Indian Top 10 Swiss Bank Holders

I am surprised to see this scanned copy on the website, which shows Top 10 Swiss Bank Account Holders.

 

All of them are politicians and they are the elected members by people.

 

Source: http://www.aboutcorruption.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/385462_1975134353038_1683464893_1380893_1265533266_n.jpg

Steve Jobs Was A Jerk. Good For Him.

Steve Jobs Was A Jerk. Good For Him.

Interesting Article in Forbes. Thanks to Gene Marks Link to the original article (http://www.forbes.com/sites/quickerbettertech/2011/10/10/steve-jobs-was-a-jerk-good-for-him/)

Note: The article was not written by me. I am only just sharing thoughts of Gene Marks

In case you haven’t heard, Steve Jobs passed away last week.

The praise has been pouring in.  And deservedly so.  He was a genius.  A man that made a tremendous impact on the world.  During the week, I probably read thirty or forty blogs and columns about his life and accomplishments.  I even wrote alittle homage to him myself in the Huffington Post.  But I wasn’t learning as much about him as I had hoped.  Sure, I learned about his story, his rise with Apple, the “wilderness years,” his triumphant return, the iProducts.  But I wasn’t learning much about Steve Jobs the person.  The boss.

11 imagesGallery: Steve Jobs' Most Important Products

Video: Tech Executives Say, 'Thank You Steve Jobs.'

 

 

That is until I read this great piece from Ryan Tate.  And I really began to learn something about Steve Jobs.  Jobs wasn’t successful just because he was creative, brilliant and hardworking.  There are a lot of creative, brilliant and hardworking people running technology businesses.  Jobs had an extra little something going on that further separated him from his peers:  He was a jerk.  Good for him.

I am not creative or brilliant.  I work hard.  But I like my vacations, my time watching my kids play sports, the odd nap on a Sunday afternoon too.  I don’t think I’m anywhere near as hard a worker as Jobs was.  And I’m not a jerk like Jobs was. Which is the biggest reason why I’m just a moderately successful business guy, and not a super billionaire.   That’s because being creative and hard working isn’t that uncommon.  Being a jerk is.

Tate says that Jobs exercised censorship and authoritarianism.  To put anything on an Appledevice you needed Apple’s permission.  “Apple’s devices have connected us to a world full of information,” he writes.  “But they don’t permit a full expression of ideas.  Indeed the people Apple supposedly serves – the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers – have been particularly put out by Jobs’ lockdown.”

Jobs wasn’t about to let anyone use his products for activities that would negatively reflect on his company.    He knew the risks of giving up control.  He knew that people would accuse him of restricting free expression.  He didn’t care.  He was a jerk.  My products are misused all the time.  I have clients turning off internal controls, resetting security and converting contact management databases into inventory systems because it’s cheaper than buying a true inventory system.  Because I’m not a jerk I say nothing.  I just take the money.  And in just about every case, these same clients have turned into non-clients.  Because they inevitably ran into security and operational issues that turned their investment into a loss. And blamed me.  I’ll never be as brilliant as Steve Jobs.  But if I were to exercise a little more control over how our products are used (in other words:  be a jerk more often) I may be a tad more successful.

“Inside Apple,” Tate continues, “there is a culture of fear and control around communication:  Apple’s “Worldwide Loyalty Team” specializes in hunting down leakers, confiscating mobile phones and searching computers.  In the creepiest example of Apple’s fascist tendencies, two of Apple’s private security agents searched the home of a San Francisco man and threatened him and his family with immigration trouble as part of a scramble for a missing iPhone prototype.”   Wow, the Apple Gestapo.  I love that too.

Jobs was all about control.  He was a jerk about what and when information was disclosed.  He attacked the press when they said bad things about his products.  His lawyers ruthlessly went after reporters who disclosed proprietary information.  Why?  Because successful business leaders, particularly in the technology world, don’t like surprises.  They determine and drive the discussion around their products and services.  They know that the world is full of haters and copycats.  To give a product or service, especially a new product or service, its fair chance you have to make sure it’s introduced to the market the way YOU want the market to see it.  To exercise this kind of control over your fate, you have to be a jerk.  Jobs was like the Gestapo…for the good of his company, his employees, his shareholders, his partners.

Oh, and for all of you spending your weekends “occupying” America against corporate greed and outsourcing of jobs to other countries you might want to consider this the next time you tweet each other:  your beloved iPhone was likely made in China.  And in an Apple factory that, according to Tate “regularly employed young teenagers and people below the legal work age of 16” who worked “grueling hours.”  So besides the camera you’re using that was manufactured by Panasonic or the makeup you’re wearing that was made by Procter & Gamble (or any of the other products shown in this picture of your friends and protestors) your purchase of that iPhone from Apple contributed to the exact problems that you’re now rallying against.  And your icon, the esteemed Jobs, oversaw this.  Gee, what a jerk.

Was this wrong?  If Apple broke laws then of course it was wrong.  But I’m not going to fault Jobs for outsourcing work to other countries where production is cheaper.  Some may call him a jerk for doing that.  Some, like those “occupiers” would demand that he use Americans to make his products.  But Job didn’t care.  Like I mentioned before, his allegiance was to his customers, his employees, and his shareholders.  As a businessman he would do whatever he needed to do to keep costs at a minimum.  Long live the jerk.

In his personal life, Jobs was no angel.   According to Tate he “regularly belittled people, swore at them, and pressured them until they reached their breaking point. In the pursuit of greatness he cast aside politeness and empathy.  He verbal abuse never stopped.”  Sounds like a real jerk, doesn’t he?  I wish I could be more like that.

Because I don’t have that kind of self confidence, that kind of leadership.  I’m not so convinced that my way is the right way that I’m prepared to go to the mat like Jobs did so frequently.  Clearly, he didn’t suffer fools very well.  And the world is full of many, many fools and  too few real geniuses.  If Jobs didn’t behave that way would he have achieved so much?  Would we all have benefited from his creations?  Too many business owners, like me, coddle our people too much and avoid confrontations.  We’re not being leaders.  We want people to like us.  Those that have the confidence to be jerks, like Jobs, are the ones that give themselves more opportunities to succeed.  Of course there’s a limit to this behavior.  But in the end, the markets appreciate results.  And nice guys often do finish last.

One final thing about Jobs’ jerkiness:  he’s accused of being uncharitable.  “He has no public record of giving to charity,” writes Tate, despite accumulating $7 billion in wealth.  “After closing Apple’s philanthropic programs in 1997 he never reinstated them, despite the company’s gusher of profits.”  I can’t stand it when clients ask me to sponsor them in races or contribute to their charity golf outings.  I usually do.  But it annoys me.

For all I know, Steve Jobs left his entire fortune to charity.  But I admire that during his life he was a jerk about charitable giving.  But that doesn’t mean he wasn’t philanthropic.  He was.  Dan Pallotta explainsexplains why: “What’s important is how we use our time on this earth, not how conspicuously we give our money away. What’s important is the energy and courage we are willing to expend reversing entropy, battling cynicism, suffering and challenging mediocre minds, staring down those who would trample our dreams, taking a stand for magic, and advancing the potential of the human race.”  I agree with that.

Steve Jobs was definitely a jerk.  Good for him.  I’ll never be a genius like him.  But, for the benefit of my technology business (and all those who rely on it), I should be more of a jerk too.

 

Besides Forbes, Gene Marks writes weekly for The New York Times and frequently for The Huffington Post and American City Business Journals.  He runs a ten person consulting firm outside of Philadelphia and can be followed on Twitter.

 

Smartphone Vendor Market Q2' 2011

Smartphone Vendor Market Q2' 2011

According to the latest research from Strategy Analytics, global smartphone shipments grew an impressive 76 percent annually to reach a record 110 million units in the second quarter of 2011. Both Apple and Samsung overtook long-time volume leader Nokia for the top two spots in our rankings.

Alex Spektor, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics, said, “Global smartphone shipments grew a healthy 76 percent annually to reach a record 110 million units in Q2 2011. We had previously reported on Apple becoming the largest smartphone vendor in terms of revenue and profits. Now, just four years after the release of the original iPhone, Apple has become the world’s largest smartphone vendor by volume with 18 percent market share. Apple’s growth remained strong as it expanded distribution worldwide, particularly in China and Asia.”

Neil Mawston, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Samsung overtook Nokia to become the world’s second largest smartphone vendor in Q2 2011. Samsung’s shipments grew a huge 520 percent annually, for 17 percent global smartphone market share. Samsung’s Galaxy portfolio has proven popular, especially the high-tier S2 Android model.”

Tom Kang, Director at Strategy Analytics, added, “Having become the first ever vendor to ship 100 million smartphones in a single year during 2010, long-time leader Nokia has slipped two places in our rankings in Q2 2011. The vendor’s 15 percent global smartphone market share is less than half of what it was just one year earlier, as the industry awaits Nokia’s pending transition to Windows Phone 7.”

Exhibit 1: Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments and Market Share in Q2 2011
Global Smartphone Vendor Shipments (Millions of Units)	Q2 '10		Q2 '11
Apple	8.4		20.3
Samsung	3.1		19.2
Nokia	23.8		16.7
Others	27.1		53.8
Total	62.4		110.0
Global Smartphone Vendor Marketshare %	Q2 '10		Q2 '11
Apple	13.5	%	18.5	%
Samsung	5.0	%	17.5	%
Nokia	38.1	%	15.2	%
Others	43.4	%	48.9	%
Total	100.0	%	100.0	%
Growth Year-over-Year %	50.4	%	76.3	%

 

Smartphones – A Overview of Operating Systems

The smartphones has been the fastest growing category within the mobile phone space for the last couple of years. In 2009, a total of 172 million smartphones were sold which was a growth of 24% over 2008 (source: Gartner) whereas the mobile phone category was more or less flat in 2009 in the backdrop of severe recession. Analysts expect over 240 million Smartphones to be sold in 2010.

What is a Smartphone?

Unfortunately, there is no one universal definition of Smartphones. Some analysts have defined it as phones using open operating system which means that Symbian, Windows and Android based phones qualify as Smartphones but then what about Apple iPhone and RIM that run on proprietary operating system? Some define it as phone that gives PC like functionality and for some, it is the one with most advanced mobile phone features and hence the feature set of smartphones keep changing. A few industry analysts define it at mobile phones running on operating system with standardized interface and that provide easy access to developers for application development.

Whatever is the definition, it is commonly accepted that Smartphones have strong email clients, third party applications of some kind, QWERTY hardware or software keyboard support, high-speed internet, powerful calendar, contact and organizational features and support for powerful processors and touch screens. The operating systems that can support the above feature requirements are Symbian, Windows, Android, iPhone OS, RIM, Maemo (Meego going forward with Maemo’s merger with Moblin) and Palm OS.

Why does everybody want to win the Smartphone battle?

Smartphones are not even 10% of the total mobile phones but still all the handset players want to win this battle for the following reasons:

High ASP - The average selling price of a smart phone is almost 3 times that of a non-smartphone which means it has a higher impact on not only the value share but also on the profitability. Apple and RIM though have just 3% market share in the mobile devices but have over 50% share in industry profits which reflects the high profitability of the smartphones.
Thought leadership - Success in the smartphone business gives the device vendor the status of “Thought Leadership”. Any vendor having the “Though Leadership” benefits in the non-smartphone devices as well as the consumers want to buy the devices from the leading brands (in terms of “Thought Leadership”) even if they are not buying the devices that gave the vendor this status. This status is like the quality assurance certificate.
Future of mobile phones – The smartphone market is expected to expand significantly in future to almost 40% of the total device market by 2013 which means that no vendor can afford to ignore this market.
Operators prefer Smartphones – The increasing popularity of iPhones has led to increased data usage on the mobile. This has enabled the carriers to maintain their ARPUs despite fall in voice tariffs. The data usage on smartphones is almost 3 times higher than a normal phone. 55% of iPhone users use mobile social networking and 80% use it for surfing web daily. The high data usage has led to the situation of data scarcity from data abundance and carriers love this situation.
Who will win the battle?
Anybody who wins in the smartphone business has to win it on back of the operating system.

Symbian has been the market leader in the Smartphone segment of the market with 47% market share in 2009. However, Symbian is facing a stiff challenge from iPhone OS, Android and RIM OS and has lost market share in the recent few quarters. The figure alongside gives Smartphone market shares in 2009. Android though has only 3.9% market share in 2009 but is making the most noise in the smartphone segment.

Each operating system has its own positives and negatives and before we attempt to answer the question that who is going to win the battle, it is important to evaluate the pros and cons of top operating systems:

Andriod:

This operating system has been developed by Google with the aim of not only to get a foothold in the lucrative mobile industry but also to change the way the mobile owners consume data on the net.

Pros – Open, free and supporting many devices. Great experience of Google’s web properties on the mobile like messaging

Cons- Fear of excessive fragmentation due to its open architecture and is also more susceptible to security threats

iPhone OS:

This operating system has been developed by Apple and is a closed, proprietary operating system and is only for Apple devices, iPhone and iPod Touch. iPhones have been so popular that they are now being blamed for the increasing data congestion on the networks.

Pros - Single unified platform and its biggest asset is the application store

Cons- Proprietary and hence its dependence on one vendor is a risk. Application submission process is a cumbersome and Apple keeps a tight control on the 3rd party applications.

Blackberry OS:

Blackberry OS is owned by Research in Motion (RIM) and is a proprietary operating system.

Pros - Strong in enterprise mobility segment and has created a perception amongst IT managers of being a much secured OS. Strong messaging service

Cons- Proprietary and hence its dependence on one vendor is a risk. Aged operating system and requires the special BES server. Lack of focus on consumer segment in the past limits the lure to potential developers. This operating system also suffers from lack of optimization on touchscreen devices and a bad web browser.

Symbian:

Symbian is owned by Nokia and used by many other vendors like Samsung, LG and Sony Ericsson. It is market leader but is seen as an archaic operating system. However, it is still holding out with promise to launch Symbian 3 and 4 by the end of the year.

Pros - Largest installed base and hence the economies of scale. Backing of Nokia, the market leader helps Symbian maintain its market leadership.

Cons- Aged OS and not really optimized for touchscreen devices. It is virtually absent in the North American markets and is facing huge competition from Android, iPhone OS and Blackberry OS. Dependence on Nokia is a risk as many of the other vendors are shifting to Android.

Windows Mobile:

This operating system has been developed by Microsoft and promises to mirror the PC experience on the smartphone. After continuous decline in market share in the past many quarters, Microsoft recently announced Windows Mobile Version 7 which has got rave reviews from analysts and handset vendors.

Pros - Backing of Microsoft which has virtual monopoly on personal computers. Microsoft’s ability to provide resources and its possible integration with its other hot properties like X-Box, Zune can ignite developer interest in this operating system.

Cons- Past failures to haunt version 7. Heavy operating system and hence requires higher hardware specifications. Last version had a bad user interface (UI) and web browser. I hope the new version has targeted the UI for improvement

There are many other operating systems like Maemo, LiMo, Samsung’s Bada that are trying to get a foothold in the lucrative smartphone business but only time will tell if they can manage to break into the top five operating systems.

I am not going to pass a verdict on which operating system will win but I will publish the results of the poll that I conducted on this site and no prizes for guessing the winner. The winner was Android with over 40% of votes. In the backdrop of its popularity and the confidence that the ecosystem players are putting in Android, it is not at all surprising that it is going to be the fastest growing operating system for next five years. In the recently concluded Mobile World Congress, Android managed to get the highest number of handset announcements. Though even iPhone OS is a wonderful operating system but its proprietary nature would limit its expansion.

YSR Death: Reliance -> KG basin -> Ambani brothers

After a long break for one year, Common Man Views launches again conspiracies. These are some facts about Y.S.Rajashekar Reddy(Late Cheif Minister of Andhra Pradesh) death.

Before getting into conspiracy, let me tell you some identified facts from public

Reliance Krishna Godavari gas (KG) basin gives more than Rs 25000 crores of revenue every year for the company.
The partnership in KG Basin includes Ambani brothers + Sonia Gandhi & Rahul Gandhi + Unknown Senior politician.

YSR has also asked for a share of 10% in the project, for which Reliance brothers have rejected him. Even Sonia Gandhi also knew about partnership deals and YSR's proposal for share in the project. Later, some issues were raised due to the internal family conflicts, for which YSR commeneted that the property doesn't belong to Ambani's.

YSR's murder plan wouldn't have been so easy for Ambani's without local support. Here come's the local vilian Ramaoji Rao (Owner of Eenadu TV, Eenadu Newspaper etc., Margadarshi Chit funds etc.)

After death, even the blackbox (recording part in the helicopter) was sent to US to investigate the conversation in the black box (as if India doesn't have the technology/ can not do it ?).

Later, Y.S.Jagan Mohan Reddy (son of Late Y.S.Rajasekhar Reddy) was suppressed from becoming Cheif Minister(CM) of Andhra Pradesh. If YS Jagan become's the CM, all the facts will be digged out, so they suppressed him.

People behind YSR's death: Mukesh Ambani, Anil Ambani, Ramoji Rao, Sonia Gandhi (still more to be added in the list)
For all these things to happen, many thousands of crores are transferred across the group to suppress the whole issue

1's greedy : 43622's suffer

Note: All the information in this blog is based on some secondary news articles and primary inputs.



By this time, everyone might have heard about Satyam scandal. I don't want to highlight the same things again. I am here again to give some inputs on some facts, that are not known to the public.

The scandal has put a big question mark to all the IT corporates, Indian IT industry, State Government.

This is a fact that every other company involves in some sort of transactions(similar to Satyam scandal), but not to such a huge amount.

This scandal has put a big question mark on all the major IT companies of India. Even Wipro,Megasoft is banned by World Bank from all its contracts. There are many other roles involved in this scandal.

1. AP Government ( Congress (Present) & Telugu Desam Party (Former))

2. PWC partners

3. Many of the Raju's family members

All these discussions and transaction happen in seperate flat in Hyderabad, which is owned by R.R.


Raju's greedy is making 43,622 employees of Satyam suffer in this recession period.
The guy who use to spend 10000 rs for just his daily food is counting nuts behind bars.This has happened mainly due to the Raju's sons (Owner of Maytas).

I really appreciate Satyam employees and their unity for the progress of the company at this stage. The people, once who were reluctant and were ashamed to say that they belong to Satyam are now shouting, that they are Satyamites.

When one man can start up a company and bring to such a level, then i don't think it is difficult for 43,622 hands to re-build the demolished.

The 7 new board members are working and struggling hard to retain the company image and brand. Atleast now, the public realises that it is only just one man's mistake and not the company. Finally the Tughluq term came to an end, and is open to the best rulers of the Indian economy.

Raju Resigns : Satyam Sinks: Tughluq Term Ends

Todays news confirms that All the Common Man Views posts till date are fact and True.

Finally i can conclude that

1. Satyam Computers is just a dot com bubble

2. Satyam computers is invoved in many bribery cases, fraud cases

3. Satyam computers doesn't have any corporate governance. All the awards given to Satyam computers can also be due to their excellence in bribery.

4. Satyam Computers is just another Tughluq kingdom ruled by modern Tughluq

It gives end to the Tughluq mode, Tughluq term, Tughluq rule


According to analysts, Satyam could face regulatory action in the US.


I don't want to explain much details, because Mr. Ramalinga Raju himself has told in his letter to SEBI. You can read it from the below link.

Satyam Ramalinga Raju Letter to SEBI

Major concern is about 50,000 employees and the biggest question why did Mr. RR did reveal the facts now, when he plans to quit Satyam Computers? Please put your comments. Even conradictions are always welcome.