Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Senior citizens seek better treatment at banks





Most banks in the country want to catch their customers young — a desirable objective, given India’s young demographic profile.

But in the process of welcoming the young, banks are overlooking the needs of older customers.  According to SBI’s annual report of last fiscal (2012-13), of its 286 lakh savings bank accounts, 34.7 lakh were pension accounts.

Some bankers, especially at the senior level, are considerate and treat the aged with respect. But they are  a vanishing tribe who would be retiring soon.

Narrating his bitter experience, Jayaram, a former Central Government employee, said: “When I went to collect my pension from the branch of a public sector bank in Mangalore, a staff member asked for my PAN (Permanent Account Number). It would have been nice if it had stopped at that, but the person went on to say rudely that my pension would be withheld if I did not produce my PAN card.” An obviously pained septuagenarian felt that the staff could have been more polite.

For Ramakrishna Rao (81), also from Mangalore, the experience was no better. “After a couple of minutes, I approached the desk for help, not seeking preferential treatment but explained my age-related issues and he was considerate. If I hadn’t done that, I would have stood in the queue at the cost of my health.”

Krishnaoorthy (79), who has an account in a nationalised bank in Mumbai, says a separate queue for senior citizens as in railways booking counters would be in order.
Also, because of their age-related problems their signatures tend to become a little shaky at times. Bankers, he says, should understand such problems.

Quoting his experience in serving senior citizens during his tenure in a branch in northern Karnataka, a manager of a public sector bank in Mangalore, said: “I used to tell my frontline staff to give priority to senior citizens. If the staff members were occupied with other work, these senior customers could wait in my chamber.

 This gesture helped us. A number of pensioners shifted their accounts to my bank.” Banks, he added, shouldn’t see everything only from a business angle. Old customers, especially senior citizens, have an emotional bonding with their bank — and they usually turn up at annual general meetings and other social functions. 

At a recent function to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the City Union Bank’s Ramnagar branch in Coimbatore, one of the senior citizens recalled his family’s patronage of the bank for generations.

P. K. Rao (65) from Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh says that senior citizens like him who prefer to deposit and withdraw money at the counter than going to the ATM need more personalised service.

“I want to see more interaction with the staff at the counter,” he said.
Many banks launch new savings accounts for children. For instance, Kotak Mahindra Bank introduced a savings bank account for them in Coimbatore recently.

When asked about the bank’s offering for senior citizens, the Executive Vice-President and Head (Branch Banking) of the bank, Virat Diwanji, said: “Now that you have made a suggestion, we will come up with something soon.” According to him, 15-20 per cent of the bank’s customer base comprise senior citizens.

(This article was published in the Business Line print edition dated September 11, 2013)

Management Tip of the Day :Be a Work-Life Role Model


THE MANAGEMENT TIP OF THE DAY: Harvard Business Review




HBR :SEPTEMBER 11, 2013


Everyone struggles to find the right balance between work and life.
 As a manager, how you personally handle this challenge influences your team members.
 They are looking to you for signs of what they can and should do. 
Here is how you can set a good example:

  • Be open. Talk candidly about your own challenges and strategies for fitting together your work, family, and personal life. Let your employees see you as more than just a person who works.
  • Appreciate others as whole people. Respect the fact that everyone you work with has a life beyond work. Encourage people to talk about their non-work activities with colleagues.
  • Be willing to experiment. Ask people about what would help improve their ability to achieve work results while also increasing their well-being beyond work. When employees are involved in designing and implementing solutions, they’re more committed to making them work.
Adapted from “The Ripple Effects You Create as a Manager,” by Monique Valcour.

`நிமிர்ந்த நன்னடை நேர்கொண்ட பார்வை’ - மஹா கவி பாரதி



செப்டம்பர் 11: மகாகவி பாரதியார் நினைவு தினம் இன்று!

தமிழ் நிலத்தில் ஈரம் பாய்ச்சி வீரம் விதைத்த சொல் உழவன்.
மண்ணுள்ள காலம் வரை மறக்க முடியாத கவிஞன். 
மக்கள் மனங்களில் வாழும் ஒருவன். 
அழகிய தமிழ் மகன் இவன்!

Vikatan EMagazine :11 Sep  2013
பாரதி..! ( பாகம் - 1 )
கறுப்பு கோட் தலைப்பாகை தான் அவரது அடையாளம் வேட்டி, சட்டையில் அழுக்கு இருந்தாலும் பார்க்க மாட்டார். கிழிசல் இருந்தாலும் கவலை இல்லை ஆனால், சட்டையில் ரோஜா, மல்லிகை என ஒரு பூவைச் சொருகிவைத்திருப்பார்!

"மிஸ்டர் காந்தி! கடற்கரையில் நாளை பேசுகிறேன். நீங்கள் தலைமை வகிக்க வர வேண்டும்" என்று இவர் சொன்னபோது, "கூட்டத்தை மறு நாளுக்கு மாற்ற முடியுமா?" என்று கேட்டார் காந்தி. ``அது முடியாது ஆனால், நீங்கள் ஆரம்பிக்கப்போகும் இயக்கத்துக்கு என்னுடைய ஆசி’’ என்று சொல்லிவிட்டு வெளியேறிய பாரதியைப் பார்த்துக்கொண்டே இருந்தார் காந்தி.`` இவரைப் பத்திரமாகப் பாதுகாக்க வேண்டும்’’ என்று அருகில் இருந்தவர்களிடம் கவலைப்பட்டார் காந்தி!

தன்னுடைய எழுத்துக்களை 40 தொகுதிகளாகப் பிரித்து புத்தகங்கள் வெளியிடத் திட்டமிட்டார். ஆளுக்கு 100 ரூபாய் அனுப்பக் கோரிக்கைவைத்தார். யாரும் பணம் அனுப்பவில்லை!

எப்போதும் மனைவி செல்லம்மாளின் தோளில் கையைப் போட்டுத்தான் சாலையில் அழைத்துச் செல்வார். `பைத்தியங்கள் உலவப் போகின்றன’ என்று ஊரார் கிண்டலடிக்க, இவர் பாடியதுதான், `நிமிர்ந்த நன்னடை நேர்கொண்ட பார்வை’ பாட்டு!



தமிழ், ஆங்கிலம், சம்ஸ்கிருதம், பிரெஞ்சு, தெலுங்கு ஆகிய மொழிகள் தெரியும் போலீஸ் விசாரணையின் போது ``நீங்கள் லண்டனில் படித்தவரா? உச்சரிப்பு இவ்வளவு துல்லியமாக இருக்கிறதே?” என்று ஆச்சர்யப்பட்டாராம் அதிகாரி!

தமிழ், தமிழ்நாட்டின் சிறப்பு குறித்துப் பாட்டு எழுதி அனுப்ப மதுரைத் தமிழ்ச் சங்கம் சார்பில் அறிவிப்பு வெளியானபோது, இவர் எழுதி அனுப்பிய கவிதைதான், `செந்தமிழ் நாடெனும் போதினிலே’ அதற்கு அன்று 100 ரூபாய் சன்மானம் கிடைத்தது!

விவேகானந்தரின் கிஷ்யையான நிவேதிதா தேவி இவருக்கு ஒரு ஆல மர இலையைக் கொடுத்திருந்தார். இமயமலையில் இருந்து எடுத்து வந்ததாம் அது தான் மரணிக்கும் வரையில் அந்த இலையைப் பொக்கிஷமாக வைத்திருந்தார் பாரதி!

திருவல்லிக்கேணி பார்த்தசாரதி கோயில் யானைக்கு வெல்லத்தை இவர் கொடுக்க.... அது தும்பிக்கையால் தள்ளிவிட்டதில் தலையிலும் மார்பிலும் பலத்த காயம் ஏற்பட்டது. அதில் இருந்து மீண்டவர் `கோயில் யானை என்ற கட்டுரையைக் கொடுத்தார்!

'ஆப்கன் மன்னன் அமரனுல்லா கானைப்பத்தி நாளை காலையில எழுதி எடுத்துட்டுப் போகணும்’ என்று சொல்லிவிட்டுப் படுத்தார்.
 தூக்கத்தில் உயிர் பிரிந்தது. 
அவரது உடல் புதைக்கப்பட்ட இடம், சென்னை கிருஷ்ணாம்பேட்டைச் சுடுகாடு. 
அன்றைய தினம் இருந்தவர்கள் 20 –க்கும் குறைவானவர்களே!

Apple Announces iPhone 5s—The Most Forward-Thinking Smartphone in the World



APPLE : 10 Sep 2013 10:38 PM 
Apple® today announced iPhone® 5s, the most forward-thinking iPhone yet, featuring an all-new A7 chip, making iPhone 5s the world’s first smartphone with 64-bit desktop-class architecture for blazing fast performance in the palm of your hand. iPhone 5s redefines the best smartphone experience in the world with amazing new features all packed into a remarkable thin and light design, including an all-new 8 megapixel iSight® camera with True Tone flash and introducing Touch ID™, an innovative way to simply and securely unlock your phone with just the touch of a finger

. iPhone 5s comes with iOS 7, the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone, engineered for 64-bit technology and featuring hundreds of great new features, including Control Center, Notification Center, improved Multitasking, AirDrop®, enhanced Photos, Safari®, Siri® and iTunes Radio℠.

“iPhone 5s is the most forward-thinking smartphone in the world, delivering desktop class architecture in the palm of your hand,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPhone 5s sets a new standard for smartphones, packed into its beautiful and refined design are breakthrough features that really matter to people, like Touch ID, a simple and secure way to unlock your phone with just a touch of your finger."

The all-new A7 chip in iPhone 5s brings 64-bit desktop-class architecture to a smartphone for the first time. With up to twice the CPU and graphics performance, almost everything you do on iPhone 5s is faster and better than ever, from launching apps and editing photos to playing graphic-intensive games—all while delivering great battery life. Apple also engineered iOS 7 and all the built-in apps to maximize the performance of the A7 chip. iPhone 5s is the best mobile gaming device with access to hundreds of thousands of games from the App Store℠, the A7 chip’s 64-bit architecture and support for OpenGL ES version 3.0. iPhone 5s delivers incredibly rich and complex visual effects, previously only possible on Macs, PCs and gaming consoles.

IS THE IPHONE 5S A JOBS DESIGN?


Apple's next two iPhones had already been designed before Steve Jobs died in October 2011, it has been claimed.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs with the new iPhone at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. . STEVE JOBS DIED 5/10/2011
At a meeting with the San Francisco district attorney, George Gascón, Apple's liaison officer Michael Foulkes was reported by the San Francisco Examiner to have said the designs for the next two phones 'preceded Tim Cook [being chief executive]'.




Every iPhone 5s includes the new M7 motion coprocessor that gathers data from the accelerometer, gyroscope and compass to offload work from the A7 for improved power efficiency. Developers can also access new CoreMotion APIs that take advantage of M7, so they can create even better fitness and activity apps that go well beyond what other mobile devices offer. The M7 motion coprocessor continuously measures your motion data, even when the device is asleep, and saves battery life for pedometer or other fitness apps that use the accelerometer all day.

iPhone 5s introduces Touch ID, an innovative way to simply and securely unlock your iPhone with just the touch of a finger. Built into the home button, Touch ID uses a laser cut sapphire crystal, together with the capacitive touch sensor, to take a high-resolution image of your fingerprint and intelligently analyze it to provide accurate readings from any angle. Setting up Touch ID to recognize your fingerprint is easy, and every time you use it, it gets better. The Touch ID sensor recognizes the touch of a finger so the sensor is only activated when needed, preserving battery life. All fingerprint information is encrypted and stored securely in the Secure Enclave inside the A7 chip on the iPhone 5s; it’s never stored on Apple servers or backed up to iCloud®. Touch ID can also be used as a secure way to approve purchases from the iTunes Store®, App Store or iBooks Store℠.

iPhone 5s makes it even easier to take great photos with the world’s most popular camera. The all-new 8 megapixel iSight camera features a larger f/2.2 aperture and a new, larger sensor with 1.5μ pixels for better sensitivity and low-light performance, resulting in better pictures. These improvements, along with the Apple-designed image signal processor in the A7 chip and the new Camera app in iOS 7, provide up to two-times faster auto-focus, faster photo capture, automatic image and video stabilization, and better dynamic range. iPhone 5s introduces the new True Tone flash—the world’s first for any camera—that variably adjusts color and intensity for over 1,000 combinations, so photos taken with a flash appear more natural. iPhone 5s also includes a new Burst Mode, Slo-Mo video with 120 fps, a new FaceTime® HD camera for better low-light performance and audio-only FaceTime calls with iOS 7.
Already obsolete? Two models display the Apple iPhone 5 during the product's release at a store in Taipei on December 14. An analyst has claimed production of the next iPhone will begin in March for a summer launch
iPhone 5s features a remarkable thin and light, precision-crafted design that customers around the world love, including an anodized aluminum body with diamond cut chamfered edges, a stunning 4-inch Retina® display and glass inlays. iPhone 5s is available in three gorgeous metallic finishes including gold, silver and space gray. To complement iPhone 5s, Apple designed premium leather cases in six rich colors—beige, black, blue, brown, yellow and (RED)—with soft, color-matched microfiber lining.

iPhone 5s makes it even easier to connect to high-speed networks with support for up to 13 LTE¹ wireless bands, more than any other smartphone in the world. With download speeds up to 100 Mbps², you can browse, download and stream content even faster. iPhone 5s includes dual-band 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi support for up to 150 Mbps² and Bluetooth 4.0. iPhone 5s delivers an amazing 10 hours of talk time on 3G networks, up to 10 hours of web browsing on Wi-Fi and LTE networks and up to 8 hours on 3G networks, and up to 10 hours of video playback and up to 40 hours of audio playback.³

iPhone 5s comes with iOS 7, the most significant iOS update since the original iPhone, engineered to support the A7 chip’s 64-bit architecture, the new iSight camera and Touch ID fingerprint sensor. iOS 7 features a stunning new user interface, completely redesigned with an elegant color palette, distinct, functional layers and subtle motion that make it feel more alive. iOS 7 has hundreds of great new features, including Control Center, Notification Center, improved Multitasking, AirDrop, enhanced Photos, Safari, Siri and introduces iTunes Radio, a free Internet radio service based on the music you listen to on iTunes®.⁴

iPhone 5s customers have access to the revolutionary App Store, which offers more than 900,000 apps to iPhone, iPad® and iPod touch® users in 155 countries around the world. More than 50 billion apps have been downloaded from the App Store to date, offering customers an incredible range of apps in 23 categories, including newspapers and magazines in Newsstand, games and entertainment, business, news, sports, health and fitness and travel.

Designed specifically for iOS, iPhoto®, iMovie®, Pages®, Numbers® and Keynote® are among the most popular apps in the App Store and are now available as free downloads with the purchase of iPhone 5s. iPhoto and iMovie enable you to do more than you ever thought possible with your photos and movies, and with Pages, Numbers and Keynote you can create, edit and share stunning documents, spreadsheets and presentations on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

Pricing & Availability
iPhone 5s comes in gold, silver or space gray, and will be available in the US for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) for the 16GB model and $299 (US) for the 32GB model and $399 (US) for the 64GB model.⁵ iPhone 5s will be available from the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores, and through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and select Apple Authorized Resellers. iPhone 5s cases will be available in beige, black, blue, brown, yellow and (RED) for a suggested retail price of $39 (US) through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple’s retail stores and select Authorized Apple Resellers. iPhone 5s will be available in the US, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore and the UK on Friday, September 20. A new iPhone 4S 8GB model will also be available for free.⁵ iOS 7 will be available as a free software update starting on Wednesday, September 18 for iPhone 4 and later, iPad 2 and later, iPad mini and iPod touch (fifth generation). Some features may not be available on all products.

¹ LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks, check with your carrier for details.
² Based on theoretical speeds, actual speeds may vary.
³ Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.
⁴ iTunes Radio will be available with the launch of iOS 7 in the US.
⁵ For qualified customers.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.