Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Impact of surge pricing on user, is it creating a gap in the market?

My views by referring economists theory about surge pricing.

      Surge pricing is not impacting on the user and also not creating a gap in a market, this perception of dynamic pricing is derived from the common man's limited knowledge of the subject. Surge pricing' is considered as greed for the money against consumer interests. Actually, it's demand versus supply.If we do analysis it can help to remove myths surrounding surge pricing concept. We should understand what surge pricing is and how it works.    
 Surge pricing is a signaling mechanism that identifies a gap between demand and supply.
    Let us assume that a specific region experiences a sudden increase in demand. How do the service providers get this information?
               The demand signal is derived from the more number of people are looking for the same service. Similarly, the supply signal is derived from the number of service providers available that point of time.
        A demand signal that is higher than the supply signal signifies a surge in demand over the prevailing supply. This gap between demand and supply can be rectified either by reducing the demand or by increasing the supply. Demand is reduced by increasing the price of availability of the product or services. As the Potential customers are shown the surge pricing in multiples of normal pricing. The higher the demand-supply gap, the higher the multiple. The new price point automatically reduces the demand for the resource and achieves a new equilibrium.
How does the supply increase?
          Depending on the pricing levels, suppliers can opt to move their resources to the region with higher pricing to service the demand and take advantage of it. The price signal is critical in managing demand efficiently as well as reallocating supply.In this context, potential customers are not forced to buy that product or use the service.
The consequence of surge pricing:
1.All demand during surge period doesn't convert into business.
2 Services needs are satisfied by multiple players, due to this service provider may lose customers to these different suppliers while opting for the right pricing strategy.
3.If the price point is higher than the customer's expectations, then there are other options available for the customer, or the customer can decide to wait.
4.If more customers decide the same, then the demand for the product or services would dip, forcing the surge pricing level to plunge.
What would happen if there is no surge pricing?
          The demand-supply gap would never be discovered. The higher multiplier suppresses demand by forcing the customer to rethink as well as conveying the degree of mismatch. This leads to faster corrective action in the marketleading to quick drops in surge prices.
 In Ola and Uber surge price case, cap price would suppress the true nature of the demand-supply gap.
     The theory of surge pricing may be implemented by Uber and Ola are based on their experience, the basics are still defined by simple economic theories. 
         A 5.0X conveys a higher mismatch in demand-supply than a 2.0X surge price. It conveys the scarcity of the resource now than the latter. Similar to models adopted in most sectors with supply constraints, such as aviation and hospitality. Surge pricing by cab aggregators is perhaps the only model which helps tackle both demand and supply side issues.Now Indian Railways is experimenting with dynamic pricing, in these sectors new supply is not created; only demand is regulated by pricing.

How can government help in surge price?          
           Capping price controlled by the government has burdened the industry with inefficiencies. The government can play an enabling role by removing such restrictions to a service provider, which will help in discovering demand-supply gap.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

How to become a good product manager:


1.Strive to always be learning, knowing the market.
2. Concentrate more on the basic principle of analytical skills, leadership quality and focused on the goal.
3 .Always believe in the teamwork rather than the individual contributor and should become reachable and approachable.
4. Always having brainstorming session whenever the new problem statement is there in the stack.
5. Understanding the strength and weakness of the team and should try to bring out best in the people
6. Empowering the team while taking any decisions.
7. Understanding of the current technology and having good exposer on the excel as well as query language
8. Having the ability to receive empathy and give empathy and co-creating the empathy to the pain points of the customer by interacting frequently with customer
9. Always do have a good relationship with sales and marketing team frequently to understand the pain points of the customer as they face customers.
10.Doing holistic Research and ground work on the problem statement and then discuss with management team about the revenue model of the feature and convincing management.
11. Do discuss with engineering team about their view and possible to do or not to do the feature
12. Do have command on the technology, so that it will help me in understanding what engineering team is trying to explain me.
13. Do involve the stakeholders while designing the feature.
14. Give detailed requirement document, which should include the impact analysis, if data have driven feature then please attach the data as well.
15. Do interact with peer product manager on the impact of the new feature.
16.  Without fail to attend the daily scrum and giving my work status to the team, it will help in gaining the confidence of the team.
17.  Do motivate the team by giving goodies and surprise gifts to the performers
18. Once the feature is developed high-level testing of the functionality and if required suggestions.
19. Give details of the feature to the tech pub team so that it will help in creating the technical documentation.
20. Take a demo from the engineering team once the feature is tested and certified.
21. Once a product goes live, giving success to the team.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Is Elite College Qualification Required?


Is elite college graduation really matters to move up the career ladder for experienced candidates?
In the real world - Unfortunately, employers tend to place more importance on qualifications from elite college than experience,Qualification is to get the job;experience to do the job.
Qualification from elite college is important provided one can transfer what has been learnt into working life, into action.In an ideal world - Work experienced candidates would be the better option than elite college grads.Depends on industry - some industries place more importance on experience than qualifications, as far more advantageous in knowing how to do a job.
Industry today is ever changing.It saves time for managers, co-workers and minimum training required if recruited the experienced candidates.There is quicker assimilation into a company and practices and procedures can continue with little or no work disruption if company looks for experienced candidates rather than elite college people.As one gets older experience becomes more beneficial.Experience also key regarding communication skills (soft skills) which are less teachable.A person is either born with them or gains them on the job - so experience important.Even in promotions the ones who have the relevant qualification more likely to get the promotion.If employees do not have the right qualifications, the organisation will have to spend time and effort on training its staff in the correct way of working.Most managers would rather spend time on adhoc training, training employees in only those areas that are unique to the business and business model.Very few businesses/managers would want to waste time and money on providing generic training.Skills which are easily transferable or easily applied.Qualifications from elite college important for young people starting off in their careers.
Disclaimer: Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this article is not intended to recruiter not to recruit the the elite colleges grads and is not intended as corporate advice.It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research.

Monday, December 19, 2016

Using Detergents

Within a span of three to four decades detergents have penetrated in everyone's mind so much that without detergents our clothes, house floor, utensils and sanitary ware will not get clean.

Have we ever ourselves think that after putting the detergent, whether the water is suitable to use for drinking or cooking or for plants?

If you think it's not suitable then we are polluting water body every day by pouring the detergents into it, gradually it's so much increased that nowadays water habitats are unable to survive in the polluted water.

Whether it's possible to remove dirt from the clothes without using detergents?

With my a year of experience I can say absolutely 'Yes'.

How it's possible to remove the dirt and smell from the clothes without using the detergents, the reader may be thinking he is cracking the jokes.

I have tried and tested this for a year and then writing this blog.

You do soak your clothes in a plane water for a couple of hours and then wash it by whichever convenient way you do follow.

I usually put it in the washing machine or sometimes I wash it dumping all clothes in the bucket and by pouring water just wash by hands.

You people, believe me, dirt will hundred percent goes and dry it in the bright sunlight it removes the smell of your clothes and also if any germs persist those will die because of the sunlight.

Detergents not only polluting water it also effects on the body as it's chemical, because of this we may find sometimes rashes on the skin.
Earlier people use to wash utensils using the ash which was a byproduct of woodfuel or charcoal, that was not that harmful as compared to currently which we as a dishwasher(At home we are still using the dishwasher).
Cleaning the floor and sanitary ware is possible with plain water only using mop and brush, which I do follow at home since a year or so.

It will save your money and by this at least we can contribute to the nature being eco-friendly.

Note: If you are satisfied with my claim to follow few of the method which I followed for few days if it suits does continue with if you have any other ideas feel free to share with me.My wife is not really convinced with my claim, she follows her own way, by reading this blog hopefully, even she starts following me.
Time permits please read the ingredients of Detergents, which I have taken from the http://keepourearthnow.blogspot.in/2012/03/impact-of-use-of-detergents-in-life.html
Detergent ingredients:

In general, detergents contain ingredients as follows:

1) Surfactant
Surfactants (surface active agent) is a surface active agent having a different end of the hydrophilic (water-loving) and hydrophobic (like fat). Surfactants are organic molecules with the polar LIFO Fili K and parts,
which serves lower the surface tension of water so as to remove the dirt on the surface of the material. Surfactants form an important part of all commercial detergents.

2) Builder
Builder (former) works to increase the washing efficiency of the surfactant in a way to disable the causes of water hardness minerals. This material is added to remove calcium and magnesium ions (hardness)
of the wash water. Builders can complex formation or through the exchange of these ions with sodium. Builders also increase the pH to aid the emulsification of oil and buffer against pH changes.
 The most common builder is sodium tripoli fos fat (+ 5Na P3O105-), but because the phosphate wastes can pollute the environment, the amount used is limited by the regulations; recently, sodium citrate,
sodium carbonate, sodium silicate and sodium tripoli fos fat began to replace the builder.

3) The zeolite
Zeolite (sodium aluminosilicate) was used as ion exchangers, especially for calcium ions.

4) Filler
Filler (filler) is a detergent additive that does not have the ability to enhance the wash but increase the quantity. Sodium sulfate examples.

5) Material antiredeposition (antiredeposition agent)
Antiredeposition ingredient is a compound that is added to the detergent clothing to prevent re-deposition of dirt on the clothes. The most common example is cellulose ether or ester.

6) Additives
Additives are materials supplement/addition to making the product more attractive, such as perfumes, solvents, bleaches, dyes and so on, are not directly related to the power washing detergents.
 Additives are added more for the purpose of commercialization of the product. Example: Enzymes, Borax, Sodium chloride, Carboxy Methyl Cellulose (CMC).

Types of Detergent

Based on its physical form, detergents are divided into:
1. Liquid detergent, liquid detergents are generally similar to the detergent powder. What distinguishes the physical form only. In Indonesia my knowledge this has not been commercialized liquid detergents,
typically used for modern laundry use large capacity washing machine with advanced technology.
2. Detergent cream, cream detergents form with a dab of soap formula is almost the same but the content of the raw materials they are different.
3. Detergent powder, detergent powder types are circulating in the community or used when washing clothes. Based on the state of granulated, powdered detergents can be divided into two:
Detergent powder Detergent hollow and solid powder. Differences in grain form two groups was caused by differences in the manufacturing process.

Detergent Dangers

Detergent can cause a negative impact both on health and the environment. The two most important ingredients of the detergent-forming surfactants and builders,
have identified direct and indirect effects on humans and the environment.

Surfactants can cause rough skin surface, the loss of natural moisture on the skin surface and increase the permeability of the outer surface. The test results show that human skin is only able to tolerate contact with
chemicals containing 1% LAS and AOS with irritation due to 'being' on the skin. Cationic surfactants are toxic if ingested compared with anionic surfactants and non-ionic. Rest of the ingredients contained in the
detergent surfactants can form klorinisasi chlorobenzene in drinking water treatment process taps. Chlorobenzene is a chemical compound that is toxic and harmful to health. At first, the type of ABS surfactants is widelyused in industrial detergents. But because it found evidence that the ABS has a high risk to the environment, this material has now been replaced with another material that is LAS.

Builders, one of the most widely used in the detergent is phosphate. Phosphate plays an important role in detergent products, as a softener water. This material can reduce water hardness by binding to
calcium and magnesium ions. Thanks softenernya action, the effectiveness of laundry detergents increased power. Phosphate is usually found in general form of Sodium Tri Poly Phosphate (STPP).
 Phosphate has no toxicity, but rather is one of the essential nutrients needed living. But the amount is too much phosphate can lead to nutrient enrichment (eutrophication) in the body of excess waterso that the water bodies of oxygen deficiency resulting from the growth of algae (phytoplankton) which is the excess of food bacteria. The excessive bacterial population will use the oxygen contained
in the water until such time as there is a shortage of oxygen in water bodies and in the end it is jeopardizing the lives of creatures and the surrounding water. In some countries, the use of phosphates in
detergents has been banned. As an alternative has developed the use of zeolite and citrate as a builder in detergents.

Pollution or contamination is a state where an environment is no longer natural because it has been contaminated by pollutants. For example, river water is not polluted the water is still pure and natural,
no chemicals are dangerous, while the river water has been polluted by detergent for example, contain chemicals that are dangerous, both for organisms that live in the river as well as for other living things living around
the river.

We need to be careful in choosing cleaning materials, such materials do not cause adverse effects on the environment. Several types of detergents are described by the decomposition difficult.
If the detergent is mixed with ground water used as sources of human drinking water or livestock water the soil will be harmful to health. Therefore, we should choose a detergent that waste can be broken down
by microorganisms (biodegradable). The ill effects that can be caused by the use of detergents that are not selective or are not careful:

1. destruction of the beauty of the marine environment;
2. threaten the lives of the animals that live in water, and
3. detrimental to human health.

Use a detergent with the wise, do not waste water washing into the waters of the many organisms that live in it. Use our knowledge to create solutions to these problems, such as eco-friendly detergents.

Disclaimer: Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this blog is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research.

Thursday, December 15, 2016

About toothpaste

Every day before we go to a bed and After getting up from a bed, without fail we do brush our teeth with toothpaste.

Have we ever questioned ourselves below questions?
Are we not analyzing ourselves before we use the toothpaste

Is there an alternative to toothpaste to brush our teeth?
What all the contents are used to manufacture a toothpaste?
Whether we blindly accept whatever is advertised through the advertising medium?
How our older generation used to brush their teeth?
Are we knowingly or unknowingly using the toothpaste?
are we overlooking the toothpaste product?
Whether we been enforced to use the toothpaste because of other circumstances like (lack of information, lack of localization by the product, occident(westernization) or for social status)?

During my childhood my parents only used to brush their teeth using toothpaste, we all used to brush either using danth manjan or salt or charcoal.
Gradually I have fascinated with brushing teeth with a toothbrush because I have come under influence of my friends.
This lead me to start using the toothpaste and toothbrush and it's around 26 to 27 years I never thought why am I using the toothpaste.

Now I am parent of two kids as being a responsible parent it has started hunting me, how should I bring up my children, what's good and bad for their health, then in recent past you can say(one and half year back)
I have started to introspect myself, what all the FMCG products do I use to lead day today life and is there alternatives for them without them is it possible to lead my life.

First, in mind has come is toothpaste and toothbrush
Second Detergents and  Body Soap
The Third body spray(perfume)

About toothpaste and toothbrush.

I have started googling for toothpaste to find how the paste is manufactured and is there a side effect of using the toothpaste every day.
I came across many unknown facts about manufacturing of toothpaste, most of the toothpaste include the following chemicals
Triclosan. ...
Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) ...
Artificial Sweeteners. ...
Fluoride. ...
Propylene Glycol. ...
Diethanolamine (DEA)
Microbeads.

From Jun 2015 I have started using Salt as an alternative and easily available same I have extended to my family, I mean to my kid and wife.

We do use a toothbrush to brush the teeth with a very less salt, almost a year and a half passed I haven't find decay of our teeth and one more thing my kid haven't tasted a paste till now he is already 3 years old.

If time permist please read the chemical details which I have jotted down by taking the reference of
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/01/breakfast-mistakes.aspx
Toxic Toothpaste Ingredients
1. Triclosan

The popular toothpaste Colgate Total contains an antibacterial chemical called triclosan, which allows the company to tout it as the "only toothpaste approved by the FDA to help fight plaque and gingivitis."3

But while triclosan has been shown to help prevent gingivitis, the benefit comes at a steep price. The chemical has been linked to concerns over antibiotic resistance and endocrine disruption.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are a serious concern, as they can promote a wide variety of health problems, including breast, ovarian, prostate, and testicular cancer, preterm and low birth weight babies, precocious puberty in girls, and undescended testicles in boys.

Some animal studies showed that triclosan caused fetal bone malformations in mice and rats, which may hint at hormonal effects. Further, triclosan may interfere with a type of cell signaling in brain, heart, and other cells, such that researchers noted it "may not be worth potential risks."4

The chemical has also been linked to cancer, with research finding triclosan may promote breast cancer progression.5 The state of Minnesota has already banned most uses of triclosan, but it's still widely sold across the US in toothpaste, hand soap, makeup, and more.

Toothpaste appears to be one of the most potent delivery vehicles for the chemical, as research found people who brushed their teeth with Colgate Total had more than five times as much triclosan in their urine as those who did not.6

2. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)

Many toothpastes contain surfactants like sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate (SLS), or sodium lauryl ether sulfate (SLES). Surfactants are chemicals responsible for the foaming action of the toothpaste, but they also interfere with the functioning of your taste buds by breaking up the phospholipids on your tongue.

This enhances bitter tastes and is thought to be the reason why everything tastes so bad right after you've brushed your teeth.

Not to mention, SLS has even been linked to skin irritation and painful canker sores, with research suggesting an SLS-free toothpaste should be used for people with recurring sores.7

However, one of the main problems with SLS is that the manufacturing process (ethoxylation) results in it being potentially contaminated with 1,4 dioxane, a carcinogenic byproduct.8 The manufacturing process also releases carcinogenic volatile organic compounds into the environment.

SLS is also registered as an insecticide and may have toxic effects to marine life, including fish, insects, and crustaceans.9

The manufacturers actually tried to get approval to market SLS as a pesticide for organic farmers, but the application was denied because of its potential for environmental damage.10

3. Artificial Sweeteners

Aspartame and other artificial sweeteners are often added to commercial toothpastes. Aspartame is primarily made up of aspartic acid and phenylalanine. The phenylalanine has been synthetically modified to carry a methyl group, which provides the majority of the sweetness.

That phenylalanine methyl bond, called a methyl ester, is very weak, which allows the methyl group on the phenylalanine to easily break off and form methanol. You may have heard the claim that aspartame is harmless because methanol is also found in fruits and vegetables.

However, in fruits and vegetables, the methanol is firmly bonded to pectin, allowing it to be safely passed through your digestive tract. Not so with the methanol created by aspartame; there it's not bonded to anything that can help eliminate it from your body.

That's problem number one.

Problem number two relates to the fact that humans are the only mammals who are NOT equipped with a protective biological mechanism that breaks down methanol into harmless formic acid.

In humans, the methyl alcohol travels through your blood vessels into sensitive areas, such as your brain, where the methanol is converted to formaldehyde. And since there's no catalase present, the formaldehyde is free to cause enormous damage in your tissues.

Symptoms from methanol poisoning are many, and include headaches, ear buzzing, dizziness, nausea, gastrointestinal disturbances, weakness, vertigo, chills, memory lapses, numbness, and shooting pains in the extremities, behavioral disturbances, and neuritis.

4. Fluoride

Fluoride has long been heralded as the answer to decaying teeth, but it's been receiving increasing scrutiny in recent years, and for good reason. A groundbreaking study published in the journal Langmuir11 uncovered that the supposedly beneficial fluorapatite layer formed on your teeth from fluoride is a mere six nanometers thick.

To understand just how thin this is, you'd need 10,000 of these layers to get the width of a strand of your hair! Scientists now question whether this ultra-thin layer can actually protect your enamel and provide any discernible benefit, considering the fact that it is quickly eliminated by simple chewing. They wrote:

"… [I]t has to be asked whether such narrow… layers really can act as protective layers for the enamel."

In fact, toothpaste that contains the naturally occurring cacao extract theobromine better repaired and re-mineralized exposed dentin (the tissue that makes up the bulk of your teeth below the enamel) than fluoride toothpaste, according to one study.12

Not to mention, fluoride toothpaste is often the largest single source of fluoride intake for young children and is a major risk factor for disfiguring dental fluorosis. This is because children swallow a large amount of the paste that they put in their mouth.

In fact, research has shown that it is not uncommon for young children to swallow more fluoride from toothpaste alone than is recommended as an entire day's ingestion from all sources.13

Swallowing fluoride, as is the case with fluoridated drinking water, is especially detrimental to your health, as the science clearly demonstrates that fluoride is a toxic chemical that accumulates in your tissues over time, wreaks havoc with enzymes, and produces a number of serious adverse health effects, including neurological and endocrine dysfunction.

Children are particularly at risk for adverse effects of overexposure. If you have a young child, therefore, it's recommended that you use a non-fluoride toothpaste, although I recommend the same for adults as well.

5. Propylene Glycol

Propylene glycol is a type of mineral oil that, in the industrial grade, is used in antifreeze, paints, enamels, and airplane de-icers. The pharmaceutical-grade form is used in many personal care products, including toothpaste, as a surfactant. Research on the safety of propylene glycol in personal care products is lacking, although it's a known skin, eye, and lung irritant and may cause organ system toxicity.14 This is clearly not a substance you want to be brushing your teeth with.

6. Diethanolamine (DEA)

DEA is found in many foaming products such as toothpaste. It's a known hormone disrupter and can react with other ingredients to form a potential carcinogen called NDEA (N-nitroso diethanolamine), which is readily absorbed through the skin and has been linked with cancers of the stomach, esophagus, liver, and bladder.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) ranks DEA as a number 10 in its cosmetics database (the most toxic score) due to high concerns of organ system toxicity, contamination concerns, and irritation, along with moderate cancer risk. The California Environmental Protection Agency lists DEA as a possible human carcinogen.15

7. Microbeads

Microbeads are tiny plastic pellets found in body washes, facial scrubs, toothpaste, and more. The microbeads go down your drain, through the filters at most wastewater treatment plants, and out into the environment. Plastic microbeads absorb toxins from the water and are eaten by a wide variety of marine life and, ultimately, by humans as well. There's good reason to boycott any toothpaste containing microbeads, even aside from the obvious environmental threat. Last year, a Dallas dental hygienist reported finding the microbeads in patients' teeth.

The bits were found in Crest microbead toothpaste and were getting trapped under patients' gums. This gives food and bacteria an entrance to your gum line, which could actually cause gum disease.16 Procter & Gamble, which makes Crest, reported they would stop using the microbeads by 2016 as a result. But while it seems the use of microbeads is on its way out, the Personal Care Products Council (PCPC) is lobbying to have microbeads made from biodegradable plastic such as polylactic acid (PLA) remain in personal care products.

Toothpaste is mainly produced using the chemicals, most of the time chemicals are harmful to the body that I understood.

Note: If it's worth information then do start following what I have followed.

Disclaimer: Individual  articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this blog is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice.It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research.Shivayogi encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research  If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your health care professional before
using products based on this content.