How 2 get better service!? must read.. ;) .. How Waiters Read Your Table - WSJ.com

How Waiters Read Your Table - WSJ.com:

So, how best to work it..

Be Moody, and to be seen as the ring leader.. !? ;-)

"The Signals You May Be Sending
If a waiter reads the needs of your table correctly, you're likely to end up with a good experience. Inadvertently giving off the wrong signals can doom a table to service that's too rushed, too slow or just off kilter. Here, how to work the system.

If you act moody... You may get better service. Several waiters said they are more careful to get every detail right when they believe a table is already in a bad mood (a couple fighting or a tense business meal perhaps).

If you act like the ring leader...

A waiter will try to determine who is in charge at the table through body language, clues in conversation or by who made the reservation, and defer to the wants of that diner.

If there's no obvious leader...

If no take-charge person emerges at the table, the waiter may struggle to figure out whether to be chatty or invisible and whether to make the service quicker or more leisurely.

"

Short comments re » India E-Commerce: the depths of winter

» India E-Commerce: the depths of winter:

Shyam, Very insightful blog post.. how do you and others do this!!

maybe I will emulate and try & 'sit down' and write...

the few paragraphs above regarding 'future is not now' is particularly useful.. in many ways, there are similarities to even western world, as I have not really seen any real, measured figures of % of population that actually 'transact' and of those who are transacting with online only entities and % of those transacting with online extension of offline brands.. this should give us all a much better indication of what is what.. whether it is for US/UK or India/China.. sadly, all we see now is sampling and in some circumstances bad guesses..

my gut feel is that what is needed in india is not any western copy of GroupOn.. but finding the 'mobile' version of a local service (e.g. Dabbawala.., probably via even plain old 'stupid' SMS/USSD).. which means not all western VC firms could even understand the local culture/business/social needs and "real" issues the service try to solve...

I maybe wrong totally of course, but maybe some real out of the box thinking and meeting of minds (of entrepreneurs/ enterprises) maybe needed for the arrival of a few innovative companies that bring some real or perceived value to the majority of the public in a major town and people are happy to pay their rupees for... & solve what their pressing needs be (maybe organising the next 'major' family wedding/celebrations...)

what that application might be however, you probably be the first to know, please do tell me before you tell others! ;-)

@GarethWong

Insurers plan boost to alternative assets - FT.com

Insurers plan boost to alternative assets - FT.com:

wow, if below was true, this would be counter productive...

Must read article... but surely if this was the result.. then something is wrong and should be fixed, rather than see the likely negative impact!? or is that just a too 'common sense' way of doing things??

"The findings of the study by BlackRock and the Economist Intelligence Unit, published on Monday, will appear counter-intuitive to some analysts who had predicted that regulatory pressures would make insurers even more cautious.

But in explaining the findings, David Lomas, head of financial institutions group at BlackRock, said insurers were hunting for higher returns in the current low yield environment and argued that the Solvency II regime in fact made some alternative asset classes more attractive."

"The survey found that only 6 per cent and 9 per cent expected to reduce their exposure to private equity and hedge funds, respectively, while 32 per cent expected to increase their exposure to both.
"

'via Blog this'

Wow, what honesty.. why trusted journalism wins! Hit men, click whores, and paid apologists: Welcome to the Silicon Cesspool » Real Dan Lyons Web Site

Real Dan Lyons Web Site » Blog Archive » Hit men, click whores, and paid apologists: Welcome to the Silicon Cesspool » Real Dan Lyons Web Site:

Wow, what honesty.. why trusted journalism wins!

Must read..

there is a lot of parallels of the status quo regarding the financial/capital market... sadly it is the norm and everyone will have to follow the 'rules' or the norm....

"The only thing I can offer is the advice to take everything you read in the technology press with a grain of salt. Perhaps several. The likelihood that at least part of it is nonsense is very strong. And stronger by the day.
"

'via Blog this'

Top Executive Recruiters Agree There Are Only Three True Job Interview Questions - Forbes

Top Executive Recruiters Agree There Are Only Three True Job Interview Questions - Forbes:

totally.. if you don't have time to read the lot (via link above) read below..

"The only three true job interview questions are:
1. Can you do the job?
2. Will you love the job?
3. Can we tolerate working with you?

That’s it. Those three. Think back, every question you’ve ever posed to others or had asked of you in a job interview is a subset of a deeper in-depth follow-up to one of these three key questions. Each question potentially may be asked using different words, but every question, however it is phrased, is just a variation on one of these topics: Strengths, Motivation, and Fit.
"

You are what you eat | Tamara Hinson - Yahoo! Lifestyle UK

You are what you eat | Tamara Hinson - Yahoo! Lifestyle

UK:

interesting read..

"If you haven't heard of Alpha lipoic acid, it's high time you found out more. It's an antioxidant which occurs naturally in our bodies and can help to generate the cellular energy required to keep our skin looking radiant. Small quantities can be found in sardines, beef, spinach and peanuts and it can also be taken in supplement form.
"

'via Blog this'

2012, Q1 E/MBA club report, "The Policeman, the Entrepreneurs and the Lawyer", 2nd Feburary 2012

The Policeman, the Entrepreneurs and the Lawyer

Our February MBA reception was held at Hogan Lovells’ wonderful Holborn Offices. With an immense sculpture in the central atrium surrounded by floors of large, well appointed glass fronted offices, it’s all very impressive.

Perhaps more impressive was the effective organisation of last night’s event. Hogan Lovells do corporate entertainment very well. Generously provided free drinks flowed, there were staff on hand to guide us to and from the event and HL even provided nifty magnetic name tags to avoid stabbing costly suit jackets with annoying safety pin backed badges.

If you’ve never been to an E/MBA Club event, or it’s been a while since you experienced one, I can highly recommend them. They are invariably held in impressive and convenient city locations. I have yet to hear a bad speaker. You are guaranteed to meet some new and interesting people. Additionally it’s a lovely way to arrange to meet up with cohort colleagues whom you “always intended to keep in touch with”.

Last night I was once again impressed with the variety of business areas represented by Cass MBA Alumni. From the senior policeman speaking on Fraud and Cyber crime, through a smorgasbord of entrepreneurs to lawyers, bankers and representatives from various technology areas. These events not only broaden your contact list, giving you access to professionals in areas you may rarely otherwise encounter, they also allow you to gather up-to-date knowledge on a wealth of industries. This definitely will make you more interesting round the water cooler/meeting table the following morning.

Last night I personally improved my understanding of the legal profession, gained fresh insights on China from an MBA who met his Chinese wife through an MBA colleague, met a lady with interesting plans to revolutionise the core structure of MBA programmes, and met for the first time a fellow alumni who previously posted a career opportunity on linkedin that I was able to help a friend get an interview for. So not only are these events interesting, they might even result in a new job!

Adrian Leppard, City of London Police Commissioner, gave a very interesting, and somewhat frightening, talk on the dangers of fraud and cyber crime. Economic crime is rising so rapidly that the Government are putting more money and resource into specialist resource, led by the City of London Police, even when cuts are being made almost everywhere else. I will certainly be hiding my pin with my other hand when using ATMs or retailers' card readers and being doubly alert for skimmers! It is reassuring banks, credit card companies and police work closely together, but businesses also need to put information security high on their agendas – both online and through staff.

(more events photos will be made available here: http://flic.kr/s/aHsjytPKTF )

Adrian’s impressive and interesting career makes him a captivating speaker. Some of his stories sound like scenes from the Sweeney! Some how whilst accelerating through the ranks Adrian found time to also do an MBA at City. It was encouraging to hear that 12 years later he finds he is still practically using his MBA learning.

Hogan Lovells entertained us for nearly 3 hours, and Gareth had additionally sought out a very nice bar as an after event venue. A fair number continued socialising, and impressively one of the Cass Alumni staff (for whom this could fairly be described as work) was one of the last to leave the second venue.

If you like learning new things from talented people, want to catch up with old colleagues, broaden your network and have an interesting night out in a nice venue, I encourage you to put the next event in your diary.

The MBA experience definitely does not need to stop when you graduate. Thank you to Gareth Wong (EMBA04), Adrian Leppard (MBA00), Neil May (EMBA97) and the team at Hogan Lovells for a fantastic evening. For those of you still unconvinced, did I mention there were free drinks?

"This 2012 Q1 E/MBA club report, was kindly independently written by Andrew Ratnayake (EMBA10)"

More details on future E/MBA club, please contact Cass Alum office or via CassAlumni.org , this is exclusively for City/Cass MBA alumni only, and if you are one of us, do mark your diary, as Q2 E/MBA club is 16th May. details TBC.