IIPM PUBLICATION AND ARTICLE

“A customer’s lifetime value is our focus”

2011-12-23T16:47:00.001+05:30

Marketing in the financial services sector is tough currently, but Ajay believes that ABFSG can keep its ship steady and on the move.

Ajay Kakar has a rich background in financial services as Head-Branding of Reliance Capital and also in PR as he was also Country Head of Oglivy Public Relation (apart from simultaneously being the head of their financial services group) before joining the Aditya Birla Group’s Financial Services arm. In this interaction with mona mehta, he talks about his strategies to ensure better penetration for the company’s products in a cluttered market:

How is the marketing of ABFSG products taking off at a time when the Indian economy is facing one of its toughest times; be it rising inflation, falling Sensex, impact of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe and above all customer confidence?
Aditya Birla Financial Services Group (ABFSG) is a virtual brand, representing all financial services businesses of the Aditya Birla Group. At ABFSG we are committed to meeting all the felt and unfelt needs of our target customers. And today, as a significant non-bank, our 7 companies help us address nearly all such needs of mass India, short of core banking. We are fortunate to be in a category (money) that is the base need of every citizen across the globe. And therefore, we look at India’s underpenetrated financial services industry as an exciting and limitless opportunity. Every economy goes through seemingly uncertain times, but when you see the larger opportunity, such times are just minor dots in the life of an industry. Also, do remember that in moment of doubt, you need a doctor the most. And so it is with our category. We continue to reach out to our target customers with solutions that best meet their need. Towards this end, we are blessed to have a pedigree that represents one of India’s most trusted brand names - “Aditya Birla”.

How is the integration of your various financial services benefitting ABFSG in generating targeted revenues? What is the strategic roadmap ahead?
While we are a broad based financial services player, we have chosen to adopt an integrated approach towards our target customers. And we believe that this unique approach is beneficial to all our key stakeholders, be it our employees, customers or shareholders. To deliver on this approach, we have set up a unique structure with 4 key functions (HR, Risk & Compliance, IT & Operations and Marketing) driven by a cross ABFSG perspective. Our ambition is to come across as One virtual brand representing many businesses – a brand that speaks like one, looks like one and acts like one. This approach provides simplicity and convenience for customers. For our employees, we provide a world of career opportunities across businesses. And our shareholders benefit, as we offer solutions to customers across their life cycle. This approach helps us optimise our customer acquisition costs while maximising cost efficiencies with an integrated approach to our operations and back end costs.

What, according to you, is the most effective marketing approach for financial services specific to India today? How is ABFSG leveraging that tool?
With a heavily underpenetrated market, we focus not only on maximising our market share, but also on expanding the market. Just as an example, after more than 47 years of existence, mutual funds only enjoy a 5% penetration. And life insurance has an under-15% penetration. Today, we enjoy the trust of over 5.5 million customers. But while expanding our customer base, our energies are also focused on maximising the life time value of our existing customers. We are in a category that sells “trust”. To that extent we are unique from most categories that you can touch, feel, sample or taste. Trust is not built over night. And therefore we need to move beyond an “IPO/NFO” approach of need based advertising i.e. when we need to advertise. We need to engage our target customer throughout his life cycle and be there for him more so in his moments of need. At ABFSG, therefore, we track the customer through his life cycle with our category and brand. And we are always seeking newer ways and opportunity to engage with him. Therefore, we do not restrict our marketing spends to mass media campaigns alone, but also on being a part of the customer’s world 365 days of the year by capitalising on every customer touch point.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
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IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
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Planman Technologies

Omni’s nano curse?

2011-12-16T16:42:00.002+05:30

Maruti has been trying to position omni as a multi-purpose vehicle for some time now – perhaps it’s time to dedicate the product purely to the commercial segment

For generations, Maruti Suzuki has been the vehicular lifeline for millions of middle class families in India. Two cars, namely India’s first hatchback Maruti 800 and the multi-utility vehicle Maruti Suzuki Omni from the 80s, have been the longest running models on the Indian roads. But the days have changed, and the automaker has shifted from a virtually no competition scenario to a market marked by cut-throat competition put forward by a number of global brands like Volkswagen, Honda, Chevrolet and Toyota. But a product like Omni is still the most viable value for money buying proposition, leave the Nano. But is it now time perhaps to question the way Omni is being positioned – as both a family vehicle and as a business vehicle? Is Maruti Suzuki really reaping the benefits of such a positioning?

The current Omni TVC (see some of the TV grabs given above, where the positioning is clearly an attempt to make Omni be viewed as a family car than as a pure and proper business vehicle) perhaps personifies this change, which attempts to position Omni as a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) that can be used as a commercial vehicle as well as a passenger vehicle (Maruti Suzuki still addresses the Omni as a ‘van’). For that matter, a look at the past few Omni campaigns reveal that Maruti Suzuki has been trying to play on the emotional quotient associated with Omni for the Indian consumers. How successful has been Maruti till now in its Omni battle?

Well, going by data available with SIAM, while total units sold by Maruti Suzuki in its multi purpose vehicles category (Omni, Eeco) in August 2010 were 14,157, the same in August 2011 stood at 12,500, down by nearly 12%. Of course, one could mention here that the industry in itself has been slowing down due to the general rise in interest rates and drop in consumer savings. Add to that the plant lockdown that have occurred due to worker unrest at Maruti. But despite that, if one were to look at the aggregate sales of Maruti Suzuki from April 2011 to August 2011 under the concerned segment, the figure actually went up by 8.7% year-on-year to 66,628 units from 61,295 units in the same period in 2010. A detailed view at monthly sales indicates that it was the month of May when Maruti sold the most number of cars in this segment, 15,545.

"Is Branding Yesterday , Passe , Dead ?"

2011-11-04T17:21:00.002+05:30

4PS B&M Consulting Editor Endeavours to Unravel a new-age, Revolutionary, Path-Breaking Philosophy put forth by an Ad Guru that Puts The Age-old and much-revered concept of Branding to Sleep… Well, at Least if you Believe us Blindly !

Branding, for decades, has been hymned, celebrated, exalted, venerated and worshipped as the gospel truth by any marketer worth his FMCG lapels! The high priests have pronounced that the ‘Brand’ is ‘God’ and the ad executives, GCROEs (God’s Chosen Representatives On Earth!). For decades, the ‘brand’ has been acknowledged as the single most important aspect of business. Its success equals the business it drives. Branding’s prime objective remains the same – to make a product look distinct & different from competition and epitomise the vision & values it represents to gain that decisive cutting-edge lead.

The textbooks, to gloat over it, pronounce its value, power and criticality in no uncertain terms. Author Sanjay Tiwari in his much acclaimed book (The Uncommon Sense Of Advertising – Getting The Basics Right) offers his informed take in style: “Brands rule the world of marketing today because they rule the world of consumers today. They have not only changed the way we shop & buy, or consume, but have also had a profound effect on the way we live. Just count the number of brands you interact with since getting up in the morning till you sleep in the night.”

For some of us, he says, it might be more than the number of people we interact with in the same time. We don’t drive cars any more; we drive our Mercedes, Hondas & Toyotas. We don’t wear shirts, jeans or sneakers, but wear our Arrows, Allen Solleys, Levis, Wranglers, Nikes & Reeboks. We don’t drink cola, eat chips, burgers & chocolates, rather we drink our Cokes & Pepsis, eat our Ruffles, Pringles, McBurgers & Kit Kats. The brands that promise us a unique offer of utilities, benefits, values, personality traits, images and associations, that will satisfy our given needs (functional or emotional) and that we can relate to (consciously or subconsciously), are the ones that we identify with and show preference for. Therefore, more often than not, the brand (and its promise) extends beyond the product core. Successful brands often transcend their physical existence, take on a life and build relationship with their consumers. The positive experiences, values & associations that consumers perceive the brand brings to them leads to fulfilment of their expectations. The feeling of fulfilment becomes the reason for the success of the brand, and the basis for the relationship.

Ultimately, building brands is about running a marathon. And it makes huge business sense to invest in brand building. In fact, strong, reputed brands have a lasting bond with their consumers. Their brand loyalty is very difficult to break. The loyal consumer base raises the entry barriers for the competition and enables the company to enjoy benefits like premium pricing and sustained market share over longer periods of time. All these put together result in the brand being able to leverage in equity with the consumers and reap long-term profits for the company.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM Best B School India
Management Guru Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri-The New Age Woman
IIPM's Management Consulting Arm-Planman Consulting
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IIPM Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri on Internet Hooliganism
Arindam Chaudhuri: We need Hazare's leadership
Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management
IIPM RANKED NO.1 in MAIL TODAY B-SCHOOL RANKINGS

“We Didn’t think Lava would be Such a Big Hit!”

2011-10-07T17:42:00.002+05:30

After Business Phones, Lava now Aims to enter Smartphone and tablet segments. And The Logic comes straight from S. N. Rai, Co- Founder & Director, Lava, who believes that Handsets will soon become Infotainment Gadgets

Some say it’s the new kid on the block, yet within 18 months of its inception, Lava International has shifted the rug from under many a player and made its presence felt in a huge way in the Indian handset sector. In fact, in a sector earlier dominated by MNCs, Lava has ensured that today, an Indian brand cuts as much ice with the consumers as any other brand. After making an entry into the business phones segment recently, Lava is now all set to add Tablets, Android, 3G Smartphones to its offerings by the October this year. Eying convergence on the handsets, the Delhi-based handset maker is also planning to take Apple and Nokia head on with the launch of its application stores in the near future. By then, as founder S. N. Rai tells 4Ps B&M in an exclusive interview, the company expects to be present in 36 more countries. A strategic treatise follows:

You have entered the segment of business phones in the recent past. What’s next from your stable?
Well, Lava has recently launched its much-awaited business phones and it is getting an overwhelming response. With this, now we have 24 handset models with price tags ranging from Rs.1,200 to Rs.6,000. Now, our target is the smartphone segment, and we are expecting to launch it in the first quarter of the next fiscal. Currently, smartphones are growing at a good pace in both India and abroad. Tablets would be the other addition the coming year. Besides, we would also be launching 3G and Android-based phones later this year. By the end of 2012, we are planning to capture 10% of the handset market share in India and 1% globally. Lava will soon expand its global foot prints to 40 countries from four.

Mobile phone penetration in urban India has already gone past the 100% mark. Keeping that in mind, how exciting is the Tier II and semi-urban cities in terms of business opportunities? What are your plans to tap this market?
We think Tier II cities along with rural and semi-urban have a huge growth potential. Mobile service penetration is less than 30% in these areas. But this market is evolving very fast, more so for the fact that it’s a market of basic and multimedia phones. Also, we are strengthening our distribution network, so that our product is available to the maximum number of buyers. The aim is to take the retail presence to 1.5 lakh outlets from 50,000. Within a year, we would add another 700 distributors to our existing 1,000. On the other hand, in urban areas, we would see people upgrading to smartphones from basic and multimedia phones.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

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

OFFERING JUST WHAT THE MARKET WANTS!

2011-07-08T16:08:00.002+05:30

Maruti today promises more to its customers than just hatchbacks and a great after-sales service; It offers variety at varied price points. most importantly, it doesn’t go over the edge trying to deliver more than what its customers want.

With Maruti Suzuki, the torchbearer of the Indian automobile brigade and the fifth-most valuable brand on this year’s 4PS B&M Most Valuable Brands list, it has been a consistent drive to build consumer trust and loyalty. But it wasn’t an easy start. When it began its journey on the Indian soil, most would have used their mega-sized scissors to cut short any argument which defended the fact that Indians would prefer hatchbacks. Those were the days of the Ambassadors and the Padminis fitting the pockets of the high-gentry, and the Indian masses had accepted this fact. But instead of shying away, it chose to stick on. Since then (when its first model Maruti 800 was launched in 1983), this Indo-Jap giant has made its way into the hearts of millions in the country. To talk about dominance, today, even a market share shy of the 50% margin bothers Maruti. And when it comes to brand equity, ask a middle-class Indian about the car brand he trusts the most. The answer, in all probability, will be – Maruti! Between its early days when the company pulled the ground from under its competitors feet, till the advent of the likes of Hyundai and Daewoo, the ‘People’s carmaker’ had literally ruled the Indian passenger car market. For this brand, the goodwill building process wasn’t a year-long drill or a scrabble-game lasting a few years. It has been on the task for close to three decades now. Also, while players like Mahindra (which has tied with up Ford and Renault in the past) have had a bitter experience of joining hands with foreign players, Maruti’s JV with Suzuki has not only given it the technology leverage, but has also helped build a perception in the minds of the consumers that the mid-range Maruti car that they are driving, actually runs on a high-quality Japanese engine. Talking about the success of this JV, R. C. Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India says, “This JV has been successful in building a strong brand for us till date because in this case, both the parties are bringing their respective expertise to the table, to work for the benefit of the JV, rather than looking at getting the other party out.”

Till date, all that Maruti has done is play to the gallery. It gives what Indian consumers desire. There is no question of over-delivery and no doubt about its positioning strategy (which has been – selling at affordable pricing points). Forget about its customer-pleasing and brand-building launches in the past (like the 800, the Zen, the Omni, the Alto, the Swift, the DZire and the SX4), even during the past year, this automaker has worked towards retaining the crown in the auto industry. During the past 12 months, besides the launch of another version of its hit Alto (Alto K10), the carmaker has announced plans to roll-out CNG versions of the Alto, the Estillo, the WagonR, the SX4 and the EECO. What more can make the price-sensitive and fuel-cost minimising Indian consumers happy? Such moves also prove that that company is conscious of the fact that 15% of its sales come from Tier II & III locations. “Even in the past 12 months, Maruti has tried to give what the consumer has expected. When they were looking for small cars, the company met the demand. Now we are offering what the evolved consumer wants,”says Mayank Pareek, Managing Executive Officer – Sales & Marketing, Maruti Suzuki. The company has even tried to work towards ensuring that the 21st century customer does not perceive it as a company that makes only hatchbacks. “In recent times, Maruti hastried to reinforce its image as a technologically superior carmaker that offers products at great prices. This has definitely helped the brand,” says Shashank Srivastava, CGM – Marketing, Maruti Suzuki India.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM ranked No 1 B-School in India
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
IIPM: Management Education India
Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Website

IIPM B-School
Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri
Planman Consulting

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Professor Arindam Chaudhuri - A Man For The Society....
IIPM: Indian Institute of Planning and Management

FACE2FACE WITH D UDAYA KUMAR, CREATOR OF THE NEW RUPEE SYMBOL

2011-03-15T17:26:00.000+05:30

One notices that the symbol depicts both ‘ra’ in Hindi and ‘R’ in English. Was that the intention?
Of course, it was thought of that way. I wanted the symbol to mean something nationally as well as globally. The best I could do was to make it look like a ‘ra’ and an ‘R’ at the same time. ‘ra’ for Indian ‘rupya’ and ‘R’ for global rupee. And the symbol served that purpose perfectly.

Why did you stick to an alphabet and not to any other interesting symbol? For example, when you look at the dollar symbol, it’s has no ‘d’, but a $...
When it comes to representing your national currency, you can’t pick a symbol at random just because it is visually appealing. It has to make some sense as well. And that was the idea, right from the beginning. I have been interested in typography so I could do justice with Devnagri.

Why are you inclined towards typography so much?
I have found that there are very few institutes in India that provide courses in design and typography. I have always been interested in scripts and since Tamil is my regional language, I want to be able to study its typography and maybe design it at some time. I have a zeal to learn to be able to develop a regional script.

Future plans? Are you taking up further designing?
If there are any such opportunities crossing my way, I will certainly take them up. But at the moment, I plan to do full time teaching. I have already joined IIT Guwahati and look forward to great academic years of teaching there.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2011.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
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Planman Technologies – IT Solutions at your finger tips
Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine

IIPM B-School
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Planman Consulting

IIPM in sync with the best of the business world.......

MEHERNOSH PITHAWALA, GM – INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS & MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS, GODREJ SECURITY SOLUTIONS

2011-01-13T17:25:00.000+05:30

How big is GSS at present?
Well, in terms of revenue, currently we are a Rs.400 crore company.

You are quite visible in the North Indian market. Do you have any specific targets for the particular region?
North India is a big market for us. We have already initiated a campaign in public awareness. We have introduced a host of intelligent security products for the market. We are also planning to expand our distribution and service network in the North.

Are you also eyeing for a pan India expansion?
We are already present in almost all the cities with a network of over 700 dealers. Moreover, we are planning to expand our presence in modern retail outlets too to make our products readily available to the consumers.

Do you have any plans for a paradigm shift in tier 2 and tier 3 cities or want to make it a niche for Godrej securities?
Security is just not the concern of the niche, but of every individual. We are already present in almost every city in the country with a strong network.

What is your pricing strategy?
We are well priced. Our products are not as cheap as those of the fly-by-night operators. But then, they come with a warranty and the trust of Godrej. As mentioned above, our products are priced to suit the requirement of various security needs and budgets.

Indian real estate sector is on a boom as builders are coming up with new projects every passing day. Do you have tie ups with any of these builders?
Yes. Post campaign, we have been receiving many enquiries and we are in the process of finalizing deals with some prestigious builders across the country.

Do you think mass media ads for products of Godrej Securities, which has a niche market, is a viable move?
In the context of Indian consumers, category awareness is a major issue, and we have tried to address the problem with this campaign. The campaign has got a very good response not only from the metros, but also from non-metro cities.

Who do you think are your existing competitors?
Security solutions is a very unorganised market. There are a few organised players in the market offering either electronic security, premise security or physical security. But Godrej is the only player in the industry to offer comprehensive security solutions comprising all three.
Ashutosh Harbola

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 B-School Detail
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
Arindam Chaudhuri – Everything is not in our hands
Planman Technologies – IT Solutions at your finger tips
Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine

IIPM ranked No 1 B-School in India
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
IIPM: Management Education India
Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Website

IIPM B-School
Arindam Chaudhuri
Rajita Chaudhuri
Planman Consulting

WHAT’S THE NEW FLAVOUR?

2010-11-16T17:20:00.003+05:30

As the consumer sentiment gains confidence, companies are banking on new diversifications as well as the good ol’ formulas to keep the flag flying high

AOC LED MONITOR

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS:

• DCR of 20 Million:1
• Display size of 18.5’’ to 24”

• Price: On request

WIDENING THE DISPLAY: AOC, an in-house brand of TPV Technology has launched its new range of desktops in the Indian market. These monitors not only provide enhanced display solutions with a dynamic contrast ration of 20 million:1, but also have a super fast response time along with a special software boosting image quality. For those not infatuated with 3D, a great alternative.

Workshop Organized by IIPM - Art of Living - HEAL Club of IIPM Bhubaneshwar

2010-08-27T17:47:00.000+05:30

On 17th July 2010, HEAL Club of IIPM Bhubaneshwar organized a Workshop on “Art of Living”. The guest for the event was Mr. Satya Ranjan Sahoo, MD of SERIFED (Orissa Co-op Tassar & Silk Federation Ltd) & BOYANIKA.

The Purpose of the workshop was to provide consistent and comprehensive understanding to make sense of our interdependent world and to understand who we are in it and to bring about the betterment of lives. Students enjoyed the session thoroughly as they learned a handful of techniques on stress management and techniques to enhance the power of their conscious mind.

IIPM 4Ps Business & Marketing - Nutrivita PRESENTS 100 MARKETING BRAINS THAT MOVE AND SHAKE INDIA

2010-08-26T17:10:00.000+05:30

Subrata Dutta

COO, Samsonite South Asian Pvt. Ltd.

When we were venturing into shoe wear, it was really difficult to break the perception of Samsonite being just a luggage company. We started tying up with leading shoe retailers and then in our exclusive stores also, we started highlighting our new product – shoe wear. It was a new retail design that we learned and it remains one of my best marketing moments at Samsonite.

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.
“We will change your outlook” - The Sunday Indian on B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED! A must read...
The Sunday Indian:-
B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

Outlook Magazine's B School Ranking Scam Exposed
Business Standard Exposes the Outlook Magazine Money Editor
Don't trust the Indian Media!

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
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IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎

Of promises, hopes and faith in the brand new private powers!

2010-07-26T17:37:00.000+05:30

To achieve an efficient power supply in India is not easy. But there is hope...

India’s power sector ranks among the world’s top five electricity markets on many counts, but is seen locally a letdown in terms of continuing shortages, missed targets and inefficiency. But, as in all large populations, the tipping points are less visible but are important guides for policy makers and investors to pursue. Following are the transformational trends for 2010-11 and the near-term...

An unfinished agenda
The promise to extend power for all is not an easy one, even as many States have made fresh strides to expand rural electrification. The nature of the challenge needs to be understood better. The States can finance network investments with grant funds under RGGVY, and develop new generation (an estimated 7000 MW is needed to provide lifeline supply covering all unconnected households) through PPP route. The hurdle, however, is the recurring annual cost of Rs.135 billion to run these plants, with State utilities scarcely in a position to fund this at current tariffs and governments already defaulting on past subsidy commitments. Tariff reform is thus the key; and to achieve universal electricity access, existing residential consumers who have benefited by subsidised tariffs for several years must share that benefit by willing to accept higher cost.

private sector: the new promise
The emergence of the private sector and competitive markets is perhaps the most powerful game changer at this time. The share of private sector in generation is likely to grow from 13% (in 2007) to 21% (in 2012). Private entry has brought with it a new dynamism, innovation, and lower costs, and has put positive competitive pressure on all segments of the value chain. The contribution of new capital and generation capacity and lower tariffs achieved through private sector bidding is a positive for universal access. It is important to ensure the integrity of the bid process is not lost by parties resorting to renegotiation or abandoning contracts, a trend that seems to rear its head on occasion. Two other dimensions are important, first, to maintain low entry barriers in competitive bids to permit new players, and second, to avoid market power from reduced competition such as from price-based auctions of coal blocks and selective gas allocation to large players. It is desirable that such auction / allocation set aside certain capacity for new or mid-cap players.

t&d: the missing link
The distribution segment holds the single largest chunk of value that can be recovered. In fact, if we reduce the all-India distribution losses from current 35% by 7.3%, it would release sufficient MWh to fulfil our promise to provide “power for all” without spending a penny on new capacity for now.

To achieve this, serious attempt at distribution reforms is necessary, and franchisees are a useful transition as efficiency and incremental capex will show in the books of the private operator which will help them finance investment, while the ownership remains with the State utilities. Several States viz. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar, have awarded or run process for distribution franchisees, and more are growing in confidence to offer larger and more complex urban areas. Given the potential value recovery, it represents the single most attractive opportunity for private investors, whether their strengths are capital or innovation and systems.

Private investment is now back in the game with the first Ultra Mega Transmission Project awarded at national level and with private transmission lines being approved in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Apart from these, new transmission developers can provide cost-effective evacuation for new generation of coastal merchant plants, captive hydro-projects, and green IPPs that State utilities find hard to finance or slow to develop.

less art and more science?
India is the world’s 4th largest electricity user, and even a modest growth will demand large new capital investment. Delays in project development are expensive in locked up capital (for example, a year’s delay raises power costs by 10 p/kWh) and economic loss (which is typically 4-5 times the financial losses). A review of project delays suggests that design changes, poor standardisation, and insufficient review mechanisms are the causes of delay. It is necessary to bring in a scientific approach and better monitoring tools to project management. A lot more therefore remains to be done, that is challenging and needs continued collective pressure to achieve the goals of an efficient and competitive electricity industry.

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.
“We will change your outlook” - The Sunday Indian on B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED! A must read...
The Sunday Indian:-
B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!
For Exclusive Footage by Sunday Indian Click Here

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IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy
Prof Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM on MF HUSAIN‎

Here to stay

2010-06-17T14:35:00.000+05:30

After being in news with Hrithik Roshan, Barbara Mori is all set to conquer the Hindi film industry with the “Baadshah” of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan. She was introduced to Shah Rukh and Gauri Khan by the Roshans and was floored by their hospitality. In fact, she wishes to work with SRK as the lead actor in future. This Mexican beauty doesn’t consider herself much of a dancer. In fact, a Bollywood style dance sequence was shot with Barbara but was later deleted as it didn’t turn out well. And we thought all Latinos moved like a dream!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

THE NEED OF A RIGHT TO FOOD BILL - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!

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A case of one too many

2010-06-07T13:01:00.000+05:30

28-year-old Natalie Portman has joined the race with the likes of Anne Hathaway, Ellen Page, Mia Wasikowska, Keira Knightley, Scarlett Johansson and Kristen Stewart to bag the lead role in Sony’s remake of “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”. While Brad Pitt still has to accept the offer for the male lead, director David Flincher is so confused with the choice of actresses that he is contemplating to go with some unknown face. Well, can't really blame the poor guy for that's what happens when one's spoilt for choice!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

Read these article :-

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

THE NEED OF A RIGHT TO FOOD BILL - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!

Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Allures of the Parisian markets enchant you

2010-06-04T17:35:00.000+05:30

Hinterland Travels (www.hinterlandtravel.com) is a UK-based company which has been organising tours to Iraq for 30 years. Owner & Managing Director Geoff Hann said, “In Iraq, although we concentrate on archaeological and historical sites, we also visit the Shia pilgrimage or Shrine cities of Karbala and Najaf. We look at some recent history sites such as Saddam’s Palaces… Inevitably, we do pass through or stop at places where atrocities have been committed. We mention these, but do not make it an integral part of any of our tours. For example, when exploring Kurdistan, we visit Halabja and the prison in Sulaimaniyah.”

On April 26, 1986, Chernobyl's Reactor No. 4 exploded and caused the worst nuclear power plant accident in history. As radioactive plume filled the atmosphere, millions fled from Chernobyl and neighbouring towns. Still unfit for human habitation, there are, however, tourist companies that will take you into the 30 km ring of the exclusion zone. A twenty-six-year-old lady from England (name withheld) is one of the millions who have undertaken such a tour (See ‘Diary of a dark tourist’). She recalls, “I was motivated to visit Chernobyl out of morbid interest and because I have a fascination with post-apocalyptic scenarios. Part of me has always wondered what a place would be like if people suddenly vanished. How would nature take over? What would the silence be like?”

But what makes people forsake a trip to Switzerland and instead, head to Iraq or Cambodia? Experts believe the motivations of a dark tourist stem from the need to heighten their sense of mortality, a quest for a novel experience, a celebration of crime and deviance. Reverence, nostalgia or plain basic voyeurism could also be the reason to visit a cemetery or a battlefield or a shipwreck or a disaster site like Ground Zero in New York or Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar. Reveals Geoff Hann, “My clients are motivated to see these places for themselves because of the sheer volume of media coverage. They are also suspicious of the motives of that news. They want to communicate with the people in these areas.”

Most people may feel the label of a dark tourist as derogatory, but the truth is that almost all of us at some point in time have been a dark tourist. Many of us would have been to The Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, and walked in the rooms where our former prime minister once lived, and around the exact spot where she fell after her bodyguards’ bullets tore into her body. I, for one, have taken the tour, and like an unashamed voyeur wondered how life would have been in the same rooms, and paused with reverence and grief at the spot where she was slain. But voyeuristic rubbernecking around a site of crisis can result in hurting people’s sentiments; case in point when actor Riteish Deshmukh and filmmaker Ram Gopal Verma decided to take a tour of the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai right after the three-day siege.

Dark tourist sites can be disturbing places where the excesses of humanity have caused much grief and serve as reminders to the gravest mistakes and misdemeanours of mankind. As long as one goes with the right attitude, there’s a lot that one can take away from the experience.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

Read these article :-

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

THE NEED OF A RIGHT TO FOOD BILL - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!

Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Back away

2010-06-02T14:48:00.000+05:30

Hmix of a rom-com with a slightly pungent taste of explicit humour

The Backup Plan needs to buck-up if it plans to do good business at the box office. Attracting the crowd on J-Lo’s (Jennifer Lopez) pretext would not suffice for this drag of an epic which atrociously stretches for around 2 hours. No doubt the movie begins in an interesting manner and there are funny and romantic sequences all through, but gross scenes showing loud uncouth women delivering a baby in a tub and trying to portray it as funny is probably the epitome of misconception.

The movie starts to pinch after a while when such disgusting motherhood cravings are blatantly shown onscreen. Jennifer Lopez gracefully comes on screen as a pet shop owner who is a self made woman and has only a granny to call her family. Her urge to have a kid is satisfied when she artificially gets herself inseminated and takes the bold step to greet motherhood all by herself.

Never having met Mr. Right, she least expects to run into him (Alex O’Loughlin) so soon after she makes this giant leap in her personal life. How Mr. Right actually plays along and supports this not so single mommy is fun to watch. It was also fun to see the ‘dog whisperer’ Cesar Millan on screen sharing his favourite ‘how to be a pack leader?’ tips! Although the little pooch, who mostly steals the show, is an interesting companion for the hot diva; one shall not miss the scene when J Lo’s granny walks the aisle and unites with her 97 year old fiancé at the altar. But there aren’t too many back ups beyond that.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

Read these article :-

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

THE NEED OF A RIGHT TO FOOD BILL - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!

Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Explore the many facets of nature in Karnataka.

2010-04-08T16:00:00.000+05:30

gokarna
Planning a quick and reinvigorating getaway this summer? Coastal Karnataka, with its crystal clear seas, mind-blowing beaches and captivating sunsets, is the place for you. A few days out there in the sun and sand are guaranteed to get you back into top throttle. Make Gokarna your base. Located in a coastal area, it is a famous pilgrimage centre surrounded by a dense jungle. It also has four beaches.

Kudle beach is about a 20-minute walk from Gokarna. This beach has simple huts and eating places. OM Beach is 30 minutes further south. The beach got its name because it is shaped like the auspicious ‘Om’ sign. There are some really basic huts and tea shops along this beach. There are two more beaches near Gokarna, Half Moon and Paradise, each a 30-minute walk from one another. You can get bottled water and food on all the beaches near Gokarna.

If you make your way through coastal Karnataka, there are some places that you can’t overlook. Maravanthe beach, for instance. The drive to the picturesque beach is an unforgettable experience in itself. It is located 50 km from Udupi, a seaside town, where NH-17 cruises along with the Arabian Sea on one side and the Sauparnika river on the other against the backdrop of the Kodachadri Hills.

You can get here by train and bus. The Konkan Railway passes close to Gokarna. Express trains stop at Karwar, Kumta (23km), and Ankola (25km). Ppassenger train stops at Gokarna Road (10km). A bus departs from Gokarna at 11 am to meet the train going to Margao at 11.30 am. Gokarna Road Station (70487) is 9 km from the town of Gokarna.

kabini Reservoir
A ride on State Highway 33 taks you to Kabini Reservoir, 50-odd km from Nagarhole National Park. Here, the lush green forest and the waters combine to create an ambience difficult to describe in words. Easy accessibility may be the reason for Kabini’s popularity. It is 80 km from Mysore and 220 km from Bangalore.

The river, which originates in Wayanad district of Kerala, flows eastwards and joins the Cauvery. The area around the reservoir was once a favorite hunting spot of Maharajas of Mysore. Later, British Viceroys took a liking for the place.

Kabini is at its most beautiful when it rains. The winds whistle through the forest and the stream gushes along with gusto, creating a wonderful symphony. But the place yields just as many delights in summer. Large congregations of Asiatic elephants gather here when the river recedes to reveal rich grass meadows on the banks. Other wild animals and birds arrive to add to the beauty of Kabini.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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THE NEED OF A RIGHT TO FOOD BILL - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri of IIPM

The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!

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Taking One step forward...

2010-03-31T11:27:00.000+05:30

How to make the concept of microfinance work in India

If before Independence, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose said “Give me blood and I will give you freedom", then today every unemployed Indian youth says “Give me some money and I will help you build a prosperous India.” Ideas flowing from the remotest corner of the country are equally brilliant but fail to flourish for sheer lack of access to capital. But things are changing. Thanks to the emergence of microfinance. Recent reports reveal an interesting picture. Microfinance is serving 86.2 million clients in India. The portfolio reached Rs 351 billion, according to The Bharat Microfinance Report, 2009 by Sa-Dhan, the Association of Community Development Finance Institutions. Micro Finance Institutions (MFIs) have succeeded to cover over 71 per cent of the 331 of the poorest districts of India in 2009. In total, 413 districts, today, avail the benefits of microfinance all over India. What more interesting to notice is that 93 per cent of the active borrowers are women. And over 7.7 million are from SC/ST or minority groups. Even the growth of MFIs is quite satisfactory. MFIs with portfolio of over Rs 50 crore were growing by 40.5 per cent during 2006-08. Similarly, MFIs with portfolio of over Rs 5 crore to Rs 50 crore are growing by 97.5 per cent. And MFIs with below Rs 5 crore are growing at the rate of 78 per cent. This is raising the debate for consideration of the need, relevance and urgency of a standard regulatory framework for MFIs.

However, certain areas should be considered seriously to make microfinance an effective tool for social transformation. Firstly, as Dr Prakash Bakshi, executive director, NABARD says “saving protection is the first step forward of microfinancing”. People in villages have money and they want secure saving methods which can later work as capital. The NREGA alone created eight crore accounts in the villages. Villagers are getting money from many welfare schemes or small business entities. Secondly, institutions have to ensure the assurance of loans given as per the needs of the borrower and not as per their own whims and fancies and at their own convenience. The repayment procedure of loans should be flexible. For example, the client may earn income after four months post-investment. But forcing him to repay the loan on a weekly or a monthly basis would make it very tough for him to repay. Thus, he would become more prone to defaulting. Moreover, India’s practice of equity capital adequacy ratio against loan is very strict. For example, for a loan of Rs 10,000, a client should have equity capital of around Rs 2, 000 which is very high compared to many other nations. Most importantly, a mere Rs 10,000 one time loan will not guarantee the upgradation of the standard of living of the borrowers. The need of the day is a long term empowerment scheme. All in all, to make microfinancing effective, the country needs a self-regulatory body, more like Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) or Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) to ensure accountability and transparency. And who can better justify it other than Mr Chuck Waterfield, CEO & President, MFTransparency as he says “micro-credit is not an exchange of negotiations between two equal parties and thus need monitoring.”

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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The Sunday Indian:- B-SCHOOL RANKING SCAMSTERS EXPOSED!

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International adoption is emerging out as a new illegal business

2010-03-30T16:26:00.000+05:30

According to an adoption advocacy organisation in the US, around 13 countries have put a ban on international adoption. There have been numerous cases where adoptive parents later kill the children or these orphans find themselves in foster care. So much so that these so-called orphans turn out to be local children and not actually orphans. This can be exemplified by recent arrests of American missionaries in Haiti — accused of trafficking 33 Haitian children out of the quake-stricken country. A few countries use this process for exporting their socially detested or undesirable children to foreign families.

All in all, international community (viz. Hauge, UNICEF) need to urgently give a pause to the on-going glamourisation of international adoption and make it more transparent and regulated process. In the light of natural disaster and social and civil unrest, it is pertinent for countries to arrange bilateral arrangements and developed agencies based on proper accreditation norms. Otherwise soon this gratifying gesture of better-off society will take a shape of gigantic business and become an ‘icon’ among modern families. The present form of international adoption provides a different life, but do not promise a better life. What else could be the reason behind an American flying a thousand miles to adopt a baby while the next-door Canadians prefer adopting, more than 100,000 children, from the US itself? In the same breath, a very few Americans find time to adopt orphans after the Katrina or Rita disasters; but don’t mind flying thousands of miles away and adopt a few so-called orphans from Africa, Korea or other south Asian nations. Sounds quite morbid, isn’t it?

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Row over misuse of uniform

2010-03-23T15:25:00.000+05:30

Actor Mohanlal under attack for appearing in gold ad

Superstar Lieutenant Colonel Mohanlal, who fought several villains in reel life, is drawing flak from social activists in real life. His fault: He appeared in a gold advertisement wearing a military dress. The incident infuriated Dr. Sukumar Azheekkode, a prominent Malayalam writer, orator and cultural activist. He accused actor Mohanlal of misusing the military dress in an advertisement that appeared in several local newspapers on the Independence Day of 2009 for Malabar Gold — a jewellery network.

“Mohanlal was offered the rank of Lieutenant Colonel by territorial army just because he acted in a few films as army officer. And now he uses his uniform to sell jewellery,” alleges Azheekkode.

Mohanlal catapulted to fame in 2009 when he was granted the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. His die-hard fans in Kerala had welcomed the move because this was for the first time in Indian cinema that an actor got such recognition for his stellar performance in the film Keerthichakra (which portrayed the Army’s anti-militancy operations in Jammu and Kashmir). Besides, he has also acted in Kurukshetra (which dealt with the Kargil War). He is an iconic figure in Kerala. That is why the chairman of the Malabar Gold A. P. Ahmmed is unperturbed by his criticism. He says Mohanlal has been our brand ambassador for the last six years and he has never done anything to hurt people’s sentiments. “He had appeared in military uniform for our advertisement on the Independence Day. So what is wrong in it,” he says. Ahmmed asked protesters not to make a mountain out of a molehill.

But Azheekkode is in no mood to back down. Calling it an “anti-national activity,” he wants Mohanlal to apologise for misusing the military uniform. He claims to have also spoken to Defense Minister A. K. Antony regarding the critical issue. He tells TSI that the defense minister had even called him and received his complaint. But all these are having no impact on Mohanlal as he has refused to air his comment on the issue. For the time being, he is maintaining a low profile in the hope that the controversy would peter out.

Azheekkode is also opposing the state government’s move to nominate Mohanlal as the brand ambassador to promote khadi products. “A person who endorses liquor (in an advertisement for a liquor company) is now promoting khadi products. This is an insult to Mahatma Gandhi,” says Azhikode, who is a Gandhian. Both Azhikode and Mohanlal have not been on speaking terms for a long time. Relationship between them turned sour after Azhikode had sided with veteran actor Thilakan whose outburst against Mohanlal had led to his suspension from the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), organisation of film actors.

The incident has not dented Mohanlal’s popularity in the state.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Not really step-motherly!

2010-03-17T15:30:00.000+05:30

Angelina Jolie who is always playing a doting mother to her kids in real life is all set to paint a rather ruthless picture in reel life, absolutely in contrast to her mellow motherly demeanor. The role is for a Darren Aronofsky movie called “Serena” in which Angelina would be seen going after her husband’s illegitimate child… Now is this to warn Brad of something, who knows?!

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Lonely island, Prayer of pain

2010-03-13T16:05:00.000+05:30

As the civil war is over, the annual festival at the St Antony's Church in Kachatheevu, an island in the Sri Lankan territorial waters, has resumed after 27 years. Indian fishermen and pilgrims are allowed to attend this festival without any travel documents. N. Asokan experienced it first-hand.

No political discourse in Tamil Nadu is complete without the mention of Kachatheevu, the uninhabited barren Island of 285 acres in the waters between Sri Lanka and India. When the maritime boundaries between India and Sri Lanka were settled in 1974, this small island, which belonged to the Raja of Ramanathapuram, was ceded to Sri Lanka by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. But the traditional rights of Indian fishermen to take rest on the island were well in place in the agreement between both the governments.

But for the fishermen, the sea had no boundaries. They were going beyond Kachatheevu into the Sri Lankan waters to fish. They used to attend the annual festival on the island. Indians and Sri Lankans would come to worship at the St Antony’s Church. This small church was built by an Indian fisherman in the early 20th century who was believed to have survived a storm near the island when he prayed to St Antony.

There were no problems till 1983 when ethnic riots against Tamils in Sri Lanka first took place. The Sri Lankan government stopped the festival. The territorial waters were strictly monitored by the Sri Lankan navy. When Indian fishermen went beyond the Indian boundary towards Kachatheevu and adjacent places, they were shot at.

More than 300 Indian fishermen were shot dead in the waters near Kachatheevu in the last two decades as the Lankan Navy suspected them of supporting the LTTE rebels with supplies. As the civil war intensified, the number of deaths of Indian fishermen also rose. Tamil politicians were pressuring the Centre to take the island back from Sri Lanka. J. Jayalalithaa’s case in Supreme Court in this regard is still pending. Her contention was that New Delhi ceded the island by an executive order which violated Article 368 of the Constitution.

On last saturday morning, Fishing Boat no. 404, after getting essential clearance from the Indian Navy at the Rameswaram Jetty, was speeding past the Palk Bay waves. I was on it. The owner and driver of the boat, Sudalai Kasi, was an excited man. With over thirty years of fishing experience in the Palk Bay, he had seen the island many times but never could set his foot upon its shores in the last two decades. “Earlier, only a thatched shed was there as a chapel. Then in the 1970s, the tile-roof structure was built. Thousands of people from India and Sri Lanka would meet there every year. There will be exchange of goods and gifts,” Sudalai Kasi reminisced about the old times.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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INDIA'S BEST GOVERNED STATES

2010-03-06T14:52:00.000+05:30

First among equals

The Sunday Indian and C-Voter nationwide survey of India’s best governed states has seen Gujarat emerge on top among the big states. Orissa and Bihar have tied to fill the rest of the podium. Among the small states, Haryana has run away with the top spot, followed by Chattisgarh and Delhi. In terms of perception outside one’s own state, Narendra Modi is the most popular chief minister, Sheila Dikshit and Nitish Kumar coming in at distant second and third positions respectively.

One thing has come out crystal clear from the responses. People have given primacy to development and governance in rating the state governments and chief ministers. The trend can be taken for yet another vindication of the fact that the Indian democracy may finally be going beyond the ambits of identity politics. Whether an incumbent state government is delivering on the fronts of healthcare, education, sanitation, irrigation, transport and employment generation, whether it is able to restore law and order, whether it is cracking down on corruption – these benchmarks are being considered more important by Indians than appeals to their religious, caste or lingual identity.

However, the survey held among 20,000 respondents (people eligible to vote) has a lesson in store even for the toppers. None of the chief ministers have got a net approval rating of over 40%. This basically means there is urgent need to do more work and that there is no room for complacency. Though their area of work is limited to the states they represent, the survey made clear that the popularity of some chief ministers cut across state borders. Narendra Modi, Sheila Dikshit and Nitish Kumar are the typical examples. Out of these three, Nitish Kumar deserves special mention as this is his first term in arguably the most difficult state of the country. Modi and Dikshit have had the advantage of prior experience though that does not take the shine of their achievements.

Modi has been voted the best in all categories. Be it electricity, roads, healthcare, primary education, transport, communications, the situation in Gujarat seems only to be improving. But Modi’s road to victory has a few significant potholes. Only 6% of voters in Gujarat are satisfied with the government’s action to control corruption in civil services. Gujarat’s scores in the parameters of law and order and social and communal harmony is also abysmal.

Raman Singh’s popularity is noteworthy, considering he rules a state which is small and plagued by Maoist violence. People seem to be largely satisfied with his government''s work. His state takes the second position in all the categories among the five best small states. Equally remarkable is Orissa''s Naveen Patnaik who has garnered the second position in terms of net satisfaction ratings with the chief minister but his state is in the fifth position in terms of governance among five large states and lowest in the overall quality of life.

METHODOLOGY

This is one of the most exhaustive and comprehensive surveys done to rate the performance of state governments and chief ministers by their own voters. In all, 26,432 citizens and voters were selected through random sampling. The number of voters selected for each state was proportional to the number of Lok Sabha and Assembly seats. Rural and urban voters were selected on the basis of population in the region. Like the sample from Gujarat has proportionately more urban voters than the sample from Orissa. Each ‘voter’ was given a questionnaire to fill up. Team C-Voter identified 15 parameters on which the citizen voter was required to rate the government and the CM. The answer options were standard-ranging from much improved to remains the same to far worse. Positive responses on each parameter were aggregated and a final average performance measurement was done accordingly. It is important to note here that the ‘performance’ of the state government and CM is based entirely on the perception of the individual voter whose expectations differ. from state to state. Hence, Bihar scores over Karnataka in terms of voter perceptions for the parameter public transport. One interesting and exclusive aspect of the survey is a question asked to voters to rate the best CM outside their own state. It has thrown up interesting results! This is an ongoing survey and TSI, along with C-Voter will be conducting them on a quarterly basis and exclusively share the results with readers.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Desperados... no more!

2010-03-05T15:24:00.000+05:30

Year 2009: the year many textile majors would prefer to let go. Year 2010: the year many thought would never come... and it did! a future check of a sector that has started showing clear signs of a strong revival... by Angshuman Paul

Desperados – that’s what you’d call players in the Indian textile industry, whose lot has stood witnessed to an extremely disappointing three-year period leading to 2008-09, post a scintillating 10.9% growth in 2006-07. When asked about the reasons behind this sad tale, industry experts have one word on their lips – slowdown! With exports dwindling and consumer spending falling, the textile giants have indeed felt the poisonous sting of the global slowdown. To give you one particular example, on our visit to the Bangalore campus of the country’s largest wholesale supplier of garments, the Blackstone Group-controlled Gokaldas Exports Ltd (GEL), during a recession-struck July 2009, we could clearly see signs of slowdown painted across the lush green landscape spread across two acres. The stretch looked more like a sylvan oasis of tranquillity, with people moving about in a sloth-embarrasing & mystifyingly unhurried pace; a sight which stood in great contrast to the maddening mid-city rush in the metropolitan. And not to forget, three of their manufacturing plants were peacefully taking a nap... That was then.

Today, five months later, as 2010 kicks off with high expectations and great optimism prevails, with Indian exports hitting a 15-month high in December 2009, the still-sprawling location seems to have been caught in the throes of a ‘wake-up’ metamorphosis. As far as developments in the boardroom is concerned, today, the company is quickly ramping up its act and crafting bold strategies to meet the rising demand of the global apparel market, which seems to have retraced the right road to prosperity. In fact, this exporter is all set to increase its production capacity to three million garments per month with plans to invest more than Rs.1 billion by 2010.

“The global market for Indian textile has started changing and matters are definitely improving now. We anticipate a rise in orders by atleast 20% during the first quarter of 2010,” explains Rajendra J. Hinduja, MD, Gokaldas Exports Ltd. However, this export house is not the only one celebrating the homecoming of overseas demand, for there are many like the Ludhiana-based Nahar Group and other leading apparel exporters and manufacturers in the country, who are also gearing up for a busier tomorrow, with recovery and better opportunities blipping on their radar.

Some industry watchers may judge the situation sceptically, labelling all hopefuls as ‘over-optimistic’, but the truth remains – currently, with demand from key export markets like US & EU having fallen to alarming levels, there is only ‘rich’ growth likely to happen over the next 3-4 quarters! Talking about one such market, US, a hopeful D. K. Nair, Secretary General, Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) exclaims, “The rise in demand will mainly come from US (and it has already started), which is still the largest apparel market for India. And even over the coming few months, we will be controlling this market like we have been doing it in the pre-recession days...” About three years back, this industry, which had generated a mind-boggling $19 billion in revenues, had persuaded rating agencies like CRISIL to project a terrific $110 billion in revenues by 2012 – a dazzling absolute growth of 479% compared to the present figure. On the other hand, precisely a year back, CITI had estimated the exports to escalate to a breathtaking $50 billion by 2010. The question therefore is – will projections be met, considering that the wounds inflicted by the slowdown have still not healed completely? When asked, Nair shoots back: “We might not achieve this target as the slowdown affected exports in a big way. But going by the growth that we achieved by the end of 2009, we can surely achieve at least 60% of the export figures forecasted for 2010.” Sounds great, but it is also not to be forgotten that there are many in the name of global competition that will scramble to capture precious parts of this pie...

Then there is another part to the tale – the slowdown has also taken its toll on India’s arch rival in the trade, China, which also registered a dip of 20% in the annual growth rate of apparel export (as per CII). But that is where the similarity ends. Unlike China, which trade analysts feel has substiantial amount of funds in its kitty to increase production capacity to fill any form of backlog, India as per CITI, falls short by around Rs.15 billion to even meet the backlogs accumulated during July-December 2009 backlog. Worse, in order to be able to comfortably meet export requirements for 2010 , the country needs an additional Rs.30 billion – in all Rs.45 billion too short of being in the comfort zone...

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Outlook Magazine money editor quits
Don't trust the Indian Media!

Yes She Can!

2010-03-02T16:50:00.000+05:30

“If we seven women can ski to the South Pole, then anyone can do anything!” beamed Reena Kaushal Dharmashakthu, the first Indian woman to ski to the South Pole as part of the Kaspersky Lab Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition. In a conversation with Spriha Srivastava, the 38-year-old mountaineer and outdoor instructor shares her experience of the 900 km historic ski-run with a group of six other women from Commonwealth countries

How did you get into adventure sports, and especially skiing?

Since childhood I was drawn towards adventure sports. My father was in the army, so we got a lot of opportunities to go on treks etc. Skiing came in much later in my life. I had done a little bit of skiing in Manali and that’s when I took a liking to it. My family always encouraged me to be involved in adventure sports. So, thanks to them, I grew up with adventure in my life. I did my mountaineering course from Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (Darjeeling), and one day I got this chance for going to an expedition to Antarctica. In fact, I learned skiing properly for this expedition only.

Not many people in India know much about skiing. What strengths does one need to pursue this sport?

Manali, J&K and Uttarakhand are the places where one gets the opportunity to ski. Certain courses are also conducted there. It is a risky sport, no doubt, which requires a lot of stamina. Apart from physical strength, mental strength is of utmost importance. If you are strong-willed, this sport becomes easy. And what’s most important is to have a passion for it.

Did you ever face something like a life and death situation during the expedition?

Not really. I did feel that there were a lot of risks involved, but did not really get the feeling that I’d die. The expedition to Antarctica was tough… we had to go through crevasses, face storms and brave the cold weather, but I knew all this at the back of my mind. To survive the cold, you have to be on your guard and be very attentive about minute details, like if the gloves get wet then one should change it immediately to avoid catching a cold, which can be a terrible thing on an expedition and in that kind of weather.

What was the biggest challenge that you faced during this expedition?

The expedition as a whole was very challenging. Battling the cold every day, travelling long distances and less sleep…

it was all very challenging. We also carried back human waste! But yes, all of it feels great because I’ve brought home beautiful memories of Antarctica, which is simply a place out of this world. Also, I feel proud having accomplished such a great feat, the message of which was to promote inter-cultural understanding and to raise awareness of the role Antarctica plays in the survival of the environmental system.

You are the first woman to accomplish such an exemplary feat. Why do you think we didn’t have anyone attempting it in the past?

Yes, I’m the first woman to ski 900 kms. Well, going to Antarctica is a very expensive deal which is a major deterrent. One needs to have sponsors for an expedition to Antarctica. Also, if women are encouraged, I’m sure there will be a lot more of them doing this. I’d say that if you want to do it, get on it!

How can adventure sports be encouraged in India?

First, the government has to recognise adventure sports in India. It’s very difficult to get sponsorships without recognition. I also faced this problem. There are a lot of people who have done courses and have certificates in different adventure sports but unfortunately, they don’t have much scope. Another thing that can be possibly done is to have a provision for such people in the army. It can be a huge advantage to have people with certifications in mountaineering etc. in the armed forces. And that’s when parents would also encourage their children to get involved in adventure sports because there will be an assurance of a job.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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company sells power on merchant basis

2010-02-24T13:49:00.000+05:30

According to a report by Indiabulls, “the company sells power on merchant basis through short-term PPAs; such agreements command high realisations of around Rs.5–8 per unit.”On a standalone basis (the steel business), while net sales grew by Rs.76.46 billion (a growth of 41.7%), net profits grew by a relatively modest 21.7% yoy to Rs.15.36 billion. This is still far better than what most steel players have faced. Vikrant Gujaral comments on the situation, “We were among the early risers to the deteriorating conditions. However, since JSPL’s product range includes both long and flat products we were well placed to optimize our product mix in consort with changing market realities...” Also, the company relies a lot on the domestic market, where demand has continued to grow irrespective of recession (exports were only 13% of turnover); so they did not need to cut production. The report by Indiabulls further credits the good numbers to the 35.8% yoy increase in the average sales realisation of saleable steel.

Moreover, while a lot of steel companies were looking at horizontal integration as their strategic priority, JSPL has been looking at things differently. Gujaral puts it across thus, “No company in our space can hope to survive without robust backward integration. JSPL has always believed in this and assiduously built dedicated sources for key raw materials (ore, power and coal) in keeping with the integrated steel producer model...” The company has indeed believed in consistent investment, while maintaining a significantly low debt-equity ratio of around 0.8. However, with respect to Q1, 2009-10, the company saw a standalone fall in Net Profit after tax on standalone basis by 25% to Rs.3 billion due to low steel prices. Again, power business is helping them ride the cycle, as consolidated PAT rose by 123% to Rs. 9.88 billion. As steel prices begin their up cycle, the situation should further improve. According to Gujaral, “There are encouraging signs of demand picking up. Prices have increased by about 8-10 per cent in the domestic market and 7 to 8 per cent globally.” However, he admits that the recovery is still some distance away.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Thank heavens for the power trip!

2010-02-24T13:10:00.000+05:30

Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. has been able to comfortably manage the recession on the basis of sound strategies and its investments in the power sector, by VIRAT BAHRI

So is globalisation the road to paradise or to perdition? The events that unfolded in the past several months have provided cannon fodder for both points of view. Understandably, the prevailing economic turmoil gives companies that favour protectionism all the more reason to go further into their shells and stay away from everything that’s even remotely ‘global’.

Then there are companies like the Naveen Jindal promoted Indian steel and power behemoth Jindal Steel & Power Ltd. (JSPL), who seem to believe that the recession only strengthens the argument in favour of globalization. They go by the doctrine – nothing ventured, nothing gained. JSPL CEO Vikrant Gujaral, was in fact in Bolivia, heading the negotiations with the Bolivian government for JSPL’s $2.1 billion project proposal with regard to the El Mutun mines in Bolivia (the company plans to also set up an integrated 1.7 MT steel plant, a 6 MT sponge iron and 10 MT iron ore pellet plant), when he had an interaction with Business & Economy for this feature. The company had laid a roadmap for development of the mines and setting up of steel and pellets plants. But they had to face significant regulatory and political hurdles, wherein even Bolivian President Evo Morales had expressed his reservations earlier w.r.t. the project. Then there were also issues of royalty sharing. Finally though, JSPL’s project has been approved and a contract is expected to be signed soon. The reward for JSPL would be in the form of access to 20 billion tonnes of iron ore reserves, which would make it one of the largest players in the world.

As we mentioned earlier (refer the story on NMDC), iron ore is a thorny issue for steel players globally. In fact, most steel players were virtually sandwiched in FY 2008-09 by the double whammy of rising raw material prices on one hand and declining demand on the other. Iron ore and coking coal prices seemed to be defying recession like nobody’s business. Moreover, major markets, particularly US and Europe crashed w.r.t. demand. In this murky environment, JSPL’s numbers for FY 2008-09 look quite insane. The company posted a rise in net sales (consolidated) by 96.7% yoy to Rs.108.4 billion and the net profit jumped by 140.6% yoy to Rs.30.1 billion. It is not that the company was not impacted.

These colossal numbers can be credited, to a large part, on their power business. Jindal Power’s 1000 MW merchant power plant became operational during the year, and contributed significantly to the topline and bottomline.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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NDDB has taken India’s milk production a long way forward with its cooperative model

2010-02-16T16:45:00.000+05:30

…with a course correction! NDDB has taken India’s milk production a long way forward with its cooperative model. Now it has become imperative to turn that model on its head, by Virat Bahri

“There’s nothing really special about either the bulls or the farmers. Then how is it that the farmers of the Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producers’ Union in Anand, Gujarat are doing so well?”

The year was 1964. And these were the exact queries that went through the mind of the then PM Lal Bahadur Shastri, also hailed as one of India’s most diligent & enterprising prime ministers. He had been invited by the aforementioned union (which we know today by the brand name Amul) to set up a cattle feed plant. As he got a better understanding of the cooperative model being followed, and being the visionary that he was, Shastri realised its potential. He therefore asked the GM of the cooperative, Dr. Verghese Kurien to set up a board (of which Dr. Kurien would be Chairman), under the government, whose mandate would be to set up ‘Anands’ all across India. And that is why, when we talk about NDDB, it would be unfair to talk just about one Anand; the township that NDDB helped create actually spans a much larger area across India.

It was truly a daunting task, and required a lifetime of commitment, with success being anything but certain. But these weren’t Dr. Kurien’s concerns. He had only two conditions – one that the board will be set up in Anand and the second that he would not take a single rupee from the government; and that his salary would come from the farmers. It was his way of ensuring that he remained committed to the farmer’s needs. That was how National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) was born.

We often hear about deals that make money. Then there are the deals that lose money. But this was one rare instance of a deal that made history – a revolution that India proudly remembers as Operation Flood.

What was the model about? In Kurien’s words, “Combine the power of farmers, production, processing and marketing and put it in the hands of the farmers. They employ professionals to manage the business – professionals who are responsive to their needs.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Lion city lessons for us...

2010-02-15T16:47:00.000+05:30

Singapore is a microcosm of what India and China can do together

For long, Singapore has fascinated the world with its incredible development story. So much so that this small island nation is not just one of the richest countries in the world (4th highest per capita GDP by purchasing power parity) but has also become a role model as to how cities should be professionally managed. It has also vindicated the fact that for prosperity, there can be no substitute to human ingenuity. If that is persistently present, a nation can become affluent even in the absence of natural resources. In terms of Human Development Index too, it has one of the highest rankings (22nd). Yet one of the most important facets of this nation which could have been a living example for the fighting giants, have been completely ignored. Singapore in one sense stands out as a microcosm of the miracle that can happen if India and China come together. While demographically Singapore has a predominant ethnic Chinese population (around 75%), it also has a substantial proportion of people of Indian origin. And not only they have peacefully coexisted for long, both the communities have significant contributions in the economic triumph of the island nation.

Time since the ascent of India and China as economic powerhouses of the future, the world has been strife with speculations about the possibility of a potential conflict among these two Asian or rather global giants, in future. Interestingly, in the current spate of global recession ignited by the banking collapse in the US and Europe, Indian and Chinese economy remained relatively steady amidst economic slide among many in the West and Japan. But instead of being euphoric, the D-day theorists are becoming increasingly paranoid. They consider that the competition among the two in increasing their clout in Central Asia and Africa as well as the race for oil reserves in those places can be potential reasons for conflict among these two energy starved nations. Needless to say, without energy the economic wheels in both the countries would come to a standstill. Add to this, ‘the fear of the unknown syndrome’ from which both these nations suffer. Each is getting increasingly paranoid and apprehensive about the objectives of the other, leading to an unprecedented arms race among the two as if both are bracing up for the inevitable. Each gets driven by the stereotype image of the other that the global media feeds. It is ironical that while China and India have almost become the production hubs for all the products and services that the First World nations use, in their own backyard, they seldom allow each to sell products to the other freely.

Yet one wonders what miracle can happen if these two giants or rather two-third of mankind can shed their inhibitions and come together. Not only would it create an economic marvel which would dwarf everything else, it would also make sure that Asia would never need the West ever again. Each has unique abilities which the other can use productively. While the Chinese are extremely meticulous, conformist and perfectionist which are indispensable in quality manufacturing, Indians with their ingenious ‘out of the box thinking habit’ and non-conformist attitude, have made India the hub for service outsourcing and global Research & Development. So while one creates the products of the day, the other services it, while one meticulously manufactures, the other designs for the future. One wonders that if 4.2 million people of Indian and Chinese origin can create the wonder called Singapore, what two-third of mankind residing in India and China can do together. For once, let Singapore show us the way to the possibly remarkable future.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Many precious lives can be saved

2010-02-12T16:49:00.000+05:30

While Chidambaram has been extremely successful in galvanising the Union Home Ministry and the paramilitary forces under it into a coherent force and launch the much needed Operation Green Hunt against the brutal CPI (Maoist) which in its present form can be easily compared with the ruthless and dreaded Schutzstaffel or SS of Nazi Party of Hitler’s Germany. However, the decision of Shibu Soren to have a soft approach and insistence on talks would surely spoil all the chances of the forces to track down the Maoist leaders and bring them to justice. The question is what would the US Federal agencies have done, if a governor of any of the fifty states of the US had taken an independent line to go soft on Osama and his men and carried an independent initiative to talk and negotiate with Al Qaeda? To the least, he would surely have been charged of treason against the state. The moot issue here is that if India has to survive this century and beyond, it has to have strong federal laws like the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 of the US which would put its jurisdiction, if needed, much beyond its territory and also enforce federal laws in matters that were hitherto the exclusive domain of the states and the local police. If the Maoist leaders get safe haven in Jharkhand when chased in Chhattisgarh or Orissa, it can no more be a state's law & order issue and incidentally, the usual pretext of politicians to prevent federal action on their turf. India needs to make its agencies work the way FBI and the US Marshal Service works abroad and inside its territory. Only then, the next mayhem from within or outside will be avoided and many precious lives can be saved.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Gunning for the Top brass

2010-02-11T17:01:00.000+05:30

India’s offer for peace talks has been spurned by ULFA

The government’s offer for peace talks with the separatist United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has been spurned by its leaders. They say that there can be no talks with them in jail. They want the Assam government to release all their leaders from jails, including Arabinda Rajkhowa — arrested recently. But the Union and state governments are not ready to oblige them.

Rather, they have accelerated their efforts to arrest all senior ULFA leaders — creating disarray among their ranks — and then forcing them to sit for talks. However, there is one hitch: the ever evasive ‘commander in chief’ of the outfit Paresh Barua continues to control the operations of the ULFA’s armed cadres.

That is what India hopes to put an end to. It has sought help from the Myanmarese government in tracking down Barua who is believed to be operating out of somewhere in the Kachin Tracts, an area that, incidentally, is beyond the control of the Myanmar government with rebels, such as the Kachin Independent Army (KIA) holding the area. On the face of it, though, Myanmar has responded positively, putting out an assurance of coming to the aid of the Indian government at a meeting of top officials at Nay Pay Taw.

The Indian side, led by the Union Home Secretary GK Pillai has held detailed discussions with Brigadier General Phone Swe of Myanmar in this regard. In Assam, meanwhile, the reactions are mixed. “We aren’t sure of Barua’s whereabouts. He might be in Myanmar or China,” said Khagen Sharma, Additional DGP and spokesperson of the Assam Police. Adds a source close to the militant outfit: “Chances are that Barua is in China.”

Of the 19 central committee members of the ULFA, 12 are in jail, while three were, as reported by TSI earlier, killed in Bhutan. That leaves, among the top leaders, the outfit’s secretary Anup Chetia currently in Bangladeshi custody and Barua who is underground. With some top leaders behind bars in India, the government hopes to achieve what it has failed to do in the past 31 years: Bring the ULFA to the negotiating table.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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2010-02-05T15:58:00.000+05:30

l Unpaid Provident Fund dues of jute mill workers amounted to Rs 5 crore in 1977. They had shot up to more than Rs 200 crore by 2000, when Jyoti Basu handed over the baton to Buddhadeb Bhattacharya (a sobering history lesson for those who think Basu was busy creating a paradise for workers and the proletariat in West Bengal).

l The worst social development indicators and the worst representation in government jobs for Muslims happens to be in the ‘fanatically’ secular West Bengal (Another deliciously ironical historical nugget here. The devoted Marxist Nurul Islam died in police firing in 1976 during a food agitation. His death played a key role in Marxists coming to power in the state in 1977. His family was subsequently abandoned by the comrades and the brothers of Nurul Islam now actively work with Trinamool Congress!).

At least 13 out of the 18 major districts of West Bengal come in the category of the 100 poorest districts of India.

Not a single medical college was set up during the reign of Jyoti Basu.

Police firings on workers, tribals and farmers were routine during the regime. About 20 enquiry commissions were set up. Only one submitted a report whose recommendations were never implemented.

There is much more that can be proffered as evidence. But we know even voluminous tomes on the misdeeds of the regime will not sway the ideologically blinkered who are convinced that dogma is morally superior to facts. Yet, it is very important to set the record straight. There is no doubt that future historians will marvel at the naiveté of the nostalgic outpourings after the death of Basu when they contrast this with his actual track record. But such nostalgic naiveté can prompt India to make the kind of mistakes that Jyoti Basu and his fellow comrades, willfully or unknowingly, committed in their quest for Red glory. Quite simply, in this 21st century world of rapidly changing dynamics, India simply cannot help but renounce, abjure, condemn and castigate the legacy left behind by Basu and his Red warriors.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Politicians would have been the least expected to have mba qualifications

2010-02-02T15:51:00.000+05:30

P. D. Rai, Member of Parliament from Sikkim, agrees that his knowledge helps him to do better planning with the funding he gets for performing activities in his constituency. “MBA is a capability qualification and so it can be said that analysis of issues would be done perhaps differently. An MBA is a professional degree and the attainment of professional outcome and values will certainly impact my own Parliament work and indeed in my political work. The domain is different but the principles of how to manage political issues versus say business issues do not change. In my own Parliamentary constituency, Sikkim, over the last 17 years, I have painstakingly built my political career and have balanced it with my professional work. This has been possible because of my educational qualifications.”

This is not to say that an MBA is essential in politics – in fact, it is not at all. For example, Rahul Gandhi, who formally joined politics in 2004 and has emerged within five years as a key strategist for the party, is not an MBA. But then, he too has worked as a consultant for a few years with management guru Michael Porter’s Monitor Group.

An MBA is becoming a more popular degree among current politicians in the US as well, especially experts in finance or management analysis. The most powerful woman in corporate America, Carly Fiorina, who once headed HP, plans to run for the US senate. She says that government spending is “out of control” and she may be able to make things better. Anne Mulcahy, Chairman Xerox, is a member of Obama’s Transition Economic Advisory Board. But popularity aside, from Manmohan Singh to Obama, it’s quite an accepted fact that qualifications in law, finance and related sciences beat management education hands down when it comes to the political circles. But then again, we have Chidambaram who not many know is an MBA graduate from one of the world’s topmost ivy league institutions, the Harvard Business School. Clearly, maybe one day, we could well have a Prime Minister who’s an MBA.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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“Like pharma, the pesticides sector is also changing very quickly...”

2010-01-25T13:31:00.000+05:30

Salil Singhal, CMD, PI Industries Ltd. on the challenges of the pesticides sector

Having been associated with agriculture since 1967, Salil Singhal, CMD, PI Industries has a lot to talk about in a free flowing interview with Niharika Patra

B&E: What actually is the flaw with Indian agriculture?

Salil Singhal (SS): The input side of agriculture has issues. For example, if you compare the production to pesticides usage, India has a total cropped area of around 167 million hectares while the US has around 172 million hectares. In pesticides consumption, US figure is around $7 billion while for India it is $1.2 billion. Because of poor use of pesticides we are loosing crop to the tune of $20 billion per annum. The cost benefit ratio in agriculture is very high to the tune of Rs. 19 per Re.1 employed for some crops, and if you compare the $ 22 billion in fertilizer subsidies, we have grown the crops for the pests to eat it away. There are many other problems like procedures of introducing new seeds, the distribution of subsidies et al. There seems to be little focus.

B&E: How do you compare the era of 60’s and present. Do you think there has been any kind of deterioration?

SS: No. Undoubtedly, the Green Revolution gave us a lot. Today, even without favourable conditions we can produce 210-230 million tonnes of foodgrains. But looking at the changing food habits, what we have is not enough to satisfy this ever changing need. We have to double our food grain output and agricultural output resource to be able to do that. But we are not geared for that right now and agriculture needs structural changes.

B&E: What is the focus of the pesticide industry in relation to the productivity of the crop?

SS: Cost benefit is a very important input. The second important input is quality output. Organic farming doesn’t work for quality. Petsicides can give quality with high productivity and that is our focus.

B&E: There is a lot of hue and cry about the excessive use of chemicals. What are your views?

SS: Pesticides usage has come up very recently while the fertilizers have been used for a long time. Today, we understand that there is a problem and we have identified it and it needs to be resolved.

B&E: Does pesticide industry face challenge from the genetically modified (GM) crops?

SS: Yes. The problem is that the science of pesticides is changing phenomenally. The whole science and technology of agri-chemicals has changed. Like pharma, the pesticides industry keeps changing quickly but that is not there in GM crops. The cost of new discovery is very high ($600-800 million and atleast 8-10 years to commercialise it). Then there are the regulations. Until 2005 companies were allowed ‘me-too’ registrations. This is where India has been the biggest looser The ‘me-too’ registration has nearly destroyed the Indian pesticide industry. We also have the most in-efficient and corrupt regulatory mechanism.

B&E: How do you see the growth by the Chinese market and its effects on India?

SS: There is a lot of illegal import by the fly-by-night operators from China. There are certain groups within the industry who are trying to bring in the Chinese agenda of reverse engineering.

B&E: How well suited are Indian pesticides companies for M&As. What about PI Industries.

SS: I have not seen many foreign companies taking up Indian companies. It would be too early to comment on this. We are definitely looking forward to M&As and are fully prepared to fit into any good deal that comes forward.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Tathagata bhattcharya seeks to find if the tail can still wag the dog

2010-01-22T16:09:00.000+05:30

Naidu’s Vision 2020’s objective was to promote the commercial interests of the agribusiness companies (read foreign financial institutes and international bankers) and the IT hardware units. Thus, he was swept away by a tidal wave of the angry farmers.

The small and marginal farmers, in tandem with the landless labourers, who constitute nearly 80 per cent of Andhra's 80 million people, gave their verdict. The industry-sponsored economic initiatives of Naidu were anti-poor, he was weeded out in the elections.

Prior to the latest stir over Telanagana, TDP made a significant departure from its known ideological stand on a unified Andhra Pradesh. In its opportunistic policy reversal, the party agreed to a separate Telangana in its election manifesto.

“But, when the Union government made a statement favouring separation of Telangana, the usually media-savvy Naidu, who should have played the role of a responsible Opposition leader, has been in exile to evade clearing his party’s stand, which is the penultimate state of ‘Congressisation’,” Mukkamala said.

TDP is failing to meet the growing aspirations of communities that have been on the periphery for decades. It has failed to deliver development to most of the people it ruled for nearly two decades.

Vadakku vaazhgirathu, Therku Theykirathu (North is developing, south is losing) was the once favourite rhetoric of Karunanidhi, the DMK patriarch. But times have changed. The once separtist Dravidian party of Tamil Nadu has merged into the national mainstream and in Karunanidhi's own words, DMK has become, in the course of the last decade (the years DMK was in power at Centre), ''Dravidian national party".

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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From dream homes to empty nests

2010-01-21T16:03:00.000+05:30

As the number of unoccupied houses in Kerala goes up every year with more and more people relocating overseas, Anu Warrier seeks to find answers to the social, economic and environmental questions these vacant houses raise

K.J. Mathew of Thiruvalla in Kerala had dreams of having a house once. He realised that dream 45 years ago. Now he regrets that. He built a small but decent house for his family of nine, including his parents. Later, his children renovated the house when they got employed in Dubai. All of them gradually constructed their own houses nearby. Today, Mathew finds himself as a housekeeper looking after four houses built by his sons and himself. “When I want to see my children, I look at these keys they entrusted me with. After the death of my wife, they engaged a domestic help to support me. Our main job is to clean each house at least once a month,” says a tired Mathew.

The story of Mathew is not an isolated instance. All across Kerala, there are parents like Mathew who are left alone in large houses while their children have migrated abroad. They are forced to look after the houses they have constructed. And then, there are houses constructed by their NRI sons and daughters. In some places, relatives are entrusted with the charge of looking after these houses. In some, housekeepers do the job.

According to the 2001 Census, around 7.3 lakh houses in the state remained unoccupied. The Economic Review 2006 puts the number at more than 10 lakh. The same document reveals that the number of homeless families in the state is 10.85 lakh. Most of the vacant houses are in Pathanamthitta district which accounts for the second-highest migrant population in the state.

Joseph Mathew, a native of Kumbanad village of Pathanamthitta, tries to reason. “Those who migrate to the Gulf countries are the owners of most of these houses. Once they get a good job there, they build huge and posh houses which blare out that they are rich and in a good position there. The size of the house and amenities inside it are status symbols here. They fly back to their workplace after the housewarming ceremony, locking them up. These houses might be occupied only once in one or two years. The rest of the time, these are looked after either by their parents or by housekeepers they employ.” In a way, building the house and its maintenance is mindlessly expensive.

The first generation of migrants to US and UK committed the same mistake. They built large houses for their parents and children. But the parents passed away and the children never wanted to come back to Kerala. Most of those houses were sold at throwaway prices.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Lals of dwindling returns

2010-01-16T16:14:00.000+05:30

The successors of the once dominant Lals of Haryana - Devi, Bansi and Bhajan - are running out of steam, discovers Vikas Kumar

The politics of Haryana has for long revolved around the three Lals - Bansi Lal, Devi Lal and Bhajan Lal. After the state was carved out in 1966, these Lals took turns to rule it. Their political dominance was almost unchallenged. But that era now seems to be fading. The legacy of the Lals is on the wane.

Bhajan Lal, who mastered the craft of political defections, was always synonymous with the politics of ‘Aya Ram, Gaya Ram’. At his Sector 5 residence in Hisar there is much hustle and bustle. His Haryana Janhit Party is commemorating its second anniversary. However, instead of boasting about achievements of his fledgling party, his younger son Kuldeep Bishnoi was busy criticising their five MLAs, who had switched loyalties within one month of the election. His opponents call it poetic justice.

Bhajan Lal, quietly sitting in the corridor with his close associates, seems helpless. His son is facing the rough end of the stick. A strategy used in the past seems to have boomeranged. Ramjilal, one of the closest confidantes of the Bhajan Lal family and his five-decade-old friend, says, “He is unparalleled among the three ‘Lals’. With his shrewd political acumen he had sidelined political stalwarts like Devi Lal and Bansi Lal.” Asked to compare the father and son, he tries to avert the question but finally admits, “Kuldeep is rigid while Bhajan Lal is flexible. One cannot go ahead in politics with a rigid attitude.”

However, the political clout of Bhajan Lal and his party has diminished in the past few years and he is no longer a force to reckon with in Haryana. The decline has been so rapid that Kuldeep managed to win by a thin margin of 6,000 votes from the Adampur constituency in the 2009 assembly election and his wife Jasma Devi lost miserably in Nalwa constituency to Prof. Sampat Singh of the Congress.

Arunesh, a senior Haryana journalist who has observed the father-son duo closely, says, “Kuldeep is a fresh face. If he stands alone for the next five years, he will certainly be able to revive his party. Haryana Janhit Party had created a buzz among voters but failed to carry the momentum due to lack of coordination. The elder son, Chandra Mohan, is not taken seriously even by his own family.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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THE GREAT INDIAN DYNASTIES

2010-01-15T15:47:00.000+05:30

Barkatda did much else. As railway minister, he introduced Gaur Express between Sealdah and Maldah. It enables residents to travel overnight to and from the state capital. “Whenever a Maldah resident thinks of Gaur Express, he recalls Ghani Khan,” adds a Left Front minister.

One of Ghani Khan’s brothers, Abu Hashem Khan Chowdhury, is the MP from Maldah South, while another, Abu Nasser Khan Chowdhury, represents Sujapur segment in the state Assembly. Sujapur was earlier represented by Ghani Khan’s younger sister, Rubi Noor and her daughter, Mausam.

“Maldah was a part of his being. He gave the place national prominence. Besides bringing in a direct power supply line from Chukha in Bhutan, he was instrumental in setting up a 1700 MW NTPC plant at Farakka in Murshidabad district, during his stint as Union minister in the 1980s. He ensured that power cuts did not affect farmers,” says Abu Hashem, alias Dalu-da. “We would ask him how he managed to do so much. His answer would be, ‘illegally’, which meant by bypassing bureaucratic channels.”

Speaking to TSI at Adina Masjid, Mausam Noor says, “We used to frequent this area with Baro Mama. He worked hard to protect these Hindu and Muslim relics of Maldah. He put pressure on ASI to release funds. Mama and my mother did much for these monuments through Zilla Parishad too."

“We owe everything to Baro Mama,” asserts Mausam. "He brought my mother and Dalu Mama into politics. But this is not all. One should regard him as the visionary of modern Maldah. Because of him, Maldah was the first town outside Kolkata to have a Doordarshan tower."

Another Ghani Khan niece, Shehnaj Kaderi, is all set to join politics. She heads the historical Piranapir’s Mosque and Chhoto Darga.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

Barkatda’s eternal empire

2010-01-15T13:50:00.000+05:30

Three years after his death, Congress leader Ghani Khan Chowdhury lives on in Maldah, politically and otherwise, writes Chandrasekhar Bhattacharjee

In Maldah, history is omnipresent. So is the legacy of Abu Barkat Ataul Ghani Khan Chowdhury. Members of the late Congressman’s family still hold as much sway here as the aroma of the city's famed mango.

The relics of pre-Mughal rulers of eastern India at Qutab Shahar in the district’s Pandua town stand mute witness to the region’s glory days. On the ruins of Adina Mosque (1364-1375 AD) one can see stone pieces with Buddhist (and also possibly Jain and Hindu) art. “These were brought from nearby stupas to decorate the temple,” says an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) official. Local historian Sushmita Som corroborates the view: “Adina was perhaps a temple of Adinath, the God of Hinduism's Nath sect.”

In Gour, capital of ancient Bengal, the Fateh Khan Maqbara and Kadam Rasool Mosque, too, resemble Hindu temples. Yet Malda has never known communal tension. “Ghani Khan Chowdhury taught us peaceful coexistence,” says the Iman of the mosque.

“He was a truly secular politician. Despite being educated in England, he never gave up his Maldah accent,” says a local CPI leader. Three years after his death, Barkatda, as he was known, is still a presence in these parts.

His niece, Mausam Benazir Noor, MP from Maldah North, was in the news recently – she camped on the endangered Bhaluka ring dam of the Mahananda River to draw the attention of the governments in Delhi and Kolkata to the plight of the people of the area.

Mausam, whose wedding took place on December 5, won the battle after spending several tough nights at the embankment. “These embankments,” she says, “were built by Baro Mama (eldest maternal uncle) to protect the people from recurring floods. He had these dams built when he was the state's irrigation and power minister. The benefits are being reaped to this day. But the state has done little since."

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

Return of Dynasty

2010-01-14T15:15:00.000+05:30

The champions of democracy have always frowned upon the role political dynasties play in the polity. However, they are here to stay and the world needs to make peace with them. The emergence of Rahul Gandhi and Bilawal Zardari on the political scenes of India and Pakistan have come at a time when other countries in Asia too have shown similar trends. The dominance of Begum Khalida Zia and Sheikh Hasina Wajed in Bangladeshi politics, emergence of Megawati Sukarnoputri in Indonesia, and continued the two George Bushes in United States, Laurent and Joseph Kabila in Congo, are other examples worth mentioning.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

Different Strokes

2010-01-13T15:14:00.000+05:30

Different people have different takes on the emergence of Twenty20 cricket. Some call it ‘pornography of cricket’ and others call it the ‘saviour of the game’. Whatever the point of view may be, there is no doubt that T20 has redefined the entertainment aspect of the game. As football and other international sports consumed less time that cricket, there was a need for a trimmer version of the game to suit the taste of the audiences from developed countries. With Indian Premier League (IPL), BCCI also tried to do a football with cricket and also succeeded in changing the format of the game. However, IPL and Twenty20 international games have a clash of interest and will definitely lead to either of them getting subdued. On the other hand, according to purists, this version of the game will lead to the death of genuine class and technique that have defined the game until now.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

The race to the bottom

2010-01-11T16:58:00.000+05:30

THOUGH LATIN AMERICAN ECONOMIES LIKE ARGENTINA, VENEZUELA AND COLOMBIA HAVE SHOWN SOME RESILIENCE AGAINST THE OVERRIDING DOWNTURN IN THE RECENT PAST. BUT, WITH HUGE SOVEREIGN DEBTS AND THEIR GROWING INCAPABILITY TO SERVICE THEM AT A STANDARD RATE, THEY STILL STAND ON THE VERGE OF COLLAPSE, FEELS MANISH K. PANDEY…

They say easy money always fuels economies. Yes, it does, but can it forever? Latin American economies believe so quite passionately, and in their speedy race to the bottom based on a foxy premise, are on the verge of collapse. A closer look at the numbers and the state of utter economic shambles could well stun the reader! While with CPDs (cumulative probabilities of default) of 55.49% and 49.72%, Venezuela and Argentina respectively capture the second and third slot globally in the latest CMA rankings (of nations who have the highest probabilities of default), Colombia with CPD of 10.15% too has found itself a place in the list of countries who are steadily heading towards a default situation.

No doubt, a massive government spending in the first half of 2009 and a recently improved global economy have so far prevented these economies from a deeper downturn, but then how long? In fact, case by case examination of these three Latin American economies only suggests that they are heading towards a massive fall, smiles and conferences notwithstanding!

Though with a new debt swap in place, Argentine President Christina Fernandez de Kirchner plans to end the eight-year-long muddle that started from a massive default in 2001, but then, most of it seems inconsistent with the reality of macroeconomic indicators, and in some cases even ridiculous. To put it flatly, Argentina’s overall fiscal deficit has reached 2.2 billion pesos in September 2009 compared with a 2.2 billion peso surplus a year ago. In fact, September’s fiscal deficit is the largest so far this year, which guarantees the government will post its first annual deficit since 2002. So, in such a scenario, there is hardly any chance that the economy will escape the forthcoming financial tornado.

While Argentina’s fiscal spending grew 28.5% yoy in September and 27.6% through the first nine months of 2009, the total fiscal revenues increased by just 7.5% and 11.5% during the same period. Tax revenues alone (excluding social security and other non-tax receipts) have fallen by 1.8% in the first nine months – a drop of over 15% in real, inflation-adjusted terms. What’s more! The government has been unwilling to slow spending amid this year’s downturn. Reason: the 2011 presidential election is approaching and the Kirchner administration doesn’t want to compromise on its ‘flagging’ popularity.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

Human neurochemistry

2010-01-08T15:13:00.000+05:30

A clue may lie in human neurochemistry, since Terence McKenna accessed the information about 2012 when using an entheogenic mushroom, and the Maya used the same mushroom, which contains psilocybin – a compound closely related to dimethyltryptamine (DMT). Dr. Rick Strassman has recently confirmed that at birth, death, and during mystical experiences, the pineal gland in the centre of the human brain secretes DMT into the blood. Perhaps the Maya shamans, and the medicine men and priests of North & South America, were able to activate the secretion of DMT, and access some sort of global mega-mind – the developing consciousness of the Earth mother.

The 5,125-year 13-baktun cycle is exactly one eighth of the 41,000-year period of the “variation of obliquity” cycle (change in the angle of axis tilt) that is used to calculate ice-melt cycles. The baktun itself is 400 years long, which is the period of rotation of the Earth’s core, and thus invites the speculation that a geomagnetic reversal is on the cards for 2012. John Major Jenkins has made a strong case that the Maya were tracking the cycle of precession with their Long Count calendar. This is the 26,000-year cycle in which the Earth’s axis, which is 23.5 degrees off “vertical”, rotates in a circle, and is measured by the movement of constellations against the fixed positions of the rising equinox or solstice Sun. The winter solstice 2012 termination point of the 13-baktun cycle indicates a 36-year time window (1980 to 2016) in which the winter solstice Sun rises on the galactic equator. A Russian biochemist called Simon Shnoll has established that human biochemistry (and neurochemistry) is affected by the Earth’s orientation to the stars and by the sunspot cycle, (that is due to reach solar maximum in 2012), and another scientific paper published by James Spotiswoode indicates that psychic ability in humans increases massively when Galactic Centre is rising on the horizon. So this Galactic Alignment process could indicate a time-window that will see the first examples of an altered humanity – some think that we can expect an increased telepathic ability. If a geomagnetic reversal is involved, or an electro-magnetic pulse wave, there is a possibility that the functioning of electronic devices would be compromised, and pineal magnetite may be affected, causing an internal secretion of DMT. Others think that it could trigger mass out-of-body experiences or the rising of Kundalini – the fire serpent of Hindu lore that lies dormant at the base of the spine. This interpretation is reinforced by the recently published lost Aztec codex, The Pyramid of Fire, in which the feathered serpent god, Quetzalcoatl-Kukulcan is revealed to be the same as Kundalini, and is directly connected with 2012… hang onto your hats!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

Rough road ahead

2009-12-23T16:40:00.000+05:30

US and allies face tough questions while recommitting forces to the war effort in Afghanistan, says Zubair A Dar

A cursory look at the map showing the toll on United Kingdom’s troops in Afghanistan clearly shows the challenge that the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) forces face in this war ravaged country. The maximum number of casualties have occurred in southern provinces around Helmand and Kandahar – at least 223 deaths since the war began in 2001.

Facing elections in the coming year, the Gordon Brown-led Labour Party is finding it hard to reassure the United Kingdom’s public in general and the families of the troops in particular about the effectiveness of the war in stopping the threat from arriving in London. In a speech at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London, Brown stressed that Afghan campaign was "prosecuted out of necessity" as three-quarters of the terrorist activities that happen in Britain arose from these areas.

And this is one of the many factors that US President Barack Obama will have in mind while spelling out his policy on Afghanistan, the tone for which was set recently, when he announced his intention to "finish the job".

Though the process is likely to begin by sending more troops to Afghanistan to control Taliban resurgence before the final withdrawal begins, negotiation with the Taliban has not been entirely ruled out. Though the stated mission is to “dismantle and degrade their (al-Qaeda's and Taliban's) capabilities and destroy their networks”, there are strong indications that the Taliban can be a part of the final settlement that would see security responsibilities transferred to the Afghans.

The likely troop reinforcement comes weeks after the US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley A. McChrystal, in a report warned that "failure to gain the initiative and reverse insurgent momentum in the near term risks an outcome where defeating the insurgency is no longer possible". McChrystal had sought 40,000 more troops for implementing his new strategy in Afghanistan that concentrated on protecting civilians rather than killing insurgents or controlling the territory.

It was following this report that the US President began a series of consultations – nine in all – with his war council that included Vice President Joe Biden, secretary of state Hillary Clinton, secretary of defense Robert Michael Gates, US special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan ambassador Richard Holbrooke and US Commander in Afghanistan General Stanley McChrystal besides management and budget director Peter Orszag whose consultation is seen as a result of the budgetary concerns raised in recent weeks. While US war expenditure is likely to increase by as much as $30 billion to $40 billion per year, the McChrystal plan had warned that "inadequate resources will likely result in failure”.

Obama’s new strategy will have to negotiate many domestic and international pressures. In the recent months, the American and British public has viewed the Afghanistan war as “not winnable”. Voices within the US Democrats, who fear Obama’s association with a growingly unpopular war in an election year, oppose any major escalation of involvement in Afghanistan – their belief that the conflict is no longer central to US security.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Born on 26/11 - Homemaker, mumbai

2009-12-03T17:04:00.000+05:30

Mansi Mahesh Shirke

Homemaker, mumbai

Mansi Mahesh Shirke, 30, lives in Nalla Sopara, a Mumbai suburb. She was born on November 26, 1979. The meaning of the day has changed for her since what happened in Mumbai on 26/11.She says: “Last year, on my birthday, as we were preparing to go out for dinner, the terrorist attack began without warning. We were caught unawares. We watched television for two days in horror and lost all sense of time. My birthday was forgotten,” she says.

She adds that her heart still goes out to the families who lost their near and dear ones in the attack by terrorrists. “Memories of the brave officers who were martyred in the line of duty still haunt me,” she says. “When I recall the sacrifice of Sandeep Unnikrishnan, my eyes well up.”

Mansi says: “It is impossible to live down the horror of what happened on 26/11 last year. So my birthday celebrations are bound to be a low-key affair this year. I would like to spend it quietly with my family."

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Nalini Kanto Burman

2009-12-01T12:35:00.000+05:30

Gen. sec. Greater Cooch Behar People’s Association

Nalini Kanto Burman is here to stay. His face does not show even the remotest signs of fatigue. That is what sets him apart from other protesters who look drawn out and fatigued. He agrees with the ways of both Mahatma Gandhi as well as Subhash Chandra Bose. For him, there is no conflict of interest there. But in practice, he follows the non-violent ways of Gandhi. Satyagraha is his tool. For more than three years now, he has been fighting a battle for the separate statehood of Cooch Behar, comprising nine districts of Assam and West Bengal. The place where he has set his temporary abode is on the low-lying part of the footpath which gets water logged from time to time. Those nights, he has no option but to remain awake.

The association maintains that Cooch Behar was a separate state before independence. It was called Prayagjyotishpur then. In the 12th century, it finds mention by the name of Kamtapur. It was promised that it will be given separate statehood post independence. However, that promise was never kept. The association now wants five districts of Bengal and four from Assam to be merged to form the state. Nalini says, “Our culture is separate from those of ordinary Bengalis and Assamese. This will also catalyse development in the backward area.” It is a relief for the government that at least one group in the northeast does not want statehood by means of bloodshed.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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mayawati-is the decisive winner

2009-11-27T16:47:00.000+05:30

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh says,“If UPA fails to tame rising price of foodgrains, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be blamed. So, if he is trying to address the situation, it should not be construed as interference in work. Pawar is apparently unhappy over the growing interference of the Planning Commission in everyday functioning of his ministry. He feels that Montek Singh Ahluwalia is only a puppet in the hands of Manmohan Singh. Pawar made his grievances public at the economic editors' conference. He said it would take time to control prices and that sugar stock was not sufficient to fulfil demand. He added that the problem could be tackled by importing sugar. The PMO has kept the agriculture ministry file pertaining to sugar import pending. The PMO wants the agriculture ministry to route the imports through the State Trading Corporation as it will help lowering the price.

Praful Patel, too, needs National Security Advisor M. K. Narayanan's nod to take any policy decision. A committee has been formed to review the decisions taken during his earlier tenure. This has resulted in delay of modernisation of airports. A confidential report says that during his earlier tenure, the national carrier suffered while private ones benefited.

Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee is completely focusing on West Bengal. She has not been able to provide complete attention to railway ministry. So, the PMO is completely shouldering her burden on all policy-related matters. The Congress seems to be happy with the way she has rescinded decisions taken during Laloo's tenure. Congress hopes to gain ground in Bihar at the cost of Laloo. It has even hinted at fighting the West Bengal Assembly polls jointly with Trinamool.

The Congress wants to fight next parliamentary polls on the basis of UPA's performance. It knows that regional partners can be easily replaced. And with the Opposition BJP in disarray, there is certainly more elbow room for the party and the UPA government’.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Prepare for the surprise

2009-10-27T15:07:00.000+05:30

In spite of scientific difficulties and widespread criticism, new technological advances and the promise of more path-breaking research may turn man's eternal quest for immortality into a reality, mohan k. tikku writes

Humans have always yearned for immortality. But each time, they have come up against the wall of death. People then did the next best thing. They sought to keep the memory alive (if not the body) with tombstones and totem-poles, in rituals and prayers and through memorials and mummified bodies. But at the beginning of the 21st century, a crack in the wall has appeared. For the first time in human history, the possibility of driving a hole through the wall of death is beginning to look real.

This is no grandma's tale. It is about science and technology. The shifting frontiers of new knowledge are breaking through the sound barriers of conventional wisdom. Genetic engineering and nanotechnology are moving in a direction so as to make it possible to redesign human bodies, rebuild tissues to specifications and replace worn out organs.

But, first things should come first. Before we get on to immortality, we must deal with extension of life. In fact, scientists are treating life extension as a stepping stone to immortality. In a recent book, leading American computer scientist and futurist Ray Kurzweil has shown how this could be done. The title of the book says it all: Fantastic Voyage :Living Long Enough to Live for Ever. In his work, Kurzweil has discussed the role of science behind extension of life.

But there is a caveat. We shall have to change our lifestyles as well. This is important. According to University of Georgia gerontologist Leonard Poon, life span is thirty per cent determined by genes and seventy per cent by environment. Kurzweil, for instance, has detailed how much water one should take to flush out the toxins and other unwanted fats each day and the quality of that water. It is a bit like your car. Whenever an accessory or a car part is worn out or breaks down, you replace it with a new one so long as the body of the car is in good shape. And lifestyle is the key to keep the body in good shape.

And then, it is not just about the body but the mind and the brain as well. At the World Future Society conference in the US about a couple of years ago, I heard Kurzweil talk about the rate at which computers will change our thinking capabilities. In about a decade from now, he said, we shall have computers with the processing power equal to that of the human brain. And in another decade - that is by about 2029 - the computers shall not only exceed the processing power of the human brain, but such computers shall be available for the equivalent of $ 1,000 a piece.

Meanwhile, computer chips will be around and available to be uploaded on our brains adding phenomenally to human intelligence. The decisions we will then take and the lives we shall then live shall be radically different than our lives today. So it is not just about the body, the human thinking capabilities will undergo a radical makeover. The New Man that Karl Marx talked of now lies buried under the debris of the Berlin Wall. The signs of the New Man that the new technologies promise today are already beginning to appear on the horizon.

The seeds of this new thinking can be traced back to around 1927, when biologist Julian Huxley (brother of author Aldous Huxley) coined the term transhumanism. Julian, who also founded the World Wildlife Fund and became the first director general of UNESCO, described transhumanism as something that would make it possible for man to transcend oneself "by realising new possibilities of and for his human nature". Not many people cared about this term till about the sixties and the seventies, when fresh scientific advances started opening new windows on what humans could be. By the eighties and the nineties, it had gathered enough momentum for a movement that calls itself World Transhumanist Association to take shape.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Austerity drive - Sonia shows the way

2009-10-26T14:32:00.000+05:30

Let us imbibe her message of simplicity and rise above pettiness

Archana Dalmia

Chairperson, Grievance Cell, AICC

The fact that we always have something to talk about or to tweet on these days shows that India is a thriving, thinking nation. What can be worrying though is that in the cacophony that sometimes arises over “issues”, the real message may be lost forever.

For, louder isn’t necessarily logical and logic doesn’t always make sense. The louder the voices become, the more incongruous the arguments.

I am referring to the hullabaloo over Sonia Gandhi travelling economy class. The fact that the thinking class is actually looking at events with eyes askew was well illustrated by the exact opposite reactions caused by another such event. Let me explain. When External Affairs Minister SM Krishna and Minister of State Shashi Tharoor were found living in five-star hotels, a cry went up berating their sensibilities and calling them insensitive, among other things. When Sonia Gandhi made a conscious decision to travel economy, another sort of war cry arose.

This time they mocked at her measures of being austere. I will not comment on the five-star ministers, but I do want to say something about Sonia Gandhi.

We are being myopic when we do not look at the message she is trying to drive home. The government is concerned over the drought situation. The people in power realise the importance of economising. What better way than to lead by example? When it came to spending money, Sonia Gandhi made sure that her partymen took and showed responsibility. “I can do it, so can you,” was what she meant. In fact, her act said in bold letters, “I can, and you will too.”

Logistics disallow Sonia Gandhi to travel economy every time. Leaders like her and others cannot put their life at risk and travel without elaborate security coverage. If it hurts some one’s sensibilities that the government spends too much on her security, then they must understand that it will hurt us immeasurably if she is harmed. We cannot forget that Mahatma Gandhi was shot dead at a time when terrorists were not even half as active. And he was an austere man. But we would miss the woods for the trees if we did not acknowledge the deep symbolism of his lifestyle.

The same holds true for Sonia Gandhi’s resolve to travel economy. The journey was a symbol, a clarion call for all to realise the “need for austerity”.

It was a message to her partymen to make it their religion. It was purely an internal axiom to be followed by the Congress. But being ridiculed is one of the perils that is a fait accompli with power. Sonia Gandhi has shown that she can revolutionise the way we think and act. She is creating a class of people who can turn into agents of change.

The people of the country also know exactly how politicians use such incidents to flap their wings and make a hue and cry. Ironic for Sonia Gandhi’s detractors, because all that they manage to do is direct attention towards the very person they are trying to take it away from. We know that Sonia Gandhi, who has always conducted herself with grace and dignity, need not resort to gimmicks. She has never been even remotely associated with garish display of wealth. She dresses elegantly and understatedly unlike many other women in politics! Her only daughter was married in a quiet private ceremony. Sonia Gandhi has yet not hosted an Iftar party, a norm in politics. A natural calamity made her abstain from unnecessary expenditure. In this particular case, as in the others, she has emerged as a conscientious leader once again.

A strong signal went out to all the members of the Congress about the responsible behaviour expected from them. It’s amusing that the people who criticised Sonia Gandhi will also have to display a measure of austerity in their lives. That is if they value whatever little political standing they have! Even Rahul Gandhi should be lauded for following the diktat. It is no secret that the ease with which he mingled with the working class played a key role in bringing victory to the party. He was as comfortable sitting on a charpoy in a village as he is in a deluxe suite. Then why the furore when he travels by a chair car? It’s a shame that people were hired to pelt the train with stones. The entire nation witnessed the squirming of the politicians who felt immensely insecure at how Rahul Gandhi went sans fanfare and attendant press to a village in UP, eating and living with the villagers.

This just proves that Sonia Gandhi and her children are beyond tokenism. The press would have gone to sea had they got a whiff of Rahul’s plan and he would have had a healthy dose of publicity. But instead, he won deep respect and admiration. He’s setting a tough example to beat and an excellent one to follow. No wonder their actions set off a riot of cackling voices amidst their detractors. Let us doff our hats at the way these two stellar politicians choose to conduct themselves. Let us imbibe their message of simplicity and rise above pettiness.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Missionary Schools - Centres of good conduct

2009-10-22T14:07:00.000+05:30

Missionary schools and colleges strewn across India have been instrumental in educating generations of students who in turn have gone on to make a mark in various fields of life. These instutions, run by Jesuit priests, Catholic nuns and other orders of the Church, have passed down sturdy personal skills and social values to youngsters from all sections of Indian society.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Indian democracy - Mandate for Peace

2009-10-21T14:11:00.000+05:30

It is perhaps only in a democracy such as India that such a sight is possible: gun-toting militants making ‘peace’ with the government and joining the mainstream, their sins washed away in an instant. It is rampant in India’s northeast and other parts of the country.

The debate is unending. “Democracy here exists only in name. Ambedkar’s vision of a federal India was ruined by the Congress,” says Prabal Neog, leader of the 28th battalion of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA). “Our democracy may not be perfect,” counters HN Das, general secretary of the Assam Congress, “but let’s not forget Assam went back by 20 years because of ULFA.”

But no matter what, there is again that familiar sight on television, of more speeches and promises, followed by that serpentine queue at a polling booth. Nameless faces, still grieving over failed revolutions, will vote… It’s India’s undying mandate for peace.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Celebrating death - Death is deliverance

2009-10-14T14:51:00.000+05:30

Is death pain or a deliverance? Visit ‘Khashi Labh Mukti Bhavan’ in Varanasi. People from across the country come here to die. In the end they celebrate death. No doubt during those last moments, there will be anguish. But, more than that people believe that death is liberation. Liberation from this world. In the last five decades, more than 20,000 people have attained ‘moksha’ in Mukti Bhavan. Shuklaji, the manager of this place, says “Here we celebrate death like birth.”

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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MADURA GARMENTS

2009-10-01T15:39:00.000+05:30

In India, amidst most successful apparel brands, Madura Garments stands tall
First things first! Madura Garments is the market leader in Branded Apparel in India. Some of the famous brands that come under the umbrella of this company include Louis Philippe, Allen Solly, Van Heusen, SF Jeans and Peter England – all of which have achieved considerable success in their segments. In recent times, the company was instrumental in launching the international brand “Esprit” in India. They are also planning to bring Giorgio Armani to Indian shores. Over the last year, the company undertook an initiative to move from being a ‘wardrobe brand’ to a ‘lifestyle brand’. In line with this strategy, they have forayed into footwear and men’s innerwear for brands like Van Heusen, Peter England, Louis Philippe and Allen Solly (which also offers women’s wear). They have extended two of their brands – Peter England and Allen Solly into jeans wear, besides launching a range of‘ Luxury Linen’ semi-formal wear under Louis Philippe.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Europe's fret is US' greed

2009-09-29T14:51:00.000+05:30

Is fining US firms deliberately reflecting it’s insecurity?

Rules are meant to be broken. Well, this might be a famous aphorism in Asia but aptly inapplicable in Europe. Europe is a classic example which, on one hand, can attract big MNCs but on the other hand, can be too harsh on them when they indulge in fraudulent activities or bribery. Apparently, it is unique in itself in treating the MNCs.

The case of Microsoft is a famous one. The IT giant was heavily fined when it failed to meet the regulatory norms set up by the European Commission (EC). In 2008, the antitrust regulators fined a whopping $1.3 billion for not being able to comply with the antitrust laws since 2004 and thus bringing the total amount of fines on Microsoft to a gigantic $2.5 billion. In 2009, EC imposed a fine of $1.45 billion (£1.06 billion) on American giant, Intel Corporation on the ground that illegal anticompetitive practices of Intel would harm the continuation of a healthy competitive market. The EC, in fact, has gone unique in this century with its antitrust activities. It fined Archer Daniels Midland, along with 13 other leading pharmaceutical companies, which the EC suspected were seeking to control the European vitamin market. The most horrifying one was when EC blocked the $43 billion merger deal between General Electric and Honeywell on the ground that American firms are targeting and buying European firms to retain their growth. Surprisingly, the deal was allowed by the US regulators.

Recently, BAE Systems, an European giant engaged in the development, delivery and support of advanced defence, security and aerospace systems, has been given a deadline this month to negotiate with the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) for being allegedly involved in bribery in relation to the sale of aircrafts and air defence equipments to Czech, South Africa and Tanzania. This would mean that if BAE systems fails to negotiate with the SFO, as the director Richard Alderman avowed, it will end up paying a fine of millions from the £2.5 billion-plus contracts with these countries.

The region has always been a bright prospect for MNCs since decades. It is flooded with Foreign Direct Investment inflows. With new opportunities, South-eastern Europe as well as Commonwealth of Independent States are becoming more attractive. According to UNCTAD, these states attracted around $69 billion dollar foreign investments in 2007. The region is further attributed with one billion consumers.

Though fining MNCs is not a new phenomenon, it's unique way of treating MNCs is giving scope for debate. Undoubtedly strictness proves that the region is having stringent regulatory framework but sometimes its over-reactive regulatory approach seems to be biased against foreign firms, especially Americans. Many a time, American firms are ending up to be victims of Europe's strict regulation. It has also been witnessed that Europe often ends up debating the US vs Europe on issues like the GM crop. The US too fined £500 million to German's Siemens for bribery. However, fining the BAE system indicates that laws are common for all in Europe but the examples of Microsoft, Intel, GE and others epitomize that Europe is apprehensive of American firms and their aggressive approach. Does it mean that Europe is insecure? Hard to conclude but still debatable.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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The High Priestess of Bollywood

2009-09-18T17:04:00.000+05:30

Sharmila Tagore, who was on the distinguished jury of the Cannes Film Festival in May, feels our cinema needs to grow up. By Subhash K Jha

You were a member of the jury at Cannes; what do you think of the way Indian films are represented abroad?

You know our cinema has a captive Indian audience. But I don’t think we’re pushing the envelope to compete with the best of global cinema. Where are the really brilliant world-class filmmakers after Satyajit Ray and Adoor Gopalakrishnan competing at Cannes or Toronto Film Festival? I know Bollywood producers make a noise about going to Cannes and other international forums… The films I saw at Cannes were bloody realistic. Here in India we make films which convey a softer realism. I think Nandita Das’s film “Firaaq” could’ve gone to Cannes, or earlier, even Sheetal Talwar’s “Dharm”. Manikada (Ray) always used to ask, "What is the West’s compulsion to understand us?" They don’t have any compulsion. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Devdas” was shown at the opening night of Cannes. That was a huge honour for us. But if we want to compete with the West at Cannes and other international platforms, we need to become a global player and make the kind of films the world is resonating to.

You feel that the Bollywood formula is no good abroad?

The Indian formula works fine for the Indian audience. As an Indian actor for fifty years I’ve got it pat. I know exactly what would attract and repel the audience. But in the global cinematic context, I don’t have to look so pretty. Look at the ads in England. They aren’t celebrity-based and the models are often ordinary people. But here, look at how over-dressed the characters are even on television soaps. Glamourisation on screen is passé now. Everyone was talking about Anurag Kashyap’s “Dev D” in England.

How was the experience at Cannes?

We, the jury members, interacted on three levels… the man-woman, director-actor and East-West levels. The films this time had a lot of violence and sex, and a lot of homosexuality as well. It’s interesting to see cinema from different countries and cultures resonating with similar themes, emotions and even technique. There were some really out-of-the-world films… some wonderful, some weird, but all very interesting. There was a kind of divide among the men and women in the jury over certain movies. There was consensus only over the Palm D’Or. Otherwise we were sharply divided. We all brought our different sensibilities and culture to the table.

But it must have been tiring?

If you are a member of the jury at Cannes, you are royalty. From the time I disembarked I was looked after completely. All you’ve to do is surrender to their hospitality. There were two films to be seen every day. The average length of films this time was relatively long, most of them beyond two hours. There was a difference of opinion over the films. Also we found the performances ofor the female actors to be better than the male actors. We found the actor Tahar Rahim in “A Prophet” to be outstanding, but the film got the Grand Jury award and so we couldn’t give the boy the Best Actor award. On the other hand, the actor Christoph Waltz, who got the Best Actor award, was stunning in a terrible film, Quentin Tarantino’s “Inglourious Basterds”. Some jury members felt Tarantino’s film had a lot of gratuitous violence, and no award should go to it because an icon like Brad Pitt was propagating so much violence.

We recently saw you playing a cameo in the Bengali film “Antaheen”.

At my age it’s good to be part of a good script. I’d like to work with young directors who know their work. I like being part of a realistic film. We’ve been an insulated cinema for too long. We don’t view any world cinema in this country. Where are the Rays and Kurosawas today? Everything is so in-your-face in today’s cinema. I came back from Cannes with renewed respect for Ray and Adoor. I am really sorry to say there’s no one like Ray. He made films that will live on forever.

Your tenure as a chairperson of the Censor Board ends soon. Would you consider another tenure?

I think they should look for someone else. Change is always welcome. The new government has now settled down. I’m sure they’ll take the right decision.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Lament of a saffronite

2009-09-16T16:13:00.000+05:30

Gulzari Lal Agarwal of Vivek Vihar, Delhi is 73 years old. A regular voter since 1962, he has had close links with both the Jan Sangh and the BJP. But today this staunch Hindutva supporter is a disillusioned man. The squabbles within the BJP, he feels, has left the party's committed foot soldiers high and dry. He argues that by abandoning its hindutva plank the bjp has lost its core essence. Now he wants advani to go and make way for fresh blood. read on...

I have been attached to the RSS right since my childhood. I was brought up in an environment that put Indian-ness and Hindutva above all else. It was therefore only logical that I came close to Jan Sangh and later the BJP. I participated actively in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and have always been a strong proponent of the Hindutva philosophy. I did not join the BJP to gain personal mileage. I was committed to its ideology, and that is what has kept me going for so long. That is also why I never accepted any post either in the Jan Sangh or the BJP. We had reposed great faith in the party and really thought that it would make a a difference: be disciplined, ethical and of high moral fibre. Most of all we believed that its leaders had a sense of sacrifice.

But after all this bickering it looks like the party is falling apart. From the way its top leaders are baying for each other's blood it appears that the party is full of self-centred people. All this has hurt the morale of dedicated workers. The party that once boasted of providing good governance and transparency has become directionless. People like Vasundhara Raje and Bhagat Singh Koshiyari are sulking because power was taken away from them. They don’t give a damn about how the cadres selflessly worked to build this party. I repeat that this is not the party that we had aspired to create.

Therefore, if you want to save it, all these selfish and power hungry people will have to be ruthlessly weeded out. Next on the chopping block should be those who are not committed to upholding the party's core ideology. For they are opportunists who come only when they feel there is money to be made.

The other major problem is that most of the leaders, even those who are committed to our core ideology, have become arrogant. What I would therefore suggest is that all such leaders be sidelined and isolated within the ranks. They are simply unable to see that the party is not their personal property; that it is bigger than them. They must know that it is they who depend on the party, not vice versa. The only way to cut them to size is to kick them out of the party. That is when they will realise how small their stature actually is. It was the party that gave them their stature. Once they leave it they are sure to become non-entities. The reality should sink in now. Look at Uma Bharti. What happened to her? She could not manage to save her own fort, leave alone her party. On the other hand the BJP, which she had so much wanted to defeat, came out with flying colours.

My personal view is that the primary reason behind this infighting is Advaniji’s holier-than-thou attitude. He thinks he should not be touched and is above the party. This has put the BJP on a ventilator. If you want the party to be cured of its current ills, the first thing to do is to tell Advani to go. And if he resists, the RSS should forcibly evict him.

For quite some time the media has been running the story that Advani will abdicate the post of leader-of-opposition in a few months. I ask why in a few months? Why not immediately? My opinion is that the longer he stays the more harm he will do to the party’s prospects.

I'll give you an example. Imagine somebody laying a boulder on another's chest. Imagine the poor fellow gasping for breath. Then suddenly some Good Samaritan shows up, but the boulder is so huge that it can only be removed bit by bit. So slowly indeed that by the time it is completely removed the man is already dead from asphyxiation. So if you really want to save him, remove the boulder at one go. Today’s Advani is a load on the party’s chest. So if the BJP is to be saved he will need to quit immediately.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
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I Beg to Differ

2009-09-03T16:39:00.000+05:30

To most of us, beggars are nothing more than an eyesore, but for Lucky, unsure of her age somewhere in the late 20s, heckling devotees outside a temple in south Delhi is all in a day’s work. Thankful for her defective left eye, Lucky is convinced of the adage of ‘ask and you shall receive’…

It seemed like child’s play when I had started, but then everything is at that age. To people, I was a sort of an opportunity to rinse their soiled conscience, by being kind to an underprivileged kid like me. My mom, similar case as mine, had no clue about her dad. She is a sad simple woman who sits outside the same temple where her mom used to sit. I, on the other hand roam about heckling the visitors to the shrine, on sympathetic and sacred grounds. I was a fast learner of this trade and thanks to my left eye (infected since age four and now completely ineffective), I used to beat all competition, even nursing mothers! For the next five years I was the main bread earner for my family including my mom, two elder sisters and a younger brother, but as one gets older, the earnings reduce. I remember I was just seven, when an extremely generous ‘Gori’ (a foreigner) gave me a sweater, bought me fancy food and even gave a crisp five-hundred rupee currency note. My family was ecstatic, as I had earned about twenty days’ income in one! Since that day I was named Lucky and even after 17 years of living off random acts of generosity, I will consider my life living up to my name.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

A quick peep into the fizzy saga...

2009-01-27T17:09:00.000+05:30

Always known for its quick wit and gang of friends, now Appy Fizz wants to be known for its new style too. Surbhi Chawla explores

Wanna look cool with friends while partying, yet don’t want to touch alcohol cause dad’s going to be hopping mad when you get back home. Well, this apple drink with a fizz promises to fool your friends, make your dad happy, while allowing you to still seem the coolest guy in the party. A winner from the stable of Parle Agro (known for its mango drink – Frooti), Appy Fizz, not only looks a lot like bubbly alcohol, but also doesn’t pinch your pocket. Quite a deal! Recently, Appy Fizz underwent a change in its avatar. Nadia Chauhan, Director, Parle Agro told 4Ps B&M, “Appy Fizz got bored of its old gear and we thought it will be a great idea to change into something new. It has purely been a cosmetic change to keep things short.”

Boredom or the Obama effect of Change We Can, the most recent campaign of this drink, where a whacky Appy Fizz character hangs out with its cool friends has sure managed to generate adequate buzz around the brand.

For the uninitiated, Appy Fizz saw the dawn of the day in the sultry summer of 2005 and ever since it has focussed on being different from the others in its league. Interestingly, the year 2005 was also the year when the consumers were looking for alternatives in the drinks segment. They no longer wanted a product that would just quench their thirst or provide relief from the heat, but were also looking for something healthy. This breed of health conscious customers were partly also driven by the pesticide controversy that took place around the same time and ones that were looking for a change from fizzy colas. These developments in the market made marketers sit up and take note. Most donned their innovative hat in search of that magic drink that would tinkle the Indian taste buds yet maintain the nutritional factor. A rash of new drinks were launched – new iced teas to branded chais, and even flavoured milk. Besides, there were also new variants being launched for the fruit-based drinks including a guava flavoured Frooti by Parle Agro. To grab this opportunity Parle Agro decided to enter the carbonated Apple drink segment and introduced Appy Fizz in the Indian market.

Though there were many juice brands available in India at that time, but none of them were offering an apple juice as market research showed that apple juice or an apple based drink would not appease the entire country. And the idea to have a carbonated touch was another big risk that Parle Agro was taking with its Appy Fizz. It was a very niche segment that the company planned to capture and looking back it seems that the strategy worked for Parle Agro has a first mover’s advantage in this category. And to catch the fancy of the youth the product was given a sparkling tinge. Also, the bottle of the drink was given the shape of a champagne bottle and the drink a golden colour, so that it would be a huge hit in party circuit, especially amongst the tea-totallers, who feel left out. With its tagline ‘A cool drink to hang out with,’ and a smart advertising campaign, Appy Fizz was instantly able to create a brand new category and a captured sizeable market share.

From thereon, what has helped Appy Fizz achieve ever growing success is its constantly evolving market strategy. Nadia elaborates, “In the year 2006, the task on hand was to introduce Appy Fizz to the consumers in the most interesting manner possible. With that objective well achieved, the strategy from then on has always been to keep Appy Fizz current.” It is this new objective that allows honchos at Parle Agro to be flexible in their communication strategy that they adopt and it also becomes convenient to experiment.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist) Initiative
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A stopover on one’s journey to heaven

2009-01-19T16:39:00.000+05:30

Islam is based on five pillars which every Muslim must follow. Firstly, that there is one Allah; secondly, to offer Namaz; thirdly, to fast during Ramzan (if health permits); fourthly, to give Zakaat (donating five per cent of one’s savings) and lastly, to carry out a compulsory pilgrimage to Mecca called Hajj. While Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis believe in going for Hajj only when one has fulfilled all his responsibilities in life, the fact is that if one’s health permits and one has sufficient money, one can undertake the journey as many times. It is a personal wish.

Hajj is a five-day affair. No non-Muslim is allowed in Mecca. Even the support staff – the technicians and labourers who are the caretakers of the place – are Muslims.

As soon as we landed at the Jeddah airport, we were taken to Mecca where we left for the mosque the next morning. The dress code for men is a two-piece white dress and women need to wear a headgear called Hijab and cover themselves from head to toe.

One has to spend the whole day at the mosque offering prayers and performing different religious activities. For instance, taking seven rounds of a black-coloured structure and walking around two hills in the mosque seven times. While the small hills are called Safa and Marwah, this activity is called Sai. After this, one goes to Mina from Mecca. There are fire-proof and water-resistant tents with centralised air conditioners where we stayed. From Mina, we proceeded to Jamarat. It is believed that there existed three devils which are symbolised by the three pillars built there. In Jamarat, we stoned those symbols of devils seven times. Next, we went to Muzdalfa that lies to the north of Mina. Here, we were made to stay overnight without any tents or accommodation. We could either pray or just sit there for the night.

One of the most interesting aspects about Hajj was that we got to interact with Muslims from all over the world. It is believed that people from Muslim nations, especially from Saudi Arabia are rigid followers of Islam. But, I would rather say that they are the real followers of Islam. That’s because they follow the Quran and whatever the Prophet has said. Nowadays, Muslims who have moved to other parts of the world (especially west) do not really follow everything that has been written in the Quran. But, a true Muslim is the one who follows the five pillars of Islam. Muslims these days have deviated a lot from what has been written. It is probably due to the way the Quran is being interpreted.

Actually, we believe that one has to perform all the deeds in this world and accordingly, it will be decided if that person is eligible to go to Allah. So, the time spent on this earth has to be dedicated towards the right things. Though, every now and then, there will be a lot of distractions to sway one from the right path, one must stick to the right one to reach Allah.

It is true that people’s attitude and mindsets change after Hajj. In fact, I had noticed some changes in me too. Once there, we realise that there is a life after this one. One also realises that it is important to be good towards people and towards life. We all, somehow, know where we have gone wrong and feel guilty about it. So, when we get back, we come back with a mindset that we have one life and we should do the best we can with this life and be good to all.

One of the most interesting aspects about Hajj was that we got to interact with Muslims from all over the world. It is believed that people from Muslim nations, especially from Saudi Arabia are rigid followers of Islam. But, I would rather say that they are the real followers of Islam. That’s because they follow the Quran and whatever the Prophet has said. Nowadays, Muslims who have moved to other parts of the world (especially west) do not really follow everything that has been written in the Quran. But, a true Muslim is the one who follows the five pillars of Islam. Muslims these days have deviated a lot from what has been written. It is probably due to the way the Quran is being interpreted.

Actually, we believe that one has to perform all the deeds in this world and accordingly, it will be decided if that person is eligible to go to Allah. So, the time spent on this earth has to be dedicated towards the right things. Though, every now and then, there will be a lot of distractions to sway one from the right path, one must stick to the right one to reach Allah.

It is true that people’s attitude and mindsets change after Hajj. In fact, I had noticed some changes in me too. Once there, we realise that there is a life after this one. One also realises that it is important to be good towards people and towards life. We all, somehow, know where we have gone wrong and feel guilty about it. So, when we get back, we come back with a mindset that we have one life and we should do the best we can with this life and be good to all.

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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

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“Sales have suffered lately”

2008-10-23T14:21:00.000+05:30

B&E: What’s your take on downturn in the automotive scene?
MB: The market is undoubtedly at risk and sales have suffered lately but we are looking into the matter closely.

B&E: What are Ford’s plans for capacity expansion in India?
MB: Well, we will be expanding our production to 200,000 units by 2010. We are considering a number of models for the market and that includes a small car that we intend to launch in India.

B&E: Why has Ford discontinued the smaller 1.4L engine that could add volumes to the Fiesta?
MB: The 1.6L engine can alone meet the requirements that would have been met by the 1.4L engine. It has been tweaked and now delivers brilliant performance and fuel efficiency. As a result of these changes, the Fiesta has now become a very attractive product.

B&E: Since the Fiesta was already a high selling car, with the addition of new features has the product changed?
MB: This is a very stylish car with very good performance. It is a kind of car you want to own just by looking at it. The car is targeted at the educated urban Indian, who has succeeded in life.4

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

Building bridges between Muslims, Christians, and Jews seems like a worthy goal

2008-10-21T13:12:00.000+05:30

Some in the American media encourage this angle on extremism. Exhausted and depressed by years of worry over Osama bin Laden, a war in Iraq, and high-pitched threats from the Bush administration toward Iran and Syria, people long for happier narratives about Muslims. In addition, this story helps both large institutions, ranging from the World Economic Forum to Georgetown University, and small grass-roots organisations that focus on the benign and irrelevant exercise of “interfaith dialogue” raise millions of dollars from US foundations and governments in the Persian Gulf. The Saudi royal family, for instance, has a great interest in down-playing the divide between Muslim and Western societies. But simply pretending these differences do not exist is a stumbling block to what should be Western governments’ efforts to engage those Muslims who matter. Merely embracing Muslims who are already converted to a Western school of thought, while shunning and alienating those who have influence over the very extremists who challenge the West’s vision of the world is not only misguided; it is in fact very dangerous. By avoiding the fact that there are profound differences between Muslims in the East and non-Muslims in the West, we are hindering solutions that could prevent the next terror attack in London, Madrid, or Washington.

is campaign are Muslim-American activists. Their message to Muslims in the Islamic world is that America is a great land of the free and any grievances with the United States are misplaced. When addressing American audiences, on the other hand, they promote a mythical idea that Muslims from Egypt to Pakistan actually have favourable notions of the United States. Of course, that works in their favour: By deceiving the public into believing the “threat” is exaggerated, this Muslim-American lobby hopes to create more favourable views of Muslims in the eyes of Americans.

Another culprit is the interfaith dialogue campaign. A few dozen professors of Islamic studies and Muslim-American activists have signed letters to Pope Benedict XVI in an attempt to show that his derogatory statements about Islam have all been forgiven. (I doubt the proverbial Arab street agrees.) Likewise, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim youth groups are organising gatherings at churches, synagogues, and mosques to find common ground. During their meetings, they condemn the violent acts carried out by extremists in their respective faiths and bond over how much their religions have in common.

If it all sounds like a healthy if insufficient first step, it probably is. Interfaith discussion distracts from uncomfortable but necessary questions and should be considered a hindrance to concrete and effective foreign-policy approaches to counter extremism. A far more effective effort would be to appeal to the disaffected youth in Europe and the Islamic world who loathe the United States and much of what it represents. Another necessary step – widely debated during former President Jimmy Carter’s trip to the Middle East in April – is to begin official negotiations with groups with widespread power and influence, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Muslim Brotherhood. The fact that these organisations are the future leaders in the Middle East cannot be ignored. So why shun them from the policy debate?

In January, the Alliance of Civilisations held an extravagant gala in Madrid, where dignitaries from around the world pledged to “bridge the divide.” As usual, the world’s political elites pledged to throw money at the problem. Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser al-Missned, wife of the emir of Qatar, announced a multimillion-dollar investment for a global youth employment initiative. Queen Noor of Jordan pledged $10 million toward a media fund to “support the production and distribution of films that entertain as well as enlighten.”

For Complete I I P M Article, Click on IIPM Article

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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