Deep Fry Philosophy by Abdulla Yasir

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Do we have a good rationale for spending only $ 2000 and taking ownership of a very basic non-revenue generating website for a fifteen-plus million dollar resort property? If Yes, think again.

Web development has been a key strength to me for a very long time now. At the time I developed websites, I took particular interest in 3 dimensional virtual reality type web applications and had the privileged of doing a few projects including Sonevafushi and Banyan Tree.

Coming over for my masters’ degree, it included a six month long website and printed material evaluation programme. Above my technical knowledge on integrated web applications, I learned important aspects on aesthetics and design. Another complementary learning was the marketing communications within a wider scope.

Just a night ago, a very close friend of mine who is the marketing director of a resort property suggested that I give my feedback on a recently revamped website for the resort.
My friend was quite happy over a good bargain he has had and mentioned that the project was $ 2k. I gave some very simple comments.

There were serious faults in the interface design and navigation system. Just other resort websites, this too had an inherent fault of titling and distributing contents the way we know, ignoring the customer’s perception and ease of finding and logic. The usual booking form was no doubt expected. Basic web forms are well below standards and very old fashioned for today. Localisation and universal access was not even thought of, let alone its application. This is while tourist resorts are attempting to attract virtually any nationality that is lucrative.

The layout was set around demonstrating a flash animation that took the large part of the usable area and hence the overall aesthetics were greatly affected. Photography, that were supposedly contracted separately to a professional, were in fact very lovely. So this adds as a single good credit.

The colour theme was very nice for it self but in no way connected with the resort, nor was there a sufficient explanation to the colour application and hence misrepresented the property. Typography was not so much thought of, and also lacked a good editorial style. I couldn’t even apply my mind technically because the project was so very basic.

What often happens is that the web development and all related thinking are passed on to a web developer on very very low quote. Consultations and discussions are considered absurd and avoided. What I do wonder is the very rationale to dilute a website's importance! A website is an integral part marketing communications. It can build awareness, interest, desire and action (also referred to as AIDA). It is my strong feeling that resorts take these opportunities seriously and invest serious time and money in developing functional applications rather than just a plain website, so to say.

By admin on Wednesday, February 21, 2007
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Understanind more about what a strategy is, in business

Strategy: 'a plan designed to achieve a long-term aim'; ' the planning and directing of military activity in a war or battle' ...deriving from a compound form of strategos (stratos [army] and agein [to lead]) in Ancient Greece.

Embracing the above definition of the word 'strategy' underpins much of the explanations provided by Sun Tzu in his book, 'The Art of War' which I highlighted previously.

Several other authors have also attempted to strengthen the understanding of what a strategy in business is. Johnson, Scholes & Whittington (2005); and Pettigrew, Thomas & Whittington (2006) are among some of the most famous European authors. Mintzberg, Ahlstrand & Lampel (1998) also refered to as a dictionary of strategy.

An approach that I found to be of particular interest is from (http://www.bain.com) and quoted herein after.

" Strategy is a company's game plan for winning; it maps out the moves a business must make to outwit the competition, captivate customers and increase long-term shareholder value. Effective strategy inspires and informs the actions of the executive team, and mobilizes employees."

By admin on Tuesday, February 13, 2007
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Can the Art of War be applied to Businesses?

Sun Tzu's Art of War

A Washington Post best-seller "Absorb this book, and you can throw out all those contemporary books about management leadership."— Newsweek "A breast-pocket favorite of many commanders and U.S. Marines."— Christian Science Monitor "The Art of War soon could join Machiavelli's The Prince as required reading in the executive suite."— USA Today

Conflict is an inevitable part of life, according to this ancient Chinese

The Art of War - Edition Deluxe Paperback

classic of strategy, but everything necessary to deal with conflict wisely, honorably, victoriously, is already present within us. Compiled more than two thousand years ago by a mysterious warrior-philosopher, The Art of War is still perhaps the most prestigious and influential book of strategy in the world, as eagerly studied in Asia by modern politicians and executives as it has been by military leaders since ancient times. As a study of the anatomy of organizations in conflict, The Art of War applies to competition and conflict in general, on every level from the interpersonal to the international. Its aim is invincibility, victory without battle, and unassailable strength through understanding the physics, politics, and psychology of conflict.

More than war, the book is all about victory. How to get what you want without conflict. How to win if conflict arises. To describe his strategy, in the first chapter, Sun Tzu describes its five elements:

Chinese Character	Direct translation	Meaning in the Art of War	Examples
- dao	path	mutual philosophy & purpose of the group	patriotism, team sprit, shared values
- tian	heaven	environmental factors	time, seasons, light, darkness
- di	earth	situation	distance from opponent, even or uneven ground
- jiang	leader	leadership	intelligence, credibility, compassion, courage, discipline
- fa	law	art, as in "Art of War"	the ability to perceive and implement the strategic concept

Mutual philosophy
Even enemies will help each other if they are together on a boat that is in trouble. Similarly shared ideas and identification bind people together into a useful, cohesive team.

Business examples: Team spirit, employees identification with the brand, mission statement (in the rare case that the staff actually believe in it), mutual trust amongst staff and management.

Environment
The prevailing conditions determine what plans you can undertake. These conditions are to big and general to be controlled by people, hence the use of the Chinese character for heaven. You need to understand them and take them into account.

Business examples: Economic cycle, election cycle, financial reporting cycle, shopping season, zeitgeist.

Situation
This is similar in effect to environment but on a smaller scale that you and your opponent can control, if you know how.

Leadership
Leadership allows you to make good plans because of your perception, foresight, emotional intelligence and objectivity. It allows you to implement your plans because of your control of your troops.

Art
This is the skill and ability to implement your strategy. Preparation and coordination are essential here.

Other Recurring Ideas
Sun Tzu explains several times that you should make yourself well defended, but that victory comes from taking advantage of your opponents' actions.

Straightforward attacks are hard to win.

Having a conflict is bad. Having a long conflict is always a disaster, even if you are victorious in the end.

By admin on Monday, February 12, 2007
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Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big

In Small Giants, veteran journalist Bo Burlingham takes us deep inside fourteen remarkable privately held companies, in widely varying industries across the country, that have chosen to march to their own drummer.

He searches for the magic ingredients that give these companies their unique "mojo" and the lessons we can learn from them.

By admin on Monday, January 22, 2007
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