass a crucial math test. Some of them (almost certainly a minority) have, in the process, learned some mathematics -- meaning that, faced with a real world problem whose solution requires the use of math, they will, as a result of watching Khan's videos, be able to use math to solve the problem.I would myself have been such a person. Had KA been around when I was at school, I would have loved it. So would Bill Gates, whose public statements and financial support have enabled Khan to build on the initial success of his home-made videos. So, I suspect, would most scientists and engineers.For those of us who find ourselves with the ability to learn math, we will do so with whatever tools we can find, and most of us do just fine. For others, Salman Khan's videos are a great resource.

In the end its the vision statement on the website that influences me the most-"All of the site's resources are available to anyone. It doesn't matter if you are a student, teacher, home-scholar, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology. The Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge."

The are still people in the world who are trying to make it a better place.There is a lot we can learn. 

Theory X-Y 

While working I came across various kinds of people.Human nature varies over a wide spectrum.Theory X and theory Y tries to divide bosses and there employees broadly into two different kinds giving over all four combinations.At different points in my life I have played most of the roles.I will try to discuss some of my experiences here.

 Case 1:Manger thinks workers are bad and the workers are bad.

When I started my job I was lazy and no doubt my boss thought so.He threw me out of his team and believe me i had no regrets.

Case 2:Manager thinks workers are lazy but the workers are good.

When this happen to me I thought this was destinies way of getting back at me.When I had a comparably good boss i didn't work and now when I was working my boss just couldn't see it. Frustration crept in but I knew I had to continue.The best thing is to keep your distance and remain unnoticed so that your not exactly pointed out.But things change as the project got over and I was once again placed under a new boss.

Case 3: Workers are lazy but the manager thinks the workers are good
Never experienced this scenario myself but have seen others in this kind of situation.Managers by this kind of belief have turned around there teams and have achieved amazing success.


Case 4:Manger thinks the workers are good and the workers are good
This is the ideal scenario. Bosses are happy ,workers are happy.Dr.Prasad did say that there is no management involved in this kind of scenario as everything is fine.I agree to that.But the fact that we are over looking is that it takes a hell lot of an intelligent manager to maintain this situation over a long period of time.Personally my last six months were of same kind.I learnt a lot about my job and my field which even helped me in MBA interviews and would always remain thankful to my boss.

These theories apart what i have felt is scenarios define the relationship between boss and his employee.The same set of people can be all the four cases at various points of time.
Lets see further what other theories we get to learn.Looking forward eagerly to next class.