Grow your business after this pandemic and during an economic downturn

As we all are aware of the fact that this pandemic has been affecting all the businesses and economies and the after affects will continue to be borne by each and everyone in the society. For the businesses to survive, independent of its size...they need to incorporate some strategic moves and transformations along with a complete transition to a virtual world with all new skill sets.

Large businesses can somewhat survive and cope with this global crisis as they have the benefit of their huge resources, but those who all are into this pothole are the small and medium sized businesses. They are either in lack of sufficient resources or not having extra resources unlike the large companies.

It's clearly visible that the next economic downturn is on its way and we need to gear up for that.
Customers are reluctant to pay that extra and they would just want the standard basic thing that is actually needed and will cut all other added paid benefits in order to minimize the cost.

Now to survive in such a hostile environment, there are some actions that are needed to be taken that are mentioned below.
1. Complete transition to a Digital Era. Growing your business online, engaging existing  customers online, acquiring new customers, turning prospects into new leads and advertising online mostly focussing on SEO rather than paid ones to cut costs.
2. Proper evaluation and take decisions on if outsourcing would be beneficial or not. Assessment of the service providers in case going to outsource.
3. Cutting your costs rather than increasing your price. Focussing mainly on the core offering, for the time being.
4. In addition try to build your supplementary services strong and visible, differentiating your offering from competitors’.
5. It's a fact that you’re not going for new hiring right now, but you can always up-skill your existent people and that would be much cost effective.
6. Focus on retaining the existing customers and increasing the revenue by up-selling and cross-selling.
7. Reduce the cash that's tied up in inventory. Reduce the amount of inventory you're holding and free up much needed cash.
8. Don't go for ‘lowest price' tag as there is always someone willing to lose more money by making deeper price cuts. So change your marketing message to highlight your amazing value.
9. Cutting your working hours is way better than layoffs. This way you can save the amount of cash without compromising on productivity.
10. Lastly you must cut your own salary before you cut your employee's salaries. Otherwise you'll see a reduction in productivity.

Keeping your business afloat during the current situation is really difficult but not impossible. Have realistic goals and plan for the survival.

PASSION...reason to live for

PASSION....a very common and used word in our daily life. But ever thought what does that really mean or do you really have a passion or rather have you discovered what your passion is!!
Passion can range from eager interest in or admiration for an idea, proposal, or cause; to enthusiastic enjoyment of an interest or activity; to strong attraction, excitement, or emotion.

What you think as your passion is it really your passion or it's just what you feel like doing or say like to do?
Mostly we all mistake passion with our interest. Passion is something more than merely an interest or keenness. It is much bigger and broader in sense. Being happy with your job is not just a criteria to decide whether that's anyway related to our passion or not. Passion is something that keeps you awake at nights and you won't even feel sleepy the next morning. It's something that soothes your soul, make you realise that you would never get bored doing it and feels like you have got the true reasons to live for, all of a sudden the meaning of life seems to be a bit clear. That's the PASSION..that's the reason to live for...that's what we desire from within. Passion can push you through difficult times because you don’t care what it takes to become better.

Life is all about the three circles: WHAT WE DO, WHAT WE DESIRE TO DO & WHAT WE ARE BORN TO DO. When these three coincide, the feeling of completeness arises. We feel worthy, energetic and calmness surrounds us. Our aura becomes positive and we certainly come out of the illusion of mortal things.
Being in that zone, a person doesn't get jealous of other's success, nor does he get any kind of negative thoughts. Such person becomes so much involved with his passion that no external force would have any effect on him.

Finding what you are passionate about is a journey in itself. Don’t be frustrated if you don’t feel like you know yet. Keep trying new things.You’re the author of your life. You’re the author of your life. Don’t settle for the bare minimum just because it’s working out right now.

GREEN NEW DEAL

The world faces two main challenges, namely climate change which leads to global warming with all
the adverse environmental consequences and increasing income inequalities which undermine both
capitalist system and democracy. Social scientist, environmentalist, and activists try to explain the
issue and find solutions with limited success. In this context, the concept of Green New Deal (GND)
has emerged. A set of proposals championed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, an American politician
and activist, and many prominent members of the Democratic Party is compared with the New Deal
Policy of American President Roosevelt during the Great depression period (Carlock, Greg and Sean
McElwee 2018). In the first part, the GND is explained in the context of adverse climate changes and
income inequalities in the recent times. The GND is interrogated in terms of both the mainstream
liberal economics and Marxism analysis in the second and third parts respectively. In the final part
inferences and conclusions are given along with suggestions along with further research in this
exciting area of study.

PART 1

From New Deal to Green New Deal
Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal Policy based on Keynesian Macroeconomic theory was successful in
pulling out American economy and consequently the world economy from the consequences of the
perils of the Great Depression of 1930s. Public expenditure funded by deficit financing was the key
instrument. According to John Maynard Keynes, the famous British economist, a fall in effective
demand caused the depression in the economy, which had resulted in decrease in investment,
output, employment on income. The rise of effective demand depends on expenditure on
consumption, private investment and Government activities in the economy. Expenditure on
consumption and private investment cannot be increased in a short period. Hence the only
alternative is increasing the public expenditure through deficit financing, which means Government's
expenditure is more than income (Keynes, 1997). This type of Government intervention in the
economy happened during the first New Deal Programme (1933-1934) and subsequently on a larger
scale during the second New Deal Programme (1935-1938) in the American economy and the
positive dramatic changes brought about by these policies are elaborately described in the textbooks
of modern macroeconomics.
The period between 1945 (the end of World War II) and 1973 (the year first Oil Shock took place) is
often called “The Golden Age of Capitalism”. Then there was a decline in Keynesian interventionist
macroeconomic policy and rise of Neo-Liberal pro-market macroeconomics advocated by American economist Milton Freidman since 1980s. The euphoria of Neo-Liberals ended with 2008
international financial crisis which began with the bankruptcy of the US investment banks, Bear
Sterns and Lehman Brothers and impacted the global economy subsequently (Stiglitz Joseph, 2015).
Major financial institutions and industrial firms were bailed out with public money and the revival of
Keynesian policies was reported. Soon, however populists who support disruptions came and gained
power and influence with BREXIT and election of the US president Mr. Donald Trump. Protectionist
policies of the Trump regime and the trade war between US and China make the observers to use
the term “Deglobalisation” to describe the current scenario. Climate change and increasing income
inequalities have been described as major global challenges. In this context a debate on GND has
emerged.
Supporters of GND claim that the proposed policies would ensure 100 percent clean and renewable
energy within a decade, zero net emissions within three decades, America emerging as the leading
exporter of clean technologies and most importantly a more equitable distribution of income (The
Economist, 2019). These objectives seem to be idealistic but the supporters are optimistic that the
objectives would be achieved. They recommend huge public investments to transform energy and
transport infrastructure, massive support for green industries, large scale efforts to provide
necessary training to workers and income support to those who are unable to work. A strong and
effective carbon taxation regime is one important suggestion. The revenue collected from the
carbon tax would be paid as dividend to the underprivileged. The funds for these ambitious projects
would be raised through borrowing. There are plans to strengthen the interest groups such as trade
unions and small manufacturers to get political support for the proposals. The proposals for
expanding public expenditure in a massive scale to build ‘Green’ infrastructure and in education and
training to bring about more ‘equal’ income distribution are viewed with skepticism by the
economists of the mainstream liberal school of thought to which we now turn.

PART 2

Environment Degradation and income inequalities
Market failure is viewed as the major reason for environmental degradation and rise in income
inequalities in the neo-classical liberal economics. Negative externalities (social costs being higher
than the private cost) could be discouraged through taxation and positive externalities (private
benefit being lower than the social benefit) could be encouraged through subsidies. As the economy
grows it will take care of its environment. A poor country cannot afford to spend time and money on
environmental protection. Poverty is the worst polluter. Prosperity brings more effective
environment regulations. Individuals, communities and countries begin to protect their environment
when they can afford to spend money on such activities (Norberg, Johan 2005). Liberal writers
mention ‘California Effect’ to support their argument. During 1970’s the state of California in the US
introduced several stringent emission regulations on the car manufacturing factories to protect the
environment. Many people expected that there would be shifting of the factories to other
neighbourhood states. Infact, these factories did not move to the other states. Instead the other
states also began introducing stringent emission regulations on their car manufacturing factories. It
shows that responsible environmental behaviour is contagious. A good example is always worth
imitating.
Liberal mainstream economists point out that the supporters of GND movement advocate massive
public expenditure on the infrastructure and training of the workers to address the climate change and income inequality issues because of the ‘Category Error’ in their analysis. Alexandria suggests
that income tax rate in the US should be increased to 70 percent from 37 percent. She declares that
she is a ‘socialist’. Elizabeth Warren, another popular leader of Democratic Party wants a heavy
wealth tax on multimillionaires (Business Standard, 2019). It is like trying to defeat Hitler with a
fascism tax (The Economist 2019). Climate change and income inequality issues should be
addressed with economic growth achieved through the use of right technology, enlightened
management practices and improved good governance outcomes. The mainstream liberal
economists consider the Green New Deal proposals will undermine economic growth, encourage
rent -seeking and accelerate environmental degradation.

PART 3

A Marxian Analysis of Climate Change and GND
Karl Marx wrote on ecological contradictions also apart from his analysis of economic contradictions
in capitalism (Marx, Karl 1976). Dialectical Materialism, materialistic interpretation of history and
the theory of surplus value are the three pillars of the Marxian analysis of capitalist economic
contradictions which would lead to crisis and collapse of the system and emergence of socialism.
Marx could foresee ecological crisis apart from economic crisis under capitalism (Foster, John
Bellamy 2000). Ecological crisis is called ‘The Second Contradiction of Capitalism’. Capitalist system
transforms the material conditions on which all life depends. The main limitation of contemporary
ecological analysis (including the GND initiatives) is its inability to relate the problem of nature to
the problem of economy and the society. We shall discuss only two important aspects of the
Marxian analysis of nature and society, namely ‘Metabolic Rift’ and the ‘Lauderdale Paradox’. These
concepts should be understood in the broad context of the historical materialism which includes
ecological materialism also.
The dominating capitalist objective is to increase accumulation of capital. In the Marxian scenario,
the GND programme appears politically popular but naive in terms of political economy analysis.
There seems to be a leftward swing in political debates in the US and they will be settled at the 2020
Presidential elections. Democratic Party proposes massive government intervention to address
climate change and income inequality issues. Democrats seem to have a more “positive view” of
socialism than capitalism. On the other side there are pro-business and pro-capitalist Republicans.
There seems to be a growing ideological divide between socialist Democrats and capitalist
Republicans (Business Standard, 2019). Marxian concepts of Metabolic Rift and the Lauderdale
Paradox provide valuable insights to place these contemporary political debates on climate change
and income inequalities in proper perspective.

Conclusion

The Green New Deal (GND) proposals which aim to address climate change and income inequality
issues are increasingly engaging in the American political debates in the context of Presidential
elections next year. As elaborated above, these proposals are viewed as flawed and unrealistic by
mainstream liberal economists and naive Marxian analysis of ecology. The environmental agendas of
major political parties in India are not comprehensive and implementation of environmental programmes by the Central and State governments, in general, unsatisfactory (Guha, Asi and Elphin
Tom Joe 2019). The climate change and income inequality issues cry for more attention in
developing countries particularly India. The foregoing narrative on these vital issues from different
theoretical perspectives emphasizes the need for further research in this exciting area of study.

Extended Duties of the Producers....continuation

As discussed in the previous article, “Extended Duties of the Producers” is said to be the most effective way to eliminate the electronic wastes as well as some other wastes that have been threatening our environment.
The main challenge is to come up with an end to end system to achieve the goal.
What the producers can do is that, they can collaborate with other producers of similar or say substitute goods and establish a forum where the used/obsolete/waste products will be dumped by the consumers for recycling or proper disposal of them. To encourage the consumers, they can be given some discount on the next purchase.
This same thing can be done by an individual producer also. There can be online presence of the forum, so that consumers can lodge their complains or can locate their nearest “dumping station”. 
To make it more effective, what the producers can do is that they can start “service at the doorstep”, where whenever a consumer wants to dispose a product, the request for a pickup can be uploaded on the forum’s website mentioning the pick up address by the consumer. This way the system as a whole can run smoothly or say hassle free.
Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. 

Going concern for Electronic Wastes

Wastes especially electronic wastes have been increasing at a high rate.
 Increased amount of wastes (electronic wastes) has been faced by many governments, for which they are looking for possible and effective solutions.
All these electronic wastes like the used electronic goods that we consumers throw off whenever we purchase a current one, the expired electronic goods, outdated ones, etc., are a huge problem or rather say danger we are facing today. As unlike other wastes, these wastes radiate harmful rays, discharge poisonous chemicals and are not biodegradable. Therefore they remain and go on causing harm to the whole ecosystem.
What government generally uses to do is they dump the wastes outside the cities, in a remote place. Some rules are there regarding the minimum distance from the local habitats, can't just dump them in open, digging ground and dumping and then covering it up again is the proper way. How much deep hole is to be dug is again done according to the government rules. All these rules were made after proper scientific experiments and by expert’s suggestions.
But the main problem associated with this remedy is that the space is limited and the wastes have been increasing day-by-day. We are running out of appropriate space to dump them safely.
Also, dumping them inside the ground doesn't stop them from emitting harmful chemicals that through soil goes and mix up with the underground water (though to prevent this the wastes are dumped into deeper layers much below the layer where the underground water is present). These chemicals travels underground and mix with the water bodies, which is a bigger concern.
Thus, governments and environmentalists are looking for alternative options.

Many policies were suggested by various experts and researchers among which the most accepted one is the "Extended Role/Duty/Responsibility of the Producers". That is basically, the producers of the various electronic goods would take up the responsibility of their respective used, expired, rejected, outdated or thrown products. Mostly what they do is they either buyback their products or there is a scheme where the consumers can return it back to the respective producer company and then the companies recycle them.
 But the biggest challenge is to make this happen that is to run this whole circular path/system, where a product gets produced and after its lifecycle comes back to the same place to get used in recycling process.
Now the question is how to achieve this?
Will take this up in my next writing.

Loneliness

Most people feel lonely at some point during their lives. We tend to be lonelier when young and also when old. Loneliness is subjective, one can feel lonely even when surrounded by many companions and someone can still feel contended even when being alone. “A teenage girl may feel lonely if she has only two good friends, whereas an 80-year-old woman may feel very connected because she still has two good friends,” by researchers Maike Luhmann and Louise C. Hawkley.
According to one research review, until age seven, young children are mostly looking for someone to play and have fun with. Then, it becomes important to have a close friend, someone you can talk to who is on your side. Peer groups soar in importance in the early teen years, when belonging and being accepted feel critical. As we head into our 20s, our needs for intimacy grow, including the validation and understanding that close friends can provide.
People with lower income are lonelier in middle age than people with higher income, more so than in young or old adulthood. People who are struggling financially can feel ashamed of their means, while everyone around them seems to be comfortably successful.
Loneliness also seems to spike when we develop health problems before our time. This creates a difference from others and thus contribute to our loneliness. Whereas someone having a health issue in old age is completely normal and doesn't feel different from the social group.
What’s the best response to loneliness?
Loneliness is more about our state of mind. Rather than focusing on how people are not there for us, perhaps we can be there for someone else. Joining a class automatically exposes us to a group of people who share at least one of our interests. It can also provide a sense of belonging that comes with being part of a group. Becoming a volunteer for a cause we believe  in can provide the same benefits as taking a class. We can always get a pet or say strengthening our existing bonds will also help.
Loneliness if not taken seriously might cause mental illness and if signs are prominent, it's best to consult a doctor. Remember it's never too late and nothing is more costlier than our mental peace.

মহালয়া ও আমার কিছু স্মৃতি

আমার কাছে মহালয়া মানে ঝকঝকে নীল আকাশে ছড়িয়ে থাকা টুকরো টুকরো ধবধবে সাদা মেঘ, একরাশ শিউলি,এখানে সেখানে গজিয়ে ওঠা লম্বা লম্বা কাশফুলের ঝাড় আর শিশিরে ভেজা নরম নরম দূর্বা ঘাস। বিকেলে  খেলতে গিয়ে দেখতে পেতাম হঠাৎ করে ঝাঁকে ঝাঁকে চকচকে লাল নীল সবুজ হলুদ বড় বড় ফড়িংয়ের ওড়াউড়ি, দু এক দিন আগেও যাদের অস্তিত্ব চোখে পড়ে নি।
                আসলে আমাদের ছোটবেলায় দেখেছি ক্যালেন্ডারের পাতা বদলের সাথে সাথে বদলে যেত প্রকৃতি ... আমরা ছোটরা চারপাশের সেই বদল দেখেই বুঝে যেতাম মা আসছেন। আর মহালয়ার দিন এই সত্যি টা প্রতিষ্ঠা পেত।
               দুর্গা ঘরে অনেক দিন আগে থেকে ই শুরু হয়ে যেত মূর্তি গড়ার কাজ আর সেই কাজ কতদূর এগোলো দেখার জন্য প্রতিদিন দু বেলা ধর্ণা দিতাম দুর্গা ঘরে। হ্যাঁ সবাই দুর্গা ঘর ই বলত, মন্দির বা মঞ্চ বলত না। কিন্তু মূর্তি তৈরির কাজ এতো ধীর গতিতে এগোতো যে আমরা অধৈর্য আর হতাশ হতাম। কখনো কোনও রবিবারে হয়তো কুমোর জেঠুর কাছ থেকে একমুঠো মাটি চেয়ে এনে বাবা কে দিয়ে পুতুল বানিয়ে নিতাম। তখন তো আমরা এইরকম ঘরে তৈরি মাটির পুতুল(অনেক টা জগন্নাথ দেবের মতো হাত পা ছাড়া ) নিয়ে খেলতাম। সেই পুতুল দের আবার ঘটাপটা করে বিয়ে ও দেওয়া হতো।
                    যাই হোক! ওদিকে মূর্তি তৈরির কাজ চলত আর এদিকে ঘরে ঘরে শুরু হতো সদ্য বিদায় নেওয়া বর্ষার জলে পুষ্ট হয়ে ওঠা আগাছার জঙ্গল কেটে ঘরদোর সাফাই এর কাজ। তারপর তো হৈ হৈ করে পুরো পাড়া জুড়ে চলত নাড়ু মিঠাই খই মুড়কি বানানো । সে যে কতরকমের নাড়ু! নাড়কেল নাড়ু, চিঁড়ের নাড়ু, সেউই নাড়ু, বোঁদের নাড়ু, মুড়ির মোয়া, বাদাম চাক আরও কত কিছু! পূজোর কদিন যেন সারাক্ষণ সকলে মিষ্টি মুখে থাকে তার ব্যবস্থা করতে হবে তো!  পাক দেওয়া গুড়ের মিষ্টি গন্ধ বাতাসে মিশে পূজো পূজো আমেজটাকে আরও শক্তিশালী করে তুলত।
                  এই করতে করতে চলে আসত মহালয়া। আগের দিন থেকেই প্রস্তুতি শুরু হয়ে যেত.... রেডিও টা ঠিক ঠাক আছে তো?রাতে ই রেডি করে রাখা হতো রেডিও, ভোরবেলা  ঠিক সময় উঠে শুধু চালিয়ে দেওয়া। শুরু থেকেই যেন শুনতে পাই, একটু ও বাদ না পড়ে! উঃ! সে যে কি উত্তেজনা!
                    পরদিন ভোরবেলায় প্রত্যেক বাড়ি থেকে ভেসে আসা বীরেন্দ্রকৃষ্ণ ভদ্রের গম্ভীর গমগমে গলার স্বর আর আগমনীর পবিত্র সুরের মায়া ছড়িয়ে পড়ত চারিধারে চারিপাশে ।বছরে শুধু এই একটা দিনই খুব উৎসাহ নিয়ে নিজের ইচ্ছেয় ভোরবেলায় উঠতাম আর অবাক হয়ে দেখতাম কেমন করে সুরের আলো ভূবন ফেলে ছেয়ে....