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Showing posts from 2011

Comparison between two retail companies picked are Walmart and Costco

The two retail companies picked are Walmart and Costco whose 2017 Financial statement links are provided below: WALMART https://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/ wmt/financials?query=income- statement COSTCO https://www.nasdaq.com/symbol/ cost/financials?query=income- statement Both organizations are well known brands and position themselves well with their customer base. Walmart’s value proposition is “We save people money so they can live better”. On the other hand, Costco’s value proposition is “All-in-one convenience and everyday affordability”. Both retailers focus on cost saving for their customers. Looking at their financial statements and by analyzing them a few key areas are evident when comparing the two organization. Looking at the current ratio and quick ratio we can determine the short-term solvency of each organization. The current ratio can be determined by dividing the assets by the liabilities. Walmart’s current ratio sits at 0.86 while Costco’s sits at 0.99. The quick ratio is c...
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Horror Story !!

This happened about a month ago near Lonavala.  A guy was driving from Bombay to Pune and decided not to take the new expressway as he wanted to see the scenery along the old road. The inevitable happened, when he reached the mountains. His car breaks down - he's stranded miles away from nowhere.  Having no choice, he started walking along the side of the road, hoping to get a lift to the nearest town. It was dark and rainy. And pretty soon he got wet and started shivering. The night rolled on, and no car passed by.   Suddenly he sees a car coming towards him. It slows down and nearly stops next to him. Without waiting or thinking a bit , the guy opens the door and jumps into the rear of car which starts moving by then....  Seated in the back, he leans forward to thank the person who had saved him. To his horror, he realizes there is nobody behind the wheel!!!........   Even though there's no one in the front seat, and no s...
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My siprited Colleague; Amit Sammadar!

I can not remember when I first saw him! May be in early 90s; when at our main branch in Dalhousie area used to hold lot of indoor games competitions like Carom, Bridge and Table tennis ; I found him playing cards. I remember his head was covered with a white towel cap. This made me curious! I heard of him earlier, that one alike me from Air Force, joined our Bank in one of our North Calcutta's branch. He was playing cards with deep concentration and some time howling with triumphal joy as usual in any competitive card games here. The man was heavily built with muscular body and emitting a masculine spirit in all his gesture. With a voluminous voice and typical accent of 'Bangladesh'; he sounded warm and humorous. That was the first sight of him I had. Back in office I enquired about his 'towel cap' in sultry summer evening. To my utter surprise came to know the man was fighting cancer! It was his nose , that was affected. I tried to visualized the man I saw, f...
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We loot; please don't hoot!

M.L.Shah, who upheld the cause of circulation of small and medium news papers and periodicals in our country; specially in the eastern region. I remember him as he inspired me to fight with pen; the man never thought that the days of pen was counted then; the key board arrived, soon after his departure from this earth!The present generation may not know there were many small local news papers published from many of our district towns even two decades ago. Some small periodicals or weekly like Blitz; enjoyed pan Indian popularity amongst educated middleclass. Mr R K Karanjia was the editor. In 60s and 70s; his weekly carried a fresh report every week with the title “ India’s do-nothing projects”. That revealed the scams and quantified the loots, pinpointing the looters! With no Anna Hazare or  omni present medias; they went on and on undaunted. In fact India has a history of looters except Mughals; so you cannot blame us for looting. It is in our genetic codes. Generations after ge...
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India on the street -- a letter by Chetan Bhagat

Chetan Bhagat; the 'Three Idiots' fame writer wrote a letter that I received today. He wrote it to an organization ' India against crime, corruption and reservation'. He wrote about justification of Anna Hazare's move. Though I justify Hazaare's move considering the fact that what else one could do! But I am not sure about its effect. However let me share Chetan's letter with you .......... We have all had that one uncle who keeps on reminding you how India is terrible. He tells you about how every government authority takes bribes - from the RTO to the ration shop to the municipality. He will tell you how no government department does its job well - the potholed roads, abysmal conditions at government schools and poor healthcare all being examples to support your uncle's theory. It is hard to argue with him, for he is right. Things don't work. There is no justice. Power talks. Equality doesn't exist. All of this, even though uncomfortable to he...
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Oh Rain !

In this month of August; it's raining at last. I better say drizzling to be exact. In Kolkata, for the past few days the climate was so humid; it became unbearable. Take your towel; run for a quick bath, before the first drop from shower drops on your head; you are wet with sweat! And so again immediately after bath . The cloudy sky, sometime gray other time black keeps you toying with hope of rain. But that did not happen for past few days. The weathermen tore their hair forecasting rain. So were the rain gamblers; sources say there were lot of transaction during past few days. You know this city dreads rain as it inundate the roads every year. People here say they hate rains. This year God seem to be determined to make them realize that better get deluged than remain wet in sweat! 
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Marriages are no more made in Heaven!!

“ Marriages are made in heaven”- the old adage still holds sense some believe. Though the phenomenal rise of broken marriages; puts me in doubt. Do God approve broken marriage! Perhaps not; so no more marriages are made in heaven; I infer. Marriages are initiated either by love ( mostly calculated) or by arrangement in this part of our planet. When a marriage takes place as result of love between the bride and groom; well their parents have hardly any role to play. Except arranging and witnessing the marriage and of course wishing the bride would fit in groom's there after. This is true specially for nuclear family and they are parents of groom. Parents of bride enjoys more freedom, as some believe, as for their case it's almost like a take-over. They get their daughter married and get a son in term of son-in-law. Given to the fact when the daughter is economically independent; either earning by herself or has earning from other sources. Her parent expects or sometime covert...
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The bleeding hearts!!

The recent happenings in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and few more countries in middle east and Africa; the uprising of people and global pressures; some from freedom loving people and others from those whose interests are harmed by such turmoil. Who belong the second category you  know, the same group of nations who first planted the poisonous plants like Osama Bin Laden or Taliban in Afghanistan, Saddam in Iraq or Gaddafi in Libya when they grew lager, blew the poisonous fumes towards their mentors then blow war bugle to uproot them! And thousands of innocents lives are lost because of their repeating such exercise ever since their own war WW-II ended. The feelings of common men is best portrayed by one great poet, Faiz Ahmed Faiz. Way back in 1959, sitting in Lahore jail he wrote this.................                              ...
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Let's Pray For The Peoples In Japan

As you know I am an Ex- Airman; means who served in Air Force. Of course leaving Air Force offered us an experience what is most similar to 'fish out of water'. But later we got together, thanks to internet and Sam Pitdra; and we have adjusted with the shore (!). From one of our community we pray for the people of Japan, distressed by Tsunami. My friend Jagtar, sent me this; here it goes.................. Let us Pray for the people in Japan. thousands of people are dead. Tsunami waves sweep along Iwanuma in northern Japan on Friday. The earthquake slammed Japan's eastern coast and unleashed  a 13-foot tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland. Lord, at times such as this, when we realize that the ground beneath our feet is not as solid as we had imagined, we plead for your mercy.   As the things we have built crumble about us, we know too well how small we truly are on this ever-changing, ever-moving, fragile planet we call ho...
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The Buning Middle East

The Egyptian fire of rebellion is engulfing vast region covering most of the countries under overt or covert dictatorial rule and Sheikhdom . Though late but I think what human efforts have failed so far, the internet could do! See now it is widely known that a 26 years old woman in Cairo first entered her intention in FaceBook to protest against President Hosni Mubarak and oust him. Her's was not a call to join her, a simple declaration that she is going alone even if others don't do that. And you know the result. Now one after another countries like Yemen, Jordan, Bahrain and more are following the suit. Mainly these rallies are made of new twitter, FaceBook generation; those who sans any political color but love liberation. I believe their very love for freedom is infused by web freedom , the freedom of information!! Don't you think so?
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Cairo i s Burning

This what happening in Cairo at Tahir Square or Liberation Square where most of activities are on : There are few more photographs sent by my old friend Brinda Pant who is still there:
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Lalgarh ....will be remembered forever

How many of you ever heard the name 'Lalgarh'; if ever you heard ,never felt it's a name worth remembering until recent past. It is an area covering cluster of few villages in Midnapore district of West Bengal. However this name has etched a permanent impression on the worn pages of history. Though public memory is short but in future the students of political science will definitely read the story of Lalgarh as an example of 'Fascism'. A group of ruling party's armed cadre, camped in a desolate house in the villege, opened fire killing eight innocent villagers and 17 injuring 17 others fatally. Nearly 1000 villagers on 7th Jan gathered around the two storied house at 10.30 AM in the morning. They were protesting against the diktats, imposed by those few 'armed thugs'; like guarding their camp in night , supplying ration and cooking for them. Villagers were asked to take part in physical exercise compulsorily and take armed training! Imagine, in dem...
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