Saturday, September 20, 2008

Thrived in a man’s world

Still, while interacting with outsiders, especially officials in the state governments, it was a difficult task to be a woman. “I remember that when I would visit some of the state government departments with my junior men colleagues, the government officials would rather speak to the men than to me. It was funny at times as I was the only one who could really take the decision. But, at the same time, the government clients found it slightly difficult to be rude or impatient with a woman.”

On the positive side, while dealing with corporate clients, Karnad found that it was the intellectual inputs that you provided that made the difference between a deal, and no deal. The private sector didn’t bother whether they were talking to a man or a woman. All that they were interested in was whether they were getting a good bargain or not. “So, in a nutshell, it wasn’t all that tough for me. The reason could be that I was in the financial services sector, where there were a number of women employees.”

But, on the whole, Karnad fondly reminisces about her experiences in HDFC. Within the organisation, she never felt that she was being treated differently merely because she was a woman. The company rewarded excellent employees, irrespective of their gender. It promoted those who could deliver results, fulfill targets, and provide a new roadmap for the future. Therefore, it didn’t matter to Karnad whether she was a woman striving ahead in the Indian corporate world that was mostly ruled by men.

Today, as India dreams of becoming a global superpower, as experts believe this century to be an Asian one, Karnad finds herself in esteemed company. Many women executives have made it big in the banking and financial services sectors. Women promoters have also made a name in sunrise areas like software and biotechnology. In fact, women are constantly finding a place in the power lists prepared by various media and other organisations. Women power – in all respects as consumers and decision makers – is clearly on the rise in India.

The b&e awards
For taking HDFC to newer heights; for being a successful woman executive in a man’s world; for helping the housing and real estate sector to grow at unprecedented rates; for being one who competed with men on their own terms

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

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Tuesday, September 02, 2008

RATAN TATA UNFOLDS A GRAND DESIGN

The Jaguar-Land Rover deal is not about high-end models; it’s to do with the launch of the Rs.1 lakh car, says KARAN MEHRISHI
It was a confident Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata group,TATA who addressed the media at Delhi’s Auto Expo. Contrary to his low-profile image, he subtly chided his critics, while launching the next generation of Indica. “Our critics said that we will not succeed with Indica. Sometimes they were right as we had our own set of problems that many would agree. But we succeeded, and I want to thank everybody at Tata Motors (Telco earlier) for this achievement.”

The same afternoon, he had a closed-door lunch with senior editors and journalists to talk about the much-awaited ‘nationalist’ car, the cheapest in the world at $2,500 (Rs.1 lakh). And almost everyone is waiting for some sort of a confirmation on the Jaguar-Land Rover front, or whether Tata Motors, which has emerged as the ‘most preferred bidder’, will buy out these two high-profile brands from America’s Ford Motor Company. (In fact, the news about it may be trickling in even as you read this article)

So, what is Tata’s car strategy behind the acquisitions of high-end models, development and design of, possibly, the cheapest model, and the upgradation of Indica? And how does it tie up with Tata’s reported move to set up a car factory in Thailand, or Tata Motors’ agreements in several European nations to assemble some of its existing models? What any auto buff would like to know is whether all these initiatives are a part of a grand design, or just parts of a puzzle that will never fall into their specific slots?

B&E gives an exclusive peek into what’s going on in Ratan Tata’s mind. We will flesh out the jigsaw puzzle for you, and explain how these seemingly-disconnected strategic pieces will fall into their right places in the near future. We will tell you the real relationship between the Indica, Jaguar and Land Rover, between West Bengal (where Tata wishes to set up a new car factory), Europe and Thailand. So, get ready to drive through a complex circuit that can result in a clear victory for Tata Motors.


Let’s begin this story with diesel, rather than petrol. Indica rode to success on the basis of its diesel engine superiority. It offered Indian consumers a four-wheeler that was much cheaper to run. Not surprisingly, competitors, who earlier ridiculed the idea, were forced to follow suit. But the first-mover advantage helped Indica to maintain its lead. While talking about his company’s diesel orientation, Ravi Kant, MD, Tata Motors, says, “Thermodynamically when you consume diesel, you actually consume less fuel. Diesel has its own advantages, especially in the time of $100 per barrel of crude.”

Now, here’s the first part of the Tata puzzle. Land Rover is supposed to be way ahead in diesel technology. In addition, Land Rover has business relations with diesel engine supplier and designer, with whom Tata Motors may wish to work with to develop the diesel engine for the world’s cheapest car. The coin falls into the slot, the ‘People’s Car’ shifts into second gear. But don’t go too fast, not at the moment.

A few years ago, when Tata Motors took over South Korean Daewoo’s trucks business, many experts thought that it was just another move to capitalise on an opportunity and further its presence in the commercial vehicle segment. But there was more to the takeover than met the eye. It provided the Tatas with a base to scout for low-cost manufacturing bases in South-east Asia. Recently, there have been reports that Tata Motors is toying with the idea of setting up a manufacturing unit in Thailand. And it is not for trucks and buses, but for cheap cars.

In the past, Tata Motors had experimented with another option to slash vehicle manufacturing costs to enable the cheap car concept to take a concrete shape. When the company launched its new range of buses a few years ago, it had outsourced the assembling of the vehicles. Several senior managers told journalists at that time that this was a precursor to what could happen with the Rs.1 lakh car. Newspapers had reported that Ratan Tata plans to outsource assembling to small towns to cut down labour and other administrative costs, apart from being near regional markets.
For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source :
IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
IIPM Campus

Top Articles on IIPM:-
IIPM to come up at Rajarhat
IIPM awards four Bengali novelists
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
Moneycontrol >> News >> Press- News >> IIPM ranked No1 B-School in ...
IIPM ranked No. 1 B-school in India- Zee Business Survey ...
IIPM ranked No1 B-School in India :: Education, Careers ...
The Hindu Business Line : IIPM placements hit a high of over 2000 jobs
Deccan Herald - IIPM ranked as top B-School in India
India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

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