IIT JEE Mathematics Study Plan

These days I am spending time on developing study plan for various chapters of IIT text books. I already published annual plans for all three subjects for JEE 2010 and JEE 2011. These give the daily minimum study required to complete the course by 31 December end of the respective year.

Candidates can customise the chapters based on the chapter being taught by their college teachers/coaching class teachers. But it gives a milestone chart for candidates to redesign their plan.

Just now I posted the chapter study plan for Binomial theorem.

http://iit-jee-maths.blogspot.com/2008/11/9-binomial-theorem-revision-facilitator.html

IIT JEE 2011 Study Plan

Based on the experience I had with my child, I think it is important to have a study plan right from the day one of the preparation. That will give you an idea of the work involved in learning for a slot in the top 5000 students of India at this point in time. It is good that more and more persons are trying to prove their capability in this examination. Even if someone does not get a rank in this examination, his determination and effort to succeed will stay with him throughout his life and some of the persons may gain in ranking subsequently even though they may not get the rank now.

Life give more chances to prove your worth, and therefore even if you do not succeed at one chance, you need not give up. You can try for another chance.

I prepared study plans for two years 2009-10 (XI portion) and 2010-11(XII portion) and published them in a blog IIT JEE 2011. The physics plan of the 2009-10 can be accessed from

http://iit-jee-2011.blogspot.com/2009/04/it-jee-2011-annual-study-plan-for.html

Stock Market Poems

http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/stock-market-poems/2utb2lsm2k7a/1157#


I started writing poems on 21.3.2009

A collection of poems/rhymes on stock market

Some snippets

Keep your charts up-to-date
Watch your charts with a trend template
Trend is the horse
That draws your capital cart in the bourse.
--------

The stock broker says, what is your stop loss?
The customer says, why should I stop my loss?
I am in it for profit
Why should I drop it?

-----

Risk does not mean only reward and capital gain
It also means loss and mental pain.

Intersting Thought by William Arthur Ward

“Every person has the power to make others happy.

Some do it simply by entering a room --

others by leaving the room.

Some individuals leave trails of gloom;

others, trails of joy.

Some leave trails of hate and bitterness;

others, trails of love and harmony.

Some leave trails of cynicism and pessimism;

others trails of faith and optimism.

Some leave trails of criticism and resignation;

others trails of gratitude and hope.

What kind of trails do you leave?”


William Arthur Ward

Ask questions and answer questions about various subjects

KNOWLEDGE QUESTION AND ANSWER BOARD
http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/-/2utb2lsm2k7a/654#

400 Knols

Yesterday I posted my 400th knol on Bearmarket speculation on longterm equity portfolio.

http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/narayana-rao-kvss/2utb2lsm2k7a/400

Happy Diwali

Happy Diwali

Best Wishes for a Diwali with Hope and Cheer

My advice to my friends is to buy equity for long term portfolio during this downtrend.
http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/narayana-rao-kvss/2utb2lsm2k7a/1

Mobile Slums - Mumbai Local Trains

I made an entry with this title in mumbai local train orkut community.

All subsidies have to be removed in Mumbai for decongesting it.

Subsidies and incentives may be given in other cities to promote their development.

Even central and state governments should increase city compensatory allowance for their employees properly. The government knows the expense it incurs by keeping government employees in Mumbai. It will make efforts to shift people to other cities.

No subsidized kerosene in Mumbai.

Marketing Management Article Directory in Knol

I have created marketing article series to facilitate revision of knowledge by MBAs and management professionals in the basic subject of marketing management. The main text which was used for developing the articles is Marketing Management by Philip Kotler.

The page id is

http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/marketing-management-article-directory/2utb2lsm2k7a/130#

Learning for IIT JEE 2010

I started a new blog

iit-jee-2010.blogspot.com

The blog will give a daily schedule of sections to be studied in chapter and examples and problems that are to be done for chemistry, mathematics and physics. The idea is to come out with a six month schedule during which all the problems and questions are attempted along with the lessons and examples within the lessons.

Then the aspirants can develop their own plan for revising and practicing so that they can recollect the material comfortably.

Knols on KNOL and Authors

http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/knol-authors-from-india-list/2utb2lsm2k7a/90#

Knols by Nrao on Selling Process

I am capturing my understandng of various topics in management in articles on Knol. this knol writing is giving me an opportunity to reread the concerned texts, my notes, articles etc. I am revising the material first and then presenting it as an article that will be useful as revision material to managers and MBA grads.

I hope to develop them into full fledged articles that will be useful even to beginners probably in the next round of writing after an year or so. By that I hope to complete the round of writing revision focused articles.

Posts on selling process

1. Selling Process
http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/-/2utb2lsm2k7a/38#

2. Interacting with the Prospect – Customer
http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/-/2utb2lsm2k7a/76#

75th Knol published

75. The Process of Strategic Change – Product-Market Combination Change

http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/-/2utb2lsm2k7a/75#

This article contains the steps involving in introducing a new product-market combination in the portfolio of a company. Top management is actively in the process.

Search link of my knols

http://knol.google.com/k/knol/system/knol/pages/Search?&q=narayana-rao-kvss&locale=en&restrict=general&useall=on#

Knols on Sociology

I started posting knols on Sociology

41. Sociology: An Introduction
http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/you-want-to-develop-a-business-plan-for/2utb2lsm2k7a/41

49. Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/you-want-to-develop-a-business-plan-for/2utb2lsm2k7a/49

Is it a spam blog

http://physicsbuk.blogspot.com/2008/08/concept-review-chapter-1-introduction.html


http://physicsbuk.blogspot.com/

Posts by NRao in Organization Behavior in Google Knol

Theories of Leadership
http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/theories-of-leadership/2utb2lsm2k7a/25#

Posts in Google Knol on Industrial Engineering

My posts in knol on Industrial Engineering


Industrial Engineering - Proposed Curriculum for 2-Year Post-Graduate Program

http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/industrial-engineering-proposed/2utb2lsm2k7a/6#


Statistical Quality Control – Industrial Engineering
http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/industrial-engineering-proposed/2utb2lsm2k7a/8#


Method Study
http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/industrial-engineering-proposed/2utb2lsm2k7a/9#

Knol Posts - Focus of Industrial Engineering

I am now active on the knol platform. My present plan is to create a Reviewpedia for Management and Industrial Engineering on this platform.

Knol posts will be a complement to blogs that I have created so far. Knol posts are much more formal. Blog posts have more informal content as well as record day to day thoughts and activities.

My first knol post was on focus of Industrial Engineering

http://knol.google.com/k/narayana-rao-kvss/focus-of-industrial-engineering/2utb2lsm2k7a/2#

Thought/Nrao is more actively hosted on knol

Joyfully Achieve

Do not sacrifice a joy-filled life for the sake of achievement.

Instead, joyfully achieve.

Leadership Through Worklife Balance

by Robin Sharma

http://knol.google.com/k/robin-sharma/leadership-through-worklife-balance/3g2km6aciunkz/4#

"The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari"

IITs and IIMs are not Brands

I read the following piece from a new item on IIT meet at New York (IIT Bombay Golden Jubilee Conference 2008, held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel Times Square in New York City, July 18-20)

Touching upon the challenges, Roopa Gir (Director, Corporate Technology Watch, Schlumberger) pointed out that with the announcement of reservations for OBCs, the quotas have gone up from 22-and-half percent to almost 50 percent now for students; 30-40 percent faculty positions have fallen vacant and as more students get admissions under the quota, the faculty ratio of vacancies will go up to 50 percent.Gir said that students have cracked the IIT-JEE entrance examination and so nearly 90 percent students who qualify for admissions are not of high quality.

The IIT-JEE private coaching has emerged as a multi-billion dollar business in India, she further pointed out. "Just preparing students for the IIT entrance exam is a Rs. 20,000 crore (approx $4.5 billion) business."The other points she raised were of faculty development and diversification of IITs to include disciplines in medicine, law, arts and so on.Talking of capacity constraints in existing IITs, Victor Menezes (former Vice Chairman, Citigroup) said, "We take great pride that only one percent of students who qualify get admission to IITs.

That's a ridiculous statistic to be proud of. It's like being in a luxury liner vainly polishing the brass while sailing in a sea of icebergs."Menezes said that while a lot is being done to project the brand IIT, the brand itself is getting outstripped. "I don't believe it's about buildings or money, but it's about governance and accountability."With 90% of the funding coming from the government, IITs will never achieve independence.

Echoing Menezes' sentiments on brand IIT, Girish Reddy, Co-founder of Prisma Capital Partners said, "We are under significant threat of brand dilution because of various factors like growth, expansion, more students, lack of faculty, and so on. It was Reddy who mooted the idea of developing centers of excellence rather than go for multi-disciplinary IITs.Reddy also criticized the Indian government's rapid expansion plans. "The new expansion is based on the cookie-cutter model cast 50 years ago.

That won't work," he said.Touching on the issue of caste-based reservations, Rajat Gupta, Sr. Partner Emeritus, McKinsey & Company, said that along with quality of education and expansion, there has to be inclusiveness in education. "We can't say 'no' to reservations and need to change our attitude on that," he added.As for viability of the institutions, Gupta pointed out that world over institutions imparting higher education are by and large, not-for-profit institutions. "But that doesn't mean they cannot make profits," he adds.

"It should be profitable, but the profits should be ploughed back. In India, there are many higher educational institutions which run only for profit, and they are all of bad quality."The tripling of the IITs in 50 years since the first one was set up is just one percent growth and it's not enough, Gupta stressed.The panel felt that teaching and research needed to be integrated within the academic institution itself in order to retain faculty.

My opinion is that people should not look at IITs and IIMs as Brands, which are to be protected so that its past alumni enjoy brand benefits. They should be viewed as successful education institution models in India, and an effort has to be made to expand them both in their current locations and in new locations.

Expansion of high quality higher education institutes requires and whenever government feels it has the necessary resources it will expand.

Frequently, people talk of lack of faculty. The current faculty must be prepared to develop the existing resources rather than condemning the existing resources as not fit for development. Such elitist attitude "except we no body can" is not proper attitude. Teachers must have willingness to develop students who gather around them through some process. They should not reject any student provided they have a seat which can be offered to him. When society is willing to set up high quality institutions, the present faculty must come forward to upgrade the knowledge and skill levels of others who are willing to be faculty in the new institutes rather than declaring opposition to them with the argument that high quality faculty are not available in the country.

Come out with a processs to improve the faculty and potential faculty currently existing in the country are around. Brilliance of the existing faculty must be used to expand the faculty resources.

Blogs and web sites - Kambhampati

drswayamprakash.com/

Subbarao Kampbhampati
http://cse574-s08.blogspot.com/


Srini Kambhampati
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/entomology/Srini/index.htm


Dr. Ravindranath Kambhampati, MD
2820 Crooks Road Suite 200
Rochester Hills, MI 48309
http://www.healthgrades.com/directory_search/physician/profiles/dr-md-reports/Dr-Ravindranath-Kambhampati-MD-4C425161.cfm


Professor Uma Kambhampati
http://www.reading.ac.uk/economics/about/staff/u-s-kambhampati.asp

Dr Chandrasekhar Kambhampati
http://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/neat/cicck/index.html

Vamsi Kambhampati
http://www.cs.colostate.edu/~vamsi/

http://danielprince.net/

Effort and result

In a competitive world, the ability to put in the required efforts is much more important than result on a day.

My Grandmother

My grandmother left us for heavenly abode at the age of 98.

Sukla Yajurveda by Devichand

Publisher:
Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers Pvt,. Ltd.
Address:
54 Rani Jahnsi Road, New Delhi, 110055

This book is an excellent easy to read book available at a price below Rs.400.
One orkut member asked me for the publisher's address. I am posting the address here for reference for some more persons.

IIT JEE Study Guide, Tutorial, Revision Material, Notes

I am very happy that the blogs started by me for JEE Physics and Chemistry have developed well and they are being used by many aspirants in the recent days. I hope to improve them during the course of the year to make them more useful for JEE 2009.

Presently I am writing concept review material for the chapters of book 2 of HC Verma. HC Verma is a very good book for Physics. If one reads the book very thorougly he will be able to answer all objective questions that were asked so far in IIT JEE. I checked this in answering questions related to thermal physics so far.

Blogs

Physics
www.iit-jee-physics.blogspot.com

Chemistry
www.iit-jee-chemistry.blogspot.com

NITIE Alumni in USA

As I am trying to assemble a blog on NITIE alumni, I am coming across useful information. Today I find that an alumnus is a vice president in a company associated with trading on Madison Avenue in New York. I was there in October 2007 roaming the avenue for two days. I could have said hello to him if I knew it then.

NITIE Alumni Blogs

Opening the page/post for every batch is helping me think about them after a long gap.

http://www.nitie-alumni.blogspot.com/

http://www.nitie-im-alumni.blogspot.com/

Two new blogs on NITIE Alumni

PGDIE Alumni
http://www.nitie-alumni.blogspot.com/


PGDIM Alumni
http://www.nitie-im-alumni.blogspot.com/

I hope they will provide an additional vehicle for alumni interaction

The Art of War Sun Tzu

It seems this book is compulsory reading for senior Japanese executives.

I started posting the contents of the book in blog

http://smi-strategy.blogspot.com/2008/03/sun-tzu-chapter-1.html

I can write a commentary on the book and also review its coverage in various strategy books.

India Budget 2008-09 - A Critical Look

The budget can be subjected to a critical analysis.

One has to look at alternative investments that government could have made and has not made.

You may be surprised to find many shortcoming of this budget.

http://indeco-news.blogspot.com/2008/03/india-budget-2008-09-critical-look.html

Budget India 2008-09

Budget details were posted by me in

www.indeco-news.blogspot.com

The detailed posts are

http://indeco-news.blogspot.com/2008/02/budget-speech-of-finance-minister-2008.html

http://indeco-news.blogspot.com/2008/02/budget-documents.html

http://indeco-news.blogspot.com/2008/02/download-budget-documents.html

http://indeco-news.blogspot.com/2008/02/union-budget-2008-09-highlights.html



Central plan outlay
http://indiabudget.nic.in/ub2008-09/bag/bag4.htm

Central plan outlay by sectors

http://indiabudget.nic.in/ub2008-09/bag/bag4-1.htm

Central Plan Outlay by Ministries/Departments
http://indiabudget.nic.in/ub2008-09/bag/bag4-2.htm

IIT JEE Revision Points

My IIT JEE Revision points in Chemistry (www.iit-jee-chemistry.blogspot.com) are found useful by various persons. The candidates are circulating them through other sites. I saw earlier posting by NITU. Now I saw the posting in Goiit community discussions.

IIT-JEE Revision !!--Atomic Strucure, core points !!
http://www.goiit.com/posts/list/community-shelf-iit-jee-revision-atomic-strucure-core-points-42075.htm

IIT-JEE Revision !!--Atomic Strucure, core points !!
submitted by netkid07 (1326 m) on 7 Feb 2008 22:51:39 IST (25 comments 306 views)

http://www.goiit.com/search/showTopicsByTag/1688.htm

It is good that my idea is found useful.

Problogger

www.problogger.net

I visited problogger.net and it seems to have interesting information for bloggers.

I found the post on earning from sites interesting. The sources of revenue for the publisher of the site are given as

1. Chitika

They offer a variety of ad units and income streams - eMiniMalls, Related Product Units and Shoplincs.

Problogger has plenty of Chitika Optimization tips.


2. AdSense

The most popular form of advertising on blogs is AdSense (according to a few studies that I’ve seen). For tips on optimizing AdSense on your blog check out 8 part series - www.problogger.net.


3. Text Link Ads

While they have a ceiling in what they earn per site they are another good solid earner for me - particularly now that they’ve added feedvertising (RSS ads) which out performs any other type of RSS ad that I’ve tried. I’m hearing from many bloggers that TLA is their biggest earner now. It works best on sites that have been around for a while - you don’t need big traffic to be accepted - but having a page rank and some search engine presence helps.


4. Amazon Associates
The forth Quarter of each year tends to be a good one for me when it comes to commissions from Amazon. The last quarter is a time that people are in a buying mood in the lead up to Christmas - can bring great conversions. The key is picking relevant products to promote. Read more tips on affiliate programs for blogs for a few other tips on optimizing Amazon on www.problogger.net.

5. BlogAds







http://www.problogger.net/archives/2007/02/08/how-i-make-money-from-blogs-my-top-earners/

CFA Level 1 Alternative Investments

I started posting material about alternative investments study sesssion in my blog

http://www.nrao-cfal1.blogspot.com/

It may take a fortnight to post the material for all the LOSs.

New Blog on CFA

I started a new blog on CFA

http://www.nrao-cfal1.blogspot.com/

I want to post some material on various topics of the CFA syllabus. My blog on security analysis will also complement this blog

www.nrao-sapm-handbook.blogspot.com

My IIT JEE Material

I am happy to find that my iit jee material is getting some appreciation and persons are including it in their blogs. Today I found one of posts in this blog being maintained by Nitu

http://iitjee-iit-jee.blogspot.com/2008/01/ch28-carboxylic-acid-core-points-for.html

My IIT Chemistry blog

www.iit-jee-chemistry.blogspot.com

I am currently posting core revision points for various chapters. working on the chapter on solutions now.

comparison of the advertising rates on the three most popular blogs on earth.

TechCrunch.com - This Mecca of Web 2.0 generation generates over 2 million page views per month. Advertisers can rent prominent 125x125 banner space on Techcrunch for a fee of $10,000 per month which translates to a $5 CPM.

Lifehacker.com - The average CPM for image banners is $8 while a 7-day text link on Lifehacker is available for $100.

Lifehacker receives around 200,000 views per day so a month long banner campaign on Lifehacker could cost you $48k @ $8CPM.

BoingBoing.net - This directory of wonderful things handles close to half a million hits per day.
A 125x125 text ad on BoingBoing costs $350 for a week while rectangular banner ads are available at $20 CPM.

Portfolio Analysis

My paper on portfolio analysis

PORTFOLIO ANALYSIS: APPLICATION AND EVALUATION IN INDIAN STOCK MARKET

K.V.S.S. Narayana Rao*

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg3h8m78_2hqm5bkdf

IIT JEE Free Online Material

My IIT Blogs are slowly inching towards some definite material.

www.iit-jee-chemistry.blogspot.com

IIT JEE One Question and Answer a Day

Started posting one question in each subject for day in

www.iit-jee-nrao.blogspot.com

IIT JEE orkut community

Join



http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=39291603
IIT-JEE-ACADEMY

if you are a student, parent, family member, faculty, author, book publisher

Questions and Answers for IIT JEE Chemistry

I developed sets of questions for various chapters of organic chemistry and posted them in www.iit-jee-chemistry-ps.blogspot.com

Presently posting the answers to them in another blog.

www.iit-jee-chemistry-aps.blogspot.com

IIT JEE Chemistry Question Bank

I completed first round of posting question bank for organic chemistry.

http://iit-jee-chemistry-ps.blogspot.com/

Vedas Simplified my new blog

I am posting simplified version of meaning of hymns of Sukla Yajurveda in www.nrao-vedas.blogspot.com

I completed one chapter so far.

at Kakinada 24-8-2007

I am at Kakinada and spending time at an internet cafe with my nephew Sai Sankar. He is reading various english passages very well.

Visit statistics of my blogs as on 22-7-2007

Blog Visits Page Views

Thought by Nrao 853 1836
(www.kvssnrao.blogspot.com)

Learning PHYSICS for IIT JEE 792 1984
http://www.iit-jee-physics.blogspot.com/

Learning CHEMISTRY for IIT JEE 262 573
http://www.iit-jee-chemistry.blogspot.com/

KVSSNRao's Industrial Engineering Handbook 227 381
http://www.nrao-ie-handbook.blogspot.com

Industrial Engineering Handbook -Call for Papers and Articles

I started a blog for editing a handbook on Industrial Engineering. http://nrao-ie-handbook.blogspot.com/
I request Industrial Engineering students, research scholars, faculty members and professionals to contribute articles and papers as per the contents proposed. Please visit the IE handbook blog given above.

Industrial Engineering (Human Effort Engineering) – Sixth Term

In sixth term all compulsory courses deal with managerial tasks of industrial engineers.

Sixth Term Subjects

Productivity and Quality Management
Project Management
Occupation Health and Safety Management
Elective 4:
Elective 5:
Elective 6:


Productivity and Quality Management

Productivity is the one of the important objectives of Industrial Engineering. In my paper I argued that productivity is a multi-dimensional concept and quality is included in it. But because quality management is a highly developed subject, in the subject title it was specially included. Management of productivity and quality that results from the man-machine system is the responsibility of IE department. Routine inspection is a responsibility of production system operation and management department. But if quality levels go down, industrial engineers have to take up responsibility. Productivity and incentives have a linkage. Job evaluation and wage incentives are to be discussed in this subject.

Project Management

Industrial engineers have to manage IE studies and work system design projects. Many times, IE department along with production engineering department have to take up the responsibility of installing the production system. Hence project management becomes an important functional management area to be learned by IE students.

Occupation Health and Safety Management

Along with productivity, comfort, safety and health of operators are important objectives of industrial engineering. The managerial dimensions of these objectives are to be explored in this subject.


List of Electives – A Quick Attempt (Visitors Please suggest more)



Elective Groups

Human Sciences Group
Decision Sciences Group
Industrial Engineering Group
Technology Group
Business Management Group




Subjects in Various Groups


Human Sciences Group

Industrial Psychology
Industrial Sociology
Physiology of Work
Occupational Pathology
Human Behaviour at Work

Decision Sciences Group

Industrial Statistics
Advanced Mathematics
Operations Research
Microeconomics
Macroeconomics
Business Economics
Managerial Economics

Industrial Engineering Group

Research Methods in Industrial Engineering
Project Management for Work System Installation
Simulation for Industrial Engineering
Job Evaluation and Wage Incentives
Industrial Engineering in Agriculture
Industrial Engineering in Heavy Engineering Industry
Industrial Engineering in Software Factories
Human-Computer Interface
Knowledge Work Industrial Engineering

Technology Group

Computer Integrated Manufacturing
Air Conditioning and Climate Control
Environmental Engineering

Business Management Group

Production Management
Production Planning and Control
Marketing Management
Marketing Research
Financial Management
Project Finance
Advanced Project Management
Materials Management
Procurement Management
Supply Chain Management
Human Resource Management
Organization Behaviour
Value Engineering
Engineering and Technology Management
Strategic Management
Cost Accounting
Financial Accounting

For some of the elective subjects proposed, the subject content is to be specified by me. I shall do it in subsequent posts. In due course, I also propose to develop a list of books, research papers, Phd and MS thesis, and magazine articles which can be used in developing the course content for the courses proposed afresh by me.

The last term in the curriculum of NITIE is 16 week duration project.

All visitors of the blog are requested to post their comments on any issue raised in this curriculum proposal. Comments can be sent by mail (kvssnrao@gmail.com), if you do not have google account to post comments directly.

For Curriculum of First Term:
http://kvssnrao.blogspot.com/2007/05/industrial-engineering-human-effort.html

For Curriculum of Second Term:
http://kvssnrao.blogspot.com/2007/05/industrial-engineering-human-effort_12.html

For Curriculum of Third Term

http://kvssnrao.blogspot.com/2007/05/industrial-engineering-human-effort_253.html

For curriculum of Fourth Term
http://kvssnrao.blogspot.com/2007/05/industrial-engineering-human-effort_2299.html

For curriculum of Fifth Term
http://kvssnrao.blogspot.com/2007/05/industrial-engineering-human-effort_2299.html

Industrial Engineering (Human Effort Engineering) – Fifth Term

In this term and the next term, focus shifts to management. A provision of three electives in fifth term and three electives in sixth term is proposed. From this three, the learners have to take three electives from Human Sciences group/Industrial Engineering group and three electives from Decision Sciences/Business Management/Technology group. Work Systems Design is the course that integrates all the learning of the program and the learners have to engage in design of departments, single location plants, and multi-location production systems in this course. Business System Organization and Management provides an opportunity for the learners to appreciate how business concerns are organized and learn the principles of management. Managing IE Studies and Department provides inputs in the area managing the studies done by industrial engineers and the IE department. A tentative list of elective subjects is provided after the outline of sixth term subjects.


Fifth Term Subjects

Work System Design
Business System Organization and Management
Managing IE Studies and Department
Elective 1:
Elective 2:
Elective 3:




Work System Design

Work Systems Design is the course that integrates all the learning of the program and the learners have to engage in design of departments, single location plants, and multi-location production systems in this course. The location decision of the plant is discussed in this course. Case studies can be used in this course also to bring out the complexities in making location decisions and in facilities design decisions. Cases of setting up Steel plants, Refineries etc. can be discussed as cases in this course.

Business System Organization and Management

The IE student in this curriculum learns certain concepts of management through the history of scientific management. In this he is provided inputs in the topics of starting a business concern, various important functions of large company and principles of management.

Managing IE Studies and Department

This subject covers the managerial skills to be exhibited by the industrial engineer in carrying out IE studies. Understanding the viewpoint of the operator, communicating with him on the importance of the study, and managing the anxieties involved in studies are all explored in this subject. Managing IE department is explored, and place of IE department in different types of companies is also to be examined in this course. This has to be a course that develops managerial knowledge and skills of the industrial engineers.

All visitors of the blog are requested to post their comments on any issue raised in this curriculum proposal. Comments can be sent by mail (id in the profile), if you do not have google account to post comments directly.

KVSSNrao

Industrial Engineering (Human Effort Engineering) – Fourth Term

The fourth term is a summer internship in companies. It will be good if some of the students opt for doing their studies on self employed persons. This activity can be taken with the sponsorship of CSR departments of large companies.

New Blog - www.kvssnrao-sec-inv.blogspot.com

I started a new blog to present my activity/views on Security Investment topics today

Bahujan Samaj to Sarvajan Samaj

I felt happy when I first came to know that BSP won majority in UP. The movement of Dalits started may be 100 or 150 years ago has given fruitful results. It is not gift of any political leader, but the intelligence and hardwork they put in that gave the election victory to BSP. In a very short time, Mayawati developed an inclusive agenda and a party that has persons from all sections of the society. Still, everybody agrees that Dalit agenda is the main agenda of BSP. BJP should learn from Mayawati, how to develop an inclusive agenda, and include the aspirations of muslims and christians in their agenda, while emphasizing the issues that they are championing today. The attempt by L.K.Advani in Pakistan to give securalist certificate to Jinnah backfired because it was done in a haste without taking into consideration the feelings of his partymen. Jinnah was responsible for partition and the resulting bloodshed and misery, and any reconciliation about his role needs to be done in a very careful manner. But BJP should also move towards an inclusive political agenda. Such a move will create some unifying agenda in the present state of deep division among religious groups and caste groups in India.

Industrial Engineering (Human Effort Engineering) – Third Term

In the third term, the courses proposed consist of four subjects directly related to work systems design: Work Station Design, Productivity and Safety Device Design, Production and Inventory System Design, and Office and Knowledge Work Study. Economic Analysis for Industrial Engineering – II will contain the discussion of financial accounting, cost accounting and cost estimating. Industrial engineers require good amount of financial accounting and cost accounting knowledge to gather the information they need for determining the present cost of a production process, for estimating the cost of an improved design, and for post-verification of their implemented designs. Information Systems for Industrial Engineering is a subject to discuss the utilization of the power of modern information technology in developing and maintaining the data bases required for work systems design, in doing various calculations that follow time studies etc. The curriculum is proposing a subject with full focus on requirements of the Industrial Engineering function.

Third Term

Work Station Design
Economic Analysis for Industrial Engineering - II
Productivity and Safety Device Design
Production and Inventory System Design
Office and Knowledge Work Study
Information systems for Industrial Engineering


Laboratory/Project Work

Work Station Design
Production and Safety Device Design
Interpersonal Skills – Interacting with Subjects of Studies



Work Station Design

This subject has to focus on micro aspect of work systems design. Design of work station for a single operator is the lowest level. Design of workstations for group working as well as even design of assembly line can be taken up in this course. The emphasis has to be on the actual design of the work station that includes the production equipment, tools positioning, and movements of the operator. The course offers scope for case discussion methodology. Designs of a work station for a machine tool, assembly work station, work station of a software coder, work station of a cashier in a bank, work station of a truck driver, computer engineer, and work station of an air craft pilot etc. are examples for developing case studies and design problems.

Economic Analysis for Industrial Engineering - II

This subject’s content has to focus on financial accounting, cost accounting and cost estimating. These topics are discussed as chapters in some of the engineering economy texts. This course has to integrate these chapters with more details from financial accounting, cost accounting, and cost estimating texts. It is important that these courses are handled by teachers, who have industrial engineering background and advanced qualification in engineering economics and accounting areas.


Productivity and Safety Device Design

Industrial Engineers design systems of man, machine and material. Somehow, industrial engineering curriculums neglected technology side of industrial engineering. There is no significant invention from the industrial engineering profession in the recent days. The reason is that the profession has not made any worthwhile attempt in that direction. While productivity device may be a radically new idea, safety device is an old idea. This course will provide the design principles that help in designing various items that an operator uses in operating the machines that will improve productivity and safety.

Production and Inventory System Design

To integrate man, machine and material, industrial engineers have to develop the plans machines and plans for material storage at raw material stage, work in process stage and finished goods stage and plans for material handling facilities. In planning these, they have to work in close cooperation with production/process engineering department. The course has to cover capacity planning, selection of machines, determination of maximum and minimum inventory to be stored at various stages and selection of material handling equipment. This course has a significant technology component. This course should help learners to refresh their knowledge of machines and material handling equipment and also to acquire knowledge about fresh offerings of various machine tool and machine manufacturers and material handling equipment firms.

Office and Knowledge Work Study

Industrial engineering profession has done some significant work in this field. Knowledge work is increasing day by day in comparison to physical work in all countries. This subject will discuss the state of industrial engineering practice in this area.

Information systems for Industrial Engineering


Industrial engineering as a design discipline is based on data. A number of studies are done by industrial engineers and these studies can be extrapolated to many other situations with appropriate adjustments. Hence information systems are essential and this subject provides inputs in the area of information systems in general and then about specific applications in industrial engineering function.

Laboratory/Project Work

Work Station Design
Production and Safety Device Design
Interpersonal Skills – Interacting with Subjects of Studies


Work Station Design and Production and Safety Device Design subjects must have projects which result in tangible output. Industrial Engineering departments and institutes should hold an annual exhibition of the projects carried out by their students. Such exhibitions motivate the students to put more effort into the project and also act as knowledge transfer mechanisms between institutes and industry. Even faculty developed designs and devices can be exhibited in such events.

Interpersonal Skills laboratory will help learners to pick skills in dealing with subjects of their industrial engineering studies. This will help them in their studies in summer projects.

All visitors of the blog are requested to post their comments on issues raised in this curriculum proposal. Comments can be sent by mail (id in the profile), if you do not have google account to post comments directly.

KVSSNrao

Industrial Engineering (Human Effort Engineering) - Second Term

In the second term curriculum, one applied science of human sciences group, ergonomics is included. Three subjects related to work and work systems are included. Two subjects are subjects in the decision analysis group of subjects, but they are titled to point out that they are to be taught with a focus on their application in industrial engineering practice.

Second Term

Principles of Motion Economy and Safety
Methods Improvement
Work Measurement
Ergonomics
Economic Analysis for Industrial Engineering-I
Quantitative Techniques for Industrial Engineering

Laboratory/Project Work

Rating workshop
Methods Improvement Project
Ergonomics

Principles of Motion Economy and Safety

This subject could be a new proposal. I mentioned in the preface, that industrial engineering curriculums lack the depth. The topic “Principles of Motion Economy” is generally discussed as a chapter in work study books. Probably, Barnes gives an extensive treatment of this topic. Here I propose that principles of safety are also discussed along with principles of motion economy. Also the pace at which operators are expected to work using their various body parts, has to be discussed in this subject. A number of case studies related to use various body parts fingers, hand motion (full), hand motion (half), use of feet, use of legs, use of eyes, twist of body, bending and lifting weights are to be discussed as a part of this subject. There may not be any readily available book at this moment for this subject. My quick search resulted in two hits.

1. PRINCIPLES OF MOTION ECONOMY APPLIED TO THE SETTING OUT OF TULIP BULBS IN BOXES ON THE WORK BENCH, http://www.actahort.org/books/3/3_5.htm
2. Analysis of principles of motion economy relating to bodily movements /--by Ram Vaswani. (1954) Thesis (M.S.)--Illinois Institute of Technology, 1954.

There can be number of articles on the topic of principles of motion economy and principles of safety are to be covered from safety books and articles and integration between these sets of principles is to be attempted by the faculty.



Methods Improvement

Methods improvement is specified as a full subject to provide depth in the topic. The material in old work study books is to be integrated with the material developed by Japanese practitioners. This subject best suited for case discussion method. Therefore explanation of established and case discussions sessions are to be used in this subject. The case discussion method will help in developing the creative efforts of aspiring industrial engineers and also help in developing their communication skills in selling their solutions to other executives and operators. There is a real need for a number of case books in this subject.

Work Measurement

This subject provides one objective basis for evaluating the improvement of work systems. It also provides a basis to help the operators to improve their productivity by employing the proper pace of working. In my article, I emphasizes that industrial engineering becomes durable and welcome discipline when a self employed person invites industrial engineers to help him to increase his productivity. The origins of industrial engineering were in factories and employees look at his industrial engineers with suspicion even today because of that reason. It is up to industrial engineering as a profession to take up improving the work of self employed persons and earn the reputation as a facilitators and coaches of operators in their quest for productivity.

This subject has to cover traditional methods as well as modern methods like MTM. A rating workshop has to be a compulsory part of this subject and institutes have to set up a common certifying body to test and certify the competency of the learners in these techniques. Presently in India, there is no certifying body.

Ergonomics

This subject deals various aspects related to humans at work and is application of concepts mainly from physiology and anatomy in work situations.

Economic Analysis for Industrial Engineering-I


There are books on Engineering Economy. But their focus on industrial engineering is negligible. There is a need for text book that has exclusive focus in application of engineering economy in industrial engineering practice. The economic analysis to be conducted by industrial engineers in various decisions related to work systems have to given as examples in texts focused on industrial engineering. Such a treatment of these subject will deepen the understanding of learners in the work systems design area also apart from the the topic of economic analysis.

Quantitative Techniques for Industrial Engineering

The comments made for the subject above apply in this case also. Books have to written with a special focus on application of quantitative techniques in industrial engineering decisions. Till that time, faculty in industrial engineering departments have to make special effort to develop examples that have relevance to methods improvement, methods design, selection of productivity devices, design of working conditions etc. Assignment problem is to be discussed with special reference to allotment of work to various operators based on the observed or measured efficiencies on various jobs undertaken in a shop. Transportation problem is to be discussed in relation to the transport of material within a plant.


Laboratory/Project Work

Rating workshop
Methods Improvement Project
Ergonomics


The importance of ‘rating workshop’ and ‘case studies in methods improvement’ was emphasized already. Ergonomics laboratory work has to deepen the skills the acquired by learners in physiology and anatomy laboratory practice and introduce them into measuring parameters of work places that are important in work systems design.

I request visitors to the blog to post their comments on issues they agree with and on issues they do not agree with.

KVSSNrao

Industrial Engineering (Human Effort Engineering) – Proposed Curriculum

“Industrial Engineering is Human Effort Engineering. It is an engineering discipline that deals with the design of human effort in all occupations: agricultural, manufacturing and service. The objectives of Industrial Engineering are optimization of productivity of work-systems and occupational comfort, health, safety and income of persons involved.” (Narayana Rao, “Definition of Industrial Engineering: suggested Modification,” Udyog Pragati, Oct-Dec 2006, pp. 1-4.)


This proposal is an initial or draft effort by me. Designing the curriculum for industrial engineering is a system design effort. It may take some iterations of creative effort and evaluation to come out with a design that is acceptable to many people as a near optimal design. I request all visitors to the blog to post their comments or send them by email to me (if they cannot post the comments). I shall post them on the blog.

The comments will be useful to me as well as other faculty to synthesize all the views and incorporate them in their ideal design of the curriculum as well as to incorporate at least some of the ideas in their institute curriculum. Every personal idea of every faculty member need not become a part of the institute curriculum as the institute curriculum is a consensus of the all the faculty members of the institute as well as the other members of the curriculum approval bodies.

The curriculum is based on my view that industrial engineers specialize in understanding the human resource at work. Their understanding of the machines and technology is not unique but common with engineers of that discipline. For example, in case of an industrial engineer working in a chemical engineering factory, knowledge regarding chemical equipment, material handing, and the processes involved is common between the chemical engineer and industrial engineer. The unique knowledge of the industrial engineer is his understanding of the principles of work of men and women in the chemical industry. The main of focus of the industrial engineers is in designing or specifying the work to be done by the operators.

The curriculum design incorporates the following division of time or effort. 25% for human sciences and their model applications in work system design. 50% focus in on subjects with full focus on work systems design, subjects of work systems design, subjects that focus on objectives of work system design and subjects that help in managing industrial engineering activity and industrial engineering department. 25% for subjects related to appreciating the business system, managing the various functions of the business system, technology subjects, decision sciences and others.

I came up with some names for subjects which, I feel would be useful to provide focus, depth and practice to industrial engineering graduates. Lack of depth and practice in core industrial engineering is the main reason for many industrial engineers shift to areas like material management, production planning and control and software. I shall provide my view of the subject; try to point the books which may be useful in developing the subject. I feel industrial engineering discipline has not adequate interest in coming out with books that have a special focus on the discipline. We are using books published for with a different focus.

The curriculum specified is tailored in terms of the current term pattern followed at NITIE. There are 5 terms of institute study, and one term of 8 weeks industry project and a second term of 16 week industry project. I have included six theory subjects in each term and some laboratory work, which could a part of the theory subject or could be extra hours. The decision can be situation specific. I am presenting the curriculum term by term.

Industrial Engineering (Human Effort Engineering) – Proposed Curriculum


First Term

Evolution of Scientific Management and Industrial Engineering
Documentation of Operating Procedures and Working Conditions
Physiology
Anatomy
Psychology
Sociology

Laboratory/Project Work

Physiology
Anatomy
Computer
Documentation Project Work


Evolution of Scientific Management and Industrial Engineering

This subject shall provide the opportunity to learn the origin and evolution of various industrial engineering techniques apart from providing the history of the discipline and the contribution of various individuals who were pioneers and made significant contributions. Through this subject, students have to learn industrial engineering techniques through case history (brief historical account of the origin and application) method. It is important to specially to discuss the significant achievements of top industrial engineers of the current day as well as the achievements of the excellent industrial engineering departments in the current and recent past.

A list of books and articles which can be used in this course needs to be prepared. Taylor’s Scientific Management is must. Actually this book should be a compulsory reading for every industrial engineer. Unfortunately, it does not seem to be so.

I have in my possession The Making of Scientific Management, Volume I by Urwick and Brech. In this book, it was mentioned that ‘A Golden Book of Management’, an edited volume by Urwick was published on behalf of The International Committee for Scientific Management.

In this course it is important to distinguish between Scientific Management and Industrial Engineering. Industrial Engineering could be an offspring of Scientific Management. But the entire gamut of scientific management is not covered by industrial engineering. In the field of business management, scientific management is an approach competing with other approaches. Some of the confusion in the industrial engineering profession is created, because, subjects which are a part of scientific management are treated as subjects of industrial engineering. For instance, Statistical Quality Control has been developed by pioneers of scientific management. It need not be a core subject of industrial engineering, when its focus is on man-machine integration. Similarly, Operations Research can be and is a part of Scientific Management. It is not a core subject of Industrial Engineering. It is a useful subject for industrial engineers in their integrated work systems design. Industrial engineers have to use appropriate OR techniques.


Documentation of Operating Procedures and Working Conditions

The subject may also be termed as Documentation of Work Systems. Industrial engineers learn about recording work procedures in the subject work study. The focus in work study is to record the procedure of work for analysis purposes. In this subject, the focus is modified and enlarged to communicating the work procedures. Document template of an operating procedure is the language of industrial engineers. Industrial engineering department has to take ownership and make sure that every operation has a specified operating procedure documented in a standard way so that at any time it can be analyzed for improvement. It is always there for communication between industrial engineer and other executives in company, industrial engineer and operator. The visual techniques pioneered by Japanese industrial engineers have to be incorporated into this subject. The material in work study books is to be complemented by recent developments and this curriculum points out the need for separate text on this topic.

Physiology
Anatomy
Psychology
Sociology

These four subjects are the basic human science subjects. Industrial engineers have to study them to develop the unique expertise of theirs among engineers. They understand the human being at work. The abilities and disabilities of a person at the work situation are to be described in the parameters which are described in these disciplines.




Laboratory/Project Work

Physiology
Anatomy
Computer
Documentation Project Work

The laboratory work in Physiology and Anatomy should make industrial engineers proficient in measuring the important parameters used for evaluating the efficient motions, comfort, safety and health aspects of operators.

Computer laboratory work has to facilitate the documentation work. Documentation Project Work has to provide practice for industrial engineering students to record procedures and communicate them to other executives and operators.

KVSSNrao

Industrial Engineering - A New Curriculum Proposed

Yeterday I came across the paper "Return to work: Toward post industrial engineering" by Diane Bailey and Stephen Barley of Center for Work, Technology and Organization, Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University, IIE Trasactions (2005) 37, 737-752. In this paper, authors argued for return of the IE discipline to its study of work focus.

I also made a similar argument and proposed a modification to the definition of IE.

“Industrial Engineering is Human Effort Engineering. It is an engineering discipline that deals with the design of human effort in all occupations: agricultural, manufacturing and service. The objectives of Industrial Engineering are optimization of productivity of work-systems and occupational comfort, health, safety and income of persons involved.” (Narayana Rao, Definition of Industrial Engineering: Suggested Modification, Udyog Pragati, Oct-Dec 2006, pp. 1-4.)

I got excited after reading the Bailey-Barley's paper and sat down and prepared an initial framework of the curriculum to implement the suggestion made by me and Bailey & Barley. I circulated the curriculum to some of my colleagues. If any of the readers would like to have a copy, please send a mail to me. I shall be very happy to mail the proposed curriculum. I proposed that focus of the curriculum has to be 25% on human factors, 50% on design of work systems and 25% on business system and business management.

Narayana Rao

BSP win in UP - Good for the country

Good for the country
by KVSS Rao on May 11, 2007 01:38 PM

It is good for country's unity and democracy that a party with the name Bahujan Samaj Party came to power on its own in the most populous state in India, when it genuinely included all sections of the society in its agenda and party. This will motivate more people, who are underdogs today, to put in efforts to come on top some day.

Narayana Rao KVSS
(Comment on Rediff.com)

Depth, Breadth and Familiarity of a Teacher

Quite sometime back I read in an article or book on teaching that a teacher's knowledge has to be like that of an iceberg. The portion made visible to the students is like the visible portion of the iceberg. The teacher needs to have a lot of knowledge inside him in comparison to the matter he is expected to teach in a class.

The writer mentioned a factor of six as the advantage to be had by a teacher. The teacher requires six times depth, six times breadth and six times familiarity of the subject matter to be taught in a class. A teacher teaching intermediate with a post graduate degree would naturally satisfy the depth and familiarity criteria. He still has to take care of breadth which requires his reading five books having similar subject matter at the same level as he is teaching. At higher education level, the depth requirement itself requires a great effort from the teacher.

In a business school, a teacher, who puts in the effort, would be in a good position to integrate the knowledge of several disciplines in many of the subjects and thus become a role model to students. Many persons feel that business school students do not show an integrated view of business and they blame the curriculum for it even though every b-school curriculum has a variety of subjects.

Current Teaching Responsibility and Study

I have to teach the subject Mergers and Acquisition from the last week of June 2007. I am going to use the book, Takeovers, Restructuring, and Corporate
Governance, fourth edition by Fred Weston, Mark Mitchell, and Harold Mulherin as the text book. There are 22 chapters in this book. As a part of my preparation, I plan to read 22 books one on each chapter to acquire the required depth in subject. I also plan to read five other books on mergers and acquisitions to pick up various ways of explaining the same topics.

The five books being used for broadening the knowledge are:


1. Wyatt & Kieso, Business Combinations: Planning and Action, International Text Book company, 1969
2. Weston & Samuel C. Weaver, Mergers and Acquisitions, Tata Mcgraw Hill, 2001
3. James W. Bradley and Donald H. Korn, Acquisition and Corporate Development, Lexington Books, D.C. Heath & Co., Lexington, 1981 ( a book by Arthur D. Little Executives)
4. P.S. Sudarsanam, The Essence of Mergers and Acquisitions, Prentice Hall of India Private Limited, New Delhi, 1997
5. Fred Weston et al., Takeovers, Restructuring, and Corporate governance, second edition

The books being used for deepening the knowledge include: 1. Book on Income tax of India, 2. Company Act of India, 3. Advanced Accounting text, 4. Valuation by Copeland, 5. Book on Joint Ventures by Yoz and Hamel, 6. M&A:
A Practical Guide to Doing the Deal by Jeffrey Hooke, 8. Strategic Management:Concepts and Cases by Thompson and Strickland 13th edition, and 9. Mergers et al, Issues, Implications, and Case Laws in Corporate Restructuring by S. Ramanujam.

I am now involved in a study marathon.

Markowitz/Sharpe Portfolio Analysis and Target Prices

Portfolio Analysis proposed by Markowitz requires estimates of expected return and risk. Target prices provided by analysts can be used as the expected returns. Literature on the portfolio theory says the risk can be estimated from the historical data as it is more stable.

I have done the portfolio analysis using target price data from Sharekhan Value Line October 2006 recently using an excel spread sheet template. The template accommodates only 20 risky securities.

Out of the 95 correlations 17 were found to be negative when correletions were calculated using past 27 month data. The output that allows negative holdings or short selling gives an expected return of 92.50% and 17.44% standard deviation.

The highest return possible on a security was 68.7% and the lowest standard deviation on a security was 28.2%. The hedge portfolio enhanced the return and decreased the standard deviation.

The immediate questions are the level of confidence that we can have in target price estimates and the confidence in the risk estimated made using the past data (27 months in this case).

ANALYST PREAMBLE

ANALYST PREAMBLE:

We the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much for so long, with so little knowledge that we will one day qualify to do anything knowing nothing. Be proud to be an ANALYST.

The above preamble was sent by an analyst through email among an analyst e-group. Below is my response to this preamble.

My response:

From
Dr. K.V.S.S. Narayana Rao
Professor
NITIE

I appreciate this preamble.I published a paper arguing that the text books on security analysis were not written properly and I circulated this paper to all text book authors in USA. After we study a text we cannot do an analysis in which we have confidence. I feel in this respect technical analysis is much better. Fundamental analysis is described in very ambiguous manner. Financial forecasting is not covered properly in the texts. DCF model is criticisized in the texts. There is no adequate explanation of determining target prices.

But the work being done by analysts "led by the unknowing" is useful to convey some useful and valuable information to the traders and investors. That is why research departments are being maintained. Many of us join the departments not unwillingly, but with a big hope.

To improve the analytical part, my proposal is that the analytical methods are documented in a such a detailed manner, that every investor and trader can understand the methodology. That does not mean every investor and trader can do his own analysis. Analysis to identify one share that satisfies a specified analytical method requires analysis of a large number of shares. This is time consuming. Hence professional analysts come out with research reports on those scrips which pass the screening test of the method. Because investor/trader knows the method he can study the report, convince himself that the analysis is appropriate and do his trading/investment with conviction. Such an approach and attidue on the part of analyst community will reduce ambiguity to some extent, and we will all be more comfortable psychologically in our participation in this activity which is basically a risky situation. What I mean by risky situation is that our judgments are sometimes right and sometimes wrong. We are the same persons, our methods are same, but sometimes they succeed and sometimes they fail. People laugh at us and criticize when we fail.

Thanks to the analyst for bringing out an issue that troubles some of us.

Narayana Rao

ANALYST PREAMBLE

Graham-Rao Method - Meeting with a CEO on 1st February 2007

I had an occasion to meet a CEO of an investment organization and clarify certain issues in the two articles of mine, The Merit of Value Investing and In Search of Value. I am happy that the two articles were noticed by the professionals. On the way back, I went to a broking company, and there also I was informed by an analyst that he kept the copy of the article with him. I have to now do a similar work on Piotroski Method's application in India.

Mumbai Marathon 2007 - II

In my last post I mentioned that I was there at the event. Actually, I walked the half marathon distance on the finishing side. I went ten and half kilometres and returned. That was the reason I could see all the winners of half marathon and full marathon. I spoke to Mr. Vijay Kumar Tendulkar, BIB No. 502 who completed in 4 hours 13 minutes and 54 seconds and walked along with him for some time.

This time I walked the half marathon distance without any preparation. At around 15 kms, I stated having pain in the buttock. Luckily, it cleared off by 12 noon on Monday and I attended the office without any problem on Monday. This experience will certainly motivate to plan full marathon in January 2008.

Somebody told me that the distance from ground to Tirumala in Tirupati is 21 kilometres. It that is so, every day thousands of persons must be completing half marathon every day, in a well organized permanent set up. It could probably become a world record for half marathon finishers if we start collecting statistics.

Partial results of the race are available on http://www.bcdaaa.org/mim2007.htm.

KVSSNrao

Mumbai Marathon 2007

Luckily I did not miss the Mumbai Marathon 2007 even though I did not register this time. I was there at 6.45 a.m. just before the half marathon started. Walked along. Saw all the winners of half marathon and full marathon. Had a talk with three or four full marathoners, who stated walking after 35 or 36 kilometres. One of them was a primary school teacher from Punjab, Patiala district. One was Mr. Tendulkar from Goregaon, employee of Bank of India. One is from Army. All of them will complete the full marathon in four hours. Saw the ladies favourite L. Amman from Ethiopia in a tired and bewildered state.

The receiving area and procedure needs an improvement. It may be good to put the chip refund and certificate area by the side of cloak room area. Have a place for all the finishers to stretch and rest for sometime. Then they should be allowed to go to the cloakroom area and put on their dry clothes. Then if the certificate area and chip refund area are close to cloak room area, they can collect them in more comfort.

Procam needs to put in some effort to organize marathon running clinics and marathon gear shows to promote full marathon running in Mumbai and they should earmark some money from every marathon revenue for this purpose and also rope in sponsors fort this.

kvssnrao
21st January 2007
Sunday 6.25 p.m.

OEE*EE = OOEE

The above is a mathematical puzzle sent by one of friends. "O"s are odd numbers and "E"s are even numbers in the puzzle. The expression made me think of some english words.

(Opportunity,Expertise,Enablers)*(Excitement,Effort) = Ovation, Outstanding achievement, Efficiency, Effectiveness)

Some more "E"s which also can be used are Education, Experience, Eagerness, Enthusiasm, Energy

kvssnrao
on the day of Makara Sankranti
14th January 2007

Value Stocks of January 2007

My article on application of Graham-Rao analysis to Indian stocks at the moment appeared in Smart Investor of 8/1/07 on page 7. 9 stocks came out to be value stocks with reference to prices on 3/1/07.

They are:

Cheviot
UCAL fuel systems
Kothari Products
South Indian Bank
Shipping Corpn
Micro Inks
Oriental Bank of Commerce
Sutlej Industries
City Union Bank

The article can be accessed from http://www.business-standard.com/general/storypage.php?&autono=270553.

As far as my knowledge goes, this is the first time that a full list of Graham's defensive analysis is published on Indian stocks.

Narayana Rao
10.50 a.m.
8/1/07

Another thing to feel good about

Internet free sites and blogs allows us to express ourselves. They are also providing a way to find the reaction of others. My article on value investing in Business Standard was included in their blogs by two bloggers and today I found that my article on marathon running by CEOs was quoted by a blogger (the blog is given below). These things provide the push to start the search again for a suitable topic to continue writing.


http://seethefinish.blogspot.com/2006/10/why-i-run-and-why-should-you.html
Saturday, October 21, 2006

Why I run? And why should you?

Why should you? – Indeed, I should not ask this question. However, I will enlighten why you may regard this question.Foremost point certainly is that you will have a mission toward your fitness regime. And here are some more points you should deem to.
1. When you train or run for marathon you don’t run for only yourself. There are ways to contribute to the society.
2. There is an indirect and immense benefit that you gain i.e Physical fitness.
3. If you set your mission as finishing marathon and when you accomplish this – You will have a great sense of satisfaction and achievement. I don’t have to explicate this one. (As I am yet to get there!!)

Recently, I have read one article on Marathon running – A hobby to global CEO’s. In this article the author emphasizes very much on running a company is identical to running Marathon.In fact this is the article really blazed me up to take up this mission.

My sincere thanks to Dr.KVSS Narayana Rao – Author of this article. Courtesy: Global CEO special issue, ICFAI university press.He dictates that the business success can be learnt, honed and demonstrated by training for and running Marathons.

As opposed to the aforesaid points, when you go to gym, it seldom gives any kind of gratification to your life, but it possibly will give you physical fitness, only after paying your gym fees.So, why do you wait…? Just Run! Run!! And run!!!

posted by Guna Sekaran @ 10:41 PM 0 comments

Graham's Fair Value of sensex

What could be the fair value of sensex according to Graham's valuation methods. I recently analysed all the stocks in India using the criteria laid down in Graham-Rao Method. The article is awaiting publication. The following scrips satisfied all the criteria with the price of 15-12-2006 as the basis.


1. Cheviot co. Ltd.
2. Ucal Fuel Systems Ltd.
3. Kothari Products Ltd.
4. South Indian Bank Ltd.
5. Shipping Corporation of India Ltd.
6. Micro Inks Ltd.
7. Oriental Bank of Commerce Ltd.
8. Sutlej Industries Ltd.
9. City Union Bank Ltd.
10. India Nippon Electricals Ltd.

I also calculated the earnings based valuation of all scrips in the sensex, using 15 as multiplier for shorter period average EPS for some companies which do not have 7-year EPS data. The market capitalization came to Rs. 3,64,454 crore. The market capitalization for 19-12-2006 reported in ET of 20-12-2006 is Rs. 8,58,332 crores. The index reported is 13382.01. Hence the fair value of index will turnout to be 5682.09.

Thus the index has a huge speculative component.

In this context, it will be interesting to read the statement by Marc Faber reported in Economic Times dated 19th December in page 23. He said sustaining returns would be difficult considering the huge rise in asset prices since 2003. He also said, "you can have an expanding economy, but the market may not go anywhere."

KVSSNRAO
20th December 2006
2.00 p.m.

Business Standard Article On Graham-Rao Method

The Smart Investor of 27 November 2006 has the article "The merit of value investing" in pages 6 and 7. The article can be accessed from address http://www.business-standard.com/general/storypage.php?&autono=265971. This article has the description of the method of analysis developed by me. The analysis was applied to BSE "A" group stocks in January 2003 and 38 stocks were identified as value stocks on the basis of earnings valuation criteria.

The portfolio of these value stocks was reviewed in August 2006 and November 2006. In both these months, the value portfolio outperformed the BSE Sensex. The performance up to November 2006 is described in the article. I came across the book by Graham and Dodd in 1984 or 85. It took almost 20 years for me to come out with a successful application of the ideas from the book. I am very happy to share the results of my research effort with all investors and potential investors.

Narayana Rao
NITIE, Mumbai
27 November 2006
11.05 a.m.

Productivity in Agriculture

Today (13th October 2006), Lakshya 2006, was inaugurated at NITIE, Mumbai. Shri Jayant Patil, Finance Minister of Maharashtra, was the chief guest. He mentioned his experience with high speed trains in Germany and wished that in India also such facilities will be installed. He is a right person to talk of infrastructure development as he is basically a civil engineer with a successful record in the area of finance. He can finance the ventures and then guide them in operational issues.

Shri Y.C. Deveshwar, Shri Keshub Mahindra and Shri Azim Premji were felicitated as Business Visionaries. Shri Y.C. Deveshwar brought to the fore the issue of productivity in agriculture and pointed out that NITIE, the institute who area of focus is improving productivity has to play its expected role. I hope his call will energise some of the students and faculty members to focus on this area. The institute can take up study of agricultural activities as a one week project for all the students of IE course, may be before they start the summer project.

I take this opportunity to publish the definition suggested by me for industrial engineering once again in my blog as it specifically mentions agriculture.

“Industrial Engineering is Human Effort Engineering. It is an engineering discipline that deals with the design of human effort in all occupations: agricultural, manufacturing and service. The objectives of Industrial Engineering are optimization of productivity of work-systems and occupational comfort, health, safety and income of persons involved.”

NRao on Buffett's Investment Methods - I

These days I am spending my time going through the various investment texts and my posts reflect it.

I have to give a presentation on Warren Buffett's integration of Graham's ideas and Phil Fisher's ideas. In this connection I am going through the books, Buffetology Work Book and Permanent Value.

The last time I read the book Permanent Value, I did not appreciate the content. But in this reading, I appreciate the contribution made by the author in explaining Buffett's investment methodology and practice.

This remark on Freddie Mac in page 457, brings out clearly the power of relative value analysis.

"If you were to take Freddie Mac and look at the simple numbers-it's selling at 12 times earnings versus 18 to 20 times earnings for the S&P. It probably has a double-digit earnings growth rate versus an average growth rate over nine years of7% or even less for the S&P. Its return on equity is 20% or better against an average return of 12.5% to 13% for the S&P. So by any simple statistical measure, it's very attractive stock."


Buffett used exactly the investment operations in running his partnerships that Graham employed in his investment practice

Page 81

1. "Generals" - Undervalued stocks generally to be held for a long time.
2. "Workouts"- Securities with a timetable, arbitrage situations arising form sell-outs, mergers, reorganizations and the like.
3. "Control"- owning such a sizeable block that the partnership gains control of the business.


The similarity with Phil Fisher is Buffett also has quality criteria which are different from the quantitative numbers. Important among them is that Buffett liked consumer monopoly companies. In this respect Buffett is following the principle of selection among the companies that satisfy the quantitative criteria. Graham used to buy or recommend buying of all the companies that satisfy the criteria.

KVSSNRao

NRao on Intelligent Investor - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Investment versus Speculation: Results to be Expected by the Intelligent Investor

The aim of this chapter is developing appropriate portfolio policy for the individual, nonprofessional investor. It is not meant for the professionals in securities like brokers and dealers.

What do we mean by “investor”?

To explain the term investor, Graham reiterates the definition from the textbook, Security Analysis. “An investment operation is one which, upon thorough analysis promises safety of principal and an adequate return. Operations not meeting these requirements are speculative.”


Graham wants a clear distinction between investment and speculation in common stocks. He advises Wall Street as an institution to reinstate this distinction and to emphasize it in all its dealings with the public. But as Jason Zweig (He wrote a commentary on Intelligent Investor) commented Wall Street wants trades and it encourages speculation under various names and pretexts.

The reader of this book will gain a reasonably clear idea of the risks that are inherent in common-stock commitments-risks which are inseparable from the opportunities of profit that they offer, and both of which must be allowed for in the investor’s calculations. Graham wants every investor to be aware the risks associated with the stocks.

He states that there is no longer such a thing as a simon-pure investment policy comprising representative common-stocks-in the sense that one can always wait to buy them at a price that involves no risk of a market or “quotational” loss large enough to be disquieting. In most periods the investor must recognize the existence of a speculative factor in his common-stock holding. The speculative factor could be the stock in speculators’ hands. Any time he may run away from it selling at any price. It is investor’s task to keep this component within minor limits, and to be prepared financially and psychologically for adverse results that may be of short or long duration.

A rare advice by Graham on speculation:

Graham’s books are not meant for speculators. In this instance, he says speculation is necessary and unavoidable, for in many common-stock situations there are substantial possibilities of both profit and loss, and the risks therein must be assumed by someone. But there is intelligent speculation as there is intelligent investing. But there are many ways in which speculation may be unintelligent.

Of these the foremost are:

(1) speculating when you think you are investing;
(2) speculating seriously instead of as a pastime, when you lack proper knowledge and skill for it; and
(3) risking more money in speculation than you can afford to lose.

Jason Zweig is more concrete and recommends ten percent of your portfolio as a limit for speculative component.


Graham says strongly “Never mingle your speculative and investment operations in the same account, nor in part of your thinking.”

Results to be Expected by the Defensive Investor

The future of security prices is never predictable.

Sometimes, the expectations may be less favorable for stocks against bonds. But, we cannot be certain that bonds will work out better than stocks from those levels.

There is always the possibility …of accelerating inflation, which in one way or another would have to make stock equities preferable to bonds payable in a fixed amount of dollars. There is the alternative possibility that business will become so profitable, without stepped up inflation, as to justify a large increase in common-stock values in the next few years. Finally, there is the more familiar possibility that one may witness another great speculative rise in the stock market without a real justification in the underlying values. Any of these reasons, and perhaps others which were not mentioned, might cause the investor to regret a 100% concentration on bonds even at their more favorable yield levels.

Hence, the basic compromise policy for defensive investors is that at all times they should have a significant part of their funds in bond-type holdings and a significant part also in equities. It is still true that they may choose between maintaining a simple 50-50 division between the two components or a ratio, dependent on their judgment, varying between a minimum of 25% and a maximum of 75% of either.

It should be remembered that between 1949 and 1969 the price of the DJIA had advanced more than fivefold while its earnings and dividends had about doubled. Hence the greater part of the impressive market record for that period was based on a change in investors’ and speculators’ attitudes rather than in underlying corporate values.

Graham is very skeptical of the ability of defensive investors generally to get better than average results and he extends this skepticism to the management of large funds by experts.

He repeats his warning that the investor cannot hope for better than average results by buying new offerings, or “hot” issues of any sort, meaning thereby those recommended for a quick profit.

The defensive investor must confine himself to the shares of important companies with a long record of profitable operations and in strong financial condition. (An analyst worth his salt could make up such a list.)

The defensive investor can try these alternatives:

The first is the purchase of the shares of well-established investment funds as an alternative to creating his own common-stock portfolio.

He might also utilize one the “common trust funds,” or “commingled funds,” operated by trust companies and banks in many states; or if his funds are substantial, use the services of recognized investment-counsel firm. This will give him professional administration of his investment program along standard lines.

The third is the device of “dollar-cost averaging,” which means simply that practitioner invests in common stocks the same number of dollars each month or each quarter. In this way he buys more shares when the market is low than when it is high, and he is likely to end up with a satisfactory overall price for all his holdings.



Results to be Expected by the Aggressive Investor

It is no difficult task to bring a great deal of energy, study, and native ability into Wall Street and to end up with losses instead of profits. These virtues, if channeled in the wrong directions, become indistinguishable from handicaps.

The ways in which investors and speculators generally endeavor to attain better than average results include:

1. Trading on the market. This usually means buying stocks when the market has been advancing and selling them after it ahs turned downward. .. A small number of professionals frequently engage in short selling.

2. Short term selectivity. This means buying stocks of companies which are reporting or expected to report increased earnings, or for which some other favorable development is anticipated.

3. Long-Term Selectivity. Here the usual emphasis in on an excellent record of past growth, which is considered likely to continue in the future. In some cases also the “investor” may choose companies which have not yet shown impressive results, but are expected to establish a high earning power later.

Graham expressed a negative view about the investor’s overall chances of success in the above three methods.



According to him, to enjoy a reasonable chance for continued better than average results, the investor must follow policies which are (1) inherently sound and promising, and (2) are not popular in Wall Street.

In theory, it is possible to find some approaches to get better than average results, and there are broad reasons to think that it can be achieved in practice as well. Everyone knows that speculative stock movements are carried too far in both directions, frequently in the general market and at all times in at last some of the individual issues. Furthermore, a common stock may be undervalued because of lack of interest or unjustified popular prejudice.

Hence it seems that any intelligent person, with a good head for figures, should have a veritable picnic in Wall Street, battening off other people’s foolishness. But somehow it doesn’t work out that simply. Buying a neglected and therefore undervalued issue for profit generally proves a protracted and patience-trying experience. And selling short a too popular and therefore overvalued issue is apt to be a test not only of one’s courage and stamina but also of the depth of one’s pocketbook. Graham concludes: “The principle is sound, its successful application is not impossible, but it is distinctly not an easy art to master.”

There is also a fairly wide group of “special situation,” which may bring an annual return of 20%, with a minimum of overall risk to those who knew their way around in this field. They include inter security arbitrages, payouts or workouts in liquidations, protected hedges of certain kinds. The typical case is a projected merger of acquisition which offers substantially higher value for certain share than their price on the date of the announcement. But with the multiplication of merger announcements came a multiplication of obstacles to mergers and of deals that didn’t go through, and some operations are resulting in losses in these once-reliable operations. Perhaps, there is more competition now.

A third and final example of these opportunities (though not recently available) is the purchase of bargain issues easily identified as such by the fact that they were selling at less than their share in the net current assets (working capital) alone, not counting the plant account and other assets, and after deducting all liabilities ahead of the stocks. In 1975 a list was published showing nearly 200 issues of this type available in the market. In various ways practically all these bargain issues turned out to be profitable, and the average annual result proved much more remunerative than most other investments. But this opportunity virtually disappeared from the stock market in the next decade.

However, at the low prices of 1970 there again appeared a considerable number of such “sub-working-capital” issues and despite the strong recovery of the market, enough of them remained at the end of the year to make up a full sized portfolio.

Graham has warned initially that enterprising investment is possible in theory and but very difficult in practice. But he concludes the chapter on an optimistic note saying the enterprising investor under today’s conditions still has various possibilities of achieving better than average results. The huge list of marketable securities must include a fair number that can be identified as undervalued by logical and reasonably dependable standards. These should yield more satisfactory results on the average than will the DJIA or any similarly representative list.

He says, “ In our view the search for these would not be worth the investor’s effort unless he could hope to add, say, 5% before taxes to the average annual return from the stock portion of his portfolio.”

The chapter end with the sentence, “We shall try to develop one or more such approaches to stock selection for use by the active investor.”

KVSSNRAO

Saturday, 7 Oct 2006

IMPORTANT IDEAS AND VIEWS FROM THE BOOK INTELLIGENT INVESTOR BY BENJAMIN GRAHAM

Benjamin Graham, acknowledged as the Dean of Wall Street authored “Intelligent Investor.’ It was first published in 1949. The fourth revised edition was published in 1973 by Harper Row, Publishers Inc. New York. A recent print of the book contains commentary by Jason Zweig. Interesting ideas (according to me) from the 1973 edition are being posted by me in parts as I am studying the book once again as a preparation to my presentations on value investing principles of Benjamin Graham. While I posted the actual sentences from the book in my posts on Graham and Dodd, I am posting summarized versions along with my comments in these posts.

From Preface


Graham acknowledged the contribution of Warren Buffett in writing this edition and commented that his counsel and practical aid had proved invaluable.


The purpose of the book is to supply, in a form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment (portfolio) policy. The technique of analyzing securities is not the aim. But very useful things about security analysis are given in this book.

The famous warning of Santayana: “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” is truly applicable to Wall Street. Hence in the book historical patterns of financial markets are described by Graham. He says one should be forearmed with an adequate knowledge of how the various types of bonds and stocks have actually behaved under varying conditions-some of which, at least, one is likely to meet again in one’s own experience.

Graham emphasized that this is not a “how to make a million” book. There are no sure and easy paths to riches in Wall Street or anywhere else.

Defensive (Passive) and Enterprising Investors – A Distinction


The defensive (or passive investor) will place his chief emphasis on the avoidance of serious mistakes or losses. His second aim will be freedom from effort, annoyance, and the need for making frequent decisions. According to Graham, majority of the population falls into this category. It is logical also. Most of people in this world are consumers of many products. But a very small minority does business in any product. Securities are similar to the products that we consume. Any body with savings can acquire them. Only few with adequate knowledge, training and flair for the business complexities involved can do business in them.

The determining trait of the enterprising (or active, or aggressive) investor is his willingness to devote time and care to the selection of securities that are both sound and more attractive than the average. Over many decades an enterprising investor of this sort could expect a worthwhile reward for his extra skill and effort, in the form of a better average return than that realized by the passive investor. But the opportunities for this type of investment may not be present on all the days. The investor has to scan the market and the fundamentals periodically to find out suitable investment opportunities and has to acquire such securities in competition with investors/analysts who are also awaiting such opportunities. Hence in theory, enterprising investment is possible, but in practice it is a difficult endeavor. Graham says so very strongly.



Investing based on future physical growth opportunities is not an easy activity.
1. Obvious prospects for physical growth in a business do not translate into obvious profits for investors.
2. The experts do not have dependable ways of selecting and concentrating on the most promising companies in the most promising industries.

Graham says that he did not follow growth-prospects approach in his financial career as fund manager, and cannot offer either specific counsel or much encouragement to those who may wish to try it.


While earnings valuation is the mainstay of Graham’s approach, he suggests as one of the chief requirements that readers limit themselves to issues selling not far above their tangible-asset value. Otherwise, the investment is at the mercy of the speculative elements of the stock market.

The art of investment has one particular characteristic that is not generally appreciated. A creditable, if unspectacular, result can be achieved by the lay investor with a minimum of effort and capability; but to improve upon this easily attainable standard requires much application and more than a trace of wisdom.

Since anyone-by just buying and holding a representative list-can equal the performance of the market averages, it would seem a comparatively simple matter to “beat the averages”; but as a matter of fact the proportion of smart people who try this and fail is surprisingly large. Even a majority of the investment funds, with all their experienced personnel, have not performed so well over the years as has the general market. This is one more warning to persons who want to try enterprising investment approach.

According to Graham, the record of the published stock-market predictions of the brokerage houses is below average, for there is strong evidence that their calculated forecasts have been somewhat less reliable than the simple tossing of a coin. Benjamin Graham wants the broking firms to change their research methods. We have to remember that Graham is the developer of the subject with the title “Security Analysis” and hence he has all the credentials to recommend changes to the practices of broking firms.


A strong-minded (enterprising) approach to investment, firmly based on the margin-of-safety principle, can yield handsome rewards. But a decision to try for these emoluments rather than for the assured fruits of defensive investment should not be made without much self-examination. It is interesting to notice that Graham used the word emoluments to the return in enterprising investment. This actually refers to the excess return over the return available to defensive investors. Hence the enterprising investor is earning his emoluments for the extra labour that he is putting in. But the warning is clear. It is a high-risk activity. Many who tried have not got the anticipated emoluments.

The chapter wise points will be covered in the future posts.

KVSSNRAO

1-10-2006