The Indian Institute of Planning and Management

Tere Bin Zafar: pakistani pop star and bollywood debutant ali zafar wants to relocate to mumbai. but can he

2011-02-07T11:57:00.001+05:30

INDIA'S BEST COLLEGES, INSTITUTES and UNIVERSITIES

'Keep politics out of art and culture,' says Pakistan pop singer Ali Zafar who arrived in Mumbai this month. He would like nothing better than to move to Mumbai and become a singing actor like Kishore Kumar. But would the current milieu of hostility allow him to make that move?

'Things have to get better between the two countries,' Ali says optimistically. 'The sooner the better. Because the present hostility is unbearable. We from the entertainment industry in Pakistan are hard hit by the suspicion between the two countries.'

Ali Zafar is honest enough to admit there's more scope for him to function in India than in Pakistan. 'I'll be honest. There are more avenues and prospects here. So if the God above and the politicians down below permit, I'd love to move to Mumbai. An artiste knows no bounds and boundaries. My first home is Lahore. But I'd like to make Mumbai my second home.'

Ali has a wife and a three-month-old baby boy back home. 'When I left home I kept looking back at my home and loved ones. I wish they could come with me.' Ali expects his wife to join him in Mumbai later during his current trip to the city, his first after 26/11.

In the last 6-7 years, he has been to Mumbai at least 20 times. However, he was unable to return recently because of the current political scenario. 'Things have changed now. My last visit was before 26/11 and I remember how pleasant the mood was in Mumbai. Tere Bin Zafar I was free to move around the streets of Mumbai. I cannot deny there's tension between the two countries. Pehle aana jaana laga rehta tha. Initially, we artistes from Pakistan used to get multiple visas quite easily. Now it's different, and sadly so. However, I feel singers and other artistes should be exempt from politics.'

Ali thinks it's easy for him to incorporate singing into his acting because he uses a lot of acting expression on stage. 'I wanted to do something different from what my colleagues from Pakistan do in India. I always thought my first acting experience would be something different and special. I've no leading lady in my first film "Tere Bin Laden". I was determined that when I act for the first time I'd sing for myself and not sing for others on screen. When I met the director Abhishek Varma for "Tere Bin Laden" in Mumbai, I knew this was the project that I wanted to start my big-screen acting career with. I laughed so much when I heard the script, I was sure the audiences would love it too.'

Being married doesn't diminish Ali's popularity. 'On the contrary, female fans trust married men more than unmarried males. Married men are considered stable.'

About being inspired by Kishore Kumar, Ali Zafar shoots off, 'He's my definite inspiration. Just as Kishore Kumar saab was inspired by K.L Saigal.'

Ali Zafar is moving to Mumbai and will be signing more new movies. He adds, 'I love the city. I want it to love me back as much as I do.'

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AFTER A CALM, COMES THE...

2010-09-13T15:28:00.001+05:30

Mahindra Retail has been a slow starter when it comes to store openings, but it has a judiciously chosen expansion strategy to take the ‘mom & me’ brand places...

The year gone by was a ghastly experience for those in the Indian retail industry. While paper calculations from the Retailers Association of India forecasted a happy 25% growth for the retail sector for the year, real growth during the year suggested a growth of just 2%! While on one hand, biggies like Reliance, Future Group, Shoppers Stop putting brakes on their aggressive expansion plans, on the other, smaller players (like Vishal Retail Ltd.) were forced to put locks on the host of existing stores. But as all heroic tales go, this one had exceptions too; rather ‘an exception’ in the name of Mahindra Retail. Many haven’t still walked into a Mom & Me store yet (that is the market name of Mahindra’s retail outlets) and many haven’t even heard about the brand (owing to its being in a very nascent stage), but for all we didn’t know, it was always working upon its strategy to remain stain-free during the bloody war against slowdown.

Spoken plainly, it was just a simple clean ‘slow and steady’ growth model to be worked upon, with no false promises of aggressive expansions. So when Reliance Retail had to put a stop to its publicly-announced penetration plan (of opening 40 stores per year), Mahindra Retail stuck to its tortoise-style plan of opening just two stores per year. Unlike the other blue-eyed of boys of India Inc., Anand Mahindra never believed in hypermarts being the stepping-stone to success in the retail world. Rather, he resorted to a specialised and unique retail format, after a two year-long homework and research, for which he hired KSA Technopak.

The group worked towards developing a USP of having a specific retail model for a specific group, judiciously avoiding the model of rolling-out a ‘me too’ brand. Walk into the office of Mahindra Retail, located at Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore, and you’d realise that for this venture, business is all about “mothers & infants” (Mahindra Retail calls it “from -9 to +9 years”), all thanks to its vision (‘To be the preferred destination, choice of every mom and child to delight them with world class product and services and to serve them in a personalized fashion’) written across a gigantic board that greets you at the entrance.

But at this very juncture, a doubt arises – identifying the mother and child space was good, for it sounded different, but when a host of analysts are found swearing to the tunes of the grocery and foods retailing symphony as an entry strategy, Mahindra’s plan to cash-in on a unique format is apparently found lost for justifications… However, a ‘never-say-die’ K. Venkataraman, MD of Mahindra Retail tells 4Ps B&M, “We didn’t want to open a regular store, without any specific target audience. Also, growth on an already claimed USP was also a strict no for us…” Surely, that’s swearing by uniqueness for real growth! But a recent research paper by market research agency, i-mint, titled, ‘Changing trends in retail marketing’, surely seems to be voicing out loud in favour of Mahindra Retail. The paper states that, “businesses need to focus nurturing a core customer base that is profitable to the company. Successful retailers generate majority of their profits from this core base.’ Therefore banking on a core group of customers (like ‘mothers and to-be mothers’ as in the case of Mahindra), surely calls for success in the mid-long term.

Mahindra’s first four stores that were opened in 2008, recorded a growth of more than 30%. And the strong logical acumen was displayed by the entity through the very fact that knowing its target customer, it only opened its shops in the metros, where, beckoning “expecting” couples is most definitely easier. But all is not good. A FICCI-based retail analyst feels that it was not really a wise bet to avoid treading down the time-tested model of retailing, at least in a country where organized part of this business, accounts for just 4.9% (equivalent to $16.5 billion) of the total retail pie.

A bird’s eye view of the entry strategy of the $6.3 billion Mahindra group proves that the entity has always sworn by the time-honored revenue generating model of foods and vegetable retailing. Its agri-business arm, Mahindra Shubhlabh Services Ltd., with its strategic partner Capespan (from South Africa), has been exporting grapes and other fruits to Europe. Therefore, it is not at all true that Mahindra is allowing opportunities offered by the mass market to fall on its blind spot. It’s agri-arm is paying heed to what is definitely counted as a sure-shot successful strategy in international markets.

Innovation in offerings is another point that makes Venkataraman and his team different. From providing guidance for vaccinations to tying up with global companies with unique agreements and launching private labels (in the initial year, the company rolled out three in-house brands and plans to roll out more such ten brands in 2010), it has many innovative arrows in its quiver. “We are also soon going to roll out services like educating the mother on proper feeding et al, and for all such services, our store staff will undergo a special and rigorous 21 day-long training sessions. And we won’t open a store unless we have a complete manpower-equipped store and have chosen a proper location,” says Venkataraman. Surely, it doesn’t believe in throwing caution to the winds, and seven stores across six cities in just two years is some proof! In this regard, there is some cause for concern, as competition is spreading quick and thick through town, and such pauses (like the one for a search for some El Dorado property) would only tantamount to sheer waste of precious time. Conclusively, by the time ‘mom & me’ gets ready to launch an aggressive growth plan sometime in the near future, a rival-chain like Mothercare (from the stable of Shopper’s Stop) would have already established heavy dominance in the market.

But, threats aside, for now, there is no denying that its bets have paid off well, with the cautions paying-off well. The very fact that a fledgling like Mahindra Retail, unlike its big branded rivals, steadily expanded its presence across all major metros without facing many problems due to the slowdown (Venkataraman confesses, “The slowdown did not affect us much.”), during a time when its seasoned competitors found their tails on fire, is some achievement in itself. A brand new year and grand plans to open 50 more new store during the year; now would you call that slow?!

Angshuman Paul

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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Online live streaming takes a leap

2010-08-27T17:38:00.000+05:30

The Indian online-display advertising market is poised to grow at 32% this fiscal, but the road ahead is bumpy. Saurabh Bhatia, Chief Business Officer, Vdopia Inc. reveals his firm’s content to 4Ps B&M and talks about Vdopia’s 2010 game plan in India...

4Ps B&M: What was the main thought process about live streaming of cricket? Has it lead to any kind of increased patronage from your clients’ side?
SB: Working with online content owners for quite some time made us to realise the value of content in areas like cricket and news. There was also a request from our publishers for providing them a solution in those lines. That’s how the concept of live screening of cricket on board was developed as we worked with Ten Sports for India – Australia series and Nimbus for India- Sri Lanka series. Today we not only deliver an amazing reach within audience vis-à-vis television but also provide absolute measurability. We are going for an advance booking for many of the upcoming sporting events like the India – South Africa series (which starts next month).

4Ps B&M: Which are the major advertisers that have come aboard on this?
SB: For live screening we have had advertisers like Aircel, Airtel, Xerox, Maruti, IDBI, Cisco, et al.

4Ps B&M: What is the revenue sharing model of Vdopia?
SB: We associate or partner with publishers and content owners in online and mobile space. We provide free technology and essentially that technology is the ability to insert the ad within the video or in and around the video. Some of our technology is patented or proprietary which is all free of cost and in return, we generate revenues from the advertisers providing ads. These ads are then run on our publishing partner’s sites or on the video content (cricket, news, sports, entertainment, et al) and the revenue generated is shared between us and our publisher partners.

4Ps B&M: Any plans to promote live screening of news channels?
SB: Yes, absolutely. In fact, in the current quarter our core focus will be on promoting live screening across news channels. Our goal is to get all the key news channels on board vis-à-vis this particular aspect is concerned. As of now, NDTV is one of our premium publishers, thus they are among the first companies for whom we implemented live screening solutions.

4Ps B&M: But what about the Mobile ad network, especially when the talk of introducing 3G in India is so ubiquitous?
SB: One of the major initiatives for us this year is mobile. We invested significant energy and resources last year in developing mobile technology. We launched i-Vdopia in US (a mobile centric video advertising platform) and we intend to grow that platform and achieve leadership in that aspect in the current year. In addition, we are also working on project R (its code name is Project R!) which shall be revealed in the month of April. Besides this, we also intend to do a commercial launch which is another initiative both in the Internet and mobile space.

4Ps B&M: Vdopia has grown over 900% in 2009. What are your plans to sustain the same growth rate?
SB: In the short term, we believe that mobile is going to be a big initiative including live screening. We are focused on the expansion of our sales, technology, R&D in India. For 2010, we have done significant hiring and have doubled our sales team. Moving forward in the long run we are very clear that we need to continue to do innovation around video and we are absolutely committed in doing that.

As told to Neha Sareiya

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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Kyamovie, Kyamatch, Kyazoonga

2010-07-15T16:01:00.002+05:30

Neetu Bhatia, Co-founder, Kyazoonga.com talks about her vision to make Kyazoonga.com a one-stop shop for ticketing solutions...

4Ps B&M: Online ticketing for sporting events is a novel concept in India. How did the idea click for you?
NB: It all began in the summer of 2006. When my brother and I wanted to go for a movie, we realised that there was not a single place where we could check out show timings and whether tickets were available or sold out. We checked with movie theaters to find out if their technical systems could be integrated with a single platform, and before we knew it, we were tying up with all cinema theater chains in the country. We began ticketing cricket once we received the first round of funding. We started with movies first as it is a year round phenomena whereas cricket is seasonal and it is only when team India is playing at home ground that one can see some frenzy. November 2007 was when we first sold online tickets for the India-Pakistan finals in Jaipur.

4Ps B&M: So do movie tickets net in more moolah or are cricketing events more lucrative?
NB: It depends on what we are selling – whether it is sports ticket that we are selling, is it cricket or some other sport. It depends upon the marketability and selling ability of a particular event. Our business model depends a lot upon the demographics and the city where the event is taking place. For instance, Mumbai has a very different buying culture than Delhi. While a customer pays because of the convenience he’s getting; the client pays because of the platform that we provide to sell his offering. So the business model varies for clients, events and situations.

4Ps B&M: What about competition from other ticketing portals like Bookmyshow.com? How do you convince customers to book with you instead?
NB: We’ve seen many competitors come and go in this market. There are very few companies around the world that are able to offer good centralised ticketing platform and can simplify complex problems. We’re not just selling tickets through our online channel, but also through retail stores where people can pay cash and buy tickets. And this is where we’ve differentiated ourselves from our competitors as in retail outlets, the customer does not has to worry about not having a debit or credit card like in the case of online transactions. Currently, we’ve 250 retail outlets and with the kind of strategic partnerships we are looking, we should be over 1,000 by the end of this year.

4Ps B&M: How has been the ticketing response to the recently concluded Hero Honda Cup?
NB: The response has been nothing less than phenomenal. We witnessed one of the largest stadiums in the country, in Mumbai, completely sold out, though it’s unfortunate that the rain wiped out the match. For the Mohali match, we were only selling high value tickets and we’ve seen encouraging response there too.

4Ps B&M: You had the online ticketing rights for IPL 2. Are you bidding for the 2010 Common Wealth Games?
NB: We’re the only sports ticketing company in the country. Everything and anything related to sports is always on our radar and Common Wealth Games are no exception. Our objective is to satisfy all needs of the Indian customer pertaining to sports and entertainment. We’ve recently tied up with a leading amusement park of the country and are also adding adventure sports like sailing in our portfolio. The idea is not just to provide convenient tickets but also to offer value added content to the customer so that we become a one-stop shop for them.

Surbhi Chawla

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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The real licensed Reality TV!

2010-06-17T16:31:00.001+05:30

Despite some great original formats, licensing of Indian TV content is negligible. If Bollywood has got global acceptance, what stops home-made reality TV?

4Ps B&M: Do you think original Indian television show formats have the potential to be licensed outside India?
AP: Yes. It is the classic parallel of asking why Indian/ Bollywood films don’t crossover. Here we’re purely talking about the format or story/ characters. Indians have always been great storytellers from time immemorial; take our mythological tales, for instance. So therefore, yes, some of our shows do possess great potential to be licensed out to other countries.

4Ps B&M: … but of course, there must definitely be certain type or categories of shows that have the scope to be licensed out?
AP: Shows that have stories with universal appeal, with characters, emotions that people identify with, fit the bill. Again, certain shows could appeal in certain places, based on similarity of audience profiles, for example in Pakistan. But our soaps could even do well in a place like Brazil. Interestingly, there are times when you could find a connect even in the most unlikely places; look at Mithun & Raj Kapoor’s films becoming a hit in Russia or for that matter Rajnikant in Japan!

4Ps B&M: And how about the scope for licensing of Indian fiction shows to global markets?
AP: I believe the scope for Indian fiction shows being licensed is immense in certain global markets. However, someone needs to pick them up and market them aggressively.

4Ps B&M: Why is it that despite having some very interesting TV show formats in place, licensing them out to global markets has not yet become a regular practice in India?
AP: Well, the focus hasn’t moved sufficiently to alternative revenue streams. For example, Bollywood, in the past, focussed only on the Indian box-office. Then, with a few hits, not just within the South Asian diaspora, but amongst others across the world, they realised the potential of earning more money, and then they started chasing an ‘NRI’ and other content consumers. Same is the case with television shows… Some of it may also be a function of rights. Most cases show that the rights are taken over by the broadcaster. And a lot of them have global footprints, eg. Zee and even MTV India beam (that reaches out goes out to several markets like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, US, parts of UAE and Maldives) and Star... It is monetised through advertising/ subscriptions. But internationally, a lot of the production houses retain rights and then the format holder(s) exploits these through all other sources possible.

4Ps B&M: What needs to be done to encourage the licensing out of original Indian TV formats?
AP: Ease of registration of formats, supporting and facilitating the same through forums at Cannes are a few important steps that will encourage the licensing out of Indian shows. More so, greater consideration should be given to organising more intra-industry events, trade fairs, etc…
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.
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The movers...

2010-05-31T16:24:00.001+05:30

Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

l Punit Goenka, currently serving as Whole-time Director & CEO of Zee Entertainment Enterprises Limited (ZEEL) has been appointed MD of the company w.e.f January 2010. The announcement follows the demerger of regional entertainment vertical of Zee New Ltd. (ZNL) to ZEEL. Post-demerger, ZNL’s six regional channels viz. Zee Kannada, Zee Marathi, Zee Bangla, Zee Telugu, Zee Talkies and Zee Cinemalu will come directly under Zeel from January 2010.

l Tarun Das, Chief Mentor, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) retired on Novmber 3. Das was the Chief Mentor of CII from 2004-2009 and was the Director General of CII from 1974-2004.

l Hyundai Motor India Ltd. (HMIL)has announced the transfer of its current MD & CEO, H. S. Lheem to its Headquarters in Seoul, South Korea. The transfer will be effective from November 5, 2009. Lheem will be succeeded by H. W. Park, current Senior Executive Director, Administration & CFO, HMIL.

l Dr. Amrita Patel, Chairman, National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) has agreed to join the Board of Trustees of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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UNITED IN FEAR

2010-05-13T17:54:00.003+05:30

The Mumbai Terror Attacks

The ultimate marketing lesson for a political party in search of a decisive voter endorsement is simple: do not milk the traumatic power of terror attacks to score political brownie points. Terror creates fear, no doubt; but it also unites citizens in an unprecedented manner. For decades to come (or unless a bigger attack happens in future), 26/11 will remain etched in the Indian memory as the equivalent of the 9/11 attack that shook America and convulsed the world. Assembly Elections in many states including Rajasthan & Delhi were scheduled around that time. And in what turned out to be a marketing blunder, the BJP took out full page ads in newspapers asking citizens to vote for a party that could protect them from such attacks. The citizens voted no doubt, but not for the BJP and gave a ringing endorsement to the Congress in Delhi & Rajasthan. Reason: voters found that the product attribute of BJP was definitely not superior to that of the Congress when it came to tackling terror attacks. And it found the ‘fear and hate’ inducing ads distasteful. Of course, there have been occasions when playing on fear has worked – as the Congress did successfully after the assassination of Indira Gandhi in 1984. Has the Indian consumer evolved?!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

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We believe in fast and unhindered access to our voice & data services

2010-04-23T11:41:00.004+05:30

IIPM: An intriguing story of growth and envy

Vsevolod Rozanov
President & CEO, SSTL

And to succeed in this strategy, MTS is in fact collaborating with handset makers for more affordable data capable phones. It’s even considering to offer exclusive and subsidised handsets in India much like the global market.

Another thing that works in favour of this service provider is that Open Market Handsets (OMH) have been recently given a green signal in the country, which means that CDMA subscribers would now have a greater choice when it comes to purchase a handset. Though Lenny does not deny this opportunity, but he points out that even with the introduction of OMH in the country, existing customers will have to buy in a new phone to avail MTS services. However, to address the problem there will soon be handsets in India that would be technology agnostic, making it simpler for the subscriber to shift whenever he desires even without changing his/her handset.

No doubt, in the recent past we have seen many new players, be it RCOM’s GSM foray, Aircel or even Tata DOCOMO entering the Indian telecom market, but they all have harped on the low pricing strategy, freebies, et al, and nothing else. Even MTS seems to be going the same way as of now. Though the company has been ranked as number one or two by TRAI in terms of network service in various circles in which it currently operates in, but if MTS wants to make a mark for itself in the Indian market, it will have to work more towards creating a differentiating factor (which somehow seems missing at the moment) and that too before it’s too late.

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.

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Burn‘s’ing desire!

2010-03-22T12:56:00.001+05:30

Exclusive In chat with Society Magazine - Prof. Arindam Chaudhuri

It seems that Ursula Burns, (the 30-year veteran at Xerox who just took over as its CEO in July this year), is acting boldly to change Xerox’s stodgy image. Well, Xerox has just agreed to buy Affiliated Computer Services (ACS) for a whopping $5.75 billion. No doubt, it’s a smart move from Xerox as the combination will result in $400 million of annual synergies, but then, the moot question is will the deal finally take it away from its age-old image of being just a printer company? “We’re creating a new class of solution provider,” Burns said in a statement. No doubt, the move is a big bet to transform Xerox into a $22 billion business that does everything – from collecting tolls and installing systems to retooling business processes and information technology outsourcing. And who knows ACS may prove to be Burns’ most radiant strike in her new role as CEO!

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

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

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Designer Tarun Tahiliani gets candid with 4Ps B&M’s Angshuman Paul

2010-03-04T11:55:00.003+05:30

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

4Ps B&M: If you were reborn, who would you like to be born as?
TT: If I ever get a chance to choose who I can be reborn as, I would like to be born again as myself but with the wisdom I have today.

4Ps B&M: One thing you can’t resist?
TT: Definitely a good scotch.

4Ps B&M: If you were invisible for a day, what would you like to do?
TT: I will go to my office, simply sit there and watch what exactly happens in my absence.

4Ps B&M: What puts you off?
TT: Arrogance and Hypocrisy. I cannot stand it.

4Ps B&M: The perfect festival outfit?
TT: Definitely not a bikini (laughs). If it’s a festival, I prefer to keep it simple and ethnic. However, as a general rule, anything that you are comfortable in, is the perfect dress for any occasion (smiles).

4Ps B&M: Your most cherished childhood memory?
TT: It’s a Diwali memory. I still remember when I was a kid, my grandfather used to get a huge tokri (basket) full of crackers for all of us. And we used to wait for the festival season all year long. I cherish those times.

4Ps B&M: The person you miss the most during a festival?
TT: My mother. I remember when my mother was alive, she used to run around during festivals decorating the house, making various arrangements and ensuring everything was in place.

4Ps B&M: Fashion today...
TT: ...has moved much beyond just east or west and today’s customer is much more concerned about the colour contrast. But I think one should not be so fussy about colour matching and contrasts. For me fashion is what you are confident in carrying yourself. But yes, you should know the right dressing for right occasion.

Angshuman Paul

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

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

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

IIPM ISBE Programmes
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
1 lakh copies sold in less than 10 days of Arindam Chaudhuri’s “Discover The Diamond In you”

IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON
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B-schools expect higher rate of campus placements this year

4Ps B&M Best Brands Survey

2010-02-19T16:25:00.002+05:30

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

Alok Bharadwaj,
Sr. Vice-President, Canon India
“The best thing innovation has produced is Microsoft. while executing my leadership & management roles, communication, analytics & engagement become very critical & the tools I employ become a mix of my skills & Microsoft’s technology. i Can’t imagine living without such technologies. The most interesting part is that while experiencing MS tools, I find them integrated in their next ‘futuristic’ version. It is as if Microsoft’s R&D staff are listening to my prayers. What an impact their Office 2007 powerpoint has created in my presentations. Microsoft is almost like a part of us. I call it the ‘sixth sense of human body...”

C. S. Rao,
MD, Intel-WiMax Program Office, South Asia & Middle-East
“Simply stated, I, an indian cannot even think of leading an active personal, social and business life without Microsoft. I mean, how can one imagine life with no access to the world on my most habituated way of accessing the web over Microsoft’s Internet Explorer? The fact that I will not be able to generate any document without the Microsoft Word, or that I will lose the opportunity to use MS Excel for any kind of financial analysis or the outlook to send emails, just sounds like I will be pushed back to some age of the dinosaurs. If I lose access to MS’ calendar,, then I would be out-of-sync with my usual present self. I guess, we in India have become conditioned in that fashion. if the PC for indians is about the body-self, then the soul surely becomes Microsoft!”

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.

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

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

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

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

Brand Loyalty

2010-02-10T13:33:00.000+05:30

Wow! Film stars who are loyal!

In today’s highly competitive environment, brand loyalty is a topical issue, for it becomes difficult for a brand to engage customers for long. Those who do succeed tend to get rewards in terms of customer retention. Loyal customers are also likely to spread positive word of mouth to other consumers, thus becoming advocates of the brand. For the second year running Airtel has topped the Brand Loyalty Index. Airtel continuously engaged its customers with innovative product offerings, VAS and its high value customer retention programme.

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.
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You
IIPM 3-year full-time Integrated (MBA BBA) Programme
IIPM 2-year full time Programme (leading to the award of the MBA degree from IMI)
B-schools expect higher rate of campus placements this year
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
IIPM Best B School – EVENTS
IIPM conceptualized the grand final of Dare ‘10 — the most prestigious of international B-school student quizzes

Jagran Prakashan Ltd.

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

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

Entry Price: Rs.86
Target Price: Rs.108
EPS: 4.8 (FY10E)
P/E: 17.9 (FY10E)
Time Duration: One year
Rationale: While slowdown in the economy and ad-spend cuts remains cause of concern for print media companies, Jagran Prakashan is expected to post steady growth (up-tick post 2HFY2010E) owing to its strong foothold in the Hindi belt (Dainik Jagran), focus on local advertising and rising colour inventory. Company’s margins are also expected to improve by 750 basis points over FY 2009-11E driven by lower newsprint costs (declined 35-40% from peak of $950), lower losses in new initiatives and higher operating leverage (as ad-rate hikes get absorbed). Further, the company’s 2QFY2010 and 3QFY2010 will register sharpest gross margin expansion due to base effect. This certainly makes Jagran Prakashan a stock to hold on.

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.
Follow Arindam Chaudhuri on Twitter
IIPM B School on Twitter
Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
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Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
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Don’t forget the seat belt!

2010-01-16T13:13:00.000+05:30

Small surprise that the CEO is like a man possessed, packing in nearly 14 hours of work in a day. He starts his day early (at 5am) and after finishing his hour long exercise regimen, he gets on to work, taking only five minutes off for lunch in between. Given that the luxury car market is expected to grow even higher than the average growth of the passenger car market (around 8-10%) in India, his agenda perhaps would be to corner more market share for Mercedes. Aulbur even seems to have a plan to make reality meet his expectations. Apart from the new E-Class that Mercedes plans to roll out over the next couple of months in India, in a bid to expand its market, the company also launched the improved version of its M-Class SUV in March this year. And to hit back at rivals, Mercedes has kept the pricing of the new model almost similar to the old one, despite added features. Combined with the volume puller C-Class (that accounts for nearly 40% of Mercedes’ total sales in India), the company expects to stay on top of market developments. Hopes are particularly high with the coming festive season. If Mercedes manages to register similar sales figures (banking on the new E-class) as in last fiscal, the going will be smooth for the company.

Importantly, Aulbur is taking a leaf out of his competition’s winning strategies. Despite its late entry, BMW’s dream run in the Indian luxury car market in large parts stems from creating a large network of truly luxurious dealerships, benchmarked to BMW’s global network. An average BMW dealership in India today almost offers a similar retail experience as in Munich or Tokyo. Aulbur is moving along a similar path, with plans to open more showrooms in metros as well as in the Tier-II and III cities to “offer a better retail experience to consumers.” Along with associates, the company is now investing close to Rs.150 crore in its distribution network “to ensure that the Mercedes Benz retail experience is the best in the country,” says Aulbur. Land has already been purchased across the country to build these new showrooms. The show of muscle does not stop there. In a bid to win back its undisputed top slot in India’s luxury automobile segment, the plan is also to ramp up its Bangalore-based R&D facility significantly. The company has already announced that head count is set to go up four fold in the facility.

From new launches, retail reach, pricing controls to unabashedly adopting the winning strategies of its rivals, Aulbur is clearly leaving no room for a mess up in the Indian market. Sure, there is professional pride involved, but there’s also a personal connection. Married to Radha Srinivasan since 1997 and a self-proclaimed follower of democracy, India is second home for Aulbur. And isn’t the taste of success on your home turf always sweeter?

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.
1 lakh copies sold in less than 10 days of Arindam Chaudhuri’s “Discover The Diamond In you”
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
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Sanjay Behl knew what he was letting himself in for when he took on the ceo’s mantle at big tv two months ago.

2010-01-11T14:39:00.000+05:30

But it will take much more than a few tough rivals, nonplussed consumers and a late-mover disadvantage to dissuade Behl from the task at hand. Surbhi Chawla meets up with Ambani jr.’s key man...

The first thing that you notice when you meet Sanjay Behl, CEO, BIG TV is his height. At 6 feet plus, and fair as fair can be, his personality dwarfs the room that we sit in. Behl’s marketing charisma however has nothing remotely dwarfish about it. But we are not the first guys to discover that. Anil Ambani discovered it (much to his advantage) almost five years ago when he plucked this marketing wizard out of Nokia and made him the branding centre point of his maiden consumer facing business – RCOM. Behl’s stature within Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) soared when RCOM surged ahead of its rivals in the mobile telephony segment, within striking distance of market leader Airtel. So when Arun Kumar Kapoor, the then CEO of ADAG’s Big TV (the DTH arm of ADAG) jumped ship, Ambani predictably zeroed in on Sanjay Behl to step in as CEO.

High on his success with RCOM, Behl was only too happy to tap into his experiences with the mobile telephony venture to make the DTH business a viable proposition for Ambani junior. Just two months into his new role and Behl is really making serious strategic inroads. “Our experience in enriching the mobile screens of over 80 million customers through popular, interactive and utility value-added-services makes us confident of creating similar excitement, never seen before on millions of TV screens in India,” he says, with barely unsuppressed enthusiasm.

But, Behl’s task is both easy and difficult at the same time. Easy because the DTH industry in India is still in a nascent stage with just 13 million subscribers (while there are more than 403 mobile subscribers) and with growth pegged at 18% q-o-q, there is immense space for Behl to make a play for potential consumers. But the difficulty comes from the persistent non-acceptance for DTH by the masses. A key reason for that is that consumers have not really realised the value proposition that DTH seeks to offer and so see no need for change. Big TV’s obvious late entry into the segment, where Dish TV and Tata Sky have already taken the lead, is another disadvantage.

Recite any number of difficulties and challenges ahead, but it is tough to dampen Behl’s gung-ho attitude. In fact, Behl is confident of changing perceptions about the generic nature of this industry (with pricing being the key differentiation between players till now) by creating BIG differentiations for BIG TV’s offerings. Says Behl, “Value proposition would always be the key differentiators in a customer centric entertainment market.”

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Management guru Arindam Chaudhuri’s latest blockbuster book, Discover The Diamond In You
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better By Swati Sharma
Events at IIPM
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON

Revival instinct?!

2009-12-15T14:54:00.000+05:30

the maharaja has lost its smile as Air India has been bombarded with problems one too many. The state-owned legacy carrier has been hammered with mounting losses anticipated to cross a heartrending Rs.53 billion in FY 20008-09 along with a Rs.30 billion wage bill forcing the national airline to serve salary forgoing notice to its employees. Air India has also reportedly sought for a bailout of Rs.140 billion from the government with the hope that the government will come to its rescue. But why should the government save Air India? For the simple reason that Air India is not the only victim of the ongoing unprecedented turmoil that the aviation sector is going through. Market leaders like Kingfisher and Jet Airways have suffered losses crossing the thousand mark in the current fiscal. The government has asked for a complete restructuring of the airline and Air India has been directed to operate as a low cost carrier to all its destination except for metros, which have high load factor. “Economic slowdown has made travellers more sensitive to price. The low cost model is likely to become even more attractive in India as airport infrastructure improves and allows for greater efficiencies. Low cost airlines are likely to continue to increase their market share to as high as 65-70% over the next few years,” explains Binit Somaia, Regional Director, CAPA. With its current restructuring plan and the visible sign of economic recovery, the revival of the airline wouldn’t be tough ask and we could once again see the Maharaja smiling away to glory.

Ratan Lal Bhagat

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM fights meltdown, places 2300 students By Education Mail Bureau
Delhi/ NCR B- Schools get better By Swati Sharma
Event at IIPM
Detail of all IIPM branches
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
IIPM - Admission Procedure
IIPM, GURGAON

There can be an Easyday store opened in small towns and cities, unlike Best Price

2009-09-01T13:05:00.000+05:30

Detail of all IIPM branches

Some, however are not too optimistic, arguing that cash and carry constitutes a small percentage of India’s total organised retail business. Although it registered a 100% growth in 2008, it needs to be remembered that the operating base of the cash and carry business itself is still small in the country. Raghav Sehgal, Retail Analyst, Angel Broking opines that Bharti’s retail business has the potential to provide that next big leap to Bharti Enterprises, if they focus on their B2C model viz. the Easyday chain of convenience stores and hypermakets. “Every brand is driven by consumption led by the end consumer and B2C model has the potential to reach out to rural markets as well,” agrees Sehgal. And here, there is a lot that Bharti’s retail venture can learn from its telecom stint. Airtel is the market leader in the sector and there were a few primitive requirements that helped it scale this feat – vast reach and coverage, a strong network and price competitiveness. Applying these principles in retailing, the B2C model has the potential to reach out to the mass market. There can be an Easyday store opened in small towns and cities, unlike Best Price. Secondly, Bharti Walmart has invested extensively in its back-end over the last two years. Taking expertise from Walmart, Bharti is sourcing fruits and vegetables directly from farmers in Punjab. “With telecom, they understood the nerve of India and so were able to expand even into the hinterlands. Their retail venture will require them to do the same,” asserts Wadhwa of SKI Capital. Moreover, managers at Bharti are already in sync with retailer psyche (thanks to Airtel) and they can play on that. Crucial perhaps is the slow but sure manner in which Bharti is going about its retail ambitions. Organised retail is a political potboiler in India. Mukesh Ambani’s experience with retail shows the level of resistance that can be evoked with the merest whisper. No wonder Bharti has only 27 stores operating till date - a majority of them in Punjab and Haryana. Unlike Ambani, his strategy seems to be to acquire critical mass and then flex muscles. Mittal surely knows how to learn from the mistakes of others, especially the ‘big boys’ of India Inc.

But here’s the most pertinant reason why Bharti-Walmart has the potential to become the number one player in its segment. It’s the incredibly potent combination of Walmart and Bharti stupid! With annual revenues of $405 billion, Walmart is the most successful retail business in the world and the Walton family dwarfs even Bill Gates in terms of personal wealth. Their well-oiled retail business operational skills are stuff of global legend now. Sunil Mittal and his brothers on the other hand have already shown proof (with Airtel) of their acumen for succeeding in sunrise businesses. If anyone can work magic in the sector - apart from Mukesh Ambani of course - it is this combine. “Bharti group is known for its scale and all its business ventures have the ability to become cash cows. Given the nature of partnership, the chances of success of the ventures are much higher,” agrees Jagannadham Thunuguntla, Equity Head, SMC Capitals. Even the Mittals are banking heavily on at least one or more of these businesses to firefight its way to the top. They’ve tasted success once and are not happy remaining a one trick horse anymore. Their diversification strategy seems set to reap results - at least in the organised retail biz. Ready to usher in India’s next home grown conglomerate then?

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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Would you ‘yamakasi’ for Thums Up?

2009-08-19T16:54:00.000+05:30

IIPM Best B-school

Brand: Thums Up
Agency: Leo Burnett

Well, Akshay yamakasi’ed in the Taste the Thunder campaign for a bottle of Thums Up in 2007 and the brand is tasting its success with over 16% market share in sales (AcNielsen report) till now. This Khiladi lad re-inforced the attributes of Thums Up and quite impressively. Anand Halve, Co-founder, Chlorophyll, “The proof of this campaigns’ effectiveness is that this brand has fought two of the most reputed brands in the world - Coke and Pepsi - and beaten them!” Burp, Burp...

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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S. BANDYOPADHYAY, MD, RELIANCE MONEY

2009-07-30T17:39:00.000+05:30

Shahrukh khan is coming to IIPM - IIPM 4Ps Quiz

1. SBI’s ‘Taaki bachpan ke beech kabhi budapa na aaye’ campaign
2. Max New York Life’s ‘Karo zyada ka irada’
3. ‘Yeh hai youngistaan meri jaan’ from Pepsi
4. Coke’s ‘Little drops of joy’ was a delight
5. Indiabulls’ ‘Creating a world of smart investors’ campaign

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM
IIPM Best B-school
Four Phase of IIPM Global Plans
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So what do you say Mr...

2009-07-15T14:27:00.000+05:30

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

4Ps B&M: How has been the last year in terms of financials?
TF: Sony India during FY’08 for first three quarters (April- December 08) has realised actual sales of around Rs.28.3 bn which is a 25% growth from corresponding period in the previous period. However though Q4 (January–March’09) growth is expected to indicate a minor slowdown, we estimate that we can continue to maintain over 20% growth for the total FY’08 compared to last year.

4Ps B&M: How much is the size of CAV market in India and how do you plan to increase your share of the matket?
TF: Consumer Audio Visual (CAV) market in India is around Rs. 125 bn of which Sony has a market share of 18%. And overall trend in the industry has indicated a 10% growth till FY‘08 so we are quite optimistic about the same this year too.

4Ps B&M: Sony has been in India for a long period of time. But you didn’t have a brand ambassador for your products. Are there any plans in this regard?
TF: Globally we have a brand ambassador. But in India we think that we don’t need a brand ambassador for our products. Moreover, this is our strategy to differentiate from others.

4Ps B&M: What is the potential that you see in India in terms of growth?
TF: Indian economy is domestic demand driven economy. Thus saving ratio is higher than other countries. Moreover, the dependency on installment (consumer finance schemes) is also lower than other countries. Thus we see a great potential in terms of growth in future.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM
IIPM Best B-school
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The world does not end in one quarter...

2009-07-07T17:36:00.000+05:30

IIPM Global B-school

4Ps B&M: Slowdown impact?
Slowdown impact has been there and more in recent times. Input costs have gone up over the last two years. We had to increase MRPs as there was significant inflation across the board. However, at the same time, we concentrated on delivering better quality competitively. So price change was not just a commercial decision, but a combination of handling costs and increasing consumer value. There could have been an impact on our volumes, but then the world does not end in one quarter.

4Ps B&M: What is your take on competition?
Britannia is comparatively in a stronger position in the biscuit market and is the market leader. We feel confident that we will be able to take on any challenge. We have healthy respect for competition. For us, the key criteria is to increase our market share.

4Ps B&M: Which strategies find Britannia in a good stead?
Over the least few years, a lot of effort has been put in strengthening our brands, in terms of USP, advertising, product mix, packaging, et al. Therefore, we have a robust and healthy all round growth. We chased consumption opportunities everywhere and increased our tonnage by 15-20% yoy. We also made significant changes in our ‘go-to-market’ strategy.

4Ps B&M: Some say that you are not aggressive with new launches?
The only new category in the biscuit space in last one year was nutritional biscuits – NutriChoice launched by us. There were no other product launches. We’ve certainly done more than competition but yes, we’d like to do more.

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM Profile.
IIPM
IIPM Best B-school
IIPM Alumni Officially on Facebook

! IIPM ! Arindam Chaudhuri ! GIDF ! Planman Consulting ! Business & Economy ! 4Ps Business & Marketing ! The Sunday Indian ! The Human Factor ! The Daily Indian ! Kkoooljobs.com ! Amaze08, New Delhi ! IIPM Old Brochure ! IIPM 4Ps Quiz !

The response towards IPL this season is much lower than last year

2009-06-05T12:27:00.000+05:30

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

Having said that, companies are also significantly subdued in their marketing push with IPL this time, especially when the so-called ‘Slowdown Blues’ are riding the sentiments in the economy. “The response towards IPL this season is much lower than last year. This is a natural transition, as there was a lot of hype around the first season of any event, which tones down by the second season; the economic slowdown has made the situation even worse,” feels Anita Nayyar, CEO, Havas Media. It’s not that the brands are no more interested in IPL season 2; viewership figures (TRPs as high as 10) for last year’s IPL are tempting enough for marketers to take a closer look at, even this season of IPL. But clearly, brand investments are becoming difficult. Although the difference may not be huge, marketers are certainly more cautious this time. Shubhoshekhar Bhattacharjee, CEO, Planman Motion Pictures, comments, “One has to realise that the economic downturn does not mean that this cricket crazy nation will stop watching cricket, especially IPL, which in turn provides an opportunity for good brand visibility.” Utkarsh Singh, Head - BD, Rajasthan Royals opines, “There are surely lesser number of brands investing in IPL this time as compared to the last season. But the level of engagement of those investing is much deeper.”

However, unlike the last season, marketers have become very choosy in their approach and very cautious about the teams they are associating with because they want to make the most out of their dear money. While many teams have already bagged a handful of licensing and co-branded deals and other innovative brand associations, many teams are struggling to get to open their innings on this front. For instance Mumbai Indians are yet to finalise one as Tushar Pania, Media Manager, Mumbai Manager confessed to 4Ps B&M “We haven’t finalised any deals, so far. We are in middle of talks with marketers and advertisers. ”

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Detail of all IIPM branches
1500-plus IIPM students placed across the country with 44 bagging international offers
IIPM set to beat economic slowdown
IIPM Admission Detail
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Focus on your communication

2009-05-25T12:16:00.000+05:30

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

Seen the latest ad from India’s leading insurance provider LIC. Haven’t? Well, it talks about the needlessness of adding two K’s to your name to change your professional fortune. Okay, caught the latest Tata Safari Dicor commercial? This one pointedly rubbishes office politics in these troubled times and asks consumers to ‘Reclaim your life’. India’s largest private bank ICICI is doing a lot of ‘rely on us in bad times’ ads; Honda City’s sedan cruises along rough terrain with an ‘enjoy your challenges’ tag line...

If you are still not getting the point – guess its back to the schoolroom for you. Fact is every marketer worth his salt (or should we say 4Ps?) is sending out ‘loaded’ missives to his consumers these days. He’s trying to build a common agenda with consumers and make a moot point about the emotional connect in these unhappy times so that the consumer should buy his brand. Agrees Anisha Motwani, Executive VP-Marketing, Max New York Life Insurance (MNYL): “Times are cautious. Therefore, the message should have a ‘re-assuring’ communication strategy. The tone and content of advertising should be re-assuring that your money is safe with us.” To communicate its credibility, MNYL recently began spreading the message that their international partner, New York Life is the only American financial organisation that has been untouched by the US economic turmoil.

And that perhaps is the reason for all the optimism floating around in the air. Yeah! You guessed it right – because people want to hear good things (especially the overtly optimistic, never say die, Indian people!!).

Big 92.7 FM, the biggest private FM player as per the number of channels and reach – is similarly attempting to cash in on consumer apathy to negative messages. Their ‘Don’t Worry; Be Happy’ theme is receiving rave response. Says Nirupam Sonu, VP – Programming, BIG 92.7 FM, “Honestly there is a lot of negativity in the air. So, we need someone to tell them to be happy and take them a little away from their troubles.” Besides the daily doses of laughter, the station has a programming line up that hosts visionaries and CEOs who give tips on how to stay motivated at the workplace, how to secure jobs, manage expenses, et al, during these tough times. “It is not just about recession and gives no gyan as to when the bad times will end. Instead it is just our initiative to help our listeners,” says Sonu.

Besides the message itself, medium choices and exorbitant ad rates are other niggling worries for marketers. The trick it seems is to review your media budget allocations to maximise value. Little surprise that a host of marketers are lining up media houses to review their options. Chirantan Chandran, Partner-Client Leadership, Mindshare adds that “clients are of course looking for better rates but moreover, the major deciding factor for them is ROI and the accountability of investments. They have become more careful about each step they are taking, they are seeing what they are receiving in lieu of what they are doing in fact what they are investing.” Titus, ex-Senior Creative Director, O&M suggests innovative media vehicles for generating better bang for their bucks. “Communication is changing. We are all awakening to the fact that television can’t solve all the problems,” he says.

TV sure can’t solve problems. Just like chanting, praying and generally invoking the God of good times to banish those depressing thoughts, TV can at best play along the tunes of hope. But the fact is that there is a lot of hope for marketers and companies that can think out-of-the-box. Out-of-the-box need not be out of the world; but it does mean you actually end up feeling good in these so called bad times.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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2009 IS THIS THE DO-OR-DIE YEAR FOR Anil D. Ambani?

2009-05-09T11:33:00.000+05:30

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While his energy plans may need a boost, Anil Ambani’s BIG plans in entertainment and media are going great guns at the moment. The year 2008 saw Reliance BIG Entertainment reach two significant milestones. The first was the dream like deal with US based DreamWorks SKG controlled by the legendary Hollywood film maker Steven Spielberg. The deal, worth $1.5 billion has both ADAG and DreamWorks equally sharing equity in a new vehicle based in Los Angeles that will deliver six movies every year. Considering that an average Hollywood movie costs at least $100 million to make, you are again reminded that Anil Ambani thinks BIG all the time! The deal with Spielberg was not the only connection to be established with Uncle Sam. BIG Entertainment also acquired more than 220 movie theatres across United States. And these are not the niche ones that show Bollywood movies to NRIs! Many in the industry think this move is a gamble that could prove costly in the long run. In fact, the original promoter of Adlabs (which Anil Ambani acquired and absorbed into his entertainment empire) publicly aired his unhappiness with these strategic moves and resigned from the board. Not that Anil Ambani was fazed!

The other milestone for BIG was the launch of Reliance BIG DTH services (through the RCOM platform) with a lot of hoopla. Apart from old players Dish and Tata Sky, Anil Ambani will battle it out here with familiar rival, Sunil Bharti Mittal. As per market reports, the venture has already captured 15% market share in just three months and crossed the magic figure of 1 million subscribers. Says Sanjay Behl, Group Head, Marketing & Branding, “Our features are designed for easy manoeuvrability in the most user friendly manner. Such user friendly initiatives will help us maintain our leadership position in the evolving Indian DTH market.”

That’s good news no doubt. But Anil Ambani will not really find much time to celebrate such “small” victories this year because really BIG challenges and hurdles lie in 2009 and beyond. His ambitious forays into energy, infrastructure, power and telecom will require huge investments, both in terms of equity and debt. Take the power sector for example. Just 1 MW of capacity needs a capital investment of Rs.5 crore or so and we are talking of more than 50,000 MW! By any yardstick, the younger one in India’s most famous sibling rivalry will not find it easy to raise the money, especially with liquidity troubles plaguing all and sundry. His backers can only hope that he draws inspiration from his father and pulls up many rabbits from his hat. He has a huge incentive: after all, if he fails, it is Mukesh who will well and truly inherit the Ambani legacy!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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Beat this – 10 million in 2010!

2009-04-11T15:53:00.000+05:30

IIPM set to beat economic slowdown

Tourism has not forsaken India, and hoteliers can only rejoice. Leela Nandan speaks to 4Ps B&M...

Qs: Last year was not so good a year for tourism in India. What’s your take on that?
Ans: First of all, I will not agree to the fact that 2008 was not a good year for tourism in India! When we look at ourselves, we may have grown by just 6% over the previous calendar year, but then compare it with the world average – it is far more, because the world grew at only about 2-3%! Definitely this is despite the fact that there was a global meltdown and that there were terror attacks. So that is definitely a very positive thing for us, and in numerical terms, we had 5.37 million arrivals in 2008 as compared to just 5.08 million in 2007. That itself is an indication of the fact that people are continuing to travel to India, and in the month of December ‘08 alone, we had 5.22 lakh people who came to India as compared to 5.96 lakh in Dec 2007; and all this despite the fact that the Mumbai incident happened just before the month of December. So, I think that all this indicates that people the world over do take tourism in India very seriously.

Qs: But what has been the price that Indian tourism and hospitality Industry paid for ‘terror’?
Ans: When you talk of price paid, you can only look at it in numerical terms. We continue to have visitors coming to India in December and in this New Year. We also had more foreign exchange earnings. We also had more than Rs.50,000 crore earnings accruing to our foreign exchange exchequer because of tourism. Therefore economically also the sector has done well.

Qs: It is said that proactive marketing pays off well during times of recession. So how are you marketing tourism as a brand?
Ans: We have launched a very aggressive marketing campaign and we have tweaked our campaigns with new creative in the print and a new online commercial. We have also launched an all India campaign, which is happening as we speak throughout the world, through our offices. We are using the image of a tiger for promotions as the animal is well-identified with India. This communicates a brave and strong image of an ‘Incredible India’. We are also focusing on highlighting the diverse features of India. So while our culture and heritage are well acknowledged and acclaimed the world over, we are also focusing on the fact that our adventure tourism, cruise and rural tourism are products that have a huge appeal in themselves.

Qs: What is the target of tourist inflow set for 2009?
Ans: We don’t fix any year-on-year target as such, but yes we are looking at 2010 giving us 10 million arrivals. Really, the mantra for making this initiative successful is to take full advantage of globalisation.

Dr. Lalit K. Bhanot
Secy. General, Organising Committee, Commonwealth Games, 2010

Qs: With Commonwealth Games round the corner, a huge influx of tourists is expected. Is the Indian hospitality and tourism sector ready?
Ans: The Government of India and the Tourism ministry has formed a committee which is looking after the fact that more and more hotels are built for the same. During the time when this project was started, we had 10,000 rooms in Delhi and NCR regions (including Five stars, three stars and budget hotels et al). The target set for Commonwealth Games was 40,000 rooms. Thus many new hotels are coming up in the same league in the Delhi and NCR regions.

Qs: How many tourists are expected to come in during the Commonwealth Games 2010?
Ans: The number of tourists that are expected to come to India during the Commonwealth Games in 2010 is equal to the number of tourist who flew into Melbourne during the last Commonwealth Games, which was around 5 lakh.

Qs: Last year gave the hospitality and tourism sector in India many hiccups, like the global slowdown and terror attacks . So how do you see Commonwealth Games attracting tourists in the country in the current conditions?
Ans: When there is a big platform like Commonwealth Games, wherein 71 nations are ready to participate, then the tourists can’t help but visit India. Moreover, the whole marketing campaign, including the publicity in 71 nations, makes India an attractive destinations for tourism.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2009

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

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2008 HITS & MISSES

2009-03-26T12:54:00.000+05:30

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

It was a whirlwind of a year. The nation’s sentiment moved from India shining to India pining to India whining; political certainties were challenged like never before and the Mumbai carnage plunged the nation’s middle class into an abyss of dismay and despair. Wrapping up, Aditi Prasad gives a snapshot of the year gone by...

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Is that what you just said?

2009-03-18T13:39:00.000+05:30

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In other cases too, retailers have either relocated their stores (Big Bazaar has changed the format of one of its stores and relocated another in Ahmedabad), or are pruning and resizing their retail space (Reliance has shed upto 40% of retail space in its hypermarket store at Iskcon Mall in Ahmedabad). Retailers are also in the process of negotiating rentals (primary reason for cutting down on retail space) with the landlords and may even go in for revenue sharing models.

It is true that tough economic conditions have made the retailers realise their folly and amend their mistakes. But given the kind of investment that has already gone into this sector, it may not be possible for all to sustain. As Vedamani puts it, “Retailers who have been in existence for more than five years, or those who have strong capital backing can withstand these conditions, but for others it’s going to be tough.” And indeed, a host of other retailers are left with no option but to pare down on the number of stores they are currently operating. Indiabulls retail has shut down two stores in Ahmedabad, apparel retailers Arvind Brands, Reebok and Raymond too have started pruning their operations.

Certainly Indian retailers seem to have got a good lesson and are now making no two bones to accept that they were wrong in their super fast expansion plans and huge investments within a short span of time. As Goenka says, “In the course of any business, you’ll have decisions which are not always right in terms of location, vendors and demographics. It’s always best that if you’ve made a mistake, correct it.”

Earlier, the focus was only on increasing the square foots and therefore there was a certain level of delegation that happened in selection of areas to open the stores. But now, the retailers have taken the onus on themselves to carry out a proper research on the demographics and demands of consumers in different places. Based on such studies, the retailers are now being extremely careful on where to open their stores. “In future, due diligence will definitely pick up,” concludes Goenka. Well, it better pick up, as only then it will be determined whether the previous mistakes were stepping stones or indeed ‘mistakes’.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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It’s all about having a purposeful fizz!

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

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PepsiCo’s top honchos are now paying special heed to environmental initiatives. Angshuman Paul finds out more...

PepsiCo’s latest corporate report also talks about environmental sustainability. Can you elaborate on it?
SAL: Our group policy has always been to maintain the eco-system of the locality where we are operating. But now we would be doing that with a clear cut mission under ‘environmental sustainability’ and specifically for the South Asia, Middle East and Africa (SAMEA) region.

So, what exactly are you planning for this region?
SAL: We would be planting more trees, especially citrus-based fruit trees. We also plan to preserve natural water resources and achieve positive water balance by 2009. In India we will save and recharge more water than what we will use in our plants. MK: Millions of people in this region are suffering from major deficiencies of key nutrients like iron, Vitamin A, et al, which is leading to serious health problems. Thus we plan to launch healthy products to address such issues.

How are these green initiatives helping Pepsi?
SAL: This is not a part of our branding and promotional campaign. We believe we are responsible for the resources that we use in our production process and as such we can’t deploy them. In fact, our multi-pronged approach to reduce water usage across production plants includes innovative reuse and recycling of water. We are also tying up with farmers to save water.

How much are you planning to invest for environmental sustainability?
SAL: PepsiCo Foundation’s commitments to safe water initiatives will reach nearly $15 million in the next three years. The funds will be utilised to address critical water scarcity issues. We will also take up some agri-partnerships projects with farmers. MK: We would also be reaching young women to make them aware of health issues. Our vision is to sell products which are healthy and in the process we will also ensure that we are not deploying any natural resource during the manufacturing process.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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will Viacom-TV 18 venture Colors be able to spread its hue for long?

2009-02-16T16:18:00.000+05:30

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The strategy that Colors has deployed is quite similar to what Star Plus did eight years ago. Star Plus created a hot property in the form of Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) and weaved other clutter breaking [the K politics serials were very much clutter breaking and refreshing eight years ago ;-)] programmes around it. Similarly, at the time of its launch, Colors promoted Balika Vadhu heavily and built other engaging content around this programme. Anita Nayyar, CEO of media buying agency, Havas Media says, “Colors offers a great package with refreshing content like Balika Vadhu, Mohe Rang De, even Big Boss, which is a completely different take on reality.” From its beginning Colors has focused on experimenting with fresh content (like the Indian version of Fear Factor – Khatron Ka Khiladi with real Khiladi, Akshay Kumar as the host) and it has worked well for them.

So can Colors actually displace the invincible Star Plus from its number one position in coming times? Well, Colors surely promises that. Even Star Plus’ Adhyanthaya agrees, “We are aware of the fact that Colors has launched well and has been growing on a week-to-week basis.” He further iterates that Star Plus has faced such situations earlier too and there have been various contenders to the channel’s leadership from time to time, but it has held strong. “Star Plus has been in this position with Zee last year and successfully managed to come out of it,” he explains to this magazine.

But first Colors needs to sustain its position over a period of time to be in any leadership rank in the GEC segment. Experts feel that the biggest challenge for Colors is to sustain over 200 GRPs for the next few weeks. Once that is done and they become a clear number two, they can be a serious threat to Star. K. Ramesh, VP- Mumbai, Mediadirection – Specialist Media Services Group of R K Swamy BBDO – offers kind words of caution, “Colors has done extremely well in their launch phase compared to other new players in the category and that’s why it becomes even more difficult for them to sustain it over a period of time.” Havas Media’s Nayyar argues, “Neither Zee nor Star Plus is going to keep quiet. They’ll constantly upgrade content. So it’s too early to comment on whether Colors can overtake Star.” And this has already started happening, with Star Plus’ Kahaani... going off air and Kyunki... to soon follow suit. The channel is revamping its programming, with new shows to replace the older drab ones. “We are coming up with content, which will have relevance & potential to change the GEC game further,” adds Adhyanthaya confidently.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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The Detroit debacle…

2009-01-19T16:38:00.000+05:30

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With GM ready to hive off its Hummer operations, Chrysler no longer showing much interest in its Jeeps business and Ford rethinking its F series vehicles, there is serious shift in American car buying patterns. It was just a few months back that the Detroit three were still so much infatuated with the SUV dream. Today, after back breaking losses year after year [GM, FY 2006 largest global loss making company; Ford, FY 2007 largest global loss making company], a future based on SUVs is beyond the realm of even dreams. Of course, the Audi Q7, Porsche Cayanne Turbo S, Cadillac Escalade range of SUVs would continue ad infinitum, for the obnoxiously snobbish class they attract would continue to demand these cars, irrespective of fuel prices. But a mass strategy with SUVs? I’ll then need more space on my shuttle. Since the first quarter of 2005 [when the US SUV sales plummeted a whopping 20-30%], sales have only been declining!

There is a fare amount of insecurity among the end consumers, who have found their money incomes depleted with respect to the purchasing power. As per a survey by National Association of Convenience Stores, 45% of American consumers reported a decline in their spending power because of rising petrol prices. While 19% wanted to buy a more fuel efficient car, an astonishing 13% had already reduced their driving on the back of $3/ gallon gasoline prices! As a result of the earlier oil shocks, consumers have increasingly adapted an ‘aftermath attitude’ and eventual demands for automobiles have sagged significantly through out the world.

Even though the idea of hybrid cars is generally believed to be more of a lifestyle concept rather than being that related to fuel efficiency, a total of 38,214 hybrids were sold in the American market alone in March 2008, proof that even fashion is now related to oil. Hybrid SUVs such as Ford Escape Hybrid had initially gained popularity but not for long, since better alternatives are beginning to hit the market. Though oil prices will eventually come down [on a downward spree, they had broken the $90 mark per barrel on October 6, 2008], the mentality of consumers – who were once used to $50 per barrel prices and who would be extremely averse to future vagaries of oil price hikes – would remain focused on fuel efficient cars. While the Japanese per se have succeeded with their fuel efficient taglines and the prejudices they had been associated with through out their history, the Americans still seem to be reading the Big Moose chapter in Archies too many times for comfort. But if misery loves company, one should say there’s at least one tubelight in the land of the rising sun fighting to switch itself off... er, whatever! Basically, if Mitsubishi Outlander is a top seller, I’ll eat my cook’s food... Is this going to be printed?!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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When will the future come, Sir?!

2009-01-08T14:01:00.000+05:30

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Next, let’s talk about competition. The scenario for AEBC is not getting any easier in the country with all multinationals and national players like Citi, Standard Chartered, ICICI Bank, SBI et al eyeing the large untapped credit card market pie. To first talk about the national banks, ICICI Bank has established a huge reach by issuing credit cards across 125 cities. SBI being the largest bank in the country with over 19,000 branches, has its credit card business spread across 110 cities across the country. Amongst MNCs, Citibank is the most widely present with its operations spanning 40 cities. The bank further plans to take the count to 94 cities in which group company Citi-financial operates. In this regard, AEBC faces an uphill task with its strategy of focusing on just the high-income segment, with offices only in ‘four’ cities preventing it from reaching out to anyone beyond audiences in the Tier I and Tier II cities. While this puts a constraint on AEBC’s growth, the other players in the market are merrily grabbing larger chunks of the market while at the same time poaching on AEBC’s customer base. So is the giant planning to move beyond to smaller towns as well? Not soon, as Dutta professes, “As of now we plan to concentrate our operations only in the four cities – New Delhi (including Gurgaon), Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore. In the coming future we might plan to take our services to Tier I and Tier II cities...”

When will the future come, Sir?!

The competing banks have not only raised the bar in terms of both quality and customer services, but they also have formulated aggressive growth strategies to bag-in higher spending on cards. Moreover, keeping aside the segment they cater to, AEBC has a lot of catching-up to do where customer base is concerned (Refer box titled ‘Plastic... Dangerous?!’). Operating as an restricted entity, AEBC’s role has been limited to just marketing and distribution of co-branded credit cards with little exclusive identity of its own.

When it comes to marketing plans, the entity has some in its bag. It has developed a closed-loop ‘global’ network with 1,700 locations in more than 130 countries, which enables it to effectively design global marketing programmes and benefits for card members in association with merchants. It has clubbed its products and services with various facilities like Protection Package, Membership Travel Services, Membership Rewards Programme et al to attract more eyeballs... “We did an in-depth study to understand the mindset of affluent customers in India. We used these insights to tailor our products and services,” explains Hennin. Well, here the player does not lack what some of its competitors do. Its ads are loud and frequent, therefore ensuring maintainence of the ‘trusted’ brand appeal for AEBC. The player is also looking to build the most extensive network of sales, service infrastructure and collection mechanism for credit cards to boost its services.

Though officials claim negligible credit defaults in India, the increasing outstanding on credit cards (which went up by a massive 87% to touch Rs.265.96 billion by May 2008, as per RBI) clearly threatens to spoil the party for AEBC. This also further threatens to worsen AEBC’s earnings India-specific (and global thereof) figures in the short-to-mid term; a repeat of what happened in the most recent quarter (Q2, 2008) when its earnings fell globally by 37% q-o-q to just $653 million after it was left with no option but to ‘set aside’ earnings to cover up for credit losses on worse-than-expected consumer defaults.

“The darker side of the story says that in course of utilising the facilities provided by credit cards, one keeps on postponing the payment, due date after due date. Many of these users then finally refrain from any future payment, thus hurting credit card players where it hurts most,” explains Robin Roy, Associate Director, PwC. To add to this, AEBC also lacks retail banking facilities, as other players can back their collection activities through their account holders’ deposits and savings. Thus it becomes imperative for players like AEBC to keep an eagle eye on its customers. With McKinsey predicting that by 2010, India would have $7 billion in credit cards outstanding, AEBC has to be more than careful in choosing its clientele! For now though, it’s got to expand beyond just four cities! Four might be even, but it’ll not help AEBC get even with challenges and challengers!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Google Chrome, rather than a stand alone strategy, seems to be another step towards making Windows more irrelevant, says arun roy

2009-01-05T14:03:00.000+05:30

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Harry S. Truman, former US President, once said that he preferred one armed economists so that they would not be able to say, “On the other hand”! But let’s not blame economists for the way they insure themselves from the embarassment of being proved wrong in their assessment. Predicting the future with certainty isn’t exactly a walk in the park for anyone.

Take, for instance, the uncertainty surrounding the fate of the internet browser Chrome, Google’s latest salvo at Microsoft. Industry experts have started discussing of its future and aspirations. A number of tech bloggers have already started analysing whether Google Chrome will be able to dethrone Microsoft or kill Mozilla. There’s a general consensus as to what Chrome means, namely, it is Google’s way of eroding Microsoft’s dominance in the browser market. An analyst has quoted Google as an 800-pound gorilla, and when an 800-pound gorilla jumps in the pool, it tends to makes ripples. But will Chrome really give IE8 and Firefox a run for their money?

Google Chrome, a “fresh take on the browser”as the company claims it to be, does have some interesting features, differentiating it from other browsers available in the market. The most important feature it offers is its high level of user friendliness and keeping each tap in an isolated “sandbox” to prevent one tab from crashing another, and improve protection from rogue sites. The browser’s JavaScript engine enables the software to run the applications in a faster mode compared with other engines.

In an era, where Internet has become the primary medium to get connected across the world or real-time access to information, the importance of the web browser industry remains inevitable. “Google’s foray in the browser industry depicts more of its vertical expansion strategy. The dominant factor will be decided by the business models or long term strategies that Google would adapt to dent Microsoft’s dominance in the industry” avers Shushmul Maheshwari, Chief Executive, RNCOS E-Services Pvt. Ltd.

Some experts feel that this is merely a part of a larger strategy by the search engine giant. “Google only dominates in one area and that is in online ad revenue due to their search engine. Chrome isn’t initially designed to dominate the browser industry; it is designed to be a front end for an emerging application class,” says analyst Rob Enderle, Enderle group. Chrome’s main target is more Windows and Office than it is Internet Explorer (IE) initially. Chrome is designed to help make Microsoft Office obsolete and make Windows irrelevant.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
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Break-ups hurt. But who?

2008-12-18T14:01:00.000+05:30

The Star-Balaji affair has ended. Ekta Kapoor will have to rejig her plans

Till some time ago, the mirror on the Indian teletube wall always said that Ekta Kapoor’s K-recipe was the fairest of them all. But times have changed. Falling TRPs of her ace serials are leading many to conclude that the charm of Balaji’s kitchen-politics was wearing off. So now when we hear that Star Network and Balaji Telefilms Ltd. have broken their 2007 JV to launch regional channels together, the development demands attention. What’s more, Star has also announced an exit for its 25.99% stake in Ekta Kapoor’s production house, valued at Rs.1.23 billion. Clearly, something is brewing.

Says R. Karthik, CEO, Balaji Telefilms: “It was an investment which has been called off. It was a strategic move which had to be realigned.” But this tragic love story would certainly hurt Balaji, at least in the short run. For one, a majority of Balaji’s revenues were coming from Star, thanks in part to the prime time exclusivity agreement that the two shared. Balaji currently airs six shows on STAR Plus and derives around 65-70% of its revenues from the channel.

On its part, Star has nothing to lose from this break-up. “There are multiple content providers in the country, from which content can be sourced anyway. Moreover on the competition front, while Star faces intense competition in the GEC domain, it continues to maintain its strong market leadership with GRPs in excess of 300,” asserts Salil Pitale, Head-Media & Telecom, Enam Securities.

And although Star CEO Uday Shankar says that the “relationship between Star and Balaji as broadcaster and content provider will not be affected,” fact is that the end of their contract allows Star to re-negotiate the premium rates it pays to Balaji. Given that Ekta’s soaps are no longer ruling the charts – Bidayi, Star’s highest TRP grosser in recent times is not a Balaji production – the respite for Star will come in the form of not shelling out premium rates to the under-performing production house. In fact, 2009 may turn out to be an immensely challenging year for Balaji, as the production company has also launched a very high production cost shows - Mahabharata - and in the absence of premium revenues from cash cow Star, its margins are likely to be impacted.

However, all is not so bleak as it sounds. There are some positives for Balaji too. As per Angel Broking, Balaji will post a CAGR of 12.5% and 10.35% in consolidated top line and earnings driven largely by volume growth. Counting on such numbers even Jagat Dave, Director- corporate finance of Ambit Corporate Finance (exclusive financial advisor to Balaji) asserts, “Balaji Telefilms is a cash-rich company having around Rs.2.2 bn of cash reserves, as on March 31, ‘08, and it continues to evaluate various strategic opportunities in the Indian Media & Entertainment industry.” In the current scenario, wherein all broadcasters are vying with each other for premium content, Balaji Telefilms, with its track record is uniquely positioned to cater to this demand. Rumour has it that Anil Ambani’s ADAG may be up there in the race to net Star’s abandoned equity. Confirms a source in ADAG: “Yes, we are definitely looking out for production houses to add synergy to our channels and Balaji’s stake would definitely provide an edge to us.” And why not! This step by the company will provide aid to ADAG, as it plans to launch 20 channels to supplement its DTH venture (Big TV) and this deal will provide them an exclusivity of content to their channels.

If Anil Ambani’s ADAG hops on board, Balaji will certainly be able to tide over this unique quagmire that it finds itself in. And not to forget, the leading lady of Hindi soaps may still be able to make good on her dream to rule the regional content space.

Neha Saraiya

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Rise till they drop!

2008-12-04T13:22:00.000+05:30

IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

Price hike isn’t a way out for durables industry

Cash registers kept ringing in for them until last year. The flourishing optimism not only had a positive impact on their earnings but also prompted the consumer durables sector to crave more. In fact, according to a survey conducted by FICCI in 2007 the consumer durables market in India was projected to grow at about 12% this year.

However, with inflation touching a 13-year high of 11.42% coupled with an expected downturn in the economy & exchange rates, this seems to be almost like an unfulfilled wish for durable biggies. Forget the growth, the Rs.250 billion consumer durable industry is now finding it hard to pull back from the 20% fall in the sales that it witnessed during the first quarter of this year (FY 2008). All thanks to the rise in input costs! While the price of steel has gone up by 40%, copper and aluminum too boast a 20% increase. Even the price of oil (the basic material for all plastics) has shot to the roof ($144 a barrel). In fact, the average bill of materials (BOM) of an appliance has increased by about 15-25% across categories. This has left the durable biggies including LG, Godrej, Mirc electronics et al with no option but to hike the prices of their products by about 5-7%. Certainly an age old strategy to pass on some burden to consumers as George Menezes, COO, Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd. puts it, “What has been passed to the market is just about 3-5% increase which is a minuscule part of the overall cost impact.” But here comes the million dollar question. Will this increase in prices would be of any help to shrinking margins of manufactures (considering the segment sales are already on the verge of sinking)? “The price increase always comes with some objectives as you cannot do business at a loss and this slowdown is a temporary jiff which will soon fade away,” a top Electrolux official has been quoted as saying.

However, analysts believe that the major reason for the slowdown in this segment is the Euro’s meteoric rise against dollar. This in the last three months has alone taken up the cost of imported material by about 5-8%. “With interest rates likely to go up soon, further increase in product prices will adversely affect consumers,” avers Kalyanmoy Chatterjee, CEO, Consumer Research, GSK Mode. And this is not all! What seems as a solution for the companies - the price rise - is actually a curse in disguise! After registering negative sales in the quarter even big banks and finance companies have stopped funding aam admi for the purchase of such products.

But, remaining on a positive side, manufacturers still hope to tap the market amid rising prices. They plan to do it by creating a unique differentiation in the value proposition of their products “I believe manufacturers will try the age old practice of launching promos and schemes to cash in on whatever they can,” adds Chatterjee. But, what when everyone starts following the same? So, considering the current macroeconomic scenario, the only respite one can expect is from the government, else we can only hope that the durables prices don’t end the fate of fuel prices!

Neha Saraiya

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS
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IIPM - Admission Procedure
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Hitachi CP-RX70

2008-11-10T16:39:00.000+05:30

IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS

Technical Specification

Lumens: 2000 ANSI; Contrast: 400:1;Technology: Triple LCD technology
PRICE: N.A.
WARRANTY: 2 Years

The impressive facts about Hitachi CP-RX70 include – an uncomplicated unit giving you the options between an Easy and Advanced users, the triple LCD technology presenting alluring pictures with visually pleasing colours and the price being quite a bargain. The product’s look is slim and silver which is rather critical but these by no means lead to a ‘wow’ factor. The remote is quite bland, stout and hence, lacks luster. The noise level of 35dB in Normal mode is sometimes invasive, but you can be tension-free as you can turn to the Whisper mode a considerably quieter and better mode for conference rooms. Not the best pick but a great value for money!

Marketers’ delight: It’s a zero complexity product.

Tester’s note: Pros – User-friendly. The mono 1-Watt speaker seems completely sufficient with no distortion.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
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Lenovo Thinkpad T61 Wide Screen

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

IIPM Programme :- SUPERIOR COURSE CONTENTS

Technical Specification

Operating System: Microsoft Windows Vista Business; Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo T7700; RAM: 2 GB; Screen Size: 14.1 inches; Storage Capacity: 100 GB.
PRICE: Rs.85,000
WARRANTY: 3 years

With Intel’s fastest Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM, storage capacity of 100 GB and discrete graphics from the available nVidia Quadro NVS 140M , the 5.4 pound Thinkpad T61 is impressive. It has the distinct ThinkPad features of built-in fingerprint reader. Key features of T61 include ThinkVantage Rescue and Recovery™ that helps keep software crashes or virus attacks from slowing down the system and a host of options like WWAN, IEEE 1394a and 4-in-1 Media Card readers which boost versatility.

Marketers’ delight: Performance is the key with dual-core processing and a faster Intel architecture.

Tester’s note: Pros – Apt for spreadsheet applications. Wonderful battery. Cons – Standard colours to choose from. Looks too bulky.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
Now IIPM's World-Class Education... for everybody!!
IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA
IIPM - Admission Procedure
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Bedazzled @online

2008-10-22T15:03:00.000+05:30

IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

To put in simpler words, the whole idea was to operate at a loss and just focus on garnering maximum market share in the initial phase in the hope that profits would follow soon. However, due to this flawed strategy, profits never followed and eventually, when the companies had burned most of their capital, they started falling like a house of cards.

A report published by Forrester Research in early 2000 predicted the demise of most dot-com retailers by 2001. The report’s major prediction was that the brick-and-mortar spin-offs will regain their footing. It also outlined that online retail will actually become a losing game for the traditional merchants, based on the assets like customer history, product selection, fulfillment and manufacturer relationships, which are a given in the case of brick & mortar retailers.

Casualties of the dot com bust were most new Internet start-ups, which boasted of a unique business model. Companies like online grocer Webvan became the poster children of the dot com burst. Webvan had a unique idea of selling groceries online and wanted to grow very fast. Indeed, it became a $1.2 billion company before low grocery margins took a toll on its flawed business model. Similar was the case of Pets.com, a company that sold pet supplies online. Problem with Pets.com was that when it came to the shipping cost, it undercharged its customers, which resulted in a high pressure on its margins, leading to a collapse, nine months after it raised $85 million through its IPO.

Interestingly, according to analyst Sebastian Rupley, “Even the dot-com sites that survived often came perilously close to severe setbacks and have had to retool their businesses quickly. During 2000, hundreds of dot-com companies, such as drkoop.com, received notice from the NASDAQ stock exchange that their stocks could be delisted, because their share prices had dipped below $1!”

If one considers all the above examples and the trends that led to their debacle, the global Internet economy looks to be heading towards yet another dotcom burst. “Today, everything from YouTube to the local church has a social-networking angle. And this doesn’t even consider the actual social-networking sites, from MySpace to LinkedIn to Facebook to even ‘Second Life’. This scene is totally out of control and will contribute to the collapse for sure,” says Dvorak.

Well, shouldn’t the Internet economy take lessons from the 2000 bubble burst and see that the Internet giants are not moving in a similar direction? If they do not undertake well informed strategic decisions, they are going down the same road. Well, its too hard to predict the next bust and its severity, but people are no longer denying the possibility. As Dvorak adds, “Each succeeding bubble has been worse than its predecessor. Thus nobody is actually able to spot the cycle... I can assure you that after this next collapse, nobody will think of the dot-com bubble as anything other than a prelude.” So, in essence, we could perhaps safely conclude that not much has changed.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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MOHAMMED BIN AL ALABBAR - Building new india

2008-10-17T17:46:00.000+05:30

IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

MOHAMMED BIN AL ALABBAR
Building new india

Kolkata property market has grown by leaps and bounds over the years bygone and is today one of the most lucrative investment destinations in the country. The city has allured around Rs.250 billion in real estate investments over the past two years. As compared to other Indian metros, the capital of West Bengal offers cheap cost of living which serves as its biggest attraction to residential properties.

Kolkata has seen the entry of many foreign players in the market during the past few years. Leading Middle East firms have joined the list of global companies, targeting investments in India in hotels, malls, healthcare, housing, IT Parks and integrated townships. Several leading UAE real estate companies such as Al Ghurair Group’s ETA Star, Al Rostamani Enterprises’ KM Properties, Nakheel and Dubai Properties have announced gigantic developmental plans in the country. Of these, the name of Emaar stands tallest when it comes closest to contributing to what India achieves in this field during this century.

Emmar has reached the pinnacle of its success under the aegis of its current Chairman Mohammed Bin Al Alabbar. Emaar, which not surprisingly is also the largest property developer in the Middle East, has announced a joint venture in India with MGF for developmental projects in the states of Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. It is also coming up with a lucrative real estate project on the EM Bypass of Kolkata.

The entry of a company like Emaar shows the strength of the Indian Economy & also the scope of Indian real estate industry. A report by Jones Lang LaSalle estimates that $10 billion foreign direct investment will be injected into the Indian real estate sector in the next 12-18 months. Now this is huge and precisely where the entry of such big-ticket foreign players comes in. Entry of such players definitely brightens up the real estate scenario in the country and for the country, but is accompanied with a simultaneous challenge for them too – either shape-up or ship out. The benchmark of quality production, marketing, and every possible aspects of a business has automatically risen with the entry of Alabbar into the country. And where we talk about infrastructure defining what this century holds for India, the message is clear – the entry will definitely affect the real estate scenario in our country, whatever the predictions be; and Alabbar will be the key man defining the moments.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM - Admission Procedure
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75 ARCHITECTS OF THE INDIAN CENTURY

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

IIPM INTERNATIONAL - NEW DELHI, GURGAON & NOIDA

Purists are encouraged to be outraged after going through this list of 75 individuals who are expected to contribute a great deal in make the 21st Century an Indian one. What? No Rahul Gandhi? No Ambani brothers and Kumarmangalam Birla? No Ratan Tata? No Barack Obama? No Hu Jintao? No Salmaan Rushdie? No Malvinder Singh? Not even Shahrukh Khan or Abhishek Bachchan?

Well: after you have cursed us roundly for this seemingly wildly compiled list, please draw your breath, take a glass of water and try and listen to this simple and short explanation we have for selecting the individuals the way we did for the list. There is no esoteric science involved here. We took a conscious decision to let go of the very obvious names, who are going to play a pivotal role in the future of India. They are widely talked about and even more widely covered by the media in this regard. So it was decided by our edit team to concentrate on people who may not necessarily be as famous as the people mentioned above; but are nevertheless going to play a defining role in India’s future. And then again, lest you lose your temper again, we decided as an afterthought to include some famous names after all! Happy speculating!

RICHARD BRANSON
India can fly!
Richard Branson is a man known for his flamboyance & his daredevil approach to life. He has the ability to convert any given business opportunity into a success. However, much as he has the capacity to make the next century an Indian one, he will have to wait for sometime as current Indian regulations prohibit foreign airlines from holding a stake in Indian carriers, which in turn means that India’s dream of being the super-force in the aviation business will have to wait as the government has indicated that this will not happen until the industry has returned to a viable state. Optimistically, we’re looking at a scenario where it is very unlikely that a Virgin airline will operate in India until after 2010.

People are also confused about the most recent investments in the mobile business by Branson. Yes, this would increase the brand value in the country and of course there are synergies between different Virgin products, the investment in the mobile sector would in all probability have been made on its own rights, without an eye on any future aviation presence. Virgin’s aviation business has operated various different models – the full service Virgin Atlantic, low cost Virgin Express and hybrid Virgin Blue. The group will take a call on the positioning of Virgin Airlines in India based on its assessment of the market at the time of entry. Moreover, Virgin will also have the advantage of the second-mover and can avoid ‘early bird’ mistakes.

Also, talking about his challenge to the Indian carriers, his presence would also not kill the growth prospects of budding Indian airlines – perfect ingredients to make a spanking ‘Indian’ century! Talking about his closest threat, it is also clear that neither Richard Branson nor Vijay Mallya operate solely in the aviation sector. Hence, their areas of interest are wide enough to ensure that there is no issue of one overshadowing the other. While we say that Branson will catalyse the process of India shining in this century, it becomes very important to add that India already has its own broad base of accomplished entrepreneurs and it is the home-grown businesses that will make this century an Indian one. However, welcoming Branson early would wonderfully accelerate the process

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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Beijing deflated by Inflation

2008-09-27T13:09:00.000+05:30

IIPM - Admission Procedure

Chinese inflationary trends may hit the domestic and global consumer hard

In a democracy when the people are unable to bear the burden of ever increasing living costs, they retaliate by voting out the government and throwing out the politicians who fail to manage the economy on their behalf. But what do people in a dictatorial set-up like China do to give vent to their thoughts on the government’s apathy? In a totalitarian regime people keep accumulating their anger and burst out one day bringing about a revolution.

And now, when the annual inflation rate has more than tripled since last year to 4.8% and is expected to touch 6.8% in the current year, experts feel that it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Chinese Political bureau to strike a right balance between protecting the economic growth and ensuring public support to metamorphose completely from communist to capitalist modes of production. The big challenge is to make the process inclusive and not to alienate the common man. And the fear stems from the fact the growing burden of rising prices of essential commodities could destabilise the political set-up. “It’s better to nip inflation in the bud, but politicians’ concern is that if they take it seriously, it shows they haven’t managed the economy well. It might open them to criticism from political opposition within the party,” says Albert Keidel a former Beijing-based senior economist for the World Bank. It is not that the Chinese government has not taken steps to curb inflationary pressures. Premier Wen Jiabao has promised to keep keep this year’s consumer price index (CPI) increase at around 4.8%.

But the global economic situation coupled with high transportation costs is just not helping them to mitigate inflation. Furthermore, growing prosperity is creating consumers, eating humongous amounts to push up the demand.

The Chinese President Hu Jintao’s dream of constructing a “harmonious society” through higher wages and better health care system may prove to be an ineffective political risk management strategy, if inflation continues to spiral. Global economists too are worried about the Chinese inflation, as higher living costs in China will eventually lead to much higher costs of products being exported from China.

B&E edit bureau: Atul Bharadwaj

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION
IIPM, GURGAON
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Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!
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Show me the money!

2008-09-22T14:31:00.001+05:30

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Fashion means business for WLIFW’s patron Gautam Rakha

“T o have a fashion week of its own is a matter of pride for a country. In fact, our fashion industry is not only taken seriously in India but also at several places across the world. Our fashion industry is definitely progressing in the right direction. But on any given day, when I think of the two fashion weeks in India, I consider the Delhi based Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WLIFW) as a more serious affair than the Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW). This is because WLIFW is not only more global in terms of the buyers who come from across the world, but also in terms of the models, press and media coverage. However, LIFW is mainly for Mumbai based designers. While I prefer WLIFW over LIFW, I have a reason to back it up with. It is because every designer who is pursuing fashion seriously and is considering international parameters is a part of this fashion week. All those who participate in WLIFW are taken seriously by the media as well. For instance, people like Manish Arora and many other famous designers participate along with me.

I don’t know about LIFW but WLIFW is continuously evolving. In fact, it is evolving as a ‘buyers’ first’ kind of market place. After considering feedback from the buyers, ‘affordable lines’ are the focus of most of the collections these days. We create designs as per their requirements. On several occasions, these requirements can be stated overtly by the buyer and many a times, I keep certain inherent requirements of their culture and climate in mind too. WLIFW is moving ahead and will reach greater heights sooner than we can imagine. Not that it hasn’t already!”

Swati Hora and Gauri Pratap Singh

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Show me the money!

2008-09-22T14:31:00.000+05:30

He Likes to Rethink Afresh

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

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Rather than letting policy tangles halt its growth progress, RIL ‘quit India’ and eyed the world as the market for its refinery products, writes NARESH MINOCHA

This is the case of a conglomerate that was initially not allowed to sell some of its products directly in the domestic market. This is also the case of India’s most influential business house that was later allowed to sell its products without receiving any subsidies from the government, but had to compete with government-subsidised products that were sold by the state-owned units. In normal circumstances, what would a promoter in such circumstances have done? Close down the particular manufacturing base, or register it as a sick company with Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction.

Most entrepreneurs would have opted for either of these solutions, both in the global and domestic arena. But then, one can’t expect the Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries to behave like any other company. After all, it has influenced policy-making in this country for decades. Faced with such hostile policies and regulatory environment, RIL decided to ‘secede from India’ and look at the world as its market. It decided to export the products manufactured at its 33 million tonnes per year refinery at Jamnagar, Gujarat. After over six years of lobbying, RIL did the unthinkable in April 2007. It transformed its refinery & the adjacent petrochemicals plants into an export oriented unit (EOU). Although EOU policy allows companies to sell half their produce in the domestic market, RIL exported 60% of its refinery products valued at $6.99 billion in the first half of 2007-08. The changeover to an EOU, along with its export focus through SEZs, constitute an interesting study of an entrepreneur, who turned policy discrimination at home into a global business opportunity.

For years, both policy makers and experts contended that an EOU refinery was not viable as it was impossible to do the 20% value-addition to imported inputs as was mandatory under the rules. In fact, the government had rejected applications in the 1990s on the grounds that these projects lacked capability to attain the minimum value addition. But it approved eight EOU refineries that showed the capabilities to do so. Till today, none of them have seen the light of the day, or are seriously talked about.

Now look at what RIL did. Prior to transforming the Jamnagar refinery-cum-petrochemicals complex as an EOU, it floated Reliance Petroleum (RPL) to set up a 27 million tonnes per year refinery, along with a 90,0000 tonnes per year polypropylene (PP) plastic plant at the same site as an SEZ. Although the current SEZ scheme does not stipulate any value-addition norms, setting it up binds the promoter to export commitments, at least to maintain foreign exchange neutrality. For RPL, it meant higher exports of refinery products & petrochemicals.

In October 2007, RIL unveiled a proposal to set up a refinery-linked-petrochemicals complex to produce 2 million tonnes of olefins annually, including daily-use plastics. It also announced a proposal to set up the world’s largest integrated combined-cycle coke gasification complex within the SEZ to produce power and petrochemicals. The plan was to invest Rs.600 billion on the SEZ. According to a recent project report, the proposed SEZ complex has the potential to earn a net foreign exchange of $23-26 billion over a 10-year period. The figure does not include export earnings of the Jamnagar EOU in the past seven years. It clocked Rs.64.10 billion in exports in the first year of its operations in 2000-01. And today, it has emerged as India’s largest manufacturer-exporter. All this leads us to a few basic questions: would RIL have achieved this feat if it had the freedom to market its refinery products in the domestic market? Would it have amplified its global vision for exports subsequently?

The answers to the questions can be traced to policies for dismantling controls in the oil & gas sector notified on November 21, 1997. Under them, controls were to be phased out by March 31, 2002. On February 26, 1999, the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas took note of refinery projects proposed by Reliance & Essar Oil Limited (EOL). The ministry stated that “RPL/EOL would be treated at par with other PSU/JV refineries… in the matter of off take of their controlled products during the transition period.”

Surprisingly, the ministry changed its assurance the next month. In a communication to the two companies on March 19, 1999, it stated that RPL/EOL would solely be responsible for the sale, including exports of surplus quantity, of the refinery products. “Any under-recovery/loss in such exports will be borne by RPL/EOL itself,” it added. The ministry also facilitated an agreement between RPL & IOC for domestic marketing of price-controlled products during the transition period as well as after that.

Under the marketing agreement, the ministry decided that Reliance’s production of five price-controlled products would be uplifted by IOC, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum in the ratio of 50%, 25% and 25%, respectively, during the transition period. In reality, the latter two state-owned firms never signed any formal agreements. Thus, Reliance was at the mercy of public sector marketing firms. The ministry made Reliance wait for three years to grant it marketing rights for sale of petrol & diesel.

This increased pressure on Reliance to step up efforts on the exports front. In addition, Mukesh decided to set up his own chain of retail outlets. Reliance currently has 1,423 outlets, but they are finding it difficult to survive as they have to sell at prices higher than the subsidised prices of state-owned marketing entities. Reliance keeps referring to the lack of a level-playing field, but, for once, has been unable to convince the policy makers. Reliance managers admit to have been making “representations for compensation at par with PSUs to offset retail losses.” But it seems to be in vain.

So now, RIL plans to acquire retail assets abroad to add muscle to its export efforts. It made its first acquisition in September 2007 with Gulf Africa Petroleum Corporation. Ironically, , it seems that failed reforms in the oil sector have helped an Indian firm think globally.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Bimal, bonds & books

2008-08-25T16:51:00.000+05:30

IIPM : EXECUTIVE EDUCATION

Imparting good-governance techniques

Dr. Bimal Jalan, the former Governor of the RBI may not be directly involved in doing the number crunching at the apex bank but he is certainly a part of the decision making circles as member of Rajya Sabha. He continues to guide policy makers on governance. His two recent books: “The Future of India: Politics, Economics and Governance” and its sequel released in 2007- “India’s Politics: A View from the Backbench,” prescribe new programmes to the parliamentary system – to enhance its stability & accountability.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Mutual aid...

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

IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence

...to be the only priority to live

On 8th November, New Delhi hosted a meeting of Asian nations on Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction, Early Warning & Preparedness, which had participation of 36 Asian countries. Just few days later, a whammy cyclone destroyed large part of Bangladesh, rendering millions without shelter and taking 3,000 lives. Sadly, very few of those who attended the meeting came forward to help that country, in dire strait. It was only India among the biggies who not only gave aid but also forewarned Bangladesh about the early warning system. Asia unfortunately always had to bear more than its fair share of natural calamities, be it the 2004 Tsunami which took away about 300,000 lives or the Orissa cyclone which claimed 7,000 lives. Sadly there is a visible lack of cohesion among Asian countries, when disaster strikes any one. The Western First World, on the contrary, has been more at the forefront in doling out aid. This time too the US pledged with $2.1 million, Britain with $5 million while France and Germany with $730,000 each, in order to see the misery of Bangladesh mitigated to some extent. It was rather unfortunate to see its immediate neighbours, barring India, remaining mute spectators to the camaraderie. Lack of effective technology to deal with such mayhem can always be substituted to a great extent with the right kind of attitude to help each other. Unfortunately for Asia, not only it, as a whole, is lagging in terms of technology to contain the effect of such calamities, in terms of cohesion too, it is far behind the First World countries. That has, unfortunately made all the difference.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Spot spotting a spot

2008-08-13T12:32:00.000+05:30

IIPM’s 36th Glorious Year of Academic Excellence

NSEL will create a win-win situation for both farmers and end-users

Amid inflationary pressures and a turbulent capital market, corporates engaged in agri-commodities and industrial commodities have something to cheer about. The canvass of commodity trading is all set to be complete as India will soon see its first ever spot market available on electronic platform with national reach. Not only corporates; farmers, traders, processors, importers et al are also destined to benefit from the nationwide electronic market venture for spot trading in agricultural commodities.

It is apparent that the World Development Report, 2008, which categorically mentions - for the poorest people, GDP growth originating in agriculture is about four times more effective in raising incomes of extremely poor people than GDP growth originating outside the sector - has been the inspiration behind the private public partnership to come up with National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL). The high growth trajectory that India has witnessed over the last couple of years has not been of much help in bridging the rural-urban divide. The income disparity can be primarily attributed to market and state failures characterised by insufficient and unequal access to information (information asymmetry), imperfect competition, high transaction and supply chain costs et al. Now NSEL with a healthy cocktail of financial and market inclusion is all set to bridge the divide leading the accelerated growth process to reach to the bottom of the pyramid.

The nationwide electronic market venture for spot trading in agri-commodities will be operational in few months time. The best part of the spot exchange story is that now farmers and importers can sell their produce at the best possible price to the end users based anywhere across the country. “It is a revolution in itself as it will help in creating awareness and also in the development of a common and parallel market,” says Shankerlal Guru, Chairman, NSEL. Also this will maintain competitive market rates removing the middlemen who actually fiddle around with prices. As a complementary market to derivative traders, NSEL also has a lot to offer to the corporates, traders and farmers alike in terms of delivery based transaction (which is expected to be a lot lower than the existing 2-3% brokerage in the physical market), efficient warehousing and logistic support, trade guarantee etc. For traders, NSEL can provide a bigger and liquid market to sell huge quantities and get better realisation.

Future market operators might be thinking, will the spot exchange act as a shot in the arm for them? Anjani Sinha, MD & CEO, NSEL clarifies, “a healthy growth of futures market will be ensured through the development of a structured spot market.” He further adds, “NSEL is not a speculative platform,” thereby putting an end to all speculations around the speculations to take place in the spot exchange. However, the success NSEL is dependent on integration; both backward (farmers) and forward (buyers).

Gyanendra Kashyap

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Nikhil Rao (35), Lowe Lintas

2008-08-06T12:45:00.000+05:30

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

Nikhil Rao (35), Lowe Lintas. His inspiration is his fat pay packet and according to him advertising is a field, where sometimes an idea clicks and at others, it does not. Soon after graduation, he joined Asian Paints as a salesman. Predictably, he soon became bored with what he was doing and his routine. Had he not quit the company, he’s sure that they would have anyway thrown him out. After spending nine long years at Lowe Lintas, he now calls the place his second home. In fact, he admits that joining Lowe was like a home coming for him, for he has practically worked on almost all accounts of Lowe – Idea Cellular, Balbir Pasha and Wheel. At a time when the advertising industry is famous for its game of musical chairs, with creative talent moving from agency to agency, it’s a miracle that Nikhil has lasted in his seat (read: Lowe) for this long. “I had too many reasons to stick around. I was getting the work that I wanted to do. Money was important, but never a reason for me to change my job. At Lowe, I have always enjoyed and hence, never thought of a change,” he asserts. After such a long time in Lowe, there is little doubt in his or our mind that he looks up to his mentor Balki for guidance.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
ZEE BUSINESS BEST B SCHOOL SURVEY
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
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...and hatke pays

2008-08-01T13:07:00.000+05:30

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

Richard Branson is banking on his ability to charm the young and stylish to make his mark

‘Our first offering and the competition’s already seeing red…’ Now that’s what we call an entry, in Bollywood ishtyle. Yelling and shrieking its arrival, Virgin Mobile on March 10, took the readers of a leading Indian daily by surprise, when all the headlines on the first page were in the colour ‘red,’ instantly grabbing the eyeballs of all. What’s more, the ad became the talk of the town when the telecom company announced its whacky scheme of paying its subscribers for all the incoming calls that they receive.

With a host of telecom players already slugging it out, Virgin Mobile knew it would have to take a ‘hatke’ route. And here’s where the seeds were sowed to launch a mobile brand that revolves only around the youth. Prasad Narasimhan, CMO, Virgin Mobile explains, “Although there are many players, no one has been concentrating on this huge population, which has highest mobile usage. As a matter of fact, a youth talks twice more than the other people, SMSs around thrice as much and is also the first to try out any kind of VAS service.” So from day one, the strategy has been, to be ‘relevant to the youth,’ in everything that it does.

To be relevant to its target audience, apart from the traditional media, internet and outdoor have also been wisely deployed. Narasimhan further elaborates, “Rather than deploying the carpet bombing strategy, the idea is to be, where the youth is, like college campuses, movie halls, common hangout spots et al.” Even the schemes that Virgin Mobile is offering at present has been developed keeping in mind the young guns. It did not take much time for Virgin Mobile to unearth that the desi lads and lassies love to talk for hours on their ‘fone,’ but have limited pocket money for the same. And thus originated the idea of paying 10 paise for every 60 seconds of incoming call that they receive on their Virgin Mobile phone. “The response to this scheme has been overwhelming already,” avers Narasimhan. It gives them the freedom to bank the money, which can be used unconditionally (there is no asterisk that one can call from only a local number or just a Virgin Mobile). In the initial few weeks, Virgin Mobile was busy telling its customers ‘who they are.’ It is now slowly shifting its strategy to tell its customers that ‘what they can offer’ in terms of schemes. The next step will be to talk about the handsets that they would offer, as just like other CDMA players, Virgin Mobile too comes with bundled handsets.

While targetting the youth, VAS will eventually turn out to be a big differentiating factor. Till now Virgin Mobile has been offering simple VAS, which it has termed VBytes, but Narasimhan is quick to point out that Indian market at the moment is flooded with theme-driven VAS. “It would not be mere downloads that we seek to offer but breakthrough VAS options. Unless we do something breakthrough, we would be just another operator in the marketplace, avers Narsimhan, though not ready to divulge anything at the moment. Presently operators are spending huge chunks of money to promote their VAS services, so it would be interesting to watch out what Virgin Mobile plans to offer. But with its international experience, one would expect it to be a hatke kind of a service.

Surbhi Chawla

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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RCOM Ltd.’s arm

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

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

Investee: RCOM Ltd.’s arm

Investor: Fortress Capital, HSBC, et al

Investment Value: $337.5 mn

According to Anil Dhirubhai Ambani, Chairman, RCOM, “We are excited about the tremendous growth potential in the Indian telecom infrastructure business. Our strategy to create a separate company for infrastructure businesses has resulted in tremendous unlocking of value for over two million RCOM shareholders. RTIL, as an independent telecom infrastructure provider, has significant growth potential and is on track to become the leading player in India. RTIL will be listed in the future and provide investors another attractive opportunity to participate in India’s incredible telecom growth.” RTIL has already filed the draft Red Herring prospectus with SEBI and would hit the capital market soon to raise an expected Rs.6,000 crores from the public.

Reliance Telecom Infrastructure Limited (RTIL), the hived-off tower business subsidiary of Reliance Communication (RCOM), shelled out 5% of its stake to seven investors – Fortress Capital, George Soros, Galleon, GLG Capital, HSBC, DA Capital and Newsilk – for Rs.14 billion in July last year. The deal put the valuation of its tower business at about Rs.270 billion. The Anil Ambani owned RCOM is one of the first telecom companies in India to separate its tower business. RTIL builds, owns and operates communications towers and related assets under long term contracts. The company intends to invest Rs.46.23 billion in setting up 16,000 towers by 2009.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
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IIPM Campus

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THE CRITICS

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

IIPM, GURGAON

“I have nothing against the car but I have reservation on the usage of the car. This (launch of the car) represents the bankruptcy of the government, policy makers and authorities in meeting social responsibilities.”

R. K. Pachauri

Nobel laureate

“Tatas were given land valued at Rs.1,000 crores, free, as also Rs.135 crores in incentives such as power and water. Everything is free. After getting so many things free, the Tatas should give 10 lakh cars free.”

Mamata Banerjee

Trinamool Congress supremo

“The fact is that the Rs.1 lakh car is now here, it will be exponential in terms of numbers growth. This just doesn’t let me sleep. This car will not lead to mobility or equity but add to congestion and pollution.”

Sunita Narain

Director, Centre for Science and Environment

“We will have to wait for the car to hit the markets as currently we don’t know the specifications, the features and the performance of the car.”

S. Nakanishi

MD, Maruti

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
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Opposite sides of the spectrum

2008-07-15T17:39:00.000+05:30

When IIPM comes to education, never compromise

What colour do you associate Coke with? Red?

Yes! It’s the red colour that makes it distinct and gives it a unique identity, apart from other factors like the brand name, flavour, shape of the bottle etc. After all, if Coke is evaluated as a brand, the colour red would be contributing 40% to its equity.

A question that comes to mind is – if Coke is red, then what colour is Pepsi associated with? Blue??

Pepsi tried to go blue. It wanted to associate itself with the colour blue. It was ready to shell out a neat $500 million (Rs.17.50 billion, approximately) to go blue. For 40 years, it has used the colour mix of red and white and blue so as to give it a distinct colour identity. Pepsi went to the extent of painting blue a concord supersonic jet to carry the colour message to bottlers around the world. This colour differentiation would help in giving Pepsi an identity distinct and different from Coke. To increase the association of the colour with the brand, Pepsi highlighted the colour blue in all its advertisements. What I’m trying to say here is that colours compete as much as brand names do. Close your mind’s eye and try to think of Coke – you will see a splash of red. Then think of Pepsi and you will, probably now, think of blue. If this exercise had been done a few years back, you would have been unable to decide whether Pepsi was blue or red.

What is it that made Pepsi turn electric blue? Is it then true that Pepsi’s erstwhile red and blue combination served just as a reminder of Coke? To cut a long story short, the bottom line is, when it comes to colours, be opposites if you are competitors. Many brands, consciously or otherwise, have followed this.

• Perk is blue while its competitor, Kit-Kat, is red.
• Kodak is yellow while the counterpart, Fuji, is green.
• Polo is green and blue while Minto is now red and yellow.
• Hertz picked up yellow, so Avis picked red.

There’s a powerful logic in selecting a colour that is opposite to that of your major competitor. It is more important to create a separate brand identity with the help of colour than it is to use the right symbolic colour. To put it simply, consider this example. For an eco-friendly product the right symbolic colour is probably green, but if your competitor has chosen it first, it’s best to avoid green and choose a contrasting colour. This way, you shall be saved the pain of being a ‘me-too’ product, and would have a distinct identity. Remember, Pepsi learnt it the hard way... after 40 years!

What is brand recall? It’s finally your ability to stand out in a crowd of similar sounding, similar looking products. To be successful, a brand needs to stick out like a sore thumb in the market place. This immediately makes it more noticeable and memorable. Think of the corporate world where everybody is dressed in blue or black suits. An orange suit would immediately be noticed and remembered. Similarly, in the market place, a colour strikingly different from your competitor’s will make you stick out, get you noticed and remembered. With the help of advertising, you could strengthen this association of the desired colour with your brand and help it build strong colour equity.

If you are the first to enter the market, you have a choice of which colour to associate your brand with. When you are second, it has to be a colour strikingly different from your competitor’s. When you have the freedom to choose, a colour should be chosen with great care. Colours influence us in a variety of ways. They seem to have a direct physical impact on us. Donald Kaufman conducted experiments to show how colour influenced our daily lives. He found that when we are placed in a room with red light and all of a sudden the light is switched to blue, instantaneously, our body temperature falls.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

Read these article :-
B-schooled in India, Placed Abroad (Print Version)
IIPM in Financial times (Print Version)
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IIPM Campus

George Wills, Regional Operations Manager, Porsche (Middle East, Africa & India)

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

IIPM - Admission Procedure

What’s your India strategy?

We have a bag full of ideas, but we will look at the market closely. After Delhi, we are contemplating to build centres in high-potential regions such as Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and so on.

Is Porsche planning an assembling plant in India?

We do not intend to produce or assemble Porsches here. These coveted cars are known for and expected by consumers to be ‘Made in Germany’.

As compared to China, how has the Indian market matured for Porsche?

There is an evident change in the Indian market. However, what is different in the Chinese scenario is that the Chinese are making things overnight and there is tremendous wealth created there. Nevertheless, India too is a high potential market, just like China, but things do not move as fast here as we might expect it to be.

About prospective launch of track speck Porsches?

Specialised cars like the Porsche 911 GT3 & GT3 RS are not the first car of the prospective customer. These cars are specifically used and most certainly are not meant to be driven every day because they are hard set. But the market for such cars in India will also grow in the near future.

For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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

2008-07-11T17:15:00.000+05:30

IIPM, GURGAON

Actually the real issue is that marketers are running short of niche identifying USPs, in the face of heightened competition, where product benefits are no longer sacrosanct. If a Motorola launches a successful ‘slim’ phone, Nokia wastes no time to attach itself to the slim advantage. Similarly, if Saffola vegetable oil boasts health advantages, Dhara too latches on to such a healthy benefit in no time. Look carefully and you’ll find that such clutter breaking propositions, borrowing heavily from the Indian cultural fabric, are mostly being seen in sectors, where respective product attributes are almost negligible. With the product attributes between cola drinks Coke and Pepsi nearly fizzling out, for example, consciously or unconsciously, Coke eventually resorted to a brand campaign that touted ‘sabka thanda ek’, harping on the unity that the drink brings among people... another takeoff on the typically desi ingrediant of ‘unity in diversity’. “Sabka Thanda Ek strengthens the universal appeal of the brand amongst consumers. It offers a higher order of emotional benefit of bringing people together,” offers Venkatesh Kini, Vice President-Marketing, Coca-Cola India.

Marketer Santosh Desai believes that brands now-a-days, are clearly seeking a much larger platform, as also a role to play in the social life of consumers. “The Surf ‘Do bucket pani...’ spot for example, endeavours to connect with the audience on a larger platform. There was a time when brands shied away from reality, showcasing their product attributes in a make-believe world using either humor or glamour to tell their story. But, brands are no longer running away from reality, instead they are celebrating it,” he avers.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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The Oriental Insurance Co.

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

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A premium growth of 11.4% – highest amongst the PSUs, even better growth in profits… no wonder why it made it to the list. But the good news is Oriental Insurance Company Ltd. is expecting to keep up the good work. According to M. Ramadoss, CMD, Oriental Insurance Company, “We hope to continue our path of profitable growth of at least 10% in the current year.” Well, it doesn’t end here! The company is currently in the middle of developing its IT infrastructure in order to step up its efficiency levels as Ramadoss makes it clear, “In FY 07-08, our focus would be on developing information and technology software for our business.” To substantiate the fact, the Integrated Non-life Insurance Application Software (INLIAS) is being tried out on a pilot basis, in more than 250 offices and will be further implemented in 600 of its branches. The implementation of this software is being done with an objective to speed-up the company’s operations across the board and will also unlock efficiency in areas as diverse as claims, underwriting, re-insurance, accounts et al. The company seems to be quite categorical about increasing its focus on some specific sectors like health, rural cover and personal accident.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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Laughing all the way to its Bank

2008-07-09T11:44:00.000+05:30

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Business ethics, social responsibility and customer friendliness comprise its philosophy

“I will rather opt for zero business than doing business worth millions which are based on unethical practices,” said the HDFC CEO at an internal organisational meeting a few months ago. Reminiscing about it, an ex-employee explains that this one sentence epitomises the business philosophy of a corporate, whose ethical mindset and environment is shaped by those at the top. As an organisation, HDFC encompasses the simple, but mostly forgotten, tenets of integrity, transparency and fairness in whatever it does. These fundamental and sound principles have increased its credibility and have made it one of India’s most admirable companies.

Here’s an example to establish this fact. Another former employee explains how he had cracked a lucrative deal with a large company to handle its gratuity and pension funds. Later, the client was unable to fulfil some compliance norms and present some of the documents. “We were in a position to still accept the statement from the client. But as an organisation governed by ethical principles and practices, we simply refunded the entire amount.” As he narrated the story, the admiration for his ex-company was clearly visible. Each and every relationship that HDFC strikes with borrowers, depositors, agents, shareholders, or other stakeholders is valued and that explains why most former and current employees proudly proclaim their relationship with HDFC.

In an era where success or failure of organisations is judged by respective toplines, bottomlines, market capitalisation, and market shares, HDFC seems to be an exception. “HDFC has followed the basics, and focused primarily on quality rather than quantity. Its approach has been customer-centric and this has certainly helped them achieve quality. They are not into customer acquisition, but believe in building long and cherished relationships built on trust with customers. It takes into consideration customer’s feedback and this has helped it to constantly innovate products based on the customer’s needs. The quality of service too is unparalleled,” exudes Sumit Taneja (who has invested in HDFC Mutual Fund). It has neither believed in the market share game, nor does it compete on price points. Its focus throughout has been on transparency, professionalism and customer services without comprising on quality. While HDFC agrees that market share is important, yet it does not want to engage itself in any practices that would hurt long-term profitability, or worse, the credibility and image of the company. Defying the commonly-held belief that numbers are critical, HDFC and its several subsidiaries have occupied coveted positions merely by focusing on “need-based selling strategy.” If customers require a certain product or service, HDFC will launch it.

This does not mean that the Bank is not gaining market share. In the housing finance segment, HDFC’s market share in the first quarter of current financial year has moved up from nearly 29% to about 35%. In comparison, most competitors have seen their housing finance business witness a downturn; for many, growth rates were down by 40%. HDFC has not only added value to shareholders wealth, but has also strived to add the much-needed value for the country. And its efforts towards betterment of the poor are no less than the efforts to make its business strong.

To cite an example, HDFC bank follows a four-tier pyramid structure to provide microfinance to poor farmers. At the first tier, it offers amounts ranging between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 12,000 through self-help groups. At the second level, it helps those who need finance to take care of harvested crops. The Bank also offers pre-house and post-house warehouse receipts finance to help farmers get a better price for their produce. It has dedicated sales machines in more than 1,000 co-operative banks, which are involved in the microfinance business. Due to constant efforts, HDFC feels that it can quadruple its microfinance business from the existing Rs 500 crore to Rs 2,000 crore in next 24-30 months, and cover six million poor families.

But having social principles as a foundation is not enough. And HDFC understands this principle. While ensuring that the Bank has a strong footing in the market, it has chalked out clear financial objectives. These include increasing return on equity every year (by one percentage point), maintaining gross Non Performing Assets (NPAs) below industry norms (it was under1% on six months overdue basis), growing loan approvals by 25% per annum, and maintaining a cost-to-income ratio below industry norms (HDFC’s was under 14%). It earned a PAT of Rs 1,019.20 crore in the first half of 2007-08, which was higher than the Rs. 664.84 crore it earned in the same period in the previous fiscal. According to Keki Mistry, MD, HDFC, the Bank will be able to sustain a 25% growth over the next few years. HDFC has positioned itself as a bank that’s approachable and easier to deal with. No wonder, it proudly boasts of the Best Retail Bank in India award (conferred it to at the 6th Asian Banker Excellence in Retail Financial Services Award).

In other businesses, like life insurance, the HDFC brand is making inroads into rural areas, and stretching distribution networks at the grassroots level. In the general insurance business, HDFC has overcome niggling problems it faced initially, like the HDFC Chubb fiasco, and is racing ahead after striking a deal with ERGO. But, in sync with the underlying business philosophy, all businesses are loaded with tons of of ethics, social responsibility and customer friendliness. For HDFC, its customers are its deserving ambassadors.

Edit bureau: Gyanendra Kashyap with inputs from Niharika Patra

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

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ADMIRATION UNLIMITED

2008-07-08T17:18:00.000+05:30

Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Why do we admire companies, brands, products, institutions, individuals and even so called failures?

“You always admire what you don’t really understand.” That was said by the French philosopher and mathematician Blaise Pascal. “Admiration is a very short-lived passion that immediately decays upon growing familiar with its object, unless it be still fed with fresh discoveries, and kept alive by a perpetual succession of miracles rising into view.” That was poet and politician Joseph Addison. Please keep these two homilies in mind when you next discuss an admired brand, product, organisation, individual or even disparage the same.

We all know we admire Dhirubhai Ambani despite tall tales of how he had managed the ‘environment and the system’. We all know we admire Maruti as a brand that has been around us even as India emerged from a deep slumber of isolation and obscurity and transformed into a rampaging elephant, or a tiger if you wish. We all know that we admire Nelson Mandela for the brilliant manner in which he led the process of transforming South Africa from a nation riven by racism and hatred into a modern democracy. We all seem to know what and who we admire.

But do we really know why we admire those we chose to admire? For instance, why and how is it that Dhirubhai Ambani has become one of the most admired icons of contemporary India Inc.? Do we even understand how Dhirubhai created the behemoth called Reliance and how it went on to become so big?

Or, take the example of the Tata Group. Do we admire J. R. D Tata for the innovative and brilliant entrepreneurial ideas that he generated or do we admire him because of his insistence on sticking to moral values and ethics at a time when India was descending into the worst form of crony socialism?

Go global and you will find the dilemma even more acute. Do we admire Henry Ford for creating the modern assembly line in manufacturing plants or do we chastise his legacy for his allegedly pro-Nazi leanings? Do we admire Bill Gates for the ‘windows’ that he gave to the world or do we hate him for his allegedly monopolistic tactics? Do we admire Sam Walton for helping American consumers buy as cheap as possible or do we chastise his legacy of paying as less as possible to American workers?

The problem with compiling a list of most admired companies is the element of subjectivity involved in the whole process. As Pascal pointed out about four centuries ago, we often admire those that we don’t understand. So we admire Dhirubhai Ambani probably because we really don’t understand how he operated and ended up creating such a gargantuan corporate empire. We admire V. Kurien, the man behind Amul, not just because he created the most successful cooperative in the world; but also because he worked the corridors of power in mystifying ways. There are many who admire and yet are sceptical about the success of Kurien because he was apparently ‘dictatorial’ and intolerant of critics. Similarly, talk of the most successful politicians and statesmen across the world and you will find the same mixture of intense admiration coupled with a tinge of scepticism.

Then again look at how Addison has talked about how admiration can be a phenomenon that can even transform into mistrust and dislike after a while. That’s because parameters on which we decide whom to admire keep changing with time. Look at it this way: in the era of intense socialism when Amitabh Bachhan was the angry young man who fought against greedy ‘businessmen’, Dhirubhai Ambani could possibly not have been as admired as he is today. Henry Ford is no longer as admired today as he was about 50 years ago because our attitudes towards labour, work and management have changed.

But some things remain constant across time and attitudes. No matter what parameter we decide, J. R. D Tata will always remain one of the most important ‘brands’ and institutions of India. And no matter what happens, Reliance Industries will be admired (as feared by rivals), at least for some time to come. Meanwhile, we hope you ‘admire’ this loving compilation of India’s most admired companies!

Meanwhile, about India...

The 4Ps B&M ranking of India’s most admired companies is based on the S&P CNX 500 list, which includes only those listed companies that have a minimum record of three years with a positive net worth (you will read more about our methodology on page 48 and the detailed explanatory tables on pages 50-51). But, going forward, you will find a few companies in our special ‘sector-wise admired companies’ package that do not belong to the original list of admired companies that were listed in Dalal Street. We have taken the editorial liberty of including some companies in the package that our core team believed had performed outstandingly & most inventively in the respective sector in the year 2007.

DLF, for example, does not find a place among our original ranking of most admired companies (the S&P CNX 500 takes into account listed companies as on March 30, 2007; DLF was listed on 5th July). But the year 2007 has been a watershed for DLF and so it finds a presence in our subsequent editorial package. Or take the IT sector, the most inventive strategy in 2007 has been adopted by MNC behemoth Hewlett-Packard, which again is not listed in India. So HP features prominently in our editorial pick for the IT sector. And in any case, the times... they are changing and who is admired can possibly even change as quickly as monsoon clouds race away across the horizon. Have a good read...

Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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Lagaan reaping dividends

2008-07-07T16:51:00.000+05:30

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On beating Sholay and market forces...

A three hour plus package when it was released in the theatres, about cricket, tax and colonialism – and still evoking interest after six years when the DVDs hit the stalls – that’s the magic of Lagaan.

The package having Lagaan and Chale Chalo (the documentary on the making of Lagaan) combined, has crossed 2.5 lakh units, surpassing the DVD sales of Sholay. A lot of research has gone into the package that has a deftly-crafted wooden box with memorabilia inside like cards, a film strip and a whole lot for the connoisseur’s collection. This combined with contests for the consumers for that wee-bit of market push saw this feat achieved. The entire package is priced at Rs.1,999, the DVD and VCD separately costing Rs.399 and Rs.199, respectively.

Lagaan managing the DVD sales of this scale with these prices, brings us to the question of figures that can be reached after the (in)famous price-slash of Moser Baer. The prices slashed to 34 and 28 for DVD and VCD, respectively, has shaken the industry, let alone the competitors! With T-Series and Ultra following suit, the market is on the verge of a veritable purge!

All this taken, will the rentals of DVDs and VCDs surge? Who has truly felt the Indian consumer’s urge?

Edit Bureau: Srinivas Chetan

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
When IIPM comes to education, never compromise
IIPM - Admission Procedure
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Why Study Abroad When IIPM Gives You 3 global Advantages!

Kingfisher Airlines

2008-07-06T12:25:00.000+05:30

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The flamboyant Mallya has managed to build a branded castle in the air too...

It dared to be different and chose to tread along the high-quality, highprice corridor while the herd was fast galloping down the low-cost, low-prices alley. The result – Kingfisher Airlines! And the brand image – eminently sustainable. Its public perception hasn’t changed for over two years now (Kingfisher celebrated its second year of inception on May 9, 2007). With orders worth Rs.100 billion during 2005-06 alone and being the only Indian airline to place an order for 5 A380 superjumbos, the airline is also mulling an IPO to raise Rs.60 billion, which would help finance its future purchases. Perhaps the first airline ever to have received accolades even before completing a year, it was awarded with the ‘Best Airline of The Year’ award and also landed the Skytrax Award for ‘Service Excellence for a New Airline’. Mallya is also currently identified among those interested in the low-cost carrier Air Deccan. Being a liquor baron (where advertising is banned), Mallya is happily pumping capital into the airline so that it serves as an ad for even his liquor brand. No wonder, despite ‘not’ being a profit-making airline yet, Kingfisher is easily noticed. Binit Somaia, Regional Director, Centre for Asia-Pacific Aviation, says, “In a short span, Kingfisher has set new benchmarks for airline service, driven by innovation and investment.” Even the Panasonic Toyota For- mula One willfully accepted Kingfisher as its official sponsor in January this year. Sure, Indians can be proud of this truly indigenous brand!

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

An IIPM and Professor Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned M a n a g e m e n t G u r u and Economist) Initiative

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S. GOPALAKRISHNAN...

2008-07-04T16:40:00.000+05:30

S. GOPALAKRISHNAN...
CEO & MD, Infosys Technologies Ltd.
That’s Infosys’ very own Kr(r)is(h)!

Replacing Nandan Nilekani as the CEO & MD of Infosys Technologies Ltd. was never easy, but this man actually made it look smooth! S. Gopalakrishnan (who was the President and JMD since August 2006) was amongst the founder members of the company. He was the prime force behind management of design, development, implementation (and other unheard tasks during those times in India) since the very beginning. He played a key role in aggressively pioneering areas like customer services, technology et al at Infosys. And being a weathered rock when it comes to M&As, he talks of his company’s future merger strategies as, “About 85% of acquisitions fail to deliver value. We are cautious and selective in acquisitions. We want to make sure it’s on our terms...” Proof enough why he’s a leader well-versed with business strategies to take total control of dynamic modern businesses.

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Source : IIPM Editorial, 2008

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