Reaching Mars in Lowest Costs

The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) of the Indian Space Research Organization has got its due share of praise from the world since 24^th September, when the Mangalyaan satellite entered the Martian orbit. Not only is MOM the only successful maiden attempt by a country to get a satellite into Mars’ atmosphere, but also the cheapest so far.

The only other successful Mars orbiter missions have been by the USA and the European Union, called MAVEN and Mars Express, respectively. Made possible with costs as high as $671 billion and $386 billion, they are approximately ten times and five times MOM’s total cost.

Here’s analyzing the reasons for its incredibly low cost among a total of fifty-one attempts made the world-over, and the prospects that this landmark achievement brings for the sub-continent’s economic future.

Indigenous Technology: As the economic superpowers of the world spent billions on research for their mission to reach Mars, their findings and developments were kept confidential for them to single handedly tap the economic inflow later. Not having access to the developments made by other nations on this front, ISRO had to work on the program from scratch, which played in its favor. The satellite reached Mars following a trajectory unlike any other attempted earlier. While the others aimed at sending a rocket straight towards the red planet, MOM took an elliptical orbit, first orbiting around the Earth for several days, and then gradually shifting its orbit to an elliptical one around the Sun. The solar satellite then kept increasing its radius and reached Mars after around eleven months of drifting.

This saved a huge amount of money that would have been spent on fuel to propel the payload at an incredible speed if the trajectory was to be straighter, and further reiterated the adage: necessity is the mother of invention.

Low Employee Costs: The NASA’s annual budget is upwards of $17.5 billion, whereas ISRO’s budget is approximately $1.2 billion annually. As these organizations spend heavily on research, employee costs form a huge chunk of such expenses. A middle level official at ISRO earns approximately Rs. 1 Lakh a month, which is negligible compared to how the USA compensates its scientists.

Lower Payload: Mangalyaan’s launch weight was 1350 kg and the final payload is not over 15 kgs, which again is paltry in comparison to its counterparts. MOM has been equipped with minimal scientific equipments, primarily focusing on checking for the presence of methane on the planet, as that would give some insight into possibility of life on Mars. The low weight also prevented ISRO from adding additional protective gear to the orbiter, which makes MOM incapable of landing on the surface of Mars.

Low Budget for Space Research in a Developing Economy & Business Prospects: As a fifth of India’s population still remains below poverty line, the economy’s focus is on providing more basic necessities like healthcare, education and nutrition.

However, India remains aware of the business it might get from other countries for putting their telecommunication and other satellites into space at the most competitive cost, and the decision to keep a budget for space research and technology, however small, has proved to be a wise step for the country.

**** 

Further Reading:

http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2014/09/23/how-india-mounted-the-worlds-cheapest-mission-to-mars/

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2014/09/26/experts-cheap-mars-mission-could-prove-lucrative-for-india/

http://www.vox.com/2014/9/24/6838079/india-mars-mangalyaan

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-29341850

http://www.businessinsider.in/Heres-How-India-Made-Such-A-Cheap-Space-Probe-And-Left-Everyone-Else-In-The-Dust/articleshow/43355800.cms

**** 

Image Source: www.isro.org

Marketing Lessons: ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised over $100 million for the ALS Association in the month of August alone. Even though the activity as well as the end use of funds has been criticized by many, the impact created by this chain-reaction cannot be overstated. Participated in by thousands across the globe, the New York Times reported that the seed for its virality germinated when in late July, Pete Frates, an ALS patient posted a video of himself bobbing his head to the hit ‘90s song “Ice Ice Baby” and nominating a few of his friends to douse themselves in ice water or donate money for the cause. The stunt soon spread across Boston and then permeated globally when a few big names fell into the loop.

The magnitude of the stunt’s virality speaks a lot about the power of publicity over paid marketing. In this age of heavy social media influence, businesses are constantly in the rush to outdo each other in not just reaching but touching the consumers to build brand loyalty. Here are a few tips that we can take from the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge in building viral content that markets itself.

Simplicity

With increasing avenues for distraction, social networking sites are constantly buzzing with content aiming towards mass appeal. The popularity of image memes can be attributed to their simple format. Similarly, short articles are preferred over more descriptive content; and graphic representation over textual. A video provides detailed information in limited time and in the easiest to consume fashion. Thus, it has been one of the primary reasons for the stunt’s popularity.

Humor

Most users log on to the social media to escape boredom. Presenting an idea with a touch of fun or humor helps in spreading the message without giving it a serious packaging. Zomato can be named as one example which constantly posts original light hearted content related to its industry to build a fun oriented image with the youth. The amusing reactions of people taking the challenge were looked forward to by most.

Multiplier Effect

The activity required participants to nominate their friends to take up the challenge. The element of challenge acted as a catalyst in prompting people to participate and prove their ability to engage in the stunt. Giving a deadline of twenty-four hours further expedited the participation and ensured that the thrill does not fizzle out.

Sense of Goodness

Any business offering’s first rule is to make the customer feel good about himself and generate a sense of self worth that he may not achieve by using a competitor’s product or service. The challenge made people feel good about themselves for donating towards a good cause. In the process, a lot of participants educated themselves about the disease and felt sensitized towards the cause, even though minutely.

Flexibility and Customization

The act further allowed for flexibility in terms of location for performing it, the amount of money to be donated and the amount of ice that people chose to put in their buckets, thus making the stunt even easier to perform.

Despite the criticism, the challenge gave people all over the world a fun activity to engage in, formed a source of entertainment, spread awareness and raised money for a cause. Win-Win!

****

Further Reading:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_Bucket_Challenge

http://theweek.com/speedreads/index/266559/speedreads-this-is-the-guy-who-made-the-ice-bucket-challenge-go-viral

http://www.viralthread.com/ice-bucket-challenge/

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/236843

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/ice-bucket-challenge-viral/

http://grist.org/living/four-reasons-that-ice-bucket-challenge-went-crazy-viral/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ricksmith/2014/09/01/the-science-behind-the-success-of-the-ice-bucket-challenge/

http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2014/25817/what-the-als-ice-bucket-challenge-can-teach-us-about-content-marketing

****

Image Source: slate.com

Storytelling

One of the most important ways to get your message across in a way that it sticks with the audience is to narrate a story around it. It not just keeps the audience hooked for the whole period of the presentation by keeping boredom at bay, but also helps in striking an emotional connection, which is a primary ingredient for convincing your audience about the idea at hand.

Here are some handy tips on how to be an effective storyteller.

First, identify the message you want to deliver. It’s really important to be clear on the message the story wishes to convey and ensure that the details in your narration are relevant to the core idea. Unfocussed storytelling may lead to branching away into unnecessary details or a tendency for the speaker to win the audience by bringing humor that may not solve any suitable purpose.

It is important to embed your own experiences, expose your vulnerability and tell the audience about how tough it probably was initially for you to embrace the message that you wish to convey, but your experiences taught you how making the effort to adapt towards the change was something that paid off or will pay off and you feel convinced about it.

Confidence and a healthy sense of self worth are essential, but try not to venture into making yourself the star of your own story. Instead, try to make your audience the hero to boost their confidence and motivate them to be accepting of the new idea. Make the story about the people you know and the experiences you gathered over time rather than boasting about your financial position and how your decisions and ideas helped you get there.

 People love rooting for the underdog who eventually emerges victorious. Make your story about your struggles and about the obstacles that pulled you down. Follow that up with telling them how hanging in there during times of distress finally paid off. It will help your team in relating their inhibitions about accepting the message at hand with your story and make them more receptive to the solutions you offer.

Keeping your stories short and simple, and practicing the art of storytelling over time will help you be a better orator and manager.

****

References: How to Tell a Great Story

Image Source: www.thegraphicrecorder.com

Delivering Criticism

Empathy has been recognized as one of the most essential qualities of a good leader. Making a genuine effort to recognize reasons why someone could not meet the expected standards at his job instead of attacking his intent in a fit of rage is one way in which it can be practiced and built over time. As a manager is required to review his team members’ work on a regular basis, it is important to start practicing empathy by changing the way we deliver criticism. The following ideas may provide some guidelines in our journey of self help to empathy.

Do not compare an employee to another as it doesn’t help in recognizing the cause of underperformance but acts like a vague standard that could be seemingly impossible to achieve. It breeds negative work relations among employees and may seem like a instinctive display of favoritism on part of the manager.

Recognize and remind your employees about the times when they performed well. It helps them build confidence that they can achieve what the organization or the team expects of them.

Be careful of the words you choose. Giving the other person importance by offering a say in the improvement process is important. Examples of phrases that can be used are, “You may want to consider changing your approach here”, “Good effort; but I see some areas that have room for improvement” and “I noticed a few focus points slipped. Could we work on identifying the reasons for it?”

Choose a right time and place for it so that the conversation is private and does not get cut short.

Be aware of the environment in which they work or live and identify factors beyond their control. This can happen only by maintaining regular communication on both fronts viz. professional as well as personal.

Do not address their intent as it attacks their character and not their performance, leading to the person being reviewed to turn extremely defensive. Remember that the aim is building and not demolition.

Encourage your team-mates to plan their work by letting them set realistic and approachable targets, and then reviewing the results to budget for future performance taking a learning curve factor. Making the employee a part of the solution finding process does not alienate him but makes him feel secure and cared for. 

Conclude by affirming your faith that the other person will consider your feedback in constructive light and end on a positive note.

****

References:

http://www.businessinsider.in/How-To-Tell-An-Employee-Theyre-Failing-Without-Making-Them-Cry/articleshow/39443930.cms

http://www.wikihow.com/Criticize-Constructively

http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-03-18/how-to-give-and-receive-criticismbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice

http://www.bankersonline.com/operations/bg_criticism.html

http://headhearthand.org/blog/2013/02/06/10-characteristics-of-constructive-criticism/

http://zenhabits.net/how-to-give-kind-criticism-and-avoid-being-critical/

****

Image Source: dianegottsman.com

Exercising Creativity with Doodles

We’ve all viewed doodling as an act of disrespect to the teacher in a classroom and the Board in a Boardroom meeting. We have also had our stint with doodling if the pen and pad ever bestow on us the pleasure of their presence while we’re on a telephone call. However, a not very recent research provides reason for us to embrace doodling as a tool for creativity and link it not just to memories from mild rebellion in school.

Sunni Brown, the author of Brainstorming: A Playbook for Rule-breakers, Innovators and Changemakers, spoke in her TED talk at Long Beach California about how the general perception of doodling is "to dawdle, to dilly dally, to monkey around, to make meaningless marks, to do something of little value, substance or import or to do nothing." She further states that our culture is so intensely focused on verbal information, that we’re almost blinded to the value of doodling.

Brown states that out of the five ways to absorb information for learning viz. visual, auditory, reading, writing and kinesthetic, at least two should be used together for better retention and recall, or an emotional experience should be linked to any one of the methods. And, doodling causes the learner to engage in all of these learning techniques, with the possibility of an emotional experience.

The Webster’s Dictionary beautifully summarizes Brown’s idea in its definition for the word as “making spontaneous marks to help yourself think”.

A “scientific research” or simply put, a study that appeared in Applied Cognitive Psychology in 2009 suggests that doodling acts as a preemptive measure to stop from losing focus. Thus, people who doodle retain more of what is being discussed than others, who remain more susceptible to distractions. The study was conducted by psychologist Jackie Andrade of the University of Plymouth in England who observed that people who doodled had 29% more retention than those who did not. Andrade concluded that contrary to popular belief, doodling helps quieten the inner dialogue and keeps people from daydreaming. It is said to be helpful in problem-solving too.

In related business news, Nike CEO Mark Parker carries a notebook to every meeting like most of us organized managers. However, his notebook is full of doodles. Parker says that doodling helps him clarify the brainstorming process. The Wall Street Journal backs the claim too and states how a blank page serves as an extended playfield for the brain, allowing people to revise and improve on creative thoughts and ideas.

Doodling is also said to help in expressing emotions that are hard to put into words. Don’t forget to visit the Google homepage on your birthday next time, and you’ll know what I mean. I’m sure you have a fair idea from viewing the search engine giant’s creative doodles all year round. Well, they don’t call Google “smart” for nothing!

****

References:

http://www.thestylus.net/news/view.php/415899/Doodling-dilemma-distracting-or-helpful-

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-04-23/features/sc-fam-0423-doodle-20130423_1_doodling-jackie-andrade-new-book

http://www.everydaysociologyblog.com/2009/04/common-sense-and-doodling.html

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226210039.htm

http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1882127,00.html

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/02/27/bad-news-for-teachers-research-says-doodling-boosts-concentration/#.U9vL3-OSznQ

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/power-of-doodling/

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/arts-and-health/201401/doodling-your-way-more-mindful-life

http://www.businessinsider.in/Nike-CEO-Mark-Parkers-Success-Secret-Doodling/articleshow/39435340.cms

https://www.ted.com/talks/sunni_brown

****

Image Source: http://raysd.com