CAREER


In the years gone by, we just greeted our neighbours and others we met on the road with a ‘Good morning’ or a ‘Good evening’ as may be appropriate for the time of day. Everyone said this and moved on.    Over a period, this greeting often transformed to ‘How are you doing?’ One is...

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Many of us in the corporate world would have been taught, through reading and through lectures that jealousy and envy, kill those who feel jealous – rather than those who are the target of the jealousy. Therefore, most mature individuals, who believe in spirituality and in humanity, will try...

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The British Raj had ended nearly three decades ago, but Douglas Kenneth Archibald White had kept the Imperial torch burning. He was the manager of our Delhi branch, where profit was not of much importance, but “pucca”ness was.     The previous year the branch had indeed reported a...

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There are times in life, when it pays to pretend ignorance. When you pretend to know not – but you do know!  Especially when it comes to managing your boss – whether in the world of commerce or in politics.   Here are nine basic rules which have always helped people to survive and to...

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This (final) narrative about T is not one I have witnessed at first hand, unlike all the preceding ones. Nevertheless, I have every reason to believe that it is true.   T got an offer that he just could not refuse, that of the chief executive (CEO) of a major bank in a neighbouring...

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One of the articles that created a great impact on me in my early management years was ‘The judgement of Hermes’ – written by a person I admired greatly from a distance, although I never met him. It was Gaby Mendoza, former chairman of the Asian Institute of Management, Manila, and to my...

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The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it favours in-person Chartered Accountant (CA) exams and refrained from passing any direction to postpone the schedule commencing on July 5.   A bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar said students with Covid should get opt-out option. The bench...

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In August each year, at the start of the annual budget exercise, treasury department notified branches of the base interest rate they were to use for deposits and loans when preparing the budget. Since the local currency was pegged to the US dollar the dollar interest rate was the...

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How do people who have been on a pedestal for short or long periods of time, handle the fall from their powerful positions? This could be in any area of life – whether the commercial world, or political or professional. It is interesting to see how they feel lost, or live in the past, or...

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The Supreme Court on Thursday accepted the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) formula for the assessment of Class 12 students.   The CBSE, in an affidavit, informed a bench headed by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and comprising Justice Dinesh Maheshwari that the performance of the...

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The Supreme Court on Friday ordered postponement of AIIMS INI CET Examination, 2021, scheduled on June 16, by one month.   A bench comprising Justices Indira Banerjee and M R Shah said that considering many of the candidates intending to take the exam are on Covid duty and in remote...

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K Joseph was a middle-aged, God-fearing, peace-loving and quiet character. He was the 'wouldn’t hurt a fly' type of chap, and I doubt he had ever raised his voice to anyone in all his life. He was a credit officer in one of our larger branches.   Joseph yelling at a customer?...

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On expected lines, the Maharashtra government on Thursday too decided to cancel the HSC (Class 12) board exams for 2021 in view of the Covid-19 pandemic second wave, Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad announced.   The move came a day after a cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister...

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The Supreme Court on Thursday said, it is happy that the board exams have been cancelled and emphasized that the interest of students will be protected, as it asked the Centre to submit the objective criteria to assess Class XII students in two weeks.   At the beginning of the...

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It would seem a strange title. Compliments are generally expected to motivate, to show appreciation, to create a feeling of warmth and friendship.   In short, a very positive attitude—starting with those oft repeated words— “Well done.”    These are words which have taken many...

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In view of the uncertain conditions brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic and the feedback obtained from the various stakeholders, the CBSE Class XII board exams for 2021 were cancelled on Tuesday.   The decision was taken after a key meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,...

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Yes, you could say that I had become T’s firm favourite, his black-eyed boy (sorry, my eyes are not blue).    I spent hours daily in his office. He would seek, and usually follow, my advice. He referred to me as ‘my boy’ or ‘my lad’ in public, and everyone wondered how I had not only...

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The prestigious Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Advanced 2021 test has been postponed in view of the coronavirus situation in the country.   Since the JEE Mains examination could not be held at the scheduled time (May 24-28), so the JEE Advanced examination, which was going...

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This is a big question – and a very important one, and becoming more important with every passing year. The question applies to individuals, to companies, and even to nations. It was mentioned in an article earlier, that a 2015 survey had found that China, Indonesia and India were rated as...

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In my 50 years of industry experience, I learnt, like many others, that a good manager is, or should be, a good listener and a good observer. Some managers are either one or the other.    Many managers are neither–and this is a great pity. Being good listeners and good observers would...

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