Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Freaking out on 'Freakonomics'

"... an immutable law of labor: when there are a lot of people willing and able to do a job, that job generally doesn't pay well. This is one of four meaningful factors that determine a wage. The others are the specialized skills a job requires, the unpleasantness of a job, and the demand for services that the job fulfills.

The delicate balance between these factors explains why, for instance, the typical prostitute earns more than the typical architect. It may not seem as though she should. The architect would appear to be more skilled (as the word is usually defined) and better educated (again, as usually defined). But little girls dont grow up dreaming of becoming prostitutes, so the supply of potential prostitutes is relatively small. Their skills, while not necessarily "specialised", are practised in a very specialised context. The job is unpleasant and forbidding in at least two significant ways: the likelihood of violence and the lost opportunity of having a stable family life. As for demand? Let's just say an architect is more likely to hire a prostitute than vice versa."

- "Freakonomics", Steven D. Levitt, pg. 105-106

Friday, September 15, 2006

So Far So Good...

2 months in media... and I've loved every bit of it....

Some key insights about this job and the previous one (consulting):

Boss in consulting: This is a very critical project for us Ashish
Boss in media: Ashish, this shit is fuckin' big man!

Client in consulting: The deliverables were well achieved Mr. Biswas
Client in media (top film-maker): Sahi re... Ma c*** daali!

My 'to-do list' in consulting:
Decide SBU level variables for the Incentive system, decide weightages
Send mail to Ying Pee Lung on workforce strategy trends, attrition rates and sectoral performance of Indian Manufacturing Sector
Prepare proposal for Airport privatisation

My 'to-do list' in media:
Meet Sajid and prepare plan for 'Jaanemann'
Check with NDTV on DON promotion plan
Call Prax and figure out integration with Roadies 4

Events attended in Consulting:
Rick Payne workshop on International Position Evaluation methodology
Seminar on Key HR challenges in Asia
Workshop on: India v/s China: Imperatives and Impediments

Events attended in Media:
Premiere show of "My Super-ex girlfriend"
Special show of "Pya ke Side Effects"
Branded Entertainment Awards (will happen tomorrow)

All in all, this seems like much more fun! Thats not to say that consulting was a crap job, but it just wasnt for me!



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