Just caught an ad for Google Mobile for India...The page has a nice interactive demo as well has a text box to type in your mobile number and start getting info on your mobile. Of course, by sending an SMS you are bound to Google, YouTube and Google Maps Terms of service.

The question is how soon is Google going to monetize this service by inserting ads. Its a no brainer if they succeed, they will mint millions tapping into the India mobile phone user base which is 4-5x India internet user base.

My workgroup in office is in the midst of a turmoil. Archaic processes, change of leadership, strained team dynamics and average business performance in these challenging times have led to the cause. We are now in the midst of a rethink exercise for the future. I think these articles from HBS are extremely useful in this situation...


Why Don't Managers Think Deeply?
Professor Jim Heskett poses this provacative question to HBS Working Knowledge readers.

The Seven Things That Surprise New CEOs
In the newly released book On Competition, professor Michael E. Porter updates his classic articles on the competitive forces that shape strategy. We excerpt a portion on advice for new CEOs, written with HBS faculty Jay W. Lorsch and Nitin Nohria.

Strategy Execution and the Balanced Scorecard
Companies often manage strategy in fits and starts, with strategy execution lost along the way. A new book by Balanced Scorecard creators Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton aims to make strategy a continual process.

Creating a Positive Professional Image
In today's diverse workplace, your actions and motives are constantly under scrutiny. Time to manage your own professional image before others do it for you. An interview with professor Laura Morgan Roberts.

Seven Tips for Managing Price Increases
Consumers get hit with the price-increase hammer every time they drive past a gas station. Harvard Business School professor John Quelch offers tips on how marketers can cope with inflation and consumer sticker shock.

Marketing Your Way Through a Recession
In a recession, consumers become value oriented, distributors are concerned about cash, and employees worry about their jobs. But a downturn is no time to stop spending on marketing. The key, says professor John Quelch, is to understand how the needs of your customers and partners change, and adapt your strategies to the new reality.

2900 days after Windows XP and 700 days after Office 2007 were released, my company finally decided to install them on my Machine. Now that's speed of adoption!

Statue of Liberty || Canon400D/Sigma-70-300 @100 | 1/400Sec | f10 | 4 | 15 October'07 05:14 | Handheld

Statue of Liberty shot from the Staten Island ferry. I missed the shot when the sun was aligned right behind the statue by a few seconds.

An interesting post... Has the list of most of Google offerings if nothing else.

I currently work in a FMCG company and there was a request from a charity organization for samples. My companies has a separate manager (lets call him Co. Rep) for all such CSR initiatives and hence a separate budget. Usually, such things should be fairly routine and once the concerned head approves. But after 53 days or rather 1238 long hours action is still pending that too when

The reporting structure is as follows
Co. Head (Co. Head Secy) > Function Head > Sub Function Head (Sub Function Secy) > Sub Function Reportee

From	To	CC	Type	Date	Time Taken (mins)	Time Taken (days)
Requestor	Co Rep		Intro & Proposal	15/11/2008 20:51
Co Rep	Co Head	Co Head Secy	Reco & Request	15/11/2008 22:06	1:14:52	0
Co Rep	Co Head Secy	Co Head	Reminder	01/12/2008 17:20	379:14:00	11
Co Head Secy	Co Rep	Co Head	Confirmation	02/12/2008 12:22	19:02:00	2
Co Rep	Co Head Secy	Co Head	Clarification	02/12/2008 14:23	2:01:00	1
Co Head	Co Rep	Function 1 Head	Recommendation	02/12/2008 14:48	0:25:00	1
Co Rep	Function 1 Head	Co Head	Reco & Request	02/12/2008 18:39	3:51:00	1
Function 1 Head	Co Rep	Sub Function 1 Head	Reco & Forward	03/12/2008 09:44	15:05:29	2
Co Rep	Sub Function 1 Head	Function 1 Head	Reco & Request	03/12/2008 10:20	0:35:31	1
Function 1 Head	Co Rep	Function 2 Head	Reco & Forward	03/12/2008 10:26	0:06:00	1
Function 2 Head	Co Rep	Sub Function 2 Head	Reco & Forward	03/12/2008 10:48	0:22:00	1
Sub Function 2 Head	Co Rep	Sub Function 2 Reportee	Clarification	09/12/2008 12:15	145:27:41	5
Co Rep	Sub Function 2 Head	Sub Function 2 Reportee	Clarification	10/12/2008 08:45	20:30:12	2
Sub Function 2 Head	Co Rep	Sub Function 2 Reportee	Clarification	10/12/2008 10:04	1:19:00	1
Co Rep	Sub Function 2 Head	Sub Function 2 Reportee	Reco	11/12/2008 17:31	31:26:07	2
Sub Function 2 Reportee	Requestor		Talk
Sub Function 2 Reportee	Franchise Head	Sub Function 2 Head	Clarification	02/01/2009 12:54	523:23:00	17
Sub Function 2 Head	Sub Function 2 Reportee	Sub Function 2 Head	Approval	02/01/2009 12:54	0:00:00	1
Sub Function 2 Reportee	Sub Function 2 Secy		Request	02/01/2009 12:59	0:05:00	1
Sub Function 2 Secy	Agency		Instruction	06/01/2009 10:50	93:51:00	3
			Action	Pending

...If I were Scott Adams, I would have made a Dilbert cartoon out of this. A perfect example of how bureaucratic even private companies in India are and how much time even simple decision making takes.

The formating for this post has gone completely haywire, will rectify it in due course

Horses in the field || Canon400D/EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 | 6.3Sec | f3.5 | ISO100 | 07 May'07 10:14 | HandheldOn way to Peb Fort trek

First Rains of 2007 || Canon400D/EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 | 8 Sec | f3.5 | ISO100 | 31 May '07 20:47 | Handheld

From my apartment roof top/Mahim

The Journey ahead || Sony Cybershot DSC-W7| 1/320Sec | f5.6 | ISO100 | 15Aug'07 | Handheld

Trek to Harishchandragad/Maharashtra