Going by the past record of UN Climate Conferences, the latest one that concluded in Glasgow a few days ago was no different. It was a repeat of the same old discussions, the same sticking points, the same contentious issues, and finally the usual watered-down statement that is palatable to all. That is because it’s… Continue reading Why COP26 Is a Missed Opportunity
In this month’s Owleye column, only the second since I began writing it last month, I would like to focus on China and its huge debt crisis, which leads to several other problems within its economy. While the debt crisis in China isn’t new (the earliest news reports of its looming debt problem surfaced in… Continue reading China’s Debt Crisis Reflects Deep Problems Within
In one of my recent blog posts, I said I would like to read David Aaker and Kevin Lane Keller and I am glad to say that I have just finished reading Aaker’s Building Strong Brands that I ordered from Amazon. A lot of it was familiar territory to a seasoned advertising professional like me,… Continue reading Building, Managing and Measuring Brands
During the past couple of years that the pandemic has raged around the world, we have seen how some have risen to fight the virus with all that they had at their disposal, while others cowered and dithered over what to do next. It was imperative that the world tackled the pandemic head-on and yet,… Continue reading Ovid in The Time of Covid: Heroism
The second book that my parents gifted me for my birthday this year, besides Amartya Sen’s memoir is Jhumpa Lahiri’s Whereabouts. I had already read about her attempt to write this book in Italian and then translate it back into English herself and one marvels at the author’s courage. Around three years ago I think… Continue reading Whereabouts, Context and Depth?
Driving down to Vasco da Gama, quite close to our place, our car took a turn in a direction that I had never seen before. We entered a narrow lane that winded down, past brightly painted little houses, and within a few minutes we had reached the point where the Zuari river in Goa meets… Continue reading Remembering a Life of Grace and Kindness
As countries report their September 2021 quarter GDP growth rates, the world will be eagerly watching to read and parse the news and data. So far, China has reported a much lower than expected GDP growth at 4.9% over the previous year. I am not sure how much of that is due to the government’s… Continue reading The Global Economy In a SWOT, Wot?
In recent days, the Indian media has been full of news and views about Air India finally being sold to the Tatas. Divestment done. People have also been opining about how this reflects the government’s seriousness about privatization and reforms. My reaction was: If only it had been allowed a couple of decades earlier, when… Continue reading The Return of The Prodigal
We all talk of brand equity, especially in the advertising and brand communications industry. The Economic Times in India even has an advertising and marketing supplement called Brand Equity. What exactly do we mean, when we speak of brand equity? The term has come to encompass many aspects of a brand’s growth, from brand awareness… Continue reading Between Equity and Valuations, What Brands Represent
Hello readers. Welcome to the first of my Owleye blog posts - a monthly column of commentary on the most important issue facing the world - in place of my Writings on The Wall blog posts, that now says goodbye. This one is on Afghanistan's economic troubles and its future. After the longest war that… Continue reading Afghanistan Impoverished by More Than War
Peripatetic Perch 