A Thought for Today-144:

Thanks to Vinod for the photo - clicked by him using his Nokia N70 M

Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact - William James

Nellaiappan's Column-9: "Cost Reduction"

The most commonly misunderstood concept, in my opinion, but widely used in corporate circles, is “cost reduction”. Other euphemisms/ synonyms for cost reduction are austerity measures, retrenchment, golden handshake, trimming and ETOC (every thing on contract).

I have found all these things extremely counter-productive. Cost reduction is definitely not stopping some expenses, curtailing few facilities extended, rationing some entertainment and disowning some responsibilities. It cannot be at the cost of values and ethics.

In one company I know, at the pretext of austerity measures they stopped the daily morning and evening tea to all contract employees. The explanation given was that it was the duty of the contractor and not the company’s. The saving arithmetic was 70 people x 2 times x 365 days x 3 rupees. But the feelings of the 70 people with flesh and blood were completely ignored. There were visible repercussions and the damage caused was heavy, but it was not tangible for the costing department.

The admin people to their credit, allowed all Air Conditioners in the company only two hour operation per day to save money on electricity. The problem was not more of physical but the very idea irritated most of the employees and that became a hot topic for quite some time.

People were making fun out of these austerity measures and have even gone to the extent of recommending half-pant and shirt uniforms for employees, instead of full shirt and pant. One accountant seriously asked why Rs.500 per month was given to a priest for performing weekly 'puja' in company premises and suggested to perform the same by one of the company employees.

One important inference from all the above is an amenity once given if stopped suddenly will have adverse effects and more often that not will be counter-productive. For saving hundreds, you may be losing thousands. Further, it affects the morale of the employees, disturbs their sense of belonging and the grudge they carry in their minds is bound to affect productivity and performance.

One of the unit heads declared in the company’s group meeting that he was ready to retrench 15 employees with immediate effect and with a nod from the top and it was implemented at once. Selected 15 People with 15 to 20 years of experience in the company were asked to leave with short notice. The after-effects of the above incident were a great blow to the management. 50 % of the employees - all good people left the organization without or with short notice. Only employees who had no option remained.

It is proof that such measures could send wrong signals to the other employees like the company is in trouble or the same thing could happen to them in future. So they conclude it is better to leave the sinking ship.

The employee turnover was very high and as a measure to retain the employees the management increased the remuneration package to all its employees. But it was too late and most of the good people had already left the organization. Many people realized their own potential only then, and got good placements. The inferior lot who remained in the organization was rewarded with revision for their inability to move out of the organization.

To fill up the gap created by the resignation of good employees, the company recruited many new ones with high starting pay.

Many public limited companies announced golden handshake to get rid of inefficient employees. Contrary to the expectations, all good employees availed the opportunity and thus weakened further the system in existence.

The feeling of oneness and the family concept is lost in letting work on contract basis. Contract workers always carry a grudge against the company and its employees and at the very first opportunity they ditch both.

There is no compromise in the cost of safety and environment. Any compromise in these two will be detrimental in the long run.

The real cost reduction comes from increased productivity and innovative process changes and modifications. Savings by all other methods are very marginal and if overdone will become counter productive. Here one should remember Parato’s 80-20 principle.

No doubt a saving is a saving however small it may be. But one act of improved productivity will excel hundred such trivial savings all put together. Leaders always look for big leap. Being a leader I hope you will also vouch my statement.

Self-Improvement-14: "The Grammar of Right Living"

Get your grammar right! Live in the active voice rather than in the passive, thinking more about what you do than what happens to you. Live in the indicative mood rather than in the subjunctive, concerned with things as they are rather than as they might be. Live in the present, without regret for the past or worry about the future. Live in the first person, criticizing yourself rather than finding fault with others. Live in the singular number, caring more for the approval of your own conscience than for the applause of the crowd. If you want a verb to conjugate, you can do better than 'love'.

Courtesy: Prabuddha Bharata (a monthly journal of the Ramakrishna Order started by Swami Vivekananda in 1896) May 2002.

S&T Watch-29: "Bio-Insecticides"

Patiala-based Thapar University has announced the commercial production of neem-based bio-insecticides. Four tonnes will be produced in the first year.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Oct.4, 2008 ("Newscape").

Wikipedia articles on "INSECTICIDES", "BIOLOGICAL INSECTICIDES",

"ECOLOGICAL INSECTICIDES" and "NEEM":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insecticides

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_insecticides

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_pesticides

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem

Grateful thanks to The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Letters-42: "Jodhpur Tragedy"

1. The stampede at the Chamunda Devi temple in Jodhpur on Tuesday (Sep.30, 2008) could have been averted - or at least the death toll reduced - if the authorities had made proper security arrangements. That there was no ambulance at the site shows the utter lack of responsibility on the part of the authorities.

Failure to provide proper security and infrastructure at temples during festivals and later announcing a few lakhs of rupees in the name of compensation have become the habit of governments and authorities. - M.C.Vijay Shanker, Chennai.

2. Tragedies can be averted if volunteers of Hindu organisations and temple officials spend their energy in guiding devotees. Why not the sangh parivar concentrate more on such issues before fighting forces from outside? Community education on the dos and don'ts while participating in festivals will help avert such ghastly tragedies. Any festival should inculcate a sense of devotion and discipline. - G.Sankara Bhanu, Hyderabad.

3. The stampedes at Jodhpur, at the Naina Devi temple in Himachal Pradesh a few months ago and many others point to the failure to review the creaking infrastructure in many temples. Do we need to tell our administrators that elementary precautions are necessary on such occasions? Lack of education is partly the reason why so many fatalities occur. - S.Kamat, Bardez.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Oct.2, 2008 ("Letters to the Editor")

Grateful thanks to M.C.Vijay Shanker, G.Sankara Bhanu, S.Kamat and The Hindu.

Eyecatchers-110: "Govt of India bans Smoking in Public Places!"

If Gandhi Jayanthi 2007 was observed as the first International Day of Non-Violence, Gandhi Jayanthi 2008 is another great day; the Govt of India has banned smoking in public places and violation of the ban attracts a fine of Rs.200/-. This is a great achievement; for, the Tobacco Lobby and some votebank-politicians have been blocking it. Union Health Minister, Dr Anbumani Ramadoss deserves special appreciation for almost single-handedly fighting the above forces and imposing the ban under the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act 2003.

Smoking affects not only the health of the smoker, but also that of other people who are exposed to it; for Passive Smoking also kills. So banning smoking in public places is a right step and deserves appreciation. The dangers of Passive Smoking can be perused in the Wikipedia article (link provided).

Wikipedia articles on "SMOKING BAN" and "PASSIVE SMOKING KILLS":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smoking_ban

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_smoking_kills

Grateful thanks to Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eyecatchers-109: "International Day of Non-violence"

The United Nations General Assembly decided on June 15, 2007 to observe October 2, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, as International Day of Non-Violence. Kudos to the UN; it is a fitting tribute to the Mahatma. Let us pledge that we will do our best to promote non-violence and spread love and fellow-feeling among people.

Wikipedia article on "INTERNATIONAL DAY OF NON-VIOLENCE":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Day_of_Non-Violence

Article from UN News Service:

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=22926&Cr=non&Cr1=violence

Grateful thanks to UN News Service and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Random Thoughts-14: "On Gandhiji"

Gandhi Jayanthi (Gandhiji's birthday) is being celebrated today not only in India but all over the world. On this day, I paid my humble homage to Gandhi by offering flowers to his portrait, reading a few inspiring passages written by him and also by posting my thoughts of him in my blogs.

Not that I think of him on his Jayanthi only; actually his smiling portrait adorns the foyer of our office and daily while entering the office, I mentally offer my respects to him and seek his blessings to live truthfully.

To me Gandhiji stands for, as I have said elsewhere in my blog:

NON-VIOLENCE IN THOUGHT, WORD AND DEED

TRUTHFULNESS IN THOUGHT, WORD AND DEED

UNIVERSAL LOVE

SIMPLE LIVING AND HIGH-THINKING

NON-COVETOUSNESS AND NON-POSSESSIVENESS and

SELFLESS LIFE AND SELFLESS SERVICE.

I should like to think that I am moving towards these ideals albeit inch by inch.

I also have a desire to read his complete works (I think they run into more than 100 bulky volumes), before I die and quote from them extensively in my blogs. I hope they will inspire and guide me, as also others who visit my blogs and have the patience to read them.

Some of his lofty and wonderful thoughts I have posted in my blog, "Role Models and Inspiring Lives". Just a look at them would convince anybody how great and noble a soul he was.

I shall be immensely happy if the younger generation, especially my children, Priya and Vinod, read his writings and benefit by them.

I salute you, Mahatmaji, on this day and may I always keep you in my mind so that inspires me to tread the path of Truth and follow your noble ideals! No matter how many times I fail, I should still pursue these goals till the end, without losing heart.

Detailed Wikipedia article on: "MOHANDAS KARAMCHAND GANDHI": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi

Full text of Gandhiji's Autobiography, "THE STORY OF MY EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH": http://wikilivres.info/wiki/An_Autobiography_or_The_Story_of_my_Experiments_with_Truth

Grateful thanks to Wikilivres and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Nellaiappan's Column-8: "Rotten Onion Concept"

One rotten onion can spoil an entire sack of onions. That’s why vendors when they store onions in bulk, carefully search for rotten onions or ‘about to go rotten’ onions, hand pick and separate them from the lot. Thereby the good onions are saved. Here is some thing for us to learn.

In every organization and institution a few such rotten onions always exist along with efficient and loyal lot. If allowed, they could spoil the entire team. The first step in team-building in my opinion is to identify such rotten onions and isolate them from the main stream.

Presence of rotten onions may be due to the climate prevailing inside the organization such as nepotism, lack of growth potential for the individuals, monotony of work, lack of role for individuals in decision making and so on.

We cannot fire them just like that for non-performance. Mending or sending comes only after isolating and putting them in less important or less sensitive area. On the pretext of humanitarian considerations, one need not tolerate disobedience or poor performance. It is contagious.

But there is a major difference between rotten onions and the troublesome people. Most of the members can be mended and made efficient whereas the rotten onions cannot.

I should tell you how I handled a trouble maker in one of my earlier assignments. There the trouble was in the form of a senior operator. He was very talkative and that was the problem. He was one among the ten in the synthetic section of that chemical manufacturing unit. Moreover they were coming in shifts.

As the production was done in batches, the work distribution was not uniform throughout the shift. The work was not continuous for all the 8 hours and different for all the ten at any given point of time.

Our operator was good in mimicry and mono acting and used to start some thing interesting during the shift in a loud voice which made all the workmen to surround him and it invariably ended with some quarrel among them. Ultimately it resulted in loss of productivity.

When I became the synthetic section in-charge the first thing I did was transferring him to extraction section where he has to work alone. He was protesting it at the beginning but there was no option for him.

Slowly he settled in his new work and to everybody’s surprise, he started suggesting modifications in material handling and operational simplification because of his creativeness and loneliness. He became one of our best operators and I recommended a promotion for him. That made us to search for untapped potential within the company.

Every successful Business Corporate injects new blood into their organization to sustain speed and growth. There the reverse of the rotten onion concept has to be applied. Protecting the new young ones from the clutches of the existing old timers is the issue there.

After going through this article my wife said, “Now I understand why they have given you a cabin in your office. I think your management is already aware of this rotten onion concept.”

S&T Watch-29: "Water-propelled cars"

It may not be long before cars will be running on the Indian roads literally on water! Sounds amazing, but the senior researcher of the central government's Energy Resources Development Agency (ERDA), Vadodara, G.S. Grewal, believes that it could become a reality in a maximum of two decades or even earlier.

The ERDA has already developed techniques for using hydrogen gas, available in abundance from water, as fuel to run cars and other uses to meet the world's energy crisis likely to arise from the diminishing fossil fuels. Based on the indigenous technology, the system developed by the ERDA for the generation of hydrogen gas would cost just about Rs.three per kilo watt per hour as against Rs.9.3 required for the creation from diesel.

Dr.Grewal said the technology to use hydrogen as fuel for static installations had been fully developed and the ERDA was ready for commercial production,but the technology for using it in moving vehicles could still take some time in developing suitable containers to store gas. Pointing out that storing hydrogen in gaseous or liquid forms would be unviable, he said the ERDA had developed a magnesium-based alloy to use as hydrogen container in solid state,but was yet find an answer to the problem if explosion in the event of even a minor collision in which the hydrogen cylinder could explode like a lethal bomb destroying everything in the range of 200 to 500 meters.

Similar researches was going on the world-over to use hydrogen as an alternative to the fossil fuels and prototype of hydrogen-driven cars had also been developed in some of the countries but the project was not yet ready for commercial production.

The IEEE India Council former chairman, Hasmukh Shah, said some countries had also developed carbon quoting to be applied on the magnesium-based alloy containers to minimise the chances of explosion in the event of collision, but its road-worthiness was yet to be tested. Dr.Grewal said India and the world would have to turn to hydrogen,which was the cleanest green fuel devoid of any pollution.

Excerpt from "Water-propelled cars may run on Indian roads" by Manas Dasgupta, The Hindu, Madurai, Sep.29, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Manas Dasgupta and The Hindu.

Letters-41: "Another Blast"

1. Once again the terrorists have struck. If our leaders are helpless and clueless, they should quit honourably. Mere sermonising will not do. And the declaration that the existing laws are enough to tackle terrorism is no longer convincing. - K.R.A.Narasiah, Chennai.

2. I suppose it is time the Prime Minister realised that there are much more important things to do other than signing the nuclear deal with the U.S. When government is unable to secure even the Capital, how can it protect the rest of India? Every bomb blast is a slap in the government's face. - Divya Velayudhan, Palakkad.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, Sep.29, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Mr.K.R.A.Narasiah, Ms Divya Velayudhan and The Hindu.

Eyecatchers-108: "Apple Sells Unlocked iPhones"

Apple has started selling unlocked models of its popular iPhone 3G in Hong Kong which allow users the freedom to select the telecom provider of their choice.

Courtesy: The Hindu, Madurai, September 28, 2008

Grateful thanks to The Hindu.

Facts & Figures-49: "World Heart Day 2008"

Statistics released on the occasion of the World Heart Day 2008 (September 28th) are frightening. One should take it as a warning signal and take due care of oneself.

* 1.5 billion people or nearly one in three adults over the age of 25, will have high blood pressure, one of the biggest single risk factors for Carrdio Vascular Disease(CVD), the world's number one killer.

* High blood pressure and CVD are increasing in prevalence, including among the young, and need immediate action and attention.

* World Heart Day, a major heart health awareness campaign now in its ninth year, is run by the World Heart Federation's member organizations in over 100 countries.

* World Heart Day activities include health checks, organised walks, runs and fitness sessions, public talks, stage shows, scientific forums, exhibitions, concerts, carnivals and sports tournaments.

* Cardio vascular diseases have been projected to cause 4.6 million deaths annually in India by the year 2020.

* High blood pressure (Hypertension: >140/90 mmHg) is directly responsible for 57% of all stroke deaths and 24% of all coronary disease deaths in India at an underestimate, there are 31.5 million hypertensives in rural and 34 million in urban populations.

* In the treatment of heart disease alone, non-compliance with drug regimens and inability to change lifestyle is believed to cause as many as 1,25,000 avoidable deaths.

Excerpts from "Know Your Risk of CVD" by Dr.R.Sivakumar, Senior Consultant, Interventional Cardiologist, Meenakshi Mission Hospital & Research Centre, Madurai in The Hindu, Madurai of September 28, 2008.

Wikipedia article on "CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiovascular_disease

Grateful thanks to Dr.Sivakumar,The Hindu and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

A Thought for Today-143:

Photo by Vinod

Unity is the test of truth. Everything that makes for Oneness is truth. Love is truth, and hatred is false, because hatred makes for multiplicity. It is a disintegrating power - Swami Vivekananda

A Thought for Today-142:

Photo by Vinod

The poison generated by hatred could kill twenty persons. When hate somebody you are poisoning yourself. So in your own interest, don't hate anybody - Unknown.

Eyecatchers-107: "Cows and Horses Freely Roaming in Texas!"

In parts of Texas hit by Hurricane Ike, an estimated 20,000 cows and horses roamed free. Four thousand cows had been found dead, and officials thought that many more would never be found. "They are being eaten," said Texas AgriLife Extension Service spokeswoman, Kathleen Phillips, "by alligators".

Courtesy: Sam Stark, Harper's Weekly, Sep.23, 2008.

Wikipedia article on "HURRICANE IKE":
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Ike

Grateful thanks to Sam Stark, Harper's Weekly and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Facts & Figures-48: "The Chip is 50 years old!"

A grateful world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Integrated Chip or simply IC as it is known to everybody.

To quote Dan Nystedt of IDG News Service, “chips are the brains and nervous system of every electronics device around, from computers to iPhones and are finding their way into more devices all the time, including cars and refrigerators, to make them more energy efficient”.

The inventor of the IC, Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments, went on to win the Nobel Prize for 2000. Unfortunately the co-inventor, Robert Noyce, passed ten years before that.

The annual revenue of the IC industry today is $ 300 billion.

Based on “Celebrating the IC’s 50th Anniversary” by Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service, September 12, 2008, which appeared on Network World.(http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/091208-celebrating-the-ics-50th.html)

Wikipedia article on “Integrated Circuit:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_circuit

Grateful thanks to Dan Nystedt, IDG News Service, Network World and Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

S&T Watch-28: "Space Elevator!"

Japanese experts are working on a Space Elevator. It may sound like science fiction or science fantasy. But it may become a reality.

Cables made of carbon nanotubes (180 times stronger than steel) are to be used to run the carriages carrying cargo and people.

A day that is not too far off may come when we will be travelling into space.

Based on "Japan hopes to turn sci-fi into reality with elevtor to the stars" by Leo Lewis in Tokyo, The Times, Sep.22, 2008

For the full article from TimesOnline:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article4799369.ece?print=yes&randnum=1222229303718

Grateful thanks to Leo Lewis and The Times, UK

Eyecatchers-106: "Spilling 3.7 million nickels!"

A truck carrying 20 tons of money from the Philadelphia Mint to the U.S.Treasury in Miami crashed, killing one passenger and spilling 3.7 million nickels onto I-95.

Courtesy: Sam Stark, Harper's Weekly, September 23, 2008.

Grateful thanks to Sam Stark and Harper's Weekly.

My Friends-1: "Mr.M.Senthil Kumar"

Senthil is a dear friend of mine, though he is younger to me by more than a dozen years. But he looks much younger. His many sterling qualities have endeared him to me. If there is any public activity, he will be there in the forefront, shouldering some important responsibility and doing his best. He is a Home Guard. His civic sense and social awareness are worth emulating. For example, he will not take carrybags from shops. He always carries cloth-bags to keep materials he purchases.

Our friendship deepened during our FASOHD days. He is so affectionate to me he would call me now and then and ask me whether I need any help. He has been helping me in almost all of my ventures. He is a tower of strength to me. I fondly and gratefully remember his great help on the days following my father's death and also during and after my daughter's marriage. My people say I exploit his kindness. Maybe true. Whenever I need any help, I immediately think of him and I do not hesitate to take his help whenever required. I do not know how I am going to repay him for his kindness.

May God bless him and bestow on him and his family all that is best.

Thank you, Senthil, thank you very much for all your kindness.