Management Musings

The recent FCC ruling in favor of Net Neutrality is an interesting decision. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States passed a rule that the Internet Service Providers should always act in "public interest" - similar to telephone lines. What this means is that the Service Providers such as AT&T can not enter into an agreement with Content Providers such as Netflix, Google, etc. where their content is given preference over other Internet sites. This ultimately translates to a single pricing structure for all end users irrespective of the content that they are accessing over the Internet. The ruling has been touted as a victory for end users and a rap on the knuckles for Service Providers who want to impose a variable pricing scheme for Content Providers. I don't see it the same way necessarily. I think it makes sense to make end users pay for the service that they are receiving. Although we do not have Netflix here in India, we do have som...

While driving in the streets of Bengaluru (or anywhere else in India, for that matter), it is common to see vehicles coming down the wrong direction in a 4 lane road that is divided by a concrete road divider. Often, it is to "save" on a precious few milliliters of fuel because the option of following the rules would force them to travel a few kilometers more. Auto rickshaws, taxis, bicycles, mopeds, motorbikes, cars, buses and even trucks are guilty of doing this. For an independent observer, it can be quite startling to see how little these vehicle drivers care for their lives as well as others'! As it is driving in India is an exercise in alertness and road awareness and all those who drive down the wrong side of the road, be it in city traffic or on the highway, endanger their lives and those of others in their endeavor to save a few Rupees. The Indian consumer's mindset is completely price driven. Coming from a colonial past and the era of License Raj and a cl...