What is Greenhouse Farming?

With the increasing population around the globe, there has been a substantial demand for constant fresh produce, even during off-seasons. To fulfill these requirements, greenhouse farming plays a major role. 

Greenhouse farming has been in practice since the 19th century. A French botanist Charles Lucien Bonaparte built the first ever practical greenhouse to grow tropical medicinal plants. Throughout the years, there has been advancement in the process of farming. In this article, we’ll cover all the factors that are important in greenhouse farming.

Greenhouse farming is the process of growing crops under a sheltered structure and providing them with partial or fully favorable environment growth conditions to grow seasonal and off-seasonal produce. 

Greenhouses are framed structures covered with transparent or semi-transparent materials. They are large enough to grow the crops for their maximum growth and productivity. 

Why is it Important For Farmers?

Greenhouses are an important part of modern agriculture. They allow farmers to extend the growing season of a crop as in some parts; they are limited. By enclosing their crops in the greenhouse, they can create a favorable climate for them, allowing them to grow despite the non favourable weather outside. 

They also provide protection from natural disasters and pests. Extreme weather events like hail, frost, and storms can damage the plants. Confining them inside a greenhouse can protect them. They also help provide a barrier against the pests. This reduces the need for chemical pesticides and lowers the chances of infestation. 

Advantages of Greenhouse Farming

Following are the advantages of including the technology of greenhouse in your farming practice.

• You can have an optimal climate for your plants to grow. The greenhouses offer precise control over factors like temperature, humidity, and light levels. 
• With this precise control over the climate, you can extend the growing season and have a consistent year-round production. It increases the quality of crops as well.
• The controlled environment creates a physical barrier. This helps in keeping out the pests and reduces the use of harmful pesticides and fungicides.
• This method enables efficient resource utilization such as water, light, energy, and fertilizers, compared to traditional farming. 
• It enables you to cultivate a diverse range of crops, allowing you to produce exotic or out-of-season fruits and vegetables to meet the market demand.
• It enables you to integrate smart agricultural technologies like precision agriculture and remote monitoring systems. This helps in reducing labor costs and automating processes.
• It prevents your plants from extreme conditions and birds and animals that can harm the crops.
• Greenhouses are multifunctional and can support a diverse range of plant species under one roof.

Challenges Faced While Opting For A Greenhouse

While there are many advantages, there are many challenges when you start your own greenhouse farming.

• Because of the specialized equipment and materials, investing in a greenhouse can be expensive at its initial stage.
• Energy dependency is high. The crops need consistent energy input for heating and lighting to maintain an ideal growth environment. 
• Sometimes, molds can occur. You should disinfect the entire system after each harvest using water and hydrogen peroxide mix.
• Pests and diseases can still occur, but you can prevent the risk by doing good agronomic practices. 

Types of Greenhouses

There are a wide variety of materials and types of greenhouses, ranging from cheap to expensive, depending on your needs.

Greenhouse Materials – 

• Plastic Piping – It is the least expensive material but lacks rigidity for a large construction.
• Metal Piping – It is long-lasting and durable but it’s not a good insulator. 
• Polycarbonate – It is a budget-friendly, strong, and lightweight material but it diffuses light rather than transmitting it directly.
• Fiberglass – It is the least expensive and works well in extreme climates, but it may turn yellow overtime.
• Wood – It is a good thermal insulator for cold climates.
• Acrylic – It’s expensive but long-lasting. Unlike glass, it can be molded into shapes.
• Glass – It is a traditional greenhouse material and is expensive. 

Greenhouse Structures –

• Gable style
• A Frame
• Geodesic dome
• Gothic arch
• Hoop house
• Saw-tooth
• Uneven span
• Lean-to
• Abutting

Crops to Grow in a Greenhouse

Below is the list of crops that you can grow in your greenhouse which are profitable as well.

The most profitable crop to grow in a greenhouse is tomatoes, since they are prolific. Other than tomatoes, you can also plant lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, spinach, herbs, strawberries, microgreens, onions, kale, peas, string beans, and garlic to make most of the profit.

Tips to Take Care of the Crops and Your Greenhouse

• Make a schedule to clean and organize your greenhouse weekly or monthly.
• Check the material of your greenhouse for any damage and fix it as soon as possible otherwise, they can get worse with time.
• Inspect each new plant you bring in for pests and dispose of the damaged plants.
• Make sure your ventilation system is running well for better circulation.
• Check your irrigation system daily for any damages and replace it as needed.
• Check the structure of your greenhouse regularly and oil or fix them as per your need.
• If you want to construct a greenhouse in your farm or backyard, make sure it’s facing south.
• The temperature inside your greenhouse should be between 18-24 degrees Celsius.

Greenhouse Farming in Modern Times

Greenhouses have been in use since the 19th century. In the 19th century, people began using greenhouses to grow and protect specific crops from extreme weather. They named these structures after the crops, such as orangeries or pineapple pits. But with the changing times, and introduction of new technologies, it became easier for farmers to produce crops. Today, farmers use many advanced technologies in greenhouse farming, including Aquaponic greenhouses, cooling systems, lighting, irrigation systems, automation, climate systems, control systems, and environmental monitoring. With these new technologies, the production of fresh crops throughout the year is easier and farmers can profit from it a lot.

Investing is not everyone’s cup of tea, and there have been far less successful stories. Naturally, when it comes to investing, you can’t help but draw inspiration from Michael Burry. Just a young boy, trying out his hand in investing while in medical school, Michael Burry caught the spotlight, where his name even reached highly regarded companies like Vanguard.

Michael Burry then went on to short the housing market, where he made roughly a $100 million. He was also one of the main characters in an Oscar-winning movie – The Big Short. Now, if you have seen the movie, you must have wondered what it would take to invest like ‘the’ Michael Burry. While it may not be as easy as it seems, let us take a look at his portfolio and his unique approach to investing.

Where is Michael Burry Investing?

Here are 5 stocks you need to look out for –

5. Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA)

Scion Capital’s Q3 2023 Investment: $4.3 million

Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA) is a big online seller and tech company worldwide. It’s rated Strong Buy and analysts think its share price could go up by $57, aiming for an average share price target of $140.

In June 2023, out of 910 hedge funds, 112 owned shares of Alibaba Group Holding Limited (NYSE:BABA). The largest of these was David Tepper’s Appaloosa Management LP, with a significant investment worth $372 million.

4. Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG)

Scion Capital’s Q3 2023 Investment: $4.6 million

Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG) is a company that provides travel services. It’s interesting to note that Michael Burry had a $4.6 million investment in the company as of September 2023, but he also had put options worth $7.7 million. This suggests that Burry might be anticipating a drop in the stock price and has taken steps to protect his investments. Alongside Alibaba and JD, Booking Holdings Inc. was a new addition to Scion’s investment portfolio in Q3.

In Q2 2023, 78 out of 910 hedge funds had invested in Booking Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:BKNG). The largest shareholder at that time was Arrowstreet Capital, led by Peter Rathjens, Bruce Clarke, and John Campbell. They owned 511,104 shares valued at $1.3 billion.

3. Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (NASDAQ:SBLK)

Scion Capital’s Q3 2023 Investment: $4.8 million

Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (NASDAQ:SBLK) is a Greek company that ships dry bulk cargo. Its success is tied to a strong global economy, and analysts think its shares are a Strong Buy on average, with an average price target of $23.97.

In the June quarter of 2023, portfolios of 910 hedge funds were analyzed, revealing that 15 had purchased shares of Star Bulk Carriers Corp. (NASDAQ:SBLK). Howard Marks’ Oaktree Capital Management emerged as the largest investor among them, with shares valued at $461 million.

 2. Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXST)

Scion Capital’s Q3 2023 Investment: $6.9 million

Nexstar Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NXST) is an American company that focuses on television and broadcasting. Dr. Burry had a significant increase in his investment in the company during the third quarter, boosting his holdings by 225%, which was one of the largest jumps seen. Additionally, analysts rate the company’s shares as a Strong Buy, with an expected average price increase of around $55.

As of the end of the June quarter in 2023, 30 out of 910 hedge funds were investors in Nexstar Media Group, Inc. The largest hedge fund shareholder at that time was Amy Minella’s Cardinal Capital, with holdings valued at $129 million.

1. Stellantis N.V. (NYSE:STLA)

Scion Capital’s Q3 2023 Investment: $7.6 million

Stellantis N.V. (NYSE:STLA) is among the largest car makers globally. Currently, the company is addressing the aftermath of significant union strikes in the United States. To manage this, it’s offering buyout options to workers, aiming to create financial room for producing electric vehicles while also honoring union agreements.

In the second quarter of 2023, 27 out of 910 hedge funds had investments in Stellantis N.V. (NYSE:STLA). The largest stake among these was held by Arrowstreet Capital, led by Peter Rathjens, Bruce Clarke, and John Campbell, valued at $420 million.

The Investment Approach of Michael Burry

Michael Burry, a value investor, follows the principles outlined in the book Security Analysis by Benjamin Graham and David Dodd. He focuses on a key idea called the “margin of safety.” This means he looks for companies whose stock price is lower than what they’re actually worth. Burry believes that investing in such companies is safe because their stock prices are likely to increase over time to match their true value.

Many investors use a value investing strategy, but Burry has some unique methods that set him apart and contribute to his success. Here’s what makes his approach different:

• He searches for value everywhere, saying, “If I see value in it, it’s a potential portfolio candidate.”
• His most famous investment wasn’t a stock, but credit default swaps that he used to bet against the housing market.
• He makes decisions based on his own analysis, not influenced by others or market emotions.
• Burry is willing to take a different stance from the crowd and relies on his own research.
• He often invests in unpopular sectors, believing it’s a chance to buy strong companies during times of irrational selling.

Burry is known for being selective in his investments. At the close of 2022, Scion Asset Management held only nine stocks, reflecting Burry’s preference for quality over quantity. He opts for stocks that offer good value and a margin of safety, rather than spreading his investments across numerous companies. This approach contrasts with the strategy of investing in many companies with the hope that a few will yield significant returns, as Burry aims to make each investment count.

Michael Burry’s Top 50 Investments

Sayeed Anjum, Co-founder & CTO, greytHR

Not all emerging businesses have streamlined HR processes. That doesn’t mean the essential functions like recruitment, onboarding, payroll and compliance don’t happen.

In many small and medium businesses (SMBs), someone from finance/admin doubles up as HR and performs the tasks manually or with the aid of spreadsheets. Even if they do have a dedicated HR person, there is a possibility that the person has a high workload. This could result in inefficiencies and delays.

An HR software or a Human Resources Management System (HRMS) can help a business overcome many of the challenges. A business owner who chooses to deploy an in-house HRMS can anticipate a whole host of benefits.

Here are some of the common benefit of a HRMS:

1. Creating more bandwidth

Manual HR work is time-consuming. It keeps the HR folks perennially busy! An HRMS infuses higher efficiency into the HR processes by automating mundane and repetitive tasks in an organisation. When more processes are streamlined, more jobs get done faster. Hence, the team members would have ample time and energy to focus on tasks that are aimed at growing the business.

2. Simplifying Documentation

The HR department carries the onus of maintaining countless documents, files and folders to perform multiple tasks. If the department follows the physical documentation process, it’s likely to face more complexities most of the time. Also, they would end up spending more time searching for information. An HRMS platform streamlines processes, automates functions and ensures easier compliance. The employee self-service (ESS) option allows new members to upload documents and fill out forms online.

3. Cutting unnecessary costs

Smaller businesses may not be able to employ a dedicated HR team or pay an external agency regularly. A cloud-based HRMS can be their best bet since it is effective, scalable and affordable. The platform will also enable digital documentation and automated workflows. Therefore, it helps eliminate expensive paperwork and minimises duplication and wastage. Moreover, the implementation of an HRMS also happens quicker when compared to an
on-premise system.

4. Making employees happier

Onboarding complexities, payroll inaccuracies and documentation bottlenecks can demoralise employees during their journey in their organisation. Even the exit of an employee is as important as his onboarding. It’s got to be hassle-free! Core HR and payroll automation can iron out these issues to a great extent since human intervention is significantly minimised. The employee self-service (ESS) portal/app can enable employees to find answers to most of their questions without reaching out to HR frequently.

5. Ensuring compliance

In today’s dynamic legal landscape, small businesses might find it hard to complete their compliance formalities quickly and accurately. They need to maintain different records as per the various laws. There are scenarios where their staff might lack the know-how, and the company may not have access to timely legal advice. An HRMS manages all of this automatically and accurately so that the business owner or HR need not worry about legal issues.

6. Securing critical data

Every organisation collects and stores a considerable amount of Personally Identifiable Information (PII). High attrition and physical documentation can lead to data theft and misuse. Also, the legal implications can result in hefty fines and also tarnish the image of a business. All of this can hurt the organisation and its employees. An HRMS platform keeps all the crucial information on the cloud and provides controlled access to the staff. Some HR platforms, like greytHR, also have multi-layered encryption systems to protect the data.

Want to know how an HRMS can help simplify your HR processes and add greater value to your business? Visit www.greythr.com

Authored by Girish Rowjee, Co-Founder & CEO, greytHR

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many organisations across the globe to adopt a
work-from-home (WFH) mode of working since early 2020. While this was done in order to maintain social distancing at the workplace, many employees have since shifted their preferences towards WFH. There is a marked change in how they perceive an ideal work-life balance, bringing about a tectonic shift in workplace dynamics. Additionally, challenges such as higher job insecurity and increasing demand for job personalisation need to be addressed for retaining talent. This has made it imperative for organisations to employ different means for enhancing the overall employee experience. Adopting a flexible working culture and using more collaboration-focused technologies are some of the outcomes of this approach.

Let us look at aspects, if incorporated, which can enhance the overall employee experience in a hybrid workplace and help companies nurture a happy and loyal workforce.

Augmenting employee experience with technological aids

Employee experience is described as the average sum of employee perceptions about the experiential benefits of employment. Great employee experience can lead to better employee engagement, thereby resulting in better organisational effectiveness. On the flip side, bad experiences at the workplace can be detrimental for an organisation, making it important for companies to maintain a key focus on employee wellbeing.

Workflow management, pay benefits, and involvement in the organisation’s vision and mission are just some of the elements that impact employee experience today. Companies need to adopt multiple channels for communicating with their staff to understand what they lack at the workplace and take quick actions to resolve them.

Technological solutions, such as a mobile leave and attendance module, online knowledge portal and messaging app for internal communication can improve the overall working experience. By using powerful analytics provided by an advanced HRMS, organisations can also continuously evolve their HR strategy and employ innovative means to exceed employee expectations.

Alleviating challenges associated with WFH

A recent poll has indicated that 48% of employees prefer to work remotely in a post-pandemic world, necessitating companies to adopt a hybrid model of working.
This increase in demand for a flexible work environment puts the onus on employers
to recognise and mitigate challenges involved in working from home. The first step towards this is providing employees with work essentials that can improve their physical and emotional state while performing their duties.

Organisations would do well to start by furnishing employees with ergonomic workstations, introducing flexible working hours, and encouraging dedicated break times so that they can de-stress during the workday. Additionally, it is vital to accommodate an employee’s home commitments, especially relevant for women employees who may be disproportionately affected by additional familial responsibilities.

While it may not be practical to introduce all measures, companies can make sure that relevant benefits are offered to every employee. They should also provide for a degree of flexibility so that team members can comfortably manage their personal responsibilities in a remote setting.

Fostering collaboration at the workplace

With a workforce split between remote and traditional office spaces, timely and effective communication assumes critical importance to effect organisational goals. Well-defined individual goals that are aligned to the company’s mission are as important as sharing strategic updates and fostering collaboration amongst team members. A BSC survey has found that 78% of high-performing organisations have a formal process to communicate strategy by employing multiple channels of communication so as to cater to a hybrid workforce.

In such an environment, managers need to be both transparent and open to feedback from their reporting team members. This is especially pertinent when managing a crisis or reporting concerns that are impacting deliverables. Companies can facilitate this manager-employee relationship by conducting dip-stick surveys, one-on-one meetings and using team gatherings to gauge areas of improvement.

Parallelly, they can also create dedicated online groups for respective teams to communicate with each other. This will help team members to instantly connect with their peers, even when working in a WFH setting. Eventually, having an empathetic leadership is an important facet of cultivating an atmosphere of collaboration to achieve a superlative employee experience.

Empowering managers with accommodative HR policies

A recent SHRM report has shown that 78% of surveyed managers believe flexible work scheduling is an effective and non-monetary way of retaining employees. This finding begs the larger question ‒ How can HR policies be customised to suit every employee in an organisation?

While it is easy to dismiss this as being impossible, it all boils down to how the HR function can design policies and processes keeping the end- employee experience in mind. By being responsive to employee feedback and mapping an employee journey, HR policies should afford managers a degree of flexibility in order to cater to their team member’s nuanced requirements.

Policies related to work timing, weekly holiday management and overtime allowances are areas where managers should be empowered to take a call on based on individual requirements. Organisations can also automate routine HR tasks by adopting digital tools and reducing the time required to perform them. Ultimately, any improvement in the work environment can be achieved only by according the highest priority to employee experience and empathetically working towards it.

Visit greytHR for more information.

***

Covid changed the way people worked and businesses functioned. Work from home (WFH) and hybrid work became the normal ways of working. Although employees found these options convenient, employers and their HR had to grapple with two new challenges – Moonlighting and quiet quitting. Social and mainstream media channels have been ablaze with these terms. Let’s re-examine them once again. 

What is Moonlighting?

The practice of taking up a second job while working full-time in one company is called moonlighting. A concept that originated in America, moonlighting is practised by employees to either supplement or safeguard their income. The younger folks (Gen Z) do it to enhance their exposure by taking on newer challenges in their career.

According to the India Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2022 by PwC, 71% of Indian employees are extremely concerned about being overlooked for career advancement opportunities.

Some IT corporates have openly dissuaded employees from moonlighting. An energy & infra company stated that this practice cropped up because of the hybrid work model. Their CHRO added that hybrid work does not work for them since their operations entail the physical presence of its employees. Another IT company and a food delivery app accepted it as long as it did not hinder their business operations. In some cases, the employees were expected to take prior approval before accepting an offer. 

How Can It Be Prevented?

Companies can add a non-compete clause in the employment contract signed by employees. This prohibits an employee from working for two competitors concurrently. But employers who approve of moonlighting need to take stern measures to avert a conflict of interest. Otherwise, one company’s time and resources could be exploited to perform another’s jobs. Usually, underpaid employees resort to this tactic to meet their financial commitments. Therefore, employers need to ensure that their employees are not underpaid.  

Recently, we all read about an IT major that tracked and terminated employees working simultaneously with a competitor. They used the UAN to spot double entries in the employees’ PF accounts. Nowadays, there are plenty of tools to trace dual employment. But some companies believe that a better way to maintain a loyal workforce is by understanding employee sentiments and instilling a sense of belongingness. 

What is Quiet Quitting?

A trending term, quiet quitting refers to a scenario where an employee does only what is required to get a job done and nothing more! Also called silent quitting, this usually happens due to a higher stress level or deterioration of interest in the job. Sometimes, a disgruntled employee could suddenly switch to the quiet-quitting mode. Some opine that it’s just a way to strike the right work-life balance. 

In certain functions, employees must go beyond the call of duty to deliver better results. If they resort to quiet quitting, it could adversely affect their productivity and the company’s overall performance. 

Popularised on TikTok, the concept of quiet quitting has been trending on channels like Twitter and LinkedIn, among others. India-specific reports reveal that quiet quitting is not only prevalent in IT but also in the banking, defence and government sectors.  

How Can It Be Curbed?

Quiet quitting is usually attributed to a mismatch between employees’ aspirations and employers’ expectations. Organisations can help bridge this gap by building a better rapport with their employees, maintaining an optimal workload and being transparent about growth opportunities. The accountability, approach and attitude of managers can help tackle this challenge since they handle the people who are executing the tasks.

As per Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2022 Report, only 21% of the workforce was engaged at work.  

Quiet quitters become chronically disengaged at work. They also isolate themselves from the rest of the team members. Want a better indicator? Look for frequent dips in performance and work backwards. In the current scenario, it may not always be prudent to take a tough stance against quiet quitters.   

In Conclusion

Whatever is said and done, moonlighters and quiet quitters are not new to the workplace. They have always been there. But the recent incidents in some IT companies have stirred debates about the concepts of moonlighting and quiet quitting.

If a company accepts moonlighting as a practice, it is ethical. If not, it’s a no-no. In the case of quiet quitting, it is up to the stakeholders to identify the concerned people and take positive action. They can’t always make do with negative actions like warnings, penalties and retrenchment, especially in workplaces with a remote or hybrid work model. Employees are the most influential brand ambassadors of a company. Aren’t they? 

Visit greytHR for more information.

Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) is an identity verification approach that involves using two or more methods to verify user identity. But what is it that you really need to be looking for before handing out your information? CEQUENS Product Manager, Hussein El-Safy explains. 

The year is 2019, and in addition to wreaking havoc across the board, COVID-19 has increased the reliance on digital services. This subsequently accelerates the adoption of SMS one-time passwords (OTP), voice OTP, biometric scans, and soft tokens in user experiences as a robust method of identity verification. 

Are cyberattacks real?

Flash forward to today, where the other byproduct of the pandemic was the rapid increase in cyber attacks, which is expected to cost the world around $10 trillion dollars by 2025. And we all know that access to sensitive data by the wrong people leads to extreme financial losses through extortion or identity theft.

Phishing scams are also on the rise, with simple emails being clicked on by unassuming victims on a daily basis. Yet, companies and individuals seem blissfully unaware of the fact that they could be targeted next. Just to give you some hard hitting statistics, 34.7% of the attacks were on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) companies and webmail providers in 2020.

But why is Multi-Factor Authentication of significance to the Middle East specifically?

The first reason would have to be the unprecedented growth rate of tech companies in the region, and with it, the growing demand for user authentication. However, not just any authentication, with trends pointing towards companies searching for affordable solutions due to the region’s relatively low purchasing power. Lastly, it is no secret that customers do not rank verification as their favorite online activity, so businesses are looking for Multi-Factor Authentication solutions that offer a wide range of channels to choose from in order to cater to their end users’ preferred communication method. 

There is no denying that there is a lack of awareness on the many obvious and necessary benefits of Multi-Factor Authentication, including ensuring the security of sensitive data and reducing costs from potential attacks. 

Nonetheless, for companies who are curious one questions remains.

What should you, as a company, be looking for in a Multi-Factor Authentication solution?

My advice is to always start simple. Look for solutions that can be integrated as simply as possible with almost zero costs and limited resources to implement. 

Next, assess the value-for-money factor, by, for example, looking at companies that offer the solution with a “charge per successful verification” model. This removes the costs of invalid or expired requests allowing the customer to make more verifications for less.

Lastly, don’t be shy with your technical questions. Authentication and authorization should ideally be done on an API gateway level and data in transit must be secured by HTTPS encryption.

At this point, you may be asking yourself if we will ever be 100% protected from cyberattacks and phishing attempts?

Truthfully? Probably, not. However, as engineers and developers, our mission is to help businesses come as close to that perfect score as possible through providing reliable, scalable, and simple security solutions.

India’s rural areas continue to face significant challenges in accessing financial services. Traditional banks have been unable to establish a widespread presence in remote regions due to high costs associated with brick-and-mortar infrastructure, limited banking infrastructure, and a lack of financial literacy. However, the rise of neobanks offers new hope for rural customers to access banking services, especially through digital channels. In this article, I explore the potential of neobanks to empower rural customers in India.

The State of Rural Banking in India

Despite recent advances, rural banking in India remains a significant challenge. A 2018 report by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) revealed that only 48% of India’s rural population had access to formal banking services. This lack of access has led to financial exclusion, limited credit availability, and an increased reliance on informal lending sources. Furthermore, India’s rural population continues to struggle with financial literacy, exacerbating financial inclusion challenges.

The Role of Neobanks in Rural Empowerment

Neobanks have the potential to address many of the challenges faced by rural customers in India. These digital banks leverage digital infrastructure to provide low-cost banking services tailored to rural customers’ specific needs. For example, neobanks can offer microcredit facilities, enable online payment transactions, and facilitate remittances. Additionally, neobanks can provide financial literacy education and other value-added services that can help rural customers make better financial decisions.

Neobanks also offers several advantages over traditional banks in serving rural customers. 

1. Neobanks are built on digital infrastructure that allows them to serve customers remotely without the need for brick-and-mortar branches. 
2. Neobanks can provide cost-effective banking solutions tailored to rural customers’ unique needs. 
3. Neobanks can leverage data analytics to offer rural customers personalized services and risk assessments.

Examples of Neobanks in India

Several neobanks have already entered the Indian market, targeting both urban and rural customers. For instance, Open is a neobank that offers a suite of banking services, including digital account opening, expense management, and invoicing. The bank focuses on serving small businesses and entrepreneurs, many of whom are founded in rural areas. Since its inception in 2017, Open has raised $37 million in funding, indicating the significant demand for digital banking solutions in India.

Another example is Fino Payments Bank, which operates through a network of banking agents in India. Fino Payments Bank has a strong presence in rural areas and offers a range of banking services, including deposits, loans, and insurance. In 2019, Fino Payments Bank raised $67 million in funding to expand its operations and provide better banking services to rural customers.

Data Insights on Neobanks in India

The demand for neobanking solutions in India is on the rise. A 2020 report by RedSeer revealed that the digital lending market in India is expected to reach $1 trillion by 2023, driven by a growing demand for online loans and other financial services. Neobanks have emerged as key players in this market, offering low-cost banking solutions that are tailored to the unique needs of rural customers.

According to a 2021 report by Research and Markets, the Indian neobanking market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 50% between 2020 and 2025. The report also indicates that neobanks in India are expected to gain significant market share due to their low-cost solutions and ability to leverage digital infrastructure.

Neobanks cater to the specific needs of rural customers who may lack easy access to traditional banks through low-cost solutions. Neobanks can potentially drive rural empowerment by promoting financial inclusion and creating opportunities for economic growth. With the Indian government’s focus on financial inclusion, neobanks have a significant role in ensuring that rural India is not left behind in the digital revolution.

Author- Vinayak Sridhar 

Author Bio- Vinayak heads the Marketing and Inside Sales domain at SabPaisa. He has a keen interest in emerging technologies, innovation in fintech and a zealous need to align marketing and sales for overall growth.

Dr. Kent Ingle, the visionary president of Southeastern University, has been making waves in the world of higher education. It’s Dr. Kent Ingle’s bold approach to reforming the traditional college model that has been the key to defining what makes SEU so special. Unlike many institutions that expect students to come to them, Ingle recognized that the future of education lay in finding partners and reaching out to new opportunities.

Ingle’s frustration with the status quo was born out of years of experience in academia. He saw countless bright and motivated students who were not being given the opportunities they deserved, simply because they did not fit into the traditional mold of higher education. This was the inspiration behind his unique leadership style once he became president of Southeastern University.

Redefining Higher Education

Under Ingle’s leadership, Southeastern University has become a beacon of innovation and creativity, offering programs in over 100 areas, including fields that many traditional colleges overlook. By embracing the principles of partnership and collaboration, Ingle has been able to build bridges between Southeastern and other institutions, creating new opportunities for students and faculty alike.

What sets Ingle apart from his peers is his unwavering commitment to his principles. He believes that the best ideas are already within an organization and that by breaking with tradition, colleges can truly train tomorrow’s leaders. In just a few short years, Southeastern University has experienced a 240% growth rate, creating its longest and largest boon in history.

One of the unique characteristics that makes Dr. Kent Ingle special is his commitment to excellence in all areas of his work. He is dedicated to ensuring that Southeastern University provides an outstanding education to its students, and he has implemented several initiatives to achieve this goal. Under his leadership, Southeastern University has experienced tremendous growth, with an increase in enrollment and the addition of new academic programs.

Spiritual and Educational Excellence

Dr. Kent Ingle is also deeply committed to the spiritual growth and development of Southeastern University students. He has created numerous opportunities for students to deepen their faith and become more involved in their communities. As part of his journey, Dr. Ingle has created partnerships between Southeastern University and local churches, allowing students to gain practical, real-life experience while earning their degrees.

It is this passion for innovation and creativity that makes SEU under Dr. Ingle so unique. He has championed the use of new technologies to create a more dynamic and engaging learning environment for students. He has also encouraged faculty and staff to think innovatively and explore new ways to enhance the student experience.

The strong emphasis that Dr. Ingle places on collaboration and teamwork has created a culture of open communication and transparency, which has helped to foster a strong sense of community at Southeastern University. He is known for his approachability, and he regularly interacts with students, faculty, and staff, making himself available to listen to their concerns and ideas.

As he continues to build bridges across borders and reach out to new partners, the future of SEU seems bright. Dr. Kent Ingle believes that leadership is about serving others, and he leads by example, modeling the values of humility, integrity, and compassion. He is deeply committed to the success of Southeastern University and works tirelessly to ensure that the institution remains a leading Christian university.

About Dr. Kent Ingle

Dr. Kent Ingle is the president of Southeastern University, a public speaker and recognized thought leader. Ingle is passionate about transforming higher education and helping leaders create lasting change in their organizations. He is the author of The Modern Guide to College and Framework Leadership, and host of the popular Framework Leadership podcast. For more information about Dr. Kent Ingle, please visit www.kentingle.com

For a country with a growing labour force and bright economic prospects, India has more than 44 Acts that together constitute the labour and employment laws. Making matters complex is the fact that each of these Acts has further rules that define the various applicable procedures and vary from state to state.

In a bid to simplify the existing legal structure for wages and provide a unified Law for organisations to follow, the Parliament of India passed the Code on Wages, 2019 (Code). The Code on Wages encompasses the elements of four existing laws ‒ Payment of Wages Act, 1936, Minimum Wages Act, 1948, Payment of Bonus Act, 1965, and Equal Remuneration Act, 1976.

Easing compliance for businesses and ushering in transparency

In terms of applicability to various levels in an organisation, the Code on Wages covers every employee, from blue-collared workers to the managing director, and addresses all their wage-related concerns. With the introduction of an Appellate Authority, any claims can be addressed to a single Authority rather than having multiple –[1]  regulatory bodies involved, – as is the case with the current regime under various labour laws[2] .

In addition, without compromising employee rights or inconveniencing companies, the Code on Wages provides for accounts audited by chartered accountants to be fair and not require further scrutiny. Finally, with an instructor-cum-facilitator allocated to every organisation, proper guidance will be provided via a web-based system, and periodical inspections carried out to ensure compliance by the employer.

Provides for a unified wage structure with a well-defined floor

Unlike the concept of scheduled employment as provided by the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the Code on Wages applies minimum wages to all employees in an organisation and fixes the lowest wage that can be paid in a particular region. Decided by the government, this floor wage will also be revised periodically to reflect the increase in the cost of living and will be applicable to private or public sector organisations without any distinctions. However, with basic wages capped at 50% of the total remuneration under the Code, organisations anticipate an increase in their Provident Fund contributions and higher gratuity payments due to a higher basic wage, as applied to existing pay structures prevalent across the different employee levels.

Promotes gender equality with equal remuneration and employment opportunities

. Equal Remuneration Act does not allow discrimination but insists on providing equal remuneration to both men and women. Code on Wages goes a step further and makes it gender neutral removing the terms men and women. Additionally, the Code authorises organisations to remit all payments related to wages, bonuses, and reimbursements directly into the employee’s bank account, eliminating the need to handle cash payments and the subsequent maintenance of manual records.

For any payment-related discrepancies, an employee can also file a claim within 3 years, with all proofs to be provided by the employer. This is a big improvement from the previous provision of a 12-month period for filing such claims and absolves the complainant from the need to furnish details or documents substantiating his/her claim.

Need for organisations to undergo restructuring of internal processes

The Code on Wages not only subsumes four laws into one holistic and comprehensive framework, but also reduces the number of sections to just 69 from the 150 sections across the previous regime. For HR managers, this means a more simplified structure to be followed and allows them to implement all provisions gradually.

There are still some areas concerning the lack of an overtime threshold limit and the absence of a well-defined compliance strategy to ensure revised wage structures are in sync with the Code. However, employers can always consult with the inspector-cum-facilitator and take a conscious call if they prefer a one-time restructuring instead of a piecemeal approach.

Conclusion

Compared to the existing laborious and often confusing provisions, the Code on Wages will make internal processes revolving around payroll, employment, and management hassle-free. With clear descriptions of what is included and excluded under the wages definition. The Code will help India’s large formal sector align with international best practices and make the task of managing a large workforce a more logical affair.

Did you know that many popular websites have featured Justin Bieber in the list of the most popular women on the internet? Sounds weirdly funny, right? Even though netizens found this hilarious, many ‘beliebers’ did not like this and they expressed their outrage over the internet. 

Meanwhile, when we talk about the most popular women on the internet, some names like Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Marilyn Monroe, etc. immediately cross our minds. These women have overcome the stereotypical notions and established themselves among the best of the best. Typically, you would think that the most popular women on the internet would be from the entertainment industry. However, this list includes women from different sections of the society i.e. businesswomen, athletes, actresses, politicians, etc.  

Among these 50 outstanding women, you can always find someone you admire. If you are a fan of them, or even though you are not a fan, you respect and like them very much, you can use their experiences to inspire yourself. For example, you can customize keychains, which is a very creative idea. Print their name or photo on the custom keychains. Every time you use the keychain, you will be inspired when you see them. This is something worth trying!

So, without further ado, let’s get straight into the list of the 50 most popular women on the internet to feed your curiosity!

1. Kendall Jenner

• Age: 27 
• Net Worth: $60 million
• Instagram Followers: 285M

Kendall Jenner sits at the top of this list of the most popular women on the internet. An American media personality, model, and socialite, Kendall is one of the most famous names in the entertainment industry. 

2. Marilyn Monroe

• Age: 36 (at the time of death)
• Net Worth: $7.8 million (at the time of death, adjusting for inflation)
• Instagram Followers: NA 

A popular American model, actress, and singer of the 50s-60s, Marilyn Monroe is an evergreen role model for today’s women. Although she died at an early age of 36, her biography is very popular and her tragic death is equally mysterious. 

3. Priyanka Chopra

• Age: 40 
• Net Worth: $75 million
• Instagram Followers: 86.6M

Priyanka Chopra is a popular Bollywood actress, former Miss India, businesswoman, philanthropist, and humanitarian. She grabbed the global headlines when she collaborated with popular rapper Pitbull for a couple of songs and married to singer, songwriter Nick Jonas. According to sources, Chopra wanted to study aeronautical engineering before captivating audiences around the world, making her talented, intelligent and absolutely beautiful. She spends much of her time these days promoting social causes for children’s rights.

4. Scarlett Johansson

• Age: 38
• Net Worth: $165 million
• Instagram Followers: NA

Known as the global heartthrob, Scarlett Johansson is among the highest-paid actresses in the world right now. She has been featured on the Forbes 100 celebrity list multiple times. 

5. Billie Eilish 

• Age: 21
• Net Worth: $53 million
• Instagram Followers: 109M

Billie Eilish is a Teen sensation, professional singer, and songwriter. She created history by bagging 4 Grammy Awards in 2020. Her charisma and passion towards her work puts her among the top in the list of the most popular women on the internet. 

6. Jennifer Aniston 

• Age: 54
• Net Worth: $300 million
• Instagram Followers: 42.1M

Widely identified as Rachel Green from the popular sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S., Jennifer Aniston is an actress and producer. She ranks high on the list of the world’s highest paid actresses as well as the world’s most beautiful women.  

7. Ellen DeGeneres

• Age: 65
• Net Worth: $380 million
• Instagram Followers: 136M

Host of the longest-running talk show ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’, Ellen DeGeneres is a versatile personality who captivates everyone with her humor, charisma, and talent. She is also a writer and a producer. 

8. Jessica Alba

• Age: 41
• Net Worth: $200 million
• Instagram Followers: 20.2M

An actress-turned entrepreneur, Jessica Alba has been dropping jaws firstly with her acting and now a billion-dollar business named the Honest Company. In her entrepreneurial journey, she has partnered with Brian Lee, a seasoned businessman. 

9. Kate Middleton

• Age: 41 
• Net Worth: $10 million
• Instagram Followers: NA

Known as Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton is a member of the British Royal Family. Currently the wife of Prince William, she is likely to be the next queen consort.

10. Michelle Obama 

• Age: 59
• Net Worth: $110M
• Instagram Followers: 53.9M

Michelle Obama is the former First Lady of America. Moreover, she is a veteran lawyer, social activist. Inspiration, an iconic role model, and thus one of the most popular women on the internet.

11. Ellie Goulding

• Age: 36
• Net Worth: $40 million
• Instagram Followers: 14M

Ellie Goulding is a popular English Singer, songwriter, and composer. She is best known for her songs “Love me like you do”, “Still falling for you”, “Lights”, etc. 

12. Hillary Clinton

• Age: 75
• Net Worth: $140 million
• Instagram Followers: 6M

She is a renowned American politician, lawyer, diplomat, and writer. More recently in high demand for appearances and commanding top dollar in speaker fees. She is honest and blunt, traits that inspire one and all.

13. Halle Berry 

• Age: 56
• Net Worth: $120 million
• Instagram Followers: 8.4M

Halle Berry is a veteran who became the first African American to win the Best Actress award at the Academy Awards 2002. Furthermore, she has been a winner and a runner-up at several beauty contests as well. 

14. Kesha

• Age: 36
• Net Worth: $12 million
• Instagram Followers: 3.2M

A sensational singer and a strong woman Kesha has been inspiring bravery by standing tall, upfronting the lawsuits for unjust behavior. The list of most popular women is incomplete without her. 

15. Hilary Duff

• Age: 35
• Net Worth: $30 million
• Instagram Followers: 25.4M

Hilary Duff is an icon right from childhood to becoming a successful actress, singer, entrepreneur, fashion model, and producer. She is a recipient of several awards including a whopping seven Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice awards. 

16. Kate Moss 

• Age: 49
• Net Worth: $75 million
• Instagram Followers: NA

Katherine, popularly known as Kate Moss is one of the most admired models of today’s era. She is most popular for her collaboration with Calvin Klein. 

17. Kylie Minogue

• Age: 54
• Net Worth: $120 million
• Instagram Followers: 2.4M

Kylie Minogue is an Australian music and fashion icon. She is known for spreading awareness for cancer, after being diagnosed herself. She is among Australia’s highest-selling female artists of all time. 

18. Heidi Klum 

• Age: 49
• Net Worth: $200 million
• Instagram Followers: 10.8M

Heidi is an iconic host and the first German model to become Victoria’s Secret Angel. She has hosted popular reality shows like Project Runway and Germany’s Next Top model. 

19. Vanessa Hudgens 

• Age: 34
• Net Worth: $20 million
• Instagram Followers: 49.6M

Vanessa Hudgens is a well-known actress and singer. She rose to fame while portraying Gabriella Montez in the film series “High School Musical”. 

20. Jessie J 

• Age: 35
• Net Worth: $30 million
• Instagram Followers: 12.9M

Jessie J is a famous English singer and songwriter who started her journey at the age of 11. She was also a judge at the popular reality show “The Voice Kids”. 

21. Carly Rae Jepson 

• Age: 37
• Net Worth: $10 million
• Instagram Followers: 2.5M

A pop singer of the 21st century, Carly Rae Jepson is one of the most popular women on the internet. She hit the headlines after finishing third at the fifth season of the Canadian Idol.

22. Emma Watson 

• Age: 33
• Net Worth: $85 million
• Instagram Followers: 70.8M

Better known as ‘Hermione Granger’ from the Harry Potter series, Emma Watson works actively towards climate change and feminism besides her acting prowess. 

23. Lindsay Lohan

• Age: 36
• Net Worth: $2 million
• Instagram Followers: 12.8M

Lindsay is one of the most popular women on the internet and teen actresses of the early 2000s. She has been a regular appearance on popular daily soap opera Another world. 

24. Alicia Keys 

• Age: 42
• Net Worth: $160 million
• Instagram Followers: 25.7M

Alicia is an Award-winning and renowned musician. She is also a classically-trained pianist who composed her first song at the age of 12. Columbia Records signed her when she was only 15. 

25. Kristen Stewart 

• Age: 33
• Net Worth: $75 million
• Instagram Followers: NA

Known for ‘The Twilight’ series, Kristen Stewart is one of the most popular women on the internet. She was the highest paid actress in the world in 2012. She is one of the few celebrities who like to keep their personal life private and do not use social media for that reason. 

26. Mariah Carey 

• Age: 54
• Net Worth: $350 million
• Instagram Followers: 11.8M

Mariah is one of the most popular women on the internet and legendary musical artists over the past 3 decades. Guinness World Records referred to her as the “Songbird Supreme”.  

27. Megan Fox

• Age: 36
• Net Worth: $11 million
• Instagram Followers: 20.6M

Megan Fox is an American actress and model, known for the ‘Transformers’ series. She has also worked on other popular projects like ‘Jennifer’s Body’, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’, ‘New Girl’, etc. 

28. Kylie Jenner 

• Age: 25
• Net Worth: $750 million
• Instagram Followers: 388M

Kylie Jenner is the youngest billionaire in the world, known for ‘Kylie Cosmetics’. Moreover, she is also the second-most followed woman on Instagram!

29. Christina Aguilera 

• Age: 42
• Net Worth: $160 million
• Instagram Followers: 8.9M

Known for her versatility with musical styles, Christina is a popular American actress, songwriter, singer, and television personality.

30. Demi Lovato

• Age: 30
• Net Worth: $40 million
• Instagram Followers: 153M

Demi Lovato is an actress since her childhood, and a social activist. She grabbed headlines when she played the character of Mitchie Torres in the musical TV film Camp Rock. 

31. Paris Hilton 

• Age: 42
• Net Worth: $300 million
• Instagram Followers: 23.5M

Granddaughter of Conrad Hilton, Paris is an eminent businesswoman, model, singer, socialite, actress, and DJ. Paris ventured into modeling at the age of 19 and has never looked back since. 

32. Angelina Jolie 

• Age: 47
• Net Worth: $160 million
• Instagram Followers: 14.3M

The bold and beautiful actress, Angelina is popular as a humanitarian and a human with a golden heart. Throughout her career, she has bagged a plethora of awards including an Academy award and three Golden Globe awards. 

33. Kimberly Kardashian West 

• Age: 42 
• Net Worth: $1.8 billion
• Instagram Followers: 353M

Popularly referred to as Kim, Kimberly Kardashian is an American socialite, media personality, actress, model, producer, and businesswoman. It’s a surprise that Kim is placed way below in the list of the most popular women on the internet. 

34. Miley Cyrus 

• Age: 30
• Net Worth: $160 million
• Instagram Followers: 205M

Miley Cyrus is a highly acclaimed singer, songwriter, and record producer. She is well-known for her versatility across genres—rock, pop, hip-hop, country, R&B, etc. 

35. Nicki Minaj 

• Age: 40
• Net Worth: $150 million
• Instagram Followers: 217M

Nicki Minaj is one of the most popular rappers in the industry. Moreover, she is also an actress, singer, songwriter, and model.

36. Shakira 

• Age: 46
• Net Worth: $300 million
• Instagram Followers: 85.9M

Shakira is a Colombian singer, record producer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and philanthropist. Appreciating her talent, her fans are still being counted and discovered.

37. Katy Perry 

• Age: 38
• Net Worth: $355 million
• Instagram Followers: 197M

Professionally known as Katy Perry, Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson is a very popular songwriter and singer. Thanks to her influence on English pop music, Vogue referred her as “Queen of Camp.” 

38. Jennifer Lopez 

• Age: 53
• Net Worth: $430 million
• Instagram Followers: 243M

Most influential Latin entertainer in the US, Jennifer Lopez is an American actress, fashion designer, dancer, singer, producer, and businesswoman. A perfectionist indeed!

39. Beyonce 

• Age: 41
• Net Worth: $515 million
• Instagram Followers: 306M

Regarded as the epitome of beauty and brains, Beyonce is a professional singer with a debut at the pole position on Billboard 200 with her first music act.

40. Madonna 

• Age: 64
• Net Worth: $850 million
• Instagram Followers: 18.9M

A professional singer and songwriter, Madonna is one of the most influential figures in pop culture. For her innumerable contribution to the pop culture, she is deemed as the “Queen of Pop”. 

41. Adele

• Age: 34
• Net Worth: $220 million
• Instagram Followers: 53.2M

Adele is a renowned and highly acclaimed English singer and songwriter. She is widely popular for depicting intimate emotions, heartbreaks to be precise, through her songs like Rolling in the Deep, Someone like You, etc. 

42. Selena Gomez 

• Age: 30
• Net Worth: $95 million
• Instagram Followers: 412M

A multi-talented singer and actress, Selena Gomez is one of the most known celebrities in the world. She is the most followed woman and third most followed person on Instagram. 

43. Britney Spears

• Age: 41
• Net Worth: $70 million
• Instagram Followers: 41.9M

Britney Spears is an American singer, dancer, songwriter, and actress. Often regarded as the ‘Princess of Pop’, her music is celebrated across the globe. 

44. Ariana Grande

• Age: 29
• Net Worth: $220 million
• Instagram Followers: 368M

Ariana Grande’s journey from a child actress to a highly talented and popular singer has been exceptional. She is one of the most followed women on Instagram since 2019.

45. Taylor Swift 

• Age: 33
• Net Worth: $450 million
• Instagram Followers: 256M

Taylor Swift is one of the best-selling and loved musical artists of all time. Her artistic brilliance and reinventions have gained her a lot of critical praises. 

46. Lady Gaga 

• Age: 37
• Net Worth: $330 million
• Instagram Followers: 54.9M

Lady Gaga is a sensational singer, actress, and businesswoman. Known to few, her real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.

47. Cher

• Age: 76
• Net Worth: $380 million
• Instagram Followers: 2.5M

Cher is an American media personality, actress, and singer. She is highly regarded and acclaimed as the ‘Goddess of Pop’ alongside Madonna. 

48. Rihanna 

• Age: 35
• Net Worth: $1.7 billion
• Instagram Followers: 148M

Rihanna is a Barbadian actress, singer, and businesswoman. She is a sensation in the music industry and an iconic role model for women.

49. Lana Del Ray

• Age: 37
• Net Worth: $30 million
• Instagram Followers: 5.2M

Lana Del Ray is an iconic singer, bringing the world of emotions into her music videos, creating sensational music and back-to-back blockbusters.

50. Oprah Winfrey 

• Age: 69
• Net Worth: $4 billion
• Instagram Followers: 22.3M 

A highly regarded American talk show host, actress, TV producer, and philanthropist. ‘The Oprah Winfrey Show’ ran for 25 years straight!

In a Nutshell!

These women have proved that anyone can do anything, whatever they want in their life. They are living examples of how a woman can achieve great success in her life despite the challenges, hurdles, and circumstances. Their roles, careers, etc. are a mere shadow of what they have achieved with their flair, charisma, dedication, and discipline, inspiring millions of people worldwide and still counting.

They deserve to be called the most popular women on the internet owing to their tenacity to showcase what one can achieve if they set their hearts and minds into it, irrespective of gender, race, anything. And this is something that defines these women!

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” property insurance attorney Galen Hair uttered in shock as he drove through a neighborhood in Fort Myers, FL, one afternoon in late September of 2022. Hurricane Ian had just ravaged Western Florida, prompting Mr. Hair and team to set up camp in nearby Port Charlotte and help the American Legion distribute food.

This wasn’t Hair’s first major hurricane. He’d previously volunteered in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina devastated much of southeast Louisiana.  Hair and his team helped residents of southwest Louisiana get back into their homes after Hurricanes Laura and Delta, and became a hurricane survivor himself when Hurricane Zeta hit his home in 2020.

For most people, that would be enough hurricanes for a lifetime. But Hair has made supporting communities in the aftermath of hurricanes his business. The property insurance attorney and owner at Insurance Claim HQ, a New Orleans-based law firm, helps individuals and companies fight insurers who refuse to cooperate when disaster strikes.

When Disaster Strikes, They Strike Back

If you’ve ever had to deal with filing insurance claims after a hurricane, you know that the insurers are not on your side.

Hair puts it bluntly: “Insurance companies have a history of denying, delaying, and underpaying claims, which makes the recovery process even more difficult.”

It’s not personal. Insurance is a business, and businesses must make money. These companies simply can’t turn a profit by paying out claims in full. Cataclysmic events the size of Hurricane Ian threaten insurance companies with bankruptcy. They cannot afford to be compassionate.

Where insurers bail, Insurance Claim HQ comes through. “The team here at ICHQ have one driving mission—to help those in need,” said Hair. In 2021, only a year after opening for business, he and his colleagues had helped over 1,200 families and several churches rebuild their lives and property. They call this “striking back” at insurance companies.

Working for Insurance Claim HQ isn’t a typical air-conditioned desk job. The firm only handles insurance cases, and it takes them seriously. The team routinely visits disaster-ravaged locations to collect evidence of hurricane impacts and aid relief efforts, like on their latest trip to Fort Myers, FL.

“A lot of these people had no home to go back to or were living in not the most suitable conditions at home. But their resilience in the face of disaster is unparalleled,” he said.

Facing Up to the Long-Term Impacts of Hurricanes

When the immediate relief efforts after a disaster are over, it’s time to start thinking long-term. Unfortunately, this is something many of Hair’s clients struggle with.

“Recovery is going to take a long time, so people should be patient,” stated Hair. “That’s extremely difficult when you’re not able to get back into your home for weeks, months, or even longer.”

Then there’s the added difficulty of facing the insurance companies. Hair believes it is in most people’s best interest to hire a property casualty attorney to help them with the claims process. The stress of the situation, the insurers’ tricks, and people’s own lack of knowledge stack the odds against them in the absence of professional help.

“A lot of people are unaware of what’s written in their homeowners policy, or they simply don’t understand the confusing language in those policies,” he said.

Policyholders also don’t always realize they may be able to make a business interruption claim. Business interruption coverage kicks in when property damage due to a covered event, such as a hurricane, causes your business to suspend operations temporarily. The damage could be to the business premises, to another property that prevents employees or customers from entering your business, or such that it causes the government to shut down an entire area.

Hair warns that property owners cannot seek compensation for the physical damage itself. However, they can typically recover lost income and profits, utilities, rent, payroll expenses, ongoing tax requirements, small business loan payments, and other business expenses.

Another key detail policyholders often miss is that business interruption claims in Louisiana have a waiting period before the coverage kicks in. The average waiting time is between 48 and 72 hours but can go up to 30 days in some cases.

Whether Floridians choose to pursue a business interruption or another type of claim, Hair believes the essential thing to remember is that property owners have rights. Protecting these rights may take some effort and the help of an experienced insurance attorney. With Hair’s boots-on-the-ground mentality and caring, sympathetic approach, many homeowners can lessen the long-term impacts of hurricanes.

About Galen Hair

Galen M. Hair, Owner at Insurance Claim HQ, is a property insurance attorney who has helped over 1,200 families rebuild their homes and businesses. He has been rated a Super Lawyers Rising Star and voted one of the National Trial Lawyers Top 100. Click here to learn more about protecting your property from disaster: http://www.insuranceclaimhq.com

Metaverse was recorded to be amongst the top most popular words of 2020 worldwide and its popularity has only grown with time. Therefore from this article, we will see the Challenges And Benefits of Metaverse. some Ever since mark Zuckerberg changed his company “Facebook’s” name to “Meta”, the internet was taken by storm and all social media attention was diverted towards this new technological word “Metaverse”. top investor and tech giants from around the world started pumping in millions of dollars to push this technology and get it up and running.

However, what the worlds didn’t realize back then was that the term “Metaverse” was first coined in a science fiction novel named “Snow Crash” written by an American writer, Neil Stephenson in the year 1992.

This novel depicted how a boy lives a dual life, one on the real world and the other in this virtual immersive world called the Metaverse. So we can comfortably say that this concept of an immersive virtual space that is parallel to the real world has been around since a while but has only caught on eyeballs of the masses after being addressed by top tech enthusiasts and giants.

In this article you will learn about:

• What is the Metaverse?
• What are the top 3 challenges of the Metaverse?
• What are the top 3 benefits in the Metaverse?

What is Metaverse?.

The Metaverse is envisioned to be a virtual platform where people can carry out their day to day activities like working, studying, shopping etc. all in an immersive set up. Experts predict that the adoption of Metaverse will change the way digital interactions take place for generations to come. 

It is one of the biggest breakthroughs in the world of technology and no such technology with such great potential has ever been spoken about before. It can be considered as an iteration of the internet as a single and one-point universe and immersive virtual world that is facilitated by Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) wearable devices. 

Users can put on AR/VR wearable devices and enter this immersive virtual world and carry out an entire virtual life which is parallel to their real world life. A unique feature of the Metaverse is that users can interact with objects and other users in a 3 dimensional set up, this means that they can not only see but also touch and feel other real world replicated objects and other users in real-time as they are. 

The Metaverse is powered by advanced technologies like Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Blockchain, Cryptocurrency, Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) etc. and has great potential to completely revolutionize the way digital interactions take place in the future.

Metaverse example 1: Imagine if you could walk the street of Milan and shop from your favorite brands, try on footwear and clothes, make your selection and get it delivered to you physical address.. All of this without stamping your passport or buying flight tickets! Yes, the Metaverse makes this possible, you could sit at the comfort of your couch and still visit places in different demographics.

Metaverse example 2: Now imagine if you had to attend an important conference in Australia at 11am, and another seminar on the same day at 5 pm in India. The Metaverse allows you to just put on AR/VR wearable devices and be at both places without you needing to hamper your work.

You must be wondering if this is also possible through platforms like Zoom, Teams, Google Meets, etc., however, what makes the Metaverse stand out is that you can attend these meetings in 3D immersive environments, unlike the above-mentioned that allow you to only dee things on a screen in a 2D environment. With Metaverse, you can see, hear and feel objects and other people around you like it would be in a real-case scenario.

Challenges And Benefits of Metaverse

Firstly What are the top 3 challenges of Metaverse? 

1. Data & Security

Organizations around the world are constantly combatting data and security breach attempts with evolving technological advancements. IT security systems has been a long running concern for the online environment since its inception and the emergence of Metaverse will require security methods and techniques to evolve to a completely new level altogether. And this has to be at par with the expanding space of the Metaverse.

2. Lack of infrastructure access

Because this concept is still being built upon, mass adoption of this technology has not hit the world yet. In order to make this technology available for the masses, AR & VR wearable devices need to be rolled out. Experts predict that over the few decades, AR/VR devices will surpass the mobile phones and take over the title of being pocket devices, but for now that this a far fetched and costly affair.

3. Law and regulatory

The Metaverse technology is something that government and law enforcement bodies from all around the world are trying to wrap their heads around. This technology is built on Blockchain technology and Blockchain technology is considered to be the most secured technology to maintain complete privacy and anonymity of their users. This is making it difficult for regulatory firms to monitor and keep a track of digital movements on this platform.

What are the top 3 benefits of Metaverse? 

1. Enhancing the entire digital experience

The Metaverse is an immersive virtual platform that allows users to interact with other users and objects in a 3D environment. Such kind of technology has not been witnessed before and relatively new for the audience. They are fascinated with the concept of being able to live a virtual life parallel to their real world life, and build a life for themselves based on their imagination and creativity. This technology sure has got people from all around the world attracted and in awe, making them eager to experience it in a mass scale.

2. New avenues of wealth generation

The emergence of Metaverse is opening new avenues for wealth generation for individuals and businesses alike. Individuals are leveraging this platform to trade their talents like artwork, music, collectibles, avatars etc. in the form of NFTs. While businesses are leveraging this platform to strategize new marketing techniques and reach out to their audience in a more engaging and interactive way.

3. Eliminates geographical barriers

The Metaverse is envisioned to be a platform where people can interact with other objects and people in 3D and not only see and hear, but also feel them in a 3-dimensional set up. People can actually walk the streets of New York without even stepping out of their house. This makes up for an exceptionally advanced technology for people to explore the world in an affordable manner, without any barriers.

Written by

Jay Anthony, 

Marketing Head, TECHVED Consulting

Before you start reading this article, I request you to take a minute and look around, notice how things around you are not really like how they used to be before the Covid-19 pandemic i.e before the year 2020.

The world has seen considerable amount of change in all things big and small – How many of us can truly say that we have actually got back to normal with regards to all aspects of our lives? As debatable as this question can be for some, we would like to believe that the world has seen numerous changes, both good and not so good, be it social changes, economic changes, emotional changes, professional changes, so on and so forth. The way people interact with each other, the way office’s function, the spending habit of people, educational interactions etc. have all undergone some kind of tweaks in the way they exist now. 

One important change we would like to address in this article is the way companies have started hiring their staff and resources, yes many may not know that organizations from around the world are changing the way they hire their staff. Even though the concept of staff augmentation is not new for companies, it is only now that its adoption is picking up pace and more and more organizations are open to hire their resources through a staff augmentation model. It won’t be long until the traditional way of hiring employees will be taken over this efficient and proven to be successful hiring model called staff augmentation.

In this article you will learn about:

• What is IT staff augmentation? 
• 6 most common myths of IT staff augmentation

First things first – What is IT staff augmentation?

IT staff augmentation is a proven solution for businesses that need resources for their IT department but do not wish to hire full time employees on their payroll. IT staff augmentation is a kind of outsourcing model that allows businesses to hire tech talent globally via augmented resources and teams. It is a considered to be one of the most effective ways to hire top talent in the IT industry without having to commit the liability of hiring a full time staff. This particular method of solving the problem of hiring skilled IT professionals for a project-based short time-span is commonly known as IT staff augmentation.

With the emergence of technologies like Metaverse, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Artificial Intelligence (AI) etc. making their breakthrough in our day-to-day lives, HR professionals from around the world are on a hunt for skilled and talented IT professionals. It is not viable for companies to hire skill-specific employees on a full-time basis because of the work and delivery limitations, however, by opting for the services of an IT staff augmentation agency, they are able to solve this problem very easily and smoothly. Experts predict that this method of hiring staff on a project-based model is the future of HR recruitments and is one of the most powerful method to hire the right talent for the right job.

6 most common myths of IT staff augmentation

Even though IT staff augmentation is proven to be one of the most effective methods to hire top talent in the industry without permanently committing to them, there are a few myths that are circling this great concept.

Below mentioned are the top 6 myths of IT staff augmentation.

Myth #1 – IT staff augmentation is very expensive

Fact: IT staff augmentation is not expensive, in fact, it is one of the biggest misconceptions of this concept. The reason why people feel so is because they compare it to their in-house IT staff, here they miss out on details that sets the two apart from one another. In-house permanent employees come with a lot of direct and in-direct expenses and overheads like health insurance, worker’s compensation, legal requirements, infrastructure cost, personal developments, L&D programs etc. which cumulatively sum up to a lot more than the expense required for an augmented staff member.

Myth #2 – Security of data is risky

Fact: One of the biggest concerns companies have while outsourcing their work is security of privacy and confidentiality. The only way to tackle this problem and ensure the security of data to conduct a through check of the company you plan to outsource resources from. Check if their data policies are compliant with those of your organization and scrutinize the repercussions in the case of occurrence of any data breach. Companies must ensure to sign formal NDA’s with the resource and staff augmentation company before commencing any work. These practices will keep companies safeguarded against any data or privacy breach activities.

Myth #3 – IT staff augmentation is suitable for big businesses only

Fact: This is one of the most common myths people have about most emerging trends, anything that is considered to make work life and operations easy is somehow labelled to be for big and rich companies, however, this is just a myth and has no concrete backing. IT staff augmentation is beneficial for all kinds of businesses irrespective of their size, and since this is considered to be a cost-effect method, it is indeed suitable and apt for small size businesses too.

Myth #4 – Loss of control over projects

Facts: In IT staff augmentation every resource is well communicated with the timelines, requirements, expectations and responsibilities of the project and the end goal of the project is well aligned for both, the resource allocated and the business. There are many tools in the market which help businesses track, monitor and analyse the work flow of the resource throughout the day, this ensures that no work is neglected or taken for granted and that top quality work is delivered with remarkable productivity and efficiency.

Myth #5 – Communication and coordination can be difficulty

Fact: one of the most common myths of remote working is that the quality of communication and coordination decreases when resources are not present within the four walls of the workspace, however, during the pandemic (when remote working was the only option organizations had) companies recording a spike in productivity and efficiency among their employees which directly points out that the barrier of not working from office does in no way hamper the success and quality of any project delivery.

Myth #6 – Compromised quality of work

Fact: Since candidates are hired basis their skill-specific talent, the quality of work delivered cannot be questioned in most cases. The reason why IT staff augmentation is in a way taking over the traditional permanent employment recruitment model is primarily because of the large pool of unmatched talent that it offers and this will not be compromised by resources or any staff augmentation company under any circumstances.

In conclusion..

IT staff augmentation services empower businesses with better and more effective recruitment solutions for their staffing requirements and even though there are a few myths circling this HR friendly method of recruitment, we can confidently say that before reaching any conclusion, it is important for businesses to understand the logic behind them, in order to extract the most of benefits from the same.

Written by

Jay Anthony, 

Marketing Head, TECHVED Consulting

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Researchers in Software Development and genomics rely on genetic sequencing and its post-processing analysis for both clinical and research purposes. This sequencing analysis can help researchers identify genetic variants within a population, and collecting this data enables them to align recurring variants 

with other factors on a patient’s health record to diagnose genetic illnesses that might have otherwise been overlooked, which is essential in determining therapeutic treatment. The eventual goal of genomic research that expands the ability to study and interpret biological data with this level of precision is the development and democratization of personalized medicine—using an individual’s genomic data to deliver targeted therapies that meet their specific needs.

In order to succeed, genomics research requires not only talent, but close collaboration between a number of specialists, including data scientists, bioinformaticians, informatics analysts, computer scientists, information technologists, and software developers. This last talent pool plays an important, but frequently overlooked, role in making genomic research possible and successful. 

Software Development and Genomics

Computer scientists, information technologists, and software developers are all involved in the design and implementation of a number of solutions that ensure that genomic research can move forward. They build tools to facilitate and improve analysis workflow efficiency and pipeline; develop APIs and web interfaces that are used to interpret omics datasets; help to standardize genomic and phenotype data, as well as associated metadata; and integrate omics data with phylogenetics and network biology. Software development skills are also coming into play today as many genomic centers around the world take the step of migrating their research and clinical sequence analysis processes from on-premise servers into the cloud. 

Although software is a crucial component of the infrastructure of genomic research, its development poses many challenges. The software must meet the specific needs of the research teams who use it, which requires that it be highly tailored and customized to their workflow, pipeline, and research challenges. Academic researchers, even those who are not trained technologists, frequently have sufficient software development abilities to design and build their own solutions; over the years, this has led to the ad hoc development of genomic software that meets the needs of the moment— “artisanal” homegrown scripts and software packages that owe their effectiveness to the fact that they are borne out of the close pairing of research science and software development.

However, the abundance of these homegrown solutions has, in many cases, resulted in a system that, while comfortable for the researchers who built and inhabit it, is also messy, unstable, and fragile. As technology evolves, these systems need to be re-architected to ensure their survival, and this undertaking requires the expertise of professional technologists. However, off-the-shelf solutions are not necessarily the answer: the software still needs to respond to the particular requirements of the laboratory in which it is used. For this reason—and, fortunately, this is happening—research institutions need to be prepared either to hire

professional programmers in-house, or to work in close collaboration with extramural technology experts able to learn the language of their laboratories. 

The best way to demonstrate this need for close collaboration between research scientists and technologists in genomics is through examples of the kinds of work technologists do in this setting. One way that technologists facilitate genomics research is by architecting and building Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS). The LIMS plays a crucial role in enabling genomics pipeline analysis, supporting all the high-throughput DNA sequencing work in a genomics laboratory.

It allows for a single person’s DNA sample to be tracked through a variety of processes, from sequencing to digital data conversion to analysis. In order to be effective, the LIMS has to align with laboratory teams’ needs and workflow, which is why close collaboration between the software developers and researchers is key to creating an effective solution. It is also vital that the LIMS be well-built and kept up to date, since there is no room for error in a system that regulates this quantity of complex information. This is why LIMS require expert developers capable of designing a system that runs smoothly and is built to last. 

Today, many genomic centers are migrating their research and clinical sequence analysis processes from on-premise servers into the cloud. Ultimately, the benefit of this move is that it will enhance researchers’ ability to participate in data sharing and collaboration, both of which are key to making progress in the field. This is a challenging information-technology management project in that it requires a deep understanding of the various interdependencies between all the people and systems involved in making genomics research possible, not just within a given laboratory, but within the institution that supports it.

The task is made even more challenging by the fact that in many genomic research centers, as stated above, the processes in place are supported by a system comprised of a tangled web of homegrown scripts and software packages. Professional technologists, working in close collaboration with researchers, can assess what is currently in place and work interdepartmentally to determine the best way to recreate these processes in a cloud environment, either by “lifting and shifting” or by re-architecting the processes in a cloud-native manner. 

Research in genomics promises to transform the future of medicine, allowing for the diagnosis of genetic diseases and the creation of personalized therapies. In order to succeed, this research requires the support of equally personalized technological solutions to underpin the infrastructure of genomics laboratories. Professional technologists need to work in close collaboration with genomics researchers in order to build long-term, subtle, and powerful solutions that are both responsive and durable.

The move of research and clinical sequence analysis from genomic centres to the cloud is a key step towards making it easier to share data and work together in the field of genomics.This move will help researchers and clinicians access large amounts of genomic data from anywhere at any time and collaborate with experts worldwide, accelerating progress towards personalised medicine.

But this move to the cloud creates challenges that must be solved by working across departments and using the skills of specialised technologists. To make sure that the infrastructure works well in the cloud, it is important to re-architect existing processes and workflows.

IT companies expertise in information technology management can provide personalised technological solutions that are both responsive and durable. Their solutions can support the infrastructure of genomics laboratories in the cloud, ensuring that they are equipped for the future of personalised medicine. With the help of experienced specialists, which every leading IT company like Andersen must have, the genomic centres can overcome the challenges of migration to the cloud and continue to push the boundaries of genomics research and clinical analysis.

Though running a startup is difficult in its own right, business owners are facing new challenges now that they have to factor in inflation. According to Goldman Sachs’ survey, about 91% of small business owners are feeling the negative impacts of inflation on their own enterprises. About 73% admitted that they were struggling with increasing energy costs, while around 75% are already experiencing a rise in other business expenses.

This is a big period of uncertainty for small business owners who have to absorb the burden of these increased prices. To help you navigate through inflation, here’s a few strategies that you can follow to manage your operational expenses:

1. Assess your expenses budget for inflation

No one can estimate how long inflation will last. Therefore, it’s crucial to cover all your bases and make sure that your startup is prepared by re-evaluating your expenses budget. Having a budget is crucial for your business. It is also important to keep track of your expenses, payments, and more. That is why having an online banking system can benefit your company greatly. Read this Airwallex review to see if its benefits match your company’s objectives.

An expenses budget allows you to forecast how much you need to spend within the next few years. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recommends breaking down your budget based on your fixed and variable costs. Fixed costs are your priority, since they are set expenses like rent or labor. However, variable costs like advertising and promotional expenses can be changed, so you can adjust how much you’re willing to set aside for these.

2. Get alternative financing for your startup

Budgeting can be difficult, especially if you’re working with limited capital. In this case, you’ll need to consider external financial sources to keep your startup up and running.

Luckily, many individuals are willing to financially support startups. In fact, the financial guides on AskMoney, which cover topics like investing, illustrate that startups can gain business funding by tapping into investors and other funding sources. You can opt to work with individual investors who want to provide capital in exchange for partial ownership of the company, or even start a crowdfunding campaign to earn extra capital while retaining full control of your startup. With the help of investors, you can get an extra push during tough times.

3. Adjust your fleet operational expenses

The rising costs of fuel are becoming alarming for both business owners and consumers. However, startup founders need to adjust accordingly, especially if your fleet is crucial to your products and services.

In this case, our article on the ‘10 Ways to Reduce Fleet Operating Costs’ points out that you can optimize the routes from your store to the destination by utilizing fleet management software or even GPS tracking technology. These innovations make it easier to find the best directions to and from places, thus improving the productivity of your driver. You can also provide proper training for your staff, so that they can follow driving practices that can reduce their fuel consumption.

4. Find ways to cut your energy costs

Startup owners have admitted that the rising energy costs is one of their problems during inflation.

As an investor of energy, retail, and mobility startup, the head of Wind Ventures recommends that startup founders learn how to continue their operations with fewer resources. While your business is still expanding, you can take this opportunity to study how renewable energy sources, efficient lighting, and proper insulation can improve your warehouse productivity and energy efficiency. Aside from that, startup founders can also adopt a remote work setup to ease the working conditions of their employees, while reducing their energy costs.

Inflation is challenging for all businesses, whether you’re running a startup or a big enterprise. As an entrepreneur, you can take this opportunity to learn how to manage your expenses, increase your capital, and guide your startup through lean times. For more business insights, check out our other articles on The Enterprise World.

Collective Restoration that Boosts Productivity and Well-being-Fika

Frank Theodore Koe

Fika is often translated as “a coffee and cake break”, which is kind of correct, but really it is much more than that.

It is a generally known fact that vacations are good for you. Proven benefits include enhanced mental and physical health and improved sleep patterns. Taking time away from work can also have a positive effect on mood while boosting energy, contributing to calming the mind and lowering the risk of heart disease. Even the act of planning a vacation you can make you feel better. Wouldn’t it be great if there was a proven way to take a daily mini vacation from the routine of work that would make life better? 

The consequence of not taking time off from the repetition of work can result in burnout. This condition was officially classified in 2019 by The International Classification of Diseases (ICD), maintained by the World Health Organization World Health Organizations, as a “syndrome” acknowledging it as a medical condition. Signs of burnout include headaches, insomnia, depression, anxiety, negativity and chronic fatigue all of which can affect ones personal life. In the workplace these symptoms are associated with poor performance, lower organizational commitment and a rate of higher absenteeism. The lack of work-life balance in the US can pose real challenges.

Sadly, 212 million vacation days annually in the US are never taken. It has been engrained in managers to reward those who do not take vacations. Employees who abstain from taking days off are seen as being more dedicated and more consciousness. And there is a fear among some employees that if a vacation is taken, there is a chance of being laid off.

Others believe that they are too important to temporarily take a break from work because no one can replace them. This is commonly called the “martyr complex.” In fact, a study by Totaljobs found that 56% of American workers never take a complete lunch break. The study found that 68% of those surveyed felt that they had too much to do and could not afford to take time away from work. 

Daniel J. Levitin, the director of the Laboratory for Music, Cognition and Expertise at McGill University and the author of “The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload, wrote in The New York Times that, “giving our brains time to wind down and think about nothing at all can provide our moments of greatest creativity and insight.”Taking breaks can not only refresh the brain but strengthen relationships. Vacations allow us to reconnect with those important in our lives.

Abraham Maslow and his celebrated Hierarchy of Needs explain the importance of social relatedness and belongingness. The need for interpersonal relationships and socialization is critical because it helps us see how we fit into the world with other people. Being able to share our stories and connect is therapeutic and contributes to a healthy outlook that offers us perspective and gives us a sense of place. Time away from the stressful pattern of work, even for short periods, help invigorate and strengthen personal bonds and contribute to increased productivity in the work place. Enter fika. 

Fika (pronounced “fee-kah”), is an ingrained Swedish tradition that has been in existence for over 100 years. It means to have a daily coffee (or tea or soda) break, usually with cake or other pastries. This notion has a much broader meaning than the typical American coffee break. Fika is even written into Swedish contracts that every employee is entitled to have time to gather and socialize with other employees during the work day.

It is an opportunity to talk and exchange opinions about anything and is not restricted to company activities or personal work assignments. This act of collective restoration is similar to a brief vacation. It is time for employees to remove themselves from their prolonged focus on work and offer their mind a chance to reset. Companies such as Volvo and IKEA have embraced fika for many years. 

According to John Duxbury, editor and founder of SwedishFood.com, “fika refurbishes the brain and strengthens relationships. And it makes good business sense: firms have better teams and are more productive where fika is institutionalized.” It is the act of recharging and slowing down for a short period of time. In American culture, self-care ranks very low on the list of personal priorities. Keeping ones ‘nose to the grindstone’ is something that is reinforced and encouraged. This constant and continual push to produce can have a reverse effect on productivity and creativity and lay the groundwork for burnout.

We have all had fika moments. It can happen when we are engrossed in a task for several hours that requires our undivided attention and then move away from it. After a break, we return to the task with a fresh perspective and better poised to make constructive changes or edits to our work. 

Fika also contributes to improving social capital. Through the ritualized and relaxed fika experience, trust and cooperation are built through a network of shared values, employee engagement and inclusion. Socially connected and motivated people are more apt to be innovators and stand a better chance of improving a company’s products or services.

Taking pauses to distance ourselves from work can be useful in restoring a sense of wellbeing while refreshing our minds so the time we do spend at work will be more productive and enjoyable.  Although the Swedish tradition of fika may be difficult to implement in all business environments throughout the world, finding creative ways to construct breaks that go beyond grabbing a cup of coffee and returning to a desk may be useful. Its benefits can enhance bonds between employees and translate to improved morale and a more constructive work environment. 

From a sci-fi concept to reality – What exactly is the Metaverse? Is it a fad that has been hyped by celebrities and social media or will it really transform the way we live? Read this article to know more about the Metaverse, its Reality & Myths.

The Metaverse is the next evolution of Internet. It is predicted to be a massively scaled immersive and interactive platform for people all around the world. It is much beyond Web 2.0, this is Web 3.0 – where everything is decentralized. This means that people have more control and ownership over their digital assets and movements. 

Advance technologies like Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Cryptocurrency etc. power the Metaverse. It comes with the vision to be a parallel virtual universe i.e people will experience real life scenarios and encounters on a virtual platform. Imagine if you could walk through a mall in New York or Dubai from the comfort of your home, without having to actually travel to those places, or imagine visiting Disney Land in Paris without really having to stamp your passport…

The Metaverse will allow its users to attend concerts, fashion shows, movie screening, conferences etc. all on a virtual platform with real life like feeling from anywhere in the world, the distance and demographics have no hindrance. And it doesn’t does limit to that, the Metaverse will also give its users an opportunity to carry out their daily tasks and activities like grocery shopping, socializing with people, attending office meetings and webinars etc. all in a virtual environment. Blockchain technology is an integral part of the Metaverse, it ensures that the digital assets of users is safe and secure in virtual reality. Let’s now dive into understanding the myths and realities of the Metaverse aka parallel virtual universe.

Top 3 Realities of the Metaverse

1. Global Wealth Generation

The Metaverse can be considered as a global wealth creation tool. Yes, it is decentralized and runs on cryptocurrency which is also known as the global currency. This means that there is one unified currency for the platform irrespective of the country you operate from. Trades worth billions have been recorded on the Metaverse. These trades are usually for Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs), virtual land, avatars etc.

2. Empowerment of Designers and Creators

A word that is closely linked to the Metaverse is Non Fungible Tokens widely known as NFTs. Designers and creators from all around the world can now put their talent out in the form of artwork, music, collectible items etc. on a global platform without the need for any middleman. This not only gives them financial freedom, but also gives them complete ownership and authority of there digital asset.

3. New Marketing Avenues

With the emergence of Metaverse, brands across the globe have started planning their entry on the platform. Every business wants to give their audience a first and one of kind experience in the Metaverse. This is a brand new path for marketing strategies to mould up for optimum results. Brands now want to have their presence in the real like virtual land and engage with their customers like never before.

Top 3 Myths of the Metaverse

1. Metaverse will Replace the Real World

Let’s understand that the Metaverse will never have the potential to completely replace the real world we live in. Yes, it can be addictive in nature just like social media and gaming apps/sites in todays time, but for people from all over the world i.e a population of over 8 billion people to completely shift their life to Metaverse full time is nearly impossible. 

2. The Metaverse will be a Monopoly

The core essence of the Metaverse is decentralization, which means that the user has complete control and ownership of their digital assets. Although we cannot completely rule out the probability of big tech giants like Meta and Microsoft leading the league like how they do in Web 2.0, we can also say that they will not be able to hold much control given the fundamentals of Metaverse. There cannot be one or few people running it, each individual will own and control their digital asset without any external interference.

3. The Metaverse is Only for Gamers

It is not wrong to say that the gaming arena is one of the first adopters of Metaverse, however, the Metaverse has evolved far beyond gaming. It is now a platform for everybody who wants to experience virtual reality for different reasons. The Metaverse is going to be a platform where people can shop, play, party, learn, socialize, etc. all inclusive. It is not just a gaming platform anymore, in fact it has expanded its branches to many more avenues at a larger scale.

This is just the beginning of the Metaverse turning into reality and only time can tell what the Metaverse has in store for us. What we know of the Metaverse today is just the tip of the ice berg, there is yet a lot more to unfold as more and more people explore the Metaverse. The Metaverse is immersive and it is decentralized, these are the 2 main factors that make it unique and popular.

Written by

Jay Anthony, 

Marketing Head, TECHVED Consulting

Tags – #jayanthony  #uxdesign #techvedconsulting #metaverse #arvr

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#uxdesign – https://www.techved.com/ux-design/

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#metaverse – https://www.techved.com/metaverse-development-company

#arvr – https://www.techved.com/ar-service

If you are here reading this piece of content, you sure have your interest inclined towards Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs). And in this article you will get an idea of how NFTs aka Non Fungible Tokens create wealth.

Let’s start with an example – We all know the value diamonds hold. Both, financial value and emotional and sentimental value. Diamonds have been signified as the symbol of wedding proposals. Even though reports state that lab created diamonds are just as real as the diamonds mined from earth, the demand for mined diamonds is always on the rise. Ever wondered why? This is because of the rarity they hold. The sole reason why mined diamonds are always looked above the lab ones is because people from around the world have been marketed it that way. The concept of wedding proposals with diamonds is now a regularized tradition.

In fact, social media has even reached an extent where proposals without diamond (or “the rock” as they call it) have been frowned upon and trolled. It has been embarked as a global norm for wedding proposals since a few decades now and is here to stay. Now if you are wondering about why we are emphasizing on diamonds and their value is because – NFTs are not much different. Diamonds are rare, and so are Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs). The value each NFT holds is on the basis of its uniqueness and more so – rarity. 

Small brief on – Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs)

Non Fungible Tokens also widely known as NFTs are unique cryptographic tokens. They have the ability to assign value to digital assets like artwork, collectibles, music etc. and even selfies – A 22 year old Indonesian college student named Sultan Guataf Al Ghozali made $1 million by selling his selfie as an NFT on OpenSea. This NFT was a series of selfies he took between 2017-2021 to reflect upon  his graduation journey. Below is the selfie.

Blockchain technology gives designers and creators the freedom to create and upload their talent up for sale in the form of blocks which are immensely secure and credible. This allows designers and creators to reach out to a larger audience across the world without any middleman involved. They can create music, game collectibles, avatars, property and much more and attain financial freedom with

NFTs.

Non Fungible Tokens were first invented in 2014 and have become a global sensation since the pandemic. Social media attention is greatly responsible for the explosion of the NFT trend across the globe – Penetrated in all seven continents. 

**Stats Say – The global NFT market size is expected to grow from USD 3.0 billion in 2022 to USD 13.6 billion by 2027. (This is at a compound interest growth of 35.0% from 2022-2027)

NFTs that broke records

• “The Merge” sold for a whopping $ 91.8 million (30,000 collectors bid together to purchase parts of this NFT)
• “Every day – The first 5000 days” by Beeple, sold for $69 million
• “Clock” sold for $52.7 million

How will NFTs help in generating wealth all over the world

Non Fungible Tokens are being recognized as an essential tool to create global wealth. NFTs have a profound impact in the crypto market. Non Fungible Tokens primarily act as a token or ticket that grants the owner access to any particular digital asset. And what makes them even more unique and fascinating is that they function on cryptocurrency, which is completely decentralized and is also known as the “global currency”. This means that the NFT creators have total control over their work. This is why most believe it to be a new ecosystem for global wealth generation.

Cryptocurrency works on the Blockchain technology. Each metadata encrypted on the token is unique and cannot be altered or replicated in any way and hence NFTs give the creator complete copyright of their work.

Different types of NFTs to monetize on

• Music
• Memes
• Artwork
• Property
• Video Games
• Trading Cards
• Domain Names
• Virtual Fashion
• Sports Collectibles
• Miscellaneous Online Items 

With the Metaverse and Web 3.0 becoming a reality now, it is only opening up new revenue streams of income for people from all around the world. 

Top 3 factors that determine the value of Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs)

1. Total control over circulation

NFT creators have total control over their digital asset. Designers and creators can add as many NFTs as they like based on the market demand and supply situation. It is a volatile space. The rarer the NFT, the higher the demand and value.

2. No space for intermediaries

NFT owners have complete freedom to reach out to their audience without the need for any middle agent or medium, at a price they wish. This has been also termed as an ecosystem which will give designers and creators financial freedom and independence. 

3. Limited supply and uniqueness

Non Fungible Tokens are limited in supply. No two are the exact same. This make them rare assets. People love the essence and power of owning rare collectibles, and NFTs are just one of them. The reason they are priced at different values is because of how rare they are to get.

Closing note…

It is imperative to understand that in the NFT world, the price of a particular digital asset is dependent on its demand and has nothing to do with the economical or technical attributes. NFT is a fairly new marketplace and governments from all over the world are trying to impose taxation on it, so it is advisable to first consult a tax professional before venturing out into the world of Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs).

Written by

Jay Anthony, 

Marketing Head, TECHVED Consulting

Tags – #jayanthony  #techvedconsulting 

Link – 

#techvedconsulting – https://www.techved.com/

#jayanthony – https://www.linkedin.com/in/techved-consulting/

Breach Candy Hospital is a private hospital located in Mumbai, India. One of the renowned hospitals in India, it is located in the Breach Candy area of South Mumbai.

Breach Candy Hospital – History

It was established in 1950 at the upmarket Breach Candy area in South Mumbai, and designed by an English architect Claude Batley. 

Breach Candy Hospital Trust has been a beacon of light for the suffering for over 50 years. Situated on the coastline of South Mumbai, the Breach Candy Hospital is renowned for its medical expertise, excellent nursing care and quality diagnostics. Specialists on the hospital’s panel of doctors include some of the most distinguished names in Indian medical profession.

Many procedures in routine use including Coronary Angioplasty, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Critical Care ICU and Hysteroscopy were first performed here. The Breach Candy Hospital has earned national recognition as a leader in interventional cardiology. For patients, it’s a sanctuary for the healing of mind and body.

The other services offered are Out Patient Clinics, Preventive Health Checks, Dialysis Unit, Physiotherapy, Ante natal classes, Dentistry, Endoscopy, Non-Invasive Cardiology, Pulmonology, Visa Check ups and others.

The Breach Candy Hospital has a dedicated Charity Wing where eligible patients are treated at nominal charge or free of cost.

The doctors here belong to a group of highly qualified and experienced clinicians.

The hospital has around 35 disciplines under one roof including Hematology, Endoscopy, Radiology, Surgical Pathology, Bariatric Surgery, Gastrology and more.

OUR
Philosophy

Quality Policy

To anticipate and exceed the expectations of our patients / care seekers through professional excellence, ethical behaviour, team work by way of prompt, efficient response in a friendly environment plus approach it in way through continuous improvement in systems.

Vision

To be recognized as a trusted leader in providing high quality healthcare with a reputation for patient care, performance and sustained growth.

Mission

To offer comprehensive State of the Art healthcare services in an environment where compassion, quality, safety  are integral to care, where we are proud to serve patients; where meeting the challenges of complex medical needs is viewed as a defining competence.

Notable Incidents

Former Indian Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee underwent a knee surgery at the hospital in 2000, when he was in office.

Famous Bollywood Playback Singer Udit Narayan’s son Aditya Narayan was born here in 1987.

Dhirubhai Ambani, who was admitted to the hospital, breathed his last on July 6, 2002 after a major stroke.

Vilasrao Deshmukh, a former Chief Minister of Maharashtra, was admitted to the hospital in the first week of August 2012. He was diagnosed with both liver and kidney failure. He was later taken to Global Hospital in Chennai, where he died on August 14, 2012.

Priyanka Chopra’s father, Dr. Ashok Chopra, died of cancer in the hospital.

Kajol suffered from a miscarriage due to ectopic pregnancy at the hospital.

Sonali Bendre gave birth to her son, Ranveer, at the hospital

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan has undergone a knee surgery at the hospital.

Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan’s son, Taimur Ali Khan Pataudi, was born in the hospital on 20 December 2016.

Socialite and philanthropist Parmeshwar Godrej died on October 11, 2016 due to a lung ailment at the hospital.

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt’s wife Manyata Dutt gave birth to her son, Shahraan Dutt, at the hospital.

Apollo Hospitals is leading the multispecialty healthcare unit with best class treatments.

With an ageing and expanding population of more than 1.3 billion, to provide healthcare to them was a rising challenge. More than that was bringing medical care to the remote areas of India, where most of the population resides, and has very low access to healthcare. It was time India’s healthcare needed transformation. 

With changing reforms of the world, where everyone was quickly shifting and adapting to a digital era, incorporating cloud, big data analytics and Artificial Intelligence, helped to accelerate this change and combat the challenges. 

One of India’s largest private healthcare companies, Apollo Hospitals is adapting to these changing times by enabling digital transformation in each of its ward and thus expanding the quality of healthcare to more than 300 million Indians. 

Ever since Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Apollo Hospitals’ founder, lost a patient to heart disease in 1983 because of lack of medical resources, he ahs made it a constant thread to invest in modern technologies and to improve the health of the nation.

Apollo Hospitals- A Brief Overview

Apollo Hospitals was established in 1983 by Dr. Prathap C Reddy, renowned as the architect of modern healthcare in India. As the nation’s first corporate hospital, Apollo Hospitals is acclaimed for pioneering the private healthcare revolution in the country.

Apollo Hospitals has emerged as Asia’s foremost integrated healthcare services provider and has a robust presence across the healthcare ecosystem, including Hospitals, Pharmacies, Primary Care & Diagnostic Clinics and several retail health models. The Group also has Telemedicine facilities across several countries, Health Insurance Services, Global Projects Consultancy, Medical Colleges, Medvarsity for E-Learning, Colleges of Nursing and Hospital Management and a Research Foundation. In addition, ‘ASK Apollo’ – an online consultation portal and Apollo Home Health provide the care continuum.

The cornerstones of Apollo’s legacy are its unstinting focus on clinical excellence, affordable costs, modern technology and forward-looking research & academics. Apollo Hospitals was among the first few hospitals in the world to leverage technology to facilitate seamless healthcare delivery. The organization embraced the rapid advancement in medical equipment across the world, and pioneered the introduction of several cutting-edge innovations in India. Recently, South East Asia’s first Proton Therapy Centre commenced operations at the Apollo Centre in Chennai.

Since its inception, Apollo Hospitals has been honoured by the trust of over 150 million individuals who came from 140 countries. At the core of Apollo’s patient-centric culture is TLC (Tender Loving Care), the magic that inspires hope amongst its patients.

As a responsible corporate citizen, Apollo Hospitals takes the spirit of leadership well beyond business and has embraced the responsibility of keeping India healthy. Recognizing that Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) are the greatest threat to the nation, Apollo Hospitals is continuously educating people about preventive healthcare as the key to wellness. Likewise, envisioned by Dr. Prathap C Reddy, the “Billion Hearts Beating Foundation” endeavours to keep Indians heart-healthy.

Apollo Hospitals has championed numerous social initiatives – to cite a few which assist underprivileged children – SACHi (Save a Child’s Heart Initiative) which screens and provides paediatric cardiac care for congenital heart diseases, SAHI (Society to Aid the Hearing Impaired) and the CURE Foundation focused on cancer care. To introduce population health into the Indian narrative, the Total Health Foundation, as envisaged by Dr. Reddy, is piloting a unique model of healthcare in the Thavanampalle Mandal of Andhra Pradesh. It aims to provide “holistic healthcare” for the entire community starting from birth, through one’s journey into childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age.

In a rare honour, the Government of India had issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollo’s widespread contributions, the first for a healthcare organization. In addition, a stamp was also released to mark the 15th anniversary of India’s 1st successful liver transplant performed at Apollo Hospitals. More recently Apollo Hospitals was again honoured with a postal stamp for having successfully performed 20 million health checks and its pioneering efforts in encouraging preventive healthcare in the country.

Dr. Prathap C Reddy, Founder Chairman of the Apollo Hospitals Group has been conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan, India’s second highest civilian award.

Under the leadership of Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Apollo Hospital has had quite a few milestones. Some of their notable achievements include-

Apollo Hospitals, Chennai successfully performed over 50,000 cardiac surgeries which includes Bypass, Valve replacements, Paediatric cardiac procedures, Transplants and Minimally invasive procedures.

India’s first successful combined cardiac and tracheal surgery was performed on 11-month-old baby from Oman by Apollo Children’s Hospital, Chennai.

India’s first Total Marrow Irradiation Procedure was performed on a 35-year-old patient from Oman by Apollo Proton Cancer Centre, Chennai.

Introduced cutting edge procedures like off-pump and beating-heart surgery, either by thoracotomy or classical sternotomy, trans-radial angioplasty and stenting, mitral valve replacement.

Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals New Delhi commenced Robotic Surgery in the specialities of Gynaecology, Urology, General Surgery and Bariatric Surgery, during April to June 2012.

In 1995, Apollo Hospitals performed its first Bone Marrow Transplantation, as well as the first multi organ transplant in the country.

By 1992, Apollo Hospitals introduced Artery Stenting for the first time in India.

With these stellar achievements and awards for it under their hat, Apollo Hospital with their centres of excellence and a strong team of doctors leading healthcare, are bringing a revolution in healthcare in India. 

Nicole Tabs – Monarchy Media

A wise woman once said that happiness –true contentment—is the key to enjoying life. Audrey Hepburn is famous for saying “the most important thing is to enjoy your life – to be happy – it’s all that matters.”

Women bear the tremendous brunt of many emotional tasks in their life, and they often struggle to balance a forever- full plate of obligations, expectations, dreams, and realities. Repositioning each item causes others to fall, creating a never-ending stream of wishing there was more time for the very projects and experiences that bring joy. After all, prioritizing one item over the other means that something goes farther down on the list. But, what if it didn’t have to be that way?

Nicole Tabs, CEO and co-founder of business development agency Monarchy Media, co-founder of modern fitness brand Upliffs, and co-founder of Serendipity Group Inc, believes prioritizing and managing expectations and dreams doesn’t have to come at the expense of sanity.

With a father who was a serial entrepreneur and an inspirational mother who is the other half of Serendipity Group Inc., Tabs effortlessly made the leap from influencer to business owner—and explained that as life constantly evolves, staying committed to 3 important elements is what has guided her success.

“My love of travel, my desire to lead businesses with purpose, and elevating the relationships in my life seemed to always be in conflict with one another,” Tabs said. “I found the key to achieving success in all three isn’t to recognize the inherent battle but to create strategic workarounds.”

Invest in Partnerships

When building her closest relationships, Tabs learned it is vital to not settle, but instead, find someone to continuously create with. “Alignment is the recipe for success in close relationships,” Nicole Tabs said. “The trick is finding a balance for that continuous creation and serving as a cheerleader for one another.”

Nicole Tabs also encourages open and honest discussions with your partner about one-year, five-year, and work-related goals. At the same time, she added, it’s important to celebrate your interests that aren’t alike.

For example, while one of her husband’s passions is Dungeon and Dragons, it’s not her thing. Yet, she supported his interests through participation and hosting events while he played up her love of all things Disney, even though it’s not his favorite.

“Be supportive and stay connected,” she said. “Don’t take away from the other–increase and enhance instead.”

Move Your Ventures – and Yourself – Forward

Nicole Tabs mindfully looked for partnerships where alignment and creative synergy existed as a key to her business success. Whether that’s starting as an Instagram influencer, marketing media management, or film producer, she sought to find people to work with that share her passion and attention to detail. 

With the ability to work remotely, many are fleeing corporate America for an opportunity to create wealth and grow on their own.

“Taking your work on the road can be daunting if time management isn’t your forte, but it’s absolutely worth every sacrifice,” said Nicole Tabs. “My ambitious spirit and desire to see all the continents gave me new experiences that led to my business’ growth.”

One important element Tabs said needed its own moment was strategically aligning your relationship with yourself and your partner with the work you’re doing.

“When everyone has the same vision, they move towards the horizon together,” mentioned Tabs. “My success comes from having a partner who looks ahead with me, prioritizes our goals, and gives me the freedom to be creative. We travel together and learn together, and that experience has been a gift.”

Exploring passions, solidifying relationships, and creating 7-figure businesses are what Tabs does best. “People tend to believe they can only do one thing at a time, which is wildly untrue,” she mused. “Just as a human brain can multitask, human professionals can do a multitude of  tasks that light up each part of their life; it’s for important women not to settle for less.”

About Nicole Tabs

Nicole Tabs is a serial entrepreneur and humanitarian born and raised in Beverly Hills, CA. She is the CEO and Co-founder of Monarchy, a highly successful business development agency, and Serendipity Group Inc, launched their new TV series on ABC, as announced on Deadline. To view her website, visit http://nicoletabs.com/.

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Hands down Google has become one of the most popular and known search engines around the world. Google started its journey with Larry Page and Sergey Brin as its founders back in 1998. Google registered the domain, Google.com in 1997. So there is some unknown Facts about Google.

The name Google comes from Googol, which means a very large number with 100 zeros behind. And that’s what the primary aim is to provide search results that match that number!

Today, Google holds 90% of the market share when it comes to search engines, holding the top spot among search engines. 

Now, let’s look at 10 interesting facts about Google

1. Google has 2.5 Trillion searches worldwide every year!

In 2021, there were 4.1 million search queries. There were 63,000 searches per second, 230 million every hour, and 5.6 billion per day. All these sum up to 2.5 trillion searches every year worldwide.

2. The name Google was never the first, its original name was Backrub.

The company changed its name, that’s how the name: Google was born. After all, Google is a misspelling of the word: Googel, the mathematical term for a one with hundred zeros.

This name would reflect the company’s mission – To provide all information accessible to everyone around the world.

3. PageRank is the name of Google’s search technology.

PageRank search technology takes its name after the Co-founder Larry Page, This is another facts about Google. This SEO tech assigns a value of relevance to every website and determines their importance and sorts them accordingly. Thus, ensuring that your website is considered important by Google, depending upon the information and its relevance. 

The key part is that nobody knows how PageRank works, thus making it very difficult to manipulate it. So, if your website is considered important over others, it will rank up higher in the search rankings. All this ensures a user gets the most relevant and unhampered search results

4. On August 16, 2013, global internet usage dropped 40% because Google was unreachable for 5 minutes!

This is major facts about Google. Yes, you read it right! This goes on to show the dependence of people and the importance of Google today. Google has become the go-to search engine for any query in today’s world. So, if one cannot find search results, why use the internet?

5. In 1997, Google wanted to sell its search engine to Yahoo for $2 million.

Google proposed Yahoo purchase their search engine system, but Yahoo didn’t accept their offer. The fun fact is that in the year 2002, Yahoo approached Google to purchase their search engine system for a staggering $3 billion, and this time Google refused their offer.

Today, Yahoo commands much less footfall and popularity than Google as compared to before. A real-life turn of tables, don’t you think? 

6. “I’m feeling lucky” in binary code was Google’s first tweet.

Google has 24.7 million followers on Twitter. Much more than celebrities and other celebrated companies like Amazon, Tesla. Find up-to-date and of all the developments in the search engine, on their channel.

7. 16% to 20% of all searches on Google have never been done before!

What this means is that there are millions of searches happening on Google that have never been done. Google’s SEO systems tackle this issue effectively, regulating, evolving, keeping themselves up-to-date with these new developments, and always staying ahead of the game.

8. The Google homepage is available in 80 languages.

As Google has become the go-to search engine and is present all around the world. The team is constantly looking out to provide a more immersive experience to its users, and to do that Google is available in 80 languages.

Google also translates search results into more than 80 languages, so you can wade the depths of the internet without having to worry about language issues.

9. Around 89% of Google’s revenue used to come from Google advertising.

Google’s major source of income remains their SEA (Search Engine Advertising) that offers companies to come at the top of the search results, ensuring more footfall and wider reach.

10. Smartphones constitute 33% of all searches on Google.

In April 2021, Google introduced a new algorithm that measures mobile usability. This offers websites a chance to understand where the searches come from and get them to work on their mobile interface also.

Ford is a global brand, known for its unique design and production marvel. The company is one of the most renowned and sought-after brands across the world. 

Ford Motor Co.was started by Henry Ford and his son Edsel in 1903 along with other 11 founders. Father and son bought out 10 owners of Ford Motor Co. by 1919, taking full control of the company. The company has gone through thick and thin, earning the place of one of the most successful and established automobile manufacturers.

Ford Motor Co. began its journey almost a centennial ago. Detroit’s Mack Avenue marks the site of Ford’s first plant. Since its inception, the company has been able to provide and produce automobiles that have been greatly revered and bought like hotcakes. Their strategy, products, and standards have become an industry standard. 

Let’s get to know 6 lesser-known facts about Ford Motor Co.

1. Henry Ford’s first vehicle was the Ford Quadricycle.

The first vehicle ever produced by Ford Motor Co. had four bicycle wheels mounted on a simple frame with a gasoline engine. This was completed in 1896, as Henry Ford worked as Thomas Edison’s chief electrical engineer during his free time. This made him build the quadricycle, after reading an article and started dwelling further into automobiles. 

2. Thomas Edison’s last breath

Not many people have heard or know about the great friendship between Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. Both ended up buying vacation homes in Fort Myers, Florida, because of their genuine and lifelong friendship!

As friendship was very important to Henry Ford, he made sure that the last breath of Thomas Edison was captured in a test tube and sealed. Henry wanted to preserve and cherish his friendship with Thomas Edison, and to this day that test tube remains a prized possession of the Ford family.

3. Ford’s Innovative Assembly Line

Ford Motor Co. is the innovator behind automobile assembly lines. Yes! They were the ones who started this and this method of construction was the brainchild of Henry Ford, who perfected it, making Ford’s production line unparalleled and extremely popular, even by today’s standards!

The company’s productivity boomed owing to Henry’s innovations, and Ford Motor Co.can build a car in less than 90 minutes. This means more cars, faster delivery, and profits soared, making Ford one of the most successful companies and innovators changing the world!

4. Ford Mustang at the top of the Empire State Building

Ford Mustang was showcased at the Empire State Building in 1965. To achieve the same, the car was disassembled into four pieces, taken up in elevators, and was photographed by a helicopter.

The car remained on the roof for five months before it was dismantled and taken from the scene.

5. Jim Morrison owned only one car, a Ford!

The Doors is one of the most popular rock bands in music history, known throughout the world with a fan base that is not countable. The band’s lead singer, Jim Morrison owned only one car, and it was a Ford!

It was a 1967 Shelby GT 500 that Jim Morrison, the legendary Doors singer owned.

6. Ford has racing DNA embedded in it!

What turned out to be an amazing story of Ford trying to acquire Ferrari, and in return getting insulted about their cars. Ford Motor Co. lost its sense of commuter segment vehicles and plunged into the world of motor racing.

In the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1966, Ford beat Porsche, Lamborghini, and Ferrari, with its iconic and extremely popular GT40. The car was made in collaboration with the famous racing driver and automobile designer, Carrol Shelby. Ford ended Ferrari’s six-year winning streak and won the championship for the next four years consecutively, thus carving their name in the history of motorsports.

 Sundar Pichai needs no introduction. He is the CEO of Google and its parent organization Alphabet Inc. He has shown through his journey that hard work does pay off, and success always welcomes those who strive for it.

His full name is Pichai Sundararajan, but he is famously known as Sundar Pichai. His father, Raghunath Pichai worked as an electric designer at General Electric Company (GEC), and his mother, Lakshmi Pichai worked as a stenographer.

Sundar has accomplished this astonishing feat of becoming one of the most revered and unrivaled experts, under the age of 50. He has not only become an inspiration and motivation to millions but also is one of the most cherished and looked upon personalities of today’s time.

Let’s get to know 8 unknown yet interesting facts about Sundar Pichai 

1. Sundar Pichai has multiple degrees

He has multiple degrees under his belt. He received a Bachelor of Technology (B Tech) degree in metallurgical designing from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. After moving to the United States, he completed a Master of Science degree from Stanford University and later pursued MBA from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

2. Sundar Pichai joined Google, but that was not his first job!

Not many people do not know that before joining Google in 2004, Sundar worked at Applied Materials in the product management department. Then he worked at McKinsey & Company in management consulting.

He joined Google in 2004, where he worked amongst the executives and towards advancement endeavors for a set-up of Google’s custom programming items. His coveted projects included Google Chrome, a Chrome OS. He was also to a great extent responsible for Google Drive.

3. Sunder loves to play soccer and cricket.

The soft-spoken CEO uses most of his free time playing cricket or soccer. He also has a knack for reading English classics and watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S. 

“I am a big soccer fan. I follow soccer more because it is easier to follow there. I am a big Barcelona and Lionel Messi fan”, Sundar once told students at Delhi college SRCC, according to India Today.

4. Sundar was also a contender for Microsoft’s CEO position!

In 2014, Pichai’s name was brought up as a worthy contender for the CEO of Microsoft along with Satya Nadella. Later on, Nadella was chosen for the position of CEO of Microsoft. But Pichai got the coveted position of CEO at Alaphabet Inc. in December 2019, after co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin announced their resignation from the executive positions.

5. Sundar Pichai was behind Android being added to Google!

In March 2013, Sundar added Android to the rundown list of Google items that he directed for further research and development.

6. Pichai has two kids and wedded her school sweetheart.

Pichai wedded her school sweetheart, Anjali whom he met in the first year of their college at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. As they met, they recalled being old buddies, and slowly the friendship turned to dating, and later marriage. They are happily married and have two children.

7. Sundar remembers all the phone numbers he has ever dialed!

Sundar Pichai has been gifted with many abilities. One of those is that he has an exceptional recollection of all the phone numbers he has ever dialed, at any point in his life.

8. Salary of Sundar Pichai!

As per the US Securities and Exchange Commission in their yearly intermediary documenting, Pichai’s base pay was $2 million in 2020. Furthermore, Pichai drew close to $5 million under “Any remaining Compensation”, making his absolute remuneration stand at about $7.4 million. 

Apple is the largest Technological Company. In this article you can see some Facts about Apple

Brands and luxury goods have always had a great effect on people’s lifestyles and perceptions. Many goods and services are often considered as a status symbol or a sign of a rich or lavish lifestyle.

To make such a brand seems like an impossible task, but few companies have made sure that their services/products are nothing less than a piece of paradise, here on earth. When talking about such big names that have carved an image in our minds like a beacon or pinnacle of certain products/services, some names have taken immovable places.

One of these names is Apple. What started as a company, led by a visionary man named Steve Jobs, became a breakthrough, a revolutionary brand that has rules and is reigning the league for the smartphone industry. 

Apple offer laptops, smartphones, and other products that are taken nothing less than a luxury due to their heavy price tags, which seems justified for a unique and unparalleled user experience. 

Here are 8 surprising facts about Apple:

1. Apple is bigger than some countries!

The company’s market cap is greater than the GDP of 25 countries! FOr instance, the revenues generated by Apple are more than Ecuador, Iraq, and many more countries.

2. Apple has over 150,000 employees! (Source: statista)

According to statistics, The company had over 150,000 employees around the world in 2021.
And there is no stopping the company, with its products picking up momentum in developing countries like India, boosting its growth.

3. Apple is valued at over $2 trillion. (Source: businessofapps)

The company started its journey with desktop computers, which it was originally known for. It is their shift to graphical user interface (GUI), and their success with the first Macintosh, that propelled their growth.

It was owing to the exceptional talent and vision of Steve Jobs, that had a major role in The company’s success. After he resigned in 1985, there was a considerable decline, but today, Apple’s growth is unparalleled and indomitable.

4. The first company logo depicted Issac Newton under an apple tree!

The first logo of Apple was drawn by Ronald Wayne (the third co-founder of the brand). The logo depicted Isaac Newton under an apple tree. Wayne soon left the company, and the logo turned into the iconic half-eaten apple that we see now.

When asked why the apple was half-eaten, the designer, Rob Janoff said that he did it for scale – so the logo would be easily distinguishable from a cherry.

5. Do you know that every Apple ad shows 9:41 a.m?

Do you know that every Apple ad displays the same time on the iPhone, i.e., 09:41 a.m? The significance of this time is that Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone at this time in 2007.

6. Apple is considered the most valuable brand in the world!

Some of the world’s most valuable brands are Apple, Google, Microsoft & Amazon, but, Apple is considered as one of the most valuable technology companies in the world. According to Forbes, Apple has overtaken Google as the most valued brand, and people consider Apple as the most sophisticated tech provider in the market.

7. Apple was the first company to reach $700 billion in 2015.

Apple was the first company to reach a valuation of $700 billion, according to Forbes. Today, the current market valuation of The company stands at more than $2 trillion.

8. The iPod was not the brainchild of Apple!

The creator of the iPod first pitched the idea to Philips and RealNetworks. Failing to see the potential, the companies declined the offer, and later went to Apple, which became a breakthrough and revolutionary product in the industry!

Elon Musk has undoubtedly become the name that every entrepreneur and business enthusiast chants. Owing to his visionary companies, his daunting journey to become the 2nd richest man in the world.

Elon Musk has founded 8 successful companies, i.e, Zip2, PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, Hyperloop, OpenAI, Neuralink, and The Boring Company. With SpaceX and Tesla being the apple of everyone’s eye. 

Tesla is the leading EV automaker of the U.S., providing futuristic and mind-blowing EVs, and other sustainable energy options such as solar panels. SpaceX on the other hand is working towards sending us to space, more clearly, on Mars!

Elon’s charisma, vision, and intelligence have become an inspiring story for many businessmen/businesswomen, space enthusiasts, car enthusiasts, and the list goes on. He is seen as one of the beacons of mankind that will lead us into a future full of surreal technology.

Let’s get to know 6 facts about Elon Musk you didn’t know:

1. Elon is A U.S. citizen, but was born in South Africa!

Although Elon is a US citizen, he was born in South Africa. Elon’s mother is a supermodel, and his father is a diamond mine owner in South Africa. Elon moved to Canada when he turned 17, with his family. He has two siblings, a brother, and a sister. He studied for two years at Kingston’s University in Ontario, earned two bachelor’s degrees in Physics and Economics from the University of Pennsylvania.

2. Elon has been an entrepreneur, right from a young age.

Elon Musk taught himself programming at the age of 12 and sold his first computer program. It was a game called Blastar, whose source code was sold for $500. Over the years, he ventured into many companies, made them successful. But the most interesting thing is he dropped out of his Ph.D. in applied physics at Stanford University, to start his company.

3. Elon and his brother Kimbal have founded and run companies together,

Elon and His brother Kimbal launched their first venture called Zip2 in 1995. Zip2, an online city travel guide which soon became the main source of content for big organizations like the Chicago Tribune and New York Times. The company, later, was bought by Compaq for a whopping amount of $350 million approximately.

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4. Elon and Kimbal are the brains behind PayPal.

Elon Musk and Kimbal used some of the money from the sale of Zip2 and formed X.com in 1999. X.com provided online payments and financial services, which became an instant hit. The company acquired more assets, evolved, and became PayPal, all in under a year. The company was later sold to Bay.com for a staggering $1.5 billion in stock. Elon received nearly 10 percent of the stock share, earning him a fortune.

5. Elon’s space dreams!

Using some of his fortunes, Elon started SpaceX in 2002 when he realized he can cut down the cost of space travel significantly by using vertical integration, cheap commercial off-the-shelf components when possible, and also modular engineering. During the initial years, it became the first private company to send a liquid-propellant rocket to orbit in 2008. Now, the company has become a famous brand, a major contender, most importantly a hope for space exploration projects, such as future missions to the Moon and travel, colonization on Mars. The company is also awarded many lucrative and coveted contracts with NASA.

6. Elon didn’t start Tesla!

Elon never started Tesla, he joined the company as a Series A investor and became chairman of the board of directors in 2004. After a lawsuit with founders Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, who were the CEO and CFO, Musk could be co-founders as well. He started with product design initially for the electric vehicles, slowly moving to different processes, and launching the instant hit automobiles. Tesla went public in 2010, backed by Daimler and Toyota. Tesla is the second American auto manufacturer to go public after Ford. In 2017, Tesla took over the crown position as the most valuable vehicle maker in the US.

Who doesn’t know Michael Burry? Yes, the famous American investor, the hedge fund manager, and physician. He is best known as the founder of the hedge fund Scion Capital. This fund had a successful run from the year of its foundation in 2000 till 2008 before he closed it down to focus on his personal investments. He is also known for being among the first investors to foresee and profit from the subprime mortgage crisis that occurred between 2007 and 2010.

If you still have a little knowledge about Michael Burry, here is a film you might be interested in The Big Short. Played by our beloved Batman, Christian Bale, the film is about the life of Michael Burry. 

So who is this crazy person who vibes to heavy metal music, works barefoot, and has trouble making eye contact with people? 

Here are a few facts you probably didn’t know about your investment guru, Michael Burry. 

1. He has a glass eye-

Because of a rare form of cancer, he had to get his left eye removed before the age of two. After a certain age, he has been donning a glass eye, which has made it difficult for him to make proper eye contact with people. But that might not be the exact reason for it! 

2. His Asperger’s Disease-

Pretty later in his life, Michael realized the real reason for his socially awkward behavior was Asperger’s Syndrome. He only realized this after a child psychiatrist said that his child had the syndrome. In the movie The Big Short, it is not explicitly shown that Burry has Asperger’s Syndrome, but Bale does execute his social interactions with precise awkwardness. 

3. He was studying to be a doctor-

Like the smart high-schoolers who opt for more advanced areas of study, Burry too went with medical studies. Although, medical school was like a breeze for Michael Burry. He was never interested in practicing medicine after he completed his studies. By 1998, he was more interested in posting his blog on investing than being a neurology resident at the Stanford Hospital. However, in a couple of years, he quit neurology and decided to become a full-time money manager. 

4. He started his own hedge fund-

Inspired by the book, The Scions of Shannara, Michael Burry opened the Scion Capital in the year 2000, under which he began managing a sum roughly around $1 million. By the year 2004, he had grown that amount to $600 million. 

5. He rightly predicted the housing crisis, helping his investors to make millions-

By predicting the housing crisis, Burry used a billion dollars of his investors’ money in credit-default swaps on sub-prime mortgage bonds. Burry placed a bet against the housing market. His predictions were so right that he won about $100 million for himself and about $725 million for his investors. 

6. His fascination for the stock market started very early in his life-

If you think that Michael Burry was interested in the stock market during his medical school, or later in his high school years. But in fact, Burry learned about the stock market approximately in around his second grade. He researched deep into American Motors, the real company of the toy jeep he was playing with. By the time Burry was in high school, he was investing real money in the stock market. 

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Earlier, interior interior design was limited to temple carvings, public halls, museums, offices, churches, etc. But now, the trend to get your home designed by professionals for a good interior has taken the world by storm.

The field of interior design is fluid and ever-changing. Yes, there are a lot of concepts that are evergreen, but mostly it is dynamic. A lot of factors affect it like the upcoming trends, digital media, weather and climatic conditions, the presence of any furry friends, etc. To facilitate the best services to these factors, the field of interior designing holds a wide range of Interior design and decor under its belt. 

Interior design isn’t just for the aesthetic. A space interacts with the people present over there. The colors, designs, and all the other interior decor also have a major psychological impact on the people living in or moving in and out of that space. This is precisely why interior designing is a whole different matter of study. It also represents the social, psychological, financial, and other state and identity of people inhabiting that place. 

Factors that can contribute to determining your interior! 

1. Minimalist Interior Design 

Coming Back to a cluttered mess, not just for those with a busy schedule, but for everyone, can be a stressful experience. Here, the minimalist aesthetic comes into play. It encourages clutter-free and spacious interiors to give rest to your eyes and brain along with looking pleasant and aesthetic. 

2. Functional decor and spaces 

For modern lifestyles, especially in urban and metropolitan areas, where it is all a fast-paced life, a functional home becomes a necessity. By functional home, we mean home with utility corners, a modular kitchen, which can all be achieved with the help of professional interior designers or kitchen remodeling companies in Austin, Boston, or elsewhere.

3. Easy to maintain 

Maintenance is very important for a home, especially for modern families where almost all members are working. It can become one heck of a task to maintain households. Therefore to ease it up, and avoid spending too much time cleaning and maintaining, interiors should have opted accordingly. One should get low-maintenance layouts, furniture with mounted legs, fabrics that can be easily cleaned, etc. 

4. Smart home 

Introducing smart features like sensor activation for lighting, indoor plants that repel insects, marble look-alike tiles etc can very hassle-free and great from the aesthetic point of view as well. 

5. Comfort 

It all comes down to one thing, your comfort. It’s not just about your mattresses or sink-in sofas it’s also about comfort in terms of pet-friendly upholstery, furniture etc. A nursery to suit your toddler, fabrics to make your pet fur cleaning easier, etc can have a huge impact on your comfort. These factors can make your home more comfortable than ever. Home is to relax and destress yourself from daily routine and work-life stress, so if you’re not comfortable in your own home then where else will you be?

What Upholstery to get, what fabrics to use?

Simply put, upholstery is the work of attaching a furniture frame with padding, cushioning, and fabric or leather textile covers. The material makes a significant difference to the visual identity of the chair, and while the interior elements may not be visible, they make a big difference to the comfort and ergonomics of the place. 

Natural fabrics are usually favored by someone looking for the softest, less performance-based feel to their furniture. Some popular natural upholstery fabrics include –

1. Cotton

It is the most widely used natural fiber and is the cheapest. With comfort and stability, cotton is meant to provide a soft feel to your furniture. Cotton is great for durability and resistance to fading but is susceptible to stains. The best-quality cotton blends will generally contain about 45% to 60% cotton. 

2. Silk

A natural fibre, silk, with its shimmery appearance and smoothness, has a wow factor attached to it. It has an opulent look to it and can make a space shine. It even looks rich as a wallpaper fabric. Due to its smooth surface, it doesn’t let the dust settle in. Pure silk upholstery usually needs a layer of fabric bonded to its back for material stability.

3. Linen

Made from flax, linen is a strong natural fibre. It’s smooth, soft, and naturally lustrous. Linen naturally resists pilling and soiling, but it can wrinkle easily, enabling it to be better suited for casual than formal spaces. It’s often used in a blend with cotton for greater elasticity. 

4. Linen

A natural fibre that comes from animal hair, wool is a durable choice for upholstery fabric. However, it can be a bit scratchy and if not part of a blend, can be difficult to clean and risks felting. Because of this, most wool upholstery fabric is a blend. 

5. Velvet

It has a dense cut pile, making it luxuriously soft with a sheen. Velvet can stand up to heavy usage and is an attractive choice for most homes. Cleans best when a spill or stain is tended to immediately. It can give a lift to furniture pieces, creating a luxe, glitzy ambience. Since the fabric is dense, it can absorb large amounts of dye, creating a vibrant tone. 

Patterns and accessories 

The pattern gives you the ability to bring energy, interest, and contrast into your Interior design, and when patterns are done well they bring a room together and give depth to your space. The pattern plays a part in every interior style, and it’s worth considering as you make Interior design decisions. Here are some possibilities of patterns. 

1. Geometric Patterns 

Simple, bold geometric shapes are key to getting across your message. Using simple circles, semicircles, rectangles, and squares can help you create a clean, energetic look in your Interior design.

2. Check Patterns 

Check patterns have a classic appeal that’s always on-trend. No matter the season, they will never go out of style. They can be refreshed in many ways, with numerous colour combinations and varying thicknesses of stripes. Checks can also be mixed and matched with other pieces at home, giving your home an entirely different look. 

3. Vibrant Patterns

These patterns are a very popular interior design trend at the moment. They are versatile, dynamic and when used correctly, they can enhance any work or living space. You can seek the unique style, play with natural neutrals, or even consider accenting the ceiling. Vibrant patterns can never go wrong. 

4. Patterns with a happy vibe!

Flower-based patterns are the best patterns for happy vibes as they offer connection to the natural environment as well as display colourful art forms. Tartans are warm, traditional, and plaid patterns that balance your space with complementary colours and give it a positive feel. 

When redesigning any space, no matter how large or small, there is one element that should never be overlooked, accessories. Without them, your spaces will be left looking and feeling incredibly unloved. Think of them as icing on a cake, offering visual interest, and detail. 

1. Teapots 

If you are a fan of drinking tea, teapots are just the right accessory for you. Glass or ceramic teapots give an aesthetic look and are also versatile. You can up-cycle them as candles, garden planters, or a clock. They act as perfect centerpiece decor items.

2. Vases 

Vases are meant to beautify your homes and workspaces. They also add a decor element and interest to them. Differently shaped with various colors, they give visual treats and can vary from square, cylindrical, urn, trumpet, bud to bottle and amphora.

3. Designer Storage 

Not every home is given ample places to put things away. So coming up with creative storage options can provide you with extra storage space as well as give your place an aesthetic look. 

4. Rugs

A room will never look finished without an area rug. It helps define space, adds softness, and pulls the whole room together. Layer rugs in varying colors, prints, and textures to add visual interest to your floor. 

5. Art Pieces 

Make a simple wall a little more exciting with oversized artwork. Choose large-scale photography or something abstract and vibrant such as a personalized wall sign from Neon Mama to make a statement. It adds an element of fun to your space and makes the room appear finished. 

6. House Plants 

The mere presence of outside coming in is a big statement, and it doesn’t need to be anything remarkable to make an impact. You can begin with easy plants and twisted branches that would look stunning on a piece of driftwood. 

7. Personal Collections

If you have been collecting something for a long time and aren’t sure where to put your knick-knacks, install a floating shelf of your choice and then line them up. We would love the sense of nostalgia vintage glass bottles add to your room as well. 

Is your home 2022 ready yet? 

So is your home New Year ready yet? If not then what are you waiting for? Yes, all the above-mentioned tips and tricks are just for you for Interior design, so why wait for more, just start prepping for your next year to be as comfy as ever with yours and only, Studio Astrid India. 

Data has always been the backbone of any actuarial analysis. From estimating mortality rates, forecasting customer demands, pricing innovative products, to making enabling distribution strategies within an effective risk framework, data-driven decision-making has remained a mainstay of the actuarial domain.

In a fast-evolving world of accelerating demands for customized products and services, rapid advancements in computational facilities, speed, and data availability, the actuarial fraternity is actively retooling itself by including data science and Machine Learning (ML) as key ammunition in their arsenal.

The appeal of Machine Learning techniques lies in the fact that they are very effective in bringing out hidden patterns in large volumes of multi-dimensional data without resorting to any major structural assumptions. The way consumer behavior might change in response to a simultaneous change in product design and shift in macro-economic drivers doesn’t have to be necessarily modeled based on a pre-determined framework; instead, a data scientist armed with Machine Learning tools and enough data can be expected to unearth the same patterns, along with more that might be buried deep in the data.

Data that tells us about a customer who has just insured her 3-story house might also give us indications on whether she needs to ensure her car, or whether she needs to top up the medical coverage for her aging parents. Machine Learning tools and technology parse such customer data far more effectively, identifying cross-sell and up-sell opportunities while optimally leveraging their firm’s distribution diversity and outreach. Many such opportunities exist in the space of risk estimation. For example, one may use consumer credit scores to correlate the customer’s financial well-being and discipline with her life expectancy.

In several parts of the world, car-mounted sensors provide real-time data on customer behavior, which can then be fed directly into the dynamic pricing of their car insurance. In the same vein, life and health insurance companies are promoting fitness bands and wellness apps tracking BMI, stress, and physical activities that can be effectively used to determine price points and risk management thereon.

Automated Machine Learning

New age techniques like video medicals and retina scans have gained momentum, which can help approve a proposal in the blink of an eye. Judicious use of such data doesn’t only improve customer risk assessment, underwriting, and product pricing, but also improves the quality of portfolio risk management as well as customer experience. Traditional modeling, while often effective with nuanced handling, can still appear hamstrung in such an unstructured multidimensional data analysis paradigm.

The advent of digital platforms has worked as a natural conduit to bring Machine Learning techniques and tools into use and harness the immense potential in data mining. Mobile apps and web interfaces provide unstructured data sources from which actuaries can glean tremendous insights. Today, almost all major websites host AI tools and bots, that generate deluges of real-time customer interaction data and transcripts which can be processed through natural language processing tools and fed into automated ML systems.

An important input in the actuarial control cycle is the detection and management of fraud. The risk of fraud has burgeoned along with the growing complexity of business, expansion of distributions channels, rising digital sales, and the ever-increasing threat of cyber-attacks. Insurers are taking recourse to Machine Learning techniques and AI tools that can identify fake IDs and impersonations, both at the issuance and claims stages.

Data mining is being used extensively to identify anomalies in policy experiences, that might be indications of fraudulent behavior. In addition, biometric data are fast becoming indispensable in KYC processes, and image-recognition tools are intrinsic to its success. The resulting seamless process is not only safer but is also creating a hassle-free customer journey and faster payment of claims within a few hours. 

One must also realize that such Machine Learning algorithms become invaluable and provide incremental benefits over classical methods only in presence of a large variety of data where hidden patterns are bound to reside. Therefore, the availability of data goes hand in hand with the uptake of ML algorithms and automation. This brings us to the other critical aspect towards the adoption of ML – the easy availability and financial viability of data storage and computing platforms.

Many Machine Learning techniques and supporting software programs which have been around for a while are becoming popular only recently. Major strides have happened in cloud computing, and market movers like Microsoft and Amazon are striving to make their cloud platforms cheaper and easily accessible. This means that even smaller players like InsureTech and FinTech selling insurance and financial services through apps can now tap into such capabilities without having to make a huge investment in building a supporting IT infrastructure

The actuarial profession and premier education institutions focusing on applied statistics and specialized actuarial courses have started to adapt to this evolving demand. Besides integrating data science and Machine Learning in the syllabus for new actuaries, the Institute of Actuaries in India and abroad have been conducting webinars and hands-on practical sessions to encourage uptake of Machine Learning and upskill the existing workforce.

College curriculums now include data science modules and programming languages where students are trained to handle big volumes of data and be conversant with state-of-the-art software available in the market. The net result for an insurance company is that it is easier for them to put together a team of data scientists that can meet their requirements; extract insights and enhance product suite and services.

Machine Learning has caused a stir in the actuarial fraternity and opened new avenues of data-driven innovations and risk management. It has increased the relevance and reach of actuaries beyond mainstream insurers and reinsurers. Insurtech and fintech firms are employing actuaries to help them build newer products and financial solutions and create the framework to service and sustain them. Clearly, this ML journey is destined to show the way for actuaries to evolve, grow and keep contributing.

By,

Peuli Das

Chief and Appointed Actuary

IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited

COVID – 19, Clients, CRM Tool, And You

By Mr. R.S. Maan, Managing Director – Codleo Consulting

The Covid-19 pandemic with its wide-reaching ramifications seems to have left us all quaking in its wake. With different variants surfacing every year, Delta earlier this year, and the recently discovered Omicron it seems Covid is here to stay. As we all know by now, vaccination, masking, physical distancing, and hand hygiene is the only way to keep it at bay.

In India when the pandemic first hit us in March 2020, it had a devastating impact on our economy with lockdowns, job losses, and businesses shuttering. The worst impact as always was felt by the family-run, small, and medium-sized businesses, whereas the enterprise scale companies with deep pockets survived the rough weather and stormy months last year. No business expected that the pandemic would go on and on as it is now with destruction in its path. 

The shuttering of physical offices compelled companies to relook at their businesses, processes, and ways of doing business. Companies realized that the only way to stay afloat and even thrive is to embrace digital technologies with open arms. Digital technologies enable businesses to operate even if their operations are restricted due to physical distancing requirements. Companies are quickly catching onto this idea and are onboarding different technologies with relish. This excitement and realization that tech tools & products are lifesavers are percolating down to tier 2, 3, and 4 destinations in India with small & medium size industries realizing their value for their own existence. 

One of the tech tools that enables and empowers brands to connect with their clients/audiences in these troubled times is the ubiquitous CRM tool (Customer Relationship Management).  For those who are still unfamiliar with this very useful tool, A CRM tool allows businesses to store client-related data, pinpoint sales opportunities, record service issues, and oversee marketing initiatives, from a single source of truth — and provide end to end data about each client/lead that has engaged with your brand, at any point of time to all employees/teams that need it to get their work done.

It is a magic wand that enables businesses to engage and connect with clients & leads like never before. So, whether you are a family-run bakery in Solapur, a hosiery unit in Ludhiana, or a handicraft center in Ranchi, a business is able to use technology to nurture & convert leads to clients through the power of a CRM tool such as Salesforce ®, which is the premier CRM tool in the world and is currently gaining traction in India as well.   

Here are some compelling reasons for companies to onboard a CRM tool:  

Reports that come from data that is impeccable. A CRM tool is useful to collect, tabulate, and sort the data, which is then converted easy – to – study reports & dashboards. This is an important reason to deploy a CRM tool system. Reports enable businesses to view where the prospects are, the quality of engagement with prospects and clients, trends, and client servicing.  

Easy on the eye dashboards. Graphical representation of reams of data that enable businesses to make sense of it without getting bogged down. Different types of dashboards can be curated into graphs, pie – charts, etc to display the data to draw inferences and act. For small and medium-sized companies, strategic decision-making to retain (if not grow) their market share in COVID – 19 era and beyond is based on data that is available and easy to interpret.  

Personalize your engagement with different leads and clients with the power of automation. Dynamic content and automated messaging come together to form a remarkable duo that allows for the personalization of messaging so that it resonates with the leads/clients leading to more sales and ROI. No more generic messaging, hoping it clicks. Target the lead based on their interests and engagement with your brand at various touchpoints. For the MSME sector in small destinations across India, it is a defining point.  

Be proactively serving your audience and clients. The sales department outreach efforts or client service’s efforts to aid clients are enhanced with the end-to-end data, potential solutions, and options like never before. A good CRM licensed vendor like Codleo Consulting hand-holds the MSME sector to improve their client support & services in the Covid – 19 times.  

In conclusion, a business looking to reimagine their way of work as well as connecting with their clients in a more personal & relevant manner throughout their journey with the business needs to actively deploy a CRM Tool, Covid or not.  Digital makeover for a business of any shape, size, nature, or location is here and not an option. For those who remain aloof, it is at their own peril. The 21st century is an era of tech tools that enhance businesses and financial bottom lines. It’s a brave and bold world that awaits everyone with open arms.

By Mr. R.S. Maan, Managing Director – Codleo Consulting

“be the change you want to see in the world“ – a famous quote.

Life is more than acquiring designations, a fat bank balance, the latest apple phone, a holiday in the Maldives, or riding a sports car. It’s about being “ woke “ to the environment around you and being a part of social change in any capacity. Each of us bears the responsibility to be a harbinger of change in any way we can – be it feeding stray animals on the roads, spending time with the elderly in old age homes, supporting a needy family in your neighborhood, or sharing our skillset with the young to turn their lives around.

It is this opportunity to share the technical skillset that led to the launch of Codleo Consulting’s CSR initiative in October 2020 – The Codleo Foundation.

Technical education as an agent of change is quite a niche topic as most NGOs concentrate their expertise in basic schooling or vocational subjects such as culinary, knitting, woodwork, or masonry. Technical education plays an important role as it prepares the young or old to be job-ready in the fast-moving professional sphere. 

Techies or those who work in the technological space need to keep pace with the rapid advancements in their specialized fields. The tech tools & features of today become redundant tomorrow and unless the techies keep pace they find themselves cast aside by their companies. 

The only way for techies to be gainfully employed is to keep abreast of the latest developments and continually reskill/upskill all their lives. It’s as simple as we moved in a few decades from floppy discs to CDs and now everything is moving to the cloud. Not literally the cloud in the sky but the reference is to cloud computing that involves delivering hosted services over the internet. 

The ongoing Covid – 19 pandemic has caused massive upheavals in our personal and professional lives. Besides personal losses, many people across industries of all ranks and ages have been laid off. With their careers in the doldrums, the only way to stay afloat is to reskill/upskill and be a part of a domain / a career that is in demand or will become popular with time. It is in these times that tech courses provided by NGOs such as Codleo Foundation come as a much-needed soothing balm in these troubled times.  

Courses in various tech domains such as those in the ever-expanding of Salesforce® CRM, and its numerous certifications/requirements provide employment opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people who wish to lead a better life and improve the lives of their families and indirectly their communities via their better pay packets. Salesforce® itself estimates that it would be providing around 5 lakh jobs in India in the coming years under the able leadership of its current head, Ms. Arundhati Bhattacharya. 

A trained army of techies who are certified and job-ready needs to be prepared to shoulder new tech careers as they surface. It’s this gap in technical education that niche NGOs like Codleo Foundation are plugging with their free online courses, led by certified and experienced trainers who are devoting their expertise to being harbingers of social change. 

Each company as part of its corporate philanthropy and CSR needs to incorporate “giving” as part of its mission & values. For digital and tech companies it is ideal for them to leverage their expertise by sharing it with the wider and marginalized communities. 

For example, the transgender marginalized community can benefit from tech / digital education courses to be employment ready and merge with the mainstream, instead of being on the fringe and eking a fraught existence. Similarly, the elderly that have missed the digital literacy boat need to be educated so that they can use electronic devices to ease their lives.  

We end with a very thoughtful quote by the late American cultural anthropologist, Ms. Margaret Mead – “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” It’s up to all of us to be the committed soldiers of social change in the ways we can and tech courses are an integral agent of change. 

The season has begun to change and we stand in autumn, at the brink of winter. The weather has started becoming colder and the days have shortened. Making a transition between the summer months and winter months can sometimes be difficult not just for you, but for your home as well.

The fabrics, the colors, the decor, everything starts seeming off place if not styled correctly. If you look to renovate your home, then that’s great but if you’re not looking for too much hassle yet want the winter vibes to your home, you still can make that work, and make that work well! 

There are many DIY ideas for winter decor, for making your home winter ready, ready for the Christmas and new year festivities along with making your home cozy and a safe place for the season. 

Check out the tips and tricks below which can turn your home upside down with all the winter aesthetic it needs, that too with minimal or no costing!

A subtle way to upgrade your home for entertaining and colorful winters

In winters we usually spend more time at home than usual, due to the blistering cold weather outside. Therefore, the home needs to feel cozy and inviting. 

When we talk about winter decor, it’s nothing festive, but more like textural layers, seasonal colors, richness, and elegance. You can do a lot with your home by yourself and make your home winter-ready. Be it revamping or DIY, there is no shortage when it comes to winter decor!

Winter decor tips and ideas

1. Winter Upholstery 

Winters are almost here but are your home winter ready? 

When it comes to winters we all shift from soft cotton clothes to darker winter fabrics for clothing. But clothing isn’t the only thing where you switch fabrics. Bring home winter-friendly fabrics to add comfort and winter decor to your living space.  

Fabrics like wool, velvet, chenille, and Jacquard are great picks for your furniture during these winters but sometimes changing your sofa covers just for a season might not feel very economical. So what you can do is get rich and elegant sofa and cushion covers of these fabrics and get cozy but in style!

2. Appropriate placement of heaters and blowers 

We All want warmth and comfort in our homes, especially when it’s freezing outside. Many of us place heaters, blowers, and other home heating appliances but sometimes what happens is that they might look very out of place, or may pierce the view. First of all, what you can do is, if you’re buying a new home heating appliance then you must keep in mind the color scheme of your home.

Getting an appliance that mixes well with your color scheme, will make it look like it’s a part of your interior decor. Next what you can do is, find a perfect corner for it from where not only does it warms up your home well but also doesn’t look out of place. 

3. Winter indoor plants 

Getting houseplants can completely transform your home and light up the space, especially in the winter months. In winters, less water is required for the houseplants, so the maintenance of the plants also is pretty easy. Since many plants are resting during these months it is important to use less water and fertilizer because in cooler seasons, plants tend to grow more slowly and hence they need fewer nutrients to survive and grow. 

Some houseplants that will brighten up your space this winter are aloe vera, moth orchid, corn plant, snake plant, cactus, jade plant, dragon tree, etc. 

4. Bright throw to the dull corners (placement of accessories and stuff in the dull corners so that the home doesn’t look cold and stark)

All of us have some dull corners in our homes which we fail to decorate appropriately because we don’t know what exactly to put there. Now, what you can do is, add some greenery over there. You can use winter indoor plants, or artificial plants, you can also use soft woolen rugs or small aquariums to occupy that space so that it doesn’t look so dull anymore. There are many wallpapers and wall stickers also available which you can install all by yourself without the help of any professional, so you can add color to the corner by doing this too!

5. Sweater pillows

You can buy sweater pillows from anywhere in the market but if you’re looking for a DIY pillow decor then all you have to do is just be a little more creative with your winter clothes. Just cut some pieces from different sweaters which now sit leisurely at your home. Cut some pieces from different sweaters and see them together to make these aesthetic and warm pillow covers for this winter!

Tips to make your home cozier in winters-

1. Shag carpeting 

If you want a soft and luxurious feel, opt for shag rugs. Shag carpets and touch fibers are an excellent way to add comfort to any room while maintaining the textured interior design you wanted along. Adding a shag rug creates a comfortable, warm place in your living room. Not only that, they have diverse uses like, under your kitchen sink, or next to your bathtubs. The key is to choose a color that works with the winter decor. 

2. Portable fireplace 

” Fireplaces are fast becoming a sought after feature in Indian homes, and such a vast variety of fuel types and design options, it is meant to be the centerpiece of a home” – Daniel Belnick 

Fireplaces are excellent if you want to heat your home on a budget, and they can lower your energy bills by a significant amount especially if you have a smaller home. Portable fireplaces include a traditional wood-burning fireplace, gas fireplace, ethanol fireplace, electric fireplace, and gel fireplace. Finding the right location for your fireplace is essential to the way your living room will appear. When worried about how that will affect the interior design of your home, working with Martinez Architekt will ensure that such a decision will only elevate the way your house looks and feels.

3. Cozy tablespace 

Creating a cozy fall tablespace doesn’t have to be complicated. Emphasize using fall tones. Decorating with natural elements like jute, straw, corn stalks, and wheat are essentials for fall decorating and give a warm and inviting feel. Add fall florals and arrangements to add a happy touch, and florals bring any tablespace to life, whether you use faux or real. Keep in mind that, layering is the key, and adding small details for the last so that it creates a balance amongst the heavier places while making the place feel complete. 

4. Light lampshades

If we consciously think about lighting and lampshades, we can create a warm atmosphere within our homes that will see us through the dark winter nights, creating a cozy living space. 

Avoid shiny, chrome, or nickel lamp bases that create a cold clinical feel. Choosing colors such as red, yellow, orange, or hot pink will give your room a cozy feel. Having a gold-metallic lining inside your lampshade will reflect warm light around the room. Layering off lights and using dimmer switches can also give your room a much-needed cozy atmosphere. 

5. Colorful blankets for your sofas 

A beautiful throw blanket will infuse luxury into your couch and also put your guests at ease. A throw blanket knitted in wool or cashmere is the perfect option for keeping without worrying about bulky furnishings. Some blankets you should try include a teal-colored throw blanket, a reversible throw blanket, a bright yellow throw blanket, a grey blanket crafted in thick weave, and a blanket with a lightweight feel. These blankets can be used to inject color, a textural feel, and appeal to the rooms. 

6. Upgrade your curtains and bedding 

Your curtains and bedding can make or break your bedroom appearance. Opting between neutral fabrics, colors that let in a lot of light, and choosing pieces that inspire you are vital to creating an inviting space. Matching both of these items is a trend that you should definitely try this season and also creates a cohesive look for your bedroom. The key to this is to stick to the theme and mood of the room’s ambiance. Experiment with textures and slight color variations, and remember to have fun while you are decorating your space. 

Spend winters in style! 

There’s this myth all around that winter decor can be expensive or, the winter decor is basic without any creativity or variety. Hopefully, all the tips mentioned above helped you to overcome that myth as there are many DIY tips to get your home winter-ready and not just for the eye, but also for adding coziness and warmth to your home. 

Warmth and comfort reach another level when they’re eye-pleasing too, so why just care about the temperature when you can level up your home decor with minimal budget and effort!

The next decade holds a lot of promise for the life insurance industry. The increase in the size of the global middle-class population, higher incomes, medical and healthcare inflation, and the heightened need for mortality protection have become the tailwinds for the life insurance industry. Awareness amongst consumers continues to rise and so do the business volumes.

As of YTD August 2021, the industry has grown by 17% in terms of Individual New Business APE and the private sector has grown by 31% – and this is just the beginning. The future is rapidly changing with ever-evolving technologies that keep altering business and social landscapes. The only way we can be prepared is through relentless and disruptive innovations. As insurers, it is our responsibility to proactively drive the change we wish to bring about.

Consumer expectations will pivot, and our value propositions have to keep up. Are protection or pure term plans truly vanilla offerings or can we spice them up a bit? Is savings in life insurance restricted to creating a financial corpus or can we also offer ecosystem solutions? Is the current buying journey adept or can we impress the customer by simplifying it further?

Answering these questions by “thinking like a customer” will give us incisive insights into how the industry will shape up over the next decade. Here is a glimpse of what we can expect.

1. Vanilla is Passe:

We must spice up our product suite to meet the needs of our customers. Millennials and Gen Z need products that can adapt to their changing lifestyle; bite-sized life insurance or context-based insurance appeals to them.

Imagine winning extra points for following a healthy lifestyle! Data from lifestyle apps, search engines, wearables, and other consumer devices offer invaluable insights into customer habits, which can help predict premiums. For e.g., fitness enthusiasts with a healthy exercise record may have to pay lower premiums compared to those with a high-stress job and an adversary medical history.

Essentially, in 10 years from now, I foresee people buying life insurance for a handful of rupees, which can potentially reduce further if the buyer is fitter than the ‘average Indian’. A life insurance policy could also be activated or deactivated at will. 

As bizarre as it may seem today, this seemingly large gap between “here and now” and “then and there” will most likely be bridged within the next few years itself. 

2. An Ecosystem Vs. A Corpus:

With a view to offering customers a larger range of relevant products and services, many insurers are building the means to facilitate end-to-end buying experiences.

• If retirement is the financial goal, setting up an ecosystem with retirement homes, delivery services, hospitals, and other such relevant services will help an insurer provide differentiated offerings to customers. Life insurers could offer 25 years at a retirement home, along with relevant services, instead of paying out annuities.
• If the financial goal is providing for a child’s education, tying up with educational institutions, hostels, packers & movers, and other relevant services will help an insurer ensure that the customer’s goals are fulfilled.

Offering an ecosystem solution is currently difficult to fathom, but it will change with time. This will also present insurers with forwarding integration opportunities, and it should not surprise us if life insurance companies invest in schools, retirement homes, and the likes in the foreseeable future.

3. KISS [Keep it Supremely Simple] For the Customer:

A digital footprint is a reality. Financial health, medical health, social and political beliefs – everything has a digital trail. There are nine billion devices connected to the internet today^, and in 10 years this number will only rise. We have to bring it all together and use it to make life simpler for the customer. 

Documentation, health check-ups, underwriting can all be done by leveraging on the customers’ digital trail – as soon as the customer gives their consent of course. Adhering to safety protocols and safeguarding the customer’s privacy is a given. 

This is likely to lead to a productive role reversal. Instead of the customer sharing documents and insurers verifying them subsequently, insurers would now collate the necessary data to populate the application form, underwrite the policy, and eventually issue it. The customer simply needs to check the veracity of the facts and confirm accuracy. 

Opportunities don’t happen. We create them. There are endless possibilities to create bespoke products that make sense for the consumer, enhance the buying experience, and excite them. Imagine a hyper-personalized product that grants peace of mind for your lifetime. 

Imagine you securing for your life’s certainties by simply saying YES – isn’t that wonderful? Yes, it is! Is this transition easy? No, it is not! But then again, is this transition impossible? Most certainly not! Then, what will it need from us to ensure a bright future for the industry and its customers? It needs relentless inventions, innovations, and initiatives! The good news is that life insurance industry practitioners recognize this. 

By,

Rushabh Gandhi

Deputy CEO, IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited. 

As parents, we want to give our children the best that the world has to offer- right from food, education, clothing, or entertainment. While the journey may be different for every parent, the focus to secure their child’s life remains consistent. On this occasion of Mother’s Day, financial independence is the best gift you can gift yourself and your child. 

Here are some crucial investment decisions that will help you achieve financial goals in both, the short and long run.

1. Prioritize Your Financial Goals

Make sure you identify your short-term and long-term goals before planning for them. For example, higher education or marriage are long-term goals while short-term goals could be your child’s 18^th birthday party/gift, a vacation abroad, or even an expensive electronic gadget. Accordingly, practice financial discipline and start saving a portion of your salary to meet these goals. For short-term goals, you can invest in a debt plan or a hybrid plan of a Mutual Fund.

For long-term goals, you can invest in a Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) of an insurance company (ULIP) to meet financial goals for your children. Another option is investing in mutual funds. Through the power of compounding, it creates a good corpus for the investee by investing in equity-focused funds in the long run. Additionally, one can look at PPF investments to meet goals for higher education by investing early on.

2. Invest Today For A Better Tomorrow

As a parent, you make sure you’re always there to provide for your children. However, life is unpredictable, and given the fragility of human life in the current pandemic and even otherwise, it is wise to take a term insurance policy for financial security in case of a misfortune. The insurance amount depends on the income of the life assured and the financial needs of the family. Make sure to purchase cover for the loans that one has taken so that the children/heirs are not burdened.

3. Say Yes To Health Insurance!

The pandemic has also highlighted the importance of Health insurance. It is essential to have a basic healthcare cover for you and your loved ones. You can opt for a family floater plan which will provide coverage to everyone in the family. If faced with an illness, you will not have to worry about finances at the last minute. 

4. Investment for your Daughter! 

Mothers of young daughters can invest in the Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana which is a small saving deposit scheme for girls. It also has a maximum tax benefit of Rs 1.5 lakh under section 80C of the Income Tax Act. The interest accrued, and maturity amount is exempt from tax. This investment scheme is available for 2 daughters in a family with an investment of up to Rs 1.5 lakhs pa. for 15 years. The girl child should not be more than 10 years old at the time of opening the account. 

5. The Golden Rule

Mothers often invest in Gold for their children’s marriages- investment in the Sovereign Gold bonds is a better option than earning interest and there is no cost of storage. Unlike physical gold jewelry which requires locker rent charges in addition to other security issues and extra making charges. The sovereign gold bonds are available in Demat form and have tax benefits too.

6. Knowledge Is Power

The Pradhan Mantri Vidya Lakshmi Karyakram has been introduced to provide educational loans for students. An educational loan portal, Vidya Lakshmi, provides a single window for students to access information about various loan schemes offered by banks. They can submit applications for educational loans. The Department of Financial Services has made it mandatory for all banks to accept education loan applications only through the Vidya Lakshmi portal. 

7. Saving in a Piggy Bank

As a mother, one also needs to inculcate in the child the importance of saving and therefore incentivize the children towards it. Through saving a part of pocket money and investing the same – gives them lessons in wealth creation and investment. The same can be started with small amounts invested in the saving account/Fixed Deposit in the child`s name – he/she will also have a sense of pride in owning the account.

Additionally, by imbibing some of the following tips and tricks, you can ensure financial security for your child:

• Always keep aside at least 10% of your savings for your child’s needs (especially short-term ones- extra tuition/short trips, etc) which will not upset your budget
• Keep separate investments for long and short-term purposes which should be monitored separately
• The long-term Fund should not be touched, and the contribution should be made regularly
• Do not get perturbed by market crashes/negative returns as the returns over a long period of time are usually attractive
• Always diversify your savings in different asset classes so that the risk is limited at the same time returns are hedged for inflation
• Encourage the children to save money and help them operate their bank accounts to make them financially aware. Getting introduced to financial savings at a young age will set the foundation for strong financial knowledge which will help them in their life ahead

Motherhood is your journey with your child and by making the right investment decisions you can guarantee happiness, health, and a financially secure future. 

Codleo Consulting Salesforce Solution

Reimagine a world where there is a seamless connection between brands and their clients.  It is a world of endless possibilities where the sky is the limit. It is this connection that separates the winners from the rest of the pack. Enabling this connection are digital tools such as customer relationship management (or CRM) whose usage is on the rise.

As more and more companies realize the importance of ensuring steady communication between them and their client base, CRM is gaining center stage. Among the CRM tools that are currently in vogue, it is Salesforce that is numero Uno in the market. Over 150,000 companies, enterprise or small, consortium or family-run are tapping into the power of Salesforce to grow from strength to strength. 

Codleo Consulting is a licensed partner of Salesforce and has been rapidly rising in its partnership status. The range of service it provides is extensive and covers end–to–end solutions that include: 

Consulting services

Whether a brand is choosing to onboard Salesforce for the first time or seeking to reimagine their existing deployment, our consulting services are just “what the doctor” is suggesting for them. Our in-depth consultation with all relevant stakeholders is just the beginning of our services. We study each business thoroughly to understand current processes, tools, and systems. Then based on our wide industry knowledge, best practices, and proven methodologies, we provide the most appropriate advice & suggestions needed to obtain the best out of your Salesforce deployment (proposed or existing). Our consultation is pocket-friendly yet of the highest quality.   

Implementation services

Codleo‘s implementation services are tailored to suit the precise needs of each brand that is unique in its way.  Our Salesforce implementation services include configuration, customization, migration, integration, and support for various industries.  We not only understand your business needs quickly but also suggest suitable improvements to your business process. With our pocket-friendly Salesforce implementation services, we provide economical solutions for businesses of all sizes that are based on the latest technologies. 

Integration services

As a leading Salesforce Integration Partners, we successfully provide secure, reliable, seamless, and scalable integration of Salesforce CRM with current apps and external cloud services. We can seamlessly migrate your data from other applications such as QuickBooks and Microsoft Dynamics CRM to Salesforce. Codleo, one of the best Salesforce Integration Companies in India builds web services within Salesforce which assists a third-party app to share information with Salesforce. We use data loaded for manual migration, S2S for Salesforce to Salesforce migration, and evaluated third-party tools.

Support services

Life, business, and Salesforce are dynamic and always evolving. Salesforce requires constant up-gradations as per business processes. Codleo offers Salesforce support services across domains and the various products of Salesforce. So, whether you are new to Salesforce or using them for some time, we offer Salesforce support services through our skilled CRM Support consultants (On-location and off) to take care of the business needs. Our Salesforce Support Services / Salesforce Customer Services ensure in our maintaining error-free system functions, user support, Salesforce releases, Salesforce updates and upgrades including enhancement of existing functionalities, etc. 

CRM Health Check

Our Salesforce CRM Health check & Strategic review is ideal for MSMEs that have seen change or growth in recent years. Whether a business has recently deployed Salesforce OR using an old salesforce instance OR change in organizational leadership OR not up-to-date on new Salesforce updates and features – Whatever the case may be, Codleo undertakes a thorough CRM Health check and submit a detailed gap analysis for the best usage of Salesforce and its ROI. Salesforce Health Check is a quick and pocket-friendly solution to judge the return you are getting out of your investment in Salesforce Org. You may get a full system review from our specialized team through our Health Check and Gap Analysis services. 

Lightning migration

With the Salesforce classic version getting obsolete day by day, the shift to the more robust & up to date version known as the Lightning version is imminent for all businesses who currently work on Salesforce. Codleo, With best practices and processes, we ensure a smooth & seamless migration ensuring that there is no disruption of services. 

Salesforce training

At the core of Salesforce Training is the belief that focused, customized, interactive, and hands-on training leads to efficient results and greater user adoption. We provide a range of Salesforce training programs to enable an organization to learn Salesforce at its fullest.  

Codleo’s services also include successful deployment of various clouds offered by Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Sales Cloud, Manufacturing Cloud, Nonprofit cloud, financial services cloud, and so on. Each is a value addition for a profile / vertical and aids in productivity, efficiency, and enhanced ROI.  With a wide range of clients (MSMEs to NGOs to big brands) delighted with Salesforce services, Codleo is on course to be the preferred partner for enterprises when it comes to Salesforce products & services. 

Established in 2004, Unified Services is one such organization that embraces Industrial Cloud and rolls out effective solutions across various Renewable Energy and Healthcare sectors. Living by excellence, the company intelligently targets the market thereby, integrating distributed data as unified. The company wished to expand its outreach and digital media presence by not only breaking the geographical boundaries but also increasing its web traffic, click-through rate, and its browser visibility. 

The Profile Experience: 

Since the company wanted to expand its digital outreach, The Enterprise World published a company-oriented profile. The profile talked extensively about the company’s success story, growth, persistence, and the exclusive services that it provides. 

• TEW featured Unified Solutions as a profile first in The Best Performing Salesforce Solution Providers in 2021.
• the profile discussed the growth of Unified Services under the leadership and of Eiji Uda, CEO and Chairman of the firm. 
• The company saw a significant rise in the number of page views as it rose to 57,803. 
• The average time was increased to 02:07 minutes with unique page views of 52,202.

The Cover Story Experience: 

Unified Services was impressed by the response and the media expansion received and it offered to be featured as a cover story for the next Salesforce edition of the TEW magazine. 

• The published cover story had 10+ thoughtfully designed pages and an exclusive cover page appearance.
• The cover story mainly focused on the cloud strategy introduced by the company. 
• After the publishing of the cover story, the number rose to 107,023 views.
• The average time was increased to 03:14 minutes and the unique page views rose to 99,244. 

The Results:

TEW promoted Unified Services and its story across all the well-known Social Media Platforms with personalized posts and strategized social media & digital marketing campaigns. With all these creative and strategic efforts, we succeeded to deliver the best results to Unified Services. 

Financial Inclusion is in simple words the availability of financial services to everyone and has been the goal of our government post-independence. While the initial initiatives were around making banking services available, significant steps have been made to use the banking channel to offer life insurance in the last few years. Insurance has played a significant role in enhancing financial inclusion in India and is now included in the measurement of financial inclusion. Technology & simple yet easy processes have made and can continue to make a dramatic difference to enhance life insurance penetration. It is an interesting area and warrants a discussion. 

In another fortnight, banks across the country who have participated in Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) will execute the 7^th year of its operation. PMJJBY offers a life cover of Rs 2 lakhs of sum assured at a nominal premium of Rs 330/- to anyone who has a bank account and is in the age group of 18-50. It may not be a lot but a sum of 2 lakhs would give a return of approximately Rs 1000 p.m. which can supplement the earnings of the dependants. 

Basic Process

The key processes to reckon with include customer onboarding which happens across the year, the renewal which happens on June 1^st, and claims which are filed on the loss of life by the nominee. As banks are the primary distribution channel, the front all of these. They collect premiums through their various touchpoints along with a proposal along with an auto-debit mandate and have the capability of giving a Certificate of Insurance to the customer across the table.

Based on the inputs received from the bank, the insurer also can send the certificate of insurance. The bank sends renewal reminders through SMS to its customers and debits their accounts on June 1^st to ensure continuous coverage. Claims forms are accepted at the branch and shared with the insurer for processing and have a high settlement ratio of near 100% as only fraudulent claims get repudiated.  

Process Improvements

Several enhancements have been done to the above process. Some of them include pro-rated quarterly premium, lien period of 45 days for new policies, digital customer onboarding through mobile & internet banking, and process to ensure that claims are paid by only one insurer. Further, the claims processing has seen significant improvements basis close coordination & integration between banks & insurance companies over time on account of a learning curve effect. Recent improvements include allowing insurers to offer this product to customers directly.  

Innovation & thinking out of the box, Financial Inclusion

They hold the key to further improvements as the existing process is lucid. While this is a highly regulated product and the product structure & the process is tightly governed by the Department of Financial Services, Financial Inclusion need not get restricted to one product in the life insurance industry. They can be offered by insurers through existing and new products that they can develop. 

Channel, Financial Inclusion

Financial inclusion can be driven through channels beyond banks & postal services. India is seeing rapid advances in the adoption of digital means of doing business across geographies. Necessity has driven channel innovation in the last year impacted by a pandemic. This opens several vistas through which life insurance could be sold in the future. A seamless process developed by any product or service which reaches out to the masses is a recipe for success and may very well lead the life insurance penetration in the country.

Bite-Size, Financial Inclusion

Shampoo sachets may have caused a revolution in the FMCG industry and were quickly adopted by tea, coffee, toothpaste, snacks, soft drinks, nutrition drinks, and many more. They have made hitherto unaffordable products available to the bottom of the pyramid customer. This has particularly been successful in small retail shops which the producers have grown to nurture. Bite-sized life insurance covers could very well do the same with shorter tenure, lower sum assured, and lower premium, and play a big role in building financial inclusion. 

Sandbox

The Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority of India launched the regulatory sandbox in 2019. The objective is to strike a balance between orderly development of the insurance sector and protection of interests of the policyholder, whilst driving innovation. The categories allowed include distribution, products, underwriting, policy & claims servicing, and any other that is recognized by the regulator. With several InsureTech firms, Brokers, Corporate agents & Insurance companies treading the path of innovation, we can expect exciting processes to emerge soon.  

With the use of Artificial Intelligence and machine learning gaining prominence in the industry, Process improvements will cut across barriers and play a role not only in servicing customers but also in the sales & distribution journey. If each one of the 135-crore people of India must get insured, someone needs to keep asking the tough questions. 

“If you do not know how to ask the right question, you discover nothing.”

W. Edwards Deming

Author

The article is written by Sunder Natrajan, Chief Compliance & Risk Officer, IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company.

As a new entrepreneur, you are probably wondering what skills you should be developing. You may feel overwhelmed with the various tasks that need to be done to stay top of your game. The good news is that some specific actions can help get you ahead and lead the pack!

Here are six tips from Dan Doyle Pleasantville for new entrepreneur:

1) Build Relationships

It’s important to build relationships with people who will become your mentors, business partners, clients, and customers. Be sure to always take time out of your day for networking.

Don’t forget about your mentors! Make sure to take the time out of each month or week with a quick call, email, or text message thanking them for the help and advice they have offered. This way, when it comes down to needing more information on something about your business, you have a direct person.

Your business partners will become some of your closest friends in this journey which is why it’s so important to have open communication with them. They will be the ones who work alongside you daily, so it’s best to know each other as well as possible for your relationship and business venture to succeed!

Your customers also want you to succeed just as much they do, but not everyone will directly tell you. They are usually more than happy to share their thoughts and feedback on the products or services you provide once it is done. Make sure to take advantage of this by sending out surveys asking for honest opinions about your company. You can also ask questions in person, over email, or on social media platforms when they mention something that interests them!

2) Establish Credibility

Having a well-developed brand from day one is essential when starting up an enterprise. You begin by hiring a seasoned business formation firm like NW Registered Agent and register your business. This GovDocFiling’s NW Registered Agent review guide helps you know more about this firm. A great way to establish credibility is by building a website that contains your business information, pictures of the products or services you provide, and customer testimonials.

Once you have a website that is done well, be sure to share it everywhere! Post links on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook and shares beautiful images from your site on Pinterest as this maximizes exposure. Also, make sure to post these across all of your social media accounts to build a solid following.

Once you have built up an audience, add them all on LinkedIn and always be sure to update with interesting facts about the industry or company news!

3) Your Content is Key

Content is a huge part of any business. It’s what people come to your site for, which means you need high-quality stuff that will bring them back! Whether blog posts about industry news and updates or information on the services you provide, always try to add value with each post so customers know they can get something good out of your website.

As a new business, you may not have experienced content yet – but that’s okay! Just be consistent with posting and always include images or videos because people like visuals when they are scrolling through their feeds on social media.

4) Take Advantage of Sales Funnels

One of the most effective marketing tips is using a sales funnel system. This will allow you to send customers from various platforms under one roof – which can help your bottom line! Creating an email list on MailChimp, AWeber, or Constant Contact is great as it saves time and money when sending out newsletters and other forms of marketing material.

You can also utilize social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to your advantage by boosting posts that you believe will be popular or seen more frequently than others! Your ad dollars go a lot further this way, plus it’s another great exposure opportunity for those who may not have ever heard about the work you do.

You can also hire a sales funnel agency to build personalized sales for your business. They have proven data and expertise to convert more users at a lesser cost.

5) Utilize free Social Media Platforms

Many small business owners feel as if they cannot effectively market their company on sites like Facebook or Instagram because of the high price per click that comes with these individuals. However, there are many other great options for this type of exposure! Twitter is a huge one to consider due to its larger user base and ability to bring in traffic.

Also, don’t forget about LinkedIn, as it is a great platform for new entrepreneur and business owners alike to connect! If you have the money, Pinterest allows users to follow your boards if they find them interesting, which can give you quite a bit of exposure through those who stumble across content from your site.

Finally, don’t forget about Google+ as it is very beneficial for SEO!

Your content is key to building your brand. Make sure you always provide helpful information that people want to read and share with their friends, family, or co-workers!

6) Be Aware of your Competition

As a new entrepreneur, you will always want to stay one step ahead. This means that it is important to know who else is in the game! Knowing what other companies are doing and how they’re marketing themselves can give you ideas to improve your strategies. Also, knowing which social media platforms work best for them allows you to understand better what is popular and where you should be spending your time.

In addition, small business owners need to know their competition as well! Understanding the quality of work they provide can help you determine whether or not there’s a market for yours – at least in that particular region. If customers aren’t flocking to them, you may want to rethink your approach and possibly even offer a different service or product.

As a new entrepreneur, it can be easy to get overwhelmed with all the tasks you have on your plate. But don’t worry! We hope by providing some tips, you will stay organized and productive as an up-and-coming business owner.

Programming has been around for several years. However, as with all industry advancements are made and the demand for no-code platforms within companies is growing at a rapid rate. With these systems providing several benefits, such as the ability to create and deploy an application rapidly it is a smart tool to implement. Yet there are still challenges companies to come across when selecting or implementing these systems.

Whether your company is interested in implementing a no-code system or has already introduced the system into your company, we will unpack the main challenges faced and the benefits that can be gained from the successful implementation and use of a no-code platforms.

1. Resistance to Training

No matter the benefits that a system will provide, it will always be met with some skepticism and resistance from employees. Often this skepticism is due to a misunderstanding about what the system does, and the resistance stems from the training required. While low-code platforms may be easy to use, there is always a learning curve that is required for users to leverage the system to its fullest potential.

The Benefit of No-Code Platforms Training  

Through communication and thorough training of the platform, the new system adoption rate will be much smoother. Employees will no longer feel threatened by the new system being implemented as they will understand the benefits provided by a no-code system.

Upon completion of the no-code platforms training program, employees will also have greater control of the platform, meaning they will reap all the benefits the platform has to offer. Employees will now be able to easily create applications with visual aides, reducing the time and effort previously required.

1. Data is Locked into Legacy Systems

A common issue that a business will face when introducing new systems is data migration from legacy systems. Usually, a legacy system has been in place for several years and stored a lot of important information for the company. Transferring this data can be a barrier to transferring over to a new no-code system.

The Benefit of Migrating your Data Over to a No-Code System

A common misconception is that no-code platforms are simplified to the point where you cannot integrate them with other systems or allow companies to migrate their data. This is not the case. While it is still a good idea to backup all company data by taking the right steps and precautions, with several of the newer no-code platforms, companies can easily migrate data from well-known and frequently used legacy systems such as SAP. The benefit of this ability to integrate or migrate data means that there is no barrier when switching systems and companies will not risk losing their data.

1. Low-Code Platforms are Not Suitable for Complex App Development  

Another mistake that companies make when they are first introduced to a no-code system, is the perception that it is not suitable for creating complex development projects. The reason for this thinking is because no-code platforms are a visually-based platform that uses drag and drop functions, and templates, to create applications.

Benefits of a No-Code System for Complex Applications

No code systems have advanced greatly in the years since it has been introduced, and with the right training, all employees can create complex applications that can easily be integrated into other systems and operate on multiple operating systems, such as Android and IOS. Alongside creating complex applications, it should also be noted that no-code-developed applications are also safer than previously thought to be. Many no-code applications now have robust cloud-based security that ensures all the information stored on the system is extremely secure.

1. Discontinuing to Use the Platform due to Lack of Support

An issue some companies face is choosing to discontinue using an application due to a lack of preparedness, and a lack of support from the chosen vendor. As with all new projects, companies will face issues during the implementation of a new application. However, discontinuing the use of a platform due to challenges faced when operating can set a harmful precedent.

Benefits of Familiarizing Your Users with a New-Code Platform

Rejecting a platform due to frustration is never advisable. To avoid this companies must prepare for the new system. While a step-by-step training plan is vital, it is also advisable to seek assistance from your vendor. Generally, a vendor will provide white papers or a presentation that provides information on the system. By incorporating this information into the implementation plan companies can reduce the learning curve and minimize the stress and frustration associated with implementing any new systems within the company.

Conclusion

Facing challenges when implementing a new software system within your company can be difficult. However, through planning and implementing the solutions suggested your company will be able to successfully adopt a no-code platforms and reap the many benefits these systems provide to companies. From the ability to easily create applications to empowering employees while reducing the burden placed on your IT team. With an understanding of the challenges you may come across and the benefits on offer now would be the best time to implement a no-code development system in your organization.

About the Author

Shayur Maharaj, Marketing Analyst. My interests include researching innovative business ideas that increase the well-being and quality of life for employees. I aim to make an impactful and positive change.

Transformational leadership is what helps build corporations, societies, and nations at large. India has been blessed with such visionaries since ancient times and our country is known worldwide for its rich history and pool of knowledge. 

There are some distinct characteristics that set apart a transformational leader from the rest. These include the ability to motivate others, set high standards of expectations and performance, clear goals, honesty and dedication towards work, appreciation for the team, and regularly encouraging others to perform to the best of their potential. Few are able to maintain the balance and adhere to these traits that are heard about often, in a position of power. Most of the famous transformational leaders in India share these traits and continue to build on these skills to grow even further.

Let’s take a look at some of the top transformational leaders in India and know a bit about them. 

1. Anshu Budhraja

Anshu Budhraja, is the CEO of Amway India and has been instrumental in taking the company to new heights. Anshu joined the cosmetics firm back in 1998 and has since then served in numerous capacities across departments such as IT, finance, and regional operations. He was appointed as the Chief Operating Officer in 2013 and the General Manager in 2015. He completed his Business Administration from Thunderbird School of Global Management and also holds an Accounting Degree from ICAI.   

2. Azim Premji

Azim Premji is an Indian business tycoon, philanthropist, engineer, and investor. He was the Chairman of Wipro Limited and continues to serve as the Non-Executive Member of the Board and Founder Chairman. He is commonly known as the Czar of the Indian IT Industry. After his return from Stanford University where he studied engineering, Azim Premji took charge of Wipro in 1966.

From manufacturing cooking oil to becoming a company that deals in bakery fats, lighting products, toiletries, hair care, and hydraulic cylinders, Premji had a key role in diversifying Wipro. In the 1980s, he recognised the importance of the upcoming IT field and shifted his focus from soaps to software. 

3. Mukesh Ambani

Mukesh Ambani is an Indian billionaire with international fame. He is the Managing Director and Chairman of Reliance Industries. Mukesh Ambani is the largest shareholder of Reliance Industries and the richest person in Asia. He completed his education from Mumbai and was also pursuing his MBA at Stanford, but he withdrew mid session to help his father establish their family business. In 1980, Mukesh joined his father to build what is now one of the largest conglomerates in the world.

When he started out, they were only dealing in petrochemicals and refining but Mukesh Ambani decided to expand the business and venture into the retail and telecommunications industry. This was a monumental move and has resulted in Reliance being a household name today. 

4. Sanjiv Bajaj

Sanjiv Bajaj, is the Chairman and Managing Director of Bajaj Finserv. One of the famous financial leaders and transformational leaders in India, Sanjiv is the son of Indian industrialist Rahul Bajaj and the younger brother of Rajiv Bajaj, who is the Managing Director of Bajaj Auto. The professional journey for Sanjiv Bajaj began with Bajaj Auto, and with his hard work of many years, he went on to become the Managing Director for Bajaj Finserv.

During his journey, he held several other roles across departments such as Vice Chairman of Bajaj Finance, Chairman of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance and Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, and the Managing Director of Bajaj Holdings and Investment. His work has earned him several accolades including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Banker of the Year award, Transformational Leader Award, and Business leader of the Year award by ET.

5. Ratan Tata

The Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group is known for being a transformational and one of the top disciplined leader. Ratan Tata, during his reign of two decades, established the Tata Group as a global brand. His able leadership benefitted many beyond his company and impacted people beyond his organisation. He received the coveted Padma Bhushan (2010) and Padma Vibhushan (2008) for his remarkable industry and trade involvement. Ratan Tata’s progressiveness was evident in his business decisions and ‘the people’s car’, Tata Nano, is a testament to that.

This visionary made some prominent global acquisitions during his leadership such as Daewoo Motors, Land Rover, and Jaguar. On the humanitarian front, he personally visited the families of 80 Taj employees who were adversely impacted during the 26/11 attacks. An outstanding decision-maker, Rata Tata displays integrity and believes in lifelong learning. He is an inspiration to people in many ways.

Insurance by itself is a safety net against risks. Within Insurance, technology plays an important role. Insurance in India has evolved a lot with due course of time.

For many years, technology in Insurance has started focusing on the digitization initiative. Insurance as an industry has shredded its complexity due to technology. What used to be a product that was getting sold, started transforming itself as a product that was being bought. While product innovations played a vital role in taking insurance closer, technology did play a major role in attaining this goal. Right from the beginning of identifying a product and till the time the benefits are realized.

Let us see how Technology is helping Insurance in India and providing a safety net.

1. Suitability of Products –

Insurers come with various products that help the customers with a wide array of needs and different stages of existence. Though the pricing of a product currently is based on a broad age category, the uniqueness of a product along with various add-ons makes it look like a product that is personalized exclusively for the customers. Identification of the right product with the correct coverage and an accurate term is the starting point where technology commences its journey with the customer.

2. Artificial Intelligence (AI) / Optical Character Recognition (OCR):

For customers who prefer sharing a copy of their proof and also like to go for direct debits by sharing a canceled cheque, Artificial Intelligence /OCR plays a crucial role in digitizing the records without any manual intervention.

3. Automation of Processes:

There are many processes in Insurance, which can be automated. Automation of processes not only speeds up the process closure but also reduces the error that may creep in when processed manually.

4. DIY:

Do it yourself. Today’s customers look at convenience and how fast they can get things done. They love to do things by themselves wherever possible. DIY coupled with automation of processes helps to address this segment of customers. A customer self-service portal is an application that enables DIY for the customer.

5. Chatbots:

Chatbots help customers in getting the queries answered interactively, but simultaneously and seamlessly aids in processing the request.

6. WhatsApp Integration:

WhatsApp has become an integral part of every Indian’s lifestyle, therefore, integration with WhatsApp becomes a necessity. Servicing using WhatsApp has also become the preferred way of any customer. Through WhatsApp, status about the various insurance policies one may have can be shared in addition to getting statements, etc.

7. Voice-bots:

Voice-bots are nothing but chatbots using voice. For customers who prefer talking in their native language to get their queries answered, voice-bots are something that can be a future way of service, as it happens over voice commands, instead of sending/writing/selecting queries.

8. Analytical Models:

Analytical models that are aligned with the Insurance processes do make a difference. Statistical models are not new to Insurance and actuary has been using models for a long time in pricing a product.

In addition to pricing, analytical models are used in a) Underwriting a risk, b) identifying the propensity of a customer to pay, c) frauds that might have crept into the books, d) mining the customer with the right engagement, when to engage, what to engage and how to engage, e) persistency analysis and renewal payments, f) getting the right valet share from the customer by suggesting the right products at various stages of the customer’s life and g) processing of claims.

These are some of the areas where analytical models are used in the customer journey in Insurance and there are many more stages where they can be used as well. In addition to the customer journey, Analytical models are used in helping the salesperson with the right input to convert the lead, employee engagement, deployment of talent at the right place, and suggesting the right interventions for employee growth.

9. APIs Store:

Creation of APIs store helps not only in amalgamating with a new distributor quickly but also helps in engaging with them by providing the right dashboards and insights to manage the relationship. The APIs for service will also aid in distributors providing timely service to the customers and seamlessly.

10. Pay-outs:

There are certain pay-outs, especially death claims that are getting paid out within 24 hours of receiving all the inputs. Right from the assessment of the claim, to calculations and processing the approvals, the claims get paid out.

In fact, all these insights are from the Life Insurance industry. Quite sure that one will have a similar or a greater number of aspects in General or Health insurance industry as well.

By – Sankaranarayanan Raghavan, Chief Technology and Data Officer, India First Life Insurance Company Limited

Sustainable Finance

Investing is taking a step up especially after witnessing the staggering gains as the pandemic subsides. All this has hype has made people pay more attention to investing and adding value to their investments. There are various ways one can invest money, stocks being traditional with mutual funds, ETFs, etc. on the rise. As investing is picking pace, criteria to do the same are changing by the minute. An investor looks at the potential blue chips from every standpoint, fundamentals, sales, profits, turnover, etc. Amidst all this sustainable finance is becoming more and more important as it benefits both investors and customers. Sustainable finance refers to any financial service incorporating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) into investment or business decisions.

fresh Air or fresh Money?

As we all know, the environment and its viability are of extreme importance. Recent studies, figures, show the practical impact of the same in cities, etc. alarming the need for effective solutions. The goal of sustainable development is being eyed on by every country, companies are also taking major steps for the same. The concept of sustainable finance ensures that businesses are integrating environment-friendly decisions into their roadmap. This further benefits their goodwill, as it merges with the goal of sustainable development. Combining to create a value creation in economic terms, harvesting prosperity, efficiency, and long-term stable growth.

As an investor seeks the hidden value and potential of a business, sustainability comes as a crucial factor. Moreover, with incentives being provided to invest in sustainable enterprises, it becomes a no-brainer investment. As value seekers, we should look out for companies who value their customers as much as the environment. With sustainable finance, one can fund these enterprises and take a step towards a more sustainable future. Many organizations such as WWF are working towards integrating environmental considerations into the mainstream finance and lending sector. Identifying sustainable opportunities, collaborating with banks, financial institutions, etc., spearheading the need for a sustainable economy.

A good investment creates wealth, not money  

Sustainable finance has brought major changes to the functioning of businesses and investing. This change and focus on the environment and result directly affect a brand’s image and position in the market. All this adds to a greater benefit to everyone, investors, customers, and most importantly the world we live in. We need to be more cautious about the environment. We, investors, have the power to change the world. And if a step in the direction of environmental conservation and preservation earns us a good return, then why not!

“Sustainable development is a fundamental break that’s going to reshuffle the entire deck. There are companies today that are going to dominate in the future simply because they understand that”. –

Francois-Henri Pinault

In the coming times, more and more electric cars will be seen on the roads of the country. Many electric cars will be presented in the Auto Expo to be held in the country and some have already happened. Electric cars are said to be very luxurious in terms of the environment. These cars are carbon-free. The batteries of these cars are equipped with Lithium-Ion. Here it is important to know whether electric cars and the battery used in them protect the environment? In many ways, the batteries of EVs are not environmentally sound. To charge these batteries, electricity is needed, which is made from coal-burning and nuclear power stations.

Electric Cars – The Future!

In India, the most amount of power is generated through coal burning, which is about 55%. The high product and installation cost of renewable energy generating systems like solar are one of the major barriers to their usage by individual families or societies. Even if societies plan to provide E Charging stations to residents, they are most likely dependent on their electricity provider board. 

In India, no Industry completely depended on the renewable source of power due to variability in nature. either they procure the power from a Third-party power producer through open access or some other mode of power procurement or reduce the energy bills through the installation of a Solar rooftop /ground mount project within the premises up to maximum extent if possible. So even if huge corporates decide to use EVs for their logistics needs or daily workspace commutes, they won’t be saving a huge amount of electricity generated through coal burning.

Many Colors, Really Green?

Electric Vehicles do not have an ‘internal combustion engine’ like petrol and diesel cars. These cars run on fuel cells, which generate electricity from hydrogen and lithium ions. Each cell has positive electrodes, which are high in lithium and cobalt. In addition, these cells also have negative electrodes, in which the amount of graphite is high. Atoms process occurs between the electrodes of these cells, which give power to the motor. Explain that electric cars make less noise. This also reduces the risk of pollution. Also, these cars do not require repairs from time to time like cars running on petrol, diesel, or CNG engines.

The mining of chemicals for batteries also has a major impact on the environment, as the water that seeps onto the roads while driving a car contains toxic substances. These are not good for the environment. The cobalt fuel used in the battery comes from mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where children, both big and small, work as laborers. These workers risk their lives for mining work and human rights organizations like Amnesty have considered this mining process against the child labor law.

Recycling of batteries used in electric cars is also a big problem. At the same time, some industries say that the global supply of cobalt is already at a low level and its demand may decrease in the future also. It is being told that a lot still needs to be developed in battery cars. Because it takes a lot of time to charge and you cannot travel long distances at a time.

New Age Technology In Fast-Changing Landscape

What we witness today is a world that is evolving and adapting itself to the disruptions caused by emerging and changing technologies. The consumers too have been forthcoming in embracing the innovations brought by these technologies to ease our day-to-day lives.

From an era of smart devices to connected devices to connected experiences, we as consumers have played a critical role in making the impact of these technologies more profound by adapting to the tech-led innovations and being willing to allow the tech enablers to gather more data for improvised and personalized experiences.

The immediate future is all about leveraging the power of AI, AuT, IoT, AR, and VR to revolutionize most of the industries be it manufacturing/supply chain logistics/retail/education/health care / financial services.

In this article, I will cover a few use cases of this new age technology working together to simplify our lives.

1. Autonomous Things (AuT / AuIoT) –

As we all know autonomy is all about the ability to make informed and independent decisions and related to it is autonomous; self-governing. Autonomous things are all about adding an edge to automated processes or automated operations by clubbing them with the power of AI to enable informed decision-making and removing human intervention from operations. 

Autonomous things have the power of transforming multiple industries like manufacturing, health care, vehicle, defense services, emergency response systems, retail, construction, education, etc.

The Indian Agriculture Industry, New Age technology has a large potential to transform itself with the power of Autonomous Things. The farmer community can reap its benefits by innovating the entire agri-eco system with Smart Sowing Vehicles which can sense the perimeter of the farm without the intervention of farmers.

It can automate sowing of seeds and cutting of crops, smart vehicles, drones can be connected with weather forecasting systems and can be enabled to inspect, monitor, spray insecticides, and buying and selling recommendations can be enabled via farmer’s app. Crop insurance also can be enabled, and claims too can be settled with the help of autonomous things. It has the potential to revolutionize the farming industry.

Defense Services can leverage Autonomous things in a big manner to come with fully automated vehicles for patrolling and surveillance equipped with thermal imaging sensors and the ability to trigger an attack. It will ensure the safety of our army staff as well.

Autonomous things will impact Emergency Response Drives, Evacuation drives, distribution of medicines to a cyclone or flood-affected areas. It will ensure materials reach without delay. Smart city and elderly care are other areas where Autonomous Things has a wide-spread role to play. Its scope will continually increase in the immediate future

2. Increased Use of AR/ VR:

We have been talking about immersive experiences which can be enabled by VR but have been largely used by the gaming industry. In the current times of study from home, AR/ VR can be applied to make the learning experience very immersive. Owing to the lockdowns, students can experience physics and chemistry experiments without being physically present in school labs. Anywhere learning can be made interactive and effective with the deployment of AR / VR technologies, New Age technology.

This comes in handy for engineering and medical students as well. Besides this interactive user manual for home appliances, vehicles, vehicle claims investigation, retail shopping experience in the current pandemic scenario can be enhanced by augmented/virtual reality.

3. Blockchain:

Another New Age technology that is poised to create a profound impact on various businesses is Blockchain. New Age Technology is all set to transform the banking and insurance sector to operate efficiently and impact the health providers in a major way. All patient medical records s can be maintained securely, and the same can be accessed by various ecosystem providers like insurance companies basis customer consent.

It also can enable event-based notifications for insurers to initiate claims processing e.g., Cashless Mediclaim registration to be initiated every time a patient checks in to the hospital. While admitted to the hospital he/she succumbs to the disease, insurance carriers can automatically be notified without any intervention. This proactive notification then automatically triggers claim processes.

Blockchain tech can transform the way our electoral polls are conducted, by enabling transparency in polls. Other areas of our lives which can get impacted by New Age Technology are the real estate buy and sell result in the reduction of lengthy transactions.

4. Voice Technology

While we see the emergency of voice-based bots slowly taking over outbound calling, IVRS handling, and inbound calls, voice technology has the potential to emerge as a new interface and can displace the existing GUI interfaces in a big way. New Age technology minimizes the efforts taken by the customer to reach out to the organization for help. Voice command-enabled personnel devices are already in vogue. To provide a differentiated experience for their customers’ enterprises will soon start assigning personal assistants to customers which are controlled by voice commands.

Voice technology, New Age technology also paves way for conversations to take place in regional languages, which can be leveraged by financial institutions and insurance companies to increase their outreach to a larger population base who are not literate.

Best Side hustles ideas

Money is the motivation and a factor of happiness for many. It holds in many ways and is not true in many ways too. This conversation can go on for ages, but one cannot ignore the value and importance of money in life. Money offers a good standard of living, some luxuries, but importantly a peace of mind. With inflation on the rise, prices getting higher, healthcare getting more expensive, one needs to have surplus funds at all times. We all have desires, those LV bags, Jordans, etc. and this can be funded by these best side hustles!

Earning was never hard!

Here are some of the best side hustles in 2021:

–         Teach

 If you feel you know a subject well, why not teach. With this, you can not only feel good about imparting education but also get renumerated for the same. Ps. English as a language is very high in demand, and sites like VIPID and Qkids allow you to teach from home!

–         Write

If you have an itch to write or blog, etc. this might be a good side of best side hustles. Write a self-published e-book on amazon and try your luck at being the next bestseller. This is a common side hustle idea, works best for those who have a community or following. Publishing Profits can also be a huge help preparing you for such a side hustle!

–         E-Com

 With online shops bustling, and websites providing plenty of opportunities, your e-store could be the next big thing. One can indulge in homemade items, wholesale items, etc., and can sell them online to make quick money. There is no limit as if the store gets popular, one can add more unique products, and create their niche!

–         Virtual assistant

As working goes remote, opening diverse opportunities and options to make money. Big companies and executives are outsourcing administrative responsibilities. If you have the right skills, you can become a virtual assistant, right at your home.

–         Business

No matter what type of job you have, it is never too late to start a business. If you do not wish to become a full-time entrepreneur, you can start an alternate business. Invest in a growing start-up, to opening up a franchise, there are many options and ideas if you have the right skills and planning.

–         Party Planning

Yes, you heard it right! With the pandemic and its after-effects, people are reluctant to go out and have large gatherings. Plan virtual parties for a birthday, etc. use your imagination and design stellar themes. Plan a party, for a party like never before!

Do side jobs mean more money or happiness?

These best side hustles provide an additional source of income, which is becoming more prevalent in today’s time. Apart from the money, one gets to experience new things which are equally important. There are a plethora of options to choose from, provide individuals with choices that can best fit their skills, hobbies, etc.

Side hustles have become a necessity as many are not content with their job profiles and roles. This also makes a way for us to get closer to what we want and what we aim for. Of course, if the side hustle booms, one can switch full time into it and start working on other ideas too. All in all, side hustles prove to be a benefit for tackling many needs and getting that peace of security and mind.

“Good things happen to those who hustle.”

Anais Nin

“You gotta run more than your mouth to escape the treadmill of mediocrity. A true hustler jogs during the day, and sleepwalks at night.” 

Jarod Kintz

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E-marketing

There is a huge been a spurt in business ventures and start-ups, especially since the wake of the pandemic. This calls for radical ideas and innovation in many fields, most importantly, marketing. The traditional marketing strategies and methods have been effective in recent times, but the pandemic and the norms it brought pushed the need for reform in the marketing industry as a whole.

E-marketing has been there since the past decade, but the momentum has radically changed in the past years. As the competition in the market gets fierce, companies strive to aim for the podium, and OLM (Online Marketing) can prove as a crucial advantage to fetch that goal. The population of netizens is on the rise, with nearly 80% of the world population seeking the internet for information.

The Internet has become a rich source for E-commerce websites and companies to reach the target audience and have a pan world presence. Another factor expanding the importance of E-marketing is the rising expenditures on advertisements, email marketing, etc. OLM has become a need for any business in today’s time, if you still wonder, read on to know the good and bad of the same.

Any marketing is Good marketing?

Marketing has again come into the limelight and enterprises are sparing no cents to win the race in the market.

Pros of E-marketing :

Wider Audience Pool

Undoubtedly one of the best pros of E-marketing, a pan world reach. Now an enterprise is working on a multinational level since day one. This makes reaching the target audience accessible and cost-efficient as no physical outlets are required.

Visible Results

As every transaction, inquiry, etc. is done online, it becomes easy and accessible to track traffic, popularity, etc. of products/services. Enterprises can keep a track of sales, feedbacks, etc. all with a click, making tracking of business performance simple.

Convenience and Connection

With everything working over the internet, enterprises can work 24×7, and customers can access the same at their convenience and comfort. This is a crucial advantage as it saves time and cost as there is less expensive as compared to offline stores. 

Excess of everything is bad, and E-marketing has its cons too. Some of the cons of are:

Legitimacy and Clarity

As there are a lot of websites, it becomes difficult to judge the legitimacy of the same. Another factor that gives the clarity away is ads that fill the pages, making potential customers turn away.

Specialization

E-marketing, however easy it sounds, requires specialists with experience and the right skills. To get maximum footfall or traffic, one requires knowledge of SEO, SEM, etc. that requires specialization.

Reach and Reality

As OLM offers wider reach, areas with less connectivity, the elderly, and illiteracy are deprived of the benefits of the same. As online businesses run on word of mouth publicity and feedbacks, people often post negative feedbacks to put down the competition.

Marketing, making business easy?

E-marketing has surely benefitted customers and enterprises alike, but the question of its viability and sustainability remains. It is surely changing the new normal but also rising concerns. OLM is growing and tends to provide a platform where anybody can start a business of their own. This has brought a lot of products/services at competitive prices but also doubt on the source of legitimacy.

The question of its relevance remains, as it dwells too deep into a person’s personal space. As nobody likes recurring emails, messages, notifications, etc. but where does one draw the line? This remains a question for enterprises and marketing agencies, whether they want E-marketing to be a boon or a bane. 

According to the Guinness book of world records, the most valuable life insurance policy sold was for $201 million. The advisory firm which sold the policy claimed to have negotiated with over two dozen insurers and managed complex underwriting requests from them. While limited information is freely available on social media, it might be interesting to envision the approach taken to price the risk in insurance and factors applied to underwrite the same.

Insurance companies however have been methodically pricing & underwriting the lives of customers of centuries now and data forms the DNA of a life insurer. The last few decades have seen a paradigm shift in the use of data beyond the traditional and it is interesting to write about this revolution.

Insurance is a risk management tool and insurers require a robust framework to be able to run a business which buys risk & manages the same. Risk classification is usually customized to the industry & in most instances for each organisation.  A simple approach to risk management entails identification of risks both top down & bottom up, measurement of impact & likelihood, reporting to key stakeholders, development of a mitigation plan, tracking the same & managing residual risk.

Anything which has an impact on the vision & mission of a business and hence affects the delivery of its goals is a risk. Risk would be embedded at each stage of the customer life cycle & the insurance policy lifecycle. It’s sometimes easy to identify and comment on an aspect of the business function and cite risks. We can manage the risk & benefit from it only if it is sized and analysed if it fits within the organisation’s appetite. It’s a double- edged sword.

If we do not leverage risk, we may not only miss out on an opportunity but get consumed by the underlying threat. We have outlined the relevance of data and analytics at six stages of the business and how it has an impact on the spectrum of risks the organisation is faced with.

Research:

The actuarial and product would be able to develop & price a product only if they have a good understanding of the customer need by segment. In an era of hyper localization, development of customer personas which are aligned to the business vision and creation of bespoke propositions for each involves a razor-sharp use of market research and leveraging appropriate distribution. As this a nascent industry in the country, products are regulated to ensure that the customers interests are kept at the centre.

This calls for a tight rope walk. If the pricing goes astray or if the customer segmentation & product proposition are not basis the persona, the company is exposed to strategic risks. After getting all this right, if the distribution is not aligned, we run a business risk.

Distribution Dynamics:

Insurance is a distribution-oriented business, be it online, bancassurance, agency, broking, or micro channels. Acquiring new distribution in a crowded market is tough and farming existing distribution to its optimum potential and smart use of data can play a key role in the same. The success of digital channels is entirely dependent on the smart use of data. Activation & productivity are the key vectors to work with any distributor and predicting the impact on input factors of product, pricing, training & motivation on the same can be done using propensity models.

If a newly acquired distributor is not leveraged, the company runs the risk of losing them soon. Similarly, innovating number crunch can lead to recruitment of the right person for the right role and commence the road to success for the employee leading to lower attrition & higher productivity.

Pre-Sale: 

In addition to developing scenario based plans & planning for a product mix which helps the business meet its customer needs whilst achieving the organisational goals, lead management is a big area where the right use of data can help leverage the tools available. Propensity to buy models can be implemented at a customer level to help the sales channel to pitch a need-based solution and is likely to increase the lead to conversion success ratio. A delighted customer & hence a happy distributor augur well for the business.

During Sale:  

Life insurance and annuity contracts are for the long term laced with a low magnitude of transactions during the tenure. Onboarding a customer with the help of smart tools to do available today eases his transaction and help prevent fraud. In addition, they help strengthen underwriting if the risk score triggers additional controls. Organisations like Insurance Information Bureau promoted by the Indian regulator IRDAI fill the need for sector level data repository and analytics.  Operational, Insurance & Regulatory risks are overcome by smart use of data at the time of sale.

Post-Sale:

Engaging a customer is key to retaining the customer to maturity. Customer satisfaction indices like CSAT, NPS & persistency serve as a barometer and guide customer engagement to nurture the promoters, motivate the passives, and win over the detractors.  This helps overcome risks of lapsation & litigation. If leveraged well, this can result into upsell opportunities.

In addition to the above where smart use of data is featured across functions & customer lifecycle, we have seen innovative usage across the supply chain and all stakeholders. Healthy returns from the investments made by an insurance company are essential for delivering the assured returns in guaranteed offerings and garnering customer delight by beating market benchmarks in unit linked offerings. This is another function which harnesses data to manage customer aspirations.

About The Author- Sunder Natrajan, Chief Compliance & Risk Officer, IndiaFirst Life Insurance Company Limited

Sunder Natarajan is the Chief Compliance & Risk Officer and oversees the risk, compliance, internal audit and legal functions at IndiaFirst Life. He is responsible for embedding the risk management framework along with the implementation of good corporate governance in the organisation.

His noteworthy achievements at IndiaFirst Life include spearheading the bancassurance distribution strategy for the company and helping build an integrated bancassurance model with partner banks. Additionally, he set up the sales training team and launched mobile learning for the sales and distribution partners.

Sunder’s work experience in the insurance industry spans for two decades with proven excellence across diverse functions including Sales, Customer Service, Strategy, Bancassurance, Customer Retention, Operations, Quality, Business planning, Training, Communication & Governance. He has also held stints at companies like Aviva Life, Royal Sundaram General Insurance & Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide.

He is on the strategic advisory board of the Institute of Risk Management India Affiliate and is the Deputy Chair for the IRM India Regional Group.

Sunder holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Madras and Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from NMIMS, Mumbai. He completed an Accelerated Leadership Program from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and is a Certified Member of the Institute of Risk Management, London.

Management Consulting Firms

To become a consultant is not an easy job as most people look after the fewer work hours and more remuneration but the underlying fact that consultancies attain such command, respect, and revenue is due to their expertise in the field they work in. Consultancies not only consist of highly specialized industry experts with thorough and detailed knowledge of the trends, intricate details, etc. but also have a proven track record of excellence and more than satisfied customers.

It is a consultancy’s job to not only push their client’s business to growth and success but also help them in achieving a dominant position in the market, building their brand step by step, and making them independent. If you still find the role of consultancy meager, then look at the staggering results they have produced and the countless businesses they have helped achieve their goals and aims.

You can also check out g-co.agency for more information.

Today, we look at one of the most successful management consulting firms of 2021, how they help enterprises achieve nothing less than excellence, and much more.

Management – leading the way!

Let’s know more about some of the best management consulting firms in the market:

Bain and Company

Bain and Company are one of the leading consultancies, helping ambitious change-makers, define the future and dominate the market. They are spread across 37 countries with more than 50 offices. Founded in 1973, Bain and Company has been one of the most regarded and outperforming companies in the domain, making them highly sought-after but also leaders of the innovation curve in the market.

Boston Consulting Group (BCG)

BCG is one of the most successful companies in the consultancy domain, with their pan world presence in 50 countries with over 90 offices. They have some of the most prestigious clientele under their hands, such as Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo, Whirlpool, etc. Their aim has always been to partner with businesses, and help tackle their most important challenges and grab the best opportunities possible.

Deloitte Consulting LLP

Deloitte is a well-renowned name in the industry providing nothing but excellent services in consulting, tax, audit, and assurance and risk and financial advisory service to the world’s most admired and successful brands, including 90% of the Forbes 500 companies. They have truly established themselves as the go-to brand for consulting in their space, and are aiming to provide exceptional innovations soon, reclaiming the top spot as one of the best management consulting firms.

McKinsey & Company

McKinsey & Company are also a very renowned company, keeping their work and client list confidential but it is their work and services that speaks a great deal about the ethics, services, and results, this company has achieved in a short amount of time. They offer organizational, strategic, operational, and technological issues, targeted and centered towards their clients, which not only boosts their client’s growth and success rate rapidly but also makes them dominant players in the market.

PwC Advisory strategy

PwC is also a famous name in the management consulting space, providing a mixture of functional and industry expertise to help their clients achieve nothing but the best results in a very precise, accurate, and feasible manner. They aim to help their clients tackle complex yet interesting business issues from strategy through execution, thus, never leaving their clients for a single process, making sure they not only achieve excellent results but also know PwC is there for them throughout their journey and beyond!

Consulting – failsafe or last option

The exemplary results that these management consulting firms produce not only lure new companies to step into this industry but also push companies to make use of their services. Consulting firms are not only one of the major reasons for an enterprise’s success and growth, as new entrants often are unable to handle the business, along with the rapidly increasing competition. Thus, these management consulting companies not only guide these young, dynamic enterprises but also make them grow so they can survive and thrive as independent entities in the market, therefore, proving to be an advantage and an edge over the competition, not a last resort!

“In the business world, everyone is paid in two coins: cash and experience. Take the experience first; the cash will come later.” –

Harold Geneen