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Anil Pandey goes into the actions and minds of the BJP top brass and finds more factionalism and disunity than ever before

2011-02-07T10:34:00.000+05:30

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It's been seven months since Nitin Gadkari took over as president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)। When he was hand-picked by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat for the job, the move, it was thought, would lead to stability in a party that was marred by infighting. It may appear that Gadkari has been successful in his endeavour. The big guns of the party, who were ready to reach for each other's throat on any pretext, appear subdued. It seems that all of them have fallen in line to work together under Gadkari. But this is far from true.

Masquerading behind their docile appearances, the big guns of BJP have spread the chessboard and have indulged in all sorts of political posturing to secure political gains. Behind the close doors of the party office, instead of changing the dipping fortune of the party, these leaders are busy in serving their personal cause and unseating others. And these satraps are not ready to heed any request or threat. Neither Gadkari nor the RSS is able to control them and make them fall in line. Gadkari, brought in by the RSS to change the face of the party, is proving to be a weak skipper. The situation has deteriorated to a point where the Advani camp has openly started calling the shots by clearly outflanking and outwitting Gadkari and company.

Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Venkaiah Naidu and Anant Kumar, collectively called D-4, who were held responsible for the infighting by the RSS, and were to be slighted under Gadkari by gradual withdrawal of powers, have actually emerged as more powerful in his tenure. Advani and Co. have completely overpowered Gadkari's camp in day to day functioning of the party.

For example, the decision to boycott Manmohan Singh's dinner was taken by Advani alone. Gadkari, reportedly, was not taken into confidence. Advani consulted Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley. In another instance, on the matter of caste-based Census, it was Advani who decided not to oppose the move. Gadkari was not even informed about the decision. It was clear that neither the RSS nor Gadkari was in favour of this decision. It has become evident that the decision was not taken with the party president's consent. According to the party constitution, the party president is the final authority on any matter. But in BJP, there are several parallel centres of power. The Advani camp seems to be working with a single-point agenda of unsettling Gadkari, the RSS darling. The motive here is clear. If Gadkari proves to be unsuccessful, the RSS will not have a say in the next elections and it would become easier for the Advani camp to install their man at the top. Similarly, Jaitley, Swaraj, Narendra Modi, Anant Kumar, Venkaiah Naidu and Rajnath Singh have emerged as new power centres in the party. And in spite of clear instructions from Mohan Bhagwat, these leaders are busy scuttling the prospects of their rivals rather than providing collective leadership to the party.

The man who is really hot property in the party these days is Advani's darling Arun Jaitley. Jaitley has pulled the strings and has made his close aides party presidents in the electorally important states of Delhi, UP and Bihar. The competence levels of these leaders are questionable. For example, Bihar BJP president C. P. Thakur and UP president Surya Pratap Shahi have no mass base. Cadres have started questioning Gadkari over these appointments. Such is Jaitley's hold that when Gadkari asked BJP's former secretary Sanjay Joshi to conduct a pre-poll survey in Bihar, the later declined saying that it was a futile effort as when the tickets will be distributed, only Jaitley's men will get them.

Earlier, Advani was considered the big man and these satraps nothing more than his lackeys. But they have grown up to become independent and rather assertive. Talking to TSI, Subhro Kamal Dutta says, 'The big guns are putting up a show that all is well inside the party but the fact remains that it is still factionalism-ridden. The old faction stays. RSS had hoped that Gadkari will curb D-4's power but it appears that he has come under the spell of Advani and Co. too.'

Jaitley and Narendra Modi share excellent camaraderie. But both see themselves as the future PM. While Jaitley wants to play the moderate card by posing himself as the natural successor to Vajpayee, Modi definitely considers himself as the legitimate political heir of Advani. As a lawyer, Jaitley is deeply respected both by party as well as the RSS. Whenever the party or the RSS gets into trouble, Jaitley is the most sought after man. It is to clip his wings that Narendra Modi forced the party offer the Rajya Sabha seat to Ram Jethmalani. Jaitley used all tricks to stop Jethmalani but in the end, Modi had the last laugh. The lotus wilts But Jaitley decided to play a different game. He started wooing Uma Bharti back to the party. By doing this, he is serving two purposes. Uma's return will erode Swaraj's chances whom Jaitley considers one of his rivals. Similarly, Uma's firebrand Hindutva style will counter the unbridled popularity of Modi. Politics indeed makes strange bedfellows. When Uma left the party, she had accused Jaitley of indulging in 'drawing room' politics and planting stories in media.

On the other hand, under the changed circumstances, Advani's bete noire Rajnath Singh has joined hands with Swaraj. To counter Jaitley, both of them have started courting Gadkari. Another of Advani's aides, Anant Kumar, has limited aspirations. He just wants to become the Karnataka chief minister. For that, he is hatching a conspiracy with the Reddy brothers and other mining mafia groups to oust Yedurappa. Anant was considered close to Jaitley at one point of time. But Jaitley has refused to help him in his latest endeavour. Anant promptly joined Sushma's bandwagon and, on her insistence, is opposing Bharti's return to the party.

Interestingly, many RSS pracharaks are also part of the game. Gadkari wanted the astute Sanjay Joshi to be his organisation secretary instead of Ramlal. This is the same Sanjay Joshi who was implicated in a sex CD row by the BJP and was unceremonially shown the door. His return to the party was scuttled by Ramlal who also clipped the wings of another RSS darling Murlidhar Rao. The young and energetic Rao is considered as Govindacharya's replacement by a section of RSS. In two decades, Rao has not only strengthened the Swadeshi Jagran Manch but has also raised a dedicated follower base in the country. But instead of being given bigger responsibilities, he was appointed as a secretary and sidelined. Similarly, pracharak Vamancharya, who was taking care of Gadkari's dream project Antyodaya, was dropped by Ramlal because he was giving more importance to Rao and not Ramlal. To counter Ramlal, his aide and office in-charge Shayam Jaju was implicated by the Sanjay Joshi camp in a counterfeit PAN card and tax evasion case.

Gadkari wanted to change the character and face of the party. He had promised that he would give priority to cadres and not highflyers. But things did not go as planned. A young BJP leader says, 'Everybody knows the report cards of Hema Malini, Smriti Irani, Vani Tripathi, Anurag Thakur and Navjot Singh Sidhu. But they are still there. Gadkari's actions do not match his words. Cadres and grass root leaders were jubilant on his election but they are down and out now.'

Even the RSS has realised Gadkari's failure. That is why, it called a coordination meeting with the BJP at the Delhi residence of Goa MP Shripad Naik on June 29. In the meeting, the Sangh made it clear to the BJP that it would have to stick to the RSS agenda. It also wants Uma and Sanjay back into the party fold. But the Advani camp is not relenting. The RSS never wanted Jaswant Singh back but Advani brought Singh back. Gadkari, it seems, has turned into a mute spectator as the game unfolds.

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Indian military establishment is much the poorer

2011-02-02T10:22:00.000+05:30

With the government letting former defence chiefs retreat into relative oblivion.

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When the top brass of the Army, Air Force or Navy, after having served the Indian armed forces with distinction for decades, retire and move on, where do they end up? In an ideal situation, many of them would be roped in by the government machinery to give shape and substance to the nation's long-term and immediate military strategy. With their wealth of experience, exposure and expertise, they would be more eminently qualified than anybody else for the task. Unfortunately, in India, most generals, air chiefs and admirals are allowed to go into virtual oblivion post-retirement as politicians and handpicked bureaucrats rule the defence roost.

And that amounts to a huge waste of a wonderful pool of talent. Military diplomacy is today an integral part of foreign policy. No country, least of all a steadily growing economic and geopolitical powerhouse as India, can afford to sit on its haunches and wait for things to happen. Proactive is the way to be. In this sensitive scenario, the role of specialists, of battle-scarred veterans, can never be over-emphasized. When the national interest is involved, nothing could be more beneficial than picking the brains of men who have been there, done that.

Is the Indian government doing enough of that? There are signs that it is mindful of the need to put superannuated defence bigwigs to better use. For one, the government has decided to appoint retired Army officers as advisers on matters related to Naxal-affected states. Recently, the commissioning of INS Shivalik, the world's biggest stealth ship, was also done under the able supervision of a retired Navy officer, Vice Admiral H S Malhi. But these measures, sporadic as they are, smack of tokenism.

Why is it so difficult for the government to tap the experience and expertise of the generals, air chiefs and admirals? Strategic affairs analyst K Subrahmanyam says, 'The trouble is that the government will never pick an officer who does not fit into its scheme of things. A lot needs to be done. The current system has far too many anomalies.' In other words, wary of loose cannons, the government prefers to err on the side of caution. In the bargain it loses out on getting the best advice and guidance in matters of security infrastructure, strategy planning and manpower deployment in conflict zones. 'General' atrophy Contrast that with the situation in the US. President Barack Obama's national security adviser is a retired general, James Jones, who knows the in and outs of military planning like the back of his hand. Gen. Jones has vast battlefield experience ' he brings that knowledge to be the table in his capacity as White House's military strategy fulcrum. He was recently in India to discuss strategic issues with the leadership in Delhi, as was Admiral Mike Mullen. The latter was in Delhi as Obama's personal emissary. In the UK, the Chief of Defence Staff is the professional head of the armed forces and the principal military adviser to the Secretary of State for Defence and the Government. In USA the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) is by law the highest ranking military officer in the armed forces, and the principal military adviser to the President of the US. The National Security Council and the Secretary of defence. The Chairman is senior to all respective heads of each service branch but does not have operational command authority over them or their service branches. The post of NSA in the US has been held quite often by a retired military officer.

Men like General V P Malik, Admiral Arun Prakash and Air Chief Marshal S P Tyagi, on the other hand, are rarely, if ever, pressed into service to bolster India's security set-up. ACM Tyagi, former chief of air staff, now 65 years old, was involved in action during the 1965 and 1971 wars. He could contribute a great deal to India's defence planning if only the government was willing to use his services. He is currently a member of the National Security Advisory Board (NASB), a largely ineffectual body. Much the same could be said about 71-year-old General Malik. He was the Army chief during the Kargil conflict. He is still actively involved in independently developing discourses on defence matters, but the government never sees it fit to turn to the Panchkula-based war veteran for advice.

Admiral Prakash, former naval chief who is known for his expertise in maritime strategy, is a part of the NSAB, which has hardly served the purpose it was meant to. The problems that India faces at this juncture demands solutions on the political and social levels. But in this era of coalition governments, the security of the nation is often subjugated to the politics of convenience. Politicians are more concerned about keeping their constituencies happy than about taking proactive measures to bolster the nation's defence preparedness on all fronts.

Says former Air Chief S Krishnaswamy: 'The issue of making use of the experience and expertise of the military specialists personnel needs serious deliberation. Areas should be identified where retired armed forces personnel can give their the best to the system.' But as things stand, that seems easier said than done. It calls for a complete overhaul of the thinking processes of those who wield political power as well as the men who control the defence establishment. 'General' atrophy Experienced defence personnel do possess the wherewithal to help the government counter the threat posed by Maoist rebels in several parts of India. The government has turned to specialists in this area and is using the retired major generals and brigadiers to chalk out anti-Maoist plans. Matters related to internal and external security are too complex for a man without prior experience to comprehend.

Gen. Malik was in the thick of the Kargil conflict of 1999, which left 524 Indian soldiers dead and more than 1,300 maimed. He knows a thing or two about military operations. The reports of the Kargil Committee and the Group of Ministers had recommended that the defence establishment be fully integrated into the national security apparatus. More than ten years on, nothing has changed. Says Gen. Malik: 'The system needs to improve. We aren't consulted even on issues of high importance. The purchase of aircraft and tanks are made with the approval of the Cabinet Committee on Security. The defence chiefs are not on that committee.'

The defence think tanks that have come into existence in the last decade have become a sort of sinecure for retired armed forces officers. They provide a platform for experience sharing and knowledge dissemination all right, but the views of the men in uniform who have seen battlefield action are rarely factored into the the nation's military planning and long-term strategic vision.

What's worse is that a feeling has spread among officers of the armed forces that they are deliberately kept out of the decision-making process even when they are in service. Post-retirement, the situation tends to gets worse. Says strategic affairs expert Commodore Uday Bhaskar: 'The fauji is kept at arm's length by the powers that be. It is not just retired officers who are not consulted. The bigger problem is that even serving defence officers are excluded from the decision-making process.' Admiral Prakash is a thinking officer revered in the strategic community for his grasp on the subject. He says: 'The US President receives first-hand advice on national security issues the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His current national security adviser is a retired general and, till recently, his director of national intelligence was a retired admiral.' 'General' atrophy He adds: 'Oddly enough, the Indian political establishment has flinched not just from clearly defining national aims and objectives but also from providing guidance regarding strategic parameters to the country's armed forces leadership. Every military operation since Independence, from the 1947 Indo-Pakistan war to the 2002 general mobilisation, has been guided more by political rhetoric than by strategic direction.'

His suggestion, and that of many others, is clear: while the integration of the armed forces headquarters with the Ministry of Defence may remain a distant dream, it is surely time for all national security stakeholders to sit and talk to each other.

Former Air Chief Tyagi, while analysing India's evolving geopolitical and military interests, asserts that the country cannot afford to let things drift anymore. 'Politicians depend on bureaucrats and vice versa. They are at ease with each other. Ironically, on issues pertaining to security and defence, the armed forces are the last to be consulted. This needs to change as soon as possible,' says the former Air Chief.

He points to a major shift that is going to affect the entire decision making set-up. 'Until now every war has been within the geographical limits of the country. The scenario is changing with issues like energy security and economic interests acquiring increasing importance. This will demand more mature and delicate handling. As we grow bigger as a nation, military diplomacy will become more central to our existence than ever before,' he explains.

The country's interests are now scattered as wide as African and American continents। The success story of the Indian economy hinges on an uninterrupted supply of energy। Moreover, the armed forces are required to play key roles in a variety of crisis situations these days। For instance, the Indian Navy had to step in to evacuate people of Indian origin in Lebanon. More recently, in June, Indians caught in the riots in Kyrgyzstan had to be ferried to safety. Experts feel that such requirements can only increase and the country needs to be fully prepared for such transcontinental contingencies. And for this our national security arrangements are crying out for an urgent course correction.

Bring in the specialists

By Major General (retd) G.D. Bakshi

Post independence, the national security and strategy decision making was taken over by the intelligence people. They had direct access to the Prime Minister. Usually they had long, stable tenures. B N Mallick served for 12 years, R N Kao for eight years and so on. Even M K Narayanan has had two tenures of four years each. Now, since they were close to the decision makers, it is quite obvious that their influence on the policy was far higher than it should have been. At that time, even the armed forces chiefs had to go through the bureaucratic interface before they could pitch in their advice. This changed in between for some time when an institution named the National Security Advisor was created, and it became a convergence point.

The awareness on the military and national security matters in our country is abysmal. It is really unfortunate that even after 60 years of independence, we have not been able to start an informed debate on the matters of national security. The lack of knowledge of these issues among our political class is what makes them wary of armed forces people. Therefore, it has become a vicious cycle' the less you know, the less you consult. We must change this trend. We have had people at the helm who had good knowledge of security issues. Former defence secretary A V Singh was a person who understood the nuances of security and defence quite well.

We need to understand that hard power is as important as soft power is. The specialists from the armed forces should be brought in right from the begining while formulating plans on national security. It will give a chance to the armed forces to give their opinion at the right time. Usually, security forces are consulted at the last moment, when it's already too late. The retired armed forces officers can play a very important role as they are the ones who can create public awareness and start an informed discourse. They can be part of the think tanks, can be members of certain committees or can work as advisors to ministers as and when required. Armed with the concrete information and counsel that these retired officers can provide, the politicians will surely be in a better position to take informed decisions on key security issues. 'General' atrophy This process, at the same time, will inform the consituency from below and if the people are informed on vital issues, they can put pressure on their representatives to take the right decisions. This will have double impact as in the first place the politician himself is informed and then the public will take up the issue. If the political set-up is not able to set things right the constituency will put pressure.

There is a general lack of knowledge in every sphere about how much skill and knowledge an armed forces personnel brings with him. However, their skills are increasingly being utilised by the private sector. One wonders why the country doesn't use this resource. Why don't we learn from other countries when it comes to the matter of national security, planning and strategy.

Look at the world's most powerful democracy, the United States of America. They have been regularly utilising the services of specialists from the armed forces. Their set-up is such that their commanders' such as the Pacific Commander the Central Commander' are directly answerable to the President. The advice of the chairman, joint chiefs of staff, is a very critical component in the policy making on national security and strategic issues. At a time when we aspire to be a world power, and already call ourselves a regional power, we will have to finetune our security set-up and the way it is used. In our country a soldier is not regarded as a special person during peace time. He is remembered only during the time of war and then is again forgotten.

Somewhere in between, we lost the focus on hard power and started putting more emphasis on soft power. But why is it that every time there is a war, there is one-to-one interaction of the ministers with the armed forces chiefs? It can be done regularly during the peace time as well and without any mediators. It was believed that things would improve with the appointment of Integrated Chief of Defence Staff, but it has not happened so far.

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Shahid Husain talks about his highs and lows during his visit to Alexandria and Richmond

2011-01-29T12:18:00.001+05:30

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I would sit in the backyard of Zulekha's house in Alexandria, VA, and smoke. She was irritated. She would say, 'Why don't you go outside?' I would say that I am thinking and it's the highest form of activity. Sometimes I would say, I am very tired. She said why are you tired, you have done nothing? I would try to tell her that 'thinking is the highest form of activity,' but she would not understand.

I showed her the hypothesis I had written and after a cursory look, she said, 'Every American kid knows it.' I was hurt. It took me 18 years to collect citations to create this hypothesis and two eminent professors in Pakistan approved it when I had left for the US. Without going through it or understanding it, she made the comment. I recalled my school days when I was in ninth class and our headmistress Mrs Mansoor would teach us mathematics. She would call me to solve a theorem and I was always successful to write QED. Sometimes, I would solve it in my own way, other than text book version and she was amazed.

Mrs Mansoor had made four or five group leaders who would help fellow students in maths. I was one of the group leaders and would help out students. 'I will give Rs 10 to a student who bags a distinction in maths,' she announced one fine day.

After a few days, she left for England and became a teacher in some school there. During my prelims, I received a letter from Mrs Mansoor. Mrs Memona, who was our invigilator brought me the letter. I felt proud. She had written: 'Here in England, children have lots of facilities but our children are more intelligent!' I always wanted to study mathematics and literature but my parents wanted me to become a doctor but I was least interested in medicine. While sitting under a tree in Zulekha's house, I made a plan how to survive in the US with just $750. But I had only brought $1,000 with me.

In the meantime, the paper that I had written for Johns Hopkins got published in The News. After some days, I received a call from Dr Ayesha Siddiqa. I was excited! Not fully aware about the railway system in the US, I reached there at 7pm. Wajid who is a freelance journalist and makes documentaries for Discovery Channel was also there. We discussed many things and by the time I had departed it was already 1 am. The metro services had closed for the day. I also got a chance to visit Richmond, to interview an American family physician of Pakistani origin and a woman and human rights' activist. After the interview, she asked me if she could interview him for her YouTube venture. I agreed. She interviewed me for five hours and put it on YouTube in five installment. I was so excited when my wife, children and other family members saw me speaking on the YouTube. Dr Shazia also took me out for dinner and gifted me a wonderful book. I was always a book lover!

I was waiting for a call from Dr Ayesha, Pakistan's top defence analyst who also teaches at Johns Hopkins University. She had sent me an e-mail while I was in Karachi to read a paper on evolution of trade union movement in Karachi followed by a Q & A session. I was so excited that I will be reading a paper at one of the most prestigious universities in the US although I was always shy to come on the rostrum. I called Dr Ayesha that I am waiting for the lecture. She told me her director is away and she is waiting for him. Then she told me that her 6-year-old niece has come to the US and then she said she is going to Holland. I got irritated because I had told almost everybody that I will be delivering a lecture at Johns Hopkins University and they were asking me have you delivered the lecture?

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Scavenging for life

2010-12-28T17:47:00.001+05:30

IIPM Prof Rajita Chaudhuri: The New Age Woman

For a species that preys on the dead, the Long-billed vulture should not have found survival a struggle, except that it does. Ongoing construction of a resort at what was billed to be a vulture sanctuary, not far from Bangalore, has the forest department up in arms, as NK Suprabha finds out'

Just 40 kms from Bangalore is the site of a picturesque rocky terrain, surrounded by lush greenery and scattered villages, like in a frame right off the wall of an art connoisseur. The rocks are certain to be a challenge for rock climbers. The centerpiece of Ramanagaram is the Sriramdevara betta, (Mountain of Lord Sri Rama). This stunning landscape, replete with gigantic rocks, lake, breezy plains and the abundantly fragrant environs is a potent potion for cheerfulness.

It was here that the most memorable blockbuster of Hindi cinema ' "Sholay" ' was shot, the place passed off for a Chambal-esque hinterland called Ramgarh. Thanks to the association, the place also earned the title of 'Sholay Betta' (Sholay mountains).

Sriramadevara betta's fame however is not confined to its scenic beauty or defined by cinema; 255 km of this area is India's only natural breeding habitat of the endangered Long-billed vulture. And yet the commercial interests in this region are threatening to leave no trace of either legacy.

Bald headed, broad winged and dumpy tail feathered long-billed vultures are not too easy to spot. Weighing between 5.5 and 6.3 kg, these birds ' like all other vultures ' are scavengers, feeding off dead remains for food. Ramanagaram, famous for its silk, has continued to spare dead silkworms as supplementary diet for these vultures. Little wonder vultures are a common sight around city limits, feasting on worms discarded by the silk factories and then flying back to their rocky haunts.

Lately, in Sriramdevara betta, barely 12-13 Long-billed vulture families are left, though other species are abundant. 'When we conducted the bird watch survey three years back, we spotted 12-13 Long-billed vultures. Other common vulture species are also here. Finding the Long-billed vulture on the verge of extinction, we started the 'Save The Long-billed vulture' project. The Wildlife department has sent a proposal to government to declare this place a sanctuary,' says Geethanjali, District Conservator of Forests, Ramanagaram.

When TSI visited Sriramdevara betta, we spotted three different species of vultures and even got a glimpse of the elusive Long-billed vulture on a distant perch. The very rock on which this lone vulture rested overlooked, in a manner most ominous, the scene of two big cranes digging earth to lay foundation for an upcoming resort. 'This place is habitat to several species of vultures. Other animals like foxes and bears too are found here. But now the resort construction is on in full swing. The forest department is fighting hard to stop commercial activity in this area,' informs Nagaraju, a local priest of Sriramdevara betta. Scavenging for life The state government and the forest department had decided to declare Sriramdevara betta a vulture sanctuary long back. The initiative, if implemented, would have been the second of its kind in the country, after the artificial breeding centre in Pinjore near Haryana. 'We had sent a proposal to the central government to declare this area a vulture sanctuary a year back. I don't know the exact status of the proposal. The government will decide soon,' says Indu Bhushan Srivastav, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest, Karnataka.

The surrounding plains of Sriramdevara betta are now the private property of Ananthara hospitality firm, and set to be the address of a lavish resort in the region. 'We bought this place from farmers five years back. We have clearance for each level. It is true that vultures fly over this place, but birds don't necessarily dwell here. So how could you consider this place a vulture sanctuary? Besides, just because vultures stay here, the place won't turn into a forest area. There are no documents to prove this place is a forest area,' says Amarnath, Site Manager, who is in charge of the resort's construction works. Scavenging for life While Ananthara claims to have bought this land from farmers, there are documents declaring this land granted to backward communities as 'pasture' (place for cattle to graze). When the dispute reached the local court, the verdict went in favour of the private company. But now the forest department is appealing in the High Court. According to the forest department, 255 acres of land including the Sriramdevara betta and neighbouring plains fall under forest land, of the 344 acres defined by Survey No. 107. The revenue department and forest department are planning to conduct a joint survey. 'We have all documents to prove this area comes under forest department. The Deputy Commissioner gave clearance to the private hands without a second thought. The construction workers had even fought with our officials when we opposed ongoing work. One of our forest conservators got hurt in the process. But we will fight the legal way in the High Court. No one is permitted to use forest land without getting central permission. We have notifications from the time of the Maharaja's reign designating this as forest land,' says Indu Bhushan Srivastav.

However, Ravi Shankar, the new land owner backing the resort, begs to differ. 'The real tussle is between the revenue department and forest department. We are sandwiched in between. In this 255 acre land, only 138 acres are under the forest department. The rest of the acreage is revenue land. If they consider all of Survey No. 107 areas as forest land, they will have to demolish half of Sriramdevara betta village! We are working here legally. We have all permissions and clearances. If the High Court order proves adverse, we will wind up work immediately,' assures Ravi Shankar.

Amongst the Parsis is a tradition of casting dead bodies in a tower ' the tower of silence ' where vultures can feed on them. This ritual exposure in a manner to preclude contamination by the dead will be only one of the losses, should we lose our scavenger species. In Mumbai, the community has already resorted to 'solar concentration' to expedite cremation, while in Hebbal, Bangalore, the custom continues even though it is increasingly difficult to see a vulture preying on the dead. These prey birds are central to disease prevention and nutrient cycling. Unless we find ways to conserve the species, a less memorable spin-off would be "kitne vultures thhe?"!

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

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“EVERY YEAR, I TAKE JUST ONE RESOLUTION”

2010-08-27T17:53:00.002+05:30

Tinsel town’s pretty woman Aishwarya Rai in a quick chat with 4Ps B&M

Your New Year resolution?
Every year, I take just one resolution and this year too, I have the same one; and that is: ‘I will not mix my professional and personal life’.

How close you are to the brands that you endorse?
Whenever I choose to endorse a brand, I select it only if that brand matches with my personality as in the long run, I should not feel that I and the brand are not synergising.

So did you apply this rule when you got an offer to endorse the Lux brand with Abhishek?
I was endorsing Lux much before I got married or Abhishek came into my life. However, for the future, if any such offer comes to endorse a brand together, we are always open to the option. Abhishek is not only my husband, he’s a great colleague to work with.

After Jodha Akbar, we haven’t seen you working much with other Bollywood heroes?
It’s not like that. I think I have come a long way to decide what type of movies I should do and I am always ready to take up substantial projects, irrespective of the co-cast. I am working with Rajnikant because I found the project to be very interesting. Similarly, I am definitely going to work for substantial projects in future also.

Winters vs. summers: which one is your favourite season?
It depends upon my mood, but by and large, I enjoy winters more.

All time favourite colour in dressing...
I can give you a combination. White with blue denims and red with black trousers.

Angshuman Paul

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM enters into media education
IIPM makes record 10,000 placements in five years
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here
IIPM Related Links

Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
Social Networking Sites have become advertising shops

PUSSY CATS TO HUNGRY TIGERS?

2010-07-15T16:11:00.001+05:30

Sabiha Kidwai, General Manager (Marketing), Panasonic India has particularly huge hopes from Panasonic’s ECO range of environmentally friendly products, which are backed with a big budget media plan. “Our rivals also have energy saving models in their line up, but at Panasonic we are going a step further by sharing eco awareness with consumers,” says Sabiha, referring to Panasonic’s celeb laced campaign – ‘I’m doing my bit. How about you?’

The ambition within Panasonic’s Gurgaon headquarters is to double the company’s revenues from Rs.2,200 crore in the last fiscal and the marketing team says that plans are on track to achieve the doubling of turnover by March 2011. Explains Ito, “Despite slowdown, we have grown 200% over 2009 so far,” adding that the company hopes to finish FY10 with a robust 270% growth. The efforts by Ito and his core team are by no means restricted to just advertising communication. The change is reflected simultaneously in the company’s product, pricing and distribution strategies. At the product level, for starters, Panasonic has now begun designing its products within the country (as opposed to importing made in US or Japan products) to leverage on the unique requirements of the Indian consumers. By 2011, there is also a huge investment planned for setting up a production facility within India for ACs, plasmas/ LCDs and refrigerators. Of the $300 million set aside for the Indian market, about $100 million will go into setting up of the proposed plant. Not surprising, given that going purely by sales, Plasmas/ LCDs and air conditioners are the fastest growing product lines at Panasonic India these days. Also on the cards is an extension of Panasonic’s existing PDA technology into India to take advantage of the 3G regime, a move that would once again propel Panasonic in the lucrative Indian handset market (from which it had exited in 2006 after it failed to woo customers) where its biggest rivals LG and Samsung already boast a big presence.

Pricing is the next frontier that Panasonic hopes to conquer successfully. “There is an ongoing debate in the Indian market as to when LCDs will become a commodity as has happened with CRTs. We have already started commoditising the LCD with our 2009 festival offer of a 32 inches LCD at Rs.29,990 only,” continues Sabiha. In fact, next in their line up – to be launched early next year – are the Volume Zone products in every category, which will entail giving the Indian consumer better quality at lower prices.

Distribution however is one area where success still eludes. After all, in a cut throat competitive market where rivals LG and Samsung are virtually falling over each other to buttress their mostly common dealer network, distribution is certainly a tough nut for Panasonic. But undeterred, this Buddhist from Japan is counting on his 3Ps of product, positioning and people to deliver the goods. “Panasonic India is limited compared to our global operations, which makes even small components. Now that the Panasonic management has renewed its commitment to the Indian market, my dream is to get our global range to consumers here,” he says, signing off. After UK and Japan, will this turnaround man manage to give a new lease of life to Panasonic in India? We don’t know yet, but wish him luck anyway!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM enters into media education
IIPM makes record 10,000 placements in five years
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here

Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com
IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎
IIPM Related Links

Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)

IS THE LIQUOR ADVERTISING BAN JUSTIFIED?

2010-06-21T14:46:00.001+05:30

Monojit Lahiri spoke to a bunch of celebs who made sparks fly – before toasting to a ban of this absurd rule!

We live in strange and troubled times, brother …

We are allowed the manufacture and consumption of liquor – but, sorry – (hic) no advertising! Unlike the US of A where alcohol advertising has “regulatory bodies” that create standards for ethical advertising and where the concern is ‘where’ the ads are placed (mostly in media streams viewed by 70% of the audience over the drinking age) here it’s a blanket ban with no ifs, buts, why’s … When pressed, the general response (please don’t have a cardiac arrest, laughing!) is: it’s unconstitutional to propagate evil habits injurious to health and a bad influence to society. All the celebs interviewed – with the exception of the cool and gorgeously opinionated Pooja Bedi – were of the collective belief that this move was the biggest farce ever; a totally hollow, ludicrous, cosmetic and cockeyed, completely self-defeating in both intent and purpose. In today’s liberated and globalised times, with India celebrating economic prowess and quality of life at par with the West, this brain dead vetoing of publicity of a product category which is a way of life for India’s well-healed, sophisticated, aspirational constituency but freely allowing manufa

cture to scoop up titanic amounts of revenue for the exchequer, tantamounts to an epic hypocritical joke! Here’s what the heavy weights have to say …

Ad-Guru & Theatre Maestro Alyque Padamse is first off the block and takes off with all cylinders firing! “Either make Prohibition work or allow the advertising of liquor. The Government must stop this childish and absurd dilly-dallying and decide one way or the other. In today’s life and times, liquor is a part of young people’s lives and no social event is complete without it. How many kids have tea, coffee or cola’s after 8 pm? C’mon wake up and taste the … stuff! The same goes for Cigarettes. If the powers that are had any guts they would ban the manufacture of these products – not the advertising. Isn’t it amazing that they have messages like SMOKING KILLS on cigarette packs and yet these products roll out in billions of units everyday? But then Delhi is notorious for its double-think!” Film-maker Shyam Benegal agrees. “It’s so hypocritical and doesn’t make any sense at all! They don’t ban the name or the brand but just the idea it is liquor and do a quick surrogate advertising number – Kingfisher Mineral Water, Bagpiper Soda … whatever. And the argument that it will tempt the poor is silly because this segment does not connect with IMFL brands and hence advertising affecting them is a non-starter argument”. Actor & Anchor Kabir Bedi goes along this line of thinking, but with a tiny proviso. “I agree with Alyque & Shyam that while advertising should certainly be allowed, one should ensure that it shouldn’t be consciously created in a manner that it makes drinking a fashion statement or a glamorous recreation for the kids and have-nots. We know the power of clever advertising and the influence it can wield as a force of seduction. So, basically I am advocating Responsible Advertising”.

Film actor Jackie Shroff believes that there should be no ban on advertising of liquor as people are sensible enough to understand what is right and wrong. They know what is good or bad for their health and they should be allowed to use their head and heart to make the decision. Film star Sohail Khan agrees and adds that it is indeed extremely hypocritical of the government to ban liquor ads and yet allow their production. “If they are so concerned they should ban manufacture too”. However, he candidly admits that he would love to be a brand ambassador for a liquor brand if invited …

Hi-profile, iconoclast Prahlad Kakkar – as always – shoots from the hip. He laughs away the whole issue with “but booze advertising is hitting the TV all the time in surrogate avtaar!” He believes that one of the big problems is that it gives established brands a huge – and unfair – advantage over new brands. McDowell, Kingfisher, Officers Choice, in any other (soda, mineral water) form is instantly identified. Any dumbo knows what you are driving at … but the new ones get hit badly”. Kakkar believes that (like the West) the zillions accrued by the government in excise from booze sale could well be invested in good, effective communication towards educating the public – especially the kids – about drinking responsibly. “Look what an amazing job they did with tobacco! Today if you go there and start puffing away in someone’s house, you will be looked upon as an outcast! There are spaces reserved for smokers and public puffing is not considered sexy anymore”. However, he adds, that “when law-makers and the establishment are themselves hand-in-glove with the booze-makers in states where prohibition exists, what do you expect?” Free-spirited Pooja Bedi wraps up the debate in her own style, rooting for the ban, “I think the ban is fine because stuff like tobacco and alcohol are not known to work wonders for mind, body or soul! After all advertising is about making a product desirable, attractive and sexy to the consumer, pushing hard on the purchase intent, right? Sure it is not illegal like drugs but hey, it’s not exactly what the doc ordered for health. Sure, guys who want to drink will drink, but banning advertising will (in some small way) reduce the consumption among the vulnerable, impressionable types”.

Monojit Lahiri

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here

Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎
IIPM Related Links
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

While many seasoned sports television channels had their stumps uprooted in the bygone cricket tournaments,

2010-06-01T15:19:00.001+05:30

Neo Cricket still swears by its willows... Will the innings last long? Pallavi Srivastava wonders...

At a time when pundits were busy predicting the slow but sure death of India’s cricketing frenzy (both in stadia and on TV sets), the team at Neo Sports was quietly sniggering. After all, they were happily adding to their ad revenue coffers throughout August, September and October, even as advertisers were fleeing from rival ESPN Star Sports’ Champions Tropy and Champions League for lack of any TRPs. Champions Trophy (the ODI tournament with eight international teams where India made an early exit) got an average of 1.1 and Champions League, which was betting big on the T20 format, got an average of just 1.7 TRPs. Even ESPN’s Rs.100 crore marketing buzz failed to give a push to the tournament ratings.

The enthusiasm and quiet sniggers at Neo Sports however were not entirely unwarranted. Advertisers have teamed up in hordes and Neo’s strategy to buy up rights of all cricket extravaganzas in India has seemingly paid off. So how did Neo Sports try to liven up the damp mood of both the viewers and advertisers and give a boost to its six month-long cricketing season (which started just after the champions league)? Verma replies, “We had a burst of ad and marketing activities just before the beginning of the Hero Honda Cup to light up the mood and promote the event.” Neo has spent Rs.5 crore on the marketing of Hero Honda Cup. The company’s advertising kitty focussed largely on print and television (a 60:40 ratio). It also roped-in controversial yet popular cricketer Harbhajan Singh as the brand ambassador to promote the tournament... And it was not just advertising!

Neo has activated a lot of PR activities. “We organised lots of media interactions with players and other key people. This generated extra interest amongst the audience and boosted their confidence in cricket.”

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
TSI exposes b school ranking scamsters Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Premchand Palety of C fore. - For Complete Sting Operation Video Click Here

Pioneer Exposes the fraud called Mahesh Sharma and Mahesh Peri of Career 360 and Barbel Schwertfeger of mba-channel.com

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎
IIPM Related Links
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

WHY FAMILY COMES FIRST?!

2010-05-17T17:45:00.002+05:30

Dynasty
If there were any lingering doubts about the influence the word dynasty has in Indian politics, Lok Sabha elections 2009 acted mercilessly to dispel them for good – and at least for a generation. It is not just about how the great grandson of Nehru won a decisive mandate from his ‘family’ constituency and was quickly anointed the prince awaiting his crowning. Fact is that at least 150 winners in the Lok Sabha elections belonged to major and minor political dynasties. Barring the Marxists, no political party in India is now immune to the dynasty syndrome. From J&K to Kerala and from Mizoram to Gujarat, sons, daughters, nephews, nieces, widows and the likes have been chosen to preside over the fortunes of India. Now many pundits label this as an unhealthy trend since it acts as the ultimate barrier to competition in an arena that badly needs better quality and products that offer more value for money. But then, in the political arena, products with a familiar brand pedigree are a better bet than untested products who only offer a better deal. And if the consumer doesn’t seem to mind it; who are we to judge?

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Don't trust the Indian Media!
IIPM exposes Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam
IIPM - We will change your outlook : Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam is exposed

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎
IIPM Related Links
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
B-schools expect higher rate of campus placements this year
Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

Nostalgia sells. And from using living icons as brand ambassadors, marketers are now stretching back to dip into history.

2010-04-23T11:53:00.002+05:30

Result: some iconic men & women are being brought back to life, say Sray Agarwal & Gyanendra Kashyap

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

Can you spot the similarity between Hamburg-based penmaker Mont Blanc and Bollywood flick Lage Raho Munnabhai? Nah... no product placements by the former in the latter; instead, the fact, that both have used Mahatma Gandhi’s imagary – albeit in different ways – to attract eyeballs. Not only did Lage Raho Munnabhai’s promos actively prop up Gandhi’s images in the backdrop, even the storyline incorporated Gandhi and his non-violence credo to successfully ring in the moolah at the box office. This Munnabhai sequel was an instant hit.

Similarly, to cosy up with the Indian audience, German pen maker Mont Blanc launched a gold nib plated pen costing a mind-boggling Rs.1.4 million on bapu’s 140th birth anniversary in 2009. The ostentatious effort was to commemorate Gandhi’s historic salt march, but market watchers claim that since Mahatma Gandhi has been also associated with literary achievements, the freedom fighter’s sheen will rub off on Mont Blanc and improve the luxury writing instrument’s standing among India’s discerning target segment. Reportedly, Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi has even endorsed the idea. As a thank you, Tushar’s charitable foundation has already received a donation of $145,000 from Mont Blanc and will receive between $200 and $1,000 for each pen sold.

Aditi Agarwal of Ghalla Bhansali Stock Brokers (they’ve recently released a report titled ‘Marketing the Mahatma’), however, takes exception to such marketing moves. “It’s indeed ironical, that Mahatma Gandhi who was considered as an epitome of austerity is being misused by business barons to make money. Marketing and publicity is vital in today’s tough competition, but to what extent? All efforts need to be taken to protect the legacy that Gandhi has left behind,” she argues vehemently.

But, Mont Blanc and Munnabhai are not alone in having made use of Mahatma Gandhi’s name to sell their wares. The list is long. Be it Apple, Telecom Italia, Martin Luther King Jr., Raj Kumar Hirani, or even the American President Barack Obama, all have used Brand Gandhi to break the clutter and reach out to their respective target segments. Leaving aside the hullabaloo of shocked critics and their lengthy petitions to correct the trend, here’s the moot question. What sense does it make to bring back a popular icon from history? Does using the Mahatma as your brand endorsers work better or should marketers settle for current mass icons like Big B, Tendulkar or even couples like Pataudi & Sharmila Tagore?

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Don't trust the Indian Media!
IIPM exposes Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam
IIPM - We will change your outlook : Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam is exposed

Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎
IIPM Related Links
IIPM ISBE Programmes
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

So, are you covered?

2010-03-22T13:01:00.003+05:30

Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

producers-multiplex owners’ spat, the swine flu alert, fear of terrorism – the uncertainties operating in the market dynamics of Bollywood has given way to the relatively unknown norm of applying for ‘film distribution insurance’. Had it not been for these uncertainities and the corresponding losses arising out of them (the estimated losses for Kaminey and Life Partner is Rs.7 crore), distribution insurance would have continued to be the terrain less traversed. Distribution insurance starts a week before the release of a film and is effective up to 60 days thereafter, covering losses suffered by the producer when the release of the film is stalled due to any reason. What’s Your Raashee, for instance, took a distribution insurance cover of Rs.20 crore. Given the increase in losses due to external negativities and the surge in interest in the new domain by other public and private sector entities (United India Insurance, Oriental Insurance, National India, New India Assurance and Bajaj Allianz), it seems that distribution insurance is becoming the latest fad. The brewing competition is only helping the premium rates to come down. However, rather than merely coming up with lower premium rates, insurers should opt for competitive rates, better estimation, unparalleled levels of service and understanding the peculiarities of the business. As mutually dependent industries, film distribution insurance must not merely remain as a fad.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Business Standard Exposes the Outlook Magazine Money Editor
Don't trust the Indian Media!
IIPM exposes Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam
IIPM - We will change your outlook : Career 360 and Mahesh Peri scam is exposed

IIPM Related Links
IIPM ISBE Programmes
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter

IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
B-schools expect higher rate of campus placements this year

while it is passionately pushing ahead the ‘brand’ envelope, does it stand the danger of falling off the ledge? By Steven Philip Warner

2010-03-09T13:09:00.002+05:30

Fiction mirrors many truths in a myriad of fashions that meet the eye, one of which is found in the field of the healthcare business. A staunch believer in this legitimate fact is Sudarshan Mazumdar, Director of Marketing & CMO, Fortis Healthcare Group, who boldly puts it as, “Healthcare is just like any other form of service. The problem is that the medical community in the past has not been used to considering healthcare marketing, and while they want to sell themselves, they don’t admit that they want to be marketed! All they do is comment upon what is ethical, and what is not… Then there are strict guidelines about what you can talk about and what you can’t talk!” Indeed, and while many lament over the truth that 80% of India still survives on earnings below $2 a day (source: UNDP), there is a lot to be had from the ‘rich’ few and another 300 million strong middle-class lot. Today, hospital chains in the country have easily established themselves superior to many of their counterparts in the West, and while many still give out the clichéd talk about ‘We have the best doctors in town’, the Fortis-Escorts combine are proving what Indian hospitals have to undertake if they are to take advantage of the Indian healthcare industry, which is scheduled to touch $75 billion by 2012 and a double $150 billion by 2017 (Report titled ‘Indian Healthcare Trends 2008’, Technopak Advisors) – market yourself fearlessly!

Having realised the massive earnings potential from the sector, Fortis has made remarkable strides in the past four and half years in the area of selling itself to the market as Mazumdar confesses, “I’ve been with Fortis since April 2004, and the company is very different today than what it was.” Then, except in Punjab, the brand was completely unknown as Mazumdar puts it as, “In five years, we’ve grown dramatically both as a company and as a brand. Doctors are important, but the hospital brand is more important than an individual doctor and that is the principal guideline that we have followed all along.” As a company, Fortis has grown from two to 39 hospitals (including the Wockhardt assets that it acquired during the second half of August), which Mazumdar says will take “until December 2009, by the time the acquisition is formally made complete and Fortis moves in.” That means a growth of 1,900% in terms of presence across the country in just half-a-decade.

Then comes the question – what about the Fortis brand? When put in a sentence, branding campaigns as recent as pre-2008 were literally unknown for the 9,000-strong employees at Fortis. But since last year, there have been aggressive marketing attempts from the group; the most recent of those being the ‘Human Touch’ campaign that was launched in August 2009. Talking about the essence behind the recent campaign, Mazumdar claims, “It is very different. It is based on market research, training of personnel and about keeping the patients first. At the end of the day, it’s all about patient care. The earlier model of hospital designs was that it was centered around the doctors and the patients would be moving. We have minimised the movement of the patients, but we don’t mind the doctors moving…”

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Don't trust the Indian Media!

IIPM Related Links
IIPM ISBE Programmes
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter

IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)

Discounts are passé!

2010-03-02T13:04:00.003+05:30

IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme

Then there are others in the business, thinking out of the tool box. Skoda for that matter is thinking along the lines of 360-degree media campaigns with the launch of its new Laura and Superb models. Just like BMW, it has little faith in the power of discount pricing as Ashutosh Dixit, GM-Sales & Network Development, Skoda Auto India avers, “We have a discount campaign running for the Fabia but apart from that, there are no cash discounts that the company is offering. Rather, we will be coming up with a new media campaign for Laura.

Skoda is banking on the Laura and the Superb to generate the maximum sales as we are expecting a 20-25% jump in sales during the festival period as compared to last year...” There is the number one two-wheeler manufacturer in the country – Hero Honda – which is also charting similar routes. After the launch of the much-awaited Karizma ZMR, the company is now delving over storming the marketplace with an aggressive marketing campaign. The aim: break the six-lakh-unit-sales-in-a-month benchmark, which it set during the festive season last year.

Even FIAT, which made a perfect comeback into the Indian market with the launch of the elegant Linea, seems to be in no mood to offer any freebies to the consumer. “We will be launching a brand new campaign for the Linea. We expect the sales to jump by a decent 8-10% in the festive season period,” asserts Ravi Bhatia, VP-Commercial, FIAT India. Then comes a surprise from an Indian firm, which was largely born in the country. Despite having understood the price-sensitiveness of customers, especially in the segments in which it operates, Maruti Suzuki is also strangely in no mood to give price concessions this season... “There are no special discounts this festive season. Rather we will focus on new launches, along with very aggressive marketing to generate higher sales during the festive period,” opined a senior company official.

However, there are still many who believe in Marshall’s Law of demand. One such name is Yamaha, which besides a few new launches, has announced a scratch card scheme for the festive season, wherein the company is “giving a chance to the consumer to gamble a bit, as during the festival period, people like to gamble a lot. We expect a healthy growth in this period,” opines Pankaj Dubey, National Business Head, Yamaha Motor India. Yes, there are also companies like GM and Hyundai, who are offering a host of discounts to lure Indian consumers, but by offering discounts on products like (Chevrolet) Spark and (Hyundai) i10, the companies are only slicing their already wafer-thin margins.

Everyone is hopeful that this festive season will prove better, more so Wilfried Aulbur, CEO, Mercedes Benz India, who chuckles when he says, “Yes, only if there isn’t any Lehman repeating history this time. And I pray there isn’t any this time.” Aulbur, you have all us second that!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Business Standard Exposes the Outlook Magazine Money Editor
Don't trust the Indian Media!

IIPM ISBE Programmes
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You

IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
B-schools expect higher rate of campus placements this year
IIPM B School : King Khan, Bollywood Badshah and Quiz Wiz — that’s Shah Rukh Khan for you

Udit Bhandari, CEO, Indimoto.com

2010-02-19T11:42:00.004+05:30

IIPM B School : King Khan, Bollywood Badshah and Quiz Wiz — that’s Shah Rukh Khan for you

“Maruti not only provided India with efficient wheels but also showed the car makers the transparency that an auto manufacturer has to maintain while developing & executing a design of an automobile that the customer should not only have the confidence of buying and using, but also have trust in the after sales service. Maruti showed the-then existing car manufacturers how systematic planning, collective decision-making, sharing of information and delegation of responsibilities help in getting better production. Personally, I think Maruti has brought in an industrial revolution in India, where it has not only changed the outlook of the industry, but also brought in confidence amongst consumers. Maruti deserves to be the number one brand amongst all auto makers in india today. it really deserves it!”

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Outlook Magazine Money editor quits, citing interference
Don't trust the Indian Media!

IIPM ISBE Programmes
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
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Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You

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Beyond Just Coffee and hangouts!

2010-01-29T16:56:00.001+05:30

IIPM conceptualized the grand final of Dare ‘10 — the most prestigious of international B-school student quizzes

Analysts believe that the bid to make CCD a complete food and beverage player in the Indian market smells suspiciously of an effort to become a me-too McDonald’s. And though these are early days yet, if the plan works, CCD’s potential may well expand much beyond the Rs.450 crore domestic coffee market to encompass the limitless potential of India’s food market. However, brand watchers say that in the process CCD may well make some unpromising compromises with its ‘coffee hangout’ brand identity. “Not at all,” disagrees Alok, reasoning that whatever the changes in product portfolio, CCD will always have a coffee focus. “There will always be formats within our brand that will allow consumers to continue flirting with coffee viz. Coffee Day Square.”

This detailed segmentation of the market is where CCD really scores over competition. While the augmented food menu would be available at mostly the flagship CCD stores; other formats like Coffee Day Express, Coffee Day Square and the soon-to-be-launched Coffee Day Lounge will largely retain their coffee focus, where 80% of the portfolio will revolve around coffee. This, believes Alok, will allow the brand to keep their coffee positioning alive even as they offer Rajma Chawal to hungry consumers. “Coffee Day Square is for the premium single-origin coffee and Coffee Lounge would be for corporate guys who want privacy in official meetings,” explains Alok.

With over 10,000 acres of coffee estate spread in key coffee producing zones like Chikmagalur (Karnataka) and Araku Valley (A.P.); and 805 stores spread across India, CCD is already the market leader in the coffee chain segment and growing fastest at 30% per annum. In contrast, Barista has only 400 stores and neo-entrant Costa Coffee has 200 stores. To sharpen its edge, CCD is now sharpening its flank by planning to take its store-tally up to 1,000 stores by end-2009, including 15 Coffee Day Squares and 10 Coffee Express stores. At a time when other players are finding it difficult to cope up with the expensive real estate market, Coffee Express (with its small drive-in format) is growing at almost 25% per annum. Small surprise that CCD is proving to be a cash cow, contributing almost half of ABC’s total turnover as of today. Add to that Alok Gupta’s latest ambition to do a McDonald’s within CCD (with a carefully crafted positioning strategy to boot) and one can almost taste (pun intended!) the nature of success to come...

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
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“Competition is not restricted to urban markets alone...”

2010-01-16T14:59:00.000+05:30

4Ps B&M: Which is CK’s strongest product category?
RV: Hair wash is our strongest business in terms of current size. We’ve four brands – Chik, Nyle, Meera and Karthika and together they constitute 25% (in volume) of the Indian shampoo market.

4Ps B&M: What about distribution strength?
RV: CK has a direct coverage of around 5,50,000 outlets and our brands have a presence in about three million outlets. Our focus on distribution at present is to beef up our presence in markets with population in excess of 5,00,000. Here, we’re intensifying the distribution by as much as 50% to cover more outlets to make our brands available to larger number of people to get maximum mileage for our marketing investments.

4Ps B&M: How do you tackle competition against cash-rich FMCG players in the urban market?
RV: Competition from other FMCG players is not restricted to urban markets alone but exists in rural markets as well and strategies to take on competition are not sensitive to urban versus rural. The essentials of the strategy to take on any competition are understanding the needs of consumers in terms of product propositions, developing products which perform better than your competitors and communicate these effectively and above all building relationships with consumers over time so that they remain excited.

4Ps B&M: Can you describe the clear positioning of ChiK Satin Shampoo?
RV: The objective of Chik Satin brand is to focus on the bottle consumer whose shampoo needs are very different from that of existing Chik consumers. To this end, the launch of Chik Satin came with a completely new marketing mix – new formulation with higher conditioning levels, new packaging looking premium to the existing portfolio, advertising focussing on the new Indian women looking for confidence to take on the world (with a brand line of Khule Baal, Khuli Duniya) and focus on the metro and urban markets in terms of distribution. We are aiming to develop newer consumer segments and improve brand imagery for reassuring existing users.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
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“Our focus is to grow in India”

2010-01-11T14:55:00.000+05:30

Ramesh Ramanathan,

MD, MHRIL

4Ps B&M: How has your company fared in the last year?
RR: We were able to turnaround quickly despite the recession. As a company we focus on domestic tourism where by and large the lifestyles of people have changed. We did cut on our costs last year, but at the same time built our infrastructure in terms of sales and went for a lot of Below the line (BTL)activities. Our income grew at a CAGR of 43%.

4Ps B&M: Did you alter your strategy to counter slowdown?
RR: Our strategy to go forward has been three fold. The first being to roll out our services in tier II and Tier III cities to record a pan India presence. Secondly we attempted to be present across age and income groups and thirdly we have set up our own hospitality school so that we have our own trained manpower.

4Ps B&M: What are your future plans?
RR: We want people to relate holidays with Club Mahindra and thus our focus is to grow in India. Currently we are in the process of buying lands and building resorts. We are also looking into related services like a web based travel agency. We have also introduced the concept of Home stays, which gives foreign tourists a feel of true India.

Neha Saraiya.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better By Swati Sharma
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Keep it short and sweet! Believe it or not, it works for the insurers.

2009-12-16T15:31:00.000+05:30

Instead of blowing customers’ brains out with a plethora of financial functions, one can do the trick with a sweet emotional one liner. At least Bajaj Allianz has done just that says Gyanendra k. Kashyap

A boy jumping into a river from atop a rock, a woman riding a bike with a carefree attitude, a girl with a fractured leg on a wheelchair and an old man sky-gliding; well, these are the last things that you can probably think of while describing a financial product. But then someone, somewhere has found a reason to use emotional branding even when it comes to financial products. And that someone is Bajaj Allianz life insurance, that has taken a good shot at fame, all with the same idea and has only emphasized more on emotional communications based on real life situations. “Ye kis pyari hifaazat mein ho, befikri ki halat hai…” very subtly portrays the twin concept of Hifaazat (protection) and Jiyo Befikar (live carefree). The deliberate shift from functional communication to emotional communication speaks volume about the insurer’s belief in staying by the consumers’ side at every stage of his/her life. It is no wonder that 15 million customers across age groups, geographies and income classes have placed their trust with them. Banking on that trust the insurer is now set to strengthen its retail business. In an exclusive interaction with 4Ps B&M, Akshay Mehrotra, Head - Marketing, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance, reveals that the insurer is now eyeing at increasing penetration of life insurance in the country.

4Ps B&M: Ever since its inception Bajaj Allianz has shown impressive performance. Where do you see it a few years down the line?
AM: Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance has significantly improved its performance. In fact if one traverses its journey since its inception in 2001, it has been a roller-coaster ride. For three years since inception, Bajaj Allianz was ranked no.7 among all the private insurers. In 2005 it emerged as no. 2 and was no. 1 for a brief period. We feel that these rankings are purely ego-boosters for our sales force. In the FY 08-09, inspite of the recessionary pressures, Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance was the only private life insurer to generate profits of Rs.45 crore. As a prudent insurer, Bajaj Allianz believes in managing growth with profitability.

4Ps B&M: How do you plan to further strengthen your retail business?
AM: Bajaj Allianz has a vast network of over 1100 offices spread across the country. The field force is over 2.5 lakh agents, bancassurance partners, retail outlets and other channels to strengthen our retail business. Bajaj Allianz is now on a consolidation mode to effectively use these channels and network to increase penetration of life insurance in the country. In the coming months we would further beef-up our distribution network to increase our penetration.

4Ps B&M: Have you given enough importance to the marketing mix?
AM: Bajaj Allianz is a mass insurance brand, our communication strategy and marketing mix needs to be very broad based. We still need to be heavy on TV and radio.

4Ps B&M: How different is insurance selling in rural areas? Does brand play a role while convincing the rural customers?
AM: Insurance is always sold and seldom bought. This is true irrespective of whether it is urban or rural consumer. The challenge in insurance selling in rural areas is the awareness level. When we started our expansion model, we increased our presence in tier 2 and tier 3 towns so that we can have the first mover advantage in that area. This has worked well and almost 40% of our sales comes from these areas. When it comes to an intangible product like life insurance, trust plays an important role in convincing a customer, the brand is secondary. But when the market is crowded with over 20 players, strong and powerful brand does invoke trust and friendliness. But finally it is the convincing power of the field force that makes customers buy insurance products.

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.
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better By Swati Sharma
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Detail of all IIPM branches
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Rajan Bharti Mittal, MD, Bharti Enterprises

2009-09-01T15:34:00.000+05:30

“It’s not fair to indulge in unjustified expansion”

4Ps B&M: Why should a retailer shift from traditional wholesalers and buy from Best Price Modern Wholesale?
RBM: Because Best Price will provide a retailer with whatever he needs to buy for his store under one roof at the best price and a much better quality. A normal kiraana store carries around 700-800 SKUs and for that he has to deal with 20-25 wholesalers and distributors. We’re committed to maintain a long-term relationship with our buyers. It’ll be highly beneficial for resellers to become partners with us.

4Ps B&M: What monetary benefits will a retailer stand to gain if he buys from Best Price?
RBM: There will be a huge margin on our goods. For instance, on commodities a retailer will have a margin of 3-5%, while on FMCG goods he can save up to 8-10%. On certain goods, a retailer can even save up to 20-25%. All our prices will be benchmarked with the mandi prices and our goods will be sourced directly from producers and manufacturers.

4Ps B&M: And the supply chain?
RBM: Our supply chain is robust and strong. It’s very strong. People have been asking us why we chose the Punjab belt for the roll out of our convenience store, Easyday, and for our cash and carry business. We’ve our distribution centre here and our supply chain is pretty much fixed.

4Ps B&M: Earlier, retailers focussed on increasing their retail space. Now that the Indian retail saga is set to enter a new revolution, what changes do you foresee?
RBM: I think a couple of challenges that were there in real estate seem to be easing out now. The markets are bouncing back and the Indian GDP growth is hovering around 7%. We believe that the new government will bring certain reforms in the retail sector and ease out the FDI norms. The organised retail sector is still at a very nascent stage and I believe that there is room for more players to co-exist and contribute to the growth of this sector.

4Ps B&M: What are your expansion plans for Easyday?
RBM: We’re currently operating 26 stores. We’ve covered Punjab and Haryana and now we’re looking at expanding in the Delhi & NCR region.

4Ps B&M: Bharti has been very low-key with the launch of its retail outlets…
RBM: No, I think we’re pretty much on track. We’ve opened two retail models – corporate & retail. We’ve set up a strong back-end and are now ready to meet customer requirements. We’re working for long term and until we’ve cracked the code, its not fair to indulge into unjustified expansion.

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.
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ROHIT SHARMA, COO, ZAPAK DIGITAL ENT.

2009-08-19T16:39:00.000+05:30

IIPM Best B-school

1. Tata Tea’s ‘Jaago Re!’ campaign
2. RCOM’s launch campaign as well as the ‘Monsoon hungama’ campaign
3. The Times of India’s ‘Lead India’ campaign
4. Surf Excel’s ‘Daag acche hain’ campaign
5. Hutch’s ‘Where ever you go...’ campaign

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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TITUS UPPUTURU, ECD, DENTSU INDIA

2009-07-28T12:38:00.000+05:30

Shahrukh khan is coming to IIPM - IIPM 4Ps Quiz

1. Ericsson’s ‘One black coffee’ campaign
2. Afghan Telecom’s ‘Let’s talk something new’ campaign
3. N.C.E.R.T’s ‘Sooraj ek, chanda anek’ campaign
4. ‘Kucch toh log kahenge’ campaign from Motorola
5. Happydent’s ‘Tera tan roshan, tera man roshan’ campaign

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM
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Monojit Lahiri quizzes a cross section of people from the ad and film world...

2009-07-13T16:13:00.000+05:30

IIPM only B-school in India to be Ranked Ahead of The IIMs in so Many Parameters! Regularly!

“Come, grow old with me. For the best is yet to be,” spouted dada Shakespeare. Quirky, edgy genius Woody Allen marched to a different beat. “When I told my 15-year- old kid some years ago that I planned to visit the museums in Rome, she said, make sure you keep movin’ pops … or they might mistake you for an exhibit!!” So what is old (read: anything over 40) age: Blunder years? In a country where 44% of the population is said to be under 25, is old more cold than gold? Extending the logic, is ‘creativity’ then, most definitely, given an expiry date? Has grey-haired eminence and wealth of experience, been suddenly (and dramatically) shoved into the dustbin, considered irrelevant and useless? Does all this get even more magnified in a here n’ now profession like advertising where new-age fads and trends, powered by nano-second technology, demand being in-the-loop all the time to seduce the impatient, promiscuous and impulsive youth market?

“Absolutely boss! I think – with some exceptions – most of the plus 40-types in the adbiz must be handed out VRS slips! Or moved out from the main frame and given stuff they can handle. The change, across the spectrum, is too fast for them to keep pace. The very concept of creativity is being re-defined everyday.” That was 28-year old Atul Bishnoi, CD of a Mumbai based ad agency. The grand old [evergreen?] man of adville laughs away these broadsides with characteristic flamboyance. Retorts Alyque Padamse, “Before uttering another word, I’d like to invite Bishnoi to sit on my lap and finish his orange juice, milk, Complan, Bournvita, Horlicks or whatever it is that he has!” Ego intact, he proceeds to offer his educated take. He believes that “creativity addressing human needs can never be dated” and remains skeptical about agencies suddenly moving to youth-mode because of the buzz. “That is insecurity and a complete lack of smart thinking. As long as your ideas are young and fresh, you rock. Age is only a number. My advice to the paranoid oldies: Don’t retire – re-tyre!”

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.

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Much before Danny Boyle sold India’s shit-soaked poverty to a global audience

2009-06-05T15:21:00.000+05:30

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.

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
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O.P. Bhatt & M.V. Nair are not alone.

2009-05-28T12:53:00.000+05:30

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

Most CMDs of state-run banks have taken a leaf out of Barack Obama’s ‘change’ mantra to send out fever-pitch messages to consumers. Stylish TV ads, chic logos and slick new launches are communicating their change. But just as Obama is discovering the difference between ‘campaigning’ and ‘implementation’, PSBs will need to wake up and smell the coffee, says Aditi Prasad. For now however life rocks for PSBs - as the global turmoil is boosting their credibility among the young and old alike

Sujeet Beura is the dapper, 33-year-old Accounts Director at a thriving ad agency in Mumbai. When he is not fighting the mad traffic to get to work, Beura concentrates his creative energies on ways to add value to client State Bank of India (SBI) – his agency is one of the eight empanelled with the bank. The fact that the global financial crisis has cast a shadow on SBI’s biggest competitor and private bank ICICI is simply a convenience that divine intervention has pushed his way. So convinced is Beura of SBI’s expertise that sitting in his plush office at Church Gate, all he can think about is shifting his personal savings account to the state-run bank, a move he wouldn’t have contemplated a year ago. After all, SBI then was for the old and doddering, while smarter and sexier private & foreign banks were for his generation.

But things have changed over the last few months. For one, ATMs of his ‘private bank’ are almost always ‘out of order’ – or at least when he needs urgent cash; and two, the global crisis has made him jittery and he wants his hard-earned money safe from the clutches of private and foreign banks. “SBI is more reliable. God forbid there’s some financial chaos here; then at least my money would be safe,” he avers. He swears that his preference for SBI is not dictated by the mere fact that the bank is a client but because of their long-standing credibility. “Besides, I’m 33 and planning to take my first home loan now and SBI is offering the most competitive interest rates,” he adds.

Beura’s musings are not unfounded. The findings of the exclusive 4Ps B&M and ICMR survey echo a similar sentiment. More than 51% respondents said that they trust state-run banks more when it comes to credibility and future security. Interestingly, the survey has been conducted in India’s five metro cities (across 836 respondents) – where till only some time ago private and foreign banks dominated both in actual market share and in consumer mind space. Welcome news for PSBs, many of whom are now vying to win back market share in these very metros. SBI for one, which hogs the chunkiest market share at an all-India level (42% of its branches are located in rural areas, with little competition from private banks), is planning its next ad campaign in a sleeker avatar to appeal to both retail and corporate consumers in these big cities. Explains Beura: “Currently SBI is reassuring people with the slogan The Banker for Every Indian. The next quarter, they are likely to launch a new positioning for SBI, targeted specifically at the metro audience.” Nationalised banks had lost the plot in metros and big cities when private banks came in. In aggregate deposits, the share of PSBs declined from 92% in FY 1991 to 73.9% in FY 2008; in advances, the share of PSBs fell from 92% to 72.5% in the same period, the losses mostly accruing from metros.

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

TAX PLANNING? for 2009-10 Naah... It’s wealth creation!!!

2009-05-11T12:24:00.000+05:30

IIPM - Admission Procedure

Noted chartered accountant G. D. Singla explains, “Early tax planning provides ample time to analyse the options, assess the risk and returns and above all, it allows greater bargaining power to the tax payers to an extent that in many cases, one need not even pay advance taxes!” If that sounded Hebrew, perish the painful thought, as this cover story is made with an atypical contrarian objective of putting penny to the foolish and pound to the wise. Revisiting the books, and at the cost of sounding back to the basics, we put forth the well respected S. Kumar of the leading chartered accounting firm Simon & Cailand, who explains, “In simple terms, tax planning means availing of the benefits of deductions, rebates, exemptions in taxation law to reduce the total tax burden of an assessee.” He further explains that tax planning does not merely imply putting money in some designated options; if envisaged properly it can be a great source of prudent wealth planning that could help to focus primarily on post tax yield taking into consideration the basic parameters of safety and liquidity. Ergo, if the philosophical Zeusian change has been implemented by thyself, you could test new waters with your second move.

And that is to make tax planning a monthly feature rather than an end of the year quarter feature beginning in January and calling it quits by March. The ‘instead’ approach sprains and strains one’s cash flow many a time; some even are forced to borrow to make these investments, certainly a double whack. Add to this the fact that the individuals suffer losses on account of compounding benefits (in case the investment avenue happens to be public provident Fund) and the rupee cost averaging (in case of investment in ELSS, Equity Linked Service Scheme). Change in government’s economic policies, closing of several attractive investment schemes, et al may further add on to the loss. Tax planning early on in the year can actually take care of all such losses. As the tax payer in such a case tends to spread his tax saving investments over 12 months rather than concentrating in three months.

And then we come to the third move. Apart from ‘when’, a tax payer also needs to know ‘where’ to invest. It is of prime importance that he is aware of the investment avenues so that he does not lose out on any opportunity. A host of investment avenues exist in the market: Mutual Funds, National Saving Certificates (NSC), Public Provident Fund (PPF), Monthly Income Scheme (MIS), Employee Provident Fund (EPF), Life Insurance, Systematic Investment Plan (SIP), Unit Linked Insurance Plan (ULIP), et al. The choice of these instruments rests on the individuals need for liquidity. The stock market benders could favour Equity Linked Saving Schemes, or ELSS, as the dividend income earned from units invested in ELSS are exempted from IT Act; and moreover, on redemption of the units the capital gain income is also tax exempted. And the otherwise bent could favour PPF, as the interest paid on it is on a compounded basis and tax free on withdrawal. Also, any amount lying in the PPF a/c cannot be attached by a court of law, thus providing maximum social security.

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.
1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Pirates of the ‘Online’ Carribbean

2009-04-14T14:18:00.000+05:30

IIPM set to beat economic slowdown

2008 is done with. But have you done away with your fears of a possible cyber attack in the New Year? Clearly, the chances are – if you are an online surfer, you are still a likely target. Steven Philip warner & Arun Kumar Roy warn...

News like the fifth man pleads guilty over Citibank ATM hack scam, browsers fail password protection tests, German card leak delivered by microfilm, electronic votes mysteriously vanish in Ohio election et al have become too common to be surprised about. But just like surprises never end, shocks too don’t. And though it’s a brand new 2009 (and you’d want to enjoy a security threat-less year), there’s no guarantee of a threat-free year from anyone or anywhere! We discuss such threats here; threats that are not your ‘typical’ enterprise security issues but are more dangerous – mainly large-scale Internet threats that could well trickle down to your organisational mainframe. The good news/bad news is that your organisation is more likely to suffer a simple ‘Website hack’; but that doesn’t mean you can gleefully put your security officers to rest! And we are caught helpless many a time, as Kevin Prince, chief architect for Perimeter eSecurity avers, “These aren’t something IT administrators or everyday Joes can do [much of] anything about.” So before you turn out the office lights for the night, check out these lesser-known potential threats that security experts are watching out for in 2009.

1. An Internet “e-bomb”: The attacks of 2008 indeed were focused on applications as the network perimeter was more secure. But before we knew it, our faith was shaken by disclosure of some major vulnerabilities in the Internet’s TCP/IP architecture: the Domain Name Service (DNS) cache-poisoning flaw and a denial-of-service vulnerability in the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). David Maynor, CTO, Errata Security, opines, “2009 could be the year when the first large-scale and widespread attack occurs on the Internet’s infrastructure.” He thinks that we’ll see the first wide-scale ‘e-bomb’ that will make large portions of the Internet unreachable.

2. Radical extremist hackers: iDefense predicts that 2009 will be the year that Middle-Eastern cybercartels expand into online fraud. According to the agency, a recent wave of fatwas issued by radical Islamic religious leaders in that region authorise these groups to use cyberattacks to defend Islam. This has opened the door for these groups to wage ‘open’ cyberattacks in the name of God and religion. “They will do it openly to fund the Islamic agenda,” avers Rick Howard, Intelligence Director, iDefense. iDefense also opines that US financial institutions would be the prime targets. The fact that Islamic extremists have already hacked into Israeli websites over the past few days with more than 300 sites defaced with anti-Israeli and anti-US messages might just be the start.

3. Attacks on online ad-revenues: Internet ads could be hit too, as enterprises and users increasingly begin to deploy technologies that block third-party content. ScanSafe says that the volume of Web-borne malware is growing at a considerable rate of 6% a month, and the rate that a user is exposed to this malware is increasing at a rate of 16% per month.There are many incidents where attackers target Google AdWords. We’ve seen them inject iFrames for SQL injection attacks or other things inside ads on websites also. Till date, users are mainly blocking pop-ups rather than legitimate ads, but now attackers could wreak havoc on online ads and their potential revenue by compromising the ad’s source. 2008 is over. But can you put your fears to rest? Not yet, dear netizens!

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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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Business

2009-03-26T12:58:00.000+05:30

1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers

The Sleepy Heads
Last Year ITC Bingo shook up the snack food industry with its peppy flavours and peppier advertising. But the newness has worn off and one can only just stifle a yawn at their ‘No Confusion-Great Combination’ lingo. Worse, competitor Frito Lay has caught up with their ‘Chala Change Ka Chakkar’ campaign. Time for another big idea?

And a Wake-Up Call...
Linking waking up with awakening one’s conscience was the big idea for Tata Tea. Their Jaago-Re slogan must have robbed many netas off their deep slumber. If not, blame it on their super thick hide ;-)

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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.
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
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RATAN TATA

2009-03-18T14:04:00.000+05:30

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I don’t know if this humble missive will reach 10, Janpath or if Sonia Madam will even read it. But I hereby nominate you for the next Bharat Ratna for your pioneering efforts to save corporate India. Your efforts are so refreshingly different from the controversial actions of Vijay Mallya and Naresh Goyal, who have acquired a nasty habit of going hat in hand to the government. After announcing global conquests a la Vasco da Gama through Kingfisher and Jet, the duo have now hunkered down and want a series of bail outs from both the government and the consumer. (As a frequent flyer, you might have heard of how consumers are bailing out Mallya and Goyal by paying through their noses for air tickets). You are also so refreshingly different from the likes of Rahul Bajaj who claims to bat for India Inc. by allegedly asking for more protection from foreign competition.

Mighty sir, I also want to apologise for words written two years ago in the sister publication Business & Economy. At that time, I had the temerity to suggest that the Tata Steel takeover of Corus (hailed by many in the media as the reverse of East India Company) will saddle your company with unmanageable debt. The temerity transformed into untrammeled insolence when this humble hack suggested that the double whammy of a falling rupee and falling demand and profitability for steel could lead Tata Steel to an unprecedented crisis. When you took over Corus, the rupee was about 40 to a dollar. Now, it is about 50 to a dollar.

So the $6 billion odd loan that you took for the Corus takeover seems an even steeper mountain to climb now. Of course, your letter to the Prime Minister has nothing to do with this niggling doubt about the future of Tata Steel. It has also nothing to do with fears that foreign institutions might recall loans. The letter is purely selfless. And really, how does it matter that the debt-equity ratio of Tata Steel increased from 1:1 in 2006 to 2.74:1? Only the cynics will say that a mighty entrepreneur like you will worry about these trivial matters when you are on a noble mission to save India Inc. And I will be the last one to suggest that P. Chidambaram imposing a 5% duty on steel imports to protect domestic players from global dumping as steel prices crash has anything to do with the future of Tata Steel.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Lentils@40% premium, anyone?

2009-03-12T12:43:00.000+05:30

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The jury is out on the benefits of organic food. Will producers be able to lure the masses without compromising on their hefty price tags? By Savreen Gadhoke

“I was on a diet for the last two weeks, and all I’ve lost is 14 days,” read the slogan on the T-shirt of a 20-something over-weight girl, whom I saw rummaging through the organic foods shelves in a departmental store. Unable to control myself, I decided to eavesdrop on her conversation with her friend: “I’ve heard organic foods help lose weight. Which brand should I buy?” even as she compared rates of different packs. I went back and did my own little research on how far the craze had travelled in India. To my surprise, the segment had really found its ground amidst consumers with names like Fabindia and Khadi Gram, investing heavily in organic foods. But however fast-growing the demand in India may be, the real moolah for organic food is found in global markets, which according to a RNCOS report is pegged to touch $70 billion by 2010. B.L. Dalmiya, Director, Centre of Organic Farming reveals, “Internationally, the demand for organic foods is rapidly growing because of increased consumer awareness.” In response, India has increased its production of organic foods and exports to a whopping 45% of the estimated Rs.560 crore organic food market in the country.

According to National Centre for Organic Farming, the area under organic cultivation is likely to quadruple in the next couple of years and cover two million hectares of land by 2012, as compared to the present area of 5,28,000 hectares. In fact, various state governments have also announced incentives and tax benefits to farmers who opt for organic agriculture. But R&D is one area where organic foods manufacturers are facing problems. Grins Dalmiya, “To keep pace with the global demands, we have to regularly invest in R&D, which is a big problem for small farmers,” adding that it eventually adds to higher costs. Within the country, organic foods enjoy a relatively niche demand and so far mass appeal has evaded. The reason, according to a January 2008 Assocham survey, is largely to do with premium pricing. The price differential between organic and non-organic products ranges from 35-40%, which finds little takers among even the educated and health conscious urban lot. Over 1,000 lead retailers selling non-organic and organic products participated in the survey.

Despite that however, the fast-multiplying growth of the industry cannot be entirely attributed to the increase in global demand. The Indian consumer too is getting savvier, fed by Internet information overload and satellite connectivity. Like their NYC counterparts, uber crowds in Gurgaon and Bengaluru alike, are getting hooked to the supposedly healthier organic alternatives. When asked, a local organic foods retailer in south Delhi explained that while there weren’t too many regular buyers for this category because of its higher price tag; amidst the swish set (premium segment consumers), these products were really sought after. Organised retail has in fact spawned dozens of private labels in the category, led by retailer Kishore Biyani’s Food Bazaar. As for the 20-something girl I saw in the departmental store the other day, I hope she has found her choice of brand in organic food and is working toward losing more days... oops, kilos!

Savreen Gadhoke

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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It’s the latest entertainment channel on the tube and it’s showing potential

2009-02-16T16:14:00.000+05:30

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Colors is the youngest kid on the block, yet within just three months of its launch, it has made its presence felt very strongly in the General Entertainment Category (GEC) segment. The channel has received exceptional ratings over the past few weeks and has outsmarted Zee TV from its number two position. The channels’ rising TRPs are clearly a threat to Star Plus, which has been invincible for the last 7-8 years. But can this neonate from Viacom 18’s stable uphold audience interest and the ratings for long? And how are Star Plus and Zee rolling up their sleeves to face this challenge? What’s happening at Sony’s end and where do the recently launched NDTV Imagine & 9X stand? 4Ps B&M analyses to find out more…

Sample this: Colors has got 250 Gross Rating Points (GRPs) during the week, September 24-October 4, clearly outshining Zee (220 GRPs) and Sony (105 GRPs). Not only that, the difference between leader Star Plus and Colors during this week is of merely 28 points (TAM ratings). This clearly indicates the strong potential the new channel has. As Keertha Adhyanthaya, EVP and GM, Star Plus frankly acknowledges, “The GEC landscape has seen a lot of competition in the last year, with deep pocketed players entering the fray. However, only Colors has come up with engaging content & has made significant headway.” So what is it that has clicked for Colors? We would say it’s the right combination of strong marketing at the time of launch and refreshing content to meet the expectations created by that initial hype.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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DAD, A BUNCH OF SUVS JUST ROBBED US!!!

2009-01-19T16:21:00.000+05:30

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

The Outlander’s launch in India has reignited the debate whether SUVs really have the wherewithal to run the full mile in present day conditions. The ever cynical Karan Mehrishi of 4Ps B&M refuses to die, er, a believer...

Along with defibrillation, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation is an emergency procedure that is left for the last, when all else has failed. Not that I have ever been trained in CPR [though I do end up giving a few heart attacks to the men in my life... I mean those who’ve travelled in my car, geez], but there was no better a metaphor I could find to logically justify Mitsubishi’s launch of the Outlander in India. Well, if you thought the Lancer was the hottest babe to hit the east of Govindpuri [extn, if you please], Jack, pack your bags, the shuttle to Mars is about to leave... and I have space for just one more!

Yes, yours truly was one of the ‘Incredibles’ forecasting many years back that Mitsubishi’s Lancer launch would pole-vault it to the number one position in India! If I was wrong, they were wronger, and the Lancer the wrongest! But perish the thought Schumacher, for when Mitsubishi launched the super smooth designed Outlander in India on October 3, 2008, there was a similar resurrection of sorts doing the rounds. CPR is what I call it! This was/is the product that could rewrite Mitsubishi’s history... and future in India! And all in one go! There, I said it, as I had said it in the past. The visions of my past great glory and greater forecasts came rushing back. For the only small issue with the Outlander is that, well, er, it’s an, umm, SUV! Phew... That wasn’t so hard, was it?!

Try as hard as I may to believe to the contrary, the fact is that the SUV market globally has taken a hit worse than what Bachchan’s gut did in Coolie [I know, the simile sucks; kill me and burn my SUV down]. But first, some facts about the Outlander, and then some more about the SUV conundrum I’m facing paradoxically.

Along with its tenth generation Lancer range, the Outlander is an important pillar of Mitsubishi’s global turnaround strategy. As per its global aspirations, even the 2.4L MIVEC engine is a product of collaboration with Hyundai and Daimler. India is a rapidly growing market and can give Mitsubishi an avenue of expansion, but strangely, Mitsubishi has steered clear of volumes! At a price range that starts from Rs. 2.2 million, the Outlander will be positioned in the E segment and will be part of the newly formed SUV bandwagon. The Mitsubishi will compete with able competitors like Honda CR-V, Hyundai Tuscon, Chevrolet Captiva, Ford Endeavor and its own half brother Mitsubishi Pajero 2800. So far so good... Bachchan’s gut from here.

According to claimed figures provided by Mitsubishi-HM officials, the company sells no more than 250 units of its three prominent SUV models in a month. The company expects to sell no more than 100 units of even the Outlander in a month’s time. The competition is in a no better situation. As per SIAM data, falling to 1299 units, the sales of market leader Honda CR-V declined 12% in April-August 2008. The same fate was destined for Suzuki Grand Vitara and Hyundai Tuscon that recorded a sales decline of 47.6% and 79.6% respectively.

But what has confounded my genetically inherited cynicism [well, I’m overworked, underpaid, underweight, don’t have an SUV, and need a ‘brake’ goddammit] is that I see no hint of worry amongst the manufacturers. “The Indian market is evolving and there is a niche market where people are sporty and have an outdoor lifestyle. From next year onwards, things should start looking up,” said R Santhanam, MD HM- Mitsubishi.

Manufacturers are believers in the cult-view that even though the volumes are low in the high end SUV segment presently, there is a great scope for margins in the long term. With raw material prices like that of steel and rubber declining, players claims SUVs could indeed become – god save the BCG matrix – future Cash Cows.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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With competition on the rise, American Express has to re-think its strategies in India.Ratan Lal Bhagat writes...

2009-01-08T13:57:00.000+05:30

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Wall Street could never have had a worse nightmare... But it saw one in broad daylight and became Fall Street in a matter of a few days! Giant after giant tumbled, and all in the white collar zone fled for cover... First the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac episode happened. Then Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. This was followed by AIG being bailed out. Next, Merrill Lynch was sold off and then followed Morgan Stanley’s and Goldman Sachs’ announcements that they would transform into commercial banks! Banks like Citi and HSBC are still hanging on, all thanks to their retail presence. In the face of all this, there is a giant who feels extremely uncomfortable, a giant by the name of American Express Banking Corporation (AEBC; it was known as AMEX prior to 2008) which sold-off its global retail banking arm to Standard Chartered during September 2007 for a mere $860 million! So does it make AEBC more susceptible to the ongoing bushfire, considering that it has a huge risk credit card business model in place? One primary reason why there still are survivors in this financial mess is because the survivors had invested in emerging nations like India, where high growth rates and low credit and default rates insulated them from becoming history. The story of American Express Banking Corporation (AEBC) is one of them...

Resilient and determined to fight the on-going battle of survival, this banking giant managed to find its way into the Indian sub-continent decades back. India soon became a huge hub, especially for its credit card and travel-related services. And the country soon proved to be a major engine of growth for AEBC globally.

But all things aren’t as rosy as the previous paragraph reads... Even in the country, AEBC has faced many obstacles – like the small urban consumer base (considering that as per World Bank, 47% Indians live below poverty line), increase count of defaults, intensified competition et al. So what is the future for AEBC in India and its strategies to achieve the imagined?

We caught up with Rob Hennin, Country Head, India, American Express Banking Corp. (read interview) and other officials in this American banker’s India unit to discover more about how it plans to grow, using India as the epicentre

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Don’t let a card test your intellect!

2009-01-05T14:02:00.000+05:30

4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007

With consumers failing to put a pause on consumerism despite rising interest rates, it becomes all the more essential for credit card users to be prudent in use and payment of dues to avoid a fatal debt trap that can wreck their financial health, says sunanda roy

“Oh, they are so essential these days.” Well, those were the words of an executive of an online portal when he was asked what he thinks about the usage of plastic money. He even showed some 2-3 credit cards of different banks and equal number of debit cards on the flip side of his wallet to prove that he is not lagging behind others in the use of plastic money. Definitely, plastic has transformed itself from a mere status symbol to a very essential commodity in recent times.

Both the volume and the value of transactions on credit cards are on rise like never before. As per the Reserve Bank of India’s Annual Report for financial year 2007-08, total value of transactions made on credit cards during the year amounted to a mind-boggling Rs.579.58 billion, up 40.1% from Rs.413.61 billion, the total amount spent by credit card holders during FY 2006-07. The total number of credit card transactions too have jumped from 169.5 million to 228.2 million, registering a whopping 34.6% growth as against a measly 8.6% growth in the previous financial year. A mere look at these figures clearly justifies the fact that the ideology of cashless shopping is roping in more Indian consumers than ever. In recent months, banks have been able to tempt more people to use more of their credit cards, simply by putting in place schemes like cash-back, discount purchases, free air tickets and so on.

Rabindra Gupta, a modern day executive says, “It makes your life really easy. You cannot carry cash in your wallet always; but with a card you can just swipe and shop whenever you feel like.” As per a banking analyst, “While simplicity of making payments is one of the primary drivers for growth of credit cards, growth of e-commerce has also stimulated its usage. So much is its utility in the modern times that it has become an integral part of our lives.”

But while the dependency on plastic money has made our lives easier, it is also driving toward a fatal debt trap. The best as well the worst part of using a credit card is you can buy today and pay later. And you can get your hands on a product even if you don’t have sufficient money with you. Now for the worst part, which many of us don’t take seriously, is that you tend to defer your payments and in the process incur huge amount of penalties and other charges. As a result, consumers end up paying an obscene amount for something which is higher than what they should have actually paid.

How the sharp increase in the usage and average spend through credit cards has led to piling of outstandings and payment defaults can be well understood, in fact, from the latest RBI statistics. According to the RBI Report, outstanding on credit cards went up by a massive 87% to Rs.265.96 billion by the end of May this year.

To be fair, another reason that has contributed to this large credit card outstanding is the surge in interest rates recently. Correspondingly, the financial load on existing and new consumers of personal, car or home loans has gone up, condensing their disposable income. But clearly, this has not put paid to their already high aspiration level and therefore conspicuous consumption. With the result that plastic money usage and defaults in payments have seen this alarming rise. Amount due on these people now constitute a major chunk of the huge credit card outstanding at present. What’s more relevant is the fact that if these people do not pay up in the near future, this debt trap will continue increasing.

To stay away from such chaotic situation, banks are now encouraging more and more borrowers to convert their credit card dues into personal loans in a proposal to stave off defaults prompted by inflation and rising rates. For a consumer with a large credit card debt, such a scheme is not bad. Because, dues under a credit card debt after the initial interest-free period draw interest rates to the tune of 18 to 38% per annum, where as personal loans are still hovering at rates starting from 14%. According to Robin Roy, Associate Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers, “The darker side of the story says that in the course of using a credit cards one keeps on postponing the payment. But while it’s a personal loan, there is a fixed repayment schedule. You are compelled in some kind of discipline.” This, for sure, will help you move out of the vicious circle of the debt trap. To err is human, but to recover from it is definitely intelligence. And in today’s world of high consumerism every one, who uses a credit card, has to show some of that intelligence to be safe and sound in terms of their financial health and planning.

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).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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The idiot box is feeling the heat of the number three race.

2008-12-18T13:51:00.000+05:30

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

The idiot box is feeling the heat of the number three race. The crown is passing hands almost on a monthly basis. A battle or two is won by every new channel. But who will eventually win the war? Pallavi Srivastava investigates...

‘Everything is transient and it’s unwise to hold onto things, as tomorrow they simply may not be around’ is what Lord Krishna preached in the Bhagavad Gita. Centuries later, the fight for the number three general entertainment channel (GEC) crown on the Indian teletube is becoming equally transient. After the launch of three new GECs – 9X, NDTV Imagine and Colors, GEC rankings are changing on a fortnight to fortnight basis. So what is it that is making viewers so volatile? Why are new channels unable to sustain their high TRPs (grabbed in the first flush of their launch)? And does that means that in the long run the GEC equation will just keep shuffling between Star, Zee & Sony?

Sample this: In May 2008, 9X was at number three with a channel share of 11% while NDTV Imagine and Sony lagged behind with a 9% channel share. In July 2008, NDTV Imagine led the number three race with 10% channel share, 9X followed with 9% channel share, Sony’s channel share was 8% and the newly launched Colors had 4% channel share. In August 2008 (from 1st August till 25th August), Colors jumped to number three with 12% channel share. Sony, NDTV Imagine and 9X followed with 9% channel share each (as per aMap ratings).

The numbers clearly indicate that every time a new GEC is launched it replaces the existing number three. But unfortunately the neonate is not able to sustain it for long and loses to another new kid on the block. Anooj Kapoor, Business Head, SAB attributes it to the novelty factor. “If there are three apple sellers in a market and the fourth one comes and shouts that I have different apples, a lot of people would want to taste his apples. But when they realise that his apples too are just the same, they return to the original three.” In between the hullaballoo created by new channels, veteran Sony has started regaining its lost TRPs, thanks to some innovative programming and some star value (a la Salman Khan in Dus Ka Dum). So much so, the second week of August saw Sony outshine 9X and NDTV Imagine, both in terms of GRPs and channel share.

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).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
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4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Curbing Inflation

2008-12-04T12:31:00.000+05:30

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...a power packed punch from RBI

Ever since the inflationary beast crossed RBI’s tolerance level on March 1, 2008, there has been no looking back. As a matter of fact since then inflation has surged by over 84%. In fact the Central Bank has finally accepted that curbing inflation is its prime objective and has been taking a series of measure to limit the beast. As an antithesis to the efforts, the beast has been galloping at a faster pace and is pegged at a 13 year high at 11.42%; it is evident that the public’s ‘tryst with inflation’ continues.

The two recent measures, increasing the repo rate (rate at which the central bank lends to banks overnight) and CRR (cash reserve ratio, proportion of deposits that banks are required to keep with the central bank) by 50 basis points (bps) will have its impact on the corporate houses as well as individuals. As a measure to anchor inflation, the hike in CRR will suck Rs.200 billion from the market and help in restraining demand. For banks already struggling with high borrowing costs, the added burden will only lower its earning from each loan. Amid tightening monetary policy, it is the individuals and the banks that are the worst hit; individuals will either have to increase their loan repayment period or else bear the brunt of increased lending rates. And for the banks the difference between the interest earned from loans and the amount paid to depositors will further narrow down. “The CRR and Repo rate hikes are larger than expected. These will increase the costs for banks who in turn are expected to raise lending and borrowing rates in the days to come. Higher rates are expected to impact both consumers and corporates,” Dipen Shah, VP, PCG-Research Kotak Securities tells 4Ps B&M.

Banks have already started raising their prime lending rates (PLR); SBI has increased its BPLR to 12.75%, Union Bank to 13.25% ICICI to 13.50% et al and others are considering similar moves. For an individual who wants to settle the loan repayment in time, it means an increased EMI (for instance, for an amount of Rs.2 million for a period of 20 years the EMI at 12.25% would be Rs.22,371 while in the present scenario it could be as high as Rs.24, 147). Further, corporates too need to rethink on their capex plans for the cost of working capital and long term debts are likely to move northwards. In such a scenario it’s only those who have surplus cash who can benefit by higher interest rates on their savings; but considering the double digit inflation the fears of negative interest on the surplus looms large.

However the question is, will the RBI continue tightening monetary policy? Tushar Poddar, VP Asia Economic Research, Goldman Sachs, avers, “The RBI will wait and watch inflationary trends over the next several weeks, particularly signs of pass through to broad based inflation and broad money growth, before raising rates again.” Well, as everyone battles with inflation RBI’s next review of the monetary policy will be worth watching.

Gyanendra Kashyap

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).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
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IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
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IIPM is A World of Career
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Epson Stylus CX5500

2008-11-10T15:44:00.000+05:30

IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS

Technical Specification

Excellent functionalities of 4-in-1: Print, Scan, Fax & Copy.
PRICE: Rs.5.5 lakh without taxes
WARRANTY: 3 months or 50,000 copies (whichever is earlier)

The printer is undoubtedly one of the best bets as it is the only entry AIO (printer-scanner-copier) offering 4 individual ink cartridges with a speed of 5760 DPI resolution (highest amongst other entry level models). “Its Dura-Brite Ink technology ensures water, fade and smudge resistant Prints. Moreover, Epson uses the Micro-Piezo Print technology which takes full control of the size, shape and placement of ultra fine Super Micro Dots and which are the important parts of any product lying the category,” asserts Rahul Addy, spokesperson, Epson. Its Low ink Cartridge is cheaper than others and starts from as low as Rs.250 each. The product has other important features like CCD technology, which helps it for 3-D scanning. The printer is small, portable, unlike big printers which are very difficult to carry, and is quite easy to move from one place to another.

Marketers’ delight: A high-precision letter edging on colour makes its high quality speak loud.

Tester’s note: Pros – Fast printing speed and excellent image printing. Overall looks, performance, speed and priced under 5K. Definitely a buy for those who have a limited budget yet want a high performing printer.

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).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
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IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

Fujitsu Lifebook LifeBook U1010 (3.5G)

2008-11-05T12:44:00.000+05:30

IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS

Technical Specification
Screen size: 5.6 inch; RAM: 1 GB; Operating Systems: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium; Processor: Intel A110 Ultra Mobile CPU (800MHz, 512k L2 Cache, 400MHz FSB)

PRICE: Rs.1,15,884
WARRANTY: 1 year

The first thing that you notice about the Fujitsu LifeBook U1010 is of course its size. Spread over just 5.6 inch of screen space, it’s closer to a PDA than a standard notebook. With a WideScreen LCD (1024*600 resolution), a passive touch panel, integrated Intel graphics, Realtek 100Base Ethernet, integrated web cam and a 56 key keyboard (with fingerprint reader), the notebook packs quite a punch. And yes,it weighs only 630 gm. But a RAM of just 1 GB can’t ensure a speedy performance.

Marketers’ delight: The LifeBook U1010 is compact and featherweight. Size is the USP; not performance.

Tester’s note: Pros – Ultra-portable. Good video performance. Reasonable price. Dual memory slot Cons – Slow performer. Mediocre battery life.

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).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
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Hopes & dreams, trapped under the rub(b)le

2008-10-22T15:44:00.000+05:30

IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

External factors dealt the final blow. Short-term external debt of commercial banks grew to $19 billion and spelled doom for the financial system of the country. Artificially supported ruble led to the warp of prices on export and import – competitiveness of Russian goods became low, it became inefficient to produce goods domestically. As a result, for example, 60% of food items were imported. The country had a clear oligopolistic socio-economic model with 10% of domestic companies producing 70% of goods. Consumption level was high and there was no saving. Everything which was produced was “eaten away”. Canceling export duties instead of excises led to inflating of energy prices, which also decreased competitiveness of domestically produced goods. Further, oil prices fell, which decreased budget revenues. Capital investment into the economy fell sharply too.

Moreover, published statistical data was often misleading. Informational war of oligarchs versus new reformers who came to power led to the fall of confidence in markets, among banks and foreign investors. Then the Asian crisis came to Russia and the country saw a massive sell-off of assets. There was an intensive capital outflow from the country. CBR’s interventions did not have an effect. Yields on GKOs exceeded 100%, money market rates overnight reached 170% and the stock market crashed. Moreover, the anti-crisis program was of no help and IMF didn’t agree to give the second rescue money tranche. Result – default.

But, then it was long back. Whether Russian economy has became sturdier or not is the real question now. Yes, certainly, it has. Currently Russia faces favourable external economic conjuncture (with oil prices above $110/bbl) and continues to accumulate economic and political weight in the world.

Russia’s annual GDP growth amounted to 8.1% y-o-y in 2007 while the nominal figure stood at $1.39 trillion. Unemployment rate amounted to 6.6% in February with 5 million people from the labour force currently unemployed. Disposable income of the population grew by 10.6% y-o-y in February 2008. Russia’s industrial production demonstrated good dynamics in February with 7.5% y-o-y growth figure. Despite all talks about poor democracy of elections, political risks were diminished with the end of the presidential elections campaign. The country will keep the economic course unchanged, which creates a sustainable background for healthy investment climate. Moreover, it retains positive ratings from leading rating agencies: Moody’s (Baa2), S&P (BBB+), Fitch (BBB+) with Moody’s further going to increase Russian rating soon.

Small number of emerging market economies can boast of such high results, which Russia achieved in recent years. Russian banking sector is also strong and shows good growth dynamics despite the fact that it was affected by global financial crisis triggered by the meltdown of the US housing market and sophisticated structured investment products. Gold and forex reserves of more than $500 billion, the Reserve Fund, the National Welfare Fund and higher than expected budget surplus lend confidence with respect to the strong support of the economy.

However, there are a lot of problems which the government is planning to solve: higher than expected inflation and increase in real disposable income of the population are some of them. Possible difficulties with payouts of corporate and banking foreign debt, which have been heavily discussed recently are exaggerated. Debt burden is moderate and is manageable. The situation on money market is also much better than expected before. The Russian economy, indeed has come a long way since 1998.

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).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

GHULAM NOON - Curry king of london

2008-10-17T17:45:00.000+05:30

IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

GHULAM NOON
Curry king of london

Realms and realms of paper have been written on the success stories of Non-Resident Indians like L. N. Mittal, Sant Singh Chatwal et al. One person who sits pretty on this A-list of NRIs is Ghulam Noon, a UK based businessman who took age-old Indian culinary delights from an Indian woman’s kitchen to become one of the biggest suppliers of Indian food – frozen, chilled and packaged – internationally. His company, Noon Products produces more than 10,000 dishes for the highly sophisticated packaged food industry of London.

From a remote village of Rajasthan, to filling the shelves of supermarket stores with Indian cuisine, Noon has walked quite a distance. Witnessing the surge in Indian restaurants in London, gave him the idea for this novel concept. Instantly his venture was a runaway success with the Indian fraternity living in London. Noon Products was later taken over by Irish food conglomerate Kerry Group.

In March 2006, after loaning £250,000 to the Labour Party of UK, Noon became a key person to exercise his clout on the British politics. With such dynamism, Noon has come to symbolise the modern and much more liberated section of the Indian society.

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).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
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IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
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RANA KAPOOR - Knowledge driver

2008-10-06T15:47:00.000+05:30

IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

RANA KAPOOR
Knowledge driver
I have been extremely fortunate to have known Rana Kapoor, Founder/MD & CEO, YES BANK since the past 19 years. Rana Kapoor has completed 28 years in the banking industry, and he still believes in an important philosophy injected by his late father who believed that “the harder you work, the luckier you get.” Since his very early days in banking, he always nurtured a dream – that of building a world class knowledge-driven private Indian banks catering to a fast emerging India.

Despite several challenges faced in these past years, he successfully conceived the idea of YES BANK, a Bank that would create a strong platform for professional entrepreneurship, set the highest standards for corporate governance, professional integrity and transparency, set higher benchmarks in banking services, and create and share value with all stakeholders. As a professional entrepreneur, he has focussed on establishing a high quality, technology driven, state-of-the-art private Indian Bank catering to “Future Industries of India”, since mid-2003. Under his leadership, YES BANK is steadily evolving as the finest quality bank in India with exemplary business & financial outcome.

Kapoor envisages the bank in the role of a ‘money doctor’ and has a diagnostic approach to banking. He has also spear-headed various knowledge leadership and developmental initiatives in emerging sectors like the Food & Agri-business sector as well. He envisages India taking centre stage in the 21st century as the Global Knowledge-based economy, driven by fast-paced, growth focused corporates and exemplary entrepreneurship, and therefore believes in a knowledge driven approach focusing on the key growth sectors of the Indian economy.

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).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
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IIPM is A World of Career
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What about my loan

2008-09-27T14:14:00.000+05:30

IIPM - Admission Procedure

The distress of the farmers can be understood through another set of statistics. “About 85% of outstanding debt of cultivator households from institutional agencies was in the interest range of 12 to 20% per annum. On the other hand, 36% of cultivator households’ outstanding debt from non-institutional agencies was at the interest rate of 20 to 25% and another 38% of outstanding debt at 30% and above. This shows the exploitative nature of non-institutional credit market,” stated the Radhakrishna Committee report.

Clearly, the Chidambaram’s loan mela will not help those it is meant for. Experts contend that the Finance Minister could have easily opted for other, more realistic, solutions to help the Indian farmer. Joshi thinks that the existing defaulters should have been made “eligible for another loan with a condition that previous ones will be waived off in case the first few installments of the new loan are paid back in time.” He adds that the government should have focused at long-term solutions to “augment farm incomes and empower farmers so that they are able to repay their loans.” Even Sharma admits that “a new mechanism has to be worked out to bail out farmers who have taken credit from the moneylenders, and crack down on a new breed of lenders, who charge exorbitant interest in the name of micro-finance. The loan waiver package does not address the real causes of growing indebtedness. It has to be accompanied with a road map that ensures that farmers do not pile up more debt in the near future. Or else, future governments will have to go in for yet another loan waiver.”

Others like S.L. Shetty, Director, EPW Research Foundation, believe that such loan melas “create a psychology amongst all classes of indebted farmers (even those who were willing to repay) to not repay their loans in future.” And the final word comes from Amir Ulah Khan, Director, India Development Foundation, who says that “the key to the success of the loan waiver (even in the form that Chidambaram expects) will be in the implementation of the scheme.” But knowing the delivery systems in the case of other welfare schemes in India, we know who will enjoy this Maha-Mela.

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).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...
4Ps Power Brand Awards 2007
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
IIPM Ranked No. 1 B-School In Global Exposre - Zee...

HCL’s ‘nano’ ambitions

2008-09-22T16:02:00.000+05:30

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

The company launches the smallest and the cheapest laptop

While India is still wondering about the practicality of Tata’s Nano project, another Indian manufacturer HCL has gone ahead and embraced the ‘Nano’ concept. HCL Infosystems has unveiled its MiLeap series, which is supposed to be the smallest and cheapest laptop available in the country. The notebook has a 7-inch LCD screen, weighs less than a kg and has an attractive starting price point of Rs.14,000.

Ajai Chowdhry, Chairman & CEO, HCL Infosystems Ltd. commented on the product, “This revolutionary new range of ultra portable laptops will herald in a new category of computing devices, opening up a wide range of new usage scenarios and application areas.”

Well, HCL’s MiLeap can definitely be called revolutionary when it comes to price. Before the launch of MiLeap, the entry level laptop segment was dominated by companies like Acer, Compaq & Zenith but even these companies were unable to break the important Rs.15,000 price point. While HCL is the first company in the world to launch a laptop at this price point, globally its counterparts are focusing more on performance and design. Recently, Apple launched its super-slim laptop called the Macbook Air. With its innovative slim design and ultra portable features, the ‘Air’ gives the mobile computing a completely new standard. Even Lenovo is revolutionising the mobile computing with its new IdeaPad range of low weight laptops.

With the tech giants realising the growing importance of laptops in daily life, the futuristic technological innovations in the laptop arena are going to be even more exciting.

B&E edit bureau: Neha Saraiya

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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The Queen of Wellness

2008-09-11T13:26:00.000+05:30

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Rajvi Mariwala connects with & understands Marico’s brands. She hopes to create a brand on her own in the future. But can she? BIKRAM KESHARI JENA presents an analysis

Although the pedigree factor is in play here, this 27-year-old gives you the feeling that she wishes to carve out a name on her own. There’s a strong underlying drive in her to become a self-made entrepreneur. Meet Rajvi Mariwala, daughter of Harsh Mariwala, CMD, Marico. So, while one can’t rule out the ‘Born with a Silver Spoon’ marque, one may have to keep it on the side in this case. Unlike the sons and daughters of several industrialists, Rajvi proved her worth before joining the family-owned business. During the first few years of her career, she spent time in other firms and climbed the corporate ladder like any other trainee.

An MBA from the University of Geneva, Rajvi has got the right training to prepare her to run the business. She might be in her twenties but she’s not short of experience. Apart from Marico, she has had stints at the US based Merci Corps North West and Trikaya Grey. In 2006, she joined Marico to shoulder the responsibility of creating new brands and positioning them. In the future, she hopes to create a new and successful brand and she’s willing to learn as well as wait for it to happen. Her ideal leader is her father, who has built one of the fastest-growing niche FMCG companies with an annual turnover of Rs.15.6 billion, which enjoys leadership in most segments that it is present in.

In the past year or so, Marico has initiated a slew of brand acquisitions and product launches, including Fiancee, Nihar, Manjal, and HairCode. Explains Asish Dangi, Analyst, Pinc Research, “The rationale behind the acquisition of Fiancee and HairCode was to enter global markets like Africa and South Asia. The brands are powerful and have given the company an upper hand compared to its competitors. Currently, the company’s growing at 20-25% globally, and this establishes that the brands have been successful. Thanks to Fiancee and Haircode, Marico controls a fifth of the Egyptian market in these respective segments.” Others contend that the strategy behind acquiring Nihar from Unilever India was to kill competition.

For example, when Marico acquired the coconut oil brand Nihar from Hindustan Lever for a total consideration of Rs. 2.27 billion in February 2006, it helped the company to increase its market share by nearly 9%. “The major gain has come in the Eastern India market where perfumed oils from Nihar have helped Marico in gaining an additional market share of over 40%,” as revealed by a recent study.

Stated a recent analyst report: “Marico is riding high on its international business. The journey so far in Bangladesh, Middle East, USA etc. has been very encouraging. We believe that the company’s experiment would continue as far as entry into other geographical regions is concerned.” It added that “Marico has acquired 4 brands in FY ’06, 2 in India and 2 in Bangladesh. These have helped the company achieve tremendous size, volume and market share. Further acquisitions cannot be ruled out, should it appear as a strategic fit to Marico’s portfolio.”

Rajvi has already received kudos for these actions. “Harsh Mariwala is no doubt a great visionary, but the way Marico was growing, it required the zeal of the next generation. Rajvi understands sales and branding well. Although a year is too short to prove her sole contribution, she will do great work with the brands in Marico’s portfolio,” affirms FICCI’s FMCG analyst, who has worked with the family.

As a professional, she’s hell bent to do justice to what the Marico name stands for. Rajvi has inculcated the ‘organisation’ philosophy. She thinks that Marico is about the organization & the team, and any individuals should not be highlighted. This was one reason why she refused to be quoted in this article. One of her colleagues in the division agrees, “Rajvi is very committed and focused, and professional interactions with her are really pleasant experiences.”

Rajvi has started mulling out strategies to strengthen Marico’s brands. According to a recent analysis, “Marico’s biggest strength lies in its brand management, whether regional or national, particularly in a commodity-like business where margins play a hide-n-seek game. Today, most of Marico brands command either leadership or challenger positions in their respective categories and hence enjoy premium pricing resulting in better margins. This also makes it easy to launch new products.”

But she has a long way to go from here. This is a learning experience, and she still works as a trainee. In addition, adverse external factors can spell doom for Marico’s growth strategy. For example, higher tax rates can slow down the sales of premium products. Similarly, an ongoing change in competitors’ strategy can harm Marico. Finally, if Rajvi fails to live up to her father’s expectations and is unable to manage future growth as well as the positioning of Marico’s brands, the company’s future can be a bit clouded. Its wellness can easily be threatened.

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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Trying hard for level playing fields

2008-08-25T17:12:00.000+05:30

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Sort out the operators & make sure that the consumer gets his due

The former Secretary of the Department of Telecom (DoT), Nripendra Misra, who was appointed Chairman of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) last year has opened the Pandora’s box by aiming to bring in competition in telecom sector. His dual-tech policy allowing a single operator to provide both the CDMA & GSM services within the same circle, have set the operators marching to court and media. The other issue, which Misra would have to expedite in 2008 is related to 3G spectrum and broadbasing the broadband network across the nation. The 1967-batch IAS officer will have to do much & at a much faster pace in 2008 to make consumers happy.

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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ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
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Resurrecting the lost pride

2008-08-19T13:31:00.000+05:30

IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence

We are only busy with the trinity of the big cats – tiger, lion & leopard and in contemporary India, the best known of the non-roaring big cats – the Cheetah, who are fastest land animal, has been forgotten. It can reach speeds between 112 km/h & 120 km/h and can accelerate from 0 to 110 km/h in three seconds, faster than most of the modern racing cars. Its hunting prowess attracted nobility, through 5,000 years, to keep it with them, & it was this practice, which has cornered it to few corners of the world, as it is biologically weak to breed in captivity. Moreover, growing human & livestock population caused reduction in Cheetahs’ habitat and that was major reason of it being extinct in India, since 1952. Cheetah is also in World Conservation Union (IUCN) list of vulnerable species. 90% cheetahs are now in Namibia & Botswana. “Earth is left with just 12,000 Cheetahs,” Dr. Divyabhanusinh, an authority on Cheetahs in India, told B&E. But, can’t Cheetahs be rehabilitated in India? In 100-200 sq. kms. of grassland, with sufficient prey base & vegetation, Cheetahs can be rehabilitated, Sinh said, adding that he had studied empty DNA of Indian Cheetahs and Botswana Cheetahs and they are same. Then, their Cheetahs can be rehabilitated in India. “Cheetahs can be brought from Botswana, where their growing numbers are harming human’s interests,” said Sinh. “The Narayan Sarovar in Kutch, holds the potential for introduction of the lost specie,” said Dr. Yadvendra Dev Jhala of Wildlife Insitiute of India.

“Lack of money isn’t hampering rehabilitation of Cheetahs in India, it’s absence of political will,” said Sinh.

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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Can Mallya’s Deccan and similar low-cost airlines handle the onslaught of a new competitor, Lalu’s Indian Railways? shashank tripathi of 4Ps B&M digs

2008-08-13T12:54:00.000+05:30

IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence

As a kid, strange as it might seem, I always used to scoff at cartoons, especially the ones with superheroes. And through the years, my favourite hotshot target superhero always remained the man of steel, Superman! As comical as the reasons might seem, I had two to berate him. One, he was always there to do social service and save the world (I mean, come on, is there no other good reason for a superhero to exist?!); and two, he could fly (Oh please! Get real!). For me, Superman was, in short, a loser, who was like a sissy with just one pocket-full of Kryptonite! And who was, in fact, my favourite toon emperor? Uncle Scrooge! Consider this. Scrooge couldn’t ever fly; he was never there to do social service; and saving the world was as alien to his mind as the Indian football team thinking about qualifying for the World Cup. And what more, Scrooge could have eaten Kryptonite dry for breakfast and not have indigestion (till lunch at least)! So what was he there for? Money! Period! Scrooge didn’t care less about relationships, and lesser about what people think of his dressing sense!

I guarantee, the deja vu and the metaphoric similarity would hit you as hard as it hit me, if you were to compare – like I did – India’s low cost carrier (LCC) industry with a competitor they never expected, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Indian Railways. Think about it, Lalu ‘Scrooge’ Yadav doesn’t care less about relationships, gives two hoots about what people think of his dressing sense or deportment, and would kick ‘world-saving’ ideas out of his dairy farm if it would cost him even a penny. But the one issue CEO Lalu has never lost sight of in all these years, is profit! The Indian Railways has perhaps never seen brighter times! And what, on the other hand, has the LCC industry focused on? Social service. What else would you call year after year of operating with humungous losses of thousands of crores, and still attempting to offer lowest prices to air travellers?

“There are no real pure low cost airlines in India and there will probably not be any in the future,” shared Maunu Von Lueders, CEO of Jet Lite, when I caught up with him, “In other words, even the best performers are bleeding and they’re trying to use Band-Aids to stop the bleeding!” Without doubt, the King of them all, Vijay Mallya, was and continues to be the poster boy of the aviation industry, rewriting the entire inflight experience to world class standards using Kingfisher Airlines, offering exceptional services at affordable prices. When Mallya jumped on to the LCC bandwagon using Deccan Aviation’s takeover, everyone expected this sector to have glorious days up ahead. But nobody had counted on fuel prices, eh!

But really, LCC’s competition had started way back in May 2004, when the UPA government was sworn in and Lalu took over the huge loss making Indian Railways as the Union Minister. Imagine how he would have felt. There was the authoritative government funded Rakesh Mohan Committee report, which forecasted that the sordid state of affairs of Indian Railways would guarantee over Rs.61,000 crore losses by 2015 and the only way out was privatisation.

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)
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IIPM makes business education truly global (Print Version)
The Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM)
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The Hindu : Education Plus : Honour for IIPM
IIPM ranked No.1 B-School in India, Management News - By ...
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Debashis Paul, Senior Vice President and General Manager, McCann Erickson

2008-08-06T13:11:00.000+05:30

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

Debashis Paul, Senior Vice President and General Manager, McCann Erickson: Anand has an extraordinary sense of art direction, which is very contemporary, most relevant and striking. That’s why he is quite different from others. He has powerful visualisation and that’s why he can easily work on any theme, which is quite tough. He has mastered the skill of art direction and can easily understand the connotation of the theme and work on it very fast. Vaybhav, on the other hand, is a good creative thinker. He brings a lot of fresh ideas to the table. He is a radical thinker. As a person, he is reliable, professional and approachable to work with. Both of them have recently brought out a wonderful ad campaign on Reebok (I am my biggest challenge) with Bipasha Basu.

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.
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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!

Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices in the domestic market

2008-08-04T11:46:00.000+05:30

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

Then there are other benefits on the cost side. As per sources at Air Deccan, Air Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices in the domestic market are valued at 170% of international standards. That basically means that operations on international routes would guarantee cheaper ATF prices, thereby lowering the costs for the airlines. Aniket Mhatre, Aviation Expert, PLIndia convincingly states, “The costs for international operations are lower as ATF outside India is at Rs.32/litre as against Rs.49/litre in India. As ATF contributes to about 40-45% of airlines costs, costs for flying international are lower (as you can refuel overseas, as Air India does). Hence, international yield per seat is higher.” Agrees Rajeev Batra, Executive Director, KPMG, “ATF is a controlled commodity in India. It is not so abroad, instead being freely tradeable. Naturally, players flying abroad will stand to gain from this.”

The fact bears significance considering that Indian carriers have had a poor record where operating statistics are concerned (refer Figure 4) with most reporting higher operating expenses than revenues. Then there is also the attractiveness of price restrictions, which apply on international routes that are more regulated and therefore create a scenario where loss-making can be avoided by careful pricing method. As Craig Jenks, President, Airline Projects Inc. asserts, “Globally, international traffic grows faster than domestic traffic and so it is an interesting opportunity. In India, domestic market has been growing faster, resulting in excessively low fares. International routes are more attractive since they are restricted by the government.” What this implies is that restricted access to these routes means lower levels of dog-fights for the operating airliners – some relief for domestic carriers, which have been bearing the brunt of predatory pricing for years now! “Long-haul operations are always more profitable since they lower the operations cost. Bigger planes will offer you three times bigger capacity than small ones in domestic routes. Margins for international carriers are always more than that of domestic depending upon sectors…” is how Jet officials put it.

But do these opportunities come sans challenges? “International operations provide a greater diversification of revenues, generate greater feed for domestic operations and may suit the strategic objectives of an airline, but the challenges should not be underestimated. International flights test you on both the quantity and quality factors,” says Somaia. With Air India having under-exploited international opportunities for years now, it’s time for private carriers to show that they have stronger wings to fly greater distances. That was the quantity challenge. There is another challenge factor though – that of quality. Can Indian operators provide long-distance, international flight travellers with that kind of top notch services, which maybe a BA or a Lufthansa can offer? “Yes, why not? Indian carriers can compete effectively with their global counterparts on the service parameters. We can capture up to 50% of the international traffic in India in the mid-term,” snaps back a Jet official.

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.
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When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
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HDFC

2008-07-22T12:54:00.000+05:30

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Investee: HDFC

Investor: Carlyle Group

Investment Value: $650 mn

Says Tejinder Singh, Analyst, Arihant Capital Markets, “The rationale for the deal is primarily the Indian growth story, which HDFC has successfully reflected. Carlyle Group has shown much interest in the housing finance domain, a niche area; thanks to the surge in disposable income of Indians. Its interest in this domain is also highlighted by the fact that it has picked up a significant stake in Repco Home Finance for a cool $27.7 million. For the purpose of growing, expanding and even maintaining its position in the market, a lot of capital will be needed and thus the association will be a long term one. Though they have no clear categorisation, it is the overall industry opportunity that guides their investment in India. Be it Repco or HDFC, it goes on to prove that investments being made by Carlyle in this segment are long term in nature. Besides capital, PE firms also bring with them international expertise in terms of technology and management, besides closely monitoring management developments.”

The deal between Indian mortgage major Housing Development and Finance Corporation (HDFC) and the New York headquartered PE giant Carlyle Group set a new record for PE transactions in India. Following the foot steps of ICICI Bank, HDFC struck a deal valued at Rs.26.38 billion (Rs.1,730 per share), which gave Carlyle Group a 5.6% stake in HDFC. The deal was a part of the larger vision of HDFC to raise Rs.31.14 billion by selling 18 million shares. The investment for its first Indian deal was made from Carlyle’s large cap fund (Asia Partners II). HDFC has plans to use a part of the proceeds to maintain its 23% stake in its subsidiary HDFC Bank. A part of the proceeds will be further used to fund growth in HDFC’s insurance (which needs over Rs.6 billion every year) and mortgage businesses.

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!

THE CHEERLEADERS

2008-07-18T17:12:00.000+05:30

IIPM, GURGAON

“It costs just $2,500. It’s cute as a Bug. And it could mean Global Disaster. The most hotly anticipated auto show of 2008 isn’t the one set to begin in Detroit next week. It’s the New Delhi Auto Expo, which... managed to beat Detroit to the punch by a week – and $2,500. That’s the sticker price of the most eagerly awaited new car in decades: the Indian-made ‘people’s car’, dubbed the Nano.”

“The car is good to look at. There is a space in the market between two-wheelers and the 800 (Maruti’s small car). It will be a success if they deliver what they promised. And I see no reason why they can’t.”

Jagdish Khattar

Former Managing Director, Maruti Suzuki

“The Nano represents an important inflection point in the global auto industry and in the evolution and maturation of Indian industry. There is great excitement because Tata Motors has introduced the global auto industry to a whole new consumer segment. I believe the Nano will spawn a new debate about manufacturing methods, use of materials, energy efficiency, & transportation.”

C. K. Prahalad

Management Guru

“The Nano is a stripped-down car with a 624 cc four-stroke engine that can seat four passengers. The car is a feat of engineering - it’s made from plastic parts held together with adhesives - and meets all India’s environment standards. Partly because of the visibility of the project, the Nano has become a lightening rod for criticism on the environmental impact of cars.”

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

Dr. Fix-it; is just a call away!

2008-07-15T17:41:00.000+05:30

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

‘Telemedicine’ emerges as a big business in India

Colour my world

Whenever you think of a colour, do you feel something?
Or whenever you feel something, do you think of a colour?
Confused? Let’s put it this way... When you think of ‘purity’, which colour do you think of? Probably white.
When you think of ‘passion’, which colour do you think of? Probably red.
When you think of ‘peace’, which colour do you think of? Probably white.
When you think of ‘cool’, which colour do you think of? Probably blue.
When you think of ‘freshness’, which colour do you think of? Probably green.
Not just feelings, our association with colours has extended to products too.Try this...
If it has to be a detergent, which colour should it be? Blue!
If it has to be a lemon soap, which colour should it be? Green!
If it has to be a beauty soap, which colour should it be? White or Pink!
If it has to be an environment-friendly product, which colour should it be? Green!
It doesn’t stop here. Think of this...

COKE is RED
LIRIL is GREEN
NIVEA is BLUE
MAGGI is YELLOW

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

Our time is now!

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

IIPM - Admission Procedure

The time to ‘Do’ is here and now…

Don’t blame me for that gregarious statement, blame the CEOs of leading companies of the world, who have dramatically increased shareholders’ wealth and even employee satisfaction manifold in one electrifying shot by the simplest of simple strategies – by royally kicking out thousands of their employees! Astounded at the paradoxical statement? Eat this: When HP decided to cut 14,500 jobs by the end of 2006, its share price continued rising by more than 50%. And the scenario has been the same throughout recent history since 2000. Honeywell International threw out 6,500 (5% of their workforce). Lucent Technologies – 20,000 workers! Kodak – 37,000 jobs. The highly profitable AT&T – 24,500 workers! And the father of all retrenchment drives, “Neutron” Jack Welch, threw out a soul stopping 500,000 people from GE and subsidiary firms (Multinational Monitor data); GE is the only corporation that has ever featured continuously in the Fortune 500 list ever since its inception in 1955, having contributed the maximum regular returns to shareholders internationally.

So how in heavens does one resolve the utterly confounding relationship that an increase in the number of layoffs increases “employee satisfaction” by leaps and bounds; which consequently makes the shareholders’ wealth skyrocket? Firstly, the connection between employee satisfaction and shareholders’ wealth has been proved through innumerable surveys – with the undisputed authority being the benchmark annual 2006 Sirota Consulting’s Enthusiastic Employee report (Wharton School Publishing) with a hugely statistical dataset compiled since 1972 till date, comprising “millions of employee responses” from predominantly Fortune 500 firms. In one splendiferous research on 750,000 employees, the survey reveals how, in 2005, firms that had “higher than 70% average employee satisfaction” showed shareholder value increases that were more than the industry average by a colossal 240%. And those that had low employee satisfaction gave shareholder returns that were despicably 188% lesser than the industry average (In 2004, the figures were a positive 267% and a negative 170% for high and low employee satisfaction corporations respectively). Even the world renowned Watson Wyatt survey proved how “employee satisfaction mattered” too significantly to increasing shareholder value, and how “companies that ignore it, do so at their financial peril and that of their shareholders.”

But what froze me right in my tracks was the incredibly chilling and mind moving study of Stark and Mallory (Harvard Business School, Working Knowledge) – now considered a totem pole for HR heads worldwide – which, once and for all, proved that “employee commitment and employee mobility are NOT inversely related” and that even with high levels of turnover, an organisation would and could still consist of highly committed workers. “How’s that?” you might exclaim! The ever referred to research, The New Workforce Reality (now considered a commandment on factors affecting employee satisfaction), a collaborative study by the Simmons School of Management, showed how a stupendous 80 to 90% of employees in organisations globally considered four factors – “rewarding of good performance,” “the organisation treating everyone fairly,” “opportunities for promotion,” and “learning opportunities” – as being the most important factors defining their “Ideal Job”. Astoundingly, ‘job security’ did not even find a mention in the massive study! So where’s the connection? Gut wrenchingly, excellently performing companies don’t even give priority focus on employee satisfaction (KPMG 2005 International Survey; pp 24), rather, simply on ‘fairly’ rewarding great performances and providing learning and promotion opportunities! Because outstanding CEOs know very clearly that for productive employees, those are not the financial salaries and monetary perks that keep them satisfied; but a fair and logical assessment of performances, not just their’s but of everybody around them, where promoting or protecting an incompetent employee – however ‘committed’ the ‘unproductive’ employee might be – results in mass dissatisfaction.

Therefore, excellent CEOs continue, ruthlessly, to throw off unproductive yet committed employees, year after year. GE throws out the bottom 10% of its workforce every year. Think that’s high? Consider this: forget retrenchments, even the voluntary annual turnover rates of US firms now touch over 30% (Manchester Consulting study). So what’s the learning my dear CEOs? You heard me right the first time. TO HELL WITH ALL THOSE EMPLOYEES... err, just the unproductive ones, if you don’t mind :-)

Edit bureau: Surbhi Chawla

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).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

2008-07-11T17:11:00.000+05:30

IIPM - Admission Procedure

And don’t even think of confusing these ads with a desi connect, with those run-of-the-mill corporate social responsibility endeavours. Instead these zingy communications are engineered to give respective brands the oomph factor to rise above the clutter. Says Shrivastava, “Through this ad, we have taken thought-leadership in the segment and steered clear of the me-too/ my-network-is-better approach that other telecom players have taken.”

At this point, it may be worthwhile to differentiate between ads with a social sensibility and patriotic advertisements. Sure Tata Namak has come up with a tagline as bizarre as ‘kyonki maine desh ka namak khaya hai’ and the Rajnigandha paan masala ad talks of Indians buying off the East India Company today, because they ruled over the country for years (sic!); and there’s a deluge of brand communications (remember AR Rahman and Airtel’s Vande Matram album), around every Independence Day celebration, geared to appeal to the patriotic sentiments of the junta. Besides, the Hamara Bajaj campaign stands as a towering and long-running testimony to nationalistic jingoism that makes for successful branding initiatives. But new age ads with a social fervor are far outclassing these, both in terms of creative kudos as well as their ability to rise above the clutter. Such communications peddling their unique brand of Indian-ness come packed with slick and sexy storyboards, and are in tune with the times, to appeal to the young and aspirational demographics of the Indian market. And while the make-believe advertising world, showing a lot of skin or backslapping humour is not going to do the disappearing act anytime soon, a new breed of advertising is clearly emerging, which seeks to associate with the realities of everyday life for an average Indian.

So brands that earlier flogged beauty, confidence, motherhood, glamour, et al, are now exploring new and real areas of consumer connect. Kumar Subramaniam, President, Meridian Communication believes that attaching themselves to social causes and establishing an everyday bond with consumers is a good way to make the brand connect. “As a country, we are moving up the chain with increased prosperity and fulfillment of basic needs. Across categories, most products and brands have moved beyond offering basic category benefits. And these brands are now on the lookout to connect with consumers at a deeper level,” he explains.

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).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Tata AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd.

2008-07-10T16:02:00.000+05:30

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Tata AIG General Insurance, a JV company between Tata Sons and American International Group (AIG) is well positioned to take advantage of India’s burgeoning economic growth in the coming years. The company’s recent focus is on the retail segment, which constitutes 57% of its business. Tata AIG is well-equipped with an ideal bouquet of insurance products for covering risks of individuals as well as corporates. In the corporate field, it has designed specific products for both global blue chips and local marketers. It tries to cater the demands of each institutional category. It is all set to leverage its global experience in the de-tariffed market to further increase its market share in India. Smooth credit flow, innovative products, technology and smart business management skills are its key differentiators. But as the insurance business becomes more commoditised, customer services will determine the winners.

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).

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!

Jedi Knight

2008-07-09T11:31:00.000+05:30

IIPM, GURGAON

The king in premium bike segment. Now, it has decided to attack Hero Honda’s 100cc domain.

TThere is a paradigm shift in Bajaj Auto’s boardroom and the company’s decision-making process. Whether it is the launch of Pulsar 220 DTS-Fi & XCD 125 bikes, or the ‘patented’ battle with TVS, Bajaj is no longer ‘hamara’ or ‘tumhara’ anymore. Today, it has made the transition from being a scooter manufacturer to a motorcycle maker. It has shed its image of selling low-priced two-wheelers and is more associated with premium power-bikes. Bajaj is clearly the ‘hunk’ today.

The launch of the Pulsar 200 and 220 consolidated Bajaj’s domination in the premium motorcycles segment. In fact, the two launches were mandatory to ward off the challenge from Hero Honda’s Karizma (223cc), the only model in the sports bike category. However, Pulsar remains the undisputed leader in the premium category. With a market share hovering close to 62%, Bajaj sold nearly 5,50,000 premium bikes between April-October 2007-08.

Bajaj started its scooters-to-powerbikes transformation in the early 1990s, but the real brand association with powerful and sporty bikes is less then a decade old. Along with collaborations with Japan’s Kawasaki and Europe’s KTM, the company is on its way to become the country’s first super bike manufacturer. The innovative ‘Pro-Biking’ stores have proved to be a rage in urban India with customers connecting powerbikes with Bajaj. However, Hero Honda has virtually monopolised the smaller, 100cc bike segment. Its Splendor is a super-successful model and the company continues to leverage on it as it launched Splendor+ and Splendor NXG. It appears that Hero Honda will remain the leader in motorcycles for some time as volumes will always be higher in the low-priced, entry segments. In 2007-08, Bajaj’s sales of 100cc bikes were just a fourth of Hero Honda’s. But Bajaj is not willing to give up easily. It launched XCD 125 DTS-Si. Exceeding expectations, the model went on to get close to 60,000 buyers in the past two months ago, largely because of the affordable price tag. Says Amit Nandi, GM (Marketing), Bajaj Auto, “The XCD’s compelling package of outstanding fuel efficiency, 125cc performance and fresh styling, has received very high degree of consumer acceptance. Our ability to sell is only constrained by our inability to produce more. On the asis of the market response and sales, XCD is proving to be a knockout performer.”

In many ways, the XCD has changed the existing rules of the 100cc game. Till recently, the 100cc segment was synonymous with low prices and lower maintenance and mileage costs. But Bajaj got all analysts wrong by coming out with a larger capacity engine, and a radical product that had everything a 100cc product has, in addition with more style and power. The XCD eradicates the need to compromise between power and mileage with its eclectic marriage between ingenuity and cutting edge technology.

Bajaj Auto managers contend that “the customer is losing interest in 100cc bikes, which will soon lead to the demise of this segment. We are not exiting the 100cc customers, we are exiting 100cc products by offering the buyers a better product.” The company’s main focus is on its DTS-Si technology that promises to deliver future growth. However, auto-expert Murad Ali Baig sounds a word of caution: “Bajaj has been innovative and the DTSi technology has been popular. But the sheer reliability of Hero Honda models, coupled with excellent re-sale prices, keeps it ahead. Hero Honda has not failed, even if it is less glamorous.”

For Bajaj, a not-so-authoritative 24% share in the entry segment is discomforting. However, things are looking up a bit after the XCD launch. “Many dealers ran out of stocks of Platina and XCD. What is hugely encouraging is that this demand upsurge continues even after festive season, with estimatedly 20,000 customers in queue for XCD,” according to Bajaj company. Bajaj is satisfied with its progress in higher segment bikes.

Archrival Hero Honda (which started the premium game) is in the market but things are turning out difficult for the bike giant. Its premium offerings like CBZ Xtreme, Karizma and the recently-launched Hunk 150, have not blazed the markets and Hero Honda has found it tough to better its 10% market share in the premium segment. “Hero Honda dominates the 100cc market that comprises 65% share of the overall market. It’s old, but reliable, brands still sell. Expect at least four new models,” says Baig.

Together with Bajaj Finserve, one of the largest financial companies in terms of capital reserves, Bajaj Auto has successfully established itself as an admired bike manufacturer in India. It is a company, which changed the two-wheelers market dynamics. After being a slow starter in the bike segment, and after being left way behind by Hero Honda, it has found the guts and the products to fight the might of Hero Honda.

However, the biggest challenge for Bajaj is to find a way to play the volumes game, as it did in the scooters’ category. Since it has been forced to focus on premium bike segments, the unit sales don’t provide adequate economies of scale. And that has a negative impact on costs, prices, and profitability. The company’s think tank feel that the XCD will enable it to boost volumes, but then the company will need to add more models and variations in the same cc category.

At the same time, Bajaj is fighting a battle with TVS over who has the right to the new DTS-Fi technology. Since the continuing popularity of the Pulsar is because of this technology, any legal hiccups can stop Bajaj’s dream ride in the premium segment. TVS has claimed that the technology was developed by it and, hence, it has the right to its patent, therefore, Bajaj can’t use the technology for its models. If Bajaj loses the case, it will mean the end of the Pulsar. The pulse is running fast in Bajaj’s boardroom.

Written by Karan Mehrishi, with inputs from Sachin Bharel

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Toast with style...

2008-07-08T14:43:00.000+05:30

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Designed by Steven Weinberg, these Crystalline Toasting Flutes look anything but a figment of human imagination! The festive flutes from the crystal house, Swarovski, with stems rolled with clear crystal inside and a faceted clear base with such perfection that even the most finicky ones would be left bedazzled! Go ahead, raise a toast in style! Price Rs.19,495 (for a set of two).

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).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM is A World of Career
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Off springs of success

2008-07-07T13:04:00.000+05:30

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Those who feel that the relatively lesser known agency that has Kumar Subramaniam as its President and Rensil D’Silva as its Executive Creative Director, might have a clientele that would be easily flip-able, are in a for a shock. The clients that this agency has mustered in its little existence are Arvind Mills, Dockers, Radio City, Himalaya Drug Company, INX Media, with many more in the pipeline. When asked about what sets the agency apart, Rensil is straight-forward, “I don’t believe in philosophy of differentiation at all. Everyone is doing their own sweet job. We are here to provide strategic insight to our clients and that has been the rationale behind us bagging clients such as Arvind Mills, Radio City et al. Our work should stand out and nothing else.”

Meridian might be coming from the O&M family but the hard reality is that on several accounts it will be pitched against its parent – O&M and comparisons between the two are inevitable. Kumar agrees and puts forth his point of view, “We are not even looking as us against them (the O&Ms and McCanns of the world!). All I know is that clients would obviously be valuing high quality work. And at this point of time, we are focusing more on procuring high quality talent and deliverables that would give us a strong standing in the market.”

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).

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM, GURGAON
IIPM is A World of Career
Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!