Friday, August 31, 2012

Priyanka to the rescue!

While on one hand Priyanka Chopra is celebrating the launch of her new website, on the other hand she is mourning over the cloudburst in Leh that has destroyed the Buddha Stupa and a market that she vividly remembers from her childhood days. Having spent a memorable one year in the region, the former Miss World is now doing all that she can to bring back the life and charm of the place.


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Wednesday, August 29, 2012

“The government is trying its level best to control the inflation rate”

Oscar Fernandes, former minister and General Secretary AICC, on functioning of UPA-II and how the government plans to resolve the suffering of the common man. by Pramod Kumar

B&E: There is a constant hue and cry over the failure of proper functioning of UPA II? Your comments?
OSCAR Fernandes (OF): The UPA-II is completely devoted towards the social sector. Our first step was job guarantee through NERGA. Then the government started the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. There are several flagship programmes run by the central government. The impact is an increase in the purchasing power of Aam Aadmi. For example, a person who gets employment for hundred days can now purchase 50 kg of rice and wheat if he belongs to the BPL category.

B&E: Whatever the government had promised has not translated into reality? There seems to be a lack of attempts to reach the aam aadmi, who is suffering due to soaring prices...
OF: I don’t agree with this argument. The beneficiaries are increasing day-by-day. I can give you an example. Five years back, the number of vehicles in cities was much less. Now, the same cities are overcrowded in terms of number of vehicles. This shows that the purchasing power of people is increasing. Same is the situation in other cities too. People are by-and-large happy and contented. They are leading a comfortable life.

B&E: How can you justify rising inflation rate, Naxal problem and conflicts in Jammu and Kashmir?
OF: The government is trying its level best to control the inflation rate. However, at the same time hoarding and unnatural scarcity of food grains are also to be blamed. It’s the responsibility of state governments to check hording and black-marketing. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has already justified this in the Parliament – even the increase of oil prices. The government is also concentrating on social sector and the welfare of people.


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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

How(l) do you do?

Pampered pooches ‘howl out aloud’ and ask for a life that they truly deserve. It’s time to train the trainers!

Ayesha was down in the dumps when she lost Toggle, her 5-month-old black Labrador puppy. To cheer her up, like a true dog enthusiast and a concerned friend, I got her Ginger, a female German shepherd puppy. Ayesha’s eyes filled with tears of joy as she hugged me and Ginger simultaneously! I felt she might go overboard with joy, and pamper her pooch to no end, so I gave her a few tips to raise a perfect puppy. Lost in the joyous moment and completely involved in Ginger, she nodded to whatever I blabbered and probably forgot everything as soon as I left.

Today, Ginger is a year old and has the right to climb-up on the couch, cuddle-up in bed and snatch anything she feels like from any of the members’ hands. She definitely is the pack leader. According to Ayesha, Ginger is the lady of the house and she commands/demands respect. “She need not go for a walk, because it’s too hot and we stay on the second floor. She needs a pedicure every month and has to visit the spa for her massage and hair grooming. I recently got these incredibly cute shoes for her from the pet shop and I can’t wait to order the organic towels for her, which I saw on the net the other day!” said Ayesha. Ayesha supposedly can’t get enough of Ginger, but has forgotten that Ginger is an animal, and probably deserves a life not as girlish!

Several dog owners’ never-ending whims and fancies lead to pooches being pampered silly. A booming industry is now tapping into the true potential of pet lovers in India. A certain few might stall at ‘Windsor’, Khan Market for picking up a mint chewy or a designer leash. Be it a relaxing aroma bath at ‘Scooby Scrub’ or a nice pool party at ‘Kennel 1’, people in most metros are splurging non-stop for their furry companions. All around the world this scenario persists. In China, dogs are being groomed to sport fashionable bright red or green fur on their tail or around the neck. Not only that, some people are shelling out extra bucks to give their pooches a panda-like look! Meanwhile, some insecure pet owners in the U.S. are happily paying-up a whopping $30000 insurance policy for their canine buddies!


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Monday, August 27, 2012

War within

Army’s stand is perplexing

A few days back, the Indian Government challenged the Delhi High Court judgment regarding permanent commission to women in the army by moving the Supreme Court of India. On March 12, 2010, the HC had directed the government to allow grant of permanent commission to women in army and air force. Under this directive, women serving in the short service commission program would be treated at par with their male counterparts, which will be applicable to future recruitments only. While the air force has complied with the order already, the army has gone on record to say that it is not ready to provide permanent commission to women yet.

As of now, women in the Army are only recruited for Short Service Commission (period of 14 years) unlike their male counterparts, who enjoy permanent commission after five years. This move by the government and the army does come out as highly discriminatory, despite claims to the contrary.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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

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Friday, August 24, 2012

INDIA’S LARGEST PRIVATE SECTOR BANK

IT’S NEITHER AN EXTREME OF ADVENTURISM NOR AN EXTREME OF CONSERVATISM, THE APPROACH THAT INDIA’S LARGEST PRIVATE SECTOR BANK, ICICI BANK, NOW SEEMS TO FOLLOW IS THE MIDDLE PATH

In the meanwhile, to add to the irritation basket of Kochhar, on and off, there were numerous reports on how the bank’s so-called collection agents were harassing customers to recover dues; this wasn’t definitely helping brand ICICI and the collection agents were perhaps not the best brand ambassadors. Kochhar went for a swift course correction. Realising that the approach towards collection needed to be preventive than curative, the services of the collection agents were done away with. Now, collection is an in-house job; those who sell loans double up to follow up on the payments. ICICI Bank, once known for its aggressiveness, has in a way called off the frenzy of expansion and market share and settled down to the basics of safe banking. The very mantra of growth, market expansion, size and scale that mattered the most for the bank was put on hold and the operational focus was more oriented to balanced growth for sustainable and higher income.

Keeping in mind the September 2008 episode, the bank focused on a base of stable depositors, and hence more small savings (on which a mere 3.5% interest is paid) and current accounts (on which the banks have to pay zero interest) thereby turning the operations more profitable. The bank is neither operating with too much of adventurism nor with too much of conservatism. Though optimistic of the long-term scenario, the bank at present is taking cautious steps. Moreover, the customer orientation apparently has improved dramatically. The multiple calls that customers would receive from different sales people of ICICI Bank 24x7 have gone into a limbo.

Now, you really don’t have five different sales people calling you at five different hours of the day trying to push five different products of the bank. The entire approach has changed, with the focus now on a one-point contact to the customer. The “Khayaal Aapka” ad campaign is a step forward in customer focus and managing activism...but one that might not be needed in the near future.


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