Ratan Tata had already made an example out of the nation’s spirit of innovation – with the world’s cheapest car, no less! But can the Nano revive Tata Motors, which recently posted its first quarterly loss (of $58.5 million) in seven years? Pawan Chabra & Surbhi Chawla’s incisive analysis...
When mentor JRD Tata tapped Ratan Naval Tata in 1991 and asked him to take over the baton of the Tata Group, Ratan, then 54, gregariously went ahead and appointed himself Chairman of the group’s largest companies. The ageing old guard at these units sniggered and viewed the move as an ego trip by the younger Tata. But Ratan was thinking differently. The economy had just got deregulated and he realised that old, pedantic strategies would be insufficient for Indian businesses to deal with the unfolding era. His emphasis on flab-cutting and a new strategic direction for the group put Tata’s businesses on the fast track.
Almost fifteen years later, the word ‘ego’ has come back to haunt Ratan Tata. This time the scenario was spanning continents. What we do know is that he initially wagered 220 pence per share, but eventually paid almost triple that amount – 660 pence per share – for the Anglo-Dutch steel major, Corus. What we don’t know however, is whether he was prompted by the strategic implications of creating the world’s 5th largest steel producer or by the mere desire to pander to his ego, which refused to accept defeat in the face of a fierce takeover battle with Brazilian rival Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN). Tata Steel’s balance sheet has still not recovered from the Corus onslaught!
But it was with the Nano (the world’s cheapest car) that Ratan Tata’s ego applied for top honours. Combined with the $2.3 billion JLR acquisition, Tata Motors and Ratan indeed became top of the mind on the global automotive map. He announced the Nano launch for end-2008. Then Singur happened and Tata had to shift his Nano dream to Sanand in Gujarat. The Nano got delayed – anathema for the now global auto czar.
Simultaneously, the global recession began digging deeper holes into Tata Motors’ financials, input costs began going up and the Rs.1,00,000 price tag for the Nano was not looking conducive any more. Recalls Abhishek Jain, Exec. Director, Precision Pipes (a vendor for Nano), “There was a lot of pressure on cost through out the production process of the Nano!” But does that stop Ratan Tata? Hardly! The man is on a roll – he announced the launch of Nano for March 23, 2009 – at least the bookings are slated to start on that date! The ‘ego’ word is being bandied about yet again! “It’s all about ego for Ratan Tata. The date March 23 is strategically chosen as he wants to launch it in this fiscal, overshadowing his inability to launch it in the last calendar year,” concludes an industry insider on condition of anonymity.
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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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When mentor JRD Tata tapped Ratan Naval Tata in 1991 and asked him to take over the baton of the Tata Group, Ratan, then 54, gregariously went ahead and appointed himself Chairman of the group’s largest companies. The ageing old guard at these units sniggered and viewed the move as an ego trip by the younger Tata. But Ratan was thinking differently. The economy had just got deregulated and he realised that old, pedantic strategies would be insufficient for Indian businesses to deal with the unfolding era. His emphasis on flab-cutting and a new strategic direction for the group put Tata’s businesses on the fast track.
Almost fifteen years later, the word ‘ego’ has come back to haunt Ratan Tata. This time the scenario was spanning continents. What we do know is that he initially wagered 220 pence per share, but eventually paid almost triple that amount – 660 pence per share – for the Anglo-Dutch steel major, Corus. What we don’t know however, is whether he was prompted by the strategic implications of creating the world’s 5th largest steel producer or by the mere desire to pander to his ego, which refused to accept defeat in the face of a fierce takeover battle with Brazilian rival Companhia Siderurgica Nacional (CSN). Tata Steel’s balance sheet has still not recovered from the Corus onslaught!
But it was with the Nano (the world’s cheapest car) that Ratan Tata’s ego applied for top honours. Combined with the $2.3 billion JLR acquisition, Tata Motors and Ratan indeed became top of the mind on the global automotive map. He announced the Nano launch for end-2008. Then Singur happened and Tata had to shift his Nano dream to Sanand in Gujarat. The Nano got delayed – anathema for the now global auto czar.
Simultaneously, the global recession began digging deeper holes into Tata Motors’ financials, input costs began going up and the Rs.1,00,000 price tag for the Nano was not looking conducive any more. Recalls Abhishek Jain, Exec. Director, Precision Pipes (a vendor for Nano), “There was a lot of pressure on cost through out the production process of the Nano!” But does that stop Ratan Tata? Hardly! The man is on a roll – he announced the launch of Nano for March 23, 2009 – at least the bookings are slated to start on that date! The ‘ego’ word is being bandied about yet again! “It’s all about ego for Ratan Tata. The date March 23 is strategically chosen as he wants to launch it in this fiscal, overshadowing his inability to launch it in the last calendar year,” concludes an industry insider on condition of anonymity.
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Detail of all IIPM branches
1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
The Most Revolutionary Concept In Education PLANMAN CHE CENTRE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, Supported by IIPM India’s Leading B-School
