Q) Which interesting book by Ian Morris focussed on how energy (its production and consumption) has impacted the evolution of mankind from the early nomadic era to the current tech world?
I can do it, can’t I?
Not a book question. But what is Dunnig Kruger effect?
Answer: Dunnig Kruger effect is when a person overestimates his potential in an arena/field because of his ignorance.
For e.g. an overconfident engineer thinking he can be a good farmer just because lot of farmers in India may be uneducated.
Amazing, crazy, superb!
Saksham, a 26-year-old tech enthusiast from a tier 2 city in India called Nagpur, embarked on a life-altering journey when he moved to London to work for an Indian IT services company. After working very hard for 1.5 years and adopting his new lifestyle in London, he came back to India for a 2 week vacation during the Christmas break.
As Saksham reunited with his relatives and friends, his English had undergone a transformation that left everyone both amused and bewildered. Gone were the days of Saksham describing everything as “amazing,” “crazy,” or “superb.” Instead, he now wielded the English language with finesse, choosing the right adjectives and adverbs at the right moments.
During a family gathering, Saksham’s uncle, Ravi, exclaimed, “Saksham, this curry is amazing, isn’t it?” Saksham chuckled and replied, “Well, Uncle Ravi, I’d say it’s rather delectable and rich in flavor.”
His childhood friends Abhijit and Ashish couldn’t help but tease him about his newfound linguistic precision. “Remember when everything was just ‘crazy’ for Saksham? Now he sounds like a walking dictionary,” they joked.
Saksham found himself in a hilarious yet heartwarming situation when his grandmother asked, “How’s London, beta?” Saksham, with a twinkle in his eye, responded, “It’s splendid, Grandma. The weather is unpredictable, but the cultural diversity is truly enriching.”
His mother Rajashri overheard the conversation and chimed in, “Saksham, you’ve changed so much, even your choice of words!” Saksham hugged her, smiling, “Well, Mom, living in London has refined my language skills. Now I appreciate the subtleties of expression.”
As the two weeks flew by, Saksham’s friends and family marveled at the transformation. Beneath the humor, they recognized the depth of his experience and growth. His journey from an Indian tier 2 city to the global stage had not only shaped his career but had also enriched his understanding of the world.
As Saksham bid farewell, his friends teased, “Don’t forget us when you’re surrounded by all that sophistication in London!” Saksham laughed, “Never! You guys will always be the crazy, amazing, superb part of my life.” And with a heart full of memories and a refined vocabulary, Saksham returned to his life in the bustling city, still carrying the essence of his roots with him.
Is it better to have loved and lost or have not loved at all?
This is the last of the books by Charles Dickens. Which of his lesser known books is based upon ‘money, money, money and what it can make of life?’
Answer: last book by Charles Dickens, our mutual friend. The book was not a runaway hit nor was it widely acclaimed in the 19th century. It took more than 100 years before readers started acknowledging the depth of this book.
Becoming the Rocketsingh of Sales!
Which book by Mathew Dixon and Brent Adamson talks about a nuanced approach to sales which focuses on solution selling rather than product selling?
The book is Challenger Sales. Being from the world of sales, I found the topics mentioned in the book quite interesting.
First of all it talks about 5 types of sales people. Firstly, the hard workers, who will work more hours than needed and deliver results somehow.
Second are relationship people, who thrive more via relationship building than understanding the problem of clients.
Third type are lone wolfs, these people don’t follow any protocol, yet somehow deliver numbers. There is also a fourth type, reactive problem solvers who are somewhere in between hard workers and relationship builders.
And finally we have the Challenger sales folks. This is the nirvana type. Who don’t sell the product, instead the solution for the problem.
Coming to my critique for the book, I definitely agree that solution selling is the most satisfying sales methodology, however it’s easier said than done. It needs immense understanding of the problems which the client has. Many sales people who aim to be Challenger sales people end up being happy with the relationship guys and making their numbers. After all making money is more important.
Overall a very idealistic concept, one that everyone should aspire for, yet not practical in all cases.
Cues, cravings, response and reward!
This book by James Clear talks about science of habits and human behaviour. What’s the good book?
Answer: Atomic Habits.
I am usually not a big fan of self help books. I feel most of them repeat the same concepts with only a few stories here and there. ( Read old wine in a new bottle)
However, even though Atomic Habits repeats the same concept of small changes, persistence, 1 percent rule, etc. yet it came across as a good book.
The key takeaway for me is to be diligent with micro-habits I set up. Create an ecosystem such that habits become sustainable. Reduce friction as the author says it.
In my daily life, I usually like to live this way. Most of my good habits I have inculcated like diet, exercise have very little friction ( like the prep time for my healthy meals is 10 mins, 50 percent of my daily exercise does not require gym access or any equipments, etc.). Also the bad habit I want to give up like eating sugar, I try to create as much friction I can by not keeping those stuff at home.
Overall some relatable ideas in the book and just reading the framework as the author puts it is helpful.
The invisible hand
Connect these elements to give me a book name:
University of Glasgow, Invisible hand, Father of Economics.
Answer: The book is indeed Wealth of nations.
Interestingly when we had visited Glasgow this year, we went to University of Glasgow and had seen references to Adam Smith there. University of Glasgow has some illustrious almuni.
Many regard Adam Smith father of economics and this book as a Bible of capitalism.
I found the core ideas of this book very interesting. From explaining how every individuals selfish behaviour can ultimately lead to good for the society overall to talking about division of labour leading to enhanced productivity and ofcourse the concept of the invisible hand (linking to the selfish behaviour), this book laid the footprints of how a capitalist economy should function.
Looking forward to read a critique of this idea. Any suggestions for a book on communism?
When east met west!
This book is a classic when it comes to foreign affairs and building international relationships via sports. What’s the good book?
Answer: Ping pong diplomacy. I found the core idea in this book extremely fascinating, yet very logical. This book talks about how a certain Brit went about promoting Ping pong or table tennis as the means of building relationships between China and the US.
In our current world, similarities can be drawn how cricket has sometimes been used as a tool to promote relationships between India and Pakistan.
Story of Montagu in itself worthy of a movie story as he also had a secret life as a Soviet spy.
Automobile industry timeline
Automobile industry started long back, probably 150 years or even more.
1903; Ford
Ford’s former UK subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover, acquired in 1989 and 2000 respectively, were sold to Tata Motors in March 2008
Luxury brand: Lincoln
Ford also owns Brazilian SUV manufacturer, Troller, and Australian performance car manufacturer FPV
Ford owns an 8% stake in Aston Martin of the United Kingdom, and a 49% stake in Jiangling of China
Ford owned the Swedish automaker Volvo from 1999 to 2010
In 2011, Ford discontinued the Mercury brand, under which it had marketed entry-level luxury cars in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the Middle East since 1938
1908: General Motors
Current auto brands are Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, and Wuling. Former GM automotive brands include McLaughlin, Oakland, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Hummer, Saab, Saturn, as well as Vauxhall, and Opel, which were bought by Groupe PSA in 2017
The company was founded by William C. Durant
Mary Bara is the current CEO
1933: Nissan
The company sells its cars under the Nissan, Infiniti, and Datsun brands with in-house performance tuning products labelled Nismo
Largest seller of electic cars through nissan leaf.
1937: Toyota
World’s market leader in sales of hybrid vehicles( Prius family)
It created its first product, the type A engine, and its first passenger car in 1936, the Toyota AA. Toyota Motor Corporation produces vehicles under five brands, including the Toyota brand, Hino, Lexus, Ranz, and Daihatsu. It also holds a 16.66% stake in Subaru Corporation, a 5.9% stake in Isuzu, as well as joint-ventures with two in China (GAC Toyota and Sichuan FAW Toyota Motor), one in India (Toyota Kirloskar), one in the Czech Republic (TPCA)
Slogans:
- You asked for it, You got it! (1975–1979)[59]
- Oh What a feeling! (1979–1985)[59]
- Who could ask for anything more? (1985–1989)
- I love what you do for me (1989–1997)
- Everyday (1997–2001)
- Get The Feeling (2001–2004)
- Moving Forward (2004–2012)
- Let’s Go Places
1937: Volkswagon
Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, SEAT, Škoda and Volkswagen marques; motorcycles under the Ducati brand; and commercial vehicles under the marques MAN, Scania, and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles
This vehicle was designed by Ferdinand Porsches consulting firm
2000: Hyundai
The group was formed through the purchase of 51% of South Korea’s second-largest car company, Kia Motors, by Hyundai Motor Company in 1998.
Timeline of Indian retail
So today we are going to cover the expanse of Indian retail. From the time they started..and analyse if we see any interesting patterns
1863: Spencer’s retail
Spencer’s Retail has been part of the Indian retail landscape since 1863 and was originally set up by Mr John William Spencer. It acquired Indian ownership in the 1960s, and became part of the RPG Group in 1989.
1905: Nilgiris
1931: Bata
Bata India is the largest retailer and leading manufacturer of footwear in India and is part of the Bata Shoe Organisation. It was incorporated as Bata Shoe Company Private Ltd in 1931 and was set up initially as a small operation in Konnagar (near Kolkata) in 1932
1976: Fabindia
Fabindia is India’s largest private platform for products that are made from traditional techniques, skills and hand-based processes. It started as a wholesale export company and has since successfully established itself as a major retail player in the Indian market. Fabindia’s first retail store opened in New Delhi in 1976.
1987: Joyallukas
The Joyalukkas Group has rapidly expanded its foothold all over the globe since its inception in 1987. The Group has grown tremendously, with over 10 million customers, employing a highly committed and satisfied team of over 6,000 people in 10 countries.
1991: Shopperstop
It was started in 1991 with its first store in Andheri, Mumbai. It ranks among the top retail stores in the country and is well known for its best services. It has been awarded the Hall of Fame and won has the Emerging Market Retailer of the Year Award. It has 74 stores across 35 cities in India. It is managed by K Raheja Corp Group.
1997: Pantaloons
Pantaloons is headquartered at Mumbai, Maharashtra and was established in the year –1997.
The first Pantaloons store was launched in Gariahat, Kolkata. It is a subsidiary of the Future group. It has more than 1000 outlets across the country and supports 35000 employees. Company’s brands include Big Bazaar, food Bazaar Brand factory, Top 10 and Sitara.
1998: Trent retail
Trent is a retail operations company established in 1998 that owns and manages a number of retail chains in India. The company runs lifestyle chain Westside, one of India’s largest and fastest growing chains of lifestyle retail stores; Star Bazaar, a hypermarket chain; Landmark, a books and music chain; and Fashion Yatra, a complete family fashion store
2002: Vmart
V Mart was first incorporated as Varin Commercial Private Limited under the Companies Act in 2002 in West Bengal. VMart Retail primarily operates in Tier II and Tier III cities.and is one of the pioneers in setting up stores across various small Indian towns and cities including Sultanpur, Ujjain, Motihari
2006: Aditya Birla retail
The company ventured into food and grocery retail sectors in 2006-7 with the acquisition of a south-based supermarket chain. Subsequently, Aditya Birla Retail Ltd expanded its presence across the country under the brand ‘more.’
2006: Reliance retail with tagline aapki khushi Hamari khuhi hai
Source: IBEF and trendingtopmost.com
Quiz Quest 