Thursday, August 30, 2012

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).

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Wednesday, August 22, 2012

US POLITICS: AFRICAN AMERICANS

African Americans still struggle

Recently, Rep. Artur Davis lost his bid to be the first black governor of Alabama, which was the latest in a series of defeats for African American politicians for state wide offices this year. More shockingly, he lost by a 62% to 38% margin, that too, after being the favourite in exit polls held in the run up to the election.

It would be too simplistic to consider this as a race problem in itself. Davis in fact lost in counties with a majority of African Americans, and was criticised for not reaching out to his own community and its power brokers. Moreover, seats are less at the top and there are fewer black candidates who are in contention for the same. Also, Obama had the ability to rally a large portion of America behind him. Few politicians of his ilk seem to possess that calibre today.


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Friday, August 10, 2012

BARACK OBAMA: A PROMISE IS A...

Obama made several promises during his campaign days, but precious few seem to have been realised. Will America and the world cherish his presidency the same way they had welcomed it? For that to happen, Obama will have to live up to expectations that could be well beyond his reach.

Quoting from one of our previous surveys, take for instance Woodrow Wilson who promised to keep the US out of World War I and ended up pushing the US into the same war. Then came Herbert Hoover in 1928, who, in his presidency speech, pledged to end poverty and promised “a chicken in every pot and two cars in every garage”– but eventually gifted the US ‘The Great Depression’ and gave many chickens a new lease of life! By the end of 1932, the unemployment figure touched the 24.9% mark with around 5,000 banks failing. Following the trend, Franklin D. Roosevelt graciously ‘un’met his 1932 pledge to maintain balanced budgets and to keep the US out of World War II. He bombed Japan and his government’s spending increased from 8.0% of GNP to 10.2%. The national debt, in turn, doubled from 16% to 33.6%. Richard Nixon promised resolutely in 1968 to ‘quickly’ resolve the Vietnam War. He didn’t! George H.W. Bush Senior promised in 1988, “Read my lips: No new taxes!” For records, he increased taxes and strangely parted with exclusions for high-income taxpayers. It seems that Obama, is on his way to keeping the spirit of freedom alive and kicking.

Nothing can indicate this more than Obama’s southward moving rating graph. His approval rating has dropped from 67% in 2009 to 50% today, the lowest ever rating at the end of a president’s first year term. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were the only other presidents polled who, like Obama, started their second years as president in the 50s (percentage wise), earning 55% and 54%, respectively. Then there’s more. A YouGov Polimetrix poll for The Economist found that 51% people think Obama says what people want to hear and not what he believes in. The same poll further reveals that a huge percentage disapproves the way Barack Obama is handling the Iraq issue (43% disapproval), the economy (47%), immigration (47%), terrorism (42%), health care (45%), social security (43%) and the Afghan war (49%).

Obama’s sycophantic speeches haven’t helped his cause post election so far. And beyond any apprehension, the second year will be even tougher. With Obama losing support (and majority) at the Senate, passing health care bills, moving his immigration policy further and ensuring more green jobs will become harder. But then as his campaign showed, Obama is known to be at his best with his back to the wall, at least when it comes to giving off his spiel against countries like India and China and the business threats they pose to the future of America. Irrespective of his spiel, there would be five simian issues that Obama would find hard to get off his back in the coming year. The IIPM Think Tank provides its analysis of the list.




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Friday, July 20, 2012

Improve The Scenario in The Insurance Sector

Amidst Challenges of Standardisation, Will Health Insurance portability, which is Scheduled to be Implemented from July 1 This Year, Improve The Scenario in The Insurance Sector.

It needs to be seen now as to why a customer would change the company – for better services or for lower premiums. Given the rise in claims (the incurred claim ratio of health was 111.13% in 2009-10 as against 105.95% in 2008-09), demand for higher level of health cover and medical inflation (proposed 5% service tax will further impact health insurance premiums), health insurance is definitely a bleeding portfolio. In such a scenario, a war based on lower premiums could be an altogether unlikely case. Nonetheless, overcharging and variations in rates of premium would be reduced.

So when you consider the transformative impact of this judgement, it could really make the industry more competitive and transparent. Players will be encouraged to ensure constant innovation & improvement in efficiency standards and services. When TRAI introduced it in the telecom sector on January 20 this year, a lot of migration of customers has been observed from one telecom service provider to the other (statistics from the Department of Telecommunication reveal that by the end of February 2011, Reliance Communication’s net loss of subscribers was pegged at 0.3 million while Vodafone’s net gain of subscribers was pegged at 0.19 million).

Whether or not the portability scheme in the health insurance domain will lead to a similar mass migration is even yet to be seen. Moreover, customer disatisfaction is strongly linked to those few (thankfully!) moments when the cover is actually needed. But portability will surely encourage more people to opt for health insurance for themselves and their families, as it reduces the potential consequences of choosing a wrong insurer. If statistics are to be believed, only 2% of Indians currently have health insurance, which constitutes about 20% of the overall insurance business in the country. However, a major concern for the insurance companies is the lack of an effective data-sharing mechanism with respect to policy holders.

Also, for effective portability, a standardised system and platform integration needs to be introduced. The guideline also does not clearly specify the extent of past transactional information to be shared by the policy holder, and this could prove to be an impediment. The rule may be a blessing where migration affects serviceability. But until proper policies, procedures and implementation mechanisms are in place, it may not move far beyond being a psychological bargaining chip.



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Monday, September 22, 2008

In comes Stanford John...

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 IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

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

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
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Saturday, September 20, 2008

The realtor-hotelier

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 IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

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

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
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IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
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Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Astounding a toll, this!

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 IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

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

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

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India eNews - IIPM Ranked No1 B-School in India
IIPM Delhi - Indian Institute of Planning and Management New Delhi ...domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs

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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Presidents too wanna have fun!

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.

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

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

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

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IIPM makes business education truly global-Education-The Times of ...
The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

M(exico)ystry

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?

For Complete IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

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

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

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The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
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Monday, August 25, 2008

Facing the c‘ORE’us challenge

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 IIPM Article, Click on IIPM Article

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

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

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



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