WIKI on Task Force

It's interesting to know how much interested we (management artists) are in the way military plays game, or perhaps both fields just complement each other. Here's a little definition of Task Force by wiki:

A task force (TF) is a temporary unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many non-military organizations now create "task forces" or task groups for temporary activities that might have once been performed by ad hoc committees.

Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Task_force

Sir Sharukh Got it Wrong

In explaining U.S. or West's financial fallout, even though he went to great lengths, talked of consequences and root causes as per his wisdom. But, as per Roger C. Altman he is not correct. Roger Altman was U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary in 1993-94.

Sir Sharukh Irfan (Forman C. C. Univ.'s accounting professor) is of the view that this meltdown of U.S. markets was due to the collapse of subprime mortgage market in the United States and consequently housing prices collapsed and thus emerged the crisis at the surface. The same reason has been attributed by Altman, in his article in the latest Foreign Affairs magazine, as 'conventional wisdom'. And, as per Sir, that at the bottom the preceding reason lied, and naturally, it had various consequences.

While, on the other hand, Roger says:

"This is not correct [that crisis is due to collapse of subprime mortgage market and housing prices]; these were themselves the consequence of another problem. The crisis' underlying cause was the combination of very low interest rates and unprecedented levels of liquidity."*

Roger sounds more reasonable to me and especially the lethal combination he mentioned. What is your opinion on this issue? Please do share with us.

* Quoted from, The Great Crash 2008: A Geopolitical Setback for the West, Foreign Affairs, Jan/Feb, 2009, Vol 88, No. 1.

An International Entrepreneurial Competition

"The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has held a competition inviting universities and high school students across the world to participate. Participating students are given the chance to unleash their innovation and entrepreneurship potential through the events. It's also a great chance for participates to gain a valuable international challenge experience.

Thirty finalist teams will be sponsored for their round-trip economy air tickets and accommodation during their stay in Hong Kong. Trophy, certificate and Cash awards will be awarded to the winning team.

Each nominated team should complete registration online on or before 31 December 2008 and submit one entry of business proposal online on or before 31 March 2009. 

For more information, please visit 
http://www.polyu.edu.hk/PolyUChallenge "

How to participate?

"Undergraduate Teams must consist of 3-4 member and their business plan must be of 25 pages."

For more details see the website.

Bush Government will give Automakers $17.4B in loans

Detorits and government have finally landed in a successful deal. It has been, i.e, the deal in which U.S government will give automakes $17.4 billion, to save them from annihilating. Find more on this news at:

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/081219/meltdown_autos.html.

Read Articles on the Present World Financial Crisis

Click on the headings to read articles. I have summried in a sentence or two about the article. Have pleasure readings.

On Recession and Financial Crisis:

1. Auto Industry Bailout Sends U.S. Dollar Lower in Currency Trading

Says that US dollar stuggling in the market because of  "the announcement that Congress and Detroit have come to an understanding regarding an auto industry bailout."

2. How much dollars have been allocated in US Bailout and its elements

Heading suffices. Given information is in the form of tables.

3. The Worst Is Yet To Come: Anonymous Banker Weighs In On The Coming Credit Card Debacle. 

An executivein the banking industry unleashes his disgust in an e-mail to the author. That e-mail is the article.

4. Recession prompts some couples to delay having kids

Its not a joke rather far worse. When 8 out of 10 Americans are worried about FInancial Crisis, history shows us birth rate falls. And, that's dangerous for coming decades for a country's economy.

5. US downturn set to deepen, & debt to mounts - OECD forecasts

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development's forecasts and analysis leading to useful insight into present scenario and future action.

How Cisco Uses Our Chapter 9 Pg # 241 to 'See the Future'*

How Cisco Uses Our Chapter 9 Pg #241 to 'See the Future'*

Since when I started reading out carefully Harvard Business Review (HBR), I have come to respect my course management book (i.e, Management, 9th Ed., Stephen P. Robbins & Mary Coulter). I have appreciated that this book summarizes or states, at least, all those principles on which all of today's successful organizations work and win.

Quoting a small example which I came across in this month's (Nov.) issue of HBR, will make you take my claim more seriously.

Cisco Systems are "the world's largest provider of internet networking." And, Cisco's new CEO John Chambers, who will begin his 14th year at Cisco in January, has always been good at listening. And, so has his company been such that - they have scored loads of capital, merely by listening to their clients and customers, as HBR puts it.

"Cisco is able to predict trends six to 8 years (remember budgeting, forecasting, or projecting is always futuristic) in the highly volatile technology market by recognizing early-warning signals its customers unwittingly give off**." This is what they call "market shifts." And, Chambers, Cisco's CEO, himself abandoned his own old 'command-and-control' style in decision making. (I will share more ideas on this topic in future posts, hopefully.)

Cisco was founded in 1984. It did went in a downturn (i.e, crisis). And it came out. Regained its superiority in Internet Communications Equipment providers. But. Only through seeing the future. And, it has been doing so for long only by listening to its customers.

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Notes:

* Harvard Business Review, November 2008. "The HBR Interview: John Chambers", Heading Topic & Pg. 241 of, Management, 9th Ed., Stephen P. Robbins & Mary Coulter
** Harvard Business Review, November 2008. "The HBR Interview: John Chambers"


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Posted By:
Muhammad Umer Toor, 20-Nov-2008.