Feng Shui for Big Business

He ejected his rival, re-established his control on the business and subordinates and – after getting hold of some of the e-mails of his wife by employing a spy ware in her computer - had her crawling in front of him.

The other day a politician friend of mine asked me to take a look at his new office and duplex flat. Among the more important placements was his seat. Where do we place it? Which is the direction he must face while sitting on his chair?
Unlike Vaastu, in Feng Shui we have specific lucky directions that are derived from the date of birth. One person' s Shengh Chi (Success Direction) might be Chueh Ming (Total Loss Direction) for another. Besides facing the Shengh Chi direction, he will sit in the Power corner. Sitting in the Power corner is essential for everyone who wishes to control.
He has yet to move in his new office and once that happens I am quite sure his rise will begin.
In fact, he suffered a setback in recent times and I attribute that to his old office where he still sits. He used that office as he didn' t have another alternative. I am painting a Peak exclusively for him.
The Power center' s importance is not limited to politicians.

Importance of power center

It is very important if one happens to be heading a monolithic business organization. Take for instance, Hindustan Lever Limited. For the first time since it started nearly 50 years ago, HLL is without a Power Center. For over six months this company doesn' t have a regular Executive Chairman. True, the buck stops at the door of M.S. Banga but he happens to be the non-executive chairman and it is a national committee comprising of a vice chairman and a couple of directors which runs the company.
And look at the disastrous results!
Business Week Online writes:
“In the 1980s and 1990s it dominated the Indian market with its soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, creams, and beverages. Up-to-date technology, bright packaging, and savvy marketing of tiny sachets of soap that sold for as little as 2 cents allowed Lever to dominate the market. And investors, sensing the company's deep understanding of the Indian consumer psyche, saw its shares as a proxy for India.
“These days, Hindustan Lever could use some scrubbing up. Its market share in many product categories is dipping as new competitors offer rock-bottom prices. That has driven revenues down and hurt its stock price. The benchmark Sensitive Index is up 18.5% in the past year, while Hindustan Lever has fallen by 23%, though it has recovered somewhat this autumn along with the broader market.”

And HLL share price has fallen from Rs 218 in Dec 2003 to 144 in Dec 2004 despite a booming market where the sensex has touched a never before high of 6602.
Here is some advice for Banga since I also own some stock in the company. There is a need for Banga to sit in the Power corner to exercise control to avoid the kind of Faux Pas HLL has done while marketing their fairness cream `Fair & Lovely` with claims of being more effective than Ozone' s Nomarks and Garnier' s Light. Ozone has served a legal notice to HLL accusing them of misleading the consumers. In all likelihood HLL will lose the face. He should also keep the painting of a dragon in Northwest for garnering support and goodwill. And if he wants Hindustan Lever Limited to rise back, he should place the painting of Phoenix on the South wall of his chamber.
While the competitors employ perfect Feng Shui with colors, shapes and names for success, one finds several Feng Shui flaws in some of HLL' s products.
Of course, some of the products (like Wheel and Surf Excel have just right Feng Shui and even Lifebuoy has been able to rise like a Phoenix, they had to discontinue brands like Impulse and Revel.
My Feng Shui analysis shows whether it a brand like Polson butter (very popular in mid-fifties) that was finished by Verghese (date of birth Nov 26 1920) Kurian' s Amul (one of the Feng Shui factors is Verghese' s lucky element being Earth) and the killer ad campaign with the earthy Utterly Butterly girl or Parle' s failures like Do It Feng Shui of the brand plays a major role in the success or failure of a product.

The revenge of the businessman

I have a case history of a not-so-big-organisation headed by a man whose position was worse than HLL's Banga. Not only his senior subordinates had developed parallel power centers; his own wife who was also one of the directors had been humiliating him. She was having a torrid affair with one of his bitter rivals.
Thanks to Feng Shui advice and cures like my Feng Shui painting of the Greedy Dragon of Ambition and Peak placing it on the wall in Helpful Friends corner he could change his life and stature. He ejected his rival, re-established his control on the business and subordinates and – after getting hold of some of the e-mails of his wife by employing a spy ware in her computer, had her crawling in front of him. Some day, I will write elaborately about him.

Note: The right of privacy is sacred for me. The names of the people mentioned in the diary are usually changed to protect the identity of my clients. The real names are mentioned with the consent of people mentioned.The picture accompanying the article is only for representational purpose.

Write to Mohan Deep