NCR Consultants Limited

Sep 2008

Who is a Holy Man?

Who is a holy man? A man who is religious or pious? A person who always prays to God

in his room and table full of pictures of God and God-men?

God is that which is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. I am sure we have no doubt

in this. If such is the case, is there a place where God is not present ? and this place in-

cludes you? This is the reason that we believe in ‘self realization’ and not ‘reaching God’. If

you have to reach God then it implies that God is not there in you! (Then how come he be

Omnipotent, Omnipresent, Omniscient…)

Let me narrate a Zen story….

Word spread across the countryside about the wise Holy Man who lived in a small house

at the top of the mountain. A man from the village decided to make the long and difficult jour-

ney to visit him. When he arrived at the house, he saw an old servant inside who greeted him

at the door. "I would like to see the wise Holy Man," he said to the servant. The servant smiled

and led him inside. As they walked through the house, the man from the village looked ea-

gerly around the house, anticipating his encounter with the Holy Man. Before he knew it, he

had been led to the back door and escorted outside. He stopped and turned to the servant,

"But I want to see the Holy Man!"

"You already have," said the old man. "Everyone you may meet in life, even if they appear

plain and insignificant... see each of them as a wise Holy Man. If you do this, then whatever

problem you brought here today will be solved."

This is true in our office work also, if we do every work by applying ourselves completely and

totally we can see that our ego dissolves and we become our work and our work becomes us.

This is perfection. This is the reason why ancient Indian wisdom has stated that “the work we

do is God” (in Tamil - cheyyum thozile deivam) and in English “work is worship”.

Who am I ??? I am the Lord of lords. I am devoid of even a touch of jealousy and hatred. I am He that fulfils the desired object for those who are bent on realizing the goal.

I am undeceiving, I am imperishable. I am the lord, I am the consciousness of the inner self, I am full of supreme bliss, I am the supreme self, I am the infinite.

I am full of Bliss, Knowledge and the realization of the self. I am far aloof from any thought of the objective. I am delighted at heart by that which is not objective.

I am knowledge. I am the Known. I am the Knower. I am all the aids to knowledge. I am the pure Soul - existence bereft of Knower, Knowledge and Known.

I am denotation, I am worship, and I am liberation. I alone am the means to liberation.

Inside this issue: Tips on writing formal reports (16)

2

Project Management (1) 3

Instruments to control inflation

4

E-commerce 5

Readers’ Corner 7

Events & Happenings 7

Smart Corner 8

Birthday Wishes 8

Know Your Colleagues 8

Smile Zone 8

From the Editor’s Pen 8

Stay Healthy in a Closed Environment

6

Your Opinion Counts! 7

R.S.Murali

“Work is Worship”

Sri Sankara

-To Be Contd

of view of the sentence, the items in brackets do not even

exist, and cannot form part of the sentence.

For instance, "has been described elsewhere (Johnson,

1905)." is fine, but "(Johnson, 1905) argues that" is not (it

would have to be "Johnson (1905) argues that").

It is usually best to have only a single level of

parentheses, because multiple parentheses start to

distract from the main text. Thus I would prefer "has been

established (but for a counterexample see Johnson,

1905)" to "has been established (but for a counter

example see Johnson (1905)".

Be careful with arguments about grammar

If you are going to criticize the grammar or spelling of an

author in writing, you should be extremely careful to verify

that you are correct. Reading a long rant from an

American about how a person of British upbringing has

supposedly misspelled words like "utilisation", or vice

versa, can be quite painful.

There is no need to mention explicitly reading the

paper

A lot of students use phrases like "while reading this

paper, I ..." and "In this paper the authors ...". Try to avoid

this redundancy. If you use the word "author" you need

not also use "paper", and vice versa. Similarly, it is clear

that whatever you discovered about the paper, you

discovered while reading the paper; we do not need to be

reminded of this. Academic writing is always about

papers and authors, and thus those topics should only be

discussed when they are relevant.

Discussing existing work

Whenever you bring up an existing piece of research,

whether it is your own or someone else's, there is a

standard way of doing it properly. First you say what the

research showed, then you say what its limitations are,

and then you say how your own work is going to

overcome those limitations. I.e., say what has been done,

what has not been done, and how you are going to do

some of what has not been done. If you are doing a

literature review rather than an original research paper,

you just describe what you think should be done, rather

than what you plan to do. Unless you want to make an

enemy, you should always mention something positive

about existing work before exploring the limitations, and

you should always assume that the person you are

discussing will read what you wrote. Of course,

sometimes there is a good reason to make an enemy,

e.g. to draw attention to yourself by attacking some-

one famous, but you should be sure to choose your

enemies wisely.

Page 2

"Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity."

Martin Luther King Jr.

Tips on Writing Formal Reports (16) Source- Business Communication Centre (University of Toronto)

S.Guhaprasath

Author names are keys -- spell them properly

In academic writing, an author's last name is like the key in a database lookup -- if the name is misspelled (e.g. "Davis" for

"Davies"), your reader will not be able to locate works by that author in the library or online. Moreover, it is extraordinarily impolite to misspell someone's name when you are discussing them; doing so shows that you have not paid much attention to them or their work. So you should make a special effort to spell author names correctly, double- and triple-checking them against the original source, and ensuring that you spell them the same way each time.

Use appropriate pronouns

Use appropriate pronouns when referring to the authors. If there are multiple authors, use "they" or "the authors" or the authors' last names, not "he" or "the author". If there is only one author and you can determine the gender with great confidence, you may use "he" or "she"; otherwise use "the author" or the author's last name.

Referring to other texts

Use double quotes around the title of an article when you refer to it in the text. Italics are reserved for books or other works of similar length. Avoid underlining altogether --- underlining is just a way of indicating that handwritten or typewritten text should be typeset in italics, and is thus inappropriate when italics are available (as they are on any modern word processor).

Be very precise when discussing an author discussing another author

For better or worse, academic writing often devolves into discussions of what one author said about another author. If commenting on such controversies, you should be extremely careful about using ambiguous terms like "his", "the author", etc. Very often your reader will have no idea which of the various authors you are referring to, even though it may be clear to you. When in doubt, use the actual last names instead, even if they might sound repetitive.

Citations

If you are using an author-year or numeric citation format based on parentheses or brackets, you should always write the sentence to make sense even if the material in parentheses or brackets is deleted. That is, from the point

Page 3

"Try to learn something about everything and everything about something."

Thomas Henry Huxley

Ashok Rao

Project Management (1)

Starting this month, we begin a series of articles on

project management. This series will begin with the

basics of a project and move on to detailed discussions

on the elements of a project and project management,

the role of various stakeholders in project management

and some best practices.

Objective & Scope

This series of articles is expected to achieve the following

objectives:

� Expose the readers to the basics of project management.

� Define the scope and coverage of project management.

� Provide clarity on what is NOT a project and what is NOT project management.

� Help the readers in relating their day to day work with the various concepts discussed in this series.

� Enable the users to adopt some best practices in project management into their daily work.

Project management by itself is a vast area and merits a

structured learning program. Here an attempt has been

made to explain the key terms in a simple, easy to

understand manner. Considering the wide readership

base of CC (in terms of age, education and experience),

this series attempts to strike a balance between complex

concepts and over simplification. Readers interested in

going deep into any area discussed in this series can

always request for detailed material on their specific topic

of interest.

Since the writer himself is in a state of understanding and

applying various aspects of project management, he has

to rely on published material to ensure that this series

takes a structured form and achieves the desired

objectives. The principal source of information is ‘A

Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge

(PMBOK)’ published by the Project Management Institute.

Notwithstanding this, readers are requested to share their

understanding of the concepts and their experiences in

applying the same in real life situations. So please be

generous in your feedback.

What is a Project?

The PMBOK defines a Project as ‘a project is a

temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique

product or service.’ To elaborate, a project is:

A temporary endeavor: Temporary means that a project

must have a definite beginning and a definite end.

Temporary does not mean of a short duration as is

generally understood. Organisations perform work. Work

can be broadly classified into Operations and Projects.

All work which is carried on a continuous basis is

Operations. Projects as explained above are undertaken

with specific objectives for a specified period.

Unique product or service: The project must

necessarily result in a product or service which has not

been done before. To take an example, for an automobile

manufacturer bringing out a new car model is a project

whereas once introduced, producing multiple units of the

car is operations.

Example of projects

� Constructing a building

� Getting married (Of course!!)

� Introduction of a new product

� Construction of a new flyover

� Implementing an accounting system in a

corporation

� Staging a play

� Producing a film

� A nuclear test

� Conducting a seminar

Thus what is a project depends on the person executing

it, the objectives, the timeframe and a host of other

factors.

Activity: Each of us is invariably involved

in some project or the other at all points

of time. Identify at least three projects

that you are currently involved in. It may

be something as simple as finishing a

book or completing that report. Check

whether it satisfies the definition given

above.

-To Be Contd

Page 4

"We have art to save ourselves from the truth."

Friedrich Nietzsche

Instruments to control inflation

(Source: Rai University – Business Economy II – The Control of Inflation)

Introduction:

“Inflation is the one form of taxation that can be imposed

without legislation.”

Milton Friedman quotes (American Economist, b.1912)

A simple and commonly used definition of the word inflation is simply "an increase in the price you pay or a decline in the purchasing power of money". In other words, Price Inflation is when prices get higher or it takes more money to buy the same item.

Inflation is a complex phenomenon. It should be attacked from various angles. Following are the broad categories of instruments commonly used in order to control inflation in modern economy: (a) Monetary policy (b) Fiscal policy (iii) Direct Control (iv) other miscellaneous measures.

1.Monetary policy:

Inflation is primarily a monetary phenomenon. Hence the most logical way to check inflation is to check the flow of money supply by devising appropriate monetary policy and carefully implementing monetary measures.

Monetary policy used to control inflation is based on the assumption that a rise in the prices is due to excess of monetary demand for goods and services by the people because of easy bank credit available to people.

The government may use the following monetary policy measures to control inflation:

� Bank lending rate may be raised.

� In severe cases, the CRR may be increased.

2.Fiscal policy:

It is a budgetary policy in relation to taxation, public borrowing and public expenditure. To control inflation, fiscal measures would involve increase in taxation and decrease in government spending.

The main theme behind that is, tax policy can be directed towards restricting demand without reducing the production. For example, excise duty or sales tax on various commodities gets increased; the buying power of consumer may get reduced without discouraging production. But some believe that, it will lead to further increase in prices of such commodities, the inflation will spread from one commodity to another.

But during inflation, progressive direct tax approach is

considered best. It is also considered as best in the

interest of social equity. The government should avoid

paying back any of its past loans during inflation in

order to prevent an increase in the circulation of

money. Briefly, fiscal policy alone may not be very

effective. So an effective program for combating

inflation should combine both fiscal and monetary

tools.

3. Direct control:

It refers to regulatory measures undertaken to convert

an open inflation into a repressed one. The function of

price control is to fix a legal ceiling, beyond which

prices of particular goods should not be allowed to

increase. It indirectly restricts the rising prices and

the inflation is suppressed.

In view of severe scarcity of certain goods, particularly

food grains, the government may have to enforce

rationing along with price control. In short, monetary

fiscal controls may be used to repress excess demand

but direct control can be more useful when they are

applied to specific scarcity resources. Direct controls

are to be used only in extra ordinary circumstances

such as emergencies and not during peacetime.

4.Other measures:

Among other measures, it has been suggested that

production of certain articles of necessity, at the

expense of luxury goods can also-serve as an anti

inflationary measure, since they will help to keep prices

from rising rapidly.

In certain cases, relaxation of restrictions on imports

may also help to increase supplies of essential

commodities and ease the inflationary pressure. This,

however, is possible only to a limited extent, depending

upon the balance of payments situation. Similarly,

exports may also be reduced to increase the

availability of the domestic supply of essential

commodities so that inflation is eased. But a country

with a deficit balance of payments cannot dare to cut

exports and increase imports, because, in that case,

the remedy will be worse than the disease itself.

In an overpopulated country like India, it is also

essential to check the growth of the population through

an effective family planning program, because this will

help in reducing the increasing pressure on the general

demand for goods and services. Again, the supply of

real goods should be increased by producing more.

Without increasing production, inflation just cannot be

controlled.

Maheswaran K

Page 5

"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."

Napoleon Bonaparte

E-COMMERCE

Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce consists of the buying and selling of products or services

over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer networks. The amount of trade conducted electronically

has grown extraordinarily since the spread of the Internet. A wide variety of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring

and drawing on innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management,

Internet marketing, online transaction processing, electronic data interchange (EDI),

inventory management systems, and automated data collection systems. Modern

electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at some point in the

transaction's lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider range of technologies

such as e-mail as well.

A large percentage of electronic commerce is conducted entirely electronically for

virtual items such as access to premium content on a website, but most electronic commerce involves the transportation

of physical items in some way. Online retailers are sometimes known as e-tailers and online retail is sometimes known

as e-tail. Almost all big retailers have electronic commerce presence on the World Wide Web.

Electronic commerce that is conducted between businesses is referred to as Business-to-business or B2B. B2B can be

open to all interested parties (e.g. commodity exchange) or limited to specific, pre-qualified participants (private

electronic market).

Electronic commerce is generally considered to be the sales aspect of e-business. It also consists of the exchange of

data to facilitate the financing and payment aspects of the business transactions.

Process in E-commerce:

e-commerce consists of the

buying and selling of products

or services over electronic

systems such as the Internet

and other computer networks.

Business applications:

Some common applications related to electronic

commerce are the following:

� E-mail and messaging

� Content Management Systems

� Documents, spreadsheets, database

� Accounting and finance systems

� Orders and shipment information

� Enterprise and client information reporting

� Domestic and international payment systems

� Newsgroup

� On-line Shopping

� Messaging

� Conferencing

cont to next page

Nithya.M

Page 6

"Talent does what it can; genius does what it must."

Edward George Bulwer-Lytton

Disadvantages of E-commerce:

Stay Healthy in a Closed Environment

(Source : Business Today)

If you always suffer from headaches, you are not alone.

Such headaches are often accompanied by fatigue &

tired eyes, & could be due to office environment.

1. What is poor indoor air quality?

Most office buildings are air conditioned with poor supply

of fresh air. Physical factors such as air temperature,

humidity & air circulation affect general comfort & can

influence air quality.

Example: Excessive humidity can stimulate the growth of

microbes. If the air is too dry, static electricity builds up &

particles become suspended in the air where they can be

inhaled or cause skin rashes.

“The growing use of synthetic materials, office equipment (photocopiers & laser printers) dirt, & outdoor air pollution also contribute to indoor air contamination”.

Example: Software companies

2. How can it affect your health?

Poor quality air can irritate eyes, skin, nose & throat. It can cause fatigue, headaches & shortness of breath, sinus congestion & cough.

It makes you lose concentration, interest & you end up feeling irritable & unproductive. Breathing air pollutants can lead to allergies, infections & asthma.

3. What can you do about it?

The best way is to open your office windows regularly to let in fresh air. The air-conditioning system should ideally allow for 25% of fresh air to be circulated at all times. Alternatively, step out of the buildings at regular interval for a breather (rest).

Keep office temperature in the 20º Celsius range. Relative humidity should not exceed 60-70%. Generally, a well-designed & functioning air handling system can dilute potential pollutants within office settings.

Yalloji Rao

Page 7

"Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right."

Events and Happenings in NCRCL®

Henry Ford

Readers’ Corner

In his message for August, RSM has raised a very relevant topic of making our workplace more interesting. As they rightly say, ‘the secret of success is in making your vocation your vacation.’ We, at Bangalore, have tried to make our Saturday Interactive Sessions more productive by introducing a small award for the best session. The results have been encouraging with almost everybody taking keen interest in preparing and presenting the sessions.

Let us come up with more such simple, easy to implement ideas to make our work interesting. One idea per person will make it around 40 ideas which is great. These ideas can be discussed in this space, over coffee or lunch or while traveling to the clients’ place. If we are able to implement at least 3 such ideas each in Chennai and Bangalore, I think that would go a long way in making our work more interesting.

- Ashok Rao

Weekly Sessions held at NCRCL®

NCRCL® wishes the best of luck to our new family members

Sujatha Maheswaran K Ramachandran

NCRCL® bids farewell & wishes the best of luck to Deepa

Shalini & Mohanty conducting ‘Zaraa Hat

Ke’ - A Quiz. Roopa Kamath & Thiru talking on ‘IPL’

Ashok Rao & Sekhar talking on ’BRS’

“Values beyond Consulting” – the NCRCL® motto!

What does this mean to you?

Email your valuable insights and/or understanding of this phrase with your name to chennai@ncrcl.com or bangalore@ncrcl.com.

Your Opinion Counts!

Health & Fitness

- R Sriram

Global Warming

- Pavithra S

History of Chennai

— Aarif Khan

Vitality Thy Veda

— R. Ramachandran

“The Secret” - A Film

Page 8

NCR Consultants Limited

Bangalore Office:

147, 1st Floor, 11 C Cross, Behind G.D.Naidu Hall, Mahalakshmipuram, WCR II Stage,

Bangalore 560 086

Ph: +91 80 65737503

Fax: +91 80 23190143

email: bangalore@ncrcl.com

Regd Office:

2nd Floor, New No. 4, Old No. 23, C P Ramasamy Road, Alwarpet, Chennai 600 018

Ph: +91 44 2466 0955

Fax: +91 44 4218 5593

email: chennai@ncrcl.com

Website: www.ncrcl.com

What is the abbreviation of ‘SIM’ and when was it invented?

Send in your answers to the editor at bangalore@ncrcl.com

From the editor’s pen tip Dear Readers,

Send in your comments and suggestions to

bangalore@ncrcl.com.

Thank You...

Know Your Colleagues

Name: Deepak.S

DOB: 30/12/1978

Native of: Bangalore

Years with NCRCL: 5 Years

Qualification: B.Com

Job Profile: Consultant - BBMP FBAS

Other Interests: Playing Cricket, Music

Contact Details: deeps3012@gmail.com,

9845236304

My Role Model: A.P.J.Abdul Kalam

My Message: Think twice before act.

"Do, or do not. There is no 'try'."

Yoda

Happy Birthday to the Happy Birthday to the Happy Birthday to the Happy Birthday to the

September bornSeptember bornSeptember bornSeptember born

Archana.B.G - 04 sep

U.S.Mohanty - 04 Sep

R.S.Murali - 05 Sep

Tara Bevinje - 07 Sep

Roopa Kamath.K - 22 Sep

Birthday Wishes

Smile Zone

Smart Corner

� The right answer given by

Subba Rao & Rekha

!!! Congratulations !!!!!! Congratulations !!!!!! Congratulations !!!!!! Congratulations !!!

Answer for last month’s Smart Corner question:Answer for last month’s Smart Corner question:Answer for last month’s Smart Corner question:Answer for last month’s Smart Corner question:

It is the latest trend in financial reporting which aims to bring about standardization in the way financial information is reported across the World. It is based on open XML standards. What are we talking about?

Answer: Answer: Answer: Answer: Extensible Business Reporting Language known as XBRL in short.

One person is living in Jalander and his name is Jalander Singh.

If he comes out of that place, what will be his name?

Please, Don’t think much, his name will not change.