Adaptability

Adaptability as per wiktionary is, "Variability in respect to, or under the influence of, external conditions; susceptibility of an organism to that variation whereby it becomes suited to or fitted for its conditions of environment; the capacity of an organism to be modified by circumstances". It is a key to survival, if we believe in the Darwin's point of view.

Either ways, adaptability is what allows some of us to settle down and perform sooner than others. In this competitive world, adaptability is a must have.

From a stable life at Houston Texas, where I was working as an IT consultants at Houston to XLRI, Jamshedpur has been an something that called for the ability discussed in this blog. It is hard to say whether it is the amount of change or the variety which is harder. In my example let us consider the changes.

Lifestyle : Professional in a Job to Student at a B-school
Culture : Liberal American to Conservative east Indian
Family : With family to Loner
Earning : DINK status to Double Fees
Exams : Appraisal to exams, quizes, in class assignments, Presentations

Lifestyle change is strenous physically, You are moving from one pattern of 9hrs working to a strange 20 hr day filled with activity.

Culture change is more confusing, there are people who detest you for quoting American examples in class, though some folks understand.

Family or lack of is emotionally draining.

Earning change has financial impact and affects lifestyle. The ever building up EMIs does take a toll especially during the placement season when people come out with their NPV calculations.

Exams remains similiar, there is pressure as this is indicative of success or failure. From an annual appraisal it becomes almost a weekly check.

Joining XLRI was a sum total of all the above changes, I realized the pressures involved and accepted that this was the biggest test for an MBA. Early adapters always spike initially, and competive spirit drives adaptability and viceversa. With time adaptability plays a lesser role and other factors dominate performance.
Setting up targets are essential, knowing oneself to be an early spiker or a consistent player is essential too. Knowing when to push and when to take it easy.

Right now with the end of this programme, it is a time to sit back and introspect, You just happen to read this blog at such a time.

Now let me adapt from being a blog writer to a finance student reading about what Mr. Buffet has to say about his companies performance and strategies.

Some Soundtrack

I watched the  movie "Darjeeling Express"
It was hard to figure out what the movie was about
Mostly it felf like a waste of time
Three firang guys going around in India.
Not sure if it was comedy or not..
Appreciate if someone can help me understand it.

But one thing was for sure...
It had an amazing sound track...
The Song "This time tomorrow" by kinks is a master piece.
But what really stayed on with me is this piece of humming.
Somebody told me that it is from an old hindi or bengali movie..
Appreciate any pointers.


Meanwhile enjoy this piece....

The term that was... Part III

With Junta claiming to be three quarters MBA, Let's look back at the term that was...

Key Changes...
Being a non core term, Section A and B intermingled a lot, Lot of synergies were derived, I am still working on the swap ratio.
Job hustle bustle...
Lotsa flowers in the campus... Our hearts went Garden Garden....
GMP kids growing up ( I mean only the toddlers whose Mommies/Daddies are doing MBA)

And, Keeping up with our GMP Press tradition, It is time to quote the best of the best from the term.
Welcome all to write comments are vote for your choice.

Some of the best ones in no particular order are mentioned below....

1.  LMG: "Loose Motion Group" formed to tackle the Mess' Mess
2.  Three certainities "Death, Taxes and Cash Flows".

3.  A kid gets added to the GMP Parivaar, Daddy after studying law :::"All Parties involved are fine."
4.  A bugged guy mails "Dear madam, Sir and Of course "Jas***"."
5.  Rimjhim quotes "Ab main barrri ho gayi hoo!!! "
6.  You always have a special question, Some day you & I will go to Tenth Mile and discuss. 
7.  These instruments are like Hens, You keep them at one place they lay an egg and then u move them.
8.  My kids and I are Consultants, But I do not have a wife, the Kids are derivatives.
9.  The empire strikes back ... "XEROX and GE" appear in Prof Presentations...
10. In reponse to poorly explained Modiglani Miller theorem....
      Remark in an Answer sheet says...
      "Brilliant, This is now Modiglani Piplani Theorem"
       Reply:: What did Miller do wrong?

PS. GMP Press is now a Trademark
The publishers are now aware of Cyber law & IPR.

While explaining a Financial Instrument....

An Finance Guru says....

I met one guy in train, we talked, he said he was a doctor, I asked about kids he said first one is a doctor second one is also a doctor , I asked about his wife, he said she is a doctor too.

So he asked me & I said, "I am consultant, My elder son is a consultant & the younger is a consultant too."

He says, So your wife is a consultant ....
I say no, I do not have a wife...

The Kids are Derivatives....

And thusly the Crucial Concept was seen sinking in like the Mighty Titanic.

PS>>>>
Copyright voilated... Due Apologies.....
Intent is Gyan spreading

GMP's Cake time

Cake Time, as the name suggests is something related to celebrations....
Birthdays to be specific.

But more than the cake, Junta look forward to some amazing Invites that a writer comes up with.
Spreading a smile and Smearing a lil cake on the joyous occasion.
Setting the stage for a small party @ Midnight, Making it memorable for the BDay GMPian & frenz.

GMP Press acknowledges "Not Accepts" (Placement Lingo) this artist of words...
To him we say...

With his writings he amazes all, With his wit he stands tall.

With his modesty he sets apart, With his charm he wins many a heart.

International Immersion.......

Remembering the big easy "New Orleans"....
Our Client for the project mailed last week and said that we were lucky for NOLA (New Orleans Louisiana)
As the futball team "Saints" won throughout the season and are going to the Super Bowl.

Makes us remember our Marketing 101 of term 1.

Any which way we look at it,
International Immersion is an exceptional part of the GMP Program...

It is there for us to cherish through End terms and Placement Process...

Global financial system

With a world full of greed and fear, a robust financial system is the order of the day, one that punishes excess greed and allays fear. The current global financial system is a delicate cobweb where one portion shakes the entire system. In such a scenario, it is impossible to count the types of risks associated, leave alone mitigating the risks. Of all the risks, potentially the biggest risk is called “risk risk”, which is the risk of not knowing the associated risks.


The risks are borne by all stakeholders in the economy. The recent recession demonstrates that with the growth of communication, recession has a faster and wider impact. Most traumatized are the poorest stakeholders, the laid off workers & owners of small & medium enterprises. It does not affect the creators of problems as they always seem to have a golden parachute. This needs to be controlled. The accountability has to be brought in the system.

With immense strides in the technology sector, the enhancement in financial engineering does not reflect the sign of times. It looks antiquated and leaves stakeholders exposed. Efforts should not just be made to devise newer financial instruments of greed. New ideas in making the economy sturdy and the people safer are far more relevant. We should fight economic disasters like any other negative. They should not be considered imminent all the time.


In Mid 2008, the price of Crude oil climbed over $150 a barrel. It was claimed that speculators were pushing the prices beyond the fundamentals. All over the globe, people were adjusting to the high price of gas by driving less and shutting automobile industries. For sure the inventors of “futures” never wanted to kill the auto industry or its workers. The instruments are as good as their use. If misused the financial instruments have the power to redefine the economy. The invisible hand of market plays its role at the cost of jobs and industries.


So, should we stop innovating, or is it possible for people to restrain from chasing money in a capitalistic society? All the above questions have a negative answer. The solution lays in the fact that financial stability and protection should be glamorized like Investment Banks & Consulting. The need for incentivizing the protector’s job (through salaries/perks) is very important. If the top financial genius is utilized for this purpose then probably we can achieve success.

If I end this page here, then it will appear unrealistic that a highly paid talent pool can resolve all issues. The amazing number of financial disasters, and deception done by the protectors like former NASDAQ’s chairman Bernie Madoff, all point to the fact that greed is insurmountable. The economy is like a strange casino. Where if a few players are winning, all players herd after and start to increase their bets. But as soon as one player sneezes, all get afraid of an omen and start to withdraw. In a real casino people don’t act in herds or else a casino would not work. But in the world economy, the cyclical patterns are present. It is a casino, where everything is interdependent, players play with “other people’s money” in their pocket. Herd behavior is the norm, Creativity is killed. Whistleblowers are driven to extinction. The guys who could save us are not listened to.
Let's try and look at fundamentals, avoid being fooled by randomness, essentially “call a spade a spade and not hearts just because the market feels so”.