A Simple Strategic Framework

Many who read the blog title may opine that the phrases "Simple" and "Strategic Framework" do not go together!

However, H. James Wilson proposes exactly such a framework. While admitting that traditional strategic frameworks are rarely helpful to front-line practitioners, he draws upon a simple concept from his personal life as a trainer and racer in triathlons.

Wilson found that triathlon racers can be segmented into three categories based on which position they finish in. Those finishing middle or last seem to have just one goal - to somehow get into the segment which finishes first, i.e. move in that direction from one race to the next. Based on this concept, he asked three questions to several firms to assess where they were, and whether they were moving in the right direction.

You can read about his findings at the HBR Blogs. A rather short and simple read, this.

Wizard of Oddz

CRESCENT presents "Wizard of Oddz  - a multi round strategy based fun game."
Event open for the BM & IR guys of the junior batch.
Register in teams of 6.
Registration open only for the first six teams. Hurry up !!!

Have Breakfast... Or... Be Breakfast!

The title of this post is a perspective on competition given by the boss of an IT company.

In this classic article from The Wall Street Journal, Dr. Y.L.R. Moorthi elaborates on how one should not be myopic while considering the competitors of one's business.

The examples he gives drive home the point beautifully. So 'nuff said... Just read it here!

CREST July-August 2010

CREST, the e-magazine by CRESCENT is out with its July-August 2010 issue!

In this issue you will find...

-Unlocking Social Network Potential: How Farmville is capitalizing on Social Media Marketing

-Entrepreneurial Experiences: A chat with Dr. Amitabh Saran, Co-Founder of Buzzintown.com

-Start-Up Your Career: The pros and cons of beginning your career at a start-up

-Research for Better Management: The perspective of a doctorate student

-Campus Reporter: What CRESCENT's been upto!

You can find the entire issue here: CREST July-August 2010

Santosh Ostwal's "Jugaad"

The Economist this month talks of Jugaad, a term which Indian often use. It defines the term as "an inspired kind of duct-taped ingenuity that employs only the tools at hand."

The term is used in context with Santosh Ostwal's invention - a mobile-phone adaptation that triggers irrigation pumps remotely - which has made the lives of Indian farmers much easier.

Santosh Ostwal, an engineer, observed for several years, the difficulties his family (all farmers) faced because of erratic water and electric supply. With the help of his wife, Mr. Ostwal spent many years trying to solve the problem by making use of simple gadgets. Finally, on the Ganesh Chatuthi morning in 2003, he hit upon his present solution. His ingenious method is now used not only in India, but in Egypt and Australia as well.

You can read the full story here: Questions for Santosh Ostwal

Welcome!

While thinking of ways to increase online presence, CRESCENT felt that a Blog would be an ideal place to start. Not only for disseminating information, it would also be useful to stay in touch with those interested in our domains.

The primary objective of this blog is to bring to you'll resources from across the web at a single point. So you can expect to see links to articles/studies/opinions/papers/contests/anything else under the CRESCENT domain in the following posts. These would often be accompanied by our own opinions.

Since this forum is for the readers, we would love to have contributions from you as well - either through material for the blog or plain & simple feedback!

Hope you find this initiative useful...