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Who says a kid can’t go around buying home loans?

2012-01-25T17:36:00.001+05:30

Set aside the percentages and mature looking wisemen –TATA capital uses a girl child to put across its message strongly, all in a matter of 45 seconds

Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration. – Charles Dickens

The image of a home attracts everyone – from a first grade-identity-badge-dangling-fresh-kid-in-school (who smiles when he can pencil down his first crooked shaped-chimney-flaunting structure) to a professional (who is busy calculating the EMIs). Spoken in a more mature tone – purchasing a home is one of the biggest dreams come true in a mortal’s life. Not to say, those belonging to the middle class don’t live such moments. They do. All thanks to the plethora of home loan options that are thrown around in the market, uniquely packaged in the names of various corporate brands. There is a difference though. That of trust – home purchases are high involvement tasks and if a brand like Tata Capital Housing Finance Limited (TCHFL), walks up to you with an offer, you definitely will consider giving it a good look. Forget the brand equity. Jump straight to its campaign – TCHFL has done a handsome job with its campaign of three TVCs that announce its home loans offerings with a new tagline – “Karein wahi jo aapkey liyey sahi.”

Explaining the tagline, Govind Sankarnarayanan, Director – TCHFL, tells 4Ps B&M that, “The purchase of a home is one of the biggest decisions taken by any individual and Tata Capital assist the buyer in taking the right financing decision. Each home loan customer has specific requirements, and we at TCHFL offer customised home loan solutions that are flexible and tailored to the individual needs of our customers.”

“Customised” is a soothing term, especially when you talk about the ever-rising interest rates. This third in the TVC series, is a simple film told in a refreshing manner, staying true to the brand’s visual imagery of the world of kids. The ad has moved away from the oft-used portrayal of couples, to something more real and relevant. Rented accommodations never allow the freedom of a home you own, and this 45-seconder brings this to the fore. It shows a little girl, who loves to sing. She is shown trying to do so in various places – in school, at the zoo et al. But those around her cut her short each time. In the end, she is shown in her home, where she realises that she can sing, uninterrupted by anyone. The voice over at the end announces, “Khul key jiyo, apney ghar mein.” In short, through this ad, TCHFL explains how one can move closer to the joy of owning a home just by asking for one of its customised home loans.

Launched on November 8, 2011, this TVC (like the previous two ads in the campaign) was conceptualised by Leo Burnett and produced by Chrome Pictures. Elaborating on the creative brief, K. V. Sridhar, NCD, Leo Burnett, explains to 4Ps B&M, “The idea is based on the fact that people have the freedom to do what they want only in their own homes. And TCHFL empowers people to experience the joy of such a freedom with home loans. Based on this, we came up with a simple yet endearing film told in a refreshing manner through the world of kids. Kids have an innocence that makes the message more engaging and creates empathy among the audience.”

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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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Flavours of India

2010-07-22T15:54:00.001+05:30

These are not celebrated stories of fortune 500 global brands with multi-million marketing budgets or chest-thumping nuggets about state sponsored public sector heavyweights; neither are they oft-repeated sagas of how some dynamic guys combated India’s license regime to emerge as global business tycoons or even how some new age leaders pounced on sunrise sectors to carve their niche. instead these are stories about humble beginnings, sometimes misplaced ambitions and halting growth. the following pages may titillate many, but if the entrepreneurial vision of these regional rajahs influence even a few, our purpose will have been served. Read on...
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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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In Media: think local act local!!

2010-04-02T11:33:00.004+05:30

Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

For now, Media is the lone cash cow in Madison World. Group CEO, Punitha Arumugam on the challenges of living & winning with limitations...

4Ps: You are the lone big agency today that is not aligned with a global partner. In an industry where multinats automatically partner with global agencies, how does Madison’s client list still boast so many MNC clients?
PA: The more you know your limitations, the more you strive for success. We know we are competing with Indian agencies that have global capacities at their beck and call. We recognised that weakness early and worked hard to overcome it. That is the single biggest reason for our success. For example, we know that other agencies have access to global R&D tool, so we’ve developed our own in-house tools. The beauty is that while other agencies are using globally developed tools, which are not adapted to the very different realities of the Indian market; Madison uses tools developed in India that are totally attuned to the local market.

4Ps: So would you say that these tools comprise the strength of Madison?
PA: Yes, but the real strength of Madison is our people, our value system & commitment to our clients. That’s why the industry says, once a Madison client, always a Madison client!

4Ps: Don’t global alignments of big multinational clients affect you?
PA: Global alignments affect us, but they’ve not hindered us. Check our clients – Coca Cola, P&G, GM, Cadbury, McDonald’s... I don’t think that solutions for media are global. In creative, you can think global and act local because basic consumer psychology is almost similar. But in media, one has to think local and act local because media market realities are different than developed nations. Especially in India and China, the media market is very complicated due to strong regional influences.

4Ps: But today the market mostly functions on global alignments...
PA: Yes, but the market is slowly moving toward local alignment in Media. The slowdown had many clients calling for pitches and I know that they are favouring local expertise more.

4Ps: Any plans as of now to expand Media’s ambit?
PA: We’ve set up a second brand Platinum Media and we’re looking at more ways to consolidate its strength. A parallel brand not only helps us handle competitive brands but also gives growth opportunities for our people. If Madison handles Zee; Platinum has NDTV Imagine. Within Madison itself, we have created four units. Madison Media has 30 clients and each of our individual sub-units handle 7-8 clients each, to give them individual attention.

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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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A crown of thorns?

2009-09-11T14:43:00.001+05:30

IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau

Good news is sometimes clothed in misery. Or so it seems for N. Chandrasekaran, COO of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), who is all set to succeed S. Ramadorai to the top job at India’s biggest software exporter in October this year.The move, subject to shareholders approval, would make Chandrasekaran, 45, one of the youngest CEOs to spearhead the IT company. Where’s the misery, you ask? Well, the transition has come in times of trouble, implying a tough road ahead for the new CEO. His foremost challenge will be to deal with the hiccups thrown TCS’ way by the economic slowdown & Obama’s outsourcing protectionism. He also needs to look at new ways of lowering costs to keep competition at bay. “He must focus on strengthening TCS’ footprint in other emerging markets to end all problems,” suggests N. Wadhwa, MD, SKI Capital. Once Chandrasekaran takes over, market watchers familiar with his style of working, predict a more aggressive era for TCS. But it certainly will not be a walk in the park as recessionary clouds loom large in global markets...

Ratan Lal Bhagat

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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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Bakwaas or first class?

2009-08-21T13:33:00.000+05:30

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Brand: Harvest Gold
Agency: Equus red cell

Desperately in need of a strong communiqué to expand its reach from local to national, Harvest Gold came up with a flashy campaign that said, Bakwaas Advertising – First Class Bread. Not everyone has the ability to laugh at oneself, and so the campaign got noticed widely. Harvest Gold had arrived on the national stage!

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

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Style: Just another ‘Titanic’ tick

2009-08-06T12:24:00.000+05:30

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Brand: Titan
Agency: O&M
What’s your style campaign was the answer to Titan’s desperate and long-overdue search to make a style statement in the Indian wrist watch market. Launched in 1987, the campaign was perhaps Titan’s first successful effort in gaining consumer loyalty and diverting attention from powerful competitors like Seiko and Casio. The campaign not just claimed the Effie in the gold category; it also solved the low-sales problem of the brand. By 2005, Titan accounted for a staggering 25% share of the total market. Tick-tack-toe...

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

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Exclusive: Michael Maedel, Worldwide President, JWT on the need for Strategy Over Statistics for Advertising Effectiveness

2009-07-23T17:13:00.001+05:30

Effective campaigns engage consumers by tying brand attribute to message

Recently, I was tasked with judging over 100 submissions for an advertising effectiveness competition. No small job. For each one, I ranked their strategy, creativity, execution and results. I had been looking forward to the opportunity to review the best work from all over the region. I felt like it was a real treat to put aside everyday tasks for several hours and really focus on the core of our business - the work. Supposedly, each agency has sent their best of the best. Yet, after just a few entries I was dismayed at the level of work. Were agencies not discriminating enough when they sent in the entries? Was the overall caliber of work sinking? Clients and agencies use all types of metrics to determine campaign effectiveness – some measure increased sales, others brand affinity or memory recall. Most of the entries I reviewed listed out detailed quantitative support proving why their ad was the most effective ad of the year.

But let’s face it – if you work in a big market like Mumbai, Shanghai or Tokyo, it’s easy to find a few impressive statistics that back up your work. While statistics are good supporting material, it’s more important to evaluate whether the campaign had a clear strategy to engage the consumer. As I continued to slog through the entries, I was having a hard time focusing, even after a double espresso. Towards the end of the second batch, I found a different kind of caffeinated encouragement. It was Red Lounge’s “First Coke of the Year Campaign,” which was launched for Chinese New Year’s.

Unlike typical traditional Chinese New Year’s communications using the “Year of the Ox” themes, the central theme focused on humanity and optimism through the symbolic act of sharing the First Coke of the Year. It was a touching campaign featuring the famous Chinese Olympic hurdler, Liu Xiang and his father. He honours his father by sharing his “first coke” with him during China’s most important holiday of the year. At the end of the commercial, it asks “Who will you share your first Coke with?”

This ad got the most important guideline of effective advertising correct – engaging the consumer’s emotions in some way. Not only does it engage the consumer’s emotions, it has a subtle call to action asking them to “share” a Coke with someone they care about.

As we all know, one great commercial does not make for effective advertising. In the best case scenario, the consumer is reminded of the brand message through a range of media and ultimately, engaged in the advertising campaign.

Coke, as a big advertiser, understands that to generate results, they must have a variety of touch points. Besides the TVC, Coke launched an online campaign that encouraged the public to post their personal stories on who they chose to share their first Coke of the Year. The level and depth of engagement they achieved through this “story-telling” was impressive.

In conclusion, an effective campaign must engage the consumer by tying a product or brand attribute to the campaign message. That message can’t just be a heart-warming story; it must include a call to action. And that message must be appropriately reinforced. Lastly, a great campaign engages the consumer and encourages the consumer to actively participate in it. Both clients and award shows will often scrutinise measurements for advertising effectiveness, but honestly, it’s easy to spot an effective campaign because they simply follow the advertising basics for good advertising and you are drawn to it, just as a consumer would be.

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NITA AMBANI - MUMBAI INDIANS, EST. LOSS: RS. 45.38 CRORE

2009-06-24T12:42:00.002+05:30

2300 IIPM students get jobs

"Ram Mohan is a juice vendor who was hoping to sell many glasses of juice this year to the fans of IPL. But he is now a worried man. Reason? ”Last year, I was selling juice outside the stadium. It was a very good season for me. One of the best that I have ever had,” he says. The change in the venue is a big blow for the business of Ram Mohan and his fellow vendors, who were eagerly waiting for the second innings of IPL to kick off."

Moreover, as the General Elections would be held during the same period, it is expected that the viewership would be divided. Sample this: as per data from aMap, viewership for news channels shot up by 50% during the State Assembly Elections in December 2008. Imagine what frenzy will be there when General Elections are going on. “A lot of male population that comprise a major chunk of viewership for cricket matches, would also be glued to their idiot box for election updates and results, which would mean that there would be lesser number of people watching IPL at that point in time,” explains Surbhi C. Murthy, Delhi Branch Head, Allied Media. And if the initial TRPs are below expectations, be rest assured that advertisers and marketers will renegotiate deals. And if broadcast revenues take a hit, most certainly, the event will be a dead property as the biggest source of revenues for the franchisees in Season 1 were the monies accrued from broadcast rights (collectively Rs.280 crore).

Take all the above numbers into consideration and even you would arrive at the conclusion that the combined revenues of the eight franchisees this year will work out to be around Rs.387.8 crore (much below last year when the figure was Rs.535 crore). And the total expenses on the other hand will come to Rs.665.16 crore (taking into consideration the incremental cost to be borne for acquisition of new players other than the 20% escalation in administrative costs, due to the shift in venue).This clearly indicates that all franchisees would have to collectively lose a minimum of Rs.277.36 crore because of the event being held at South Africa (see table).

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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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Pawan Chabra provides the solution for long-term sustainability. And proves why new launches alone are just not... enough!!!

2009-05-06T17:01:00.002+05:30

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-53% : How would you react to the figure if your head of sales came up to you one fine day and claimed that that was the percentage change in monthly domestic sales as compared to the previous year? Would you fire him, or at least give him some words that would buzz around in his nightmares for some good quarters?!? Now let us put that hypothetical situation in realtime frame. Bajaj Auto Limited, saw its domestic sales falling to a lowly 69,419 units for the month of December 2008, a real-time 53.34% fall in sales (as compared to December 2007) and overall sales falling by 33%, after having fallen for the preceeding months too (see table titled ‘Clearly, not the time of its life... Or is’t?’)! Even for the period April-December 2008-09, the growth story was quite demotivating with the percentage figure actually being a negative 21.24% on a y-o-y comparison! Yes, we do consider the fact that this has been a year/period when many an auto giant has kissed the ground below, but at the same time (and for the same period mentioned above), how do we justify the handsome sales growth of Hero Honda, HMSI and Yamaha reading light years better at +11.16%, +16.62% & +27.09% (note the ‘+’ives there!)??? The only two-wheeler company amongst the top four in the country who we missed out in the statistical comparison above was TVS Motor Co., which too saw a relatively decent fall of just 2.45% in the period mentioned above. So once again, how does Rajiv Bajaj react to the Bajaj ship entering the cursed Doldrums, a curse which has even dug deep into its net profits for the quarter Q3, FY 2008-09, gnawing it by a further 23% to touch Rs.164 crore as compared to Q3, FY 2007-08.

Here’s a truth that would perhaps take you by surprise; Rajiv’s reaction is thus: the bold man has lined-up six new products to be launched in 2009, with an aim to make a comeback into the positive growth zone (bold?!). Out of the 6 new promises, the identity of 4 bikes were revealed, out of which 3 belong to the value-segment and one to the premium-segment (Ninja 250cc).The positive thing working for him at the moment is the fact that most experts in the sector are vouching for his success (with the new launches), as they still consider the Indian auto market to be following a growth trajectory. But will the effort be worth for Bajaj to reach expected heights? And will the company finally stage a comeback, having been reduced to the #4 spot in the two-wheeler industry from being counted amongst the top two in the country?

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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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Pigeons have traveled 700 kms in 11 hours – faster than the Indian ‘express’ trains!

2009-03-18T15:28:00.002+05:30

For organisers, the time between January to March is suitable for these adventures. The preparations get underway in December itself, when training for the birds includes flight drills of up to 13 hours, and repeated practice to re-enter the loft at the master’s place. Only those pigeons that are able to meet these challenges get to contest in the races. Pigeons aged above between 6 months and 10 years are eligible entrants, though average racing career rarely exceeds three years. They are essentially vegetarians: nuts, wheat, soft flowers, green gram, corn etc keep them flapping fit for the long flights. Members spend Rs 500 per month on the diet of the birds.

Over the last few years KRPC has organised the race in many locations at Karnataka, the starting points being as far afield as Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamilnadu and Maharashtra. Last year, more than a 1000 pigeons proved their pluck in races conducted at Anantpur (Andhra Pradesh); Guntkal, Raichur, Gulbarga (Karnataka) and Wardha, Nanded (Maharashtra). This year, the races at Anantpur, Karnool, Shahad Nagar and Nanded have been accomplished. While the Wardha race will take place this month, the much awaited Bhopal race is scheduled for March. The one over the longest distance, the latter is to be conducted under the aegis of South Indian Federation of Racing Pigeon Club, so that both the constituent Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Club pigeons would jointly contest from Bhopal.

“The air distance between Bhopal to Bangalore and Chennai is almost similar, i.e. 1020 kms. So, we pit our pigeons against those of the Tamil Nadu Club. It is the first time our pigeons will commute such a great distance,” says Chellaiah, Secretary, KRPC. Lest the enthusiasm of the members brimmeth over, only 25 pigeons belonging to KRPC have been allowed to participate in the Bhopal race. The race categories are ‘Young Derby’, ‘Open Bird’, and ‘Derby Bird’. While Young Derby provides stage for debut entrants, the veterans and previous year winners are allowed to participate in Open Bird. In Derby Bird, only one pigeon per member can participate.....Continue

It’s Jamal versus Benjamin!

2009-02-23T17:27:00.003+05:30

Mumbai slum kids are pitted against Brad Pitt at the Oscar race

This week’s nominations for the 81st annual Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards, popularly known as Oscars, brought a staggering 13 nominations for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, while “Slumdog Millionaire” got 10, with both films shortlisted for best director, best picture and best adapted screenplay. The nominations manifest a momentous achievement for the two films that faced great odds – while “Benjamin Button” took almost two decades to complete, “Slumdog Millionaire” was all but dumped by its original American distributor. “Benjamin Button”, for which Brad Pitt got a nod as the best actor for playing a man who was born old and dies as a child, loosely based on a 1920s short story by F Scott Fitzgerald, remained just one nomination short of “All About Eve” (1950) and “Titanic” (1997), who jointly share the record of 14 nominations. On the other hand, “Slumdog Millionaire”, the tale of a teenage slum dweller’s implausible triumph at India's version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire”, got 10 nominations, including three for AR Rahman. Other nominations in this category include holocaust drama “The Reader”, the presidential contest tale “Frost/Nixon” and “Milk”, the memoir of revolutionary gay policy-maker Harvey Milk. Talking to TSI, noted film critique Peter Travers said, "Slumdog Millionaire" has hit a chord with people. I am yet to meet someone who says he did not like the movie. The only thing that might go against it is that none of its casts have been nominated.”

On the best actor front, nominations were on the expected lines. However, Brad Pitt is on for a tight race with veteran Sean Penn and Mickey Rourke, nominated for their respective portrayals of a gay-rights activist in “Milk” and an ageing professional fighter in “The Wrestler”. The best female actor nominations bring nod for Kate Winslet. However, she got it for “ The Reader” and not for “Revolutionary Road” that saw a remarkable performance by her. It again signified the Academy’s age-old fixation with holocaust related dramas. Eyebrows were raised in the past when Adrien Brody (The Pianist) was chosen over Daniel Day Lewis’ splendid acting in “Gangs of New York”.

Actor Heath Ledger was posthumously nominated for his supporting role as the villainous Joker in “The Dark Knight”, which bagged eight nominations. If he wins, he will be the only actor (apart from Peter Finch, honoured posthumously for 1976's hit “Network”) to be conferred with the Oscar posthumously. The winner will be announced on February 22 at the Oscar ceremony at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.....Continue

Hail Obama - But can he really deliver?

2009-02-17T13:05:00.002+05:30

Elizabeth M.Kein
Past President, American Society for Quality

I think it’s too early to say what Barack Obama would do for the world or for that matter, how he would shape his relationship with Asian nations. I strongly feel that we need to sit and watch at this point of time what this flambuoyant man can do. But we need to think about his hard, and Americans must not think that Obama will solve all problems of the US at one go. It’s not easy for him either to solve the economic and social problems that the US is facing right now. It is indeed challenging.

We all know about the conditions of India and China and their booming economies, and to talk about how Obama will treat these two countries needs attention. I think from the global economic perspective, he should maintain a very strong relationship with both of these countries of Asia. And fortunately, he will have a comparatively good time in Asia, as the latter people have more patience than Americans, and they understand that it will take time to bring in the changes needed. Improving quality of lifestyle in Asia and improving the standards of bilateral relationships are both challenging and time consuming.

Challenging in the sense that lots of past efforts have been wasted, and now it would be difficult for Obama to convince the political authorities in Asian countries. And then there’s the perception of the US being a country hit by depression. To overcome such challenges will take time. So, if you look at the bigger picture – and if Obama can overcome such challenges – Asia will have a very strong and perhaps symbiotic relationship with the US, and this would be beneficial for the stability of the global economy. Current problems like global malnutrition, we all know, is mostly a logistical problem, and Asia can be a solution to such problems. ....Continue

When Sonam Cried...

2009-02-11T12:16:00.002+05:30

The prankster in Abhishek Bachchan couldn’t resist a prank on his "Delhi 6" co-star, Sonam Kapoor.With stunt director Allan Amin as his accomplice, he actually made Sonam cry! Apparently, Allan asked Sonam to perform a stunt without the safety harness, to which she was reluctant, but Abhishek forced her to follow Allan’s orders. When she refused, Abhishek pretended to have lost his temper and stormed out which made Sonam burst into tears thinking that she had offended him. When told about the prank, Sonam couldn’t stop laughing and was all praises for AB Jr. All's well that ends well!....Continue

A photographer’s delight!

2009-01-30T10:12:00.002+05:30

“Earlier, my father used to walk to Parliament in Delhi. Now he has a bicycle. Once, one Malayalam daily published a photo of him riding his cycle in Delhi," laughs Bharathi, the young daughter of P Mohan. So far as lensmen go, he is their delight anywhere, whether in Delhi
or in his constituency Madurai. He still moves about – mostly alone – in his Bajaj M80 bike gifted to him long ago by his party. One day, on the way back from a fair price goods shop (!), his vehicle needed some repair. So he stood it on the road and got down to repair it. And again, a photographer passing by got a picture that hit the front page the next day!

Generally, you can find him walking to and from Parliament House when in Delhi. The man who failed to become MP thrice before he scored in 1999, ‘Thozhar’, or Comrade Mohan started as a student activist of the CPI(M) in 1973. And Madurai denizens tell stories of how he helped the city grow for the past 50 years. Madurai has five assembly constituencies. He divides his development fund equally among them. Every year, he provides Rs 25 lakh to Madurai Rajaji Hospital. He is strict in monitoring progress. A contractor hired for building a village auditorium was mixing more sand than cement. Mohan told the people how the man was wasting their money. Then the people themselves threw him out!

On a rainy morning, Jyothi Ganesh, a bank employee, was stunned. The road was water clogged. There was a single man with his dhoti folded working with a garden shovel. And it was none other than their Member of Parliament, Thozhar Mohan!...Continue

Why is there so much fuss every time someone in his or her thirties becomes a minister.

2009-01-14T12:57:00.002+05:30

Human resource experts around the world have set the most exacting standards for CEOs. The qualifications are tough – they must be dynamic, visionary and strategic thinkers, able to handle high pressure situations, take risks and make fast and correct decisions. But what is required of politicians in executive positions in a complex country like ours – with such a diverse culture and so many different beliefs – is an even bigger challenge. Yet how many of our oldies qualify?

Delhi's Chief Minister, Shiela Dikshit, however, finds such reasoning specious. "You cannot equate politics with the corporate sector. In politics, even if you are 40, the public may send you packing if you are not working. Besides, a doctor or lawyer works for as long as s/he can, and much the same holds for politicians. It will not do to have a retirement age for politicians."

But this is not how it works in most other countries. The leaders of Russia, Japan – indeed even Pakistan – are all young. George Bush was in his fifties when he became President. Bill Clinton was 52 when he retired after ruling the US for eight years. And Tony Blair took over as British premier in his early forties. Contrast this with our own leadership. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh became Prime Minister at 72 and all key portfolios are being managed by people in their eighties and seventies who, most of the time, appear ill and tired. Remember Atal Behari Vajpayee's famous knee problems?

Maharashtra Governor PC Alexander had a distinguished career as a bureaucrat. He 'retired' officially more than 25 years ago. But since then he has been the secretary and right hand man to two prime ministers, India's high commissioner in Britain, and Governor of Tamilnadu. At age 81, he became a Member of Parliament! Natwar Singh too joined politics after retiring from the post of foreign secretary. ....Continue

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The Sunday Indian

2009-01-09T13:50:00.003+05:30

This is the first time that the Bharatiya Janata Party has won twice in succession in Madhya Pradesh. Whose cap gets the feathers for that?
The victory is that of the people of the state. This is a people’s victory from beginning to end. Five years ago, the people of the state had propelled us to power to change the maddening conditions of Madhya Pradesh. We worked well, we worked hard to do that.

The people have voted for the development that has thus taken place. They have sent us back a second time, which says that BJP has delivered to goods.

What were those special circumstances that allowed BJP to ward off the virulent attacks of the Opposition Congress party?
The complete faith and trust of the people and the hard work by the party workers and leaders. We all worked together to give a lie to the false allegations of the Opposition.

Many stalwart ministers and prominent sitting MLAs of your party lost this time, so how do you explain that?
Ours is a party of workers. Often local conditions and circumstances are such that sitting MLAs lose, but we cannot forget that new faces in large numbers have been elected this time.

We have to accept the verdict of the people.

Will you bring back the rebels?
I do not see any such prospect at the moment.

A large number of young people have been elected this year, just as you said. How many of them would be seen in your ministry?
They will surely be given a chance. The BJP had on purpose given tickets to a large number of young men and women. They are hard workers and have met the expectations of the party leadership.....Continue

Several dilemmas haunt the "Give Telangana" party

2009-01-07T15:15:00.002+05:30

Now TRS – the prime mover behind the demand for a separate Telangana state – is faced with a choice of siding with either PRP or the TDP-Left combine. A PRP-TRS electoral marriage may fetch the latter the maximum number of seats to contest from. But its double-front fight against a strong TDP-Left combine on one hand, and the ruling Congress on the other, may result in TRS losing heavily. If it joins TDP-Left combine, it may get less number of seats than PRP is willing to give it. In that case TRS may win the maximum number of seats it contests from. The latest twist in the tale is that TRS faces a new threat: if it combines with TDP, it can win more seats but lose local leadership, which will pose a threat to the party’s grassroots-level hold. But if it teams up with PRP, it can continue to hold the local leadership but can not expect to win as many seats as it expects to win if it teams up with the TDP-Left combine. The TDP, anxious to come back to power, finally decided to announce its support for a separate Telangana state. Ironic, as TDP itself had fought most vigorously against bifurcation of the state ever since TRS started agitating for it....Continue

India is still fumbling for a response to Pakistan in the aftermath of its worst ever terror strike, writes Ranjit Bhushan

2009-01-02T16:41:00.002+05:30

LeT camps in Pakistan. Back to square one. Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has admitted the possibility of "rogue, non-state actors" orchestrating the Mumbai horror, but has also said that Pakistan per se had no hand in this. And jingoistic media reportage notwithstanding, it is difficult to imagine that Zardari could have ordered such a strategic harakiri.

Experts believe this is a good opportunity to mobilise international opinion against Pakistan, as many were killed who belong to other countries, so their governments are keen to get to the bottom of what happened. “This is the best time for India to mobilise opinion. Not just India, other countries are involved,” former Indian high commissioner to Islamabad, G Parthasarthy, told TSI.

There is a large element of truth in this. Apart from many countries which are willing to help – a terrorist slaughter like this has sent alarm bells ringing in most foreign capitals – the USA and Israel have been most keen to help. An FBI team is in Delhi armed with critical intercepts by the CIA, and the National Security Guards (NSG) is sifting through all the evidence to figure out the extent of the Pakistani culpability. However, it is not entirely clear how Indian sleuths from the intelligence services are going to deal with the Americans.

Israel, after the killing of five Jews at Chahad House in Mumbai, has taken it as an attack on their nationhood. The Foreign Minister of Israel, Behrak Ekud, told journalists in Tel Aviv that India has been offered "all kinds of help", but added that New Delhi has mostly declined. Some former Mossad officials are of the view that Indian commandos took too long to neutralise the terrorists, causing an unusually large number of casualties.....Continue

How did people like Sudhakar Dwivedi alias Dayanand Pandey become shankaracharyas?

2008-12-23T12:16:00.002+05:30

Swami Amritanand Devtirtha Maharaj – lately reduced to being just Dayanand Pandey -- is currently in the custody of the Mumbai Anti-terror Squad (ATS) on the charge of engineering explosions outside a religious place in Malegaon, Maharashtra that killed six persons.

A shankaracharya is the equivalent of a Pope. And TSI’s enquiries in several religious places, including Kashi in Varanasi, reveal a highly sordid state of affairs. Rankings like mahanth, mahamandleshwar, acharya and even shankaracharya are up for sale. But now, with the ATS digging into Dwivedi’s past and interrogating the Varanaseya Vidvat Parishad office-bearers who crowned him shankaracharya on May 16, 2003, things are bound to change.

Says Batuk Prasad Shastri, general secretary of the Kashi Vidvat Parishad (KVP): “Adi Shankaracharya (788-820 AD) founded four seats about 1200 years ago for the spread of Hindu culture -- Jyotishpeeth in Badrinath (North), Shringeripeeth in Chikmagalur district of Karnataka (South), Shardapeeth at Dwarka (West) and Govardhanpeeth at Puri (East). There are, besides, two sub-seats -- Kashipeeth (Uttar Pradesh) where the first Shankaracharya lived and Kanchi Kamkoti (Tamil Nadu) where he died. There can’t be any other peeth. All the other peeths and shankaracharyas are fake.”...Continue

Blackout in the parched Fields

2008-12-20T13:25:00.003+05:30

Siddaveerappa shudders at the thought of a long, dark winter ahead. With massive power shortage plaguing Karnataka, power supply has dwindled to a paltry two to three hours a day. This means farmers like Siddaveerappa – most of whom use pump sets and bore wells – have no water to irrigate their land, which translates into a diminished agricultural yield and perhaps loss of livelihood. Despite numerous assurances of the government, the power situation is yet to improve.

“Our yield is decreasing by the day and we don’t even have seeds to sow in the next season. The kharif (monsoon) crop yield was paltry due to shortage of rain, but now even the rabi (winter) crop will be ruined due to these long and frequent load sheddings. If it continues like this, we won’t even have enough crop to feed ourselves,” rues Siddaveerappa from Holalkere, Chitradurga, where farmers like him depend largely on rain-fed crops. The failure of kharif crop has left them with very less seeds to sow. Now with long power cuts cutting into their supply of irrigational water, the future appears bleak.....Continue

Thank god it's recession!

2008-12-17T13:42:00.004+05:30

GLOBAL ECONOMY : IMPACT ON INDIA

With banks in the US and Europe tumbling like ninepins and with the recession setting in in America and elsewhere, the central banks of most of the key economies in the world are on a war footing to infuse more liquidity, reduce interest rates and arrest the global enonomic downslide. In India too, the Rsserve Bank of India has been trying its best to weather the vagaries of global recession. Yet in the hindsight, amidst all the showering of bad news by pink newspapers of job cuts, pay cuts and the erosion of wealth of Indian billionaires, one wonders if it is really such a time of despair or that this recession is ideally a boon in disguise for countries like India and its common men. Consider this: even a few months back, when international oil prices were hovering in the region of $140-$150 a barrel, inflation in India was literally leapfrogging. Indian oil companies on account of their under-recovery from retail sale of oil were bleeding to death and were facing an estimated loss of a staggering a Rs two lakh crore by the end of current financial year. Thanks to the looming recession in the US and Europe, international oil prices have literally collapsed to the region of $55-$65 a barrel, thus saving Indian oil PSUs from the chances of bankruptcy. Accepted that retail price of oil has not yet come down, but that the oil-PSUs have started making profit and there is reduction of under-recoveries is news good enough, as no economy in the long run is sustainable if for cushioning the masses from volatile international prices, its blue-chip companies become bankrupt. That possibility is gone now. Lower oil prices also guarantees faster growth of Indian economy....Continue

That guttural sound, could it be a leopard? That distant yipping… did the wild dogs make a kill?”

2008-12-13T14:17:00.003+05:30

We sat silently in the vehicle for almost 10 minutes. In the near distance we could hear a rustling as a soft, yet biting wind fanned our faces. It was cold. Above us a full moon lit the night sky and ahead of us I imagined I saw something move. Someone shifted and it seemed the creaking of metal plates would be heard in distant Nagpur. That was when I saw them in the frame of my night vision binoculars. There were four tigers walking towards us in single file. Cats see well in the dark and they must have heard us ages ago, but they were unafraid. They seemed as curious about us as we were about them! Within seconds they settled all around us like so many household cats, safe in the knowledge that we meant them no harm.

There can be no better place to escape to than the exquisite Himalayan havens to be found in Kashmir, Ladakh, Garhwal, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh. One of my abiding sorrows is the fact that for long years it was not safe to trek through Kashmir. I have often walked up 2,000 metres through the famous oak forests of the Dachigam Sanctuary near Srinagar. Home of the last surviving herds of hangul deer, it seems difficult to imagine that so much blood has been shed in the beautiful Kashmir valley. I remember my trip to the Great Himalayan National Park in Himachal Pradesh. A bird had made several sorties from its fragile perch on the thin creeper to the trickle of water oozing from a green grotto that had been carved by nature out of hard rock....Continue

The Princess

2008-12-06T11:44:00.004+05:30

Despite her impulsive behaviour, Benazir Bhutto was a ray of hope for all those who cherish a democratic polity in Pakistan. She braved imprisonment and exile and her charisma attracted the downtrodden and the elite alike. She was no doubt like a princess and went away like a martyr.

I remember when Benazir Bhutto arrived in Pakistan in 1986 after self-exile in Britain, she drew huge crowds in many cities of Pakistan including Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan. The province was traditionally dominated by nationalist Baloch veterans like Nawab Khair Bux Marri, Sardar Ataullah Mengal and Ghous Bux Bizenjo.

When military dictator General Zia-ul-Haq perished in a mysterious air crash on August 17, 1988, along with several top generals and the then US ambassador in Pakistan, Bhutto was the only alternative for a demoralised army. She was also a source of strength for thousands of political activists in Pakistan who were imprisoned, tortured and even flogged by the military dictator who ruled the country for 11 long years through sheer force and demagogy.

There was euphoria in the masses when she again arrived in Pakistan in 1988. Upon hearing the news that Bhutto had swept the elections, I remember common men and women had danced in the streets, distributed sweets and prostrated before God. However, her brother Mir Murtaza Bhutto, who was brutally murdered in a police shootout during the second tenure of Bhutto, believed otherwise. He thought Bhutto had made a compromise with the establishment since she agreed that Ghulam Ishaq Khan would continue as president and Sahibzada Yaqub Khan, Foreign Minister during the Zia era, would continue in the same capacity.....Continue

Here’s Tareque Laskar's story on the subtle subterfuge of how the Indian bowling attack grew its fangs.

2008-12-01T16:10:00.004+05:30

IIPM Blog
We’ve had the fab four for a good part of the last decade and some more but the results and wins (especially away) have started trickling in the past half a decade since that historic series in Australia back in 2003. Think about the win at Adelaide (and Zaheer’s burst that preceded it in a rain hit Brisbane Test that ended in draw but set the tone for the titanic tussles to follow), the one at Headingly, at Trent Bridge or the one at Perth and the pattern is hard to miss. There’s a quiet revolution that has swept cricket academies in India in the recent past, and it has nothing to do with batsmen spending hours in the nets protecting their wickets to win a one rupee coin at the end of the day. A new breed of Indian bowler – mentally and physically – is taking shape. The hard work and toil of people like T A Sekar at the MRF Pace Foundation and bowling coach Venkatesh Prasad has resulted in greater cognizance the impact bowlers can have on a team’s fortunes. Prasad, himself a lanky exception amidst dozens of turners and trundlers, has been “One of the reasons of the success of this Indian bowling contingent” says one time teammate Srinath. “I think credit should be given to Prasad who has worked very well behind the scenes to bring some meaning into the fast bowling department” he adds. And the number of different bowlers who have done their bit in the last year or so is even more heartening. Two of them, Munaf Patel (who won India his debut test against England) and R P Singh (who bowled brilliantly in England and then Australia) have watched this current series from the sidelines. The fact remains that a pool of bowlers of top caliber is competing for spots, a luxury Indian cricket has never before afforded. The day when a kid picks up a ball and says ‘I want to be the next Ishant’ doesn’t seem too far off and the joke about the lack of Indian fast bowlers is currently on the teams and batsmen that have been tormented by Zaheer, Ishant and Co. Says Srinath, “In the last 3-4 years there has been a sudden burst in fast bowlers in India, especially the good ones… Zaheer Khan has found his line and length back and he has been a more responsible bowler and the leader of the pack, then Ishant Sharma has been doing extremely well and I think he is the best news for Indian cricket.” No wonder, during the Mohali test, Australian commentator Glenn Mitchell remarked on ABC that Ishant is the ‘best fast bowler in the world right now’.

Srinath thinks that “spin has been our forte and now the fast bowlers have found their footing and our bowling (attack) is one of the most potent in the world!” The fine balance the attack has achieved has been the prime reason. India has always suffered from a skew towards spin but as Srinath points out that “there is a good balance between the spinners and the fast bowlers and they are working in tandem.” And he labels it “one of the finest balanced bowling attacks in the world.” Former Indian fast bowler Atul Wassan suggests the following strategy “when we tour abroad, then we (typically) play with three seamers and one spinner. I hope Amit Mishra can potentially carry on the same way… we would have Zaheer!....Continue

Monica’s angelic beauty and bewitchery unravelled...

2008-11-14T11:06:00.004+05:30

Indians were supposed to get up, close and personal with Bellucci as the maker of Provoked, Jagmohan Mundhra, zeroed in on Monica to play our nation’s current Queen of Politics, Sonia Gandhi, for his film titled Sonia. With both the real-life heroine and the one intended for the celluloid version, coming from Italy, with Italian accents and even bearing a faint resemblance to each other, it would’ve definitely been worth a dekko. Sadly, the supporters of the prima donna of Indian politics were too sceptical of the idea, finally leading to Mundhra scrapping the project altogether! But take heart, for we’ll soon get to see Monica in two new movies that recently premiered at the Rome Film Festival, N (Napoleon and Me) and The Stone Council. By god, with Monica Bellucci’s fans growing all over the world, we bet we’ll get to see much more of this goddess!...more

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

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They both, once again, reaffirm the world of their distinctly different political systems

2008-10-25T14:46:00.003+05:30

The Olympics may just be a sporting event, but it is hard not to read larger messages into results, especially when you see how China & America have dominated the medals tally. Both countries can – and will – look at their Olympic successes as reaffirmations of their distinctly different political systems. But what strikes me is how much they could each learn from the other. This, as they say, is a teaching moment. Call it: One Olympics – two systems.

How so? You can’t look at the US Olympic team & not see the strength that comes from diversity & you can’t look at the Chinese team & not see the strength that comes from intense focus & concentrated power.....Continue

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

Read also :-

Let’s head to a ‘Spice’y Hot Spot

2008-10-21T13:30:00.002+05:30

After selling off his telecom business to Idea and speculations rife on the sale of his mobile business to Sony Ericsson, B. K. Modi is still betting big on mobile retail. surbhi chawla analyses what makes this business worth keeping for the Modi camp?

It couldn’t have been easy for Bhupendra Kumar Modi, the man who brought mobile phones to our country, to exit the telecom sphere, and that too at a time when the sector is growing exponentially. But even after selling Spice Communications to Idea Cellular, he stands tall and states unabashedly that, “Our Spice brand and the mobile retail chain – Hot Spot would remain with us.” In fact, B. K. Modi is so bullish about the mobile retail venture that big plans are being charted out and an IPO by the end of this year is also on the cards.

With India becoming the second largest telecom market of the world with about 212 million GSM connections (for June 2008 by COAI), and still growing steadily at 18% per annum, there seems to be plenty of scope for the handset market too. The market is pegged at Rs.750-Rs.1000 billion and is growing at a whopping CAGR of 60%. Little wonder that players like The Mobile Store (promoted by Essar & Virgin) Motostore (promoted by Motorola), mbazaar (promoted by Future Group), RPG Cellcom and Subhiksha Mobile have already joined the mobile retail bandwagon....Continue

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

Read also :-

Who says charity begins at home?

2008-10-11T14:34:00.002+05:30

More and more people are tripping on philanthropic travel!

When asked if one had all the time and money, what would one do; most would say, ‘travel’. And why not? It’s exciting to laze by the beach, trek in the hills, anticipate the movements of an animal in the wild and drown oneself in the bustle of a big city. But how many travellers delve into the soul of the destination, by really understanding its culture and people? Not many. However, there are a growing number of people travelling to the lesser-privileged parts of the world, attempting to blend in with the natives and lend a helping hand wherever possible.

Philanthropic travel as a concept is still at a nascent stage, although it has gained popularity in the US. There are NGOs that sponsor and arrange such jaunts, the most traversed destinations being Burma, Cambodia, Botswana, Tanzania and India.

Marc Gold is a philanthropic traveller, and in 1989 he had visited Darjeeling for a vacation. Here, he met a girl who was suffering from a life-threatening disease. The girl’s folks were incapable of affording the treatment and so Marc donated funds for her medication and treatment. This kind gesture of Marc’s saved a life and brought back happiness to a family that had almost lost hope. Marc now visits various places with the objective of not just absorbing their beauty and interacting with the people, but with the intention of reaching out to those in need.....Continue

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

Read also :-

Ma, we’re re‘pink’ing our strategy!

2008-10-07T15:34:00.002+05:30

US slowdown is affecting employment across the globe, but the financial services sector leads the rest

Steven Tyler never uttered these words! But his group’s song was the rage of the 90s – ‘Pink is my favourite colour’, by the raucous Aerosmith! And you’ve been of late noticing how your boss has started crooning the song whenever you pass him by. Relax, it’s just a coincidence. Research shows that when bosses want to throw you out, they don’t sing Aerosmith songs :-) More seriously, international experts have been strongly commenting since last quarter that recession would not necessarily affect the skilled employment market that fast, especially in developed countries. Closer home, Dr. Naresh Malhan, MD, Manpower India comments that the impact on new recruitments “would not be imminent... especially when most businesses are plagued by talent shortage.”

On taking a global perspective, B&E realised that irrespective of how many experts we could put on one side of the table, it was the pink slip strategy that coloured every aspect of our finding, on whichever sector we touched. And there’s no better example than the global financial sector, with the sub-prime mistress raking in every penny uttering its name....Continue

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

Read also :-

No blitzkrieg this

2008-10-03T13:37:00.001+05:30

Barclays must tread carefully

Can the British bull dog dance the Russian ballet? Barclays Bank, Britain’s third largest bank sure seems to think so, as it enters into a strategic move for expansion in emerging markets by buying up Russia’s Expobank.

Sure enough, it fell flat for its last bidding contest for ABN Amro Holding NV last year (offered $99 billion but lost to Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc.), but Barclays is not giving up for sure! It has oozed out a whopping $745 million for Expobank, about four times its book value of $186 million, surely a red signal to analysts. Frits Seegers, Chief Executive, Global Retail and Commercial Banking, Barclays, prophesises, “Expobank’s existing relationships and infrastructure create the ideal platform for us to be one of the leading retail and commercial banks in Russia.” Expobank has assets of $1.24 billions with 32 branches in western Russia, and one of the largest networks of ATMs in Moscow. Moreover, Russia’s economic growth at 8.1% last year is much more promising than UK, with a meagre 2.9% growth, not to mention the collapse of the market for credit-related securities....Continue

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

Read also :-

In comes Stanford John...

2008-09-22T15:56:00.000+05:30

Donahoe has his own ideas to take Whitman’s legacy to the next level
Very rarely does one come across leaders, who not only dramatically transform fortunes of companies, but most interestingly, come on board with a pre-decided tenure! One such leader who beautifully joins the league is the sterling 52-year-old CEO of eBay Inc. – Margaret C. Whitman. When she took on the scepter of CEO in 1998, she made it very clear that a decade is a fairly good time for a CEO at the helm of a company. And her resignation comes precisely after ten years on March 1, 2008. “It’s important that new perspectives & new eyes come to the company. It’s tough to stay fresh, no matter who you are,” admitted Whitman on January 24. She will be replaced by John Donahoe, currently President of eBay Marketplaces, effective March 31, 2008. Ironically, the contrast between the two perhaps could not have been more striking, far beyond the Harvard-Stanford face-off (Meg is a Harvard alumnus & John is a Stanford graduate).

While Whitman has almost always tackled corporate growth issues using macro-strategies, John – who was the worldwide MD of Bain and Co. for five years before joining eBay in 2005 – has more or less focused on micro-process issues. Consider this. When, in 1998, eBay suffered debilitatingly due to lack of funding, Whitman initiated a massive IPO to fund its expansion plans. Her acquisition of online payment service PayPal in 2002 for $1.5 billion gave a much required boost to eBay, & consolidated its stranglehold in online auction business. In 1998, the 30-employee-strong eBay had a meagre 5,00,000 registered users. Today it has a mind numbing 83.2 million active users & $7.7 billion in revenue. With 15,000 employees & growing, it is the world’s largest e-commerce site.

John’s has a more customer focussed agenda, which includes upgradation of the site, revision of fee structure (he wants to lower the fees paid by people to list items & raise commission that eBay would earn on successful sales), and increasing search exposure for sellers with best buyer-satisfaction ratings. John prophetically commented, “Sellers that describe items accurately, ship on time & ship at a fair price will enjoy preferential pricing & discounts... this will significantly improve the buyer’s experience overall.”

Even the much praised Whitman has had her share of gut hits, notable being her open gamble to acquire Internet telephone service Skype last year for $2.6 billion. Skype did not generate expected revenues; worse, as its value fell, eBay had to write down a killing $1.4 billion. In fact, despite eBay seeing profits rise radically from 2004 to 2006 ($7.84 to $11.26 billion), Morgan Stanley quoted to B&E that the Skype acquisition was one of the chief reasons for a tremendous fall in eBay’s 2007 profits of $3.48 billion. Even Skype’s user and operating metrics decelerated across the board for the fifth consecutive quarter on December 31, 2007. Still, as Whitman announced her exit, eBay’s share value dropped almost instantly, dropping 6.1% to $27.18 before closing on January 25, 2008 at a 52-week low of $26.83, though Whitman did say of the new CEO Donahoe, “I’m extremely confident in John’s skills and the abilities of his veteran management team.”

They say it’s tough to become number one, but tougher to stay there! While Whitman has already showcased her cutting edge competitive skills to bring eBay to numero uno position in e-commerce, one wonders how much ‘tougher’ will John allow it to get to keep hold of that position! We don’t think it’ll take a decade for us to know that, eh!

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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The realtor-hotelier

2008-09-20T15:18:00.001+05:30

Not many have achieved this globally. But he wants to do in hotel industry what he has done in real estate. By siddhartha nahata

Over the last few centuries, the global corporate theatre has witnessed businessmen donning almost every other hat – a steel maker becomes an IT giant, a liquor baron turns into an aviation maestro, oil tycoons transform into retail magnates, real estate players are successful as telecom majors, and the list goes on. Whenever such businessman entered a new sector, which was different from their core one, they took the existing competition by storm and became a dictating force in that arena. Surprisingly, what the world hasn’t witnessed is experienced real estate players emerging as successful hoteliers.

It’s ironical since there is a logical fit between real estate and hotels; after all, the bulk of the initial cost of a hotel is in the form of land purchase. It is also ironical since almost every real estate tycoon has entered the hotel business. But almost everyone has managed to merely become run-of-the-mill hoteliers. So, while the Forbes list of richest persons in the world has been flooded with real estate tycoons, the elite list of top players in hotel industry in 2007 doesn’t have a single real estate major. It really revealed how ordinary has been the performance of real estate players, who have tried to become hoteliers.

What global realtors have failed to do, K.P. Singh, the world’s richest realtor with a net worth of $35 billion, has decided to do. And if he is able to make the transition, the jinx that has been floated that realtors can’t be hoteliers, will be broken. Singh envisions his DLF Hotels “to be India’s premium hospitality real estate development company.” The idea is to develop, acquire, finance and actively manage hotel properties. But it is not going to be cakewalk.

The spokesperson of ITC Welcome Group Hotel explains, “Both of them are totally different businesses. The common factor might be the layout of the property, but after that in the hotel business you enter into services, which is different from real estate. You need to have specialisation in logistics, manpower, and maintaining standards.” This is amplified by Nisheeth Srivastva, Director, Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), who claims, “There are many differences between the hotel and real estate industry. The dynamics of the hotel industry are way too different, but at the same time a real estate player also has an advantage of having his own experience of property layout.”

Well, Singh has decided to walk on this untreaded path. The plans are gigantic and they can make DLF the number one hotelier in the country, ahead of Indian Hotel Company (IHC). IHC has a room inventory of 9,000 rooms and plans to double it in the next two years. But DLF has chalked out a mega plan of 25,000 rooms spread across different segments (luxury, business, leisure & recreational). Actually, DLF has made headway in implementing the plan. The construction of 6,000 rooms is under process across major cities and tourist destinations.

Singh’s confidence can be measured by the fact that he plans to list the hotel division (along with the separate listings of other divisions). DLF’s company spokesperson says that “work towards the listing of the hotel division is on track and has made significant advancements.” The plan looks perfect. To make his journey an easier one, Singh has struck deals with the world renowned hotel majors like Four Seasons and Hilton. The sharp-minded Singh was quick enough to gauge the importance of inorganic growth to make it big in the hotels business. Recently, DLF acquired the global leading luxury hospitality chain Aman Resorts for $400 million giving it a presence in the international hospitality realm. Such deals will help DLF to master its skills in crucial areas such as manpower, logistics, and supply chain.

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

Astounding a toll, this!

2008-09-02T13:18:00.001+05:30

Say sea, say sand, say shells… and all that providence would vouch for, is Seychelles! This archipelago of over 115 islands, boasts of perhaps more pristine and uninhabited beaches, coves and exotic flora and fauna than any other! The great botanical and zoological miscellany is owing to the fact that the islands had been uninhabited for a very long time and it was not before the French occupation of Seychelles (named after the French politician Jean Moreau de Séchelles) that some human settlement started to take roots… post which the British established colonies there.

Little wonder then, that the island which was once only frequented by Arab traders and pirates (!), became a melange of cultures, colours and cuisines in a matter of no time and is now one of the most diverse places on this planet, both in terms of demography and ecology. Two of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites also have Seychelles as its home. The atoll of Aldabra (the largest, raised coral island in the world) and the Vallee de Mai, believed to be – hold your breath – the original site of the Garden of Eden, are both in Seychelles! Out of the 75 endemic plant species that the island boasts of, Coco de Mer – that’s the world’s biggest seed – grows only on the Praslin Island in Seychelles! You’ll discover the epitome of harmony between man and nature, as you amble across the talcum powder beaches… and trust us, it’s not really a spectacle to see an ancient green turtle basking in the sun on one of those equally primeval granite boulders – thanks to the numerous such sights your eyes and soul are treated to, every passing minute!

The best season to visit Seychelles (and to beat the chill of the northern hemisphere) is December to January. Take heed before you get into a tiff with the locals who are usually warm and friendly but well versed in gris gris, a local form of black magic! Even if you escape that, the mesmerising beauty of the place is addictive and sure to make one fall in love. So hey, don’t say later, we didn’t warn you!

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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Presidents too wanna have fun!

2008-08-27T15:15:00.000+05:30

Undeterred by moral & societal considerations, Sarkozy courts Carla
Nicholas Sarkozy, the playboy president has transformed the presidency. Instead of transforming the economic situation as expected, Unlike his predecessors, he has let the media write & speculate on his personal life.

His divorce with Cécilia, a former model, had grabbed the media attention as it was the first incident in modern French history that a serving president was divorcing his wife. Soon after the election, he was attacked by the opposition for spending holidays on French millionaire Vincent Bollore’s luxury yacht.The latest in the series is his relationship with former supermodel Carla Bruni.

Nero fiddled when Rome burnt, so goes a proverb. Sarkozy borrowed a private jet from Bollore and flew in to the banks of the Nile along with Bruni to celebrate Christmas, when the workers unions were busy devising new strategies to deal with the government. The opposition has a reason to worry. “When the president is the personal friend of men and women who own newspapers, TV stations, who he makes pay for his holidays, who can say for sure that there aren’t paybacks?” asks socialist MP Benoit Hamon. Sarkozy, however, remains unconcerned of the allegations. “Despite the obstacles, despite the difficulties, I will do what I said I would,” said the president in his New Year address. The labour unions have been given the January 15 deadline to reach a consensual agreement with the government.

If the unions fail to reach a deal, his government would legislate the proposals, says Sarkozy. Is it as easy as celebrating holidays with his girlfriend in the Egyptian valleys? If he fails to swing the public mood in favour of his reform project, he would, to his utter discomfort, know the answer to that one.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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M(exico)ystry

2008-08-26T16:54:00.001+05:30

Singers’ death in new drug era
Music and ballads speak those words which remain unspoken otherwise…and the death of the same, leads to death of those words which would have been spoken otherwise. The murder of more than 16 country singers in Mexico, has evoked quite a furor as the secret of the delirious deaths has also gone to the grave, along with the songsters.

Retrospection reveals that such murders could be traced back to the drug killing which is preying voraciously on Mexico…what with over 2,500 persons being killed mysteriously, only leaving behind clues that strengthen the already foregone conclusion that organised crime is nothing but burgeoning. The innocuous musicians, who have been victims of such mystifying murders, have either sung narcocorridos or have had associations with the drug peddlers in some way or the other, which has triggered such a killing spree. The venom spread by drugs in Mexico is quite evident from the fact that the drug traffickers from Mexico command cocaine distribution over entire western and mid-western United States, with the latter however playing a pivotal role in not just the killing but also in the aggravating drug trade by supplying guns to the former. Looks like Mexico now has just one ballad to sing - ‘Love all and hate drugs’…oops was that a narcocorrido again?

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
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Facing the c‘ORE’us challenge

2008-08-25T13:39:00.001+05:30

Tata Steel should focus more on ore supply procurement than increasing steel production capacity
It was in October 2006 that Tata Steel first made a $8 billion bid for English steel-maker, Corus. A year later, that’s a $12.1 billion worth chapter in M&A books – the biggest ever by an Indian company – making the Tata Steel & Corus combine the 6th largest globally, with a total annual steel capacity of 25.6 million tonnes! That’s Tata Steel for you, growing amidst drama & against all odds.

And risks? Well, surely if it’s raising of $875 million through FCCBs during September 2007 to fund its Corus buy was not stretching it too far, it further went ahead with a $3.8 billion raising mega-rights issue (scheduled to close on December 21, 2007), stretching its total borrowings for FY 2007-08 to Rs.249.26 billion, a perilous rise of 638.11% over last year. Dangerous indeed, but that is not the primary challenge for the Indian behemoth. “So what is it?” is the question. Surely, with the company announcing a new organisational composition for prompt amalgamation of common functions across its global steel operations on November 28, 2007 – including Corus and other acquired units – synergies are bound to arise through focused management approach as Hitesh Agarwal, VP (Research), Angel Trade, asserts, “Bringing everything under one umbrella is part of Tatas’ initiative to bring all its companies under one umbrella. This will help the management and the benefit of consolidation will be realised in the long run.” The new structure, besides many others, also includes trusted names like Ratan Tata, B. Muthuraman (MD, Tata Steel) and Philippe Varin (CEO, Corus). While the move is in-sync with Ratan Tata’s vision of a “light-touch” integration strategy, it is indeed necessary to tap synergies, wherever possible in a time-bound manner, especially considering that at the moment Tata Steel’s priority would be to stop the downslide in Corus’ revenues which fell annually by 49.22% to just $468.71 million in 2006.

While the strategic logic for the Corus move was global expansion, that precisely is where the challenge lies – further acquisitions! With the price of iron ore expected to rise for another 3-4 years due to steel demand and supply mismatch, Tata Steel will have to mull over acquiring some iron ore entities in the near future. In the face of rising ore prices, Tatas should logically have bid for Brazilian CSN (than Corus). However, Tata Steel seems to have realised this – most recent proofs to prove the same being its JV with Riversdale Mining Ltd. in Mozambique for $88 billion on November 30, 2007 & the deal to buy a 30% stake in three companies owned by Indonesian Bumi Resources for $1.1 billion. And despite the current strained cashflows from Corus not providing returns enough to allow Tata Steel to think bigger near term acquisitions, the battle against getting hold of raw material sources is a must win battle for Tata Steel; whatever it takes!

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 :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
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Boomerang effect of Gold!

2008-08-20T13:43:00.001+05:30

It’s 1999 déjà vu. The state of US dollar now, is quite similar to what Gold was at that time.

The fundamentals of the US economy appear to be inversely proportional to the optimism of Ben Bernanke. Declining home prices, rising foreclosure rates, a weak dollar and high oil prices; not to mention a crisis of confidence in the credit markets, yet, if Ben were to be believed, all suggest a period of moderate, but positive growth going forward.

One of the most potent faces of the US economy – the US dollar is having a tough time battling out for the crown and trying to regain its glory. ‘Absolute nonsense’, ‘Life threatening’ & ‘passed the pain barrier’ were some of the few adjectives used by policy makers, on the other side of the Atlantic, recently, commenting on the dollar-euro exchange rate (certainly, this wouldn’t have been on Bush’s mind, when he hired Ben Bernanke to clean up Alan Greenspan’s mess). It doesn’t stop here; the US dollar, now being used to pay for the purchase of higher yielding currency, is proving to be most profitable. According to Bloomberg, a basket of currencies including the British pound, Brazilian real and Hungarian forint, financed with dollars, returned 17% this year, compared with 9% funded in yen and 7% in Swiss francs. “Falling US interest rates & increasing volatility in the yen and franc, are making the trade even more appealing,” says Avinash Persaud, Chairman, Intelligence Capital Ltd.. US dollar as a carry trade currency!?!?

The US dollar is also trading at a record low against the Euro. “We suspect that having pushed the euro/dollar to within a whisker of a key psychological level, the market’s appetite has now been whet for a move above and beyond 1.50 and a fairly busy week’s data schedule offers up no shortage of potential catalysts in this respect,” said Neil Mellor, a London-based currency strategist at Bank of New York Mellon. The US dollar is now entirely supported by public flows into the US, which are largely purchased by central banks. Private flows into US are negative and gradually central bankers will also realise that to invest their reserves into US dollars is not the most desirable option and, therefore, in the long term, the dollar should continue to depreciate relative to assets, which are not ‘over-supplied’ – as is the case for the US dollar. In fact, the latest figure from the International Monetary Fund, testifies the above statement. As per IMF, the dollar made up 64.8% of central banks’ currency reserves in the second quarter of 2007, down from 71% in 1999.

The current time reminds one of what happened to Gold in the late 1990s when central bankers, world over, were dumping Gold and it fell to a low of $278 an ounce. Central bankers were hoarding US dollar and it was at that time when the US dollar composition of central banks’ currency reserves was as high as 80%. Circa 2007, tables have now turned in favour of hard assets like Gold, which is close to its life time high and is trading at $850 an ounce, whereas dollar appears to be in doldrums.

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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Aren’t they prized?

2008-08-18T15:08:00.001+05:30

Scrutiny

CONTROVERSY: NATIONAL ASSET
Aren’t they prized?
It’s time we redefined what makes one a national asset...

Privatisation has been one of the most controversial and rabble rousing word, in the Indian lexicon, since the emergence of economic liberalisation. Every attempt to privatise Indian PSUs has not only been greeted with serious resistance by Opposition parties, it has also been termed as attempt to sell off ‘National Assets’ or ‘Family Silver.’ While national parties like BJP & Congress have taken turns to oppose it, depending on whether they are in government or in Opposition, the Left parties have always been opposed to it. In 2004, in an article in rediff.com, CPI General Secretary A. B. Bardhan stated, ‘It was National Democratic Alliance Government that set up the first ever Divestment Ministry. It virtually put India up for sale: it set up a shop to sell off prime national assets.’

The real is issue here is not privatisation but how India as a nation perceives as to what can be defined as a national asset. Inspite of having shed the shackles of the Jurassic Age License Raj, more than 16 years back, India at times reflect the demeanour of a society yet to come out of the mental blockades of the past.

Last 16 years witnessed the ascent of a resurgent India which was otherwise fed on a defeatist, inward looking, timid and a Third World attitude for long. It not only had a Phoenix like rise from the verge of bankruptcy to become a trillion dollar economy, but its companies, instead of getting decimated by the onslaught of foreign companies, emerged as true blue multi-nationals. The likes of Reliance, Infosys, Wipro, Bharti, Tata, M&M, Ranbaxy, Suzlon & Cipla have not only become household names abroad but also helped India have global footage through their relentless cross-border acquisition. Last heard, analysts have stopped counting the countless number of foreign companies being acquired by their Indian counterparts every month. Yet for the likes of A. B. Bardhan and majority of the indoctrinated populace, these companies and their creators are not yet national assets. For them, a company has to be necessarily owned (rather exploited) by the government if it has to have that coveted tag.

Well by that standard, even the Indian cricket team and the likes of Sachin, Sourav & Dravid are not national assets because BCCI is a privately managed entity. Even Shah Rukh Khan, Amartya Sen and the millions of new generation young men and women who are striving to shun the blanket of secured jobs and venture into unknown territories of creative indulgence to give shape to the next generation of Reliance and Tatas, are not national assets. The makers of Rang De Basanti or Chak De who can inspire a whole generation to defy status-quo and become change agents are not national assets either. But... loss making and totally uninspiring companies like National Textile Mills and hundreds like that, are national assets, simply because they are state owned. At will, their bad debts of thousands of crores get written off while young India struggles to get a few lakhs to start a new entity. All that has been done by stalling privatisation of HPCL & BPCL is to burden them with apocalyptic losses so that polity can continue with its game of oil populism. Indian Railways is truly a national asset giving it the national right of killing people in accidents and negligence without accountability. Well, let’s hope a day comes soon enough when, if not the entrepreneurs, at least the common man would be called a national asset. At least in that case he would be spared from paying with his life in terrorist attacks, hunger and political riots.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Basically a selling tool to enhance the PS3

2008-08-13T17:41:00.002+05:30

Although it is basically a selling tool to enhance the PS3 experience, the technology is a step closer to creating the simulated world of The Matrix – a computer generated world that’s almost indistinguishable from reality. To quote Morpheus again, “Have you ever had a dream that you thought was so real, that if you woke up, how would you know the real world from the dream world?” Sooner or later, the technology will allow us to step into the screen instead of simply staring at it.

And what about the hardware? Well, we are taking baby steps in bringing the reality of an actual Matrix a step closer. 25-year-old Matthew Nagle is paralyzed neck-down due to a stabbing accident and is the first patient in a controversial medical trial to prove brain-computer interfaces (BCI) can return a normal life to the paralyzed. His BCI is the most sophisticated ever tested on a human being, the culmination of two decades of research in neural recording and decoding. A Foxborough, Massachusetts-based company called Cyberkinetics built the system, named BrainGate (www.cyberkineticsinc.com).

The actual setup is very similar to the jack-in bays of the hovercrafts in Matrix. Matt moves around on a motorized chair that he controls by blowing into a tube. A thick cable of wires protrudes out of a connector in the back of Matt’s scalp to a huge array of computing hardware. Micro-electrodes pick-up neural activity in Matt’s brain impulses & find patterns relating to hand movements. The processor then commands the output system to draw with a cursor, operate a TV & open email. Matt can actually draw something similar to a circle with just his mind. If such research is successful and is proved medically viable, we may not need user interfaces at all. Wired connections to hardware could easily be replaced with wireless connectivity such as a Bluetooth implant in your ear. Then all you need to do to perform an action is THINK. Marry this with a 3D virtual world & it will allow you to enjoy Second Life without lifting a finger.

Sounds unbelievable? Well, researchers at the Keio University Biomedical Engineering Laboratory (http://bme.bio.keio.ac.jp/01news) don’t think so. Led by Professor Jun’ichi Ushiba, the team has built a BCI specifically for Second Life. It allows Second Life avatars to move around, fly, communicate and interact with others by just thinking about it. Very similar to Matt Nagle’s brain connector, the Keio University BCI is a headpiece with electrodes linked with an electroencephalograph (EEG). The EEG monitors brain activity in the cortical motor area of the cerebral cortex, which is incidentally the area that takes care of human movement. This information is passed to a computer program that converts it to commands within Second Life. The day is not far away when you can purchase a Second Life BCI kit and enjoy the virtual world in your mind. This technology can also be used for the rehab of physically disabled individuals and development of advanced prosthetics. In fact, Keio’s Biomedical Engineering Lab has partnered with the Keio University School of Medicine & Rehabilitation Medicine to continue research on the Second Life BCI hoping to improve brain-limb coordination in disabled patients. On another note, proponents of open source do not consider Second Life as the future of online virtual worlds. According to them, the future is open source (yeah, I am sure you have heard that one before) and they point at projects like Croquet. Although it is still rudimentary, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to see the potential. Visit the screenshots section at www.opencroquet.org and you will know what I mean. Croquet is an open-source software development environment that can be used to create online 3D virtual environments such as Second Life. It is maintained by the Croquet Consortium which is a group of institutions and organizations united with the objective of promoting Croquet technology for research, education and industry.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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360-degree education approach

2008-08-11T14:53:00.001+05:30

Moving away to a more 360-degree education approach, the company also plans to place ‘Green Bins’ across the country (through its priority dealers) where customers can dispose-off their old phones for recycling. It also plans to organise various training and awareness programs to ensure that those working in Nokia ‘take-back’ programs can advise consumers on recycling issues.

So is Nokia’s prime concern its solution to increase control over global mobile market? Or is it just another CSR act? “Nokia’s decision to launch eco-friendly mobile in India is more of building a brand image than a strategy to increase or recover its lost market share,” opines Shushmul Maheshwari, CEO, RNCOS e-Services. But will an improvement in brand goodwill not boost its sales and topline? Pat comes Maheshwari’s response, “No! This move is not expected to benefit the company in increasing its sales or market penetration as Indian consumers have low awareness regarding green products (eco-friendly) as compared to his western counterpart...”

However, Nokia’s ‘green’ move has certain limitations. As Maheshwari also agrees, Nokia’s “dump you old phone” strategy will not work unless it also comes out with exchange policies that either offers a cash discount on replacement of an old set with a new one or with some other offer. Surely, there is one last question left to be answered – will Nokia’s decision help impress Greenpeace in giving it a better environmental quotient next year? Anshul Gupta, Principal Analyst, Gartner disagrees. He says, “Nokia’s decision to launch green phones this year is more than just to prove to Greenpeace to attain the no.1 slot besides showing their undisputed commitment towards environmental issues...” Whatever be the ‘strain and effect’ situation, Nokia’s out to prove a point on a land where it commands an overwhelming 70% market share? Call it “competitor’s envy, consumer’s pride,” shall we?

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
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IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
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A heart that’s unbeatable!

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

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

A heart that’s unbeatable!
Praveen Garg, MD, MPSIDC & TRIFAC in a mood of his own...

"Agriculture and modern industries alike; flora, fauna and industrial plants alike; forests, parks and modern infrastructure alike; animal lovers, tourists and capitalist mercenaries alike... that’s Madhya Pradesh in short..."

Ever since the Industrial Promotion Policy was announced in April, 2004, Madhya Pradesh has embarked on an exciting journey towards increased investments, both nationally and globally, in multifarious sectors.

According to the April 2008 issue of Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) which reviewed various states of India, MP had received investments proposals of more than Rs.2.09 lakh crore (approx $52 billion!) till March 31, 2008. The report further states that the implementation on projects worth Rs.88,000 crore ($22 billion) are underway in MP.

The Government of Madhya Pradesh, in partnership with FICCI has promoted the state by a programme called “Destination Madhya Pradesh” from August, 2006 to October, 2008. The State Chief Minister, Hon’ble Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited Singapore, Malaysia, UK & USA to showcase MP as an emerging investment destination to foreign investors. In the presence of Hon’ble CM, investors meets were also organised at New Delhi, Khajuraho Mumbai, Bangalore & Indore. The culmination of Destination MP Drive was the Global Investors Summit at Indore in October 2007. During this Summit MOUs worth Rs.1.2 lakh crore ($30 billion) were signed. Two more investors meets at Jabalpur & Sagar were organised, yielding investment proposals worth Rs.59,325 crore ($14.7 billion).

Today, the State of MP has 221 proposals of investments worth Rs.2.48 lakh crore ($60 billion). The major investment sectors are power, steel, cement, automobile, agro processing & real estate. Connectivity is the basic key to development, which is also the main strength of MP. The state has a near perfect equi-distant connectivity to India’s metros and other markets. An astounding number of 425 trains crisscross through MP everyday. National highways with an overall length of 4,885 km run through the state. Couple it with rich natural resources, a rich cultural heritage, an excellent quality of life, a thriving industrial base, peaceful labour force, cheap industrial land, a progressive & an investor-friendly government; and you have the MP advantage.

The inclusion of MP in Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor has increased investment opportunities in the state. Some early bird projects like Logistics Sub Park between Dewas & Indore, Super Industrial Corridor on both sides of Indore Airport & Pithampur Road, Diamond Park near Indore, Knowledge City between Dewas & Indore and a cluster of services around the world class auto track at Indore will take shape over the next 2-3 years. With its first Greenfield SEZ in India, Indore region is destined to become a major industrial hub. Bhopal & Indore airports too are being upgraded as International Airports.

Madhya Pradesh the diamond & tiger state conjures up images of abundant natural beauty. Its natural beauty also makes it ideal for tourism. 13% of India’s forests are in MP and parks like Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Panna, Pench & Shivpuri enthrall visitors. Heritage sites at Bhimbetka, Sanchi & Khajuraho also add ambience to its cultural richness.

Madhya Pradesh has 11 agro climatic zones. It has largely unexploited species of rare valuable medicinal plants. 60% of Soya bean, 25% of pulses and 40% of grams in India are grown here. Large traits of wastelands & Govt. farms from 50 to 3,000 acres are being offered for investments. MP provides immense opportunities for food processing industry as well. Remember, Madhya Pradesh is the heart of India, literally!

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
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Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

GDP growth in India and other emerging economies

2008-08-06T16:23:00.001+05:30

“The current rate of GDP growth in India and other emerging economies is likely to spur significant demand for natural resources and energy.” That, definitely, marks the sector as one of the most sought after sectors in time to come.

On the other hand, with large amount of capital being infused into the natural resource sector, it is undoubtedly in the midst of a super cycle and investors can certainly cash in on the benefits by investing in such funds. Natural resources funds will also help reduce portfolio volatility and provide a hedge against the ever rising inflation. Further; as industrialisation and urbanisation increase the intensity of consumption of natural resources, the demand for natural resource will fast outpace the supply and thus in the foreseeable future the prices of natural resources can only go up.

Though Reliance Natural Resources fund has not shown great returns so far, the above mentioned factors combined together make the theme of natural resources and energy funds a sustainable investment in the long term. An investment today in any such fund is bound to give better results in the future and the early investors will have the last laugh for sure.

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

Working on a global branding

2008-08-05T13:55:00.002+05:30

Before 2005, HCL Technologies had largely focused on product based advertising, given the dominating nature of its enterprise business. In January 2005, they began working on a global branding initiative with an objective to unify the global enterprise and connect with all stakeholders. That was when they launched the ‘Fearless’ campaign – a print-led TV campaign, which brought out the core HCL values of Guts, Courage and Passion. A year later, HCL entered the second phase that was the ‘Talking Numbers’ campaign, 0 and 1 (the binary digits) were taken as HCL’s brand ambassadors. This is currently the third phase of the advertising strategy for HCL, ‘Touch Technology’ where the brand communication has a single thread – HCL expressing technology in many different ways. Says Sanjeev Bhargava, COO, Draft FCB Ulka (agency handling the HCL account), “The tone of this ad highlights HCL’s core strength which comprises the combination of over three decades of pioneering technology and the freshness of its outlook personified by the young HCL employee.” From a fuddy duddy image to an energised technology giant hurtling with speed and connecting with the global Indian, HCL has indeed begun to touch lives, at least the 30-second variety.

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

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Growth strategy in the fast growing Indian and Chinese markets

2008-08-04T17:01:00.003+05:30

Complimenting its growth strategy in the fast growing Indian and Chinese markets, the company has some extensive plans. Apart from the $25 billion investment for Eastern Indian region, ArcelorMittal increased its stake in China Oriental to 73.1%! In a deal worth $718 million, ArcelorMittal will acquire three mines in Russia as well.

Of course, there has been one dark spot too. When ArcelorMittal acquired the Gandrange facility in Eastern France in 1999, little was known that the plant will become a source of disdain. Due to unprofitability and a poor market, when the company wanted to offload close to 575 workers, the workers ransacked the company office. But for those wondering if this indicates there could be trouble in Mittal’s paradise, we must understand it’s a one off case. Mittal’s expansions gives him an excellent leeway in the steel industry. Some tactical blunders do not question the merit of his ingenious strategy; but then, damage control is one area that he may well have to be adept at.

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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Growth strategy in the fast growing Indian and Chinese markets

2008-08-04T17:01:00.002+05:30

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

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

Top Articles on IIPM:-
IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
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IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
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IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Markets against Google

2008-08-01T14:34:00.003+05:30

The advantages for Microsoft are greater scale in ad sales, media, and email markets, the ability to compete in instant messaging more directly against AOL and the ability to compete more directly in innovation markets against Google. Experts speculate that a successful deal could lead to AOL being lapped up by none other than Google; creating a virtual duopoly in the online advertising space. But with Yahoo! being a struggling conglomerate, dabbling in media, sports, internet technologies and just about everything else, it’s a bit of a mess. “There certainly will be high integration costs”, opines Marc. Of course, for Microsoft, that hardly seems to be a constraint. As per Richard, “Microsoft would become a powerhouse player in online advertising and a much stronger competitor to Google.”

Yahoo! relies on a robust first quarter to improve its bargaining position, as the Board of Directors responded back to Balmer, “we recently reaffirmed our Q1 and full year guidance, which is a testament to our ability to perform in line with our expectations despite the current economic environment.“ But will the results be good for the company? Though Google just reported a 30% jump in quarterly earnings, it is not clear whether that signals a turn in the industry or just taking more share from Yahoo!,” says Marc. Yahoo! has been trying since early February to get other bidders to exceed Microsoft’s bid, but nobody has done so yet. One more bad quarter from Yahoo! and Microsoft might lower its bid price, and even perhaps pull out – that’s quite evident!

The fact that stands tall is that Microsoft is not buying Yahoo! to be Yahoo!. This would lead to gross reorganisation of Yahoo!, probably all under the Microsoft brand name. Plus, if ultimately antitrust regulators block the deal, it would be very hard for Yahoo! to regain the needed brand equity to again be able to compete independently. Given the lackluster performance of Yahoo!’s business & stock price, there actually exists no reason for shareholders to be against a sale to Microsoft, feel other analysts.

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

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domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

Redefining advertising...

2008-07-31T17:05:00.002+05:30

Emami breaks new ground in the cosmetic domain communication

Emami has always believed in ground-breaking activities... and their advertising reflects its dynamic fashion, says the founder, R. S. Agarwal. Today, there’s this big buzz about product-placement (in film) advertising and if meaningfully leveraged, it can revenue-generate while showcasing the product. “Do you know” continues the Aditya Agarwal (the MD and boss-man’s son) “that we hit this button over two decades ago with a Rajesh Khanna-Rekha-Raj Babbar starrer, Agar Tum Na Hote? In that movie of the mid-eighties, Rajesh, the boss-man of an Emami Company hires photographer Raj Babbar to shoot Rekha for modeling of Emami products.” He is convinced that the founding fathers had an uncanny ability to constantly connect with the consumer psyche. Also, “Mr. Agarwal relentlessly followed the theory of destruction and disruption. He believed that if you do not disrupt or destroy, you can never create anything new or fresh; can never move to the next level.” Today Emami’s FMCG segment, powered by a media-spend of over Rs.100 crore – which does not include star-fees or consumer schemes – and having a roster of superstars on their list (Big B, SRK, Sunny Deol, Kareena, Ganguly, Sehwag) zooms ahead with all cylinders firing. Adi agrees that the adspend is perhaps a bit on the higher side but reckons it’s necessary “to build brands designed to impact both mindscape and marketscape. We are small compared to the biggies and need to make a space of our own, in our way…”!

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

Online advertising

2008-07-29T14:57:00.001+05:30

However, marketers are increasingly diversifying their media mix to include new genres and technologies like IPTV, broadband TV, mobile TV, et al. Gaurav Arora, Delhi Head, G2 India, asserts, “Fresh blood that is coming on the client side has much more faith in new media. But the decision makers still don’t trust new media.” According to him, every media has its own reasons why users interact with it. While TV and print are what can be called ‘lean backward’ media, Internet is a ‘lean-forward’ media as there is a two way interaction involved, believe marketers.

In as much, the power of the Internet as an advertising media cannot be discounted. Of course, the benefits of online advertising remain far superior for online sites, as a majority of their clients are online. But other sectors are also cashing in. The financial services sector for one is a clear leader as far as online-spends are concerned. Hari Shankar, Business Director, Starcom IP India says, “The industry which has gained maximum by online advertising is banking & finance (banks, credit cards, mutual funds, stocks & shares etc.). They use the Internet as a lead generation medium. Other sectors that are active on the Internet are mobile, automotive, computers & technology, entertainment, to name a few.”

Going by the sheer number of advertisers optimistically looking at online advertising as a strong upcoming media, even analysts have upgraded their forecasts. Earlier reports suggested that online advertisement segment would grow to Rs.9.5 billion by 2011. But according to the Internet in India report 2007, online advertising in India will be worth Rs.20 billion in 2009 itself. Google’s Rao is as bullish as these figures. According to him, marketers “demand to know the concrete value delivered for a given investment. AdWords, as an example, fulfils this by providing a detailed understanding of ROI.”

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

WHEN PROTEGES OUTSMART THE MENTOR

2008-07-28T16:45:00.001+05:30

One year after their launch, TIMES NOW and CNN-IBN zoom ahead...

For tennis fans across the world, the year 1991 will always be one full of pathos, a year in which an old war horse and a champion was nudged out by nimbler and more aggressive rivals. With a super human effort, the great Ivan Lendl managed to reach the final of the Australian Open, the 19th time Lendl made it to the final of a Grand Slam event. Fans who enjoyed his indomitable spirit, hard work and nerves of steel were hoping for a Lendl win. But German sensation Boris Becker defeated him 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. Lendl lovers were heart-broken, for the man would never reach a Grand Slam final again as players like Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi simply outsmarted this ageing champion.

For tennis fans and couch potatoes who remembered 1991, December 24, 2007, provided a tingling sense of déjà vu as news channels started reporting the results of the Gujarat assembly elections. The man who can lay claim to be the father of psephology in Indian electoral politics was there as usual with the cherubic and sometimes comical Dorab Sopariwala. Prannoy was as usual at his suave best at the NDTV studio. But missing were Mahesh Rangarajan (the only man who correctly forecasted the election results) and Yogendra Yadav, who was sitting in another studio with Rajdeep Sardesai, analysing the results for CNN-IBN. And you had Arnab Goswami sitting in the Times Now studio in Mumbai, giving his now familiar ‘in your face’ take on the so-called ‘merchants of death’ elections.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Pre-meditated

2008-07-22T13:31:00.000+05:30

While other telecom biggies are now keenly embracing the high-potential rural hinterlands, BSNL’s futuristic outlook has ensured its pan-India presence since inception

The government policy to give due weightage to the rural areas is very important, as about 70% of India’s population resides in this area. They don’t have proper communication facilities, so it is also the moral responsibility of PSU’s like us to implement and extend telecom communication facilities to every citizen of India. BSNL has always tried to provide telecom services across all types of barriers, including language terrain. There is a great scope to develop business in these areas and to provide telecom services using the latest technology.

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 :-
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

Why Sony won the format war

2008-07-21T12:58:00.001+05:30

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Blu-ray has out-marketed, out-punched and over-matched the HD DVD format

Earlier, Sony’s marketing was a bit more rope-a-dope than aggressive sell. Then, late last year, Sony rolled out a series of aggressive television ads that elegantly tied together Sony Blu-ray content with the players - Lance Ulanoff

I finally figured out why I was so dead wrong about the HD DVD versus Blu-ray format war. I should have analyzed the sides—Sony and Toshiba—not as two countries going to war, but as opponents in a close-quarters boxing match. Had I done so, I would have assessed each of the technology’s assets and deficits.

Back in the late 60’s and early 70’s when former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali was winning all his bouts, commentators extolled Ali’s “reach.” His arms and fists extended a good 2 or 3 inches beyond his opponent’s. This allowed him to inflict stinging jabs to the face and head of his over-matched opponents, including Ken Norton and Leon Spinks. Sony, it turns out, has this advantage, too.

Reach and Distribution

While on paper Blu-ray developer Sony and HD DVD developer Toshiba may appear the same, there are key differences in this pugilistic battle. Sony smartly leveraged its position in a number of key products and content-distribution outlets. It seeded the market with Blu-ray-ready PS3 machines. The machines sold poorly in their first year, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to guess that more people bought PS3s than HD-DVD-ready players.

Sony also controls a major television and movie studio, so it had any easier time getting Blu-ray content out into the marketplace. Toshiba and its partners kept pace for most of 2007, but once Warner Bros. walked away, Toshiba could do little to stop others from doing the same.

Flash and Burn

When Muhammad Ali dismantled an opponent, he didn’t just methodically pound him into the canvas. Instead, he danced, smiled and just plain over acted. Sometimes winning in technology requires a little bit of the flash and dazzle. I think Sony got that. For example, Blu-ray drives arrived in PCs before HD players.

TV and Smart Marketing

Muhammad Ali was good TV. In fact, if you like boxing, there was nothing better (whether he was talking or fighting). Toshiba and Sony both sell TVs, but ask anyone on the street who sells the best TVs and HDTVs and they’ll invariably answer Sony.

Part of Ali’s allure and success involved everything he did outside of the ring. Ali would wage a verbal marketing campaign that made fight enthusiasts and his opponents wonder if the fight had been won by Ali before anyone ever stepped into the ring. For a long time, Sony’s marketing was a bit more rope-a-dope than aggressive sell. Then late last year, Sony rolled out a series of aggressive television ads that elegantly tied together Sony Blu-ray content with the players and, more importantly, Sony HDTVs. Finally, there was a full marketing package, a message that perhaps turned on not only consumers but fence-sitting partners who were tying to satisfy both the HD DVD and Blu-ray camps. Toshiba started running similar ads, but because they came after Sony’s, they had the feel of mimicry.

Never Give Up

Muhammad Ali is the only three-time world heavyweight champion (or at least the only one I recognize). The man never gave up. When he seemed down and out, he would train harder and come back with a new strategic battle plan that would usually flummox his overconfident opponents. I give Sony credit. I counted the company out early on, and I think others did as well. Last summer there were reports that HD DVD had taken the lead in the format war, but those claims proved chimerical. Toshiba, on the other hand, made a critical error in January when it responded to Warner Bros. dropping HD DVD by canceling a major Consumer Electronics Show press conference. Muhammad Ali never would have done that.

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 :-
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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Pro-active

2008-07-18T13:45:00.002+05:30

Years ago, a can-do spirit prompted K. P. Singh to buy then-barren land in Gurgaon. His foresight has made him one among the richest in India today

DLF has brought about a paradigm shift in the real estate industry. It was proactive in realising the potential of the sector & proved its ability by delivering 9-10 million sq. ft. of finished structures for FY07 and has plans to get another 12-14 million sq. ft. ready for FY08. It also plans to achieve 7-8 million sq. ft. in commercial scale and 25-30 million sq. ft. in retail scale by FY11. With plans to foray into the ‘hotels’ business (with a JV deal with the Hilton Group) the future will only get brighter for DLF.

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 :-
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

Reliance Rodeo hits a roadblock

2008-07-12T12:53:00.000+05:30

Ashok Sinha (name changed), who quit his regular job in a pharmaceutical company and took a Reliance Fresh franchise in Lucknow in the hope of a better future, is in a spot. “The first day that we opened the store, violent protests forced a shutdown,” he laments. Following the closure orders in UP, Reliance Fresh has had to fire over 1000 employees in Lucknow, Meerut, Kanpur and Bareilly and put its UP plans on hold. Ashok is not alone, the group has sacked over 400 employees even in West Bengal (4Ps B&M has learned that Reliance will wind up its project in the state). Here, the Ambani army has been browbeaten by Forward Bloc and other left partners, with under construction outlets being ransacked by agitating mobs.

Explains, Ashoke Ghosh, State Secretary of All India Forward Bloc, “We can’t allow any FDI or large scale investor in agriculture related business, which may harm the interests of poor farmers or small businessmen.” In Kerala, the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES) and CPM are up in arms against super-market chains, including Reliance. Says Pinarayi Vijayan of CPM, “There is no question of allowing monopolists to enter the retail sector in Kerala, come what may.” Ironically, inaugaration of Reliance Fresh outlets in Kochi by a CPM MLA and the Dy. Mayor stirred a hornets’ nest, and both had to apologise later. Reliance operates three outlets in Kochi, Fabmall (Trinethra) 28, Spencers 1, while Subhiksha is waiting in the wings. KVVES plans to hold district and state level conventions this month for chalking out future strategies. Even in Orissa, where Mukesh Ambani had made Rs.30 billion investment plans, Reliance Fresh ventures have hit a roadblock with protests from small time traders. Reliance had to take help of the police and the stores were subsequently closed.

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

See, touch, feel...

2008-07-11T14:22:00.001+05:30

Do customers engage whole-heartedly in your brand? If yes, you may still be able to make it

What is the most critical trait that world famous brands like Google, Wal-Mart, Pepsi, Starbucks, Microsoft, Nestlé and Nike have in common? Perhaps the fact that almost anything they do (or don’t) makes headlines and trigger mass reaction. These companies do not always seek the publicity they get, whether for good or for bad. That is precisely why, although a number of firms around the world mistreat their employees for unfair gains, Wal-Mart gets the most flak for not giving free lunch hours in its organisation. Similarly, there would be a number of organisations that are miles away from confirming to quality standards and need to be severely penalised, but it’s Pepsi and Cadbury that are targettted en masse. On positive side, of course, is the fact that these brands enjoy mass adulation and appeal, which are highly enviable assets. It’s almost as if customers have been involved with these brands throughout their evolution. That’s why Coca-Cola faced huge protests over changing the taste of its cola in 1980s. Even though the new drink was researched by the company as having ‘better taste’, customers wanted their original Coke and nothing else. No wonder Coca-Cola is consistently on the top of the roster of the world’s leading brands.

To attain such high levels of involvement in your brands is getting increasingly difficult and more complex with the sheer explosion of media channels and competitors. Your brand needs to constantly reinforce your core positioning in the eyes of the customer. An interesting example is HDFC, which has emerged a leader in the home-loan segment in India. As the home-loan business was blooming in the late 1990s, the challenge was to acquire and retain customers who often questioned the authenticity of services promised by the banks. HDFC decided upon a unique way to commence its activities way back in 1977 by offering ‘home’ grown solutions for its customers. Keki Mistry, MD, HDFC, while speaking exclusively to 4Ps B&M on HDFC’s customer-centric focus, stated, “They (the customers) want comfort from us that we have checked the property, since we know the credentials of most of the developers and whether the title is clear. We often tell people when to buy and when not to buy.” In this way, HDFC partnered with the customers and helped allay their key concerns, thereby securing their trust.

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

From Here to Infinity…

2008-07-10T16:47:00.000+05:30

INFOSYS: S. GOPALAKRISHNAN

From Here to Infinity…

Forget long-term vision, now it has become a question of day to day survival! With new found evils like rupee appreciation and a possible end to the concessions awarded to Software Technology Parks of India scheme by 2009 to IT companies and with China fast catching up with India in the IT outsourcing business, is the IT sector honeymoon in India over? Well, if the first decade of the 21st century belonged to IT, the second may belong to infrastructure, but success stories like that of Infosys will continue to live on. Markets will see a different Infosys in 2008. A company that has traditionally shunned the inorganic way of growth will be taking the inorganic route for growth and expects to close in deals worth Rs.6000 crores in the next 10 months. The company, in the briefing of its second quarter results staid, it is open to acquisitions ‘if a match is found,’ he said. The company, which had cash reserves of $1.8 billion as on September 30, 2007, has set aside about $500 million for acquisitions.

“The company is cautious in selecting target companies - looking not only for strategic fits but also the overlap of ability to retain employees and alignment of values, culture and ethics,” believes Kris Gopalakrishnan, CEO Infosys. Let’s see how instrumental will this strategy be to help Infosys sail in this flat world.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

To ur good health

2008-07-09T13:06:00.001+05:30

Vandhana Luthra has done her bit in the Indian beauty & health space. In conversation with Angshuman Paul, she reveals how her journey has only just begun...
When you put your mind to it, there are quite a few critical character traits that would differentiate a good leader from a great one. One of them would definitely be respect for time. As we came face to face with Vandana Luthra, the exceptionally flamboyant yet incessantly professional founder of VLCC, this particular aspect of her personality had us pleasantly surprised, for she was at the venue half an hour before the scheduled time! Her retort, “I never ever want to keep any one waiting,” really set the pace for the interview! Of course, punctuality is not the only aspect which sets Vandhana Luthra apart. To find out more about what makes her click, be with us as we introduce you to the woman who has been relentlessly improving India’s beauty & wellness quotient over the years, as she reveals her game plans with VLCC for 2008.

It was not easy to create country’s largest wellness brand and she gets instantly nostalgic while describing the journey till date. The year was 1989 when ‘beauty business’ was hardly a buzz word (but then again, neither was globalisation!), and there were few skilled professionals in the field. “But at the same time, the demand for such beauty care products & services was there. This was truly motivating and hence we started VLCC. Man power was a major problem, but our organisation was so transparent that we were able to attract many freshers,” explains Vandhana.

That was the beginning and no looking back. With the quest to create something new, VLCC started expanding its arms in various dimensions of health & beauty business. And with its aggressive expansion approach, VLCC proliferated into a pan-India brand. Adds Vandhana, “But we were very choosy about expansion. At the end of the day, you need money, so you can’t go anywhere. Locality, income, & purchasing power were major determinants and we didn’t want to compromise with brand image, so we avoided the franchisee model as much as possible. Even today, in tier II or towns, (only) where we can’t go directly, we have franchisee.”

Such strategies, bucked up with first mover advantage, did the wonder for VLCC. Today, with a sturdy team of 4,000 persons, 300 centres and an exorbitant customer base of more than a million, VLCC dominates the slimming & beauty market, with market share of 40%.

The year 2007 evinced them into new arenas like fast food chain. Coined as VLCC Alive, it’s claimed to be the country’s first healthy & smart eating restaurant. But even Shahnaz Hussain is planning to unleash similar type of food joints (in the form of coffee chain). Moreover, Shahnaz already has a flank of Indian herbal brand in global market. Add to this, the threat from FMCG behemoths like Marico, HUL, who are sounding the battle cry with their beauty salons. So are the pillars of VLCC shaken? Ask her that and she’s ready with the answer, “See, ours is a totally different business and our positioning is also different. We are more into slimming & healthy diet business rather than beauty business. Players also exist in this segment, but it’s much unorganised and not professionally managed, like ours.”

Not a hollow boast, as VLCC is one of the very few orgnisations in this sector, which gets its annual audit done by Ernst & Young. She believes in transparency in the organisation and this is one of the reasons for this strict annual audit. This is also helping her generate funds for VLCC and now she’s gung ho with IPO plans as well. Yes, you read it right. Come 2008 and VLCC will roll out its first IPO. Her entire team is chalking out plans for this as they are in a mission to make VLCC a Rs.10 billion company by 2008. “The way we are growing, I don’t find it at all difficult; moreover even if the IPO is at end of 2008, our existing business will help us to achieve this turnover. We are looking for fresh properties also and for new ventures also.”

But the cautious aggression strategy is intact, as VLCC will engage in extensive feasibility studies before entering any business. As Vandhana sums it up, “You have to keep your consumer in mind and at the same time minimise your cost.” VLCC is aiming to consolidate its global position, as it’s planning 28 centres in the Middle East.

Banking on her team, she is pledging to be more united as she claims that’s the responsibility of a true leader. According to her, a true leader must be a patient listener as well as she affirms, “If you don’t listen to your people, how can you know the problems faced by them and if you cannot addressed problems, then you cannot expect better inputs from them. Also, I feel a true leader should try to motivate his/her people.” Her ideal in terms of leadership is none other than the Indian National Congress President Sonia Gandhi. She appreciates how Sonia Gandhi has taken the leadership role while denying the power position, and is also inspired by the way Sonia Gandhi has maintained a caring image amongst party members. The parallel is evident – Vandhana has not taken up an official designation in her company either.

In her busy schedule and whenever she manages to get time from travelling, she likes spending time with her family. “I also have a fascination for sports, I enjoy swimming a lot,” she adds. So the penchant for fitness seems to come right from the top. And as we bid her goodbye, she shares with us her new year wish, “Let everyone be healthy.” Whether just to remain politically correct or genuinely, few would dare disagree with Luthra on that at least!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Alarming levels

2008-07-08T17:08:00.000+05:30

“Like many people, I got into this business by chance,” Manav confesses. But, having come so far, he understands that having taken the bold step there’s no better way of dealing with the challenges than to live in full conscience that they exist. Talking about the most important challenge, Manav divulges, “If the operating cost increases, it only squeezes the market further. High ATF price is also a big challenge with ATF prices further set to increase globally by about 30-40% from the already alarming levels!” There is also the fact that while dealing with high income customers, recessionary consequences hit your business hard. But, Club One will have to live with this cyclical monster. The company’s slow addition to fleets may also sound logical, but the sudden boom in HNIs during India’s economic boom period may also mean unfulfilled demand. Challenges apart, ‘fractional ownership’ (a concept that Warren Buffet introduced with his chartered airlines business in America) for Indian businessmen has worked well for him. “We made a huge difference as there were not many HNIs who owned aircrafts except a few like the Tatas, Birlas and Ambanis. We take care of everything right from aircraft requirement to safety measures. You call us, say you want an aircraft and get it,” he points out.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

When globally, Motorola was taking a beating, the story-line read otherwise in India. Wonder why?!

2008-07-07T11:56:00.000+05:30

MALCOM DAWE... Chairman & MD, Motorola India
When globally, Motorola was taking a beating, the story-line read otherwise in India. Wonder why?!
Motorola is one company that is surely making waves in India, especially over the past year – whether be it through their adcampaigns or their technologically-centred phones. All-in-all, it becomes obvious that Motorola is earnestly striving to create a deep dent in Nokia’s leadership position and make living difficult for other also-rans in Indian telecom handset industry. And the person behind all this is Malcolm Dawe, VP & GM–Mobile Devices (India). Clearly, Motorola India has benefitted from his dynamic leadership with more than 18 precious years in telecom industry across continents (like Asia, Europe & Americas). Explaining Motorola India’s terrific performance of late, he asserts, “Motorola has been focusing on technologically relevant phones in India where the new generation phones are more appealing.” Judging by the fact that globally Motorola grew weaker, he indeed deserves a huge applause

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Many roles. One man, one vision.To build the future of Ashok Leyland

2008-07-04T16:10:00.000+05:30

R. SESHASAYEE... MD, Ashok Leyland
Many roles. One man, one vision.To build the future of Ashok Leyland
He’s a man on a mission. His ultimate prize – serving Ashok Leyland as MD. That’s R. Seshasayee for you. A CA by profession, he joined Ashok Leyland in 1976 and steadily moved up the ladder, to the position of MD in 1998. Thirty years ago, while being interviewed by the then MD, RJ Hancock, he was posed the question, “Where do you expect to reach in your career?’’ Pat came the reply, ‘Eventually in your chair.’’ Ever since, the man reflected his tenacity & determination to integrate and build his career with Ashok Leyland’s growth. The wealth of expertise that Seshasayee brings with him, has helped Ashok Leyland maintain its bottom-line despite the downturn in commercial vehicles market. In fact, the company crossed a turnover of Rs.80 billion in FY07 under his deft leadership on the back of an increased thrust on infrastructure development. Says Seshasayee: “Our figures this year reflect how well we rode the boom in the market... We fielded products that improved customer profitability and supported them with a host of value-added services.” A believer in the power of youth, Seshasayee feels that this generation was born in good times and should strive to take on the world. Aye, aye, Mr. Seshasayee!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

THE TIMES OF INDIA

2008-05-22T12:53:00.002+05:30

Good times are here for The Times of India; poised for even better times ahead...

There are two India: One India lives in our optimism-filled hearts, the other resides in our scepticism-entrenched minds. And then, there is the third India: The Times of India (TOI), which virtually dictates what millions across the country wake up to every morning. And that’s the reason which brings TOI to the 4Ps B&M list of the most valuable brands in India, second time in a row (11 ranks up than last year). “TOI does not believe in just being a watchdog of the society, rather we believe in empowering our readers and partner their ambitions. That is what makes us a powerful brand, not just another newspaper,” says Rahul Kansal, Brand Director, The Times Of India.

And with competition in the newspaper biz coming from all directions, last year the old lady of Boribunder re-branded itself on a threefold value platform: optimistic, youthful and innovative.

The India Poised camp a i g n , launched this January, has been another successful effort by Times Group. The campaign has created a buzz around the brand, increasing awareness and strengthening its image as a proactive agenda setter, rather than being just a reportage factory. After all, it’s all about ‘We the People’ of India!

For complete IIPM article click here
Source:- IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Management Guru Prof.Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank

The Sunday Indian

Gen-next ‘glib’ Godrej

2008-05-05T11:03:00.005+05:30

Nisa GODREJ... charming and vivacious, a legendary surname only adds to her dynamism!

“I’ve learned a lot from my father and the people with whom I work, because I was treated like an employee rather than an owner. And this tradition of Godrej, I have carried among my children. Be it my son or my two daughters, all had to go through a proper training and have global exposure before they hold their today’s positions. No wonder my daughters have been able to bring in so much emotional intelligence in the organisation,” a proud Adi Godrej, Chairman of Godrej Group of Companies told 4Ps B&M. And the claim is far from being a hollow boast, when one considers the case of his youngest daughter - Nisa

Boasting a degree from Wharton Business School, Nisa traveled the same strenuous path in the family-controlled business as any other employee, beginning her corporate journey as an intern in the marketing department of Godrej Sara Lee. However, her people skills soon enabled her into the position of Assistant Manager in the Human Resources department (HRD) of Godrej Industries. Hungry for more, Nisa next proved her awesome communication skills and became Manager, Corporate Development, Godrej Industries. A keen participant in Godrej’s management committee meetings, Nisa may have been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, but she has a legendary legacy to live up to. And going by her zeal, success may just be around the corner.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click here
Source: IIPM Editorial, 2008
An IIPM and Management Guru Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Initiative

IIPM Arindam Chaudhuri 4Ps Business & Marketing Business & Economy Kkoooljobs Planman Media Planman Consulting Planman Marcom Planman Technologies Planman Financial Planman Motion Pictures GIDF The Daily Indian IIPM Think Tank

The Sunday Indian

High on the highway!

2008-04-01T11:55:00.002+05:30

Official estimates put the figure at $320 billion to be spent over next 5 years. And considering that infrastructure remains one of the major roadblocks to Indian economy’s gravity defying potential, the future will see the sector attract significant investments.

Good for India’s presently insufficient infrastructure set-up; and better for entities intending to cash on the impending boom. A leading national infrastructure equipment finance and infrastructure project finance company, Srei Infrastructure Finance Limited (SREI) is amongst the largest NBFIs in India, having asset base of over $900 million and infrastructure sector being its principal growth area. Its business model revolves around financing infrastructure, construction and mining equipment, infrastructure projects and renewable energy systems.

The only Indian infrastructure financing firm to get listed on London Stock Exchange (LSE), SREI has ambitions to plug-in the missing link – infrastructure - in India’s northward growth charts, in the process creating value for its stakeholders. In a tête-à-tête with 4Ps B&M, Hemant Kanoria, MD, SREI, shares the opportunities in infrastructure sector and SREI’s model for success. Excerpts from the interview.

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

On the road with Hillary

2008-03-20T10:49:00.003+05:30

Hillary Clinton is undoubtedly the Indian American community’s favourite candidate for the 2008 presidential elections. Later this month, the honourable Senator is all set to interact with the alumni group of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT). For this, she has promised to take time out of her hectic presidential cam- paigning. About 4,000 Indian Americans are ex- pected to attend the function. A New York Sun report claims that several Bollywood stars will be called for yet another Hil- lary campaign event sometimes later this year. Indian stars are shining extremely bright for Senator Clinton, we must say!

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

The Sunday Indian