Monday July 2, 02:49 AM
Fizz and social choice
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Health consciousness is on the up. This is so even amongst shareholders, it seems. At the annual general meeting of TCS, an elderly shareholder appealed to the company chairman Ratan Tata to replace the customary fizzy drink with a more healthful option upon presentation of TCS AGM coupons. Tata replied that the company used to offer tea and snacks in the good old days of JRD, but this was changed for some reason or the other. The elderly shareholder was adamant on the need for a strategic restructuring. "There are many good caterers in Mumbai who can handle this efficiently," he advised the chairman. At this point, though, Tata used the privilege of his position, and reminded the elderly gentleman that his stipulated time of five minutes for the question was almost exhausted. If the Tata group plans to widen the choice, it may help to arrow-point the possibilities on its investor-relations website beforehand. Going long At a recent interaction with Ed Fuller, president and managing director of the hotel chain Marriott International, a scribe posed a few questions on manpower management in the hospitality industry. Fuller spoke with pride on how many managers had stuck with the company for decades together. Such loyalty had it had. To demonstrate his point, he asked a staffer nearby how long he had been with the company. "Three and a half years, sir," said he. "See!" beamed Fuller, before narrating his own story of having started off with the company as a security guard and then working his long way up. Secure relationships maketh this business.
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