“TRAI Can’t Force QOS norms on Operators”

Satyen Gupta, former Principal Advisor, TRAI

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) played a pivotal role in the great Indian telecom success story. The body keeps a close watch on the quality of services offered by the telecom operators to millions of wireless subscriber. However, there is little that the regulator can do when it comes to implementation of these norms on the ground level. Former Principal Advisor to TRAI Satyen Gupta spoke to Akhilesh Shukla about the MNP and regulators role in implementation of QoS norms.

B&E: The churn rate in India is very high, especially in the prepaid segment. Do you think MNP would be able to further escalate the churn rate?
Satyen Gupta (SG): Truly speaking, MNP would not have a major impact on the churn rate in the telecom space. The little churn that we could see would be on the front of high value postpaid subscribers. Most of them are corporate executives or business class people, who need to be connected 24x7. These people need quality service. They have all the reasons to port if they are dissatisfied with the existing service provider. The service provider has to make investments to retain them; otherwise they will see a decrease in top line.

B&E: How would the implementation of MNP impact the service providers?
SG: The marketing budget of telecom operators would significantly go up after the roll out of MNP across the country. The operators have to communicate and educate subscribers about its USP at regular intervals to remain competitive. Investment has to be made on the front of improvement and maintenance of QoS. At the same time, they have invest in retention of dissatisfied subscribers, especially high ARPU ones.

B&E: 3G and MNP were expected in India for quite a long time. Do you think the delay had any negative impact on the sector?
SG: The delay of both the services did not have much impact on the Indian telecom sector. Both the services were present in one form or the other. People looking for high speed connection while on move have already subscribed to EDGE services (2.75 G) for the handset. Similarly, high speed data cards, offered by the CDMA operators, have fulfilled the need for faster internet on mobile platform. Similarly, the dual SIM phones have bridged the gap for subscribers looking for a new operator while retaining the existing number.

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 

Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
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IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

Hell Dorados

Post the frenzied activity that begins in any sector opened up in the Indian Economy, many entrants, including the larger ones, lose out due to lack of long term strategies and inability to adapt to business dynamics. Ultimately, market forces take them off road, putting paid to all the aspirations that convinced them to enter the sector in the first place

Terms like intense competition, mergers and acquisitions and low margins are not new to Indian market by any chance in today’s day and age. After all, the Indian economy is labelled as one of the most lucrative on the global charts. That is precisely why, as numerous sectors like telecom, aviation, retail and insurance opened up one after another; a number of Indian business houses ignored all considerations of synergies, potential growth impediments or possible gloomy scenarios and took the plunge, led by the Tatas, Birlas, Ambanis, Mallyas, et al.

History has repeatedly taught an important lesson that these players seemed to have missed. The story of El Dorado, the mythical ‘City of Gold’ that captured the fancy of European explorers, gained popular appeal in the early 15th century. Multiple expeditions were undertaken in vain to discover this city; till better sense ultimately prevailed, two centuries later! The fact is that a number of Indian businesses have also been victims of two precarious beliefs w.r.t. the so called sunrise sectors – one that the sheer depth of their resources would ensure that they prevail over every eventuality in the sector concerned and second that their stupendous success in their current businesses automatically made them the best bets for these new business opportunities.

Be it television manufacturing that saw a frenzy of competition in the early 1990s and eventually led to many manufacturers exiting or the telecom services sector, wherein new entrants in the industry like MTS, Uninor and Videocon have been disturbing the margins of the big boys like Reliance and Bharti Airtel to the core, such instances abound. In fact, some of the new entrants in telecom are realising that they themselves face a hard time. The fact is that with the huge number of players per circle now and the continuously ARPUs (Average Revenue Per User), it’s only a matter of time before consolidation happens. In retail, we saw the entry of players like Reliance and Birla along with some zealous competitors like Subhiksha and Vishal Megamart. Most of them faced the perils of untethered expansion and had to shut down stores. Subhiksha and Vishal Mega Mart ultimately went belly up. Similarly, entrants into aviation like Air Deccan and Sahara had to bow out of the race as they found their margins getting unsustainable due to myriad reasons. And despite the consolidation phase that passed them by, the remaining players have found it just too hard to keep their balance sheets in the black.

Read more.....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 

Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links

IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

Whether or not your baby will grow up to be an obese Adult, is partly in your hands!

According to American Dietetic Association and WHO, breast-feeding is necessary for six months, after which it’s ideal to give other food along with breast-feed till 12 months. This practice develops immunity, reduces the risk of asthma, blood pressure and heart diseases. Mothers who subscribe to the trend of quickly giving-up on breast-feeding, should know that it is also beneficial for them as it lowers risk of breast and ovarian cancer, lowers post-partum depression, accelerates the process of shrinking the uterus and thus resume the menstrual cycle, and the calorie expenditure helps mothers return to their pre-pregnancy weight sooner.

Well, promoting breast-feeding doesn’t imply that formula-feed is harmful. It makes for a healthy diet, but it also leads to obesity. Dr. Rahul Nagpal, a pediatrician at Max Healthcare, expounds, “There have been observations and numerous medical papers, which prove that bottle-fed babies, at five years of age, have turned out heavier than those who were breast-fed, reason being that formula milk is tougher to digest than human milk. And formula foods have higher calorie content. Formula food manufacturers try to provide the same nutrients and contents that is present in mother’s milk, although it cannot match up because there are so many components in mother’s milk, which cannot be made otherwise.” Stating other possible reasons for their obesity, Dr. Nagpal said, “In breast-feeding, the intake depends on the baby. In bottle-feeding, the mother will want the baby to finish the entire bottle of milk, thereby over-feeding the baby. Slowly, the baby’s appetite increases, fat cells develop and these fat cells show-up in adolescence.”

So mommies, if you don’t want to spend your midlife fretting about your teen kids fretting about their weight, you know what to do. Or not to do.
 

Read more......

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 

Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links

IIPM : The B-School with a Human Face

Frugality in the city of dreams!

There is tremendous buzz about CRZ redevelopment and the long-pending SRD in Mumbai. But can these policy initiatives ever hope to clear those elusive execution hurdles? by Mona Mehta

With a bird’s eye view from the middle of the Arabian Sea, one can easily view some newly constructed tall buildings adorning the Mumbai skyline – a spectacular and grand view, any which way. But when you come closer to the coastline, say, between Versova and Cuffe Parade, there are around 2,500 old dilapidated buildings falling under the coastal regulatory zones (CRZs) awaiting increase in floor space index (FSI) as part of the redevelopment process. Understandably, residents here seems to have got a sigh of relief as the state government’s recent decision to involve the Maharashtra Housing And Area Development Authority (MHADA) in housing projects in the CRZ areas is expected to yield one lakh affordable homes in the city.

The move has come in the wake of Centre agreeing to allow private participation in the redevelopment of dilapidated buildings and large slum pockets falling under the CRZ. Following that, state environment minister Suresh Shetty recently met Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh and broadly agreed to allow private participation to the extent of 49% and Maharashtra Housing And Area Development Authority (MHADA) to have 51% stake.

Around 38% of the city is governed by stringent CRZ rules that have blocked redevelopment of around 5,000 dilapidated buildings and slums in areas such as Colaba, Girgaum, Mahim and stretches in Borivali. Hemant Shah, Head, Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) told B&E, “The state government is trying to increase the FSI from the existing 2.5 to 3 for the redevelopment of old dilapidated buildings. Due our involvement in various slum redevelopment projects between Versova to Cuffe Parade in Mumbai, we will be able to redevelop several dilapidated buildings and slum pockets falling under the CRZ.” Ackruti City is one instance of a builder in the affordable housing space. As there are affordable housing projects with lesser margins the company will be using cost efficient techniques. Hemant Shah, Chairman, Ackruti City told B&E, “Though the projects are under affordable housing, the customers are still looking at premium amenities such as Club House, Gym, Kids play area, good entrance lobbies et al.”

A lot of areas are covered by CRZ because of the vicinity to the sea. Smaller rivers like Meethi and areas covered by salt land make matters complicated when it comes to developing CRZs. But if there is a road between land and sea, the impact of CRZ comes down. According to Pranay Vakil, Chairman, Knight Frank India, “As for redevelopment of CRZ, work is being done on exploiting the Eartern waterfront in Mumbai between JJ School of Architecture and the Columbia University. The idea is to improve the infrastructure and connectivity of the island city with the that of mainland.” 

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

Zee Business Best B-School Survey 2012
Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri's Session at IMA Indore
IIPM IN FINANCIAL TIMES, UK. FEATURE OF THE WEEK
IIPM strong hold on Placement : 10000 Students Placed in last 5 year
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM makes business education truly global
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM B-School Facebook Page
IIPM Global Exposure
IIPM Best B School India
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Links

Demand upswing of steel & cement in india

As long term demand upswing of steel & cement in india is assured, larger players in both Sectors probably look for distressed assets in the coming months 

Avinash Gupta, consultant with Deloitte India said, “Consolidation is typically driven when there is an overcrowding in the industry or a shortfall in terms of work for everybody.” In the case of cement, the situation is similar to steel, as the larger players are on the look out for capacity expansions as well. Take the recent example of Lafarge India – the Indian subsidiary of the world’s largest manufacturer of cement. To expand its reach and become a more national player, it is trying to purchase Chennai-based Ramco Group’s West Bengal cement grinding unit for around Rs.3.5 billion, which originally took an investment of Rs.1.20 billion to set up. Given the strong demand from building and construction, recent forecasts and upcoming development projects in India, most large cement producers are eying expansions of up to twice their capacities. For buyers in steel & cement, this is a better route to the greenfield option, which has become a red flag in India due to land acquisition controversies. On the other hand, the sector has a number of smaller players facing pricing pressures at the moment due to a dip in demand that is typical in the monsoons. Prices are down by around Rs.20 per bag since April. Moreover limestone costs could go up by around Rs.75-80 per tonne after the new mining laws. Furthermore delayed execution and the slowdown imminent in real estate with high interest rates would have an obvious negative effect. Larger players can survive more easily on volumes and also push surplus to off trade markets. But regional players face a high probability of losses and often look to milk their assets to a suitable bidder. This year, the only major acquirer so far has been Ambuja Cement, which has bought an 85% majority stake in Nepal’s Dang cements for Rs.191.3 million. But in both steel & cement, the coming months should see a number of incremental value generating deals and the competitive battle lines getting redrawn.

Read more....

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism
Arindam Chaudhuri: We need Hazare's leadership
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management

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

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

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

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The Sunday Indian

Several dilemmas haunt the "Give Telangana" party

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

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The Sunday Indian

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

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

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The Sunday Indian

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

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

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The Sunday Indian

Blackout in the parched Fields

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

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The Sunday Indian

Thank god it's recession!

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

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The Sunday Indian

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

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

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The Sunday Indian

The Princess

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

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The Sunday Indian

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

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

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The Sunday Indian

Monica’s angelic beauty and bewitchery unravelled...

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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A heart that’s unbeatable!

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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).

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Why Sony won the format war

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).

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