A Glimpse into Multicultural Advertising

We live in an advertising-driven world. Of course, this is a world that we have created. We don't enjoy paying full price for products, so we let others pay a portion of the price in exchange for passing a message on to us. So, when we open our favorite magazine, there are dazzling advertisements for clothes, shoes, vehicles, and alcohol. When we turn on the television, we are greeted by cheerful faces attempting to sell us soup, toothpaste, sweets, and politicians.

What we often don't realize is if what we're seeing is an international brand's ad, then it will have a very similar ad in different parts of the country too. While we might only be seeing a part of it in India, ads like this will be aired in all parts of the world. When the same ad is portrayed almost the same way, it becomes a sort of multicultural marketing. Multicultural marketing is crucial because it recognizes the value of your audience's uniqueness and embraces them. Multicultural marketing allows brands to directly appeal to different subgroups and persuade them to engage with the brand.

To drive the point home, the ad I have taken here is made by Coca-Cola. A very famous aerated beverage, Coca-Cola is the favorite of a lot of people. So it is no surprise that it has advertisements aired in almost all parts of the world. The advertisement we are taking into consideration is that of a teenage girl who falls for a handsome hunk who drinks the beverage in a very dreamy way. This particular advertisement was aired in many parts of the world with the tagline, "Taste the Feeling." 

In this ad, you can see how everything is the same from the dress the actors are made to wear to how the ad is structured. Although the three ads are from three different parts of the world such as Asia, Europe, and Africa, it tries to portray the same emotion. If we try to find the physical differences that can be seen in the ad, those are very minor things like the Asian girl eating a lollipop and having more Asian-oriented food preferences in the background when compared to the other two ads. 

When going into detail about the multicultural appeal these ads have, it is safe to say that it does have a strong appeal in itself. It's all about personalizing your message to the people you're marketing to in multicultural marketing. The days of a single message that worked for all demographics are long gone. To be successful with a marketing campaign these days, you must consider not only ethnicity but also trends and pop-cultural allusions. This is exactly what these advertisements have done. Based on the particular region they are marketing for, they have tailored the ad according to the area they are marketing in. 

As for the target audience or the TA of this ad, it is directed at youth from the age of 20 to early '30s. This ad showcases tones of flirtation, seduction, playfulness, cuteness, and beauty. While the heroine of the ad is a young girl who's bored sitting at the store, the hero of the ad is a handsome guy who the teenage girl instantly falls for. Meanwhile, the unintended TA of the ad would be people who are already addicted to Coca-Cola, people who have liked the ad, and young children who easily get influenced by almost anything. 

Although this gives you an idea about what multicultural advertising is and how a simple advertisement differs from region to region, This happens as consumers now, more than ever, demand authenticity and humanity from their sellers. Being genuine fosters trust, mutual goals, and a sense of security that you, as a vendor, empathise with and understand your customers. 

Letter from a Chatterbox

It was two days ago that Whatsapp, Facebook, and Instagram crashed and majority of the world spiralled into what is known as a social media blackout. Not using my phone for quite some time got me thinking, "what would life be like without social media?" I cannot even think of a life without social media. The constant catching up with friends, stalking celebrities, and sending memes. Whatever would I do in a social media blackout? When my cousin put up a status saying that the social media blackout made him realise how cool his wife was, it made me laugh. Then, it got me thinking. Has it really come to a situation where we need a legit social media blackout to force us to 'sit and talk' to each other?

That being said, my most preferred form of communication will always be talking to people when they're just an arm's distance away from me. I don't like texting people, I sure do like calling people. However, there's nothing quite like looking into the eyes of a person and talking to them about everything under the sun. I am old-school that way. I do not want to 'Whatsapp' you, neither do I want to 'DM' you. If there's something I need to tell you, I will rather do it over call or just come over to your home and talk to you. 

There's no such preferred platform as such I would choose for my preferred form of communication. As it's just talking to the people around you, you simply need to do one thing, go up to them, open your mouth, and talk. Although it now seems hard for a lot of people especially after the pandemic and all, nothing speaks comfort to me like talking to a person about anything and everything. Even though the world is changing and people prefer 'digital' than 'traditional', I will always be that one old soul who can keep all her digital 'helpers' away and talk away the night with her close ones. 

To connect with different people, both old and new, I just talk. If it's a new person who's some into my life, I strike up a conversation with them to know what they and I have in common. If it's someone who has been in my life for sometime now, then they already know by now that I talk, a lot. So social media blackout or not, it may feel a little weird without my memes, video calls, and messages, but I will always love to talk! 

'ZODIAC'- MOVIE REVIEW

A movie based on the life of the infamous 'Zodiac Killer' that shook America, Zodiac is a movie critically acclaimed by people all around the world. From the honest opinion of a movie lover, the film starts off slow and boring, but if you are a person who gets obsessed with the lives of serial killers like I do, then this movie is for you!

The movie tells the story of the real-life zodiac killer, who struck California in the late 60's and 70's, and left a huge trail of bodies all over the city. A mix of all things, the movie is a police procedural, part monster movie, and ends up making you think about another of Fincher's masterpiece, the famous movie, Seven.

Informed by history and steeped in pulp fiction, “Zodiac” stars a trio of beauties — Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo — who are all at the top of their game and recorded by cinematographer Harris Savides in out-of-sight high-definition digital. Mr. Gyllenhaal, who plays real-life cartoonist turned writer Robert Graysmith, is the show's sly star, but he doesn't emerge from the shadows until the bodies and inquiries have subsided. Mr. Ruffalo struts his stuff as Dave Toschi, the San Francisco police detective who taught Steve McQueen how to wear a gun in "Bullitt" and pursued Zodiac close to the ground. Mr. Downey plays Paul Avery, a showboating newspaper reporter who chased the killer in print, while Mr. Downey plays Paul Avery, a showboating newspaper reporter who chased the killer in print.

Zodiac is the serial killer version of "All the President's Men," with Woodward and Bernstein replaced by a cop and a cartoonist, respectively. It's not only "based" on the infamous Zodiac killings in California; it seems to radiate the case's odour and provocation. The killer, who was never apprehended, left so many clues that Sherlock Holmes might have solved the case while sitting in his sitting room. Only a newspaper cartoonist with enough tenacity and perseverance could build together a convincing case against a man who was maybe guilty. 

The way "Zodiac" avoids chases, shootouts, grandstanding, and false climaxes and instead follows the plodding course of police work is what makes it authentic. In the same manner that Woodward and Bernstein knocked on a lot of doors, made a lot of phone calls, and met a lot of unusual people, the detectives and Graysmith take strange paths in their investigation. We're concerned about Graysmith's naivete and risk-taking because he's unarmed and civilian, especially during a journey to a basement that is, in its own way, one of the best moments I've ever seen along those lines.

Although the movie is all about finding the Zodiac Killer, the way it connects to everything around you is when you see the characters developing and evolving as the movie progresses. Just like in "All The President's Men", although a large chunk of the movie talks about a real-life issue, the movie also gives equal importance to the characters changing into people they weren't at the beginning of the movie. 

My List of Emotions

 Everybody goes through a surge of emotions in life. And these are the things that made me feel those emotions in the past year:

1. FEAR: I have an insane fear of frogs. Ever since I have been little, I have always been scared of frogs. This past year, it looks like my fear of frogs have only increased. When it starts to rain, I can hear the frogs croaking their heart out. This is enough for me to stay inside until I can be sure that the sound cannot be heard anymore. I plan on overcoming this fear, but I don't see it happening anytime soon. 

2. LIKE: Over the past year or so, I have developed a liking for Mcaffeine products. As I started using them, I realized the changes that were happening to my skin. It became softer and smoother than before. And unlike other brands that used to harm my skin, on the contrary, Mcaffeine caused a real change!

3. LOVE: Just like the emotion suggests, I have always been in love with my dogs and my family. And, just like everyone, in the past year, all of us were stuck at home. To say that this brought us closer together would be an understatement. Now, no matter what, it is compulsory at our home to have one meal together. 

4. HATE: The one thing that I have always hated is papayas. I don't know why, but I have never been a fan of them. In a lockdown, we had a surplus of papayas at home, and just like everyone else, I was forced to eat them. Trust me, every single time I ate it, I hated it more. I think it is safe to say papayas will forever be on my list of hatred. 

5. AGREE: I always agree to eat chicken. No matter what mood I am in, or what I am feeling, I am always agreeing to eat anything made with chicken. In the last year, my intake of this product has increased. What I once used to eat once a month has become once in two weeks now. 

6. DISAGREE: I for one, have never been a person to support the current government. Just as I understand that people have various opinions, this is mine. Although some steps taken were commendable, I am not one to support them. After the arrival of the infamous virus, I seem to have more problems with them. 

7. WANT: I have always wanted a Mac of my own. The laptop by Apple has always fascinated me and kept me wanting it. I have started working in the last year and earning money. So, I have decided to save money and buy myself a Mac!

8. WISH YOU HAVE: I wish I would have the ability to organize things properly. For some time now, I have been hooked on videos of people restocking their drawers and fridges. Although it excites me a lot, I have never been one person who has been organized. However, I feel like this video might bring about a change in me. 

9. WOULD NEVER WANT: I would never want to come second again in a competition. Ever since I have started doing my Master's, I have always been coming second in all the pitches that have been happening in college. Although coming second and not winning has taught me a lot, I would just like to come first for once. 

10. BELIEVE IN: I have always had a strong belief in God. Never have I questioned hid doings. I do think that my faith in him has helped me power through the past year. Whenever the going got tough, I always turned to him, and he showed me the way. Even though I saw more downs than ups, I am happy that he is there to support me. 

Can a Person's Personality Change?

 "Hard work beats talents every time."

No personality and behavior will ever be the same when we are comparing two people. Especially when it comes to a workplace like a stock exchange, the personality you don will play a major role in your working methods. Some people truly believe that working in a stock exchange is just like conning someone of their livelihood. However, is it true? Let's find out.

Every workplace environment is different. While some can be pretty relaxing and stress-free, others can be pressuring, and filled with stress. No matter where you work, your personality and behavior play a major role in shaping you to be the professional you are. If you have been taught about sportsmanship from your early years, the failures that you face in your workplace will not be a problem for you. Even if you do face a failure which might be the cause for a setback, you'll learn that it's just going to motivate you further. These are the people who never give up, no matter what they face in life. 

Then there are people who just want to become rich. By hook or by crook, they just want to lead a luxurious life. And to attain this, they will go to any extent possible. Such people will be cunning, sly, and master manipulators. They will have good knowledge on how to make money by duping other people. For them, friends, family, co-employees, and everyone else that crosses paths with them are just that. They don't care about their well-being or happiness. 

Like mentioned before, people have various personalities. While some people become a certain way because of their upbringing, some behaviors are definitely intrinsic to the individual themself. For eg) We can see how Leonardo Di Caprio's character Jordan Belfort in the Wolf of Wall Street becomes attracted towards prostitution and drugs after he sees his bosses indulging in such activities. He also turns towards all of this after this becomes his first interaction with the real world. However, in the Boiler Room, Giovanni Ribsi's character Seth Davis decided to stop illegal stock brokerage after he realizes the consequences his action had on one of his clients. 

These movies show us that while some behaviors belong to some people no matter the situations they face in life, there are chances for a person's personality to change after a life-altering or life-changing occurrence. While some people do not change their personality even after several reasons to change it, others make a change mostly after they face a make-or-break situation. The perfect example for this is shown in the movie 'Catch Me If You Can'. Even after several close calls with the police and the FBI, our hero Frank Abagnale, played by Leonardo Di Caprio, doesn't change his ways of conning people, saying that he is how he is because of his upbringing. Finally when he is caught, he manages to turn his life around after an officer tells him that he has the potential to live a happy and content life. All of these movies further add on to people's belief that you have the power to change your personality around, if you put your mind to it. 

 

Do Emotions Play with our Moods?

We are often unaware of how our feelings and behaviors interact, and as a result of this interaction, modifying our behaviors can significantly impact our emotions. Changes in key behaviors can also help people overcome depression, and for many young people, this is the most direct way to help them change their moods.

Wishes, dreams, plans, predictions, decisions, and memories are examples of mental processes we refer to when we say "thoughts." Thoughts often include phrases, but they may also include images, speech, or even smells. Much of the time, we aren't aware of our thoughts; they operate in the background, assisting us in making choices and performing a variety of tasks. When we try to solve a puzzle, recall a past incident, or complete a specific task, such as writing a letter to a friend or learning a foreign language, we become aware of our feelings.

We all know that emotions are different from one individual to another. While a particular situation may make you feel scared, it might make me feel angry at the same time. You never know what one might be feeling, until and unless you actually ask them about it. It is very fascinating that a situation can make you feel many things, all at the same time. In "A Beautiful Mind", you can see how Nash suffers from schizophrenia. Although the life of John has not been shown accurately, the depiction of schizophrenia is pretty accurate. In a scene you can see him lovingly talk to his wife, when in the next instant, he attacks her thinking that she is one of his imaginations. 

Two movies in completely different genres- 'Duel' and 'A Beautiful Mind'. One is a psychological thriller, while the other is the autobiography of the famous Nobel Prize winning mathematician John Nash. But do you know what binds these two movies together? Emotions. It is the various emotions and thoughts that the protagonists of the movie go through, that makes it the same.

As mentioned before, 'A Beautiful Mind' tells the story of John Nash, a world-famous mathematician who had to fight a deadly mental disease to come out victorious on the other side. A schrizophrenic person, he thinks that people are out to get him and confides in his friends. The tragic twist however is that the friends that he confides in, are all in his imagination, In this case, feelings and emotions play a nasty role in his life, messing up his personal and professional lives. It is only by the end of the movie he manages to fight his imagination and decides to live with his dastardly figments within him.

In Duel, what starts off as a small fight, ends up being costly for the hero of the movie. On a trip, when he overtakes a truck on the highway, he never realizes that this would be a life-changing situation for him. However, when he goes to other people and tries telling them that a truck is out to get him, nobody believes him, although he is not a shrizophrenic manic.

Well, that is how life is. Unless and until you are in a particular situation just like another person, no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to understand what they are feeling or what are they emoting. But, a major thing we have to understand is that the state of mind you are in right now will always end up altering the way you see your surroundings. It might be difficult to express yourself during certain times in your life. However, it is totally up to you if you want to express what you are feeling or not. After all, you are living your life. Not anyone else's. 

Here's Why F.R.I.E.N.D.S is better than HIMYM!

Both shows, of which one started a decade after its predecessor’s beginning, resulted in a fan fight between the two shows’ fans. While both the shows told similar stories albeit with some slight differences, it was easy for fans to fight for their favorite show. However, which is the best show amongst them and why is it F.R.I.E.N.D.S?

Started in 1994, F.R.I.E.N.D.S told the story of six friends who lived in New York City, juggling life, love, and work. A sitcom at its best and with 10 seasons, the show never fails to amaze its audience, even 27 years after its inception. Boasting of a stellar cast comprising of Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, and Matt Le Blanc, the show has been around for more than 25 years now and strongly believes that it will still be there for 50 more years.

With its inception in 2005, How I Met Your Mother (HIMYM) tells the story of Ted Mosby telling his children about how they met their mother, the titular character. It spans nine seasons, where till the ninth season, Ted only talks about all the adventures he had with his four best friends, up until meeting the love of his life. This show too had a pretty good cast including Neil Patrick Harris, Cobie Smulders, Jason Segal, Alyson Hannigan, and Josh Radnor as Ted Mosby. While both the shows seem to have a different plot, it's almost the same thing. A group of friends understanding life and love through their late 20’s and 30’s.

There are several reasons one might cite when they say that they like F.R.I.E.N.D.S more than How I Met Your Mother. Some of them being, the latter is based out of the former, F.R.I.E.N.D.S has a better cast, etc. Being a hardcore F.R.I.E.N.D.S lover, I have my reasons too. But let me tell you F.R.I.E.N.D.S is better than HIMYM with some help from facts and figures.

While F.R.I.E.N.D.S lasted for 10 seasons, HIMYM only ran for nine. The former boasts of one of the highest viewership for a serious finale with 52.5 million viewers, with HIMYM having only 10.5 million people that viewed its finale. Although the difference is not much, F.R.I.E.N.D.S also has a higher IMDB rating of 8.9, when compared to HIMYM’s 8.5. Another point to be noted is that while all the cast members of F.R.I.E.N.D.S got paid an equal amount of $1 million per episode, Neil Patrick Harris was the highest-paid cast member of HIMYM.

Some other reasons I truly believe was the reason for F.R.I.E.N.D.S’ success over HIMYM is that the on/off romance between Ross and Rachel in the former was definitely supreme than the Ted and Robin romance in the latter. While both shows had a womanizer, F.R.I.E.N.D.S pulled it off better with the lovable Joey than HIMYM’s lovable yet disgusting Barney Stinson. Although I can go on and on about why F.R.I.E.N.D.S will be always better than How I Met Your Mother, I think this is enough for now.

Ethics In Competitive Business

Business ethics is a set of moral and ethical principles that govern a company's values, behaviors, and decisions and its employees' values, behaviors, and decisions. While some business ethics comes into play during minimum wage, environmental regulations, etc, other things can be considered business ethics. However, what each corporate or company considers business ethics changes according to the trends and techniques that are being followed today. 

One of the main ethics businesses usually fight with, is the fact that who are they responsible to. All companies are always concerned about profitability. Especially to satisfy their stakeholders, companies thrive to achieve increasing profits every year. However, while doing this, what most companies forget is that they undertake any methods to attain their goal. These methods can be annoying or problematic, but an unethical method is always an unethical method. 

The answer to this question is really simple. If the company CEO and the others realize who their actions will affect and the impact it can have, this, in turn, can easily help them realize the company's values and what they actually have to abide by. This will help them understand the ethics they have vowed to follow and what would be unethical for their company. 

Most of the long-lasting damage that a company incurs is due to lost trust. While you join a new company, you are always wary of your employees and the trust you have in them. However, you start trusting them after you take in the company's values and ideas. But, this trust that you have in them can be misused. For instance, if you are a hardworking person and is passionate about your job, and want to rise in ranks, your superiors can misuse the trust you have in them by asking or rather forcing you to take the fall for an issue or circumstance that might show them in a bad light. With fake promises overbearing you, you will blindly decide to take the fall for them and then be trapped in the maze of so-called 'corporate ethics'. 

The role of business is to meet human needs – not just for ethical reasons, but also for financial reasons. These business interests are intertwined to create a business model that generates income in the end. Focusing solely on revenues rather than the underlying business model can lead to short-sighted decisions that erode a company's ability to fulfill its mission. 

We also have to understand business ethics has been a part of the MBA curriculum for a really long time now. And it is not an optional subject, but a subject that is central to the course that they are learning. This course is taught to inspire students, who, after all, aspire to be tomorrow's business leaders, to think about the ethical aspects of decision-making, whether it's marketing responsibly, sales practises, supply chain management, or anything else.

Do Founders' Values Matter to a Company?

During the initial days of starting a company, the founders go through the usual physical and emotional turmoil. Other than setting up the company, they also have to take a stand on what is going to be the company's culture. Although a founder might think that a company's culture is just being friendly to their employees and holding parties on a Friday, that doesn't necessarily tell you about the company's culture or values. The company's culture is defined by the founder and what it means for them. 

While most founders give more priority to increasing their sales and buying proposition, what they don't realize is that their company's culture begins from the day they hire the first employee. It is the founders' responsibility to ensure that they proactively introduce a positive and unique company culture that gets carried on by the employees of the company. For instance, if the founder of the company is extremely progressive, sooner or later, the company's culture is going to be progressive as well. 

While it is the founder's responsibility to define the culture that will be followed by the company, it is the senior leadership's job to make sure that they help employees demonstrate the company's culture by practicing it. By ensuring that their team members follow the culture, they are also ensuring that the cultural importance and values are followed across the organization. 

Another thing that we have to understand is that values also play an important role in shaping the culture of a company. The values are a guiding force for all the employees of the company. If you lose connection with the values that your organization follows, we'll feel that we are lost and need help. Values definitely help a person know their position in the company. 

If it is to express the kinds of ideals it holds and how it expects its citizens to act, an organization must be transparent about why it exists. Pursuing income alone will never inspire people in the same way that pursuing a goal will. Purpose transforms you from a manager to a mobilizer. And organizations that prioritize mission consistently outperform those that do not.

Traditional organizations are those that were established in the twentieth century. These typical organizations have a hierarchical organizational structure. This ensures that the organization's strength is distributed vertically and upwardly. Employees of this form of the company follow a chain of command, with higher positions conferring greater organizational importance. Each department has its own departmental manager, who is responsible for all of the department's employees. The Manager reports to the department director. All of the responsibilities In these forms of conventional organizations, the hierarchical organization structure is followed in this way.

Organizations that have arisen in this century are known as modern organizations. To achieve great results for their organization, this type of organization believes in in-network partnerships and collaboration. This form of the modern company rapidly upgrades its technology and working patterns to keep up with the modern world's changing trends.

Some of the differences between traditional and modern organizations are:

1. Flexibility

Modern organizations are dynamic whereas traditional organizations are rigid. This actually keeps on changing according to the current scenario as in the yesteryears, organizations were stable in what they did and had rigid methodologies for working. As times changed, so did the organizations. New-age organizations realized that they had to be much more flexible if they wanted to be No.1 in their area of expertise. 

2. Point of Focus

While traditional organizations are job-focused, the organizations of today are skill-focused. Today, while organizations offer jobs to people, they offer it depending on the competency of the employee. After having a good look at the employee's skill-set only will they employ them. Working for a company today is not just about doing the job, but also having extra skills that can make you an all-rounder. 

When comparing traditional and modern organizations, I discovered that traditional organizations have a simpler structure than any modern organization. For every typical organization's employer, their responsibilities and roles are very clear. They usually have set duties, which makes working in a typical company simpler. When comparing traditional and modern organizations, I discovered that the traditional organization's structure is simpler. For every typical organization's employer, it is very easy to grasp their responsibilities and duties. They usually have pre-determined roles, which makes working in a typical company more convenient.

The Challenges of Managing a Multi-Cultural Team

Although leading a team for a global competition sounds exciting, you never know about the challenges that follow until you put on those shoes. Leading and managing a multi-cultural team is really hard as you have to learn how to accommodate each and everyone according to their likes and dislikes. Your culture and your language are some of the major things that make you the individual that you are. However, while working in a multi-cultural group, these two factors can be the same reason why you might face several obstacles while connecting with others. 

As a leader of one of the teams of the Globcom Project, a global communications project to pitch new PR and marketing ideas for a company, I had my own share of problems while managing this extremely multi-cultural team. 

1. Overcoming language barriers

One of the major problems that I faced while leading my team was the various language issues. While some people were only comfortable with speaking English, some others were comfortable with understanding English, but could not speak the language properly. Although we consider English the universal language, there were some people who just couldn't get a hold of the language. We had teammates from Lithuania, Barcelona, Russia, and Germany. While all of them talked English, understanding them was another ball game. To solve this major issue, I decided to help anyone who was having trouble understanding by explaining things to them in a much simpler way. We also made it normal in our team to tell each other to repeat themselves if we had a problem understanding what the other person said. 

2. Planning projects around various time zones

Given the fact I was the leader, I was the one responsible for organizing meetings wherein we would discuss each others' roles and what would be made of the final presentation to our client. However, organizing meetings was definitely not an easy task. Since all of us lived in different time zones, it was hard enough for us to decide on a particular time zone by which we would decide the timings of the meetings. Once we took a final decision on that, it was time to decide on when we will be having the meeting. When the majority voted for a particular time, there were a few people who were either in class or working at that time. While we did want to accommodate everyone during the meeting, we did not have one meeting where all of us attended the meeting as a team. Finally, my deputy and I decided to hold meetings according to the teams which we had divided them into so that at least a representative from each team would attend our discussions. 

3. Allowing time to research whenever they needed it 

Although we would give them ample time to research and submit the final documents as each stage passes by, there arose some situations where we had to give them extra time taking into account the fact that all of them lived in different time zones. While some of them could gather together to finish the task that was given to them, others just couldn't join them due to prior commitments. I had to understand that as all of them lived in various time zones, we had to give them more time than was needed to finish up the task that was required of them. 

Managing a team of members from various cultural backgrounds can be difficult. Make every effort to make your coworkers feel at ease in the workplace. Since acquiring the required collection of skills necessitates a significant amount of effort, use this article as a resource if you're having trouble. We hope that these suggestions will assist you in effectively managing your multicultural squad.

Is Leadership the same everywhere?

 

What is leadership? To you, a leader might be your college principal, dance teacher, or the President of the nation. To me, it might be my mother, my father, or even my best friend. What most of us fail to realize is that a leader lives in all of us. Most of us don't even understand that when the time comes, the leader in us will emerge and lead the way. However, there are several challenges that one has to face when it comes to leading a company or even the armed forces.

A few days back, I got the opportunity to watch two brilliant movies- Guru and Few Good Men. In Guru, the movie talks about the life of Dhirubhai Ambani, and how he rose to power. Albeit a few fictional songs and some aesthetic scenes to add to the beauty of the movie, it gives the viewers a pretty good idea about the hardships he went through to establish a titan of a company, Reliance Pvt. Limited. However, his life and his life's achievement was not without its challenges. While being the leader of a company there are several challenges that one will have to face. 

1. Being an inspiration to others: This is the challenge of being able to motivate others and inspire them enough to work for your company. While it sounds like an easy task, it is not one that you dole out to your employees. You have to drill it into your employees' minds that what they are working for is worthwhile, what they are doing will bring a change in the world. 

2. Having self-confidence: Although it sounds easy, being self-confident is not a simple task to accomplish. While it may seem like all those who become leaders are self-confident, they always have a grain of self-doubt in them. A good leader is one who overcomes it and manages to confidently lead his/her company. 

3. Managing stakeholders: This basically encapsulates the management of relationships, politics, and image. While managing a company's stakeholders, a leader has to ensure that they gain managerial support, managing the company-stakeholder relation, and getting buy-ins from other departments, groups, or individuals. 

Like mentioned before, I also watched Few Good Men. Other than having stellar performances from Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise, the movie is a brilliant insight into the true workings of the armed forces. The story is about a soldier who dies just days before his transfer. When red lights start popping in his death, a court martial is ordered to figure out if a "code red" had been carried out to kill the soldier. A brilliant commentary on the sinister faces of the armed forces, the movie also talks about the leadership challenges the armed forces face. 

1. Leadership for new roles: Being a leader in the armed forces not only is a lot of pressure, there is a lot of adaptability involved as well. Based on the operation you are undertaking, your role will change. The non-traditional roles like peace corps, non-combat roles, etc keep on growing based on which your leadership style may change. 

2. Increasing non-traditional roles: As mentioned above, being a leader in the armed forces is not easy. We can see an increase in the number of non-traditional roles a leader has to portray. So based on that, leaders will need to have an expansive knowledge set and additional skills to adapt to whatever situation befalls them. 

3. Maintaining technologically driven change: Future warfare seems to be that; futuristic. We will definitely be seeing a lot more of modern technology being used in wars. The technological revolution is likely to intensify, leading not only to new weapon systems, but also to information revolution which will change the nature of war. Technologically-driven change puts constant pressure on military organizations to reinvent themselves. Successful leaders have to be proactive engineers of change.

As we all know, there are lesser women in the corporate section. While there may be 20 men CEOs, the women CEOs might just be 3. Although they work just as well as men do, women don't seem to get the recognition they deserve. With ideas and thoughts that are powerful and can bring changes in a company, women get paid very less when compared to men who do the same job. No matter what, be it in a sexist or non-feminist way, we can definitely see gender influence playing a major role in various companies. 

Moving on to the armed forces, the grass is definitely not greener on the other side. Even there, it looks like women are grossly under-represented when compared to men- especially in combat roles. Most of the armed forces feel like women are not as capable as men when it comes to combat and can also cause 'distraction' on the battlefield. Be it the lawyers or even Army doctors, they too are always considered feminine and suppresses by saying that a man can do their job better. 

Does Culture Influence Marketing and Business?

People around the world know the importance of making a business succeed. However, most of them think a business is just about principles and making money out of the business. A layman ends up assuming that culture and its issues that may follow do not matter. But, what we have to understand is that people will only do business with people they trust and like. And for this to happen, culture plays a major role in it. 

Like you would be thinking right now, the impact culture has on a business or management principle is indeed high. Culture is a decisive factor in how employees are treated in the company and what values and priorities are followed. It also influences the decision taken in the functional areas of marketing, sales, and distribution. You might have not heard this before, but culture can also influence a business's decision on what is the best way to enter new markets. Let's take a look at how culture can influence various businesses and markets in different countries. 

Starbucks, one of the best coffee retailers in the world, faced a financial crisis in 2008. Due to the rapid expansion, they were undergoing, Starbucks ended up facing a financial meltdown that was more than they could overcome. One of the major reasons for this crisis was the economic crises in the US and the world economy. The second reason was something that was mentioned before, their rapid expansion strategy. These two factors and an added competition from McDonald's resulted in them losing their customers and audience. By March 2008, their profit had fallen 28% as compared to last year's. As a result, they also had to lay off 12000 job positions. Even loyal customers who were interested in only buying from Starbucks switched to other brands as the rapid expansion caused the customers to lose out on the unique experience they enjoyed while they ordered from Starbucks. Now, how did Starbucks solve the crisis? Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks realized that their growth strategy was the root cause of their downfall. To come back stronger than ever, they decided to implement a technology-oriented strategy. A community involvement tactic was introduced to include both customers and employees. In 2008 itself, Starbucks came up with an idea called "My Starbucks Idea" where customers could voice their opinions on everything from management to instore music. This idea ended up becoming a huge success. From this, over 100 ideas were implemented. This helped them reignite the brand trust they used to have before. They also introduced another idea where customers could personalize their drinks and others could buy them as well. This was known as "My Starbucks Signature." They also included the employees and baristas who worked for them to put in their ideas and concerns. This was how Starbucks helped itself come out of the financial crisis they were in. 

In Japan, Odakyu Electric Railways are one of the major players when it comes to transportation. Every day, they carry around 2.1 million passengers to their destinations. Odakyu also owns the largest fleet of buses in Japan and taxis as well. In recent years, Odakyu has been fighting actively against climate changes and looking for eco-friendly options to travel. As an addition to this, Odakyu decided to partner with Shotl, a mobility platform in Spain. Through a network of small buses and vans, they aim to reduce the carbon footprint transportation causes on the environment. The goal of this company is to give valuable options of transportation to areas with a higher population. In 2019, Odakyu was looking to partner with a company to develop a new on-demand public transport. That's when they heard of Shotl and decided to partner with them They wanted to build an on-demand transport that picks up and drops people in real-time based on their demands. This partnership also looks at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality. This is also aimed at people who can travel freely without having any restrictions due to their age, physical fitness, or other issues. 

The Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd or AMUL in India has one of the best success stories ever seen in the world. It involves the production of milk, cheese, and various ice cream flavors. These products are marketed through 50 sales offices throughout India and 50,000 retail stores. When they realized that the traditional way of marketing will not help them reach their goals. In 1995, AMUL decided to adopt the "Information Technology Strategy". Ever since then, they have seen a great rise in their sales and marketing. All the employees who work there since then, have had to receive training in e-commerce. Now, they only recruit e-literate people. AMUL cyber stores have now been set up in 150 areas around India, the United States of America, Singapore, and Dubai. All of these run-of-the-mill changes were accomplished in less than five years, especially when AMUL was categorized as an infrastructure that had weak technology and heavily relied on "look and feel" of their products. 

India and her Foreign Relationships

 

When it comes to India and her foreign relations, those are many in number. From ever-changing relations with the USA to a relationship of war and agony with Pakistan, we have our own trysts with foreign relations. Through this blog, we'll be learning about the impacts various nations have on India's foreign policies and relations. 

Let's start off with India's most famous relationship, with that of Pakistan. Earlier this month, the border of the nations was facing gunfire and attacks. A usual sight for the citizens of both the nations, the situation prolonged for a long time. As always, they were fighting for capturing Kashmir and making it a part of their respective nation. What started off as gunfire, went ahead and became warfare. On 24th February, the military generals of both armies decided to cease warfare. They decided that there will be no more firing and peace was restored. Although peace has been restored, nobody knows when the next conflict will start.

As for India, the short-term impact they face here is that they may have lost military personnel and gun powder as well. The nation has brought more strain to the already strained relationship they were having with Pakistan. They will now have to enter into long talks with their political counterparts in Pakistan. The nation will also have to justify its stand on why there was firing. The long-term impact is also not surprising. Our relationship with Pakistan will remain the same. Or else, it's only going to become worse. The fight for Kashmir is going to continue. There will be more firing and more peace treaties signed. 

Israel and India have always had good relations with each other. From a long time ago, the two countries have had extensive economic, military, and strategic relationships. When Israel faced tough situations or issues, India has always been there to help. Israel is represented in India through an embassy in New Delhi and one consulate each in Mumbai and Bengaluru. As per the reports of 2014, India is the third-largest Asian trade partner of Israel and the tenth-largest trade partner overall. 

So when the news came that Israel has decided to give it's surplus Covid vaccines to less fortunate countries like Latin America and Palestine, India was really happy. India has also mentioned in its foreign policy about Palestine's integral part. The country also recognizes Palestine Liberal Organisation as well. But the surprise came when the Israel Prime Minister decided to freeze the exports of the surplus vaccines. 

As for the short-term impacts, India would have thought that Palestine is going to benefit from the vaccines, and this would have in turn further strengthened Indo-Israel relations. India would have had a better relation with Israel and further exchange of trade would have taken place. However, in this situation, it seems like the Indo-Israel situation will become strained. This sudden change of plans will have India wondering about Palestine's supply of Covid vaccines. The trust that they had in Israel for supplying the surplus vaccines may worsen the relation. 

We can see how the USA is planning to talk to the Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia. Although India has a good relationship with the countries of the Middle East, we were not in that good of terms with America when Trump was in charge of the nation. But, all that may change now.

The short-term impact is that based on the relations the USA may build with Saudi, there may be changes in the relationship between Saudi Arabia and India. As for the long-term impact, ever since Biden has come into power, we might get to see a better and developed relationship between both the nations.