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Improvising on historic glory

2012-01-25T15:47:00.001+05:30

A number of brands have attempted comebacks in india. Anchit Gupta of 4Ps B&M analyses some of the more successful ones.

From the standpoint of brand equity, there is definite logic for brand revival in a market. In an era where building a brand from scratch requires considerable investment and time, here is a brand that already has a fan following, which has leaped ‘x’ years ahead but retains some old values. At the same time, there is the young generation that may not have grown with a passion for the brand, but may have some reference points in its mind for the same.

A case in point is Bata. The brand that was synonymous with footwear itself till 1996 and was a part of every middle class Indian’s collection. Despite being a foreign entity, it had so well rooted itself to Indian sensibilities and desires that many people were surprised to discover that it is an Italian brand and not a homegrown brand. Despite enjoying such high regard, that perception perhaps also turned against it when it fell prey to ‘recognised MNC’ entrants such as Nike, Reebok and Adidas and the consumers desire to try something new. Unable to reinvent & align with the newly liberalized nation, its brand appeal started eroding rapidly. It’s share price went as low as Rs.33.8 on August 15, 2002. All of this led to a restructuring of the brand beginning with the introduction of a trendier product range and massive store expansion drives. The share price of Bata closed at Rs.650.05 on November 15, 2011, which indicates the kind of revival that has taken place.

However, comebacks are not all of a similar hue. Kentucky’s Fried Chicken, a flagship venture of Yum International, did not get the chance to develop a fan base before it had to exit after a controversy over beef products being used. But in 2003, it decided to re-enter India, better prepared. It decided to give Indian customers what they wanted, rather than pushing American dishes. It learnt that in a country where a majority of the population has vegetarian food three times a day, it cannot survive by selling just fried chicken. And without doubt, it has delivered. By the end of 2010, the total count of KFC outlets in India exceeded 100 units; a feat that took 10 years to achieve in China. What also worked in its favor was that almost a decade had passed since its first launch and India had evolved from a culturally reserved nation to one with a greater number of urban broad minded individuals. While it did not have a fan base, all the media coverage over the years after its exit actually became a plus. Note how it doesn’t highlight the full form of the abbreviation in India and keeps the name KFC. Although it really isn’t a vegetarian’s paradise yet, it does seem to have garnered some favour among the Indian ‘chickentarians’!

However, Nirma Washing Powder did not have that publicity edge. Despite having a very humble beginning in Ahmedabad, it went on to challenge the might of Unilever’s Surf in the 1980s and successfully so. However, it lost steam in between and steadily lost retention and popularity. This continued for some time until a slew of advertising campaigns were launched in 2009 to restore it’s lost glory. “Nirma had stopped leveraging its brand and when they felt that the brand is dying, they came back with a bang,” says Sanjay Chauhan, Client Servicing Director, Crayon Advertising. The brand used the same tag line and the much loved old jingle & was able to immediately connect with viewers and generate a feeling of nostalgia. Following its tried & tested style of clear cut advertising, it stood by its principle of focusing on product benefits. Similarly, the condom brand - Kamasutra tried to revive its brand through branding and advertising. The brand lost its coveted appeal with the advent of foreign players into the playing field. After a silence of two years, it returned in 2003 with a series of advertisements with suggestive humour as the theme. According to Ujjwal Sinha, CEO, Genesis Kolkata, “The advertisements of Kamasutra attempted to veil the taboo that buying a condom previously was. Their advertisements made a lot of people happy since they could now go out and buy a condom minus the embarrassment”.

A number of homegrown brands have similarly attempted a comeback in the past few years. Dalda, the vanaspati ghee that India once loved, made a comeback in 2009 by ensuring that its products were fortified with Vitamins A, D & E and anti-oxidants. The mantra, as per the new age India, was health combined with taste. Reliance has been working on its Vimal brand for around three years. It started with strengthening its image from a fabric brand to a ready to wear brand for men and also reintroduced Vimal sarees. It even pushed the trade by bringing in Italian designer Maurizio Bonas to India to talk to tailors about Italian fashion and design. Onida reconnected its audiences to the devil to bring back old memories. Horlicks has recovered some of its lost sheen by focussing on developing new flavours and also taking out segment specific products like Women’s Horlicks (a first in India) and Junior Horlicks. But that hasn’t exactly worked and the company gave up on the positioning in 2009. In fact, it seems to be focussing more on its mobile handsets currently as the buzz goes.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Planman Technologies

The inevitable change

2011-12-23T17:22:00.000+05:30

A convention on customer satisfaction, diversity, and the evolving role of HR

Erudition 2011 began with great gusto despite the inclement weather. Master of Human Resource and Organisational Development (MHROD) and Master of International Business (MIB) organised a two-day convention, in which the second day was dedicated to Human Resource.

The proceedings began with the inaugural lamp lighting ceremony and Dr. Rajni Abbi, Mayor of Delhi, was the chief guest of the event. She appreciated the efforts put in by the students and spoke about the relevance of the theme. Vivek Suneja, Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Delhi, was the guest of honour for the day one. He emphasised on the importance of compassion and love, stating that these are the qualities that can see us through troubled times. Dr. K. V. Bhanumurthy, Dean, Faculty of Commerce and Business delivered the opening speech after which Sara Wilshaw, Senior Trade Commissioner, Canadian High Commission and keynote speaker for the day addressed the gathering. She spoke about how in these troubled times, the Canadian economy has not only managed to stay afloat but has done so quite respectfully. She also brought to light the opportunities of business that exist between India and Canada and how these opportunities can be exploited effectively.

The Marketing session had a diverse panel with Vikram Bakshi, MD, McDonald’s India, as the Moderator. Prahlad Kakkar, Founder and Director, Genesis Films; V K Mathur, Chairman, Inapex Ltd.; Sumeet Pahwa, DGM (Media), Tata Docomo; and Kishore Chakrabarti, VP, McCann Erickson India were also on the panel. In the session: ‘Does Customer Choice Lead to Customer Satisfaction?’ Prahlad Kakkar stressed on the importance of dreams and how marketers create a customer base by catching on to people’s dreams. Vikram Bakshi spoke about the strategies that have been followed by McDonald’s over the years. The theme for the second day was ‘Infinite Diversity in Infinite combination’ which was chaired by Dr. Shalini Sarin, Director HR, Schneider Electric. Other panelists included Arindam Nath, Consulting Partner at Planman HR, and Anuradha Challu, Director HR -PepsiCo. The session covered diversity management in an organisation. The second session ‘Change is not only likely, it’s inevitable’, was chaired by Rajeev Bhadhuria, Director Group HR, JSPL. The third session ‘Protector Screener to Trusted Advisor’ talked about changing roles of HR from munimji to strategic advisor and how it has evolved over time.

Making The Bottom Count, Step by Step

2011-09-26T17:26:00.001+05:30

Post a Powerful Marketing Campaign Launched last year, Lafarge has given itself a Strong Foothold in rural areas of Bihar & W. Bengal

On a road trip from Asansol to Burdwan district, West Bengal, where I went to meet some of Lafarge’s local dealers, it was particularly interesting to observe the old India coexisting with the new. We crossed the construction site of the state of the art Shrishthinagar township in Asansol. In fact, an airport is also slated to come up on the Asansol-Durgapur highway, which should spur a flood of corporate investments. But as you move further on and approach Burdwan, you find more of the standalone houses of yore, which, despite their uninspiring surroundings, are nicely built. While the city is home to a university by its name, it hasn’t been blessed with the kind of industrial presence that Durgapur and Asansol can boast of. And as you move further to the rural belt, you come across even simpler structures with a number of huts, tin/red tile roofs, and single room houses. However, a welcome sign is the sight of some pucca houses dotting the landscape.

In that sense, it’s a microcosm of the kind of development that a large part of India still awaits. Working groups set up for rural & urban housing for the 11th Five Year Plan project India’s housing shortage at 73.96 million units, out of which 47.43 million units are short in rural India alone.

Naturally, rural India has acquired a special significance for the cement industry too, as it now contributes some 40% of the volume. The management of French cement giant Lafarge has shown particular aggression in this space, and also introduced a massive outreach campaign last year. Currently, they are getting some 33% of their revenue from rural markets, and have managed to double their rural turnover in the past five years.

A number of learnings emerge from Lafarge’s expedition in rural India. Research into rural markets within Burdwan district and our interactions with sub-dealers revealed where they can afford it; rural customers are in fact very particular about every raw material that goes into their house, since it is a once in a life time investment. Also, they are far more involved in every decision as compared to the time starved urban consumers. One sub-dealer, Babu Lal Pal from Rathtala, Kanchannagar, said that “people building their houses somewhere upward of 600 sq. ft. prefer branded cement.” When the area is lesser and housing is extremely basic, they are okay with unbranded products. In the branded category, Lafarge claims that its premium pricing and quality positioning has actually worked in its favour. Raakesh Jain, AVP-Marketing, Lafarge India, comments to 4Ps B&M, “We do not follow a differential pricing strategy for urban and rural markets. End users in the rural market are ready to pay a premium but they need to be convinced on the same.”

Advertising has been extremely important for Lafarge’s expansion drive. The use of Indian cricket team captain M. S. Dhoni as brand ambassador has made a phenomenal difference to brand awareness & appeal. Also, the company had to convince the main influencers. While masons are declining in importance in favour of architects and contractors, they still are sought after. Competitors have been providing them incentives like scratch card schemes. Lafarge has instead been on a relentless information dissemination drive, educating dealers, masons and end customers about home building and also on why the right cement is important, through a number of camps.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Despite being offered as a freebie, mobile banking has been unable to make inroads into India’s huge urban subscriber base of over 170 million.

2010-07-22T12:34:00.003+05:30

Now banks have once-again woken up to its potential. What’s the fresh brouhaha over this service that has actually had few takers in India? Manish k. Pandey on a fact finding mission...

Atul Pathak, a 36-year-old who works as senior marketing manager with a leading telecom service provider, boasts of being a part of that rare breed of professionals (of course, in his age group) who have always acted as vanguards when it comes to the use of technological innovations. In fact, he says it has almost been two years now since he last visited his bank for a financial transaction. Thanks to features like internet banking, he’s been able to save himself from the ritual of queuing up at banks apart from other banking hassles.

So, when mobile banking was launched in India a couple of years back, he was among the first few enthusiasts to take it up with a smile. But, his smooth smile vanished soon enough thanks to an over dose of effort on his part to get a hang of this two-year-old offering by his bank, which appears just as alien to him. “I am still ambiguous about this new channel, its service offerings and smooth processing,” says a visibly confused Pathak.

Even Akanksha Roy, a new-age advertising professional who too is a technology freak like Pathak, is not much of a mobile banking enthusiast. However, her reasons for not being one are little different from that of Pathak’s. “I am still not comfortable with the idea of paying my bills through mobile as I feel these transactions are more vulnerable to frauds,” she tells 4Ps B&M. No doubt, tech-freaks like Atul and Akanksha, or for that matter most of them, have found themselves facing a similar predicament at some point of time when it comes to the use of mobile banking channel. Be it ambiguity towards the service offering or the confusion regarding security threats, most of these tech-savvy consumers still find themselves in the same shoe.

Perhaps, this is the reason why despite being offered as a freebee, mobile banking has not really taken off among the huge urban mobile subscriber base of over 170 million in the country. “The registered user base for mobile banking is approximately 25 million or 7% of total subscriber base in India. In fact, the active user base for such service is as low as 10% of total registered base, which is a negligible number when compared to the huge Indian mobile subscriber base,” agrees Prathima Rajan, Analyst, Celent.

So, what is it that has prompted banks to suddenly go gung ho over a service offering that actually has few takers? Lately, there has been a lot of buzz about mobile banking, which offers twin promises of ubiquity and low cost. Apart from this, mobile banking is being considered as the service of the future, as such it becomes all the more important for banks, technology service providers, application providers, et al, to work together to develop a healthy mobile banking ecosystem in the country. “Phone banking is a very common phenomenon in the global banking world and in India bankers who are not providing such facilities are actually depriving consumers of technological advancements,” avers Rana Kapoor, Managing Director & CEO, YES Bank, which has recently launched mobile banking services in association with Obopay.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Sam and Lara clarify that the vision with all the new specialisations

2010-04-01T16:21:00.000+05:30

Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

Sam and Lara clarify that the vision with all the new specialisations now, is to position Madison beyond just a media buying company, to a comprehensive communication provider for clients. “Each of our businesses has to be best in class,” says Lara, to which Sam adds, “My dream is that every single unit of Madison should be regarded as highly as Media.” Actualising that vision, however, does not seem easy. After all, despite more than 20 units within Madison World today, a majority of the Rs.2,700 crore billings still come from Media and MOMS (Madison’s outdoor unit). Madison PR’s list of clients is nowhere as impressive as that of Madison Media; the retail unit is too nascent and so is Platinum. Anugrah Madison, their rural marketing arm since 1998, is also relatively small, with its margins under increasing pressure (See interview of R Seshadri, MD, Anugrah Madison on page 71). Besides, specialisations in mobile marketing, sports management and below-the-line units are yet to find their individual bearings. Madison Creative (recently renamed mc2), perhaps the oldest vertical at Madison World, is also struggling, with only a handful of clients within its fold as of now (see Exec. Director, mc2 - Prabha Prabhu’s interview on page 73). Reasons Punitha Arumugam, Group CEO, Madison Media: “All these businesses are fast catching up with Media. The size of our Media billings dominate headlines, but we contribute far less to overall profits. Outdoor and retail units, for instance, work on much better margins than media.”

But it’s no surprise that as in the 80s, there are still some in the industry who are uncertain about Madison’s ambition to diversify into a communication solutions hub. Avers Shashi Sinha, CEO, Lodestar Universal, “It’s very romantic to have specialist units for mobile, retail, et al, but will they increase overall revenues? Not likely, as a majority of media spends in India still rest with print and television. ” But this time around, the industry also has Sam Balsara’s 22 year proven legacy to contend with. Bipin Pandit, General Manager, Ad Club – Mumbai has been watching Balsara at work for years. He feels that since Sam rarely puts his money in the wrong place and if he is diversifying Madison’s offerings, then the move may just pay off. “Sam’s an old fox. He has the experience, knowledge and pertinently an intuitive sense that not many in the industry have,” he explains. The sentiment is echoed across the industry. The common refrain is that Sam has done it before and this time, the can-do father-daughter duo may well repeat the feat.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Chrysler’s electric dream…

2009-09-11T13:10:00.000+05:30

IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau

When Chrysler Chapter 11’ed itself in April this year, many experts claimed that it will never be able to recover from the onslaught. However, Chrysler has emerged from bankruptcy pretty fast as it sold more number of units in May as compared to April 2009, which has surely raised many eyebrows in the industry. It’s being assumed that its alliance with Fiat will be a boon in coming times. Moreover, the fact that Obama’s new emission norms and plans to produce hybrids perfectly gels with Chrysler’s future plans has given an edge to the company. Chrysler surely has its plans in place to produce electric vehicles for America, which many consider to be the future of Detroit.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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VANDANA LUTHRA, FOUNDER, VLCC

2009-08-21T12:41:00.000+05:30

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“According to me, the most effective ad-campaign was Cadbury’s Dairy Milk’s ‘Kya swad hai zindagi ka.’The emotional attachment to the ad was nothing new but what made it exceptional was its effectiveness in conveying the attachment of a chocolate in the daily life of an adult.”

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Will Congress’ aam aadmi win?

2009-08-03T13:58:00.000+05:30

IIPM Best B-school

Brand: Congress
Agency: Orchid

A master move to counter BJP’s India Shining campaign, the Congress stressed its affinity with the common man. Congress Ka Haath, Aam Aadmi Ke Saath rocked the 2004 General Elections in favour of the party. Congress and its allies won 220 seats and with support of the Left formed the next government. Circa 2009: General Elections are knocking again and Congress’ aam aadmi slogan is still intact, but this time the aam aadmi is portrayed as a slightly more confident species – Aam aadmi ke badhte kadam, har kadam pe Bharat buland. Will this campaign hit bull’s eye too? Ask Sonia Madam...

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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The man who saw the future

2009-07-22T13:12:00.000+05:30

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It was 2002 when Infosys forayed into BPO business with a subsidiary called Progeon. At the time when BPO meant voice-based business, Infosys drew a lot of attention by pitching into the ‘not-so-popularly-explored’ and supposedly riskier non-voice business. Cut to today, the same business is contributing about 20% of Infosys’s total revenues. Moreover, “while the global economic slowdown is eating away profits of most of the Indian technology firms, Infosys is shining along steadily,” avers N. Wadhwa, Managing Director, SKI Capital.

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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India requests McDonald’s suppliers to not raise prices suddenly

2009-06-22T14:51:00.000+05:30

The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School

No wonder when McDonald’s India requests its suppliers to not raise prices suddenly (despite a rise in their input costs), the guys listen with patience and even make every possible effort to accommodate the request even agreeing to raise prices in a staggered manner across a few years! The way McDonald’s handles its suppliers, in fact, is a crucial lesson perhaps for all those organised retail players in India who are struggling hard with their logistics and supply chain management system.

As a result of these supply efficiencies, at a time when Nirula’s is postponing its global expansion plan and coffee chains like Barista are planning not to foray into new cities; McDonald’s is gung-ho on its earlier expansion plan of launching 40 new stores over the next two years, with an investment of Rs.150 crores. Naysayers say that the burger company can afford to expand as unlike Pizza Hut and Domino’s, it does not have a huge reach beyond metros & big cities. For the record, McDonald’s has just 155 stores across 27 cities; while even coffee chains like Barsita and CCD are present in as many as 40 cities with 170 and 200 stores respectively. Sure, not everything’s perfect at McDonald’s India and like every success saga, this one too is saddled with its own set of problems. Firstly, it was only in 2007 that Ronald thought of paying heed to the home delivery model. And unlike other players, the delivery is not free of cost. On this front, Domino’s (which generates 40% of its turnover via home deliveries) has stolen the show. Amit Jatia denies being bogged down by such issues and is instead focusing on the bigger challenges that face McDonald’s. “The real-estate slump is disturbing our growth,” he avers, pointing toward a possible hiatus in their expansion plans due to commercial projects being delayed or dropped by the realty biggies.

And of course, a little birdie told us that many in the New Delhi and Mumbai head office are already worried about the planned increase in their prices – after all, for more than a decade the Indian consumer has been ‘loving it’ for its affordability. Will the price conscious Indian still ‘love it’ with the new price tags? These hiccups apart, Jetia, Bakshi and Co. are loving this slowdown all the way!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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4Ps B&M’s Angshuman Paul takes on all those that proclaim that recession does not affect the luxury segment.

2009-05-06T16:43:00.000+05:30

Here’s the factual verdict, once and for all...

Okay, so what’s a ‘Lipstick-Index’? Well, if you were going to brush it under the carpet on the pretext that it’s perhaps just another fluffy expression used by trophy wives, here’s the eye opener. The paradoxical term is actually a serious judge of recession. How? Well, when the economy goes down, lipstick sales go up. The logic is that in a downturn, women indulge in smaller luxuries and skip the bigger ones.

If nothing else, the global downturn has made terminologies such terms remarkably famous. Another one doing the rounds is ‘recession-proof’. So you have harried analysts, under-paid writers and die-hard optimists swearing about the sturdy economic raincoats that are making certain jobs, careers and sectors completely recession proof. The oft-touted refrain is about the luxury sector; about how the growth god is frowning upon the rest of the world, while smiling benignly at ‘luxury goods’ keeping the sector relatively insulated from the bloodbath on Wall Street, Dow Jones, Nikkei and elsewhere…

But glorified terminologies are just that… vocabulary-enhancing jargon! Just as the humble pout from freshly glossed-lips can never replace hard-core data - inflation, trade deficits and growth rates - to judge recessionary trends; when the economy takes a dive – no sector () – can remain recession proof for long. Oh sure, premium-luxury (for the ultra/super rich) will always remain insulated. After all, the multi-millionaire and his wife are not going to miss a couple of millions in their bank account; but hey, the mass-luxury segment is taking a beating like never before.

Take Hugo Boss for instance. The international fashion and lifestyle major accepts that it is “faced with a challenging market environment” and its figures tread a similar path. The Boss’ global net income slipped 17% y-o-y between January-September ‘08, with a staggering 23% decline in the third quarter itself. Here’s another. Francois Henri-Pinault, the CEO of PPR – owner of the Gucci Group – has admitted that 2009 will be a tough year for the group. As per Bloomberg data, shares of the luxury retailer fell by 63% in 2008. The third quarter sales of the Paris-based company rose the least (5.7%) in more than three years as a result of the global credit crunch.

Even back home in India, brands like Gucci, Mango, Zara, Hugo Boss are seeing a net fall in sales – by an average of 10% as per the Luxury Marketing Council of India (LMCI). Sources in Hugo Boss confirm that there has been a decline by 5% from Indian stores in the last six months of 2008. “Categories like bags and watches in particular, have seen a decline,” a spokesperson from their Paris office told 4Ps B&M. For the uninitiated, before the global financial crisis had struck, the concept of mass luxury was selling like hot potatoes (or should we say diamond studded potatoes!) in Asian nations including India, even as LMCI extrapolated the number of households with annual incomes of Rs.2 million and above to touch an incredible 2.4 million. But as the slowdown gathers momentum, mass-affluent consumers are now retreating from the luxury market.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Count them to close...

2009-03-18T12:56:00.000+05:30

One of the 517 promises President Obama made during his Presidential campaign was to close the world’s most controversial prison: Guantánamo Bay. It was believed to be an anti-terrorism initiative by George Bush. After being sworn in office, Obama passed the order to close it within a year. Though it is tough to execute it in this manner but nonetheless it’s undoubtedly a welcome step which would gratify UN, EU Court of Justice and several human rights groups. Ironically, Guantánamo Bay is just one of many such brutal and controversial incarcerations which deserved to draw equal attention from the world community but remained unnoticed for long.

La Santé is one of the oldest prisons established in 1687 and is situated in Paris. It was unknown to the world for its brutality and inhuman torture until Dr. Véronique Vasseur, the head surgeon of the prison, revealed the shocking reality from inside. Prisoners often become victims of brutal torture and diseases. Family members of victims are often humiliated. Limited availability of food, clothing and bathing facilities (shower twice a week) caused deadly skin diseases resulting in a shocking 124 suicides in 1999 alone. Despite criticism by UN Human Rights Committee and European Court of Justice, no positive change has been witnessed till date. In the same league the prison of Gulag in North Korea is another deadly prison which houses over 2 lakh detainees. It is unique in itself having its own set of laws and philosophy of ‘guilt by familial association’ or ‘collective responsibility’ where three generations of a family who committed a crime are punished. Hundreds of Koreans of Japanese origin have been imprisoned there on the ground that they dared to openly praise Japan's liberalism and capitalist society. ....Continue

Into its third edition this year, the Jaipur Literature Festival makes a grand showcase of creative and cultural stars on the literary horizon.

2009-02-23T11:35:00.000+05:30

Authors, particularly aspiring ones, could hope to find answers to FAQs on ‘binding’ their dreams in the group discussion session involving eminent figures from preferred publishing houses. They began with debating about the differences (style of work, genre, treatment of authors etc) between established publishing houses and small independent ones. While they argued and defended their stands, it was to be surmised that in any case an author was not to expect the publisher to stay through thick and thin of his/her fortunes. The good part is that independent publishers, especially the Indian ones, apparently give you more chances than their bigger foreign counterparts. The discussion took a turn where one felt that the authors were just being spoken of as entities creating useful – or otherwise – material, all for money. It was then that a UK based author interrupted and said, “A writer is a tap that can’t be turned off - money or no money. And, publishers are damn lucky because writers are going to be here for a while…” The empathy with the creative force was touching. More touching was that the entire drift of the event was directed at combining and synergising energies to make the world a peaceful and joyful one, where all coexist. Even as we admired the proceedings, little did we realise that we were the subject of admiration too (or so my friend noticed!) Even as we ignored the solicitous smiles of one, we did get into the ‘gossip girl’ mode and realised that through the evening, amidst all the great people and great ideas being shared, quite a few other sentiments were up for exchange too. After all, what’s better than a like-minded companion for conversations over a glass of wine and live Sufi music in the background?! And, well, if your gossip instinct is at work and you are wondering about me…I am happily married! Marital status notwithstanding, anybody and everybody at the Jaipur Lit-Fest came off with an overarching sense of wellness, as far as literary pursuits of our generation were concerned…....Continue

Security – water tight!

2009-02-16T15:58:00.000+05:30

When São Gabriel, captained by Vasco da Gama, dropped anchor at Kappad, near Kozhikode (Calicut), on the Kerala coast in 1498, the ensuing confrontation with the Zamorin sovereign in the region laid the foundation for the navy in India.

After the Zamorin (title of the ruler in Malabar) proposed a naval force under the leadership of a Muslim warrior named Kunjali Marakkar, this first navy admiral of India and his lineage went on to fight off foreign invaders for more than 100 years (1498 -1600). In recognition of the services of the distinguished warrior, Prime Minister Nehru renamed the Colaba Naval Barracks near Mumbai, INS Kunjali. Kunjali is known to have practiced “hit and run” military tactics, something the Navy trainees are taught to date.

And now more special tactics will be imparted as part of official naval training at Kunjali’s very own native place and venue of maritime exploits. The prestigious Ezhimala Naval Academy complex, which will not only be the premier officer training establishment of the Indian Navy, but also the largest Naval Academy in Asia, was inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on January 8, 2009. Hereon, Ezhimala Academy will be the home for all basic training for officer cadres of the Indian Navy.....Continue

The year '08 definitely belonged to Priyanka Chopra

2009-02-10T11:16:00.000+05:30

Do you feel any change toward you within the industry?
The industry was never unkind even when my films didn't do well. I continued getting the chance to work with directors of repute. Yes, the audience did feel let down , and reacted. The effort that goes into my performance shouldn't show on screen. I've just begun to understand cinema.

How different are "Kaminey" and "What's Your Raashee" from what you've done so far?
Oh, very! I seem to be saying that all the time. These are very different films and characters from what I've done so far. I think in 2009 I'll extend my abilites as an actor. When I work with a director, I become very possessive of him. I feel the film is mine. And the director is my family. I can call him up at any hour to ask about my character. Every director from Goldie Behl and Tarun Mansukhani to Vishal Sir (Bhardwaj) and Harry Sir(Baweja) has become a friend. "Kaminey" however was very difficult.

Why?
It's very real… very middleclass. It's not a larger than life character. For the first time I'm playing someone who's so real. It's an electrifying character. To be able to add to the character's costume, language, body language made "Kaminey" a very special challenge. I've also given "Fashion" a piece of my heart.

How different is Harman Baweja between "Love Story 2050" and "What's Your Raashee?"
His confidence level has gone up tremendously. He's going to make heads turn in "…Raashee." Come on, he's just one film old. I took three years to come into my own. He displayed supreme confidence in his first film.

Were you more relaxed in 2008?
I'm only focusing on my work. I'm relieved to have my Dad healthy again. My Dad is a general surgeon. Both my parents are doctors. And they're running a clinic. It's a multi-facility clinic and it was always there. What was new this year were the medical community services. They had discontinued that because of my dad's illness. I remember at the age of 10, I used to accompany my parents for medical care in small towns like Rae Bareilly and Lucknow. I used to sit at the registration desk and at the makeshift pharmacy and give out medicines to the patients. I still do community work. But I don't enjoy talking about it. Now it's just between me and God. But yes, as a celebrity I can lend my name to community forums. But like I said, it's too personal...Continue

A Mollah of the have-nots

2009-01-29T12:44:00.000+05:30

Hannan Mollah, CPI(M) MP, West bengal

If you see him moving around in the backseat of a bicycle, would you not stop to think how an MP does this, despite so many terms in Parliament? But for Hannan Mollah, that is routine, and it is invariably his secretary, Gautam Purakayastha who pedals the bicycle. Ask people in his constituency Chengail, a small town in Howrah, West Bengal, and even opposition politicians say, “Hannan-da hasn’t changed one bit.”

Mollah visits his constituency at least once in two months. And he stays in the same dilapidated house, squats on the grass smoking his bidi with workers and farmers. A local teacher, Samudrajhinuk Bandyopadhyay, whose uncle taught Mollah at Uluberia College, says: “My uncle is full of praise for Hannan-da. And we too love him for his down-to-earth approach”. And for the zari workers, who originate from here and fan out across the country, he is God. Whenever they are in trouble, “Hannan-da is the saviour,” said Mohammad Hannan, a zari shop owner.

“If a poor zari worker passes away anywhere in the country, Hannan-da makes sure his body will reach home at the earliest,” said Akram Mohammad, Hannan’s relative. Most of his Area Development Fund finds its way to local schools. “He has helped about 700 schools in the area,” said Shamshuddin, a madrasa teacher. However, Mollah helps only registered madrasas genuinely devoted to help children grow up. No wonder he recommended financial help for Rajkhola madrasa, despite it being under his political rival....Continue

India needs to change its ambiguous land ownership laws

2009-01-13T11:29:00.000+05:30

Among the legal inadequacies, unclear land title in big cities is a hazard. Most of the real estate dealings is done on lease for years; even after the land is sold, ownership remains with the government except in Rajasthan, the only state which has introduced guaranteed Land Title Bill to transfer ownership from government to buyers for its cities. The rest of the states remain ambiguous over the issue. Ask any buyer the relevance of guaranteed title or other legalities! Developers require a hundred different authorisations which take three to five years on an average; enough to destroy anyone’s motivation! Moreover, stamp duty in India is very high (over 10 per cent) compared to the rest of the world (2 per cent). This, on one hand restricts demand, and on the other hand, increases property cost. Property tax is a mere 0.002 per cent whereas the world average is 1.5 per cent. This gives the government scope to easily increase its revenue by hiking it a little further, as it is a primary tool for government to generate revenue.

Considering all these, there is one thing clear: government alone can not provide housing to its populace, the country needs strong participation from private players and that can only be possible by better transparency and adequate reforms initiation, at least on the above stated issues. A few states’ individual effort might work as a catalyst but India needs a centrally-motivated holistic approach. Will that be possible in this land of disparity? ....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

The outcome of the Assembly polls in five states has thrown up important lessons for all major political parties as they head for the general election

2009-01-09T10:28:00.000+05:30

All this has emboldened BSP chief Mayawati to strike a harder bargain with its allies in seat adjustment talks for the parliamentary elections coming up next year. She has already been projected as the prime ministerial candidate by Left Front leaders Prakash Karat and AB Bardhan. And now with TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and AIADMK president J Jayalalitha tying up with the Left parties, the ground is ready for the proposed Third Front.

The BSP’s emergence has clearly underlined the fact that the General Elections won’t be a two-horse race; and if Mayawati throws her lot behind the comrades, this Third Front could well be in a position to take a shot at power as well.

Another revelation from the just concluded Assembly elections is that a potion of good governance, development, rapport with the electorate and a cohesive party campaign makes a winning mix that is quite capable of negating the anti-incumbency factor.

Indeed, it was this same concoction that helped Sheila Dixit in Delhi, Shivraj Singh Chauhan in Madhya Pradesh and Raman Singh in Chhattisgarh. Is Vasundhara Raje listening? If she failed to retain the gaddi in Rajasthan despite massive development during her tenure and her impressive electorate-connect, it was primarily because she neglected her own party. The state party chief Om Mathur admitted as much when he told TSI that there was a “communication gap” between the party and the government till he took over in January. While the party sought to keep her reined in, Vasundhara wanted a free hand. This much was evident in her opposition to RSS pracharak (preacher) Mathur’s appointment as state BJP president in place of her own favourite Mahesh Sharma. Relations between the party and the government had deteriorated to the extent that officials of a public relations company hired to oversee the BJP’s campaign acted as messenger between Mathur and Vasundhara. The lack of consensus saw fierce arguments during candidate selection and propping up of 75 rebels against the party’s official nominees. The BSP factor and the BJP’s anti-terror rhetoric post-Mumbai attacks too failed to salvage Vasundhara’s fortunes.....Continue

Kremlin steps up political ties in Latin America

2009-01-07T12:44:00.000+05:30

Chavez and Medvedev met on board a Russian warship harboured in a Venezuelan dock ahead of combined military drills. Medvedev said Russia is stepping up its political ties in Latin America and said Moscow must insistently seek out to shore up its financial position in the region. "One must admit, to put it simply, we have never had a serious presence here – these have been just episodes," he told reporters in Cuba, referring to Latin America. "We visited states that no Russian leader, and no Soviet leader, ever visited. This means one thing: that attention simply was not paid to these countries," he said.

"This is evidently a thrust to swell Russia's sway on the world stage," Andrew Neff, an analyst with IHS Global Insight, told TSI. “Even though Russia was pursuing energy collaboration with Venezuela, the actual benefit was in spreading political authority more willingly than any apparent economic return.”

In fact, Latin America’s intercontinental ties have for long been more assorted than caricature permits, but they are becoming even more so as the globe transforms. For some South American nations, Europe has at all times been in any case as significant as a trade and venture partner as the United States. Trade with Japan and the Middle East grew in the 1970s, while the Soviet Union sold arms to Peru as well as sustaining communist Cuba.

For the Kremlin, this is tantamount to sending Washington a memo: if you intrude in our backyard, we'll intrude in yours.....Continue

…and yet, peace must prevail!

2009-01-02T15:23:00.000+05:30

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari might be looked upon with suspicion due to his tainted background, but his recent statement that Pakistan is not threatened by India speaks volumes of his statesmanship. It not only points to an urge to forego jingoism that have clouded the relationship between the two neighbours for 61 long years but also indicates that he has the courage and desire to bring drastic changes in Pakistan's foreign policy that has so far been based on paranoia and mistrust towards India.

However, the reign of terror let loose in India's financial hub Mumbai have temporarily dampened hopes of lasting peace between the two nations who have fought three deadly wars since they achieved independence in 1947 and provided an opportunity to warmongers to unleash hatred and misunderstandings yet again.

It has also generated media hype in Pakistan and India, especially in electronic channels where cooked up stories continue to be aired unabashedly. For instance, Pakistan's military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas was quick to clarify on November 30 that the army has not seen any unusual movement of the Indian troops on the border so far and the situation on the Indian border was normal. The Indian Foreign Ministry also rejected Indian media reports that it was considering suspending the Line of Control ceasefire agreement with Pakistan and increasing troops on borders. The restraint shown by the Indian government is a welcome sign. More so because despite mayhem in Mumbai and the subsequent anger, India has not amassed troops on Pakistan borders as it did in 2002 when its parliament was attacked by terrorists. The patience was also evident when the Indian embassy in Kabul was attacked a couple of months ago.

In an interview with The Financial Times on December 1, President Zardari said: "Such a tragic incident must bring opportunity rather than the defeat of a nation. We don't think the world's great nations and countries can be held hostage by non-state actors." Zardari warned that militants had power to precipitate a war in the region. "Even if the militants are linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, who do you think we are fighting?" asked Zardari....Continue

Storm over Jallianwala Bagh

2008-12-22T14:13:00.000+05:30

Just Imagine the grandson of a Jallianwala Bagh veteran visiting the site where hundreds of Indian patriots had lost their lives to British brutality at Amritsar, Punjab, during the freedom struggle. Imagine the plight of a grandson who has heard from his grandfather what was there in the monument to the historic event, that turned the tide of the Indian freedom struggle. Imagine yourself, as one such grandson, almost hearing the fading, aged voice of your grandfather, and then keen to come and see if what he had said was there, but you could not find it: Reason? Government renovation of those of others like him. Damned, the beloved country’s governance!

Jallianwala Bagh is not just another recreational spot for tourists, but a ‘sacred’ place today. This public park, close to the Golden Temple of Amritsar, witnessed a massacre on April 13, 1919. It was meant to be a peaceful public meeting for the Baisakhi festival, to assert the right of people to assemble and protest, which was curbed by the martial law imposed by the then Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, Michael O’ Dwyer. Many in the assembly were just people who had come to say morning prayers at the Golden Temple. Soon after the meeting started, Brigadier-General Dyer opened fire on an unarmed gathering of 25,000 men, women and children. The firing lasted about 10 minutes and 1650 rounds were fired, or 33 rounds per soldier and hundreds were killed by the bullets while others fell into the well trying to escape and many were hurt in the stampede.

The renovations are fraught with problems, even as the work is in full progress. The reason for protests by historians and freedom fighters is that some of the important historical relics are being lost in the process. Terming the renovation of historical lanes of Jallianwala Bagh as defacement and destruction of the historical monument, president of Desh Bhagat Yadgar Hall Committee 101-year-old Ghadri Baba Bhagat Singh Bilga has sought the intervention of the Prime Minister in the case. “The two already demolished historical lanes of Jallianwala Bagh should be reconstructed, and the third one should not be razed in the name of widening the entry point for VVIPs’ vehicles,” says a vocal critic.....Continue

Advantage Jamaat-E-Alliance

2008-12-18T17:10:00.000+05:30

After working for decades towards building a society in India based in Islam, Jamaat-E-Islami recently announced its intentions to float its own political party. The announcement made by Mustaq Farooq, the all India general secretary of this semi-political and religious organisation, has undoubtedly created quite a stir among the political circles in Kerala. The new outfit’s general approach towards politics will be to side with the Left parties whenever BJP has a winning chance and support the Congress-led UPA wherever the Left Democratic Front (LDF) does not have any effective influence.

Jamaat’s Kerala leaders say the new outfit will be launched only after the Lok Sabha elections; media speculations meanwhile peg the launch date as January 2009. The decision is likely to be taken during a conference in Kochi to be held soon as a part of the organisation’s national Amir’s all India odyssey.....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

The old tiger still roars

2008-12-17T12:30:00.000+05:30

25 kilometres from the Indo-Nepal border, framed against the Terai forests of Lakhimpur Kheri, stands a lonely house… and here they say, an old tiger still roars.

The house was empty. Rising flood waters of the Soheli had claimed these lands for long this season and while the waters had receded, the old tiger hadn’t returned yet to his Haven. On the verandah, next to stacks of mouldy books, throwing a silent challenge, rolled a solid iron barbell, loaded thick with weighted plates. I succumbed to the lure and gripped the cold steel bar and heaved. Nothing happened… I heaved again, and it moved a few reluctant inches before I gave in to gravity and let the barbell clang to the floors. “Sahab roz uthathe thhey, till about 8-10 yrs ago”, said a voice. It was the caretaker. That weight must’ve weighed many hundred pounds and ‘Sahab’ was supposedly 91 now. I wondered about the veracity of the legend. ‘Sahab’ wasn’t here though. He’d moved a few kilometers south, and we followed. I remembered what a local zamindar had said. “He isn’t very tall but used to be a very strong man. He once picked up the front axle of a tractor. Even today his arms are in better shape than yours or mine”. Then I saw him on the front porch of his house, a frail little man curled up on a high chair, a gentle smile welcoming us. He motioned for us to sit and the first thing I asked him was if he’d really picked up the tractor. “Just stories…”, boomed the man’s voice and then he shook my hand with an iron grip that suggested that these ‘stories’ must ring true… surely, the old tiger still roars.

‘Billy’ Arjan Singh is what they called him in the early days when he went about trying to be ‘The Corbett of Kheri’ as he put it, but today he prefers just plain Arjan Singh. Tracing his lineage to the royal family of Kapurthala and Anglo –Bengali Christians, ‘Billy’ loved the great outdoors. He wrestled, lifted weights and in keeping with his heritage, made friends with the hunting rifle rather early in life. He killed his first leopard at 12 and his first tiger at 14. In fact, he was quite a blood thirsty little butcher in those days, killing every possible animal within the range of his rifle. On one occasion he and his brother were returning from the forest in a car and saw a hyena loping across. They fired at the unhappy beast till they ran out of bullets. Then they tried to run the animal over and yet the suffering animal wouldn’t die. There are tales a plenty of his ‘callous brutality’ as he puts it in one of his books. And yet, the forest had claimed his soul and with each animal he killed, he felt a little emptier inside until the day he realised that he killed not for the joys of the hunt as much as he killed to quiet his own feelings of inadequacy. Since then, he has ruthlessly denounced his own weaknesses that had made him into a wanton killer. Today, as the crops stand in his fields, he tells his farm hands that the animals have first right to these crops and there would be enough for all. And sure enough, there is. There’s a sadness in those eyes when he talks of that same blood lust, greed and human insecurity that he once felt, which still turns men into poachers and forests to fallow land, but he hasn’t given up the fight… the old tiger still roars.....Continue

'Descent'ralisation?

2008-12-13T13:20:00.000+05:30

The fight for decentralisation and hence, more power in the hands of the state governments, has been a pertinent case for long. For decades, several Indian states have blamed the partisan politics and the bias of the Indian central government for the lack (or stalling) of development in their respective territories. Therefore, over the years there has been significant devolution of central power in favour of the states. For ministries like panchayati raj, education, agriculture and rural development, while the money has been sanctioned by the respective Central ministries, the onus was definitely lying with the state governments as to how the money given is to be spent in the said financial year. Yet, with the passage of time, it is highly evident that anything controlled and monitored by the Central government has been rightly tackled, thereby, yielding better results. For example, consider the national highways constructed and maintained by the nodal agency called National Highway Authority of India.

The quality and smoothness of these national highways stand in stark contrast to the piteous conditions of the state-owned ones. Also, the conditions of the municipality-managed-city-roads are far from "better". Most of India’s blue chip PSUs like NTPC, ONGC, IOCL BHEL, Nuclear Power Corporation and SAIL, or banks like SBI, Bank of Baroda and Allahabad Bank, or research organisations like DRDO, ISRO, BARC and CSIR are centrally owned. Now, opposing these centrally branded varients are the many inefficiently run state government corporations (barring most Gujarat PSUs) that barely witnessing any profit inflow....Continue

The Genial Giant

2008-12-05T16:11:00.000+05:30

Isaw Anil for the first time at a coaching camp that the Karnataka State Cricket Association used to conduct. That’s almost more than two decades back. To be honest, the very first thing that came into my mind when I saw Anil was that maybe “this boy is gifted with the ultimate talent, and definitely he is going to be a gem for Team India." He was the ‘fast bowler’ from the beginning. When he bowls, he never flights the ball. Instead, he bowls it fast. There is more zip than there is spin. The thing which made me observe Anil in the coaching camp was that his style of bowling was quite similar to mine. He was and is very good at line and length, and a very accurate bowler from day one.

If Anil has become a legendary cricketer, it is just because of his determination, hard work and ultimate patience. Though I could not keep a perfect track of how Anil as a bowler moved further (during the time, I was bed-ridden for five years), but on and off, I watched him all along. I can say he still bowled in the same style and manner that he used to bowl before. He must also have been told to change his bowling action, as he doesn’t spin much, but having a tremendous grip on the ball, he bowls fast. Anil’s greatest strength is his never-say-die attitude. He never ever quits. He never gives up the challenge. If Anil cannot do it today he will think hard about how to make it possible tomorrow.

According to me Anil is the world’s best spinner. There would be no second word about it. He has proved it often. As a bowler Anil has won more matches than any other bowler for India. India has won every match where Anil performed well. The self confidence and control he has is a lesson for every one.....Continue

One-upmanship swamps nascent 'Bihari Pride' campaign

2008-12-01T15:40:00.000+05:30

IIPM Publication
Speaking from Jhanjharpur, RJD MP Devendra Prasad Yadav told TSI: “These resignations have made politics a joke, and Nitish Kumar has merely decided to break out unity. On October 27, all our parties had decided to work together, but this step has broken that promise. Ideally the MPs of all three parties should have resigned together. This is not a small issue. It is a question of the unity and
sovereignty of the country.”

Paswan has termed this a political gimmick. “Who does not know that the terms of the MPs would in any case end within the next three months? Meanwhile, ‘inspired’ by Nitish’s step, even the RJD MPs have sent in their resignations to party boss Lalu Prasad. The big question is, why give it to Lalu, why not to the Lok Sabha Speaker? Is this an RJD’s answer to Nitish’s gimmick?....continue

GLOBAL ECONOMY: SUBPRIME EFFECT

2008-11-06T15:15:00.000+05:30

As a matter of fact it is estimated that repossessions have already doubled in UK and some other European Markets. The potential credit losses will by pessimistic calculations lower the aggregate capital adequacy ratio at European banks by about 150 bps.

IMF’s Global Financial Stability Report precisely brings out the fact that domestic banks in Eastern Europe have built large negative net foreign positions as credit growth has outpaced domestic deposits. Given the size of bank losses and disruptions in bank funding and securitisation markets, Europe certainly seems to be at a greater risk. It is not only UK or Eastern Europe, which is witnessing renewed symptoms of the crisis. Italy’s economy has started shrinking, its GDP went down by 0.3% quarter-on-quarter in April-June 2008. German economy too shrank by 0.5% during the same period. Moreover, the whole Euro zone economy shrank 0.2% during Q2 2008....Continue

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Las Hayas Resort, Ushuaia

2008-10-21T17:08:00.000+05:30

Set in a natural five hectare deciduous forest of beech trees (hayas) right below the glacier Le Martial, Las Hayas Resort is a luxury boutique hotel. Spreading across a vast area to offer comfort and luxury at this end of the world, it can be rightly categorised as a contemporary-classic resort....Continue

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read also :-

She is the ruler of millions of French hearts

2008-10-13T11:59:00.000+05:30

French President, Nicolas Sarkozy''s popularity has soared after his marriage to Carla Bruni

If an American first lady, or would-be first lady, described herself as a "tamer of men" and had a "man-eating" past filled with naked pictures, Mick Jagger and Eric Clapton, sultry prone CD covers, breaking up marriages, bragging that she believes in polygamy and polyandry rather than monogamy, and having a son with a married philosopher whose father she had had an affair with, it would take more than an appearance on "The View" to sweeten her image.

It's hard to imagine the decibel level on Fox News if Michelle Obama put out a CD this summer, as Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is, with songs featuring lyrics like "I am a child/despite my 40 years/despite my 30 lovers/a child"; and this song, "Ma came": "You are my junk/more deadly than Afghan heroin/more dangerous than Colombian white. ... /My guy, I roll him up and smoke him."

Or if Michelle gave an interview, as Carla did in a new book, "La Véritable Histoire de Carla et Nicolas," revealing that she fell in love with her husband for his many fertile brains. "I didn't expect someone so funny and so alive," she said, recalling their blind date at a dinner party.

One chapter of the book is called "Le Diable s'Habille en Carla," or "The Devil Wears Carla." And the most repeated anecdote is the one where Carla slyly teases the French justice minister, Rachida Dati, a Sarko protégé, as they pass by a bed in the Elysee: "You would have loved to occupy it, wouldn't you?"...Continue

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read also :-

Gas them all, we say!

2008-10-11T11:57:00.000+05:30

The lethargy to move to alternative fuel seems almost insane...

In Japan, while Honda rolled out its first hydrogen powered car, another Japanese company, Genepax, has gone one step ahead in making a prototype which runs on water by extracting the hydrogen for fuelling the engine. This should be seen in the background that hell-raisers (economists, if we may) now claim that the price of oil could even touch $200 per barrel in months to come. And though it might be too early to prefigure the shape of things, one thing is for sure, that the short journey to a new world where the need to plead and live with a prayer for oil price to come down, has already begun.

Yet, the real question is whether the energy problem is really so grave or is it simply a result of inertia of developing countries to strive for alternatives. And especially so in developing economies like, say, India. A report by the Global Environment Facility of the UNDP on India’s Coal Bed Methane (CBM) extraction potential states, “It is estimated that in India, the largest coal producer in the world, there are around 20,000 sq km of area where CBM capture could be carried out and that the country’s recoverable reserves of methane are 800 billion cubic metres, with a gas production potential of 105 million cubic metres a day over 20 years.”...continue

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read also :-

Ringing in a vas strategy

2008-10-03T14:44:00.000+05:30

After losing out in the race to add millions of new customers, Ratan Tata has decided that apart from boosting Tata Tele’s subscriber base, he will focus on the more-profitable, higher-margin value-added services By devdeep singh

“We were perhaps the last to join the telecom race in India, but over the past few years, we are the fastest-growing brand in the country. At the end of February 2008, with more than three million subscribers, we are the second-largest player in the important Delhi and NCR region,” claims Anil Sardana, MD, Tata Teleservices. But even as one hears Sardana dole out such statistics, one distinctly feels that there is some sort of a disconnect between what he’s saying and the subscribers’ base figures that are regularly released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI).

With around 23 million subscribers, Tata Teleservices stands at the No. 5 position in the great telecom race, behind behemoths like Bharti Airtel, Reliance Communications, Vodafone Essar and BSNL. “Tata has been a laggard. It has grown at a decent pace but obviously their execution has not been quite at par with that of other biggies,” says Harit Shah, Telecom Analyst at Angel Trade. “Lack of market-centric strategies and restricting to limited number of product and service offering did not work in favor of the company,” adds Shushmul Maheshwari, Telecom Analyst at RNCOS. But the Tata strategy is different from those of its competitors. Since the inception of Tata Tele in 1996, the company has chosen to concentrate on margins and profitability, rather than chase volumes (as is the case with the others).....Continue

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Thrived in a man’s world

2008-09-20T14:00:00.000+05:30

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

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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RATAN TATA UNFOLDS A GRAND DESIGN

2008-09-02T17:30:00.000+05:30

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, 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.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Governance planks in the past

2008-08-26T15:12:00.000+05:30

Of course, political parties have used different governance planks in the past. For example, Christian Democrats in Europe, and Republicans in the US have focused more on terrorism and internal security, while Social Democrats in Europe and Democrats in the US have concentrated more on labour and health policy. But then, how does one justify the quite clear-cut jingoism in the past few years that has reverberated across even American vote banks? Rodrigues accepts, “Post 9/11, immigration, race and religion have fast taken over frontal positions in the election rhetoric. Parties with little or no focus on development have won in Holland, Denmark and Switzerland, solely based on xenophobic plank. Even in the US, we’re now discussing more about a woman (Hillary Clinton) challenging an Afro-American (Obama) and an Evangelical challenging a Mormon. But I can confirm, this is a passing phase.”

Unmistakably, there is no clear-cut correlation that can be drawn out globally between good governance and re-election, or election. While in some limited parts of the world, that equation still holds, in many other parts of the world, politicians continue to play the role of shrewd re-musketeers, simply repackaging non-governance oriented fustian balderdash to appeal to mass perception. Quite sonorously, in these cases, magniloquent pomposity – driven by fundamentalist/religious/extremist ideologies – works better towards re-election than transparent governance and development efforts.

The scenario, in such a case, is nothing short of chillingly frightening. How far lies the time when an extremist or terrorist outfit – backed by fanatical rants and like-minded mass support – comes to power in a nation that has the capacity to manufacture nuclear bombs? Mahmoud Ahmadinejad became the ‘democratically’ elected President of Iran in August 2005. Ahmadinejad continues, despite global opposition, to develop Iran’s nuclear program, professedly for only peaceful purposes. Ahmadinejad stands tall by his incorrigibly contumacious statement that the nation of Israel must be wiped off the map. How far lies the time when he puts his money where his mouth is?

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
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Down & Out. Nah!

2008-08-25T17:03:00.000+05:30

Finally, Sony fights back with PS3
After months of trailing behind the next generation consoles Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360, Sony’s much hyped PS3 is finally delivering the expected. Not only has the PS3 come out of its initial phase of sluggish sales, it has in fact defeated the most popular (and highest selling) gaming console of last year, Nintendo Wii, in the all important Japanese market. According to the figures released by magazine publisher Enterbrain, for the four weeks ending November 25, Sony was able to sell 183,217 PS3 consoles in the Japanese market, while Nintendo could only manage to sell 159,193 Wii consoles.

PS3’s performance is also exceptional considering the fact that Nintendo Wii was outselling PS3 by nearly five times in the month of June 2007. Also, this is for the first time since the launch of PS3 in November 2006 that the console has managed to thrash its competition in any of the global markets.

“When we designed PS3 our goal was to introduce a system so technically advanced that it could stand the test of time and could take the industry in a whole new direction, which for PS3 was high-definition entertainment” said Jack Tretton, President and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment America. Though Sony has been able to achieve its goal of providing a technologically advanced gaming console, it never became the first choice of the console gamers considering its expensive price tag and scarcity of exciting game titles.

Realising its blunders, Sony initiated a few strategic makeovers, reducing the price, launching new variants and introducing new exciting game titles. While it reduced the price of the 80GB model of PS3 by 10%, it also introduced the 40GB model at $399 price point, thus targeting the first time console game buyers too. Also, the company re-strategised on the content front, releasing 15 new game titles in the last one month alone. Though the re-working of the price and content strategy might have helped PS3 to outsell other consoles in Japan for the first time, it will have to overcome the highly popular intuitive interface of the Wii and the Xbox 360 before it is crowned as the undisputed king of the global console gaming industry like its predecessor PS2, which still rules the hearts of the die-hard console game players.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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SIMPLICITY RULES

2008-08-13T13:40:00.000+05:30

The OS war will be about Tunes, Space & Spin

Who can deny the fact that even in the world of Operating Systems (OSs), the three Cs that underline the general rules are – Consumerism, Communication and Computing. And to talk about the terminologies that we associate with the host of OSs at our disposal today – Linux, MacOS, Minix, Trinux, UNIX, Vistas, and Windows – whose respective futures too get moulded solely by the manner in which perception of computing changes as Vikrant Khattar, (Sr. System Engineer, MGDI, Hyderabad) asserts, “The next-generation operating system has to start with the user and user interface (UI) wherein the UI will be three-dimensional. The OS of future has to be synchronous with the development of processors.” And in total realisation of this truth, many Computational Research Laboratories are mushrooming across the globe, redefining & revealing their unique progressive forms of the link between the user and his/her hardware (desktop, laptop, palmtop, mobile et al) – of the next generation OS!

Today, with the wave of the 64-bit processor catching up, the future of OS too appears vividly differentiated. So, does that also mean that the road to this progress would lead to intricate products? Not so as Nitin Bhatt, Software Engineer, TCS proclaims, “”OS is merely a link between the user and the system, nothing more nothing less. Definitely it is an important tool for the specialists, yet as far as common users are concerned not many of the zillion functions performed by the OS matters. This necessitates that in future the OS will grow top down.” Very logical indeed. And what about customisation? Well, a thumping answer to that comes in the form of OS breeds like TUNES, Aegis, SPACE, SPIN & EROS; all of which are all set to lead the future in the world of OS. These OSs besides being customised to address ‘a’ particular need of its users are also a generation ahead in terms of providing security.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Fund management

2008-08-12T16:07:00.000+05:30

A change in investor’s risk profile: One should always invest by keeping his risk profile and objectives in mind. A young man can afford to take more risk than a person nearing his retirement. So, changes in life stages could be one exit point to be considered. One should invest in debt-based fund if he is near his retirement age. Similarly, if one gets married then he has to align his risk preference with his spouse.

Change in fund management: When there is a change in any basis, it is alarming for the investor; for instance change of AMC or fund manager. A change in fund manager is a cause of little worry in passively managed funds, but one should become cautious if his fund is actively managed. The fund’s performance needs to be closely observed after such a change. If it continues to be satisfactory it is fine, otherwise one could exit from the fund.

Compliance with one’s investment objectives: It is very important to keep in mind the target return and investment period while one plans his investment. It is equally important to exit when such targets are met, irrespective of the fact that his investments are still generating returns. Waiting longer might not prove beneficial, as it need not be the same every time.

Market timing: It is very difficult to time the market for equity based funds. Still whenever equity markets are volatile and uncertain and inflation is heading northwards, it is advisable to invest in debt market. In order to avoid volatility due to fluctuation in interest rates, as in the present scenario, it is preferred to take a view on short term fixed maturity plan with duration of 90 days but less than one year. These are giving risk free return of around 8.5-8.70% p.a., which is sufficient to beat current inflation levels.

The above list is not exhaustive and individuals may have different reasons to quit the market, but these will definitely come handy when one is looking to exit a mutual fund.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

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Google labs? Labradors?!?

2008-08-11T14:56:00.000+05:30

Google’s challenge is more about maintaining its rapid growth through ‘non-obscure’ applications that netizens recognise... and use frequently!

The $183.99 billion Californian ‘man-mountain’, Google, has always believed in liliputian marketing efforts. However the results have been spectacular – the ‘most valuable’ brand for 2007 as per MilwardBrown valued at $66.43 billion (annual brand value growth of 77%) and the ‘most improving’ brand as per Interbrand for 2007. But just as Schumpeter would smile with Google as his disciple (following his ‘Theory of creative destruction’), Google has changed; and a company which primarily built itself as the most powerful brand through “word of mouth” publicity and “peer-recommendation” is now, not even sparing those scant advertising spaces on trains and buses in Chicago and San Francisco! The on-transit ads are meant to provide publicity to Google Maps (one of its most recent launches) to nab the spreading net of online and mobile-ad dollars. Google is currently busy extending its solutions portfolio, providing relief to its online-search advertising which currently garners 99% of its total revenues – a worthy deal for Google as analysts believe that Google’s main challenge is to maintain rapid growth of its top-line which has grown by a 5-year CAGR of 106.73% to touch $16.59 billion in FY2007!

Google’s growth has been spurred by its dominant position in search where it commands 61.6% market share in US. However, even after this rollercoaster ride in US and overseas, the question pops up – is Google all about ‘no misses’? The answer (and sadly so) is a big ‘no’! Did you even know that Google offers you specialised applications to search “stock and funds quote”, “book” (full text of books), “movie reviews and showtimes”, “travel information”, “translation” and many more?!? (Yes, these applications actually exist!) In February this year, Google even backed a Harvard University project (human genome sequencing) which aims to disengage the many secrets of diseases by applying the decoding application to a sample of 100,000 DNA’s. It marks Google’s quest to index everything on the planet – something which certainly doesn’t add to its brand value today as netizens aren’t aware of such developments.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
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The 4Ps B&M and ICMR Best Marketed State Survey 2008

2008-08-08T16:11:00.000+05:30

IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Well, the list showcases a minor percentage of real estate investors as well. This primarily because the MP government has a host of sops and policies which make investments appear lucrative for the investors in this format. They give concessions for entry tax exemption, interest subsidy, ISO-9000 expenditure reimbursement and a state investment subsidy. The IT industry additionally receives a separate set of concessions, which also includes a concession to project report cost reimbursement. However, there are still some players which are wanting more from the government (perhaps a reason why MP is not numero uno). One of them is Bikanerwala Foods Pvt. Ltd., which has not set up a plant in MP yet. Chetan Agarwal, Director, Bikanerwala Foods reasons, “The government has been supporting, but due to certain internal reasons, the company has decided to hold back its investment plans in the state...”

Apart from wooing investors, the state has also successfully attracted a large number of tourists, count of which is set to improve drastically owing to future investments as Lohani of MPSTDC predicts, “The investments in the tourism sector is also picking up radically and will fast increase over the coming years. This will give a push to tourist influx in MP...” Last year, the state budget for tourism was Rs.82 crore. It also received 4 national awards for its efforts towards improving tourism. The state has carried out a highly professional and aggressive promotional campaign for the state in print, radio and TV media, with some of the country’s best tourist spots like Chanderi, Kanha, Khajuraho, Pachmarhi, Ujjain, Sanchi to boast about! The state authorities for tourism has adopted innovative measures like cruises on large water bodies, specially designed sight seeing buses, & rail coach restaurants at Bhopal to add that touch of add-ons when it comes to attracting footfalls. All said and done, with investments flowing in thick, MP is more a haven for the ‘Capitalistic’ tourists; though there’s something for leisure lovers too!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

Read these article :-
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B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
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Investments in tune with nature

2008-08-06T16:17:00.000+05:30

Natural resources funds may become sustainable investments in the long run

Alladin’s magic lamp used to do it and now asset management companies (AMCs) are doing it – fulfilling wishes. With the stock market rollercoaster giving nightmares to investors; many are seeking alternative investment options. And AMCs are continuously providing them with new opportunities like real estate funds, infrastructure funds, commodities fund, world gold fund, et al. Now (thanks to the tightening of oil supply and concerns for the environment due to global warming) AMCs have found an opportunity in natural resource sector and the alternative energy sector. While Reliance and DSPML were the early birds to come out with such innovative schemes; more AMCs are now joining the fray. Such funds with focus on energy and natural resources sector are set to explore potential investment opportunities in such sectors. Also, these are “innovative products to complement the current portfolio of funds,” feels Ashwani Kumar, Fund Manager, Reliance Capital Asset Management.

At least five such funds (two from ING and one each from Tata AMC, HSBC MF and Mirae AMC) are set to hit the market in coming weeks. These funds seek to invest in companies primarily engaged in the discovery, development, production, drilling, and exploration of natural resources and capitalise on the strong demand for natural resources in the emerging economies. As per S. Naganath, President and CIO, DSPML Fund Managers.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Friendly enemies

2008-08-05T14:12:00.000+05:30

Meet frienemies: rivals turned partners

Big corporate honchos that have always been on the prowl for each other’s blood suddenly stand united. savreen gadhoke analyses the reason behind this change...

Remember the critically acclaimed film Corporate (by Madhur Bhandarkar), where towards the end, the two arch business rivals happily join hands? And if you thought that it was too unrealistic and such things could happen only in our Bollywood masala flicks, you better get your facts right... Interestingly, over the past year, there have been several instances where arch-rivals have come together to leverage the synergies from ‘symbiotic’ tie-ups. While on one hand, all three telecom bigwigs – Vodafone-Essar, Bharti Infratel and Idea Cellular came together to merge their wireless-network, Richard Branson-owned Virgin Mobile too joined hands with Tata Teleservices (TTSL) to launch its services in India.

Competitors?! Nahhh.... It’s co-opetitiors now! And such brutally has this trend caught onto capitalistic entities that even arch rivals Hindustan Times and Times of India have become one and launched their tabloid Metro Now. Interesting and good so far...

And now comes the real catch: how have these “Oh! I’ll kill you” foes suddenly turned into bosom-bretheren of sorts? (How they did it so gracefully is a question for another day.) “It is purely a business deal... At the end of the day, profit is the bottom-line of every business and this is a win-win situation for both the players,” avers a Reliance Retail official. Certainly, in this fierce battlefield, big-corporate honchos now seem to have realised that in order to survive, they have to fight with not one or two, but several competitors; and for this, strategies, covert business tactics, underhand ploys, et al, may not at all be sufficient in the game of ‘one man standing’. One has to be shrewd enough to win not just on the battlefield (read market), not just the artillery (read profits), but mind-games as well! So to befriend one or two is the way to be (instead of competing with one and all). And that’s what they call ‘co-opetition’, that is, to co-operate with your competitor and compete with the rest, resulting in fantastic pay-offs!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Citi in a trance

2008-08-04T15:46:00.000+05:30

With Citigroup announcing a $5.1 billion loss last quarter, the question is, was hiving off of its financial services and credit card division just a move to restructure or.... By vishal ingole

Banks and financial institutions falling victim to the subprime mortgage crisis has become the order of the day. But despite a strong positive expectation banking giant Citigroup Inc. falling prey to sub-prime related write downs and credit costs for the second quarter in a row has definitely aggravated the prevailing discomfort in the banking industry. After posting huge $9.83 billion loss in the last quarter of FY07, Citigroup has registered losses worth $5.1 billion for the first quarter of FY08. The group’s banking division alone clocked losses to the tune of $4.48 billion. Earlier in March 2008, when Vikram Pandit, CEO, Citigroup announced the separation of its financial services and credit card division, the move was seen as an attempt to shuffle the organisational structure, but now it seems it might actually have some other motive.

Announcing the company’s first quarter results, Gary Crittenden, CFO, Citigroup expressed his concerns saying that credit card defaults and consumer financial products could drag the economy further by two years. Even the latest data from Federal Reserve’s Consumer Credit Report strengthens this concern. As of now total revolving debt burden on consumers (mainly comprising of credit cards) stands at a whopping $947.4 billion. This figure is close to what mortgage backed securities were riding on before the crisis erupted. And as is the case with mortgage backed securities – debts on credit cards are also converted into complex financial instruments. So, if consumers start defaulting on these debts this may well emerge as another mammoth financial crisis for the US and later on for the whole world.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Tit for That

2008-08-01T14:49:00.000+05:30

Fighting over a piece of paper?!

From the Gateway of India to the Marina Beach is a tortuous journey passing through the Arabian Sea and reaching near the Bay of Bengal after kissing the Indian Ocean. Chennai has always been the citadel of the conservative, the sober and the eclectic; a market that no non-South Indian media group has been able to fathom. But for brothers Sameer and Puneet Jain of The Old Lady of Boribunder (The Times of India), the near monopoly enjoyed by the kin N. Ram and N. Murali was a party they had to gate crash. And they have done it in style, launching a Chennai edition of The Times of India with typical elan, hype and a bruising price war. For the Jains (A la the Australian cricket team), Chennai is arguably the “Last Frontier” in their relentless quest to be the overwhelmingly dominant English language newspaper of India. For N. Ram and N. Murali, the latest media war promises to be a grim battle for survival. Even as sultry and humid Chennai sizzles with the heat generated by the duel between The Hindu and TOI, the Executive Director of Times of India Ravi Dhariwal lets slip with typical non-chalance, “We are consolidating in Chennai. Soon we will be launching in Rajasthan and Goa”. Consolidating just a week after launch? Well that’s typical Times chutzpah for you. If you believe Dhariwal, TOI seems to have already captured the Rs.500 crore market in Chennai – the third largest in India after Delhi and Mumbai.

Not that the Left leaning Hindu patriarchs Ram and Murali are waiting with folded hands for Sameer and Puneet to ambush and then annihilate them. They have retaliated by launching their own version of a price war. “We don’t want to give it an undue advantage by the way of price of the newspaper and hence we reduced our price to Rs.2.50 from Rs.3.25. By this way the readers get an advantage of ‘Rs.27 a month,” says N. Murali, Joint Managing Director, The Hindu Group of Publications. But a question that even Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan will find difficult to answer is: Is a price tag of Rs.2.50 low enough when TOI is offering subscriptions at a throwaway Rs.1 per day? Always take claims with a pinch of salt. But some claims need to be taken seriously. While The Hindu has a circulation of Rs.3 lakh in Chennai, Dhariwal claims that the print run of TOI on the day of launch was 2 lakh.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

The human resource

2008-07-31T16:44:00.000+05:30

The human resource of the company has come up with many initiatives that is positively impacting the timeliness of the Mprojects, quality of the project and timely project implementation as well. To ensure that an employee gives his best, he/she has to go through some thorough training and development programmes. Each and every employee at Nucleus has to attend about 10-12 days of training session per year. What’s more, at Nucleus an employee gets tremendous growth opportunities in terms of even moving on to perform other roles provided he/she meets the required skill sets and other necessary requirements. “We always ensure that all of our employees, via rotation, get the opportunity to go abroad and work at the clients’ locations. This endeavour gives them the complete knowledge of what is happening in the international scenario as well,” adds Verma. Little wonder then that Nucleus ensures that a majority of its employees gets the chance to go and explore the clients’ locations (abroad). However, in spite of taking so many measures, Nucleus is still facing a high attrition rate (23-24%). Admits Verma, “We understand the shortage of the manpower in the industry.” So to nip the problem of attrition at the bud, Verma and his team regularly visit various technical institutes in Noida, talk to the students and explain about their workings. The aim is to develop the skill sets of the students through rigorous content development programmes and student development programmes. This way if some students eventually come on-board they already have the necessary skill sets beforehand.

At Nucleus the first thing that an employee expects from the organisation is that his skills should be recognised. Secondly, his skills should be utilised in the best possible way. And lastly the organisation works towards enhancing the employees’ skill sets. “In our culture we understand that we have to shape these three aspects of any employee. So at Nucleus we have a very employee oriented work culture. We have a culture where people can express at any time of the day,” avers Verma. Another focus area of the HR at Nucleus is towards building strong interpersonal relations with an employee and his/her family. Asserts Verma, “We have certain initiatives like, once in a year we take all our employees and their families to an offsite. We take them to Rishikesh (hills) for about three days and there we try to get to know each employee’s family members. Further, our culture is to make sure that employees are not restricted to himself or herself, rather they should be friendly with other employees as well as their families. A strong bonding needs to be formed among them.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Online research tools

2008-07-29T15:08:00.000+05:30

Online research tools such as Red Sheriff, Nielsen et al, allow media planners to feed in users’ demographics and get real time data on their usage patterns, content consumption & site visits. This enables even seasoned online media professionals to get insights from post-campaign evaluations done across industries and brands. Adds Shankar, “Such seasoned professionals are what I call the ‘road warriors’ who know exactly the answer (media solution) to a question (media brief) without the support of media software runs and research data. But India will eventually have to get to a scenario where third party measurement, auditing, media behaviour analysis and monitoring are available akin to the US (tools such as Nielsen @Plan) and then planners can work with the support of such tools.” Adds Dr. Subho Ray, President, IAMAI, “Collectively setting up proper rules of engagement between advertisers, agencies and online publishers, as exists for other media, will certainly help.” Even new forms of online advertising like Search Engine Optimisation and Social Media Optimisation (very popular in the western world and much effective than banner advertising) are still to be explored in India.

But for online advertising in India, the biggest hurdle to be crossed is in changing the mindset of the traditional marketer. Of course, there’s no way that the Internet can ever replace traditional mass media, but once marketers start looking at online advertising as an ‘add-on’ media strategy rather than a ‘now off-now on’ strategy, it won’t be long before things brighten up for this fresh kid on the block.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

A high ‘Eye Q’ startup!

2008-07-28T16:09:00.000+05:30

The real question is: will an eye for an eye work?

Enthusiastic entrepreneurs, astute strategies & a veritable stream of innovative products, bucked up by unique expansion plans – that’s precisely what made this company tick. And why not? Talk about the entrepreneurial hands behind it and we’ve six IIM-A passouts, willing to take the plunge & succeeding in the process. So it’s no surprise that this super six is yet another hit. Want a proof? Well, how about a start-up breaking even within the first three month of its establishment? And if you are wondering, which company we are referring to here, it’s Eye Q, the eye care company, which started its journey in January 2007 and within the first year of its operation has successfully earned revenue which overshot by 100%! Talk about over-delivering!

And we are not talking about some fresh risktakers here, for this team of six has an average work-ex of 10-15 years in Blue-chip companies. After reaching the pinnacle of their corporate journeys, they chose to kick their well-settled careers out of the window & tread the dangerous path of entrepreneurship. One of them is Rajat Goel. “Even though I was identified as a high potential manager in 2006 and was nominated as the best regional head within the firm where I was employed for three consecutive years, I always wanted to create something of my own…” opines Rajat, who had been working with Bausch and Lomb.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Push

2008-07-22T15:23:00.000+05:30

Who can forget those pesky phone calls offering ‘free credit cards’? That’s push marketing for you!

With credit limits increasing, daily needs are increasingly being met with the help of plastic money. The boom in the market has been truly catalytic. On their part, credit card majors charge companies & not the consumers, thereby propelling its usability. Cash withdrawal (40% of the credit limit) with interests to the tune of 2.5% per month (or as low as 1.7-1.75% on gold & platinum cards) has further increased credit card usage. For short-term cash withdrawals, using credit card actually turns out more beneficial, as there is no processing fee and interest rates are low. A definitive push-strategy by credit card companies. Beware the debt trap though!

Productivity

Efficiency has been given a new meaning by Tata Steel. In the 90s, the company had become a global laggard, incurring huge losses. Ratan Tata initiated cost-cutting measures, introduced new technology and made it one of the cheapest steel producers in the globe

There are innumerable factors, which led to magnanimous amount of production by Tata Steel. The foremost being the culture of making sustainable improvement in every field – production, quality and marketing. Second is the knowledge management – vast pool of experience across time and functions and the last being the team approach, which they have adopted. Truly efficiency oriented!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)

IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)

IIPM makes business education truly global

The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)

IIPM Campus

Have kal par control?

2008-07-21T12:06:00.000+05:30

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Live ‘retired’ life king size with Aviva Life

The very word retirement sends down shivers through the entire body. People literally shy away from this inevitable truth that one day they too have to lead a retired life – full of boredom, without any work et al. What’s more? Surprisingly figures indicate that close to 57% of pre-retired Indians think that they will work beyond their retirement age to fund their retirement, a rise of 17% from 2004. And that’s not all. Over 45% Indians do not know where to seek financial advice from and little over a half admitted to being in the dark over pensions and saving policies with a sizable number turning to the internet for help. Appalling figures these. But then these are the results of ‘The Aviva Customer Attitude to Savings Survey,’ spanning across three years from 2004-07. The survey, one of the largest of its kind in the financial services sector, was conducted by Aviva and HCHLV, Aviva’s international research partner. States Bert Paterson, MD & CEO, Aviva India, “It is heartening to find that Indians continue to save keeping the future in mind. While savings is important, retirement too is a serious issue. Only 4% of the GDP of India is spent on insurance and at the dynamic pace at which India is moving, people need protection.”

Aviva’s effort to pull people towards insurance may pay off in the long run but will surveys like this make a real impact on the general public? Aviva through its advertising too has been emphasising on the importance of retirement planning. The insurance company has recently roped in Sachin Tendulkar as its brand ambassador to talk about its various schemes. So if you want kal par control, you know where to go, don’t you?

Research bureau: Pawan Chabra

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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

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Promise

2008-07-18T13:05:00.000+05:30

One lakh is what he promised. One lakh is what he delivered. It was a man’s word and he kept it

Tata Motors unveiled its much-anticipated ‘People’s car’ on January 10, 2008 – the cheapest car in the world – a promise kept! As mentioned in our Auto Sector Report (Nov 2007), the Nano would create a new segment in the PV market, and bridge the affordability gap between motorcycles and passenger cars. However, the Nano would not cannibalise market share from existing players due to the price difference. Hence, the Nano would play a role in expanding the small-car market in India. Ratan Tata has indeed kept his promise, and that’s some honour!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)

IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)

IIPM makes business education truly global

The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)

IIPM Campus

The comeback kid!

2008-07-17T16:54:00.000+05:30

Arun Sarin is in no mood to see Vodafone trailing in India

Despite a tremendous growth run over the past few years, Vodafone Essar (once Hutch) has never been counted as a stalwart of the Indian telecom sector. But, with the re-branding process just over, Vodafone Essar, under the leadership of Arun Sarin, once again, is set to storm the Indian telecom domain in 2008.

“Our Indian business is delivering strong growth. Average net customer additions are running at 1.6 million per month, with an year-on-year revenue growth at around 53% on a constant currency basis,” says Arun Sarin. And keeping this in mind, he has really huge plans for 2008. He intends to increase the capex for Vodafone Essar to support high growth apart from laying much emphasis on site sharing & establishing a tower company (Indus Towers) in partnership with Bharti & Idea Cellular. This will not only propel the sector towards achieving requisite tele-density goals, but will also help Vodafone in increasing its rural penetration.

Another strategy that Sarin is heavily banking upon in 2008 is to leverage Vodafone’s global success mantra of handset bundling and deliver the same through its distribution network. Though, RCOM is already trailing that route since 2003, Vodafone Essar will be the first GSM operator to adopt this line of attack. Sarin also plans to provide a handset for as low as Rs.666, a move aimed to go deeper into rural India.

The savvy Sarin is also planning a dual attack on its competitors. On one hand, he plans to target high-value customers by providing innovative products, and on the other, he intends to expand distribution channels to increase the company’s market share. With a vision to topple RCOM from second place and inch closer to Bharti’s dominance in the sector, Sarin is planning to take forward the company’s lead in Value Added Services. Apart from regular commitment plans, bonus cards & micro recharge, Sarin plans to storm the market by providing futuristic services like banking, hotmail, data cards, Blackberry & customised messages, among others.

Interestingly, while Sarin plans to register his presence in the Indian telecom market, industry watchers are still not convinced. A telecom analyst on conditions of anonymity says, “though Vodafone has some interesting plans, but still Bharti & RCOM will continue to dominate the sector in 2008.” Well, if Sarin has to prove the analyst wrong, he must devise strategies to address the still-untapped rural markets (even as the metros and A circle markets approach saturation). And not to forget, RCOM already dominates the hinterlands, while Bharti has now initiated its massive rural foray.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Read these article :-
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)

IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)

IIPM makes business education truly global

The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)

IIPM Campus

Promising future

2008-07-14T17:55:00.000+05:30

However not everybody agrees to this prospect of a promising future. Anita puts up her doubts: “I am not sure. The psychographics of Indians especially Delhites is very different. Reading while travelling is not inculcated in our culture, like in the West. However, Mumbai is an exception to it and may be that’s why there is a market for tabloid there.” Moreover, industry watchers alllege that it’s very difficult to change the reading habits of people unless there is a compelling reason. Anita further adds that Mail Today may displace a second newspaper in any household, but for it to take the place of the first paper will be difficult.

However, given the demographics of India, tabloids do seem a promising market. Interesting off beat news is sure to cut ice with the growing population of young people. Looked at like that, Mail Today does appear to be on the right track. By the time public transport facilities improves, the tabloid would have gained sufficient roots in the capital. The rest, as they say, will be history.
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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)

IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)

Sleepy Joes…

2008-07-12T13:14:00.000+05:30

Here’s a wake up call!

Given the high pressure jobs and dreaded deadlines, it’s sounds no less than a joke, but scientists at the University of Warwick and University College, London, have found that excessive sleep could be just as harmful as lack of it. While insufficient sleep can result in doubling the risk of death from cardiovascular ailments, sleeping excessively can result in increasing the chances of diseases other than cardiovascular!

Says Dr. Satish Jain, Head of Neurology Department, Paras Hospitals, “Sleep is essential because there are many reparative processes taking place during that time. And contrary to popular belief, the body is very active during sleep and numerous chemical changes happen. So individual needs of people may vary, but, neither less nor excess of sleep is good for the body!”

The study, although lists out endless diseases due to lack of sleep (hypertension, weight gain, Type II diabetes et al), there is no explanation as to how excessive sleep is directly proportional to mortality, but depression, dizziness, low socio-economic status and cancer related fatigue have been investigated nevertheless. They say, all that’s required is seven hours of consistent sleep…. So the next time your boyfriend rants out how he’s not been getting enough sleep (according to his standards!) as an explanation of reaching three hours late for the movie, don’t forget to push this research down his throat!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative

Don’t go by her jingles

2008-05-08T12:43:00.000+05:30

Renuka JAYPAL...is a blast from the past you would surely, always love to remember

‘You and I in this beautiful world’, when you hear that, remember Renuka Jaypal, a beautiful lady behind the most successful ad campaigns of Hutch in India. Starting her professional journey way back in the 1990s with Rediffusion DY&R, the lady joined Ogilvy in 1992 and has been associated with Ogilvy ever since. Though she took a break to try her skills at production, she returned to Ogilvy and started handling Maxtouch, which was rebranded as Orange in 2000. She was also involved in the launch of Hutchison Telecom an continued to head the brand across six Ogilvy India operations.

Renuka served Ogilvyone India as President for more than two years before she headed to look after the ageny’s Indonesian operations. Kaizad Pardiwalla, President, OgilvyOne Worldwide, India says, “Renuka has great strategic acumen and a flair for creativity as well. This combination has proven invaluable to the clients. She is one of the nicest persons I know.” Piyush Pandey, Group Head and National Creative Director, O&M, shared with 4Ps B&M, “Renuka is the lady who built the Hutch brand. She is well recognized to become the Chairman of Ogilvy Indonesia.” So where’s her future? Well, all we can say is that India’s loss is Indonesia’s gain.

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

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The Sunday Indian

Would Vodafone’s India strategy pay up?

2008-04-03T17:49:00.000+05:30

Justifying the timing of the Indian foray however, Vodafone spokesperson told 4Ps B&M, “India is strategically a very significant market for us, as it is a growing market... With growing affluence, we expect it to grow much higher.” Even Arun Sarin, while announcing this year financials, flamboyantly emphasised India’s significance globally!

Clearly, the strategy at hand is now to shift gears from matured markets. For example, Vodafone had bid adieu to the fixed line business in Japan for a total consideration of £9 billion in May 2006. It’s true that globally, Vodafone has witnessed growth of 6% in the year 2006-07, bringing down operating losses 800 times. But all that is put to naught when one sees that most hilariously, the current year’s loss of £2.4 billion is actually something to cheer about, as last year the same loss was at a killing £14.9 billion! And Arun Sarin hasn’t even blinked! Well, we couldn’t ask for more!

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

The Sunday Indian

Animated joint venture

2008-03-24T13:17:00.001+05:30

East is going to meet West – very animatedly at that! India’s leading Yash Raj Films Studios has entered into an agreement with The Walt Disney Studios to create a series of original and exclusive computer- animated feature films. Commenting on the announcement, “We’re thrilled and honoured to be working with Yash and Aditya Chopra and their talented team at YRF Studios to create exceptional animated films in Indian languages that are culturally relevant for the avid movie-going audiences in India and around the world,” said Cook, Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. Yash Raj Films and Walt Disney Studios will work exclusively to co-produce a series of animation films in Indian languages. Each film under this alliance will be creatively overseen by Aditya Chopra (of Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge and Mohabbatein fame) and worked on with an inventive array of leading local talent. The first film to be co-produced in this alliance will be ‘Roadside Romeo’, set to release in 2008. Looking forward to some animated suspension of disbelief then!

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

‘Green-Back’ or ‘Green Path’?

2008-03-03T10:59:00.000+05:30

They base their environmental programs on the mantra – “Design, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and Dispose”. They are the first restaurant company to start ‘Litter Patrols’ where each staff member goes out and picks-up not just their own used packaging but also any other litter that has been discarded, carelessly! The restaurant, if you have not already surmised, is McDonald’s. The latest in their series of moves is to convert the spent cooking oil into biodiesel fuel! “A marketing gimmick” according to some; but the background suggests something else!

Starting with a single drive-in restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1948, and currently operating over 15000 restaurants across 70 countries, McDonald’s has been breaking new grounds on issues that affect the customer. Ingrained with Ray Kroc’s founding policy of Quality, Service, Cleanliness and Value, their initiatives are palpable in their involvement in community projects on education, health care, and rehabilitation facilities liberally interspersed with their trysts with the environmental destiny!

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

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The Sunday Indian

When ‘real’ growth is what you desire, you need to face ‘reality’!

2008-02-18T11:45:00.000+05:30

In India’s fast-growing economy, real estate has emerged as one of the most attractive investment areas for domestic as well as foreign investors. Research estimates that Indian Real Estate market is expected to grow from the current $14 billion to $102 billion in the next 10 years. As per ASSOCHAM, the booming real estate market will gain momentum and is likely to attract foreign investment worth Rs.80 billion in 2007.

The main growth thrust is primarily due to favourable demographics, increasing purchasing power, existence of customer friendly banks & housing finance companies, professionalism in real estate and favourable reforms initiated by the government to attract global investors.

The country has had three good fiscals of growth and currently is clocking a 9% growth rate. Add to this a pre-disposed government focused on strengthening India’s socio-economic fabric through continuous reforms and liberalization charter. Additionally there is a huge focus on developing the social and physical infrastructure of the country including roads, airports, bridges, SEZs, cities and integrated townships.

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Extracting India!

2008-02-05T12:51:00.000+05:30

Remember your class 7th Geography text books & all that effort to learn by rote about the Zinc, Copper & Bauxite deposits in various parts of the country. As kids, we oft en complained & questioned the practicality of learning the boring details about those metals. Little did we realise then, that it is the abundance of these very metals which make a country of teeming poverty, look rich (India produces89 minerals, of which, 4 are fuel minerals, 11 metallic, 52 non-metallic & 22 minor minerals).

To help India realise its full mineral exploitation potential, Union Government’s Group of Ministers has prepared a Draft National Mineral Policy 2007, which is to be placed before Union Cabinet & later in Parliament.

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

The Sunday Indian

9/11 couldn’t (Im)melt him!

2008-01-28T17:48:00.000+05:30

Holding the reins of a 129-year old extraordinarily diversified conglomerate, the only name that has remained on the Fortune 500 elite list (since its inception in 1955) with a gargantuan m-cap of a blinding $418.6 billion on the NYSE & a grand $160.9 billion in annual revenues during 2006 pouring in from eleven business verticals (ranging from aviation & infrastructure to finance, healthcare & energy), is by no means a task free of hitches… Don’t believe us? Well, ask Jeffrey (Jeff ) Immelt, the CEO of General Electric & he’d thumpingly reiterate that!

Sworn in just four days prior to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Jeff passed his most fragile days in the company under the shadow of huge setbacks to its aviation & insurance businesses. Infact, GE’s insurance business alone suffered a substantial $660 million in losses due to the attacks. Then followed the Enron scandal, which again cast huge allegations on the company. Those were the thorny heydays for the man who had previously led GE’s $7 billion Medical Systems unit as its CEO! But surely, there must have been some reason why a seasoned CEO like Jack Welch handpicked him from amongst the crowd. Surely, it was not because both started their careers in GE’s Plastics unit. Surely not!

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

IIPM, Business College Ranking India BBA Institute India, IIPM IIPM - Nikhil Khade Online Welcome to 4Ps Business and Marketing The IIPM Think Tank IIPM New Delhi India Professor Arindam Chaudhuri, Renowned Management Guru & Economist IIPM Info Planning and Entrepreneurship Programme, IIPM New Delhi, India Business And Economy IIPM Placements New Delhi, India IIPM Business Management Institute India

Wild, wilder, wildest!

2008-01-18T11:52:00.000+05:30

The bane of the Bajaj Group is very clearly in their love to run their companies while owning them. It seems funny that neither Rahul nor the other owners have considered the fact that hiring non-family external CEOs to run their family companies can in one shot resolve the family disputes about control; and also portray an extremely professional image of the group. In November 2006, Rahul boasted at a Wharton symposium, “There is no reason to believe that a non-owner (CEO) is more competent than an owner (CEO).” Sadly, with this statement, Rahul gave away lack of even skimming knowledge of research on the subject. Research from Harvard, London Business School et al has proved beyond doubt that family CEOs will eventually destroy firm value and ensure breaking up of groups. And now, according to the exemplary BDO Stoy Hayward Survey, only around 10% of family-businesses globally survive past the 3rd generation.

Dear Rahul, it’s already the third generation at Bajaj now, a group that has started breaking apart at breakneck speed. Was it a coincidence then that just this week news filtered out that you are finally searching for an outside CEO for Bajaj Auto? Perhaps... The New York Times writes about the movie Wild Hogs, “It’s a comedy about male midlife anxiety. Some of us may not find the subject so funny, but never mind.” Dear Sir, we know you don’t find this funny; it was never meant to be a comedy anyway; but we’re anxious, so are lakhs of your shareholders. And wild as we may be, we just can’t ‘never mind’!

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Home Campus Tour Contact Us Sitemap IIPM Think Tank IIPM National Brochure IIPM in Media India Today & Tomorrow
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Millions of young hands are learning to press the trigger...

2008-01-10T12:20:00.000+05:30

At any point of time about 300,000 kids are involved in some kind of war or conflict in more than 85 countries. Some are yet to cross their tenth year on Earth. As of now, Africa alone has more than 200,000 child soldiers involved in wars & armed conflicts in Burundi, Chad, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan, & Uganda. As if all these were not enough that an additional 500,000 children are estimated to be involved in paramilitary groups in almost all continents of the world. The worst suffers are the fairer sex, as many girl soldiers (40% of total) are recruited to provide sexual services & are even raped & gang raped in the war camps repeatedly. Such reports no wonder oft en go unreported or at best ignored. This stark reality of millions of kids in this word is incidentally a stark contrast to the affluence that an equal number grow up in developed world. Forget the digital divide, unless steps are taken to restore some sort of parity, be prepared for the coming apocalypse.

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Indian pharmaceutical players have been among the frontrunners that have moved in for the kill

2007-12-29T09:57:00.000+05:30

Indian pharmaceutical players have been among the frontrunners that have moved in for the kill, more so in the post-liberalisation era. They are not just reveling in the plethora of opportunities that have opened up, thanks largely to a number of patents expiring. Indian companies, irrespective of their size, are taking up the cudgels in every sphere of the gargantuan pharma space, and they even have a war chest ready to enable them to gobble-up First World companies, as and when required. However, on the other hand, the Indian players have also learned (the hard way) how tough the generic business can be. This is a space that has seen murderous price wars (particularly in the US), despite the fact that China, the undisputed master of the pricing game, doesn’t account for much in the pharma sweepstakes. Even though they are enjoying their day in the sun, these firms still lack the financial and R&D muscle of the beleaguered pharma giants. Will Indian firms ever be able to metamorphose into giant killers? We take a closer look…

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Trade Disorders

2007-12-13T11:45:00.000+05:30

It was almost inevitable: the complete failure and breakdown of talks under the so-called Doha Round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations. There is that old adage about parallel lines not meeting at all and the stance adopted by the First and Third World nations reflects two parallel lines. Developed nations and blocs like United States and the European Union want greater access to Third World markets; yet, they are not willing to allow Third World farmers unfettered access to their own markets. Seven years after the Doha Round of negotiations started, it is clear that the US and the EU are simply not willing to come even half way on the issue of farm subsidies. In an earlier era, these developed nations could ram their unilateral decisions down on Third World nations, because the latter were hopelessly dependent on the former for aid, technology and capital. That’s no longer the case. Countries like Brazil and India are no longer meek pushovers in the global arena, and they are not willing to accept patently unfair terms in the global trade regime. It is no wonder WTO negotiations are breaking down repeatedly.

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

The enemy within...

2007-12-05T11:59:00.000+05:30

It’s been a long time since the days of Charu Majumdar and Naxalbari movement. India has changed much from those days and though disparities, inequalities and discrimination still prevail in many of the pockets of the country, the movement that is going on in the name of Naxalism today is far from the ideology of Charu Majumdar. Ironically, today Naxalites have literally become an anti-thesis of what essentially was the reason for the initiation of the movement. In the last few years, more people have died due to their mayhem than in wars or in, say, Kashmir. Those are oft en the hapless and poor foot soldiers of CRPF and State police along with innocent villagers who are the victims of their atrocity. Critics say that given the millions they collect annually through extradition, they could have literally changed the landscape of rural India if they wanted.

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Kellogg: Not for children under...

2007-11-29T11:25:00.000+05:30

Kellogg Company, popularly known as Kellogg, has decided to block marketing of certain products to children. The voluntary initiative would see the introduction of ‘front of pack’ nutrition labelling. As per Kellogg Global Nutrient Criteria, a new internal standard, the company would adhere to certain norms while deciding what and how to market to children via all the channels. According to the company, ‘those products that don’t meet the criteria (which is almost 50% of Kellogg products currently marketed to children worldwide) will either be reformulated to meet the ‘Nutrient Criteria’ or they will no longer be marketed to children under twelve by the end of 2008.’ Later in 2007, the company would introduce Guidline Daily Amounts (GDAs) in the US, Canada and Mexico on the front labels of ready-to-eat cereal packages on sale.

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Well worth the weight!

2007-11-23T11:43:00.000+05:30

“The devil has put a penalty on all things we enjoy in life. Either we suffer in health, or we suffer in soul or we get fat.” But the first people to disagree with Albert Einstein would be the gigantic followers of Shinto, the sumo wrestlers. sumo, a world that contains a world in itself. Everything about them is XL (Extra Large) – and once you see them thunderously thwacking their larger than life bodies – one begins to be sure of the origin of seismic activities on the Japanese archipelago!

Furthermore, love for this wrestling has found takers in countries apart from the Fuji-land as well; considering that the reigning Yokozunas – the highest rank in sumo wrestling – Asashoryu Akinori and Hakuho, are both Mongolians! And as the greatest wrestlers of the world meet for the fifteen day Nagoya Basho, one of the six grand sumo wrestling tournaments, at the Aichi Prefectural Gymnasium From July 8, the wait for another world champion is almost over!

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

The world is going places... what about you?

2007-11-19T16:46:00.000+05:30

“If you don’t climb the mountain, that is all you’ll be able to see...” – an old jungle saying! Alright, we flicked it right from the Phantom books down the hallway; but the fact is that this is quite a fantastic simile for the current state of investment options available for Indians, historically consigned to investing in mountains after mountains of extremely boring domestic currency investment options. Fortunately, Indian financial institutions are ensuring that this situation does not continue for long. In short, now you can go global with every penny that you might have.

A number of fund houses are gearing up to woo Indian investors in the best possible manner. Reliance, Tata, UTI, Kotak – all these mutual fund houses are on the cutting edge to present either a global fund investment option or a global advisory package for their customers. Kotak AMC has already filed the offer document with SEBI for the launch of the Global Emerging Markets Equity Fund, having tied up with the US-based firm, T Rowe Price. “This product that we would launch, would allow domestic investors to invest in global emerging markets; (and) India is a part of emerging markets,” is the assurance provided by Sandesh Kirkire, CEO, Kotak AMC. So what is the issue that he believes, could prevent Indians from investing abroad? “Today, SEBI allows you to invest either in fixed income or in equity. In fixed income, that is the debt markets, Indian interest rates are much higher than other markets.”

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Jehadi Who?

2007-11-01T17:22:00.000+05:30

Nobody can accuse the Indian media of being sqeamish or coy when it comes to breathlessly peddling sensational stories that emanate from the West. So, the blitz of stories about how a few young, educated and professional Muslims from India joining the ranks of al-Qaeda is almost as if Armageddon is imminent. Doctors are worried if they will get jobs in the UK and Indian pundits are worried that the country will get a ‘bad name’ in Western capitals as an emerging hub of terror, à la Pakistan. The tone and tenor of virtually all the media reports is: “O my God, now you have Jehadis working inside India!”

This would have been laughable, if the implications were not so dangerous. Are we now to believe that Jehadi terrorism is something that India is discovering only due to a couple of young Muslims were caught trying to cause mayhem in United Kingdom? Can someone tell us who is responsible for the following incidents? The attack on Indian Parliament in 2001; the killing of 20-plus policemen in a dawn shooting in Calcutta in 2002; the massacre of pilgrims in Akhshardham Temple in Ahmedabad in 2002; the Varanasi blasts; the Sarojini Nagar (Delhi) blasts; the Mumbai train blasts; the blasts in Malegaon and Hyderabad ?

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Home Campus Tour Contact Us Sitemap IIPM Think Tank IIPM National Brochure IIPM in Media India Today & Tomorrow

Strategic Alliance / Consulting / Intellectual Tic-up Partners Arindam chaudhuri GIDF Planman Consulting Business & Economy 4Ps Business & Marketing The Sunday Indian The Daily Indian Kkoooljobs.com

A call to Arms

2007-10-30T15:23:00.000+05:30

If the early 1990s had marked a big break from the closed economy model of the socialist era, the mid 1990s defined a paradigm shift away from the Nehruvian foreign policy model. It is not far fetched to state that the 21st century ushers in a new era in privatisation of Indian defence, endeavouring to transform the mighty Indian armed forces from a ‘holy cow’ to a roaring tiger Imagine, the hostilities have broken out between India and its primary adversary. The Indian naval warships & airforce combatants deployed in the war zone are all set to launch their missiles onto the enemy vessels & territory. And suddenly, they find their navigation equipment – dependent on feed from the US-based global positioning system (GPS) – giving erroneous output. The war machines go blind because they don’t know where they are and in which direction to turn. The missiles with faulty navigation technology are flying helter-skelter. All plans go haywire. This is a possible scenario, which the defence strategists oft en discuss to bring out the dangers of over-dependence on foreign defence technology & the importance of indigenisation.

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Source: IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Home Campus Tour Contact Us Sitemap IIPM Think Tank IIPM National Brochure IIPM in Media India Today & Tomorrow

Strategic Alliance / Consulting / Intellectual Tic-up Partners Arindam chaudhuri GIDF Planman Consulting Business & Economy 4Ps Business & Marketing The Sunday Indian The Daily Indian Kkoooljobs.com

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Shifting to channel selling is unavoidable, but the road ahead is tough...

2007-10-23T13:46:00.000+05:30

Of course, the numbers tell the true story. While HP has already dethroned Dell as the top PC vendor in October 2006, the shipment results for Quarter 1 2007 brought greater worries. HP outperformed the industry with an impressive annual growth rate of 28% while Dell floundered with a decline of 7.8%! Dell’s market share plummeted & stood at just 13.9% compared to HP’s 17.6%. Exclaims Gartner Analyst Jeffrey Hewitt, “Dell faces challenges related as much to business-model fundamentals as to execution issues. Re-evaluating its business strategy is a good first step...” But the scepticism refuses to die as well. “These are areas where Dell has limited experience, so it will be a major challenge for Dell to excel...” opines another Gartner Analyst Heeral Joshipura.

Add to that the fact that a lot of channel partners of rival companies like HP & Lenovo wouldn’t be too excited to partner with an erstwhile staunch rival like Dell. And if at all they would, they would drive a very hard bargain, which could further squeeze Dell’s margins. While times demand a focus on sales growth over bottom lines, this strategic reversal will most likely be a painful one.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source: IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

Home Campus Tour Contact Us Sitemap IIPM Think Tank IIPM National Brochure IIPM in Media India Today & Tomorrow
Strategic Alliance / Consulting / Intellectual Tic-up Partners Arindam chaudhuri GIDF Planman Consulting Business & Economy 4Ps Business & Marketing The Sunday Indian The Daily Indian Kkoooljobs.com

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Should Biyani be even worried about advocates of the Devil like us?

2007-10-17T14:34:00.000+05:30

At least, he never gave anything away in any of his meetings with us. “We have been a pioneer in many of the formats of retailing earlier; and we will continue to be so in the future,” he confidently asserted to B&E in our previous meeting. Look at the situation from his perspective – Pantaloon continues to ride the organised retail boom, thanks to the compelling ‘pioneer’ advantage. For the nine months ended March 2007, the company has continued meteoric rise to register profits of Rs.23.6 billion (yoy growth of 63.8%). Profits after tax were equally encouraging at 110% to reach Rs.1 billion. And Kishore Biyani has even been christened The International Retailer for the Year 2007 by the US National Retail Federation. Why in heavens should he even care two hoots about doomsday specialists?

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source: IIPM Editorial, 2006

An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

IIPM, Business College Ranking India BBA Institute India, IIPM IIPM - Nikhil Khade Online Welcome to 4Ps Business and Marketing The IIPM Think Tank IIPM New Delhi India Professor Arindam Chaudhuri, Renowned Management Guru & Economist IIPM Info Planning and Entrepreneurship Programme, IIPM New Delhi, India Business And Economy IIPM Placements New Delhi, India IIPM Business Management Institute India