The Hindu Business Line : Soaring vultures eye carcasses from a high

STORY so far: Knowledge economy, which we are in, puts intellectual property (IP) on a high pedestal. Companies spend a fortune to build brands, procure patents and knowhow, and develop a portfolio of IP assets. I learn how, to succeed in business, it is necessary to know when to put one's own assets on the block.

Episode 12

I called Tarun on his mobile and hung up after three rings, presuming that he was possibly driving. He sure was, because, he called back in a few minutes and I could hear traffic noise filtering through the closed windows of his rickety car. "You called me, Swati," he asked. "I couldn't respond because there was this Onyx lorry was lumbering near my window."

"That's okay," I said, "I wanted to confirm the appointment."

"6 p.m.," he said, "I'll meet you at the lounge."

"Six-thirty," I said, "if that's okay for you."

"Perfect," he said, "by then I can also finish seeing my favourite soccer match."

"Don't forget to bring, Tarun... " I wanted to reminded him.

"Yeah, the papers about the plan we have been making," he said even before I finished.

"Plus enough cash to pay for the dinner," I supplemented and hung up.

Back home, I checked the letterbox, finished reading the emails in my personal inbox, put curd in the fridge, switched on the coffee-maker to make a medium-strong decoction, munched a few vadaams hot from the microwave, and proceeded to have a cool bath, not before thumbing through my old corporate law notes on open offers and takeovers, even as my music system was filling the rooms with the pleasant notes of sitar in Raag Madhuvanti.

In about ten minutes, I was back to business, at my study, with a hot beverage to give the boost, and logging on to the Net and the first query I submitted to Google was "Jaanu consult" and it threw back quite a few irrelevant results. What came first was, however, interesting. It was about Pathibara, for a tourist: "On a clear day the view from the top is hypnotic. On the eastern side, the third highest peak of the world, Kanchendzonda and the entire snow-capped Singalila range and the peculiar shape of Mt. Kumbhakarna or Jaanu (Vulture) present a spectacular sight. Thus Pathibara stands in the middle of the Nepal peaks on the left and the Indian peaks on the right."

A few more attempts at querying and I could lay my hands on the recent exploits of Jaanu in the surreal world of consultancy where untruth can camouflage as godsend advice, and future laid on a platter as if it were salad pieces. In almost all the cases where Jaanu had involved himself as the adviser, over the past about three years, the one strand that ran common was that the projects invariably failed or met with regulator's disapproval. Worse still, the signature pattern, as one can spot with computer viruses, was that invariably there were all those negative reports in the media about the strategy adopted by the company.

All this confirmed that Jaanu was a vulture, no doubt. And I began to wonder if Tarun would end up becoming carrion for him.

(To be continued)

Swati at the mailbox

OF THE episodes, I read only the last four. Of these, what I liked the most is your conversation with the boss. I missed the earlier episodes because of exams. Will you please mail them to me? You are writing things which are very practical I am doing my articles with a CA firm, but I am not happy. The reason is my principal gives preference to only boys. In my office we are only two girls, but the other girl is not interested in going for outstation audits. But I want to go. How can I tell my principal? Please give me suggestion regarding this madam?

Reyya Nirmala

r_nirmala79@yahoo.com

For long, the stereotyping of girl apprentices has been that they should not be sent for outdoor audit. It is good you want to break that perception. I think you have to talk to your boss and tell him you would like to go out on assignments because you like to learn.

One more thing, get that feeling "he gives preference only to boys" out of your mind. It may well be that he has not been sending you all along thinking you preferred only within-the-city work.

But remember that going on outstation audits pose new challenges. Be prepared. Getting boss's okay is only half the ordeal.

I AM a fellow finance professional who would like to share with you a few points about filling up the employee assessment form: a) write the most complicated jargon which nobody can understand, such as `re-engineering a systematic logic', `customisation of logical solutions', 'remodelling strategic framework' and so on; b) discuss the same with your boss, never think in simple and practical terms, but talk high-funda stuff, giving an impression as though you alone can do it and your steering was what made it go successful and so on; c) when you fill up the employee-assessment form write the most insensible things, but give the brightest and smartest logic as to why you have written so. As they say, theft will not disappear until thieves themselves look forward to refinement and change themselves. Similarly, assessments in corporate world are only meant to be a sham. Thank you for your open view, soliciting us to share our views on topics..

Srivatsan Ranganathan

srivatsan.ranganathan@

panalpina.com

What you say about employee assessment could well be just one side of the story. Let us not forget that there is a purpose behind the exercise, which if all goes well ends up putting the right man in the right job and also paying him rightly.

Tall talk and empty jargon fill too many of these assessment forms which is why most skilful bosses have one talent — of filtering out the noise.

In the ultimate analysis, and in the long run, honest appraisals may score better. But it is difficult to really look within and do an honest job of self-appraisal.

I READ your article on lawyers. It was a good analysis, especially the comparison between CAs and lawyers and the incidents you have described. Keep up such writing. I was puzzled why on earth you should suddenly turn feminist. To keep your inbox ticking, you want only women executives or professionals to express their challenges? You have just missed all my wonderful contributions. Serious. But never mind. I am a CA and one day somewhere we will discuss this subject.

Shiv

shiv_kspl@sify.com

Happy you liked the law stuff. You got me wrong on the feminist thing. I have invited mails from women executives and professionals because the truth is — let's face it — there are not too many avenues for them to put forth their view. There is no bar on men from writing in. Because as they say, behind every successful woman, there could be a man. Or, did I get it the other way about?

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