There are so many exciting new possibilities when location radars like gps or google maps are combined with social networking sites today. I had seen in a science fiction movie where billboards in a mall change according to the person walking in front of it, but this is realistically possible now!!
Imagine if you are traveling on a highway and the billboard has your photo or your name, it will definitely catch your attention more which is half the battle won for advertisers. A sensor or even RFID chip in your car or phone or anything else can trigger a sensor in the billboard and through it the advertisers could access social networking sites to gather tons of profile information regarding you. I-phone today offers a lots of convenient features in a similar manner.
The only concern regarding this is the possibility of a total abuse of an individual’s privacy. This is already a concern in today’s social networking sites and this is only bound to increase in an effort to provide customized marketing.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Retail and Technology
As technology improves, companies are trying to solve their traditional problems by using new technology. RFID can be an answer for retail companies to locate and track their orders.
Some of the biggest problems retail companies face are stock outs, limited visibility into their supply chain and theft. All these problems could be solved through RFID. This leads to the interesting discussion on how much of technology is necessary for a company. Is it necessary to track a single can of coke; the answer might vary depending on the industry, the company and the products. Normally it would be enough to track a case or a lot but the need to track an item as closely as possible was highlighted in a recent food contamination case where such information was valuable in tracking the source of the contamination.
Many times technology requires infrastructure and in this case too, the technology a company can implement is limited by the amount of infrastructure they are willing to invest in. More granularity in tracking means more data stored and that means larger and more complex datwarehouse systems.
There are a lot of benefits realized by companies today by the visibility into their supply chain by technologies like RFID s and location radars. Demand fluctuations can be minimized by knowing what exactly they sell and even their inventory can be reduced drastically by knowing where exactly their products are. Also recently, one of the major transportation companies found out that their trucks were losing a lot of time and fuel trying to make left turns at traffic lights. They worked out an algorithm where the trucks mainly take right turns which are much faster and found out that it gave them both time and cost benefits.
But such implementations would separate the suppliers who could afford such technologies from those who could not. For some of the leading suppliers this might be a good thing because they could get a lock in from the retailer which would ensure business for them but this would also make it harder for smaller suppliers to compete. It is really tough for the retail companies to bring out any new initiative throughout their supply base unless they have a buyer power like Wal-Mart. Most of the retailers bring out new technology in phases by targeting the suppliers with high volumes initially and then gradually roll it out to the smaller players.
Some of the biggest problems retail companies face are stock outs, limited visibility into their supply chain and theft. All these problems could be solved through RFID. This leads to the interesting discussion on how much of technology is necessary for a company. Is it necessary to track a single can of coke; the answer might vary depending on the industry, the company and the products. Normally it would be enough to track a case or a lot but the need to track an item as closely as possible was highlighted in a recent food contamination case where such information was valuable in tracking the source of the contamination.
Many times technology requires infrastructure and in this case too, the technology a company can implement is limited by the amount of infrastructure they are willing to invest in. More granularity in tracking means more data stored and that means larger and more complex datwarehouse systems.
There are a lot of benefits realized by companies today by the visibility into their supply chain by technologies like RFID s and location radars. Demand fluctuations can be minimized by knowing what exactly they sell and even their inventory can be reduced drastically by knowing where exactly their products are. Also recently, one of the major transportation companies found out that their trucks were losing a lot of time and fuel trying to make left turns at traffic lights. They worked out an algorithm where the trucks mainly take right turns which are much faster and found out that it gave them both time and cost benefits.
But such implementations would separate the suppliers who could afford such technologies from those who could not. For some of the leading suppliers this might be a good thing because they could get a lock in from the retailer which would ensure business for them but this would also make it harder for smaller suppliers to compete. It is really tough for the retail companies to bring out any new initiative throughout their supply base unless they have a buyer power like Wal-Mart. Most of the retailers bring out new technology in phases by targeting the suppliers with high volumes initially and then gradually roll it out to the smaller players.
Companies and technology
I wanted to discuss the dynamic nature of technology and the direction it is evolving in especially the internet. Web 2.0 has given the user more control of data and the sheer number of users who can contribute to any application or service makes it so powerful. It has enabled more avenues for information sharing in the form of networking sites like facebook or various blog sites. New technologies have enabled sites like Amazon and ITunes to make a lot of money leveraging the power of long tail by reaching out to people more and offering services which could not be offered before. Even such blog sites are an example of the power of collective contribution of knowledge.
How do companies implement new technologies and assess how they will impact the way the company operates in the future. How do they align their strategy with the IT implementations and not treat it as an independent installation. For example, a successful ERP implementation is a transformation of the way how technology works in a company and also in the way how people operate within the company.
Another interesting discussion is Do companies need costly erp systems? And what is the tradeoff of spending millions of dollars on acquiring more information? In one of my previous classes, a professor had a very interesting framework which basically viewed the different elements of a supply chain as a whole.
Thinking from a retail perspective more information from an ERP system’s Supply Chain Module might reduce the demand fluctuation and reduce the inventory levels but the company needs to see if they can achieve the same or more cost savings achieved by lower inventory by reducing their transportation times or by building a new warehouse.
How do companies implement new technologies and assess how they will impact the way the company operates in the future. How do they align their strategy with the IT implementations and not treat it as an independent installation. For example, a successful ERP implementation is a transformation of the way how technology works in a company and also in the way how people operate within the company.
Another interesting discussion is Do companies need costly erp systems? And what is the tradeoff of spending millions of dollars on acquiring more information? In one of my previous classes, a professor had a very interesting framework which basically viewed the different elements of a supply chain as a whole.
Thinking from a retail perspective more information from an ERP system’s Supply Chain Module might reduce the demand fluctuation and reduce the inventory levels but the company needs to see if they can achieve the same or more cost savings achieved by lower inventory by reducing their transportation times or by building a new warehouse.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Code RED!!
Being in the second year, chang (my roommate at Purdue) and I had taken the liberty to go back to school a week late. But we had received some flak for that decision from our professors and we were glad that we were at least going to reach Purdue 24 hours before class started and this would give us some time to sleep our jet lag off and get started on some of the work that had piled up in our absence.
The flight from Bangalore to Delhi was on time with no delays (unfortunately for us we later thought) and the airlines told us that we don t even have to pick our luggage and that it’ll go directly on to the international flight... Life was good...
People in Bangalore often ask why the domestic airport was shifted so far along with the international airport and a compelling counter to that would be go fly international thru Delhi and find out!! The international airport is an hour long drive from the domestic airport and when you are traveling in an AC bus with the AC not switched on and you don t have the option of lowering your windows... It feels like eternity... or eternity as we thought then: p
The bus drops us off on the sidewalk at an extremely crowded and confused airport terminal and drives off!!! The passengers are standing there saying "now what!!"
I felt sorry for some foreigners in our midst, imagine their situation if we Indians felt lost and worried in this chaos..!!
Then, someone figured out where the counter was and we started moving towards it and this airlines agent comes and says "all flights out of Delhi delayed due to fog and please find your luggage; I think it’s lying around there somewhere!!"
I am not kidding the moron used the same words!!!
So we search frantically for our luggage and the pain of traveling with more suitcase than you have hands was just starting.. Luckily for us we find all our bags to only realize that the flight has been delayed by more than 8 hours!! Fortunately (or not), the airlines said they all be shifting us to a hotel for the night.
Trolleys are great!! Trust me, u realize that wen u need them and there no trolleys!!... so with the help of this man’s great invention, we move our luggage onto a bus and we drive for another hour to reach this nice place I guess...(forgive my cynicism here, but I was pissed off as hell and I don t know why they could not put us up at a place which did not require us to travel for 2 hours up and down)... so we reach this place at 12 in the night and they tell us they’ll give us a wakeup call at 3 a.m.. See what I mean by putting us up at a nearby hotel... so chang and I are hungry and being put up in a 5 star hotel with no dinner means that we pay 500 Rs. for a plate of Biryani!
I receive a call from a lady at 3 and she says "sir, your flight has been delayed by another 5 hours and we all call you in the morning to give you an update" I am too sleepy to care and I go back to sleep...and then in the morning at 7, I realize that the checkout time is 8:30 and there’s free breakfast!! (Not if you believe time is money, then we are being ripped off right now :-) )
What happens when there is a plane full of people trying to go down from their rooms with 3 pieces of luggage all at the same time and there are only 2 small lifts???
Operations students will say “the throughput is low and the input is rate is high and it leads to a queue in the system (Little's law for all the geeks :) )” So we spend half an hour in this interesting exercise and the hustle begins!! By the way in midst of all this I am asked to pay 120 Rs/minute to make a call home from the hotel...
So the airlines people book 3 busses to take back people to the airport and soon passengers realize that it’s not enough to fit everyone and it was fascinating to see international flight passengers trying to jostle each other (yours truly included) for a seat in the bus :-) I read somewhere people are hardwired and our instincts remain forever, it seemed that people had reverted back to their hunting days when it was survival of the fittest :) ... predictably, the bus's luggage compartment gets filled with people still yet to put their luggage’s in. I don t know if the airlines was trying to save some small change or it was a case of miscommunication but I do know that it was extremely badly managed..
So we arrive back at the airport only now it s sunny and thankfully, yes, thankfully less foggy.. And the flight s on time and we hear some rumor that there was ice in Chicago and stuff... Actually thinking back, I am flying from fog prone Delhi and snow/ice prone Chicago in January and I had actually hoped to be on time!!! :p
The flight takes off at noon Delhi time delayed by more than 12 hours now and our buffer time that we were glad about has now been reduced to less than 12 hours.....
So now we are 4 hours away from Chicago and the airhostess has just served dinner or breakfast (so when you are flying international, and before you land, are you on your source time or destination time??)
Anyway, I see a chocolate mousse and am eager to get to it...all of a sudden an airhostess runs to the mic and starts shouting "CODE RED!! CODE RED!!We have a CODE RED!! “There’s panic in her voice and the other hostesses serving dinner just push away their carts and run towards her...
Imagine this if you can... You are 10,000 feet up in the air and these people panic by shouting code red!! We have a code red!..
Now! What the hell is a code red?? My heart skipped a beat!! I had seen too many movies and my mind came up with thoughts like terrorists, engine failure, are we landing in a river?? Landing gear not opening.. (We were not even preparing to land... but this I thought of later.
Obviously passengers were scared as hell... This went on for a minute and then somebody said it’s a medical emergency... I am sorry to say this but it came as a relief to most of us... (Human instinct to live won over compassion) so then they called for any doctor's on board and 5 doctors volunteered and one of them even wore a gloves and asked for IV!!
They debated on what to do for half an hour or so... when Chang famously commented "too many cooks spoil the broth"
So much for the food... I lost all my appetite and the chocolate mousse did not fulfill its destiny of being eaten that day (though chang happily finished his meal thru all this.... for once chang world helped!!!)...for the rest of the journey we could hear intermittent moans of pain from this passenger. Finally it was time to land and after we landed we were requested to be seated for another half an hour so that paramedics could come and stabilize this lady and shift her to a hospital... we did see a puddle of blood when we were getting off the plane...
So after all this, it was only fair to the story that there should be more... because of our delay, we missed our coach to Purdue and we were left with a choice to spend the night at the airport or drive in the snow and after some 30 hours of travelling... anyone want to calculate that buffer time we had left??
So we decide to drive and decide to help another student at Purdue who is in the same plight by giving him a lift home...so if you have seen the TV show 24 you would probably guess that when you think you are done with it... there’s something more... yes, 30 minutes from my destination a cop flashes his lights behind me!!! I was supposedly going slightly over the speed limit!! Did someone say "Murphy’s law??"!!
Well fortunately for me, my record was clean and the cop just gave me a warning which obviously goes on my ex-spotless record :-(
So it’s around 2:30 in the morning and we finally reach our destination easily after 35 hrs of leaving Bangalore...all hopes of catching up on work long gone...
The flight from Bangalore to Delhi was on time with no delays (unfortunately for us we later thought) and the airlines told us that we don t even have to pick our luggage and that it’ll go directly on to the international flight... Life was good...
People in Bangalore often ask why the domestic airport was shifted so far along with the international airport and a compelling counter to that would be go fly international thru Delhi and find out!! The international airport is an hour long drive from the domestic airport and when you are traveling in an AC bus with the AC not switched on and you don t have the option of lowering your windows... It feels like eternity... or eternity as we thought then: p
The bus drops us off on the sidewalk at an extremely crowded and confused airport terminal and drives off!!! The passengers are standing there saying "now what!!"
I felt sorry for some foreigners in our midst, imagine their situation if we Indians felt lost and worried in this chaos..!!
Then, someone figured out where the counter was and we started moving towards it and this airlines agent comes and says "all flights out of Delhi delayed due to fog and please find your luggage; I think it’s lying around there somewhere!!"
I am not kidding the moron used the same words!!!
So we search frantically for our luggage and the pain of traveling with more suitcase than you have hands was just starting.. Luckily for us we find all our bags to only realize that the flight has been delayed by more than 8 hours!! Fortunately (or not), the airlines said they all be shifting us to a hotel for the night.
Trolleys are great!! Trust me, u realize that wen u need them and there no trolleys!!... so with the help of this man’s great invention, we move our luggage onto a bus and we drive for another hour to reach this nice place I guess...(forgive my cynicism here, but I was pissed off as hell and I don t know why they could not put us up at a place which did not require us to travel for 2 hours up and down)... so we reach this place at 12 in the night and they tell us they’ll give us a wakeup call at 3 a.m.. See what I mean by putting us up at a nearby hotel... so chang and I are hungry and being put up in a 5 star hotel with no dinner means that we pay 500 Rs. for a plate of Biryani!
I receive a call from a lady at 3 and she says "sir, your flight has been delayed by another 5 hours and we all call you in the morning to give you an update" I am too sleepy to care and I go back to sleep...and then in the morning at 7, I realize that the checkout time is 8:30 and there’s free breakfast!! (Not if you believe time is money, then we are being ripped off right now :-) )
What happens when there is a plane full of people trying to go down from their rooms with 3 pieces of luggage all at the same time and there are only 2 small lifts???
Operations students will say “the throughput is low and the input is rate is high and it leads to a queue in the system (Little's law for all the geeks :) )” So we spend half an hour in this interesting exercise and the hustle begins!! By the way in midst of all this I am asked to pay 120 Rs/minute to make a call home from the hotel...
So the airlines people book 3 busses to take back people to the airport and soon passengers realize that it’s not enough to fit everyone and it was fascinating to see international flight passengers trying to jostle each other (yours truly included) for a seat in the bus :-) I read somewhere people are hardwired and our instincts remain forever, it seemed that people had reverted back to their hunting days when it was survival of the fittest :) ... predictably, the bus's luggage compartment gets filled with people still yet to put their luggage’s in. I don t know if the airlines was trying to save some small change or it was a case of miscommunication but I do know that it was extremely badly managed..
So we arrive back at the airport only now it s sunny and thankfully, yes, thankfully less foggy.. And the flight s on time and we hear some rumor that there was ice in Chicago and stuff... Actually thinking back, I am flying from fog prone Delhi and snow/ice prone Chicago in January and I had actually hoped to be on time!!! :p
The flight takes off at noon Delhi time delayed by more than 12 hours now and our buffer time that we were glad about has now been reduced to less than 12 hours.....
So now we are 4 hours away from Chicago and the airhostess has just served dinner or breakfast (so when you are flying international, and before you land, are you on your source time or destination time??)
Anyway, I see a chocolate mousse and am eager to get to it...all of a sudden an airhostess runs to the mic and starts shouting "CODE RED!! CODE RED!!We have a CODE RED!! “There’s panic in her voice and the other hostesses serving dinner just push away their carts and run towards her...
Imagine this if you can... You are 10,000 feet up in the air and these people panic by shouting code red!! We have a code red!..
Now! What the hell is a code red?? My heart skipped a beat!! I had seen too many movies and my mind came up with thoughts like terrorists, engine failure, are we landing in a river?? Landing gear not opening.. (We were not even preparing to land... but this I thought of later.
Obviously passengers were scared as hell... This went on for a minute and then somebody said it’s a medical emergency... I am sorry to say this but it came as a relief to most of us... (Human instinct to live won over compassion) so then they called for any doctor's on board and 5 doctors volunteered and one of them even wore a gloves and asked for IV!!
They debated on what to do for half an hour or so... when Chang famously commented "too many cooks spoil the broth"
So much for the food... I lost all my appetite and the chocolate mousse did not fulfill its destiny of being eaten that day (though chang happily finished his meal thru all this.... for once chang world helped!!!)...for the rest of the journey we could hear intermittent moans of pain from this passenger. Finally it was time to land and after we landed we were requested to be seated for another half an hour so that paramedics could come and stabilize this lady and shift her to a hospital... we did see a puddle of blood when we were getting off the plane...
So after all this, it was only fair to the story that there should be more... because of our delay, we missed our coach to Purdue and we were left with a choice to spend the night at the airport or drive in the snow and after some 30 hours of travelling... anyone want to calculate that buffer time we had left??
So we decide to drive and decide to help another student at Purdue who is in the same plight by giving him a lift home...so if you have seen the TV show 24 you would probably guess that when you think you are done with it... there’s something more... yes, 30 minutes from my destination a cop flashes his lights behind me!!! I was supposedly going slightly over the speed limit!! Did someone say "Murphy’s law??"!!
Well fortunately for me, my record was clean and the cop just gave me a warning which obviously goes on my ex-spotless record :-(
So it’s around 2:30 in the morning and we finally reach our destination easily after 35 hrs of leaving Bangalore...all hopes of catching up on work long gone...
Monday, January 26, 2009
A visitor to India
Sitting in an airport waiting for your flight gives you lots of time and limited choice of activities. I am charging my laptop and having no internet I have decided to pen down my thoughts about the last 30 days which I have spent in India.
A month ago, I board my flight to India eager to meet loved and missed ones but I also think will my dog remember me?? Will I be able to drive on Indian roads?? How many of my friends have moved on??
I was picked up from the airport by my mom and everything seemed so different, somehow unfamiliar for a city in which I have spent 24 of my 26 years!! I blame it on the new international airport which is like a city away and the traffic which according to me has worsened. The irony was the only thing which was familiar was the total lack of road sense or courtesy shown by autos and taxis!! :p “ I won’t be able to drive in this madness!!”
Being a foodie (believe me it shows L) I used to prize myself on knowing most of the eating joints in my city, but on familiar roads I saw unfamiliar restaurants and lack of some known ones. Some of it saddened me, others looked like new territories to prowl and conquer J ( I am among the ones who live to eat :p)
I reach home and I rush to meet Leo (my dog) and I hesitate just a second coz after that he was all over me licking me and jumping on me and there was so much joy on his face. And there I was, stupid enough to doubt a dog’s loyalty… J Concern #1 down the drain J
Concern #2 : I start my car thinking, Can I use the clutch? Will I drive on the wrong i.e the right side (sorry couldn’t help not pointing it out :p)…I put the car in gear and instinct takes over…I am cautious for the first ten minutes entering into intersections and wary of bikes and autos zigzagging.. but as soon as I stop searching for the non existent lanes, the concept of lane driving vanishes and I become a part of the chaos which is Bangalore traffic..
Concern #3: I meet my friends and we finish the regular, U have become pale, U have lost weight formalities J ( forgive my 2 secs of vanity here J) it was weird coz I have not been a part of their lives for nearly two years now but I realize now there is just more to talk and catch up on J and a trip together of some close friends for 3 days is just what the doctor ordered and by the end of it I was up to date (read “Rolling on the floor laughing” J ) on each of the stupidities committed by them.
So I am sitting here at the end of the trip trying to think of some good reasons why I am leaving all this behind and the answer is unfortunately “yes, for the greater good” J.. anyway, my flight’s been announced so I have to go.. but I am thinking of the cliché statement “Home is where the heart lies” !!
Hey wait, little did I know the adventures or mis-adventures I would have on the return journey.. so look for my next blog “CODE RED!!”
A month ago, I board my flight to India eager to meet loved and missed ones but I also think will my dog remember me?? Will I be able to drive on Indian roads?? How many of my friends have moved on??
I was picked up from the airport by my mom and everything seemed so different, somehow unfamiliar for a city in which I have spent 24 of my 26 years!! I blame it on the new international airport which is like a city away and the traffic which according to me has worsened. The irony was the only thing which was familiar was the total lack of road sense or courtesy shown by autos and taxis!! :p “ I won’t be able to drive in this madness!!”
Being a foodie (believe me it shows L) I used to prize myself on knowing most of the eating joints in my city, but on familiar roads I saw unfamiliar restaurants and lack of some known ones. Some of it saddened me, others looked like new territories to prowl and conquer J ( I am among the ones who live to eat :p)
I reach home and I rush to meet Leo (my dog) and I hesitate just a second coz after that he was all over me licking me and jumping on me and there was so much joy on his face. And there I was, stupid enough to doubt a dog’s loyalty… J Concern #1 down the drain J
Concern #2 : I start my car thinking, Can I use the clutch? Will I drive on the wrong i.e the right side (sorry couldn’t help not pointing it out :p)…I put the car in gear and instinct takes over…I am cautious for the first ten minutes entering into intersections and wary of bikes and autos zigzagging.. but as soon as I stop searching for the non existent lanes, the concept of lane driving vanishes and I become a part of the chaos which is Bangalore traffic..
Concern #3: I meet my friends and we finish the regular, U have become pale, U have lost weight formalities J ( forgive my 2 secs of vanity here J) it was weird coz I have not been a part of their lives for nearly two years now but I realize now there is just more to talk and catch up on J and a trip together of some close friends for 3 days is just what the doctor ordered and by the end of it I was up to date (read “Rolling on the floor laughing” J ) on each of the stupidities committed by them.
So I am sitting here at the end of the trip trying to think of some good reasons why I am leaving all this behind and the answer is unfortunately “yes, for the greater good” J.. anyway, my flight’s been announced so I have to go.. but I am thinking of the cliché statement “Home is where the heart lies” !!
Hey wait, little did I know the adventures or mis-adventures I would have on the return journey.. so look for my next blog “CODE RED!!”
Sacrifice.. the greatest gift?
Nestled amidst the heavenly hills
Lies a lake with its water green
Misty clouds make nature look its best
With a setting sun, a sight it is to be seen.
This paradise it seems, created by a god in love
Looks lost on a boy sitting here
There is a chill in the air there is light rain
His face is so sad; oh he is in so much pain.
Clutching at a pendant, trying to rewind time
Sobbing he sits, looking back at his life
In this silence, his soul cries aloud
How can my friend become another’s wife?
The birds here seem to share his grief
There is no other sound in the air
They respect him for they all know
To love is easy, but to sacrifice is great.
Lies a lake with its water green
Misty clouds make nature look its best
With a setting sun, a sight it is to be seen.
This paradise it seems, created by a god in love
Looks lost on a boy sitting here
There is a chill in the air there is light rain
His face is so sad; oh he is in so much pain.
Clutching at a pendant, trying to rewind time
Sobbing he sits, looking back at his life
In this silence, his soul cries aloud
How can my friend become another’s wife?
The birds here seem to share his grief
There is no other sound in the air
They respect him for they all know
To love is easy, but to sacrifice is great.
A party without sound
Sitting here i am going mad
feeling lonely, oh the world is so sad
Was it always like this i think
i get the answer before i can wink
Clear is the voice in my head
NO!! it was fun is what it said
Struggling thru life week after week
for fear of being branded meek
Acting strong even if u r weak
all for praise, which everyone seek
People told me reach out for the sky
all i had to do was to ask them why
When i was havin fun on the ground
did i make life a party without sound
Pretending to be what u r not
I wonder now, achieves what
Life stares at me right in the face
even to hide i dont have a place
What choice do i have but to act
so with myself i make a pact
Leading life without a care
i ll try to make it a happy fair
Work i will, but i will also play\
consequences come what may
For i know no price is too high to pay
to go through life happily day by day
feeling lonely, oh the world is so sad
Was it always like this i think
i get the answer before i can wink
Clear is the voice in my head
NO!! it was fun is what it said
Struggling thru life week after week
for fear of being branded meek
Acting strong even if u r weak
all for praise, which everyone seek
People told me reach out for the sky
all i had to do was to ask them why
When i was havin fun on the ground
did i make life a party without sound
Pretending to be what u r not
I wonder now, achieves what
Life stares at me right in the face
even to hide i dont have a place
What choice do i have but to act
so with myself i make a pact
Leading life without a care
i ll try to make it a happy fair
Work i will, but i will also play\
consequences come what may
For i know no price is too high to pay
to go through life happily day by day
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