Beggar – The person in financial trouble

It was around 9:00 pm in the night of December, when the chill of the cold winter was running through my spine when I was heading back home. Like a common habit or the natural human behavior I couldn’t help but observe things around me and read every billboard, every sign and every person. Sometimes I wonder while waiting at the junctions thinking what the other person who is waiting next to me is thinking at that moment. I know its sounds a little crazy or you might think I might be just bored and jobless that I am thinking such random stuff but if you’ve come so far reading what I have written you might as well read what I intend to squeeze out of my observation. This random observation or noticing things inspired me to write this next post.


Like everyone, once while traveling I was waiting at the red light of a junction waiting for the light to go green. It was a tiring day at college listening to all the management & business related lectures and the never ending list of pending assignments. With a long sigh I just stood there at the junction. Slowly from the corner of my eye I noticed an old man with unwashed grey hair and dirty torn clothes with the expression of misery and hunger on his face approach me. Like most of us I tried not to notice and play cold to him but he just wouldn't go away until I gave him some money. I couldn’t help but wonder whether the beggar was the true MBA. Right from the STP analysis to branding himself as icon of hunger & misery, from consumer perception to meeting targets by the end of the day, he does it with planning, control and leads by example among his fellow colleagues. Their school begins at the footpath and they gain their practical experience on the road. Their men, women, half naked children, women with sleeping babies wrapped around them, the old men with sticks and shivering hands, handicapped, amputated arms and legs, there is every product for every customer.


At first he picks up the target customer at the junction, then analyzes by which vehicle he is traveling then comes with the approach strategy for it all this in just few seconds and end of it meeting the targets of having enough money from every red light. I feel that the best branding strategies can be learned from these beggars- the people in financial trouble.

Give what you Take, Take what you Give.

Well, starting to write something to express about how you feel has been regarded as something rude when not taken in the right sense. " The world is stage" said Shakespeare and I see everyone is an actor and pretty good too! Everyone talks about Terrorism, Economic Slowdown, Global warming and none turn into actions. In fact even I am doing the same thing sitting here in front of my laptop. Amidst all the chaos we create and planning to create, there is the underlying fear of failure in everyone of us. I ask this question to myself that 'fear creates failure or failure creates fear' & I stay puzzled even to this date. I think understanding the factors that contribute to the 'fear of failure' would help us clear the fog.

Most of the B Schools try to control rather by giving control to students. My good friend Srinath has always been asking this question that " Why has been there no consensus between management and students?" but i fail to answer him. Studying in a Business School has always been compared to working in a company, at least thats what they want us to understand. On the contrary its been otherwise, maybe its the perception game we all are playing. I think its the understanding between the students and the values of the B Schools that contradict each other most of the times. It reminds me of the idealogical differences that existed between Russia and the U.S. of A. When a chap gets placed the name goes to the college and when he doesn't he is blamed for it and up to an extent it holds good but I guess its debatable. Now that the fog has been clearing up over the years, its been clear that 'yetha raja, thadha praja' which means that the king is responsible for people of his kingdom. Relating the above quote to the present scenario the values of B Schools is what makes the student's value in the market. But in reality the students want most of everything without making an effort and their arises the conflict, On the other hand Schools fail to be sensitive towards students' feelings.

In the last entry I raised a few issues regarding bschool cultural clashes between students and management. To begin with, I'd like to thank all those who posted comments on that. Your comments inspired me to think further. I was talking about students and management not supporting each other. On this point, I got some interesting insights about other management schools. Most good colleges have something called a student's union. They are the major interface between management and students. They have certain liberties of imposing rules and regulations of students in the form of fines and disciplinary actions. The point I'm trying to make here is that, while I'm not a fan of fines and rules, I could accept it if it were imposed by elected representatives of the student community of the college. Because in some way I'd feel that I was involved in this too. Like a democracy in its true sense. Maybe that is what is lacking here. Apart from this I would think if Management schools wanted to prepare us for business scenarios of tomorrow, they should begin by creating a professional environment. While I do agree that students also need to contribute to creating this, I think that if B-schools want students to behave professionally , they must be treated professionally as well. If rules are imposed, there should be feedback mechanisms too. Not only for professors but for those very rules laid down by management. Why not incorporate give respect and take respect?