Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Dead while Working
The Continental Airlines pilot died on a trans-Atlantic flight from Brussels to Newark. The fellow crew members had initially thought he fell asleep. Craig Lenell, 60, had no known heart condition and underwent twice-a-year physicals. Lenell died of a suspected heart attack midway through Continental Airlines Flight 61 on Thursday. Pilots must pass an extensive physical every six months to remain qualified to fly. The exam includes an electrocardiogram, blood pressure check and a vision test. Two co-pilots took over the controls. Amazingly, the Passengers didn't know anything until they landed. I remember a similar incident when an employee was found dead after 3 days in office. Working too hard!
Mike - the MBA blogger
Mike - the MBA blogger
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
From Cost-cuts to Salary-Cuts
British Airways has asked its 40,000 staff to work without pay for up to a month as the ailing airline seeks to cut costs. BA made a record £401 million loss in 2008 due to surging fuel prices and collapsing premium-fare passengers. The move is to reduce costs dramatically and BA has already offered staff unpaid leave or a reduction in hours. BA’s chief executive,Mr Walsh, has now gone a step further by asking staff to volunteer for between one and four weeks of unpaid work in what was dubbed as “fight for survival.”
Mr Walsh, last week said he would work for free in July, and has set a deadline of June 24 for employees to volunteer for unpaid work. Salary deductions are expected to be spread over three to six months wherever possible.
Mike - the MBA blogger
Mr Walsh, last week said he would work for free in July, and has set a deadline of June 24 for employees to volunteer for unpaid work. Salary deductions are expected to be spread over three to six months wherever possible.
Mike - the MBA blogger
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Asian Oil Pipeline
A major natural gas pipeline that would stretch from the fields of southern Iran to Pakistan and India — itself a remarkable prospect — is being planned. But it faces serious hurdles, not least the fierce opposition of the U.S. government.
The history of relations between Persia and the Indian subcontinent is more than 2000 years old. Until 200 years ago, Persian was the language of literature and government in India. After separation of Pakistan from India, Iran faced a dilemma of its relations with these two new states. During the Shah's era, Iran preferred to have close relations with Pakistan, although economic ties with India were not ignored. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and Pakistan's support of hardliners in Afghanistan, Iran found India as a new partner in Asia. India has been slowly but surely forging a comprehensive relationship with Iran on energy and commerce, infrastructure development, and military ties. Iran looks to India as a developed, democratic, and politically lucrative country for cooperation. For instance, some 8,000 Iranian students are studying in India, compared with 2,000 in the United States.
A big market for India, Iran has the world's second largest oil and gas proven reserves, and acts as an important access route for India to Central Asia and Afghanistan. Case in point: India is seeking new routes to reach to Central Asia. One of them is the North-South Corridor, which links India to Russia and all of the former Soviet Union via the Persian Gulf, Iran and Caspian Sea. Iran's considerations are boosting trade, having secure borders, and avoiding "encirclement" by American proxies. At the same time, Iran is opposed to the hegemonic presence of the United States and its troops in the Indian Ocean. India has not been hesitant to play the Iran card to draw concessions from the United States on other matters of bilateral concern. So the pipeline is freighted with more significance than merely the delivery of natural gas. Not much has been heard about the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline for some time, but that all changed on the sidelines of a regional summit that brought together Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Tehran on May 24.
But there are some major obstacles to overcome before any Iranian gas actually crosses the border into Pakistan -- and even more before that gas can be routed to India.
The first major question is where the money will come from.
The first leg of the plan is to build a 2,100-kilometer long pipeline from Iran's South Pars gas field into Pakistan -- at an estimated $7.5 billion. The next step would be to build a 600-kilometer extension that would go on to India.
But while a rival gas-pipeline project -- the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) -- is supported by the Asian Development Bank, the IPI does not have any backing from international financial institutions. Furthermore, TAPI is not as vulnerable to the financial or political opposition that IPI could experience due to the involvement of Iran, whose nuclear program has made it a pariah in the international community.
Complicating matters for both projects is that they are to be routed through Baluchistan. Considering that Baluch nationalists have already blown up domestic gas pipelines on the Pakistani side of the border in their fight for greater autonomy from Islamabad, their stance on a new pipeline from Iran (or Afghanistan) could be easily guessed.
As Ahmadinejad and Zardari watched representatives of their respective countries' gas companies ink the deal, the two presidents managed to avoid addressing such difficult questions. Ahmadinejad and Zardari hailed the plan to build a "pipeline of peace," with Zardari pointing to the significance of the signing of the agreement after some 10 years of talks.
Pakistani adviser on petroleum and natural resources Asim Hussain said Pakistan and Iran would sign a formal agreement on the pipeline project within 15 days in a third country. Hussain did not say which country, but given India's longtime interest in the project, it is assumed that it is the "third country."
That leads to more uncertainty, considering New Delhi's difficult relations with Islamabad. Pakistan, however, has made clear it would build the pipeline with Iran even if India opts out of the project. Iranian and Pakistani officials have said construction of the new pipeline could start within three to four years and be finished some five years later.
Mike - the MBA blogger
The history of relations between Persia and the Indian subcontinent is more than 2000 years old. Until 200 years ago, Persian was the language of literature and government in India. After separation of Pakistan from India, Iran faced a dilemma of its relations with these two new states. During the Shah's era, Iran preferred to have close relations with Pakistan, although economic ties with India were not ignored. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and Pakistan's support of hardliners in Afghanistan, Iran found India as a new partner in Asia. India has been slowly but surely forging a comprehensive relationship with Iran on energy and commerce, infrastructure development, and military ties. Iran looks to India as a developed, democratic, and politically lucrative country for cooperation. For instance, some 8,000 Iranian students are studying in India, compared with 2,000 in the United States.
A big market for India, Iran has the world's second largest oil and gas proven reserves, and acts as an important access route for India to Central Asia and Afghanistan. Case in point: India is seeking new routes to reach to Central Asia. One of them is the North-South Corridor, which links India to Russia and all of the former Soviet Union via the Persian Gulf, Iran and Caspian Sea. Iran's considerations are boosting trade, having secure borders, and avoiding "encirclement" by American proxies. At the same time, Iran is opposed to the hegemonic presence of the United States and its troops in the Indian Ocean. India has not been hesitant to play the Iran card to draw concessions from the United States on other matters of bilateral concern. So the pipeline is freighted with more significance than merely the delivery of natural gas. Not much has been heard about the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline for some time, but that all changed on the sidelines of a regional summit that brought together Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari in Tehran on May 24.
But there are some major obstacles to overcome before any Iranian gas actually crosses the border into Pakistan -- and even more before that gas can be routed to India.
The first major question is where the money will come from.
The first leg of the plan is to build a 2,100-kilometer long pipeline from Iran's South Pars gas field into Pakistan -- at an estimated $7.5 billion. The next step would be to build a 600-kilometer extension that would go on to India.
But while a rival gas-pipeline project -- the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) -- is supported by the Asian Development Bank, the IPI does not have any backing from international financial institutions. Furthermore, TAPI is not as vulnerable to the financial or political opposition that IPI could experience due to the involvement of Iran, whose nuclear program has made it a pariah in the international community.
Complicating matters for both projects is that they are to be routed through Baluchistan. Considering that Baluch nationalists have already blown up domestic gas pipelines on the Pakistani side of the border in their fight for greater autonomy from Islamabad, their stance on a new pipeline from Iran (or Afghanistan) could be easily guessed.
As Ahmadinejad and Zardari watched representatives of their respective countries' gas companies ink the deal, the two presidents managed to avoid addressing such difficult questions. Ahmadinejad and Zardari hailed the plan to build a "pipeline of peace," with Zardari pointing to the significance of the signing of the agreement after some 10 years of talks.
Pakistani adviser on petroleum and natural resources Asim Hussain said Pakistan and Iran would sign a formal agreement on the pipeline project within 15 days in a third country. Hussain did not say which country, but given India's longtime interest in the project, it is assumed that it is the "third country."
That leads to more uncertainty, considering New Delhi's difficult relations with Islamabad. Pakistan, however, has made clear it would build the pipeline with Iran even if India opts out of the project. Iranian and Pakistani officials have said construction of the new pipeline could start within three to four years and be finished some five years later.
Mike - the MBA blogger
The Dilbert Principle
I must confess, I read Scott Adams' Dilbert Principle a little too early. At that time, I could not appreciate the humor as much as I do now :)But now that I have a job (don't know for how long) I am beginning to see what Scott envisioned.
'Work' equates to conference calls and more conference calls discussing what went wrong with what was planned during the previous conference call. The rest of the time, you are free to do whatever you want to as long as you show that you add value to the company. Often, this involves remaining silent on most conference calls and saying something vague (read corporate mambo-jambo) when asked for an opinion. An exception to this rule is the last minute work that gets shoved onto your desk by your boss. These require some scurrying around and usually result in frantic emails/calls. An eternal optimist will capitalize on these rare occasions to wash away any guilt that he/she is being compensated for just being physically present at work. The rest of time can be spent on facebook, chat windows or other tools that have a proven track record of keeping boredom at bay.
At the end of the day, as long as you remain in control of your emotions and think, speak and act logically, you can lay claim to have all that it takes to succeed in pretty much any job. Good communication skills, PowerPoint and Excel skills, and the ability to manage relationships well help you take the elevator on your way up instead of the escalator. Specific to the US, additional skills required to be on the fast track to success include the ability to drink for a long time without getting inebriated and being up to date with what is happening on the sports scene.
My Dad once told me that in order to succeed at the workplace, you must realize that people that work above you are fools and you must either be one or learn to act like one. I am still trying to figure out whether I am acting or just being myself!
If you spent the last few minutes reading this drivel, I apologize - my entire post can be summarized by Dilbert.
Disclaimer: This was not posted while I was at work. The post was not inspired by, or have any relation to my job. Besides, I am currently a student :)
Mike - the MBA blogger
'Work' equates to conference calls and more conference calls discussing what went wrong with what was planned during the previous conference call. The rest of the time, you are free to do whatever you want to as long as you show that you add value to the company. Often, this involves remaining silent on most conference calls and saying something vague (read corporate mambo-jambo) when asked for an opinion. An exception to this rule is the last minute work that gets shoved onto your desk by your boss. These require some scurrying around and usually result in frantic emails/calls. An eternal optimist will capitalize on these rare occasions to wash away any guilt that he/she is being compensated for just being physically present at work. The rest of time can be spent on facebook, chat windows or other tools that have a proven track record of keeping boredom at bay.
At the end of the day, as long as you remain in control of your emotions and think, speak and act logically, you can lay claim to have all that it takes to succeed in pretty much any job. Good communication skills, PowerPoint and Excel skills, and the ability to manage relationships well help you take the elevator on your way up instead of the escalator. Specific to the US, additional skills required to be on the fast track to success include the ability to drink for a long time without getting inebriated and being up to date with what is happening on the sports scene.
My Dad once told me that in order to succeed at the workplace, you must realize that people that work above you are fools and you must either be one or learn to act like one. I am still trying to figure out whether I am acting or just being myself!
If you spent the last few minutes reading this drivel, I apologize - my entire post can be summarized by Dilbert.
Disclaimer: This was not posted while I was at work. The post was not inspired by, or have any relation to my job. Besides, I am currently a student :)
Mike - the MBA blogger
Monday, June 1, 2009
Boyle's Mumai Obsession!
While Oscar-winning Slumdog Millionaire was inspired by Indian diplomat Vikas Swarup's book 'Q&A', the forthcoming thriller will be based on the novel 'Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found' by Suketu Mehta, an Indian-born journalist and author based in New York. Boyle has reportedly bought the rights of the critically acclaimed novel, which was first published in 2004. Partly a travelogue and partly an autobiography, the book delves into the interconnected worlds of Mumbai's slum-dwellers, dancing girls, underworld dons and Hindu radicals.
The non-fiction work has been likened to everything from Balzac's descriptions of Paris to The Arabian Nights. Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars and grossed over 220 million pounds at the box office. So is it going to be another film that showcases India's sharp and contrasting realities?
Mike - the MBA blogger
The non-fiction work has been likened to everything from Balzac's descriptions of Paris to The Arabian Nights. Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire won eight Oscars and grossed over 220 million pounds at the box office. So is it going to be another film that showcases India's sharp and contrasting realities?
Mike - the MBA blogger
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