CABIN CHRONICLES - A few CEOs tell ET Ascent how their lives changed (or didn't) when they made the big shift from a cubicle to a cabin

CABIN CHRONICLES

A few CEOs tell ET Ascent how their lives changed (or didn't) when they made the big shift from a cubicle to a cabin

For most of us in the corporate world, the transition from a cubicle to a cabin marks a significant milestone in our careers. It symbolises the move from being a follower to a leader; implementing to strategising and, most importantly, it means “you've arrived“. So, it's inevitable that life changes in more ways than one. 

MAKING THE TRANSITION

Susir Kumar, CEO, Serco Global Services moved into a cabin when he became the general manager and company secretary at HDFC, a stage in his professional life where he took on greater responsibilities and tasks at work, most of which required a lot of planning and strategising. “The biggest advantage of having a cabin is that it allows you peace and quiet to think and strategise without distractions ­ which is a blessing when you have a crucial task at hand. I wouldn't say my life at work changed completely, but my cabin did bring in difference by giving me a comfortable space that helped me focus better on my tasks,“ says Kumar.

Bhavin Turakhia, founder and CEO, Directi started his company in his own kitchen. From this `kitchen cabin', he has now moved to a conventional cabin. “I have been used to working in a cabin right from the start (kitchen cabin to begin with). However, my current cabin is very essential for me when in office. It is meticulously designed to help me multitask with increased productivity and houses the latest technology to keep me connected with my teams across offices in different countries.It serves as my base camp where I meet people, have brainstorming sessions with teams, or even pull out of everything to spend time on macro level ideas,“ he says. 

CONFIDENTIALITY MATTERS

When it comes to confidentiality, a part and parcel of roles higher up in the organisation, cabins are a must have. Harshil Mehta, CEO, DHFL quotes from his own experience, “The transition from a cubicle to cabin came to me with added responsibilities, decision making powers, higher expectations and, of course, ambitious goals and targets.  Cabins usually give you the added privacy to carry out your day-to-day work, a space to deal with confidential issues and a window for more focused thinking. As time management becomes crucial with additional responsibilities, a cabin helps you concentrate even better for ensuring sustained growth.“ 

CABINS VS CUBICLES 

R Venkataraman, group MD, IIFL began his stint as a co-promoter at IIFL in a cubicle-cum-cabin. As the office expanded, he moved into a cabin of his own. And by his own admission, he enjoys the design and aesthetics of his current cabin. “For me, doing team meetings in my cabin keeps me better equipped with all the data and resources needed for multiple departments. Having a cabin not just saves precious time in between meetings, but also improves efficiency and keeps me available at my place for any unexpected work which is the norm in our industry.From experience I can say, much of the innovative ideas were conceived in one-on-one or small group level brain-storming sessions in my cabin,“ he says. 

VIP TREATMENT 

At least in the initial days, people tend to see you differently once you move into a cabin. It's as though there is an invisible aura of seniority and privilege around you.And the folks in the cubicles cannot help, but treat you like you're better than them, right? But ultimately, it's better to be respected than be treated `special'. “I think when you move to a cabin, some may perceive this as a hindrance to collaboration or reaching out to a leader, which is why it's very important to have an open door policy and ensure you continue to regularly connect and engage with your col eagues. Even though I have a cabin, I make sure that I regularly meet with my team and participate in as many engagement activities on the floor as possible,“ says Ravikumar Sreedharan, managing director, Unisys India.

Just like a larger house allows you more room to express yourself and leave a mark, a cabin marks a com ng-of-age period in every professional's career. 

Source | Economic Times | 26 January 2016

Regards

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Librarian

Khaitan & Co

Apps Are Free for a Reason

Apps Are Free for a Reason

Introducing an educational app to the classroom can be dangerous, and the danger can be revealed at surprising times with startling images.

"Watch out for someone in a bathing suit washing a car," Kristy Sailors, director of educational technology at Blue Valley School District in Kansas, told audience members during a workshop at FETC 2016 in Orlando this month.

A free app might provide an unexpected message that a teacher would prefer students miss. Parents will disapprove of their children being exposed to unwanted advertising, racy images or violent themes, so teachers should avoid introducing apps until they have been carefully checked out.

"It will bring in lots of things that I'm going to have to explain when I get the mad parent phone call," Sailors said. "It's about making sure that nothing in the app can be misused."

How to check out an education app:

1. Play the app at all levels possible.
2. Check the age recommendation.
3. Review the general user policy.
4. Conduct keyword searches for terms that could be troublesome. Think like a teenager.
5. Remember that ad appearances vary, depending on time of day.
6. Go though the app as far as possible to see what can happen.

Apps are expensive to create, so someone is paying for them. Remember the old saying, "If the app is free, you are the product being sold."

Source | https://thejournal.com/articles/2016/01/26/apps-are-free-for-a-reason.aspx

Regards

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Librarian

Khaitan & Co

From Feb 1, file consumer plaints online

From Feb 1, file consumer plaints online

People will be able to pay court fees via site under the guidance of call centre

People who get cheated by companies but don’t approach consumer courts to avoid they the legal hassles can now heave a sigh of relief. Soon, they will be able to lodge their complaints through a website, which will also give them regular updates on the case.

The official announcement about the website, www.consumerconnect.co.in, will be done on the Republic day. People will also be able to pay the court fees online. President of the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, justice Ashok Bhangale, said, “This is the first time such a facility is being offered to consumers in India, wherein a private company is allowed to carry out e-filling in consumer courts on an experimental basis. This will help citizens approach the courts easily and it will also help reduce paperwork, as everything would be online.”

The website will go live on February 1. This project was initiated last year, when the state commission, on its website, invited private companies to come forward with such a facility. Though the project of e-filling has been approved by the state commission, it is entirely funded by the company.

To lodge a complaint online, the person would first have to identify himself with a valid identification proof, such as the Adhaar card or voter ID, then select the kind of complaint they wants to file and then submit scanned copies of the necessary supporting documents. This would be forwarded to the registrar’s office, which would verify the same and lodge the complaint. The software will then provide the next hearing date details by SMS and email to the complainant. If the consumer needs any assistance, then a call centre will also be there to guide them.

Around 200 staff members of the commission across the state have been given training in handling the software. Former president justice R C Chavan said, “If this is allowed, the common man need not step out of his house. This would not only reduce the congestion at forums and commissions but more disposal can be achieved as complainants and the other side can decide on a particular time to appear before the court through video-conference and resolve the disputes. Thereby, entire resources will be optimally utilised.”

Source | Daily News Analysis | 26 January 2016

Regards

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Librarian

Khaitan & Co

Deadlines Fixed Under Right To Services Act

Now, get edu documents in stipulated time

Deadlines Fixed Under Right To Services Act

A year after the enactment of the landmark Maharashtra Right to Public Services Act, higher and technical education secretary Sanjay Chahande on Saturday promulgated an order to provide retotaling of marks, duplicate marksheet, duplicate degree, verification of documents and migrationeligibility certificate within stipulated period.

“We have issued an order to provide basic services linked with the higher and technical education department. If the competent authority fails to provide the documents within the stipulated period, stringent action will be taken against himher as per the provisions of the act. Besides disciplinary action, the law provides for fine for erring officials,“ a senior bureaucrat told TOI.

Giving the specifics, the bureaucrat said that now it bureaucrat said that now it will be mandatory for the competent authority to complete retotaling of marks within 15 days; provide duplicate marksheet and duplicate degree within 15 days; and migrationeligibility certificate and document verification within 30 days. For the examinations conducted by the directorate of technical education, score card of common entrance test will be issued in 30 days, duplicate marksheet within 15 days and for the Maharashtra State Board of Technical Examinations, it has been mandatory to provide migrationeligibility certificate within 21days.

The bureaucrat said the order promulgated by the higher and technical education, which controls all the universities in the state, will go a long way in ending red tape and harassment of students. “In the absence of stipulated time, students seeking duplicate documents, verification of documents and migration or eligibility certificate faced a difficult time. The students were at the mercy of the clerks in universities. This are also the main areas where students face harassment and corruption at educational institutions,“ the bureaucrat said.

E Link | http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Now-get-edu-documents-in-time-bound-period/articleshow/50701113.cms

Source | Times of India | 24 January 2016

Regards

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Librarian

Khaitan & Co

GUIDE - SMARTPHONE RECYCLED - Why throw out your old smartphone when you can put it to these creative uses instead

GUIDE - SMARTPHONE RECYCLED

Why throw out your old smartphone when you can put it to these creative uses instead

Your old iPhone sits, languishing, in a drawer. An Android handset is stuffed between books on a shelf. Perhaps an old Windows Phone is prop ping a door open. It doesn't have to be this way.

You have plenty of options for reusing your old smartphone. Sure, you could sell it, but why bother when there are so many ways you can reuse it; some more creative than you may have thought.

VR HEADSET

NO, SERIOUSLY. Thanks to the wonder of Google Cardboard and its various clones, you can turn a compatible phone into a budget ­ yet impressive ­ virtual reality headset.It's essentially a headset for a smartphone displaying stereoscopic images, and with compatibility with Windows Phone devices and iPhones, as well as Android phones, your old smartphone can soon be giving you newfound enjoyment in a new virtual reality world!

MEDIA REMOTE

UNLESS YOU'VE spent a lot of money on a new TV, set-top box or sound system, the quality of the remote controls is usually very poor.Whether you need a replacement remote for a home built media centre or for a cheap TV, you should find that any IR-equipped smartphone is capable of being reconfigured as a media remote, following a quick trip to the appropriate app store.Media remote apps are available for iPhone, Windows Phone and Android, and might replace any number of remote controls in your household into one lightweight, touchscreen solution. Just remember to charge every couple of days.

COMPACT MEDIA CENTRE

UNBELIEVABLY, YOU could even reconfigure an old smartphone as a media centre, simply by installing the Kodi software. You are, however, typically limited to Android handsets for this creative new use for your old solution.Thanks to USB OTG, you can connect external hard disk drives to your old Android device, and with the media centre up and running you'll be able to enjoy media across your home network, all served from your old Android smartphone.

DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME

AS LONG as your old phone has its display intact, it will make a stunning and attractive digital photo frame. Various apps and tools are available to facilitate this, so as long as you can load photos onto your phone directly or by syncing with a cloud solution like Dropbox, you should be able to configure the previously drawerdwelling phone into a desktop or sideboardsitting photo frame, cycling through favourite photos. On Android, you can do this with the Instant Video Slideshow app, while iOS users should try the aptly-named Digital Photo Frame.

PORTABLE RECORDING STUDIO

ALTHOUGH NOT ideal for older phones and tablets, musicians can also benefit from the portability of older hardware without worrying about whether recording is going to drain the battery and make calls impossible. Connecting a guitar to an iPad is pretty straightforward, and various portable music studio apps are available for Android and iOS. For instance, Garageband is available for iOS, and if you prefer electronic music, the KORG Gadget app is worth a look. Android users have fewer strong options, although Walk Band and the premium FL Studio Mobile, should be checked.

SOUND RECORDER

SMARTPHONES COME with microphones ­ it's how you talk to the person on the other end of the line ­ so it makes sense to install a recording app and use the old phone as a recorder. This might be of the dictating machine variety, which could prove useful around the house if you're making notes for school, work, or perhaps for a writing project. If you're a podcaster, an old smartphone running Soundcloud can even be used to record a show.

CARPUTER

IN A world where automobiles are seen as the next new frontier in OS development, having a smartphone-based carputer that acts as an incar entertainment system is a good option.While you may not be able to access data about your car's performance, bringing a phone into your car permanently in this way can change the way you drive forever. Just remember to keep both hands on the wheel and let your passenger or co-pilot choose the tunes.

STILL CAMERA

PROBABLY THE most creative thing that you do with your smartphone is to take photos ­ so why not keep doing that? Rather than rely on a device that might have a low battery, why not rely on an old smartphone as your main camera for parties and nights out?

Using public Wi-Fi, you'll be able to upload your pictures to the cloud and even share them on Face book and tweak and share them on Instagram.

CAMCORDER

IN A similar vein, your old smartphone may make for a superb handheld camcorder. Obviously, the better the quality of the camera software and hardware, the better the results, but if you're rocking an old iPhone or high end Windows Phone in your spare drawer, you could be looking at some superb results. This also makes your old smartphone suitable for other compact camera-related projects, such as a security camera, a baby monitor, or even a dashboard cam.

E Link |  http://www.punemirror.in/others/scitech/SMARTPHONE-RECYCLED/articleshow/50708751.cms

Regards

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Librarian

Khaitan & Co